Basketball Blog

When the Seattle Supersonics left the WaMu Theater at the conclusion of the NBA Draft, many felt as if the franchise had taken a major step backward. Gone were perenial All-Stars Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. In were two heralded but unproven rookies. The rest of the division and the conference had improved dramatically. However, these Sonics don’t look too bad at first glance on paper. Of course, that is assuming the oft-injured Wally Szczerbiak can make a return to the level at which he played when he first called the Northwest Division his home.

By dealing Allen and letting Lewis walk, the Sonics are virtually trading in Allen and Lewis for Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Delonte West, and Wally Szczerbiak. While Durant was not included in any of the deals that led to the exodus of the two former franchise cornerstones, he is nevertheless going to supplant them in the everyday lineup.

Delonte West proved to be a gamer for the Celtics. He immediately teams with Earl Watson to become perhaps the best backup backcourt in the NBA. The key to the Sonic success, however, lies in the return of Wally to the starting shooting guard position. If he can return while playing the role of the experienced veteran leader on a team full of youngsters, the Sonics will be equipped with one of the best four-man veteran guard rotations in the league.

Joining them in the frontcourt will be The Next Big Thing, Kevin Durant, along with the very versatile and underrated Jeff Green. Those two are so big, athletic, and versatile they could be the 3 and 4 starters for the Sonics by midseason. Along side of the potential All Star rookie combo, will be the powerful and skilled Chris Wilcox. He is a bit undersized, but his strength and fearlessness allow him to play the 4 and 5 positions effectively.

The other important factor in the immediate future of the franchise will be the much-needed development of one of their three unproven big men of the future. Assuming they do not resign the unrestricted free agent Danny Fortson, the Sonics will have to lure respectable games out of Robert Swift, Saer Sene, or Johan Petro in order to get productivity from the center spot. If one develops into a gamer, look out for the rest of the league come midseason. Their emergence will do wonders for this seemingly smallish Sonic frontcourt.

In order for all of these pieces to come together to establish a firm foundation for the future, new head coach P.J. Carlesimo must gather his youthful squad and utilize their strengths in unison with one another. More importantly, he must call on the new eldest player on the roster, Wally Szczerbiak, to become a locker room leader that will help bring along this glut of youth not only on the court, but also as growing men in the national spotlight. With the cameras seemingly eager to fixate themselves on Durant and the Sonics this year, it will be the contribution to the team made by Wally that will determine whether this Sonic team provides a Super season or a shoddy season.

What better way to kick off my first post here on InsideHoops.com’s blog by writing about the NBA Summer League! Admit it – after a lackluster NBA Finals, you couldn’t wait for some lower grade NBA competition to begin again. Especially with such an intriguing draft class featuring players the likes of Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Mike Conley Jr., Jeff Green, and the ever so mysterious Yi Jianliahn.

If you are brave enough to withstand the monster they call 115 degree desert heat in Las Vegas, I advise you to go check it out during the next 8 days. Players, coaches, and GM’s are just hanging out all throughout the arena meaning easy access for the fans, autograph seekers,and groupies. There are games going on all day and seats are first come, first serve – meaning front row seats if you weren’t out partying with the ballers the night before and wake up early enough. But if you can’t make it, you can just watch it on NBA TV or NBA.com in an air conditioned room like me.

I’ve had many memories of past summer leagues that I have attended in person. Some that you would not believe unless you were there.

I remember the time Magic Johnson had to use the restroom. It would have been uneventful had not what seemed like every kid in the building was running in right behind him like it was nobody’s business.

I remember the time when Bo Outlaw was the first ever inductee into the Long Beach Pro Summer League Hall of Fame. Yes, the same Bo Outlaw that last year averaged 2 points and 2.6 rebounds a game with a career average of 5.4 points and 4.9 rebounds. If you need any indication of the level of play in summer league, one only needs to point to one of Bo’s summer league game, where he scored 45 points, blocked six shots and grabbed nine rebounds in 43 minutes… and that’s just a typical game.

I remember the time when Ricky Davis, playing with a bunch of no names, scored 57 points, on his way to a triple double and his team still lost. On every offensive possession when one of his teammates had the ball, you could hear Ricky shouting his own name “Ricky! Ricky!” True story.

The summer league does have its pros and cons.

You get a first hand look at what the new rookies on your team can do. Only to find out they can’t do much.

You get to see 2nd and 3rd year players dominate and give you hope that this will be their breakout year. Only to be frustrated midseason when they can’t even crack their team’s rotation and you wasted a 3rd Round pick in your Fantasy Draft.

