Do My Eyes Decieve Me...?

...or are there so many teams playing shitty basketball. My eyes are fine, but the NBA isn't. There are way too many franchises right now, that well... just suck.

-The Seattle Supersonics- Kevin "Jeezus" Durant was supposed to lead the Suckersonics to the post season with his entry to the NBA. Instead of referring to him as Jesus, people only use that term after he shoots. Seattle Weekly puts a fun spin on the Sonics season with a drinking game, simply titled "Sonics Drinking Game".

Here are some excerpts:


Fuck it. Let’s get drunk.
-Kevin Durant takes a shot that would have gotten you benched on your high school, junior high, or rec league team.
-Chris Wilcox dunks.
-Robert Swift looks like a victim stuck in a bully’s body.
- Damien Wilkins pump fakes.
-Jeff Green’s jersey looks too small for him.
-You find yourself examining the southern shore of PJ’s beard for grip marks.
Help me forget!
-Kevin Durant takes a shot.
-Chris Wilcox grabs a rebound.
-A Sonics player misses a defensive rotation or fails to close out, leading to an open shot for the opponent.
-Jeff Green plays better defense than Rashard Lewis.
-Wally Szczerbiak’s dribble game reminds you of your dad’s.
-You find yourself thinking, “I hope they don’t move to Oklahoma City.”

It's sad enough to see the hometown making fun of the team, but they should feel no shame seeing that this team is a joke. I know Durant wasn't going to be the stud everyone thought he was (at least immediately), but he sucks. He shoots terrible shots at a low percentage and can't dominate a game like he did at Texas. Their starting 5 is inexperienced, lazy on defense, doesn't rotate on defense, and is more about ME than WE.

I'm not saying that this team won't contend in five years, but I am saying this team is shitty right now.

-The Miami Heat- Usually I'm so quick to say "I told you so" when coming to NBA discussion topics, but with this one, I can definitely say I was wrong. I really thought Miami was going to contend for another title this year, but to my dismay, they suck. Dwyane Wade is clearly playing hurt. I've never seen someone appear as if their giving birth as much as Wade does when he absorbs a little contact. They are playing uninspired basketball which leads to Ricky Davis being their second leading scorer, guys like Chris Quinn, Marc Blount, ALEXANDER JOHNSON and Luke Jackson getting respectable minutes. Their lineup and rotation are about as respectable as Greg Ostertagg... not very. This team will suck for a couple years, but could strike gold in the lottery this year, there are some great young players in the NCAA that would fit nicely on this roster... (Derrick Rose)

-The Bulls- I don't need to go indepth about this pile of shit they call an NBA franchise. They suffer from the following symptoms:

1. Size
2. Shooting
3. Rebounding
4. Team Defense
5. Individual Defense
6. Ben Wallace

These are diseases that are uncurable at the moment, but could be fixxed at some point in my lifetime, though not likely.

- T-Wolves- When I read Adam F's article on the Wolves, I disagreed greatly with his whole approach at the Wolves. This is a team that I agree, can be good, but right now they are worthy of the worst record in the league. They just lack experience. Players like Craig Smith haven't adjusted to the speed of an NBA game, or to a veteran officiating system that take experience into account. They do underachievem but it will take them time to succeed in the NBA. The addition of Randy Foye will help with scoring and guard defense, but right now this team has too many shoes to fill. It's really nice to see what Al Jefferson is capable of after leaving Boston, but lets not get ahead of ourselves, he puts up great numbers, but if every game results in a loss, no one cares.

-The Knicks-I don't have enough time to write about this God forsake franchise, I need to get sleep sometime.... But here are some fun stats...

1. Zach Randolph is averaging .1 blks/game
2. Isaih is still coaching.
3. Marbury is averaging 4.7 asts to lead the team.
4. Eddy Curry is shooting 57% FT, and averaging 14.
5. Jamal Crawford is their leading scorer.

Okay, I know they just beat the Pistons in a blow out, but every dog has their day. This team is pure trash, they play so lazy on defense, I want to get Eddy Curry a pillow, a blanket, and a 40 oz. when he's on defense, or doesn't have the ball, just so he could get some entertainment. Hell, maybe the liquor will get him to shoot a higher %, but I don't know if there is anything that could accomplish that.

The Clippers- I like the Clips, once Elton Brand is healthy at the start of next year, they will be in playoff contention in the west, mark my words. Brand and Kaman are as good as any frontline in the league, and they will wreak havoc next year.

The Grizzlies- I read a stat today... When Mike Miller 17+ the Grizz are a shitty 10-11. When Mike Miller scores less than 17, the Grizz Kids are a Trent Meachem like 0-16. Yowsers, that is really shitty. That about sums it up too. The Grizzlies lost that spark that they had before Pau got hurt.

The Bobcats- This team suffers from a weak bench. I know they aided that with the addition of Nazr Mohammed, but still. Sam Vincent must love Jeff McInnis, because honestly, there is no reason for this guy to be getting 20 mpg. He is trash. Raymond Felton really hasn't panned out yet for this club, and they have trouble finding where to put Gerald Wallace against bigger teams (and smaller ones). They even tried starting J-Rich at 3 (stupid). For a team that likes to run this small, they should be fast breaking it every chance they get, but they love to run the half court set for some reason. Coaching change please.

76ers- They just suck. Everyone loves watching Andre Iguodala, but honestly, this team doesn't have much to offer outside of that. Andre Miller is a very bad PG for the system that Mo Cheeks is trying to implement in Philly, and I could bet you 1$ of my personal assets that you can't name the starting five... nuff' said.

