Basketball Notes by Alex

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Time To Rebuild in Dallas
2009-05-14 14:57:00
The Dallas Mavericks had their season ended last night by the Denver Nuggets. Most people following this series assumed they were going to lose the series, including me. This series has put what Dallas needs to begin doing this off-season into perspective. Changes must be made.This team IS NOT good enough to compete for a championship. Mark Cuban and the rest of the Dallas organization need to get that through their thick skulls. That means they must make moves to add more talent, or start building a young core for the future.I feel like they need to start over again. They don't have to totally rebuild, but they need to accept a couple losing seasons without playoff runs. That will get them further into the playoffs quicker. The team they have now can only do as good as they did this year.The guys I would keep on this team are their young bigs. That means Ryan Hollins and Brandon Bass. They are great hustle guys. They always play hard and they know their roles. Rebound, hustle and ...
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Review: Everyone Hates A Ball Hog, But They All Love a Scorer
2009-05-13 21:45:00
I recently got a chance to read Everyone Hates a Ball Hog, But They All Love a Scorer. Before I read the book, I was expecting good things. It more than lived up to my expectations.The author, Coach Koran Godwin is an accomplished ball player. He is the leading scorer at the University of North Florida (if his ankles didn't give him problems, he probably could have been in the NBA). His book gives you his offensive game plan.To do that, he breaks the book down into three main parts: pre-season, game time and post-season. One thing I really like about the organization of the book is how he ends each chapter. After explaining all of his points and tips in great detail, he gives nice summaries of what he said in the Coach Godwin Tips. As a reader that made it a lot easier to focus on what was important in each chapter.The book itself is also not really about how to play basketball. Rather, it's about how to prepare for the game and what you should be thinking about in terms of your i...
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Tonight, The Lakers Better..
2009-05-12 20:33:00
Bring the right effort from the opening tapPlay defense for more than two possessionsNot let Aaron Brooks catch a HALF-COURT alley-oopHack-a-Hayes. Check out how great his free throws lookBring back the ridges in Battier's head. The Basketball Jones pointed out that Battier lost them, so be PHYSICAL and bring em back, LATo continue on the last point, Pau has to bring lots of aggression. Yes, that means you'll hear 300 screams from him in the paint tonightWithstand Houston's runs. Kobe has to be ready to dominate the one-on-one game when things become stagnant offensivelyThrow the first punchThat means they need to hit early three's, establish their pace, piss of Artest early; all that good stuffTruly hit their stride. I saw the Lakers play a bunch this season and I can tell you this hasn't been the second best team in the league yet in the playoffs. It's time to start whipping some assWhat does Houston have to do to win tonight?
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Talk Around The Hardwood
2009-05-11 21:16:00
Link time!!TheStar.com. Jay Triano is now the full time Raptors coach. Can't tell if I like or not; or if I even care.Mercury News. Alonzo Morning was honored in a museum. I bet that museum is now scrappy and buff as hell.Forum Blue and Gold. The world hasn't frozen over, Lakers fans.Lakers.com. The latest about Lamar Odom's back.USA Today. The NBA's semi-official No Defensive Team. Not sure I think KD is terrible on D.YouTube. The NBA, where child abuse happens. HA HA!Two games tonight, I'll be tweeting my thoughts!
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Shoe of The Week: Nike Big Nike "Wolverine"
2009-05-10 21:10:00
Disclaimer: I'm no full on sneaker head, but every week we're gettin our shoe on here! Each week I'll pick a shoe that I like, basketball, or normal. Get your new leather smell ready!These are just great. They have a very unique look to them. If I had these, I'm sure they'd turn heads and everyone would want to know were I got em.Some info on the shoe, from NiceKicks.com:Obviously, the shoe itself is inspired by Wolverine ’s uniform. It features a predominately yellow leather upper with multiple blue, black and red details throughout the base. Drawing inspiration from Wolverine’s most known asset (claws), the shoe possesses claw designs as if Wolverine ripped through the side panels himself. To finish it off, this Nike Big Nike “Wolverine” is complimented with a white midsole and blue outsole.To sum up what was said there, go get some of these! They cost $100. Not bad. Maybe you could rock it with jeans and a throwback Lakers jersey.Runner Up: Bron's MVP KicksWhat shoes...
