NBA Random « The D-Dobbs Basketball Blog

2011 Mid-Season Awards

January 17, 2011

Although the All-Star break is a couple weeks away, the half way point of the season has officially come and gone. With that being said, here are my predictions for the NBA hardware if the season were to end today.

MVP: Amare Stoudemire (New York Knicks)

Why: Stoudemire has soared to new heights in New York and is fitting in perfectly. He is second in the NBA in scoring with 26 point per game, and is leading the Knicks towards a 50+ win season, which has not been accomplished since the 1996-1997 season. He also leads the defensive charge with 2.5 blocks per game. However, Stoudemire does need to be thankful that Russell Westbrook is along side Kevin Durant in OKC, otherwise the award would go to the invaluable Kevin Durant

Other Leading Candidates: Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics), Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks), LeBron James (Miami Heat)

Coach of the Year: Greg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)

Why: The Spurs have a league best record of 35-6. Yeah because they have Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker, right? Well when one of the best forwards of all-time is averaging over 4 points below is career-low, things could be different. However, Coach Popovich has lead them to 35 wins at the halfway point, which has only been accomplished 7 times since 1976. He also has 5 players averaging over 10 points per game. They are on pace to go 70-12.

Other Leading Candidates: Mike D’Antoni (New York Knicks), Tom Thibideau (Chicago Bulls), Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz)

Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers)

Why: Ladies and gentlemen, the Blake Griffin Show…..enough said. Not to mention his 27 (and still going) consecutive double-double game streak. He hasn’t gotten less than 10 rebounds since November 18th, 2010. He’s averaging 22 points and 13 rebounds. He dunks harder than anyone I’ve ever seen in my life. He’s only 21. Ridiculous, just ridiculous. Arguably one of the most exciting players now in the NBA for years to come. If you missed the first viewing of the Blake Griffin show, here it is again.

Other Leading Candidates: Landry Fields (New York Knicks), John Wall (Washington Wizards)

Most Improved Player: Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Why: One of my upcoming favorite players, Love is averaging 21 points per game and 16 rebounds per game. Yes, 16 rebounds per game. Obviously a league best. This is an improvement of 7 points and nearly 5 rebounds from last year. Not to mention his 31 point, 31 rebound game earlier this year. Love grabs 20+ boards almost every other game. Gotta love him for his toughness and tenacity.

Other Leading Candidates: Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers), Dorrell Wright (Golden State Warriors), Raymond Felton (New York Knicks)

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)

Why: The sky is blue, grass is green, Dwight Howard wins Defensive Player of the Year awards. That’s life.

Other Leading Candidates: Amare Stoudemire (New York Knicks), Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)

6^th Man of the Year: Jason Terry (Dallas Mavericks)

Why: Terry is averaging 15 points per game off the bench. He plays 32 minutes a game, and is arguably one of the best 4^th quarter performers in the NBA. It’ll be a close race between him and Crawford of the Hawks, but Terry’s sharp shooting and clutch performances will earn him the award.

Other Leading Candidates: Jamal Crawford (Atlanta Hawks), JR Smith (Denver Nuggets)

Leave a Comment » | NBA Random, Predictions | Permalink
Posted by ddobbs5

Blake Griffin Top 10 Dunks

January 10, 2011

Click Here

Leave a Comment » | NBA Random | Permalink
Posted by ddobbs5

Personal Favorite of Favorite Player

January 10, 2011

Leave a Comment » | NBA Random | Permalink
Posted by ddobbs5

Top 10 Moments of 2010 So Far

December 25, 2010

10. John Wall’s Triple Double

In only his 6th NBA game of his career, John Wall became the 3rd youngest player to record a triple-double (behind LeBron James and Lamar Odom). He finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists against the Houston Rockets.

9. Paul Milsap Happened

Milsap and the Jazz handed the Miami Heat their first home loss of the season. Milsap helped the Jazz overcome a 22 point deficit, as he scored 46 points, 11 of them coming in the last 28 seconds of regulation, including the game tying tip in to send the game to over time. Just watch the video. It’s unreal.

8. Paul Pierce Scores 20,000

On November 3rd, Pierce became the 3rd Celtic of all-time to score 20,000 career points behind Larry Bird and John Havlicek. Pierce has solidified himself as one of the best Celtics of All-Time, which is saying something.

7. Rajon Rondo Happened

Aside from setting the Celtics’ career assist record in the 2009-2010 season, Rondo started the 2010 season with an absurd amount of assists averaging nearly 16 per game through the first 10 games of the season. To date he is averaging a league best 13.8 assists per game, and is making a case for the best point-guard in the NBA.

