A LEGEND IS BORN II

[Mandich]

Nice to see this one still going strong, it is still as phenomenal as it used to be

[kibaxx7]

Congrats on 50 wins bro, see you at playoffs

[Fresh8]

Playoff Seeding Scenarios For Seattle/Houston


Jason Kidd blocks Greg Oden; the Stealth would prefer more of this in the playoffs

April 15, 2010

SEATTLE (AP) – The Seattle Stealth (50-31) and Houston Rockets (51-30) are headed into the final night of the NBA regular season. And even though it is the last night of the regular season, the Stealth’s game against the Kings and the Rockets’ game against the Hornets hold tremendous value. A lot hinges on the results of both games.

Here, we will list a detailed description of what could happen after tonight:

Scenario A: If Houston wins, they will remain as the number 3 seed regardless of the result of the Seattle-Sacramento game.

Scenario B: If Houston loses and Seattle loses, Houston remains as the number 3 seed while Seattle remains as the number 5 seed.

Scenario C: If Houston loses and Seattle wins, both teams will have tied records. Seattle beat Houston twice in three games during the regular season which means that Seattle would become the number 3 seed and Houston would fall to number 5.

In order to avoid what is looking likely to be a first round encounter with the LA Lakers, Seattle has to win and hope that Houston falls to the League leading Hornets. Seattle would enjoy that very much because even though they would have home court advantage against the Lakers; the Stealth has fared poorly against the Lakers during the season.

Seattle is 1-2 against Los Angeles and would face a more favourable matchup against the Portland Trailblazers whom they were 2-2 against for the season. In their two most recent games against the Blazers, Seattle has lost by two points in one and won by 21 in the other.

Gunning for the third seed makes even more sense when you take into account the fact that it would help the team not face the defending champions until the latter stages of the postseason. That’s if they make it that far though but Seattle are optimistic because they have had great success against second seeded Denver; owning a 3-1 record against them. In comparison, they are 1-2 against New Orleans although the last time the two teams matched up was in January.

Read More…

[Lamrock]

So Stealth! Since you are playing a bad team, and the Rockets are going up against the defending champs, I think you'll be facing Rip City in the first round. Good luck!

[nba_baller]

Wow, you have good odds at making it as number 3 seed. Nice work!

BTW, thanks for making my background info sound so good! So wish my life went the way you planned...

[Fresh8]

I actually prefer the Ariza one, but this is awesome as well

The Ariza one is good... love how he hangs onto the rim... well, one of my favourite pics is the one at end of last season with Durant and Westbrook walking off att he end of the game... it shows such emotion these two dunks look great but hard to make good pics in 2k9...

Nice to see this one still going strong, it is still as phenomenal as it used to be

Thanks man!

Congrats on 50 wins bro, see you at playoffs

I did not expect to get to 50... so lets hope I can make it 51!

So Stealth! Since you are playing a bad team, and the Rockets are going up against the defending champs, I think you'll be facing Rip City in the first round. Good luck!

I want to face Rip City. Better chance of beating them man. I always kill them when I play them

Wow, you have good odds at making it as number 3 seed. Nice work!

BTW, thanks for making my background info sound so good! So wish my life went the way you planned...

It's no problem man, you needed a good story. You and Skillmatic, if he still following, are teammates at UCLA. Check out the next 'Around the League' to see if you won in March Madness!

And yeah man, I'm going for that 3 seed!

[homicide1550]

Awesome article about me dude! I love my rookie focus! Hopefully we can make the playoffs!

[Fresh8]

Thanks Homicide, good luck in making the playoffs!

[Fresh8]

NLSC Ballers Update

As of now, these are the draft entrants for the respective NBA Drafts.

Changes may occur over time. Ages are as of the 2009-10 season.

