HOOPSAHOLIC

It's been well documented that my loyalty lies with the Oklahoma City Thunder. They're my favorite team, and there's not much more that I can say but that. Well, I guess there is.. I mean, who wouldn't love a team that features two of the top five players in the NBA? Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have lit up nearly arena they've stepped foot in, and most of the time they never fall short of putting on a spectacle that leaves fans in awe of their abilities. My confidence was fully invested in the Thunder and their dynamic duo, until recently. 

Now we're in the fourth month of the NBA season with the all-star break quickly approaching, and OKC sits with a lowly 23-24 record overall while firmly planted as the tenth seed in the Western Conference. The "Boys in Blue", like the team's play by play announcer Brian Davis likes to call them, trail the ninth seed New Orleans by two games and are a staggering four games back from the eighth seeded Phoenix Suns. Is it time to panic if your a Thunder fan? The answer to that is an astounding YES!

When the Thunder started the season with a 3-12 record, it was understood that everyone needed to be patient because the bad start was due to the injuries to Durant and Westbrook. There was hope that when their superstars returned, the Thunder would find the groove they've been in since the team made the Western Conference Finals  back in 2011. I mean, why would anyone question that it'd be any different? Thunder fans have always known they could count on KD to save the day, or for Westbrook to make a momentum swinging play to steal the show and seal the victory. All of those things appeared to ring true in the past, but now it seems those great moments are nothing but memories, and Thunder fans are left wondering if their championship window has truly closed. 

We're seeing the Thunder slip from the familiarity that we're so used to as basketball fans. The organization has preached about doing things the "Thunder way", and I believe Thunder fans used to cling to the sense of security that Sam Presti leaked from his philosophies as a front office leader. Even throughout trading a perennial all-star in James Harden, there was still support from Thunder fans mostly because they've always deep down believed in the process that Presti so often preaches about. So far this season, we're even seeing Presti stray from the straightened path he set for the organization when he took over. 

If fans aren't pointing at Jackson, the blame mostly goes to head coach Scotty Brooks. Many people have begged for the coach to be fired due to his inability to get in an offensive rhythm despite coaching this core of players for seven years. Brooks has always been a likable coach, but it may be time for the players to hear a new voice in charge. Now Presti is in a situation where he has to make another move to attempt to right the ship. With Durant's contract ending after the 2016 season, Presti must find a way to convince one of the world's best players that he can win championships in Oklahoma City. I personally believe that Durant loves Brooks, and I think firing him would raise suspicion in his eyes of the overall stability of the organization. Durant seems like a person who enjoys a family atmosphere, and I believe he considers Brooks a near father figure, so therefore firing him would at least bother Durant in some way. I also don't believe a mid-season coaching change would benefit the team immediately, and if anything it would set the team back. 

Brooks is known for his very suspect lineups. If Brooks is going to remain the coach, there's no way he can continue to start Andre Roberson at the shooting guard position. The "defensive specialist" is a HUMONGOUS liability on offense, and teams have learned to not even bother guarding him. The Thunder are virtually playing 4-on-5 on offense, and Durant and Westbrook are therefore limited because Roberson's defender will double one of them instead. My solution to the problem would be to trade for another shooter that could come off of the bench so Anthony Morrow could start. Morrow is one of the best shooters in the game, and right now he's a great scoring threat off of the bench. If Morrow was given the starting nod, he'd be able to spread the floor for that first unit. The bench would take a hit offensively, but if Presti traded Jackson for another sharpshooter like Morrow, then the Thunder's offense would blossom. A trade with Jackson also rids themselves of his bad attitude due to lack of playing time. 

I don't know if my solution will be a championship fix for this Thunder team, but I think it's a step in the right direction. Both Durant and Westbrook need more help, and that's very obvious. If Serge Ibaka can find himself, and the Thunder get rollling, we all know what they're capable of. This upcoming week is huge for OKC! They take on Orlando at home tonight before playing New Orleans twice. If the Thunder are serious about making the playoffs the winning needs to start now, and these games against the Pelicans are crucial. It's time for the Thunder to strap on the big boy pants and get it together because they're running out of time. 

If you look back to three years ago, I don't think the organization would've ever considered bringing in a player with a reputation such as Dion Waiters. His shoot first, me mentality doesn't fit into the mold of the Thunder, and the trade if anything appeared to be a panic move in my eyes. Some people may debate the Thunder didn't have to give up much to acquire Waiters, but in all reality OKC traded a team-first guy in Lance Thomas (along with a pick) to get a guy that Cleveland couldn't push out the door fast enough. To prove the "Waiters Effect", all you need to do is look at the Thunder's 6-6 record since acquiring the guard out of Syracuse. Then compare that .500 mark to the record 10-4 of the Cavs since they dispensed of him, not to mention three of those losses were while LeBron sat out. The numbers speak for themselves. Waiters is playing most of the crunch time minutes for OKC, which means Reggie Jackson is supposed to take on a lesser role for the team. In my opinion, a trade for Waiters makes no sense with Jackson still on the roster, and Presti should've had a landing spot for Jackson in place before ever pulling the trigger on a trade for Waiters. Now as a result, the Thunder have completely lost Jackson, and they shouldn't be surprised. He's a player who's won this team a playoff game, and now Jackson has to take a back seat to a guy like Waiters, who has yet to prove himself in this league. Even though it may be tempting, if you're pointing fingers, Jackson's the wrong guy to target. 

Well it's trade season in the NBA, and the Grizzlies have made it no secret that they're going all-in for a championship after acquring Jeff Green from the Celtics in a five player trade. Memphis sits in fourth place in a loaded Western Conference, but the Grizzlies are a mere 5-5 over their last ten games, and it was evident they needed to make some type of move if they wanted to take the next step as a team. 

