Kevin Durant Only Needs One Shoe On To Block Shots! [Video]

January 31, 2010 – Dr. Browntorious

In my mind its between Kevin Durant and Lebron James right now for the NBA MVP award. Kobe fans may have something to say about that, but personally KD and James are so far in front that no one can catch them, short of a miracle. Durant has led his young Oklahoma City team, who has no business yet in the playoffs, to half a game shy of the 8th playoff spot in the though Western Conference and a 25-21 record to date. He’s averaging 29 pts, 7 boards, and 3 assists per game so far this season and wouldn’t surprise me if he ends up winning the scoring race down the stretch.

But if all of that isn’t enough to convince you that he’s a contender for the Most Valuable Player award, then how about some shot blocking with only one shoe? LOL, i’m not kidding, Kevin Durant this weekend blocked an Aaron Afflalo shot with only one shoe on when he didn’t have time to put the shoe back on during mid-play. Trying to jump without shoes on is hard enough, but its even harder to jump off of a socked foot given how slippery it is. This is an incredible testament to Durant’s length and timing on his blocks.

We gotta thank A Stern Warning where we saw the video replay first. If you haven’t checked out A Stern Warning take some time to browse their site, its a great NBA blog.

Dare to Dream: Stoudemire to Spurs

January 31, 2010 – R.S. De France

A few months back the San Antonio Spurs found the missing element to regaining their championship swagger: Richard Jefferson. Fast-forward to January/February. Jefferson is averaging 12.5 ppg, his lowest average since his rookie season. Across the board, his numbers are bottoming out: assists, rebounds, steals. The Spurs are about where we thought they’d be, 5^th in the West. Although when the season began I did not think they’d stockpile the best record, I still thought they would excel in the playoffs. Now, I might consider that.

Right now, however, the Spurs are looking to change all of that. They are in discussion with the Phoenix Suns about brokering a deal for 5-time All-Star Amar’e Stoudemire. If the Spurs trade for Stoudemire, the Spurs might really be a dangerous team. Maybe not Boston, Cleveland, or Los Angeles dangerous, but this would put them about a half-a-step behind teams like Orlando, Atlanta and possibly Denver.

The trade of Stoudemire for Manu Ginobili would be the trade of the season, comparable to the recent trades of Al Jefferson for Kevin Garnett, or Kwame Brown (and the rights to Marc Gasol) for Pau Gasol.

As a Laker fan, this trade scares me because it significantly improves our main rival of the last decade, the Spurs.

As a student of the game, the NBA in particular, I argue this: the Suns should stop selling away their valuable assets! Not only have they gotten rid of Shaquille O’Neal, Joe Johnson, Steve Nash (once), Stephon Marbury (okay, we all know that was for the best, but he was still good then), don’t get me started on their draft picks. Over the last ten years, the Suns have dealt away the rights to Rajon Rondo, Stephen Jackson (assigned to CBA), Luol Deng, Nate Robinson, and Sergio Rodriguez (“Suns Draft History”). And they’ve given up all of those players for basically nothing.

There is no way this is a good trade for the Suns. The Suns, currently 9^th in the west but only by fractions of games, would be making a bad move for a number of reasons. They would be trading big for small, a power-forward/center for a guard; moreover, they’d be trading youth for age (Stoudemire is 28; Ginobili is 32). This severely weakens the Suns frontcourt; a year ago they had Shaquille O’Neil and Stoudemire. After this deal, they would have a frontcourt of Louis Amundson and Channing Frye. Hmmm. Additionally, we should not overlook that Ginobili, due to age and injury, is having his worst scoring season since his second year in the league. Stoudemire, while the last few years have been slightly up and down, he’s still a 20 ppg scorer who pulls in 8-9 boards each game.

If this trade happens, the Spurs would, again, significantly improve. Think back to when they had Robinson/Duncan; yeah, it could be something like that. Robinson was a shell of his former self at that time, though, and this time they’d have an Amar’e in his prime. The Spurs might boast a starting line-up of:

C Amar’e Stoudemire (20.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg)

PF Tim Duncan (19.9 ppg, 10.8 rpg)

SF Richard Jefferson (12.8 ppg)

SG George Hill (10.1 ppg)

PG Tony Parker (16.9 ppg, 5.8 apg)

This looks like a great deal for the Spurs, but I am wrong? What makes this a good deal for the Suns? Why should they pull-the-trigger on this trade?

R.S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. One of his life-long pursuits has been writing and covering anything related to sports, specifically the NBA. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.

Northwestern’s Kevin Coble’s 65 Foot Trick Shot With Broken Foot

January 30, 2010 – Allen Moll

Northwestern’s Kevin Coble has been the Wildcat’s unquestioned leader and top scoring option over the past two seasons, averaging 15.9 and 15.5 ppg, and is widely regarded as one of the best long distance shooters in the Big Ten Conference.

Big things were expected this year out of both Coble and the rest of the Northwestern program who had visions of making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history after an improved 17-14 mark last season. Most hope came to an end when Coble sustained a season ending foot/ankle injury before the season.

The Wildcats are pressing on, in Coble’s absence, by posting an impressive 14-5 overall record and a 3-4 conference mark so far, keeping them firmly on the tournament “bubble” with 12 regular season games remaining.

Word out of the Wildcat campus is that Coble is progressing well in his rehab and should be fine for next season. Judging by this video, shot after a team shoot-around, Kevin has increased his shooting range to about 65 feet.

