Tru Ballers

State of the NBA: Blame the GM'S

2011-10-06T08:56:00.000-07:00

With the NBA being in a stalemate because of the lockout, let's take a look at what the real issues are. I hear so much that NBA players are overpaid babies, and they don't deserve those huge contracts. It's not surprising that a lot of those notions are coming from white America, seeing that the majority of the NBA players are African American it seems kind of funny. No one seems to be talking that way about baseball players, who sign massive contracts, and teams have no salary caps. Why aren't baseball players overpaid babies, and half of baseball players aren't near the athletes that NBA players are, just something to think about.

Now let's take a look at why certain NBA teams are losing so much revenue. I say blame the General Managers for the state in which the NBA is in. Why blame the GM's? Well, General Managers are responsible for bringing players to teams. They negotiate the contracts with agents, (with owners probably signing off) they built teams. Now, Fox Sports had an slide show on overpaid players on every team in the NBA, and you couldn't argue with every player that was on that list. Let take Joe Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks. Now, you can't blame Joe for taking the huge contract that he signed over the summer. Does his talent really equal up to his contract, probably not, but seeing that the Hawks were so worried about keeping that name with their team they overpaid him. David Lee of the Golden State Warriors signed a huge contract a couple seasons ago to join them, but has not produced enough to validate the money he was paid. Both are very good players, but lets face it, there is probably only 10-15 players in the NBA that should be getting maximum contracts, and in my opinion they are not the 2 players named.

Shaq: "Miami only has a Big 2"

2011-07-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

Shaquille O'Neal in his first appearance as an NBA analyst called Miami's Heat big 3 "the big 2". Clearly referring too Lebron James and Dwayne Wade as the big 2 and leaving out Chris Bosh who is apart of the big 3. Earlier this week on NBA T.V. the big fella gave a lot of praise too the Miami's Heat big 2. Although he did not come out and elaborate on what he meant about Miami only having a big 2, only a fool could't read between the lines and know what he was saying. Even though the big 3 at times would look like the big 1 or even the big 0 in some cases in the NBA Finals, I would have too say that I understand where he is coming from, but I would have to disagree with his statement. In the NBA today Chris Bosh is a all-star caliber player. Now would he be 10-15 years ago I wouldn't think so. So if you think about it that was the time that Shaq came from so he probably looks at it a little different then most who see the NBA today. Bosh is not a physical player by the least. His game is more about finesse over power, and in the NBA today most players are made up that way, and he is one of the best power forwards in todays NBA.

Will Allen Iverson Return To The NBA

2011-06-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

Will Allen Iverson ever play in the NBA again? I would have too say I don't know but I think he should be on a NBA roster next season. There does seem like there is a certain group of players that have been black balled from the league. Unfortunately, Allen Iverson have found his way on the outside looking in of the NBA. In his prime A.I. was one of the toughest and dynamic players in the NBA. He was probably the smallest player ever to dominate the offensive side of the game there was. Here was a guy that was maybe 6 feet tall on a good day and won the scoring title 4 times. He averaged almost 27.0 ppg. throughout his career, and almost 30.0 ppg. in the playoffs. Granted he shot the ball mostly every time he touched it but his teams were mostly successful then not.

At 36 years old Allen Iverson is not the same player he was 6 or 7 years ago, but I do think he would be a good addition to a veteran, contending team that needs scoring and leadership off of the bench. I think if he truly accepts his role as a backup guard and a team has the right fit, we can expect to see Allen Iverson under the bright lights once again.

