nba basketball tickets: October 2010

Friday, October 8, 2010

basketball1.

It’s only natural that after winning a title a team looks forward to defending the crown. So are the 2009 NBA champions L.A. Lakers the favorites for next season?

Of course plenty can happen until the beginning of the season. Trades, free agent signings and injuries will continually change the NBA landscape. But the Lakers’ chances of becoming the first NBA team to repeat their title since 2002 actually don’t appear too bad.

The roster is relatively young still. Derek Fisher may turn 35 in August and showed his age in this season (Playoffs 2009: 28.4 3pt%). But the point guard could take over more and more the Steve Kerr role as designated three-point shooter. And while Jordan Farmar took a step backward this season (from 9.1 points in 2007-08 to 6.4 points in 2008-09), the 22-year-old will likely improve in the summer and better understand the triangle offense. Then there is Kobe Bryant – who is the only other player on the other side of 30 on the roster back from last season. But he will undoubtedly keep his body in top form and will not just sit back relaxed. And now Ron Artest has come into the picture filling in for the departed Trevor Ariza, who turned into a defensive stopper with three-point potential. But Artest can more than fill that role. The question is how he and Kobe will get along.

That leaves problem child Lamar Odom. The free agent has said he wants to stay with the Lakers. Odom playing more of a power forward position will take away some of the ball-handling responsibilities from Fisher and Farmer. And Odom’s versatility is enormously important for L.A.’s system. But now that Ariza is gone and Artest accepted less money than he could have received elsewhere, Lakers owner Jerry Buss has some room to reach into his pockets even though any additional salary he takes on will count against the luxury tax since the Lakers are over the salary cap.

All in all, the Lakers should have the same rotation – with Artest in for Ariza – and have to go into the season as at least the favorite in the Western Conference. And the team will only get better with the added experience they have gained from the 2009 championship run. In addition, head coach Phil Jackson is an expert when it comes to motivating championship teams.

Buy and sell your basketball tickets through yourticketmarket.com. this is one of the mose reliable and secure side for buying and selling of online tickets.Buy nba baskerball tickets through yourticketmarket.com..This is one of the best side for buying and selling of online ticket.Visit this side you will find many event tickets like sports,thretre,concert and much more.nba basketball tickets through this secure site.nba basketball tickets are cheap on this site.so buy these cheap nba basketball tickets through this site.

nba basketball

Mitchell: The old-school style of the NBA’s 2007 Coach of the Year was not really loved by his players. On top of this, Mitchell has never been GM Bryan Colangelo’s favorite candidate for coach. Colangelo wants the Raptors to play faster basketball and thinks his team is one of the best in the East. Maybe his expectations are a little too high. On the other hand, this might just be the next step in bringing in the first NBA head coach not to go through the US coaching school: Ettore Messina. Rumor has it that Ettore could be the next coach for the Raptors, if Jay Triano doesn’t make it happen in Toronto. Messina has won the Euroleague championship four times since 1997 (twice with Virtus Kinder Bologna, twice with current club CSKA Moscow) and might be the most successful coach in Europe. His contract with CSKA Moscow will be finished at the end of this season. On top of this, Raptors Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Maurizio Gherardini is a good friend of Messina’s since back when they both worked for Benetton Treviso.

Wittman: Bobby Knight was Wittman’s teacher, which may have been the reason he was a little hard on his team. Bad idea, since he had no success stories that might have given him some respect. Result: The team was not listening at all and gave up way too quickly. Kevin McHale took over while giving up his general manager duties. If he manages to get the team back on track, well done. If not, we can add him to this list at the end of the season.

Cheeks: With a aggressive fast-break style, the 76ers surprised the league and even made a name for themselves against Detroit during that playoff series. Elton Brand was supposed to be take the next step to the top of the East but, not looking nearly as agile as before his one-year break due to injury, slows the team down: Easy baskets are not coming for that reason. One more problem: The outside shooters are missing for Philly, which would help out with the double team defense on Elton Brand. Philadelphia is currently 29th in three-point scoring, 28th in three-point percentage.

Theus: Right after his first season in the NBA, some questioned Theus’ ability to coach an NBA team, since they didn’t like the way he was leading. Somehow this must also have reflected on the team in Sacramento, who wasn’t giving 100% each game with Theus as a head coach. Another problem: Shooting guard Kevin Martin barely played because of an ankle injury.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

The plays of a champ: Dribble-Drive-Motion

The Dribble-Drive-Motion (DDM) was invented by college coach Vance Wahlberg and is an offensive play used mostly at the high school and college levels. Even the Boston Celtics added this method to their playbook last season and run it about 30% of their offensive plays.
Instead of passing the ball to the wing, in DDM the point guard drives hard to the basket at the beginning of the play. Rajon Rondo is the perfect guy for this type of play, although Paul Pierce sometimes takes the role. When Rondo brings the ball, there are only a few players that can prevent Rondo getting at least one foot into the zone, thereby drawing more than one defender. With sharp shooters Ray Allen and Eddie House available, the Celtics can create open shots for those guys when calling DDM. If Rondo chooses to pass the ball to his wings Allen or Paul Pierce, either can penetrate again to get an open shot or drive against defenders. If an open shot still remains unavailable, the ball goes right to the center or another wing, which will lead to an easy basket. You can already see why the Celtics are so successful: They play as a team on which anybody could be taking the open shot.
This set play starts with Rondo and Pierce as guards, while Allen finds his spot in the other corner at the three-point line with no low post on that side. Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins find their spots on the block on the opposite side and in the corner.
This setup gives Rondo lots of space to drive to the basket and draw the defensive help. With the DDM’s wide setup, however, the helper must go a long way which makes it easy for Rondo to drive or kick the ball out to an open shooter.
Boston’s modification of the DDM, the high pick-and-roll, opens up even more options for the Celtics to score easy baskets. To prevent Rondo’s drive, the defender can either step out or switch, which gives Pierce a chance at a mismatch.
This play seems to work very easily – and it actually does, although some call the DDM a mocked-up streetball play that runs disorganized. The Celtics prove them wrong every night they play, simply because this team understands what to do in every situation and truly knows that spacing is the most important thing for the play to work.Buy and sell your basketball tickets through yourticketmarket.com. this is one of the mose reliable and secure side for buying and selling of online tickets.Buy nba baskerball tickets through yourticketmarket.com..This is one of the best side for buying and selling of online ticket.Visit this side you will find many event tickets like sports,thretre,concert and much more.nba basketball tickets through this secure site.nba basketball tickets are cheap on this site.so buy these cheap nba basketball tickets through this site.

