With Lebron’s free agency less than four months away, everyone’s wondering what The King is going to do. He’s not going to tell us, of course, as that would ruin the suspense, but, like any attention-loving superstar, he’s enjoying the media’s endless coverage and speculation. Conventional wisdom has him either staying in Cleveland or heading to the Big Apple so where will he end up? Is there any way to know? We can analyze how much he says he loves New York and the Yankees versus how loyal he is to Cleveland, but that doesn’t really tell us much and, besides, he’s just intentionally adding drama to the story like any good suspense novelist would do.
So, it doesn’t matter that much what Lebron says, but what about things he actually does? The other week, Lebron filed paperwork to change his number to 6, his Olympic number. As others have suggested, it probably has less to do with paying homage to Jordan than it does with paying his bills (ok, more than just bills) via jersey sales. But, why bother changing your number to boost jersey sales if you’re going to be wearing new colors next year anyways? Hmm…could Lebron be telling us he might not be wearing new colors next year?
It’s hard to argue with the idea that Lebron is changing his number to boost jersey sales. Kobe did it and shot to number one on the jersey sales list and Lebron is surrounded by savvy business advisors who tell him to maximize his earning potential every day. It’s possible Lebron decided that with the Cavs being one of the dominant forces in the East and him feeling comfortable there, he doesn’t want to start over and, thus, he’s stuck with a Cavs jersey…so he’d better run and change his number if he wants to ever catch Kobe (in jersey sales or anything else).
Of course, we also have to keep in mind that Lebron has been dropping hints about this jersey change for a while (over a year, perhaps?) and this could mean nothing. He’s mentioned numerous times before that he doesn’t think anybody should wear #23. Then, some suggested he take the lead and stop wearing it (playing right into his hand) so he did. This has played out over some time so maybe he knew he was going to wear #6 regardless if it was Cleveland or New York. So, a jersey change doesn’t tell us everything, but, like everything else, you can read into it what you want. The timing sure is interesting.
Or, maybe you believe Lebron’s being completely candid about honoring MJ.
When I heard Zydrunas Ilgauskas was most likely heading back to the Cavs after he just got traded to the Wiz like 2 seconds ago, it just didn’t sound right. I mean, the NBA doesn’t allow this sort of frisbee maneuver, does it? Well, actually it does unless you are stupid enough (see: Stackhouse, Jerry) to tell the media all about the secret plot. Two years ago, Stackhouse was set to be traded to the Nets before he bragged that he’d just go back to Dallas shortly after the trade. Stack’s only mistake was telling the media about it because plenty of other guys have returned to their original team via buyout shortly after being traded. Does the NBA turns a blind eye or do they ask Joey Crawford to turn both blind eyes? Either way, collusion is a-okay in the NBA.
The question is why does the NBA allow this? Clearly, it’s collusion, but the NBA only seems to care if you go so far as to blatantly talk about it. Even admitting it after the fact doesn’t seem to bother the league as Doc Rivers gave this tongue-in-cheek remark about the Z deal: “I have a problem with that. I loved it three years ago when we did it with Gary Payton if you remember, but now I think it sucks. I think it’s a terrible deal.” Terrible for Boston maybe, but great for the ratings when the Cavs see the Lakers in the Finals. But, that would have nothing to do with why you allow this, right Mr. Stern?
For a league that has seemingly constant credibility problems with the refereeing, it might not be a bad idea to actually come up with a clear rule on these situations (you know, so we don’t get the wrong idea that you’d prefer stacking the good teams while the bad teams free up cap space). Here’s a suggestion: once you get traded, you don’t get to go back to the team you were traded from that season!
But, alas, this is the NBA, so with a wink and a nod, look for Big Z to head back to Cleveland next month.
Like most NBA fans, I’m always looking forward to the Slam Dunk Contest. There’s always that possibility that we might see something truly original, something we have never seen before, something that gets us out of our seats. The NBA smartly plays on our anticipation by leaving the contest to the end of the night, giving us time to imagine what we might see. Of course, when you build to a crescendo and that crescendo falls flat like it did last night, there is a price to pay.
First off, you can’t blame the NBA for what happened last night. They picked the short showman (Nate Robinson), Laker leaper (Shannon Brown), and Gerald Wallace, and Demar DeRozan won the inaugural dunk-in to gain his admittance. The dunk-in was a nice touch…giving 2 relative unknowns a shot at the big stage. All four of those guys are extremely capable leapers and could have shown us something extraordinary last night. It’s not the NBA’s fault…they picked solid guys. The athleticism was not missing, but what was missing was a little creativity.
