Fear The Deer is Back!

Fear The Deer!

Behind the Backcourt Tandem of Jennings and Ellis, the Milwaukee Bucks have successfully revitalized the Fear The Deer campaign.

Excitement is stirring among Bucks fans this season.

It's a good time to be a Buck's fan as the upstart squad led by the dynamic duo of Jennings and Ellis currently sit at 6 wins 3 losses. That's good for first in the Central Division. But not all of the credit deserves to go to the star studded backcourt. One reason for the Buck's success is the unexpected emergence of Larry Sanders who leads the team in blocks (2.2) and rebounds (7.7). Another reason for the teams success is the depth of this team. Despite the teams two best players being guards, the teams depth is at its greatest at its frontcourt positions. 
The Buck's frontcourt boasts a great mix of talents ranging from the young and talented Tobias Harris and John Henson, to veterans such as Gooden and Dalembert, as well as a few breakout players(Illyasova during the past year and Sanders during this season). And lets not forget Luc Richard Mbah a Moute who has yet to get into the mix with his defensive prowess. It also doesn't hurt to have a top 5 offense as well as leading the league in assists. While the Milwaukee Bucks aren't championship material, right now is as fun a time as ever to be a part of the Fear The Deer campaign. Because rest assured, the Bucks are sure to give a team or two quite the scare come playoff time if they keep playing like they are now.

Guards Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis have been the key cogs for the Milwaukee Bucks this season.

The Resurrection of Mike D'Antoni

You've Gotta Love the NBA Right?

After being kicked to the curb as a result of what would become Lebron's Decision, Mike Brown ended up rising from the ashes of the Lebron James turmoil, and found himself coaching the Los Angeles Lakers just one year later. Now that he has been fired, fast forward to Mike D'Antoni on November 12th 2012.

In an extremely similar manner to Mike Brown, Mike D'Antoni found himself becoming the victim to the threat of a star player's happiness, and ended up finding himself fired in a turmoil ridden 2011-2012 season for the New York Knicks. And yet just like Mike Brown, D'Antoni rose from the ashes and has found himself with a golden opportunity to coach a star studded Lakers team filled with 4 future hall of fame bound players.

So in a tale of two Mike's, both essentially found themselves becoming the victim to a star player(Lebron potentially leaving Cleveland, and Melo's reported conflict with D'Antoni). Yet they both in a very similar fashion, ended up landing a coaching gig with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The NBA. Where Two Guys Named Mike Following Extremely Similar Coaching Routes Happens.

Yes. I had to do something as stupid as that.

The James Harden Dilemma Part 3(Are we better or worse?)

The James Harden Dilemma Part 3

So how does this trade exactly impact both teams? Here to tell you is a little something called a pros and cons list.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Pros: 

Financial Flexibility( Kevin Martin's contract comes off the books after this season).

Veteran presence in Kevin Martin added to a young roster( not that K Mart has had much success in the post season or anything).

Young promising rookie sg Jeremy Lamb(this would've been pretty freaking awesome if they didn't give up a borderline All-Star caliber sg in Harden).

Draft picks! Two first round picks and a second round pick to be exact! And if Houston doesn't pile up wins,(which they realistically shouldn't do) then those picks will hold quite a bit of value to them.

Cons:

Loss of an all-star/borderline all-star talent.

Loss of a player who had developed a TON of chemistry with  other members of the Thunder.

Kevin Martin and his atrocious defense. That's going to be painful to watch..... I really shouldn't elaborate on this... I'll let Kobe elaborate on K Mart's defense when the time comes.

No more Lazar Hayward!!!!!!(Kidding)

Houston Rockets

Pros:

The addition of a potential franchise player.

The formation of an interesting backcourt.(Linbeardity?? Yeah probably not)

Turning their season outlook from abysmal to underwhelming(unless both Harden and Lin somehow catch fire and both make the all-star team)

Lazar Hayward!!!!(again kidding)

Cons:

Money: 45 million tied up in a trio of James Harden, Jeremy Lin, and Omer Asik. The Harden third of the trio sounds pretty nice, but the last two thirds of this mini big 3 leave a little to be desired.