What's The Problem With Heat

2011-06-10T12:34:00.000-07:00

What's the problem with the Miami Heat? Why is a team with so much talent having a hard time closing out the Dallas Mavericks? The first problem that I can see is that Lebron James is playing to much point guard. With Lebron handling the ball so much he is always out of position to make a play on offense. By Lebron playing up top, handling the ball he is playing right into the Mavericks hands, and they now can make him a jump shooter. The Miami Heat would be better off is Lebron was playing off the ball and catching the ball in a position where he can either attack the basket, or pull up for a short jump shot. Another problem the Miami Heat are having is when Dwayne Wade touches the ball he holds on to it until either he has a shot or until he has to pass the ball, but by that time it is only a few seconds left on the shot clock and somebody is forced to shoot a rushed shot. The final problem that I can see is that the Heat's defensive intensity is not at the level it was in the previous series or in the two wins in this series. The Miami Heat will have too make some serious adjustments if they plan on winning a championship and silencing the critics.

Title in the Future for Heat Big 3

2011-06-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

Who would've thought back in July when Lebron James made the "Decision" that the Miami Heat would be 2 games away from winning a NBA Championship? I think we all knew that eventually this team would be in this position, but not in its first year assembled. This team came together and started to gel at the right time. The big 3 are playing at a high level and the supporting cast is playing their part in a big way. The Heat big men are controlling the boards and playing monster defense, especially Anthony Randolph. The re-emergence of Udonis Haslem has given the Heat the lift that they needed to not only get past the Chicago Bulls, but to come 2 games away from winning a championship. You will have to start thinking that the Miami Heat is in prime position to win a few more rings if they can hold on to winning this one. With the now experience they will take out of this run and a summer of key signings, the Miami Heat should be in this discussion for a long time to come.

Miami Stars Too Much For Chicago

2011-05-25T11:39:00.000-07:00

The Chicago Bulls were controlling most of game 4 on Tuesday night. Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, and Luol Deng each put good numbers, and they held Dwayne Wade to only 14 points. So, you would think after reading that, the Chicago Bulls won the game right. No they didn't. In fact they almost lost by 10 points. Lebron James took the game over in overtime. This will be the biggest advantage for Miami for the next few years. Every team will always have 1 of those 3 too worry about. Well, let's get ready for a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks. I will take Miami to win the championship, because of their team defense. I will give a Miami vs Dallas preview by this weekend.

Dallas To Much For OKC

2011-05-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Dallas Mavericks look like they are on the verge of advancing to their 2nd finals appearance in the 6 years after taking a 3-1 lead on OKC in the Western Conference Finals. After looking at game 3 it is clear that the Dallas Mavericks just have to much size and to much scoring for the Thunder to overcome. The Thunder came into this series with a 3 man scoring threat, but at the end of the day 8 is always better then 3. That's what is have been, Durant, Westbrook, and Hardin vs the 8 guys who can score on Dallas. There is no question that OKC will be in the finals in the couple of years, once they add a couple more scorers and defenders.

Durant Posterized Brenden Hayward

2011-05-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

Don't even know why he jumped.

We Are All Nowitzness

2011-05-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

Dirk Nowitzki dominated game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the western conference finals. The dude had 48 points without making any 3 pointers. He shot 12-15 from the field and 24-24 from the line, that's Jordan numbers. What can the Thunder do? Their big men can't hold him one on one. If you double him, Dallas has enough shooters to make you pay. You just have to pick your poison. Either way Oklahoma better hold better defense then that or it will be a short series.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Preview

2011-05-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

The Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder should be a long series. They both matchup pretty good, each teams have advantages on each other, and both teams have go to scorers. This series will come down to the play of Russell Westbrook, and the play of Dallas's bench. I hope Jason Kidd has gotten plenty of rest because he is going to have his hands full with Westbrook. Jason Kidd is going to be going up against someone who is probably 15+ years younger, and probably 50,000 less miles on their legs. This will Kidd's worst nightmare, not only is Westbrook quicker and more athletic, he is also aggresive going to the basket. Kidd would rather go up against a guard that likes too settle for jumpshots, but Westbrook is not that type of player. The kay for Dallas will be Jason Terry and their bench. If Jason Terry can play at the same level he played with in the Lakers series then Dallas will be very hard to beat. Since the only real scoring threat to come off of the Thunders bench is James Harden, the Dallas Mavericks should hold a big advantage when it comes to the second unit. No need to talk about Dirk, or Durant, we all know that they will be effective in this series. I'm going to take Dallas in 7 games.

