While watching the Jazz and Spurs Thursday night,  I kept hearing Doug Collins of TNT talk about giving guys a rest.  I hate this kind of talk.

Do guys really need a rest?

In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain played 48.5 minutes per game.  Yes, you read that right.

Chicago Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas broke his forearm during a weight lifting session.  Yikes…

Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks via Bleacher Report:

“I don’t know when we all of a sudden just really became a selfish team,” Johnson said. “Now everybody wants to go one-on-one. It’s me, me, me. It’s crazy, man.”

“Everybody who touches it wants to score,” Johnson said. “I really think guys on this team don’t know their roles, so it’s killing us. And it’s going to continue to kill us.”

Hawks are 4-2.  This has nothing to do with killing the team; this may get ugly.

Cheryl Miller on NBA TV said Carmelo Anthony is the second best player in the NBA.  Ummm, Miss Miller, if Kobe and LeBron are the two best, how is Carmelo 2nd best?

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I’m on Facebook and you can follow me on Twitter: @CoachFinamore

While watching the Utah Jazz-San Antonio Spurs I noticed Jerry Sloan runs great sets on offense; actually he’s always run excellent sets over the years!  The Jazz still runs the ‘Flex’, gotta love it!  Carlos Boozer had an outstanding game.  Needs to do it more often. I saw a post on Twitter by a NBA writer from ESPN in the pre-season that said, ‘The Utah Jazz will suck more than you think’ Unreal! Spurs need to pound it inside more to Timmy Duncan; they settle for too many outside jumpers.

Chicago Bulls with a huge win in Cleveland over the Cavs.  Derrick Rose gets it done! The guy is tough going coast-to-coast with the ball.  Great demeanor too. It’s not all about him and bringing attention to himself; he plays the right way. 14 points, 11 assists and only 2 turnovers.  Biggest stat of the night was the Bulls had only 6 turnovers (one in the 4th quarter). Cavs shot 60% from the free-throw line.  Mo Williams was 1-7 from way downtown.

Picked up a solid book tonight written by Chris Ballard, “The Art of a Beautiful Game.” Interesting chapter on NBA players training in the off-season.  Here’s an excerpt from SI.Com

Next, Ravin ran James through grueling conditioning drills, all related to game situations, because he’d noticed that James was a bit out of shape (at least by Ravin’s high standards). By the end of the hourlong workout, the Cavaliers’ star was lying on the floor, gassed. Only then did Ravin address him. “You are far and away the most talented player in the league, way more talented than Kobe,” the trainer said. “But you don’t even have a go-to move in isolation, you can’t handle the ball that well, and you can’t shoot, really. Think about that.”

James sat silent, biting his fingernails and looking “sort of pissed,” as Ravin remembers it. “Look, I’m not here to hurt your feelings,” Ravin continued. “But I’m not on your payroll, either. I’m not trying to be mean, I’m trying to help you get better. You’re a 30, eight and eight guy, and there’s so much yet to do. That’sexciting.

Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I’m on Facebook and you can follow me on Twitter @CoachFinamore

The pick and roll has been around for many years as well as the pick and pop.  I can recall Willis Reed setting high screens at the elbow for Walt Frazier, then popping out and Frazier hitting him for a return pass for the jumper.  Bill Laimbeer with the Pistons used to pick and pop and I do recall Bob McAdoo every now and then fading out for the jimmy.

Every now and then you will see teams run the high ball screen and the screener popping to an open spot on the floor. It’s fundamentally sound basketball.   More and more you will see a guard screen for a guard making the ‘pop’ more effective.  Do you run a lot of ball screens? Do you have your screener roll or pop? Do you emphasize sharing the ball and setting bone crushing screens?

Let’s not forget how important the pop and the roll to the basket is but also the pass; it’s just as important.

Last night in the NBA I watched a little bit of the Wizards and Heat; I was going back and forth to the World Series.  At one stage of the game I saw Brendan Haywood (Wizards big man) get a pass in the middle of the key and attempt a jump-hook.  He airballed it! I don’t think I have ever seen a 7-footer miss the entire rim that close to the goal.

Lionell Hollins, head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies has stated he’s done talking about Allen Iverson-good call coach.  A.I. played 27 minutes last night in a loss to the Warriors and scored 18 points on 8-12 shooting.  The Answer also dished out 7 assists.  It was the first victory of the season for Golden State while Memphis has lost two straight since Iverson’s return.

