This year’s induction ceremony into the basketball hall of fame included the biggest names in basketball in the modern era. The class included two of the greatest big men of all time in Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon, along with Ewing’s coach, Pat Riley.

Ewing vs. Olajuwon

Surprisingly in their career they were never really compared, probably because one was in the East and the other in the west, but let’s be one of the first to do so. Who’s career was better? Olajuwon averaged 21.8 points a game during his 18 seasons in the NBA compared to Ewing’s 17 points a game during his 17 seasons. All though Ewing was revered as more talented, looking at Olajuwon’s career as a whole shows that he was in fact a better player. Olajuwon holds the NBA record for blocked shots with 3840(amazing number), and most importantly has two NBA titles under his belt. Ewing has 0.

Not the best, but darn near close

Pat Riley and his 5 rings were inducted into the hall of fame this weekend along with Hakeem and Patrick. Riley ranks 3rd all-time in wins and led both the Lakers and Heat to NBA titles. His one blemish on his record was his inability to win a championship with the aforementioned Ewing, John Starks, Charles Oakley, and company. If he picked up a title or two then who knows where he would’ve ranked. Either way his coaching style has emanated throughout the NBA and he has set a style that coaches decades from now will knowingly or even unknowingly replicate.

Does Dickie V deserve to be in this class?

You betcha baby!! Sorry, had to do it. It is true though, Dick Vitale does deserve to be in the hall of fame as his, ahem, unique style brought him fame, fortune, and ultimately respect. He is the voice of college basketball and you can’t make it big in college hoops without your name being yelled out on ESPN followed by an emphatic ‘baby!!’

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Something smells fishy. At least in San Fransisco, where the Warriors are looking deeper into Monta Ellis’s injury that he reported. After one month after signing a huge deal with the Warriors, Ellis revealed that he has an ankle injury that will keep him out for at least three months.

Reports are that the Warriors do not believe the explanation Monta gave his team and that they are launching an investigation into the situation. Maybe this is a bad idea by the Warriors to upset their most valuable asset. Ellis has been the Warriors most integral player and has shown enough promise that last month the Warriors inked him to a long-term deal.

Is this report true? The San Fransisco Chronicle says that they are not investigating and that the medical trainer who was said to look into the injury isn’t even on the same continent. This whole situation seems very confusing.

From what I learned in the past couple of months of wild sports stories, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And, something has to be up. It does seem sketchy that Ellis would conveniently report an injury for the first time after he signed a lucrative contract. Personally I think all off-season injuries should be investigated for the integrity of contracts. These players sign contracts that say you can’t do this or that or the contract will be void if you get hurt. The Warriors has to look at this from a business stand point. If a client doesn’t follow his or her contract properly you don’t look past it and say ‘just don’t do it next time’.

If this situation is under investigation and things come out saying that Ellis lied in any way, he needs to be punished. A precedent needs to be set.

Technorati Tags: Contract Problems, Ellis Ankel Injury, Ellis Ankle Injury, Ellis Ankle Injury Story, Ellis Contract, Ellis Contract Void, Ellis Injury, Ellis Injury Contraversy, Ellis Injury Explanation, Ellis Injury Fake, Ellis Injury Lie, Ellis Injury Real or Fake, Golden State Warriors, Monta Ellis, Monta Ellis Ankle Injury, Monta Ellis Contract Warriors, Monta Ellis Injury, Monta Ellis Injury Problems, NBA Contract Agreements, NBA Players Injury Contract Problems, NBA Season 08-09, San Fransisco, San Fransisco Basketball, San Fransisco Basketball Team, San Fransisco Chronicle, Sean Connolly, Sean Connolly Basketball, Sean Connolly Sports, Sean Connolly Writer, Warriors don't believe Ellis, Warriors Investigate Ellis Injury, Warriors Investigation Ellis Injury

If you forgot how great Michael Jordan is, just watch this video please. He’s at a basketball camp and a kid asks Jordan who would win in a one-on-one game between him and Kobe Bryant. Jordan responds, “in my prime, not even a contest.” It’s Jordan being Jordan.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqlBUj9bFC4&feature=related]

How amazing is that. I know he’s not up against NBA players but it’s obvious that he still has it. You know after that he was thinking…hmmm, maybe my Bobcats need a guard.

I just love how confident he is when he’s playing, there’s no doubt in his mind that he’s going to miss, even with his eyes closed. Earlier this season when Kobe was on a tear, I began to wonder…maybe he is good as Jordan. I’ll tell you this right now, Jordan at 45 years old is better than Kobe is now or will ever be.

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Mike Krzyzewski said it best about developing an Olympic Basketball team…

We’re not ‘selecting a team’, you select people and hope they become a team.

