Carmelo Anthony to the New Jersey Nets?
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, NBA, News, Trades,
Carmelo Anthony may soon be joining the New Jersey Nets if he agrees to sign a contract extension, therefore leaving the Denver Nuggets, a team he’s played for for seven seasons. The trade includes the Utah Jazz and Charlotte Bobcats as well with the primary players being moved being Andrei Kirilenko and Derrick Favors to the Nuggets and Devin Harris to the Bobcats. Rumors have the Nuggets holding out, hoping for a better deal, but considering they’re not in a position to rescind trades since Anthony will most assuredly leave the team after the season at the latest, expect the only hold-up being Anthony agreeing to an extension with the Nets.
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The Fall of Allen Iverson
Posted by Phil Partington Categories: Athletes, Editorial, NBA,
Allen Iverson may have had the biggest drop-off of any player in recent years. Just a season and a half ago, Iverson was having a superstar season by statistical standards, averaging 26.4 ppg, 7.2 apg, while shooting nearly 46% from the field and nabbing 2.0 spg. The following year, he looked more than human. The season after that nobody wanted him at all. The question on many fans’ minds is what happened to Allen Iverson?
There are a couple of theories that might give indication to Iverson’s recent struggles.
The Ball Hog Theory
Consider that Iverson is a volume shooter. This means that in order to be effective, AI needs to have the offense flow through him and he needs to be able to take a lot of shots. Some players are able to be effective even if they don’t get a lot of touches by moving without the ball, setting up teammates, setting off screen picks, going for offensive rebounds. Allen Iverson is not one of these players. On the Denver Nuggets, he was paired with another player like this in Carmelo Anthony. While the two were able to boost their personal stats, this didn’t really help the team win, as few other players got involved in the offense. When Iverson was traded to the Detroit Pistons, a team that was accustomed to playing “team” basketball, Iverson naturally didn’t fit in with his style of dominating the ball. Therefore, he lost about five minutes of playing time per game and he was never able to adjust to a team that didn’t want to rely solely on his quickness to get baskets. Consider that in Philadelphia, where Iverson had several years of success, the system was basically tailored to him. While the team was built to be a defensive team, the objective was to let him control the offense. That meant, surrounding Iverson with big men who could collect offensive rebounds and sharpshooting wing men who could hit the open shot when the defense collapsed on a penetrating AI. It may not be coincidence that the Denver Nuggets suddenly surged after trading Iverson for Chauncey Billups.
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2009-2010 NBA Northwest Division Preview
Posted by Phil Partington Categories: Athletes, Editorial, NBA,
There are plenty of reasons for NBA fans to be interested in the Northwest Division with several captivating stories to pique their interest. For starters, will the Utah Jazz go with Carlos Boozer as its starting power forward, or will it opt for up-and-comer Paul Millsap, thereby making Boozer expendable? Will Chauncey Billups be able to continue the great leadership role he exhibited with the Denver Nuggets last season? Will Greg Oden make strides to becoming a top flight NBA center? Will Al Jefferson and Kevin Love be able to coexist in Minnesota? Will Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder be able to become a true point guard?
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One Man Mock Draft, Fantasy NBA 2009: Round 2, Pick 5
So who wins the bronze medal in fantasy point guards heading into this season? Chris Paul gets consideration for first pick overall, so calling him the first point guard to be taken comes across as a big understatement. Deron Williams sits solidly in the #2 position. As you prepare for week 1 of the NFL season, keep in mind that NBA teams will open their training camps in just a few weeks. At least four to five point guard-eligible players will come off the board in between the early second round and the beginning of the third round. I always like a point guard who can score as well as shoot the three, plus of course dish the rock in elite fashion. “Mr. Big Shot” took his trade to his home state team in stride and led them to the conference finals last season.
Round 2, Pick 5: Chauncey Billups, PG, Denver Nuggets
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