I have to admit it. The off-season can be a little dry. I can read about unbelievable trades and summer camp results, but the excitement and enjoyment are very much short-lived. However, what has truly become a hot source of information has been the recent NBA drafts. The reason this has occurred is that the word rookie no longer implies incompetence or inexperience. The latest rookies have quickly become All-Stars and are now more than ready to garner a championship in their first few years. This was made evident during the 2003 NBA draft, a draft that saw Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony become household names overnight. However, despite their initial successes, who among them has the best chance of truly becoming a NBA great?
Category: NBA
NBA
Headlines were made after the Knicks announced the acquisition of former Orlando Magic player Steve Francis. Formerly known as “The Franchise,” Francis has not lived up to his name in his last two years. Following his trade to the Magic for Tracy McGrady, he was unable to help the Magic reach the playoffs despite the return of Grant Hill. Much criticism has been directed towards him for playing too much one-on-one basketball. This has probably been the cause of his departure; Francis now hopes to start anew in the Garden, home of the most hard to please NBA fans.
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The Crystal Basketball
The Crystal Basketball
With the retirements of NBA greats like Karl Malone, Reggie Miller, John Stockton, and Steve Kerr, a new generation of basketball has emerged. Michael Jordan ushered in this new era during his final All-Star Game appearance in 2003, stating, “I leave the game in good hands.” Though one may argue that his years in Washington were his worst and his comeback a failure, it was impossible that night to not shed a tear and say goodbye to what was truly his Airness’ era.
As Michael Jordan took center stage and uttered these words, he faced our generation of all-stars. Kobe, AI, KG, Tim Duncan, to name a few. What does the future hold for these superstars? Who will be the next player to be regarded as one of the greatest of all time?
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Amare Should Stay at Home
Nearly every NBA foundation shook and rumbled last summer. Television stations revamped their schedules, fans cried in disbelief, and that flicker of hope quickly extinguished.
Amare Stoudemire needed microfracture knee surgery.
Despite initial predictions, the Phoenix Suns are hotter than their name and currently are the Pacific Division leaders and second seed in the Western Conference. This lead has only been challenged in the last two weeks by the Clippers. However, due to that ball club’s recent five game losing streak, the Suns have found themselves with more distance and no challengers. Amare is expected to return in March, but should he?
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That’s Dallas with a Capital D
In days of yore, the Dallas Mavericks were a fast-paced run-and-gun ball club. Led by their big three of Nash, Nowitzski, and Finley, the Mavericks had little to no trouble winning in the season as they let offense dictate their games. However, despite their successful records, they were still regarded as soft and the lack of defense always led to disappointment in the playoffs. It would be ludicrous to call the team a postseason Western powerhouse…until now. With the dismissal of Don Nelson and the arrival of Avery Johnson, the Dallas Mavericks currently own the best record in the West and are now showing signs of defensive pressure. Why is it coming together for them now despite Nash’s (last year’s MVP) departure to the Suns and deadeye shooter Finley’s departure to the Spurs?
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the Black Mamba
The biggest story in the NBA this season has been Kobe Bryant’s 81 points against the Toronto Raptors on January 22nd. He was 28 of 46 from the field (7-13 from 3) and hit 18 of 20 attempts at the line. It is by far the greatest display of offense in the history of the league…not done by a guy named Wilt Chamberlain. Michael only got to 69, Kobe got to 81. He played 42 minutes that night and ended up with 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Quite frankly, I’m surprised he had two assists. All of this coming a month after he torched the Dallas Mavericks for 62 on December 20th. By the way, he did that in only 32 minutes. The man is a scoring machine and is by far the best one on one offensive player in the NBA. To coin the phrase, “You can’t stop him; you just have to hope to contain him.”
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The NBA Gets "Lost"
The NBA All-Star game is here again, so you know what that means? Its midseason awards time! As an avid reader of the popular sports websites out there, which I’m sure most you aspiring writers are, I have been beaten over the head with award prognostications. Nash or Kobe for league MVP; Chris Paul for Rookie of the Year, and Sam Cassell for Biggest Pair which he is so fond of telling us. Been there and read that. I’m up for something different, so in the tradition of ESPN’s Page 2 let me mix in a little pop culture with our sports. What would happen if the NBA got Lost?
Last season, it was widely believed that Steve Nash won the NBA’s MVP award almost as much for what he didn’t do. This year, he’s showing that he deserves it for what he is doing. Remember the buzz last winter when Phoenix went into the tank for eight games while Nash was out with an injury? It showed the voters just how valuable the Suns point guard was to his team, and the voters chose accordingly.
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"I’m too hood for that"
So I woke up this morning, and the first thing I did, just like every other weekday, is turn on SportsCenter. Whose face do I see?…Ron-Ron’s. It was “Sunday Conversation” time, by far some of the best sports interviews on television. Artest answered questions on what he felt like during the months he was supposed to be traded, and how the Maloofs made him feel in his debut in Sacramento, etc. But an even better question came up about Ron Artest’s image. He replied that he really didn’t care about changing his image. To quote him, “I don’t want to do no Coca-Cola commercial.”
He was doing so good, it really seemed like he moved on from what happened in Detroit and that this Ron Artest was just going to play basketball, and try to stay off the radar. My favorite comment of the interview was that he was “too hood for that” when he was explaining why he wouldn’t clean up his act. That got me to thinking what is the big deal with street cred in the NBA?
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All-Star Game One Rising Star Short
By David J Cohen
The reserves for the 2006 NBA All-Star Game were finally announced Thursday night. Now the rosters are set for the game where the NBA’s elite come together to put on one entertaining show. This game, unlike all-star games in Major League Baseball and the National Football League, has meaning to the players chosen to participate. The label of “all-star” is still an honor to NBA players. This means that it is actually important to ensure the most deserving players are chosen to represent their conferences.
Of course, our world isn’t perfect. Every year there are players watching this game that should be playing in it. This year is no exception. A serious case can be made for Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd in the East and Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony in the West to be participants in this year’s game. However, there is one player left out this year that without a doubt should be an all-star. He can be argued as an MVP candidate. He has carried a team projected to finish last in its conference on his shoulders. He has led a team of second-string players into position to be a playoff team. And he has accomplished all of this while simultaneously adjusting from the college game to the pros at its most challenging position. He is New Orleans/Oklahoma City point-guard Chris Paul.