Kurt Rambis was originally drafted by the Knicks and ended up playing for several teams, but is best known for his stints with the Lakers in L.A.

Rambis is the man with the goggles. That is how we will always remember him. Kurt averaged around 5 points and 5 rebounds for his career, but that is not what his career was all about. Rambis epitomized hustle and would make himself a pest to the other team. He was like a mad dog that the Lakers kept penned up and released whenever they felt it would cause the other team problems.

NBA Kurt Rambis factoid: Kurt Rambis had his jersey retired by Santa Clara University for being the all time leading scorer with 1,736 points.

Kevin Love brings the emotion!

NBA Legendary Coaches

Kurt had the opportunity to play for legendary Coach Pat Riley and Super Star Coach Phil Jackson. Today with the Timberwolves Kurt attempts to apply the triangle offense in the T’wolves offensive sets. It worked a whole lot better before Kevin Love was injured.

It is all new and all youth with Rambis and the T’wolves. Even his coaches are learning.

“There are no holdover players from my system,” Rambis says. “They’re all learning. Even my assistant coaches are learning,” including former head coaches Bill Laimbeer (the WNBA’s Detroit Shock), Reggie Theus (Sacramento Kings) and Dave Wohl (New Jersey Nets).

source

Besides Kevin Love, the Timberwolves have speedy Jonny Flynn and big Al Jefferson. All young and all learning and as much as Rambis would want to take them to the playoffs, it won’t be this year. In the meantime Kurt is making his mark as a teacher and patient coach. Maybe he needs to find someone wearing goggles to really start winning!

Image: Zuma Press

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

Post from: NBA Obsessed

The NBA is a paradise of pampered ultra elite athletes that have failed to realize how special their lives truly are compared to the rest of us average people that slog it out every day just to get a check that won’t quite last until the next check.

Allen Iverson NBA superstar

Allen Iverson is a case in point causing disruption everywhere he goes, in spite of talent that just oozes out of his pores. Speaking of pours, not pores, Allen refuses to pour his heart into his team as in what is good for the team and rather prefers to play to what is good for Allen. If that happens to mesh with Team, then the age old saying of there is no I in Team becomes nothing more than a restated euphemism. Problem is that in most cases there is no I in Team and Allen becomes a problem to be dealt with on a team level and a PR level. That is what the Memphis Grizzlies are dealing with right now.

NBA superstar Allen Iverson is grumbling as a Grizzlie

Iverson missed all of the Memphis Grizzlies preseason NBA games and the first 3 regular season NBA games and now expects to be automatically a starter. The Coach has a big time problem with that attitude.

“My frustration is that I have to talk about Allen Iverson at every press setting,” Hollins said. “I want to talk about the Memphis Grizzlies and us as a team. And even when Allen was out, I was happy to talk about Allen. So, that’s my frustration. I just want to talk about the Memphis Grizzlies. If Allen plays well and you guys want to ask me about Allen, that’s great. Or if he plays poorly and you want to ask me how poorly he played, that’s great, too.
“But what he says and what he’s thinking? My job is to coach the team as a unit. I have to make decisions and all the players in that locker room are not going to be happy about it. But it’s my job to do the best that I can and if they don’t feel like I’m doing it than ownership is going to get rid of me and that’s the way it’s always been through history.”

source

Allen Iverson on defense

In an odd statement after the Grizzlies lost another NBA game, this time to the Warriors, it was Allen Iverson speaking up about defense, a subject it was suspected that he knew very little about.

“It’s been rough,” Iverson said after logging 28 minutes in his second game back from a hamstring injury. “You have to take on an individual challenge to guard the guy you have in front of you. It starts with having the heart to guard your man. … Not a lot of players like to play defense. Winning teams play defense.”

It was difficult to find anyone in the Grizzlies’ locker room who didn’t share Hollins’ mood or who disagreed with Iverson’s answer.
source

Defense? Why are we talking about defense?

Image: Zuma Press

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

Post from: NBA Obsessed

Has Dirk Nowitzki started an early bid for MVP with an incredible fourth quarter of 29 points against the Utah Jazz? Dirk had 40 total points on a night when for 3 quarters he just could not get it going and it looked like a boring defeat at the hands of the Jazz, but then the magic scoring hands of Nowitzki went to work and broke Mark Aguirre’s 1 quarter Maverick scoring record.

NBA factoid: Last December Carmelo Anthony had 33 in a single quarter to tie George Gervin’s all time NBA record.

Mark Aguirre had 27 on March 24th 1984.

Dirk had Jason Terry just gushing.

He scored 23 of 25 Maverick points in one stretch, including a step-back jumper with 2:05 to go that put them ahead, 85-83.

