NBA Talk on the Spot

Time Filling Commentary- Irrelevant Statistics

2010-04-28T22:35:00.000-07:00

I was watching the Bucks-Hawks game on TNT today and I heard the commentators present a stat saying something along the lines of "the Bucks have not won a game 5 since the 1960s." This comment is a waste of both airtime and energy; the comment has no significance other than to make the viewer question how long the commentators spend looking up such futile things. The Bucks have changed so much from the 1960s that it is almost like comparing two different teams. The coach has changed, the ownership has changed, the arena has changed, the players have changed- literally everything has changed. There is no point discussing such a fact other than to possibly mention how the team has improved but even this doesn't work as the team has changed so much that the old and new teams have nothing in common. To properly compare a team's current condition with its old status, a shorter time span must be considered. A good way to do this is to consider the intervals at which the team goes into the lottery. A typical "cycle" would be a team's performance from when it first comes out of the lottery to when it goes into the lottery once again. This technique would help measure how a team grows and declines and would ultimately provide a useful statistic to contemplate.

Blazers Manage Lakers... and disappoint the officials.

2010-04-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

The Blazers and Lakers have been tough rivals for more than a decade and because of the rivalry, games involving the two teams have very high stakes. Games tended to be played at the Staples Center have a bias towards the Lakers- the Lakers are favored for last second fourth quarter calls.

Take this video as an example of a Lakers-Kings game.

Today, it came down to the last 50 seconds. With the Blazers leading by five points, the Lakers got a three pointer by Kobe Bryant, but with a little help from a moving screen by Derek Fisher. At the other end, Andre Miller gets called for an offensive foul near the three point arc which seemed more like a blocking foul. The Lakers' next possession involved a blocking foul being awarded to them when the play was clearly an offensive foul on the Lakers. But the officials can't give the Lakers the win on a silver platter. The Lakers missed 3 of 4 free throws on their next possession and then Martell Webster was foolishly fouled on a three point shot, giving Blazers the win. Everyone needs a little luck now and then, whether it's from the officials or a slumping team.

Update: Jordan Buys Bobcats. A new hole?

2010-02-27T14:45:00.000-08:00

Michael Jordan waited 'til the last minute but bought the Bobcats late Friday night. Now Jordan is in charge of a team that is barely making its wins=losses and not drawing enough crowd to make ends meet. Jordan is already under debt after making an initial investment of $300 million when he was co-owner of the team so how will he recoup the debt with a team that loses millions every year? Another question is how will Jordan make the Bobcats an eye-catching team when his previous experiences as a team decision maker were under hot water? Jordan made a blunder drafting Kwame Brown as Washington's #1 pick and botched up in drafting Adam Morrison as 3rd for the Bobcats. The fans don't have much of an incentive to watch the Bobcats either. Who would pay big money to see a struggling team when you could see thrilling local U of NC games for a fraction of the price? As Charles Barkley stated, "There are too many teams in the NBA and the quality of play is outright embarrassing to the league". The Bobcats are one of the teams in the NBA that needs to leave after not having any success since its start. As great of a player Jordan was, his future as a team owner doesn't seem as promising.

Will Jordan Buy the Bobcats?

2010-02-03T06:32:00.000-08:00

Michael Jordan has always wanted a team. But one might ask, how would a basketball player ever manage to make such a hefty purchase with the measly salaries they receive? Teams are expensive. The Lakers are the most valuable team in terms of cash- they're worth $607 million. The Bobcats on the other hand, are cheaper but still costly at $278 million. By investing in a team, you should not expect to make much money as most of the revenue is paid away. The Bobcats have a revenue of only $96 million. Jordan would be incurring a major loss if he somehow managed to purchase the team, which is currently looking for a new owner. The current owner has apparently incurred major losses, cutting his wealth in half, Forbes says. Jordan is currently co-owner but will have to give up much more to become the majority owner. No NBA player has ever solely owned an NBA team. Will Jordan be the first?

Want more team values? Click here.

Basketball Nostalgia

2009-11-08T20:36:00.000-08:00

As an NBA fan, I increasingly feel that the NBA is just not what it used to be. The 1990s/VERY EARLY 2000s was the decade of the NBA at its best. The Lakers won, Spurs won, and the players were.... well... different. There is no one like Charles Barkley and how he used to simply back players down until he could dunk it. Or like how Barkley pulled the chair so many times.

The stars aren't what they used to be. Back in the day, players could literally carry their teams without much help at all. Who could forget Shaquille O'Neal's grinning face against the Blazers in the playoffs? Or Reggie Miller's consecutive three pointers to erase a six point deficit?

Allen Iverson used to be amazing but now he's not much. The game 1 of the 2000 NBA finals where Iverson scored over 40 points, giving Philly the early 1-0 lead at Staples Center.

Basketball is just boring now. The stars don't try as much and there isn't the excitement that you got from watching the NBA on NBC. Brandon Roy scored two points today in addition to his disappointing season start. Oh yeah, he's got an $80 million contract. Shaq's more of a figurehead now. He's no longer double teamed or intimidating. Really, the only player left to watch is Kobe. The guy gives it 110% every game and is rarely ever tired. He is the only 1990s player left worth watching.

Funny Headlines!

2009-09-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

In their efforts to make their articles appealing, journalists often go overboard in spicing up their headlines. Here are some funny headlines gone wrong.

New Study of Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group- The previous group wasn't fat enough.
Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft- Yeah, passing gas in a spacecraft would be disturbing.
Never Withhold Herpes Infection from Loved One- Infect as many as possible!
Iraqi Head Seeks Arms- Now that I have a head, I need some arms...
Tiger Woods plays with own balls, Nike says- Nike knows everything about Tiger, doesn't it?
Blind woman gets new kidney from dad she hasn't seen in years- Was she blind from birth or did she just recently become blind?
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead- Yeah I would assume hundreds are dead in a place of burial.

Back with a Blast...?

2009-08-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while but I'm going to start blogging again. I have decided to write about topics other than just the NBA in order to add some variety to this blog. Summer's getting boring now that school's about to start. The past few days have been very trite; they haven't been of much interest. A few unusual things did happen though.