The addition of Green to this roster makes a ton of sense, and I give Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace a lot of credit for pulling it off. It was clear that Memphis wanted to make a move to snag a small forward, and there were even rumors the Grizzlies pursuing the Heat's Luol Deng. Over the last few seasons the small forward position has been the Grizzlies' weak spot in the starting lineup. Memphis had to move Twelve-year NBA veteran Tayshaun Prince, who's been filling that role over the couple of seasons. In the nicest way possible, it's evident that Prince has seen better days in his career. I'm not saying Prince is a scrub, but I am saying that he's no longer a starting wing player in this league. This season he's only started nine games, but last season the former Kentucky Wildcat started 76 games for Memphis. Prince has great length and athleticism, but his shot has never been one of his strengths, and this season he's averaging only 7.3 points per game to go with 3.2 rebounds. Though the Grizzlies have one of the league's top records, they rank near the middle of the pack offensively. Memphis averages 101.8 points per game right now, but the addition of Green will surely increase that team scoring average. Green was the Celtics leading scorer this season, averaging 17.6 points per game to go with 4.3 rebounds so that ten point increase at the small forward position will surely pay off in the long run. 

Prince was used so much throughout his career because of his length and defensive prowess, but right now that's not what the Grizzlies need. Memphis has the best wing defender in the NBA with Tony Allen on the roster, but playing both Allen and Prince at the same time really limited Memphis offensively. There were multiple times in the playoffs last year when head coach Dave Joerger had to bench Prince for extended periods of time against OKC due to his lack of offensive production. I've even heard Grantland's Zach Lowe refer to Prince as the, "Kendrick Perkins of wing players," and that's definitely not a compliment. 

Green now joins an offense that features Marc Gasol (19.5 ppg), Mike Conley (18.3 ppt) and Zach Randolph (16.3 ppt). With the trade this roster went from likely pretenders to legit contenders. Memphis was obviously good before, but they haven't been able to get over that championship hump. This season is extremely important since it's the last year on Gasol's four-year deal and he'll be entering a center-hungry market when he hits free agency this summer. If the Grizzlies want to hold onto Gasol they need to show they're committed to win now, and so far with the Green move it appears that's what they're trying to do. 

Sorry for the awful delay between posts, but Mr. Hoopsaholic himself has been on vacation over the last two weeks, and now I'm back in the saddle to talk about some NBA action. Many things have gone down in the NBA world, and I couldn't wait to finally get my thoughts written down. 

When I was first made aware that this trade was most likely going to go down, my first thought was about the Western Conference as a whole. Mark Cuban pulled the trigger to bring in the biggest trade bait on the market to Dallas and turn the Mavericks into an immediate contender, while stacking up the West even more. The one weak spot on the already stellar Mavericks team was the point guard play. The addition of Rondo brings substantial improvement to that position and brings in a guy who knows how to win from his time in Boston with KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. The Mavericks have an electric pick and roll offense that can score at a high clip with Tyson Chandler rolling to the basket or Dirk simply picking and popping to a spot on the court where the German big man is most efficient. Rondo is a guy who can set his teammates up in positions to excell and after a couple of months in Dallas we'll begin to see just that. The Mavs are currently riding a five game win streak which featured a win over Rondo's old team the Celtics. Rondo scored a season high 29 points in the game and showed flashes of being the elite defensive stopper that he's known for. The West will be brutal, but the acquisition of Rondo turned the Mavs to a fringe playoff team into an immediate contender. 

It was no secret that Josh Smith wasn't the best "team player" that the NBA had to offer, but when the Pistons decided to drop him like he was infected, it's definitely safe to say I was surprised. It was only last off season that the Pistons chased Smith hard in free agency, and thought he would be a piece that helped turn the franchise around. It turns out that when you put two shot-first players such as Smith and Brandon Jennings on a team, more times than not, it won't work out. Smith was only available for a short time before the Rockets scooped up the power forward, and many people linked that to the friendship that Smith and Rockets big man Dwight Howard have. Since Smith has joined the Rockets six games ago, he's averaging 15 points to go with 7.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in 25 minutes of action. Smith has improved in every category from his start to the season with the Pistons even though he averaged seven minutes more per game in Detroit. Despite Smith's personal success, the Rockets are only 3-3 since he joined the team so it'll be interesting to see how he meshes in Houston. Personally, I don't think it gives them too much of a boost, but Smith is definitely an upgrade at the power forward spot. 

If you're not a die-hard NBA fan, then there's a good chance you haven't been able to see the Hawks play this season. If that's the case, then you sure aren't missing any flashy basketball, but you're missing the chance to see a team who knows how to win. With a 25-8 record, Atlanta has a 1 1/2 game lead at the top of the Eastern Conference and have gone 9-1 over their last ten games. Normally teams with that much success have a plethora of star players to credit, but with the Hawks, you can credit a complete team effort. Averaging 102 points per game, the Hawks score the ninth most of any team while ranking fifth in points allowed at 97.5. They aren't the best in either category, but to be in the top 10 of both shows they're a legit force and very well rounded. Jeff Teague leads the team by averaging 17 points per game, but everyone on the starting lineup averages at least 11.4 points a night to lighten the pressure on any one person. Paul Millsapp and Al Horford are proving to be a great post duo now that Horford is back and healthy, and Kyle Korver and DaMarre Carrol are proving to be stellar offensive and defensive role players. The Hawks average 25.3 assists per game and are winning games with great ball movement. I feel that as the season goes on, teams such as the Bulls and the Cavaliers will find their rhythym, but don't count out the Hawks as a legit team in a weak Eastern Conference. 

