NBA Blog

I’ve always tried to stay out of the way of the hip pick for sports.  You know, the team that one journalist hypes up, and then the rest jump on the badwagon.  Before you know it, they are the trendy pick to win their division, go deep into the playoffs, etc. 

After the Cubs just missed out on the World Series, the media was hyping them up the following season.  They didn’t make the postseason. 

This year for March Madness, many members of the media fell in love with Michigan State’s talent and Boston College’s toughness.  They were both touted as dark-horse final four teams.  They both went down.

A couple of years ago, it was the Seattle Seahawks.  Then after their three straight losses to St. Louis, including the playoff loss at home, nobody picked them to make it to the Super Bowl this past season.  I guess some people were a little bit too early to get both on and off their bandwagon.

     Well this year it got me good.  I fell hook, line, and sinker for the Golden State Warriors.  I thought Baron Davis would be healthy and in shape, and he would challenge the other upper-eschelon point guards.  I thought Mikael Pietrus would come out of his shell and light people up.  I thought that the tandem of Troy Murphy and Ike Diogu would be a dominant power forward position (I still do, just give it more time).  I liked the notion of Derek Fisher coming off the bench to hit tough shots.  I thought Jason Richardson could handle being the money man for them, attacking the rim and becoming their go-to guy.  I even thought Mike Dunleavy would do well as a sixth man once Pietrus took his job. 
     I didn’t care that they had a previously successful college coach running the show.  They had too much depth and talent to overcome that.
     Boy did I blow that one.

Just for the record, if Nash wins the MVP, they got it wrong.  LeBron, Dirk, and Kobe all deserved to finish ahead of him.  I don’t even care that Nash had a better statistical season this year.  If that is your logic, then you probably thought that Matt Leinert deserved the Heisman this year.  Truth be told, Nash won it last year, in a year when there weren’t as many strong candidates.  This year, LeBron, Kobe, and Dirk all did much more to catapault their teams to the playoffs. 

Dirk lost another key component, and just like the year before, he won more games.  The team also changed their mindset under Avery Johnson, and dealt with a plethora of injuries.  He also took his game to another level, passing Kevin Garnett on the list of top power forwards in the West.  (That may only be for this year, but it is still true.)

Kobe had a crew of castoffs and scored/willed his way to the 7 seed.  And he’s causing absolute fits for the Suns.  It also helps that Lamar Odom has shined in his role during the second half of the season.  I don’t even like Kobe at all, but I still have him finishing third in this race to Dirk and …

LeBron.  LeBron dealt with just as many injuries as Dirk.  He also had a first-year head coach in Mike Brown.  The difference between Brown and Avery is that Avery had already been running the Mavs for half of last season.  Even before that, Avery was coaching some games and some practices.  He had a feel for most of that team.  Brown came in cold turkey to a team with absolutely no identity, other than the fact that they had LeBron.  By the way, they won 50 games and finished second in their division.  Every other team in their division made the postseason as well.  That ain’t too shabby.  Then you can look at his stats.  He’s got his hands all over every single statistic in the league, and despite the fact that Kobe averaged more points than anybody since MJ in 1987, LeBron wasn’t that far off. 

Add to all of this the fact that Nash cannot guard a tree, and something just doesn’t seem right.  Nash is no better than Jason Kidd was in the 2002 and 2003 seasons.  I’m just saying.  Maybe the Nash bandwagon carried over for a second season.

The NBA playoffs started today, so, despite being a little bit late with the post, I present my playoff predictions.  We’ll start with the other conference first.

Eastern Conference:
     Round 1
1.  Detroit Pistons
8.  Milwaukee Bucks
         This one could get ugly in a hurry.  I think the Bucks will be able to take one away from Detroit, who at this point could fall asleep during one game just to make one of them interesting.  Other than that, Detroit will move on easily.

2.  Miami Heat
7.  Chicago Bulls
          Watch out for Shaq.  He’s been coasting all season, and without any semblance of a big man to stop him, he’ll receive plenty of lob passes from D-Wade, when Wade isn’t breaking down Chicago’s tough defense.  Wade will follow LeBron’s performances and also put up outrageous numbers.  Chicago will give Miami some fits, because of their tough defense, but I honestly can’t see Chicago winning more than one game in this series.  Ben Gordon will close out a fourth quarter at home and Da Bulls will win one before the Heat move on to the next round.

