NBA Season Preview - Eastern Conference

The NBA actually tips off tonight, but it isn't too late to get all the knowledge you need for the season. Yesterday we had a look at the Western Conference and delved into some preview and predictions. Today is the Eastern Conference. Where the West is top heavy with several of the elite teams in the league, the East has one powerhouse and a bunch of maybes and some maybe next years.

Here is your Eastern Conference preview and predictions;

1. Miami Heat - D'uh...the defending champs still have their big three in place and have added additional veteran help with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. LeBron James is the best player in the league and will continue to show it. The only thing the Heat really have to worry about is do they want to keep up the blistering place all season. There closest competitors aren't really that close and although teams will be gunning for them every night because they are the champs, motivation towards the end of the regular season could be difficult.

2. Boston Celtics - The Celtics aren't getting any younger but somehow still manage to stay relevant. They have a big three of their own in Pierce, Garnett and Rondo, plus they have added former sixth man of the year Jason Terry. They also get the boost of Avery Bradley returning from injury to help on the defensive end. Their draft picks, especially Jared Sullinger are enigmas and could either end up being superstars or superstar busts. Barring injury, they are the only real challenge to the Heat dominance in the East.

3. Indiana Pacers - The drop off after the Heat and Celtics is pretty significant. Spots 3-6 are pretty much up for grabs. Indiana will finish third because they have an asset in Roy Hibbert that many of the other teams in the East can't match. A real centre. After Hibbert the Pacers still feature Danny Granger who can carry the scoring load most nights. The Pacers had a great year last season and they must continue on their upward trend to be a force.

4. Brooklyn Nets - New home and a new roster. The Nets have retooled most of the roster starting at the trade deadline last season. With the acquisition of Gerald Wallace and Joe Johnson to go along with Deron Williams and Kris Humphries, this team has scoring. They might put up the most points in the league this season and rival the 1990's Nuggets teams. Unfortunately, they have some real holes on the defensive end. There is no one to protect the middle and be a lock down defender when a stop is required. They better hope they have the last possession on most nights.

5. Atlanta Hawks - They lost their franchise player in Joe Johnson to the Nets in free agency, but it might be a blessing in disguise. Johnson was always the go to player because he was paid like it, but the supporting players might have been the better choice in crunch time. Now they have the chance to prove it. Josh Smith is in a contract year and has the skill set to be an all-star and a health Al Horford can be dominant. The Hawks could surprise people.

6. New York Knicks - Yes, they are old and made a bunch of weird roster decisions in the offseason, but all the experience has to count for something. Carmelo Anthony is a scorer, and the Knicks have to accept that for them to be successful. They will be tough and play good defense led by Tyson Chandler. The health of Amar'e Stoudamire is now a question mark, but his absence might give the rest of team time to come together and develop an identity.

7. Toronto Raptors - Surprised? A great pre-season offered some hope in Raptorland and although GM Bryan Colangelo has continued to manipulate the roster, it seems like his moves might be paying off. European rookie Jonas Valuncianias has earned the starting centre spot which allows Andrei Bargnani a chance to play forward where he is more comfortable and take advantage of mismatches on the offensive end. DeMar DeRozan was upset by some predictions in national publications and fans can only help this helps to motivate him and develop his game. Although rookie Terrence Ross hasn't looked spectacular, new point guard Kyle Lowry and Landry Fields have both looked good. After 4 down years with no playoffs, the Raptors will return and see some post-season action.

8. Chicago Bulls - The depth that the Bulls had for the past couple of seasons (Bench Mob) has been decimated and this really affects them more than even the Derrick Rose injury. Without the depth, and injury to anyone makes life difficult. Rose is really the swing vote in the whole Eastern Conference. If he comes back healthy, the Bulls are automatic title contenders and a first round match-up with the Heat could actually be quite interesting. 

9. Detroit Pistons -The Pistons have a developing young roster and they would be much closer to winning if not for the huge misguided contracts they gave to Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva a few seasons ago. Draft pick Andre Drummond looks like the real deal, but was often knocked while at Georgetown for losing focus, it might be a challenge for him to keep focus for 82 games, especially if losing. Greg Monroe is a good young big man which could pose match-up problems for the teams in the East.

10. Milwaukee Bucks - The Bucks are going to see if two of the best pure scorers can live in harmony and take them to the playoffs. Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis are each capable of putting up 40 points in a night, but if nobody else scores can they still win? Other than these two, you will know this team but not be able to pronounce any names - Illyasova, Udoh, Udrih, Mbah a Moute and Harris round out the line-up.

11.Washington Wizards - While most of the teams in the NBA have started going small and athletic, the Wizards seems to be going the other way. They acquired Nene, Emeka Okafor, and already had Jan Vessly in the fold. Can these bigs fit with run and gun point guard John Wall? Trevor Ariza will provide some quality defense, and rookie Bradley Beal needs to live up to his draft position.

12. Philadelphia 76ers - The 76ers made a bold move in the offesason trading away all-star Andre Igudala and acquiring dominant centre Andrew Bynum. Bynum gives them a force in the middle, but only when he is healthy and he is already out injured. Like many other teams in the East, Philly lacks depth and will struggle against the elite teams.

13. Cleveland Cavaliers - The Cavs have something special in point guard Kyrie Irving. He is going to be worth his share of wins this season. Tristan Thompson is starting to come into his own and Anderson Varejo hasn't slowed down at all. Unfortunately for Cleveland, LeBron isn't walking through the door and three guys aren't enough to win you a championship or even get you a playoff spot.

14. Orlando Magic - The Magic traded away Dwight Howard in the biggest move of the offseason and got NOTHING of substance back in return. The Magic are trying their hardest to finish last. It will be nice to see Hedo Turkoglu lose a lot of games.

15. Charlotte Bobcats - Can you have worst luck? After a year of sucking and hoping to secure the first pick in the draft, that didn't even work out for them. They are rebuilding slowly and painfully.

NBA Season Preview - Western Conference

The NBA season is just days away from tip off and in order to be prepared for 82 games of action you need to know who is good, who is bad and who will be ugly.

So, here are my predictions for the Western Conference (Eastern Conference tomorrow) and a quick little note on what you need to be aware of.

