Keep An Eye On NBA Draft 2012

NBA must be the most popular sports program all over the world, almost all the people all over the world all watch NBA games, NBA creates so many famous and great basketball stars i history, such as Jordan, Kobe, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Now NBA final will end this season, the neaxt is the same exciting NBA draft.

2012 NBA draft appears to be both full of depth and as thin as top prospect Anthony Davis at the top. Davis is the one true franchise-changer, a player whom rational basketball observers like Bob Knight and John Thompson have compared to Bill Russell.

Comps to Kevin Garnett at the high end and Marcus Camby at the low are also not out of place and if your worst-case scenario is a 15-year career at center, then you're more than worthy of the top pick.

After Davis there is no clear-cut second choice, which makes predicting the rest of the draft an ever-changing exercise. Kansas’ Thomas Robinson is a man inside but lacks polish. Kentucky's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will make any team better, but his offensive ceiling, particularly his shaky jump shot, may be limited.

Florida's Bradley Beal is a smooth 6-foot-4 scoring guard with all the athleticism and intangibles you could want, but he's also just 18 years old and has a lot to learn. North Carolina's Harrison Barnes is coming on strong. And there's still the draft's biggest enigma: UConn's Andre Drummond.

There are players to be had up and down the draft, along with the usual collection of intriguing physical specimens who may go boom or bust. But there is depth in the middle and the end of the first round, and the Celtics should be able to land two solid prospects with their selections in the latter third.

Because Of Injuries To NBA Players, USA Basketball Requested Extra Time To Name Its Team

Despite a rash of season-ending injuries to top National Basketball Association (NBA) players, US Olympic basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski said on Monday he believed he can bring a solid team to the London Games.

The US roster pool has lost injured guards Derrick Rose and Chauncey Billups and forwards Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge but the talent still available has Krzyzewski upbeat that he can repeat the gold medal success from Beijing.

Keep that in mind in regard to the upcoming roster shuffling. The American’s most formidable competition in London is expected to be Spain, its roster built on strength and size, the one place the U.S. team seems to lack the same kind of depth. With Westbrook, Chris Paul and Deron Williams already in the U.S. player pool, Colangelo and his staff do not have to add another point guard, necessarily, to replace Rose. They could choose to go big inside, or add another interchangeable player who can man multiple positions.

"We believe we can have a terrific team with the guys we have right now," Krzyzewski, who said this would be his last turn directing the national team, told a news conference at the US Olympic Committee’s media summit in Dallas. "We believe we can have a special team."

Krzyzewski and USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo feel the labor dispute between NBA team owners and players that led to the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season had complicated things for this Olympic go-round.

"This has been an unusual year in the NBA with injuries, with the shortened season, condensed season, extended season that has led to back-to-back-to-back games early on," Colangelo said. "Whether injuries were due from that condensed schedule we don’t know."

While such luminaries as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook give a formidable look to the prospective US roster, the team applied for and was given a 19-day extension by the US Olympic Committee (USOC) on Monday for finalizing its 12-man Olympic roster.

The US team had already been allowed by the USOC to add NBA Sixth Man award winner James Harden and top US college player Anthony Davis of Kentucky, to its pool to bring the once 20-strong list back up to 18 finalists.

One is the N.B.A. season itself, which was condensed and shortened because of the lockout and could extend to June 26, past the original USA Basketball roster deadline. If, say, Miami met Oklahoma City in the finals, certain and potential Olympians such as James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Harden would play right up until the national team’s training camp. Bosh has already struggled with injuries in the playoffs and could miss the remainder of the Heat’s conference semifinal series against Indiana with a strained abdominal muscle. Others could decide it’s too much basketball in too short of time.

Beyond that, under Colangelo and Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the national team has built its roster on flexibility, shifting someone like James into the role of primary distributor and using someone like Carmelo Anthony at power forward instead of small. This allowed Team U.S.A. to play the kind of defense, intense and swarming, that won it the gold medal in Beijing in 2008.

