Lakers fall to 0-3, are the Clippers for real?

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Never mind the 0-3 start, let's not continue to talk about the Lakers struggle on a night where Kobe Bryant went off for 40 points while Gasol and Howard combined for a measly 23 points. The other team that plays in Staples center is legit, and we have been saying it since the summer. The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Lakers last night 105 to 95 and were in control of the entire game. Everybody wants to talk about the Lakers and Oklahoma as favorites to come out of the west, but what about the Clippers. Last night they showed how deep they are, their bench play was far superior to the Lakers and probably has 6th man of the year favorite in Jamal Crawford.
Jamal Crawford through 2 games is averaging 25 points, and this team is dominating and Griffin has yet to have a nice game by his standards. They are loaded, and consider the fact that Grant Hill and Chauncey Billups will be back at some point over the next month or so and that makes them even deeper. Kobe Bryant may have scored 40 and became the all time Lakers leaders in steals in the process, but Chris Paul clearly dominated the flow of the game with 18 points 15 assists, and the bomb... JUST 1 TURNOVER. They have size, their bench is deep, superstars, they can run, they can defend, yet nobody seems to want to talk about the LA Clippers and thats fine with Paul so long as they keep getting wins.

The Knicks opened up their season by routing the defending champion. Carmelo Anthony had 30 points and 10 rebounds, but the real story behind this win was the 3 pointers. The Knicks shot a blistering 52.8% on their way to 19 threes. The Heat came out slow and were buried behind the avalanche of threes. It will be interesting to see how the Knicks dynamics will change the Amar'e comes back. Note, Melo took 28 shots.
-James Harden continues to haunt everybody who says he's not capable of being a superstar down the line, by dropping 45 points in his second game with the Houston Rockets but lost in Harden's brilliance is Jeremy Lin's great first 2 games, last night he scored 21 points had 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
-The Celtics start the season 0-2 after losing to the Bucks
-Oklahoma defeated Portland for their first victory of the season
-The Charlotte Bobcats snapped a 23 game losing streak (yes you read correctly) Behind Kemba Walker's 30 points

Harden debuts with a bang for the Rockets

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The Oklahoma City Thunder fans will have nightmares with James Harden for a while. Harden debuted yesterday with his new team and had perhaps his best game as a pro, dropping 37 points and 12 assists. A small sample to those skeptical about Harden's ability to take the role of being the man of a team. Now do not expect Harden to drop eye popping numbers like this every night, but its the perfect way to remind the world that James Harden is a star and is only 23 years old. Yes they played the Detroit Pistons, but so what? When Kobe Bryant dropped 81 points against the Toronto Raptors nobody said anything about it being against the raptors, 37 is 37 no matter which team you play. Harden and his new backcourt buddy Jeremy Lin looked great today, finding each other, highlighted by a backdoor cut by Harden which Lin found for an open dunk
Consider this, only three players in the last 25 years have put up the same numbers or better, than Harden put up yesterday, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Dwyane Wade. Three hall of famers, and people want to say that this was a bad trade by Houston? Kevin Martin is a very good player, but he is not James Harden. Coach Kevin Mchale believed it was a challenge for Harden to figure out what the team is doing, after all he just got there. So what will happen when Harden does know what he's doing within the context of the offense? Harden is coming signing his 5 year 80 million extension, and he's determine to show everybody that he's worth every cent.

There rockets are still players away from even making the playoffs, but its a very good start. Should OKC not make it back to the finals this year, they'll look back to this trade and how things could have been different. After all, they could have just waited it out and see how far OKC got this year before making such a hasty decision. Meanwhile Harden will continue to show night in an out that OKC made a mistake and it started last night, in the tune of 37 and 12.

The Lakers are in trouble is it time to panic?

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They were automatically elevated to favorites to come out of the Western Conference, favored by most to dethrone the Miami Heat. The reality of the matter is that this Lakers team needs to worry about winning a game before talking about western conference championships let alone being up to par with the defending champion. After a second straight loss to start out the season, the Lakers now haven't won a game since last year's playoffs. The portland Trailblazers behind a great crowd dropped 116 points on a team that's suppose to be great defensively. Mike Brown is suppose to be  great defensive coach yet after two games they are allowing way over 100 points a game.
Here's my favorite stat line of the night: Lakers scored 106 points, shot well on 2's and 3 pointers, outrebounded Portland by 15, got 33 points and 14 rebounds from Dwight Howard, 30 points from Kobe Bryant on 50% shooting, and still lost by 10 points. The main problem here is Mike Brown, who is NOT a good coach (everybody is entitled to their own opinion), since his days in Cleveland his offensive schemes have been terrible. Back in Cleveland the plan was give the ball to Lebron James and get out of his way. You can say anything about Eric Spoelstra down in Miami, but the players respect and listen to what he says, and he has repeatedly stood his ground when conflicting with his 2 superstars Wade and James. Thats more than can be said about Brown back in Cleveland, instead now he has the task of having to mix Nash, Howard, Gasol, and Kobe into a successful offensive scheme?
The princeton offense they are running is a terrible idea on a team that has Steve Nash. Why trade for one of the best passers of all time if you aren't going to unleash him? Bringing the ball up the court every possession instead of trying to run it down the other team's throat is a horrible idea, and considering that both Gasol and Howard can run the floor its even more astounding as to what it is they are doing down there.

Batum had 26 points to lead the blazers

Another major concern for the Lakers, is their bench. Which seems to be a concern since the departure of Lamar Odom. Yet when you are depending night in and out on Steve Blake to lead that second unit, what can you expect? It does not matter how good your starting 5 is, they cannot play 48 minutes a night, specially when you consider that Howard is the only player in that starting lineup that's not in his 30's. CAn you remember the last team that won a championship without a good contribution from the bench? Point guards also continue to have great games against the Lakers which has been the trend for the last few years, Damian Lillard the Rookie had 23 points and 11 assists in his first pro game, taking advantage of Nash's absence who only played 16 minutes after banging knees with the rookie
Howard despite scoring 33, is still not there athletically, several plays that last year would have been thundering dunks are now lay ins. No doubt he'll get healthier as the year progresses, and after a horrible first game at the free throw line, last night he shot 15 out of 19. Ultimately, we believe they will figure it out, but in a western conference that is stacked with good teams you do not want to start the year trailing in the standings. Oh and by the way, there next opponent is the Los Angeles Clippers, so don't be surprised if the Lakers start out 0-3 to start the season, taking the panic in Laker to the next level.
NBA News
-Stephen Curry gets 4 year extension from Golden State(44M)
-Demar Derozan gets 4 year extension from Raptors(40M)
-Taj Gibson gets 4 year extension from Bulls (38M)

The Heat got their rings, and then continued where they left off

Image from the Miamiherald.com

Lebron James finally got his ring, while Dwyane Wade got his second and the rest of the Heat raised their championship banner. Opening night was a spectacle down in Miami, from Ray Allen in a Heat jersey to Rondo Clotheslining Wade to Lebron getting cramps. Yet one thing was certain, this Miami Heat team is clearly the best team in basketball and they looked in mid season form in the first of 82 games.
The first defensive play of the game for the Heat was indicative of it. With crisp rotations, the possession started with a Bosh block of a Bass jumpshot, followed 10 seconds later by a Wade block, and which culminated with a Shane Battier 3 at the other end. The Celtics will definitely be the team challenging them for the eastern conference but it will be tough to stop Miami from going to a third straight finals. Their two superstars destroyed the Celtics, Lebron James looked like the best player in basketball, picking his spots and attacking when he had to, he had a double double by halftime and it seems like Spoelstra will continue to use this "no position lineup". Then there's Dwyane Wade, there were concerns amid his offseason surgery on his knee ( He played during last year's title run with the knee injury) and how he would look. Well he looked like his usual self, attacking the basket, posting up smaller defenders and wrecking havoc on the defensive end, he finished with 29 points and don't be surprised if he leads the team in scoring this year.

