The Hoop and The Harm

Alright, so I figured it was about time I introduce myself (considering the fact that this site has been up for quite a while now). I’m Vince, I like basketball, and I’ve recently taken up running. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get down to business.

So the Warriors have already lost two players and they have two more that are out on the market. Baron has gone across the state to LA, and Mickael Pietrus has decided to go across the country to test the waters in the Atlantic (huzzah for water that is warm enough to swim in!). With Monte Ellis, a quick and proven scorer, deciding to turn to free agency, and Andris Biedrins coming down with a severe Anderson Varejao complex (looking for 5 years and 50 mil?! Come on, let’s be realistic here…), they have a few decisions to make that will change the course of this team.

With the trade deadline passed, the playoff picture becoming increasingly more clear, and March Madness fast approaching, I feel like now is as good a time as any to link this article. There are a few important games left, but they are mostly for playoff position. Most of the 

A few key stats from Friday nights thriller in the Rose City. First: Final score Blazers 119 Lakers 111. Second: Roy 12 assists. This is a Laker team that has everyone talking.The Blazers, though not totally out of the playoff picture, are playing for their lives. There is some speculation that a trade is in the wings to shore up the back court for when GO arrives next season. Jarrett Jack played his best game of the season, but he is going to have to do a lot better to prove to the brass that he is a necessary part of the team’s future. The Blazers’ next game is against the Golden State Warriors and team they trail by five for the final spot in the West. This is the stretch run. The Blazers need to play their best basketball of the season to have even a chance at the post season. Friday night was a major season highlight, and a game that last year the Blazers don’t win. More games like that, and fewer games like the ones in the month of February, and its possible that the Blazers will be back in the playoffs. Its too early to get too hopeful, but it is also too early to give up. 

Apologies to Rajon Rondo for turning in a play that was certainly worth a Hypothetical Trophy, but failed to receive one. Why? Because Dwight Howard is having himself quite a month. Watch Rondo break Anthony Carter’s ankles without using a crossover, spend a few seconds wondering how another play could top that, then check out Orlando’s big man dunk over (count ‘em) FOUR defenders. (If you have good ears, notice the music in the background. He fights for truth, justice, and the foul!)

Somebody needs to give Danny Ferry something to do. Because it looks like he’s been spending WAYYYYYYYYY too much time playing with the Trade Machine.

After hours of negotiations, Ferry pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal that involved three teams, eleven players, and a draft pick in a drastic attempt to give LeBron a supporting cast. After all, a Cavalier who does not support the King is not really a Cavalier at all; if you don’t get it, ask someone who knows something about English History.

So what does it mean? Assuming no one ends up on the DL or in Mike Brown’s doghouse, this trade should provide a boost, but is it enough to vault them past the Celtics or the Pistons in the playoffs? Potentially, and here’s why.

- Statistically, Ben Wallace is having a down year. Age may be an issue, but let’s be honest, Wallace wasn’t the only Bull having a bad season. And being a 6′9″ center isn’t easy. Joining a team that already has a legit center in 7′3″ Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Wallace should spend most of his time at power forward, meaning that his height will no longer be an issue. Wallace is still perhaps the strongest man in the NBA, and now that he’ll be battling for boards againsts fours instead of fives, expect both his rebounding numbers (under 9 a game with Chicago) and blocked shots (1.6 bpg) to increase dramatically.

- Homecoming King? Although ‘King’ might not fly in Cleveland - I heard the nickname’s already taken - it should be a return to remember for Wally Szczerbiak. The former Miami of Ohio sharpshooter had his best years in Minnesota, thanks in no small part to Kevin Garnett. Once again alongside a superstar, Wally has a great chance to resurrect his career - he’s a 40% career three-point shooter and a former All-Star.

The Cavs also received Delonte West in the deal. West, who played in the same backcourt as Jameer Nelson when St. Joseph’s started 28-0, had been with Boston prior to this year. He was shipped to Seattle in the Ray Allen deal, but was buried on the depth chart there with both Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour also on the Sonics. He should help - on this team, how can a young point guard who can shoot from the outside NOT help?

Sure, Chicago and Seattle were involved in this trade, but they’re not heading to the playoffs this season. Cleveland, on the other hand, is trying to prove that they can play with anyone in the conference, if not the league. Remember, they are the defending conference champions, and they have the best player in the NBA who has two healthy pinkies. Will they make it back to the Finals? We don’t know yet. But we do know that lately, it has been unwise to bet against LeBron.

