Now that Kobe Bryant has finally established himself as the best player in the world, period, who’ll carry the torch once he’s done?

The only thing constant in the NBA is change and we all know that once Kobe Bryant is done, there’ll be another guy who’ll be carrying the sport by his shoulders while the rest of us start proclaiming that guy as the new king of the sport. Unless, of course, you’re still stuck in the past, masturbating over Michael Jordan.

When Kobe Bryant leaves the game of basketball, which everybody knows will take some time before he does that, who will follow his footsteps and be named as the next best thing in the NBA? Well, we already have the usual suspects in LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. These guys are already ‘’Kobe-esque'’ at this point of their careers. It’s just a question on how long can both guys keep playing at this level.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have already proven that they are among the elite players in the league. Wade has already won a championship ring with the Miami Heat back in 2006 with Shaquille O’Neal while LeBron James has already won the best single accolade an NBA player can get, winning the MVP trophy last season.

Any of these guys can carry the torch after Kobe Bryant and the NBA is definitely in good hands. We also…

Read More » Who will carry the torch once Kobe Bryant is done?

At best.

Yep, you read it, because there are rumors that claim that this latest injury hitting the seven-foot Chinese giant coming to the 2009 NBA basketball season is so severe that they’re calling it career-threatening.

Apparently, Yao Ming hasn’t fully recovered yet from the broken foot he suffered from during the NBA playoffs. And while the brand new season is still a few months away, Yao’s recovery is so behind schedule that they are already ruling the big guy out for the entire season, or worse, his NBA career.

‘’At this point, the injury has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career threatening,'’ team physician Tom Clanton said.

‘’One of the things we are trying to get is a consensus opinion on that, to make certain there is no option we are overlooking that would provide an earlier return or would be an option for treatment that he would prefer rather than doing additional surgery.'’

Yao Ming suffered a hairline fracture of the tarsal navicular bone of his left foot when his Houston Rockets were playing the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the NBA playoffs. The team initially ruled Yao to be out for eight to 12 weeks but they found out that he could be missing a lot more time after a bone scan revealed that the fracture is not healing properly.

This leaves the Houston Rockets with no choice but to…

Read More » Yao Ming could miss the 2009-10 NBA Season

Looks like the Suns are really serious in rebuilding their underachieving franchise.

Either that or they just wanna catch one of the big fishes that will be in the market once the 2010 free agency period gets here. And with the way the Suns traded away Shaquille O’Neal as if he was nothing but just another run – of – the – mil seven-footer, it looks like these guys could care less how will their 2009 NBA basketball season go.

Merely days after the Phoenix Suns virtually gave away Shaquille O’Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers, rumors came out that the team is willing to give up another one of their bigger stars.

You read it, there are rumors that claim the Phoenix Suns are willing to give up Amare Stoudemire to the Golden State Warriors, completing arguably the biggest roster disassembly the NBA has seen in quite a while. Apparently, the Warriors wanted Stoudemire since February when Phoenix first made their prized forward available. And now that the Suns proved that NO ONE is safe after trading Shaq, seeing Stoudemire in Golden State just became more…

Read More » Will the Phoenix Suns trade Amare Stoudemire next?

Since this is the final one, we’ll try to finish strong.

The final batch of our rookies from the 2009 NBA Draft is here and we hope that you already have an idea on who should you be betting on once the brand new season gets here.

Let’s kick this one off with the first draft pick of the Eastern Conference, Jordan Hill. Hill made a name for himself in the NCAA this past season, when he put up 18.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. Taken no.8 overall by the New York Knicks, Hill has the potential to grow into one of the more skilled big men in the league if he continues his upward learning curve.

The New York Knicks initially wanted Stephen Curry but since he was taken by the Warriors before the Knicks got on the clock, they ended up with Hill. He’s a good choice too. He’s a hard worker with decent strength for his size and can step in and contribute immediately in the right NBA system. Problem is, Knicks fans don’t know better, booing their draft selection as he made his way to the stage.

