Who Be Ballin? Damian Lillard 10-31-12

Damian Lillard had an insane performance in a win against the Lakers and showing he is ready for the NBA.  He put up 23 points, 11 assists, and 3 rebounds in his debut in the black and red.  I know that Anthony Davis had a big game down in New Orleans, but Lillard was making some important shots and the crowd was absolutely LOVING IIIIIT.  At the close of the third quarter, Lillard drove and threw up a rain drop layup through heavy traffic and drained it off the glass to beat the buzzer, the crowd just EXPLODED. And they also toppled the "juggernaut" Lakers. The folks at Portland definitely have a reason to smile.

Who Be Ballin? James Harden 10-31-12

James Harden (I know, I know, not again) was lookin good in a game against the Pistons with 37 points, 6 boards, and 12 assists.  He had a hot hand and his teammates knew it.  There were a lot of good lines out there today, but to put up these numbers in a system that you JUST joined.  I mean, its like he just stepped off the bus then put up almost 40 points.  He basically played point and Jeremy Lin kind of disappeared (Im calling this out Linsanity snobs).  Althooooooooooooough, I do hafta give a shout out to Dwight Howard who put up 33 points, 14 boards, and 5 assists.

Mindfreak: Andrea Bargnani

Criss Angel has nothing on this disappearing act.

Since being drafted 1st overall by the Toronto Raptors in 2006, Bargnani has been trying to find his niche in the Toronto Raptors frontcourt. Bargnani was drafted to pair with then Franchise PF Chris Bosh. Together, they were supposed to provide an intimidating force in the paint. However, it never really panned out, only reaching the playoffs twice in their 4 years together (2007: 3rd Seed, 2008: 6th Seed.) Once Bosh decided to take his talents to South Beach in 2010, following a bitter breakup with Toronto, Bargnani was given the reigns to the franchise.

Bargnani has yet been able to be the franchise player they were hoping he'd become, given new spotlight. This is not to say that he hasn't been working on it. Following Bosh's departure, Bargnani improved his PPG drastically, going from 17.2 ppg (2009) to 21.5 (2010) and 19.5 (2011.) On a lesser note, he did increase his APG from 1.2 (2009) to 1.8 (2010) and 2.0 (2011) and taking his FT shooting percentage from .75 (2009) to .85 (2011.)

However, he has steadily dropped in many key categories: Blocks, rebounds, Shooting% and 3pt%.

The issue with Bargnani is that he has yet to overcome the "John Wall" as my fellow blogger, Paul, has coined. He hasn't improved his game to franchise player levels. As a C/PF, he is too soft inside, only eclipsing 6 rebounds once in his career. In 2009 it seemed he turned the corner when he had averaged 1.4 blocks per game (with the lone season of 6.2 rebounds) but, he drastically dropped to .5 in 2011.

The player often compared to Dirk Nowitzki, a big man with a good stroke outside the perimeter, has become increasingly and frustratingly less dependable outside.

Bargnani can score. There's not doubt about it. Give him the ball, give him about 35min/game, he will get you about 20 points every outing. His lack of production in rebounding and lack of defensive presence inside, it hurting the Raptors immensely. I think the Raptors are fine with letting him gradually improve in those categories if he maintained his offensive production, but it seems he's regressing in efficiency. Is the increased playing time, and spotlight minimizing him as a player? I have no clue, but he played his best basketball next to Chris Bosh when there wasn't nearly as much expected out of him.

Bargnani is one of my favorite players. Ask anyone. At 7', he can tower over people in the backcourt and knock down threes left and right. He has a nasty fade away, too. I just don't know why his game hasn't rounded out.

I am curious to see if Lithuanian big man, Jonas Valanciunas can take some pressure off of Bargnani inside. Maybe his presence will allow Bargnani to roam outside the paint where he seems the most comfortable. The additions of Kyle Lowry, Landry Fields, and the hopefully improvements of Ed Davis and DeMar DeRozan (new franchise player?) will give Bargnani breathing room to be himself, instead of the franchise player role that was forced upon him after Chris Bosh left. 

Who Be Ballin? LeBron James 10-20-12

LeBron James. It's not a secret that my favorite player is the King himself, but even unbiased viewers have to appreciate the line that he put up.  With 26 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, (all while not playing in the 4th quarter) he showed us all why he is the best player in the world.  All hail the King.

