Thursday, October 17, 2013

Pierce, Nets edge Celtics in preseason match-up

By Joseph Landini
New England Sports Journal
October 17, 2013
http://www.newenglandsportsjournal.com/2013/10/boston-celtics/pierce-nets-edge-celtics-in-preseason-match-up/

BROOKLYN, N.Y. –Tuesday night the Boston Celtics took their preseason on the road, heading south to Brooklyn. Since the regular season is swiftly approaching, many of the Nets players sat this one out in preparation. However, one familiar face took to the court against his former team for the first time in the Nets’ 82-80 win over the C’s.

Long-time former Celtics forward Paul Pierce, suited up in white and black for the first time in his career. Pierce scored just four points in his 27 minutes on the floor. He finished one of six, his only basket in the game a layup with 6.2 seconds left in the second. Pierce did however, notch five assists. Not only was it strange for Celtics fans to see Pierce in a Nets jersey, but the 36-year-old was a little uneasy about it as well.

“It was a little weird looking over and seeing all the green uniforms,” Pierce said. “I’m used to lining up in the green and white for so long.”

Pierce was the face of the Boston Celtics franchise for 15 years. In those years Pierce registered 21.8 points, six rebounds, and 3.9 assists. The ten-time NBA All Star, with a little help from Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, brought Boston their first and only NBA Championship since the new millennium. In the 2008, Pierce was named MVP of the NBA Finals and will always be known to Celtics fans for his heart, passion and countless clutch performances.

Another familiar face, former Celtics center/power forward Kevin Garnett, was benched Tuesday night for a scheduled day off. The Nets have back-to-back games and don’t want to tire out their vets in the preseason. Nets head coach Jason Kidd said Garnett’s night off was a “reward” for his good work during the preseason. Kidd did the same with Pierce earlier in the week during the Nets’ match-up against Philadelphia.

Courtney Lee led the Celtics with 14 points, but missed a key jumper at the end of the game that would’ve tied things up.

Garnett, Pierce and Jason Terry were traded to Brooklyn on June 28 in exchange for Kris Humphries, Gerald Wallace, MarShon Brooks, Keith Bogans, Kris Joseph and future draft selections.

Mark your calendars: The official “return” of Pierce and Garnett to the TD Garden is Jan. 26.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Pressey impresses, but Celtics fall late to Knicks

By Joseph Landini
New England Sports Journal
October 10, 2013
http://www.newenglandsportsjournal.com/2013/10/boston-celtics/pressey-impresses-but-celtics-fall-late-to-knicks/

Preseason Game 2: New York Knicks 103- Boston Celtics 102
Dunkin Donuts Center, Providence, R.I.

Quick Game Notes:- Celtics Guard MarShon Brooks returned to his college home of Providence, where he led the Big East in scoring his senior year. Brooks finished the game with 8 points on 3-6 shooting.
- Celtics Guard Jordan Crawford did not make the trip due to a death in the family.
- Celtics trailed the Knicks 79-65 after the 3rd Quarter.
- Brandon Bass, Jared Sullinger, Gerald Wallace, Avery Bradley, and Courtney Lee were the starters. Kris Humphries and Jeff Green came off the bench after starting the first preseason game vs the Raptors.

Celtics MVP of game: Phil PresseyBeing given the chance by making the training camp roster, Pressey did not disappoint. Pressey put in a 13 point effort to go along with dishing out seven assists. Along with being efficient on offense, Pressey was putting in the work on the defensive side of the ball as well tallying two steals as well. With a log jam at the guard positions, Pressey is taking the right steps in order to make the Celtics.

What the Celtics did well: Resilience
Although this is a preseason game, the young Celtics looked hungry come the fourth quarter. After giving up 34 points in the third and being down 14 going into the final quarter, the Celtics rallied back. Boston scored 37 points in the final period, and even grabbing the lead with a Pressey layup with 22 seconds to go. Although coming up short, the Celtics showed a never say die attitude, which will likely carry over into the regular season.

What the Celtics can improve on: Defense
The defensive side of the ball was a flaw. The Knicks were able to shoot the ball over 50% in their first game of the year, which is alarming because rust from no games should show. Knicks guards Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr were able to shoot a combined 13-17, 6-8 from beyond the arc. With the NBA becoming more of a scoring and shooting league, the Celtics will need to improve on this.

