2008 NBA Draft Grades: How'd your team do?

By: Byron Parker

Atlanta Hawks: Ineligible
The Hawks didn't have a pick in this draft due to the trade to Phoenix in getting Joe Johnson. Johnson has been a great asset to the Hawks so far in his tenure, so it has worked out so far for them.

Boston Celtics: B
With the Celtics coming off of an NBA Championship, they really didn't have a reason to get in depth into this draft. But they do have a lot of potential free agents, and they may need to find some players to replace the ones that may not come back. With them selecting J.R. Giddens, they were able to get a decent 2-guard, and that is a position that they may need help in with all of the potential free agents coming out of Boston. And even though Boston will most likely have two big men leaving in Scot Pollard and P.J. Brown, they were able to grab Bill Walker from Washington. He will be sitting behind Glen Davis, Leon Powe, Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett, but he is somebody that could make an impact in the future for the C's. They may have taken a chance with him due to his knee problems, but when healthy, he could make a slight impact as a bench player. He's not really a steal though, and neither is Giddens, but they can make an NBA roster as good role players.

Charlotte Bobcats: C+
The pick of Alexis Ajinca is pretty decent by the Bobcats organization. He may not be a numbers guy, but he is big and lengthy. With Emeka Okafor playing the center position now, Ajinca could potentially come in and slide Okafor down the PF, which is his true position. The thing with Ajinca is that he is skinny and scouts say that he is a weak inside presence. The Bobcats will have to be patient with him because he will need to gain some pounds in order to be an impact in the middle. It will take him a couple of years, especially with Sean May in front of him. They also took D.J. Augustin who has more of an upside than Raymond Felton does. He is 5'11 and that makes him sort of a risky pick. Most players at his size really don't threaten the NBA. He can make a good back up point, but he is really a toss up. Depending on how Raymond Felton can manage Larry Brown's team later on down the line, Augustin may find himself playing the PG role on a potential playoff team; almost like Jameer Nelson does for the Orlando Magic.

Chicago Bulls: A
The Bulls made a solid choice with the No.1 overall pick. Many feel that Michael Beasley could've been the answer--and he may have been--but Derrick Rose has great basketball instincts at his position and he is an upgrade from Kirk Hinrich. Rose will have the pressure of playing in his hometown, but that is the last thing that he should be worried about. He also has great size for the PG position at 6'3. Rose has drawn comparisons from Chris Paul to Deron Williams; a great passer with scoring ability. The Bulls will do well with Rose running the point, whether it's this season or in the future.

Cleveland Cavaliers: B
The pick of J.J. Hickson gives the Cavs a little bit of hope for helping LeBron. He is a big man who could really replace the presence of Drew Gooden, who they truly miss in the paint. Hickson is more of a scorer than Gooden is, and he plays pretty good defense. With him next to Ben Wallace on the defensive end, it will be difficult for teams to drive the ball to the basket on those two. On the offensive end, he and Wallace are both tremendous rebounders and the Cavs could use that. He still has some mental growing to do, but he could make good use of his position in a Cavs uniform. Not the best pick, but a solid pick for Cleveland.

Dallas Mavericks: C-
Dallas shipped off their first round pick for Jason Kidd towards the last quarter of the season, and that hasn't really been the best fit for them. Their pick of Shan Foster was not bad though. He was the SEC player of the year for Vanderbilt...and he looks like Usher. Foster is a good defensive player with his 1.5 steals a game last year. Many scouts feel that he lacks a consistent mid-range game and that may be his downfall. His ball handling skills are also not where they should be for an NBA shooting guard, but he is an explosive scorer who can come out and take over a game. That may not be so for the NBA level, but it's always good to have a player who possesses that type of ability.

Denver Nuggets: Ineligible
The Nuggets traded away all of their picks so they aren't eligible to be graded for this draft.

Detroit Pistons: D
What many people see in the Pistons first pick, Walter Sharpe, is disillusioned. Sharpe's college career has been overshadowed by off-court issues. In his freshman year, he repeatedly missed practice and missed the team flight which left him out of the NCAA Tourney that year. He missed most of his sophomore season with academic problems and he ended up only playing 6 games that season. He transferred from Mississippi St. to UAB where he was shot, arrested and sat out his junior season. In his senior year, he played 12 games until he has considered academically ineligible for the rest of the season. Oh yeah--he also has narcolepsy. With a team looking for help at the big man position for the future, trading away the Big Ten player of the year (D.J. White) wasn't the right thing to do. They also passed up on some big names.

Golden State Warriors: B+
The Warriors were able to find themselves in the middle of the draft and they were able to pick up a solid player in Anthony Randolph. He is really skinny for his size (6'10, 194 lbs) and that may be his downfall. BUT, he may be the only legit PF who can fit into the running scheme of the Warriors. He is a solid big man, but don't expect him to body up against the opposing big man and put the ball up strong over them. He can take his defender out to the perimiter and be effective from the block by posting up his defenders and that is helpful for the Warriors. Randolph's length can also help defensively. He has the ability to deflect balls and block shots, comparable to Tayshaun Prince's defense. Their second pick of Richard Hendrix gives the Warriors a little bit of PF help off of the bench. He is a little undersized for a PF, but so is Jason Maxiell and look at his impact on the Pistons.

Houston Rockets: B-
The Rockets made a good decision to trade away Nicolas Batum. The Rockets traded Batum to the Blazers for the rights to the 27th and 33rd overall picks. Darrell Arthur was Portland's selection at No. 27 and Houston sent the rights to him to Memphis for Donte' Greene and the Grizzlies' second-round pick in 2009. Joey Dorsey was the 33rd overall pick and he will be a great energy player for Houston. They don't really have strength at the PF position and he could make a good bench PF for them. He is not a scorer, but he can crash the boards and intimidate players from driving the ball to the basket. Solid picks by Houston.

Indiana Pacers: C+
The trade of Jerryd Bayless wasn't really the best decision for the Pacers. The did manage to get Brandon Rush from Portland, but Bayless seems like he has more star potential than Rush has. But with the salary dump, and the addition of another point guard in T.J. Ford, there isn't a need for another one so I can understand that move. They also picked up Roy Hibbert who has flop written all over him. He needs a lot of work and a haircut.

Los Angeles Clippers: B+
The Clippers have fear in relying on Shaun Livingston as their point guard of the future due to all of his injuries. So picking up Eric Gordon was a smart pick from the front office. I feel that Gordon is a semi combo-guard and he could be used for the 1 and 2 spot, but with him on the team, they will have an explosive guard with great basketball instinct. The Clippers were also lucky to get DeAndre Jordan in the second round. He fell right in their lap because he was considered to be a high pick earlier in the month. His draft stock may have fallen, but his level of talent is tremendous.

Los Angeles Lakers: C
The Lakers really didn't have a good selection to choose from. They traded their first round pick for Pau Gasol and that left them with the 58th overall pick. With that, they decided to choose Joe Crawford. He isn't a potential all star, but the Lakers will probably just be taking a look at him to see what he has. I doubt he'll make the team.

Memphis Grizzlies: C+
When Memphis selected Kevin Love, it was a real good choice but they ended up trading him with a package to Minnesota and received O.J. Mayo. It's no secret that Mayo is an extreme talent, but the Grizzlies don't need another guard. With them already selecting Michael Conley in last year's draft and Rudy Gay running the SG position, the opportunity for Mayo to bloom as a player will take a little longer. Darrell Arthur was traded to Memphis and he has the potential to be pretty good there. He fell into their lap after teams continued to pass him up, but hopefully they don't waste his career. He is with a young team and he may be able to help out Memphis in the longrun.

Miami Heat: A
Surprisingly, the Heat took Michael Beasley with the 2nd overall pick (sarcasm). With Beasley in their rotation, the Heat will have a potential all star in the making and he will dominate in his position. Beasley was basically a pick for the future and with him combined with a healthy Dwayne Wade and Shawn Marion, this team will look pretty good.

Milwaukee Bucks: A-
The Bucks did pretty good with this draft. They got rid of Bobby Simmons and they managed to get Yi Jianlian off of their hands for Richard Jefferson. Not a bad idea from Bucks management. With them going big in the draft by picking up Joe Alexander and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, they will look strong up front when both are able to start at those positions. Alexander is a great inside scorer who can grab boards with authority, and Moute is a tremendous defender. Milwaukee will have a bright future if these two happen to be starting later on down the line.

Minnesota Timberwolves: A
It really didn't matter if the Wolves were to select either O.J. Mayo or Kevin Love; both would've been helpful to this last place team. They picked O.J. Mayo but traded him to Memphis for Kevin Love, and I think that was the best alternative for the Wolves. Love is known for being a great inside scorer with the ability to take the ball outside and hit the three. He's decent in the post and he'll be good next to Al Jefferson. One thing he has to improve on is his defense but once he does that, there will be a strong inside presence in Minnesota. His offense isn't the problem. Kevin McHale was able to get rid of some junk when he sent Mayo to Memphis and he picked up a pretty decent Mike Miller who on the right team, could become a better player. So this was a good draft for Minnesota.

