THE Game turned into THE SHAME–Heat 118 Cavs 90

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The entire NBA world was watching THE Game last night. The fans were great. They cheered their guys and booed with vigor the traitor James. The fans had great and creative signs and despite the national media praying for violence or an act of stupidity by the fans, those that were there did themselves and their city proud.

However, the team that they paid so much to see laid down, rolled over and stuck their feet in the air like a road kill groundhog at the side of the highway. The team and Coach Scott disgraced themselves beyond anything that I could have even believed was possible.

Let me state my bias up front. I have been a Cavs fan since the city was granted a franchise. I was in the old downtown barn the night they beat the Lakers for the first time. When they sold stock to the public, I bought some to support my team. Even through the bad years, and there were a lot of them, I never turned my back on my team. I also never thought they would turn their backs on the fans but that is exactly what they did last night.

The … Read more at FryingPanSports

Niblets for July 2010

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NOTE:  We will finish our question mark review for the NFC South and West Thursday.

Best comment of the month:

teeth whitening gets the comment of the month again. Comment on LeBron is LeGone to Miami I wonder if the incentives in the contracts for the beach boys are going to impose problems during their season? What if one of the players decides to pad their stats instead of playing team ball and set off the egos.

TW, I think we have a new name for the guys in South Beach–the Beach Boys. Well done and thanks for reading our site.

Updates on previous columns:

LeBron, Gilbert, Miami and Cleveland The Heat added F Juwan Howard, Joel Anthony, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jamaal Magloire and rookies Dexter Pittman and Patrick Beverley. Z is nearly useless and was at the end of the bench during the Cavs run in the playoffs last season. Howard is not what he used to be but will help. Magloire gives the heat some physical play inside at C.

The Cavs have done very little to add talent despite owner Gilbert’s statement. The fact is that if the team could not attract a top UFA with LeBron on … Read more at FryingPanSports

LeBron, Gilbert, Miami and Cleveland

LeBron is gone. Gilbert is 100K poorer after being fined by the NBA for his open letter to fans. The Cavs have nothing to show for LeBron leaving except a couple of late 1st and late 2nd round picks. But as always, there is more to the story than has been reported elsewhere.

First we will look at LeBron.

LeBron said that his top priority was winning. The fact is that he realized that he could not do that alone. But he wasn’t alone in the 2009-10 season. He had the best cast he ever enjoyed since turning pro. In addition to the 08-09 team, owner Dan Gilbert brought Shaq and Jamison into town to not only help LeBron but to show him the team would do whatever it could to keep him happy. That was not enough to get past the Celtics in the playoffs.

However, many including owner Gilbert believed that the failure to win against the Celtics was not so much the fault of the supporting cast as it was a failure of LeBron himself. In the three consecutive losses to the Celts, LeBron went 7-22 for 22 points, 3-14 for 15, and 8-21 for 28. That … Read more at FryingPanSports

Sports Buffet for 06/29/10

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NFL

Lions president Tom Lewand was recently charged with DUI. That got him a not so friendly visit with Comm. Goodell this week. While there is no decision yet on punishment for the charge or from the league, the players and NFLPA Ex. Dir. DeMaurice Smith will be watching this case very closely. They will want to see if management is held to the same standard as the players.

UFA RB Brian Westbrook was charged with DUI in February but has been found not guilty.

Bengal RB Cedric Benson is in trouble again. This time he was charged with assault with injury resulting from an altercation at a downtown Austin Texas bar. He reportedly punched a bar employee in the face. He paid his bond but the charge is a class A misdemeanor. It will get him a ticket to meet with Comm. Goodall sometime soon.

Steelers OT Willie Colon’s hurt his Achilles’ tendon and will miss the entire year. He had started 54 straight games. The team is searching for a replacement but the good ones are gone.

NBA

We are getting closer to knowing where the big name UFAs will be going. One thing that looks fairly certain … Read more at FryingPanSports

Previewing the NBA Draft

NBA Draft

This preview will deal with the top 20 picks. Anyone that has watched the NBA draft over the last few years realizes that the last 10 picks in the first round are a crap shoot at best. The analysis here is a combination of what I think the teams will do and what they should do based on their needs.

This year’s draft is deeper than any in the last few years but there is a significant drop off after the 20th player. Look for the bottom 10 to take a lot of foreign players. The top teams in the league are often looking to draft a future player that can develop overseas for a couple of years without costing the team a roster spot or big money. That is particularly true this season because of the potential labor issue coming up in the near future.

  1. Washington

Without doubt, John Wall PG Kentucky will be the choice. Some are saying he is the best player to come out since Kevin Durant. I don’t think so. Durant is a well rounded player that gets rebounds, assists and points. Wall will help a weak O develop some consistency.

  1. Philadelphia

The 76ers … Read more at FryingPanSports

The NBA Playoffs are rounding first and staggering toward second.

By Bill Smith

The first round of the NBA playoffs is complete—FINALLY! At one time the first round of the playoffs was the best of 5. The league decided that didn’t provide enough money so that round was changed to best of 7 like the rest.

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NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference

For a long time, the Western Conference has been dominant. That could be changing soon. The Suns are setting. San Antonio is a shadow of its former greatness. In the East, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, and Atlanta are all on the rise.

8 Detroit vs 1 Cleveland

Fortunately the Cavs were kind to the Pistons. It hurts less when you pull the bandage off quickly. The Cavs sat watching Atlanta and Miami slug it out. The Cavs move on and the Pistons will rebuild. They have been competitive for a long time. That time is over. They need to rebuild or face falling to the top of the draft. I predict ping pong balls in their future.

7 Chicago vs 2 Boston

Of all the series in the first round, this is the only one that we could have enjoyed seeing more games. I’m not sure that either team could … Read more at FryingPanSports