Sunday Morning Dimes

• LeBron James has helped the Cavs win 9 of their last 10 games, propelling their record to 10-3. The Cavaliers hold the second best record in the East, behind Boston’s 12-2 record. ‘Bron leads the league in scoring with 29.5 points a game.
• OKC Thunder have lost 11 in a row and their recent firing of coach Carlesimo only expresses the unavoidable frustration in this rebuilding stage. On the bright side, Durant continues doing his thing (21 ppg.) and Russell Westbrook is having a great rookie season, averaging 12 points and 3 assists per game while playing just under 25 minutes a night.
• Shaquille O’Neal lead an impressive night for the Suns tonight in their win. 19 points and 17 boards is great production coming from the big man. But is it really necessary watching this dude Try and dive into the fans for a loose ball with a 11 point lead and less than three mins left in the game? How in God’s name is 325 pounds of force viciously slamming into a bunch sitting, clueless set of people any more dangerous than Artest fleeing into the stands to snuff one particular Detroit fan? That’s kind of an extreme comparison, but wait ’til Shaq KO’s that two thousand dollar suit-wearing season ticket holder, or some flimsy girl, an 8 year old, a celebrity. I’m going too far, but it’d be fitting for the Suns to have a sturdy, bulky, ring of temperate glass surrounding the court to help prevent any lawsuits or numerous replays on ESPN every two months of a +300 pound, seven-footer failing to realize, “Yo, I’m not fit for this one.” I think GM, Steve Kerr, Terry Porter and the rest of the Suns already get the point that he’s hustling or that he can at least still hustle for the most part. And that whole talk about never ruling out Shaq reuniting with the Lakers is absurd. As much as I love that ‘99-’03 Lakers era, Shaq has 16 years under his belt, bro. Lakers have overcome the bullshit after O’Neal’s departure and are right where they want to be. Two wins away from a Championship last season, Kobe in his prime, Bynum evolving as the team’s center. No more distractions are needed or expected coming from the Lakers in the near future.
• Despite the cringing lack of consistency, the Pistons are officially one of the sexiest teams in the NBA.
• Hornets aren’t flossing as high as I expected them to this season, running with a 7-5 record. CP3 and West are having stellar seasons regardless. In their recent dismantling of the OKC Thunder, West had a game high with 33 points while Paul stuck 29 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds.
• There was no excuse for missing Vince Carter’s latest homecoming game against the Raptors.
• QRich was just two three-pointers shy of the franchise record tonight. Nevertheless, Richardson nailed 7 three’s in his 34 point night. The Knicks recent garbage dump of Crawford and Randolph has set off all the nerves of speculation for 2010. While both Crawford and Randolph are talented players, they were never fit for the Knicks success, their absence won’t be felt, nah. 
• Speaking of absence felt, the Wiz dropped to 1-10 recently. Come on Gil, I know it hurts, but Christ Almighty. 
• The Lakers are 10-1, the Clippers are 2-11.
• Dallas is starting to get back on track, their four-game-winning streak has them at 6-7. 
• The Spurs sit at a steady 6-6, but humbly expect their star, Manu Ginobili to return sometime next week. 

 