“It was tremendous,” Jason Terry said of Nowitzki’s fourth quarter. “Dirk put us on his back and showed us why he’s the MVP. We were in it defensively all night long. But offensively we struggled. It was getting to us. … But we didn’t let our defensive effort lack. I think that’s what kept us in the game.
source

Dirk Nowitzki with classic shooting form

Dirk Nowitzki has 29 in the fourth

For the Dallas Mavericks the true test will come at the defensive end as a team loaded with offensive stars attempts to stop the opposing team from scoring, which is something they have not shown a strong propensity to accomplish in the past.

What’s more significant to me is that the Mavs have won three consecutive games despite not shooting better than 41.7 percent in any game this season. Last year, when they shot 42.5 percent of worse from the floor, they were 3-25. In many ways, just like the Rangers, this offense has traditionally been so good that if it gets even a touch of defense, it wins. Since that rather rough season opener, the Mavs have won as much because of defense as anything.

That is most definitely a change in this team. Maybe it’s only a one-week aberration, but, at least for a week, you have to figure the attention to defense is paying off for this team.
source

If the Defensive Trend continues for the Dallas Mavericks then you can look for an extended playoff run at the end of the year.

Image: Zuma Press

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

Post from: NBA Obsessed

Ahh, remember those warm nights in college when girls would streak across the softball field? Whatever happened to those days? Sorry, getting a little off the subject.

Tayshaun Prince

Tayshaun Prince has started 439 games in a row, which in the modern NBA with all the travel, is quite a prodigious streak. Painfully, especially for Tay, it will come to an end tonight.

His games-played streak was second among active players, trailing Andre Miller, and his games-started streak of 439 was the longest active run.

The bad news was compounded by the fact that coach John Kuester said that shooting guard Rip Hamilton definitely will miss the Toronto game and is unlikely to return Friday.

source

When you look at Tayshaun Prince he seems so thin and so frail that no one would have guessed that he would become one of the league’s leading iron men.

NBA factoid: Robert Parrish played in 1,611 games in his career an NBA All Time record.

Tay last sat out a game in his rookie year and last did not start in his second year. Prince had trouble winning the confidence of Rick Carlisle in his rookie year and frankly did not show up until the playoffs. It was in the playoffs that Carlisle discovered that Tayshaun could back his man down and score with an odd looking twisting left handed shot. It was almost unstoppable due to the fact that it had never been seen during the regular season.

Tayshaun will be among the missing for tonight's game

Tayshaun has played in 537 games and another 118 games in the playoffs.

NBA factoid: A.C. Green played in 1,192 straight games and NBA All Time record.

The injury has come at a bad time for the Pistons with Rip Hamilton out as well. This Piston team does not have the depth or number of veterans that the Pistons teams of recent past.

Photo source Newscom

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

Post from: NBA Obsessed

Maybe you have missed the big news about the economy? It is becoming more apparent that the whole crash thing with the banks and the stock market was all a hoax or maybe it has run its course, because money is floating around everywhere. Boston just floated a whole boat load of money over to Rajon Rondo to keep him from becoming a restricted free agent in the upcoming blockbuster free agent market of next year.

League sources said the extension is for five years and guarantees Rondo at least $55 million. With the two sides facing a Monday deadline to get a deal done, Duffy said he called Celtics president Danny Ainge on Sunday to inform him Rondo was prepared to play out his contract and become a restricted free agent next summer because they weren’t satisfied with the team’s previous offers. Ainge, however, surprised Duffy by responding that Rondo’s contract hopes would be met.

source

Rajon is on an old Boston team where the 4 All Star players are all over 30. That would include Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and the newly picked up Rasheed Wallace. Rajon is not only young, but gives the speed to a team that needs speed.

Rajon is rich!

The money is also being floated to other players and hopefully you will get your share, but you have to have a jump shot or something.

Rondo’s new deal averages $11 million a season, the same amount San Antonio Spurs All-Star point guard Tony Parker(notes) earned when he signed a six-year, $66 million extension to his rookie contract in 2004. Among members of Rondo’s 2006 rookie class, Portland Trail Blazers All-Star guard Brandon Roy received a five-year, $80 million contract extension. The Blazers also gave forward LaMarcus Aldridge a five-year, $65 million extension.

You have to wonder how expensive seats will have to stay at the NBA games to support these salaries, while the rest of us are taking layoffs, furlough days, and pay cuts.

Image: Zuma Press

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

Post from: NBA Obsessed

Now it is time to play who makes more in the NBA as provided by Hoopsworld. The answers will be at the bottom of the blog.

Are you ready?

A) Who makes more Boston Celtics… Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, or Kevin Garnett?

B) Who makes more Cleveland Cavaliers… LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neil, or Mo Williams?

C) Who makes more Denver Nuggets… Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, or Kenyon Martin?

D) Who makes more Los Angeles Lakers… Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, or Ron Artest?

E) Who makes more New Orleans Hornets… Chris Paul, Emeka Okafor, or Peja Stojakovic?