Taj Gibson Banging on Dwayne Wade

2011-05-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Bulls Dominate Heat in Game 1

2011-05-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

Whatever strategy the Miami Heat came out with in the second half of game 1 need to be burned, put in a casket and buried. The Chicago Bulls dominated the Heat in the second half. They killed them in every aspect of the game. They out rebounded them on both sides of the floor, they out hustled them on both sides of the floor, and they played smothering defense holding Miami to just 34 points in the second half. Derrick Rose did whatever he wanted to the Heat's defense, and the Bulls big men outplayed Miami's. The only bright spot for Miami was Chris bosh. He put up 30 points and 9 rebs on 12-18 from the field, that's all-star numbers if you ask me. He's got a reputation as being soft and settles too much on the jump shot, but yesterday he played like true all-star, it's just too bad he didn't get to much help.

Now, I don't know if it was just Miami had a bad game, or if the bulls are just too much for them this year. Whatever the case the Miami Heat is going to have to make major adjustments in game 2. I knew coming in that Miami will be undersized in the middle, but I didn't know it would be so exploited. The Chicago Bulls dominated the heat on the offensive boards 19-6, that's 13 more chances to score just of rebounds. Not to mention the 16-9 turnover difference, that's 20 more times to score then the heat. Let's face it, if the big three of the Heat are not playing at a high level at the same time they will not win a game in this series. It is going to take every bit of effort and maybe more then it took in the Boston series for them to beat the Chicago Bulls. I think we will all have to watch game 2 to really see if the Miami Heat can compete with the Chicago Bulls.

Looking Ahead To Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls Series.

2011-05-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

I'm anticipating an eastern conference finals matchup with the Miami heat and the Chicago Bulls. Not to forget about the Atlanta Hawks but I don't think they can beat the Bulls 2 straight games. Whoever wins the Miami, Chicago series will likely go on to win the NBA championship. I don't see any team that's left in the west that can beat either one of these teams in a 7 game series, plus the east would have home court advantage. The Miami vs Chicago series should be the longest series of the playoffs this year, but how this playoffs has been going who knows. The questions for the Miami Heat coming into this series will be can Miami's big men handle Chicago's bigs, and can Miami slow down Derrick Rose. Will Anthony Randolph be able to deal with Joakim Noah's hustle and energy, and will Chris Bosh be able to outplay Carlos Boozer. Bosh holds the height advantage over Boozer, but can Bosh deal with Boozer's power. Then there's Derrick Rose. I wonder who Miami will have primarily holding Rose. Will they put Wade on him or one of the smaller guards? Wade would probably be the most effective, but he will waste a lot of energy on the defensive end, and you run the risk of getting him into foul trouble.

As for the Chicago Bulls the biggest question for them is how are they going to slow down the big 3. Lebron James is playing at the highest level of his career, Dwayne Wade has been his all-star self, and Chris Bosh seems to always show up when they need him most. The most important thing that the Heat might have going for its self is "motivation". The Heat has to be so motivated to prove people wrong and win a championship in their first year being together. Lebron James should be especially motivated to finally shut people up about the "Decision". The Miami Heat will also have to get the production from their bench that they got in the Boston series. With considering all the intangables, I think the Heat will win this series in 6 or 7 games. I don't think James and Wade will be denied this opportunity to win a championship.