Mike Krzyzewski on the USA Olympic Team

This year, I think everything is falling in place. It seems like there is a completely different demeanor on this Olympic team. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have taken the leadership roles and they have enstilled in this team, and many basketball fans (me being one of them), that USA basketball is going to be on the top podium come Beijing.

LeBron James and Carmello Anthony

An article in Sports Illustrated gave an excellent title to their article on this USA Olympic team that fits so well. “The Redeem Team.” It’s so true. They need to redeem themselves after the pathetic, unenthusiastic basketball they have played in the past decade. Sure Jordan and Magic left huge shoes to fill with the Dream Team, but if players like Carmello Anthony, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant can’t fit in those shoes, I don’t know who will.

This team is the closest to the Dream Team that dominated the 1992 Olympics and they cannot take this for granted. In an interview on the MIke and Mike show on ESPN Radio, Mike Golic asked Kobe Bryant where a Gold Medal from the Olympics would sit on the proverbial trophy case. Bryant said it would sit on top, above the NBA Finals trophy which shows just how important this medal is to him (plus, that trophy case was expecting a Finals MVP this season…). Bryant said there is nothing more rewarding than playing for your country and I hope the rest of this team feels the same way.

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The free agent season has begun. Following an exciting post-season and draft, the NBA has found another way to keep us hooked. In the next couple of weeks there are to be some big names moved around and could possibly shape next year’s championship team. The Celtics made all the right moves during last year’s free agency and ended up taking the title. So, don’t be surprised if a number of teams take a page from their book. Here are some of the big names who could make a move.

Elton Brand

Although his intentions are to re-sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, don’t be surprised to see Elton Brand move. He has yet to be on a successful team and I’m sure he’s more than eager to cement himself as a marquee player. He is unable to do so on the lowly Clippers who will again have no chance next year in the overly competitive West. If the the right offer lands on Brand’s lap, possibly from his old team in the Bulls, or with the Knicks, Pistons, or Rockets who all need a player like Brand, don’t expect him to stay in Los Angeles.

Baron Davis

After the Warriors 06-07 run that included maybe one of the biggest post-season upsets of the Dallas Mavericks, Baron Davis could not find the same chemistry this past season. Davis has had trouble in the past season with Golden State and it seems like he may be headed out of Golden State after opting out of his contract. Davis averaged 21.8 points a game last season and would be extremely valuable to either a East or West Playoff team. The Detroit Pistons have showed interest in Davis in a possible sign and trade which may include stars Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups. This may turn into the biggest trade of the off-season. Also showing interest are the aforementioned Los Angeles Clippers. If Baron Davis signs with the Clippers this may persuade Elton Brand to stay.

Corey Maggette

Elton Brand isn’t the only Clipper on the move. Corey Maggette has also opted out of his contract and will test the open market. Maggette is more likely than Brand to leave the team and could play an integral part in next seasons playoffs. There were rumors swirling last season of a trade of Maggette to the Suns, so don’t be surprised if that deal won’t resurrect itself. Another team showing interest looks to be the Utah Jazz who are one piece away from a championship team.

Wizards Aren’t Letting Agent Zero Turn Into Free Agent Zero

The Washington Wizards are planning to invest over 150 million dollars in both Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison. This seems like to much for a team who keeps getting knocked out of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers. I thought Washington would have to get rid of at least one of the two, but it looks as if the Wizards want to continue with Jamison and Arenas. Personally I would have let Arenas go because he did very little last year and we are still unsure about his knee. Jamison is turning himself into a fantastic player, averaging 20 and 10 last year and is bound to become better.

Here is a list of other notable names that could see themselves in different uniforms next season.

Sam Cassell- Boston Celtics- Unrestricted FA

Eddie House- Boston Celtics- Unrestricted FA

Emeka Okafor- Charlotte Bobcats- Restricted FA

Luol Deng- Chicago Bulls- Restricted FA

Ben Gordon- Chicago Bulls- Restricted FA

Delonte West- Cleveland Cavaliers- Restricted FA

Allen Iverson- Denver Nuggets- Early Termination Option

JR Smith- Denver Nuggets- Restricted FA

Steve Francis- Houston Rockets- Player Option

Jason Williams- Miami Heat- Unrestricted FA

Stephon Marbury- New York Knicks- Early Termination Option

Andre Iguodala- Philadelphia 76ers- Restricted FA

Michael Finley- San Antonio Spurs- Unrestricted FA

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With a 1.7% chance of winning the first selection, the Bulls won the first pick in one of the most talented drafts in a while. The discussion has been, should they take Derrick Rose who is the better player, or Michael Beasley who is the better fit? Rose is destined to be a star while Beasley has all the tools to become as dominant as say Amare Stoudemire. But, which college standout will they choose? Let’s see.

