Sports Blog

After a nearly five month break in the action, the 2009-10 NBA season is finally upon us as the Boston Celtics head on the road to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first of four games tonight. A lot has happened across the NBA since the Los Angeles Lakers took home the title last season, but one thing remains the same at the start of every season — all 30 teams start with the same record and have aspirations to be world champions.

And what better way to kick off the new season than with some fresh NBA gear and goodies. Whether you are looking to pick up a new jersey from a star that has changed teams (like Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, or Ben Gordon) or want to relive the season through an officially licensed NBA DVD, there are plenty of awesome NBA related items to check out.

Here are a few discounts from the NBA Store to help you get ready for the season:

While today may mark the start of a new season, there are still plenty of reasons to sport a Lakers’ championship t-shirt from last season. This “NBA Exclusive Collection Los Angeles Lakers “Got Rings?” T-Shirt proudly shows off the Lakers 15 championship titles and is currently on sale for $19.99.

Of all players that changed addresses this off-season, Shaq is literally the biggest. Some day he will end up in the hall of fame and be recognized as one of the best big men the game has ever seen, but this season all anybody will care about is whether or not he can help King James bring a title to Cleveland. Whether you are a fan of the Big Aristotle or the Cavs, make sure to grab his jersey while it is still on sale for $44.99.

One of the more memorable NBA stories of the summer was the induction of Michael Jordan into the basketball hall of fame. He is arguably the greatest player in NBA history and provided numerous breathtaking moments for fans throughout the years. Celebrate his greatness with the “NBA Ultimate Jordan: 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition DVD” ( and see how one of the greatest of the past generation stacks up against players from the current one.

Shop for discount NBA gear at Smarter.com.

The first round of the NBA playoffs are barely wrapping up yet rumors are already starting to fly about what players might be switching jerseys this off-season.  With the economy continuing to struggle and the salary cap going down for the first time since its inception, many teams will be looking to get creative when it comes to their roster.

One player possibly heading to a new city is the self proclaimed Most Dominant Ever, aka Shaquille O’Neal.  A lot of people think that his monster contract and diminishing skill set are untradeable, but his resurgent play this year has landed him on a few GM’s radars.  Shaq, through the use of his Twitter account, has made it known he is quite fond of Dallas and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

NBA sources say, however, the most likely destination for the Big Tweep is New Orleans.  Shaq has a large fan base in the south stemming from his days at LSU and the Hornets let it be known they wanted out of Tyson Chandler’s contract when they traded him earlier this year (only to have it fall through due to health reasons).

The trade could work in both teams favors should it happen.  The Hornets would only carry O’Neal on their books for one season and he would bring proven playoff experience to a team that really needs it.  He would also sell a lot of tickets, which makes the deal interesting from a business perspective.  The Phoenix Suns would get younger and more athletic in their front court, and if healthy, Chandler paired with forward Amare Stoudemire would be one of the most tenacious big-duos in the NBA.

What do you think? Is the Big Aristotle worth the big bucks? Or is the big man a big waste of money at this point in his career?

Image Source: FresnoBeach.com

What is going on with the Twitter craze and the NBA!?!?

First Charlie Villanueva did it, then Shaq, then Mark Cuban got FINED for doing it, and now Paul Pierce.

The Boston Celtics star apparently wrote on his Twitter account to tell fans show up in front of the arena and the first five people to do so, with the secret password, received tickets for the night. And, in unimaginative fashion, the password was “Truth.”

I don’t get what’s so crazy about Twitter. It just lets you know what that person is doing for that very second. Nothing exciting.

Be right back. I have to “Tweet” about writing about Twitter. Life is exciting!

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 Tell us what you’d say

What would you say? Write us your caption and post them in our comments!

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A lot is being made of USA Olympic Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s decision not to play Jason Kidd in the final minutes of a recent exhibition game against Russia.

Kidd was supposed to be a leader of the team, who after suffering crushing defeats in the 2004 Olympics in Athens and not winning a major international tournament since 2000, is clearly in need of something. That something was supposed to be Kidd, whose experience and leadership was supposed to help transform the Redeem Team into something closer to the glory days of the Dream Team.

