Free Agency. Day 7

Well, the day started with the biggest news of this free agency. Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh are joining forces in Miami. The Miami Heat now have 4 players on the roster. Until I see how does Pat Riley fills that roster I'm not grading these moves. Sure, they are a heck of a star , if they get the right players they could really become the class of the East. In the other hand, 8 minimum players with two superstars and 2 roles players is not what you would call a "blueprint for success" ( Bad joke, sorry).

Something you have to give to the Heat, they are so far the winners of this free agency madness. They got two max agents and rumors point that Lebron is about to join them. Now you have to ask yourself, does a Bosh/Wade/Lebron teamed with Beasly, Chambers and 7 minimum players can win the title? It's all about those 7 players. If Riley get an enforcer, a couple of shooters, a pass-first point guard and smart players they would be the favorites.

A news came out in the middle of all this. Kevin Durant signed an 5 year extension ( $86m) with OKC. No meetings. No drama. No ESPN special. Just a little sign in the dotted line and get back to bastkeball. I tweeted about this and I'll say it again. Aren't we barking at the wrong tree? Isn't the way Durant is behaving how Lebron suppose to behave? Critics of Lebron have always say that he is more focus on becoming a global icon and make his "brand" stronger and stronger. Basketball appears just to be a way to get there.

After the Wade/Bosh announcement the Knicks/Bulls/Nets started to scramble around looking ways to entice Lebron. There were reports flying left and right about Knicks and Bulls talking to Boozer. The Nets were in talk with David Lee. Just after noon we heard that Boozer signed with the Bulls ( 5 yr/somewhere between $75m and $80m). Which makes things even more interesting. Now Lebron have a better idea of what are his choises:

1. Heat with 4 players on their roster ( Wade, Bosh. Chalmers and Beasly)

2. Bulls with a core of Rose/Noah/Boozer

3. Knicks with Amare and some help from Gallinari

4. Cavs

I don't know about him but Chicago is looking pretty hot.

At the end of the day was also reported the Ray Allen is going back to Boston (2yr/$10m).

As I'm typing this twitter has gone insane. Broussard is reporting Lebron is headed to Miami.

Free Agency. Day 6

The Magic got a former Duke star, no not Boozer, they signed Chris Duhon to a 4 yrs/$15 million contract. Good luck with that.

No more news all day until late when it was reported that Lebron is going to announce his decision in an 1 hours special over ESPN. I have no comments about that. Really. No idea what to think. I just don't see Lebron leaving Cleveland like that. Just a hitch.

Free Agency. Day 3 and 4

In the third day we had Dirk committing with the Mavs. The contract is for 4 years/$80 million. Now everybody can breathe and Cuban/Nelson can focus on shopping Ericka's ending contract around

Today, day fourth, Joe Johnson finally committed to the Hawks. I'll get back to this

Everything was very quiet until this Sunday afternoon. It was reported that the Knicks got a second meeting with Lebron's people ( sans Lebron) to "make sure they know about how much cap room we have" ...yeah, like that wasn't in the presentation. This is how is going. Follow me here. Amare apparently was offered a 5 year/$100 million contract by the Knicks but still we haven't heard of Amare "accepting" it. But Mr. Stoudemire is already doing some recruiting for the Knicks. Chris Broussard reported that the Knicks put that offer on the table for Amar'e with the condition that it will remain on the table as long as Lebron doesn't sign with them and he chooses another player as his sidekick. So, if Lebron goes to New York and he wants to play with Bosh or Boozer or whoever then Amar'e is shown the door, not the money. Amar'e still have meeting with the Bulls and the Nets on Tuesday, he is well aware of all this.

This was the point when JJ said to himself " Fuck it, Lebron is not going to choose me. I can't play with Wade, I'm staying here!" I think Johnson's choises outside Atlanta were only New York and Miami. I really don't see Jerry Reinsdorf maxim out JJ. As a matter of factor I only see him giving max money to Bosh if Lebron's a Bull.

So, the second meeting the Knicks had with Lebron's people was just to clear that subject. Amar'e is plan B, he can be there with Lebron if Lebron wants too, but nobody has signed anything. As simple as that.

Free Agency.Day 2

We had a quiet day in the "commitment" front but we got tons of rumors

Paul Pierce is staying green. His new contract ( 4 years/$61 millon) give the C's a little more room to play

Hakim Warrick is now a Sun at $18 million thru 4 years This is the Amare replacement? Over/Under on Nash asking very politely to get traded, half season?

John Salmons is re-signing with the Bucks (5 yrs/ $39 million ). This is the second signing for the Bucks. First Gooden and now Salmons, plus the deals for CDR and Maggette, are shaping this Bucks like a lock for a 5o win team. Great cast, good lead players ( Bogut and Jennings ), good coach. I like this team. Plus, they are playing in a division where it might host only one other decent team ( Cleveland or Chicago)

The Lakers are adding Steve Blake at 4 yrs/$16 million. I don't think this means nothing for Fisher but its a good backup plan in case he gets too greedy ( Reeeeaally don't see that happening)

Now the fun stuff.....

The biggest news is that Wade had a second meeting with the Bulls. Less than one hour into this second meeting, Bosh arrived and they both talk with the management team. They talked for more than 2 hours. They even left together. What does this means? No idea. Wade has been hinting that he's staying in Miami for awhile. Now we are seeing him flirting with Chicago...I really don't know what to make out of it.

Yesterday was reported that the Hawks offered the max to Joe Johnson and naturally we all assume that he was accepting it. Everybody did. Today it was reported that he was "intrigued" by New York and Chicago. My take on that is he seeing the NYK budget wide open after what appear is a strikeout on the three main targets ( Lebron, Wade and Bosh). He could rejoin Amar'e and D'Antoni grabbing a couple of All Star selections here and there, maybe a second round cameo playing for the Knicks. That could be serious dope and a bunch of money coming from New York City advertisement.