Yup, Knicks fans wanted Stephen Curry THAT BAD. Hell, they would probably boo anyone not named Stephen Curry. You can’t really blame them too. Curry is a straight-up shooter with great confidence, demeanor and ability to fill it up from anywhere on the floor.

Considered as the sweetheart of the 2008 NCAA tournament, Curry is already considered a national star. That’s probably why the Golden State Warriors wasted no time in…

Read More » The Rookies of the 2009 NBA Draft Part 3 of 3

Welcome back.

Last time, we took on who we thought as the top three dogs of the 2009 NBA Draft. This time, we’re going to take on the rest of the field who we think should also have an impact in the NBA next season.

First we have DeMar DeRozan, taken no.9 overall by the Toronto Raptors. With a ton of hype entering his freshman season following in the footsteps of O.J. Mayo, DeRozan struggled a bit out of the gates in USC. However, he turned it on late in the season and had many scouts salivating over the potential that he brings to the floor every time out.

DeMar DeRozan is a solid 6-6 guard and fits the mold of a prototypical NBA shooting guard that should at least give the Toronto Raptors solid production from the position again since losing Vince Carter. After all, the guy does have VC’s uncanny vertical leap, problem is, ‘’DeRozanity'’ still doesn’t sound right.

Next we have Tyreke Evans. Taken no.4 overall by the Sacramento Kings, Evans’ selection was a surprise considering that Ricky Rubio was still available and the Kings needed a point guard.

Tyreke Evans definitely has strengths and weaknesses in his game but one thing the Sacramento Kings should definitely be happy about is his size. He’s a solid 6′5′’, 210 pounder and has a 7′3′’ wingspan. He also possesses a lethal first step. When he would commit to the strong drive he is very hard to stop, but he is much better going to the hoop in the full court game than the half court.

Next is a guy taken no.17 overall, Jrue Holiday…

Read More » The Rookies of the 2009 NBA Draft Part 2 of 3

That’s right, we’re gonna’ have this thing THRICE in order for you to get to know our NBA rookies just a little bit better.

In case you didn’t know, the NBA just wrapped up the 2009 NBA Draft. And while it’s still a little bit early if any of these picks were the right one or not, we’re hoping none of ‘em will turn out to be a big joke like Milicic did.

And as far as the overall no.1 draft pick is concerned, as expected, the Los Angeles Clippers got Blake Griffin. Griffin should provide the Clippers a brighter outlook for the future. I mean, the guy’s just 20 years old for crying out loud. That gives him a lot of time to develop into an NBA star and help the franchise finally shave that losing mystique off.

Griffin could have been a top 10 pick in last year’s draft but surprisingly, he opted to return to Oklahoma for his sophomore year. Griffin is dominant in the low post and could really help the Los Angeles Clippers inside the paint. He faces constant double teams but he has learned to pass effectively out of them. He is one of the best rebounders in the country, has great athleticism, runs the floor well and he finishes strong around the basket.

Then we have Ricky Rubio, the most talked about guy in the draft. This guy made a name for himself in the 2009 Beijing Olympics Men’s Basketball Finals when he almost helped Spain beat the U.S. for the title.

Taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves as the overall no.5 pick…

Read More » The Rookies of the 2009 NBA Draft Part 1 of 3

Well, that’s the idea at this point.

The deal that will send Shaquille O’Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers is expected to be finalized this Thursday. Apparently, Phoenix and Cleveland have come to an agreement already and the only thing stopping it to fruition is the approval from the team owners.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will send Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for the seven-foot, 300-pound Shaquille O’Neal.

This is the deal the Cleveland Cavaliers have been longing for since February. With Z starting to break down, adding a guy like Shaquille O’Neal will give them that low post presence they’ve been lacking the last few years. And the next time they get to play a guy like Dwight Howard in the playoffs, they will at least have a decent shot in stopping him.

For the Phoenix Suns, this deal wouldn’t do them any good on the court. These guys just want to dump some overpriced contracts so that they can save some money and catch the big fish of the 2010 free agency.

