Spanish Hype

Will Ricky Rubio be able to live up to the
hype?

It is rare that a player can make the transition from Europe to the NBA.  It can be extremely difficult for a point guard to make the transition to the NBA.  So, just imagine the pressure put on Ricky Rubio.  I mean, look at some of the point guards that Rubio will have to compete against in his rookie year:  Reigning MVP Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, second year player John Wall, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook... just to name a few.  Not only are these guys quick and talented point guards, but they have a high basketball i.q., and are extremely athletic.  Rubio's lack of explosiveness and athleticism may hinder him from becoming an all-star.  However, he also has a lot right about his game.

Rubio is a true pass first point guard.  Not only that, but is a pure team player.  While he only averaged 4.8 points and 4 assists in his final season playing for Barcelona in the Spanish ACB League, Ricky did all of the little things  He is a kid who wants to win, which in my opinion may be the difference in Minnesota's rise into playoff contention over the course of the next three NBA seasons.  With tremendous court vision, ball handling skills, and solid decision making, Rubio is also very tall for being a pure point guard, measuring at 6'4".  His mid-range game needs to improve, and yes he needs to work on his explosiveness and strength, but there is no doubt that Rubio is a big-time player who should make an impact realtively quickly as a member of the Timberwolves.

2011 NBA Draft Preview



Although this may not be the deepest draft ever, there are still extremely talented players on the board.

This draft, in my opinion, has the potential to go down as one of the better drafts in the last 20 years. While Derrick Williams and Kyrie Irving are the standouts in this year's class, there are many players with tremendous upsides, all of whom could become all-stars in their own right. With a draft class as unique as this one, every detail needs to be evaluated, right down to the last attribute.

Draft Sleepers

Jimmer Fredette: While people focus on the negatives, let's look at some of the postives, and the huge upside that this man has. Although his decision making, speed, and lack of defense often have scouts turning the other shoulder, his jumpshot is exceptional, and he is deceptively quick. Finally, before you criticize the former Brigham Young guard, take a look at Stephen Curry's numbers while at Davidson. He also averaged, as Fredette did, around 4 assists and 3 turnovers in his final seaon as a Wildcat. I think it's safe to say that Curry is doing just fine in the pros. Which leads me to my point, Jimmer has growing room, but he deinitely can do more right than he does wrong.


Alec Burks: A 6'5" athletic shooting guard who can get to the basket and has a decent jumpshot is all the down at #13 on ESPN's Mock Draft? Behind Bismarck Biyombo and Chris Singleton? I must say that i'm a bit taken back by that projection. How in the world are Singleton and Biyombo ahead of this guy? Burks has all-star potential, and if he can ever develop a consistent outside tocuh, he will be a force to be reckoned with amongst the NBA's elite in 3-4 years.


Kemba Walker: While he got more attention than he bargained for at Connecticut, I don't think that he is getting nearly enough attention in this year's draft. Yes, I know his height. Yes, I understand that at times he couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat. But Walker is extremely quick, can get to the basket, and most importantly, he's a winner. He will be able to control the offense of whatever team he is selected by, as he has a very high basketball I.Q. as well, and controls the tempo of a game.

Possible NBA Draft Busts

Brandon Knight: I understand that he became the leader of the Wildcats as the 2010-11 college season progressed, but in my mind he is not a legitimate pro prospect. If anybody on that Wildcat team was ready to come out, it was Terrence Jones. Brandon Knight? What's his best attribute? While he is extremely quick, his jumpshot tends to be a bit inconsistent from three point land. Also, he shoots way too much, rather than looking to run a set offense. Knight may get better as his career rolls on, but he's not ready just yet. And without a doubt not worthy of Utah's third overall pick.



Jeremy Tyler: While i've heard people praising his name, I believe in this particular situation that the bad may actually outweigh the good. Immature, not a high Basketball I.Q., and has a very limited game. He's simply a big guy who can jump, maybe a JaVale McGee type at his best throughout the course of his NBA Journey.




I know that I left a lot of guys out on this list, but I wanted to get my point across plain and simple. As for my opinion on who I think will be the first overall pick, Kyrie Irving takes the cake on this one. Now, I am a firm believer that Derrick Williams will have a fantastic NBA career... in which I expect him to make multiple all-star games. However, the Cavaliers have the first and fourh picks. This way you can pick up Irving, a point guard who controls the tempo, all the while maintaining a stable rebounding game, considering Jonas Valanciunas' length, as I think they will take him fourth.