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Birdman's Tattoos
2009-05-08 15:15:00
NBA.com has been producing some tremendous videos lately. This vid about Birdman and his tattoos is nothing different.Enjoy:Embedded video from NBA Video
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Kobe and Ron Ron: Confrontation Photos
2009-05-07 15:43:00
I will try to put myself in Kobe and Ron's mind and create a little dialogue of what might have been said.Ron: You gotta stop elbowin me, you know what I mean.Kobe throws his arms in the air and shakes his head.Ron: Dog, I will go all warrior on you! Don't even try dat sh*t again! Do u know what I did in the Palace?? The same thing can happen here, just say da word!I tried. I bet Kobe didn't have anything to say to Ron Ron. Maybe Kobe said Get Out my Face with his facial expressions.What do you think Ron said to Kobe? What did Kobe say back, if anything??
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Time To Invest in PERK
2009-05-07 15:28:00
The Celtics have faced many injuries this year. Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe are out and there's no PJ Brown to come off the bench like last season. That has forced guys in the Celtic front line to grow.The guy who has grown the most has been Kendrick Perkins. He went from a defense-only guy to a guy that can no put up double digits for you almost every night. He wouldn't have to do what he's been doing if KG was healthy. He's been forced to take on more of a load and he's thriving.His success makes me think of him like a stock. Kendrick Perkins (ticker symbol: PERK), has had a tremendous fourth quarter. His growth rate is increasing at a rapid rate and his profit margins will increase when he hits free agency.What I'm saying is make sure you put some money on him soon, Boston. PERK can be a very solid role player for a title contending team for a while. He will never be an All-Star that everyone knows, but he'll always be solid. Buy some PERK!
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Nene Takes Great Pictures...
2009-05-06 15:20:00
Sorry, Nene. I know you've had a pretty solid series so far. But this pic is too funny. He looks kinda high, doesn't he? I know he's not though. Keep giving us more funny pics like this, Nene!
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LeBron's Top 10 Plays of the Season
2009-05-05 15:56:00
Tremendous. Don't yawn over this Top 10:Embedded video from NBA Video
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Ron Artest's Mohawk, Explained
2009-05-05 15:27:00
Last night Ron Artest showed his new Mohawk to the world for the first time. Here's a pic of it, and here's another. In terms of comparing to other Mohawks (Matt Barnes, Greg Oden and Al Harrington), I'd say it easily wins the best NBA Mohawk award.Also, it's Craig Sager approved (skip to the 40 second mark):Embedded video from NBA VideoIt get five Sager heads!!

Talk Around the Hardwood
2009-05-04 21:01:00
I don't like Monday's, but let's link our way through it!Google News. If you haven't heard yet, Bron will be named MVP.Mercury News. Can Anyone else feel this? "Hey, exciting news! Only a month until Kobe Bryant and LeBron James square off for Game 1 of the NBA finals at Quicken Loans Arena."The Dallas Morning News. Giving Birdman credit. They also talk about how he's one of the NBA's best bargains.The Dream Shake. 10 Reasons to Despise the Lakers. And the hating begins.The Washington Post. LeBron's MVP winning will put some attention back on Wes Unseld.Hoopinion. If the Hawks are going to beat the Cavs, Josh Smith can't shoot like this.The Hoop Doctors. Since we're getting into shoes more here, check out the Nike Air Yeezy.Two more games tonight! I will be tweeting my thoughts.
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Shoe of The Week: Manny Pacquiao Nike Air Flywire Trainer
2009-05-03 17:32:00
Disclaimer: I'm no full on sneaker head, but every week we're gettin our shoe on here! Each week I'll pick a shoe that I like, basketball, or normal. Get your new leather smell ready!These Pacquiao kicks are pretty nice. The colors kind of remind of the Cavs and they look like a great shoe to run in.One big drawback: They are not widely avaliable. Only 100 pairs are out there for you to get (also, Pacquiao and his family get 100). That really sucks. I like em and think that lots of people would buy them. Release more, Nike !!Because of the limited amount of Pacquiao's available, here's my runner up for the week:Jordan Men's 1 Retro MidThese are pretty sick too. I only like the black kind though. The white looks OK, but these are pretty nice. They cost about $100; even in these economic times, someone will pay that!Any shoes you really liked this week? Let's hear in the comments!
