R.I.P. Michael Jackson: 1958-2009

Just like pretty much everyone around the world, The Hoop Doctors grew up with Michael Jackson playing a large role in our early lives. From our parents playing the Jackson 5 records, to our own following of Michael’s career as he developed his solo musical career. I was shocked today in hearing Michael Jackson had a heart attack and was rushed to an LA hospital. But it was downright upsetting to hear that one of our childhood heroes passed away at such a young age. At only 50 years old, MJ was about to embark on a new tour overseas. We want to share our love for MJ and pass on our condolences to his family and friends. You will be missed. You touched us all. When I think about how much of a visionary the man was with the song ‘We are the World’ and all the money he raised for charities. His star power was unparalleled, and he truly was one of the most popular people to ever live.

Since this is a basketball site, i’ll leave you with one of my favorite videos of Michael Jackson, as he team’s up with Michael Jordan to make the video JAM:

4 Big Reasons Shaq Makes Cleveland the ‘Team to Beat’

You are going to read a TON of articles over the summer speculating on whether or not the Cavaliers are a better team having acquired Shaquille O’Neal from the Phoenix Suns for Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, and a second round draft pick. My first thought regarding most of the articles i’ve already read is: “Are you F$%*ing kidding me?”

I’m not talking about who is getting the better end of the trade though. That would require you to consider a million variables, such as; Will Shaq play more than one year?, Will the Cavs have to pay the penalty?, Do the Suns blow it up and rebuild?, Do the Cavaliers win the title?, Do the Suns make the playoffs?, Does Ben Wallace retire giving the Suns more financial relief?, etc. etc. I’m straight up talking about the Cavaliers being a better team in 2009-10 on the basketball floor. As tough as it is to do, given they had the best record in the league come playoff time this season, the answer is a resounding YES, they are much better! Here are some initial thoughts to consider:

1. Second Line of Defense
You are going to be bombarded by people comparing the statistical output of Shaq to that of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. They will look at the numbers and productivity per minute played, and say that Shaq is barely an upgrade over Big Z. Those are the people ‘pretending’ to be paying attention. You know the types. The guy that reads to box score after the game and thinks he knows as much about what happened during the game as the guy that actually watched the game. I’ve had to say this countless times, what Shaq brings to the table defensively can’t be measured statistically. And if it can, maybe you should look at things like the percentage of opposing shots that come from outside the paint. Maybe take a look at percentage of shots that come late in the shot clock. Sure Shaq has respectable numbers of blocks and good defensive rebound numbers, but where he really helps you defensively is just in his presence. The guy’s size and strength, even as he ages, is unparalleled. He makes Dwight Howard look like a skinny kid trying to play with the grown-ups. The number of times I see great opposing scoring guards drive the ball past their man, only to see Shaq waiting for them, then either throw up a bad shot, kick the ball out, or dribble out to the corner is astounding. In those cases Shaq doesn’t always even get the opportunity to attempt a help-side block to pad his numbers, but has dramatically affected the offense with his presence.

2. On the Ball Defense
Phoenix traded for Shaq to stop Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs, as up until that point the Spurs were the only team that stood in the way of them and the Championship. Did Shaq succeed? You are damn right he did. Every single time the Suns met the Spurs, Shaq played great. Every time Shaq was on the floor, Duncan played very poorly offensively and the Suns were consistently outplaying the Spurs. One small glitch. Shaq’s brand of physical defense these days is nit picked by referees to the point where he is in foul trouble in almost ever game his team plays against a team with a highly talented offensive Center. The Suns forgot something in putting that roster together. The back up center. Instead of putting in a quality back up center to defend Duncan, the Suns most times slid Amar’e Stoudemire over to the Center position. Memo to Suns staff incase you haven’t figured it out yet. Amar’e Stoudemire is probably the single worst on-the-ball defending big man in the league. He just can’t stop anyone, let alone an all-time great like Tim Duncan. Shaq goes out with foul trouble = Duncan goes on tear and kills the Suns. So is Cleveland similarly bringing in Shaq to stop Dwight Howard? Most definitely. How is it different for Cleveland’s success then? Um, a little fella off the bench by the name of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. People rode the Big Z pretty hard in the Orlando series this year for being weak defensively. And that he was. But let’s be clear about something, the Big Z is a more than adequate defender in this league, and is a many octave improvement over Amar’e Stoudemire for when Shaq needs rest or is in foul trouble. Take one of the best ‘team defenses’ in the league, and add Shaquille O’Neal to improve their on the ball defending of big men. You have a very credible and potent defense.