It gives hope that the Kobe talk, ridiculous KG trade scenarios, and Craig Sager’s wardrobe will finally come to an end. Only to find out they have only just begun.

Oh the joys of Summer League. A moment of time that gives a glimmer of hope, excitement, and then we are brought right back to reality. And yet I still watch it. I watch for that one special player the defies all logic of summer league play. The player that dominates the league and carries it on to the regular season. I watch because there can never be too much basketball. I am a basketballholic and this is the first step to recovery.

By Marcus Henry

The media and fan reaction to the idea of Ron Artest coming to the Knicks has been mixed. He’s a problem child who has had his share of on and off-the-court troubles. But has that ever stopped a team before; of course not. A player of Artest’s ability doesn’t come around very often. He’s turned himself into a versatile offensive player and he absolutely LOVES to play defense. Now that is a rarity. He can guard three positions and can even defend power forwards in a pinch. If this isn’t what the Knicks need, I don’t know what is. Knick fans need to be honest with themselves. The team hasn’t had a quality three since the days of Bernard King.

Anthony Mason and Latrell Sprewell manned the position for a while. But both players were playing out of position. Mason was a power forward masquerading as a three, while Sprewell was forced to play the position because Allan Houston had dibs on the two-guard spot.

There are several reasons why the Knicks need to do everything they can to get Artest. His talent, as stated earlier, is undeniable. He averaged 18.8 points, 6.5 points and 3.4 assists per game last season. His versatility on defense (2.1 steals per game) is a plus as the Knicks don’t have a three on the roster who excels on both sides of the ball. In fact, I don’t know of a team in the league that has a small forward who can drop 30 on any given night and stop the opposing team’s best wing player.

Quentin Richardson has turned himself into a productive player, but at 6-5 he can be exploited at small forward. Jared Jeffries, for all the talk about his defense, has no real offense and is nowhere near worth the $30 million the Knicks will end up paying him.

Another reason for the Knicks to grab Artest is his favorable contract scenario. Artest is set to make $7.8 million in 2007-08 and can opt out at the end of the year. A package of Malik Rose (who will make $7.1 million next year on a deal that expires after the 08-09 season) and David Lee ($990,600) might be enough to satisfy the Kings, who are supposedly looking to clean house. The problem is Isiah Thomas isn’t willing to deal Lee. As productive as Lee is, Artest is better. Artest is a better scorer, better defender and the better passer. And his willingness to play defense could rub off on the rest of the team.

For Knicks fans who still need convincing Artest should be acquired, don’t forget the team took a chance on Sprewell. And look how that turned out. The Knicks made a trip to the NBA finals in 1999.

A front court of Eddie Curry, Zach Randolph and Artest could instantly make the Knicks a playoff team. But in sports there is often times great risk before the reward.

For the past five years of Yao Ming’s career, writers and fans have ridiculed his lack of aggression and power. The media plays a powerful role in developing opinions about certain players; ESPN, in particular, has a knack for making ridiculous milestones for rookies. Due to Yao’s size, the media expected him to be a dominant player and steamroll through the first year of his young career. Unfortunately, Yao did not deliver what the media expected to see; instead, he averaged a “measly” 13 PPG and 8 RPG.

Five years later, Yao Ming has defied the odds for a player who is 7’6″. Although for the past two years he has had injury riddled seasons, he has yet to stop developing his game and in fact he has yet to show signs of slowing down. Every season he has improved his scoring averages along with his free throw shooting. He is not a great rebounder, but he isn’t the softie everyone seems envision. He has only averaged over 10 rebounds per game once in his career, but he has yet to drop under 9 rebounds per game since his rookie season. It’s amazing to see a man his size even have the agility to average this many rebounds. Fans automatically assume because he is 7’6″ that he will grab every rebound in the area, but many fail to realize, rebounding is an art; it is hard to master and only few in the game will ever become great rebounders.