As a sports journalist, I wanted to make sure that I pay my respects to the legend Stuart Scott. Scott lost his fight with cancer over the weekend, and I was deeply saddened by the news. Ever since I started watching SportsCenter when I was a kid, Scott would grace the screen with his unique approach to sports broadcasting. His emphatic catch phrases sparked my attention and motivated me to someday work in the profession. I'm very sad that he's gone, but his legacy will continue forever and I'm thankful for the many years of entertainment and inspiration. 

There are a lot of different things that surprise me. Whether it's a scary movie, a deer running out in the middle of the road, or some no-name athlete going off for the game of his life. Often times, there are things that come around that are so unexpected, that they should really be expected. For example, when I woke up on Monday morning to the news that the Sacramento Kings have fired head coach Mike Malone, it's safe to say I was caught a little bit off guard. Despite my shock and confusion, I remembered that when it comes to the Kings, outlandish decisions like this should've been expected. 

There are many factors that make this a terrible decision by Kings management, starting with the timing of Malone's termination. The Kings currently have an 11-13 record while playing without their franchise cornerstone in Demarcus Cousins for the last nine games. Before Cousins was sidelined with a viral infection, the Kings were off to a stellar 9-6 start to the season. For the Kings to fire Malone due to a poor record without their star player is absolutely cowardess. It's as if the front office wanted Malone to fail, and waited for the prey to weaken when Cousins was out before striking at the jugular.

I've read reports that Malone and the Kings management weren't on the same page when it came to the system and structure of the team. I completely blame the whacky Ranadive for that one. If you haven't heard yet, Ranadive is the Kings owner who is adamently suggesting that his team play a four-man zone on defense, while leaving the fifth player on the other end of the court to "cherry pick" the opponent and score easy baskets off of the fast break. Honestly the plan seems so crazy that it could maybe work, but it's still a whacky game plan that most likely won't translate to the NBA level. Also, lets not forget that Ranadive was the owner who had a "man crush" on rookie Nik Stauskas and was very influential in the Kings decision to draft the guard out of Michigan. Don't believe me? Just watch this hilarious Grantland video to the left that shows his undying desire to draft the Canadian sharp shooter.   

To summarize this madness, it's unfair to pin the blame on Malone when the organization as a whole is the one to blame. The Kings have seemingly been in rebuilding mode since the last time Chris Webber, Mike Bibby and Peja Stojakovic were rocking the royal purple. Also, I don't think pairing up a volume shooter like Rudy Gay with a dominating personality such as Cousins was the most genius idea in the world. Regardless if the Kings were to fire Malone or not, they weren't going to make the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference. I believe Cousins is going to be one of the NBA's elite sooner than later, so let's all hope that the front office in Sacramento doesn't screw that one up too. 

As a humongous basketball fan, the day the 2014-15 NBA schedule was released, I circled December 11th and eagerly awaited that date to arrive. The 11th was going to be a very special day because that's when the Thunder were slated to play the Cavaliers, or in other words: KD vs. LeBron. That very match up feared to be in jeopardy when the Thunder announced Kevin Durant would miss some time with an injury to his foot, but when the reigning MVP returned in early December, it appeared we would get to see the two best players in the world square off after all. That was until LeBron James decided to give the proverbial middle finger to the Oklahoma City community when he announced he would sit out of the game due to "knee soreness." 

I'm a HUMONGOUS LeBron fan. If you don't believe me check my blog post from Monday where I describe LeBron as the Santa Clause of the league. But what he pulled yesterday by sitting out of the 103-94 loss to the Thunder, was extremely disappointing. LeBron is one of the more aware athletes of all-time, he knows exactly how big the game was, and what the match up meant for NBA fans and more importantly Thunder fans.  

Yes, Thunder fans are happy their team won, but it's not everyday that the best athlete in the planet comes to your hometown. The way the NBA schedule is structured, an Eastern Conference team like the Cavaliers only makes one visit to each Western Conference arena per season. The Cavs and Thunder will indeed play again this season, but unless the two teams square off in the finals, LeBron won't be making a trip to OKC until next year. Just like the many Kobe Bryant fans of this world, people from any nook and cranny are "King James" fans who worship the once in a lifetime talent. Kids and adults of all ages stand in line to buy his shoes, they wear his jerseys and even obsess over his social media accounts. Some Thunder fans probably even asked for tickets to see LeBron play as their Christmas gift, or set aside enough money to buy tickets for the opportunity. LeBron knows his impact, and he knows the excitement he brings to every NBA city he visits. Arenas that are normally halfway filled, sell out completely when the King rolls into town. Not to mention the 

I'm not questioning LeBron's toughness, but when "knee soreness" is the excuse for not squaring off against Durant I start to smell something a little fishy. LeBron hasn't missed a single game all season, but right as the Cavs are in the midst of an eight game win-streak and headed to OKC for the match up of the season thus far this soreness suddenly appears? C'mon man! People have started to speculate that Durant has been making that push over the last year to supplant LeBron's as the best player in the league, but most experts like to pump the brakes when that topic arises. The showdown that never happened on Thursday night could have been a stepping stone for Durant to get closer to that elite level and I personally feel that LeBron sensed that. I don't think LeBron was afraid, I just think that he may have felt something was a little off with his knee, and didn't want to square off with KD if he wasn't 100%. In doing so, he shorted every NBA fan a chance to see a great show. Injuries happen, I get that. I would never want to see a player such as LeBron hurt himself further just to play in a regular season game, but it isn't like this was a serious injury. As a heroic figure and the most influential player in the NBA, it's LeBron's responsibility to play in a game of that magnitude. 

