HoopChill

NBA National TV Basketball Schedule: My Top 5 Rivalry Games 2010

hoopchill@gmail.com (TMike) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 03:00:00 +0000

Here's my early look at the top 5 Nba games that will be on national TV this year:

I selected these games based on interesting storylines and rivalries

5. Chicago @ Boston, Oct 30th

A game this early in the season might not have very much importance, but I’ll be watching this game based on the great memories of last years epic playoff series. Who doesn't want to see Derrick Rose take on Rajon Rondo again? All we can hope for is that they meet up again in the playoffs this year and have as good a series as last years.

4. New Orleans @ San Antonio, Mar 5

Not a conventional pick at all, but there's something about watching 2 ultra-quick point guards go at each other. If both Paul and Parker are healthy this game will be incredibly fun to watch. It is almost impossible to stop either one from entering the lane and running their team's offense, not to mention these two teams will both probably make the playoffs.

3. Cleveland @ Washington, Nov 18

A rivalry that we didn't get to see much last year with the injury problems Washington had. But this is one of the biggest rivalries in the NBA with the players even involving rappers on their teams side. (Wash got Soulja boy and Cle got Jay Z; Who do you think won that battle?). Gilbert Arenas even planned his comeback from injury last year around when they would play Cleveland. This is a fun series to watch and Washington could be a very good team this year after all of the improvements they've had through the trade with the T-Wolves.

2. Portland @ Lakers Sun, April 11

After last year's intense regular season matchups, with Portland beating the Lakers at home 2 times, this series has become a rivalry once again. Matchups characterized with hard fouls, physical play, and close games has led to bad blood between these two teams. Epitomized with a hard foul by the Lakers on Rudy Fernandez on a breakaway slam, leading him to be carried off the court on a stretcher. This April 11th game on national TV, will be at a time when these two teams will be vying for playoff positioning, which should lead to a great game. Not to mention Kobe and Roy could be going head to head each possession.

1. Cleveland @ Orlando, April 4th

A newly formed rivalry formed in the playoffs last year, Cleveland had a problem last year matching up with Orlando's offensive threats. With Hedo gone we’ll see if they matchup any better. Shaq already has a rivalry with Dwight Howard after talking trash about how Howard wants to be him, and now Shaq will have the ability to try and guard Howard this year. These 2 teams will probably be battling it out with Boston for the top 3 seeds next year, so this will be an important game.

Game I wish was on National TV: Golden State @ Dallas, Nov 24

This offseason the details were released about what went down between Cuban and Nellie when they took each other to court. This isn’t really a rivalry between players, but an owner and coach, and I can’t wait to see the welcome Nellie receives in Dallas, and the look on Mark Cuban’s face if Golden State can pull out the win.

Iverson: What’s the Answer?

noreply@blogger.com (Drewski) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:18:00 +0000

Allen Iverson's NBA stock is falling...fast. But being one of the most talented players and known names out there, why are people hesitating to pick him up?

Simple. They don’t want him to be the number 1 guy on their team anymore. Iverson always wants to be the star. He needs to be the star. The 76ers were his team, and when he arrived to Nuggets, they were his team too. Carmelo had to share the spotlight with him. When he went to the Pistons he wasn’t treated anything like a star, so he wanted out.

So who exactly would want him and where would he fit best?

Well let’s look at the teams he was on and evaluate from there.

Philadelphia 76ers (1996 – 2006)

His best years. All his career highs were set in Philly. Won the 2000-01 MVP and led the Sixers to the NBA Finals. 6 Playoff appearances.

Team make-up over the years: Above Average to average players (B – C grade). Dikembe Mutombo. Chris Webber. Toni Kukoc. Theo Ratliff. Raja Bell. Aaron Mckie. Larry Hughes. Derrick Coleman. Matt Geiger. Eric Snow.

Played with at least 2 NBA Icons (Mutombo and Webber), but they never took enough pressure off of him during the season or off-season

Denver Nuggets (2006 – 2008)

Became a better passer and team player. Still put up great numbers despite being in the more difficult Western Conference and on a team with scoring star Carmelo Anthony. 2 Playoff appearances.

Team make-up over the years: 1 NBA Star. Above Average to average players (B – C grade). Carmelo Anthony. Marcus Camby. Kenyon Martin. Nene Hilario. JR Smith. Anthony Carter. Linas Kleiza.

Better team talent overall. Iverson learned to still create his game despite all the talent, but that could’ve hurt his team’s overall production and chemistry.

Detroit Pistons (2008 – 2009)

Wasn’t happy here at all. Basically gave up when they tried having him come off the bench. Not here long enough to make any chemistry with the team and its stars Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton.

Iverson fits BEST in the situation where he’s got young developing talent or seasonally aged veterans, none of which are big scorers (The 76ers). He would not fit so well on a team with a lot of players reaching their prime and that already has a scoring punch without him (the Nuggets).

Best Options

The Charlotte Bobcats.

This screams the 76ers make-up Iverson knew in his hay-day, with a touch of Nuggets running the court. The point guards can switch up with Iverson between the 1 and 2 spots (Felton and Augustin) They would be playing small (just like Snow, McKie and Iverson did). Two very versatile and athletic forwards (Wallace and Diaw) that can run the court (like a Hughes, Melo, or Kenyon). And the center Tyson Chandler is a blocking-rebounder (like Mutombo and Camby).

The reason it screams more 76ers is because it has Iverson’s man-crush Larry Brown as the head coach. We all know how much Brown and Iverson have worked well together. Plus all the players are not big time scorers (they stay under an average 20 pts per game). The Bobcats lack a scoring punch and Iverson would give them that. He could also be reunited with Raja Bell, who could back him up anytime he doesn’t want to show up to practice.

The New York Knicks

A very similar make-up to the Bobcats. Duhon is a quality point guard who can dish the ball off to Iverson. Wilson Chandler and Al Harrington can fill up the overall stat category to help out Iverson in a decent game. David Lee isn’t afraid of anything and would be a great player for Iverson because has the tenacity and killer instinct. Eddy Curry would be the only sub-par starter but he could be there when everyone else messes up. The problem I see in the rotation would be with sharing minutes with Nate Robinson (a small scoring versatile player, just like Iverson)

It’s a good fit as well, but not as good as the Bobcats because the Knicks have more scorers (and Iverson would either mess up the scoring chemistry or just not score as much). The Knicks also have a horrible coaching staff and their organization is in shambles. (At least The Bobcats are improving more).

Other Rumors

There are also rumors about Iverson going to Memphis and also possibly to Europe to play for Greece (the Greek Club Olympiakos are offering $10 million for 2 years).

Memphis would not fit well for Iverson because they already got a stable backcourt in Conley and Mayo. Those guys will be their future, along with Rudy Gay. The Grizzlies have been more concerned with filling their frontcourt this off-season (last year they played more small ball up front). Center Marc Gasol will be joined by new additions Zach Randolph and Hasheem Tabeet, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they want to land another power forward or 2-guard back up to come off the bench. And we all know how Iverson feels about the bench.

As for the Olympiakos, Iverson would not be a good fit for the European league and its lifestyle. Iverson is an NBA guy, and he loves all the celebrity attention and NBA perks that come along with it. He won’t go to Europe because he won’t like how his star power will be diminished over there.

Ultimately, I think it comes down to the Bobcats and the Knicks. The Knicks are a bigger market and I can see Iverson being very attracted to that. I think the most stable organization over the decade will be the Bobcats and the Knicks will have their constant ups and downs. But Iverson doesn’t have that many years left, so the easiest solution (and the one with the most attention) would be the Knicks. Say Hi to Spike Lee for me Allen!

College Basketball Impact Freshman Part 2 of 2

noreply@blogger.com (DAWG) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:57:00 +0000

Here’s the second half of the list of freshman I think will make the biggest impact on college basketball next season. The list below is a continuation of the previous post going in alphabetical order by last name:

SG John Jenkins (Vanderbilt): Jenkins led the nation in scoring as a senior in high school putting up a ridiculous 42.3 points per game and scoring at least 30 points in every game. To put up that many points you have to be a versatile scorer, which Jenkins is, but where he really generates his point production is through his jump shot. This is one of the main reasons why I believe he will continue to be a big time scorer in college, even as a freshman. Scouts have compared his game to Rip Hamilton and Ray Allen, guards who took advantage of screens to get shots off and who pull up for a jumpers after taking their man off the dribble. If Jenkins lives up to his reputation as a big time scorer as expected, Vanderbilt should be dancing next March.

PF Renardo Sidney (Mississippi State): Sidney has been on college basketball coaches and scouts’ radar for what seems like forever and for good reason. Few big men can match his combination of size, strength, and skill. Sidney is also polished enough that he can create out of the post without needing to establish dominant position. This should serve him well at Mississippi State…...should he get there. Sidney still has not been eligible by the NCAA who is currently investigating whether or not he and his family improperly received money to pay for multiple expensive homes in Southern California. Should he be declared eligible, Sidney is expected to team with shot blocking machine, Jarvis Varnado, and lead Mississipi State to an SEC Championship and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

SF Lance Stephenson (Cincinnati): Stephenson has emerged as one of the most aggressive and physical wing players in the nation. He is able to penetrate into the paint at will and finish plays. While he won’t be able to use his strength as often in the Big East as he did in high school, his attacking mindset will continue to help him wear down opponents and draw fouls. Stephenson should start from day 1 and you can expect him to not only lead Cincinnati back to the NCAA Tournament but to also win the Big East Freshman of the Year award.

PG John Wall (Kentucky): Rivals.com’s top ranked player in the 2009 class is just about everyone’s favorite to win the NCAA’s Freshmen Player of the Year. Wall will be the quickest and fastest player to enter college basketball since Ty Lawson. Wall’s speed and dribbling ability allow him to create enormous separation from defenders making him practically unguardable one on one. Wall is in a unique situation compared to every other incoming freshman in that he is expected to be the leader of an already extremely talented and well coached Kentucky Wildcats team; all of the others on this list, for example, are expected to be leaders on their team. As a result, Wall has enormous upside in that if he plays up to expectations, and his team performs well enough to win the SEC, Wall will likely take home an abundance of awards one of which may be the NCAA’s Player of the Year.

