Anthony Davis: Can the Kentucky Star Really Cut It with the U.S. Olympic Team?
Anthony Davis’ name has been the talk of the town for just about the whole entire year. He will be the No. 1 overall NBA draft pick, which is not even debatable. Now people are wondering if he can compete on the U.S. Olympic team.
Well, can he?
I don’t see why not. The U.S. Olympic team is very talented and expected to take home the gold every time, but Davis is also very talented.
With that said, read on to see if Anthony Davis can really cut it with the U.S. Olympic Team.
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Nothing but respect between James, Anthony
MIAMI – The game time on the box score read 2 hours, 24 minutes. With that in mind, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony were best of friends Wednesday for 21 hours, 36 minutes.
When the ball is thrown up, it all changes.
“Our friendship goes behind basketball, but, during the game, there’s really no friends,” Miami’s James said before he faced off against New York’s Anthony, his counterpart at small forward.
The two went at each other with zest in a spicy duel at American Airlines. In the Heat’s 106-94 win, which closed out a 4-1 win in an East first-round series, Anthony scored 35 points and James had 29. It would figure both finished the series having averaged 27.8 points.
When the final buzzer sounded and the two could go back to being friends, it was fitting the first thing James did was seek out Anthony to give him a big hug. What did he say to him?
“Brotherly love, I guess,” responded James, whose Heat advance to face Indiana in an East semifinal starting Sunday in Miami.
Big-time bust Darko Milicic going No. 2 by Detroit might have messed it up as far as the history books read, but James and Anthony were regarded by most as the two best players taken in the 2003 draft. James went No. 1 to Cleveland and Anthony No. 3 to Denver.
Because they played in different conferences and never met more than twice in a season for seven years, the rivalry never fully blossomed. But after James went to Miami in July 2010 and Anthony joined him in the East with New York in February 2011, it looked as if it finally might really get going.
It has.
James and Anthony met five times in a week and half. It used to take them 2 years to play that much.
“I’ve known LeBron since I was in high school,” Anthony said. “It’s always good to play against him, to play against a guy that’s going to bring the best out of you.”
The two first met at a 2001 summer hoops session in Colorado Springs and first faced each other in high school in February 2002 when Anthony was a senior at Virginia’s Oak Hill and James a junior at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio. They were teammates in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and have both played against each other and been teammates in NBA All-Star Games.
“It’s always special any time we are the court together period, the All-Star Game or the Olympics or the first time competing in the postseason,” James said. “He’s one of the best friends that I have. It was great to finally go through a playoff series against him. He’s one of the best players we have in this league and one of the biggest competitors we have in this league.”
Still, Anthony always has been in James’ shadow. He was second behind him in voting for Rookie of the Year, trails him in MVPs 2-0 (soon to be 3-0) and only once has been past the first round of the playoffs while James at least has been to two Finals.
Anthony so much wants to get into James’ territory that he copied him. Many viewed Anthony’s forcing of a trade last year from Denver to New York as a desire to form a northern version of the Big Three.
The Knicks’ trio of Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler pales in comparison to Miami’s one of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. But don’t call Anthony the one who’s dragging it down for the Knicks.
“Anthony is exactly what we expected, a top-three tough cover in this league,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “Now that we can remove ourselves from the series, I don’t know how you can stop that guy He deserves the respect that we gave him, which was the whole kitchen sink.”
In the last two games, the Heat could have thrown a refrigerator at Anthony and had trouble stopping him. He scored 41 points in Game 4 before Wednesday’s effort, which came on 15-of-31 shooting. With nobody else on an injury-ravaged team scoring more than 14 points, the Knicks had no chance.
Meanwhile, James, who had seven assists, got ample help. Bosh and Wade both scored 19 points.
The game wasn’t too close, with Miami never leading by less than eight in the second half. Still, it was a joy watching the two small forwards go back and forth throughout the night.
