Starting 5 under 25 in the NBA

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25, Basketball, derrick rose, dwight howard, josh smith, kevin durant, lebron james, memphis grizzlies, nba, o.j. mayo, oklahoma city thunder, rajon rondo

-Contributed by Mike Millis-CityofSports Blogger

 The new season brings in a new class of rookies, and with that a new batch of players under 25 who are looking to display their skills and either keep their stock high, or show teams why they messed up by not drafting them. Picking these positions was especially hard because there really are so many good young players at each position. Let’s go ahead and pick a team.

 PG – Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls. No one his age commands as much respect at any position as D Rose. A career 48% from the field is one reason the kid has averaged nearly 20 points per game since coming in to the league as the number one overall pick out of Memphis. Four rebounds per game along with six assists are examples of intangibles not displayed by your average point guard, especially one who just turned 22 years old.

  Honorable Mention: Tyreke Evans, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, Brandon Jennings,

 SG – O.J. Mayo – Memphis Grizzlies. O.J. makes the list based on playmaking ability more than anything. A career 44% field goal shooter puts him at an average of 18 points per game. Adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game as a swing man doesn’t hurt either. He has yet to live up to his hype, which will be hard to do, considering he had a LeBron James type of buzz as far back as middle school.

  Honorable Mention: Eric Gordon, James Harden,

 SF – Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder. No explanation needed, really. Durant is the defending scoring champion, effective rebounder, averaging 6 per game throughout his short career. He’s my pick to win MVP, and is becoming the LeBron James (before The Decision) to of Oklahoma City.

 Honorable Mention: Rudy Gay, Thaddeus Young

 PF – Josh Smith – Atlanta Hawks. J Smooth is more offensive minded than anything, and it seems like he could probably shove the ball down anyone’s throat he wants to when he’s driving the lane. He is the main reason the Hawks have been in the playoffs the past few years and if he can become more of a defensive presence, especially on the boards, the Hawks have a legitimate shot of doing something besides losing in the first round of the playoffs..

     Honorable Mention: Blake Griffin, Kevin Love.

 C – Dwight Howard – Orlando Magic. No brainer. Superman is the best center in the league period, not just under 25 years old. In his 6^th year in the league, he’s averaging 17.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, and nearly 2 blocks per game. Howard is the face of his franchise, and one of the most recognizable faces in the league.

 Honorable Mention: Andrew Bynum, Brook Lopez, Al Horford

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After being lit up, the Heat play it cool.

Tags

Basketball, Boston celtics, chris bosh, dwayne wade, florida, heat, lebron james, miami, miami heat, nba

Contributed by Mike Millis-CityofSports Blogger

All eyes of the sports world were on the Miami Heat last night as the new “Big 3” took the floor for the first time as a team. The result was supposed to be a blow out, as every game is supposed to be with the combo of D Wade, King James, and Chris Bosh. This was before the Celtics shot 46% from the field, while holding the Heat to only 36.5%. LeBron James committed 8 turnovers, while Dwyane Wade gave the ball up 6 times. That’s one less than the entire Celtics starting line up. All this, an the Heat still only lost by 8, to a Celtics team playing at home, who just went to the finals last year.

 I heard two quotes after the game from Heat players that let me know their mindset it right where it should be.

 LeBron said, “We all know Rome wasn’t built in a day. This is going to take time.”

Dwyane Wade said, “It’s game one of 82. Everyone who wanted us to go 82-0, sorry, it’s not going to happen.”

 The Heat’s problem was that they didn’t look cohesive. It LOOKED like last night was the first time they had played together, or at least since the Olympics in 2008. A lot of newly coined “Heat Haters” loved to watch this, because I think they, more than anyone, expected the Heat to roll over people and any bump in the road will be a major story. Stumbling out of the gate did nothing but add fuel to the fire. It is true that while to compete for a title, they’re going to need someone besides Joel Anthony playing Center, but give them 10-15 games together before we start saying the wheels have fallen off.

