Let’s Keep Talking About Lebron James Since Everyone Else Is Doing It

Here’s a great article by Adrian Wojnarowski from Yahoo!
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-lebronfreeagency070410

Basically summed up as: Lebron James is trying to be all professional and business-like but in the end, he’s still a big kid playing with his childhood friends.

Me, I’m just irked by the fact that he single-handedly has put the NBA free agency on hold until he makes a decision on where he’s going. Everyone is just waiting for his decision. Once he picks his team though, the free agency dominoes are going to fall and by mid-august, teams should be done on their spending.

The only teams I see Lebron going to are the Nets and the Cavs. Knicks and Heat have too many question marks right now because their rosters are basically depleted. He would be a great fit on the Clippers but news media ragged on the team so much that it is really hard to take them seriously in the Lebron Lottery. He would also be a good fit in the Bulls too, but I don’t see him going there. Nets though have a Russian playboy billionaire and Jay-Z, Lebron’s buddy. They can easily convince him to join their team. Nets also have a need at small forward and their roster is somewhat stacked with Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, and Brooke Lopez. And Cleveland has the hometown advantage.

As of right now, I stopped caring about where he’s going, I just want him to make his move so the rest of the free agency can move on.

Keys to Game 2

The Lakers fought back against the Garnett’s words. Garnett basically called the Lakers “soft” by saying the Celtics play more aggressively than the LA Lakers. The Lakers proved they could be just as tough in Game 1. Their facial expressions throughout the game was stiff as stone. Everyone on the team looked focused. Determined to win that championship once again, and that’s all that mattered. The Celtics on the other hand seemed to complain and looked sluggish out there. Here are some keys for the Game 2 for the Celtics to improve on and maybe cut it down to a 1 game a piece series.

Celtics key factors:

Stay out of foul trouble: Ray Allen sat a lot in the game. Played a total of 27 minutes. Allen is still part of the Big 3/4 to me. His jumper is nearly unstoppable if he catches fire. Fisher has done quite well playing D on him.

KG needs to look younger again: You can’t turn back time, but for KG, he still has the talent. KG needs to hit the boards. Pau out rebounded him 14 to 4! Also, Gasol had 8 offensive rebounds. Garnett needs to find a way to stop the second chance points.

Perkins: Keep his cool. Crash the boards and play D inside. There’s no way of stopping Kobe for anyone, but for Kobe, Pau, or any Laker to go to the rim, they must go through the big bodied Perkins.

Lakers key factors:

Stay focused: Game 1, everybody looked healthy, focused, and in place. If they keep that mentality, especially Pau and Kobe, they can take this series early.

Bench mob: The bench did decent in Game 1. I think Shannon stepped it up quite well. He made his jumpers and no Celtic really matched his quickness. If the starters are sitting after a great job on the court, the bench must keep the tempo going their way.

Keep the physical play up: In every position, the Lakers out hustled, out toughen, and out played the Celtics. Pau took care of KG, Artest limited Pierce’s shots, Kobe was Kobe once again by draining those shots anywhere on the field. The Lakers can’t lose their toughness or they’ll look like what they were in 08.

Recap of LA and PHX

While the Celtics are struggling to put the Magic out of the playoffs, the Suns and Lakers are having a close battle in the West. Being a Laker fan, watching the game yesterday was frustrating right until the ending. When the game is tied. LA ball, and there’s seconds left on the clock, you know damn well who will get the ball. That is the one and only, KobeBryant. The Lakers had so many chances to breakaway from a close game. I feel that they just want to make this game if not the whole series dramatic. In the final seconds of Phoenix’s last possession, they had THREE 3-point attempts to tie the game. And what do you know, J-Rich tied it at 101. While there’s 3.5 seconds left on the clock, Kobe jacks up a 3-pointer from the wing and missed. Luckily, Ron Ron was there to save the day with a put back layup. Nice Ron. After you threw up a pointless 3-pointer with time to kill off the clock in the last few seconds of the game! It’s okay, at least he saved the day, we’ll give it to him.

