Never mind what college he came from (Xavier)...or how many years he's been in the league (5)...David West is officially a force to be reckoned with, and Tim Duncan's latest nightmare.
The line...he shot 16-25 for 38 pts...6-7 free throws...14 rebs...5 assists...2 steals and 5 blocks. D.West played MVP style in a game that required nothing short of just that. He literally carried the Hornets thru the first half when the most pts the next mnan on his team had was 6...and as horribly as the Hornets played, his 20 pts kept them within 3 by halftime. That proved to be all it took for CP3 to get it together and do what he does best....torch opposing guards and defenses with sweet dribbles...crafty passes...and lobs to Tyson Chandler. But don't get it twisted...it was all about D.West last night.
At a crucial point in the game, he swatted away a shot by Bruce Bowen, and then another one by Tim Duncan just 3 possessions later. He dazzled the crowd from the get go with technically sound jumpshots, and an array of inside moves en route to the hoop and ultimately, another 2 points. On this night, D.West would not be denied. He called out his team in such an inconBLEEPuous manner by saying "WE didn't show up" (to game 4). He challenged them to step up, and then he lead by example. D.West would not be denied in game 5, coming only 1 point shy of the Hornets all time playoff scoring record (39 by Glen Rice). He could care less though...he wanted the win...and even when his back tried to deny him...he kept on going.
Who is David West? ask Tim Duncan....ask greg Popovich....ask the NBA. If they didn't know...NOW they know!!!
4 years and $24 million...Wow! that's a whole lot of money for a coach who hasn't proven anything except that he can't coach in a half court set.
I'm not happy at all with this deal, for one huge reason...the NY Knicks do not need a high wire act...they need a make over!!! Walsh has made the first move in what can prove to be a very long 4 years. I'm a life long Knicks fan and i know that first of all we need to define the direction of the franchise. Are we going to rebuild? If so, then around who? we have so many jacked up contracts and jacked up players...we have zero chemistry, and no floor leader. we have tired ,overpaid and lazy players (yeah Eddy Curry...i'm comin at you!)...and what in the world has D'Antoni shown us as far as dealing with that type of atmosphere? NOTHING except that when the BLEEP hits the fan, he can run like Flo Jo in the 88 olympics!
I'm not sold on him as coach at all....not even close! He can't take criticism, so what will he do when the NY media gets to unloading on his coaching skills and decisions? D'Antoni...time to strap on your vest!
the Spurs have consitently exposed his inability to coach a functioning defense. he showed us all this last season that his developmental skills are non-existent, having had a rotation of 8 players tops for the majority of the season. Sure his offense came with some excitement for Phoenix, but take it from me, NY don't want excitement...they want a winner!!!
I don't care what anyone says....when things get hot, he's gonne get to running like keenan Ivory Wayans in "I'm Gonna Get You BLEEPa", hollering out "...they shootin....they shootin".
trade him or get him the RIGHT help. he still doesn't have the help he needs. there's no need to even get into stats...any fool can tell that if shutting down one man is the key to beating a team, then he has zero help.
look at the champions of past. 90's Bulls....80's Lakers....80's Celtics...even the current Spurs. all of those teams had role players who played their roles to the t. so what if the main guy gets shut down. if the role players are doing their job right, then the defense will be stretched to wide to focus on one guy.
MJ had guys to rebound....hit open shots....play defense....even Will Perdue (who?) was confident to play his role. John Paxson could do nothing more than bury that J....and he sure did it when they needed him to. just ask those Laker fans when he hit 6 or 7 straight baskets in the 1991 finals.
Danny Ferry took a gamble and lost. those guys are not going to give LBJ the help he needs. maybe Ferry's season as a Cavs GM is over. Maybe Lebron's chances as a Cav are too!
Defense and Discipline are two words that every chamionship team need to not only know, but understand, and live....that is if you want to stay champions.
Mike D'Antoni is a friend of neither, so please do me a favor and stay away from the NY Knicks. If Chicago has any sense, they'll pass on him too. Don't fall for the biggest and latest flash in the pan coach to hit the NBA. His four seasons in Phoenix have attracted all the attention, yet gathered none of the hardware. So these owners and GM's need to ask themselves... which do we want more?
