AGING STARS FAIL TO BRING SUCCESS - Shaq too old to bring title to Cavs

Does acquiring an aging star bring success? The Cleveland Cavaliers attempt to find out as they traded for the aging 37 year old Shaquille O'Neal. The Cavs believe that by pairing up young and old, that elusive title will be within their grasps. Cleveland will try and follow in the footsteps of last year's NBA champs, the Boston Celtics. The Celtics used this formula by acquiring 31 year old Kevin Garnett and 32 year old Ray Allen on their way to an NBA title. But the idea of bringing in an experienced star to put a team "over-the-top" has not been very successful. The last team before Boston to win an NBA title by bringing in a veteran star that contributed more than 10 points or 10 rebounds a game and had over 10 years experience was in 1995-96, when the Bulls brought in Dennis Rodman. The Bulls with the help of Rodman''s 14 rebounds a game won their 4th NBA title.

So the Cavs are trying to buck the odds and win with an over the hill Shaq and a young LeBron, but the thing they forget is that the past is the past and Shaq is not the player he once was. He failed to get the Suns into the Finals and he is not getting any younger. The Cavs would have been much better served by bringing in a talented young center and trying to replicate the Lakers dynasty of Kobe and Pao. Shaq at 37 is not the answer to LeBron's prayers.


Top 5 Aging NBA Acquisitions That Won Titles

1. 2007-08 Boston Celtics - Kevin Garnett 31, Ray Allen 32
Garnett was wasting away in Minnesota and Allen was struggling with a bad Seattle team until they were paired in Boston. Granett's 18.8 ppg and 9 rebounds combined with Allen's 17 ppg and 40 percent 3-point shooting brought back the Celtic tradition of an NBA title.

3. 1994-95 Houston Rockets - Clyde Drexler 32
Drexler and Tracy Murray were dealt to the Rockets for Otis Thorpe and European star Marcelo Nicola. This trade united two of the main pieces of "Phi-Slamma-Jamma" and helped the Rockets repeat as champions. Drexler contributed 19 ppg at 32 years of age.

3. 1995-96 Chicago Bulls - Dennis Rodman 34
Dennis's antics in San Antonio were wearing thin and Jordan needed someone to rebound his few misses so these two were a match made in heaven. Rodman, even at 34, brought toughness and rebounded that the bulls lacked. This is the situation that the Cavs are looking to duplicate in trading for Shaq.


4. 1970-71 Milwaukee Bucks - Oscar Robertson 32
Oscar Robertson was traded to the Bucks in 1970 for Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk. What a great move this was, because he was now paired with a young Lew Alcinder. Robertson's 19 points, 8 assists and 5+ rebounds a game made Milwaukee almost unbeatable. They cruised to an NBA title by beating the Baltimore Bullets 4-0 in the finals.


5. 2005-06 Miami Heat - Gary Payton 37, Alonzo Mourning 35
The Heat brought in two aging stars that were role players on a team lead by Dwyane Wade and Shaq. Both Payton and Mourning averaged only about 7 points a game but provided the leadership that Miami needed to win a title.

THE AMAZING TRAVELS OF THE MODERN NBA

As I surfed the web the other day, I came across the NBA commercial slogan that states: "The NBA: where amazing happens". Now to most that would mean that the players in the NBA are amazing...but I see it a little different. I see it to mean that in today's NBA, its amazing that the refs don't call more travels. It is truly amazing!

The players today are getting away with more and more as the officials turn a blind eye. Yeah, the NBA players are amazing...amazing at fooling everyone that they really made that drive through the lane without traveling. The refs are looking the other way as players like LeBron and Wade are "crab dribbling" their way to the hoop. 2 steps have now become 3 and 4 steps, making every move truly amazing. The fundamentals of the old school player has disappeared and in its place we now seen an extra step or two. Imagine what Magic, Dr. J and Wilt could have done with an extra step or two. Nothing irritates this old school coach more then the breaking of rules to entertain those in the stands.