6. Dirk Nowitzki Passes Larry Bird on All-Time Scoring List

On December 21st, Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki passed Larry Bird for 25th on the All-Time NBA scoring list with his 21,782nd point scored. Enough said.

5. Amare Stoudemire 30 Point Game Streak

Amare lead the Knicks to a 9 game win streak at the end of November while setting a Knicks franchise record 9 straight 30 point games. He is averaging 26 points per game and is an MVP candidate.

4. Kevin Love First 30-30 Game in 28 Years

Love became the first player in 28 seasons to record a 30 and 30 game. The last player to do it was Moses Malone. He scored 31 points and grabbed 31 rebounds against the New York Knicks earlier in the season. To date, Love is averaging just under 16 rebounds per game.

3. LeBron Returns to Cleveland

LeBron James made his return to Cleveland since breaking their heart and embarassing not only the franchise, but the city of Cleveland on national TV. The hatred in the arena was incredible. James quieted his haters by finishing with 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists, only in 3 quarters of play.

2. Blake Griffin

All that needs to be said about this rookie, is watch his highlights. He is establishing himself as one of the most exciting players in the NBA with unbelievable (literally) dunks every single night.

1. Pat Riley Signs LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh

In the off-season of 2010, Miami Heat GM Pat Riley managed to pull off one of the best moves in the history of the NBA. He managed to re-sign Dwyane Wade along with signing LeBron James and Chris Bosh, who by the way are all in their prime.

Leave a Comment » | NBA Random, NBA Regular Season | Permalink
Posted by ddobbs5

Rondo-ing To New Heights

November 3, 2010

With a very exciting, highly anticipated start to the 2010-2011 NBA season, all eyes are presumably on the Miami Heat. Not if Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo had something to say. As he is beginning his 5^th season in the Association out of the University of Kentucky, not only is the spotlight on him, but he has captured the eyes of the entire country, and most likely the entire basketball world.

Through the first five games of the season he has totaled up an astonishing 82 assists, breaking an NBA record. His seasonal averages thus far are 10 points per game and 17 assists per game. And no, that was not a typo. Regardless of whether or not he will keep this up, Rondo is putting up John Stockon and Jason Kidd-like numbers. On the 29^th of October, Rondo posted a record-tying triple double against the New York Knicks in which he scored 10 points, snatched 10 rebounds, and dished out 24 assists. Not to mention this 24-assist record was set by a man named Isiah Thomas. All eyes will be on him from here on out.

Had I not gotten caught up in my first semester of college,(aka if I actually made an effort to) I would have posted my pre-season rankings and pre-season awards and predictions. Putting Rondo on an All-NBA team for this season would probably not have popped into my mind. I would have put Chris Paul on the first team, Deron Williams on the second team, and probably Steve Nash on the third team, all at the point-guard position. Secondly, I would not have said anything about Rondo having a break-out season, or a record breaking season. If he came up anywhere in any preview, I probably would have said something about him averaging about 10 points around 6-9 assists, and an impressive 2-3 steals per game. All-in-all he’d be a quiet fill-in for the All-Star game.

At this rate, he is literally going to shatter every NBA assist record, and win the 2011 NBA MVP.

As an unbiased NBA fan in Massachusetts, I can’t go about 100 feet without hearing the name Rondo. Not that this bothers me, but the University of Massachusetts at Amherst is turning into University of Rajon Rondo at Amherst. If I were a Celtics fan, I would probably wear a Rondo jersey 24/7, even to sleep in. I probably would never take it off. And that isn’t an exaggeration . That’s how awesome he is.

The upside-down-headband-less Rondo is playing at a new level. He is making extremely flashy behind the head/back/ear passes and weaving bounce passes through the congested lane and through defenders legs. I take back that last sentence because he has always done that.

As much as I’d like for him to keep this up, I think his assists per game will level off and he’ll finish the season averaging around 10-12 which will still be towards the top of the entire league.

Its probably really fun being a Celtics fan. Actually, I probably appreciate the assists and Rondo’s playing just as much as the C’s fans do.