PF Mouphtaou Yarou (Villanova): Yarou is expected to start in the post right away for the Big East’s frontrunner for the conference title as only one player over the height of 6’5 returns from a year ago (Antonio Pena). The first about Yarou’s game that will jump out at you is his footwork in the post. Yarou grew up playing soccer in his home country of the Republic of Benin in West Africa and it has obviously helped foot quickness. Yarou has a nice variety of moves and operates very smoothly and fluidly in the post. Scout’s and coaches have also raved about Yarou’s hustle which should be put to good use off of long range misses in Villanova’s guard-oriented attacking offense. Overall, I don’t expect Yarou to average double figures in scoring but his importance to the team cannot be understated. Given their post depth, if Yarou goes down with an injury, Villanova’s goes from being one of the frontrunners to the National Championship to having little to no chance at winning it.

College Basketball Impact Freshmen Part 1 of 2

noreply@blogger.com (DAWG) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:25:00 +0000

Here’s a look at this upcoming season’s impact freshmen. This isn’t necessarily a list of the most talented incoming freshmen but rather the ones I think will contribute most to their team’s success and make the biggest impact on college basketball as freshmen. The following list is in alphabetical order by last name:

SG Avery Bradley (Texas): Bradley should step right in and be one of Texas’s leading scorers. He is incredibly difficult to guard because he not only can shoot from the beyond the arc but he also has a very quick first step to blow by defenders. His quick feet have also allowed him to develop into one of the premier perimeter defenders during his senior season and AAU ball. Despite the loss of big time scorer, A.J. Abrams, Texas should have even better perimeter play than they had last year with Bradley in the lineup. With Bradley leading the way, they are one of the few teams in America with a legit shot at winning the National Title.

PF DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky): Cousins will likely start alongside Patrick Patterson to form the most talented starting frontcourt in the nation. Cousins has the full package of offensive skills as far as post players go. He can dominate inside and has a nice variety of moves; including an up-and-under (my favorite!) He also can face up defenders and hit the short jumper. Surprisingly for a guy his size, Cousins has pretty good handles and can also distribute the ball well to open teammates. While he may not average a double-double this season with Patterson and fellow 5 star freshmen Daniel Orton in the post with him this season, Cousins will play a major role in turning Kentucky into an SEC and possibly National Title contender.

C Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech): Scout.com’s top ranked player in the 2009 class joins a Georgia Tech team that struggled mightily last season finishing dead last in the ACC. Favors will enter college as one of the most athletic big men in the country and his presence should immediately put Georgia Tech into contention for an NCAA Tournament berth. Throughout AAU ball he consistently put up double doubles, even a few triple doubles with points, rebounds, and blocks. For a player who looks a little lanky, Favors finishes surprisingly strong and well around the rim. He is also an excellent rebounder in traffic. I expect Favors to put up monster numbers as a freshman and should challenge John Wall as Freshman of the Year in the NCAA.

PG Abdul Gaddy (Washington): Gaddy is becoming a household name on this site but rightfully so. I’m going out on a limb here, but Gaddy will prove to be the best pure point guard (pass and set up teammates first) in college basketball next season. His basketball IQ and instincts for the point guard position are both extremely high for a player at this stage of his career. Gaddy’s court vision and passing ability are also off the charts both of which wowed coaches and scouts during his recruitment. His ability to create off the dribble is what allows him to setup his teammates so well. Gaddy should start for Washington at point guard and it is expected he will lead them to a second straight Pac-10 Championship and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

SG Xavier Henry (Kansas): Henry’s decision to decommit from Memphis and follow in his father’s footsteps to Kansas has solidified the Jayhawks as this year’s National Title frontrunner. Henry is a big time slashing guard who already possesses NBA shooting guard size at 6’6 225lbs. Scouts like to talk about his outside game but his mid range game is equally good. Henry will enter Kansas with a reputation as a scorer and that’s exactly what Kansas needs with only 2 players (Collins and Aldrich) averaging double figures in scoring. Henry is expected to be a 3rd double figure scorer and will provide more balance for Kansas’s offense as a scoring threat from the wing. If Henry has a big season and Kansas makes a huge run during the regular season to position themselves to win the National Title, don’t be surprised if Henry sneaks past Favors and Wall to win Freshman of the Year.

Where Should Lamar Odom Go? Miami

hoopchill@gmail.com (TMike) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 01:56:00 +0000

Where Lamar Odom decides to play is vital to two teams’ seasons next year. One team, The Lakers, need him as their final piece for another championship run. The Artest signing does fills a hole left by the departed Ariza, but there's no way they can the fill the hole that Odom would leave.

Odom offers flexibility to the Lakers, a player who is good enough to start, but also will sacrifice for his team and come off the bench. Kobe knows how important Odom is to the Lakers with his ability to knockdown a three point shot, guard SFs or PFs, and his ability to rebound. Odom gives the Lakers someone who creates a mismatch, that the opposing team needs to adjust to. He also brings intensity and a nice guy attitude, and this may not be important to many teams, but it is important to a team run by the Zenmaster Phil Jackson. Especially with Ron Ron on the team, as anyone on the rockets can tell you, Ronny can get a little weird sometimes. (E.G. walking around in his underwear)

The Miami Heat, also need Lamar Odom. Dwayne wade has made a public plea to Odom to sign with the Heat. But the Heat are not a championship team, and Odom seems to value that highly. Odom though could be one piece to that puzzle, and if the Heat are able to land Boozer as well, they could have a legitimate championship team.

Now its up to Odom to decide where to play. His contract talks with the Lakers from the outside perspective looks disrespectful for a player who could be a starter on any other team and comes off the bench to help the team. With Lakers GM Buss withdrawing his offer of 3 years $27 million and telling Odom to take a lower offer, the Heat saw what was happening and offered a comparable deal to the Lakers at 5 years $35 million with a player option to leave after the 3rd year (the deals are close to even because there is no income tax in Florida and the cost of living is lower compared to California).

Fans should wonder what is going on in the Lakers front office, first Ariza and now Odom are upset with Lakers GM Buss. Are the Lakers arrogant now that they have won a championship, thinking it will be just as easy next year to do it again? I agree that Artest is an upgrade over Ariza, but the Lakers need Odom to fill that role off the bench as an initiator and a do everything utility player.

What should Odom do? He should sign with the heat. He will have a starters role, less media scrutiny (eating candy during a game won’t be a story), a long term option to play in Miami, and he still might have a chance to win a championship. It might not be this year in Miami, but he will have a chance in the coming years as a long as Dwayne Wade is there. The money will basically be even, and the Lakers have already disrespected him at first with a lowball offer, and now totally withdrawing the offer, and offering something even lower. Odom should sign with Miami Heat and rub it in the Lakers face.

Must-See Non-Conference Pac-10 Football Games - #2

noreply@blogger.com (DAWG) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 08:21:00 +0000

2. Oregon at Boise State, September 3

Last season freshman quarterback Kellen Moore led Boise State into Eugene and surprised everyone by knocking off the Oregon Ducks 37-32. It was Boise State’s first win on the road ever versus a BCS school. This year’s game is in Boise and it figures to be one of Boise State’s few tough games this season. If Boise State is able to beat Oregon, they will have a great shot at being a BCS bowl team again assuming they take care of business in the WAC as they have always done under coach Chris Petersen.

Oregon Running Back LeGarrette Blount

Oregon is expected to be one of the better teams in the Pac-10 and returns playmakers in physical, mobile quarterback Jeremiah Masoli (5’11 215 lbs, 718 rushing yards last year) and bruising running back LeGarrette Blount (6’2 240 lbs, 1000+ yards rushing last year). The key to this game will be Boise State’s defensive front 7 (defensive linemen and linebackers) as none of the projected starters are seniors and only 2 are juniors which will likely make them one of the youngest defenses in the nation this season. If Masoli and Blount get rolling on offense, Boise State could be in trouble. First of all, it will be very difficult to stack the box with 8 or 9 defenders given that Oregon under Chip Kelly runs a spread offense. Second, Oregon has the athletes at wide receiver (ie Jamere Holland, runs a 4.2 40 yard dash) and out of the backfield (ie James LaMichael, has been described as a faster and more physical Jacquizz Rodgers by some analysts) to exploit any attempts by Boise State to apply pressure.

Boise State Quarterback Kellen Moore

Where Oregon looks dominant in the talent, size, and speed departments, Boise State will have all of the intangibles on their side. Oregon’s coach will be making his head coaching debut whereas Boise State under Petersen has already won a BCS bowl game. Also, during Petersen’s tenure, Boise State is undefeated at home (19-0). The last Pac-10 team to come to Boise was in 2006 when the Oregon State Beavers got throttled by the Broncos 42-14. That Oregon State team ended up going 10-4 overall, beating USC and winning their bowl game against Missouri. Another intangible is that Boise State’s fans will be especially jacked up since a BCS opponent is coming to town; you can bet it will be loud. And as mentioned earlier, Boise State just beat Oregon last year with many of those same players still on this year’s team. Apart from the intangibles, a big key to this game will be Boise State having a running game that will be capable of taking some pressure off of Kellen Moore and the passing game. Boise State lost record breaking running back Ian Johnson to graduation and will need juniors Jeremy Avery and D.J. Harper to step up and make some plays if Boise State is to win.

The Ducks are headed to Boise and so are their most vocal supporters!

I have a feeling this is going to be an even closer and an even higher scoring game than last season. In the end, I feel like Oregon will be the tougher of the two teams, with the current players having played in more big games than Boise State’s players and will pull off the mild upset and give Chris Petersen his first loss at home. Score 38-35.

