Blake Griffin out for season for surgery

The chosen one for 2009-10 in Los Angeles reportedly has seen his season end, before it even began. According to the latest reports, the LA Clippers' #1 Draft pick, Blake Griffin, will be out for the remainder of the season for surgery. Griffin was injured in the final game of the NBA preseason when he broke his kneecap. Griffin's left kneecap hasn't healed as quickly as intended, so he'll be sidelined with surgery, rest and rehab.

This makes for the second straight year that the NBA's #1 draft pick was sidelined for the majority of their rookie campaign. Previously it was Greg Oden who had microfracture surgery on his right knee, causing him to miss the entire 2007-08 season. He returned in 2008-09 and was classified a rookie, but played sporadically, never quite materializing. In this current campaign, Oden hurt his left knee on December 5, 2009 and is out for the entire season.

As for the Clippers, they'll continue to rely on Marcus Camby at starting power forward, with Craig Smith backing him up. They're near a .500 record, and have Chris Kaman, Baron Davis and Eric Gordon all playing great, but obviously having the talents of Griffin would have propelled them higher. With the draft of Griffin at #1, there were high hopes for the "other team in LA" this season, but now they've been sidelined just like their rookie star. 2010-11 will begin the rookie year for Blake Griffin, and Clippers fans hope this isn't some eery deja vu, shades of Greg Oden just a year ago.

More about the Greg Oden injury at NBA.com

Greg Oden out for Season, again...

It's another unfortunate injury for Greg Oden and the Trailblazers. This time it was a left knee cap injury that will have Oden likely to miss the rest of the 2009-10 season. Although the Blazers won the game, they definitely lost a lot in terms of size and power.

The injury occurred Saturday night in the Blazers-Rocks game when Oden fractured his left knee cap. He was down on the floor clutching at his left knee. The incident happened after the big man collided with the Rockets Aaron Brooks. Trainers and physicians immediately huddled around the Portland center to attend to his injury. He was down for at least 7 minutes, and fans at the Rose Garden let out a "Oden!" chant in support.

Eventually, they moved Oden to a stretcher and wheeled him off court to get have an MRI performed. The report already says Oden will need surgery for this latest setback.

"I'm obviously disappointed having worked so hard to get to where I was. This is a setback but I'll be back. It's in God's hands now," Oden said in a statement released by the team. "I want to thank the fans, my teammates and everyone in the Blazers family for all of their good thoughts."

The early knock on Oden was he might be the #1 pick, but he may mirror the path of another Portland big man, Bill Walton. Walton is still heralded as one of the greats, but found himself plagued by injuries to his legs as well. Similarly, another big man, Yao Ming from the Houston Rockets, has been out this season due to foot problems. It might be true, the bigger they are, they harder they fall...

Story Source: The Associated Press

2009 NBA All-Star Vote Leaders...

The NBA All-Star game arrives in just a month, illustrating how fast time keeps flying by this 200809 NBA season! This year's All-Star game will be held in Phoenix, Arizona on February 15th. That's just a day after Valentine's day, and many NBA players are hoping fans (or the coaches) show them the love. Here's a look at the current vote totals for the Eastern and Western Conferences....

2008-09 NBA All-Star Top Vote-Getters: (1/1/09)

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

GUARDS: Dwyane Wade, Miami, 1,473,225; Allen Iverson, Detroit, 1,027,153;

FORWARDS: LeBron James, Cleveland, 1,521,272; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 1,101,541

CENTERS: Dwight Howard, Orlando, 1,709,088

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WESTERN CONFERENCE:

GUARDS: Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers, 1,534,020; Tracy McGrady, Houston, 961,852;

FORWARDS: Tim Duncan, San Antonio, 1,132,095; Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix, 743,639;

CENTERS: Yao Ming, Houston, 1,396,126;

As you can see from the above totals released January 1, 2009, Dwight Howard leads all vote-getters with 1,709,088. In case you're wondering where Portland's rookie center ranks, Greg Oden is 5th amongst Western Conference centers behind Yao, Shaq, Bynum and Mehmet Okur. That should change within a few seasons. As for this past season's top 2 draft picks, Michaels Beasley is 2nd to last for East forwards, while Chicago Bull Derrick Rose is 8th. Two of the guards that Rose has received more votes than are Jose Calderon (TOR) and Jameer Nelson (ORL), who just might find spots on the reserve section for their first appearance.

Also of note, but not shown above is that New Jersey's new addition, Yi Jianlian, is third in votes for Eastern Conference forwards with 959,324 votes. Overall, he's not too far behind Boston's KG, and has a good shot of capturing a spot. Yi is ahead of previous all-stars Chris Bosh and Paul Pierce with the votes, but if he isn't voted in, don't expect him to edge out either of those guys for a reserve spot. Chalk up the Yi vote to the Yao vote as the Chinese have embraced the NBA greatly since Yao's arrival to Houston.