1. LA Lakers - They made lots of changes in the offseason so it may take the regular season for all the new parts to fit together, but when you have this many all-stars and future hall of famers players together, even if they are cohesive they can still win. Kobe, Nash, Howard, Gasol and World Peace....scary sight for any opponent.

2. San Antonio Spurs - The model franchise. Title contenders year in and out, they have run into some bad luck in the post-season the past two years, but they are still deep and a threat in the West. Tim Duncan is on his last legs so he'll start to rely even more on Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder - The Thunder feature the second best scorer in the league in Kevin Durant and that alone would be enough to carry them to the three seed, but they also have a top five point guard in Russel Westbrook. The trade of James Harden on the eve of the season might put them behind the eight ball in terms of team chemistry, but they got some good parts in return. Might not be a title contender this year, but will have the Spurs consistency in terms of being title contenders.

4. Denver Nuggets - A very sexy pick to be a top of the conference team in the West. They are doing it without one bonafide superstar. It is conceivable that the Nuggets could not have an all-star this season but end up in the Western Conference finals. They have improved their defence, but still need to find a reliable crunch time scorer.

5. LA Clippers - Lob City is back! They have so much depth it is almost laughable, unfortunately it is depth all at the same position and no one is quite certain how coach Vinny Del Negro is going to get them all playing time. Blake Griffin needs to be more of an all-around player than a human highlight film for SportsCentre.

6. Utah Jazz - The major story coming out Utah this pre-season is that Enes Kanter dropped 50 lbs and is ready to make an impact in his second season. The Jazz have support for Kanter if he ends up getting pushed around in the post with Al Jefferson. The supporting cast isn't too shabby either with Mo Williams running the point, Paul Millsap, Derick Favors and Randy Foye. Much has been made of the Nuggets depth and youth, but this Jazz team might give them a run for their money.


7. Portland Trailblazers - New uniforms! Beside the slightly new look, the Blazers actually have some talent and could cause trouble in the playoffs. Perennial all star LaMarcus Aldridge will lead and has support in Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum. Besides the big three, rookies Damian Lillard and Meyers Leonard have both played well in the pre-season. Lillard is even getting some rookie of the year buzz.

8. Memphis Grizzlies - The Grizz might have blown their championship chances when they failed to use Zach Randolph's magic playoff run a couple of years ago. They still have two of the best big men in Randolph and Marc Gasol but the rest of the roster leaves alot to be desired.

9. Minnesota Timberwolves - The T-Wolves have alot of "try hard" players supporting one super star in Kevin Love. The issue with the super star is injury. Love broke his hand during the preseason and is out for 6 weeks. While it isn't a huge part of the season, it might be enough to put Minny behind early and unable to climb outta their hole. They also have the injury to Ricky Rubio that will delay their success this season. The interesting players to watch here are Brandon Roy and Andrei Kirilenko. Kirilenko returns after a season away from the NBA and Roy returns after retiring before last season. If these two can regain their form, an playoff spot isn't out of the question.

10. Golden State Warriors - The success and/or failure of the Warriors will be based on the health of its best players - Steph Curry and David Lee. Unfortunately for the Warriors they are already hurt and no one is sure when they will be back or if they can stay healthy.

11. Dallas Mavericks - Mark Cuban got his championship and has decided a second one is not necessary. The rag tag bunch of players will not give the Mavs much hope of making the playoffs this year. Dirk Nowitzki is still around and will have to carry much of the scoring load. Vince Carter, OJ Mayo and Darren Collison (filling in for Jason Kidd) will have to try and make the best of the situation.

12. New Orleans Hornets - First overall pick Anthony Davis will make an immediate impact but unfortunately he is only the start of the rebuilding process in New Orleans that might take a few more drafts. Eric Gordon is a quality starter and will make it his mission to guide the ship.

13. Houston Rockets - Although they acquired a couple of nice pieces in the offseason in Omar Asik, Jeremy Lin and now James Harden, GM Daryl Morey has a quick trigger finger and is trying to rebuild quickly. It will be interesting to see if he has any more moves up his sleeves.

14. Sacramento Kings - A great fantasy basketball roster, but put them on an actual basketball court and disaster. Tyreke Evans is probably the player who has the most talent, but no idea how to use it. DeMarcus Cousins is another player that needs to find a way to harness his skills and become an all star. They are still bummed to not be in Anaheim.

15. Phoenix Suns - Oh boy. Put the ping pong balls in the hopper for these guys. Unless you are following Jared Dudley on Twitter there is no real point to turn in to watch these guys.

Pay Me Sucka!

On Saturday night, if you are a sports fan, you were probably doing one of two things. Watching Notre Dame roll over Oklahoma or dressed in some weird sports costume heading to a party at a friends place. Either way you were blindsided midway through the night about the news of a big NBA trade.

Trades in the NBA aren't all that common, they mostly happen when teams need to dump salary (see Knicks, New York) or a player is unhappy in his situation and demands out (see Howard, Dwight). This trade happened because the player was due a big contract extension and his current team wasn't going to pony up the cash.

James Harden of Oklahoma City Thunder has been a very visible star for the NBA the last couple of seasons. A high draft pick, playing on a winning team and his tell tale beard all made him quite the personality. His biggest contribution is probably the consistency that the Thunder get when the bring him off the bench. He was named the 6th man of the year last year because of the scoring (avr 16.8 ppg) he provides when his teammates might not have it that night. Even though many considered him the third best player on the Thunder, he was content, or so we thought, with coming off the bench.

Harden was entering the fourth year of his rookie contract and the Thunder could offer him an extension. Many thought that Harden would accept below market value on his contract extension so he could continue to contend for championships in Oklahoma City. Everyone was apparently wrong. Harden was offered a four year $55 million dollar contract by the Thunder, about $5 million less than the maximum that they were able to offer him on a four year extension. When he declined that extension, Oklahoma City's GM Sam Presti was apparently convinced that he wasn't going to be able to keep Harden and traded him to Houston.

Was Presti wrong for not offering Harden a max contract? Probably, his team would be in a better place with a player like Harden and financially they could have found a way to make it work. Was Harden wrong for not accepting a the OKC offer? Absolutely not! A professional sports career is short and while winning a championship is definitely important to most players, you can't deny the fact that a championship ring won't pay the bills. Harden might have had a better chance at a title in OKC this year, but Houston GM Daryl Morey is creative and will build that Houston team up quickly around Harden and Jeremy Lin.

