Feb02

Anthony Davis watch #1

by Kyle Inman on February 2nd, 2012 at 5:35 pm
Posted In: NBA

There's five teams that are in the race for the prize of the 2012 NBA lottery, UK's Anthony Davis, future franchise superstar big man.

6-10 220 UK freshman phenom Anthony Davis is the prize of the 2012 NBA draft.  You can argue Harrison Barnes, Andre Drummond, Perry Jones III, Thomas Robinson, Jared Sullinger, and even fellow UK freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as the top pick in the draft but any team that doesn’t take Davis is going to regret it.  Davis is rebounding and blocking shots like he’s possessed, getting 10 boards per game and an NCAA leading 4.7 blocks per game to go with 13 points.  A sophomore season?  No chance, Davis is an instant impact player.

1. Charlotte Bobcats 3-20 – Michael Jordan’s team is who we thought they were, one of the worst NBA teams ever assembled.  The highlight of this teams season is going to be starting 2-1.  The Bobcats are on a ten game skid and have been scoring in the 70′s most games.  When Gerald Henderson leads the team in scoring at 15 points per game, you’ve got problems.  Rookie Kemba walker has shown flashes and could be a player for the future.  It scares me that Jordan could get the first pick in a loaded draft because this is the same guy that drafted Kwame Brown first overall.

2. Detroit Pistons 4-20 – Detroit basketball is terrible at the moment.  This team has dropped seven straight games since shocking the world when they took down the Blazers.  This is a team that really has some nice young pieces to build around.  Davis could turn them into a playoff team sooner than later.  Center Greg Monroe leads the team in points(15.9), rebounds (9.6), and steals (2.1) and has the look of a future star, put another star next to him on the block and they are going to be a problem.  Brandon Knight and Rodney Stuckey are the young guards of the future.  The luck of the lottery is just what the Pistons organization needs and let’s just hope they don’t draft another Darko Milicic second overall.

3. Washington Wizards 4-18 – Ted Leonsis has to be mad that the Wizards have won four games after starting out 1-13 and paving themselves a clear path for Davis.  Adding Davis next the Javale McGee would be scary, much like the Pistons situation with Monroe.  McGee is one of the players who is shining despite his team getting whooped up and down the court every night.  Flip Saunders was already shown the door and I’ll just say John Wall is going through a sophomore slump.  Nick Young leads the team in scoring with 16.8 points per game.

4. New Orleans Hornets 4-18 – The Hornets weren’t good to start with and with the Louisi-Animal Eric Gordon on the injured list, they are one of the worst teams ever assembled.  The highlight of this teams season is going to be starting out 2-0 because they have gone 2-16 since.  Gordon only played in the first two games and has been out ever since and didn’t receive a contract offer from the Hornets before the deadline so who knows where his future will be but N.O. says it’s still wants him for the future.  Gordon and Ant Davis could be a scary outside-in combination capable of getting a team to the post-season.  E.G. has to get healthy though.

5. Sacramento Kings – 6-15 – Maybe the Kings should try passing the ball because they rank 30th in assists per game.  These guys are hard to watch and have already gotten coach Paul Westphal ran out of town.  The Kings have lost five straight even though young stars DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans have flourished with Westphal canned, at least at scoring the ball.. on defense the Kings are a disgusting 30th in the league,allowing 101.9.  Davis would most definitely help protect the rim in Sac-Town but for his benefit, I hope he’s not subjected to the attitude of DeMarcus Cousins aka Donatello.

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Feb01

Heavyweight road show

by Kyle Inman on February 1st, 2012 at 3:53 pm
Posted In: NBA

The elite take their game on the road as the Bulls invade Wachovia and the Thunder head to American Airlines.

Teams that win championships protect their home-court.  Tonight features two great games, Oklahoma City at Dallas and Chicago at Philadelphia.

Oklahoma City is the best team in the West and Chicago is the best team in the East.  I understand that teams drop home games, it’s not college, but the difference about tonight is that to be a threat you’ve got to win at home against the best.  If the Thunder or the Bulls go and get a win tonight, it’s going to tell me something about Dallas and Philly.