Loss of draft picks: All together, they lost 3 draft picks, including 2 first rounders.

Losing their lottery pick Jeremy Lamb. Although this one only stings badly if Lamb ends up becoming better then Harden someday.

And that concludes the triple post on the James Harden Dilemma. Thanks for reading and as always, feel free to leave a comment about the post.

The James Harden Dilemma Part 2(Financial Flexibility)

The James Harden Dilemma Part 2

In case the title wasn't much of a giveaway to you, this part will be discussing the thing that makes people want to hop onto the big market bandwagon, and the thing that arguably makes the fans of small market teams cringe the most. (Pause for dramatic affect) Money. We wasted 16 regular season NBA games, delayed the start of the regular season, and watched an abnormal amount of injuries decimate our favorite players over the course of the condensed season. Why??? Because of a lockout which stemmed from a player vs owner issue that when it was all said and done, was supposed to improve the competitive balance between small market and big market teams. And what exactly happened?? The reigning western conference champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, had to ship off one third of their big 3 to Houston due to potential long term issues financially, while the Lakers went off and formed what feels like, the billionth super team. Only instead of forming a big 3, being the Los Angeles Lakers, they went ahead and formed a big 4 on us. Why you may ask? Because their the flipping Los Angeles Lakers and they have a certain little something called money!(that last sentence was a sarcastic impersonation of what a not so insightful post on an ESPN conversation board looks like btw) 

One of the biggest takeaways we as NBA fans were supposed to have received from the lockout, was a more even battle between markets of different sizes, and instead, it looks like nothing has changed. If anything, with the Lakers now possessing 4 All Star caliber players on their roster, you could argue that the competitive balance somehow actually became worse.

Espn's Tom Haberstroh sums it up best in a ESPN 5 on 5 article that was releases earlier today in regards to the James Harden trade.

 “This is about a small-market team seeking future flexibility. Remember, the Lakers earn $250 million a year off their TV deal, but the Thunder make only about $15 million from theirs. Presti has to play a different game, thanks to the harsher CBA that was supposed to help his cause.”

The NBA. Where a not so competitive balance between small and large market teams happens.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave any comments regarding this post. Part 3 will discuss the pros and cons of the trade for both teams.

Link to the ESPN 5 on 5 article http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/5-on-5-121028/nba-james-harden-trade-thoughts

The James Harden Dilemma Part 1

The James Harden Dilemma Part 1

Ladies and gentleman, The Beard is on the move! Yes that's right, James Harden has indeed been traded, and while the idea of a Harden trade wasn't ridiculous, the timing of this trade just two days before the start of the 2012-2013 season seems really strange to everybody, including the Thunder roster. As a Spur's(small market) fan writing this post, it pains me to see a big 3 broken up due to a lack of financial flexibility, which btw, I'll discuss in my next post, But with Harden's departure anyway, the top western conference teams are cheering since it looks like the road to the finals just got a little bit easier for them.

When looking at both sides of the argument(keeping or letting Harden go in case you zoned out) whether or not you agreed with Presti letting Harden go, the Thunder were going to lose something either way, and in the end Presti choose to take financial flexibility over a talented(but highly priced) core of young players. So basically, instead of raging over what the Thunder lost in this deal, you might as well just think optimistically about what the Thunder gained, and that they will at least have enough room financially over the next few years to improve the roster, should changes need to be made.

Part 2 will discuss financial flexibility and how the CBA changes did NOTHING to change the balance between small and big market teams. And yes, I did do this in Halloween colors.

Surprises of the 2012-2013 NBA GM Survey

Surprises of the 2012-2013 NBA GM Survey

With the 11th annual release of the NBA GM Survey comes the typical head scratching by casual and hardcore NBA fans alike, as we take a look in at some of the more questionable GM picks for the upcoming 2012-2013 NBA season.

Which team will win the Western Conference?

