Sports Words of Wisdom

Let NBA Season Commence!

2009-10-29T13:35:00.000-04:00

After the long wait, the NBA season has finally arrived! It's going to be interesting to see who will be the Beast of the East and the Best in the West.

The Orlando Magic made some shocking moves this offseason, including a trade that acquired the services of phenom Vince Carter. Can Orlando get over the hump and return to the Finals this year?

Or will "The King" Lebron James finally get his ring with Cleveland's acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal? Cleveland has a lot to prove after being exposed by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals last year but things don't look to be going well with all the controversy surrounding Delonte West.

The East, however, continues to get stronger. The Boston Celtics, led by Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rasheed Wallace, are looking for more of a leader out of young, scrappy guard Rajon Rondo. He was very impressive in the Playoffs last year, outdoing Chicago's rookie phenom Derrick Rose in many facets of the game. Will he build on that or will the point guard's decision to enter into the 2010 Free Agent pool doom his career?

The battle for Best of the West begins in Texas. The San Antonio Spurs probably had the best offseason of all-time. The quest to create a younger team started out by drafting Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair, who is a workhorse and tough to guard. Then, they acquired Richard Jefferson, who was lost in Milwaukee all least season. Now, they have a roster who can work around Tim Duncan and take some of the stress off of him.

The next destination is where the ring ceremony just ended, Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant and the Lakers have a lot more potential than they had last year. With Ron Artest thrown in the mix, it definitely makes this team one that is hard to play against. Artest adds another defender who can protect the basket along with rising star Andrew Bynum and veteran Derek Fisher. If team chemistry is at an all-time high come Playoff time, this team will be unstoppable again.

If there was a sleeper team in the West that has a lot to prove, it's the Portland Trailblazers. Clutch shooter Brandon Roy looks more poised than ever to get the Trailblazers over the hump. While they're probably one of the youngest teams in the league, there is so much potential on this team. With Rudy Fernandez, Travis Outlaw, LaMarcus Aldridge, Martell Webster, and Greg Oden, talent isn't hard to come by and this team has a good opportunity to be a Top 5 team in the West. Consistency should be the word of the day for these players.

Introducing the Newest NBA Duo: LeShaq and LeBron

2009-06-25T14:57:00.007-04:00

In the latest shakeup in the NBA, the Lakers-Cavs Finals that Nike, Commissioner David Stern, and fans around the globe have wished for has almost become a reality, but not quite.

The Big Aristotle aka Shaquille O’Neal is on his way to Cleveland now, teaming up with another budding superstar named LeBron James. If you don’t know him by now, just refer here and here. He was last year’s Most Valuable Player.

First there was Shaq-Kobe, then Shaq-D-Wade, and now Shaq-Bron. It raises many concerns but the one thing it does show is: What LeBron wants, LeBron gets.

Shaq coming to Cleveland will only benefit LeBron and his backcourt duo of Delonte West and Maurice ‘Mo’ Williams. It takes a lot of attention off of LeBron and gives him more scoring opportunities.

However, is Shaq the big man LeBron needs to get over the hump? It was evident in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals that LeBron needed a legit big man but at 37 years old, can Shaq still get it done?

I think so.

The Shaq-Kobe feud was well, long-winded to say the least. Shaq had no problem taking a backseat to D-Wade. In Phoenix, injuries, coaching changes, and a lack of depth kept Shaq from getting far. But in Cleveland, Shaq and LeBron could be one of the scariest duos in the NBA.

Don’t get me wrong, I question Shaq’s health and durability but not his desire. In 04-05, he guaranteed Miami a title and low and behold, it came to Miami. He tried to guarantee the same in Phoenix, but…see above.

A guarantee of a title in Cleveland is not far from the horizon. It fixes the issue of having a solid presence in the middle and it brings the Shaq vs. Dwight Howard to fruition. It’s become evident, especially through the media, of the dislike Shaq has for both Stan Van Gundy and his young star Dwight Howard. And the critics can now be laid to rest as to who is the best center in the NBA now when these two face off during the regular season. But, it also can show who has the desire and will to win come playoff time also.

The biggest thing Shaq brings to the table for Cleveland is experience and leadership. Shaq’s defense isn’t great but it’s not every game that Dwight Howard faces a big man of Shaq’s size or experience. Shaq can bring the confidence that was lacking in the Eastern Conference Finals. He never backs down, always says what’s on his mind, and for the most part, has always come out on top.

