Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:05 pm
Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:09 pm
KidJustin wrote:cool
Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:19 pm
Mon Sep 19, 2011 3:51 pm
Fri Sep 23, 2011 3:41 pm
Mon Oct 10, 2011 3:45 am
Mon Oct 10, 2011 7:21 pm
Wed Oct 12, 2011 1:34 am
Red Mamba wrote:Man your presentation is sick! Love the graphics! Tough losses here, but 7-5's good for the Sixers.
Thu Oct 13, 2011 8:14 pm
Fri Oct 14, 2011 6:42 am
Fri Oct 14, 2011 4:56 pm
Sat Oct 15, 2011 12:47 am
Sat Oct 15, 2011 9:33 am
Mon Oct 17, 2011 12:07 pm
Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:38 pm
Fri Oct 21, 2011 5:07 pm
Sat Oct 22, 2011 6:07 pm
Orlando Magic Use Amnesty Clause To Cut Arenas: Can They Keep Howard?
Otis Smith should be all smiles today after a small detail in the new CBA may have saved his job and Orlando's future
By Josh Robbins
Orlando Sentinel
1:25 p.m. EDT, February 20th, 2012
The Orlando Magic have cut lose Gilbert Arenas and his supremely bloated contract. The Magic, who were on the hook to pay more than $50 million, were able to obtain an amnesty clause because of another serious knee injury sustained by Gilbert Arenas in their last game. A part of the new CBA was that if a player who eats up more than a quarter of the teams' payroll gets seriously injured, the team has a choice to cut the player without having to be held accountable for the remaining salary due on the contract.
Otis Smith has been waiting for this day ever since making the trade for Arenas back in December 2010. With the Magic gaining nearly $20 million dollars in cap space, they may be able to sway Dwight Howard to stay in Orlando after this season. "They are going to go after Deron Williams or Chris Paul," a front office source said.
With the trade deadline tomorrow it'l be interesting to see if they can work out a deal to acquire Chris Paul and hopefully get Dwight Howard to sign an extension.
jbrobbins@tribune.com. Read his blog at
OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog. Subscribe to our
Orlando Magic newsletter at OrlandoSentinel.com/joinus.
Copyright © 2011, Orlando Sentinel
Win tickets to Cirque du Soleil: Dralion
Sun Oct 23, 2011 11:03 am
Sun Oct 23, 2011 12:23 pm
Tue Oct 25, 2011 8:25 pm
Trade Deadline Passes
Today the trade deadline passed, and while the names weren't exactly the "marquee" names we were expecting, some interesting moves have went down.
If it wasn't apparent before, the new CBA has made way for a lot more parity around the league and in turn no team is seems outright "dominant." With this you have a lot of average middle of the road teams that need that spark or last piece of the puzzle to make their run into the postseason, but this deadline was more about old veteran teams trading players who have been staples of their franchises for years.
Starting yesterday with the Orlando Magic trading for Steve Nash, which officially set the sun on Phoenix' glory years. Today we saw the Spurs continue what they started last offseason when they traded away Tony Parker, today they sent Manu Ginobili to Newark and Brooklyn in a few months.
The Rockets shipped off Luis Scola for youth and athleticism in the form of Josh Smith from the Hawks. And in a quiet an less talked about move the Kings sent John Salmons to the Bobcats. Below we review all of the moves:
Kings Receive
DeSagna Diop
12' 2nd round pick(from Sacramento)
Why the Kings made the move? The Kings had been playing small ball pretty much all year. With coach Paul Westphal playing Glen Davis and JJ Hickson together to give DeMarcus a break the Kings needed to do this move, especially with their glut of guards.
Bobcats Receive
John Salmons
Why the Bobcats made the move? The Cats can use any type of talent they can get at this point and with Chris Paul becoming a free agent this summer a player like John Salmons becomes a lot more appealing added with a Corey Maggette, Tyrus Thomas, Bismack Biyombo, Gerald Henderson, etc.
Magic Receive
Steve Nash
Grant Hill
Why the Magic made the move? Dwight Howard. They have put their eggs in a pretty aged basket, but it remember Nash is just a season removed from a Conference Finals run with a Phoenix team featured no one near Dwight Howard's status. One thing people are also underestimating is Otis Smith shocking turning the Magic back into a contender after the Gilbert Arenas trade. He's grabbed an all-star caliber power forward, all-star point guard, and a lockdown perimeter defender in a matter of months.
Suns Receive
Jameer Nelson
Quentin Richardson
13' 2nd round pick(from Orlando)
Why the Suns made the move? They had to do this for Steve. It was the only right thing to do for all the blood, sweat, and tears he put into that franchise. Nabbing Jameer Nelson wasn't a bad deal for them either.
Nets Receive
Manu Ginobili
Luis Scola
Why the Nets made the move? Deron Williams....should I say more?
Rockets Receive
Josh Smith
12 2nd round pick(from New Jersey)
Why the Rockets made the move? They were going nowhere anytime soon. Combine that with the fact that their older core from just 2 years ago is almost gone Luis was rotting away down in Houston. With a young athletic team an athletic 4 would feel the team out nicely. With a player of Josh Smith's caliber on the market you have to make the deal.
