Archive for July, 2008|Monthly archive page
Team USA routs shorthanded Turkey
This exhibition game started off as a tight one when Turkey found themselves scoring the basketball effectively with open shots and forcing ten turnovers out of team USA. Mehment Okur nor Hedo Turkoglu took part in this game due to undisclosed reasons. At first it appeared as though the Turkey would be fine without the two stars when the team took a 27-24 lead over USA with 1:42 left in the first quarter. But shortly before half time, LeBron and Carmelo help lead the their team back to a comfortable lead. Dwyane Wade indeed came out of the bench due to LeBron’s return, but had the same offensive impact. Wade tallied 13 points this time for team USA, rapidly slashing to the rim whenever given the opportunity. LeBron was 8-9 from the field along with 6 boards, 5 steals and four assists with only 23 minutes of playing time.
Carmelo Anthony still remains to be the best player in the tournament, Anthony continues to score in bunches, showing no signs of weakness. His 17 points spawned from his patented quick mid-range pull ups and dunks. At one point, off a bullet pass from James to Bryant, Kobe bounced the ball in front of the basket to Anthony for a dunk. Dwight Howard opened up a in a big way as the team’s center with powerful dunks that set an exclamation point to USA’s dominance in this exhibition.
Team USA’s next exhibition will be against Lithuania, the 5th ranked team in FIBA. Although it’s uncertain whether who will actually suit up to play, Lithuania is highlighted by talented players such as Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Linas Kleiza, Ramus Siskauskus, Rimantas Kaukenas, Sarunas Jasikevicius.
Contrasting Between Yao Ming and Ron Artest
Less than 48 hours after reportedly being traded, Artest’s name has already hit the sports headlines. Yao Ming recently addressed his concerns towards the teams chemistry with the addition of Artest to the Houston Chronicle stating, “Hopefully, he’s not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands.”
This is somewhat of a surprise to me, I thought Yao was more of a quiet guy that let his game speak and who would express himself vocally if he felt something needed to be righteously addressed. Instead, Yao’s borderline stereotypical concerns do their best to deploy him as a player who’s keeping an eye out for his team’s success.
Artest immediately responded with Yao’s comment referring to his part in the infamous brawl at the Palace,
“I understand what Yao said, but I’m still ghetto, that’s not going to change. I’m never going to change my culture. Yao has played with a lot of black players, but I don’t think he’s ever played with a black player that really represents his culture as much as I represent my culture. Once Yao Ming gets to know me, he’ll understand what I’m about. If you go back to the brawl, that’s a culture issue right there. Somebody was disrespecting me, so he’s got to understand where I’m coming from. People that know me know that Ron Artest never changed.”
In Artest’s response, a key sentence grabbed my attention, “Somebody was disrespecting me, so he’s got to understand where I’m coming from.” This statement boldly expresses the differences between Yao Ming and Ron Artest. Those differences being, Yao Ming may get disrespectfully banged on a couple times a season without showing any signs of retaliation or defense, but Artest doesn’t allow himself to get ridiculed on the court or by an opposing Detroit fan without getting his own.
Artest and Yao’s differences regarding getting disrespected are easily expressed via YouTube.
Ron Artest to H-Town

It’s been reported this evening that former ‘04 All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year, Ron Artest is headed to the Houston Rockets. The trade currently rewards the Kings a 2009 first round draft pick, draft rights to Donte Green, ex-King Bobby Jackson and over $1 million in cash. The trade will spark the common eye with Artest headlines screaming throughout the media, but the real headline will surface for the Kings sooner than later.
The grueling rebuilding process for the Kings can be tagged as disappointing, after Sacramento was a consistent contender only 3 years ago with the likes of Bibby, Webber, Stojakovic and Miller. When Sacramento traded Mike Bibby, a former cornerstone for the Kings’ offense, the organization made it clear they were preparing for what’s ahead. Sacramento’s recent transactions have been hard-thought and respectful ones. Acquiring players such as Tyronn Lue and Anthony Johnson to help out the slim point guard depth. Sheldon Williams and Lorenzen Wright, a mix of youth and veteran ship for the paint. Extending Beno Udrih’s contract this summer, after an impressive outing (12.8 ppg., 4.3 apg.) after shipping away Bibby. Dealing out the few stars Sacramento possessed with Bibby and Artest, the King’s future is as bright as any other rebuilding team in the NBA. Sacramento still has their former first round pick, Kevin Martin. The 24-year-old lead his team in scoring with 23.7 ppg. while shooting a reliable 87% from the line. Sacramento’s transactions have surrounded them with the cash to someday righteously feed Kevin Martin while upgrading the young roster with more role players or even an impact player.