Top 8 Missed NBA Traveling Calls

1. Cory Maggette - 6-Step Shuffle




2. Dwyane Wade - Spin Move



3. LeBron James - Vs Warriors




4. Lebron James - Crab Dribble (this one gets called but LeBron doesn't agree)



5. Kobe Bryant - Step Thru



6. Chancey Billups - 4 Steps



7. Kevin Garnett - Dunk



8. LeBron James - Again

RICKY RUBIO BRINGS BACK MEMORIES OF THE PISTOL

Does Ricky Rubio remind you of anyone? Does his no-look passes look familiar? Does his stutter step hesitation dribble bring back memories? Even his floppy hair and gangly arms takes me to a time of yest er year. It all looks so familiar. I got it...Ricky Rubio is the modern version of "Pistol" Pete Maravich.

Take a look:

Ricky Rubio



Pistol Pete




The comparisons don't just stop at the highlight reel. For example, Pistol Pete was the Third overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in 1970 NBA Draft (behind Bob Lanier, and Rudy Tomjanovich) and Rubio may just be the 3rd pick in the 2009 draft. Pistol was better in college then in the pros but that shouldn't deter the Thunder from taking Rubio. If Pistol's career is any indication of how well Rubio will do in the NBA then we may be seeing an all-star in our mitts. We will see if Rubio can live up to these numbers:

Pete Maravich's NBA Statistics

2009 NBA CLASS REMINDS OF DRAFTS OF THE PAST

With the NBA finals behind us..congrats to the Lakers, we can now turn our attention to a draft that should be interesting. Interesting in the fact that it just might be one of the worst draft classes ever. If the top 3 players taken in a draft are any indication of the success of the class, then 2009 will be one for the ages.

Let us analyze the most likely top 3 picks with similar players from the past (we will use only players taken in the top 5 picks and I have also included a scouting report on each 2009 player to help with the comparison):

Blake Griffen C-F 6'10 251 lbs Scouting Report
Low End
2000 Michael Fizer 6'9 - 4th pick in the draft, Fizer was a 20 point scorer in college but ALL of the offense was run through him. Very physical but needed a lot of work on his face to the basket game. Good rebounder but needed a slow down game to be effective. Fizer played just 6 seasons in the NBA, averaging only 9 points 4 rebounds a game.

1989 J.R Reid 6'9 - As the 5th pick in the draft out of North Carolina, Reid had high expectations placed on him which he never lived up to. He was a banger who could finish around the rim but he just didn't pan out in the NBA. His 8.5 career average was just good enough to keep him bouncing around the league.

High End
1988 Charles Smith 6'10 - Charles had some very productive years early in his career averaging over 20 points one season. But it soon caught up with him and his scoring and rebounding dropped off dramatically (Ewing had some to do with this). He would finish his career as a 14 and 6 guy. This would be the best case scenario for Griffen.

Prediction for Griffen: 13 points 8 rebounds 0 all-star games


Hasheem Thabeet C 7'3 265 lbs Scouting Report
Low End
1998 Michael Olawokandi 7'0 - One of the biggest busts of all-time. This project could block shots and was much better on the defensive end then scoring. He was young and raw when he came into the league and just didn't produce. His best year was 2002 where he averaged 12 points 9 rebounds and 2 blocks a game. He was a stretch pick at number one and never made an impact in the league.

High End
1985 Benoit Benjamin 7'0 - Another huge bust. Seven footers that are not drafted first just don't pan out very often and Benoit was no exception. He was a quality shot blocker but his attitude and work ethic were brought into question (not saying that Thabeet has either of these). Benoit was able to stay in the league 15 years, averaging only 11 points a game, as everyone is willing to give a large 7'0 center a chance.

Prediction for Thabeet: 9 points 6 rebounds 2 blocks 0 all-star games


James Harden G-F 6'5 218 lbs Scouting Report
Low End
1987 Dennis Hopson 6'5 - Hopson was a total bust. He came out of college as a pure scorer, averaging 29 points a game his senior year. The whole offense was patterned to get him shots. When he was drafted 4th in the draft, expectations were high that he would continue to be the scorer he was in college. Off court troubles led to only 5 years in the NBA where he averaged just 10 points a game and shot only 27 percent from the 3 point line.

1988 Chris Morris 6'8 - Morris never really found a position that fit, was he a guard or a forward? He could shoot it from the 3 point line but also had the ability to slash to the hole. He averaged 11 points a game for his career but never made an all-star team.

