Posted by HoopsAvenue on October 16, 2008 under Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards | 
Just as Ohio and Florida are key swing states that could go either way for the candidates, there are a few NBA teams that could go boom or bust. How do you define a “swing team”? Well, here’s my definition:
swing team 
(noun)
- a team that is “good on paper,” but regularly falls short of expectations
- a team that relies on 1 or 2 players with a history of injuries
- an unproven team with a lot of talent, but little experience
So, here are 5 swing teams for the 2008-2009 season
- Toronto Raptors – After a .500 season last year, the Raptors decided to mix things up a bit and traded T.J. Ford for Jermaine O’Neal. O’Neal, of course, is a former all-star, but missed half of last season due to injury and put up just average numbers when he was on the floor. Then, there’s 22-year old Andrea Bargnani who has lots of potential, but is coming off a sophomore slump. Raps fans are hoping JO is his healthy old self and Bargnani blossoms. If that happens, the Raptors will do some damage.
- Denver Nuggets – A lot of fans were scratching their heads when the Nuggets basically gave Marcus Camby away to the Clippers this off-season, but maybe their roll of the dice will pay off. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony are still a scary duo and maybe Anthony’s gold medal in Beijing will rub off on his teammates. For the Nuggets to swing upward, they need those two to play well and as a team, plus some help (and health) from Camby’s replacement Nene.
- Washington Wizards – It’s the same old story for the Wizards. Injuries, injuries, injuries. Remember this is the same team that was in 1st place in the East in 2007 at the All Star break before injuries decimated them. They’ll start off without Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood, but a cast of youngsters along with Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison will try to hold down the fort until 2009. It seems unlikely, but if everyone gets back to 100% this team could swing in a big way.
- Miami Heat – Coming off a 15 win season, there’s only one way for Miami to swing, but they could really surprise some people. They’ll need Dwyane Wade to stay healthy and for Michael Beasley to make an immediate impact. Shawn Marion needs to play up to his capabilities as well.
- Houston Rockets – Talk about a swing team! The Rockets two stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming are two of the league’s best talents, but have spent more time with ice packs than they have on the floor the past few seasons. Add the combustible Ron Artest to the mix and that’s like adding vinegar to baking soda. Unbelievably, the Rockets could realistically win the Finals or see their best 3 players injured and suspended by December.
Unfortunately there’s no voting when it comes to swing teams or we’d all be stuffing the ballot boxes….all we can do is sit back and watch. Any predictions?
Posted by HoopsAvenue on August 11, 2008 under Olympic Basketball |
I saw this article on Yahoo! today and I couldn’t understand where Adrian Wojnarowski got the idea that Yao was basically being forced to play for China. As far as any of us can tell, Yao loves playing for China, maybe even more than playing in the NBA. In the 2nd paragaph of the article, Wojnarowski quotes Yao as saying, “The game was a treasure, and it will be a treasure for the rest of my life,” then he spends the rest of the article knocking China for wearing Yao down. Sure, Yao has been getting worn down as you can see from his injuries the last two seasons, but why it it playing for China that he should cut back on and not the NBA? I’d hate to see Yao play less in the NBA, but it’s his life so if China is his priority, then let it be.
Posted by HoopsAvenue on July 31, 2008 under General NBA, Houston Rockets |
On paper, the Rockets look like championship contenders, but, then again, this is Tracy McGrady’s Rockets and not Hakeem Olajuwon’s. With the addition of Ron Artest yesterday, the Rockets undoubtedly have one of the best trios in the league. Artest-McGrady-Yao, when healthy, probably only falls behind the Celtics trio of Allen-Garnett-Pierce. The Wizards, Lakers, and Spurs all have decent arguments, but whatever your opinion, the Rockets are going to be right up there. The supporting cast is not bad either with Rafer Alston at the point, and the up-and-coming Luis Scola at power forward. Then, you’ve got a great defender and role player in Shane Battier off the bench. Brent Barry and Luther Head can come in and hit some shots, too.
All the pieces are there and Rick Adelman is a good, experienced coach, but I’m not putting my money on the Rockets to win it all. You’ve got to worry about the fact that T-Mac is probably going to miss a fair chunk of games, same goes with Yao, and then even if they do get to the playoffs healthy, T-Mac has never gotten out of the first round!
No question this is an intriguing move and the Rockets could have a magical season, but Rockets fans shouldn’t hold their breath.
What do you think? Can McGrady finally do it?
Posted by HoopsAvenue on June 11, 2008 under NBA Playoffs, Tim Donaghy |
As fixed as Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals actually looked, it always felt better to assume it just looked fixed and wasn’t actually fixed. Now that disgraced former NBA referee Tim Donaghy is alleging that it was indeed fixed, it makes you wonder. Of course there is the possibility that Donaghy just picked the two series (also ’05 Mavs-Rockets) that looked the most fixed to give his claims some credibility.
It’s impossible to ignore the allegations though, especially if you recall what happened during the 2005 Mavs-Rockets series (the Lakers-Kings situation was mostly just fan outrage). In that series, then Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy asserted after one particular game that he had received a call from a referee not working the playoffs that the league had issued a directive to its referees to call more fouls on Yao Ming. Van Gundy was fined $100,000 and refused to reveal the identity of the referee. It’s the fact that Van Gundy actually gave some details that makes you think maybe something was going on.
Here’s a look at Donaghy’s actual claim (Team 3 = Mavs, Team 4 = Rockets):
“Team 3 lost the first two games in the series and Team 3′s owner complained to NBA officials,” the letter says. “Team 3′s owner alleged that referees were letting a Team 4 player get away with illegal screens. NBA Executive Y told Referee Supervisor Z that the referees for that game were to enforce the screening rules strictly against that Team 4 player. Referee Supervisor Z informed the referees about his instructions. As an alternate referee for that game, Tim also received these instructions.”
Not so interesting if you ask me. Doesn’t this happen all the time? The league office notices something isn’t being called and asks that it be called. There seems to be little merit here. Donaghy is going to have to draw up more of an anti-Rockets conspiracy than that to make me a believer.
Obviously the Lakers-Kings Game 6 looked fixed, but the free throw discrepancy there was only 40-25. Game 2 of this year’s Finals favored the Celtics 38-10. So should we believe every game is fixed?
I’m sure the mainstream sports media will have fun with this one for a while, but it’s only the surface facts that are intriguing. Once you get to the details, Donaghy sounds like your average conspiracy nut.
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