The only question that keeps coming to my mind about the trade is why did Oklahoma City pull the trigger on the trade so quickly. They could have waited until March to make this deal. If they wait, maybe they realize that Harden is worth the extra cash or they realize that they can live with out and then make the move. Either way, the beard is taking a trip to Houston and the fun loving, young trio of stars in OKC are no more, which has definitely put the Lakers and their hall of fame roster in the drivers seat to represent the West in the NBA finals.

Kobe Says Aurevoir To The NBA in 2013-14

Let the retirement tour begin! Apparently, 2013-2014 will be Kobe Bean Bryant's last in the NBA. Since being drafted in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets (yes, it is true, he wasn't always a Laker), Kobe has achieved greatness and no matter how much you hate the purple and gold and all their championships, you can't deny that.

His career will be defined by multiple things; his competitive nature, his 5 championships, being a ball hog, scoring 81 points in a game against the Raptors and desire to be better than Michael Jordan. All of these traits have made Kobe into the great player we still see on the court.

Why retire now though? The Lakers have just made two of the biggest off-season acquisitions in Dwight Howard and Steve Nash and he is playing with 2 other all-stars in Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace.This hardly seems like the time you would decide to hang 'em up. Kobe is only 34 years old, but has been playing in the NBA since he was 18. There are definitely a lot of miles on his legs, especially considering the Lakers have often gone deep into the playoffs and he has also played internationally. Recently signed teammate Steve Nash is 38 and signed a 3 years deal, why not stick around and play out the string with him, try and pick up an extra title or two. Kobe is apparently in a place where he feels good about leaving the Lakers. They will be in good hands with Howard and Gasol moving forward to keep the winning tradition alive, or so he hopes. Why not wait until he is sure Howard can produce at the championship level that Lakers fans demand?

The other big bullseye for Kobe, other than tying Jordan with 6 titles, is the all-time scoring record. He is currently about 9000 points behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, or about 5 decent seasons. This doesn't seem out of reach for such a competitive athlete, especially if those knee treatments continue in Germany each off-season.

Kobe will be missed once he retires, probably not by fans in places like New York, Denver, Utah or Toronto, teams he consistently torched, but you probably do have to honor him when he comes to town one last time. If the Raptors are planning on doing so, I hope they decide to do it with a Raptors jersey with 81 on the back and Bryant as the nameplate.

It's Gotta Be The Shoes

With this being the NBA All-Star weekend, it is not only a weekend of great basketball displays (celebrity game, skills challenge, 3pt contest and the dunk contest) but a weekend to display new kicks. If you haven't seen all the new shoes, you can head over to Nice Kicks for a round up.

In honour of all the new shoes hitting the market here are my 5 all time favourites in no particular order;

Air Yeezy: The Kanye West show, not only is it really sharp looking, it glows in the dark!

Air Jordan IV: My personal fav Jordan sneaker. This one is a classic and came in the best colourways as well.

Adidas Shell Toe: I'm a classic guy, that loves classic lines, plus how can you turn down sneakers that RUN DMC co-signed.

Reebok Pumps: Now these aren't the original pumps that needed the side pump, but they are damn cool, especially since the pump was the same material as a tennis ball.

Check out the
Air Jordan Alpha 1 iD Basketball Shoe
I designed at NIKEiD.com

NIKE iD Air Jordan Alpha 1 with MMMMBLT on the side, SICK!


What is your favourite footwear of all-time?

NBA All-Star Fantasy Draft

Last night the NHL debuted a new twist in the all-star game format by having team captains select their teams like a fantasy draft. It was a great format and it was fun to break up the Sedin brothers, to join the Staal brothers and to see who was going to picked last (Phil Kessel of the Leafs).

Since the NHL all-star draft has already happened and the NBA all-star game is just around the corner, what would be better than drafting the NBA all-stars in a similar manner. So, I got basketball guru P-Double to draft the teams with me. We based the teams on the starters that were released by the NBA last week and the potential all-stars as we see them.

The two captains were named, Derrick Rose and Chris Paul because the point guards always run the show in a game like this. P-Double won the coin flip and selected Rose as the captain of his team. That left me with Paul and the first pick.

With the first pick, I chose the King - LeBron James. You can't pass up the best player. P-Double countered with the best young player and likely scoring champ, Kevin Durant. With the second pick in his back to back, the man who rejuvenated basketball in New York was chosen - Amar'e Stoudemire. The names are flying out fast and furious and I didn't want to be caught without a big man, so Dwight Howard was my next pick. Then, I had to go with the one player who will have the killer instinct no matter the situation, Kobe Bryant. P-Double then solidified his front line with Pau Gasol and Carmelo Anthony. For my fifth starter I chose the player who will make the all-star game fun again, human highlight reel Blake Griffin. That pick let out a huge groan from P-Double as he really wanted Griffin.

Blake Griffin in the all-star format will be magical, he'll be throwing down dunks left, right and center.

After Griffin went, the teams got rounded out with Rondo and then Westbrook going back to back. The big surprise was all-star starter Dwayne Wade slipping to round 8. For one of the best all-around players in the league to fall that far in this type of draft was a little surprising, but we have seen this year though that the hybrid type guards can be tough to play with. Teams that have an "alpha dog" point guard like Rose, Paul, and Rondo are all contenders while Tyreke Evans for example has floundered with the Sacramento Kings.

Since two Toronto guys were drafting the team it was no surprise who went last - Chris Bosh. Although Bosh probably wouldn't go last if players did the draft (or fans in other cities) but for our purpose it felt right. Bosh has played well when healthy, but for all the reasons he went to Miami - winning a championship, playing with friends and exposure are all falling short. The Heat have struggled lately and the dream of 70 wins went down the toilet quickly, playing with friends hasn't worked so well as the "big 3" have all been injured and haven't found their playing style together on the court and the exposure has dipped quickly. The "big 3" has quickly turned into "Wade and LeBron", both Wade and LeBron were also voted in as starters by the fans and Bosh is left to hope that the East coaching staff chooses him. If he stays in Toronto, and carrying the team to hopefully a .500 record, he would be a lock as an all-star. Just like China votes for Yao, Canada would have voted for Bosh.

