Jock Jerseys’ Flash

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Shaquille O’Neal showcased the new jerseys that Shaq will be wearing this season (open to see photos).  The photos look great and O’Neal will be a very popular jersey this upcoming season.  Coupled w/ LeBron James existing popularity, I would not be terribly surprised to see the Cavaliers lead the league next year in NBA jersey sales.

Shaquille O’Neal Cavaliers Jerseys

For those who would like to remember Shaq by his other NBA stops, see a full listing of all Shaq jerseys here.

Really good mix video for Kobe Bryant/Terminator Salvation.  Voiceover of Christian Bale, featuring highlights of the LA Lakers’ Kobe Bryant. Sweet vid. Shout to @SLAMonline for posting about it 1st.

Shaquille O’Neal, formerly the “Big Cactus” in PHX, has elected to wear a new jersey number (#33) when he plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2009-2010 season.  While the uniform number is unique to Shaq in the NBA, it is actually one of the first numbers that O’Neal has worn, harckening back to his college ball days at LSU.

Joining LeBron James in Cleveland after a mid-week trade from the Phoenix Suns, Shaq is being looked upon as the missing piece in the Cavs run towards an NBA Championship.  Win, and the Cavs may keep James when he becomes a free agent next summer; lose, and they may be looking at no Shaq & no LeBron entering one of the biggest free agent summers in recent memory.

Crazy NBA trades mark this Tuesday of NBA Draft week.  Still 2 days away, but the trades are flying.

Washington Wizards trade Etan Thomas (and 2 others) to Minnesota Timberwolves for Randy Foye, Mike Miller and the 5th overall draft pick.  Washington looks like the easy winner here, while Minnesota looks to be rebuilding from the ground up.  Will be interesting to see how their draft shapes up… could another trade be in the works or do they stay young?  More on this trade

San Antonio Spurs strengthen themselves in tough Western Conference by acquiring SF Richard Jefferson from the Milwaukee Bucks.  Spurs give up Fabricio Oberto (more later), Kurt Thomas and Bruce Bowen.  Spurs make out like bandits, stealing Jefferson for virtually nothing.  Thomas and Bowen are expected to be waived and could be re-signed by the Spurs.  More on this trade; Hollinger suggests Spurs are title contenders

Traded Player’s Bios, Video Highlights & Twitters

Detroit Pistons acquire Fabricio Oberto from the Bucks for Amir Johnson.  Isn’t there like a 30-day waiting period before trading a recently traded player?  Apparently not…

Not sure how the league allows this to happen, but the Spurs are working the system for everything it’s worth.  Trade 3 guys for a pseudo All-Star in Jefferson and then re-sign 2 of the 3 traded players (soon after they’re waived).  Something’s wrong here…  There should be a bigger window (blockage) for player’s re-signing w/ teams that just dropped them.

Draft approaching on Thursday night… scored some Suns Draft Party tickets via Twitter!!!  Looking forward to the experience.

Not sure how long this video has been circulating, but it is hilarious… Allen Iverson “practice” rant autotuned w/ Jim Mora, Dennis Green and the other crazy coach from OK State? (or OR St.)  Didn’t catch Joe Namath (”I wanna kiss you Suzy”) or Terrell Owens on the first go’ round. Good enough to be a real song - kudos to the creator.

Got the vid from my man J.E. Skeets at Ball Don’t Lie.

After a strong victory on Tuesday in Florida (108-104), the Orlando Magic look to even their NBA Finals series w/ the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

The Magic have a couple tricks up their sleeve, including a special weapon, but they may not need them if the Lakers don’t show up and give it their all. In addition, it appears that guard Rafer Alston is over his reduced playing time and Stan Van Gundy has realized that inserting Jameer Nelson so early & heavily in the series was a mistake.

The Magic woke up on offense, setting shooting records left & right in the victory, while the Lakers looked the bit of a tired team, relying on their talent alone to win. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough on Tuesday as the Magic held LA off in the 4th enroute to the victory. Led by Michael Pietrus, the Magic withstood the Lakers comeback attempts numerous times. Pietrus’ defense was also impressive on Kobe Bryant, who appeared visibly worn in the loss.

2009 NBA Finals - Game 3 Highlights, Interviews & Twitter Buzz

Could Bryant’s energy level be an indicator of a problem for the Lakers or do they have enough in the tank to win 4 games against a hungry & young Orlando team? Certainly, LeBron James couldn’t carry the Cavs by himself and likely suffered from such a busy offseason basketball schedule (USA Basketball), but Bryant may suffer the same fate if he is unable to convince his teammates that the NBA Championship is as important to them as it is to him.  Side note.. Speaking of the Cavs, they are reportedly interested in Rasheed Wallace and is Coach of the Year Mike Brown on his way out?

