Daily Basketball
NBA and NCAA blogging on an occasionally daily basis
Archive for April, 2007
April 21, 2007 at 9:40 pm · Filed under Other
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April 20, 2007 at 4:40 pm · Filed under NBA, NCAA
Now it’s official, Greg Oden will join Kevin Durant in this June’s NBA draft. Many believed the humble seven-footer would stay with the Ohio State Buckeyes for his sophomore year, but Oden, Mike Conley Jr., and Daequan Cook all declared for the draft. Cook and Conley have yet to hire agents, giving them the option of returning to school.
NBA fans now know that the 1985 Draft Lottery was rigged, at least according to Bill Simmons. You can see that the New York Knicks‘ envelope was blatantly thrown into the side of the glass drum, while the eight others fell in without any bent corners.
After only one season with the Sacramento Kings, (former) head coach Eric Musselman is now out of work after a disappointing season. Musselman went 33-49, survived Ron Artest, and accumulated a couple DUIs before being relieved of duty with the team.
Bizarrely, Kevin Garnett may have spoken with the team about signing a contract extension. Garnett definitely deserves a trade to a contender, after the Minnesota Timberwolves have missed the playoffs for the last few years. Unless the deal leads to a trade, Garnett should look forward to free agency.
Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony took home the Player of the Month awards for their respective conferences. Carter’s coach, Lawrence Frank, and the Golden State Warriors‘ head coach, Don Nelson, won the Coach of the Month awards.
BallHype has a review of the season previews compiled by bloggers at the beginning of the season. Predictably, most teams fell short of high expectations, and only won team (the San Antonio Spurs) had their record guessed correctly.
April 17, 2007 at 9:17 pm · Filed under NBA
Managing a team in last place is a new experience for Jerry West, and it’ll also be the way he ends his career as NBA legend and two-time Executive of the Year. His teams have won a handful of championships over the past couple decades, and before this season, the Memphis Grizzlies looked nothing like a team to joke about.
Although Tim Duncan accepted a $25,000 fine and admitted to exchanging some tough words with referee Joey Crawford, The Big Fundamental wants the NBA to remember that Crawford threw him without reason and started the conflict of words.
David Stern suspended Crawford indefinitely, and had this to say: “Joey Crawford’s handling of this situation failed to meet the standards of professionalism and game management we expect of NBA referees.”
Stern doubts Crawford will return to his position as referee, since Crawford refuses to believe he unfairly assessed the technical foul.
Ben Gordon and Tracy McGrady were named the NBA’s Players of the Week. McGrady helped the Houston Rockets clinch home-court advantage in their first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz.
Expect the Seattle Sonics to again face rumors of a move to Oklahoma City after the team failed to gain support needed for a new arena in the area. While the fans don’t want to give up their team, staying in their current home seems doubtful.
Red’s Army hosted the most recent Carnival of the NBA, presented in an American Idol format featuring the beloved Ryan Seacrest and Sanjaya (not to scare you off).
April 13, 2007 at 9:41 pm · Filed under NBA, NCAA
Without the Washington Wizards‘ recent collapse, the Miami Heat have clinched their division title and the #4 seed. However, they won’t have home-court advantage, and their star Dwyane Wade nows ails with tendinitis in his left knee along with his previous shoulder injury. In the three games since his return, Wade has put up solid numbers, but nearly six turnovers per game.
The legendary UCLA coach John Wooden was released from the hospital after another bout with health problems. His daughter said this of the 96 year-old, “He is at home and doing well.”
Georgetown stars Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert plan to submit their names to the NBA draft. Both are first-round picks, though Hibbert could be a lottery pick because of his size.
This season, Kobe Bryant has scored 50+ points more times than any other player has in a single season since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964-1965.
Bill Russell says Greg Oden could be an outstanding player in the NBA — not exactly a new expectation, but many Boston Celtics‘ fans see Oden as their new franchise player if they win the lottery. “He’s grown so fast, it may take a year or two before the rest catches up.”
April 10, 2007 at 8:00 pm · Filed under NBA, NCAA
After his individual play conquered the NCAA during his freshman season, Texas forward Kevin Durant will take his skills to the NBA next year. While most fans agreed Durant would become an amazing player, few assumed Durant would beat out Greg Oden for the major awards.
If Oden enters the draft, the team with the first pick will have a tough choice. Take Oden, who seems to be a guaranteed solid pick, or take Durant knowing he has the chance to be one of the best ever after an incredible freshman year? Sounds like the 1984 NBA draft. Were the Houston Rockets really crazy to take Hakeem Olajuwon over a guard from North Carolina? It could be possible to choose an amazing player and still have made the wrong decision.
The Dallas Mavericks clinched the best record in the NBA with five games to spare. Already, the team plans to lose some games it should be clear favorites to win. Head coach Avery Johnson said that Dirk Nowitzki and Jerry Stackhouse won’t be playing until the first round comes,”I told them if I see them on the plane, I’ll fine them.”
“Former Kansas Jayhawk” sophomore Julian Wright plans to submit his name into the draft.
Apparently, the Boston Celtics plan to offer head coach Doc Rivers an extension after the exceptional job done tanking the season in an effort to get the #1 pick. Of course, this is pure speculation from around the league, but we’re talking about Danny Ainge here.
April 6, 2007 at 9:24 pm · Filed under NBA, NCAA
After Billy Donovan spurned the chance to coach the Kentucky Wildcats, the school hired another top NCAA coach. Billy Gillespie, the former Texas A&M coach, will replace Tubby Smith as head coach. His contract is worth $2.3 million a year and he knows that expectations will be high. Gillespie said, “This is the place that basically invented college basketball,” referring to the school’s glory years under Adolph Rupp.
The Toronto Raptors clinched their first division title after the team beat the Philadelphia Sixers and the Chicago Bulls defeated the second-place New Jersey Nets. The Raptors will return to the playoffs after a five-year absence, and likely face either the Washington Wizards or the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.
The Nets’ Vince Carter may return to the team, regardless of speculation that he plans to head south to join the Orlando Magic. The Nets seem skeptical that Carter is worth $60 for a three-year extension, but they could get more from a trade than letting their All-Star guard go for nothing.
Dwyane Wade hopes to return to the Heat sometime in the next couple weeks, in a limited sixth-man role. The Heat played better basketball with their star guard out since late February, including a nine-game winning streak that helped them get back into the race for the division title and a playoff spot.
Both Teams Played Hard compiled a list of the Top 50 NBA commercials. It’s definitely worth a look, with the best of the NBA commercials found on YouTube. This comprehensive list has all of the videos embedded on one page, so you can watch each individually without leaving the site.
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