-The Milwaukee Sucks- They suck. What more can I say. They are predictable on offense, and feature two guards that are shoot first. Mo Williams can list himself at PG, but his shoot first mentality doesn't mesh with a pure shooting guard like Michael Redd. Not to mention, both guards give up a lot on defense. They really don't have a small forward. Sure, Bobby Simmons is a nice 6th man, but that's all he is. With Desmond Mason on the IR, this team lacks depth at the 3, and until they can get a consistent Small Forward they suck.... (Michael Beasley anyone?) Not only is it the 3, its the 4 and 5. Yi was a great draft pick, and I think he will be a stud, but they need more interior help.

You Can't Judge This Book By It's Cover...

As i was doing my everyday check of the ESPN archive yesterday, i came across this: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/features/worst. It was an interesting look as to how the Timberwolves of this season are in prime position to become one of the worst, if not the worst team in the history of the NBA. As you can see, they have a chart comparing the Wolves season this year to the dreadful 72-73 76ers (a solid 9-73 record that year). Are they really that bad though? I'm aware of the 5-29 record up to date, but they can't be in the running for worst team of all time. Can they?

The answer is a solid, and overwhelming No in my opinion. In fact, i believe they have a decently talented team; believe it or not. They've been hit with some bad breaks this year, but are still putting quality performances out on the court night in and night out. So now your asking, Adam; how can they be putting in quality performances every night? They're 5-29, and in last place in the L. Well, when we take a deeper look into their season, we realize that they've lost 14 of their 29 games by less than 10 points. Most of those are by less than 5 points. This includes a 109-103 loss at Dallas.

They've been missing last year's breakout guard; Randy Foye, for the entire season as well. Add him back to this lineup, and I'm guessing they win at least half of those games that were decided in the 4th quarter (Foye was Mr. 4th quarter last year).

Now it's time to examine the roster... They have the typical rebuilding roster (what else would you expect after trading the Big Ticket?). However, unlike most other rebuilding teams; they have a building block for the future in Al Jefferson. Now the average Joe NBA Fan out there is asking, Who in the world is Al Jefferson? Well, he's the talented piece that they got back in the KG trade this summer. He turned 23 last week, and is putting up veteran PF/C numbers night in and night out. To date, hes averaging 21 pts, 12 rbs, 1.5 blocks, 1 stl a night for them. Not a bad piece to build off of. Then we take a look at the rest of this roster, and realize that they're surprisingly much more talented than you would think. However, they all are very young; which means they're going to struggle quite a bit against the older teams. Rookie Corey Brewer has shown he can play when given minutes this season. Rashad McCants is looking more and more like a go-to guy this season. Especially recently, with games of 27, 21, and 34 this week alone. He's getting 15 a night, and is looking more and more comfortable. That goes for Craig Smith and Sebastian Telfair as well. Both have showed flashes that they could be great this season, and have improved as the season went on.

That leads me to my next point. Smith, McCants, Telfair, and Jefferson have all looked better and better both as individual players, as well as playing together with one another since the season began. This can only lead me to believe that this will continue, and therfore; more and more games will be won as the season plays on. When they add Foye back to this lineup, they're sending out a lineup that looks like this:
PG Telfair- 10, 6, 3 a game
SG Foye- 15,4,4 last year
SF McCants- 15,3,2 a game
PF Smith- 11,5 a game
C Jefferson-22,12 a game

Now you tell me that once these guys all feel comfortable together and as an individual player in the NBA, that this team can't turn it around... To be honest, I'll choose this lineup post all-star break over most of the other non-contenders in a heartbeat. They may have started 5-29, but there is no reason to even think about comparing them to the 72-73 Sixers. My prediction; i wouldn't be surprised what so ever to see them win 25 more games, to finish 30-52. Which would mean over .500 ball from here on out, and yes, they can do it.

The Warriors Are a Slow Team

-The Phoenix Suns are too.

So after a talk with a personal friend of mine, for the sake of the blog we will refer to him as "The Notorious" from now on. Personal friends of mine will know who I am referring to. He gave me the comment- "Teams like the Warriors, teams like the Suns... back in the 80's they would be just an average paced team, and wouldn't even make the playoffs. I refuted the statement, and we agreed in the end that the Suns would make the playoffs with ridiculous athelticism the 80's couldn't handle, and a team led by Nash, but I did agree with my knowledge on the NBA in the 1980s that the GSW's wouldn't be contenders.

I do believe the NBA in the 80's and even the 90's is better than it is now, but for The Notorious to call the Warriors and Suns slow teams... it made me go to the drawing board.

I decided to conduct research on the GSW's, and the Suns' Offensive PPG and Op PPG, to make it simple, and easy to compare. 2007-2008 season.

-GSW: PPG:108.71 Op PPG: 107.71

-PHX: PPG:110.11 Op PPG:104.23

-TOTAL TEAMS OVER 100 PPG: 10

I took a flashback to the 1980's, specifically 1987-1988. I thought this was a good year to pick. A Lakers over Celts matchup, which incorporated Magic vs Bird. I wanted to see how many teams were around GSW and PHX's point totals, and how many teams were over 100 points per game.

Wow. I was truly astoundished at what I found.

It was no shock that BOS and LAL were at the top of the list with over 112 ppg, but with 23 teams in the NBA that year (1987-1988) 22/23 teams were scoring over 100 ppg. And all 23/23 teams were give up over 100 ppg.

Wow how times have changed. I guess the Notorious was right. I myself love to watch great defense in an NBA game, and consider most players who take defensive possessions off dogs (unless they are really superior). Was the defense in those times that bad, or the offense that good... for the answer to that you be the judge.

These two could fill a stat sheet in their day.

Still Time to Prevent a Tragedy...