Check out this amazing video of Coble swooshing a 3/4 court shoot, on one leg, with his back to the basket:

Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckblog.com, and his own site, Hoops Haven.

Vintage Video: T-Mac Scores 13 Points In 33 Seconds to Beat Spurs

January 29, 2010 – Allen Moll

Do you long for some great throwback NBA footage of superstars of the past featuring some of the game’s players? Do you miss watching games in which the jump shot was an art form and not an afterthought? Longing to see some of the NBA’s greatest grudge matches of teams wearing some of the league’s ugliest uniforms? If you are a fan of the game from back in the day, this is the series for you. Welcome to Vintage Video.

With all of the recent rumors about where Tracy McGrady may wind up for the remainder of this season and the rest of his career, what better time to relive T-Mac’s signature moment in the NBA.

Back on December 9th, 2004, McGrady’s Houston Rockets trailed the San Antonio Spurs 74-64 with just over a minute remaining. Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili thought they had another win in the bag.

Until Tracy McGrady had other ideas.

In one of the best comebacks in recent memory, T-Mac almost single-handedly helped the Rockets erase the 10 point deficit by nailing 4 three point shots, including a game winning dagger with 1.7 seconds remaining to seal Houston’s 81-80 victory, which has to go down as one of the top individual performances of the decade.

Even though the Rockets may have won the 1 game battle, the Spurs won the war by winning the 3rd of 4 NBA Titles at season’s end. T-Mac went on to average 25.7 ppg. 6.2 rebs, and 5.7 assists and earned his 5th of his 7 All-Star appearances in his first season with Houston.

Back then, McGrady could be considered a bargain considering he made only $14.4 million.

McGrady said it all in the post-game press conference:

“For all those fans who left the game early………….ya’ll missed a great game.”

Check out the video:

Top Ranked Kentucky Falls Victim To the Devan Downey Show

January 29, 2010 – Allen Moll

Tuesday started out as a good day in Bluegrass Country with the Kentucky Wildcats enjoying the spoils that come with being the #1 ranked team in college basketball for the first time since 2003. The entire team even got to have a conference call prior to the game with President Obama because the team raised over $1 million dollars for Haiti relief aid.

As if we haven’t seen enough coverage of the John Wall Lottery Sweepstakes, virtually every basketball site on the web was posting stories on when and if Kentucky was going to finally lose a game. Many even warned that Indiana’s perfect season, more than 30 years ago, could be in jeopardy.

Before the Wildcats game with SEC rival South Carolina, the Gamecocks pint sized prolific scorer, Devan Downey, apparently wasn’t buying into all of the hype that Big Blue was the second coming of Bob Knight’s Hoosiers of the late 70′s. In the pre-game presser, he made some rather bold statements and predictions which everyone just shrugged off as Devan being Devan, where the oft outspoken point guard sometimes spouts off at the mouth in a bragadocious manor.

Downey surprised everyone by proclaiming that John Wall wouldn’t even be the best point guard on the floor and that the Gamecocks were going to shock the world by defeating the Wildcats on national TV.

Downey’s game has been just as sparkling as his mouth lately, since coming into the game with UK, he was averaging a filthy 31.6 ppg in South Carolina’s previous 3 SEC Conference games and is 5th in the nation and the SEC leader in scoring at 22 points per game.

As for the actual game, the 5’9 Downey was spectacular having one of the most inspiring individual performances of the season by carrying the obviously less talented Gamecocks on his back, converting multiple high degree of difficulty shots in traffic. Coach Cal tried putting virtually every backcourt player he had on the roster on Downey in an attempt to at least slow down USC sparkplug. John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, and Deandre Liggins all failed to prevent Downey from notching another 30 point outburst, his 4th in 6 conference games.

Kentucky’s dribble drive offense looked sluggish as their other freshman phenom, DeMarcus Cousins, was the only bright spot on offense by posting his 12th double-double of the season(27 pts, 12 rebs).

As the final horn sounded and the crowd stormed the court in the 68-62 upset win, Downey could be seen at center court pounding his chest yelling out, “I told you so!”

As a side note, today the SEC reportedly fined the University of South Carolina $25,000 because of a rule prohibiting fans from being on the court following a game. The SEC is the only conference to still enforce this rule.

Shouldn’t they get a pass for beating the #1 team in the country and the program notching their first victory over a #1 ranked team in their 102 year history? Maybe they could donate that money to Haiti?

Check out this U of SC student, who looks a little like MC Search of 3rd Bass fame, doing a hilarious outake on the upset win:

Top 10 NCAA Teams That You Don’t Want to Play This March

January 29, 2010 – Allen Moll

Remember George Mason’s Final Four run in 2003?

Every year a team or two makes it into the NCAA Tournament by going on a tremendous win streak or somehow manages to steal their conference tournament from a higher seeded team. Once in the tourney they surprise everyone by becoming a Cinderella sensation by knocking off some of the top seeds, and the rest is history.

Of course it’s only January and we are getting ahead of ourselves, but here is a list of 10 teams which could surprise some teams if they can somehow win their conference tourney and possibly advance in “The Big Dance”:

1) Vanderbilt Commodores 16-3 (5-0 SEC)

Most of what you here out of the SEC involves Kentucky or Tennessee but don’t sleep on the Commodores. They are the only undefeated team in SEC conference play and are riding a 10 game win streak heading into a monstrous match-up with current #1 Kentucky on Saturday. They have gotten excellent production from sophomore Jeffery Taylor(14.3 ppg) and freshman Josh Jenkins, who has scored in double figures in every game during the win streak but their hopes lie on talented big man AJ Ogilvey(13.8 ppg, 6.1 rebs, 2 blk), who is a force down low.