High End
1991 Billy Owens 6'8 - A little bit taller than Harden, Owens could score and had good handles like Harden. He was a crafty passer who was said to be the next "Magic Johnson". Owens never lived up to the hype and had a solid NBA career. Owens never made an all-star game and played in the NBA for 10 years but on 7 different teams.

Prediction for Harden: 14 points 5 rebounds 1 all-star game

The 2009 top 3 may have solid NBA careers but this class may also be one of the worst ever (at least the first 3 picks). You will not find a true superstar amongst them but I guess time will tell.


Top 5 Worst Draft Classes

1. 2000 Draft: Kenyon Martin, Stromile Swift, Darius Miles, Marcus Fizer, Mike Miller

2. 1989 Draft: Pervis Ellison, Danny Ferry, Sean Elliott, Glenn Rice, J.R. Reid

3. 1972 Draft: LaRue Martin, Bob McAdoo, Dwight Davis, Corky Calhoun, Fredie Boyd

4. 1973 Draft: Doug Collins, Jim Brewer, Ernie DiGregorio, Mike Green, Kermit Washington

5. 2006 Draft: Andrea Bargnani, LaMarcus Aldridge, Adam Morrison, Tryus Thomas, Shelden Williams (Bradon Roy at #6 helps this class slightly)

ESPN's ALL-TIME NBA FRANCHISES - A Statistical analysis

If you are a true Retro Sports Talk fan then you will love ESPN's John Hollinger and his All-time NBA Franchise Rankings. Talk about putting in some research, this article takes every NBA franchise and ranks them according to certain factors and accomplishments. He gives points for some factors and takes away points for others. Hollinger is known for his statistical analysis and it shows.

After looking at his rankings I have very few complaints. That being said I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't question some of them.

Here is his top 10 and my analysis:

No. 1: Los Angeles Lakers
The only problem I have with this is the fact that Celtics beat the Lakers so many times. Nine losses in the NBA finals to Boston just doesn't sit well with me. Overall, the Lakers deserve to be tabbed the best NBA franchise in a close decision.

No. 2: Boston Celtics
The Celtics are a close second but I do think Hollinger downplayed the Larry Bird factor. Bird was as good and as popular as any player not named Jordan. I grew up in the Bird/Magic era and that rivalry was as good as it gets. A close second is okay by me.

No. 3: San Antonio Spurs
After my post on Greg Popovich, I would say Hollinger is right on with this ranking. The Spurs were and still are one of the best franchises ever, especially if you include George Gervin and his finger roll.

No. 4: Chicago Bulls
The only reason the Bulls are this high is because of Michael Jordan, so how good is the franchise as a whole? Well, they had the greatest player ever so I think fourth on the list is about right.

No. 5: Phoenix Suns
No titles, that is the key here. Barkley put the Suns on the map and Nash gave them some life but they are the equivalent of the Buffalo Bills. Hollinger gives too much credit to being entertaining (remember this isn't the circus its the NBA). I do not see them this high.

No. 6: Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia could be the most underrated team in the top 10. Moses Malone doesn't get the credit he deserves and not many were more popular than Dr. J. Wilt was the greatest scorer of all-time and scored 100 which should earn the fanchice some extra credit.

No. 7: Utah Jazz
Use to love Stockton and Malone but what have they really done? A couple of title runs but other than that the Jazz are not what I would call a good franchise.

No. 8: Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers sell out games which tells you that they are a franchise that people believe in. Portland has had two major runs at the title in different eras and I don't think it's fair to subtract point for the "Jail Blazer" tab.

No. 9: Indiana Pacers
All you got to say here is ABA and Miller.

No. 10: Houston Rockets
The Rockets are another underrated franchise. From Moses to the "Twin Towers" to Yao, Houston has been consistent and as powerful as many of the teams ranked above them. Their early history sets them back slightly.

The one franchise that Hollinger leaves out of the top 10 is the Detroit Pistons. How in the world can you leave the Pistons off the list? One of the most consistent teams of the 90's and current decade. Also the Sonics deserve more credit.

