Archive for the ‘NBA’ Category

Written on May 3rd, 2013 by NBA Comments

Do These Big Men Still Warrant Big Bucks?

By Steven Back
dwight howardAround the All-star break last year a debate raged amongst NBA circles as to who the best big man in the game was, with the 2 front runners being Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum. Some 15 months later on and now we have to question as to what their futures hold in the NBA.

After getting his trade to the Lakers, Dwight Howard worked hard to return ahead of schedule in order to start the NBA season however with both himself and his Laker teammates plagued by injuries all season it has left many wondering whether he has the love and respect for the game. After seeing flashes of potential earlier one in his career after beating LeBron James, carrying his Orlando Magic team into the NBA finals back in 2008 we have yet to see any significant progress in his offence game. Despite visits to hall of famer Hakeem Olajuwon he has not been able to dominate like many thought he would.

After the “nightmare season” has ended for the Lakers it has many questioning whether Dwight will re-sign for the Purple and Gold to become the next face of the Laker franchise. After struggling to play with Kobe early on in the season, fighting to come to terms with being the number 2 option on offence, a role of which he has never had throughout his career. Many questioning his willingness to play through pain and injury throughout the season after major back surgery and subsequently tearing the Labrum in his shoulder, has left many wondering whether he is worth the max contract that many expected he would be worth prior to leaving the Magic.

With a roster that is already old and about to get older with another off-season, should Howard stick it out in LA to reap the financial benefits of up to an extra $30 million in guaranteed salary? With only Steve Nash signed beyond the summer of 2014 the roster will be free to mould around Howard however after Bryant will bring his career to an end in the coming years. With Cap space and free agents classes similar to that of 2010 in the years to come the future could look bright for Howard and the Lakers.

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Written on May 3rd, 2013 by NBA Comments

A Season of Injuries Like No Other

nba injuries 1By Steven Back
Injuries are in most cases are an inevitability in sports. No matter how much we want our favorite athletes to be like superman, everyone gets hurt and injured at some point. Every streak comes to an end, for example in the NFL Brett Favre the model for consistency played every game, every weekend for the best part of 19 years, starting 297 consecutive games for the Packers, Jets and Vikings until one cold fateful day in Minnesota when he suffered a shoulder injury which subsequently ended his career.

In the NBA devastating injuries happen to players every year, however in the past couple of seasons more major injuries are occurring to marque players which is beginning to raise question that the NBA schedule is too long, players need more rest however this is not always the case.

However we cannot dispute the fact that these injuries have dramatically changed the landscape of the NBA. Here are 5 examples of how the injuries compiled this season have changed the outlook of the 2013 playoffs.

Derrick Rose

derrick roseNBA rookie of the year, 1st team all NBA and MVP in 2011. One of the biggest question surrounding the league this year and in particular the Chicago bulls organization is when will Derrick rose return.  After tearing the ACL in his left knee in the 1st game of the 2012 playoffs, he has yet to be seen in uniform for the bulls this season. However this horrific injury was unexpected and nothing could have been done about it as all rose did was make a drive the basket and as he pushed off his knee buckled. A move he had performed a 1000 times in his basketball career. (the only question at the time was why was rose still on the court in the first place as the bulls had a 12 point lead with a minute and change on the clock.)

The absence of Rose this season has dramatically shifted the balance of power in the eastern conference over to the Miami Heat. Despite hard fought wins this season by the injury stricken bulls (significantly beating the heat and snapping their historical 27 game win streak) it will still be hard to believe that they can challenge to win the east without the former MVP running the show.

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Written on April 19th, 2013 by NBA Comments

2013 NBA’s Regular Season Award Winners

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ALL-NBA

First Team

PG Chris Paul’s arrival in Los Angeles two seasons ago instantly transformed the young, ultra-athletic Clippers from a talented, yet dysfunctional team into arguably one of the league’s top half-dozen. A natural leader, Paul’s innate ability to find the right player in the right spot makes him invaluable on a team loaded with scorers, and it doesn’t hurt to have athletic freaks such as Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan flying in for high-percentage alley-oops.

Paul’s numbers (17.0 ppg, 9.6 apg, 3.8 rpg, 2.4 spg) demonstrate his effectiveness and importance. He’s also among the NBA’s best at on-the-ball defense, making it difficult for the opposing offense to run their plays.

Before his season-ending Achilles injury last Friday night, Kobe Bryant was carrying the Lakers to the postseason virtually by himself, which appeared to be a hopeless exercise a month ago. They still made it, but without their leader-in-every-way.

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Written on March 9th, 2013 by NBA Comments

Top 25 Players In The NBA Today

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1) LeBron James

LeBron is without a doubt the best player in the NBA today. His 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists a game show that he can do everything on the court to propel his team to victory.

2) Kobe Bryant

Even as the Lakers struggle, Kobe still puts up all-star numbers. His 1.3 steals a game is just icing on the cake considering everything else he does for his team.

3) Kevin Durant

He can shoot, he can pass and he makes almost 90 percent of his free throws. It will be fun to see Durant become the best in the west once Kobe is gone.

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