2010 NLSC Draft Class (FULL)

SG. J Mason, 22 – nba_baller
SF. J Carter, 22 - skillmatic
SF. K Dela Cruz, 19 –kaiser_kobe
PG. C Hova, 21 - hova
PG. R liliach, 22 - ratrac
SG M Nissley, 23 - puttincomputers

2011 NLSC Draft Class (FULL)

SF L Washburn, 18 - lamrock
C J Kalnins, 21 - newc
PF. E Smith, 21 – C-77
PG. T Hedge, 21 - ipsofire
PG. E Cocobee, 22 - cocobee
SG L Lai, 18 – Valor
SG A Spagnoletti, 19 - thierryhenry

2012 NLSC Draft Class (3 SPOTS REMAINS)

SF C Oliver, 20 – chrisO0
SG A Sotirov, 19 – A-Sot
SF K Pipan Anicic, 16 -klemen
PG L Mandich, 16 - mandich

Don't forget to keep applying as there are still many spots up for grabs!

How To Join

If you want in; PM me with name, age (usually 19-23 - would be good to have a mix of ages ), position, school, height, body type/tone, 5 strengths, 5 weaknesses, brief description of your playing style and perhaps a background story that I can incorporate into this one.

You may add suggestions for signature shot, free throw, dunks, and handles.
(Note: With the background story, you don't need one but it would be good but I'm quite the brainstormer so if you dont give me a story, I will give you one that is interesting anyways!)

[Fresh8]

Seattle Sacramento Produce Another Stunner

Preview | Box Score | Recap


Kevin Martin celebrates as Jason Kidd walks off in the background

15 April, 2010

SACRAMENTO (AP) – As the buzzer sounded, Jason Kidd looked up at the scoreboard in bewilderment. What started as a promising finale to the season turned into a disaster, leaving the playoff-bound Seattle Stealth headed into the first round against the LA Lakers. The Stealth should be happy with making it into the postseason but the Lakers were the team they were trying so hard to avoid.

Head coach George Karl tried to hide his disappointment in the postgame media conference, “The Western Conference is so good that it doesn’t matter who you get in the first round. No matter if we play Portland or LA, it was going to be a dogfight anyway.” He later added, “But I need to admit that we do match up a lot better and have played better than a certain team we won’t be playing. The team we’re up against next – they’ve had a lot of critics and I don’t want to see their best player motivated. It would be disastrous for us, just like tonight.”

The Stealth went into the game knowing that if they won, they would avoid the Lakers and have a match up against the Portland Blazers, the team they had shut down and held to 66 points two nights ago. That was thanks to the New Orleans defeating the Houston Rockets 130-105 earlier in the evening. “Houston losing gave us a great chance to move up to the third seed and a series with Portland,” Kidd stated whilst icing his knees, “I’m a bit disappointed that we didn’t win it tonight but it was a tough game from the start.”

Kidd finished the game with 18 assists, his spectacular passing set up his teammates in plenty of situations that smiled upon them. He had five team mates who notched double figures; David Lee (22), Kevin Durant (21), Reshawn Tyson (17), Jeff Green (16), and Brad Miller (10).

“We were down by a big margin tonight for long stretches and never really got close to the Kings,” Kidd admitted, “I guess we were just trying too hard.” Kidd explained how the night got even worse when Durant twisted his ankle later in the game. With 2:56 left in the game and the Stealth trailing 99-110, Durant landed awkwardly on his right ankle. As the Arco Arena crowd cheered, all of the Stealth bench were on their feet as they watched on anxiously to make sure their leading scorer was alright.

“Second hit in two games,” Durant laughed it off in the end, “I guess I had to come away with something after half the team has been hurt at different stages this season.” Coach Karl wasn’t laughing though, “Kevin is essential to this team’s success, he shouldn’t even joke about being injured.”

Kevin Martin once again had a big game against the Seattle Stealth as he finished with seven three pointers on his way to a game high 37 points. Martin had 32 at halftime and cooled down considerably in the second half. However, Martin was the catalyst for his team in building a huge lead at the beginning of the game.

“Kevin seems to enjoy playing against Seattle,” ex-Seattle forward Nick Collison said, “He was double teamed all night and came up huge.” Collison finished the game with 8 points and 8 rebounds against his former team.