To see all the rankings click here

My Top 10 All-time NBA Franchises

1. Lakers
2. Celtics
3. Spurs
4. Bulls
5. 76ers
6. Trailblazers
7. Rockets
8. Suns
9. Pistons
10. Sonics (Thunder)

Honorable Mention: Jazz, Pacers

POPOVICH HALL OF FAME? - Pops not a household name

As Phil Jackson sets his sites on another NBA title and a Hall of Fame induction, Greg Popovich goes about his duties getting very little respect. If you asked 100 people on the street what Greg Popovich did for a living, I bet you less than 67 percent (Popovich's win percentage) of the people couldn't tell you. Why is Greg Popovich never mentioned amongst the all-time great coaches? Why is his name not etched in our mind like that of Phil Jackson? Now, he is by no means as great a coach as Jackson but he does deserve as Bill Murray says in Caddyshack, "a little something for the effort". Popovich is as good and has better numbers then many NBA coaches that are currently in the Hall of Fame. His numbers are better than the likes of Pat Riley, Lenny Wilkens, Jack Ramsey, Larry Brown and Jerry Sloan, all Hall of Famers. Let me prove my point:

Argument #1 - Just Win Baby

Popovich has a higher win percentage than all the coaches mentioned above. His .675 is amazing. Larry Brown (.527), Pat Riley (.636), Lenny Wilkens (.536) all pail in comparison. Popovich just wins games. In fact if you throw out the first of his 13 seasons he has never finished lower than 2nd in the division.

Argument #2 - Show Me The Ring

Popovich again outshines the other Hall of Fame coaches. In his 13 year career he has won four NBA titles. In Fact he has won three in a five year span. Compare this to Riley, Wilkens, Brown, Ramsey and Sloan who have only a COMBINED 8 titles in over 100 years of coaching. Give Popovich 10 more years and lets see how many titles he comes up with.

Argument #3 - Win or Go Home

Nothing says good coaching then winning when it counts and Popovich does this with the best of them. 102 playoff wins and a .618 playoff winning percentage is nothing to sneeze at. Hall of Famers Jack Ramsey and Jerry Sloan are both under 50% while Larry Brown (.529) and Pat Riley (.608) still don't top Popovich.

Argument #4 - Loyalty

My favorite player of all-time was the Ice Man (followed closely by David Robinson...he was a fantasy basketball monster), my favorite team was the Spurs so how about some love for my favorite Spurs coach. I have to be loyal to my team and therefore he deserves to be in the Hall.

Now Popovich is not the best coach of all-time nor is he the best active coach but I can tell you that he is the most underrated coach around. Too many of us look at the total number of wins that a coach has to determine his worth. We focus on longevity instead of the actual production. Popovich many not have the total wins but he does deserve serious consideration for the NBA Hall of Fame. So the next time you talk to someone about the NBA don't forget to mention Greg Popovich.


Top 5 Most Underrated NBA Coaches of All-Time

1.Greg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)

2.Billy Cunningham (Philadelphia 76ers)

3. K.C. Jones (Washington, Boston, Seattle)

4. Don Nelson (Millwaukee, Golden State, New York, Dallas)

5. Rudy Tomjanovich (Houston, Los Angeles Lakers

Honorable Mention: Bill Russell, Flip Saunders, George Karl, Stan Van Gundy

REUNITED - coaches and players we want to see together again

My wish list for the summer is for hot weather, a great tan, and the reuniting of Larry Brown and Allen Iverson. Nothing would make me happier then to see those two back together again, bickering and ballin' all the way to the middle of the standings. We all remember Iverson and his idea of practice with Larry Brown.



Wouldn't it be fun to have one more go around. If the summer brings anything hot let it be Iverson, fuming over practice and playing time. Let it be Brown trying to reign in someone that is over the hill and on the downside of his career. Forget the summer movies, they don't have the drama and climax of this classic old school combo.

Top 5 Coaches and Players We Would Love To See Reunited

1. P.J. Carlesimo and Latrell Spreewell
We could make it into a reality TV show in which Spreewell and Carlesimo will live in the same house after practice like they do on the Ultimate Fighter. We know Spreewell could use the money.

