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.

The grueling 82-game season from the end of October to the middle of April is only the beginning to the NBA season for 16 teams. What follows is a two month long battle royal to the top of the NBA mountaintop. It certainly will be fun to watch this year with so many key players shifting uniforms. The top teams are evident, but you can’t count out the sleeping giants or the cinderellas. The following is a breakdown of my top eight seeds in the Eastern Conference.

#8 New Jersey Nets
I believe the Nets have what it takes to make the playoffs this year. As detailed in my surprise teams post, the Nets are primed and ready to drastically improve from last year’s poor showing. A new coach (Avery Johnson), the number three draft pick (Derrick Favors), a deeper and more talented sharpshooting and bench contributors (Troy Murphy, Anthony Morrow, Travis Outlaw, Jordan Farmar, etc.), and the continued improvement from the young franchise benchmarks in Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, and it looks like this team could very well sneak in the postseason with 40 wins, maybe even fewer.

#7 Philadelphia 76ers
Philly was one of my three teams that could surprise this year. They, like the Nets, have a new coach in Doug Collins and a promising young talent in the second overall draft pick Evan Turner. He should be a solid rotation piece. It will be interesting to see how he and Andre Iguodala will mesh together. As has been the case for some time, Elton Brand is still a question mark in Philly. Spencer Hawes was brought in to pretty much offset the exit of Sam Dalembert. Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, and Jrue Holiday are three young studs in a promising back court rotation. Let’s not forget, the Sixers were a playoff team in 2009. I believe they can get back to that level this year in a top-heavy East with around 38-44 wins.

#6 Atlanta Hawks
Joe Johnson is resigned to a ridiculous six year, $124 million contract. So there’s that. That’s about the only good thing the Hawks have going for them this year, although they severely overpaid for him. The Hawks failed to add frontcourt size in Shaquille O’Neal. They have failed to offer the reigning sixth man of the year in Jamal Crawford a new contract. Their major offseason acquisitions were Xavier rookie Jordan Crawford and center Etan Thomas. Once considered (albeit arguably) a contender, due to their inactivity, they are no longer near that level. They still have Josh Smith, Al Horford, Marvin Williams, etc. There’s just not much else going for this squad. I think they’ll get about 45 wins this year, good enough for no better than the 6th seed.

#5 Milwaukee Bucks
This year, teams might want to really consider fearing the deer. This team surprised last year with the emergence of Brandon Jennings and improved play from Andrew Bogut. They took the Hawks to seven games and almost beat them. They resigned John Salmons to a new deal, who was a key piece in the Bucks success last year. They signed two guys that figure to be big contributors in Corey Maggette and Drew Gooden. Michael Redd is always a question mark with his injury history, but if he stays healthy, it puts this team in an even better situation. Scott Skiles has this bunch playing tight and tough defense and they have the offense needed to stay relevant. I flirted with putting this team as the number 4 seed. These guys are looking good and can make some noise. I think they’ll get around 46-49 wins.

#4 Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are in the conversation as a contender in the East due to their pickup of Carlos Boozer. His scoring and rebounding coupled with Joakim Noah’s toughness and rebounding could be the best frontcourt tandem in the league. Noah will be energized with the organization putting faith in the big man with a $60 million contract extension. They’ve also added the sharpshooting Kyle Korver, the versatile and lanky Ronnie Brewer, a backup point guard in C.J. Watson, and old man river Kurt Thomas. Add to that Derrick Rose’s drive to win the MVP this year and you’ve got quite the determined bunch. And don’t forget about their new defensive-minded coach in Tom Thibodeau. Boozer’s early injury could mean tough sledding in the early going, but once he comes back, they have a legitimate shot at competing. However, I think they were at the level the Hawks were last year: on the cusp of contender, but not quite. Too bad they didn’t trade for Carmelo Anthony. That would have put them in that company. 50-52 wins for this squad.

#3 Boston Celtics
The reigning Eastern Conference champs are determined to not let last year happen again. The slow finish to the regular season, I mean. An injury mired second half of the season was a contributing factor to the Celts going 27-27 to finish the year. It lead to a lot of tinkering with lineups. Doc Rivers is hoping he doesn’t have to do that again because he wants home court advantage, something they lacked throughout the playoffs last year. The O’Neal brothers are in town this year (Shaquille and Jermaine), adding even more size to an already beefy frontcourt. Delonte West is back with the team after a hiatus in Cleveland. So is Nate Robinson with the signing of a new contract after his stellar performance off the bench last year. This team should compete for the title once more. Their window (boy that phrase is getting old) is not closed yet. They win 51-53 games this year.