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Celtics-Bulls Top 10
2009-05-03 17:01:00
The Celtics ended the Bulls season last night as they won game 7 in Boston. It ended a tremendous first round series; one that has everyone talking. I agree with the talk that it's probably the best first round series ever.It was so good that NBA.com gave it its own top 10 plays:Embedded video from NBA VideoGreat series, hope the rest live up to it!

The Hornets Didn't Have it All Year
2009-04-30 15:09:00
Last night the Hornets season finally ended. It was an injury ridden year where an expanded payroll disappointed everyone as they finished with the seventh seed in the West. Overall, the Hornets lacked the right amount of effort and luck to be successful in the post season.I saw a major on and off switch with this team from the begging of the season. Some nights they'd come out and you think they looked great. Other nights you wondered why the off-season moves made this team worse than last years team.I don't really have an answer to why they looked so good and so bad at times. Maybe they thought that because of last years successful season, this season would be given to them. They couldn't have been more wrong.Basically I'm saying what Hornets247 was saying:"I have a hard time blaming any one person in particular for this mess. Sure, it would help if George Shinn had deeper pockets. It would also be nice if Jeff Bower could undo some of the moves he did/didn't make so we'd h...
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Hawks-Heat Series Simply a Roller Coaster
2009-04-28 15:51:00
Last night the Atlanta Hawks were able to ward off the Heat to tie their series at 2-2. It was a game of runs, their was never really a few solid minutes of back to back baskets.Some of that was because of lots of fouls that ruined the flow of the game. But, I've noticed that these teams either play real well or real bad. There's not usually an alright with these teams. That's because of a combination of youth and lack of consistent talent.That makes the key to this series execution. The team that is able to execute on both ends and be hot from the field will win this series. Usually it's the team that starts off hot first that looks the strongest for four quarters.Sure, what I said here was kind of obvious. But I noticed how inconsistent these teams are. That's how a non-title contender will play. Fans of these teams should expect real solid play, or the turning of an on and off switch. It's the sad truth, but it's how the Heat and Hawks play.
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Talk About Epic: Net Reaction to Bulls-Celtics Game 4
2009-04-27 15:11:00
I saw this great game yesterday. It was game four of the Bulls -Celtics series in Chicago. When all was said and done, it ended up going to two overtimes, with the Bulls winning and nodding up the series at 2-2 with Boston.Sometimes games are so great, it's hard to say tons about it except find the game tape. So, let's link to some other people who talked about this great game!By The Horns: I’m telling you, there are three things I will probably never fully understand: How the ancient Egyptians built the Great Pyramid, why people get suckered into buying the Snuggie, and how Ben Gordon hits those crazy shots. I mean, they’re terrible, low-percentage attempts, the kind that take entire decades off the lives of coaches everywhere. AND HE HITS THEM.Blog a Bull: With the help of some lucky shots on their end (John Salmons especially) and some lucky misses from the Celtics (Davis missing a couple gimmees, and going 4-16 overall.)Chicago Bulls Blog: If you missed this one, pre...
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Shoe of the Week: Nike Hypermax
2009-04-26 23:18:00
Disclaimer: I'm no full on sneaker head, but every week we're gettin our shoe on here! Each week I'll pick a shoe that I like, basketball, or normal. Get your new leather smell ready!My favorite kicks are usually basketball-inspired. It's no different with the Hypermax. I really like that Nike went out and made an awesome looking shoe for four players who don't usually get their names on shoes (Pau Gasol, Jermaine O'Neal, David West and Carlos Boozer).While it's hard to pick my favorite colorway, I'd say the Boozer inspired colors are the most versatile. Only people with some Laker clothes can match that Gasol colorway. They're nice, but I don't have tons of gold and purple to go with it.If anyone's gotten a chance to rock these, let me know how they feel. Also, if you think I'm a dumbass for saying the Boozer colorway's the best, let's hear about which one you prefer. Thanks to Freshness for some info and picutres.What shoes should I feature next week? Send suggestion...
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Site To Check Out: ProJoe Leagues
2009-04-26 23:01:00
If you play basketball and like fantasy sports, look at ProJoe Leagues . It's a very different, intriguing approach to fantasy sports.Here's what it's all about:ProJoe Leagues is a way for athletes to track their team's stats online and then invite their teammates and friends to all create fantasy teams based on your team. It lets you see what it's like to be a Pro Athlete traded in Fantasy Teams on sites like ESPN.Fantasy teams then pick a new team each week and however you and your teammates play determines which fantasy team wins that week. It's really fun and it makes playing on a team even more exciting and competitive!ProJoe Leagues hosts all the major sports and stats. And in the upcoming months we'll allow teams to create custom sports and stats. We'll also be releasing an iPhone app at the end of the summer that'll help teams track their stats at the game and then immediately upload them.In addition, we have a release coming out this month where rec teams can enter ...