It will be refreshing to see Bobby Jackson reuniting with the Kings, Jackon’s best season’s flared while accompanying Bibby. What was once a huge question when it came to the point guard spot, the Kings have supplied a heavy set of answers heading into training camp with their new guards. Sacramento continues also to be one of the tallest teams in the league, spoiled with three 7-footers (Miller, Moore and Hawes) and a total of nine power forwards or centers.
As for Houston, the acquirement of Ron Artest huge for the team’s efficiency. Bringing home a 6′7” forward who scores, rebounds and plays defense will never hurt the system. Last year Artest stastically had his best year since his successful Pacer days, averaging 20.5 points, 3.5 assists, 5.8 boards and 2.3 steals per game. The Rockets’ roster now seems to be more complete then ever. The Rockets have settled their guard spot (Skip, Brooks, Head, Francis), their swingmen (McGrady, Artest, Battier, Hayes), and their low-post (Yao, Scola, Mutombo, Dorsey). Houston is also proudly led by their head coach Rick Adelman, without a doubt, one of the best basketball coaches to ever coach the game. The addition of Ron Artest will add a ridiculous amount of flexibility for Adelman, when it comes to substitutions in games. Artest gives this team the small bump it needs to get past the first round in the post season.
My lonesome prediction last year of Houston tackling the odds and seeing NBA gold sounded ridiculous, until that 22-game winning streak came around. Yao Ming’s season-ending injury stabbed the season in the heart and left many fans wondering how far they would’ve went with Yao in the playoffs.
Wade Returns; USA breezes past Canada

Forget Dwyane Wade’s return, Carmelo’s consistent dominance and the absence of LeBron, the main story behind team USA’s exhibition game against a flimsy Canada was their defensive play. In a game that never came close, the Canadians were held to a dismal 9 points scored in the fourth quarter. On stopping the highly dependant pick and roll’s team USA will face internationally, Coach K stated, “We have a plan, and we think it’s a good plan, and a lot of it is making sure the pick-and-roll is defended by five guys, not two.” Surely, there were a few times we could see USA look shaky against the pick and roll, but for the most part it wasn’t anything to bite your lip about just yet. Team USA forced 24 turnovers from Canada, while also 7 total blocks compared to Canada’s zero. Dywane Wade led the team in steals (3), while putting up 20 points alongside Michael Redd and Carmelo Anthony.
Dywane Wade’s return was marked with his signature explosive play. He sprinkled his state line with 2 assists, 3 steals and 3 rebounds to accompany his 20 points. Carmelo Anthony continued his overwhelming international success with 20 points, 6 boards and 3 assists. Michael Redd also came into the game, shooting nearly lights out 6-8 from the field, nothing but three point shots. Redd finished 20 points along with 2 rebounds. The crowd was overly amused with USA’s ease in dominance when scoring the basketball, it sometimes appeared as if they were playing at the nearby Rucker. When Kidd was given a breather, the deadly backcourt mesh of Chris Paul and Deron Williams, left Canadians mind-boggled. CP3 made his eight dimes seem effortless as he fed Dwight Howard with a backdoor alley-oop. Dwight shared his inside dominance in the paint, leading all players with 7 boards and 3 blocks. Kobe Bryant enjoyed squashing the defense presented to him, Bryant tallied 15 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals in this warm-up. Jason Kidd surprisingly had no assists or points, but took part in one of the biggest highlights of the game with a football outlet pass fling to ‘Melo before Anthony swung it behind him to Bosh for the dunk.
This game was a great confidence builder for the team. Team USA was able to flex their offense and defensive play against a weak Canadian team. It was fulfilling to see USA bring forth a stronger defensive push then what they had in ‘04. Their next game against Turkey should provide a more competitive effort. Turkey is led by a healthy deal of size in their players who can also shoot from a respectable distance. With players like Hedo Turkoglu, winner of last season’s Most Improved Player Award and Mehmet Okur taking part, team USA will look to stretch the defense with a greater deal of awareness. Players like Tayshaun Prince and Chris Bosh should expect more playing time.
The Dime Drop
The Dime Drop. Ten smooth facts, comments, and personal notes written in bullet form. Feel free to enjoy or hate everything is spilled in the Dime Drop. While they’re isn’t much harder assist machines John Stockton and Mark Jackson, the Dime Drop’s consistency of being written this season is humbly kept under the influence of both of these two seam droppers.
- After another promising 07-08 season, (18.8 ppg., 10.5 apg), and a lone playoff run that left fans gasping, Deron Williams finally gets paid, after agreeing to a contract extention with his Jazz.
