The Inquisitr » NBA

NBA Power Rankings

Joshua Lobdell — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:23:21 +0000

1. Phoenix Suns- Stoudemire struggled against the Lakers, but dropped 30 on the Raptors

2. Cleveland Cavaliers- The offense seems to be fine, but they still have questions of defense

3. Portland Trailblazers- On a 6 game winning streak and the defense is playing well

4. Atlanta Hawks- Great start, against a tough schedule

5. Denver Nuggets- They seem to be a legit title contender

6. Orlando Magic- Welcome back Rashard Lewis

7. Boston Celtics- It is only November, but this team looks kind of old

8. Los Angeles Lakers- They are suppose to have good defense with Artest, but have given up three straight 100 point games

9. Miami Heat- This team is pretty tough to figure out

10. Dallas Mavericks- Add PG Rodrigue Beaubolis to the list of impressive rookies

11. Houston Rockets- Aaron Brooks is the early season star

12. Chicago Bulls- Now they have a six game trip to the west

13. Milwaukee Bucks- Brandon Jennings is a hit at the Bradley Center

14. Indiana Pacers- Winners of four straight

15. San Antonio Spurs- next 12 of 15 are at home

16. Oklahoma City Thunder- Sometimes they look really good, and sometimes not so much

17. Toronto Raptors- Chris Bosh still needs more help

18. Detroit Pistons- Ben Gordon can be great, but he can also be not so great

19. Sacramento Kings- Not the worst team in the west anymore

20. Philadelphia 76ers- Marreese Speights is out for 6-8 weeks

21. Los Angeles Clippers- Asst. Coach Kim Hughes is turning Chris Kaman into a great player

22. Utah Jazz- at 4-6 people are starting to call for Jerry Sloan’s head

23. New Orleans Hornets- Chris Paul has an ankle injury, and they fired their coach

24. Charlotte Bobcats- After losing 4 straight, their fast start seems too good to be true

25. Golden State Warriors- This is a tough team to watch

26. Washington Wizards- Even Agent Zero cannot cure their funk

27. Memphis Grizzlies- The A.I. experiment lasted about a week

28. Minnesota Timberwolves- They are struggling, enough said

29. New York Knicks- waiting it out until next summer

30. New Jersey Nets- They are probably going to be 30th for awhile

Stuckey Finding The Touch For Pistons

Joshua Lobdell — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:38:03 +0000

Auburn Hills, MI (AHN) – Rodney Stuckey had a hot hand for the Detroit Pistons Sunday night.

But it appears the Pistons second-year 6-foot-5 guard from Eastern Washington is going to have to retain his scoring touch for awhile for his team to remain competitive.

The Pistons (5-5) lost 95-90 to the Dallas Mavericks Sunday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills, but had a chance to defeat the 7-3 Mavericks despite being without two of their best players.

Ten-year veteran guard Richard Hamilton has been out since the first game of the season with a right ankle sprain, but is expected to return by the end of next weekend when the Pistons complete a west coast trip.

Meanwhile, seven-year Pistons guard Tayshaun Prince has been sidelined since early November with a small ruptured disc in his lower back and is out indefinitely.

Stuckey scored 28 points in the loss to the Mavericks, hitting 12-of-20 from the floor and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. But he was sidelined in the fourth quarter with a cramp.

“”It happens,” he said of his injury. “We had a chance to win at the end. We gave it a good effort.”

“He was phenomenal,” said Pistons coach John Kuester. “His ability to take the ball to the basket … he was really focused on attacking. I thought that was the thing that I was most impressed with him.”

“I think once we get our other guys back, we’ll be a lot deeper,” Stuckey said. “We’ll be fine.”

“He’s getting better and better each game,” Kuester said. “I thought his defense at times was outstanding. We could have brought him back at the very, very end. (Pistons strength coach) Arnie (Kander) said he was willing to try but at that point, I thought that (Pistons forward) Jonas (Jerebko) had gotten a bit of a lather and I felt comfortable.”

