The Utah Jazz

Jarrett told me should write about the Jazz..so here it is.

The Jazz are one of the few teams in the NBA I have no feelings about. They have a few good players, but they are at a crossroads.

The coach is Jerry Sloan, and he's been coaching them for 20 years. He isn't changing, so managment can either do two things: 1. Fire Sloan, or 2. Bring in players that fit his slow-paced system.

Deron Williams is the team's best player, and one of the best point guards in the league. He is similar to Derrick Rose, but stronger and obviously more experienced. He and Carlos Boozer formed a nice tandem, but Booz is always injured, and is probably going to leave the team this offseason.

Mehmet Okur is a decent 4, but he plays center on the Jazz. He does not bang in the post, and shoots threes.

In terms of this offseason, the Jazz's biggest objective is deciding what they're going to do with Paul Millsap. He's a banger, and the Jazz need his strong inside presence. I don't really wish them well, because they're in the same division as Melo and the Nuggets.

The NBA's Next Superstar

Determination.

Ferocity.
Love of the Game.
Passion.
Good Teeth.
Good Number.
Boyish good looks.
Speaks English.

A Nickname.

Danilo Gallinari has all the makings of a star. Let's check out his vitals shall we:

Danilo Gallinari

New York Knicks – No. 8
Small forward
Born: August 8, 1988 (1988-08-08) (age 20) Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Weight	225 lb (102 kg)
League	NBA
Draft	6th overall, 2008 New York Knicks
Pro career	2004–present
Former teams	Casalpusterlengo (2004–2005) Edimes Pavia (2005–2006) Olimpia Milano (2006–2008)
Awards	Italian league All Star Game 3-Point Shootout Champion 2007 Euroleague Rising Star Award 2007-08
Profile	Info Page

So..there it is. By the time next season starts, he'll be 21, with 6 years of pro basketball experience. He's waaaayyy far ahead of any rookies, which he'll basically be, because he only played in 28 games and averaged under 15 minutes per game. Check his stats for his first season.


Y'all gonna read this post and think I'm crazy, and I don't care. Gallo, his nickname meaning "The Rooster" in Italian, is gonna blow up sooner than later. He was drafted for a reason, and he would've gotten a lot more burn last season if he didn't have his lingering back problems. (This bear-lookin' dude Tractor Traylor tried to flatten Gallo in his first summer-league game, and he had surgery on it this off-season.)


As I highlighted in the last post, the Knicks are moving forward, and dropping players with no regard (which is fine by me). Wilson Chandler and Gallo are the only two players I'd be willing to guarantee are with the team for the 2010-11 season. So, Gallo is going to get a lot of run next year, to develop, and to shine.

He plays with flair, which I've only seen from Pau Gasol in an international player. He has a good personality, a good rapport with the media and has become a fan favorite.

Even if I didn't convince you with this post, just watch out for Danilo in summer-league when he's twerking unsuspecting defenders..

My Favorite Team

Although my blog is Nuggets colors, my favorite NBA team is the New York Knicks. Above is Donnie Walsh, the team president. He is the man responsible for all the changes the Knicks have made in the last year, and I am very satisfied with his work so far.

The team caved in during the second half of the season, but in all honesty, it didn't really matter. Everyone with an interest in the team knew we were rebuilding, we just wanted to see the players playing hard. When the Knicks went 23-59, there were plenty of nights where the team was just going through the motions. As professional athletes making overblown salaries, that type of play is unacceptable.

Now, Isiah Thomas is gone, as are most of main options of his teams. Steph, Jamal Crawford, and Zach Randolph are all on different teams, and if Eddy Curry played this season, Walsh would've found a way to get rid of him too.

During last year's draft lottery, when the Knicks got the 6th pick, I punched the wall. This year, I took the 8th pick easier, because I have faith in the President. I want the Knicks to trade the pick, because outside of the top tier talent (which is slim), I don't think any players are worth it. There's been talk of us moving up, but trading the pick would allow us to avoid signing another player, get rid of a bad contract, and bring in veteran player(s).

In closing, I want to give a shout-out to two people. One is J'Quan because he is a die-hard Knicks fan too. The other is ...







..Gonna be in my next post so stay tuned...

Nike Zoom Soldier III

Although LeBron James is one of my least favorite players, I'll start off this post highlighting his Zoom Soldier III. Every year, LeBron goes through the season in his latest signature model, then switches into a new one for his playoff run.

The first, the Zoom Soldier, was a great shoe, and I had the original Navy/White colorway. The Zoom Soldier was the only thing that ever made me like LeBron.

The ZS3 are a decent looking shoe, and the POP, or playoff pack colorway is the best. This colorway remindes me of the Air Jordan XI a little bit, with the white upper and black patent.

With LeBron being arguably Nike's biggest athlete, all of his shoes come out in MANY colorways, even his team shoes. The ZS3 is no different. So far, four have released - This home one, an away, an white/navy for the Cavs alternates, and a HORRID camo colorway.