It was a fun experiment and here are the full teams, starters in bold. Leave a comment and let us know who you think wins this fictional game;

Team P-Double                                                               Team BLT
Derrick Rose                                                                  Chris Paul
Kevin Durant                                                                  Kobe Bryant
Amare Stoudemire                                                          Blake Griffin
Pau Gasol                                                                        Dwight Howard
Carmelo Anthony                                                            LeBron James
Russel Westbrook                                                             Rajon Rondo
Dirk Nowitzki                                                                   Kevin Garnett
Kevin Love                                                                       Deron Williams
Paul Pierce                                                                        Dwayne Wade
Raymond Felton                                                                Manu Ginobli
Tim Duncan                                                                       Al Horfod
Chris Bosh                                                                         Joe Johnson

The Heat Fizzle

So the Heat dynasty has officially come to an end and it only took 15 games. After a summer of hype about the big three of LeBron, Wade and Bosh, a potential run at the season win record of 72 and how the NBA should just hand them the Larry O'Brien trophy in October has been shattered.

An opening day loss to the Celtics wasn't a huge surprise, but losses to the Jazz, Hornets, Grizzlies and now the Pacers are a bit surprising. The team has been hit with injury which could be somewhat to blame. The Heat have lost 3pt shooting specialist Mike Miller for the first half of the season and now Udonis Haslem for the whole year has surely been difficult on team chemistry. Chris Bosh has been a huge disappointment, not rebounding or scoring with any consistency. Wade and LeBron haven't been able to share the floor and when your two best players can't be on the floor at the same time, that it is a problem.

So how do the Heat become hot again. There are a couple rumours already flying around south beach. The first is fire Erik Spolstra. The Heat coach is under the watchful eye of the former jedi master coach Pat Riley and Lakers coach Phil Jackson even said today that Bosh and LeBron will talk to Riley about taking over the team. Riley would bring some cache to the bench and hopefully the most out of players that would rather "chill" than work on off days.

The other idea is that it is already time to trade Chris Bosh. Was he really worth the $110 million? Of course not, any Raptors fan could tell you that, but the thought was he could compliment Wade and James. Since Bosh isn't a typical big man who rebounds and plays in the paint, he really doesn't add anything for this Heat team who need the presence in the middle. The Heat are missing depth. At the moment they are 3 deep when they need to be 8-9 deep as a team. One way to help that would be to trade Bosh and get 3 pieces that better compliment Wade and James.

Could the Heat actually do either move suggested above. They could probably get away away with firing Spolstra and have Riley replace him. Everyone has predicted this since Riley had his hand in convincing James and Bosh to sign in Miami. As for trading Bosh, it won't happen yet. The move would stink of desperation, plus the Miami Heat team store still has tons of Bosh jerseys in stock (seriously, if you had the choice of Bosh, Wade or LeBron, whose jersey you buying?).

The Heat have a bit of an easier schedule in the next week to hopefully get some wins and momentum under their belt before the biggest game of the year, no not versus the Lakers, but a road game in Cleveland. Welcome back...

NBA Preview

With the start of the NBA season, there are many storylines, players and teams to look out for.

A quick link to the Oye Times website and you will see my thoughts on the upcoming NBA Season.

The preview has been broken up into 3 parts. Part one can be found here and part two here. Part three will go up tomorrow so check back.

Enjoy...

The Heat Is On

Well the NBA has a new team to beat, or do they? On Wednesday afternoon Dwayne Wade announced that he will be staying in South Beach and be joined by Chris Bosh. This gives the Miami Heat quite the star combo, but it is enough to be the best in the NBA?

Let’s examine the top teams and see how the Heat stack up…

LA Lakers – Still have all the pieces that won them the championship last year. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol are a better SG and SF combo. Heat won’t be able to match up against Odom and Bynum.

Boston Celtics – The old guard still has some left in the tank as we saw this spring. Although another year older doesn’t do anything for the Big 3 (and Ray Allen probably won’t be back), but Rajon Rondo has developed into an all-star and could easily put the team on his back.

Cleveland Cavaliers – IF LeBron James re-signs with the Cavs, they will no doubt win 50 games and be a threat in the East. IF LeBron James re-signs with the Cavs and can bring one other decent player along with him for the ride, they can make any game or playoff series close.

New York Knicks – They are terrible unless LeBron signs here. With the signing of Amar’e Stoudamire and an offensive minded coach, could this be enough to persuade King James to play in the mecca of basketball? Knicks fans hope so. If they manage to sign James, it won’t matter who plays the point – Chris Duhon, Sergio Rodriguez or Andy Rautins, they will be a fun team to watch and the combo of Amar’e and LeBron is at least on par if not better than Wade and Bosh. What hurts the Knicks most in this scenario is losing David Lee.

Orlando Magic – The Heat still don’t have anyone to defend Dwight Howard. In every game versus the Raptors, Howard was dominant because Toronto didn’t have a centre. Welcome to our world Heat fans. The Magic need a piece or two to contend – Hedo Turkoglu ironically, but they will be tough to beat.

Oklahoma City Thunder – The young guns out West. With Kevin Durant leading the charge and a bunch of scorers, some defensive help and the best general manager in the league, the Thunder have quickly become an elite team. They will not surprise anyone when they make the playoffs this coming season and win a couple of series.

Denver Nuggets – The Nuggets probably had the best chance of anyone to beat the Lakers in the playoffs last season until they lost their coach George Karl and then lost their way. They return the same core of players including Carmelo Anthony, who is LeBron James West.

Sacremento Kings – No joke! The Kings are going to be a team on the rise this year. With Tyreke Evans and rookie Demarcus Cousins to compliment Carl Landry, Omar Cassipi and Jason Thompson (not to mention other big men Sam Dalembert and Sean May). The West just increased to 55 wins needed to make the playoffs.

So, how do the Heat measure up to the other talent in the league? No doubt they are good, but are they championship good? Looking at their roster and the teams listed above there is a good chance they don’t make the Eastern Finals, let alone win a ring.

Is Chris Bosh the New Vince Carter

Toronto Raptors fans have that sinking feeling. The Raptors are about to lose their marquee player again. This is a road they have been down before. Whether it is Damon Stoudamire, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and now Chris Bosh (likely), all the super star players that have worn the Raptors jersey have left the city and the franchise high and dry.