Stephen Curry of the Warriors in the last two games has played against Steve Nash and Allen Iverson.  Welcome to the League young man.  Speaking of the Warriors, I was told this morning every time Stephen Jackson or Cory Maggette touched the ball, Warrior fans boo.

A lot of talk out of Detroit about the Pistons looking to shop Tayshaun Prince.  Makes sense to me.  I watch him often on Fox and he just doesn’t seem to have a motor.  I wish he would play harder.  I like him, but his energy level looks very low when he’s on the floor.

Trevor Ariza went up against his former Laker teammates last night.  Ariza shot 5-21 from the field, including a huge turnover late in the game. The Lakers won 103-102.  “All losses hurt; this one doesn’t hurt more than any other one,” he said. “I’m not downplaying anything; I’m just telling you how it feels. I can’t make up something.” said Ariza.  Not really sure I believe that.  I think he was amped up for this game.  It was also Ron Artest of the Lakers facing off against his former teammates.  Ron-Ron got into with Ariza early in the game and both received technical fouls.  Artest was able to connect on 3 three-point field goals for the game.

Have you heard? Nancy Lieberman has been named the first female head coach of a D-League team.  Yes, you heard right.

“Knowing is not enough, we must apply.  Willing is not enough, we must do.”

-Goethe

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I’m on Facebook and you can follow me on Twitter @CoachFinamore

 

 

When you lose a game, how do you respond? Are you bitter? Does it hurt? Do you second guess? Do you think back while watching film and think maybe you should’ve had someone else playing? All kinds of things creep into your head.  But all that matters is that you regroup and bounce back.  Monday night our team lost a tough game on the road that saw us blow a 14 point first half lead-sure I felt bad afterwards for about 6-8 hours. But we got back after it the next day at practice and we’re moving on.  We watched the film, we are correcting a couple of things and we’re ready for our next game.  On to the next one…

Pacers, Nets and Warriors all without a victory thus far.

Syracuse lost to D-2 LeMoyne last night 82-79 and everyone is talking about it this morning.  Yeah, so what! It was an exhibition game! I always say, when a big time school like SU plays a small school, you need to be careful.  The small school will be amped up, it’s the biggest game on their schedule and they want to prove to everyone they can play!

Pistons beat the Magic last night in Auburn Hills 85-80.  Yes, you read that right. Ben Gordon, Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum combined for 63 points.  Dwight Howard fouled out of the game after playing 16 minutes and only scoring 8 points. Will the Magic look back at this game and wish they had won it if they happen to finish in a tie at the end of the season for the top spot in the Eastern conference? In this game last night the Magic shot 10 for 35 from three point land.

OKC Thunder lost to the LA Lakers in overtime 101-98.  I love Thabo Sefalosha! He came up with a big stop on Kobe late in the game.  Kevin Durant wasn’t much of a factor in the 4th quarter or in overtime.  He hoisted up two airballs late; one in the 4th quarter and one in overtime. The Thunder fans were chanting, “BEAT LA, BEAT LA!” Sam Presti and Scottie Brooks are doing a fine job.

The Nuggets (4-0) rolled over the Indiana Pacers (0-3) 111-93.  Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony combined for 49 points. Love how everyone is on their jock now. How can you not pick them to be a top team before the season started? All the pre-season hype was about all the deals made in the off-season. They took the Lakers to the Western conference finals last Spring! They are mature, tougher and have two of the best players in the league at their respective positions.  They play hard, they have courage and are well-coached.  Wake up people!

While watching the Hawks and Blazers last night on the last night of NBA League Pass Free Preview; (I need to subscribe) I could’ve sworn I was watching a NCAA tournament game with all the former college stars out there on the floor. Except for, of course, Jamal Crawford of the Hawks who managed to play only seven college games in Ann Arbor.  Can this cat score or what?  Watch the Hawks, if these guys keep their ego’s in check and play team ball, listen to Coach Woodson, big things may happen in Atlanta this winter.

Allen Iverson doesn’t like coming off the bench; are you surprised?  Didn’t he say at his press conference he will do anything to help the team win? Come on A.I., you can help that team with solid minutes off the pine.  You can also mentor the two young outstanding guards playing ahead of you and probably add a few more years to the end of your career.  Keep an eye on his minutes tonight against Golden State, this may get interesting. Speaking of the Grizzlies, Rudy Gay did not get the contract extension he wanted at Monday’s deadline so he will be a restricted free-agent.  ”You’ve got to stick to your guns. I know my worth and I didn’t get it.” Hmmm…Whatever happened to playing for the love of the game and loyalty?

