By Justin Albers
Basketballss132002@yahoo.com
CLEVELAND- Draft day was filled with many trades, some that could potentially have a large impact on the future of the NBA.
Portland made some serious moves on Thursday night, and I believe they will be a playoff team in two years. After drafting Greg Oden No. 1 overall, the Blazers traded their star, Zach Randolph, to New York for Steve Francis and Channing Frye. This is a move that surprises me a little, but it should work out in the end. Channing Frye is almost identical in physical size and talent to LeMarcus Aldridge. Why you would want two of those guys on the same team is beyond me. But Randolph was a guy that they had to get rid of because of his attitude issues; such a shame that a player of his caliber cannot control himself off the court. In the second round the Blazers drafted former Duke forward Josh McRoberts, a real steal in my mind. McRoberts is a guy that can do it all; shoot, dribble, pass, and defend. He has a real passion for the game and should be great coming off the bench for Portland. The Blazers are a good small forward away from being a real player in the Western Conference.
Seattle decided that Ray Allen and Kevin Durant could not play together, but chose to look toward the future. The Sonics took Durant with the No.2 pick and then traded Allen to Boston for Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and the No. 5 overall pick (Jeff Green). If Seattle can find some way to re-sign Rashard Lewis, then they are looking good for the future. The part I don’t understand about this trade is Boston’s position. If they already have Paul Pierce, why make a move for Ray Allen? Maybe they were looking for bait in the KG deal, but unless Boston gets a legitimate big man, the team will continue to struggle.
One of the biggest trades of the night involved Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Bobcats. The Bobcats traded to rights to Brandon Wright (No. 8 overall) to Golden State to get Jason Richardson. Personally, I like this move for the Bobcats. All they have on their roster is young guys that have not yet proven themselves at the NBA level. If they can find a way to get a guy like Amare Stoudamire into town, then the Bobcats instantly become a playoff team. Smart move by the Bobcats, let’s see if it works out.
So, after weeks of trade rumors, talk should die down a bit. But people will continue to wonder about the future of KG and Kobe, where will they go? Only time will tell.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Clean Sweep
By Justin Albers
Basketballss132002@yahoo.com
CLEVELAND- That’s it, it’s all over. What was thought to be a fairy tale journey finishes with an unexpected ending.
It was supposed to be the year. The year that the name “mistake by the lake” no longer applied to Cleveland. The year LeBron needed to define his career. The year that everyone will remember. Not so. With San Antonio’s victory on Thursday night, we now have the makings of a new dynasty that will be talked about forever.
First of all, give it up for the Cavs. They had an outstanding season with an overachieving team. This NBA Finals series allowed us to learn so much about their team that is important for the future. We learned that LeBron James is a man way beyond his years who will be a great leader for many years to come. We learned that Mike Brown is a promising young coach who always gets the most out of his players. But we also learned the Anderson Varejao is not a shooter and that “Boobie” Gibson is better coming off the bench then playing as a starter. Now, before I criticize Andy, I have to give him a whole lot of credit. His low post defense against Tim Duncan was second to none. He worked his butt off on both ends of the floor to make up for that shot at the end of Game 3. But how can the guy say “I would have done the same thing if I was given another chance. I had the open lane and I took it.” I won’t even comment on that, I think it pretty much speaks for itself.
There was one major player that really killed the Cavs in this series, and they are paying him. Larry Hughes. Hughes was part of the reason Cleveland made it to the NBA Finals, and he was forced to sit the final two games of this series. Even when he did play in Games 1&2, he was hurting and ineffective. When the Cavs really made their big run late in the regular season it was because Hughes moved to the point guard spot and was playing great basketball. I’m not saying that Cleveland had any chance of winning this series, but if Hughes was in the lineup, we would surely be talking about a Game 5 on Sunday.