Every year, the dumb ass fans that are able to punch holes in a piece of paper, or press SEND on their computer vote the wrong guys into the starting lineups. Every God DAMN year. It really is a tragedy, because there are guys starting the game on the bench who have had twice the year that the starter in their position are having. It's a popularity contest, and always will be for the All-Star starters, the 40 year old "Gigantic NBA Fanatic" who watches a game a month, but tells all his buds at the local Pub that he's an expert votes for an injured star instead of the guy busting his ass for 20,6,6 a night. The 9-year old elementary school Balla wants to see the washed up Diesel start over the dude from across the state averaging 22 and 15. The latest All-Star balloting update came out this afternoon, and we're still messing up. We all know the system is flawed, but we're on the verge of another tragedy this year, and you still have time to prevent this one America!

ALL-STAR GAME 2008: "DON'T &*@^ THIS ONE UP AMERICA!!!!"

As of today, this is what were looking at...

2008 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING EASTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: Kevin Garnett (Bos) 1,527,963; LeBron James (Clev) 1,294,019; Chris Bosh (Tor) 411,313; Paul Pierce (Bos) 352,243; Yi Jianlian (Mil) 291,447; Caron Butler (Was) 187,396; Hedo Turkoglu (Orl) 172,720; Tayshaun Prince (Det) 155,502; Josh Smith (Atl) 143,518; Rashard Lewis (Orl) 143,118.

Guards: Dwyane Wade (Mia) 1,019,582; Jason Kidd (NJ) 743,683; Ray Allen (Bos) 617,123; Vince Carter (NJ) 612,543; Gilbert Arenas (Was) 511,763; Chauncey Billups (Det) 331,872; Michael Redd (Mil) 221,777; Richard Hamilton (Det) 163,250; Joe Johnson (Atl) 149,367; Andre Iguodala (Phi) 140, 292.

Centers: Dwight Howard (Orl) 1,260,987; Shaquille O'Neal (Mia) 609,597; Rasheed WallaceBen Wallace (Chi) 146,332; Andrew Bogut (Mil) 132,469; Jermaine O’Neal (Ind) 120,690; Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Clev) 77,350; Emeka Okafor (Cha) 74,269; Zaza Pachulia (Atl) 58,430; Eddy Curry (NY) 53,084. (Det) 162,792;

2008 NBA ALL-STAR BALLOTING WESTERN CONFERENCE

Forwards: Tim Duncan (SA) 1,049,641; Carmelo Anthony (Den) 1,029,335; Dirk NowitzkiCarlos Boozer (Utah) 347,899; Shane Battier (Hou) 297,672; Shawn MarionJosh Howard (Dal) 285,580; Luis Scola (Hou) 279,970; Kevin Durant (Sea) 242,953; Grant Hill (Pho) 209,057. (Dal) 830,970; (Pho) 296,917;

Guards: Kobe Bryant (LAL) 1,234,111; Tracy McGrady (Hou) 809,395; Allen Iverson (Den) 694,611; Steve Nash (Pho) 684,813; Manu Ginobili (SA) 360,408; Tony Parker (SA) 316,541; Chris Paul (NO) 261,169; Baron Davis (GS) 247,187; Jason Terry (Dal) 218,052; Jerry Stackhouse (Dal) 192,017.

Centers: Yao Ming (Hou) 1,077,244; Amaré Stoudemire (Pho) 583,249; Marcus Camby (Den) 221,527; Erick Dampier (Dal) 184,689; Pau Gasol (Mem) 139,254; Mehmet Okur (Utah) 112,434; Tyson Chandler (NO) 98,424; LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 93,043; Chris Kaman (LAC) 83,516; Andris Biedrins (GS) 81,611.

So lets examine what all the geniuses out there have voted for up to date...

EAST:
The forward starters are great, KG and LBJ are the 2 deserving starters. Ignore the rest of the guys rankings, because the coaches choose the reserves, and Caron Butler will be stealing balls by the middle of the first quarter come February.

Guards are fine with me, not how i would have them; but i can live with it. My ballot had Chauncey and Dwayne... but i can live with a guy whose got a legit chance to be the first guy to average a triple double since the Big O. But Chauncey is leading a first place team, and has a higher PER. (Sidenote on guards... DOES THE PUBLIC REALIZE GILBERT HAS PLAYED IN 8 GAMES THIS YEAR? HE STILL HAS MORE VOTES THAN CHAUNCEY, REDD, AI2, RIP AND JJ??? COME ON AMERICA...)

Center... FINALLY the fans got it right. Shaq has been starting over more deserving players for a few years now, but now the new beast of the east will strut his stuff come February 17th. If your bored or have some free time, I'd love to hear who the 2nd best center in the East is? who gets that spot? Because i sure have no idea...

WEST:
Forwards... Again, i can live with Duncan and Melo starting this one... but personally, Boozer and Dirk are more deserving. Boozer was my number one forward in the conference, and i choose Dirk by a hair over Timmy, Shawn, Melo and Jhoward, amd Al jefferson (who isn't even in the top 10 for forward votes in the west... does anyone realize hes going for 22 and 12 a night?)

Guards...Oh boy...Umm.... Geez.... The toughest 2 spots in the L, and we as a country have messed it up. There was really no way to go wrong. Kobe is a shoo-in, and we could place about 7 different guys (Deron, CP3, Manu, BDavis, AI, Nash, tony parker). SEVEN guys would be fine in that second guard spot, but we have Tmac, who has played half the amount of games as the others, and is still not averaging better than the other 7. My ballot had CP3 in the second guard spot. He's my league MVP half way in, so he NEEDS to start the most prominent game. Now it gets tricky... Who are the 2 reserve guards? You really can't go wrong with any combo of the above 6 remaining, but I'm going for Nash and AI... Maybe. Ha. (sorry deron, davis, manu and parker... ask for a trade to the east?)

Center in the west is sooo much better than the east. Yao is the easy starter. Right? I like Amare and Camby... and Kaman as well. You'll be surprised to find out that i choose Kaman on my ballot, by a hair... over Camby. Kaman is a beast, and is going for 18,14,3 a night like a center should. Camby is on my bench, because he plays his role as a center. 10 pts a game, and 14 boards, 4 blocks. Sorry Yao and Amare, these two are just the creme of the crop while you two under perform night in and night out.

