NBA Article Reflecting: Episode 1
Article 1: LaMarcus Aldridge as the NBA’s most improved player.
The first article today hit home as a Blazers fan and avid Aldridge supporter. The idea of LMA winning this award should come as no surprise to anyone with any sort of basketball IQ. The Blazers could still be considered the front runners for “Story of the Year” even with a sort of dismal second half. They have endured a few sore spots since the break including a possible season ending injury to team savior, Brandon Roy followed by a nationally known trip to 24 Hour Fitness by heralded rookie Greg Oden.
The one bright spot however has been Aldridge. Hitting the 20 point mark in 9 games since the All-Star break should give this second year player the edge over some of the competition. Are Hedo Turkoglu and Beno Udrih really worthy of such an award? Who the hell is Beno anyway?
Article 2: The art of the NBA nap.
Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune threw out my favorite article in quite some time yesterday on NBA players and their ritual naps. It is very interesting to think that players are so superstitious these days that missing a nap can be the sole reason for a horrible game. Many of the players in this article admit that around the league, naptime is a well known activity.
I have to admit that during my short basketball career, I found it difficult to sleep before a game. I was always afraid I would be groggy and lack enough energy to perform at a high level. According to this article, that seems to be the exact opposite feeling for most NBA players and sleep experts. Maybe I should have slept a little more and you would have been writing this blog about me!
The funniest part of the article has to be Caron Butler and the bad decision he made by rooming next to Gilbert Arenas on the road during the playoffs. Up until 3 am dribbling? That doesn’t surprise me at all with Agent Zero.
Article 3: 5 coaches on the NBA hot seat.
Travis Heath of Hoopsworld put together a list of the coaches he could see without a job, come this spring. Here are my predictions to his 5 worthy candidates.
Sam Vincent: He’ll get one more year. I’m going to give MJ a little more credit with the idea that he wasn’t expecting immediate results. Expect Vincent for one more year and then he’ll be gone-sers.
Isiah Thomas: Not leaving either. With Donnie Walsh on his way over, he’ll let Thomas squirm through one more season before pulling the plug. I would expect to see some legitimate moves for the Knicks come this off season.
Avery Johnson: They miss the playoffs and he’s done. Too much personality for him to co-exist with Mark Cuban.
Marc Iavaroni: Who are the Memphis Grizzlies again? Oh, that team! Yeah he’s fired.
Larry Krystkowiak: Pretty sure he’s done. Some major changes are taking place with the Bucks including an exit of all Larry’s.
Article 4: Ford Field for the Final Four?
Some mixed reviews from the Elite 8 at Ford Field. After watching these games, you definitely noticed a lack of crowd participation or energy. The place is just too damn big for a basketball game.
Did you see the guys in the upper decks? Did they actually sell those tickets or were they just foolish enough to want to sit up there? How about the poor guy from the article talking about his “sweet” seats in the end zone that turned out to be duds? What about the raised floor? And the depth perception being thrown off for the players? Too many questions and not that many answers from Detroit.
I’m sure the NCAA will take a look at some of the complaints and one can only hope they aren’t just concentrating on the attendance numbers. 50,000+ may seem like a great number for a college basketball game, but I’m guessing most fans would rather sit in Cameron Indoor than watch Brandon Rush break his neck falling from the 3 foot raised court through binoculars.
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