Food for Thought 3-6-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Could Danny Ainge and the Celtics really trade Rajon Rondo (pictured above) after watching the show he put on against the Knicks on Sunday?

By Josh Kramer

Trade me?  You must be crazy.

This Sunday was definitely a “Fun Day” in the NBA.  Not only were there great matchups though, there were memorable performances.  Deron Williams dropped 57 as he continues to make his ploy for Dwight Howard to join him in Brooklyn (New Jersey heads to Brooklyn next year).  Kobe Bryant put on a heck of a show in which he scored 18 points in the first quarter to set the tone as LA handled Miami 93 to 83.  And of course there was the exceptional performance put on by the Celtics point guard, Rajon Rondo.

I seem to remember heavy gossip about a possible trade of a certain Celtic’s point guard before the March 15^th trade deadline.  Well after watching the show that Rondo put on yesterday against the Knicks, could you really imagine trading this guy?  Three numbers sum everything up.

18, 17, and 20.

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Most wonderful time of the year?

Photo courtesy of thefastertimes.com. Amar'e Stoudemire (pictured above) and the New York Knicks will be a team looking to prove something come Christmas Day when they take on the team that knocked them out of last year's playoffs, the Boston Celtics.

By Josh Kramer

So we are not sure at this point if the NBA will have a season next year.  But we do know that the games scheduled for Christmas Day should be outstanding as usual.  It would be a dire shame if these games were not played and put a real dent in my Christmas Day plans.

Honestly though, my appetite would be left unquenched if there were no NBA games on Christmas.

Here is a closer look at the probable triple-header:

Boston Celtics versus New Yorks:  We all know that the Knicks will bust out their traditional festive green jerseys.  And this matchup should be a great one.  Boston is an aging squad that I feel has worn out its welcome as a contender in the East, while the Knicks are a rising squad, that is looking to become a contender.  Any time you get guys who can score like Amar’e, Carmelo, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen all on the floor together, you already know that there is going to be some fireworks.

“Heat Drop Celtics; Take 3-1 Lead”

According to our very own Wesley Kaminsky, Lebron James (pictured above) appears to finally have the look of a champion.

Wesley is a sports expert and journalist out of Philadelphia that writes for Bleacher Report.  You can check out all of his work at  http://bleacherreport.com/users/88810-wesley-kaminsky or follow his twitter @Wesley_Kaminsky

Don’t look now, but we are just one game away from both the Lakers and Celtics being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. When the playoffs begun, many people had these two teams meeting up in the championship for the third time in four years, assuming it would be too difficult to knock off either of these teams in a seven game series. I was not one of those people, seeing as I didn’t make playoff predictions, because of two reasons. The first being that being a die-hard Bulls fan, I know that my favoritism of the Bulls would be evident, and I would think of a million reasons as to why they could not lose in the playoffs. The second reason I did not fill one out was because I really had no idea, and wanted to save myself the embarrassment following a March Madness bracket that I never want to look at again.Anyway, enough about that. Time to get to the action that took place on Monday night, with the Heat taking a commanding 3-1 lead over the Eastern conference champion Celtics.

“Weekly Nickel”

Barry Melrose (pictured above) is the face of Hockey at ESPN these days. Expect the playoff excitement to continue with some great Conference Semi-Final matchups.

It is another top of the week in the wide world of sports.  Last week was absolutely ludicrous from start to the dramatic finish in New York with the always entertaining NFL Draft.  How couldn’t you enjoy the constant back and forth of Mel Kiper and Jon Gruden?  It was pure entertainment.

Lets take a look at the top 5 for this upcoming week.

“Food for Thought 4-12-11”

Even though Boston has slid into the 3 seed in the East, I think in the last year of the "Big 3" in Beantown, they still will win the Eastern Conference.

After the crazy week that was in sports, there is so much to talk about.  So much going on.  And the fun is just beginning.  Both the NBA and NHL playoffs are right around the corner, while the MLB is already starting to heat up.

Here is a look into some of the main headlines that have caught my attention.