After being the 7th pick in the Damon Stoudamire had a great run as a Raptor. Time finally came in 1998 when the team felt it was time to move on and dealt him to the Portland Trail Blazers. Unfortunately, all the Raptors could get back was a couple of role players and some draft picks.

Then came Tracy McGrady. A high school phenom, the Raptors took a chance on the tall lanky, athletic shooting guard with the 9th pick in the 1997 draft. McGrady was a great asset to the franchise. He sold jerseys and became the face of the team that was building and starting to contend in the NBA. A year later he was paired with Vince Carter and the duo wrecked havoc on the rims at the Air Canada Centre. Unfortunately, McGrady didn’t like the idea of sharing the floor with the new star in town (and his cousin) Carter, so when free agency finally came calling for McGrady, he decided to leave for greener pastures in Orlando.

The Raptors fans felt slighted when McGrady decided to leave the Great White North for the Sunshine State. McGrady had been nurtured in Toronto as he developed from a high school player into a legitimate NBA starter and scoring threat. By teaming McGrady and Carter together the Raptors made their first playoff appearance and fans could see the tides turning on the franchise. With two marquee players and the cache of having two of the best dunkers, the buzz around the 2000 season was huge. Unfortunately, with McGrady leaving via free agency the Raptors could only manage a first round draft pick in a sign and trade with the Magic, this made fans just a little angry with McGrady. Upon his return to the ACC, he was greeted with a chorus of boo’s every time he touched the ball and the public address system paid hefty fines to the NBA so they could play baby crying sounds. It was fun to have an enemy on an opposing team, but then it happened again.

Only four years later the Raptors fan base had another dilemma on their hand. The team had been struggling, but at least they still had the excitement of Vince Carter. He was a scorer that could carry the team on any given night…that is until the 2004 season. Carter’s play tailed off drastically in 2004 and many thought this was because of he did not agree with the direction the team was taking in rebuilding. Management and fans were under the impression that Carter had quit on the team and then General Manager Rob Babcock pulled the trigger on a trade to New Jersey for – three players and a couple of draft picks. Of those players, not one actually ended up playing meaningful minutes for the Raptors. One of them, Alonzo Mourning decided to retire instead of joining Toronto (only to come out of retirement later). Again, Raptors fans were jilted by the franchise player and received nothing of value in return. Tracy McGrady was no longer the most hated Raptor, that designation now fell to Carter, especially after an interview he did with John Thompson were he said "In years past, no. I was fortunate to have the talent. You get spoiled when you're able to do a lot of things. You see that you don't have to work at it." This was taken by Raptors fans to mean he was not trying his hardest while playing in Toronto. Although, Carter has been gone for almost six seasons and moved teams, he is still booed loudly when he makes an appearance at the Air Canada Centre.

Toronto Raptors fans have been bracing for the summer of 2010 for a couple of years now, when the most recent franchise player, Chris Bosh could explore free agency and leave the team for a new start. So with it all but settled that Bosh will be leaving the Raptors this summer it comes with a couple of questions. Can the Raptors get anything back for their former star player? In the past, as we saw, the Raptors have not been successful in gaining any compensation for their players. This time fans are hopeful that GM Bryan Colangelo can get something in return for Bosh in a sign and trade. The best case scenario that are being floated around internet rumour boards is Joakim Noah from the Bulls or Michael Beasley from the Heat. The other burning question is how Raptors fans will treat Bosh when he returns to the ACC next season. At the moment he will probably get a mix of cheers and boos. Unlike Carter, Bosh tried right up until taking the elbow in the face, so that will earn him the cheers, and unlike McGrady leaving when the team was good, Bosh is leaving when the team is constantly rebuilding and without a real chance to win. Even though these are points in his favour, Raptors fans cannot help but feel like they have witnessed the development of an NBA superstar to again have him walk away in his prime.

So will Chris Bosh take over as the most hated Raptor player of all time, I don’t think so – that mantle will always belong to Vince Carter. Congrats!

Names To Know - Patrick Patterson

Although the Raptors are talking about moving their 2010 Draft pick, the 13th overall selection. Tonight's NBA draft is supposedly a draft deep with "rotation" talent - as Chad Ford and Bill Simmons put it during their 3 hour mock draft chat yesterday, but is that what Toronto really needs? Probably not.

If they do indeed select at #13, one of the most respected NBA draft websites - Draft Express has the Raptors taking University of Kentucky junior power forward Patrick Patterson. Here is how they break him down...

Patrick Patterson’s projections vary depending on who you talk to, but a situational analysis supports him as an immediate contributor who could be worth taking in the lottery.

Patterson is capable of contributing on the next level in a number of ways, as his tools give him the ability to score in all sorts of set plays. His 0.894 PPP in jump shooting situations ranks above average, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Patterson continue to make progress in that part of the game.

Couple his ability to score from multiple areas, with his excellent intangibles, team-first mentality, and athleticism, and Patterson seems like a very safe pick for a team looking to compete next season.

So the Raptors will roll the dice tonight and try to build a team that can compete with the new look NBA after July 1.

GAME 7

After 82 regular season games and four best of seven playoff series the NBA champion will be decided in the final game of 2009-10 season.

The NBA season was very unpredictable. The Western conference had the dominant teams all season long. The Lakers, Spurs, Nuggets, and Suns all could been the top seed at some point during the regular season. The Eastern conference had the big three coming into the season - Orlando, Boston and Cleveland. They were joined by Atlanta and Boston disappeared from contention around the all-star break. Near the end of the season Boston apparently came together as a team and made their playoff run, and the Lakers proved their championship caliber by running through all Western contenders.

The six games leading up tomorrow's night death match has been just as unpredictable as the season. Game one was dominated by the Lakers, game two was the Ray Allen show, game three was the anti-Ray Allen show, game four was the Celtics bench dominating, game five was Paul Pierce show and then game six was total Lakers domination. There has been no MVP that has risen to the top or no overiding theme other than there has been no them.

So what does this game 7 mean to the NBA? It means everything...instead of a best four of seven, the NBA gets it's one shining moment like all the other sports where one game final decides the champion.

