Highlights from the NBA seasons so far

Fun Fact:

NBA Center of the Chicago Bulls, Joakim Noah is known by many as quite a strange character. His hair is unlike most we’ve seen and it seems that the only way to describe him and his hair is just by simply showing you a picture (look below). In addition, to make things even stranger, he has many different nationalities. He is of Cameroonian descent, and is part American, French, and Swedish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ahh the NBA season is more than upon us, and in fact we only have one week left! The playoff chase in the East seems to be just about all wrapped up as all eight teams in this conference have clinched their playoff birth. But in the West, it is a completely different story as you have two teams–the Jazz and Lakers–brutally fighting for the last and final playoff spot. Each game is played as if it is their last and truthfully every single game counts, as each day both teams seem to be in a different spot than they were the day before. One day, their future seems extremely bright, the next the other one’s future seems even brighter. This seems like it will come right down to the wire, and it certainly will be very excited–except for Jazz or Laker’s fans, as this will be one of the most nerve-wracking weeks of their lives.

 

But another note, the Miami Heat definitely have had one of the greatest seasons in NBA history. Not necessarily because of their record, or points per game, or even their defense numbers, but because of their sheer dominance over teams. The Heat came close to what we thought was–not just basically, probably, most likely– but actually a ‘NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN EVER. EVER. EVER.’ record. During the 1971-1972 NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers won an incredible 33 GAMES IN A ROW. And just in case you were wondering: Yes there was no typo there, they actually did win 33 GAMES IN A ROW. Well the Miami Heat came so close to that record, that we thought that they actually had not just good, but great chance of beating their record. The Heat just kept on winning games after games after games, and eventually they ended up on a 27 game win streak!

It was truly unbelievable. No one could even have foreseen this in their wildest dreams. On February 2nd, the day after a blowout lost to the Indiana Pacers, the Heat were 29-14. When their win streak ended, they were an unbelievable, 56-15 (included the lost that ended their streak). They hadn’t lost since the NFL Super Bowl! It was truly something amazing to be a part of it. It is very worth while to take a lsook at this timeline of their win streak.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/03/27/sports/basketball/miami-heat-winning-streak-timeline.html?_r=0#/#time248_7351

To put it in another perspective, just take a look of this video recapping the Heat’s win streak.

Heat’s 27 game win streak highlights

On some other news there has certainly been some impressive performances from players this year. James Harden, who was traded to Houston, as been an outstanding player, going from a sixth man to an NBA star. Rookie Damian Lillard is  surprisingly having an unbelievable season. Former Davidson superstar, and now NBA superstar Stephen Curry, has scored the most points in an NBA game this season with 54, and he hit an astonishing 11 threes.

Stephen Curry (shooting)

My last and final note is the scoring title is going to be a quite exciting one, most likely coming down to the final day of the NBA season between Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant.

Kevin Durant (left), Carmelo Anthony (right)

We all don’t want the NBA season to end, but yet at the same time, we are also really looking forward for it to finish, because we are excited for what’s to come.

NBA finals trophy!

Offseason Grades Part #8.5

Tags

Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers, Damian Lillard, Fear the Beard, Golden State, Harrison Barnes, Houston Rockets, James Harden, Jeremy Lin, Kevin Love, Linsanity, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Hornets, Omer Asik, Rookie, Ryan Anderson, Sacramento Kings, Shrek, Stephen Curry, Unibrow

Continued from Offseason Grades Part #8

 

 

The Houston Rockets: Offseason Grade: A+

This team by far had the most successful offseason, probably in a long time. They went from being a terrible team to an a fantastic one. In the offseason they drafted a plethora of young players who will be very good one day. They signed Carlos Delfino and Omer Asik, two players who can make a huge difference. Omer Asik is basically the closet thing to Shrek you’ll ever see. He is actually humongous.

Omer Asik!

See the resemblance! (between Omer Asik)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They also singed Jeremy Lin, probably one of the biggest story lines of last year. Jeremy Lin went from a nobody to a renown player and public figure. The catchy slogan, ‘Linsanity’, and any other derivations from that word become hugely popular. In addition the Rockets also traded for James Harden, who if you are unfamiliar with, YOU HAVE TO LOOK HIM UP RIGHT NOW. He is an absolutely fantastic superstar, who has the ability to turn any team around.

James Harden

 

Phoenix Suns: Offseason Grade: B-

Acquired some good players but only at the cost of losing some other great players (like Steve Nash).

Portland Trailblazers: Offseason Grade: A

Their grade is an A only because they drafted Damian Lillard, who is an a complete Stud. He is only a rookie and yet he is one of the best point guards in the NBA.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Offseason Grade: B+

They signed a couple of good players like, Andrei Kirilenko, Brandon Roy, Alexey Shved, Chase Budinger, and Dante Cunningham.

Golden State: Offseason Grade: B

They drafted a great young player in Harrison Barnes and drafted an excellent six man in Jarrett Jack.