However, the emergence of Chris Paul and Deron Williams has at the very least made Krzyzewski and company question who will receive the bulk of the minutes and how to best integrate the other two into the lineup. What it got me thinking was who the best point guards in the league are.

So I asked myself if I had to start the next season with any point guard; who would it be? Assuming that it was for one year only and the only goal was to win a NBA championship this year, here is my list for the top four.

4] Steve Nash: Nash is difficult to peg because while he has led one of the most prolific offenses this decade, there are some questions about his defense and age. A couple years ago he would have been a lock to be number one on this list, but at age 34 the decision is complicated.

He was second in assists per game last season and has averaged at least 10 since arriving in Phoenix, but his numbers in Dallas weren’t nearly as strong. This makes one wonder how effective he will be in a more traditional offense, like the one he looks to have next year with Shaq.

3] Tony Parker: It is hard to argue against Parker’s resume. Since being drafted 28^th overall by San Antonio in 2001, Parker has won three NBA championships and was the NBA Finals MVP in 2007. He works the pick and roll as well as anybody in the league and is deadly around the basket.

One could argue that he has the benefit of playing alongside Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, but you don’t see the point guards that play with Yao Ming, Kevin Garnett or Dwight Howard on here.

2] Deron Williams: Williams is in a difficult situation. He plays for a franchise that housed one of the all-time greats in John Stockton and Williams was drafted one spot higher than Chris Paul in 2005. As a result, he will be compared to Paul his entire career, but maybe that isn’t such a bad thing.

He only scored about two points less than Paul a game last season and shot slightly better than Paul from the field and from behind the arc. The greatest thing you can say about Williams at this point: it isn’t crazy to argue that one day he ends up with more hardware on his fingers and in his trophy case than Paul.

1] Chris Paul: Even with the high upside of Williams, in the last year no player in the NBA has had their stock rise higher than Paul. He’s played a huge part in reinvigorating not only the Hornets, but the city of New Orleans.

Paul was the biggest reason the Hornets secured a number two seed in the mighty western conference last year and has turned Tyson Chandler into the player the Chicago Bulls hoped he would be. If that wasn’t amazing enough, among point guards last year Paul was a statistical powerhouse – second in scoring, first in steals and first in assists (on a per/game average).

That’s good enough to be number one on my list – and if Team USA wants to bring home the gold – Krzyzewski better have Paul as first on his.

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While this NBA off-season has lacked household names like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, it has more than made up for its shortage of star power with exciting free agent dramatics.

Baron Davis kicked things off by leaving Golden State to play with his buddy Elton Brand in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for Davis, Brand decided to head to the Eastern Conference and pursue his title dreams with the Philadelphia 76ers.

This left the Clippers with quite a bitter taste in their mouth, but also a lot of cap room. They decided to use part of that cap room Wednesday by trading for veteran big man Marcus Camby. So just how much is the reigning NBA shot block king worth?

As it turns out, he’s not worth a whole lot. Denver traded the defensive guru for what basically amounts to a box of Cracker Jacks. For the rights of Camby’s services, the Clippers only had to give the Nuggets the option of switching second round draft picks in 2010. Go ahead and let that sink in for a moment.

The Nuggets were the eighth seed in the Western Conference last season and atrocious on defense, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense to get rid of their best defensive player. It does provide them with some much needed cap relief, but when that comes at the expense of a playoff berth, I’m not sure it’s worth it.

Although the Camby deal is hard to stomach, it’s not even the worst trade involving a Los Angeles team in recent history. Here are three recent trades that made the Camby-for-a-swap-of-draft-picks look like a genius move by the Nuggets.

3) The Lakers trading Shaquille O’Neal to the Heat for Brian Grant, Lamar Odom and Caron Butler. Although the Lakers decision makers wouldn’t say it, this trade was more about Kobe and Shaq feuding than anything else. The Lakers are now back in title contention, but Miami won an NBA championship while Kobe and company watched from the comfort of their own homes.

