Disagree.
Nick Van Exel came out of Kenosha, and he definitely came after beer and cheese. Respect NVXL. Dwyane is good, but you need to give props to Van Sexel.
Ken talks to himself about the NBA
Word on the street is that Michael Finley is signing with the Spurs. If thats the case, check out their roster:
Tim Duncan- one of the best players in the league.
Manu Ginobili- all star. One of the best.
Tony Parker- inconsistent, but one of the better point guards out there.
Nick Van Exel- legitimate 3 point threat, will back up Tony Parker. This means that now the Spurs have an experienced back up to their main point guard, cause lets face it, Beno Udrih showed his weakness during the playoffs.
Michael Finley- Back up to Manu. 2 time all star, still can shoot it. Excellent defender.
Brent Barry- Eh. Kinda a let down last year, but still versatile.
Robert Horry- The spurs are guaranteed to make the playoffs. Once you are in the playoffs, having Horry is always a plus.
On paper, the Spurs look way better than last year, and last year they were the champs. I think the Spurs made the second best off-season moves, after the Heat. I think the Spurs now are the heavy favorites to win it all, but we`ll see how things go.
Tim Duncan- one of the best players in the league.
Manu Ginobili- all star. One of the best.
Tony Parker- inconsistent, but one of the better point guards out there.
Nick Van Exel- legitimate 3 point threat, will back up Tony Parker. This means that now the Spurs have an experienced back up to their main point guard, cause lets face it, Beno Udrih showed his weakness during the playoffs.
Michael Finley- Back up to Manu. 2 time all star, still can shoot it. Excellent defender.
Brent Barry- Eh. Kinda a let down last year, but still versatile.
Robert Horry- The spurs are guaranteed to make the playoffs. Once you are in the playoffs, having Horry is always a plus.
On paper, the Spurs look way better than last year, and last year they were the champs. I think the Spurs made the second best off-season moves, after the Heat. I think the Spurs now are the heavy favorites to win it all, but we`ll see how things go.
lookin pretty similar to the heat.
Great center. Good point guard. Doesnt match up to D Wade. Just an all around amazing team. Heat vs Spurs in NBA finals anyone?
Actually. that probably wont happen. I should probably leave so ken can talk to himself though.
Great center. Good point guard. Doesnt match up to D Wade. Just an all around amazing team. Heat vs Spurs in NBA finals anyone?
Actually. that probably wont happen. I should probably leave so ken can talk to himself though.
JSACK wrote:alright well me and obara'bars, shredded our dicks off, since we are both in high school, obviously there is some sort of talent show
Heat Spurs finals is definitely looking possible. But who knows if the teams will gel chemistry wise. I`m also real curious to see how the Suns do... they lost Q and (more importantly, imo) Joe Johnson. Yeah, they have better defense, but they pretty much lost all their 3 point threats. Nash`s assist numbers will likely dip because of this. Still, you can`t count out a team with Amare and Nash meshing the way they do, and the Matrix.
Found this link from SLAM: http://p089.ezboard.com/finsidehoopsfrm ... 41&stop=60
Its some message board where people used photoshop to spoof on Antoine Walker. Page 2 and 3 had me literally gasping for air, too good.
Found this link from SLAM: http://p089.ezboard.com/finsidehoopsfrm ... 41&stop=60
Its some message board where people used photoshop to spoof on Antoine Walker. Page 2 and 3 had me literally gasping for air, too good.
People always rip pro-athletes for being selfish and uncaring, but check this out:
http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketbal ... -headlines
Seriously, if you told me that a player in the NBA broke down weeping at a news conference about Katrina, and donated between .5 and 1 million dollars of his own money to the relief effort, and said:
"I see the kids and I just think about my kids. You see babies floating in the river. We complain about the littlest things. I mean, we're so fortunate for so many reasons; we can breathe, we can walk. It's not even about money. It's more about everybody's responsibility. This is about how you treat people. To see this every day, you know that this is going on and you got people, they don't care about it. My kids, you don't think about nothing else. You just hold them so tight and you just look at them and they don't even know why you're looking at them like that and they wonder why you're crying."
... Stephon Marbury`s name wouldn`t have cracked my top-10 list of guesses. But shit, Starbury just gained a lot of credibility in my eyes. Big props to you Stephon. Coney Island`s finest indeed.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketbal ... -headlines
Seriously, if you told me that a player in the NBA broke down weeping at a news conference about Katrina, and donated between .5 and 1 million dollars of his own money to the relief effort, and said:
"I see the kids and I just think about my kids. You see babies floating in the river. We complain about the littlest things. I mean, we're so fortunate for so many reasons; we can breathe, we can walk. It's not even about money. It's more about everybody's responsibility. This is about how you treat people. To see this every day, you know that this is going on and you got people, they don't care about it. My kids, you don't think about nothing else. You just hold them so tight and you just look at them and they don't even know why you're looking at them like that and they wonder why you're crying."