Apparently, everybody wants a piece of the 2010 free agent pool and in case you have no idea who’ll be on the market then, we have guys like Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James available. If the Suns play their cards right, they just might land one of these guys.

The $5 million dollar contract Sasha Pavlovic could earn…

Read More » The Cleveland Cavaliers will have Shaquille O’Neal

Good choices, because these guys certainly don’t want to end up with the next Kwame Brown or Darko Milicic.

The 2009 NBA Draft festivities will take place on June 25th and as far as who’s picking first, the Los Angeles Clippers won that right. Hopefully, they won’t make an ass of themselves in a few months when they realize that the guy they drafted turns out to be a joke.

Everybody already expect the Los Angeles Clippers to take Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin. Griffin dominated the college ranks last season like no other sophomore in recent memory. Griffin averaged 22.7 points per game for the season, leading the Big 12. What’s even more impressive is the way he dominated the glass, averaging 14.4 rebounds per game.

Picking second are the Memphis Grizzlies, the team that desperately needs a guard to handle the basketball. Ricky Rubio will likely be the guy to fill that role. Rubio is a gifted young 17-year-old who has a ton of upside. The point guard out of El Masnou, Spain has great ball handling, strong defense, and can shoot the ball fairly well. The Grizzlies will likely bypass the opportunity to grab Hasheem Thabeet and grab Rubio to control the ball. However, not exactly sure how big of a scoring threat Rubio will develop into. He has all the makings of a solid guard, but perhaps not a great one.

The Oklahoma Thunder would love to add a huge…

Read More » What teams need from the 2009 NBA Draft

Since we all know the Lakers are the new champions, it’s time to look forward for next season.

And as far as the coming 2009 NBA Draft is concerned, the Los Angeles Clippers are the big winners of the NBA’s 25th draft lottery, moving up from the third-best chance to earn the top pick. Memphis will be second and Oklahoma City will pick third.

With the result now at hand, Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin appears to be the consensus No.1 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Griffin, who led the nation with 30 double-doubles and 14.4 rebounds per game while also averaging a Big 12-best 22.7 points as a sophomore, might be the best option for the Los Angeles Clippers as they can dispatch the services of expensive power forward Zach Randolph and try the rebuilding process once again.

Sure, the Los Angeles Clippers already have a lot of forwards on their roster but if the stats say that Griffin will give them the best chance to win more games, then that’s the guy they should take. Hopefully, it won’t be a mistake like the last time they had the overall No.1 pick, wasting it on Michael Olowakandi.

As far as the other teams and their picks are concerned, read on…

For the Memphis Grizzlies, it might be Connecticut junior center Hasheem Thabeet. The 7-3 shot-blocker is viewed as a high-risk choice. Memphis was the one team that might…

Read More » We’ll pretend we’re not sure if the Los Angeles Clippers will take Blake Griffin in the 2009 NBA Draft

How can a bona fide NBA star determine when it’s time to retire? When you’re on the verge of being traded for the fourth time in a decade.

That is exactly where Shaquille O’Neal is at this point of his career. It seems it was only yesterday when he won three championship rings with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, since then, he moved on to win another one in Miami before failing to do the same in Phoenix.

Now that he’s stay in Arizona is about to expire, rumor has it that the Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in having Shaq play alongside LeBron James. Sure, at 37 years old, Shaq won’t be able to lead ANY TEAM deep into the postseason, but with No.23? It might just work.

According to the rumors, the Cleveland Cavaliers are willing to trade Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic for Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal will be making $20 million next season in the final year of his contract while Wallace will make $14 million and Pavlovic $4.9 million with only $1.5 million guaranteed.

The salary exchange is close enough to make the trade between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns work.

Sure, the Suns are giving up a four-time NBA champion like Shaq but the fact of the matter is, the seven-footer is on the verge of retiring anyway and since they would end up saving $10 million in the deal, that will at least point them towards the right direction in rebuilding the franchise.

If Ben Wallace takes a buyout after he gets traded to…

Read More » Shaquille O’Neal to play with LeBron James in Ohio?