HOOPSWORLD Week In Review
Analysis: The Deal On The Table
By Jason Fleming
After Tuesday’s meeting among each team’s representatives to the National Basketball Players’ Association (NBPA) we know the Players will not take the deal the Owners have put on the table as currently written. However, they do want to negotiate a little bit from the offer, choosing to ignore the NBA’s Wednesday afternoon deadline as an expiration of the offer.
It’s now on the NBA and the Owners to decide if they really do want to tear up this offer and go to an alternate, more restrictive one, or if they are willing to swallow their pride and also ignore the deadline in favor of more negotiations.
Actually, the negotiations will happen…where they lead is still a question.
Let’s take a look at the deal on the table, how it differs from the previous CBA, and where the Players would like to see changes.
The Most Improved NBA Team
By Bill Ingram
In this week’s HOOPSWORLD poll we asked readers to tell us which NBA team they thought would be the most improved when the 2011-12 NBA season finally gets underway.The choices were as follows:
1) Los Angeles Clippers
2) Minnesota Timberwolves
3) Milwaukee Bucks
4) Washington Wizards
5) Golden State Warriors
6) Cleveland Cavaliers
In last week’s poll we had some close calls, but this week there was a clear winner. We’ll start with the sixth-place team.
Top 5 All-Time Detroit Pistons
By Joel Brigham
We all know that the Detroit Pistons aren’t exactly in a magical place right now, but despite their current lull there’s no denying the fact that this franchise has seen its fair share of glory. This is definitely an organization with a long list of really great players, so putting together a list of just five isn’t easy. This is a team with plenty of honorable mentions, but before we look at who missed the list, let’s have a look at who made it:
#5 – Dennis Rodman (1986-1993)
What he did for the Pistons: Before Rodman dyed one single strand of hair one single crazy color, he was a short-shorts-wearing bruiser big man for the two-time champion Detroit Pistons. His career rebounding numbers are overwhelming—fourth all-time in offensive boards, tenth all-time in rebounds per game, and several rebounding titles—but it should be noted that he did plenty of that while playing for the Pistons. During his tenure in Detroit he led the league in offensive rebounds three times, defensive rebounds once, and total rebounds twice. He was a two-time All-Star, five-time All-Defensive Team selection, and even got named to the All-NBA Third Team in 1993.
Worth noting: Earlier this year the Pistons retired Rodman’s #10 jersey, and a few months later he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. So there’s that, too.
Coach: Possible First-Time All-Stars
By Anthony Macri
If there is a season, the race toward the 2012 NBA All-Star Game will be even more of a sprint than years past. While it looks like most of the All-Star slots will be occupied by returners to the game, there is a good chance for a few players who have never experienced an All-Star Game to get the nod. So who are the prospective first-timers? Let’s take a look around the league.
Slam Dunks
LaMarcus Aldridge – Portland’s prototypical power forward probably had an argument for being the biggest snub last year, but expect the situation to be rectified this season. Whose spot would he move into? It seems likely that Tim Duncan, who was selected by his own coach Gregg Popovich to replace to injured Yao Ming, will not be included this year. Aldridge had the best season of his career in 2010-11, averaging 21.8 points and 8.8 rebounds with a strong 21.57 PER. To lock up his spot in the 2012 NBA All Star Game, Aldridge will need to improve his rebounding rate, especially on the defensive glass, where there is definitely room for him to add at least 1.5-2 boards per game. That combined with a more robust early season performance out of his Blazers will make it hard to ignore him this year.
NBA Draft 2012: The Race Is On
By Yannis Koutroupis
We are currently enduring some ugly times in the basketball world as the labor battle between the NBA players and owners has the entire 2011-2012 season endangered. The first month has already been scrapped and it looks like the cancellations are only going to keep coming.
That creates a void in basketball junkies’ lives across the world, but luckily there’s a quality replacement in college basketball that is in a completely opposite position than the NBA. This could potentially be one of the best and most exciting seasons ever. The talent level is through the roof and things finally get underway this week.
While the chase for conference championships and the national title will be extremely thrilling, the posturing for draft position should be just as good.
The 1996 and 2003 drafts are widely regarded as two of the best in the league’s history, but they occurred during a time when high schoolers were still eligible. Now they have to be at least one year removed from graduation, which has all of the premier prospects under the NCAA umbrella, something we didn’t have in ’96 or ’03.
NCAA: All-American Selections
By Yannis Koutroupis
Being named an All-American is one of the highest individual honors college basketball has to offer, ranked only behind the Player of the Year award. The competition for spots on the first and second team is going to be absolutely fierce this season as there are much more than just 10 worthy candidates. It’s important to note that the selection from All-American teams is based purely on collegiate production and is in no way shape or form indicative of a player’s stock of pro potential. With that said, here are our picks for the 2012 All-American teams and the Player of the Year.
First Team
Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin) – 6’1, 195 lbs. Guard
This is the year that Taylor is finally going to get the publicity and respect he deserves. After a solid three-year career that has seen him go from a seldom-used reserve as a freshman to a legitimate star as a senior, Taylor is poised to have his biggest year yet. The Badgers are his team to lead and he is going to be able to really shine now that Jon Leuer isn’t there taking up the spotlight. Taylor’s defensive prowess puts him over the other extremely talented point guards in the country.
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