F) Who makes more San Antonio Spurs… Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, or Richard Jefferson?

G) Who makes more Dallas Mavericks… Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, or Dirk Nowitzki?

H) Who makes more Orlando Magic… Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, or Vince Carter?

I) Who makes more Miami Heat… Dwyane Wade, Michael Beasley, or Jermaine O’Neal?

J) Who makes more Detroit Pistons… Ben Gordon, Charlie Villenueva, or Rip Hamilton?

Tim Duncan makes a lot of cash!

Answers from Hoopsworld:
A) Paul Pierce $19,795,712.
B) Shaquille O’Neal $21,000,000.
C) Kenyon Martin $15,613,636.
D) Kobe Bryant $23,034,375.
E) Peja Stojakovic $13,392,000.
F) Tim Duncan $22,183,220.
G) Dirk Nowitzki $19,795,714.
H) Rashard Lewis $18,010,791.
I) Jermaine O’Neal $23,016,000.
J) Rip Hamilton $11,625,000.

Photo source Newscom

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

Post from: NBA Obsessed

Steve Nash is 35 years old. He was drafted by Phoenix in 1996 in the first round and played part of his career for the Dallas Mavericks and then returned to the Phoenix Suns. He has averaged 14 points and 8 assists for his whole career and in case you were thinking he is slowing down, he averaged 21 points and 14 assists last year.

Steve Nash has a new project because this year’s Phoenix Suns are not the group that was a dominant Western Conference title contender year in and year out. Steve is taking this team and imprinting it with his personality. This involves teamwork, the way Steve Nash glides down the floor finding a teammate with a sharp pass leading to a lay in, always sacrificing for the team.

“We have to win some of these home games so we can give ourselves a little confidence and breathing room, so that if we lose a couple it’s not the end of the world and there’s not a lot of pressure on us to fight out of a big hole,” guard Steve Nash said.
The early success has helped the Suns’ confidence. The chemistry and order that was an off-season emphasis is evident.
source

In order to work the Suns like a chessboard, Steve Nash needs some pieces to work with and he is finding them game by game. It won’t be an immediate process, but it will be a work of sharing by the player that stands for sharing.

Steve Nash is bringing the Suns along

Steve is trying to work in Leandro Barbosa, Jason Richardson, and Channing Frye among others to be a part of the up and coming Arizona team.

More than anyone, Nash desires a fun but dedicated atmosphere. He creates it with selfless play, striking a balance that teammate Grant Hill called “masterful.” Nash has 42 points and 28 assists with six turnovers in the two games.

“He’s a genius,” said center Channing Frye, getting his first feel of Nash’s impact. “If one time he misses you because he shoots, he’s doing that on purpose so the next three times you can shoot. He plays the game almost like a chess board.”

The Suns are not going to light the NBA on fire this year, but if Steve Nash can help it, they will be major factor in the Western Conference race.

Image: Zuma Press

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

Post from: NBA Obsessed

Derrick Rose has been patiently waiting for an ankle on the mend. Against San Antonio, Derrick had to just put it out of his mind and play as hard as he could play for as long as he could go. Coach Vinny Del Negro wanted to keep a close eye on Derrick Rose’s minutes, but he ended up playing 33 minutes in what was his first game in almost a month’s time.

Chicago Bulls 92 San Antonio Spurs 85

This was a huge victory for Chicago and probably not too irritating of a loss for San Antonio, although San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich was not too happy with the effort. All Coach Popovich could do was admire the effort of the Chicago Bulls.

Deng got no argument from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who saw his team follow up Wednesday’s win against New Orleans with a dud. Except for Tim Duncan (28 points, 16 rebounds), the Spurs didn’t give much of a fight.

”Chicago just did a great job out there,” he said. ”They had more guys come to compete than we did. We had one. They deserved it, and I’m happy for Vinny.”

Deng (17 points, nine rebounds) led six Bulls in double figures. He shot 8-for-13 and was one of the few Bulls who had any sort of offensive rhythm throughout.

source

Derrick Rose chases down a loose ball with a bad ankle

Luol Deng, by the way, was one of the walking wounded for Chicago as he was coming off of a lower stress fracture that had him sitting around for 6 months. If the Bulls are going to do anything at all this year it will involve Luol Deng putting together a potential All Star season. That is what Chicago has been hoping for since they drafted him. Maybe with Derrick Rose around to set him up, Luol can at least approach that level.

Tyrus Thomas Free Agent

Tyrus Thomas checked in with 10 points in the third quarter to help the Bulls winning cause. The Bulls have been unable to come to terms with Tyrus Thomas and he will become a free agent at the end of the year.

The Bulls will have significant salary-cap space available for the summer of 2010, and aren’t inclined to reward Thomas with an extension like his 2006 draft classmate, Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) (five years, $65 million). The Utah Jazz also signed forward Paul Millsap(notes), a second-round pick in 2006, to a new four-year, $32 million contract this summer.