“It’s fun to see them compete against each other,” said Heat swingman Mike Miller. “It’s a good ticket to have.”
It also was good training for James as the Heat moves on in the playoffs. Just listen to Wade, who also has a lengthy relationship with both James and Anthony, having been the No. 5 pick in 2003 and also playing on the 2004 and 2008 Olympic teams.
“They’ve been running into each other for a long time,” Wade said about the two. “You can see it on both of their faces, they love it, the competitive nature of them both. As a teammate, I enjoy it because I know Melo is going to push LeBron, he’s going to challenge him and you need that. Because you go through these playoffs, you’ll be challenged at different times mentally to see how you can come back from it. So I thought it was a great match-up for (James) for the first round. (Anthony is) one of the toughest one-on-one covers that he’s going to face in the NBA.”
It would have been interesting to see if Anthony still would have been able to drill that key last-minute three-pointer in New York’s 89-87 Game 4 win had James, rather than Shane Battier, been on them. But perhaps there will be some future meetings in the playoffs.
Anthony seems to think so.
“In the future, I feel good about competing with the top teams in the Eastern Conference,” Anthony said. “I do consider our team being up there, top three, top four teams in the East. We just got to get better and go from there.”
For now, even if he did outscore him Wednesday, Anthony remains in the shadow of his good buddy.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson
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Anthony Bennett: 3 Reasons Why UNLV Makes More Sense Than Oregon
Anthony Bennett should forget about Oregon and sign on with UNLV.
He is a 5-star recruit coming from Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada, so his inclination might be to get away from home and spread his wings out in Oregon.
The smart move for the long-term success of his college career and beyond would be for him to stay close to home, though, and there are a few reasons why it makes more sense for Bennett to choose UNLV.
Jimmy Kimmel Says So
Okay, so maybe this isn’t going to be at the top of Bennett’s list as far as reasons to choose UNLV, but bear with me as I flesh this one out.
UNLV needs you Anthony! @Salsaa_Stylez @ABennett24 @UNLVRebellion @Salsaa_Stylez @ABennett24 @UNLVRebellion
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) May 8, 2012
While Kimmel isn’t going to sway Bennett one way or another, it’s clear that UNLV would provide him a bigger platform to show off his skills in college than Oregon.
Las Vegas is a hot spot for celebrities, and Bennett would get a ton of exposure if he chooses to go play for the Runnin’ Rebels. If he decides to take his talents to the northwest, he won’t get nearly the same kind of publicity.
Stay Away from the Weed!
ESPN recently ran a story about the rampant drug use at the University of Oregon. The story didn’t focus on the fact that there’s a lot of marijuana on campus—rather they focused on the fact that many student-athletes were the ones doing the smoking.
It would be a terrific move for Bennett to stay away from Oregon for this very reason.
I’m not making a commentary on the drug, per se. Marijuana isn’t inherently bad, and Bennett could get weed anywhere in the country on any campus.
The reason it would be a good idea for Bennett to avoid that particular trap is that public perception is everything at the next level when marketing comes into play.
If Bennett plans on becoming one of the next stars of the NBA, he’d be wise to keep his image clean and stay away from a known center for drugs.
Championships are Everything
Oregon isn’t a powerhouse program like UNLV is becoming under the leadership of second-year head coach Dave Rice. They featured an extremely underrated, young team that was knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the second round by Colorado.
Bennett will fit into the scheme Rice is implementing. He’s an athletic, undersized power forward with range from the perimeter and power down on the block. He loves to rebound and block shots, even at 6’7″, and Rice would put him to work from the get-go at the No. 4 spot.
UNLV isn’t quite championship-caliber just yet, but they have a much better shot at getting there with the addition of Bennett than Oregon. Oregon isn’t even close.