Miami's Youth To Much For Celtics

2011-05-09T22:50:00.000-07:00

We all knew that the "Decision" and the addition of Chris Bosh would pay dividends for the Miami one day. We didn't know if that day would come this year or next. I've always said since the whole Lebron, and Bosh signing that the Miami Heat would win a championship by year 2. With a 98-90 win in overtime against the Boston Celtics to take a 3-1 lead in their series, the Miami Heat are well on their way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami's youth combined with all that talent was just too much for the Celtics to overcome. You have to give the Celtics credit, with all the injuries and the fact that they are the oldest team in the NBA they atleast threw a punch. They didn't roll over and quit like last year champs, they put up a fight. The fact of the matter is the Boston Celtics do not have the legs and with the injuries they will not beat the Miami Heat 3 straight games. Expect to see the Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls in the eastern conference finals.

How Can Lakers Return To Championship Status

2011-05-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

What happened to the Los Angeles Lakers? Was it that the past seasons have finally caught up with them, or did they just face a much better team? Whatever the case may be there was obviously something not right about the returning champs. At the start of this series who would've thought that the Lakers would be sweep by the Dallas Mavericks? Who would've thought that Dallas would come out in game 4 and just embarrass the Lakers the way they did? This series reminded me so much of the finals where the Lakers were beaten by the Detroit Pistons, and we all know the drama field year that was. Ever since the playoffs started you could see that something just wasn't right.When the Lakers let the Hornets come in and dominate them on their home floor. The only reason they survived that series was because they were just a far superior team then the Hornets. But the Mavericks matched up better with the Lakers and exploited them. Evey Laker in this series was a non-factor. Kobe Bryant has too many miles on his legs to carry this team on his back for long stretches at a time. And it was the same story for Gasol, Odom, and Bynum, they just were not aggressive enough. I never thought that I would see a Phil Jackson team dominated in a close out game the way they were in game 4.

What's next for the Lakers? They need a new coach. They need to and some youth to their roster, especially at the point guard position. And they need players that are hungry for a championship. The move that I see happening is that Dwight Howard will end up in L.A.. I think he is tired of playing for Stan Van Gundy, and he should see that with the roster they have down there now, that there is no championships making it's way to Orlando no time soon. The Lakers would probably have to let go of Bynum, and Odom, or Gasol and Odom. My guess is that Andrew Bynum's days in a Lakers uniform is about up. He's injury prone, and he's probably getting to the point in his career where he wants more touches and be a focal part of a team. Lamar Odom is such a under achiever in the NBA. This guy is 6'10, can handle the ball, pass the ball, rebound the ball, but he's all left handed. If the Lakers can land Howard, and and some youth to that line-up and bench, they should be primed for another run at the championship.

Dallas Mavericks Takes 3-0 Lead on Champs

2011-05-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought when the playoffs started that the defending champs the LA Lakers would be in any series down 3-0. The truth is that if you have seen the Lakers play throughout these playoffs you can see that these are not the Lakers of last year. Pau Gasol, and Ron Artest have been mostly invisible in games, and the Lakers bench have not been effective. But lets give the Dallas Mavericks a lot of credit for raising their level of play and bringing it to the champs. Dirk Nowitzski, and Jason Terry have been playing lights out, Jason Kidd has finally learned who to shoot, and Tyson Chandler, and Brendon Hayward are out playing the Lakers bigs. The Lakers can thank Portland for the Dallas team they are playing now. When the Mavericks lost game 4 at Portland and gave up that huge 4th quarter it woke them up, and they raised their level of play since then. I honestly thought that after the Lakers game 2 lost that the Lakers would come back and win 4 out of the next 5 games to win the series, but after going down 3-0 the Lakers run championship run if just about open.

Is It Time For The Lakers To Panic

2011-05-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

After going down 2-0 to the Dallas Mavericks and losing home court advantage, is it time for the Lakers to panic? The traditional answer would be yes. Traditionally, a team that loses their first 2 games at home in a series would be pretty much done. I have thought from the beginning that this would be the easiest series for the Lakers throughout the playoffs and through the finals. That's why believe the Lakers will still win this series, even though they might need 7 games at this point. To be a Lakers fan is to deal with so much frustration. You don't know which Lakers you're going to get on any given night.
You don't know if the Lakers that won like 14 or 15 games after the all-star break, or if you're going to get the Lakers that are down 0-2 to the Mavericks. The Lakers after the all-star break were an aggressive team on both sides of the floor. These Lakers almost seem like they are just going through the motions most of the time. You can see frustration on Kobe's face when the rest of team is not aggressive and the frustration on the rest of the teams face when Kobe is too aggressive. When the Lakers are clicking they can't be beat, but can they get it clicking fast enough to win this series. I say yes.

