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NBA Goes Easy on Blazer’s Threat

It seems weird that a team can go nuts over a dispute that could mean losing millions of dollars. But thanks to the fine people of the Portland Trailblazers, Darius Miles is technically being disallowed to play for any team, at least for now.

The problem all started with this ridiculous stipulation that if Miles would play 2 more games for any team that dares to sign him. Under the agreement:

If Miles plays in two more games, his $9 million salary for this season and next will go back on Portland's salary cap, making them a luxury tax paying team this season and depriving them off $9 million in salary cap flexibility they would have had next summer.

Of course the Players Union is stepping up to safeguard the Miles’ case but the NBA seems to be employing a hands-off policy.

The Memphis Grizzlies have signed up Darius Miles to a second 10-day contract, defying the Portland Trailblazers’ threat. Will they go after the Grizzlies for doing so?

The Grizzlies have also been playing with Miles. Already signed to an initial 10-day contract, they purposely cut him off and re-signed him to a second 10-day contract to avoid being obliged to sign him up. Well, that is the NBA for you.

(Source) ESPN

Marbury Could Make the Celtics Worse

No harm intended but adding Stephon Marbury to the Boston Celtics now could be a recipe for disaster. The controversial guard who seems to be missing in action for close to a year right now is still in arrears with the New York Knicks and with the trade deadline fast approaching, Marbury has made it known that he is open to rejoining Kevin Garnett.

The Celtics are pursuing him but maybe this is because they are in a slump. Losing 7 of their 9 games is not really something the Boston organization will be happy about but just the same, adding controversial manpower may disrupt the fluidity of their offense.

If the Celtics are indeed inclined to sign him up, it would be best to get him on board next season. If he is signed up now, chances are he may be riding more time on the bench to adjust to the new plays of Boston Coach Doc Rivers.

Knowing Stephon Marbury, we all know he is not fond of not getting playing time. Wasn’t that the reason why he had this conflict with the Knicks in the first place?

Chris Paul Sets New NBA Record

New Orleans Hornets’ standout Chris Paul set a new record for most consecutive times having a double-double garnering at least 20 points and 10 assists to start a season. He raised the bar to six consecutive games, a record previously held by NBA Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.

Chris Paul claims that he was only able to do this amazing feat because of his teammates who converted his passes and validated them as assists. From this, we see that he isn’t a player who takes all credit for his achievements. He shows us that basketball is truly a team sport. His incredible talent and unselfishness has helped him achieve great things.

CP3 was the fourth overall pick of the New Orleans Hornets in 2005. He eventually won the Rookie of the Year Award. By just watching Chris Paul, you could anticipate that he will eventually beat an NBA record set by NBA Hall of Famers.

The record-breaking stat-line happened during a win over Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. Chris Paul recorded 21 points and 13 assists. He led his team in bouncing back from two consecutive losses after winning their first three games of the season.

Tyson Chandler recorded 13 points and hauled down 13 rebounds to help Chris Paul lead his team over the Heat. David West also scored 21 points. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 30 points.

The Hornets defeated the Heat with a final score of 100-89.

(photo taken from http://www.nba.com)

Brandon Roy Strikes Again

Just a few days after I wrote about the excellence of Brandon Roy, he has proven me right when I said that he is a player to watch out for. Brandon Roy showed that he is a player who can hit crucial and clutch baskets for his team. His most recent victim was the Houston Rockets.

With his team tied with the Rockets in the overtime period, Brandon Roy hit a turnaround jumper to give his team a two point lead in the dying seconds. After that, Yao Ming hit a foul-counted basket and converted the free throw leaving 0.8 seconds on the clock. Portland called timeout and drew up a play. Brandon was very disappointed at himself because it was he who committed the foul and allowed the Rockets to take the lead. He wanted to redeem himself so badly. How did he do it? He hit a 30-foot jumper to give his team the win.

Although Brandon Roy only made 6 out of his 18 attempts going 33% from the field, he proved to everyone that he can take and make the shot when it matters. Brandon showed no fear and displayed confidence in himself as he knew that was his shot to take. No one else wanted that shot more than Brandon Roy.

The Blazers beat the Rockets 101-99.

(photo taken from http://www.nba.com)

Allen Iverson Traded to the Pistons

Allen Iverson is now the newest member of the Detroit Pistons. He was sent to Detroit in exchange for Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess.

There is only one problem in this transaction. Reports say that it seems like Antonio McDyess is not willing to play for the Nuggets. Allen Iverson on the other hand has spoken about this trade. He said that no matter where he plays, he’ll be giving it his all.

This trade will give both teams a different look compared to before. Other teams will have to re-adjust their style of play when they play Detroit and Denver. Detroit will be a faster and more explosive team. They will have Allen Iverson, Rodney Stuckey and Richard Hamilton manning the guard positions. On the other hand, Denver will now have a better half court offense because of the acquisition of the forever-composed Chauncey Billups. If Antonio McDyess decides to suit up as a Denver Nugget, it will really help the Nuggets’ frontline. A huge void will have to be filled due to Marcus Camby’s departure in the offseason.

Development by the younger guards of both teams convinced them that their superstars could be moved. Rodney Stuckey for the Pistons and J.R. Smith for the Nuggets are quickly developing into the voids that are left by the departing stars.

Allen Iverson is averaging 18.7 points and is dishing out 6.7 assists in the first three games for the Nuggets. On the other hand, Chauncey Billups is averaging 12.5 points, 5 boards and 7.5 dimes per game. Antonio McDyess is averaging 7 points and 4 rebounds in the team’s first two games.

Let's talk about Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade has been quieted by injuries in the past seasons. It seemed like his hype died down after he led his team achieve every NBA players dream, an NBA championship. Along with winning an NBA championship, he also won that year's MVP award in the finals.

As this season begins, Dwyane shows us his true capabilities once again as he seems perfectly healthy. He gave us a taste of how well he really plays in the Beijing Olympics where he led his team in scoring amidst NBA Superstars like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James on his team.

What makes Dwyane Wade a great player is his unselfishness and desire to win. He is a tremendous competitor and great leader on and off the court even at a young age. He was one of the NBA’s elite before he was injured. Now that he’s healthy, he will surely return to that state once again. Dwyane is also one of the best slashers in the league complemented by his accurate mid-range jump shot. He developed into one of the NBA’s best a few seasons ago but was slowed down by unfortunate injuries. In the first two games of this season, Dwyane Wade is averaging 23 points, 8.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks per game.

The real question now is whether Dwyane Wade could lead his team back into the postseason and show that they are championship contenders. I believe that with the Heat’s current roster, they can’t win it all. They could get to the postseason but they lack that dominating inside presence they had to win the championship when they won in the finals a few years ago.

Dwyane just needs more help and I’m sure he’ll be capable of bringing the glory days back to Miami as before.