le basketbawl - Articles - Zimbio

A new hoops blog ready to blaze trails

Mon, 21 Oct 2008 15:38:28 GMT

posted by cuzzy

Now we are a blog that follows the Toronto Raptors but it is still okay to promote other sites for other teams. All of the NBA blogs help each other out and help the overall growth of the community. Today we want to direct your attention to a growing force in the Northwest United States.

There is a new Portland Trail Blazers blog in town and in a few weeks it already looks like a seasoned vet.

The site is called Blaze of Love and is run by a hardcore Blazers fan named Kellex. Many of you already know of Kellex as he runs The Sports Dollar and used to manage Le Basketball. Now it seems he has finally got on board for his true love, the Trail Blazers.

From an amazing header created by GrandmasterB, to a sharp looking theme, this blog has it going on. It helps that the Blazers are one of the “it” teams in the NBA thanks to the mysterious Greg Oden and all of the young stars in Portland.

This blog will be sure to rise just as the Blazers will in the West this season. We look forward to Dec. 7 and Dec. 27 when the Trail Blazers and Raptors meet up. We suspect there will be some kind of blog war going on for those games so stay tuned.

For now head over to Blaze of Love, say hi and add it to your bookmarks. If you like that logo and want to amp up your own site, check out GrandmasterB’s Design Services.

SHAMELESS EVENTS™ /// Lebron James Hosts Cocktail Party at Ralph Lauren Store To Benefit The Lebron James Family Foundation

Wed, 11 Sep 2008 15:36:00 GMT

posted by ShamelessHype

Lebron James and Ralph Lauren co-hosted a cocktail party at the Ralph Lauren store in NYC to benefit The Lebron James Family Foundation and let's just say that a bunch of celebs appeared including Jay-Z, Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd, Vanessa & Angela Simmons, Tyson Beckford, Chris Paul, Cassie, plus many more.

Here are some other photos:

Check out Carmelo Anthony and his stunning lady, La La!

Check out Jason trying to fit in with The Big Bosses!

Aww! Lebron James decides to pose with his fly pregnant girlfriend, Savanna!

Tyson Beckfords posses with the finest sisters in the game, Vanessa and Angela Simmons!

Source: WireImage

Fantasy Keeper League Summary

Sun, 27 Oct 2008 20:00:50 GMT

posted by LestesLegends

Written by Joe Zwierzynski

Draft Recap
To start, the league being drafted is made up of 12 members, head-to-head, with 9 categories (fgm, fg%, ft%, pts, reb, asts, stls, blks, and 3’s). It is a keeper league, where each team can keep 3 guys the following year, with a penalty of having the guy drafted costing a draft pick two rounds ahead the following year. Obviously, this puts a huge bonus on first round picks that will cost a first round pick in subsequent years. The league allows pre-draft trading of picks, which was evident with three major trades prior to the draft.

The draft order was based off of a NFL fantasy contest from the week 6 games.

Prior to the draft, three trades were made in order:

Joe Z. traded the 7th overall pick (7) along with his 13th (151) and 14th (162) round picks for Delon F. and Kevin P.’s 2nd, 3rd, and 5th round picks (20, 29, and 53).

Adam B. traded the 2nd pick overall (2), along with his 13th (146) and 14th (167) round picks for Ryan L.’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4rth round picks (24, 25, 48).

Jason M. traded the 9th overall pick (9), along with his 10th (112) and 14th (160) picks for Marc M’s 3rd, 4rth, and 6th round picks (36, 37, and 61).

Round One
Ryan L. – Lebron James
Ryan L. – Chris Paul
Kevin H. – Kobe Bryant
Nabate I. – Amare Stoudamire
Delon F./ Kevin P. – Dwight Howard
Mike / Ev – Dwyane Wade
Delon F. / Kevin P. – Deron Williams
Chris V. – Dirk Nowitzki
Marc M. – Allen Iverson
Tim C. – Steve Nash
Ian G. – Elton Brand
Marc M. – Joe Johnson

Round One Evaluation
Best Value Pick: Lebron James at one is a no brainer. His free throw percentage woes are lessened in a head to head league, and there is no reason that his numbers won’t go even higher with Mo Williams manning the point and with his continued development.

