Offseason Hoops Stories

One of the NBA's motto use to be "I Love This Game" well now that we're on day 75 on the lockout the new motto should be "I Miss This Game". I admire that several marquee players pros and college stars are seeking employment in the Euroleague but I want the NBA lockout over IMMEDIATELY!!!! Since the summer leagues have come to an end and negioation are at a standstill, fans like myself will have to wait for Digger Phelps, Dick Vitale, Bobby Knight, and Steven Bardo for basketball to appear again on television. Let's take a look at some of stories this offseason/lockout:

• Turkey has become the new hot country for U.S. players to ball. Deron Williams, Demetri McCamey, Sherron Collins are playing there but DWill is the only player with the out clause once the lockout ends. Allen Iverson played there briefly last year. The competition has picked up in Turkey as well.
• Rucker Park has lost it's flavor as the best summer ball. The Drew League in LA was the most talked about league this summer have players like Brandon Jennings, Kevin Durant, John Wall, and Kobe Bryant play this summer.
• Chicago Pro Amms is now a joke. There were three leagues this summer, Marquette Park, South Suburban College, and my favorite Phoenix H.S. I never made it to the Marquette Park games this summer but I heard they were pretty intense but the few times I've attended South Suburban, it's not even a glimpse of IIT. South Suburban charges and they don't even have the marquee names to attract the crowds. Phoenix H.S. was the closet thing to IIT drawing up & coming Chicago stars like Jerome Randle, Sherron Collins, Oris Eldridge, Jermey Pargo, Royce Parren with cameo appearances by Will Bynum. No NBA players played at Phoenix and most notably, south side players did not play. All the game at Phoenix were intense (especially Sherron vs. David Bailey) with a Pro Amm like atmosphere with the crowds chanting WHAT WHAT WHAT!!!!!!!!
• Unlike 1998, players are bound together and are a lot smarter in 2011. Player President Derrick Fisher wrote a letter to the players in the League updating them on what's going on during the negotiations and wants them to remain sharp and hopefully they'll get back to work soon.
• Marquee underclassmen being smart and deciding to remain in college rather than turn pro. The 2012 NBA Draft is going to be one of the most loaded draft classes in NBA history.
• In conclusion..........I MISS THIS GAME

Potential Western All-Star Lineup

Next Thursday on TNT, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley will announce the starting lineup for the All-Star Game. The forward position in the Western Conference is without a doubt the toughest lineup to crack. Blake Griffin and Kevin Love deserve to start in the Staples Center but they must contend with the usual suspect which are 'Melo, Duncan, Dirk, and Pau Gasol. Rudy Gay and Al Jefferson are also gave great years but probably won't make the the lineup. With my view on the Eastern lineup in my previous blog here's who should start in the West:

F- Kevin Love - Forget to fact that his team is not winning there is no way the league's leading rebounder should be left out of LA. He also has the only 30 point 30 rebound game this season. He's a walking double-double part 1
F- Blake Griffin - MSBG aka Must See Blake Griffin.....highlight real is required nightly on ESPN and NBA TV but Karl Malone in training is also in the top ten in scoring and rebounding the the improved CLIPPERS. It also helps the game's at the Staple Center.  He's the other walking double-double part 2

C- Tim Duncan - The big fundamentals is boring but he's one of the best to ever play this game.
SG- Kobe Bryant - The real question will he win the games MVP
PG- Steve Nash - The Canadian seems to get better with age. His passes also are a highlight real plus he has unlimited range on his shot. 

Opening Night - Ring Night - Big 3 Battle

Huge night for TNT tonight as they prepare for a double header. The first game of the year has my favorite to win the Eastern Conference the Boston Celtics which features The O'Neals (Jermaine & Shaq), and elite point guard (Rondo), and the old big 3 (KG, Pierce, Allen). They will face the new big 3 (LBJ, DWade, Bosh) and the rest of the Miami Heat. The Heat will be without 3-point specialist Mike Miller until January as he injured his shooting hand in practice guarding LeBron. Plenty of scoring from Miami's Big 3 but they're bench is not a strong supporting cast. Meanwhile Boston lost Tony Allen but gained the O'Neals and have Nate Robinson, Big Baby, Delonte West as their supporting cast which should be more than enough to secure the victory tonight. Rondo should get a tripple double and one of the Celtics Big 3 will have a big game. Celtics by 10 tonight.