Sacramento Kings: Offseason Grade: D

The Kings are a terrible franchise, and in fact I once read a column that was about who were the losers of the past Trade Deadline. The author replied, the losers for the Trade Deadline are whoever did not get traded by the Kings. Well, unfortunately he is 100% correct. The Kings are just a sad, depressing franchise. They have nothing going good for them, nothing to look positive for, and they have a practically no fan support. The Kings might even more to Seattle! Well in the offseason, they didn’t help their case at all. They actually signed only four players, and each one of them are practically worthless. It almost seems that the Kings are content with being a pitiful franchise.

In fact they are so bad that someone even made a video titled: “Where Sacramento Kings Suck Happens”

 

New Orleans: Offseason Grade:B+

The Hornets had a very productive offseason even though they didn’t make that many moves. They drafted Anthony Davis with the Number One overall pick and Austin Rivers with the Number 10 overall pick in the draft. Both these player’s potentials have no bounds, and they are surely going to be superstars one day. In addition, they traded for 3-point specialist Ryan Anderson, who surprisingly is also a wonderful rebounder. The moves that the Hornets made during this past offseason may not make them good immediately but they are sure to have an impact in future.

That is it for my Offseason Grades. I have official finished them—all 30 teams. I hope you liked and agreed with them, but if you did not, leave a comment and tell me what you think the proper grade should be for that certain team! Or you can comment and tell me what you think overall about my grades. Enjoy the NBA Season!

Offseason Grades Part #8

Tags

Andre Iguodala, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Clippers, los angeles lakers, Michael Jordan, Utah Jazz

Fun Fact:

Almost everyone knows that Michael Jordan is the best basketball player to ever play the game, but what many people don’t know is that he was extremely superstitious. Throughout his entire career, he would wear his North Carolina (his Alma-mater) practice shorts under his NBA uniform for good luck. Before this, NBA players used to wear shorts that went down to their upper thighs, and as believed by many, Michael Jordan is one of the main reasons why NBA players nowadays wear shorts down to their knees. This way he could keep his superstition alive while effectively hiding his shorts.

Hello! I think it is about time I finish up my Offseason Grades for they have been going on for a very long time, but only because I have been doing each team extremely thoroughly. There will be two more blogs on the Offseason Grades: one will be this one, and I will finish them up in “Offseason Grades Part #8”. Unfortunately, in order to finish them, I am going to go through each team rather quickly, starting with my personal favorite, the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers: Offseason Grade: A

Acquired superstar Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, and many great roles players like Jodie Meeks and Antwan Jamison. But arguably the most pleasant surprise has been Earl Clark, who absolutely nobody (besides himself…maybe…actually probably not even himself) thought he would be putting up the numbers that he is and more importantly ACTUALLY STARTING on the Los Angeles LAKERS TEAM.

 

Los Angeles Clippers: Offseason Grade: A-

They acquired a plethora of great great role players, with players like Lamar Odom, Matt Barnes, and Jamal Crawford highlighting the class of role players who they acquired. But what is most scary, most of the players they got could easily be starters on many other teams, but the Clippers are so deep, that these players are just role players here. This just proves how good the clippers could potentially be.

easily the dunk of the year

 

The Denver Nuggets: Offseason Grade: A+

Their grade is an A+ simply because they acquired all-around player, Andre Iguodala, who could easily be a prolific scorer if he wasn’t such an unselfish player; in addition, he is actually willing to waste a lot of energy on defense when most superstars won’t.

 

Dallas Mavericks: Offseason Grade: B

Acquired only decent players, with the exception of O.J. Mayo, who is a fantastic player and if it wasn’t for him their grade would be a C, because it seems that only reason the players were signed was only to fill up space. Whenever a team does this, you are asking for a disastrous season. Moreover, the Mavericks are sinking fast and they needed a couple of good acquisitions, which unfortunately they got none of.

Dirk’s not the only one puzzled around here!

 

Utah Jazz: Offseason Grade: F*

The reason they received an F is because they actually made absolutely no significant offseason moves. The reason I put the ‘asterisk’ though is because they didn’t necessarily need to make any offseason moves, therefore their offseason may not have been too exciting but it wasn’t as bad as one may think.

(Left) Jamaal Tinsley, (Center) Al Jefferson, (Right) Paul Milsap

 

I will be finishing my grades in “Offseason Grades Part #8.5”! So make sure to check back for that one!

Offseason Grades Part #7

Tags

brooklyn nets, nba, rasheed wallace, sports

Fun Fact:

Only Rasheed Wallace, who is probably most notoriously known for constantly receiving technical fouls, arguing with Refs, and being ejected. He is what you call ‘a head-case’, but you gotta love him. He may be stupid, but he is great entertainment! Recently he was ejected for screaming, “The ball don’t lie” after a player missed a free throw. Below is the link to the video (if you aren’t interested in watching the whole thing, skip to 0:36 to hear him proclaim “the ball don’t lie!”

 

Bonjour! Welcome back to my NBA blog. Today I will finish handing out my grades for the Eastern Conference in my seventh blog on my continuing series, “NBA Offseason Grades”.  The last four teams that I have yet to grade. Those teams are: Brooklyn, Cleveland, Washington, Charlotte. The reason why I have saved these teams for last is because they were the four worst teams in the East last year. But although they were terrible, they have the most potential to have a very successful offseason, because due to them being terrible they will have incredibly draft picks. With an a good offseason these teams good easily turn around their team and actually be good in a year or two. With that being said, let’s get started!

