LA Lakers: Is Money Really a Concern When It Comes to Howard, Williams?
Los Angeles Lakers fans definitely dream big when it comes to acquiring talent in order to maintain competitive relevance, and based on on the team’s history, why shouldn’t they?
There is a reason the Lakers are arguably NBA history’s most successful franchise, and that reason is mostly due to their ability to renew the team’s talent base.
The Lakers have missed the postseason a total of five times in the history of their franchise, and they have competed in at least 50 percent of the league’s Finals series.
Los Angeles is slightly behind the Boston Celtics when it comes to the number of championships won, but they are the only NBA franchise that has reached the Finals at least once in each of the past three decades.
In order to maintain that streak the Lakers must once again prove they are capable of luring top talent to Hollywood, and coincidentally their future may hinge on the two biggest free-agent names left on the market.
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard and New Jersey Nets point guard Deron Williams are the top players available in the upcoming free agency bonanza of 2012, and each star has been linked to trade speculation concerning the Lakers.
Most Lakers fans would be happy to sign either Howard or Williams, but popular opinion suggests signing both players may be beyond the realm of possibility—or is it?
The Lakers are the only NBA team able to offer top-five positional players in Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol for Howard or Williams, but most of the arguments against completing that coup revolves around their ability to pay for it.
But when has money ever really mattered to Lakers owner Jerry Buss?
The new NBA collective bargaining agreement imposes a stricter penalty for teams who venture beyond the league’s salary cap, but is there anyone who thinks Buss is afraid to circumvent the new rules?
The Lakers had the league’s highest payroll during the 2010-11 season and their cap number includes Kobe Bryant‘s three-year, $90 million contract.
Bryant’s contract made him the highest paid player in the NBA, despite the fact that Buss had to pay the luxury tax in order to make it happen, which should be a scary proposition for the rest of the league when it comes to Howard and Williams.
Buss has not shaped the Lakers legacy by being frugal, and the failed deal for point guard Chris Paul illustrates his large ambitions.
The Lakers had completed a legitimate trade for Paul before it was inexplicably nixed by NBA commissioner David Stern at the behest of disgruntled owners, but that deal provides a blueprint for the team’s future plans.
If the Paul deal had been approved, it is widely assumed the Lakers would have used Bynum as trade bait in order to acquire Howard.
Stern’s jellyfish spine may be the only reason the Lakers’ master plan is not unfolding right now, but his stupidity may have made it easier for the franchise to accomplish its ultimate goal.
There is no concrete reason for Stern rejecting the proposed deal that would have sent Paul to the Lakers beyond the fact that other owners did not like it, and it’s highly doubtful he would take the same approach again.
I will admit it may be improbable for the Lakers to sign both Howard and Williams, but Shaquille O’Neal, Gasol and Bryant suggest it’s not impossible.
Some people may laugh at the thought of Los Angeles signing Howard and Williams, but those people are likely the same ones who have been watching the Lakers win championships while their own teams flounder.
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Philadelphia 76ers: 4 Early Causes for Concern
The Philadelphia 76ers have been off to a hot start, going 9-3 thus far in the 2011-12 campaign, making it their best start to a season since the 2000-01 season when the Allen Iverson led-Sixers went 10-0 and marched into the NBA Finals.
They are the current leaders of the Atlantic division and second seed in the Eastern Conference. However, this current squad is not without any flaws, as they lost three games on their schedule thus far.
Here are four causes of concern for the current 2011-12 Philadelphia 76ers.
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Kentucky Basketball: Slow Starts a Big Concern Going into SEC Play
The Kentucky Wildcats need to be careful heading into their Southeastern Conference schedule.
They have been having some slow starts this season, and that could be dangerous when they start playing bigger, faster and more physical teams than they have become accustomed to over the first 15 games of the year.