Theres my ballot, compared it to the idiot-based fan ballot at the top. To sum this years ballot up: Tmac is starting as of right now... he doesn't play. Gilbert has half a million votes, and hes played 8 game. Yao has ONE MILLION more votes than Kaman, and Chris is grabbing 4 more boards and blocking 1.5 more shots a game than Yao, while only scoring 3 ppg less... SO I NOW COME TO YOU FANS, AND BEG YOU TO TRY AND FIX THIS. THERE ARE 11 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE, GET THE RIGHT GUYS THERE!

ESPN:Top 10 Greatest Single season preformances

Something I thought was very cool. The Top ten individual preformances in NBA history, as presented by ESPN. Here it is:

THE LIST

He's Doing WHAT This Year!?!?

As i flipped through the sports channels the other day, I heard about the Big 3 in Boston, Wade and Shaq thinking of switching to baseball next year, Kobe Kobe Kobe, and some more Kobe (don't get me wrong, i'm his biggest fan). However, i didn't hear one thing about the magical seasons that hard work has earned some of the less appreciated players this NBA season. For example, I'm willing to bet that not one of you out there knew that the Magic's Hedo Turkoglu is averaging more Points Per Game than the likes of... oh say.... Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and Steve Nash. Or here's a good one: Who out there knew that Chris Kaman was pulling down more boards each game than KG, Shawn Marion, Duncan, Okafor, and Yao? This is why I'm dedicating this next blog to the players that have been left unappreciated this season. They're all having great years, and some of you out there may have never heard of them. Last year, no one knew who the hell Kevin Martin was, and was shocked to hear he was scoring close to 25 a game. How about back in 02-03 when people were walking around asking their friends if that Arenas dude was really doing what the TV said he was... No way has a guy I've never heard of scoring 27 a game! Not a chance. Well, be prepared to be amazed when you find out what these guys have done the first third of this season....

Young Andrew Bynum has become the better option than that old guy they had a few years ago on the low block. He's dropping 13 ppg and pulling down 10 boards, not to mention the 2 blocks and high shooting percentage. Did anyone else see the flash of greatness last week when he scored 28 and grabbed 12 boards against Phoenix's own Amare Stoudamire?

Who is Jose Calderon you ask? Only the 7th best assist man in the L this season. He's currently getting those up and coming Raptors 12 ppg, and 8 apg, and has looked like the PG of the future during many points of this season. He gave his best Nash impersonation a few weeks ago against Indi while going for 18 pts, 16 assist. The numbers don't lie: He's for real.

Chris Kaman is a monster! Who knew that he was averaging 18 and 14 a game? Be honest. He's had 11 sixteen plus rebound games this year, and has replaced Brand as the scorer for the struggling Clippers.

Rebounds and defense are your forte? I'll do you one better than Kaman this year. Marcus Camby has been the BEST defensive player in the world this year, and his name still is the third, sometimes fourth one brought up... ON HIS OWN TEAM! He's averaging 9 ppg, 14 rpg and get this... 4 blocks per game. FOUR! Let's go over his last seven games as far as blocks go: 3,7,7,4,6,2,10. Did you happen to read the last one? 10 blocks in one game! AI, Carmelo?? How about Camby as team MVP this far into the season.

Has anyone outside of New Orleans ever heard of David West? No? That's understandable... They've got CP3 and theres gotta be 50 better PF's than some guy you've never heard of before this blog. Oh wait, did i mention that he was averaging 20 and 10 a game? Or that he dropped 40 in the post on Pau Gasol and the Grizz back in November? And you wondered how they were tied with Dallas and San Antonio in the Southwest this year... ha.

I mentioned Hedo Turkoglu's scoring earlier in the article, but i want you to read this man's average game stats this year and tell me your not shocked: 20ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg, and 2 3pm per game. You read it right, a player on the magic not named Howard or Lewis is going for 20,6,4 per night. 'Nuff Said.

Rudy Gay has developed after his rookie year, but i doubt any of you out there realize how much. Ask yourself who leads the Grizz in scoring this year. Gasol? Miller? How about 21 year old Rudy Gay. With 20ppg, 6rpg, and a steal and 3 each game, Gay has emerged as a top tier player in the L.

I forgot to put this man in my original article, so im coming back now to praise him. Beno Udrih took over at the dish position when Bibby started the season injured. In the 3 months since, Udrih has SAC taking a serious look at dealing long time local hero Bibby, and going with Udrih for the rest of the year (and future of the franchise). So how has the guy you've never heard of performed statistically this year... How about 14 ppg, 5 apg, 4rpg a steal and a 3 per game.. (Hint: still available in most idiot fantasy leagues somehow).

Remember when Marvin Williams was proclaimed as a BUST! Oh why did they waste the 2nd pick on this man. He has done nothing to prove he was worth it. Right? Yeah i guess if you overlook the 17 points and 6 rebounds he puts up for the Hawks on a nightly basis this year. Most Improved Player? Maybe, but i wouldn't overlook anyone above him on this list either... Kobe's great. Lebron is amazing. KG, unbelievable. Wade is explosive. However, if your gonna call yourself an NBA fan, then you gotta recognize the guys who bust their ass every day and night to help their teams, and put up numbers that you thought were reserved for superstars only. Who's the Next diamond in the rough? Decide for yourself.

The Future Shows It's Pretty Face...

