Afastado das quadras e das atividades esportivas desde janeiro o pivô Andrew Bynum finalmente recebeu alvará médico para iniciar seu retorno aos treinamentos. Segundo os médicos do Los Angeles Lakers a lesão no joelho sofrida pelo jogador já está em um estágio onde pode ser considerada totalmente curada.

O encontro entre Bynum e os médicos que liberaram sua volta às quadras ocorreu na última quinta-feira na cidade de Nova York. Após algumas horas em sessões de análises no joelho do jogador os especialistas saíram muitos felizes com os resultados. As informações médicas foram passadas pelo agente do jogador, David Lee: “O joelho está maravilhoso e nós inclusive vamos antecipar um pouco o tempo do retorno. Os médicos afirmaram que o joelho do Andrew está totalmente curado” afirmou um extasiado Lee.

Durante o período em que atuou na época passada o pivô obteve médias de 13,1 pontos e 10,2 rebotes, sendo um dos principais jogadores do Los Angeles Lakers até então.

Same Bynum next year?

Andrew Bynum is still recovering this off season from knee surgery, and although he is slated to be ready for the start of the season, who knows how affected his play will be. He had to have surgery done twice and this set his rehabilitation back even further. Kupchak has maintained that his injury is not "career altering", which gives hope that Bynum will make a full recovery. Knee injuries plague big men through out the league, and Bynum's injury is not as bad as Greg Oden's or Sean Mays' which had them sidelined for more than a year. And Oden is expected to make a full recovery from having microfracture knee surgery, which is way more serious than Bynum's dislocated knee cap. Bynum's youth should enable him to reach the level of play that he was at before the injury. In any event, the Lakers can always slide Pau Gasol over to center in the event of another mishap, a capable back up would be a better to have just in case.

Don't the Lakers have Chris Mihm? Yes, but his play has been hampered by injuries. If he can play at a high level next season, then all of the Lakers center problems will be solved. As is, nobody knows how well he is going to play, so an insurance signing would alleviate any pressure.

What about Ronny Turiaf? Well, he still has to be signed, but, for his size he would be more suitable playing the power forward position. Although he is a defensive minded player and can bang bodies down low, his size definitely limits how effective he can be against opposing center. His energy and enthusiasm are priceless, and he is still maturing as a player, so a veteran presence would help him develop along the way. Signing an extra center would also enable Ronny to muscle smaller power forwards more effectively.

The young centers on the market are out of the Lakers' reach, but some quality veterans can still be signed.

Kurt Thomas

He is strong and has a nice offensive touch. He has played stellar defense throughout his career, and he helped shore up the Spurs frontcourt in the playoffs. The Lakers would definitely benefit from his veteran presence off the bench. He can probably be had for the veterans minimum, since the Lakers can offer him contention.

Chris Andersen

An energetic defender, the Birdman has good size and has nice athleticism. He hasn't played much due to drug problems, but he had some good seasons in the past. With him and Ronny together, they would just lock down anywhere close to the basket. Boston is rumored to be interested in him, so the Lakers may need to act fast.

Kwame Brown

As ludicrous as this sounds, Kwame might be a suitable option for the Lakers. With the offense clicking, he wouldn't have to touch the ball at all. We need him solely for his defensive capabilities. He can muscle up to the big centers in the league and that was lacking for the Lakers in the playoffs. But, if Bynum remains healthy next year, hopefully we won't even have to think of a scenario where Kwame Brown plays for the Lakers. For his age (25), he'll get the league minimum somewhere.

Hopefully, the Lakers sign a veteran center and Chris Mihm returns to full health.

ESPN.com are reporting that James Jones, Portland's "three point specialist," has opted out of his contract, deciding to go at it in the free agent market.

This is, in itself, some of the least exciting news since anything about Larry Hughes, but is interesting for this reason: Jones turned down a guaranteed $3.1M next season. As a comparison, Grant Hill recently exercised his player option at Phoenix for $1.9M, and James Posey, a genuine assassin from behind the arc who has helped Boston and Miami win rings, is considering a move with his $3.2M contract. So, with that in mind, uh, Jimmy, have you considered your line from last season?

• 8.0 ppg, and
• 2.8 rpg, in
• 22:00 mins/pg

Hey Jimmy, has it occurred to you that $3.1M is probably a pretty good remuneration for those numbers? No offence Jim, but that's more money than Danny Granger, Rudy Gay or Andrew Bynum are getting. We know you can be pretty deadly in 2K8, but that probably shouldn't affect your contract value.

Logic says this move harms Jones' long-term propects, and would probably render him a lowly-paid journeyman throughout the back-half of his career, sproadically getting court time and playing for at least 7 more teams.

However, this is the NBA, where the Knicks' salary roster (LOL) happens, so it might turn out to be a successful decision. Either way, it highlights that the strange phenomenon of NBA players overvaluing themselves is alive and well.

Posted by: Alex

The draft is exciting for three main reasons:

1. Ballheads of the world get to watch a new set of players trying to carve out a future in the league. You get the surprise guys who come from nowhere (Jamario Moon); the late-season bloomers who justify their draft position (Al Thornton); the high-scoring question mark (Kevin Durant).
2. Draft day sets the trade gears in motion. We've already seen the most injured trade ever!
3. New guys for fantasy draft day.

So with the first Sport Countdown, we've got the top five fantasy rookies, and some draft notes:

1. Derrick Rose | Chicago Bulls | #1 | You Should Pick Him: 3rd or 4th round, a round after Deron Williams.

In the space of a year, the Bulls went from conference contender to totally busted rebuilding project. It's that fact that'll guarantee Rose delivers his fantasy owners the most helpful rookie numbers this year.

Though not a foregone conclusion, a Kirk Hinrich swap isn't unlikely; despite his abominable efforts last season, other teams still see a grind-it-out defender with an improveable jump shot. If Kirk goes, Rose'll get close to full starter minutes at the point.

Odds are that if Hinrich stays, Gordon leaves. Either way, Rose'll get assists; he's a good passer, and the Bulls will be constantly shaping him as a playmaker. And, don't forget, the Bulls actually have a lot of young scoring options for Rose to set up.

*What happens to Larry Hughes? Well, can he play some small forward in a Nellieball style offense? Or is Vinny Del Negro just the coach that finally stops giving Hughes minutes he doesn't deserve? As for Chris Duhon? He's getting out of Illinois.

Expect: 17 points, 8 assists, 1.5 steals, and a few too many turnovers or ugly lines in the opening months of the season while Rose and the Bulls adjust to each other.

Posted By: Anton

2. Greg Oden | Portland Trailblazers | #1 (2007) | You Should Pick Him: 4th round, right after Andrew Bynum.

The big man will be eased into his delayed rookie season, but if he's healthy -- and for the good of sport-loving alcoholics in Portland, he better be -- Greg will start.

He'll also get good, predictable, statistics with the occasional gem (a seven-block masterpiece, or a 23 rebound surprise) and the occasional Manchild-esque shockers (a 10-turnover disaster, or consecutive 0-point games).

Expect: 14 points, 11 boards, 2.5 blocks, and a beautiful field-goal percentage (with a predictably terrible free-throw rate).

Considering he's just missed a year, owners might have some justified injury list concerns; they'll be soothed by the 82 games Amaré Stoudemire played in his comeback from microfracture surgery.