1. CHICAGO BULLS- MICHAEL BEASLEY- Between the better player and the better fit, you have to go with the better fit if you’re the Bulls. The Bulls were lucky enough to get the first pick and they already have a playoff team if not for the mess of a season they had last year. They are short on big men and have been for a while. Beasley will complete this team making the Bulls a legit threat in the East.

2. MIAMI HEAT- DERRICK ROSE- Now there’s no way two teams are going to pass a player this talented up in a row. The Heat will gladly take Derrick Rose in the second pick which will, like the bulls, complete a playoff team. With Dwayne Wade and Shawn Marrion already on the team, one more all-star won’t hurt. If Wade can stay healthy, Rose will work well with him and possibly create a great one-two punch that teams will find hard to deal with. A great pick up for the Heat and I expect a rivalry to develop between the Heat and the Bulls with their picks. This debate of who should go first in the draft will live on throughout both Beasley and Rose’s careers.

3. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES- O.J. MAYO- With all the controversy surrounding O.J. Mayo he was destined to fall further down in the draft but it looks as if the Timberwolves have their man. Mayo is truly talented at 6’5 and has the figure to go inside and shoot the outside shot. The only worry about Mayo is his off-court problems that could hurt the way he plays on the court. Let’s just hope we get to see this kid play basketball without any distractions.

4. SEATTLE SUPERSONICS- JERRYD BAYLESS- To compliment the sensational play of Kevin Durant, expect the Sonics to choose Jerryd Bayless at point guard. Coming from Arizona he should turn out to be a solid NBA player and playing along side Durant won’t hurt a bit. Durant showed last year that he can put up over 20 points a game with no one around him, so expect his numbers to rise significantly along side Bayless.

5. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES- KEVIN LOVE- After trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers last season, the Grizzlies are down on athletic size. Kevin Love fills that void extremely well. He is capable of wearing down defenses and creating an atmosphere that Memphis will love (pun definitely intended). The sad thing though is that the rest of the Grizzlies are not good enough to make him any better. Give Love a couple of seasons before his talent begins to show, either that or another team.

6. NEW YORK KNICKS- BROOK LOPEZ- Oh, the New York Knicks. They have the highest payroll, one of the best coaches in Mike D’Antoni, and the sixth pick in the draft. How could they possibly mess up next season? I’m not sure how they’ll do it this season but a way to prevent it is drafting a big man in Brook Lopez who can actually do something with the basketball other than cry. He is a little undersized at center (7’0 245 lbs.) which could create a problem for the Knicks. But, they’ve needed a big man ever since Patrick Ewing left and maybe Lopez could develop into a player of half of Ewing’s talent and get this team back in the playoffs.

7. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS- RUSSELL WESTBROOK- The Clippers will hopefully have a 100% healthy Elton Brand next season which leaves them wondering, who else do we have? No body really, in order to compete in the West. Russel Westbrook can pass and score and has the tools that NBA teams want. There is a desire in the league now to have a point guard who can score and pass (Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, Steve Nash just to name a few), and Westbrook is what the Clippers need in order to keep up with the competetive West. Either that or they can try and move to the Eastern Conference, where they would probably be a 4th or 5th seed in the playoffs.

8. MILWAUKEE BUCKS- JOE ALEXANDER- You haven’t heard much from the Milwaukee Bucks in the past decade and I don’t think you’ll hear more in the the next. Joe Alexander fills a void in the small forward position but even in the East the Bucks don’t have enough talent to make it. Alexander is a solid player who may find himself lost in this league on the Bucks. Only players with extraordinary talent like Ray Allen can make a name for themselves on the Bucks, and even Allen had to leave in order to be truly appreciated by the rest of the league.

9. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS- ERIC GORDON- I see a lot of upside in these Bobcats. Since forming in 2004 the Bobcats have slowly evolved into a fairly good team. They have significant talent in Emeka Okafor, Adam Morrison, and Jason Richardson. Not only that they are now being coached by one of the greatest coaches in recent years in Larry Brown. If the Bobcats can steal Eric Gordon at number nine, the Bobcats have even more to work with.