T'wolves are pushing Big Al hard! Chicago and Dallas being the possible destinations. They really like David Lee and their meeting for tomorrow still on, even though that they only have around $5 million left to spend. Odds are that Big Al is traded this summer.

Also in the open market, the Bulls are placing Loul Deng. Apparently the rumor is that he is heading to Portland in exchange for Joel Przybilla and Jerryd Bayless. The first is an expiring contract. Maybe the rumor of the Bulls having the best chance for grouping Wade, Bron and Bosh is not that false. Maybe they are just trying.

Free Agency. Where are they going?

Straight from the Gods:

Lebron James: Chicago Bulls. And no, he is not pairing with Bosh. Carlos Boozer is coming to Chi town. That is going to hurt Cavs. Double. This is leaving Chicago enough money to round up the roster with decent role players

Chris Bosh: Miami Heat. DWade has his new sidekick. Same case as the Bulls, the are not throwing all their money in two players. They are going to spread the wealth.

Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson: New York Knicks. Well, Plan B worked.

David Lee: New Jersey Nets. He likes the area and the Russian guy is probably going to seriously overpaid to get him. Keeps him in line with his plan of turning Knicks fans into Nets fans

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen: Boston Celtics

Dirk Nowitzki: Dallas Mavericks. He is probably also getting Shaquille O'neal in a sign and trade for Butler with the Cavs. This team might be the front runners on getting Arenas next February.

Rudy Gay: L.A Clippers. They are going to overpay for him. Big time!

J.J. Redick: Orlando Magic. Offers are going to be there but I don't the Magic letting him go

John Salmons: Torn between Milwaukee Bucks and New Jersey Nets. Probably the latter

Brad Miller: Chicago Bulls. He likes it there. They like him

Udonis Haslem: Miami Heat

Free Agency. What are the offering?

The last post i gave a list of 8 teams that actually are players in this cute lil summer. This is a grosso modo what are they offering:

New York Knicks: The same thing they have been preaching since Donnie Walsh came aboard. Faith. Mike Wilbon said it. They have nothing more than faith. I'm aware of New York city's glamour and appeal but the main targets are taking basketball based decisions. New York has nothing more to offer than a Spike Lee and the "Meca" of basketball. I think is pretty clear that whoever they get is going to have to wait 2 years atleast to start winning seriously.

They have room for two max players. But nothing else. You are telling me that Bron, Bosh, Gallinari and Wilson Chandler surrounded by less-than-2-million-per-year role players are going through Orlando , Boston or L.A.? Please!

New Yersey Nets: This is why is important to start thinking about this right now. 6 months ago nobody was giving the Nets a chance. Now they have this owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, who is worth bizillions. He has come to spent, to shake things up. He is like a mutant Mark Cuban, like Bill Simmons calls him. This guy plus the eventual move to Brooklyn plus Brook Lopez and Devin Harris and Derrick Favors, makes the Nets are pretty good place to consider.

The bad? Those supposedly two years in Newark could became three or four. Devin Harris is not that good and the russian might get bored on his new toy. All signs point that they guy is not like that at all. He is a successful guy, he takes care of his investments and his a fan but you never know....

Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah could be in contention in a couple of years adding the right players to the mix. This is great nucleus already and they have room for two max players ( with a little paycut). There is also the big market, the "winning tradition", the great fan base. An owner that might not be perfect but he is willing to pay. The wrinkle in this is HOW much is going to pay. Every free agent is going to ask for the assurance that Rose and Noah are going to be Bulls for a long time, not sure Reinsdorf is going for that one.

Miami Heat: Everything is working for Miami. They have DWade recruiting. They can pair DWade with two more A list players ( with discount). They have the owner. The city. The fans.

Nothing is wrong with that picture but if they manage to add two more player to play with Wade then there is no money left for role players. Right now Miami only has Chalmers and Beasley under contract. If they go the other way and sign just one max player to pair with Wade they would have enough money to overpaid another B list player ( lets say Richard Jefferson or David Lee). Just an hint...

L.A Clippers: They are the perfect fit for Lebron. Everything! Is like a glove! The players, the city, the scenario of stealing Kobe's spotlight. Good God that would be priceless. But no , Donald Sterling still running the show over there so too bad. I'm pretty sure they are going to grab a free agent. No big name but somebody is going to give it a shot.

Wizards: They have been helping teams unload contracts lately ( Nets and Bulls) so I think they holding to their cap space and "collect" those favors come February when they try to unload Arenas. You know, three or four team deals are hard to pull off.

Kings and Bucks: They are going to add somebody, some JJ Redick or Shanon Brown type of name. Both are young teams willing to roll a dice a little bit.

Celtics: I think they are staying put. They are going to spent big resigning Pierce. Don't expect any big moves from Ainge unless he decides to blow things up which is very likely now that Doc is returning

Free Agency. The facts

We have been waiting for this for more than 2 years. This is when I'm giggling like a school girl because we finally know most of the facts that we need to take an EDUCATED GUESS ( I don't think ESPN are familiar with this concept. They know things like " HITS" and "POPULARITY" things me or the Basketball Gods have no idea )

This is what you need to know:

1. The Cleveland Cavaliers did not win the championship. They didn't even get close to it. My thoughts were if Lebron wins a ring in Cleveland there is no way he's leaving. No way in hell. If the had gotten close, lets say game 6 or 7 of the NBA Finals, he wasn't going to leave neither. But he got pwned in the second round by the Boston Celtics. At that point I said "60-40" on he leaving.