All Rookie Team: NBA Las Vegas Summer League 2009

hoopchill@gmail.com (TMike) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 01:39:00 +0000

NBA summer league is the first chance for Rookies to gain a lot of hype, respect, and playing time. The summer league All Rookie Team is made up of players from this year's draft that have dominated opposing teams, and have proven that deserve a chance in the NBA. Summer league play doesn’t predict how a player will do in the NBA, but summer league is for the die hard NBA fans, who enjoy talking about NBA 24/7 and we just happen to be those types of fans. Without further ado my Summer League All Rookie Team:

G Johnny Flynn (Min): Started summer league strong, and finished strong. Flynn averaged 15 pts/g on 48% shooting, shot 58% from 3pt land, and averaged 7.5 assists. An all around great performance, and he showed that he could run a team, organizing the offense and directing teammates around. If he plays like this during the regular season, he will be a solid starter in the NBA.

G Tyreke Evans (Sac): Not a true pg, but who cares when he can dominate smaller guards like he did in Las Vegas. He averaged 19 pts/g, 6 rebs, and 4 assists. He is a good ball handler for his size but has a problem with turnovers. His shot is also very suspect, and needs to be improved before people can consider him to be a true offensive threat. During summer league the Kings didn't have an offense for Evans to run so once they install one we'll really see what Evans can do as a PG. Even though he hasn't shown he can run a team, he still showed he could be one of the most dynamic players coming out of this years draft class

F DaJuan Summers (Det): Really surprised a lot of people, and showed why Joe Dumars is one of the best talent evaluators in the NBA. He averaged 18 pts/g and 5 reb. He is a threat from 3pt land but can still drive to the hoop and finish inside. I don't know if he will be able to get much playing time this year on a deep detroit team, but he'll be good for a couple minutes off the bench. Summers is lot more NBA ready than some of the players taken ahead of them in the Draft.

F Chase Budinger (Hou): Budinger had an unreal summer league. He only got 22 minutes a game, and still averaged 17 pts/g, on 68% shooting, hitting 78% from 3. He was easily the most effiecient player in summer league scoring wise. Many of the other players on the list put up comparable numbers to Budinger but usually averaged 30mins per game. Houston got a steal when they drafted him in the 2nd round. Budinger has an NBA body and is athletic enough to be able to finish at the hoop, but really needs to show that he can rebound and play some defense.

C Blake Griffin (LAC): Griffin the #1 pick this year, showed why he deserved to be #1. He averaged 19pts, 8 rebs, 3asts, and 1 stl a game. He showed the ability to play with another big-man at the same time by delivering passes on target, and finishing at the hoop and in traffic. This guy can play and is still the favorite of the class to be an all-star.

Honorable Mentions:
G Brandon Jennings (Mil)
F Austin Daye (Det)
G Rodrigue Beaubois (Dal)
G Darren Collison (NOH)

Must-See Non-Conference Pac-10 Football Games - #1

noreply@blogger.com (DAWG) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:46:00 +0000

Going to take a break from basketball for awhile to preview this season’s must see non-conference Pac-10 football games. I’m going to be working my way from the #1 game on down over the next couple of weeks.

1. USC at Ohio State, September 12

Aaron Corp and the deepest best running back unit in the country lead USC into Columbus to take on Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes. Both teams are reloading defensively after losing much talent to the NFL. Despite the defensive losses, two of the better players on the field during the game (and future 1st round NFL Draft choices) will be USC defensive end Everson Griffen and USC free safety Taylor Mays. Both players are extremely quick for their size and position (Mays running a 4.25 40 yard dash and Griffen a 4.4 40 yard dash). I expect both will be used heavily by Pete Carroll in trying to contain Pryor in the pocket and to keep him from scrambling.

Ohio State Quarterback Terrelle Pryor

The two keys to this game will be USC’s offensive line and USC’s linebackers. USC’s offensive line will need to step it up and open up holes in the run game for Stafon Johnson, CJ Gable, and Joe McKnight as they cannot afford to lean heavily on Aaron Corp who will be making the first road start of his career; in an extremely hostile environment no less. Luckily for USC they return every offensive linemen for their two deep last season and shouldn’t get too rattled by the crowd. If the offensive line creates holes for the running backs and gets the run game going, it should open up some play-action opportunities for strikes to one of the better wide receivers in the nation in Damian Williams.

USC Free Safety Taylor Mays

USC will be breaking in a completely new linebacker unit and, as mentioned before, will need all the help they can get from Griffen, Mays, and the rest of the defense to contain Pryor. Despite the inexperience, I expect USC’s linebackers to hold their own against Ohio State with middle linebacker Chris Galippo coming up with a big game. The game will be close but I expect USC to come out on top 28-24.

Here are some highlights from USC’s 35-13 win over Ohio State last season in Los Angeles.

The rest of this upcoming season’s best non-conference Pac-10 games to come in later posts……

Developing Young Talent: What to Do with Randolph & Morrow?

noreply@blogger.com (Drewski) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:05:00 +0000

Anthony Randolph scored 42 points last Tuesday as the Golden State Warriors defeated the Chicago Bulls 95 – 83, also tying an NBA Summer League record (shared with Marcus Banks and Von Wafer who scored 42 in 2007). Two days later, Anthony Morrow stole some of the spotlight from his teammate by scoring a record setting 47 points in a 104 – 84 victory against the New Orleans Hornets. He shot 18 of 26, including 7 of 9 from three-point land. Sounds like the Warriors are having a little competition, and competition is good.

If you don’t follow the NBA Summer League (also know as the Vegas Summer League) it consists of all the NBA teams showcasing their talent of three years or fewer, including the newest NBA Draft class. It’s a great way to evaluate and develop all of a team’s younger guys.

So what does this performance mean for Randolph and Morrow? Well, it means the Warriors have two nice young talented players with promising NBA futures. HOLD ON. PAUSE. Where have I heard that before? Todd Fuller? Adonal Foyle? Mike Dunleavy Jr? Okay. STOP. But wait, how about Jason Richardson, Antwan Jamison and Gilbert Arenas? There that’s better! Oh, we traded them all. Sorry Warrior fans.

Two of the biggest questions any franchise faces are: How will we develop our young talent? and Where do they fit into the future of this team?

That is something Warrior fans have struggled with over the years, witnessing busts like Fuller or watching good young talents like Jamison leave. So what is the best way to develop young talent and how can they fit into this team? While coaches have their own methods I see it breaking down into three general categories: Skills, Leadership and Minutes.

SKILLS

Scouting tells us what they are good at, but sometimes actually playing the NBA can be a better meter for success. Whether its scouting, practice or games, finding out your what your young talent is best at should come first. Skills could consist of being a good defender, moving well without the ball, shooting off the dribble, rebounding, blocking etc.

LEADERSHIP

This will naturally come from the Coach, but more importantly this should also stem from the players. Veterans are key to developing younger players. Being in the league long enough will make any player wiser. Veterans will not only tell young players how to play the game better, but also offer advice about the off-court issues such as dealing with the Media or traveling to different cities. Even guys who are not All-Stars can offer this advice because a lot NBA experiences are very similar.

MINUTES

When I say minutes I’m talking about both Practice and Game time. Practice minutes will come every week with the younger guys, but all players have to earn their game minutes. You could argue some young players are just handed minutes because of the pressure from being selected early in the Draft. While that is true, it is generally because they are scouted to be great players already (not always the case). However, if they can consistently prove that they belong out there, then continue to give them the minutes. Just don’t keep handing minutes when they don’t perform. If they can’t handle starting then make them a role player according to their skills set. This will at least give them some confidence to keep playing and improve their skills.

Anthony Randolph and Anthony Morrow have been improving in 2 of the 3 categories. Their stats show that their skills have improved and their leadership is ever growing with more experience in the league. The time is now for them to get more minutes and I’m sure they are up for the task of earning those game time slots.

Will Randolph and Morrow start or be on the bench more?

My take on Randolph is that he is making leaps and bounds ahead of Branden Wright and should start to inherit the 4 spot, playing big minutes at that position. As long as he performs give him increased playing time and starts, so he knows his role and builds confidence. Basically we’re seeing a starter develop here.

As for Morrow, he clearly has a talent for the 3-ball (shot a nice 46.7 % last year). He is a bigger guard, standing somewhere nearly 6-6 and has the ability to play the 3 for small ball. It’s terms of minutes, it gets tricky because there is Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry who all play the 2 spot. However they need a point since Jamal Crawford left so look for Monta and Curry to play the 1, freeing up some Morrow playing time. He needs more than the 22 minutes he got last year.

What is the future for Randolph and Morrow in this Franchise?

Randolph is going to be a Starter. The Warriors should NOT trade him anytime soon. He is developing into a nice Kevin Garnett type of player. A tall, lanky forward with a jump shot and can rebound and score.

Morrow looks like he could be a good 6^th man. I see him being a Jason Terry or Manu Ginobili type of player. But don’t doubt his starting ability. It’s just the back court is crowded with all these smaller guards (Ellis, Curry, Watson).

Randolph and Morrow should carve out fine careers in the NBA.

NBA DNA

noreply@blogger.com (Rymix) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 07:15:00 +0000

Recently I've been checking up to see how the newly drafted lottery picks have been doing and as expected, some have been doing what they do best: Blake Griffin doing his all around game, Hasheem Thabeet block shots, Tyreke Evans over powering smaller guards, Stephen Curry shooting the ball like there is no tomorrow and the list goes on. After looking at the stats of these players I stopped to think about how young and skilled they are for such a young age. Many of these summer league players are not able to drink (legally). How did these players get to become so good at such a young age? Maybe they've trained endless hours.. or maybe it's more than that.

Stephen Curry was the leading scorer in the NCAA last year. He is known for his quick release and ability to get the ball into the basket. His father, Dell Curry played in the NBA for 15 years; playing in over 1,000 NBA basketball games. After thinking about this father and son duo, I started to think, could Dell and Stephen become one of the greatest Father/Son Duos in the NBA?