- While it’s still Summer League ball, it’s definitely fulfilling for me to see Jerryd Bayless completely take over games with his clutch play, resulting in him being T-Mobile’s NBA Summer League Top Rookie.
- The loss of Baron Davis resulted in the signings of Corey Maggette and Ronny Turiaf. None of these players replenish the gaping hole of a primary, dangerous point guard to fit Don Nelson’s offense. The Warriors’ current roster is filled with Ellis, Belinelli and a bunch of oversized guards. So, the swarming news regarding the Warriors’ new desperate chase towards Louis Williams isn’t surprising.
- While being the 28th pick in the Draft, Donte Greene most likely earned himself some future playing time with the Rockets with his Summer League performance. Greene averaged 22.6 points, including a 40-point debut during the Summer League.
- Darius Miles comeback to the NBA is near. His suspension from the NBA stemmed from Miles taking a weight-loss drug, and his potential career-ending knee injury led him to be waived by the Blazers. While that’s besides the story, Darius is still only 26 years young and will attract interest from some teams such as the Mavericks and the Celtics.
- Through the loss of Elton Brand, the Clippers possess one of the most interesting rosters heading into the 2008-2009 season. The likes of the Baron Davis, Al Thornton, Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman and Eric Gordon make this team something worth watching if you’re either blessed with living the LA area or plan to order NBA League Pass.
- Three weeks into Free Agency, Josh Smith is still waiting for a fat contact offer from a team (most likely the Hawks) looking to spend big bucks for his play. The problem remains, all of the teams in the league either don’t have the money or don’t need a player like Smith on their roster.
- High School ballaholic, Brandon Jennings carved his own path to the NBA by grabbing money early and skipping college with his 3-year deal with a team in Italy. While Jennings is the first kid to ever make this move since the NBA’s age restriction was implied, this route by Jennings could become a common path for other money hungry high school ballers across the world.
- The newly relocated, OKC Franchise will be named the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 2008-2009 season. The newly polished franchise will set up a fresh career for last year’s Rookie of the Year, Kevin Durant, who averaged 20.3 ppg. and 4.4 rpg.
- Devean George’s days as a Maverick are numbered, but it’s not like he cares much, considering the money thats coming his way. It appears as though teams such as the Celtics, Spurs, Suns, T’Wolves, Cavaliers and the Hornets are interested in 6′8” small forward.
Brand New

It’s official. After seven years, the Philadelphia 76ers are once again a force to be recognized. The words, “Elton Brand” will flood the streets of Philadelphia for the rest of this summer until tip-off, when the packed Wachovia Center will be speechless until Brand nets his first bucket as a Sixer. This is it. The Sixers front office and Ed Stefanski strike gold in a move to force the organization to shine a light on what was once a poorly faithful bunch of ballers. After the departure of Philadelphia’s complete heart, Allen Iverson, the Sixers bring home a prime superstar ball player in Elton Brand.
Elton Brand is the forgotten superstar, more so, one of the most slept-on 20-10 guys the League has. Elton Brand’s exposure has been stabbed with his humble personality along with his dreary team, the Clippers. The 2-time All Star finally helped make some noise for the Clippers back in the 2006 playoffs, when they were one win away from advancing to the Conference Finals. Even after that, Brand was dealt the respect and attention he well deserved after many seasons. His NBA career began during Chicago’s rebuilding era. The 98-99 Bulls were then a team struggling to find wins with a record of 13-37 during NBA’s lockout season.
The horrible record landed Chicago the number one draft pick in the 1999 Draft, where they picked Brand. Brand quickly averaged 20.1 points per game, 10 rebounds per game and 1.6 blocks per game in 80 games as a rookie, earning himself the Co-Rookie of the Year award. Playing alongside aging players such as Toni Kukoc, Hersey Hawkins, Randy Brown and a 20-year-old Ron Artest, the Bulls stunk a 17-65 record. The following season brought forth the same results, a 15-67 record with Brand freakishly averaging the same amount of points, blocks and rebounds while bringing his assists per game up from 1.9 to 3.2. Elton was then traded to the Clippers in 2001 for Brian Skinner and Tyson Chandler. His arrival in the L.A. Clippers was apprehended as one of the three fan-favorite baller trio’s consisting of Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles. The Clippers blossomed with quality players to accompany Brand such as Corey Maggette, Andre Miller and Lamar Odom but the groups never stirred together to form as a playoff contender. While averaging impressive stats, Brand was cursed with overwhelmingly mediocure seasons with the Clippers for five seasons. In 2006, after the
Clippers got eliminated from the playoffs after a valiant effort, Brand was set to take his team farther the following season, but failed to do so after missing the playoffs. Elton Brand’s 07-08 season became a disappointment for the power forward, after he suffered a critical Achilles injury he was sidelined for a total of 74 games. Brand showed great signs of recovery for the Clippers late in the season and played solid in a few games to give Clippers fans a positive energy for the following season if he came back the following season. The word “if” stemmed from the fact that Brand was to become an unrestricted free agent in the off season, allowing him to opt out of his contact with the Clippers. The front office for the Clippers made the big moves to attract Brand to come back, drafting shining rookies, Eric Gordon and DeAndre Jordan. Clips weren’t done yet, to promise a bigger chance at being a true contender in the West, the Clippers signed Baron Davis, making it nearly impossible for Elton Brand to turn down his future with the L.A. Clippers.