Dirk Nowitzki talked to us (Part I)

The championship still motivates me. We were so close in 2006 in the Finals against Miami … It’s so much fun playing in the playoffs … playing right until the end … on the big stage … it still hurts that we lost back then. That was indescribable. That was the hardest loss I have ever suffered. I still think about it. And some time I want to get that bad taste out of my mouth. There are awesome players who have never won a ring. And people say: “He was great, but he never led his team to a title.” I don’t want people to say that about me.

It’s no secret that not every NBA player prepares so hard in the summer. How do you deal with it when a teammate does not invest as much time and sweat as you during the summer for the common goal?

I know I’m not in an individual sport. If I were in track and field maybe I would have won something big by now. But I am not. I decided for a team sport and I always had more fun in a team. I tried the other way with tennis. That’s what makes it a challenge, playing away from your weaknesses or attacking those of your opponents. That’s what makes a team sport attractive. Finding a way to win despite your own weaknesses is important. But, sure it’s bitter sometimes when a teammate doesn’t invest the necessary time. The best example was Shawn Bradley. He would some times come to training camp and not had a ball in his hands for four months. But what can you do? There is no rule. Everyone needs to figure out for themselves how to stay fit.

Well, we wanted a playmaker who had been around and already seen everything. I also hoped that Coach (Avery Johnson) would let him play his way, that we would play quicker and have more fun. But just the opposite happened. Avery pushed his style on Jason. It was tough throwing a guy like him into a system which he didn’t really like. How could Jason play his best in that system against the good teams from the West? It’s kind of funny though that Jason held his own defensively. He still has incredibly quick hands.

Good question. I hoped that new players would have brought a new wind into the team. After the loss I said Mark Cuban had the right to get rid of everybody and start all over again. That was construed that I wanted to leave the Mavericks. I was misunderstood. But now we are playing with the same team but just a different coach.

But the race for the playoffs will certainly not be easy this season. And last year you didn’t book your playoff ticket until the last minute …

The West is really tough. But that makes it exciting, that you have to go all out every night to win. Still, just reaching the playoffs cannot be our goal.

Not even reaching the playoffs? I am too old for that now. And Mark Cuban and General Manager Donnie Nelson know that. I cannot imagine us making any moves which would cost us a spot in the playoffs. We still have a playoff-caliber team. And even if things absolutely do not work out with Kidd, I cannot imagine that we would drastically make the team younger as long as I’m in Dallas.

Of course it would be more exciting to do it in Dallas and being the franchise player. The best thing would be me carrying the team to the title. But the other teams have gotten so strong, also through some unfair trades – Pau Gasol to Los Angeles and Kevin Garnett to Boston. Maybe I will see if it helps changing teams in like three years. Maybe it won’t be fun any more or I can’t keep up with the athleticism anymore. Maybe I will play in Europe again. I can imagine all of that. What Karl Malone did back then – heading to L.A. after all those years in Utah – yeah it was a little questionable. But when you want the championship so bad, then you can’t rule out a move like that.

No. I still believe to this day that we had everything we needed to win the title in 2006. Dwayne Wade just played out of his mind, hit threes and got every whistle. I still think we were the better team.

Well, if it didn’t work for me in the end … I saw an interesting interview with Charles Barkely. He was talking about his career and said he can’t blame himself because he always gave 100 percent. That’s how I see it. I have given my all for the last 10 years in Dallas. And if that’s not enough, I can’t do anything else. Then at 35, 36 – however long I can go – I can retire and say: “In the summer and winter I gave everything I had for my team.” Unfortunately not everybody can win. But I hope that I can still fulfill my dream in the future.

Basketball is still fun for me. I would rather be in the gym than anywhere else. That’s why I can’t set an age limit. If at the end of my contract I see that I’m not having fun, then I will retire. I am in a very good situation that I don’t have to worry about money and have to play until I’m 38 because I don’t have a financial cushion. If basketball ever becomes work – if I say: “I don’t want to practice or play games any more” – then I will quit. I don’t want to wake up one day, drink my coffee and say: “Okay, I’m going to work.” And one day I will have a family. But that is a full-time job. I see that with my sister, who has two kids now. You have to be there every day. And I will not be the kind of dad who says: “Mom, take care of it, I’m leaving.” I want to be involved and be there for the kids. But that’s the plan for the next stage of life. I don’t want to just go to the beach or play golf.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Blazers’ Wonderful New World

This was the worst team in the league (21-61) and had an even worse reputation. The nickname “Jailblazers” says everything. The Rose Garden was like a graveyard. The only time it got loud was when the few fans who did show up wanted to unleash some frustration. Even the local daily Oregonian seemed at war with the club, practically refusing to write anything positive. From Motown to P’Town. From basketball heaven to basketball hell.