The other big story is the Heat's bench, Ray Allen had 19 points and was giving Boston nightmares. He will clearly be a six man of the year contender and looks much more healthy than last year. Rashard Lewis had 10 points on 4 out of 5 shooting as well, looking in great shape. You can argue that the Heat's bench could have several members in a starting lineup for some of the other teams.
The Celtics on the other hand have some things to work out. While Rondo looks great, and Pierce looks like he's going to have a big season, the Celtics defense allowed the Heat 120 points and simply allowed the Heat to do whatever they wanted. Jason Terry was profoundly outplayed by Allen, and Jeff Green was held to 6 points. The bright side for the Celtics was Leandro Barbosa, who scored 16 points on 6-8 shooting. The Celtics will get better of course, they are still waiting for the return of Avery Bradley and the new pieces to get used to the system, but even then beating the Heat seems like a long shot.
-Kyrie Irving had 29 points in his first game of his sophomore year, and Varejao had 23 Rebounds 9 points and 9 assists as the Cavs defeated the Wizards
-Dwyane Wade passed the 15,000 points milestone early in yesterday's game

James Harden traded to the Rockets, who are the real winners?

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The Oklahoma City Thunder traded James Harden, Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook, and Lazar Hayward to the Houston Rockets for Kevin Martin, two first round picks and Jeremy Lamb. Now, in essence, the issue between Harden and OKC was that Harden (deservingly so) wanted a max contract. OKC could not give him a max contract of course because of the earlier contract  to Serge Ibaka. Houston of course will provide him with that max contract as soon as possible.
Let's look at the winners of this trade. The biggest winner was of course the Houston Rockets, who have tried so very hard to obtain a star caliber player for months (remember all those little Howard trade rumors before he got traded to the Lakers?) and now have two GREAT young pieces and presumably their backcourt of the future, in Jeremy Lin and James Harden. The Rockets are young, and their offense will no doubt revolve around Harden. Speaking of those Lakers, they are clearly the next winners of this trade.
The Lakers were favorite to come out of the west as soon as the Howard trade went through, and those who still believed in OKC (this humble writer included) as the favorites, did so out of respect of last year's run to the finals and on the brilliance of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, AND james Harden. Yes they get draft picks and a promising young player in Jeremy Lamb, but isn't OKC trying to win a championship now? Kevin Martin is a good player, but come on, he is not James Harden. Can you honestly think of one big important game that Kevin Martin has played since he's been in the league? James Harden is fresh of a 6th man of the year award, and while he struggled against the Heat in the finals, did you see what he did to the Dallas Mavericks in the closeout game of the first round?
Harden was also a much better compliment to Oklahoma's other two stars, he was their best pick and roll player and playmaker in general. We know Westbrook is going to shoot the ball, and Martin is primarily a shooter. All in all just ask yourself one question, if you ask Kobe Bryant or Dwyane Wade, who would be an easier matchup for them to dominate, Martin or Harden, which name would they say?
In addition, Harden outside of Sefolosha was Oklahoma's best perimeter defender.
The thunder are still absolutely title contenders, but you cant help but smile deep down if you are a Lakers fan. As far as the Thunder, how are Durant and Westbrook going to react to the news that their good buddy got traded? Harden may initially be disappointed but not for long. He will now be the marquee player for a young team, the go to guy, and he will get his max contract. So ultimately the team who seemingly loses the most, is the team that pulled the trigger on the trade.

Golden State Warriors 2012-2013 preview

The Golden State Warriors are not a team that attracts much interest, and yet they have one of the best fan bases in the entire league. The Warriors finished last season in their usual spot in the bottom depths of the western conference. They finished 23-43 and lost 9 out of their last 10 games. Let's look at their roster:
F Harrison Barnes, G Kent Bazemore, C Andris Biedrins, C Andrew Bogut, G Stephen Curry, C Festus Ezeli, F Draymond Green, G Jarrett Jack, F Richard Jefferson, G Charles Jenkins, C Ognjen Kuzmic, F Carl Landry, F-C David Lee, F-G Brandon Rush, G Klay Thompson, C Jeremy Tyler

This roster, at first sight looks pretty talented, just look at their bigs, andrew Bogut, Andris Biedrins, David Lee, and Carl Landry are all starters in a handful of teams. Second year coach Mark Jackson will have a full training camp this year, which will definitely help them out. However, it all starts and ends with their best player, Stephen Curry. Curry's promising career has been derailed by a handful of ankle injuries, and at this point every time he's on the floor the fans are just holding their collective breath. Curry is one of the best shooters in the league and by trading away Monta Ellis, management have handed over the keys to Curry.
They have a great front court in Andrew Bogut and David Lee (who should be their starters), backed up by a productive Landry and Biedrins. Yet, it comes to our attention that this team does not really have a star. There is not one player on this roster that you can without questionable doubt mark as the "go to guy", yes David Lee averaged 20 PPG, but would you rather have the ball in his hands or Curry's?. They are a horrible defensive team, (and that should change this year with the addition of Bogut) they were third in the league in opponents PPG at an abysmal 101.2.
Ultimately, this team will not make the playoffs, but now must allow their young players to develop. Harrison Barnes is an intriguing prospect, he all the tools to be a star but critics say he lacks the motor to achieve his greatness. Klay Thompson is also a player who is deemed as invaluable, couple these two with a healthy Curry and that nice front court and the Warriors could be dangerous. Will they make the playoffs? Of course not but at least 30 wins is not out of the question. They have great veteran players in Jarrett Jack and Richard Jefferson, and we all know how much Coach Jackson loves Brandon Rush. Ultimately though, this team wont be very good, but they will be very fun as is always the case when it comes to the Golden State Warriors.

Lebron James and Kevin Durant working out again, but does it matter?

Lebron James is the reigning Finals MVP, and it came at the expense of Kevin Durant, which many now consider to be his #1 rival and second to James for the title of best in the world. They spent some time last offseason working together, and after a summer of being Olympic teammates, they are once again working out together in preparation for the upcoming season. Now, a lot is being put into this in regards to Kevin Durant.
Should Kevin Durant be working out with his #1 rival and the player who dominated him in the biggest stage of professional basketball? Opinions vary on this subject, such as that of Skip Bayless. Bayless, who goes on a ridiculous and disrespecting rant about how Durant is being "Owned" by James, is of those who say that Durant should not be working out with James. Then again, who listens to a man who says Tim Tebow is more box office than Kobe Bryant?
In our minds, when you look at it from a competitive standpoint, Kevin Durant should not be working out with James. It gives the view that perhaps Durant has already forgotten the pain of losing in the NBA finals against the Heat. You never saw Magic working out with Bird during their historic rivalry years. But looking at it from  a point of trying to get better, Lebron James is clearly the best player in the world, and one of the hardest workers in the league, so who better to workout with?
Some will argue that there are other hard workers (such  as Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, and the list goes on) that Durant could work out with. But, what are the chances of Durant and James meeting again in the NBA finals next june anyway? Yes, they are favorite in their respective conference. But, the Thunder now have to deal with the Lakers and their revamped roster, while the Heat have to stay healthy after a summer that saw their two supestars Wade and Lebron, go through a tiring playoff run. This playoff run consisted of having to carry the load of the entire team between them two after Bosh went down, and while Lebron did not go through any lingering injuries, Wade needed surgery. While Lebron continued his taxing season by playing in the Olympics.
All in all, can any of you remember the last time two teams made it back to back in the NBA finals? We can, The Bulls and Jazz in 97 and 98. That was 15 years ago. Regardless of this, Kevin Durant is a competitor, as is James. If they meet in the finals again next june, Durant will be thinking about that ring that James took from him, while James will be thinking that Durant its in his way of being considered one of the greatest of all time ( which take multiple rings). If anything, they will go harder at each other out of pure respect for the talent and hard work and dedication they put into trying to be the best.