... Stephon Marbury`s name wouldn`t have cracked my top-10 list of guesses. But shit, Starbury just gained a lot of credibility in my eyes. Big props to you Stephon. Coney Island`s finest indeed.
Summer recap, predictions for next season.
Ah October. Once again its that time of year. Trees start losing their lustrous green, people on the street start wearing long pants again, NBA teams start their training camps, and I get deluged with a flood of imaginary PMs from forum members, clamoring for my insight of the NBA, the summer trades, and the coming season. So without further ado, here is:
Ken`s take on the NBA summer, and outlook on the new season.
First question comes to me from Jeremy Mirken, of Santa Clara California. Jeremy asks: "Hey Ken, what is the team to beat this year?"
If you are a Clippers fan, the answer to that question is the same as it has been for the last 90 years: the Lakers. If you are the rest of the league, the answer is The San Antonio Spurs. Why are they the team to beat? Well first off, every year the champion deserves some respect. They DID win the trophy last year after all. But more importantly, they came out of the summer without losing any major pieces from their championship run, and added a couple key veterans. Their core still revolves around TRobot, and to a lesser extent Ginobili and Parker. They still have Bowen and Horry, who are very helpful in the playoffs.
The main weakness of the Spurs had been their outside shooting, which they tried to address last year by signing Brent Barry, but that didn`t really help. This year, they added Van Exel (holla!) and Michael Finley, and at garage sale prices. Van Exel can still shoot the 3 extremely well, and he brings veteran leadership and toughness to the squad. Michael Finley is no longer the max-money All-Star he once was, but he`s still a good defender, and he also has good range on his jumper. Having good shooters means TD will be that much more effective. Of course, one worry that comes with signing big talent on an already-deep squad, is that personalities and egos may clash. I don`t see this being a problem with NVX and Finley, for a couple reasons. First, neither of them were the 1st or 2nd option on their last team, so they are used to deferring to the marquee players. Second, both are in the twilight of their careers, so they are less concerned about their numbers. Finally, neither player has won a ring, or even been in the finals. Combine that with my second reason, and they have a big reason to accept being roleplayers.
All the Spurs lost this summer was Devin Brown. So the team that won the championship last year pretty much lost nothing, and gained 2 former all-stars who fill in their biggest weakness: outside shooting. No doubt about it, the Spurs are the team to beat this year.
Jeremy O`Wheelj from Australia writes: "An Australian was the #1 pick of the draft this year. What team had the best draft, in your opinion? What team had the worst draft?"
There was no consensus #1 pick in this years draft, and its always hard to predict how things will work out. Remember, Darko went at #2 a couple years ago, ahead of Carmelo, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane. I think its probably too early to really rate the teams on how they drafted. That said, I think the Celtics may have had the best luck. The Celts weren`t even in the lottery, but they somehow picked up Gerald Green with the 18th pick?! One of the two most athletic picks available fell to 18? As if that wasn`t enough, the Celtics used their second round pick to get Ryan Gomes, who also has a lot of upside. For a team that shouldn`t have received much talent in the draft, the Celts came away like thieves.
As for who had the worst draft... it seems like most people are laughing at Toronto. They had the 7th pick, and used it to pick a player who plays the same position as their best player (Bosh). That might be justifiable if it was a particularly good power forward, but no, they picked Charlie Villanueva? That made no sense to me. But despite Toronto being called out as having the worst draft, I think I would actually go with Orlando for this booby prize. They also had a high pick, but they picked a pretty good player from Spain, Fran Vazquez. Only problem? He decided he`d rather stay in Spain! D`oh! That`s such a dis... so essentially Orlando threw away their pick.
Nate Oates from Arizona writes: Do you think the Suns will be as good as last season, what with having traded Joe Johnson and Q-Rich in exchange for slow, bigs?
This is a question on many people`s minds, and I think it depends largely on your definition of "good." Former Sun Charles Barkeley likes to make the distinction between teams built for the playoffs versus teams built for the regular season. He maintains that every year there are some teams which run, or are flashy, that are able to rack up 50-60 wins in the season because other teams aren`t used to playing against that style. Once they are in a grind-it-out playoff series however, that style doesn`t hold up. So while a team like the Kings, or the old Dallas Mavericks would often win more regular season games than a team like Detroit or San Antonio, once the playoffs start, a deeper, more defensive team is likely to go further.
Where does that leave the Suns this year? First, let`s look at what they lost. They lost Quentin Richardson, who tied for the most 3 pointers made last season. People point to this and say that the Suns offense will plummet somehow because of this. I disagree. The only reason QRich made so many 3s, was because Nash created open looks for him. Even with that, QRich shot a horrible percentage from 3. Joe Johnson is the more significant loss in my opinion, since he could back up Nash and give him breaks, and Joe Johnson was more efficient offensively than QRich. What did the Suns gain? Most significantly, they gained Kurt Thomas. They also got Brian Grant. Why does this matter? Mostly because it`ll give Amare more time to rest, and he won`t have to play out of position for as much of the season. It also gives the Suns more of an inside defensive presence, which was easily their biggest weakness last year. Yes, they will have fewer options on the fast break, but it`s not exactly reason to cry: you still have Nash handling the ball, feeding Amare and Shawn Marion. Yeah, JJ and QRich were nice options, but the Suns kept the core of their offense, keeping all 3 all-Stars on board. I think the Suns will lose more regular season games than last year, but if they have a better post-season run, then it will be more than worth it.
