Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesWashington Huskies at USC Trojans (-10.5) Saturday October 2, 2010 8:00 PM EST Lane Kiffin has these USC Trojans, ranked #18, playing at a high level as of right now. They bring into this Pac-10 game a 4-0 record. Washington looked horrible 2 weeks ago losing to 8th ranked Nebraska 56-21. They bring in a 1-2 record and look to get back to .500. All eyes will be on the QBs this week. For Washington, Jake Locker was said to be a Heisman hopeful. After a sub-par performance last week, he looks to gain back his form in this one. Thus far Locker has thrown for 626 yards with 6 TDs and 2 Ints. USC QB Matt Barkley has looked more so like the Heisman hopeful after a strong start to the year. The Sophomore has 941 yards with 12 TDs and 4 Ints. These two will be under Atlanta Falcons jersey
a microscope in this one. USC outranks Washington in passing yards, rushing yards, points for, and points against. With football picks, all four of those categories are huge. USC performs very well at home and should have no trouble easily beating this Washington team. Free College Football Pick: USC (-10.5)Visit Freepick1.com each day for the winning free sports picks and expert football picks from our professional team. Be sure to check out our sportsbookspage for updated infoformation on bonusesfor the week. This article is also featured onSports Picks
2011年1月22日星期六
22 Jan 11 Pac-10 Football: Monday Morning One-Liners
Steve Dykes/Getty ImagesArizona is ranked its highest in 12 years thanks to a win over then-No. 9 Iowa. During Arizona Statebattle with Wisconsin on Saturday, a total of 71 fans were ejected. You have to love college football. In case you did not know, California was thoroughly embarrassed by a WAC team last Friday. The Bruins at UCLA did a lot more than beat Houston on Saturday. They knocked the top two quarterbacks off the Cougar depth chart. (My note: Unless Houston quarterback Case Keenum takes a medical redshirt, he will not break the all-time career Reebok Indianapolis Colts 18 Peyton Manning Realtree camo Jersey
passing yard mark.) OregonLaMichael James only recorded 14 carries on Saturday for the Ducks, but they went for 227 rushing yardsall in the first half. Check out what he said after the game. Oregon State nearly lost to a Big East team in Corvallis on Saturday. What will it take for Southern California to be satisfied with a win? No luck was needed for Stanford in the Cardinalwin over Wake Forestother than Andrew Luck of course. If you think NCFHeadlines "something is off-the-record, does that make it okay? P.S., I told you Jake LockerHeisman campaign was through. Southern Methodist won their rematch with Washington State. The Cougars lone win from a year ago was against the Mustangs
passing yard mark.) OregonLaMichael James only recorded 14 carries on Saturday for the Ducks, but they went for 227 rushing yardsall in the first half. Check out what he said after the game. Oregon State nearly lost to a Big East team in Corvallis on Saturday. What will it take for Southern California to be satisfied with a win? No luck was needed for Stanford in the Cardinalwin over Wake Forestother than Andrew Luck of course. If you think NCFHeadlines "something is off-the-record, does that make it okay? P.S., I told you Jake LockerHeisman campaign was through. Southern Methodist won their rematch with Washington State. The Cougars lone win from a year ago was against the Mustangs
2011年1月15日星期六
15 Jan 11 St. Louis Rams "Nothing more than personal pride on the line for Rams, 49ers
For a period of about 30 years from the 1970s through the early 21st century, 49ers-Rams matchups usually played a big part in deciding the champion in the NFC West Division. Not anymore.With both teams entering this week;s game with identical 2-7 records, there is nothing more than personal pride on the line. No playoff implications ride on this matchup between two teams that know each other well.Commentary: As far as meaningless battles go, this one does offer some intrigue. The Rams will see some familiar faces in San Francisco on Sunday. Reebok New England Patriots #12 Tom Brady Realtree camo Jersey
Former head coach Mike Martz is running the offense for the 49ers, while one of the former faces of the St. Louis franchise, Isaac Bruce, will be catching balls for San Francisco.Both teams are trying to regain NFL respectability. The Rams got embarrassed last week by the Jets to the tune of 47-3. The 49ers, meanwhile, played a good game Monday in taking division-leading Arizona down to the wire in a 29-24 defeat. San Francisco did end up with egg on its face because of clock mismanagement that cost the 49ers a victory.Don;t expect there to be much defense played between the Rams and 49ers. St. Louis is 30th in the league. allowing 398.6 yards per game, while San Francisco is 22nd, giving up 334.6. Fan Pulse: Rams fans are less than excited about this storied rivalry. With both teams out of the playoff race, it is a game with just pride on the line for the Rams and 49ers.Fantasy Football Impact: Be wary of using any Rams on your fantasy roster except for Jackson and rookie receiver Donnie Avery. Jackson should still be benched because he isn;t fully healed from his leg injury. Marc Bulger has struggled this season, but he has found a connection with Avery that has produced fantasy points.Injury Watch: Jackson is still battling his strained quadriceps muscle and isn;t 100 percent. It remains to be seen whether he will play against the 49ers, but he has been practicing on a limited basis. Look for Jackson to play, but not with the usual number of carries. (0) In recent history, the Bengals like the Rams have both stunk and they haveReebok New Orleans Saints #9 Drew Brees Realtree camo Jersey
other similarities: star Pro Bowl quarterbacks (Bulger and Palmer) who have either under performed or have been injured, great running backs (Jackson and Benson), and a desperate need to recreate themselves and get their franchises respectable again.The Rams won last week;s smack down so I have nothing but love for them. However, and none of us want to say it; the real reason they won was due to Bengal turnovers. Three of the 4 fumbles Bengal fumbles were recovered by the Rams.With an exception of the defensive line, who were great, the Rams overall looked pretty good. The defense recorded 6 sacks on Bengal QBs and while they played they kept a lot of pressure on the QB. The O-Line gave up zero sacks and the receivers looked pretty good (but receiving yards for the night was only around 140). Walker had the most receiving yards with 24. Kyle Boller had a pretty good night. Passing for 14/20, 96 yards, and 1 TD pass. The Bengals threw for just under 200 yards. Every Bengal receiver on the field had a reception for at least 10 yards (Ochocinco;s longest catch was 9 yards) which is not good. Good news is that there was only one receiving TD against the Rams. I think the Rams are moving in the right direction. I still have some reservations regarding the Rams. Reebok New York Giants #27 Brandon Jacobs Realtree camo Jersey
Their QB situation is not completely solid. Where was Marc Bulger the other night? I want to see him and his fractured finger jumping up and down on the sideline cheering his team on. And finally, until I see a healthy Stephen Jackson breaking for some serious yards, I am not going to sleep completely sound. (0)
Former head coach Mike Martz is running the offense for the 49ers, while one of the former faces of the St. Louis franchise, Isaac Bruce, will be catching balls for San Francisco.Both teams are trying to regain NFL respectability. The Rams got embarrassed last week by the Jets to the tune of 47-3. The 49ers, meanwhile, played a good game Monday in taking division-leading Arizona down to the wire in a 29-24 defeat. San Francisco did end up with egg on its face because of clock mismanagement that cost the 49ers a victory.Don;t expect there to be much defense played between the Rams and 49ers. St. Louis is 30th in the league. allowing 398.6 yards per game, while San Francisco is 22nd, giving up 334.6. Fan Pulse: Rams fans are less than excited about this storied rivalry. With both teams out of the playoff race, it is a game with just pride on the line for the Rams and 49ers.Fantasy Football Impact: Be wary of using any Rams on your fantasy roster except for Jackson and rookie receiver Donnie Avery. Jackson should still be benched because he isn;t fully healed from his leg injury. Marc Bulger has struggled this season, but he has found a connection with Avery that has produced fantasy points.Injury Watch: Jackson is still battling his strained quadriceps muscle and isn;t 100 percent. It remains to be seen whether he will play against the 49ers, but he has been practicing on a limited basis. Look for Jackson to play, but not with the usual number of carries. (0) In recent history, the Bengals like the Rams have both stunk and they haveReebok New Orleans Saints #9 Drew Brees Realtree camo Jersey
other similarities: star Pro Bowl quarterbacks (Bulger and Palmer) who have either under performed or have been injured, great running backs (Jackson and Benson), and a desperate need to recreate themselves and get their franchises respectable again.The Rams won last week;s smack down so I have nothing but love for them. However, and none of us want to say it; the real reason they won was due to Bengal turnovers. Three of the 4 fumbles Bengal fumbles were recovered by the Rams.With an exception of the defensive line, who were great, the Rams overall looked pretty good. The defense recorded 6 sacks on Bengal QBs and while they played they kept a lot of pressure on the QB. The O-Line gave up zero sacks and the receivers looked pretty good (but receiving yards for the night was only around 140). Walker had the most receiving yards with 24. Kyle Boller had a pretty good night. Passing for 14/20, 96 yards, and 1 TD pass. The Bengals threw for just under 200 yards. Every Bengal receiver on the field had a reception for at least 10 yards (Ochocinco;s longest catch was 9 yards) which is not good. Good news is that there was only one receiving TD against the Rams. I think the Rams are moving in the right direction. I still have some reservations regarding the Rams. Reebok New York Giants #27 Brandon Jacobs Realtree camo Jersey
Their QB situation is not completely solid. Where was Marc Bulger the other night? I want to see him and his fractured finger jumping up and down on the sideline cheering his team on. And finally, until I see a healthy Stephen Jackson breaking for some serious yards, I am not going to sleep completely sound. (0)
2011年1月13日星期四
14 Jan 11 Carolina Panthers DeShaun Foster Steven Davis
Although the Carolina Panthers are among the elite teams in football, many still question their running back position. The Panthers bring DeShaun Foster, Nick Goings, Eric Shelton and Jamal Robertson as the top four backs on their depth chart. The main point of concern which leads people to question this group of backs is the fact that all have been injury-prone in the past. On the contrary, the Panthers' offensive coaching staff and front-office is confident in the health of their lead trio of backs.For openers, the Panthers bring the highly talented, yet oft injured Reebok Indianapolis Colts 18 Peyton Manning Realtree camo Jersey
Foster, who is officially penciled in as the team's No. 1 back for next season. After starting last season behind veteran bruiser Stephen Davis on the Panthers' depth chart, Foster took over and had a big season with 879 rushing yards and 372 receiving yards. He was also second on the team in receptions with 34, so he undoubtedly has an opportunity to be one of the league's best all-purpose threats, if he can stay healthy. In four seasons, Foster, a former second-round pick from UCLA, has appeared in just 33 out of a possible 64 games. However, the Panthers put a lot of trust in Foster's future health last month as they re-signed the 26-year-old to a three-year contract worth a hefty $14.5 million. Foster's contract came just 10 days after the Panthers released Davis because of salary cap constraints. Clearly, the Panthers have put their faith in Foster, and for once, they better hope he stays healthy. If his health can hold up for a full season, the Panthers will have one of the league's finest dual-threats.In the event that Foster fails to stay healthy, the Carolina Panthers can always bring the 28-year-old Goings to the table. Goings isn't necessarily a well-known entity, but he's an above-average back with the ability to bang up opposing defenders with his 225 pound frame. In extended duty in 2004, Goings rushed for a surprising 821 yards and six touchdowns. He was also among the Panthers' leaders in receptions that year with 45. Thus, much like Foster, Goings has proven to be a nice all-purpose player who can puzzle the opposition on a good day. Certainly, many NFL teams would be more than happy to have him as a backup or change of pace player.One player who hasn't gotten much notoriety on the Panthers is the 22-year-old Shelton. Subsequent to being drafted in the third-round of the 2005 draft, Shelton broke his foot last Reebok Minnesota Vikings 28 Adrian Peterson Realtree camo Jersey
September in a preseason game, and that forced him to miss all of last season. At the University of Louisville, Shelton was extremely impressive as he led the team in rushing and regularly dominated opposing defenses, even though he had to split carries with former teammate and current Buffalo Bills reserve running back Lionel Gates. Weighing in at a whopping 249 pounds, Shelton will be able to step in as the heir apparent to the departed Davis if he pans out the way Carolina hopes. He has the opportunity to be a major factor around the goal-line with his imposing bulk. Out of all the Panthers' running backs, it may be the 29-year-old Robertson who ends up as the odd man out. The five-year veteran has never proven to be capable of winning a job or even carrying a load for a single game. He will likely end up having difficulty making the Panthers' roster, since he has three superior backs ahead of him. In the event that Robertson does earn a roster spot in Carolina, it'll likely be due to an injury to one of the Panthers' other backs; Robertson's other hope is to make the team as a special teamer, since he's solid in that aspect.If the Carolina Panthers end up contending for a Super Bowl title next season, it will be due in no small part to the success of their running game. Therefore, it is imperative that Foster gets the jobReebok Minnesota Vikings #4 Brett Favre Realtree camo Jersey
done and stays healthy as the starter, and it's also of high importance that Goings and Shelton provide legitimate threats as reserves. If not, the Panthers will be looking at a redo of their NFC Championship game loss last season, as their running backs were shut down because of injuries. The result? A humiliating 34-14 defeat. Obviously, nobody in Carolina wants to see that nightmarish scenario played out again.--Connor Byrne can be reached at cbyrne
Foster, who is officially penciled in as the team's No. 1 back for next season. After starting last season behind veteran bruiser Stephen Davis on the Panthers' depth chart, Foster took over and had a big season with 879 rushing yards and 372 receiving yards. He was also second on the team in receptions with 34, so he undoubtedly has an opportunity to be one of the league's best all-purpose threats, if he can stay healthy. In four seasons, Foster, a former second-round pick from UCLA, has appeared in just 33 out of a possible 64 games. However, the Panthers put a lot of trust in Foster's future health last month as they re-signed the 26-year-old to a three-year contract worth a hefty $14.5 million. Foster's contract came just 10 days after the Panthers released Davis because of salary cap constraints. Clearly, the Panthers have put their faith in Foster, and for once, they better hope he stays healthy. If his health can hold up for a full season, the Panthers will have one of the league's finest dual-threats.In the event that Foster fails to stay healthy, the Carolina Panthers can always bring the 28-year-old Goings to the table. Goings isn't necessarily a well-known entity, but he's an above-average back with the ability to bang up opposing defenders with his 225 pound frame. In extended duty in 2004, Goings rushed for a surprising 821 yards and six touchdowns. He was also among the Panthers' leaders in receptions that year with 45. Thus, much like Foster, Goings has proven to be a nice all-purpose player who can puzzle the opposition on a good day. Certainly, many NFL teams would be more than happy to have him as a backup or change of pace player.One player who hasn't gotten much notoriety on the Panthers is the 22-year-old Shelton. Subsequent to being drafted in the third-round of the 2005 draft, Shelton broke his foot last Reebok Minnesota Vikings 28 Adrian Peterson Realtree camo Jersey
September in a preseason game, and that forced him to miss all of last season. At the University of Louisville, Shelton was extremely impressive as he led the team in rushing and regularly dominated opposing defenses, even though he had to split carries with former teammate and current Buffalo Bills reserve running back Lionel Gates. Weighing in at a whopping 249 pounds, Shelton will be able to step in as the heir apparent to the departed Davis if he pans out the way Carolina hopes. He has the opportunity to be a major factor around the goal-line with his imposing bulk. Out of all the Panthers' running backs, it may be the 29-year-old Robertson who ends up as the odd man out. The five-year veteran has never proven to be capable of winning a job or even carrying a load for a single game. He will likely end up having difficulty making the Panthers' roster, since he has three superior backs ahead of him. In the event that Robertson does earn a roster spot in Carolina, it'll likely be due to an injury to one of the Panthers' other backs; Robertson's other hope is to make the team as a special teamer, since he's solid in that aspect.If the Carolina Panthers end up contending for a Super Bowl title next season, it will be due in no small part to the success of their running game. Therefore, it is imperative that Foster gets the jobReebok Minnesota Vikings #4 Brett Favre Realtree camo Jersey
done and stays healthy as the starter, and it's also of high importance that Goings and Shelton provide legitimate threats as reserves. If not, the Panthers will be looking at a redo of their NFC Championship game loss last season, as their running backs were shut down because of injuries. The result? A humiliating 34-14 defeat. Obviously, nobody in Carolina wants to see that nightmarish scenario played out again.--Connor Byrne can be reached at cbyrne
2011年1月12日星期三
Despite being all finesse and no defense, Jamison is one of the more explosive scoring forwards in the NBA.