Here are a few ideas for the NBA to consider:
Assign a “dunk specialist” to each participant who spends the week leading up to the contest brainstorming for dunk ideas. Some of the guys like Nate Robinson surely prepare for this thing year-round, but I doubt Phil Jackson is encouraging Shannon Brown to come up with new dunk ideas in practice. A creativity consultant would help.
Don’t pick the same guy more than twice. Nate Robinson was fun the first time, okay (IMO) the second time, and rather stale last night. Novelty counts more than anything in the dunk contest so you need new blood.
Use fan voting for every dunk. DeRozan’s dunk was perfect? Yeah, okay. It was the best dunk of the night, but are you really ready to put that on the level of Vince Carter or Dominique Wilkins’ dunks? Let the fans rank the dunks from 1-10 and maybe use the legends as dunk specialists.
We were hoping you would just let it go, but two days after being called for traveling on your “Crab Dribble,” you’re still trying to convince us it was a legal move. We’re sure you’ve seen the video of you taking THREE steps by now, but if you haven’t, here it is again:
One, Two, Three…and Jalen Rose goes on to inform you that you’re even confused what a crab dribble is.
Since we are here to help you live up to your billing of The Chosen One, we wanted to inform you of 3 other moves that are illegal before you try them in a game. Please let us know if you find these helpful as we might let Donovan McNabb know about some NFL rules once he’s finished with the playoffs.
“The Chalk Move” - Your new commercial is nice, but make sure you don’t actually clap chalk into your opponents face DURING the game. For instance, do not dribble across half-court, scoop up some chalk, clap in your opponent’s face to blind them, and drive to the basket. This would most likely earn you a technical foul.
“The Tornado” - After hearing you talk about Crab Dribble and watching your footwork over your career, we get the feeling you think anything is illegal when you’re pivoting. We just wanted to let you know that you cannot just spin, spin, and spin to the basket without dribbling just because you are “pivoting.”
“Traveling” - An oldie, but a goodie. We understand you are aware of the rule, but we just wanted to give you yet another reminder since you…well, you do stuff like this:
We would have listed “The Charge,” but it seems you are allowed to get away with this one. Good luck!
It’s been a good year for some and a bad year for others, but every team, no matter how bad has something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving (yes, including the Thunder). So this Thanksgiving…instead of sulking over that trade you wish your team had made, look at the bright side! Here’s some things you can be thankful for no matter which team you support.
Atlanta Hawks - Be thankful for a return to respectability, it’s been a while.
Boston Celtics - Um, 17 NBA Championships good enough for ya?
Charlotte Bobcats - You’ve got a young and exciting core. The future is full of possibilities.
Chicago Bulls - Derrick Rose. Enough said.
Cleveland Cavaliers - Be thankful for contract law which will keep Lebron around until at least 2010.
Dallas Mavericks - At least it’s the owner facing insider trading charges and not you!
Denver Nuggets - Having a real point guard.
Detroit Pistons - Having a surreal two guard.
Golden State Warriors - Be thankful for having an exciting, high-scoring offense. You’re halfway there.
Houston Rockets - Neither Yao nor T-Mac is out for the year yet.
Indiana Pacers - Danny Granger is turning into a gem.
Los Angeles Clippers - Be thankful your team is underachieving and could get better rather than just being really bad.
Los Angeles Lakers - Kobe.
Memphis Grizzlies - O.J. Mayo is the real deal.
Miami Heat - D-Wade is healthy and playing great! What more could you ask for.
Minnesota Timberwolves - Um….maybe the Golden Rule applies and the Celtics will return you the favor of a franchise player in the future.
New Jersey Nets - You might move to Brooklyn and get Lebron.
New Orleans Hornets - Chris freakin’ Paul
New York Knicks - D’Antoni, Lebron maybe? Things are looking up.
Oklahoma City Thunder - At least the drama is over with and you have a city to play in, right?
Orlando Magic - Dwight Howard is only 22!
Philadelphia 76ers -You aren’t off to a sputtering start like last season and have a good shot at the playoffs.
Phoenix Suns - You get to host the All-Star game, plus your team ain’t too shabby.
Portland Trailblazers - Greg Oden, Brandon Roy - oh, yes, the investments look like they might pay off.
Sacramento Kings - As a fan, your number (#6) is retired!