3. Michael Beasley | Miami Heat | #2 | You Should Pick Him: 5th-6th round, two or three rounds after Carlos Boozer.

Potential Beasley owners will worry: a) will Beasley definitely start all season, forcing Udonis Haslem to the bench? b) should we care about those attitude questions*? c) will Marion be sent elsewhere, leaving Beasley to pick up the spare boards and points?

*The Sport Count tip? No. Until he shoots a dog or sets fire to a nightclub, give the benefit of the doubt.

We won't have to worry about boards with Beasley; he's a top-notch rebounder. His points will come too. And if Miami's reluctant attitude keeps up? That might just fire him up.

But there are a lot of ifs, and that means you should wait Beasley out and try to get him late. If someone takes him in the second round, it's their loss.

Expect: 19 points, 11 boards, 1.4 blocks (if Alonzo comes back in a Lindsey Hunter-ish player-assistant role, that number goes up), and lower than expected turnovers (because Wade gives the ball away enough for all of the Heat).

4. OJ Mayo | Memphis Grizzlies | #3 | You Should Pick Him: 6th round, right after Ben Gordon.

Is the fantasy draft order looking a little obvious? That's because it is. OJ owners can expect a frustrating, sporadically rewarding season.

Mayo is desperate to prove his NBA worth, and he's accustomed to scoring -- he'll be delighted to find his teammates, on the whole, aren't very good at it, so he'll get a lot of opportunity. They're not a great group of players either, so there'll be minutes to burn.

Most of the season will be spent at shooting guard, but Mayo will get more dimes than turnovers. His field-goal percentage won't help, but if the Grizzlies go run-and-gun his 80%+ free-throw shooting might.

Expect: 19 points, 2.5 assists, a steal, and some worrying 2-from-17 games (afterwards you'll read: 'Mayo is a young player on a young team').

5. Eric Gordon | Los Angeles Clippers | #7 | You Should Pick Him: up off the waivers, like Nate Robinson.

If you draft Eric Gordon, you'll regret it. He'll have some disgusting games (1-14 with four turnovers? He'll do it), there'll be a position battle at the Clippers with Quinton Ross, Cuttino Mobley, Smush Parker, and Brevin Knight all demanding backcourt time. And Gordon will find it tough to adjust to the NBA.

So Gordon will hit the waivers, and a month or two later he'll score 35 off the bench, leading to a rush of adds. Then, when the Clippers predictably descend into lottery territory, the backcourt opens up (Brevin Knight will get bought out, and the Spurs will make an offer on Q-Ross), and Gordon rewards his new managers.

Those who drafted him will be angry about all of this.

Expect: A first-half-of-the-season split of seven points per game on 32% shooting, with 2.5 giveaways and absolutely nothing else that helps. Followed by a second-half split of: 18 points, four boards, a steal, two threes and a 35-point thriller every month.

Like Al Thornton basically, with even less rebounding. Or a less consistent Ben Gordon (Gordon owners: 'less consistent than Ben Gordon? Really? Wow.')

Some Fantasy Rookie Notes: Westbrook will perform someday, but a first-year point guard on a ridiculously young team in turmoil is going to find things tough, so steer clear on draft day... Gallinari is bound to get shot opportunities in D'Antoni's Italy-friendly system, but the potential for Bargnani-like numbers is too great.

Nic Batum probably isn't worth drafting, but he's worth adding to a watch list -- if someone goes down in the Portland frontcourt, Batum could start racking up hustle stats (if, that is, he opts to hussle)... 'Development' Joe Alexander isn't worth considering this year, as the Bucks have Richard Jefferson and Desmond Mason at small forward.

JaVale McGee will end up on your roster for a week after the entire Washington frontcourt gets injured and Eddie Jordan chances the developing McGee. McGee will deliver 3 blocks in five games along with absolutely nothing else.

Posted By: Anton

Wait... I need sunglasses - the future for LA looks damn bright from here.

Yes, coming off a loss in 6 to the Celtics, and including the absolute thrashing that the Lakers received in game 6 - the outlook for the Lakers is bright... sunshiney-bright.

Why? Well, for a start, the way the Lakers finished the regular season puts the development of the team ahead of schedule. Way ahead. And how many teams in the league finish that well with their second best player sitting for the majority of the season?  LA did what they did, when they did, much, much earlier than expected.

Andrew Bynum... a lot of critics are downplaying the impact he'll have. You only need to open a magazine, a webpage, or speak to a Boston fan, and you'll hear the same stuff:

• "Andrew Bynum's not going to make that much difference..."
• "Who knows if his knees will ever be the same?..."
• "He's only played a handful of games at an elite level..."

All well & true.
The thing that amazes me is that there's a helluva lot of hype over what Greg Oden's expected to do in the NBA, all of it positive. But bring up Bynum and the cynics have a field day. The simple facts of the matter are that Greg Oden's not yet played a game at the NBA level, and his knee surgery was of a far more serious nature than Bynum's.
Yes, Oden has tremendous potential, and I'm not stating that he won't reach it... but the games Bynum did play last season would indicate that he has the potential to be one of the elite centers at the top level.
And something that most seem to forget: less than 3 months separate Andrew Bynum and Greg Oden. They are both very, very young.
Everyone's agreed that Greg Oden is a big man going places, a chance to be a great center - before he's played an NBA minute. With one of the truly great centers as his personal mentor/coach in Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bynum could be special too.

The impact Andrew Bynum's return to the Lakers will have is far greater than simply slotting a better center into the line-up. Not only does it add a center with toughness and and a physical presence, it means that Pau Gasol can play at power forward - a position he's far, far more suited to.
The domino effect moves Lamar Odom to small forward - again, a slot he's more able in. There's also some talk of moving Kobe to small forward, and Odom out to the 2-spot.

If it doesn't work? Well... trade options are out there. From the New Jersey side I've heard talk of a "Jefferson-for-Odom" trade in the works - this is a trade that's being re-visited... NJ offered it up while ago, and the Lakers said 'no thanks'.
With Bynum's return imminent, it's something that the Lakers might now consider. Jefferson on Pierce or his ilk work a lot better than what we saw in the Finals.
'Where/if-to-play-Odom' is a problem that many GMs would kill to have.

Lots of other options will be out there - and it will be interesting to see how the summer pans out. With a team with as much potential for success as LA, will we see some veterans headed out West for a less-than-going-rate in search of an elusive ring? Who knows...
Boston will be a destination of choice for some (tho' let's be honest, not a helluva lot of players can actually write their own ticket) in that situation, but LA will be another. Unfortunately for the league, that's a trend that doesn't look to be ending soon. The rich get richer...

And of course, there's Kobe.  Anyone who doesn't think that the result of 07/08 won't motivate him simply still doesn't realise who he is.

Talk is talk, and as they say, it's cheap... but the bottom line is that with Bynum back, the Lakers have options, options that without him simply didn't exist.

The draft fast approaches, and although the Lakers only have one pick at #28 in the second round (#58 overall), with the roster the next season presents - Gasol/Ariza with a full camp... Bynum back - things are fine. Such a low pick should be used to take a chance... swing for the fences Mitch! Perhaps Dave Padgett's knees aren't as bad as feared? Take a chance on a guy who might make it, or might not.