Thanks a lot.

But oh how times have changed! Detroit are desperately trying with their over-the-hill stars to keep up with the best in the league while the young, ambitious Portland Trail Blazers are the “it” team in the league, everyone’s favorite. It’s like a start-up company flourishing despite the recession.

The Rose Garden has been sold out for the past 50 games and resembles a madhouse. It’s hard to imagine what the noise level will be like in the playoffs. Hours before every game, there’s a sense of excitement, suspense and anticipation in the air.

Going to a Blazers game is for the cool people, no longer just for losers or dreamers. And whether it’s at the bar, at work or in the street car – called MAX here – all the talk is about the latest from Brandon, Rudy, LaMarcus and company. Once again, it’s hip and fashionable to be a Trail Blazer. Blazermania is back!

The new era can also be seen by the media interest. Before this season, the press stands used to be filled with only local reporters and journalists from the guest teams. But now the stars of the field are taking the honor of watching the Blazers. Gracing the Rose Garden this season have been the likes of Ric Bucher from ESPN The Magazine; stats pope John Hollinger of ESPN.com and diverse scribes from Sports Illustrated. Many have been there numerous times and wrote declarations of love about the Blazers in their big national publications. Even the Oregonian is again the team’s best buddy, regularly publishing extra pages reporting, in depth about the all-of-a-sudden great group. Success makes you sexy, I guess.

But the most spectacular part of the new era is the players, who have remained modest, approachable and friendly despite the upturn. The sea of cameras and audio recorders has not however gone lost on those being questioned. Still, the Blazers locker room is probably the most relaxed in the league. Whoever wants to ask two-time All-Star Brandon Roy a few questions can do so without nasty looks. B-Roy was polite and considerate when he arrived in the NBA three years ago and he still remains that way. The same thing goes for his teammates. There is no bad apple on the team. Portland is a team which you can reach out and touch, a team you just have to like. One hopes the humility, freshness and youthful carelessness will remain when the club returns to the elite.

There can be no doubts that Portland will soon be way up near the top the league. The NBA’s second youngest team is already all but secured of a playoffs spot while still developing game by game (instead of just shooting from outside, they are even driving to the basket …). The potential is immense. Greg Oden is currently only playing at about 50 or 60 percent of his ability. Roy and Aldridge, the other two pillars of the Big Three, also are not yet finished products. Rockin’ Rudy Fernandez is a rookie just like the recently-improving Jerryd Bayless. Travis Outlaw is only 24 years old and is still working on the subtleties of the game. Martell Webster will be back soon. And, and, and. As previously noted, the potential is nasty. If someone asks me about the Trail Blazers’ future, I tell them: “In three or four years they’ll be on Broadway!” That means the championship parade can already be planned. Basketball hell? Not even close! I am back in basketball heaven.

Blazers’ Wonderful New World..

When I moved from Detroit to Portland in Fall 2006 it seemed like a worst case scenario basketball-wise. Detroit was pure hoops heaven. The Pistons had the best record in the league (64-18) and should have won the title under normal circumstances. But the piston-powered engine stuttered in the Eastern Conference finals against Miami. The games in the Palace of Auburn Hills were always a highlight. The place was breath-taking, deafening and my favorite arena.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Plenty of rookie struggles and little help.

Durant’s rookie season was in fact less than flattering. His 20.3 points per game were nice. But he shot just 43 percent from the field and just 28.8 percent from three-point range. The rookie took 17.1 shots per game, 2.6 of those from beyond the arc. He was a scorer but needed a lot of shots to get those points for a bad team. And there were plenty of those types of players in the league. Kevin Durant and the NBA were far from a tale of love at first sight. And there were reasons for that. But most experts, fans and media deliberately ignored them.

One reason enough was just the sight of Kevin Durant. It was clear that besides with his height he will not dominate anyone. To be successful, Durant needed to rely on his game intelligence, talent and skills. Many other members of Durant’s draft class could take over games with their strength or athleticism alone. Others were tough to defend with an explosiveness and leaping ability that provided plenty of easy baskets in the lane. And still other rookies had brute force and quick dynamic moves in the paint – making them nearly immovable forces in the block.

Kevin Durant, however, is a different type of player. His game relies on his shot. And that is based on timing, rhythm and confidence. A shooter is always at his best when his game is in a rhythm – and when he understands what’s going on around him and whether or not he will shoot before even getting the ball. Kevin Durant did not know much of this during his first year as an NBA professional. “I had to get used to the league first. Every young player who comes into the NBA has the same problem,” recalls Durant. “You ask yourself: ‘When should I shoot? Where are my spots and when do I start making my moves?’ That was the toughest part for me as a rookie.”

The games flashed by then 19-year-old. He regularly struggled with the physical style of the league, which wreaked havoc with his timing. It also stopped him from getting the ball where he wanted it on the court.

Another difficult aspect for Durant was a lack of a real mentor for him in Seattle. All-Stars Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis had just left the Sonics in the summer after having combined to score 48.8 points in 2006-07. And Durant would be responsible for filling much of that huge void. A good pass or drive, however, didn’t help too much if it came at the wrong time. So Durant was forced to score if the Sonics wanted to win even the occasional game. And it was scary how often he would regularly take very poor shots. But who else was going to do it in Seattle?

Plenty of rookie struggles and little help

Both in his one season at the University of Texas and during high school, basketball life came easy for Durant. He was always taller than his opposing player and could see the floor without a problem. He also had an excellent shot and a feel for the game. If someone had a physical advantage on him, he could beat him with his understanding of the game, his quickness and his maturity. And the young star rarely had to defend in his early career. His wingspan and understanding of the game were enough to get rebounds and blocks. And coaches regularly put their top scorer on the side of the defense with the opponent’s least-dangerous scorer.

