Nightmare in Oklahoma

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'It can't be possible.' 'Are you serious?' 'No way!' That was every persons reaction in Thunder nation last night. I am not even a Thunder fan and it was a sad sight to see, but low and behold Russell Westbrook left the game in the second quarter with a broken right hand. The season is slowly looking worst and worst for the Thunder.
The only positive to make of Westbrook's injury is that the upcoming schedule for the Thunder is relatively easy. This means the team might be able to stay a float if they can string a few wins together and stay above the .500 mark until Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant come back. That also means bench players and some younger guys will get more minutes and be able to develop.
The goal for this Thunder team this year will no longer be achieving the top seed in the east. Instead they could be fighting for a playoff berth when March roles around. I say this because I don't know if the team will be able to win games with out Westbrook and even when he comes back they will still be missing last years MVP Kevin Durant.
Everyone thought trading Harden was a mistake a couple of years ago was a mistake, but right now it sure would have helped to have him on the roster. No one can go back in time and change that. For Scott Brooks he knows the challenges this team faces ahead and hopefully he can find a rotation that works and a unit that produces while on the floor together.
Injuries have been a big part of this season so far and we are only 3 days into the season. It is something that no NBA fan likes to see. All I want to see is a season where every major player is healthy because that will be some of the best basketball to watch. I'm going to wish all the injured guys a speedy and successful recovery.

Bold Prediction Time

As we all know the Western conference is much better than the Eastern Conference. Every year it seems as if the last team out of the playoffs deserves an honorable mention. Last year it was the Phoenix Suns. The year before that it was the Utah Jazz. (Wow look at what happen to them!). And even in the lockout shortened season the Houston Rockets missed the playoffs by two games. All these teams had winning records and, aside from the lockout season, the 9th seed in the west would have made the playoffs had they been in the Eastern Conference. With all that said there will be another team that misses the cut again this year that would have been deserving of a playoff spot.

Now let me state that this prediction is made solely by what I see on paper. My prediction is that the Rockets will not make the playoffs this year and here's two reasons why.
Number One: There Division

Anyone who follows basketball knows the toughest division in the NBA is the southwest division. The teams in the division consists of the Spurs, the Mavericks, the Grizzlies, the Pelicans, and of course the Rockets. Now the Rockets have to play 4 games against each of these teams during the season. And every team in the division has gotten better, whether its players returning from injury or the addition of some new players. I like the Spurs because they brought back the same team as last year and that team crushed everyone, but the Mavericks, on there way to the Championship. Speaking of the Mavericks, they have added some more talent to the roster that already had a lot of depth. They stole Chandler Parsons away from the Houston Rockets. They got back Devin Harris healthy. They acquired Jameer Nelson through free agency. They also added Raymond Felton to the roster for even more depth at the guard position. They also brought in veterans Rashard Lewis, Richard Jefferson, and Charlie Villanueva. And they still have Monta Ellis who can still produce on offense. Also in the Rockets division are the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies still have the core of Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley. They also added Vince Carter to the team to stretch the floor and provide a scoring punch. They also have defensive specialists in Tony Allen and Tayshaun Prince. They also have stretch shooters in Quincy Pondexter and Courtney Lee. And the Pelicans are an up and coming young team that will be about .500 or above, but won't make the playoffs. With all that said the Rockets don't have a great roster. They have severely downgraded since last season.
Number 2: The Suns

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The Phoenix Suns should be really excited about this season. I have them being the 8th seed in this years Western Conference and here's why. The Suns have a much easier division than the Rockets. The Suns will finish in third place in the division behind the Clippers and Warriors. The other teams they will have to compete against is Kings and Lakers. I am not high on the Kings this year as I feel they are still in rebuild mode and the Lakers, whether Kobe likes it or not, are in rebuilding mode. Now is the time for the Suns to some noise and if they could trade for one more solid veteran player it would be hard to not put them in the playoffs. I've already talked about they Suns in a previous article and I still think they improved on what they did last year.
It's hard to move any of last years playoff teams out of the top 8, but if one really stood out to me it would be the Houston Rockets. The Rockets can prove me wrong though. I have them missing the playoffs by one game. Now if they made a roster that fits around Dwight Howard very well they could be a contender. Just look at the 09 Magic. I honestly have no idea how that team made it to finals with the talent on the roster, but it worked because they surrounded Howard with the right pieces. Simply put shooters around Howard and they become a contender which seems to be what the Rockets are doing. The question is will this roster be more successful than last year. It's hard to say it will with the departure of Lin and Parsons. Another reason they can prove me wrong is because who would bet against Howard and Harden combo.
This is a bold prediction and I will probably be proved wrong. It's all the matter of opinion. For anyone who watched Grantland's count down last season they had the Suns ranked 30th. The suns almost made the playoffs. Anything is possible in the NBA and injuries and trades change the landscape all the time. 

What Kevin Durant's injury mean for the Thunder

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Kevin Durant going down with an injury means it is time to see what Russell Westbrook is made of. Has always been Kevin Durant's co-star. Durant has always been the number one option and has carried the team multiple times when Westbrook went down with an injury. It is now time to see if Robin can become Batman. Westbrook will be the go to go in the Thunder offense through the first month or so while Durant is side lined. I think this is a great opportunity for Westbrook to silence his critics and show just how great of a player he is.