Author Spotlight: Josh Martin

Name: Josh Martin

Loves: The sound of a swish on a long three, chicken bacon ranch pizza, semi-creepy basketball courts, the Bulls, snap backs with any cool team logo, sleeves, tanks, his Kobe shoes, the Nuggets, Kyle Korvers' hair, Ty Lawson, slushies after game time, the Broncos, waffles, Alison Brie, dribbling, inventing handshakes, Natalie Portman, all nighters of 2K, Derrick Rose

Hates: Casual 2K players, layups, pancakes, intensely physical players in a freaking friendly game of basketball, dicks, Greg Odens' face, me talking about LBJ

Known Aliases: Jaws, El Fuego, J-Mart, BigVeeGee, Wayne Campbell

Ball Profile: What can I say? Are you an NBA squad in search of the next Chris Anderson type crowd pleaser with the silky spot up touch of Kyle Korver?  Then look no further.  My friend, author, and co-baller with benefits Josh Martin, is a pure three point genius.  Doves shoot from his fingertips as he puts up the long J.  And that J isn't for jumper, either.  Its for Just-Watch-This-Swish-In-It's-Gonna-Happen-Bro.
     Now, some of you at home might be saying, "Man, this sounds a little over dramatic" but I assure you folks, I am being honest.  With a short dribble to hesitate and a hopstep, that ball releases from his golden demigod hands and into the net, which proceeds to burst into flame.  Only the crystalline tears that are cascading down my face can extinguish that blessed fire.              
     Ya, I'm in love with this guy.

"The John Wall"

     Today, on the most fitting of days, the first day of the NBA season, I have coined a new term.  It is a term that describes the imaginary barrier that a player who has high potential cannot seem to pass to become a franchise player.  That barrier, is "The John Wall".

     John Wall, a guy who came into the NBA with such high hopes that he seemed to be the savior of Washington D.C., was a media phenom.  Although I was not one of the rabid followers who flocked to him, I definitely saw why there was hype.  This guy is a beast on paper.  He is 6'4", 195 pounds, and damn fast, with handles to match his speed.  One thing he did lack though, was a shooting stroke.  That tends to be a problem for high flyers going into the NBA though, so not a huge problem off the bat.

     So why can't Wall establish himself as a franchise point guard?  In his seasons playing for the Wizards, his shooting has gotten worse, especially from behind the arc, where he shot 3 for 42 (I'm disgusted and Josh Martin knows that is saying something coming from me).  John Wall also struggles to play the half court game.  He is a cold blooded killer on the break (which I dream of from time to time), but cannot establish himself in the part of the game that concerns his teammates the most.

     Rajon Rondo still seems to be struggling as a "franchise" player.  He has a similar issue that Wall does, with a shooting stroke that just can't seem to be fixed.  He can score in droves from time to time, and pass the ball with the best of them but teams shrug him off at the perimeter, which makes him less of a threat.  This season especially more people are doubting his real potential.

     I know it probably hurts Josh, who has the three point stroke of a golden demigod, to watch players without the long range game he loves.  Damn, it hurts me to watch it and I only put up three's when I think its absolutely necessary, but I think it hurts us both more, to see John Wall struggling to climb "The John Wall".  

     Will John Wall become a franchise guy?  Honestly, in my opinion, I say no.  I was hesitant from the beginning and after seeing his jumper just get worse, I cannot see him progressing into a franchise player.  I know that it seems like blasphemy, but I just can't say he'll be a superstar.  

     For reference on future star point guards, refer to the article below"Thunderstorm in Cleveland" by Josh Martin.  Its about a guard who for sure is a star.  (If John Wall is reading this, highlight that page.) 

   

Thunderstorm in Cleveland

Might as well be a middle finger to haters like me.

Kyrie freaking Irving. I was wrong. I eat crow. I bow before you. I remember like it was yesterday playing basketball with Mr. Kaspick in the shadiest of shady basketball courts behind a Pizza Hut in Edinboro, PA. Between layups and botched crack deals, we regularly talked everything basketball. EVERYTHING. From NBA2K, to NBA trade rumors, to the ugliest players the NBA has ever seen (I'm not looking at you Greg Oden.) But, one conversation that really stood out was our mutual distain for the Cavaliers drafting of PG Kyrie Irving. We both agreed the guard wasn't exceptionally athletic, not an exceptional scorer, and pretty much couldn't kick rocks next to the legacy LBJ left in Cleveland. 

Needless to say, we were both wrong about Uncle Drew. He went on to have a fabulous season averaging nearly 19pts/6ast. a game. He established himself as the Cavaliers franchise PG. 

But, so far, even with high draft picks in the last 2 years, the Cavaliers have yet to surround with him with anything that resembles talent. 

I have no clue the drafting strategy of the Cavaliers. Waiters (2012) Zeller (2012) and Thompson (2011) are players with small ceilings that were drafted way too high. The Cavaliers must rely on Irving to make these players better: that means an increase in distribution; I'm talking improving from 5 assists/game to 8 or better. He is being asked to do what John Wall has been trying his damnest to do in DC (Wall averaged 8 assist/game in both seasons as starting PG.)

