Heat Lose FL Battle!

The Miami Heat lost what was a close game, 86-76. The game was close for three quarters, but DWade and the Heat didn't have enough gas in the tank. I noticed a lot of problems for this Heat team, funny to think how they're in the playoffs in the East.

While Wade was Wade, the Heat were cold offensively. Wade did finish with 33 points, but he took 29 shots to get there. In the third he did hit tough shot after tough shot, but he can't lead this team to victory by himself. When I saw them thump one of the leagues best in Cleveland, they had good help from role players. Daequan Cook and Mario Chalmers combined for 11 made three point field goals in their last win against Cleveland. They combined for all of the Heat's three three's tonight. The good news is that this is a young team and as they develop management will put more vets in place to pick up the slack.

I also saw a lot of frustration from Shawn Marion. He had only four points and clearly disagreed with the ref's about 90% of the time. I have a hunch he'll bolt away from Miami after this season. He needs a more Suns-like team, maybe NY would consider? It would be a good fit, although he'll want a lot of money.

Orlando has been great. They've beaten LA, they've beaten who they're supposed to beat. This team is a serious contender, although their journey will probably end at the Eastern conference finals. They are a really solid team, but they can't beat the Cavs or Celts in a best of seven series, yet.

Photo by: John Raoux

My All-Star Picks for 09!

I have made my selections for the 2009 All-Star game.

For the West: Amare Stoudemire, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Brandon Roy, and Al Jefferson.
For the East: LeBron James, Danny Granger, Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, and Dwight Howard.

I like Amare because he has played consistent ball in Phoenix and consistency is the biggest issue with this team.

Timmy D has kept the Spurs going strong, despite tough times with injuries earlier in the season.

Kobe, of course, because he has the best team in the West on his back. He also has got good fan vote to get him in.

Roy has been incredible this year, those games were he's taken over have shown his greatness to be at an All-Star level.

Al won't start because Yao dominates the Chinese vote; but if you look at what he puts up, he's got to be considered.

Carmelo Anthony is also likely to steal away a spot on the team because he is popular. There are probably one or two more players who get in because they're liked.

LeBron is the MVP right now, his team is doing great and he's performed at an All-Star level.

Granger probably won't start, but taking a leadership role and meeting those expectations has shown he can really play in this league.

Rondo has shown tremendous improvement this year and I am amazed at his progress.

DWade is back and better than ever; his team may not be tremendous, but he's been great and he's got the fan vote on his side as well.

What can I say about D12. Leading the league in double-doubles, dominating games, showing offensive skills; this is what I wanted to see out of him.

Allen Iverson is a candidate to steal a starting spot away from one of these players. He's got tremendous fan favor, look out Rondo!

I am looking forward to this game, it should be a good one. Let's hear who you think should make the starting lineups in the comments.

Cavs Beat Thunder!

The Cavs pulled out a road win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, 102-91. Big whoop, they beat a terrible team. No, I thought the Thunder put up a good fight for three quarters. Both teams shot well, Cleveland is just better in 48 minutes.

A lot of people feel that the Thunder are the laughing stock of the league, but they've got a nice young core. I am a huge fan of this big three: Westbrook, Durant and Green. To be honest, I like Westbrook the most out of all of these guys. He's not the most complete player (his shot needs some work), but he's quick and he knows how to run a team. I'm really impressed with how he can back up his speed with powerful throw downs. Durant is great, I just want to see him be a more efficient scorer. He has to put a lot of shots to score big and as he progresses, I expect him to take better shots. Green is a beast. He hit some really tough shots tonight and he can bring the rim down.

One good thing about the terrible record the Thunder have: they're the front runners for the top pick in the draft. If they could add a guy like Black Griffin to the mix, they'd be scary. They'd have just about every position covered. I like the future prospects for this team, we'll have to see how far they get in a couple years.

The Cavs played as you would expect; great outing, although not their best defensive outing. All that matters is that they got the W.

Photo by: Layne Murdoch

Lakers Lose 2nd In A Row!

The LA Lakers came up short, losing 106-103 to the Magic. The Lakers are not playing well on either end. On offense, it was basically Kobe and DFish. They combined for 68 points and were two of three players in double figures (Pau chipped in with 11). On defense, they allowed too many threes and Nelson pretty much had his way.

The LA offense was the worst I've seen it this season. Kobe shot about 36% of all Laker shots. He had to shot too many times to get a season high 41. While it's an individual high, it's really a team low. Forgeting about Kobe, why was DFish the second option? I know Pau didn't play well and Bynum had foul trouble, but come on. That's where Odom has to come in and take some of the load offensively. The offense did seem stagnant also, but when the goal is to feed one player I can see why that might happen.

