Monthly Recap: MarchPart Three: Around The League Monthly Recaps are divided into several parts in order to give readers a quick and organized overview. Part Three of the Monthly Recap is the ‘Around the League’ recap, which features transactions and other League news. Part Four will feature the All-NEW NLSC Rookie Focus!Player AwardsJames, Chara are Players of the MonthLeBron James and Moses Chara were again on top of their peers as they both were awarded Player of the Month again. LeBron James might win every Player of the Month Award by the end of season and is looking like a lock to bring home the NBA MVP award.
Read More…Mark Moore Finally Knocks Off Barney SteeleNew Zealand SG Mark Moore was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month after a strong March in which he upped his points per game average for the season thanks to more consistent play. It was hard to ignore him as the Bobcats also finished the month with a better record than Barney Steele’s Nets.
Rookie of the Year frontrunner Moses Chara was not a surprise winner of his Rookie of the Month award and looks to sweep all of the awards when the season ends.
Read More…NewsKnicks Sign Former Nets CoachFormer New Jersey Nets Coach Lawrence Frank did not need to look far to find his next gig. He was swooped upon by the ailing New York Knicks where he will be reunited with Vince Carter whom he coached in New Jersey.
“The aim is for this team to be a winner next season,” Frank stated, “We have a lot of good pieces here with Zach Randolph, Lamar Odom, and Vince Carter. The guys are a bit older but that means we have more experience and if we get a good rookie and a few other pieces, the Knicks should be a winner.”
Read More…Reshawn Tyson InjuredThe third overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, Reshawn Tyson, has been sidelined with a strained hamstring injury. The former UNC Tar Heel has missed two weeks of games and is looking to be out for another week. Tyson has not met expectations with his erratic play off the bench and despite Seattle’s desperate need for a starting SG, George Karl has been hesistant to shift his rookie into the starting slot.
The emergence of Jeff Green as a consistent option at SG has also kept Tyson glued to the bench with Adam Morrison as Green’s main backup. Tyson has also been dealing with personal issues during the season. Despite all of the setbacks, the spectacular offensive player has played in 66 games this season; averaging an amazing 10.8 ppg in 12.8 mpg.
Read More…European Youngster Declares For DraftGerman Chris Hova told media of his intentions of being a part of the upcoming NBA season.
Hova, currently plying his trade for ALBA Berlin in Germany’s national basketball league, is an exciting prospect. Recently invited to join his country’s national team for the upcoming FIBA World Championships, Hova is a pass first PG with plenty of flashy moves to boot. Hova led Berlin to a surprise Final Four appearance against Union Olimpija, a team that included current rookie and Washington Wizard Klemen Pirc. Hova was outplayed by Pirc but Berlin escaped with a win and a chance to win the Euroleague title in their city as the Finals would be hosted in Berlin.
“I remember that night against Pirc,” Hova states, “We are friends now but before we were enemies. He played very well and I didn’t do so well. It made me think about whether I should go to the NBA and in the end I thought it was not time yet.” Berlin lost in the Euroleague Final convincingly to Barcelona after Hove put in a forgettable effort with just 4 points and 2 assists.
The young star has bounced back this season with averages of 12.3 ppg and 7.3 apg and has led Berlin to the top of the German League ladder. There would be no fairytale in the Euroleague though as the team were knocked out in the Top Sixteen stage. That has not affected Hova though as scouts hold the German in high regard.
Read More…Western Conference Playoff Teams Look SetWith the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs as only mathematical chances to be able to make the playoffs; it seems that the teams participating in this season’s postseason in the Western Conference as pretty much set. The current top eight teams in the conference will be those participating in the playoffs but playoff seeding and first round matchups are far from decided.
It is no secret that all the teams are jostling for home court advantage in the first round. It is also no secret that everyone is trying to avoid the Denver Nuggets as first round opponents. Everyone seems more inclined to face the defending champions New Orleans Hornets due to a season-ending injury to anchor Tyson Chandler.
“The general consensus is that Denver are playing great and are looking like contenders for the title,” a Western Conference scout said, “The lesser teams all believe that beating New Orleans is more of a possibility than beating teams like Denver or Houston.”
Read More…Eastern Conference Playoff Race Heating UpThe Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards are both slightly off the pace of the Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers, and Orlando Magic; making it a five team race for the three final playoff seeds available.
Washignton’s Gilbert Arenas stated that he was looking forward to the last two weeks of the season with his team just out of the playoff picture, “This is where all the fun begins.”
Read More…UCLA Pair Aim For Win Before Making JumpUCLA’s Jeremy Mason and James Carter have both decided that they would like to make the jump from the college game to the pros but only after they help UCLA win the NCAA championship this year.
The starting swingman combo for the Bruins has been a major factor in their team’s push to the Final Four in this year’s tourney. Both of them are scoring machines with Mason averaging 20.6 ppg and Carter just a little behind at 18.3 ppg. However, the two of them could not be any more different as people.
Mason is the more grounded of the pair with high academic scores and a reputation of being one of the nicest guys in college basketball at the moment. Carter is widely known to be brash, cocky, and a show-off. Their respective playing styles reflect their personalities best with Mason using his fundamental skills to quietly have a positive impact on the game while Carter uses his athleticism to fuel his electrifying play.
Mason is expected by many to be a top five pick and has even heard whispers of potentially being picked first. Carter’s attitude have scared teams who believe he could be disruptive in the locker room and that has seen his projection as a top ten pick at the start of the year turn into being a mid-late first rounder.
The duo aren’t phased by the Draft talk yet though as they still have to suit up in Bruins gear and face the Georgia Bulldogs in a handful of days in their Final Four encounter. Mason who is always the professional said, “It will be a tough game. We respect our opponents and we are preparing for the game carefully.” The arrogant Carter was not so diplomatic, “Are we going to win? What kind of question is that?”
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Last edited by
Fresh8 on Mon Aug 03, 2009 7:38 pm, edited 3 times in total.