The season is almost over. It is time to look back and reflect on the positives and negatives. The hype before tip-off was through the roof. There was a lot of anticipation on new rivalries and storylines to be played out. Will the South Beach trio work out? How will Blake Griffin play? Is Steve Nash’s window closed? Are the Lakers still the team to beat? Kevin Durant got the MVP? The Chicago Bulls are 4th seeders, right?
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I come in peace, but I’ll talk about this. This has to be addressed. Welcome to LeBron’s new nightmare. The Miami Heat is getting $hi#$ed on by the full media blitz. It’s not over. It’s never going to be over with the public onslaught. There is more to come, but no one has mentioned this particular item. I write this with full sincerity - LBJ will not win MVP ever again. This is a bold claim, but there are many reasons to see why.
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That’s all I’ve been hearing lately. Blah, blah, blah, weak sauce, blah, blah. Why you mad, though? The major complaint is that no one really stands out from the pack. My thinking is “How the eff does that make the race weak?” My dude, you serious? Go watch Tommy Wiseau’s The Room if you think the race is the weakest then hit me back up or get slapped with a notice out of nowhere to give up the kids like Charlie Sheen. If you don’t like this season’s MVP race, you don’t like NBA basketball.
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The newly minted 2011 All Star game MVP worked his way to be the star of stars. 37 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 steals are great numbers. Props to Kobe. It is back to business since All Star weekend is over. Where is Kobe in the league MVP race? Remember, this isn’t the legacy award like the All Star spots. Everyone has to put in serious work. That includes Bryant who is usually penciled in before the season started. Every great player's time fades away, too. It sucks, but that's life.
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I’m not saying the Wolves are or should be looking to trade Love- the sole issue at point is that they would not hang up the phone immediately if Sam Presti came calling.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: On the surface, it doesn’t sound realistic –Kevin Love joining Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook with the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder.
Here are two facts about Sam Presti, the Thunder’s lead executive, resident whiz kid, and one of the up-and coming suits in pro sports.
First, after making his bones with the San Antonio Spurs, Presti has rebuilt the Thunder through astute drafting, collecting undervalued assets, and maintaining fiscal sanity. He’s ready to use some of these excess chips to put his club over-the-top with a significant trade and/or signing.
Second, that may mean trying to bring the league’s leading rebounder to Oklahoma City. After all, Presti has a plan for every situation and scenario, and knows how well Love would complement Durant, Westbrook, and the raw Serge Ibaka.
Right now, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Love seem connected. The country strong post has given the lowly Wolves an identity for the first time since you-know-who was dealt to the Boston Celtics.
These two are far from married, though.
Love may be having a fine season; however, he’s not untouchable. He has shown little interest in inking a long-term extension with the Wolves. His relationship with Coach Kurt Rambis is touch-and-go.
Bottom line: Love wants to win now. No more waiting; no more rebuilding. He knows he won’t win championships in The Frozen Tundra of Sota.
While it isn’t likely, Love to the Thunder isn’t impossible. It makes some sense. For now, that will keep us talking.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
The streets are buzzing. I’m going to agree with this. The future NBA commercial featuring him and some old black guy standing there talking about his future is creepy. That pissed off Seattle. Sorry, Seattle. That sucked just to watch. You’ll always have Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. And Shawn Kemp’s kids. And grunge. And a band formerly called “Mookie Blaylock” that became Pearl Jam. And Gary Payton’s trash talking. That was the ish back in the day.
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"I was talking to my teammate and he decided he wanted to put his 2 cents into it. I'm a quiet guy, a laid-back guy, but I'm not going to let nobody talk trash to me. He's on a good team now, so he thinks he can talk a little bit," Durant said. "There's a lot of fake tough guys in this league and he's one of them," Durant added.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Today, the NBA announced their starting line-up for the February 20th All-Star game in Los Angeles.
Of course, the fans vote in the starters. And the Western and Eastern Conference’s line-ups are filled with the usual suspects. Check out the list below and get at us with thoughts in the comment box below.
Western Conference:
G Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
G Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
F Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
F Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
C Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
Eastern Conference:
G Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
G Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
F LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
F Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks
C Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
--Oly Sandor
--Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
Your 2011 NBA All-Star Game starters, as voted by the fans and announced by the NBA are below. The game will be played in Los Angeles on February 20.
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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: The legend of Kevin Durant continues to grow.
Last night, the lanky scorer won the game for his upstart Oklahoma City Thunder with a fade-away three pointer against the New York Knicks. Watch the clip and get at us with thoughts on Durant’s heroics in the comment box.
--Oly Sandor.
Yes, I know the season is about 5 games in by the time you read this. What a great way to look at things. You can still work trades early. Get moving especially if you’re in a pay league.
