Blog Name:	The NBA Breakdown
Url:	http://www.thenbabreakdown.com
Language:	English
Topics:	basketball, NBA
Description:	the action we've seen to date: The Soft Spot Moves It was nice to see a couple of retired players added to the coaching staff of their former teams. The Raptors brought back fan favourite, Alvin Williams as an assistant coach to work with players on skill development. I remember where I was the night he hit a deciding-game jumpshot clinched the only playoff series Toronto has ever won against the New York Knicks in 2000. Thanks for the memories Alvin. It was also good to see the Chicago Bulls give their former defensive minded back-up point guard, Randy Brown a job. The guy desperately needed it. He recently filed for bankruptcy and was forced to auction off his three NBA championship rings. Ouch. I'm Going To Disney World Here's a skill testing question for you. What's the one thing Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, Tony Battie, Eric Williams, Aaron Williams and Alonzo Mourning all have in common? At some point in their careers, these guys were involved in some kind of package deal for some dude named Vince Carter. For the second time in his career, the guy formerly known as ACC (I ain't madatcha) was the centre piece of trade. This time we saw the 8 time all star him head off to the Orlando Magic on draft day deal in an attempts to bolster their squad. Everybody knows that back in the Finals, the Magic were offensively challenged in the Lakers close-out game for the title. We also know that although he ain't jumping over people anymore, VC can still score a ton of buckets in a hurry. Having said that, I don't believe this move has necessarily made the Magic a better team. They basically lost four rotation guys in the deal if you include Turkoglu who all contributed to the squad in a variety of ways. So now the Magic are forced to make a more moves to fill in a bunch of holes. Their starting squad is definitely talented and if they all play up to their potential, they'll give Mickey Mouse a reason to smile. (like he needs one) However, if they have to go their bench because of injury or foul trouble, I'm not sure who SVG can turn to. Stay tuned - More moves to be made. A Shot In The Arm RJ got his prayers answered and now has a serious shot at a title. I'm a big fan of the Richard Jefferson trade for the Spurs. He immediately injects energy into an aging offense that sorely needed it. I kept seeing images of Sean Elliot hitting a corner 3 throughout the presser. He'll make a big difference and immediately take the scoring load off of Parker and Timmy D. This move puts them back into the title conversation where they belong. Sure, they lost some role players in the rebounding and defence department but Coach Popp has some good young talent that can contribute and I'm pretty certain he'll find a way to make-up. Ron-Ron is on the Move I'm sure most people chuckled when they heard Ron Artest was heading to the Lakers. We know that Artest and KB24 have had some pretty physical on court battles and now people are wondering if they can co-exist. Don't waste valuable mental energy on this one folks. It can and will work. These guys will do just fine together. Ron will fall in line and play for whatever team he's on and Kobe will focus in solidifying his legacy as the best ever. Despite Barack Obama saying that he's still nowhere near a guy named MJ. By the way, with that comment. Obama becomes the most quoted US president on NBA related matters, ever. Congrats! Artest essentially takes Ariza's spot and can admiraly do most of the things that Trevor did, minus the athletcism. Ron will also throw in a bit more offence despite the fact that his low post game is reminiscent of a bull in a china shop on roller blades. I like the move. So-So I'm lukewarm on the moves Detroit made by picking up Ben Gordon and Charlie V. I'm not convinced that these pick ups improved the team dramatically. Both these guys remind me of younger versions of Iverson and Rasheed. These are good moves for the Pistons who quite frankly had to do something but again, I don't think they have catapulted themselves to the top of the Eastern conference standings. We'll have to wait and see. The Turkish Raptor The acquisition of Vince Carter pretty much spelled the end of Hedo's career in Orlando. This was a strange one because initial reports suggested that the Trailblazers had the versatile power forward all but locked up. But then something amazing happened and the Hedo had a change of heart and verbally committed to the Raptors. I've been tweeting how much I'm on the fence on this once ever since I heard the reports. It's supposed to be making somewhere in the vicinity of $60 million according to TNT Analyst David Aldridge but that's not where my real struggle lies. In the process of making room for Hedo, the Raptors had to renounce the rights of Shawn Marion and guards Anthony Parker and Carlos Delfino. It's not so much Marion because I never believed he'd be a long term Raptor. In fact there were rumours that when he arrived to TO in a mid season trade, the only thing he brought with him was his tooth brush. I'm in the opinion that the Raps paid a heavy price to get Hedo by saying good-bye to Delfino