New LeBron James Commercial

With all the criticism LeBron has been getting during the off-season for his move to South Beach, many are wondering how he is going to respond. Well it looks like LeBron has some questions for the fans as well in his new Nike commercial.

The NBA Is Back

Finally I can stop watching the vintage Temple University basketball games, kids playing basketball on milk crates and Hawks Training Camp on NBA TV because the 2010-2011 NBA basketball season is here. There is so much to discuss, but hey we have got the entire season. Here are a few stories to get you caught up on what has been going on around the league…

The Heat is On

In case you have been living under a rock or in solitary confinement at Rikers Island, LeBron James and Chris Bosh have joined Dwyane Wade in Miami. LeBron caught a ton of criticism for making his decision in a live hour-long telecast on ESPN. Despite the team being a five seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs last year, the Heat has become the squad to beat this upcoming year. Look to see trio just about every night on TNT.

Melo on the Move?

In July Carmelo Anthony was rumored to be going to the Nets. In August it was the Knicks. But for now he’s staying put in Denver. If Carmelo gets traded during the season, it could really shake things up for the rest of the league. Will Melo look to back his bags this year or will he ride the season out? Only time will tell.

Shaq Heads to a Contender…Again

Shaq plays fantasy draft with his NBA legacy once again by signing a two year, $3 million dollar deal with the Boston Celtics. Some people are joking that he needs the money to pay child support. Others are swearing that he will do anything in his power to win another championship. I’m convinced he just wanted to join all of the other old guys on the Celtics.

Here are some of my predictions for the 2010-2011 season…

MVP: Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is all but a lock for this year’s MVP award. Last year he finished second in MVP voting to LeBron whose numbers will surely be down due to the array of talent he will be sharing the court with. Durant’s stellar performance with Team USA in the World Games this summer shows that he’s made the transition from a scorer to a superstar who can lead his team to victory down the stretch. Look for his numbers to mirror that of last season’s with a league leading 30.1 points per game while shooting almost 50% from the field.

Rookie of the Year: John Wall

John Wall has quite the advantage to run away with this award. He has proven to be the most NBA-ready rookie thus far, averaging 17.3 points per game in seven preseason contests. The key for Wall will be efficiency. His quickness and ability to get to the basket won’t mean much if he can’t protect the ball. Many are arguing that Clippers forward Blake Griffin will put up some serious competition for this award after rebounding from a 2009 season-ending knee injury . Sure he is a talented player that can be one of the top power forwards in the NBA if he remains healthy; however, he has yet to prove that he can go up against KG, Amare’, and Gasol on a nightly basis. My vote goes to John Wall.

Western Conference Champions: Lakers

The Lakers are my favorite to return to the NBA Finals. This team has done nothing but gotten better during the off season. They added to their defensive presence with Matt Barnes and alleviated the strain an NBA season may have on 14 year vet Derek Fisher by signing Steve Blake. The only hiccup in the Lakers plans to three-peat is Kobe Bryant’s knee. Kobe had his right knee surgically repaired during in July and all signs point to it being an issue as the regular season comes to fruition. If Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Ron Artest can carry the load until the All-Star break the Lakers should be able to cruise back to the Finals

Eastern Conference Champions: Magic

It would be too easy to go with the Miami Heat so I will take the underdog in the Orlando Magic and here’s why...
The Heat are handing the responsibility of point guard to Mario Chalmers who despite flashes of solid play has yet to prove himself in the NBA. If the pre-season and training camp is a prelude of thing to come most of the ball handling responsibility will be delegated to D Wade and LeBron to make up for Chalmers lack of decision making ability. Sure this gives the team a better ball handler, but I feel like we all saw the “LeBron the point-guard” experiment go terribly wrong in Cleveland.

Not to mention Miami does not have a big man who can stop Dwight Howard in the paint. I’m not calling Dwight the next Bill Russell but there is no way that Haslem, Ilgauskas and Magloire will be able to contain him in the paint.

Orlando on the other hand has it all. A seasoned point guard in Jameer Nelson, sharp shooting in Rashard Lewis and rebounding in Brandon Bass and Dwight Howard. It may not look pretty, but Orlando has the edge if these two meet up in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Last But Not Least…

Be sure to check out NBA Spark Notes for news and insight as this year’s NBA season is sure to be an exciting one.

Toni Braxton Running the Triangle Offense in L.A.?