“Arnie’s a good trainer and told me to take it easy,” Stuckey said. “We have a lot of big games coming up. It just cramped up.”

Stuckey was pleased with his performance prior to sustaining the cramp.

“I was trying to be aggressive,” he said. “We knew it was going to be a fight. We just fell short tonight. We still had a chance at the end to tie it up.”

Stuckey likes his team’s outlook.

“We’re young,” he said. “We’re going to make mistakes out there. We’re going to bring energy every night. We’re short a couple of guys right now. But as long as we come out and play hard each and every night, we’ll be fine. We’re going to win some games and lose some games. But if we come out with that effort every night, we’ll be fine.”

Pistons’ guard Ben Gordon, signed as a free agent in the offseason, struggled with 1-of-16 shooting from the floor, and 3-of-6 from the charity stripe for five points.

“That’s just a part of the game,” Stuckey said. “You have games like that. We know what he gives us every other night so we’re not worried about that.”

With Hamilton and Prince gone, second-year guard Will Bynum from Georgia Tech also came up big, hitting 11-of-16 from the floor and 4-of-4 in free throws for 27 points including 17 in the final quarter.

“Those guys had huge nights (Saturday night) as well (in a 106-103 win at Washington) and you aren’t going to shoot that well every night so we were paying a lot of attention to them,” said Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, referring to Bynum and Stuckey. “But they also missed shots that they usually make. We were fortunate tonight, but our effort was definitely worthy of a win tonight.”

Stuckey had 17 points and nine rebounds against Washington. He entered the game with 16.1 points, 6.2 boards and 4.1 assists per game.

In his rookie season he averaged 13.4 points 3.5 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 79 games, including 65 starts.

Bynum had 20 points against Washington to tie a season-high mark and had a career-high eight rebounds. Last season, he averaged 7.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

The Pistons head for the west coast to play the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night, Portland on Wednesday, Utah on Saturday and Phoenix on Sunday.

“Where did we get that schedule from ?” Stuckey laughed. “It’s brutal, right? It’s going to be a challenge for us. I think we’re up for it. We’ll see what happens. It will be fun. I get to go back home and see some family too. We’ll be good.”

Jazz In Tune On Road; Rip Sixers

AHN — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:40:56 +0000

Philadelphia, PA (AHN) – All-Star point guard Deron Williams was not available Friday, but the Utah Jazz still handed the Philadelphia 76ers a 112-90 setback.

Carlos Boozer pumped in 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Erik Maynor had 13 points and 11 assists to fill the gap for Williams.

The Jazz guard had to tend to a family matter, but Williams’ mates still took care of business particularly on the defensive end.

Utah trailed 32-30 after one quarter, but held Philly to just 38 points in the second and third quarters combined to forge a 82-69 lead heading into the fourth.

Wes Matthews added 16 points for the Jazz, while Mehmet Okur had 15.

Philly starters Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams combined to shoot just 7-of-22 field goals to hurt the Sixers’ cause.

Thaddeus Young led Philly with 17 points as the 76ers went to their bench early and often.

Utah improved to 4-5, while Philly slipped to 4-5.

Scott Free In New Orleans: Hornets Fire Coach After 3-6 Start

Joshua Lobdell — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:27:01 +0000

New Orleans, LA (AHN) – The New Orleans Hornets reportedly decided to drop the ax on coach Bryon Scott Thursday after the team got off to a miserable 3-6 start to the season.

The decision to fire Scott, who captured NBA Coach of the Year honors in 2008 and led that team to a 56-26 record with the Southwest Division title, will be announced later Thursday.

The Hornets dipped to 49 wins last season and were ripped by the Nuggets in the opening round of the playoffs, likely putting Scott’s job on the line.

New Orleans has several question marks after star Chris Paul and is dealing with some injuries, as well, to be fair to the now former coach.

