Dec

31

Slam Dunk Central Second Annual Man Of The Year Award

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As we come to the end of a historic and tumultuous year, it is once again time for the Slam Dunk Central Annual Man Of The Year Award being brought back by popular demand. Last December we published Slam Dunk Central’s First Annual Man Of The Year Award and it has been by far the most widely read column in our one year, seven months-plus of existence. Not that every one agreed with our choice, among the negative comments that were printable about our selection, a reader told me that I must have been smoking crack to name the man that I did last year.

Before we discuss last year’s choice and who is the person who has received the award this year, let’s go over the parameters of the award, in case you were not with us for the first time around. I thought long and hard before naming the award the ”Man of the Year Award.” I have been called the most politically correct man in the United States, which to be honest, I’m not sure if it was said as an insult or a compliment. But it would probably be true.

My first indication was to call it the “Person of the Year Award.” That being said, this is a NBA Website, therefore our award winner will be involved in some way in the NBA. Except for Violet Palmer, the NBA’s lone female referee, I can’t think of another woman that would be eligible. If Ms. Palmer is one day named the winner, or another worthy female comes into play we will change the Award name at that time. But realistically, this award will most always go to a man.

I also thought about Athlete, or Player of the Year, but this year our selection is neither. And it will not necessarily always go to a player. The other thing is I wanted this to be an award, unlike “Time Magazine.” Their “Person Of The Year” is not an award, they make no bones about it. It is given to the person who most effects society, for good or for bad, last year for example the “Person Of The Year” was Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was not meant as a compliment. I want our award to be that an award, a recognition of goodness. If it was just the man who most effected the sport, the choice would be simple, Tim Donaghy, or David Stern.

Last year our choice was extremely unconventional; we went with University of Florida head coach Billy Donovan, who actually signed a contract to be the head coach of the Orlando Magic. But after he made the commitment, to the Magic, he had to face the people he was leaving. You have heard the phrase “an eleventh hour decision” this was more like 12:15. But in the end he did the right thing, he followed his heart. He realized that he did not need the extra money, the extra glitz, the extra glamour. When he went back to Gainesville, and saw the heartbreak in people’s eyes, he knew he could not leave.

Last year’s choice was based on Donovan being a class act as a person, this year’s winner is also a class person, but he won the award due to what he accomplished in the Association. There were a lot of very worthy candidates for the award, starting with reigning NBA MVP Kobe Bryant. As I wrote at the end of last season, Kobe should not have won the MVP Award, for the L.A. Lakers would have made the post season without him, although as a much lower seed. Bryant however did have a superb season, and became a team player during the campaign, as he learned to trust first Andrew Bynum, and the Pau Gasol to get Los Angeles back to the NBA Finals.

My personal choice for NBA MVP last season was also a very worthy candidate for our award, Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star forward LeBron James. LBJ was the reason that Cleveland made the playoffs, without him the team would have had a season similar to the Miami Heat without D-Wade. That to me is the x-factor in picking the Most Valuable Player, it’s not the best player, it’s the one who has the most value to their team. When Alex Rodriguez won the MLB MVP with the Texas Rangers, I was beside myself, they were a last place team. Certainly A-Rod had an incredible season, but the Rangers would have been in last place with or without their former shortstop.

Any list of NBA greats would not be complete without mentioning New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul. If you are a regular reader of mine, you are well aware of the fact that I covered CP3 for the first time when he played for Wake Forest in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Cleveland. I told everybody and anybody right then that Paul was for real, and would become a superstar in the NBA. Last season the rest of the planet finally caught up with me.

Chris Paul is a once in a generation “pure point guard“, he is a special player. I mean Bob Cousy, Tiny Archibald, Isiah Thomas, special (I exclude Magic Johnson from the list, because he was not a “pure point guard” he could play all five positions on the floor.) As much respect as I have for the talents, of Deron Williams, Mike Conley, and Derrick Rose, they are not on the same level as CP3. When all is said and done Chris Paul, if he stays on his current trajectory, could be the best “pure point guard” in the history of the Association.