2) Maryland 14-5 (4-1 ACC)

With the ACC turned upside down, the Terps sit atop the standings tied with the surprising Virginia Cavaliers. Coach Gary Williams has his squad back to where the pre-season predictions had them, in the thick of the conference race. They have won 6 out of 7 games, riding the stellar play of Sr Greivis Vasquez(17.9 ppg, 5 rebs, 6.1 ast) who has scored 20 or more points in 9 of his last 10 games.

3) Siena 17-4 (10-0 MAC)

The Saints are no strangers to March Madness, as they have won multiple tourney games the past 2 seasons. Siena is once again a virtual lock for post-season play since they already have a 3 game lead over Iona, Fairfield, and St. Peter’s, coming out of the Metro Atlantic Conference. They are led by a group of 4 talented upperclassmen, all of which average double figures, led by Alex Franklin(16.1 ppg, 8 rebs) and Ronald Moore who ranks among the nation’s leaders in assists(8.1).

4) Radford 11-9 (7-3 Big South)

If the Highlanders can catch the Big South Conference leading Coastal Carolina, who have a 2 game lead, Radford just might make a return trip to the NCAA Tourney, where they were a high seed last year. Their 7’0 dominating center, Artsiom Parakhouski(23 ppg, 12.7 rebs, 2.2 blks), from Belarus, is 1 of 2 players(Harangody) in the nation to average a double-double and be in the top 5 in both scoring and rebounds and will create match-up problems for some bigger conference’s front-line players.

5) Dayton 14-6 (3-3 A-10)

If they can get on a roll in the Atlantic 10, the Flyers will cause fits for a team in a first round match-up. As one of the most athletic teams in the nation, they regularly feature a 10 man rotation led by future NBA player Chris Wright(14.5 ppg, 7.6 rebs) as well as forward Chris Johnson(12.2 ppg, 7.9 rebs) who has already notched a 20 rebound game on his resume earlier this season.

6) Baylor 15-4 (2-3 Big 12)

The Bears are starting to get some national attention by cracking the Top 25 last week. As an oft forgotten team in the top heavy Big 12 conference, they have won 8 of 9 games heading right into conference play and nearly beat #3 Kansas, losing 81-75. Michigan transfer Ekpe Udoh(14.3 ppg, 10.8 rebs, 4.4 blks) has finally provided an inside punch to match the outside pop of LaceDarius Dunn(19.3 ppg) and Tweety Carter(16.2 ppg), who is the US high school all-time points leader.

7) George Mason 14-7 (9-1 Colonial)

The Colonial is one of the best Mid-Major conferences this year, boasting a number of good teams(GM, Old Dominion, W & M, and Northeastern). Mason may be the best of them all at season’s end after riding a current 6 game winning streak. They have even been impressive in some close losses by losing to Villanova by 1 and GT by 8 early on. A young and talented group, led by an number of underclassmen like Cam Long(13 ppg) and Ryan Pearson(12 ppg, 7 rebs), should be good for years to come.

8 ) Tulsa 16-4 (5-1 Conf USA)

While we are accustomed to Memphis running through Conference USA virtually unscathed every year, it is the Golden Hurricane, who may well be the best in conference this season. They are 6-1 in their last 7 games and have already beaten Oklahoma St, who may be dancing come March. Watch out for 7 footer Jerome Jordan(14.3 ppg, 8.3 rebs, 3 blk) who has NBA talent.

9) Wichita St 18-4 (7-3 MVC)

Although Northern Iowa has cracked the Top 25 recently, the Shockers may wind up as the class of the Missouri Valley Conference which has produced a number of first round NCAA winners in Creighton and Drake in recent seasons. Wichita St has already beaten conference leader, N. Iowa and Texas Tech, which are the only 2 ranked teams they have faced. Toure Murry(13 ppg, 5 rebs) leads offensively and 7 foot Garret Stutz is a wide-body that creates match-up problems in the paint.

10) St Mary’s 17-3 (4-1 WCC)

After losing All Conference PG Patty Mills to the NBA, most expected the Gaels to disappoint in the WCC. After all isn’t Gonzaga the annual conference participant in March Madness? While the Zags are once again the class of the league, the Gaels are nipping at their heels behind senior center, Omar Samhan(21.6 ppg, 10.6 rebs, 2.5 blk), who is one of the best players in the nation that nobody except NBA scouts knows about.

NBA Mid Season Report Card

We crossed the half waypoint of the 2010 NBA season and there are some pleasant and not-so pleasant surprises. Along with the good and the bad, there have been teams that have failed preseason expectations and even more teams that have exceeded preseason expectations.

Some teams are starting to play their best ball, some already have, and some are saving it until April and we will break down how each team did in the first half and what we can expect in the second half.

Atlanta Hawks

(29-14, first place in Southeast Division and third place in Eastern Conference)

The Atlanta Hawks have exceeded most people’s expectations because no one thought they could win this division. Nearly all the experts, including yours truly, had the Magic running away with the division and conference crowns but the Hawks are putting up more than just a fight. ATL is 3-0 against conference rival BOS but 0-2 against the division rival Magic and look for this division to go down to the wire.