Wow. That’s all. What an unbelievable exhibition of basketball. Really, what else can you say? It left me so stunned that it took me until Friday morning to write about it. I was going to put up a long, entertaining article about how awesome the weekend was, but it’s probably better to let the highlights speak for themselves.

- If you missed any of the dunk contest - the best one in 20 years, by the way - you can see every dunk by all four competitors. (Unfortunately, you miss some of the more hilarious moments, like Chocolate Thunder knocking Gerald Green’s sneakers off the table after his final dunk, or the long, uncomfortable period between the end of the contest and the announcement of the fan vote results, where Green had to stand at center court the whole time even though everybody in the arena already knew he had lost.)

- The NBA has also provided similar abridged versions of the 3-Point Shootout, the Shooting Stars Competition, the Playstation Skills Challenge (no, this is not the NBA equivalent of the Madden Bowl), and the Rookie Challenge, as well as the All-Star Game in 15 Minutes. (All of these can be found via the above link.)

- And as for the H&H action? I thought the refs were going to swallow their whistles all game, but I guess they must like the site too. There were about half a dozen H&Hs during the All-Star Game, and by narrowly defeating Amare Stoudemire in the fan vote, the Hypothetical Trophy goes to: Pookie.

In keeping with the seasonlong tradition, here are the Top 10 Plays of the 2008 All-Star Game. (Wade’s play at number 4 beat out Stoudemire’s play at number 6 for the award. If I had to guess, it’s because of the clap. I know, that sounds bad. But not as bad as Marv Albert after number 2 - I’ve never heard a funnier sentence during an All-Star Game.)

The NBA All-Star Game: Where Superman Getting a Facial Happens.

All the All-Star and trade related links you might have missed.

• Kidd is a Maverick, finally. Wanted to be absolutely sure this time. My previous opinion of the deal still stands.
• Bibby traded to a worse a team with a better shot at making the playoffs
• CP3 put on a show last weekend
• Sonics look to be getting the boot
• KG hopes to return tonight
  
• Anti All-Star team
• All-Star Game Recap, Lebron wins 2nd MVP
• All-Stars miss you Diesel!
  
• Superman!
• Isiah’s on the offensive, be afraid
• Melo wants Ron Ron
• Slam Online’s All-Star Coverage

Thanks to espn.com, nba.com, si.com, and slamonline.com.

First a disclaimer. I am both a die-hard Blazer fan and a die-hard Brandon Roy fan. I said earlier in the season that it was unlikely that Roy would make the All-Star team. My main reasons were because of the high number of strong guards in the West and because he is a second year player that has plenty of time to be an All-Star.

When he got selected I was very happy, but up until tip-off I maintained the opinion that his minutes were going to be limited. With the bulk of the guard minutes being taken up by Nash, Bryant, AI, and Chris Paul. I said those things because part of being a Blazer fan is dealing with disappointment. I want to see the team and Roy do well, but I also don’t want to get my hopes up.

Having said all of those things, if the West had won, B-Roy was my choice for MVP. Here is his stat line: 18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 28 minutes played. I know that if the West had won Chris Paul would have been the MVP, he deserved it and it was his home court, but seeing the way Roy carried himself there is no doubt in my mind that he will be an All-Star for many many years to come.

The 2008 All-Star game was a great contest. Congratulations to all the players, and especially to Brandon Roy. A great end to a great first half of the season!

In case you missed it……….. and even if you didn’t……….

Most creative dunk I’ve ever seen. I thought he would bring it, but that was ridiculous. I’ve been in a state of shock all night (and morning). Wow. The dunk contest is back people!

P.S. Honorable mention goes to Gerald Green’s birthday cake dunk

Thanks to the All-Star break, the past (almost) two weeks have been combined into one post. There were a lot of worthy candidates, but one rose above the rest. And by ‘the rest,’ I mean ‘Rodney Carney.’ Plus, there’s the whole ‘Pookie Rule’. And Pookie Rule or not, how can you NOT vote for a guy who dunked so hard he knocked his defender to the ground? According to the NBA, it’s the #9 Play of the Week, but here at H&H, it’s definitely in our Fav 5.

- PICK THE TOP HOOP AND HARM OF THE ALL-STAR GAME!

Send me your e-mails and you can help decide what play will be the official Hoop and Harm of Sunday’s All-Star Game in New Orleans! Give as much detail as possible (simply saying LeBron’s dunk, for example, probably isn’t going to be enough). All votes must be received by 9 PM Eastern on Tuesday (approximately 48 hours after tip-off).