Lakers in Houston tonight to take on the Rockets.  It’s Ron Artest Night. Come to the game with lines shaved in your head and you get in free.

Kevin McHale and Chris Weber handle the analysis in NBA TV’s studio.  I like the job McHale does; the same cannot be said for Weber. “Weak-side help from the other side”, was one of the few interesting comments he made when breaking down film last night. Weber also managed to say he didn’t like the play-calling by OKC at the end of the game against the Lakers.  He stated that they left Kevin Durant ‘out on an island’. Huh? For anyone who watched that game, KD’s number was called twice, late in regulation and in Overtime but the second year star out of Texas came up with two airballs.  It’s guys like Weber who place blame elsewhere instead of being held accountable.

I dislike when people (fans, media, teams) say that so and so is playing under the weather; or that so and so missed shoot-around this morning and stayed back at the hotel because of flu-like symptons.  So what! Suck it up. Come to work and do your best.  You think anyone cares that the custodian at the local high school who has to work their ass off to feed their kids is ‘under the weather’?

“Say something to the people you care about every time you go by them to let them know you have been thinking about them.”

-Unknown

Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I am on Facebook and you can follow me on Twitter @CoachFinamore

If you missed Outside the Lines on ESPN this morning, here’s a piece from the New York Times on Oakland Raiders head football coach Tom Cable.

“On only one occasion in my life have I ever touched a woman inappropriately,” the statement read. He went on to say that the incident happened “more than 20 years ago, during my first marriage.”

To me, if you even come close to striking a woman, you’re a coward!

LA Times on a high school football coach who makes good on a promise to lose weight.

New York Daily News on New York Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni.

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I’m on Facebook and Twitter @CoachFinamore

 

Bill Simmons from ESPN has a book out “The Book of Basketball” and it’s a must read.  I am currently reading chapter 1 and it’s all about Isiah Thomas and his secret; secret on winning.  Don’t laugh, it’s serious stuff.

The first couple of games of the 2009-2010 NBA season is in the books.  Here’s some observations thus far.

The Cavaliers lost their first two games before beating Minnesota and Charlotte.  Delonte West is back for the Cavs and in the win over Charlotte tonight he scored 13 points.

When the Blazers and Nuggets hooked up the other night in Portland I posted a tweet on Twitter (@CoachFinamore) that is was a huge game.  Someone countered that it was too early to be a huge game.  I’m sorry but you had two heavyweights hooking up.  The place was rocking and Carmelo Anthony dropped 41 including 18 for 19 from the free throw line.  Nuggets win…Here’s a good interview by Henry Abbott of True Hoop with Melo’s trainer.

What was the off-season like?
His effort level and commitment were extraordinary. With a player of his stature, his off-season responsibilities are enormous. Yet he made time every day, regardless of the city he was in or the time of day, to get to the gym. Our time was focused, measured and intense.

The Celtics look good at 3-0. Rajon Rondo had 16 assists and 8 rebounds against the Bulls.  I’m looking forward to their match up with the Orlando Magic on Friday November 20.

How about the OK City Thunder getting a win on the road in Detroit? Kevin Durant scored 25 points as the Thunder are off to a 2-0 start.

What’s going on in Golden State? I watched the Warriors lose by 1 to the Houston Rockets on opening night at home.  Things did not look good.  On one play I watched Corey Magette take the ball coast-to-coast  without looking at an open Stephen Jackson on the wing.  Maggette missed the lay-up and Jackson threw his hands up in disgust.  Maggette shot 3 for 14 on the night.

Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com has this story on Stephon Marbury, former point guard from Lincoln HS in Coney Island being removed from his seat at MSG during a Knicks game.

I’m rocking the free preview from NBA League Pass.  It expires Tuesday night. Debating whether I should get it…

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I’m on Facebook and Twitter (@CoachFinamore)

This is the second part of the NBA outlook for each club.  Today the Western Conference capsules.

Definite Playoff Teams:

Los Angeles Lakers: Defending champions have added Ron Artest, former LaSalle Academy Cardinal to their roster.  Ron-Ron told the Boston Globe the last couple of years he hasn’t been a good teammate. Artest will relieve Kobe on the defensive end at times. Kobe is one of the best; He is driven to win it all again.  Will Adam Morrison get any burn? Does Kareem Abdul-Jabber work for the team? How much longer does Phil Jackson coach? The pieces are there for another run. Will be interesting to see how much Derrick Fisher brings to the table. Shannon Brown reminds me of Billy Ray Bates.  Will Lamar Odom’s relationship with a new lady help or hurt his game? By the way, the person he married has a reality show; I watched it once and it is terrible.