You can see the rest of the 2008-09 NBA All-Star votes here at azcentral.com. Balloting for the 2009 NBA All-Star Game officially ends on January 19th, 2009.

NBA's 2008 Christmas Presence

NBA fans will be given several Christmas day presents in the form of two exciting doubleheaders and some fun in Orlando. TNT, ABC & ESPN will play Santa as they bring superstars such as Lebron James, KG, Kobe Bryant and Greg Oden to all NBA faithful. Game one of the ABC set will start at 2:30PM EST & features a rematch of Western foes, the Spurs and the Suns, with Shaq, Amare & Nash facing Tim Duncan, Manu and Tony Parker. Game 2 will be a riveting rematch of last year's NBA Finals as the red hot Boston Celtics travel into Los Angeles to battle the Lakers.

Currently the Suns and Spurs are runner-ups in their respective divisions. San Antonio continues to try to overcome guard injury problems and sits in 3rd place in the Southwest at 17-10. Meanwhile the Suns are second place to Kobe's Lakers at 16-11. These two teams have battled it out in recent years' playoffs, usually with San Antonio coming out on top. The Suns continue to revamp parts of their lineup as they just recently unloaded Boris Diaw and Raja Bell, bringing superstar Jason Richardson into the mix. San Antonio seems to be the aging battle-tested team that keeps on going with what it has. While they're not dismal, they aren't the powerhouse they were in the years they were part of the "dynasty" talks.

The second game at 5PM features the Celtics dressed in Green hoping to play Grinches to Kobe's LA Santa Claus. Kobe will have his helpers including Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Bynum was not part of last year's Finals so this will give everyone a good look at how the emerging Center performs against the Champs. Bryant's also currently in third place in the NBA scoring race, a tight race at that. Kobe's averaging 26.2 and trails his Team USA pals, Lebron James & Dwyane Wade. Wade recently outdid Kobe in a battle in Miami between their two teams. While D-Wade may be headed towards scoring champ and MVP, Kobe may be headed back to the Finals for his 4th ring. His Christmas day matchup with the Celts may help Phil Jackson dismantle the champs for their Finals rematch.

But wait, there's more.... Chris Paul and the Hornets will play Dwight Howard's Magic at 12 Noon in Orlando (ESPN). TNT will also feature a doubleheader of its own starting at 8PM when the Wizards face Lebron & the Cavs. At 10:30 PM, it'll be the young Portland Trailblazers with their young center, Greg Oden, facing Dirk & the Dallas Mavs. For an NBA fan that's 5 games to enjoy along with all your Christmas gifts and cookies...enjoy!

Happy holidays to all this 2008 Holiday Season!

Lakers Perfection Continues

The Lakers are sitting pretty at 7-0 as the last undefeated team in the NBA. Last night they held off the ultra-talented Chris Paul-lead New Orleans Hornets to remain unbeaten. With Andrew Bynum back after last season's devastating knee injury, it adds even more talent to the squad and fuel to the Lakers' fire. A Seattle Post-Intelligence article details how Andrew Bynum is a major contributing factor in the Lakers' early season success. They definitely have the hunger thanks to losing to the Celtics in last year's Finals, but with Bynum they can compete even closer to the level of the C's. At 22 years old and imposing, Bynum gives an inside presence along with bigs like Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom to help rebound and intimidate those attempting to score in the paint. Those Big 3 plus Kobe make for one deadly quartet, and will possibly be the NBA champs in 09'.

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligence article, the Lakers biggest threat may come from the Phoenix Suns. I'd argue that the Mavs, Hornets and Spurs all have the potential to get hot at any point in the season and offer true threats to the Lakers. Add Houston and Utah. and there's 7 of this year's playoff teams. The Portland Trailblazers have what it takes to make the #8 spot, should Oden remain healthy for the remainder of this season. Should LA finish 1 and Portland 8, that definitely makes for an interesting playoff debut for Mr. Oden, and quite a challenging test for the young Andrew Bynum.

Greg Oden's Latest Setback

Starting for the first time in his fresh, new NBA career was Portland Trailblazer Greg Oden. Oden was the #1 pick last year, who had season-ending right knee surgery and rode the bench while rehabbing in 2007-08. In college, Oden was limited to 32 games by a wrist injury. Last night he would be premiering on NBA's opening night and at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, against Kobe's Lakers. However, Oden ran into yet another setback, hopefully this time not as serious as last season's.

Oden clocked in for just 2 1/2 minutes of game play before injuring his right foot on a play. For now the injury's been referred to as a sprained ankle, nothing more. Oden claims he came down bad on guard Derek Fisher's foot, but Fisher says he doesn't recall it happening. So Oden scored 0 points in what was supposed to be his coming out party. The 7-footer was back in the locker room for the entire second half, while his team continued to receive a Lakers' beatdown en route to a 96-76 loss. An X-ray was taken which was inconclusive during game time, so an MRI was done on Wednesday for further results. Let's hope for the best for this young talent, who's starred in ESPN commercials and even played piano for Justin Timberlake at the ESPY's.