Who’s next?The Celtics will visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, Oct. 11 The game will be played at the Bob Carpenter Center on the campus of Delaware University.

For full box score please visit: http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400491519

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

2013 NFL Quarterback Rankings (9-16)

By Joseph Landini
New England Sports Journal
July 24, 2013
http://www.newenglandsportsjournal.com/2013/07/nfl/2013-nfl-quarterback-rankings-9-16/

(This is part two of a multi-part series of ranking the NFL’s quarterbacks. The rest of the rankings will be revealed throughout the week.)

Ranking quarterbacks heading into the season is routine and this season is no different. Below you will see many more-than-capable names and while some of them could potentially rank higher, there are only 10 top spots. Check out the NFL Quarterbacks ranked 9-16 and stay tuned for Part 3:

16) Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles: Many experts and analyst have written Vick off into the sunset, due to the Eagles’ struggles and underachievement. The truth of the matter is, Vick isn’t the problem in Philadelphia. If you look closely into last season and watch the Eagles, you will see that Vick had no protection from his offensive line. After being constantly hit, anyone would cough up the ball like Vick did. Still, he’s one of the most dynamic quarterbacks the game has ever seen. As he has aged, he hasn’t lost much speed and still can throw the ball a mile. Have faith in Vick.

15) Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals: After much research and contemplation, one main thing that’s hard to get over is how little love Dalton has gotten. People forget that Dalton and Co. have resurrected the Bengals, and this year may be the front runners to win that division, which is usually owned by Baltimore and Pittsburgh year after year. Dalton, unlike fellow young QBs, has only gotten better. Developing his skills and winning football games has landed Dalton in the Top 15 because anything lower would just be plain disrespectful.

14) Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions: Another controversial pick for the Top 15 here but hear me out: the knock on Stafford is that his decision making and turnover rate can be alarming at times.  While that might be true, Stafford’s skill and ability are the reasons why he is still a dangerous young QB. People tend to forget that under Stafford’s arm, Detroit returned to the playoffs for the first time in forever two years ago. Not to mention they play in one of the league’s premiere divisions. Stafford will need to improve his decision making now that he is paid to be the franchise QB, but he is still on the upper half of QBs.

13) Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers: The man was brilliant last year, no doubt about it. He finished the season and brought the 49ers within a play of a Super Bowl title. But let’s not forget, that for what seemed like the first time all season, he was a little apprehensive at the start of the Super Bowl. It’s easy to forget that he took over more then halfway through the season, when the 49ers were already on a roll. To some, Kaepernick is an easy Top 10, but we simply need to see him perform for a full season. Great talent with great accolades last season, but let’s watch him play out an entire season before crowning him king of the rookies.

12) Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks: If there was a bigger surprise emergence for a player last year, please let me know. Wilson proved exactly why he was the steal of the 2012 draft last year, nearly steering the Seahawks to an NFC Championship appearance. Wilson is as steady and as smart as they come. Wilson will have the opportunity to be even better this season, now that he has a deep threat in Percy Harvin. Wilson doesn’t shy away from the spotlight and competition, which makes him playing in the league’s toughest division even more appealing. Seattle has higher expectations this season, but I feel Wilson has what it takes between the ears to create something special.

11) Matthew Shaub, Houston Texans: The question that’s starting to arise in Houston: How many more years can we be great, only to falter in the big game? You can’t blame Arian Foster, the defense, or Andre Johnson, which leaves us with the team’s QB. Shaub has continually played steadily throughout every season, only to choke when it came to the big time lights. This may be Shaub’s final shot before the Texans rid themselves of his mediocrity in the playoffs. The reason Shaub is this high is two-fold: You can not ignore the body of work he does put in in the regular season and there may not be a more dangerous play-action QB in the game today.

10) Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens: The top 10 should not start with negativity, but in this case it has to. Many media are calling Flacco “elite” now that he has a Super Bowl ring. Are we kidding? If you look at last season, Flacco put up games which would call for benching in other situations. The argument will be, ‘he played great in the playoffs didn’t he?’ Let’s be honest for a second: if Ray Lewis didn’t come back and announce his retirement, the Ravens would’ve gone home in the first round. Say what you want, but Flacco wasn’t the driving force behind the ring. This year is a different story. After signing the contract that left little room in the Ravens’ salary cap to sign teammates, Flacco HAS to be the leader. If Flacco can do something special this year, then he may be elite. The Ravens are now Flacco’s team whether you like it or not.

9) Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins: This kid can flat out play. Griffin automatically put the Redskins back on the map last year and RG3 was simply put, special, in 2012. Unfortunately his injury derailed the Redskins, but he will be back for sure. Griffin’s play-making ability is already at a top level in the NFL, with a strong accurate arm and speed that kills. One major factor in why RG3 was not the top rookie from last season, is that he simply doesn’t protect himself. Griffin needs to save himself from big hits, or else his career may be shorter then expected.


QB rankings recap:


No. 32 – No. 25: Matt Flynn, OAK; Chad Henne, JAX; Kevin Kolb, BUF; Mark Sanchez, NYJ; Jake Locker, TEN; Brandon Weeden, CLE; Christian Ponder, MIN; Josh Freeman, TB

No. 24- No. 17: Ryan Tannehill, MIA; Sam Bradford, STL; Carson Palmer; ARZ, Alex Smith, KC; Jay Cutler, CHI; Cam Newton, CAR; Philip Rivers, SD; Tony Romo, DAL

No. 16- No.9: Mike Vick, PHI; Andy Dalton, CIN; Matt Stafford, DET; Colin Kaepernick, SF; Russell Wilson, SEA; Matt Shaub, HOU; Joe Flacco, BALT; Robert Griffin III, WAS

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

2013 NFL quarterback rankings (17-32)

By Joseph Landini
New England Sports Journal
July 23, 2013
http://www.newenglandsportsjournal.com/2013/07/nfl/2013-nfl-quarterback-rankings/

(This is part one of a multi-part series of ranking the NFL’s quarterbacks. The rest of the rankings will be revealed throughout the week.)

Ranking quarterbacks heading into the season is routine and this season is no different. Below you will see many more-than-capable names and while some of them could potentially rank higher, there are only 10 top spots. Check out the NFL Quarterbacks ranked 17-24 and stay tuned for Part 2:

No. 24 Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins: Like Josh Freeman, the Dolphins losses this year will solely be on Tannehill’s right arm. The Miami Dolphins were the most active team in the off-season with acquisitions on both the offense and defensive side. For Tannehill, he will have his best receiving core in front of him in 2013. Adding to Brian Hartline, the additions of Dustin Keller and Mike Wallace will pay huge dividends. Tannehill has shown flashes of brilliance, but the jury is out on him now that he has every weapon he could ask for.

No. 23 Sam Bradford, St.Louis Rams: Years ago the Rams started to rebuild the “Greatest Show on Turf.” With their rebuild they saw their division get increasingly harder, with the emergence of the 49ers and Seahawks. Under Jeff Fisher, Bradford started to show more promise last season, but still showed youth as well. With the addition of the biggest playmaker in the draft, Tavon Austin, Bradford will have more help to bring the Rams back to relevance. Bradford has great accuracy, but in this division he will need to bring more then that,

No. 22 Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals: Carson Palmer could always throw the ball, it was just a matter of who he was throwing it to. When Palmer had no help around him, he failed to make the team better and rise the level of his receivers. Palmer, like many on this list, turn the ball over at an alarming rate. Now in Arizona, he has arguably the best Wide Receiver in the game in Larry Fitzgerald. In the NFC West Arizona will struggle, but at least they have a decent man under center to help them compete.

No. 21 Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs: After being dealt a rough hand last year in San Francisco, Alex Smith moves on to Kansas City where he is handed the keys to a rebuilding franchise. The Chiefs have lacked a Quarterback for some time, but with Smith they have a smart game manager. Smith will have a foundation runner behind him in Jamaal Charles, and a playmaking Wide Receiver in Dwayne Bowe. If Smith can continue to play at the level he was last season, the Chiefs may be looking at a successful formula.