Washington had Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes in the backcourt and needed a frontcourt scoring punch more than a speedy distributor and an aging and expensive wing scorer. If the trade wasn made, Stackhouse would have trouble getting minutes with Harris, Arenas, and Larry Hughes/Caron Butler locking up the guard and wing spots. The Wizards also figured that Harris wouldn be strong enough to be a defensive presence, or as consistent as they would like, so they shipped him out and signed Antonio Daniels the following offseason. 2007 Grade: A 2010 Review: Stocked in the backcourt with Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes, Washington traded Devin Harris and Jerry Stackhouse to acquire Antawn Jamison. Jamison gave the Wizards more frontcourt firepower, while Harris, Stackhouse, Hughes, and Arenas wouldve been struggling to get minutes. The trade was the right move at the time and has worked out for all parties involved. 2010 Grade: A Atlanta Hawks (6) Drafted Josh Childress. (17) Received the No. 17 pick from Milwaukee (Josh Smith), received Bobby Sura, and Zeljko Rebracca from Detroit, Chris Mills from Boston, and sent Rasheed Wallace to Detroit. (34) Drafted Donta Smith. (37) Drafted Royal Ivey. (42) Drafted Viktor Sanikidze. Players received: Josh Childress, Josh Smith, Bobby SuraBuffalo Bills jersey
Zeljko Rebracca, Chris Mills, Donta Smith, Royal Ivey, Viktor Sanikidze Players lost: Rasheed Wallace 2007 Review: The scrubby players in the Rasheed Wallace deal were simply contracts used to clear up space used on Joe Johnson. Essentially getting Josh Smith for Rasheed Wallace isn a terrible trade. Smith has freakishly long arms and an incredible vertical which he shows repeatedly with highlight dunks and blocked shots. Unfortunately, Smith offensive game (and immature ego) are nowhere near as advanced as his defensive skills are. Josh Childress is one of the more enigmatic players in the league. Incredibly gifted athletically, but what is his role on a team? He's not dynamic enough to be a premier scorer, not intelligent enough to be a premier distributor, and not disciplined enough to be a lock down defender. When he figures out his niche, hell be able to utilize his athletic gifts to their full potential. Chris Duhon is a better player than Royal Ivey, but Ivey has been able to stick around and Duhon has gotten in trouble with Scott Skiles a few times in his career. Immaturity is never something you want with such a young team. 2007 Grade: B 2010 Review: The mediocrities from the Rasheed Wallace trade turned into cap space for Joe Johnson, while the pick received turned into Josh Smith. Successes on both fronts, especially now that Smith has finally started to mature and refine his game. Josh Childress was an athletic swingman who never found a niche and now plays overseas. He was a useful player on the Hawks 2007-2008 team that made the playoffs, but in hindsight, the pick shouldve been used on somebody else. Of the second round picks, Royal Ivey has carved a niche as a defensive specialist but Chris Duhon has emerged as a better overall player. Duhon shouldve been the selection. 2010 Grade: B Phoenix Suns (7) Traded this pick (Luol Deng) to Chicago for the No. 31 pick (Jackson Vroman), cash, and a future pick. (16) New York traded the No. 16 pick, along with Antonio McDyess, Charlie Ward, Howard Eisley, Maciej Lampe, Milos Vujanic, and a future first round pick to Phoenix for Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, and Cezary Trybanski. Phoenix then traded the No. 16 pick (Kirk Snyder), Tom Gugliotta, and a future first round pick to Utah for Keon Clark, Ben Handlogoten, and cash. (36) Traded No. 36 pick (Antonio Burks) to Orlando for Donell Harvey. Players received: Jackson Vroman, Antonio McDyess, Charlie Ward, Howard Eisley, Maciej Lampe, Milos Vujanic, Keon Clark, Ben Handlogoten, Donnell Harvey Players lost: Luol Deng, Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, Cezary Trybanski, Kirk Snyder, Tom Gugliotta, Antonio Burks 2007 Review: Forget about all the players gained in the Knicks trade. None of them played for Phoenix after the end of the year. Forget about Vroman, Clark, Handlogoten, and Harvey. They were just bodies. Forget about the discarded picks, even Luol Deng. The entire 2004 season and draft, for Phoenix was all about clearing cap space and roster space for Steve Nash. Since the Suns have taken off astronomically with Nash at the helm, (and it unlikely that Phoenix run-and-gun pace best suits Luol Deng game) the draft gets an A. 2007 Grade: A 2010 Review: The players involved in the 2004 draft mean nothing for the Suns. They were simply conduits for cap room used to sign Steve Nash. Considering where the Suns are with Nash, the Suns draft was a complete success. Even giving up Luol Deng was smart. Wings who can shoot murder spread pick-and-roll offenses because the teams running the offense can space the floor. The Suns wouldn have gained anything with him. 2010 Grade: A Toronto Raptors (8) Drafted Rafael Araujo. (38) Traded the No. 38 pick (Chris Duhon) to the Carolina Panthers jersey
Bulls in 2003 for the rights to Matt Bonner. (39) Drafted Albert Mirales. Then traded the rights to Mirales to Miami for the draft rights to Pape Sow and the No. 58 pick in 2005 (Uros Slokar). Players received: Rafael Araujo, Matt Bonner, Pape Sow, Uros Slokar Players lost: Chris Duhon, Albert Mirales 2007 Review: Chris Duhon is a better player than Matt Bonner and Toronto flat out blew their pick on Araujo. He was a bust in Toronto so they shipped him to Utah where he sits behind Jarron Collins in the depth chart. Considering Toronto could have picked up Andre Iguodala there is no way to give the Raptors any grade but an F. 2007 Grade: F 2010 Review: Araujo is the first flat-out bust of the draft, and a complete waste of a lottery pick. Matt Bonner is a serviceable shooter, but Duhon a decent shooter in his own right and a better overall player. The draft was a disaster for the Raptors. 2010 Grade: F Philadelphia 76rs (9) Drafted Andre Iguodala. 2007 Review: A simple draft for Philly and an effective one. With Allen Iverson shipped out and Andre Miller brought in, Iguodala had a chance to blossom late in the year for the Sixers. Iguodala can run the floor, finish with power, assault lazy dribbles and loose passes for steals, and has become a smart passer, averaging almost six assists in 2006-07. Iguodala has a high upside for superstardom and no player drafted later would have suited the Sixers more than their new A.I. 2007 Grade: A 2010 Review: Andre Iguodala isn a classic scorer because his jump shot is iffy. As a result, good individual defenders or coordinated double teams hold him in check. However, he still a talented one-on-one scorer, and absolutely lethal in the open floor. He rebounds well, is a talented passer, and is one of the best wing defenders in the game because of his athleticism, strength, and anticipation in the passing lanes. In short, Iguodala an outstanding two-way player and an outstanding pick. 2010 Grade: A Cleveland Cavaliers (10) Drafted Luke Jackson. (30) Traded Tony Battie, the No. 44 pick in 2005 (Martynas Andriuskevicius), and the No. 54 pick in 2007 (Wound up in Houston as Brad Newley), for the rights to Anderson Varejao, Drew Gooden, and Steven Hunter. Players received: Luke Jackson, Anderson Varejao, Drew Gooden, Steven Hunter Players lost: Tony Battie, Martynas Andriuskevicius 2007 Review: Cleveland stole their two power forwards on their Eastern Conference Championship team in this lopsided deal. While both Varejao and Gooden are flawed, each is a relentless rebounder. Chicago Bears jersey
Gooden is a poor defensive player who can hit jumpers out to 20 feet, and has good face-up and turnaround skills. Varejao is limited offensively but is one of the better post defenders in the league and plays with all out intensity. Both players are better than Tony Battie. Aside from a random 30 point, five assist, four rebound performance for Toronto in their last regular season game in 2007, Luke Jackson has been a complete nobody in the league, and a wasted pick. 2007 Grade: B 2010 Review: The 2004 draft had two parts for the Cavaliers. The first part involved the selection of Luke Jackson, a player not cut out for the NBA, and a busted pick. With Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, Jameer Nelson, Kevin Martin, and Delonte West available, any of those players couldve been Cleveand. Instead, they chose Jackson and deserve an F for it. The second part involved the Cavs essentially giving up Tony Battie and Martynas Andriuskevicius to get Anderson Varejao and Drew Gooden. While Gooden has his flaws, namely focus and consistency, he is a useful player who shoots well, rebounds, and defends some. Varejao has evolved into one of the best defensive frontcourt players in the league. He an exceptional screen defender, a powerful post defender, an astute help defender, and has a terrific combination of strength, awareness, and fluidity. His offensive game is coming around, where he developed a competent short jump shot and some face up skills to augment his garbage man work. Cleveland stealing two-thirds of the frontcourt rotation of its 2006-2007 Finals team earns an A. Weigh the Finals appearance more than the Jackson bust and the Cavs earn a solid B overall. 2010 Grade: B Golden State Warriors (11) Drafted Andris Biedrins. 2007 Review: It took awhile, but Biedrins finally blossomed under Don Nelson this year. Long and lanky, Biedrins still has a lot of work to do in terms of his free-throw shooting and his bulking up to be an anchor down low. His rebounding and shot blocking skills really emerged this year and were huge reasons why Golden State fast break was so effective down the stretch. Biedrins also runs the floor extremely well; perfect for Golden State game plan. Biedrins effectiveness would be hindered if he were with another team with a different system. Both Golden State and Biedrins got lucky. 2007 Grade: A- 2010 Review: A simple draft but a positive one for the Warriors as Biedrins has evolved into a useful rebounder and shot blocker who thrives in Golden State uptempo system. The pick earns bonus points for the fact that Biedrins probably wouldn be as effective in most other NBA systems, while many other players would struggle in Golden State chaotic uptempo gameplan. Al Jefferson was still on the board and the Warriors get docked some for not choosing him, but it also difficult to imagine AJ lumbering down the court with how fast Golden State plays. 2010 Grade: A- Seattle Supersonics (12) Drafted Robert Swift. (35) The Los Angeles Clippers traded the No. 35 pick to Seattle for Predrag Drobnjak. Seattle then traded the pick (Andre Emmett) to Memphis for their No. 48 pick in 2005 (Mickael Gelabale) and cash. (41) Drafted David Young. Players received: Robert Swift, Mickael Gelabale, David Young Players lost: Predrag Cincinnati Bengals jersey
Drobnjak, Andre Emmett 2007 Review: Robert Swift is a big question mark. Is he as good as Seattle front office, coaching staff, and fans say he is? Can he stay healthy enough to show what he can do? Mickael Gelabale has shown that at least he can get NBA minutes. David Young no longer plays in the NBA. I can give the Swift drafting more than a C until he proves himself. David Young gets a D- and the Gelabale trade gets a B. Not a very impressive draft. 2007 Grade: C 2010 Review: Robert Swift supposedly had potential but he never put together more than a promising half season in his NBA tenure. Most No. 35 picks don amount to too much, but the Sonics did parlay the pick into Mickael Gelabale who played decent minutes for a time. Al Jefferson was available. Instead the Sonics took Swift. A terrible decision in hindsight. 2010 Grade D Portland Trail Blazers (13) Drafted Sebastian Telfair. (22) New Jersey traded the draft rights to Viktor Khryapa to Portland for Eddie Gill. (23) Memphis traded the No. 23 pick (Sergei Monia) and Wesley Person to Portland for Bonzi Wells. (46) Drafted Ha-Seung Jin. Players received: Sebastian Telfair, Viktor Khryapa, Sergei Monia, Wesley Person, Ha-Seung Jin Players lost: Eddie Gill, Bonzi Wells 2007 Review: Only two of these decisions were meaningful. One was the decision to unload Bonzi Wells. That was one of the many positive steps Portland took in purging their roster of punks and losers. Unfortunately, Sebastian Telfair basketball skills were over-hyped and his first handgun incident didn help Portland image problem. At least the Blazers corrected their mistake and shipped Telfair out the first chance they got. 2007 Grade: C+ 2010 Review: The Blazers used the 2004 draft to begin clearing away the malcontents from their misconstrued roster. While Bonzi Wells was traded for a bunch of stiffs, his departure was addition by subtraction. However, Sebastian Telfair has neither the speed, strength, or shot-making abilities to be a meaningful NBA player, to say nothing of his horrendous court awareness. Delonte West, Kevin Martin, even Beno Udrih would have been better selections than Telfair, who has become little more than a very poor backup on a very average team. 2010 Grade: C- Utah Jazz (14) Cleveland Browns jersey
Drafted Kris Humphries. (16) Phoenix traded the No. 16 pick (Kirk Snyder) along with a future pick, and Tom Gugliotta to Utah for Keon Clark and Ben Handlegoten. (21) Drafted Pavel Podzolkin. Then traded draft rights to Podzolkin to Dallas for a 2005 first round pick (ended up with Denver as Linas Kleiza). (48) Sacramento traded the No. 55 pick (ended up in Houston as Luis Flores), Keon Clark, and a future pick to Utah for the No. 48 pick (Ricky Minard) Utah received: Kris Humphries, Kirk Snyder, Tom Gugliotta Utah lost: Keon Clark, Ben Handlegoten, Pavel Podzolkin, Ricky Minard 2007 Review: Utah did a lot of things involving the 2004 draft but did nothing meaningful to improve their team. Humphries is little more than a body and is now on Toronto. Snyder is little more than a scoring guard, but there are far better scorers in the league than Snyder. His lack of versatility is the reason why he been on three different teams in three seasons. Utah could have had Varejao over Humphries, and could have had Jameer Nelson, Delonte West, Tony Allen, or Kevin Martin over Snyder. A failed draft. 2007 Grade: F 2010 Review : Kris Humphries has stuck around as a rebounder and mid-range jump shooter, but if the Jazz wanted rebounding, why didn they select Anderson Varejao who has more offensive skills and is a vastly superior defensive player?