Worst Value Pick: I have been able to see Allen Iverson in person twice since March, and I am convinced that his age has finally taken a toll on his speed. He’s a great competitor, but drafting him 9th overall assumes the best case scenario with the great warrior, and I just can’t see it happening. I predict a Jason Kidd type decline.

Biggest Question: Even though Kobe Bryant is only 29, he’s logged more NBA minutes than most 29 year olds. Will he keep pace to warrant being the third pick in this draft over Amare Stoudamire, not just this year, but in years to come.

Keeper Thoughts: Ryan L. has a huge keeper start with Lebron James and Chris Paul for the remainder of their careers barring injuries. The remainder of the top 8 should be keeping their people next year also. With Iverson and Nash’s age, they are question marks for keeping next year, while Elton Brand coming off injury and Joe Johnson being a top 12 guy are question marks.

Round Two
Marc M. – Danny Granger
Ian G. – Josh Smith
Tim C. – Kevin Garnett
Jason M. – Baron Davis
Chris V. – Al Jefferson
Joe Z. – Jose Calderon
Mike / Ev – Carmelo Anthony
Joe Z. – Kevin Durant
Nabate I. – Rashard Lewis
Kevin H. – Carlos Boozer
Adam B. – Marcus Camby
Adam B. – Andre Iguodala

Round Two Evaluation
Best Value Pick: Even though I am a Syracuse grad, I can say without bias that Carmelo Anthony will continue to gain fantasy value. His rebounds will go up without Marcus Camby in Denver, and he makes a ton of shots at a growing field goal percentage.

Worst value Pick: I have to question my own love for Kevin Durant. Even though his field goal percentage grew in the second half of the season, he still didn’t provide a ton of rebounds or assists for someone of his skill level. The upside is there, but are the actual fantasy numbers?

Biggest Question: Will Marcus Camby provide numbers next to Chris Kaman at the age of 34 as an LA Clipper? That’s assuming he stays healthy.

Keeper Thoughts: Most of the second round will maintain value next year, although Garnett probably will continue his focus on winning as opposed to fantasy stats. It will be interesting to see if Granger becomes the next Shawn Marion and if Jose Calderon becomes the next Steve Nash.

Round Three
Adam B. – Rudy Gay
Adam B. – Jason Richardson
Kevin H. – Paul Pierce
Nabate I. – Jason Kidd
Joe Z. – Caron Butler
Mike / Ev. – Shawn Marion
Joe Z. – Tim Duncan
Chris V. – Vince Carter
Jason M. – Hedo Turkoglu
Tim C. – Yao Ming
Ian G. – Chris Bosh
Jason M. – Pau Gasol

Round Three Evaluation
Best Value Pick: Tim Duncan. His free throw percentage wasn’t as bad as the past last year, and with Manu Ginobili out, Duncan will put up reliable numbers. Chris Bosh at 35 was a low risk pick also, even though he’ll lose stats to Jermaine O’Neal if healthy.

Worst Value Pick: Hedo Turkoglu. Turkoglu had a great year last year, but its likely that last year was a career year when looking at what he did in Orlando the prior two years. Guys such as Michael Redd and Mike Miller provide similar production with less risk later in the draft. He narrowly edges Jason Kidd who had a huge decline last year, and kills FG% and FGM in this league.

Biggest Questions: How will Shawn Marion be outside of Phoenix with a healthy Dwyane Wade and Michael Beasley stealing fantasy stats. Bill Simmons labeled Yao Ming as Yao Muresan after seeing him this preseason. Will Yao be the top 5 guy that he could be, will he drop, or will he get hurt and miss 25 games as he has the last three years.