Dallas has been hot lately, going 11-3.  You can’t ever count Dallas out because they are the defending champions.  You knew they would get it together despite a 1-4 start and they did, sitting at 14-8 overall and 9-3 at American Airlines in Dallas.

Rodridgue Beaubois is getting his third straight start and he’s getting thrown into the fire against point-god Russell Westbrook with Jason Kidd out.  Roddy has filled up the stat sheet dropping seven assists in each of the last three games and has swatted 11 shots in his last four games and he’s a point guard but his long arms and leaping ability are legit.  We will see if he tries to swat Westbrook when he goes up for the game and pops the jumper in his face like he did last game in his 31-point scoring effort in LA on Monday. I don’t think Roddy is keeping up tonight.

Dirk Nowitzki loves to dominate the Thunder and Serge Ibaka.  We all remember the playoffs last season when OKC had the eventual champs on the ropes but I don’t think he can do that anymore.  The tables have turned a little since then and the Thunder have the best record in basketball at 16-4.  Durant and Westbrook are the prime suspects, with KD getting 26.8 points per game and Russ at 21 points per game.  It’s a tough environment but I still like the dynamic duo to show up in Big D and walk out with a big W.

The Bulls and the best point guard in basketball, Derrick Rose, roll into Philly tonight to deal with the red-hot Sixers.  It’s a tough task on hand for the Baby Glove, Jrue Holiday who is having another good season at 14.6 ppg, 4.7 apg, and 3.1 reb.  He’s a good defender, averaging 2.0 steals per game, but there’s no defense for Rose.  You can only hope to contain his greatness.

Chicago sits atop the Eastern Conference with a 18-5 record but the 76ers have been the stingiest team in basketball this season, only giving up 86 points per game.  All these guys are athletic, solid defenders.  I like the 16-5 76ers to stand a chance at beating the Bulls as they are ranked in the top 10 in every statistical category and Andre Iguodala and Holiday force a lot of turnovers.

The Sixers have a ridiculous seven players averaging in double-figures scoring led by Lou Williams with 15.9 points per game and hasn’t even started a game.  The resurgence of Elton Brand and the emergence of Spencer Hawes down on the block has made the Sixers more of a complete team.

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Jan31

Granny Smith Report #1

by Kyle Inman on January 31st, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Posted In: NBA

After losing nine out of the last ten games and watching the season record fall to 7-13, there are a lot of questions in the Big Apple about the Knicks.  The sky may or may not be falling in New York but my confidence in the team is still high despite this seasons early disaster.

Point guard:  The biggest concern right now is bad point guard play.  Iman Shumpert looked like he could be the guy that held down the spot while Baron Davis gets healthy but he’s banged up with nagging injuries.  The biggest wildcard when drafting a rookie is how their body will react to the demands of the NBA schedule and it’s something unpredictable.  I love Shumpert in the long term but for now he’s got to focus on getting his body right.

Toney Douglas has fell back into the starting role by default.  He’s much better suited as offense off the bench and isn’t a good enough play-maker to be a winning point guard.  He only gets 2.6 assists per game and the Knicks need someone who is going to get players in position to score, and it’s not Douglas.

Jeremy Lin played the last 20 minutes in the last game and racked up nine points, six assists, and three rebounds and showed the ability to break people down off the dribble, penetrate, and dish in traffic.  It looks clear to me that he should be getting Mike Bibby’s clean-up minutes and if one of the two has to be cut to add another player, it’s got to be Bibby.

The glimmer of hope is Baron Davis, who has shown he is the kind of distributor that could put the pieces together for the Knicks.  Davis averaged 7 assists or more in each of the last three seasons.  The Knicks problems stem from being 24th in the league in assists per game and Davis could fix that but it’s a huge question mark.  I don’t feel comfortable relying on him to be the savior because I don’t know exactly what to expect but the potential is there for him to make a major impact in the Big Apple.  I know the fans are getting impatient waiting on Davis, but his taking so long to get back doesn’t bother me because I want him to be completely right when he steps on the court.  If it turns out that Davis isn’t the answer then the Knicks will need to aquire a point guard at the break.  This team doesn’t need a point guard, it needs a point god. Right now, Carmelo Anthony leads the team in assists and that’s not winning formula.