2) The Memphis Grizzlies trading Pau Gasol for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and two first-round draft picks. The Lakers received an all-star caliber big man without giving up any of their top-10 players, and the Grizzlies, well, the Grizzlies got nothing. Brown never lived up to potential and Crittenton is destined to be one of the most dynamic players in the Spanish league. The Lakers, on the other hand, are coming off of a trip to the NBA finals and look to make their way there a few more times in the coming years.

1) The biggest coup in LA history has to be the Hornets giving up Kobe Bryant in exchange for Vlade Divac. Divac was a popular player and solid big man, but Bryant has turned into one of the best players in the history of basketball. Divac will be remembered for teaching American basketball players how to flop while Bryant will be remembered for bringing three (and counting) championships to LA.

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I had completely forgot about the Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant feud that happened four years ago, but with the NBA Finals just over the horizon between their two teams, of course it has to resurface. We need some juicy gossip to stir up the pot a little.

Remember four years ago when the Los Angeles Lakers had traded away Shaquille O’Neal, everyone said Kobe couldn’t win a championship without the big man. Including Mr. Allen himself. Here, let me jar your memory with what Allen said:

“If Kobe doesn’t see he needs two good players to be a legitimate playoff contender or win a championship in about a year or two, he’ll be calling out to (Lakers owner) Jerry Buss that, ‘We need some help in here,’ or, ‘Trade me.’ And we’ll all be saying, ‘I told you so,’ when he says that.”

Trade me? We need some help in here? How could Allen have predicted those very words that had come out of Kobe’s mouth last summer when he demanded a trade?

Is there something supernatural going on in that bald, Yoda like head of Ray Allen? If so, then I think he’ll have a great career after the NBA as a fortune teller at the state fair.

The force is strong in this one.

Source: Boston Herald

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This week in news and sports blogs around the Net:

• Shaq needed a ride to his truck, so this fan gave him a life - InsideHoops
• Steve Lyons asks woman to show him her breasts - Deadspin
• Cincinnati Bengals cut Chris Henry - Fox Sports
  
• LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux rolls with strippers, calls a waiter “Osama” - Larry Brown Sports
• Top 7 - Famous Fast Starters in Baseball - Joes Sports Fan
• Brett Favre is not coming out of retirement - Sports Illustrated
• Cleveland Browns cornerback Kenny Wrights tries to run from cops. Gets busted - Sports By Brooks

And in Smarter Sports we talked about:

• Inmates Number One Through Six, Please Turn to Your Right
• Final Four to Feature All Number One Teams for First Time
• Alex Rodriguez Trade to the Yomiuri Giants in Japan
• Dustin Carter Wrestles with No Arms or Legs
• Chris Henry Arrested Again. Charged with Assault
  

This week in news and sports blogs around the Net:

• DeAngelo Hall traded to the Raiders. Signs $70 million deal - Sports Illustrated
• Top 7 - Fringe Cartoon Villians -Joe Sports Fan
• Forget the NCAA Tournament. NBA.com has the NBA dance team bracket - NBA.com
• David Beckham to become an MLS owner - The Sports Biz
• Kaz Matsui’s butt hurts - The Sports Hernia
• The Miami Heat are at least doing something right this season - SVP Style
• College World Series MVP Jorge Reyes arrested for unlawful use of firearm - Sports by Brooks

And in Smarter Sports we talked about:

• “And now, the flying crane”
• Who Needs Moses to Part the Sea When You Have Shaq
• Billy Donovan Bans Florida Gators from Practice Facility
  
• Houston Rockets Winning Streak Ends at 22 Games
• NCAA Tournament Begins Today!
  

Coaches always tell their bench players to be ready and stay focused. Their number can be called upon at any time.

And in case of the Phoenix Suns, they have to be ready to run for their lives at any given second, without any notice.

Check out how fast these Suns move from their seat when they see the 350-pound Shaquille O’Neal barreling down on them. Talk about some agility.

Source: College Humor