Denver Nuggets: I love this team.  Chauncey Billups brought so much structure and professionalism to the club last season- Denver was sorely missing a leader on the floor. Carmelo Anthony is great, no question about it and he seems to have established himself as one of the best in the league.  Now he needs to go out and get a championship ring.  I love the energy the Nuggets play with, I’m sure Doug Moe is proud.  Hopefully JR Smith (who will miss the first 7 games) can play the right way and fit in with George Karl.  Chris Anderson is a good offensive rebounder and a very good defender coming off the pine. Nene is a beast who plays hard and will not back down from anyone. Regardless of what Jeff Van Gundy says, Ty Lawson is athletic! He is going to be their back-up point guard.  I also like Arron Afflalo. No one is talking about the Nuggets picking up Malik Allen but he’s going to help. For what it’s worth, and it’s worth a lot, the Nuggets led the league in free-throws made per game last season.

San Antonio Spurs: Does Timmy Duncan have any gas left in his tank for one more ring? They picked up Richard Jefferson in the off-season (is that why he broke off the wedding?) Picking up Antonio McDyess will help too. I love Tony Parker, I think he’s one of the best.  Did you know he almost attended UCLA? This club reminds me of the New York Yankees. Four titles over the past 10 years; Duncan-Jeter, Parker-Rivera, Ginobili-Pettitte; can they contend for another one? Ginobili is a big question mark, mainly his health but Jefferson will fill in and get the job done. With Bruce Bowen retiring, who guard’s the opposing star? Looks like R.C Buford chose another good one in the draft in DeJuan Blair. Greg Popovich is one of the best the game’s ever seen. He gets good people who play the right way. “I don’t want to come to practice and coach jerks.” said Pop. They should bring back the Baseline Bums.

Portland Trailblazers: Brandon Roy is one of the best player no one talks about. This cat is tough.  Will Greg Oden return and play a full season? Steven Blake runs the club and they picked up Andre Miller to back him up. Blake does all the right things, he knows his limitations.  His great attitude has helped him overachieve.  Nate McMillian is one of the good guys in the coaching business. I love what GM Kevin Pritchard has done with this team; he has gathered players who play the right way. 54 wins last season, can they get more and advance in the playoffs? That’s the goal of course. Happy to hear Maurice Lucas, an assistant coach with the Blazers is healthy; he doesn’t get enough credit for the Blazers success back in the day. Speaking of assistant coaches, Billy Bayno works in player development with Portland and he’s one of the good guy in the business. He’s done a lot of work with Oden in the off-season.

Utah Jazz: A national writer who shall remain nameless mentioned the Jazz are going to suck this year; I beg to differ.  A team coached by Jerry Sloan and led by Deron Williams doesn’t let that happen. I love Paul Millsap; this cat gets it.  He plays hard and is fearless. As for Carlos Boozer, he needs to step up big time! They need him. “I am in my eighth year, been around a little bit. I am going to go out there, kick butt, have fun, and let the rest take care of itself.’’ Said the former Dookie.  Ok Booz, I’m holding you to this statement.  Former Michigan State Spartan Goran Suton was cut last week.  Wonder where from Jazz swingman Carey Scurry is these days? I miss the pick and roll with Stockton and Malone.

Dallas Mavericks: Jason Kidd and Dirk need to get it going. Shawn Marion has joined Cuban’s crew and it’ll be interesting watching him fill the lanes on the break with J-Kidd pushing the ball.  Kidd is 37 years old, does he have any gas left in his tank? Drew Gooden should help in the toughness category. I like Rick Carlisle as coach, I think he does a good job.  Did you know his nickname is ‘Flipper’? Do you recall Rolando Blackman, Derek Harper and Brad Davis running the show for the Mavs? I miss Dick Motta. Did you know Derek Harper wore Avia sneakers during his days with Dallas?