Another very worthy candidate from the Hornets was NBA Coach Of The Year Byron Scott. Scott got a raw deal by the New Jersey Nets, allegedly because J-Kidd wanted it. (Kidd coincidentally or not was also reportedly considered a factor in the Mavericks firing their head coach Avery Johnson after last season ended.) Scott along with CP3 led the team to their first Southwest Division Championship, and they barring injury will be a force to be reckoned with for the next few years.

However as worthy as all the aforementioned gentlemen are, their accomplishments pale in comparison to what our awards recipient did. He put “Planet NBA” back on it’s access and restored the natural order of things after an absence of 22 years. He rebuilt and restored the glory of a franchise, as well as the Association’s most passionate rivalry. Television ratings and the NBA cache went soaring through the roof, mainly due to the actions of this one man. The winner of Slam Dunk Central’s Second Annual Man Of The Year Award is none other than Boston Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge.

The genesis of the 2008 NBA Champion Boston Celtics did not start during the Summer of 2007 when Ainge engineered the trades that would bring the “Green Team” Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Rather, it began back in the late 1950’s back with the original architect of the Celtics Dynasty, the Late Great Arnold Red Auerbach.

There have been many men correctly classified as geniuses in the NFL during my lifetime. They include Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi, Chuck Noll, Al Davis, Tom Landry, Bill Walsh, and Bill Belichick. There have been numerous college football coaches that deserve the label as well. However, in this veteran hoops observers opinion, there have been just two geniuses in basketball in the last fifty years. In the college ranks it would be the “Wizard Of Westwood” legendary former UCLA head coach John Wooden. The only man who deserves that mantle in the NBA as far as I am concerned is Red Auerbach.

There is no need for me to go over all the things that Red did over the years to turn the Celtics into the Association’s flagship franchise. However, if not for Auerbach once again thinking outside the box, Danny Ainge became a member of the Boston Celtics.

Danny Ainge first gained national attention as a stand out guard at Brigham Young University, and he looked like he would have a very strong career in the NBA. Danny decided to start his professional career with his other sport, as a second baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays. Although, Ainge was certainly far better than MJ in the bigs, he was not good enough to become a star. After the Celtics won the NBA Finals in 1981, Auerbach drafted Ainge with a second round draft pick. Most pundits thought it was throwing away the pick, Ainge would never leave baseball for the NBA. They were wrong.

Ainge was the starting guard for two Celtics Championship teams in 1984, and 1986. However starting with the death of Boston’s first round NBA Draft pick in 1986, Len Bias, a series of events took away the franchise’s magic. Bill Walton, Scott Wedman, Larry Bird, and Kevin McHale would all see their careers end far too soon due to debilitating injuries. Ainge was traded to the Sacramento Kings for Joe Klein and Ed Pinckney in 1989.

Ainge was a fiery combative player, if he was on your team he was scrappy, if he was on the opponent’s team he was a whiner. Danny was the kind of player you loved to play with but hated to play against, he knew every trick in the book, and loved to make his opponent look foolish. Ainge would move on first to Portland, and then in Phoenix in pursuit of one more ring before he called it quits. He would retire in 1995, with that quest unfulfilled.

Meanwhile, back on the East Coast the Celtics went through a series of different men at the helm all with little or no success, Jan Volk, Dave Gavitt, M.L. Carr, and Rick Pitino all had their shots, and all failed miserably. Ainge became a coach for the Suns, had some early success, and then retired citing the need to spend more time with his family. In 2003 Ainge would return to Boston as Director of Basketball Operations, there would be a lot of rocky moments before he would ultimately find success.

Boston had a horrendous season in 2006-2007 as they had a pathetic record of 24-58. Their only saving grace was the hope of landing either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant by getting the first or second selection in the NBA Draft Lottery. They would end up getting the fifth selection, Ainge and Celtics coach Doc Rivers were both clearly shaken by their lack of good fortune.