Over the last few years, we have watched team after team be proclaimed as the future; only to see them collapse the very next year. The Miami Heat were said to be the future of the east after winning a championship under rising star Dwayne Wade in 2006. Now the 8-27 Heat are the laughing stock of the East. The Cavs were set for the next 5 years, right? LBJ and a "nice supporting cast" (pshh), how could they stumble? Well, one year after the 'ship, these same Cavs are playing .500 ball, and against a weak schedule. The list goes on and on... Houston has two superstars and were proclaimed the future of the West, yet they struggle to even make the playoffs year after year. The LA Clippers were said to have turned around their franchise after their first playoff appearance since the Jewelry stores started memorizing MJs ring fingers diameter. Two years later, they find themselves back in the gutter again. The Bulls were picked by 7 out of 10 so called experts to be in the NBA finals this year, and now those experts are searching monster.com for their next career option (sorry Bulls, I'm still rooting hard). So this leads to a very interesting question... What teams are legit players in this league in the next 5 years, and who are the one hit wonders of this year? I promise you that in the next few years, you will see one of these young teams putting in an order for their first championship banner in a while...

The One Move Away Tier:

We'll start with teams that are in great shape to be title contenders in a few years IF and only IF the right moves are made... We'll call them Tier 2 of the future:

Toronto Raptaazzzz:
A .500 team this year, I am loving my life if i am Bryan Colangelo. This is a GM's dream, he has a team who is playing great ball right now, while they are still one player away from contending. And you know the easiest way to acquire that missing piece of the puzzle? Have someone who is expendable and great trade-bait. When i look up and down this roster, I see that Mr. Calderon is my point guard for the next decade; leaving TJ Ford to send to one of those 20 teams without a PG for the future. Now i know about the health risk, and yeah it will hurt his trade value. But when he gets the OK from doctors to play again in a few weeks, I'll bet my net worth that there's a team out there willing to take a chance on a guy who can get them 16 and 7 night in and night out. So add an above average shooting guard to this lineup, and your looking at a starting lineup consists of a top notch PG (6th best in the League on my list), a good SG (To be Named soon if they want a banner), Jamario Moon, Chris Bosh, and Andrea Bargnani... Looks legit to me, these guys are here to stay once their phenomenal GM makes his move this summer.

Atlanta Hawks:
This one may open some eyes out there, but yes; i do like where this franchise is headed in the next 5 years. Acie Law looks like a legit PG for the future, and when u add him to a lineup of Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and Al Hordford... You have a 50 game winner in a few years. That's right folks, 50 games, i said it. You really couldnt ask for better young talent. Hordford will be a top 5 PF in the L by 2013, and Williams and Smith are already emerging as stars in their own right. With a strong supporting cast, this team will be tough to beat once their young stars mature. For real, can you imagine taking the court in 2013 when JJ still going for 20,5,5... Smith is going for 17,8,4,3,3 a night... and then you look down to the block where Williams displays his inside-outside game for 20 a night, and Hordford is dropping 25 and 10 on teams. Who knows, if my figures are even close, 50 wins may be an underestimate for this team.

Seattle (for now) Supaaa Sonics:
This is the obvious one for everyone, but there is a lot of work that is needed to be done here. We all know that you have 2 great building blocks in Durant and Green. And yes, by 2013, KD will be up to 30 ppg, and Green is the Scottie Pippen to the newest maybe hes the next MJ guy. Howevvvaaaaaaa (Stephen A Smith ladies and gentlemen), the rest of this team is full of guys that they're using to show the league they have the minimum 15 players on their roster. If and only IF this team finds a TRUE point guard, and fills the rest of those spots nicely, then we will see a possible future dynasty. But A LOTTTT of work needs to be done here. And i mean A LOT. But 2 of the best building blocks isn't a bad place to start...

The Future Is Blinding Me Tier!:

And now we move onto the Tier 1 category, the following 3 teams are legit contenders in the next few years, and are already set up to win. Just don't screw this up GM a, b, and c... Please don't screw this up.

Orlando Magic:
They've set themselves up to win. Said simply, just to win games. The best big man in the game, (yes he is); a good dime dropper in Nelson, and a scorer in Lewis. Not to mention Hedo and the rest of the cast are winners as well. Give Dwight 3 more years, and he WILL be getting this team 27 and 17 per night (just doesn't sound right, but is). Lewis getting the other 20, and the supporting cast picking up slack, and your looking at the new beast of the east (assuming that these Celtics and Pistons get too old to win every time they hit the court).
RING CHANCES: Will be in a finals, but not win one within the next 4 years.

New Orleans:
You need a PG to win ships. i don't care what level your at, you just need a dime dropper. CP3 is the BEST point guard in the L right now, and will get even better in the up and coming years. Then you surround him with 2 inside presences in underrated big man David West and the reemerging Tyson Chandler. Finally, the last part of this recipe is shooters and surrounding cast. Peja can get them 15 a game when healthy, and the young bench is rising to the occasion more and more each game.
RING CHANCES: Close but no cigar... Semi-Final visits to come once every few years for this up and coming power house.

Portland "Oh My God I am the Luckiest GM/team/franchise in the L" Trailblazers:
The Happy years for this team are back. They lost their dynasty once Clyde decided to hang em up, but went from worst in the league last year, to best future in the world this year. This is my favorite team to watch for the next 5 years, and its really not even close. They are in first place at 21-13 WITHOUT GREG ODEN this year, and are only going to get better as time goes on. They have developed 3 future stars in Brandon Roy, Aldridge, and Oden (so i predict stardom, can ya blame me?) Roy has the leadership qualities needed to win, and is going to become a 25,6,6 guy within 5 years (sounds like star guard numbers to me). Then you add the future best front court in the league, with the 2013 Aldridge and 2013 Oden. I can see each of them going for 22, 12 a night ON THE SAME TEAM. Oh what a point guards dream, just throw it in the general direction of that little round rim, and your guaranteed an assist each time. Martell Webster seems to be solid choice at SF for years to come, hes getting 12 a game right now and hes still not allowed to drink legally. If they move Roy to SG for good, this team is one good PG away from a championship banner (did i mention that TJ Ford is on the market!) My final thought on this team, they are in 1st place at 21-13 without Oden, and Roy, Aldridge and Webster have 4 more years before they REACH their potential. SICK.
RING CHANCES: I've used the year 2013 numerous times in this blog, that's 5 seasons away... However, if my calculations are right, the Trail Blazers can place an order for a 2013 Championship Banner, and then start writing the book on how you go from worst in the L to flashing the rings in a 5 year period. POTENTIAL my friends, that's the keyword of this article, and no team has more potential then these boys from Portland.