Analysts are already questioning if the Big Man has some sort of bad kharma going on. ESPN.com's J.A. Adande has begun comparing this case to that of Bill Walton, only without any championships won. Bill Walton, a big man in Portland just like Oden, was injury-plagued throughout his career, mostly leg injuries also. Will Oden have the same bad luck, or will he overcome the setbacks and help his team become a dynasty? Only time and healing will tell what sort of legend this big man is part of.

Also see: Greg Oden's Delayed Start Comes to a Quick Halt by J.A. Adande.

2008-09 NBA Season Predictions

(Is it time for Kobe to shine another trophy in 09?)

As the season is starting this week, it's time for 2008-09 predictions!

A friend of mine was preparing for his NBA fantasy draft just a few nights ago, and asked my thoughts about several players. "How bout Beasley?" "Is he still with the team?" "Didn't he go to Europe?" It's amazing that now we have that final question factoring into NBA discussions. Earl Boykins and Josh Childress were amongst two big name NBA ballers to defect over to Europe for a nice paycheck. Another surprise I noticed when scanning the pages of the ESPN Magazine's NBA preview was that Marcus Camby is no longer with Denver. I frantically searched for his name in other lineups and wasn't seeing it. Goes to show how busy I've been, that Camby was traded to the Clippers about 3 months ago...

With all that said, the new season will be quite interesting. We have a "brand new" team in Oklahoma City, and no more bball in Seattle. There's several promising rookies. Greg Oden hopefully gets his first full season in what could be a great run for Portland. There's exciting new inside-outside combos in Philly, Portland, Los Angeles and Minnesota. The Celtics are looking to repeat against all odds, and without James Posey. Kobe has a new sidekick in a healthy Andrew Bynum. And Lebron remains hungry for that NBA title that eluded his grasp two years ago.

All that said, here's my predictions for this season. I'll be the first to admit I was way off on last year's finals, as I expected the Celtics to take about a year to gel. I had a Bulls-Suns finals which we all know is a far-fetched notion this season!

2008-09 NBA Predictions:

NBA Champs - LA Lakers - ESPN the mag has several analysts favor Kobe and the gang this season. Barring another bad injury to either Bynum, Kobe or Gasol, this squad is stacked with the talent to do what Boston did last year. Expect a hungrier than ever Kobe to show Shaq just how it's done, minus the battle rap. With Phil Jacks at the helm, they'll take out Kobe's main competiton, runners-up...

Runners-up - Cleveland Cavs - Cleveland was just a game away from a return trip to the title series. However, Lebron ran into 3 superstars who held their ground, including a determined Paul Pierce. This season, Lebron's hunger will take him and the team to new levels, but he'll run into the mega-star, Kobe Bryant. As for the Celtics, losing James Posey is a big deal, and they have even bigger targets on their backs.

(On a side note, taking a look at ESPN the magazine it was interesting to see how little respect fans give Ray Allen. Analysts, GM's, scouts, fans and fantasy bball players all got to choose their pick for several categories. In the "Best shooter" Ray Allen was selected by the analysts, GM's and scouts but fans/fantasy ballers decided on Steve Nash..Show Ray some love, he got game!)

MVP - Lebron James - Kobe had his last year, now it's time for King James to pull in a trophy. The young phenom is bound to do it one of these years, and you gotta figure he hates losing and believes he's the best. He'll put up impressive stats, and carry his team to the NBA Finals in a nice NBA campaign this year. And don't be surprised if Brandon Roy is mentioned up in the candidates along with Chris Paul and Kobe. Roy has Oden this season and a shot to put up a ton of assists and shots.

ROY - Greg Oden - The big man finally gets to show the world what he's got..well in Portland at least. While he's not on the grandest stage of them all, he'll easily earn the nod for ROY as most big men do. (Yao, Amare, Shaq) Portland should be in the bottom half of the West's playoff teams, and this could be an exciting season to be a Portland fan. OJ Mayo, Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose will also rank amongst the top rookies this season, with a European import most likely also getting on the All-Rookie 1st team.

Fading Fast - San Antonio Spurs? - It seems they never get their credit due, even in championsip runs. However, you gotta admit they are aging and not really bringing in too much promising young talent. Duncan has had some injury issues in the past few seasons, and although Ginobli and Parker still hold their own, the new up and comers will be bringing it to this team night in and out.

On the rise - Portland Trailblazers - Many analysts say the Sixers here, and with good reason, but Portland has the promise of a mega-squad and potential new NBA dynasty. You've got Roy on the outside and Oden inside, two talents capable of carrying this team to many, many titles in Portland.