In Orlando, Dwight Howard and Co. hope to serve notice to the Lakers, as they did to Cleveland, that they are a serious contender for the NBA Championship and their presence is fully warranted & deserving of the Lakers’ respect.  A Magic win will turn the series in their favor and set them up to possibly take the series lead on Sunday (again in Orlando).  Btw - the 2-3-2 format is total BS.  The better team deserves the homecourt advantage - not heading home for Game 6 in a possible 3-2 hole (if the home team one each game).

After suffering what was then labeled as a season-ending injury (and surgery) back in February, Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson is reportedly attempting to return to the court in the 2009 NBA Finals.  The return would come about 2 months prematurely according to doctors and others familiar w/ the injury Nelson suffered.  Nelson was selected to the 08-09′ All-Star Game, you might remember (over a certain Cleveland PG), but was unable to participate.

While I personally think that Nelson’s return is a bad idea, I thought I’d list out some of the Pros & Cons of his return (if the Magic allow it at all).

Pros of Jameer Nelson Playing

• Nelson led the Magic in scoring in both victories against the Lakers this season.  He’s obviously a match-up problem for the Lakers front-court, so he would be an asset.
• He may provide a boost of morale at just the right time.
• He helps propel the Magic to their first NBA Championship.

Cons of Jameer Nelson Playing

• The Magic have been rolling along well since beating Boston in Game 7. Adding Nelson to the rotation could disrupt the on-court chemistry and flow that the other players have developed.
• Jameer could still be prone to injury and cause further damage to himself and the team if re-injured.
• NBA players take several weeks, if not months, to get into full basketball playing shape.  Despite Nelson’s recent workouts, it is doubtful that he could contribute more than a few minutes per game.
• Shooting touch comes w/ much repetition and on-court practice.  I expect Nelson to be flat on his shot and struggle if he returns.
• Could not playing Nelson anger superstar & franchise player Dwight Howard?  Is that even a concern at this stage?
• He blows their chance of winning an NBA Championship.
• Offense is one thing, Defense is another.   How would Nelson’s shoulder respond to the demands of the NBA - running through screens, being posted up, etc. ?

What’s your opinion?  Leave a comment.

Anchored by the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight Howard, and runner-up Lebron James, the All-NBA First Team was announced on Wednesday.

The NBA didn’t go all defense, however, as the top 4 scorers in the league all made the first team squad:

• Dwyane Wade - 30.2 ppg
• Lebron James - 28.4
• Kobe Bryant - 26.8
• Dirk Nowitzki - 25.9

Wade was voted into the first team for the 1st time, while Bryant and Nowitzki were both selected their 4th times, respectively.  For James, who was listed on every first team ballot, it is his second appearance on the All-NBA team. Dwight Howard was also nominated for the 2nd consecutive season.

Of the 5 selections, Wade is the only player already eliminated from the 08-09 NBA Playoffs, while Dirk could be joining him as early as tonight (they trail Denver 3-2 in best of 7 series).  Howard, who’s Orlando Magic suffered a devastating loss last night after a horrible 4th quarter, could also be joining Wade on the “I’ve started my summer vacation” list.

(more…)

Huge, huge, huge game winning shot by Glen Davis of the Boston Celtics Sunday night to even the playoff series at 2 games apiece.

Glen Davis Winning Shot - 5/10/09 vs. Orlando Magic

In a game the Celtics appeared to have a leg up throughout, the Magic made a comeback late and even took the lead w/ about 11 seconds left.  The Celtics called timeout and lined up a play for anyone not named Davis.  Unfortunately, the Magic defense was overplaying Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, who all would’ve been a better choice that Glen “Big Baby” Davis.

With about 2 seconds left, Pierce, w/ no clear shot of his own, fed the ball to Davis on the baseline.  Without hesitation, Davis rose and launched about an 18-footer  that swished as time expired… Celtics win, Celtics tie series 2-2.

Clutch shot for a reserve, but give the guy credit for doing his job.  During the interview following the intense playoff game, Glen Davis told David Aldridge that he practices that shot all the time and he was prepared for it.  Aldridge’s leadoff question directly suggested Davis was not an original option the Celtics would’ve normally considered, but Davis took the question in stride and kept his composure.  Can you imagine how Ron Artest would have responded to a similar question?

At only 24 yrs old, Lebron James has already accomplished more than some basketball players could hope for in a lifetime.  NBA Finals appearance - check, best record in the NBA - check, USA gold medal - check, etc.  On Monday, Lebron added to his already impressive basketball legacy by winning the 2008-2009 NBA MVP Award, given to the league’s most valuable player.