But impossible is a word that is stretched and bent in the world of sports. Tuesday afternoon when the word came in that Philadelphia has traded away a young Rodney Carney, along with Calvin Booth and a draft pick to Minnesota for a draft pick and most importantly, some cap room, it was apparent that Philadelphia had Brand in its cross hairs. But nothing was assuring until Brand accepted the 5-year deal, worth 82 million, leaving the Clippers with their jaws dropped.
There will be plenty of new Sixers fans, haters, predictions and wonders now that Brand is in the Sixers’ front line. His presence was something the team of Philadelphia fell absent to for many years, with many years being the Charles Barkley years (Sorry, Coleman and Mutombo don’t count). Guards, excluding the Bryant and LeBron tier, will think twice about taking the ball into Philly’s big men. The move sits Reggie Evans back in the bench, where he belongs. Evan’s spark off the bench, along with Lou Williams’ scoring will give Cheeks the comfort to flex his minutes. We also can’t forget the young rookie, Marreese Speights a 6′10”, 250 pound low-post banger. Philadelphia’s starting line-up looks relatively talented as it may be, Andre Miller, Willie Green, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert. The Sixers are finally a legit playoff contender for a set of years to come. They could easily become a title contender with another move or two done by the Sixers’ front office, but that’s to be seen.
Philadelphia’s chase for Atlanta’s Josh Smith will regretfully be dimmed due to this big move. It’s not good to count anything out yet, but only to be realistic. Josh Smith’s explosiveness will be the biggest thing missed by Philadelphia that the young power forward offered. With Elton Brand, the Sixers have a better power forward who has his own set of moves down low, a good rebound sense and who owns a much better jump shot. Brand is an undersized power forward that uses his wide body to become one of the best rebounders, he has great defensive play that produces blocks and a variety of contested shots for his opponent. Elton has easily become a 20 and 10 player for many seasons, in Philadelphia it will only expand. Brand will share his ground with Samuel Dalembert, who has a complete opposite make-up, being lengthy and slim but who’s also become a fiend for boards and blocks in this league. When it comes to the post-season, Philadelphia saw their star Iguoodala struggle when they needed him the most. They will now have another player to turn to with Brand when the big games come around, Brand put up 25 ppg., 10rpg. and 4 apg.
The city of Philadelphia and all its fans now have another reason to cheer for their 76ers this season. Being blessed with talented, humble players that are on the team to get the job done and get back into the NBA Finals after being carried there five years ago by a lonesome killer. The Sixers have an ultimate mix of youth and veterans in their line-up for the set of years to come. The Brand deal put the final stamp on the reality that their Allen Iverson is really gone. The Sixers have one of the four active players that average 20 and 10 in the league. Brand will face all the lights in his first year in Philadelphia, the Sixers have a tendency to bring home a big name during their downward spiral of their career, from Glenn Robinson to Chris Webber. Brand is still just 29 and has plenty left in his tank to pour some glory for Philadelphia before it’s too late. This is the breaking point for Brand, when it comes to being recognized as a reliable leader, with the ultimate help from another pioneer with former teammate Andre Miller, Brand and the Sixers could take the East by storm if Stefanski continues to play the cards right.
The fastbreak finishes by Iguodala, defense by Dalembert and Brand and the zip passes by Miller could be the complete remedy Philadelphia needs to make them a higher seed in the playoffs after being 7th last season. Betting on another move by Stefanski can be classified as an act of selfishness. But it’s completely understandable with Willie Green filling the starting two guard spot. GM, Ed Stefanski has proved to be one of the smarter managers the city of Philadelphia heavily needed and we are beginning to see why. It only to wonder what would’ve Stefanski would’ve done before Billy King lost his mind and threw away Iverson. But that’s the past, the future is labeled “Brand New” with the trio of Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller leading the Philadelphia 76ers’ circuit.
Philly Bound?