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You Have to Feel Bad For Rip
2009-04-25 17:31:00
It's been a tough year and a tough first round so far for the Pistons. Everyone knew that based on the effort the put out in the regular season, their chances of competing with the Cavs was slim.They tried with some success in game three; they had their biggest lead of the series and actually lead for a large part of the 1st quarter. But some effort is not enough. They needed effort for 48 minutes.Then I heard Richard Hamilton talking about it postgame. You can hear how badly he wants to just win a game. It makes me feel bad for the guy; he's a great competitor, but he needs the rest of his guys to go out there and play well also. I hope that sometime in the near future that competitors like Rip can do well and advance in the playoffs.Here's his postgame comments:Embedded video from NBA Video
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Talk Around The Hardwood
2009-04-24 20:25:00
Friday link time!Intentional Foul. Rajon Rondo showing love for Red Bull.Ridiculous Upside. You may not care about it, but we should all pay attention to the D-League Finals.Basketball-Statistics. Predicting how good Stephen Curry will be in the NBA.3 Dot Blog. Talk ing about an NBA without six of the current squads.Sporting News. The NBA's best clutch shooters, defenders and more.Syracuse.com. Good links, etc. for some talk about the NBA's age requirement.JSOnline. ABC's NBA broadcasts are doing better than last year? Come one, loyal NBA fans! Let's riot and take ABC games off the air! No, they are just annoying at times. I prefer hearing homers on league pass!The Hoop Doctors. Some sick headphones designed by Iggy (Andre Iguodala) and Deron Williams.Tonight there are three more games for your viewing pleasure. I will be tweeting some thoughts.

The Bulls Must Make Big Offensive Adjustments
2009-04-24 14:09:00
The Bulls suffered a blowout loss to the Celtics at home in game three. This happened mainly because they were never able to get comfortable on offense and score consistently. While it may be a sign of solid Celtic defense, it's more a sign of poorly designed and executed Bulls offense.Sit, stand and brick. That's what could sum up how the Bulls offense usually works. When I watch their half court offense, I see either a one-on-one play, or a simple high pick and roll. There really isn't lots of movement off the ball. It makes for a very ugly half court team at times.Chicago is a young team and they have a rookie coach, but that doesn't mean they have no basketball IQ to their names. There should be some more advanced plays in their playbook.There are a few simple plays that could make their offense less of an ugly duckling. I would run Reggie Miller and Richard Hamilton style off the ball pick and rolls for Ben Gordon early. He can curl off of those picks for open jump shots. A...
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Live Blog
2009-04-24 01:03:00
This is where the live blog will be held, come back at 8 tonight!Celtics at Bulls
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Talk Around the Hardwood
2009-04-23 20:31:00
Link time!Of course, if you haven't heard, a kid by the name of Jeremy Tyler isn't going to play his senior year of high school basketball because he's going to Europe.YouTube. Anderson Varejo imitating LeBron.YouTube. Sorry for all the videos, but in honor of Derrick Rose winning the ROY, here are his top 10 plays of the 09 season.CBS 4. FIU's contract with Isiah Thomas is worth 1.29 million in base compensation. Someone over at that school is smoking something.SI. No Memo for game three of Lakers-Jazz tonight. Maybe they're nailing it in.Ball in Europe. They also talk about the news I mentioned in the first link.Roundball Mining Company. Denver is ballin, "What they are doing now in the first two games against the New Orleans Hornets series is almost too good to be true. Tonight the Nuggets actually implemented four different schemes, at least that I recognized, to slow down Chris Paul."Celtics Hub. Talk ing about Paul Pierce and game three tonight, "There are all kinds of ex...

Live Blog Tonight!
2009-04-23 16:30:00
Celtics at BullsI will be live blogging the Bulls-Celtics game tonight! Make sure you come back during the game!