Tom Mosher of Ontario, Canada wants to know: "What team will be the most exciting to watch next year?"
Again, hard to know at this stage. As I mentioned in my last response, the Suns won`t likely be as exciting as last year`s version.
The Heat have the possibility of being extremely entertaining, considering they have a super-flashy point guard (Jason Williams), one of the most athletic and creative shooting guards in the league (DWade), and good forwards (Posey and Toine.). Also, they have the two best celebration-dancers in the NBA, in Toine and Shaq. Payton coming off the bench as a point guard means that the offense should still run smoothly even with the second unit, plus Shaq is still good for a couple memorable slams every night. But, keep in mind it is the first year of this roster playing together, so it`s still not guaranteed that they will have any chemistry at all.
A safer bet for an entertaining team, would be the New Jersey Nets. Nobody runs the break better than Jason Kid, and few finish it better than Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. This team is guaranteed to have at least a few memorable alley-oop dunks every game, and if the big 3 stay healthy, they could run their way deep into the playoffs as well.
Honorable mentions go to Golden State and Atlanta. After the trade last year, the whole league saw how exciting a healthy, enthusiastic Baron Davis-run team can be. With Baron at the point, and Jason Richardson sharing the backcourt with him, you know you will be entertained. As for the Hawks, they should lose a lot of games, but considering how incredibly athletic and young they are, there should be a few good plays per game for sure.
Aaron Orton of California asks: "Yo Ken, what do you think were the best/worst trades of the summer?"
I think the Spurs acquisitions are incredibly good, but both were picked up in free agency, so I can`t consider it a trade. The worst trade of the summer likely happened today, when Houston swapped Mike James for Skip to my Lou (Rafer Alston.) What the hell were they thinking? Mike James is no all-star, but he was a good fit in the Houston system. He played good D, didn`t need the ball in his hands that much, and could shoot OK. Now, one of the biggest ball-hog point guards in the NBA is paired with T-Mac (who needs the ball) and Yao (who also needs the ball). Plus, I don`t see Alston`s attitude going over real well with JVG... Maybe it will work out, but at the moment I just don`t see any logic behind this trade.
OK everybody, that wraps up this installment. Keep the PMs coming, and I`ll keep answering my questions and offering my observations as we count down to the regular season tip off.
Ken`s take on the NBA summer, and outlook on the new season.
First question comes to me from Jeremy Mirken, of Santa Clara California. Jeremy asks: "Hey Ken, what is the team to beat this year?"
If you are a Clippers fan, the answer to that question is the same as it has been for the last 90 years: the Lakers. If you are the rest of the league, the answer is The San Antonio Spurs. Why are they the team to beat? Well first off, every year the champion deserves some respect. They DID win the trophy last year after all. But more importantly, they came out of the summer without losing any major pieces from their championship run, and added a couple key veterans. Their core still revolves around TRobot, and to a lesser extent Ginobili and Parker. They still have Bowen and Horry, who are very helpful in the playoffs.
The main weakness of the Spurs had been their outside shooting, which they tried to address last year by signing Brent Barry, but that didn`t really help. This year, they added Van Exel (holla!) and Michael Finley, and at garage sale prices. Van Exel can still shoot the 3 extremely well, and he brings veteran leadership and toughness to the squad. Michael Finley is no longer the max-money All-Star he once was, but he`s still a good defender, and he also has good range on his jumper. Having good shooters means TD will be that much more effective. Of course, one worry that comes with signing big talent on an already-deep squad, is that personalities and egos may clash. I don`t see this being a problem with NVX and Finley, for a couple reasons. First, neither of them were the 1st or 2nd option on their last team, so they are used to deferring to the marquee players. Second, both are in the twilight of their careers, so they are less concerned about their numbers. Finally, neither player has won a ring, or even been in the finals. Combine that with my second reason, and they have a big reason to accept being roleplayers.
All the Spurs lost this summer was Devin Brown. So the team that won the championship last year pretty much lost nothing, and gained 2 former all-stars who fill in their biggest weakness: outside shooting. No doubt about it, the Spurs are the team to beat this year.
Jeremy O`Wheelj from Australia writes: "An Australian was the #1 pick of the draft this year. What team had the best draft, in your opinion? What team had the worst draft?"