2. Andy Reid and Terrell Owens
We could also bring in Donavan McNabb to spice it up a little more.

3. Joe Torre and Alex Rodriguez
We could also have a national book signing.

4. Larry Brown and Allen Iverson
We would definetly have to have a camera at practice.

2. Bobby Knight and Neil Reid, Steve Alford, Kent Harvey and Calbert Cheaney
In order to pick the player to be reunited with Knight for the season we would have to have tryouts and we would invite Charles Barkley.

Honorable Mention: Brad Childress and Brett Farve

HOWARD MAKES ALL-NBA COMMERCIAL TEAM

Dwight Howard has led his team to the NBA finals and is almost unstoppable when he gets in the paint. He has made the All-NBA 1st team, the All-Rookie team, the All-Defensive team and now he is a part of the All-NBA Commercial team. His hilarious ad for Vitamin Water ranks as one of the best NBA commercials ever.

Here is my All-NBA Commercial Team

PG Penny Hardaway (Lil Penny)




SG Michael Jordan (Nike - Lars Blackmon)



SF Charles Barkley (T-Mobile)



PF Dwight Howard (Vitamin Water)



C Yao Ming (Visa)



Honorable Mention: Larry Bird (McDonalds)

Take a look at ESPN's list of the 25 Best Commercials

NOTE TO NBA: Lakers are good for business

One thing NBA history has shown us is that people love to watch the Lakers. It doesn't matter if its the "Showtime" Lakers, the "Shaq" Lakers or the "Kobe" Lakers they all get respect. TV ratings go through the roof when the Lakers take the floor for those final seven games. Maybe its the celebrities or maybe its the style of play, all I know is that the NBA makes out like bandits when the Lakers battle for a title as they will do tonight. Just look at what history has shown us; when the NBA is down bring on the Lakers and all is well:

Example #1: 1980 NBA Finals
Boston plays a mediocre Moses Malone led Houston Rockets team and wins in 6 games. The Nielson TV rating was the lowest since 1976 at 6.7. The Lakers make the 1981 NBA finals and the ratings jump to the highest ever at 13.0. That is whole lot of Laker fans.

Example #2 1990 NBA Finals
The Bad Boy Detroit Pistons beat up on the west coast Portland Trailblazers in 5 games. The Ratings for the finals were 12.3 the lowest since the 1981 Lakers/Sixers final. The Lakers make the finals in 1991 and ratings jump to the 2nd highest ever to that point at 15.8 (The Lakers/Celtics final in 87' was the highest at 15.9). That's a whole lot of Laker fans.

Example #3 2003 NBA Finals
The lowest rated final ever of 6.5 was a match up of the San Antonio Spurs and the New Jersey Nets. The Spurs won in 6 but nobody cared or watched. Then along comes the Lakers in 2004 and guess what the rating jump a who five points to 11.5. That's a whole lot of Laker fans.

Example #4 2007 NBA Finals
Even a LeBron led Cleveland Cavalier team can't stop ratings from tumbling to an all-time low 6.2 rating. People turned to American Idol for their entertainment and the NBA was in dire needs so who do they call...you guessed it the Lakers. In 2008 the Lakers take on the Boston Celtics and ratings go up for the 4th time. The ratings for the 2008 series went from 6.2 to 9.3 and everyone in the NBA was again happy.

If history has shown us anything its that the Lakers are a big draw and with questions about the league's integrity the NBA needs all the help it can get. The NBA isn't about the LeBron's or the Howard's its about the Lakers. So bring on the Lakers to once again save the day and the fan base. If history is any indication of future TV success then I think the NBA is good hands with the Lakers.

TOP 5 BAD BOYS GONE SOFT

They walked the athletic battle field with intensity in their eyes as fear washed over their opponent's faces. These bad boys of sports intimidated their way to stardom. But oh how far we have come, to the day, when these once menacing and scary men are now just soft and mushy entertainers. These 5 men have taken their bad boy image and made it into something unique. From the ballet to the WNBA, these men no longer bring fear into their opponents eyes but instead bring laughter (but make sure you laugh from a reasonable distance away).