No. 20 Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears: On many lists you will see Jay Cutler in a Top 15, in some cases a Top 10. On this list he is ranked at #20 based on the question: Why should he be any higher? Cutler his entire career has only succeeded when throwing the ball to Brandon Marshall. Outside of that, Cutler has done nothing but run his mouth and watch his defense win games for him. With the defensive minded Lovie Smith now departed, Cutler may face his biggest pressure yet. Cutler has never succeeded in pressure situations, has never made anyone but Marshall better, and has failed on numerous occasions. #20 it is.

No. 19 Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers: We now get to the portion of this list where things begin to get tough. Newton is a special talent on a team where they are trying to rebuild, but at the same time still own aging major pieces. Newton’s backfield has always been hurt in the cases of Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams. His Wide Receiving core has a major playmaker in Steve Smith, but lacks a solid #2. Newton is still growing in his own sense. He will rise on this list, but as of right now #19 seems to be the right spot.

No. 18 Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers: Rivers used to be a top 10 Quarterback in my eyes, but his continuing struggles have forced him down to #18. Rivers simply throws interception after interception, and does it at the most un-ideal time. Rivers has never shown that major clutch gene, but he does have the numbers of a solid Quarterback, which he is by all means. The Chargers are a team on the slow slope downward. Rivers will need to play safer in order for that to change.

No. 17 Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys: This offseason the love fest between owner Jerry Jones and Tony Romo continued. Romo was handed a fat new contract, in my eyes undeservingly. The NFC East seems to be up for grabs every single year, coming down to Week 17. Romo, lately, has done nothing but choke over and over again. Romo puts up very nice numbers, but continues to melt in the hot situations. Romo, like Cutler, has seen Top 15s and Top 10s in lists, but he rounds out the bottom 16 here.

QB rankings recap:

No. 32 – No. 25 Matt Flynn, OAK; Chad Henne, JAX; Kevin Kolb, BUF; Mark Sanchez, NYJ; Jake Locker, TEN; Brandon Weeden, CLE; Christian Ponder, MIN; Josh Freeman, TB
No. 24- No. 17 Ryan Tannehill, MIA; Sam Bradford, STL; Carson Palmer; ARZ, Alex Smith, KC; Jay Cutler, CHI; Cam Newton, CAR; Philip Rivers, SD; Tony Romo, DAL

No. 16- No.1 Stay tuned!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Quick Dimes: Joseph waived, Brazilian signs, Adams added

By Joseph Landini
New England Sports Journal
July 17, 2013
http://www.newenglandsportsjournal.com/2013/07/boston-celtics/quick-dimes-joseph-waived-brazilian-signs-adams-added/

Here is a quick look at a few odds and ends Celtics notes that have occurred in the past few days:

Kris Joseph waived:For the second time in his short career, Kris Joseph has been cut by the Boston Celtics. With the Celtics training camp team taking form and the roster starting to bulk up, Joseph became the latest casualty. After being drafted in the second round by the Celtics in 2012, Joseph spent time on the summer league roster. Joseph eventually landed in the Brooklyn Nets organization where he performed great in the D-league (18.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals in 34.0 minutes per game and was named to the All-NBDL Second Team). On July 12th he was then traded back to the Celtics. With the Celtics starting to add depth at the guard and small forward position, Joseph simply was a logical cut by the organization.

Brazilian Center signs:The Celtics signed 25 year old Brazilian Center Vitor Faverani. The news comes in as a reported three year deal. Faverani adds depth to an already loaded front court. Faverani will be competing with Fab Melo, Shavlik Randolph, and first round pick Kelly Olynyk, assuming no further cuts are made before training camp.

Ron Adams joins coaching staff:Ron Adams joined the Celtics coaching staff, bringing the real NBA experience that Brad Stevens lacks. Adams is noted as Tom Thibodeau’s top assistant in Chicago, where the Bulls have flourished in the Eastern Conference. After the Bulls front office decided to let Adams go, the Celtics offered Adams the job, which he has accepted. Adams will be able to ease Stevens into the pro game, which is dramatically different from the college game.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Phil Pressey earns invite to Celtics training camp

By Joseph Landini
New England Sports Journal
July 11, 2013

ORLANDO, Fla. –On Wednesday Phil Pressey was invited to be a part of the Boston Celtics upcoming training camp.