The Hawks might make a deal to get more athletic at the SF position but nobody wants Marvin Williams’ contract but with this stacked roster, it might be hard for Joe Johnson to leave via free agency next season.

Josh Smith is having an unbelievable season averaging 15 PPG, 8 RPG, 2 BPG, nearly 4 APG, and shooting a career high 51%.

Mike Bibby has been dreadful all season long, averaging only 9 PPG and 4 APG; and his brand new three-year deal cannot end quickly enough.

Grade: A.

Job well done by GM Billy Knight assembling this roster but the hardest part might be trying to resign Joe Johnson this off-season, along with trying to trade Mike Bibby’s and Marvin Williams’ horrible contracts.

Boston Celtics

(29-13, first place Atlantic Division, second place Eastern Conference)

The Celtics hit a bump in the road when All Star Kevin Garnett went down with an injury. KG missed ten games in January and is not the player he used to be but he is still vital to Boston winning it all. The Celts went 4-6 without KG and will look to keep their aging veterans healthy until April when the real season starts.

The bench will get deeper when Marquis Daniels comes back early next month but the team could use some more depth to help the aging veterans.

Grade: A.

The scary part about this team is it could all fall apart with injuries. KG could go down at any moment and Paul Pierce is always battling injuries. Rondo’s young legs should be OK but Rasheed will always be a question mark. Ray Allen is always in phenomenal shape and will be sniping in April.

Charlotte Bobcats

(21-22, fourth place in Southeast Division, eighth place Eastern Conference)

The Bobcats got hot in January winning their first nine of ten games but have recently lost three in a row to three of the best teams in the NBA (ATL, ORL, DEN). The Cats made a great move trading for Stephen Jackson, who is now their leading scorer, but they need to get more from their three headed monster at the Center position.

CHA owes seven years and more than $55 million to Tyson Chandler, Nazr Mohammed, and DeSagana Diop, which is awful management, and look for the Bobcats at least try to rid themselves of those contracts as the deadline nears.

Gerald Wallace should be an All Star and look for the Cats to try to deal everyone but Wallace and Jackson at the deadline. It looks like this will be D.J. Augustin’s team next season, which will make the Cats worse.

Grade: C.

I predicted the Bobcats to make the playoffs before the trade for Stephen Jackson, and they currently sit in the eighth spot in the East. There is no reason this team should not be the eighth best team in the East and look for them to make a deal that will propel them into the playoffs.

Chicago Bulls

(21-22, second place in Central Division, seventh place in the Eastern Conference)

After what we saw in last season’s playoffs the Bulls were one of the teams everyone thought would start to make some noise this season. A sluggish start due to a nagging Derrick Rose injury has kept the Bulls under .500 but Rose is healthy and lighting up his opponents. Rose is averaging a career high 23 PPG this month, along with 6 APG and 4 RPG, and CHI is winning because of him (8-5 in January).

The Bulls will be feverishly trying to trade Tyrus Thomas and Kirk Hinrich until the February deadline but most teams are insecure about Thomas’ free agency next season and Hinrich is making way too much money. The Bulls have great cap space next season and will not jeopardize their future by acquiring a big money player this season unless he is a free agent next summer (Carlos Boozer or Amar’e Stoudemire).

Joakim Noah is playing like an All Star and is second in the NBA in RPG. John Salmons is struggling this season, averaging only 13 PPG, his lowest since 2007, and is only shooting 42%, his lowest since 2002.

Grade C.

I expected more out of this team but the roster is completely healthy and look for the Bulls to take that fifth seed from the Heat by season’s end.

Cleveland Cavaliers

(35-11, first place in Central Division and Eastern Conference)

The Cavs are rolling but are still looking to upgrade their roster. An injury to Mo Williams will put pressure on Delonte West and Daniel Gibson as both players have slumped all season. Cleveland is also trying to trade Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ expiring deal in exchange for a better frontcourt player but they will likely have to include J.J. Hickson.

LeBron James will likely win the MVP this season as he is a one-man band and the Cavs are in control of the NBA right now. CLE has exceeded our expectations and look for them to make a move that will help them this season and will hopefully lure LeBron into signing another long-term deal.

Grade A.

Exceeded our expectations as they currently have the best record in the NBA this season.

Dallas Mavericks

(29-15, first place in Southwest Division, third place in West)

I thought the Mavs were going to be good this season but not as good as they currently are. The roster is filled with aging veterans (Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, Erick Dampier, Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Tim Thomas) but all have played well together and Dirk is having a similar season to when he won the MVP.

Josh Howard has been miserable all season long and has an expiring contract, so look for DAL to start finding potential suitors for the former All Star. Erick Dampier is in the final season of his ludicrous five-year $75 million deal and is having his best season in Dallas since his first year with the team.

Grade: A.

The Mavs are quietly having a great season and are a contender but they will need to beat the Spurs or Lakers in the playoffs to prove that they are not just a regular season contender.

Denver Nuggets

(30-14, first place in Northwest Division, second place in West)

The Denver Nuggets made the Western Conference finals last season and have not skipped a beat this season. The Nuggets are lead by Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups and are getting career years out of both, as they are averaging career highs in PPG.

Billups and Melo belong in the All Star game and Nene should also get some attention. He is averaging 14 PPG and 8 RPG and is one of the keys to beating the Lakers in the post season.

Grade A.

The Nuggets are the second best team in the West and should meet the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals again this season.

