duncan228
01-23-2010, 10:24 PM
Things can only get better in the second half (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/Things_can_only_get_better_in_the_second_half.html )
Mike Monroe
Examining the biggest stories of the first half of the NBA season is an exercise in negativism.
- Was Gilbert Arenas' lunacy with guns more shocking than the Nets' stunning freefall that threatens to make them the worst team in NBA history?
- Are the Trail Blazers more cursed with bad luck than even the Clippers, whose prize rookie, Blake Griffin, won't suit up for even one game?
- Have the Spurs' offseason moves been more disappointing than the Magic's?
Since Arenas has copped a plea to a felony weapons charge and faces both jail time and further disciplinary action from the commissioner, his fall, and the collateral damage to the Wizards, was the biggest NBA story of the first half.
David Stern reportedly will decide this week on the length of Arenas' suspension. Anything short of the remainder of this season will be a shock. With the Commish still playing Whack-A-Mole with disgraced referee Tim Donaghy, Arenas' indiscretion with guns has further tarnished the image Stern so greatly values. He won't let it pass lightly, and a suspension that carries into next season won't be a total surprise.
It's never good when a team becomes a laughingstock, and that is what has happened to the Nets, whose fans now wear paper bags to games to hide their identities.
New Jersey ownership-management tore a solid core apart so it could be the biggest spender in the talent-rich free agent market this summer, so the Nets are getting what they deserve. But president of basketball operations Rod Thorn, one of the smartest guys in the league, and GM Kiki Vandeweghe could not have anticipated a first-half record that projects to 6-76.
The real question for the Nets has become: Can they match the three victories in the second half of the season they got in the first? And if they don't? Then it won't matter how many millions they offer free agents this summer. No superstar will listen.
The injury woes that have befallen the Trail Blazers this season can't really be considered a negative story because the remaining Blazers have overachieved and kept themselves in the Western Conference playoff chase. On the other hand, the fact the Clippers will have lost Griffin, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2009 draft, for the entire season is seen in some quarters as the continuation of a curse.
The Spurs and Magic were fourth in their respective conferences on Saturday morning, but fans of both teams are aghast about where they stand.
Former Nets Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson, acquired last summer by the would-be title contenders, are neck-and-neck when it comes to most disappointing offseason pickups. Team chemistry seems to be an issue in both locales for teams paying major luxury-tax dollars for the privilege of underachieving.
*********************
Not all doom and gloom in NBA (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Not_all_doom_and_gloom_in_NBA.html)
Mike Monroe
Not everything was negative about the first half of the NBA season.
It only seemed that way in places like New Jersey, Washington and San Antonio.
In other locales, the season has been entirely upbeat.
In Oklahoma City, the Thunder already have surpassed their 2008-09 win total and threaten to crack the playoff field in the super-tough Western Conference. Kevin Durant ranks third in the league in scoring, trailing only Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. Durant is a certain addition to the West All-Star lineup and is apt to receive some MVP votes.
In Memphis, Tenn., where the Grizzlies defeated the Thunder on Friday night, it’s hard to say the locals have embraced the team, since only 12,948 turned out to watch the Grizzlies win their 10th straight at the FedEx Forum. Nevertheless, Memphis’ surge since jettisoning Allen Iverson is a feel-good story in the mid-South.
In Charlotte, N.C., Stephen Jackson has given Bobcats fans reason to believe the glory days of the Larry Johnson-Alonzo Mourning Hornets can be reprised.
Canadians are even upbeat about the prospects of retaining Chris Bosh next summer since the Toronto Raptors have overcome some early woes and look like playoff locks.
Mike Monroe
Examining the biggest stories of the first half of the NBA season is an exercise in negativism.
- Was Gilbert Arenas' lunacy with guns more shocking than the Nets' stunning freefall that threatens to make them the worst team in NBA history?
- Are the Trail Blazers more cursed with bad luck than even the Clippers, whose prize rookie, Blake Griffin, won't suit up for even one game?
- Have the Spurs' offseason moves been more disappointing than the Magic's?
Since Arenas has copped a plea to a felony weapons charge and faces both jail time and further disciplinary action from the commissioner, his fall, and the collateral damage to the Wizards, was the biggest NBA story of the first half.
David Stern reportedly will decide this week on the length of Arenas' suspension. Anything short of the remainder of this season will be a shock. With the Commish still playing Whack-A-Mole with disgraced referee Tim Donaghy, Arenas' indiscretion with guns has further tarnished the image Stern so greatly values. He won't let it pass lightly, and a suspension that carries into next season won't be a total surprise.
It's never good when a team becomes a laughingstock, and that is what has happened to the Nets, whose fans now wear paper bags to games to hide their identities.
New Jersey ownership-management tore a solid core apart so it could be the biggest spender in the talent-rich free agent market this summer, so the Nets are getting what they deserve. But president of basketball operations Rod Thorn, one of the smartest guys in the league, and GM Kiki Vandeweghe could not have anticipated a first-half record that projects to 6-76.
The real question for the Nets has become: Can they match the three victories in the second half of the season they got in the first? And if they don't? Then it won't matter how many millions they offer free agents this summer. No superstar will listen.
The injury woes that have befallen the Trail Blazers this season can't really be considered a negative story because the remaining Blazers have overachieved and kept themselves in the Western Conference playoff chase. On the other hand, the fact the Clippers will have lost Griffin, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2009 draft, for the entire season is seen in some quarters as the continuation of a curse.
The Spurs and Magic were fourth in their respective conferences on Saturday morning, but fans of both teams are aghast about where they stand.
Former Nets Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson, acquired last summer by the would-be title contenders, are neck-and-neck when it comes to most disappointing offseason pickups. Team chemistry seems to be an issue in both locales for teams paying major luxury-tax dollars for the privilege of underachieving.
*********************
Not all doom and gloom in NBA (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Not_all_doom_and_gloom_in_NBA.html)
Mike Monroe
Not everything was negative about the first half of the NBA season.
It only seemed that way in places like New Jersey, Washington and San Antonio.
In other locales, the season has been entirely upbeat.
In Oklahoma City, the Thunder already have surpassed their 2008-09 win total and threaten to crack the playoff field in the super-tough Western Conference. Kevin Durant ranks third in the league in scoring, trailing only Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James. Durant is a certain addition to the West All-Star lineup and is apt to receive some MVP votes.
In Memphis, Tenn., where the Grizzlies defeated the Thunder on Friday night, it’s hard to say the locals have embraced the team, since only 12,948 turned out to watch the Grizzlies win their 10th straight at the FedEx Forum. Nevertheless, Memphis’ surge since jettisoning Allen Iverson is a feel-good story in the mid-South.
In Charlotte, N.C., Stephen Jackson has given Bobcats fans reason to believe the glory days of the Larry Johnson-Alonzo Mourning Hornets can be reprised.
Canadians are even upbeat about the prospects of retaining Chris Bosh next summer since the Toronto Raptors have overcome some early woes and look like playoff locks.