Despite all the other weaknesses on the Knicks, Carmelo Anthony is still the biggest and most valuable part of the team. When he is playing at a superstar level, which he’s more than capable of doing, the Knicks will win.  Anthony is a game-time call for the Knicks tonight vs Detroit after missing the last two games.  He should sit out tonight because it’s against the 4-18 Piston and I’m confident that the Knicks can win this game without him.  Melo hasn’t played this season against Oklahoma City, Miami, or Houston and instead played games when he was hurt against Cleveland, Charlotte, and Milwaukee.  That makes no sense to me and Anthony is a guy that has to earn back his nickname as the Bully.  When it’s all said and done, Anthony isn’t a guy you have to worry about and I still have faith in him to get it done down the stretch of the season and get this team turned around.

Amare Stoudemire is a guy who has to earn back his nickname ‘STAT’.  His 17 points per game is the lowest since his rookie season.  Last season he got 25 per game when there wasn’t as much pressure to win, playing his best basketball with Raymond Felton in town.  The consensus is that he needs a point guard that can get him the ball and it’s the truth.  He closer to a 17 point per game scorer than 25 and is still an effective second option.  Knicks fans have voiced their opinion to trade him but you can’t do that unless it’s for Dwight Howard who is too dominant not to trade for if the opportunity presents itself.

The Knicks next five games: tonight vs Detroit, Feb. 2 vs Chicago, Feb. 3 at Boston, Feb. 4 vs New Jersey, Feb. 6 vs Utah.  The Knicks have to get right at home before they can be a winning team and it starts tonight.

Despite the losing skid and a lack of faith from a passionate fan-base, superstar Anthony is standing behind coach Mike D’Antoni but it’s clear that the seat warmers have been turned on by the organization.  If the losing continues, he’s going to get fired, plain and simple.  I don’t think he’s done a terrible job of coaching with what he’s working with up to this point. I think if New York has stuck with him this long then it should let him attempt to get this thing turned around because there’s still a lot of season left.  Right now the Knicks sit at 10th in the East but the two teams in the eight and nine slot are Cleveland and Milwaukee.  Cleveland is going to lose a lot of games going forward and I’m not worried about them while the Bucks aren’t that scary either.  I still believe the Knicks will be a playoff team and be one of the toughest first round match-ups as the seven or eight seed.  Personally, I want Miami in the first round because I want Anthony and James for a seven-game-series.

The Knicks are in the line of teams that would like to add Kenyon Martin, who’s Chinese team finishes it’s season on Feb. 16.  Martin would be great depth in the post for a Knicks squad who is very thin behind Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler.  Rookie Josh Harrellson was doing a good job as a reserve but now that he’s out for six weeks with a fractured wrist, help is needed.  Hopefully they can negotiate a miracle to get another on of Anthony’s ex teammates out of China, instant offense J.R. Smith.

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Jan31

#DunkOfTheYear

by Kyle Inman on January 31st, 2012 at 12:43 am
Posted In: NBA

Dunk of the year by Blake Griffin and the Clippers are only 18 games into season.  Kendrick Perkins now has a mountain to climb to overcome the mental devastation from being violently mashed on like that.

Perkins is 6-10, 270 pounds and just got treated like a child.

Amazing.

R.I.P. Kendrick Perkins.

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Jan28

Darius Johnson-Odom

by Kyle Inman on January 28th, 2012 at 11:45 pm
Posted In: College Basketball

Darius Johnson-Odom's scoring ability makes the red-hot Golden Eagles a major problem in the Big East.

Marquette’s senior scoring guard Darius Johnson-Odom is the man behind the Golden Eagles surge to sole possession of second place in the Big East and six game winning streak.

Johnson Odom is averaging 18.5 points per game and MU is one game behind Syracuse for the lead in the Big East.  Marquette sits at 18-4 and 7-2 in conference play.