Dated November 23rd, 2008

Saturday Dimes

Bullets for Saturday, Nov. 1st, 2008

• Behind Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, Atlanta’s rally over Philadelphia was just disrespectful. Johnson supplied the scoring, but Smith touched all bases with his numbers. Smith had 14 points, 11 boards, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks tonight. This team continues to show to the league that last year wasn’t a fluke, as they slide to 2-0.
• Dalembert and Brand are absorbing the glass for Philadelphia, tonight they combined for 27 total rebounds. But Philly’s recent loss is already bringing concern, especially on the defensive side. 
• Basketball is back in Indiana. A toothless Danny Granger lost his front two teeth tonight but not the game. The Pacers collectively showed up tonight against the Champion Celtics. The final score wasn’t even close at 79-95. 
• In points, Hedo had 21, Lewis hung 26, Howard slammed 29, Pietrus stuck 20 to the face of Sacramento. The Kings dropped to 0-3 in a 103-121 final. Dwight also nabbed 14 boards and 5 blocks.
• Gerald Wallace stat line: 34 points, 3 assists, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.
• As expected, the Hornets are coasting through their first week in the regular season. Chris Paul hung 24 points and dished 15 assists to drive the Hornets past the Cavaliers.
• LeBron dished out 13 dimes of his own against the Hornets.
• Jason Kidd hauled 9 boards tonight while also having 7 assists and 4 steals. Dirk scored 21 and the Mavs picked up their first win of the season, leaving them at 1-1.
• Derrick Rose appears to of gotten the gist of the NBA speed. Rose scored 26 points and had 6 rebounds to help Chicago get past Memphis tonight. Gooden cleaned the glass with 20 rebounds.
• Calderon scored a career-high 25 points for the Raptors tonight. He’ll be sure to set plenty of new career highs this season in Toronto. Bosh scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds. 
• Carmelo struggled in his season debut, shooting 5/15 for 13 points. He also debuted his ban of the braids. Kobe’s 33 points helped the Lakers get past the Nuggets though.
• A.I.’s numbers are dropping. 13 points and 7 dimes tonight.
• Without Baron Davis and Marcus Camby, the Clippers dropped to 0-3 after losing to Utah. 
• Amare Stoudemire exploded for 23 points and 13 boards and the Blazers weren’t able to hold off the Suns. 
• 3-0 teams: Toronto, LA Lakers, New Orleans and Houston
• Winless teams: Washington, Oklahoma City, LA Clippers, Sacramento and San Antonio (!).

Wednesday Dimes

Bullets for Wednesday, Oct. 30th, 2008

• Kevin Love’s NBA debut: 18 min., 12 points (5/8), 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. Efficiency? check.
• Dalembert lead the league in boards tonight with 17. Chris Bosh scored 27 points behind 4 assists and 11 rebounds, while helping his Raptors win 95-84. Philly’s leading scorer tonight? Lou Williams with 16. So much for Brand’s debut.
• Udonis Haslem, Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion and rookie, Mario Chalmers all had respectful performances for Miami tonight. Second round pick, Michael Beasley struggled, shooting 4/14 for 9 points. 
• The Knicks swung their uppercut tonight against Miami though, the reckless jacker, Jamal Crawford was on tonight and we all know when he’s on, he’s on. Jamal had 29 points, shooting 9/19. Players such as David Lee, Wilson Chandler, NateRob and Zach Randolph put forth an amazing effort to make D’Antoni a winner in his New York debut.
• Danny Granger is blossoming. 33 points, 5 rebounds. The team isn’t quite there yet, Indy lost 94-100 to Detroit.
• As expected, Phoenix and San Antonio shared a close game tonight. Duncan looked flawless. Parker started off slow, scoring his first points in the second quarter, but both players had 32 points tonight. 
• Shaquille O’Neal went 5-8 from the free-throw line tonight, that hack-a-shaq strategy will never fade. 15 points, 13 boards and 2 blocks for the Big Cactus though. Nashy also proved he hasn’t slipped a step, 13 points and assists.
• Hornets slipped past the Warriors tonight. Without Monta Ellis, both Maggette and Jackson shared most of the scoring, while Biedrins put up 12 points and 14 rebounds.
• CP3’s line- 21 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals. Oh, and a block. 
• Main concern for Mayo? Shot selection. O.J. shot 5/20 tonight, ouch. Marc Gasol put work tonight though, 12 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocks.
• Lakers out-rebounded the Clippers 51 to 32. Baron Davis was electric in the first quarter in front of his Grandmama, but the Lakers easily slowed all the Clipper hype down immediately after the first quarter, 117-79.

Toronto v. Philadelphia Dimes

All bullets are influenced by the second half of this exhibition.