Regardless, a difficult pool of potential opponents will be waiting for the Americans in London. Team U.S.A. drew Argentina, France and Tunisia in Group A, along with two teams that will be added from a last-chance tournament in July.

"I think this is the last time," he told reporters. "I hope we can win the gold medal."

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said Monday he will continue in his role until the next Olympics to promote continuity.

Because of injuries to NBA players, USA Basketball requested extra time to name its team. The team now will be named on July 7. The previous deadline was June 18. James Harden and Anthony Davishave been added to the pool of players from which the team will be chosen.me to name its team

Congratulations To The Kentucky Basketball On Its Eighth National Championship

University of Kentucky head basketball coach John Calipari and the school's 2012 NCAA men's championship team presented President Barack Obama with a No. 1 jersey and a championship ring during a Friday ceremony in the White House East Room.
　　
Friday was a big day for University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari and his three assistants. Along with their trip to the White House to be honored by President Obama for winning this year’s NCAA championship, Calipari and his staff also got new, lucrative contracts.
　　
As the basketball world knows, Obama has made his NCAA basketball bracket choices for four years on ESPN. This year, he put Kentucky in his Final Four picks, but he didn't tap the Wildcats to win it all.
　　
Instead, the president liked North Carolina beating what he called "unbelievably talented" Kentucky in the championship game. But that didn't happen: UNC was knocked out by Kansas.
　　
On April 1, Kentucky defeated Kansas 67-59, winning the title — and really messing up the Obama bracket.
　　
"Congratulations to the Kentucky Wildcats on your eighth national championship," Obama said moments after he entered the East Room, the Wildcats and coach John Calipari on risers behind him and a raucuous crowd of Kentucky fans rocking the crystal chandeliers.
　　
The 2012 Wildcats team, which beat Kansas, 67-59, for the national title on April 2, boarded a plane for Washington at about noon for the 5 p.m. event. Obama called Calipari the day after the team's tournament win to offer congratulations, and said that he looked forward to meeting the team in person at the White House. They received the invitation on Tuesday, while Obama was on an unannounced trip to Afghanistan to sign a security agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
　　
The last-minute invitation caused a minor political dust-up: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican and one of the president's biggest adversaries in Congress, was invited to attend but declined. The reason: He'd planned to attend the festivities in the run-up to Saturday's Kentucky Derby, another storied state sports tradition. But the conflict appeared to be more a quirk of the calendar than anything else.
　　
The White House trip caps a whirlwind year for the players, some of whom were not old enough to vote in the last presidential election.
　　
But Obama took note of the young team's talents, saying he expected their success to continue. "Everybody's got to take a good look now, because a whole bunch of these guys are going on to the NBA," he said. "Who knows, one of them might end up here in Washington."
　　
Calipari’s new guaranteed compensation, which increased by $400,000 annually and does not include up to $850,000 in potential bonuses each season, would make him the fourth-highest paid coach in the NBA, according to a March story by Forbes. He would trail only the Celtics’ Doc Rivers ($7 million), the Spurs’ Greg Popovich ($6 million) and the Trail Blazers’ Nate McMillan ($5.5 million).
　　
It goes without saying, then, that Calipari is among the highest-paid coaches in all of college athletics, not just basketball, “and he should be,” UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart said. “My goodness, he’s done a great job of leading our program. He’s been a great ambassador for the university. He means a great deal to us.”
　　
Calipari, who had a 72-112 record as coach of the New Jersey Nets in the late 1990s, is often mentioned when NBA jobs open – most recently the New York Knicks. But Calipari, who has a 102-14 record with the Cats and hasn’t lost a home game in his three seasons in Lexington, has shot down such speculation by saying he has the best job in basketball and wants to finish his career at Kentucky. He has said he’d like to chase UCLA’s record 11 NCAA titles.
　　
Barnhart said he believes him and thinks his current contract, better than most NBA coaches get and with much more job security, will help ensure that. "What I've learned is that if I make the right picks, I look like a genius. But if things go the other way, then a team like Kentucky gets to come to my house and remind me, in person, that I was wrong."
　　
Obama admitted that he didn't pick Kentucky to win the championship in part because three of the five starters were freshmen. "But let's face it, sometimes, talent trumps experience," Obama said. Obama singled out freshman Anthony Davis, who's from the president's hometown of Chicago, and was named the Most Outstanding Player in the 2012 NCAA Tournament. Obama said he'd visited Davis' school as a U.S. senator in Illinois, and teased him about growing eight inches between his sophomore and senior years of high school.
　　
"In fact, he has grown an inch since he got to the White House," Obama said, joking. Obama also noted the accomplishments of Darius Miller, a senior and former Mr. Basketball from Mason County who won a state championship when he was in high school, and now an NCAA trophy. Only one other player, Louisville's Darrell Griffith, has been Kentucky's Mr. Basketball and won a state title and an NCAA championship.
　　
"I'm pretty sure Coach Cal is right that if Darius decides to run for governor he'll do all right in Kentucky," the president said.
　　
Obama gave Calipari credit, too.
　　

