NBA Basketball Sports Fan Blog

The Heat are beginning to unravel at the seems and may be out of the NBA Playoffs soon. In the midst of last nights shellacking, Dwayne Wade began to take his frustration out on head coach Eric Spoelstra. Spoelstra’s been in a no win situation since this whole thing started: if his team wins he’ll get no credit and if they lose he’ll receive plenty of blame. If the Heat duck out to the Pacers in round two, Spoelstra will most likely be fired and Pat Riley will have to think about breaking this team up. And maybe it’s for the best.

We all know Dwight Howard is looking for a new home and the Magic are desperate to get something back for him. If the Heat were to offer Wade and Bosh, it would be impossible for the Magic to turn that down.

Combining Lebron and Howard would be putting together the two most athletically gifted players in the game (and possibly the two most athletically gifted human beings of all time). While this seems like a lot to give up for Howard, it would free up plenty of cap space for free agents such as Steve Nash and Jason Terry who have already expressed interest in joining the Heat.

The Heat are learning a hard lesson: that you can’t just combine talent and expect it to work. You must build a team to win. It’s why the Spurs are now the favorites and it’s why we may be looking at an entirely new Heat team next year.

The 2011-2012 NBA playoffs are only in their second round. Yet injuries have already put a large asterisk on whoever will be named champion this year. What’s been surprising about the injuries is not necessarily that they’re happening, but who they’re happening to. Old teams like the Celtics and Spurs have stayed relatively healthy, while younger teams like the Bulls and Heat have lost key players.

This injury saga started before the playoffs when Dwight Howard attempted to give Stan Van Gundy a piggy back (just kidding) and herniated a disk in his back. He would elect to have surgery that would cause him to miss the rest of the season.

Then came Derrick Rose whose injury was reminiscent to that of Boobie Miles from the movie Friday Night Lights. In Game 1 of their series vs. the 76ers, the Bulls led by twelve with 1:20 to go. It’s not over until it’s over. But this game was over. Rose drove to the basket to attempt to extend the lead to fourteen and fell awkwardly on his knee tearing his ACL. The Bulls were the only team that could challenge the mighty Heat so the Eastern Conference had an asterisk on it from Game 1. As if that wasn’t enough, the Bulls would go on to lose Joakim Noah to an ankle injury and then become the 5th number one seed to lose in the first round.

Then came the Knicks slew of injuries which included Iman Shumpert doing his best Rose imitation by tearing his ACL and Amar’e Stoudemire showing he is in fact capable of crashing the glass. While the Knicks posed no real threat to the Heat, they at least could have momentarily slowed them down.

Finally, two days ago Chris Bosh went down with an abdominal strain that will sideline him indefinitely. Bosh has often been referred to as the half man in Miami’s “Two and a Half Men” but his absence was clearly noticed as the Pacers beat the Heat in Bosh’s first game out.

Many fans are glad to see something bad happen to the Heat, but at least they made things exciting. Just wait until we’re watching Indiana play San Antonio in the NBA Finals.

For 75% of NBA teams the season is over and that means its time to look ahead to next season. 2012 free agency isn’t full of stars, but it is full of important players who could turn good teams into contenders and contenders into even more powerful contenders. Here’s a quick look at the top five from each position and where they could be headed:

1. PG- Deron Williams (player option), Steve Nash (unrestricted), Andre Miller (unrestricted), Jason Terry (unrestricted), Jameer Nelson (player option)

- It seems inevitable that Williams will end up in Dallas so the most coveted free agent point guard becomes Steve Nash. Nash has expressed interest in joining a contender and they’ll most likely be lining up at his door to offer him a contact. Miller is a nice consolation prize for whoever ends up not getting Nash. Terry will most likely demand the largest contact other then Williams because he still considers himself a top scorer. Nelson seems likely pick up his player option and stay in Orlando for one more year of the Dwightmare.