So what happens tomorrow night? The Lakers and the crowd is pumped up, but if Ray Allen or Paul Pierce can hit some early baskets to quiet the crowd they stand a chance. Without Kendrick Perkins for game 7 due to a knee injury sustained in game 6, the Lakers need to take advantage of that with Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. The MVP though, will be Kobe Bryant. He lives for these situations and you better believe he has another 30 point game in him.

Lakers NBA Champions!

NBA Finals - It's The Usual

The NBA Finals start this week and it shouldn't be a shock as to which teams are playing - Lakers vs. Celtics. This will be the 12th time the teams meet in the finals. It shouldn't be a shock either because the same teams to appear in the finals year after year. The NBA, unlike other major sports seems to thrive on dynasties.

The 1960's were dominated by the Celtics who won 10 of 11 championships, the 1980s the Magic Johnson led Lakers and the Larry Bird led Celtics again controlled the Larry O'Brien trophy. The 1990's were dominated by the Chicago Bulls led by none other than his airness Michael Jordan. If Jordan was retired, the Rockets took back to back championships and then in 2000's it was the David Robinson/Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs who won four trophies.

So why can the NBA be dominated by one team. The simple answer is that one dynamic player can control the game. Everything that these dynasties had in common was the superstar. Whether it was Magic, Bird or Jordan - the one player could score, defend and bring home the championship.

The other thing these teams had in common were a great second fiddle - Worthy, McChale or Pippen. These players were able to bail their teams out if the star wasn't playing well and was the tie that bound the team together.

Unfortunately, some of today's biggest stars haven't been able to carry their teams to titles recently. DeWayne Wade managed the feat in 2006 and Kobe Bryant has carried the Lakers for the three seasons, so can he do it again.

Here is my two cents, breaking down the 2010 finals

Guard
Celtics have the best young PG in the game in Rajon Rondo, with the best pure shooter Ray Allan. The Lakers will counter with the the clutch shooting of Derek Fisher and the best player in the NBA, Kobe Bryant.
Edge - Lakers. When you have the best player, you get the edge.

Forward
The C's have Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. While the Lakers have Paul Gasol and Ron Artest. Pierce the leader of the Celtics, will be covered by Artest. Artest has become the defensive stopper that the Lakers envisioned and he'll be put to the test in this series. Pau Gasol is able to get his points and rebounds no matter what the scenario, while Garnett has turned into a reliable role player for the Celtics.
Edge - Lakers. Gasol and Artest are too much for Pierce and Garnett to handle.

Center
The Celtics have the defensive power of Kendric Perkins playing the post. He has really come into his own during the post-season, but he will be challenged by Andrew Bynum. As long as Bynum's knee holds up this will be an interesting match up.
Edge - Celtics. With Bynum's injury bug, Perkins gets the edge.

My prediction - Lakers in 6 games, with Pau Gasol winning the MVP.

Here are the list of the most common NBA Finals match-ups (courtesy Wikipedia)
* 11 times: Boston Celtics (9) vs. Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (2)
* 6 times: Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (5) vs. Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1)
* 5 times: Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (3) vs. New York Knicks (2)
* 4 times: Boston Celtics (3) vs. St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1) (Such a meeting is now impossible due to current conference alignment.)
* 3 times: Detroit Pistons (2) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (1)
* 2 times: Seattle SuperSonics (1) vs. Washington Bullets/Wizards (1)
* 2 times: Boston Celtics (2) vs. Houston Rockets (0)
* 2 times: Chicago Bulls (2) vs. Utah Jazz (0)

Is LeBron Helping Chris Bosh Stay In Toronto?

I swear I wrote this before game 6 of the Cavs-Celtics series, just didn't have time to post it...you will actually see my wrong prediction of the Cavs winning game 6. Oops.



Although most Raptor and casual basketball fans have come to the conclusion that Chris Bosh won’t be playing in Toronto next season based on his recent tweets and his presence at the Lakers game, could Lebron James’s recent poor play actually be helping Bosh stay put?

Here is my outrageous theory…
LeBron wasn’t going to leave Cleveland if they won the championship or if he lost in the finals (he would need to redeem himself to Cavs fans). With the poo-poo platter (technical term) of a performance that he put in during game 5 and the series with Boston going to 7 games and a well-rested and playoff tested Magic team waiting if they make it to the Conference Finals, it looks like the LeBron led Cavs are going to fall short. These leaves the door open for him to take flight from Cleveland.

As everyone has concluded there are only a few potential destinations for LeBron and the other big free agents (Wade and Bosh) this summer. They could flee to Chicago, New York, New Jersey (new Russian billionaire/possible move to Brooklyn) and Miami. Contrary to some conspiracy theorists, I can’t any one of them taking less than the max to play with each other. This is there one time to cash in, and you better believe that they will.

So let’s say, LeBron does leave, my guess is he plays in Chicago. Couple of reasons;
- Nike would love this. Jordan and then LeBron. Lots of advertising would work
- LeBron is already planning on changing his number because he knew he couldn’t wear 23 in Chicago
- Gets to play with a great point guard in Derrick Rose and a bunch of talented young stars
- Chuck Swirsky would break out a new closing slogan ‘Put the deep dish in the oven this one is over”

Wade is staying in Miami. He has won his championship and will hopefully retire a Heat player.

This leaves Bosh out in the cold, literally with the choice between NJ, NYC or Toronto. The Knicks obviously appeal to him, but knowing that he would be in charge of bringing basketball back for New Yorkers without the help of LeBron, no cap flexibility, no draft picks, makes his best move (and the one that pays him the most) to re-sign with Toronto.

So, there you have it…Toronto sports fans get ready for 6 years and $127 million worth of 42-42 basketball.

More Twitter Talk: Bosh Asks The Fans

Over the weekend, the worst nightmare (or in some cases, dream) of Toronto Raptors fans came true.

Chris Bosh took to his twitter page to ask fans where he should sign in the off season. Now, to most outsiders this would look like he is definitely moving on from the only franchise he has ever known, but this question to fans also gave those in Toronto the chance to show their appreciation for Bosh and to convince him to stay north of the border.

Bosh obviously craves media attention. His most attention grabbing stunts, like the video to gain all-star votes, his war of words with Shaq and now this are what he wants and he just doesn't get enough coverage in Canada. TSN is more concerned with hockey and The Score and Cabbie are too in love with Kobe and the Lakers.