He's the best player in the Universe for a reason, ladies and gentlemen. It's time to forget about all of the rubbish doubt that surrounded LeBron James at the beginning of the season. At the time, the Cavaliers were struggling and LeBron didn't appear to be the same King who's reigned supreme over the NBA over the last decade. Now that the Cavs are on a six game win streak, all seems to have settled down in the world of overreaction while the King has proven his reign isn't over. 

We all know that LeBron can play many roles, but since Christmas is nearing it looks like he's turned Cleveland into the North Pole and he's the proverbial Santa Clause. Over his last three games, LeBron has recorded 10, 12, and 13 assists while the team has flourished from top to bottom. LeBron is averaging 7.9 helpers per game to rank fifth in the NBA right now and second best for his career. 

LeBron has ultimately decided to play the facilitator role in this offense, and it's definitely beneficial for his Cavs team. Players like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love have never experienced success in this league, and it seems as if LeBron sensed the different role he should be playing after a slow start to the season. Irving ranks tenth in the NBA for scoring at 22 points per game while Love averages 17.3 points. On a team filled with superstars, the biggest key to success is making sure everyone is happy. At the beginning of the season it didn't appear James, Irving and head coach David Blatte were on the same page, resulting in people questioning LeBron's move back to the Cavs. Now that Santa is delivering gifts to the entire team, all appears to be festive in Cleveland. 

It's not as if LeBron isn't scoring to go with his stellar assist numbers. The King still puts up nearly 25 points on a nightly basis while making up for the lack of production from Dion Waiters and other role players. Waiters is only shooting .376 % for the season after LeBron publicly said he would like to see Waiters start and have a big role. No one besides the starters have done much of anything significant this season, and we're seeing LeBron cancel out their lack of production. That's what good players do, and LeBron hasn't just shown that he's good this season,  he's proven that he's still the best. 

They're the worst team the NBA has seen in a very long time, and going into a Wednesday night showdown with the lowly Timberwolves, the 76ers were 0-17 and only one loss away from tying the longest losing streak to start the season in NBA history set by the Nets in 2009. The pro-tanking Philadelphia squad who's blundered away its last couple of seasons finally ended the horrid losing streak, but the way their game started just puts an exclamation mark on their ridiculous season. 

If you failed to watch the 85-77 Sixers win over the Timberwolves, first off, congratulations! Not only did you miss a completely irrelevant game for the makeup of the league, but you also watched two young teams completely botch the start of a NBA game. You know.. the thing you play in at least 82 times a season. So get this, they tipped the ball and everything to start the game and played a whole 17 seconds before the refs realized that both teams had lined up and were going the wrong way.. Awkward...

Let me get this right.. so we have two teams completely made up of "professional players" and they didn't know which basket they're supposed to score on? OMG, YOU GUYS HOW EMBARRASSING IS THAT?? But for real, I don't really understand how something like that even happens. The look on Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders was one of complete humiliation. The good news from all of this is that the Sixers finally have one in the win column, and they don't have to face making the wrong side of history on Friday night when they play the Thunder. Now that OKC has a healthy lineup, you can go ahead and tally up another Sixers loss in that matchup. You could almost tell that they knew if they were going to snap the streak that it had to be against the Timberwolves. Now everyone can sit back and prepare for another losing streak from this Philly squad since they play six returning playoff teams from last year in their next ten games. Also, don't forget to mark your calendars for December 19th so you don't miss the pillow fight between the Sixers and Hornets!

With another Thanksgiving coming and quickly going, it gave us all time to briefly sit and reflect on what we're truly thankful for in life. There's many things I'm extremely thankful for starting with my family, friends and of course my girlfriend!  But right under that extremely prestigious list of people sits the sport I love so dearly: the NBA. If you can't tell by now I love hoops (read blog name), and the holiday weekend brought plenty of stellar story lines throughout the NBA. 

So we all knew that Kobe Bryant would be the guy in Lakerland that would have to do most of the heavy lifting, but I don't know if anyone expected a game like he had on Sunday night against the Raptors. In the Lakers' 129-122 win over East leading Toronto, Bryant became the oldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double while scoring at least 30 points. Bryant had 31 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists to lead his team to victory and surprisingly hand the Raptors their second straight loss. The Lakers are still bad, sitting with a 4-13 record and in last place in the Western Conference, but three of their four wins have come in the last ten games so they do look to be improving just a bit. 

Tragic news out of Toronto that Demar Derozan is out for about a month after tearing a tendon in his left groin in Friday's loss to the Mavericks. Derozan is having a stellar season so far averaging 19 points and four rebounds and leading the Raptors to the best record in the Eastern Conference. It will be a struggle for the Raptors to keep up that pace without their all-star wing man and Toronto opted to start two point guards in the loss to the Lakers. Greivis Vasquez filled in nicely scoring 19 points while Lou Williams came off the bench and added 19 as well. Both players will have to score and defend consistently if the Raptors don't want to lose any ground in the East. 

Speaking of the Eastern Conference standings, if you take a gander through the current rankings then you'd notice the Milwaukee Bucks are currently sitting as the sixth seed with a 10-8 record while the Cleveland Cavaliers are one sport behind them in seventh with an 8-7 record. This stat would really only be relevant if the playoffs started tomorrow, and they most definitely don't, but it's still noteworthy. Myself along with most every other basketball blogger believes that the Cavs will figure it out eventually so this epidemic is more about the success of the Bucks than the problems of the Cavs.