So there you have it... As for coach of the year, why not choose Portland's Nate McMillan? He's fresh off a nice gold-medal run with Team USA and the coaching talent Coach K. Now he's headed into a very promising season with his big O man in the paint. Can you tell I think good things are coming to Portland this season?

And the season is coming very, very soon. This year's season has an earlier-than-normal start date of October 28, 2008 with a great double header on TNT. First up, the NBA Champion Celtics face Lebron and the Cavaliers. In game 2, it's Kobe and the Lakers meeting up with Mr. Oden and the Portland Trailblazers!

See ESPN.com's 2008-09 Must-See NBA Games!

Note: Special thanks to an Anonymous fan for offering correction on Brandon Roy's name above and for understanding mistakes happen! Enjoy the season! ;)

2008 NBA Mock Drafts

On June 26th 2008, all those NBA teams who didn't get themselves into the playoffs are officially lottery-bound. Their hopes for successful team building and playoff opportunities rest on the way the ping pong balls bounce. One team will get the honor of pick #1, which could become a franchise player. Several websites offer NBA Mock Draft speculation. The Miami Heat, Seattle (or Oklahoma City) Sonics, and Minnesota Timberwolves are amongst one of the teams vying for the top pick, as they suffered a disappointing 2007-08 season.

NBA Mock Draft

1) Chicago Bulls: Michael Beasley (PF 6-9 235 Kansas State)

2) Miami Heat: Derrick Rose (PG 6-4 195 Memphis)

3) Minnesota Timberwolves: Jerryd Bayless (PG 6-3 190 Arizona)

4) Seattle Supersonics: Brook Lopez (C 7-0 245 Stanford)

5) Memphis Grizzlies: O.J. Mayo (G 6-4 195 USC)

6) New York Knicks: Eric Gordon (SG 6-5 205 Indiana)

7) LA Clippers: Danilo Gallinari (SF 6-9 210 Italy)

8) Milwaukee Bucks: Kevin Love (PF/C 6-9 260 UCLA)

9) Charlotte Bobcats: DeAndre Jordan (C 7-0 240 Texas A&M)

10) New Jersey Nets: D.J. Augustin (PG 5-11 180 Texas)

11) Indiana Pacers: Russell Westbrook (PG 6-3 190 UCLA)

12) Sacramento Kings: Darrell Arthur (F 6-10 215 Kansas)

13) Portland Trail Blazers: Kosta Koufos (C 7-0 Ohio State)

14) Golden State Warriors: Donte Green (F 6-11 Syracuse)

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Of course this speculation can change as the weeks go by before the pro basketball draft. The Bulls get top pick and it will be either Rose or Beasley. Chicago may decide to make some trades as well, so stay tuned. Some sites speculate the Heat will take Derrick Rose at #2, point guard from Memphis. Point guards are definitely in demand in the NBA after seeing the performances of Derron Williams in Utah and Chris Paul in New Orleans. It's hard to understand why a point guard would be the top choice of Miami, as size may really be what they need most. Shaq's gone, Mourning is not playing and they already have the very capable Dwyane Wade to really run the show. They may want to move D-Wade to shooting guard exclusively, so Rose could work. Various sites also differ on whether standout guard OJ Mayo of USC will land in the top 5, so it's really going to be interesting this June 2008 at the NBA Draft.

Also of note, the 2008-09 Rookie of the year may not even be drafted in the 2008 draft, as Portland Trailblazer Greg Oden is expected to play his first full season. Interestingly enough, Portland had a decent season in 2007-08 without him in their lineup and now have a shot at another top pick to add to what could be the team to beat for years to come.

More NBA Mock Drafts for 2008:

ESPN.com's 2008 Mock Draft

insidehoops.com's 2008 Mock Draft

MyNBADraft.com's 2008 Mock Draft

Hoopshype.com's 2008 Mock Draft

DraftExpress.com's 2008 Mock Draft

The 2008 NBA Draft will be held June 26th 2008, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

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View a list of various NBA Wives!

Check out Love and Basketball's Squidoo page here!

Top 5 NBA Stories of 2007

The year 2008 is approaching quickly and we've seen plenty of great highlights and surprises so. We've seen players shift teams, players emerge, rookie phenoms, gambling refs, and NBA champs who may be the latest dynasty in sports.

5 - Greg Oden #1 draft pick - The predicted pick was made into a reality when the Blazers took this franchise player at the 1st pick in the 07 draft. However, they got some bad news as well. During the offseason, Oden required surgery on his knee and it put him on the shelf, and not just for a few weeks, but for the entire season. Despite this, the Blazers have done pretty well without their young hopeful star. They've run up an 11 game win streak, thanks to last year's Rookie of the Year, Brandon Roy. So things should get even better when the big man can play.