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Westbrook has always taken a backseat whenever the game was winding down or when ever Durant needed more touches because he was hot or needed to get going. Westbrook has been highly criticized when he looks for his own shots instead of filling to facilitator role. Now is the time for Westbrook to demand the ball and put up as many points as he can. He will no longer be bashed for having 30 or 40 point game.
I am also curious as to what will happen to his assist numbers. Will they drop, increase or stay the same? It is hard to predict because if Westbrook is drawing all the double teams he may be the guy looking for the open man, rather than being the open man. I think this is a huge opportunity for Westbrook to showcase his talents and prove he can lead a team.
It will be hard to watch the Thunder play without their reining MVP. I for one was really looking forward to how Durant was going to play this season after taking the summer off to rest. His team also got better adding some more bench depth and hoping for Reggie Jackson and Steven Adams to improve once again.

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With that said it is also time for Reggie Jackson to show how much his game improved. There will be times when Westbrook will hit the bench and Reggie Jackson will be given the keys to the car. I think this is a great opportunity for Reggie Jackson to show the NBA what he can do.
I think the Thunder have a tough schedule for the first week and a half and then it lightens up for about a week. I think the Thunder will be at or above .500 when Durant returns to the court. Lets hope he is back in time for the Thunders first match up with the new look Cavaliers on December 11. Durant vs. LeBron, Westbrook vs. Irving, Ibaka vs. Love. That should be a great match up.

NBA preseason kicks off with Cavs win over Maccabi

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The NBA preseason is officially underway and fans everywhere are excited. This is the time where people can see what there favorite team might look like in the regular season and also see what bench players will play a huge role.
The Cavaliers played at home against Maccabi Tel-Aviv. This was the first game of the 2014-15 preseason. Fans everywhere were excited to see the new look Cavs. It looked like there might have been more fans at this preseason game then Cavs regular season games last year. LeBron played well scoring 12 point in 20 minutes to go with 4 assists and 4 rebounds. Kevin Love scored 8 points and tallied 11 boards. Kyrie had 16 points, 2 steals and 5 assists. Dion Waiters added 15 points and Tristan Thompson added 14 points and 13 rebounds.
My X factor for the Cavs would be those last two guys I mentioned. Dion Waiters played well yesterday proving he can contribute to the team. I think he will start, but most likely will play more with the second group. This will provide a scoring punch when LeBron, Irving and Love are on the bench. Tristan Thompson could be a big part of the team as he provides great reboinding. He can also score around the basket. It's hard not call the Cavs the favorite after yesterday, then again it was only one game.
I know fans can't wait for the season to tip off October 28th an neither can I. It's going to be an awesome NBA season.

Is this the Greatest Dunk of All Time?

Well since it's Thursday I'm going to do a throw back Thursday piece on, without a doubt, the greatest dunk of all time.
In the 2000 Olympics the Americans were playing the French. On this particular play one of the French players throws a terrible down court pass that gets stolen by Vince Carter. (Who keep in mind is 6'6" and an athletic freak at this time.) Carter takes two dribbles at the French center, Frederick Weis who is 7'2", and takes off. Carter went right up and over Weis for a vicious slam. It was so unreal that it can't even be replicated in video games. The man literally jumped over a 7'2" giant mid game for a dunk. Carter is a human highlight reel and has had so many amazing dunks throughout his career, but this one takes the cake.
As stated in the short documentary Carter had no intention of jumping over or even in Weis. He acknowledged that he was there, but his focus was getting to the rim. Also Weis was drafted by the Knicks, but never saw a game in the NBA. It could possibly have to do with this dunk, but one thing is for sure; Weis will always be remembered for this dunk and for all the wrong reasons. We all thank you Weis for not moving out of the way.

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Knicks will be better than last year

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So it's pretty straight forward that the Knicks will be better than last year. I'm not going to feed around the Bush, the Knicks were a huge disappointment last year. They were expected to be a top three seed last year at the start of the season and they didn't come close. The Knicks failed to make the playoffs even with a superstar like Carmelo Anthony having the best statistical season of his pro career.

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With all that said the Knicks have retooled there roster and there organization. It all last Season when Phil Jackson came in and became president of basketball operations. Phil Jackson then went on a hunt for a new head coach. It was obvious he wanted a former player of his to be on the sideline. He wanted a coach that was already familiar with his triangle offense and could easily teach the players how to run the offense. Jackson first went after Steve Kerr, but Kerr signed with the Warriors. So Jackson decided to go with another former point guard of his, Derrick Fisher. Fisher had just retired as a player, but jumped right into coaching, much like Jason Kidd did last year.
After these moves the Knicks had to focus on retaining small forward Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks offered Anthony a 5 year $124 million dollar contract. That is hard for a player to turn down, especially from the Knicks. Anthony stated he had "unfinished business".
Jackson then made another move trading Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to Dallas for Jose Calderon and Samuel Dalembert. Personally I like the move the Knicks because Calderon would be a better fit for the Knicks on offense. Dalembert can also still be a productive player if he's healthy. Also Dalembert has an expiring contract, so he is only on the books for one season with the Knicks and then they will have a huge salary cap relief.

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Phil Jackson is planning for the future. After this season Iman Shumpert becomes a restricted free agent. The Knicks will evaluate Shumpert's performance this season and then decide whether or not to make him a contract offer. This is so the Knicks avoid giving him a contract extension and he doesn't produce. Even more importantly is the contracts of Amar'e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani expire after this season. That's $34 million dollars that is committed to those two players. Plus the $4 million invested in Samuel Dalembert will come off the cap along with another $3 million for Travis Outlaw. When you add it all up that's $43 million if you count Shumpert' s contract. The Knicks will most likely look to add another star to the team next year or even try to go after Kevin Durant in 2016.
The Knicks will be a playoff team this year, but not a contender by any means. Unfortunately, unless Jackson pulls off a blockbuster trade, the Knicks will have to wait one year to make even more roster improvements.