Steve Blake was impressive with 22 points as Moses Chara was average with 16. Steve Francis was an exceptional spark off of the bench as he put in 15 points on a series of open jumpers. “Steve really punished them because they left him wide open for shots,” Martin praised his older teammate, “People don’t think he has much left in the tank but that’s not true. And the reason why we have been so strong towards the end of the season has been through his leadership and guidance.”

The game was a bit of a tug of war affair early on before Sacramento used a 20-6 run over a 7 minute period to build an impressive lead. The Kings were up 34-56 with just 4:05 left in the second quarter. Seattle’s bench put in a spirited effort, led by Reshawn Tyson, Jamaal Magloire, and Chris Wilcox. The bench players were able to pull the team back and had Seattle trailing by only 10 points entering the halftime break; 54-64.

However, the score failed to illustrate how much better the Kings were on this night as Sacramento kept Seattle from getting any closer for the rest of the game. Seattle’s big fourth quarter scoring barrage came as the team was desperate to salvage their chance of a potential third seeding but more importantly: some pride.

“I told the guys that we had to step up because we were going to the playoffs and we don’t want to seem like pushovers,” Durant stated, “We finished the game losing by only eight points. That’s a heck of a lot better than losing by 25.”

When questioned on his thoughts about the team’s next game, Durant couldn’t stop smiling, “I’m ready. I’m excited that I’m going to be making my playoff debut. It’s going to be rocking!”

Notes: Durant is day-to-day with his twisted ankle but did say he will play in Game 1 of the playoffs no matter what happens… Seattle’s Reshawn Tyson came off the bench first again, in front of Adam Morrison and started the fourth quarter with the rest of the starters. This has caused speculation that George Karl may feel confident in the rookie and perhaps more minutes in the future… The Stealth open their first round matchup in Seattle…

Quarter-by-Quarter Team Score

Seattle (Away) 28 – 26 – 24 – 37 – 115
Sacramento (Home) 36 – 28 – 30 – 29– 123

Jordan Player of the Game

Kevin Martin
37 Points
15-23 FG
7-12 3PT
3 Rebounds
7 Assists

Key Performers

50-32 Seattle

D Lee 22 pt, 7 reb, 2 stl, 11-14 FG
K Durant 21 pt, 6 reb, 6 ast, 7-14 FG, 1-6 3PT, 6-6 FT
J Kidd 9 pt, 18 ast, 2 stl, 4-7 FG, 1-3 3PT

36-46 Sacramento

S Blake 22 pt, 3 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 6-19 FG, 3-8 3PT, 7-9 FT
M Chara 16 pt, 4 reb, 4 ast, 7-14 FG, 1-6 3PT, 6-6 FT
S Francis 15 pt, 3 ast, 2 stl, 5-6 FG, 1-1 3PT, 4-5 FT

[Lamrock]

Damn! Chara had an off-night and Seattle still killed you. With homecourt advantage, I still see you beating the Lakers though.

[kibaxx7]

Ouch you will play Kobe.... well good luck!

[The X]

Good luck, sounds like you'll need it

[C-77]

Good luck with kobe and the lakers! Beat L.A!

[Skills]

Still going strong Sit! Nice work. That Kobe-Durant matchup will be pretty intense, though you'll be able to take them. I love my super cocky rookie by the way! Haha, I hope he's worse than Durant and Chara combined.

[hova-]

Oh yeah, Im in there. Sry, just did not feel like posting a lot in the NLSC lately. Still I followed every now and then, just didn't post. It's nice to see myself in the game soon. Greetz and keep it up, Sit.

[Martti.]

Damn, a tough challenge right away. Hope you pass with flying colors..

[Valor]

tough loss there mate, gd luck against the Lakers

[Fresh8]

Damn! Chara had an off-night and Seattle still killed you. With homecourt advantage, I still see you beating the Lakers though

It's going to be hard, I always fail against Kobe

Ouch you will play Kobe.... well good luck!

Cheers.

Good luck, sounds like you'll need it

Sure do.