Many people will argue that most of an individual's traits, tendencies, and skills are attributed to genetics. If this was the case, what if Stephen Curry was able to not only learn from his father, but genetically be as good as his father?

Here are Dell's Career High stats:
16.3 PPG (93-94)
47.6% 3PT% (98-99)
92.3% FT% (89-90)
49.1% FG% (88-89)

Stephen already has the shooters touch, but if he is able to polish his game and create stats like his father, he is going to go pretty far in the NBA. Going back to the original question of could they become one of the best Father/Son Duos in the NBA? After doing some research, it is definitely possible, but they have quite a bit of competition:

#1 Rick and Brent Barry- This father and son duo definitely understand what it means to win Championships. Rick won multiple championships with the Warriors and Brent won a couple with the Spurs. Rick Barry was definitely a pioneer in the lost art of become a "pure" shooter. His son, Brent although winning the slam dunk championship, took a page from his fathers book on what it means to become a good shooter.

#2 Joe "Jellybean" and Kobe Bryant- Joe "Jellybean" Bryant played 8 seasons in the NBA before heading over seas to play in the European League. Joe was most notably know for scoring 53 points in the European League. Joe's son Kobe, has simply become one of the most electrifying players in the NBA since he entered the NBA. "The Black Mamba" is the best closers in the game and is a complete nightmare to guard. If you play him to close, he will fly by you, but if you give him the slightest bit of space, he will make you pay with his jumper. I believe Shane Battier (a great defender in the NBA) said it best, "You cannot guard Kobe Bryant, you can only hope to contain him."

#3 Jimmy Walker and Jalen Rose - Jimmy Walker was the #1 overall draft pick in the 1967 NBA Draft and played 9 seasons in the NBA. Before becoming a sports analyst, Jalen Rose was most notably known for being apart of the Michigan State Fab Five (along side Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson). During his NBA career, Jalen played his best seasons with the Indian Pacers.

Honorable mentions: Bill and Luke Walton, Henry and Mike Bibby.

So we have yet to see an NBA game played by Stephen Curry, he definitely has the genetics to back him up. As for Dell and Stephen becoming one of the Greatest Father/Son Duos, it's not going to be an easy task, for they will be with some good company. Only time will tell whether Stephen can continue to develop his game.

Hip Hop and Rnb Best of the Week: Part III

hoopchill@gmail.com (TMike) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 03:21:00 +0000

Happy Friday, we made it through another week, and I’m celebrating by putting up some newish tracks that I’ve been listening to throughout the week. Click on the links to preview the tracks:

Slaughterhouse – The One

This track really amps me up with the great guitar riff and hook. Plus it features some of my favorite artists, including; Royce Da 5’9”, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I. The lyrics are on point and everyone flows great over the track.

Ya Boy – Fall in Love (feat. The Cataracs)

I’m a sucker for a little techno mixed in with my rap and RnB and this song does it pretty good. Ya Boy is a rapper out of the Bay area, and even though he doesn’t showcase his rap skill very much, he creates an enjoyable song.

Pitbull – Give Me a Bottle

This is a total party song, and Pitbull is known for making them, fun Song overall.

Lloyd – Like Me

My only true RnB song this week, Lloyd delivers a smooth song that is catchy at the same time.

Twista – Alright (feat. Kanye West)

These two always fit together well over any track, and this is no exception. Supposed to be on Twista’s new album this got cut because it didn’t really flow well with the album. But it is a tight song nevertheless.

And since I didn’t put any Female RnB songs up here’s a bonus:

Rihanna – Te Amo

Big Names, Big Places - Notable Free Agents & Pick-Ups for the 2009 NBA Off-Season (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Drewski) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:05:00 +0000

The 2009 NBA off-season has one of the NBA’s best due to a good draft class and even bigger free agent market. In fact, this off-season period has been one of the biggest in recent years because so many of the 2009 playoff teams have either signed or traded for big names in order to win the 2010 championship.

All of these moves are to win the 2010 Championship. It's as simple as that.

While the NBA off-season is still going on I’ve decided to take a look at the top contenders from this past playoff series that have a legitimate chance to win a ring. However, I'm excluding the Denver Nuggets simply because they have not made a big off-season move and the Portland Trailblazers because their offer for Paul Millsap has yet to go through. And sorry Rocket fans, Artest's departure and Ariza's signing puts the team back into developing mode.

These 5 playoff teams were among the top in the league last year, and with these moves, they figure to stay there.

The Los Angeles Lakers

RON ARTEST

UPSIDE

One of the most versatile players. Consistent line of Points, Rebounds, Steals and Assists. As your 3^rd or 4^th option (behind Kobe, Gasol and at times Odom, assuming he stays), that’s not bad at all. He is also on of the NBA’s best one-on-one defenders.

DOWNSIDE

New chemistry in the locker room and on the court. Fewer shot opportunities for Kobe and Gasol. Artest strives off touches and can create his own shot of the dribble. He averaged 15 shot attempts, while Ariza averaged around 7. The Lakers’ offensive flow is definitely going to be disrupted. Plus Artest still attracts drama.

OVERALL

Kobe’s got his enforcer. If Odom stays, Artest is going to have to sacrifice his stat line but seeing that he took less money to become a Laker, I’m sure it won’t be a problem. If Odom leaves, Artest’s production will be more like last season. They’re going to be fine during the regular season. There is no real competition in Pacific Division (The rest are all “developing”). What the Lakers need to worry about is their team’s chemistry. Hopefully too much “star-power” won’t be there demise in the playoffs. GRADE: B

The Orlando Magic

VINCE CARTER

UPSIDE

They got their “Go-To Guy”. Make no mistake, Dwight Howard is still the face of the Franchise, but he still lacks the finesse of an offensive game and the veteran tenacity to win. That’s why they brought in Carter.

Lewis and Nelson are savvy veterans, but they fit better as roles players. With Turkoglu in Toronto and Courtney Lee off to the Nets, the Magic can shift back Lewis to his natural 3 spot and Carter will get the 2 spot.

DOWNSIDE

Carter reinforces their“3-Ball” approach, which isn’t the best way to win games. It’s like Blackjack, you can win big, but you can also lose big.

OVERALL

With Turkoglu out and Carter in, they are so much better. He fits well into their system. They need veteran leadership. Think of Carter and Howard as the poor man’s Shaq & Kobe. They will contend. GRADE: A

Other Key Addition(s): Brandon Bass – brings a needed rebounder to help out Dwight Howard.

The Cleveland Cavaliers

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL

UPSIDE

Shaq is still a prominent force. He can still rebound, block and score with the best of the true centers (a dying breed right now). Savvy Veteran loved around the league. Championship experience. Paired with LeBron, this team will get the most media coverage.

DOWNSIDE

Even more pressure. The deal for Shaq is to win NOW. Anything less the NBA Finals, would be seen as a failure. The other teams have excuses. The Lakers already won, the Magic are still young and inexperienced, the Celtics are too old and the Spurs can't keep up with the young guns of the West. There is NO EXCUSE for the Cavs. Shaq has already been doing his own PR and has stated his motto for the season is to “Win a Ring, for the King”. He also said in Sports Illustrated, that if the 2010 Finals were the Lakers versus the Cavs, it would be “the most watched NBA Finals in history”. Talk about pressure.

OVERALL

The Cavs have everything to prove and everything to lose. The deal for Shaq shows LeBron that they are ready to win now so it’s a great move to keep the King in his castle. GRADE: A

Other Key Addition(s): Anthony Parker – excellent swingman. The Jack-of-All-Trades. Can provide for a deep bench threat and also start at the 2 spot as big guard for the smaller Delonte West. Way better than having Wally Szczerbiak around.

The Boston Celtics

RASHEED WALLACE

UPSIDE

Just like Shaq he still has a lot left in his tank. Brings more championship experience. He can provide for a deep bench and also give Garnett rest. Spreads the floor with the 3-ball threat. Scalabrine is crying somewhere for playing time now.

DOWNSIDE

Sheed still brings the drama and he’s got nothing to lose. He’s won his rings and is not the hungry veteran like Shaq. If the Celtics don’t treat him right, prepare for an implosion. Also Rasheed is still a star and teams with too many “stars” don’t workout without some sacrifice. They already have the Big 3, plus the emerging Rondo. And they decided to add another big ego? Let’s see how they co-exist.

OVERALL

I am still wondering how well this move was. It definitely seems exciting for now, but keep in mind that they’re BIG 4 of Garnett, Allen, Pierce, and now Wallace, are all past their prime. The younger Bulls proved to be just as athletic and kept up with these ageless wonders. I would have liked to see the Celtics bring in a younger established talent to learn from their veterans. But I understand that the Celtics window of opportunity for another ring is closing, so the now solution of Wallace is good enough. GRADE: B

The San Antonio Spurs

RICHARD JEFFERSON

UPSIDE

A younger, athletic scoring spark for a team that lacks an offensive punch. He will be a starter than takes off pressure from Duncan, Parker and Ginobili. He’s reinsurance for when any of the Spur’s own Big 3 go down for injury and is a crucial part of the Spurs defeating the Lakers now, since the match up is better.

DOWNSIDE

Lacks the defensive skills of the traded Bruce Bowen & Kurt Thomas.

OVERALL

The Spurs are possibly the best-run organization in the NBA. LA and Boston are both in “popular” cities that have a big sense of tradition and glamour that attracts all players to them. The Spurs are from the lesser know San Antonio, but are building their own traditions and have established winning seasons consistently. The Spurs are like The Patriots of the NFL, never count them out. They know how to rebuild and when to make a run for the Championship. The Spurs know what they are doing and this is the perfect move to win the West. GRADE: A

Other Key Addition(s): Antonio McDyess – improves their frontline with an established and hardworking big man. Duncan hasn’t had this talented of a big-man since David Robinson retired.

While there will be many surprise and sleeper teams next year that could make a run for it, these 5 teams are gonna be there standing there alongside and most likely in the way.