Detroit Pistons

(15-28, last place in Central Division, 12th place in East)

It got bad for the Pistons the instant they traded for Allen Iverson. Gone was the leader of their franchise Chauncey Billups and they ended up telling AI to stay away. Billups is now leading the Nuggets to one of the best records in the NBA and the talent less Pistons were pressured into signing Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon, two players known for their offense but not their defense.

DET lost 13 straight at one point this season and are destined for the lottery. Joe Dumars’ nightmares start with Darko Milicic and Allen Iverson and end with him waking up in a cold sweat thinking about Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva playing defense. The Pistons have been ravaged by injury this season as Rip Hamilton has only played in 16 games, Tayshaun Prince 11, and Ben Gordon 25 but even with them the Pistons would not be in the playoffs.

Grade D.

The Pistons are horrible and it is because of a few bad moves by GM Joe Dumars. Dumars is still an above average GM but he has made moves that will hold the Pistons back a few years. Signing two players that do not start for over $70 million is another bad move by Dumars.

Golden State Warriors

(13-29, last place in Pacific Division, 13th in West)

The Warriors are always fun to watch, especially when Monta Ellis is playing 42 MPG and averaging 26 PPG. Ellis, Corey Maggette (20 PPG, 6 RPG, 2 APG), and Stephen Curry (14 PPG and 4 APG) are the only players having good seasons for the Warriors and they have battled injury all season long.

Numerous frontcourt injuries to Ronny Turiaf, Andris Biedrins, Anthony Randolph, and Brandon Wright have lead to the Warriors receiving extra roster spots, which means a lot more losing. The Warriors have become a D-League team this season but they are still a top ten team in attendance destined for the lottery.

Grade F.

Injuries did not help but this team was going to the lottery again no matter what. Until Don Nelson leaves this team will not make the playoffs and all they can pray for is winning the John Wall sweepstakes.

Houston Rockets

(24-20, tied for fourth in the Southwest Division, tied for ninth in West)

A few years ago this was supposed to be the year of Yao and T-Mac but instead it is the year of Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry, and Trevor Ariza. Not exactly international icons like Yao and T-Mac but the three of them are making a name for themselves.

All three of them, and Luis Scola, are averaging career highs in PPG and are leading a team that was supposed to be one of the worst in the NBA to a surprisingly respectable record.

Grade A.

What was supposed to be an awful season for the Rockets is turning out to be a thriller. There are plenty of teams that want T-Mac’s expiring contract and he would love to play again this season. Look for HOU to try and find a trade partner until the February deadline, which will improve their team and playoff chances even more.

Indiana Pacers

(16-29, fourth place in Central Division, 11th place East)

The Pacers have an All Star type player in Danny Granger and that is about it. Troy Murphy averages a double double but few teams go into the Pacer matchup with stopping Murphy as a priority. Mike Dunleavy was injured for most of the season and the team si not very talented after that.

Drafting Tyler Hansbrough ahead of Ty Lawson, Omri Casspi, Taj Gibson, and DeJuan Blair was a mistake as he is shooting a woeful 36% FG this season and leading the NBA in getting his shot blocked.

IND will be trying to trade T.J. Ford’s expiring deal and Jeff Foster is also a commodity around the league. Luther Head was not in the NBA before signing with the Pacers and the horrible season in Indy will likely only get worse as the Pacers trade off their assets.

Grade F.

A terribly managed team that has drafted poorly in recent years, the Pacers are still at least five years away from being legitimate contenders. But that can all change if they win the lottery.

Los Angeles Clippers

(20-24, third place in Pacific Division, 12th place in West)

The Clippers were supposed to upgrade from last season’s debacle but have not seen much fruit from their labors. An injury to top pick Blake Griffin has hurt the team’s frontcourt depth but veteran Marcus Camby has surprisingly played in almost single game this season.

Chris Kaman should be an All Star (20 PPG and 9 RPG), Eric Gordon is having a nice second season, and Baron Davis has remained healthy and productive all season long but the Clippers are mediocre defensively.

Grade D.

The Clips face an uphill battle trying to get back to the post season and are in better shape next season as they have plenty of cap space and a team loaded with young talent, which might entice a big time free agent.

Los Angeles Lakers

(33-11, first place in Pacific and West)

Other than the Clippers, everything is OK in LA LA land. Kobe is still as hungry as ever, Pau is healthy and averaging a double double for the first time in his career, Andrew Bynum is averaging a career high in PPG, and Lamar Odom is enjoying his role off the bench.

The Lakers are the best team in the NBA and it looks like they will cruise to the Western Conference title. They have exceeded our expectations as we did not think Kobe would remain this hungry, but he is and the Lakers should win it all again because of #24.

Grade A.

LAL has exceeded our expectations by dominating every night but we have heard they still want to solidify their backcourt.

Memphis Grizzlies

(24-19, third place in the Southwest Division, eighth in the West)

The Memphis Grizzlies are the surprise of the NBA as everyone had them winning the John Wall sweepstakes going into this season.

The season started off on the wrong foot as they signed Allen Iverson and quickly dumped him and his poor attitude. Nobody thought the Zach Randolph experiment would work and it has flourished, as Z-Bo should be an All Star averaging 20 PPG and 11 RPG.

Rudy Gay is an impending restricted free agent next season and is also having a great season, averaging 20 PPG, 6 RPG, 2 APG, 1 SPG. Controversial second year player O.J. Mayo is also having a great season (18 PPG) and Marc Gasol has started to turn doubters (14 PPG and 9 RPG).