• 12 boards in the first half solely from Dalembert is great. 8 of them being offensive rebounds is impressive, where was Bosh and O’Neal while he was doing this?
• Iggyhop’s shooting wooes continue, 4/12 shooting with 3 minutes left in the third.
• The Raptors are working beautifully as expected. Suffocating defense and Calderon is generating open looks easily. Their lead once broke to 14 after Calderon hit an open three in the final moments of the third quarter. 
• Through three quarters, Brand’s 12 points and 10 rebounds is acceptable. With the amount of space Jermaine O’Neal is giving him, he’s expected to continue knocking down those shots around the paint.
• The tempo erupts in the beginning of the fourth, with the Sixers on a 7-0 run. This high-tempo could backfire easily against Philadelphia, with the snipers Toronto possess in Kapono, Calderon and Parker.
• Calderon picks up his fifth foul with 8 minutes left in the fourth. If that doesn’t hurt the Raptors, his awkward fall on his forearm and shooting hand is attracting medical attention from the bench.
• Less than five minutes left in this game, Toronto leads 86-75. Philadelphia obviously still needs more time to mesh their roster together. 
• Excluding some of his sloppy offensive and defensive plays, Jermaine O’Neal is playing like he’s been a Raptor for awhile. His 15 points and 8 boards so far aren’t too shabby for his season debut, alongside Bosh’s 27 points and 11 boards.
• Kapono buries the dagger three with a little over 2 minutes left in the game to spoil Philadelphia’s home opener. 
• Jose Calderon shined as toronto’s undisputed leader. Sure, Bosh is their default go-to-guy but Calderon ran this team’s engine from start to finish. Calderon finished with 13 points and 7 assists.
• Elton Brand’s final line: 14 points (5/14), 13 rebounds, 4 turnovers. Nothing insane, but got dirty down low at times to absorb rebounds.
• Williams puts up 16 points in 23 minutes of play, but made 2 out of the 7 three-pointer he took.
• Toronto expressed their colorful ways of attacking for the season. Relying tough on their dangerous perimeter shooting while having more toughness around Bosh with Jermaine O’Neal. Calderon is set to have a career high season this year also.
• Philadelphia unveiled shades of their explosive athleticism and praised fastbreak offense. But their poor perimeter defense killed them in the second half. Their 17 turnovers compared to Toronto’s 9 also draws concern. Andre Miller can’t be blamed, he had zero turnovers and five dimes. 

Division Previews: Atlantic

Atlantic Division

The Overview

The Atlantic Division this season will, for once, be one of the most interesting divisions to follow this season. That is, in gracious thanks to the revamped teams of Philadelphia and Toronto. This division has dealt with it’s respected amount of changes in some rosters due to monster signings by Philadelphia, notable trades and international losses by Toronto, and massive reloading by both New York and New Jersey.

The Ranks

1. Boston Celtics
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. Toronto Raptors
4. New York Knicks
5. New Jersey Nets

 

The Previews

1. The Boston Celtics (66-16)

The 2008 NBA Champions come into the league with a caliber that is ever-so-hard to ignore. Sure, they’ve lost some huge role players in James Posey and P.J. Brown but they still have the main men who gave them the parade. The loss of Posey could prove out to be one of the biggest losses in role-player-history (it’s that serious). Some small additions such as Patrick O’Bryant and Darius Miles aren’t anything major. The loss of Sam Cassell is a plus for the team, even though they desperately lack a point guard. Stubbornly relying on Rondo to carry the load for another season could eventually have it’s backlash unless Rajon put some serious work into his jump shot this off season.. Another year, is both good and bad for Boston, good in the sense players such as Leone Powe and Glen Davis maturing, but bad with the big three becoming a year older. Ray Allen became 33 over the summer, Garnett 32 and Paul Pierce, who turns 31 in October. The fact remains though, these are the Champions and it will take more than perseverance to take them down, ask the Cavaliers.

