Continue Reading

Contributed by guest writer Frank Palmasani


Years of mocking, followed by ridicule, trailed by disappoint, preceded by doubt, and through all of it the Miami Heat, or Lebron James, finally caught the ring they vied for all the sears.

No one, not even the most passionate of all Heat and Lebron haters (I could be the king of them) can deny the fact that they dominated a good part of every game they played in. The talent that their team possessed mixed in with flamboyant team chemistry was just too much for most teams to deal with. Put them against even the most dominant of teams in a seven game series and you have a drawn out slaughter at the hands of “King” James and Dwayne Wade.

Especially in the previous season, no teams had the star power it took to truly stop the Miami Heat. It would take a team with excellent management and an even more tempting environment to bring in the talent that could truly challenge the likes of South Beach. It would take a team that can make the correct moves and decisions to bring an elite point guard and maybe even a Superman-like center.
no comments

Continue Reading

Contributed by guest writer Frank Palmasani


The lean, green, Laker-rival machine; Ray Allen is gone. Two of their three best players are old. Their all-star point guard is the Celtics final saving grace. So why are they the number 2 team to beat for the Lakers in the East?

Who knows.

If one truth will ever hold relevant, it is that the Celtics play their best against the Lakers. Though it’s a franchise rivalry, it isn’t the sports drama of Bird v. Magic or West v. Russell. However, an old age rivalry is a heated rivalry none-the-less, and while it seems to be more of a Kobe versus the entire team instead of Kobe versus Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett it is still the same heated rivalry. The Celtics have put it all on the line in recent matchups with the purple and gold. The Finals, the ABC channel Sunday broadcasts, the fights and the complaining; all of it a product of this legendary rivalry.
no comments

Continue Reading

Contributed by guest blogger Frank Palmasani


It seemed like the perfect steal: Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire on the same team. They were two dominant players who succeeded at what they did, and all of New York saw it as the move that would pull them from their slump.

Well, we haven’t seen it yet. But is there still a chance?

Carmelo Anthony is an offensive powerhouse. While it’s true he often falters on defense occasionally don’t let it take away from what he brings to the court. And it isn’t like Anthony can’t play defense; it seems as though he chooses not to put it all on defense for the sake of his offense. Or maybe he’s lazy. Who knows?
no comments

Continue Reading

If NBA commissioner David Stern needed something done for "basketball reasons", the newly instated anti-flopping rule is it.

Last Tuesday, the NBA released a statement regarding the details of the anti-flopping rule that will be implemented starting the upcoming season. It states that any player determined by the NBA to have committed flopping during the regular season will face the following repercussions:

Violation 1: Warning
Violation 2: $5,000 fine
Violation 3: $10,000 fine
Violation 4: $15,000 fine
Violation 5: $30,000 fine
no comments

Continue Reading

Contributed by guest blogger Frank Palmasani


They’re old. They’re out of shape. Their best player is old, the second best is now visually impaired, and the third is balding. You’ve heard it all before.

It’s no secret. The San Antonio Spurs are an older team. Tim Duncan can still bask in the old days when they traded buzzer beaters and game winners with the “Kobe-Shaq era” Lakers. Ask any Spur-hater and you’ll get a long list of reasons on why the Spurs are more of a nuisance then a pleasure to watch. You hear talks about Tim Duncan. His voice, his age, the look on his face; all of it has taken a fair share of pointless scrutiny. Tony Parker, too, has had his skill challenged. He may be the quickest point guard on-ball in the league, but he doesn’t drop the thirty points a game of a Russell Westbrook or Derrick Rose. You can be sure that he has to hear about it.
no comments

Continue Reading

At some point in the eve of the Lakers media day, Mitch Kupchak made another move to improve an already stacked roster. This time, he added veteran wingman Chris Douglas-Roberts to the list of training camp hopefuls. With Roberts, the Lakers now have 16 players for training camp.

Roberts (or "CDR" or "Buckets") is a 3-year NBA veteran after being drafted by the New Jersey Nets as the 40th overall pick in 2008 out of Memphis. He spent 2 seasons with the Nets before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2010 for a 2012 2nd round pick. Last season, he was one of the NBA players who exported to the European leagues due to the lockout and played for Italy's Virtus Bologna.