But that was not the case in the NBA. Durant’s first coach, P.J. Carlesimo, switched him from small forward to shooting guard. The coach did not want the physically disadvantaged Durant to be eaten alive by posting small forwards. Carlesimo thought that at just 215 pounds, Durant would have been bullied around not only by the likes of LeBron James (250), Paul Pierce (235) and Carmelo Anthony (230) but even slender players like Andrei Kirilenko (225). So Durant instead would be assigned to run after shooting guards who were all a head shorter than him. This was a hopeless assignment.

“Last season we had to tell Kevin for 48 minutes to stay in a deep defensive stance with his knees bent,” admitted Scott Brooks. The former NBA playmaker took over the coaching duties at Oklahoma City just 13 games into the current season. “But it’s not like Kevin didn’t want to defend as a rookie. People forget that he is 6-foot-9,” continued Brooks. “It’s not easy for him to cover smaller players.”

As Carlesimo’s assistant, Brooks followed closely Durant’s development. And he was convinced that it was counterproductive making Durant into a shooting guard. He may have been able to keep some distance on the wing and still block shots with his long arms. But he was helpless when trying to work through screens or guard players on the drive. At the same time, his main defensive attributes – defensive rebounding and blocked shots – were suffering. After grabbing 8.1 defensive boards and blocking 1.9 shots at Texas, Durant’s NBA numbers dropped to 3.5 defensive rebounds and 0.9 blocks.

Plenty of rookie struggles and little help2

The Kevin Durant project was in shambles after just a few months.

Plenty of rookie struggles and little help1

Flashback: As the second pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, Durant landed with the Seattle SuperSonics and his reputation quickly took a hit. Observers began referring to the former NCAA star as a “chucker” just a few games into his rookie season.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Export hit: Marco Belinelli

Is Marco Belinelli just a summer star or another Euro find by Don Nelson? Good question ..

The Italian shooting guard debuted in the domestic Serie A league at the tender age of 16 with Virtus Bologna. And with city rivals Fortitudo during the 2006-07 season he averaged 16.0 points. The main attraction was Belinelli’s complete and confident game.

At the 2007 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors selected the young Italian at number 18 overall. Belinelli would be going to Don Nelson’s team whose concept was something like “shoot first, ask questions later”. And during the Summer League in Las Vegas before his rookie season, the Italian showed that he was worth the first round money. In his opening game he poured in 37 points against the Hornets and finished the summer averaging 22.8 points per.

Actually, it’s kind of a surprise that the Italian’s arm didn’t fall off since he averaged 19.5 shots per game, including 6.7 from long range. But his excellent three-point percentage of 44.4 percent kept his teammates from locking him in his locker. But an NBA summer cannot be compared to an NBA winter. And even in Oakland there is a bit of defense to be played.

Belinelli has never been known for his defense. And the Warriors had plenty of swing men, leaving the rookie unable to establish himself with Golden State and receiving garbage time in just 33 games.

The 2008-09 season didn’t look much more promising for Belinelli getting off the bench. Over the first 19 games, he averaged just five minutes a game. But then Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette joined Monta Ellis on the injury list.

And Belinelli took advantage of his chance. In December he scored 14.1 points a game while shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from long range. He averaged 11.7 shots while dishing out 3.2 assists. But Il numero diciotto was no longer the mad bomber from the summer, drastically improving his shot selection.

Then after 20 games and 15 starts Belinelli injured his ankle. He missed 15 games and then came back in late February and started seven straight games, scoring in double figures in the last four. He then missed three games with a toe injury but was a starter in Golden State’s most recent game.

But with Ellis already back and Maggette and Jackson as well, it remains to be seen if Belinelli can keep his spot in the starting five or not.

Toronto Raptors season review – What’s next?

Toronto gladly finished their season full of turmoil, which meant the first time not making the Playoffs since 2007. The former Coach of the Year Sam Mitchell left after just 17 games and his successor Jay Triano was never able to shed the title of “interim coach”. The result was the Raptors switching between up-temp and half-court basketball throughout the 2008-09 season and never finding themselves.

But that should change under the leadership of a new coach. Manager Bryan Colaneglo, after all, was the architect of the highly attractive and successful Phoenix Suns teams. And his new coach will likely match that style. Chris Bosh, Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani make up the core of this team and the club has room under the salary cap as well. It remains to be seen if that money will be used to re-sign Shawn Marion or look for help elsewhere. The Raptors will have a high draft pick and may likely find a top player from the Euroleague as well – as they have done in the past. And that is very valuable in the Eastern Conference.

Additional Notes:
The Warriors and Bulls are already talking about trade offers for Chris Bosh with thoughts of the beginning of the free agent period. Bosh has an option in his contract for 2010.

Toronto Raptors season review – What’s next?

Additional Notes:
The Warriors and Bulls are already talking about trade offers for Chris Bosh with thoughts of the beginning of the free agent period. Bosh has an option in his contract for 2010.

Byron Scott Fired

It is never a question if any coaches will get fired during each new NBA season, but it is always who will be the first one to get the boot? And the winner of the current season is Byron Scott of the New Orleans Hornets!

According to sources, Scott was already on shaky ground after last season’s 1st round exit in the playoffs. It was believed he would be let go then, but Chris Paul’s support of Scott saved his job. Not even Chris Paul could help Scott this time around. After a very disappointing 3-6 start, the Hornets’ management decided to part ways with their former coach of the year (2008). General manager Jeff Bower will be replacing Scott for now. Tim Floyd, who is best known for coaching the Iowa State Cyclones (1994-1998), USC (2005-2009) in the college ranks, but also held stints with the Chicago Bulls (1998-2001) and the New Orleans Hornets (2003-2004), has been hired as Bower’s top assistant.