New Jersey Nets: B+
The Nets were able to get rid of Richard Jefferson's contract, and they picked up Yi Jianlian in a trade. The draft went pretty okay for them with the pick up of a solid Brook Lopez from Stanford. The big guy can do some damage on the inside to opposing teams and that is what the Nets need. But they already had a good center in Sean Williams and they will have to split time to get Lopez seasoned in the NBA the right way. They did make a great pick by selecting Chris Douglas-Roberts in the second round. He was really a steal for them. CDR can play the guard position but if he is needed, he has the ability to play the SF position with his 6'7 length. It will be interesting to see what he can do in the NBA.

New Orleans Hornets: Ineligible
The Hornets traded away their 27th pick for cash considerations, so they aren't eligible for grading.

New York Knicks: D
The Knicks didn't show much brain power by picking Danilo Gallinari in the first round. He is a tremendous player, but the Knicks could've done better than that. It would take him a while to mesh with the Knicks organization but I just don't see where they're going by picking up Gallinari.

Orlando Magic: B+
With the selection of Courtney Lee, this may be the end of J.J. Redick...at least in a Magic uniform. Lee has tremendous basketball instincts and he showed in college that he can drive the ball to the basket consistently. He is a good spot up shooter and he will be a good ball player coming off of the bench for Orlando. Solid pick by Orlando.

Philadelphia 76ers: B
The 76ers could've also done better than Marreese Speights, even though Speights isn't really a bad player. He is a strong player up front for them who can fill up space in the paint and handle the ball well for somebody his size. He is also a decent scorer which is something that Philly has been looking for. They really don't have somebody that they can really rely on in the paint to put the ball in the basket consistently and Speights will fill that hole. This is also a solid pickup for Philly, based on the fact that this was a position that they needed.

Phoenix Suns: C+
Robin Lopez is a pretty okay pick for Phoenix, but there is question why they opted to go that route with Lopez. They used to be a run-n-gun team, but Lopez wouldn't be somebody who could play that style especially at NBA speed. The good thing about Lopez though is that he can be taken under the wing by Shaq and learn a lot from him. And with the way that Phoenix was able to end the season by incorporating Shaq into their game plan without the run-n-gun style affecting him, they were able to look like a pretty good team. So whichever style Phoenix is aiming for, Lopez can learn from Shaq and easily fall into the same spot that Shaq did.

Portland Trail Blazers: A+
This team did a lot of trading and they made good use of each and every pick. A lot of bold moves came from this front office and they've either payed off or they will pay off. They got rid of Jarrett Jack and were able to snag Jerryd Bayless who could make a pairing with Brandon Roy. They really needed point guard help with players like Jack and Steve Blake usually running that spot. Nicolas Batum was their second round pick who is a slight risk due to his heart problems but he still may be a pretty solid player. The Trail Blazers really had the best draft out of all the teams by snagging a lot of young talent for a young team. This could possibly put them on the verge of becoming a true playoff team, especially with Greg Oden coming back.

Sacramento Kings: D
I really didn't know where Sacramento was trying to go by picking up Jason Thompson and Patrick Ewing Jr. Thompson is really not a lottery pick and that confused a lot of people. And the second pick with Ewing makes Patrick Ewing Sr. proud, but not many Kings fans.

San Antonio Spurs: B-
It's hard to question the Spurs' drafting ability because they got Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker from nowhere, so there pick of George Hill can't be all that bad. He is a true point guard, but he can come off of the bench to be a combo-guard. He is sort of like a Rodney Stuckey; somebody who can drive the ball to the basket and draw fouls. The Spurs could've probably picked up somebody better, but they must see something in Hill and they're usually right about things like these.

Seattle Supersonics: C-
The pick of Serge Ibaka has a lot of people puzzled because they need somebody with his talent, but he may end up playing overseas when it's all said and done. The Russell Westbrook pick was pretty good but there was no need to take him so high, especially with other players that have a better arsenal than him.

Toronto Raptors: C+
The Raptors picked up Jermaine O'Neal by trading away their first round pick and that is a little suspect with O'Neal having injury issues. With him, they can be strong inside with Chris Bosh and O'Neal, but they had the opportunity to select a guard to replace T.J. Ford. That may have not been the route they were trying to take, but that is what they should have done. Their other pick in Nathan Jawai has been compared to Shaq, but why bring another big guy in when you already have enough?

Utah Jazz: B-
With speculation of Carlos Boozer opting out of his contract next year, the Jazz tried to do as much as they could to find somebody to replace him. That isn't a bad idea by Utah, but the picks were questionable. Kosta Koufos has a lot of potential, but he doesn't have the components that Boozer has. If he was combined with the second-rounder Ante Tomic, it may be possible, but I haven't seen much from either. So it's hard to judge them without hearing or seeing much from either. I do respect the route that Utah took in looking in the future to replace Boozer if he opts out.

Washington Wizards: C
The Wizards elected to take JaVale McGee, a guy who comes from a family of basketball. McGee has a great build to his body, giving him the advantage to overpower his opposition but scouts say that he is weak. That doesn't bode well when you're a big man trying to make it in the NBA. The question is posed if he will mature well in the league and I think he will with the basketball background that he comes from. His defense has also been said to be atrocious and as a big man with his length and potential, that is something that he will need to improve on.

Why this year's USA Olympic team can win it all...

By: Byron Parker

The 2008 Men's Olympic Basketball team was announced on Monday and the team looks pretty damn good. Led by the '08 NBA MVP Kobe Bryant, this team looks to make a run at the gold medal, especially since they've struggled to do so in the most recent tournaments. Here are the players and coaches of the 2008 Olympic team, and then my analysis.

Players -the positions aren't the primary positions of the players, but they are the projected positions for that player for the Olympics

* *Projected starter

• **Kobe Bryant (SG- Los Angeles Lakers)


• Dwayne Wade (SG- Miami Heat)


• **Carmelo Anthony (SF, PF- Denver Nuggets)


• Chris Paul (PG- New Orleans Hornets)


• Carlos Boozer (PF, C- Utah Jazz)


• Deron Williams (PG- Utah Jazz)


• Tayshaun Prince (SF- Detroit Pistons)


• **LeBron James (SF, PF- Cleveland Cavaliers)


• **Dwight Howard (C- Orlando Magic)


• Chris Bosh (C, PF- Toronto Raptors)


• Michael Redd (SG- Milwaukee Bucks)


• **Jason Kidd (PG- Dallas Mavericks)

Coaches

• Mike Krzyzewski (Head Coach; Head Coach of Duke University)


• Jim Boeheim (Assistant Coach; Head Coach of Syracuse University)


• Mike D'Antonio (Assistant Coach; Head Coach of New York Knicks)


• Nate McMillan (Assistant Coach; Head Coach of Portland Trail Blazers)

This is your USA Men's basketball team for the 2008 Olympics. It may not be the Dream Team, but it has the potential to be something close to it. It is a team full of high scorers, playmakers, veterans, and maturing youngsters. Out of the 12 players that were selected to this year's Olympic team, six of them were apart of the 2006 USA Men's World Championship team and eight of them participated on the '07 FIBA Americas Championship team that qualified for these Olympics. With most of them already having to work together on previous teams, this will give them an advantage in team chemistry and team cooperation. The most intriguing aspect of this year's Olympic team is the three point guards that were selected to the team.

Of the three, Jason Kidd will be one of the point guards that will bring the veteran presence to the team; especially to the other two point guards who were selected--Deron Williams and Chris Paul. The 35 year old Kidd was apart of the 2000 USA Olympic team that went 8-0 and won the gold medal in Sydney. Also on his resume, he has played on eight USA Men's basketball teams with a record of 44-0. That brings a lot to the team and even though he may not have the speed or outside shot that a typical point guard should have, Kidd is completely unselfish and that may be a reason why he could be the starting PG for a team full of superstars. With players like Chris Paul and Deron Williams sitting under him, the offense from the starting PG position won't be a concern for Krzyzewski because he has already made the decision to have scorers like Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, and LeBron James starting. He will be looking for more breaking down of the defense and passing from the starting point guard, and that is something that Kidd is capable of doing. Williams and Paul are both similar to each other in their style of play because they both know how to break down the defense like Kidd, but they are quicker and they can score easier. But when they are needed for scoring out of that PG position, then that's when they'll be used.

The addition of Michael Redd is key for this team because the past US teams have lacked the outside game and that reliable scorer coming off of the bench. Redd is capable of doing both of those things. He was a member of last summer's FIBA Americas Championship team and all while coming off of the bench, he put up 14.4 points a game while shooting a little over 50% from the field, and 45% from beyond the arch. His long range jumper will be a key component for this year's Olympic team and and his bench scoring will definitely be needed. Redd isn't a superstar, but he has the qualities of being close to one. With him sitting behind Kobe and company, I'm pretty sure he'll be the next 2-guard for Coach K to go to. With him being a backup SG with decent speed, he will be with a second unit that also consists of decent speed.