Whilst I'll stop short of declaring that the future's so bright, I gotta wear shades... it is looking pretty good.

Pretty good indeed.

Other outlooks on the Lakers:

• Forum Blue & Gold - Your 08-09 Lakers Roster...
• MVN Lakers Library - Looking into next season...

by William Horowitz

Okay great, The Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals to cap off the best year for sports in one city ever. Too bad the Patriots lost.

Woo. What a great story, huh? The Big Three finally get their rings. So deserved? As my Kazakh friend might say, “This story is great NOT.”

The Celtics beat a team who didn’t show up for the Finals. A team that played with so much confidence in beating the Spurs, the defending champions. The Lakers played their worst game of the year in a game they HAD to win. So you know what I say to Boston? Enjoy the moment because you will never have an easier road to a championship.

You weren’t even that good until the conference finals. You couldn’t beat two inferior teams on the road. I mean going 7 games against the Atlanta Hawks and the Lebrons? You guys played like the Lakers in the finals against those two teams. Enjoy the moment Boston, you will never “win” a championship with the Big Three again.

When the Lakers are truly the Lakers, and not missing their second best player you will not have a chance Boston. Add a healthy Andrew Bynum, subtract Vladamir Radmonovic from the starting lineup and add a year of experience to a Lakers team that Phil Jackson referred to as “young and stupid” and you have a scary team.

Enjoy the moment Boston, because next time won’t be so easy. 

******************************
The NBA's Celtics Lakers series showed the world NBA basketball is still the American game.

The Lakers bring in all these talented but soft players that get them out of the Western Conference but show their vulnerability when the games get physical.

• Pau Gasol - too soft to play big and no defense... and absolutely NO defensive fundamentals. (He NEVER stepped up on the pick and rolls to make Paul Pierce take an indirect route to the basket. Horrible defensively.)
• Vladimir Radmanovic - chucker and no defense
• Sasha Vujacic - soft and no defense

I do not recall any European-raised basketball player ever being praised for his defensive prowess.

The Celtics won playing smart, hard-nosed, defensive basketball.

And amazingly, there is not one foreign-raised player on this Celtics roster: Ray Allen , Tony Allen , P.J. Brown , Sam Cassell , Glen Davis , Kevin Garnett , Eddie House , Kendrick Perkins , Paul Pierce , Scot Pollard , James Posey , Leon Powe , Gabe Pruitt , Rajon Rondo , Brian Scalabrine.

Very interesting.

********************************

Once again, congratulations to the Celtics. You earned it.

Message to Lakers and Lakers fans: Keep your chins Up! Remember Andrew Bynum comes back next year!

(photo blog.masslive.com)

The Lakers are surprisingly likable.  When did this happen?  About the point that Andrew Bynum proved himself on the court and the entire team took a collective breath of relief as Kobe finally stopped whining about his situation.  They became less likable after the Gasol trade, but that's beside the point.  Kobe was no longer just a villain.  He was that character on a show that you hate because they just seemed filled with hate, but then the show spends some time developing the character and you find out that not only are they you're favorite character on the show, but you think that their prior hate filled acts are now totally justified (See Ben on Lost, Rebecca on GREEK, or Marissa's mom on The OC).  So after Kobe settled down and the rest of the team settled down it finally looked like the Lakers were having fun. 

(As an aside I was born in 1982 and I don't think that I've EVER seen a Lakers game where the players looked like they were enjoying themselves until this year, it was normally misery or a sense of entitlement that I saw on the players faces throughout the year, it's nice that they've finally decided to smile.

The Lakers are a fast-paced team.  I'm normally in the "let's just hope for a good game" category.  After watching the Celtics and Cavaliers play seven games I wanted Mike D'Antoni to swap brains with Doc Rivers.  But I'll get to Doc Rivers more later.  But those games were for the most part terrible.  Nearing unwatchable, like what people used to say about the Spurs and Detroit, except I think it was worse.  In fact I watched a WNBA game that week and didn't think it was that bad because they were doing ALL of the same things that Cleveland and Boston were doing.  The Lakers, on the other hand, like to score points.  They were third in offense during the season, and obviously have kept it up pretty well in the post-season.  There were multiple times during the night where I jumped up and shouted at an amazing play, but they were almost all because of some thing the Lakers were doing (Garnett did have some nice dunks, though).

I think my dislike of Doc Rivers is beginning to border on hate.  I read an article today about how Doc Rivers outcoached Phil Jackson.  I had to leave the building and calm down.  Let it go, Cassell is done.  Why do you keep playing him when any of his shots even going in feels like some sort of bonus.  I used to love Cassell as a player, but it just seems like he's on his last legs.  I am constantly befuddled by who Doc Rivers substitutes in and out of the game.  It's like he's played NB2K8 and just let's the computer do whatever it wants.  I'm going to move on from this one because I can't think about it clearly enough to give any good evidence, but next game just watch and revel in the fact that the Celtics are in the finals despite Doc Rivers not because of him.

I'm not a big fan of Ray Allen.  Don't know why.  I think it just seems that he was hyped way beyond his ability.

And one last reason that I can't root for the Celtics.  The smugness of the "Greatest Team Ever" and all of the Boston fans because of the Patriots.  And winning the world series.  And getting Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the same sports year.  Hey Boston you want to share a bit of the sports glory with the rest of the country?  Luckily Tyree caught a pass that gut-punched the Boston area so that the smugness of football season didn't carry over too much into basketball.

So there it is.  The reasons I'm rooting for the Lakers.  Although, it could all change by game 2.

1. “He feels like he needs to show this league and the people in this country that he is better without Shaq, he can win championships without Shaq. So offensively, he's going to jump out and say, 'I can average 30 points. I can still carry the load on this team.' If Kobe doesn't see he needs two and a half good players to be a legitimate playoff contender or win a championship, in about a year or two he'll be calling out to Jerry Buss that 'We need some help in here,' or 'Trade me.’ And we'll all be saying, 'I told you so,' when he says that." [Ray Allen popełnił tę przepowiednię przed kilkoma laty, zaraz po tym jak Kobe pozbył się Shaq'a z LA]

Obecny sezon zapowiadał się tragicznie. Kobe domagał się transferu i to dosyć stanowczo, w pewnym momencie powiedział nawet, że odejdzie z LA, choćby nawet na Pluton.  Do transferu ostatecznie nie doszło.

Ciekawe były pierwsze mecze Lakers, po tym całym szumie w pre-season. Na początek Kobe został wygwizdany we własnej hali, ale nie jakoś strasznie, a w ogóle co to za 'wygwizdanie', skoro w tym samym czasie wśród widowni były transparenty z hasłem 'kobe stay!'. Jakby nie było klimat nieciekawy - to co mnie się rzuciło w oczy - KB nie wykazywał najmniejszego zaangażowania w grę. Niby grał, a wyglądał jakby był nieobecny, jakby w ogóle nie interesował go mecz, ci wszyscy ludzie, którzy go obserwują, jego własny trener, drużyna, wynik, nic. On był w tym czasie gdzie indziej. Osobiście byłem na 110% pewien, że to koniec Kobe'ego w Lakers, że z takim nastawieniem transfer jest tylko kwestią czasu. No bo po cholerę komu zawodnik, nawet tak wspaniały jak KB, jeśli nie chce grać. Kobe czekał. I się doczekał.