There was no consensus #1 pick in this years draft, and its always hard to predict how things will work out. Remember, Darko went at #2 a couple years ago, ahead of Carmelo, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane. I think its probably too early to really rate the teams on how they drafted. That said, I think the Celtics may have had the best luck. The Celts weren`t even in the lottery, but they somehow picked up Gerald Green with the 18th pick?! One of the two most athletic picks available fell to 18? As if that wasn`t enough, the Celtics used their second round pick to get Ryan Gomes, who also has a lot of upside. For a team that shouldn`t have received much talent in the draft, the Celts came away like thieves.
As for who had the worst draft... it seems like most people are laughing at Toronto. They had the 7th pick, and used it to pick a player who plays the same position as their best player (Bosh). That might be justifiable if it was a particularly good power forward, but no, they picked Charlie Villanueva? That made no sense to me. But despite Toronto being called out as having the worst draft, I think I would actually go with Orlando for this booby prize. They also had a high pick, but they picked a pretty good player from Spain, Fran Vazquez. Only problem? He decided he`d rather stay in Spain! D`oh! That`s such a dis... so essentially Orlando threw away their pick.
Nate Oates from Arizona writes: Do you think the Suns will be as good as last season, what with having traded Joe Johnson and Q-Rich in exchange for slow, bigs?
This is a question on many people`s minds, and I think it depends largely on your definition of "good." Former Sun Charles Barkeley likes to make the distinction between teams built for the playoffs versus teams built for the regular season. He maintains that every year there are some teams which run, or are flashy, that are able to rack up 50-60 wins in the season because other teams aren`t used to playing against that style. Once they are in a grind-it-out playoff series however, that style doesn`t hold up. So while a team like the Kings, or the old Dallas Mavericks would often win more regular season games than a team like Detroit or San Antonio, once the playoffs start, a deeper, more defensive team is likely to go further.
Where does that leave the Suns this year? First, let`s look at what they lost. They lost Quentin Richardson, who tied for the most 3 pointers made last season. People point to this and say that the Suns offense will plummet somehow because of this. I disagree. The only reason QRich made so many 3s, was because Nash created open looks for him. Even with that, QRich shot a horrible percentage from 3. Joe Johnson is the more significant loss in my opinion, since he could back up Nash and give him breaks, and Joe Johnson was more efficient offensively than QRich. What did the Suns gain? Most significantly, they gained Kurt Thomas. They also got Brian Grant. Why does this matter? Mostly because it`ll give Amare more time to rest, and he won`t have to play out of position for as much of the season. It also gives the Suns more of an inside defensive presence, which was easily their biggest weakness last year. Yes, they will have fewer options on the fast break, but it`s not exactly reason to cry: you still have Nash handling the ball, feeding Amare and Shawn Marion. Yeah, JJ and QRich were nice options, but the Suns kept the core of their offense, keeping all 3 all-Stars on board. I think the Suns will lose more regular season games than last year, but if they have a better post-season run, then it will be more than worth it.
Tom Mosher of Ontario, Canada wants to know: "What team will be the most exciting to watch next year?"
Again, hard to know at this stage. As I mentioned in my last response, the Suns won`t likely be as exciting as last year`s version.
The Heat have the possibility of being extremely entertaining, considering they have a super-flashy point guard (Jason Williams), one of the most athletic and creative shooting guards in the league (DWade), and good forwards (Posey and Toine.). Also, they have the two best celebration-dancers in the NBA, in Toine and Shaq. Payton coming off the bench as a point guard means that the offense should still run smoothly even with the second unit, plus Shaq is still good for a couple memorable slams every night. But, keep in mind it is the first year of this roster playing together, so it`s still not guaranteed that they will have any chemistry at all.
A safer bet for an entertaining team, would be the New Jersey Nets. Nobody runs the break better than Jason Kid, and few finish it better than Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. This team is guaranteed to have at least a few memorable alley-oop dunks every game, and if the big 3 stay healthy, they could run their way deep into the playoffs as well.
Honorable mentions go to Golden State and Atlanta. After the trade last year, the whole league saw how exciting a healthy, enthusiastic Baron Davis-run team can be. With Baron at the point, and Jason Richardson sharing the backcourt with him, you know you will be entertained. As for the Hawks, they should lose a lot of games, but considering how incredibly athletic and young they are, there should be a few good plays per game for sure.
Aaron Orton of California asks: "Yo Ken, what do you think were the best/worst trades of the summer?"
I think the Spurs acquisitions are incredibly good, but both were picked up in free agency, so I can`t consider it a trade. The worst trade of the summer likely happened today, when Houston swapped Mike James for Skip to my Lou (Rafer Alston.) What the hell were they thinking? Mike James is no all-star, but he was a good fit in the Houston system. He played good D, didn`t need the ball in his hands that much, and could shoot OK. Now, one of the biggest ball-hog point guards in the NBA is paired with T-Mac (who needs the ball) and Yao (who also needs the ball). Plus, I don`t see Alston`s attitude going over real well with JVG... Maybe it will work out, but at the moment I just don`t see any logic behind this trade.
OK everybody, that wraps up this installment. Keep the PMs coming, and I`ll keep answering my questions and offering my observations as we count down to the regular season tip off.
