LeBron James joins Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to play with the Miami Heat
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, NBA, News,
LeBron James has decided to join his Team USA and fellow 2003 NBA draftees, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, down in South Beach to play with the Miami Heat. The trio of perennial NBA All-Stars will look to win what only Wade has, an NBA title ring, for the next five years at the very least. James, after much speculation that had him going to the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, and staying with the Cleveland Cavaliers, made his choice known on ESPN Thursday night in a program called, The Decision. It’s generally thought that the execution of LeBron’s selection was poor in taste as it just fed more into the hype that most people were already sick of anyway. However, there is no questioning LeBron’s appeal and general curiosity about where he would play. Rest easy, it’s the Heat.
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| Yahoo! Sports
Gallery: LeBron James joins Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to play with the Miami Heat
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Chris Bosh joins the Miami Heat with fellow free agent Dwyane Wade
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, NBA, News,
Unrestricted free agents, and two of the Big Three that includes LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade have decided which team they will be playing for starting next season - the Miami Heat - and most importantly, they’ll be doing it together. Bosh will be joining a new team with his friend and Team USA teammate, Wade, who will be re-joining the team that drafted him in 2003 as the fifth overall pick, while Bosh was drafted fourth overall by the Toronto Raptors. The aforementioned James was selected first overall in the same draft. The possibility still exists for LeBron to join Bosh and Wade in Miami, an answer that will be made known on July 8th at 9PM ET on ESPN.
Read More | Yahoo! Sports
Gallery: Chris Bosh joins the Miami Heat with fellow free agent Dwyane Wade
2010 NBA free agents to talk
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Front Office, NBA, News, Rumors,
Okay, first of all, don’t call this gathering of 2010 NBA free agents - Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh, and allegedly Amar’e Stoudemire - a “summit.” Let’s be clear, they’ll just be talking about one subject, possibly in one location, and discuss their futures. Yes, this does not sound like a summit at all. Well, maybe a little. In any case, it’s amazing that these aforementioned NBA free agents will basically dictate who the next NBA powerhouse will be, particularly if any combination of two players go to one team. As previously posted here on Endscore, the Cleveland Cavaliers have the edge to re-sign LeBron, so maybe someone like Bosh signs with the Cavs after a sign-and-trade deal is struck. Maybe Amar’e heads from one warm weather climate in Phoenix to another one in Miami. Who knows what happens, but it’s clear that the players are in control in the NBA.
Read More | ESPN
Gallery: 2010 NBA free agents to talk
LeBron James tells CNN that the Cleveland Cavaliers have the edge
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Front Office, NBA, Rumors,
Well, take heart Cleveland Cavaliers fans, LeBron James has finally spoken about his upcoming NBA free agency and the incumbent team has the edge to re-sign The King. James spoke with CNN’s Larry King on Tuesday for an interview to appear on Friday, saying, “... you know, this city, these fans, I mean, have given me a lot in these seven years. And, you know, for me, it’s comfortable. So I’ve got a lot of memories here. And—and so it does have an edge.” This may dampen the spirits of the New York Knicks who have laid it all on the line, suffering through two bad and almost wasted seasons under the current regime of Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni. The Knicks have purposely traded assets to get under the NBA salary cap in order to sign LeBron and one of the other big NBA free agents - Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson amongst others. If James does in fact sign with Cleveland, many teams such as the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets, teams with legitimate shots to sign LeBron will need to move on. For the Knicks, however, how would they?
Read More | ESPN
Gallery: LeBron James tells CNN that the Cleveland Cavaliers have the edge
February 2010 NBA Title Contenders
Posted by Phil Partington Categories: Editorial, NBA,
The 2009-2010 NBA trade deadline is approaching, and several teams have already shaken up their rosters in attempts to make a push for title contention this season, or to free up salary cap space for the upcoming off season free agent frenzy, which features myriad stars, such as LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire.
While the Dallas Mavericks have already made such a move, acquiring Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood from the disappointing Washington Wizards, other teams, like the Los Angeles Lakers, are looking to stand pat.
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2010 NBA Mock Draft December Version
Posted by Phil Partington Categories: Fantasy, NBA, NCAA, College Basketball,
June is the month for the NBA Draft, when fans and experts alike chart players and teams to determine which future prospect will be taken by which team. The process is both exciting and captivating, as it hints at the future of many NBA ball clubs. Yet, NBA Draft buzz doesn’t start in June. Even though the college basketball season is just underway, murmurings of where players might go in the 2010 NBA Draft have already surfaced. Here’s an early look at how the draft might shape up.