Bynajmniej nie transferu, doczekał się za to czegoś, czego się kompletnie nie spodziewał, nie tylko on zresztą, nie spodziewał się tego nikt, absolutnie nikt. Okazało się, że ta drużyna potrafi grać i wygrywać - już, tutaj i teraz. Że ci wszyscy Farmarowie, Waltonowie, a przede wszystkim Andrew Bynum, ten sam którego Kobe chyba najbardziej niecierpiał za transfer, do którego nie doszło (Lakers nie zgodzili się wcześniej sprzedać młodego, zdolnego centra Bynuma za Jasona Kidda) nie są już "młodymi i utalentowanymi" zawodnikami, okazało się, że są na tyle dobrzy, żeby wygrywać już teraz. Oczywiście jeśli tylko Kobe zechce dodać coś od siebie.

Później było już tylko z górki, w ogóle reszta sezonu to bajka, i to najprawdziwsza. Bo takie rzeczy jak pozyskanie all-star caliber player w osobie Pau Gasola, w zamian za lewiutkiego Kwame Browna i debiutanta Javarisa Crittentona nie zdarzają się w świecie realnym. A jednak faktycznie się to stało. I było fajnie.

ciąg dalszy nastąpi...

What lies ahead for the Raps?

The NBA Draft Lottery was two days ago now and the word spreading through Toronto is the Raptors organization could not be happier with what transpired as far as the Miami Heat dropping from the #1 pick to #2. Now, a couple days ago, I wrote an entry regarding the fact I thought the Chicago Bulls would use the top pick to draft Michael Beasley out of Kansas State and the only way I couldn’t see it not happening was if John Paxson felt he was done with Kirk Hinrich as his starter in the future. Well, it looks like that second scenario may indeed end up playing itself out on June 26’s entry draft.

Derrick Rose, a phenomenally talented point guard out of Memphis, is a Chicago boy whose agent has strong ties to the Bulls organization, according to Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. You can find the article at http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/428481 and I’ll be making reference to it several times in this entry so you might want to give it a quick skim in order to understand everything I’m saying. If the Bulls decide to have Rose on their team next year in order to train him for the eventual starting position, that leaves Miami at the #2 spot in the draft still looking desperately for a point guard, which the Raptors just happen to have in excess.

This could play out in several ways. Both T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon would fit into Miami’s system flawlessly and be one more young piece to a solid core of Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion. If Miami keeps their #2 pick and drafts Michael Beasley, that’s yet another great addition to continue rebuilding around. However, they may not be guaranteed to keep that pick. If Bryan Colangelo does business with Pat Riley – which so many columnists and analysts seem to believe he will – there is a chance he would make overtures regarding that draft choice. Could BC swing Ford in a deal along with an expiring contract in exchange for the #2 pick and possibly a player the caliber of Udonis Haslem? That’s a possibility. Unfortunately, it would leave Miami’s frontcourt as bare as it’s ever been. What about a sign-and-trade deal in July involving Jose Calderon? That’s another possibility.

In the end, the Raptors have a lot more flexibility and options now that Miami landed the #2 pick. Rather than having their choice of Beasley and Rose at the top of the draft, their destiny is in the hands of the Bulls. Raptors fans should really be hoping Chicago goes for the hometown guy as a result of their lost confidence in Kirk Hinrich. Even as these theories spread with Doug Smith at the Star and Eric Smith at the Fan 590, among others, I still don’t see a lot of players on the Heat I’d like to have. There’s obviously the possible #2 pick, which would be Michael Beasley in this scenario, and Udonis Haslem, which would help the Raptors up front with his size, strength, rebounding and defence. He may be undersized at 6’8 but he reminds me a lot of Antonio Davis from the Raptors’ ‘glory’ days in 2001. That’s definitely the type of scrappy guy we need and wouldn’t it be amazing to have Beasley at 6’10? They would still need an athletic swingman to score from the wing if Beasley wasn’t brought here but that’s where their #17 draft choice could come into play, assuming it wasn’t dealt to Miami or any other team. The one hang-up of this whole thing is I don’t know how much Miami wants or needs financial flexibility right now. They had a lot of D-League minimum scale contracts last season as a result of injury. I haven’t looked at the figures recently but I think Miami will be doing alright.

Just to clarify, I’m not saying any of this WILL happen, especially Pat Riley passing on a great talent at the #2 pick if Rose is gone. It’s actually pretty unlikely that pick gets moved to Toronto but what could easily happen is one of our point guards being traded there. It’s just something to consider so we’ll see how it plays out and what news and rumours surface over the next little while.

Playoff Thoughts

1. Game 1 of the Western Conference Final was amazing on Wednesday night. The San Antonio Spurs dominated for about 30 minutes of the game and then suffered the largest collapse I’ve seen from them in quite a long time – maybe ever. You would think a 20-point lead in the third quarter for the Spurs would mean a win but Kobe Bryant proved why he’s the MVP of the NBA. He had two points in the first half, followed by 25 in the second half and countless plays were facilitated by him for Pau Gasol late in the game. I know the Spurs are a veteran team and the defending Champions so this loss isn’t as bad as it would be for other teams but it is pretty demoralizing. It reminds me of when the Phoenix Suns lost Game 1 to the Spurs in double overtime in the first round because it’s about as big a loss as you can have for team morale. However, the Spurs can take solace in the fact they were down 0-2 to the Hornets and managed to climb back. I don’t think they can afford to do that this time around because the Lakers are more than capable of winning one on the road, which could leave the Spurs down 3-1 coming back to Los Angeles in Game 5. Game 2 may not be a must-win situation for the Champions but they really do need to steal that game in order to take home court advantage. This is the Conference Finals and going down 0-2 is a bit of a steeper climb than in the first two rounds. If Kobe asserts himself more throughout the series – he only took one shot in the first half last night – the Spurs will have a lot of problems, even with Tim Duncan continually proving why he is the best power forward in the history of the NBA, dropping 30 points and 18 rebounds while making Pau Gasol look like a bum. Hopefully he keeps it going.

2. Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final is tonight and a lot of you may be reading this after it finishes but I think the Pistons really need to win this as well. I’ve stuck to my guns in saying the Boston Celtics will not finish this postseason winless on the road and I think they’ll get Game 4 in Detroit, meaning this second game is pretty important to both teams. Does Detroit want to go back home down 0-2 and does Boston want to go on the road having lost home court advantage knowing they haven’t won a game away from TD Banknorth Garden in a month? We’ll see how it plays out but I’m sticking with the Celtics tonight and I think Ray Allen will finally snap out of his shooting funk and drop around 18 points on Richard Hamilton. I also expect a bounce back game from Chauncey Billups after his horrific Game 1 showing. There’s no way Rajon Rondo should be outplaying him more than one time. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will obviously need to keep playing the way they have because they can’t count on Ray right now if his recent performances are any indication. It should be another great game between two amazing basketball teams. If anyone can remember a more entertaining Final Four than this in the past ten seasons after Michael Jordan’s Bulls dynasty ended, please refresh my memory.