On Tuesday night, they went into the home locker room at halftime down three points to Arkansas-Little Rock before ripping off a 23-1 run in the second half to put their weaker opponent away. Those small deficits are going to be a lot harder to overcome against the likes of Florida, Mississippi State, Alabama, LSU and the powerhouses in the conference. They cannot afford to be down and expect their inexperienced freshman to consistently bail them out with big runs late in the game.
It’s been a luxury that they have been able to use when matched up against Loyola (MD) and other lesser opponents from small conferences, but that style of play simply won’t fly in the SEC.
Freshman phenom Anthony Davis, a lock to go towards the top of the 2012 NBA draft if he declares, understands this as well: “I heard it’s very physical,” Davis said. “The way we came out and played in the first half is not going to be acceptable in SEC play.”
Teammate Darius Miller, now a senior with the Wildcats, also knows by now that they need more consistent play:
In the beginning of the game, we came out and we had no intensity and we were very sluggish. We have to do a better job of coming out and taking care of business from the beginning.
Well see, starting Saturday against South Carolina, if coach John Calipari can get a solid 40 minutes of basketball out of his boys in SEC matchups.
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Kobe Bryant’s Wrist Injury Will Be Long-Term Concern for Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant is taking a numbing injection in his injured wrist before every game the Los Angeles Lakers play.
If that doesn’t grab your attention, it should.
Lakers beat writer Kevin Ding provides an idea of just how concerning Bryant’s wrist is going forward, stating:
“Bryant has been taking a numbing injection to that wrist before every game in hopes of performing normally. Yes, it’s that bad.
“He wears an immobilizing brace over the wrist when off the court, meaning take-for-granted parts of life such as texting on his phone or zipping his fly become rather challenging.”
Bryant, who is playing through a torn lunotriquetral ligament, has vowed to continue playing through the pain, despite it obviously impacting his game.
Much has been made of his shooting woes, and while he’s had inconsistent performances from the floor thus far, he’s shooting just 41.7 percent overall, tying his rookie season for the worst mark in his career.
Although he’s scoring 25.9 points per game (an increase of 0.6 points from last season), he’s also averaging 2.3 more shots in order to do so.
Additionally, Bryant is really struggling from beyond the arc. A career 33.8 percent shooter from deep, Bryant has made just 7-of-33 this year, good for a 21.2 percent clip.
The Lakers superstar is also turning the ball over at an alarming rate (4.3 per game), and that is not a trend that can continue as the season progresses if he hopes to sustain success.
On the flip side, Bryant is doing more distributing than he has in recent seasons. He’s currently posting six assists per game, his most prolific output since the 2004-05 campaign.
Some might chalk that up to him looking for his shot less, but as the numbers show, that just isn’t the case.
Bryant hasn’t been shy in assessing how he approaches the game, and he doesn’t plan to stop shooting at any point in the foreseeable future. “I do what I do. If guys are open, I kick it to them, if they’re not, I shoot it,” Bryant said. “I play my game.”
“If you mean (to ask me) if I’m going to shoot less, the answer is no. It starts with me. I do what I do and we play off of that. That’s not going to change.”
The Lakers need Bryant’s offensive production, but an incredibly strong start from Andrew Bynum has some fans wondering if the center should be the focal point of the offense.
After his four-game suspension ended, Bynum has come back with a roar over his last three contests. The big man is averaging 22.7 points, 17.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks on 62.2 percent shooting.
Regardless of Bynum’s success and Mike Brown’s plans to run an offense through his big men, the Lakers need Bryant to score because otherwise the team will struggle.
Finding a middle ground in an attempt to balance the attack has been the toughest part of what the Lakers are doing on the offensive end this season, and it’s probably going to take a little bit more time before firing on all cylinders.
But how much time do the Lakers have to figure it out?
Bryant’s wrist isn’t getting any better, and for a team that has its sights set on atoning for a disappointing postseason exit in 2011, the concern is very real.