*Special Note: Many see Jeremy Lin’s name on the free agent list and assume he will leave the Knicks for a big contact, but thanks to The Gilbert Arenas Rule (that’s seriously what it’s called, and yes that makes two NBA rules that involve Arenas) he will most likely have to stay. The rule was created in 2005 and it prevents teams with restricted free agents that have been in the league for less then two years from being outbidded. If you want more details you can Google it, but the bottom line is he’ll be on the Knicks for one more year.

2. SG- Eric Gordon (restricted), O.J. Mayo (restricted), Ray Allen (unrestricted), J.R. Smith (player option), Louis Williams (player option)

- The free agent shooting guards are represented by many players who may have the ability, but haven’t had a chance to be a primary scorer. It’s possible Gordon gets a max offer from a desperate team like the Nets, but it depends on his health. Like Nash, Allen will be looking to join a contender on what will likely be a short deal. Smith, Mayo and Williams will most likely leave their respective teams for more money. They’ll all likely join sub par teams unless they’re willing to take a pay cut.

3. SF- Gerald Wallace (player option), Nic Batum (restricted), Steve Novak (unrestricted), Grant Hill (unrestricted), Matt Barnes (unrestricted)

- Small Fowards are the weakest of the free agent position. Batum is an underrated player due for a large contact. He’s a restricted free agent and it seems likely that the Blazers will match whatever another team offers. Wallace has a player option and could stay with the Nets and possibly (and sadly) be the initial face of their Brooklyn franchise. Novak earned his place in the NBA this season by leading the league in three point shooting and should get multiple offers. Hill and Barnes are respected veterans who will most likely become bench players for contenders.

4. PF- Kevin Garnett (unrestricted), Tim Duncan (unrestricted), Brandon Bass (player option), Ryan Anderson (restricted), Kris Humphries (unrestricted)

- Power Forwards are the most intriguing of the free agent positions. The only one that is surely resigning is Duncan who will probably sign his last contract and retire with the Spurs. It’s hard to imagine Boston losing both Garnett and Bass so it’s likely that one will stay. They’ll probably attempt to sign Garnett first. Anderson is coming off a stellar season where he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award and will probably be leaving Orlando for a large deal. Humphries couldn’t find an offer he liked last year but now that he’s shed the Mrs. Kardashian tag, he should be sought after by many teams.

5. C- Roy Hibbert (restricted), Javale McGee (restricted), Brook Lopez (restricted), Spencer Hawes (unrestricted), Chris Kaman (unrestricted)

- With the center position rather thin right now, Hibbert becomes a rather coveted free agent. He’ll be sought after by more teams then any other free agent, but is restricted so the Pacers would have a chance to match any offer and most likely will. At the beginning of the season McGee was considered a raw talent better known for his mistakes. After being traded to Denver he has gotten his act together and turned himself into a legitimate center; its hard to imagine Denver letting him go. Lopez is coming off an injury ridden year and it seems unlikely he’ll leave the Nets. With the lack of centers there is certainly a market for both Hawes and Kaman and both will likely leave their teams.

Despite the Lakers outscoring the Nuggets by eight in the fourth quarter and despite 43 points from Kobe Bryant, the Nuggets found a way to stay alive in L.A. But was this loss actually a good thing for the Lakers?

On April 2, Metta World Peace’s elbow connected with James Harden’s beard in a move that would have made Hulk Hogan proud. He was suspended seven games by David Stern meaning he would miss the last regular season game along with six playoff games. Tonight will mark the last game of his suspension.

Once the Lakers win this series they’ll move on to play the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team the Lakers match up terribly with. The Thunder are one of the few teams that can deal with the size of the Lakers and no one on the Lakers can match up with Russell Westbrook. The Thunder also have Kevin Durant, the NBA’s three time scoring leader. Metta is the only Laker who has a chance of containing Durant.

Whether or not the Lakers win tonight, Metta will be back next game. Whether or not he can stay on the court is up to him.

Late in the season Steve Nash finally decided Marcin Gortat being the second best player on his team was unacceptable.

“Hopefully the opportunity falls upon me to play with a team that contends,” Nash told USA Today Sports as the 2011-2012 NBA regular season neared its end.