The whole 7 seconds or less philosophy will NEVER get it done in a league where you have teams that thrive on defending and having poise and discipline. They just can't all full exist together. A nice mix will always be a positive direction to move in....but we all know that the 2 D's are so very important. If you had a nice Cadillac Escalade...brand new...low miles...best engine with the best transmission and everything...it sounds great and runs great...you take it on the streets to show off and everyone loves it.....that is until you find yourself going 80 miles per hour and realize you never serviced your brakes, you don't have a working airbag, and your seatbelts are faulty.....imagine that wreck of a scene.
that's exactly what the Suns' organization is facing with D'Antoni at the helm. They are primed for being totalled, as they were against the defending champion Spurs, losing 5-1...this after they specifically designed the team to do just the opposite. Well they forgot to add the 2 D's to that sketch, and even if they made it passed San Antonio, there's no way they would've handled the collision with CP3 and the Hornets. The Suns would be DOA!!!
So now D'Antoni imagines he'll take his high wire act on the road and impress some other unsuspecting city. I guess it might not be too bad for a city like Memphis or even Charlotte. But please...stay away from the New York Knicks. That's my team, and as sorry as we've been...we still need defense and discipline.
Note to Donnie Walsh: Please don't hire 'Antoni....he has no 'D'
Face it....Kobe Bryant deserves the MVP this year! The only real argument to the case is the young man known as CP3 down in New Orleans. There's always going to be a fuss over what defines an MVP...and for those reasons, you'll get names tossed in the arena that may be MVP's to their team, but not MVP of the NBA.
Lebron James....Kevin Garnett....Dwight Howard....Amare Stoudimire....Tony Parker...Tim Duncan....Deron Williams....all these guys (to name a few) can be considered as team MVP, but Kobe has outperformed them all this year. He has truly embraced the role of team leader, and in doing so, has the Lakers poised to win an NBA championship. Now this is not about whether or not they will win. It's about what he's done for his team.
CP3 is an excellent runner up...and at one point i even leaved toward him as the winner. But i couldn't front on Kobe. i couldn't...and if you think about it, neither can you. i know the emergence of Bynum, and the miracle trade for Gasol have both enabled the Lakers to become a different team. but they still need Kobe to keep it all together. He's the MVP... that's all....nothing else! Gasol is a good support player, but if he was the single reason for the Lakers' success, then he would've won something in Memphis. same with Bynum. Kobe took a team of dimwits to the limit versus the heavily favored Suns for two years in a row. that says zero for Phoenix, but a whole lot about Kobe.
All those people trashing him for being a ball hog...this is a year that NO ONE can say that and believe it....not if you've seen him play. now obviously, i'm not the authority, nor am i a voter...but all those who are know good and well that Kobe's has paid his dues and it's time to recognize the best player in the league. No more memories of infidelity in Colorado...nor of selfish play...nor of the ongoing fued with Shaq. Kobe has grown up, and taken his place at the front of the race. Now give the man what we all know is rightfully his.
The Spurs, Hornets, Jazz, Magic, and Cavs are all up 2-0. The Wizards can pretty much get their passports stamped, and get those vacations started. They have nothing with which to stand up to the defending conference champs. The Magic and Raptors I'm not concerned about right now, so I'll move into bigger target areas....Dallas, Houston and Phoenix are all facing mental giants in this 1st round. Dallas is being used as dvd highlight material for the next CP3 release...Houston (T-Mac in particular) has yet to make it out of the 1st round. Phoenix has yet to figure out how to beat San Antonio. In all 3 cases, it's time for them to put tough study habits in effect, or run the risk of repeating the grade.
The Suns's have many things to look at right now; After all these years, when will they come up with a scheme to stop Parker and Ginobli from violating their middle? when will they logically approach the defensive deficiency they have in Steve Nash? when will they realize that in order to beat the Spurs, they have to not only raise the level of intensity, but maintain it for an entire series? To this point, D'Antoni is being severly out-coached by his opponent, and unless they pull off BOTH wins in Phoenix, his questionably limited rotation will be severly scrutinized once they start their summer vacation...and make no mistakes, that's where they're headed, courtesy of the defending champion Spurs.
T-Mac and Houston....see you in August for summer camp LOL (i couldn't resist)
Dallas....your swiss cheese defense is not going to contain the newest BEST point guard in the NBA. Stop the double teams and start counting the cost of that mega-stupid trade, where you swapped your future for New Jersey's past. Marc Cuban....you ARE the biggest loser!!!