2. The L.A. Lakers won the championship. Proving that you need two big GAME players to make it. Lebron does not have that on Cleveland, neither does Bosh on Toronto. Cleveland try to pull on of those shameless steals ala Pau Gasol and all they got was Shaq and Antawn Jamison.Not bad players to have in your roster but there is no way they are second bananas. Third option in Jamison case. First big from the bench for Shaq.

3. The cap will be $56.1.

4. This are the teams that cap and cards on this game:

1. New York Knicks

2. Chicago Bulls

3. New Jersey Nets.

4. Miami Heat

5. Milwaukee Bucks

6. Boston Celtics

7. Washington Wizards

8. L.A. Clippers

5. All the big names you were expecting to opt-out did. Also crashing the party came: Dirk, Paul Pierce and Richard Jefferson

6. Something you already now , just in case lets put it on paper, one or two free agents are going to get seriously overpaid. This is a huge factor to keep an eye on. Lets say Atlanta offers Joe Johnson 13 millions but the Russian guy goes out an offer the max ( around 16.7 millions). Guess were JJ is going....

Playoff Preview: Cavs vs Bulls

(1) Cavs vs (8) Bulls

All eyez on me (Gotta love that album) . This is all about Lebron. The cavs are an after thought. The Bulls are just the little mosquito on the windshield. Derrick Rose is going to have his moments, we have to let him enjoy that.

A sweep? Maybe not. The Cavs are the best team in the country with the best player. The Bulls? Well, the have a pretty good player and lost of potential. This is going to be a nice learning experience for them. I wish I could say more, the Bulls are one of my favorite teams, but if the get to steal one game would be amazing ( You know what would be cool? If the steal one on the road. Imagine ESPN if Lebron is suddenly 1-1 in a first round series going on the road. Pandemonium!)

Things to watch in this series: 1. Mo Williams. He was crap last year against Orlando. 2. Shaq. How bad in shape is he in? 3. Vinny del Negro/John Paxson. I'm voting for them to get into a fight in national TV. You know like in Game 5. The Cavs up by 15 and Chicago starters on the bench and we see Paxson coming from the tunnel running and gasping like a mad cow ready to tackle Del Negro, just to get bear hug by Del Negro and get tossed to the the second row, three rows from Stern and probably Obama. Good Stuff!! Anyhow Cavs in 5.

Basketball Gods prediction: Cavs in 5

Win Scale (From 1: "The refs gave them that game. Are they really this bad?" to 10: " This is the best team ever! Make me yours" ) 8.5

Drafts 2001-2005

2001

You would like a mulligan on this one right, MJ? Gasol is probably the best big man right now behind D12, Joe Johnson is a top tier player, Tony Parker is a 3 time champ and a finals MVP, Zach Randolph is (was?) crazy but gives you a 20/10 night after night. So, yeah, bad choice MJ, bad choice

Championship Builders: None

Biggest Jump: Mehmet Okur from 37th to 10th

Pick Order. Picking Team -- Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Wizards -- Pau Gasol (3)
2. Clippers -- Joe Johnson (10)
3. Hawks -- Tony Parker (29)
4. Bulls -- Shane Battier (6 )
5. Warriors -- Zach Randolph (19)
6. Grizzlies -- Gerald Wallace (25)
7. Nets -- Richard Jefferson (13)
8. Cavs -- Jason Richardson (5)
9. Pistons -- Tyson Chandler (2)
10. Celtics -- Mehmet Okur (37)


2002

Solid solid class featuring 4 quality dependable big guys (if we count Nene as dependable), Amare could overtake Yao as the first pick depending on where he lands this summer. Also a very bad drafted class as we have 3 second round picks in the top 10.


Championship Builders: Rockets
Biggest Jump: Luis Scola from 55th to 9th


Pick Order. Picking Team -- Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Rockets -- Yao Ming (1)
2. Bulls -- Amare Stoudemire (9)
3. Warriors -- Carlos Boozer (34)
4. Grizzlies -- Caron Butler (10)
5. Nuggets -- Tayshaun Prince (23)
6. Cavs -- John Salmons (26)
7. Knicks -- Nene Hilario (7)
8. Clippers -- Matt Barnes (45)
9. Suns -- Luis Scola (55)
10. Heat -- Drew Gooden (4)



2003

Four franchise players. Its 1984 all over again and as in 1984 the redoing of this class changes everything! Cleveland get Lebron but the Pistons come away with Dwayne Wade, basically taking away the 2006 title from the Heat and Shaq’s fourth title. What Detroit does with Wade? Bring him off the bench? We all know Wade was ready to be a impact player in year one, does Larry Brown plays him? Do the trade him? I’m guessing both Dumars and Brown would realize what they have in hands and do the right thing (Trading Rip after a year or two). Kaman goes to the Heat (no more Shaq) and Perkins take Kaman’s spot in the Clippers (Sorry Kendrick. Sorry Celtics)

Championship Builders: Cavs, Pistons, Nuggets, Raptors

Biggest Jump: Kendrick Perkins from 27th to 6th


Pick Order. Picking Team -- Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Cavs -- Lebron James (1)
2. Pistons -- Dwayne Wade (5)
3. Nuggets -- Carmelo Anthony (3)
4. Raptors -- Chris Bosh (4)
5. Heat -- Chris Kaman (6)
6. Clippers -- Kendrick Perkins (27)
7. Bulls-- David West (18)
8. Bucks -- Leandro Barbosa (28)
9. Knicks -- Boris Diaw (21)



2004

Fourth straight solid talent filled class. And you wonder why we are getting a better product (player wise). The impact of this class: Al Jefferson getting selected by the Bobcats so the Celtics don’t have the golden ticket to get the Big Ticket. No 17th banner for the Celtics. Oh look, the Hawks selects a point guard!