Re: Summer recap, predictions for next season.
C-Fan wrote:Ah The worst trade of the summer likely happened today, when Houston swapped Mike James for Skip to my Lou (Rafer Alston.) What the hell were they thinking? Mike James is no all-star, but he was a good fit in the Houston system. He played good D, didn`t need the ball in his hands that much, and could shoot OK. Now, one of the biggest ball-hog point guards in the NBA is paired with T-Mac (who needs the ball) and Yao (who also needs the ball). .
I read this today: http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Basketball/NB ... 3-sun.html
... which totally reinforces my hunch that whoever made the trade for Houston didn`t know what he was doing.
Houston`s GM obviously has never seen Alston ball in real life, or read anything about him for that matter. What a moron. The photo on this page, taken from the 1984 NBA finals, just had me gasping for air:
http://www.kurtrambis.com/anti-mchale.html
I knew Kevin McHale was the enforcer of the Celtics, but geez!
The look on Rambis`s face is priceless...
http://www.kurtrambis.com/anti-mchale.html
I knew Kevin McHale was the enforcer of the Celtics, but geez!
The look on Rambis`s face is priceless...
Re: Summer recap, predictions for next season.
To illustrate his athleticism, check out this video of his amazing dunk from a summer league gameC-Fan wrote:
I think the Celtics may have had the best luck. The Celts weren`t even in the lottery, but they somehow picked up Gerald Green with the 18th pick?! One of the two most athletic picks available fell to 18? As if that wasn`t enough, the Celtics used their second round pick to get Ryan Gomes, who also has a lot of upside. For a team that shouldn`t have received much talent in the draft, the Celts came away like thieves.
.
http://www.nba.com/media/celtics/green_dunk_320.mpg
Yeah, its summer league, but homeboy caught some serious air. And that spin move was reminscent of Earl Monroe... sweet.
Finally! The regular season has begun! 
What an agonizing wait, what a long summer. I can't wait to actually watch a game.
I will try to make a basketball post soon. For now though, I just wanted to throw out that I think the Bucks will be really good, especially since they made that trade for Magloire. They lost Desmond Mason, but you do the math: which is worth more?
A: an athletic forward.
or
B: An All-star center.
I think the Bucks look real good on paper.
PG: TJ Ford. He missed all of last season, but he could be one of the best Point Guards in the league, and is a pass-first guard.
SG: Michael Redd. Not worth max money, but definitely a sweet shooter.
C: Andy Bogut or Jamaal Magloire. Magloire is one of the better centers in the league when hes healthy, and Bogut has potential.
Lots of All-Star Talent in the starting line up.
In the East, I think the following teams are locks for the playoffs
Top tier
Pacers, Heat, Pistons. These teams are guaranteed to make the playoffs, and I would be surprised if any teams other than these 3 made the Eastern Finals.
Middle tier Nets, Bucks, Sixers, Bulls. These teams should make the playoffs, but will likely get knocked out in the semi finals.
Wildcards Knicks, Magic, Celtics, Wizards. I really think the Wizards got a lot worse over the offseason, and I'm not sold on the Magic either. It will be cool to see Dwight Howard explode though, cause he's gonna be the Amare of the East. I wonder who will get the eighth seed in the East.
Lottery bound The Raptors should compete for the worst record in the league. And the Hawks... they're on the right track, but I don't see playoffs in their cards.
On the other coast,
Top Tier
Spurs, Mavericks, Houston, Phoenix. These teams should be locks for the playoffs.
Making the playoffs but getting knocked out in semis Sonics,Warriors and Nuggets.
Fighting for the 8th spot Lots of teams. The Timberwolves, the Lakers, the Clippers. I dont see the Blazers making the playoffs, but who knows. The west has so much depth, that the 8th spot will be a dogfight, and whoever gets it is likely getting swept. Oh yeah, I also have a feeling that the Grizzlies won't make it.
Lottery land The Hornets will look to get the top lottery pick.
More in-depth stuff later.
What an agonizing wait, what a long summer. I can't wait to actually watch a game.I will try to make a basketball post soon. For now though, I just wanted to throw out that I think the Bucks will be really good, especially since they made that trade for Magloire. They lost Desmond Mason, but you do the math: which is worth more?
A: an athletic forward.
or
B: An All-star center.
I think the Bucks look real good on paper.
PG: TJ Ford. He missed all of last season, but he could be one of the best Point Guards in the league, and is a pass-first guard.
SG: Michael Redd. Not worth max money, but definitely a sweet shooter.
C: Andy Bogut or Jamaal Magloire. Magloire is one of the better centers in the league when hes healthy, and Bogut has potential.
Lots of All-Star Talent in the starting line up.
In the East, I think the following teams are locks for the playoffs
Top tier
Pacers, Heat, Pistons. These teams are guaranteed to make the playoffs, and I would be surprised if any teams other than these 3 made the Eastern Finals.