I blogged last week about my overwhelming excitement for the return of Russell Westbrook to the Thunder lineup, and luckily for OKC, the all-star point guard was back and better than ever on Friday night against the Knicks. The Thunder walked away from the game with a blowout 105-78 win against a New York squad that was without Carmelo Anthony. Westbrook was phenomenal from the tip of the game, and he set the tone early and often, finishing with 32 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. He's the first person since the start of the shot clock era who's recorded 32 points and eight assists in only 24 minutes of game action. Westbrook was unstoppable and his teammates as well as the OKC crowd really fed off of his energy. Both Steven Adams and Serge Ibaka both found themselves with much easier shot attempts since their defenders were forced to sag off them and help out on the ferocious Westbrook.To top off all of those stats, Russdiculous outscored the entire Knicks team in the first quarter 14-13 while playing only eight minutes.  With Durant potentially returning as soon as Tuesday, we may actually get to see a fully healthy OKC team for the first time this season. HIP HIP HOORAY!!!!!!!!

The Golden State Warriors extended their winning streak to nine games on Sunday when they beat the Pistons 104-93 to improve to 14-2 on the season. Everyone knew the Warriors were going to be good, but in Steve Kerr's first year as head coach the Warriors are more than good, they're incredible. This squad ranks third in the league, scoring 107.1 points per game while only letting opponents score 96.5 points, which ranks eighth. This Warriors team could always score, but now they're a well-rounded basketball machine that gets it done in every facet of the game. They rank first in assists at 26.8 a night while MVP candidate Steph Curry is responsible for 7.8 of those assists and nearly 24 points per contest. Australian big man Andrew Bogut's health has been a big part of the team's success on the defensive side of the floor. He averages a team-high nine rebounds to go with a career high 2.1 blocks. The West is once again the elite conference in basketball with the Grizzlies owning a 15-2 record. Now that the Thunder are getting healthy, and the Spurs aren't going anywhere, the Western Conference rankings will be a fun thing to keep an eye on down the stretch of the season. 

Oklahoma City Thunder fans can finally take a deep breath, because it sounds like the reinforcements will be coming a little bit sooner than expected. Reports from The Oklahoman indicate that both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant participated in the Thunder's practice on Monday and there's a chance they could play on Friday night against the Knicks if their evaluations go smoothly. 

Well when it comes to winning, it means just about everything! The Thunder are off to a horrid 3-12 start and have the second lowest win percentage in the league behind only the Sixers. OKC has patched together a lineup which features players such as Sebastian Telfair, Lance Thomas, Andre Roberson and Ish Smith and has seen heavy minutes from Kendrick Perkins. The lone playmaker on this Thunder team has been Reggie Jackson, who was two rebounds away from a triple double in the Thunder's three point loss to the Warriors on Sunday. Jackson can only do so much, and the guy who was really supposed to step up was Serge Ibaka and we really haven't seen that happen. In a previous HOOPSAHOLIC blog post I criticized the play of Ibaka: 

I don't need to remind everyone that both Durant and Westbrook are two of the top five players in the NBA, so their nearing return will be monumental to this team and the city. Right now the Thunder are fighting valiantly, but struggle to create their own shot or scoring opportunities. The Thunder rank last in the league for points per game, averaging only 89.6 a night. KD and Westbrook can both get shots up at will and hit them at a high clip, so that scoring average will increase substantially when the duo returns. Not only will they be getting their shots up, but both stars will help set up other guys for easy scoring opportuinites as well. Players such as Steven Adams and Roberson will find it easier to score when their defender is busy double-teaming either of the Thunder's all-stars. KD and Westbrook are also world class passers that can fit the ball in tight spots. Many times last season and this preseason we saw Durant or Westbrook drive to the hole and dump it off to Adams for an easy flush, or one of the stars connected with Roberson who was slashing for an easy layup. The top video to the right shows Westbrook dishing a stellar pass to Perry Jones after Westbrook sucked in the defense on his drive to the basket. The second video shows Durant getting the defensive attention then passing it to Serge for an easy score. Those are the type of easy points the Thunder will be able to get with their studs back in the lineup. Even Jackson will find himself with easier opportunities to score now that the opposing team's best defender won't be guarding him. 

Despite the lack of shooting success for this depleted Thunder team, the defense has been a subtle bright spot. OKC is currently ranked fifth in the NBA, only giving up 94.9 points per contest. The stifling defense of this club has been the primary reason they've been to compete with teams late into the fourth quarter. The Thunder were able to hold Golden State to 15 points less than the 106 points per game average the normally score on a nightly basis. The increased effort has been there from this ball club even though that effort isn't translating into W's. That alone will bode well for the Thunder as the season trucks along down the final stretches. Role players on this OKC team have garnered valuable experience on both ends of the floor, which should ultimately result in a better overall team once everyone's back and healthy. Players have also been able to see what being the bottom feeder is like, which should provide extra motivation to win. 

I really hope I'm not speaking too soon when saying this, but the health of this OKC team couldn't be coming at a better time. Durant and Westbrook returning ahead of schedule will surely serve as an umbrella to the rainstorm that the 2014-15 season has brought OKC so far. Say that they each waited until late December to return like many thought the stars would. That would be 12 more games that Durant and Westbrook would miss and eventually have to dig themselves out of down the stretch. 