“Lord Byron”, as the New York Post’s Pete Vecsey calls him from his previous stint with the Nets, also has a tendency to wear out his welcome.

Gone In 10 Minutes: Bulls ‘Winning’ Shot Vs. Nuggets Overturned By Replay

Joshua Lobdell — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:13:16 +0000

Chicago, IL (AHN) – It took the Bulls’ Brad Miller four-tenths of a second to hit the ‘game-winning’ shot Tuesday vs. the Nuggets.

It took referees about 10 minutes to overturn the shot, saying it came just after the buzzer, preserving Denver’s 90-89 win.

While too early in the season to call a game ‘critical’, the play improved the Nuggets record to 6-2 while the Bulls dropped to 4-3.

Chauncey Billups hit a go-ahead free-throw with sixth-tenths of a second left, and purposely missed the second in hopes the clock would expire.

The Bulls had just three-tenths of a second to operate, and Miller nearly pulled it off with his miraculous shot.

Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 20 points, while Billups added 17 and Kenyon Martin added 15.

All five Nuggets starters pumped in double-digit points.

All five Bulls starters did as well, led by Derrick Rose’s 22 points and 21 from Luol Deng.

Joakim Noah was a rebounding menace for the Bulls, pulling down 21 boards.

The game was close throughout, with Denver holding just a 46-43 lead at the break.

Basketball Hall Of Famer Al Cervi Dead At 92

AHN — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:11:24 +0000

Rochester, NY (AHN) – Basketball Hall of Famer Al Cervi, a pro basketball star who coached the Syracuse Nationals to the 1955 NBA championship, died Monday in a hospice in Rochester. He was 92.

A Buffalo native, Cervi, listed at 5-foot-11inch, was considered one of the pioneers of the sport and one of the strongest backcourt players of the 1940s and 1950s.

His relentless defense against the opposing team’s best offensive guard or forward and the way he drives to the basket earned him the nickname “Digger”.

Cervi first played for the Seagrams and Pros teams in Rochester, predecessors to the famous Royals of the National Basketball League and NBA.

While with the Rochester Royals, Cervi led the NBL in scoring during the 1946-47 campaign. He was recognized with the league MVP in 1947.

After the 1947-48 season, Cervi left the Royals to join the Syracuse Nationals as player-coach. He continued to perform this dual capacity after the Nats entered the NBA.

Cervi, a five-time All-Star as a player, coached the Nationals to their only NBA title.

In 1949, he was awarded the NBL Coach of the Year and later recognized with the NBA Coach of the Year in 1955.

Cervi hung up his jersey in 1953 but continued to coach the Nats until 1957.

In 2007, Cervi was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s NBA Preview issue: “Inch by Inch: The All-Time, All-Size All-Stars.

He was elevated to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985.

Cervi is survived by his wife of 68 years, Ruth; a son, two daughters and four grandchildren.

NBA Power Rankings

Joshua Lobdell — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:24:24 +0000

