2015 NBA Draft Recap

With the 4^th Overall Pick, The Knicks Take… Who?

The New York Knicks are in the unenviable position of wanting to win right now but needing a to improve at just about every position in order to do so. There probably isn’t another team so ill-equipped to make a playoff run that is not trying to rebuild. Carmelo Anthony, at the age where most players hit their physical peak, is surrounded by a cast with little NBA experience and that Knicks fans would be hard pressed to be able to name. But yet, he is under contract until 2019 so it seems like the team is committed to winning with him. So with the goal of winning now, you’d think the Knicks would try and fill out the team with rookies ready to contribute immediately, right?

Well, in one of the deepest drafts in recent memory and with the highest pick the team has had since 1985, the New York Knicks selected Kristaps Porzingis, a 19-year old 7’1” Latvian who played

2013-2014 NBA Preview: Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics

2012-2013 Record: 41-40 (7th in East)

Key Additions: Kelly Olynyk, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace

Key Losses: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry

Projected Starting Lineup: Rajon Rondo, Courtney Lee, Gerald Wallace, Brandon Bass, Vitor Faverani

The Celtics have gone head first into rebuilding mode, the team has been almost completely stripped down and sold for parts. Future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were traded within the division to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for mostly expiring contracts and draft picks. Coach Doc Rivers

Trades Shake Up NBA’s Atlantic Division

Intra-Division Trades

The Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics agreed to a trade on draft night that sends two future Hall of Famers to Brooklyn. Just three days later, the Toronto Raptors agreed to send a former number one overall pick to the New York Knicks. It’s very rare for teams within the same division to trade with each other. When a intra-division trade involves key players it is lunacy. Two trades involving key players that happen only a few days apart, both between teams within the same division, is flat out unheard of. But that is exactly what happened in the Atlantic division as two teams that share the same state hope to make final pushes to win a championship before the window closes.

2012 NBA Draft Recap

New York Goes Overseas

In a pick I definitely did not see coming, the Knicks selected Kostas Papanikolaou out of Greece. Although I was hesitant at first, I grew to, more or less, like the pick. I can honestly say I have never heard of this player nor have I seen any video of him. However, Fran Fraschilla spoke very highly of him (although which international player does he not speak highly about? It seemed like every international pick during the draft was a “great” or “solid” pick). 

In addition, the Knicks are trying to win right now and in doing so are taking a page out of the San Antonio Spurs’ draft manual by aiming for a championship while also looking towards the future in developing young players overseas, as Papanikolaou is not expected to enter the NBA for a

Coach D’Antoni Needs To Go

Flashy Offense

There is no denying that Mike D’Antoni’s fast paced offense is fun to watch. Averaging over one hundred points a game year after year with quick, long range 3s and run and gun passing is going to draw in crowds. His Suns teams between 2004 and 2008, the four years D’Antoni was coach the whole season, won at least 50 wins all four years and at least 60 in two of those seasons. He won NBA Coach of the Year his first season as head coach of the Suns and the team made it to the Western Conference finals twice during his reign in Phoenix. His “7 seconds or less” offense, referring to his preference of having his team shoot no later than 7 seconds into the 24 second shot clock, in Phoenix became a 

2011 NBA Trade Deadline

          The NBA trade deadline ended Thursday February 24 at 3:00 PM ET. It seemed like a lot of teams waited until then or pretty close to make trades and change up their roster before it was too late. The last few minutes were so busy that I had trouble taking notes in my classes, I was so focused on refreshing my page and waiting for breaking news as the countdown came to an end. This year more than ever, trades came down to the last minute and even after the deadline passed, news still trickled in regarding major transactions and power shifting moves. The NBA saw many of these power swings as players changed teams, not only among divisions but among conferences. Teams that were stranded in no-man’s-land suddenly become threats to make the finals while potential finals contenders slid down a few notches. Here are the major trades that took place at or around the deadline and analysis and grades of each one.

No Suspension for Kevin Garnett After a Cheap Shot

The Low Blow

In a game between the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns, Celtics’ forward Kevin Garnett got whistled for a foul and ejected from the game after hitting Suns’ forward Channing Frye in the groin on a 3-point attempt. Frye obviously took offense to this and got in Garnett’s face. The hit can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV-iGBfTkD0&feature=related. After watching the replay and considering Garnett’s reputation, it seemed like disciplinary actions would occur. However, instead of suspending Garnett for the cheap shot, the NBA decided to do nothing. Now one may question the decision for the league not to punish Garnett for an unnecessary shot to the man region, but once

2010 NBA Playoffs Recap

What we learned from this year’s playoffs:

Kobe’s Not Done Yet

First of all, congratulations to the Los Angeles Lakers for not only winning back-to-back championships, but also beating the rival Celtics in the process. To all the people who said that Kobe was past his prime and that it wasn’t his league anymore, how do your word’s taste? Because Kobe just fed them to you. Kobe Bryant just proved to everyone out there that not only his is still in his prime, but that no injury too severe can stop him. Playing with almost every injury known to man: a broken finger, a spastic back, a bad ankle, and whatever else that we don’t about, Kobe still managed to win his 5th NBA Championship and 2nd NBA Finals MVP. He is now tied in the championship category with Magic Johnson and one, yes one, behind Michael Jordan. He may not have had his best shooting game