So where does Bosh end up, where the media is the biggest and brightest - NYC. A sign and trade for David Lee and some other minor parts sounds like a possible scenario. Lee will become a fan favorite on a .500 team. Another possibility would be the LA Lakers. Not shy to spend money, having Bosh would almost guaruantee a championship and the return to Toronto would probably be Andrew Bynum which might be a good fit in Toronto.

Management in Toronto have tried there best to accommodate their superstar. This season in particular with the signing of Hedo Turkoglu and bringing in 7 other new players. All those new players weren't what Bosh and the Raptors really needed every year. They have never had a take charge point guard since Damon left or a serious scoring threat at shooting guard or a true centre. With none of those factors ever being addressed, I can't blame Bosh for wanting to explore his options.

Now we wait until July 1 to see the outcome.

If I Were A Free Agent

Being a free agent in the regular world is kind of crappy. It basically means you are unemployed and looking for work. In the sports world it is usually the best thing to happen to an athlete.

A pro athlete looks forward to free agency because it is normally the time that they are at the peak of their careers and can demand the most money. Being a free agent also means there are no restrictions on how much they can make, unlike when they are a rookie or when a team exercises an option.

Free agency is all the talk right now. NFL free agency started on Friday and there have already been a few big signings. Some top players have moved teams including Julius Peppers who goes from Carolina to Chicago, Kyle Vanden Bosch goes from Tennessee to Detroit and Karlos Dansby goes from Arizona to Miami. These are just the tip of the iceberg and there are many more player moves to come.

In about four months, NBA free agency will be the talk everywhere with perhaps the biggest free agent class ever. It includes many of the marquee names in the NBA right now, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. Also, some supporting stars are going to be looking for new homes Joe Johnson and Carlos Boozer. Depending on where these players sign, it could change the fate of franchises (just look at Toronto without Bosh for the past week 0-4).

If you were a free agent what factors would you look for when trying to decide where to go. Here is my list;

1. Money - Don't kid yourself - the biggest factor is the benjamins. This will be the main reason that LeBron, Wade and Bosh stay put. They can get the most money from the teams they are currently with.

2. Location - Do I want to play in a cold city like Toronto or Detroit? Nope...I would rather spend my off days in Miami or LA thank you very much. This section also includes other amenities like shopping, restaurants and nightlife. You are young with a high income, give me something good to do on days off or in the off-season.

3. Friends - Who do I know on the team? Did I play with any guys at University or on a summer league team? Is someone on the team that I can create my own hand shake with? Who will I go out to dinner with on the road 50 times a year?

4. Winning - Does the franchise have a chance to win or a history of winning? All players want a championship ring. Also, awards like MVP and all-star nominations come easier to players on winning teams.

5. Fans - Are the fans passionate? Will they show up to the arena every night or only when the team wins?


Those would be my big five...what would you guys look for when signing a free agent deal?

Snack of the Day

With the Olympics on right now there are lots of food choices. No matter what country you cheer for, you could come up with a home town dish. With my decision making skills what they are, I decided to choose a snack of the day that is international - the SNO-KONE.



The Sno-Kone is always a good choice, you don't get the brain freeze like a Slurpee, you don't feel fat like you do after ice cream and you feel creative because you have mashed all these colours together to get the perfect flavour.


To go along with the Snack of the Day, today you get a bonus;

WHO TO CHEER FOR THIS WEEKEND
This weekend you should cheer for Josh Howard and Tracy McGrady. You should cheer for Josh Howard because he will be trying to impress his new teammates and fans in Washington after being traded from Dallas on Thursday. If he does well, watch out downtown D.C., Howard apparently likes your clubs. According to reports that our coming out of Dallas, Howard missed a game earlier this year in Washington because he was too hung over. Keep in mind the game was at 7pm and on a Tuesday. Good for him. So cheer for Howard, so that everyone can party hard!

You should also save some claps and woohoo for the newest NY Knick - Tracy McGrady. Although, not normally a fan favorite in Toronto, please cheer for McGrady who is still trying to prove that he is a quality NBA player and not just a guy who was traded to clear cap space next year.

NBA Trade Deadline

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone without a peep from the Toronto front office.

Matt Devlin, the Raptors broadcaster twittered early in the day that the Raps were looking to acquire Sasha Vujavic from the LA Lakers in exchange for Marcus Banks. This is similar to a trade that was floated earlier in the season, but had Jose Calderon going the other direction. Ultimately, GM Bryan Colangelo decided to stand pat after deadline moves the last couple of seasons didn't product the desired results.

Not making a move (ie. trading Chris Bosh) was probably the best decision Colangelo could have made this season. He made a big splash in the off-season and the players are just now starting to come together and play well. Breaking up a team that is beginning to gel, might have affected any chance they have of doing well in the post-season. Never mind the fact that Colangelo probably couldn't find any takers for some of the huge contracts the Raps are holding.

On the other end of the spectrum this trade deadline were the NY Knicks. The Knicks unloaded enough contracts and took less back to allow them enough space to sign two max players during the off-season. This is important because the 3 of the top free agents of all-time will be available this summer. Of course I am speaking of the trio of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

As per Fanhouse

The Knicks and Heat can offer two players max contracts, and the Nets, Clippers, Bulls, Kings, Wizards and Wolves can go after one player each. Of course, the Cavaliers can keep LeBron James at max salary, the Raptors can keep Chris Bosh, and so on. But if there's movement, these teams are in the best fiscal position to make a bid.

So there you have it...the teams that could land the elite of the league. Where would you go?

Knicks - mecca of basketball, but can you win with only two players?
Bulls - you will always be compared to Jordan. Get to play with a great young point guard in Derrick Rose
Kings - the Maloofs will do anything to make you happy, but ugly uniforms and no prime time love
Wizards - only if they trade Gilbert Arenas, you don't need any guns pulled on you
Wolves - too cold and no winning history, not even KG could turn the franchise around
Nets - not unless they move to Brooklyn and I get to hang with Jay-Z
Heat - good climate, good nightlife, fans are passionate when you win, definitely a front runner
Clippers - good climate, good nightlife, sponsorship dollars, plus you would have an instant rivalry with Kobe which I would enjoy

At The Half...

It is the mid-way point in the NBA season (the second half of the season starts tonight) and the Toronto Raptors are right where most pundits had put them in the season previews – competitive in the Eastern conference, but in the end will probably not be a challenge to the big three (Cleveland, Boston and Orlando).

