NBA Summer 2016

The Atlanta Hawks signed Dwight Howard. This is huge for the organization. Not only do they upgrade, but they get him to play for his hometown Atlanta. The Hawks have a center in the middle who will maintain a presence, both offensively and defensively, in the middle.

Kevin Durant is being courted by several NBA teams and one only wonders where he’ll go. Will he make Golden State a better offensive team?

Serge Ibaka was traded to the Orlando Magic on Draft Day. It’s clear that Oklahoma City is rebuilding. What happens to Russell Westbrook?

Luol Deng has signed a deal to play for the L.A. Lakers. Puzzling move for the Lakers organization.

 

 

First round exits

The Atlanta Hawks have knocked off the Brooklyn Nets in six games, behind NBA Coach of the Year winner Mike Budenholzer who has effortlessly led these Hawks, who has heard of DeMarre Carroll and Mike Scott and Dennis Schroder, to a winning record. The Chicago Bulls have outlasted these feisty and long-armed Milwaukee Bucks with their size and half court offense with Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. The Bulls have gotten under the Bucks’ skin late in Game 6, and I would expect a rematch between these two teams in the future. The Golden State Warriors dispatch of the New Orleans Pelicans was no contest. The Warriors will host the Memphis Grizzlies who got rid of the Portland Trail Blazers in five games. The Clippers outlasted the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 as they win 111-109 and will face the Houston Rockets in the second round, Kevin McHale’s squad playing outstanding with the play of James Harden and Dwight Howard were too much for the older, aging Dirk Nowitzki and these Dallas Mavericks.

Houston Rockets eliminate the Dallas Mavericks from the NBA Playoffs

Behind James Harden and Dwight Howard, the Rockets have advanced. Harden’s sharp play making skills and perimeter shooting and Howard’s defense and rebounding has helped the Rockets play smart despite losing Patrick Beverly and Donatas Motiejunas to injuries. Expect a stronger opponent in the second round and the Rockets will be tested still without Beverly and Motiejunas. The play of Josh Smith has helped Houston and they will surely need Smith’s intangibles.

Josh Smith traded to Houston from Detroit

Jameer Nelson has been traded from Dallas to Boston where he will play for a rebuilding team there. Josh Smith’s arrival in Houston suggests that he will have a role there alongside James Harden and Dwight Howard. Smith will help the Rockets with rebounding and defense, although Houston will grow to expect him to hoist three pointers every now and then.

More first round NBA Playoffs Recap

The Pacers take Game 2 from the Atlanta Hawks 101-85. They rumbled from the start, and didn’t let up. The Wizards win Game 2 and they have the Chicago Bulls reeling. This is Washington coach Randy Wittman’s first 2-0 series lead and these inexperienced Wizards have gotten Chicago’s number by playing better basketball. Toronto wins Game 2 against Brooklyn and the series is tied 1-1. The Miami Heat turned up the works against the Bobcats to win Game 2 in Miami 101-97 and a reason to add to Miami’s success, they won’t win the NBA Finals. San Antonio or Oklahoma City will win it. I see San Antonio or Oklahoma City winning it, because they don’t lack scoring options and also because the Heat rely on Lebron James and Dwyane Wade bailing them out. The Trail Blazers win Game 2 against Houston and that’s no fact: the Trail Blazers are more talented with Damien Lilliard and LaMarcus Aldridge on paper than with James Harden and Dwight Howard. Blazers head coach Terry Stotts manages a very good ball club, because he knows what to expect out of them. Rockets coach Kevin McHale doesn’t really know what to get out of his two good players in Harden and Howard, because both are young about leading a team. Harden was a role player when he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Howard developed slowly about being a team captain with the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers. Dallas wins Game 2 against San Antonio because they played harder than the Spurs did. It was a surprise, considering they limited Tim Duncan and contested the San Antonio sharpshooters.

November games

This is the start of the NBA season and I have yet to witness, but read about it, Paul George’s basketball brilliance. He continues to expand his perimeter game and he is on the cusp of greatness, the same as Lebron James, and both George and James are continuing to put the hurt on opposing perimeter defenders with their long-range shooting and slashing to the hoop. Houston is 4-1, because of James Harden and new Rocket Dwight Howard’s post interior defense, scoring, and rebounding. It will all depend on Howard’s ability to finish games, because he was unable to help Kobe Bryant finish late in the closing seconds of basketball games when he was with the Lakers. Cleveland is 2-2 and I am keenly interested in how Jarrett Jack mentors the young Cavs in Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. Teams to watch out for as November games continue: the Brooklyn Nets with their starting five of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Brook Lopez, and the Chicago Bulls and their star point guard Derrick Rose plays since his injury, and Phoenix’s Eric Bledsoe, who got off to a fast start having 18 points and 6 assists against Utah on November 1, 26 points and 14 assists against OKC on November 3, and 25 points and 5 assists against New Orleans on November 5.

Recent NBA Updates

The Houston Rockets are experimenting with having Omer Asik and Dwight Howard as their center tandem. That should be an interesting idea, considering that Asik wants to be the starting center and that Howard is a perennial All-Star center. I hope I won’t be seeing them butt heads. I’m also interested in seeing how the Boston Celtics are making Rajon Rondo their star attraction there.

NBA Happenings

Jarrett Jack signed an offer sheet to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler were traded as part of a three-team deal and went to Phoenix. Jared Dudley and J.J. Redick were also part of that deal and were traded to the Clippers. Andre Iguodala signed to played with the Golden State Warriors as Nick Young agreed to join the Los Angeles Lakers. J.J. Hickson signed a three-year deal to join the Denver Nuggets. The San Antonio Spurs reached an agreement to sign Marco Belinelli away from Chicago. The Portland Trail Blazers signed guard Earl Watson. Chauncey Billups is returning back to Detroit. Billups will be mentoring the younger Pistons guards at work. That will be a very good sight to watch. The NBA has had a bunch of signings of rookies joining up to play in the NBA. The Cleveland Cavaliers went and got Andrew Bynum from Philadelphia. The Bucks signed Jeff Teague to a contract and the Detroit Pistons signed Josh Smith and went to get Rasheed Wallace and brought him in as an assistant coach for the Pistons. C.J. Watson signed with the Indiana Pacers and the Pacers brought back David West.  Lots of things happening in the NBA. I just remembered to mention the signings going on right now. I think this fall’s NBA season going to be a very busy time for most of the NBA players.

Dwight Howard to Houston!

Dwight Howard is going to play for the Houston Rockets. Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey is a smart human being who knows how to make business decisions. Trading for James Harden and Jeremy Lin? You’ve got a good backcourt and a versatile small forward in Chandler Parsons. Howard is going to make the Rockets a much better team, because of his low post presence.

NBA round-up

I’ve said it all along. If the New York Knicks agree that there is only one leader and team captain, they will succeed. They will not get far ahead if Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire are co-captains. If Carmelo Anthony is leading New York, then Stoudemire must be following Anthony. I’m not too surprised by what’s going on in the NBA. I like how the Memphis Grizzlies are grinding out victories. There’s nothing easy about victories and the Grizzlies are showing that with their tough-nosed defense and heart and desire. The Lakers are having a tough time and I know why. They need a coach who knows how to play Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard together at the same time. It could be Mike D’Antoni, but he’s not the right fit for them. The best coach is Phil Jackson, because he has coached the best basketball talent the NBA has to offer him.