San Antonio Spurs - You could start with being thankful for the last decade and once you’re healthy, this year should be pretty good too.
Toronto Raptors - See “Cleveland Cavaliers” and replace Lebron with Bosh.
Utah Jazz - Be thankful the Western Conference Finals are a real possibility.
Washington Wizards - At least injuries tend to heal, your 2nd half could be great.
We haven’t even gotten through the first two weeks yet and some things have happened that have taken even the most attentive NBA fans by surprise. Of course not everything has been a surprise. The Celtics and Lakers are in first place as expected, Dwight Howard and Lebron James continue to dominate, and Inside the NBA is as entertaining as ever, but this list takes a look at 5 things we didn’t see coming.
4. The Spurs are 1-4.
The Spurs are known for their slow starts, but this is ridiculous. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are both putting up good numbers, but the Spurs can’t seem to guard anybody. They’ve only held 2 of their opponents under 100, at 98 and 99 points. That’s not the defense this team is known for. Now with Parker joining Ginobili on the injured list, things are not looking good in the city of the Alamo.
3. Tony Parker dropped 55 on the Timberwolves.
The T-Wolves aren’t exactly the best competition in the world, but since when did Tony Parker become MJ dropping the double nickel? For the last 3 years this guy has averaged just under 19 points per game, like clockwork. 18.9, 18.6, 18.8. He even opened the season with 32 and his season low was 22 in his first four games. Unfortunately, Parker is out the next 4 weeks with an ankle sprain. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of pace he can keep up when he returns.
2. The Atlanta Hawks are undefeated.
Don’t look now, but the Hawks are undefeated at 5-0. It was only last year this team finally moved past joke status to become and up-and-coming team, and now they are tops in the East?!? Ok, so it is only 5 games and they aren’t going to be the #1 seed in all likelihood, but they are among select company with the Lakers being the only other undefeated team (as of tipoff Sunday night). The Hawks have won at New Orleans and Orlando, too, so it’s not like they are beating up on chumps. Don’t be surprised if this team is hosting an opening round playoff series.
1. Allen Iverson traded to Detroit for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, and Cheick Samb.
Ok, if you predicted this, you must be Nostradamus because there’s no way I could imagine Chauncey Billups not wearing a Pistons jersey in early November. Iverson being traded? Eh, stranger things have happened, but if you told me he was traded I would assume he had a hissy fit first and refused to play. That was not the case. This was simply a straight-up blockbuster trade the Pistons and Nuggets both felt would improve their team in one way or another, on the court and/or in the balance sheet. It doesn’t surprise me the Pistons made a move as they needed to do try something new if they want to dethrone the Celts, but trading Billups was shocking. He’s a clutch performer and has even earned the nickname “Big Shot”. You usually don’t want to give up your team leader and go-to guy, but sometimes you have to to get a guy like Iverson. Kudos to the Pistons and Nuggets for shocking us with a big deal that makes sense on both sides early in the season rather than making us wait until the trade deadline like most teams do.
Here is the final installment of the bloggers’ team previews, the Pacific Division. Yes, the season has started, but I’m sure these bloggers didn’t cheat. Check ‘em out!
It’s not often we see a blockbuster trade like this so early in the season. This has the potential to be a good move for both teams. As I said before the season started, Detroit might want to “shake things up a bit.” Well, they’ve done more than shake things up by acquiring Iverson. I don’t know if this trade will or will not work for Detroit, but it’s a gamble they had to make. Without making a big move, they just weren’t going to be able to compete with Boston. Now, they still might not be good enough, but if AI meshes well they could get over the hump. It’s nice to see AI get one more legitimate shot at a ring, too. On top of all that, if it doesn’t work for Detroit, AI’s contract is expiring and they’ll have a shot to change directions after the season.
As for Denver, I think it’s a good move as well. The AI-Melo combination just never completely worked in Denver. They could have given it another year to see what would happen, but bringing in a more balanced guard like Chauncey is only going to help Melo out. It’s not like Chauncey can’t score either so now you’ve still got one of the league’s top guards, but he’s probably a better fit with Anthony.
What do you think of the trade? Who got the better deal?
Finally it’s HoopsAvenue’s turn for the long-awaited Washington Wizards team preview (at least maybe it’s been long awaited by Wizards fans!)
Washington Wizards
Last Year’s Record: 43-39
Key Losses: Roger Mason
Key Additions: Juan Dixon, Dee Brown, Javale McGee
What significant moves were made during the offseason?