Whether it is Williams or CP3 being the first resort coming off of the bench, they both can run up and down the floor along with Redd which will call for a dangerous guard combo coming out of the second unit. Not to say that the starters aren't as quick as the bench (because that's not even close to the case), but it is always good to have speed on the bench. That way, they don't come in and slow things down. The speed on this team will give them success because they must run in order to wear down the opposition. It's really the case for most team's success.

Even though the team looks good in almost all aspects on the floor, there are a few flaws that could lead to trouble for this team. I feel that with them taking three point guards, they lack depth in the frontcourt. There really aren't enough big men that can really stop the opposition from driving the ball to the basket on them. With Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard being the only two players who can truly play the 5-spot, that may be a problem. Of course Carlos Boozer will see time at the center position, but he is not a TRUE center. If they are playing a team that has players that can run through the defense, there will be trouble for this team. They may have taken a risk by bringing opting to play more "small-ball". Defense will also be a problem for this team. Chris Paul is a guy who can force turnovers here and then, but he sometimes makes risky decisions by attempting to swipe the ball and that may be his downfall. If he doesn't come up with the steal, he gives the opposition an advantage on the floor when he's briefly out of the picture. I feel that the only players on the team that can play consistent defense is Bryant, Tayshaun Prince and if you want to, you can throw LeBron's name in there too. But other than Prince, there isn't really a true reliable defensive player that can come off of the bench and shut somebody down.

I do fear that even though Coach K says that this team won't be taking a numerous amount of jumpshots, the shortened three point line will be a Christmas present for these guys. It's understandable that if you're open for the three, take it and make it. But some of the players on this team has a knack for taking unnecessary shots. That may not be the type of problem that could cause this team to fall off, but it is one thing that Coach K will have to limit. When you don't have a team that is full of spot up shooters, than they all shouldn't be spotting up and shooting. But when they were in Athens and were hit with that zone, they didn't have the shooters to break that down. But with most international teams playing zone on a team of stars, the addition of the shooters this year can kill that off.

Despite the flaws that this team may have, they have too many strengths this year to blow this thing. This year's team consists of smart and determined players with some of them looking to get revenge from their previous failures. There may be a few close games that could scare the US team, but I don't see them allowing teams to run them over. There is a lot of pressure on them and they will be tested in these Olympics, but they have too many weapons to lose this thing.

Once the celebrating is done, Ainge has to get back to work

By: Byron Parker

While the Boston Celtics are still basking in the glory of their NBA Title, the off-season is basically here and Danny Ainge will have a few things to sort out. A successful off-season from last year brought home a title, and even though Ainge probably won't be looking to make any drastic changes like he did last year, he will still be looking to keep his team well-structured. Now that they are considered a championship caliber team, they must remain that way and depending on how the team looks at the beginning of next season, that will determine whether they still have what it takes to remain the championship caliber team that they are now. With many key Celtics becoming potential free-agents the off-season will be the Celtics only challenge going into next season.

A repeat isn't out of the question for this franchise. The Big Three are all signed up until 2010 and players like Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo aren't going anywhere anytime soon. The core of this team won't be affected next season. But there are six players who become potential free agents over the off-season--Sam Cassell, P.J. Brown, James Posey, Scot Pollard, Tony Allen and Eddie House. All of these players have played a crucial role in the Celtics being able to bring a title back to Boston; whether it was in the regular season or the post-season. The only name that really doesn't really stick out at you in terms of importance to Boston's run at the title would most likely be Scot Pollard--no disrespect to Scot. The chances of him remaining in a Celtics uniform is very slim. He can be effectively used to take up space in the paint for another team, but the Celtics really don't show any need for him so he'll most likely be gone next season. Hell, retirement could be the next step for him if you consider his career not having an upside what so ever. If you look at P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell, their age is catching up to them as well and they may be pondering retirement. P.J. Brown was called out of retirement and his presence helped the Celtics in many ways, but he has his ring now and retiring may be his next option. It is tough to see Brown coming back, especially considering the talent that's on the bench with players like Powe, Davis, etc. He's 38 years old and winning the NBA Title maybe the icing on the cake for his career. The same standards apply for Sam. He's also 38 and he was basically called in to bring his veteran presence to the team, and guide Rajon Rondo in the post-season. That he did, and now it may be a wrap for his career. The Celtics will probably look to get younger rather than older, and Cassell wouldn't help out that case.

The most important name of the bunch is James Posey. Posey showed off his importance to this team by playing solid basketball throughout the season, and turning it up a notch in the playoffs. He was a constant threat on the floor for Boston as he was able to lock-down the offensive threats on the opposing teams, while he came up big offensively himself. He scored about 9 points a game in the Finals while playing about 25 minutes. He's a gamer and after helping teams like the Miami Heat and the Celtics win NBA Titles, he would be hot in the free-agent market if he were to opt-out of his two year contract with Boston. With this said, he most likely do just that. After teams see a guy like that come up big in his years of playing in the playoffs, they wouldn't mind having a piece like that on their team. He's not just a veteran presence--he contributes to his team by scoring, playing defense and he is sometimes reliable in crunch time. If he is open in the corner for a three and your team is in need of a big basket, Posey can hit it for you. James is important to the Celtics, but if he gets another offer from another playoff contending team that's hard to refuse, then I see him out of Boston next season. It's no secret that the team would love to keep him on the roster but his list of suitors may be pretty long.

Tony Allen and Eddie House are also two names among the ones mentioned in the list of potential free-agents coming out of Boston. House has hopped from team to team throughout his NBA career, and there is question to whether or not he will be a Celtic next year or not. He is a solid guard who is always prepared to play and can come in at any time to put up some quick points if you catch him on the right night. When Cassell injured his wrist and Rondo struggled in the playoffs, House came right in and made his presence felt. During the Finals, House saw 19 minutes a game and used them to his advantage by putting up 8 points a night. With his ability to quickly pull the the trigger from the perimeter, he can definitely help a team out with offense off of the bench. If I was Ainge, that would be a guy that I would look to bring back, for the fact that he brings so much more energy off of the bench than people think. He isn't a bad guy to have sitting on your bench. But with his history in not really having a home, he may not be back. Ainge may feel better knowing that he can do better than House with him earning about $1.5 million. And I feel that teams may be looking at him to lock him up for a couple years longer than the Celtics held onto him. In Allen's case, Gabe Pruitt may be ready to step in to take over the back up point guard position behind Rondo. That leaves Allen in a tough situation. But it's not like Allen didn't have any sort of presence on the court. He played his role as a reserve and though he made mistakes, those were only mental blunders that can only be fixed with experience. With only three years in the league and knee injuries that forced him to miss time in his career, he can only get better as a player. But the decision to bring him back sits on Ainge's shoulders. It's no secret that Ainge would like to see more out of Allen, but how patient will he be with him? He is a restricted free-agent and there is no telling how his situation will fair out. It's really a toss-up for him. For some reason, I believe that the Celtics will keep him for his consistent defense and his energy. But if a team offers him a deal that the Celtics are unwilling to match, then say bye-bye to him.

If/when the Celtics organization figures out what is going to happen with these potential free-agents, then there will be a lot of shoes to fill on the bench. They will have the last pick in the NBA Draft and whoever they choose will most likely be the next step in rebuilding the bench. Some minor off-season signings may help that out as well. But Ainge will have another busy off-season this year. He doesn't have to bring in anymore big names in order to win another NBA Title, but pending on the decisions made by those in the front office regarding the potential pool of free-agents coming out of Boston, there will be a search for role players who can come in and do what they are called upon to do. After all the celebrating is completed, Ainge will have to go right back to work and decisions by himself and the players will have to be made. It'll be an interesting off-season for the NBA Champs.

The future will be bright in L.A.

By: Vince Vitale

Despite Boston's six game dominance of the Lakers, their future still looks bright. Especially considering the fact that they made it to the NBA Finals without Andrew Bynum. Drew was their starting center at the begining of the year and will be back next year, along with the all of other starters. Now close your eyes and imagine--Fisher pushing point, the closest thing to Michael Jordan at the other guard, and the versatile Lamar Odom becoming a dominant small forward. Pau Gasol will most likely slide down to the power forward spot where he belongs and Bynum will return to the starting line up. He will be the dominating inside presence that the Lakers lacked this year. He will compliment the frontcourt players so well, that the team can only become better. The Lakers will surpass Boston's bench because Cassel and PJ Brown will likely retire. Kobe will have another MVP type season and the Lakers will begin their quest to becoming a dynasty.