Leave a Comment » | NBA Random, NBA Regular Season | Permalink
Posted by ddobbs5

To The One They Call David Kahn,

September 3, 2010

Ricky Rubio

I’m going to start out real blunt, and say a barely literate second grader would do a better job running an NBA franchise than you have done. Okay maybe not barely literate, but definitely once they reach the Roald Dahl stage of manhood. I’d also like to start out by apologizing for all the Bill Simmons “Kahn” references I may or may not use in this column (apparently he took it from Star Trek, but I’d much rather be caught quoting Bill Simmons than…I’m not even going to say it). Some will find it annoying, and some will tell me I didn’t do BS justice. Although that kinda side tracks from the whole “letter to David Kahn” theme, KAAAAAAAAAAAHN!!!

I have a serious problem with you being entitled “president of basketball operations” for the Minnesota Timberwolves. I have a problem with you being entitled the “president” of anything, be it the Hawaiian Little League team. You are nothing short of an embarrassment, and you make me wonder why I’m not the general manager of an NBA team already. I’m cut for the job; know a lot about the game, and a lot about the players, kind of to the point where its sort of abnormal- with that being said, myself or anyone with the slightest knowledge of the NBA (Kobe Bryant is on the Lakers will suffice) could do a better job than you have. There are in fact reports of U2 changing their 2004 album “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb,” to “How To Dismantle An NBA Franchise,” in honor of you. There are also reports of curriculum changes in most high schools nationwide from lessons on the fall of the Roman Empire, to the fall of the Minnesota Timberwolves. What you have done is truly remarkable.

No need to waste my time, or your valuable time discussing the notorious point-guard issue in Minnesota. The amount of jaws dropping to the floor is approaching six figures. We are all aware of you drafting 45-billion point-guards in the ’09 Draft, and as if that wasn’t dumb enough, you couldn’t even manage to keep more than one. Johnny “turnovers” Flynn (debates on whether or not that is a nickname or his middle name still continue). Why you signed another point-guard this off-season in Luke Ridnour is also funny because you still have the rights to Ricky Rubio, who easily cracks my top-three favorite players. At this rate, Rubio will never play for the T-Wolves, for it is “too cold in Minnesota.” Nice negotiating. KAAAAAAAAAHHHHHN!!!!! (Sorry for incidentally wasting everyone’s time)

Maybe in the upcoming 2011 Draft you’ll go with point-guards Brandon Knight AND Kyle Erving! This would only be a result of you landing one lottery pick (which is guaranteed), and trading Kevin Love, Wes Johnson, Wayne Ellington, Corey Brewer, Michael Beasley, and the rights to Ricky Rubio, for another lottery pick in which you pass up on stars like Perry Jones, Fab Melo, Enes Kanter, and Kyle Singler, just to stack up on point-guards! There are some promising floor-generals I play with every Saturday morning, a few D2 and D3 players 5-20 years past their prime, perhaps you’d be interested?

While I’m on the discussion of the draft, I’d like to point out how getting Wes Johnson over more promising pro-prospects like DeMarcus Cousins and Greg Monroe is NOT a good idea. At least you didn’t pick a point-guard. I count that as .001 steps in the right direction. I’d also like to make fun of you, in hindsight for picking Johnny Turnovers Flynn, over Stephen Curry and Brandon Jennings. Besides wearing the hell out of headbands, there’s nothing Flynn really brings to the table.

On a different note, lets go to the big-men end of the spectrum. You get rid of arguably the core of what you have today in Al Jefferson, who is a 20 and 10 guy every night, and then you bring in three European big men to replace him, and potentially the biggest bust in pro sports since Ryan Leaf; Darko Milicic. Sweeeet! His backups are Kosta Koufos and Nikola Pekovic, who could not be more unproven. Go big or go home Kahn, I like it. Milicic, who was drafted ahead of Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh in the ’03 Draft has averaged 5 points and 4 rebounds a game throughout his overwhelming career in which he plays about 5 minutes a game. Nice acquisition Kahn. Really. But you don’t stop there, you continue by comparing this washed-up European model-want-to-be to Vlade Divac and Chris Webber on national TV. I’m sorry but comparing Darko Milicic to Divac and C-Webb, is not allowed. In fact, I’m sure its illegal in most countries.

Lastly, I would like to express my disapproval in your signing of one-time college standout Michael Beasley. He has been getting in trouble for marijuana use literally since his Rookie Training Program started in 2008. Nothing against him as a player, but I’d like to quote you when you said, “he’s a very young and immature kid who smoked too much marijuana and has told me that he’s not smoking anymore.” Oh! So the immature kid who smoked too much marijuana isn’t smoking anymore? I wouldn’t exactly buy that Kahn. When Beasley gets busted again this season, I’ll laugh at you. KAAAAAAAAAAAAAHN!!!! You’ve got issues to work out in Minnesota.