“Stars Aligning: Is this Good for the NBA?”

 

With the major move of Carmelo to New York and Deron Williams to New Jersey, could Chris Paul (pictured above) be next? Our very own Wesley Kaminsky touches on the current state of the NBA.

Wesley is a sports expert and journalist out of Philadelphia that writes for Bleacher Report.  You can check out all of his work at  http://bleacherreport.com/users/88810-wesley-kaminsky or follow his twitter @Wesley_Kaminsky

 

Remember back in the old NBA days where stars wanted to compete against one another and not join forces for the sole purpose to win a ring? I am talking about back in the days of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. These guys did not want to play together and dominate the NBA for years to come, they wanted to battle it out and compete against each other. No, I was not around during the days of Bird and Magic, and was a baby while Jordan was in his prime, but I do know one thing, that the NBA has completely changed since then.

“The Hype is Real: How Derrick Rose Can Win MVP”

 

Can Chicago Bull's star point guard Derrick Rose (pictured above) bring home the MVP? Our very own Wesley Kaminsky thinks so.

Wesley is a sports expert and journalist out of Philadelphia that writes for Bleacher Report.  You can check out all of his work at  http://bleacherreport.com/users/88810-wesley-kaminsky or follow his twitter @Wesley_Kaminsky

When Derrick Rose posed the question “Why can’t I be MVP?” on day one of Chicago Bulls media day, not many people took him seriously. Rose, the young, humble superstar doesn’t talk much in the press, and when he says something you should believe him.

“When a Man Becomes Bigger than the Game Itself”

Lebron James has turned into the Brett Favre of the NBA and is now bigger than the game itself.

The NBA Free Agency frenzy this past week has shown me many things.  It has shown me what chaos is like.  It has shown me the power of coattail effects (power of mouth).  It has shown me the power of money.  It has shown me that NBA analysts can act like John Kerry and constantly flip-flop their opinions by the hour.  But the main thing it has shown me.. 

One man has become bigger than the game itself.  The man who proclaimed himself “King James” from a young age is the NBA.  The NBA should now be answering to the “King.”  Lebron has single-handedly turned this offseason into the Lebron show.  And sure there has been other players involved in this, but it all has been about James from day 1.  All the buildup of what the other players would do was all secondary to what the King would do.  And wouldn’t you know it, Lebron will be the last big time player to decide his fate tomorrow evening.  Do not forget to tune in to the hour special tomorrow night of Lebron’s big “announcement.”

Give me a break..

Now I will be the first to tell you that Lebron is probably the best player in the world at this time.  He is an exceptional athlete who has really redefined the game with his amazing size, grace, and skill.  But I think people are forgetting one major thing.  The kid, and that is what he is a kid (25 now), has not even won a title.  He has 0 rings and the world has gotten on its knees to worship this guy.  I mean if Michael Jordan was a free agent 15 years ago (and mind you he had rings),   would there have been an hour-long special on ESPN for his “announcement?”

I love the NBA.  And I will admit that I have enjoyed playing with the scenarios of what would happen during this highly anticipated free agency period as much as anybody.  But enough is enough.  There has been a super buildup for really a lack of movement.  Joe Johnson stayed put.  Dirk Nowitzki stayed put.  Paul Pierce stayed put.  Dwyane Wade stayed put.  Lebron may even stay put.

All the hype for what?  Sure it has been exciting, but not all that much has happened.  Other than Amare going to the Knicks, Bosh going to the Heat, and possibly Lebron heading to NYC, not much else out of the ordinary has occurred.  Now I do understand the significance this summer has played in molding the League for the next decade.  Even guys staying put is key to the future of the League and who will be its main contenders, but really not all that much has happened.

So Lebron James will really put a close to the main part of this free agency frenzy tomorrow night.  And I for one will be happy to see it end and be able to move on.  It will most likely be Cleveland or New York as the self-proclaimed “King’s” destination.  And that brings me to another point that has been bothering me for some time now.  Did Michael Jordan ever have to refer to himself as Air Jordan?  Well Lebron James has to refer to himself as “King James.”  Is this symbolic?