Word all over the press has it, the Philadelphia 76ers and Elton Brand are set to have a 5-year, 82 Mil deal that brings Brand to Philadelphia. After shipping swingman, Rodney Carney, Calvin Booth and a future first round pick to Minnesota for a second round draft pick and some cap room, Philadelphia has made it evident that they’re set to bring home the big man. The deal is still not official until Wednesday, when players may begin signing contacts. It is not a complete fact that Brand is going to Philly, with other teams still swarming the big forward. Many would have enjoyed Josh Smith’s explosiveness in the Philadelphia fastbreak, but it has become a tough task for Philly to handle with Atlanta keeping a keen eye on Smith. A source has said that Brand’s odds are “70-30,” leaning towards Philadelphia. Stefanski and the Sixers are expected to aim at Josh Smith if Brand turns down the offer. The final word on who goes where could told starting tomorrow.

It appears the Orlando Magic have bagged 25-year-old, Mickael Pietrus in a 4-year deal worth 24 million. Mickael shared the guard/forward duties for Golden State for five years, averaging 8.6 pgg in 21 minutes per game. The 6′6” swingman should see plenty of more minutes when heading to Orlando.
Mickael Pietrus was targeted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons. He averaged 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds last season with the Warriors. Pietrus’ perimeter shooting is one of the finest in the league, the move will allow the Orlando to spread the floor even more for center, Dwight Howard.
Young Summer

Both Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose made their debut against each other in a summer league game between the Heat and the Bulls. As expected, Beasley came out with victorious behind his stats and in the win column. Behind a 94-70 win, Beasley backed his expected rookie value with 28 points and 9 boards in 22 minutes. Derrick Rose put up 10 points along with 4 assists in 28 minutes. Though the competition wasn’t grade-A, Beasley held his own against NBA minute-grabbers, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas. The real stage will be set when these two meet up during the regular season. We’ll most likely be blessed with this game on national tv.
Philly’s time?
Out of all the teams shopping in the free agency this off season, the Philadelphia 76ers are one of the top teams to make the push to bring home a big name. Other teams include Memphis and possibly the Clippers, depending on what Brand and Maggette do. With that said, let me cruise through the news Philadelphia has been spreading this summer.
It’s already been said, Sixers GM, Ed Stefanski won’t be afraid to pursue a big-time free agent this summer. The Sixers lack depth in a shooting guard and most importantly, a power forward. The players Philly could have their scope on include, Josh Smith, Brand or Maggette. Now that Jamison is off the market, the Sixers will focus harder on bringing home a big-time forward to the team before it’s too late.

Sixers did not make qualifying offers to Shavlik Randolph, Kevin Ollie, Louis Amundson and Herbert Hill leaving them as unrestricted free agents. The Sixers did, however make qualifying offers to Louis Williams and Andre Iguodala. The Sixers could really have around $20 million in cap space if they were to waive both Iguodala and Williams, but most likely they will end up keeping both studs, leaving them at around 11-12 mil in cap space for free agency this off season.
One player that’s apparently becoming the Sixers prime target is Josh Smith. Smith, who’s coming off a strong season of 17.2 points, 8.2 boards, 1.5 steals, 2.8 blocks, leaves teams drooling. It is really unlikely that Atlanta will be able to come into terms with both Josh Smith and Josh Childress to prevent other teams from giving each of them an offer sheet, so Philadelphia is well alive in this hunt for Josh Smith.

Stefanski’s only clue to who the Sixers are really going after are simply quoted as “Somebody good.” His statement doesn’t help much, considering there are also rumors of Philadelphia possibly aiming at bringing Andris Biedrins.
Other statements related towards the Sixers pursuit during the free agency by Stefanski include, “We’re trying to build like Detroit, meaning we’re not looking to have that one superstar, but we want to have a lot of good players on the floor together.”
Another important factor that remains in Philadelphia’s roster is the absence the team’s overall shooting ability. Stefanski responded, “Detroit is doing it with a different style than us, because our style is to be athletic and push the ball. I know (coach) Mo Cheeks wants me to get him a shooter because he asked me the other day if I could get him one or two. I want to, but we’re really looking for people who are athletic and long and defensive-minded. That’s our first priority.”
This doesn’t mean Philadelphia has completely cancelled out their possibilities of having another Korver-esque shooter. Recently, reports indicate that Philadelphia has invited sharpshooter, Pat Carroll to join the Sixers summer league team in Las Vegas.
With all this news, there’s nothing Philadelphia fans can do but stay tuned to what Philadelphia will be doing this off season. One thing for sure, Philadelphia’s roster will be significantly different compared to last year’s.
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