Drafting aside, the rest of the roster isn't good either, minus the consistent play of big man Anderson Varejao. Gee, could be a good role player, however. But, c'mon. There isn't anything for Irving to work with besides the recent high draft picks Waiters, Thompson, and Zeller.

It's not going to be easy, but the key to success for the Cav's is for Irving to pull a LBJ and make everyone around him better. Good luck, Cleveland, having lightning strike twice.

Mo Monroe in Mo Town

I was going to comment on Pauls post, but figure I had enough to say to make a legit post myself.

Andre Drummond AND Greg Monroe need to step up. Monroe has improved in every possible category from his rookie season, bringing in almost 16pts/10reb. But, he hasn't been a strong inside presence defensively. If Monroe can continue to develop his already strong offensive/rebounding game (18ts/11reb is a  realistic improvement) AND start to get some blocks and anchor the Paint (6'11 is a lot to work with) the Pistons will continue to improve. I haven't even mentioned Villanueva, Jerebko, and Maxiell. The Pistons have players inside, they just don't produce as much as they should; they have yet to show any indication they will be anymore than role players. Drummond and Monroe are the Piston's only real hope for starting-caliber frontcourt players.

Drummond was a gamble pickup with tons of upside, but from everything I'm reading, it's 50/50 if he works out. If he live up to his 'potential' and I say that based on other peoples' reviews of him, the Pistons will be successful. I think strong play from Drummond HAS to matched by an improved Monroe to make the Pistons, as a team, more dangerous in the Central Division.

I feel like a strong performances in the paint will naturally improve the play of the backcourt. Knight and Stuckey are talented guards that can score, but both don't really distribute the ball. If Detroit Big men show up, I'm sure team assist totals will increase.

Keys For Success: Central Division

Keeping this thing going in the Eastern conference with the Central Division, home of wind, cars, and venison! Oh, and the birthplace of basketball.  The past season has held some strange turns for this division, from the injury of star Derrick Rose to the maturing of a powerful Pacers squad.  There are a lot of wild cards and variables this year but I'm going to break it down like James Brown on the most important players this year for each team.

Chicago Bulls
     Kirk Hinrich: I know that Derrick Rose would be the obvious choice, but lets face it, if he is coming back this season, its going to be at the tail end and the Bulls' record will pretty much be cemented at that point.  That means that the starting point, Hinrich, who is returning to his former team, will have to pull some extra weight.  He is a more than capable guard who taught Rose a lot when he was still there, but he is not as fast as he used to be because of injuries, and not Derrick Rose.  But with Nate Robinson coming off the bench, he has a solid back up to solidify the position.

Cleveland Cavaliers     

     Dion Waiters: The Cavaliers haven't been able to build much around Kyrie Irving since he arrived, and his performance is almost guaranteed to be great this season if last year was any indication of his skills.  With Irving at full strength and playing like he does, he will need the rookie Dion Waiters to perform well for the Cavs to move forward.  Their team is not heavy in talent at the guard spot otherwise so it falls on him to make things happen.

Detroit Pistons

     Andre Drummond: The Pistons are looking to make a surge this year in the East, and they started by trading away some of their thirty guards and drafting the under experienced but naturally talented Andre Drummond.  Drummond is big, powerful, and athletic, which is a lethal combination for a forward/center.  If he can develop soon as far as a mid range game and work on posting up, the Greg Monroe/Andre Drummond combo will be potent.

Indiana Pacers

     Paul George:  I've said it before and I'll said it again: Paul George needs to become more of an offensive weapon for the Pacers to be for real.  Come on, Prince George, you have the tools, just put on the crown.

Milwaukee Bucks

     Monta Ellis/ Brandon Jenning: This is my only tag team player combo on the list, and for good reason.  Apart, Ellis is one of the smoothest scorers in the league, and Jennings is aggressive and athletic at point.  Like a chicken bacon ranch pizza and peacock.  Both separate things, both beautiful to look at, but not together.  The key for the Bucks, with a small selection of forwards and centers, is for Ellis and Jennings to achieve a unicorn/rainbow level of harmony.  It could end of being the most exciting back court in basketball, or a tomato sauce covered peacock.  Damn I'm hungry now.

  

Keys For Success: Atlantic Division

With the NBA season about to begin tomorrow, the little girl inside me needs to talk some more basketball, and cute boys, oddly enough.  So, I'm going to break down each division, team by team, solely based on which player will be the most important to the success of the team this year.  I am going to start with the Atlantic Division, you know, alphabetical, I guess...in the Eastern Conference.

Boston Celtics
     Jeff Green: Green is a super solid player with size and is an all around talent.  He showed some sick play in the preseason, he looks to be coming out strong since his absence last season.With Ray Allen gone, Paul Pierce and Garnett getting...up there, and some new young bigs, he is going to have to play his best to keep the team anchored.