#2 Orlando Magic
Frankly, I’m not quite sure what to expect from the Magic this year. You know Dwight Howard will be his regular beastly self. Jameer Nelson will be their steady and trusty point guard. But question marks abound after that. This team has the talent to compete, but on any given night a guy who they need to win under-performs. Case in point with Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis in their playoff loss to the Celtics last year. J.J. Redik might even start. That doesn’t bode well for them in my eyes. Brandon Bass was underused last year. Hopefully Stan Van Gundy can realize what a talent he is and use him more. Their offseason was relatively quiet. They let Matt Barnes bolt for the Lakers. They signed former Knick Chris Duhon, and they drafted the unproven big man from Kentucky in Daniel Orton. The more I look at the Magic the more I am tempted to put the Celtics at the #2 spot. Then I look at what they have in Howard and am tempted to put them at #1. It will certainly be an interesting season for the other team from Florida. I think they’ll win 54-56 games this year.

#1 Miami Heat
Who would’ve guessed? Any team with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, regardless of the talent surrounding them, will be a surefire lock to contend for a title. Thing is, I believe that’s as far as they will go, for now. They aren’t going to win it all just yet in my opinion. There’s too many question marks. Mike Miller is a brilliant find, but outside of that, you’ve got to wonder. Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers are their options at point guard. Neither are serviceable starters. Take a glance at their frontcourt: Joel Anthony, Udonis Haslem, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Juwan Howard, and Dexter Pittman. Yikes. None of these guys can begin to even think they can cover the multiple skilled bigs the Celtics have as well as Howard in Orlando. One thing’s for sure, the Magic-Heat rivalry is back with all the smack talk Van Gundy and Co. are doing. I can’t wait to see how the Heat deal with their shortcomings against the elite in the east. They will win anywhere from 59-67 games, but certainly not 73. Let’s get real here. And don’t forget about the injury bug, which has already bitten Wade. Anything can happen.

Stay tuned for my eight playoff teams in the Western Conference.

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

I read a satirically written article on Bleacher Report the other day about Kobe Bryant that pointed to all of the reasons people hated on Kobe Bryant. One of the many insults the author runs through includes the fact that if Kobe didn’t have Pau Gasol or Shaquille O’Neal, he would not have had five rings right now. His inability to coexist with Shaq led to the team’s separation and the end of something that could have been much bigger.

Kobe Bryant is the poster boy for the “alpha dog” moniker in the NBA. At least, he was. With time, he has learned that success in basketball cannot be had by an individual player. It takes a TEAM effort to win, a theory some people don’t seem to subscribe to with all of this “who’s the best player” talk.

Kobe’s worst years in the league came after Shaq left the Lakers. Kobe was a mess. Yes, he was the proverbial alpha dog during that period. But what happened? He had no supporting cast. A guy as proud and talented as Kobe wasn’t very accepting of the team because they weren’t clicking and they weren’t winning. He didn’t think his team could win. Those are the ingredients of an 81-point game. Those are also the ingredients of ill-advised and hasty trade demands. He almost became a Bull for those of you who forgot.

Once the Lakers were gift-wrapped Paul Gasol from the Grizzlies, they were considered instant championship contenders. Why? One, because they have Kobe, and two because they received a second top-tier talent to HELP the TEAM win. And the rest is history. Kobe will be the first one to point to the reason why he has had recent success.

As everyone is well aware, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh are all on the same team now after being the number one option on their previous teams. One of the many questions that they have received is “who will get the ball in crunch time” or “how will your egos coexist with each other?” Look, these guys are buddies. They will have no problem stepping aside and letting the other have the limelight. In the end, who cares if James, Wade, Bosh, or even Mike Miller gets the ball in crunch time? As Coach Herm Edwards uttered the infamous phrase: “You play to win the game.” It’s as simple as that. If you don’t go into it with that kind of mindset, then you won’t get much accomplished. These guys joined forces to win. That’s what they care about most. I’m pretty sure they aren’t that torn apart about leaving their teams for greener pastures. Did James and Bosh give up and bail on their teams? Yes. Do they have a greater opportunity to win now as opposed to where they were? Absolutely. And it’s all because they want to win and they went after the greatest chance to do so. James had a great team in Cleveland. By all accounts, he could have won there had he stuck around in my opinion. Bosh had a mediocre team in Toronto. He couldn’t have won there, so he left.

Amare Stoudemire was in a great situation with a Hall of Fame point guard in Steve Nash, but he fled to the Knicks, partly because he wanted to be the alpha dog. There’s that pesky phrase again. When three guys forfeit their position as the featured guy on a team and join together (i.e. James, Wade, and Bosh), they form a force to be reckoned with. When one guy leaves a successful team to join another not so successful one to get more money and to be a go-to guy (i.e. Stoudemire), then you get a team in flux that won’t win many games. I applaud James and Bosh’s decision to play with one another. They will be sacrificing point production, but they will be gaining so much more. It’s a no-brainer.