Middle tier Nets, Bucks, Sixers, Bulls. These teams should make the playoffs, but will likely get knocked out in the semi finals.
Wildcards Knicks, Magic, Celtics, Wizards. I really think the Wizards got a lot worse over the offseason, and I'm not sold on the Magic either. It will be cool to see Dwight Howard explode though, cause he's gonna be the Amare of the East. I wonder who will get the eighth seed in the East.
Lottery bound The Raptors should compete for the worst record in the league. And the Hawks... they're on the right track, but I don't see playoffs in their cards.
On the other coast,
Top Tier
Spurs, Mavericks, Houston, Phoenix. These teams should be locks for the playoffs.
Making the playoffs but getting knocked out in semis Sonics,Warriors and Nuggets.
Fighting for the 8th spot Lots of teams. The Timberwolves, the Lakers, the Clippers. I dont see the Blazers making the playoffs, but who knows. The west has so much depth, that the 8th spot will be a dogfight, and whoever gets it is likely getting swept. Oh yeah, I also have a feeling that the Grizzlies won't make it.
Lottery land The Hornets will look to get the top lottery pick.
More in-depth stuff later.
Since I'm in Australia, I have yet to watch a single game of the new season. Thankfully though, there are video highlights on NBA.com, which is a godsend. Watching all of those got me real excited for the season. Some random thoughts:
*I really hope Baron Davis stays healthy throughout the season, because he's my favorite player to watch. Leadership, double digit assists, style, scoring, and he's not lazy on the boards either. Truly one of the few players in the league who actually makes his teammates better (Steve Nash and JKidd come to mind).
*I think the Nets and Warriors will be 2 of the most exciting teams to watch. When Amare comes back around the All-Star break, the Suns will join this category.
* I think Kobe will win the scoring title this year. Now that Iverson is meshing with Webber in Philly, I see his scoring going down. Kobe however, is still pretty much alone in LA, so I see him winning it this year.
*If TJ Ford keeps playing at this level, he should win most improved player. Considering that the season is only a week old, this is incredibly premature, but I'm throwing it out there anyway.
*Jamal Crawford is sooooo getting traded this year. I just know it.
*I'd really like to see the Knicks fall flat again. I like a lot of the players, and they have a good young core, but I just don't like Larry Brown. I'd like to see another losing record, if anything just as karmic backlash against Brown being a snake with the Pistons.
*Remember at the start of last year when Vince Carter was hated by everybody? He was too soft, he settled for jumpers too much, he was having the lowest scoring average of his career. Then he moved to NJ, and showed signs of his old self. If you wanted to see this transformation complete, all you had to do was watch the game against the Heat this week. Vince dunked, what, 3 times on Alonzo Mourning? Vince Carter! Dunking on centers multiple times in a game! Hell yes.
*I really hope Baron Davis stays healthy throughout the season, because he's my favorite player to watch. Leadership, double digit assists, style, scoring, and he's not lazy on the boards either. Truly one of the few players in the league who actually makes his teammates better (Steve Nash and JKidd come to mind).
*I think the Nets and Warriors will be 2 of the most exciting teams to watch. When Amare comes back around the All-Star break, the Suns will join this category.
* I think Kobe will win the scoring title this year. Now that Iverson is meshing with Webber in Philly, I see his scoring going down. Kobe however, is still pretty much alone in LA, so I see him winning it this year.
*If TJ Ford keeps playing at this level, he should win most improved player. Considering that the season is only a week old, this is incredibly premature, but I'm throwing it out there anyway.
*Jamal Crawford is sooooo getting traded this year. I just know it.
*I'd really like to see the Knicks fall flat again. I like a lot of the players, and they have a good young core, but I just don't like Larry Brown. I'd like to see another losing record, if anything just as karmic backlash against Brown being a snake with the Pistons.
*Remember at the start of last year when Vince Carter was hated by everybody? He was too soft, he settled for jumpers too much, he was having the lowest scoring average of his career. Then he moved to NJ, and showed signs of his old self. If you wanted to see this transformation complete, all you had to do was watch the game against the Heat this week. Vince dunked, what, 3 times on Alonzo Mourning? Vince Carter! Dunking on centers multiple times in a game! Hell yes.
So in ultra-mega-huge-i can't believe it-type news:
I'm going to see my first NBA game in January!
Yes, unbelievably, I have never been to an NBA game in my life, despite the fact it is the only professional sport I care about. But my folks thought it'd be a nice welcome home present, so my dad and I looked over the schedule of games in Phoenix, and picked a good one: Phoenix vs Miami.
I was kinda torn between picking the Warriors or the Heat, but I figured the Heat were amongst my safest bets. I mean, if Baron Davis were injured when the Warriors came to town, it'd likely be a crappy game. But the Heat are so incredibly loaded with All-Stars (past and present), that unless the team plane crashes and the whole team dies, I am guaranteed to see some good players. Too bad Amare will still likely be out for that game, but still... man I don't want to jinx myself, but how cool would it be to tell my kids I saw an NBA game where Shaq, Nash, Wade, Payton, Jason "EBOY" Williams, Antoine Walker, Zo, and Shawn Marion played? That's 8 players who are all-star talents, and at least 3 future Hall of Famers, if not more (Shaq is guaranteed hall, Payton is guaranteed Hall, Nash has a good shot, Wade could make it if he puts in a few more years at this level, Zo might make it). So yeah, I'm hopping-up-and-down excited about this new development.