Zeljko Rebracca, Chris Mills, Donta Smith, Royal Ivey, Viktor Sanikidze Players lost: Rasheed Wallace 2007 Review: The scrubby players in the Rasheed Wallace deal were simply contracts used to clear up space used on Joe Johnson. Essentially getting Josh Smith for Rasheed Wallace isn a terrible trade. Smith has freakishly long arms and an incredible vertical which he shows repeatedly with highlight dunks and blocked shots. Unfortunately, Smith offensive game (and immature ego) are nowhere near as advanced as his defensive skills are. Josh Childress is one of the more enigmatic players in the league. Incredibly gifted athletically, but what is his role on a team? He's not dynamic enough to be a premier scorer, not intelligent enough to be a premier distributor, and not disciplined enough to be a lock down defender. When he figures out his niche, hell be able to utilize his athletic gifts to their full potential. Chris Duhon is a better player than Royal Ivey, but Ivey has been able to stick around and Duhon has gotten in trouble with Scott Skiles a few times in his career. Immaturity is never something you want with such a young team. 2007 Grade: B 2010 Review: The mediocrities from the Rasheed Wallace trade turned into cap space for Joe Johnson, while the pick received turned into Josh Smith. Successes on both fronts, especially now that Smith has finally started to mature and refine his game. Josh Childress was an athletic swingman who never found a niche and now plays overseas. He was a useful player on the Hawks 2007-2008 team that made the playoffs, but in hindsight, the pick shouldve been used on somebody else. Of the second round picks, Royal Ivey has carved a niche as a defensive specialist but Chris Duhon has emerged as a better overall player. Duhon shouldve been the selection. 2010 Grade: B Phoenix Suns (7) Traded this pick (Luol Deng) to Chicago for the No. 31 pick (Jackson Vroman), cash, and a future pick. (16) New York traded the No. 16 pick, along with Antonio McDyess, Charlie Ward, Howard Eisley, Maciej Lampe, Milos Vujanic, and a future first round pick to Phoenix for Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, and Cezary Trybanski. Phoenix then traded the No. 16 pick (Kirk Snyder), Tom Gugliotta, and a future first round pick to Utah for Keon Clark, Ben Handlogoten, and cash. (36) Traded No. 36 pick (Antonio Burks) to Orlando for Donell Harvey. Players received: Jackson Vroman, Antonio McDyess, Charlie Ward, Howard Eisley, Maciej Lampe, Milos Vujanic, Keon Clark, Ben Handlogoten, Donnell Harvey Players lost: Luol Deng, Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, Cezary Trybanski, Kirk Snyder, Tom Gugliotta, Antonio Burks 2007 Review: Forget about all the players gained in the Knicks trade. None of them played for Phoenix after the end of the year. Forget about Vroman, Clark, Handlogoten, and Harvey. They were just bodies. Forget about the discarded picks, even Luol Deng. The entire 2004 season and draft, for Phoenix was all about clearing cap space and roster space for Steve Nash. Since the Suns have taken off astronomically with Nash at the helm, (and it unlikely that Phoenix run-and-gun pace best suits Luol Deng game) the draft gets an A. 2007 Grade: A 2010 Review: The players involved in the 2004 draft mean nothing for the Suns. They were simply conduits for cap room used to sign Steve Nash. Considering where the Suns are with Nash, the Suns draft was a complete success. Even giving up Luol Deng was smart. Wings who can shoot murder spread pick-and-roll offenses because the teams running the offense can space the floor. The Suns wouldn have gained anything with him. 2010 Grade: A Toronto Raptors (8) Drafted Rafael Araujo. (38) Traded the No. 38 pick (Chris Duhon) to the Carolina Panthers jersey
Bulls in 2003 for the rights to Matt Bonner. (39) Drafted Albert Mirales. Then traded the rights to Mirales to Miami for the draft rights to Pape Sow and the No. 58 pick in 2005 (Uros Slokar). Players received: Rafael Araujo, Matt Bonner, Pape Sow, Uros Slokar Players lost: Chris Duhon, Albert Mirales 2007 Review: Chris Duhon is a better player than Matt Bonner and Toronto flat out blew their pick on Araujo. He was a bust in Toronto so they shipped him to Utah where he sits behind Jarron Collins in the depth chart. Considering Toronto could have picked up Andre Iguodala there is no way to give the Raptors any grade but an F. 2007 Grade: F 2010 Review: Araujo is the first flat-out bust of the draft, and a complete waste of a lottery pick. Matt Bonner is a serviceable shooter, but Duhon a decent shooter in his own right and a better overall player. The draft was a disaster for the Raptors. 2010 Grade: F Philadelphia 76rs (9) Drafted Andre Iguodala. 2007 Review: A simple draft for Philly and an effective one. With Allen Iverson shipped out and Andre Miller brought in, Iguodala had a chance to blossom late in the year for the Sixers. Iguodala can run the floor, finish with power, assault lazy dribbles and loose passes for steals, and has become a smart passer, averaging almost six assists in 2006-07. Iguodala has a high upside for superstardom and no player drafted later would have suited the Sixers more than their new A.I. 2007 Grade: A 2010 Review: Andre Iguodala isn a classic scorer because his jump shot is iffy. As a result, good individual defenders or coordinated double teams hold him in check. However, he still a talented one-on-one scorer, and absolutely lethal in the open floor. He rebounds well, is a talented passer, and is one of the best wing defenders in the game because of his athleticism, strength, and anticipation in the passing lanes. In short, Iguodala an outstanding two-way player and an outstanding pick. 2010 Grade: A Cleveland Cavaliers (10) Drafted Luke Jackson. (30) Traded Tony Battie, the No. 44 pick in 2005 (Martynas Andriuskevicius), and the No. 54 pick in 2007 (Wound up in Houston as Brad Newley), for the rights to Anderson Varejao, Drew Gooden, and Steven Hunter. Players received: Luke Jackson, Anderson Varejao, Drew Gooden, Steven Hunter Players lost: Tony Battie, Martynas Andriuskevicius 2007 Review: Cleveland stole their two power forwards on their Eastern Conference Championship team in this lopsided deal. While both Varejao and Gooden are flawed, each is a relentless rebounder. Chicago Bears jersey
Gooden is a poor defensive player who can hit jumpers out to 20 feet, and has good face-up and turnaround skills. Varejao is limited offensively but is one of the better post defenders in the league and plays with all out intensity. Both players are better than Tony Battie. Aside from a random 30 point, five assist, four rebound performance for Toronto in their last regular season game in 2007, Luke Jackson has been a complete nobody in the league, and a wasted pick. 2007 Grade: B 2010 Review: The 2004 draft had two parts for the Cavaliers. The first part involved the selection of Luke Jackson, a player not cut out for the NBA, and a busted pick. With Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, Jameer Nelson, Kevin Martin, and Delonte West available, any of those players couldve been Cleveand. Instead, they chose Jackson and deserve an F for it. The second part involved the Cavs essentially giving up Tony Battie and Martynas Andriuskevicius to get Anderson Varejao and Drew Gooden. While Gooden has his flaws, namely focus and consistency, he is a useful player who shoots well, rebounds, and defends some. Varejao has evolved into one of the best defensive frontcourt players in the league. He an exceptional screen defender, a powerful post defender, an astute help defender, and has a terrific combination of strength, awareness, and fluidity. His offensive game is coming around, where he developed a competent short jump shot and some face up skills to augment his garbage man work. Cleveland stealing two-thirds of the frontcourt rotation of its 2006-2007 Finals team earns an A. Weigh the Finals appearance more than the Jackson bust and the Cavs earn a solid B overall. 2010 Grade: B Golden State Warriors (11) Drafted Andris Biedrins. 2007 Review: It took awhile, but Biedrins finally blossomed under Don Nelson this year. Long and lanky, Biedrins still has a lot of work to do in terms of his free-throw shooting and his bulking up to be an anchor down low. His rebounding and shot blocking skills really emerged this year and were huge reasons why Golden State fast break was so effective down the stretch. Biedrins also runs the floor extremely well; perfect for Golden State game plan. Biedrins effectiveness would be hindered if he were with another team with a different system. Both Golden State and Biedrins got lucky. 2007 Grade: A- 2010 Review: A simple draft but a positive one for the Warriors as Biedrins has evolved into a useful rebounder and shot blocker who thrives in Golden State uptempo system. The pick earns bonus points for the fact that Biedrins probably wouldn be as effective in most other NBA systems, while many other players would struggle in Golden State chaotic uptempo gameplan. Al Jefferson was still on the board and the Warriors get docked some for not choosing him, but it also difficult to imagine AJ lumbering down the court with how fast Golden State plays. 2010 Grade: A- Seattle Supersonics (12) Drafted Robert Swift. (35) The Los Angeles Clippers traded the No. 35 pick to Seattle for Predrag Drobnjak. Seattle then traded the pick (Andre Emmett) to Memphis for their No. 48 pick in 2005 (Mickael Gelabale) and cash. (41) Drafted David Young. Players received: Robert Swift, Mickael Gelabale, David Young Players lost: Predrag Cincinnati Bengals jersey
Drobnjak, Andre Emmett 2007 Review: Robert Swift is a big question mark. Is he as good as Seattle front office, coaching staff, and fans say he is? Can he stay healthy enough to show what he can do? Mickael Gelabale has shown that at least he can get NBA minutes. David Young no longer plays in the NBA. I can give the Swift drafting more than a C until he proves himself. David Young gets a D- and the Gelabale trade gets a B. Not a very impressive draft. 2007 Grade: C 2010 Review: Robert Swift supposedly had potential but he never put together more than a promising half season in his NBA tenure. Most No. 35 picks don amount to too much, but the Sonics did parlay the pick into Mickael Gelabale who played decent minutes for a time. Al Jefferson was available. Instead the Sonics took Swift. A terrible decision in hindsight. 2010 Grade D Portland Trail Blazers (13) Drafted Sebastian Telfair. (22) New Jersey traded the draft rights to Viktor Khryapa to Portland for Eddie Gill. (23) Memphis traded the No. 23 pick (Sergei Monia) and Wesley Person to Portland for Bonzi Wells. (46) Drafted Ha-Seung Jin. Players received: Sebastian Telfair, Viktor Khryapa, Sergei Monia, Wesley Person, Ha-Seung Jin Players lost: Eddie Gill, Bonzi Wells 2007 Review: Only two of these decisions were meaningful. One was the decision to unload Bonzi Wells. That was one of the many positive steps Portland took in purging their roster of punks and losers. Unfortunately, Sebastian Telfair basketball skills were over-hyped and his first handgun incident didn help Portland image problem. At least the Blazers corrected their mistake and shipped Telfair out the first chance they got. 2007 Grade: C+ 2010 Review: The Blazers used the 2004 draft to begin clearing away the malcontents from their misconstrued roster. While Bonzi Wells was traded for a bunch of stiffs, his departure was addition by subtraction. However, Sebastian Telfair has neither the speed, strength, or shot-making abilities to be a meaningful NBA player, to say nothing of his horrendous court awareness. Delonte West, Kevin Martin, even Beno Udrih would have been better selections than Telfair, who has become little more than a very poor backup on a very average team. 2010 Grade: C- Utah Jazz (14) Cleveland Browns jersey
Drafted Kris Humphries. (16) Phoenix traded the No. 16 pick (Kirk Snyder) along with a future pick, and Tom Gugliotta to Utah for Keon Clark and Ben Handlegoten. (21) Drafted Pavel Podzolkin. Then traded draft rights to Podzolkin to Dallas for a 2005 first round pick (ended up with Denver as Linas Kleiza). (48) Sacramento traded the No. 55 pick (ended up in Houston as Luis Flores), Keon Clark, and a future pick to Utah for the No. 48 pick (Ricky Minard) Utah received: Kris Humphries, Kirk Snyder, Tom Gugliotta Utah lost: Keon Clark, Ben Handlegoten, Pavel Podzolkin, Ricky Minard 2007 Review: Utah did a lot of things involving the 2004 draft but did nothing meaningful to improve their team. Humphries is little more than a body and is now on Toronto. Snyder is little more than a scoring guard, but there are far better scorers in the league than Snyder. His lack of versatility is the reason why he been on three different teams in three seasons. Utah could have had Varejao over Humphries, and could have had Jameer Nelson, Delonte West, Tony Allen, or Kevin Martin over Snyder. A failed draft. 2007 Grade: F 2010 Review : Kris Humphries has stuck around as a rebounder and mid-range jump shooter, but if the Jazz wanted rebounding, why didn they select Anderson Varejao who has more offensive skills and is a vastly superior defensive player?
12 Jan 11 Hawks-Spurs: Joe Johnson's 31 Points Not Enough Against San Antonio
Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesAtlanta came into San Antonio on a three game win streak and as one of the hottest teams in the league. Meanwhile, the Spurs entered the game on a three game losing streak. The Spurs have not been as hyped up as the Hawks and some were even saying that the Spurs are Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
getting too old and can't compete with the best.The Spurs aren't listening to the critics, as they blew out the Lakers on Jan. 12 and last night they blew out another "elite team" as well/The firstquarter was bad for the Hawks, as they were pounded and trounced throughout the opening quarter. Around the 5:50 mark the Spurs went on a big 20-9 run, making the Hawks look like the Hawks of old.The secondquarter was not as bad as the first, but it was another blow out. However, the Hawks were able to prevent the Spurs from going on a huge run like they did earlier.Atlanta made a run in the third quarter, as they were able to narrow the deficit to 12. The Hawks won fourth quarter as well, cutting the lead to nine at one point in the final quarter. However, the Spurs played great and despite cutting into the lead, the Reebok Green Bay Packers #12 Aaron Rodgers Realtree camo Jersey
Hawks never really had a chance to get back into the contest.San Antonio point guard Tony Parker only was able to net 10 points, but Duncan, Hill, and McDyess helped out the Spursscoring 21, 16, and 17 points respectively. Joe Johnson had 31 points in the game for Atlanta and Jamal Crawford finished with 25. Josh Smith struggled throughout and finished with only 14, while Williams had 10, Horfordhad four, and Bibby was held scoreless.
getting too old and can't compete with the best.The Spurs aren't listening to the critics, as they blew out the Lakers on Jan. 12 and last night they blew out another "elite team" as well/The firstquarter was bad for the Hawks, as they were pounded and trounced throughout the opening quarter. Around the 5:50 mark the Spurs went on a big 20-9 run, making the Hawks look like the Hawks of old.The secondquarter was not as bad as the first, but it was another blow out. However, the Hawks were able to prevent the Spurs from going on a huge run like they did earlier.Atlanta made a run in the third quarter, as they were able to narrow the deficit to 12. The Hawks won fourth quarter as well, cutting the lead to nine at one point in the final quarter. However, the Spurs played great and despite cutting into the lead, the Reebok Green Bay Packers #12 Aaron Rodgers Realtree camo Jersey
Hawks never really had a chance to get back into the contest.San Antonio point guard Tony Parker only was able to net 10 points, but Duncan, Hill, and McDyess helped out the Spursscoring 21, 16, and 17 points respectively. Joe Johnson had 31 points in the game for Atlanta and Jamal Crawford finished with 25. Josh Smith struggled throughout and finished with only 14, while Williams had 10, Horfordhad four, and Bibby was held scoreless.