The truth is that Bryant’s injury isn’t going to get any better, but he’s played through a myriad of injuries throughout his career. The Lakers are hoping that this season is just like every other in that regard and Bryant will make it through the entire year.
Initially listed as day-to-day when he sustained the injury, Bryant and the Lakers will truly have to take it as it comes in regards to his wrist.
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Dallas Mavericks: Is Perimeter Defense an Early Concern?
With the Dallas Mavericks off to a less than promising 1-3 start, no area of criticism or analysis can be left to doubt. One of those areas is the lack of consistent team defense, with an average of 102.7 points against, good for 27th in the league.
Within that spectrum of defense, it’s worth noting that the lack of a big, physical defender at the end of games and in key moments seems to be hurting the Mavericks in the early stages of the season.
With the roster sitting at 14, the Mavs decided to go in another direction. Rather than add a physical defender, they settled on picking up former first-rounder Yi Jianlian on Sunday.
That move surprises me, especially with the Vince Carter experiment not panning out on the defense end, as he looks to be a step late and frankly a little slow to recover.
And with newcomer Lamar Odom visibly out of shape and seemingly lost during his first four games, the jury is out on his level of effectiveness at guarding the best scorers in the league, at least until his conditioning is at an acceptable level to the Maverick coaching staff.
During the title run, DeShawn Stevenson, Shawn Marion and Jason Kidd handled the bulk of guarding bigger guys that are counted on to score the bulk of opposing teams’ points. Their combined effort on Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and LeBron James was a big reason they were able to win it all.
With Stevenson gone, Kidd and Marion another year older and a trade that sent two 6’6″ guys (Corey Brewer, Rudy Fernandez) to the Denver Nuggets for a draft pick and cap space, the Mavs are left with a plethora of point guards in a shortened season.
And with undersized shooting guards Jason Terry, Rodrigue Beaubois and Delonte West taking the bulk of the minutes at the 2, there doesn’t seem to be any solution anytime soon to the conundrum of how to defend bigger guards.
James went for 37 on Christmas Day. Durant went for 30, and even Leandro Barbosa poured in 20 points off the bench for the Toronto Raptors during the Mavs first win.
It seems that Dallas is going to have to be more disciplined than ever on the defensive end, mixing in zones and traps out of Rick Carlisle’s system to get teams off balance and out of rhythm on offense.
If not, chalk up the rest of the newly arrived 2012 as a rebuilding one for the Mavs, who need that strong defense and discipline to compete with the high-octane early favorite Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder in the race for this season’s championship.
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Kobe Bryant Injury: Wrist Injury No Reason for Concern in Los Angeles
Right now there is a lot of paranoia and drama building up in the Los Angeles area surrounding the Lakers.
Everything from the rejected Chris Paul trade to the news that Kobe Bryant is getting divorced has been a source of frustration for fans of the team.
First the team doesn’t get Chris Paul or Dwight Howard as most fans were hoping in the offseason.
Then, Gasol and Bynum were frustrated with management after the Paul trade failed to go through.
Finally, the news of Bryant’s divorce has been nothing but a distraction for the team and Bryant since the news arose recently.
However, none of this has caused as much panic as the injury Bryant sustained during the team’s game Monday against the Clippers.
Although the MRI revealed a torn lunotriquetral ligament in Bryant’s right wrist, there really is no reason for panic in L.A.
According to ESPN, Bryant has played in 1,103 regular-season games in a possible 1,230 during his career.
There is no reason to believe that this injury will keep Bryant off the court.
He played every game last season with a nagging knee injury. A little pain has never been something to slow down Bryant.
It’s a long season.
Even if Bryant does miss the season opener, which is unlikely, the team will still have plenty of time to rebound and prepare for a run later in the season.
Right now, I’d be more concerned about the divorce than the injury.
Ultimately, neither will have a huge impact on his play this season.
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Jeff Green’s Health a Major Concern for Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics president Danny Ainge is still hearing criticisms about the deal that sent Kendrick Perkins to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Jeff Green at last season’s trade deadline.