I haven't written much lately, so y'all may not know what to say at the water cooler to look like you know what's going on in the league. So here's the cliff notes to bring you up to speed with how the NBA is going.
-Chris Paul of the New Orleans/OKC Hornets is almost guaranteed to be Rookie of the Year.
-As I predicted, the Hawks and the Raptors are the 2 worst teams in the league this year.
-The surprise team of the year are the Clippers. But with the Clippers, you never know... still, they look very good now.
-Tracy MacGrady is still injured, and the Rockets are amazingly terrible without him.
-Amare is still out, but Nash and Marion are carrying the team pretty well. I think they should be able to keep the boat afloat til Amare comes back, so I'm not too worried about them.
-The Wizards started hot, but cooled down.
-Channing Frye and Charlie Villanueva are shutting up all the doubters and haters, who said they were drafted too high. Channing Frye is really holding it down. I still stand by my initial criticism of the Raptors picking Villanueva though. Yeah, he's a great player, but they still should have picked somebody who doesn't play the same position as the team's best player.
-Kobe is jacking up shots like its going out of fashion. He really reminds me of Jordan during the 80s, before Horace Grant and Pippen arrived. Yeah, it sucks that Kobe is so selfish, but who else on the team is supposed to make a basket? In the words of Charles Barkeley: "When the 2nd best player on your team is named 'Smush,' you're not gonna win."
-Alonzo Mourning is filling in very nicely for Shaq, who is still out with injury. Zo may be old, but he got 9 blocks against the Knicks last night. NINE. He's leading the league in blocks.
-The Spurs are still as un-sexy as ever, and they are still rock-solid. Expect to see them in May and possibly June.
-Boris Diaw is a surprisingly good player. The Suns should be excited.
-Baron Davis scared everybody by pulling his hamstring early in the season, but he's looking good these days. 2nd in the league in assists, and the team literally has a 66% win percentage in games that he plays. They are awful in games when he sits out.
Oh, and just for some spice, here's a cool video I found online of my favorite childhood NBA player. You don't have to download anything either, so click without fear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=6Ong ... rch=pippen
I'm going to see my first NBA game in January!
Yes, unbelievably, I have never been to an NBA game in my life, despite the fact it is the only professional sport I care about. But my folks thought it'd be a nice welcome home present, so my dad and I looked over the schedule of games in Phoenix, and picked a good one: Phoenix vs Miami.
I was kinda torn between picking the Warriors or the Heat, but I figured the Heat were amongst my safest bets. I mean, if Baron Davis were injured when the Warriors came to town, it'd likely be a crappy game. But the Heat are so incredibly loaded with All-Stars (past and present), that unless the team plane crashes and the whole team dies, I am guaranteed to see some good players. Too bad Amare will still likely be out for that game, but still... man I don't want to jinx myself, but how cool would it be to tell my kids I saw an NBA game where Shaq, Nash, Wade, Payton, Jason "EBOY" Williams, Antoine Walker, Zo, and Shawn Marion played? That's 8 players who are all-star talents, and at least 3 future Hall of Famers, if not more (Shaq is guaranteed hall, Payton is guaranteed Hall, Nash has a good shot, Wade could make it if he puts in a few more years at this level, Zo might make it). So yeah, I'm hopping-up-and-down excited about this new development.
I haven't written much lately, so y'all may not know what to say at the water cooler to look like you know what's going on in the league. So here's the cliff notes to bring you up to speed with how the NBA is going.
-Chris Paul of the New Orleans/OKC Hornets is almost guaranteed to be Rookie of the Year.
-As I predicted, the Hawks and the Raptors are the 2 worst teams in the league this year.
-The surprise team of the year are the Clippers. But with the Clippers, you never know... still, they look very good now.
-Tracy MacGrady is still injured, and the Rockets are amazingly terrible without him.
-Amare is still out, but Nash and Marion are carrying the team pretty well. I think they should be able to keep the boat afloat til Amare comes back, so I'm not too worried about them.
-The Wizards started hot, but cooled down.
-Channing Frye and Charlie Villanueva are shutting up all the doubters and haters, who said they were drafted too high. Channing Frye is really holding it down. I still stand by my initial criticism of the Raptors picking Villanueva though. Yeah, he's a great player, but they still should have picked somebody who doesn't play the same position as the team's best player.
-Kobe is jacking up shots like its going out of fashion. He really reminds me of Jordan during the 80s, before Horace Grant and Pippen arrived. Yeah, it sucks that Kobe is so selfish, but who else on the team is supposed to make a basket? In the words of Charles Barkeley: "When the 2nd best player on your team is named 'Smush,' you're not gonna win."