4 -King James in the Finals - Lebron finally arrived at his preferred destination in 2007. Well not quite. Lebron would love to have an NBA ring right about now and perhaps an NBA Finals MVP award. But Lebron and his Cavs bowed to a superior team in the Spurs. However, the King showed just how great he is in knocking out the more likely contenders, the Detroit Pistons. Lebron is just one player, but a great one who keeps improving, and he should be back for his ring in the near future.

3 - Tim Donaghy Exposed - Referee Tim Donaghy likes to gamble. In fact a bit too much and in the wrong way. Donaghy was discovered during the summer as having possibly made calls to help shave points off the spread for games he called. The NBA of course is investigating and putting new policies into place, but this story was big when it came out. At the time baseball and NFL had their own big stories, perhaps eclipsing this one. Since then, the games have gone on and luckily fans have continued to embrace the game they love.

2 - KG to Boston, the Big 3 forms - The biggest news in personnel changes since MJ signed on to play with the Wizards years ago was the huge trade of KG to Boston. Kevin Garnett brings his intensity and drive to Boston and has teamed up with Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce to form one of the most dynamic and powerful trios around. There's a lot of expectations on this team. Some believe you can call them the champs. With only 3 losses as of now, you'd have to believe they will continue their outstanding play in 2008, and KG is at the front of the MVP chatter so far.

1 - Spurs win their fourth NBA title - Many have argued that the Spurs win every other year which makes them less of a dynasty. However you can't argue they deserve a place amongst the best teams in basketball history. Duncan, Parker and Ginobli made their dominance over King James' Cavs look like child's play. Will the Spurs repeat in 08, or will someone else defeat these juggernauts? The team has remained in tact so it would be tough to ignore them as favorites again. They epitomize team play and that's what wins championships almost always

So what will 2008 hold? New champions and new stars are on the horizon as the season continues

Blazing a Trail of Success

The Portland Trailblazers are probably the biggest and most positive surprise in the West so far. The team had high expectations for this year as they would be adding a franchise superstar at the Center spot. A guy likely to dominate for a decade or so. But a brief bit of bad luck hit leaving Greg Oden, the 2007 #1 draft pick out to recover from knee surgery. This led many fans all over to question not only how bad the Blazers would be this year, but if they would have continuous problems with Oden due to his knee. Well so far this year one question is being answered, the Trailblazers aren't bad at all.

Portland is currently blazing the trail of a 7 game win streak in the NBA, second only to Boston's 9 game run. This season they have 5 players scoring in double figures, including last season's ROY, Brandon Roy, and another sophomore sensation in LaMarcus Aldridge. The other 3 are Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster, and Jarret Jack. Not household names, but they are definitely picking up the slack in the absence of a marquee player like Greg Oden. Jack, Aldridge and Roy also have their names on this year's all-star ballot for the West.

You can tell that the stats of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge will most likely improve, and these young talents are going to form quite a nucleus. Once Oden gets into the mix next season, Roy should see his assist total move up as he feeds into the big guy. 3 point shots may also increase, as this team could take on the look of an up-and-coming San Antonio. The Spurs attack is based on a solid inside-outside game with Duncan kicking the ball out to sharpshooters or taking it to the hole himself. A guy like Oden should be eclipsing Duncan in the very near future, and with a talent like Aldridge at his side, it's going to be even rougher for teams trying to score inside or rebound.

So far the Blazers have managed to start quite a hot streak, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them ride the momentum of their young stars into a battle for the 8 spot for the playoffs.

Check out the official Trailblazers website for more info on the team.

NBA News and Notes 11.05.07

Here's some news and notes from around the NBA with the season in its first full week of action.

Elton Brand and Greg Oden aren't the only stars forced to sit out for most of or all of the NBA season. Adam Morrison of the Charlotte Bobcats is now out for the season with an ACL tear in his left knee, probably one of the worst injuries someone can see in basketball or pro sports. Morrison will have surgery on the knee in about 5 days. Despite the injury, Seattle Times reports Morrison is trying to stay positive.

Players of the week for the first NBA week were Indiana Pacer Danny Granger and Houston Rocket Tracy McGrady. Both teams are off to 3-0 starts in their respective Conferences, and perhaps Indiana was the bigger surprise of the 2. Strong play from Granger indicates he may have a breakout season to lead this team, with J O'Neal struggling with injuries. T-Mac is more expected although he and teammmate Yao will need to also stay healthy this season to keep the Rockets contending.

Speaking of Yao, there was the highly-praised game of his fellow Chinese superstar, Yi Jianlian for the Milwaukee Bucks. Yi had 16 points and 8 rebounds in an early game, helping the Bucks record a win over the favored Chicago Bulls. According to reports from China, fans were flipping back and forth between the Houston Rockets game to see Yao and the Bucks game to watch Yi in action. This is definitely great for the NBA as it broadens its fanbase even more. Yao was already very popular there and jersey sales of other NBA stars are as well. Yi is also being heavily promoted amongst Chinese media sources. The question will be do both these guys get a ton of votes come All-star time?