Phoenix has been playing pretty tough against the Lakers. Steve Nash and his Suns want to give these Lakers a fight. At 36, this guy has a broken nose and is still playing like a MVP. Dragic and Sasha went at it the last game. The two Slovenians cannot stand each other, which is funny. Dragic initiated the scuffle first though. I’d put 10 bucks on Goran to win on decision. Now up 3-2 for the Lakers or if you’re a Suns have down 2-3, the Lakers can close it out in Phoenix if their bench steps up unlike their last away game. Phoenix can push the series into a critical game 7. But they need their motivation back after a heartbreaking loss. Having Grant Hill and Steve Nash on their team should spark their confidence up.

Where is the Magic?

The Green Goblin defeats Superman once again

2 weeks ago, the Orlando Magic was the favorites to win the championships.  They swept defensive juggernauts in the Charlotte Bobcats and the young high flying Atlanta Hawks.  Dwight Howard was putting up great numbers, Jameer Nelson is showing the world why he’s the team captain, and Vince Carter was proving to the world that he still got it.   They were dominant and unstoppable.  Supposedly the only team that could have stopped them in the East was the Lebron James team, also known as the the Cleveland Cavaliers. A team that purposely built their team to defeat the Magic with the acquisition of Shaq to go against Dwight Howard and Antawn Jamison as a stretch 4 to counter Rashad Lewis.

But no one ever counted on the Boston Celtics to beat the Lebron James team and is now in a midst of sweeping the Eastern Conference favorites.  A team that went with the flow throughout the regular season, losing games to the likes of the Clippers, the Nets, and the Warriors.  A team that was old, tired, and unfit for championship.  And a team that had many injuries throughout the regular season and struggled to stay healthy.  Everyone agreed that the Boston Celtics were a great team, but no one ever thought they would be in the finals.  All predictions led to Lebron James and his rag tagged supporting cast beating the Celtics.  But now, the Green Monsters are 3-0 against the Magic. That is due because of the hard defense the Celtics is applying along with the stellar play of Rondo and revitalization or the Big 3.  They got the Magic bent over right now and is close to finishing the job.

How could the former eastern conference champions fall this bad?  I want to say lack of determination and the death of all morale at this point.  Cockiness could have also been a factor.  Dwight Howard was supposed to be that dominant center that no other team in the league has an answer for.  But now, the Magic dug themselves a deep hole that they are desperately trying to claw out of.

The Magic have two options now –

1. Lose to the Boston Celtics

or

2. Make history as the only team to ever win a playoff series after starting 0-3.

I don’t see number 2 happening though with Boston playing as great as they are.

Winner winner chicken dinner

As always, I’m extremely excited for the playoffs to start. I know for a fact this year will not disappoint. You got the young Thunder team in the playoffs for the first time led by superstar Kevin Durant, a possibility Kobe might face LeBron and his old teammate Shaq in the finals, a 50 win 8th seed team in the West, and many more.

Now, let’s go on to the predictions shall we…

EAST

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls

The Bulls (or maybe just Joakim Noah) say they will shock the world. What does that mean? If they mean beating the Cavs out in the playoffs, I laugh. The Cavs are hungry for a title. They are well balanced with young and veteran players who know the game too well. The Bulls aren’t the same as last season, and they had to squeeze their way into the playoffs.

Cavs in 5

Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat

The Celtics have rested Kevin Garnett before the playoffs. Wait, was he injured? The Celtics never made it too clear. This match-up is the one I’m looking most forward to seeing a dramatic finish to this series. As for the aged stars in the Celtics who won the title in 2008, the Heat have won their last 9 out of 10 games. Dwyane Wade and his Heat players are ready to take on the unpredictable Celtics. I don’t believe the Celtics will turn on the switch since it seems as if they aren’t prepared for the playoffs this season. Heads up, Doc Rivers just told the media he’s unsure about his future with the Celtics. Is that suppose to build confidence for the Celtics through the playoffs?

Heat in 7

Atlanta Hawks vs Milwaukee Bucks

The Hawks are ready and the Bucks are not. Bogut is out which is a big blow to the Bucks. Salmon and Jennings will face a difficult time playing well since they are the main focus for the Hawks. Scott Skiles has done a tremendous job with this team by teaching Jennings, using Kurt Thomas at his fullest in his age, and developing players like Ilyasova into a better role player. The Hawks in the end will be too much for the Bucks. Atlanta will just outrun the Bucks this time, to simply put it.