The Headlines

“Riley Wants A ‘Major’ Free Agent”

Link: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=8792

The Miami Heat have some financial flexibility in the summer of 2009 following the Shaquille O’Neal/Shawn Marion trade. They will be able to make a very big splash in the summer of 2010, when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh can all opt out of their current contracts in order to become free agents. Since they will be seven-year veterans of the league, they’ll be able to sign contracts worth a greater percentage of the salary cap than their current deals allow. I can see Riley re-signing Wade if things are looking up on South Beach but we’ll have to wait and see. Hopefully two summers from now, Chris Bosh will have made a couple deep playoff runs and will be interested in re-signing with the Raptors for another five or six seasons.

"Bynum Should Be OK For Training Camp”

Link: http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_9341306

Andrew Bynum underwent arthroscopic surgery on his injured knee. I remember when the injury took place, there was confidence Bynum would be back around March or April at the latest – I guess he’s a slow healer. He should be ready for training camp in October, which is when we’ll see what the new-look Lakers are really capable of. I’m still skeptical that there’s enough room in the frontcourt to have Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum as well as touches but Odom and Gasol both have the ability to be low key and under the radar with the things they do. I think Odom will have to come off the bench at some point but it remains to be seen what Phil Jackson will do with those guys in the long-term. Bynum was averaging a double-double at the time of his injury in January and the Lakers were on the rise so we’ll see if he can come back at that same level next year.

“Raptors Still Fielding Calls For Ford/Calderon”

Link: http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/428481

More and more, it seems like T.J. Ford isn’t the only player on the block and unlike popular belief recently, Ford IS drawing interest from other teams in the league. Obviously, Jose’s stock is a lot higher right now but you never know what a team will offer for Ford if they’re desperate enough for a point guard. T.J. has the potential to still be a star guard and with only $25 million left on his deal over three seasons, his contract wouldn’t be a complete albatross around a team’s neck. If T.J. is going to be moved, the Raps might be wise to wait until they can be sure Jose will be back via free agency. I would still think long and hard about who should be moved because T.J. was having a great year before his injury. He can be frustrating at times, but also very good, which is the same thing we say about Andrea Bargnani.

“Could Bulls Deal Thomas & Gooden?”

Link: http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/cs-080521-chicago-bulls-john-paxson,1,6271963,print.story

If the Chicago Bulls opt for 6’10 forward Michael Beasley with the #1 pick, that would leave their frontcourt pretty crowded. There’s not huge size or exceptional skill up front at the power forward and center positions but that would change if Beasley came in. Drew Gooden would probably be the guy most likely to be moved since his skills would then be redundant on the team. I like Tyrus Thomas’ athleticism and defence and I don’t think it’d be a good idea for the Bulls to deal him. However, if they still wanted a new point guard to replace Kirk Hinrich, maybe something could be worked out to land one of their bigs. Even then, none of them particularly interest me since we need size and girth to back up Andrea and help Bosh out. On the other hand, wouldn’t it be amazing to have Luol Deng as the starting small forward in a sign-and-trade of some sort? He has the length, athleticism and defence to fill that gaping hole and he can also take some of the scoring load off of CB4. A frontcourt of Deng, Bosh and Bargnani could end up being pretty damn good with a solid point guard. I’d still like to replace Anthony Parker at the off guard, though. He’s not bad, but if there’s something better out there, the Raps should go for it.

“Sixers In No Rush To Extend Miller”

Link: http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/columnists/20080522_Phil_Jasner__Sixers_should_make_Thaddeus_Young_untouchable.html

Andre Miller represents an expiring contract worth $10 million at the end of the season and for some reason, the Sixers aren’t looking to extend him. What more does this guy need to do to get some respect in this league? He was amazing for Philadelphia down the stretch and he’s still getting no love with an extension. Unless the Sixers have some kind of plan, I don’t see a point guard waiting in the wings to take over Miller’s spot. They have a good swingman with Andre Iguodala, a good big man in Samuel Dalembert and youth with Thaddeus Young, Rodney Carney, Louis Williams, etc. but the point guard spot is imperative and letting Miller go would be a big mistake. If they plan to trade him, they better get a point guard back or the steps they took forward this past season will be for naught.

“Knicks Could Deal Pick With Big Contract Player To Shed Salary?”

Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2008/05/21/2008-05-21_mike_dantoni_has_italian_tie_to_draft.html

Again, like the Miami Heat, the Knicks are setting their sights on the summer of 2010 to make a pitch at either LeBron James or Dwyane Wade. Who knows, maybe they’ll try to court both of them. New York has the #6 pick in the draft and is looking to possibly package it with Eddy Curry or Zach Randolph to get something in return that wouldn’t have the same financial repercussions. I like the move for New York because they’d be taking a proactive approach to rebuilding rather than just letting their bad contracts expire each year. It’s not like there’s a lot of “to die for” talent at the top of the draft in that #6 spot so if they can shed a horrible contract like Eddy Curry’s, they should do it. But on the other side, who in their right mind would take Curry on? I can understand them wanting Randolph because he’s one of the few consistent double-double guys when he’s on a decent team so maybe he’s the guy that gets moved. Either way, 2010 will be an amazing year in free agency. I won’t be surprised to see the King in Manhattan with the Knicks or Brooklyn with the Nets and Jay-Z.

“Raptors’ Anthony Parker and Andrea Bargnani Have Surgery”

Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3407116

AP had surgery on Wednesday at Toronto Western Hospital, repairing a tendon in his middle finger on the shooting hand. Maybe this will explain why AP was reluctant to shoot at times this season and when he did, it wasn’t as smooth as last season. Everything was successful, so he’ll be back next year and hopefully better than ever. Also, Andrea Bargnani had his nasal surgery performed in Milan, Italy on May 13 and I’m sure he’ll take a couple weeks off before heading to the various camps the Raptors have planned out for him this summer. I have no doubt Andrea will be back next year with a huge season to vindicate himself from 2007-2008. He’ll prove his doubters wrong and find his shot again. I can’t wait for the 2008-2009 season to begin in October.

“Will Raptors Make A Blockbuster Trade?”

Link: http://blog.canoe.ca/courtside/2008/05/20/nets_raptors_rumours_making_the_rounds

The New Jersey Nets and Denver Nuggets seem to be in the news daily with rumours, especially surrounding Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby and Richard Jefferson. I think RJ will definitely be moved before the season begins, but the destination is unknown right now. He’d be a good fit here in Toronto at the shooting guard position to replace Anthony Parker but the Nets don’t need a point guard now that they have Devin Harris. Perhaps a draft pick and expiring contracts would be enough but I just don’t see the pieces in place to make it happen.

There you have it. I hope you all enjoyed this entry and you can look forward to my 24 Second Rapid Fire Q&A with the Dino Nation Blogger, James Borbath, tomorrow. We’ll be back with our 24 questions and I may add in some other things depending on what news breaks between now and tomorrow night. As I’ve been reminding you for a while now, I’m still working on that 2009 Free Agent Report so stay tuned because it’ll be an interesting accumulation of information. Also, here are some NBA mock drafts for people to keep an eye on for an idea of who the Raptors will take if they still have that 17^th pick on June 26:

Real GM: http://realgm.com/src_feature/1241/20080521/2008_nba_mock_draft_version_80_(post_lottery_edition)/

NBA Draft.Net: http://nbadraft.net/

Hoops Hype: http://hoopshype.com/draft.htm

Inside Hoops: http://insidehoops.com/nba-mock-draft.shtml

Draft Express (also on Yahoo): http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2008/

-Mark R.