The six-foot-seven, 210 pound forward/guard is regarded as an offensive-minded player who can create his own shot with his decent handles and athleticism. The strength of his game basically falls between mid-range jumpers to attacking the rim and has a nice finesse game with his floater. He can hit from distance when he's open but his career 28.6% average from behind the arc says pass it to him at your own risk.

Continue Reading

Contributed by guest blogger Frank Palmasani


What the Oklahoma City Thunder have accomplished in a matter of years is outstanding.

They have two perennial all-stars in Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Need I say more?

They took their talents to South Beach and back, eventually dropping the ball in the Finals. It wasn’t for nothing, though. The Thunder made a hard statement that was somewhat lost on them in playoff series in the years before, regardless of soft showing in the final four games against the Heat. They made their presence known in the Western conference as they swam past the undefeated Spurs. While San Antonio held the torch in skill and experience, they couldn’t keep up with the much younger, quicker, and more explosive team.

With a new season urging forward and only a few weeks away, one wouldn’t be completely false to say that the Thunder were sharing the reins with the Spurs in the West. They may not be farther from number 1 in the West then the ladder, but not by much. The speed is great, but they’re young. Inexperience has its faults. Russell Westbrook looked less of point guard and more of ball hog in the Finals series, and it seemed like Durant was often left open on the wing, arms flailing, but not asserting himself for possession when that was truly what the team needed. Skill and experience comes hand-in-hand with the age of the San Antonio Spurs. It’s a simple fact; they’ve done better for longer.
no comments

Continue Reading

Contributed by guest blogger Frank Palmasani


There is a new sheriff in Los Angeles… Right?

Maybe, but not likely.

Yes, they have Chris Paul running the court in the Staples Center painted red, white and blue. And yes, they have the always entertaining and high-flying Blake Griffin. But are those two players along with a talented to decent entourage of role players and back-ups enough to force the purple and gold out of L.A.? Still, probably not.

Let’s face it; the Clippers are no stranger to losing seasons and being outshined. While the Clippers have boosted their skill, athleticism, and fan base with more explosive play due to their recent acquisitions, the Lakers are a well-seasoned dynasty. So they will have to have a lot to challenge the Lakers for the title of best in L.A.

So what exactly do the Clippers have that will pose a serious problem to Kobe and his new Laker team? They’ve lost a lot of upper hands in the course of one off season. The point guard position and the bench position had easily been the weakest aspect of the Los Angeles Lakers in past years. With the acquisition of Steve Nash, the offensive side of the point guard position has been satisfied. With players like Chris Duhon, Antawn Jamison, and the newly signed rookie Darius Johnson-Odom, they have plugged up a few of the holes that weakened their bench squad.
no comments

Continue Reading

Last Season: 41-25. 1st in Pacific Divsion. 3rd seed in Western Conference. Lost to Oklahoma City 4-1 in the Western Conference semi-finals.

Who's Gone: Andrew Bynum (traded to Philadelphia); Derek Fisher (traded to Houston mid-season); Ramon Sessions (FA – signed by Charlotte); Matt Barnes (FA – signed by Clippers); Josh McRoberts (traded to Orlando); Luke Walton (traded to Cleveland mid-season); Troy Murphy (unsigned – FA); Jason Kapono (traded to Cleveland mid-season); and Christian Eyenga (traded to Orlando).

Who's New: Players: Steve Nash (sign-and-trade with Phoenix); Dwight Howard (acquired from Orlando); Jordan Hill (acquired from Houston last season); Antawn Jamison (signed – FA); Jodie Meeks (signed – FA); Chris Duhon (acquired from Orlando); Earl Clark (acquired from Orlando); Robert Sacre (rookie) and Darius Johnson-Odom (rookie).

Coaches: Eddie Jordan (Assistant – Philadelphia); Steve Clifford (Assistant – Orlando); and Bernie Bickerstaff (Assistant – Portland).

Continue Reading