Dallas Mavericks Dynasty?

noreply@blogger.com (Rymix) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:04:00 +0000

If you ask any NBA fan to name the loudest, most obnoxious, sometimes rudest owner, most people would say Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks. But if you ask that same person to name the most loyal and willing to give the fans what they want, their answer would probably have to be Mark Cuban as well. Ever since Cuban purchased the Mavericks in 2000 for a measley $285 million, he has quickly turned that franchise around, even reaching the NBA Finals in 2006. He is known for is loud mouth and boisterous attitude, but he does care about his fans.

With an already excited 2009 off season transactions, the Mavericks are quickly becoming the talk of the town. After resigning Jason Kidd, the Mavs ended up with Shawn Marion in a 4 way trade. Shawn Marion provides a dynamic to the Mavericks they have never really had. This 6'7'', 230lbs foward can rebound, shoot threes and dunk like there is no tomorrow. Having one of the best true point guards dish the ball to Marion and Nowitzki will definitely be exciting to watch. Now the story does not end here...

Enter Lamar Odom and Chris Bosh. The Lakers have recently retracted their $27M offer to Lamar Odom, which means he's definitely looking for a team. Granted the Mavs do not need this type of player but could you imagine the type of depth he can bring a team if he comes off the bench? Or hell let's just say he even plays along side Marion, Nowitzki and Kidd.

Chris Bosh recently mentioned that he loves Toronto and Toronto loves him. Most people don't think he is willing to leave, but this situation looks a little familiar to last year. Can anyone say Baron Davis and the Warriors? Baron Davis led the Warriors to the first playoff berth in over a decade. He mentioned he loved the Bay Area and would not opt out, but a few HOURS before the deadline in his contract, he opted out and went to the Clippers in hopes to make a playoff run with Elton Brand. Chris Bosh could be in a similar situation. He could be very well the next Kevin Garnett. For years he has been stuck on a team that continually fails to contend for the title. In order to solidify his true talent, he is definitely considering moving and his best possible option would be the Mavericks.

A few years back when the Laker signed Karl Malone and Gary Payton, many believed they assembled an unstoppable team. History shows that this was not the case. The difference between this years Mavericks and the Lakers of the past is that, Cuban and the Mavs are picking up these All-Stars while they are in their prime, not when they are over it. Even though signing Kidd, Marion, and either Bosh/Odom would put them well into the luxary tax, I highly doubt this would bother Cuban, for he is a savy investor.

Cuban is one of the top 250 Richest people in the World. He realizes that even though he will have to pay a few Million dollars in luxary tax, winning an NBA Championship will bring him at least x100 the amount he paid for that luxary tax (not to mention if this would start the Dallas Mavericks dynasty). This proves to be a win/win situation for Cuban because he will end up making even more money than he invested in these players and he at the same time look like a savior to the Maverick fans.

So only time will tell what Cuban and the Mavs will do. This experiment could end up being a bust or it could be the start of the Dallas Maverick Dynasty.

NBA Summer League Las Vegas: Players to Watch

hoopchill@gmail.com (TMike) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:03:00 +0000

With the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas already a third over, some players have already been lighting the league up. Now we know here at Hoopchill that summer league really doesn’t mean anything in terms of future production for almost all of these players. Marco Bellinelli is a perfect example, he scored over 40pts in one game and hasn’t done anything in the NBA since. Knowing that, here are some players that you should look out for during the final 6 days:

Richard Beaubois

Was selected 25th overall by Dallas and has so far surprised almost everyone who has watched him. He reminds a lot of people of of a young tony parker, quicker than almost everyone else on the court and can't hit a jump shot. He already lit up Houston for 34pts and 8 assists in his 2nd game. He was just injured today but hopefully it isn’t too serious and we’ll get to watch him play later in the week.

DaJuan Summers

Drafted in the 2nd round, Summers has looked like one of the most complete players during summer league. Scoring from the inside and outside with ease, and averaging over the first 2 games 21pts, and 7 rebounds a game. He has an Nba ready body, and could be a contributer off the bench for Detroit sometime this season.

Tyreke Evans

Evans has looked physically dominant over all the point guards he has played thus far. Being 6'4" he has pushed smaller guards into the post and used his physical advantage to draw fouls and put in easy buckets. He really hasn't shown any point guard abilities so far, but the King coach Westphal, said they haven't installed an offense yet for him to run. Let's look for him to try and be more of a distributor in the next few games.

Stephen Curry

Every time Curry steps on the floor, the crowd in Vegas gets excited. So far he's been struggling with his shot, shoot 33% from the floor in 2 games, but he's found other way's to score, driving to the hoop and drawing fouls or finishing. Watch out in the next couple of games, he will light some teams up

Johnny Flynn

Flynn has played like a true point guard and has really surprised me. He's averaging 11 assists a game with 12pts a game. But his leadership on the court, directing the players around, and running the offense is really impressive. Lets see if he can continue to run the Timberwolves’ offense and distribute the rock.

Could Abdul Gaddy Lead the Pac-10 in Assists?

noreply@blogger.com (DAWG) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:16:00 +0000

I was reading the recent SLAM article on incoming Washington Huskies freshman point guard Abdul Gaddy and saw that one of his goals this upcoming season is to lead the Pac-10 in assists. That got me thinking what his chances of doing that are. Not many freshmen, no matter how talented, have led a major conference in assists. However, given the amount of talent that was lost from last season in the Pac-10 due to graduation and the NBA Draft, there's a decent chance that Gaddy will lead the conference in assists this season. Of the top 10 leaders in assists from last season, only 3 return:

Jerome Randle (Cal) 1st overall in assists at 5 per game

I would expect Randle's assist numbers to be the same or slightly better given that his role on the team will be the same next season. Randle also has almost his entire team coming back. I would expect Patrick Christopher, Theo Robertson, Harper Kamp, and D.J. Seely's scoring numbers to all improve from a year ago which should benefit Randle in the assists department. Finally, Randle becoming a senior and playing with the same players he did last season should lead to even better playmaking and even more consistent decision making play than he had last season.

Derek Glasser (ASU), 2nd overall in assists at 4.8 per game

I think Derek Glasser's assist numbers will slip now that he won't have NBA players James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph to pass to this season. His role with the team will also most likely change to where he will be asked to score on a more consistent basis (He is ASU's second highest returning scorer). He played a ton of minutes last season (33 per game) and even with the expanded scoring role, he should play around the same minutes per game this season. I think with all of these factors, his assist numbers will slightly drop.

Nic Wise (UA) 5th overall in assists at 4.6 per game

I think Nic Wise, like Glasser, will also see his assist numbers drop; and for much of the same reasons. Wise won't have NBA players Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger to pass to this season. He will also most likely become the team's go-to scorer this season given that he is the team's highest returning scorer, only senior, and the rest of his team will be made up of role players from last season and freshmen. Wise played over 36 minutes per game last season. I expect his minutes to go down this season which could negatively affect his assist numbers. New head coach Sean Miller is likely to give the freshmen players he recruited significant playing time this season and that should result in a deeper rotation (was only 6-7 deep this season) and less minutes for Wise. Wise will still play big minutes, it just won't be over 36 again.

Looking around the rest of the conference, there doesn't look like there is any other current or incoming player, other than Abdul Gaddy, who could really emerge and challenge the 3 players mentioned above for the assists title this season. If Gaddy is going to lead the Pac-10 in assists there are a couple of factors that he will have to overcome. First, Washington’s coach Lorenzo Romar is known for having a very deep rotation and I don't expect that to change this season. Just to put this into context with the rest of the conference, last season Washington had no player average more than 30 minutes per game, all of the players mentioned above were playing around 35 minutes per game. As good as Gaddy is going to be, he's not going to buck this trend as a freshman. Also contributing to the fact that this is unlikely, is that Washington already has a very capable upperclassmen point guard in Venoy Overton who is going to get major minutes this season. So when Gaddy is on the floor, he's going to have to be very efficient. I think this is likely to happen because Gaddy will have a ton of offensive options (arguably more than any other Pac-10 team) to distribute the ball to; and at all positions (Isaiah Thomas/Venoy Overton at the guard positions, Quincy Pondexter/Elston Turner on the wing, and Matthew Bryan-Amaning down low. In addition, the uptempo style of play Romar implements will lead to a ton of fast break opportunities for Gaddy to pick up assists.

The other major obstacle Gaddy is going to have to overcome is his youth and inexperience. The 3 players mentioned above will all be seniors and playing their fourth years in the conference. In contrast, Gaddy will be 17 years old when Pac-10 play starts. Gaddy will have to get also have to get used to the physical play in the Pac-10 and stay healthy. All 3 of the guys mentioned above have been very durable throughout their college careers; staying injury free for the most part despite playing major minutes.
Given all of these factors. I feel like Jerome Randle has to be the frontrunner to lead the conference in assists next season but Gaddy will be right there with him the entire time given he can stay healthy and get consistent minutes (at least 25 a game).

In typical Tmike fashion, here’s a highlight reel of Gaddy at the University of Arizona’s basketball summer camp at age 15.

Fashion Friday 07.10.09

noreply@blogger.com (Rymix) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:28:00 +0000

Happy Friday everyone! Decided we need a little break from the basketball and enjoy the end of the week with a few more fashion tips, looks and sites that are sure to bring a smile to your face.

Let's start off with a few stores and sites that definitely deserve some praise.

A few weeks ago a friend of mine introduce me to this site called 3sixteen (http://www.3sixteen.com). These two guys from NY are putting together some great outfits. I suggest checking it out. I've posted a few images from their site below. Some of the things might be a little pricey but the point of fashion is to create your own distinct style that best represents you. You don't necessarily have to spend $1,000 on a suit to look like you mean business, but you can take certain things you like from a $1,000 outfit and find a similar product at a cheaper rate.