Now the important thing is keeping the pieces of the puzzle together. Look for Laker management to draft a scoring type combo guard to come off of the bench. As the West continues to get older, the Lakers can remain the favorite. Steve Nash is past his prime, so the Suns aren't the same threat that they used to pose. The same case can be made for Tim Duncan and the Spurs as well. The Mavericks have chemistry problems with their team and New Orleans is still one peace away from contending. Meanwhile in the East, Detroit should fall apart soon--for better or worse, and the Cavs need to find the Robin to Lebron's Batman.

With all this being said, a repeat of this year's Finals are very realistic as of right now, and I see the Lakers getting their revenge.

Boston takes Game 1, how can the Lakers rebound (no pun intended)?

Once again, the Boston Celtics are able to take the first game of a series on their home court in a 98-88 win over the L.A. Lakers. It seems like the Celtics are always able to play an energetic game in the opening game of whatever series that they're in and it seems to be a key win for them in every series in these playoffs. That Game 1 win is always important to them because they have yet to take complete control over a series as they were able to win each one in six games or more.

But how key was this one against the Lakers?

Well, the Lakers look like they are the only team that won't give Boston any stolen opportunities to allow them to take control of the series. The Lakers aren't like the Pistons who seem to be the only team in the NBA that can't take momentum into the next game, unlike the Lakers who can use momentum from a good win and use it to make the kill on their homecourt. It didn't show in the series against the Utah Jazz much, but they were still able to get the job done there. And don't forget the impressive, knocking off of the '07 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs. In a series that was predicted by many to be the toughest for the Lakers by going six, if not seven games. But the hungry Lakers were able to take advantage of the fatigue shown by the Spurs from rounds one and two.

That is what the Lakers will need to do in order to top off the Celtics. It's safe to see that the Celtics are a team that you wouldn't want to face on their homecourt while they are up in the series because that's where they have done most of their damage throughout the regular season, and even the playoffs. They've only lost one game in the postseason at TD Banknorth. That was against the inconsistent Pistons who had the best chance to give the C's the most trouble, but they couldn't take the energy from Game 2 and send it back to their homecourt where they allowed the C's (a team who couldn't by a win on the road) to steal away TWO games on the road. Not cool at all.

The Lakers are similar to the Celtics when it comes to playing at home, but they've shown more consistency on the road than Boston has. That is really the one and only advantage that the Lakers have over the Celtics. The Celtics are too good to assume that the match ups that the Lakers have against the Celtics are an advantage because that's not true. It showed in Game 1 that the match ups may be a little difficult for the Lakers.

The Lakers will have to do what all of the other teams that faced the Celtics couldn't do, and that's actually STEAL a game at TD Banknorth. The Pistons didn't steal Game 2 away from Boston, rather more than they just won it because they didn't take advantage of that win. That is all the Lakers will have to do in order to make this series come out in their favor.

Lakers vs. Celtics Rivalry Renewed?

By Jake Wessel

At the conclusion of Game 6 in the Eastern Conference Finals, the whole NBA front office must have been high-fiving each other as their wish for Lakers-Celtics has finally come true. In a rivalry that captivated NBA fans in the 80’s and thrusted the NBA into prime time, it has also passed baseball as the second highest rated American sports league. Now in a two-decade long wait, the rivalry is renewed and the NBA can start counting its money as the advertising and the games themselves will rack up some major ratings and money. This is a rivalry that is one of the few that has transcended the sport by bringing in more viewers, by having two teams year in and year out playing for the championship. Bringing in two guys, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, who were some of the first NBA players to gain advertising promos for McDonalds and such thus getting the NBA more spotlight and gaining a wider audience. The Lakers and Celtics were the ones that were in large part, responsible for the popularity increase in the NBA in the 80’s. It’s no secret that the actual rivalry itself ranks with the greatest rivalries of all time, like the Yankees/Red Sox, Michigan/Ohio State, Redwings/Avalanche etc.. So how does the Lakers/Celtics rivalry get to rank up there with aforementioned above? They had everything in terms of being an all time great rivalry.

They had prominent figures on their respective teams, which the casual NBA watcher would recognize. Thus, they were able to reach those viewers to get a larger audience that other teams might not have been able to draw. They were totally opposite teams in every aspect to their game plans, types of players they had, coaches, all the way to the actual cities they represented. On one side you have the blue-collar working class Boston Celtics that played great team defense ran traditional plays and were scrappy. O the other side, you have the Hollywood flash and flare, show time L.A Lakers that ran teams out of the building with lights out shooting and countless fast break points. Those attributes and description of the teams and cities can be added to their leaders, Larry Bird of the Celtics and, Magic Johnson of the Lakers.

On one side you have Larry Bird who was a country boy best noted by his lights out jumper and clutch abilities, while he was a quiet guy who led more by example than by words. He embodied his team image by hard work, getting loose balls, steals and rebounds; just plain and simple scrappiness. He also had the clutch shooting and plays that only Michael Jordan can compare to. Then you have Magic Johnson who was outgoing loved giving interviews talking to reporters, and possessed skills that the NBA hasn’t seen before and hasn’t seen since. I don’t feel bad saying that he was the most completely skilled basketball player the NBA has ever seen. It can be noted first that he was a 6’9 point guard which is unique in itself, then add that he was quick, made insane passes and could shoot from anywhere on the court; you really had the most dangerous player in the league. He could have played every position on the court and excelled at each. So when you have popular players conflicting game styles, players, and cities you have the makings of an all time great rivalry that dominated the 80’s.

So then fast forward 21 years and you can see why this is so huge in the fact the NBA’s greatest rivalry is renewed. Even with an obvious different roster and playing styles. You have Kobe Bryant who can solidify himself as the true best player in the league by winning his fourth championship ring. Then you have three players in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen That have been criticized in their career for not being able to get it done in the playoffs and win that all elusive NBA championship. Also being able to continue the legacies of the two most decorated and noted NBA franchises will provide everything needed to have successful and notable Finals series. This is just what the NBA needs in a time that ratings and popularity has leveled off and is in need of a spark that only a Celtics/Lakers Finals can produce.

Win or lose: Jobs are no longer safe in the NBA

By: Vince Vitale

The most recent firing of Flip Saunders of the Detroit Pistons is just the latest case of how unfair this business really is. We’ll come back to Flip soon but first let us go to before Flip when this problem first started.

In 2004 the Pistons defeated the Lakers in 5 games. This led to a complete makeover for the Lakers. Such moves were made to send Shaq to Miami, let me add they won a championship the season after his arrival. The most shocking change was at the coaching spot. Phil Jackson was removed from his duties at coach. The same Phil Jackson that won 9 rings with the Bulls and Lakers throughout the past 20 years. I don’t think you can find anyone better than 9 rings on their fingers, or anyone more qualified for their job, but still he was released from his duties.

That was just the beginning.

A year after that Larry Brown himself would not be coaching for the Pistons anymore because Detroit management thought his health was inconsistent. The same guy who won them a championship and split apart the Kobe-Shaq combo just a season before was gone. He would go on to sign a massive contract with the Knicks and he gets fired a year after that job. You can’t blame anybody for him not doing well with the Knicks because nobody in the world can get that team to win. So who fills the spot of a legend like Larry Brown. Flip Saunders, the same guy who got fired in Minnesota a year after they made it to the Western Conference finals. So now the Pistons make it to several Eastern Conference championships throughout the next couple years.

All while having a great record in the regular season each and every year. This just wasn’t enough for Joe Dumars though. I mean this guy does know what he is doing after all. Look at his great drafting ability. He is the guy who picked Darko with the second overall pick. Meanwhile Wade, Bosh, and Carmelo Anthony all turned into perennial all stars.

Fast forward to this year, the Pistons have the second best record in the entire league and Flip gets fired. Instead of pointing the finger at Billups’s bad health, or Rasheeds complete insanity, or even Tayshauns vanishing act, we point the finger at Flip. Well this is just why the business is how cold hearted it is. Alongside with Flip, Avery Johnson and Mike D’Antoni are also gone from their respective ball clubs That’s right the Suns and Mavs who have been competing with the Spurs throughout this entire decade fire their coaches. Did anyone think that maybe the Jason Kidd and Shaq deals had an affect on the team by any chance. Anyhow with all this being said Mike D’Antoni now gets to coach the Knicks.

Only prayer can help you now Mike.

Meanwhile a guy who just won coach of the year last year in Avery Johnson doesn’t even have a job. There is no time in the NBA, you either win a ring or get fired. Anyhow, the Pistons will probably replace Flip with Michael Curry. A guy who used to play for the Pistons but hasn’t been the head coach in this league for a single game.

Good luck Detroit.

I rest my case with a simple point, management is cruel to coaches for no reason, this is the same league that allowed Scott Skiles to get fired this year on Christmas Eve.

FGS update: Flip Saunders out as Pistons head coach

The last straw for Joe Dumars was when he saw his team get knocked out of the Eastern Conference Finals for the third consecutive season. Flip Saunders is no longer the head coach of the Detroit Pistons.

