The Return, The Reign, and The Redemption

Fellow NBA fans, we have a lot to look forward to this season! We have the return of a long awaited player with some credentials and a lot to prove, we have the returning champions with a king set to defend his throne, and last but not least we have a player coming back to put their city on their back and fight for a sixth championship. We are talking about none other than Derrick Rose, Lebron James, and Kobe Bryant.

Oh Chicago, how sweet it will be to not have to rely on Joakim Noah to carry your team, lol sorry even I laughed at the thought of Noah carrying anything. Back on topic, we finally have it, the long awaited return of Derrick Rose! To put into perspective how long awaited this is, Kevin Ware, the NCAA player who broke his leg to the point where the bone was exposed out of the skin during march madness, was back to playing basketball before Derrick Rose  returned from a knee injury. Yeah, I am not so sure how great Rose will be, he started off a preseason game 1 and 5 from the free throw line, and while he did seem to improve throughout the game, I have to think he will struggle when he gets hammered from major regular season defense, coming off a 17 month hiatus. He did get good feedback from his coach and teammates and opposing players and coach, however when he left the game in the third quarter he immediately went to ice both knees on the sidelines. This doesn't look very hopefully for the Bulls, especially when they find themselves in tough games where they will rely on Rose to pull them through with high scoring performances, like when they play the Pacers or the Heat, he will need to be 100%, but the question is, can he ever be 100% again? Granted D-Wade suffers with these problems but he is also a few years older, has three rings, and quite a supporting cast for a team, Rose doesn't have that benefit so the pressure really is on him. I think the best game plan for Rose this year will be a "slow and steady approach" if he comes out too aggressive he could reinjure his knee and cost himself his career.

Now moving onto to my favorite person to write about,the one and only Lebron James. He is
coming into this season off a newlywed high and his sights set on a three-peat, but the question is, can he do it? Well, when you think about the fact that he is coming back to the same strong and experienced team that he has seen two championships with now, a 3-peat seems likely. However, I am not going to sit here and act like this is going to be easy for them. The Heat struggle against teams defensively on the perimeter, we saw this in every game against the Pacers in the playoffs and often the Heat would rely on their sure shooter Mike Miller to bail them out with his amazing jump shots, the ones that seemed impossible from the corner and sides of the court are the ones he would drain time and time again. Respectfully Miller was released per the amnesty clause from Miami this season but his assets to the team will not be downplayed or forgotten. Lebron wouldn't have any of his rings if it weren't for Miller or Battier. While Miller leaving is a tough loss for the Heat they did have a few off season pickups including Beasley and yes of course Oden, it is yet to be determined how these new additions will play out but for now it seems the Heat's only "ace in the hole" three point shooter will be Shane Battier, and no I am not saying that Battier is the only good perimeter shooter on the team, obviously Wade is the go-to-man but many times in tough situations, there was a sense of relief to see Miller or Battier enter the game, especially if shoes start coming off, then the game was on. Don't worry Heat fans and don't get too excited yet Heat haters,  expect to see The Heat start off this season much like they did last, they will start slow and probably lose some easy games, but as we saw last year Miami didn't really turn up the Heat until after All-Star weekend, then it was down to business.

Speaking of business, Kobe Bryant is one player entering this season who is all business and no play. He is coming off an injury that took him out late last season, not after shooting his free throws of course, Kobe has always been a man of grit and dedication I will give him that. However, while it seems his rehabilitation is coming along well, he is returning for one reason and we all know why, he wants to see that sixth championship. To me, the measure of a player is not based upon a team accomplishment like a team championship, it is based upon individual credentials like MVP awards and broken/set records which Kobe has undoubtably done. Laker fans, I know it is exciting to see Kobe return but don't expect to see the sixth 'ship for him, at least not for this year. There are far too many young, healthy, competitive teams that are going to prove very tough for the Lakers to overcome in the regular season. But I expect the Lakers to do far better without deadweight such as Howard and I hope to see some high scoring games from Kobe that they will actually win, unlike last season. He was hitting high numbers and still losing thanks to players like Howard. It will be most intersting to see how the Lakers do when Dwight and the Rockets make a Staples center appearance in February. Overall we have a lot to look forward to this season and I cannot wait!!

The wait is over, the time is now, basketball is here!

This post season has felt like a century, possibly because we didn't have the Olympics to keep us busy over the summer like we did last year wherein we saw our favorite men from the NBA dominate as usual.

Like most of you I have occupied my time trying to care about football, but aside from my college alma mater and a few other teams,I could give a crap about football. I know I won't get featured on ESPN having that attitude about football but censoring myself is gonna be hard.