I volunteered at the Oregon International Airshow yesterday (it wasn't that great) and experienced a day of boredom, apart from two events. It was really hot yesterday with scorching sunlight so I decided to take a break from trash duty (my volunteer position). I went over to the volunteer tent for some shade and noticed a plastic container containing around 20 empty beer bottles. I asked a guy why the bottles were there and he told me free beer was being given to volunteers. At the same time, an old lady who looked 90 years old walked by and excitedly interjected, asking about the beer bottles. When she found out about the free beer, she stopped in her tracks and ecstatically started towards the guy giving free beer, claiming the beer would do her some good. Honestly, I couldn't see how she would even be able to handle the beer...

The weather at the airshow was queer. I bought a popsicle to escape the heat and in five minutes time, it started raining. It felt like the temperature dropped 20 degrees in those five minutes. Then, after I was all wet, the sun came back. Being wet in sunlight does NOT feel good...

I met a 60 year old yesterday who was a total baller. This guy was so outgoing and cool, especially for an Asian. He comes up to me and talks like a gangster while making a flashy entrance. Then he goes away and jumps into a crowd. He was HIP man...

I love Call of Duty 4 and you should too. A funny thing happened today. I was playing at Ambush and decided to just openly attack the densely populated enemy base by myself. I tried to chuck a grenade as far as possible but instead, it hit a pole above me. Simultaneously, an enemy soldier shot and killed me. Expediently, the grenade I had chucked ricocheted back at me and avenged my death (by killing my assailant). I wish I had video taped the kill cam for that moment 'cause it was hilarious!

Hopefully when the school year starts, I'll have something more interesting to talk about but keep checking in! Oh yeah- the Blazers are going to win it all this season. Brandon Roy will uphold his claim to the title!

Cavs No More

2009-05-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

Ok so we just saw yesterday that the Magic are movin' on. The Cavs are going to have a long summer, as everyone is saying. How did it happen? The Cavaliers, who had the best regular season record, who swept their previous two opponents without any trouble. The Cavaliers were awarded two big awards this season- Mike Brown was the Coach of the Year and LeBron James the MVP. Yet they still lost. If Brown is such a good coach, then why does everybody disapprove of his coaching (scroll down and Vote on this Yahoo! poll). The problem was that the Cleveland bench collapsed. Big Z Ilgauskas didn't play very big, even though he's over 7 feet tall. And how could Z, Ben Wallace, or Anderson Varajeo not stop Dwight Howard? Howard scored 40 points in the final game of the series. And you can't say it wasn't called right. Cleveland was the favorite to win- anybody would have picked the Cavs to win the championship at the start of the play-offs. If they hadn't won game 2 on a miraculous shot by James, the Cavs would have been swept, and thus would have gotten a taste of their own medicine. Oh and it really sucks for Nike. Rafael Nadal and Ana Ivanovic lost in the French Open and LeBron James loses in the Conference finals. Too bad the Nike puppet ads showing LeBron and Kobe will have to be postponed, perhaps for next season. It's also too bad that Dwight is with Adidas...

The Denver Logo got Rear-Ended!

2009-05-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

This isn't the first time I've noticed this. But while reading the Yahoo Sports NBA blog "Ball Don't Lie", it was made clear again. Why do Denver Nuggets players have the team logo on the back of their shorts? It's a strange place to put the logo. The team could put the logo on the side of their shorts (ex: Nike logo on Nike shorts) or put it somewhere else in the front. But the positioning is just so weird: the team almost wants you to look down there. I've heard of advertising for the team but this is just ridiculous. Well, actually the advertising worked because people are noticing it and the team is being talked about. Another function of the logo might be to hide the butt. Huh.. Still, it's weird, don't ya think?

Rafer Alston Kisses Once, No Twice, NO THREE TIMES!

2009-05-15T06:36:00.000-07:00

It seems like Rafer Alston has a thing for guys. It's his way of forgiveness- kissing someone. To be honest, I have never seen this kind of apology between two males. Usually, it's just a sorry or slap on the back. But let's see the three kisses now, shall we? Note: Alston played for the Rockets before coming to Orlando.

The first one comes when Alston swats the ball into Chuck Hayes's face by mistake. Alston plants one right on the side of Hayes's face.

The second one comes when Alston kisses teammate Carl Landry makes a game-winning block on Deron Williams, and then saves the ball with 0.2 seconds left.

And finally, the third and most recent one is on a referee. After not getting the call he wants, Alston kisses the ref's bald head.

So this guy obviously has a thing for guys, but will there be consequences for kissing a referee? I don't know if you can be fined for being homosexual in the NBA...

Can 'Melo get the title?

2009-05-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

The Denver Nuggets have surprised everybody this season. Their season record was the same as the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Blazers were wiped out in the 1st round by Houston. Now it seems like the Lakers might be able to finish off Houston at home. The Nuggets however, will go to the Western Semis. Dallas shouldn't have bothered even trying to win. No team has come back, down 3-0 (3-1 now) and how will the Mavs accomplish that? They barely won game 4, and that was a home game! Going to Denver is just a waste of jet fuel; the Nuggets won't be returning to Dallas anytime soon.

Now as we know, the 2003 NBA draft was a killer draft. The 1st pick, LeBron James, is the 2009 MVP. Dwayne Wade has won an NBA title. Carmelo Anthony is already a superstar and on the verge of something even bigger. Except for number 2 pick Darko Milicic, the top 4 picks were all good.

The Lakers will most probably face Denver in the West Semifinals, with homecourt advantage. But does that really mean anything? The Lakers are having trouble taking down the Rockets, and nearly lost their home-court advantage after game 1. The Nuggets have the potential to easily take down the Lakers, whose season record is not reflecting their game. Clearly, regular season records don't mean anything in the playoffs. So if the Nuggets can beat the Lakers, can they beat the Cavaliers (who will beat Orlando/Boston)? That will be a big challenge for the Nuggets but I think they can do it. The Nuggets have a better rounded team; they don't just rely on their star players. And if Chris Andersen can return, the better it will be for the Nuggets. :)

Official Proposal

2009-05-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

If you watched the Dallas-Denver game, you'll know what I'm talking about. The fact that Antoine Wright's foul on Carmelo Anthony wasn't called is not by chance- it's called match-fixing. It doesn't take an official referee to see that a foul was committed, and yet the foul still wasn't called. Carmelo Anthony was hand-checked/pushed by Wright and no foul was called. Because no foul was called, Anthony continued playing and hit an open 3-pointer. Wright had stopped playing because he thought a foul had been called. After the game, Josh Howard had to literally be restrained from attacking a referee. Mark Cuban could be seen pushing reporters out of the way in order to get to the court. Now Dallas is down 3-0 and no NBA team has come back 3 games down to win an NBA series.
The NBA will review the play but won't do anything about it. The referees might "give" Dallas calls the next two games so that Dallas can win those games, but ultimately Denver will win the series. There is a simple solution to prevent the referees from cheating. Fine them for every bad call they make that determines a game. The officials can't be criticized in any way without the NBA doing something about it. Yet the officials can do as they please. Fine every official $50,000 for not making the foul call (in this case, 3 officials) and they won't cheat anymore. It just takes some action, but the stupid commissioner is too lazy to do anything about it...

