Clipper Curse

Clipper Curse

            This was supposed to be their year, right? This was supposed to be the year that two L.A teams not only make the playoffs, but make some noise. This was the year that supposed to make up for all those forgettable years. The team that has only 6 winning seasons in 25 years of Los Angeles basketball was supposed to give its fans something to actually root for. That’s when the Clipper’s curse came alive.

            What is it with this franchise? They finally catch a break, with the number 1 overall pick in the draft. Draft arguably the only NBA ready prospect in Blake Griffin, plays a solid preseason, games that mean nothing, only to be out six weeks with a stress fracture in his left kneecap.

            Blake Griffin follows a line of first round busts and unfortunate events for this once promising but disappointing franchise. Danny Manning, Michael Olowokandi, Shaun Livingston, the list goes on with disappointments and bad breaks.

            The odd thing is the Clippers have always had the short end of the stick, yes even when they seem to have potential, they can’t reach it. The 2000-01 season brought an exciting one. A high-flying style of basketball that attracted many fans and even led the NBA in bench-scoring with 37 a game. Think of it as a run and gun D’Antoni style Suns team, just missing the Steve Nash. Corey Maggette, Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson, as well as Lamar Odom, all whom would go on to have very successful careers (Well almost all of them, Darius is still in the midst of a resurrection).Yet, despite the talent, the Clippers went on to put up a record of 31-51.

            This Clippers team has potentially the most talent any Clipper team has had, even out of the most successful Clipper team that saw Sam Cassell lead the team to one game short of the Western Conference finals. Baron Davis, a natural leader that set history by leading the 8^th seeded Warriors over the 67 win Mavericks only a few years ago. Marcus Camby, a former Defensive Player of the Year , despite his age is still one of the better defenders in the league, teamed up with Kaman, an excellent low post presence and rebounder, when focused of course. Throw in a bolstering bench including Eric Gorden, Al Thornton, Rasual Butler and many other young players, and you have a solid core with a exponentially improving bench. Yet, why can’t they get the chemistry right?

            I’m the only one that stands to get hurt here (along with the other 37 Clipper fans in LA), but despite all of this, I’m going out on a limb here saying, this is the Clippers year. Sure, Griffens injured, meaning we’ll have to wait another 6 weeks or so, but Clipper fans have something they haven’t had for a while, hope. Not just a flame that burns out after a season (see Clippers four years ago), but real hope.

            I can’t get my hopes up though, when I say this is their year, I mean they’ll make hopefully make it to the playoffs, and maybe they’ll only have a couple of bad luck incidents rather than a season full. If the chemistry starts clicking, and the players work hard, this curse, may just be broken. Baby steps…

Silent Assassin

Gilbert Arenas: Silent Assassin 

The prodigal son has returned. Gilbert Arenas, point guard of the Washington Wizards, is slowly making his way back into the NBA spotlight after a year and a half of 3 surgeries, and only 15 NBA games played, but not the same spotlight Gilbert used to love to shine in. Arenas and the Wizards were recently fined 25,000 dollars apiece due to not talking to the media during preseason. Wait….is that right? Gilbert Arenas, that man responsible for making blogging popular in sports, the man that would yell Hibachi, Japanese word for hot grill when he shot, the man that couldn’t stop talking, was fined for not talking?

            What does this mean to the NBA? This is not good for anyone in the league, except the Wizards franchise. A franchise that has had its share of bad luck, has potential to turn it around, but theirs that word…potential.

Nearly 50 percent of the NBA’s GM’s believe the Wizards are going to be the most improved team in the 2009-10 season, with good reason. Sure they acquired Randy Foye and Mike Miller, sure they got Brendon Heywood back and already running his mouth at Lebron, and SURE, Gilbert Arenas is healthy again, but what type of player is Arenas. He sure isn’t the same loud mouth entertaining Kanye-esque confident Arenas he was before.

 It was at media day he revealed his future of silence, “I’m not the entertainer anymore…I don’t feel like speaking anymore.” He said, “ I just want to go out there and play…When I was entertaining, all you guys focused on was my words. Now I’d rather you just focus on my basketball.”

This is bad news for the rest of the NBA. This is the same player that already had swagger through the roof. Putting his hands up on a game winning shot, even before the ball went in the basket. This is the same player that, in his last full season in the NBA, averaged a stat sheet filling 28.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.9 steals, while making 2.8 3-pointers a game and shooting 84.4% from the free throw line. Talk about a fantasy beast.

The East has got a sleeper on its hands with the Washington Wizards. No more talking from Arenas, no more blogging. According to him he doesn’t even HAVE a “tweeter”. This is all while you have headliners like Shaq, who is dealing with his 2 million or so friends on Twitter, and Ron Artest managing three different accounts.

This is a different Arenas, and a different Washington team as a whole. Flip Saunders was brought in to help the Wizard’s tarnished image as a franchise, after winning a franchise low 19 games. He singed a four year 18 million contract over the summer. On the first day of practice, Saunders, the coach that led the band of brothers Detroit Pistons to three straight conference finals, brought iPods filled with set plays installed in them.