Good luck with kobe and the lakers! Beat L.A

Keep saying that and it might happen in real life

Still going strong Sit! Nice work. That Kobe-Durant matchup will be pretty intense, though you'll be able to take them. I love my super cocky rookie by the way! Haha, I hope he's worse than Durant and Chara combined.

No way your rookie going to top Chara

Oh yeah, Im in there. Sry, just did not feel like posting a lot in the NLSC lately. Still I followed every now and then, just didn't post. It's nice to see myself in the game soon. Greetz and keep it up, Sit.

That's cool man, I just thought you would like to know Chris Hova is going to be in this soon

Damn, a tough challenge right away. Hope you pass with flying colors..

Cross your fingers!

tough loss there mate, gd luck against the Lakers

Thanks!

[homicide1550]

You got 50 wins and you are rewarded with a first round match against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.. Tough luck there... Anyways I still think you can beat them...

[Fresh8]

Life's a bitch ain't it?

Full playoff previews, April Review, News Articles and Chapter 18 to be posted in coming few days everyone! Stay tuned!

[Fresh8]

The story so far...

Stealth General Manager Garners League-wide Approval

April 16, 2010

SEATTLE (AP) – Seattle Stealth General Manager Will Sit has been afforded praise from across the league as his team prepares for their first round matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Stealth finished the season with 50 wins, a considerable improvement from their 35 wins last season, and many NBA coaches have heaped praise on him.

Many people still regard his acquisition of Jason Kidd, Jamaal Magloire, and David Lee instead of younger players as genius moves. His trading for Sebastian Telfair and mid-season signing of Trevor Ariza has also paid dividends. Last season’s trade for Adam Morrison has seen the fourth year forward improve and contribute meaningfully in his career. “Every player that Sit has brought in,” one scout said, “has played better than they ever have before. Signing the players he did, Sit has transformed this team into what I consider a dark horse to reach the Western Conference Finals.”

However, Sit has not had his fair share of criticism as many wonder why he traded away promising youngster Russell Westbrook and the ninth pick in last season’s draft in exchange for the third pick. That third pick ended up being Reshawn Tyson who has been erratic all season; only recently starting to play more consistently. Westbrook is in Charlotte acting as a serviceable backup at PG while the Bobcats ended up picking Mark Moore with the ninth pick. Denver picked Andrew Watson with the tenth pick and both players have performed strongly in their rookie seasons; Moore averaging 15 ppg and Watson 19 ppg.

Read More…

- - -

Kobe Bryant Senses Fear

April 17, 2010

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Kobe Bryant is feeling confident in his team’s first round matchup because he feels that the Seattle Stealth is scared of meeting the Lakers. “From how they were holding themselves towards the end of the season, they really wanted to avoid a matchup with us,” Bryant said after a Lakers practise, “That means to me that they aren’t confident in playing against us. We can use it to our advantage.”

When questioned on how the Lakers would stop Seattle, Bryant replied, “Well, we just have to slow down Kevin Durant and force Jason (Kidd) to shoot a lot.” He then laughed, “But that’s all I will tell you because the rest of our plans are top secret!”

Bryant is desperate for his team to advance and wants his side to contest the NBA Finals again but the veteran understands that that will be a tough ask especially without Lamar Odom on his side anymore. “Lamar was such a huge part in our team’s play but I guess we didn’t have the money to keep him around.”

Read More…

- - -

Kidd: We Can Go Far

April 17, 2010

SEATTLE (AP) – Kidd asks reporters whether they remember him stating that he wanted the team to win back at the beginning of the season. Now that the team has won 50 games and exceeded even his own expectations, the 37 year old PG wants everyone to know that he has changed his goals.

“At the start I did say that we would aim to have a winning season,” Kidd said, “We did so well that I think we can really go to the second round and be competitive.” Kidd, who was the leader in assists per game for most of the year before losing out to Chris Paul, credits the Stealth’s success to the coaching of George Karl. “Coach Karl has really been a great help to everyone, including myself. He kept me going as the season wore on because I have never felt so tired in my entire career – I nearly couldn’t finish the season because of fatigue.”