Cleveland Cavaliers 2012-2013 prediction

IF there is one thing for certain about the Cleveland Cavaliers, is that Kyrie Irving will be a star in this league. The Cleveland Cavaliers finished last season with a 21-45 record but with plenty of reason to be optimistic about their future. Let's look at their current roster:
G Kelenna Azubuike, F Omri Casspi, C-F Michael Eric, G Daniel Gibson, F Luke Harangody, G Kyrie Irving, F Jon Leuer, G-F C.J. Miles, G Jeremy Pargo, C Samardo Samuels, G Donald Sloan, C Tristan Thompson, C Anderson Varejao, G Dion Waiters, F Luke Walton, F-C Tyler Zeller
The Cavaliers have done a nice job building pieces since the departure of Lebron James, and this season will be our favorite team to watch. They are very well coached in Byron Scott and have the young pieces to keep growing. For their record last year, they got Dion Waiters in the top 5, and later on Tyler Zeller. The Cavs are high on Waiters, who will provide the necessary fire power in the backcourt for Irving.
In addition, they will have a healthy Varejao this season, to go along with young players such as Thompson and Zeller. However, it ultimately comes down to Kyrie Irving, the reigning rookie of the year will suffer from no sophomore slump we believe, and we expect him to have another marvelous season. In an era where point guards are expected to be more of a scoring threat than a passing one, Kyrie flourish last year in getting in the paint at will, converting difficult layups and finding open teammates when necessary.
The Cavaliers will not make the playoffs for another few years, and truthfully as of right now, we see no clear robin to Kyrie's batman. Their roster still has lots of gaping holes. Besides Varejao, they do not have a capable defender on the team, and a lack of a post presence does not help them either. We do not necessarily believe that Zeller's offensive repertoire in college will translate to the pros. They are young, and thus Scott must suffer through the growing pains and learning lessons that will come with time.
We expect the Cavs to win 30-35 games just on the brilliance of Kyrie Irving, but do not believe that they will make it an the eastern conference that looks a lot stronger this year than in recent years. The Cavs are well coached, and have a potential superstar at the point guard position, they will be very fun to watch this year at the very least.

Sacramento Kings 2012-2013 prediction

The Sacramento Kings are a very intriguing team heading into the next NBA season. They finished the season 22-44 and beat out the New Orleans Hornets for the worse record in the western conference by a mere win. For their trouble, and the second worse record in the conference they got the fifth overall pick in this year's draft (nothing new here, the Kings seem to be in the lottery every year). Let's take a look at this young but talented roster:
G Aaron Brooks, C Demarcus Cousins, G Tyreke Evans, G Jimmer Fredette, F-G Francisco Garcia, F Chuck Hayes, F Tyler Honeycutt, F James Johnson, F Travis Outlaw, F Thomas Robinson, F-G John Salmons, G Isaiah Thomas, F Jason Thompson, G Marcus Thornton
Free Agents: F Donte Greene, G-F Terrence Williams
Usually two or three names stand out to you in each team, but the Kings have a number of players who just stick out to you. The kings weren't very good last year, a coaching change after what seemed to be a "me or him" situation between Cousins and Westphal did not help either. The Kings have a lot of "potential" on this team, but it starts with Tyreke Evans and Demarcus Cousins. Evans had a marvelous rookie season in which he averaged 20 5 and 5, but a foot injury derailed his sophomore year, and since then he has not exploded like we thought he would. Then there's Cousins, already considered by many as a top 3 center in this league. He's a double double machine, averaging 18.1 PPG and 11 rebounds in only his second year. If these two players develop to their full potential, then the Kings will have a deadly one two punch.
Now, for their 5th overall selection, they drafted Thomas Robinson out of Kansas, we figure that Robinson will eventually become the starting power forward and is flat out a beast. Now, the most intriguing story of this season for us will be the development at the point guard position. One of the most intriguing stories last year for those who follow the whole NBA and not just one team, was that of Isaiah Thomas, the last selection (60th overall) of last year's draft. Thomas not played his way into the starting spot for the Kings (well over lottery pick Jimmer Fredette), but also saw his mention in for rookie of the year besides Kyrie Irving and Ricky Rubio (before Rubio's injury). Thomas was a force, holding his own against the game's elite point guards.
Thomas finished the season averaging 11.5 ppg and 4.1 assists setting up the beginning for a promising career. And yet, the Kings have brought to the team Aaron Brooks who spent last year being backup to Steve Nash but who clearly is a starting point guard in this league. Will Brooks play Isaiah out of his starting spot? If he does not, will he be complacent coming off the bench? The point guard position is perhaps the most important position on the floor, and we are eager to see how this plays out. One thing is certain though, the Kings have a bright future should the peaces stay in place and develop. The Kings will certainly not make the playoffs, but we expect them to win at least 30 games and be very fun to watch.

Washington Wizards 2012-2013 prediction

The Wizards are coming off a terrible season, but positioned themselves to be optimistic about their future. They finished the regular season 20-46 and that was not dead last in the conference thanks to the Bobcats Abysmal season. Yet, they got rid of some of the remaining pieces that were holding them back, first they FINALLY got rid of Javale Mcgee in a three team trade that landed them Nene and sent Nick Young to the Clippers, then they got rid of under-performing PF Andray Blatche using the amnesty clause. That was followed up by a great trade that sent Rashard Lewis to the Hornets, and landed them Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor. To top it all, they got Bradley Beal with the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, so now lets look at their roster:
F Trevor Ariza, G Bradley Beal, F Trevor Bookker, G Jordan Crawford, G Shelvin Mack, F Cartier Martin, F-C Nene, C Emeka Okafor, G A.J. Price, C Kevin Seraphin, F Chris Singleton, F Jan vesely, G John Wall
Two names jump out at us from this list, the first is Bradley Beal, the reward for the Wizard's horrendous season, and of course John Wall. It is a young roster, with a veteran frontcourt. Yet, this will all depend on John Wall, now going into year 3 he must separate himself from the pack of "potential to be a star", and actually become one. If he does, then this team will be scary, Wall's numbers dropped during his sophomore season yet not by any significant margin. The wizards have a very good backcourt in Bradley Beal and Wall, Beal will make an immediate impact and has constantly been compared to Ray Allen, he scan stroke it from beyond the arc like nothing, but he can also handle the ball and take it to the rim. He also has potential to be a very good defender. Defensively, they will be better than last year just on the presence of Trevor Ariza alone.
On paper this team looks very good, they will have a post presence in Nene, and Okafor is a guy who will average a double for double for them. Will they make the playoffs? Of course not, the only way we could see the Wizards winning more than 35 games is if Wall has an All-Star season, other than that look to the future for this team. They have size, youth, speed on the perimeter, and definitely plenty of potential. We see this lot winning between 30 to 35 games and not making the playoffs, but we also expect a very great year by John Wall, who we hope has not spent the majority of his summer playing in these summer leagues.http://6fouls.blogspot.com/2012/08/charlotte-bobcats-2012-2013-prediction.html