Brooklyn Nets
     MarShon Brooks: The Nets starting five are looking strong this year despite some lack of defense and a messy preseason. Their bench however, is made up of a motley crew of drop outs and could-have-beens (sorry guys).  Their go-to bench guy and sixth man, MarShon brooks, is a strong player though, and has shown he can step it up.  When the starters have to take a breather, he has to be able to step in and take over.

New York Knicks
     Amar'e Stoudemire: Last season was one of the weakest in Stoudemires' career, which is understandable considering the countless bad lucks that happened to this guy.  But, The Knicks has revamped and kicked it into overdrive with...senior citizens.  Although the bench can take care of themselves this year, the starters have to do it.  Melo and Stoudemire need to gel quickly, but most of the pressure will be on the latter.  The work he put in this summer looks exciting, and needs to pay off.

Philadelphia 76ers
     Andrew Bynum: Whew...it has to feel pretty bad to be traded away by a title contending team for a player who plays the same position and who you consider to be worse than you.  Although most people don't consider Bynum to be the best center in the league, when he plays Dwight Howard, his stats are by far in his favor.  If he can stay injury free and play with a chip on his shoulder, the 76ers will be far more successful.  Plus, he is rocking a new afro now, which is probably just because he thinks he badass, but I like to think its a throwback.

Toronto Raptors
     Andrea Bargnani: The Raptors, despite a cool name and a sick logo, have never really been a contending team.  They have had cool players, even cooler nicknames, and a weird on court optical illusion, but still not contenders.  This year looks to be about the same, but if they are going to compete, their European big man Bargnani, has to play like a big man.  He has put up some solid numbers before, especially since Chris Bosh departed, but they have no super solid big guys and he has to play his part, not the parts of others.  

Hard On For Harden

I admittedly got caught up in the Harden to Houston excitement.

Houston, We Got a Swingman

Houston is slowly molding a team together down in Texas. After they did everything they could to make a move for Dwight Howard and it failed, they again made headlines by officially snagging reigning Sixth Man of The Year from the Oklahoma Thunder.

Alongside PG Jeremy Lin, who they stole from New York with their backloaded offer sheet this past summer, it seems Houston will be looking to make their franchise revolve around their 2 backcourt additions.

I'm nervous if the moves are enough to change the direction of the team, however. It's a step in the right direction, for sure, but I feel both players will have a difficult time performing in their new roles. Both flourished with their former teams in smaller roles, where emphasis was put on other players while they more than successfully accented their play. Lin did shine when he took over the the Knicks with Amare and Melo out back during that magically run earlier in the year, but I think its going to be rough for Lin to do it again with so much expected out of him. Harden is a similar situation. He came off the bench with OKC. He swung games but he was never asked to do what Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook had to do every night. 

Can Harden put up 22+ pts a game as a starter next to Lin? Can Lin get double digit points and assists, without constantly turning over the ball?

The Rockets are going to be locked into huge contracts with Harden (most likely signing a max contract in coming days), Lin, and Asik. Can they afford to surround him with another superstar? Josh Smith, maybe, next summer? 

2012 rookies F Royce White and F Terrence Jones will need to defy expectations, while former Houston Rocket 1st Rd picks F Patrick Patterson (2010) , F Chandler Parsons (2011), and Marcus Morris (2011) need to step up their games. Big man, Asik will need to prove he wasn't extremely overpaid this summer, too. 

Harden Out.

     Shocked.  Eh, maybe slightly less than shocked. More surprised, really.  Yes. Surprised.  I am surprised that the Thunder traded off Harden.  I am not surprised that they would trade him, that seemed inevitable with the new stricter stipulations on salary caps, but I am amazed that they did it so early.
     The early trade has eliminated a lot of potentially more beneficial offers in the future.  Possibly.  Not only that, but pulling the trigger so prematurely also means that all the players involved in the trade will have almost no experience with their new teams before the beginning of the season.    
     This move for sure is going to have a huge impact on The Thunder in the short term, most certainly more of a negative one than a positive.  Durant, Westbrook, and Harden have basically been the big three at Oklahoma city for years now.  The three have played together through some rough times early on, and grown into an efficient workhorse of a team.  This trade could severely impact the fluidity of their game, not only because of how little experience Martin will have in this system, but also because those three have openly expressed just how much they love playing together.  There is nothing quite so gripping as playing basketball with someone for so long and developing a play style that reflects your identities, just to be ripped apart.
   

