NBA 2011-12 Season Storylines

The NBA lockout officially ended the day after Thanksgiving to the delight of hoops fans and of course the players, teams and owners. With the return of the NBA on Christmas day there will be quite a few big stories and stat-chasers heading into the shortened 66-game regular NBA 2011-12 season. All the teams will be in tact for this season, as far as their locations. Personnel may change as the free agency opens December 9th. Also, several top caliber players can move up higher on major stats lists, some surpassing NBA legends and Hall of Famers: * Dwyane Wade is looking to surpass Alonzo Mourning for the all-time "games played" list as a Heat Player. Wade needs fourty-some games out of the 66 this season. * Jason Kidd is closing in on 2nd place on the all-time steals list. He'll be passing a guy nicknamed "Air" Jordan if he can tally just 38 steals in this short season. * Paul Pierce can pass Larry Bird for 2nd all-time on the Boston Celtics scorer's list. * Kobe Bryant is close to passing Shaquille O'Neal at 5th on the NBA's All-time scorer's list. The other storylines will revolve around players and teams. For example, will this be an easier season for the Dallas Mavericks to repeat as champions, or will it benefit the Miami Heat? Also, which big name players will be moved for this season - Dwight Howard, Chris Paul? Those are two of the biggest names on many teams' shopping lists with the Boston Celtics, LA Clippers, New Jersey Nets, and New York Knicks among a few of the potential (rumored) suitors. There was more time spent on labor-negotiations and revenue sharing meetings than there was in training camps for the upcoming season, but many fans are just happy they'll have the sport they love back for another season. Game's start December 26th, 2011..let's ball! What will you be looking forward to the most as the 2011-12 NBA season gets started on Christmas Day?

Knicks make moves, score T-Mac & cap room

In a blockbuster 3-team deal, the New York Knicks have not only landed Houston Rocket Tracy McGrady, but also have cleared cap room for the upcoming 2010 free agent wars. It was reported earlier on Thursday that the Rockets and Kings were working out a deal to trade Kevin Martin and several players in exchange for McGrady and other players. Right before the NBA trade deadline struck, the Knicks managed to acquire Tracy McGrady and Sergio Rodriguez (Kings).

The Knicks have now traded away Nate Robinson, Darko Milicic and Jared Jeffries, freeing up plenty of cap space to sign two max free agents. That could mean their #1 choice Lebron James will suit up as a Knick starting in 2010-11, and that another player such as Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade will join him in the lineup. The Knicks may have upped their status as potential title contenders for that next season with these moves, which at first appeared odd with them simply trading away Nate Robinson to the Celtics for bench player Eddie House.

The Houston Rockets now acquire Jared Jeffries (Knicks) along with Kevin Martin from the Kings. Also, Sacramento picks up Larry Hughes (Knicks), Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey both from the Kings. Tracy McGrady will be a member of the Knicks but has an expiring contract as well, and has mentioned a desire to play for a playoff contender like the Lakers or Cavaliers. However, the Cavaliers wouldn't exactly be a contender if King James is long gone.

Confused yet? The important things to note are that Kevin Martin is now a Rocket, and Tracy McGrady is now a New York Knick. Oh and that the Knicks just might be able to woo King James with enough money to have him switching from a red-maroon Cavs jersey to Knicks blue and orange for 2010-11.

Read more about today's trade here at NY Daily News.

NBA All-Star game 2010 results: East outlasts West 141-139

(MVP D-Wade's 28 points gives East the 2 point win)

On Sunday night, the largest crowd ever to witness a basketball game, let alone the All-Star game was on hand in Dallas. The Dallas Cowboy Stadium held 90,000 plus as they watched the 2010 NBA All-Star game. The previous record for a basketball game was back in 2003 with over 78,000 watching Michigan St. battle Kentucky at Ford Field. For an NBA All-Star game, 44,735 packed into the Houston Astrodome in 1989. And to further illustrate the large scale nature of the stadium, an 11,000-plus foot HDTV Jumbotron hung over the court to show the action. The court was set around the 50-yard line and raised up about 30 inches so the coaches and bench players could sit below it on the sides.

Intros were flashy, but nothing like Shaq dancing with the Jabberwockeez at a previous All-star affair. This time around, pop R*B star Usher did a mini-concert on a stage behind the court, then lowered into the set with his dance crew, before each squad was introduced. As guessed, the Mavs Jason Kidd and then Dirk Nowitski received the biggest applause of the bunch, although Kobe and Lebron didn't do so bad.