[The Raptor Core]

Western Conference Finals

(1) LA LAKERS (H)	(3) SAN ANTONIO SPURS
By the Numbers
QIR - #10 (30) Points Differential Rank - #3 Points Allowed Rank - #19 Rebounding Differential Rank - #8	QIR - #7 (23) Points Differential Rank - #8 Points Allowed Rank - #3 Rebounding Differential Rank - #12
Basketball Acumen
Will need to out-score the Spurs. Bench must continue to score, making open shots. Key Match-up: Kobe vs Ginobili. Without Bynum, should be the underdog in this specific match-up. Must improve interior D to have a chance. Ariza's D & Rebounding will be missed. Will go as far as the MVP takes them.	The Heart of a Champion. Quality depth is first rate. Versatile and physical. Veteran role players know what it takes to win. Will win the series if they can dominate the glass. Team ethos is the best in the League. Key Match-up: Gregg Popovich vs Phil Jackson, the two best coaches in the NBA today.
Who will win
It's going to go 7 games ... and it's just too close to call.

Es oficial. Pese a seguir con fuertes dolores de espalda, Kobe Bryant no se perderá mañana el que se antoja como partido crucial de la serie entre Lakers y Jazz, en el Staples Center. Después de que los dolores de espalda convirtieran a la Mamba Negra en una muy mala imitación de sí mismo en el último periodo y la prórroga del cuarto partido en Salt Lake City, en los que tiró pedradas de todos los colores, Kobe ha afirmado categóricamente que será de la partida mañana. Lo que no se sabe es en qué estado participará. El grupo médico de los Lakers le ha preparado un completo programa de recuperación que se mantendrá hasta poco antes del encuentro, y en el que no faltará de nada: electroestimulación, hielo, calor, masajes, estiramientos... Cualquier cosa por conseguir volver a tener a Bryant en buen estado. La preocupación de los Lakers no extraña, habida cuenta de cómo naufragó el equipo sin Kobe como principal referente en el último partido en Utah. Los tres triplazos de Derek Fisher y los arreones de Lamar Odom no pueden ocultar el flojo rendimiento de un equipo en el que el banquillo desapareció por completo y Odom y Gasol jugaban a rachas, sin un sistema claro. Y recordemos que una derrota en el Staples mañana podría resultar definitiva. Veremos qué ocurre...

No puedo evitar decirlo antes de acabar: El programa de recuperación de Kobe lo ha preparado el mismo equipo médico que dijo que la lesión de Andrew Bynum era cosa de unas semanas, y que ahora ve cómo el joven más prometedor de los Lakers tal vez deba pasar por el quirófano. Si yo fuera Kobe (o un fan de los Lakers) no estaría nada tranquilo...

El jugador angelino se estaba ganando a pulso el premio al Jugador con Mejor Progresión de la liga pero una lesión contra Memphis Grizzlies se lo impidió; y fue a parar a manos del turco Hedo Turkoglu de los Orlando Magic.

Desde esa lesión en enero ya han pasado varios meses donde se ha puesto en cuestión a los servicios médicos de Los Ángeles Lakers, ya que en un principio pensaba que era cuestión de semanas pero ahora andan yendo de un lugar a otro de EE.UU. para solucionar la lesión de esta buena bestia.

En este momento han ido a un especialista de Nueva Jersey para escuchar su opinión, y a final de temporada será operado para recuperarlo para el próximo año baloncentístico, una lástima perderlo para estos playoffs por su intimidación, pero por suerte, ahí está Pau con su más de 2,10 para realizar esa tarea.

¿Se lo imaginan juntos la temporada que viene? va ser un juego interior de aupa con esta joven promesa y nuestro chico de Sant Boi.

Como regalo una entrevista a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hablando de Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol y todo lo que acontece sobre los Lakers

Saludos Gasolekeros.

• Andrew Bynum, a quien ya se ha descartado prácticamente para lo que queda de temporada, podría tener que pasar por el quirófano para operarse de su rodilla izquierda. Bynum se lesionó a finales de enero y lo que en principio parecía una lesión de mediana gravedad (se hablaba de cuatro semanas) se ha complicado hasta la situación actual. Espero que la cosa se arregle pronto, que el muchacho es joven y estaba en plena progresión como jugador. La reputación del cuerpo médico de los Lakers ahora mismo no es precisamente la mejor de la liga... aunque por suerte parece que el equipo funciona bastante bien sin él.
• Aunque LeBron James es un jugador humano, y como tal es capaz de fallar, lo que no le falla es su abrumadora presencia mediática. Su último anuncio con Nike es... digamos... una castaña. Aquí. Seguro que todos los personajes que salen alabando a LeBron (¿soy yo, o el anuncio tiene incluso cierto tufillo religioso?) le conocen de toda la vida y le han admirado desde que era un moco, vaya...
• Los Washington Wizards están en crisis desde su eliminación en playoffs y se dice que su Big Three podría desintegrarse con la marcha este verano de Gilbert Arenas y/o Antawn Jamison. Ayer mismo, el Agente 0 lanzó un órdago desde su blog (con su clásica diarrea verbal) y anunció que no volverá a los Wizards si Jamison no sigue en el equipo. Jamison será agente libre este verano, así que la cosa podría ponerse peliaguda.
• Y por último, Carmelo Anthony sigue teniendo problemas con la ley. Tres semanas después de ser detenido por conducir bajo los efectos del alcohol, Melo fue multado por exceso de velocidad. Anthony, un auténtico demonio sobre ruedas, se jugaba la vida conduciendo a 90 kilómetros por hora en una carretera cuyo límite estaba marcado en 60. ¡Este tipo es un inconsciente! Melo tendrá que pagar la friolera de 130 dólares si no quiere tener que presentarse a una vista judicial el próximo 5 de junio. Igual no le llega el dinero, que se lo pida a Latrell Sprewell...

Μετά τους 49 πόντους του Kobe me 18/27 σουτ (!) πριν 3 μέρες, o Kenyon Martin άνοιξε το στόμα του χτες και είπε κι αυτός αλαζονικά "I don't give a fuck what Kobe got" αλλά να δούμε τι θα καταφέρει ο πιο ακριβοπληρωμένος σακάτης του ΝΒΑ με τα 15 εκατομμύρια $ το χρόνο εναντίον στη καλύτερη passing-team που δεν έχει καν τον Center της μαζί (Bynum).

Σήμερα ήταν η σειρά του Carmelo να πει ότι δεν έχει παίξει ποτέ αγώνα 15:30 το μεσημέρι σα κι αυτόν που θα γίνει σήμερα στο Denver και συνήθως τέτοια ώρα κοιμάται. Αναρωτιέμαι αν ήταν κι αυτό μια δικαιολογία για να ετοιμάσει τους οπαδούς για τη 3η ήττα.

Το Buzzer Beater δεν έχει κάτι εναντίον των Nuggets ούτε αγαπάει τους Lakers ιδιαίτερα. Άλλα αν το δούμε αντικειμενικά είναι απαράδεκτο για μία ομάδα όπως το Denver, με τόσο καλές μονάδες, να παίζει τόσο μέτρια.

This is going to be really hard and really wrong probably. Considering that there are only 7 games separating the first and eighth seeds, would anyone be surprised if every road team won? Could you imagine how awesome that would be if the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th seeds all went through to the next round?