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Kevin Durant scored 28 points to lead Team USA to an 81-64 victory over Turkey to win the gold medal at the World Championships in Istanbul.
It marked the American's first World Championship title since 1994. Durant set a record at the tournament for the most points scored by a U.S. player.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: Who needs LeBron? Who needs D-Wade? Who needs `Melo?
Not Team USA.
Mike Krzyzewski’s squad didn’t need the superstars from their gold medal winning team in Beijing –most of whom passed on the FIBA World Championship to rest and relax the summer away.
This version of Stars and Stripes had Kevin Durant, who scored at will. They also had a collectivist, team-first approach that would have made Mao, Che, and Stalin proud.
For their efforts, they also have a gold medal, beating the host Turkish side 81-64 to win America’s first FIBA World Championship since 1994.
Here’s where it gets interesting: will Coach ‘K’ take this squad to the 2012 Olympics or will he take the superstars who decided to skip the World Championship?
Either way, it’s a rather nice problem to have.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
Kevin Durant is unlike most of America's biggest basketball stars. He couldn't wait to wear the red, white and blue this summer.
Especially on Sept. 11.
With a special memorial message on his sneakers, Durant carried the United States into the gold-medal game at the world championship, scoring a U.S.-record 38 points Saturday in an 89-74 victory over Lithuania.
"I just wanted to remember everybody back in the States, everybody that was affected by 9/11," Durant said. "And to play on this day was a great honor and we just tried to do our best to play hard for our country and our families."
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Coupled with the stiff resistance that the Thunder offered the Lakers last spring, the coming of age of both of these players bodes well for the immediate and long-range success of the Oklahoma City Thunder ... That leaves Dallas and Oklahoma City as the Lakers' only viable competition.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: No doubt about it, the Oklahoma City Thunder is on the rise.
The upstart franchise pushed the world champion Los Angeles Lakers in the 2010 Western Conference Quarter-Finals. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City’s best players, have represented USA well at the FIBA World Championships.
So the student, the Thunder, is learning. However, they aren’t ready to challenge the master in 2011, the Lakers. After all, the purple and gold has improved, too.
For instance, Andrew Bynum, Kobe Bryant, and Pau Gasol have spent this summer getting healthy; a leaner, meaner Ron Artest will have another year in the triple-post; and Matt Barnes, Steve Blake, and Theo Ratliff will bring consistency to the second-unit.
The Lakers are primed for a three-peat. In 2011, the Thunder won’t be ready to stop them.
--Oly Sandor.
Got thoughts? Well, get at HoopsVibe News in the comment box below.
Kevin Durant, Team USA's scoring leader after three games, is coming off a season in which he led the NBA in scoring -- something Andre Iguodala believes we should get used to seeing. "Kevin Durant will be the NBA's all-time leading scorer when it's all said and done," Iguodala said emphatically. "He loves the game and has a knack for putting the ball in the basket." Through three NBA seasons Durant is 33 points shy of 6,000 for his career. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the league's all-time leader with 38,387 points. Karl Malone is second with 36,928 points, and Michael Jordan is third with 32,292.
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HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: No doubt about it, Kevin Durant is a straight scorer. Like George Gervin and Bernard King.
While he’s on the verge of becoming, perhaps, the NBA’s best player, KD will be hard pressed to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer.
First, Kareem was able to preserve his body, in part, because he was a post. The Skyhook’s game was also methodical and efficient. As a perimeter player, Durant uses greater energy to get his numbers.
Second, Kareem’s slighter frame wasn’t an issue because old school players weren’t so muscular. Durant is especially skinny and long, which may become an issue in today's physical NBA.
Finally, Kareem had a superb pass-first point guard in Magic Johnson. ‘Mr. No Look’ and 'The Architect of Showtime’ hooked Kareem up with easy hoops. Durant doesn’t have this luxury because Russell Westbrook, a good table-setter, is still developing as a distributor.
Durant will have a Hall of Fame career, however, he’s unlikely to replace Abdul-Jabbar as the game’s all-time greatest scorer.
--Oly Sandor.
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The United States beat Slovenia 99-77 for its second lopsided victory in two games and Lithuania also went 2-0, while Angola and China bounced back from opening-day losses to win their first games at the basketball World Championship on Sunday.
HoopsVibe’s Very Quick Call: There’s some surprise at how Team USA has fared in international play so far.
After all, Stars and Stripes’ biggest names –Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and others- all said thanks, but no thanks to the FIBA World Championship.
However, this group of youngsters defend, play together, and work hard. They also have budding superstar Kevin Durant, who could soon emerge as the world’s premier player.
On Sunday morning, USA’s air-tight defense got them through a few rough moments, as they cruised to an easy victory over Slovenia. Durant had 22 points before sitting the entire fourth quarter.
--Oly Sandor.
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