When I went to Las Vegas a few months ago, I was able to stop by two very influential stores: Fruition and Undefeated. Fruition is a small boutique about 15 minutes away from the Las Vegas strip. If you stand outside the store most people will wonder why this is one of the most influential stores in the world, but little do they know that many celebrities buy their special one of a kind clothes there. Fruition has plenty one of a kind clothes from Saks Fifth Avenue, Dr. Romanelli, Jeremy Scott, Stussy, and many more. The staff that works there is very friendly and cool, no matter if you are Kanye West or some random grandma who happened to wander into the store. Check out their store if you are ever in LV or check out the site if you can't make it down there anytime soon (fruitionlv.com). The images below are from their store blog.

The other store I visited while in Las Vegas was this shoe store call undefeated. Many of you might know this place for it was in an Episode of Entourage. This is actually considered one of the top 3 shoes stores in the world. The store has a lot of limited edition Nikes, Pumas, Jordans, and other casual street shoes. Check out the site or the store, I mean even Robin Williams goes to visit! (http://www.undftd.com/)

Finally, a few times for this odd summer weather.

Tip#1 for guys: Clothes that match the weather.

Weather's been weird lately but still want to wear shorts and enjoy the sun? I suggest wearing a cardigan sweater and khaki shorts. You can either wear a a collard shirt, button up or a nice t shirt, preferably solid colored (not something you get at hot topic with a lame design). The contradictory look of wearing shorts with a sweater will give you that "wow.. impressive" look. To top it off you might want to wear a pair of Sperry Topsider shoes or nice flip flops.

Tip#2: Suits.

I always suggest wearing a suit. It is in the subconscious mind that people will take you a little more seriously if you dress to impress, so cough up a few bucks and get yourself a tan/beige suit for the summer. Banana Republic recently had a sale buy the jacket and get the pants for free. Men's wear house has a sale buy one designer suit and get a second one FREE. Trust me, it'll be worth it. Oh, and please don't forget to get it PROPERLY tailored (don't have mom sew it up for you).

Tip#3: Belts!

Here's a tip I learned 3 years ago while researching on fashion. If you are not planning on wearing a jacket or blazer, ALWAYS wear a belt. I cannot tell you how many people have failed to do this. If you are wearing a full suit, try not wearing the belt. According to many designers, as well as GQ magazine not wearing a belt while wearing a suit show confidence.

Those are my tips, enjoy the weekend and always remember, it doesn't matter what you wear it's all about whether or not you can pull it off!

NBA Teams Revenue Problem

hoopchill@gmail.com (TMike) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:19:00 +0000

The salary cap was just announced today for the 2009-2010 NBA season and for just the second time ever it was reduced, from $58.7 million to $57.7 million. Not too bad and understandable with the recession happening. The bigger news reported by ESPN, is that for the 2010-2011 season, the salary cap could be reduced to somewhere between $50.4 million – $53.6 Million.

Why is this a problem for the casual fan? Well, teams always expect the salary cap to continue to increase every year. Now with it decreasing this year and maybe even more next year, teams that are just at the salary cap or over it already risk going into the luxury tax zone, and losing money.

The reduced salary cap also affects the summer of 2010 because teams won’t have as much cap space as they hoped for for the big free agents. What this means for the free agents such as Lebron, Wade, Bosh, Amare, is that they might want to stay on their current teams where more money can be offered.

NBA teams were already losing money before the recession really hit the economy. Here’s a quick look at team income (aka: how much they’re making):

The small market teams are really struggling to make a good amount of money while the large market teams are surviving and even making globs of money. The exception for the small market is San Antonio, and the exception for the large market teams is Dallas (their owner just wants to win, no matter the cost).

Last year multiple teams were losing so much money they had to take loans from the NBA to just stay afloat. Why are NBA teams losing money? It isn’t just the economic recession that is causing this problem for the NBA. It is how NBA revenue is distributed.

In most professional sports leagues including the NFL and MLB revenue is shared. Not so in the NBA (other than the luxury tax and escrow system). Here is a little information from jonesonthenba.com:

“In the NFL, the home team splits the gate 60-40 with the the away team. In the NBA, the home teams keep everything. In the NFL 70%-75% of team revenue comes from revenue sharing. In the NBA it is only 20%-25%. In the MLB 35% of each teams local media revenues (TV, Radio, etc.) are put into a pot and redistributed. There is no such agreement in the NBA. In the NBA $49 million was redistributed for revenue sharing (via the lux tax and the escrow system) in 2008, while the MLB redistributed $300 million in 2005.”

If NBA owners would agree to redistribute their revenue equally or semi-equally among teams, a lot of the problems we are seeing with income would be less exacerbated. Smaller market teams wouldn’t be losing as much money if this was implemented and larger market teams wouldn’t make as much money. The NBA would be more competitive, with team owners willing to spend more to win, if they aren’t losing as much money in the process.

images via: wikipedia.org & forbes.com

Theory to a Championship (#2: Health)

noreply@blogger.com (Rymix) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:12:00 +0000

In the previous posting of "Theory to a Championship," I wrote about the importance of a coach and how great coaches lead dynasties. Another very important part in winning championships is health. Many underestimate how important this factor is. Injuries often play the largest role in a team's destiny. Injuries are liabilities to a team and furthermore they are liabilities to the franchise.

Many teams make the decision to keep their players even after injuries, in hopes that they would return to where they were before, but most of the time this is not the case. A good 85-90% of players who have severe injuries never return to the type of player they were or were suppose to be.

Example #1- Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway

In his final year at Memphis State Penny Hardaway averaged 36.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 3.9 steals, and 2.8 blocks. Now to give you a better understanding of how amazing these stats are, here are Michael Jordan's average stats in his final year at North Carolina: 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.6 steals. Penny had the vision and mentality like a point guard, scoring ability of a great shooting guard and athleticism of a forward. He was projected to be one of best players to have ever played, but unfortunately this did not happen for he had an injury plagued career. Injuries held him and his teams back from achieving greatness. Not once was he able to win a ring and yet franchises continued to put their hopes and dreams on this injury plagued player.

Example #2- Grant Hill

Often considered one of the best all around players in the NBA, Grant Hill was slated to be a great player in the NBA. Not to take away what he has accomplished (seeing as he is a 7 time All-Star), but he is most notably known for having an injury plagued career. Hill has yet to lead or help a team win a championship. If Hill was able to be a 7 time All Star with all these injuries image what he could have accomplished if he never got injured...

Yes there are exceptions to this rule. Dwayne Wade has had an injury filled plagued career since entering the NBA, but destroyed all skepticism about his skills this past 2008-2009 season. He was arguable Top 3 players in the NBA this year (as mentioned in a previous article on Hoopchill). Although Wade proved his true abilities, he is an outlier.

Looking back on this previous season, who would have guess that the Rockets, Celtics, Spurs and Hornets would barely put up a fight in the playoffs. These four were definite Championship contenders coming out of the All-Star Break, but it took one key injury (for some teams multiple) to end in all hopes of that coveted ring.

Now I might be stating the obvious, but teams need to realize that players like Tracy McGrady and Gilbert Arenas are the modern day Penny Hardaways and Grant Hills. They are both amazing players but odds are they will only be a shadow of what they could have been. Franchises need to realize that in order to save the franchise (and furthermore revenue) they must trade these types of players while they have much value or else they will forever be paying a player who will never step on the court completely healthy.

Top 10 NBA Players

noreply@blogger.com (DAWG) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:01:00 +0000

This is a conversation the other bloggers on Hoopchill and I have been having for some time and I thought I would post my thoughts on the topic. In putting the list together I took the following factors into consideration (not in any particular order):

Player’s statistical per game average (player must average at least 20 points per game or a double-double). Points (PPG) assists (APG), rebounds (RPG), blocks (BPG), steals (SPG)
NBA Awards won
How well player’s team performed during the season (must have gone at least to the NBA Playoffs)
Quality of the player’s teammates
Current state of the player’s health (cannot currently be suffering any serious injuries)
Whether the player is the team’s leader and “go-to” player

Note: the following top players were not considered because they were ineligible for failing to meet 1 or more of the above prerequisite factors:

Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics) – currently suffering from a serious injury
Yao Ming (Houston Rockets) – currently suffering from a serious injury
Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets) – did not average at least 20 ppg or a double-double.
Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors) – team did not make the playoffs
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) – team did not make the playoffs
Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers) – team did not make the playoffs

Before getting to the list, I want to clarify one aspect of it that may cause confusion. This is a list of players who I think are the best in the NBA RIGHT NOW. The list only takes into consideration the first game of the 2008-09 season to the Present. If I had cast a wider net and looked over the most recent seasons, you probably would have seen Steve Nash and Shaquille O’Neal on this list and Tim Duncan a lot higher. So without further ado here is my list for top 10 players in the NBA:

1. LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) Forward, Age 24
1st Team All-NBA, Regular Season MVP
1st place in the Eastern Conference (Best Record in the NBA)
PPG: 28.4 (2nd)
RPG: 7.6
APG: 7.2

Nobody has been this physically dominant in the NBA since Shaquille O’Neal in his prime. Now that he has developed a jumper to go along with his overpowering drives to the basket, nobody has been able to defend him one-on-one. Looking at his stats, LeBron is also, clearly, the most well-rounded player in the NBA today. At the forward position, LeBron averages more assists than elite point guards such as Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, and Devin Harris. Despite all of this, it was a difficult decision to put LeBron James here over Kobe Bryant. LeBron did lead his team to the best record in the NBA during the regular season in addition to winning MVP. On the other hand, Kobe led his team to an NBA Championship. What put LeBron over Kobe was that Kobe has a lot more talent and depth on his team than LeBron does. If LeBron’s team had comparable talent level and depth to what Kobe had this season, LeBron’s team would have been challenging the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ NBA record of 72 wins in a single season to along with an NBA title.

2. Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) Guard, Age 30
1st Team All-NBA, Finals MVP
1st place in the Western Conference, NBA Champs
PPG: 26.8 (3rd)
RPG: 5.2
APG: 4.9

With his patented fadeaways, ability to quickly get separation from defenders and finish plays, Kobe is about as unguardable as a player gets. What also makes him a special player is his ability to turn it up in the 4th quarter of games earning him the reputation of “Best Closer in the Game.” More importantly, and something that has been overlooked is that Kobe has also become the best leader in the NBA; which was a stark contrast from how he carried himself in his first few years in the league. Before, during, and after games, Kobe is constantly talking to his teammates, encouraging them, and making sure they are focused at the task at hand. The NBA hasn’t seen a player with this amount of hands-on leadership and desire to win and be great since Michael Jordan.

3. Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat) Guard, Age 27
1st Team All-NBA
5th place in the Eastern Conference
PPG: 30.2 (1st)
APG: 7.5
SPG: 2.2 (2nd)

There were major questions about what kind of player Dwayne Wade would be after suffering major knee and shoulder injuries over the past couple of years. Dwayne came back and surprised everyone with his play this season putting up 30.2 ppg good for best in the NBA. His quickness, explosiveness, and overall athleticism is unmatched in the NBA. These attributes have also allowed him to develop into one of the league’s better defenders averaging 2.2 steals despite not guarding teams’ primary ball handlers. To truly measure how valuable a player Wade is all you have to do is take a look at how much he helped the Miami Heat improve from last season. With Wade out most of last season due to injuries, Miami went 15-67 (last place overall). With Wade in the lineup and largely the same players as the previous year, Miami went 43-39 this year; good for 5th place in the East and a spot in the NBA playoffs.

4. Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) Center, Age 23
1st Team All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year
3rd place in the Eastern Conference, Eastern Conference Champs
PPG: 20.6
RPG: 13.8 (1st)
BPG: 2.9 (1st)

Dwight Howard is the best big man in the game today. He makes his presence known primarily on the defensive end of the floor leading the league in rebounds and blocked shots. His offensive game is still a work in progress as he gets his points primarily off of put backs, dunks, and free throws. Howard scores major points here for leading his team past LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers en route to the NBA Finals.

5. Brandon Roy (Portland Trailblazers) Guard, Age 24
2nd Team All-NBA
2nd place in the Western Conference
PPG: 22.6
RPG: 4.7
APG: 5.1

In his 3rd year in the league, Brandon Roy led the Trailblazers to a 2nd place tie in the West with the Nuggets and Spurs. Roy also received some pretty heady praise from the NBA’s best perimeter defender, Ron Artest, during the NBA playoffs calling Roy the best player he’s ever guarded. Roy is one of the few players in the league who really doesn’t have a weakness. If anything, he should be more assertive and less unselfish on offense given his all-around, complete game. Many people would put Chris Paul here given his stats but if you look at which player is leading their team to greater heights there’s no question that Roy is a better player than Paul. This is especially the case when you look at each player’s respective rosters. Paul has a multi-time NBA All-Star and 20+ ppg scorer in David West to help him out. Not only does Roy not have any other current or former All-Stars on his team, he has scrubs like Steve Blake, Joel Pryzbilla, and Nicholas Batum in the starting lineup with him. Yet, Roy led his team to 2nd place in the West and Paul only 7th place. Right now nobody in the NBA is doing more with less then Brandon Roy.

6. Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) Guard, Age 24
2nd Team All-NBA
7th place in the Western Conference
PPG: 22.8
APG: 11.0 (1st)
SPG: 2.8 (1st)

Chris Paul is the best point guard in the game today leading the league in both assists and steals. When you watch him play you can tell that he is a very crafty player weaving in, at, and around traffic and dropping dimes to his teammates. His court vision is one of the best in the NBA. One area where Paul could improve on is his leadership skills. He is still young and there’s little doubt that over the next few years he’ll lead his team from a 7th best team in the West to NBA title contenders.

7. Dirk Nowtizki (Dallas Mavericks) Forward, Age 31
1st Team All-NBA
6th place in the Western Conference
PPG: 25.9
RPG: 8.4
APG: 2.4

Dirk Nowitzki is a player most teams wish they had; a 7 foot forward who can hit 3 pointers and take defenders off of the dribble and pull up for mid range jumpers and fadeaways. The 7-footer’s high release is pretty much unblockable. His big time scoring numbers and 1st Team All-NBA recognition from the NBA reflects this. Nowizki’s inability to lead Dallas to more wins (6th place in the West) this season, despite all of the team’s talent, keeps Nowitzki from being higher up on this list.

8. Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) Forward/Center, Age 33
2nd Team All-NBA
2nd place in the Western Conference
PPG: 19.3
RPG: 10.7
BPG: 1.7

“Mr Fundamental” Tim Duncan is arguably the best power forward in the game today. Standing at a hair under 7 feet, Duncan has a size advantage over just about every player he goes up against. Surprisingly Duncan does much of his work facing the basket, gaining notoriety for his bank shots off of the side of the glass. While not putting up a ridiculous amount of points, Duncan gets placed on this list primarily for his solid rebounding and blocked shot numbers and co-leading the Spurs with Tony Parker to a 2nd place finish in the West despite Manu Ginobili being out for half of the season due to injuries.

9. Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) Guard/Forward, Age 31
2nd Team All-NBA
2nd place in the Eastern Conference
PPG: 20.5
RPG: 5.6
APG: 3.6

While not an elite slasher or long range shooter, Pierce can do all of those things on offense do them well; often making difficult shots and plays with ease. Where Pierce really shines though is in his ability to make clutch shots and plays down the stretch of games earning him the nickname of “The Truth” from Shaq after a game. Very few are more clutch than Pierce is right now in the NBA. Pierce also helps his cause here by leading his team to 2nd place in the East despite Kevin Garnett have a season ending injury causing him to miss the last 20 or so games.

10. Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) Guard, Age 27
3rd Team All-NBA
2nd place in the Eastern Conference
PPG: 22.0
APG: 7.0
SPG: 1.0

Parker is the leading scorer on the 2nd best team in the West. Parker possess elite speed and athleticism which allows him to blow by defenders with ease. With Duncan at the end of his prime, Parker is or will soon become the Spurs’ undisputed leader after sharing the title with Duncan this year. It was a tough call to put Parker ahead of Deron Williams here given the fact that Williams was second in the NBA in assists at 10.7 per game. However, Parker scored more and won more games that William’s team did so I gave the nod to Parker.

Other players considered and reason why left off of list:

Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets) – not the leader or even the best player on his team
Deron William (Utah Jazz) – team did not win enough games (8th place in West) despite having a multi-time All-Star, Carlos Boozer, playing alongside him
Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks) – solid but not a standout in any one of areas used to rank the players on this list. Every player on the list was a standout in at least 1 category, from leading the NBA in assists to leading his team to a top 3 finish in his respective conference.

H.O.R.S.E.’s Renaissance

hoopchill@gmail.com (TMike) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:29:00 +0000

About a week ago, SHAQ said he couldn’t believe that a kid named B. Manley was hitting crazy H.O.R.S.E shots on youtube (video below). So SHAQ challenged him to a game of H.O.R.S.E for $1000 on twitter. Manley’s shots are real, and if you read the SLAM article he says there was luck involved, but all the shots are legit, and some were even made on the 1st try. H.O.R.S.E, the basketball game, not the animal is having a renaissance in popularity with the new attention it has received recently.

I now see more people playing it at the neighborhood courts than ever before, even I played last weekend with a group of friends. This year it was even added back into the NBA All-star game, and even though it’s boring to watch on TV, there were a couple of nice shots made. OJ Mayo made one from the bleachers (youtube).

H.O.R.S.E can be played with people that have never played basketball or that have played their entire lives. I’ve played with friends, strangers, girls, my girlfriend, it doesn’t matter who you play with it’s still fun and competitive. It’s a game that’s really easy to pick up, and yet still involves skill. It also has a little luck involved, so anyone can win. The hardest part about H.O.R.S.E. isn’t who you play against, but coming up with imaginative shots.

So check out the video below and get some ideas for you next game of H.O.R.S.E.

Theory to a Championship (#1: Coaching)

noreply@blogger.com (Rymix) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:26:00 +0000

For the next few blog entries, I will talk about my theory on what is necessary to win a championship. Each and every team (or at least every dynasty) that has won a championship, really honed in on each of the topics I am going to write about.

In every form of competition, whether it be a war, corporation and especially a basketball game, a well suited leader must be present. He must be able to motivate those below him in order to achieve the best results. A general must provide the proper strategy to winning a war. A CEO must come up with the proper business plan for a company to not only beat out the competition, but to grow beyond expectations. A basketball coach must provide a plan. There are many good coaches in the NBA. NCAA and even highschool and YMCA clubs, but there are very few great coaches. The reason for this is simple, many coaches provide their teams with schemes to win the game, but very few provide plans to win championships. Without a plan to win the championship, it does not matter what players the team has, they will NOT win a championship.

If you look back to research on all the NBA dynasties you will find the names: Greg Popavich, Phil Jackson (twice), Pat Riley, and Arnold "Red" Auerbach. All these coaches had something very special in common, each had a plan to win the championship (in fact they planned on winning multiple championships). They not only focus on what would happen the next game, but they also planned ahead for the rest of the season and future seasons to come.

These types of coaches play basketball as if it were chess, thinking about the next three moves to stay a head of the game. They are not only able to play with the pieces they have, but they manipulate the game into getting the pieces they want.

Another important piece of this coaching puzzle is that all these great coaches teach that defense is the key to winning championship. Granted most of these coaches have offensive scoring machines (i.e Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan), but they also had 1st Team All Defensive Players (Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neil, and Tim Duncan). They knew that the key to an offensive basket was a defensive turn over. They knew to invest time in teaching the team the importance of boxing out for rebounds (i.e. Dennis Rodman, Shaquille O'Neil, Tim Duncan). They also believed that everyone, including their sixth man plays in important role in winning each championship (i.e Steve Kerr/Tony Kukoc, James Worthy, Robert Horry).