-Alonzo Mourning is filling in very nicely for Shaq, who is still out with injury. Zo may be old, but he got 9 blocks against the Knicks last night. NINE. He's leading the league in blocks.
-The Spurs are still as un-sexy as ever, and they are still rock-solid. Expect to see them in May and possibly June.
-Boris Diaw is a surprisingly good player. The Suns should be excited.
-Baron Davis scared everybody by pulling his hamstring early in the season, but he's looking good these days. 2nd in the league in assists, and the team literally has a 66% win percentage in games that he plays. They are awful in games when he sits out.
Oh, and just for some spice, here's a cool video I found online of my favorite childhood NBA player. You don't have to download anything either, so click without fear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=6Ong ... rch=pippen
Man, haven't posted here in ages. I even attended an NBA game, my first ever! But yeah, just weighing in with some quickies.
Rasheed Wallace's thought on All-Star voting: ''Vote for them four (the other starting 4 from the pistons), don't vote for me,'' he said. ''I don't want no All-Star votes for two reasons. One, that's not my goal -- I would rather win a championship. Plus, I want to be down on the beach having a couple cocktails with my wife at All-Star break.''
I love Rasheed. Now if only I could find a jersey of his that fits on eBay.
I watched the Lakers-Heat game yesterday. It really annoys me how the league interferes with games. Shaq's "lane violation" free throws are such BS. It's not like his free throw technique has changed since he began playing. It's an obvious ploy to inflate Shaq's scoring average, which is at a career low. And that elbow he threw at Bynum last night? Automatic ejection for ANY other player in ANY other game. He did it right in front of a ref too. But the NBA knew that after hyping the shit out of Kobe vs Shaq, it'd be disastrous if Shaq were ejected by the half. Total bullshit.
The beef between Shaq and Bynum was pretty cool though. Check out the vid, you don't have to download anything: http://www.youtube.com/w/Shaq-vs.-Bynum ... arch=bynum
Pistons are at 30-5, which is pretty impressive. But then, the Suns had an even better record at this point last year, and they didn't even make it to the Big Show. So who knows. Speaking of the Suns, I have to give them lots of respect for having such a good record and leading the pacific division, all without Amare. If the playoffs started today, they'd be the 2nd seed in the west! And if Amare comes back before the playoffs, and gets adjusted quick enough, I think they could give the Spurs a real fight for the West.
More later.
Rasheed Wallace's thought on All-Star voting: ''Vote for them four (the other starting 4 from the pistons), don't vote for me,'' he said. ''I don't want no All-Star votes for two reasons. One, that's not my goal -- I would rather win a championship. Plus, I want to be down on the beach having a couple cocktails with my wife at All-Star break.''
I love Rasheed. Now if only I could find a jersey of his that fits on eBay.I watched the Lakers-Heat game yesterday. It really annoys me how the league interferes with games. Shaq's "lane violation" free throws are such BS. It's not like his free throw technique has changed since he began playing. It's an obvious ploy to inflate Shaq's scoring average, which is at a career low. And that elbow he threw at Bynum last night? Automatic ejection for ANY other player in ANY other game. He did it right in front of a ref too. But the NBA knew that after hyping the shit out of Kobe vs Shaq, it'd be disastrous if Shaq were ejected by the half. Total bullshit.
The beef between Shaq and Bynum was pretty cool though. Check out the vid, you don't have to download anything: http://www.youtube.com/w/Shaq-vs.-Bynum ... arch=bynum
Pistons are at 30-5, which is pretty impressive. But then, the Suns had an even better record at this point last year, and they didn't even make it to the Big Show. So who knows. Speaking of the Suns, I have to give them lots of respect for having such a good record and leading the pacific division, all without Amare. If the playoffs started today, they'd be the 2nd seed in the west! And if Amare comes back before the playoffs, and gets adjusted quick enough, I think they could give the Spurs a real fight for the West.
More later.
Kobe scored 81 points tonight. 81 fucking points. That's just... mind numbing. Damn. I'm pretty sure the closest anybody has come to that in my lifetime was when David Robinson had 71 in 1994. But I wasn't a rabid NBA fan back then. Crap. I just learned that 81 pts is the 2nd highest scoring individual performance in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain had scored 100 once, and a handful of others had scored in the 70s, but over 80? Only Wilt has bested that.
NBA history tonight. I'm not a Kobe fan at all, but shit, that's noteworthy.
81 fucking points. That's just... mind numbing. Damn. I'm pretty sure the closest anybody has come to that in my lifetime was when David Robinson had 71 in 1994. But I wasn't a rabid NBA fan back then. Crap. I just learned that 81 pts is the 2nd highest scoring individual performance in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain had scored 100 once, and a handful of others had scored in the 70s, but over 80? Only Wilt has bested that. NBA history tonight. I'm not a Kobe fan at all, but shit, that's noteworthy.