Kidd was pleased that he would finally be able to play in front of his friends and family in his actual home. “In the offseason I was choosing between the Lakers and the Stealth. I wanted to play for the Lakers because I followed them when I was young but Seattle really lured me because I was finally going home.”

Read More…

- - -

Durant In A Race To Be Fit

April 17, 2010

SEATTLE (AP) – Kevin Durant is fighting to be fit in time for the Stealth’s series opener against the LA Lakers at home. The NBA scoring champion for the 2009-10 season twisted his ankle late in the game against the Sacramento Kings. Durant returned to the floor in the final three minutes of the match but struggled and possibly aggravated his injury.

“I just couldn’t really do much on it,” Durant laments, “I probably did more bad than good by going back on the court but we really needed the win.” Durant hobbled around on the court and it was evident that he would not be able to contribute positively with Coach George Karl yanking him out of the ball game pretty quickly.

The ankle flared up overnight after the game and Durant did not attend Seattle’s practise yesterday raising concerns that he would not be at full strength for Game 1 against the Lakers. When asked to comment on whether Durant would play, Karl stated, “I don’t know.”

The ankle isn’t Durant’s only concern though as a reporter pointed out that since the 2000-01 season, the NBA’s scoring leader has only ever gotten as far as the second round of the playoffs. When told about it, Durant replied, “Maybe I will be the first to get past the second round.”

Read More…

[Fresh8]

Monthly Recap: April
Part One: Team Report, Results, League Standings

Monthly Recaps are divided into several parts in order to give readers a quick and organized overview. Part One of the Monthly Recap provides the league standings; divided into the two conferences. It also features the Seattle Stealth’s’ team report and schedule of games played in the last month (links are included to game recaps where applicable). Part Two will feature Player Statistics.

Team Report

The Seattle Stealth finished the regular season on a high note and is now looking forward to contesting the first round of the playoffs with home court advantage to boot. The signing of George Karl as head coach paid dividends and if Karl had not returned to the team he took to the 1996 NBA Finals; Jason Kidd might never had signed to play for Seattle.

The signings of Kidd, David Lee, and the trading for Sebastian Telfair have given the Stealth a new identity. And with the heroics and scoring prowess of NBA leading scorer Kevin Durant, Seattle looks like a dangerous team that could make a surprise run towards the Western Conference Finals.

“We’re confident in ourselves,” Kidd says, “I’m ready to lead this team and Kevin is ready to lead this team. Everyone is ready to play their butts off in a few days time.”

Veteran players Brad Miller and Jamaal Magloire are both happy to be back in the playoffs. Both big men have played a big part in helping Seattle get this far acting as anchors to this team on defense as well as off the court as mentors. The former All-Stars don’t have much left in the tank and are looking forward to a few last runs at elusive NBA titles.

Kidd is also in search of his first ever title. The 37 year old has played on a number of good teams but he has never played next to a player like Durant; a prolific scorer not yet in his prime. “I guess this is why I was signed,” Kidd ponders, “I’m blessed to be here and I’m lucky to be playing with Kevin. He is a machine.”

The younger players on the team are also excited. Jeff Green, Adam Morrison, DJ White, Telfair, and Chris Wilcox were all celebrating making the playoffs by having a party. When asked if he thought his teammates should be resting, Kidd laughed, “They’re young. They should have some fun but no partying during the series!”

And when asked if he was scared of a first round exit, Kidd stated that it wasn’t going to happen. He reiterated at the end of the interview, “Bring it on!” The Stealth’s series against the Lakers starts in Seattle next week.

