With the NBA season entering the stretch run, it looks as if Dwight Howard is well on his way to capturing his third straight Defensive Player of the Year Award. If Howard ends up winning the award, it will be well deserved. His work on the glass and as the defensive anchor for the [...]
|
The decision to take Turner over the likes of Derrick Favors and DeMarcus Cousins, two big men with seemingly unlimited potential, was puzzling, as his game seemed eerily similar to that of Philly’s best player, Andre Iguodala. Both are six-foot-seven point forwards with limited shooting touch but an innate ability to fill up the box score in every single category. Iguodala’s contract combined with Turner’s youthfulness led many to believe picking the Ohio State product was the first step in trading Iguodala for a more potent wing scorer (rumors at the beginning of the season involved Carmelo’s name) or a consistent power forward to give them the production they should have been getting from Elton Brand. But instead of making the deal, the 76ers stuck with their group of guys and simply added Turner to the rotation as Iguodala’s primary back-up and as the point man for the second unit. The idea that the Eastern Conference was going to be much improved this season forced some Philly fans to panic about keeping their roster the same (other than picking Turner) while the other teams in the conference got better, but midway through the season, that belief hasn’t come to fruition and the Sixers are actually right in the middle of the playoff picture. More on the Sixers and their playoff status after the break…
With the Lakers going through a bit of a rough patch right now (which isn’t saying much, for the defending champs in February, but still), trade rumors are starting to come up again. General Manager Mitch Kupchak mentioned last week that if he felt a trade needed to be made, that he would pull the trigger and ESPN’s Marc Stein reported today that Lakers’ forward Ron Artest is actually rooting to be traded by the defending world champions. Clearly, Artest is not someone that teams will be calling the Lakers about, rather, if Los Angeles is going to deal him, they will be the ones having to sell Artest’s potential contributions across the league. But if Kupchak is serious about making an in-season deal with more than just a financial impact (like the Sasha Vujacic-Joe Smith swap), he does have one piece that every team in the league should be at least somewhat interested in. If Andrew Bynum was on a team that wasn’t loaded like the Lakers and if he had avoided injuries to this point in his career, there’s no doubt in my mind that we are talking about Bynum as one of the best if not the best center in the league along with Dwight Howard. Offensively, he’s extremely talented with a bevy of moves in the post and the strength of an ox that allows him to back down almost any post defender that has the tall order of guarding his backside. On defense, we have seen just how valuable Bynum can be this season as the Lakers have been a much better defensive team when Drew is guarding the weakside. Despite the lengthy list of injuries Bynum has suffered at such a young age, he is still just 23 years old, and as the top big man on a team with good role players and a star on the wing, he can be one of the most effective players in the entire league. Thus, almost any ballclub that isn’t already in the title chase would do well to acquire such a promising young big man. Hit the jump to see the players I think the Lakers should target in a deal involving Bynum… Dwayne Wade and his Miami Heat took on AI9′s Philadelphia’s 76ers Wednesday night in a battle of Eastern Conference supremacy. Let’s examine that box score, shall we? Because as we all know, the stats don’t lie. [...] It’s not very often when a six-foot-ten 20 year old with unlimited basketball potential goes unnoticed, but because of the market he plays in, Golden State Warriors forward Anthony Randolph is an unknown talent. However, I will admit that even though I consider myself to be a very serious NBA fan, I had not [...] Just another hot summer day in July. Sort of. While browsing Twitter on my iPhone, I noticed this tweet by Rudy Gay that called anyone in Las Vegas to go to the Cheesecake Factory where Andre Iguodala and himself were eating dinner. Me and @ai9 are in the cheesecakefactore! And if you can come [...] 2008 First Round Pick: Marreese Speights, Power Forward, Florida. Played rookie minutes. Averaged a respectable seven and four in 16 minutes a game. More of a power forward but was more effective as a back-up center. Departures: Royal Ivey, Donyell Marshall, Andre Miller, Theo Ratliff, Kareem Rush. Needs: A couple of weeks ago a [...] It has been an active off-season for the Philadelphia 76ers. Just a week after introducing Eddie Jordan as their head coach, the Sixers have traded forward Reggie Evans to the Toronto Raptors for three-point shooting machine Jason Kapono. Evans brings a good amount of toughness in the front court for the Raptors, and despite [...] No major surprises on the All-NBA first team this year. Guard: Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers Guard: Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat Forward: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers Forward: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks Center: Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic It will through off some people who think the line-up must be made up of one player from [...] |
     
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
Central Division
Southeast Division
Western Conference
Northwest Division
Pacific Division
Southwest Division
 |
|
Copyright © 2012 But The Game Is On - All Rights Reserved |
|