There were already rumors that Flip was already on the hot seat before the season even began and they wouldn't have died down until he had a successful season, or at least make it to the NBA Finals. But instead, he has failed once again to bring the Pistons back to the Finals after they made it there in the previous two seasons before Flip was the coach.

Those back-to-back finals appearances were credited to the former head coach, Larry Brown. There aren't that many comparisons that you can make between Saunders and Brown. The main reason why Brown was able to take a championship caliber teams to the Finals is because he had proven that he was a winner. Whether it was in the NCAA or in the NBA; Brown was the kind of coach that knew how to motivate his team. That seemed to be Saunders' main problem. There has always been talk regarding the chemistry between the Pistons and Flip, most recognizable Rasheed Wallace. There was a lack of respect for Flip and that is something that Brown demanded from his team. He was able to get that, partially because of his history as a successful coach and partially because...he was just that type of coach.

The question that surrounds this move made by Dumars is "was it the right move"? Was it the coach that reflected the players, or was it the players that reflected the coach?

Flip has had a championship caliber team for the past three seasons, but he hasn't been able to lead them to another championship. Motivation was a visible problem with this team and the coach is highly responsible for bringing the fire in their team. But at times, we saw the Pistons get cocky and play like they had nothing to prove. How much of that is their fault?

As much as people like to put everything on how Flip runs the team, some of it is not his fault and that is why the firing of Flip won't be the only move that Dumars will make. Expect to see some player movement over the Pistons offseason.

We will have more updates on this once we receive more information.

2008 Celtics-Lakers Finals have big shoes to fill

By: Byron Parker

The Boston Celtics vs. the Los Angeles Lakers...this is the way that it was supposed to be for the '08 NBA Finals. Conspiracy or not, that is the way that it has turned out and now we have a highly anticipated match up for the NBA Title.

This is a rivalry that was built in the early 60's and kept on until it died around the early 90's. Since then, every match up between these two teams haven't been as intruiging as the years of Bird, West, Johnson, Russell and all of the other stars who made this match up one to always watch. The years have gone by and now we find ourselves anticipating a series that hasn't been more hyped than the last time these two teams met in the NBA Finals--21 years ago. Yes it has been a long time since we've seen the Lakers and Celtics in action for something that is more important than just a regular season win--these are two of the most successful franchises in sport's history going against each other once again, for an NBA Title. It's way better than another Cavaliers-Spurs series, or a Pistons-Spurs series only because of the business aspect. With NBA ratings going down in the past couple of years, the NBA needs something like this to bring it back to where it's supposed to be. The interest level has plunged and now the chances of it skyrocketing are very high with this particular Finals match up.

Let's not get carried away with this though. With all the hype surrounding this series, it all comes down to the players.

Will they be able to make this an intruiging series?

Will the outcome of this series bring back the old days when the tension between the two teams was high?

This years Lakers and Celtics teams have HUGE shoes to fill. There is a lot of pressure on these two teams--not because they are playing for an NBA Title, but they are being relied on to bring back a rivalry that was once the face of the NBA. It seems like a lot of people, including David Stern, are depending on them for a boost in the interest level of the league. We've seen the commercials with highlights from the old games be compared with Kobe and Garnett to build up the anticipation of the series. But at what point does it get too "over-hyped"?

The pressure for this series to be similar to the ones in the 60's-80's is high and we don't know what to expect. As of now, there is no beef between the two teams that could make it more interesting. That is what was great about the former match ups between these two. We saw a lot of physical play on the court and it was fun to watch. But with a league that seems to be full of "softer" players these days doesn't make me look forward to a typical basketball game. The players on both teams don't seem to be the kind of players who would trash talk, in order to make the series more interesting to watch.

It is no secret that Boston is a much more physical team than the Lakers are and they've shown that all season (and a few times during the playoffs). What can we say about the Lakers being physical?

They tend to be more focused on winning the game rather than trying to make it more appeasing to others, which is a good mentality to have going into a highly anticipated series such as this. There is no need to make bad decisions because of what people want to see. That will just furthermore prove how much the NBA is staged. But with the Lakers being the way they are and the Celtics being the way that they are, how will this fair out with the rivalries from years ago when both teams had just about the same mentality?

It won't. These two teams can't allow the pressure of trying to be like the old guys get to their heads, because there is no need to fake it in order to make this an interesting series. They have to renew the rivalry rather than continue it. The days of Bird vs. Johnson, West vs. Russell is now over. This is a new era in the NBA where it is only right to play like you need to instead of play like you want to.

We definitely want to see the best possible series, but without the comparisons. With all of the comparisons being made between the two TOTALLY different era's, how dissapointed would everybody be if one of the team's were to be swept?

All of the unnecessary hype goes right out of the window and now we're looking forward for it to happen again. There is a pretty good chance that these two teams could meet in the NBA Finals again for the next several years, but let's not get too carried away in the hype. Not saying that this will be a great series because everybody on Earth should be tuning into every game of this series. It's just that we have to let the series play out to become its own rivalry, instead of trying to turn it into one that hasn't been around for over 20 years.

The NBA Draft Lottery is a Joke

By: Byron Parker

After putting aside my beef with the NBA and its funny business, last night made me even more determined to believe that the NBA is a phony league. Ever since the NBA Draft Lottery began, it seems like there has been something wrong with it every year; or maybe it’s just me. You’ve seen what happened when Patrick Ewing went to the New York Knicks, and we see what’s happened with Tim Duncan when he went to the San Antonio Spurs. And don’t let me remind you about how the Toronto Raptors ended up getting the No. 1 overall pick in 2006. Who did they get? An international player, Andrea Bargnani. Wouldn’t that be great for a Canadian franchise to go out and get an international player? I mean, they don’t even show the ball being picked for goodness sake. I felt that the Boston Celtics would be the ones to take the #1 pick last year but the first two picks went to two struggling franchises out West who needed saviors. Those two saviors were #1 and #2 in last years draft. And for some reason, I can’t help but to believe that the Boston didn’t get those picks because the deal that brought the Big Three into town was already a done deal (that we didn’t know was going to occur). But that’s over now and this is the reason why the NBA is itching to see Boston in the Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, and I gave my opinion on how those deals went down.


Now I just don’t understand it. I would love to believe that it was a coincidence of what goes down in the NBA but last night gives me a reason not to. How the hell do the Chicago Bulls win the No.1 overall pick with a 1.7% chance of winning? Jumping from No.9 to No.1? This is ridiculous. With Chicago already being a halfway decent team, they probably played a little lackadaisical towards the end of the season in order to obtain a better chance in the NBA Draft Lottery. But even with less than a two percent of winning, they end up with the No.1. I can’t do anything but question that.

So with that said, lets take a look at the choices that Chicago has. The top two players (in my opinion) in this year’s NBA Draft are the two freshman stars, Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose. Both are NBA ready and both can help Chicago. Beasley can play either the PF or SF spot, and that’s where the Bulls have strength at. They have seven forwards on their roster and adding another would be silly. With Beasley being a guy who loves getting rebounds and isn’t afraid to go in to take them, the Bulls don’t necessarily need that. They were pretty strong in that department too because they were in the top ten in rebounding with 43 a game.



Now let’s take a look at Rose. This is a guy who showed us what he can do in college; break down the defense, drive to the basket, create plays and open shots, etc. With Chicago only having two true point guards on their team, Rose could fit in easily and run the offense just as good as Kirk Hinrich and Chris Duhon, if not better. Hinrich will need to have a better season that he did last year in order to be trusted by whoever their next head coach will be. If he can’t accomplish that, then he may see limited time. If Rose were to come into Chicago (which I feel will most likely happen), then he has the perfect situation into his lap.



It’s funny to me though, how this works out because Rose is a positional player that they could really use and he would make a great fit in Chicago. They need a go-to guy who is an excellent ball handler and if anybody, Rose is their guy. But even with him possibly being the first one taken in this draft, it gives me reason to believe that this is a conspiracy because THE GUY IS FROM CHICAGO!!!



Coincidence? Naw, I don’t think so.



Put that puzzle together yourself if you still don’t understand how that is working out. More notes from this, David Stern lives in Chicago with a place right down the street from Jerry Reinsdorf. If you don’t know who that is, he is the majority owner of the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Bulls. These are two guys who have a history of having a good relationship, so it’s not surprising to me at all how this went down.



Maybe none of this would’ve occurred if Mike D’Antonio weren’t to go to New York over Chicago. I feel that the reason why New York didn’t get the No.1 pick is because they’re too deep in a whole to have the bounce back season that they need in order to revive the New York basketball scene. With Chicago, they already have the decent team and with the right coach, they may have already been on pace for a bounce back season. Now with the No.1 overall pick, I’m sure they will.

David Stern's dream is still intact

By: Byron Parker

If you’re an NBA fan, you should’ve realized by now that the commissioner David Stern will do anything to improve the marketing aspect of the league. Anything that could help the image of the NBA will be done if necessary. Even if that means letting things go off of the hook in order to allow the best match ups in the future.

