Word in H-town is the Rockets will be signing Marcus Camby in the near future.

He was a great roll player for the Rockets during the 2011-12 season.

Haha.. these are the moments between Wade and Lebron in the Bejing Olympics which sealed the deal and previewed the coming Heat onslaught. I mean, its against China, so you expect this, but it doesn't negate the power that made this kind of block/rebound/steal to wade/lebron fast-break dunk so dominating even against the best NBA teams. Here Lebron channeled his inner Chris Mullen and just grabbed the ball out of the air mid-shot.. Is it a block? Is it a rebound?? Shit, before you can ever figure it out Wade is dunking it in!!


Then there is 2012. I mean, shit, look at this shit! Seriously! Even Magic Johnson and John Stockton got be tripping watching a replay no-look pass like this one!!



Wade was genius. He realized that he is one of the best 2-guards in NBA history at penetrating the rim, and with Lebron as one of the best defenders combined with one of the best passers (I mean the guy throws the ball down full-court like he was Joe Montana sometimes!!) to make open those fast-breaks Wade would only be able to continue to thrive at attack dunks. Further, Wade is one of the best blocking guards of all time, his career average of 1 block per game is the most ever for a guard, and also the most ever for a guy under 6'5", and so he can reverse it an do what Lebron does, grab the block or the rebound, and with Lebron being able to run down the court as fast, maybe even FASTER than he can pass it, it is a lethal double-team combo. Whether Wade or Lebron, these guys literally clown teams on the fast-break. It seems that as Wade was creeping into his 30s, instead of going the Jordan-Kobe route (i.e. slowing down on penetration dunks and replacing them with ice-cold mid-ranger jumpers) to save his body the wear and tear and accomodate for the inevitable decline in his beastly athleticism, he recruited Lebron to help make it easier to attack, penetrate, and dunk. If it weren't for all those fast-breaks, Wade would have had to stop dunking three years ago ;)



Let me ask, who do y'all think is a better blocker, Lebron with all those damned run from behind power-blocks, or Dwight who can clown it at the rim just about any time..

Meh.. This whole Dwight thing was already super-hyped last year for the Lakers, and it is coming across as even worse than "The Decision" only because it happened afterwards. Dwight better back it up, at least Lebron carried that team to the NBA Finals first try, so the hype/derision wasn't entirely without merit ;)

everything is superhyped for the Lakers. it is hollywood after all.

Dwight will thrive in a football-first town. he has a sense of humor (kobe does not and neither do the Lakers). He likes not having too much attention. The media in Houston will respect his wishes. he likes to hit the tittie bars and so does Harden. they will go together and get boned up and take out their frustrations on the visiting lakers. It will be glorious.

Yeah, if the hype is only Lakers how come it has followed Dwight to Houston? By the way, I liked seeing all those pep-rallies and huge crowds for Dwight locally in Houston, it reminds us that what Miami did in 2010 with Lebron/Wade/Bosh is perfectly ordinary basketball pep-rallies, the difference is what was intended to be local celebration turned into one of the biggest NBA hubris moments ever because of all the national spotlight ("..not 1, not 2, not 3..").

By the way if beating a hobbling Lakers is all y'all are aiming for, then Dwight could have just stayed and caved the team in y'all honor ;) No, y'all need to aim for Miami or bust, though in truth, Houston would be happy for the next two years with 1st and 2nd round exists, and actually that wouldn't be too bad for them, however, it only points to why Dwight went there, he felt he couldn't take the pressure of legitimately contending (not that the Lakers ever were serious Title contenders with him, but that was definitely the expectation of the entirety of Los Angeles as well as most of the sports writing talking heads across the country) so he fled to a team that would be as appreciative as Orlando was just at winning a few play-off games. BY THE WAY, its a smart strategy for the business of basketball in Houston, because the secret of the LA Lakers is they DON'T ever tank or play for the lottery, they always aim for the playoffs, even if not contending. Some teams think that the playoffs are just for chasing Championships, not true, that is where you (a) make a shitload of money and (b) build roster experience at a top-level. If Houston keeps their head straight, they very well could contend within 3 years. In the meantime, mark my words, the Lakers will make the play-offs and if Miamia can stay even a fraction healthier than they were the past two years in the post-season (2012 Bosh out, 2013 Wade hobbling on one leg for three series) they will seriously win a third championship. Thunder will step back, so will Spurs and Clippers will stay put in the middle of that pack. By the way, Rockets fans, don't sleep on Warriors, they're eying your position ;)