Championship Builders: Magic, Bobcats

Biggest Jump: Anderson Varejao from 30th to 11th


Pick Order. Picking Team -- Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Magic -- Dwight Howard (1)
2. Bobcats -- Al Jefferson (15)
3. Bulls -- Josh Smith (17)
4. Clippers -- Emeka Okafor (2)
5. Wizards -- Andre Igoudala (9)
6. Hawks -- Jameer Nelson (20)
7. Suns -- Loul Deng (7)
8. Raptors -- Kevin Martin (26 )
9. Sixers -- Ben Gordon (3)
10. Cavs -- Devin Harris (5)
11. Warriors -- Anderson Varejao (30)
12. Sonics -- J.R. Smith (18)



2005

Can we say “5 straight good class?” Not exactly a deep class but you rarely have the first 6 teams selecting coming out with a big smile in their faces. We have two franchise point guards, one big swing man who wants to be a second banana and three really good big man who happens to be young enough to get better. Oh look, the Hawks selects a point guard!

Championship Builders: Bucks, Hawks

Biggest Jump: Anderson Varejao from 30th to 6th


Pick Order. Picking Team -- Player Selected ( Original position drafted)




1. Bucks -- Chris Paul (4)
2. Hawks -- Deron Williams (3)
3. Jazz -- Danny Granger (17)
4. Hornets -- Andrew Bogut (1)
5. Bobcats -- Andew Bynum (10)
6. Blazers -- David Lee (30)
7. Raptors -- Raymon Felton (5)

Dont' hold your breath for...

This are the thing you are not going to see happening this season:

1. I don't see the Celtics repeating. The hunger will be there but the health and those lucky bounces might not be there this year. And the chances of a team as soft as the Lakers getting out of the West are very poor.

2. The Knicks wining more than 34 games. There's going to be trades, lineup shuffling, mardbury complains,etc..just keeping the drama going.

3. Jermaine O'neal is not coming back to his old form pre-melee. I like the guy, he's a great post player and we don't much of those left and I just hope he plays enough time and there's enough game in him to open up the game a little for Chris Bosh

4. Corey Maggette celebrating a championship (I know cheap shot for selecting the Warriors over the Spurs)

5. The Suns getting out of the first round. They do have enough talent in there for a 55 win season but I don't care how much the slow down I can't see Amare , Nash and Shaq defeating the Spurs, Hornets or Jazz.

6. Lebron's first ring. Might be his MVP season ( if he doesn't start cruising 20 games in the season) but Mo Williams doesn't strike as the Scottie Pippen type of player and their shooters have never been that stone cold!

7. The Pistons holding their fourth O'brien Trophy. I think this guys' run ended in Lebron's 48 point game. They need to retool and pronto.

8. The Hornets having another season like last one. Something tells me this guys are going to take a step back, maybe Chandler or West but I'm see them as a 6th or 5th seed and get kick in their buts by the Lakers or Jazz at some point in the playoffs.

9. Bibby staying in Atlanta. Come on, seriously? What's that guy doing there?!

10. Michael Beasley competing and behaving. I just get a weird vibe from this guy. When the Heat are 8-20 and the Wolves just beat the crap out of them by 36 you are going to see the real Michael Beasley

11. Gilbert Arenas earning his money. But he can write a mean wicked blog!

12. The Nuggets in the playoffs unless the new Melo Carmelo has been talking about is actually Lebron James.

13. The Blazers reaching the 40 win plateau. I know they are the fashion team and everything but Oden still not ready, although 2 block shots per game is almost a guarantee. They need to trade somebody of their young guns and again just a gut feeling they may regrese a little bit on us.

Overview: Celtics vs Cavs

Yeah I know I never wrote my seldom read prediction but for whatever ti worths I thought Boston was going to take it ni 5 games. See, at that point I still had some faith on KG and the rest of the guys in green. I wrongly imagined that they were going to get serious and deny any chance of momentum to Lebron. I thought KG was going to take over that series going head to head with the King. Nothing of that happened and the Cavs forced a game 7 where they were a couple of Paul Pierce contested jump shots of getting a rematch against Detroit.

Boston have issues and everybody knows it and they have got lucky so far. So far.

Believe me that the young Lebron learned something this May. His abilities and physical gifts can take him so far and he and his team have reached that point. That point to be clear is: "Contenders in the best basketball league of the world". Which is pretty amazing if you think about it. He knows this is when and where you need a Pippen, a Mchale, a Dumars to get you pass that point. Another thing I'm sure Lebron just learned: Big Ben ain't Scottie Pippen.

Whose fault is it? If Boston had lost this one, I already had picked the guilty guy: Doc Rivers. As Cleveland lost I don't know who to pick. Let's take on the entire Cavaliers organization.

NBA Playoffs Weekend 4

It's good to be at home, right?

My worries about the Celts are getting stronger and stronger after each passing road game. I can't believe how much a team can change their defensive intensity just because the crowd is not behind them. I know all the Western teams are in the same bagon but not quite. I'll get to that in a second, be patient. The game was ugly for the Celts and let me tell you something if they are thinking they can give Lebron confidence and some dagger back after winning 2 straight games and/or pulling for a game 7, then you are wrong. Lebron will eat you alive now that he knows he can. Don't say I didn't warn you.

You know Utah wasn't that dominant at home as you might expected from a 37-4 home team. But Deron Williams and the rest of the "Jazzers" showed something that I didn't think they had (Is possible they got it in this series) and that's poise and patient. They are different things if you look at them in a different way. The point is that Utah didn't freaked and actually controlled the final plays of the last two games. Yes, the leave Derek Fisher to bring the Lakers back but OT the court was theirs. The fact that Kobe was looking like Larry Bird helped the cause but give as much credit as possible to the Jazz.

Look , the Champs are alive. This was the game that give me some hope. It wasn't because of the 20 point differencial but because Duncan finally woke up and the Hornets looked defeated. I'm rooting for the Spurs just because, don't get me wrong I love to see Paul play and I want to see Paul play as much as I can but I'm biassed here. Sorry.


