What are the Bulls waiting for? posted by Joe Anello

It's shocking to me that the Bulls and Doug Collins haven't gotten together yet. It's as though owner Jerry Reinsdorf bought Collins a drink, chatted him up, then got his phone number, and then puts in a few calls without asking him on a date. It's a good thing there aren't many other suitors, otherwise Doug would have moved on by now.

The Bulls are interviewing every candidate under the sun it seems. At this point their focus has been on successful assistant coaches. This is probably because they're looking to hire one of them with the understanding that they'll eventually succeed Collins as head coach. While this is a solid idea, it does keep the Chicago Bulls focused on coaches and not on what to do with their number one pick in the upcoming NBA draft. That's a decision that the Bulls cannot afford to misfire on, as it could haunt them for years.

As much as I'd like the hiring process to wrap up, I have my doubts about Collins. He's never coached on any NBA team longer than three years. That seems a dubious distinction. His age is a factor as well. I don't think I see him coaching over three years at this stop either when it's all said and done. If that's the case, there won't be any championship during his stint. This setup is designed to push the team into contention under Collins' watch, but then to have the by-then groomed assistant take the reins and ride the team to the title. Why do the Bulls need a middle man? Why not put a coach in that will take your team to a championship?

I've had other ideas about whom the Bulls should be hiring. Aver... [read more]

Should 'Sheed Stay or Should 'Sheed Go? (Part 1) posted by Ted Mero

If you're a Pistons fan, it's hard not to have a soft spot for Rasheed Wallace. The way The Palace fans bellow out his name -- "Sheeeeeeed!"-- when he's on the low block. The way he talks: "We ain't afraid of them cats, man." The way he gets booed on the road, only to silence the crowd with the stroke of a dagger 3.

His physical abilities (6-11, strong, athletic, quick) and basketball skills (world-class turnaround J, excellent shot-blocker, high hoops IQ) are duly noted. But so is his short temper and his notoriety for picking up T's. In the past, Piston teammates have said those situations get both Rasheed and the rest of the team fired up. It's usually a good thing when he gets mad, they'd say, because that means he's about to take over the game, if only for a handful of key possessions.

But more often than not of late, Sheed's temper has gotten the best of him. Last year, he threw a temper-tantrum to finish off Detroit's meltdown against the Cavs. And this year, the officiating in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Sheed's post-game bleep-bleep-bleep rant and the resulting $25,000 fine seemed to take him off his game.

According to an AP report, Sheed was late to the game-day shootaround and missed stretching with his teammates prior to Game 6 of the ECF. He then didn't follow his routine before tipoff, when he typically dances wildly in a circle of his teammates. Instead, he simply stood in the middle of them, hardly moving at all.

In an elimination game, with the Pistons' season on the line, Sheed had m... [read more]

The 2008 NBA Oscars posted by kellex

http://lebasketbawl.blogspot.com/2008/02/2008-nba-oscars.html

Don’t you just love the Oscars? And wouldn’t you be livid if they cancelled them? Well, we answered with an emphatic “YES!” to both of those questions! The NBA season is half over and there have been some amazing storylines up to this point. As the All-Star break approaches, we will all have time to reflect on the first half and start handing out those mid-season awards. Rather than doing another snooze-able “mid-season review” post, we decided to spice it up a little bit with a tribute to awards season and to the 80th Annual Academy Awards!

And the NBA Oscar goes to…

Best Picture: New Orleans Hornets

The New Orleans Hornets led by Best Actor nominee Chris Paul and Best Directing nominee Byron Scott have had a remarkable season to this point. They may not be the best team in the NBA, but once playoff time rolls around expect to find them as a fixture in our Western Conference top 3. Chris Paul has emerged from “really good” point guard to “almost great” and has possibly bridged the gap with Steve Nash as the best in the game. Coach Byron Scott has proven to be the great motivator we all thought he could be by driving this young team to perform at a level we imagined possible, just not for another 3-4 years.

We’ve seen other great stories with the return to greatness by the Boston Celtics who racked up 5 NBA Oscar nominations, the return of the Portland Trail Blazers who pulled in 2 NBA Oscar nods, and the quick matura... [read more]

The Lakers start their road tip with a loss in Detroit posted by Malaika Bobino

Detroit-

 

Kobe Bryant had an impressive 39 points and 10 rebounds are not enough for the Lakers to beat the Pistons.  Tayshaun Prince hit a 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left to beat the Los Angeles Lakers Thursday night.  This is the first of eight more games on the road for the Lakers.  Without Andrew Bynum will the Lakers lose their momentum and drive to keep their place in the playoff race?  In the meantime, Kobe continues to shine under pressure.

 

Detroit led by as much as 17 points in the first half before Kobe scored 10 straight points to put the Lakers back in the game and take the lead until the final minutes of the fourth quarter.  Tayshaun Price had 22 points while All-Star reserves Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton scored 16 and 14 points.  The Pistons played a mediocre game against an injured Laker team.  Without Andrew Bynum, Luke Walton, Trevor Ariza, and Chris Mihm Kobe did not get much help from the remaining players.  Kobe Bryant 11 turnovers tonight against the Pistons were the most by any player in a single season definitely had an impact on the Lakers loss today.

