I've missed that old slogan...
I will try to update once a week some of the things I've noticed about the NBA.
Cleveland will regret trading for Shaq: Basketball has changed in the past 10-12 years. No longer does the game feature dominant low-post scorers. Gone are the days of Ewing, Robinson, Olajuwon, and Kareem. The Cleveland Cavaliers missed that memo that was sent out. The Cavs were exposed last year by the Magic with their undersized guards and forwards. LeBron can't guard all the Rashard Lewis's and Turkolo's of the world. The move to acquire Shaq was to combat Dwight Howard. Howard wasn't raining 3's over Delonte West and Mo Williams. They hope that Lebron can score 40 and they can win a championship will not work. The Shaq of 10 years ago would be a perfect fit because at least he could run with LeBron. This Shaq is going to clog up the lane just like he did in Phoenix. The other problem they have is Shaq can't guard the new wave of power forwards (more on that in a moment). He can't keep up with the Garnett's, Wallace's or Dirk's in a pick and roll situation. He is a liability on the defensive end. Cleveland will make the playoffs but a championship is not coming any time soon.
You can't guard me!!!: As I mentioned before, the power forward and center position has changed. Today's players don't play with their back to the basket. You barely see players understand how to post up their defenders. What has replaced that is the athletic 4 or 5 guy, who can spot and hit the 3 or shoot over the top of their defenders. With that said, the most unstoppable player in the league (with apologies to Kobe, Lebron and D-Wade) is Dirk Nowitki. No one can check the 7-footer. You put a guard on he shoots over him, put a big man on him he drives past him. He can light it up from the outside and terrorize you on the inside. One of Dirk's drawbacks is he doesn't bang enough or get a lot of boards. But he skill-set can not be taught. Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, Rashard Lewis all fit this type of mold, but Dirk is far away more talented than these guys.
Ron Artest will explode: I like Ron Artest. Artest is one of those players that everyone wants on their team. He can defend, rebound, score and pass the ball. Ron-ron's only problem is he can be very wacky at times. The brawl in the Palace, the constant on-going feud with Kobe when he was a Rocket. That's why I know its only a matter of time before he goes off again with the Lakers. Laker fans will say that Phil Jackson controlled Dennis Rodman. Rodman fell in line behind Michael and Scottie. I just can't see Artest falling behind Kobe. He is saying all the right things because he wants a championship but when they hit a rough patch, Ron will probably hit somebody or something.
As if Cleveland fans had enough to worry about: This is not a bag on Ohio blog but living in Cleveland or being a fan of Cleveland has to be rough. The Indians are a farm team to the rest of baseball, the Browns are in complete disarray and LeBron did not sign an extension this summer. With the way the Knicks and Nets are stinking it up and trying to position themselves to get LeBron, I just can't see him going there. Why waste his time where its cold all the time when he could go to a warm weather climate, like L.A. and no I don't mean the Lakers, how about the Clippers? Crazy, I don't think. The Clip show has a top ten point guard, Baron Davis when healthy. Young two guards in Eric Gordon and Al Thornton. A slashing forward in Blake Griffin and solid center in Marcus Camby. They will have enough money to lure him and he could share the same arena as Kobe and be just as big of a draw. Just a thought.
I am attaching a link to a video of my pick for MVP. He is from the class of 2003. The only one of those guys to win a NCAA title. I believe its his time to shine. Hopefully he keeps his head on straight and stays out of trouble. His team will be competing for a top spot in their conference which will help his chances. Enjoy the clip!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlrbJ6oG7OM
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