And of course the NBA story everyone loves to hate is that of Kobe Bryant. Will he stay a Laker, or will he leave? It's always good to see a player stay his career for one team, but sometimes it is inevitable and things can't be worked out in their current situation. Kobe seems unhappy with the way the current Lakers team is and it may be justified as he's won in the past. So where will the star end up next? Marc Stein at ESPN.com has the "Take a spin on the Kobe Coaster" article in which he says don't rule out Chicago or Dallas at all. Stay tuned.

Buy an NBA Team for $350 Mill

For a cool 350 million dollars you could be the proud owner of the Orlando Magic. It seems a bit cheap if you think about it, adding up the ticket sales, merchandising and salaries of all their players, staff, dancers, employees and executives.

Sports Business Radio has an August 2006 article which lists 5 teams out you can buy each for under 350 million. They include the Portland Trailblazers, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and Memphis Grizzlies. Not too bad at all. Particularly appealing, and probably now selling for a much higher price, are the Trailblazers with future prodigy, Greg Oden, considered a franchise/cornerstone player.

In related news a website called Make Money with Super Affiliate Zac Johnson discusses how a woman sold the rights to the internet domain name "bobcats.com" to the Bobcats for $50,000 which just might be nice for most of us, but could have been a bargain sale for the Bobcats.

NBA Season Begins...

Last night the NBA season opened with just 3 games on the schedule. Here's a quick look and some thoughts.

Jazz defeated the Warriors 117 to 96

Carlos Boozer scored 32 pts along with 15 boards. I expect him to be in the top 10 maybe even top 5 scorers this season and to have a big All-star season for the Jazz this year. Deron Williams added 24 points and should continue to become the star player h was looking like last year.

Spurs defeat Blazers 106 to 97

Opening night action was supposed to see the big rookie Greg Oden match up against the champion Spurs. However, Oden is out for the season, so Mr. Duncan reigned supreme with 24 points and 13 rebounds, after getting his championship ring.

Rockets 95 to Lakers 93

The closest game of the night, Kobe Bryant showed his usual scoring prowess with 45 points total. T-Mac went off for 30 points and added 6 rebounds. Big man Yao added 25 points and 12 boards. It was Shane Battier who hit a tiebreaking 3 pointer with just 2.5 seconds left in the 4th quarter. A close contest, but the Rockets should be one of the top 5 or 6 teams in the West, and the Lakers may be as well.

Eight games on Halloween night, which include the Bulls taking on the Nets, Seattle vs. Denver, Dalls visiting Cleveland, and Milwaukee facing Orlando. See the full lineup here.

Oden-less Blazers Will Be Better

No not this season. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Brandon Roy is good and LaMarcus Aldridge is talented, but these guys won't be carrying the Blazers into the playoffs come post-season. While Greg Oden sits on the sidelines in a fancy suit and jewelry all year, and rehabs and rehabs and rehabs, the Blazers will be checked off as a "W" for most NBA team's schedules. Analysts will give them praise and credit when they scrap out an impressive win here or there, and will always come back to mention one thing. The missing big man, #1 Draft Pick, Greg Oden, and how great he and the team will be, later.

Chicago Sports Review makes a good point about Oden's absence though. The fact the Blazers won't be contenders this year could basically turn this team into an NBA Dynasty for the future. The Blazers may get back to back #1 picks and possibly take a very talented point guard to play alongside Oden, Roy and Aldridge, which would make this team one of the best in years to come.

Oden has a blog over at Yardbarker.com, with his last entry on 9/21/07 discussing how he's recovering, and how he's livin'. And yes, he even includes video footage of his healing knee.

Oden to Miss Rookie Season

An unfortunate news story for the Portland Trailblazers, the NBA and Greg Oden. Oden had to have surgery to repair damage to his knee.

From America Online Sports:

"Doctors found cartilage damage during an exploratory procedure, and team physician Dr. Don Roberts performed microfracture surgery to repair the damage.

"There are things about this that are positive for Greg. First of all, he is young. The area where the damage was is small and the rest of his knee looked normal," Roberts said in a statement. "All those are good signs for a complete recovery from microfracture surgery."

The 7-foot center is expected to be on crutches for up to eight weeks. Full recovery likely will take six to 12 months, the team said.

Oden was the No. 1 pick in the June draft out of Ohio State, where he averaged 15.7 points and 9.6 rebounds.

The Blazers scheduled a news conference Thursday to discuss Oden's situation.