The Top 5 Bad Boys Turned Soft

1. Lawrence Taylor (Dancing with the Stars)
Hall of Famer, Lawrence Taylor was one of the greatest defensive players to ever play the game. He changed the linebacker position forever and put fear in the quarterback's eyes. HE BROKE A MAN'S LEG (Joe Theisman's career would never be the same). So what happened Lawrence? Do you really need the money? Why not "Celebrity Survivor" where you go and tackle a bear or eat the bones of a lion? But not this:



2. Rick Mahorn (WNBA - pushing Lisa Leslie)
Once an enforcer on the basketball court, Rick Mahorn brought toughness and muscle to the bad boy Detroit Pistons. No one messed with Isaiah Thomas because Mahorn was his protector. He feared no one...no one until he ran into Lisa Leslie. Come on Rick pick on someone your own size or at least your own gender:



3. Merlin Olsen (Delivery of Flowers Commercial)
Hall of Famer, Olsen was a part of the original "Fearsome Foursome" that terrorized opposing teams. He was 6'5 and intimidating on the field but soon became better known for his soft side. He was a character on Little House on the Prairie and this commercial officially ended his bad boy image:



4. Dennis Rodman (Dressing like a women)
Rodman was arguably the dirtiest and meanest player in the NBA. He kicked a camera man, got into it with Karl Malone and was truly a bad boy until this:

And This:

And This:

And These:

5. George Foreman (Boxer turned cook)

George Foreman pummeled opponents in the ring with his fists on his way winning the heavyweight boxing title and for a short time being known as best fighter in the world. Foreman was not only big but he was also mean. Now, Foreman is better known for his recipes and grilling techniques then his boxing. His famous smile does not intimidate anymore it just makes people hungry. Foreman is a genius for giving up his bad boy persona for an apron.

This Didn't Help Either:

ULTIMATE "INLIER" - Moses Malone

Bill Simmons first coined the term "inliers" is his hilarious article-email exchange with best selling author Malcolm Gladwell called "Curious Guy" (a must read). He called an "inlier" as an athlete that if in another era could have made a huge impact. He tabbed Larry Holmes and Nick Faldo as "inliers" because if they were in another era they may have reached total stardom...like Ali or Palmer. Once I finished reading Simmons three part article, I started to think about "inliers". In fact I have the perfect "inlier"...ME (okay only if I was in an era where short, weak, somewhat athletic guys ruled sports maybe)...no the perfect "inlier" would be MOSES MALONE.
Moses came along in the wrong era. When Malone was at his peak he was in the unfortunate shadow of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon. Moses was stuck behind Jabbar and his showtime Lakers most of his prime years. If you put Moses in the league today everybody would know his name for years to come. If you bring up the topic of great centers of the 80's you automatically get Jabbar and Olajuwon and few would mention Malone. Well lets take a look at his accomplishments during this time period:

1) Between the years of 1978 and 1987, Malone was 1st team or 2nd team All-NBA 8 times (the times he finished 2nd team he was behind Jabbar 3 times and Olajuwon 1 time)

2) He is a career 20 points and 12 rebound guy (Jabbar was 24 ppg and 11 rebounds)

3) He led the league in rebounds 6 times during that period (Jabbar only 1)

4) He won 1 NBA title...against guess who? Jabbar

5) He won the finals MVP against... guess who? Jabbar

6) He led the league in minutes played and free throws made twice each (Jabbar and Olajuwon never did that)

7) In 1981 he was a 30 points and 14 rebound guy.

8) He is in the Hall of Fame (many may not even know that)

Moses Malone was as dominate as any center in the league. The problem was that he didn't win 4 NBA title like Jabbar did in that span nor did he have the "Sky Hook". Jabbar didn't pass the torch to Malone in the late 80's as the best center like you would expect. Instead the claim to the best center went to Olajuwon. Malone was sandwiched between Jabbar and Olajuwon for the best years of his career. Jabbar and Olajowon are on every ones mind when it comes to great centers that played the game while Malone is the forgotten warrior. He is a true "inlier", put him in another era and we may be saying Moses Malone..."you the man".

CLASSIC CHUCK - Where did you go?