All in all, thank you for ruining one of thirty teams that the NBA has, making this season slightly less fun and exciting due to the terrible basketball quality of the Timberwolves.

There will come a day when the T-Wolves get rid of you. This day will go down as a national holiday, similar to Memorial Day, or Columbus Day, but BIGGER, seeing as your firing is more important than the discovery of America. Kahn, on this day every year, I will personally throw the biggest and “baddest” (I may make up words, but I don’t ruin NBA franchises…yet) celebratory party down in Amherst (banking on you being out of Minny in the next four years). Fan favorite “How To Dismantle An NBA Franchise” will be playing all night on the speaker system.

Sleep with one eye open Kahn, I’ll be taking over your job in due time.

Sincerely,

(insert signature here)

D. Dobbs

P.S.

KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHN!!!!!

P.P.S.

Probable party for when Beasley gets busted this winter.

Leave a Comment » | NBA Off-Season, NBA Random | Permalink
Posted by ddobbs5

First Contestant for Miami Heat: Team Chemistry

August 8, 2010

As I laid in bed the other night, a million things rushed through my head. Not only how I continuously fail to get a summer job, but also the fact that I head off to college in less than a month. But more importantly, I couldn’t realistically fathom how the Miami Heat are possibly going to play together. Yeah that’s right I said it. Putting two of the top three NBA players together, and three of the top ten. It’s a perfectly drawn up recipe for a brutal “ego-thunderstorm.” It would be like having Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco on the same team…oh wait….

Basketball-wise it would be like Jordan teaming up with Larry Bird and Karl Malone in the 90s…hence the “Dream Team.” So is it possible to have Dwyane Wade coincide with LeBron James, and then Chris Bosh on top of all that? I just can’t imagine how the basketball would be played.

Granted they’ll run the east coast, but it’s going to be a slow start for the newly established powerhouse.

Let’s start out with the main attraction, LeBron James. Averaging 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game throughout his 7-year career, it is without a doubt that his scoring will decline. When you have the 2006 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, and inarguably the third best overall player in the entire NBA at your side, LeBron’s chance of averaging 30+ points has essentially been negated.

His scoring will drop to about 18-24 points per game, but his assists will increase. He should be able to average double-digit assists pretty easily and will flirt with Oscar Robertson’s 1961 record of averaging a triple-double in a single season. We could very well witness the second player in NBA history average a triple-double over the course of a season. We clearly see how LeBron fared with shooting-guards like Anthony Parker and Delonte West, but never would anyone imagine LeBron teaming up with the next best player in the NBA.

Miami Heat shooting-guard Dwyane Wade.

Two players, on the same team, both averaging 25+ point per game over their seven-year-career (both drafted in 2003)? I don’t think so. Lets face it. They know they’re the best. Just like Kobe is king of Los Angeles, just like Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, Sidney Crosby, Usain Bolt, Roger Federer, Michael Phelps. They’re the best at what they do and they know it. There’s absolutely no hiding it, especially when the entire world knows it. Mix two of the top three basketball players in the world together, and things might not go so smoothly.

Ever since Dwyane Wade has entered the league in ’03 I’m convinced he is one of few professional athletes who is impossible to hate. Instead of glowing with rays of cockiness, rudeness, selfishness and any other –ness that most athletes are plagued with, he is a man who loves what he does, and just focuses on it. He glows with rays of swagger, hunger, passion, and an obscene knowledge for the game. He is a fearless competitor who plays with his heart. The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear “Crunch-Time-Player”, Dwyane Wade. In my opinion, and as my friends would know too well, Dwyane Wade literally defines “Crunch-Time-Player.” Five second left, down one, you’re going to want to get the ball in Wade’s hands. There is no one else (robots don’t count) on this planet who would rather take the shot.

Trying as much as possible not to get side tracked, we move on to Chris Bosh, the only player in the NBA who emulates the team mascot in which he plays for (not counting the Heat…a forecast is barely a mascot). (Part 2 just for fun)

Bosh, who was also drafted in 2003, has established himself as one of the elite big-men in the entire Association. With the exception of light-out-shooting, there is really nothing Bosh can’t do. He can fly, dunk, rebound post-up, dribble, consistently knock down 18-footers, and make flashy passes (and even act?). He is the perfect size for a power-forward, but too small to match up against most centers. In my mind he is essentially the black Pau Gasol, but with more confidence, swagger, and the super-star mentality.

Bosh’s numbers will go down because there isn’t enough time in the 48-minute-span to get him the touches and looks he was used to getting in Toronto. Safe to say, he is the third option.

