NBA's Top 10 Things We Do Not Want More of in 2011 Season
Over and over and over again. A lot of players saying the same things, a lot of coaches making the exact same mistakes. It is just like a broken accordion playing at the highest volume.
No one wants to hear or see it, but it just stays in the room playing the same sorry song. I found myself turning off the television when Sports Center decided to run a few stories about the National Basketball League and I felt guilty, but then again I did not.
This season is rerunning itself in more ways than one and I hope with the Rookie class coming in, it will prove to be more exciting and unpredictable than what we have witnessed since tip off in October.
10. Stan Van Gundy as the Head Coach of Orlando Magic
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I do not know what it is going to take for the Magic front office to realize that Stan Van Gundy has reached his highest point of elevation with the franchise.
There is no more room for him to grow or to prosper. He is simply there in Orlando waiting for every other team in the Eastern Conference to fall off so that his players can sit at the top position. That should be far from the case when you have Dwight Howard as one of your players.
Van Gundy's comments are getting more and more out of line, and that would be fine and entertaining if the team had not simply leveled off. They do not have the ability to compete against any of the top teams in the East in a series and come out winners. Orlando needs to figure out if it is the composition of talent that is not getting it done, or the plays that the head coach is calling.
They have made every change they could possibly make to the roster and now it is time to make some bigger and better personnel changes, i.e. Van Gundy's has got to go.
I'm not saying that he is not a good coach but his systems just are not slicing the bread in Orlando.
9. Coaches Bashing Other Teams
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No one in this league has the room to talk about how any other team is playing other than Tom Thibodeau, and he seems to be the only one not partaking in the new trend of the season. Maybe if Van Gundy and Phil Jackson take a little note from his book and solely focus on the progression of their own teams, neither would have been banged against the wall for their blah performances.
Jackson's comments about the Miami Heat's playing style right before they beat the Lakers for the second time this season was ill advised and Van Gundy's comments about how Miami drew attention to themselves with the preseason celebration just shows where his attention lies and why his team is down in the dumps. He obviously would like to coach the Big 3 in South Beach. Just a thought. Unfortunately for him, he was exiled long ago by coaching legend Pat Riley.
Jackson also made a little snide remark about how the Dallas Mavericks were playing. This is also a little confusing seeing as how the Mavericks were trumping the Lakers in the Western Conference ranking going into the All Star Break.
8. Boston's Grip on the Eastern Conference
3 of 10I am not fond of things that I can predict. If I know what is going to happen I probably will not watch and that goes for the Boston Celtics' tight grip on the Eastern Conference as well. No one will be able to defeat them in a seven-game series and it is pretty discerning to fans of the other talented teams in the East.
It is not Boston's fault that they spread their offense like a football team in the Superbowl, so no one they play against will be able to defend accurately. However, the rest of the teams in the East, with the exception of the Chicago Bulls, submit to their supremacy instead of trying to challenge it. Miami has yet to beat them or even show signs that they could this season.
7. LeBron James in the Talks for the MVP Award
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Now that LeBron is on a team with a player just as and sometimes more effective than he is, he should not be in the talks for Most Valuable Player. Why not? Because he hasn't been. Plain and simple. He had a great December, let's not forget. However, the MVP award should be given to the player who is most instrumental in his team's success.
The player who needs to be solely responsible for leading the team as they cross the finish line. That is not LeBron in Miami. It may have been James in Cleveland, but it is not the case in South Beach.
Derrick Rose, even Dwight Howard, should be the main candidates considered for the award. LeBron James has accepted the role of the helper. He is one of the best non-point guard passers in the league, maybe better than those who consider that their jobs in the league. He has excepted it and it has proved to work out pretty well for the team.
Last but not least, I do not think a player that should not have the ball in the last seconds of the game to hit the winning shot should be considered the Most Valuable Player of the season.
6. Blake Griffin Dunks...in CLIPPERS LOSSES!
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Let us take one last look at all the videos streaming on Youtube. Soak them in and it is over. I do not want to see more of Blake Griffin's dunks if they are during a loss for the Los Angeles Clippers. I understand we marveled over the rookie's performance after a season long injury last year.
Of course it works in favor of the Clippers because it takes your mind off of numbers like these: 26, 20th, 19th, 85. The Clippers have only won 26 of their 69 games. They are ranked 20th in points allowed and 19th in points per game. LAC let go of one of the best upsides for their franchise, #85 Baron Davis. The trade for Mo Williams seemed like it put the exact same players on the exact same types of teams.