The Celtics fell to the Houston Rockets 85-78 Wednesday, but Pressey may have had his summer shining moment. Despite shooting 2-9 from the field, Pressey added 10 assists and three steals to show his worth. With a backup point guard position to be filled, Pressey earned his invitation to training camp.

According to A.Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE, Pressey is the only non guaranteed player to be invited to training camp thus far:

Before joining the Celtics summer league roster, Pressey played for the Tigers at the University of Missouri. Pressey spent three years at Missouri, including three trips to the NCAA tournament and one Big 12 conference championship game. As a junior team captain, Pressey averaged 11.9 points and 7.1 assists per game.

Despite being eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Pressey received many accolades his junior year, which was highlighted by an All-SEC First Team selection and an Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention.

With these accolades and strong college career already under his belt, Pressey forwent his senior season and was an early entrant into the 2013 NBA Draft. Although an impressive junior year campaign, Pressey had been haunted by bad decision making in late game situations and owned a career high of 3.5 turnovers per contest. Despite his projection of being a second round pick, Pressey went undrafted.

The Celtics summer league team still has games to play, but Pressey is now a step closer to making his decision to enter the NBA early, worthwhile.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

A look inside Darius Johnson-Odom

By Joseph Landini
New England Sports Journal
July 10, 2013
http://www.newenglandsportsjournal.com/2013/07/boston-celtics/a-look-inside-darius-johnson-odom/

ORLANDO, Fla. –On Monday the Celtics won their first game of the Summer League, defeating the Detroit Pistons 93-63. The win was anchored by the performance of Free Agent guard Darius Johnson-Odom.

Johnson-Odom scored a team high 22 points on 8-14 shooting, to go along with five rebounds. The 6’2″ guard was the number 55 overall selection in the 2012 by the Dallas Mavericks. Since being drafted though, Johnson-Odom has been nothing short of a journeyman.

On draft night, the Dallas Mavericks sold the rights to his contract to the Los Angeles Lakers. After the summer, he would be assigned to the Lakers D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders. Although only playing 12 games there, Johnson-Odom would flourish in the D-League. Averaging 20.6 points per game, to go along with 5.3 assists and 5 rebounds per game, Johnson-Odom seemed to be on the fast track to the NBA.

Instead, the Lakers decided to waive Johnson-Odom on the final day before contracts became guaranteed for the remainder of the season. Johnson-Odom would end up joining a team in Russia, Spartak St.Petersburg, for the remainder of last season.

Before his short pro career, Johnson-Odom graduated from Marquette University. He gathered many awards in his college career including All-Big East honors in his senior year. Johnson-Odom’s stats increased every season he played, as he finished up with a career line of 15.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

Many may be wondering, who is Darius Johnson-Odom? If he keeps this type of play up, Johnson-Odom may answer that question himself by locking up a Celtics roster spot.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Brad Stevens named Celtics Head Coach

By Joseph Landini
New England Sports Journal
July 4, 2013
http://www.newenglandsportsjournal.com/2013/07/boston-celtics/brad-stevens-named-celtics-head-coach/

BOSTON–Wednesday afternoon the Boston Celtics named Butler University’s Brad Stevens their new head coach.

This hire marks the first time the franchise has named a head coach straight out of college since Rick Pitino in 1997. Stevens, 36, is now the youngest coach in the NBA.

Fortunately the young Stevens brings an impressive resume from the college game, where he held a winning percentage of .722 and brought Butler to back to back National Title games in 2010 and 2011. Known for bringing Butler basketball to the spotlight, Stevens will now test his talents on an even larger stage.

According to Yahoo! NBA Columnist Adrian Wojnarowski, Stevens signed a 6yr, $22 million dollar contract:



Stevens will be a main piece in the rebuild of one of the most storied franchise’s in NBA history. After trading away the core of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets, the Celtics will look totally different when opening night comes in the Fall.

After a first round exit to the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs, the Celtics will build their team younger. With the exit of Doc Rivers, Stevens may be a great fit to teach these younger players.