Although preseason cannot entirely accurately portray how good a team really is, it is an indicator. Gilbert has had shining moments in all his games so far. His first game back, he tallied 10 assists, followed by a perfect 6 for 6 shooting night while notching in another 9 assists. In the Wizards last victory over the Pistons, Arenas shot 9 of 11, pulling in 24 points to lead the Wizards in a close victory.

We witnessed in Arenas’ final healthy year, an incredible talent in Arenas that kept the game as exciting as possible. Game winner after game winner, blog after blog. The craziest part about this ultra confident point guard, is Arenas is almost as good as Arenas actually thinks he is, which is incredible. The 27 year old Arenas no longer wants the attention he once vied for a few seasons back, but little does he know, the silent assassin Arenas and the Wizards will be demanded much attention when they step foot on the court this season.

The (Un)Forgotten Hero: Chauncey Billups

The (Un)Forgotten Hero: Chauncey Billups

 

            How many players can say they have completely changed the face of a franchise…twice. Chauncey Billups got traded to the Denver Nuggets the beginning of the 08/09 season and few predicted his impact on the team would affect the whole league, but why? Why has this player, who has been doubted his whole career, even after a final’s MVP continues to not be considered one of the NBA’s most elite?

            Chauncey Billups started his career out drafted third overall by the Boston Celtics, but was traded to the Raptors halfway through the season for Kenny Smith. Billups then bounced around the league a bit more, even make a quick stop at his future and past home, Denver, before signing as a free agent to the Detroit Pistons in the summer of 2002. Billups was joined by the likes of players such as Rasheed Wallace, Tayshuan Prince, Rip Hamilton, and Ben Wallace, a team of outcasts similar to him, bouncing around the league, never having found a home. Chauncey’s impact on the team was immediate. Only taking two years to transform this group of esoteric individuals into NBA Champions, beating out a Lakers team who on paper could have arguably had the greatest starting 5 in NBA history.

            After leading this doubtful but consistent Detroit team to 6 straight conference finals, the front office thought it was time for change, as did Denver’s. On November 3^rd, 2008, Chauncey arrived in Denver via trade that would send Allen Iverson over to Detroit. Chauncey’s impact on that team was even more immediate than his previous stay in Detroit. Billup’s would go on to lead this handful of misfits, led by Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Nene, and the always erratic J.R Smith, to multiple franchise bests in a season.

            Billup’s demand for respect was realized early. As a native and an NBA Finals already under his belt, Chauncy quickly reorganized the teams priorities, something the prior, Allen Iverson, has yet to discover in his career. (As a big Iverson fan my whole life, that’s not a knock on A.I, just a matter of fact that the two’s goals are different) Chauncy put the emphasis on defense, a mentality he brought with him from Detroit. Billup’s led, and you better believe the Nuggets followed. Leading them to their best start in franchise history of 27-14, eventually leading to a 54-28 record, and the second seed in a highly competitive and talented Western Conference. Breezing through the playoffs, the Nuggets were going into the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 24 years, facing the eventual NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. After a grueling battle, the Lakers dropped the franchise from the hunt after 6 games. One more than the Orlando Magic had won in the Finals.

           The MVP of the league has had some redefining throughout the years. After Kobe’s scoring barrage of the 2005 season, many LA fans were left chanting MVP in the dark, watching as Steve Nash “earned” two back to back MVP’s. The reason? According to the NBA, The MVP is the most valuable player on the most valuable team, not necessarily the one with the best statistics. Well, the Sun’s never won a championship, and although the Nuggets have yet to as well, Chauncey definitely played the role of league MVP. He completely transformed this team into what it was supposed to been all these years, championship caliber, a task head coach George Karl couldn’t even do, despite it being his job. The MVP of the 09 season was a well deserved LeBron James, averaging career high’s in almost ever statistical category while improving his defense, having potential for a triple-double every night is MVP worthy, but Chauncy didn’t even finish in the top 4 in MVP voting. A man that has taken two separate underdog teams to a total of 7 straight conference finals had his name left out again. He’s been the leader of team’s that should have hardly made the playoffs, let alone make any noise, but consistently leads better than any one point guard in the NBA, a skill that deserves recognizing.

Chauncey played the role of head general and point guard with his time on and off the floor.  Chauncey took this group of misunderstood souls: Carmelo, hardly the definition of a poster boy after his constant mishaps throughout his time in the league, Kenyon Martin, especially after the Dallas series, has had this “thug” image in the NBA’s eyes, and J.R Smith’s record speaks for itself. Despite all of these players off court troubles and suspensions and lack of teamwork, the skill and talent has always been there. This team was already very similar to the Pistons, a group of rebels that didn’t and couldn’t fit in anywhere else, look up to Chauncey. The leader of the unwanted, who doesn’t have a care if he’s wanted or not, just wants to win games, something he is extremely talented at. The players look at Chauncey and immediately give him respect, because, he is one of them. They are rebellious, nomads, and that’s exactly how Chauncey and his teammates want it. As many rappers say today, “The whole cities behind me!” That’s just enough for the Nugs and their most valuable player, Chauncey Billups.