The Griz drafted Hasheem Thabeet last season ahead of Ricky Rubio because they believed in their PG, Mike Conley. Conley is averaging a career high in APG but Thabeet is only seeing 11 MPG.

Other rookies like Sam Young and DeMarre Carroll have picked up the slack on the bench and what many people thought would be one of the biggest jokes in the NBA has turned into a surprisingly fun story.

Grade A.

The Griz are a legitimate playoff contender and will battle HOU, NO, OKC, and LAC all season long for the eighth spot in the West. If MEM can sign Gay next off-season, the success will be longer than just this year.

Miami Heat

(23-21, third place in Southeast Division and fifth in the East)

The Heat would be the worst team in the NBA if they did not have Dwyane Wade, and that is how good Wade is. He carries an entire franchise on his shoulders night after night but that might change next season, as MIA has plenty of cap space.

With very little help from anyone on the team not named Beasley, Wade will likely wear down as the season ends, but this is one of the best players in the world and we should never doubt him. The Heat are not very good and are still relying on production from Jermaine O’Neal but are in the playoffs and will likely make the post season with Wade on the roster.

Grade B.

They have exceeded our expectations and will go into the off-season with two goals: resigning Wade and signing another big time free agent.

Milwaukee Bucks

(18-24, third in Central Division and ninth in East)

The Bucks have exceeded everyone’s expectations much like Brandon Jennings has early. Drafted tenth, many teams overlooked Jennings but he is making them pay for it as he is a contender for rookie of the year.

After years of waiting Milwaukee fans are finally getting the production from Andrew Bogut they wanted after drafting him ahead of Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Bogut is averaging a double double and having a career year while only missing six games this season.

Milwaukee’s future is now in the hands of Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut and the franchise was desperately trying to trade Michael Redd before his season ending injury. The rebuilding will take an extra season and Redd will likely still be on the roster next season but Bucks fans have been waiting forever so what is another lost futile season.

Grade B.

Look for the Bucks to try to trade Redd’s contract and desperately try to make the playoffs this season. MIL will likely target a scorer in this season’s draft and while the present is much of the same, there is a bright future for the Bucks.

Minnesota Timberwolves

(9-36, last place in Northwest Division and West)

If it were not for one of the worst teams in NBA history, the Wolves would be known as the biggest joke in the NBA. Instead of trying to build a winner, David Kahn drafted four PGs, signed another one via free agency, and quickly traded two of them. Apparently, Kahn thought it would be better to build the future, sacrificing his job and this season.

The Wolves have a nasty froncourt, and needed guard help, but drafting four PGs and signing one is not a smart idea. The Wolves should have drafted a wing, which they are desperately looking for, instead of either Rubio or Flynn.

There are rumors of both big men (Kevin Love and Al Jefferson) not coexisting together and there have been whispers of the Wolves looking for a wing in exchange for one of their bigs. Instead of trading one of their bigs, MIN could have drafted DeMar DeRozan last season with one of their bevy of picks.

Grade F.

A total failure for a team that has a bright future. Nobody wants to defend their frontcourt but poor management put the franchise without an athletic guard or forward. Wolves fans are left looking at the lottery once again and who knows what management will do if they win the John Wall sweepstakes. Would they draft another PG?

New Jersey Nets

(3-40, last place in Atlantic Division and East)

The Nets have become a joke and are seemingly on repeat during Dave Letterman’s monologue. NJN is chasing an NBA record for ineptitude and only wins 7% of their games this season. They are currently in an 11 game losing streak but still feature two Dream Team 2012 possibilities.

Coming into the season I did not think the Nets would be the worst team in the NBA for two reasons. 1.) Devin Harris and 2.) Brook Lopez. Harris missed 12 games with an injury and is only averaging 15 PPG his lowest since being a backup on DAL. Lopez should be an All Star this season and is averaging 19 PPG, 9 RPG, 2 APG, and 2 BPG and is the only bright spot for the Nets.

Grade F.

The Nets are awful but could win the John Wall sweepstakes and have plenty of cap space to entice a free agent next season. This awful season could actually benefit the Nets. The NBA, where losing is actually good.

New Orleans Hornets

(24-20, tied for fourth in Southwest and tied for ninth in West)

The Hornets are lead by one of the best players in the NBA, Chris Paul. CP3 does it all with 20 PPG, 11 APG, 4 RPG, and 2 SPG but only gets help from David West, who is having his worst season since 2005.

The Hornets have a lot of bad contracts and will be looking to deal anyone as the February deadline approaches. Emeka Okafor, Morris Peterson, James Posey, Darius Songalia, and Peja Stojakovic are all owned a handful of years and many millions and until those contracts are over, the Hornets will have their hands tied behind their back.

Grade C.

Chris Paul will keep them afloat but as the season closes look for New Orleans to fall back into the lottery.

New York Knicks

(17-26, third place Atlantic Division and tenth place in East)

After a 50 point drubbing a few days ago it is hard to say the Knicks have exceeded our expectations but they really have. We thought they would be worse than last season, and they still might be, but we though they would be considerably worse.

NYK blew their draft pick (Jordan Hill over Brandon Jennings), have an inordinate amount of bad contracts (Eddy Curry, Larry Hughes, Chris Duhon, Al Harrington, Jared Jeffries, Darko Milicic, Cuttino Mobley), but have a should-be All Star, David Lee.