Play-off Hopes

2009-05-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

As you know, the 1st round of the play-offs are finally over. And what a first round it was. Every series, except for the Cleveland-Detroit series (whose outcome was obvious from the start) was exciting. The Boston-Chicago series was easily the most action packed and competitive series, making it the best 1st round series in the history of the NBA.

The New Orleans-Denver series was highlighted by Denver's 58 point blowout. Dallas actually got lucky. They came in as one of the lower seeds and ended up playing struggling San Antonio. Anybody could have beaten San Antonio, which is why Dallas won 4-1. Too bad Utah didn't retain its 6th spot... What about Philly? They were the favorite to win game 6 after Dwight Howard was suspended. But Orlando got the job done even without their big man.

And finally, who could have forgotten the Portland-Houston series. Portland was just unlucky from the start. In three regular season games against the Rockets, Portland lost two in Houston. At home, they just barely won off of Brandon Roy's last second three-pointer. But regardless of this, Portland had home-court advantage going in to the play-offs. Portland was the favorite to win, but it dropped its home-court advantage in just the first game. Portland was choking- that's for sure. But what about the officials? They didn't give any calls to Portland when it mattered. It took Yao Ming at least 1 quarter before he picked up his first foul. And Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla of the Blazers would have 2-3 fouls before the 1st quarter was finished. But the Blazers were just out-coached in a way. In Houston, the Blazers lost games 3 and 4 by two or less points. Travis Outlaw couldn't make critical three-pointers and the only two players stepping up for the Blazers were Roy and Aldridge. After the series was over, Roy says the Blazers should win the championship next season. Is it possible? Maybe. But over the summer, the Blazers have to pick up some players that could contribute to a potential inside game. A shooting-only team like the Blazers won't get far in the play-offs without any inside game.

Oh and did you hear about Nate McMillan's $25,000 fine for so-called "criticism of the NBA officials?" All he said was that the Blazers weren't getting any calls but the NBA, with its awful commisioner, slapped a fine on him.

Kobe Bryant- Too much Special Treatment

2009-04-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

When will the day come that Kobe Bryant is treated by the officials as a normal player? When will the day come that he gets no more respect from officials than unknown players like Josh McRoberts? NEVER. Superstars in the NBA are treated like gods- making any calls against them is like defying god. It seems as if Kobe never fouls out (even though he has indeed fouled out 21 times in his career). It also seems like he never gets ejected from games after getting two technicals (he's only been ejected once in his career). It is quite often that Kobe is at 5 fouls and 1 technical. He always plays on the border line but never seems to go over the threshold and get removed from the game. Yesterday against Portland, he was playing this way (5 & 1). He never did foul out though...

Superstars also get special treatment with the fouls they "draw." Yesterday, Kobe drove the ball on Nicolas Batum. This guy is one of the best defenders I've ever seen. No one can take him down the lane. Anyway, Kobe tries to do this and ends up taking a fade away shot that falls about 5 feet short of the basket. Batum gets called for the foul. Look at the replay if it gets posted on YouTube- there was no contact whatsoever. Kobe just got pwned.

Speaking of bad fouls- here's possibly the worst call ever. The player bumps into his own teammate and a foul is called on the defender.

Basketball LOL!!*

2009-04-03T22:27:00.000-07:00

Kobe Bryant is sure having a lot of fun in these photos huh?!

Ray Allen has GOT to watch where he puts his hands for the basketball...

Is Dirk Drunk??

The bAd StUfF**- The New Orleans and York Fight

2009-03-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

A hilarious little disagreement between Chris Paul and Nate Robinson. It's funny because Paul, who is much taller than Nate Robinson, stands no chance against the smaller Robinson, who's a total beast (he jumped over Dwight during the dunk contest). Here's a video of Nate's anger--

And James Posey is a little sore after his team was losing...

I stopped blogging for awhile but should get back into it with the NBA playoffs starting. Too bad for Phoenix- one good west team always gets left behind and this year, Phoenix is going into the lottery!

Blazers and Lakers- Too Much Rivalry?

2009-03-10T06:27:00.000-07:00

I was watching the Blazers-Lakers game yesterday and for a Blazers fan, it was great. The Blazers were up by 20+ points the whole game and blew the Lakers out for a sweet victory. The fans at the Rose Garden were pumped up too. From the start, they were booing the Lakers and everytime Kobe got the ball, he was loudly booed. Chants of "Beat LA!" could be heard at times, ancd that's what the Blazers did. The win, however, came at a price. Blazers shooting guard Rudy Fernandez, who is a vital part of their team, was fouled on a lay-up attempt on a fast-break opportunity. As Brandon Roy passed the ball to Rudy, he went in for the easy lay-up but all of a sudden, the Lakers' Trevor Ariza came out of nowhere, hitting Rudy hard as he went up. Rudy came down hard and literally bounced on his hip as he hit the ground. Immediately, he was clutching his shoulder. For about 10 minutes, the broadcasters kept showing the replay of the play and it got very disturbing after awhile. Heres a video of the hard foul:

The Blazers were already leading by 28 points so there was no need to even foul Rudy. Although Rudy went down hard, luckily he will be fine, otherwise it could hurt the Blazers' chance to make the play-offs.
But why is there so much rivalry between these two teams? The Lakers have now lost 7 straight at the Rose Garden and are currently the best team in the NBA! The Blazers have lost to easier teams (Orlando, L.A. Clippers) at home and nearly lost to Indiana last week. If Blazers could just be more competitive with other teams, they would probably win more (Dallas next game?).

Top Worse NBA Officials

2009-03-06T06:27:00.000-08:00

Players are always complaining about bad calls and sometimes, they have a point. But after watching the Blazers-Nuggets game yesterday, I saw how bad officials can really be.