Summer after summer, Yao has worked on his game. He wishes to reach the potential that he knows he is capable of reaching and will do everything in his power to untap every bit of game he has in him. In May, two weeks after his season ended, Yao began his usual training. Not only does he train to be ready for the World Championships during August, but Yao also trains for the upcoming NBA season. Yao has worked with Hakeem Olajuwon this summer; even though he does not possess the agility of Hakeem, he learned how to defend a quicker player, plus according to an article published by chron.com, Hakeem showed Yao a quick dribble and shoot move. Under Rick Adelman, we expect to see the Chinese phenom to stretch his game within fifteen feet of the basket. With this move hopefully added to his repertoire, Yao will be able to adjust to defenders around him; whether they guard the cutters heavily or the passer, Yao will either be able to shoot over the defender or perhaps with this dribble move, he will be able to place himself closer to the basket and maybe shoot a twelve footer rather than fifteen. According to another chron.com article posted a couple of weeks ago, Feigan writes about Yao and Carroll Dawson (former Rockets GM) working on a skyhook. Any Rockets fan should be excited at the possibility of adding a skyhook to his game; it would perhaps make him truly unstoppable from the eight feet in area. A couple of steps and stepping into his skyhook, it would be nearly impossible for even the most athletic center (i.e Dwight Howard) to block the shot; it would certainly prevent from an embarrassing moment, such as Nate Robinson’s block this earlier in the 2006-2007 season.

Jeff Van Gundy helped Yao Ming’s game grow tremendously. Many fail to see the improvement under the Van Gundy era, but Yao was able to commit to the low post and develop a power game. Yao is a finesse player, but under Jeff Van Gundy he was required to establish deep post position for the easy basket, or shoot a fade away from ten feet within the basket. As a Rockets fan, I’m excited to see how much Yao’s game will improve.

Under Rick Adelman, I envision Yao having the freedom to work within fifteen feet. I do not wish for Yao to shoot three pointers, so I hope I don’t see him attempting any three point shots during the season. For a guy of Yao’s size, it is important to conserve his stamina. Constantly pounding the ball down low exhausted the huge center. He not only had to fight for position, but he was forced to fight for the well being of his body. If you think those scratches he has on his arm are childhood scars, think again; ever since he got to the NBA, he has been a victim of aggressive “defense”. Within this new system, Yao will have the liberty to pass out, or shoot a midrange jumper. His game will not only consist of pounding, but it will also involve him being a playmaker. As of now, he has problems controlling his turnovers, but with his basketball IQ along with Rick as a coach he should hopefully improve his decision making.

Adelman lets the players have a lot of freedom under his system. With Jeff Van Gundy, Yao had to constantly worry about making mistakes. Jeff is a perfectionist; even though I know Adelman is the same way, he has a much more laid back personality which should make it easier for Yao to make mistakes and learn from them.

Overall I expect Yao to improve a lot more under Adelman. Yao is a learner. He doesn’t satisfy, rather he hungers for more knowledge. He wishes to be the best and nothing will stop him from being the best. As a Rockets fan, I’m not afraid to defend the big guy. Although he has his shortcomings no one can deny his improvement and awareness on the court. Many players have the “potential” to be a great players, but only few have the work ethic to achieve such levels; I truly believe Yao Ming is a special player, who one day will lead the Houston Rockets to the NBA Championship.

For World Peace KASHMIR, CHINAR

Hoops for Health. JDBASKETBALL Dialogue for mankind

Months of anticipation added to the enthusiasm as we initiated ‘Hoops for Health’ on June 26th.

The effort is the initial application of a three- year program designed to aid in the pscho-rehabilitaition of war torn orphan youth. Chinar (www.chinar.org) is an orphanage in Srinigar, Kashmir, India.

Our mission became very real to me coming off the plane seeing the breathtaking Kashmir scenery and Himalayan Mountain backdrop coupled with uniformed and armed military presence in the forefront.

Walking thru the orphanage to meet the children for the first time, I saw the shoes (20 pair stacked neatly), the bunk beds, the little reading desks, and real family photos on the wall. I noticed the housemothers dressed in their colorful parda— and the devotion and care. The CHINAR kids are a special group. One story after another is touching. Amazing – the seven year old girl who entire family died in the earthquake surviving three days in the snow- by herself; the two brothers who’s blind grandmother could no longer care for them, and on and on.The t-shirts and basketballs we gifted were super appreciated by the kids and a nice token, yet I know they deserve and need much more.

Our training ground at the Burn Hall School was located coincidentally, just a stones throw away from United Nations India / Pakistan War relief building.

Surveying the court, we realized the basket was too high for the children to reach and we needed a lower goal. Immediately, the ever helpful Athletic Director at Burn Hill xxxxxx said they would build one. Knowing we had less than 24 hours before starting, I bet my assistant coach (and former Indian National Team Captain) JAI that it would never get done.

I had to pay up! Upon arrival the following afternoon, we were happy to see that a goal was welded on the back of the basketball pole about 6 feet high. It was perfect for the 6-9 year old Chinar kids!