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Resilient Hornets Team Looks to Bounce Back in Game 2
2009-04-22 23:22:00
By Ben YorkBen York is a freelance basketball columnist who also writes for Fanster.com, TalkHoops.net, The Hoop Doctors and is a contributor to NBATipoff.comDenver beat the Hornets in almost every aspect of game 1 in their series. They out-rebounded, out-hustled, out-coached, and flat outplayed New Orleans. So why am I not hopping on their bandwagon? The Hornets are the most resilient team in the league.New Orleans has rarely played with their entire starting unit together on the court this season; yet, they still managed to win 49 games. Though Chris Paul has a lot to do with this, another reason they have been successful despite injuries is because of how hard Byron Scott has the entire team playing. The Hornets don't necessarily go very deep; Sean Marks is getting rotation minutes for crying out loud. However, the players that do get consistent minutes play their butts off every single night, including their motor and leader Chris Paul.The Nuggets haven't exactly been kno...
More About: Team , Game , Back , Bounce , Game 2

I'm Sorry If You're a Pistons Fan
2009-04-22 15:23:00
The Pistons lost again to the Cavs last night. They are now down 2-0 in the series and on their way to getting swept by the Cavs.It has been one hell of a bad season for them. They finished under .500 and never really had any momentum this season. Honestly, if I was a Pistons fan, I would want this season to end as quick as possible.For one thing, we know they aren't going to win a thing this year. If they got one win over the Cavs, I'd call that a tremendous accomplishment for this team. That's how bad they've gotten.Also, we know that tons of cap is coming off of the books this summer. Next year they can clear space, develop some of those young guys they and get a lottery pick. Prepare for a team that can't make the playoffs, Detroit.Don't cry Detroit, but your team sucks. Next year they won't make the playoffs (unless they spend money this off season) and they are basically waiting to be great again until 2010. Deal with it, better times will come soon enough.

Dampier wants Tony Parker on his Back?
2009-04-21 22:05:00
Don't get confused reading that headline, it's kind of true."Every time he drives the lane, we have to put him on his back," Dampier said. "The first foul has to tell him he's in for a long night."My first foul Thursday night is going to put him on his back. I guarantee it."That's what I like to hear from a player. You have to foul guys hard and not allow them to make any easy shots. That is what the playoffs are all about.On the other hand, I wouldn't mess with Tony Parker . He can light you up for tons of points, messing with him may not be so smart. But I like his poise and his attitude towards hard, playoff fouls.
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Talk Around The Hardwood
2009-04-20 21:13:00
It's day three of the playoffs, let's link!Blaze of Love. Why Nate McMillan should have gotten more coach of the year love, "The guy coaching the youngest team in the NBA who just led his team to an extra 13 wins this year deserves some serious recognition. Let me say those two things again, a 13 WIN DIFFERENCE and YOUNGEST TEAM in the NBA."Cleveland Scene. Buy Larry Hughes house. I'm sure it's perfect for the recession.Quite to the Contrary. A KG ad that tries to remind you how much of a competitor the guy is.Detroit Free Press. Michael Curry may not be the brightest coach Detroit "I think we can win this series.”Ticket News. NBA fine in terms of sales, "an average of 17,520 fans per game, the year ranks third all-time".YouTube. Anthony Johnson dunk on someone! This would be a poster, too bad no kid wants Anthony hanging in his or her room.Pounding the Rock. Good idea for the Spurs, "We need at least one perimeter player that can play defense at all times. That means we must...
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Some Thoughts on the 1st Day of the Playoffs
2009-04-19 18:46:00
With four games yesterday, the playoffs started with a couple good games. Here's some thoughts from what I saw:Bulls vs. CelticsWow. What a big win. I really like the way the young guys came out for Chicago, they were great.Here's my thoughts on Ray Allen's performance.This loss will probably be good for the C's in the long run. They will look much better in game 2, I'll put my money on that.I know I haven't talked much about Derrick Rose on this site, but it's now time to start. He is a player you have to love, even if you're not a Bulls fan. The way he plays and also the way you never see his facial expression change lets you know how special he is. I am now on his bandwagon now for sure.Do I even need to say anything about Cavs-Pistons? Hell no!Blazers vs. RocketsWTF? I really thought the Blazers would come out and show the national crowd how good they were. Guess I was wrong.I was wrong about game 1, but I'm thinking they will make a come back in game 2. They did have j...
More About: Thoughts , Playoffs