Finals Odds: 89%

Player Spotlight: Leon Powe

Besides his crisp haircut, Loen Powe has a story behind him that many couldn’t grasp. He grew up in Oakland, with a father that left him when he was only two years old. When he was seven, his house was burnt down, resulting in he and his family to become homeless for years. In high school his mother died before his state championship game. It’s obvious Powe’s life wasn’t the easiest growing up, but he never let it affect his game. In college, Powe attended California University and in his sophomore year he achieved 20.5 pgg. and 10.5 rpg. while leading Cal to a 20-11 record along with a tournament berth. Once getting drafted, he suffered limited playing time for the struggling Celtics during his rookie year. But with Kevin Garnett’s arrival, the club were given a winning atmosphere and confidence. Powe then went on to average 7.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in only 14.4 minutes per game during his second year with Boston. During last year’s finals, Powe was unleashed during Game 2, scoring 27 points and 11 rebounds. With his presence felt, Leon comes into his third year as an efficient back-up power forward with amazing promise. 

Why they will be NBA Champions.

Boston will win the Championship this year by replicating what they did last season. They must bring the same hunger they had last season. With a player like Garnett on the team, it’s hard to argue they won’t have the same hunger. Players like Garnett and Pierce laid it all on the floor last year before getting crowned. It’s only been one year for anyone to say there’s nothing left in tank. This roster didn’t undergo any serious changes to put them out of championship talks. The Celtics come into each game knowing they have the best group of players and proved it every time, winning 66 games. They carried the best defensive ranking in the league while having the defensive player of the year in Garnett. Their roster was combined with extensive leadership (Garnett), skill (Pierce), clutch play (Ray Allen), role play (Posey, House), youth (Rondo, Perkins), and veterans (Cassell, Brown). Another year can only mean more time for this untouchable group to become even more comfortable with each other. As long as KG remains on this team, Boston will always be in Finals talk.

Why they won’t be NBA Champions.

The Celtics made it hard for most teams to find their true weakness. One of the best ways teams found to attack Boston was to force the young Rajon Rondo to shoot the ball more. Rondo’s shot selections weren’t the best and the guard only made five total three-pointers last season. In the playoffs, Rondo has the third lowest shooting percentage for the team at .407%, the strategy worked for the most part, but no team could get around the talent Boston packed. This season team’s can only hope that Ray Allen’s shooting fails like it did in the post season and Rondo continues to keep up his poor shooting for this team to stay away from the Finals.

 

2. Philadelphia 76ers (40-42)

Stefanski made it clear to Philadelphia that there will be changes in the roster and this summer the 76ers underwent the biggest face lift in the league. The Sixers first nabbed arguably the best free agent in Elton Brand. Then, smartly paid Iguodala and Williams for the future. After that, carefully hand-picked effective role-players, Royal Ivey (defense), Theo Ratliff (size), Kareem Rush (perimeter shooting) and Donyell Marshall (shooting and boards). Their draft pick, Marreese Speights has already gained acceptance in the city of Philly, which is huge. They couldn’t afford to lose Iguodala, for they’ve worked on him since day uno (hence the fat contract). Philadelphia will create problems. Andre Miller must continue his wise-play, Iguodala must improve his shooting and Louis Williams should see much more minutes so that rest will fall into place.

Finals Odds: 73%

Player Spotlight: Louis Williams 

Coming into the league, this cat was given poor comparisons and expectations. Most scouts predicted the high school prospect and to go undrafted after his poor workouts until Philadelphia drafted Williams with the 45th overall pick late in the second round. Young Lou Williams compared himself to Allen Iverson, the Sixers former star at the time. But his first steps in the NBA had no relation to a young Allen Iverson and Philadelphia sent Williams to the NBDL. While playing for the Development League, Williams averaged 26 points and 7 assists in over three games. With Iverson’s days being numbered in Philly in the following season, Williams was brought back up to play for the Sixers. In his sophomore season, he got a hint of more playing time and averaged 4.3 points and 1.8 assists per game why playing under 12 minutes a night. The ‘08 season rolled in and Williams benefitted greatly with a young Philly team that now shared the scoring with Iverson gone. Williams played for the full season, providing electric scoring off the bench. His play caused many fans followers to prefer Williams as the starter over Willie Green, who the Sixers’ starting two-guard. At the end of the season, Louis averaged 11.5 points, 3.2 assists and 1 steal per game, while being the team’s best three point shooter by percentage. Louis Williams’ appreciation and respect was felt and the Sixers resigned for five years, worth 25 million. With things looking up for the franchise, Williams is one of the top players on Philadelphia’s roster with great expectations, his playing time and stats will improve along with his status. 