Now onto the Spurs. All the talk on ABC and ESPN lately has surrounded the one big question “Is this team a dynasty?” Let me give you a simple answer: Yes. Four championships in the last nine years. A record of 355-137 over the last six seasons; with 57 wins being the worst season. It is simply unbelievable. People tend to forget about the Spurs because, quite frankly, they are a boring team to watch. They go out on the floor and take care of business without doing anything fancy. They have a superstar in Tim Duncan who never does anything wrong. He is the epitome of what America should want from a superstar, but people like conflict and personality and they don’t get that from Duncan. And if you think this team is done, you’re in for quite a surprise. Duncan is only 31 years old, Tony Parker and Manu Ginoboli are signed until 2010-11, and Gregg Popovich has remaining years on his contract. The Spurs could very easily win two more championships with this roster before it is all said and done. Watch out Michael, your unreachable six NBA titles might be surpassed if San Antonio has anything to say about it.
Basketballss132002@yahoo.com
CLEVELAND- That’s it, it’s all over. What was thought to be a fairy tale journey finishes with an unexpected ending.
It was supposed to be the year. The year that the name “mistake by the lake” no longer applied to Cleveland. The year LeBron needed to define his career. The year that everyone will remember. Not so. With San Antonio’s victory on Thursday night, we now have the makings of a new dynasty that will be talked about forever.
First of all, give it up for the Cavs. They had an outstanding season with an overachieving team. This NBA Finals series allowed us to learn so much about their team that is important for the future. We learned that LeBron James is a man way beyond his years who will be a great leader for many years to come. We learned that Mike Brown is a promising young coach who always gets the most out of his players. But we also learned the Anderson Varejao is not a shooter and that “Boobie” Gibson is better coming off the bench then playing as a starter. Now, before I criticize Andy, I have to give him a whole lot of credit. His low post defense against Tim Duncan was second to none. He worked his butt off on both ends of the floor to make up for that shot at the end of Game 3. But how can the guy say “I would have done the same thing if I was given another chance. I had the open lane and I took it.” I won’t even comment on that, I think it pretty much speaks for itself.
There was one major player that really killed the Cavs in this series, and they are paying him. Larry Hughes. Hughes was part of the reason Cleveland made it to the NBA Finals, and he was forced to sit the final two games of this series. Even when he did play in Games 1&2, he was hurting and ineffective. When the Cavs really made their big run late in the regular season it was because Hughes moved to the point guard spot and was playing great basketball. I’m not saying that Cleveland had any chance of winning this series, but if Hughes was in the lineup, we would surely be talking about a Game 5 on Sunday.
Now onto the Spurs. All the talk on ABC and ESPN lately has surrounded the one big question “Is this team a dynasty?” Let me give you a simple answer: Yes. Four championships in the last nine years. A record of 355-137 over the last six seasons; with 57 wins being the worst season. It is simply unbelievable. People tend to forget about the Spurs because, quite frankly, they are a boring team to watch. They go out on the floor and take care of business without doing anything fancy. They have a superstar in Tim Duncan who never does anything wrong. He is the epitome of what America should want from a superstar, but people like conflict and personality and they don’t get that from Duncan. And if you think this team is done, you’re in for quite a surprise. Duncan is only 31 years old, Tony Parker and Manu Ginoboli are signed until 2010-11, and Gregg Popovich has remaining years on his contract. The Spurs could very easily win two more championships with this roster before it is all said and done. Watch out Michael, your unreachable six NBA titles might be surpassed if San Antonio has anything to say about it.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
A TRUE Champion
By Justin Albers
Basketballss132002@yahoo.com
CLEVELAND- In life, things sometimes go your way, and other times they don’t. In the case of the St. Louis Cardinals, everything is going against them.
A year ago the Cardinals came from nowhere to win the World Series. Okay, sure they were a division winner, but they were barely over .500 (83-78) and were completely under the radar.
Now, St. Louis is 28-34 and hanging just 5.5 games behind the division leading Milwaukee Brewers. When you see that you might say “Well what’s the big deal, they should be much better.” But that’s just it, after everything this team has been through, it would have been easy for them to fold.
Last year’s World Series pitching staff consisted of: Chris Carpenter, Jeff Suppan, Jeff Weaver, and Anthony Reyes. Carpenter is currently on the DL, Suppan throws for the Brewers, Weaver is sleepless in Seattle, and Reyes is somewhere in the minors. Wow! The Cardinals are starting relief pitchers on a nightly basis and they are still hanging in there.
Then you take a look at the position players. Both Yadier Molina and Preston Wilson have been on the DL for some time; forcing St. Louis to use a much less effective catcher in Gary Bennett. Both Wilson and Molina were a big part of the 2006 World Series; Molina even hit a huge home run in Game 6 of the Mets series to preserve the victory.