Griffin may be the team's best option for the moment, but if they do not put some adequate talent around him, defensively as well as more paint offense, they will lose him to one of the bigger franchises and will tank like the Sacramento Kings are beginning to.
Article on Blake Griffin http://www.iamnba.com/2011/03/blake-griffin-vs-dwight-howard/
5. Los Angeles Lakers Weird Post Game Comments
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Kobe Bryant is at the head of the mind games that the Lakers try to play with the media but always seem to get bitten back in the press. With all of the controversy surrounding a possible Bynum trade, to sources saying that Ron Artest wanted off the team, they were greeted with many questions that they just did not want to answer. What ever happened to just saying no comment?
Bryant has always been perceived as the bad boy when it comes to press, so it was not out of character that many of his post game and during practice conferences were filled with expletives and head turning to avoid the cameras. Ron Artest being dismissive about their loss and trying his best to drive the unwanted attention to his fellow teammates scent was a little loopy and just outright weird.
Phil Jackson, the outspoken one, joked heavily with reporters while the season of the Lakers went up and down constantly. It was funny how coy he wanted to be regarding his own matters but how loose jawed he was when it came to everyone else's.
4. Dougie Dance before and during the Game
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Before you blame my lack of excitement about the pregame dance made so popular in every sport in America on the fact that I am an old and out of touch woman, I am 21 years old. Therefore, I am very in tune with the things that are circling the world as phenomenons. However, it was done, over done and should be tossed away with the rest of the fads of the nation.
I liked when Wall first hit the home court and made his big Dougie entrance. Now, it is just a little old. Can we find something else to revel over? This is also a distraction for the Washington Wizards. While the entire world is watching him Dougie his way through the season, we forget about that incredibly saddening losing streak on the road the Wizards had. It also takes your attention from their lack of defense and lack of ability to outscore their opponents.
3. Demarcus Cousins Crying over No Calls
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Maybe I should spread that because I am tired of seeing him pout about everything that happens on the court that is not going in the King's direction. He is a great defensive presence and with a little added maturity to his personality could be highly coveted by any team looking to improve their board presence and paint protection. But he is so immature and has such a short temper that no one wants to deal with the woes that come with the pros.
The fight he got into with his own teammate that left him on the ground as the team made a plane trip to their road game, was the icing on the cake. Cousins can be great in the league, and hopefully will be. But, if he does not shape that attitude and stop playing like the league and the players around him owe him something for being good, he will have a problem.
COUSINS YOU ARE IN THE NBA NOW, EVERYONE IS GOOD! (Well, most anyway).
Article About Sacramento Kings Future (http://www.iamnba.com/2011/03/tyreke-evans-and-the-kings-future/)
2. Lamarcus Aldrige Being Overlooked
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LA is one of the best players in the league right now. Why does no one mention his name when talking about the NBA's top 20? Because he does not play for the Lakers, Heat, Magic, Hornets or one of the bigger franchises around with some very flashy players to go with them.
He plays for Portland, and people not paying very close attention to how destructive they can be in the Playoffs will be knocked out early. Lamarcus Aldridge had to deal with so much this season, especially with the temporary removal of Brandon Roy from the court. In Roy's absence, Aldridge took the leadership role with agility and precision.
Andre Miller's presence allows him to focus more on his own offense than trying to control the offense of the rest of the team. He is a big man with a jumper and the tunnel vision to barrel through defenders for the paint points. Starting next season, hopefully, he will be a repeat All Star game participant.
1. Miami Heat Teary-Eyed Press Conferences
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As a Miami Heat fan, I can only hope and wish that next season will be better for South Beach. The runs and streaks are fine but if you end those with four and five games lost, there is a huge problem. The preseason build up for the team was not well warranted. They had not practiced or played a game together and to say that you will win six, maybe even seven NBA Championships while the Celtics and the Lakers are still top contenders is a very gutsy call.
While losses came and went, and came again, we began to see a change in the body language and the voices of the players. They were just a bunch of Debbie Downers. You could not see that same spot of confidence or "We will get it done" anymore. You saw a bunch of talented and defeated players who did not know which way was up or down.
One reason I hated to see it is because I believe their season should have gone better than this. With all the raw and seasoned talent on the team, they should have been able to find their way by now. Another reason is because I hate to see a group of grown men with everything going for them with pouts on their faces and tears in their eyes.
Next season should bring about a stronger mental toughness for the criticism they will continue to receive.