Haha.. so Lebron really IS an ordinary human, here he is going to jury duty, and bringing a book? Like anybody is going give him enough peace and quiet to read. Can you imagine a global celebrity like Lebron boringly sitting by himself reading a book? NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN LEBRON ;) The next Instagram he posts will be of like 200 people in the jury waiting room crowding around him!

Over the past two days, Howard has been working with Dream and McHale:

Yeah, he worked with them before, but it never had the effect it had on Lebron and Amare Stoudemire (both of which immediately increased their shooting percentages towards 60% benefiting by the footwork and efficient shot making that The Dream taught them). Oh yeah, all McHale can teach Howard is how to be a bully, that guy ain't got no real game, he was just a mean defender, but Dwight is just too nice a guy for that kind of shit. Of course, I grew up in LA, so the McHale is one of our arch-villains, I might be a bit biased, Larry Legend is the ONLY Celtic Los Angeles could EVER respect, and that is only because Magic was/is so damned unreasonably in love with him. We'd shit on Bird too if we could, but Magic ain't having that. Love me some Hakeem The Dream, he taught Lebron how to use his body and athleticism to create open but efficient shots, especially on the block and in the post. Dwight could benefit from that, but he's spent two summers in the past with Hakeem it had ZERO noticeable difference to his game, either on offense or defense. Y'all in Houston better hope Dwight finally wises up and pays attention, The Dream is beyond a legend, Dwight would be foolish to waste a THIRD summer with him..

McHale was a scoring MUCHINE man. the Center needs to be a bully. he NEEDS to dominate. that is what Dream tried to teach yao but yao is chinese and they defer to everyone and find it hard to assert their will on the court.

Dream will be working with Howard and all the Houston big men on the permanent. He is being hired by the Rockets.

Yes, but again, Howard has worked with the Dream before, it the problem was he never really took it serious or bought into what Hakeem was teaching him. I watched Dwight Howard all last year, and a bit the year before, and he has none of the footwork that Hakeem taught Lebron and Amare. If you watch pre and post Hakeem sessions Lebron or Amare you can literally see the difference in their play in the post, and its not like they were bad in the post to begin with! Hakeem taught them how to use their size combined with new footwork to create better shots to take. Dwight? His offense is so boring he doesn't even like the pick and roll. He wants a bunch of 3 shooters around him like when he was in Orlando. Well Rockets got that, so we'll see. I'm not trying to diss, just stating what I see. Howard doesn't look like he applied anything Hakeem tried to teach him, so Hakeem can work with Dwight all he wants, but if Dwight doesn't want to implement what he is learning, than so what? See its an ego thing. Its why Andrew Bynum had TERRIBLE footwork because he was too egotistical to listen to Kareem who was his teacher for four years. Kareem actually quite the Lakers training staff because Bynum's attitude was getting so bad. It was only in 2011/12 that Bynum finally developed some footwork, and when asked by reporters what explained the visible improvement in his footwork in particular he said, "I've been really working on with my coaches, trying hard to listen to what they're teaching me." DUH! So Dwight needs to do the same ;)

Bron Bron finally cropped his hair. No more headband for BronBron.

And now the Michael Jordan synthesis is complete.

and he'll still wear the headband. He wears it to keep the sweat out of his face, the cover up was just an added bonus. Also, this is not shaved head yet, that was a chop job with a haircutting machine, the BIC will make its appearance in the next few years I'm sure ;)

The headband got thicker and thicker as the hairline went further back. shame that balding men are deemed unable to sell things for Madison avenue.