NBA Hybrid Superstar

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Basketball, Boston celtics, chauncey billups, chicago bulls, derrick rose, dwayne wade, dwight howard, fantasy basketball, kevin durant, kobe bryant, lakers, lebron james, miami heat, nba, orlando magic, phoenix suns, Ray Allen, ron artest, steve nash

Contributed by Mike Millis-CityofSports blogger

After reading Nick’s post about the perfect hybrid pitcher, I decided why not do the same for basketball? This started out being easy enough, but then there are so many players who are so good at different aspects of the game, that I began thinking I could do one hybrid for each position. Seeing as I have homework, plus regular work to tend to, I’ll keep it simple this time, and just go with one super player, made from skills of current players in the NBA.

Speed: Derrick Rose. When D Rose sees open court, there is nobody in the league who can keep up. He displays the same speed with the ball that he does without it, and is not only fast, but quicker than almost anyone in the league.

Handles: Steve Nash. For years, this guy has been darting in and out of the lane, facing heavy traffic. Whether or not he passes the ball or is just testing the waters in the paint seems to be irrelevant. Nash plays with what seems to be reckless abandon, but he has complete control and knows where everyone is on the floor at all times.

Hops: LeBron James. This was a toss up between King James and Dwight Howard. We haven’t seen LeBron try to dunk on a 12 foot hoop yet, but I have no doubt that he could make it look just as easy as Superman did. ‘Bron can jump a mile in to the air.

Shot: Ray Allen. Smoothest stroke we’ve seen in The League for quite a while. Jesus Shuttlesworth can tickle the twine with defenders in his face, wide open, and anywhere on the floor.

Offensive Moves: Kevin Durant. You don’t win a scoring title your third year in the league without knowing what to do when you have the ball. Whether its having a wet shot (.476 FG% last year), or just being able to dribble drive, create on the run, or make things happen in the half court offense, Durant’s the man.

Defense: Ron Artest. Call the Tru Warrior crazy all you want, but he’s a pit bull on the defensive end of the floor. He can guard almost any position, and has an innate ability to get in the opponent’s head.

Rebounding: Dwight Howard. Superman can leap tall buildings in a single bound, and grab 13.2 rebounds per game while in air. Defensive boards are his, offensive boards are his. If there’s glass, and a ball bouncing off of it, my money is on Dwight Howard to come down with it every time.

Smarts: Chauncey Billups. Mr. Big Shot knows when to turn it on and start taking shots and knows when he needs to get his teammates involved. He brings a savvy to the court that is nearly unbeatable.

Clutch Performance: Kobe Bryant. Even with all the help he’s had the years he’s won his rings, he is the one to take the last shot, and seems to come up on the right side every time. There’s a reason he’s won 5 rings, and it’s because he just has what it takes to get it done.

The Sissification of Modern Sports

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Baseball, Basketball, Defense, football, heat, hockey, james harrison, kobe bryant, lakers, lebron james, modern, Offense, Players, points, quarterback, quarterbacks, running back, sports, steelers, superstar, tackle

-Contributed by Mike Millis-CityofSports Blogger

Sports used to be exciting to watch because you never knew when that bone crunching hit was coming, you never knew when the pitcher would throw some chin music and the batter would rush the mound and punches would actually be thrown (although baseball does get credit for policing themselves during the course of a game), you never knew a smaller guard would be coming down the lane, and get pummeled by a center, leading to a fight (unless it was the Heat and Knicks, in which case you were pretty much guaranteed to see some fisticuffs). Now, quarterbacks are untouchable, when benches clear, it’s usually for a staring contest, and Ron Artest took things to the extreme on the hardwood, and ruined sports fights for everyone not in a ring or cage. 

There used to be a time in the NBA, not so long ago, in which there was this term “playoff basketball.” This meant the referees tended to look the other way on touch fouls. Hell, they used to look the other way unless there were punches thrown. Teams used to have nicknames like “the bad boys” and were KNOWN for playing rough, maybe even a little dirty. That is, until the “Jordan Rules” went in to effect. This meant no touching the superstar. Anytime you even thought about so much as breathing on His Airness, the whistles were out. These rules are still in effect for the stars in the league, when I would argue the issue that needs to be looked at is all the flopping that has become rampant the past few years. It used to only be Vlade Divac. Shawn Bradley was terrible, but at least he had the decency to stand there and get dunked on. Instead, the league has completely cut off players from trying to persuade the refs, even in a nice way. There will be an all time high in technical fouls given this year. Write it down. You are no longer allowed to:

• Make aggressive gestures, including air punches, anywhere on the court.