After a series of bad breaks to start the season, it looks like the Thunder are finally getting some good news. Now, all of OKC needs to pray that the cities heroes will reign supreme and stay healthy for another fantastic playoff run.   -BC

Is it really that crazy to think? I mean c'mon let's have some fun here, because if we actually got to see the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Kentucky Wildcats I would be way too happy of a person. It'll never happen, but Eric Bledsoe went ahead and said what we all were thinking.. The Suns guard said that he believed that the number one ranked college team, Kentucky, would beat the winless and ever so tanking Sixers. The statement itself is incredibly bold because not only is he calling out a group of professional athletes, but he's calling out his peers. The funny thing about it is that there's a chance he could be right. 

The statement by Bledsoe sparked a lot of  conversation about the subject. Talking heads from every end of the US debated whether Bledsoe was right, or if he fell victim to the ever so decieving "eye-test". Bledsoe is apart of BIG BLUE NATION, so he may be a little biased. Personally, I think it would be a stretch, but Bledsoe isn't too far off with his assessment of the matchup. 

Think about it, the Sixers have nine players on their roster that are undrafted and have had to work their way into a roster spot. Most of them should quite honestly be in the D-League or playing over seas. These guys play for Philly and are in the NBA and you probably didn't even know it: Robert Covington, Drew Gordon, JaKarr Sampson, Henry Sims, Hollis Thompson, Jerami Grant. Are you serious?? Who are these guys... Yes the roster does have a little bit of talent in Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel, but this team has made it no secret that it's tanking. Literally they're actually accomplishing their goal which is to be really bad in order to get another top pick in the 2015 draft. 

For Kentucky, they have six players alone that are projected to go in that 2015 draft according to Draft Express, and five of those six are projected to go in the first round.  Freshman Karl-Anthony Towns, junior Willie Cauely-Stein and sophomore Dakari Johnson are all slotted in the top-20 picks. Then on top of that throw in Aaron and Andrew Harrison and Alex Poythress who will definitely get drafted. The roster is even more stacked than that with Tyler Ulis, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles and Marcus Lee not expected to leave for the draft by 2015. 

So now that the rosters of the two teams are laid out in front of you, which one do you think would win? Vegas let the world know that they don't think it would be much of a game. Jeff Sherman from Westgate Las Vegas Super Book tweeted yesterday that the Sixers would be 17 point favorites against the Wildcats. It's hard to go against the folks in Vegas, because they're normally pretty close with their lines and estimates. Many people believe there's a major difference between professional and college players and I normally tend to agree. This instance is a little harder for me to side with the professionals though because I don't know how many of those guys would really be on any other NBA roster besides the Sixers. If they're trying to tank, wouldn't they purposely have guys on the team that aren't supposed to be good?? Quite honestly it's hard for me not to choose Kentucky because they have some kids on the team who really intrigue me, but I'll give the slight edge to Philly because if the two teams actually had to play, I doubt they would let themselves lose to a college team. 

It pains me incredibly to say this because they're no question my favorite team, but the Oklahoma City Thunder need to wake up, NOW! After losing to the lowly Utah Jazz last night, the Thunder have now dropped three in a row and seven of their last nine. With Russell Westbrook expected to miss at least six more games if not more, and Kevin Durant probably going to miss even more than that, it might be time to start worrying just a little bit in OKC.

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not hitting the panic button here and claiming that the Thunder need to tank like Maverick's owner Mark Cuban has recently said. I know the Thunder are dealing with the worst injury situation the NBA has probably ever seen, but the teams OKC are losing to are just pathetic. Starting with the Jazz last night, the Thunder's last week and a half is littered with losses to teams they should've beaten despite being without KD and Westbrook. The Bucks and Pistons are the two that stick out like a sore thumb. If it weren't for Anthony Morrow scoring 28 points against the Celtics you could've added Boston to the list of sub-par teams that have had their way with the Thunder. 

Every match up against a winnable opponent is so precious for the Thunder right now. Without the two mega-stars, those are games that OKC desperately has to win in order to keep their head above water. It's reasonable to lose to team's like the Rockets or Grizzlies, because through the beginning stretch of the season both of those teams have proven to be apart of the league's elite. The Thunder fought valiantly against both of those teams and were close to pulling out victories despite being largely undermanned. That seems to be the ultimate story of the Thunder's injury-riddled season. 

Who's to blame for these inexcusable losses? Normally you would point the finger at the head coach, but I don't know if that's necessarily the case with Scott Brooks. He's so far said the right things and seems to have the guys believing they can win on most nights. The reason they've only been able to pull of that feat three total times this season is primarily on the shoulders of Serge Ibaka. Am I saying that it's all his fault and that he's played terribly? No, not at all. I'm saying that when your two best players go down with an injury, it should be the next guy up to lead the way. In OKC's case the next guy is Ibaka and he hasn't proven he can be the go to guy for any team. It's also been made crystal clear that Ibaka is primarily a role player, and all of his all-star talk in the past is a little far fetched. Through the first twelve games this season Ibaka is averaging 15 points and 7.3 rebounds. Both numbers are down from last season in 2013-14, a year where Ibaka was the third option on the team. The difference now is that he needs to play like the number one guy for the Thunder, but instead his numbers are technically getting worse. 

I was reading an article on Grantland a couple of weeks ago and the writer made a great point about the Heat last season when LeBron James and Dwayne Wade would both sit out of games. The Heat's third option, Chris Bosh used that opportunity to thrive and show that he can be "the guy." Ibaka either doesn't have that mindset, or the skill to do what Bosh did. That in my opinion is the key reason OKC isn't winning the games they should. If it weren't for the stellar play of Reggie Jackson, things could be even worse in Loud City. I'm not giving up on the Thunder, because I believe when Durant and Westbrook return that OKC be able to win enough games to sneak into the playoffs. That's if they're both able to return by mid December at the latest. If it gets to be later than that, then I may start finally hitting the panic button. For now, the Thunder take on the Nuggets tonight on the road. Denver is actually one of the three teams the Thunder have been able to beat this season. I don't think I have to say it, but I will anyway... Tonight is definitely a needed win for OKC. 