On the west coast, NBA Commissioner David Stern presents Kobe Bryant with ring #5 then shortly after Kobe & Co. should blowout Yao Ming & the Houston Rockets. Kevin Martin will have a hard time scoring with Ron Artest guarding him meaning Aaron Brooks will have to elevate his scoring by running circles over Derrick Fisher, Steve Blake, and Shannon Brown.

Both games should be interesting but tomorrow my Chicago Bulls will face the Oklahoma City Thunder. Good point guard match up Rose vs. Westbrook.

 

Eastern Conference Supremacy

 With Shannon Brown re-signing with the Champs along with the addition of Matt Barnes, Steve Blake, and Theo Ratliff, the Lakers will waltz through the Western Conference and make their fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. Their opponent remains to be determined as the Eastern Conference has reloaded. The Celtics, Heat, Bulls, Hawks, and Magic will beat each other up all season long but only one will face Kobe in June. Let's take a look at the contenders:

Atlanta Hawks: Swept by LeBron James the past two years the Hawks will most likely get swept this year as they have not imporved their roster during this free agancy period. Re-signing Joe Johnson was huge but a team full of wing players and an aging point guard will result in this team not representing the Eastern Conference.

Chicago Bulls: Not since Elton Brand traded to the Clippers the Bulls answered their low post answers by signing Carlos Boozer who should provide 20 points 10 rebounds at best. Chicago missed out signing JJ Reddick but added Kyle Korver for long distance shooting and Corey Brewer who's a defensive minded shooting guard. With the best young point guard in the League and Noah improving every year the Bulls should be the third or fourth best team in the East at best. CJ Watson is the backup point guard but I'm not sold on him.

Orlando Magic: Adding Chris Duhon finally give Jameer Nelson the quality backup he's needed since Rafer Alson. Re-signing JJ Reddick along with the addition of Quentin Richardson gives the Magic long distance shooting. If Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis have another disappearing act as they did against the Celtics, don't expect the Magic to return to the NBA Finals. Hopefully Superman learned some offensive moves from assistant coach Patrick Ewing.

Miami Heat: The winner of the 2010 free agency period appears to be the best team in the Eastern Conference.....on paper. The addition of LeBron James and Chris Bosh along with resigning Dwayne Wade spells trouble plus an increase in ticket sales. An extremely week bench means the three superstars will work extra hard for all 82 games. The addition of Mike Miller and the experience of Juwan Howard and Eddie House helps but not that much. Remember Wade and House are the only player on this team with championship rings.

Boston Celtics: The Black Irish are my predictions to win the  Eastern Conference. They're the only team that can play in the all-star game and legends game the same day. Adding the two O'Neals (Shaq & Jermaine) is a huge upgrade over the loss of Rasheed Wallace. Shaq will start until Kendrick Perkins returns but if he and Jermaine can play 20 minuets a game would be huge. Rondo will continue to run the team but this might be the last run for the future hall of fame line up of Shaq, KG, Pierce, and Allen.

Game 7 - Lakers Repeat

Yankees-Red Soxs, Ohio State-Michigan, Duke-North Carolina rivalry's have nothing on the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. Winners of the last two NBA titles squared off in an epic game 7 inside the Staples Center which resulted in Phil Jackson ending up with ring #11. In game 5, Phil Jackson mentioned the Boston Celtics are one of the worst 4th quarter team in the League and are terrible at closing games. That came to life as the Celtics were up by 14 with 6:42 left in the third but could not close out and nab title #18.

With Kobe Bryant not having his best performance, his teammates stepped up then Bryant closed out the game. Derrick Fisher and Ron Artest made clutch 3's along with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom out playing the Celtics big men.

Black Mamba notched his second NBA Finals MVP and celebrated Jordan style by standing on the table with his world champion hat on counting to 5 toward the rest of the Laker fans. When Michael Jordan won his 5th title, he did the exact same thing at the United Center. Will the Lakers 3-peat? Probably so because I do believe they'll re-sign Phil Jackson and Derrick Fisher. The rest of the team is locked up for years.

Thank You Ron Artest for one of the funniest post-game interviews of all-time:

• Part 1
• Part 2

NBA Finals - Celtics & Lakers

The NBA Finals finally begin tomorrow at the Staple Center between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics which is a rematch from the 2008 NBA Finals. This is the third straight Finals appearance for the Lake Show and the second out of three years for Boston. This also marks the finals between the last two NBA Champions.

Phil Jackson's squad knows that in order to compete, Kobe Bryant needs another teammate to also score otherwise this series will be similar to the 2008 one. Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom are capable of scoring 20 or more and occasionally Ron Artest but he's primarily here for defense. Doc Rivers's crew know that Rondo is now the engine of the Big 3 and everything starts and ends with him. Once again Laker point guards have their hands full with another speedy point guard.