and Parker. But the deal breaker for me all depends who they get to fill one or both of those positions. So, it's a wait and see for now. The Big Witness So now that we've run through this once, let's try another skill testing question. What do Caron Butler,Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Shawm Marion, Marcus Banks, Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic (whew) all have in common? You got it. They were all part of deals that saw the Big Diesel, the Big Aristotle and now the Big Witness change zip codes. He's already intimately familiar with Cavs GM Danny Ferry so he shouldn't have a problem fitting in. Shaq joins his fourth team of his illustrious career and can also boast that he's played alongside some of the best players. First there was Penny Hardaway (say what you want but this guy was good before injury), Kobe Bryant (nuff said), D-Wade (Shaq nicknamed him The Flash), Steve Nash (nothing wrong with a little Canadian content) and finally, the most intriguing match-up, LeBron James. He of course in typical Shaq-like fashion is talking about winning a title and why not, that's why this move was made. Despite Shaq claiming that he'll play until he's 40, the Cavs want to win now and not the future. I thought this was a great move for the Cavs particularly since they didn't have to give up as much as the Magic did. Wallace was contemplating retirement and Pavs days as a Cav were numbered anyways. The Big Z (pronounced ZED in Canada) will be moved to the bench or it could be vice versa. Whichever one it is, you've got a pretty expensive back-up centre. I think it could work because Shaq understands the stage of his career he's in. For years, he referred to himself as the MDE (Most Dominant Ever) and now he's not. But he's OK with that. We saw him concede to Wade in Miami and that translated into a championship. So I fully expect him to allow James to continue to run the show and he'll play second or even third fiddle depending if the Cavs can pick another perimeter player. His new motto year is "Win a Ring For The King" That's it for now... So if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm pretty excited about all the new scenarios created because of player movement. If you want proof of it, check my Twitter account. I've had more updates in the last few weeks then I've had in the prior 6 months. There's no question that next summer should be even more delectable with all the big names but I've always been the kind of guy that likes to enjoy the moment and this one is pretty good so far. Posted by Audley at 3:22 AM 0 comments Labels: basketball, NBA, off season, trades Saturday, June 27, 2009 The Barbershop Battles One of the most riveting discussions that everyone seemed to have an opinion on this past season was the one that forced us to answer the question, "Kobe or LeBron?" Barbershops everywhere were in upheaval as the debate over who the best player was waged on. The Olympic teammates had phenomenal seasons and individually had some pretty spectacular performances. On February 2, Kobe waltzed into Madison Square Garden and set a scoring record by pouring in 61 points. Two days later LeBron and his Cavs strolled into MSG and he went off for 50 points and was one rebound short of a triple double. James captured the league's most valuable player honour whereas KB24 led his Lakers to an NBA championship. Kobe also won the Finals MVP award named in honour of the great Bill Russell. There were no shortage of opinions on The NBA Breakdown this past season. Not only were Dave and Audley on polar opposites but so were some of their guests. Check it out as The NBA Breakdown turns the clock back to try and answer the biggest stumper of the season. Who's better, Kobe or LeBron? Special thanks to: -Chip-Fu -Chris Reid from Kid N' Play -Doug Christie -Nick Anderson -Troy "Escalade" Jackson -Chris Rose from The Best Damn Sports Show -Elvin Hayes and -Dick Vitale. The NBA Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!! Posted by Audley at 4:24 PM 0 comments Labels: basketball, Kobe, LeBron, MVP, NBA Saturday, June 20, 2009 All Good Things Must Come To An End The NBA Breakdown has officially concluded its first season and Dave and I would like to send a special shout out to all of our supporters. Whether you listened to the program, joined our Facebook page or sent a note of encouragement - the support has been greatly appreciated. We know that our first sesaon couldn't have been possible without the support of all of you. It was a blast from beginnning to end! If you'd like to share, we'd appreciate hearing your thoughts about the show. Please visit our Facebook and let us know what you thought about the first season of The NBA Breakdown. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! A great big thank you goes out to the fantastic guests that took the time out of their schedules to hang out with us. If there's a particular episode that you'd like to listen to, remember you can always download past shows from our archives section. Take care of yourselves, have a great summer and we'll see you next season for more hoops talk, the way it should be! Posted by Audley at 11:57 PM 0 comments Labels: basketball, Breakdown, NBA Monday, June 15, 2009 How's It Taste Shaq? It's been almost a year ago since Kobe and his Lakers were on the wrong end of a 39-point margin in a decisive NBA finals game. They've had an entire year to think about it and the Lakers have righted the wrong perpetrated against them and have given Jack a reason to celebrate. The boys in Gold & Purple played like champs throughout the series and overcame a couple of close encounters that could have changed the complexion of the series. This includes a blown lay up by Courtney Lee in Game 2 and a ton of missed free throws by the Magic in Game 4. With the newly named, Bill Russell trophy in one hand and the Four Horseman symbol in the other, Kobe and the Gang Celebrated on the Magic's home floor. To top it off, they'll have the honour of heading to the White House in the fall to meet with Mr. Barack "Lakers in six, I think" Obama. The Lakers are this year's champions and Kobe has finally solidified his legacy by capturing a title without Shaquille O'Neal at his side. Speaking of the big fella, he's got a new favorite song these days. It's called " Shaq, tell me how ass taste" Posted by Audley at 3:58 PM 0 comments Labels: Kobe, LA Lakers, NBA, NBA Finals Thursday, June 11, 2009 Knicky Knicky Nine Doors Anyone? Throughout the years, the Big Aristotle has never ceased to amaze us with his wild and crazy antics. In addition to being one of the most dominant players on the court, the guys acts, raps, and dances. According to his Twitter profile, he's very quotatious and performs randoms acts of Shaqness. The NBA Breakdown had an opportunity to welcome Chip-Fu to the program. Chip and the hip hop group, the Fu-Schnikens collaborated with the big fella to deliver the smash hit "What's Up Doc?" in 1993. The guy with the lighting quick tongue told us some great stories including one about Shaq-Deisel playing Knicky Knicky Nine Doors in a hotel. I guess that's where the random acts of Shaqness comes in. Posted by Audley at 7:50 PM 0 comments Labels: basketball, NBA, Shaquille O'Neal Thursday, June 4, 2009 The NBA Finals: Where Speculation Happens! So we're on the verge of The NBA Finals and as expected, there's tons of speculation floating around. There never seems to be a shortage of opinions on what the outcome of the Finals will be, especially this time of year. The reality is that nobody really knows but it's sure fun to speculate, ain't it?. As more and more opinions sprout up, a slew of questions are generated. Here's a few that we won't have answers to until after opening tip: - Is Shaq's blessing enough to get Kobe a ring? - Will Dwight Howard's million dollar smile make him the next advertising powerhouse? - Is Jameer playing or not? - How long will it take before Jeff Van Gundy's biasness shines through? - And finally, will Barack Obama get this one right? The answers to some of these questions will come sooner than others but in the meantime, consider this for a moment. As much as the Lakers are considered to be the favourites to win their 15th title in franchise history. The one thing you haven't heard the experts say is that LA will completely dominate or even sweep Orlando in this series. At the same time, a majority of those who feel the Magic have a shot are saying it'll take them at least 6 games. Assuming the individual performances of Howard and Kobe cancel themselves out, the role players will be key in this series. Guys like Odom, Turkoglu, Lewis and Gasol will have to perform to give their respective teams a shot at winning. This is all a pretty good indication that this year's final should be real close and entertaining. The NBA Finals: Where Speculation Happens! Posted by Audley at 2:21 PM 0 comments Labels: Dwight Howard, Kobe, LA Lakers, NBA Finals, Orlando Magic Saturday, May 30, 2009 Are You Kiddin' Me?" CHUCK IS HERE!! CHUCK IS HERE!! CHUCK IS HERE!! Chuck Swirsky became the play-by-play voice of the Toronto Raptors during the 98–99 NBA season. The guy known as The Swirsk spent a decade in the T-Dot before heading back to his hometown of Chicago and taking on the radio play-by-play duties for the Bulls. He was the face of the Toronto Raptors franchise for many fans and he'll always be remembered for his energy, enthusiasm and classic catch phrases. The NBA Breakdown welcomes Chuck and his onions to the program to chat about the Bulls memorable first round match up against the Boston Celtics, the impact that Rookie of the Year, Derrick Rose has had on the team and reflections on his 10 years with the Toronto Raptors. This show is guaranteed to be sick, wicked and nasty! The NBA Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be! Posted by Audley at 9:09 PM 0 comments Labels: basketball, Chuck Swirsky, NBA, Toronto Raptors Older Posts Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) The NBA Breakdown on Facebook Subscribe to The NBA Breakdown via email Enter your email address: Delivered by FeedBurner Dave & Audley The NBA Breakdown is a fun, high energy call-in basketball talk show which focuses on fantasy players, historical NBA moments and news from around the league through lively discussion. The NBA Breakdown is informative, interactive and entertaining. It's hosted by Dave Mendonca and Audley Stephenson
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