Though New Orleans is $3 million over the league’s $69.9 million luxury-tax threshold, their large payroll has not translated into wins this year. Looking at the Hornets’ roster, one can clearly see that this large payroll is deceiving and not necessarily a sign of good talent. Chris Paul is arguably the best guard in the league, and David West is a solid player himself, but there isn’t much balance after those two. Peja Stojakovic has been coming off the bench and is averaging a pathetic 8.7 ppg, the lowest since his rookie season where he averaged 8.4 per game. More is expected of a player who is making almost $14 million. A shooter never loses his shot, and Stojakovic is certainly still capable of averaging 20 a game, but he is just too much of a liability on the defensive end. Throughout his 11 years in the league, nobody ever accused Peja of being a defensive stopper, and now at the age of 32 his inability to defend has become more evident than ever before.

Swapping Tyson Chandler with Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats during the off-season was a move that was seen by most as a lateral one. It was not a trade that seemed to improve the Hornets’ roster, which has been confirmed thus far as Okafor is averaging 11 ppg, 9.8 rpg, and 2 bpg. These are not bad stats, but New Orleans could have simply kept Chandler, who has very similar stats to those of Okafor. When you make a trade, the goal is to improve. This did not happen here. The trade only hurt the team’s chemistry.

The Hornets management is worrysome about keeping their star guard Chris Paul happy, and rightfully so. A player of his caliber will not tolerate mediocrity for very long. Who knows. Maybe this coaching change will turn out positive for New Orleans. Luckily for them, there are still 73 regular season games to be played.

Big money doesn’t mean big success

Other places are just missing the financially power of a big city. “There are just not as many companies here. That’s why we have to get people into the arena, no matter how,” said Sacramento Kings owner Gavin Maloof. “Ticket sales make up one-third of our budget. They are essential for our survival.” And Maloof has reason to worry. For years, the Kings were the example that a smaller franchise could keep up. But the times of Mike Bibby, Chris Webber and Peja Stojakovic are long gone. The Kings are attracting 12,279 fans to their games, the lowest number in the league. And like many other teams, the Kings are offering tickets for reduced prices this season. The NBA requires that every club offers at least 500 seats for a maximum 10 dollars per ticket. The Kings voluntarily doubled that number to 1,000. And those who buy tickets for three or more games get an additional rebate. Other clubs have also begun recently making additional special offers.

But big money and winning records do not always go together. The New York Knicks have been proving that for years. Forbes magazine estimates the Knicks as the most valuable team in the NBA at 613 million dollars. But to show that having the money does help, eight of the top 10 richest on the Forbes list made the playoffs last season. And from the bottom 10 teams financially, only one – the New Orleans Hornets – reached the post-season. Before reaching the playoffs, the Hornets made 20 million dollars, according to Forbes.

One example that finances directly affect the results is the Denver Nuggets. In the summer of 2008 they basically gave away 2007 Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby to the Los Angeles Clippers – a trade with no return. The reasoning for the unusual move was that the club had run up debts of 27.7 million dollars in the past 12 months – mainly due to the some 20 million dollars in luxury taxes which owner Stanley Kroenke had to pay the league for having a total salary of 87 million dollars for his players. Without Camby’s 11.25 million dollars and other savings measures, the Nuggets have been able to save the luxury tax. And no one in Denver cares about Camby’s departure now anyhow since Chauncey Billups brought his winner’s mentality from Detroit.

Despite all the lowered prices and special offers, the NBA fun is still quite expensive. According to one study, a four-member family would have to drop down 250 dollars in average for one game. That figure jumps to about 400 dollars for the Lakers. Fans of other teams have other costs, including the New York Knicks fan who has to pay 30 dollars for parking. Americans have been quite generous in attending sporting events, spending a record 32 billion dollars alone in 2007 according to Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal. But will people continue to be able to afford such an added luxury?

The percentage of season tickets which were renewed dropped from 84 percent last season to 80 percent. The 2008-09 league-wide average attendance (on January 18, 2009) was 17,162 – just under last season’s average of 17,395. With the economy not really having rebounded yet, owners are anxiously awaiting the start of renewals for next season’s season tickets. With a lack of success, some numbers may crash – perhaps in Sacramento, for example. With the poor economy, the league is expecting lower numbers. “The only thing which will increase could be the television ratings as a cheaper alternative,” said David Stern.

The economic crisis could also affect the commissioner’s plans for the future. “The expansion plans for Europe will be put on hold for a while,” expects the sports economist Sauer. The European economy is just as affected by the financial crisis as the U.S. Somewhat better in the moment are things in China. And it’s quite fitting that the NBA closed a deal last year with builder Frederick Anschutz, who also is co-owner of the Lakers. The NBA and Anschutz’s company AEG are looking to build large arenas in China where NBA games can be played. China appears to have passed up Europe in this time of crisis as the NBA’s favorite location abroad.

Friday, October 1, 2010

The Allen Iverson interview (part I)

Allen Iverson is one of the most controversial superstars in the NBA. He was known as having too big an ego, not playing team ball, being too ghetto and not being smart enough. Here AI shows a different side – more reflective, honest, open and self-critical than usual.

Allen, you think you’ll make it to heaven?

I did a lot of good things in my life and some bad things too … I don’t know. I hope the good things outweigh the bad ones. But I don’t want to go to hell, that’s for sure.