So, all in all, this should be a very good draft which I believe may produce the future stars of tomorrow. Thank you for reading, stay tuned.

The Season That Was

This year had to be, by far, the most anticipated NBA season in the last 20 years.  With superstars moving teams, rookies taking center stage, and the balance of power shifting throughout the league, it's no surprise that this season inspired imaginations and sparked even the casual fan's interest.

As a kid, it's what you dream about.  On national television, just seconds away from having your name immortalized, and securing a spot in basketball folklore.  Then, the clock hits zero.  The game is over, there will be no comeback, your team has just made history.  For a player, all of the hard work flashes before your eyes.  Getting up before the crack of dawn to run wind sprints, in the weight room trying to gain an competitive over your adversary, and the late nights in the gym fine tuning your all around game.  For basketball junkies like myself, the remaining seconds may be a time for a brief celebration, but also sorrow.  You greive because there will be no more basketball until late October.  You spend the next day wondering what to do, watching the same highlights of mid-season baseball games over and over.  An early end to 2011 finals inparticular may even throw a bit more salt in the wound.  This is largely due to the fact that this was one of the greatest seasons of all-time, in my opinion.  History unfolded before our very eyes, as we saw Kevin Love record 31 points and 31 rebounds against the Knicks.  We watched in awe as Blake Griffin made Clipper Basketball must see television.  So no matter how you may remember this past pro basketball season, one thing is for sure:  night in and night out, we were entertained to the highest level.

                                                                          The Blake Show

In the final game of the 2009 NBA Preseason, Blake Griffin was injured and forced to sit out the entire 2009-10 NBA season.  After using the first overall pick on Blake, the Clipper franchise ran across another black cat.  This was the guy that was supposed to bring them to the promiseland, and now he's hurt?  A frustrated Blake Griffin could only look on as his team stumbled to a 29-53 record, which led to the firing of head coach Mike Dunleavy.  Even with all of this, fans rejoiced with the signing of former Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro, as well as the return of the former Oklahoma Sooner standout.  I think you all know what happened from there.  He started jumping over players from the Knicks, fighting the Lamar Odoms of the world, and jumping over cars.  He stole the show so much that you almost forgot the Clippers only won 32 games, easily missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season.  But, anybody that watched them knows they will be a force to be reckoned with if they stay healthy.  If Blake can have half the season he did this year, L.A. may have another team participating in the NBA Playoffs.  Which makes you wonder, will Jack Nicholson show up?

Derrick Rose wins MVP

Derrick Rose lacks the basic fundamentals of team basketball and will never be a winner.  He'll never be an MVP because he has no value, he's just a selfish punk from the inner city.  Where's the passing skills?  Doesn't a point guard have to be able to pass the ball for his team to win?  The critics were silenced even easier than LeBron was when his team lost to Dallas in six games (but we'll get to that a bit later).  How is a guy with no concept of team basketball going to average seven assists, all the while netting 27.7 points per night, while facing constant double teams?  After they accquired Boozer, I told people to watch out for them, but nobody listened.  Especially after the starting power forward was sidelined with an injury before the season could even tip off yet.  Even with all that, Derrick Rose kept his team competing for the top spot all year long.  Although the top seeded Bulls lost to Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals, there is a lot of promise in the point guard, who, just recently in the 2008 national championship game couldn't make clutch free throws as Memphis lost to a Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush led Kansas Jayhawk team.  With the explosiveness, speed, quickness, and now a developed jump shot, look for Derrick Rose to have his name in the MVP conversation once again come next spring.

LeBron James makes the decision to join the Miami Heat.

Love him or hate him, this man is must see television.  His presence, swagger, and overall talent alone make it close to impossible to turn off TNT when the Heat are playing.  However, has there ever been a more hated figure in sports?  One year ago sure, LeBron James had "haters", but I don't think anyone could have speculated that it would come to this.  Making an hour long choice to decide where you're going to play basketball, not to mention dragging your hometown that has been so loyal to you through the mud is, quite frankly, disrespectful.  If you want to make your decision in private go ahead, sure people will resent you, that's life.  But the way he went about it, I think rubbed a lot of people, most notably natives of Cleveland the wrong way.  But Lebron just wanted to win, and unfortunately for him and his Miami Heat teammtes, they weren't able to get more than an Eastern Conference Championship trophy and becoming the laughing stock of America.  However, look for James and Miami to bounce back next year.  They are much too talented to be a middle of the pack team.  They'll be in this position again.  As for LeBron's hour television special, I think that it helped draw more fans to the NBA, which is always good for us basketball fanatics. 