Lee is the only player worth anything on this team but he might leave this summer and the Knicks are still cleaning up Isaiah Thomas’ mess. Grade C.

Oklahoma City Thunder

(24-20, fourth in Northwest Division and tied for ninth in West)

The Thunder are everyone’s surprise team including ours. We thought OKC would be remarkably improved but not by this much as we had them penciled in for about 30 wins.

Kevin Durant is one of the few cornerstones in the NBA and is already lighting up the league with 29 PPG as a 21 year old. The rest of the team is stacked with former top draft picks that have not busted yet, and probably never will.

Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, and James Harden, along with Durant are the Thunder’s leading scorers all the while inadvertently teaching the rest of the NBA how to draft and develop kids.

Grade A.

Great job of drafting and developing the youngsters by Sam Presti and Scotty Brooks. The Thunder have a very bright future ahead of them and a great management team that will lead their franchise to the playoffs in the very near future.

Orlando Magic

(29-16, second place in Southeast Division and fourth in East)

The Magic ran away with the Eastern crown last season and much was expected this year but the Magic are not the same. Vince Carter has not stepped in for Hedo Turkoglu, and is still owed three more years at $16 million per season.

2009 All Stars Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Jameer Nelson are all either having down seasons or battling injuries but we cannot write off the defending Eastern Champs just yet.

ORL is still trying to trade for mistakes made over the summer (Marcin Gortat 5 years $30 million and Brandon Bass 3 years $12 million) and look for them to be active in February.

Grade I.

We think the Magic will be playing their best ball in April but if Vince Carter continues to struggle look for the Magic to also struggle in the post season. It is not a good thing when your playoff hopes are relying on the ailing shoulders of VC.

Philadelphia 76ers

(15-29, fourth place in Atlantic and 13th in East)

The Sixers had a plan when they signed Elton Brand two years ago and it was build the offense around a low post presence. Two years after the deal the Sixers are desperately trying to find a suitor for Brand, his 13 PPG, and his $14 million per season.

The Sixers are now building around Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, and their new top five pick next season. Hopefully Philly can get extremely lucky and win the John Wall sweepstakes, trade Brand this summer, and sign a nice big free agent. But then you will probably wake up.

Grade D.

It got so bad for Philly this season they had to sign Allen Iverson.

Phoenix Suns

(26-20, second place in Pacific Division and seventh in West)

The Suns have been playing good ball all season long and have exceeded our expectations. We did not think the Suns would make the playoffs and it is still a possibility as only two games separate the fourth seed from the ninth.

Steve Nash is unbelievable as he has comparable stats to his back-to-back MVP seasons. Without Nash, PHX would be in the John Wall sweepstakes but with him they are playoff contenders. It has been well documented Amar’e Stoudemire is on the trade block and there are plenty of potential suitors for the athletic big man.

Grade B.

The Suns have a lesser chance of resigning Amar’e this off-season than they do of making the playoffs this year and look for them to ask for and receive a king’s ransom for one of the best players in the world. Even with Nash aging, the Suns still have a bright future.

Portland Trail Blazers

(27-19, third place in Northwest Division and fifth in West)

The Blazers are right in line with our preseason predictions as they will likely make the playoffs because of Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, and a very talented supporting cast.

Brandon Roy is likely to make Dream Team 2012 but is always battling nagging knee injuries, which is scary as he ages. The Andre Miller signing was a bad one and POR is already looking to deal him. Martell Webster is finally having his best season as a pro, and Jerryd Bayless, Rudy Fernandez, and Nicolas Batum will all be productive as the season goes on.

Grade A.

The Blazers have a very good team this season and have an even brighter future. What if they took Kevin Durant instead of Greg Oden?

Sacramento Kings

(15-28, fourth place in Pacific Division and 11th in West)

Rarely can you call a team that is winning only 35% of their games as a pleasant surprise but the Kings are just that.

Lead by Rookie of the Year frontrunner Tyreke Evans, the Kings have nearly equaled their win total from a year ago and they are winning without their highest paid player, Kevin Martin (who recently returned from injury).

The Kings have a nice solid young nucleus featuring Tyreke Evans, Kevin Martin, Omri Casspi, Spencer Hawes, and Jason Thompson among others and SAC will likely try and find a suitor for Kevin Martin ASAP.

Martin and Evans play the same position and it will be hard for those two to play together. Martin is a very good scorer and a lot of teams will likely be interested after this season but it could take nearly a year to deal him since a lot of teams are concerned with this summer.

Grade A.

The Kings have a very bright future and it will only get better by trading Martin and having a lottery pick this season.

San Antonio Spurs

(25-18, second place in Southwest Division and sixth in West)

The Spurs have not hit their stride all season and their roster that changed so much this past off-season might be finally catching up with them.

The Spurs added DeJuan Blair and Richard Jefferson to their rotation this season and it has not gone as seamlessly as originally thought. RJ is averaging his lowest PPG since his rookie season and Blair, although having a great season, is still making rookie mistakes on the defensive end.

Grade C.

For the first time in a decade San Antonio looks normal and beatable. We had the Spurs in the 2010 Finals but we retract that statement and we think the Lakers would sweep the Spurs out of the playoffs.

Toronto Raptors

(23-22, second in Atlantic and sixth in East)

The Raptors started out miserably but have climbed over .500 and find themselves in the post season if it started today. The Raptors rebuilt their roster after a horrible season last year and look like they are primed for a second half run.