The Magic blew it. They had them but they let them go. Howard blew it. And now I'm here to pronounce, in behalf of the Basketball Gods, that the Pistons are the team to be beat... in the East.

Overview: Cavs vs Wizards

What did I thought the Wizards were going to win the series? The main reason was Cleveland's big trade hadn't pay off and they had not have enough time to quite mesh. Another reason was that the Wizards' big three were almost healthy, with the exception of Arenas. And finally I felt a complete -almost complete- Wizards team was better than a meshing Cleveland team.

What went wrong? Well, I was right about some of the new cavs ( Wally World: 10.8 ppg, 35% 3FG. Ben Wallace 7.2 rpg. Joe Smith 19.5 mpg, 5.5 ppg) . Delonte West was the bright spot as he shoot 50% from downtown ( including the dagger in game 4) and did a great job running the offense.

The Wizards big three weren't quite there. Arenas was a non factor as he missed almost three games and Butler showed up for only the last three games. But the decisive issue factor with this series was that I it never crossed my mind that the Wizards' agenda was: 1) Foul Lebron, 2) Talk trash and 3) Foul Lebron. They arrived to this series ready to make a circus out of it instead of playing their possible best game.

I'm not ignoring Lebron's brilliance but we all were expecting that.


Whose fault is it? Stevenson, Haywood, Songalia. Everybody that tried to kill Lebron instead of playing him.

NBA Playoffs Weekend 1

Remember what I told you guy abou the will and all that, well the Spurs are the living proof of that. (Just add a little luck and there you have it Spurs 1 - Suns 0 )

San Antonio went to their now gamely custom of no making any shots in the second quater but thanks to foul trouble and Skinner free throws that Suns couldn't pull away. Once the Spurs got the lead reduced to like 5 points you could sense it. Duncan had the look. It took a little luck (Duncan for a three pointer?) but they pull it off. Let the rivalry continues

The fellows at Bright side of the Sun have lot's of second thoughts about the game


What to make about the Washington vs Cleveland series? At simple at his : Lebron delivered - despite and good pounding - and so far good ol' Gilberth has to eat his words


The Pistons lost . Billups missed some shots, they weren't focus (maybe) but rotations where a big if ( I know their kids are pretty good but when your lead is loosing points by posession in the fourth, I think is time for the big guns)


A game live blog of Pau's big game. Courtesy of Forums Blue and Gold

The Mavs have problems. The didn't defend Paul right (Trapping him worked last time, why not giving it a go in Game 1?) and offense were also a issue. Wes Cox at Mavs Money Ball can't be happy


Finally a good piece about playoff experience via Matt Watson at FanHouse

First Round: Cavs vs Wizards

4. Cavs (45-37) vs 5. Wizards (43-39)
Regular Season Series: TIE 2-2
Point Differencial: CLE +4.0

Here we go again. After three years this should be a rivalry but last year can't count. There was only Jamison and it wasn't even interesting. Now the Wizards are complete and almost healthy and more ready than never to face Lebron and the Cavs. This Washington team was one of the best teams last year when they were healthy. Jamison is playing better than never and Caron Butler complements him and Arenas perfectly. The Cavs in the other hand have been looking a little lost lately specially after the big trade. Wally World and Delonte West haven't shot the ball well and Big Ben looks more washed up than never (Damn, Joe Dumars you are a genius!). Last month (10-11 record) the entire team have reversed to the Paul Silas days of "Give it to Lebron and get out of the way"

Right now the Wizards are the better team but it's hard to bet against Lebron in a 7 game series when he's not facing a strong defensive team that doesn't even feature a shot blocking presence

X Factor: Wizards' D. We know they can score when they are complete but they have never been know for their defense. If the can at least closeup Cavs' shooters they have a nice chance of pulling the offset. In the season series the Cavs shot 33% from three land (season average: 36%) and scored 95,0 ppg (season average: 96,9)

Basketball Gods' prediction: WAS 4-2

If I were a GM...

After years of watching tons of GM coming and going and critizing their jobs assuming I could do better job I decided to give some ideas and thoughts for how to be a GM. This is wisdom coming from the Basketball' Gods! Use it wisely

1. Never ever draft or signed a chinese players. Your franchise would be a second priority for them no matter how much money you pay them. First priority will ALWAYS be the exultation of capturing glory for their country. If they get injured in the middle of the season they will get their surgery or whatever treatment inmediatly because they won't wait for the offseason. The offseason is their season. See Yao Ming, Yi Jialin
2. Don't even think about giving a huge contract to a player that comes from just a single good season or a good postseason run. I don't care how many rebounds he pull down or how high is his PER. Consistency is the key. The same rule applies to college kids that overachieved in a couple of tournament games. Ask yourself this, what have this guy done the entire tournament? Is just that he played really hard those games. Where's his dedication? His work ethic? See Jerome James
   
3. Draft for need not for talent. Unless the guy is really, really good or you have a pre-arranged deal with another team for that talented guy. Don't mess around with chemistry. Let me give your an example: If you have a solid point guard the last couple of years.He's a good player, hard worker, good basketball IQ ,etc. You know the entire package unless you can draft the next Magic Johnson don't threaten his work security by drafting another poing guard who may be better. Go for the next best thing.
4. Stay away from troublemakers. If you had a young team don't even look at a "problematic" player directly to the eye. If your team has some veteran leadership you can afford the gamble of bringing a talented but disturb individual. This rule doesn't apply to Ron Artest. Ignored him completely.
5. Have consistency on the bench. Select a coach, preferebly with some experience, an commit to him and his system. Give him all the tools necesary under which his system can thrive and be as sucessfull as it can be as quickest as possible. I have a "sub-rule" or corollary if your are felling fancy:
1. Know your coach. You need to keep in mind the personality and character twists of your coach. Don't sign players that they will crash with your coach and/or his system. If you have a shot at bringing an franchise player that you know eventually will have problems with your coach you need to be a very good GM and do the following:
1. Never give power to the player over the coach, don't let him feel that's he's running your franchise. See Lebron James
   