10. NEW JERSEY NETS- DANILO GALLINARI- After a disapointing season which included the departure of one of the franchise’s best players Jason Kidd, the Nets have some rebuilding to do. They have a banged up Richard Jefferson, who at times looks like one of the best players in the league, but cannot overcome the injury bug. Vince Carter should be one of the league’s elite, but fails to match the potential he showed in his Toronto Raptor years. Danilo Gallinari will be the first pick from overseas, coming from Italy, and will be expected to come off the bench for Jefferson, and soon replace Jefferson. He is one of the best players in Italy and could possibly translate to the NBA. In a couple of years this could be considered the steal of the draft. Personally though, I think the Nets will need to make a significant trade that will get rid of Jefferson and bring in one or two brand name players in order to fix this once dominant franchise.

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Levels of Defeat in NBA

0-5 Point Loss- Respectable

5-15 Point Loss- Disappointing

15-25 Point Loss- Bad to Awful

25-35 Point Loss- Horrible, New York Knicks Territory

35+ Point Loss- Disgraceful, Team Should Disband and Begin New Careers

The Lakers lossed by 39 points last night in a deciding game in the NBA Finals which means Kobe should be announcing on TNT next season.

How a team can play as poorly as the Lakers did last night is beyond me. The Celtics defense was impenetrable and their offense ran as smoothly and as efficiently as possible and the Los Angeles Kobes, excuse me, Lakers could do absolutely nothing about it. This was by far the most convincing win in NBA Finals history.

As I said in my last post(Pierce May Be Too Strong For A Laker Comeback) Pierce and the Celtics would be too much for the Lakers to handle. No where in that post did I predict a victory of this magnitude though. Every single Laker all the way to upper management should be thoroughly embarrassed. Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar, and the almighty Kobe Bryant sucked. Plain and simple.

It wasn’t the Lakers sucking that lost them this series, but more the Celtics playing their best basketball at the right time. Seeing them go 7 games with the 8th seeded Atlanta Hawks gave me reason to believe they would never make it out of the East. But they persevered and got better as the playoffs went along. I routed for the Lakers this entire playoffs and routed against the Celtics this entire playoffs. Still, I can say that the team that won the title was the best team every night on the floor in this series. The Lakers should be ashamed that they were beaten this badly. Coming into this series they were the better team by far and leaving the series they look as if they shouldn’t have been in the playoffs. Every Laker performance was pathetic.

This beating was highlighted by the great play of the Celtic’s big three. Throughout the year I tried to play down the significance of this three playing together. But now I realize that when they play together, anything is possible (foreshadowing, pay attention). Ray Allen tied an NBA Finals record with 7 three pointers last night. Kevin Garnett fueled the team and ended whatever small hope the Lakers had with his circus shot. A shot in which he stayed in the air for what seemed like an hour, gets fouled and banked the ball off the backboard right before he hits the ground. As soon as he made that shot I knew the Celtics had the championship. No one can come back from a demoralizing shot like that.

And what else can you say about Paul Pierce? He stepped up his defense throughout the entire playoffs and made the best offensive player in the world look like Chris Dudley. He showed the world that Pierce not Kobe is more deserving of Jordan comparisons (but, still don’t even bother comparing him to Jordan, no one will be as good as Michael).

Coming into this series I was all gung-ho on Kobe and the Lakers winning the championship. I was convinced that it was his time to prove that he could be mentioned along with Jordan. I now want to take a moment to publicly apologize to Michael Jordan…Dear Michael, you’re the best and no one, and I mean no one comes close to you. Now, having that said I despise Kobe for what he did in this Finals. He won my heart this season and then broke it in the Finals (Sad, huh?). And I never, ever, no matter what Kobe does for the rest of his career want to hear the words Kobe Bryant in the same sentence as the one Michael Jordan. Jordan would never let his team lose in an NBA Finals, the biggest stage in the world for basketball. Never would you see Michael Jordan on the bench in a deciding game in the NBA Finals with his team down by 40. Never. If anybody even thinks about bringing this argument up again of Kobe being as good as Jordan, all of his or her comments about the sport of basketball should be considered void from thereafter.

Finally I would like to say a little something about Kevin Garnett…I hate him. Throughout this season he has changed my view of him completely. What sealed it was his odd, moronic, disrespectful celebration when he was interviewed after the game. When asked about how he felt, he began weeping like a baby, then filled the air with expletives and began screaming, “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!” at the top of his lungs like a fool(see the foreshadowing from earlier, pretty clever). All I can say thank God for the delay that the ABC network used so that they could prevent his f-bombs from reaching air. Does he not realize that he is idolized by thousands of kids who are watching? Does he have no respect whatsoever? The best part about it was how after he filled the Garden with f-bombs he goes over and shakes Bill Russell’s hand. Russell is one of the most honorable men in basketball who you tried to mirror yourself after throughout the season and you behave like that? You’ll never be one tenth of what Russell was and still is and you don’t even deserve a ring. Honestly, who’s over 7 feet tall and shoots mid-range jumpers all day? Call me bitter but this guy is a disgrace. But, congratulations to Paul Pierce and the rest of the Celtics who actually deserve this. This was the best turn around in sports history and Danny Ainge, Doc Rivers, and company should be proud. As Garnett would say, “ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!” Idiot.