This brings me back to my point on team chemistry. Sure they were all “brothas” or what not on the ’08 USA Olympic team, and have told every source of media they’re all extremely close and team chem won’t be an issue. Come December or January, when LeBron doesn’t get as many shots as he wants, or when Wade doesn’t like the looks he’s getting, or when Bosh isn’t getting enough touches in the paint, there will be issues. Coach Erik Spoelstra will have his hands full trying to baby-sit a bunch of grown men who can’t yet get their act together.

Who is gonna be the alpha-dog? All three players have huge egos, and they’re all in their prime. Their journey to a legendary career has barely started and they’re already teaming up.

Compare it to when Garnett and Ray Allen teamed up with Pierce on the Celtics. You can’t. Both players were past their prime, at their last resort to do anything to win, luckily, the pieces fit the puzzle and all is well in Beantown. On the other hand, LeBron is coming off back-to-back MVPs, Wade is coming of an NBA Championship, and a Championship MVP in ’06, and all three players are coming off countless, literally, countless numbers of all-star selections and all-NBA team selections. Needless to say, they are all in their prime.

Rocky start for the ’10-’11 Miami Heat. Their checklist is as follows: need to disregard all previous accolades, figure out how to play selfless team-basketball, contact Ron Artest, hire a psychiatrist or two, start a reality show, get prime-time on VH1, compile a record breaking win streak of 34+ games sometime in February-March, make an expected Finals run.

Should be an interesting year in the NBA.

Leave a Comment » | NBA Free Agency, NBA Off-Season, NBA Random | Permalink
Posted by ddobbs5

10 Candidates for 2010-2011 NBA MVP

August 5, 2010

10. Steve Nash- Phoenix Suns

Nash won back-to-back MVP awards in 2005 and 2006, and since then he has always found a way to sneak himself into the MVP discussion. Nash will be leading the Amare-less Suns, which shouldn’t be a problem for this fearless leader. The only problem is the competition in the West.

9. Brandon Jennings- Milwaukee Bucks

Young Buck, who was a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year last year, will carry the Bucks to higher places. Last year he shocked the world and helped lead them to the six seed in the Eastern Conference. Entering his second season, expect bigger things this year from Jennings, and the Bucks. Watch out for this team.

8. Carmelo Anthony- Denver Nuggets

With the LeBron James chip constantly always on his shoulder, Melo his hungrier than ever to prove he is more valuable than The King was. Since this could be his last year in Denver, he wants to show just how valuable he is, as he is one of the most underrated players at making his teammates better.

7. Tyreke Evans- Sacramento Kings

Evans, the reigning Rookie of the Year, is about to carry the whole town of Sacramento on his back, along with teammate DeMarcus Cousins. Evans will lead the team to the playoffs which will instantly put him in the discussion for Most Valuable Player.

6. Brandon Roy- Portland Trail Blazers

With Roy leading the young exciting Trail Blazers potentially as high as a 4 seed in the West, Roy becomes an instant candidate for MVP like he has previously. If he can stay healthy for the entire season, he is just about as good as any other 2-3 guard in the league.

5. Deron Williams- Utah Jazz

No Carlos Boozer? No problem. Deron’s got a new teammate in town to run the highly effective pick and roll offense; Al Jefferson. Quite possibly looking at a better season than last year numerically.

4. Derrick Rose- Chicago Bulls

Rose will lead the Bulls yet again, this time with a stronger supporting cast. If Rose can limit the turnovers, keep up his steals, and average close to double-digit assists, he can be one of the top players in the Association this year.

3. Kobe Bryant- Los Angeles Lakers

Another player who will always be an MVP candidate. Winner of the 2008 MVP, Kobe’s already sky-high chances go up now that LeBron is no longer an MVP threat.

2. Dwight Howard- Orlando Magic

For the rest of his career, Howard will always be a top-three MVP candidate. Defensively, he’s untouchable. The only thing holding him back from hoisting the trophy is a higher free-throw percentage resulting in a higher points per game average.

1. Kevin Durant- Oklahoma City Thunder

Had LeBron James made his move one season earlier, Durant already would have snagged his first MVP, at a record breaking 21-years of age. The record for youngest player to ever win the MVP award will not be going anywhere, as KD will win it this season at 22-years-young. As the reigning scoring champ in only his third year (30 ppg), and a summers-worth of overseas exposure, he will return better than ever. He’ll lead the Thunder towards the top of the Western Conference averaging nearly 35 points per game.