Hawks Receive
Richard Jefferson
Johan Petro
Jordan Farmar
12 1st round pick(from Houston)
12 1st round pick(from San Antonio)
Why the Hawks made the move? The Hawks have said since last year that Al Horford would be best at power forward, but with Josh smith trying to play small forward things just couldn't work. So they get a solid 7 footer, a better fit at the 3 spot, a better backup at point, and they get two 1st round picks in a loaded draft class from two team not planning on going to make the playoffs. Rumblings around the league say they want to go after Andre Drummond out of UCONN.
Spurs Receive
Anthony Morrow
Marvin Williams
Travis Outlaw
12 1st round pick(from New Jersey)
Why the Spurs made the move? It's been pretty evident for years, but it looks like they finally realize it too. Even though the Spurs don't seem to have a plan, we know this franchise, and quietly they have put youth almost three deep at every position around Tim Duncan in the final year of his contract. While rebuilding they are still in the hunt for the playoffs and even picked up a possible lottery pick which could possibly land them their next superstar.
Wed Oct 26, 2011 5:12 pm
Thu Oct 27, 2011 4:11 pm
How We Got Here
Josh Smith completely changed Houston's fortunes and led them on an unbelievable run to the playoffs
This past NBA season has been one of the best seasons ever witnessed. Not because of a certain decision during the offseason or because of ratings going up, but this was the 1st year I can remember in a long while where so many teams had a chance and were so evenly matched. Teams predicted to be dominant and overwhelming favorites were taken down at every turn. And even after one of the most hyped trade deadlines ever not delivering, it was great team orientated moves that actually made more of an impact than any star would have.
One trade in particular though made the most difference, and hat was Houston acquiring Josh Smith. Not only did everyone see how much he had matured, but they also witnessed for the first time his full arsenal and his abilities were on full display. He led the Rockets, along with Kevin Martin, to a 17-3 run to end the season in he playoffs while the Rockets were in 11th place before he arrived.
Of course to accomplish this the Rockets needed monumental collapses by either the Clippers or Nuggets. They got both. Leading to the New Orleans Hornets making the playoffs for one last run in New Orleans.
One of the most notable things about this year was that the teams who played together and practiced during the lockout looked a lot better than teams like Miami, where they were all in different places doing their own thing.
The playoff match-ups make it even better with rematches from last year(OKC-MEM/NOH-LAL). There is also some very surprising 1st round series you'd expect to be Conference Finals or 2nd round games(NYK-ORL/SAC-POR).
This is why this season has been one of the best yet and more is in store with these great playoff series were about to witness. So buckle up, and enjoy the ride.
Thu Oct 27, 2011 7:01 pm
Thu Oct 27, 2011 7:42 pm
Cruzerr wrote:I envy your photoshop skills. Everything is so awesome.
Sun Oct 30, 2011 11:34 am
Playoff Match-ups Preview: Part 1
Last Time They Met: 1st round 1990 NBA playoffs- Chicago wins series 3-1
Chicago enters the NBA playoffs once again the top seed in the East to a lot of peoples' surprise. Led by the leagues' reigning MVP Derrick Rose,
the Bulls look to stop the Bucks and their young point man Brandon Jennings.
This is a match-up of two very balanced teams who both have the youth to compete for years to come. With two of the best centers in the NBA going head-to-head, very deep talented rosters, and underrated coaches, this can be a very entertaining series to watch.
Key Match-up: Derrick Rose vs. Brandon Jennings
Prediction: Chicago wins 4-1
Last time They Met: 1st round 2005 NBA playoffs- Dallas wins series 4-3
Dallas continues their march to repeating as champions as the number one overall seed in the playoffs this year. They will begin their playoff run against one of the biggest surprises of the season, and a team on one of the greatest runs in NBA history, the Houston Rockets.
This is a very intriguing match-up as Dallas has some bad mismatches against this Houston team and has lost both games against them in the regular season. It'll fun watching Josh Smith try to contain Dirk Nowitzki and vice versa.
Key Match-up: Dirk Nowitzki vs. Josh Smith
Prediction: Dallas wins 4-3
Last Time They Met: 1st round 2001 NBA playoffs- Philadelphia wins series 3-1
Probably the biggest of all surprises, the Indiana Pacers enter as the #2 seed out East and will face the up and coming Philadelphia 76ers.
This has to be the single match-up in the 1st round where a upset is clearly the consensus. The Pacers will have trouble guarding the explosive Monta Ellis ,who even though had a sub-par year, can explode at any moment. Also the Pacers have no match-up for rookie forward Quincy Calloway who announced his arrival to the NBA the game before the playoffs began against the Atlanta Hawks. Calloway had one of the most incredible triple doubles and stat lines ever scoring 59 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, handing out 12 assists, picking up 5 steals, and 4 blocks to boot.
Key Match-up: Jrue Holiday vs. Darren Collison
Prediction: Philadelphia wins 4-2
Last time They Met: 1st round 1981 NBA playoffs- Kansas City wins series 2-1
The talented Portland Trailblazers again try to make it out of the 1st round as they take on the hyped, but very talented Sacramento Kings.
Portland, while still relatively young, chances are running out. This team has been declining ever since their first playoff appearance in the Brandon Roy era a few seasons ago. With Roy now a role player due to career altering knee injuries, the Blazers find themselves again in a bad match-up. While the Kings are a 7 seed, they are as talented as a top 4 seed. This can be another upset in the making if Demarcus Cousins, Glen Davis, and JJ Hickson can control the paint from LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden and Marcus Camby.
Key Match-up: Tayshaun Prince vs. Nicolas Batum
Prediction: Portland wins series 4-2