 

First team, the Brooklyn Nets. Offseason Grade: A+

Brooklyn’s season last year was a huge struggle for them. Not only did they go 22-44, but hardly any fans would show up to their games, as their attendance records were dropping faster than flies. (Last season, they were dead last in the NBA in fan attendance. Here just look for yourselves: http://espn.go.com/nba/attendance/_/year/2012 ). It was crucial for Brooklyn to have a fantastic offseason and rebuild their team and attract more fans. The Brooklyn Nets weren’t the Brooklyn Nets last year; they were actually the New Jersey Nets, but with fans showing hardly any interest in their team anymore, New Jersey wasn’t reaching season goals and expectations for raising money and drawing fan interest. They were seriously in need of a change, and they needed to do something to spark the team. So New Jersey decided to move, and they moved to Brooklyn. Brooklyn was the perfect place for them (this was going to be Brooklyn’s first team ever), and all of a sudden everyone was excited again for the Nets, but in all fairness their amazing offseason played a large part in that.

Empty New Jersey Nets Stadium

Brooklyn basically re-made their entire team this past offseason, and their roster looks completely different than from last year. Brooklyn drafted Tyshawn Taylor, a very athletic point guard, who has tons of potential.  They acquired Andray Blatche, Josh Childress, Jerry Stackhouse, CJ Watson, and Reggie Evans; five fantastic bench players who will provide excellent production and fill in nicely for the starters. But most notably, they acquired Joe Johnson, a six-time NBA all-star, a superstar, and an extremely clutch player, who has hit game winning shots over and over. But despite everyone they gained, they didn’t lose any vital players, thus making their offseason a great success.

Barclay’s Center (Brooklyn Nets Stadium)

 

Cleveland Cavaliers, Offseason Grade: C+

As we all probably know by now, Lebron James so harshly ditched Cleveland a couple of years back, and since then the Cavs just haven’t been the same. They actually went from first to worst, and in just one short night, Lebron went from the most loved person in Cleveland to the most hated.

James jersey burning

Cleveland has been absolutely awful since Lebron left, they had the worst record in the NBA two years ago, and they in fact, they lost 26 straight games at one stage during the 10-11 NBA season. The Cavs needed tons of help through the draft and they certainly helped themselves by drafting Dion Waters and Tyler Zeller, but they simply didn’t make enough moves during the offseason. They didn’t loose or sign anyone that important and that is why their offseason grade was just average with a C+.

 

 

Washington Wizards, Offseason Grade: B

For the past couple of years Washington has been a bit of a mystery. They would go into the season with an extremely high ceiling and high expectations—people would think that their team actually could be good this year. But despite this, Washington has still been atrocious, and they were terrible again last year—with a record of 20-46. But you gotta wonder? If Washington has so much potential, why are they so bad each year?  The reason is because they are SUCH a young team and as a result they make a lot of stupid, idiotic plays. Washington began to be notoriously known for making bone head plays that absolutely made you scratch your head.

So for Washington’s offseason, they didn’t need much. All they needed was for their young players to mature and come together as a team. Regardless, they still drafted an extremely young, athletic, and fantastic player in Bradley Beal. They also signed Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor, who should bring not only maturity but also a fantastic defensive presence.  Washington didn’t need much this offseason (besides for maturity), but nonetheless they still acquired a good group of players that should help them mature and play more efficiently.

 

 

Charlotte Bobcats, Offseason Grade: B

If you walk up to any NBA, really any American sports fan and ask them what they think of the Charlotte Bobcats, I can guarantee you that 100 times out of 100 times the answer will either be: terrible/bad or something negative. And if it is a positive answer, the answer will be sarcastic. The Bobcats really are a terrible team, just absolutely awful. They set the record last year for worst winning percentage ever in an NBA season. (They went 7-59, with a .106 winning percentage.) They were so bad that in fact they became America’s punch line for a while. Everybody made jokes about them.

Going into the offseason it was clear that the Bobcats could not even come close to rebuilding their team so that they would be even remotely good this year. They had a different agenda than everyone else this offseason: sign enough players that were young and good so that in a couple of years they could be relevant again. They did do that, but unfortunately those players they signed weren’t that young or good. But still they did sign some good players and drafted, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, a player who has a ‘motor that never stops’ and has a ton of potential. With the moves they made this year, Charlotte may not be good at all this year, but in a couple years these moves might just pay off.

 

That will be all for this edition of Offseason grades, I hope everyone enjoyed my grades for the Eastern Conference. In my next blog I will be grading the Western Conference!

Offseason Grades Part #6

Fun Fact: Walt Bellamy actually played 88 games (1968-1969) during a 82-game regular season, the most ever for one season. Bellamy began the season in a New York Knicks uniform but was later traded to the Detroit Pistons who, at the time, had actually played six games less than the Knicks. Thus he played 88 games! 