I struggle to understand the people who criticize Bosh and especially James for not staying loyal to their teams and trying to win a title by themselves. I’m all for the loyalty part, but these guys aren’t trying to “win one by themselves.” It’s a team game!

How many elite talents in the NBA have won a title without another elite talent? None! Not one! Let’s look at the past champions: the Lakers (Bryant and Gasol; Bryant and Shaq), Celtics (Garnett, Pierce, and Allen), Heat (Wade and Shaq), Spurs (Duncan, Ginobili, and Parker), Pistons (…their whole starting lineup!), Bulls (Jordan and Pippen), Rockets (Olajuwon, Smith, and Drexler). Do you see what I’m getting at? Not only do you need more than one elite athlete, but you need a cohesive unit that complements each other’s game. That’s one of the main reasons why “Miami Thrice” came to fruition. Shortly after Lebron made is ill-conceived “Decision,” people were already asking if the Heat were now favorites to win it all. Well, at that point there were only four guys committed and under contract for the team (James, Wade, Bosh, and Mario Chalmers)! I don’t think they had much of a shot with players on the roster, but that’s just me.

Next time you question Lebron’s or Kobe’s motives, understand what they are striving towards. Understand their competitive drive. Understand their hunger for success. Understand, ultimately, their desire to put to death the “alpha dog.”

By Josh Delp of the Sports Fan Blog Network

A day after making derogatory comments about the city of Cleveland, Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah did not address reporters following a morning shootaround in advance of Monday night’s Game 2 against the Cavaliers.

Noah told reporters on Sunday that he was not enjoying his time in Cleveland. When asked by a reporter whether the boos he endured during a 96-83 Game 1 loss on Saturday bothered him, he responded: “What? That Cleveland sucks?”

On Monday, a large horde of reporters waited for Noah off to the side of the Quicken Loans Arena court. After initially appearing to walk toward the group, Noah was escorted to the visitor’s tunnel by a Bulls spokesperson. It was believed that he had to tape a segment for the TNT telecast and would be back out in 10 minutes.

But soon after another Bulls spokesperson came out and said Noah would not be address the media. Several Cleveland media members expressed displeasure.

Click here to read the full article – By Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com

After six months and 81 games, this roller coaster of a season for the Bulls comes down to the regular- season finale tonight in Charlotte.

A win will send them to the playoffs for the second consecutive year and the fifth time in six years. A loss could send them into the offseason.

The Bulls set up the drama with an impressive finish in a 101-93 victory Tuesday over the Boston Celtics at the United Center.

Derrick Rose led the way with a career-high 39 points on 15-for-22 shooting, and Kirk Hinrich added a season-high 30 points on 11-for-20 shooting, including 4-for-7 from three-point range.

”Derrick just kept attacking, and Kirk hit some big shots down the stretch,” coach Vinny Del Negro said. ”[Hinrich] stepped up big for us, and our energy was fantastic. Everyone contributed.”

Click here to read the full article – By JOHN JACKSON of Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said an ESPN.com report that a decision to fire him already has been made is “totally not accurate.”

Citing sources with knowledge of the Bulls’ thinking, Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine reported on Sunday night that a decision has been made and the Bulls are just waiting to find Del Negro’s replacement.

The coach said he and Bulls management are on the same page, and Del Negro told reporters to ask vice president of basketball operations John Paxson or general manager Gar Forman about the situation. Forman declined to speak to reporters after practice Monday.

Phone messages left for Paxson and Forman were not returned on Sunday, but in text messages to ESPN The Magazine on Sunday night, Paxson neither confirmed nor denied the report.

“It’s just funny to me,” Del Negro said. “There’s really nothing to say. You have all these people that have rumors, and everyone has their sources. It’s just not accurate.


Click here to read the full article – By Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com

History has shown that it’s never too late for the Bulls to turn things around.

In 2004-05, they started 2-13 and recovered to win 47 games. Last year, they won 12 of their last 16 to finish with a .500 record.

So to call the coming week a critical stretch for the Bulls would be an overstatement. But it would help if they could end a run of four straight lopsided losses before the team’s chemistry and confidence suffer lasting harm.


Click here to read the full article – By Mike McGraw of Daily Herald

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Bigger challenges await them down the road, but the Bulls began their five-game Western trip with an impressive and mostly comfortable — save for a few minutes in the fourth quarter — 101-87 victory over the Sacramento Kings late Tuesday.


“That fourth quarter wasn’t real pretty, but fortunately we got some stops when we needed to and came out with the victory,” Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. “A good start to a long trip.”

This was the first meeting of the teams since that big trade last February, so it was only fitting that guard John Salmons, the key to the deal from the Bulls’ perspective, busted out of his recent shooting funk to led the team with 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting.


Click here to read the full article – By of suburbanchicagonews.com

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