3. Consistency
When Shaq was traded to Phoenix, everyone was questioning his consistency. They probably had every right to do so at that time given how he finished out his days in Miami with lackluster effort after lackluster effort. But sometimes when people repeat themselves too often, they start to believe their own words to be insurmountable fact. Let’s look at the big picture here, when it comes to winning, Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most consistent players this league has ever seen. And during his time in Phoenix, specifically this past season, Shaq was by far the most consistent player on that ball club. Shaq brought it every time he stepped on the floor. He was far and away better than Stoudemire, Nash, Hill, or J-Rich. He was the vocal and physical leader of that ball club. Sure they missed the playoffs, but there are two things to consider. The first is they barely missed the playoffs in another one of the tightest races in league history out West. The Suns had 46 wins and a 56% win percentage and still didn’t make the playoffs! The second factor to consider is that if anyone was to blame it certainly wasn’t Shaq. He had a solid season on both ends of the floor, and even brought his notoriously bad free throw shooting percentage up to a personal career high, 60%. If Shaq plays anything for the Cavs next year, like he did for the Suns this past year, Cleveland will be extremely tough to beat by anyone. He’s built to dominate in a slow half court game. And Mike Brown’s whole system is built around a grind-it-out style that Shaq may flourish in more than any other system he’s been a part of. Think about spacing. With Lebron James breaking down defenses with ease, and the litany of shooters that Cleveland has, think about how much room the Big Diesel will have to operate in the low-post.

4. Team Chemistry
The Cleveland Cavaliers this year had the best team chemistry in the entire league. They were having fun, joking around, and winning ball games. Remember the Lebron’s Cavs vs. Shaq’s Suns competitions with the pre-game intro’s? C’mon, if there is a common thread among Lebron and Shaq team’s it’s having fun and building a team chemistry that comes from their leadership abilities and general likeability. You put two great leader’s with fun loving personalities like Lebron and Shaq on the same team. How can you go wrong with team chemistry? If i’m a free agent this summer, i’m begging to play for the Cavaliers next year. Heck, if I am well off enough, I may just do it for the good times and fun atmosphere. No one wants to go to work under such tense and serious conditions that they perpetuate poor play. Shaq is a guy’s guy. He’s already got a great relationship with Lebron. I’m excited already to see what sort of fun they bring to the pre-game’s. And before long I have a feeling Shaq will have convinced Lebron to get on Twitter to interact a little more with joe public.

My prediction, the Cleveland Cavaliers next year walk away with the league’s best record. Dominate the East in the post-season. And then we’ll see who wants that fifth title more. Kobe or Shaq?

Jonny Flynn Draft Diary: Episode 5 – “The Photo Shoot and Media Day”

In Episode 5 of the Jonny Flynn Draft Diaries which we started running for you last week, Jonny brings you through his final events on the day before the draft. It’s pretty cool to see Jonny get suited up with Levi’s gear, watch what it’s like in the photo shoots, then see how quickly they need to learn media relations in being bombarded with questions from different reports in the media session. Jonny seems to be handling himself as well off the court as he does on. Peep the vid:

NBA Players and International Soccer Stars Play Charity Event

Yesterday was the second annual Steve Nash and Claudio Reyna, ‘Showdown in Chinatown’, charity soccer game. Nash of NBA basketball fame, and Reyna from the US National Soccer team bring in their respective star athlete colleagues to entertain the New York City crowd with a competitive but fun soccer match in Roosevelt Park, Manhattan. Some of the stars on hand include:

Claudio Reyna (US Soccer), Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Grant Hill, Chris Bosh, Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan), Salomon Kaou (Chelsea), Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina), Marc Stein (ESPN basketball writer), Ryan Babel (Liverpool), Mathieu Flamini (AC Milan), Edgar Davids (retired, Juventus & others), Quincy Owusu Abeyie (Spartak Moscow), Martin Nash (Steve’s brother who also plays professionally for the Vancouver Whitecaps), Ivan Cordoba (retired, Inter Milan & others)

We want to give Big League Screw a big shout out for letting us know about the event. Below you will find some video footage the New York Post took at the event. For more information and pictures on the event, and to have a few more laughs at Chris Bosh’s expense, then head on over to Big League Screw. They got the goods.