Yes, I know Dallas won the championship, but I think that deserves to be in a class of its own.  I am extremely excited for the ecstatic Maverick fans, and would like to extend a congratulatory hand to them, after all the hard times their franchise has endured.  As for other exciting moments, here are some that didn't quite make my top three:

Kevin Love scores 31 points & grabs 31 rebounds vs. Knicks

Carmelo Anthony traded to Knicks

Pacers score franchise record 54 points in win vs. Nuggets

Phil Jackson retires

Deron Williams traded to Nets

Lone Star Championship

With everyone wondering "What's wrong with the Heat?", the world needs to take

a step back and realize that there is a lot right about the Dallas Mavericks.

One and done. Too old. Overrated. These were all used to describe the Dallas Mavericks heading into the 2010-2011 NBA Season. In 2010, they had earned the second overall seed in the playoffs, and seemed to be on their way to the finals once again, especially after the additions of Shawn Marion, and former Wizards Brendan Haywood and Caron Butler. However, a place at the top of the pro basketball mountain was not to be as they were ousted in the first round by an experienced San Antonio Spurs team. And with that, the labels started to arrive.

 However, at the beginning of the 2010-11 NBA season, the Mavericks acquired Tyson Chandler, a 7'0" Center that is a defensive stopper in the purest sense of the word. A team without the firepower of Miami's Big Three, the History of the Lakers and Celtics, or even the eye candy of being a young, exciting team like the Thunder, the Mavs were a team that wasn't going to draw the casual fan to watch them on a nightly basis. Name one person that says "I want to see Dirk and Jason Terry play tonight." Down the home stretch of the regular season, I often eluded to Dallas as the team to look out for come playoff time, a true sleeper team that had one very good, maybe great player, and a group of solid role players who could knock down shots and make plays when called upon.

Even with all that being said however, I did not think that they would even make it past Portland. "Who can contain LaMarcus Aldridge?" "Can Jason Terry guard Brandon Roy?" "Gerald Wallace is too much for Brandon Roy." I must admit that I was very surprised that Dallas, not only won, but won easily in six games, only losing on a miracle comeback by Portland in Game 4, and the game two nights earlier, when Dallas dropped a close one to the Blazers when they simply could not convert in the final minutes on open opportunities.





Okay, you beat the Blazers, a young talented team, but now you play the two time defending champion Lakers.  After going 1-2 against Los Angeles during the regular season, Dallas a Texas sized list of excuses to lose in the Conference Semi-Fianls:  They have two All-Stars, the Sixth Man of the Year, arguably the greatest coach of all time, we don't have Caron Butler, they have Home court Advantage.  Even after a game one shocker, many people assumed that the Lakers would eventually take control and win the series.  However, after a game three nail biting win and a game four laugher, the Mavs had caught the proverbial eye of the NBA nation.  Dallas was definitely not a team to sleep on anymore.

And then you have the Thunder.  With all-stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, many people thought that Oklahoma City's time may be now.  Serge Ibaka, who has turned into one of the league's best shot blockers, and Kendrick Perkins, a former world champion in his own right as a member of the 2008 Celtics, controlled the Oklahoma City front court.  Mix that in with an improving shooting guard in James Harden, and you have a young team that may be ready to take the next step.  But, unfortunately for people that wanted to "Thunder Up" all the way to the finals, Dirk decided to make history.  If you average 32 points per game on a stage like the Conference Finals and shoot 96% from the charity stripe, something positive will usually happen.  The Thunder showed signs that they will be a great team in the future, but this was simply not their time.  The Mavericks have a big time player who stepped up in a big time situation.  Now, for the second time in franchise history, they would advance to play LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat for the Larry O' Brien trophy.

Miami in five.  That was my personal prediction of how the series would unfold.  Okay, Dallas has Dirk, but Miami is simply too talented, and LeBron too driven to let this championship opportunity slip away.  In game one, all signs pointed to an easy Miami championship, as the Heat rolled to a 92-84 win, as Wade and James connected on a spectacular alley-oop with under a minute to play.  Game two seemed like it may be getting ugly as the fourth quarter began.  With Miami going up 88-73 after a Dwayne Wade three pointer, Americans may have started to turn off the television.  Can you blame them, though?  The Heat have the best team assembled in years, two of the best three players in the world, and they're up by double digits with 7:13 to go, and, one more thing:  they're at home.  However, the comeback was on, and Dallas fought their way back to within four with 3:11 to play in the fourth quarter.  And, while Dirk eventually gave Dallas the lead with a dagger three pointer, Mario Chalmers managed to navigate his way to the right corner on an inbound play, hit an open three with 24 seconds remaining and tie the game.  When the game is on the line, you have to demand the ball, which is exactly what Dirk Nowitzki did.  And after Dirk scored, LeBron James passed up a shot from half-court to give D. Wade an opportunity to put them up 2-0 with a 28 foot jumper.  Wade's shot clanked off the back iron, and Dallas had tied the NBA Finals with one of the most improbable comebacks in NBA history in front of a stunned crowd at Miami's American Airlines Arena. 

Although game three went to Miami after Dirk missed a buzzer beating jump shot from the free throw line, the Mavericks survived a game four in Dallas which saw Dwayne Wade drop the ball and Mike Miller hit nothing but air on the Heat's final possession.  As history shows, the winner of game five traditionally goes on and closes out the series, the majority of the time in game six.  Although James rebounded from his terrible 8 point performance in the fourth game, it was not enough, as Jason Terry and future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd broke Pat Riley's back with clutch outside jump shots.  Now, just one win away from a championship, all Dallas had to do was win another game in Miami and they would be able to call themselves world champions, but that was a feat easier said than done.

I don't think I need to go into it very much.  Dirk and Jason Kidd got their rings after a game six victory.  LeBron James and the Miami Heat had to eat their words, and to say that their passionate owner Mark Cuban has been ecstatic ever since Sunday would be an understatement.  Unfortunately, even with Dallas being the ones who have their names in the record books as champions, the focus remains on what the Heat couldn't do rather than what the Mavericks were able to accomplish.  The Heat will be back, but let's focus this win on Dallas.  After Mark Cuban presented the Trophy to the team's founder, Dirk received his Finals MVP award, after averaging 26 points per game in the finals, and shot 96 percent from the line.  Jason Terry's tattoo of the Larry O' Brien trophy was a risky move, but I believe that he can breathe a little bti easier now.

I would like to mention - O & B - -, the guy who brought me to this website, has been so supportive of my work, and gave me the idea for this particular blog.  Thank you to everyone else as well.

L.A.'s Other Team

After years of playing second fiddle and watching the playoffs from home, this may be the season that the Los Angeles Clippers are able to take a step into NBA Playoff contention.



This team's future can be so bright that you may need to put on a pair of the sunglasses LeBron wears to actually be able to see what the Clippers may be able to accomplish in the years to come.  This is a team that could very well have made the playoffs in the 2010-11 season, if not for injuries to the young but talented Eric Gordon, as well as Chris "Caveman" Kaman, who the year before averaged a career high 18.5 points per game.  There was also this other guy, who kind of defied the laws of gravity, got voted to the All-Star game, jumped over a car, and averaged 22 points while grabbing 11 boards over the course of the season.  Call me a casual NBA fan if you want, but for the life of em I cannot think of this guy's name.  Blake Griffin, that's right.  But in all seriousness, will we ever see another rookie season like Blake provided us this year?  The excitement, the unpredictability, the nearly impeccable style from a player who was the first rookie to be voted to the All-Star game since a bank-shotting 6'11" forward by the name of Tim Duncan was the last to accomplish this feat in the 1997-98 NBA season. 

Now, I could sit at my computer all day and praise Blake Griffin's name, proclaim him as the "Chosen One" and say that nobody on this team can even lace his shoes, but I would be fooling myself, and everyone else taking time out of their day to read this.  I'm sorry to burst everyone's bubble who thinks the Clippers are just a one man team, but former Hoosier Eric Gordon did average 22 points a game last season.  He's not exactly a slouch.  The thing that people often overlook about Eric Gordon however, is his ability to come through for his team at the end of games.  A team that has always been tormented by opponents because they lacked a true closer may now be able to collect quality victories in big games because they have a primetime player to lean on.  Besides, if Blake is being double teamed, remember, Eric Gordon may not be the best three point shooter in the world (37% for his career), but he can definitely knock down open looks from the perimeter. 

And last but not least, the Cipps' Run 'n' Gun style may be the x-factor in them making the playoffs.  We know that Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, Eric Bledsoe, and if he gets substantial playing time this upcoming season, Jamario Moon, don't mind getting out on the fastbreak.  If all else fails, Chris Kaman and Mo Williams give should give you a stable two-man game when called upon.  If all of these things fall into place, expect the Clippers not only to be in the playoffs, but to give some established championship contenders tons of problems in the 2012 postseason.