This case can be made for the recent situation that occurred in Game 4 in Atlanta in Game of the 1st round match up between the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics. After taking an obvious elbow from Kevin Garnett, Zaza Pachulia had his beef with Garnett and got in his face to let him know what’s up. After everything was close to being broken up, Garnett finally decided to get tough after the altercation was just about over and attempted to make his way back to Pachulia which is when he started getting held back by the official, Ed Rush. The mindset of Garnett may have been blocked out by his own self because the adrenaline possibly got to his head, which may have caused him to rip Rush’s arms off of him and clearly shove him out of the way. To top it off, Celtics center Kendrick Perkins, clearly took a couple of steps off of the bench and he looked to be walking further out until one of the coaches held him back from going any further. The same came from the other side with Atlanta, when Marvin Williams had his foot on the floor. The difference between Williams and Perkins was that Williams only had his momentum moving him onto the floor unlike Perkins, who clearly looked as if though he was planning on stepping further if his coach weren’t to hold him back.

Now with David Stern in attendance of this game, the look on his face looked as if he might take at least a little bit of action and at least bring some discipline among somebody out on the court. But who would be the one to receive the consequences?

Well, Pachulia didn’t do anything deserving of consequences as all he did was basically stick up for his team by letting Garnett know that he wasn’t going to be throwing out those cheap shots to his team. Garnett didn’t do anything wrong when he exchanged words with Pachulia, even though he may have been wrong for throwing the elbow which started the whole situation. The main thing that he was wrong for is shoving the official out of the way in order to escalate the situation that was going on out on the floor.

Other questions that may be asked is if Williams or Perkins made a bad choice by barely stepping out onto the floor. No, they weren’t wrong for doing that because as a player, there are a few things running through your head if you see something like that…break it up, go out and stand up for your team or try and sit back so you don’t get into trouble. Most of the time, the first and second scenarios are mainly chosen by players. There is definitely nothing wrong with that either because a lot of people think that way. The problem came from the office of David Stern.

The first issue with Garnett shoving the official out of the way to escalate the beef on the court was looked at without a problem. Garnett doesn’t receive any consequences for it. Whether it’s because he is a highly respected player in the NBA, or the “referee wasn’t harmed in the shoving”, it’s hard to see that situation and hit Garnett with a suspension or at least a fine. But yet in the previous game when rookie Al Horford showed his (dis)respect for Paul Pierce by yelling at him while he was on the ground, Pierce walks towards the Atlanta bench and throws up some type of symbol that nobody knows except Pierce and he’s fined for it. Pierce stated that it stood for Blood, Sweat and Tears. I thought he was throwing up a 3, just basically telling Horford that it was only Game 3. Whatever it was, Pierce was fined and he apologized for it telling the NBA that he is not for promoting any type of gang violence.

Garnett is let off the hook, but the other issue involves with what happened with Marvin Williams and Kendrick Perkins. The rule in the NBA states that if any player leaves their bench in order to address an altercation on the court, they will receive some type of discipline. We saw what happened in last years playoffs when Steve Nash was shoved into the scorers table by Robert Horry in the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns. Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw were both suspended for stepping off of the bench after the situation started getting heated within a matter of seconds. As many people believe, those suspensions heavily affected that series as Phoenix was without some key performers. When you look at when Perkins and Williams stepped out onto the floor, it is similar to what happened last year. With Diaw, he looked as if he was just taking momentous steps when the situation in Phoenix got hot; that looks exactly like what Marvin Williams did. But with Stoudamire last year, he looked like he wanted to address the situation with some sort of retaliation, whether it was exchanging words or whatever. That may not have been Kendrick Perkins’ EXACT intentions but his steps towards the situation looked as if he was looking to do something before he realized that he may have took one step too many and it could result in a disciplinary action.

Whether it’s just a lean off of the bench or intentions to take action in the situation, the NBA wasn’t consistent about it. Williams and Perkins should’ve been suspended for what they did, even if it was just an inch onto the court. Consistency is key for the NBA and they didn’t show it in this particular situation.

Let’s take a look at the shove Garnett gave to Ed Rush. Now tell me if that wasn’t somebody like Rasheed Wallace, Al Horford or even Stoudamire, they wouldn’t get suspended either? I highly doubt that they would be playing in the next game.

This puts a big question mark over the NBA and David Stern. It’s obvious that he wants to see Boston and the Lakers in the NBA Finals and anything that could step in the way of that would break his heart. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see that again? Boston and L.A. just like the good ol’ days. I can understand Stern’s motivation but all he is doing is raising more suspicion and losing respect for the NBA. When disciplinary action needs to be made, nothing should stop you from making those actions even if it requires you “ruining your dream” (Stern’s dream is to see L.A. and Boston in the Finals of you didn’t get that one). It’s hard to tell if it would’ve affected the outcome of the series anyways, but there is still a level of consistency that needs to be kept. With this situation, there wasn’t any shown at all.

But even with no suspensions made, the series went to 7 games which was something I’m sure we all didn’t expect to see. Stern’s dream may be crushed within the next round or so. Atlanta basically exposed Boston and the next two rounds can bring problems for the Celtics. For now, Stern is happy. As long as the Lakers keep rolling, his dream season may still be a possibility. I’m not gonna lie…I would love to see a Celtics-Lakers Finals because I wasn’t able to see it back in the old days. Who wouldn’t want to see it? But situations like this show how phony the NBA can get and then you have to question other things that go on around the league. Stern just lost some of the little respect I had for him, and probably not just from me. I’m pretty sure plenty of Atlanta fans are pissed as well. Stern still has his dream intact, but his integrity will always be questionable, at least to me.

Memo to Mark Cuban: Sports aren't like the internet

By: Ray Dunseith

I'll start with my putting down of Mark Cuban by saying a few things about the guy. He is a genius. He made money off of very smart investments, and it’s not like he started off rich. He was born middle class and worked his way up to 10-digit status. He's from Steel City, and his dad was an auto-upholsterer. Cuban did well in school, got into college, held some smaller jobs to get by, and then when he saw computers were getting big he invested and made off big.

His smartest move was starting up broadcast.com and selling it to Yahoo for $6 bil. in stock. But what was his worst move? Was it letting Nash go? Was it making enemies with Davis Stern? Was it believing that Dirk Nowitzki can lead a team to a championship or was it trading for Jason Kidd?

None of the above. I think that his biggest mistake was firing Avery Johnson. He is the Mavericks. Why would you fire someone who got you to the NBA Finals 3 years ago? Sure they've been bounced first round two years in a row. But, in his (and the organization's defense), last year the Warriors were a completely different team after the trade deadline and were basically given two incredibly talented players for nothing (Dunleavy...yeah...). This year, they struggled because he had an ineffective trade made for Jason Kidd. All that did was lose your point guard of the future and give J-Kidd somewhere warm to spend his last days in the NBA (though I could see him playing well into his 60's). Avery Johnson is a talented coach. He learned from Greg Popovich (who must be doing something right. I think that for Cuban, losing Johnson is like losing Nash.

He can sign Flip Saunders if he gets fired from Detroit or go after another assistant coach (I would look for Terry Porter from the Pistons to wind up coaching somewhere in the near future) or offer some college coach a ridiculous amount of money, but it’s not going to matter. The teams’ problems aren't a coaching issue. Avery Johnson can't do anything about an owner who likes plying with around his roster (and the million dollar contracts of its players) like a fantasy team.

So until Cuban lets a GM do the work that they get paid and know how to do (well, as long as its not Isiah or Steve Kerr), expect this to continue Mavericks fans. Now Cubs fans, don't you wish that Marky-Mark had your payroll to play with?

Detroit vs. Orlando: Scrap City

By: Ray Dunseith

For a series where most articles that I read prior to it focused on how the starting shooting guards for each team are great friends (one even gave the other one their dog as a gift), the match up of the Orlando Magic and the Detroit Pistons seems to be headed in a rather violent direction. Both teams are scrappy and very hungry. Dwight Howard is one of the most physical players in the NBA, and Jason Maxiell and Antonio McDyess aren't quick to back down from fights. There were numerous pushing matches throughout the whole game, but what really tells me this is going to be a brawler was when Walter Herrman and Pat Garrity (yes that’s right that guy Pat Garrity) were about to fight playing the garbage minutes in the fourth quarter. I don't like it.

I love it.

It shows what heart both players have and how much they support their teammates (not that either one is really considered an enforcer on their team). Anyway, the point being made here is that don't let the Piston's 20 point lead fool you. This is going to be an exciting series for all of you NBA fans outside of Central Florida and the Mitten that didn't catch game one to come check out (even for you Western Conference fans that are used to 1,000,000 point games. I mean hey, this should be more exciting than Tim Duncan and those boring-a#$ Spurs).


Besides, if Boston gets upset by Atlanta (it is possible guys, just ask Mark Cuban about those kind of upsets), than this will be better than Hawks/LeBron and some other guys.

