Tag: NBA

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LeBron James: Looking Ahead to 2014

LeBron James has just won his 2nd title with the Miami Heat, and rumors say that he wants to get out of Miami. Where should he go? Here are my thoughts.

Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron should go to Cleveland because he will have a non-injury-prone sidekick in Kyrie Irving, and the Cavs gave Andrew Bynum a small contract to track down James. Though this may lead to many disappointing seasons due to the hatred from Cavs fans, some fans that had once burned their LeBron Cavs jersey will be begging to get it back.

LA Lakers

Kobe Bryant recently said he would want to team up with LeBron, but he does not want a pay-cut from the Lakers. The Lakers hit a huge luxury-tax of $29.6-million. Amnestying Pau Gasol and Steve Blake or Metta World Peace would do great to have room to get LeBron. Also, the Lakers will also track down Carmelo Anthony from the Knicks.

Chicago Bulls

Chicago showed interest when he made his first ‘Decision’, and many thought he would go there. Teaming up would D-Rose would mean that the Windy City will put up many more banners to come, and the once famous block by LeBron on Rose in ’11 will be forgotten forever.

 Miami Heat

LeBron said that he wants to stay in Miami for the rest of his career, and he should due to the fact he won both titles. Also, the Heat will try to chase some young and veteran players on the market to be able to convince LeBron to stay.

Stay tuned for more news on LeBron and free agency in 2013 and 2014!

Posted on in NBA, NCAA Basketball

The 2013 NBA Draft Top 5 Picks: Rethought

The 2013 NBA Draft in Brooklyn certainly was the craziest of all drafts. If I were the GM of any of these teams, here is who I would have picked.

Number 1, Cleveland Cavs: Anthony Bennett, UNLV, SF/PF

Bennett was a surprise pick in the draft, and Cavs fans have no idea what to say. Here is what GM Chris Grant said “As we did our evaluations throughout the entire year, we just kept coming back to his ability and his talent and how it fit with our guys, a lot of times, like last year, it’s just clear cut. But for us, through the year, we always had him very high in our rankings and as we went back and reviewed the film and went on campus and visited everybody, we came away saying he’s a great kid. He’s willing to work and do the right things and he’s got a bunch of talent.”

My call: I too would have picked Bennett because Noel rarely played due to an ACL injury.

Number 2, Orlando Magic: Victor Oladipo, Indiana, SG/PG

Oladipo is an explosive 2-guard who can get it done in the clutch. Orlando needed a reliable 2-guard after Hedo Turkoglu and Arron Afflalo. His weakness is his assist-to-turnover ratio.

My call: I too would have picked Oladipo because of his ability to shoot the ball well.

Number 3, Washington Wizards: Otto Porter, Georgetown, SF/PF

Porter had all defenses on their heels during big-time games. He is a 6’9” Small Forward who scores like a 6’6” Shooting Guard, and spreads the floor like a 6’1” Point Guard.

My call: I too would have picked Porter so that I would have a good replacement in the starting lineup for Trevor Ariza and Jan Vesely, and he scores BIG in the clutch.

Number 4, Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets: Cody Zeller, Indiana, C/PF

Zeller is a player who has a great post game, as well as a knack of making free throws (75.7% free throw shooter).

My call: I would have picked Ben McLemore because they NEED a clutch shooter to be able to win games.

Number 5, Phoenix Suns: Alex Len, Maryland, C

Len is a physical player who needs to show he can play since he missed the Draft Combine with an ankle injury.

My call: I would have picked Trey Burke because of his great shooting and physicality that the team needs that the Suns need, and Len will NOT bring that physicality.

 

Anthony-Bennett

Anthony Bennett after being chosen by the Cavs.

Posted on in NBA

NBA Free Agent Tracker: 2012-13

This year so far has been full of free agent talk, from the Dwight Howard to Rockets, and Chris Paul to the Hawks. Here is what is going to shape up for these title contending teams.

  1. Dwight Howard and Chris Paul:

Howard is still weighing his options on where to go to. He had signed a 1-year deal this season, so his contract had ended the moment he had gotten ejected from Game 4 of the 1st round of the playoffs vs. Spurs. Paul has co-existed well with the Clippers, and he wants out of LA because he has been blamed for the Vinny Del Negro firing.