1) Violet Palmer is easily the worst official in the NBA. She makes the worse calls- she'll call you for traveling when you're bringing the ball up the court. She bypasses foul calls and in big games (Boston-Lakers), she won't even bother to call anything. She lets the game go on to keep its tempo. And one big thing- she has been known to give calls to the star players. And no one talks back to her either. Coaches and players are helpless...

2) Tom Washington. Yesterday, the Nuggets' Chris Andersen was clearly holding LaMarcus Aldridge's jersey and no call was made. The Nuggets fouled the Blazers on so many possessions and this idiot of a referee never called a single foul. And TNT, which was broadcasting the game, pointed out in their discussions that the Blazers were fouled on many attempts and no foul was called.

Is the NBA fixed? Because the team at home wins too much. It's the same game, just with some people rooting for you. Home court advantage = referee advantage!

Here are some TERRIBLE calls by officials...

1) After watching this one, you wonder: are they blind?? Or are they taking sides?

And here- can refs count?

Did you see the guy go down as if a train hit him?

Now I know that many players flop- Corey Maggette especially. How can someone so strong be pushed around so easily? But the officials are again to blame. How can they not see flops? Give the player flopping a technical and next time he won't pull the tactic... This is seriously ridiculous...

And this is just stupid...

Hopefully this opened up your eyes if you didn't know about the NBA- Where Cheating happens. And if you knew, just some entertainment!

Shaq- Rejuvenated

2009-03-02T21:23:00.000-08:00

Shaquille O'Neal is a legendary player as we all know. However, after he was traded to Miami from L.A., everybody thought that his time was over. He surprised everybody by winning a championship and the Lakers surprised the league by becoming one of the worst teams in the NBA. After he was traded to Phoenix, even the experts said that he was done. Shaq, being 36 years old, is a few years from retirement and is often said to not play in back to back games due to fatigue. But when Shaq was traded to Phoenix, he seemed to have rejuvenated one season after. Shaq is running around like he is just 30 and seems to be enjoying the game of basketball once again. His many championship rings aren't demotivating him from playing (there is no "seen it done it"). In fact, after Amare Stoudemire left Phoenix, Shaq has been playing significantly better. With no one to take away his minutes or to steal his spotlight, O'Neal is enjoying his current position. After beating his former teammate Kobe Bryant, he's even more proud. However, can Shaq really help the Suns reach the play-offs? They are a good team and it would be an upset if a team with so many star players doesn't make the play-offs...

Shaq Videos: The 45-point game

Special NBA Rumor- Marbury Hits Boston

2009-02-26T18:20:00.000-08:00

New York guard Stephon Marbury is no loner a Knick. He will sign with the Boston Celtics on Friday morning for at least $1.3 million. Why are the Celtics signing him? And where did Marbury's sudden interest to play come from? Well, everybody wants to play in Boston. You go there, put up 5 points per game, make the play-off roster, and win a title. Marbury's a good player. He will make the Celtics a better team and with him, they will most likely win the title. However, what happened to Rajon Rondo? The young player is starting to show what he is really worth and with KG out, he is taking over. Why did the Celtics sign Marbury if they have Rondo? Most probably, Marbury will be a back up point guard and Eddie House will no longer be playing much. With Marbury in the second unit, the Celtics will easily be the most deadliest team in the NBA...

Video Special- James Owns Harris's Shot, Eat That Rim!

2009-02-26T17:46:00.000-08:00

Remember that half court shot Devin Harris made at the buzzer to beat the Philadelphia 76ers? See below if you don't...

Anyway, LeBron James made a cooler underhand shot from over half court. Unfortunately, it wasn't during the game...

Then, at the half-time show during a Hornets game, one of the dunkers unintentionally comes in contact with the rim. Be sure to see Rasheed Wallace's reaction

And finally, Rasheed gets ejected. See the replay for a clearer angle.

Amazing Shots Of The Week- Superman Style

2009-02-23T16:42:00.000-08:00

Dwight Howard a.k.a "Superman" hit an amazing 75 foot one handed shot during pre-game practice. Now if he could just make free-throws like that...

Who can forget LeBron James's 16 points in just 2 minutes?

Funniest Free-Throw Shots!!

2009-02-22T09:51:00.000-08:00

Alright we've all heard of Shaq being a bad foul shooter and Ben coming in second. There have been numerous times when Hack-A-Shaq and even Hack-A-Ben have been used. But have you ever seen LeBron James throw air-balls? And what's the worst free throw form you've ever seen? Check out these videos to discover some of the NBA's worst free throw shots.

1) First we have the notorious Shaq!

2) Then we have ol' Benny.

3) Next up is King James.

4) Okay Wilt Chamberlain doesn't even aim. He just throws the ball at the rim...

5) And finally, Chuck Hayes probably has the worst form in the history of the NBA. He shoots as if his arm is broken.

Oh and then if you want to see James laughing at a Ben Wallace free-throw, see this. James shouldn't be laughing- he's air-balled free throws himself before.

LeBron James- Definite MVP Candidate

2009-02-21T11:37:00.000-08:00

The Lakers are the best team in the NBA but that is because of their players. LeBron James is on his own, with Ilgauskas and Williams as his two sidekicks. Yesterday, James proved why he should be the MVP. He scored 55 points against the Bucks on the road but that isn't all. It's the way he scored the points. Many people have had 50+ games this year (Brandon Roy, Tony Parker, Kobe Bryant) but not the way James did it. James hit 8 3-pointers, most of them on fast-breaks. He would pull up and just shoot, sometimes a couple of feet behind the 3-point line. People in Milwaukie were cheering for him.

Then there is the humiliation that the home team must face after not being able to stop James. They double teamed him as he shot jumpers but it was no good. Charlie Villanueva showed how mad he really was. After committing a hard foul on Anderson Varejao, he grabbed Zydrunas Ilgauskas's throat, as if he was bloodthirsty. Just like Zach Randolph a couple of days ago, he was ejected. What is it with NBA players who are sore losers these days? The NBA really needs to harshen up their disciplinary action. Check out the video below for a recap of James's incredible performance and Villanueva's uncool tactics...

Most OVER-RATED and UNDER-RATED NBA Players

2009-02-19T18:22:00.001-08:00

A lot of talk has happened on the NBA's most over-rated and under-rated players. Here's my list. Feel free to comment with your opinions.

