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2010 Fantasy Basketball Sleeper, Josh Childress

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:40:55 +0000

When we last saw Josh Childress, he was an underused forward with a killer afro and issues with his playing time. So he skipped off to Greece in hopes of getting his groove back. And get his groove back he did, assuming you define “getting one’s groove back” as making almost no progress whatsoever. You could define it like that; I mean, I don’t know grooves. Frankly, Childress was gone for an eternity and came back seemingly unchanged, like when my girlfriend returns from the hairdresser. Notice anything different? Uh, it was light outside when you left and now it’s dark? I got a fifth of an inch taken off my hair! Of course you did, just as Childress got a fifth of his FT% chopped off while with Olympiakos (.799 for ATL, .643 GRE).
But Greece ain’t the word no mo’. He’s a Sun now (a Sunnist? A Sunista? A Sunni?). So forget his time in Atlanta where he had a 15.4 USG% and left because of frustrations with his mere 29.9 mpgs. And let us…

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Are the Chicago Bulls Really Good Enough To Win the East?

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:03:20 +0000

The Chicago Bulls made some decent moves during the NBA’s offseason, but so far their acquisitions have been over-shadowed by the player they failed to land.

The Bulls were reportedly on the short list of teams vying for the services of LeBron James, and Chicago’s hopes for a NBA championship were perceived to end once James decided to join the Miami Heat.

Or did they?

Miami, Boston, and Orlando are regarded as the favorites to win the Eastern Conference crown next season, but Chicago has quietly positioned themselves as a strong contender in the East.

The Bulls plundered the Utah Jazz’s roster, signing away Carlos Boozer, Ronnie Brewer, and Kyle Korver during the NBA’s free agency period.

Boozer should team with center Joakim Noah to form one of the most dominant post tandems in the NBA and Korver should provide the outside scoring Chicago lost in Kirk Hinrich.

Brewer is an underrated defender; at 6’7″ he has the size to guard players in the paint and the versatility to defend guards on the perimeter.

None of those players are capable of replacing what James would have meant to the franchise, but the potential to be the East’s top rebounding team is a nice consolation prize.

In fact, the Bulls led the NBA in rebounding last season. Noah ranked seventh in that category with 11.0 rebounds per game, while Boozer was just ahead of him at sixth with 11.2 rebounds per game.

In the postseason Boozer and Noah ranked first and second respectively in rebounding. Although those numbers are impressive, Boozer is worth much more to the Bulls as an interior offensive force.

Boozer joins a slim group of elite power forwards in the East which includes Chris Bosh of Miami, Boston’s Kevin Garnett, and Atlanta’s Josh Smith.

Chicago has the potential to control games from the interior and they also have one of the conference’s premier point guards in Derrick Rose.

Rose is one of the quicker, stronger point guards in the NBA. His penetration is nearly impossible to prevent due to his explosive first step off the dribble.

Rose is also an above-average defender who is capable of shifting the momentum of a game with his transition defense in the open court.

Boozer, Rose, Noah, and forward Luol Deng will be the head-liners for Chicago, but the Bulls also have a nice mixture of talent and experience to surround them.

C.J. Watson should prove to be a more than capable back-up to Rose and forward Taj Gibson has proved he can be a steady player when called upon.

Kurt Thomas may not be able to give Chicago much in terms of production, but he can serve as a mentor to the younger players and he is still able to provide spurts of strong defensive play.

On paper, Chicago’s roster appears fully capable of competing with any of the East’s top teams. They even have an advantage over the Heat, Celtics, and Magic in some areas.

Chicago has a better front court than the Heat, Rose should be able to hold his own against Boston’s Rajon Rondo, and the Bulls may be better defensively than Orlando.

Of course each of those teams would have their own advantages over Chicago should a playoff matchup occur.

Boston boasts more playoff experience, Orlando has the NBA’s most dominant post player in Dwight Howard, and it’s hard to match Miami’s star trio of Wade, James, and Bosh.

But Chicago does have the roster to compete with those teams and it would be foolish to dismiss them from the conversation of Eastern Conference contenders.

I’m not convinced that Chicago will have what it takes to beat those teams in the postseason, but the Bulls’ roster suggests they should be more than capable of holding their own.

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Lakers’ Artest to Auction Championship Ring

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 05:40:35 +0000

Ron Artest celebrates at the Lakers Championship Parade
He turned in a job application to Circuit City to be a part-time employee so that he could receive a discount while playing for the Chicago Bulls. As an Indiana Pacer, he received almost a one-year suspension for jumping into the stands and fighting fans, in what is now known as the “Malice in the Palace.” He forgot to feed his dogs for over a month when he was a member of the Sacramento Kings. He’s been known to override the decision of coaches and check himself into games. He became a rapper and works under his own “Tru Warrior” label. He has had some wild hair and has changed his uniform number more times than a McDonald’s cash register.
With all that being said, that is the past, and Ron Artest would probably love for the past of his to be forgotten. Artest has taken the steps to do just that. He took less money to play for a championship team. He sacrificed his scoring numbers an…

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Making The Jump: Top Ten Candidates For The 2011 Most Improved Player Award

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 05:03:18 +0000

The NBA Most Improved Player Award, which was first introduced in the 1985-86 season, is given each year to the player who has taken his game to the next level and shown the most improvement. Many past winners, such as Gilbert Arenas, Jermaine O’ Neal and Zach Randolph, had slow starts to their careers before having a breakout year and becoming stars in the league. There are bound to be a number of players who have breakout years this season, but only one will be the winner. Here are the top ten candidates for the 2011 Most Improved Player Award.