That sounds like you’re not sure you’re in yet?

I’m not sayin’ that I’m not in. ‘Cause I think I am unless some things go dramatically wrong in the next however many years. But I think I’ll be walking through those gates.

When someone goes to a basketball game or football game or sporting event, it’s a source of entertainment. And in hard economic times like these, it also serves the public as an opportunity to shut out all the depressive stuff going on. Do you have a feeling like that at all out on the court – especially this year?

Definitely, it’s definitely a savior. It’s even like that for us. You think about how many lives we impact when we go out and do what we do. It takes people away from their everyday struggles for at least two hours or more. They can get away and not think about their problems.

But it’s the same thing for us. When I’m playing basketball for those couple hours I’m not thinking about some hardships goin’ on in my life – things not goin’ well in my life or troubles that I have off the basketball court. It takes my mind off things that are troublesome for me. Obviously I really think it helps a lot of people.

We have more impact on the world than people think – and even more than we might think. Talking about a role model situation, when I was younger I never knew that we were important like we are. We are role models if we like it or not. It’s something that we should accept. But people need to know that we are human and make mistakes and will not be perfect. You want to be like Allen Iverson, but I don’t think people should try to be like Allen Iverson. They should be better than Allen Iverson.

Do you think there is more pressure on players when they are All-Stars?

I think the pressure is the same. Every NBA player is blessed to be in this situation. Every NBA player to me, in my eyes and being the person that I am, is equal. ‘Cause all of us had a long way to get here. All of us had our different paths to get to this point. We all went through hell to try to get here. And to be here is a blessing. We’re a few out of billions of people to get to this point. So everybody is blessed with the opportunity regardless if you’re an All-Star or you’re the last man off the bench. We still have a responsibility to the people that watch us play.

Talk about the reality of you being one of billions of people yet having had so much success in the NBA: MVP, multi-time All-Star, icon.

It’s just icing on the cake. It’s just extra special. It’s just another blessing. My whole thing was to get here. And then when you add everything else – the MVP, the scoring titles, the All-Star games, First-Team All-NBA – that’s just an extra blessing. And it’s honestly a tribute to yourself, your teammates and the coaching staffs that you’ve had. ‘Cause obviously you’ve done a lot and people have helped you to accomplish those other accolades. I feel like without the guys I have played with and the coaches I have had and my fans, then there’s no All-Stars, MVPs and all that. Honestly I have to give credit to myself because I worked at it and practiced as hard as I could to get to this point. But I had other people to help me get here.

And my family as well, just helping me deal with things in the media. I always thought that as soon as you got to the NBA the media was gonna love you and give you a break. But the better you are that makes it harder on you as far as with the media. I never thought that. I thought if I play to a certain level then I’d be a media darling. But I don’t care how great you are, negative sells more than positive. People would rather talk about a war than something you do for a charity. People would rather talk about Saddam Hussein or Bin Laden than somebody who rescued somebody from a burning house. It’s just that negativity in this world sells. It’s wrong. It’s not right. But that’s the way it is. It’s just a negative world.

Allen Iverson interview: part II

Looking at how much negativity there is around in this world, how do you cope with all the negativity?

I have kids and people who love me and people that I love. And I know that there’s a lot of love in this world too. It’s an awful thing to say … but I think that hate is overrulin’ love now – in this day of age. It’s a bad thing, but I gotta be honest with how I view the world and how I look at things. And that’s just the way it is. Nobody wants to hear about anything positive. People want to hear something negative. People want to hear about somebody gettin’ killed or somethin’ bad happenin’. That’s what catches somebody’s eye.

Looking at athletes being role models, the baseball player Alex Rodriguez said he felt the pressure to take performance enhancing drugs. Do you understand at all where he’s coming from?

I just want to choose my words right because that’s a touchy situation because I love Alex Rodriguez as a player. Um … I don’t know. I don’t know how you get … I don’t understand how somebody can do that to themselves and to the game in general and to the fans. I mean, if God didn’t give it to you, you don’t need it.

And this coming from you – a guy who has been criticized for a lot of things over the years. You have always been known as 100 percent natural – what you see is what you get.

And then … a lot of it can be immaturity, being young. Basically that was my problem. Probably 99 percent of my problem was just being young and not knowing and not being mature enough to do it the right way. I just didn’t know. Being young, you always think your way is the right way. But your way is not always the right way.

Let’s look at some of the NBA awards, who do you think is the forerunner for the MVP?

I don’t know. Anybody can get it. You look at all the rosters and the guys on these squads, anybody can get it. I have no idea. I couldn’t even begin to guess who could be the MVP.

One of the top candidates for the Rookie of the Year award is Bulls guard Derrick Rose. What do you think about him?

Instant impact, he’s doing a great job handling everything he has to go through as far as having that spotlight on him. I think he’s doing a beautiful job and he’s only gonna get better. I always say with young guys the most important thing is for people to let them grow. Don’t rush him into being some superstar. Let him come into his own. Help him, coach him. Tell him when he’s right, tell him when he’s wrong. Definitely pat him on the back when he’s right and kick him in the ass when he does wrong. But believe in him, trust in him, and everything will be fine.

What is your advice to some of the younger player in dealing with the ball?

Take care of it. Don’t do what I did. Young guys are always trying to make something happen. That was my thing. I’m always trying to make something happen – trying to make something happen for myself, my teammates and my team. But you can get in trouble.

My whole thing was when I was younger I was at one pace all the time. I was fast, fast, fast all the time. That was the only thing I knew, to be faster than everybody else. Then I started watching John Stockton. You don’t have to be the fastest guy in the world. You just need to know when to be fast and when to pull it back, know when to go, when to stop. He was just A+ at thinking about the basketball game.