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Rockies 6, Padres 2
Colorado AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Scutaro ss 5 0 1 0 0 0 .261
J.Herrera 2b 5 1 1 0 0 0 .255
C.Gonzalez lf 5 2 2 0 0 0 .312
Cuddyer rf 4 1 2 1 0 1 .284
Giambi 1b 2 1 2 1 1 0 .240
Colvin 1b 1 0 0 0 0 1 .300
W.Rosario c 4 1 1 2 0 2 .229
Nelson 3b 4 0 2 2 0 1 .246
Fowler cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .222
Friedrich p 3 0 0 0 0 2 .000
Brothers p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —-
Belisle p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-Pacheco ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .263
R.Betancourt p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —-
Totals 38 6 13 6 1 8
San Diego AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Denorfia rf 4 1 1 0 0 0 .288
Spence p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —-
Brach p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —-
c-Kotsay ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .303
Maybin cf 3 1 0 0 0 0 .208
Headley 3b 3 0 2 0 1 0 .257
Alonso 1b 4 0 2 1 0 0 .292
Guzman lf 4 0 2 1 0 1 .256
Hundley c 4 0 0 0 0 1 .183
O.Hudson 2b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .204
Parrino ss 4 0 1 0 0 3 .212
Bass p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .167
Hinshaw p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —-
a-Venable ph-rf 1 0 0 0 1 1 .245
Totals 34 2 8 2 2 10
Colorado 000 104 010 — 6 13 1
San Diego 101 000 000 — 2 8 1
a-walked for Hinshaw in the 7th. b-singled for Belisle in the 9th. c-flied out for Brach in the 9th.
E—Scutaro (3), Parrino (4). LOB—Colorado 7, San Diego 8. 2B—C.Gonzalez (4), Giambi (1), W.Rosario (4), Alonso (11). RBIs—Cuddyer (19), Giambi (6), W.Rosario 2 (10), Nelson 2 (7), Alonso (8), Guzman (11). SB—Cuddyer (3). CS—Scutaro (1). S—Maybin. SF—Cuddyer. Runners left in scoring position—Colorado 3 (W.Rosario, Friedrich, Cuddyer); San Diego 6 (Hundley 2, Guzman, Maybin 2, O.Hudson). RISP—Colorado 4 for 9; San Diego 2 for 10. Runners moved up—Denorfia, Guzman.
Colorado IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Friedrich W, 1-0 6 5 2 1 1 7 93 1.50
Brothers H, 4 L 1 0 0 1 0 16 3.86
Belisle H, 3 1M 2 0 0 0 1 20 2.25
R.Betancourt 1 0 0 0 0 2 13 2.08
San Diego IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Bass L, 1-4 5M 9 5 1 1 4 96 3.23
Hinshaw 1L 0 0 0 0 1 17 0.00
Spence 1M 4 1 1 0 2 36 4.82
Brach L 0 0 0 0 1 9 3.12
Inherited runners-scored—Belisle 2-0, Hinshaw 2-0, Brach 2-0. IBB—off Bass (Giambi). Umpires—Home, Tom Hallion; First, Alfonso Marquez; Second, Brian O’Nora; Third, Chad Fairchild. T—3:12. A—20,059 (42,691).
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Anthony Bennett: 3 Reasons Huge Recruit Needs to Pick Kentucky
Anthony Bennett is the best power forward in this year’s college basketball recruiting class, according to ESPN.com, and he has yet to choose a college destination.
Bennett is a 6’8″, 230 pound forward with explosive athleticism and a good shooting touch. He has the size and footwork to bang inside with opposing big men, and is also a matchup problem when he steps outside the three-point line, where he can shoot or drive to the basket.
Bennett is still considering Kentucky, UNLV and Oregon. All of these teams could use an impact forward like Bennett, but he must choose which school he needs the most—that school is Kentucky.
Here are three reasons why this stud recruit should join the defending national champions in Lexington next year.
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Anthony Bennett: Prep Star Should Listen to Jimmy Kimmel and Attend UNLV
It’s all fun and games in college basketball recruiting until Jimmy Kimmel gets involved.