Buzz Williams squad would have dropped a game to Villanova yesterday, if it wasn’t for the jumper of Johnson-Odom.  Down by a whopping 18 points, Johnson-Odom hit for eight straight points including a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the lead down to ten at the half.  He dropped 26 points in the game including six rebounds and five assists and the Eagles won.

It’s this type of senior leadership down the stretch of games that is going to make Marquette a real problem in the big dance come March.  At that time of year, when the stakes are the highest and it’s win or go home, I tend to trust the senior guard who has been there before in the biggest moments down the stretch of games and knows how to react.

Johnson-Odom has been there before.  He lost in the first round and then made the sweet 16 last season in his two years at Marquette after spending a season at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas.  If Marquette is going to get past the field of 16 this season, it’s going to be on the strength of Johnson-Odom’s sweet jumper.  He’s hitting at nearly 45% from the field and 40% from 3-point distance.

At the next level, Johnson-Odom projects as a scoring guard.  While most all four-year college scoring guards that are 6-2 must learn to play the point guard, his game looks like it will translate well to the pro game.  He is extremely elusive off the dribble and could prove some instant offensive punch off the bench at the shooting guard position.  He will be under-sized, but at 6-2 215 has the physical tools and speed to play the off-guard spot in the league. He has the NBA range combined with mid-range pull up jumper adds to his value as a scoring guard.

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Jan26

Surprise All-Star

by Kyle Inman on January 26th, 2012 at 9:44 pm
Posted In: NBA

Kyle Lowry is having back-to-back break out seasons in Houston. Don't be surprised when he's representing the Western Conference in the all-star game in Orlando.

6-0 205 Kyle Lowry proved to the world that he was a starting caliber point guard in the NBA last season.  This season, he’s playing good enough to get a bid to play in the all-star game in Orlando.

Lowry is averaging 16 points, 8.8 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and 2 steals per game and giving the Rockets 37 minutes a night and shooting 88% from the foul line.  He’s established himself as an elite distributer, ranking third in the league in assists per game, even with the lack of weapons that he’s dishing it out to in Houston.  His season high in assists was at Atlanta with 18, 12 at Orlando, 10 two different games, nine three times, and eight five times.

Offensively, Lowry has improved his jumpshot and decision making in transition and fills up the stat sheet.  He went for a triple-double with 16 points, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds at Minnesota and 33 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists against Portland.  One of the best rebounding guards in the game because of his strength and leaping ability.  Lowry is a serious problem for all point guards out west.

Lowry is one of the most well-rounded players in the league and he is great on the defensive side of the ball also.  What he lacks in height at only 6-0, he makes up for with his great jumping ability.  He gets down into a great defensive stance and plays the passing lanes.  Ranks seventh in the NBA in steals per game at 2.0.  Took the Grizzlies for four steals and has robbed six different teams for three steals.

Most importantly, the Rockets aren’t a joke anymore and have won seven out of it’s last eight games.  Kevin Martin leads the team at 20 points per game and Lowry’s 16 is second on the team.  This is one of the most dangerous backcourts in the NBA and the reason why the Rockers have reasserted themselves in the Western Conference playoff picture.  Coach Kevin McHale has proven himself to be a good hire so fire in his first season.

I suggest you log on to the all-star voting and vote for Kyle Lowry to go to Orlando.  The level of basketball that he’s been playing this season is certainly all-star caliber and he’s earned it.

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Jan26

Opportuniy Knocks

by Kyle Inman on January 26th, 2012 at 5:59 pm
Posted In: NBA

Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James are no strangers to facing off on the court. Tomorrow night offers Anthony a chance to take down the King in his castle and right the ship for the stuggling Knicks.

The Knicks have lost seven out of eight games including a ten point loss in Cleveland last night.  It’s been a terrible stretch of games for everyone involved.  The Knicks sit a 7-11 on the season and thing aren’t getting any easier as they travel to Miami to play the 13-5 Heat on ESPN tomorrow.

However unlikely, a win on the road in Miami could be a statement game.  The game where you look back at the end of the season and say that this is the reason things got turned around.  Miami didn’t get off to a scorching start last season starting at 9-8 and then went on to rattle off 12 straight as the schedule got light.  A win tomorrow with the world watching and the Knicks get an important part of it’s game back, confidence.