In the first quarter, the East shot 53% from the floor and closed out with a 37-34 lead. There weren't any particular flashy plays for a surprise start to the game, with both squads seeming to play some tight defense early on. It almost seemed like the absence of AI and Kobe may have made things a bit dry in the earlygoing, as the 90,000 plus crowd didn't seem to wake up much.

In the second half there were plenty more dunks and "ahhh" moments from the crowd, including some fancy passes and breakaways. At halftime, the East had jumped out in front by a score of 76-69 behind double digit scoring from Lebron (11), Howard (11), Wade and Bosh (10 each). Meanwhile, the Western squad was lead by Carmelo Anthony's 17 points with 8 rebounds, as well as 10 points from Kevin Durant off the bench. Hometown favorite Dirk Nowitski had 8 points despite some flat shooting early on. Steve Nash provided his own leadership in the form of 7 assists for the West.

Halftime performances made the Who's Superbowl 44 gig pale in comparison as a sexy Shakira opened with her She Wolf hit in a cage. Kenny Smith called it "sensory overload". Her performance was followed by Miss Alicia Keys who did a medley of hits including a version of "Empire State of Mind" using All-Star in place of "New York".

Dwight Howard's rebound followed by taking it all the way down the court for a one-handed jam, highlighted the third quarter as the East continued with their double digit lead. Lebron had two impressive reverse slams to get the crowd oohing and ahhing heading into a commercial break. At the 7 minute mark, the East was up by 11, after Amare Stoudemire's tip-in. Carmelo Anthony continued his hot-scoring streak to get up to 25 points in the third. TNT's Craig Sager spoke to Kobe Bryant on the sidelines who was out due to his ankle injury. Kobe mentioned it was disappointing to be just watching, and Craig Sager joked how a woman said to Kobe she had payed 8g's for his seat at the All-Star game, then was thrown out. It's unknown exactly what that incident was about. Kevin Durant's 3-point shot as time expired brought the West to within 10. The East lead 118-109.

The West closed the gap significantly in the fourth, as it was as close as 1 point. Down just two points at the final minute, "Mr Big Shot" Chauncey Billups tied it at 137 a piece with his fallaway jumpshot. Lebron lost the ball on the next possession but it went off Melo as Stan Van Gundy called a time out to draw up a play. James missed a catch-and-shoot opportunity, and his possible new teammate Amare Stoudemire fielded the rebound. Thinking the West was down by 2, Derron Williams made a big mistake fouling Dwyane Wade, putting the Heat star at the line with 12.7 to go. Wade hit both to put the East back ahead by 2. Howard fouled Nowitski on the West's play out of a timeout, putting the hometown hero at the line. The 90% shooter tied things up with 7.7 left, making for an exciting potential finish to the game.

In the closing seconds, Chris Bosh was tripped up on the inbounds play, sending him to the line. The Raptors star hit both, and once again the East was up 2. With 5 seconds left, the West gave the ball to Carmelo Anthony for an attempted 3 at the buzzer. Guarded by D-Wade, Melo's shot drew iron and bounced off the rim. The Eastern Conference takes the game 141-139, with the MVP trophy handed out by Commissioner David Stern to Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat. Wade's 28 points and 11 rebounds helped the East win the game, and gave the star his first ever All-Star MVP award.

A massive crowd of over 108,000 witnessed tonight's close game in Dallas to set a new attendance record for a basketball game. David Stern noted it was a new Guiness Book of World Records record. They really did it BIG in Dallas, TX for All-Star Sunday night...

See more 2010 NBA All-Star game coverage at NBA.com

E! True Hollywood Story Basketball Wives

A recently broadcast episode of E!'s True Hollywood Story "Basketball Wives" showcased what it's like to be the wife of a NBA star these days. Various NBA players and basketball wives were featured in the inside look at professional basketball relationships. Included on the show were Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, Dwyane Wade, Charlie Bell, Jason Maxiell and Kiki Vandeweghe among others.