Okay I have had it...the ankle injury...is there no way to stop it:

Headline: Ankle injury always a pain for Williams
Headline: Walton out with injured ankle
Headline: Chandler sits out with ankle injury
Headline: Yao Ming's Foot Injury Breaks Houston Rockets'Dream
Headline: Howard leaves playoff game with ankle injury

Nothing worse then watching the star player limp to the bench in a playoff game with an ankle injury. It is painful, humiliting (it doesn't matter how many muscles you have) and ackward (you can't go down gracefully with an ankle injury). Some of the best doctors in the world can't help if you go down with an ankle injury. So what can we do? Well, players could tape up more or wear a clumsy ankle brace but both of those might limit a player's movement. So we need to be proactive. Lets start with the shoe. Get rid of the expensive LeBron IV, Jordan XX3 and Kobe I. Lets go old school and make every player wear the classic:

CHUCK TAYLOR ALL STARS

Back in the day when the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars ruled the basketball world you never heard of an ankle sprain. You never saw Wilt Chamberlain or Dr. J getting ankle injuries. When you wore your Chuck Taylors you could do anything. You could score 100 points and not get hurt, you could dunk from the free throw line and not get hurt. The Chuck Taylors are the answer to our playoff woes. Can you imagine what Dwight Howard would be doing if he sported the black Converse high tops. No more ankle injuries just production with his Chuck Taylors on. Let's rid the NBA of ankle injuries and in the process bring back a classic; the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars.

Top 5 Classic Basketball Shoes

1) Converse Chuck Taylors All-Stars

2) Nike Air Jordan I

3) Nike Air Force I

4) Addias Superstars

5) Reebok Omni Lite Pump

BEST EVER NBA ALL-STAR TEAM - 62' team tops list

The NBA has been voting on an all-star team for over 50 years now. Each team represents the best of the best that year. But which all-star team is the best ever? There have been many talented ones like the 1989 team or the 1997 team but I don't think there is a better group then 1962 all-stars.

This 62' team consisted of:

F: Elgin Baylor
Averaged: 38 ppg/ 18.6 reb/ 4.6 ast

F: Bob Pettit
Averaged: 31 ppg/ 18.7 reb/ 3.7 ast

C: Wilt Chamberlain
Averaged: 50.4 ppg/ 25.7 reb/ 2.4 ast/ ? blks (Blocks Shots were not kept)

G: Oscar Robertson
Averaged: 30 ppg/ 12.5 reb/ 11.4 ast

G: Jerry West
Averaged: 26.9 ppg/ 6.9 reb/ 4.7 ast


Analysis
This team was amazing. Four players on the team averaged more than 30 points a game and four players averaged over 12 rebounds a game. If this team wasn't dominate I don't know what team was. They had the premier point guard in Oscar Robertson. Oscar was Magic Johnson but could score at will. West was the prototype shooting guard who could also pass while Pettit was the enforcer that could put up 20 points and 20 rebounds any night. Now throw in Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain, two of the all time greats and there is no way you stop them. Defensively, Chamberlain's athleticism would make it very difficult for opposing teams to score. This team, like the 89' team has Hall of Famer after Hall of Famer. Is there a better group of NBA all-stars? Check out the list and you tell me:

All-NBA Teams 1950-2009

OLD SCHOOL VS NEW SCHOOL NBA - Does 20 years make a difference?

Last night I played in a high school staff vs student basketball game where 17 old and out of shape men and women beat a group of 7 young varsity basketball players. The youngsters were no match for the physical, fundamental, and team brand of basketball that the old schoolers threw at them. This made me think, Is the old school style of player better than the new school style of player?
So I decided to put it to the test... What if the 1989 old school all stars (20 years ago) had played the new school 2009 all stars? Would the old school physical play and teamwork outshine the new school finesse and selfishness? Would retro short shorts and long socks out play the sagging cutting edge new school style?

Here would be the rosters:

1989 1st team players

G Magic Johnson
G Michael Jordan
F Charles Barkley
F Karl Malone
C Hakeem Olajuwon

2009 1st team players

G Kobe Byrant

G Dywane Wade

F Dirk Nowitzki

F LeBron James

C Dwight Howard

So lets pick some criteria and find out which is better old school or new school:

Criteria
a. Guards
b. Forwards
c. Center
d. Intangibles (championships and pressure)
e. Simulation (I will simulate the games using the what if sim) Click here for WhatIfSports!