1. New Jersey Nets select PG John Wall, Kentucky, 6-4, 195lbs
Wall is the consensus top pick at this point. Wall has great size and athleticism for a point guard. After six games, he’s averaging 18.5 ppg, 7.8 apg, 4.0 rpg, 2.5 spg, while shooting 56% from the field and 80% from the line. He somewhat resembles Derrick Rose. Though the Nets have Devin Harris, it’s hard to imagine them passing on a potential superstar like Wall.
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Gallery: 2010 NBA Mock Draft December Version
December 2009 NBA All Star Potential Starters
Posted by Phil Partington Categories: Editorial, NBA,
Fan voting is a major folly of the NBA All-Star Game. Each year, NBA fans are allowed to vote to determine which players start in the esteemed game. The problem with this format is that 1) fans on the whole don’t know squat about which players actually deserve the honor, and 2) fans are biased. Since online voting has been allowed, Chinese players, such as Yao Ming, have had an unfair advantage due to their huge popularity in China. This leads to a tainted All-Star Game, where, in all likelihood Yao may be voted in as the starting center for the Western Conference, despite not playing in one single game this season to injury.
With that in mind, here are the players—after considering only the first month of the season—who deserve to start in the 2010 NBA All Star Game in February.
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Gallery: December 2009 NBA All Star Potential Starters
First hand review: Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors have hit the road for most of November. My buddy Larry has been fuming over their lack of defense. Ironically he was loudest during a two-game stretch where they held their opponents to under 90 points. Granted, he makes a good point. When only the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks rank below you in opposing team scoring, it should send a message that the D needs to be cranked up.
The Miami Heat came to town riding low on a similar three-game losing streak. These two downward trending teams meeting each other resemble the proverbial unstoppable force against the immovable object, only much less impressive. I had not been to a game since the thrilling season opener win against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Here are my first-hand impressions of the game, with of course some fantasy spin thrown in when possible.
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Gallery: First hand review: Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors
NBA Fantasy Basketball Early Season Guide
Posted by Phil Partington Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, NBA,
At this early point of the NBA fantasy season, it’s tough to know what to do. Whether to have a fire sale and completely rearrange a team, whether to make a few bold moves, or whether to sit tight. It all depends on the fantasy owner, but there are some rules of thumb to follow. Here are some suggested approaches to various rotisserie fantasy basketball situations. In some cases, the same might be applied to head-to-head.
Getting Crushed in One, Two, or Three Statistical Categories (“Stat Cats”)
At this point in the season, it’s important not to panic. Remember, it’s a long season and fantasy basketball is a marathon, not a sprint. However, if at this point, your team is getting crushed in one to three stat cats, without possibility of remedy (perhaps a player who might help in that category is due back from an injury soon), it might be prudent to try to balance out the team with a trade. In head-to-head, balance isn’t as important as it is in rotisserie.
Assess the situation. If your team is dominating in one or two categories, identify players on the team who perform well in those categories and make trade offers to teams who struggle in that stat cat. Be persistent. Trades can be tough to pull off, so don’t give up after one or two tries. Also, ensure your team can afford to be without that player. For instance, if a manager tries to trade Chris Bosh because his rebounding isn’t needed, keep in mind that he also scores points and shoots well from the field.
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How to Fix the Golden State Warriors
Posted by Phil Partington Categories: Athletes, Editorial, NBA,
Coach Don Nelson might have success in his NBA career. Heck, he might even be considered by some to be a future Hall of Fame coach. He is, afterall, only one of four active NBA coaches with more than 1,000 victories under his belt. However, whatever he’s doing in Golden State—whatever he’s been doing in Golden State—isn’t working, and it may be time for a change.
Nelson’s “small-ball” approach, where the roster is filled with numerous versatile guards and small forwards instead of larger post players, hasn’t proven itself much in past playoffs. The problem with this approach is that, while it may work for the regular season, teams tend to slow down the pace of games in order to better execute in the half-court once the playoffs start. Since the small-ball style isn’t very effective at playing half-court defense, since there isn’t much size to combat the opposition’s post players, regular season success with the small-ball style seems a moot point.
Then there’s the next big question: What happens when the small-ball style isn’t even working in the regular season?
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Gallery: How to Fix the Golden State Warriors
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