TOR will likely not climb as high as the fourth seed but they can overtake the Heat’s fifth spot and perhaps that can entice Chris Bosh into staying. JK, we do not think Bosh will be staying in Toronto as long as Andrea Bargnani and Hedo Turkoglu are the second and third best players on the team.

Grade B.

We thought Toronto would be better after last season’s disaster but they started out slowly and play very little defense. If you want Bosh to stick around, GM Bryan Colangelo will need more talent and better defense.

Utah Jazz

(26-18, second in Northwest Division and fourth in East)

The Jazz are a typical Jazz team lead by Jerry Sloan, Deron Williams, and Carlos Boozer. Boozer has exceeded a lot of people’s expectations by remaining on the team and posting good stats (19 PPG, 10 RPG, and third in the NBA with 29 double doubles).

Deron Williams is likely going to make his first All Star team this season but the Jazz will need someone else to step up if they want to be legitimate contenders. Mehmet Okur cannot be your third leading scorer and Utah needs more contributions out of Ronnie Brewer and Andrei Kirilenko but their roster is loaded with wings, limiting both.

Grade C.

Andrei Kirilenko’s contract has turned into a joke and the Jazz need to make room to let Paul Millsap and Ronnie Brewer grow.

Washington Wizards

(14-30, last place in Southeast Division and 13th in East)

Sadly the Wizards made the news for all the wrong reasons and it is because of Gilbert Arenas and journeyman Javaris Crittenton. Once known as a throw-in in the Pau Gasol to Lakers trade, Crittenton is now known as the moron that brought the gun to work.

Gil Arenas’ contract is known around the league as a franchise crippler and his immaturity might have voided around the $100 million left on it. It should be an interesting off season and February for the Wiz as they will likely replace their coach and trade many of their assets. Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are two very good NBA players and will be heavily sought after players this trade season and into next year. If the Wiz play their cards right, they can right this ship very quickly with or without Arenas.

Grade F

because they signed Gilbert Arenas to that ridiculous contract.

Matt Anaya
Twitter.com/MatAnaya

Lebron James’ Pre-Game Dunk Contest

January 28, 2009 – Dr. Dime

There has been a ton of Lebron James/Dunk Contest talk over the last few weeks here at The Hoop Doctors. Even the *ahem* ‘haters’ realize that having Lebron James participate would have been great for the league, fans, media, and pretty much anyone involved with the sport of basketball.

But back to the haters for a minute. Although the absurdity of it blows my mind, i’ve actually heard people say that they don’t think Lebron James would be a good dunk contest participant because his dunks aren’t flashy or innovative, just power and routine. I beg to differ. Lebron James has the power and explosiveness of Dominique Wilkens, the grace and hangtime of Michael Jordan, the pure hops of Vince Carter, and the ball handling skills of a Spud Webb. So in my mind Lebron would not only win the dunk contest, but possible pull off some of the greatest most electrifying dunks ever.

After recently watching this video of Lebron pulling off some amazing dunks just screwing around in warmups, you can’t help but imagine just what kind of dunks he could pull off in a competition where he has had time to plan out his routine and has the adrenaline pumping from the entire nation watching…..

(H/T to Bare Knucks where we saw the video)

Revising the 2010 Dunk Contest

January 28, 2010 – R.S. De France

By now, we’ve all seen the all-star starters and the dunk contest participants. To expand on Shaquille O’Neil’s comments on LeBron James’ dunk contest status, I offer this all-star revision.

What Shaq suggested, getting Kobe Bryant and Vince Carter, two previous dunk contest winners, to participate in the dunk contest was ridiculous. Those guys have way too many NBA miles on their legs. While I think Gerald Wallace, Nate Robinson, and Shannon Brown and maybe even DeMar DeRozan will do an admiral job; Shaq’s idea to have “stars” dunk is a great idea!

Having stars in the dunk contest would continue a trend the league started a couple years ago with Dwight Howard. Why not continue? No offense to those selected, but here are some stars and rising stars that could help electrify the dunk contest, who have not yet won the NBA dunk contest:

Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat

Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies

Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns

If you wanted to throw in someone with a Dunk Championship on his resume, you could always add in:

Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks (2005 Dunk Champion)

Who do you think would be good competition for LeBron James in the Dunk Contest, if he mysteriously entered late this year, or possibly next year?

Top 10 NBA Dunk Contest Firsts [Video]

January 28, 2010 – Allen Moll

Everyone loves the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend. Some fans even think it is the marquee event of the entire weekend, including the actual All Star Game on Sunday. Or at least it used to be.

The NBA recently announced the field for this season’s contest which makes us once again long for season’s past where dunkers used imagination and we saw legendary battles between some high flying NBA superstars.

We all miss Michael Jordan’s dunk from the foul line, Dee Brown pumping up his shoes and giving us the first no-look dunk, and Cedric Ceballos’ pulling off a jam while (ahem)blindfolded. We miss JR Rider doing the Eastbay dunk, Vince Carter almost tearing the rim down and telling everyone it’s over, and Dominique Wilkins shaking the goal’s foundation with his two-footed windmill slams.

What we get is another bland event where contestants not only appear to have trouble coming up with new ideas but have borrowed the past by trying to duplicate what the pioneers have already done before them.

For those that would like to reminisce about the past, here is a video of Dunk Contest Firsts: