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

Detroit’s New Bad Boy

New flash hit early this morning-Allen Iverson, the aspiring sensation for all undersized ballers in the early cracks 2000 millennium era, has been swapped once again to another franchise. The 8-time All-Star just spent a season and a half with the Denver Nuggets after he was traded away from his recognized prime team, in the Sixers. Heading into the first steps of this 08-09 season, Iverson’s play faced stern concern as his scoring has drastically dropped to 18.7 points per game. Still, Iverson’s career avoids from dwindling down to diminishing stats as he stands aside the team’s young up-and-comers.  

Unlike his bitter swap from Philadelphia to Denver, Iverson’s exit seems to be more sensible of a trade for both teams, despite its unpredicted happening. Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb are the three players included in the trade that are expected to slip on the offensive-minded Nuggets line-up. Well, besides Antonio, who’s already made it clear he seeks a buyout of his contract so he may return back to his Pistons. Billups’ transfer to the Nuggets is one of the fortunate events to happen to Denver in a while, his unselfishness and independent elements towards scoring the basketball will help offensive slaughters like Carmelo and J.R. Smith to get going alongside him. Will all respect, the Nuggets obviously don’t skyrocket to a contender, but avoid any chances from becoming one of the Western Conference’s crew of cake teams. 

The Detroit Pistons on the other hand are adding the 33-year-old Iverson, who’s sure to shake the team-oriented play this team’s been effective and respected for. Iverson’s arrival isn’t going to abolish the team’s overall way of scoring. Some of the many key traits Billups brought to the Pistons was his killer-instincts that evolved throughout the closing minutes of any close game, and Chauncey’s zip passed to Hamilton for Rip’s flawless mid-range pull-up. Regretfully ignoring Billups’ calm sense of dominating leadership over a starting five (minus Prince) that once grazed the 2006 All-Star Game all at the same time. Allen Iverson’s undeniable electric scoring will be sure to temporarily heal the stabbing of Billups’ departure from Detroit for their fans. 

The true winners of the trade could be said to the Denver Nuggets. Their desperate needs for a guard after trading away Andre Miller is officially resolved. Billups’ game is ridiculously hard to take for granted, especially for a the Nuggets, who are fortunate to add this guard to the bunch for who (really) knows how long. Surely, the Pistons will have a faster offense behind Iverson, who’s a spark plug for scoring the ball. It will take time, frustrations surrounding shot selections and shot attempts will settle, but Iverson is prepped for a confident stint in Detroit.

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.