Milwaukee Bucks star Charlie Bell and his wife Kenya were just one of the couples spotlighted on the show. The couple first met in college, when a shy Charlie Bell kept calling Kenya and finally got his first date with her. The two stuck together since then. They discussed the ups and downs of Charlie getting signed one minute, then cut or traded the next. It went from the good life right back to not knowing how they were going to pay for life. They talked about having a nice apartment fully furnished and then before they knew it having to use food stamps to get food. Bell was traded between the Suns and Dallas Mavs, and eventually signed with a team over in Italy. His wife discussed how she had made the decision to marry Charlie for better or worse so she decided to make the move to Europe with him.

The E! Hollywood Story "Basketball Wives" also offers an in-depth look at the Siohvaughn Funches Dwyane Wade story and has insight on other relationships including those of Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson. The show is next scheduled to air at 12 AM EST on E! right after All-Star Saturday should be wrapping up.

Siohvaughn Funches Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union + E! story

Dwyane Wade & Siouvaughn Funches

A recent E! Hollywood Story show called "Basketball Wives" discusses NBA couples and has brought the spotlight onto the Siohvaughn Funches Dwyane Wade marriage-deterioration. They were among one of the several NBA Player wives pairings on our Love & Basketball wives list published a while back. However, things in their marriage took a turn for the worse as Wade filed for divorce from his high school sweetheart. In fact the divorce came about in late 2007 after the birth of their second child. During the grueling divorce proceedings, Wade's estranged wife has even gone as far as to accuse D-Wade of giving her herpes and abandoning their two children Zaire Blessing Dwyane Wade and Zion Malachi Airamis Wade. This prompted a huge lawsuit with Wade suing his former wife and two of her lawyers over the accusations he claimed were false.

BREAKING: Siohvaugn Funches-Wade arrested!

View latest available Miami Heat NBA tickets

E! ran one of its inside look shows about what it's like to be married to an NBA superstar, with Siouvaughn Wade and her mother both appearing on the show. Siouvaughn said she started to lose her identity and became more like "Dwyane's wife". She even said it felt like she & Dwyane forgot God and their marriage vows. Their marriage remained rocky into 2007 when they had Zion, their second son. That's about when the divorce proceedings started up in November 2007. Siouvaughn Funches headed back to Illinois with her two children. A friend of Funches said that she would receive calls from one of the children crying for his father. The E! report says that Wade says he wants to do what's best for his children in this situation.


(image source: NY Times)

Rumors have been ongoing that since divorcing Siohvaugh Funches Dwyane Wade started dating Hollywood actress Gabrielle Union. Gabrielle appeared in a recent issue of Jet magazine and discussed dating a younger man. The couple was seen in the spotlight heading to Miami beach for a stroll back in December of 2009, and has been seen together on several other occasions during which Union's publicist tried to block out camera shots.

See NBA action live in person...Check out Miami Heat NBA tickets listings!

Christmas Day 2009 NBA Schedule

Christmas day 2009 offers NBA fans a nice selection of basketball games featuring the top teams and superstars in the league. This year Santa delivers us Kobe versus Lebron in an always hot matchup, as well as the Boston Celtics battling the Orlando Magic in a rematch of last year's playoff series. These are the last two teams to make the NBA Finals from the East, and both have added new personnel to compete at that higher level.

Earlier in the day, Dwayne Wade will take his high-flying scoring act into MSG to take on the New York Knicks. No word yet on whether Spike Lee will be watching from the front row on Christmas day.

In the nightcap games we'll get to see several more top superstars in action, as the LA Clippers visit Steve Nash, Amare Stoudamire and the Phoenix Suns at 8PM, while Melo and the Nuggets take on Portland in the late game at 10:30 PM. Unfortunately, the two young superstars in those games are both out of action (Greg Oden, Blazers; #1 draft pick, Blake Griffin, Clippers).

Here's a look at the full NBA schedule for Christmas Day 2009:

Miami Heat at New York Knicks 12PM EST on ESPN
Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic 2:30PM EST on ABC
Cleveland Cavs at LA Lakers 5PM EST on ABC
LA Clippers at Phoenix Suns 8PM EST on ESPN
Denver Nuggets at Portland Trailblazers 10:30PM EST on ESPN

Looking forward to any of these games in particular? Who do you think will win? Feel free to comment below!

Converse Wade 4 MIA: D-Wade to Nike?