12 Jan 11 Mo Williams, Cavs Should Use This Year's All-Star Snub As Motivation
Doug Pensinger/Getty ImagesFor the second straight year, Cleveland Mo Williams has been left on the outside looking in by opposing coaches voting for the Eastern Conference All-Star team.Last year, Williams was shunned by coaches as a reserve for the game, despite averaging 17 points a game at the time selections were made. He was snubbed a second time when Commissioner David Stern tapped Boston Ray Allen to join the East squad in place of the injured Jameer Nelson.It wasn until Toronto Chris Bosh was scratched for the game that Williams St. Louis Rams jersey
was finally named an All-Star for the first time in his career.This year, Williamswith his nearly identical scoring averagewas passed over by Eastern Conference coaches in favor of Boston Rajon Rondo and Chicago Derrick Rose. It not likely that hell be named a replacement should someone go down with an injury, given that he out for several more weeks with a sprained shoulder of his own.Just as he did a year ago, Cleveland coach Mike Brown expressed frustration Thursdaythat Williams was left off of this year team. Brown argument is that the Cavaliers have the best record in the conference and should be rewarded accordingly.LeBron James, the leading vote-getter in fan balloting, is Cleveland only All-Star. Brown frustration stems in part from the fact that Boston and Atlanta, the numbers two and three teams in the conference, have three and two representatives, respectively,on the team.On the surface, Brown would appear to disagree with the selection of Rose over Williams. There are talented guys in this business who can be put in situations to go do what they want, he said . There's not as much pressure on guys to perform the right way and get numbers."Presumably, he means that Williams focuses more on the needs of the team and defers to James leadership and statistical prowess, both in points and assists. Tennessee Titans jersey
Williams also does those things for the best team in the East. Rose, on the other hand, is playing well for an average team.Brown has a point, to a degree, but it hard to quibble with the selections of Rondo or Rose.What more critical is that Williams uses this snub, which is likely not intentional but rather just a numbers game, as motivation for the rest of the season. The Cavs should do the same.A year ago, Williams faded late in the season and didn play well in the conference finals loss to Orlando. He has spoken openly about that performance and returned to training camp last fall determined to learn from it and put it behind him.There no question that Williams is a solid offensive complement to James. He a true second option and opens up the floor with his outside shooting.Williams has also emerged as a floor general for the Cavaliers, averaging better than five assists a game. That not a gaudy number, but don forget that James, the unquestioned leader of the team, leads Cleveland in that category as well.The talent is there with Williams, All-Star selections notwithstanding. Given that he was passed over again, he should allow that to motivate him the rest of the wayand use it as an incentive to put last year playoff failures behind him.Likewise, the Cavaliers, faced with sending just one player to the All-Star gameWashington Redskins jersey
despite having the NBA best record, can use the snub of Williams as motivation for the entire team.Opposing coaches have spoken; the consensus is that the Cavs are made up of LeBron James, and everybody else.Fair enough. They should let their play do the talking the rest of the way. This could be just what the team needs to ensure a focused, take-no-prisoners approach down the stretch and into the postseason.
was finally named an All-Star for the first time in his career.This year, Williamswith his nearly identical scoring averagewas passed over by Eastern Conference coaches in favor of Boston Rajon Rondo and Chicago Derrick Rose. It not likely that hell be named a replacement should someone go down with an injury, given that he out for several more weeks with a sprained shoulder of his own.Just as he did a year ago, Cleveland coach Mike Brown expressed frustration Thursdaythat Williams was left off of this year team. Brown argument is that the Cavaliers have the best record in the conference and should be rewarded accordingly.LeBron James, the leading vote-getter in fan balloting, is Cleveland only All-Star. Brown frustration stems in part from the fact that Boston and Atlanta, the numbers two and three teams in the conference, have three and two representatives, respectively,on the team.On the surface, Brown would appear to disagree with the selection of Rose over Williams. There are talented guys in this business who can be put in situations to go do what they want, he said . There's not as much pressure on guys to perform the right way and get numbers."Presumably, he means that Williams focuses more on the needs of the team and defers to James leadership and statistical prowess, both in points and assists. Tennessee Titans jersey
Williams also does those things for the best team in the East. Rose, on the other hand, is playing well for an average team.Brown has a point, to a degree, but it hard to quibble with the selections of Rondo or Rose.What more critical is that Williams uses this snub, which is likely not intentional but rather just a numbers game, as motivation for the rest of the season. The Cavs should do the same.A year ago, Williams faded late in the season and didn play well in the conference finals loss to Orlando. He has spoken openly about that performance and returned to training camp last fall determined to learn from it and put it behind him.There no question that Williams is a solid offensive complement to James. He a true second option and opens up the floor with his outside shooting.Williams has also emerged as a floor general for the Cavaliers, averaging better than five assists a game. That not a gaudy number, but don forget that James, the unquestioned leader of the team, leads Cleveland in that category as well.The talent is there with Williams, All-Star selections notwithstanding. Given that he was passed over again, he should allow that to motivate him the rest of the wayand use it as an incentive to put last year playoff failures behind him.Likewise, the Cavaliers, faced with sending just one player to the All-Star gameWashington Redskins jersey
despite having the NBA best record, can use the snub of Williams as motivation for the entire team.Opposing coaches have spoken; the consensus is that the Cavs are made up of LeBron James, and everybody else.Fair enough. They should let their play do the talking the rest of the way. This could be just what the team needs to ensure a focused, take-no-prisoners approach down the stretch and into the postseason.
2011年1月10日星期一
10 Jan 11 The Philadephia 76ers Future
Chris Chambers/Getty ImagesThe NBA's trading deadline has come and gone. The Sixers, at one point wereone of the teams most rumored to be wheeling and dealing, but did next to nothing.While it is too early to say whether this was the right move, we do know what the Sixers could have done. They could have traded Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert for Tracy McGrady, in a deal that would have cleared $25 million off next season's payroll, $27 million off the next year's, and Iguodala's remaining two years on his contract after Dalembert is Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers #86 Hines Ward Realtree camo Jersey
gone.While this trade would've sent our best player packing in return for no on-court help, it would've made us contenders to snag someone from this summer's free-agent pool and given Thaddeus Young more opportunities to shine. Also, I think the Sixers would've probably lost a few more games if they traded Iguodala, thus securing a better draft position.Or, we could have dealt Iguodala and Dalembert to the Sunsfor Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa. I don't think I need to stress how big of an upgrade Stoudemire would've been over Dalembert.There was plenty of speculation as to whether Stoudemire would opt out of his $18 million contract if he had been traded to the Sixers. However, Stoudemire told reporters that he wouldn't mind going to Philadelphia at all, and saw the Sixers as a team with some nice pieces. Who knows whether he would've opted in or out? Who knows whether Stefanski would've signed him to an extension? Or who knows if we would've been able to convince him to sign for less money and make a splash in the free agent marketin the summer of 2011?Anyways, moving on from what could have been, let's talk about whatlies ahead/what could lie ahead.Barring an incredible finish to the season, the Sixers will just miss the playoffs this season (if they make it they're the best story in the nba this year). They will all but guarantee themselves a spot in the middle of the first round of the draft, a trend Sixers fans have to be getting used to. With this draft pick, who knows how good our pick will be. And who knowsThis season was one Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers James Harrison Realtree camo Jersey
that was lost before it began. The Sixers decided to let Andre Miller walk, and waited until midway through the season that it was a good idea to bring Iverson back, an obvious upgrade over Willie Green, who before Iverson came to town was playing so many minutes, and until his very fortunate injury still has had a prominent role for us. The guy is terrible. Eddie Jordan deserves plenty of credit for the Sixers leading the league in games lost in which they held a double digit lead. DiLeo,last season'stemporary replacement,was a way better coach than this guy. We really need to get rid of him as soon as possible.Under Mo Cheeks, who never should've been fired, the Sixers were a team that attacked at all times. In Jordan's Princeton offense, the Sixers, a team without anynotableoutside shooters (minusJason Kapono, who rarely gets off the bench), settles night in and night out for the outside jumper.The coaches rumored to have interest in the Sixers are Larry Brown, Avery Johnson, and Byron Scott (all three would be huge upgrades over Jordan).The Sixers have no better idea about how good Speights and Jason Smith can be after this year. The Sixers have spent another season playing four on five on offense, with you know who playing as the team's ghost offensive player. Just because the guyis making $12milliondoesn't meanyou have to play him $12 million mintues.Looking forward, next year is Dalembert's last season under contract. He is set to make $12 million nextyear, andin this day and age, expiring contracts have beentraded for some talented players(Pau Gasol, Antawn Jamison, Kevin Martin, JohnSalmons, Caron Butler, Stephen Jackson, Zach Randolph, Ray Allen) all in the last three years.If the Sixers don't find anything worth trading Dalembert's expiring contract for, he is off the books following Reebok San Francisco 49ers #21 Frank GORE Realtree camo Jersey
next season, as well as Jason Kapono's $7 million and Willie Green's $4 million.In the summer of 2011, a man by the name of Chris Paul can opt out of his contract and become a free agent. The Sixers could be a popular destination by that time. The future has potential.
gone.While this trade would've sent our best player packing in return for no on-court help, it would've made us contenders to snag someone from this summer's free-agent pool and given Thaddeus Young more opportunities to shine. Also, I think the Sixers would've probably lost a few more games if they traded Iguodala, thus securing a better draft position.Or, we could have dealt Iguodala and Dalembert to the Sunsfor Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa. I don't think I need to stress how big of an upgrade Stoudemire would've been over Dalembert.There was plenty of speculation as to whether Stoudemire would opt out of his $18 million contract if he had been traded to the Sixers. However, Stoudemire told reporters that he wouldn't mind going to Philadelphia at all, and saw the Sixers as a team with some nice pieces. Who knows whether he would've opted in or out? Who knows whether Stefanski would've signed him to an extension? Or who knows if we would've been able to convince him to sign for less money and make a splash in the free agent marketin the summer of 2011?Anyways, moving on from what could have been, let's talk about whatlies ahead/what could lie ahead.Barring an incredible finish to the season, the Sixers will just miss the playoffs this season (if they make it they're the best story in the nba this year). They will all but guarantee themselves a spot in the middle of the first round of the draft, a trend Sixers fans have to be getting used to. With this draft pick, who knows how good our pick will be. And who knowsThis season was one Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers James Harrison Realtree camo Jersey
that was lost before it began. The Sixers decided to let Andre Miller walk, and waited until midway through the season that it was a good idea to bring Iverson back, an obvious upgrade over Willie Green, who before Iverson came to town was playing so many minutes, and until his very fortunate injury still has had a prominent role for us. The guy is terrible. Eddie Jordan deserves plenty of credit for the Sixers leading the league in games lost in which they held a double digit lead. DiLeo,last season'stemporary replacement,was a way better coach than this guy. We really need to get rid of him as soon as possible.Under Mo Cheeks, who never should've been fired, the Sixers were a team that attacked at all times. In Jordan's Princeton offense, the Sixers, a team without anynotableoutside shooters (minusJason Kapono, who rarely gets off the bench), settles night in and night out for the outside jumper.The coaches rumored to have interest in the Sixers are Larry Brown, Avery Johnson, and Byron Scott (all three would be huge upgrades over Jordan).The Sixers have no better idea about how good Speights and Jason Smith can be after this year. The Sixers have spent another season playing four on five on offense, with you know who playing as the team's ghost offensive player. Just because the guyis making $12milliondoesn't meanyou have to play him $12 million mintues.Looking forward, next year is Dalembert's last season under contract. He is set to make $12 million nextyear, andin this day and age, expiring contracts have beentraded for some talented players(Pau Gasol, Antawn Jamison, Kevin Martin, JohnSalmons, Caron Butler, Stephen Jackson, Zach Randolph, Ray Allen) all in the last three years.If the Sixers don't find anything worth trading Dalembert's expiring contract for, he is off the books following Reebok San Francisco 49ers #21 Frank GORE Realtree camo Jersey
next season, as well as Jason Kapono's $7 million and Willie Green's $4 million.In the summer of 2011, a man by the name of Chris Paul can opt out of his contract and become a free agent. The Sixers could be a popular destination by that time. The future has potential.
2011年1月9日星期日
9 Jan 11 NBA Daily Dribbles: Shaq Fu Down for the Count
SATIRE What Im Reading So Shaq had surgery today on his injured thumb. The timetable for his return is slated to be 6-8 weeks. Cause for concern? If you can beat em, join em take their bench warmers off their hands. Well, it looks like the Celtics have adopted a new philosophy after an embarrassing loss to the Nets over the weekend. Is Tony Battie the answer? Chris Bosh has some options coming up this off season. Kevin Durant plans on making a strong push to get him to join the Thunder. Things aren going so well down in South Beach. And if Dwyane Oakland Raiders jersey
Wade leaves after the season? Well, it might actually sink.What I Think About ItShaq 6-8 weeks is a long time for the Big Fella. That Jamison trade is looking better and better every day.Of course, he didn exactly set the bar high when he started his Cavs career by taking twelve shots and hitting precisely zero of them.But regardless, he going to be a crucial part of Cleveland front line moving forward. Had they not acquired him, wed be looking at a much less formidable Cavs team.Luckily for Cleveland, help will be on its way in the next few weeks as the thirty-day window of not being able to sign Zydrunas Ilgauskas slowly shuts.It clear that hell be returning and will offer some relief for the Cavs front court.As for Shaq, he might have a hard time coming back from this injury. He likely to miss the rest of the regular season, so he won have any conditioning games to get back in basketball shape before the playoffs.A lot of weight will fall on his broad shoulders to maintain his body while he recovering.Celtics To put it simply, no. Tony Battie is not the answer.The answer for the Celtics should have come at the trade deadline.But it didn, and here we are. The Celtics just dropped a miserable one to the Nets. The NETS. Are we looking at the 06-07 Celtics, a team that at one point lost eighteen straight?Not quite, but Boston fans can be feeling too optimistic about their team post-season hopes right now.The team lacks any sort of energy and enthusiasm reminiscent of the title year.Things need to turn around quick before the window for this team closes and the ice beneath Philadelphia Eagles jersey
Doc River feet thins. Since it is unlikely that Chris Bosh will take a hometown discount for Oklahoma City, which is neither his hometown nor his current location, the cards are stacked against the Thunder acquiring the coveted free agent.But that won stop them from trying.It won be hard to convince Bosh that his services, along with Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook, etc. would instantly render the Thunder a heavy contender in the West.But it will be hard to convince him to take the roughly $12 million that OKC has to offer due to salary cap restrictions.Of course, a sign and trade is always a possibilitythe most likely scenario in which Bosh ends up as a member of the Thunderbut it in all likelihood, Green would be the odd man out and would be sent to Toronto in the deal.In that case, how much better would the team actually be?There is no question that Bosh is a superstar and would undoubtedly help the Thunder immediately, but the team has significantly improved every year since its inception. Who to say that the current nucleus has hit its ceiling? Being 95% sure that Dwyane Wade will be returning to Miami, as Heat owner Micky Arison claims to be, is one thing.Being 5% sure that he won is another.In short, a Dwyane Wade-less Miami Heat would be disastrous for the city.As it is, the team is on the outside looking in regarding its playoff hunt. Losers of four in a row, Miami is currently ninth in the conference with a sub-.500 29-31 record.If Wade leaves, then ladies and gentleman Id like to now present to you the 2010-2011 New Jersey Nets!" Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
Alright, maybe theyd get ten wins. But still.Miami cannot afford to lose its only hope for success in Wade.I do believe that he will be returning and will be the main recruiter for any free agents that he feels will help him in his quest for a second title.However, if he bolts, 2012 might be coming a little early for South Beach.PDFollow Pat DeCola on Twitter!
Wade leaves after the season? Well, it might actually sink.What I Think About ItShaq 6-8 weeks is a long time for the Big Fella. That Jamison trade is looking better and better every day.Of course, he didn exactly set the bar high when he started his Cavs career by taking twelve shots and hitting precisely zero of them.But regardless, he going to be a crucial part of Cleveland front line moving forward. Had they not acquired him, wed be looking at a much less formidable Cavs team.Luckily for Cleveland, help will be on its way in the next few weeks as the thirty-day window of not being able to sign Zydrunas Ilgauskas slowly shuts.It clear that hell be returning and will offer some relief for the Cavs front court.As for Shaq, he might have a hard time coming back from this injury. He likely to miss the rest of the regular season, so he won have any conditioning games to get back in basketball shape before the playoffs.A lot of weight will fall on his broad shoulders to maintain his body while he recovering.Celtics To put it simply, no. Tony Battie is not the answer.The answer for the Celtics should have come at the trade deadline.But it didn, and here we are. The Celtics just dropped a miserable one to the Nets. The NETS. Are we looking at the 06-07 Celtics, a team that at one point lost eighteen straight?Not quite, but Boston fans can be feeling too optimistic about their team post-season hopes right now.The team lacks any sort of energy and enthusiasm reminiscent of the title year.Things need to turn around quick before the window for this team closes and the ice beneath Philadelphia Eagles jersey
Doc River feet thins. Since it is unlikely that Chris Bosh will take a hometown discount for Oklahoma City, which is neither his hometown nor his current location, the cards are stacked against the Thunder acquiring the coveted free agent.But that won stop them from trying.It won be hard to convince Bosh that his services, along with Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook, etc. would instantly render the Thunder a heavy contender in the West.But it will be hard to convince him to take the roughly $12 million that OKC has to offer due to salary cap restrictions.Of course, a sign and trade is always a possibilitythe most likely scenario in which Bosh ends up as a member of the Thunderbut it in all likelihood, Green would be the odd man out and would be sent to Toronto in the deal.In that case, how much better would the team actually be?There is no question that Bosh is a superstar and would undoubtedly help the Thunder immediately, but the team has significantly improved every year since its inception. Who to say that the current nucleus has hit its ceiling? Being 95% sure that Dwyane Wade will be returning to Miami, as Heat owner Micky Arison claims to be, is one thing.Being 5% sure that he won is another.In short, a Dwyane Wade-less Miami Heat would be disastrous for the city.As it is, the team is on the outside looking in regarding its playoff hunt. Losers of four in a row, Miami is currently ninth in the conference with a sub-.500 29-31 record.If Wade leaves, then ladies and gentleman Id like to now present to you the 2010-2011 New Jersey Nets!" Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
Alright, maybe theyd get ten wins. But still.Miami cannot afford to lose its only hope for success in Wade.I do believe that he will be returning and will be the main recruiter for any free agents that he feels will help him in his quest for a second title.However, if he bolts, 2012 might be coming a little early for South Beach.PDFollow Pat DeCola on Twitter!