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Paul Pierce looked absolutely unstoppable Sunday night in his team’s loss to the Lakers, so much so that he may have already sealed the fate of Los Angeles. If it wasn’t for his team’s poor 1st quarter performance along with the outrageous amount of foul calls by Dick Bavetta and his crew, Pierce and the Celtics would be celebrating their first championship in 22 years. And without a doubt, Paul Pierce would be the MVP of the NBA Finals.

After the Celtics’ 24 point comeback on Thursday, I began wondering who would be MVP of the Finals for the Celtics. There really was no clear cut winner due to the Celtics’ fantastic all-around team play. Garnett had played alright, Ray Allen has played very well(especially compared to the series against the Pistons), and Paul Pierce has had a solid showing like usual. There were also a couple of long shots in James Posey and Leon Powe if they had another break out game, but overall no real no-doubt choice. But after watching Pierce dominate the Lakers single handedly, Pierce will be that no-doubt choice if the Celtics can prevent a Laker comeback.

It looked as if Pierce was driving against children in Game 5. In a stretch in the 2nd quarter, Pierce scored 11 straight points. Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and even the almighty Kobe Bryant at times could not handle the strength of Paul Pierce driving to the basket. It just looked way too easy for the Celtic guard. Even after he broke down the Laker backcourt, not even the stronger Lamar Odom or Pau Gasol could step up and stop Pierce. It seemed as if every drive by Pierce took on 4 Lakers, and he easily finished every time.

All the hype coming into the series was Kobe taking the torch and becoming Jordan. Kobe hasn’t lived up to the hype, and the only one plaKying Jordanesque is Paul Pierce. Throughout this series, you haven’t seen Kobe drive, dominate the key, and get to the free throw line anything like Pierce.

If Pierce has a game half as dominating as game 5 and the Celtics decide to play before they’re down by double digits, Kobe and the Lakers simply don’t stand a chance. Pierce will be in Celtic lure along with Larry Bird and even Bill Russel for bringing the Celtics back to glory. But hey, I’ve been talking about Kobe all playoffs and I’ll never doubt what Kobe is capable of, so Pierce needs to take care of business tonight because it’s not over ’till the ring’s on the finger.

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Never has Jordan disappointed any of his fans in a Finals game like Kobe did last night. With five minutes to go in the fourth quarter after the Lakers squandered a 24 point lead, the game was tied. The Lakers were shooting just awful, and the game was just begging to be taken over by Kobe. He did not takeover. The Lakers ended up losing in what will go down as the biggest collapse in NBA history.

Everyone calls Kobe Bryant the best “closer” in the game. That superlative deemed untrue last night when Kobe failed to take his team under his wing in the biggest game of his life. Throughout the entire game Kobe was no where to be seen, but players such as Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol were stepping up enough to give the Lakers a 24 point lead. At halftime the Lakers had an 18 point lead and looked to have the game easily in hand. The scariest part was that Kobe hadn’t gotten going yet. He never did either.

Kobe just straight up didn’t play up to his potential. In no way should a player of his status allow his team to give up such a substantial lead in a game of this magnitude. It’s shocking really how he never took over this game. I’ve always seen parrallels in both Jordan and Kobe. The way the shoot, the way they drive, and their desire to take over a game late when their team needs them the most. But after last night’s performance I have to say he is no where near Jordan’s level. This just makes me think that there will never be another player like Jordan, and it’s really disheartening.

Sure Kobe is the scapegoat for this loss. And people can cry and moan that the team around him didn’t help, but whenever Kobe has a great game, no body talks about his teammates then. It’s just Kobe this and Kobe that, so he gets it both ways. But who really has kind of flown under the radar for this loss is Phil Jackson. Now I’ve heard Jeff Van Gundy announcing the game and forever praising how Phil Jackson takes time outs at the perfect time to stop momentum. When ever Van Gundy would say this I always agreed and was shocked at how correct he is. But yesterday, Jackson just wasn’t the coach he used to be. How do you allow the Celtics to come back into the game like that? He took timeouts at the right time but it seemed as if nothing was being done in the timeout to change the forecast of the game and I think Jackson should receive as much or even more blame then Kobe for this loss. Laker fans, Kobe Bryant fans, and NBA fans deserve better and now we might not get to see an epic game 7 that everyone was praying for.

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