In the mid 90’s Toni Braxton was rumored to have dismantled the Dallas Mavericks franchise. How you ask? She allegedly went to a hotel to pick up guard Jason Kidd, only to leave with his teammate Jim Jackson. The team was on the road to destruction immediately following the event.

Fifteen years later she is at it again. Check out Toni Braxton’s latest video as she runs the triangle with Lakers Shannon Brown and Ron Artest better than Phil Jackson could ever imagine.

Quick Side Note

The 2009 NBA Playoffs have been great. We have seen a ton of buzzer beaters and stars emerging from the woodworks. As the Conference Finals unfold, the first two games in each series were decided by three points or less. This is one of the best playoffs I have seen in a while. I just have one problem…What’s with all the tick-tack fouls and crying?

A guy gets called for a foul and he’s whining like someone broke his Ninja Turtles action figure. Someone tosses a ball or swings an elbow, and the opposing team is jumping around pointing the finger as if they are second graders snitching on the kid that stole the animal crackers. Come on guys! I’m going to need the NBA players to grow up. This is basketball, and despite what your entourage tells you, you are supposed to get bumped and bruised. I’ve watched Nene bear hug Pau Gasol and then look bewildered when he was whistled for a foul. Kobe Bryant has five technical fouls in this year’s playoffs and they are all for running his mouth. Simply Unacceptable.

It’s not just the players fault though. The disposition that they are taking is nurtured by the referees. Everything is a foul, a technical, a flagrant. Players have become so dependent in these freebies, that they feel slighted when things do not go their way. Official Joey Crawford leads the way when it comes to being quick to blow the whistle. Don’t believe me? In 2007 he tossed Tim Duncan from a game for laughing on the bench. He’s getting even worse with time.

What really puzzles me is the over usage of the flagrant foul. Just because a guys falls hard to the ground, does not mean that a flagrant foul should be issued. This is playoff basketball. No shot should go uncontested, even if that means having to knock someone on their bottom.
I remember the first playoff series I ever saw. It was the early 90’s and my Dad was a huge Pistons fan. At the age of five I don’t remember much about the game, but I do remember Chuck Daily calling a timeout and every member of the Pistons team was bleeding. These guys were going hard and doing whatever it took to win a championship. They were not complaining when they got beat up under the basket because they were returning the favor. More importantly, the refs were letting the guys play.

I’m not asking for much. All I want the refs and remaining teams competing for an NBA title to do is watch the 1989-1990 Eastern Conference Championship between the Bulls and the Pistons. Watch how those guys play hard. Look at the lack of complaining. Look at how no one calls a tech when Dennis Rodman elbows Stacey King in the chest. That’s how I want you to conduct yourselves during the remainder of the post season.

Lakers Fight to Win Game 1

The Lakers trailed for three straight quarters before managing to defeat the Nuggets behind a 40 point performance by Kobe Bryant. The Lakers took Game 1of the Western Conference Finals by a score of 105-103.

Everything appeared to be going the Nuggets way early in the contest. The Nuggets had a 31 to 23 lead by the end of the first quarter. Carmelo Anthony had the hot hand throughout the contest and finished with 39 points. The defensive effort from the team as a whole was evident throughout the contest. A frustrated Kobe Bryant picked up a technical foul in the third quarter, his fifth of the post season.

Turnovers and missed free throws were key in the Nuggets loss. The team went just 23-35 from the line while the Lakers shot 20-24. The Nuggets also did not benefit from the poor shooting night of J.R. Smith who finished with just eight points.

Kobe Bryant took over the game late in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points in the final seven minutes of the contest. Lamar Odom spoke about the play of Bryant in a post game interview. According to the Associated Press he stated, ''He was amazing. He wanted the ball. Kobe is always going to help you or bail you out more than he hurts you.'' Coach Phil Jackson shared these sentiments in his post game interview.

Nuggets coach George Karl was not as satisfied after the two point loss. He lamented that Game 1 was an opportunity that his team had squandered. He was quoted by the Associated Press stating, ''There's no moral victories in playoff basketball.''

Game 2 of the series will take place in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

It’s Not Their Fault

I’m sitting at home watching the TNT Playoff broadcast with a few friends when Chris Webber pops on the screen as a broadcaster. That’s when all hell broke loose. One of my friends, a die-hard Sixers’ fan, begins to curse C Webb like he stole something. He vows to never forgive Webber for his dismal performance during his two years with the Sixers. He argued that the Sixers paid him to be the Chris Webber from Sacramento and he simply didn’t come to play. To make matters worse, the team was forced to pay him a $25 million dollar buyout after he competed in just 18 of 35 games in the 2006-2007 season. What makes my friend even more upset is that his squad is experiencing the same trouble with Elton Brand, who has missed most of this season after signing an $80 million contract with the Sixers.