NBA Playoff Match-ups: Western Conference

By: Byron Parker

The Eastern Conference Playoff Preview may have been boring because…well, it’s the Eastern Conference. But the West is looking very strong and a lot of great match ups look to make this year’s playoffs very interesting. So with that said, here is a look at the match ups in the West.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets
Both of these teams have two things in common…they both consist of stars. The team that has proven that they can use them right is the Lakers. Lakers coach, Phil Jackson has had star powered teams like the Lakers, so he knows how to coach them. On the other hand, Denver coach, George Karl just doesn’t have the same resume as Jackson does. He may have made a lot of playoff appearances with some really good teams, but his coaching criteria don’t stand up to what Jackson has done. Let’s take a look at the teams. The Lakers has really made an unexpected run into the No.1 seed in the West. The Kobe Bryant drama was the main focus going into this season, but all that has been buried and they’ve made a tremendous run. The explosion of Andrew Bynum has probably been a tremendous amount in Kobe urging to stay put in L.A. and try to succeed there. When he went down, Pau Gasol became a Laker and it seems like all they’ve done is just win. Gasol was the best thing to happen to this team since Kobe, and the two together just make opponents look weak in every aspect of the floor. They can dominate inside with Gasol who is putting up almost 19 points a game and shooting 58% from the floor since he became a Laker. They have a terrific outside game as they ranks amongst the top 10 in three point shooting with 37%. And who else but Kobe would you love to have on your playoff roster. The way Bryant has played this season, it’s not hard to tell that he is hungry for that championship ring. He is in the running for the MVP award and has put up staggering numbers this season. He is well deserving of the award. Denver has not showed the consistency that you’re typically looking for in a championship caliber team. Their losses that they suffer are sometimes questionable and it’s hard to tell if this team deserved a playoff spot over the high energy Golden State Warriors. But that won’t stop them from competing. Denver is a high scoring team with superstars like Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. They are second in the league in overall scoring with 111 points a game, and they will be going against a team that gives up a significant 101.3 points a game. The problem is that Denver is ranked at the bottom of the list when it comes to the opposition scoring…2nd to last to be exact. And the Lakers rank among the top of the NBA in scoring. It is obvious that defense has been an issue for the Nuggets, and it would be hard to pick them over the Lakers. Denver does have the potential to give Los Angeles a fight but their season play has yet to prove that they are a legitimate playoff contender, rather than a playoff appearance. L.A. is just too powerful for Denver; from the starters to the bench. It will take defense for Denver to pull off an upset but that is not their game. Locking down the big man Gasol can give them a chance. A potential Defensive Player of the Year winner, Marcus Camby may have to complete that task. We’ve seen Kobe by himself and that makes the Lakers nothing but an average (Western) team. If you shut down one of the weapons like Gasol, that’s what they’ll become. One problem is that the Nuggets are just an average Western team. So that still wouldn’t give them an automatic series win. The Lakers look to take this one.


New Orleans Hornets vs. Dallas Mavericks
The Hornets have made an improbable run to become one of the elite teams out in the West, thanks to MVP candidate Chris Paul. What he has done for this franchise is give it hope for years to come. The Hornets are really a good team when you compare them to other teams out in the West. They pretty much have all of the weapons to be an all around good team. Paul is just the dream point guard to have. He is able to do so many things with his skills; drive the ball to the basket, shoot the three pointer, set up and create plays, distribute the ball and play superb defense. Tyson Chandler is Paul’s right hand man. Chandler lurks in the paint, waiting for somebody to drive the ball in on him as he has the ability to intimidate people. He is the go-to guy in the paint who really helps Paul’s assist total by being able to score easy baskets. Peja Stojakovic is one of the best three point shooters in the NBA, shooting a stellar 44% from outside. With Paul creating open looks on a nightly basis, Stojakovic can sit all day from beyond the arch and knock down the three. And David West is sort of like the professional version of Michael Beasley (note: I said “sort of”). He really is an underrated player and he has all type of skills that is significant to the Hornets success this year. His 20 points and 9 rebounds a game really goes under the radar. This is almost like an all fantasy team. You won’t be finding it difficult to lose your weekly match ups with this squad. The Dallas Mavericks have struggled with the addition of Jason Kidd, but they seemed to have turned it around towards the end of the season. It all looked bad when Dirk Nowitzki went down and they were in danger of missing the playoffs. Dallas went 5-3 in his return and it helped them motor themselves to a 7th seed. Only to face the Hornets really look like they have the better team. The experience is one thing that will DEFINITELY play a role in this one. The Mavs really have the edge in that category, and so does Dallas coach, Avery Johnson. This may not have been the type of season that he pictured, but it still is a respectable one. But the Mavs are itching to make it deep into the playoffs this year, especially after and early exit last season in favor of the Golden State Warriors. The Hornets are a way better team than last years Golden State team. But Johnson has a nag in turning up the intensity level in the playoffs. So when it comes down to it, the Mavs have the mental edge over New Orleans. That is not a reason that they will win though. This series will go tight and both teams will play hard. Even though Jason Kidd hasn’t looked is sharpest in a Dallas uniform, he is eager to get to the championship this year. The match up between both teams may delay Kidd and co. eagerness until next year. This will be a great match up that could possibly go all seven games, but New Orleans is physically too strong on the floor. Maybe the story would be different if the Mavs still had Devon Harris.


San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns
This is one of the greater match ups in the Western Conference playoffs. Both teams went strong to finish the season and strengthened their seeding. San Antonio ended the season winning 12 of their last 14 games. Phoenix turned around their dreadful slump winning 5 of their last 8. After making the trade which brought Shaquille O’Neal to Phoenix, the Suns looked pretty good. The problem was that they played pretty weak. But Phoenix coach, Mike D’Antonio looks like a genius because he was able to take the slow moving Shaq, and incorporate him into a fast, running team. How he was able to do it is beyond many, but he did it. But instead of making Shaq play with the type of offense that he isn’t really used to running with, D’Antonio has basically turned him into a role player to play in the paint. He is now relied upon for defense, rebounding and easy baskets. He has been shooting better from the floor at 61% and has become a better rebounder with 10.6 a game. Despite the record with Shaq in the lineup, they’ve really become better than what the numbers say. They now look like a team that can contend with all of the other Western Conference teams again. But the San Antonio Spurs are coming off of a championship and they still have the mindset in getting another one. As much as it has been said, we all know that experience plays a humongous role in a team’s ability to perform come playoff time. That’s why the Spurs are heavily favored in this first round match up. They have the most experience in winning which is something that they can take into this series against Phoenix. But what does Phoenix have that San Antonio doesn’t? They have experience in losing. Unlike the Spurs, the Suns have yet to exceed their expectations in the playoffs. And unlike the Suns, the Spurs have exceeded people expectations. This seems to be the year where nobody is expecting the Suns to make a run deep into these playoffs. With the tough playoff losses that they’ve suffered over the past couple of years, D’Antonio should have finally learned the thing he needs to do in order to accomplish what he needs done. And the magic piece is really Shaq. He has the most playoff experience and he can really get this team mentally prepared for this match up against San Antonio. With him finally able to play better with his new team, their new look can get them past the Spurs this year. Let’s not call it an upset though. These two teams are basically evenly matched. If anything, Phoenix has the better all around performers. Experience plays a role on San Antonio’s side. But the experience from losing with the same team (in Phoenix’ case) has enabled them to learn from their mistakes in the past couple of years, and this is the time that they can capitalize on them. The Suns should be able to knock off the defending champs. (BTW: Suns took season series 3-1)


Utah Jazz vs. Houston Rockets
With all the hype surrounding the Western Conference playoffs, this will probably be the one that goes under the radar. It’s hard to tell if this will end up being a boring series, or an intriguing one. Houston really has the storyline in this one due to all of the ups and downs to their season. The bad start, the Yao Ming injury, the 2nd longest winning streak in NBA history, the struggles after that, then the clinching of the 5th seed. Then you have the Utah Jazz who started off the season hot, then played mediocre ball, then got hot again…so on and so forth. So both teams tended to show inconsistency this season, more from the Rockets. Houston really hasn’t been shown any respect from their great season, but that gives reason why they can be make their opponents eat it in the playoffs. When it comes to Tracy McGrady, he has yet to win a playoff series in his NBA career. As much as it would be a sight to see him cry again, he won’t allow that to happen again. The Rockets proved that they didn’t need Yao Ming to compete in the West. When everybody wrote them off after the injury to Ming, they decided to not let that bother them and they wound up becoming playoff contenders. They were able to knock off tough opponents during their improbable 22 game win streak. They now have that on their resume but the Jazz have gone under the radar in the several weeks. They are one of the best home teams in the NBA (37-4), but their road record is pitiful (17-24). So that goes to show that home-court advantage will play a part in this series. Luckily for the Jazz, they have home court advantage in this one. As much as the Houston story may touch a lot of people, the Jazz really have a terrific team; they just tend to underachieve at some times. That is no reason to count them out of this one because if you look at all of the match ups in this series from position to position, Houston really can’t touch Utah. Utah is sort of like New Orleans when it comes to depth and weapons. They have the watered down version of Chris Paul in Deron Williams, their outside game constantly remains a threat with shooters like Okur, Kirilenko, Williams and Korver, and their inside man Carlos Boozer just knows how to dominate as an undersized power forward. Will Houston make this one close though? Most definitely. Houston has the mental game down pact, but Utah coach Jerry Sloan is the veteran in this one. Going up against the first year coach, Rick Adelman of the Rockets gives the Jazz an advantage going into this series. We might be blessed to see another emotional press conference from T-Mac this year.