3.  New Jersey Nets
6.  Indiana Pacers
          I have no idea.  I’d sick Danny Granger on Vince Carter to have him beat on Vinsanity and watch Vince crumble and disappear from games.  However, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson will still be able to get out and run to run away with this series.  Kristic and Collins will bang on Jermaine O’Neal, and the Nets will win this one.  Also, watch Peja disappear from yet another playoff series, and watch out for two J.Kidd triple-doubles in this series.  Jamal Tinsley and Anthony Johnson can’t hold his jock.  Nets in five.

4.  Cleveland Cavaliers
5.  Washington Wizards
         LeBron will win his first ever playoff series.  It will be tough, because I don’t think Cleveland will travel well.  However, the hometown hero will continue to post big games with the Cleveland fan support.  Cleveland in 7.

     Round 2
1.  Detroit Pistons
4.  Cleveland Cavaliers
        LeBron is already ahead of the G.O.A.T.’s pace at this point in his career, so bowing out to the much, much better Pistons won’t be a disappointment.  Detroit will have too much for Cleveland to handle, but it will be a learning experience for LeBron and first-year head coach Mike Brown.  Detroit in six, because LeBron is good enough to figure out a way to win two games.

2.  Miami Heat
3.  New Jersey Nets
       This is the series where Shaq gets pissed off because some journalists said he was on the downward side of his career.  People have even picked New Jersey, claiming that Kristic and Collins would provide enough to limit Shaq.  History tells us two things here, centers age rapidly at the end of their career, and angry playoff Shaq dominates everybody.  I’ll go with the latter, especially with D-Wade and uber-successful playoff coach Pat Riley.  Heat in six.

     Eastern Conference Finals
1.  Detroit Pistons
2.  Miami Heat
          Last year this one went seven games, and the Heat would have won if D-Wade had not hurt his back.  If ‘Zo can get healthy, I like the Heat in this one.  It will take seven games, but I honestly don’t see Detroit being able to stay healthy throughout the playoffs for a third straight year. 

Western Conference
     Round 1
1.  San Antonio Spurs
8.  Sacramento Kings
          They’re old.  They’re beatable.  That’s what everybody said all year.  Me?  I say, they’re veterans who win no matter what, and even if you can stay close to them, they have two finishers who can break down anybody off the dribble (Parker and Ginobili), they also have Big-Shot Rob, and the greatest power forward to ever play the game (and he’s getting healthier with all the rest in between games).  Spurs in four.

2.  Phoenix Suns
7.  Los Angeles Lakers
          Originally, I wanted the Spurs to play the Lakers, but this acually helps S.A. out.  Kobe’s scoring will enable the Lakers to steal two games away from the Suns, especially at home.  Maybe Coach Phil Jackson can coach them to another win.  I doubt it.  Suns in six.

3.  Denver Nuggets
5.  Los Angeles Clippers
          Denver did add Ruben Patterson and Reggie Evans, but I’m going to go with the Clippers here.  L.A. is starting to recognize them, and thus are starting to have recognizable fans at the games.  Add that to Sam Cassell in fourth quarters, and I like the Clippers.  It will take seven games, because Carmelo and the Nuggets’ toughness will get them three wins. 

4.  Dallas Mavericks
5.  Memphis Grizzlies
         Poor Memphis.  They keep getting better every single year, and all they have to show for it is a first-round loss to the third best team in the league.  Dirk continues his strong MVP campaign, and Josh Howard (in my opinion, the most important Mav by a mile and a half) will post several huge games.  By huge, I mean he’ll put up solid numbers in every important category.  Mavs in five. 

     Round 2
1.  San Antonio Spurs
4.  Dallas Mavericks
          Ridiculous.  The two best teams are playing in the second round.  Anyway, this will be a heated battle just like it has been for the past couple of years.  Spurs in seven.

2.  Phoenix Suns
6.  Los Angeles Clippers
          I’m torn here.  The Suns play great ball, but they’ve had so many injury problems this year.  I really do like them, but I’m afraid they’ll run into the same problems they ran into last playoffs against the Spurs.  The Clippers will kill them on the boards, especially offensively because of Elton Brand.  With all the extra shots the Clippers will get, I think they will be able to win this one.  Clippers in seven.

     Western Conference Finals
1.  San Antonio Spurs
6.  Los Angeles Clippers
          No questions asked.  Spurs in six. 

NBA Finals:
Detroit Pistons v. San Antonio Spurs
     Remember last year.  Hit the repeat button.  Only this time add some more offense.  Spurs in seven in what will go down as one of the best finals in NBA history.

There you have it folks.  Place your wagers. 

Alright, I’ve got limited time to get things done here.  I actually have to study for my finals.  (By the way, after May 3, I will NEVER have another final.  I’m actually giddy at this point.  Although, I don’t think I’ve ever actually been giddy in my life, I think that’s what this is.  Either that, or I’m in the early stages of a hangover.  It’s a toss-up.)