The Suns certainly won’t be contenders next year so Nash will almost certainly be leaving to play somewhere else. But where?

The most likely destination could be Orlando where the Magic have desperately looked for a partner to pair with Dwight Howard. If they’re smart they’ll do anything they can to avoid the circus of last season and that most likely means landing a big name player this summer.

There have been rumors that Nash would consider the Heat, but that would involve a large pay cut and make people hate the Heat more then they’re already hated. This scenario seems unlikely.

The best situation for Nash that I haven’t heard mentioned yet is (drumroll please…) the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks crave a leader like a fat kid craves cake. Again, this would involve Nash taking a large pay cut, but he’d be surrounded with loads of talent. The Hawks could finally make amends for passing on Chris Paul and Deron Williams for Marvin Williams in the 2005 draft and Nash to Josh Smith would become the second best alley-oop combo in the league (behind CP3 and Blake). A starting line up of Nash, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Josh Smith and Al Horford would be among the best in the East.

It seems that the curse is still very alive in the rose city. With the latest bad news coming out of Portland that all-star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge will miss the rest of the season due to a hip surgery, Blazer fans everywhere cringe. Here is a timeline of what some consider bad luck and what others consider a curse.

-1977 Trail Blazers and Hall of Fame big man Bill Walton won the NBA championship, the following season Walton won the MVP but was injured again and could not play in the playoffs. Walton then demanded a trade from the Blazers and even sued the team for providing him poor medical treatment. Walton sat out the entire 78-79 season after Portland did not trade him and later signed as a free agent with the Clippers. The Blazers have not won a championship since.

-1984  The Trail Blazers had drafted Clyde Drexler a year prior to the 1984 NBA draft and they had the 2nd overall pick, which they were hopeful in adding a center. Hakeem Olajuwon was drafted number 1 by the Houston Rockets and the Blazers decided to go with 7′1 center Sam Bowie, since they lacked a center and already had plenty of guards. Bowie was a good college center and even selected to be on team USA before they boycotted the Moscow Olympics. The third pick in the draft was no other than Michael Jordan. Bowie played 76 games his rookie season averaging 10 points and almost 9 rebounds per game, however after that year he only played 63 games in the next 4 season due to several broken legs. I don’t have to say what Michael Jordan went on to do in his career.

-1986 Trail Blazers select Arvydas Sabonis from Lithuania, who at the time was regarded as maybe the best big man in the world. He was not allowed by his government to play in the NBA until 1989, after leading his team to an Olympic gold in 1988. However, he did not come to Portland until 1995 when his knees were already so bad that there were reports that he could qualify for a handicap parking spot based on his x-rays alone. Sabonis had a solid Trail Blazer career and was a fan favorite, but it’s hard not to think about what could have been if he had came to the NBA earlier when he was healthy.

-2007 Trail Blazers win the draft lottery, although they were not even suppose to have a top 5 pick. The blazers selected 7 foot center Greg Oden out of Ohio State, a move that every GM would have made at the time. Oden played less games than Bowie and Walton due to several knee injuries. Before his first season with Portland, Oden underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee and was forced to miss the entire season. He returned the next season and dealt with minor injuries such as a sprained foot and a chipped knee cap but played in 61 games. The next season Oden got off to a good start in the first 21 games before rupturing his knee at the Rose Garden against the Houston Rockets. Oden was never able to return to the court after that injury and had a total of 5 knee surgeries with the Blazers. Oden only played in 82 games in his 5 seasons with the Blazers and no one was ever able to see his real potential. The 2nd pick in the 2007 NBA draft was all star and scoring champion Kevin Durant.

-2011 Brandon Roy had quickly became the face of the franchise as he was a 3 time all star in his first 4 seasons. Roy was born and raised in the northwest and loved Portland as much as Portland loved him. Roy was forced to retire in December before the 2012 season due to chronic knee injuries. Roy ended up having 6 knee surgeries in his Portland career and doctors feared he would not be able to walk later in life if he continued to play. Roy’s decision to retire shocked some but to many around the Portland circle, it was inevitable. Roy will still be remembered as one of the greats in Portland but yet another star that had his career cut short due to injury.