New Orleans Hornets 2012-2013 prediction

The Hornets finished last season dead last  in the western conference following the Chris Paul trade to the Clippers. They finished with a 21-45 and their best player Eric Gordon was out most of the season. They were well rewarded for it though, with the top overall pick in this year's draft as well as the #10 pick. Let's look at the roster as it stands right now:
F Al-Farouq Aminu, F ryan Anderson, F-C Anthony Davis, G Eric Gordon, G Xavier Henry, C Robin Lopez, G Roger Mason Jr, F Darius Miller, G Austin Rivers, G Brian Roberts, F-C Jason Smith, F Lance Thomas, G Greivis Vasquez, F Hakim Warrick
On paper this is a very fun and promising team. It begins with #1 overall pick Anthony Davis, the future of the franchise and somebody who is already talking about wanting to be known for defense. Davis will make an immediate impact, and is coming off a summer of being around some of the league's top players in this year's olympics. His offense still needs a lot of room to grow, and dont expect him to produce high scoring outputs everynight. Specially playing on a team in which the only natural point guard (If you want to consider him that) is Greivis Vasquez, Austin Rivers and Eric Gordon will loook to get their own 90% of the time. We believe Davis can average close to a double double this season and at least 2 blocks. He will make up for guard's mistakes on the perimeter and will generate his points off lobs, spoon feeds, and offensive rebounds.
On the other hand, expect Eric Gordon to have a monster season, he looked excellent at the USA pre olympic camp and many considered it should have been him, instead of James Harden for that last spot. Will it generate into a postseason berth? Probably not, but there will be plenty of excitement watching these guys play. Austin Rivers, will be expected to see some minutes at the 1 and the 2, but he's a scorer by nature and thats what he'll do. It will be interesting to see how he and Gordon get along.
On the to-do list for the Hornets? Get a real point guard, Greivis Vasquez will get his chance, but we dont believe he is the future at the point guard for the Hornets. They have to let their young core of Anderson, Davis, Gordon, and Rivers develop, it wont generate a lot of wins at first, but development will come and excitement and anticipation as well. The Hornets wont finish dead last this year in the conference, we believe they will win between 25 and 33 games, and while playoffs is what they are shooting for, we dont see the playoffs in the heavy loaded western conference for this young squad for another 2 years.

Charlotte Bobcats 2012-2013 prediction

The Charlotte Bobcats had one of the worse seasons in NBA history last year, they finished the regular season 7-59 and with the worse winning % in the history of the league. These are the players entering the next season:
G Ben Gordon, F Tyrus Thomas, C Desagana Diop, F Matt Carroll, G Gerald Henderson, G Ramon Sessions, F-C Bismack Biyombo, F Reggie Williams, G Kemba Walker, C Brendan Haywood, C B.J Mullens, F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, F Jeff Taylor
Free Agents: Dj White, F Derrick Brown

Clearly the big name here is rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist who comes in as the second overall pick of this year's draft and with high expectations.  Gilchrist is a 6-7 specimen who will be an elite defender in this league. He can guard anywhere from the 1 to the 3 and perhaps even the 4. His motor is nonstop and he will bring energy to a team that desperately needs it. In addition, Gilchrist will immediately make them better on both ends of the floor. Now, the Bobcats have a lot of issues, particularly with whether to give the big chunk of their minutes to their veterans (and try to get more wins) or their young players (and let them develop). Either way, they are not going to win many games so they should go with their young players in our minds.

The issue begins at the point guard position, where young college legend Kemba Walker seemed to be on his way to becoming the Bobcat's permanent starting point guard with the departure of DJ Augustine, but instead the Bobcats went ahead and brought in Ramon Sessions who is clearly a starting point guard in the NBA. Yet, we believe Walker should be the starting point guard, we already know the ceiling for Ramon Sessions but we have yet to seen Kemba's and he should be handed the keys to the car.
In addition, the bobcats bring in first time NBA coach Mike Dunlap who was the assistant coach at St John's university, Dunlap is widely respected around the NBA for his knowledge of the game and player development, which is key considering the Bobcat's players.

Bottom line, the Bobcats will lose a lot of games, but they need to let Walker, Kid-Gilchrist, Biyombo, and Henderson to develop at their own pace and let the rebuilding process begin. We project the Bobcats to win between 17 and 22 games and finish dead last in the eastern conference.

top PF going into 2012-2013, #1 Kevin Love

Image from redarmy.com

Here it is, our number 1 ranked power forward heading into the 2012-2013 NBA season, Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kevin Love had a breakout year, he averaged a ridiculous 26 PPG and 13.3 RPG while shooting 37% from behind the arc. Love was well beyond ahead of the rest of the power forwards in both scoring and rebound and was 4th overall in point per game in the league. Love began his incredible rise by shedding 20 pounds last summer, this allowed him to come in much better shape and much more mobile than previous years.
Kevin Love is a rebounding machine, and that was obvious since he stepped foot in this league that he would dominate rebounding for the next decade. Dwight Howard may lead the league in rebounding, but in our minds Kevin Love is a more impressive rebounder. Love is not overly athletic, but nobody in the league knows how to position himself better to rebound on both ends of the floor. His offensive rebounds are timely scoring opportunities. Look at this play, Love sets the pick that gives Ridnour the wide open lane, now rather than assume that Ridnour will score the easy floater, he rolls to the rim to continue the pick and roll and crashes the offensive glass for the easy tip in. Kevin Love attacks the offensive glass every time, and that is key. He understands he's not going to get an offensive rebound every time down the floor, but he increases his chances by trying. Here, we see Love slip the pick and roll (something he does often and very well), despite missing the shot, it took him less than 3 seconds to catch and tip that in.
Now, Love is an offensive nightmare, at 6-10 he has "in the gym" range. His jumpshot is his favorite and most deadly weapon. The reigning three point shootout champion, Love has a great form and release on his jumpshot. He can shoot coming off a curl, or set shots, or pick and pops it does not matter. Just look at the first 3 plays of this video if you think he cant shoot. He sets his feet great for every jumpshot he takes, giving himself a balance on every shot. Love also has a rare skill, he does not need to bring the ball down to comfortably shoot his jumpshot, something few players in the league can do (young players are taught to try to bring the ball straight up from the point at which they caught the ball particularly bigs in the post)
Being big though, means that Love has to play in the low post. Love gets a variety of points in the paint. He is not going to wow you with a a polished offensive repertoire, but he has an established go to move down there, and thats what critics look for now a days in their bigs. He has a right handed hook that he uses effectively. Here we see his patience in the post, after finally getting space to operate he backs his way down on a great defensive player in Martin and shoots his running hook over his left shoulder. Love has a soft touch, and knows how to use his body to get where he wants to go even when he's not as athletic as the others.
Kevin Love is the best power forward in the game, his array of skills is unmatched, he is a matchup nightmare and his rebounding prowess is special. Does he have room for improvement? Of course, Love is a career 0.5 BPG player, that definitely could improve, nobody expects Love to be handing out 3 to 4 blocks a game like Dwight Howard, but one block a game should not be so hard for a player of his skills. He's a modest defender, definitely not a liability, but he has room for improvement in his one on one defense as well. Despite this, his rebounding obviously shows he is a plus on the defensive end of the floor. Love was the best power forward this year, and he's only 23!!! We expect to see Love right back here next year, and if the Timberwolves continue to improve in the win column, the best power forward in the game will be in the middle of it all.
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Top PF going into 2012-2013, #2 Dirk Nowitzki