It Was New York That Riley Had Forsaken To Come Make The NBA Matter In Miami

LeBron James arrived with great expectations, joining Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat two years ago with talk of multiple NBA titles and the jaw-dropping acrobatic plays that made him a star.
　　
After falling short last year by losing to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, the Heat went 46-20 this season to earn a No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs behind NBA overall leaderChicago.
　　
Pierce said the sprain was minor, and that he doesn't expect it to bother him Sunday when the Boston Celtics take on the Atlanta Hawks in game one of the 1st round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs.
　　
NBA.com reports that Pierce left Thursday season finale against the Bucks early in the first quarter, and though, the Celtics believed he would not return, he was back on the court late in the second quarter.
　　
Another member of the big 3, Ray Allen, is questionable for Sunday. Allen has missed 2 weeks with a sore right angle, and Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he wasn't sure if Allen will be able to play Sunday.
　　
After all Der- rick Rose went through in the regular season, with five different injuries shelving him for a total of 27 games, is anyone confident that he can stay healthy and lead his team to the Finals? Despite the reigning MVP’s repeated absences, the Bulls (50-16) still went 18-9 without him and finished with the No. 1 overall seed for the second straight season. Tom Thibodeau is seen as a lock to win his second straight Coach of the Year award as the Bulls led the NBA in scoring defense (allowing only 88.2 points per game, a Bulls record) and had the No. 1 rebound differential (6.7). Doug Collins’ Sixers (35-31) started 20-9, then lost 22 of their final 37 games. They’re not built for the playoffs — they have no stars, struggle to score (93.6 ppg) and lack an inside presence. Against the Bulls this season, they made only eight of 33 three-point tries. If it’s another quick first-round ouster, then everybody will await Collins’ decision as to whether he wants to come back for a third season on Broad St.
　　
Second seed Miami (46-20) host the New York Knicks (36-30) and high-scoring Carmelo Anthony in their first-round opener on Saturday (Sunday PHL time) as Dallas (36-30) go up against second-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder (47-19).
　　
Eight playoff series kick off on Saturday and Sunday as the grind of a 66-game NBA season compacted by the league's labor contract dispute gives way to the spotlight of best-of-seven series on the road to the title.


Miami will win the NBA title in Year 2 of the Big 3, or the perception of Riley’s grand superstar plan will go beyond disappointment toward monumental failure, an experiment already in need of an overhaul. Win it all, or the echoing braggadocio of those anticipated multiple titles (“Not one, not two, not three …”) will start to sound mocking, and begin to haunt.
　　
It was this very rivalry more than 10 years ago — Heat-Knicks — that inspired Pat Riley to first utter the memorable lament, “There is winning, and there is misery.”
　　
Back then, misery meant three consecutive years of playoff elimination at the hands of the Knicks (1998-2000), though the Heat was higher seeded every time. Worse, it was New York that Riley had forsaken to come make the NBA matter in Miami.
　　
Some dozen years later the alternative to winning presents a very different sort of misery for Riley and all he has built here. That misery is out there, lurking, threatening.
　　