While not having Perkins’ big body impacted the Celtics’ chances in the postseason last year, not having Green could impact their chances this season.
Green is still not practicing with the team due to health concerns, and those concerns could turn into something major.
According to Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, Green is seeing a new set of doctors and they should have an answer soon.
Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald takes it a step further, confirming that the 25-year-old Green said the problem came from a stress test, which likely could be a heart problem.
His health problems are priority No. 1. As for the Celtics, though, they will be stuck if Green isn’t cleared to play.
He’s currently making $9 million, and it leaves Boston without a real option at small forward off the bench.
Sasha Pavlovic is the next likely option since he’s already on the roster, but the absence of Green makes the Celtics a very thin team.
Rivers is already preparing to begin the season without Green, and while things like health take a precedent over basketball any day, somewhere along the line Boston may need to start thinking of a backup plan.
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Boston Celtics Rumors: Jeff Green’s Health Issues Are a Cause for Concern
Jeff Green hasn’t participated in the Boston Celtics’ training camp yet because of a “medical issue,” according to Peter May of ESPN Boston.
Green just signed a one-year, $9 million deal to play with the C’s. They are going to need him to perform like a stud if they want to win another championship in the Big Three era.
This medical issue was discovered during a physical and has kept him out for five straight practices so far. The team is not disclosing what the ailment is.
These types of undisclosed problems tend to have fans thinking the worst.
President of basketball operations Danny Ainge is insisting it’s absolutely nothing to worry about.
“We found something in the physical that we anticipate is fine,” said Ainge. “We just have to be real cautious.”
Pressed on a time frame, Ainge added: “I don’t think very long. He’s just going through the tests again, today and tomorrow, and he should be fine.”
They aren’t expecting him back for at least a few more days as they continue to run tests on whatever this issue may be.
If Green is indeed perfectly fine after being thoroughly checked out, he needs to get on the practice court immediately to start getting better.
He was awful last year after being traded to Boston from Oklahoma City. The forward only managed to average 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists in his 26 games.
Those numbers are well below his career totals and certainly not what was expected from him at this point, after being a fifth overall pick in 2007.
Obviously, the health concern is the biggest issue here and hopefully Green is perfectly fine.
Once they determine he is, the Celtics need him to start living up to his contract and potential, otherwise they are in big trouble this season.
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Wade recognizes concern of losing season (AP)
Dwyane Wade treated Saturday like a normal game day. Pregame meal, massage, long shooting workout on the court more than two hours before tip-off. When he’ll do all that again remains anyone’s guess. Wade and Heat teammates LeBron James and Chris Bosh were among the headliners Saturday night in the South Florida All-Star Classic, an exhibition game featuring nine NBA All-Stars at Florida…
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Dwyane Wade NBA Finals 2011: Left Hip Contusion Not a Concern for Game 6
Dwyane Wade NBA Finals 2011: Left Hip Contusion Not a Concern for Game 6
Despite Dwyane Wade needing to take two trips to the locker room to treat his ailing hip during Game 5 on Thursday night, the injury isn’t expected to be a major concern for Sunday’s must-win Game 6.
Wade told Miami Heat beat writer Ira Winderman that his injury is not a cause for concern.
“”No problem at all, I’ll be good for Game 6.”
The shooting guard was clearly in pain and limping around the court, and even though he was told that it would be best for him to rest rather than return to action, Wade went back out on the court for the Heat after both visits to the locker room.
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Although he stayed in the game and provided another admirable performance, Wade was visibly hurting on the court, and was looking to defer to his teammates down the stretch.
The stage is set for James and Wade to switch roles in the next one if the latter is indeed limited in any way, and LeBron needs to assert himself on the court with the aggressiveness that we’re used to seeing from him.
The injury may not be a major cause for concern right now, but it should be interesting to see how Wade responds in Game 6 after two full days of around the clock treatment.
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