State of the NBA: Blame the GM'S

With the NBA being in a stalemate because of the lockout, let's take a look at what the real issues are. I hear so much that NBA players are overpaid babies, and they don't deserve those huge contracts. It's not surprising that a lot of those notions are coming from white America, seeing that the majority of the NBA players are African American it seems kind of funny. No one seems to be talking that way about baseball players, who sign massive contracts, and teams have no salary caps. Why aren't baseball players overpaid babies, and half of baseball players aren't near the athletes that NBA players are, just something to think about.

Now let's take a look at why certain NBA teams are losing so much revenue. I say blame the General Managers for the state in which the NBA is in. Why blame the GM's? Well, General Managers are responsible for bringing players to teams. They negotiate the contracts with agents, (with owners probably signing off) they built teams. Now, Fox Sports had an slide show on overpaid players on every team in the NBA, and you couldn't argue with every player that was on that list. Let take Joe Johnson from the Atlanta Hawks. Now, you can't blame Joe for taking the huge contract that he signed over the summer. Does his talent really equal up to his contract, probably not, but seeing that the Hawks were so worried about keeping that name with their team they overpaid him. David Lee of the Golden State Warriors signed a huge contract a couple seasons ago to join them, but has not produced enough to validate the money he was paid. Both are very good players, but lets face it, there is probably only 10-15 players in the NBA that should be getting maximum contracts, and in my opinion they are not the 2 players named.

Shaq: "Miami only has a Big 2"

Shaquille O'Neal in his first appearance as an NBA analyst called Miami's Heat big 3 "the big 2". Clearly referring too Lebron James and Dwayne Wade as the big 2 and leaving out Chris Bosh who is apart of the big 3. Earlier this week on NBA T.V. the big fella gave a lot of praise too the Miami's Heat big 2. Although he did not come out and elaborate on what he meant about Miami only having a big 2, only a fool could't read between the lines and know what he was saying. Even though the big 3 at times would look like the big 1 or even the big 0 in some cases in the NBA Finals, I would have too say that I understand where he is coming from, but I would have to disagree with his statement. In the NBA today Chris Bosh is a all-star caliber player. Now would he be 10-15 years ago I wouldn't think so. So if you think about it that was the time that Shaq came from so he probably looks at it a little different then most who see the NBA today. Bosh is not a physical player by the least. His game is more about finesse over power, and in the NBA today most players are made up that way, and he is one of the best power forwards in todays NBA.

Will Allen Iverson Return To The NBA

Will Allen Iverson ever play in the NBA again? I would have too say I don't know but I think he should be on a NBA roster next season. There does seem like there is a certain group of players that have been black balled from the league. Unfortunately, Allen Iverson have found his way on the outside looking in of the NBA. In his prime A.I. was one of the toughest and dynamic players in the NBA. He was probably the smallest player ever to dominate the offensive side of the game there was. Here was a guy that was maybe 6 feet tall on a good day and won the scoring title 4 times. He averaged almost 27.0 ppg. throughout his career, and almost 30.0 ppg. in the playoffs. Granted he shot the ball mostly every time he touched it but his teams were mostly successful then not.

At 36 years old Allen Iverson is not the same player he was 6 or 7 years ago, but I do think he would be a good addition to a veteran, contending team that needs scoring and leadership off of the bench. I think if he truly accepts his role as a backup guard and a team has the right fit, we can expect to see Allen Iverson under the bright lights once again.

What's The Problem With Heat

What's the problem with the Miami Heat? Why is a team with so much talent having a hard time closing out the Dallas Mavericks? The first problem that I can see is that Lebron James is playing to much point guard. With Lebron handling the ball so much he is always out of position to make a play on offense. By Lebron playing up top, handling the ball he is playing right into the Mavericks hands, and they now can make him a jump shooter. The Miami Heat would be better off is Lebron was playing off the ball and catching the ball in a position where he can either attack the basket, or pull up for a short jump shot. Another problem the Miami Heat are having is when Dwayne Wade touches the ball he holds on to it until either he has a shot or until he has to pass the ball, but by that time it is only a few seconds left on the shot clock and somebody is forced to shoot a rushed shot. The final problem that I can see is that the Heat's defensive intensity is not at the level it was in the previous series or in the two wins in this series. The Miami Heat will have too make some serious adjustments if they plan on winning a championship and silencing the critics.

Title in the Future for Heat Big 3

Who would've thought back in July when Lebron James made the "Decision" that the Miami Heat would be 2 games away from winning a NBA Championship? I think we all knew that eventually this team would be in this position, but not in its first year assembled. This team came together and started to gel at the right time. The big 3 are playing at a high level and the supporting cast is playing their part in a big way. The Heat big men are controlling the boards and playing monster defense, especially Anthony Randolph. The re-emergence of Udonis Haslem has given the Heat the lift that they needed to not only get past the Chicago Bulls, but to come 2 games away from winning a championship. You will have to start thinking that the Miami Heat is in prime position to win a few more rings if they can hold on to winning this one. With the now experience they will take out of this run and a summer of key signings, the Miami Heat should be in this discussion for a long time to come.

Miami Stars Too Much For Chicago

The Chicago Bulls were controlling most of game 4 on Tuesday night. Derrick Rose, Carlos Boozer, and Luol Deng each put good numbers, and they held Dwayne Wade to only 14 points. So, you would think after reading that, the Chicago Bulls won the game right. No they didn't. In fact they almost lost by 10 points. Lebron James took the game over in overtime. This will be the biggest advantage for Miami for the next few years. Every team will always have 1 of those 3 too worry about. Well, let's get ready for a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat vs. Dallas Mavericks. I will take Miami to win the championship, because of their team defense. I will give a Miami vs Dallas preview by this weekend.

Dallas To Much For OKC

The Dallas Mavericks look like they are on the verge of advancing to their 2nd finals appearance in the 6 years after taking a 3-1 lead on OKC in the Western Conference Finals. After looking at game 3 it is clear that the Dallas Mavericks just have to much size and to much scoring for the Thunder to overcome. The Thunder came into this series with a 3 man scoring threat, but at the end of the day 8 is always better then 3. That's what is have been, Durant, Westbrook, and Hardin vs the 8 guys who can score on Dallas. There is no question that OKC will be in the finals in the couple of years, once they add a couple more scorers and defenders.