Anyway diving into business. I never really got to voice my opinion about Miami acquiring Greg Oden. Do I think he will start over Bosh? Absolutely not. Will he be an asset? Possibly. Here are my concerns and aspirations for Greg Oden. I think he will be a great rotator in the late second and early third quarters for Bosh, as much as he was hot and cold last season I believe Bosh is far more athletic than Oden. It will be nice to have a Shaq type physique posted in the paint to give Bosh a break or when he needs a timeout because he's screwing up. To me, Oden is like the "Jolly green giant" he is big, and powerful appearing, but I think if he falls it will be like Jack falling from the beanstalk and he will break every bone. Now as I sit here writing this blog, I got the SportsCenter alert that Bosh had a great second half of a game to defeat the Hawks! When he's hot he is hot.

Speaking of hot, another obvious topic points to Dwight Howard. Did anyone see his game debut with the rockets against the pelicans (can't wait until they lose that name). Anyways, he actually played like he knew what he was doing and you could see some decent team cohesiveness starting to form, however, he played lazy, got a few delay of games and a goaltending charge that a 90 year old woman who has never seen the game before would call. Oh, and let's not forget his technical foul, really? A technical foul in the preseason? Glad to see nothing has changed D.

Let's talk about something that doesn't really get highlighted right off the bat, let's talk about this young talent we have entering this year! For once the Blazers may have a draft pick to be happy with, 21 ppg leading all the rookies,  with 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game Mr. CJ McCollum. If it plays out the way I foresee it, you will be seeing him play off-the-ball opposite of Lillard. If this works they could be the youngest most exciting back courts in the league this year! Don't expect to see him playing very much tho, he will be more of an off the bench option for the trailblazers but it will be exciting to see him run the point a few times if the coach finds opportunities in the regular season to do so. However my Portland fans, don't expect another ROY run for your team, I don't think he will get enough playing time to make a run for this award. Cody Zeller is on my radar for ROY, especially if he can see the Bobcats to more than 7 wins in a season, yikes challenge accepted.

Two months left unil pre-seaon, let the countdown begin

I haven't posted in this blog since this time last summer but I have been having basketball withdrawals and I am getting back into this blogging business. This will solely from now on be just basketball.

With that being said, this time last year we had the honor of watching our men win the basketball Gold Medal in the Olympics. Unfortunately we don't have that privilege this year. There are FIBA games going on but sadly we can only keep up with that via social networking. I am also not a lucky owner of NBATv so I can't even watch re-runs. So where does that leave us? Well that leaves us obsessing over trades, trade rumors, new team rosters, and predicting the 2013 season.

So let's get into it.

We will start off with Americas sweetheart, Dwight Howard. If you look closely at my previous posts everything I predicted about the Howard/Kobe matchup became true. They were not able to be teammates, Howard's attitude overshadowed his talent and when things started to not go Dwight's way, what did he do? Bricked for his team time and time again.  No matter how much Kobe came through for his team they just could not get into a winning rhythm, which is proof that no matter how good of an individual player you are, if you do not have the supporting cast on your team you will not succeed. Lebron's success is half his talent and half his supporting cast, period. Now the Howard show has moved onto Houston where he joins another All-Star lineup but the question is, how long is THIS going to last? Now I was a huge fan of Howard, until these last two seasons ruined that for me. The Lakers have gone on record trying to be the bigger person saying "Howard is one of the best centers in the league" Let's dissect this for a second, I believe he has the potential to be one of the best like he once was. I believe he fuels his bad attitudes with his own injuries as a crutch, I feel if Howard walked onto that court pissed at his team, he would throw bricks all night and watch his team sink. This last season from Howard may have been one bad apple in the bunch but it really only takes one to ruin the bunch. And now he is Houston's problem, I wonder how Lin and Harden will mesh with him? And with Camby and Asik still present on the team, is Howard a sure starter?

 

 

The summer is winding down and our beloved players only have one month before training and practices start for this new season. Looking back at this summer we can evaluate which teams or players "sank or swim" with free agencies. Now Greg Oden and Niokla Pekovic are still some wildcards out there and Greg Oden has been spotted in meetings with Miami head Coach Spo, but let's not even open up that shit show.

 

First we have Brandon Jennings who seemed to be invisible to most teams but Detroit picked him up with a decent 4-year $24-million contract that he is well worth, and though he has been compared to Rondo we can't forget that Jennings is a little lack on the percentage of long-range 2's which sinks him a little bit compared to Rondo. That being said I do think this addition to the Pistons will be a good one.

 

It isn't payer related but Doc Rivers to the Clippers is a great move, Blake Griffin needs some coaching direction, his jumpers on the court are looking a little lazy, I have felt this season Griffin has been playing on borrowed time, just my opinion but I think Doc can get the ball rolling for the clippers offensively.  

 

I am tired now and have so many more teams and trades so they will have to wait.

Lebron Doing It Again?

