Hoopistani

Taking my talents to... SportsKeeda.com

2012-02-10T14:30:00.003+05:30

For those who have long followed this blog, fans of basketball in India and fans of the NBA, you may know that a lot of my posts also appear on SportsKeeda.com: the portal for sports fans and writers in India.

Starting this week, I will be officially joining SportsKeeda as a freelance writer. Keep checking SportsKeeda.com/Basketball for my features on India Basketball and the NBA.

Thanks for following and I hope you keep reading! I also write two features a week for NBA.com/India. You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter, where I'm a lot more interesting.

FIBA Asia releases 2012 Calender

2012-02-08T16:39:00.008+05:30

From Lebanon to Malaysia, and from Mongolia to Japan, high-level basketball will travel all across the massive continent of Asia this year: FIBA Asia has released the complete Calender of dates and venues of its events in 2012, highlighted by the 4th FIBA Asia Cup in Tokyo this September.

The calendar will tip off with the 23rd FIBA Asia Champions Cup, FIBA Asia’s premier event for club teams, which will be hosted by Lebanon at Beirut from June 2–10th, 2012. The top club teams from the top basketball nations in the continent take part: last year's competition was won by Al-Riyadi Beirut in Pasig, Philippines.

In August, the best U18 players in Asia will compete in the 22nd FIBA Asia U18 Championship, which will be held in the Mongolian capital of UIaanbaatar from Aug 17-26. This is the first time that a FIBA Asia event will be held in Mongolia! Future stars of Asia will be showcased here: China won this championship with a dominating performance in Yemen two years ago, and India, who featured the likes of Arjun Singh and Rakesh Kumar Yadav, finished 13th despite a good showing. After India's good performance at last year's U16 Boys' Championship, we will be hoping that some of the confident young talent now matures to help the squad make a mark in Mongolia this year.

Known previously as the FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup, the 4th FIBA Asia Cup, which features the the 10 top senior National Teams in Asia, will be held in Tokyo, Japan, from September 14-22. The champions from the 4th FIBA Asia Cup will earn a direct qualification to the 27th FIBA Asia Championship in 2013. The previous edition of this cup was held in Lebanon and won by the hosts.

The best under-18 women players will compete at Batu Pahat in Malaysia, at the 21st FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women, which is the last FIBA Asia event of the year, from September 29th - 6th October. This is the qualifying event for the 2013 FIBA World U19 Championship for Women. The 20th edition of this tournament was held in Thailand in 2010 and won by China. India will be competing in this championship, showcasing the up-and-comers in the women's section from around the country.

Here is the complete 2012 FIBA Asia Calender:

23rd FIBA Asia Champions Cup - June 2-10 - Beirut, Lebanon

22nd FIBA Asia U18 Championship - August 17-26 - Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

4th FIBA Asia Cup - September 14-22 - Tokyo, Japan

21st FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women - September 29-October 6 - Batu Pahat, Malaysia.

Lost Ones

2012-02-05T12:27:00.004+05:30

This post right here goes out to all of those great NBA players stuck in below-average teams, surrounded by bad talent or sometimes bad management, losing games night-in-and-night-out, but keeping their heads up high as true professionals should. They are some of the best players in the league today, but haven't received the hype or the respect because of their poor squads. Some of them need to be released from their misery and traded away, some just need a little more help on their side to show the world what they're capable of.

These are the NBA's Lost Ones, players who all play in Sub .500 teams in the NBA (sorry Love and Rubio, T-Wolves touched 12-12 last night!):

Steve Nash: The former two-time MVP is the poster boy of this list, qualifying for all of the above categories as a 'Lost One'. Nash is still a top player in the league. He's averaging 14.7 ppg over an incredible 54.7% shooting in addition with league-leading 9.9 assists a game. Yes, two days away from his 38th birthday, Nash is STILL leading the NBA in assists. His team, however, is only 9-14 so far, and after spending the golden years of his career in Phoenix with Amar'e Stoudemire, Shaun Marion, and Joe Johnson, his best teammates are now Marcin Gortat and Jared Dudley. But Nash remains a pro, and just a few days ago, broke the Suns' franchise assist record. I've always been a fan of the Suns, but this legend needs to be traded to a contender so that Phoenix can rebuild and Nash, still chasing that elusive championship, can get one last shot at the promised land.

Deron Williams: A few years ago, the 'best point guard in the NBA' argument featured Williams and Paul. Whatever the hell happened? New Jersey happened. Ever since being traded from Utah to one of the worst teams in the NBA, Williams has been in the league's lostlands. At this point last year in Utah, Williams was having the best season of his career, averaging 21.3 ppg with 9.7 apg before being traded to the Nets. He saw out a injury-plagued second-half of the season with the poor team before having a great summer vacation playing for Besiktas in Turkey, getting his jersey retired in the process. His name may not be mentioned regularly amongst the best PGs in recent months, but Williams is still getting consistent averages of 20.2 ppg and 8.7 apg. Unfortunately, the Nets are awful, holding on to a 8-17 record and have been playing mostly without their only other legit starter, Brook Lopez. Williams is in the last year of his contract: will the Nets trade him away or bring in someone else - like Dwight Howard - to keep him when they make their move to Brooklyn? Or will Williams see out this year and return rejuvenated after signing with a different team next season? Still only 27, he has many good years left under his belt: expect Deron not to be a 'Lost One' for too much longer.

Monta Ellis & Stephen Curry: The Golden State Warriors backcourt deserve a mention together. Ellis (21.5 ppg) and Curry (16.8 ppg) are on paper one of the most explosive backcourts in the NBA. So why the stacked losses? Golden State are 8-13, but their is cause for optimism in the Bay Area. This is an improving team under coach Mark Jackson, and although Ellis (25) and Curry (23) still haven't been able to carry their squad into the playoffs, they are both young and have a promising future ahead. Now only if they can stop getting injured every couple of weeks...

Kyrie Irving: Why am I putting a rookie just 21 games into his NBA career on this list? Because this rookie really deserves more shine and more victories than his current 9-13 Cavaliers. Irving is living up to the hype of being the #1 draft pick, rewarding the post-LeBronacalypse-era Cleveland with 18 and 5 early in his career. More importantly, the Cavs are winning... well relatively. This is a team that only won 23% of their games last year. Now, because of a depleted Eastern Conference, Cavs are only one and half games away from grabbing a playoff spot! And even if they don't, and this continues to be another losing season in Cleveland, few people in the city will notice because they know they have a team leader to build their future around. Hopefully he can be surrounded by some good talent over the next few years to show his complete potential.

John Wall & Tyreke Evans: I have a reason for putting these two former Kentucky guards together. Both are monsters of the stat-sheet and exciting talents to watch, both are only a few years into their career, and both of them have the same question marks hovering over them: leadership and maturity. Wall's Wizards (4-20) and Evans' Kings (8-15) are two of the biggest stinkers in the NBA. The talent in these two guards is undeniable, but neither has yet figured out how to convert that talent into team wins. Surrounded by young talent, both have a long way to go before graduating away from the 'lost ones' list (Wall's way up is much longer than Evans'), but these two are too gifted to be ignored or denied. One day, one or both are going to figure it out and become superstars in the league.

Carmelo Anthony: Wait, WHAT? you may ask me... Isn't this guy a starter in the All Star Game this year? Doesn't he play under the flashing lights of New York City, along with fellow stars Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler. Doesn't he average almost 24 points a game? Hell, isn't he one of the best offensive players in the NBA? Yes, yes, yes, yes, to all your questions. Yet, Melo embarrassingly finds himself on this list. His much-publicised trade to New York hasn't been working out too well so far for Anthony or his teammates. The Knicks are losing a lot, and despite the talent on their roster, find themselves at a lowly 9-15 and below Cleveland in the East. Without a talented point guard to run the squad and a consistent focus on team defense, the Knicks are imbalanced and Anthony's individual brilliance isn't enough to fix that. Still, a talent like him - and the talent that surrounds him - can't be kept quite for too long, can it?

Vidya Niketan (Boys) & Bishop Cotton Girls' School win 2nd Bangalore School Basketball League

2012-02-03T09:42:00.006+05:30

After weeks of intense competition between some of the best High-School teams in Bangalore city, the squads from Vidya Niketan and Bishop Cotton Girls' School won the 2nd Bangalore School Basketball League on Tuesday, January 31 2012. The finals of the league, organised by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) and IMG-Reliance, were held at the Vidya Niketan School in Hebbal, Bangalore. The league was held in association with the Karnataka State Basketball Association (KSBBA).

After only being up by two at halftime, hosts Vidya Niketan began to stretch their lead in the second period in the Boys' final against the squad from Delhi Public School (Bangalore South). A strong effort by Venkatesh of Vidya Niketan helped lift his side to a 59-45 victory. Kedar had 19 points for the losing side.

In the Girls' final, Bishop Cotton got out firing on all quarters from the beginning against Kumaran's Children's Home, holding a 15 point lead at halftime and finally cruising to a 46-30 victory. Bishop Cotton were powered by Lopamudra, one of the best young talents in India, who scored 16 points in the final.

Lopamudra (Girls) and Ventakesh (Boys) were named the best players of the tournament, while further awards were given to Kruthikaran of Bishop Cotton and Kedar for DPS (Bangalore South) as 'Most Promising Players' of the tournament.

For the teams who qualified for the finals of this league, the cash prize was of Rs. 75,000 and Rs. 50,000 for winners and runners-up in each category. Chief Guest K. Govindraj, the President of the Karnataka Olympic Association and Senior Vice President of the BFI distributed the cash awards and prizes.