Possible Playoff Teams:

Phoenix Suns: Does Steve Nash have any gas left in his tank? I would bet yes. The former All-American out of Santa Clara is 35 years young and shot 47% from way downtown last season.  The Suns will play up-tempo, it’s their bread and butter.  I like Alvin Gentry as coach. Shaq is gone and now Amare Stoudemire has to step up in the pivot. Grant Hill is back and time will tell if he still has any energy left.  J-Rich has been working hard (so he says on his Twitter account), I’ve always liked him, ever since he came out of Arthur Hill HS in Saginaw, Michigan where all he could do is jump.  He’s worked very hard. I recall watching him workout the following morning in the IM building at MSU after a tough loss the night before. The Suns picked up Channing Frye in the off-season. I’m rooting for rookie Earl Clark; I once worked him out in Jersey when he was in High School. Steve Kerr wears nice dress shirts.

Houston Rockets: No Yao, No Artest; what’s that all mean? Good question.  Shane Battier is still one of my favorite players.  The former Detroit Country Day star plays the right way.  Does he lead the league in charges taken? Do they keep that as an official stat? If they don’t, they should start. I love Aaron Brooks. Trevor Ariza brings championship experience, something T-Mac has never sniffed; Ariza has a chance to step into stardom.  Rick Adelman is a good coach; don’t sleep on him, he’ll find a way. “If we lose, it won’t be for a lack of effort and desire and winning qualities,” general manager Daryl Morey said. I like that…Do you remember former Rocket Bill Willoughby blocking Kareem’s sky hook shot in the playoffs? Where’s Allen Leavell these days? Billy Paultz?

Minnesota Timberwolves: Kurt Rambis takes over as head coach. He should give Kevin Love those black glasses he used to wear.  Johnny Flynn is in the house (thank God Rubio isn’t). The former Syracuse Orangeman is a better player, period! Does Sebastian Telfair still play for them? No, he is now in LA (That explains why Stephon Marbury has been chillin’ on the Left Coast) No more Kevin McHale around, he’s now doing color on NBA TV.  Al Jefferson and Love may be the second coming of Rick Mahorn and Jeff Ruland, remember those guys? Bill Laimbeer is an assistant coach, will he teach the Wolves’ Bigs some tricks of the trade? Reggie Theus is also on staff as an assistant coach.

Golden State Warriors: Steph Curry will be your 2009-10 ROY.  Can Captain Jack settle down and just play ball?  “I think the biggest thing is to go out there and not be selfish,’’ said Jackson. “I think that’s the best way for me to keep my composure, not be selfish. Realize I am going out there and playing for these guys, not just myself. Playing for my coaches, you know, everybody in this locker room.’’ Yes Stephen, that’s the way you approach the game. Nellie has a tough chore ahead of him to try and get the Warriors in the playoffs. Bring back Run-Gun and Have Fun!

No Playoffs for You:

Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder are one of my favorite teams in the league. Sam Presti is doing a great job; he also happens to be an excellent dude.  I love Kevin Durant despite what those number crunchers say.  Numbers can’t measure heart. I love Russell Westbrook.  He brings energy and toughness.  I think Thabo Sefolosha is going to show people he can play.  Rookie James Harden is an old-school type player, I’m looking forward to seeing him knock down jumpers. Shaun Livingston used to be a big time player back in the day, can he restore his game to where it used to be? Hopefully Scottie Brooks and his staff can work on defense, teams are shooting the ball well against them.  ”We’re definitely not happy with our play. You can’t just shrug it off as preseason because we’re trying to play well and we’re not doing it. It’s something that we need to get better at. That’s all it is. We just realize we’re not a great team yet and we got to work hard every day to get there.” said Nick Collison after a pre-season loss against Sacramento.

Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin will miss a few games; don’t ask, you don’t want to know what happened! Chris Kaman and Baron Davis in the house. Davis looks like Kimbro Slice. Did you know Kaman played at Central Michigan University where coming out of high school, he wasn’t highly recruited. Mike Dunleavy is a Brooklyn guy.  I like Eric Gordon, Indiana University head coach Tom Crean would’ve loved to have him last year in Bloomington. “As talented as this team is, we have one of the worst records in the league. There’s no way that should happen. … We didn’t play hard. We need to all compete as a team instead of just some players individually. We just need to come out and play hard every game.” said Gordon. Marcus Camby needs to return to his UMass playing days where he was the man!  Welcome Bassy, enjoy your stay in LA.