     Kevin Martin has been a scorer his whole career but has never really developed into that next level that would make him a star.  Harden and Martin both have a similar impact on that level of the game, but not in defense.  Not even close. Harden is much more of a lock down perimeter defender and is more efficient with the ball in his hands, whereas Martin tends to hack and slash and jack up shots on a whim.
     On the long term side of things however, the Thunder seem to have it figured out.  They got a LOT for Harden.  Too much in my opinion, but tell that to a Houston team who would have been lucky to cap .300 this season.  Real lucky.  So now the Thunder have a guard that looks to have a high potential, as well as a fill in shooting guard who can put up points when hes called on.  Oh ya, and also some first round picks from teams that are almost guaranteed to be high.  
     The Rockets don't seem to have things so figured out.  After trying to claw their way into the Dwight Howard trade talks, they jumped ship and started fresh.  So, they dumped off a lot for a piece they think might bring them a building block for a team that I thought was supposed to be rebuilding.  And that building block is used to coming off of the bench and has said many times he prefers it.  I'm not saying that he cant start, but I'm not sure if hes "that guy".  I am also amazed that they dumped off Jeremy Lamb in the deal.  Lamb has shown in the summer league that he can be a more than potent threat with the ball in his grip and has a ton of potential. Come on, guys.
     Well, in the long run, another smart move by the Thunder, another questionable move for the Rockets.  Who would have thought?

       

Harden Traded to Rockets

The Thunder couldn't afford James Harden. So they moved him.

Thunder trading James Harden to Houston for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, a protected first-round pick from Toronto, a protected 1st-round pick from Dallas & a 2013 Charlotte second rounder.

Holy Hell.

Per @darnellmayberry

Silver In, Stern Out

Will Adam Silver be more successful than Stern?

It's all over the web. David Stern announced he will retire Jan. 1, 2014 and hand the reigns over to successor, Adam Silver.

Stern, 70, has been the NBA commissioner since 1984; he is currently the longest tenured commissioner in all professional sports. Why 2014? It marks Stern's 30yr anniversary of being the commish. Stern as been quietly grooming a successor, Silver, 50, to eventually take over.

Silver has more recently been a lead figure in helping the NBA reach a new collective bargaining agreement; hee has been Stern's right hand man for the last six years, and before that, spent twenty years in various NBA capacities. Stern has made it extremely clear the transition between him and Silver will be extremely smooth; Stern will stay in full control for the next 15 months.

Now that you know the story, here's a few questions I got:

Will Silver operate the NBA in a similar manner Stern has?

It is widely known the lashing Stern has received from players and critics over his tenure, more specifically in recent years. From recently reducing pre-game rituals to 90 seconds (No more LBJ chalk tossing???), to vetoing the Chris Paul to LA trade, to even fining players for wearing their NBA headbands the wrong way.

Stern is generally not favored by modern players (Magic Johnson had good words to say, though.) It will be exciting to see if Silver will make a priority to create a strong relationship with the players or if he will continue to be heavy handed in dealing with NBA operations (I did like the new flopping rules.

What new things will Silver bring to the table?

From advertisements on jersey to introducing franchise tags, there have been a few ideas floating around recently that could or could not go into effect, depending on Silver's agenda. With recent super teams popping up all over the NBA, with superstars leaving small market teams left and right, will Silver step up and help teams have more control in keeping their star players? Will stricter cap rules be established?

We have quite awhile till any of these questions will be answered, but it doesn't hurt to start building some exceptions for Silver.

Player Spotlight: My Shumps

Last year, one of my favorite under the radar draft picks, Iman Shumpert, showed everyone exactly what kind of game that he is capable of playing.  Hes fast, tough, big, and can score when he is given the ball.  He really picked up his game when the struggling Knicks needed him to.

This year, however, is the first time I am starting to worry about Shumperts spot on the Knicks.  As a combo guard, he will competing for time at point with Raymond Felton as well as Jason Kidd, and at the shooting guard spot, many minutes are going to J.R. Smith and Ronnie Brewer.  The Knicks have so many back court players that this second years role on the team might be starting to become watered down.  As an all around player, it would be disappointing to see Shumpert fall into a role guy spot just because of all the competition at the spots.

     I personally think that Iman Shumpert is more of an all around player than both Smith and Brewer, and I am saying this despite my crazy love for the ever streaky J.R..  Iman is a good defender, especially for being so young, and has sky high potential, but he is going to need minutes and some more experience to be a great player.  

     And as far as I am concerned, this should be the time for the Knicks to do it.  Lets face it, the Knicks aren't exactly a playoff team. They are still heavy offense, low on defense, and their bench will all be on the bench sharing hits of oxygen from a tank of air with a Gatorade logo on the side.  So why not throw Shumpert in now and develop him? J.R. Smith performs best coming off the bench and providing spark and fast points anyway, and I have always thought Brewer was overrated.  

     There are a lot of factors that could change and affect what happens on this team, but one thing will always stay the same: I'm rooting for you Shumpie.

 

Bledsoe Explodes in LA

It may be Bledsoe's time to get out of Chris Paul's shadow.