1. Boston Celtics- they are taking 19.3 3 point shots a game, and making 40% of them

2. Los Angeles Lakers- Still getting it done without Andrew Bynum and Paul Gasol

3. Phoenix Suns- Depth seemed like a problem, but they are solid off the bench

4. Atlanta Hawks- Jamal Crawford is averaging 18 points per game

5. Denver Nuggets- Carmelo put up 30 points in back to back games and his average dropped

6. Miami Heat- Michael Beasley has done a great job as a starter

7. Orlando Magic- It looks like a slew of injuries is starting to catch up to this team

8. Dallas Mavericks- Starting to look legit

9. Houston Rockets- This team is scrappy

10. Portland Trailblazers- 3 guard lineup has the Blazers running and scoring

11. Chicago Bulls- Losing Tyrus Thomas hurts an already thin front court

12. Cleveland Cavaliers- They need to get their act together

13. Oklahoma City Thunder- 7 of next 9 on the road

14. Milwaukee Bucks- If Michael Redd can return and get back to his normal production this is a dangerous team

15. San Antonio Spurs- is Ginobili done, or just rusty?

16. Toronto Raptors- No defense to speak of, but a great offense

17. Charlotte Bobcats- they score 95 ppg, shoot 38% and are .500 for the year

18. Detroit Pistons- Many injuries are forcing them to develop new players quickly

19. Philadelphia 76ers- They cannot score from the perimeter

20. Utah Jazz- They give up 100 points every night

21. New Orleans Hornets- James Posey has not made this team a contender

22. Los Angeles Clippers- Still the other team playing at the Staples Center

23. Indiana Pacers- Can the beat the Celtics?

24. Washington Wizards- They seem to have lost their focus

25. Sacramento Kings- Donte Greene has to step up

26. Golden State Warriors- They play no defense at all

27. Minnesota Timberwolves- They are young, but Al Jefferson is struggling

28. New York Knicks- The players seem to think this is a throw away season

29. Memphis Grizzlies- Allen Iverson was a rally bad idea

30. New Jersey Nets- Courtney Lee is shooting just 31.4%

NBA Power Rankings

Joshua Lobdell — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:10:48 +0000

1. Boston Celtics- Signed Rajon Rondo to a 55 million dollar contract extension

2. Orlando Magic- averaging 113 point per game, but so far schedule has been soft

3. Denver Nuggets- Can anyone stop Carmelo Anthony?

4. Los Angeles Lakers- So far, they look a little sluggish

5. San Antonio Spurs- Very deep and Gregg Popovich knows how to use it

6. Phoenix Suns- averaging 20 points and 9 rebounds, Grant Hill is playing like he is 35 again

7. Cleveland Cavaliers- Delonte West is back

8. Miami Heat- Hot start with 8 of first 10 games at home

9. Atlanta Hawks- Jamal Crawford is effective off the bench

10. Washington Wizards- Good start, and they should get better

11. Dallas Mavericks- Jason Kidd isn’t scoring but distributing

12. Portland Trailblazers- Easy home schedule, but now they hit the road

13. Houston Rockets- They have a lot of injuries, but may be fun to watch

14. Utah Jazz- They must learn how to win on the road

15. Oklahoma City Thunder- This might be there breakthrough year

16. Philadelphia 76ers- Elton Brand is slowly starting to look like Elton Brand

17. New Orleans Hornets- If Stojakovic is healthy they will be better

18. Milwaukee Bucks- Rookie Brandon Jennings is exciting Bucks fans

19. Chicago Bulls- Derrick Rose must make his jump shots

20. Charlotte Bobcats- They need to improve their perimeter shooting

21. Toronto Raptors- So far the bench has been a disappointment

22. Detroit Pistons- Injury to Rip Hamilton has hurt this young team

23. Minnesota Timberwolves- Al Jefferson is playing more defense, but they still need him to score

24. Memphis Grizzlies- Allen Iverson is already upset with his role

25. New York Knicks- They have Danilo Gallinari and not much else

26. Los Angeles Clippers- Struggles out of the gate, but soft schedule could help them rebound

27. Indiana Pacers- allowed just 48.7 shooting in their first two games

28. Golden State Warriors- They must play some defense

29. Sacramento Kings- This was suppose to be an opportunity for Sergio Rodriguez, but he has barely played

30. New Jersey Nets- Devin Harris has a groin injury

Disgraced Ex-NBA Ref To Be Released From Prison Wednesday

Joshua Lobdell — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:02:46 +0000

Pensacola, FL (AHN) – Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who served a 15-month sentence on federal wire fraud charges, will reportedly be released from federal prison Wednesday.

According to Executive Prison Consultants, hired to ease his post-prison transition, Donaghy hopes to work in sales or marketing in his return to society, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

After being transferred to a halfway house in June, Donaghy was sent back to the Pensacola facility in August for making an unauthorized trip allegedly for the treatment of his injured knee.

Last year, Donaghy, 42, was sentenced for accepting money from a professional gambler in exchange for inside information on NBA games.

The Inquirer reported that Donaghy plans to live in the Saratoga area. He will also continue treatment for gambling addiction.

2009-10 NBA preview: Sacramento Kings

Joshua Lobdell — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:32:58 +0000

The Sacramento Kings only won 17 games in 2008-09, worst in the NBA. They were also last in attendance, they play in the NBA’s oldest building and despite having room to operate underneath the NBA salary cap, and this team did little to improve itself in the off season. In fact this might just be the NBA most affected by the recession. Sacramento saw its gate receipts fall 23% last year, thus the team lost 9.7 million dollars in revenue. This is the classic catch 22 for sports teams, build a winner and fans come out, however to build a winner requires a huge financial investment. The Maloof family doesn’t seem prepared to make that investment.

Of course it is not like the Kings roster is totally devoid of NBA talent. 2009 first round pick Tyreke Evans is raw but has star potential, Kevin Martin can score, and Sergio Rodriguez may be the passer this offense needs. While the Maloof’s spent the off season slashing season ticket prices, they also rubbed enough pennies together to land 6-9 forward Sean May. The big knock on most of the Kings players are they are soft and oft injured.

The Kings need to turn their luck around 58 year old, new Head Coach Paul Westphal is the man charged with doing so. Of course this is his third gig as a NBA head man after being fired from Phoenix and Seattle. Paul may have landed this job, but that wasn’t because he was in demand. In all reality he was the guy who would coach for the least amount of money.

What else can you say, this is a bad team owned by a family that will not or cannot make the decisions that will help rebuild the team. It seems like it is going to be a very long season for Kings fans, but I don’t feel sorry for them, I have been rooting for the Detroit Lions my whole life and as bad as the Kings were last year they still managed to win one game.

2009-10 NBA preview: New Jersey Nets

Joshua Lobdell — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:03:43 +0000

There might be a new day coming for the New Jersey Nets, but that day will not come soon enough for their fans. This is a team that used to be called the Clippers East, then Jason Kidd came to town and unprecedented success came with him, now the Nets have sold off all their flashy pieces and little of once what was is left. While the Nets are well positioned to make a big play for one of the many 2010 free agents, this team will have to get through the coming NBA season first.

Sure the Nets have new ownership, or will soon, and sure they are building a new stadium in Brooklyn, although that is a process that has brought about many, a lawsuit from many different groups of people. Now this is a team that went 35-48 last season, finished third in their division, but that they did finish 28 games behind eventual division champs the Boston Celtics. Now that Vince Carter has been traded away, projections for the coming season are even worse.

The new face of this franchise is point guard Devin Harris, and he comes to the team with an impressive resume. He averaged 21.3 points per game last year, and was an all star. Now that Carter is gone, Harris will have the chance to improve on those numbers. The Nets also landed guard Courtney Lee in the Carter trade. Lee gained valuable experience last year playing 8 minutes a game during the Magic’s run to the NBA finals last season. He and Harris provide the Nets with a very athletic backcourt.

While the Nets have been in cost cutting mode for the last few years, once the new ownership is approved and that is, supposed to happen by the end of the year, that could very well change. The new owners will have lots of incentive to build a winning team to help fill their new Brooklyn home.

2009-10 NBA preview: Memphis Grizzlies

Joshua Lobdell — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:46:53 +0000

The Memphis Grizzlies have spent many years spinning their wheels. Over the last three years they have the worst combined record in the NBA at 68-178, they finished second to last in 2008-09 in home attendance, and in the second year of their latest three year master plan the ended up firing their coach. They finished last year with a 24-58 record, and while things seems very dark there may be reason to hope. Of course that was before this team added disgruntled NBA stars Zach Randolph and Allen Iverson in the off season.

This team has a very talented, and young core group of players. OJ Mayo, Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, and Marc Gasol are the future of this team. New Coach Lionel Hollins was able to motivate those players for a late season push that seemed to suggest the Grizzlies were finally on the right path. On top of that the Grizzlies had three draft picks to help improve this team, including the overall number two pick. What the front office decided to do with these assets is nothing short of troubling.

It seems kind of fitting that the hapless Grizzlies got the second pick in a one player NBA draft. With that pick they took offensively challenged Hasheem Thabeet. The only upside to this kid he is a raw shot blocker that may develop into a strong defensive player down the road. However they have added two locker room cancers to this team that could undue the gains made at the end of last season.

Iverson and Randolph are not good locker room guys, and unchecked on a young team like the Grizzlies could completely destroy this team. On top of that both of these players need the ball, and that will slow the development of Gay and Mayo. On top of that The Grizzlies let many bench players go to save money under the cap, even though they were far under the cap already. In the end this team made many questionable moves, moves that have divided their fan base, and their front office staff.

Mark Cuban OK With Limited Steroid Use For Injuries

AHN — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:24:52 +0000

Pittsburgh, PA (AHN) – Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reportedly indicated Tuesday that he is not totally against the use of steroids in sports as long as it is administered under proper supervision.

Speaking at a University of Pittsburgh forum Tuesday, the outspoken basketball team owner addressed the topic when asked about the 10-game suspension of Orlando Magic forward Rashard Lewis during last season’s playoffs.

Lewis allegedly claimed that the elevated testosterone level in the test results were due to an over-the-counter supplement he took which contained a banned substance.

Though Cuban admitted during the forum that he is no expert on the subject, he pulled no punches in saying that steroids could have a legal and useful place in sports.

With proper doctor supervision, it could help athletes recover from injuries as long as there are no long-term health risks involved, he added.

Also in the forum, Cuban, a Pittsburgh-area native, denied speculations linking him in the purchase of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cuban purchased a majority stake in the Mavericks in Jan. 2000 for $285 million from H. Ross Perot Jr.

NBA-Refs Finalize New Deal

AHN — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:44:28 +0000

New York, NY (AHN) – The NBA and its referees struck an accord on a two-year pact that will insure the referees are back on the court in time for the tip-off to the season next week.

The referees union is expected to finalize the contract Friday, where it is expected to be ratified by all 57 members of the union and voted upon.

The breakthrough follows NBA Commissioner David Stern meeting with the referees union negotiator Larnell McMorris, both of whom had left the table at various points before.

The previous contract expired Sept 1, and they were in need of finalizing a new pact.

This process has taken an unexpectedly long amount of time, and each side has various concerns they wished addressed in the new contract that weren’t discussed before.

While specifics of the new ‘contract-in-progress’ have not yet been released, this contract is said to address the remaining concerns of veteran referees.

2009-10 NBA preview: Minnesota Timberwolves

Joshua Lobdell — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:59:54 +0000

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been in the NBA for twenty years now, and even this past year the Timberwolves are proving what it means to be an expansion NBA franchise. The Timberwolves joined the league the same year as the Orlando Magic. The Magic have been to the NBA finals twice, while the Timberwolves have allowed former General Manager to run this team into the ground. Now David Kahn, President, is in town to pull a magic act on everyone. He has to convince the fans of this team that the mistakes of the past, are just that and that this is a franchise on the right path.

Of course things didn’t get off to such a great start as he drafted Spanish Guard Ricky Rubio who then decided to stay in Spain. How close Rubio was to coming to Minnesota is not known, but it doesn’t feel like it was that close. Kahn followed up that pick by drafting point guard Jonny Flynn. Many shook their head at that selection, but maybe Kahn knew even then that his chances at landing Rubio were very long indeed. Flynn serves as Plan B for this year’s Timberwolves.