Why they will be NBA Champions.

The Sixers were the undisputed winners of the 2008 free agency. With a player like Elton Brand on board, Philadelphia’s quest to become a deeper playoff team is becoming a reality. Led by Andre Miller and Iguodala, Philadelphia went into the playoffs under Maurice Cheeks as head coach for the first time. Their success became a surprise to many, with the team not having such great expectations coming into the season. With Billy King finally out as the Sixers GM, new manager, Ed Stefanski made his presence felt immediately by sculpting the roster to a brighter future. The Korver trade will always be argued, with Philly being the worst 3-point shooting team last season. But with Rush and Marshall in the roster, the perimeter should fix the three-point shooting wooes for the most part, while having a future first rounder coming out of the Korver trade. Philadelphia also drafted Maurice Speights, a tenacious power forward that will become resourceful with stud-rookie, Jason Smith gone. Philadelphia is close to become a strong, complete team in the league. While the East still remains open, the Sixers just need to climb over one or two teams before having their glance at the O’brien trophy. Still for the most part, Stefanski fixed the screaming holes on this team and has pleasantly given the league warning shots aiming a Philadelphia’s resurrection to dominance.

Why they won’t be NBA Champions.

The Eastern Conference still holds its unique tough set of teams that could easily stop Philadelphia in their run for the Finals. The Sixers shouldn’t expect to be exposed as they were last season by the Pistons in the playoffs, but surely teams will find a way to frustrate Iguodala and Brand. The Sixers don’t have a bonafide scorer and attacker along the lines of Bryant, James, or Stoudemire and you best bet teams with such weapons will shove it to Philadelphia’s face when it matters. The Sixers are relying on a set of borderline, hopeful vets to bring home a championship. Just like Boston did, but with better names. No one will match the heart this team carried when they had Iverson, fans will only hope Brand will help bring it back, while trying to sway away from injury-prone criticisms.

 

3. Toronto Raptors (41-41)

This flexible bunch has done it’s best to extend opposing defenses after the departure of Vince Carter. This season, it’s no different when it comes to that factor, but over the off-season the Raptors underwent tremendous change. Shortly known for their expansion in international talent that opened the perimeter, the Raptors lost a handful of their international weapons in Carlos Delfino and Jose Garbajosa. T.J. Ford finally got beat out of his job in Toronto by Jose Calderon, as expected. Thanks to Calderon, trading away a young Ford for Jermaine O’Neal wasn’t anything but great for the team. The overall look of the roster still remains physically weak and lacking any toughness. The bulkiest player for Toronto is Nathan Jawai, a 280 pound rookie center from Australia that probably won’t see many minutes. The line-up seems electric for Toronto regardless of their lack of toughness. With Calderon leading the crew, Bargnani extending the floor, an encouraging amount of role players and the O’Neal-Bosh tandem down low, Toronto is guarunteed to have a better season than last year.

Finals Odds: 63%

Players Spotlight: Jose Calderon

Calderon carries a special swagger and intelligence to his game that remains unmatched. Former Raptor’s point guard, T.J. Ford, found out the hard way. When Ford was traded away it was clear that Calderon, a Spaniard sensation, out-balled Ford out of his starting spot, which landed him in Indiana. After playing magnificently in Europe, Calderon made the shift to the NBA by signing with Toronto. His rookie season proved to be well solid, critics claimed his poor shooting was a mental factor, for he shot well in Europe. His second season saw great progress, being capped off by averaging 13 points and 5.3 assists per game in the playoffs. Last season, Calderon’s potential was unleashed. The crafty playmaker averaged 11.2 points and 8.3 assists per game under 56 starts out of the 82 games he participated in. Calderon couldn’t be in a better position this season, as he’s expected to play alongside Bargnani, Bosh and Jermaine O’Neal.