We continue our countdown of the top power forwards heading into the 2012-2013 NBA season with Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks at #2. The big german could have easily been our #1, but after much debating within our committee we decided to place him at #2. Nowitzki is coming off a disappointing season for his great standards. He was ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual conference champions Thunder. Dirk's number for the regular season were 21.6 PPG, and 6.7 RPG. However, during the playoffs he was scoring a whooping 26.8 PPG.
Nowitzki, has held the "best power forward in the game" title for a few years now. His offensive power is matched by none. Dirk is one of the greatest shooters the game has ever seen amongst all positions. He is a 7 footer with quite a wide wingspan and a great high release on his shot. He plays with both his back to the basket but more importantly facing up. Now his numbers were down to begin the season because of an injury but once he picked it up, we seen him back to his old tricks. Look at this play, Dirk backs up his defender in the low post (something many think he does not have), and then catches him with the beautiful up an under. Nowitzki knows he can get his jump shot off against anybody, but that doesn't mean that shooting a perimeter shot is always the best option for him. His bread and butter is of course his jumpshot, which is better than half of the league's guards. He can score off the catch and shoot, coming off screens, or off the dribble. When defenders try to play up on him, he goes right by them. In addition, Dirk can shoot the three with consistency, and is a career 88% free throw shooter. Basically, he's unstoppable on the offensive end. His patented one foot fade away jumpshot is unguardable, and even when you play perfect defense, he will score easily.
Now Dirk's unmatched offensive ability masks a lot of his deficiencies. For somebody who is 7 feet tall, he isn't a great rebounder. His career average in that department is 8.3, and last season it was an abysmal 6.7 RPG. Now, generally Dirk steps it up in the playoffs in regards to rebounding, his career rebounding average is 10.3 for the playoffs. Yet, in four games games against Oklahoma City, he averaged a mere 6.3 RPG. He definitely needs to step it back up this season if he wishes to continue to be considered the top 2 or 3 power forwards in the league. In addition, Nowitzki is an average defender, he averaged a very disappointing 0.5 BPG this season, and against Oklahoma city, failed to register a single block.
Nowitzki will continue to dominate the game with his scoring and elite shooting. However, for him to maintain his high standing on this list, he must rebound much better than he did this season and must bring his shooting percentage a little bit up back to its normal 47% percent clip. We don't expect Dirk's offense to drop off too much over the next few years (considering that he doesn't depend one bit on his Athleticism), and thus he will high on this list a year from now.
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Top PF going into 2012-2013, #3 Blake Griffin

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We continue our countdown of the top power forwards heading into the 2012-2013 NBA season with Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers at #3. Blake Griffin had another marvelous all star season, which culminated with a humbling loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Let's look at Griffin's regular season numbers, he averaged 20.7 PPG and 10.9 RPG and 3.2 APG. However, his playoff numbers weren't terrific, dropping to 19.1 PPG and only 6.9 RPG. Now against Memphis he was going up against a very good front court in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. However, Griffin underperformed for his high standards.
Griffin is an underrated offensive player, due in large part to his highlight reel dunks. But Griffin doesn't average 21 points a game purely on dunks, if that was so then a lot more players would be averaging 20 plus points. He has a good face up game, and is very good at using his shoulders to create separation with contact after attacking the rim. For somebody who's only played two seasons in the league (excluding his injured rookie season where all we saw was preseason) he has very good footwork in the low post. Look at this play, how many bigs in the league are this poised in the low post? Jab step, one dribble baseline, half spin back middle and then the beautiful up an under. What's scary is he still has room for a lot of improvement in the low post. After all, Griffin is still not developed enough for you to give it to him and expect a near automatic basket.
Now, his bread and butter is of course his ability to finish at the rim. He is a nightmare in the pick and roll and occasionally can pop out and hit the jumper. When he rolls to the basket, its pretty much 2 points, or two free throws, or a basket and a foul. Half the time we get a highlight reel, or a once in a decade dunk posterization. He also runs the floor pretty much like a guard, he is very mobile and besides the fact that he can run well, he knows he's going to get the ball so he runs his lanes and makes the defense commit even if he doesn't get the ball. He is also a very good ball handler for his size and a good passer. Here, we see him run the break effectively and being the passer instead of the receiver for a highlight play.
Now, for all his prowess and highlight dunks, his defense is suspect to say the least. He averages 0.6 BPG in his short NBA career. For somebody who averages 11 rebounds a game easily, it is incredibly disappointing to see that he doesn't average a single block a game. Perhaps he does not put enough effort into that department, but for him to be an ALL NBA player for the next decade and lead his team deeper into the playoffs, he MUST become a better defender. Blake can easily be a very good weak side defender with his athletic ability. He should also be a better one on one defender considering his 6-10 frame. In addition he must become a much better free throw shooter. This is specially a big issue for him right now, because he lacks a good free throw percentage, he is unable to be trusted with the ball in the fourth quarter.
Griffin will be a top 3 PF for the next decade, but for him to take that next step into being considered the best, he needs to become a better defender. In addition, he must continue to develop a low post game, starting with ONE establish low post move and it is critical that his free throw percentage goes up. We have no doubt that he will get better in all these areas, when he does look for Blake to continue his meteoric rise.
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The USA wins Gold medal behind Durant's 30

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It was a tough game throughout, Spain gave it all, but ultimately Kvin Durant, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and some clutch plays by Chris Paul were too much. The USA defeats Spain 107-100 in what could possibly be coach Krzyzewski's last Olympics.
The first half was played at the tempo that Spain wanted it, they did not turn the ball over and were led by Navarro's 19 points who had a dismal tournament until the gold medal game. Of course USA wanted to get out and run, but you cant get out and run if you don't create turnovers. Durant had 17 points in the first half, and Lebron 8 points and 6 rebounds. The third quarter was dominated by Pau Gasol who scored 15 points in the third quarter and kept the game close. During the fourth quarter, Lebron sat with 4 fouls, and Spain went to a box and 1 defense on Durant, but after being up 6, Lebron came back into the game and scored a quick 5 points, that was followed by a Chris Paul layup and that all but sealed the gold medal for the US.
Durant finished with 30 points and the most points by an Olympic player in one olympics. Gasol was clearly the best player on the floor today, finished with 24 points 8 rebounds and 7 assist and another silver medal. Navarro finished with 21 points, Marc Gasol with 17 points but he had 4 fouls in the first half and that was definitely a factor as he sat on the bench for the whole third quarter. Lebron James now caps his amazing year with a gold medal, leaves the Olympics second all time in scoring and if he chooses to come back 4 years from now, will become first on that list. Kobe Bryant leaves international play with a gold medal, and reiterated that he will not be back 4 years from now.
On a side note, Russia defeated Argentina in the Bronze medal game with a controversial ending, Alexei Shved scored 25 points, and Russia won a medal for the first time in Olympic basketball. Argentina's players left the court in disgust after they felt the ref's didn't call a late foul.