So was anyone really expecting it to be this bad? Becasue I sure as heck wasn't. The Los Angeles Lakers are off to the worst ten-game start in francise history with a 1-9 record, and a 136-115 loss to the Warriors on Sunday night was the proverbial icing on the cake. LA is in shambles, and not even the resurgence of the Clippers can shine light on the city that has seen its share of highs inside of Staples Center. The franchise that has 16 NBA Championships, is now the bottom feeder of the NBA. The only difference between the Lakers and the lowly Philadelphia 76ers is that the Sixers are trying to lose and be horrid, the Lakers just are. The folks in "Laker Land" still have false hope that they're supposed to be apart of the NBA's elite, just ask Jeanie Buss. Mitch Kupchak and crew thought it would be genius to ink the aging Kobe Bryant to a two year extension paying the "Black Mamba" over 24 million annually over the life of the contract. Good idea, dude! Now the Lakers not only suck, but they're stuck treading water. There's no room for improvement when you're overpaying an NBA legend on the down slope of his career, who still believes that he's still the same player he was ten years ago. Is this post a Kobe bashing? No, far from it actually. This is about trying to find a way to get Kobe help, or mostly get Kobe out. 

Kobe scored 44 points in the Sunday night loss the Warriors, but despite the good scoring numbers, the Lakers offense looked awful. Point guard Jeremy Lin complained after the game about players being selfish and what not, so clearly the team is starting to get frustrated with how things are rolling along. It's been made very clear that Kobe can still score, he's averaging 27.3 points per game this season, but he's also made it clear that he can't be "the guy" on a contending team anymore. That's no jab at the "Black Mamba," the dude is one of the best shooting guards of all-time, not to mention one of my favorite players. I just hate to see him jack up shots just to keep his team in the game. He referenced the need for his high volume shooting after the Warriors loss. 

We know that this can't be an enjoyable ride for Kobe, and I hate to see his Hall-of-Fame career end in such a pathetic way. The Lakers tried but failed to land a top free-agent such as Carmelo Anthony in the summer, but the purple and gold whiffed the same way they did a year before while trying to re-sign Dwight Howard. So now there's only one other option for Kobe if he would like to end his career on a high note, and that's to abandon ship and get out of town as fast as you can! 

Now you may be asking, what team would take on such an awful contract? The answer is simple, and somewhat of a no-brainer: the New York Knicks, duh! Of course it's the only other team in the NBA that spends money more carelessly that the Lakers! I first heard Grantland's Jalen Rose with the suggestion, and it actually sounds like an alright idea. Supposedly Phil Jackson is on board to take on Kobe's contract this upcoming offseason, and Jackson would then try to sign another big name to play along Kobe and Melo. Now who in there right mind would willingly sign up to play with high volume shooters such as Melo and Kobe? Who better than to-be free agent Marc Gasol?! The Spanish big-man would thrive as the center in a triangle offense, while we already know that Marc's older brother Pau Gasol was one of Kobe's favorite teammates. Of course this idea would only work if Kobe agreed to take a back-seat and be a third option, but if he did, Kobe would be set up nicely for success. The Lakers would be losing the Franchise's cornerstone, but if they truly want the best for their superstar and for their franchise, then they'll at least listen to offers. It would be a teary goodbye, but it's something that needs to happen. 

Soooo.... am I the only one that's sick and tired of hearing about how Derrick Rose gets injured every game he plays in? Maybe that's an exaggeration, but not by much. This is the third time in the last five games Rose has played in that he's had to exit early because of an injury. Last night against the Raptors, Rose "tweaked" his hamsting in the final two minutes of the Bulls seven point win.That was only one day after Rose made some remarks that really bothered every sports fan in the United States (specifically Chicago) when he said, "I sit out some games now because I don't want to be sore at my son's graduation, or in meetings when my playing days are over."

Yeah, I said it.. and I really do mean it. Let me go ahead and say that it's unfortunate that injuries happen, but the way Rose has handled his injuries has been a complete mess. He holds the record for longest recovery for an ACL injury, sitting out the entire 2012-13 NBA season and not playing for 16 months total. Are you serious bro? RG3 tore is ACL in a January NFL playoff game and was back for the first game the next season. SMH.... Then everyone hypes up his return (Adidas especially) and he only plays ten games the next season before getting hurt yet again. The Bulls went from contenders with Rose to pretenders without them. Joakim Noah could only do so much for this team in Rose's absence, and that doesn't seem to bother the former league MVP. He made that extremely clear when he says he sits out games now so he isn't sore in the future! 

Not only was I shocked to hear an athlete say that, but if I were the Bulls owner or Adidas I would be absolutely livid. They pay Rose the big bucks to go out there and PLAY, and Rose is kinda like, "Nah, I'm good." I bet you are good, Derrick. Sitting around and not playing is a lot more fun when you have 200 million dollars to mess around with. You're on your way to becoming the most disappointing MVP in the history of hoops. 

I'm starting to wonder when his teammates are going to start getting frustrated. I'm sure they already are, but haven't said anything yet. The Bulls have a roster constructed that's plenty good enough to go on a championship run, but that won't happen if Rose isn't the engine to the well oiled machine. Before his first injury during his MVP season, the Bulls had the best record in all of basketball. Bulls fans thought they'd finally found their first savior since MJ was rocking the red and black. Now the entire city is in state of confusion (the Bears and Jay Cutler probs aren't helping either). They're growing tired of Rose's constant misfortunes and the fact that he's never in a hurry to get back on the court. Like I said before, injuries are uncontrollable, but D-Rose needs to realize that he has a small window to capitalize on his talent. When he actually plays, Rose plays extremely well! The Bulls need him on the court, not in the cold tub. Only time will tell, but it appears Rose maybe riding on a downhill slope into irrelevancy if he keeps this up. 