The Western Conference is going to require X-factor players really stepping up, because there is not that big a separation between the top two best players of each team. I'm going to focus the looks at each matchup along those lines.

1 Los Angeles Lakers versus 8 Denver Nuggets

Top Players:
Los Angeles Lakers - Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol
Denver Nuggets - Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson

Possible X-Factors:
Los Angeles Lakers - Luke Walton or Ronnie Turiaf
Denver Nuggets - Chucky Atkins

No team will ever go anywhere with Anthony Carter as their point guard. He doesn't do anything for his team at all, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Chucky Atkins gets a ton of playing time over A.C. Also, I remember hearing on ESPN that George Karl said that Chucky Atkins made a huge impact to how well his team played. That was the night they dropped 168 points on Seattle.

I wanted to put Kenyon Martin and JR Smith on the list, but it is a requirement for them to play well to keep up in this series. Remember when Kenyon Martin was the shit in New Jeresey, and people were talking about him like the next Ron Artest? Is it cliche to compare every headcase that's a good player to Ron Artest?

As for the Lakers, I just think they have too much going on their side. Their bench is solid, and I don't think they need to reach that far to have players step up. Jordan Farmar, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom, and Sasha Vujacic are all going to make impacts in one way or another. I also wanted to put up Andrew Bynum, but the only thing that matters is if he's going to play again or not. But if he does, can you imagine a front court with three 7-footers? I couldn't even imagine what that kind of length allows a defense to do in a 2-3 zone.

I'm going with the Lakers 4-2 in this series, but that's a bit of a stretch. I'm basing everything on the idea that Denver is going to fold under the pressure of the Lakers depth. Here's what's kind of odd, Carmelo Anthony hasn't proved much of anything in terms of competitiveness, and AI is one of the most dedicated competitors of this generation. But, my mind keeps going back to the 2006 playoffs, and Kobe Bryant sulking at the end of his bench in the deciding game of the series against the Suns. God he can be such a douche, and yeah, they've been successful so he's playing well, but how long until Kobe gets pissed off? I just don't think the the Nuggets have the kind of team chemistry that'll throw Kobe off.

2 New Orleans Hornets versus 7 Dallas Mavericks

Top Players:
New Orleans Hornets - Chris Paul and David West
Dallas Mavericks - Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard or Jason Kidd

X-Factors:
New Orleans Hornets - Bonzi Wells and Julian Wright
Dallas Mavericks - Josh Howard or Jason Kidd

I really have liked NO this year. They have a really good story and they have really good team chemistry. You have to love people throwing around the phrase "best 6 foot guard ever, even better than Isiah" after one season! Such nonsense, even though I am a huge fan of Paul's, and think he deserves a lot of credit for whats happening in the Big Easy. But save "the best ever" after at least 3 or 4 seasons. Can we do that?

Here's the thing, Dallas is set. Dallas has their shit together. Everyone in Dallas knows what they need to do, there is no mystery to it. That kind of stability is hard to come by. New Orleans, though, has a lot riding on some things to fall their way. I just don't know.

Also, in the sports world there is always the "count-'em-out" phenomenon. Tom Brady has based his entire career on it. The New York Giants won a Superbowl based on it. Has there been anyone more counted out then Dallas? Myself included?

I just hate to say it, but Dallas is going to take it 4-3. But at least there's going to be another decade of Chris Paul to Tyson Chandler alley-ops.

4 Utah Jazz versus 5 Houston Rockets

Top Players:
Utah Jazz - Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer
Houston Rockets - Tracy McGrady

X-Factors:
Utah Jazz - Andrei Kirilenko
Houston Rockets - Their entire friggin team!

Houston doesn't have a chance in hell. I don't even think that Utah is going to have to play that hard. Will there ever be a more impressive stat like 22-wins in a row going to someone as unimpressive as the 2007-8 Houston Rockets? Not to mention they're not even going to have Rafer Alston for the first two games of the series.

They're gonna get killed. Utah takes it 4-1.

3 San Antonio Spurs versus 6 Pheonix Suns

Top Players:
San Antonio Spurs - Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker
Pheonix Suns - Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire

X-Factors:
San Antonio Spurs - None
Pheonix Suns - Shaq (duh!), and Father Time

Wow, what a first round matchup. This series is totally compelling. San Antonio is in the same situation as Dallas, they've been playing together enough that there's not much room for anyone to squeeze out. They are a machine built to win championships.

Total side note, I FUCKING HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE CALL TIM DUNCAN "TIMMMYYYY", can this be banned? Jesus Christ.

Pheonix is so likable. I really have enjoyed this team. They play basketball the way that I've always thought that it could be played, and it's only gotten better. There are several things that Pheonix does in their style of play that I love a lot, while other teams who play that same style don't pull off. Sure Pheonix is fast and obviously runs up and down the court (even with Shaq who is looking pretty fleet-footed lately), but they don't launch 3's uncontrollably like Golden State does. That kills me about the Warriors. While Pheonix, on the other hand, leads the league in both Field Goal Percentage and 3-Point Percentage. I love smart basketball like that.

But the flaw of Pheonix is quite possibly also the flaw of San Antonio. Tim Duncan, Michael Finley, Brent Barry, Robert Horry, Bruce Bowen, Damon Stoudamire, and Kurt Thomas are all getting up there. Then again, so is Steve Nash, Shaq, and Grant Hill are all candidates for NBA Retirement homes.

I would like to say that San Antonio is going to be able to ride Manu's bald spot, and Tony Parker's apparent giant wiener (how else could he have landed Eva Longoria?) out of this round, but I'm not sure. San Antonio is deep, but they just don't seem to be playing the same way they have for the last decade. They don't dominate anymore, eventhough the Utah Jazz may have an objection to that after Wednesday's 109-80 beating.

I'm going with Pheonix 4-3, because a motivated Shaq is an out of control freight train. Also, because San Antonio actually have people to properly guard Shaq, he's not going to foul out. Isn't that ironic? If anyone whose been watching games this year, Shaq gets in foul trouble so much because most centers aren't big enough to guard him properly. So the majority of Shaq's fouls come on flying elbows to their faces.

The terrible thing is that in the next round either team is going to be facing either New Orleans or Dallas. God, how is any team in the West not going to be completely beaten up for the Finals?

Enjoy the games.

Overview: Denver was life and death to make the playoffs and with 50 wins got in. The reward? Kobe and the new look lake show. No Andrew Bynum yet but Gasol will be there.  Denver is the place of Kobe's worst moments as he was on trail for rape here and is not that popular in Denver. Carmelo Anthony meanwhile is charged with a DUI and that is not exactly good when preparing for playoffs. This series has a lot of hollywood gossip feel to it. Allen Iverson has out grown such things and is only concerned about winning which will be tough.

Key player For Both Teams

Denver: Carmelo Anthony has a lot to prove. he has had off court issues and has played his best basketball in a team U.S.A jersey not a Nugget jersey. Allen Iverson can help Anthony a lot he has been in the eye of the storm of legal trouble and will keep his young partner in crime on the court focused on the task at hand.

L.A: Lamar Odom can be a huge x-factor in this series. If A.I and Anthony can counter Kobe and Camby can limit Gasol then Lamar may need to be big for his team minus Andrew Bynum who's time table to return is not known. But even if he retrurns it will take time to get back to full speed.