Then it gets real.
Kimmel, who attended UNLV, recently tweeted his hope that the Findlay Prep star would suit up for the Runnin’ Rebels (h/t to The Big Lead):
UNLV needs you Anthony! @Salsaa_Stylez @ABennett24 @UNLVRebellion @Salsaa_Stylez @ABennett24 @UNLVRebellion
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) May 8, 2012
Bennett is currently deciding between UNLV and Oregon, and as I noted yesterday, choosing the Runnin’ Rebels made more sense on a number of levels.
With Bennett in town, UNLV would be one of the better teams in the country and could advance past the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1991.
On the other hand, Oregon will struggle to gain a tourney berth one way or another.
There are other reasons to choose UNLV, of course. Going to college in Las Vegas, for one. Plus, he could team up with fellow Canadian and University of Pittsburgh transfer Khem Birch, who has been trying to convince Bennett to choose UNLV.
And all of those reasons are fine and dandy, but when you add Kimmel to the mix, well, that takes it to the next level.
If I were Bennett, I’d tweet back at Kimmel and tell him that if I did end up choosing UNLV, he’d have to bring me on the show to talk some UNLV basketball.
How’s that for a recruiting edge?
Whatever Bennett ends up doing, I’m sure he has found it pretty entertaining getting a shout-out from Jimmy Kimmel. If nothing else, it’s a memory.
Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets are the mint juleps of the Internet.
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Anthony Bennett: 3 Reasons Huge Basketball Recruit Should Pick Florida
Anthony Bennett, one of the most talented big men of the 2012 college basketball recruits in the nation, was supposed to add depth to Florida’s frontcourt. He is a big and physical rebound monster, but has recently eliminated the Florida Gators from his list of potential destinations.
The Gators sported a four-guard, one big man team for much of last year, and it managed to have quite a bit of success. Billy Donovan’s team made it all the way to the Elite Eight before blowing a big lead late in the game against Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals.
The Gators were good, but it was quite obvious that it was difficult for them to compete with the bigger teams of the nation like national champion Kentucky.
Anthony Bennett may have very well eliminated the Gators, and is reportedly down to just UNLV and Oregon, but we have seen crazier things happen than a kid eliminate a school and subsequently choose that same school.
So let’s check out just what Anthony Bennett is missing out on.
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Cute baby poses like Anthony Davis
Some very clever Kentucky fan created a poster with a baby mimicking Davis’ pose and then got Davis to sign it. Genius.
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Anthony Bennett: Prized Recruit Must Choose UNLV over Oregon
Anthony Bennett is one of the few top high school basketball recruits who has yet to decide where he is going to take his talents next year. There might be two schools left on his list, but there is only one that makes sense: UNLV.
According to Adam Zagoria of zagsblogs.com, Bennett has eliminated Kentucky from his list and will decide between the aforementioned Runnin’ Rebels and Oregon.
Trying to predict what Bennett is going to do will make your head spin.
It was thought that the two schools with the best chance to land him were Kentucky and Florida. With them gone, it is clear that Bennett not only wants to play right away, but he wants to be The Man wherever he goes.
Given that neither UNLV or Oregon are loaded with superstar players, it wouldn’t be hard for Bennett to step on campus and be the best player on either team.
So the next question becomes: Does Bennett want to compete for a championship?
Given that every player in college basketball, even if they are one-and-done, wants the thrill and honor of playing in the NCAA tournament. It should be a high priority for Bennett when he makes his decision.
If that does turn out to be a key factor, UNLV is going to be the obvious leader in the clubhouse. The Runnin’ Rebels were one of the most underrated teams in the country last year, boasting one of the most efficient offenses and a dominant, swarming defense.
Things fell apart against Colorado in the second round of the NCAA tournament, but it doesn’t change the fact that this is a program on the rise and second-year head coach Dave Rice did a great job of implementing his style on this team.