James has been the favorite to win the MVP since March, despite strong efforts from Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant  (2007-08 NBA MVP) and Dwyane Wade.  Those four players essentially made up the entire competition for the award.

Fitting in his MVP season, Lebron James is the only player in NBA history to lead his team in the following stats (all in one season): Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals and Blocks.  Think about that for a second… he led his team in EVERY single statistical category, with the exception of perhaps 3-pointers and free throw shooting.  This means Lebron was everywhere - doing everything to help his team win.  Most 24 yr olds are too busy trying to be cool, whereas this kid has the maturity (& swagger) to do it without even trying.  James is an exceptional role model for young athletes and other aspiring NBA players.  He is proof that, if you play hard every minute and you play team oriented ball, you can succeed.

2008-2009 NBA MVP Voting

Lebron James easily won out over fellow players Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.  Receiving over 90% of the first place votes, King James tallied 1,172 total points in the voting.

• Lebron James, 1,172 pts
• Kobe Bryant, 698
• Dwyane Wade, 680
• Dwight Howard, 380
• Chris Paul, 192

Accepting the award in his hometown of Akron, in the area he grew up in, Lebron continued to praise his team and suggest that individual awards come when your team wins.  Making the players around you better and playing hard were the messages highlighted by the much-deserved NBA star.

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So your team just came off of one of the worst seasons in franchise history.  Ticket sales are projected at an all time low for the upcoming season.  The team’s superstars are grumbling and upper management is enforcing strict parking space rules at the practice field.  What can the franchise do? How do they erase the sting of a horrible season in the player’s and fan’s eyes alike?  Simple…You change your logo.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, the Detroit Lions unveiled their super amazing stimulus plan for their follow up to a disastrous 0-16 season and along with overpaying for Matthew Stafford, a quarterback who has never taken an NFL snap, they redesigned their football jerseys and logo.

So this led me to think - what is the actual effectiveness of changing the team’s logo’s, color schemes, and uniforms after a dismal season.

We will take a look at the last 2 uniform changes in each of the 3 major sports, and the impact it had following their prior season.

Major League Baseball

The Team: Tampa Bay Rays

The Year: 2007

The Record: 66-96 (.407)

What they Changed:  The Tampa Bay Devil Rays decided to see if they could get God on their side and removed the word “Devil” from their official name.

The Result: It appears that God was pleased as he beamed down a 97-65 record on them, leading them towards the promised land of the World Series.  They eventually lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, but recorded the highest win total in franchise history.

The Team: Arizona Diamondbacks

The Year: 2006

The Record: 76-86 (.469)

What they Changed:  The D-Backs finally joined the 20^th century and got rid of the Teal and Purple that had been their main color scheme since inception.  They went with what is described as “Sedona” red and black as their main colors.  Even if it didn’t mean more wins on the field, the color change definitely meant that less Diamondback’s fans got beat up for wearing their team’s colors.

The Result:  Diamondbacks fans had something to cheer at as their team went 90-72 and took first place in the National League West.  They swept the Chicago Cubs in the NLDS, but eventually ran into a buzz saw called the Colorado Rockies…who ironically have purple uniforms.

National Basketball Association

The Team: Atlanta Hawks

The Year: 2006-2007

The Record: 30-52 (.366)

What they Changed:  The Atlanta Hawks have had countless uniform changes over the years, but have predominantly displayed a bright red and horrible yellow look prior to their most recent change.  Their new basketball jerseys incorporate Navy Blue, Red, and Silver as well as a more menacing image of a hawk.

The Result:  While not as positive as the changes for the D-Backs and the Rays, Atlanta did improve their record in the 2007-2008 season, squeaking their way in to a playoff berth and promptly getting eliminated by the eventual champion Boston Celtics.

The Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

The Year: 2002-2003

The Record: 17-65 (.207)

What they Changed:  After coming off, arguably one of the worst seasons in the history of organized, professional sports, Cleveland needed a face lift.  They decided to ditch their clip art style basketball logo with a more accurate representation of their mascot.

The Result:  The 2003-2004 season showed almost a complete turnaround for the Cavaliers as they were able to pull out 18 more wins than their previous season.  While we would like to attribute this to their uniform changes, I think that the 2003-2004 season for the Cavs will be remembered more for the addition of Lebron James rather than some much needed color changes.

National Football League

The Team: Atlanta Falcons

The Year: 2002

The Record: 9-6-1

What they Changed:  Despite a very successful season which included a playoff win over the Green Bay Packers before eventually losing to the Super Bowl runner-up Philadelphia Eagles, the Falcons decided to change their logo and represent a fiercer, bolder bird of prey on the side of their helmet.

