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Can the LA Lakers win the title again?

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:06:13 +0000

That's if Gasol can return in time for the Lakers.

In case you didn’t know, the 2009 NBA basketball season is here. And since we already have the NFL season underway and the MLB playoffs starting to heat up, it’s certainly nice to be a sports fan at this time of the year.

And as far as the NBA season is concerned, the Los Angeles Lakers will try to defend Kobe’s first ever title without Shaq, hoping that last June’s successful run to the title will be the first of successive championship seasons. After all, teams coached by Phil Jackson are known to win titles by threes. But do they have enough this season to win it all again?

With the departure of Trevor Ariza, mercurial stalwart Ron Artest should quickly fill that hole. At this point of his career, Artest just wants to win a title so hopefully, he won’t be a distraction to this Lakers team like he once was with the last few teams that he played for.

Back to back titles would virtually be a wrap if the Lakers could get steadier production from big guys Andrew Bynum and Josh Powell. The team’s Jekyll and Hyde play is still a concern but as long as Kobe Bryant keeps this team together, they will still be in the position to win a world title.

If there’s one team that can challenge the Lakers this season, it would have to be the very team they played in the conference finals last season, the Denver Nuggets. After acquiring a true floor leader in Chauncey Billups, the Nuggets tied their franchise record of 54 regular season victories back in the 2008-09.

Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony will continue to stand out, so it’s up to their big men Kenyon Martin, Nene and Chris Andersen to come through again if the team hopes to duplicate their Western Conference Finals stint and finally take the next step towards playing for the NBA championship.

Also looking for better things this year are...

Raptors beat Pistons 110-99

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:56:20 +0000

And here we thought the Raptors are really gonna be good this year.

After a smashing start to the 2009 NBA basketball season, the Raptors have returned to their usual selves. Yep, after they came up with a huge win over the jacked up Cavaliers in their season opener, they suffered losses to the Grizzlies and the Magic, bringing them back to Earth, wondering if those two losses were the start of yet another cold season in Canada.

The Toronto Raptors kicked off the season in style with a surprising win over a Cleveland Cavaliers team led by LeBron James and the newly acquired Shaquille O’Neal. The Raptors beat that team convincingly, 101-91, making believers out of Canada and probably most of North America.

But losses to the Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic diffused any momentum they had from their win over the Cavs. They lost in Memphis 115-107 before losing again at home to the Magic, 125-116.

It’s clear that the Raptors need to improve on their defense. Luckily for them, the visiting Detroit Pistons were struggling after winning their season opener at home, getting back on the win column with a 110-99 win over Detroit. However, if the Raptors don’t do something with the way they play D, even Kwame Brown can have a career night against them in Canada next time.

Chris Bosh was noticeably upset after...

The Best Rookie of the NBA Draft is..?

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 08:00:48 +0000

Let's hope some of these guys will live up to the hype.

In case you didn’t know, the NBA just wrapped up the 2009 NBA Draft. And while it’s still a little bit early if any of these picks were the right one or not, we’re hoping none of ‘em will turn out to be a big joke like Milicic did.

And as far as the overall no.1 draft pick is concerned, as expected, the Los Angeles Clippers got Blake Griffin. Griffin should provide the Clippers a brighter outlook for the future. I mean, the guy’s just 20 years old for crying out loud. That gives him a lot of time to develop into an NBA star and help the franchise finally shave that losing mystique off.

Griffin could have been a top 10 pick in last year’s draft but surprisingly, he opted to return to Oklahoma for his sophomore year. Griffin is dominant in the low post and could really help the Los Angeles Clippers inside the paint. He faces constant double teams but he has learned to pass effectively out of them. He is one of the best rebounders in the country, has great athleticism, runs the floor well and he finishes strong around the basket.

Then we have Ricky Rubio, the most talked about guy in the draft. This guy made a name for himself in the 2009 Beijing Olympics Men’s Basketball Finals when he almost helped Spain beat the U.S. for the title.

Taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves as the overall no.5 pick, Ricky Rubio has good foot speed, a high basketball IQ, and great court sense. It’s like he is one step ahead of everybody else on the court. He shoots pretty well from the floor, knows how to flop, can get to the line a lot and shoots about 80 percent from it. He goes hard every time he is on the court. Has great length and quick reflexes to break up passes.

The biggest prize of the draft, LITERALLY SPEAKING, is the seven-foot-three, 267-pound tower of power, Hasheem Thabeet. The problem is, he got drafted by a team that has a knack for giving up on their big guys.

Yes, the Memphis Grizzlies took him and for a...

The 2009 NBA Draft will go like this

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 07:40:58 +0000

Since we all know the Lakers are the new champions, it’s time to look forward for next season.

And as far as the coming 2009 NBA Draft is concerned, the Los Angeles Clippers are the big winners of the NBA’s 25th draft lottery, moving up from the third-best chance to earn the top pick. Memphis will be second and Oklahoma City will pick third.