Dwight Howard drama finally over (apparently) as he's traded to the Lakers

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After months of drama and saga, it seems that Howard finally will get his wish. According to sources, the 4 team proposed trade is as follows: the Lakers would of course receive Dwight Howard, the Denver Nuggets will get Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia (coming from Philadelphia) will get Andrew Bynum (coming from the Lakers) and Jason Richardson (coming from the Magic), and the Magic would get a first round draft pick from each of the other 3 teams,  and Rookie Moe Harkless from Philadelphia.
Now several key notes to consider, first Dwight Howard will still NOT sign an extension with the Lakers, he would still seek to become a free agent next summer and it is  perceived that the Dallas Mavericks would be his preferred destination should he not return to the Lakers. Secondly, notice that Kobe Bryant got his wish, Pau Gasol was not traded. The Lakers now catapult themselves into immediate championship contenders alongside the Oklahoma City Thunder and the defending champions.
The Philadelphia 76ers here are the surprise winners, they have been looking to trade Iguodala for some time now, who could have thought that they would land the second best center in the league in Bynum???? If this trade goes through, there is no reason why Bynum would not sign an extension with the 76ers, they are a already a playoff team without him, they have great young talent and Bynum grew up about an hour away. Could you imagine a backcourt of Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Nick Young, alongside Thaddeus Young and Andrew Bynum? They will be scary, perhaps not tittle contenders, but trouble in a first or second round series.
The Denver Nuggets acquire Iguodala and George Karl will put the swift army knife to good use, they are young and exciting. Ultimately, the Magic will now be very bad for a few years as is usually the case when a team trades their superstar away. As for the Lakers, the success of this trade (SHOULD the trade go through) depends on two things, the first their ability to win a championship right away, and two, can they manage to convince Howard to stay in LA.  There are still many questions to be answered, will Kobe and Nash make it work in the backcourt? How will Howard's back hold up coming off surgery? And finally, Will David Stern pull a "Basketball reasons" excuse to cancel this trade just as he did with Chris Paul's trade to the Lakers?

As we head into the elimination round, what role will each USA player play?

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As elimination round begins, let's take a look at what each player has to do for team USA to take gold in London.
Chris Paul
Paul lead the USA in minutes played in the preliminary round, he will be the starting point guard, he must be a bulldog on the defensive end, stifling opposing backcourt players to create turnovers and transition offense for his team, we all know that the US wants to get out on the open court, and Paul must be the first catalyst of that. Defense leading to offense, dont expect much scoring from him, he knows this team doesnt need him to score, he will focus more on getting Kevin Durant open looks and finding his wing players on the fast break.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe is the starting SG, at this point we don't know understand why, he has been extremely inefficient with his shot selection, and sometimes tries to force the issue on a team where frankly he does not need to (shot 4-17 going into the Australia game). In addition, his defense (which was his calling card in beijing) hasn't been all that good. Perhaps he's biding his time for when it matters most, but Kobe needs to choose his spots on offense and focus on being that bulldog he was in international play on defense.
Kevin Durant
Durant needs to do what he has been doing, shooting the ball. He's the USA's leading scorer and nothing more is expected of him but to shoot the basketball.
Lebron James
The US's swift army knife, Lebron must continue to do whatever is necessary for this team. For the most part he has not looked to score unless needed and is more interested in being a facilitator and thats what he must continue to do. His presence is more needed on the defensive end though, where he is asked to guard bigger low post players every game, aside from Chandler and Love who else with playing time can guard bigger players with consistent success?
Tyson Chandler
The Team's only true big man, stay out of foul trouble Chandler
Deron Williams
Williams must do the same as Chris Paul and try to limit his turnovers, he has been a turnover machine in these olympics, which does not help the US much.
Russell Westbrook
Westbrook has been the team's best perimeter defender, tormenting opposing ball handlers and providing energy for his team with his highlight dunks, he needs to do the same on defense and NOT take crazy shots 2 seconds into the shot clock
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo has clearly been a monster scoring the ball, nothing more is expected of him as he battles Durant for USA leading scorer,
Andre Iguodala
The mini swift army knife, he needs to continue to be a lockdown defensive threat whether its guarding 6-10 bigs, or 6-3 guards, on offense anything he provides will be a boost.
Kevin Love
After Carmelo, Love is the most important player off the bench, the only other big on the team with legitimate playing time, he has to establish himself in the low post and NOT shooting threes, and HAS to rebound, he knows he will be depended on heavily when Chandler gets in foul trouble, and must be a presence inside.
James Harden
make threes? Harden does not play a lot, when he does the game has usually been decided
Anthony Davis
Must remember to put his jersey on before walking out on the floor

Team USA destroys Argentina 126-97, but they shouldn't take much from this win

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As the pre elimination round ends, Olympic basketball has some interesting stories developing. Team USA and Russia have clinched the top  seeds in their respective groups. USA will face Australia in the quarterfinals and we expect no surprise there, USA will roll through Australia. Now, Brazil defeated Spain today in a very odd game. The winner would fall into USA's group and would have to face them to get to the Gold medal game whereas the loser would fall in Russia's bracket and therefore not have to see the US until the gold medal game. Tanking the game was obviously one of the story lines coming into the game. However, both teams competed and had their marquee players out on the floor at the end of the game. Brazil edged out in large part to Leandro Barbosa who had a monster second half and finished with 23 points (Barbosa is still a free agent by the way, and should be helping his stock with his performance in the Olympics). That means that Spain falls out of USA's radar and into Russia's, Spain will face a France team led by Tony Parker in the quarterfinals.  Spain, who was viewed as the US's biggest threat has now lost twice after holding big leads.
They were up 20 to 2 against Russia and lost, and led most of the game against Brazil until Brazil's bench came in the fourth quarter and just swung the momentum into Brazil's favor. Some will suggest that perhaps Spain Tanked, but it didn't seem like it, with Both Gasol brothers out at the end of the game.  So now, is Spain still the biggest threat to USA? sure they have the Gasol brothers and Ibaka, but they are counting heavily on Juan Carlos Navarro who right now isn't looking like himself because of a foot injury. Then there's the US bracket side, and a possible rematch in the semi finals with today's opponent Argentina. USA destroyed Argentina in the second half, with the final score being 126 to 97. They scored an incredible 42 points in the third quarter. Kevin Durant was playing back in rucker park New York, as he shot 8-10 from the three point line and finished with 28 points. The game got chippy, and there will be no love lost should they meet in the semi finals.
Argentina will play against Brazil in the quarterfinals, and that game will be a goody. Both teams have NBA talent aplenty, and Brazil's coach happens to be the same coach who was with Argentina in their 2004 Gold medal run in Athens. Argentina is savvy and have Manu Ginobili and Luis Scola, who have proven they can play against the USA and score at will (not to mention Delfino and Nocioni). Brazil will be led by Huertas, the best pg outside of the NBA (he makes too much money in Europe and therefore has no reason to come to the NBA), Barbosa, Splitter, Varejao, and NENE. Whatever the outcome, one notion is certain, the USA will face a tough challenge in the Semis. Don't look so much into today's game against Argentina, team USA wont score 42 points in the third quarter again like they did today and Argentina clearly rested their main guy because ultimately outside of competitive drive and egos, today's game meant nothing.
As for the prospect of playing Brazil again, remember that in the exhibition game, Brazil was up 10 before Huertas came out the game. Once Huertas came out the game, the US turned Brazil's young backup pg over and over with pressure from Paul and Westbrook. Should they play again, Huertas wont be out the game much, and that wont happen as often.
All in all, the #USA are still the favorites, but as the first half of today's game showed you, they are beatable, it's in the air and the other team's know it. The question is, should the USA falter at some point, can the other team take advantage of it?
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top PF going into 2012-2013, #4 Pau Gasol

