Does the drama ever stop in New York?

I don’t know where to start with this. At the beginning of the season, Knicks fans had really high hopes for this team. They were ready to send this team to the Eastern Conference Finals with players like Carmelo, Stoudemire, and Chandler. I guess teamwork is more important than individual talent, because the Knicks struggled mightily at times. Most recently, they’ve gone on a 2-8 losing streak. Just one month ago, we were stunned with Linsanity and the energy he brought to the team. That was back when Carmelo was out with the injury. In that span, I believe the Knicks won 6 games in a row. With Carmelo on the floor, the Knicks aren’t nearly as efficient than without ‘Melo.

So why is D’Antoni to blame here? Isn’t ‘Melo the guy who’s jackin up stupid 3 pointers and expecting to get foul calls (see Derrick Rose)? To be honest, the Knicks have too many guys who want huge minutes: Melo, Chandler, Amare, JR Smith, and Lin all demand a ton of minutes. I always rant about LeBron, but you never hear him complaining about minutes right? That’s because he’s on a team where HE and Dwayne Wade are the go-to guys.

A couple of years ago, a fan would say the Knicks didn’t have enough talent. Well, know it looks like they have too much talent. It’s impossible to spread minutes out correctly when you have a team like the Knicks have.

And that, folks, is why D’Antoni resigned yesterday.

I know you guys are still gonna say ” His system didn’t fit the team he had” and I understand that. It’s a valid argument. However, regardless of the system you have in place, the minutes crunch couldn’t be resolved at all.

Let’s see what interim coach Mike Woodson has in store for us in the final quarter of the season.

NBA Lockout in 4th Month

With the NBA Lockout in its 4th month, things are rapidly getting worse. David Stern has already cancelled the first two weeks of the season; how much more time will be missed? The players certainly don’t look too concerned.

According to NBC News, some NBA players such as Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire have set up pickup games in places like New York, Miami, and Boston. Even though the players don’t get paid, they still get to play against each other and entertain local fans. I can safely say that if there is no 2011-2012 season, none of these players are going broke. Besides, most of them can just get jobs at normal stores (Walmart, Stop & Shop) if they need money bad; reason being that they are so well-known. This is especially true in cases where the player looking for a job grew up in the surrounding area. In addition, I’ve heard rumors that the players are looking to organize their own league. Now, I’m not sure how they’d get paid, but I’m sure their pockets wont be empty by year’s end.

When will this stupid lockout end? Photo cred 4.bp.blogspot,com

On the other side, David Stern and the owners might be in trouble. I’m sure the majority of NBA fans think the owners should get less than a 50/50 split of the revenue. Those same people also think that the owners are greedy.

Which side are you on?

Till next time:

@TheSportzGuru

#SportsBlogMovement

NBA Lockout Inevitable; Oden Offered Money; Nazr Mohammed to Stay in OKC

The 2010-2011 NBA Season was the craziest season to date. LeBron and Bosh took their talents to South Beach to join Wade; Phil Jackson couldn’t get his 4^th 3-peat, and the Dallas Mavs “beat the Heat” in six games to win their first ever NBA Title. And who could forget the biggest trade of the year: Carmelo Anthony to the NY Knicks? Obviously it didn’t pan out the way Knicks fans were hoping for. The Nuggets got the better of them in that trade; Gallinari and Felton fit in good with that team. Anyway, let’s get goin.

NBA LOCKOUT

The first order of business is the *pending* NBA Lockout. The current CBA is set to expire at the end of the month (today). Sources have indicated that the NBA and the players’ union are far apart on every major issue, “from salaries to the salary cap, revenues to revenue sharing” (Cred ESPN.com). They’re not gonna be able to solve ALL their issues in a matter of hours tomorrow. Therefore, the lockout WILL happen, no question. It’s just the duration of it that we have no idea about. The two sides MIGHT be able to negotiate on one issue tomorrow, but we aren’t getting a deal signed anytime soon. I expect to have a deal around November, which is of course when the season starts. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the league shortens the season to 50 games like they did in 1998. We’ll just have to wait and see what goes on; as always, I’ll keep you updated as the weeks go by.

Hopefully Stern sees that we need our basketball in the winter to get through our days. Photo Cred http://cdn.bleacherreport.net

GREG ODEN OFFERED MONEY BY BLAZERS

Today, the Portland Trail Blazers offered Greg Oden a qualifying offer of $8.8 million (money amount credit to ESPN.com). If he accepts the offer, Oden will become a restricted free agent, thus allowing the Blazers to match any offer made for him. Kind of a weird rule, don’t you think? I mean, you pay the guy $8.8 mill, and you might not even be able to match what’s offered to him? They’re really taking a gamble offering him that much money. However, he’s a pretty good player WHEN HEALTHY, so I see where they’re goin with this. I still can’t believe he’s only 23. How many injuries has he suffered, like 6 or 7 in 3 NBA seasons? And they were all pretty serious too, not just your normal day-to-day sprained ankle. He’s also had like 3 surgeries, wayyy too many for a 23-year-old.I’m looking forward to seeing where he plays next season, and if he gets injured.

Will Oden stay in Portland? Or will he "take his talents to South Beach?" Photo Cred http://upload.wikimedia.org

NAZR MOHAMMED RE-SIGNS WITH THUNDER

“General manager Sam Presti announced Wednesday that Oklahoma City had signed (Nazr) Mohammed to an extension.” Mohammed is a 13-year NBA veteran who’s rebounding and scoring abilities are not questioned, however he’s not been able to show us his awesomeness because Kendrick Perkins is there to take the starting spot. I’d honestly be fine with having either one as my center, but you gotta let Perkins get the starting spot in that situation, and that’s what they did. Honestly, I think they should split the minutes 60/40, so Perkins should get about 29 minutes and Mohammed should get 19. Does that seem fair?

Mohammed resigned with the OKC Thunder on Wednesday. Photo Cred http://upload.wikimedia.org.

Comment, tell me what you think on these “tid-bits” of news,

Until tomorrow morning,

The Sportz Guru

NBA Finals Neck-and-Neck at 2-2

This has been a crazy basketball season so far. The LA Lakers getting swept by the Mavericks in the Playoffs. The Heat knocking off the Celtics in 6 games. And who can forget about Carmelo Anthony being shipped to NY? I certainly can; he didn’t do anything to help the franchise (so far). As soon as he came over, everyone was like, “We gonna go all the way this year with Stouda and ‘Melo.” Yea, like that’s gonna happen anytime soon. Anthony’s definitely a little overrated. Sure, it’s New York, everyone who lives here expects a championship just about every year. Not just in basketball, in all sports (Yankees, Giants/Jets). So, I think Carmelo disappointing the most arrogant fans on the planet; not that bad right? Seriously, the Knicks were playing MUCH better team ball before Melo came to town.  Ball Hog much?

Anyhow, the Mavericks and the Heat are tied at 2-2 in the Finals. It’s gone back and forth every game this series. In the games that the Heat won, they were able to pass the ball efficiently, drive to the rim, and pick up rebounds at will. In contrast, the Mavs won by rallying behind Dirk, because he can stay on very long hot streaks where he hits 10 shots in a row. The constant flopping of the players shows that its been a very physical series, especially for rebounds. If the pattern continues, the Heat will win Game 5. In addition, that means the Heat will also win 4 games before the Mavs, therefore winning the championship. Looks like Jason Terry’s tattoo was a jinx!

Looks like the Tattoo Didn't help the Mavs in the Finals....