The Result:  The uniform change turned out to be all for show as the Falcons proceeded to go 5-11 the following year, finishing last in their division.

The Team: Denver Broncos

The Year: 1996

The Record: 13-3

What they Changed:  The Broncos decided to ditch the royal blue and pale orange look for a fiercer, more defiant color scheme of navy blue and dark orange.  Despite, their stellar record in 1996, they felt they needed a little push to get them that playoff win and a uniform change was just the boost they needed.

The Result: It turns out that this insane thinking in the Mile High City turned out to be ok as John Elway and his Broncos eventually won the Super Bowl over the Green Bay Packers, despite finishing with one less win than the previous year.

So what can the Lions hope to expect with this brash new uniform change?  Well, unless Matthew Stafford turns out to be the Lebron James of the NFL, I don’t see this team crawling out of the NFC North Cellar any time soon.

Although not unseen in past 1st round NBA playoff series, a few players and teams this year are scrapping it up a little earlier than might be expected.  Not only are the games pretty physical, but they have also been extremely competitive and entertaining (btw… I know they aren’t as physical as the 80’s).

Most of the action is in the Eastern Conference, where the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls are trying to see if they can go into overtime every game of the series.  The Celtics came in as the favorite (#2 seed), but quickly found out that Derrick Rose & the Bulls are not push-overs.  Boston is lucky to have a series lead right now, especially considering they are missing Kevin Garnett and now Tony AllenLeon Powe.  Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo have played pretty well and they appear to be headed to the 2nd round.  The Bulls still have something to say about that, however, and will attempt to tie the series tonight in Chicago to force a Game 7 match-up.

The Boston-Chicago Game 5 earlier this week featured a questionable hit/slap by Rondo on Brad Miller, which was only called as a 2-shot foul, and likely cost the Bulls the game.  Many are questioning whether or not Rondo should’ve received a flagrant foul - giving the Bulls the free throws and the ball.  Sure, having the ball after Miller missed both FT’s would’ve given them a chance, but Rondo is freakin’ tiny and he “made a basketball move” resulting in no suspension or additional implications.

Further complicating the judgment on the Rondo hit, was Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard receiving a 1-game suspension for elbowing Samuel Dalembert the same night.  Howard deliberately swung the elbow and connected w/ Dalembert’s head, but the refs didn’t see the contact and only assessed Howard a technical foul - he finished the game w/ 24 pts & 24 rbs in the victory.  Had he been ejected from the game, as is standard in that situation, the Philadelphia 76ers may have won the game and gone up in the series.  In addition, Howard would’ve been out of the game and could’ve avoided elbowing his own teammate in the head (Courtney Lee) and losing him for possibly the entire playoffs.

The Miami Heat/Atlanta Hawks series figures to get a bit more testy after Josh Smith missed a showboat thru-the-legs dunk and the Hawks’ announcer dogged on Dwyane Wade.  These two teams have fought hard to be where they’re at, but Atlanta may have given Miami the motivation it needs to come back and win the series (ATL leads 3-2).

The Western Conference, on the other hand, looks tame compared to these playoff series.  The Denver Nuggets blew out the New Orleans Hornets en-route to the 2nd round for the first time in Carmelo Anthony’s young career.  The trade for Chauncey Billups has already proven to be worthwhile in so many ways.  The Lakers handily defeated the Utah Jazz in 5 games, as did the Dallas Mavericks over the Spurs.  The only remaining series is the competitive, back & forth battle between an experienced/defensive-minded Houston Rockets team and the young/upcoming Portland Trail Blazers team.

I am definitely looking forward to the 2nd round of the NBA playoffs - many great match-ups and a definite uptick in intensity across the board.  If you don’t bring your “A” game to the table, you go home… (ala the Hornets).

On Sunday afternoon, the Detroit Pistons got a share of their own medicine - their own “old” medicine at least.  After devouring opponents enroute to 7 straight Eastern Conference Championship games, Detroit got run over by a hungry and determined Cleveland Cavaliers team.  The Cavs, who never felt threatened and really never even looked vulnerable in the 1st round playoff series, swept the Pistons 4-0 and advanced to the 2nd round.

King James Leads by Example

Led by Lebron James, the Cavaliers dominated in virtually every aspect of the game from start-to-finish, aside from one 3rd quarter where they let their guard down for a few minutes.  James leads in playoff scoring at 32 points per game, is pulling down over 11 rebounds and dishing out 7.5 assists per game.  Not quite the triple-double that Celtics guard Rajon Rondo is averaging so far, but outstanding nonetheless.