Why they will be NBA Champions.

The Raptors possess one of the most unique offenses in the league. Their offensive attack is sometimes unmatched, as they contain a lengthy set of players that can also shoot the ball well from distance. It was said they needed another big man down low, who better than 6-time All-Star, Jermaine O’Neal. It’s been nearly two year’s since O’Neal convinced watchers that he’s an elite power forward. But everyone knows what big-time trades can do to star players, hence Shaq and Garnett. Sure, O’Neal isn’t on the same caliber, but with Bosh, Bargnani and Calderon on his side, the chances are immense. Toronto is one of the best perimeter teams in the league, with 2-time defending 3-point champion, Jason Kapono and Anthony Parker. Bosh continues to extend his game yearly, Bargnani has been said to be getting stronger and Calderon is just getting started. They could apply pressure to the best teams the Eastern Conference has to offer, leaving them to an easy ticket to the Finals.

Why they won’t be NBA Champions.

It has yet to be proven whether they have the mental toughness they lacked last season. Teams such as the Pistons and Celtics can easily muscle this squad to create turnovers. Still, with tall, skinny post players in Bosh and O’Neal, Toronto can only hope to not run into big time centers like Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire (with Shaq!), and Garnett. Toughness is the biggest factor that holds this team back from a cham.pionship, and the problem is many teams carry that factor.

 

4. New York Knicks (23-59)

A team that’s currently in the process of Obama-like change. After the hiring of former Sun’s coach, Mike D’Antoni, along with the firing of Isiah Thomas, the 08-09 season came in too soon for New York, Stephon Marbury, Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford sadly remain on the roster. Different faces come into the picture to accompany the Mike D’Antoni leadership with Chris Duhon, Danilo Gallinari, Patrick Ewing Jr., and Anthony Roberson. Renaldo Balkman, one of the few true players for New York now plays for Denver. Thankfully, the Knicks bright light, David Lee still remains on the roster. It’s only a matter of time before more player swapping occurs, resulting in an unbearable mess for the Knicks’ upcoming season.

Finals Odds: 21%

Player Spotlight: David Lee

If you follow a good portion of basketball, you know who David Lee is. The 6′9” power forward from the Knicks is one of the most efficient players off the bench. Lee is a graduate of Florida University, having played three great years in college, Lee was drafted in 2005 by the New York Knicks. Lee began his pro career as a small forward, starting 14 games all season. While averaging 16.9 minutes a game, Lee averaged 5.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in his rookie season. In his second season, his fan base grew quickly. David saw more playing time at 29.8 minutes a game, while putting up an impressive 10.7 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Many New Yorkers craved for Lee to have a more specific role for the team, after starting less games than his previous season. David became one of the most productive and hard-working players in the Knicks’ line-up, which was surrounded by players with fat contracts while lacking motivation. Lee finally gained more playing time the following season, starting 29 games. Opponents have become aware of Lee’s huge role in the Knicks offense and around the glass. 

Why they will be NBA Champions.

With a new coach in Mike D’Antoni, the Knicks will look to change the team’s mind-set. The Knicks will look to be led by newcomer point guard, Chris Duhon. In hopes that Duhon’s game will explode and players like Zach Randolph and Eddie Curry can get it together in the front court, the Knicks will to surprise the league. With a couple of different shifts in the roster, Crwaford’s loose cannon should hopefully contain itself to sensible shot selections. Wilson Chandler is also a baller for NY that can make some noise. Behind all the money, New York’s line-up does have solid talent could create a substantial amount of wins.

Why they won’t be NBA Champions.

