Posted by HoopsAvenue on February 23, 2010 under General NBA | 
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.
Posted by HoopsAvenue on October 19, 2008 under Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks |
As our regular visitors have noticed, we have been linking up to the best NBA team previews from around the web lately and today’s installment is the Central Division. So, take a moment to check out these previews written by the NBA’s best bloggers on the Bulls, Cavs, Pistons, Pacers, and Bucks. And, in case you missed it, we have also covered the Southwest Division and Atlantic Division. HoopsAvenue will be chiming in later this month with our Washington Wizards preview.
Chicago Bulls
Nels: Give Me The Rock
Matt: Blog-a-Bull
Cleveland Cavaliers
Rock: Waiting For Next Year
FTS: Fear The Sword
David Friedman: 20 Second Timeout
Amar Panchmatia: Cavalier Attitude
Detroit Pistons
Brian Spencer: Empty the Bench
Natalie Sitto: Need4Sheed.com
Matt Watson: Detroit Bad Boys
Indiana Pacers
Tom: Indy Cornrows
Milwaukee Bucks
Jeramey Jannene: The Bratwurst
Frank Madden: BrewHoop
So, check out the previews and let us know what you think! Will this be the Year of the King? Even if it’s not to be for Lebron this year, it could be the year for your fantasy team. Click here to sign up for fantasy basketball. If you win our league or another league, maybe you should convince the, ahem, losers to pick you up a fantasy trophy from the guys at FantasyTrophies.com. Here’s what their trophy looks like:
Looks pretty sweet! Works for football too!
Posted by HoopsAvenue on October 8, 2008 under Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, General NBA, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards |
Twelve days ago we took a look at some of the best teams in the West and the Lakers emerged as HoopsAvenue’s favorite as well as the fans’ favorite according to our poll. This week we’ll take a look at the Beasts of the East.
The poll results for Eastern Conference champion closed out like this: Other 48%, Celtics 25%, Cavs 15%, Magic 8%, and Pistons 5%. Hmm, looks like we’ve got either a bunch of pranksters or homers in this one as its hard to believe almost 50% of the fans would pick a team other than the Celts, Cavs, Magic, or Pistons next season! Maybe we’re just underestimating the Knicks, though, who knows?
Anyways, what about the supposed top 4 teams. Well, here’s how I’d seed them:
- Boston Celtics – The Celts are a bit older, don’t have as much motivation, and lost a key player in James Posey, but they’ve still got the Big Three and will obviously be a force to be reckoned with. They’ve got to be considered the favorites to get back to the Finals, but if I could take the entire field vs. the Celtics, I would.
- Orlando Magic – Orlando had the 3rd best record in the East last season and Dwight Howard is still getting better (scary!). Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis also give them a lot of versatility. This team is primed to be in the hunt and don’t be surprised to see them make 1 more move during the season to make that championship push.
- Detroit Pistons – The Pistons are probably getting tired of falling short, but I expect that to continue next season. The same cast of characters is back which is still a good thing, but it might be time to shake things up a bit. I wouldn’t count out a team with Chauncey Billups, though. Detroit’s plan should be to aim for homecourt in the playoffs and then maybe things will break their way.
- Cleveland Cavaliers – Now, this is an interesting team. The big question is whether or not Mo Williams is the sidekick Lebron needs. Larry Hughes was supposed to be that guy a few years ago and obviously that never panned out. Another thing working in the Cavs favor is the desperation of their management to keep Lebron James happy with his free agency coming up in 2010. Big Z doesn’t have too many years left so a big move this season might be necessary to keep Lebron happy, and it might help them win the East.
It would certainly be a surprise to see another team win the East, but there are some longshots. The 76ers, after acquiring Elton Brand, are on the radar, but you still don’t get the feeling they are Finals ready. Then, you’ve also got the Wizards who have one of the best Big 3s in the league, but once again injuries are threatening their chances. Even Toronto with a frontline of Chris Bosh and hopefully (for them) a healthy Jermaine O’Neal could be a contender.
Who do you think will win the East?
Posted by HoopsAvenue on August 6, 2008 under General NBA |
The 2008-2009 NBA Schedule was released this afternoon and we’ve got it posted for you. Click here for the NBA Schedule.
Here are some games of interest:
- October 28th – The defending champion Celtics begin their title defense against Lebron James and the Cavs.
- October 29th – Not the most exciting way to start a franchise, but Oklahoma City starts their season hosting the Milwaukee Bucks.
- November 5th – Mark your calendars. Gilbert Arenas, who recently blogged, “Because every player hates Milwaukee. Nobody wants to live in Milwaukee. I’m sorry, Milwaukee, to come down hard on you, but no one in the NBA wants to play in Milwaukee,” takes his Wizards to Milwaukee to hear the boos.
- December 25th – The NBA is amping it up this season with five games on Christmas Day, highlighted by a Finals rematch between the Lakers and Celtics. The Wizards and Cavs will renew their rivalry as well.
- December 31st – Elton Brand returns to LA as the Sixers take on the Clippers.
- January 16th – Jermaine O’Neal makes his first trip back to Indiana as a member of the Raptors.
I’ll definitely be watching those games.
Loading ...