Carmelo Anthony was great to start the season but has been through one of the roughest stretches of his career since spraining his ankle in Memphis.  Melo missed the OKC game and since coming back has gone 40-126 from the field.  His jumper isn’t falling and he doesn’t seem to be in the best shape of his career.  I actually thought the game where he went for a career low one point was one of the better games for him during this stretch because he recognized that the jumper wasn’t falling, rebounded, and set up his teammates.

Anthony is a better player than this and a prime-time matchup against LeBron James might be what he needs to find his offense.  I’m not worried about Anthony, he’s a competitor and will get it together but it hasn’t been pretty.  James, meanwhile, has been the best player in the NBA so far this season with averages of 29 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists per game.  We saw Anthony get the better of the chosen one in the Garden last season and it’s going to have to happen again for the ailing Knicks to win.  It’s time for Melo to live up to his nickname of the Bully and take it right at the King in his castle.

Amare Stoudemire is going to have to defend Chris Bosh.  Bosh has been on a hot streak with Dwyane Wade out including going for 35 and 27 his last two times out.  I imagine Tyson Chandler will be able to help off of Joel Anthony to help contain Bosh because Stat isn’t known for his defense and might get burned up.  Stat has been trying to find his offense and has been doing a better job with 19 and 18 his last two times out.  He hasn’t looked explosive, he’s been settling for the jumper, and is another guy that just needs to snap out of it.  I have faith that the Knicks can turn this ship around because the talent with come together eventually and Stoudemire is a huge part of that.

Tyson Chandler should have a big advantage over Joel Anthony in the paint.  In the Knicks win over the Bobcats a few nights ago, Chandler dropped 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.  When he gets the ball anywhere around the rim it’s a guaranteed flush and he’s a great finisher.  Defensively is where his value is as he swats shots and protects the basket but I think that if the Knicks get him involved early against Anthony, it could pay dividends.

Landry Fields has really been heating up lately scoring double-figures in five straight games and will have to deal with superstar D-Wade.  Wade is supposed to be back after missing games with an ankle injury but I am not one hundred percent sure if he’s playing or not.  He will likely show some rust if he is back and Shane Battier will get some time. Iman Shumpert vs Mario Chalmers, both defensive guards, is basically a push.

If the Knicks play like they have been lately then they are going to get beaten down.  I like the matchups for New York and I believe that this type of big game is exactly the type of game that these guys will show up for and compete in.  When they move the ball and play as a team, which we have seen them do, they are a good team but there’s no reason to believe until it’s happening tomorrow night.  D’antoni needs to have him team prepared because with each loss the temperature on his seat goes up.

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Jan25

Showtime Josh Selby

by Kyle Inman on January 25th, 2012 at 6:34 pm
Posted In: NBA

Memphis Grizzlies 6-2 combo guard Josh Selby should have never slid to the second round. The Memphis Grizzlies might have made up for drafting Thabeet second overall in '09.

All the teams that slept on 6-2 combo guard Josh Selby and let him fall to the Memphis Grizzlies with the 49th overall pick in the second round are probably already regretting it.

The Knicks, Lakers, Spurs, Magic, Bulls, Blazers, Hawks and Thunder all drafted passed up Selby to draft guards with half of his talent.  The Spurs took Cory Joseph 29th in the first round over Selby while the Blazers took Nolan Smith 21st overall.  That’s just bad scouting right there.  Oklahoma City doesn’t even need a guard but drafted Reggie Jackson in the first round, Selby mops the court with Reggie Jackson and would be the Thunder’s backup point guard now that Eric Maynor is out.  Miami took Norris Cole 28th in the first round and while he’s been good, give me Selby.

The Lakers, Bulls, and Hawks are the organizations that should be firing it’s scouts after passing on Selby.  The Lakers took Darius Morris 41 and Andrew Goudelock 46.  Neither player is making any kind of an impact in L.A. and Selby would be the starter at point guard right now as he’s already better than Derek Fisher based on athleticism alone.