Hawks in 5

Orlando Magic vs Charlotte Bobcats

I want to see a good fight between these two teams, but that’s not going to happen. If Dwight doesn’t get into foul trouble, the game will be over. The key factor to this series is the Magic bench. They just have way too much depth compared to the Bobcats. After what happened last year in the finals for Orlando, I don’t think Howard or Lewis will let anything less than a reappearance again in the finals.

Magic in 6

WEST

Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder

The slumping Lakers say they will finally have Bynum play in the playoffs. The defending champs will flip the switch now that the playoffs are here. The key to that is Kobe Bryant. He will not let this team fail. Just won’t. Kevin Durant is a happy man making into the playoffs, but not so happy about Phil Jackson’s comments about his “game”. The Thunder are a good team and will put up a fight, but I just don’t see the hungry Lakers putting away anything they have in store.

Lakers in 5

Denver Nuggets vs Utah Jazz

Best wishes to George Karl, I hope he comes back for the team as soon as possible. The Nuggets haven’t been on their A game lately, but now that the playoffs are around, hopefully they will click. One huge issue about the Nuggets is that they jack up shots they don’t need to. The Jazz on the other hand are dealing with a injury bug hitting star Carlos Boozer and Kirilenko. If Deron Williams needs to take the load for the injuries, the Jazz will not get it done. If Boozer plays, there’s more chances of winning than doubt in my mind.

Jazz in 7

Phoenix Suns vs Portland Trailblazers

The Suns are hot, and they are about to get hotter. Alvin Gentry is doing a wonderful job with them. Steve Nash is playing at his best with legs as young as a 20 year old. I can’t say the same for the Blazers. Roy is out. Oden is out. Pryzbilla is out. Portland is heading to the playoffs with such a slim roster which will do no good especially without their star.

Suns in 5

Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs

Judging by both teams, they both looked prepared. Battle of the Texas cities, this series will be a all out dog fight. In the end, I gotta root for the Mavericks who have a solid and consistent bench that slightly wins over the Spurs.

Mavs in 7

Let me kill it

So you see, you just repeated my small amount of information about those Clipper or former Clippers in your whole response. I’m not throwing out “bad information”, I’m throwing out pretty much facts about those players. So thanks for getting into detail about those players who failed to deliver for the Los Angeles Clippers team or is supposedly going to help the current team. Every time the Clippers make an off season move or in the season, they are favored or at least hyped up about to be at least good. But that isn’t true, on account of the miserable seasons the Clippers always had. This summer, IF they get a big name, they would be ranked you can say high? The media and sportscasters never respect this team because the fact that they disappoint nearly every season. Being good is one thing, but if being good doesn’t bring a team into the playoffs, how “good” do you put em over most teams in the West? No you can’t throw them in the East, unless they move plain and simple. This link will explain a lot from this team. Back your info all you want, but the numbers never lie. Great organizations always bounces back from a loss of a great player. But as of for the young Clippers, history repeats itself.

Congrats to Don Nelson part 2

Congrats to the inventor of Nellie Ball, he deserves it.

Anyways in response to the response:

No duh its common sense any team with good management will be successful, why do you think the Clippers have sucked so hard for so long.  I never argued against that.  They need to hire a competent GM who knows what he’s doing.  Mike Dunleavy was the closest the Clippers got but his incompetence as a coach was what really ended his run here.  No curse there, just incompetency in the front office that needs change.

Then the injuries to Livingston and Griffin?  Unlucky situations that was bound to happen.  Livingston was athletic but he also had a skinny frame that also made him a liability comparable to many of the players on the Golden State Warriors right now such as Anthony Randolph.  It was just unfortunate that his injury was really devastating and kept him from playing for over two years.  Curse?  Not really, just really a really tragic injury that could have happened to any player of his frame.  I wish him the best though in the Wizards.

Griffin on the other hand already had history of knee problems before he was drafted by the Clippers.  On collegehoopsnet.com One of Griffin’s weakness was “injuries to both his knees during his freshman collegiate season.”  So it was commonly known that Griffin had knee problems.  Is that a curse? No, it was the Clippers drafting the best guy out of college who had some knee problems in the past.

Now for naming all the guys the Clippers drafted?