Bennett’s strengths play right into what UNLV and Rice want to do.
He is a true power forward with strength and versatility. He has range on his shot and the aggressiveness to get to the rim. He is a dominant defender and makes use of his size to be a rebounding machine.
Oregon is a solid program on the rise, but it is not close to competing for a championship. UNLV is on the cusp of being an elite team. It just needs an elite player to build around.
Bennett is the perfect player for UNLV, and UNLV is the perfect team for Bennett. When the decision is made, Bennett should tell the world he is taking his talents to Las Vegas.
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Anthony Bennett: Why UNLV Is Logical Choice for the Prep Star
Anthony Bennett surprised quite a few people when he eliminated Kentucky and Florida as potential schools this weekend, instead narrowing his decision to UNLV and Oregon.
This makes UNLV the most logical choice for the Findlay Prep star.
Consider the following, from Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo:
UNLV would appear to be the slim favorite if only because of Bennett’s relationship with the coaching staff and with fellow Canada native Khem Birch, the Pittsburgh transfer who has actively tried to persuade Bennett to join him with the Rebels.
The trio of Bennett, Birch and Mike Moser would give UNLV a frontcourt of three potential future pros, all of whom complement one-another well. Throw in the return of slasher Anthony Marshall and defensive stopper Justin Hawkins in the backcourt as well as the arrival of USC transfer Bryce Jones and sweet-shooting incoming freshman Katin Reinhardt, and the Rebels could be a preseason top 15 team.
Sure, he might get more playing time in Oregon, but the Ducks aren’t in a position to be nearly as competitive as UNLV. Plus, with top recruits Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad already in tow at UCLA, a Pac-12 title seems unlikely for Oregon.
UNLV hasn’t advanced past the Sweet 16 since 1991, when the team made its second-straight trip to the Final Four under Jerry Tarkanian, a year after winning a national championship.
Bennett could help with returning UNLV to prominence, potentially leading the deepest tournament run for UNLV in 21 years.
Oh, and there’s always the appeal of Las Vegas, if that’s your thing.
For the average college student, a free education in Vegas would probably be hard to pass up.
I’d be surprised if Anthony Bennett passes up the opportunity to play for UNLV. Between a coaching staff he is familiar with, his friendship with Khem Birch, the potential for great things as a Runnin’ Rebel next year and the area itself, UNLV seems like the logical choice.
Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets are the mint juleps of the Internet.
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Amar’e Stoudemire: Why NY Knicks Must Make STAT Work with Carmelo Anthony
Amar’e Stoudemire returned on Sunday from his hand injury for Game 4 and helped Carmelo Anthony lead the New York Knicks to their first playoff victory since 2001. Both played extremely well and proved they have the ability to defeat any team in this league if they are both playing at their best.
Whether you like the duo of STAT and Melo or not, the Knicks need to figure out how to get them play well together on a regular basis since they are both with the team to stay. The Knicks gave up many pieces to get these superstars together and have them both locked up to long-term deals for huge amounts of money.
Carmelo Anthony’s deal pays him around $41 million over the next few seasons with a $23.5 million player option for the following season. Stoudemire is under contract through 2015 and is set to make around $65 million during those three seasons.
Because of these huge contracts, it will be nearly impossible for the Knicks to move either star and receive equal value in return.
This is especially true for Stoudemire, who now also has a history of getting injured during the playoffs. During the 2005-2006 season, STAT injured his knee and was forced to miss the entire playoffs. The past two seasons with the Knicks he has also gotten injured during the playoffs, hurting his back and then his hand.
There is no team in the league that will be willing to give up any young talent or current superstar for Stoudemire until he proves he can stay healthy for an entire playoffs.
Unless the Knicks want to go through another decade of mediocrity, it is imperative they find a system that will make Stoudemire and Anthony’s skills work together.
Together they will be the cornerstones of the Knicks for the next few seasons, and the team’s success depends on how well they can play as a unit.
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