Final Scores

Girls: Bishop Cotton Girls School (Lopamudra 16) bt. Kumaran's Children's Home (Akshaya 10, Sahana 10) 46-30
Boys: Vidya Niketan School (Venkatesh 25, Samarth 11) bt. Delhi Public School (Bangalore South) (Kedar 19) 59-45

Best Player (Boys): Venkatesh (Vidya Niketan School)
Best Player (Girls): Lopamudra (Bishop Cotton Girls School)
Most Promising Player (Boys): Kedar (DPS - Bangalore South)
Most Promising Player (Girls): Kruthikaran (Bishop Cotton Girls School)

Indian-origin girls Sophia Bhasin & Shilpa Tummala become High-School Basketball stars in US

2012-02-02T09:59:00.005+05:30

They live in different states and are two amongst thousands and thousands of high-school basketball stars in the USA, but Sophia Bhasin of Cajon High School (San Bernardino, California) and Shilpa Tummala of St. Mary's High School (Phoenix, Arizona) have a genealogical keeping them parallel: they are both of Indian-origin. The two young players have been making waves in the High-School girls basketball circuit in America and have both earned impressive Division I basketball scholarships for college.

Bhasin was born in Punjab, India, and moved to the US when she was 8 years old. She didn't start playing basketball until the 7th grade, but has since developed into a star at Cajun in California. The 5-foot-7 guard has been an important contributor to a side with a 32-3 record that finished fourth in the state of California. She has been a scoring and triple-double threat for her side, averaging 25.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 4.7 steals per game for her team.

Then there's 5-11 Tummala, who was born in Phoenix but her parents moved to America from Andhra Pradesh in India. Tummala is a great inside-outside threat who has worked hard for St. Mary's in Arizona to now find herself ranked at #68 by ESPN HoopGurlz in girls basketball across the US.

Both these young girls have broken traditional barriers set by the Indian cultural upbringing as well as expectations of basketball in the US, where Indian-origin players rarely make a mark. As a reward, both have committed to scholarships to Division-I basketball programmes at major colleges in the US: Sophia Bhasin will be attending Long Island University in New York while Shilpa Tummala has committed to attend the prestigious Harvard University in Massachusetts.

Glenn Nelson of ESPN wrote a special feature on the two Indian-origin girls. Here are some excerpts:

"Honestly, it wasn't very common for an Indian girl to be so actively involved in sports," Tummala said via email. "The fact that I played basketball competitively and devoted so much of my time to basketball shocked many people in my community."

"I do have family back in India," Tummala said. "And yes, most of them know that I am going to play basketball in college. They seem to enjoy the fact that I am going to Harvard next year to play basketball. But, I believe, the 'Harvard' part is what really excites them as they don't know much about my basketball career in America."
Both Tummala and Bhasin have fathers who became active supporters of their basketball pursuits. Bhasin's twin brother, Ranjit, was who dragged her into the sport. She became a quick study, mastering for example the advanced skill of creating jump shots off the dribble, an attribute that is the foundation of her 25.2-point scoring average this season.

Bhasin is a dual citizen of both India and the USA. In a story published for San Bernandino's 'The Sun', Bhasin said that she would be open to representing either country. Let's just hope she chooses us!

Here are excerpts from 'The Sun' article on Sophia Bhasin, written by Pete Marshall:

"It wasn't that hard (moving to the U.S.) because I had been here before and everyone has to learn English in India," Bhasin said.

Bhasin, who now has dual citizenship in India and the U.S., knows she is part of two worlds that don't often cross paths. Not only is she from India but she is a Sikh and attends temple on Sundays in Riverside.
"I don't really consider myself a pioneer," she said. "But I'll always be part of the India community. All of my dad's friends come out and my friends from temple come out and watch me play."
Her father, V.P., who owns businesses in San Bernardino and Upland, was a cricket player as a youth before his career was cut short by a knee injury. He not only is at games but frequently shows up to watch Cajon practice.
"I really wanted to encourage her to play basketball, which she really liked," V.P. said in a phone interview.

"The women's basketball team from India is not very good," V.P. said. "They didn't even qualify for the Olympics (this year). I'd love to see Sophie play for India."
"I'd love to be able to play for India or America," she said. "I'd be proud of myself as a dual citizen."

Wishing both these girls the best of luck in hoops... Even if they don't contribute to basketball in India, I'll be proud to see them succeed as Indians abroad!

26th Federation Cup to be held in Kochi from March 14-18

2012-02-01T08:17:00.003+05:30

The best club sides/units from India's top states will face each other in the 26th Federation Cup National Basketball Championship for Men & Women, which is set to be held at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi (Kerala) from March 14-18th, 2012. The tournament will be organised by the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) in association with the Kerala Basketball Association.

There are special eligibility rules for the Federation Cup, which are based on the top eight Men's and Women's teams from the previous year's National Basketball Championship, completed in New Delhi in January 2011. For the Men's championship, the champion club/unit in each state's inter-state basketball championship will be invited to play in the Federation Cup. For the Women's championship, the state teams themselves take part. Indian Railways are represented by the Railways champion unit in both the Men's and Women's championships.

Men's Section The Champion District/Unit/Club of the State Championship/Inter District/Inter Unit of the following States/Units are eligible to participate taken on the basis of the placings at the 61st National Basketball Championship held at Delhi in 2011:

1. Indian Railways
2. Services
3. Punjab
4. Kerala
5. Tamil Nadu
6. Uttarakhand
7. Chhattisgarh
8. Andhra Pradesh

Women's Section The Women's teams of the following States are eligible to participate on the basis of the results of 61st National Basketball Championship held at Delhi in 2011 but in the case of Indian Railways the Champion unit of Inter-Railway will represent:

1. Champion Unit of Inter-Railway
2. Delhi
3. Tamil Nadu
4. Chhattisgarh
5. Maharashtra
6. Kerala
7. Andhra Pradesh
8. Punjab

The 2011 Federation Cup was held in Raipur, Chhattisgarh last year. Western Railway won the Men's tournament while hosts Chhattisgarh got their hands on the Women's trophy.

Central Excise (Men), KSEB (Women) win 12th Kerala Champions Trophy

2012-01-30T08:00:00.004+05:30

Customs & Central Excise (Men) and Kerala State Electricity Boards (KSEB) (Women) were victorious in the finals of the 12th Champions Trophy Inter-Club Basketball Championship organised by the YMCA in Kuriannoor, Kerala on January 28th. The championship, which was held from Jan 24th-28th, was held under the auspices of the Kerala Basketball Association (KBA) and the PDBA.

The Women's final was a close affair, as KSEB, winners of the trophy last year, were looking for a repeat victory against the team from Assumption College in Changanassery. Playing strong defense on the defending champs, Assumption held to a 33-25 lead after three quarters. But KSEB made a bullish comeback behind the experienced Anjana SS (15 points) to take the lead an survive for a 43-40 victory.

Customs & Central Excise played against the newly-recruited Kerala Police side in the Men's final, and the result was never in doubt for the more experienced and bigger Central Excise team. Led by Monish Wilson (34) and Shinumon Augustine (25), Central Excise led the whole way and cruised to a 95-59 drubbing. Anu Mohandas scored a team-high 18 points for Kerala Police.

Now, Customs and Central Excise, a Kochi-based side, will represent Kerala at the All-India Federation Cup Championship, which is set to be held at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Kochi itself.

NBA in talks with IMG about starting a professional basketball league in India

2012-01-23T06:47:00.002+05:30

We might be another major step closer towards seeing a dream come true: India's first fully professional national basketball league.

Two years ago, IMG Worldwide, the international sports management company, in their partnership with Reliance industries, India's richest conglomerate, signed a 30-year-deal with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) to support the progress of hoops in India. IMG-Reliance oversaw the improvement of basketball tournaments in the country and brought world-class basketball coaches to lead India's national teams. During this time, the world's biggest basketball league, USA's National Basketball Association (NBA) continued to heavily promote their brand and the game of basketball in India through inner-city leagues and special appearances by NBA stars in the country.

Now, it seems that the two interested parties - IMG and NBA - may be joining hands to take the game to the next level, and realise the dream of the professional league.

According to Bloomberg, the NBA's commissioner David Stern held talks with executives at IMG Worldwide Inc. about establishing a professional league in India.

From the Bloomberg article:

Talks among Stern, Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver and IMG Chairman Mike Dolan, who replaced the late Ted Forstmann in November, will continue, said one of the people, who was granted anonymity because he isn’t authorized to discuss the talks publicly.

YAY! One tick closer to the Indian Basketball League? With the NBA and IMG joining hands to help the BFI, the next generation of basketball players in India are in for a very bright future.

All India Invitational Basketball Tournament tips off in Chennai

2012-01-19T12:46:00.002+05:30

Eight Men's teams and Five Women's teams have been invited for an 1st Chennai Invitational Basketball Tournament, tipping off at the Somasundaram Grounds at T. Nagar in Chennai today. The tournament will be held from January 19th-24th.

Invited teams include ONGC from Dehradun, who have been on the form of their lives in recent months. They have won last 5 All-India basketball club tournaments, in Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Kerala, & most recently, at the Savio Cup in Mumbai on Sunday. Women's champs from the Savio Cup - Southern Railway - will also be at the tournament. Southern Railway, who are from Chennai, will be playing with a home court advantage. American side 'Shooting For Success', who have been taking part in the Savio Cup competitions for the last few years, have also been invited to Chennai.