As LeBron always likes to bite Michael Jordan, his teammates have begun wearing his signatures like the Bulls did in the 90s. When the Cavs took the floor for Game 4, wearing their alternate jerseys, it seemed like EVERY Cavalier was wearing Soliders. I'm not sure, but I imagine that Joe Smith was the only not, because he is signed to adidas.

Here you can see Boobie Gibson wearing them, and he usually wears Nike Hyperdunks for every game. Mo Williams wore adidas his whole career before coming to Cleveland, but this season he's worn Hyperdunks, and now he wears LeBrons.

Perhaps the Cavaliers should stop wearing LeBron's sneakers - Because it sure didn't help them win...

Lakers - Nuggets Game 4

After squandering a chance to take hold of the series in Game 3, the Nuggets bounced back had with their Game 4 performance against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Nuggets led throughout Game 3, but Kobe and the Lakeshow took over the game in the fourth, and the series lead. The Lakers regained the home-court advantage they had lost in Game 2 in LA.

Last night, Carmelo Anthony had his worst game of the playoffs, but it did not matter. He shot horribly, was injured, threw up before the game, and received an IV at halftime. The second half was much better than the first, where he struggled to even complete a field goal. He played with much more strength and purpose which helped motivate his team.

Although he has not been shooting as well as he did during the season, JR Smith has been proving himself as a very valuable player in the Nuggets organization. He has been showing great court vision and surprising every one with it. He is feeding the Nuggets bigs with great efficiency. His alley-oop with Chris "Birdman" Andersen last night reminded Jeff Van Gundy of one of Chris Paul's to Tyson Chandler. JR is a very good player, but with him finally breaking out this season, his fifth, proves that he should've went to school.


Kobe and Pau Gasol have been playing well all series, and Andrew Bynum finally broke out of a slump last night, but that was pretty much it from the Lakers. The Nuggets speed and intensity was simply too much last night. Hopefully they can carry it over to Game 5, as the series shifts back to Los Angeles...

Game 4 Box Score

2009 NBA Draft - Thoughts So Far

The draft lottery was last night and this is the perfect time to get into some draft talk. Check for the info and draft order.

The Clippers, who had the 4th best shot at the first pick, won the lottery, and will obviously draft Blake Griffin with the first pick. As you can see here and below, Clips President Andy Roeser had already predicted the team's draft plan - picking first, and taking Blake Griffin. The Kings dropped from 1 all of the way to 4th, the Grizzlies will pick 2nd, and the Thunder have the 3rd pick.

The Thunder will be a playoff team by the 2010-11 season, if not sooner. With there three stars still having room for improvement, and the third pick this year, this team is set for big things. In my opinion, the Thunder should trade the pick to bring in some proven talent. Blake will be gone, the Thunder don't need Rubio, Jordan Hill plays the same position as Jeff Green, and James Harden is a pure scorer, something they already have in Kevin Durant.

The Clippers will be faced with a dilemma, because with Blake Griffin automatically going there, the Clips have four big men, who can all start on an NBA team - Chris Kaman, Zach Randolph, Marcus Camby, and the rookie. At least one, if not more, will be traded by the start of next season. As a Knicks fan, I would like to see the Knicks explore acquiring MC.

The Knicks are the only lottery team I have a vested interest in, and I want us to trade the 8th pick. Ricky Rubio could be the PG of the future, but there is no way he'll be around at 8. All the superior talent in this draft will be gone by 8, and the rest of the picks will be based on achievements in college or just potential.

This draft class is WEAK, which is why we see so many upperclassmen coming out. Some players that go first round this year would be second rounders any other time, and second rounders from 2008 would move up into the first.

All in all, I'm not going to put too much focus into this year's Draft. Mostly because it's the same time as graduation...

Sunday's Game 7s...

I'm very satisfied with outcomes of yesterday's games. My second-least favorite team in the league, the Boston Celtics, are out of the playoffs. The Cavs are still in, which is saddening, but which ever team comes out of the West, they'll lose to.

I missed the beginning of the Lakers-Rockets game, because I was out getting these:

and some prom stuff...By the time I got home, it was halfway through the second quarter, and the game was already out of hand. It was a blowout throughout, and Pau Gasol went to work! With Yao out, the Rockets had no answer for the Lakers' size and strength inside, and the overall quickness of the team is going to make beating them tough for their upcoming opponent, the Denver Nuggets.

The Celtics-Magic series was a real snoozer, and I decided only to watch the fourth quarter of this game. When I tuned in, the Magic were up 9, and started building on their lead. Soon enough, the lead was double-digits and I tuned out of that game as well.

Now...the Conference Finals are starting Tuesday night and these stand to be two GREAT matchups. Will Nene, Kenyon Martin, and Birdman be able to contain the Lakers' frontline? Will the Lakers be able to contain the explosiveness of the Nuggets?

How will Big Z, Varejao, and Ben Wallace and the rest of the Cavs frontcourt respond to the athleticism of the Magic? Will the Magic be able to defend The Beast, also known as LeBron James?

The answers will become more apparent after the Game 1s on Tuesday and Wednesday...