Eric Bledsoe exploded in tonight's preseason brawl in LA with the Lakers. He was a single steal away from a Triple-Double. His stat line included 22pts/11ast/9Stl.

Is Bledsoe wasting his talents on the bench? Is he ready to shine? It's far, far too early to say, but it will be worth monitoring. Maybe he'll get more minutes, maybe he'll get some attention from some PG-hungry teams. Maybe he can join former teammate, Eric Gordon in New Orleans?

The 18th overall selection in the 2010 NBA draft has all the tools to be an explosive PG. He's fast, has great handle, and drives the ball with intensity, similar to Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose. 

The question is, if given the opportunity, will he flourish, or will he become a Jerryd Bayless: a player with similar athletic skills, who has yet to live up to expectations.

I'm excited to see.

NBA 2K13: The Floater

If you're like me and have an unhealthy man crush on Derrick Rose, then you know all about his trademark floater. It's a great way of getting a basket on a fast break (if you don't want to Hopstep) and is ideal for getting a shot over bigger defenders when driving.

For the longest time, I had no idea how to do it. Eventually I got smart an youtube'd a tutorial.

Thought I might share.

How to do the Derrick Rose Floater

I'm not a fan of using X (Xbox) or Square (PS3) to shoot. I prefer the Shot Stick. In order to do the floater with the Shot Stick:

- Run towards the basket WITHOUT HOLDING TURBO.
- Then hold LT and press the RS away from the hoop.

It takes some getting used to, but you can always turbo towards the basket, then let go of it before you do the floater.

Things Found In James Harden's Beard: Oct.2012

James Harden has had a busy October.

Who Be Ballin? DeAndre Jordan

Last nights player with the most impressive line has to be DeAndre Jordan, who put up 18 points and 12 rebounds in last nights preseason win over one of their California counterparts, the Golden Sate Warriors.  There were a lot of good figures from last nights game but the deciding factor came down to this: Will there ever be another day that DeAndre Jordan gets a Who Be Ballin?  Sure, most of his points came from easy dunks and alley oops tossed by one of the better passers in the league.  Sure, he has an offensive arsenal to rival the likes of Canada's armed forces.  Sure, his tattoo selection can be questioned.  But all in all, DeAndre needs this.  He needs this like Andy Samberg needs a comedy career. Lets just give him this one guys.

    

Newbs Rhymes with Boobs

So, I went into the lobby of my dorm and saw some kids playing 2K13. I was like, "Hell yeah! No more Madden."

....Until I saw they were playing with the Heat and Lakers. I sat and watched to see if they were any good. I usually associate anybody that plays with the Heat or Lakers as casual players: people that don't put in a solid 1-2 hours of 2K a day like myself and my friends.

These kids played 5 or so games, and only used combinations of the Thunder, Heat, and Lakers.

They only used 3 teams. I couldn't help but think I should go out there next time and do some damage with the Bobcats or Magic and show them what's up.

I also saw one of them wearing a Nuggets snapback...again, I was like "Hell yeah!" I asked him if he liked the Nuggets and he said "No, I just liked the hat."

Lame.

Cyhi Da Prince - James Harden

The beard has inspired a new rap song!

Give it a listen!

Ty Lawsome

My boy Ty Lawson went all out in the Nuggets 2nd preseason game against the Thunder last night. 17pts. /11 Ast. I think I see a slight foreshadowing of what Lawson will putting up come regular season.

Pay the man, Ujiri!

NBA Fashion Finals

     After hours of intense deliberation and a thick stack of stylish photographs left behind me, I have decided who will receive the coveted Classketball Trophy of the 2012 season.  It was rough, and at times it seemed like there was no end in sight.  But, after many blue raspberry slushies to clear my mind, the answer became clear.

      After the easy sifting and elimination of the obviously unfit candidates (c'mon Glenn Davis) it all came down to the top eight.  The Fashion Playoffs for the East in 2012 were, Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Dwayne Wade.  For the West, Russel Westbrook, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and Andre Iguodala all made the cut.

     

The East was a real challenge to narrow down from the top four.  The first matchup, Melo and King James, was neck and neck for the entire series.  LeBron James has it all, a unique fashion sense, swag, and the skills to back it up.  Melo is the same, and he makes it a point to show up super well dressed for his ads.   Who would have thought that a single accessory would be the thing that led to ones downfall.  LeBron, you may be my favorite and best player in the world , but the thick hipster glasses have really thrown off your whole game. Its just been done too often.  Melo selects when to wear the hipster glasses and prefers shades.  Win for Melo.  

    

     The matchup between Amar'e and Dwayne Wade was not as close.  Amar'e has a pastel look that looks tight, but in the end, the chic and smooth style that Dwayne Wade has exhibited his whole career wins the day.  Advantage D-Wade.