Who should make an impact to this series:

• Rondo - Garnett, Pierce, Allen can have an average game but if Rondo doesn't step up, the Celtics become runner-ups.
• Pau Gasol - He must prove that he's not scared of Boston's bigs...primarily Kevin Garnett
• Ron Artest - Any extra scoring is helpful
• Andrew Bynum - Minimum 10 points 10 rebounds is expected
• Shannon Brown - The only other Laker guard that is not afraid to attack the basket

My prediction: Lakers in seven

NBA Conference Finals

I'm off to Cleveland, OH for the weekend hopefully I get a chance to visit Progressive Field and watch the Indians play the Reds. The NBA Conference finals resume this weekend in Phoenix and Boston and when I return to Chicago on Monday both the Celtics & Lakers should have a 3 - 0 lead.

A Laker-Celtics finals would be a ratings bonanza for ABC but this current Lakers have revenge on their minds as they were defeated by these same Celtics for the crown back in 2008. This time around I don't see anybody stopping Kobe Bryant as he and Derrick Fisher capture championship ring number 5.

Weekend Recap

With the rest of the world (including me) watching the Super Bowl, I have not neglected my hoops obligations, just this blog. Now that the week is up let me tell you what I've learned this week:

• I have no idea what to expect from the Bulls. They win 5 straight against playoffs teams then loose their next 3. Two against bad teams (Clippers, Sixers)
• U of Texas is overrated...Ever since they lost their #1 ranking they're dropped 3 out of the last 5. Expect a loss against Kansas tomorrow night. 
• ILLINI.....The victory against Michigan State was huge for there tourney resume but I still expect them to be the 5th Big 10 team to make the dance
• U of Kentucky...The entire starting 5 will enter the 2010 draft with John Wall going 1st along with Cousins & Favors being lottery picks
• Pac 10 Basketball is a joke....California & Washington were supposed to be top 25 teams all years but like their conference, they stink
• Chris Paul is not coming back this year...serious knee injury should shut CP3 down until 2011....4-6 weeks yeah right
• The Lakers have a team (without Kobe)...Last night's victory at Portland without Black Mamba proved the Champs have fire power
• Finally............Since I lived in New Orleans for 5 years....GO SAINTS!!!!

New #1 Goes Down

The newly crowned #1 Kentucky Wildcats receive an encouraging phone call from President Obama on maintaining being on top. As a result John Wall & Co. did not play like a number one team against South Carolina. The end result the student body rushes the floor as South Carolina pulled off the SEC upset. The highlight of the game was a vicious crossover from Devin Downey (30 pts) and finished high off the glass. It doesn't matter because UK will still be seeded #1 come March.

Kentucky Wildcats did not learn from the Lakers when interacting with the Commander in Chief. Yesterday Kobe Bryant and the Lakers met President Obama then today handled business against the Washington Wizards. The two highlights of the game was an nice wrap from Mike Miller along with Shannon Brown finishing a lob pass.

Jalen Rose & Jimmy King were in Ann Arbor to see Michigan play Michigan State. I thought the Wolverines would steel the victory but Big 10 POY Kalin Lucas hit a jumper with a few seconds left to seal the victory. I don't know what was louder the student body at Ann Arbor or Jalen Rose's red sports coat.

TNT announces the all-star reserves this Thursday and I'm really pulling for Derrick Rose to make the game.

KOBE GAME WINNER IN 2010

With the Lakers down by 2 with 4 seconds to go in the game the old saying "Never let the superstar beat you" should have applied to the Sacramento Kings tonight but it didn't. You did not need an IQ to know which Laker player was going to take the last shot and when the Lakers inbounded the ball 3....2....1....Kobe......swish....game!!!! For those keeping score this was Black Mamba's third game winning buzzer beating shot this season. The Heat & Bucks should now comfort the Kings because they've all been victimized by Black Mamba.

Meanwhile in the Dirty South...Atlanta for those that don't know, The Hawks were abused by the return of Nate Robinson to the tune of 41 points. I agree with the Knicks coach for punishing Nate for him shooting in the Nets basket but 14 games of DNP was too much especially for a guy scoring 17 off the bench.

It was good to see that Jason Williams still knows how to dribble because he brought out some 1999 moves against Luke Ridnour the other day. The same applies for Jamal Tinsley with the Rucker park tricks. Glad to see the "old" guards still have game.