Kansas City Omaha (oops, I mean) Sacramento Kings: Hmmm…I can’t help it but when I think of the Kings, Sam Lacey, Otis Birdsong, Phil Ford, Scott Wedman and Ernie Grunfeld all come to mind. Who do they have? I know Paul Westphal is their coach.  Did you know Westphal is one of the smartest players to ever suit up? No, serious, he made one of the greatest ‘basketball I.Q. plays’ of all-time when he played for the Suns. Does Arnold Schwarzenegger sit courtside for home games? Maybe he should be their strength coach.  Wasn’t it just a few years ago they were headed in the right direction? I recall watching them win a lot of games and battling in the playoffs. When Jason Thompson was a freshman at Rider, I told someone he’s a future pro and that person laughed at me; they’re not laughing anymore. I love Andres Nocioni; the guy plays hard and with passion.  If Tyreke Evans and Sergio Rodriguez buy into Westphal’s philosophy, the Kings may win a few more games than expected. Watch this team…

New Orleans Hornets: Mo Pete in the house! Chris Paul runs the show.  Byron Scott has heard the naysayers. Didn’t this club win 56 games two years ago? I like David West.  I saw him this summer hanging out at an AAU event in Cincy.  Emeka Okafor is in the house but does he have the drive to be a great player? “The one thing that I picked up on is that everybody on every level here is committed to winning, ” Okafor said. “From the players and coaches to the executives,  everybody is on the same page in that we’re going to contend.” Will rookie Darren Collison be a good pro? I say yes…

Memphis Grizzlies: Don’t get me started.  Actually you want to read something right? Ok first they get Zach Randolph and then Allen Iverson. Are they putting together an AAU team or what? With OJ Mayo and Michael Conley Jr. running their backcourt, what will they do with ‘The Answer’? Didn’t he say he didn’t like to come off the bench? “The only thing I can do to shut everybody up is win. … I don’t think people are crazy for feeling that (this will be a train wreck),” Iverson told the Commercial Appeal. “People have their opinion. …We expect that. And that should bring a lot out of us to prove the naysayers wrong.” Ok Allen, I’ll be watching.  As for Z-Bo, this cat can play, but I hope he keeps his head and plays hard.

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I’m on Facebook and also Twitter: @CoachFinamore

With the start of the NBA regular season just a couple of days away, I figured I would chime in with my thoughts on each NBA club starting with the Eastern conference.  So sorry but you will not find 1,000 words of analysis on each club; nope, I keep it short and sweet. And, I will not predict how many games each team will win, just playoff playa’s! By the way, I’m happy to see the officials are back even though I thought the replacement refs did a solid job. (BTW, my love for the NBA has grown so much over the past couple of years, I really enjoy watching the greatest basketball players in the world perform.  You’ll see more and more material written on this blog pertaining to the NBA.  I’m thinking of asking my wife if I can get the NBA League Pass)

Definite Playoff Teams:

Boston Celtics: I hope the addition of Rasheed Wallace doesn’t blow up in their faces.  I hope KG is healthy and I hope Ray Allen shoots it well.  I really like the Marquis Daniels dude they picked up. Will Rajon Rondo be a distraction or not? I wish he would eliminate that fake ‘behind-the-back pass’. C’s still have a bad taste in their mouth from losing to Orlando in the play-offs last season.  Hard to believe Doc Rivers is starting his 6th season-he’s one of the good guys in the business.  Like most places, a lot of questions in Boston this winter.

Cleveland Cavaliers: LBJ, LBJ…I love watching him play; the cat can do it all.  Can Shaq help him win a championship like he helped D-Wade in Miami? I hope Delonte West makes it back. Hopefully Mo Williams found his jump-shot because he was invisible back in the Spring. Does Big Z come off the bench? The playoff loss to Orlando was a shock to many. Hopefully if they go down in the playoffs again, LeBron shakes hands and congratulates the winner. Assistant coach Mike Malone is a New York guy.

Orlando Magic: Just like the C’s, will the addition of Vince Carter work? I like Jameer Nelson and will Dwight Howard take this game serious? I like that guy from France, Mickael Pietrus he’s tough and plays the right way. Matt Barnes will help. I like Jason Williams backing up Nelson. Don’t sleep on the Magic.  You may see them back in the Finals.

Strong Possibility of Making the Playoffs:

Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose is a star.  I like Vinny Del Negro.  Joakim Noah brings it every night. They are young and play with a ton of energy.  I like John Salmons, he has a nice game and is multi-talented. Whatever happened to the P.A. guy they used to have? I wish WGN would televise more games.

Miami Heat: D-Wade and Co. will win some big games.  I think he’s going to really step it up. Michael Jordan-type step up. Jermaine O’Neal needs to stay healthy. I like Mario Chalmers.  I hope Michael Beasley has licked his problems; I’d hate to see him become the next Walter Berry or even Chris Washburn.  Health will be a key issue with this club, can’t afford injuries.