Last season, NBA superstar and champion, Dwyane Wade, was seldom seen rocking his Wade 4's by Converse on the court. Apparently, Wade has recently cleared up that issue, making it known he plans to jump to the Nike Jumpman line as part of the Team Jordan family. Wade, a Chicago native, will now be on board with other superstars in Jordan's team and the Nike brand including Richard Hamilton, Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James (who has his own line), and Kobe Bryant.

Wade cites the fact that he doesn't know how good Converse will do in the basketball market, and it seemed the company didn't quite know what to did with him. They previously had the Flash campaigns but not much else. Comparing it to Nike's clever marketing for such pieces as "The Lebrons" and the "MVPuppets with Lebron and Kobe", Wade made the logical choice to sign with the top brand for ballers. Wade's T-Mobile commercials with Charles Barkley have also been amongst some of the best made and funniest basketball ads around.

It was reported from CBS4.com from Miami that Wade wore a pair of Converse sneakers at Zo's Summer Groove basketball game this past Sunday, but that may be the last time he's seen doing so.

James is King of NBA - 2008-09 MVP

Lebron James was crowned with the NBA's prestigious MVP award on Monday May 4th, 2009, giving him yet another achievement worthy of his superstar resume. The King received 109 of 121 possible first place votes, getting 1,172 total points from media members in both the United States & Canada. Coming in second was last year's MVP, Kobe Bryant, followed by Dwyane Wade, Orlando's Dwight Howard and New Orleans Hornet, Chris Paul. What makes this award so impressive is that King James the new MVP has achieved it at the very young age of 24.

James was scheduled to receive his MVP award in the same high school gym where he began his famed career. The media were already placing heaps of responsibility and accolades upon the young man before he even laced up his signature Nikes or shot a jumpshot as a Cleveland Cavalier. Now, James and his Cavs are poised for a possible run at the NBA title.

Lebron also joins two other high school ballers turned pro and won the MVP award: Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant. Bryant & James continue to be compared by basketball fanatics as to who the current best in the game is. For this moment in time and the regular season, it may be Lebron, but that question may be restated if there's a Lakers-Cavs NBA Finals.

2009 Free Agency = Possible Paycuts

(Will Bibby need a bailout in 2009-10?)


In 2010, one of the biggest NBA Free agent situations in some time, if not ever, will be the talk of the league. Eligible players like Lebron, Wade, Chris Bosh and many others will be highly sought after. The New York Knicks are amongst one of several teams interested in a franchise player as they dealt many stars away this past season to clear cap room. But prior to 2010, there's still 2009 and free agents. The NY Daily News takes a look at the 2009 Free agent class and how they may come up empty when it comes to a big payout from some team. The author reminds everyone about the tanking economy and how many NBA teams will be looking to shed salaries rather than add new pricey contracts.

"Teams are going to be looking to shed salaries, not take on contracts," said one Eastern Conference executive. "There's already a huge concern about next season in terms of ticket sales, suite sales and corporate sponsorships. Those are the three areas, primarily. With the way the economy is going, pro basketball will be no different than the rest of the business world. Teams' salary budgets and coaching budgets are going to drop. So this is not a very good summer to be a free agent."

The article mentions Mike Bibby, guard from the Atlanta Hawks, and says that his $15 million deal with the team runs out this season. Bibby's 31 and while Detroit, Oklahoma City and Memphis will all have cap room, none of them really need a point guard. That's not to say a playoff contender team won't make a move towards a player of his caliber. Still, Bibby may be forced to take a drastic paycut and stay with the Hawks, or consider the popular option players have started taking recently: bring their skills overseas to make more money- foreign money that is.

Read full article: Hard Times! With economy tanking, 2009 NBA Agents may come up empty at NY Daily News

D-Wade: The Good..The Bad, & the Ugly?

In a recent ArmchairGM Op/Ed piece, an author examined the recent nasty allegations and rumors surrounding Miami Heat superstar, Dwyane Wade. The recent allegations may shock those who have come to know and cheer for the former NBA Finals MVP who has always been considered a class act and role model from the league.

According to the various allegations, Wade's wife (soon to be ex) Siohvaughn is claiming Wade infected her with an STD he contracted while having sex with another woman during their marriage. In addition, she claims that Wade goes for days and weeks without speaking a word to his children. Additionally, Richard Von Houtman, a former business associate of Wade's, has reportedly filed a contract suit against D-Wade because the superstar hasn't met promotion requirements for various D Wade's Sports Grills. Von Houtman also alleges that Wade rented an apartment in Miami for smoking pot and having wild sex parties.