2. Prepare for the worst and make sutil trades or adquisition that complement the new player leaving that "complement your coach" as a lower priority.
3. When and if you have to fire your coach bring a new one that adapts to your star player but give him the final word about all basketball court decisions. Don't give too much power to your players. See Mike Brown
   
4. The bigger the franchise player (I'm refering here to ego, basketball IQ, leadership, brand name, etc ) the stronger the coach you need. See Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson
   
2. Hire coaches that know their limitations. Coaches know need offensive specialist, defensive specialists, etc. The era of coaches who know everything is over. See Pat Riley
6. Always, always have a strong veteran voice in your lockeroom, besides your coaching staff It doens't matter if the guy can't play no more, if he's respected and heard keep him around.
7. If you find yourself in a offseason where you have cap room and money to spend don't give it away just for the sake of signing somebody. Save for the next offseason or some in season trade where you can steal draft pick or something.
8. Know your owner. If your franchised is owned by a guy that's wont break the salary cap you have several ways to go:
1. Have a max player and pray to the basketball gods he doesn't go south on you. Have a bunch of well payed ballers but nobody of them will make the top 20 salaries.
2. Have a couple of players near the max and a bunch of hard working young guys and desperate and crafty veterans who wants to win now
3. Use the Detroit Pistons or Chicago Bulls (pre Ben Wallace) model and group a bunch of talented players and cross your fingers so they get along and develop some chemistry.

20-0

Althought I'm not entirely sold with Houston's chances of a championship, I'm very impress with their streak. You have to. Is pretty difficult to win 10 straight games in this league, not to mention 20.

What had happened since the last time Houston lost a game:

• Miami has lost 17 games.
• Lebron James has scored 784 points
• Dwight Howard has produced 17 double doubles
• The New Orleans Hornets were the number 1 team in the West. They had a 3 game lead over the Lakers
• 11 Trades went down
  
• 2 Bulls players have skipped practice
  
• New York used to have a Governer
• Britney had custody of her children.
  
• I have written 15 posts

Don't want to be a "party pooper" (sorry to everyone for usings that. I think I just lost a couple readers... they'll be back, I know it) and I love to watch history happening but does anybody think this team has a shot against the Spurs or Lakers in a 7 game series. Without Yao? Anybody?

Guide to the Casual NBA Fan

This is the second part of this post, this one is meant for the casual fan. This is the first one

Here we go


1. MJ is gone. Do the league need somebody to take his place?

Basketball Gods: Yes MJ is gone. The league has spent more than 8 years recovering from that. Once the league hit the "mainstream" - popularity wise - in the 80's they haven't face a challengue like that. When Bird and Magic retired there was MJ. When MJ went to swing bad pitches the league had Penny and Shaq, Malone and Stockton and the Knicks. They hold the fort for those couple of years. When he left in 1998 (he wasn't the same when he played for the Wizards) all those personalities and high profile players felt short of taking MJ's torch and the league suddenly didnt't know how to sell itself and everybody had this "I miss the 90's" type of feeling.

In some way the league is still looking for MJ's replacemente but in a diferent way: no more it's waiting for the next high scoring charismatic shooting guard, now we are just waiting for the next dominant force.


2. Is Tim Duncan overrated?

Basketball Gods: You know last year I was asking myselft that very same question. There are several factors going agains Tim Duncan: First, he plays in San Antonio, Texas. Second, Tim Duncan is a quiet and introvert individual. Third, his game is no flashy, is fundamental as hell. Add all those things together and it's pretty hard to sell the guy to the average fan. Another factor is that he's not a clutch player, he's a post up player. Is quiet difficult to have a post player taking the last shot of the game.

Taking all that in considerations, the guy is as good as they come. His defense one on one, his team defense, his rebouding, he demands a double team every time he touches the ball because of his array of post up moves makes him a 30 point game waiting to happen if single coveraged. His game make the game of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobilig happen. He makes the Spurs happen.

So, no he's not overrated. His game isn't easy to the eye,that's it.


3. Why there are a more good teams in the West than in the East?


Basketball Gods: Again, there's a bunch of factors. Luck, good management and CAP management are the main reasons. Luck because the have won the lottery or they have high draft picks and they have been able to select the right players. They have scouted and found hidden gems with low draft picks or in the second round. Let me explained you with examples:

• Duncan was the first pick in 1997. Philly (East) took Keith Van Horn with the 2nd pick while Tracy McGrady and Chauncey Billups were available.

• In1998 Dallas picked Dirk Nowitzki with the 9th pick. Same spot that Phoenix found Shawn Marion the next year.

• In 1999 Ginobili was drafted with 57th pick..that's in the second round!

• In 2001 Washington (East) won the lottery and select Kwame Brown (and total bust so far). Memphis traded for Pau Gasol, selected 3rd and Portland grabbed Zach Randolph with the 19th pick.

• In 2002 Yao was the first pick. Chicago (East) selected Jay Williams with the next pick. Amare Stoudemire and Tayshaun Prince were available
  

I'm not saying all East teams draft bad and all the West teams are genius, that's why I say there's a little of luck involve. Good CAPmanagement also comes to the table. Take Phoenix as an example, they traded Mardbury and Penny Hardaway to the Knicks (East) to have enough money to offer to Steve Nash. With Nash the Suns have won an average of 59 games per season. The Spurs have signed Parker, Ginobili and Duncan for long terms contracts but still have room to make key adquisitions like Michael Finley year in and year out and make trades without going over the CAP

Smart people are sucessful no matter what business are they in.