The key move for the Wizards this offseason was not losing anyone significant! The Wizards entered the offseason with Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison both as free agents. Obviously Wizards fans were a bit concerned with 2 of their top 3 players being free agents, especially since the never underspoken Arenas had made some not so subtle threats about leaving town if he didn’t get what he wanted. Thankfully, Jamison signed quickly to a 4 year $50 million deal and Arenas soon followed with a 6 year $111 million deal.
Over $150 million was enough for one offseason so the Wizards didn’t do much else. They did, however, bring the fan favorite and streak scorer Juan Dixon back to Washington. The fans will love him again and he should get a real chance to contribute with Arenas sidelined for the first few months. In the draft, the Wizards picked up big man Javale McGee, an athletic 7-footer from Nevada. McGee has had some good preseason games scoring-wise thus far, but the Wizards will be looking for rebounds and shotblocking from their big men.
What are the team’s biggest strengths?
The Wizards’ biggest strengths are its individuals’ scoring ability and resiliency. Although we will not see him until January, Gilbert Arenas is one of the NBA’s most explosive players and capable of putting up points in a hurry by way of the three pointer and getting to the rim. Antawn Jamison has a great knack for scoring as well, although you wouldn’t consider him explosive. Its creativity and a deft shooting touch that makes Jamison a consistent 20 PPG player and one of the few active players to have tallied a 50 point game. Jamison and Arenas, along with Butler will once again have a shot at each averaging 20 PPG, an impressive feat. Juan Dixon and Nick Young will be coming off the bench and, while they aren’t going to vy for the scoring title, they are both capable of having 30 point nights. With so many capable scorers, the Wizards should be able to find someone to keep them close even on the worst of nights.
In addition to their scoring abilities, the Wizards have shown more resiliency than any other team the last few years. They’ve dealt with the Arenas injury for the past two seasons, a Caron Butler injury during the ‘07 playoffs, and now they’ll be without Arenas and center Brendan Haywood to start the 2008-09 campaign. Although the team will miss Arenas and Haywood, the reason they are still a playoff contender is because of the toughness of Caron Butler. He’s earned the nickname “Tough Juice” for a reason and seems to always keep the Wizards afloat.
What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?
Well, besides staying healthy, the Wizards biggest weakness continues to be defense. They’ll also be tested on the inside. The Wizards tied for last place in 3-point field goal percentage defense last season, a sign that they don’t always make their rotations and gamble too much, a charge any Wizards fan will tell you is true. Their field goal percentage defense was better, but could stand to be improved. Coach Eddie Jordan has put a great deal of emphasis on defense the past few seasons (and they have gotten better), but further progress needs to be made if the Wizards want to contend.
Defense will be even more challenging this season as big man Brendan Haywood will miss quite possibly the entire season. Look for a center-by-committee approach from Coach Jordan. Etan Thomas, Andray Blatche, and Javale McGee will all be asked to fill the role. Etan will be the punisher, Andray the finesse guy, and McGee the shotblocker. Too bad they can’t be combined into one player.
What are the team’s goals?
Optimistically speaking, the Wizards hope to have a Big 3 of Arenas, Jamison, and Butler by January, start playing for homecourt, get Haywood back for the playoffs (with no rust somehow), and try to make the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Wizards would surely be happy with that scenario, but realistically they have a few primary goals. The first is to obviously get healthy. Second, they want to develop their young talent: Nick Young, Javale McGee, and Andray Blatche. As far as results, they certainly want to make the playoffs. Arenas was out last season and they still did it so it would be a disappointment not to be back this season. They should aim for at least the Second Round as Wizards fans are tired of getting bounced in Round 1.
What crazy thing will Gilbert Arenas do this season?
This is obviously question numero uno for the Wizards this season. What will Arenas do next? We heard about his million dollar pool and mountain and his high altitude air pressure house, but what is next? How long can Arenas continue to be the biggest star in Washington without actually doing anything? When will his blog be updated? These are all pressing questions for the Wizards faithful. We can only wait and see.
Predicted Record: 45 - 37
Yep, I’m taking the optimistic angle here that Washington does have a Big 3 in mid-January and improves on last season’s record. Even without Arenas, there’s no reason this team isn’t at or above .500 by January. Jamison and Butler should be able to carry the load and they’ve got a capable group of role players and some improving young talent. I’ll go as far to say that the Wizards will make the 2nd Round.
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