Facing the fact that it’s the Knicks we’re talking about, this franchise hasn’t seen a playoff birth since the ‘03-’04 season. With all the changes, this is still the same heartless team it was last season. Relying on players like Zach Randolph, Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford and quite possibly a selfish Stephon Marbury, isn’t going to get this team anywhere different than last season. There’s still a boatload of changes that this team needs to undergo before even thinking about a championship.

 

5. New Jersey Nets (34-48)

Another team with a completely different look heading into the season. But this look is for the future, not for this season. Richard Jefferson, DeSagna Diop, Kristic, Nachbar and Marcus Williams are all gone, is Carter next? Most likely. The Nets have brought in plenty of young size throughout the off-season in Brook Lopez and Yi Jianlian. Their future is marked with abundant questions regarding their path towards a true leader. This will be another season to forget about for New Jersey, but the future for the Nets will be nothing less than epic.

Finals Odds: 19%

Player Spotlight: Devin Harris

Harris came into the league after making a name for himself in college. At the University of Wisconsin, Devin worked his way to become a freshmen starter. His game then emerged during his sophomore year, and in his junior year, Harris’ game took Wisconsin to the Sweet 16. Before getting eliminated by Kentucky, Harris’ amazing skill shined on the big stage. With his great defensive-mindset, quick first step, court vision and uncanny ability to dunk the ball with authority, Devin Harris was drafted fifth overall in the 2004 NBA Draft. In his first set of years for the Mavericks, Harris adapted to the team’s up-tempo offense, while being a combo guard. When he was traded to New Jersey last season, Harris’ role became completely different. Devin ushered his way into the starting line-up in New Jersey as the Nets braced themselves to have Harris become their floor general for years to come. Harris’ stats reached their highest when playing with New Jersey, averaging 15.4 points and 6.5 assists per game. With Marcus Williams recently being traded away in July, Harris’ position as the team’s prime point guard became solidified. 

Why they will be NBA Champions.

The Nets are a team that have completely swapped their image. Trading away the team’s former leading scorer, Richard Jefferson, makes Vince Carter the scoring veteran. If he remains a Net, Carter will be surrounded by many different unique talents, most notably Yi Jianlian. The struggling Nets last season were against the grain after losing Jason Kidd, but defeated Cleveland 3 out of their 4 match ups and put up close games against the Lakers and Celtics. Harris, Jianlian and Carter would have to mesh together to produce reliable scoring and defense to get deep into the season.

Why they won’t be NBA Champions.

Lets face it, the time isn’t quite there yet for New Jersey. Unless Carter explodes to become the player he was four years ago, this team’s history. There’s just too much skill in their division for this team to even hope for a playoff berth. This team just needs more time and maybe some sort of King.

Uniform Watch: Toronto Raptors

 

 

The Raptors released their new alternate jerseys recently and they’re expected to replace the previous red  ones they had last season. The new uniforms aren’t extremely eye-opening, hence they have that Miami feel to them. Still, it’s Toronto and the black color has a strong feel to it, kinda like they’re new front court. Toronto’s current jersey style fit perfectly with the era the league is in, with all these teams coming out with new looks, the Raptors did just enough with this update. 

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

 

Off The Wall

The 2008 NBA Draft is only two days away and the mock drafts are mostly in dead set print. Though the top 3 picks are nowhere close to being 100% accurately reassuring, most expert analysts are sticking close to what they already have, which reads, Derrick Rose to Chicago, Michael Beasley to Miami and O.J. Mayo to Minnesota. But let’s spice things up a bit and fall deep into the black hole of NBA rumors that evolve daily.

Feeling the Heat?

The first batch of news that struck my eye effectively was from Miami. It appears as though Shawn Marion will end up being a Miami Heat for the 08-09 season which remains as a huge athletic plus for the Heat. After a pathetic season, resulting in a 15-67 record and a 2nd overall draft pick for Thursday, it appears as though Pat Riley is willing to give away his 2nd draft pick to teams such as the Grizzlies, Clippers, Sonics and the Timberwolves. Apparently the Heat are trying to land a young guard or some sort of a big man with a presence. Something you can’t blame the Heat for, with players like Mark Blount, Chris Quinn and vets like Jason Williams, ‘Zo Mourning who don’t have an assuring time line on how long they’ll be sporting the red and black.