That’s what young players don’t know because they rely on their athletic ability so much. Once they get to this level they think that they can. But there are guys who are so much slower than you but know so much more about the basketball game. And that’s what I try to concentrate on every day now. I find myself just watching games and watching tape and trying to be a smarter basketball player instead of being more athletic than everybody else.

In Philadelphia you carried the team for so long. In Denver you had Carmelo Anthony. And now in Detroit the main thing is seeing how you fit in there. After all these years, are you past the idea of It’s on me for this team to be better?

No. Because I’m me. That’s the person that I know. That’s the player I am. That’s the responsibility I have from the person who gave me the talent. I just rather have the pressure on me than anybody else. I think I’m gifted enough to handle that responsibility. That’s just the way that I am.

Arvydas Sabonis has a new job: creative advisor

Lithuanian basketball legend arydas sabonis and european basketball brand k1x have joined forces. “sabo”, who retired from active play in 2005 after being named to the euroleague first team and winning mvp honors for zalgiris kaunas, will be freelancing for k1x as a creative advisor. “arvydas is a trendsetter and always keeps his ear to the streets”, commented k1x c.e.o christian grosse. “his outstanding career made him one of the most amazing centers ever to play the game, we are extremely proud to have him join our squad. and of course, we look forward to benefit from his expertise in issues of style.” sabonis has “always wanted to do something in fashion” and will start his new job by tackling the reinvention of protective gear. “i don’t want to give away too much now, but i think tie-dye knee pads have huge potential for growth, said arvydas from his office in kaunas, where he will remain for now due to his management duties for zalgiris.

arvydas sabonis is an olympic gold medalist (1988) and bronze medalist (1992) as well as euro bronze medalist (1995). he won two spanish league championships (1993/94) and the european club championship with real madrid in 1995. sabonis then moved on to the nba, playing 470 regular season gams and 51 playoff gams in 7 seasons for the portland trailblazers. he is considered one of the most talented big men ever to play the game, and was a bona fide passer/shooter considering his size and position. in terms of pure game, possibly the most talented center ever.
Buy and sell your basketball tickets through yourticketmarket.com. this is one of the mose reliable and secure side for buying and selling of online tickets.Buy nba baskerball tickets through yourticketmarket.com..This is one of the best side for buying and selling of online ticket.Visit this side you will find many event tickets like sports,thretre,concert and much more.nba basketball tickets through this secure site.nba basketball tickets are cheap on this site.so buy these cheap nba basketball tickets through this site.

The German basketball season is drawing to a close and one player clearly missing is Ademola Okulaja. The former North Carolina Tar Heel and German national team star is still recovering from a cancerous tumor.

Okulaja was diagnosed last July with a fracture of the vertebrae which may have been caused by a tumor. And he has been fighting the cancer since – also going through chemotherapy treatments.

But Okulaja is living up to his “Warrior” nickname by fighting to come back to the game.

“First I want to get healthy. As soon as I have beaten this sickness, I definitely want to get back to basketball and play for Bamberg,” the 172-time German international Okulaja told K1X.

But the “Warrior” is also fighting to help cancer-ridden children – with the help of basketball brand K1X. The Apparel makers came up with a t-shirt to help Okulaja’s cause.

“The Warrior will be back” is the message appearing on 513 t-shirts which also feature a close-up of his eyes – the look of a true winner. The number of shirts comes from the jersey numbers he wore with the German national team (5) and German club Bamberg (13).

20 Euros – All towards children

“This action is dedicated solely to Ademola and the fight against cancer. We want to mobilize all his fans and friends and show him that we support him in this tough time as well,” said Christian Grosse, head of k1x GmbH.

Okulaja played in North Carolina in the 1990s with the likes of NBA stars Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter. In his senior season, he led the Tar Heels in points, rebounds, steals and three-point percentage as team captain. He went on to play for clubs in Spain, Russia and Germany, playing with Bamberg since mid-2007.

Chauncey Billups interview with FIVE Magazine

Chauncey Billups came to Denver mid-season in a trade from Detroit for Allen Iverson. Billups brought with him to his hometown Nuggets the experience of winning a title with the Pistons. Denver fans hope their local hero can lead them to the Promised Land.

In this interview with FIVE, Billups talks about the Nuggets’ chances of winning the NBA crown and what it’s like to remember the old Nuggets teams and wear Denver on his jersey.

Has the trade for AI worked out beyond what you expected when it happened?

To this point. But it’s still early. We still have some season left and the playoffs. And most teams are remembered for what they do in the post-season. So we won’t know. But I am happy with where I’m at and where our team is at. But we’ll see.

A lot of people credit you for the turn-around. What do you see as the main factors?

I probably had something to do with it. But they had some good players already. They maybe could have been on the same run without me with what they had in place. ‘Melo’s been awesome. He’s really taken a leadership role. Nene’s been unbelievable. We have a lot of guys who are playing really well. So I can’t really take credit for that. I think I’m just one of the pieces to the puzzle. We just want to take it one game at a time. I think we have great pieces in place. But our main thing is to try our best to get home court advantage and build from there.

How much is the game gonna change come playoff time when you have to adapt?

The playoffs are all about adapting to changes – all about adjustments, during the game, at the half. You gotta be able to do that or you will be left behind. That’s one thing I think I can bring to our team is the knowledge of that, knowing how to do that and knowing what it takes to do that. Not only being able to preach that but going out and doing that. That’s one of the things I’m looking forward to coming down the road is seeing how we can adapt.