First of all, I have got to address the fact that I have not posted in this thing for a long time.  Another season started and let me re-cap my predictions, I believe if you look at my previous posts about this Nash-Howard-Bryant trifecta I predicted it was going to be a shit show and surprise surprise I was right. Nash should have just stayed or retired, he is not cohesive in the Kobe system at all. And of course we have Howard who is being Howard, I knew it wouldn't be long before their personalities clashed. Howard is too much of a super star in his own mind to play alongside someone like Kobe. Now I may not be the biggest Kobe fan out there but he needs his props, he has had some pretty amazing games this season scoring very high carrying his team but now you have Howard who is just playing like he doesn't care because he can leave next season. Very selfish of Howard but are we really that surprised? Nope.

Moving onto the drama in the eastern conference, let me address New York first, yes you guys beat the Heat at the beginning of the season and JR Smith had a field day with but if I have learned anything over the years watching athletes tweet trash talk is that it always comes back to bite you in the ass. Eveyone was hollering "Melo for MVP" and Melo is a great and talented player but just because you start a season off with 30+ point games that does not guarantee or qualify you for an MVP award. Melo and his Knicks team are just not consistent enough to be a big threat for Miami in the playoffs or for Lebron in the MVP battle, and I think last night Lebron proved he he was worthy for his fourth MVP award as he dismantled a fellow contender in the race with Kevin Durant. I said it from the beginning of the season, wish I would have said it on here but the Heat were not and have not been going full throttle out there. They lost some games they should have easily won but they have just been cruising up to this point, expect after all-star weekend for them to turn it up even more on the court.

About the all-star game, if the East plays lazy like last year I will be pissed, I know most of them don't care but I do as a fan and the East should be dominating but maybe now that we don't have Howard we can play like adults and not children. Now don't get me wrong I am still a fan-ish of Howard, that guy cracks me up on and off the court I just wish he would start playing big kid ball and leave some of his fuckery attitude off the court.Follow this link to keep up on all that is going on with NBA All-Star Weekend 2013.

My goal to obtain my Lebron tickets

Ever since the schedule has been released I have been hunting on StubHub for my perfect seats to the basketball game of my life! They aren't court-side but they get me close to Lebron, my overall goal is to scream loud enough to get his attention while he is on the bench, and after the game I hope I can get his autograph down in the loading docks. Anyways, I have been collecting change, cans, etc to save up money. Shay and I are saving up to go to 3 games, we want to see Lebron, John Wall, and Kyrie. I came up with the idea of adding a paypal button to our blog as I have donated to other bloggers in the past when they were obtaining similar goals so I thought this was worth a shot. From basketball fan to basketball fan, we all know how amazing the NBA live experience is, and seeing your favorite players from the nosebleeds just doesn't cut it. So with that anyone who would like to donate please feel free and I thank any one in advance helping make our dream come true!

Tour de USA

Well France, thanks for the extra practice I guess. I don't how much else to sum up that win other than that. I mean when Lebron only needs to hit 9 points and the USA team still wins by what almost 30 points? I would call that a good game. Our game leader was none other than Kevin Durant with 22 points. Lebron of course had 8 assists which is running a drill for him. :) Anyways, while this was a W in our books we have to clean u our game to finish out the Olympics. I mean I don't know if the guys just think this should be a cake walk so they are making small and silly mistakes, I think cockiness is causing these small slip-ups but we have to tighten a few things as we continue on, 14 turnovers and 26 fouls? Get it together guys, these turn-overs can be fatal against Spain or even Argentina. So Coach K did what he had to to, he played Durant, Bryant, and James as long as he needed to get a decent lead, by the fourth quarter they were able to sit out most of it. Anthony Davis was able to get out and how funny is it that the reserve players were the ones serving dunk after dunk in the fourth. It just shows that unlike other countries we have a deep bench, probably the deepest. Anyways, other people are gonna critique the US's "weaknesses" from this game but we all know what our boys are capable of. Let us evaluate this seriously, some of our actual starters would actually be considered reserves had Dwayne Wade, Bosh, and Howard been able to play. So honestly we don't even have all of our all-stars at this point. And again i will say James Harden, GTFO.

Maybe Lebron needs to take another hiatus from social networking, that seemed to help him a lot this last season when the pressure was on. Some one give him a copy of the hunger games stat!