     Down to Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony.  Both have such a classic sense of style and sense of classy that it may have been the hardest match to decide.  But, Melo chooses bright colored suit jackets and undershirts much too often.  D-Wade wears the greys of a classic, everlasting look and makes it look...well, classier.  The champion in the East is Dwayne Wade.

     

     The West was not as hard to decide.  Russel Westbrook made the cut because I thought his Urkel-esque look was a unique statement that showed he was a joker and just an all around cool guy to hang with.  After the same kind of horrid pattern a hundred times, I thought a little less of the style.  An easy win for Kobe Bryant.

     Andre Iguodala, on the other hand, has a sense of style very similar to Melo, crisp and smooth.  Chris Paul is equally well dressed, and shows his calm, savvy nature when photographed.  Then there is the issue of the hats. CP3 loves hats.  He loves to wear hats.  He loves to wear hats higher and higher on his head in every picture taken of him.  Its like skytops for your face.  Not cool, man, not cool.  Iggy wins. He wears hats the right way.

     Iggy versus the Black Mamba in the division finals.   Two powerhouses of chic, towers of style power.  For days in pondered, wondering who would be able to get any lead.  Then I stumbled on the photos of Kobe with those two girls that his wife got mad about.  No shirt and jeans.  That's way too 90's Kobe.  Your'e not Afro Kobe anymore.  Iggy wins again.

     Iggy versus D-Wade in the Fashion Finals.  These two juggernauts have really set the standard for what the classic NBA look should be.  When one of them shows up to a party, it HAS to be like a handful of doves fly through the door behind them and ten scantily clad ladies pop bottles of champagne in a tunnel in front of them.  And there's a tiger.  So how can I choose between two ballers whose off court style matches their on court presence.  It all comes down to simple attitude.  Which player knows he could coax a lady just with a nod of his head?  Which player knows that tiger will listen to him for no apparent reason other than his look?  

     That player...is Dwayne Wade.  Congrats Wade, you've shamed us all with your look.  And for every one of us you've ruined, you've ruined three ladies who will never look at us the way they look at you.

       

    

All That and a Bag of Potato Chips

Dwight's gone. This is Glen Davis's team now. Be afraid Eastern Conference. Be very afraid.

I think the Magic will be duking it out with the Bobcats this year for the worst record. I feel fairly confident that this team will be in rebuild mode for awhile, especially with the bounty of assets they got in the Dwight Deal. Don't get me wrong, Aaron Afflalo is a great SG: he's selfless, a lockdown perimeter defender, and an overall team player. He reminds a lot of Trevor Ariza in that regard. But, you cannot build a team around him; he's a compliment player and I say that with the upmost respect.

He is the bag of baked BBQ chips to a $5 footlong. Delicious. Just not enough to satisfy your afternoon hunger. They need a $5 footlong, a new franchise player, and until they get it, Orlando, isn't going to be satisfying anyone except winning teams looking for an easy win.

I ask of you: "Where is your $5 footlong, Orlando? Is it Hedo Turkoglu? Jameer Nelson? Glen Davis? JJ Redick?

I don't think so.

Player Spotlight: Paul George

The Pacers have established themselves as an elite team in the NBA.  A combination of youth, elder leadership, and an All Star big man has made them a threat that no team in the Eastern conference can deny.  One key behind their emergence has been the maturation of shooting guard Paul George.

Signed on to the Pacers for his scoring ability and athletic prowess, they were pleasantly surprised to see George immediately fall back into a defensive mindset despite his other gifts.  For a couple years now, George has established himself as a premier defender on the wing, but now he needs to become the total power that he can be.  George has immense potential but the gift that made him appeal to teams has become somewhat of a weakness: His unselfishness.  George gives up open shots to try and create room for other shots from teammates.  Instead of creating his own shot, as he has more than enough talent to do, he passes the ball off into the hands of others.  Although this is not a bad trait with players like Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert on the court, George is holding himself back.
          

                                                          George, the next elite shooting guard.


     Paul George is 6'8" tall at the shooting guard spot, which makes him loom over most other guards in the NBA, he is fast, strong, and has tremendous athleticism.  He can also shoot the ball with the best of them, as is shown in his 38.5% rate from behind the arc last season.  So what is keeping George from becoming the next NBA star?  For the Pacers to enter that next level and potentially play for a championship in the future, they are going to need George to unleash is scorer side and put up the 20+ points per game that he could easily accomplish. For now, he is Prince George, but most NBA fans are hoping he can become the King he truly has the potential to be.

     The Pacers organization cannot complain about how George has played and grown the past couple seasons.  He has shown that he can be an efficient scorer, lock down defender, and high flier.  He has a shooters touch but the power of a forward.  His potential is through the roof.  The only thing the organization can do is roll the dice and hope that he breaks out of his shell and becomes a star instead of a defensive specialist.  And I wouldn't bet against Paul George.