4. The Knicks have sucked for awhile now. What's the deal?

Basketball Gods: Isiah Thomas. Worst GM in the history of that franchise ...by a long shot. They also have an owner, James Dolan, that doesn't really care about the basketball side of the franchise. According to Forbes the Knicks are still the most valuable NBA franchise despite that they haven't won a playoff series in 9 years and they haven't even qualified to the last four years.


5. I heard the Bulls were winning again. Can they win it all?

Basketball Gods: Three years ago a young and scrappy Bulls team took everybody by surprise and won 47 games (out of 82) . They did it with defense and outworking pretty much everybody night in a night out. They have a couple of good years after that even going to the second round of the playoffs last year. But this team lacks 2 major components necessary for winning in these league: a post up player and a superstar that takes control when game is on the line.

The Bulls are fill with young talented players. Their names pop up almost every year in trade rumors in exchange for a big name post up player (Garnett, Gasol, Jermaine O'neal) but management had never pull the trigger. Now this team looks tired and frustrated despite being the younger team in the league and their record is showing it (25-38 as this morning). There's still a chance of salvating this Bulls but if history have taught us something this management group, lead by ex player John Paxson, won't be capable of doing it.


6. Vince Carter. He looked as the next big thing! Why I haven't heard anything from him?

Basketball Gods: Carter is probably one of the most talented and gifted athletes in the league. His problem: work ethic. Plain and simple. Vince has never been the hard working type of guy it shows in his game , it shows in his body and his teammates know this. He could be as good as Kobe if he had that same work ethic. As a fan, I think we could had something special.


7. Is the Chinese giant that good?

Basketball Gods: I guess you are talking about Yao Ming. Yes, he's that good. For the last two or three years he's been a top three center in the league.


8. Which foreign players are better between latin americans or europeans?

Basketball Gods: In general terms: europeans. They have more fundamentals, better shooters and have shown a lot more discipline that latins. If you change that question and ask me how's better between argentinians and europeans, I'll have to say argentinians. I just feel they are smarter, more blue collar and most important they are way more team oriented.


9. Give me a reason to go back

Basketball Gods: You'll be a little harder to convince that the Ex NBA fan becuase you have an idea of what's happening. What I can say is that there is more real talent right now that in recent years. There are more competitive teams. The competition is harder.

But my strongest allegation here has a name: Lebron James. This guy is too damn good. You can look in this blog for information about him or the web ( there's a google box on your right :) ) or whatever. This guy is 23 years old, has been in the league since age 17. He's 6'9 , 260 (something like Karl Malone) , he's fast, strong, excellent court vision and can fly with the best of them. Has a career average of 27.3. Lead a crappy Cleveland team to the NBA Finals las June. Just look him up.

Remember how MJ surpassed Magic, Bird. This guy will surpass MJ. I think you might wanna be witness of that.

Guide to the Ex NBA Fan

Since I'm considering myselft a blogger these day, don't know really why 'casuse nobody reades this blog (yeah...It's too early I'm being a little dramatic here ), a lot of friends ask me things , sometimes mindblowing, about the state of the league and some random stuff.

I have three types of persons :

1. The Ex NBA Fan: This person gave up on the NBA when Jordan retired. Really, my generation grew watching MJ and Scottie collecting rings. When MJ left - for the second time - most of them stop following the league and from time to time read a headline like "3-Peat. Another Laker dinasty", "Carmelo or Lebron", "Shaquille Traded", "Riley, Heat won in 6 ", "Shaquille Traded". Stuff like that. They have lost track of the league but once they were avid fans.
2. The Casual NBA Fan: They know what's happening. They know Lebron. They know Duncan and Iverson. They know Karl Malone retired years ago. They even know that the west is better than the east. But they knowledge is limited to what they actually read on the local newspaper ( where probably the person writting the NBA notes is the same who writes about beisball, NFL, Champions Cup and water polo). When this person is bored and is surfing tru the channels and finds a NBA Game, he or she would maybe watch it.... if the game is in the fourth quater
3. The Real NBA Fan: One that ask me questions that I can answer. Example "Are the CAP limitations ruinning the grow of young teams?". I hate those guys.
   

Well this guide is for the second and first type of followers. If you think some of this questions are stupid you're probably a type two fan and you want to read the next post. If you think all questions are dumb, you are level 3 fan and I can't help you.






1. Is Shaquille O'neal still playing? Is he inmortal?

Basketball Gods: Yes, Shaq is still playing. No, he's not inmortal. He was drafted in 1993 at the age of 20. He's now 35 years old and for the last couple of years he's been declining, meaning he's not as good as he was


2. Are the Lakers the champions?

Basketball Gods: No, the current champions are the San Antonio Spurs. The last championship of the Lakers came in 2002 with Shaquille O'neal and Kobe Bryant leading them. This current season they have a pretty good team with a good chance of contending.


3. Are the Bulls good again?

Basketball Gods: No. The Bulls were good for a couple of years but thanks to a bad GM ( John Paxon, you might remember him from the Jordan - Barkley finals. He was the white guy the made the winning basket. Yes, he is the General Manager know) they suck right now


4. What about the Celtics?

Basketball Gods: The Celtics are good again. They got a couple of strong players in the summer through trades, including Kevin Garnett, and they have been playing fairly good this season. And no, they haven't win any championships since the last time you checked.


5. Is there any team out there dominating and winning every championship?

Basketball Gods: Since the Bulls last title in 1998 the Lakers won 3 straight at some point and the Spurs have won 4 times. Those are the only repeatears but there's not quite a dominating team though


6. Is Muggsy Bogues still playing?

Basketball Gods: No. His last stop was in 2001 in the Canadian city of Toronto


7. How are the Canadian franchises doing?

Basketball Gods: Well, one of them (Grizzlies) moved to Memphis. The Raptors are still in Toronto. They'd had good times and bad time, mostly bad, but now they are a regular in the playoffs.