As we've seen, teams have the potential to win; regardless of where they stand today. It takes a lot of hard work behind the scenes, but never say never. We know the powerhouses of today as being Dallas, the Suns, San Antonio, Detroit and Boston... Editors note to these 5 teams: Watch Out, the future is almost here.

Eastern Conference Juggernauts?

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And so it was set in stone, the pre-season eastern conference elites.

-The Boston Celtics, they have kept their end of the bargain.

-The Detroit Pistons, they have kept their end of the bargain.

-The Cleveland Cavaliers, have shown flashes, missed LeBron, and are still battling.

But with these two teams being the only two teams representing the eastern conference at the moment, two other highly touted teams (at the beginning of the season) are, well... shitty.

-The Miami Heat. I really think people misunderstood this team. I truly believe that the front office in Miami built the Heat for minimal years of success, and to win a title as fast as possible. Well I guess their goal worked out in the end, netting them a title. However, their plan also worked in the negative sense. A team geared to win a ASAP title, would soon feel the after effects in their repeat year. Shaquille "The Big Horrendous" O'neal had another injury plagued season, Dwyane Wade had a serious career oriented injury, and the team just looked... well old, mainly because it was old. They even managed to get swept by the Bulls in the playoffs! Shaq is one of my all-time favorite players, just due to the numbers he put up, the titles he won, and his "hip-hop" image. But if he can't find a way to turn his career around soon, he may have to hang up the size 22's for good and sit next to Chuck, Kenny, Magic and Ernie on the T-Mobile half time report. Wade looks awful this year, the numbers are still being put up, but he is clearly hurt, and his swagger is way down from years past. The Heat just rebuilt for a championship, and had great success, and it looks like they will have to start again, and by start again I don't mean by aqcuiring players like Ricky Davis and Marc Blount. They lost to Minnesota tonight for crying out loud.

-The Chicago Bulls. Scott Skiles brought great success in his tenure in Chicago, granted it took time. The Bulls were the up-and-coming team of the eastern conference, experiencing their first success since #23 hung em up. But this year something is happening. After a signature slow start, which usually resulted in a playoff push, the Bulls fired head coach Scott Skiles, hiring Pete Myers, and now Jim Boylan. The Bulls in the 21st century have been known as a scrappy, young team, that will outhustle you on both ends of the floor. This season is different however. The Bulls are struggling to find consistent scoring in big minutes from players not named Ben Gordon. And with Gordon having so much success, whether starting or coming off the bench, the Bulls are predictable on offense, and easy to score on. They lost to the KNICKS TONIGHT!!!!
Heres a little taste of the 2 Great to Goat teams of the eastern conference:

BULLS: PPG:93.8 (24th) FG%: 41.7 (last) 3pt%:32.7 (28th)

HEAT: PPG:94.0 (23rd) FT%: 69.6 (t-last) OpFG%:45.8(22nd) Op3pt%: 36.9 (23rd) OpPPG: 99.4

Both these teams were supposed to be playoffs locks, and supposed to be large improvements of their performance last year. Well to put it short, they suck this year. At least the Bulls have room to improve, there is a dim light shining in Miami.

Paul vs. Williams: Not even a debate

"SORRY TONY!"

There has been so much heated debate about this topic, but I really don't see the comparison. Who's the better young western conference guard, Chris Paul or Deron Williams.

WILLIAMS: FG%: .513 FT%: .775 PPG: 19.5 APG: 9 REB: 2.9 STL: 1.1 3ptm: 1 TO: 3.6

PAUL: FG%: .477 FT%: .885 PPG: 21.6 APG:10.3 REB: 3.9 STL: 3 3ptm:1.2 TO: 2.6

Haha, if that isn't enough to sway your opinion there are two statistics that happen to be my favorite.

This first is John Hollinger's statistic entitled PER.

Williams: 20.21, good enough for 31st in the league.

Paul: 28.58, good enough for 2nd in the league behind LeBron James.

Damn.

The other statistic I look it is the most important in the game. Your teams overall record. With the record I take into account the players around the star as well. Williams has a nice compilation of players around him, Carlos Boozer, Memo (when healthy), AK47(when healthy), and even Paul Millsap has been a nice surprise. However, even with these surrounding studs the Jazz are struggling to stay over .500 at 18-17.

Paul on the other hand has led his team to a 23-11 record, one of the most pleasant surprises in the west, as well as the NBA. While his supporting cast isn't anything to roll your eyes at, I don't believe his compliments are as strong as Williams. It is also amazing to see the affect Paul's game is having on guys like David West and Tyson Chandler. David West is one of the most underrated players in the game, and wouldn't even be rated if not for Paul. I saw Chandler's lack of any offensive game in Chicago, and now he's really developing into a stud center in the west.

Debate over.

Winner: CHRIS PAUL

Caron Butler is damn Good, Tonight's Akshion

Cavs v TOR- Lebreezy is special. He wasn't in the first 3 quarters of this game, but then he exploded for 24 in the fourth to end with 39 pts, 11 reb, 8 dimes 1 TO, 4 3-ptm. He still can't wet it from the line, but hey, we all aren't perfect. The Raptors dominated most of the game, but failed to restrain James in the 4th quarter, as the gave up 36 points in the final leg of the game. The most interesting part of Cleveland's performance was the Damon Jones factor. Jones' +/- for the night +27... That's pretty damn good in 18 minutes of play, a majority of that in the 4th. Toronoto shot nearly 50%, made more trips to the line, but struggled in those trips, and got dominated in 3 point shooting. Outside Andrea Bargnani, the Rap's starting 5 was superb, but they weren't enough to stop Lebreezy. The Cav's are looking nice at 17-17, and with this quality win @ Toronto, they are starting to pick up where they left off last year.