Tamil Nadu's state Men's & Women's sides will also be taking part in the tournament.

Here are the teams taking part in the competition:

Men

Group A: IOB (Chennai), Shooting For Success, Indian Railways, Central Excise (Kochi).
Group B: ONGC (Dehradun), Services, Vijaya Bank (Bangalore), Tamil Nadu.

Women: Southern Railway (Chennai), South East Central Railway (Chhattisgarh), South Central Railway (Secunderabad), South West Railway (Hubli), Tamil Nadu.

The Heart, The Mind, and the All Star Vote

2012-01-17T12:19:00.004+05:30

Democracy, as Winston Churchill once very famously said, is the "worst form of government, except all those other forms". On the bright side, it gives every person the choice to elect their representatives. On the other hand, it gives every person the choice to elect their representatives. When you get your way, democracy is great. When Mayawati gets elected (and re-elected) as your state's Chief Minister, you start to seriously doubt the system.

I live in India, the world's largest democracy, and I write about the NBA, which is based in America (sorry Toronto), a large, efficient, and proud democratic nation. That is why I guess it wasn't difficult for me to understand and support the idea of fans voting for the starters for the yearly mid-season exhibition - the All Star Game - ever since the NBA introduced fan ballots. The All Star Game, after all, is just an exhibition, a time to have fun and a showcase event for the NBA's most popular and best players and for the fans to see all of them, from so many of the league's 30 different teams, on the court competing at the same time.

The NBA offers the fans to vote for the five all star game starters in each team, but then has the league's coaches fill in the remaining seven spots in each roster to bring balance to the team and also reward less popular but deserving players for their efforts.

But, by rewarding fans with the power to vote for the 41.67 percent of each team every year, the NBA is potentially diluting talent in favour of popularity. Which is fine, since the game is an exhibition for the fans. But this is why I also believe that being an All Star shouldn't count as much to a player's legacy as, say, being named to one of the All-NBA Teams or All-NBA Defensive Teams. Yes, deserving players do become all stars in the process, but a player's legacy should be judged by their talent (rewarded by official All-NBA selection) than by the popularity amongst the masses, many of whom (like me) vote by the heart first and the mind second.

And I have always, unashamedly been an All Star voter with the heart first and the mind second. If the NBA is letting me choose my favourite five players for each conference, then I'll choose the players I'm most biased towards and not the ones that deserve it the most. This is because a) It's just more fun to see players I like, than the deserving ones I don't, and b) The deserving ones will get voted in anyways: the coaches' ballot for the reserves assures a good safety net.

WARNING: You are advised to NEVER follow the above justification when you're actually voting in real life, because you know, an exhibition basketball game is obviously a little different from politics. There is not much of a safety net there, my friends. Real life: Mind first, heart second. All Star game: Heart first, mind second.

I'm rarely one to criticise the democratic process of all star voting though: when an injured Yao Ming used to get voted in year in/year out, it's fine, because after all,
the NBA is a global nation of basketball lovers who have the right to vote (daily) for whom they want to see at the All Star Game. If millions of Chinese fans want to see Yao, then what's wrong with that? (Funny that I'm mentioning China and democratic process in the same sentence. But that's another story...)

When it comes to all star votes, the vox populi is always right. Damn those intellectual basketball elites!

The NBA opened its All Star Ballot just 11 days into the shortened 2011/12 season, and the voting will be complete by January 31st. The 2012 All Star Game is set to be held in Orlando on February 26th.

Now, if I was to put on my 'intellectual basketball elitist' cap on, these are the players whom I would probably vote in as starters at the All Star Game this season, Keep in mind the NBA's 2 guards, 2 forwards, 1 Center system which sometimes creates unbalance and force me to vote for crappy Centers:

East: Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard.

West: Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andrew Bynum.

Now, going by the first ballot returns from the fan-voting, these are the players most likely to start the game on February 26th:

East: Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard.

West: Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Andrew Bynum.

Wait, what? So are you saying that the fans actually know what they're talking about? Yes sir. Fan voting, however critisised, is usually pretty close to reality, because the best players will also usually be the most popular.Of course, there are a few interesting anomalies: Ricky Rubio ending third amongst West guards, ahead of the likes of Westbrook, Nash, and Monta Ellis. Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol have more votes than better performers like Aldridge and Kevin Love. Luol Deng, who will definitely be picked as a reserve this year, only getting the seventh-most votes amongst forwards in the East. But, surprisingly, in the majority cases, the system works. Unlike me, most fans vote by both the heart and the mind.

Not me, though. Here are the players I've been voting for to entertain me at the all star game. Go ahead and mock my choices - but hey, it's a democracy, remember?

East

Derrick Rose
Dwyane Wade
Carmelo Anthony
Kevin Garnett
Tyson Chandler

West

Ricky Rubio
Tyreke Evans
Metta World Peace
Pau Gasol
DeMarcus Cousins

Yes. Please calm down Kobe/LeBron/Howard/Durant fans: I'm just personally more entertained by different players. Yes, I understand that not one of my Western Conference nominees is going to start - hell I'd be surprised if any of them even makes the reserves this year. That is fine, most of my favourite players are in the East, anyways. And yes, this is the first time I'm voting for Metta World Peace. My starting forward spot had been going to someone called 'Ron Artest' for the majority of the last decade.

So those are my choices. Now tell me: how do you vote - by the mind, the heart, or a mixture of both? Are you a fan of the NBA's fan-democratic system, or do you wish it never existed?

Because in a few years, the system is going to get a little more interesting, especially for Indian fans. Watch out when the first Indian player makes it to the NBA. He doesn't even need to log more than five minutes a game in the league. We have a billion people here who'll ensure he starts!

ONGC Men & Southern Railway Women cruise to easy final wins at the 7th Savio Cup

2012-01-16T12:28:00.007+05:30

It is famous for being one of the most competitive and exciting basketball tournaments in the country, and judging by the quality of the Men's games thus far, it seemed that the final encounter at the 7th Savio Cup All India Basketball Tournament at Don Bosco, Matunga, Mumbai, was going to be an epic encounter between two sides in peak form. But the night belonged to the stacked ONGC outfit, who showed no mercy versus National Champions Punjab and clinically finished off their opponents for a 61-42 victory on Sunday.

In the Women's final, last year's winners Southern Railway showed no mercy on Chhattisgarh's South East Central Railway (SECR) - presumably their toughest competition in the tournament - as they headed for a comfortable 86-49 win.

The triumph for ONGC and Southern Railway came only about a week after both had won the Men's and Women's competition at Athirampuzha JCI Tournament in Kerala.

The 7th edition of the Savio Cup was held from January 8-15, 2012. The Men's final featured ONGC and Punjab, two teams with the most number of recognisable faces of Indian Men's Basketball today. With the addition of Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Yadwinder Singh from Railways - two players who were barred from taking part in the Senior Nationals last month - ONGC strengthened their squad that already featured Trideep Rai, Riyazuddin, Anoop, and other stars. Vishesh and Yadwinder had been an integral part of the Railways side which had lifted the Savio Cup a year ago: the two stars celebrated Savio Cup victory once again but in different colours.

ONGC carried out their game-plan and played efficient offense in the Final against a strong Punjab side, which featured India's current internationals like TJ Sahi, Jagdeep Singh Bains, Amjyot Singh, and Amrit Pal Singh. Punjab had a bad shooting night, and ONGC took advantage to dominate the game and win 61-42.

In the Women's final, it was a similar story as Southern Railway - led by Geethu Anna Jose and Anitha Paul Durai - lifted yet another trophy. This was the third trophy for the duo and other Railway players who had won the National Championship in Tamil Nadu, the Athirampuzha championship in Kerala, and now, the Savio Cup in Maharashtra.

The Men's division featured several tough teams this year, including the competitive IOB side, who lost to Punjab in the 'Semi Final League' stage. American side 'Shooting For Success' once again brought star-studded players and highlight plays to the Matunga courts, but were a disappointment this year as they failed to repeat their Finals performance from 2011 and lost several of their games.

A Slam Dunk competition was also held at the tournament, where American player Terry Fields of 'Shooting For Success' defeated Punjab's TJ Sahi for the title.

The North-East finally has an official basketball academy

2012-01-15T10:54:00.007+05:30

Basketball development in the North-Eastern states of India usually lags far behind the northern or southern states, and this lag shows up with poor and unprepared performances in national basketball championships in India. This is why it brought great relief of basketball fans from the North-East when the much-awaited North East Basketball Academy was finally inaugurated in Guwahati, Assam, on January 13th.

Veteran sportsmen Pulin Das formally inaugurated the academy at the Assam Olympic Association.

Here's more from the Assam Tribune:

Mukut Medhi, secretary general of the academy, informed in the opening ceremony that initially they will select 10 boys and 10 girls for the residential camp while another 10 boys and 10 girls will have day boarding facilities. The players will be of in the age group of 14 to 18 years.

The academy has already selected two girls from Meghalaya, two boys and two girls from Tripura, one boy and a girl from Manipur, two boys from Mizoram and five boys and as many girls from the home State Assam. The organisers also have appointed Yolinda Hynniewta as coach for the girls while Mukut Medhi himself will be in charge of boys.

According to the source above, the Academy will be receive the majority of its funding from the Basketball Federation of India (BFI). The academy will use their own Hengerabari basketball courts for training, as well as incorporate the Maligaon basketball courts and the Sarusajai indoor stadium on rent basis.