We started the clinic by pointing out the various lines of the court and teaching the youth how to dribble and shoot. Excitedly they giggled, they ran, they listened, they attempted dribble in a straight line, they tried to shoot on the ‘too hi to reach’ goal, they tried to kick the ball, and run for snacks. They began to learn fundamental basketball!

Although the music was discontinued out of respect for the afternoon prayer session at the neighboring mosque, we kept dribbling, laughing, playing, and learning.

“We love jdbasketball!” in broken Kashmiryenglish was the kids present to the coaches before the start of the second session. It was a touching moment, one I know I would never experience in an office in downtown Manhattan somewhere.

JAI said he noticed they were holding their heads up, smiling more, showing more and more self-confidence.

A little more calm and focused, Day 2 was actually a major improvement. We were joined by some older youth from an onsite NGO. The listening improved and dribbling was better. We even began to play some competitive games.

The long journey came to an end with a spectacular trophy ceremony. It suddenly became apparent to me that on the other side of the planet David Stern was welcoming Greg Oden to the podium for the first pick in the NBA draft. For a second I began to wonder what exactly I was doing in this picture. But, by the looks on the CHINAR kids faces, in that moment—I could see they all felt like lottery picks and we played a good role in that.

Mission accomplished, but it’s just a start!

We are now looking to raise money to hire a part- time coach to work with the kids. Ultimately we would like to see a CHINAR basketball team to play in neighborhood games. We estimate it will cost $300 (USd) a month, if anyone is interested to donate—please email Fozia directly and mention its for “CHINAR Basketball Coach Fund” at foziaqazi@gmail.com

Special thanks to : CHINAR Board Members, Shireen Qadri, Ifran Shahmiri and Fozia Qazi

and house mothers Silshada, Shahzada, Igbal, Mustifa

SayoniScholastic Books (Delhi) who have offered to build a library for the house!

Richard Epstein, of New York, NY for his generous donation of basketball books and videos.

And my sidekick Coach, JayJAI

And the CHINAR KIDS! Please remember in thoughts and prayers.

Javid, Mohmad, Growhar, Tahir, Arif, Nazir, Fahir, Sajad, Muneeb, Imtiyaz, Nayeem, Mudasir, Saleem, Zubida, Norjhan, Rubeena, Ishrat, Bisma, Jabeen, Nusrat

Namaste everyone from Pune India!

I am about 3hrs away from Mumbai (formerly known Bombay) and again, it never ceases to amaze me that people everywhere are basketball crazy!

My first day basically consisted of; adjusting to the heat, learning about the famous ‘Indian head shake’, “1000, how are you sirs?” , photographing the walkers in beautiful sarees, ‘Brad and Angelina were here gossip’ (Is there anywhere you can go in the world without that?), and avoiding small cabs driving on the wrong side of the road.

At first glance, workers were still painting the court lines at Fergusson College and in a few areas small gapping holes were present. I was told camp would be starting at 7 am to avoid the heat; rainy season is approaching, I was worried about a possible rainout.

Everyone was very nice but I began thinking this is a long way from Cole Field House as we cracked a coconut to bless the court – I was what wondering what was I getting myself into.

Then it happened, the DJ began to play incredible Hindi tracks; I formed ball handling line drills and this small outdoor playground (no different than something you might see at West 4th or Holcombe Rucker Park) transformed into a magical place.Starting with 80 players and coaches and finishing with around 150 total, basketball spirit is alive in Pune! I came to find out that many of the participants traveled by bus or train up to 20 hours (Many with no AC ) —I was determined to give my all.

Sixteen year old Sidd from Calcutta mentioned,“ I traveled over 2 days to arrive here, the trip was very boring—but the basketballs been great making it all worth it!

I was told this was the first basketball camp in India- ever!

The enthusiasm and desire is unwavering as day after day I proceeded to put the players; and, and even some coaches, to the strenuous regimen. Daily, I began to notice slight improvements; one player started dribbling better, another shoot with more precise form, one coach taking more initiative.

Eventually, we started to dance.

The coaches, determined to learn basketball and a transition offense. It took about 3 hours from chalkboard to courtside. Slow at first, but eventually the Deccan Club team and event organizers of Apoorv Sontakke, Omkar Kadam, Amit Ambedkar, Ajinkya Mehta, and Ganesh Bagade began to pick it up.

As the days went on, I became more intrigued with India and I think India with me. We received write -ups in all major Indian papers.

It did not take long to spot the anxious nature of the Indian press and fans. During our first day press conference, the first question presented was, “How long do you think it will take India to be able to compete with Team USA?” Extremely ambitious considering I was told that only 7-8 indoor courts exist in India and the average height is at least 5 inches smaller.