It’s kind of funny that Kirk Rambis is the new Head Coach of this team, after McHale was finally let go. Long time NBA fans will remember way back to 1984 when McHale infamously clotheslined Rambis in the NBA finals. Rambis has some head coaching experience since he guided the post lock out Lakers to a 24-13 record. What kind of Coach he will be is yet to be seen.

It seems the teams salvation will come from Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. They are two big men that Kahn can build around. Jefferson has averaged 21 points a game in his two years in Minnesota and has also averaged 10.9 rebound per game. Love also has that kind of potential and together form the nucleus of the Timberwolves of the future.

2009-10 NBA preview: Indiana Pacers

Joshua Lobdell — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:53:35 +0000

This is a team that has never recovered from the November, 2004 brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills versus the Detroit Pistons and their fans. They recently rid, themselves of Jamaal Tinsley who was the last member of the Pacers involved in one of the most infamous acts in NBA history. Remember it was Tinsley, once most the ruckus had settled down, who grabbed a dustpan and raised it over his head in an attempt to get back into the fight. Kind of fitting that he was the last Pacer involved to be swept out of town.

Since that day, now five years ago, Pacers President Larry Bird has attempted to remake the Pacers roster. Remember this was a team with Jermaine O’Neil, Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, and Tinsley all in their primes. Instead of making multiple runs at NBA titles a series of off the court troubles and the brawl at the Palace has set this team far behind. Now Pacers fans would just like a return trip to the NBA playoffs, once their expectations were the NBA finals or bust.

After finishing the lat two seasons 36-46, and their 2008-09 season never really got started as injuries plagued this team for the get go. Bird remade the roster a year ago and is still waiting for some players to step up. One of those players is Danny Granger. He seems to be the Phoenix rising from the ashes of the Artest Pacers. Granger was drafted 17th overall in 2005, and during last season evolved into an all star caliber player. Averaging 25.8 point per game he was named last season’s most improved player.

For the coming season to be a success the Pacers will need Mike Dunleavy to return from an injury and contribute big time. However Dunleavy will miss all of training camp while his knee heals. The Pacers also added 13th overall pick Tyler Hansbrough to the mix, and that may just be the steal of the 2009 NBA draft. While he has been sidelined with a shin injury, the Pacers are counting on him to step up big time in his rookie campaign.

2009-10 NBA preview: Milwaukee Bucks

Joshua Lobdell — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 05:30:18 +0000

The normal cycle of a sports team is a team drafts a young core of players, they make strides towards the post season, they have some ups and some downs, and then the general manager blows out the roster and starts all over again. That is how it works for most teams, but the Milwaukee Bucks are not most teams. Last year was a rebuilding year after finishing last in their division in each of their last five seasons, but General Manager John Hammond blew up his roster, shredded some big salaries and drafted some project players. Good news for Bucks fans, they are rebuilding yet again.

Maybe the news isn’t all that bad, the Bucks did win 35 games last season all while their top shooting guard Michael Redd, and their talented young center Andrew Bogut. This team is also looking for Brandon Jennings, their first round pick at 10th overall, to come and be able to run their offense. Jennings played last year in Italy, and through the summer league ran the Bucks offense like a seasoned pro. The Bucks are looking for small forward Joe Alexander can improve his game, and not wind up a 2008 NBA draft bust. Alexander was the 8th overall pick that year.

In the off season, the Bucks traded away Richard Jefferson, and let Charlie Villanueva leave via free agency. They hope that by taking one step back this year, they can take two steps forward in years to come. At the very least these moves allow the Bucks to escape the Luxury Tax, because nothing could be worse than being a last place team, paying a hefty tax to the league.

2009-10 NBA preview: Houston Rockets

Joshua Lobdell — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:57:46 +0000

How now, without Yao? That is the question for the Houston Rockets and their fans. Of course it is not like Yao Ming has been all that healthy since he came to Houston in the 2002 NBA draft. While he missed just two games in his first three seasons, Yao has been anything but healthy since then. Now, after having undergone bone graft surgery to repair his foot it now appears that Yao will be gone until training camp of next season. That means the Rockets are minus the player that their franchise has been built upon. They also lost Ron Artest in the off season, and the future looks very dark indeed.