As a Sixers’ fan myself, I would have been on his side except for one thing. It’s not these guys’ fault! They were each up there in age, recovering from major injuries that forced them to miss a substantial amount of time, yet the Sixers decide to pay them like they are 24 year old.

The Sixers paid for the Sacramento Chris Webber, knowing that the player no longer existed. He had microfracture surgery on his knee in 2003 and struggled with it ever since. Even in his last season with the Kings it was evident that he was no longer the explosive player who would fill the lanes on a fast break. Honestly, I don’t know what more they could have possibly wanted from the guy then what he did when he got here. He was the second leading scorer on the playoff bound team his first year in Philly. In his second season on the squad, he hobbled his way to 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. The last Sixer to do it before him was Armen Gilliam in 1992 and don’t hold your breath waiting for Sam Dalembert to give you similar numbers.


Elton Brand is an even better story. Yes Elton Brand is one of only four active players to average 20 and 10 for his career, but he is the only one without a championship ring. In fact, he only made the playoffs once in his career. That being said, it is easy to put up numbers when you are on a bad team. Guys do not waste their time guarding you closely because they know their team is going to come away with the W. (Just ask Kevin Durant) How can you spend $80 million on a veteran who has never lead his team anywhere? How can you spend $80 million on a guy who played just 8 games in the previous season?

I don’t blame Chris Webber, Elton Brand, or any other run down vet who doesn’t perform for their newly acquired team. I blame the coaching staff, the owners, and the scouts. It’s the job of these individuals to analyze players and determine whether or not they are worth the money.

It seems to me like fans expect these players to turn down the cash because they know they are hurt. That’s just insane to me. If you deliver mail for a law firm at $10.00 an hour and the boss of the company says I want to promote you to firm partner at $200,000 a year are you going to say, “Sorry sir. I am not qualified for this position. Perhaps you should choose Tom from accounting. I’ll just keep pushing this mail cart.” Of course not! You are going to take the money and do the best that you can do, despite the fact that your best is far below the boss’s expectations. Why do we expect anything different when it comes to athletes getting paid?

The next time one of your friends goes off on a player, who was a bust for your hometown team, you should set him straight. Don’t blame the seven footer who can’t dunk. Blame the guy who scouted him for a year and watched him jump like his feet was stuck in cement. Then blame the owner that signed the $80 million contract. Then give a piece of your mind to the coach that made him a starter.

Granger Grabs ‘Most Improved’

The lone bright spot for the Indiana Pacers this season was the play of Danny Granger. In his third year in the NBA out of the University of New Mexico, Granger won the league’s Most Improved Player award.

He was on vacation in Italy when he was made aware of the news. During a press conference after receiving the award Granger stated, “I can honestly say it really did come as a surprise.”

Other top candidates for the award were Devin Harris of the New Jersey Nets and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Despite missing the playoffs again this year, Granger was able to compete at a high level. He averaged 25.8 points a game, fifth highest in the NBA, and five rebounds. Granger was also invited to participate in his first All-Star game this season. Team president Larry Bird spoke very highly of Granger. According to an Associated Press article he was quoted saying, “He is the face of our franchise, and he handles himself well on the court and off.”

Granger began to show his ability to lead the Pacers in late game situations with clutch shooting this year. In a January 7th game against the Suns, Granger nailed a game-winning jumper over Steve Nash. He also turned in clutch performances against the Pistons and the Hornets that same month.

Many people around the league are beginning to recognize Granger’s talent. He was recently invited to the USA Basketball training camp which takes place this summer. Being invited to the camp is one of the first steps in being considered eligible to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Granger recognizes that it will take more to elevate his game to the next level. He spoke about the importance of defense during the press conference. "I don't just want to be a better defender, I want to be an elite defender. I really modeled my defensive game after [Houston forward] Ron Artest when he was here. He was a phenomenal defensive player when he was here. I probably got away from that the past two years. Next year, that will be my big focus."

Granger is the third Indiana Pacer to receive the Most Improved Player award since its introduction into the NBA in 1985. The first two were Jalen Rose in 1999 and Jermaine O’Neal in 2001.