Dunking On Reindeer

The Christmas game between the Cavs and Lakers was not that....a game. Was this a statement game......nope I always hated when the press states that a regular season game is a statement game. Unless those two teams meet in the playoffs and whoever wins...that's the statement game. Kobe & the Lakers know that they'll win the Western Conference but I can't say the same about Cleveland. The Cavs have to battle Eastern Conference supremacy with Boston & Orlando. Overall, LeBron dunked on Blitzen, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Donner, and the rest of the Lakers.

With this being college football season, the bowl games have taken over the sports world especially with Urban Meyer taking a leave of absence. I would not be surprised if he had a change of heart and left for one the NFL coaching jobs. He has nothing left to prove in Florida. 

Here in Chicago the high school holiday tournaments are up and North Lawndale Prep won the Malcom X shootout and the Proviso West tournament kicked off this weekend. That tournament hasn't had the same flare since 1996 when Jimmy Sanders and Westinghouse pulled off the upset over Ronnie Fields and Faragut.

Well, that's it for now...until next time. Big O

Kobe #2 on Lakers Scoring List - Gasol Returns

Congratulations to Kobe Bryant for becoming #2 on the Lakers all-time scoring list passing up Kareem. It was not a great night for Chicago guards on TV last night. Jerome Randle, Evan Turner, and Derrick Rose all suffered defeats last night.

ATTENTION NBA TEAM....THE LAKERS ARE AT FULL STRENGTH

With the return of Gasol, I'm scarred of the Lakers. It doesn't matter that they're weak at the point guard position they have a healthy Bynum, Gasol, Bryant, Odom off the bench, and a bunch of roll players (mostly Shannon Brown) I don't see why Phil Jackson should collect ring #11 come June.

Last week the rich just got richer. When North Carolina loses players, they just reload. Last week they landed the #1 recruiting class in the country by landing Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock, and Kendall Marshall. That's the #1 point guard, small forward, and shooting guard for 2010. With the potential departure of Larry Drew II and Ed Davis after this season, John Henson will have the best recruiting class around him which should keep North Carolina Final 4 bound for 2010-2011.

Well there's plenty to watch this weekend, please take my poll and visit my homepage here.

Chicago Guards on TV Tonight

Please tune in to watch Jerome Randle, Evan Turner, and Derrick Rose on TV tonight.

• Jerome Randle (Cal) plays Syracuse on ESPN 5pm central. Without Johnny Flynn I see Jerome having his way with the Syracuse guards.
• Evan Turner (Ohio State) plays North Carolina after the Syracuse/Cal game. Turner has the ball handling ability to play the point and we'll watch him all season long as he plays the 1. Larry Drew II has a tough assignment tonight.
• Derrick Rose - The second game on TNT tonight will feature the 2008 #1 pick as he picks apart Fisher, Brown, Farmer but not Kobe. Pooh refuses to get a haircut until he has a good game. Hopefully he'll be in the barbershop after tonight's game.

Good luck tonight and make our city proud. Congrats to Brandon Jennings for being named NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week

Summer Hoops in Chicago

Many have claimed New York City is the basketball mecca of the world. Dime Magazine claimed Los Angeles is the new point guard capital of the world. They are wrong on both counts. New York City has the famous Rucker Park tournaments every summer but it reminds me of the And1 Streetball Mixtapes. Chicago has the Pro Amms in IIT and there motto is "Get Exposure of Get Exposed"!!!! That same theory applies to all outside parks in the city of Chicago.

Growing up in Da Chi I've always enjoyed that I can't go 1 mile without finding the nearest pickup games. This summer I've played at Foster Beach, Marquette Park, Hayes Drive, North Ave Beach, 43rd St Beach, and various X-Sports Fitness Centers.

Typical Chicago fashion everybody goes hard at one another (we're sore losers) and everybody wants to run the point. Ball hogs are everywhere but everywhere I played, some guys have talent while other guys had heart. The younger generation are more athletic but they lack fundamentals. The problem is players today are told they're the next coming of Kobe Bryant and they believe their own hype. Once they suffered the loss waiting to be picked up for the next run, they sit the sideline blaming their other teammates for the loss.

This summer players today travel to different parks with other ball players on their own 5. I travel alone just looking to get a good run and throw no look passes. Double rims are the new rims outside meaning this new generation will have a pure jump shot. I'm not a fan of the double rim because it's harder for shot to fall.

As the summer winds down, I'll still continue to play outside until Mother Nature tells us it's time to play indoors. When that time comes, you can find me in Foster Park or an X-Sports Fitness near you.