James hustle and all-out play has been contagious all year, pushing his teammates to match him at every level.  New point guard Mo Williams has excelled and help open up the court for James to get better shots.  Delonte West has played well, as have Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Joe Smith and the Cavs’ other role players.

Pistons Enter Offseason Looking for Answers

For the Pistons, who appeared to “give up” and hand Cleveland the series, Antonio McDyess was arguably their most consistent player.  The same McDyess who has bounced around over the last 10 yrs & played well despite numerous injuries that had his career in question several times.

Richard “Rip” Hamilton played well, but isn’t suited as the #1 scoring option on a team - the defense can key on him too easily and he struggles to perform when that happens. RIP will have to enjoy the offseason and hope that GM Joe Dumars pulls some tricks out of his sleeves this summer to improve the Pistons dreadful fall from grace the past 2 seasons.

Cavaliers To Enjoy Time Off Awaiting Round 2 Opponent

The Cavs earned homecourt throughout the playoffs, have swept their 1st round opponent and are sitting pretty entering Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs.  While their next opponent is still an unknown, Cleveland will be the heavy favorite to win and another sweep is not unlikely.

Cleveland Cavaliers Jerseys & Playoff Apparel

Not a surprise to most NBA followers today, after Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is announced as the Rookie of the Year for the 2008-09 season.  Rose excelled early and late, including a late regular season run and eventual #7 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Derrick Rose seemingly had all the necessary skills to excel in the pro game and he showed no delay in exhibiting them to the Chicago & NBA faithful.  Coming out of Memphis and an NCAA Championship loss to Kansas, Rose was selected with the #1 pick in the NBA Draft in hopes that he would revive basketball in Chicago - make it relevant again.  Not since Michael Jordan last laced up his sneakers for the Bulls have they really had optimism looking forward.  Tyson Chandler was a disappointment, as was Eddy Curry.  Elton Brand was a stud, but didn’t even perform well enough to win the Rookie of the Year outright.

2008-09 Rookie of the Year Voting

Other contenders for this year’s ROY Award included Grizzlies guard OJ Mayo, the Heat’s Michael Beasley, Brook Lopez of the Nets and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook.  The final order, as reported by NBA.com include:

1. Derrick Rose (574 votes)
2. OJ Mayo (246)
3. Brook Lopez (127)
4. Russell Westbrook (73)
5. Eric Gordon (22)
6. Kevin Love (16)
7. Michael Beasley (7)
8. 6 other rookies received at least 1 vote

Derrick Rose is the easy winner this year after leading all rookies in assists and finishing 2nd in scoring.  His maturity and leadership were outstanding, especially considering he was brought into a previously under-achieving situation.

Having stolen Game 1 from the Boston Celtics, Rose’s impact can’t be underestimated and his accomplishments are well deserved.

Derrick Rose Jerseys - Chicago Bulls

Fresh of a demolishing 2008-09 season in the NBA, the awards voters rewarded Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard w/ the league’s Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Starting the season on a mission to dominate the league in both blocks and rebounds, Howard wasted no time setting the tone on both ends.  Keeping up his stats during the season was definitely a challenge, but something Dwight Howard has sought since the summer.  After discussing the game w/ other great centers, Patrick Ewing and Dikembe Mutombo, Howard determined that winning slam dunk titles wasn’t enough to be remembered by.  Not for the league’s “superman”… he wanted awards and domination.

Dwight led the league in both rebounds and blocks - only the 5th player in NBA history to do so.  In the process, he helped his teammates earn a #3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

King James is 2nd? You Must Be Joking

Other notable votes included a (what the eff were they thinking) Lebron James in 2nd place and (deserved) 3rd place for Heat guard Dwyane Wade.  The nomination of James as the 2nd place defender is a joke.  Yes, he played great defense when chasing down opponents, but he’s the “sexy” pick if you will.  TV announcers and other ass-kissers have been touting Lebron for several weeks, despite the fact that he is an average one-on-one defender.  Seriously, they couldn’t find any other players averaging 30 minutes or more that play better defense?  Kobe (barely), Artest, Battier, Paul (can’t believe I’m saying that even), etc.

Coach of the Year Award - Mike Brown

In other NBA news, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown received the Coach of the Year Award for leading the Cavs to the NBA’s best record and homecourt throughout the playoffs.  This award will soon be followed by a MUCH DESERVED MVP trophy for Lebron James - the same Lebron that I just dissed on the Defensive Player voting.  He is a dominate force and his team is the best - that is easily going to earn him the MVP over Bryant, Wade and Howard.

Dwight Howard Jerseys - Orlando Magic