This is definitely some surprising stuff to read about one of the "good guys" in the NBA. But as we all know allegations are just that, and NBA players have bounced back despite rumors and court cases. Let's hope that this is a plot by two suspect characters against D-Wade rather than the truth coming to light.

Read the full article here.

2009 All-Star Rosters Set

(2009 All-Star Logo from NBA.com)

The 2009 NBA All-Star rosters are official for this year's game in Phoenix. There will be several first-timers making the trip to play in the mid-season NBA classic, with guards Devin Harris of the Nets and Jameer Nelson of the Magic suiting up in the East along with Forward Danny Granger of the Pacers. The West continues to follow tradition with its lineup which includes all returning players, as well as newcomer to the West, Denver's Chauncey Billups. Billups makes his 4th trip to the game after 3 appearances with the Pistons, while the hometown hero, Steve Nash was not selected for the first time since 2004. Pau Gasol, Chris Paul, Brandon Roy and David West all make just their 2nd appearance in the game, while starters Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan have been at least 10 times each. Phoenix Suns Center Shaquille O'Neal, who was named to the bench, makes his 15th All-Star appearance. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has more trips to the game with 19.

Starting players were voted on by fans via the internet and paper ballots, while the reserves were chosen by the league's 30 head coaches. Coaches were asked to choose two guards, two forwards, one center and two other players regardless of position from their conferences.

Eastern Conference Starters:

Allen Iverson (G) (Detroit)
Dwyane Wade (G) (Miami)
Lebron James (F) (Cleveland)
Kevin Garnett (F) (Boston)
Dwight Howard (C) (Orlando)

Eastern Conference Reserves:

Devin Harris (G) (New Jersey)
Jameer Nelson (G) (Orlando)
Joe Johnson (G) (Atlanta)
Danny Granger (F) (Indiana)
Rashard Lewis (F) (Orlando)
Paul Pierce (F) (Boston)
Chris Bosh (F/C) (Toronto)

Western Conference Starters:

Chris Paul (G) (New Orleans)
Kobe Bryant (G) (Los Angeles)
Tim Duncan (F) (San Antonio)
Amare Stoudamire (F) (Phoenix)
Yao Ming (C) (Houston)

Western Conference Reserves:

Chauncey Billups (G) (Denver)
Pau Gasol (F) (Los Angeles)
Dirk Nowitzki (F) (Dallas)
Tony Parker (G) (San Antonio)
Brandon Roy (G) (Portland)
David West (F) (New Orleans)
Shaquille O'Neal (C) (Phoenix)

Coaching the East squad will either be Mike Brown of the Cavs or Stan Van Gundy of the Magic, depending on which team has the best winning % through this weekend's games. Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson takes charge of the West. The All Star game will be the 58th edition, played in Phoenix at the US Airways Center on February 15th, 2009.

Knicks Clean House for James?

st days ago, the NY Times discussed the courting of Lebron James as he made his stops to play against the Nets and Knicks. It was discussed that even though Lebron is friends with Jay-Z, part owner of the Nets, that their move to Brooklyn was delayed, which would be a deal-buster. Today the Knicks did some serious house-cleaning which analysts believe could be the start of bringing a star like Lebron James to Madison Square Garden.

In today's moves, the Knicks offloaded star players Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford. Power forward Randolph, along with guard Mardy Collins, was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas while guard Crawford was exchanged for Golden State Warriors forward Al Harrington. Crawford and Randolph were the Knicks two top scorers. That leaves Marbury, who hasn't played all season. He was cleared to play, but declined to. In an interview later, coach Mike D'Antoni told the media that he sat with Marbury and told him with Crawford gone he had 30-35 minutes if he wanted them. Marbury said he was told the team was going in a different direction without him, and that's it. The moves today are in anticipation of the hot free agent market in 2010, so NY may have to wait even more.

So does this spell LEBRON for NYC? If not James, there's also the possibilities of a Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudamire, or Chris Bosh being available to the team that needs to really appease its fans right now. Stephen A. Smith of ESPN believes that Knicks fans will receive two of the aforementioned talents, with Jalen Rose speculating it will be the Lebron-Bosh show in NYC>

Read more about the Knicks trades here.