Although my answer was, “Not anytime soon”, I think America should watch out- I can clearly remember answering these same questions in 2002 during my first trips to China — a country that possesses demographics, ambition, and potential talent pool. As you may know, China’s rise in the basketball world in the past decade has been remarkable–already placing 3 players in the NBA, and preparing for a hi first round selection this year.

I sat very humbled as I was given the highest VIP honor and public thank you and assembly acknowledgement by the Mayor Rajlaxmi Bhosale, the Deputy Mayor, Professor Vikas Mathkari Leader of Opposition of Pune Municipal Corporation, Vivek Mehta of the Maharashtra State Basketball Association, and other esteemed guests at the municipal official courtroom.

Afterwards I was asked to sit beside the Leader of Opposition as he conducted daily city business– this is considered highest honor. I was blown away.

The interesting thing to me is that although the culture is different and many more speaking “ Maharati“ a Hindi dialect – the language remains the same.

A special thank you to city of Pune for showing so much love!

Next stop : KASMIR
I am excited to travel next week to travel to CHINAR (an orphanage in Sriniger, Kashmir).

Here we are working on a three-year program to recruit, hire and train a full time coach. Build a court and hopefully, create a team that can play games in Indian and Pakistan.

The objective is to aid in the psychosocial rehabilitation and reeducation process of the CHINAR youth who have extended an invitation for me to work with orphaned youth misaligned through conflict.

It is an immense challenge, as many of these youth have never played basketball before! And many do not speak English either, so please wish us luck. If anyone would like to contribute to the CHINAR orphanage pleas check out www.chinar.org.

It takes only $65 a month to house and educate a youth.

See you all again real soon!

JD

info@jdbasketball.com

JDBASKETBALL.com Dialogue for mankind

If they talk at the same time, will Earth explode?  Will gravity reverse? Will the intense volume cause a black hole to engulf the sun, destroying all of mankind?

I’m not saying that’s what might happen, but it seems possible. Likely, even.

Yi Jianlian, who, via his handlers, made it clear he had no interest in being drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks. So the team took a chance on him changing his mind and embracing the city and team. But so far Bucks management has been unable to even get in touch with him. If this continues, the team may give up and trade him for another lottery pick, possibly Joakim Noah of the Bulls.

How long will the stand-off last? Jianlian will hurt his reputation around the league if it goes on for more than another day or two, probably. The Bucks must believe that he’ll adapt and get over it. We’ll see.

The Charlotte Bobcats acquired guard Jason Richardson and the draft rights to Jermareo Davidson from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Brandan Wright, whom the Bobcats selected with eighth pick in the 2007 NBA Draft Thursday night. Davidson was the 36th overall pick in the second round.

Richardson, a 6-6,225-pound guard from Michigan State, has spent his entire six-year NBA career with the Warriors, averaging 18.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 438 games. He was selected by the Warriors with the fifth overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft and currently ranks first in Warriors history in three-point field goals made (700) and attempted (2001). He also became the first NBA player to win both the Rookie Challenge MVP and Slam Dunk contest in 2001.

After averaging 14.4 points as a rookie, he improved his scoring average in each of the last four seasons, becoming just the fifth player in NBA history to improve his scoring average for four straight seasons, joining Karl Malone, Stephon Marbury, Billy Cunningham and Jack Twyman.

Richardson averaged 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 51 games this past season. In the first round of the 2007 NBA playoffs, he led the Warriors to an upset series win over the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks, averaging 19.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He also connected on .341 from three-point range. Richardson continued his stellar play in the second round of the playoffs averaging 18.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and connecting on .368 from beyond the arc in five games versus the Utah Jazz.

Davidson, a 6-10, 230-pound forward played all four seasons at the University of Alabama, averaging 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 126 collegiate games. He was named All-Southeastern Conference Second Team in 2006-07 by the league’s coaches and Honorable Mention All-SEC by The Associated Press. As a senior, he ranked second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.0 points, ranked first in total blocks with 70, and ranked second in rebounding (8.2). He also reached double-figure scoring 25 times and posted 11 double-doubles on the season.

Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin: “We are very excited that we were able to get Brandan… We targeted him from the outset of the draft and we feel that with his athleticism, length and ability to block shots, he fits perfectly into our up-tempo style of play.”

Both guys can score down low, and Raldolph can rebound, but neither guy is a good passer, or good at moving without the ball, and they aren’t good defenders, either. Isiah Thomas loves adding flawed, highly-paid players to the team.