What Happened to the Sweet Science: What's the State of Boxing

2011-05-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

As a long time fan of professional boxing, what happened to the sweet science? What happened to the days where family and friends used to get together and all pitch in to purchase a ppv boxing match? Or the days when boxing matches and boxers meant more socially in the world. What happened to the days when being the champ meant something to people. Those days are pretty much now over. If you ask the average person who is the Heavyweight Champion of the world in boxing, and they would probably say Mike Tyson. There are only two mainstream names associated with professional boxing these days and those names are Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr... Of course to your more knowledgeable boxing people they will argue that there are many more talented boxers then those two, but the fact is that those are the two most popular active boxers of today.

The heavyweight division in boxing is not even relevant in the United States. I don't know about you but I don't even know the last time I seen a heavyweight boxing match of any kind being advertised on a ppv. When you do see anything on boxing on TV you better believe that either Mayweather or Pacquiao is on that card. It's a real shame that boxing can't find a way for the two most recognizable names in boxing to meet up in a fight. It's also a shame that boxing have fell so far from grace that MMA has far passed professional boxing in popularity. I don't know is boxing can reach that level it once was at, but I sure miss it.

Heat Too Hot For Celtics/ Grizzles Out Play Thunder

2011-05-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

Game 1 Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat

The Miami Heat out shined the Celtics in game 1 of their 2nd round playoff series. The Heat pushed the tempo and kept the Celtics off balanced for most of the game. Even when the Celtics made a run the Heat answered with one of their own. Dwayne Wade and Lebron James were dominating on both sides of the ball. While on the other side, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo were not a factor. When the Heat perimeter players are hitting outside shots the Heat are almost impossible to beat. The recipe to beat them is to clog the middle and don't let James, and Wade penetrate the defense. In game 1 the Celtics tried to make them jump shooters but they just kicked it out to the shooters until the defense loosened up. The Celtics didn't really get anything out of their bench. Jeff Green, Delonte West, and Glen Davis have got to be aggressive on offense and defense. I wouldn't expect game 2 to play out the same way. I think Boston will take care of the ball better. I think KG and Rondo will have a better game in game 2. I'm taking Boston to win game 2.

Game 1 Memphis Grizzles vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Memphis Grizzles dominated the Oklahoma City Thunder in their game 1 playoff matchup. Zach Randolph is in rare form, and Marc Gasol, and Mike Conley have raised their game another level as well. The Grizzles dominated the Thunder the same way they dominated the Spurs, with good defense and pounding the ball into the inside. The Grizzles are a prime example of a team playing as a team. They are sharing the ball, making the extra pass and helping on defense. With respect to the Thunder, Russell Westbrook was breaking down their defense and getting to the hoop when he wanted, but when he got their he couldn't finish. The Grizzles can't stop Westbrook or Kevin Durant, but they can stop everyone else. With Russell Westbrook controlling the ball and taking as many shots as he takes it's hard for the rest of the team to get a rhythm. I expect the Thunder to come out and beat the Grizzles in game 2, but it will be a long series.

5'10 Guard with 50' Vertical

2011-04-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

5 foot 10 guard from Illinois College got some springs. Oh yeah, and he's a white boy.