Walt Bellamy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aloha everyone! Today, for my sixth installment of NBA Offseason Grades, I will almost be finishing up with my grades for the Eastern Conference (after this blog, I will only have four teams left). But as of now, I am going to do the Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, and Toronto Raptors. At first these teams may not seem too interesting or exciting, but you never know, with the right moves and correct additions; any team can become good! In addition, if your offseason transactions end up working out, your team will gradually be more and more talked about, and eventually be viewed as an exciting teams. Just look at the Oklahoma City Thunder for example. They went from being a bunch of nobodies to one of the best, most exciting teams in the NBA. With that, I hope everyone is ready to begin my sixth installment of offseason grades.

 

First off, the Milwaukee Bucks. Offseason Grade: C+

Milwaukee was one of those teams that had made excellent moves during the regular season (acquired Monta Ellis and Ekpe Udah) so going into the offseason they didn’t need to do much. All they needed to do was hope that their trade panned out properly. But that being said, just in case it didn’t work, it would still be nice to have a back-up plan to fall back on. In the offseason, Milwaukee didn’t make or acquire any significant players, but they also didn’t lose anyone significant. Therefore I cannot go any higher than C+, because there offseason was just mediocre.

Brandon Jennings

 

The Detroit Pistons, Offseason Grade: B+

Detroit for a very long time had been feared by just about anyone in the league, but not just because they were amazing, but also because they were a nasty, tough, and gritty team. But since 07-08 (Detroit’s last/most recent successful team), when they went 59-23, they have been on a downward spiral, hoping to rebuild through the draft and by signing young and upcoming players in the offseason. After a bad 2012 season, the Pistons were once again looking to strength their team through the draft and via offseason signings. They did do just that, as they had a very successful offseason. But their offseason wasn’t a success because it is going to make them good this year, it was a success because it adequately sets them up/prepares them for the future (which is what they need when a team is in ‘rebuilding mode’. They drafted Andre Drummond (an extremely young player with huge upside/potential) and Kyle Singler (a great player, who they actually drafted in 2011, but he only decided to play on their team this year, because he played overseas for a year). And they also signed young, but yet experienced players in Jonny Flynn, Corey Maggette, and Terrence Williams. And in addition, they didn’t lose any players who were that important. Hopefully with a rather successful offseason, the Piston’s future will, in a year or two, start to become much brighter.

Greg Monroe surrounded by Piston’s teammates

 

Toronto Raptors, Offseason Grade: B-

Toronto wasn’t exactly the best team last year; in fact they were near the worst with a 23-43 record. They needed to make some serious offseason acquisitions and proper draft moves to become relevant once again. Toronto’s offseason was just a little above average, as they clearly tried to improve, but they unfortunately ended up with mainly a bunch of average players. However they did acquire two bright sparks. They drafted Terrence Ross, an EXTREMELY athletic player who appears to have bright future. And they acquired Kyle Lowry, an excellent point guard, who can shoot, rebound, pass, and even steal the ball. Unfortunately these two players most likely won’t be enough to make Toronto even a playoff contender, but they are a good cornerstone or building foundation. Regardless, if the Raptors want to be good again, they will have to have a better offseason next year.

Star point guard, Kyle Lowry disappointed

 

My Sixth Edition of NBA Offseason Grades has come to an end. Be sure to check back next time, as I will be completing my offseason grades for the Eastern Conference!

Offseason Grades Part #5

Fun Fact: Shaquille O’Neil shot 11252 free throws in his career and he missed 5317 of them! He only made 5935 free throws with a percentage of 52.7%!

 

 

Hello all! Welcome back to my fifth edition of NBA offseason grades. I hope everyone is excited, as it has been a long time since my last post. In this edition, I will be grading the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, and Philadelphia 76ers offseasons. I grade them based upon what talent left their team, which players they received/signed, and what issues they needed to address and if they properly addressed those issues. That being said, it is time to give out my grades.

 

First team, The Boston Celtics. Offseason Grade: A+

After their disappointing playoff loss to the Miami Heat, the Celtics future wasn’t looking too bright—they were not getting any younger and in fact, they were one of the oldest teams in the NBA. They needed a fantastic offseason in order to ensure that they would have a chance to compete for an NBA title.

They Celtics didn’t lose any important players besides Superstar, Ray Allen, but he it isn’t too big of a loss—provided they properly replace him with one or two, good-to-great players—because Allen is aging and the Celtics do need to get younger. The Celtics did just that, as they not only adequately replaced him, they in fact, did much much more than that. They drafted Jared Sullinger, a college basketball superstar and Fab Melo, a fantastic defensive player in college.  They also signed Jason Terry, a Six Man of the Year award winner, a NBA title winner, and an extremely clutch player—one who is more than content with shooting when it matters most, thus making him an extremely valuable piece to any NBA team. They also signed Courtney Lee, a great edition to their team and will provide the Celtics with extremely valuable minutes. In addition to this, they also resigned all of their important players.

Boston Celtics

 

 

The Atlanta Hawks, Offseason Grade:B+ 

After a couple of disappointing playoff losses, and ultimately being eliminated from the playoffs (in the first or second round) for what seemed like year after year, the Hawks were in need of serious change. The problem was: They always had a good team, but never a team that was good enough to advance past the second round, and after all the goal of the NBA is to win an NBA championship. If a team can’t win the championship then they are useless, and will sooner or later, lose all hope and support from their hometown city—which they did. They simply needed to just hit the ‘Reset Button’ and basically start over.