Damian's Inferno: The New Heat behind the Trail Blazers

     The Trail Blazers, a fixture as an elite team in the West for the past few seasons, seem to have finally begun to wane in the power rankings.  The years of trying to find a suitable big man partner for the newly crowned All Star LaMarcus Aldridge have worn them thin, and so it seems the Blazers have given in and started up into the rebuild process.  This rebuild responsibility has been put squarely on the shoulders of the number six pick in the draft, rookie guard Damian Lillard.

                                                      Can Lillard bring back hope to Portland?


     After dominant play during the NBA Summer League, Damian Lillard looks more than capable to play at an NBA level.  Lillard averaged 26.5 points, 5.3 assists, and 4 rebounds per game in a week of summer league play earlier this year and has shown he has the confidence to be leader for the future.  Like most incoming guards, Lillard plays with a highly athletic drive and focuses on getting to the rim with superior ball handling skills and has a nasty penchant for putting the ball in the basket through a crowd.  Although he has solid shooting talents, his real prowess right now seems to be the ability to finish around the rim.  This style of play could possibly open up a lot of possibilities for the Blazers, who have relied on the streaky Felton for initiating a lot of their offense in the past.

     Even though the acquisition of Lillard has been a bright spot for the team, the Blazers made just this one step forward and four steps back.  In the off-season, they let Jamal Crawford, Hasheem Thabeet, and Joel Przybilla walk. Most people would probably focus on the fact that they let Crawford go, a perennial swingman shooter with the ability to make or break a game.  To me, however, it seems more important that they let the other two centers go.  Todays game is dominated by only a handful of real, true big men centers.  To have the size of these two players, despite their low impact on the stat sheet, is an immense bonus going into games.  With Aldridge struggling to carry the weight of both the power forward and center positions, having two seven footers on the bench helped quite a bit to ease his strain.  And, as Eric Carmen would say,  those days are gone.  Meyers Leonard, another rookie, has been brought in the fill that void.  Leonard is athletic and big but he has a lot to learn about playing the center spot with players stronger than him.  He has a lot of potential, but he needs to learn quick to give the Blazers a chance.

                                                             Leonard. A future elite center?

 
      More losses include Jonny Flynn, a solid backup at the point guard spot, and the love of Nicolas Batum, a casualty of the back and forth tug of war between the Blazers and Timberwolves.  Despite winning the bidding battle for the defense heavy forward Batum, he was quoted multiple times saying that he did not want to play in Portland anymore.  The signing of an elite defensive player like Batum is a smart move for any team, unless that player is going to play half-heartedly  because he is unhappy.  Another huge loss that many overlook, is the fact that their star player, Aldridge, is entering his prime and playing at a level at his position second only to Kevin Love, while the rest of his team is in a rebuild process.  That is not a team that is going to make Aldridge happy.  As hard as he might play for the next few seasons, The Blazers will not be among the NBA elite, and in the future when Leonard and Lillard are coming into stride, Aldridge will have exited his prime.

     All in all, the Blazers have a true steal in Damian Lillard.  He is athletic, strong, and a good passer at his level.  But to have a winning team and become an NBA power again, they will need a few more key pieces or decide whether to truly rebuild by cutting ties with Aldridge.

 

NBA 2k13 Hidden Gem: Austin Rivers

The new face of the New Orleans Hornets

I don't know about everyone else, but I've been putting in an unhealthy amount of time into this year's newest installment in the the NBA 2K series, Association Mode, specifically. I just love the GM aspect of creating the ideal team. I got a pretty amazing group spearheaded by Derrick Rose and Roy Hibbert, but the player that has emerged as the mid season MVP? Austin Rivers.

Austin Rivers, you say? MVP over Rose? The overrated PG from Duke who takes too many shots? The 'Other' selection the New Orleans Hornets made in the 2012 NBA draft? Yes, him.

I don't what it is, but the 10th overall selection this past June is making highlight after highlight every time he comes off the bench. At 6,4" 93 speed, and a strong inside game (He has the Acrobat ability) Austin Rivers is like a poor man's Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook. You feel quite confident driving and getting around the backcourt with him.

Rivers and Waiters helped 2K with Motion Capture for their in-game counterparts.

His ball-handling is superb and it is ridiculously easy to drive to the hoop. He plays so much better that his 67 overal player rating suggests. His hopstep is very nice and leads to great fade aways and layups. Rivers also has a solid 3 pointer and can easily land you a Sprites Slam Cam dunk if you get a lane to the hoop.

I strongly recommend giving him a go, whether it be drafting him in your Fantasy Association, or using the Hornets in a quick game. You'll be saying Anthony Davis who in no time.

-Josh