Posted Friday, June 24, 2011 01:30 AM
The NBA is starting to stear clear of headcases.
No longer do you see high picks used on the likes of Rasheed Wallace, Isaiah Rider and Derrick Coleman. Think the Kings and the rest of the league learned their lesson after having ongoing issues with DeMarcus Cousins last year? This season, they made moves to acquire All-American Jimmer Fredette.
And take a closer look at the headcases in this year’s NBA Draft.
Josh Selby, who took impermissible benefits at Kansas and suffered through bouts with injuries and immaturity, saw his stock fall from lottery lock to second round slider.
Illinois guard Demetri McCamey, who was projected by many to be the Big Ten Player of the Year, had more off the court run ins with coach Bruce Weber for his attitude than anything else last season. In fact, Weber benched him during the year for his lack of effort and poor leadership. As a result, the elite talent went undrafted on Thursday night.
Are NBA teams getting smarter about drafting headcases?
Posted Monday, June 13, 2011 12:00 AM
Why didn’t LeBron James demand the ball down the stretch in the fourth quarter of Game 6?
At no point did it seem like Dwyane Wade or LeBron wanted to step up and lead the team. During Game 3 when Wade called out LeBron for passing up open jumpers, it seemed like something snapped in James and he had checked out for the rest of the series. Rarely from that point on did it seem like James had any kind of spark.
And why the hell did Miami decide to let the offense run through Mario Chalmers in the fourth quarter? Chalmers plays like a superstar even though he is a marginal NBA starter. Sometimes this swagger can lead to prolonged stretches of greatness – and sometimes they are just a hot mess, like his play in the fourth.
But no player stepped up to call him out or set things straight.
Instead, Wade continued to pout about bad calls and tough breaks while LeBron forced too many shots and continued to be unsure of his roll. He better figure out what it is before next season starts.
Why didn’t Wade or LeBron at least try to take emotional control in the fourth quarter? Why did they both keep deferring to Chalmers?
Posted Sunday, May 22, 2011 10:54 PM
Mine is easy to name so far. Forget about bad beats. Think about a time you were just plain wrong.
On Saturday night I was sure that the Thunder would come out strong against the Mavericks. In an arena that more closely resembles a college gym than a pro home court, Oklahoma City has one of the best fan advantages in the NBA.
Combine that with what I thought would be an inspired early performance from benched point guard Russell Westbrook, and my large wager on the Thunder -1/2 for the first quarter turned out to be a bigger flop than Crystal Pepsi. The first frame ended up being dominated by Dallas, which put together arguably its best period of the season.
The Mavericks were in charge from the start, the Thunder were ice cold and the visitors raced out to a 27-12 lead and eventually hung on for the victory.
From college football, I still remember taking UCLA +1 against BYU which ended up rolling the Bruins, 59-0. Ouch. For pro hoops, I won’t forget this one anytime soon.
What was your biggest slip up this NBA postseason? Miss any obvious signs or just luck out?...
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Posted Sunday, May 01, 2011 11:38 PM
So swearing at a player in the NBA gets you a technical foul? That was the rationale the officiating crew used to eject Boston's Paul Pierce in the team's 99-90 loss to the Heat.
No one will say Pierce didn't deserve a technical for getting in the face of the Heat's James Jones after a hard foul. But when Dwyane Wade lowered his should and plowed into Boston's captain midway through the fourth quarter, it should have been a flagrant foul on Wade.
Instead, Pierce got ejected for cussing at Dwyane Wade.
Listen, I am fine with this rule if that's how they are going to apply it. I am an admitted Boston homer and if Pierce deserved the second T I can live with it -- If he swore at an official he was a dummy. And I still think Boston would have lost even if Pierce did play down the stretch. But next time a player swearts at another I better see a technical.
Here is the quote from referee crew chief Dan Crawford in-case you missed it.
What did Paul Pierce do to merit the second technical with seven minutes remaining?
Crawford: "It's what we call a verbal taunt. He directed profanity towards [Dwyane] Wade. And in the rulebook, that is a verbal taunt. And it just so happened to be Pierce's second technical foul."
I take it back.
Know what Dan? That call is BULLSHIT. Go ahead and T me up.
Did Pierce deserve it? Is NBA officiating the worst of any sport?...
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Posted Wednesday, March 02, 2011 09:52 PM
Don’t look now, but the Atlanta Hawks are putting it all together.
The team is 3-1 SU and ATS since acquiring guard Kirk Hinrich and has seen the under hit in each of those games. Hinrich is a solid defensive player, but his grit and well-rounded play appears to give the team more flexibility with deploying Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague off the bench. Crawford can score in spates, but is a bit of a ball stopper on offense and can be a turn-style on defense.
Meantime, Teague has shown flashes of ability in the backcourt, but Hinrich’s ability to play both backcourt positions makes him a hot commodity.
“Certainly we would like to get in that position where we can get the fourth spot or get on a roll and we get the third spot,” Atlanta coach Larry Drew said. “Our focus is just to take it one game at a time.”
The Hawks are a mere two games back of the Magic for the fourth spot and if they get real hot – a mere five behind Chicago for the third seed. And Atlanta just upended the Bulls on Wednesday night.
Does Hinrich make the Hawks a contender in the East? How good can they be?
Posted Saturday, February 19, 2011 01:13 PM
Who doesn't love the dunk competition?
I have been a huge fan of this dating back to Jordan taking off from the free throw line. However, the rash of "Oh, look, Nate Robinson's little and his dunking is cute so let's give him the title" has pissed me off.
So when I found a
fantastic montage of dunks from the past FOREVER I had to send it along.
The Web site Hoopism is awesome and a great way to spend time. I also love their "Greatest Shots" shot chart and videos attached.
Enjoy and enjoy the Slam Dunk Competition. I know I will if my boy DeMar DeRozan (+375) takes the title belt this year.
Who do you think will win? Do you still get excited for the Slam Dunk Competition?