Ainge tried to make lemonade after he was handed lemons but at first it did not look like he was going to succeed. He made overtures to the Minnesota Timberwolves about trying to acquire the “Big Ticket.” Garnett through his agent conveyed his revulsion at the thought of coming to Boston, saying that if the Celtics traded for him he would exercise an option in his contract to become a free agent following the completion of the season. KG had visions of playing with Kobe in Los Angeles, not on a moribund Boston team, but then Ainge did some tinkering.

The Celtics would use that number five pick in a package to acquire Ray Allen from Seattle, with Allen alongside Paul Pierce Garnett suddenly was excited about coming to the Celtics. The trade was consummated, and of course you know the rest.

By making Boston “Hoopsville, USA” again Danny Ainge re-energized the Association. The NBA Finals match-up renewing the rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers was like catnip for NBA fans, the ratings were the highest they have been in years. And thirteen years after retiring as a player, Ainge finally had his third ring.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

Dec

31

Barkley Nabbed For DUI

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Charles Barkley is known for a few things: his basketball prowess and his propensity to speak his mind.  Now he can also be known for joining the growing number of current and ex-pro athletes that have been charged with driving under the influence; specifically, according to the Associated Press, Barkley was pulled over early Wednesday morning by Gilbert (AZ) police.

An officer with a law enforcement task force that targets drunken driving saw Barkley run a stop sign  around 1:30 AM, according to Gilbert police lieutenant Eric Shuhandler; Barkley declined to take a breath test but did submit to a blood test, with the results not available as of this writing.  After he was processed, he was cited and released; he left the police facilities in a cab.  Barkley was arrested in Scottsdale’s “Old Town” district, which is just north of Phoenix.  Should more specifics become available, Slam Dunk Central will have them for you.

Dec

31

Trail Blazers And Turn Overs Give Celtics Another West Coast Loss 91-86

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They say that many times a wounded animal is at it’s most dangerous, and that certainly proved to be the case for the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night. The Blazers were without All-Star guard Brandon Roy who was suffering from a hamstring injury. Portland’s center Greg Oden was banged up as he was dealing with a sore ankle.

The fans at the Rose Garden would leave the arena with smiles on their faces however, as point guard Steve Blake scored 21 points, LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 more, and Oden bum ankle and all recorded a double-double, as they defeated the defending NBA Champions Boston Celtics 91-86. Portland recovered from a double digit deficit in the first, due to their scrappy play as well as turnovers by the “Green Team“. Boston committed 13 turnovers which cost them 22 points, and included some bad passes in key moment down the stretch. The Celtics have lost three of four games on their West Coast road trip, ending the year that saw them return to glory in the Association on a sour note.

Boston came out of the gate strong while Portland looked like they left their offense in the locker room in the first as the Celtics took a healthy 23-13 lead at the end of the quarter. The Blazers recovered their shooting touch in the second and were able to close the gap by the end of the half, as the Celts walked into the locker room leading 45-40.

Oden drove the lane putting the ball up and in with 7:43 left in the third to tie the contest at 49-49. Rajon Rondo drained a 24 foot trey with 7:04 remaining to put Boston back on top at 52-49. The Celts looked like they were about to take the game over when Rondo hit a pair at the line to put his club ahead 60-53 with 3:08 to play in the third. Portland would end the period on an 11-4 run to tie the game up heading into the fourth at 64-64. LaMarcus Aldridge slammed the ball through the cylinder with authority to give the Blazers a 70-64 advantage with 9:56 remaining in the game. With 22 seconds left to play Paul Pierce hit a shot 7 feet from the hoop, was fouled on the play, and hit his shot at the line to bring Boston within 1point at 87-86. That would be the last points of the night for the Celtics, as Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez sealed the win when each hit a pair at the charity stripe.

Steve Blake paced Portland as he scored 21 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds, while LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Travis Outlaw had a good game off the bench, with 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist, while Greg Oden recorded a double-double, 13 points, 11 boards, 3 assists, and 3 steals.