The team had its best start in franchise and people in Denver are starting to get excited. Do you remember watching those teams of the 1980s or the last team to make it to the Western Conference Finals back when the Nuggets were always good?

I remember watching Alex English’s teams. Kiki (Vandeweghe). Of course I grew up a Nuggets fan and watching basketball every day I could. I even remember when they were the eighth seed and they beat George Karl (and the Seattle SuperSonics in 1994) in the first round. I remember all that. I watched and studied a lot of those players and a lot of those teams. I’m happy that we have generated some excitement in the city for basketball. And hopefully we can continue to get better.

You made the All-Star team in the Western Conference even though there are a lot of great playmakers out West. How much is that a testament to how good the Nuggets are playing?

My stats are never really glaring or people think, man how does he do that. All of my individual accolades have come through winning and playing the right way and doing what’s best for my team. And people appreciate that. It was a direct correlation to us being a good basketball team.

How good can this team be this season?

I think we can be on the same level with the Lakers and Spurs. I think those are the two best teams. And we’re trying to creep into that elite group.

You’ve been with the team for quite some time now. Can you tell us what you think about Nene?

I’m really impressed with Nene. He’s getting better all the time. One-on-one, I don’t think people can cover him on the post. He’s got great moves down low, left and right handed. He’s just skilled. You can just tell that he’s been taught well.

What do you guys have to do to win the West and the title?

I think it’s really just our mental focus. We have the players and the athletes, a good coach. We have all those things. It’s just the mental focus and to prepare for all the small details and being able to execute those things. If we can be good at that every game, we can be super dangerous.

You talked about winning being so important for you. How much more does it mean now with Denver – your hometown – on your jersey?

I’ve been an All-Star a few times and one time they had us wearing our normal jerseys. And I was really hoping this year’s All-Star Game would have been one of those years and I could wear Denver on my chest as an All-Star.

Chancey Billups would buy tickets to see Lebron

In Part 2 of this interview with FIVE, Billups talks about paying to see fellow NBA stars, Shaquille O’Neal, trade rumors, coming from Colorado and playing Wii with his daughters.

With the game on the line, who would you take of all the NBA players?

Oh man, there’s a lot of them. It’s tough to not say Kobe, the way he’s playing right now and how he’s played for a long time. But I wouldn’t mind it in my hands.

Is there one guy in the league you would pay to go see?

There’s a few of them. LeBron. Kobe. Carmelo. I love watching and playing with ‘Melo now. KG. Duncan may not be the most exciting player in the world but you can appreciate his craft. There are probably seven, eight, ten guys I would pay to see.

But if you had money for just one ticket?

Kobe James

Looking around the league, who do you see as an emerging star?

You know, one of my favorite players to watch is Brandon Roy. I love Brandon Roy. There are so many great ones. But I love Brandon Roy’s game. He’s so smooth but he competes so hard, his expressions out there. I love Brandon Roy.

You were one of the first players to get traded this season – for Allen Iverson. Are you players like the members of the media where you hear all these rumors and try to figure them out?

I listen. I don’t really pay too much attention. But I listen. You pretty much have to because you could be living in a different area code pretty soon if you’re not paying some kind of attention. There’s always a million rumors out there about this guy or that guy. And you hear them and just go on about your daily business. When you hear something so much, we’re just like everybody else: where there’s smoke, there’s fire. You just really go on about it. There’s not really anything you can control about it. You just try to be professional and do what you do.

When you hear about a rumor, do you start joking with them?

I was joking around with Amar’e (Stoudamire). I was asking him what color would he be wearing. He was like: I don’t know man. I don’t know.

Speaking of talking, who are the best and worst trash-talkers in the league?

Man, there’s not really that many good ones any more. Not really. GP (Gary Payton) was great. KG talks a lot, but a lot of times he’s talking to himself. There’s really not any bad ones.

Now that you’re out West, you see Shaquille O’Neal more often. What do you think about him this season and what he’s doing with Phoenix?

He just seems hungrier out there to prove that he’s still here. He’s dominant. You still have to double or triple team him most nights. The only nights you don’t have to is when they don’t give it to him that much. He’s still the biggest force in basketball, no matter how you look at it, cut it or slice it. He’s a force.

Talk a little bit about you coming from Colorado. How proud are you of being back in your home state – one not really known for basketball?

My whole life I’ve been going to camps and people have asked where I’m from. And I’m there by myself. I tell them where I’m from and they say Where? – like it wasn’t even in the United States. They ask me if I ride horses. Or if I ski.

And the answers of course were yes and yes, right?

Nah, I have never skied before. And I’ve never rode a horse. I tell ‘em I’m here to play ball. So, check the ball and let’s go. And that was always my attitude.

How is KG with it? You’ve known him for a long time.

I’ve known him forever. He always says, man, I’ve never met anyone that was first: black that was from Colorado. And then two: that played basketball and was good at it. I’ve always carried that with me. So I do take it all a little bit more personally, being where I am from. A lot these other guys have 20 or 30 guys they know from home in the NBA. And I can’t say that. I carry a really heavy load wherever I go.

Looking around the league, do you see anybody else in the league who has traveled a similar path as you?

One guy who has been through a lot and been doing great is Mo Williams. He came in and was up and down a little bit. But Mo is already an All-Star and I’m sure he will be one for a while to come.

Looking back to winning the NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, how does it feel to exceed your dream and win the title?

Other than being there for the birth of my daughters and getting married to my wife there’s no feeling like winning a championship. There’s no better feeling than that. It’s just amazing.

Speaking of your kids, I heard you play Wii tennis with them. Who has the upper hand in that?

They do, man. Both of my daughters have the upper hand. The little one can’t beat me yet. But the older two, I can’t beat them.