The Bulls took 6-5 shooting guard Malcolm Lee 43 overall, six picks before Selby and then shipped him off to Minnesota.  Selby playing at the shooting guard alongside Derrick Rose would be perfect.  The Bulls went searching for Rip Hamilton when all they really had to do was draft Josh Selby for nothing in the second round to get a two guard that’s a scoring option.

The Atlanta Hawks watched Jamal Crawford walk away to Portland during free-agency and could have had Selby 48th overall but took Keith Benson. Selby would have immediately replaced the scoring punch that Crawford added off the bench.  It would have been like a younger, better version who makes less money was on the team but they passed and showtime Selby was taken with the next pick by the only team with any sense, Memphis.

Selby was the No. 1 ranked prospect coming out of Lake Clifton High School in Baltimore.  He was ranked higher than first overall pick Kyrie Irving.  He’s a 20-year-old combo guard who can create his own shot but doesn’t play selfish.  He can hit from long range and has a 40 inch vertical jump.  There’s no ceiling on his game and he plays the best in transition.  He slid to the second round because of his unimpressive freshman campaign at his lone season at Kansas but he was really just a victim of circumstance.  Selby was suspended for the first nine games and then had his best game at Kansas in his first game back.  He hit for 17 points on the road in and hit the game winning jumper in a tight game for the Jayhawks.  After that a heel injury kept him out of the starting lineup towards the end of the season.  It’s just crazy to me that scouts didn’t see the talent and let him slide so far down the board.

Memphis has already traded Greivis Vasquez and Xavier Henry to make room for Selby to takeover the backup point guard spot in the lineup.  Right now he is fighting with Jeremy Pargo for the backup spot but is about to take it.  Right now he’s getting four points and two assists in 13 minutes but look for those numbers to go up as he gets more acclimated to the pro game.  Selby has already provided some nice highlights in his limited action with nine points two times.

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Jan24

Blockbuster pt. 2?

by Kyle Inman on January 24th, 2012 at 4:59 pm
Posted In: NBA

A poor 6-10 start and chemistry issues have forced the Knicks to join the Dwight Howard sweepstakes. A package including Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler might be the best offer that the Magic get for Superman.

The Knicks have gotten off to a disappointing 6-10 start and are now exploring a trade that would sent power forward Amare Stoudemire and center Tyson Chandler to Orlando for Dwight Howard.

Superman in Gotham City?  Doesn’t really sound right but one thing is for sure, it would be a great move for the Knicks and the Magic wouldn’t be letting it’s lone superstar walk for nothing.

Amare Stoudemire was the first superstar to come to the Knicks when they were bad and trying to recruit free agents, so he gets credit for that but it took 100-million-dollars to get him to New York.  The problem has been that Stat has been settling for the jumper and not taking to the rack, where he is most effective.  Even last season, Stoudemire averaged 25.3 points per game last season but so far this year he’s down to 17.6 points per game.  The thing that sticks out in my mind as a Knicks fan though about last season is that when the Knicks needed him the most, playoffs vs Boston, he was on the bench hurt.  Stat is also hurting from the lack of a distributing point guard while the Knicks wait for Baron Davis to get healthy.  He’s been bad all year but all signs point to that it’s just a slump. Is he good enough for Orlando to take on his max deal at age 29?  Yes, he’s still a star but really the Knicks are going to move forward with Carmelo Anthony and Howard is a dominant big man who doesn’t need the ball all the time unlike Stat.

Tyson Chandler is both under rated and over paid at the same time.  I didn’t even think that was possible but Chandler is set to make 60 million dollars over the next four years in New York.  He’s giving the Knicks 9.9 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game, great defender and shot blocker standing at 7-1 who doesn’t give you a lot of offense.  Chandler has performed well as a Knick, shooting 67% from the field because when he does shoot it’s mostly a dunk or around the basket.  He’s a championship center who was a major part in winning a ring for the Mavs.

As good as Stat and Chandler are, Dwight Howard is basically both of them combined into one player.  He will give you the 17 points per game that Stat is giving the Knicks right now.  Howard’s 16 rebounds per game are only two less than Stoudemire and Chandler combined and he scores 20 points per game.  The Knicks should be praying to the basketball gods that Orlando gets stir crazy and wants to pull the trigger on a trade with them.