April Schedule

Apr 3 – Por @ Sea: 126-124 L
Apr 5 – Ind @ Sea: 110-116 W
Apr 7 – Mem @ Sea: 87-117 W
Apr 8 – Sea @ Uth: 113-130 L
Apr 10 – Atl @ Sea: 96-121 W
Apr 11 – Sea @ Cle: 110-109 W
Apr 13 – Sea @ Por: 87-66 W
Apr 15 – Sea @ Sac: 115-123 L

Western Conference Standings

1. New Orleans Hornets (58-24)*
2. Denver Nuggets (55-27)*
3. Houston Rockets (51-31)
4. Seattle Stealth (50-32)
5. Portland Trailblazers (48-34)
6. Minnesota Timberwolves (47-35)
7. Utah Jazz (47-35)
8. Los Angeles Lakers (45-37)*

- - -

9. San Antonio Spurs (40-42)
10. Phoenix Suns (38-44)
11. Golden State Warriors (38-44)
12. Sacramento Kings (36-46)
13. Dallas Mavericks (35-47)
14. Memphis Grizzlies (35-47)
15. Los Angeles Clippers (34-48)

Eastern Conference Standings

1. Detroit Pistons (54-28)*
2. Atlanta Hawks (50-32)*
3. Miami Heat (49-33)
4. Boston Celtics (47-35)*
5. Cleveland Cavaliers (47-35)
6. Orlando Magic (41-41)
7. Indiana Pacers (40-42)
8. Washington Wizards (38-44)

- - -

9. Philadelphia 76ers (37-45)
10. Chicago Bulls (33-49)
11. Charlotte Bobcats (32-50)
12. Toronto Raptors (27-55)
13. Milwaukee Bucks (27-55)
14. New Jersey Nets (26-56)
15. New York Knicks (25-57)

* Denotes Division Leader

[Fresh8]

Monthly Recap: April
Part Two: League Leaders

Monthly Recaps are divided into several parts in order to give readers a quick and organized overview. Part Two of the Monthly Recap provides the League Statistical Leaders. Part Three will feature news from Around the League.

Points Per Game

1. K Durant (30.4)
2. L James (28.1)
3. K Bryant (26.8)
4. M Chara (25.7)
5. K Martin (25.6)

Rebounds Per Game

1. T Duncan (10.8)
2. D Howard (10.7)
3. K Garnett (10.4)
4. Z Randolph (10.2)
5. L James (10.1)

Assists Per Game

1. C Paul (10.8)
2. J Kidd (10.7)
3. J Calderon (10.0)
4. M Ellis (9.4)
5. C Billups (8.9)

Steals Per Game

1. C Paul (2.5)
2. K Bryant (2.2)
3. R Artest (2.2)
4. A Iverson (2.1)
5. A Iguodala (2.0)

Blocks Per Game

1. M Yao (2.8)
2. D Howard (2.7)
3. T Duncan (2.6)
4. K Garnett (2.4)
5. A Stoudamire (2.3)

PER – Efficiency Rating

1. L James (34.2)
2. M Chara (30.0)
3. K Garnett (28.0)
4. D Nowitzki (27.5)
5. K Durant (27.3)

[Fresh8]

Monthly Recap: April
Part 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 Awards

Chris Paul Finishes Season With Award

LeBron James has incredibly swept the entire season’s worth of Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors and looks like odd-on favorite to win the NBA regular season MVP award.

Reigning MVP Chris Paul won’t be excluded from MVP talks at the moment though as he turned in another strong month and took home his own award. The Hornets, led by Paul, are looking like a strong outfit to defend their NBA title.

Read More…

Moses Chara, Barney Steele Best Rookies in April

Moses Chara and Barney Steele finished the season the way it started; both of them as Rookies of the Month for their respective Conferences.

Read More…

News

Moses Chara Completes Stellar Season

Moses Chara finally completed his maiden NBA season and has passed with flying colors. The often brash and egotistical forward finished the season with All-Star caliber statistics (25 ppg, 7 repg, 7 apg) as well as having playing the All-Star game in February. He also led Sacramento to a winning record after February as the team went 20-15. His rookie season has got many talking about where he will take the Kings next season with some even predicting a championship in the near future.

One Western Conference Coach said, “It’s up to their front office now, the onus is on them to build a team around him. Moses is definitely a franchise player. No offence to Kevin Martin because he is a fine scorer but Moses is going to be the face of the franchise.”