To achieve their goal, they traded Atlanta’s iconic superstar, Joe Johnson in exchange for a ton of role players, who all had a talent level of average-to-good, and they also traded, 2^nd Overall Pick (who in the eyes of many was a huge bust), Marvin Williams for a good point guard. They also let Kirk Hinrich, Vladimir Radmanovic, Willie Green, and Jannero Pargo leave. By doing all of this, they cleaned out all their old players that were causing the Hawks to be ‘stuck in mud’, and thus the Hawks could now truly start FRESH.  Now with numerous spots open on their team, the Hawks had the freedom to sign whoever they wanted. They drafted John Jenkins and Mike Scott, two great college players, and they signed Lou Williams, a fantastic player and proven scorer who is willing to take any shot, at any giving time. They also signed Devin Harris, an extremely fast point guard, who is also proven scorer, Kyle Korver, currently one of the best three point shooters in the NBA, Anthony Morrow and DeShawn Stevenson, two fantastic three point shooters, and in addition Stevenson is a fantastic defensive player, and was a major part of the Mavericks’ amazing championship run. All of these players fit exceptionally into the Hawks system, and will be great additions this year. These players give the Hawks a bright future, and they also give them the freedom to do whatever the Hawks please in the days to come.

Josh Smith (right) and Joe Johnson (no longer on the Hawks)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Orlando Magic, Offseason Grade: F—- (if there was a lower grade, I would give them that)

They lost their best player, and arguably the best Center in the league, in Dwight Howard and got almost nothing in return.  They drafted ok players in Andrew Nicholson and Kyle O’Quinn.  But regardless, they didn’t receive any players that could come even close to Dwight Howard’s value and talent, as the two best players they received were: Arron Afflalo and Al Harrington. In fact, neither of the two superstars that were traded in the four team deal (excluding Dwight Howard, obviously) inexplicably didn’t even go to the Magic. Just about every single person was baffled, shocked by this terrible trade. The Orlando Magic were clearly ripped off in a trade that will probably go down as one of the worst trades in NBA History.

A “Dwightmare” indeed

 

 

 

Philadelphia 76ers, Offseason Grade: A-

Philadelphia was one of the teams that were part of the Dwight Howard trade, and they came out more than victorious in this trade, and as a result had a wonderful, almost perfect offseason. They may have lost Superstar Andre Iguodala, Lou Williams (a remarkable  player), Jodie Meeks, and Elton Brand, but they signed and received plenty of players to make up for them. They signed Nick Young, Jason Richardson, Dorell Wright—three fantastic 3-point shooters that are also nice pieces that will fit in well on just about any team. But the biggest signing was Andrew Bynum, the league’s 2^nd best Center (according to some though, he may be the best). He will be a great addition to the 76ers, and will immediately make them a great team. The only reason why I gave them an A- is because Andrew Bynum is extremely injury prone, but if the 76ers and Bynum can (hopefully) overcome his injury problems, they will be a more than relevant team in the NBA.

Andrew Bynum (left), Jason Richardson (right)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My 5th Edition of NBA Offseason grades has sadly come to an end, but don’t forget to come back and check for more updates and for new blogs on the NBA!

Offseason Grades Part #4

Fun Fact: The Eastern Conference has dominated the Western Conference with 36 NBA titles. The Western Conference has only won 27 titles.

 

 

Hello everyone and welcome back to my fourth installment of the offseason grades of the NBA. Excitement is certainly in the air, as almost every casual NBA fans knows that NBA 2k13, a highly anticipated NBA video game, is set to release tomorrow. On the other hand, so far, I have graded four NBA teams: the Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Oklahoma City Thunder. In today’s addition (part #4), I am excited to grade the Indiana Pacers and the Memphis Grizzlies.

 

– The Indiana Pacers, who perhaps, most surprisingly out every NBA team, finished with a record of 42-24, one spot in front of my Los Angeles Lakers, and one spot behind the NBA champion Miami Heat. Just about out of nowhere, the Pacers, who last year (2010-2011 season) finished 19th overall in the NBA, with a mediocre—at best—record of 37-45. Besides  Pacers’ fans (and maybe not even them), no one saw this coming, I mean the Pacers leap-frogged 14 spots, and finished with the 5th best record in the NBA, and was 3rd overall in the Eastern Conference. Characterized by outside shooting and athleticism, and filled with young and upcoming stars, the Pacers took the NBA by storm and lost a disappointing second round series in the playoffs to the Miami Heat—a series loaded with blown, chances as the Pacers watched lead after lead slip away. It was clear that despite the Pacers sudden success, they weren’t at all where they needed to be. They had to improve in the offseason.