National U18 (Junior) Basketball Coaching Camp in Delhi

2012-01-14T12:36:00.002+05:30

India's Basketball Head Coaches Kenny Natt & Pete Gaudet are currently coaching and overseeing a National Junior Coaching Camp for under-18 Boys & Girls at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi. The camp tipped off on December 27th, 2011 and is set to continue until the 10th of Feb, 2012.

According to the Basketball Federation of India (BFI), 25 boys and 25 girls, representing the best U18 basketball talent from all around India, are currently in training at the facility in Delhi.

Here is the complete list of players participating in the camp:

MEN

Ajay Pratap Singh (Chhattisgarh)

Bobby Singh (Chhattisgarh)

Shyam Sunder (Chhattisgarh)

Khan Fardeen Faizal (Maharashtra)

Melvin Rego (Maharashtra)

Amit Kanarjee (Madhya Pradesh)

Jitender Patidar (Madhya Pradesh)

Syed Anam Ali (Madhya Pradesh)

Keshav Kumar Sharma (Rajasthan)

Abhishek Rai (Uttar Pradesh)

Abhishek Kumar Singh (Uttar Pradesh)

Himanshu Singh (Uttar Pradesh)

Karthickeyen Saminathan (Tamil Nadu)

U Kumaran (Tamil Nadu)

Rakesh Sangwan (Haryana)

Gurwinder S. Kung (Jharkhand)

Karan Joshua (Karnataka)

Akimjeet Singh Sahal (Delhi)

Pankaj Rathee (Delhi)

Narender (Delhi)

Nikhil Kumar (Delhi)

Khushmeet Singh (Punjab)

Loveneet Singh (Punjab)

Palpreet Singh (Punjab)

Akashdeep Singh (Punjab)

Head Coach: Kenny Natt

Coach: JN Nehra

Coach: Rajeshwar Rao

Strength & Conditioning Coach: Zak Penwell

Physiotherapist: Naved

WOMEN

Jenna PS (Kerala)

Poojamol KS (Kerala)

Elizabeth Hilarious (Kerala)

Libina MJ (Kerala)

Geetha R (Kerala)

Anjana PG (Kerala)

Sneha Rajguru (Maharashtra)

Shireen Limaye (Maharashtra)

Jowarikailas Pingle (Maharashtra)

Krittika Divadkar (Maharashtra)

Sangheeta Mandal (Chhattisgarh)

Pushpa Nishad (Chhattisgarh)

Saranjeet Kaur (Chhattisgarh)

Pushpa Nishad (Chhattisgarh)

Saranjeet Kaur (Chhattisgarh)

Poonam Chaturvedi (Chhattisgarh)

Anjana Daisy Ekka (Chhattisgarh)

Sangeetha Kaur (Chhattisgarh)

Navaneetha PV (Karnataka)

Madhuri K (Karnataka)

R. Raja Priyadharsharni (Tamil Nadu)

L. Suganya (Tamil Nadu)

R. Ramya (Tamil Nadu)

M. Kalaynasi (Tamil Nadu)

Madhu Kumari (West Bengal)

Monika Gurjar (Madhya Pradesh)

Preeti Kumari (Uttar Pradesh)

Head Coach: Pete Gaudet
Coach: Rajesh Patel
Physiotherapist: Abhay Gupta

New Basketball Club in India hopes to bring Indians home & abroad together in hoops

2012-01-11T18:00:00.009+05:30

In the brave new flat world, everything and everyone is on the same level, no distance is too far, and no vision too outlandish. And it is one such vision – of a basketball player turned trainer turned coach (though not all necessarily in that same order!) – that could propel the birth of a unique new step for Indian basketball players, at home and abroad.

Born and bred in Kansas City, USA, but with the blood of Kashmiri parents running through his veins, Shahid Bhat, an athletic trainer back in the States, seems to have found his real calling thousands of kilometers away in his paternal homeland. Over the past few years, Bhat has been involved with coaching and promoting basketball in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. He is the founder and organiser of the Srinagar-based Srinagar Kashmir Basketball Academy (SKBA), a small league for basketball enthusiasts from across the state.

But Bhat’s next step could be his biggest: moving southwards to the capital of India – New Delhi – where Bhat plans to fulfill his dream and the dream of many Indian-origin basketball players from North America and around the world. Bhat has planted the seeds to create a new basketball club – tentatively called Formula 23 Basketball Club India (F23BCI) – where he will bring together and train amateur Indian and Indian-origin basketball players in New Delhi, before setting out his newly formed squad to take part in some of India’s top basketball competitions.

If Bhat’s vision is realised, F23BCI would play their first games together by Spring 2012.

“With the idea of this club, I want to reach out to more people in India who are interested in basketball,” Bhat said, “There are several talented players I know of in the US & Canada who haven’t been able to continue their basketball careers as they got older beyond casual pick-up games. Then, there are of course players in India who may not be signed to government service team but are still talented and interested in playing the game. I want to bring all these talented players of Indian backgrounds together and create a team that takes part in the top Indian basketball tournaments.”

Bhat’s novel venture will not only produce an entertaining squad, but also help fulfill the dreams of several talented basketball players who may not have had another outlet for their talents. The US, Canada, Australia, and a few other countries are loaded with Indian-origin basketball players, who, after a certain point in their career, may not be able to participate in a competitive environment again: this club will help create an environment and an interesting opportunity for them to bring the game to India. It will also help vanquish the mistaken belief amongst many Indians that our own kind is just not physically built for basketball: if the right kind of training and diet is provided to the players in India, they too could become elite athletes.

Another group that would benefit from this team would be Indian players who are currently not part of the government service teams system. Currently, the best basketball players in India are all government employees for various states and services and are semi-professionals who play in the various tournaments through the course of the year, while the younger ones play in the tournaments structured for their schools or colleges. But India has flocks of other players outside of the school/college structure and in non-government professions interested in remaining connected with the game: a short training camp and a true basketball-team environment could be a boon to their hoop dreams.

Bhat will be basing the club in Delhi, where he hosted tryouts for Indian players in early January at the Hansraj College Basketball Court. As the owner, general manager, and coach, Bhat announced the roster of the squad a few days ago, a team that featured former CCAA player of the year Inderbir Gill, Punjab's electrifying point guard and National Championship winner TJ Sahi, basketball analytics entrepreneur Vasu Kulkarni, and other players from around India or of Indian-origin.

Bhat is now looking to pick a convenient two to three week training period sometime early next year where he will schedule the team’s training. And then come the games and the tournaments!

All players on the F23BCI roster will be paid: players who live outside of Delhi (whether they’re from other parts of India or from across the globe) will be compensated for their travel and lodging expenditure once they become a part of the squad. Bhat hopes to have them sorted out in the near-future. “So far, I have been mostly funding for my projects myself,” he says, “But I have reached out to other people internationally who are interested in realising this dream for basketball in India.” Some of his efforts have already found financial results, encouraging Bhat to move on with his venture.

F23BCI isn’t exactly Bhat’s first project in India: the hoops enthusiast already has a few years of experience working with the game in India under his belt. Bhat had been regularly visiting Kashmir to visit his family members, and it was during one of these visits where he got a chance to help out in a volunteer basketball camp in Srinagar in 2009

“I had no exposure to basketball in India before,” he says, “I was so wrapped up with my own basketball career. It took a simple google search of ‘basketball’ & ‘Kashmir’, and that’s how the journey began.”

Bhat had briefly played at the Avila University in Kansas City back in the USA, and worked for several years as a high school basketball coach in his home town. Working as an athletic trainer in the city where he was born and raised, it was in his ancestral homeland of Kashmir where his second ‘career’ began.

After his experience volunteering with the camp in Srinagar, Bhat held a practice basketball session for children at a branch of the Delhi Public School (DPS) in the city. “That was an overwhelming experience,” he said, “I had no idea what to expect, and it became a learning experience for me.”

The students at the school hadn’t had enough – they kept on contacting Bhat long after his departure from Kashmir, and so he returned to DPS-Srinagar again a year later. The timing of this trip coincided with a local tournament in the city featuring several different schools. Without pay, Bhat began to volunteer in organising and running this tournament, and refereed several games in the process.

Realising the potential interest of schoolchildren in Kashmir and now having experienced working with Indian authorities, Bhat’s next plan was to open his own basketball academy in Srinagar. “I contacted DPS who allowed be to host the academy, and soon, this led to a full-blown local basketball league in Srinagar,” Bhat added.

From April – June 2011, the 1st Srinagar Kashmir Basketball Academy (SKBA) was held at DPS (Srinagar), helmed by Bhat. “We got a good response: a lot of young players were curious about the league. Other schools also began to send teams to play. About a 100 players signed up for the league. I was in charge of everything: refereeing, coaching, advertising the league, even cleaning the courts!”

“But the academy wasn’t funded well, so I remain unsure about its future,” he added, “In addition, I wanted to shift the academy out of DPS court. I have a dream of building an indoor court in Srinagar one day to host a top academy in India – one that is committed to teaching basketball the right way!”

Until that day comes, Bhat will fulfill his other dream of the F23BCI, another venture that will help him teach basketball the right way. The new club will not just play games but focus on training hard and practicing together. The players – from numerous different backgrounds but united under a loose ‘Indian ballers’ umbrella – will then head out as a team to play high level basketball, and be paid for it.

And like he has done in Kashmir for a few years now, Bhat will continue to back them up, giving in hard hours of work with little in return. “We know that there is little money in basketball right now, but we don’t do it for the money,” he says, “We do it because we love the game.”