Given all of those facts, these St. Louis Cardinals are “true” champions. And Albert Pujols is the best leader there is in the majors. You never hear anything about the Cardinals complaining, or trying to throw there money at some big free agent. Don’t look now but the Cardinals are flying under the radar again; perhaps right back into the playoffs.
Basketballss132002@yahoo.com
CLEVELAND- In life, things sometimes go your way, and other times they don’t. In the case of the St. Louis Cardinals, everything is going against them.
A year ago the Cardinals came from nowhere to win the World Series. Okay, sure they were a division winner, but they were barely over .500 (83-78) and were completely under the radar.
Now, St. Louis is 28-34 and hanging just 5.5 games behind the division leading Milwaukee Brewers. When you see that you might say “Well what’s the big deal, they should be much better.” But that’s just it, after everything this team has been through, it would have been easy for them to fold.
Last year’s World Series pitching staff consisted of: Chris Carpenter, Jeff Suppan, Jeff Weaver, and Anthony Reyes. Carpenter is currently on the DL, Suppan throws for the Brewers, Weaver is sleepless in Seattle, and Reyes is somewhere in the minors. Wow! The Cardinals are starting relief pitchers on a nightly basis and they are still hanging in there.
Then you take a look at the position players. Both Yadier Molina and Preston Wilson have been on the DL for some time; forcing St. Louis to use a much less effective catcher in Gary Bennett. Both Wilson and Molina were a big part of the 2006 World Series; Molina even hit a huge home run in Game 6 of the Mets series to preserve the victory.
Given all of those facts, these St. Louis Cardinals are “true” champions. And Albert Pujols is the best leader there is in the majors. You never hear anything about the Cardinals complaining, or trying to throw there money at some big free agent. Don’t look now but the Cardinals are flying under the radar again; perhaps right back into the playoffs.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Too many chances
By Justin Albers
Basketballss132002@yahoo.com
CLEVELAND- They can’t say they didn’t have the opportunities. The Cavaliers had multiple chances at the end of the game to take the lead and failed to do so. But it was a first half decision that truly cost them the game.
Late in the first half Cleveland had a 38-30 advantage, and appeared to be in control of the game. LeBron James picked up his third personal foul, and Mike Brown quickly yanked him from the game. Bad move. You have to live and die by your star player- which means trusting him to stay on the floor in any situation. The team cannot afford to lose him for four minutes; it just can’t happen. Who is going to score the points? That move enabled the Spurs to end the half on a 10-0 run and go into the locker room with all of the momentum.
Then, in the closing seconds of the game, the Cavs had another opportunity to tie the game. But guess who took the shot? Anderson Varajeo. Think about that for a minute. The season is on the line and a guy that averages less than seven points a game in the postseason is taking the shot? I completely understand why he did it. He wanted to be the hero- the guy everybody will be talking about for days to come. But now he will be talked about for a reason he failed to think about. Just make the simple play and pass the ball back out to LeBron. It was clear late in the game that James was the only one who wanted the ball anyway.
On a more positive note, Cleveland should be commended for an outstanding effort. The Cavs shot the ball horribly, 3-19 from the 3-point line, and the Spurs couldn’t miss from downtown (10-19). I mean how many times did Brent Barry and Bruce Bowen just find an opening and knock down a killer three? But the Cavs kept coming back. Sasha Pavlavic hit two big 3’s late, and the team battled on the defensive end. But in the end, it was not meant to be.
Everybody will be talking about LeBron James getting fouled at the end of the game: and yes it clearly was a foul, but it was not called. That foul did not really affect James’ shot, so it becomes a non-issue. Should it have been called- absolutely. But it was not; leaving the entire town of Cleveland wondering “what if”.
Basketballss132002@yahoo.com
CLEVELAND- They can’t say they didn’t have the opportunities. The Cavaliers had multiple chances at the end of the game to take the lead and failed to do so. But it was a first half decision that truly cost them the game.