Begin Slideshow

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A Trade For Carmelo Should Be A No Brainer For Bulls

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:40:37 +0000

The Bulls have a chance to get Carmelo Anthony, and they wouldn’t have to give up Derrick Rose or Carlos Boozer. My question is, what’s the problem? There are reports that the Bulls might not want to trade Joakim Noah away. That’s ridiculous to me. Joakim Noah is a really good defensive center and he [...]

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NBA: Lebron James’ Ceiling Is Now Limited And Hating The Heat Is Inevitable

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:03:17 +0000

For all those who thought Lebron James would immediately rival Michael Jordan’s popularity, they were right. But now that James is headed to Miami to form a “super team” with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, his fandom will not be the same.

The regression will begin with the inevitable question of who will be the leader of the new Heat: Lebron or D-Wade?

And soon the debate over which is the better player will begin.

Chaos will ensue in Miami as two superstars share the lead role, something they are not accustomed to doing. Chris Bosh will play the Robin to Lebron and D-Wade’s collective Batman.

Wade is the favorite to become Miami’s leader over James in 2010-11 and beyond. Lebron never would have had an issue standing out in Cleveland, and there’s no way he will be displayed in the same way his hometown team did with the Cavs.

Maybe Lebron‘s alright with limiting his legacy in return for a legitimate shot at a few rings and a dynasty.

But will the victory still be as sweet as it would with the Cavs?

Will the Heat become hated, because they stacked their team in a matter of a few days?

Those are just a few of the questions surrounding the Heat that find themselves laden with new-found drama. But the reality of these two especially ring true.

James’ success with Miami will not rival what it could be with Cleveland. There’s no getting around that, and if the trend continues, the Heat’s haters are just waiting to strike.

The Lakers are hated for winning 17 championships and their semi-hated leader in Kobe Bryant.

Boston’s hated for Paul Pierce’s arrogance and an elongated string of dominance in their 17 rings.

The Celtics immediately turned around its franchise by bringing in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to complement incumbent star, Pierce.

And it brought them a championship and a satisfying one at that, winning over the rival Lakers.

But as Garnett, Allen, Pierce, Kobe, and many other NBA greats know, success brings with it the annoying raucous of haters spewing jealousy.

Some will call the claims legitimate, while others will jump on the bandwagon because the team is hot.

It won’t be long before NBA fans call for Lebron, Wade, and Bosh’s heads for stacking their own team and swinging the level of competition in their favor.

Most would say that Michael Jordan needed a Scottie Pippen, but wouldn’t it be unfair if he also had a Larry Bird?

None of the newest big three is on Jordan’s level, but there is no doubt the 2010-11 Heat were bought.

It’s only a matter of time before the ‘Bron-Bron love fest ends and the hate begins.

And James’ “betrayal” will begin to sink in when his hometown sees the No. 6 Heat jersey lighting up highlights on Sportscenter, or watching tears spring to the eyes of Lebron as he raises his first trophy.

The scene will bring tears to the eyes of Cavs’ fans for different reasons.

It’s too bad James couldn’t win with his hometown team.

This is Wade’s team, not his, but there’s a good chance he doesn’t care.

Lebron wants to win and he will, but this question will always loom in the back of our minds: Was this collusion?

They say love and hate are related, but we’ll see just how closely they are when the Heat begin to win.

Go here to see more of my work: http://www.sportshaze.com.

Chase is the founder and co-runner of a new sports site, SportsHaze.com. With over 60 talented writers, Sports Haze offers coverage of all your favorite sports teams.

Follow Chase On Twitter @ yutz18

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NBA opens office in Moscow (AP)

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 03:59:04 +0000

The NBA has opened an office in Russia, shortly after approving Mikhail Prokhorov as owner of the New Jersey Nets. Deputy commissioner Adam Silver made the announcement Thursday, saying the league wanted to move closer to its fan base in Russia and Eastern Europe. Former NBC Universal executive Egor Borisov also was hired as vice president of development for the region.

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Reports: Bulls name assistance coaching staff plus info on Randy Brown & Pete Myers

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 03:40:38 +0000

Per Bulls.com:
The Chicago Bulls announced today that Ron Adams, Andy Greer, Rick Brunson and Adrian Griffin have been hired as assistant coaches on Tom Thibodeau’s coaching staff. In addition, Randy Brown has been named Special Assistant to the General Manager and Pete Myers has been named a Scout. In accordance with club policy, terms of the contracts were not announced.
There you have it, the coaching staff finally have been complete. I am really not taking this a big deal with this coaching staff when you do not know what they actually do in practice. While personally I prefer guys like Terry Porter or Eric Musselman as an assistance coach than those names have been mention. But I believe it was Doug Thonus who makes a good point from his blog that the Bulls may have a lot of issues hiring coaches who have experience to surround Vinny Del Negro at the time.
So maybe that is why the Chicago Bulls do not hire coaches who have been head coach before as part of the Bulls coachin…

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Barnes’ fiance says domestic accusation false

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 03:07:22 +0000

The fiance of Los Angeles Lakers player Matt Barnes says a domestic violence accusation against him is false, and he has never physically abused …

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Barnes’ fiance says domestic accusation false

admin — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 03:07:22 +0000

The fiance of Los Angeles Lakers player Matt Barnes says a domestic violence accusation against him is false, and he has never physically abused …

View full post on USATODAY.com NBA News