OVER-RATED:

1) Stephon Marbury- Hasn't done much for his team. He was a good player in Phoenix but he has a bad attitude and is now just sitting around. He's no team leader.

2) Tracy McGrady- He has suffered from injuries and hasn't been a consistent player. His scoring average has dropped over the past few years and he can hardly be considered an all-star anymore. He doesn't help his team win and now he's out for the season.

3) Allen Iverson- He was a good player in Philadelphia, leading his team to the finals. But now with the Pistons, he doesn't do much. He only averages 18 points a game and the Pistons have declined in performance ever since they traded Chauncey Billups.

4) Greg Oden- Oden came into the draft as a dominant center. Good centers are hard to come by so Oden was thought of as a gift to the Trail Blazers. However, Oden is now battling injuries and isn't living up to everybody's expectations...

5) Rasheed Wallace- His performance has declined ever since the Pistons won the championship. After playing many seasons with the Trail Blazers, it seems that the championship season was all that Wallace had left in him.

UNDER-RATED:

1) Jeff Green- Second man in charge of the Thunder after Durant.

2) Gerald Wallace- He's one of the best player on the Bobcats and the Kings made a mistake giving him up.

3) Tim Duncan- Unlike Kobe or James, he doesn't get much attention. It seems like everybody is oblivious to the fact that he led the Spurs to so many titles.

4) Manu Ginobili- Where would the Spurs be without him? He is the spark off of the bench and plays like a starter.

5) Corey Maggette- Maggette is what you would call a power-guard. He can score as well as act. He takes more charges than anyone else- he flops like 10 times per game and fools the officials.

Zach Randolph Loses His Cool...

2009-02-17T20:12:00.001-08:00

In a game between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers, Zach Randolph showed off his bad attitude and how he never had any cool... Randolph is a sore loser- his team was losing heavily to the Suns and he let his anger loose on a mere rebound. While going for a rebound, Randolph and the Suns' Louis Amundson met up and let's just say Randolph wasn't a happy camper. In the first fight round, Randolph elbowed Amundson to the floor and just stared him down, acting as if he was some big shot. When Amundson got up, Randolph punched him in the face, sending him sprawling. The refs came over and Randolph was immediately ejected. This guy is out for at least 2 games, if not more. He deserves a good 10 games, in fact while they're at it, why don't they just suspend him for the rest of the season? Randolph has one of the worst attitudes in the NBA and is always unhappy. He has a hefty contract and is still unhappy. He has talent but it's of no use when it's paired up with his character... Here is a video of the punch.

Bad Economy Bad for Fired NBA Coaches

2009-02-16T10:14:00.000-08:00

So far this season, 8 teams have fired their coaches. That is a jaw-dropping amount, it's more than the average "firing amount" in the past few years. It seems as if team owners and executives want a "win now" sort of style. They are tired of their teams losing and think that firing coaches will be the cure. However, that is not always the right "cure." Washington fired its coach and still is in the running for the worst record in the NBA. Toronto's coach Sam Mitchell was fired after starting out 8-8 (wins/losses). After firing him, the team is now 21-34, even worse than what it started out as. One team has done well after firing its coach. The Philadelphia 76ers, who started out 7-10, are now 27-24 and are surprising people around the NBA. Their 7 game winning streak really caught the attention of many recently. Just yesterday, Suns coach Terry Porter was fired after leading the Suns to a rather poor record. They are barely in playoff contention and missing the playoffs would be a major upset. It's even worse to be fired in a time like this due to the bad economy. Most of these coaches won't find other coaching jobs easily and it's bad enough to be laid off in a time like this. Indiana is doing rather poorly as well and could be the next team firing its coach...

Oden Backs Out Of Rookie Challenge... Rudy Not Good For His Experience?

2009-02-14T14:21:00.000-08:00

When will Greg Oden show the NBA what he is made of? Oden sat out yesterday after banging knees with Corey Maggette in a loss to Golden State Thursday. Oden backed out of a rare chance to play with other rookies and more importantly, another chance to show how he compares with Durant. Durant scored 46 points, setting a Rookie challenge record. Oden has had a disappointing season and not playing yesterday has just disappointed the fans even more...

I have heard comments saying that Blazers rookie Rudy Fernandez is just a rookie in name. He has played many years in the European league and therefore, has plenty of experience. Should he even be considered a real rookie? Based on the amount of experience Fernandez has had, he doesn't seem to be as good as people would expect. But that's not all true. Fernandez played in the European League where things are a lot different. The players have different styles and the boundaries of the 3 point line are different. And Fernandez doesn't get as many minutes as other players. He plays around 20 minutes per game and comes off of the bench. He gets a solid 14 points a game which is good for the amount of time he is playing. Rudy is a great player and if you saw his performance in the Rookie challenge, you'd agree.

NBA Coaches- Do they need anger management?

2009-02-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

Just recently, Orlando coach Doc Rivers was fined $15,000 after his team lost to the Lakers. Apparently he was unhappy that one of his players didn't get a foul call on a last-second shot. STOP COMPLAINING. Referees or officials as they like to call themselves, are considered the "kings of basketball." Whatever they say goes. The booing of the crowd or the arguing of coaches and players won't change their decisions. And there's nothing you can do about it. The NBA doesn't have the rule that a ref must explain his call. Thus, bad calls are made. Thus, the coaches should stop arguing because it won't have any effect. Now, just yesterday, Cleveland coach Mike Brown was fined $25,000 because of some post-game complaining. He was unhappy that Indiana's Danny Granger was fouled on a last second alley-oop play that cost the Cavs the game. Brown's argument is pathetic. Granger was called for a personal foul on James on the Cavs' previous possession. That is what let them tie the game in the first place. Anyway, $25,000 is a lot of money to be fined. If coaches know that there are consequences to arguing extensively with officials, why do they do it? As NBA.com states, with humor, Mike Brown will go to the All-Star game with less spending money. Oh, and check out this video of Granger's last second alley-oop attempt on which the dispute arose...

Kevin Garnett- The Biggest Trash Talker in the NBA

2009-02-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

Kevin Garnett is easily the biggest trash talker in the NBA. During games, he will go up to players and tell them a thing or two after making a good play. After one of his thunderous dunks, he will yell things out. If he doesn't get a call, he will go up to officials and have a talk. Is he that good of a player? Okay, he's a decent player. But should he be allowed to trash talk so much? He demotivated young players and gets annoying after a while. There is only one way to stop this- give him a technical foul every time it happens. He is also very selective about who he trash talks to. But Boston fans don't mind- they love it. He won a championship so in his opinion, he's got the right to trash talk. Oh, he also taunts people (taunting fouls?). He's a real bully. Check out this video to see what I mean...