• Disagree with the ref in an overt manner, the whole look of amazement genre.

• Run directly at a ref to complain.

• Drag out the postmortem of a foul call with continued questions, even if it’s done politely.

• Display any body language that indicates the call is being protested.

Kevin Garnett got a technical foul in the preseason for looking at a ref. Not saying anything, or making any aggressive gesture, for question the ref; he simply looked at the ref as though he had made a bad call. Where will David Stern draw the line? My guess is anywhere that increases league revenue. 

Watching football this past weekend was entertaining for those who like to see points on the board, end zone celebrations (the ones that are still allowed), and quarterbacks smiling. Unfortunately, for those of us who like to see defense on the football field, new rules put in place have players scared of being suspended.  Players are now terrified to lower their head and bring the pain, because the NFL, while having the players health in mind, is becoming more and more offensive minded, which means keeping offensive players on the field.

A few years ago it was made so that quarterbacks, as sacred as they are, became even more untouchable. These guys might as well not even be considered football players anymore. I could have sworn that these guys wear helmets and pads just like everyone else on the field. In fact, the quarterback wears a flack jacket, which is another level of protection that isn’t given to any other position player on either side of the ball. If it isn’t a penalty to tackle a running back who has the ball below the knees, then there is no reason the quarterbacks should be protected from that same hit. The NFL came out after week 6, in which there were a number of injuries caused by big hits, and said that players who lead with their helmet will face not only a fine, which they were already subject to, but a suspension as well. Games were undoubtedly affected by this new punishment. Sadly, it may be exactly what the NFL wants to see, and not just in terms of player safety.

The problem with the new rules lies in the clarity of them. There isn’t a clear definition for what a defenseless receiver is. Unless these guys are running around with no helmets or shoulder pads, I would argue they are not defenseless. James Harrison, who said he leads with his head to hurt people, not injure them (say what?), was seen giving up on plays in which he otherwise would have tried to cause a turnover. I remember watching Monday Night Football, and hearing Jaws say countless times, “You’ve got to keep your head on a swivel.” Well, Mr. Jaworski, that’s just not the case anymore. The sissification of the NFL is nearly complete, all that’s left is the uniform changing from pants to skirts.

My main issue with the commissioners of these leagues, besides turning our sports in to hugging contests and battles of good sportsmanship, is that they are putting certain players, or certain positions above the overall entertainment value of the league. Quarterbacks are not special. Kobe Bryant should get the same calls as Luke Walton. As long as certain players are treated as untouchables, sports as we know it will become more and more sissified.

2010-2011 NBA Season Preview

Tags

2010, Basketball, bucks, Championship, fantasy basketball, fantasy basketballo, heat, jazz, kobe bryant, lebron james, nba, Playoffs, predictions, ron artest, utah jazz

Contributed by Mike Millis-City of Sports NBA and NFL blogger.

As the beginning of the NBA season is quickly approaching, every blog needs its preseason predictions. I’ll give you 5 teams and players that were under the radar next year, and will surprise you this season, and then we’ll cover the playoff picture and finals predictions.

Five players to keep your eyes on:

1.)    Brook Lopez (C, New Jersey Nets) – The better of the Lopez twins. He has had two years in the league now, and is ready to put himself on the same platform as the elite centers in the NBA. His PPG leapt by almost 6 points from his rookie year to his sophomore campaign to 18.8, and his rebound total was almost 9 per game last year. He’s a legit 7-footer who will shoot over 80% from the charity stripe, and has played all 82 games in each of his two years in the NBA. Look for Lopez to be a double double machine all season long.

2.)    Gerald Wallace (SF, Charlotte Bobcats) – Being a small forward with a knack for hitting the boards (10 RPG last season) helps Wallace’s stock as much as his high flying and scoring ability. Being on Michael Jordan’s on the rise Bobcats squad isn’t hurting him much either.