I would love to see Lebron end up on the Knicks in that I am a Knick’s fan.  But Lebron has turned into the Brett Favre of the NBA. 

A man who is bigger than the League and bigger than the game itself.

Stay tuned for the next edition of Sportskraze.

-Kraze

“The Dawning of a New Day”

We are all witnesses to the Free Agency period of the summer, 2010.

 It is less than 24 hours away.  The scope of the NBA will be completely altered and fans will “witness” a new day for the League.  For the past decade, the NBA has been dominated by the Western Conference.  For the decade before that, the Eastern Conference reigned supreme (Michael Jordan era).  Now it is up for grabs.  As the world braces itself for the Free Agency period of a lifetime, we have 24 hours left to reflect on the NBA that was.  Because it will be no more.. 

I know most of you are probably sick and tired of hearing about the NBA Free Agency period of 2010.  I will admit it is turning into a Brett Favre type saga.  The only difference is this story actually has a valid excuse for being talked about every day for over 2 months.  This is not about one player’s selfish cry for attention.  This is a story that involves the entire League.  It is a story that is honestly bigger than the game. 

Now I will admit that I have no idea what is going to happen during this Free Agency period.  I can speculate like all of the other experts and analysts.  And I have my opinions and theories on who will go where and why.  But let’s be honest, nobody is sure about what will transpire over the next few weeks.  People can hypothesize, but there are no sure-fire take the bank type facts.  The only way to actually get a better idea would be to sit at the player’s roundtable, which sounds similar to a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen type event.  And wouldn’t you know it, 2 more marquee names added themselves to the Free Agency pool last evening (Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki). 

So heading into the final 24 hours before the insanity begins, lets take a look at what players are on the market.  You have both your Superstars and your All Stars in this class (and of course other solid players that are getting no mention this offseason).  I will also put in parenthesis next to each player where I think they will land (no analysis will be provided though). 

Superstars: 

-Lebron James (Chicago), Dwayne Wade (Miami), Chris Bosh (Chicago), Dirk Nowitzki (newly added name) (Dallas) 

All Stars: 

Paul Pierce (newly added name) (LA Clippers), Joe Johnson (New York), Amare Stoudemire (New York), Carlos Boozer (Miami) 

This is just a small crop of the marquee names available.  There is much more out there, but these are the guys who have been getting the majority of the press. 

In a way, all of this buildup, preparation, and hype, could be compared to a Presidential election.  Teams have been cutting salary in any way possible over the past 2 years in preparation for this July.  This is sort of like fundraising for a campaign.  It has all been about positioning.  In addition, teams have been wooing players in any way possible that falls within the rules for well over 2 years.  The same way Presidential candidates try to woo people to vote for them by touring the country making speeches.  Lastly, the entire NBA is involved in this.  This is similar to how the entire country is involved in a Presidential election.  The only difference between this and a Presidential election really other than voting is that this will have an effect on the entire League for well over 4 years.  The Presidential election only results in a 4 year contract while most of these contracts will be for more than 4 year periods (and their impacts on the League will extend for well over a decade). 

So there you have it.  I would love to give you further analysis and reasoning on my predictions on where everybody is going to land and what is going to happen during the course of this bonanza.  But my predictions, similar to the experts like Bill Simmons, Tim Legler, Tony Kornheiser, Michael Wilbon, etc are all void in that nobody really knows what is going to happen (as I stated before). 

This is truly an enigma and is the only reason why I and most people can tolerate all the attention it has been getting each and every day for the better part of 3 months. 

Get ready for the dawning of a new day in the NBA. 

Also, if you would like to see a conversation that I had with a fellow sports enthusiast/blogger (Bryan Setz) a couple of a days ago, who has a blog called 3 Cats 1 Nut, go to http://www.3cats1nut.com/  and check out the gist of the conversation. 

Stay tuned for the next edition of Sportskraze. 

-Kraze