After getting to the Western finals last spring, the Thunder (47-19) has been a popular choice to win the conference. Kevin Durant won his third straight scoring title (28.0 ppg) and has his best chance to win the MVP award. Russell Westbrook is coming off an All-NBA caliber season and James Harden is a lock to win the Sixth Man Award. Harden is ready for the playoffs after suffering a concussion at the hands of Metta World Peace last Sunday. After those three, who accounted for 67% of the team’s points, the Thunder has few scoring options. Ex-Laker Derek Fisher provided little (4.9 ppg) in 20 games. But Oklahoma City has one of the best interior defenses in the NBA, with veteran big men Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka, the NBA’s top shot blocker (3.65 per game). Coming off their championship season, the Mavs (36-30) have struggled, especially on the road (13-20), withoutTyson Chandler, J.J. Barea and DeShawn Stevenson. They got nothing out of Lamar Odom before releasing him. This is a transition season for owner Mark Cuban until he can restock his team, starting this summer with a move for free agent and Dallas-area product Deron Williams.
　　
The Knicks have navigated through a tumultuous season that included a coaching change and the emergence of point guard Jeremy Lin and subsequent knee injury that has sidelined him.
　　
Under interim coach Mike Woodson the Knicks have played spirited defense led by center Tyson Chandler and allowed Anthony to use his one-on-one scoring skills while also utilizing three-point sharpshooters J.R. Smith and Steve Novak.
　　
Dallas took a step back after losing Chandler and guard J.J. Barea to free agency, and face a difficult draw against the high-powered Thunder, who are led by NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and offensive-minded guard Russell Westbrook.

Coaching Legend Larry Brown Will Take Over At SMU

DALLAS -- SMU announced Thursday that Hall of Famer Larry Brown will become the Mustangs' next men's basketball coach."I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to coach at SMU," Brown said in a statement released by the university. "I've built so many relationships in the basketball world and my success has been due to the coaches I've played for and the players I've coached. I always thought of myself as a college coach and this gives me a wonderful chance to get back where I started."

Many of you may not have noticed last week, but basketball coaching legend Larry Brown is back in the college game. At the age of 71, he is the new head coach at SMU.

Brown has had a remarkable career, but he is truly a coaching gypsy. He has been everywhere. In college he has coached at UCLA and Kansas. In the NBA and the old ABA, he has coached the Carolina Cougars, Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76'ers, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Charlotte Bobcats.

He is the only coach in basketbal history to win an NBA championship and an NCAA championship. He won an NBA title coaching the Pistons in 2004. He won an NCAA title at Kansas in 1988. He also took UCLA to the NCAA finals in 1980 where they lost to Louisville.There have been issues. When he won the 1988 NCAA title at Kansas, the Jayhawks went on a major probably seven months later. They did not have to vacate their title, but they did admit to major violatioins. Roy Williams came in from North Carolina to clean up the mess after Brown left for the NBA and San Antonio.

Brown is a basketball Hall of Famer, having been inducted in 2002. As a player, he played on the 1964 U. S. Olympic team that won a Gold Medal in Tokyo.One thing that Larry Brown has not done in his career, is to coach in our state. That will change next winter. SMU will be in Conference USA for one more season before heading to the Big East. As a result, Brown will coach the Mustangs in Huntington next season when the Mustangs play at Marshall. His appearance in Huntington will make that game an event.

Brown has a reputation for impressive turnarounds and often messy departures from teams. When Michael Jordon hired him in Charlotte, Brown had been out of coaching for two years after going only 23-59 in his only season in New York and being let go by the Knicks.His longest tenure with any team was six seasons with Philadelphia. He had left the 76ers with two years left on his contract to go to Detroit.He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in 2002.Brown has his work cut for him at SMU. The Mustangs are not very relevant in college basketball, but Brown's presence could change that. He does provide some sizzle.If his past history is any indication, Brown's stay in Dallas may not be that long. But it should be long enough for us to see him in our state in the winter of 2013.