 ... [read more]

PISTONS ESCAPE, LEAVE LAKERS WITH TOUGH ROAD LOSS posted by Peace Wilson

Well, the 3-game Lakers' slide came mercifully to a halt Tues. nite with win over Knicks.

The recent losses came against hi-quality opponents, and it didn't get any easier, tipping off grueling 9-game road trip against the perennially efficient Detroit Pistons.

Luke Walton adds to list of injured players who won't play.

Consensus is Odom needs to consistently play with the 22 pts./12 rebounds he produced against Knicks. In other words, more points, fewer assists.

So we'll keep an eye on the Odom-eter.

Fish swishes a long 2 first, 2-0.

Both teams fail to score for a few mins., till Kobe feeds Kwame, 4-0.

Pistons stave off a shut-out, ha ha, with a Billups slash and stash.

Oops, don't sneeze again, the Motor City Boyz just went on a 10-0 run; 10-4, Pistons.

Lakers trail by 7 at end of 1st quarter, as Odom misses a 3.

Too many Lakers turnovers early in 2nd; Pistons make 'em pay.

After falling back, Lakers go on 15-5 run, trail Pistons by 7 at the half -- meaning the 2nd quarter ended dead even.

66-61 Lakers closing mins. of 3rd, as work ethic yields fruit on the scoreboard.

Baby-faced Sascha buries a 3, 69-65, Lakers.

Lakers head into 4th quarter up 72-67.

81-79 Lakers lead with 4 mins. left, on a D-Fish 3.

Turiaf 1 of 2 at the FT line; 89-87 Lakers, 16.5 secs. left, Pistons ball.

90-89 Pistons win, as 2nd chance 3 by Prince for Pistons is followed by an Odom missed jumper, for the win.

Odom-eter reading: 6 pts., 7 rebounds. Lacks offensive conviction and consistency.

Fish had 15 pts., Kwame had effin... [read more]

Giant Upset posted by Macklen Jackson

The Super Bowl this year has many people predicting an easy Patriots win, even though there is a general acknowledgement that the Giants will bring a solid game plan and sound execution to the contest. Despite the consensus that the Giants are worthy of being in the game on Sunday after an impressive playoff run, almost every NFL fan and analyst has resigned him or herself to the fact that they are just 100% outmatched. Oh, how wrong they are. 

There is legitimacy to the notion that the Patriots will win the Super Bowl: their prolific offense has set numerous records this year, they are arguably the best-coached team in the NFL, they have the most mentally prepared players with previous Super Bowl experience, and their quarterback is a sure-fire hall-of-famer who already has three championships while surrounded by arguably lesser talent. Oh, and then there’s that little part about the 18-0 record during which no team has been able to beat them (not even the Giants in week 17). 

But the New York Football Giants didn’t just stumble into this game accidentally. With them, they carry the momentum of three road playoff wins and ten consecutive road victories this season (a league record). They powered their way through their schedule with an injury laden roster, a feat not many teams have been able to do. With those injuries, primarily in the secondary, they have an experienced team that now has depth by virtue back-ups being forced into starting roles. If Brandon Jacobs hadn’t gone out week 1, would we have discovered Derrick Ward’s po... [read more]

A Giant Wait for the Super Bowl posted by Michael McDonald

Come Friday, Giants fans are going to be pulling their hair. Hopefully, if your not already bald, you'll still have a full head of hair come gameday. It's tough, because you have now waited twelve days since the Green Bay win and you are coming up on 48 hours away from the Super Bowl. Your legs are shaking, you're on your fourth cup of coffee (or Pepsi in my case) and you go to ESPN.com ten times before noon. Not to mention, you have read the sports pages of the New York Post and the Daily News three times each, front to back, strictly Giants coverage. Jeez, will they play this damn game already?!?!?!?

I have some suggestions for the hard core fans who just can't take it anymore. It's not easy to pass the time when you're approaching the game of your football life. Here is what I will be doing when my Super Bowl Patience Tank nears empty.

Every year before the big game ESPN runs its annual Super Bowl Marathon. I assumed this would be starting on Saturday, but now, as I am looking at the schedule for ESPN and ESPN2 over the weekend, I see no Super Bowl Marathon. And I see nothing on ESPN Classic either. What gives? Will the NFL Network now be strictly showing the Super Bowl Marathon, instead of ESPN. If so, I'm screwed. For the last ten years this has been one of my favorite television events of Super Bowl weekend. 

There is nothing like watching clips from a ballgame played when you weren't alive (Jets, Colts III; Steelers, Cowboys X; Steelers, Cowboys XII), games that you saw, but were too young to remember (Giants, Broncos XX... [read more]

Future of the Chicago Bulls posted by Brian King

The Chicago Bulls won last night against the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves 96-85. It is a game they desperately needed and there will be many more games to follow that they will desperately need. Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon, and Joe Smith all sat out due to nagging injuries. The situation in Chicago has become desperate.