These are only a few reasons why very few coaches are considered great. Coaching is definitely one of the most underrated qualities a team is judged on. Without a great coach or a coach with a plan, you can pretty much kiss your season goodbye.

David Kahn Vs. Ricky Rubio

hoopchill@gmail.com (TMike) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:32:00 +0000

The battle of David Kahn versus Ricky Rubio is set for the summer of 2009. After selecting two point guards back to back for the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves, David Kahn has a decision to make this summer. Trade Rubio away, convince him to play this year in Minnesota, or let him go play in Europe.

Trading away Rubio should be the last resort for Kahn, but on the Dan Patrick show Kahn said he had already received multiple trade offers for Rubio. Donnie Walsh the Knicks GM even said publicly that he would love to have Rubio come play for the Knicks. The problem is that Kahn won’t be able to receive value for Rubio, if everyone knows that he has to unload him. There is almost no way that the Wolves will be able to get a player of equal value or talent, and Kahn has to know this.

Convincing Rubio to play for the Timberwolves is going to be a tough option as well. Rubio was basically playing for free this year in the United States since all 4 million would go to his buyout with DKV Joventut. All of the good will Rubio had for playing in the NBA was lost when the Wolves selected a 2nd point guard in Johnny Flynn. Rubio doesn’t want to have to compete for a starting spot, he wants playing time. If he is going to play for free, he at least wants to get enough minutes on the court to improve.

Letting Rubio go play is Europe is probably the best option for Kahn. Letting him play for a European team could develop Rubio for another 2 years, while costing the Wolves nothing. As Kahn said on the Dan Patrick show, this Timberwolves team is not going to be a contender for at least another 2-3 years. At that time Rubio would be 20 years of age and ready to contribute. This would also let Flynn slide into the starting point guard position and gain experience there, either becoming trade bait or a legit starter for the Wolves. It may not make the fans or coach (whenever they hire one) happy but it is the best option for the franchise.

Kahn’s two likeliest options are either trading Rubio or letting him play over in Europe. But Kahn who is a business man first and foremost, won’t mind stashing him over in Europe and letting him develop if it comes down to letting him go or keeping him.

Early Outlook: 2010 Player of the Year pt 2

noreply@blogger.com (DAWG) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:48:00 +0000

Here’s a look at who I expect will be contending for Player of the Year in the Big Ten next season.

The Frontrunners

Talor Battle (Junior, Guard)

Battle was one of the Big Ten’s most explosive scorers last season at almost 17 points per game. He also was remarkably consistent scoring in double figures in 34 of Penn State’s 38 games last season. As a sub 6-foot guard he also knew how to fill up the stat sheet averaging 5.3 rebounds and 5 assists per game. To win the award, Battle will need to continue to where he and his team left off last season as champions of the NIT and win the Big Ten while leading the team in scoring for a second year in a row. Playing right now for Team USA in Serbia against international competition should benefit Battle’s game tremendously.

Manny Harris (Junior, Guard)

Harris has been a big time scorer the minute he stepped on campus in Ann Arbor. As a freshman he averaged 16 points per game and as a sophomore 17 points per game. Last season, Harris was able to lead Michigan to the NCAA Tournament. With a third year now in Coach Beilein’s unique 5-out motion offense, I expect Harris to be even more comfortable on the floor and his numbers should next season should reflect that. To win this award, Harris, will need to take the next step and not just finish high enough in conference to garner an NCAA Tournament bid but will likely need to win the Big Ten title.

Robbie Hummel (Junior, Forward)

While he wasn’t Purdue’s leading scorer (E’Twaun Moore) or second leading scorer (JaJuan Johnson), Robbie Hummel clearly was and is the heart and soul of Purdue and its most valuable player. To put that into perspective, in Big Ten play, when Robbie Hummel was out of the lineup due to injury, Purdue went 1-3. With him in the lineup during Big Ten play, Purdue went 13-4. Hummel is also one of the toughest players in the nation, playing the most of the 2nd half of the season with a broken back and wore a back brace during games. Even with all of these intangibles, Hummel was no slouch in the statistical department putting up 12.5 points and 7 rebounds per game. With just about everyone returning to Purdue next season, they will be the co-favorites, along with Michigan State, to win the Big 10. If they do, and Hummel puts up similar or better numbers, he should win the award.

Kalin Lucas (Junior, Guard)

Michigan State’s leader in points and assists last season is the reigning Big Ten Player of the Year after helping the Spartans capture last year’s Big Ten championship. Last season Lucas averaged 14 points and a little under 5 assists per game. With the emergence of Raymar Morgan, Durrell Summers, and Chris Allen as scorers, I actually expect Lucas’s scoring numbers to drop slightly. On the other hand, his assists should go up now that he will be the team’s primary ball handler with the graduation of Travis Walton. One of the most overlooked stats in basketball, and one area where Lucas really shines is in turnovers. As a point guard he only averaged 2 turnovers a game and had the best assist to turnover ration in the nation last season.

Evan Turner (Junior, Guard/Forward)

Turner really came out of nowhere last season to lead the Big Ten in scoring at 17.3 points per game. As a 6’7 205 lb wing player, Turner was almost always able to take advantage of his size against the smaller players that were guarding him to get his shot off. At the same time he was also able to play against and outrebound bigger players at over 7 rebounds per game. Needless to say, Turner was a matchup nightmare. Playing for Team USA in Serbia right now should be a good test for him to see if he can continue to use his size and athleticism against international players who don’t exactly play the same style of basketball as the rugged Big Ten. Regardless, the experience should enable him to build on his game which was already good enough to carry Ohio State to the NCAA Tournament last year. Should Ohio State win the Big Ten, expect Turner to win Player of the Year.

Sleeper to look out for:

JaJuan Johnson (Junior, Center)

After a somewhat slow start to his sophomore season, the lanky center really picked up his game towards the end. In the last 5 games of the season, he averaged 17 points per game despite going up against future NBA big men in 3 of those 5 games (Hasheem Thabeet, B.J. Mullens, and Jon Brockman). At 6’10 Johnson will really need to step up his rebounding numbers from last season which were unacceptable at only 5.6 per game. These numbers are also somewhat surprising given that he averaged a little over 2 blocks per game and clearly demonstrated he didn’t have any problems playing above the rim. However, given Johnson’s upside and athleticism I expect his back to the basket game to improve and if it does, he could really flourish in the grind it out, offensively slow-paced Big Ten.

Early Outlook: 2010 Player of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (DAWG) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:50:00 +0000

I know its early and a lot can happen between now and when the season kicks off in October (see UCLA’s Drew Gordon) but here’s a look at who should be contending for Player of the Year next season in the Pac-10.

The Frontrunners:

Quincy Pondexter (Senior, Forward)

Pondexter will be the best player on arguably the preseason #1 team next year. It will be his team now that First Team All-Pac-10 selections Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon have graduated. Towards the end of last season Pondexter was carrying a much larger load offensively for the team and starting to dominate; he ended up averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds per game for the season. I expect him to do even more now that he is the #1 or #2 option every time down on offense. It also doesn't hurt his cause that he is doing starting and playing well for Team USA right now in Serbia.

Jerome Randle (Senior, Guard)

Randle, like Pondexter, will be the best player on arguably the preseason #1 team next year. He is the highest returning scorer in the Pac-10 (averaged about 18 points per game last year). A second year in Coach Montgomery's offense along with another year playing with the same guys he's been playing with four years, should help Randle improve on his already stellar play.

Isaiah Thomas (Sophomore, Guard)

Thomas is the Pac-10's reigning Freshman of the Year. A season ago he put up averaged a little over 15 points per game. Highly rated incoming freshman Abdul Gaddy and veteran Venoy Overton running the offense now should free up Thomas to look for his shot more; similar to what Justin Dentmon did last year. If Thomas continues to light up the score board and put up more than 20 points per game, and Washington wins the Pac-10, Thomas should win Pac-10 Player of the Year.

Klay Thompson (Sophomore, Guard)

Thompson was one of the top freshmen in the nation last season averaging double digit points per game (12.5) and similar to Pondexter began to be more assertive as the season wore on. Thompson could also really break out this season now that he is the undisputed leader of the team. Taylor Rochestie and Aron Baynes graduating should lead to more chances to score and the extra attention he will draw on offense should lead to some more opportunities for assists. If Washington State finishes in the top 3 in the Pac-10 and makes the NCAA Tournament with Thompson putting up big numbers, similar to what James Harden and Arizona State did this year don't be surprised to see Thompson win Pac-10 player of the Year.

Sleeper to look out for:

Michael Dunigan (Sophomore, Center)

Despite being highly rated coming out of high school and getting a ton of minutes, Dunigan had an average season as a freshman last year. Then again, he was going up against future NBA big men on an almost nightly basis (Jon Brockman, Jordan Hill, Jeff Pendergraph, Taj Gibson). Dunigan should dominate the Pac-10 now that he is the best center in the league that overall will be very weak at the position. If Oregon finishes in the top 3 in the Pac-10 and makes the NCAA Tournament with Dunigan averaging a double-double, similar to what Leon Powe and Ike Diogu did their last year in the Pac-10, Dunigan might be able to sneak in and take home the hardware.

Day of the 2009 NBA Draft (post #1)

noreply@blogger.com (Rymix) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:56:00 +0000

So today will be fill with plenty of stories (and plenty of posts). The first major story of the day is that Shaq was traded to Cleveland. Though this trade was significant (for it brings Lebron a significantly "larger" center), this post is more about how Shaq found out he was traded. I'm not really sure how accurate this is but there is an article on techcrunch, stating that Shaq found out he was traded through the powers of Twitter.

If this is true, shouldn't the players agent inform the player once these actions take place? Just a thought...

The irony of this whole story is that Shaq is one of the biggest celebrity twitter users. I guess technology helps you stay in the know

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/24/did-shaq-just-find-out-he-was-traded-on-twitter/