Without further ado, my end of year awards:

Rookie of the Year:  Chris Paul (probably the easiest ROY decision of all time, at least since David Robinson’s rookie year.)

All-Rookie Team: 
     G - Chris Paul
     G - Raymond Felton
     F - Charlie Villanueva
     F - Channing Frye (only because of his early successes this season.  As of right now, I like Ike Diogu, Ryan Gomes, and Danny Granger much, much better than Frye.)
     C - Andrew Bogut

Defensive Player of the Year: Bruce Bowen.  I’m voting for him until he wins this thing. 

All-Defensive Team:
     G - Kobe Bryant
     G - Bruce Bowen (I’m cheating here, since Bruce regularly guards shooting guards)
     F - Andrei Kirilenko
     F - Ron Artest
     C - Ben Wallace
Interesting note here, Gerald Wallace led the league in steals per game, and is in the top 11 in blocks per game.  However, he only played 55 games this year, so he got bumped by the exceptional number of small forwards who are great defenders.  AK-47, Bowen, Artest, and Gerald Wallace.  That’s pretty darn good.)

Coach of the Year: Avery Johnson - 60 wins, and he handled a barrage of injuries and losing two of the three big guns at the start of each of the last two seasons.  And, he convinced Dirk to play some defense.  That’s historical in its own right.  I know Flip coaches the team with the best record, but he came to a roster that hasn’t lost a starter in three seasons.  Flip also loosened the collar from L.B. and allowed his guys to play and have some fun on the offensive end. 
For the record, I think Mike D’Antoni should finish second here, and he did a much better job than he did last season in my opinion.  The Little General has done amazing things with the Mavs this season, and he should win.  Gregg Popovich will continue his streak of not winning a CoY award despite having the best winning percentage over the past seven years. 

Most Improved Player:  Boris Diaw, simply because he was throw-in trade bait to make the money work for the Joe Johnson deal.  Now, he’s the starting center on the number 2 seed in the Western Conference.  He’s essentially started at every position this season except for point guard, but he’s played there too along the way.  Once again, Hawks’ management is retarded.
Interesting note:  if not for Diaw’s amazing run, Tony Parker was my vote simply because he carried the Spurs on his back for long stretches this season, and he’s in the top 5 in field goal percentage.  Did I mention he’s a small point guard with a terrible jumper.  He’s done whatever he wanted all season long.  He’s like the Teddy KGB of point guards.  “I vill (attack zee lane) venever the BLEEP I vant.”  The third place finisher in this vote is Gerald Wallace.  Check out his career stats, and you will understand.  He should earn a major pay-raise this summer.

Sixth Man of the Year: Mike Miller.  This one was cake.  I would appreciate it if Michael Finley would remember how to knock down open jumpers. 

And now the most important one of all, MVP:  I HAVE NO IDEA.  I go back and forth all day long between Kobe, Dirk, and LeBron.  Which player has a weaker cast?  Not sure.  Who’s done more to improve their team?  LeBron.  Who’s been more important in the final seconds?  Kobe.  Who has the best record of the lot?  Dirk.  Who has dealt with the most injuries/changes?  Dirk or LeBron.  The thing that kills me is that the Cavs played better when Flip showed up, and the Lakers made no roster changes all season.  However, getting Luke Walton more run helped other players come out of their shell.  As much as I hate to say it, I think I have to give it to Kobe.  Just in case you are wondering, I think you can make a really strong case for any one of the following players:

1.  Kobe (waaaaaaaaaay too selfish, and I don’t like him)
2.  LeBron James (he’s so good that I don’t think he’s doing enough, despite averaging 31, 7, and 6.6 (see below…)
3.  Tony Parker (outstanding team all the way around, even with all the injuries)
4.  Steve Nash/Shawn Marion (cancelling each other out)
5.  Chauncey Billups (hurt by the fact that both Wallace’s and Rip are just as good)
6.  Dirk Nowitzki (he’s German, and has really bad hair)
7.  Dwyane Wade (still has an aging Shaq, and an aging Shaq is better than what anybody else has)
8.  Carmello Anthony (he’s officially becoming the late-game assassin).
9.  Elton Brand (hurt because Sam Cassell is the real driving force in Clipper-dom).