India's Senior Coach Kenny Natt speaks at the Sathyabama University in Chennai

2012-01-11T11:07:00.008+05:30

The Head Coach of India's Senior Men's Basketball team Kenny Natt was invited as a special guest to the Sathyabama University in Chennai during the closing ceremony of the South Zone Inter-University Tournament for Men hosted by the institute. The university's chancellor Remibai Jeppiaar, coaches, student-athletes, and other students of the institute were present during the ceremony.

Natt spoke to the students about the importance of academic achievement first, touching on the topic of education (building life-long foundations), developing character and other life skills, and disciplined dedication, both on and off the basketball court. He told young basketball players about 'coachable traits' and accountability, both as players and as young men.

Natt also told the youngsters about his own accomplishments: the American has been a former NBA player, an assistant coach in the NBA with the Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Sacramento Kings, and briefly, a NBA head coach with the Kings. Since last year he has been a member of the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) leading India's Senior Men's squad into international tournaments.

"I’m extremely grateful for having had this opportunity," said Kenny Natt on being invited as the chief guest at the event, "I will certainly look forward to returning to next year’s south zone event, in addition to attending events held in the other zones as well. Considering the young talent that I’ve scouted out so far, I can honestly say that the future of basketball in India will dramatically improve within the next few years to a level that will lift eyebrows both domestically and globally."

"Sooner than later, don’t be surprised when we all will see basketballs bouncing everywhere in cities and country sides throughout India. It will be just a matter of time, and I will be personally gratified to had played a role in its growth process."

Jharkhand Men & West Bengal Women win the East Zone Basketball Championship

2012-01-10T17:31:00.006+05:30

The East Zone Basketball Championship for Men & Women, held from January 4-7, 2012 at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, came to a conclusion on last Sunday with hosts Jharkhand winning the Men's title while West Bengal taking home the Women's championship.

A total of seven Men's and three Women's sides had taken part in this four-day tournament. Both the finals came down to the wire with thrilling games on Sunday evening: West Bengal Women defeated Uttar Pradesh in the final game 44-40. UP's Men's team also reached the final, but was defeated in a close game by the hosts Jharkhand, 48-46.

Earlier, in the 3rd/4th place games, Jharkhand Women beat Orissa 47-36 and Orissa Men beat West Bengal 65-44.

The team's that took part in the competition were:

Men: Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand.
Women: Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand.

Muggsy Bogues in India - Q & A: "I survived 14 years in the NBA because I believed in myself"

2012-01-09T17:50:00.011+05:30

The shortest player to ever suit up in an NBA jersey - Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues - was in India on Monday, the 9th of January, to host a clinic for the NBA and the United States Senate India Caucus at the Modern School (Barakhamba) in New Delhi. Bogues interacted with around 75 local schoolkids and was welcomed by five visiting members of the American congressional delegation.

At 5 foot 3 inches, Bogues didn't let height be a factor over his skills as the point guard played in the NBA from 1987-2001. Bogues was drafted by the Washington Bullets in 1987 where he played for his rookie year before being picked up by the expansion Hornets side. After 9 successful years in Charlotte, he played for the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors in short stints before ending his career in 2001.

In Delhi on Monday, Bogues visited the Modern School to interact with several young basketball players, mostly from the Modern School itself or from the Delhi Public School in RK Puram. Aided by India’s Women's under 16 Jr. National Team Assistant Coach and former Sr. National Team Player Shiba Maggon, Bogues started his clinic in the afternoon by focusing on his biggest strength, one that helped him conquer opponents much taller than him: dribbling. "Control the ball, don't let it control you," Bogues told the kids, as he helped them practice several skills including crossvers, running with the ball, changing hands while dribbling, changing directions, footwork, and focusing on dribbling with the fingers. Bogues also worked on drills for chest passes and for lay-ups, focusing on beating the defender with a crossover dribble before exploding for an open lay-up.

"If you really want to be a basketball player, you have to practice hard: dribble the right way, and shoot the right way, and above all, develop good work ethics," Bogues told the gathered youngsters, "A lot of people told me when I was young that I wouldn't make it, but I did, and I survived the NBA for 14 years. This was only because I believed in myself. You have to believe in yourself too and understand the importance of self motivation to achieve your goals."

Joining Bogues at the event was Senator Mark Warner from Virginia, the Senate India Caucus Chairman, along with four other members of the Caucus from across the USA, who are on an official visit to India from January 7-14th. The two American Head Coaches of India's Senior Men's and Women's teams - Kenny Natt and Pete Gaudet - also attended the event.

After the clinic, the delegation from the US took part in a short shooting competition with the local school kids. An exhibition game was then held between two teams of the Mahindra NBA Challenge: U16 Boys teams from Modern School and DPS (RK Puram).

Earlier in the day, I got an opportunity to hold a brief interview with Muggsy Bogues, a player we know as the shortest to ever play in the NBA, but whom NBA India's Senior Director Akash Jain called the "player with the biggest heart". Here are some of the excerpts from the Q&A:

Hoopistani: What brings you here to India? Is this your first time?

Muggsy Bogues: Yes this is indeed my first time here. I'm only visiting Delhi and will be here for a day. The NBA has brought me here to come and promote the game of basketball in India. The NBA has a long term commitment, which is to expose the game in this country. I will also be promoting the benefits in health, lifestyle, and life-skills that grow along with the game of basketball. I believe that there is a lot of untapped potential for basketball in India.

Hoopistani: It seems that the NBA is keen to abolish the notion that one needs to be tall to be a basketball star. 6 foot 1 Brandon Jennings was here preaching the same purpose last year. Is that the message that you are bringing here with you as well?

MB: Yes, that that is exactly the message that I want to spread here in India. Height isn't everything. When I was growing up, many people told me that I would never make it. But I felt like I had the potential to play well. I developed a lot of confidence in myself over the years and I was able to show that even someone at five foot three inches could play basketball - which is known as a 'tall man's game' - at the highest level, the NBA. Without that confidence and self-belief, players like me or Brandon Jennings would've never made it.

Hoopistani: At the grassroots level in India, a lot of players are still scouted based on their height first and talent second. Was this also the case in the US when you were younger?

MB: Yes, it was very similar, to an extent. People thought that in basketball, height equaled talent, and there were few opportunities for smaller players. But I always believed that the game is for whoever has the skills to play, not just for six or seven footers! I want to pass on that same belief to Indians who are still at an early age.

Hoopistani: Was it a struggle for yourself - as a shorter player - to have coaches and scouts recognise you for your natural talent and hand you opportunities?

MB: Yes, I had to change the mindset of a lot of coaches when I was young who believed that height was the only important thing. I competed and played well against those bigger than me to change the perceptions. But what helped me is that I understood my point guard position and absorbed all the knowledge I could relating to that position. I had to play to my strengths, which were dribbling and passing the ball. A lot of smaller players who are point guards think that they have to score a lot to be effective and sometimes, this can hurt them. That's why a point guard has to know when to score and when to get his teammates involved.

Hoopistani: Smaller players are anyways having more and more influence on the NBA nowadays: Does the future of the league belong to the point guards?

MB: You know, the NBA is about trends. If one team is succeeding in a certain style of play, others will try and copy that style. These days, yes, a lot of good players are small: even the shooting guards. In my time, most of the shooting guards were around 6-5 or 6-6; now, there are a lot of smaller SGs like Jason Terry or JJ Barea who are making a difference.

Hoopistani: What tips would you give an undersized point guard such as yourself who have to defend taller opponents at their position?

MB: I always felt that defense was one of my biggest assets, and I worked by taking my defensive stance early to prepare for the opponent. What I would teach an undersized player that it is all about will. Once you learn the basic principals, it is just your will, not your technique, that will make you an elite defensive player. You have to make your opponent work hard.

Hoopistani: What other expectations do you have for your trip in India, which is a country growing to love the game of basketball?

MB: I'm really excited to be here. It'll be a thrill to speak to young players here and show them that someone at my size is also capable of being good at the game of basketball. I have little other expectations: I know basketball has a promising future in India, and I hear that there is some talent here, too. Recently, I was reading about the Indian seven-footer Satnam Singh Bhamara in ESPN Magazine, a young basketball star from this country, and the next thing I know - I'm being called to India by the NBA! Satnam is in Florida right now, so I won't have a chance to meet him, but I hope to catch him someday!

Hoopistani: Finally: You were a star for the Charlotte Hornets for several years and now you work in that city, but the franchise has since moved to New Orleans. Where do your loyalties lie: with the Hornets or with the city of Charlotte?

MB: Definitely with the city of Charlotte. I played in that city, my entire fan base was in that city, I'm now involved with the Charlotte community now and coach High School basketball there. Apart from taking the 'Hornets' name, the team in New Orleans is an entirely different franchise now.

7th Savio Cup tips off in Mumbai!

2012-01-08T17:54:00.006+05:30

One of Mumbai's most respected and loved basketball tournaments returns: the 7th edition of the Savio Cup All India Basketball Tournament will be held at the Don Bosco High School in Matunga, Mumbai, from January 8-15, 2012. Once again, some of the best Men's and Women's club teams from around India - plus the now-regular American side 'Shooting For Success' - will take part in the tournament.

Six Men's teams and three Women's teams will take part in the competition, tipped off at 4 PM on Sunday, Jan 8th, with a Men's clash between hosts Maharashtra and the recent winners of the Senior National Basketball Championship, Punjab.

The inauguration ceremony was held at 6 PM on Sunday.

Fr. Bosco D'Mello, the Principal of the Don Bosco School said, "The Savio Cup Basketball tournament for Men and Women is back to enthrall and entertain us in 7th year in succession. It has been growing in reputation and stature year after year and this year in its 7th edition it promises to get even bigger."