Howard is dominant in the paint and getting him would open up the floor for Anthony.  I don’t know if this is the best deal for the Magic but it’s probably the best thing out there for them because they could still get Stoudemire out of it.  It also might allow them to shed the ridiculous contract of Hedo Turkoglu if they can get a third team involved.

It would leave a huge hole at the power forward position and the Knicks would likely try to get Glen Davis or more likely end up with Hedo holding down the spot.  Either way when you have a chance to get a player that is going to be the most dominant force in the paint every time he steps on the court, you do it.

I don’t want to get myself too amped up for this.  I would love for it to go down but something tells me taking Chandler’s contract will be a deal buster but then again, everyone overpays for size.  Despite the bad play so far, I like the team that the Knicks have right now.  There’s no need to panic because Stoudemire will get it together.  He’s been too good for too long to let a slump break his career.  So make the trade and I’m ecstatic or don’t make the trade and I’m happy.

The Magic scored 53 points last night so I think if they wanted to pull the trigger now then it actually would have happened today.  Orlando is 11-5 and could possibly make a run to the finals if Howard stays in town but then what?  They would be left with nothing after he bolts in free agency in the off-season.  So it’s better to end up with two quality guys like Stat and Chandler than get LeBron’d like the city of Cleveland.

The Knicks have made it clear that they want to win by spending money and getting stars to come to New York so it only makes sense to keep making moves if the players you bring in don’t perform and if better value presents itself like in this situation, make a move.

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Jan23

New No. 1: UK

by Kyle Inman on January 23rd, 2012 at 3:53 pm
Posted In: College Basketball

Doron Lamb, Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Terrence Jones spearhead the attack for youthful No. 1 Kentucky.

19-1 Kentucky and coach John Calipari have taken over the no. 1 spot in college basketball after Syracuse took a loss against a weak Notre Dame team over the weekend.

The ‘Cats only loss came at the hands of a drained three at the buzzer by Indiana’s Christian Watford that sealed up a one point victory.  Kentucky has won 11 straight games since taking the loss against the Hoosiers.

Kentucky is stacked up and down the roster with freshman Mc D’s talent. Calipari plucks the countries most elite prospects year in and year out to lead big blue nation.  He’s never won a national championship, thanks to Mario Chalmers, but this could be the year.

Sophomore guard Doron Lamb leads the team in scoring with 14 points per game.  Lamb is a 6-4 scoring guard with a pretty shot who shoots the ball at an effecient 47 % from the field and from three point distance and shoots it at 83% from the stripe.  He’s stepped into a leadership role with a locker room full of freshman.

6-10 versatile freshman power forward Anthony Davis out of Chicago has been as good as advertised.  He’s averaging a double-double with 13.7 points on 63% from the field and 10.3 rebounds and leads the country in blocks with a ridiculous 4.7 per game, already shattering the freshman blocks record.  Davis got 27 points, 14 rebounds, and seven blocks against Arkansas last Tues. Has the talent to be the top pick in the draft.

6-7 232 small forward freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is blending in perfectly with these star studded team.  He’s averaging 13.2 point and 7.2 rebounds while shooting the ball at 50% from the field.  He brings energy and consistency for the ‘Cats and does it on both ends of the floor.  He will be a lottery pick whenever he decides to go.

6-9 250 pound sophomore forward Terrence Jones scores 11.9 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game down from his numbers of 15 and 8.8 last season.  His numbers are down mostly due to Davis grabbing every rebound and being the best option but his field goal percentage has gone up four points to 48% and he’s shooting 40% from downtown. Scored a season high 26 points in the win against St. Johns.

6-1 freshman point guard Marquis Teague has proven to be a high caliber lead guard averaging 10.2 points per game, 4.3 assists per game, and 2.5 rebounds per game.  Lone senior Darius Miller is bringing the ‘Cats 10 points per game while talented freshman Kyle Wiltjer is adding six points per game off the bench in 13.7 minutes.

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