Redeem Team Strikes Gold in Beijing!

Team USA basketball now has its spot back on the World Map. Sunday at 2am EST the "Redeem Team" as they've been dubbed, ended their 3 year quest to capture the elusive gold medals. Spain was the final team to be taken out by USA, with a closer than expected 118-107 victory Sunday morning. D-Wade had 27 points with Kobe Bryant adding 20. Kobe's Laker teammate Pau Gasol scored 21 in a losing effort. Gasol's teammate Rudy Fernandez lead the way with 22. After the victory, Team USA was quick to extend hugs and obligatory handshakes and pats to their opposition. During their steamroller trip to the Gold medal game, Team USA took down various foreign opposition including familiar NBA players. Dirk Nowitski, Yao Ming, Manu Ginobli and others were among the casualties.

This team had been carefully crafted by NBA GM Jerry Colangelo, and practiced together for a solid 3 years to make sure they could co-exist. Initial cuts were made to wittle the team down into one capable of demolishing international opponents. Gilbert Arenas, Bruce Bowen, Amare Stoudamire and Kirk Hinrich were amongst those not part of this team that finally appeared in Beijing. The final roster read like a "who's who" of the current NBA, minus the 3 superstar Celtics who are definitely up there in age. Kobe and Lebron have been the 2 most talked up superstars in the league for several years now, with debates as to who's better. In this competition, they were teammates, setting up each other for layups and spectacular dunks. Add in players such as Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, and you've got the makings of gold medalists.

Of course the debates started as to whether or not this team eclipses Dream Team 1992. That legendary team consisted of the well-respected forefathers of today's basketball: Bird, Barkley, Jordan, Ewing, David Robinson, Malone, Stockton, Pippen. You'd be hard-pressed to find a player on the 2008 roster who doesn't choose one of these 92' stars as their idol growing up. Lebron, Kobe, Melo, D-Wade and others on this team will be those legends one day, but for now they continue to achieve more milestones.

Congratulations again to Redeem Team 2008 for achieving Gold in Beijing!

Read more about Team USA winning the gold including pictures at CBS News!

Dwyane Wade's Shocking Season...

With just 21 games left in their season, the Miami Heat's star player, Dwyane Wade is hanging up his Converse. The superstar has dealt with nagging injury and decided it's in his team and his own best interest to get healthy for the Olympics and next season.

According to The Sports Network :

The team announced Monday that Wade will undergo shock therapy treatment, a non-surgical procedure, later this week. He will then be limited to passive exercise for 30 days before returning to basketball activities.

After missing the first couple of weeks this season while recovering from last May's surgery, Wade has averaged a team-best 24.5 points and 6.9 assists in 51 games for a club that has the NBA's worst record of 11-50 heading into Monday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Miami Heat have just 11 victories this season, putting them far way from the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. Coach Pat Riley even suggested he would give season ticket holders a refund for how dismal a seaason Miami has had this go round.

ESPN's "Cold Pizza" crew had two analysts/personalities debating the issue with one saying he had no problem with Wade's early exit, and the other talking about how NBA teams tank so often. It's hard to tank much more than the Heat have this season. A very dismal record, a big trade of the Big Aristotle (Shaq), and now Wade's ended season have shown a very cold Miami squad. It will be interesting to see if the Heat go after a big man in the lottery to start their quest towards NBA playoff glory once again.

Where's the NBA Love?

The recent ESPN magazine pictures "Mr. NBA" himself on the cover, Michael Jordan. It offers a surprising revelation to some: that sports fans as a whole just aren't in love with the NBA like they were in Jordan's time. Let's face it, MJ really brought the league up and got mainstream America interested, as he transcended pop culture. He brought NBA into unison with everything from McDonald's to Coca Cola to Nike sneakers. American truly embraced Jordan, along with other stars such as Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, and Magic Johnson. They displayed great basketball feats and personality, so America showed them the love. According to ESPN's latest magazine, America doesn't share that love with the current roster of NBA talent. Jordan is featured in one article discussing his role in cultivating the NBA. Commissioner David Stern gives his usual spin on the league and its issues in another article. Stern is optimistic, despite recent trends and demographic polls.