Offseason Grade: B+

The Pacers didn’t do anything spectacular this offseason, and they didn’t exactly have any superstar acquisitions. But what they did do, was add multiple average-too good players. Adding a couple of good players will ultimately have the same affect that one superstar player has, mainly because now, not only does your team bolster its bench, but it also improves its overall skill set. They drafted a nice, big center out of Duke in Miles Plumlee, who although is a massive 6′ 10″, 245 lbs PF/C, is extremely agile and athletic for his size, and fits nicely into the Pacers offense. They Pacers also signed PG D.J. Augustin (averaged 11.1 PPG, 6.4 AST, and shot 38% and 34% on field goals and three-pointers per game respectively), Gerald Green (a ‘high flyer’, an extremely good athlete, who averaged 13 PPG last year, and fits in fantastically with the Pacers play style/schemes), and defensive specialist Sam Young. They also signed Ian Mahinmi who is a young and upcoming PF/C. The only player they lost that will affect them was back-up point guard, Darren Collison, but the Pacers found a valuable replacement to Collison via Augustin. The Pacers will be a superb team this year mainly because they are likely to be even better than they were last year, due to players like George Hill, David West, Roy Hibbert, Danny Granger, and Paul George, who are in place to and will without a doubt improve. In addition to all their improving players, the acquisitions the Pacers made in the offseason will make them even more dangerous of a team that I look forward to watching. The Pacers are a young team on the rise who haven’t even reached their potential yet, and they look to be a scary, exciting team that no one will want to face.

 

– The Memphis Grizzlies were a team that had high high expectations going into the 2011-2012 season. The Grizzlies met those expectations in the regular season, but collapsed in the playoffs, and were knocked out in the first round. Unfortunately—despite having a record of 41-25, having the 7th best record in the NBA, and the 4th best record in the Western Conference—they were a mere shell of what they were in the regular season. They lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Clippers in dramatic, disappointing fashion, as it seemed that they blew and practically gave away each and every game. During the regular season, the Grizzlies didn’t have any obvious issues, but the playoffs proved that no team is perfect, and the Grizzlies do have some problems and holes. After the playoffs it became substantial that the Grizzlies improve over the offseason. They didn’t.

Offseason Grade: C

The Grizzlies needed to make some noticeable, but yet positive changes during the offseason.  They did make noticeable changes, but they weren’t positive ones. The Grizzlies signed nobody important or game-changing over the course of the NBA offseason. They didn’t gain anybody, and instead the lost O.J. Mayo to the Dallas Mavericks and Dante Cunnigham to the Minnesota Timberwolves.  Mayo, a shooting guard out of USC, and a number 3 overall draft pick played a huge role in Memphis his four years while he was there. His first two years on the team were arguably his best years. He averaged 18.5 PPG and 17.5 PPG during his rookie season and his 2nd season respectively, while making nearly two threes a game.  But over the last two seasons, his minutes dropped significantly and he only averaged 11.3 and then 12.6 PPG. But he still made 1.5 threes a game, and he proved vital to Memphis excellent win-loss record. His minutes and points might have dropped but that was mainly because he had a new role for the team, a role in which he excelled in. They also lost Dante Cunnigham, who played a big role as a back-up, played his hardest at all times, and performed when called upon. The only player Memphis gained was through the NBA draft. They drafted Tony Wroten, a 6′ 6″, 208 lbs PPG out of Washington  who as freshman averaged 16 PPG and he will be important to the Grizzlies this year. Bottom line is: Memphis is a great team, who are athletic, can shoot, steal, rebound, play physical, and even play defense. Would a Grizzlies’ fan have liked them to make more acquisitions and sign players in the offseason? Yes. But due to Memphis being so young and versatile, not making so many moves shouldn’t effect them to much. Memphis ‘will be aiyt’ and more than relevant as they will be an extremely powerful team this season.

 

Alright, this’ll be it for my fourth edition of “Offseason Grades”, be sure to come back shortly and to check frequently for my next edition of “Offseason Grades”.

Offseason Grades Part #3 ~ A Tribute to the Miami Heat

Fun Fact:  Dennis Rodman, a roughly 6’6″-6’8″ forward, now in the Hall of Fame and a former NBA Player, who, in one season, averaged 18.7 Rebounds per game, (and also know as a completely crazy person, who had 212 career Technical Fouls) didn’t even play ONE SECOND of high school basketball, and was only 5’11” when he graduated. But he grew eight more inches by the time he was twenty, at which point he ultimately quit his job working nights as a janitor at the Dallas-Forth Worth airport in order to play basketball at Cooke County Junior College, and went on to being drafted into the NBA by the Detroit Pistons.

Dennis Rodman, although not in this picture, Rodman typically had literally  rainbow colored hair

 

Hello everybody! The NBA season is soon to start, and I hope everyone is excited. Also, ‘hit’ video game, NBA 2k13 is soon to be released (October 2nd).  So far I have graded three NBA teams, the Chicago Bulls, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Oklahoma City Thunder. I look forward to grading even more NBA teams in my continuing, Offseason Grades series. For Part #3 of series, I will just be grading the Miami Heat, mainly because there is so much to talk about relating to the Heat, and so much in-depth detail to go into. This part of my series also serves as a tribute to the Miami Heat—the 2012 NBA Champions.