With the result now at hand, Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin appears to be the consensus No.1 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Griffin, who led the nation with 30 double-doubles and 14.4 rebounds per game while also averaging a Big 12-best 22.7 points as a sophomore, might be the best option for the Los Angeles Clippers as they can dispatch the services of expensive power forward Zach Randolph and try the rebuilding process once again.

Sure, the Los Angeles Clippers already have a lot of forwards on their roster but if the stats say that Griffin will give them the best chance to win more games, then that’s the guy they should take. Hopefully, it won’t be a mistake like the last time they had the overall No.1 pick, wasting it on Michael Olowakandi.

As far as the other teams and their picks are concerned, read on…

For the Memphis Grizzlies, it might be Connecticut junior center Hasheem Thabeet. The 7-3 shot-blocker is viewed as a high-risk choice. Memphis was the one team that might take Thabeet instead of Griffin if Memphis was to get the No.1 pick, that’s how badly the Grizzlies need size. So it seems likely they would take Thabeet ahead of Rubio. Marc Gasol was good last year, but he’s more of an offensive player than a defensive player.

The Oklahoma Thunder will have an easy...

LeBron James to get help from Shaq?

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:58:03 +0000

The tipping point.

That is exactly where Shaquille O’Neal is at this point of his career. It seems it was only yesterday when he won three championship rings with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, since then, he moved on to win another one in Miami before failing to do the same in Phoenix.

Now that he’s stay in Arizona is about to expire, rumor has it that the Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in having Shaq play alongside LeBron James. Sure, at 37 years old, Shaq won’t be able to lead ANY TEAM deep into the postseason, but with No.23? It might just work.

According to the rumors, the Cleveland Cavaliers are willing to trade Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic for Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal will be making $20 million next season in the final year of his contract while Wallace will make $14 million and Pavlovic $4.9 million with only $1.5 million guaranteed.

The salary exchange is close enough to make the trade between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns work.

Sure, the Suns are giving up a four-time NBA champion like Shaq but the fact of the matter is, the seven-footer is on the verge of retiring anyway and since they would end up saving $10 million in the deal, that will at least point them towards the right direction in rebuilding the franchise.

If Ben Wallace takes a buyout after he gets traded to Phoenix, the Suns would save even more money. Wallace has already hinted that he is contemplating on retirement after the Cavs, heavily favored to play for the NBA championship, lost to the Orlando Magic after six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

It is very unlikely for Wallace to postpone...

NBA All-Star 09 starts with Rookies

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:40:57 +0000

The NBA All-Star Weekend is here.

Since we have arguably, one of the best batches of rookies ever to hit the NBA this season, it is only fitting to have the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge to kick off the 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend.

This is when this year’s rookies face-off with the sophomores in their version of the All-Star game to culminate the midseason festivities. Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose, the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, the reigning T-Mobile Rookie of the Year, banner this year’s 2009 NBA T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam.

Forward Jeff Green joins Kevin Durant on the Sophomore team, which also includes Atlanta Hawks forward Al Horford, Los Angeles Clippers forward Al Thornton, Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young, New York Knicks forward Wilson Chandler, Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey and a pair of teammates from the Houston Rockets, guard Aaron Brooks and forward Luis Scola.

Joining Derrick Rose on the Rookie team are two sets of teammates, guard O.J. Mayo and center Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies and center Greg Oden and guard Rudy Fernandez from the Portland Trail Blazers. Oklahoma Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Gordon, Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley and New Jersey Nets center Brook Lopez round out the Rookie team.

In last year’s T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson earned Most Valuable Player honors, making 11 three-pointers en route to a game-high 33 points, as the Sophomores cruised to a 136-109 victory.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay added 22 points and Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar tallied 17 points and...

Adam Morrison traded to Lakers

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:05:11 +0000

Unfortunately, Michael Jordan once again mistook a bum for NBA talent.

Years after being widely criticized for drafting Kwame Brown as his overall No.1 pick back when he was running things with the Washington Wizards, the Charlotte Bobcats finally realized that MJ had another failure on their roster this 2009 NBA basketball season, leading to their decision of finally letting the guy go.

This time, MJ has former Gonzaga Bulldogs star Adam Morrison. After an inspiring college basketball career back in Gonzaga, Morrison failed to live up to the hype he generated after Jordan drafted him in 2006 in one of his first moves as part-owner of the Bobcats over the likes of Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay, just to name a few.

Known for his shaggy hair and mustache back in Gonzaga, Morrison failed to impress the Charlotte Bobcats organization and had fallen out of favor with first year head coach Larry Brown.

After the Bobcats traded Morrison, with reserve guard Shannon Brown, to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Vladimir Radmanovic, it was clear that MJ’s hometown was finally sick of his latest failure. (Of course, they’d still regard him as the best player ever to come out of North Carolina.)