The quest for a championship begins now for Cleveland and how well Shaq and LeBron can get along and mesh together this offseason will ultimately decide whether or not LeBron can finally be called an NBA Champion.

Kobe's Finals Message: Don't Bleep With Me Now

2009-06-04T16:28:00.005-04:00

Kobe Bryant has yet another opportunity to prove all the doubters, critics, and "Kobe haters" wrong.

That million dollar question has once again risen from the dead and reporters are asking again, "What does it mean to win a championship without Shaq?"

Here's what Kobe had to say, taken from Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski's article:

“People think Shaq would have won a championship without me on that team?” Bryant sniffed.

“They’re crazy.”

Crazy indeed. Bryant is a very hungry and dedicated player. When he's on the court, he gets attention from all five players on the floor. He's an unstoppable force with a lot of pent up anger.

Time and time again, Bryant can't seem to get over that hump. The Game 6 meltdown of last year's 2008 Playoffs, the Western Conference Semifinals blunder, a 31-point blowout against Phoenix in the 2006 Playoffs to name a few.

But this year, there is a different Kobe. The Kobe that is getting his teammates involved, being a presence on the defensive end, and the Kobe who has the will to win.

A more unselfish Kobe. Yes, unselfish, surprising isn't it? Some may believe he is still selfish but hey, the guy makes amazing shots.

A new chemistry has developed with Kobe and this Lakers' team. Kobe has learned to play with them and help them do what they do well.

With Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, and Trevor Ariza, Bryant has even built better trust amongst them. He has learned to communicate not only positively to them, but to a point where they will know what to do, or else.

The frustrated Kobe seems to be gone.

The new Kobe came when he decided to suck it up, be patient, and instantly, they became a contender again. When Kobe waited his turn, he earned an opportunity to become the best. His next message is a resounding one and it may come as a surprise to some, but not me.

The Finals start tonight and L.A. could possibly win this series in four games but I'm going to set my eyes on them winning in six.

All that said, Kobe has a chip on his shoulders and wants to send a message to not only his opponents, but the world.

It's: Don't bleep with me now.

Let the Villiany Begin...Lebron James: The Bad Guy

2009-06-02T15:05:00.005-04:00

LeBron James, a frustrated mess after Game 6, immediately left everything behind to be alone. He ignored the media, his teammates and his opponents. Let's be honest here, LeBron James and his Cavaliers team were completely embarrassed in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The guarantees, the promises, the final chapter to their championship run were all gone in an instant.

And just when you thought that LeBron James could fade into his own, lonely place to think about what went wrong, the media has jumped on him for being a "spoiled brat."

Here's an excerpt from a column written by Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:

Here's an excerpt from a column written by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski:

Within the Cavs, someone needed to tell James that he embarrassed himself and the franchise, but that won’t happen. They’re too scared of him. Most league executives with knowledge of Cleveland’s operation believe it’s far more of an ownership issue, than basketball operations.

If general manager Danny Ferry and coach Mike Brown privately disdain the ridiculous posing for pictures that James started with his teammates on a 13-game winning streak, the owner is believed to see the foolishness as a marketing dream.

Someone should’ve told James that the pregame Polaroid act was belittling and beneath a championship contender, but it never happened.

While Cleveland is a business, one thing LeBron James has always been able to do is divide fun and business. You've seen the trick shots before games with his opponents, but you've also seen him dominate these opponents during games too. Basketball is a game of fun, if posing for a "polaroid" can't be done for fun, shouldn't they just eliminate game introductions from the NBA?

The whole "LeBron didn't shake my hand" statement is being blown totally out of proportion. LeBron James simply had a moment of relapse due to the frustration of being blown out yet again, playing bad yet again and watching his supporting cast fail to show up...yet again. The sportsmanship code of shaking hands after games is not mandatory anymore. There's a bigger outlook on this than just LeBron James not shaking his opponents hands.

When I was younger, no matter the outcome, I was forced to stand in a line and shake hands with the opposing team, period. No wandering off, walking to talk to family, doing interviews or walking to the bus with a towel on my head. In this professional age, they do this. We see players go talk to other players, players cheering with the crowd, and some just walk to the locker room, etc. No players line up to shake hands in an orderly manner, everything is done with a casual, do-whatever attitude. While I'm not defending his actions, it helps to put post-game festivities into perspective before trying to create a villain out of a humble athlete.

The LeBron James bashing doesn't go to his play, his stellar performances, his unselfish attitude but to his behavior following a chance to be one step closer to an NBA Championship. LeBron has done nothing wrong, but yet, some still want to find something wrong with him. Compare him to Jordan or Joe Dumars shaking hands with the Bulls, but on the court, you're full of emotion and adrenaline. If we feel like we could have won, we will be disappointed with a loss.