Michael Olowakandi – Drafted in a class full of question marks.  At that time, the media hyped him up as one of the next big things because of his size and upside.  So he was the number one pick in a draft where the third pick was Raef LaFrentz.  Many thought Olowakandi would have loads of potential and become huge but instead, the Kandiman turned out to be a lazy bum who did little to improve, even when the Clippers hired Hall of Famer, Kareem Abdul Jabber to coach and train him.  Was it the Clippers fault he did not get better?  Not really.  Did Michael Olowakandi suck and is considered a bust? Yes.  Curse? No.  Also was Michael Olowakandi injured in his first season of basketball because he played 50 games?  No, his year was the lockout season where there was only half the season played.  Many people tend to overlook this.

Darius Miles – Drafted because of his hype as a high school player and athletic but also had the same skinny frame as Shaun Livingston so injuries was going to happen.  Also had a bad attitude and trading him for Andre Miller at the time was considered a good idea because Andre Miller at that time lead the league in assists.  Clippers curse because he was dealt with really huge injuries while on the Cavs and Portland after he was traded?  I doubt it, those two teams sucked too at the time.

Elton Brand – NEVER had an injury problem with the Clippers till the 2007 season when he tore his a chillies heel.  One of the Clippers best players and hardest workers who improved tremendously from a power forward with a good inside game to a power forward with a good jump shot, inside game, and defensive presence.  Clippers curse that his first season with the Sixers was filled with injuries?  I don’t think so.  Clippers curse that he sucks with the Sixers now?  No, they just have a coach whose playing style does not match.

Chris Wilcox – Bad draft pick but was seen with loads of potential because he played “collegiately at the University of Maryland, where he helped the Terrapins win their first NCAA championship in 2002. While at Whiteville High School in Whiteville, North Carolina, he led the basketball team to the 2A State Championship in 1999, before transferring to William G. Enloe High School in Raleigh, NC for his senior year.”  Anyone with that resume would be drafted high but at the same time, Chris Wilcox was bought in as a backup to Elton Brand and therefore was never given an opportunity to develop.  Curse that he was never the player he was in college?  Well you can ask Morrison that too.

Chris Kaman – turned himself into a good starting center with a jump shot.  Still could use some improvements in some areas but hey, he’s an all star too.

Livingston – explained earlier.

Yaroslav Korelev – Bad pick by Mike Dunleavy.  One of his worst GM decisions ever.  Clippers curse that he’s an idiot and could have picked Danny Granger?  No, just an idiotic decision.  Also, Danny Granger has knee problems too which can be seen with his injuries throughout this season with the Pacers.  Is he cursed because the Clippers didn’t pick him?  Of course not.

Al Thornton – Good slasher who never really had injury problems.  But at the age of 27, he has shown little improvement with the Clippers even though he was a starter for his first two seasons and then had to fight for a starting position this season which he lost to Rasual Butler.  Most player’s talents peak at the ages of 27 and 28.  Thornton has plateaued and is not seen more as a slasher who knows how to get to the rim.  Clippers curse that he couldn’t become the player that everyone thought he would be?  No, just high expectations that was not met.  Also, Thornton was traded more for cap space and not because the Clippers didn’t want him.  This year’s free agency is pretty important and Thornton leaving is just a casualty of the business.

Eric Gordon – Clippers staff not letting him develop?  He is the starting shooting guard and is being given all the opportunities in the world to become a good player.  And right now, he’s a great player.  He can score 20+ points a night when given the opportunity.  His defense is spectacular (ie. how he handled Kobe, Wade, and Roy in a week beginning of January)  Clippers curse that he is not an all star in his second year?  Not really, takes years to become an all star.  Clippers curse that he is not producing at the moment?  The season is done and no one else on the Clippers is putting up good numbers besides Baron Davis.

I never argued that the Clippers had bad management.  I merely stated that “with the right players and management, the Clippers can go that far too” like the Saints.  I never said the Clippers are successful right now, I just said that they can be with the right players and management.  To take what I said way off course with a biased rant on what happened to some of the Clippers players over the years is funny.  Yes they suck at the moment, and yes, they need new management.  Yes, they have injury problems.  And yes next season is a huge question mark at the moment because everything is being banked on this summer.

But no, the Clippers are not cursed.  Just a team that needs a better front office.

And yes it’s okay to hate on the Los Angeles Clippers.  But please be informed before you do instead of just throwing bad information around as arguments.  Knowledge is power.

Congratulations to Don Nelson!