Hey, at least my boy Jose Calderon got his! (I'm the president of the Calderon for MVP fan club)

SEA vs WAS- Caron Butler, as prior mentioned is good. How good? DAMN GOOD. His 33 pts, 4 reb, 5 dimes, 4 stl, 1 TO on 12-21 helped pull WAS to their second 20 point win in a row for the first time since '04. Granted it was against SEA, a team in which I could most likely drop 20 against, he has been sensational this year in Gilby's absence. Averaging 22 pts, 7 rebs, almost 5 dimes, 2 stls, and 1 trey a game, he is a shoe in for All-Star game this year in New Orleans. The other big bright spot that I noticed was just overall quality minutes for all Wizards. They almost emptied the bench and everyone who came during the important time of the game contributed positively. The Sonics do suck though, I hate PJ's rotation. Jeff Green isn't as NBA ready as people assumed, and he shows immaturity on the court. He doesn't give enough time to veterans, and lets Durant play as he pleases. They need a reality check seeing as how they rank on the "Up my ass list" with the Knicks.

San Anton vs LAC- Even though the Clips can't compete in the west, Chris Kaman deserves to go to the All-Star game. His numbers are out of this world in EB's absence and it will be a slap to MY face if he doesn't go. On to the game... Al Thorton started, which was kind of cool, because he was one of my favorite rookies coming out of FSU. He did work with his start with a game high 19 FGA, 17 pts and 8 boards in a career high 39 minutes.. Kaman had 20 pts 14 reb 7-11 fgs. But Manu's comeback was just too much. In only 29 minutes he scored 23 points with the help of 13 foul shots. Parker chipped in 26, and Duncan had 17-17. The Spurs are damn good.

Mavs v. MIN- What do I need to tell you. Dallas is an above average west team, Minnesota is an above average NCAA team. Dallas blasted them clearing their bench, even finding time for Maurice Ager. Randy Wittman is in a category with Zeek Thomas and PJ Carsiliblow, it's called the stop coaching category.

MIA v. MEM- How bad is Miami? Their starting center is Marc Blount for starters. Shaq had another DNP (no shocker), Wade shot 7-20 off the bench, and their leading scorer was Ricky Davis. Wade is obviously playing hurt, or at least uninspired, because he looks like my Grandma, except for the fact my Grandma could shoot better than 35% against the Memphis Grizzlies. Pau has looked great these last few games, and Rudy Gay has been a pleasent surprise for the Grizzlies. However, they still suck.

Bucks v. Bobcats- Both these teams are terrible. Charlotte so bad, that they let the Bucks beat them without Michael Redd. Charlie Bell, who has been shooting below 30% this season after his big contract scuffle, scored 27 in 28 minutes off the bench. I actually like Bell, but this season he has been a pimple on my ass for Bucks fans. Charlotte's guard rotation really makes me scratch my head. I mean, startign McInnis at the 2 guard when he is a natural point guard, and moving Jason Richardson, clearly your best scorer to the 3 is retarded. Here is the ideal starting lineup for you Sam Vincent:

1- Ray Felton (sucks)

2- J-Rich (respectable)

3- Gerald Wallace (Thug)

4/5 -Emeka O. (6-10)

4/5 - Nazr Mo (6-10)

I mean if you let Andrew Bogut go 10-15 with 25 points, when he's averaging 11.7 on the season... The Bobcat's are playing like a team that misses Primoz Brezec. That could've been the saddest statement ever made in the history of basketball.

Philly v. Nugs- This game excited me, because the 6ers have been playing great ball as of late, at least in my mind. The Nugs finally showed me why they are almost an elite western conference team. Melo and A.I. took over in this game combining for 61 of DEN's 109 points. They finally found their replacement for Steve Blake in Anthony Carter who dished 15 dimes, and only shot the rock 7 times. Camby had 12 boards and 7 blocks, yikes. Philly let Andre Miller shoot 21 times (stupid). And Denver had 15 shot blocks... 3 by Anthony Carter (6-2)... ... ... Nene is back

IND vs. LAL- Indy couldn't find consistent scoring the whole night, and showed that their interior defense wasn't braggable. Bynum dropped 21 in the first half, to finish with 23 as the surging Lakers blew by Indy for an easy home win. When Dunleavy, Granger and O'neal aren't scoring, no one scores on Indy. LAL has one of my favorite rotation in the league, and Phil has a team that could do some damage. Indy will still probably vow for a playoff spot, but they looked like they had a weakness tonight on the interior. Indy's playing like a team that needs Primoz Brezec.

2 Primoz mentions.... Thank God I'm done for tonight

Expect briefer posts in the future.

The Final Play Tonight (vs. SAC), and the rest

THE BULLS- I just wanted to post about Boylan's guts on the call made tonight. Boylan gained my respect in the last 5 seconds of the game tonight against visiting Sacremento. Looking for Ben Gordon, the inbound past instead went to Ben Walnuts who worked a G&G with Kirk Hinrich ending in Wallace at the rim being fouled. It was a gutsy call, going with the offensively challenged Wallace, but somehow, some way, Wallace hit a Free Throw to get the 1 pt. lead with 2.7 left. And after a Ben Wallace block of Brad Miller, followed by a Camera of Shame moment featuring Miller, the Bulls sealed the deal and ended on a high note in a nail biter.

Granted it was Sacremento, the Bulls looked great down the stretch with Luol Deng on the bench nursing an injury.