2011年1月8日星期六
8 Jan 11 Atlanta Hawks Are Example of Why Early Season NBA Power Rankings Lie
Ever since the 2008 playoff game in which we saw the eighth seeded Atlanta Hawks take the first seeded Boston Celtics to the seventh game, all we heard was Joe Johnson is the most underrated player in the NBA and that the young Hawks will only get better as they mature and will soon be a championship team.Nearly two years removed, Atlanta fans and Charles Barkley still have yet to see this "championship caliber" team show its potential.Joe Johnson does his job on a nightly basis but does it make sense that you can sweep the annual series with the CelticsPhiladelphia Eagles jersey
but lose to the Bobcats by 20, blow a 13-point lead with just over four minutes to go against the Mavs, blow two leads against the Cavaliers in the 4th quarter and lose by 32 to the Orlando Magic?Now I don't know if it's beneath a guy like myself to put the majority of the blame on the shoulders of Mike Woodson and Josh Smith. I do not mind Woodson for the most part, but the lack of development from players like Marvin Williams and Josh Smith has me questioning his coaching ability.While the addition of Mike Bibby was what put us over the top in the 2008 season and helped the Hawks develop into one of the top four teams in the East, people are beginning to wonder when are we going to stop developing and just get to the Eastern Conference Finals at least!How many times have you seen Marvin Williams miss a wide open jump shot?How many times have you seen Josh Smith take a jump shot, when our 15-point lead has dwindled down to a two point lead, and then the ball barely catches the rim and the opposition takes off on a fast break to get an easy dunk to tie it up?While we all appreciate Josh's dunks that help build the highlight factory, I think we would all like to see Josh finally get a consistent jump shot. Smith is a guy that possesses the same abilities as Chris Bosh and LeBron James, but seems to not have that push that makes him reach that plateau.With all these other problems that have seemingly piled on at the worst possible time, life always seems to throw you another.Joe Johnson will be a free agent at the end of the season, and many teams in the NBA were so impressed by how he transformed the Hawks that they are willing to give up the big bucks for his services. Leaving us with an inconsistent Jamal Crawford, an aging Mike Bibby, and an underachieving Marvin Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
Williams.The Hawks seem to have only a few options: Either trade for a guy who could replace Johnson, or allow Crawford to run the 2-Guard and obtain a big man to run center or No. 2 for whatever he is asking for.Staying on that topic, I have long been a fan of moving Al Horford to his natural position, power forward, which is currently occupied by Josh Smith. Most fans do not think about the most important aspect when it comes to putting together a team, and that is the money.Not only is Josh Smith a one dimensional power forward, but also carries a big contract that you can bet management wants to get rid of, especially to free up space for whatever the offseason could hold. Everything that Josh does Horford does just as well, if not better; most decent basketball minds will tell you whoever leads the league in blocks is only doing so because of his teammate who boxes out the opposition setting him up for the big play.If you are concerned about the defense lost with Josh Smith, Al Horford does a great job on his own defending far bigger centers San Diego Chargers jersey
and shows the same quickness and ability that J-Smoove brings to the table, but remember Horford brings a well-developed jump shot.All in all, the Hawks need to decide are they going to linger around in the four or five spot of top teams in the Eastern Conference, or do they want to take that next step and project themselves into the next level and become a top-tier team in the NBA?
but lose to the Bobcats by 20, blow a 13-point lead with just over four minutes to go against the Mavs, blow two leads against the Cavaliers in the 4th quarter and lose by 32 to the Orlando Magic?Now I don't know if it's beneath a guy like myself to put the majority of the blame on the shoulders of Mike Woodson and Josh Smith. I do not mind Woodson for the most part, but the lack of development from players like Marvin Williams and Josh Smith has me questioning his coaching ability.While the addition of Mike Bibby was what put us over the top in the 2008 season and helped the Hawks develop into one of the top four teams in the East, people are beginning to wonder when are we going to stop developing and just get to the Eastern Conference Finals at least!How many times have you seen Marvin Williams miss a wide open jump shot?How many times have you seen Josh Smith take a jump shot, when our 15-point lead has dwindled down to a two point lead, and then the ball barely catches the rim and the opposition takes off on a fast break to get an easy dunk to tie it up?While we all appreciate Josh's dunks that help build the highlight factory, I think we would all like to see Josh finally get a consistent jump shot. Smith is a guy that possesses the same abilities as Chris Bosh and LeBron James, but seems to not have that push that makes him reach that plateau.With all these other problems that have seemingly piled on at the worst possible time, life always seems to throw you another.Joe Johnson will be a free agent at the end of the season, and many teams in the NBA were so impressed by how he transformed the Hawks that they are willing to give up the big bucks for his services. Leaving us with an inconsistent Jamal Crawford, an aging Mike Bibby, and an underachieving Marvin Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
Williams.The Hawks seem to have only a few options: Either trade for a guy who could replace Johnson, or allow Crawford to run the 2-Guard and obtain a big man to run center or No. 2 for whatever he is asking for.Staying on that topic, I have long been a fan of moving Al Horford to his natural position, power forward, which is currently occupied by Josh Smith. Most fans do not think about the most important aspect when it comes to putting together a team, and that is the money.Not only is Josh Smith a one dimensional power forward, but also carries a big contract that you can bet management wants to get rid of, especially to free up space for whatever the offseason could hold. Everything that Josh does Horford does just as well, if not better; most decent basketball minds will tell you whoever leads the league in blocks is only doing so because of his teammate who boxes out the opposition setting him up for the big play.If you are concerned about the defense lost with Josh Smith, Al Horford does a great job on his own defending far bigger centers San Diego Chargers jersey
and shows the same quickness and ability that J-Smoove brings to the table, but remember Horford brings a well-developed jump shot.All in all, the Hawks need to decide are they going to linger around in the four or five spot of top teams in the Eastern Conference, or do they want to take that next step and project themselves into the next level and become a top-tier team in the NBA?
2010年12月30日星期四
30 Dec 10 Luol Deng Welcomed Back by Chicago Bulls: Is It Too Little, Too Late?
Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesMaybe it's the warm weather in Illinois. Maybe it's a full slate of night baseball games (albeit spring training) scheduled for tonight. Or maybe it's just the Washington Wizards. Whatever it is, I was excited to watch the Chicago Bulls tonight.Sure, I've loved watching Flip Murray and Taj Gibson keep the Bulls close in most games while riding a 10-game losing streak against some of the best teams in the league, but it never felt like winning. Seeing Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich, and Luol Reebok Chicago Bears #6 Jay Cutler Realtree camo Jersey
Deng ride the pine was just enough to think that maybe this team could've been something more than a hopeful eight seed in the East.And while dreams of Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh or maybe even LeBron James danced through my mind while the times were rough, there was still a feeling of sorrow for what could have been.Were they a title contender? Not close. Could they have been a No. 4 seed in the East? Very easily. But roster dumps, key injuries, and an overall lack of depth brought the Bulls back to reality and back to the sub-.500 realm.But still something compelled me to watch a seemingly meaningless game (barring a win in Toronto) against a team engulfed in the middle of scandal with arguably their "franchise player".It wasn't that Shaun Livingston (a hometown hero from where I'm from) has finally found himself a consistent gig, and it wasn't to see if Andray Blatche would throw a temper tantrum.I guess the quick answer could be that, for once, the Bulls looked like, well, the Bulls. With recent contributions from Murray, Hakim Warrick, and Acie Law, it was tough to figure out at times what team I was actually watching. But joining Rose, Hinrich, and Noah (who all have recently returned from injuries) was Luol Deng who had missed theReebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
previous 11 games with a calf sprain.Now I'm not saying that Deng is equitable to say an Aramis Ramirez comeback for the Cubs last season. But I am saying that Ramirez's return last season (along with the return of injured catcher Geovany Soto) created a feeling much like Jake and Elwood Blues felt when "they got the band back together".Ironically enough, though, it seems that the Bulls are headed for a similar fate as the 2009 Cubs in that they don't look destined for the playoffs. However, there is a nice sense of comfort when a team has all of its pieces back in place, even if it's with only eight games remaining.Then again, most counted the team out against the defending champions last April, and instead the lack of faith caused an inspired team to go head-to-toe withone of Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
the best teams in the leaguein what was the best first-round playoff series in the history of the NBA.If this Bulls team can somehow rekindle the fire that got them nationally recognized last season, what's stopping them from wrestling the final playoff spot from the fighting Chris Bosh's? Unfortunately, it's the Cavs and, yet again, the Celtics standing in their way.
Deng ride the pine was just enough to think that maybe this team could've been something more than a hopeful eight seed in the East.And while dreams of Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh or maybe even LeBron James danced through my mind while the times were rough, there was still a feeling of sorrow for what could have been.Were they a title contender? Not close. Could they have been a No. 4 seed in the East? Very easily. But roster dumps, key injuries, and an overall lack of depth brought the Bulls back to reality and back to the sub-.500 realm.But still something compelled me to watch a seemingly meaningless game (barring a win in Toronto) against a team engulfed in the middle of scandal with arguably their "franchise player".It wasn't that Shaun Livingston (a hometown hero from where I'm from) has finally found himself a consistent gig, and it wasn't to see if Andray Blatche would throw a temper tantrum.I guess the quick answer could be that, for once, the Bulls looked like, well, the Bulls. With recent contributions from Murray, Hakim Warrick, and Acie Law, it was tough to figure out at times what team I was actually watching. But joining Rose, Hinrich, and Noah (who all have recently returned from injuries) was Luol Deng who had missed theReebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
previous 11 games with a calf sprain.Now I'm not saying that Deng is equitable to say an Aramis Ramirez comeback for the Cubs last season. But I am saying that Ramirez's return last season (along with the return of injured catcher Geovany Soto) created a feeling much like Jake and Elwood Blues felt when "they got the band back together".Ironically enough, though, it seems that the Bulls are headed for a similar fate as the 2009 Cubs in that they don't look destined for the playoffs. However, there is a nice sense of comfort when a team has all of its pieces back in place, even if it's with only eight games remaining.Then again, most counted the team out against the defending champions last April, and instead the lack of faith caused an inspired team to go head-to-toe withone of Reebok Dallas Cowboys #9 Tony Romo Realtree camo Jersey
the best teams in the leaguein what was the best first-round playoff series in the history of the NBA.If this Bulls team can somehow rekindle the fire that got them nationally recognized last season, what's stopping them from wrestling the final playoff spot from the fighting Chris Bosh's? Unfortunately, it's the Cavs and, yet again, the Celtics standing in their way.
2010年12月29日星期三
29 Dec 10 NBA Playoffs: Five Reasons Portland Trail Blazers Could Pounce in the West?
This article is written by Phil Kovalev, Hoops4Life columnist. This article also can be found at Hoops4Life.comI Believe.Alongside the breezy winds and the arousing sound of bird tweets, that the month of April brings within itself, there's something out there that no man expects. With 8 games separating the No. 1 (LA Lakers) and No. 8 (OKC Thunder) seeds in the Wild West, nothing is predictable.Yet, most unlikely, and very similar to the Houston Rockets of 2009 (Beating Portland without home advantage in the first round and taking the Lakers to game 7, without Yao in the second), my honest opinion tells me the Portland Trail blazers are going to be the Black (with red and silver trim) Horse of the Western Conference this year.Elaboration is a must.No RoyWell, a lot of Chicago Bears jersey
you would probably think i've gone into some kind of a self-destruct mode, but the truth might just stand for me here. The Portland Trail Blazers have played some of their best offensive basketball this year, with Brandon Roy on the sidelines.Now, I'm not saying Roy is a ballhogevery coach in the NBA will tell you Roy will prefer the assist over the bucketbut when Roy is not playing, it makes the other players on the court think. It makes them step up. Suddenly, there's much more ball movement on offense. Coach Nate McMillan calls less and lesser ISO plays.Blazers have played 16 games without their franchise player this season. In only six of those games did the Blazers put up less points on the scoreboard than their season average. Yet, in another six, they put more a hundred (Blazers avg. 98PPG). Plus, They averaged one more assist (21) without Roy. That same team-play, would be most necessary to create some confidencebuilding easy points on the road, in the first two games of the first round.Paul AllenBattling cancer, Mr. Allen is still there, sitting, witnessing the live action from his courtside seat at the Rose Garden. Allen barely misses games. The players always rave about their warm, down-to-earth relationship with their owner. There is absolutely no way, that the Blazers are going to be outplayed or outhustled at the Rose Garden with Mr. Allen sitting there.The Blazers' dedicated owner has done everything in his power, to make this franchise successful, and that's a good opportunity for the players and coaches to step up a notch, for the man who was diagnosed with cancer last November.DepthRudy Fernandez, Martell Webster, Jerryd Baylesstwo of those three will come off the bench in case Roy won't be cleared to play in the first round. While being unpredictable, Webster enters the playoffs hitting 50 percent on 10 three pointers in the last 6 games, followed by a sharp fourth quarter performance that got the Blazers a much needed win at Staples Center.It's much of the same case with Rudy and Baylesseach one can suddenly explode, especially speaking of the Spaniard, who buried five long-range bombs at 71% at last year's Game 4 in Houston, only to see the Blazers lose another Cincinnati Bengals jersey
thriller. (86-83).Don't underestimate the rest of the blazers bench either. Rookies Dante Cunningham and Jeff Pendergraph are as tough as you can find in the current draft class, and could at ease, provide some vital hustle off the bench. Patty Mills and Travis Diener are bench-boundeach one of them, though, presents a unique skill (Speed and 3Pt shooting respectively) that can be deadly if used well.Veteran LeadershipSay what you will, when it's the month of April, I'd take Marcus Camby or Andre Miller over almost any point guard and center outside probably, Billups and Dwight.It's not about the skill level right here. It's about the knowledge. It's about the focus level. It's about doing the right things, in the locker-room, before and throughout the game. Stepping in to take the charge. Knowing the momentum of the game, and that one of the referees.Last year, The Trail Blazers got the 4th seed, and were ready to face a McGrady-less Houston Rockets in the first round of the Playoffs. You all should've seen the faces of the Blazers players during intros of Game 1. I wouldn't call it arrogance, because Sarge McMillan knows how to handle that stuff most of the time. But something was missing. That knowledge.The Blazers were just too innocent. Too innocent to predict the bombs Yao Ming would drop just 10 minutes later, and boy...when It rains, it pours.Because this was the first game, and also the first couple of minutes of the first game the first couple of minutes can set the tone for the game, and the first game can set the tone for the series, Yao said.The 7-foot-6 Yao scored nine of Houston first 11 points and finished with 24 in the Rockets 108-81 Win. Yao barely played the rest of that game.One thing I guarantee you. Be it Utah, Denver, whoever. This year is going to be different. No. it's not that I'm sure the Blazers will come firing in all cylinders, beating their opponent by 20+ like Houston did last year. But add the savvy Miller, Camby, Juwan Howard and the last year's experience, and it's a progress you can never measure on the stat sheet.Andre Miller is my X-factor here. In the past month-and-a-half, Dre's been taking almost every PG in the League to the Miller academy of basketball. Schooling J-Kidd, (19,10,3,3) Steve Nash (22,9,3,2) and simply handling Russel Westbrook like a child in one of the most important games of the season (26 points, 9-18 FG, 7-7 FT, 4 AST, 6 REB, 3 STL). This guy has some Denzel 'He Got Game' magic within him.KarmaWell, last but not least, the real X-Factor. The Karma. This has been a season from hell for the Blazers.Greg Oden, has started the first 21 games of the season, giving the Blazers 2.3 Blocks per game, alongside an unexplainable relaxing presence, one that makes sense only if you truly watch all the games from start of the season. Heck, even statistically, Greg averaged 15.6 Points, 9.2 Boards, 2.4 Blocks on 62% shooting from the field while shooting 77% on 40 Free throws in the last seven games before the season ending injury. You simply had to watch those games and see how dominant he was, only to go down with an heartbreaking injury.Along came Roy (16 games), Nicolas Batum (45 games), Rudy Fernandez (20 games), Joel Przbilla (51 games). Should I mention that Travis Outlaw became available only after the All-Star break?I'm not about whining, but there's a reason for all that. There's a reason Kevin Pritchard has transformedCleveland Browns jersey
this franchise from a jail-breaking team, to a group of guys that spend most of its free time on Make-it-better and NBA Cares projects. There's a reason that Andre Miller and Marcus Camby have shared some of their most productive years in Denver together. There must be. And for once, even though I'm sure the refs will be there to blow the party, the gods of basketball should be there, watching for their Trail Blazers.Ask 'sheed, Ball don't lie.