I'm going to spare Detroit, pending the results of game 2. I know this much, they better get it together and right now, because the Lakers, Spurs, Hornets, Celtics, and Lebron are not playing around.
Once again it's on. The NBA playoffs. 40 games in 40 nights. MVP...ROY...6th Man of the Year...all the rest, and then the chamionship! This is basketball at it's best.
Forget the idea that the NCAA tournament is better than the pros. In the immortal words of my man Iron Mike Tyson.."it's LUDICROUS!" what can be better than CP3 vs J.Kidd...or the Spurs vs the Suns (now w/ Shaq)...or the Black Mamba vs the Answer? Even the prospect of seeing a Lakers vs Celtics NBA finals has to be making David Stern drool 3 gallons a day!
So...now that we got that argument out the way, what do you think? Stop playing the safe role and pick a side for crying out loud. I'm so tired of that "we'll see what happens" deal. it's time to separate the main course from the garnishments....the pretenders from the contenders. My picks? As much as I hate to see Boston get there, I'm seeing a Lakers/Celtics finals. Those ae just the hot teams right now. Hopefully, Detroit can pull it together and prevail, but Lebron and his boys are gonna be toast this year. Sorry King James.
also...MVP- Kobe (he's due and his team is top seed) Rookie - Kevin Durant (the rest are a distant 2nd) Coach- Byron Scott (the Hornets did the whole NBA) 6th Man- Manu Ginobli (i would've said Bonzi Wells if he played more)
Most Improved- Monta Ellis (he's been the most consistent for Golden state) Defensive Player- KG (beating out Camby this year) Exec- after long hard thought, I'm giving this one to Mitch Kupchack (come on guys...he practically stole Gasol from Memphis)
Ok, put on your thinking caps. Focus really hard for just a moment. Tunnel your best knowledge, and guesstimation efforts on the following question;
When do you think the NBA enjoyed it’s best 5 years of popularity?
If you want the answer, don’t look at me….my guess is as good as yours (probably a little better LOL). Any research you can do will probably point to television ratings, gross earnings from licensed NBA apparel, ticket sales, etc. over the years…but the measuring stick runs a bit deeper than just those stats. The level of competition around the world is a clear indicator that the game is more popular now than ever. BUT, is that a reason to put an expansion team in Europe? Call me possessive if you like…but I say DON”T DO IT!!!! “Why not?” you might ask. Well I can only offer my opinion, so here it is.
Does the NBA need the money? No. While there’s always the ambitious approach to the scenario (Mo’ Money…Mo’ Money…Mo’ Money), there’s no way that the league has experienced the revenue it has in the last few years. All it takes is a couple of marketable talents to catapult the league’s popularity world-wide. Granted, it might be safe to say that MJ transcended the game itself, and that the span of 1988 to 1993 were 5 of the most profitable years ever… but what about now? Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, K.G.,
D-Wade, Kobe, A.I., Amare, and even Shaq (and so many more)…all these guys still bring excitement to the game, and thus will continue to push kids around the world to chase their NBA dreams. Expansion means, that no longer will ours be the cream of the crop.
That means we have to maintain ours as an elite group...the select ones….the few, the proud, the NBA. No more expansion, unless it’s an already established team relocating (like Seattle is trying to do). I don’t mind European players in the NBA, but actually putting a team in Europe is not the best thing. Imagine the travel demands that it puts on a player. Flights back and forth across the country are already a huge factor in game play. Toss in 82 games and you have the perfect formula for wearing out the average athlete. To include a European team in the NBA would be like using 3 pairs of shoelaces for one pair of shoes. Yeah, the shoes need laces….but not that many. I say keep the league exclusive to this country, but not restricting of foreign talent.
Here’s another thought:The more teams (and players) you have, the lower the talent level becomes.
If the league were to suddenly reduce itself to only 20 teams, that would mean almost half of the players and coaches would have to be cut.
Naturally, you would be left with only the best players (peace out Eric Dampier and ).
I mean come on….it’s not a secret that some players have only made it because of their physical attributes….i.e. they’re tall. How else do you explain drafting guys like Manut Bol, George Mureson, Shawn Bradley, Joe Barry Carroll, and (my personal favorite)Will Perdue?
Two words…they’re tall.
Anyway, this is just my opinion. David Stern needs to cool his jets a bit. I’m not opposed to growth, but I’m certain there’s a better way. (hint: The NFL Europe strategically works in the offseason)