Keeper Thoughts: Gay, Butler, Carter, and Bosh should be similar values next year. Yao might have a healthy year and justify his year. Kidd dropped significantly last year, so its hard to see him keeping value. Gasol was a fantasy disappointment last year and if Andrew Bynum is healthy, he should have a hard time maintaining value.

Round Four
Jason M. – Kevin Martin
Ian G. – Chauncey Billups
Tim C. – David West
Jason M. – Antawn Jamison
Chris V. – Brandon Roy
Joe Z. – Mike Miller
Mike / Ev. – Ron Artest
Delon F. / Kevin P. – Peja Stojakovic
Nabate I. – Michael Redd
Kevin H. – Andre Miller
Adam B. – Rasheed Wallace
Adam B. – Gerald Wallace

Round Four Evaluation
Best Value Pick: David West provides value similar to Carlos Boozer almost 20 picks later. He has a reliable point guard and little downside.

Worst Value Pick: Peja Stojakovic gives nothing other than points, 3’s and free throw %. For a team that traded their second, third, and fifth round picks, not getting someone with more than three category value is a mistake. Rasheed Wallace is an equal mistake as he is a center that doesn’t give points or rebounds, and kills FG%.

Biggest Question(s): What is Andre Miller’s value after the Elton Brand acquisition? He provides no 3’s, but does his assists total skyrocket? It is certain that his scoring dips.

Keeper Thoughts: Knowing that keeping a 4th rounder will cost a 2nd rounder next year, there doesn’t appear to be a ton of value here. Kevin Martin and David West should be at similar draft positions next year, and Brandon Roy could move up, but beyond that its difficult to see anyone here being worth keeping as a 2nd rounder unless the owner has 2 out of their first three picks worth keeping.

Round Five
Ryan L. – Al Horford
Adam B. – Lamar Odom
Kevin H. – Greg Oden
Nabate I. – Devin Harris
Joe Z. – Michael Beasley
Mike / Ev. – Michael Dunleavy
Joe Z. – David Lee
Chris V. – Stephen Jackson
Jason M. – Mehmet Okur
Tim C. – Richard Jefferson
Ian G. – Tracy McGrady
Marc M. – Jamal Crawford

Round Five Evaluations
Best Value Pick: Mehmet Okur. After a disappointing season overall last year, Okur dropped some weight and looks to be back to his 2006 self.

Worst Value Pick(s): Lamar Odom. It looks like Odom might not start, and with Gasol, Bynum, and Kobe being the big stat people, Odom will struggle to put up his usual 15/9.

Jamal Crawford kills FG% and is already been criticized by new coach Mike D’Antoni.

Biggest Question(s): Will T-Mac shoot a high enough FG% and stay healthy? If so, he’s a second rounder. If not, he’s a team killer.

Keeper Thoughts: Greg Oden and Michael Beasley should put up great numbers this year. Will they be worth keeping as third rounders next year?

Trade Evaluations
Delon F. / Kevin P. ended up acquiring Deron Williams, Mario Chalmers, and Joe Alexander for Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan, and Michael Beasley from Joe Z. I’ll leave this up for others evaluation since its my trade. I will say that Jason’s trade of the number 9 pick netted much less draft pick value.

Ryan L. ended up acquiring Chris Paul, Nate Robinson, and Darko Milicic for Rudy Gay, Andre Iguodala, and Gerald Wallace. I love Rudy Gay, but Ryan easily wins this trade not only this year, but in years to come as he keeps Chris Paul.

Marc M. ended up acquiring Allen Iverson, Thaddeus Young, and Rudy Fernandez for Paul Gasol, Kevin Martin, and Josh Howard. Even though Jason got worse value for his number nine pick than what was traded for the seven, he clearly dominated this trade due to Marc’s poor drafting. If Marc had drafted Steve Nash, he could have at least dominated a category.

