NBA Cares

The NBARumorz Official Blog Page fully supports NBA Cares. It is a fantastic foundation that benefits a huge amount of people per year.

The project NBA Cares take on every year range from painting and renovating schools to visiting hospitals to boost the morale of the patients.

We truly believe that this is a worthy cause and everyone should support it along with us.

It is a fantastic charity and does a lot of good for society by using the stars of the NBA to help the less fortunate.

Check out the NBA Cares official website for information on their current and past projects:
http://www.nba.com/caravan/

MARCH MADNESS!!!!!!!!!!!

In case you live under a rock, Selection Sunday was yesterday the field of 64 was announced. You can see the bracket here:

http://a.espncdn.com/i/ncaa/12mens_bracket.pdf

Here are our initial thoughts on the four conferences:
The South
-Kentucky is the safe pick to reach the Final Four. Their road is one of the easiest to get there.
-Don't sleep on Wichita St. They could easily be the VCU of this year's tournament.
-Duke isn't as talented as you think. Not Coach K's classic roster. Mostly freshman led and too reliant on streaky shooters like Rivers and Curry to go too deep in the Tourney
Our Pick: Kentucky


The West
-Mich St is a weak one seed. I would expect an upset in the early rounds that will send them packing
-Florida may also pose a challenge for Missouri. If Florida gets their three-point shot going they could knock off the two seed Missouri.
Our Pick: Marquette


The East
-Syracuse is a very strong team. They probably don't have the star power to win it all but they are a very safe pick to go deep
-Vandy, Cincy, and Florida St all have tremendous momentum going into the tourney and could bust some higher seed's bubbles
Our Pick: Syracuse


The Midwest
-North Carolina will be incredibly strong if John Henson recovers quickly from his sprained wrist. If not, they could be knocked off in the first few rounds
-Kansas is a very serious contender. They have Thomas Robinson leading them this year and look hungry for redemption
Our Pick: Kansas


Championship Game: Kansas v. Kentucky
Champion: Kansas

Who is the Best Player in the NBA?

One of the most heated and debated topics in the NBA is who is the best. Everyone knows LeBron and Kobe are great, but who is better?

We are going to settle the debate once and for all right here.

The final contestants, after considering their work ethic, talent, attitude, and ability to win are:
***Kobe Bryant
***LeBron James
***Rajon Rondo
***Brian Scalabrine

The first person that can be eliminated from that list is LeBron. 0 rings = 0 chance. It doesn't matter how much talent he has, until he applies it and produces a championship ring he will never be No. 1

The next person that can be eliminated is Rondo. He is a unique, fast NBA star that has some very creative moves to get to the basket. But his inconsistency and inability to shoot the outside shot makes us eliminate him.

So now we are down to Kobe or Scal. The Black Mamba or the White Mamba. So let's make the case for each and they we will decide.

Although Scal may lack minutes, he makes up for it with amazing talent. His many notable accomplishments speak for himself. He is an NBA world champion. He shoots a better percentage than Kobe from 3-point range (a testament to his flawless shooting form and amazing ability to leap). Scal also has something that Kobe never got -- a college education at USC. Scal also dominates Kobe in the physical department, weighing more than 30 pounds of muscle mass extra and having a 3 inch advantage.

It's hard to make a case for Kobe when you compare him to Scal. He coasted off of the talent of Shaq, and all he does is shoot. His teammates continuously have proven this by moving away from LA when their contracts expire. Kobe can be a cancer to a team with his horrible attitude toward passing and the teamwork aspect of basketball while Scal thrives in any given environment due to his fantastic attitude and work ethic he brings to a team. Scal is also a steal in most fantasy drafts, so when given the opportunity to help my fantasy team, Scal helps significantly more for $1 than Kobe does for $78.

SCAL!!!!!!!!!

Two Fake Trades

With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, here are three trades that would make sense:

1. The Golden State Warriors receive Dwight Howard, JJ Redick, Ryan Anderson. The Orlando Magic receive Monta Ellis, Steph Curry, Andres Biedrins, Klay Thompson.

What side says no to this trade? It is absolutely a blockbuster move that would significantly change the NBA and should be done. The Warriors get Howard, and two great 3 point shooters. Add in David Lee, Dorrell Wright, and Ekpe Udoh and they are an interesting playoff team.

The Magic will be able to get something for Dwight Howard, and get a lot. They can rebuild their franchise around Monta Ellis and Curry and Biedrins is a decent big man.

2. The Minnesota Timberwolves receive Andrew Bynum and Matt Barnes. The Los Angeles Lakers receive JJ Barea, Michael Beasley, Martell Webster

Minnesota can pair K-Love with Bynum to create a beastly interior and still have Rubio and Ridnour at the point. Derrick Williams can move to the starting lineup and Ellington would remain SG. They are a contender with that lineup and should make some noise in the playoffs.