Mo Williams Finally Becomes an All-Star- His Complaints Paid off...

2009-02-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

Cavaliers guard Mo Williams made the all-star team after Toronto forward Chris Bosh injured his knee. Williams has made it clear that he was unhappy about not being selected to the all-star game two year in a row. After seeing him play, I totally agree with him. Williams is one of the best shooters in the NBA- never leave him open. He has taken a load off of LeBron James to lead this team and has really done his part well. He's a more interesting player too. Bosh just gets the job done- scores but doesn't have any style. Williams impresses everybody with his shooting. This is the 2nd player that is stripped of his all-star role. Orlando guard Jameer Nelson also injured himself and was replaced by Boston guard Ray Allen. I hope to see Williams in action on Sunday play a stellar game for the East, but hopefully not too well- I want the West to win!

Trail Blazers- They manage to pull-off a tough one...

2009-02-08T17:25:00.000-08:00

With the Blazers trailing by 1 point with 4.3 seconds left in the 4th, fans in the Rose Garden were holding their breath. As the Blazers inbounded a pass to Brandon Roy, he held it for a second and drove to the basket. Roy managed to put up a shot, unbalanced in the process. The next moment, he was being congratulated by his whole team. The Blazers had done it- beating the New York Knicks 109-108. But the victory came with great effort. Referee mishaps contributed- the Blazers didn't get charges and were called for blocking fouls on defense. On offense, they were called for offensive fouls. But a good team doesn't rely on referees for a win. The Blazers were leading by 17 points early in the 3rd quarter. What happened next? The Knicks went on a 17-1 run, coming within 1 point. At the end of the 3rd quarter, the score was tied. In the 4th, the Blazers trailed by as much as 10 points and didn't take the lead until Roy made the game winning shot. How could the Blazers give up their lead? They started out relatively strong compared to the Thunder game. Greg Oden is the answer. Although Oden's stats look impressive in the box score, his performance wasn't. Oden had 6 blocks but wasn't able to defend David Lee. He picked up 5 fouls and gave up critical baskets to Lee in the 4th quarter. When Oden went to the bench with 5 fouls, Joel Przybilla came in but was taken out in the next possession. Oden had a stronger game but could improve. When he fouled, his fouls were on 3 point plays (he gave up the basket in the process). The Blazers have to maintain their leads, otherwise their leads won't mean much. Another key factor was the hot shooting of the Knicks. Tim Thomas and Nate Robinson (only 5'8"!) made too many threes, unguarded. The Blazers didn't go man to man and they nearly paid for it. The Blazers got lucky, dodging bullets late in the 4th. They nearly gave up an easy game at home and have to be more careful in the future...

Boston Loses at home again- what's their excuse this time?

2009-02-08T14:22:00.000-08:00

Boston has now lost 2 in a row at home- Thursday against the Lakers and today against the Spurs. The loss against the Lakers was by one point. A few excuses were: Posey wasn't there, KG fouled out, and Ray Allen was fouled on his last-second shot attempt. I decided to watch today's game and see how the Spurs did. With 1:36 left in the 4th quarter, KG put the Celtics up 93-90 with a couple of jumpers. What happened next was ugly- for the Celtics. Roger Mason hit his 3 and Ginobili stole an inbounds pass and scored. Boston lost. How did it happen this time? No player was fouled- well Garnett always thinks he's fouled. Posey was still out but what about the Big 3? They each scored 18 points or more. And Rondo had 16 assists. The Celtics argued that Ginobili reached across the boundary line (between in and out of bonds) to intercept the inbounds pass. After I saw the replay, it was a clean steal. Ginobili anticipated the pass well. There was no bad refereeing either. More insults to the refs from Celtics coach Doc Rivers will just mean more money out of his pocket (he was fined $15,000 after the Lakers game). And the game was at home, unless the Celtics want to argue that there is no such thing as home-court advantage. As far as I can see it, there is no excuse. You would have to start making things up if you wish to explain why the Celtics lost. The Celtics just suffered embarrassing losses against the two Western Conference powerhouses on their home court.

The Blazers- Are they better at digging holes or playing?

2009-02-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

The Trail Blazers were a great team last year, until the middle of the season. They started out 25-16 but then finished 16-25. The main reason- they dug themselves into holes in the 1st and 2nd quarters of the game and then could never come back. It hurt them bad because they went 100% in the 4th quarter but that was often not enough. Take the Oklahoma City game for example. The Blazers were outscored 37-25 in the 1st quarter and 23-15 in the 2nd. At half time, they were down 60-40. Then in the 3rd quarter, they finally outscored the Thunder 26-21 and in the 4th, 27-21. However, it wasn't enough. They still lost by 9 points. Is this a repeat of last season? I sure hope the Blazers are more careful otherwise their record could turn around pretty quickly...

Andrew Bynum- will his absence hurt the Lakers? Stoudemire getting too hot?....

2009-02-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

Andrew Bynum wasn't with the Lakers much last season due to an injury. Last year, the Lakers were a good team, but not the best. This year however, the Lakers are THE best. Andrew Bynum may have something to do with that. After he came back from his injury, the young player immediately started putting up impressive stats. He plays strong- he sent Gerald Wallace to the hospital with a broken rib and is very intimidating to other teams. Other teams cannot match the Lakers' strong starting line-up of Bryant, Gasol, and Bynum. Now however, Bynum has re-injured himself. This will deal a blow to the Lakers, as teams no longer have to worry about the tough guy. I look forward to seeing him in 10 weeks when he returns for the play-offs.

Phoenix is trying to trade Amare Stoudemire, perhaps the Suns' most impressive player. Phoenix has revealed that they will trade anyone but Steve Nash, their most valuable player. I don't blame them- a talented point guard is hard to acquire and can make the difference between a winning or losing team. Stoudemire has gotten frustrated and angry that Shaq is taking up his offensive and overall role. Ever since O'Neal arrived, Stoudemire's stats have gone down. The Suns also aren't doing too well this season (they're behind a team that the Thunder defeated!). Keep your eyes open before the trade deadline...