NBA Future Stars Gettin’ Ready For Draft

NBA DRAFT DAY! I know you are all excited, I can tell because people have been hitting up our mock database today at a feverish pitch, checking out who analysts are predicting their favorite team will select in the draft. In keeping with our 2009 NBA Draft Coverage this week, we have a very special video for you from our friends over at DMS Productions. They were kind enough to send us their footage from inside the Dime/Levi’s Draft Suite of the future stars of the league getting prepped for the draft. By prepped, I mean haircuts, clothes, photo shoots, interviews, aka THE GOOD SHIZ. Get to know these young stars a bit take a few minutes to check out the video:

Jonny Flynn Draft Diary: Episode 4 – “NY NY”

In Episode 4 of the Jonny Flynn Draft Diaries which we started running for you last week, Jonny arrives in New York City after a detour to New Jersey for a last minute look from the Nets.

Nike, NBA HOF, and Leroy Smith Sued Over Michael Jordan Products

News is just being released about a lawsuit being laid by SportsFuzion, Inc. against Nike, the NBA Hall of Fame and Leroy Smith over the manufacturing and sale of Michael Jordan Hall of Fame sportswear. Here is some text for your laughter and enjoyment of the press release announcing the lawsuit:

Boston, MA, June 24, 2009 ­ SportsFuzion, Inc., a sportswear company and the exclusive licensee of the Basketball Hall of Fame¹s sportswear has filed a lawsuit in Norfolk Superior Court in Massachusetts against NIKE, Inc. (NYSE: NKE) and the NBA Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame alleging breach of contract, tortious interference with contract, fraud, and other counts for general and punitive damages. The lawsuit comes after NIKE and the Hall of Fame conspired to eliminate SportsFuzion by manufacturing, marketing, and selling sportswear related to Michael Jordan¹s upcoming Hall of Fame induction. Since 2006, SportsFuzion has been the owner of the exclusive worldwide rights to the Hall of Fame¹s trade names, logos, trademarks, designs, and photos for use in sportswear.

Leveraging Michael Jordan¹s highly anticipated Hall of Fame induction, NIKE will release its Air Jordan Hall of Fame (HOF) Collection into the market this summer. NIKE recently launched a major campaign to promote these products. This campaign includes the website www.getyourbasketballon.com featuring several videos of the fictitious character Leroy Smith­ who supposedly inspired Michael Jordan to greatness. It is estimated that NIKE could sell over $100 million of Michael Jordan Hall of Fame products worldwide.

Beginning in 2005, legal teams for SportsFuzion and the Hall of Fame spent nearly a year negotiating the exclusive worldwide licensing agreement. More than three years ago, SportsFuzion created the concept and a detailed marketing plan around a product line for Michael Jordan¹s induction into the Hall of Fame. ³In 2005, I knew that Michael Jordan¹s induction would be the biggest event in the Hall of Fame¹s history and, like his impact on the NBA and the game of basketball, this product opportunity was enormous,² said Andrew Mirken, president and co-founder of SportsFuzion.

³SportsFuzion was built around my love and passion for basketball and my admiration for Michael Jordan, said Mirken, who has coached high school boys basketball for almost 20 years. Having the opportunity to work with Michael Jordan and all of the great athletes in the Hall of Fame was the dream of my lifetime. Having NIKE and the Hall of Fame go behind our backs to cut us out of the deal has become my worst nightmare.

SportsFuzion, Inc. is a Massachusetts-based sportswear company that owns the exclusive worldwide rights to the Basketball Hall of Fame’s trade names, logos, trademarks, designs, and photos for use in sportswear. SportsFuzion is represented in this matter by Fish & Richardson, the largest intellectual property law firm in the world.

Blake Griffin Plays H.O.R.S.E. at “The Cage” in New York with Fan

Blake Griffin, top NBA draft prospect and former Oklahoma Sooners’ power forward, shoots a game of ‘S-U-B-W-A-Y’ a la ‘H-O-R-S-E’ with fan Barry Labendz, of New York, Tuesday, June 23, 2009, at the famed West 4th Street courts ‘The Cage’ in New York, to celebrate Griffin’s new partnership with SUBWAY restaurants to promote a healthy and active lifestyle.

It may not be as news worthy as Lebron getting beat in a game of HORSE, or Devin Harris getting schooled in a game of one-on-one, but it’s definitely in line with our draft week coverage as Griffin is a future NBA star, and certainly the #1 draft pick tomorrow night. It was also interesting to see Griffin square off against Jared Fogel of Subway fame.

We are working on video of the match, so stay tuned… Video now included below with the pics:

King of H.O.R.S.E. and Trick Shots

The crown must be passed on from the guy who beat Lebron James last summer, to this guy who had the starring role in this YouTube sensation. We have a new “King of H.O.R.S.E.” Just as the NBA is now having contests to find the best amateur Dunker, they should have one to find the best H.O.R.S.E. player, and certainly this guy would win. Brian Manley step up and accept your crown.