Read More…

Leading MVP Candidates: James, Paul, Billups

LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Chauncey Billups are considered the three main contenders for the NBA MVP award. James is the favorite to win the award as Paul struggles an uphill battle to repeat as the winner. Meanwhile, Billups has enjoyed great success in his second season with his hometown Denver Nuggets.

Read More…

Caron Butler Injured

A sprained wrist is unlikely to keep Caron Butler from starting for the Wizards in the first round of the playoffs. Butler has been assessed by team doctors who stated that it would take 2 weeks for his wrist to get better but the swingman has subsequently said, “I’m going to play hurt. As long as I am helping the team, it doesn’t matter how bad my hand is banged up.”

Read More…

University of Connecticut Win NCAA Title

21 year old Estonian Ray Lliach led the UConn Huskies to the national championship in an exciting final against the UCLA Bruins. Lliach also told reporters after the game that he would declare for the NBA Draft and attempt to fullfil his dreams of playing in the NBA.

After the 74-73 overtime win in which Lliach scored 16 points and helped set up the game winning basket, it seems that NBA scouts are buzzing about the European prospect. Considered by many to be near the level of fellow European draft hopeful, Chris Hova, Lliach no doubt helped himself in front of plenty of NBA scouts and coaching staff.

“I’m happy that I played well on such a big stage,” Lliach said, “I hope that the NBA teams see me as a winner and if they draft me, then I will bring a winning attitude to the team.” Lliach also squared off against the powerhouse scoring duo of Jeremy Mason and James Carter; who are both also NBA-bound. Mason finished with 21 points while Carter had 18.

Teams thought to be interested in him are said to include the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings, and Dallas Mavericks.

Read More…

Purdue’s Dela Cruz Declares

Kenneth Dela Cruz, a close friend of Philadelphia 76ers rookie Zoilo Resurreccion, has declared for the upcoming NBA Draft. He led Purdue to the round of eight with a valiant individual effort. His best game was against Georgia in the Elite Eight stage. Dela Cruz finished the game with 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocks but his side was overpowered 78-53.

Dela Cruz is said to be a raw prospect who relies on his size and athleticism. Many insiders and Draft boards have him projected to be a mid first round pick. “He should probably stay at Purdue for another year to help himself develop,” one NBA scout stated.

Read More…

Manfred Nissley’s Stock Rising

Despite being grossly undersized at the SG position, Manfred Nissley hopes to be drafted in June. It is amazing though that some mock drafts have the 5’9” guard as a lottery pick. Nissley’s inability to handle the ball like a point guard does not help his chances of being drafted high although he does have various other traits that may be of interest to potential suitors.

The Georgia Bulldog led his team through a fairytale NCAA campaign. His shooting touch and smart play made him the MVP of his team. Georgia made it all the way to the Final Four but were knocked out by UCLA in a blowout.

“I will never forget how the NCAA tournament finished for me,” Nissley says, “And I will use my experiences to help me when I make the leap forward to the NBA.”

Read More…

TCU’s Jay Gray Named As Best College Player

There are new players every year who win nearly every award able to be won in college basketball and this season was Jay Gray’s turn. A highly coveted high school player in 2009, Gray played for TCU for one season and tore up the competition. The 19 year old PF was named as the AP College Basketball Player of the Year, John Wooden Men’s Player of the Year, and a Consensus All-American amongst other awards.

“I would say it’s been a good year,” Gray says in between his workouts. The youngster recently declared for the NBA Draft and is seen as the next number 1 pick in the big league. His ability to play offense and defense has him being compared to Kevin Garnett. “It’s an honor to be compared to KG because he was my favorite player when I was growing up,” he states.

Gray averaged 24.3 ppg, a nation-leading 14.8 rpg, and a respectable 2.5 bpg. Gray’s college coach was happy for his star player to move on but wished he stayed around, “You look at his numbers and you know why he’s going to go to the NBA. He’s only become as big as he has after this season with us so it’s worth his while to make the jump sooner than later. I guess I’m just a bit upset because we have never won so much before we had Jay on the team.”

Gray’s season wasn’t only about his individual performance as TCU were a winning outfit; reaching the NIT semi-finals.

Read More…