Tag: NBA

Categories
NBA General

Season Of Certain Uncertainty

2008 NBA Playoff Preview

The knockdown, drag out fight that has been the NBA regular season has finally come to a close and all the participants, battered and disheveled, are ready to scrape their way to the summit to claim the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Okay, that sums up the Western conference but what about the East?

(That was too easy…)

But seriously, this NBA season has been one of the best that I been able to watch.  And because of my love for football, I usually dismiss the round ball action until after New Year’s, but this season slapped you in the face all year long.

Mega-blockbuster, franchise changing trades, unrealistic turnarounds, the tightest MVP race in history, and some of the coolest-turned-annoying promotional commercials I’ve ever seen (I hear that “Where amazing happens” piano music in my sleep).

While no one in their most insane and eccentric state of mind could have predicted Boston going all “We’re the real Celtics again” on the league, Mitch Kupchak hi-jacking Pau from the Grizz, CP3 looking like the Big O reincarnate, Shaq turning Phoenix, Arizona into the latest site for his 24-hour fitness club chain, or Kobe playing nice; the upcoming playoffs will be even more unpredictable.

So with all of the questions swirling around this weekend’s playoff kickoff, I picked out 15 of the most pressing ones and answered them.

Continue reading “Season Of Certain Uncertainty”

Categories
NBA General

The Convoluted Picture that is the 2008 NBA Draft

By David J. Cohen

The NBA draft is extremely crucial toward building success and ultimately championships. Every team is one great pick away from possible glory. However, this year the draft shook out in an order that hurts many of the teams. If trades don’t happen early and often a lot of square pegs could find themselves in round holes. Here is a mock draft rundown of what the teams should do, and then what I think they will end up doing if they are picking at their respective spots.

Continue reading “The Convoluted Picture that is the 2008 NBA Draft”

Categories
NBA General

The Guru’s 2008 Mock NBA Draft Lottery

The Guru Predicts The 2008 NBA Draft Lottery

The ping-pong balls are done bouncing and the Association has once again found a way to make all the conspiracy theorists, like myself, concoct new assumptions about its self-serving manipulation.

But far be it from me to ever question Mr. Stern or the integrity of his league, you know the league with the betting refs, the painfully predictable games, and the one that once employed Tom Tolbert; that league.

But I digress.  The next crop of “one-and-dones” is ready to start collecting millions of dollars while trying to avoid the ranks of Kwame Brown, Darius Miles, and Michael Olowokandi.  But unlike the aforementioned busts, this next generation of kids can at least say they know what a college gym looks like.

I still think the NBA should extend the age limit rule to two years removed from high school, forcing these kids to actually take notes in class instead of doodling sketches of their first ugly, over-priced shoe.

There I go getting off topic again…

Here’s how I think June’s lottery will shake out:

Continue reading “The Guru’s 2008 Mock NBA Draft Lottery”

Categories
Chicago Bulls

Chicago Bulls Win Miracle Pick: With Strings Attached

By David J. Cohen

The Bulls lucked into another great draft spot. They’ve made a habit of this since MJ left the building. History shows that the Bulls have the luckiest ping pong ball in the draft lottery of late when it comes to getting high draft picks:

Continue reading “Chicago Bulls Win Miracle Pick: With Strings Attached”

Categories
NBA General

Still the King?

One off game. That’s all it was, right? Yeah, sure. Until game two rolled around and Lebron’s already suspect perimeter game was exposed for all the world to see.

Sure, he’s the most exciting player in the NBA, that is, if you haven’t already jumped on the Chris Paul bandwagon, but dear God, are we seriously going to overlook this?

Are we for real, in all our skeptical wisdom as fans and writers, going to look past a 19% shooting effort and 17 turnovers in two straight games? And not just any two games. We’re talking two straight games in the second round of the playoffs. You know, the series that, if you were to win it, you’re suddenly four wins away from the NBA Finals.

I mean, I hate to say it, but isn’t this kind of all sorts of hilarious? Bare with me folks, but I’m going to go out on a limb here. Despite what Stephen A. Smith (the A stands for something other than his parents intended) and others want you to believe, Lebron “King” James, is in full choke mode.

Continue reading “Still the King?”

Categories
New York Knicks

New York Knicks: Bonjour Monsieur Isiah Thomas

By David J. Cohen

It’s official. Operation Keep Isiah As Far Away From the Knicks As Possible is finally under way. New Knicks President Donnie Walsh has sent Isiah on a scouting mission.

Continue reading “New York Knicks: Bonjour Monsieur Isiah Thomas”

Categories
New Orleans Hornets

The playoffs are buzzing…

The NBA Playoffs have, in some ways, been very similar to years past. The Spurs stole away the Suns hopes of glory with methodical, albeit boring, execution. Tracy McGrady and the Rockets were once again ousted in the first round (will someone please tell this guy to stop walking under ladders while spilling salt and kicking black cats?). The Pistons steady D led them through a surprisingly tough series. But this year, the playoffs also have something they have lacked in recent years; the buzz of an exciting, young, and effective team. It’s the buzz of a team that plays the game unselfishly, and goes all out on every play. It’s the buzz of a team that is high-flying and entertaining, but also has the capacity to actually make a championship run. It’s the buzz of the Hornets.

Continue reading “The playoffs are buzzing…”
Categories
Portland Trailblazers

Trailblazers Climbing to a Bright Future

The Portland Trailblazers are a team loaded with young talent that is on the rise like basketball fans in China, but the most impressive young talent on the team might be LaMarcus Aldridge.

Continue reading “Trailblazers Climbing to a Bright Future”
Categories
Golden State Warriors

Trouble for the Warriors

The 2007-08 season has just begun and the Golden State Warriors appear to be in trouble. They had an amazing run in last years playoffs upsetting the first seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round and losing in a shootout with the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semifinals. The tumultuous playoff run looked like a set up for another good season for the Warriors, but some things didn’t work out too well in the off-season, which has led to a winless first opening week for the Warriors.

Continue reading “Trouble for the Warriors”
Categories
NBA General

The NBA’s Thirty Most Interesting Players of 2007

We are about to embark on another journey through the NBA as the 2007-2008 season is upon us. There will be many interesting stories that will be told throughout the year, but how about the players themselves? Who are the most interesting players in the NBA. Lets take a look team by team to see.

Continue reading “The NBA’s Thirty Most Interesting Players of 2007”