The big three have since been joined by the Atlanta Hawks who have graduated to a top echelon team. The Hawks took the experience from last year’s playoff loss to Boston and have exploded this season with the star performances of Josh Smith, Al Horford and sixth man of the year contender Jamal Crawford. Unfortunately, Toronto hasn’t stepped up the same way Atlanta did when they lost to Orlando in the playoffs last season. Although, the Raptors have gotten great performances from Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani and there sixth man Jarret Jack, it is still much easier for fans in Toronto to focus on the negative of their teams (haven’t really had a lot to cheer about lately, see Maple Leafs, Blue Jays and Argonauts).

After playing for most of the last decade under defensive minded coaches Kevin O’Neil and Sam Mitchell, Jay Triano’s squad would rather score buckets than protect their own this season. The Raptors are starting to look like the Denver Nuggets teams circa mid-‘90’s who decided they could score more than you and defense be damned! The Raptors are surrendering a mind-boggling 104 points per game. For the Raptors to make a deep run in the playoffs this season, they are going to need to find a defensive stopper somewhere on the roster or in a trade before the deadline of Thursday.

Maybe a shut down defender, someone like Bruce Bowen or Ron Artest isn’t on the roster at the moment, but the Raptors should be able to improve in one defensive category in the second half of the season with some good old-fashioned hard work, and that would be in rebounding the basketball. The Raptors boast a big, athletic front line with Bosh, Bargnani, and HedoTurkoglu but are constantly being out-rebounded on both the offensive and defensive glass. By cutting down on those second chance points and getting a few more themselves, they should be able to cut down that points per game number and increase their own.

Rebounding is a statistic that has the ability to win games, especially on the road. By limiting opportunities and not allowing the home crowd to get involved in the game after a big follow up dunk or second chance three. Since the Raptors have not been winning the battle on the boards, they have been predictably poor on the road this season with a current record of 9-17. Although this isn’t as bad as Milwaukee or the NJ Nets, it still is not very good. They have lost some games they should have won against weaker teams or teams that were devastated by injury. Playing well on the road is a mental aspect of the game that Coach Triano must work on with the team if they want to avoid a tough first round playoff match up.

Although the Raptors could be in for a tough first round playoff matchup against Atlanta, Orlando or Boston, this could be the best situation for the prized free agent acquisition from last summer Hedo Turkoglu. Turkoglu had a fantastic playoff run last year for Orlando. He propelled his team to the finals by hitting big shots and making the most of his dominating center Dwight Howard. He then signed a big contract with the Raptors in the offseason and fans expected the same things they saw in June. Unfortunately, Turkoglu has lost some of his big shot mojo somewhere between Orlando and Toronto – maybe it got stuck at the customs, but other than hitting his two free throws at the end of the game vs. the Lakers a few Sunday’s ago, Hedo has come up short too many times this season. Turkoglu needs to become the dominating late game threat, hitting his patented step back jump shot, that he was Orlando. If he can do that, the Raptors might get enough accomplished in the second half of the season to get an easier first round playoff opponent and the chance to get on a run and challenge for the East crown.

Although, the Raptors have had some struggles with defense, rebounding and Turkoglu’s shooting, there have also been lots of positives from the first half. These are the things that the Raptors need to continue to rely on for a potentially successful playoff run and maybe a chance to keep Chris Bosh in free agency this summer.

Speaking of Chris Bosh – Toronto’s All-Star has had an outstanding first half of the season. Bosh knew coming into the season that this was a make or break campaign in terms of a new contract and he has delivered. Currently second in the league (behind Dwight Howard) in double-doubles, Bosh has controlled games with his energy, been more aggressive on the offensive end (driving to the basket) and played a bigger role on defense (bailing out Bargnani and Calderon consistently).

Even though he lacks some defensive chops, the former first overall pick Andrea Bargnani has developed his offensive game this season, so much so that his work in his own end doesn’t matter any more. Bargnani causes match-up problems because of his size and athleticism for opposing centers and power forwards.

Other standouts this season for the Raptors have been Jarret Jack. Outstanding leadership and contribution coming off the bench behind starting point guard Jose Calderon and for a number of games during Calderon’s injury, the starting point guard. Calderon plays better when his is being pushed and Jack has certainly pushed the envelope this year.

Amir Johnson has provided energy off the bench and some solid defense and unfortunately for him, he could see his minutes reduced with the return of Reggie Evans. Evans had missed the entire season and will hopefully be a Charles Oakley type when he returns shortly. The rotation that Coach Triano has been using in the last month or so has been very effective. The Raptors aren’t going nearly as deep into their bench as they have in the past and this has worked nicely. With the addition of Evans to the line-up Coach Triano will have to adjust that rotation and hopefully everyone can fall into place quickly so the good play can continue. The one guy who has accepted his role well in the rotation is first round draft pick from this year, DeMar DeRozan. Drafted ninth overall (one spot ahead of Brandon Jennings – oops), DeRozan had started the first 45 games for the Raptors until a sprained ankle injury sidelined him. Although he doesn’t play many crunch time minutes, and only averages 8 pts per game, he has been playing better lately (averaged 13.6 points on 52 percent shooting in three games this week) and had a nice performance in the All-Star dunk contest which will hopefully boost his confidence in the second half of the season.

The Raptors have played well in spots this year – an opening night win versus the Cleveland Cavaliers and then recently a home win against the LA Lakers, not to mention the six game win streak to close out 2009, and also winning 9 of 10 including games against the Spurs and Magic. For the Raptors to have a successful second half (lets say .550 ball or better) they have to continue to win multiple games in a row, beat the teams in their own conference (Pistons, Knicks, Pacers) and win some more games on the road. If they can accomplish this, it may mean a happier June for Raps fans and a tougher decision for Chris Bosh come July.

NBA Watchability Index

Everyone and their mother has power rankings and top 10 lists, so here is another...

NBA Watchability Index

Pretty entertaining list. He even had the sensibility to put the Raptors at #9. Which is true, the Raptors are fun to watch. They have a high uptempo game, score lots of points and they give up a lot of points. That second part is frustrating for fans of the Raptors, but it is something we have learned to live with.

Keep it up boys, but will it change next year without Bosh? To be determined...