you would probably think i've gone into some kind of a self-destruct mode, but the truth might just stand for me here. The Portland Trail Blazers have played some of their best offensive basketball this year, with Brandon Roy on the sidelines.Now, I'm not saying Roy is a ballhogevery coach in the NBA will tell you Roy will prefer the assist over the bucketbut when Roy is not playing, it makes the other players on the court think. It makes them step up. Suddenly, there's much more ball movement on offense. Coach Nate McMillan calls less and lesser ISO plays.Blazers have played 16 games without their franchise player this season. In only six of those games did the Blazers put up less points on the scoreboard than their season average. Yet, in another six, they put more a hundred (Blazers avg. 98PPG). Plus, They averaged one more assist (21) without Roy. That same team-play, would be most necessary to create some confidencebuilding easy points on the road, in the first two games of the first round.Paul AllenBattling cancer, Mr. Allen is still there, sitting, witnessing the live action from his courtside seat at the Rose Garden. Allen barely misses games. The players always rave about their warm, down-to-earth relationship with their owner. There is absolutely no way, that the Blazers are going to be outplayed or outhustled at the Rose Garden with Mr. Allen sitting there.The Blazers' dedicated owner has done everything in his power, to make this franchise successful, and that's a good opportunity for the players and coaches to step up a notch, for the man who was diagnosed with cancer last November.DepthRudy Fernandez, Martell Webster, Jerryd Baylesstwo of those three will come off the bench in case Roy won't be cleared to play in the first round. While being unpredictable, Webster enters the playoffs hitting 50 percent on 10 three pointers in the last 6 games, followed by a sharp fourth quarter performance that got the Blazers a much needed win at Staples Center.It's much of the same case with Rudy and Baylesseach one can suddenly explode, especially speaking of the Spaniard, who buried five long-range bombs at 71% at last year's Game 4 in Houston, only to see the Blazers lose another Cincinnati Bengals jersey
thriller. (86-83).Don't underestimate the rest of the blazers bench either. Rookies Dante Cunningham and Jeff Pendergraph are as tough as you can find in the current draft class, and could at ease, provide some vital hustle off the bench. Patty Mills and Travis Diener are bench-boundeach one of them, though, presents a unique skill (Speed and 3Pt shooting respectively) that can be deadly if used well.Veteran LeadershipSay what you will, when it's the month of April, I'd take Marcus Camby or Andre Miller over almost any point guard and center outside probably, Billups and Dwight.It's not about the skill level right here. It's about the knowledge. It's about the focus level. It's about doing the right things, in the locker-room, before and throughout the game. Stepping in to take the charge. Knowing the momentum of the game, and that one of the referees.Last year, The Trail Blazers got the 4th seed, and were ready to face a McGrady-less Houston Rockets in the first round of the Playoffs. You all should've seen the faces of the Blazers players during intros of Game 1. I wouldn't call it arrogance, because Sarge McMillan knows how to handle that stuff most of the time. But something was missing. That knowledge.The Blazers were just too innocent. Too innocent to predict the bombs Yao Ming would drop just 10 minutes later, and boy...when It rains, it pours.Because this was the first game, and also the first couple of minutes of the first game the first couple of minutes can set the tone for the game, and the first game can set the tone for the series, Yao said.The 7-foot-6 Yao scored nine of Houston first 11 points and finished with 24 in the Rockets 108-81 Win. Yao barely played the rest of that game.One thing I guarantee you. Be it Utah, Denver, whoever. This year is going to be different. No. it's not that I'm sure the Blazers will come firing in all cylinders, beating their opponent by 20+ like Houston did last year. But add the savvy Miller, Camby, Juwan Howard and the last year's experience, and it's a progress you can never measure on the stat sheet.Andre Miller is my X-factor here. In the past month-and-a-half, Dre's been taking almost every PG in the League to the Miller academy of basketball. Schooling J-Kidd, (19,10,3,3) Steve Nash (22,9,3,2) and simply handling Russel Westbrook like a child in one of the most important games of the season (26 points, 9-18 FG, 7-7 FT, 4 AST, 6 REB, 3 STL). This guy has some Denzel 'He Got Game' magic within him.KarmaWell, last but not least, the real X-Factor. The Karma. This has been a season from hell for the Blazers.Greg Oden, has started the first 21 games of the season, giving the Blazers 2.3 Blocks per game, alongside an unexplainable relaxing presence, one that makes sense only if you truly watch all the games from start of the season. Heck, even statistically, Greg averaged 15.6 Points, 9.2 Boards, 2.4 Blocks on 62% shooting from the field while shooting 77% on 40 Free throws in the last seven games before the season ending injury. You simply had to watch those games and see how dominant he was, only to go down with an heartbreaking injury.Along came Roy (16 games), Nicolas Batum (45 games), Rudy Fernandez (20 games), Joel Przbilla (51 games). Should I mention that Travis Outlaw became available only after the All-Star break?I'm not about whining, but there's a reason for all that. There's a reason Kevin Pritchard has transformedCleveland Browns jersey
this franchise from a jail-breaking team, to a group of guys that spend most of its free time on Make-it-better and NBA Cares projects. There's a reason that Andre Miller and Marcus Camby have shared some of their most productive years in Denver together. There must be. And for once, even though I'm sure the refs will be there to blow the party, the gods of basketball should be there, watching for their Trail Blazers.Ask 'sheed, Ball don't lie.
2010年12月28日星期二
28 Dec 10 2010 NBA Playoffs: Cavaliers Will Not Beat the Celtics in a Half-Court Series
Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesLike it or not, sometimes all you have to do is listen to Charles Barkley to understand what right, or what wrong, with the Cleveland Cavaliers.At halftime of Monday night TNT telecast of Game Two of the Cavs playoff series with Boston, Barkley expressed his frustration with Cleveland slow tempo in the first half.Then he said something that should resonate up and down the Cavaliers bench, startingor maybeendingwith Mike Brown.The Cavaliers, said Barkley, have better players now, but theyre playing the same Buffalo Bills jersey
way they did three years ago.Ouch.He was right, though, and if the first half was Exhibit A, then the second was Exhibit B.The Celtics embarrassed the Cavs in the third quarter and held off a late Cleveland rally to earn a convincing 104-86 win and gain home court advantage in the series.Look, the Celtics can only play one way: slow. They can come at you in spurts, but theyre a slow down, look inside, and shoot outside team.They live by it and they die by it, and Monday night they were very alive, indeed.Rajon Rondo scaled back on his own offense while setting up his teammates with 19 assists. The result was that six Boston players scored in double figures, including 17 points from the heretofore silent Rasheed Wallace.Ray Allen led the Celtics with 22 points, and Kevin Garnett, despite a lackluster shooting night, hustled his way to 18 points and 10 rebounds to give Boston a strong presence underneath.It wasn until the game was nearly out of reach that the Cavaliers seemingly came to life, running and gunning their way to a 15-0 stretch that nonetheless left them trailing by 10, 91-81,with 4:33 left.It was the proverbial too-little-too-late, however, and when the magic wore off, the series was tied, 1-1. Cleveland had frittered away their home court advantage.Why? Go back to what Barkley said. To be honest, go back to what Barkley has always said about the Cavaliers, going back to that unlikely appearance in the 2007 finals against San Antonio.The team plays slow-down, half-court basketball, Carolina Panthers jersey
when theyre built for speed. Barkley pins that on Brown.There no question that Brown is one of the best defensive coaches in the game. His offensive mindset has been called into question more than once, however.It seems unlikely that Boston could run with Cleveland over a seven-game series. In fact, it would be a surprise if the Celtics kept up with an up-tempo approach by the Cavs for one night.If that means keeping a J.J. Hickson on the floor, youthful exuberance and all, so be it. If it means employing more of the aggressive Delonte West or the athletic Jamario Moon in place of Anthony Parker to jump-start the offense, fine.Letting the Celtics get back and get set on defense only plays into Boston hands, however. It puts all the pressure on your shooters, and on Monday night they simply didn deliver.Mo Williams coughed up a 1-for-9 night from the field, and Parker was an equally dismal 2-for-7. When your starting backcourt totals 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting, you know youre in for a long night.So run. Run the ball from the opening tip until the final buzzer. Run the ball right at the Celtics, and don stop.The Cavs have the deeper bench. If it a matter of who gets tired first, they should win the war.Instead, the Celtics won a key battle, and now the outcome is at least somewhat in doubt.It shouldn be, and the Cavaliers should remain confident. They have the talent to win this series.The Celtics have the richer history and the championship pedigree, however. I wrote recently about what a difference Chicago Bears jersey
it can make. Monday night was the perfect example.If the Cavaliers use their athleticism to their advantage, they will win a game in Boston and return home a more confident team.If they continue to slow things down on offense, however, theyll give the Celtics hope; and hope, as Andy Dufresne once said, is a good thingin this case, for the guys in green.That a risk the Cavaliers can afford to take.
way they did three years ago.Ouch.He was right, though, and if the first half was Exhibit A, then the second was Exhibit B.The Celtics embarrassed the Cavs in the third quarter and held off a late Cleveland rally to earn a convincing 104-86 win and gain home court advantage in the series.Look, the Celtics can only play one way: slow. They can come at you in spurts, but theyre a slow down, look inside, and shoot outside team.They live by it and they die by it, and Monday night they were very alive, indeed.Rajon Rondo scaled back on his own offense while setting up his teammates with 19 assists. The result was that six Boston players scored in double figures, including 17 points from the heretofore silent Rasheed Wallace.Ray Allen led the Celtics with 22 points, and Kevin Garnett, despite a lackluster shooting night, hustled his way to 18 points and 10 rebounds to give Boston a strong presence underneath.It wasn until the game was nearly out of reach that the Cavaliers seemingly came to life, running and gunning their way to a 15-0 stretch that nonetheless left them trailing by 10, 91-81,with 4:33 left.It was the proverbial too-little-too-late, however, and when the magic wore off, the series was tied, 1-1. Cleveland had frittered away their home court advantage.Why? Go back to what Barkley said. To be honest, go back to what Barkley has always said about the Cavaliers, going back to that unlikely appearance in the 2007 finals against San Antonio.The team plays slow-down, half-court basketball, Carolina Panthers jersey
when theyre built for speed. Barkley pins that on Brown.There no question that Brown is one of the best defensive coaches in the game. His offensive mindset has been called into question more than once, however.It seems unlikely that Boston could run with Cleveland over a seven-game series. In fact, it would be a surprise if the Celtics kept up with an up-tempo approach by the Cavs for one night.If that means keeping a J.J. Hickson on the floor, youthful exuberance and all, so be it. If it means employing more of the aggressive Delonte West or the athletic Jamario Moon in place of Anthony Parker to jump-start the offense, fine.Letting the Celtics get back and get set on defense only plays into Boston hands, however. It puts all the pressure on your shooters, and on Monday night they simply didn deliver.Mo Williams coughed up a 1-for-9 night from the field, and Parker was an equally dismal 2-for-7. When your starting backcourt totals 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting, you know youre in for a long night.So run. Run the ball from the opening tip until the final buzzer. Run the ball right at the Celtics, and don stop.The Cavs have the deeper bench. If it a matter of who gets tired first, they should win the war.Instead, the Celtics won a key battle, and now the outcome is at least somewhat in doubt.It shouldn be, and the Cavaliers should remain confident. They have the talent to win this series.The Celtics have the richer history and the championship pedigree, however. I wrote recently about what a difference Chicago Bears jersey
it can make. Monday night was the perfect example.If the Cavaliers use their athleticism to their advantage, they will win a game in Boston and return home a more confident team.If they continue to slow things down on offense, however, theyll give the Celtics hope; and hope, as Andy Dufresne once said, is a good thingin this case, for the guys in green.That a risk the Cavaliers can afford to take.
2010年12月27日星期一
27 Dec 10 LeBron James: King Or Villain?
It seems to me lately there been some talk about this guy in the NBA, some player named LeBron James. Now apparently this player and his team just lost a disappointing series to the Boston Celtics, and soon he going to be a free agent. Apparently, he also a very good player, who could Reebok San Francisco 49ers #21 Frank GORE Realtree camo Jersey
very well be an all time great player. There been lots of talk about where he should go in free agency, where he actually will go, who would give him the most money, who would give him the best chance to develop his legacy.Now I don know much about basketball, but I do know something else. If this LeBron person wants to develop his legacy, there really only one team that makes sense to sign with.The Cleveland Cavaliers are this team.A team like the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, or Miami Heat may provide the best chance to win a championship soon, but if LeBron is as good as people say, and he wants to be remembered as one of the all time greats, Cleveland is the place to be.Cleveland is generally considered to be cursed as far as sports go. They haven won a major championship in anything since 1964, when the Cleveland Browns won a NFL Championship. The Browns of the NFL and Indians of the MLB are generally considered to be in the bottom quarter of their respective leagues. The Cavs have been the cities only glimmer of hope, and LeBron has been the paramount reason for this. Ever since drafting LeBron first overall in 2003, the Cavs have only gotten better and better, climaxing in the franchises first ever trip to Reebok Washington Redskins #98 ORAKPO Realtree camo Jersey
the NBA Finals in 2007. Though the last few years theyve failed to reach the Finals, the Cavs have still been among the best teams in the NBA.CONTINUEMatt is a contributing author at Sports Jabber. Join in the discussion on this and other topics in the NEW Sports Jabber Forums!
very well be an all time great player. There been lots of talk about where he should go in free agency, where he actually will go, who would give him the most money, who would give him the best chance to develop his legacy.Now I don know much about basketball, but I do know something else. If this LeBron person wants to develop his legacy, there really only one team that makes sense to sign with.The Cleveland Cavaliers are this team.A team like the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, or Miami Heat may provide the best chance to win a championship soon, but if LeBron is as good as people say, and he wants to be remembered as one of the all time greats, Cleveland is the place to be.Cleveland is generally considered to be cursed as far as sports go. They haven won a major championship in anything since 1964, when the Cleveland Browns won a NFL Championship. The Browns of the NFL and Indians of the MLB are generally considered to be in the bottom quarter of their respective leagues. The Cavs have been the cities only glimmer of hope, and LeBron has been the paramount reason for this. Ever since drafting LeBron first overall in 2003, the Cavs have only gotten better and better, climaxing in the franchises first ever trip to Reebok Washington Redskins #98 ORAKPO Realtree camo Jersey
the NBA Finals in 2007. Though the last few years theyve failed to reach the Finals, the Cavs have still been among the best teams in the NBA.CONTINUEMatt is a contributing author at Sports Jabber. Join in the discussion on this and other topics in the NEW Sports Jabber Forums!