The NO v. PHX game really intrigued me tonight. A game in which Chris Paul played 48 minutes, notching 28 pts, 14 in the 4th, 10 dimes, 3 stls, and only 1 TO. 1 TO in 48 minutes. Wow. I know there is a heated debate with Paul vs. Deron Williams, but I don't see a debate, Paul is the better guard. NO shot 50% to the Suns 53%, but the Hornets had 18 more shot attempts, more 3 pt made, and killed them on offensive reb. They limited Amare S-T-A-T to 11 shots and only 6 trips to the line. I think its time to put the New Orleans Hornets in a class with the elites of the west.

NJ vs ATL- Kidd had a very Jason Kid like triple double (10 pt., 13 reb, 14 ast) but added the 7 TOs and shot 3-11 from the field. Vince Carter is starting to come back around after suffering that earlier injury, pouring in 29. I like both of these eastern conference teams, and this was a good game to be watching in the 4th as NJ poured in 37 to win 113-107. Atlanta couldn't take advantage of a scoring outburst by Josh Smith (39 pt, 9 reb, 3 stl, 3 blk) which consisted of a very above par FG% (14-22). That being said, this was a crude showing of 4th quarter D by the Hawks. Sad. The Nets are on a 5 game streak, and are above .500 on the season. VC is healthy, Richard Jefferson doesn't need to be the focal point of that offense, and NJ is starting to play ball.

NY KINKS vs HOU- What do I need to say? The Knicks suck. The laziest defensive front line in the L had no effort in stopping Yao, but did try while shooting a superb 13-35 from the field. The back court doesn't get off tonight either, letting rookie Aaron Brooks score 22 on 8-10 from the field. Pathetic.

Utah vs POR- This cinderella story continued with Portland playing the struggling Utah Jazz after suffering the streak ending loss to them last week. The story here was the post D, limiting Carlos Boozer to a 3-16 effort from the field (bastard is on my fantasy team) and a season low 6 pts. The cool thing about Portland is- you don't know where the scoring is coming from. Kind of scary.

BOS v DET- This was the game you woke up saying you wanted to watch. It was okay I guess, the Offense wasnt there, with both teams shooting under 42%. The D was out tonight, and KG really showed why he can take BOS to the next level. He had a ridiculous +23 +/-, by far the highest in the game, showing his presence enough can determine the fate of a game. Boston's hero tonight however, aside from KG, was Glen "Big Baby" Davis, who shot a ridiculous 8-10 against Detroits front line pouring in 20. I think Boston is in a class of it's own in the east...

Jordan VIII Playoffs

Photo Courtesy: http://www.nicekicks.com/

I just purchased a pair of the new Air Jordan VIII, Playoff edition. Though not as popular as the earlier released Jordan VIII Aquas, which featured the popular tealish/aqua and purple colorways, I really took a liking to these when I first saw them.

These shoes are great. Comfortable, and really representing Jordan. Good for on the court and off the court.

The New Look Chicago Boylans

The Bulls are entering yet another post-Jordan era after wrapping up and presenting Scott Skiles with a firing as his only Christmas present. Hey, at least you got something for Christmas, after you left us that lump of coal record. But anyways, after watching the Bulls under Jim Boylan, the changes in style and pace, along with rotation are clear, and their ultimate certainty is up for grabs.

For one, the biggest change is obviously that of moving former UConn Husky Ben Gordon back to the bench for the first time since his rookie year (in which he won 6th man of the year). His numbers have been flourishing, but the overall abandon for playcalling is in plain sight, especially in crunch time. If I had a nickel for every time he and Ben Wallace ran an uneffective screen roll last night, especially during crunch time, I'd have a shit load of nickels. Don't get me wrong, Gordon's ability to shoot the ball puts him in a class of his own, but the way Boylan has relied on him to make something out of nothing has been a big indicator of their record under his coaching reign.

I like Gordon coming off the bench, but with him on the floor the Bulls are too predictable, and give up a lot on the defensive end. With Gordon on the floor, it forces Ben Walnuts to be in the game, and thats not a trade off I'd like to have.

With back-to-back wins over Milwaukee and the NY Kinks, Boylan was starting to make some fans into believers... but when we finally faced an above par team in a slipping Orlando Magic, we were finally brought back to earth. The lost wasn't that bad though. I sat floor for that game, and was gitty with excitement as the Bulls were able to stop Hedo's drive to the basket for the win in regulation. The New Years Eve game gave close with Hedo hitting that 5 foot fall away at the end of OT. But I was still feeling Boylan, he gave it his all in front of his home crowd, and with a team that has looked like pure ass the whole season, I wasn't that upset after the loss.

Boylan followed up that tough home OT loss with a nice come from behind victory in Charlotte. Well, I take that back, it wasn't nice, anytime you have to come from behind to beat Charlotte... But a W is a W. It was nice to see Joakhim Noah being able to guard a versatile G/F in Gerald Wallace, and make some unthinkable passes.

That brought us to last nights prior mentioned Portland game, taking place at the house that Jordan built. This game, at least to me, really showed me a lack of coaching experience on Jim Boylans part. Sure we should give him time to adjust to the system, find a rotation, find a go-to play when the game is close, but having to rely on Joe Smith (10 ppg, 5 rpg, 20 mpg) to go off for 31 points and 11 rebs in 45 minutes... thats a little ridiculous.

But though I have bashed him a bit, I'm not ready to give up on Boylan yet. He has a nice rotation going, and will hopefully learn from his experiences, in his young coaching debut.

Welcome to give-and-go

Welcome to Give-And-Go.
On this blog created 1/4/07, I will be taking an indepth look into the NBA, examining teams, players, coaches, front-office staff, front-office moves, commentary and everything else thats great about the sport. Thanks for reading, and enjoy what you see!