What puzzles me is the near possible chance of Riley’s Miami Heat passing on Michael Beasley, the best player in the 2008 Draft. Yeah, it will take a few, 20 games or so before Beasley gets his feet wet in the NBA, but Michael Beasley has unrealistic intangibles and is a unique player many GM’s would drool over. The mix of athleticism mashed together between Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley could become unmatchable. Players will be able to spread the floor and score the ball more efficiently and quickly than average NBA teams. Yeah, the ironing out of a true point guard to run this squad is a task that would come into affect but it’s a case that’s easier to solve than trying to find another legit big-man in the NBA.

With the league runned by quick, explosive guards and swingmen, it would only be good vibrations for Miami to settle down with the pick they earned after canning the rest of the season with Dwyane getting “fit for the Olympics.” Sure, there’s a brief understanding as to why Riley craved Rose in the Draft but trading away the 2nd pick (aka Beasley) isn’t the best answer. Again, sources include Miami is making the 2nd pick availible to teams with high picks to bring home a young solid guard, along with a 3rd, 4th or 5th pick, to then grab a big guy. All of this, which has its own understanding to it, but doesn’t fall under gaping nor relevant success.

Jermaine O’Neal & Chris Bosh for ‘09?

Chris Bosh already headlines the Toronto Raptors after gripping on the to the leadership role that VC left vacant a few years ago. But the strong rumors screaming J.O. could positively end up in Toronto alongside C4 are eye-gazing. Two, lost-post bangers with all the tools needed down low. And for all those saying, J.O. lost it, you lost your mind. After pulling through eight years in Indiana, 29-year-old, Jermaine O’Neal hasn’t missed a beat in his game and a season in Toronto can help prove this fact.

If this trade were to go through as implied, T.J. Ford and Nesterovic would both be shipped to the Pacers, leaving Toronto with Calderon, who’s proven-out to be a much better overall point guard than T.J. Ford will ever be. Calderon, a 26-year-old guard from Spain has a much better sense of the game, carries vision and perimeter shooting over Ford. While humbly obeying the sequence of time before getting the rotation and expressing his skill, Calderon simply out-balled T.J. Ford out of Toronto. This resulted in Ford’s refusal to play back-up for the Raps, leaving his future elsewhere in the League.

Game Changers

Out of the 60 ball players to be chosen Thursday night, there will only be a set few who will make a definite difference for teams in their rookie year. It’s evident that the first three picks, consisting of Rose, Beasley and Mayo will have their own respectable impact for their struggling teams, but let’s turn face towards other names that will keep the league buzzing.

Whether he’s top 5 or top 10, Jerryd Bayless has the proper tools to make a difference for whatever team he plays for. Top quality for this dude is boldly his scoring presence. Bayless also brings forth an NBA body figure (no homo) to keep himself above water when being matched up with other defensive stoppers.

Secondly, Brook Lopez is one of the few big-men in this draft that has a good-set of moves down low while carrying his 7 foot size. Lopez carries a great understanding of the game and what he has to do to get the ball in the basket for a forty minutes. There are many teams in the league in need of a big man like Lopez, and most likely it’ll have Lopez in good position to have a notable affect on whichever team he plays for.

Another player that have scouts raving is the swingman from West Virginia, Joe Alexander. The 6′8” forward plays the game with high intensity while being able to shoot the ball well. Alexander has the ability to do many things on the floor and his height is only an added feature to what this guy can already bring to the court.

Danilo Gallinari from Italy is said to be a lengthy 6′9” forward version of a Many Ginobili. That’s probably saying too much obviously, but his workouts have yet to prove comparisons wrong. It’s been said that Gallinari has been getting his over in Italy and now it’s time to mix it up with what the NBA has to offer. Other names I don’t want to leave include, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers and please don’t sleep on Jason Thompson. Just don’t.