 

– Don-Dah-Dah!!… Introooducing: The 2012 NBA Champions, the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat finished with the fourth best record in  the league, going 46-20 en route to their 2nd NBA Championship. They had an impressive, 28-5 record at home, tied for best in the league with the Spurs. They also had Lebron James, just a 3-time MVP and finals MVP, who helped out their team indescribably. **NOTE: I feel I almost have to give so much credit to Lebron and the Heat, mainly because of my known hatred for Lebron and the Heat.** It is always easier to grade a defending NBA champion, since it shouldn’t take many additions to be great next year.

Lebron James 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Offseason Grade: A

The Heat’s team is almost every head coach’s dream. They have a young, highly talented, full of potential point guard, in Mario Chalmers; and Shane Battier, a great shooting small/power forward/shooting guard. They also have Chris Bosh, who is arguably one of the best power foward/centers in the game, and Dwayne Wade, who is probably the second best shooting guard in the NBA. And oh yeah, they Lebron James! The Heat have speed and athleticism mixed with great shooting, passing, and ball handling skills. That is a formula almost impossible to stop. They went out this offseason and bolstered that championship pedigree even more.

They signed Rashard Lewis, who is 6’10”-6’11” small forward, a once 20 point per game scorer, and a player who used to average almost three 3’s made per game. They also went out and signed an undoubtable Hall-of-Famer, who is the current NBA leader in all-time 3’s made and has the record for most 3’s ever made in a career, Ray Allen. Ray Allen also used to average 20 ppg and if you look at a list of NBA records, he has just about every single NBA record relating to three pointers. **Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis were coincidentally teammates for the Seattle Supersonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder) from 02-07 and were once know as the best shooting duos.** Just these two players turn the Heat’s already phenomenal three point shooting into a ‘it’s so good it’s unfair’ three point shooting.

One might say, So What? Aren’t these players too old anyway? Well the answer is yes they are old, but only to a certain degree. People say that you can never be to old to be a good shooter, because once you are a good shooter, you never loose it. Now all the Heat have to do is give the ball to Lebron or Wade, wait for the (almost guaranteed) double team, and ‘wah-lah‘, it’ll be raining threes all day. The only reason why I didn’t give the Heat an A+ is because truthfully Allen and Rashard are a little bit on ‘the old side’. More importantly the Heat didn’t lose anybody important, plus they are the defending champions (so there team should be good already). The fact that they didn’t lose anyone essential+ defending champions= a really scary team, that I would hate to face in the upcoming season. Now the Heat can be effective inside with Bosh, Lebron, and Wade and at the same time be effective from the outside, a combination that most teams do not have.

Ray Allen signing with the Heat

 

 

Rashard Lewis signing with the Heat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congrats Miami!

 

I hope everyone has enjoyed Part #3 of my offseason grades, check back for my next blog, where I will be dissecting even more teams and handing out their respective offseason grade.

 

Offseason Grades Part #2

Fun Fact: Charlotte (record of 7-59) finished with the worse win percentage in NBA history. They won their season opener (first game of the season) against Milwaukee. 

 

Hello, so far I have only graded one team, the Chicago Bulls. But I am back and will be graded the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder this time around in my continuing edition of Offseason Grades (this is Part #2).

 

– The San Antonio Spurs, who tied for the best record in the NBA (with the Chicago Bulls), also finished first in the Western Conference. They had an astonishingly record of 50-16, and what made it even more impressive was that they quietly, at one stage, had a 20 game win streak (including the playoffs). At one point, they hadn’t lost in roughly 50 days. So one may think, why would the Spurs ever need to change their team? Well the answer is simple, it is because they are simply too old, just plain too old. They got eliminated pretty harshly by a young Oklahoma City

Thunder team in the Western Conference finals, mainly because the Thunder were ironically too young for the Spurs. This brings me to my offseason grade.

Offseason Grade: N/A

This is one of the few, if not only team that won’t and doesn’t exactly qualify for an offseason grade. This is simply because they actually didn’t make any free agent moves. So I guess I could divide their grade up as the following: Signing Players:F Retaining their Core Important Players: A+. The Spurs didn’t lose any players to Free Agency but, they managed to resign: Boris Diaw, Danny Green, Patty Mills, and two-time MVP, four-time NBA Champion Tim Duncan. Granted Tim Duncan is way past his prime and way past old, he is still a valuable piece to this San Antonio team. Most will say, “Ohh the Spurs were just about the best team in the NBA, so why would they need new players?” Well truthfully the Spurs aren’t getting any younger and the majority of their player are past their prime, and most are at the ‘balding/losing my hair stage’. In fact, Tim Duncan sat out a game during the regular season, but not because he was sick or injured, but because he was literally too old! The box score even identified it as: he didn’t play because he was too old.

Tim Duncan’s Box Score. (DNP-OLD)

The Spurs did draft one good   young player in Marcus Denmon,  out of Missouri. Despite this, the Spurs championship window is  closing rapidly and if they don’t   get any younger, their championship years will only last for a couple, if that, more years.

 

 

– Next is the, Oklahoma City Thunder, the reigning Western Conference Finals Champions and runner-up NBA Champions. They finished 2nd in the West, with a 47-19 record. To many, they were the favorites to win the NBA finals. Their best player, Kevin Durant finished off the season averaging 28 points a game, and won his third straight scoring title—and he is only 23!

