Derrick Rose is the real deal! From the first game of the season i could tell that he is going to be a special player and I'm pretty sure that he will be. As for OJ Mayo, coming into the season, the scouts were not so high on him and i had no idea why that is so cause this guy is a baller!
Kevin Mchale is the dumbest GM ever. Until now I still cant understand what he's doing with the wolves. Imagine if he didn't screw up during draft night taking Foye over Roy, and he still kept KG, how good could they be right now? Plus the drafting of Corey Brewer? I don't know about that...
LBJ has to show some respect to the Cavs. I mean, it's alright for him to have these thoughts about playing elsewhere but come on, keep it to yourself. Don't give signs during the season. How would the fans and your teammates feel? Well, don't get me wrong. LBJ has been my favorite player and he still is but i just think he has to show some more class. Although i do think that the only reason for this issue blowing up is cause of the dumb media. Fans like us just love reading rumor mills and stuff and these sport-writers are exaggerating things and twisting words that the players say in order to come up with a juicy article. It sucks but that's their job. Despite of how sure the 'experts' seem to be, i still think that he will stay with Cleveland.
The Knicks are a messed up franchise and it's really cool how Donnie Walsh is trying his best to fix some stuff but the way they are handling the Marbury situation is not really fair. Marbury's teammates and the other people keep praising him for being professional about the situation and not blowing things up. I'd say that yeah, what he was doing was quite impressive although i can't totally agree with him being professional when he declined to play. And i must say that D'antoni is nuts for making a mess out of the situation. I understand that they are rebuilding but it won't be any harm to play a former all-star. It's funny how D'antoni was saying before the season started that he wouldn't mind reuniting with Marbury and all those good stuff but when the season starts, bang! Sit down Steph. (I am by no means a Marbury fan by the way)
There should be 4 games per year between the teams that Don Nelson and D'antoni coach cause if fans want entertainment then those are the games you should watch! That game last night was outrageous! Duhon going for 22 assists, David Lee with a monster game and even Cory Maggette with a great game.
As for the Warriors, I must say that their organization is pretty messed up too. First Baron Davis ditches them and things were not so good. Then they sign Monta Ellis to a nice contract and he screws up in an accident not even related to basketball. Then you have Al Harrington complaining, asking for a trade and him publicly feuding with Don Nelson (it's a good thing he got traded already, and yeah he had a monster game against his former team too!) Then there are issues coming up that Chris Mullin is on the hot seat. It must be quite tough to be in their situation right now.
I feel for Eddie Jordan. That guy was a really good coach. We can say that he was a big reason behind those Nets teams that made it to the finals and you see what he did with the wizards considering their lineup wasn't that strong compared to the other teams in the previous years. yes they never really made it that far but all i can say is that he makes the most of what he has. And just because his lineup is filled with injured players, he takes the blame? Well yeah, i guess it's really like that for most coaches. But i believe he wasn't the one who signed Agent Zero with busted knees, nor was he the one who took care of adding new pieces to the team (oh yeah, what new players?). I mean when you have a player saying that he wouldn't sign with the team again if the coach is gone, i guess that says alot about you. Maybe Ernie Grunfeld isn't doing such a great job either. But i'm pretty sure Eddie Jordan will find a job.
As for a coach who i really think sucks, that's Mike Dunleavy. He hasn't done much at all with the teams he has. He had Magic and James Worthy and still came up short against.. yeah MJ. Then he had that Trailblazers team and couldn't do anything with that strong lineup either. And he has a pretty good Clippers team now which is way underachieving, which is how it has been for them since making the playoffs behind a super season by Sam Cassel. And since they say that he has alot of say when it comes to front office decisions (hence the firing of Elgin Baylor) then yeah he must take the blame.
I think that the Jermaine O'neal for TJ Ford trade was good for both teams. I am impressed with Marc Gasol too. He just might be better than Pau in a few years. As for the Iverson-Billups trade i've got to say that Denver totally stole that one. With Billups running the point for them, they are a very different team and the teams in the west better watch out for them. I do think that the Pistons could go very deep into the postseason too especially if they get a good matchup but i personally feel that AI will not ever win a championship while as a superstar in this league. No offense to him. He is one of my favorite players too and he's got unparalleled heart and competitiveness. But that's his biggest drawback too. He wants to win too much that at times he feels that he has to do it all by himself and he doesn't trust his teammates enough. I think when you see how Kobe has changed, maybe Iverson could be like that too in order to win.
As for the Lakers, i am so impressed with their defense and the way they are throwing their egos away and just playing as a team. I really think it will be a repeat performance in the finals and i hope this time the lakers win. But i am still rooting for a finals between my two favorite teams, the Houston Rockets and the Cleveland Cavaliers!
Steve Nash has slowed down much. I don't know if it's because of Terry Porter's system or because of his age but i think that he isn't the same Steve Nash anymore. I do think though that even if the numbers of the Suns are dropping that they now have a better chance to go deeper in the playoffs under Terry Porter.
I guess my previous sentiments about Shawn Marion were right -- that he was only putting up those numbers cause of D'antoni's system. Of course it's still too early in the season to tell but he doesn't look like he's going to have a good year this year (sucks that it's his contract year too). And just when Marion's numbers are going down, for some reason he's in my fantasy team! After those years of him killing me, when he finally comes to me, he sucks (i didn't draft him, the computer did) Same goes for Mike Miller.
Shout out to Blake Griffin and to Stephen Curry (who stole my heart early during last season and has me as a big fan right now) as well as to Tyler Hansbrough, Luke Harangody, Darren Collison and the other players who skipped the draft to play in college. It takes alot to decide against going the pro and college is actually good for you because it will help you for your future when your playing days are over. There are alot of stories of NBA players who have gotten into trouble when they grew older and i'd say a big reason for that would be the lack of education. Besides, it's more fun when you are playing for something that isn't money, in this case it is for your own school because money makes things a business and everything becomes different.
Chris Bosh is totally impressive as is Dwayne Wade and Dwight Howard. I wish those guys who asked me who to pick in their drafts listened to me rather than picking other guys like Kobe cause those 2 are monsters right now.
As for NBA players, i must say that alot of them are hypocrites. They talk about how much they love their cities, then the next thing you know, when a door is open they're gone. They say it's not about the money when most of the time it is. They say they don't care about anything but winning, but how many guys are there on winning teams that are sulking when their minutes aren't that much? Then you have guys like Amare saying he wants to be the man. He already is the man! His team is doing pretty well and he's saying he doesnt really like coach Porter's system and that he's frustrated. I find that befuddling. I mean if guys are really all about winning, why can't they take a pay cut and just play together? I can't wait for the day when friendship becomes stronger than money (yeah, I'm waiting for LBJ, Melo and Wade to go to the same team and win 10 straight championships!).
That's all for now. Feel free to comment at will!