Olympic Basketball: Dwyane Wade’s e-Diary – What It’s Like to Be an Olympian

Mon, 1 Jul 2008 00:32:20 GMT

posted by Paulette

Dwyane Wade will periodically take a behind the scenes look at the U.S. men’s Olympic team from his point-of-view. Here is his first entry.

Monday, June 30:

Welcome to inside the mind of a 2008 Olympian, Dwyane Wade. I’m speaking of myself in third person, but I want to give you guys the inside track about what’s coming up for the team and how we spent our first weekend together in Vegas.

Now as a U.S. Olympian, you have a lot of obligations to be on time - and I was late for the first team meeting. I was 25 minutes late because I overslept. I had to run a little extra for that and I will make sure I’m on time from now on.

We have a team photo shoot Monday in New York and we did some kind of movie shoot in Vegas where we had to take it back to the early 70s with the poses we did. LeBron (James) was joking the whole time. We couldn’t even stand in a straight line because LeBron was joking, Carmelo (Anthony) was joking and even Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) cracked a couple of jokes. Overall it was lighthearted day, though our first two-hour practice was a good one Saturday.

My knee is feeling good. I went through my first day with the team and did everything everyone else did at practice. I worked hard to be here today. I have been in the gym five days a week since the first week of May - training, rehabbing conditioning, getting my explosion back for you guys and for me. I want to continue to be the player that some of you guys like and some of you fell in love with.

I’m feeling good and ready to go.

We have a lot of fun together on the court, but we also have fun together off the court. Friday night we all got together off the court. Myself, LeBron, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer all had a chance to get away from basketball at a club and really chill. We’re going to have fun together and we’re going to keep doing it with the rest of our teammates as well. While I might be one of the funniest guys on this team, LeBron is by far the craziest guy on this team. With him, it doesn’t matter, he will say anything. Carmelo is very silly. We keep J-Kidd (Jason Kidd) and Kobe (Bryant) young because we keep them laughing a lot.

The weekend started off pretty good for me before I even got to Vegas. On Thursday night the Miami Heat got the opportunity to select Michael Beasley in the (NBA) draft. There was a lot of chatter going around that we didn’t want Michael Beasley, but that wasn’t it at all. Being the second pick, you have to sort out all your options. But at the end of the day, our option was to get the best player in the draft and Michael Beasley was the best player. And we also got a national champion in Mario Chalmers. I’m going to go out on a limb and say we got an A-plus in the draft and we’re building.

Now we’re going to out in free agency to see what we can find. We got photo shoots going on today, parties going on, but the cameras can’t come in. I’ll give you guys some more insight on how the team is doing and how we have fun off the court, but right now that’s all that’s inside the mind of Dwyane, hope you enjoyed it and see you guys again in July.

Also read: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/33745-usa-basketball-dont-let-us-down-again

Wednesday Quick Tip: Shell out some Links!

Tue, 16 Apr 2008 20:38:00 GMT

posted by kellex
Posted 4/16/08 - Kellex

Still looking to build linkbacks or traffic? Ever thought about a weekly link post?

We run DollarBall a couple of times a month just to let those other blogs out there know that we exist and we appreciate their work. We also run a link post called LINKBAWL over at our basketball blog that is dedicated to the hot basketball stories of the day or week. These are two examples you could use to start up your post.

Most bloggers just LOVE to get linked up by other blogs. It feeds their ego a little bit but also lets them know they have a reader. (Of course they really love linkbacks because it brings in traffic from that other blog.) Many blogs also try to thank others for the love they give and in most cases will attempt to link back to you.

Don’t feel the need to run this thing everyday! Many blogs do and I’m not actually sure how the hell they find the time to do this, but more power to them. (Make sure you can stick to some sort of schedule once you decide on a link post, because your readers will get used to the great info!)

Got a better way to get noticed in the blogging community than to link another blog? When you come up with one that is free, let me know!