Paul Pierce led all players with 28 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, Kevin Garnett added 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Rajon Rondo had another strong night as he scored 13  points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals, however he did commit 4 turnovers, Ray Allen chipped in with 12 points, and 2 rebounds. Portland improves to 20-12, they will host the New Orleans Hornets, Boston still has the best record in the Association at 28-5, they will be back in the friendly confines of the ”New Garden“ Friday as they host the Washington Wizards.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

Dec

31

Kings Welcome K-Mart Back, Edge Clippers 92-90

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The Sacramento Kings received a belated Christmas present with the return of Kevin Martin to their lineup - just in time for their game Tuesday night against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.  Despite the Kings scoring only 2 points in the last 4:28 of the game and the Clippers not scoring at all during the final 3:03 of the final period, Sacramento snapped a 6-game losing streak as they defeated Los Angeles 92-90 at Arco Arena.  With the loss, the Clippers extend their losing streak to 4 straight games.

The Kings were hot early as they outscored the Clippers 27-12 in the first quarter; they led by as many as 17 before settling for a 49-41 lead at halftime.  Both Eric Gordon and reserve forward Paul Davis dominated for the Clippers in the third quarter as they both had 8 points as Los Angeles outscored Sacramento 32-23 to take a slim 73-72 lead going into the final period.  During the fourth quarter, both teams exchanged several leads until both teams went cold; however, Brad Miller hit a pair of free throws, putting Sacramento up 92-90 with 45.7 seconds left in the game as they would hold on for the win.

Sacramento’s high scorer was Martin with 20 points and 5 rebounds while John Salmons and Miller added 15 apiece - with Salmons grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists while Miller grabbed 13 boards, dished out 3 assists and blocked a shot; Jason Thompson recorded a double-double, scoring 10 with 10 rebounds. 

Los Angeles was led by Gordon with 24 points, (including 4 three-pointers), 2 rebounds and 2 steals while Davis added 18 with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals; Marcus Camby pitched in with 24 points along with 24 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and 3 blocked shots.  Sacramento (8-24) plays again on Friday when they begin a 4-game road trip, facing the Detroit Pistons while Los Angeles (8-22) return home to host the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.

Dec

31

D-Wade Spoils LeBron’s Birthday As Heat Burn Cavaliers 104-95

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For the past two games the Cavaliers had been on the brink a loss. Tuesday night on LeBron James’ 24-birthday, the Miami Heat pushed the Cavs over that brink. Led by a solid night from Dwyane Wade with 21 points and 12 assists, the Heat topped the Cavs for just the sixth loss of the Cavaliers season in a 104-95 setback.

Mario Chalmers was another thorn in the Cavs side, as he hit 6 three-point shots, and ended the night with 21 points and eight assists. The Heat controlled the tempo from the opening tip to the end, as they built a seven-point lead at the end of one, a 16-point lead at the half, and then held off a gutsy Cavs comeback to improve to 17-13 on the season.

James did celebrate his birthday with a big night in the score book, as he led the team with 38 points and seven assists. He led a Cavs comeback that saw them draw to within one in the final quarter, but then the Heat had enough with Wade and Chalmers along with 14 from Shawn Marion to put the Cavs away.

It was the second of a back-to-back for these two teams, and while the Heat were not able to hang on to a lead Sunday night at the Q, at home was another story. They forced 13 Cavaliers turnovers, and out rebounded the Cavs 42-33. They also shot seven more free throws, going 25-for-32 from the charity stripe while the Cavs were 18-for-25.

The Heat played a zone defense over the last few minutes, stopping James and the Cavs, who had drawn to within one at 78-77 with 8:55 left. It was all Heat from there, as they wrapped up the game with a 16-3 run over the final four minutes to go on for the 9-point win. Delonte West scored 20 for the Cavs, which had won six straight, and Mo Williams added 10.

The Cavs will celebrate the New Year with two days off, then be back on the court Friday night for a match-up with the rival Chicago Bulls at Quicken Loans Arena.