The Lakers get the point guard they desperately need in JJ Barea and add the talented Beasley. Their need for a point guard makes them give more than they should in this trade.


These two trades should happen, make sense, and benefit both sides. 

Jeremy Evans wins Dunk Contest in packed All-Star Weekend

The All-Star weekend was packed full of talent and plenty of highlight reel plays. Jeremy Evans won the Dunk Contest, Kevin Love won the three-point contest, and Tony Parker won the Skills Competition.

The All-Star game was the usual high-scoring relaxed pick-up game, but it turned intense in the final few minutes as the East tried to mount a comeback led by LeBron James. Kobe broke Jordan's record for most overall points in all-star games and dropped 27 along with playing through a broken nose. 

Jeremy Evans dominated the dunk contest with a 2-ball dunk shown below. The competition was fairly weak for Evans and the dunk contest desperately needs some star power for the future years. Chase Budinger, Derrick Williams, and Paul George are not my ideal dunk contest candidates. 

In the Rising Stars game, the Linsation scored a mere two points in a high-scoring frenzy. 

K-Love won the three point contest, going against James Jones and Kevin Durant in the final round and coming out the victor. 

As usual all-star weekend was a fun and exciting weekend full of talented basketball players putting on the show.

Should Carmelo Anthony be traded?

With the meteoric rise of Jeremy Lin is it reasonable to expect that Knicks All-Star SF Carmelo Anthony will be traded?

'Melo has been injured for the entire time Lin started his rise to NBA stardom, and now the media is pushing the possibility of him being moved. Head Coach Mike D'Antoni is known for his high tempo offense he built in Phoenix around PG Steve Nash.

The offense seems to be striving right now with no 'Melo to be seen; and it will be very interesting to see if the team will struggle and their offense will slow down when Carmelo is added.

Anthony is a well-known ball stopper who relies primarily on 1-on-1 isolation plays. He has been struggling so far this year and will absolutely be put on the hot seat for being traded if he continues to struggle.

Possible trading partners would probably be a competitive team that is one piece away from being a championship contender. Boston comes to mind in a possible deal, considering all the rumors about the big 3 being split up. It would work for both sides, as the Celtics could get an all-star caliber play and pair him with Rondo, and the Knicks can let Lin and Stoudermire fly while adding some unselfish, veteran leadership

A possible trade that would work between the two is:
Boston sends Kevin Garnett (1 yr/21.2 mil)  and Avery Bradley (3 yr/1.54 mil)
Knicks send Carmelo Anthony (4 yr/18.5 mil) and Renaldo Balkman (2 yr/1.67 mil)

Boston gains Carmelo obviously, and the Knicks get rid of his lengthy contract, and gains the expiring contract of KG which will clear 21 million in cap space for next year's free agents.

If trade talks start to swirl about Melo, it will be a mayhem over which team will end up for him and how much it will cost.

#Linsanity

Rondo for Gasol Swap? I don't think so.

After Thursday's Lakers/Celtics duel, a hot trade rumor sending PG Rajon Rondo to the Lakers and PF Pau Gasol to the Celtics has heated up.

Although the trade has gained substantial momentum, the trade doesn't make much sense and I personally cannot see it happening; and here's why you shouldn't as well.

I could see this trade happening from the Lakers point of view, but what holds it up is from Boston GM Danny Ainge's perspective. From Ainge's perspective he gives up a young, all-star point guard who is the future of his franchise. Although he gains a talented player, Gasol is over the hill at 31 years old.

The other aspect that makes me believe Ainge would never pull the trigger on this deal is that he is dealing with the Lakers. LA is Boston's arch-rival, and if Ainge made a deal that completed and solidified the Laker's squad he would be roasted by the Boston media. There is a reason David Stern vetoed the trade that sent Chris Paul to the Lakers, and that is because the Lakers with Kobe, Andrew Bynum, and an all-star point guard would be close to unstoppable.

The rumor is intriguing and plausible, but I highly doubt it will actually happen before the trade deadline.

Kobe Bryant now 5th on All-Time Scoring List

Kobe has one more ring than former teammate Shaquille O'Neal and has one-upped him once again.

Kobe has been an absolute animal this year averaging 29.3 PPG which leads the league; and with 28 in his last game he passed Shaq on the all-time scoring list with 28,601 points in his career.

Kobe still has a long long way to go to become number one on the list though. He needs approximately 10,000 more points to become number one and that is virtually impossible considering Kobe's age.

Next up on the list for Bryant is Wilt Chamberlain, a fellow Philadelphia native. Black Mamba needs 2818 more points to surpass Chamberlain, which, barring any major setbacks, should occur next season.

Kobe's next game is a big game against the old rival, the Boston Celtics, Thursday at 8:00 PM on TNT. Make sure to watch.

Kevin Love Suspended for Face Stomp

Was this worthy of a two-game suspension for Kevin Love here? Tell us what you think by tweeting at us @nbarumorz.