Of course the news was even worse, when the team found out about Ming’s surgery they already knew that Tracy McGrady recovering from micro knee surgery would miss at least the opening part of the 2009-10 season. In fact there is no guarantee that he can recover from this kind of surgery and play the same game he played before hand.

The plan at the moment is to retrench the team without Ming at its center. They will look to implement Coach Rick Adelamn’s wide open offense that leads to easy buckets off fast breaks, and creates open shots in the passing game. Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola will be the lead men on the floor. To help replace Ming the Rockets signed Australian Center David Andersen, while he is clearly not Yao he can run, and the Rockets are looking to be a much faster team.

This team is also looking for veterans Trevor Ariza and Kyle Lowry can step up their games as they continue to develop youngsters Brooks and Carl Landry. It is a long step from being among the contenders in the west, to what looks to be a very long NBA campaign for the Rockets and their fans.

2009-10 NBA preview: Charlotte Bobcats

Joshua Lobdell — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:37:40 +0000

The are at least three questions that will define the Charlotte Bobcats season. The first is how long can Head Coach Larry Brown control in wanderlust? The second is, can this rebuilt team finally start to win? The last question will how the proposed sale of this team will distract it during the season. This will be Brown’s second season with the Bobcats, but he return with only four players who began the 2008-09 season with him. This team has undergone a major roster overhaul that has many feeling optimistic for the coming NBA season.

For Brown, and General Manager Michael Jordan, the Bobcats need to get more versatile. Since they do not have the depth of more established teams they went looking for players who can play multiple positions. To accomplish that they traded away their first ever draft pick, Emeka Okafor, to the New Orleans Hornets for Tyson Chandler. Brown is betting that his athleticism and length will allow him to play power forward and center.

This is a team that finished last in scoring, and missed the playoffs for the fifth time in their five years of existence. Brown is betting that Chandler will help this team run a little more and push the play at their opponents. This is the fourth major trade the club has made since hiring Brown and Chandler joins mid season replacements Boris Diaw and Raja Bell.

This is a team built of many different parts without a major one to focus the offense through, however they were much improved in 2008 and it would not be a total surprise if they snuck into the NBA post season as a 7th or 8th seed. They will also be looking continually to add talent to this tem via free agency or through trades meant to restock a depleted roster.

2009-10 NBA preview: Los Angeles Clippers

Joshua Lobdell — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 05:52:05 +0000

The Los Angeles Clippers are one of those teams that always find a way to lose, rather than a way to win. They are one of the most hapless NBA team ever, and after winning just 19 games last season there may not be any reason to believe that the Clippers will ever get it right. Then again, with the addition of prize big man Blake Griffin maybe this season there is. After being in LA for 25 years, and having made the NBA post season just four times, maybe there is reason to believe in this team.

Beyond their huge score in the NBA draft lottery, this team was somehow able to trade perennial team killer, Zack Randolph, to the Memphis Grizzlies for useful backups Sebastian Telfair and Craig Smith. Now this team has Griffin to add to 2007 first round pick Al Thornton, and a future star in Eric Gordon. This gives the Clippers a solid young nucleus to build around.

Of course they already had one expensive veteran in Baron Davis signed to this team, specifically to a five year 65 million dollar deal that he has so far failed to live up too. The so called Baron Davis era of this team got off to a poor start last season when Davis could not remain healthy, shot poorly, was unmotivated, and never displayed the leadership skills the team was looking for when the signed him to the deal.

The Clippers also have two veteran Centers who could very well average double-doubles and more that two blocks a game in Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman. The Clippers will rely on these three veteran players as their younger players learn how to play in the NBA. While all that should lead to some kind of success, these are still the Clippers and the hopelessness of the team’s history could set in at anytime.