GUARDS
Michael Jordan was the best scorer ever to play the game. He could take you off the dribble, he could post you up or he could knock a 3 down in your eye. He rarely missed as evident by his .497 field goal percentage. He also was one of the greatest defenders of all time averaging over 2.3 steals a game in his career.
Magic Johnson would have been a great compliment to Jordan by dishing out assist after assist. Magic averaged over 11 assists a game and blew away the new school players in terms in assist to turnover ratio. He also took good shots averaging an .520 shooting percentage, amazingly high for a guard.
Kobe Byrant and Dwyane Wade can score but they have limitations. With these two on the floor there wouldn't be enough balls to go around. They don't pass like the other two averaging only 4.6 and 5.7 assists a game. These two also don't shoot as well. Neither player tops .483 in career field goal percentage.

Edge: Old School


FORWARDS

This position would be the true inside vs outside match up. LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki represent the new school style forward who plays the perimeter and looks to shoot and slash. They can shoot the 3 which gives them a slight advantage in scoring but they also miss more shots. Both Nowitzki and James average only .477 compared to Malone's amazing .560 field goal percentage and Barkley's respectable .541 percentage. The physical play would not get to James as he is a beast himself but it would get to Nowitzki. Barkley and Malone would have a field day banging him down low. I don't believe James nor Nowitzki could stop Malone or Barkley in the post and if James was off from the outside, which has happened, then it could be long night for the new school forwards.

Edge: Slight Old School


CENTER

This match up is closer then you would think. Hakeem Olajuwon averaged more points than Dwight Howard but did not shoot as well and believe it or not did not rebound as well as Howard over his career. Now I regard Olajuwon as one of the top 5 centers to ever play the game and his "dream shake" was virtually unstoppable but I think Howard could have given him a run for his money. The factor that tip the scale in Olajuwon's favor is the fact that Howard disappears in some games and is not as big an offensive threat as Olajuwon. Both can rebound and both can block shots but if you need a bucket at the end of the game Olajuwon is your choice.

Edge: Old School

INTANGIBLES

Under intangibles is the ability to make teammates better, the ability to win and the ability handle pressure. No one on the rosters won more than Jordan. His 6 championships proves that he is a winner. He made his teammates better and in the process he won playoff games. Magic Johnson with his 5 rings demonstrates that winning is what the old school team did. All but Malone have an NBA title. Now, in all fairness the careers of the new schoolers is not over so we don't know how many they will win over their whole career. Both Nowitzki and Howard have not won an NBA title and Wade will never win another one unless Shaq comes back. So the only way the new schoolers can top the old school players would be if LeBron and Kobe continue their dominance.
Now if you factor in playing under pressure I think the edge has to go to the new schoolers. If I have to choose someone to take a last second shot it would be Jordan but a close 2a and 2b would be Kobe and LeBron. With 2 possible "go-to" guys, I would have to give the nod in playing under pressure to the new schoolers.

Edge: Even

SIMULATION

I will simulate the game of 1989 all stars vs the 2009 allstars this week using the "What If Sports" simulation engine.

I will post the results later in the week. The simulation will play a 7 game series using each players best years. The homecourt will be set to a neutral site.

Edge: TBD

Who do you think would win?

DALY- Reminders of greatness

I am sad to write another post about an all-time great passing away. Chuck Daly will be remembered as a coach with an ability to mold different personalities into champions. His Detroit Piston teams of the 80's and 90's were some of the best ever. Dennis Rodman, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, Vinnie Johnson and others were known for their tenacity and physical play which Daly instilled in each and every one of them. The Pistons were the team you loved to hate but Daly was the coach you just plain loved. Daly was inducted into the Hall of Fame, won an Olympic gold medal and voted one of the top 10 coaches of the century. He will missed by all.

Top 10 NBA Coaches of All-Time

1) Red Auerbach 938 wins 479 losses (.662)


2) Chuck Daly 638 wins 437 losses (.593)


3) Bill Fitch 944 wins 1106 losses (.460)

4) Red Holzman 696 wins 604 losses (.535)

5) Phil Jackson 1026 wins 431 losses (.704)

6) John Kundla 423 wins 302 losses (.583)

7) Don Nelson 1301 wins 996 losses (.566)

8) Jack Ramsay 864 wins 783 losses (.525)

9) Pat Riley 1210 wins 694 losses (.636)

10) Lenny Wilkens 1332 wins 1155 losses (.536)