"Certainly this is a setback, but our future is still incredibly bright," Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said. "Is it disappointing? Yes. However, this is a great core of talent and players of strong character and will continue to be." (Read full story here)

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This is a definite setback for the young rookie's career as well as the Trailblazers plans to start building that championship foundation up and achieve ultimate NBA success. However, it's better that the problem was fixed sooner rather than later. Hopefully Oden can enjoy a great career starting next season. Also, let's hope this won't be a continual problem with Oden's knees throughout his career. Last thing Portland wants is to have to re-evaluate their drafting of this great potential talent. Best wishes to the rook on a speedy and successful recovery.

Greg Oden Rookie Blogger

Gilbert Arenas isn't the only prominent NBA blog-star these days. On yardbarker.com you can check out the thoughts of the top NBA rookie, Greg Oden of the Portland Trailblazers. His blog entries feature discussion of the various promotional campaigns he's been participating in, his trip to Cleveland for the Topps sports card promotion, rookie photo shoots and a video of his crib in Indy (including his favorite snacks and his messy bedroom).

An excerpt from his blog discussing his new home, Portland:

"I'm in Portland, Oregon. it is a very beautiful place, a place that i can now call home for a long time. Being drafted # 1 is great but to be drafted by Portland and # 1 is the best thing in the world. I'm feeling really good right now in my life. I'm finishing off the greatest year of my life. Enough about my feelings, let me tell you about how great the place im going to be living is and representing for sometime. The summers here are the greatest thing in the world. It rarely rains in the summer, the temperature is always perfect, there is no humidity, and when there's a breeze, you can feel it. Now the winters on the other hand, that's a different story. I haven't experienced it but from what people have told me, it rains but not very hard, and not a lot at a time just slow drizzled spread out through a long time. I'm sure i'll be able to handle it."

He also has lengthy blog posts regarding having his tonsils taken out and attending The ESPYS Award.

Check out Greg Oden's blog at yardbarker: http://yardbarker.com/oden

Team USA Needs a Trim

As of right now Team USA is faced with a 32 man roster, of which only 17 players will make the final cut and be involved in tournament play, starting August 22 in Las Vegas. The US will try to qualify for a spot in the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing. Here's the 32 names on the list right now:

Carmelo Anthony, Forward
Gilbert Arenas, Guard
Shane Battier, Forward
Chauncey Billups, Guard
Carlos Boozer, Foward
Bruce Bowen, Forward
Elton Brand, Forward
Kobe Bryant, Guard
Tyson Chandler, Center
Kevin Durant, Guard/Forward
Kirk Hinrich, Guard
Dwight Howard, Center
Lebron James, Forward
Antawn Jamison, Forward
Joe Johnson, Guard
Jason Kidd, Guard
Shawn Marion, Forward
Brad Miller, Center
Mike Miller, Guard
Adam Morrison, Forward
Greg Oden, Center
Lamar Odom, Forward
Chris Paul, Guard
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Tayshaun Prince, Forward
JJ Redick, Guard
Michael Redd, Guard
Luke Ridnour, Guard
Amare Stoudamire, Center
Dwyane Wade, Guard
Deron Williams, Guard

There you have it. As you can see it may come down to some tough cuts. But for starters, take Elton Brand out of the list. Then remove JJ Redick, Adam Morrison Luke Ridnour and Mike Miller. I believe at this point in all of their careers there is at least one better player on the list than them. The toughest choices would seem to come at who to keep/remove in point guards and centers. I'd keep Kidd, Paul and Billups around. Eliminate Hinrich, as much as I am a Bulls fan he doesn't compare to the 3 aforementioned. In terms of Centers, Id keep Stoudamire, Oden and Howard. Take Miller out of the list, I believe he's been injury prone at this stage in his career. The other 3 names, even Oden will own Miller in a 1 on 1 matchup, and can take on the likes of big men from other countries. While Miller has been considered a defenisve gem, Howard, Oden and Stoudamire give a nicer intimidation factor in the lane.

Here's my final roster, based on basically eliminating guys who don't measure up to the talent of the other names. You can argue this player or that based on minor aspects. Reddick, Ridnour, Morrison, Durant and Chandler I eliminated based on they have talent but are still expanding on that talent. Deron Williams, who had a breakout season is going to be great in the league. However, comparing him to Kidd, Billups and Paul, I think many would take those names first. Other guys like Brand who is injured and Miller/Odom, who are recent injury questions are easy to decide as well.

I think this final 17 is tough to argue against. It's a team full of the best the NBA has to offer and that's what the original Dream Teams were all about. The past few times around there seemed to be guys looking for individual notoriety. I feel having the big 3 in Melo, James and Wade is great, but you have to believe these guys each want the spotlight and are competitive amongst themselves. But having leadership of guys like Kidd, Billups and Pierce will most likely help with that. There wasn't much at the point guard position before and now its fully loaded. With J Kidd, Paul and Billups at point and guys like Kobe, Melo, Redd, Johnson to shoot as well as the inside presence of the big men on this list, we should be playing in the 08 Olympics.