Luckily, the Bulls have enough depth on the bench to win against some of the bad teams. It wasn't a win against a top flight opponent. It wasn't even a win against one of the lower tiered playoff teams. The Bulls will take it. Wins have been hard to come by. Kirk Hinrich led the team with 27 points and Andres Nocioni contributed with 18. Ben wallace pulled down 12 rebounds and had a couple of blocks to boot. Rookie Joakim Noah, in his first career start, provided a ton of energy and ripped down 13 rebounds. 

Noah, is a guy that Coach Jim Boylan has to play more. The Bulls have to see what they have in this young man. He plays with energy and heart in which a lot of his teammates have lacked this season. Tyrus thomas is another guy wasting away on the bench who must get more playing time. Joe smith and his balky knees are not the long term answer. It is time for a changing of the guard for the Bulls if they are going to have any chance at reaching the playoffs. They have failed miserably at living up to expectations, Kobe Bryant is not coming to town, Scott Skiles has long been fired, and yet they can still make a run at the playoffs and turn their season around.

The trade deadline is fast approaching and players will inevitabl... [read more]

NBA Season Half Over: Top 5 Stories posted by kellex

http://lebasketbawl.blogspot.com/2008/01/nba-season-half-over-top-5-stories.html

It has been a fantastic first half to this NBA season and you can feel that buzz starting to creep in as the All-Star break approaches. Critics have moved on from their hatred of the NBA and young stars and feel-good stories are taking over. As a basketball fan, you cannot help but love what you are seeing and will most likely continue to see in the second half and on into the playoffs.

We're giving you our top 5 story lines of the first half of the season. Tell us what you think!

5. The Knicks.

One of the most historic franchises in all of sports has turned into a complete joke. The New York Knicks have us all shaking our heads in disgust, but also laughing in shock. The downfall of the Knicks began last year with the contract extension of Isiah Thomas as coach when he had his team in position to possibly make the playoffs. James Dolan forgot however, that the season is longer than 40 games and of course the Knicks weren't close to a playoff bid as the season wound down.

The off-season gave us some great insight as to how much of an idiot Isiah Thomas truly is. We listened in to the updates of the Anucha Brown-Sanders trial and the eventual embarrassment sustained by the Knicks once the juicy details slipped on out. We realized how crazy Stephon Marbury is through his whack-o interviews and love of limousine sex. We envisioned the termination of Thomas, but then decided that was never going to happen and that he most likely has some great ... [read more]

Unappealing Behavior posted by Macklen Jackson
Andy Roddick is a fun player to watch and I was rooting for him as much as anybody in the Australian Open, but I was disappointed to see him sink to the level he reached when he taunted the umpire during his match with Philipp Kohlschreiber in today’s effort. Despite dishing out a career best 42 aces, Roddick fell to the German 6-4 3-6 7-6 6-7 8-6. 

After his shot was originally called out, 29th seed Kohlschreiber challenged the ruling and it was overturned, prompting an irate Roddick to argue that he would have attempted a return, but didn’t due to the stoppage in play. When his appeal went unfulfilled, he proceeded to ridicule the umpire’s intelligence, shouting insinuation that he was never educated after the second grade. He made one final dig by yelling out: “You’re an idiot! Stay in school kids or you’ll end up being an umpire.” Roddick’s juvenile behavior aside, he makes a valid point. It is this very reason that some things are not reviewable in NFL football. Once the whistle blows a play dead, that’s it. If forward progress is ruled to have been stopped, but a running back breaks free and scores a touchdown, it’s called back because the whistle blew. If a runner is whistled down even though he has simultaneously fumbled the football, the runner will retain possession because the whistle supersedes all ensuing action. And rightfully so. Whether the whistle was correct or incorrect in the first place, the point is: when the whistle blows, people stop trying and you can’t let a game change ... [read more]

Pistons coach Curry hires 3 assistants (AP)

New Detroit Pistons coach Michael Curry has selected Darrell Walker, Pat Sullivan and Harold Ellis as assistants. Walker is a former coach of the Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards. He has been an assistant coach with the New Orleans Hornets since the 2004-2005 season. Sullivan has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the New Jersey Nets. [read full article]

Posted Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:44:04 PDT - via Yahoo! Sports

Pistons introduce Michael Curry as coach (AP)

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Posted Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:57:42 PDT - via Yahoo! Sports

Terry Porter to be Suns' next coach (AP)

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Posted Sat, 07 Jun 2008 18:16:07 PDT - via Yahoo! Sports

Suns complete coaching interviews (AP)

The search for a replacement for Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni apparently is down to four candidates. While Suns general manager Steve Kerr didn't call them finalists, he praised the four individually and said all remained under consideration. The last of the group, San Antonio Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer, was interviewed Tuesday, one day after Detroit Pistons assistant Terry Porter had his... [read full article]

Posted Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:53:17 PDT - via Yahoo! Sports

Pistons fire coach Saunders (AP)

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Posted Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:43:24 PDT - via Yahoo! Sports