27 Dec 10 LeBron James: King Or Villain?
It seems to me lately there been some talk about this guy in the NBA, some player named LeBron James. Now apparently this player and his team just lost a disappointing series to the Boston Celtics, and soon he going to be a free agent. Apparently, he also a very good player, who could Reebok San Francisco 49ers #21 Frank GORE Realtree camo Jersey
very well be an all time great player. There been lots of talk about where he should go in free agency, where he actually will go, who would give him the most money, who would give him the best chance to develop his legacy.Now I don know much about basketball, but I do know something else. If this LeBron person wants to develop his legacy, there really only one team that makes sense to sign with.The Cleveland Cavaliers are this team.A team like the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, or Miami Heat may provide the best chance to win a championship soon, but if LeBron is as good as people say, and he wants to be remembered as one of the all time greats, Cleveland is the place to be.Cleveland is generally considered to be cursed as far as sports go. They haven won a major championship in anything since 1964, when the Cleveland Browns won a NFL Championship. The Browns of the NFL and Indians of the MLB are generally considered to be in the bottom quarter of their respective leagues. The Cavs have been the cities only glimmer of hope, and LeBron has been the paramount reason for this. Ever since drafting LeBron first overall in 2003, the Cavs have only gotten better and better, climaxing in the franchises first ever trip to Reebok Washington Redskins #98 ORAKPO Realtree camo Jersey
the NBA Finals in 2007. Though the last few years theyve failed to reach the Finals, the Cavs have still been among the best teams in the NBA.CONTINUEMatt is a contributing author at Sports Jabber. Join in the discussion on this and other topics in the NEW Sports Jabber Forums!
very well be an all time great player. There been lots of talk about where he should go in free agency, where he actually will go, who would give him the most money, who would give him the best chance to develop his legacy.Now I don know much about basketball, but I do know something else. If this LeBron person wants to develop his legacy, there really only one team that makes sense to sign with.The Cleveland Cavaliers are this team.A team like the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, or Miami Heat may provide the best chance to win a championship soon, but if LeBron is as good as people say, and he wants to be remembered as one of the all time greats, Cleveland is the place to be.Cleveland is generally considered to be cursed as far as sports go. They haven won a major championship in anything since 1964, when the Cleveland Browns won a NFL Championship. The Browns of the NFL and Indians of the MLB are generally considered to be in the bottom quarter of their respective leagues. The Cavs have been the cities only glimmer of hope, and LeBron has been the paramount reason for this. Ever since drafting LeBron first overall in 2003, the Cavs have only gotten better and better, climaxing in the franchises first ever trip to Reebok Washington Redskins #98 ORAKPO Realtree camo Jersey
the NBA Finals in 2007. Though the last few years theyve failed to reach the Finals, the Cavs have still been among the best teams in the NBA.CONTINUEMatt is a contributing author at Sports Jabber. Join in the discussion on this and other topics in the NEW Sports Jabber Forums!
2010年12月26日星期日
26 Dec 10 2010 NBA Playoffs: What's Up Doc? Celtics Playoff Run May Be Up A River
Elsa/Getty ImagesI have had a high level of respect for Boston Celtics coach, Glen 'Doc' Rivers, in past. But that status was brought down a rung following an incident that occurred in Game 4 of their series with the Orlando Magic.In returning to the floor following a third quarter shot attempt, Reebok New York Giants #27 Brandon Jacobs Realtree camo Jersey
the Magic's Dwight Howard accidentally hit the Celtics' Glen "Big Baby" Davis in the face as Howard's left armdelivered the blow on his follow through.As Davis lay on his back and Orlando transitioned to a fast break with numbers, Rivers could clearly be seen yelling and cajoling Davis to get up.Davis gamely rose to his feet and proceeded to stagger down the court, reaching a point just beyond the half court stripe before falling into the arms of referee, Joey Crawford, who witnessed the lurching Davis' attempt to negotiate the court wildly, not unlike a derailed freight train.I know that 'Doc' was frustrated by the listless play of the Celtics at that point, and certainly has been at wit's end on occasion by the immature antics that "Big Baby" has exhibited in a short NBA career. But, Rivers' insensitive act in chiding Davis was disappointing and lacked maturation as well. In the aftermath, Davis was determined to have suffered a concussion.To truly add insult to injury, Rivers did not take blame for his callous treatment of Davis during the tilt, but instead professed to know nothing of Glen's status for Game 6, deriding Davis' injury by stating that Glen was "a little out there anyway."What had been a disappointment in Rivers' behavior instead became a blemish to his coaching record, and may yet sabotage the ongoing playoff run for the Celtics.Not only must 'Doc' all ready worry in controlling his "Three Angry Old Men" - Kevin "Elbow And Arrow" Garnett, Paul "Hypo" Pierce, and Rasheed "T"Wallace - Reebok New York Jets #6 Mark Sanchez Realtree camo Jersey
but now must erase this blemish between himself and Davis."Big Baby" performed like, well a man, when he attempted to right himself and stagger down the court. Thank goodness he didn't pancake Crawford. .Perhaps it is Rivers' turn to man up and apologize to Davis prior to Game 6. That is, if "Big Baby" can even return to the fray.
the Magic's Dwight Howard accidentally hit the Celtics' Glen "Big Baby" Davis in the face as Howard's left armdelivered the blow on his follow through.As Davis lay on his back and Orlando transitioned to a fast break with numbers, Rivers could clearly be seen yelling and cajoling Davis to get up.Davis gamely rose to his feet and proceeded to stagger down the court, reaching a point just beyond the half court stripe before falling into the arms of referee, Joey Crawford, who witnessed the lurching Davis' attempt to negotiate the court wildly, not unlike a derailed freight train.I know that 'Doc' was frustrated by the listless play of the Celtics at that point, and certainly has been at wit's end on occasion by the immature antics that "Big Baby" has exhibited in a short NBA career. But, Rivers' insensitive act in chiding Davis was disappointing and lacked maturation as well. In the aftermath, Davis was determined to have suffered a concussion.To truly add insult to injury, Rivers did not take blame for his callous treatment of Davis during the tilt, but instead professed to know nothing of Glen's status for Game 6, deriding Davis' injury by stating that Glen was "a little out there anyway."What had been a disappointment in Rivers' behavior instead became a blemish to his coaching record, and may yet sabotage the ongoing playoff run for the Celtics.Not only must 'Doc' all ready worry in controlling his "Three Angry Old Men" - Kevin "Elbow And Arrow" Garnett, Paul "Hypo" Pierce, and Rasheed "T"Wallace - Reebok New York Jets #6 Mark Sanchez Realtree camo Jersey
but now must erase this blemish between himself and Davis."Big Baby" performed like, well a man, when he attempted to right himself and stagger down the court. Thank goodness he didn't pancake Crawford. .Perhaps it is Rivers' turn to man up and apologize to Davis prior to Game 6. That is, if "Big Baby" can even return to the fray.
2010年12月25日星期六
25 Dec 10 Serge Ibaka Making A Name For Himself In The NBA
Dilip Vishwanat/Getty ImagesThis year the Oklahoma City Thunder (14-8) are currently only 2.5 games off of first place in the Northwest Division. Credit has gone to Russell Westbrook this year for fueling OKC and deservedly so, but we also need to highlight the contributions provided from second year player Serge Ibaka. Drafted 24th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft, after a strong performance at the 2008 Reebok Eurocamp in which he was named MVP, Ibaka has emerged as one of the best role players in the NBA this season.He doesn't quite get the distinction of San Francisco 49ers jersey
being a six man because he has started 11 games already this season due to injuries and match up decisions. He has good mechanics on his jumper and has solidly adapted to the league. Ibaka's 11.5 rebounding rate (per 48 minutes) ranks higher than David West, LeBron and Brook Lopez, and he's the only player in the NBA to rank in the top 40 in rebounds, top 10 in blocks and field goal shooting and shoot over 80 percent from the line;he's 8th in field goal shooting and 6th in blocks.Those stats are incredible considering the fact he's only averaging 27 minutes on the season.Now, if you adjusted those rates to 48 minutes, he would be averaging a little over 20 points, 13 boards and 3 blocks a game, good enough to put him in the West's elite crop of power forwards.Ibaka does a good job of hustling around the basket and Seattle Seahawks jersey
keeping happy feet; meaning he stays on his toes in anticipation of an offensive rebound. That tactic helps him excel at second-jumping and out leaping his opponents. He crashes the boards with ease and his hustle on both ends of the floor is undeniable.Furthermore, I believe he can turn into one of the West's premier pick and roll players due to the fact that he already excels at diving to the rim and is immensely athletic. He can finish with either hand and is an adequate passer finding teammates who cut along the baseline.Think a poor man's Amare Stoudemire.The only difference is Ibaka is committed on the defensive end.Thanks to his long arms and uncanny timing, he waits until the last possible second to contest shots, which is an asset to his team. Because of his good judgment, it allows Ibaka to stay on his feet a St. Louis Rams jersey
second longer; aiding his teammates with help around on the basket or out on the perimeter defending against competent scorers.After all he did lead all rookies in shot-blocking a year ago.Better yet, he's only 21 years old giving him plenty of room to learn the nuances of the game, giving further evidence of his immense potential. With an enriched post-game, Ibaka could be another lethal weapon in the Thunder's arsenal
being a six man because he has started 11 games already this season due to injuries and match up decisions. He has good mechanics on his jumper and has solidly adapted to the league. Ibaka's 11.5 rebounding rate (per 48 minutes) ranks higher than David West, LeBron and Brook Lopez, and he's the only player in the NBA to rank in the top 40 in rebounds, top 10 in blocks and field goal shooting and shoot over 80 percent from the line;he's 8th in field goal shooting and 6th in blocks.Those stats are incredible considering the fact he's only averaging 27 minutes on the season.Now, if you adjusted those rates to 48 minutes, he would be averaging a little over 20 points, 13 boards and 3 blocks a game, good enough to put him in the West's elite crop of power forwards.Ibaka does a good job of hustling around the basket and Seattle Seahawks jersey
keeping happy feet; meaning he stays on his toes in anticipation of an offensive rebound. That tactic helps him excel at second-jumping and out leaping his opponents. He crashes the boards with ease and his hustle on both ends of the floor is undeniable.Furthermore, I believe he can turn into one of the West's premier pick and roll players due to the fact that he already excels at diving to the rim and is immensely athletic. He can finish with either hand and is an adequate passer finding teammates who cut along the baseline.Think a poor man's Amare Stoudemire.The only difference is Ibaka is committed on the defensive end.Thanks to his long arms and uncanny timing, he waits until the last possible second to contest shots, which is an asset to his team. Because of his good judgment, it allows Ibaka to stay on his feet a St. Louis Rams jersey
second longer; aiding his teammates with help around on the basket or out on the perimeter defending against competent scorers.After all he did lead all rookies in shot-blocking a year ago.Better yet, he's only 21 years old giving him plenty of room to learn the nuances of the game, giving further evidence of his immense potential. With an enriched post-game, Ibaka could be another lethal weapon in the Thunder's arsenal
2010年12月24日星期五
24 Dec 10 San Antonio Spurs: Should They Change Their NBA Mascot Like Ole Miss Did?
Should this be the mascot of the Alamo City?Getty Images/Getty ImagesSATIRE — What has three chins, four legs including two arms as big as legs, and a graduate degree from a university with an agricultural extension in its official name (A&M)?If you answered by saying half the women in San Antonio, then you are correct rude boys and gals. The Alamo City consistently ranks in the annual Top 10 Obese Cities in America.One would think that the River Creek extension from Brooklyn Street to Pearl Brewery would provide incentive for Reebok Chicago Bears #54 Brian Urlacher Realtree camo Jersey
more people to go walking to slim down.Nope. Even the park policemen prefer to use “river” boats instead of walking.I wrote that the San Antonio Spurs Coyote was a symbol of a Mexican drug cartel, and it caused an outrage among mascot policemen that has yet to subside.On the heels of my article, it was announced that the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) was changing its mascot from a caricature of a former Confederate gentleman to a black bear.Officially called the Ole Miss Black Bear, the new face of the university could be viewed as worse than the original Ole Mississippi Rebel mascot.Why is it a “black” bear some people will ask, “Why it gotta be black?”The retort might be that Winnie the Pooh is hardly appropriate as the mascot for a football team where men have to be fearsome in order to withstand the train wreck-like collisions that occur after almost every snap.But oh snap, the state of Mississippi was one of the most violent and racist states ever to disgrace the planet during the Civil Rights Movement and during the Civil War, Reconstruction, and…Well, you get the general idea.“What’s the big idea,” San Antonio Spurs fans exclaimed after my article regarding the Spurs’ mascot and its ties to the Beltran-Leyva boss who was arrested last month while sporting a Spurs T-shirt. The images caused fans of the team much chagrin as one can imagine.The Spurs organization prides itself on having a squeaky clean image.But I need to explain myself. I was only attempting to better the image of the Spurs as an organization. It was organizational and not personal.A close family member of mine worked for years in the San Antonio front office before moving on to bigger and better opportunities within the great Lone Star State.My article was about the principle. It’s principalities in this. Not to mention powers and rulers of darkness in high places.Seeing that “El Grande” the alleged overlord of the Beltran-Leyva cartel was arrested in a Spurs T-shirt, thereby subliminally identifying himself with the Spurs’ mascot Coyote, I have a couple more suggestions.Just a couple. This “couple” will be clearer by the time you finish this article.Since the mascot has now achieved such a grimy correlation, coyote is slang for a human smuggler then maybe it should take on a whole new look and feel.Seeing that the Alamo City is one ofReebok Chicago Bears #6 Jay Cutler Realtree camo Jersey
the fattest cites ever to weigh down the planet’s gravity, I have a suggested nickname for the possible Spur’s replacement-of-the-Coyote mascot:The new mascot could possibly be dubbed “Marilyn the Moo,” or Moo-Moo for short.I’m saying change the mascot from a Coyote to a cow.Calling a cow a cow and showing it what it looks like in the mirror would give it more incentive to get out and walk off a few pounds, I humbly suggest.Hey this is a better suggestion than having people chase chupacabras to lose pounds, in the way that some people chase rabbits to increase their speed. Google chupacabra.Speaking of rabbits, the Spurs Coyote actually has ears that resemble a rabbit’s ears. This suggests to me that the mascot is a hybrid rabbit-coyote.Or is it a chupacabra-coyote: a chupayote? Aha. Things are starting to make sense.Marilyn the MooAnd if it don’t make dollars, then it don’t make cents.Common sense tells me that Marilyn the Moo should have a help-mate: “Billy the Bull.”And since the Pope recently named the next Archbishop of San Antonio, the Catholic mascot so to speak, have the new priest marry Moo-Moo and Billy.Bill the event as Moo-Moo marries Bee-Bee and cut me a check covering 90 percent of the profits. It was Great Lake’s idea after all.Moo and Bee will be the most popular new couple in the Alamo City.The new head of the San Antonio Archdiocese could perform the wedding during halftime of the Spurs-Clippers game to boost attendance.Attend to this fact folks.In only three weeks writing on B/R I have become the most prolific writer ever to grace the bathroom walls at local hangout Fatso’s. Reebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
Fatso’s is a so-called restaurant where San Antonio Purrs fans hang out, and I mean that literally seeing some of the cows in Daisy Dukes.But I digress. As I was saying.I am on my way to being the best at ever doing it. You’re already the best at ever booing it.Boo me now, hate me later. It just makes Great Lake even greater.I need to go think up a name for the children that the new Spurs' mascots will have. Send me your cards, letters, suggestions, and hate.This has been another installment of my Reasoning on the River Walk series. I am your humble host and resident Rude Boy: Lake Cruise.