Love & Basketball's Final 17 Man Roster:

Carmelo Anthony, Forward
Gilbert Arenas, Guard
Chauncey Billups, Guard
Carlos Boozer, Foward
Kobe Bryant, Guard
Dwight Howard, Center
Lebron James, Forward
Antawn Jamison, Forward
Joe Johnson, Guard
Jason Kidd, Guard
Shawn Marion, Forward
Greg Oden, Center
Chris Paul, Guard
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Michael Redd, Guard
Amare Stoudamire, Center
Dwyane Wade, Guard

Survey Says Durant is Top Rookie

NBA.com released a 2007-08 Rookie survery on its site which proclaims Kevin Durant as preseason favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award. Durant was also voted above Oden in terms of who would make more All-Star game appearances before they finished their career. The survey was conducted by NBA.com, who gave several questions to the 44 rookies in attendance at a rookie photo shoot on July 27.

Durant received 23 of 44 votes (53%) over 5 votes for Greg Oden to receive rookie of the year. You might attribute this to the fact that Durant had a strong showing in the Vegas Summer league, with some mega scoring efforts. Also add in that Oden didn't play all of the summer league, due to leaving for a tonsillectomy procedure.

The rookie who was voted #1 in the "know least about" category was the big man from China, Yi Jianlian, of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Another interesting question asked of the rookies: Which current NBA player are you most looking forward to playing against? (Votes followed by percentage)

1. Kobe Bryant, LAL 10 24.4
2. Shaquille O'Neal, MIA 5 12.2
3. Tim Duncan, SAS 3 7.3
Kevin Garnett, MIN 3 7.3
LeBron James, CLE 3 7.3
Steve Nash, PHX 3 7.3

I find it odd anyone looks forward to playing Shaq, because those young rooks will be getting bulldozed over, at least for a few years to come.

Check out the 2007-08 NBA.com Rookie Survey at NBA.com.

Oden for $1000

Topps is sponsoring an exclusive meet-and-greet with top NBA draft choice Greg Oden on Aug. 3 in Cleveland. In addition to complementary hors d'oeuvres and drinks, $1,000 gets you a limited-edition autographed Greg Oden card and you get your picture taken with him.

Attendance is limited to 100. See topps.com for more information.

Something tells me there will be more cost-effective ways to get an Oden autograph in the future.

NBA Releases 2007-08 Schedule

The NBA released its 2007-08 schedule today, and highlights 10 key games to watch this season. Here's my look at the ten dates they chose to mark down on your calendars.

October 30 - The Rings and the Rookie
Portland @ San Antonio, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Houston @ LA Lakers, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT

A great opening night contest with the Spurs receiving their championship rings and Greg Oden the highly touted rookie debuts against Tim Duncan. Definitely worth watching. Followed by a nightcap of Kobe and the Lakers vs. T-Mac, Yao and Steve Francis in a Rockets uniform again.

October 31 - KD, meet AI
Dallas @ Cleveland, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Seattle @ Denver, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Dallas vs Cleveland was my predicted Finals matchup last year, but Golden State spoiled that notion. This should make for a great Halloween night matchup, followed by Kevin Durant and the Sonics taking on Melo, AI and the Nuggets.

November 2 - The New Big Three
Washington @ Boston, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

The new big 3 of Boston in KG, Allen and Pierce (who stated he feels like a rookie again) taking on the big 3 of Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison.

November 8 - Not a Good Match
Dallas @ Golden State, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT

Most likely considered a game where the Mavs should or could extract revenge. Golden State bounced them from the first round of the playoffs in a season where the Mavs were considered championship caliber.

December 6 - Date With a Showman
Miami @ Portland, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT

The legendary Shaq takes on the newcomer Oden. Nuff said.

Monday, December 17 - Rematch
Phoenix @ San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV

A rematch of the playoff series here. And no Tim Donaghy will not be calling the game. :)

Wednesday, December 19 - Recipe for a Classic
Phoenix @ Dallas, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Phoenix vs Dallas has always provided some classic games with tons of scoring and back and forth lead changes. You also have the past 2 MVP award winners and good buddies, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitski.

December 25 - A New Holiday Tradition
Miami @ Cleveland, 2:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Phoenix @ LA Lakers, 5 p.m. ET, ABC
Seattle @ Portland, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Great Christmas gift for basketball fans, a triple header. Not only that but you get Kobe, D-Wade, Shaq, Lebron, Nash, Amare, and then Kevin Durant vs. Greg Oden.

February 8 - The Return of the Big Ticket
Boston @ Minnesota, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

KG makes his only return of the season to face his old team, the T-Wolves.

March 19 - The Answer Comes Back
Denver @ Philadelphia, 7 p.m. ET, League Pass

AI finally makes a return to Philly, where he and the Nuggets should most likely roll over the Sixers.