The teams participating in the Savio Cup this year are:

Men: Punjab, Indian Railways, Services, Maharashtra, ONGC, Shooting For Success
Women: Southern Railway, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra

Railways were the team to beat last year in both the divisions: the Men's side defeated Shooting For Success in a classic final game, while Southern Railway Women also got their stiffest challenge in the final game against Chhattisgarh.

Shooting For Success, a San Antonio (USA) based basketball club and foundation, will be participating for the fifth consecutive year in the Savio Cup, and they have become one of the favourites of the locals for boasting their athletic lineup of stars. This team will be led once again by their point guard and leader David "DJ" Jones. This year, a new addition to the side will be 6'10" big man Timir Patel, an Indian-origin basketball player from Texas who has played at the highest level of college ball in the US as well as trying his skills in several different countries around the world.

Every year, the Savio Cup also features an exciting slam dunk contest: here is a short video of last year's dunk contest to whet your appetite for the 2012 Savio Cup!

Southern Railway & ONGC win Athirampuzha JCI Tournament

2012-01-08T11:49:00.005+05:30

ONGC (Men) and Southern Railway (Women) won the top prize at the 3rd Athirampuzha JCI All-India Invitational Basketball Tournament on Friday, January 6th, at the St Aloysius Basketball Court at Athirampuzha in Kottayam, Kerala. The Men's winners, ONGC, walked home with a 40,000 rupees cash prize while Southern Railway were awarded Rs. 30,000 for winning the women's division in the tournament.

The Men's final was a star-studded affair between ONGC of Dehradun and IOB from Chennai: but it was ONGC's stars that shone brighter on the final day. Bolstered by the addition of Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Yadwinder Singh, ONGC had become one of India's strongest teams - at least on paper - a few months ago. But both the players were barred from taking part in the Senior Nationals held in Chennai recently, where the ONGC-powered Uttarakhand only managed a seventh-place finish.

But there was no stopping the duo at the tournament in Athirampuzha - Vishesh and Yadwinder led the way in the final with 19 and 15 points respectively as ONGC cruised to a 63-47 victory over IOB.

The Women's final was between Southern Railway and Kerala Fives, and it saw a predictable result and a predictable star. Geethu Anna Jose, who recently celebrated a gold medal at the Senior Nationals with Indian Railways, was once again an imposing force in the middle, scoring 16 points to lead her side to a 50-32 win.

Muggsy Bogues - NBA's shortest ever player - comes to India!

2012-01-07T12:18:00.008+05:30

It is kind of tragic when you're known for your height - or the lack of it - before your game. But if you're Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues, the shortest player to ever play in the NBA, the achievement of enjoying a 14-year-long professional basketball career at just 5 foot 3 inches is nothing short of a very tall feat (see what I did there?)

And now, the former Charlotte Hornets point guard will be coming to India on Monday, January 9th to participate in an NBA India - Senate India Caucus Basketball Event in New Delhi to promote basketball participation and healthy, active lifestyle to Indian youth.

Fans in New Delhi who want to catch a glimpse of the star should visit the Modern School in Barakhamba from 3-5 PM on Monday, January 9th. Activities will include a Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA clinic for 75 local boys and girls and an exhibition game between two teams from the Mahindra NBA Challenge – the under 16 boys teams from the Modern School and DPS. India’s Women's under 16 Jr. National Team Assistant Coach and former Sr. National Team Player Shiba Maggon will also be present at the event.

Despite his height, Bogues enjoyed a successful pro career: he is the all-time leader in minutes played, assists, and steals for the Charlotte Hornets. Of course, the Hornets later moved to New Orleans and Charlotte since have a new basketball team, the Bobcats. Bogues was drafted by the Washington Bullets in 1987 where he played for his rookie year before being picked up by the expansion Hornets side. After 9 successful years in Charlotte, he played for the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors in short stints before ending his career in 2001.

He since worked as the coach of WNBA side Charlotte Sting for two seasons, and is currently the head coach of the United Faith Christian Academy men’s high school basketball team in Charlotte.

Oh, and he also had a role in Space Jam.

Like they did with the visit of 6 foot 1 Brandon Jennings to India last summer, it seems that the NBA is keen on spreading the message of "you don't need height to make it" amongst young Indian basketball players. In Bogues, they will be introducing the shortest ever to sport an NBA jersey, someone who silenced the doubters not just by making it, but by playing at a respectable level for 14 productive seasons.

Bogues visit to the school in New Delhi will be held by NBA-India as part of a visit by an American Congressional Delegation to India, lead by US Senator Mark R. Warner (co-chair of the U.S. Senate’s India Caucus) from January 7-14th.

Roster annouced for Formula 23 Basketball Club India

2012-01-06T11:18:00.006+05:30

Providing an opportunity to Indian-origin basketball players from other countries as well as Indian players who never qualified for club/state teams at home, Indian-American basketball trainer Shahid Bhat has created a new semi-professional basketball team Formula 12 Basketball Club India, or F23BCI, who will be taking part in basketball tournaments in India starting from later this year.

After tryouts at the Hansraj College in New Delhi, Bhat announced the roster of players for his team on F23BCI's Facebook Page. Once a schedule for games and practice has been finalised, this team will convene together to go through a vigorous training camp before heading out to compete against other teams in India. The roster features former CCAA player of the year Inderbir Gill and basketball analytics entrepreneur Vasu Kulkarni, amongst other players from around India or of Indian-origin.

On Friday, January 6th, team owner Shahid Bhat announced that India's star point guard Talwinderjit Singh 'TJ' Sahi was also added to the roster of the team.

F23BCI Roster

Inderbir Singh Gill
TJ Sahi
Ekam Nagra
Aukif Khan
Vasu Kulkarni
Abhishek John
Syed Shamsul Arfeen
Abu Bakr
Vinay Kaushik
Pravin Dovan
Shubindo Bhundel
Vipin Dhaiya
Adarsh Hooda
Ravinder
Saurabh

OWNER/Head Coach/GM: Shahid Bhat

Watch this space: Bhat has been involved with promoting basketball in Kashmir for the last few years. I will be posting a detailed interview and story on the new club in a few days.

Punjab Men & Indian Railways Women are India's Senior National Basketball Champions

2011-12-25T10:13:00.008+05:30

The waves of change have come: After three years, India finally had a new champion in the Men's division at the 62nd National Basketball Championship for Men and Women in Chennai, India's premier basketball championship which was held from December 16-24th. Punjab defeated Tamil Nadu in an exciting finale to the tournament at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on December 24th to win the Nationals and lift their 8th title in the tournament's 62-year history. Meanwhile, there was no stopping the Indian Railways Women who kept rolling in full steam ahead to win their 9th consecutive National title after defeating Chhattisgarh in the final on Saturday.

Punjab were a team on a mission. Powered by four players who were part of India's senior national team - Jagdeep Singh, TJ Sahi, Amrit Pal Singh, and Amjyot Singh - Punjab faced a close fought battle from home team Tamil Nadu in the final, who didn't give up until the very end. Punjab were led by young big man Amrit Pal Singh's 21 points and some great two-way play by their star point guard Talwinderjit Singh 'TJ' Sahi (17). Jagdeep Singh also added 17 points for Punjab. Tamil Nadu were led by Rikin Pethani, who had a valiant effort in the final with 24 points and 17 rebounds.

In the Women's final, Indian Railways continued their domination over Women's hoops in India with yet another victory, but this time, it was a different opponent in the final. After facing Delhi in the final for the past 9 years, it was Chhattisgarh who made history in Chennai by making the final of the Senior Nationals for the first time since the birth of the state. And the Chhattisgarh girls were by no means start struck of the occasion, giving Railways a close fight in the first half. Led by their experienced core of Geethu Anna Jose (31 points) and Anitha Paul Durai (19), Railways got back in their groove in the second period and slowly extended their lead to win the game, 94-70, and capture their 9th consecutive championship. The high scorers for Chhattisgarh were L. Deepa (20), Seema Singh (17) and Kavita (17).

The big shocks of the tournament were the semi-final losses to Indian Railways and Services Men and Delhi Women, teams who have been regular features in the final of the championship. Railways and Services, who played in the National final last year in Delhi, were both defeated in the Semi-Final games against Punjab and Tamil Nadu respectively on Friday.

Meanwhile, Delhi, one of the top Woman's teams in the competition, were defeated by a motivated Chhattisgarh team in the Semi-Final in a close match, 59-56. Indian Railways Woman had cruised into the final with an earlier win over Tamil Nadu 76-41.

Before the Finals on Saturday, Indian Railways Men & Tamil Nadu Women won their third-place match-ups against Services and Delhi respectively.