Call him crazy, but LeBron James has all the right in the world to be frustrated. They took this Orlando team very lightly and paid the price for it. They were outplayed, out coached, and made little adjustments to get where they wanted to be. It's their own fault they lost and LeBron James hates to lose.

It'll be interesting to see what Cleveland does in the off season but one things for sure, LeBron doesn't want to be the only option Cleveland has to win all the time.

To read Wojnarowski's column, click here!

Lebron James: Where Amazing Happens

2009-05-24T19:29:00.005-04:00

Friday night said a lot of things about the resilient spirit of Lebron James.

Lebron is ready to lead Cleveland to a title and judging by the Jordanesque game-winner he shot, it’s time for Lebron to step up for 4 quarters and keep his team’s tempo to the upbeat style they’re used to playing.

Cleveland blew a 23-point lead and almost a game that was presumed to be over early. In Game 1, Cleveland gave up the lead and the game. Game 2, however, was a different story.

Knee wrapped and all, Lebron showed how calm, cool, and collective he could hit a 24-foot three pointer as time expired in front of his Cleveland home crowd. This series could easily be 2-0 either way but King James had other plans as he took the game into his own hands and even the series 1-1.

Cleveland has got to adjust to the Magic’s slowdown style of basketball and be ready to guard all 4 quarters and not just for the first half of the game, not only defensively but offensively as well. Mo Williams has yet to become the threat he was in the first 2 rounds. He is not shooting well at all even with the high amount of shots he’s taken. Delonte West wasn’t stellar but he still needs a breakout game this series that Cleveland needs so they can buckle down and take over the whole game and series..

Orlando is salivating because they haven’t started a game great yet but their ability to manage and claw back into games has them ready to play on their home floor. They blew the defending champion Celtics out in Game 7 to get to where they are now and they are ready not to be a fluke in the first half.

Dwight Howard was limited to 10 points in Game 2 but he still has a double-double in every playoff game so there’s always a positive with him.

It’s going to be another nail biter tonight for Game 3. Where will amazing happen this time?

Welcome to the Playoffs, Cleveland!

2009-05-22T11:17:00.000-04:00

For the first 8 games, Cleveland has enjoyed blowout wins, rest in the fourth quarter, and weeks of rest.

Those days are over.

Last night, Cleveland came out in the first half with tons of energy, great team play, and defense. The second half was a totally different story. Lebron got his shots but his supporting cast failed to carry over their intensity to the second half.

The Magic didn't get away from their gameplan and their 3-point shooting in the second half proved to be a problem for Cleveland. Guys stopped rotating over, overhelped on defense, and the Magic stole Game 1 on Cleveland's home floor.

If Game 1 was any indication of how ready Orlando is, Stan Van Gundy said it best when he said that Cleveland hasn't been here before, we have. They've played the close games and won them and thats how they got to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Its going to be interesting to see where Cleveland goes from here. They played a great first half but basketball is 48 minutes and they didn't play a whole game, just half of one. Granted it got them by the first 2 rounds, but this round is going to be different.

Mo Williams and Delonte West have to step up in Game 2. Lebron showed up in both halves and didn't find a shot he didn't like all game. But, his backcourt has to show up. Williams and West missed 22 shots combined and I hope this won't be the case in Game 2.

Hopefully, Cleveland can bounce back and get the split. Tune in to TNT at 8 EST! Lebron is going for 50 again!

Kobe 1 - Melo 1!

2009-05-22T11:03:00.004-04:00

It was another epic battle of youth vs. experience when Kobe and Melo stepped on the court for Game 2. And Melo got the last laugh before going to Denver for the next 2 games.

Melo didn't shoot too well but he got to the free throw line and made some key baskets at the end of the game when it counted. Instead of playing with the lead, Denver just kept pushing back every time they were pushed against the ropes.

LA got a huge performance from Trevor Ariza on offense and defense and he has become an X-Factor in this series. Ariza is looking for respect and he has earned Phil Jackson's by playing aggressive but at the same time under control. Aside from the spill he took late in the game, he did everything he could.

Denver's X-Factor, JR Smith, is still trying to find himself. He hasn't shot the ball particularly well but he is still playing hard. Hopefully, Denver can get him going on their home floor, he likes playing for his home crowd.