Get ready for these matchups because every one of these WILL be fun to watch!

NBA Playoff Match-ups: Eastern Conference

By: Byron Parker

Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks were able to squeeze themselves into a playoff spot within the last week and a half. They have managed to finish the season under .500 and still clinch the eighth seed. But that just means that they will have to face the No. 1 seed in Boston. It may not be fair for people to write off the Atlanta Hawks against the rejuvenated Celtics, but that just may be the case. The Hawks are 0-3 against the Celtics in their season series and in those games, Atlanta showed no kind of trouble for the C’s. In all three games against Boston, Atlanta lost by 10 or more points. Paul Pierce has been scoring 22.3 points a game against Atlanta in his match up against Hawks forward, Marvin Williams. Williams isn’t the right defender for Pierce for obvious reasons. Pierce’s strength and ability to drive the ball to the basket is too much for Williams and Doc Rivers knows that. So he tends to run plays that involve Pierce going straight to the basket. And with Pierce being the good ball handler that he is, he has no problem with setting up the play himself and trusting himself to do the right things. This is Doc Rivers’ fourth appearance in the playoffs as a head coach and he has not had success at all. All four appearances resulted in a loss in the first round but if there is a year to change all of that, it’s now. He has a hungry team in all stars like Garnett, Pierce and Ray Allen. These three were the best on their respected teams but once they all got together in Boston, they’ve done nothing but show their strength in the NBA. All if them have basically been having fun and boosting the confidence of the rest of the team by leading them to the best record in the NBA. We all see that they are comfortable playing with each other. And there may be a lot of star power on this team, but they don’t let that affect how they play unlike some other teams would allow (cough-Denver-cough). Atlanta is eager to knock Boston out of their place but the numbers just don’t convince enough people to choose them over the C’s. This is a team that doesn’t possess a lot of playoff experience and even if they did, would it be enough to upset Boston? Mike Woodson has yet to accomplish anything in the NBA as a head coach, even though he’s only been coaching for 4 seasons. No disrespect, but it’s obvious that Atlanta doesn’t have enough weapons to overcome the powerful C’s.

Detroit Pistons vs. Philadelphia 76ers

If an upset were to occur in the playoffs, this would be the logical pick. Philly has been one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs, believe it or not. Throughout February and March, the 76ers were able to compile a record of 19-9 which included a couple of “mini” win streaks. These hot runs surprised many and now they see themselves holding down the 7th seed in the East which leads them to face the veteran team in the Detroit Pistons. One bonus that the Pistons DO consist of are veteran players which enables them to know how to play come playoff time. They’ve been to the Eastern Conference Finals four seasons in a row. The last two seasons have been failures under the head coach, Flip Saunders as this might be his last year to retain his position in the Pistons organization. Many blame him for the weak playoff losses in the past couple of seasons and feel that he is not capable of guiding a championship caliber team into the Finals. That may be true but there is a lot you can learn from being booted out of the playoffs two years in a row, especially since he still has the same team. The Pistons have gone through the first round without a problem over Saunders’ tenure in Detroit and this is the time where it seems like the Pistons have their heads on straight. Saunders will usually rest his starters towards the end of the season and this gives them time to relax before the playoffs begin. So as soon as the first round comes, they come out with a lot of energy and tend to treat their opponents as no problem. The thing for Philadelphia is that they’ve been using their starters in the last couple of weeks of the season in order to retain a playoff spot and fight their way into a higher seed. Detroit on the other hand already had clinched the 2nd seed and they had nothing to worry about, therefore giving the starters the opportunity to rest and letting the bench develop over the last couple of weeks. Philly is no pushover though. The season series is tied at 2-2 giving Philly a confidence boost going into the playoffs against them. Andre Iguadola is averaging almost 20 points a game against the Pistons and he has been the strength of their success. But Detroit just may have too much for Philly, even though Philly is playing the role as the underdog.

Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors
Orlando has taken the season series between these two teams, 2-1. And if you want honesty, the Raptors 41-40 record is a fluke. The Raptors have a really young, energetic team that hasn’t showed their full potential yet this season. So the chance of it showing in the playoffs just doesn’t favor them. Orlando on the other hand, has showed their potential throughout the 07-08 season. They were able to get off to a hot start and play consistent, team basketball which has led them to clinch the 3rd seed in the playoffs. Not many would have picked the Magic to do what they’ve accomplished this year, but their team is amongst the top in the East. The Raptors still show weaknesses in their lineup and many question their toughness. They do have Chris Bosh who has put together another solid season, scoring 22.5 points and grabbing 8.7 boards a game. But they don’t have anybody that can replace him off of the bench. So Bosh could easily get into foul trouble and the middle would basically be open for Dwight Howard. The match up between Howard and Bosh will be a fun one to watch because they are both the big men whom which their franchise is revolved around. They are dangerous scorers inside, Bosh is probably the most versatile and Howard is probably more intimidating. Both are excellent defenders and they bring a lot to the table when it comes to leadership. But when it comes to the all around team aspect, Orlando has a lot more. Hedo Turkoglu is one of the most underrated players in the NBA who can do things like hit clutch three’s, to drive the ball to the basket. Another threat that Orlando has is Rashard Lewis who is among the best at the small forward position. He compliments the team in all aspects of the court. And since coming to Orlando, Maurice Evans has been a key for the Magic’s success by both, coming off of the bench and contributing to starting on the floor. There are just too many threats on the floor for Orlando…at least when it comes against playing Toronto. Both teams rank among the top five in the NBA in shooting the three ball, but Orlando is mediocre at protecting the perimeter. That shouldn’t be a main problem for Orlando because they are among the best when it comes to scoring in the paint; something that is needed in playoff time because you can’t win off of jump shots all day. Orlando is the favorite for this series.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Washington Wizards
This should be one of the most intriguing match ups in the Eastern Conference. This has showdown has a lot of significance to it because of the trash talking that has already occurred on the Washington side. Wizards guard, DeShawn Stevenson had the nerve to say that the NBA’s leading scorer, LeBron James is overrated. And superstar Gilbert Arenas went on to say that he doesn’t believe that the Cavs can beat the Wizards in the playoffs three years in a row. In saying that, Arenas does have a point. The Cavs have entire different look to their team with the additions of Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Joe Smith and Wally Sczerbiak. So it will be interesting to see how head coach, Mike Brown can get them to run well in the playoffs. It shouldn’t be any different than the regular season, but the energy level will have to be turned up a notch if they want to dominate the 1st round. On the other side, Washington didn’t have Gilbert Arenas in last years 1st round against the Cavs, so they have a different look to their lineup that Mike Brown didn’t see in last years playoffs. Since Arenas has returned from that knee injury that sidelined him for most of the season, he has been held to limited minutes for precautionary reasons. In only about 21 minutes per, Arenas has been able to come off of the bench for the last part of this season and put up 14.6 points a game. That is an encouraging sign for the Wiz going into the playoffs. The only thing that concerns people is that the Washington “Big Three” haven’t all played that much together in a while. Caron Butler has been bothered by injuries over the last several of weeks of the season and he’s basically been on and off of the court. Antawn Jamison will be the key going into this series for plenty of reasons. Jamison possesses all kinds of abilities on the floor. He knows how to play exceptional defense, he can make cuts to the basket and his jumper is a threat. This has been one of his best seasons thus far, averaging 21.4 points and 10.2 rebounds a game. The Cavs are coming into this match up with questions still surrounding their ability to play team basketball. Lebron is the pure star on this team, but they tend to get the job done when it needs to be accomplished. And with all of the recent trash talking that has been going on in the Washington locker room, the Cavs feed off of that. We all know LeBron loves it, as he showed it a couple of times this season when he had fans taunting them and he went on to take over those games and lead the Cavs to victory. If he is on the court with the same people who were talking trash about him and his team, imagine the possibilities. This looks like a match up that is truly evened out on all sides, and it looks like it will go deep. But the Cavs may be the ones that take this one away for the third consecutive year. As you can see, there are a few terrific match ups coming out of the first round in the Eastern Conference. There will likely be a lot of series going to deep, so the great match ups indicate that it will be difficult for a sweep to occur in this first round.