Boston Celtics Miami Heat Preview

2011-04-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

The Boston Celtics vs the Miami Heat should be the best series of the second round and perhaps the playoffs. The Celtics and Heat met 4 times during the regular season with the Celtics winning 3 out of the 4. In the Celtic wins they dominated the Heat inside and out. Rajon Rondo controlled the game and the tempo. Dwayne Wade was not a factor in all 3 loses. The key for the Heat to win the series is to speed up the tempo and force turnovers. They also will have to find a way to score during the final possesions of games. Chris Bosh will have to be aggresive during the whole series. He can't just settle for jumpshots. He has to make Kevin Garnett work hard in the post, and seeing that he is one of he Heats biggest players he has to have a presence on the boards.

The key for the celtics to win the series is to slow down the tempo and only run when it is needed. The Celtics will have a huge inside advantage if Shaquille O'Neal can play in this series. The Heat will doesn't have anyone who can matchup with Shaq, even at his age. If Shaq can't go for this series then the Celtics will need their bench to step up. Jeff Green and Glen Davis will need to have big impacts and Nenad Kristic will need to be a force inside. I'm taking the Heat in 6. I think their size will wear down the Heat in the first few game. I see the Celtics winning 1 in Miami, and finising it of in game 6 at Boston.

Green Bay Packers to Repeat

2011-04-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

The Green Bay Packers have got to be the favorites to when next years super bowl. The Packers don't have any real key free agents that they have to worry about losing. They might want to resign Cullen Jenkins to keep anchoring that front line with B.J. Raji, but after that anyone else is replaceable. Remember, the Packers won the Super Bowl without a running game and with many key players out with injury. Not to count the players they lost during the Super Bowl. With key players returning and the players they can add through the draft, and we all know that Ted Thompson is one of the best drafting GM's in the game today. The Packers should be primed to make another run at the Lombardi trophy.

End of the Spurs Dynasty

2011-04-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

After a 91-88 loss to the Memphis Grizzles, and a 2-1 deficit in the series, this could be the end of the San Antonio Spurs dynasty. I always thought that the Spurs were not as good as their regular season record had indicated. Going into the playoffs I had the Spurs losing in 6 games to the Oklahoma City Thunder. I never thought that the Memphis Grizzles, without Rudy Gay would be the better team in that series. Even though I think the Spurs will still win the series, they are clearly not one of the teams that can compete for a championship. The problem is that Tim Duncan cannot hold the type of defense he needs to hold against Randolph and Gasol and still be effective on offense. Manu Ginobili is struggling with that elbow, and Tony Parker is turning the ball over too much. As for the rest of the team, besides Mcdyess, they haven't showed up to play yet. The San Antonio Spurs still do have a solid nucleus with Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan, but if they can't get some needed help during the offseason it will definitely be the end of their dynasty.

NBA Powers Starting To Pull Away

2011-04-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

The first round of the playoffs have been surprising good. The games have been close, and the competition has been fierce. The Indiana Pacers have pushed the Chicago Bulls in all three of their games. The Memphis Grizzles are taking the San Antonio Spurs through a dog fight. Their are also a couple of series that are up in the air yet. But, I think as this first round starts playing out you're going to start seeing the power team’s start separating them self’s from the rest. The Celtics and Lakers have pretty much put their stamp on their series. The Miami Heat is going through the 76ers, and I think the Spurs will start to pull away from Memphis. I look forward to the second round where I think the playoffs are really going to begin.

NFL Draft:Over Hyped

2011-04-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

Let’s all face it; the NFL draft gets to much attention. I'm a faithful ESPN viewer, and I'm so tired of hearing about the NFL draft. Tired of hearing about the draft boards, who's on the clock, and who is going where. Honestly, does it even matter? Unless you’re a college football expert you're not going to know half of the players who get drafted anyway. How many players in the first round even go on to have a successful career? All football fans know about all the quarterback bust over the years, but sports media still feels the need to ask everyday who's going to be the first quarterback drafted. Does it matter! The quarterback that gets drafted in the 3rd round will probably be the most successful then all of the one's who went before that. Don't blame me for what I'm saying because it is proven.