more people to go walking to slim down.Nope. Even the park policemen prefer to use “river” boats instead of walking.I wrote that the San Antonio Spurs Coyote was a symbol of a Mexican drug cartel, and it caused an outrage among mascot policemen that has yet to subside.On the heels of my article, it was announced that the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) was changing its mascot from a caricature of a former Confederate gentleman to a black bear.Officially called the Ole Miss Black Bear, the new face of the university could be viewed as worse than the original Ole Mississippi Rebel mascot.Why is it a “black” bear some people will ask, “Why it gotta be black?”The retort might be that Winnie the Pooh is hardly appropriate as the mascot for a football team where men have to be fearsome in order to withstand the train wreck-like collisions that occur after almost every snap.But oh snap, the state of Mississippi was one of the most violent and racist states ever to disgrace the planet during the Civil Rights Movement and during the Civil War, Reconstruction, and…Well, you get the general idea.“What’s the big idea,” San Antonio Spurs fans exclaimed after my article regarding the Spurs’ mascot and its ties to the Beltran-Leyva boss who was arrested last month while sporting a Spurs T-shirt. The images caused fans of the team much chagrin as one can imagine.The Spurs organization prides itself on having a squeaky clean image.But I need to explain myself. I was only attempting to better the image of the Spurs as an organization. It was organizational and not personal.A close family member of mine worked for years in the San Antonio front office before moving on to bigger and better opportunities within the great Lone Star State.My article was about the principle. It’s principalities in this. Not to mention powers and rulers of darkness in high places.Seeing that “El Grande” the alleged overlord of the Beltran-Leyva cartel was arrested in a Spurs T-shirt, thereby subliminally identifying himself with the Spurs’ mascot Coyote, I have a couple more suggestions.Just a couple. This “couple” will be clearer by the time you finish this article.Since the mascot has now achieved such a grimy correlation, coyote is slang for a human smuggler then maybe it should take on a whole new look and feel.Seeing that the Alamo City is one ofReebok Chicago Bears #6 Jay Cutler Realtree camo Jersey
the fattest cites ever to weigh down the planet’s gravity, I have a suggested nickname for the possible Spur’s replacement-of-the-Coyote mascot:The new mascot could possibly be dubbed “Marilyn the Moo,” or Moo-Moo for short.I’m saying change the mascot from a Coyote to a cow.Calling a cow a cow and showing it what it looks like in the mirror would give it more incentive to get out and walk off a few pounds, I humbly suggest.Hey this is a better suggestion than having people chase chupacabras to lose pounds, in the way that some people chase rabbits to increase their speed. Google chupacabra.Speaking of rabbits, the Spurs Coyote actually has ears that resemble a rabbit’s ears. This suggests to me that the mascot is a hybrid rabbit-coyote.Or is it a chupacabra-coyote: a chupayote? Aha. Things are starting to make sense.Marilyn the MooAnd if it don’t make dollars, then it don’t make cents.Common sense tells me that Marilyn the Moo should have a help-mate: “Billy the Bull.”And since the Pope recently named the next Archbishop of San Antonio, the Catholic mascot so to speak, have the new priest marry Moo-Moo and Billy.Bill the event as Moo-Moo marries Bee-Bee and cut me a check covering 90 percent of the profits. It was Great Lake’s idea after all.Moo and Bee will be the most popular new couple in the Alamo City.The new head of the San Antonio Archdiocese could perform the wedding during halftime of the Spurs-Clippers game to boost attendance.Attend to this fact folks.In only three weeks writing on B/R I have become the most prolific writer ever to grace the bathroom walls at local hangout Fatso’s. Reebok Dallas Cowboys #82 Jason Witten Realtree camo Jersey
Fatso’s is a so-called restaurant where San Antonio Purrs fans hang out, and I mean that literally seeing some of the cows in Daisy Dukes.But I digress. As I was saying.I am on my way to being the best at ever doing it. You’re already the best at ever booing it.Boo me now, hate me later. It just makes Great Lake even greater.I need to go think up a name for the children that the new Spurs' mascots will have. Send me your cards, letters, suggestions, and hate.This has been another installment of my Reasoning on the River Walk series. I am your humble host and resident Rude Boy: Lake Cruise.
2010年12月23日星期四
23 Dec 10Kobe Bryant: Is He Really Sending the Wrong Message To Kids with New Ad?
I come home, flip on the T.V. and the first thing I see is Kobe's face blown up on Outside The Lines. The recent rave about Kobe's appearance on the new game Call Of Duty: Black Ops hasbeen blownway out of proportion.As sports fans, it's fun and exciting to see a well known athlete we look up to Buffalo Bills jersey
relate to us in a way besides dunking a ball or making ESPN's Top Ten.What I don't understand is why so many critics are beginning to appear. It is natural that Kobe is receiving attention for appearing on such a popular video game commercial, but it seems obvious that most of the publicity is actually criticism.Psychology majors, youth football coaches and many others have made their messages clear, and honestly that's there only way of receiving unnecessary attention."I couldn't believe it was him," Walker says, "What's wrong with him?"Coach Walker has dealt with many deaths, consisting of young kids, even some of whom he had coached. Just lastMonday, Walker was preparing a funeral for a 14-year-old kid who had played under him for five years. It is a difficult job to deal with so many deaths, at such a young age, but what does this really have to do with Kobe Bryant?Kobe has merely appeared in a simple commercial consisting of other celebrities, including Jimmy Kimmel and many others. The theme of the commercial is: "There is a soldier in all of us," and the main point of showing this commercial with various celebrities is to show that people in all walks of life can join the Call Of Duty Community. Honestly, what is wrong with that?Everyone is comparing Kobe to a controversial incident with Allen Iverson. Just about ten years ago, Iverson came out with a rap album.It consisted of him talking about how he carried guns, did drugs, and most importantly, that he was a thug.Now this was a huge deal considering even NBA Commissioner David Stern got involved, but this is completely different from Kobe's current situation. Iverson actually physically said that he did all of those things and that he supported them, the most one can say about Kobe is that he impliedsome sort of negative message consisting of violence and war.No one should take a video game seriously; I highlight game for a reason. The fact is, Kobe wasn't actually shooting someone, he was merely holding an Carolina Panthers jersey
assault rifle with his nickname (Black Mamba) on the side. When a superstar athlete and a talk show host are walking around with machine guns and pistols, I hope everyone can take a breath and simply laugh off the silly concept of the commercial.The saddest part of this whole situation is the pathetic doctors, parents, and others who are trying to point fingers at Kobe for appearing on a commercial that in their words is either mocking the very real war that is going on, or that Kobe is simply promoting violence.The CEO of Major League Gaming came onto Outside The Lines and basically said that: "Entertainment is what it is. It is where we all go to get away from the realities of the day." These words could not be any more true.At the end of the day, Call Of Duty: Black Ops is part of the gaming industry, which is part of the entertainment world. This has nothing to do with Kobe and what he stands for. He might be playing this game as we speak, but we all know that Kobe isn't going to go out into the streets holding a gun, promoting war and violence, and that holds true for the majority of kids or adults playing any war game.Once again, don't take this commercial so literally. Kobe merely came out and promoted the game, not the theme of violence or war, Chicago Bears jersey
and I hope all of you have already figured that out.Before I end, I would like to acknowledge those that are truly dealing with war or violence, that this game may appear as an insult towards those serving, or those who have been lost, but I simply want to put out the reality that Kobe has nothing to do with this problem.
relate to us in a way besides dunking a ball or making ESPN's Top Ten.What I don't understand is why so many critics are beginning to appear. It is natural that Kobe is receiving attention for appearing on such a popular video game commercial, but it seems obvious that most of the publicity is actually criticism.Psychology majors, youth football coaches and many others have made their messages clear, and honestly that's there only way of receiving unnecessary attention."I couldn't believe it was him," Walker says, "What's wrong with him?"Coach Walker has dealt with many deaths, consisting of young kids, even some of whom he had coached. Just lastMonday, Walker was preparing a funeral for a 14-year-old kid who had played under him for five years. It is a difficult job to deal with so many deaths, at such a young age, but what does this really have to do with Kobe Bryant?Kobe has merely appeared in a simple commercial consisting of other celebrities, including Jimmy Kimmel and many others. The theme of the commercial is: "There is a soldier in all of us," and the main point of showing this commercial with various celebrities is to show that people in all walks of life can join the Call Of Duty Community. Honestly, what is wrong with that?Everyone is comparing Kobe to a controversial incident with Allen Iverson. Just about ten years ago, Iverson came out with a rap album.It consisted of him talking about how he carried guns, did drugs, and most importantly, that he was a thug.Now this was a huge deal considering even NBA Commissioner David Stern got involved, but this is completely different from Kobe's current situation. Iverson actually physically said that he did all of those things and that he supported them, the most one can say about Kobe is that he impliedsome sort of negative message consisting of violence and war.No one should take a video game seriously; I highlight game for a reason. The fact is, Kobe wasn't actually shooting someone, he was merely holding an Carolina Panthers jersey
assault rifle with his nickname (Black Mamba) on the side. When a superstar athlete and a talk show host are walking around with machine guns and pistols, I hope everyone can take a breath and simply laugh off the silly concept of the commercial.The saddest part of this whole situation is the pathetic doctors, parents, and others who are trying to point fingers at Kobe for appearing on a commercial that in their words is either mocking the very real war that is going on, or that Kobe is simply promoting violence.The CEO of Major League Gaming came onto Outside The Lines and basically said that: "Entertainment is what it is. It is where we all go to get away from the realities of the day." These words could not be any more true.At the end of the day, Call Of Duty: Black Ops is part of the gaming industry, which is part of the entertainment world. This has nothing to do with Kobe and what he stands for. He might be playing this game as we speak, but we all know that Kobe isn't going to go out into the streets holding a gun, promoting war and violence, and that holds true for the majority of kids or adults playing any war game.Once again, don't take this commercial so literally. Kobe merely came out and promoted the game, not the theme of violence or war, Chicago Bears jersey
and I hope all of you have already figured that out.Before I end, I would like to acknowledge those that are truly dealing with war or violence, that this game may appear as an insult towards those serving, or those who have been lost, but I simply want to put out the reality that Kobe has nothing to do with this problem.
2010年12月22日星期三
Why Mr. Steve Blake Should Come Off the LA Lakers' Bench
Doug Pensinger/Getty ImagesThese last few weeks have been nothing but progressionfor the Lakers. The Lakers have young potential and now a veteran sharp shooter by the name of Steve Blake who can lead the Lakers secondary unit.This is another brilliant move by Laker GM Mitch Kupchak.Once again Jerry Buss has made a brilliant and unselfish move to sign Blake as a Mid-level exception player and it will be worth every penny.Like I've said before, all the Lakers need is either a solid point guard who can run the the triangle Indianapolis Colts jersey
offense or a sharp shooter. With Blake, the Lakers gained both.People may laugh at this move by Kupchak but I can only praise it. The beauty of the Triangle Offense is that it does not require a "true" point guard.As long as someone can keep possession of the ball and can create good looks for the other players, the Lakers don't need a "true" point guard.Watching the Blazers in Oregon, I have seen Blake play multiple times. Trust me, it will be a picture perfect match, and here's why.If Derek Fisher can provide 20-25 minuets as a starter and if Steve Blake is willing to come off the bench (which he should gladly do), this team is unbeatable. Fisher would provide his usual numbers and his defense and when he needs rest, Blake can come off the bench and continue what Fisher has been already doing.Neither Blake nor Fisher would really be starting, it would all depend on the match up's that night. If you think about the potential for the Lakers off the bench, it's unreal.Steve Blake at (PG), Lamar at (F), Devin Ebanks at (F), and Jacksonville Jaguars jersey
either Kobe, Gasol, or Bynum could be in the game as well with these group of guys.Somebody pinch me please.It can't get much better than this.The key is, Blake must come off the bench. Why?Because Blake cannot defend the premiere point guards around the league. Players such as Chris Paul, Derron William's, Westbrook, Devin Harris, Tyreke Evan's, Chauncey Billup's, etc. Blake may be a better defender than he looks but,the fact is, this league is now dominated by guards and someone like Blake shouldn't kid himself.You're blessed to be on a championship team, do us all a favor and come off the bench. but don't worry you will still play starter type minuets. (Depending on the return of Fisher).Blake will bring another option for the Lakers. Because the Lakers bench has been their weak point, Blake only makes this championship team better. Blake will spread the floor and he can lead this secondary group while the starter rest. He has experience and he is a smart player. Blake rarely misses and he rarely makes mistakes.This is exactly what the Lakers needed, a veteran guard who can stick open jumpers. Like I said, he will definitely spread the floor and this will only make the Lakers more dangerous.This means a most likely farewell to Farmar. I'm glad, though Farmar has shown sparks of potential, he continues to disappoint in the overall. You have had your chances Farmar, it's time we let you go and bring in someone who can do the job right.As for Shannon Brown and Vujicic, this leaves them with a golden opportunity. If Brown stays, this could mean more rest for players like Kobe and Gasol, which is exactly what we need. Brown and Vujicic could share the two and three-spot (if Brown is willing) and this would Kansas City Chiefs jersey
mean the Lakers second unit could be three-point oriented. When a bench can score a lot of points it obviously helps their momentum and confidence.This Laker bench could be devastating if they are consistent and healthy.The Lakers will be the favorites for the title once again,going into the 2010-2011 NBA Season (if there is one), but it will all depend on Blake's attitude and how hard he wants to work. Welcome to the "city of angels" my friend
offense or a sharp shooter. With Blake, the Lakers gained both.People may laugh at this move by Kupchak but I can only praise it. The beauty of the Triangle Offense is that it does not require a "true" point guard.As long as someone can keep possession of the ball and can create good looks for the other players, the Lakers don't need a "true" point guard.Watching the Blazers in Oregon, I have seen Blake play multiple times. Trust me, it will be a picture perfect match, and here's why.If Derek Fisher can provide 20-25 minuets as a starter and if Steve Blake is willing to come off the bench (which he should gladly do), this team is unbeatable. Fisher would provide his usual numbers and his defense and when he needs rest, Blake can come off the bench and continue what Fisher has been already doing.Neither Blake nor Fisher would really be starting, it would all depend on the match up's that night. If you think about the potential for the Lakers off the bench, it's unreal.Steve Blake at (PG), Lamar at (F), Devin Ebanks at (F), and Jacksonville Jaguars jersey
either Kobe, Gasol, or Bynum could be in the game as well with these group of guys.Somebody pinch me please.It can't get much better than this.The key is, Blake must come off the bench. Why?Because Blake cannot defend the premiere point guards around the league. Players such as Chris Paul, Derron William's, Westbrook, Devin Harris, Tyreke Evan's, Chauncey Billup's, etc. Blake may be a better defender than he looks but,the fact is, this league is now dominated by guards and someone like Blake shouldn't kid himself.You're blessed to be on a championship team, do us all a favor and come off the bench. but don't worry you will still play starter type minuets. (Depending on the return of Fisher).Blake will bring another option for the Lakers. Because the Lakers bench has been their weak point, Blake only makes this championship team better. Blake will spread the floor and he can lead this secondary group while the starter rest. He has experience and he is a smart player. Blake rarely misses and he rarely makes mistakes.This is exactly what the Lakers needed, a veteran guard who can stick open jumpers. Like I said, he will definitely spread the floor and this will only make the Lakers more dangerous.This means a most likely farewell to Farmar. I'm glad, though Farmar has shown sparks of potential, he continues to disappoint in the overall. You have had your chances Farmar, it's time we let you go and bring in someone who can do the job right.As for Shannon Brown and Vujicic, this leaves them with a golden opportunity. If Brown stays, this could mean more rest for players like Kobe and Gasol, which is exactly what we need. Brown and Vujicic could share the two and three-spot (if Brown is willing) and this would Kansas City Chiefs jersey
mean the Lakers second unit could be three-point oriented. When a bench can score a lot of points it obviously helps their momentum and confidence.This Laker bench could be devastating if they are consistent and healthy.The Lakers will be the favorites for the title once again,going into the 2010-2011 NBA Season (if there is one), but it will all depend on Blake's attitude and how hard he wants to work. Welcome to the "city of angels" my friend
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