Yes, the headband did get larger, but again, the guy wasn't exactly hiding anything. Its not like we had never seen Lebron's hairline, blasted across the world. Its not like it was a secret that the ninja was balding. Further, its not like the guy didn't wear the headband consistently since high school or anything ;)

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/74442/is-hakeem-olajuwons-post-up-play-training-all-its-cracked-up-to



guy doesnt know what he is talking about, didnt he see the instant trasnformation it had on Lebron or Amare Stoudemire. Both players had career highs in efficiency (Hakeem's trademark) and getting to the rim through foot-work. Hakeem teaches his skill-set, which is to use a combination of grace and force to either create open but efficient shots or to create opening to pass to open shooters elsewhere. Its what Lebron has been dominating the NBA doing to a perfection, in fact, I dare say that the Lebron is the closest to Hakeem (now, not pre-2010 Lebron) than any player since Hakeem. Shaq was a force, but had no grace. Lebron has added an element of finesse and grace to his footwork that simply wasn't there. I read an article lamenting how Heat Lebron doesn't to any of his previously famous half-court drive and dunks. That is because Hakeem taught Lebron how inefficient, tiring, and showboating that is. A better strategy is to find a smooth lane to the post, and use your muscle there to either create a shot or a great pass. Hakeem 101. Lebron learned it. Watch Amare in his first season with the Knicks, guy was almost an MVP candidate getting 28 ppg ALL in the post, looking like Hakeem on the block with pure post-ups. It is also what suddenly turned even lame as Tyson Chandler into an NBA champion rim-defender and pick and roll specialist.


Bullshit! This guy REALLY doesn't know basketball. What allowed Jordan and Kobe to age like wine and dominate the league well past their physical primes? Oh, right, FOOTWORK!!!!! As Tyson gets older, he needs to heed Hakeem's teaching, and IMPROVE his footwork at the rim to be able to improve his finishes and yes, make more post shots than just dunks. FOOTWORK will create those openings to get in small 3-5 foot post jump shots like (a) Lebron has been doing (b) like Hakeem mastered into two-champions later into his career. Sighs. I really wish I decided to get a job as a sports writer, these people aside from Zach Lowe simply don't know what the fuck they are talking about!!

Really, Dwight Howard is about the ONLY player I've seen to appear NOT to learn even ANYTHING from Hakeem. Hopefully this time around Howard is actually paying attention, a guy as gifted with strength, speed, and finesse as Howard could quite literally be the only force in basketball enough to equal Lebron. I don't say this as a Lerbon fan, I say it as a lifelong basketball fan. Lebron is the NBA right now, the way Kobe was just a few years ago, and Shaq just before that, and Jordan before that, and Magic before him. Dwight has the potential, but he needs to apply himself more directly to harness it. Hakeem can teach it, but Dwight has to buy into it.


A COMMENT ON THE FACEBOOK POSTS AT THE BOTTOM THE PAGE CALLED IT, THIS ARTICLE IS JUST TROLLING!!!

I think I remember vaguely.

Last year, a documentary on that team was released. Official trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfIvcadyf3w

Who's watching EuroBasket 2013?

A little late to post but I've been caught up in football, here is a great article debating the effectiveness of offensive rebounding.


My take, rebounding has become less significant as basketball has moved away from iso/one-on-one style of play more towards a team oriented approach, particularly on pressure defense. The 1980s/90s days of one-on-one match ups and iso shoot outs are long over, and replaced by quick footed, highly choreographed, team-oriented pressure defense. Nobody is standing around anymore. THIS I feel is why rebounding has become less important to winning games.

In the 80s/90s the "twin towers" was an enormously (pun intended) successful strategy at getting rebounds and blocking the rim/driving lanes from easy lay-ups. One big man could take on the likes of Michael Jordan or try and slow down guys like John Stockton simply with their physical pressense under the basket. Now? Dominant centers and big men are less important, because complicated ball-moving offenses have made them irrelevant. On the defensive side, big men are less important because two or three well choreographed defenders putting constant pressure on the ball can actually be more effective.