I wouldn't sell the league short as the ESPN articles have hinted at. They've suggested that there's less love because there's no stars like MJ, which is true, as there will never be another Jordan. They've also suggested every next great star entering the league is immediately called the "next MJ" or "Magic" or "Bird" and so forth. Remember Penny Hardaway, Jerry Stackhouse, Grant Hill and Vince Carter were all tagged with the "Next MJ" stigma. None of these guys are Jordan, but they still delighted fans with some extremely skilled basketball. The other facet of the article is that there is not a good spokesperson/hype man for the league like Jordan, but if you check with Lebron James he may have a bone to pick there.

Also of interest is how the NBA is considered the "hip hop league" and problematic. I feel that's a matter of perspective and what we see in the news. In all of sports stories over the last few seasons, I'd easily take some of the worst NBA stories over what NFL, MLB and NHL have offered. There's been steroid scandals, congressional hearings, murders, and on ice incidents which lead to assault charges. And I hate to mention it, but there's also Michael Vick's dog fighting crimes. None of the aforementioned news involved the NBA. I'd say for the NBA to have a scandalous betting referee, a player-fan brawl in Detroit and strip club mayhem, that the NBA isn't looking as bad. A point made is that without helmets we get to see more personality from a basketball player than other pro athletes. If anything it shows the league with more personality.

It's interesting to see this sort of article, after Melo, Lebron and Wade were pictured on SI for a season preview issue a year or so ago. The point of that magazine's article seemed to be that these guys were renewing the love for basketball, which I still believe is there and can grow. The love is always there if you're an NBA fan. I feel for a sports fan, their love goes with the league where their heart is. I'm not the biggest NHL fan, but I enjoy NFL and MLB from time to time...When's it all said and done, my favorite sport remains basketball for its passion, intelligence and skill involved to play its fast paced game. So my sports love will be continue to be spent on basketball and the NBA.

2008 NBA All-Star Game Review

This year's All-star game from New Orleans featured plenty of starpower and playmakers looking to showcase their talents. Prior to the game Kobe Bryant spoke about his injured right pinkie and having to play despite his coach or GM not wanting him to. Kobe has a torn ligament in his finger but will play the remainder of this season and wait to get surgery. Jason Kidd told TNT reporter David Aldrige he expects to be in Dallas within the next 48 hours. TNT's Ernie Johnson added in that Keith Van Horn may be part of the deal and have to come out of retirement to sign a $4 million contract with the Mavs.

First Quarter:
Kobe Bryant came out within the first 3 minutes of the 1st quarter with no points scored. The East squad jumped out to an early lead. Chris Bosh had a ton of dunks early on and J-Kidd threw an impressive lob to Lebron for a throwdown. At one point all three Detroit Pistons were in the lineup along with the lone 2 Bost Celtics. Crowd members shown included Alyssa Milano, Gabrielle Union, Governor Schwarzenegger, Terell Owens and Ludacris.

Second Quarter:
The East continued to maintain its lead thanks to the West's turnovers. Lebron and D-Howard had several alley oop exchanges for dunks. An interesting stat flashed about Dwight Howard as well. He has 145 dunks total this season which is more than 4 different NBA teams have for total dunks. East closes out the first half up 74-65, on pace for one high scoring game.

Third Quarter:
The West narrowed the gap several times, but the East continued its lead by 13. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen of the Celtics scored the last several points of the quarter. During the quarter Chris Paul continued to display why he's such a great floor general in New Orleans.

Fourth Quarter:
This game got good in the 4th Quarter making for one of the better finishes to an all-star game in recent history. Ray Allen had 27 points as did Lebron. Ray hit a flurry of three's in the 4th quarter to help his team out, and Lebron had a strong key jam. There was also a critical foul called on Chris Paul where he caused Ray to hit the deck. Brandon Roy hit a late 3 to bring the West within 3 with under 10 seconds to play, but Ray Allen kept his team ahead with free throws. Allen was 1 shy of tying Mark Price's previous record for 6 three pointers made in an All-star game.

Overall impressions:
A little disappointing to see Lebron win the MVP over Ray Allen. Not that Lebron had a bad performance, but Allen's always been a deadly sharpshooter and three point shooter in the league and should have been rewarded for his great shooting in the game. Still Lebron's performance was just as deserving as he had just about every stat possible excluding popcorn sales.