8. Who's the next Michael Jordan? The Kobe kid?

Basketball Gods: Good question. Kobe Bryant and Lebron James are right now the most popular characters and two of the best players in the league. Kobe is 29 years old and have won 3 titles with the Lakers. Lebron is only 23 years old but he's mighty good. Kobe lacks the charisma MJ had .The jury still in for Lebron

9. What happened to Rodman?

Basketball Gods: Since the year 2000 he has been out of the league. I think he's still alive


10. Olajuwon ? David Robinson? Mutombo?

Basketball Gods: Retired.Retired. Playing at the age of 42.


11. Is Pat Riley still coaching?


Basketball Gods: Define "coaching"


12. What about Phil Jackson?

Basketball Gods: He's coaching the Lakers. Still one of the best coaches in the league.


13. Give me one reason to go back


Basketball Gods: First let me congratulate you for missing an dark age in the league that expaned since the retiring of MJ to last year. Second, if you had ask me that question a year ago there was no way I could convince you of coming back because, althought I was following the league closely, it didn't had any appeal to the casual fan. But now there's a new generation of really, really good players and the league is fill with a new brand of basketball and competitiveness, thanks in good part of all the European an Latin talent that reached the league in the last 10 years.


The biggest improvement of all is that for the first time in years nobody is trying to be like Mike. The league has learned that they have players and organizations that can carry the league without looking back to the 90's. That's huge. It really is. You left when Vince Carter was being tagged as the next Mike. Kobe talked like Mike. There's no more "like Mike" stuff.

You might also saw a crappy 1999 Knicks team reach the NBA Finals. Eventhough I can't say to you that something like that won't happen again, what I can say without fear of being wrong is that there are a greater number of good talented teams these days. Games are just more entertaiment and fun to watch.


Give it a go you might ended yo surprise

Joy to the League

The Basketball Gods want to spread some joy in this very happy holidays remembering to all teams those little things that make them smile this passing year. They are aware that some teams don't seem to find anything to cheer about but hey! They are the basketball Gods, if somebody can find something good on the Knicks organizations are these guys:

Celtics: Anything. Just pick your choice: their record, the trade for KG and Ray Allen, the fact they are relevant again, the Pistons game which they lost but were damn close even though they didn't play their best game. Just let me tell you wy this guy should be smiling from ear to ear: they lost the lottery, they didn't get the chance to selecte either Oden or Durant which propelled them to get KG and Allen. The Gods work in mysterious ways

Spurs: They can be happy for a number of reasons starting with their fifth championship but they should also cheer that they current roster is as complete as any other in any of their championship runs getting good production from guys like Bonner and Udoka when given the chance.

Pistons: Everybody is expecting the year when this guys slow down. At the start of the season RIP and Sheed were a little injured and that slow them down and you started to wonder if this was the year. Well, nobody is wondering nothing with their current 11-2 stretch. I've to remind everybody that the Gods work in mysterious ways: Don't you think they have a chip in their shoulder after game 5 of the Conference Finals? That's the type of stuff that makes this team tick.

Magic: Finally Dwight Howard discover how good he can be.

Suns: Another team blessed in so many ways. Amare and Marion haven't kill each other yet, 27 games and counting and the seem like a happy and "we are on the same page" type of team. The biggest joy - not only for the Suns but also for the rest of the league - Grant Hill is playing and playing mighty good.

Mavericks:They had a 67 win season, that's a good thing. So what if Dirk can't smile anymore! Josh Howard is showing signs that they don't need to rely in Dirk "warm blood" to win a close game.

Golden State Warriors: They were the hottest team in the league for 6 weeks and got into the playoffs after a 12 year absense and make lot's of noice in the process. Nobody really thought that the Warriors could keep playing the way the played those 6 weeks - including me - and after that 0 -9 start I wasn't happy to be right. Now I'm happy to be wrong. Nellie ball rules.

Trail Blazers: They're achieving so much without their 40 year old rookie center. They can't take all the credit, it's bad karma, they need to thank Kevin Mchale and John Paxson for handing them Roy and Alridge for some other rookies... not that good. Let's leave it like that, I don't want to make anybody cry.

L.A. Lakers: Kobe's still in uniform and he says he's happy. If you want a Christmas miracle, you know outside Kobe being happy, just take a look at Bynum's progress and new found work ethic

New Orleans Hornets: None of their core players have missed more than 4 games (Peja Stojakovic ). It ain't that big of a thing but after what this guys went through last year, it is huge for them. By the way, the should also thank John Paxson for the Chandler gift. John Paxson is so good with the rest of the league.

Utah Jazz: Impressive playoff run that cemented Boozer and Deron Williams as more than up coming players, they are ready to play with the big guys. The new season brought them that old AK 47 they were mising so much.

Denver Nuggets: Thet won the Iverson sweepstakes and KMart seems to be getting back in track.

Cleveland Cavaliers: They had a easy path to the Conference finals and play inspired basketball against the Detroit Pistons including the 48 point perfomance by Lebron James. They should not only be thankful for having Lebron but they also must be appreciating this days, no matter what their record is, just a word of advice from the Basketball Gods. Enjoy this days.

Toronto Raptors: They have a Colangelo running things. Isiah Thomas used to run their team. Pretty good change, right?!

Atlanta Hawks: They are 14-12. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith are playing the more mature type of basketball we've seen from them. Al Hortford might pan out as the second best rookie of the 2007 class.

Milwaukee Bucks: They get to keep Yi and Mo Williams and they are in the Eastern Conference which means that it doesn't matter how mediocre they are they still have a chance to get in the playoffs.