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We continue our countdown of the Top power forwards going into the 2012-2013 NBA season with Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers at #4. Pau Gasol, is in our minds a very underrated player (kind of Like Chris Bosh), his style of play which is more finesse than anything else gives the casual viewer a believe that Gasol is "soft" or not that good. Yet, Gasol is one of the most skilled players in the league, not amongst bigs but amongst EVERY player in the league. Let's look at Gasol's numbers last season, Gasol had a very disappointing postseason by his standards. Over 12 playoff games he averaged just 12.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG and 2.1 Blocks but still an impressive 3.7 APG. Now, Gasol was playing his first year under Mike Brown who featured Andrew Bynum as the main post presence instead of Gasol. Yet, look at his regular season numbers (which many considered to be an "off" year for him) 17.4 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.4 BPG and 3.6 APG. How many players in this league can average those numbers and considered to have an "off year"?
Gasol is dominant on both sides of the floor, lets begin with his offense. He has a full arsenal of post moves at his disposal. He can finish with both his left and right hand around the rim, and uses his 7.0 feet to perfection. He's not overly athletic, nor does he need to be, Gasol's baby hook shots around the rim are unguardable, and its more problematic when you consider that his left hand hook is just as good as his right hand hook. Against stronger defenders he faces up and uses quickness to go around them. Gasol also happens to have a GREAT jumpshot, he has range up to the three point line and his form and quickness release are as good as anybody's. He run's the floor extremely well, look at this play, Gasol runs the floor down the middle, this is fundamental basketball that most bigs now a days don't do. After not receiving the ball he stays in the middle and as the play rolls on it ends up with a Gasol "and 1" basket. "Fundamentally Sound" is what Gasol is, if you look at the play again, not only was he fouled but as soon as he catches the ball he goes straight up and DOES NOT bring the ball down. This is something that almost no big remembers or learns at any level of basketball ( have you ever seen Dwight Howard doing that?)
His last quality, and our favorite is his passing ability. Steve Kerr (TNT analyst and former player) says that Pau Gasol is the best passer on the Los Angeles Lakers squad, and we tend to agree. (Kobe bryant averages more assist, but that doesnt make him a better passer, after all he has the ball in his hands all the time) Bynum loves to play with Gasol because he knows that Gasol will give him 4 to 6 points a game just on big to big passes. Look at this great shovel pass to Bynum, 95% of bigs will shoot the ball once they have position that deep, Gasol is a willing passer whether its from the high post, low post or "high to low" passes, he will deliver it on target.
Now on the defensive end Gasol uses his length to be a factor. He does not fall for pump fakes and uses the most simple of defensive rules: "stand straight and keep your hands up",his pick and roll defense is also great, he shows strong on the guards and his lateral quickness allows him to recover to his man.
Gasol had an off season by his standards, it was his first year in a new system that did not premier him as the second scoring option on the team and thus he struggled a bit. He often wondered too much to the perimeter and wasn't aggressive enough. We expect that to change, Gasol will have a full training camp with new coach Mike Brown, and the addition of Nash will benefit him GREATLY. Expect gasol to have another terrific year and stay high on this list. Gasol's finesse style of play gives fans the impression that he's soft and has been the subject of a lot of trade rumors. He wont give you 25 points a night, but he will give you 18 points 12 rebounds 5 assist 3 blocks a steal, and great defense. He's a stat sheet stuffer and there's a reason why Kobe will not allow the Lakers to trade him. Bottom line, Gasol is one of the best in this business, and one of the last rare big men with fundamentals.
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Carmelo Anthony reminds everybody he's a big part of this team

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It wasnt pretty, (at least the final score wasn't) but one thing was clear, everybody seemed to have forgotten how great Carmelo Anthony is. After a disappointing NBA season, Melo rejoined this olympic squad for his third and what will possibly be his last time. He was now in the shadows of Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and yes even Kevin Durant who is arguably the best player on this team after Lebron James. To top it off, Melo also lost his olympic starting spot to Durant, something he's held since 2006.
Yet, in one game Carmelo Anthony showed us why he is (and not Durant) considered the best PURE scorer in the world. Anthony shot an incredible 13 for 16 from the field and 10 for 12 from the three point line on his way to a record shattering 37 points. The US rolled through Nigeria 156 to 73, unlike the previous games of the day which featured a thriller between Spain and Great Britan, and Brazil and Russia, both games came down to the wire. Oh, did we mention that Carmelo only played 14 minutes? Yes 37 points ON JUST 14 minutes!!
The beauty of Melo's game is that he can do it every way possible. He's deadly on 1 on 1 coverage, blowing by slower bigger defenders and posting up smaller ones. He can shoot the three ( did you not just read that he shattered the scoring record?  And we also forgot the record for made three's and attempted) whether spotting up or creating off the dribble. He can handle the ball as well, all in all Melo is a bully. It is an insult to his game and sacrifice over the years in international play when we forget about him on this team.
As far as his record breaking, there will be critics of course. People will say that the US played against a greatly inferior team in Nigeria. No disrespect against the Nigerians of course, but not many people can go 10 for 12 from the three point line shooting by themselves, let alone on the biggest stage of the world against professional basketball players. Anthony, could have easily scored over 40 had coach Krzyzewski decided to play him in the fourth quarter. Would Melo had come back in the game if asked? Of course he would he knew he was making history, but when asked he will downplay his record,  and say that all that mattered was the win. But just because Melo will downplay his big day, it does not mean we should downplay the importance of Carmelo Anthony on this national team.
Other news of the day
-The Russians defeated Brazil on a last second 3 to win a thriller
-France defeated Lithuania behind 27 from an out of shape Parker
-Spain defeated Great Britan but just barely escaped with a one point win
-Celtics coach Doc Rivers says he's open to coaching the US team next
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Top PF going into 2012-2013, #5 Kevin Garnett

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Here we go, now things get interesting. We continue our countdown of the top power forwards going into the 2012-2013 NBA season with Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics at #5. Now, it took some time for us to decide where to put the ageless Garnett, but after watching plenty of film and consulting with our committee of 1, we decided that Garnett deserved to be at #5. The first problem with placing Garnett in this group is determining whether he even belongs in the "power forward" department. Celtics coach Doc Rivers began using Garnett at the center position some time during the season right about after the All-Star weekend all the way to the end of their season in game 7 against the Heat. Ultimately though Kevin Garnett is a 4, a power forward. Or in his own words: "Preference-wise, I don’t like it, to be honest with you. I’m a 4. I don’t like, you know -- it's what it is. I’ll be whatever this team needs me to be. Other than a cheerleader with pom-poms and some short-shorts. Other than that, whatever this team needs me
to be, man, I’ll be it". Just like Lebron James played PF through the playoffs Kevin Garnett played Center, and Lebron is still known as a small forward, so we will continue to call Garnett a power forward.
Now lets get into the fun stuff, Garnett averaged 15.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 1.0 BPG on 50% shooting from the field. Don't be fooled by these numbers though, Garnett was only averaging a little bit over 31 minutes a game no doubt conserving his body for the playoffs. And boy did it show, during these 2012 playoffs he averaged 19.2 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.5 BPG and 1.3 SPG. Garnett was unstoppable on both ends of the floor and became Rondo's favorite target during their Eastern Conference Finals run.
Garnett is one of the best 2 way players the league has ever seen (If it wasn't for his lack of multiple championships do you think there would be any doubt about who the best power forward in the history of the league would be?). Garnett has been primarily a jumpshooter ever since he arrived to Boston, his jumpshot out to 23 feet is flawless. His shot has a high arc release and very quick, he uses his full 6-11 size and a wingspan well over 7 feet to get his shot off. Garnett is a dangerous pick and roll player to defend, mostly he will pop out to shoot the jumper but he will roll and finish when he has to.