Kevin Durant!

Offseason Grade: B+

Thanks to the Thunder’s extremely young core, consisting of James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Russel Westbrook (and also debatably Serge Ibaka), the Thunder were heavy favorites to go on and win the NBA Finals. People saw the Thunder as the perfect team, built around speed, athletics, and even size. They could shoot, run the floor, dunk, or do just about anything. They were built through hard work and drafting the right players. A ‘feel good’ story that would make it almost impossible to root against them—not to mention the fact that playing the Heat in the Finals helped their ‘root-ability’ even more. But this offseason, the Thunder didn’t lose anybody important, and all they had to was maintain their key players—which they did. (They resigned big man, Serge Ibaka to a reportedly four year, 48 million dollar deal.) They added Daniel Orton, a former first round draft pick with an upside, who played very well at the end of last year when Dwight Howard got injured. They also signed Hasheem Thabeet, a former #2 pick overall, who hasn’t exactly flourished like many people thought he would in the NBA. But as we all know, just by looking at the team, the Thunder develop players phenomenally, which just might lead Thabeet on the right path, and eventually could develop him like he was supposed to of. The Thunder also drafted Perry Jones III out of Baylor, who some considered would have been a top 13 draft pick, if it wasn’t for him getting injured toward the end of his Sophomore year at Baylor (he entered the draft as a Sophomore). Although the Thunder didn’t sign any big name players, they were able to keep their young core talent, who will continue to progress and get better every year, for many years to come. They were also able to obtain young players, with high upside, who might develop and make their team even better. If they don’t develop, then it won’t necessarily matter because the Thunder are so deep already. So it is a ‘Win-Win Situation’.

Thunder Big 3

That is it for this blog, check back for the next one, in the continuing Offseason Grades series.

Introduction and Offseason Grades Part #1

** the 2011-2012 NBA season was a lockout shortened season, as teams only played 66 games.

 

Hello, I hope everyone has been enjoying this year’s busy and exiting offseason in the NBA.

First off I would like to congratulate the Miami Heat on winning their 2nd NBA championship in team history (their first came in 2006). I would also like to recognize and congratulate 3-time MVP and NBA playoff’s MVP: Lebron James on winning his first NBA title! I personally do not like the Heat very much nor am I that fond of Lebron. I think he is a great player, I just simply do not like him very much. I was rooting for the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the NBA Finals, not because I necessarily like and support the Thunder but because I really do not like the Heat. But regardless, the Heat and Lebron had a phenomenal playoff run and they deserved to win the Finals.

As soon the NBA Finals end and the dust settles on the NBA Champion, teams get right to work, trying to improve their team with draft picks and signings of free agents, and trying to fix any ‘holes’ they have in their team. Teams will try anything necessary to revamp their team in order to achieve the ultimate goal—a championship. But not all teams try to revamp their squads, some who are blatantly years behind other teams and have no chance of winning a title anytime soon, go through a process known as: tearing apart one’s team, trading any useful/good assets for young players or draft picks, and then ultimately completely starting over. This process is a fan’s nightmare, because the team is basically giving up, although most of the time it is a 100% necessarily for the team to do so.

2012 NBA Draft Board

As I have mentioned this was an exciting NBA offseason with many moves and ‘team shape-ups’ being made and as a result was an absolute pleasure to follow. I followed it pretty thoroughly and paid attention to almost everything that went on—even the minute details and player signings.

I will be ranking NBA team’s offseasons with a letter grade followed by my explanation and other information about the team. **If you look at the top of my blog, you can view the 2011-2012 playoff bracket, conference standings, and offseason moves.** I will be starting off with playoff teams, working my way down, and eventually getting to the ‘lower echelon’ of teams.

 

– First off the Chicago Bulls, who finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference, with an impressive record of 50-16, despite having their best player, one time MVP Derrick Rose injured for most of the season.

Offseason Grade: B

Every player the Bulls lost or didn’t resign, they seemed to have replaced sufficiently. The reason why the grade will not and cannot go any higher than a B is because Derrick Rose is also out for the majority of the next year with a knee injury (torn ACL). Although this may not be the Bulls fault, by default it is nearly impossible to get a player equal enough to replace Derrick Rose. Despite this, the Bulls did sign good enough players to (kind of) fill in for Rose. They drafted Marquis Teague, an average-to-good rookie, who is coming out of Kentucky as a freshman. They may have lost their “lights out three point shooter” in Kyle Korver, but they replaced him nicely with Marco Belinelli. They also lost John Lucas III and C.J. Watson—two very valuable point guard backups—but they too replaced them well by singing Nate Robinson and Kirk Hinrich, a proven scorer and a reliable shooter/defender respectively. Unfortunately, they did loose Omer Asik, a 7’0″, 255LB monster (and beast) who is in actuality probably much larger than that. He is a defensive stopper, who they will miss sorely and will be hard to replace. The Bulls certainly won’t be a better team this year than last year, but they will be a respectable shadow of last year’s team.

Derrick Rose, last year, after ACL tear

This was only the beggining of my blog and its offseason grades as this was primarily an introduction to everything. Check back for the next blog with even more offseason grades!