Thomas, 23, was the fourth overall pick three years ago, and has steadily matured and begun to show signs of fulfilling his vast promise. Forman has maintained that Thomas, a 6-foot-9 power forward, is part of the franchise’s core group with Derrick Rose and Luol Deng.

source

This move may anger many Bulls fans that yearn for the days of Michael Jordan and don’t like to see any young talent walk out the door. Tyrus was a key with Deng and Rose to the Bulls future.

On this night Bulls fans will just have to put it all aside and be happy with a victory over Tim Duncan and the powerful San Antonio Spurs.
Image: Zuma Press

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

Post from: NBA Obsessed

This is not a prediction post by NBAObsessed. That is my upfront disclaimer. This is news from the Los Angeles DailyNews. They have actually mentioned 37 ways that the Lakers will be Champions of the NBA again.

Here are my top 10 from the list:

12. George Karl still coaches the Denver Nuggets.

Don’t get me started on George Karl, but he is a big disappointment as a pro coach. Maybe he did well last year or maybe he just needed Chauncey Billups.

15. Yao Ming … MIA.

With Yao out, Houston is out.

18. Listen … The San Antonio Spurs’ roster just got another day older.

This is a huge concern with both San Antonio and Boston.

Kobe Bryant is probably 35 out of the 37 reasons

24. Kobe Bryant … where do we start?

This does not even need comment, but here we go…Kobe is right up there with LeBron, only Kobe has a contributing cast.

13. Mark Cuban’s best player is still a tall gawky German guy.

Dirk Nowitzki is a great player and has delivered zero titles. Is it his fault that in close games Dallas will call a timeout and then draw up a play for Dirk to shoot a turnaround jumper from 30 feet?

9. Four games against the Clippers during the regular season. Four aut-o-matic clicks in the win column without having to check into the scorer’s table.

The Clippers need a new owner and until they have one they will be the Clippers.

2. Derek Fisher wrote an autobiography this offseason called “Character Driven: Life, Lessons and Basketball.” It concludes: “The high I’ve experienced since we closed out the (Orlando) Magic (in last year’s NBA Final) hasn’t worn off … I’m driven and I see no sign of that changing. My eye is firmly fixed on the rim and no opportunity is going to pass me by.”

Derek Fisher is a gamer. It is no surprise that he shows up in so many big games.

11. Phil Jackson broke the tie last year with Red Auerbach for most career NBA coaching titles. He has 10. Why not turn it up to 11?

Phil may not be the best coach ever, but he always wins and has tons of big game experience. It is time for everyone to admit that fact.

36. Let’s face it: The NBA wants it to happen.

Just ask David Stern!

37. Ron Artest, the new pink elephant in the room, said before deciding on joining the Lakers he considered playing for Olympiacos or Panthinaikos, the two biggest teams in Greece. Living in L.A. already must seem Greek to him. Maybe that’s good. The Lakers can pay him in Euros, and it doesn’t go against the salary cap. And if he’s daring enough to go up in the stands during a skirmish, he’s more likely to run into someone like Michael Clarke Duncan.

If Artest makes it through the season without controversy, then the Lakers will be dueling the Celtics for the Championship.

Those are the Top 10 reasons the Lakers will win it all!

My top 10 reasons are simpler: Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant!
Photo source Newscom

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

Post from: NBA Obsessed

This is it for all the marbles, the opener for Boston and Cleveland and a matchup that may well decide the Eastern Conference Championship. Not that this particular game will settle anything except, the losing team will not go undefeated. Still the NBA, in its usual sharp marketing way, decided to match the two super powers up right away.

Many NBA fans do not even pay attention until the NFL has reached playoff time in January making it difficult if not impossible to pull in a full contingent of fans this soon in the season, let alone to get those same fans to even care to any degree.

LeBron is on a roll with 4 minutes to go he already has 31 points. Shaq is checking in with 10 points and 7 boards, but it is not enough as the 3 amigos are all in double figures for scoring and Boston leads 83 – 79.

The key for Boston this year may well be the play of rabbit fast Rajon Rondo and how well he can direct the team and still provide scoring when any of the big 3 has an off night.

Rajon Rondo is one of the Celtic keys

The key to Cleveland winning may well be how well Shaq meshes into the offensive schemes of Cleveland and whether he can draw double teams to take any pressure off of LeBron.

Two minutes left Boston 87 – 82.

The game is being played in Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, although lately they have not been making a lot of loans.

Final 95 – 89

LeBron 38 points 8 assists 4 rebounds. Shaq 10 and 10. Pierce 23 and 11. Rondo 16 points.
Photo source Newscom

As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.

More blogs about basketball.

Post from: NBA Obsessed