The Outcome:

Howard is a Rocket. Paul is a Hawk.

  1. Josh Smith

Smith is a great power forward. The Hawks have been wanting to trade him for the past 2 years, but the problem is, the Hawks are rejecting the trade offers. He is a restricted free agent, so he is waiting for something to happen

The Outcome:

Josh Smith is a Rocket with Howard.

  1. KG and Paul Pierce

KG and Pierce run in Boston has sadly come to an end.

The Outcome: 

KG goes to the Hawks to join Paul, and Pierce goes to the Clippers

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The NBA’s MVP Race: The Top 5

The NBA features many MVP-caliber players to watch this year and many of them could be voted as the MVP. Here are my predictions for this season and these players’ future with their respective teams.

  1. LeBron James

He is a no-matter-what MVP candidate this year. Coming off an NBA Finals win, he is healthy and ready to go for this season.

 

2. Kevin Durant

Durant is a 3-time scoring champ, and could very easily win his 4th of his career. OKC lost James Harden, and now he’ll have to score in bigger bunches.

 

3. Dwight Howard

Howard is coming back from a herniated disk injury in his back and it eventually ended his career with the Orlando Magic. Howard was traded to LA in a 4-team deal, and had recovered from his surgery in LA. Mike Brown, the coach of the Lakers, says that he is healthy, in shape, and ready to go. The Lakers are hoping that he doesn’t get injured again. He had only missed 8 games before his injury, which had tied Andre Iguodala for least amount of games missed in a career through 2012.

 

4. Rajon Rondo

Rondo is THE BEST point guard in the league. The leader in assists will now have to become a huge role to the team after the loss of Ray Allen, a future Hall of Famer.

 

5. Chris Paul

In Paul’s 1st season as a Clipper, he was tied with Deron Williams and Steve Nash for 2nd in the league in assists per game. Paul was 2nd on his team in scoring with 18.7 per game. Vinny Del Negro is hoping that Paul’s stellar performance with the Clippers. Paul and Del Negro were very unhappy though after being swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs

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My Top 5 NBA Power Rankings 2012-13

The NBA season is nearing, as tipoff is October 30th. Here are my power rankings and my expectations for each team this season.

(1) Miami Heat

The defending champions are coming in to this season as huge championship contenders for this season. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh had stellar performances in the playoffs, and should carry the load for the rest of the season. Mario Chalmers and Ray Allen will help out the Big 3 when certain struggles start happening.

(2) OKC Thunder

The Western Conference champions are turning into one of the more younger teams in the NBA. Kevin Durant and Co. have the talent to return to the Finals, though teams such as the Lakers and Clippers could come in their way and effect their huge run for this season.

(3) LA Lakers

The 1980 LA Lakers were called “Showtime” for their stellar offensive play. “Showtime” seems to return after the arrivals of free agent Steve Nash, and the 4-team deal in a trade which got them Dwight Howard, adding to the phenomenon called Kobe Bryant. Expect them to be competitive, though don’t be surprised if OKC surpasses them in the tough Western Conference battles.

(4) LA Clippers

The Clippers certainly got some hope when Chris Paul signed the deal with LA. The Clippers can get No. 1 in the Pacific Division, though their defense will need to improve for that to happen.

(5) Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics have one of the oldest starting lineups in Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Rajon Rondo has showed the world why he deserves to be the best point guard as well as the best passer in the NBA. Though this team certainly doesn’t lack any depth in their bench, with players like Leandro Barbosa, Keyon Dooling, Jason Terry, a fresh and healthy Jeff Green, and aging Darko Milicic, who is still considered a great jump shooter for a center and a great defensive player who continues to excel in his ability to help his team off the bench.

And the 2012-2013 NBA champion is…

The Miami Heat are repeat-champions thanks to the great bench play and help from Ray Allen. The LA Lakers will be the Western Conference champions and will surpass the OKC Thunder who have a struggling bench and are expected to lose James Harden near the trade deadline late February.

Award Picks:

MVP: LeBron James

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard

Rookie of the Year: Anthony Davis

Coach of the Year: Eric Spoelstra

Most Improved Player of the Year: Jeremy Lin

Sixth Man of the Year: Ray Allen

* All Logos used here are property of the NBA and the respective teams.