Philadelphia 76ers: Hmmm…World B. Free. George McGinnis, Harvey Catchings, Bobby Jones, Caldwell Jones. Nah, just kidding.  Fast Eddie Jordan entering his first season as head coach.  I wish they still played in the Spectrum.  I miss Zink’s voice behind the Mic. Elton Brand needs to improve on 13 and 8.  I can’t forget Dr. J stating, ‘mail in the stats’ before their playoff series with the New Jersey Nets.

Atlanta Hawks: Can head coach Mike Woodson gets his club the last Eastern conference play-off spot?  He enters his 6th season as top guy in Atlanta.  Joe Johnson will not be a Hawk next season. Will Jamal Crawford hurt the team chemistry? Do they have any chemistry? Will Crawford help? We all know he can score. Do they have a guy that can step up in crunch time and get them past the first round?

Toronto Raptors: Jose Calderon is the man. I enjoy watching him run the club. The addition of Hedo brings them a guy who can score late in the game. Chris Bosh is a free-agent, will he think about his future address too much?  Head coach Jay Triano is a good dude. They may sneak in the back-door for the 8th spot.

Washington Wizards: Gilbert Arenas appears to be focused; hopefully he stays healthy.  Flip Saunders will show people he can coach; they won 19 games last year-so you’re probably wondering how are they going to make the playoffs, just watch. Mike Miller will help and I like Oberto. Do people realize how good Caron Butler is? I hope former Michigan State Spartan Paul Davis can make the club. If they share the ball and play hard, look out. But that’s a big ‘If’.

Detroit Pistons: I love Ben Gordon. Ben Wallace is back in town and they sell Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream at the Palace. Who starts at the ‘2′, Gordon or Rip? Watch out for Will Bynum.  Greg Kelser, a former MSU Spartan does color for Pistons television. New head coach John Kuester once coached former Xaverian Clipper  point guard Mike O’Reilly at George Washington.

Probably Not Going to Make the Playoffs:

Charlotte Bobcats: Larry Brown can coach-can he get his guys to listen to him preaching to play the right way and to defend? They have energy-type guys. Additions of Tyson Chandler and Flip Murray help big-time.

New York Knicks: Will they be cheering on 33rd and 8th or will they be booing? Is Nate Robinson the answer? Is Darko? How about that cat Danilo Galinari, who someone said is the best shooter they have ever seen? The Garden deserves a winner.  Don’t be surprised to hear the “We Want Steph” chants. I grew up a huge Knickerbockers fan; I haven’t worn their cap I own in a few years-I try and stay loyal but it’s tough.  Come on Mike D, turn it around, please.  I like the uptempo style, I’m sure the fans do too, but ya gotta stop someone at the defensive end of the floor.

New Jersey Nets: L-Frank works his tail off; he’s entering his 7th season!  Do they have enough firepower? I love Devin Harris. Skip-to-My-Lou is back in the metropolitan area where he starred as a high school player; he’ll have all his homeboys in the stands.  Are they moving to Brooklyn? Newark? Heck, I’ll take a move back to the Nassau Coliseum.  Piscataway even?

Milwaukee Bucks: My main guys Charlie Bell and Scott Skiles are in Milwaukee. I like the way rookie Brandon Jennings plays; he’s got a bounce! Michael Redd is a gunner. Hakim Warrick should help them. Kurt Thomas brings toughness.  I miss their former home arena, The Mecca. Will they have a Paul Mokeski Night?  How about a Randy Breuer or even a Brian Winters Night?

Indiana Pacers: Did they really fire Mel Daniels? I’m not a big Jim O’Brien fan.  I like Danny Granger though. Rookie Tyler Hansbrough will play hard every night.  Will he be a success in the NBA? I’m looking forward to watching him this season; he plays the right way.  I think Larry Bird enjoys having him around. I like their arena, is there still a Starbucks on the Lower Level?

Coming next: The Western Conference

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I’m on Facebook and on you can follow me on Twitter @CoachFinamore

So much going on in the world of sports.  Baseball play-offs, college and pro football, and of course the start of the NBA regular season is Tuesday.

California Angels (I can’t bring myself to type Los Angeles) and New York Yankees play Game 6 tonight in the Boogie Down. NY leads 3-2 in the best of seven.  Boy I’ve never heard so much criticisim over the manager’s decisions.  I even went out and questioned the moves by Yankees skipper Joe Girardi.  And how about the umpires? These guys have been terrible.