His most deadly weapon is his turn around jumpshot, it is virtually unguardable. Take this play Garnett does a few things right that most bigs wouldn't do, first he catches the ball deep in the paint. Secondly, he notices that Horford is coming to double team, so he spins AWAY from the double team into his patented turnaround jumpshot, now mind you despite all this Smith played beautiful defense, but Garnett uses his length to perfection to get off a quality shot. We have always said you cant take size or length for granted and Garnett has both. Garnett is also a big who excels at playing both with his back to the basket and also facing his defender. When facing up, he uses his quickness to his advantage to score around stronger but slower bigs. But our favorite Garnett quality is his craftiness, look at this play  in which Garnett gets a post entry pass from the top of the three point line. Garnett is posted up at about the mid level-to-high post area. Bradley cuts from the right side of the wing as soon as Garnett receives the ball, instead of focusing on the cut or his own man, Garnett focuses on Bradley's defender and sets a screen while having the ball thus giving bradley a point blank layup. You can count with your hands the number of people who can do that successfully in the NBA. It was just a tap, not enough to warrant a call from the referee.

Dont forget about Kevin Garnett's defense now, Garnett is a lock down defender. He uses his aggressive style to get under player's skin and has the lateral quickness (still at 36 years of age) to be able to switch out on pick and rolls and guard perimeter players. He's a great weak side helper with timely blocks and very vocal. Now a days, players underestimate the value of being vocal on the defensive end. Garnett also knows how to get into player's head and his little "dirty" tricks are key in his defensive tenacity. Garnett at age 36 is clearly on the decline, but his monster postseason warrants his #5 positioning entering the 2012-2013 NBA season. Garnett matches his production on the offensive end with his tenacious defense. He has been the ultimate two way player over the last decade and we have no doubt that come the end of next season he'll still be in the top 10.

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Top PF going into 2012-2013, #6 Chris Bosh

We continue our countdown of the top power forwards heading into the 2012-2013 NBA season with Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat at number 6. Now, Chris Bosh is a very tough player to evaluate. Bosh is coming off a bitter sweet season, he was hurt for a crucial and key run of the Heat's playoff run, but managed to return in time and was definitely a factor in the conference finals game 7, and the NBA finals. Whether as much a factor as he would have liked? probably not, but it would be unfair to expect more coming off an injury and straight into the middle of conference finals against the Boston Celtics. Ultimately it culminated with a championship though.
Chris Bosh in our minds is one of the most underrated star players in the league. He sacrificed his numbers for a shot at winning and it has worked out well so far. Lets look at his numbers, for the 2011 2012 regular season:  18.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, on 48% FG. Now, obviously Bosh does not get the touches he used to get back in toronto when you have to superstar players in James and Wade. But outside of about 5 to 6 players, could any BIG(not power forward, but big players in general) produce and complement these two players the way Bosh does?
Bosh provides a tough matchup for defenses for a variety of reasons, he's a true 6-11 long and more athletic than people think. Bosh has a great post up game, and can finish around the rim with both hands. He has range up to the three point line and a GREAT pump fake on the perimeter. This play is more than meets the eye for those who are more than the average fan. Bosh is a great pick and roll player, in that play bosh popped out instead of rolling to the rim, Diaw has to recover faster than what he's accustomed to because of bosh's feathery jumpshot. Then you see Bosh's underrated athletic ability as he finishes with force. His jumpshot makes him a threat from virtually anywhere on the floor, he gets it off quickly and has a high release. Take this play, Bosh essentially pulls a guard move with the jab step and jumpshot (notice the pump fake).
Against bigger stronger defenders bosh uses his speed and craftiness to go around them and against smaller defenders he simply uses his length and size to his advantage. Now, Bosh should be higher on this list, but his injury slowed him down, along with several other parts of his game. Bosh seemed to have left his rebounding back in toronto. This is unacceptable, The Heat since the formation of their big 3 have been known for their lack of interior size. They NEED bosh to rebound, 7.9 RPG is nowhere near what bosh should be rebounding. His last season in toronto he averaged 10.8 RPG, and thats what he should be doing for the Heat. He also needs to be more of a shot blocker, he's a career 1.1 BPG and last season average a insignificant 0.8 BPG (Ironically Dwyane Wade is the team's primary shot blocker at 6-4). If Bosh rebounds at the rate he's capable of rebounding and becomes a bigger force on the defensive end, then watch out. We expect him to be higher on this list next season (barring injury), but how high? thats up to him
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Top PF going into 2012-2013, #7 LaMarcus Aldridge

Image from Dramalikethedj.com

We continue our countdown of the top power forwards heading into the 2012-2013 NBA season with LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trailblazers. Aldridge had a breakout season, culminating in an All Star team selection (his first). He averaged 21.7 PPG 8.0 RPG on a very efficient 51% FG. Quite frankly this should have been his second straight all star selection. Aldridge is a very skilled player, he's an underrated athlete and is freakishly long, it also doesnt hurt to have a legit 6-11 height.
Aldridge is not a power player, he is a finesse forward and a matchup nightmare. He is a great low post player, he fights for position well and understands the importance of shooting inside the painted area. He has a polished low post repertoire which begins with his positioning. Rarely do you see Aldridge catch the basketball too far out of the paint, he is usually one or two dribbles away. He has an established baby hook shot, a good up and under and loves to spin baseline where he uses his length to get off a quality shot. In addition, he gets lots of easy basket mainly on using positioning to get point blank baskets.  These type of easy baskets is what makes Aldridge unique in that he can rack up points quickly and quietly.
Aldridge also has a good mid range jumpshot which helps keep defenders honest and not play off of him. This makes Aldridge a very good pick and roll/pop player, he can set the screen and pop out to comfortably hit the jumpshot, he has a good form and a high release. When he rolls do not expect an above the rim play, but he is very crafty around the rim with both hands. Another good asset of his jumpshot is that it is a very high release similar to that of Kevin Garnett's. In that play you notice several good things, he catches the ball inside the paint which is where you want your bigs to take the majority of their shots. Afterwards he takes a turn around jumpshot using his length to get it off comfortably. Here, Perkins plays Aldridge beautifully, he kept him out of the paint and forced him into a tough shot by denying him driving lanes, but Aldridge's length still allows him to take a shot he knows he can make. You cant teach length and size, and Aldridge knows how to use his.
Now, Aldridge is an average defender and thats putting it pretty. This past season he did not average a single block (0.8 BPG). Aldridge has the talent and physical gifts to be an elite defender, with his height and length there is no reason why he should not be averaging at least 1.5 BPG. He's quick enough on his feet to be a very good one on one defender and his length guarantees him the ability to contest most shots. Aldridge also averaged a very not impressive 8.0 rebounds a game this past season. Aldridge is a great offensive player, but his lack of work on the boards and defensive end are holding him back from climbing on this list and being a perennial all star.  His offensive production is not enough to offset his lackluster defense if he wants to climb on this list. If he does, Aldridge has the potential to be a top 5 PF in this league.
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