Final Scores

Men: Punjab (Amritpal Singh 21, TJ Sahi 17, Jagdeep Singh Bains 17) bt. Tamil Nadu (Rikin Pethani 24, Vinodh Kumar 9, Saravana Rajan 5) 70-62 (24-15, 13-17, 19-13, 14-17)

Women: Indian Railways (Geethu Anna Jose 31, Anitha Paul Durai 19, Anju Lakra 14, Smruthi Raohakrishn 11) bt. Chhattishgarh ( L.Deepa 20, Seema Singh 17, Kavita 17) 94-70 (23-22, 22-19, 22-20, 27-9)

3rd/4th Place Games

Men: Indian Railways (Gagan Deep Singh 37, Jasjot Singh 14, Prakash Mishra 14) bt. Services (Narender Grewal 37, Gopal Ram 14, Joginder Singh 12) 89-81 (14-19, 25-21, 23-16, 27-25)

Women: Tamil Nadu (N Shyamala Suguna 20, Apoorva Murlinath 15, Nenna Hareendran 13, Sunitha Suren 10) bt. Delhi (Sonika Ohlyan 14, Asha Hegde 11) 68-45 (14-11, 21-12, 14-18, 19-4)

Final Standings

Men

Punjab

Tamil Nadu

Indian Railways

Services

Kerala

Haryana

Uttarakhand

Delhi

Karnataka

Andhra Pradesh

Women

Indian Railways

Chhattishgarh

Tamil Nadu

Delhi

Kerala

Karnataka

Maharashtra

Uttar Pradesh

Punjab

Andhra Pradesh

Punjab's Amrit Pal Singh was a real breakthrough performer at the tournament and finished as the best scorer for the winning side along with TJ Sahi. Uttarakhand's Trideep Rai also play exceptionally well throughout the tournament, having scoring bursts against Karnataka (44), Services (39), and Chhattisgarh (34). India's best female player Geethu Anna Jose of Indian Railways continued her domination over the rivals with some great performances against Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra. For the runners-up Chhattisgarh, versatile big player Seema Singh and Kavita had memorable performances throughout the competition in Chennai.

India's three American basketball coaches - Senior Men's Coach Kenny Natt (former NBA coach), Senior Women's coach Pete Gaudet (former NCAA coach), and Strength & Conditioning coach Zak Penwell - held coaching clinics and seminars for the attending coaches and players that had gathered from all round India to the National in Chennai from December 16-18th. The clinics helped the coaches to reach out to some of India's best basketball coaching and playing talent and help build a stronger basketball coaching network in India.

Vishesh Bhrighuvanshi & Yadwinder Singh barred from playing in Senior Nationals

2011-12-23T10:56:00.006+05:30

When Indian sent their top 12 basketball players to the FIBA Asia Championship for Men in China earlier this year - which is the highest level of basketball competition that India usually participate in - the starting line-up of the squad boasted of TJ Sahi, Hareesh Koroth, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi, Yadwinder Singh, and Jagdeep Singh, with Trideep Rai also getting a chance to start in several games.

These five or six players being the best international talents in the country, it is then expected to see the same stars light it up for their respective state/club teams at India's biggest and most important domestic basketball event - the 62nd Senior National Basketball Championship for Men & Women - which is being held in Chennai right now. And apart from an injury-plagued Koroth, the rest of the players have traveled down south to participate.

But unfortunately, Indian bureaucracy has once again played spoilsport: two of India's best players - Uttarakhand/ONGC's Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Yadwinder Singh have been barred from played in the Nationals. The two stars, who led Indian Railways to the last three successive National titles and have been a mainstay in India's international starting five for around the same period of time, are watching the competition from the sidelines.

After spending several years working with Western Railways and representing Indian Railways in the National tournament, Bhriguvanshi and Yadwinder switched jobs to join Dehradun's ONGC earlier this year. This made them a part of the Uttarakhand team for the Nationals, bolstering a strong-looking squad already stacked with experienced stars such as Trideep Rai, Murali Krishna, Mohit Bhandari, and Anoop M.

But despite completing this move, Railways, who became a slimmer squad after losing their two India internationals, have delayed releasing the NOC (non-objection certificate) for the two players: this means that, starting from their cancelled opening game Delhi, the Uttarakhand Men's team haven't been able to field Bhrighuvanshi and Yadwinder in their side.

Interviewed by the Deccan Chronicle yesterday, Bhrighuvanshi was obviously devastated about missing the chance to shine at Indian basketball's highest stage. "They [Railways] are intentionally delaying [the NOC] to stop me from playing for Uttarakhand at the nationals," he said.

The result of this? Bhrighuvanshi's hometown pal Trideep Rai took the majority of the scoring role for Uttarakhand, with high scores like 34 points versus Chhattisgarh, 39 versus Services, and a massive 44 point game versus Karnataka.

But Uttarakhand, an older team, could really have used the infusion of youth brought by Bhrighuvanshi and Yadwinder in the tournament's Quarter-Final last night against a more athletic Tamil Nadu side. After holding on to a delicate lead for most of the defensive game, TN had the fresher legs as the game reached it's last minutes and took the lead to win 56-54 to enter the Semi-Finals and eliminate Uttarakhand.

Meanwhile, Railways, who may have lost a bit of sheen after losing two of their best players, survived an overtime scare against Delhi last night to enter the Semi-Finals. They may have been weakened by the loss of Bhriguvanshi and Yadwinder, but so far, they are still on course to win a fourth straight title.

NBA's TV schedule for India released: Here are the must-watch games

2011-12-21T13:47:00.007+05:30

Yes, yes, my fellow NBA fans in Hindustan - or as I like to dub them, my fellow 'Hoopistanis'! - the NBA has finally released the live TV broadcast schedule for games in India. Rarely do early mornings excite me so, but it's time to get ready for a shortened season full of rising before the sun and NBA breakfasts!

Like last season, live games in India will once again be shown on Ten Sports & Sony PIX this year, as well as one game being streamed live per week on NBA.com/India. Bookmark this page for the full broadcast schedule of NBA games in India this season.

At this point, the NBA will be showing four live games on TV every week in India and an additional game streamed live on the NBA-India website. After the opening night blitz, PIX is scheduled to show live games on Thursday and Saturday morning, while Ten Sports will show games on Friday and Sunday morning. I'm optimistic that the game frequency will increase as the regular season progresses: by the end of last season, I remember that the TV channels in India were showing six live NBA games per week!

As you may already know by now, the NBA season starts with an absolute BANG on Christmas Day to help make up for the Lockout Dark Ages this offseason. Five games are scheduled on the NBA calender on December 25th, two of which will be shown in India. The first game of the year? Boston Celtics vs. my beloved New York Knicks on Ten Sports, live from the world's most famous arena, the Madison Square Garden, on Christmas Night. Yes, the last time I received a Christmas present so awesome was when my mother/Santa got me He-Man's Castle Grayskull toy in 1989. A few hours later, in the wee hours of the morning of December 26th, PIX will be showing two of the most historically popular franchises open their season against each other: Bulls @ Lakers!

If you're like me, you're probably going to try and watch as many live games as possible this year. But if you can't, here is my list of can't-miss NBA regular season games to be shown on PIX and Ten Sports live this year:

December 25th 10:30 PM: Celtics @ Knicks (Ten Sports) - Can it get any better for me as a Knicks and an NBA fan? The first game this season features my favourite team, freshly rebooted with the addition NBA champion Center Tyson Chandler from the Mavs, taking on one of the NBA's most stories franchises, the Celtics. There are enough Celtic fans in India to enjoy this matchup: Rondo, Ray, KG and Pierce versus Melo, Amare, and Chandler. But this game is more than an exciting start to the season: with the Knicks getting stronger and the Celtics getting older, this could be a big statement to determine who becomes the best team in the Atlantic Division. Remember, it was Boston who swept the Knicks in the first round of last season's playoffs. Will the Knicks beat their most immediate division rivals and announce their place amongst the contenders? Or will the Celtics show the world that they haven't grown too old just yet?

December 26th 3:30 AM: Bulls @ Lakers (PIX) - One team on the rise, is the other on the fall? The league's reigning MVP Derrick Rose takes his squad to the Staples Center to take on the Kobe and the Lakers. All eyes will be on how Lakers will respond to their strange off-season, where they lost the legendary coach Phil Jackson, didn't get Chris Paul, traded away an unhappy Lamar Odom, and are still mulling about sending out Andrew Bynum in exchange for Dwight Howard. Bynum won't play this game - suspended for his JJ Barea clothesline from last season - but it will be a chance for Kobe and Gasol to show they have enough in their tank. Plus, it will be the regular season debut of a man named Metta World Peace or formerly, Ron Artest. Chicago were the league's best regular season team last year. Can D-Rose set a positive tone for this season with a win on opening night?

December 30th 6:30 AM: Mavericks @ Thunder (Ten Sports) - A rematch of last year's conference finals and your first look at the reigning NBA champions Mavericks and the Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki. We'll get to see how the Mavs carry themselves with the target of being champions, especially now that they're without Chandler and Barea, but reloaded with Lamar Odom and Vince Carter. On the other side, you have OKC Thunder, everyone's favourite young team who is now a year older and a year wiser. To rise to become the best in the west, the Thunder has to go through the Mavs - are they up to it yet?

December 31st 9 AM: Bulls @ Clippers (PIX) - Your first look at the new look Clippers, plus an excellent battle between the NBA's two best point guards, Derrick Rose vs. Chris Paul. This game is sure to be a firecracker, and what a way to say goodbye to 2011!

January 20th 6:30 AM: Lakers @ Heat (Ten Sports) - Kobe vs. LeBron. Did I say Kobe vs. LeBron? I don't think any further selling points are needed. But if you need another, then there's Dwyane Wade, too.

January 26th 9 AM: Clippers @ Lakers (PIX) - The New Battle of Los Angeles. For the first time in like, ever, both LA teams are strong. Are Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and the Clippers good enough to defeat the bigger brothers? Expect real fireworks and the start of a great rivalry of two exciting teams who share the same home court. Plus, remember that Chris Paul was nearly a Laker. This is gonna be epic.

January 27th 6:30 AM Celtics @ Magic (Ten Sports) - Will Dwight Howard still be a Magic player by this game? (what do you call a Magic player, anyways? A magician?) How will the old Celtics be dealing with a packed, grueling schedule this time of the year? I have many questions - this game will answer some.