This series is going to go to 7 games simply because both of these teams, just when you think they're down and out, play with a chip on their shoulder like they are going to win regardless if they're down 1 point or 10 points. It's going to be an interesting Western Conference Finals. I haven't watched a whole NBA game until now, Denver, LA, Cleveland, and Orlando are fun teams to watch.

Lebron and the Cavs Look to Make Another Finals

2009-05-20T12:16:00.003-04:00

Who is guarding Lebron? Or is it LeBron? However you spell it, the guy can't be stopped. He already swept his last two opponents to get to these Finals, he's making trick shots in practice, watching a feature about his blocks on Sportscenter, he's ready to go. The guy is ready to lead his team to a ring and tonight, he's going for 40.

Lebron and the Cavs didn't play too well against Orlando during the season, but this is a different team. They are playing well together and love playing on their home floor and they are going to protect it.

Orlando hasn't played too badly either but they don't have the experience Cleveland has. Lebron and Z have been here before and know what it takes to get to this point, not just them but they know how to be creative and score, especially King James!

Tune in tonight at 8:30 EST TNT!

Prediction: Cleveland in 6.

Kobe 1 - Melo 0! Kobe's 40 Proves to Be More Effective!

2009-05-20T11:31:00.003-04:00

Kobe and the Lakers seemed to wake up in the end and hold off the Nuggets, winning 105-103. The tempo of this game was set early and it looked like LA couldn't adjust to it until the second half.

Melo and the Nugs came out hitting a fury of shots and jumped out to a 13 point lead but free throws became a mystery for them, going 12-21, Chauncey missed his first 3. Jeff Van Gundy almost lost some money making a bet that he would make next one too. Pretty funny JVG, because the bet sounded pretty confident.

Kobe and the Lakers found a rhythm though including from the 3-pt line (11-25). Stat of the night: 8 different Lakers made at least one 3-pt field goal in the game. Talk about a contribution from everybody. Kobe's 40 points and playmaking ability kept this Lakers team from losing. Ariza came up with a big steal at the end. Fisher scored 7 straight points. 17 offensive rebounds as a team. The Lakers came together as a team in this one, even though Kobe had 40 points but I mean he took 28 shots but was 12-13 from the free throw line so he had more opportunities to score. Its Kobe.

Melo scored 39 points and shot a pretty good percentage. 14-20 overall, 4-5 from 3, pretty impressive. But not so impressive were JR Smith and Chauncey 'Mr. Big Shot' Billups. JR Smith went 2-7, I don't believe he made his first field goal until the end of the 3rd quarter. Tough. Billups shot 5-13, 2-7 from 3, not too shabby for 18 points but there were shots Chauncey usually makes that he missed, it happens, nobody is perfect. Expect these two guys to step up in Game 2 on Thursday.

#1 Ranked John Wall Chooses Kentucky

2009-05-19T17:10:00.003-04:00

5-Star Phenom John Wall finally picked a school and it was Kentucky! John Calipari is something else isn't he? He ceases to amaze me with his recruiting ability, not to mention the fact that he also had a signed LOI from 5-star prospect Eric Bledsoe as well. Calipari is doing his work early and it looks like Kentucky could be back to the way they were in their "Tubby Smith" days. Pat Patterson has got to be ecstatic about this team now. Now, only time will tell how long it takes Kentucky to mesh together as a team and get to the Big Dance!

Western Conference Finals Start Tonight!

2009-05-19T15:55:00.001-04:00

Tonight LA and Denver get at it. Its gonna be an interesting series to say the least! Despite LA winning the season series 3-1, Kobe vs. Melo is something to watch for especially considering how much Melo turned up his defense against the Mavs last series.

Andersen, K-Mart, and NeNe had better be prepared for Gasol, Odom, and Bynum because Bynum got his wings back a little bit towards the end of the series against Houston and Pau seems to be ready to score 28 again.

On the other side, LA is going to have a fit trying to stop Chauncey Billups. They had a little bit of difficulty guarding Aaron Brooks, but Chauncey is a different story. He averaged 21.6 ppg and 7.2 apg against Dallas and I don't see those numbers decreasing against LA. Especially when you've got JR Smith on the perimeter, a guy who hasn't found a shot he didn't like! The shots JR makes are a mystery to me, bank shots with a hand in his face, fade away swishes, that's where amazing happens!

These two teams have a lot of weapons. It's going to be interesting to see who can come out and play with the most intensity, because whoever does, comes out with a win!

Tune in at 9:00 PM EST, its going to be a good series!
Prediction: Denver in 6