There didn't seem to be the high flying razzle dazzle that All-star games of the past 5 years may have had. Notably, Kobe Bryant was out with a pinkie injury and high flyers like Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady weren't present. Two other guys missing who add a great deal of personality to the game are Shaq and KG (injury). However it was a great showcase for the Best of the rest of the NBA this year in New Orleans and an exciting fourth quarter finish.

The Heat's Impressive Streak

(Above: The photo has said it all for the Heat this season)

The Heat are on an impressive win streak. One game. They had previously lost 15 straight and finally managed to break free and snap the losing skid on Saturday night. The Heat tried their best to pull off a win a few days ago at the expense of San Antonio, but fell by just a point, 90-89.

According to Reuters.com:

"Down the stretch we had the opportunity to win but once again we just didn't get the job done," said Miami-born forward Udonis Haslem.

That's been the Miami Heat's tale most of this 2007-08 season which has been extremely disappointing for the former champs. Saturday night was a different story. Dwyane Wade scored 35 to lead the way and made a great defensive stop in the final seconds as well. Wade is featured on the current cover of ESPN the Magazine with a quote "It's my life, I know what I can take on". Wade has taken on the responsibility of suggesting a playoff spot for the Heat still this year. The climb seems insurmountable at this point, but more power to him. It's what makes for the best stories in sports.

Will the Heat turn this into a 15 game winning streak? Stay tuned..

Read more about the Heat's 104-102 win here.

2008 NBA All-Star Starters

Tonight TNT will unveil the starters for the 2008 NBA All Star game. According to ESPN Sportscenter, these will be your starters:

Eastern Conference:
G Jason Kidd
G Dwyane Wade
F Lebron James
F Kevin Garnett
C Dwight Howard

Western Conference:
G Kobe Bryant
G Tracy McGrady
F Carmelo Anthony
F Tim Duncan
C Yao Ming

Those are the names as voted on by fans. Analysts on ESPN's NBA team have had their contentions, claiming that names like Ray Allen or Rip Hamilton should be starters in the East. Other points made were that Dirk Nowitski and Amare Stoudamire she be in the West, replacing Carmelo and Yao respectively.

The 2008 NBA All-Star game will be in New Orleans, Louisiana on February 17th 2008. Catch the game on TNT cable TV. You can also visit the official NBA All Star page.

Arenas' Return in February

According to Wizards superstar Gilbert Arenas in his latest blog, he should be 100% and back from injury sometime in mid February. Arenas doesn't want to push things though. He notes that Kobe and Wade have gone through phases after injuries where they had to favor them, and that can hurt the team.

From Gilbert's blog:

" We watched the Miami Heat and I see Wade out there … and I remember seeing Kobe like that … and that’s what I didn’t want to do, to be out there limping and trying to push it, because it don’t look good. You don’t play well, you’re always guarding the injury and you can see Wade right now out there guarding it, and that’s the only reason the Heat are struggling so bad. He’s not being Wade right now. He’s not playing up to his potential because of the injury he’s coming back from.

They say I’ll be at 100 percent around February, mid-February, somewhere around the All-Star break, but I’m just going to be in extra wait mode, just to be sure. "

Gilbert also has an interesting spin on the concept of setting New Year's resolutions. Check it out here.

Season Struggles: Lebron & Wade

Two guys that are really struggling with their teams in the NBA right now are Lebron James and Dwyane Wade. ESPN has a recent article discussing the two players' frustrating season. The two megastars are on the outside looking in for the playoff chase, even if it is still early. But you can't really blame them. While they are the main star for their teams, you still have to realize it's a team game. Even when Jordan carried the Bulls on his back, he had supporting contributions from the role players.

The Heat are struggling in part thanks to injuries and the aging Shaquille O'Neal. The Cavs have had trouble when Lebron wasn't in the lineup. Both teams have given way to the 2 real contenders in the East in Boston and Detroit. You can add Orlando as a third option. After those 3, it's tough to see any other Eastern team taking the top spot or a place in the Finals. Then again, Cleveland managed to will its way in last year, thanks to Lebron.

The evidence is also clear that KG is that top guy in the East this year. Just looking at him leading the All-Star votes over Lebron James may be a strong indication. This isn't to say Lebron and Wade won't have their days again. Lebron seems destined for at least a title or two before his career's done. Wade's got his and is most likely hungry for more. As for this season, they may have to put title plans on hold.