This Tuesday night we have the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers opening up the season.  I see those two and the Orlando Magic coming out of the East.  As for the West, I really like the Denver Nuggets.  But of course the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers will have something to say as well as the San Antonio Spurs and watch out for the Portland TrailBlazers.

I was watching the Nuggets and Lakers finishing out the preseason Friday night on ESPN. Lamar Odom and Chris Anderson got into a small argument; both players had to be separated.  Kenyon Martin jumped in and threw Odom aside.  I don’t get these guys trying to be tough guys during the games?  Why in the world do they shake hands, hug and do little dances before each game only to get into fights with each other during the game? Odom had mentioned he took up boxing in the off-season; OK Lamar, now you’re ready to get into the ring.

I get a kick out of listening to Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson announce games on ESPN.  Van Gundy said he didn’t think Nuggets rookie Ty Lawson was ‘Athletic’. Obviously JVG never saw Lawson play for Carolina the past couple of years.  JVG said that Lawson pushes the ball up the court but doesn’t elevate to the rim.  Huh? How many 5′11″ guys are skywalkers?  Lawson has blinding speed and is strong, that qualifies for being athletic. Lawson managed 29 points in 29 minutes.

Jackson mentioned during the broadcast Lawson’s college teammate Tyler Hansbrough as being one of the greatest college players of all-time.

JVG disagreed.

I enjoy listening to these guys for this kind of banter.  They know the game and aren’t afraid of speaking their mind; too many guys are worried about upsetting people. Speak the truth!  Jackson played at the highest level and of course JVG has been coaching for a long time.

The NBA officials are back.  This means the replacement officials are out.  After watching a few games the past couple of weeks I thought these guys did a good job.

I’m really starting to ‘feel’ the plus/minus stat the NBA utilizes.

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I’m on Facebook and follow me on Twitter: @CoachFinamore

My wife and I are proud parents of a 10 year old girl who is currently in the 5th grade. She does well in school, has some solid friends, likes her teacher, loves writing and singing and seems to get along with others. Being a Junior college basketball coach and a self-proclaimed ‘basketball junkie’, often times I am asked if Taylor plays basketball.

“Nope, not really.” is my usual response when asked this question.

Taylor has taken a couple of shots at the basket on occasion.  She’ll take a couple of dribbles and then throw the ball up with both hands behind the ball.  Sometimes she makes it, sometimes she doesn’t.

Last week her school sent home a flyer announcing a basketball program at the local rec center for 5th and 6th graders.  It’s a low key program where they teach you how to play.  After a couple of nights during the week of drills, they divide the girls up into teams on Saturday mornings and play controlled scrimmages.   We are excited about Taylor joining.

Yesterday, her two friends informed her they are trying out for a travel team; much more competitive as you know.  Taylor wants to try out and she’s kinda bummed that I have said no.  From my experience, the coaches of the team watch a bunch of girls run up and down the court and try to make an impression.  From there they pick the team to travel around the State and compete.  I have been involved in the game a long time, I understand how this works.

Taylor is no where near this level. She doesn’t know a double-dribble from an assist, yet.

At this stage (10 years old) I feel kids should be taught how to play the game-they shouldn’t worry about competitive travel teams.  There’s plenty of time for competition in high school…if Taylor wants to learn how to play, we’ll get her the coaching for sure.

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Have you heard about the Marcus Jordan-Central Florida men’s basketball sneaker situation? Marcus Jordan, son of the great Michael Jordan, is a freshman at Central Florida and has yet to play his first collegiate basketball game. However, he’s already got the coaching staff scratching their heads. (and it’s not the pressure of playing time) Far from it… Central Florida has a contract with Adidas, which supplies the team with clothing and shoes. As we have witnessed over the past 25 years, Michael Jordan has become synonymous with the Nike brand; actually for a while MJ was NIKE! Marcus says he plans to uphold the family tradition and wear Nike shoes. “It’s a level of importance with my family,” Marcus Jordan said. “It’s no disrespect to Adidas. I have a high level of respect for Adidas, but I’m going to be wearing Jordan shoes.”

Simple solution, why can’t the kid wear Adidas during games and just rock his dad’s shoes off the court?  Plus, I’m surprised this issue didn’t come up during the recruiting process.

-Coach Finamore

Hoops135@hotmail.com

I‘m on Facebook and Twitter: @CoachFinamore