This is why rebounding isn't important anymore, especially why defensive minded coaches like Doc Rivers, Greg Poppovich, and Eric Spoelstra have essentially abandoned offensive rebounding. They realized transition defense can be that much more effective at creating more possessions that second change points. I have spent a lot of time YELLING at the Heat on the TV when watching teams dominate the offensive boards, but their transition d is so quick, it negates those gaffes. When the Heat give up offensive boards, they are gaining a defensive advantage, and it shows on their stat line. What they lack in rebounds, they more than make up in generated turn overs. Its a gamble, particularly a physically exhausting one, but the stats don't lie, in the past several years the better defensive teams have been more likely to win than the offensive juggernauts (2008/9-2010/11 Lakers aside)...
The article examines the Pacers in particular, who crashed the play-offs last season as the best offensive rebounding team in the NBA, but honestly, Miami's D cut them in pieces. Hibbert was terribly over-rated in that series, and simply put, if the officiating had been more on the 3-second violations and fouls (fuck that bullshit verticality excuse, that was soooooo fucking bogus) The Heat would have had 5-10 more freethrows a game and perhaps won it in 5.. ;)

When asked what do you think about twerking?

Its all going down next week. I am ready to have a trial separation with the NFL after all this guilt I'm feeling from that Frontline (well a couple of Frontlines).. I'm ALL NBA this year. Looking forward to swag filled post-games interviews, embarrassing the defender pick and rolls, and obnoxiously lights-out three pointers. Lord I love basketball, admittedly more than football even though I've been an NFL fan for a much longer period of time.

I'm probably too old for studded shoesl......but I would wear them if I ever found a pair and could afford them.

I've heard this guy say some dumb things, especially when making "predictions", I just don't know how he can think Dwight Howard will still be able to play in two or three years???

For some, the season starts TONIGHT:

 

The Heat will be going for:

 

Sadly, the majority of fans attending games tonight probably couldn't name most of the players in this ad:

 

http://img.bleacherreport.net/img/im...00&h=1500&q=85

Lebron goes for a trademark block, but MWC stuffs it in his face! EPIC! I love it! Good for Sixers, good for the NBA, somebody has to get to Lebron sometimes, otherwise the NBA is about as boring as it was those years in the late 1990s when nobody stood a chance in hell of beating the Bulls and we all knew it ;)

That was supposed to be a chart that mentioned how American men between the height of 6'8" and 6'11" have a 1 in 200 chance of becoming an NBA player, and 7' or above are 1 in 7. Damn, its not even a stereo type, its stats!!

Brutal first quarter for the Rockets: Clippers scored 42 on 70% shooting. Howard with 3 fouls and Harden with two......may be a long night in LA.

Fucking brilliant. I haven't seen ANYBODY outrun Lebron with a head start
like this. This kid is insane. If he can keep up even a fraction of this the Westbrooks and D-Roses of the NBA will have to get a reality check.

Thanks Wallace, I AM SO SICK OF HEARING ABOUT TANKING. It has NEVER worked, FOR ANY TEAMS, PERIOD! You don't win in the NBA through the draft, aside from maybe Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan and Kevin Durant, and technically Cleveland did pretty well for themselves with Lebron. How did Bulls win it all? Not the fucking draft. How did Lakers win it all in the 2000s? Not the fucking draft.

You win it all through smart trades and free-agent veterans and that is a fact! Let Celtics tank. It won't help them! Let Philly tank, won't help them either ;)

The Rockets were a pathetic bag of crap last night against the Lakers.