-2012 In the midst of a terrible season where the Blazers fired Nate McMillan, the lone bright spot on this rebuilding team was first time all start LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge was playing at an extremely high level and amongst the league leaders in minutes played. In April, the Blazers announced that Aldridge would have hip surgery and miss the remainder of the season. Although this is not suppose to be anything serious, you can see why Blazer fans and the Blazer organization is thinking “not this again.”

Some fans like to blame it on bad luck and others say that it is some kind of a curse. However you look at it the Trail Blazers have gone through a stretch of misfortune and injuries that leave a franchise wondering when and if they can ever win another NBA championship. For Trail Blazer fans everywhere, pray that LaMarcus will return and be full strength and that this bad luck or curse will eventually fade away with new players and new management.

The red hot Heat have streaked on to an impressive 8th straight win downing the Knicks in Miami. Yeah, if only that was the story. Miami would have let ‘Melo go off for 40 points, or let J.R. Smith play like he’s still in China, but there was no way the Heat would let themselves be just another victim of Linsanity. Lin had by far his worst game as a Knick, trying to solve the puzzle that was the Heat’s impenetrable defense. He finished the game shooting just 1 for 11 from the field with 8 points and just as many turnovers. Now, the comparison to Tebow makes a little more sense doesn’t it? Unfortunately, just as any other craze in sports occurs out of nowhere, people are waiting for all the hype and intrigue to crumble. Waiting for the first game that player has an off night; for all the haters to say I told you so. Loving the story of an unknown burst into superstardom, but quickly falls off the pedestal of celebrity back down to reality. We always do this. It was one game. It didn’t help that Anthony played like the 5th best Knick last night. Well, you Lin some, you lose some I guess. Tune in next week for the next installment of Linsanity…it’s not over.

After making his third return to Cleveland as part of the Miami Heat, LeBron James believes that the town’s justifiably irate fans have seemingly thawed from his perspective. Obviously, he is happy playing for a championship-contending team, alongside Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, but revisiting Cleveland made him think about the memories of his Cavaliers past. LeBron, for your safety, I think your time in Cleveland is over. It wouldn’t be such a ridiculous thought if he’d left in the offseason two years ago on normal terms. There is no problem leaving for more money, or a better shot at winning a title. But, the sideshow, all about me act the was “The Decision” two summers ago, along with playfully saying he’s going to “take his talents to South Beach” like some premadonna rock star all but sealed his fate of genuine disdain from fans. Over time, sure fans may be able to get over it, but that doesn’t mean they’d want you back. Although you may see yourself someday coming back to the Cavs again, that doesn’t mean the fans can see you wearing a jersey you once wore proudly and then publicly embarrassed. People understand that you need to do what’s best for you in sports. What’s best for you LeBron, is not located in Cleveland.

The world has gone crazy with Lin-sanity! Even Knicks fans are watching the Knicks these days. Jeremy Lin has burst onto the New York scene, and his instant success has launched him into the NBA spotlight. The Knick point guard is the first player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and 6 assists and win in his first 5 games, and now holds the record for most points scored for a player in his first 5 games played. His stats and success have sent shock waves through the NBA, in the way that he’s now getting compared to Tim Tebow media craze. Well, he keeps on “Linning”. Lin was a guy who had been passed around the league, dumped and never given an opportunity until he got to NY. This is a guy who, even into the beginning of this season, was sleeping on his brother’s couch. Today it is reported that he has made New York home, and is seeking refuge from the phenomenon in a swanky apartment complex; subletting a two-bedroom apartment from former Knicks standout, David Lee. Jeremy is living the American Dream. Last night in Toronto, Lin hit a 3-pointer with just .5 seconds left of the clock to give the Knicks yet another win, and give Knicks fans something to really celebrate on February 14^th. So, for all NBA fans everywhere…Happy Va-LIN-tine’s Day!

Click here to see a larger image..