The basketball player gets too much money rant...

2009-02-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the NBA players these days? They all get hefty contracts. KG had a 10 year $120 million contract at one time. Do they really deserve that much money? All the stars have contracts with sports companies (Nike, Adidas) too. These guys can't get laid off once they are "hired." In this economy, they are the least affected people. And how much hard work and stress is in their lives? Almost none. They don't have to worry about much, except for their reputation. Play for 5 seasons and they are set for life. After they are done playing, they can go become sports announcers or coaches and enjoy the rest of their lives. Damon Stoudamire has become an assistant coach, after realizing that he had no potential and was a bad player. He still earned $84 million playing for the Blazers, even though he was a bad player. The president gets paid only $400,000 for his 90 hour work weeks. Should these players even be getting paid so much?
Another point- injured players are paid even though they don't play when they are injured. Darius Miles was injured for about 2 seasons and didn't play or show up at games. He was still paid millions. These guys don't even work that hard. Their salaries should definitely be decreased, no?

Oklahoma City Gets a Win!! Kobe and Rondo- "BFF"

2009-02-06T20:23:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen it already, the Thunder killed the Portland Trail Blazers 102-93. The Thunder is one of the worst teams in the NBA but it sure didn't look like it when it played the hot Trail Blazers. As for the Blazers, they should be ashamed... Greg Oden vs. Kevin Durant in their first meeting... Durant scores 31 and Oden scored 4 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. I think Durant was the better pick, no?

Rajon and Kobe goin' at it... Check out this video clip... It's funny how Kobe points at Rondo and Rondo just backs off. Kobe's like "you back off son, I'm Kobe Bryant."

NBA All-stars? Brand isn't a brand name player?

2009-02-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

RAY ALLEN HAS REPLACED JAMEER NELSON ON THE EAST ALL-STAR TEAM! Yes, that is right. Nelson injured his shoulder and will now be replaced by Allen! I always thought that Nelson wasn't fit (fit) to be on the all-star team and now he got replaced by a more worthy player. Could fate have had something to do with this bad all-star decision?

ELTON BRAND IS OUT FOR SEASON... Elton Brand, so-called the 76ers star is out after dislocating his shoulder. He's no brand name player and after he returned to the line-up a week or two ago, the 76ers have started losing more. Maybe his injury will actually help the 76ers.

LAKERS DESTROY CELTICS ON CELTICS HOME COURT!! Missing your free throws can be so bad... In my book, if a team would just make its free throws, it would win many more of its games. Paul Pierce could have ended the game but made only 1 of 2 free throws, forcing an overtime. In OT, Eddie House took a bad shot, due to the defense of Kobe... How can three all-stars not take down 2? AT HOME?!! The Lakers beat Boston on L.A.'s home court too. I think the Lakers will take the title, courtesy of the Celtics' bad free throw shooting... This game also drew the highest rating on TNT since 1996.

BYNUM IS INJURED AGAIN!! The Lakers put so much effort into him but the guy is out for the season most probably. This guy has potential but is he not physically fit? The Lakers have wasted time on him. He won't be a good player after hurting himself so much... Just like Oden and Jason Kidd...

THE NBA TAKES AWAY LEBRON'S TRIPLE DOUBLE... At Madison Square Garden, LeBron put up 52 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds. An official review after the game said James didn't actually claim one of his rebounds, an unjust call. It would have been the first 50 point triple double since 1975. Maybe the Cavs are just disliked- Mo Williams didn't make the all-star squad either...

Improving Teams...

2009-02-04T17:55:00.001-08:00

The 2008-2009 season is more than half way complete and many teams have improved. Cleveland, Atlanta, Miami, and Portland have all gotten better. LeBron James has sparked the Cavs to being one of the best teams in the NBA. Dwayne Wade has finally recovered from his injury and is scoring a solid 30 points per game. What has happened in Atlanta? Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Mike Bibby, and Josh Smith have stepped up and may help the Hawks advance further in the play-offs this year. The Trail Blazers have really improved. Their offense has gotten better and they play with more strategy. They don't wait for the 4th quarter to play 100% and have acquired some good players. Rudy Fernandez and Jerryd Bayless have helped them become what they are today.

However, some teams have become worse than what they were last year. New Orleans is in a slump and is no longer a dominant team. They have been beaten by the Blazers and the Warriors on their home court. Speaking of the Warriors, Golden State has fallen from being a 0.58% winning team to a 0.30% team. It may be because of Monte Ellis's late arrival but Stephen Jackson is also shooting too much (and missing too much as well). What happened to Washington? Last season they were above 0.50%. This year, they are the worst team in the NBA (along with the L.A. Clippers)! They are really missing Gilbert Arenas. New York has also gotten better, perhaps by acquiring a new coach. Who do you think will make the play-offs? My list is below.

WEST

1) L.A. Lakers 2) San Antonio Spurs 3) Denver Nuggets 4) New Orleans Hornets 5) Portland Trail Blazers 6) Houston Rockets 7) Phoenix Suns 8) Dallas Mavericks

EAST

1) Boston Celtics 2) Orlando Magic 3) Cleveland Cavaliers 4) Detroit Pistons 5) Miami Heat 6) Atlanta Hawks 7) Philadelphia 76ers 8) New Jersey Nets

Midseason Awards- MVP, ROOKIE, 6TH MAN, and MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

2009-02-03T15:24:00.000-08:00

The middle of the season has arrived and gone by. I have put together a list of who should receive the following awards (MVP, rookie of the year, 6th man, and most improved) and why.

The MVP award is what people look forward to the most. This year, the possible candidates are LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwayne Wade. LeBron deserves the award hands down. The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the four best teams in the NBA this year (Celtics, Magic, and Lakers are the other 3). James was picked in the 2003 draft and has already become a superstar. He scores, rebounds, and get assists every game. He is capable of getting a triple double almost every game. Further more, he can play almost any position: he's a great passer, shooter, and plays big. James can get to the basket whenever he wants and is unstoppable. The only way to stop him from scoring is to foul him but he makes his free throws as well. Wade is a good player but he is still developing. He has been scoring 30 points a game as of late but his team isn't doing so well. Bryant, who is coming off of a 61 point scoring effort against New York is trying to get the award two years in a row. Kobe is a good player but overall, James is doing better. The Cavs have improved a ton while the Lakers have always been a good team.

