Shaq Hurt, Cavs in Trouble?

Things didn't fall the Cavs' way over the weekend. Shaq got fouled and seriously sprained his thumb. He had surgery and he is out indefinitely for the regular season but he should be back for the postseason. When he does, he won't be the same Shaq; he'll be out of "NBA" shape and he will lose a lot of chemistry with the team, not to mention the game itself. Varajao is going to be seeing a lot more minutes and will have to step it up for the team. I bet the Cavs are hoping they didn't trade Big Z or are just counting down the days until they can get him back. Will this ruin LeBron's chance for a championship? I can't wait to find out.

Big Ten?

I'm ready for the March Madness to start up because there's nothing like it. I'm feeling good about my home conference, the Big Ten. I think a couple of the teams are going to make a good run in the tournament. There's going to be at least four from the conference going: Purdue, OSU, MSU, and Wisconsin (all being ranked in the top 20 in the nation). I hope someone else wins the Big Ten tournament so we can get another team in the tourney for the hunt of National Champions. My team, Penn State, has no chance of getting in unless they win the Big Ten tourney which I don't see happenin. I don't see Purdue making it as far as the others because one of their main players just got injured. My guess is that MSU is going to make the best run. Good luck to The Big Ten coming up in March.

Do They Know What They're Doing?

The Cavs traded away Big Z for Antawn Jamison this past week which threw a bunch of people for a loop. They have been making changes to their line up which is throwing off some of their teams chemistry. I really don't think Shaq and Varejao can carry the big man role by themselves. Big Z gave them both rests, had good chemistry with the team, and could stroke for a big man. Jamison is not a bad player at all and can help the Cavs out once they all get in tune with each other. Do you think this was a good trade?

Maybe they know what they are doing. There is a way for them to get Big Z back for the playoffs. If the team he was traded to buys him out the Cavs can pick him back up and they will have gotten Jamison for virtually nothing but a few missed games by Z. This would be something that will most likely get them over the hump and win the Finals. If they don't do it this year they might not be able to for a while; especially if LeBron moves out of Cleveland.

Where They At

This past weekend was the NBA All-Star weekend which had a record setting 108 thousand people in attendance for the All-Star game. This was a high flying, high scoring, close game that you would expect the All-Star game to be. This was the highlight of the weekend and in my opinion the only good part of it. In the skill competitions earlier in the weekend were as bad as ever. Where were the stars at?

Starting with the skills challenge, that deals with ball handling and passing which was won by Steve Nash, there were only two people that I have heard of. Steve Nash and Derron Williams are two of the best PG's in the game but there are other elites that could have been in it instead of two no names. Where was Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups? These players are considerably better and could have given Nash and Williams a little competition. Not saying the no-names aren't good, but they aren't as good as the ones mentioned above.

Next is the three point competition. The only one i can see being in the competition is Stephon Curry who can shoot the lights out. He didn't win but he is a rookie and I guarantee he wins two or three before he hangs up the sneakers. Paul Pierce won it but he shouldn't have been in it. Ray Allen, which is arguably the best shooter today and maybe one of the best of all times wasn't in it. Neither was Danielle Gibson, who is making three's whenever you hear about him. Rashard Lewis and JJ Reddick are other good shooters that could have been in it. Never the less congrats to Paul Pierce.

The final and maybe the biggest competition was the dunk contest which was won by Nate Robinson. He is 5' 5'' and can throw down which is amazing, but he has only had 3 dunks in the regular season. People are just trying to make him the next Spud Webb. This competition was the weakest I have ever seen. It looked more like a high school dunk competition. I only heard of Nate Robinson from previous dunk competitions and that's all. I have know idea who the others were but where are the stars at? Why can't we get LeBron in there or Dwight Howard again? Even Dwayne Wade can throw down better than the ones in the dunk contest. Get Vince Carter there just for the dunks. Nobody was buzzing like they usually do after this. This usually has more hype than the All Star game. I seriously hope they can get it back because there was no big names or even creativity this year.

I understand that the NBA administration is not completely to blame. Some players are too worried about their season or are too focused on the game. They are too concerned with themselves than they are to please the fans. Some were hurt, like Kobe, which is an alright excuse but i don't think there is another acceptable one. Let me know what you thought about the All-Star weekend.

Difference Between Levels

The fact that the style of play of basketball is different between levels and even locations. You can tell what level your watching simply by seeing how the players play.

You can tell if your watching the pros very easily. In this game it's high paced, high scoring, and full of highlights. This is more of an individuals games. To be honest it's not my favorite. Sure there is a lot of scoring because there's really no defense. The fact that one person's talent can carry a team because he is playing hard and no one is against him is a little fake to me. One good player can carry an entire team to the playoffs and even the finals; a good example of this is Iverson taking the Sixers to the finals. Now in saying I'm not saying everyone else on the court is no good. They all have amazing skills and are no flukes. Any can go off on any night but the stars usually carry the team night in and night out. The NBA has the most basketball talent that you will find any where in the world. The games are filled with spectacular plays and moments, high flying dunks and buzzer beaters, these plays that will most likely make it on SportsCenter keeps the fans watching. Including me.

College, on the other hand, is the most pure form of the game in my opinion. There is a unity and chemistry with the teams that I don't think is really present in the NBA. Teams are built intentionally so that players can accent or bring out the best in their teammates. Players aren't as focused on stats but are looking to make their team the best it can be. March Madness is where this really shows. You see teams come together to come out with a win, and more times than not it's an upset. This is what makes college so exciting. Any given night any team can win. The players are more relatable because they are my age and they are students and then athletes. Besides, NCAA basketball has it's fair share of highlights too. This is basketball at it's purest.

Basketball is a great sport on any level but my favorite is college. Let me know what yours is whether it's the NBA, NCAA, highschool, gradeschool, international, olympics, or any others.

The Time of Basketball

With the football season offically at a close, sports' main focus is now on basketball. The NBA season is in mid swing and the NCAA has a month left in it's regular season. There is nothing more exciting than a close basketball game. The greatest sporting event all year is coming up too. March Madness, filled with drama and triumph, is like nothing else in sports. Young athletes come together to put their hearts on the line for a common goal. All of the games played in a short period of time and this is a tournament that has more upsets than any other. The NBA is not something to forget about though. Their games are filled with stars that are high scoring and flashy. The fast pace of the game is really something to watch. With no other sports but basketball and hockey in season, expect ESPN to be filled with a lot of basketball highlights. This is truelly the time of basketball