Anyways- Lastly on this short blog. I would like to say that the Stephen A Smith "dis-respectful" auto-tune video not only needs to apply Lebron James but it should pertain to all our US boys, these other countries are being all cocky because all their all-stars play here in our country in the NBA anyways. Ugh I don't need to get on another Pau Gasol rant. But do what we gotta do as fans and let's keep our boys focused! MAybe we should tweet Lebron to pause for a minute? <3

Jeremy Lin, Team USA, NFL, and Stephen A

As most people know, we are not huge fans of Jeremy Lin. The kid has a huge heart and determination for the game but I don't think he is as skilled as he is made up to be and this is why. When Jeremy Lin has wide open shots he can sink a good pull down jump shot. In order to achieve this he needs to be paired with a Center who can run the pick-and-roll. You aren't always gonna have your team able to open the space for you. His shots under pressure are sloppy this has a lot to do with the fact that he is only 23 and just started playing in his professional career. Tyson Chandler was a great center for him to be with, well he is a great center period. In Houston, Lin is paired with Omer Asik as his center and he just can't roll with the pick and roll plays as good as Chandler, so for Lin to be successful he really has to work on his defense, because as they say the best offense is a good defense, or is the other way around? Hahaha :) Anyways, I believe Houston is really gonna have Lin running some drills where he's gonna have to do a lot of no-look passes, attacking in the paint, and taking those pressure jump-shots. Ideally, let the kid run with Lebron for a few weeks and he will be impeccable. In all honesty I think Lin can make a decent career with himself and his talent but he has to work hard, even those who are drunk with Linsanity have to admit that he does not have a well rounded game, yet. I really hope Houston works with him and shapes his well, that's what he needs right now. It's a shame he couldn't stay in New York with Carmelo who truly wishes Lin the best and I think 'Melo wanted Lin to stay in New York, but I wish the kid the best in Houston. I know alot of people are thinking he is going to be the second coming of Yao Ming, but you can't do that to Lin, it's not fair and you can't compare a Center to a Point Guard, they've got different skills and different duties. Let Lin be Lin, not Ming.

Moving on- Our USA Men's team is pumped and ready to take on France this Sunday! The game is 2:30 pm London time which I am pretty sure is 930 AM/ET here in the US of A. They don't seem to have a very tough schedule, they open up against France, then play Tunisia, Nigeria, Lithuania, and Argentina. All I hope is that these boys don't get too cocky, this is not the time for LOB city and Wind-mill dunks, this is the time to play smart basketball so they don't get hurt like Blake Griffin. And can I just say I am sad that our(Miami) Big 3 couldn't be apart of this, I mean who doesn't miss Bosh? He is such a beast and he's a little cray cray and sometimes he makes the funniest faces but who doesn't love him?! I miss him, I sometimes need to know he is there posted in the paint looking like a dinosaur on the prowl! Westbrook is holding his own but Harden ain't ish and honestly in the opening ceremonies the dude looked like a terrorist, I mean the dude can at least smile and look happy once in a while. I know you were all thinking it, I just said it plus he is not holding his own. What a shame Bosh and Wade couldn't be here. I guess there is always another 4 years, ugh I think we all know Wade might not be at the level anymore when that time comes. :/ But here is to Lebron winning all the MVP's, his 'ship, and a gold medal. Holla!

                     Awe look at that, the Olympics are bringing everyone together<3 good job boys!

                     The Bosh I miss!

Alright- that's all the basketball talk, now let's move onto football. Did anyone else hear Mark Sanchez get called Tim today? haha talk about a diss, I bet Skip Bayless got excited, jerk. Anyways- what a blow to his ego, I am sorry but I didn't buy into the Tim Tebow craze either. The dude just is not that good, yes he demonstrates good Christian faith and is all around a good guy, so far, but his skills are lackin. Looking at his stats from last year I feel like the dude couldn't hold onto the ball, a little Romo in his blood maybe? I kid I kid, but between the two of them I honestly don't know who I would prefer.Shay says Sanchez is better but he prefers Tim Tebow....lol never said we agree on everything :). Anyways, this is the year of the Quarterback, there is more scrutiny against the QB's this year than any other position, from Tebow to Sanchez to the Manning's, everyone's talents are being questioned and broken down. The one position I think is gonna be huge this year is the WR, there's alot of fresh blood filling positions and i really REALLY hope Ochocinco, now Chad Johnson again, can make a comeback, right now he is all I have since Owens is out. I still and always will have a soft spot for Owens, some of his records still go un-broken and I'm gonna leave it at that.  Calvin Johnson I think is arguably possibly the best WR in the league at this moment, Megatron gets it done on the field, he is hot with the ball in his hands, quick feet and he's thick, good combo. And Larry Fitz is pretty dang good too, looking forward to seeing these guys do the damn thing this season.

Lastly, I would just like to say how much I love Stephen A Smith. This man is my sports twin, I vibe with him on every opinion he has and he has had Lebrons back from day one, offering constructive criticism, unlike Skip "Say Less" Bayless, and he is hilarious. If you guys haven't yet check him and Skip Bayless out going head to head every weekday morning on this weeks hottest topics in sports on ESPN First Take. Below I have compiled some of my favorite Stephen A Smith expressions and hopefully can make a believe out of you too!