With his 1333 win in coaching, Don deserves to celebrate at least for one night. This season wasn’t a so called “wonderful” or “successful” one to call it with the Stephen Jackson issues that happened earlier this year that led to a trade to the Bobcats. Nelson still managed to turn that problem around. He looked at young and talented Stephen Curry to play like a true point guard on the court. Behind Tyreke Evans, I’d say Curry has to be right next to him (plus Jennings). Also, Monta Ellis has been another story, playing 11 games without taking a seat on the bench. Nelson’s bag of tricks has still gotten Golden State fans in Norcal to consider going to the games for the fun and entertainment of the quick scoring Warriors. Anthony Tolliver scored a career high of 34 points to have Nelson’s record eclipse Lenny Wilkens. With rumors swirling around that Don might come back for one more season, it would be fun to see Nelson increase his winning record IF the Warriors get busy in the summer.

**** And in response to the Clipper curse. If Peter is comparing the Clippers to the successful Saints, that’s funny. Because ANY TEAM with great management, team, and organization would be a successful team. Wouldn’t they? Common sense. The Clippers need to shape up every part of their organization. Injuries do happen. Unfortunately, they hit it big with the Clips like Livingston and Griffin. Griffin has potential, but I’m not going to put him up on any scale until he plays. Plus, the past few lottery years have been wonderful on them. Lets start with Michael Olowokandi’s 1998 draft being picked number 1 overall. Next, was athletic and young Darius Miles out of H.S. The year after, they chose Tyson Chandler at number 2 overall and traded him to Chicago for future All-Star Elton Brand (who also was plagued with injuries). 2002 comes Chris Wilcox! And right after Chris was Amare Stoudemire picked by the Suns, you might have heard of him before. Finally a great draft year, 2003 the Clips took Chris Kaman which wasn’t a bad pick. The year after was the unfortunate loss of Shaun Livingston. By the way I’m rooting for Shaun to have a stable contract offer from the Wizards. Now 2005, the Los Angeles Clippers took Yaroslav Korolev 12th overall in the draft. Enough said about him. Al Thornton was then taken in the 2007 draft, which I personally thought was a good pick. Too bad he’s not in Los Angeles anymore and didn’t develop much skill there. FINALLY, a player to appreciate is Eric Gordon. He can be a future star, that’s only if the Clipper staff let him. And 2009, Blake Griffin was taken number 1 overall. It was an obvious pick, but who knew the guy would get hurt right off the bat and miss the season? Curse? You might not believe so. Horrible management/staff/organization? I think so.

FYI

There is no such thing as a Clippers curse.  The Saints were awful many many years ago and now have a ring and with the right players and management, the Clippers can go that far too.  Some people see bad luck happen with Clippers players and proclaim a curse but injuries happen all the time to every player on every team.

Update 3/24

March Madness

As for College basketball, my bracket was already busted. I bet yours was too after Kansas and Villa fell off, because that’s who I chose to go to the finals. Luckily I’m still leading the points in the Yahoo Fantasy game.

BIG NEWS!

Illgauskas is finally back with the Cavs. The Cavs are still without Shaq till probably after the playoffs, which isn’t great news for Cleveland. Last season, Cleveland ended up losing to the Magic in the playoffs. This year, the Magic look more dominant if the Cavs don’t have a healthy roster. Basically, the Magic have an improved team with Vince Carter and Cavs will have the same lineup bumping in Jamison if Shaq doesn’t show up in time.

CP3 is finally back after missing 25 games due to a knee surgery repair and recovery. The Hornets probably have a slim to no chance to make the playoffs with Houston clinging on and Portland staying strong.

Things in limbo…

The Celtics – The mean green stacked team are looking at trouble. After being crushed by Utah, Boston had their season record tied with the Hawks. Not to mention, the red hot Bucks are right behind their tail. Boston can easily drop to the 5th seed in the Eastern playoffs. Another small note, Rasheed is one technical away from having the game suspension rule come into play.

Chicago? Toronto? Charlotte? or Miami? One of these 4 teams will probably get bumped out of the playoffs. I give the Bucks a given spot in the playoffs since they have been playing at such a great rate lately. I see Chicago not making the cut for two reasons. One, Noah and Rose are still hurt while playing. Two, Ben Gordon isn’t here to bring em in.

WARRIORS FOR SALE! Enough said….