Although the Celtics have many questions to address this offseason, one question is officially answered: Brad Stevens is the new their new head coach.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

LeBron James & Michael Jordan: Comparison of Era, Not Player

By: Joseph Landini
Sportsrageous.com
http://www.sportsrageous.com/lebron-james-michael-jordan-comparison-of-era-not-player-06-13-2013

A constant comparison is made in basketball between two players – Michael Jordan and Lebron James. The comparison is made in every single way from statistics to personality to championship rings. Although this issue is a major piece of the basketball media and fan base, it is not the two players that should be compared, but the two eras being played in.

James is playing in the era I like to call, “The Super Star Era.” In this super star era we have begun to see a new pattern form. This pattern and executive decision is the aligning of the stars, basically the notion of bringing a few high profile players together and surrounding them with minimal pieces. This notion began when the Boston Celtics added Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to join forces with their franchise player, Paul Pierce. Ultimately this notion paid off and the Celtics won a championship.

This notion has continued stemming from The Decision in July 2010 when James chose the Miami Heat, joining forces with Dwyane Wade and soon after Chris Bosh. The problem with this, era wise, is that the competitive balance is nonexistent. What we have started to see are teams, for lack of better terms, taking years off to get their salary cap in check. Once these teams get out from financial trouble, they make their “pitch,” to the free agent super stars.

The aligning of the stars has paid off for teams like the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, but has put teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks even further back in the big picture. The majority of the league is just waiting for their time to make the pitch to the big talent. Half the league has become non competitive. Case and point, the Eastern Conference has sported a team only .500 or below in every year, except once, in the playoffs in the past eight years. Miami simply went cruise control coasted and played their “B level basketball,” all season.

Basketball has also become less competitive, due to the way the game is played. Note, players have always complained about officials, but nowadays the whistle is heard at an alarming rate. Since this has become a constant in the game, we now have players faking being fouled (flopping) more often. We are also in an era where the art of the big man is gone. Right now in the NBA, partly due to the international game, big men are more of perimeter shooters. The NBA, in this era, has three big men in my eyes that could play in Jordan’s era. Those three are Roy Hibbert, Dwight Howard, and a HEALTHY Andrew Bynum.

This is not a knock on James, because he is simply phenomenal, but the era is simply less competitive because of the aligning of the stars notion and the way the game is played.
Michael Jordan played in the era of players staying in one place for a long time and competing for it all. Jordan and Scottie Pippen were pretty much life time Chicago Bulls. Reggie Miller was a Pacer, Patrick Ewing was a Knick, Karl Malone and John Stockton were members of the Utah Jazz. I could go on and on with different franchise players.

This era sported the hardnosed competitive attitude. The era did not worry about, “flopping.” This era let the players play, and let the big men bang underneath the basket. Not to mention the fact that every single team pretty much had a, “big” which had major skill. These players would dominate the big men of the current era, and it isn’t even up for debate.

The competition in the 90s was fierce every year. Although Jordan and his Bulls won 6 titles, you saw a variety of teams fighting in the postseason every year. In the current day, many experts/analyst on record, Only 4 teams (Spurs, Thunder, Pacers, and Knicks) had a realistic shot at dethroning the Heat. The Jordan era was simply more competitive, and in my eyes tougher to win. It had a feeling every night that each game meant something.

Comparing James and Jordan is simply unfair based on the eras they played in. In my eyes Jordan dominated a tougher era to play in, but by no means do I think James should be looked down on because of the era he plays in.
  


Sunday, June 2, 2013

NBA Awards AFTER the Playoffs?

By: Joseph Landini
Sportsrageous.com
http://www.sportsrageous.com/nba-awards-after-the-playoffs-05-24-2013

The NBA Season Awards are announced every year after the regular season has past, and during the off season. My question is why not take into consideration what players and coached do during the postseason?
Many awards have shown true, such as Lebron James winning the MVP and Marc Gasol winning Defensive Player of the Year. But if the NBA season awards took into account the postseason, certain awards would have for sure been changed.
Starting with the Coach of the Year, certain candidates would have easily been eliminated from the equation. The Knicks’ Mike Woodson, would not have been even mentioned. Woodson proved in the playoffs to be a normal coach, and proved that as he panicked and changed his rotation late in the Eastern Semi-Finals. The winner of the award George Karl, showed that his ability was good enough to get to the playoffs, yet not good enough to get past a six seed, losing in the first round. I guess losing Danilo Gallinari should have won the award. Greg Popovich and Erik Spoelstra would have been headliners for this award.
The 6th man of the year award winner, JR Smith, proved to be nothing more than a middle of the road role player this off season. After elbowing Jason Terry in Game 3 in the first round, Smith was suspended for Game 4. A suspension which I’m sure would cause some votes to be cast elsewhere. After his return in Game 5, Smith went in a massive shooting slump, which extended until the Knicks’ exit in the Eastern Semi-Finals. Jarrett Jack of Golden State actually played capable of the award, and will most likely get paid in the off season. He could have walked away with a trophy too.