1. L.A. Lakers -- 60.0% 
2. Oklahoma City -- 36.7% 
3. Denver -- 3.3%

Last year: Oklahoma City -- 67.9%

While I completely understand that the Nuggets have the deepest squad in the NBA, what I don't understand is that the GM's gave the Nuggets a better shot at getting out of the West then a veteran Spurs Squad that has just as destructive of an offense as Denver does, and was only two games away from the NBA Finals. Call me a Spurs homer, but that one is a definitely a head scratcher to me.

Which team will win the Atlantic Division?

1. Boston -- 66.7% 
2. Brooklyn and New York -- 13.3% 
4. Philadelphia -- 6.7%

Last year: Boston -- 64.3%

While both the Nets and the Knicks made quite a bit of moves over the off-season, outside of Deron Williams, the next biggest acquisition was made by the Sixers when they added a potential franchise centerpiece in Andrew Bynum. While both the Knicks and the Nets have more star power in their starting lineups, I'll take the consistency and stability of a Doug Collins led Sixers group that has much more familiarity within its roster then both of New York's teams put together.

Aside from that, I have to say that I'm pretty satisfied with the GM's division winner picks. And with that, I'll move on to the players section.

Who will win the 2012-13 MVP?

1. LeBron James, Miami -- 66.7% 
2. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City -- 30.0% 
3. Carmelo Anthony, New York -- 3.3%

Last year: Kevin Durant -- 66.7%

While Lebron and Durant are the safe(and obvious) choices for the MVP award, I'll have to disagree with Carmelo Anthony being the biggest potential dark horse. While Melo could win the award in a Derrick Rose type fashion( unexpectedly turning a franchise around and basically becoming the number 1 feel good story in the NBA even if your stats aren't quite as impressive as other MVP candidates) I feel that Melo would need 1(or 50) to many things to go right in order for him to be seriously considered in the MVP race. Especially under the drama that is New York City, I'll gladly take the goliath's of LA(Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant) as my 2 potential dark horse candidates for the MVP award outside of Lebron and KD.

And that's my only major gripe in the players section. While I had an issue or two with other selections in the player section, it was nitpicking so I just decided to leave it.

........ Well I looked at the off-season moves, and none of the picks stood out as particularly bad, so uhhhhhhhhh moving on  to rookies and international then.

Which rookie is most likely to be a "sleeper" success?

1. Jared Sullinger, Boston -- 17.2% 
2. Maurice Harkless, Orlando, Andrew Nicholson, Orlando -- 13.8% 
4. Jae Crowder, Dallas, Damian Lillard, Portland -- 10.3% 
6. Terrence Jones, Houston -- 6.9%

Also receiving votes: Jared Cunningham, Dallas; Andre Drummond, Detroit; Evan Fournier, Denver; John Jenkins, Atlanta; Perry Jones, Oklahoma City; Doron Lamb, Milwaukee; Donatas Motiejunas, Houston; Terrence Ross, Toronto

Last year: Norris Cole -- 44.0%

My pick for the most likely sleeper success has to be Andre Drummond. Seeing as how very few people are expecting Drummond to make major noise his rookie year, if he's not a major rookie of the year contender, then I'll put him in the sleeper category. Just from his potential and huge upside alone, I would say that Drummond can be much more successful then the majority of this years rookie class. Even if he's raw offensively, his length combined with his athleticism gives him a great chance to become a monster defensively. 

Who is the best international player in the NBA?

1. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas -- 72.4% 
2. Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers -- 10.3%

Also receiving votes: Manu Ginobili, San Antonio; Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City; Andrei Kirilenko, Minnesota; Steve Nash, L.A. Lakers; Tony Parker, San Antonio

Last year: Dirk Nowitzki -- 96.4%

While Dirk is undeniably the top international player in the NBA, I'd like to put Ginobili in a tie for second with Pau Gasol. While Gasol has been more dominant at his position then Ginobili, Manu has been able to pump out just as much production (statistically speaking) in considerably fewer minutes career wise. That combined with the fact that Manu has practically won at every level possible, makes me put him in a tie with Gasol for the second best international NBA player.