Editor’s note:  I just looked at LeBron’s stats on NBA.com, and he is in the top-20 in every single statistical category in the league except rebounds per game where he still pulls down 7 per game.  Because of the information that has just come to my attention, I will have to give my vote to LeBron James.  Not only is he the Most Valuable Player to his team and the league (including marketing potential), he WILL go down as the greatest to ever play the game.  And ‘Melo and Wade will be there the whole time pushing him towards greatness, because they are just as competitive and only slightly below him.  Now, as one of the 10 NBA junkies on the planet, that really does make me giddy.

I’m always asked why I love watching the NBA so much.  People always claim that college basketball is better.  Well, I strongly disagree.  Look at college basketball games this year.  I’m not talking about just the March Madness, I’m talking about the entire season as a whole.  Try to watch games where two alleged basketball powerhouses (Louisville and Kentucky) go at each other for 40 minutes, and the final score is 57-50.  The Suns average more per game than the two teams could put up combined. 

When I was given grief for watching the Hornets-Blazers game early in the season, I simply responded that I wanted to watch the best player in college basketball.  Seriously, with Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Chris Paul, LeBron James, heck, even Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, Martell Webster, and Gerald Green could all qualify as being the best player in college basketball if they were there. 

If you really want to get a better understanding of why the NBA is so great, just take a look at the new Sports Guy column on ESPN.com about the MVP race.  Be sure to read about the soon to be Holy Trinity of the NBA LeBron-Wade-Carmelo, and that should make it more clear.

The Portsmouth games just ended for guys hoping to slip into the second round of the upcoming NBA Draft.

Well, I’ll talk about two guys I think NEED to be drafted in the second round.  (Note:  I talked to my Dad at length about both of these guys while I was home for spring break, so I’m claiming to have beaten Chad Ford to the punch.)

1.  Steve Novak (F) - Marquette - One question: When has a 6′11″ lights out 3-point shooter been a bad thing?  Novak is already a better shooter and taller than Kyle Korver, and Korver starts for the Sixers.  He’s not the athlete that Vladamir Radmanovic is, but I’ll bet you he’s got more heart, and more willing to take the tough shots.  He’s like a really, really poor man’s version of Dirk.  Perhaps he’s more of a rich man’s Brad Lohaus.  Either way, I’d pick him in the second round.

2.  Justin Williams (C) - Wyoming - He’s a shot-blocking machine who attacks the glass on both ends.  And he only played two years of college ball.  His stats for his senior year at Wyoming were 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.4 blocked shots per game!  That is freaking outrageous no matter what conference you play in.  Those are better numbers than what Theo Ratliff put up in college.  And Williams is a legit 6′10″ with outrageous leaping ability.  Imagine what he could do with some refined work on the offensive post and on putbacks.

You can put it on the board, YES!  LaMarcus Aldridge should be the number one pick in this year’s draft.  Tyrus Thomas hasn’t declared yet, but I would take him second only to Aldridge.  I know Aldridge struggled against LSU’s big men, but come on.  The guy can score with his back to the basket, and he can block shots.  Two things that pseudo 7-footers must do. 

Thomas is a freak talent.  However, when the comparisons coming in are about Stromile Swift, I’m not picking you number 1.  Thomas is extremely raw, and I don’t think even he knows how good he is going to be.  Then again, they said the same thing about Kwame Brown.  (For the record, I think Thomas will be better than both of the aforementioned names.)

The Florida trio said they were coming back next year.  That’s nice and all, but so did Sean May last year.  If I were a Florida fan, which I’m not and never will be, I’d hold my breath until the deadline has passed for players to declare.  That’s just me.  By the way, I think Noah blew a chance at a HUGE payday.  If he were to come out, he would have been vying for the number one spot with Aldridge.  After his tourney, I think Noah would have been in the driver seat.  I personally don’t think he’ll be anything special at the next level, but that’s just me.  And I’m extremely jaded against the Gators at this point.  (You try living with two guys from that school, and I guarantee you’ll be in the same boat as me.)  I think Brewer and Horford will be better pro players, because Noah will never get any bigger.  He won’t be able to handle the physical NBA game, and his jumper is so atrocious that he’ll never be able to score.  I think he’s a more defensive-oriented, taller version of Jared Jeffries.  Jeffries was a better scorer, and oh, Jeffries had a career high tonight of 16 points.  For you doubters about the similarities, go back and watch that IU run in the tournament when Jeffries carried his squad to the final game.

P.S.  I got a job offer this past week.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t from anybody or anything closely related to the NBA.  It’s with a law firm in Elizabethtown, KY doing insurance defense work.  It ain’t glamorous, but I can finally sleep at night.  The night I received the offer, I went to bed at midnight.  That is impressive, because I had not gone to bed before 3 am for about 8 months.  But you can rest easy my friends, for eventually, I will make it to the show.