3.)    Al Jefferson (C, Utah Jazz) – This was a piece of the KG puzzle I was shocked to learn would be leaving Boston in 2007. Just a few years ago Jefferson was emerging as a force before being exiled to Minnesota. Jefferson has quietly averaged a double double 3 out of the last 4 years, missing out last year by only 0.7 rebounds per game. His move from the T-Wolves to the Jerry Sloan coached Utah Jazz should spark production to new levels this year.

4.)    Russell Westbrook (PG, Oklahoma City Thunder) – There are few players on the floor who can match Westbrook’s speed with the ball. Look for his 16.1 PPG average to improve with teams having to constantly double team Kevin Durant, who was a benefactor of Westbrook’s 8 assists per game last year, and will look to do the same this year.

5.)    Steph Curry (PG, Golden State Warriors) – Curry had a great rookie year and the Warrior’s run and gun style of offense is conducive to scoring from everyone, especially someone who’s shot is as smooth as his. Curry’s great ball control and passing ability should be reasons his assists increase.

Five Teams that will shock you (in a good way):

1.)    L.A. Clippers – Before you start laughing, let me explain. First and foremost, Mike Dunleavy will have nothing to do with the Lakers’ little brother this year. He is no longer the coach, or the GM, which should probably guarantee at least another 10 wins. Couple that with the fact that Baron Davis actually shows up when the team and situation are good, and that Blake Griffin is poised to start his takeover, and the Clippers could be a low seed playoff team.

2.)    Philadelphia 76ers – Jrue Holiday was a bright spot in a dim season for the Sixers last year, getting better as the year wore on. Add a year of maturity from Holiday to the athleticism and constant scoring threat of Andre Iguodala, and the hope that Elton Brand can return to his pre-Philly days of averaging a double double and are counting on him to play 75+ games for this team to be a playoff team.

3.)    Milwaukee Bucks – Many felt Brandon Jennings should have won Rookie of the Year honors last year for his 15.5 PPG (including his 55 point rookie record game) and his awesome Gumby haircut. Andrew Bogut won’t be at 100% when the season starts following his injury at the end of last season, but John Salmons and Cory Maggette should pick up the slack, and I expect the Bucks to climb in to the top tier of Eastern conference teams.

4.)    New Jersey Nets – Having more than 12 wins shouldn’t be hard for a team this talented. Center Brook Lopez is poised to take a seat along side the top big men in the league, and Devin Harris was at one point the head scratcher in the trade that sent Jason Kidd to the Mavs. Add rookie Derrick Favors, former Laker guard Jordan Farmar, and former #1 overall pick Joe Smith to the mix, and this team has a young core with a group of veterans who have won before and will be looking to show the young guys how it’s done.

 

5.)    Golden State Warriors – Steph Curry and Monte Ellis handling the ball, and rebound machine and overall hard worker David Lee joining the club should help this high scoring, up tempo team put points up on the board. The question remains to be defense or the lack there of. The Warriors haven’t really played anything that has resembled respectable defense any time lately, and just a little effort should push them over .500 and possibly get them to the playoffs.

 

Playoff Predictions:

Eastern Conference

1. Miami Heat
2. Orlando Magic
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Atlanta Hawks
5. Milwaukee Bucks
6. Boston Celtics
7. Charlotte Bobcats
8. Philadelphia 76ers

Western Conference

1. L.A. Lakers
2. Dallas Mavericks
3. Utah Jazz
4. San Antonio
5. Denver Nuggets (if Melo isn’t traded)
6. Oklahoma City
7. Portland Trailblazers
8. L.A. Clippers

Finals Prediction:

Lakers over Heat in 6. While many people have their eyes on Miami as the favorites, I picked L.A. for a few different reasons. One is the matchups; Kobe will guard D. Wade, Artest will at the very least contain Lebron James, and Pau Gasol will show more playoff gusto than Chris Bosh. Past that, the Lakers have the better bench including Mr. Khloe Kardashian, Lamar Odom, and the young and exciting Shannon Brown. Another reason I picked the Lakers is because Phil Jackson wins his rings in threes, and he’s sitting on two as we speak. I expect the Lakers to cap off Jackson’s 4^th (holy crap!) 3-peat and send him off in to the Montana sunset as the best pro coach of all time.