I expect a lot more out of LA. If they can't play better in Memphis, Phil Jackson should make them run until there legs don't work anymore.

The Magic should be happy. Jameer Nelson has been tremendous of late and the whole team played with a nice bounce to their step. If they keep this up they can cement themselves as the fourth best team in the league.

Photo by: Reinhold Matay

Knicks Beat Pistons!

The Knicks pulled out a surprising win against Detroit 104-92. I was watching the first half of this game and I was thinking, what the hell is wrong with the Pistons? The Knicks were moving the ball around, getting open threes, layups, just blowing them out in the first half. I knew that in the second half the Pistons would make a run. They did, they got it down to five, but Wilson Chandler hit a big three that allowed them to relax a little bit.

Chris Duhon had another big game for the Knicks. He played all 48 minutes and kept the team in order on offense. He has blossomed under D'Antoni's system and I thought he would be a great pickup from Chicago. His partner in crime, David Lee also came up big. Even though he fumbled some passes down the stretch, he had 19 boards. You don't pull down that many boards because the ball comes your way. He boxed out and made many hustle plays.

Now, those Pistons. The team doesn't look good. The body language isn't there, Rip is obviously frustrated. I was behind the Michael Curry decision for head coach, but I'm not so sure about it now. This team doesn't look like a team that's hungry, a team that wants to win.

Rip was also thrown out of the game. He got his first T when he was complaining about a call that was wrong, but the refs didn't see it. Then, in a sign of frustration he pushed Jared Jefferies after a foul was already called. That resulted in an automatic T, he was gone. I do understand some of Rip's problems. He doesn't feel comfortable not having a pure point to run the offense. I also don't think he loves to play a more up tempo style. If I'm Joe Dumars, I would seriously consider the market value of Hamilton. Even if they're only going to keep AI for this season, Rip just needs to change his attitude. There are other points guards you can play with, Rip (other than Billups).

There are problems in Detroit, but maybe they'll have to put up with it for a while. This team will not win a title. Dumars probably knows that, he's planning to get some young talent (maybe in 2010?). Will Sheed retire soon? There are too many questions in Detroit.

Photo by: Kathy Willens

Lakers Lose On Murphy Tip In!

The Lakers took their first loss on the road, 118-117 to the Pacers. LA looked like they had them on their heels, ending the third on a 17-0 run. Then, the Pacers picked up some momentum and a couple minutes into the fourth Phil Jackson called timeout. Kobe and the rest of the starting five came in to pick up the slack. They didn't do a great job. The Pacers played nice defense down the stretch, which enabled them to get transition baskets.

I didn't love how the Lakers attacked offensively. Early, I thought Kobe sensed the LA offense was kind of stagnant and he seemed to be in attack mode more than I've seen him yet this season. He put up 21 shots on the night, making 10. When Kobe did go out the second unit was terrific on both ends. I don't know why LA couldn't pull it out, but they were due for a loss.

I also feel that LA is so good it might hurt them. They have the ability to play and crush lesser teams like the Pacers, but how will they stay interested after they've already gone 14-1 going into this game? It's a challenge Phil Jackson and his coaching staff are going to have to fight hard if they want to win another title.

Indy has got to be happy. They played well enough to stay with LA and got a lucky game winning shot. For a team that will fight to make the playoffs, that's a great accomplishment. They're still on the outside looking in, but if they can get more confidence and wins like this, they'll be around the eight spot in the East. Chicago and Miami look to be the biggest threats, unless Philly doesn't get their act together.

Photo by: Darron Cummings

Wiz Pull The Plug On Jordan!

The Washington Wizards fired their head coach Eddie Jordan, making them the second team to give someone the ax. I agree with this move, the Wizards have the same team they had last year, they've only lost Haywood and Arenas (who was out this time last year anyway). Haywood is a big part of their front line, but you'd think they'd be able to better than they have been.

I don't really know what can cure this team, we'll see what they can come up with. Just like with the Thunder, I feel it's good to throw away this season to get a good lottery pick. Not that I like it when teams don't try, I just am putting the best strategy for the long term on the table.

My Thoughts On The Knicks Deals!

The New York Knicks made two big deals yesterday. First, they traded Jamal Crawford to Golden State for Al Harrington. Then, they sent Zach Randolph to the LA Clippers for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas. These aren't really great basketball trades, but they're still great trades. The Knicks have freed up some money to run after LJ and one of his friends.

Stephen A. Smith explains:

I don't think a pairing of LJ and Amare Stoudamire would be bad. I agree that Walsh made great moves, but he's still got to back this up get the big money guys in 2010. If he can't do that, this was all done for nothing. But, like I said before, I have faith in him. I hope all of New York does, they've still got to employ patience.

I wonder if they're going to trade away high draft picks to keep cap space open. I wouldn't be surprised to see them near the top of the lottery, especially since they lost their threat down low.

Anyway, good job Knicks management! It feels good to write that.

Thunder Fire Carlesimo, WTF?

The Oklahoma City Thunder have fired head coach P.J. Carlisemo because the team they put together is 1-12. I feel this move makes absolutely no sense. I would give Carlisemo an extension for starting 1-12. My reason: this team is going NO WHERE this year, we knew that. So why not get a lottery pick that's in the top three? I don't think any coach currently unemployed can really change the Thunder.

This organization reminds me of the LA Clippers before they spent a couple dollars. They will be terrible for at least a few years to come. I hope a better coach can come in and do something, but the odds are really against him.

Let's hear what you think of the move in the comments.

Dirk Cites Insider Trading For Mavericks Decline!

Here's a report from an inside source:
When asked about why his Dallas Mavericks are competing with the Grizzlies (each are 3-7) Dirk said, "look we traded that young kid who was good and young, got a tremendous prehistoric point guard, problem is he's just too old to get me a ring." He thinks the trade could not have been Cuban approved, "I feel it was those damn Grizzlies, they were responsible for the Gasol trade, they must have had something to do with this deal."

Obviously I'm just looking for a good way to bring up how bad the Mavs have been early on (no offense, JKidd). I mean, come on, I thought they might compete for a playoff spot. From what I've seen early on, they're not going to do it. They have Josh Howard, Dirk, a declining Kidd, and don't forget Jason "the jet" Terry; you think they'd be able to do something.

Only time will tell with this squad. Looking at their next 10 games (including tonight against the Bobcats), I think this will have to be where they prove themselves. If they win five of 10, I think it will be a dramatic mental drop down for them. They are facing the Lakers, Rockets and Suns, those should be good tests. I would say winning seven of these 10 would be a big success for them. You know they're going to bring it for the elite, their games against LA and Houston will be on national TV.

I feel a deal could help as well. They need a better point guard off the bench. I would do either of these three things- trade Jerry Stackhouse for a decent point guard (not a great chance of happening), buyout Stackhouse and look into the free agent market for a guard (maybe), I really like the idea of moving Jason Terry to the bench. He's an energy guy and giving him major minutes off the bench will boost productivity and the energy level off the bench.

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The Knicks Aren't Terrible, But They Fell Apart

The Knicks played well for four and a half quarters, but they let the Mavericks come back and steal one in overtime 124-114. The Knicks fell apart; allowing a 19-2 run in the last 6:27 of the game. Mike D'Antoni was furious and I felt his pain. The Knicks seemed to be missing layups left and right, I felt like I was watching Kwame Brown when he was in LA.

Dirk Nowitzki and Zach Randolph had incredible games. Dirk put in 39 points (26 in the first half) and pulled down 15 boards. Randolph got 27 points and reeled in 18 boards. The problem for the Knicks was Randolph wasn't there late. The Knicks have to learn to maintain their level of play throughout a close game.

To be honest, I didn't expect a whole lot more out of the Knicks this season. I thought, well, they'll be better with D'Antoni, but their intensity and enthusiasm won't be there. Well, I was wrong. Even though they're still not good enough to make real Eastern noise, the atmosphere around their team is finally helping their squad. Once they get the Marbury buyout done and over with, they'll start to ease more into the right direction. The future is bright in New York Knicks basketball.

By the way, I know I haven't been posting consistently enough, expect that to change. I will be posting much more as my schedule is more flexible now.

Photo by: Mary Altaffer

Hawks Comeback to Beat Sixers!

The Hawks beat the Sixers in an incredible come back. They were down by as many as 23 points, but they came back inch by inch in the second half. Guys like Josh Smith and Joe Johnson were the key down the stretch. For three quarters, Smith played a terrible game. But by the fourth, he was hitting clutch shots and making needed plays.

In the first half, it was all Sixers. In the second quarter, my Philly breakout pick-Thaddeus Young had an incredible quarter. He went four of six from three for the game and hit about three in the first half. One big mistake the Sixers coaching staff made was taking him out of the game. That made him loose his rhythm and it probably would've have helped if he had time to test that hot streak. Either way, Young played great.

I also felt that while watching this game that the Sixers looked like the Pistons did last year. A team that gets too confident and disregards what the other team can do. They're offensive game became really flat and they let the Hawks feed off of energy from their home crowd.

Joe Johnson makes my choice for player of the game easy. If you forget the stats (even though they were great), you can tell he carried this team down the stretch. His best shot was with under a minute to go on a possession when they had a two point lead. The Sixers defense was all over him, but, after taking some time off of the shot clock, he drained a 30 footer. That's a shot that only the LeBron's, the Kobe's and I guess the Joe Johson's can make.

If you didn't get a chance to see this one, you missed out. It was a great game with some teams that could develop a nice matchup for the future.

Photo by: Scott Cunningham

Who Will Win Tonights Games?

Tonight the NBA season tips off with three games on the schedule. Cleveland will head over to Boston to see the Celts raise the banner at 8pm Eastern on TNT. I'm expecting a kind of All-Star like atmosphere for this game. The Celts will be all hyped up about the banner going up and they won't come out with their best game. I think they'll play at about a B or B- for three quarters; but they'll be fine for a turn around come crunch time. But I do like the Cavs to spoil the party. LeBron is going to bring the highlights and make his side kick Mo Williams look good.

At 8:30, if you want to see the premiere of Derrick Rose, the Bulls will host the Bucks on NBA league pass. I like the #1 draft pick to bring home a win for the Bulls. The Bucks are also in a rebuilding stage, but the Bulls have got the better team. I expect some nice coast-to-coast moves from Rose.

At 10:30, the Lakers will let the young Blazers come in for a battle, on TNT. I think LA will come out with a lot of defensive intensity and win by 7+. I notice that, over the years, Kobe always brings it on the opener on national TV. I expect Bynum to get a double-double and I want to see the Bynum-Oden match up. It will be bring the best out of these two young fellas.

It's time! Are you READY?

Update On The Marreese Speights Camp!

Today the Marreese Speights camp took place at the Childs Park Rec Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. Unfortunately Marreese couldn't make it because of bad weather in Philly. Still, the camp went on. It was a great chance for kids to play ball and enjoy the game.

They want to continue doing the camps about two times a year. This would be a nice thing to have regularly in the St. Petersburg area. An area that I think is hungry for more basketball (at least I am).

I wish Marreese the best of luck this season in Philly. I know he's got some nice veterans that are going to help him learn the in's and out's of this league. I hope to have more on this story in the future.

GOOD LUCK MARREESE!

Good Luck Rays!

We are just three days away from the season, but I am going to break away from basketball for a second. There has been a baseball story really taking form from where I live in St. Petersburg, Florida. I live about 10 minutes away from Tropicana Field, where the Rays went 1-1 in their quest for the World Series. Now, I'm not really a baseball fan, but I always like something that will help out my area. This has created tremendous excitement that you can feel throughout the city.

So, I want to wish the Tampa Bay Rays luck in their quest to get the Pennant. Tonight is Game Three in Philly and it will be on Fox at 8pm Eastern.

GO RAYS!

Marreese Speights Camp In St. Pete!

Marreese Speights is going to hold a camp near where I live at the Childs Park Rec Center in St. Petersburg, Florida. This is going to be a good chance for me to participate in a quality camp. It is also nice that Marreese would come to St. Pete from Philly just before the season to help the community. This probably will also help Marreese as he prepares for his rookie season. Getting away from the bright lights should help him be mentally ready.

I will have more on this story soon. I hope to have some exclusive coverage from the camp and put it up here on Basketball Notes by Alex.

Look Out for the Young Fella!

Since the NBA season is about 11 days away, I want to talk about improvements that I've seen in one Young, lucky individual.

I haven't seen everyone play, but I've seen the Sixers a couple of times. I am looking for some nice progress from Thaddeus Young. Going into his second year, I can tell he's put in some work. He's acquired an outside shot and now he'll be able to shoot the three and be an inside-outside threat. Don't forget the fact that now he is moving over to the three spot instead of the four. This will help him play with guys his own size. At 6'8" he's pretty small for a four. This will also help the Sixers because if a backup gets injured, he could take some minutes at the four, if necessary.

Speaking of the Sixers, aren't they stacked? Look at the back court, Andre Miller, Louis Williams, Willie Green, Kareem Rush (great addition, mainly a three point threat), and Royal Ivey. Don't even get me started on their options at the forward spots. The only point of concern in terms of depth is the center position. I know Samuel Dalembert can handle a good amount of the minutes there, but the guys backing him up are all washed up vets and young guys (Theo Ratliff, Jared Reiner and rookie Marreese Speights). With all due respect to those players, they could have gotten a better back up. It's not a major problem, but if Sammy gets hurt, it could be.

Can The Hawks Have a Better Year?

The Atlanta Hawks are coming off of their best year in a while. They made the playoffs and surprised everyone with a seven game series against the eventual champs.

Say what you want to say about their year (the East is weak, Boston was lallygagging in the first round, etc.), but Atlanta doesn't want to take a step back. In listening to Joe Johnson talk on media day (scroll down a bit for the video), I can sense the importance of an increase in wins and getting a higher seed.

So can they do it?

Maybe, but it's going to take some great individual performances. Joe Johnson has to do better than he's ever been. Mike Bibby has to be healthy and play at 100% all season. Josh Smith has to get higher for those alley oops, make those (or some more) outside shots. Al Horford has to get more than 10 points a game, maybe by taking some of LaMarcus Aldridge's outside moves. They've got the pieces on paper, they just need to get better individually and as a unit.

I'm also looking for Marvin Williams to improve.

Here's a quote from an article about him in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

"I'm just trying to get better. I've been shooting a ton of 3s [3-pointers]. I've definitely been working on the 3-ball. And I've put on a lot of weight, too," Williams said. "I'm up to about 245 with seven percent body fat. I'm as big and strong as I've ever been. I'm finally starting to fill out my frame, and it feels good."

Of course, practicing your threes and bulking up doesn't mean you'll be a better player, but it does increase my expectations for him.

What do the "Experts" think?

I'm using Hollinger's Team Forecast for the Hawks and the 2008-09 Pro Basketball magazine as my "experts."

Hollinger is pretty negative on them, he predicts a 31-51 record, leaving them at 13th in the East. I don't think they'll be that bad. Here's some of his reasons: Childress was one of the best sixth men in basketball, and about the only thing that kept Atlanta's second unit from being a complete horror show. Atlanta's starting five might be the best in the division, but its bench might not win the D-League.

The Pro Basketball Magazine is even more negative on them. They predict just 29 wins for them, just four games ahead of the Bobcats.

I disagree with these "experts". Sure their bench is subpar, but does that mean that Bibby, Smith and Johnson can't take on more minutes? You may think this would run these guys down, but come on, these guys aren't payed millions for nothing. They are expected to perform at a certain level and this should be expected of your best players.

Bottom Line: The East is stronger this year, but the only team with a real chance of breaking out of the 9-15 range in the standings is the Heat. I am not more down on the Hawks this year because of the loss of Childress, I mean, if you look at the stats, the highest PPG for him was about 12 points. Johnson, Horford, Bibby, Smith and the rest of the Hawks can make that up if the want to. I am down on some of the organizations decisions, they need to learn how to negotiate with players.

As the pre-season gets closer, there are some teams on my radar. I will be making some more predictions soon!

It's Almost Time!

I know I've been on an extended vacation (sorry for that, wasn't planning on it), but now the season is less than a month upon us. This season is gonna to be tremendous, can't wait.

I really want to see the Blazers pan out (did you know they're running a live blog today?). I love Fernandez, Frye, Oden, Roy, the whole crew. They can definitely make the playoffs, but I'm not sure yet on how far they can really go. I want to see a lot out of Travis Outlaw this season. This is a guy who has the skill set to be a great player, he just needs to put in some work. I have faith that he did and will come into this season ready to improve.

With everyone starting training camp this week, the preseason is upon us. As far as I know the Knicks have already fallen on their faces and Kobe has accepted the MVP trophy already. On a serious note, I might be going to a preseason game! More on that as the date approaches.

Take a Break from the Iron LeBron!

The Cavs want LeBron to stay away from the gym for a couple of weeks before training camp opens. LeBron is so fit he can take two or three weeks to relax? Course it's true but do the Cavs have to rub it in?

I'm fine with LeBron taking a week off, maybe. But if you're out of routine for a couple weeks, won't that kind of throw off his rhythm? I know LeBron is no amateur ball player, but I like to try to be in rhythm. Training camp would definitely get his legs going for the season, but, going into training camp you should be 100% in a fitness routine and ready to go.

This is not me saying that Bron Bron won't be able to play while taking a break (trust me it would take a lot more than that for his game to be off). It's just me as a concerned LeBron fan (not really a big Cavs fan, sorry), wanting Cavs training camp to go smoothly.

How's Your Shot Now Mamba?

Kobe Bryant has decided to skip his right pinkie surgery; something that really puzzles me. Sure, it is important to get a winning mentality (not to mention all of your key players) in training camp, but they made it to the finals last year and this year they'll be even better.

While this is brave of Kobe, I