11 Dwight Howard missed free throws......afraid this issue isn't going away.

 

 

 

 

Didn't y'all pay attention to how Dwight's dismal free-throw shooting KILLED the Lakers last year? I mean Shaq couldn't make a free-throw for his life, and his post-game wasn't the most impressive either, but he more than made up for those flaws with unprecedented overwhelmingly BRUTE FORCE under the basket on both ends of the floor. In LA, we let Howard go because the guy is all smoke and mirrors. When Lebron carried a shit team all the way to the Finals in 2007 it was a reflection of his singular brilliance, now it seems clear that when Dwight did the same thing with the Magic it was just an aberration. The guy REFUSES to learn from Hakeem, unlike so many others including Lebron. When I watch Lebron in the post, I can visually recognize the added footwork and prowess that is the Dream and which Hakeem taught Lebron over a few summers. Dwight is wasting it. The guy is too lethargic, not motivated. I think he came to Houston because he believed that Houston unlike Los Angeles would tolerate a play-off caliber team but not a true contender. I think he was wrong, and Rockets fans will inevitably turn on him too when they realize just what they signed up for. Sad but true, while he lacks rebounding, his aggressiveness at key moments, great foot-work, and fantastic spot-up shooting make CHRIS BOSH a better fucking center in this small-ball era than Dwight.

As to Lakers, that was an INSTANT CLASSIC Laker game, and when Mike D'Antoni was saying last season he was waiting for Steve Blake to come back to save the team, I laughed out loud. Steve Blake?? After last season and this one, I'm not laughing any more. Looking back at D'Antoni's career, the guy has made a name for himself taking nobodies and under-developed young players and turning them into great players. In Phoenix it was Nash, Stoudemire and Marion who were all mediocre until they evolved under D'Antoni into the fierce 7 Seconds or Less style of play which has in essence revolutionized basketball. That was the invention of true small ball with floor-spacing 3 point shooting, the revamping of the significance of the PG, and the dominance of the pick-and-roll.

Think about the championships after the end of the 1980s Magic/Isaiah Thomas era, when essentially the PG became a defensive position under Phil Jackson's dominance. Phil brought the advent of that most boring isolation "hero-ball" kind of play, and won 11 championships in the process, but thankfully Mike D'Antoni in the mid-2000s realized there was a way to beat that kind of play. With delightful, ball-moving team basketball. What guys like Thibs, Doc Rivers, and Spoelstra have done is taken that to the next level by developing an accompanying team-style of defense to match the ball-moving offense. Its a beautiful thing to watch. When 2010s NBA is flowing on all cylinders on both sides of the floor, I think it hasn't looked better than when Magic and Kareem were embarrassing even the likes of Larry Legend ;)

Sorry Rockets, you bit off more than you can chew, but with a team that statistically resembles last years Lakers in every single regard, Dwight will inevitably be just as unhappy and unproductive with y'all as he was with us. You ain't contending when you rely on bad defense and James Harden free throws. As happened to D-Wade in the Finals, sometimes the whistles stop coming your way and then what? DEFENSE. Something Wade does at an elite level, something which Harden/Lin can't quite pull off. I had fun watching Rockets play explosive offense last year, but time to pay the piper y'all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFZj1mXwogI

Great D there James, making an old, beat down Steve Nash look like a Nashty Steve in his prime..

A Clutch Scare

Before tonight's tip at Milwaukee, the Rockets have a record of 33-17 which is the franchises third best start through 50 games played.

I wish i could stay up and watch it, I still play once a week, but its impossible to follow the NBA if you have a normal lifestyle

Lucky you - I would love to be part of a weekly game. Was so my life before the wife and kids came.

Even here 90 miles from Houston, I can't see 90% of the games due to the Rockets / Astros tied up in court trying to start their own sports network. Due to this, I can only watch Nationally televised games and tonight isn't one of them.

Its only on a public court, i meet up with people and play 3 on 3. There aint decent faacilities anywhere. Im still in love with Jeff Hornacek and John Stockton.

Did y'all see that Heat-Clippers dunk contest/highlight reel game on Wednesday on ESPN? Fucking shit, it might have honestly been one of the best season game I've ever seen!! There were at least 25 dunks, shit, even Ray Allen got a sick 180 dunk!! Blake and Lebron were playing with a highlight reel vengeance..