So it's safe to say that the Spurs are still the Spurs, you guys. San Antonio sure did let us know that when they took down the Clippers and Warriors in consecutive nights to improve to 4-3 on the season. Greg Popovich's squad never seems to go away, and the veterans know how to turn on the "go switch" when their team needs them to. Just when people started to count out the Los Spurs (is it hispanic heritage month yet?), they proved us wrong again. I'm warning everyone now that they should prepare for the worst thing ever in this day and age, which is to watch the least flashiest team in the league go on another long playoff run. 

I really can't blame any fan for feeling that way, because there's times I feel the same way. Too often, I catch myself getting frustrated when I see the Spurs are playing in prime-time on national TV. I fall victim of wishfully wanting to watch Steph Curry as opposed to Tony Parker, and I'd sure as heck rather see a Blake Griffin dunk than a Tim Duncan bank shot. Basketball fans prefer flashy and famous over fundamentals and free throws. It's the world we live in. It's just like when a guy chooses to drive a diesel truck that has "sweet top lights" as opposed to a fuel friendly Honda (yes, I drive a Honda). Or when a girl decides to wear a fancy shoes or heels that kill her feet, instead of choosing a comfier alternative.  

But in all reality, "team" basketball is the Spurs' way, regardless if NBA fans like it or not. It's what they've been doing for years, and it's the main reason for thier championship success since they drafted Duncan in the 1999 draft. He was the number one pick, but he joined a TEAM filled with players such as David Robinson and then the rest is history. Before this season, many people predicted either the Clippers or the Warriors to win the Western Conference, and rightfully so because they're solid teams with elite talent. But leaving the Spurs out of that equation is sort of like doing another equation where you add two numbers together and the result is a letter from the alphabet, it just doesn't make sense. Not only did the Spurs beat both of those teams I just mentioned, but they did it on back to back nights. Pop is a coach who's known to rest his players, and last season no player on the Spurs averaged more than 30 minutes a game. Pop rarely plays his veteran guys on both nights of back to backs, but supposedly Duncan and Manu Ginobli wanted to give it a go both nights, and it worked out in San Antonio's favor. Along with great ball movement on offense, San Antonio has played stellar defense only giving up 95.6 ppg this season, which ranks sixth in the league. 

The Spurs trailed the entire game against the Clippers until they ultimately prevailed in the fourth frame for a victory. Then in last night against the Warriors, Tony Parker shredded the the Golden State defense for 28 points and seven assists while Kawhi Leonard added 19 points. To top it off, "Old Man Duncan" aka "The Big Fundamental" aka "Tim", who played 70 minutes in the back to back set, put together a double-double in the win against the Warriors. Parker said after the game, "We had a little bit of a slow start, but we're back in business."

Will we ever seen the NBA team in Charlotte get over the hump? I mean, seriously! I know I may be asking a somewhat far-fetched question, since the Hornets aren't supposed to contend for a title or anything, but when will they be expected to win games as opposed to just brushing off every loss? Everytime it's: "oh, it's Charlotte, they're not supposed to be that good." Well when I take a gander at the team's roster, THEY SHOULD BE GOOD! It's time to forget the excuses, lace up the Jordans (because we know everyone on the team has them, MJ's the owner for crying out loud) and starting winning the games they're supposed to. 

The reason for my sudden panic: the Hornets handed the Lakers their first win of the season last night when LA won 107-92. Not only did the Hornets lose to what could be the worst team in basketball, but they let "Linsanity" shred them to pieces scoring 21 points. The Hornets are sitting at 3-4 at this juncture of the season, which truly isn't bad, but all three of their wins have come at home while three of their four losses are on the road. To make matters worse they play on the road again tonight (Monday) against the Trailblazers.

The Hornets rank only 21st in the NBA in points per game, and part of that problem has been the lack of scoring punch from newcomer Lance Stephenson. Charlotte was really hoping Stephenson would light up the scoreboard, but so far this season he's only averaged eight points per game. He did however have a game winning three-pointer in the Hornet's win against Charlotte, but everyone who's seen the highlight knows that it was a lucky bank-shot that sealed the deal. That brings me to my other point: two of the Hornets three wins have come off of game winning shots. Kemba Walker had to make a clutch Jumper to seal a comeback victory against Milwaukee opening night. They could just as easily be 1-6 through seven games this season. 

The Hornets have a roster filled with talent, therefore these starts should almost be inexcusable. They have all-star Al Jefferson, who truly can't be blamed for the team's struggles at all. He's averaging 23 points and seven rebounds this season. Then of course there's Stephenson, and Walker, both of whom should be shouldering more of the offensive load. Walker is averaging almost 16 points per game but only gets about five assists per night. He will need to find a way to get his teammates more involved if this Hornets team wants its offensive numbers to go up. Also, if you would've told me that Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would be averaging more points than Stephenson seven games in I would've told you to stop taking so many crazy pills. 

Luckily for the Hornets, the season is still extremely young. I'm not over-reacting with my post, I'm just wondering when this team will take that next step. In my preseason rankings I gave them some love so now they need to prove they're a team to be noticed in the East. The, "there's always next year," excuse is only going to work for so long in Charlotte before people start to demand more, because right now they should already be expecting it. -BC