Dec

31

CP3 Has Third Triple-Double Of Season As Hornets Sting Wizards 97-85

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Chris Paul recorded his third triple-double of the 2008-2009 NBA campaign leading the New Orleans Hornets past the Washington Wizards Tuesday night 97-85. Paul’s back court partner Rasual Butler led the Hornets in scoring with 21 points, while David West added 20 in front of the crowd at the New Orleans Arena. The victory gives New Orleans a half game lead over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Southwest Division and was the club’s third straight win.

I have written these words before on these pages, and I am sure that I will write them many more times before my career has come to a close. Chris Paul is a once in a generation “pure point guard“, he is a special player. I mean Bob Cousy, Tiny Archibald, Isiah Thomas, special (I exclude Magic Johnson from the list, because he was not a “pure point guard” he could play all five positions on the floor.) As much respect as I have for the talents, of Deron Williams, Mike Conley, and Derrick Rose, they are not on the same level as CP3. When all is said and done Chris Paul, if he stays on his current trajectory, could be the best “pure point guard” in the history of the Association.

New Orleans came out strong in the first quarter as the Wizards looked like they were still trying to find their offense, resulting in a 25-17 lead at the end of the period. Washington found their stroke in the second, and the contest was all knotted up at 46-46 as DeShawn Stevenson drained a 23 foot trey at the buzzer. Washington would take the lead briefly in the opening minutes of the third, but the Hornets quickly recovered and held a 68-63 advantage as the quarter came to an end. Washington would never be able to close the gap in the final 12 minutes of play.

Rasual Butler scored 21 points, and had 1 rebound, while David West added 20 points, and 6 rebounds, in the New Orleans victory. Chris Paul put up 15 points, dished off 16 assists, and grabbed 10 boards, “Super-Sub” James Posey had another good game off the bench with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. Tyson Chandler is starting to resemble the player he became last season as the center recorded a double-double, 11 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block.

Antawn Jamison also was credited with a double-double, a game high 22 points, 12 boards, and 1 assist, for the Wizards. Mike James fouled out of the contest, but he had 16 points, 7 assists, and 1 rebound, before he did, Andray Blatche added 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists, and 1 block. New Orleans improves to 19-9, Washington is 6-24.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.net

Dec

30

Soaring Hawks Win Sixth Straight, Beat Pacers 110-104

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Well folks, it is official: the Atlanta Hawks are for real; coming into tonight’s game against the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse, they brought with them a considerable amount of confidence and a 5-game winning streak.  Joe Johnson and Josh Smith combined for 51 points, leading Atlanta to their 6th straight win as they defeated Indiana 110-104.

After a nip-and-tuck first half that included 12 lead changes and 9 ties, the Hawks took an 81-75 lead on a Josh Smith jumper late in the third quarter; however, the Pacers would respond with back-to-back 3-pointers by Travis Diener to tie things up at 81, but Atlanta would regain the lead 85-83 going into the fourth quarter.  The Hawks took a 103-96 after 5 straight points from Johnson with 4 minutes left in the game; the Pacers came back with an 8-2 run to get to within a point. 

After the Pacers cut the Hawks lead to one on a 3-point play by Jarrett Jack with 1:36 remaining, Johnson hit a trey to make it 108-104.  Indiana’s Danny Granger would miss a layup on the team’s next possession and Johnson would hit a pair of free throws, rounding out the game’s scoring and icing the game for Atlanta.  Johnson led all Atlanta scorers with 27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal while Smith added 24 with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, an assist and a steal, but committed 5 turnovers; Mike Bibby pitched in, scoring 15 with 5 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal.

Indiana was led by Granger with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocked shots while Jack added 22 with 4 assists, a steal and a blocked shot; Jeff Foster had a double-double, scoring 12 with 12 rebounds while Troy Murphy added a double-double of his own, scoring 10 with 14 rebounds.  Atlanta (21-10) plays again on Friday when they fly east to New Jersey to take on the Nets while Indiana (10-21) travels east to New York to take on the Knicks - also on Friday.

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