‘’We definitely wish him well,'’ Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins said of Morrison. ‘’He’s a good kid and hopefully he gets an opportunity to play. You never know, he might get a chance to win a (championship) ring.'’

Of course, with Vladimir Radmanovic coming over, the Bobcats are hoping that the move will also improve their chances of possibly making the playoffs this season, even winning a championship ring themselves. The move for Radmanovic is the third trade the Bobcats made this year in what is turning into a major makeover under the Larry Brown era.

These guys have also let their leading scorer...

Can the Knicks sign LeBron James?

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:47:24 +0000

Fixing the Knicks has been a tall order.

But if the Knicks can complete this master plan they started this 2008-09 NBA basketball season, then maybe, just maybe, the Knicks can finally fix their situation and finally get back to prominence.

What’s this plan you ask? Well, it is obvious that the New York Knicks, after trading away their top two scorers, are joining in on the LeBron James lottery.

With the departure of the Knicks’ top two scorers, that being Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph, via separate trades, the Knicks will now have to work doubly hard to manufacture points and other intangibles that the two players left.

Zach Randolph was sent to the Los Angeles Clippers for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley. Randoplh, who is averaging 20.6 points this season, gives the Clippers an accomplished low-post scorer to work with guard Baron Davis.

Jamal Crawford, on the other hand, was sent to the Golden State Warriors for Al Harrington. He is currently averaging almost 20 points per game.

By trading their two leading scorers, the Knicks will clear approximately $27 million in salary-cap space for the summer of 2010 when the biggest prize in NBA free agency history, Cleveland’s LeBron James, can become available.

Randolph will be making $17.3 million and Crawford $10.1 million in 2010. For the Knicks, this will create significant flexibility as that historic free-agent class of James, Dwyane Wade and...

Pistons + Allen Iverson = NBA Title?

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:03:00 +0000

In case you didn't know it yet, Iverson was traded to the Pistons last Monday.

We’re only in the first two weeks and yet we already have the first big trade of the 2008-09 NBA basketball season. Allen Iverson, one of the game’s most prolific scorers, is now a Piston after the Denver Nuggets traded him to Detroit for Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess.

Was this a deal that just might give the Detroit Pistons the NBA title come June? Sure, having a guy like Iverson on your team is a huge advantage but was giving up on Billups and McDyess the right way to go?

Billups was the 2004 NBA Finals MVP and was one of the key factors why the Pistons have been in the Eastern Conference Finals for six straight years. It would be hard to fill in those shoes considering that the guy has made a career of making big shots in Detroit. But if there’s anyone who can fill the void Billups leaves, Allen Iverson can.

Iverson has been known as a guy who never gives up on the court easily. And while the Pistons continue to promote the blue collar style of basketball the last few years, Iverson has always been a blue collar guy even way back when he was still playing with the 76ers.

Next, we have Antonio McDyess, the third guy of this three-man deal between the Pistons and the Nuggets. The trade will bring McDyess back to the Nuggets, the very franchise that made him one of the most talented big men in the game a few years ago. But for some reason, McDyess doesn’t want to play for any team other than Detroit, and I won’t be surprised to see him back in the Pistons lineup this season or the next.

STILL, the Denver Nuggets are looking for better things with the trade. They are hoping to finally get some leadership from their point guard now that Denver native Chauncey Billups has...

Shaquille O’Neal still hates the Spurs

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:49:00 +0000

Apparently, Shaq has this grudge with the Spurs.

The 2008-09 NBA basketball season is almost here and Shaquille O’Neal is still irritated of the San Antonio Spurs for forcing him make his free throws.

Yes, the former Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and now, Phoenix Suns center of attraction, Shaquille O’Neal, is not a fan of being forced to the foul line to shoot 15 feet away from the hoop with the infamous Hack-a-Shaq strategy teams have started to use against him.

Specifically speaking, Shaq wasn’t a fan of the strategy the San Antonio Spurs used against him in last season’s playoffs where he had the Phoenix Suns leading handily only to hand the lead back to San Antonio after the Spurs intentionally fouled him each time they get.

That was more than a few months ago and apparently, the Phoenix Suns center is still fuming about it.

‘’The only thing I call cowardly is when you’re up by 10 and do it,'’ Shaquille O’Neal said. ‘’That’s a coward move and [Spurs coach Gregg Popovich] knows that and I’ll make them pay for it.'’

‘’I just have to go to the line and hit them and make them pay, and I will, I’m not worried.'’

Shaq has been a notoriously poor free-throw shooter throughout his career, and the Hack-a-Shaq strategy exposes his weaknesses best. Shaq thinks the strategy makes the game less appealing to fans although I find it quite amusing really.

O’Neal shot 50 percent from the charity stripe last season. That number goes...