February 23rd 7:30 AM: Warriors @ Suns (PIX) - Don't bother waking up for this if you like defense.

March 30th 5:30 AM: Mavericks @ Heat (Ten Sports) - After opening night, this will be the second match-up of the season between the last 2 NBA finalists. What is interesting is that this game falls so late in the season, and thus, a lot will be at stake. Depending on how the regular seasons are proceeding for the two teams, this game could even determine home court advantage if the two teams are to meet in the Finals again. I'll have my eye on how LeBron responds to his awful performances versus the Mavs in the Finals. Will Dirk/Terry/Marion etc still hold the psychological advantage over him?

April 21st 7:30 AM: Thunder @ Kings (PIX) - This could be a battle between two teams on the opposite ends of the spectrum in the Western conference, but it will also be a battle between two very exciting young teams. Thunder you know all about, but I'm excited for the Kings for this upcoming year: between Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, and the newly-added rookie Jimmer Fredette, the Kings will at least entertain (even when they lose).

I am also happy to announce that I will be back as a feature writer for NBA.com/India this season, and will be reviewing a lot of the games that I watch live here. What games are you most looking forward to watching this year?

The New Battle of Los Angeles

2011-12-18T12:10:00.013+05:30

Chris Paul should have been a Laker.

Now, let me get this straight: Beyond wishing well for Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace, I am by no means a Lakers fan. I am not biased towards or against the Hornets or the Clippers, and although Paul may arguable the best pure point guard in the game today, I'm a bigger fan of Derrick Rose and Deron Williams in the PG department.

This is more than a plea of ordinary fandom and more than a mere bitter reaction. This is a matter of principal.

With the players and owners agreeing to the new agreement, the NBA Lockout - the worst summer for an NBA fan - was officially over. On the same afternoon, the Lakers finalised a three-team trade where they would lose Pau Gasol to the Rockets, Lamar Odom to the Hornets and gain Chris Paul from the Hornets. The Rockets would also send underrated but solid starters Kevin Martin and Luis Scola to New Orleans, as well as sending Goran Dragic the Hornets way. All three teams were happy: the Lakers got their star point guard, the Rockets got a solid big man in Gasol to build around, and the Hornets, destined to lose Chris Paul for nothing anyways, get three solid starters to build upon.

That same afternoon - in one of the rare turn of events in NBA history - Commissioner David Stern and the NBA Office called the trade off, citing the vaguest of all excuses, "basketball reasons".

So Chris Paul was a Laker and then not a Laker. Dell Demps, the GM of the Hornets, had put a peaceful end to any Paul-related melodrama before it even began, and then the drama REALLY began.

All of a sudden, we were in unprecedented space. To give you a little perspective on 'how the hell did they just do this?', you must know that, until a suitable buyer is found, the Hornets are the only team in the league currently owned by the NBA itself. This is where the contradiction lies: when does the NBA perform an action for the Hornets' interest and when does it perform one for the interest of the NBA? As time passed, rumours trickled through the day confirming what many already believed: that the trade wasn't nixed for simple 'basketball reasons' alone; it was nixed because small-market owners in the league opposed it, because they were tired of seeing NBA stars like LeBron and Carmelo dictate their own future about where and when and how they want to play. A letter from Dan Gilbert, Cavs' owner, calling this proposed trade a travesty sprung up. Small markets rejoiced and big markets - especially the Lakers - grumbled. Perhaps the NBA had had enough of the Lakers' dominance: after all, their proposed trade allowed them to retain Andrew Bynum, who could've later become a valuable asset in bringing Dwight Howard to LA. Kobe-CP3-Dwight in the Lakers may make haters squirm, but if they did it the right way, they deserve it.

The NBA wasn't going to let Chris Paul become another superstar leaving a 'small market' for a big one. They weren't going to let the Lakers - who pretty much robbed Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies in 2008 - get away with a fair trade for Paul.

And yes, all said and done, it was a fair trade. Hornets receiving Odom, Scola, Martin, and Dragic in return for Chris Paul was more than fair.

But - lo and behold - what happens about five days later? After briefly flirting on-and-off with them, the NBA agrees (not Demps, the NBA) to send Chris Paul to the Clippers in return for young star Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and a 2012 1st round pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Hornets get less reliable star-power, but more potential for the future. Better trade? That's depends, especially on how good the draft pick next year - one of the deepest drafts in history - could turn out to be.

But what is not debatable is the farce of now seeing Chris Paul in a Clippers jersey. Yes, the same Clippers who play in a big market city of Los Angeles, where the Lakers play. The Clippers who share the same arena - the Staples Center - as the Lakers.

Fans of competitive balance will be delighted with this deal, excited to see Chris Paul and Blake Griffin emerge as strong new competition for the Lakers, the Celtics, the Bulls, Mavs, Heat, and Knicks. But take a step back and you will see that the NBA and it's bitter small market owners have managed to achieve exactly what they didn't wish for: Chris Paul, a MVP caliber star, went from being the flagship and hero of a small town basketball team, the New Orleans Hornets, to just another star getting his wish to play for more fame and higher stakes in the big city of Los Angeles. What more, he got sent to a team known for making historically awful decisions, the kind of decisions that sent leagues into lockouts. And in the middle of all this the Lakers and the Rockets got screwed over.

Yes - get this right - despite their lack of success over the last three decades or so, the Clippers play in every bit of a 'big market' city. With the right players on their roster, they will get as much hype as the Lakers will. And when the league's best passer starts to throw lob passes for alley-oops to the league's best dunker, rest assured that the Clippers will become the most exciting team in the league.

It still feels strange to say that. Since their inception in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves, they are the oldest NBA team in NBA history to not appear in the Finals. They are also amongst three teams (which include the Memphis Grizzlies, formed in 1995) and the Charlotte Bobcats (formed in 2004) to have never won an NBA, Conference, or Division championship. In their 40 year history, where they went from the Buffalo Braves (1970-78), San Diego Clippers (1978-84), to the Los Angeles Clippers (1984-present), they have made the playoffs just seven times. Since they came to Los Angeles, they have gone past the first round of the playoffs only one time (back in 2006). No wonder then, that through our news archives, we discovered that Sports Illustrated magazine named the Clippers as the worst ever franchise in any of the major American sports.

And you know how they managed to remain being so awful? It wasn't because of a small-market disadvantage - just like Miami was to LeBron and New York was to Carmelo, the Clippers have long played in a city which attracts the same kind of lifestyle a star might wish for that the Lakers attract. No, it was because of management disadvantage, and the 'Clipper curse' that had haunted the franchise for decades. The Clippers have long had one of the worst owners in NBA history and an even worse string of luck. The Clippers brewed a distasteful cocktail of bad lottery picks, awful contracts, and an injury hex that refused to go away. Even Blake Griffin, their 2009 #1 pick, didn't play a second of NBA basketball due to injury in his first season.

But, just like the tide turns for every team in the NBA (small market or large), it turned for the Clippers last year. Blake Griffin was healthy, exciting, and efficient enough to win Rookie of the Year. Eric Gordon became a star and a valuable trade asset. And last week, one of the NBA's best point guards joined them.

The ups and downs of a franchise, the good and the bad luck, the good management and the bad, happen ALL THE TIME in NBA, a league still designed because of the draft and the salary cap for competitive balance. This is why the Spurs, with some draft luck and excellent management, were the most consistent team of the last decade. This is why the Seattle Sonics couldn't survive because of economical issues in Seattle, became the Thunder in another small market, build smartly around their superstars, and now are an elite squad. This is why, despite being basketball's biggest market for the last 70 years, the Knicks have only won two championships and haven't been to the Finals in 12 years. For the Thunder and the Spurs, good management made them strong even in a small market, for the Clippers and the Knicks, even a big market has been unable to undo the failures of bad team owners.

But the Clippers may have finally won some luck at the expense of their next-door neighbours. When the NBA Office pulled against the Lakers-Paul deal, they set up a dangerous precedent: who would want Chris Paul now? Which team wants to deal with what the Lakers and the Rockets dealt with? Will the Hornets be the biggest losers of this, left without anything in return? It was in response to these questions that a Chris Paul trade was crucial, and the Clippers, an unsuccessful team in a big city, came calling.

As it stands now, both the LA teams are looking fearsome. The Lakers still have the nucleus of Kobe-Gasol-Bynum-Metta, while the Clippers now feature Paul-Griffin-Butler-Billups. Both have a good supporting cast around their star players, but the Lakers' role players are obviously more experienced. The new battle of Los Angeles is set to begin: it's rare, but this season, both teams playing home games at the Staples Center will be feared. If LA is a big city like Milan, and the Staples Center is the San Siro, the Lakers and the Clippers have become basketball's Inter & AC Milan. The Clipper-side of LA doesn't have the history or the heritage to be compared with the champion sides, but what they will soon have are bandwagons of fans excited to adorn their red and blue colours.

Exciting stuff, indeed, but somewhere within me, no amount of Paul-to-Griffin alley-oops will erase that uneasy feeling of the whole situation, as if the natural course of history has been ruthlessly averted. Chris Paul should've joined the Los Angeles Lakers: they made a fair deal for him, they made it first, and it was accepted by the Hornets.

Instead, history was revised forcefully and although Chris Paul found himself in LA, he was wearing a red-and-blue jersey instead of a purple-and-yellow one. This revised history is now the real world, and in the real world, the Battle of LA is set to begin...