The rookie of the year should be O.J. Mayo, Rudy Fernandez, or Jerryd Bayless. Mayo has been scoring well (19 points a game) and just recently scored 33 points against Washington. Mayo is a good player but his team isn't doing so well. He has the potential to do well and may have just what it takes to get the award. Fernandez scores 12-14 points per game and is a great 3-point shooter. He performs well and has been one of the key additions to the Trail Blazers this season. Jerryd Bayless isn't even on the rookie rankings, but he should be. He can attack the basket like nobody else. In the game against New Orleans, Bayless scored 19 points and helped the Blazers defeat the Hornets. He isn't afraid to get fouled and but could improve at the free throw line. Plus, Bayless is only 6'3" but can dunk with ease!

The 6th man award should go to Jason Terry. Terry averages 20 points per game and can't be matched by any other bench player. He is an essential part of Dallas's offense and they certainly wouldn't be where they are without him.

Finally, the most improved player is Devin Harris without a doubt. As soon as he was traded from Dallas to New Jersey, Harris started averaging 20 points a game and the Nets were back on track. Jason Kidd however hasn't done much for the Mavericks. The Nets' whole gameplay is centered around Harris for a reason. In addition, Harris was named an all-star this year!

NBA All-Stars- Are they correct?

2009-01-31T15:54:00.000-08:00

The NBA All-Star game is coming up but there has been some talk on whether the players chosen to play are any good. The starters for the West are Kobe Bryant, Amare Stoudemire, Yao Ming, Tim Duncan, and Chris Paul (all picked by the fans). We know that Yao gets most of his votes from China but he's still a solid center. Chris Paul is certainly deserving of his spot. Kobe? Of course. And Duncan and Stoudemire are alright as well. The East starters are Dwayne Wade, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, and Allen Iverson. Wade, Garnett, Howard, and James are worthy of their spots. Wade is a great team leader and Howard has made the Orlando Magic and unbeatable team. But Iverson? No way. He hasn't been as good as he was in the past: he only averages 18 points and 5 assists in 38 minutes of play. The Pistons aren't doing so well (25 wins, 20 losses) after they traded Chauncey Billups to Denver for Iverson. Ironically, Denver has been doing better after getting rid of Iverson. That proves that Iverson hasn't been much of a key player, although he stills impresses the fans (like always).

The reserves give me a lot more to discuss about. Chauncey Billups, Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Shaquille O'Neal, Tony Parker, Brandon Roy, and David West are representing the West. The player of concern is David West. West averages about 20 points a game and 8 rebounds. He plays for the rising New Orleans Hornets. The question is, how did he pass Al Jefferson to become an all-star? Jefferson averages 22 points and 11 rebounds per game. The Timberwolves aren't doing as well as the Hornets but it's the player that matters, right? At least that's the way it is in the East. Or even LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge doesn't score as much as West but helps his team a lot. Then there is the fact that West has Chris Paul to pass to him. Brandon Roy doesn't get as many assists as Paul (compare 11 assists to 5 assists per game).

Now let's evaluate the Eastern All-Star reserves. Chris Bosh, Danny Granger, Devin Harris, Joe Johnson, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, and Paul Pierce represent the East. The question is, how did Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson get onto the All-Star team? Could it be because of Dwight Howard (all on the Orlando Magic). Nelson averages 17 points and 5 assists. Lewis averages 19 points and 6 rebounds. How did Caron Butler not make the team (20 points per game). Or even Ray Allen (18 points per game). Hedo Turkoglu was missed out as well. They all help their teams but picking 3 players from one team that aren't exceptionally good is a mistake.

What do you think? Was this a mistake? Is the All-Star game losing its touch? Oh and something to think about. I've read that people are upset up international NBA All-Star voting. Yi Jianlian of the New Jersey Nets received many votes, too many in fact. If he had made the All-Star game, it would surely cause some question on how good All-Stars must be. Should the NBA change its rule on All-Star voting?

Greg Oden: Is he a bust?

2009-01-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

As an Oregon resident, I continuously hear about whether Greg Oden is a bust or not. The Portland Trail Blazers picked Oden as the number 1 draft pick overall in the 2007 draft. Oden missed his first year, not playing a single game after getting micro-fracture surgery on his knee. The 2008-2009 season is Oden's rookie season. Oden missed a couple of weeks early in the season due to a foot he sprained in his first regular-season game. Yahoo! Answers is already filled with questions asking whether Oden is a bust and YouTube the same. People are already questioning whether he is the next Sam Bowie. So is he...?

Oden averages around 8.6 points per game as well as 7.2 rebounds. He averages 1 block per game as well as 1.5 turnovers, all in about 23 minutes per game. The 2nd overall draft pick in 2007, Kevin Durant on the other hand, is averaging 24.7 ppg and 6.6 rebounds and about 1 block per game. He plays an average of 36 minutes a game. From the looks of it, Durant is contributing more than Oden is.

Now let's compare Oden with other number 1 draft pick centers in the past. Shaquille O'Neal (LA. Lakers), averaged 23.4 points per game in his rookie season in 1992. To go along with that, he averaged 14 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots, all in 38 minutes. Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs), who plays both power forward and center, averaged 21.1 points per game in his rookie season in 1997. To go along with that, he averaged 12 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots, all in about 39 minutes.

Some say that Oden is young and will grow into a good player. He will improve and we can't expect too much out of him in his rookie season. Patrick Ewing (New York Knicks) was said to be so-so in his rookie season. Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic), who is a dominant center today, was an okay player in his rookie season. Howard averaged only 12 points per game and 10 rebounds, as well as 1.7 blocks in his rookie season of 2004. Now however, he averages 20 points and 14 rebounds per game, as well as 3.2 blocks. Could Oden improve in the future?

The Portland Trail Blazers have had a tendency in the past to miss good players with their draft picks. In 2003, the Portland Trail Blazers pick small forward Travis Outlaw as the 23rd pick, missing all-star Josh Howard (29th pick). In 2004, they picked Sebastian Telfair as their 13th pick, missing 15th pick Al Jefferson who averages 23 points per game currently. In 2005, they gave away their chance to draft Chris Paul. In 2007, they drafted Oden and to some people, missed Kevin Durant. The only draft the Blazers cashed in on was the 2006 draft, in which they acquired LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy.

The Blazers have made a lot of mistakes in the past but with Oden? What do you think?