A View From Up North: What are the Raptors Draft Options?

‘Dr. Dino’ a.k.a. James Borbath from Dino Nation Blog, is a Broadcast Journalism Grad turned basketball blogger. He has worked as the publisher and writer of the Dino Nation Blog for almost 2 years. Dino Nation Blog is part of the sports federation of theScore.com. James also live blogs many NBA games for The Score.

All of the recent hoops talk in Canada is about the draft. What will the Raptors do? As I have said in my Dino Nation Blog for awhile now it seems the Raptor wish list is down to 2. Demar DeRozan and Jonny Flynn. DeRozan out of USC, the school which hired ex-Raptor head coach Kevin O’Neil. Which by the way, has stunned many in the Raptors media that K.O got that job. Can’t say I am any less surprised. But O’Neil rules with an iron fist and that can work in college, better than it does in the pros. O’Neil had a very short run as head coach of the Raptors.

But I doubt Demar DeRozan has given much thought to his soon to be former school. He is focused on where he will end up in the draft. There was a lot of internet speculation that DeRozan wanted no part of the Raptors or Canada. DeRozan had a private workout in Toronto and said the complete opposite. He compared T.O to a mini N.Y.C. Holly Mackenzie wrote a great article on it for The Score Court Surfing Blog. My concern is not whether or not DeRozan likes T.O or Canada. The fact that the workout was a solo flight to me draws some red flags. If you are the next coming of Vince Carter which some have compared him too, then why would you not do a workout with others and show off your stuff?

Jonny Flynn is a nice replacement to what the Raptors gave away in T.J Ford. He is likely a better defender, despite the fact he played mostly zone at Syracuse. Flynn also does not have to answer the questions about his willingness to live in Canada. He comes from Niagara Falls NY and grew up looking at Canada out the front window of his house almost. Flynn is gaining steam with some Rap fans but DeRozan is the clear choice of the people. But regardless of who the Raptors take you can expect them to be shopping for another pick in round 1. They have about 3 million in cash considerations that they can use to purchase a pick. So from about the 17th spot on down the Raptors will be looking to find another pick.

Which as we shift gears to the rest of the league may not be that hard to do. You combine a bad economy, a salary cap on the decline and a draft class with more question marks than answers in terms of talent. It may just mean that teams may be looking to get out of the draft and the first round most of all because of the guaranteed contract that goes along with it. Cap Space is going to become a vital issue moving forward in the NBA, for as long as the economy is in decline. 17 teams took an emergency type bailout from the league. That tells you how bad things are. So for teams that are not drawing fans and in bad shape in terms of the books it might make sense to avoid taking chances with contracts on rookies unless they are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt in a player.

Not many of those players are in this draft by all accounts. Even people on the top of the Draft Board have stuff to prove. I think about the only thing people agree on is that Blake Griffin is the number 1 choice. Even regarding him, I have talked to people that question truly how good he will be. With Thabeet, people are concerned with his lack of an offensive game. How much of one did Dwight Howard have and really how much does he even have now? James Harden was a total bust in the NCAA Tournament why should we think he would not blow up like that in the NBA? Basically you come up with a name and I can find a solid question that needs to be answered about that player.

What all this means in reality is some great T.V in terms of the NBA Draft. In talking with Raptors broadcaster Jack Armstrong he said to me anyone can see that a D-Wade or a Lebron is talented. But these are the drafts where your scouting people have to do good work. It is true and a lot of scouting staffs are as we speak trying to get their personal draft boards in order. I am thinking that if we got to look at everyone’s board we would find 30 very different looking boards. It is going to be a very interesting night and I am going to be live blogging somewhere, just not sure where yet. Follow me on Twitter @dinonationblog and then when I know you will know too. It is hard to find a good draft party up here in the land of hockey, so why not have one online. No food to make, no clean up afterwards it really is a solid way to have a party feel, minus the fuss and mess.

Be back next week with thoughts on the draft and all things connected to it. I tried the nice Canadian version to get some of you to include your questions or comments to be part of this weekly piece. Didn’t net any results. SO COMMENT AND QUESTIONS OR DIE!!! I am kidding we Canadians are suppose to be funny as well. But you comments and or question are welcome now you can even Tweet me one as well as the old fashion e-mail method at dinonationblog@sourcecable.net or contact me through this fine site The Hoops Doctors.

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