Late in the first half Cleveland had a 38-30 advantage, and appeared to be in control of the game. LeBron James picked up his third personal foul, and Mike Brown quickly yanked him from the game. Bad move. You have to live and die by your star player- which means trusting him to stay on the floor in any situation. The team cannot afford to lose him for four minutes; it just can’t happen. Who is going to score the points? That move enabled the Spurs to end the half on a 10-0 run and go into the locker room with all of the momentum.
Then, in the closing seconds of the game, the Cavs had another opportunity to tie the game. But guess who took the shot? Anderson Varajeo. Think about that for a minute. The season is on the line and a guy that averages less than seven points a game in the postseason is taking the shot? I completely understand why he did it. He wanted to be the hero- the guy everybody will be talking about for days to come. But now he will be talked about for a reason he failed to think about. Just make the simple play and pass the ball back out to LeBron. It was clear late in the game that James was the only one who wanted the ball anyway.
On a more positive note, Cleveland should be commended for an outstanding effort. The Cavs shot the ball horribly, 3-19 from the 3-point line, and the Spurs couldn’t miss from downtown (10-19). I mean how many times did Brent Barry and Bruce Bowen just find an opening and knock down a killer three? But the Cavs kept coming back. Sasha Pavlavic hit two big 3’s late, and the team battled on the defensive end. But in the end, it was not meant to be.
Everybody will be talking about LeBron James getting fouled at the end of the game: and yes it clearly was a foul, but it was not called. That foul did not really affect James’ shot, so it becomes a non-issue. Should it have been called- absolutely. But it was not; leaving the entire town of Cleveland wondering “what if”.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
What's Next?
Okay, so the Pacers finally found their next coach. Where do we go from here? When Jim O'Brien was named the new coach, I know how you all reacted "Who the heck is this guy and what are the Pacers thinking." That's fine, I did the same thing. But the more I look at this guy and listen to him talk, the more I think he is the right man for the job. He wants to run, and he wants discipline. If anybody get get Tinsley to behave, O'Brien is the guy. And, he is expected to bring in an assistant coach that knows everything there is to know about playing defense. What more do you want?
The funny thing about the whole hiring procedure was Larry Bird's comments at the hiring press conference. He said "There were so many people interested in this job. People wanted to coach the Indiana Pacers, but we found our guy. I know we need a shooter, and especially a back up point guard, but we are going to be an exciting team to watch."
Come on Larry, nobody is going to buy that line of bull. You may have very well found the right coach, but this team is not going to be exciting to watch. Were they fun to watch last year? A deal has to be made if those comments are to hold true.
Now on to the trade talks. A trade between the Pacers and the Lakers seems imminent, but it could take longer then you think. The reason: Kobe Bryant. Until the Kobe saga is all figured out, no deal is going to happen. But when it does, this is what I expect to happen. The Pacers send Jermaine O'Neal to L.A. for Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and the No. 19 overall pick.
The Lakers have been hesitant to move Bynum in the past, but this is the time that they will finally pull the trigger. They desperately want to have a good team, and are willing to do anything to get Kobe some help. Especially since he has been asking for a trade, they have to get help and they have to get it right now. O'Neal and Kobe could be very good together; possibly returning the Lakers to elite status in the Western Conference.
The funny thing about the whole hiring procedure was Larry Bird's comments at the hiring press conference. He said "There were so many people interested in this job. People wanted to coach the Indiana Pacers, but we found our guy. I know we need a shooter, and especially a back up point guard, but we are going to be an exciting team to watch."
Come on Larry, nobody is going to buy that line of bull. You may have very well found the right coach, but this team is not going to be exciting to watch. Were they fun to watch last year? A deal has to be made if those comments are to hold true.
Now on to the trade talks. A trade between the Pacers and the Lakers seems imminent, but it could take longer then you think. The reason: Kobe Bryant. Until the Kobe saga is all figured out, no deal is going to happen. But when it does, this is what I expect to happen. The Pacers send Jermaine O'Neal to L.A. for Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and the No. 19 overall pick.
The Lakers have been hesitant to move Bynum in the past, but this is the time that they will finally pull the trigger. They desperately want to have a good team, and are willing to do anything to get Kobe some help. Especially since he has been asking for a trade, they have to get help and they have to get it right now. O'Neal and Kobe could be very good together; possibly returning the Lakers to elite status in the Western Conference.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)