In the end these are individual awards in a quest for the ultimate goal. It would be nice to see all these award winners prove their keep once the postseason hits.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

George Karl: Coach of the Year or One of Four Choices?

By: Joseph Landini
Sportsrageous.com
http://www.sportsrageous.com/george-karl-coach-of-the-year-or-one-of-four-choices-05-09-2013
May 9, 2013

On Wednesday, George Karl won his first Coach of the Year award in his 25 year career. Steering the Denver Nuggets to 57 wins, Karl deserved the prestigious award over three other well deserving candidates. The question is whether or not Karl should have won, but rather was it just a matter of picking between four names?

If you look down to South Beach, the Miami Heat were once again the best team from start to finish. Erik Spoelstra coached the Heat to an NBA best 66 wins, including a massive winning streak, which almost made NBA history. Yes, I agree when the critic says, it is easy to be a coach when you have Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh on the floor together. The job as the coach is indeed to align those stars, and put a system in place for them to succeed together. Despite constant critics, Spoelstra deserves some credit.

With the lights shining brightest in the city that never sleeps, expectations were high on the New York Knicks all season. Since coming in last season, Mike Woodson has installed defense into the minds of the Knicks. Despite the Knicks forever being known as an offense first team, there is no way New York becomes the two seed in the Eastern Conference without Woodson’s stress on the defensive end. To Woodson’s credit was the transformation of JR Smith. After convincing Smith to drive to the basket more and playing harder on the defensive end, JR found himself holding the 6th man of the year award. Woodson did some great things this year and could have been chosen as well.

Gregg Popovich, who seems to be in the conversation every year, was once again a front runner. Popovich may be the most consistent coach in the history of basketball. Leading the aging San Antonio Spurs to 58 wins and the second seed in the West, Popovich faced hardships all year. With major injuries occurring to Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, Popovich managed to help Tim Duncan regain his form from years ago. Managing Duncan’s minutes and ailing Parker and Ginobili’s Gregg Popovich got the best effort he could out of his entire rotation. The same old Spurs were led by the same old coach. That old coach could have easily won the award this year.

Despite great coaching efforts by Spoelstra, Woodson, and Popovich, George Karl was as deserving as the rest. Karl was the only coach of the four who did not have a star player to lean on. This forced Karl to stress the concept of “team,” in what many see as a, “me” sport. Without a bonafide superstar, Karl coached the Nuggets to an impressive 24-4 record after the all-star break. What may have won Karl the award though, is the fact that the Denver Nuggets only lost 3 games at home all year.

This year you could not have gone wrong with any of the four above, but at the end of the day George Karl is this year’s coach of the year.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Denver's Iguodala expects to play against Toronto

Denver's Iguodala expects to play against Toronto
By: Joseph Landini
http://www.sportsrageous.com/denvers-iguodala-expects-to-play-against-toronto-02-12-2013

After straining his neck in the triple over-time loss to the Boston Celtics Sunday, Denver Nuggets Forward Andre Iguodala plans to play against the Raptors Tuesday night.

Iguodala has yet to miss a start for Denver this season after being traded from the Philadelphia 76ers in the off season. With the 52 straight starts, Iguodala is averaging 34.4 minutes a game.

Sunday against Boston, Iguodala injured himself in the third quarter when he landed funny, hurting his back, which led to the neck strain. Iggy only played 20 minutes that night, tallying only five points and four assists.

After an off day Monday, the Nuggets and Iguodala will play the Toronto Raptors tonight, followed by a trip over to the Barclay Center to face the Brooklyn Nets.

Source: http://www.denverpost.com/nuggets/ci_22569825/nuggets-andre-iguodala-expects-play-at-toronto