Which international player is most likely to have a breakout season in 2012-13?

1. Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto -- 17.2% 
2. Ricky Rubio, Minnesota -- 13.8% 
3. Nikola Pekovic, Minnesota -- 13.8% 
4. Goran Dragic, Phoenix, Danilo Gallinari, Denver, Donatas Motiejunas, Houston, Kevin Seraphin, Washington, Alexey Shved, Minnesota, Mirza Teletovic, Brooklyn -- 6.9%

Also receiving votes: Christian Eyenga, Orlando; Evan Fournier, Denver; Enes Kanter, Utah; Tiago Splitter, San Antonio; Jan Vesely, Washington

Last year: Ricky Rubio -- 37.0%

Simply put, I don't even consider rookies to be eligible for having break out seasons . With that said, with Rubio sidelined for most of the year, as well as Kevin Love's recent injury, the front court void will be filled by Nikola Pekovic who is my top candidate for having a breakout year for his toughness and presence on the inside. It also helps that he'll be seen more on  nationally televised games. And a potential spot in the playoffs this year doesn't exactly hurt his chances either.

DEFENSE

Who is the best defensive player in the NBA?

1. Dwight Howard, L.A. Lakers -- 60.0% 
2. LeBron James, Miami -- 16.7% 
3. Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City -- 13.3%

Also receiving votes: Tyson Chandler, New York; Kevin Garnett, Boston; Thabo Sefolosha, Oklahoma City

Last year: Dwight Howard -- 76.9%

Howard and Lebron are the top two defensive players in the NBA, that's a not so dirty secret that we all know. An actual dirty secret that I'd like to bring to light, is that Tyson Chandler is a better defensive player then Serge Ibaka. I think we should all quit overrating blocks, because that seems to be the only reason why we think that Ibaka is an elite defensive player. We should all know that a good defense is just more then how many shots you swat into the stands, or how well you crash the boards, but rather a good defense should take into account many more things then the casual fan can keep track of. And with that said, common and advanced statistics showed that Chandler had far more of an impact defensively in multiple areas than Serge Ibaka(blocks aside of course). And with that said, I think we should agree that Chandler is the better defender of the two. My response to best interior defender is the same as the response to the best defensive player FYI.

As for coaches, I have no major issues with the GM picks in that department. And I'm not going to bother saying anything about miscellaneous considering that that's the most opinionated category, and that their's probably no right or wrong answer for any of the questions asked in that section.

And that's all for this post. If you have any comments AT ALL regarding any of my selections or anything the GM's said, feel free to leave a comment about it.

On the Return of Rasheed Wallace

On the surface of it all, their's not much to be excited about on the return of a 38 year old big man who's best days are clearly behind him. But then again, this isn't your ordinary 38 year old big man. With the official un-retirement of former NBA champion Rasheed Wallace, the New York Knicks receive a battle tested veteran who has been able to reach the top of the mountain in the NBA, winning an NBA title with the Detroit Pistons back in the 2003-04 season(still regarded to this day as one of the biggest upsets, if not the greatest upset in NBA Finals history).The Knicks signed him obviously knowing his best days are behind him. However, despite his explosive personality at times, he's an ideal player to put into a locker room that has been infested with years of turmoil and drama. Especially over this past season, between Amare and his brawls with fire extinguishers, to Melo and his lack/inability to carry the Knicks deep into the playoffs, to everything in between(yes we still talk about Linsanity), the Knicks needed a no nonsense presence that can show everyone in the Knicks locker room what it takes  to reach the summit of NBA glory, or as we like to call it, the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.

And hey, if all else fails, at least we can look forward to watching Wallace add on to his ridiculous record for most technical fouls in NBA history. Who knows, we might even be able to see him break his own record for most technical fouls per game. Whether he pays dividends for the Knicks or not, New York's pain or glory at the hands of Rasheed Wallace will certainly be an amusing storyline for the rest of us to follow as the season goes on.