Dino Blogger say... E.Smith's Lakers will take this in 6

Overview:  Mark Cuban took a huge risk going and getting Jason Kidd. He did it for this point in the season. If you looked at this series thinking that Jason Kidd could play like the guy Raptor fans saw close up last year and Dirk played like the M.V.P he was last regular season this might be an easy upset of the lacking experience Hornets. But Dirk is still hurt and Kidd seems a step slow this year. Add in this year's M.V.P may be C.P.3 and he has a good post player and fellow all star in David West you understand the Hornets can do this.

Dallas:Dirk came back much earlier then expected. Is he honest healthy enough to play as good as he will have to play. He lost a ton of public respect last season as his Mavs were upset by Golden State and his M.V.P win was questioned loudly by many after the quick exit. This is a crossroads moment in the NBA Career of Dirk.

New Orleans: David West Is the steak to Chris Paul's sizzle. I think the Mavs don't have anyone that can guard him and he has a chance to show everyone just why he had the chance to play in the all star game in his professional hometown. Raptor Fans got to see just how good this guy is in his 2 games vs. Toronto.

Dino Blogger Says... Before there were Raptors I loved Hornets They Take it in 5

Overview: Have you every found out about a Christmas gift before Christmas Day? This series is that early found gift. It will be great but it would have been better in the West Final. Suns are not the same Suns that got jobbed along the way to the Spurs Title run. Enter the Big Cactus. Shaq said he was angry and when he gets that way he wins Championships. What better way to prove it then knock out the champ. Speaking of those Champions they have one knock on them and that is No Back to Back titles. Tim Duncan is not nearly has fun as Shaq and Tony Parker has a Hot wife and a tough task guarding Steve Nash. Who wins? FANS

Key Players For Both Teams

SPURS: Tony Parker is the guy I look to as the key part to what makes the Spurs great. He needs to play like that in this series. That will be far from easy. But he can get it done and he like Ducan often is over looked when people talk about best point guards in this league he deserves to be in that conversation. Taking it to Steve Nash couldn't hurt.

SUNS: Amare Stoudamire must take a lot of comfort in know he has the Big Cactus to play with. The impact on his career could be felt for years after the Big Cactus is planted in a rocking chair. He could tear apart the Spurs without Shaq what will he do with him. Steve Nash will try his best to find a way to make it all work.

Dino Blogger Says.... Blame CANADA as Spurs won't Repeat, Suns in 7

Overview: I am not much of a baseball fan but they have lots of cool wacky curses. The latest example was the Jersey of David Ortiz being in cased in cement of the New Yankee Stadium. Well Basketball has a curse too and he may have been cast by Raptor Fans. T-Mac has never got out of round 1. The Curse should hae ended this year you would have figured. But down goes Yao and now Rafer Alston also an Ex-Raptor is out as well. The good news if anyone like T-Mac out there is Utah sucks on the Road. But they are the best at home. They went through these Rockets last year on an unexpected march to the West Final. Williams is a Challenge for starting point guards what will he do to a back up point guard. Boozer is a beast as well.

KEY PLAYERS FOR BOTH TEAMS

HOUSTON: T-MAC is the focus of all the attention and it only makes sense that he is the key to anything the Rockets do in this series. Can he do it and break the curse of the Raptor. I think the bad karma has added up against it. But I also never saw a 22 game win streak with Yao Ming going out for the season during it. So I may not have a good read on the Rockets. Or Maybe I can't get passed my Raptor Bias against T-Mac.

UTAH: Deron Williams will have a huge advantage early with no Rafer Alston and I think he gets hot based on that. Once that happens how will you be able to cool him off. I don't have to answer that Houston does. Will they come up with anything and will it be in time?

Dino Blogger Says.... Curse Of Raptor Continues Utah in 6 

I honestly am doing my best to figure these series all out but If you reversed all of these picks minus the Lakers pick I think you could build a case for it. I did my best though we will all see how I do. I am doing a blog later today. Here is a little mini preview of what will be talked about:

• Steven A Smith loses another viewer in CB4
• Thomas is Out In N.Y
• Some Raptor/ Magic Thoughts as Game time gets closer

So Check back sometime this afternoon. Should be good on just those 3 topics alone.

As with all awards, the criteria to win them are somewhat subjective. It is clear that the MIP award has at its heart a requirement that a player make a significant statistical improvement from the previous year. In an effort to analyze statistics of improvement in a non-bias way, we at the BlazersOG have crunched the numbers of potential nominees for the MIP award in order to compare and contrast their stats. There are an endless number of stats that can be included when analyzing a player; moreover it is always a difficult decision to decide how to judge a player’s improvement.

We at the BlazesOG feel the MIP award is first and foremost a personal award and accordingly we have chosen to analyze players’ statistics looking at the five most common categories used to value a player’s ability in all facets of the game: Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals and Blocks. Using these statistics we have compared the 2006-07 season to the 2007-08 season of the nine most likely players to be considered for the MIP Award. Taking the various improvements (or in some cases, lack thereof) made by each player, all equally weighed so as not to give one position an advantage over another, we added the players’ net increase in each category together thereby giving them what we call a Total Player Improvement Average (TPIA).

The results are below.

Player	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks	TPIA
LaMarcus Aldridge	8.7	2.6	1.2	0.4	0	12.9
Chris Kaman	5.6	4.9	0.8	0.1	1.3	12.7
Rudy Gay	9.6	1.6	0.6	0.5	0.1	12.4
Andrew Bynum	5.3	4.3	0.6	0.2	0.5	10.9
Hedo Turkoglu	6.3	1.8	1.7	-0.1	0.1	9.8
Mike Dunleavy	4.9	0.6	0.9	-0.1	0.2	6.5
Rajon Rondo	4.2	0.5	1.3	0.1	0.1	6.2
Deron Williams	2.8	-0.3	1.3	0.1	0.1	4.0
David West	2.1	0.9	0.1	0	0.6	3.7

As you can see, Aldridge’s Total Player Improvement Average is tops among potential MIP nominees. Although Aldridge has not had the greatest improvement in any one statistical category, his overall improvement is the best among the nine potential nominees.

Looking beyond the numbers it can be argued that both Chris Kaman and Andrew Bynum should not be considered or at a minimum penalized for only playing 58 and 35 games respectfully. It is hard to justify giving a player the most improved award when they don’t play the vast majority of the season.

Another factor that may be considered is the effect the players’ improved status had on the overall team. To date, Hedo Turkoglu’s emergence this season has helped result in a net gain of 11 additional wins for his team. David West’s great year has helped the Hornets improve their record from last year by 17 games. Equally as impressive is Boston’s turn around with the help of Rajon Rondo, however few would argue that Rondo had little more than a cursory impact on Boston’s huge win total. Others, like Rudy Gay’s or Mike Dunleavy’s break out seasons have resulted in no additional wins for their respective teams. In comparison, Aldridge’s year has helped the Blazers improve their record by 10 games from last year.

Looking at the totality of the facts, in our opinion LaMarcus Aldridge is the most deserving recipient of the Most Improved Player Award. Aldridge’s overall game is the most improved of the nine nominees. In addition, he has played a full NBA season while helping his club achieve a .500 record w