ballhistory.com blog

New Jersey Nets superstar wingman Vince Carter is finally feeling 100% after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle following the end of the NBA’s regular season. The high-flying Carter led the Nets in scoring with just over 21 per game last year while also averaging a career-high in assists per game with just over five a night. Despite a six-month stretch that saw the New Jersey front office ship off franchise staples Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, the Nets remain a contender in the Eastern Conference because of Carter’s ability to put up 40 or 50 points on any given night. Vince Carter and the Nets open their season in the Nation’s capitol October 29th against Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards.

Lured by a contract doubling his pay from last season and the chance to shine against lesser players, Jannero Pargo became the latest player to split from the NBA for either a European or Russian league. Pargo and his deadly range was key for the New Orleans Hornets’ NBA Playoff push this past spring but will now take that talent halfway around the world. The 28-year guard signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Russian League’s Dynamo Moscow late last week. Pargo joins a roster of former NBA players such as Bostjan Nachbar, Carlos Delfino and Josh Childress to depart North America for bigger paychecks and lesser competition overseas.

The San Antonio Spurs have kept an integral part of their bench corps together Friday as they re-signed veteran guard Michael Finley to return for the next two seasons. Finley and former Sixth Man of the Year Manu Ginobili are the strongest bench duo in the NBA and could likely start for 15 or 20 NBA teams this coming season. Finley originally inked with San Antonio back in 2005 and was an instrumental piece for the Spurs’ NBA Championship run in 2007. Last season, the 35-year old Finley played in all 82 regular season games and averaged better than 10 points and three rebounds per contest.

After three weeks of speculation, the Houston Rockets Thursday formally announced the deal that will team former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Ron Artest with stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming in Houston. The Rockets will also receive big man Patrick Ewing Jr. and guard Sean Singletary in exchange for Bobby Jackson, first-year guard Donte Green and Houston’s first-round draft pick in 2009. With Artest, the Rockets are now in the same talent-league with the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons, my picks as the best four teams in the NBA. The Rockets become an immediate contender because of Artest’s undeniable defense and ability to completely shut down an opposing team’s star scorer. Calling it the “high point of my career“, the former All-Star will now join a team that was already one of the most exciting in the NBA this past season. Who could ever forget the thrill of Houston’s franchise record 22-game winning streak while watching the Toyota Center become one of the most exhilarating venues in all of sports last season? Houston’s goal is clear: challenge the Shaqs, the Duncans and the Kobes of the West and win now.

The Chicago Bulls’ traffic jam at the guard position may ease up in the next few weeks as dynamic shooting guard Ben Gordon told ESPN Friday he expects to be traded sometime before the regular season begins this October. Saying directly that he’d played his last game in the Bulls’ uniform, Gordon has spoken to both NBA and European League teams about jettisoning from the Windy City. With the Bulls selecting Derrick Rose with the first overall selection in this past June’s NBA Draft, Gordon became a valuable yet expendable asset. The 25-year old Gordon averaged just under 19 points per game and has led the Bulls in scoring each of the past three seasons. If the New York Knicks decide that they’re finally going to expel disgruntled point guard Stephon Marbury, Madison Square Garden and new head coach Mike D’Antoni’s high-octane offense might be the perfect landing spot for the 6′3 swingman.

With an estimated billion people tuning in, the Americans and Chinese national basketball teams met in one of the most hyped hardwood matchups in recent history. LeBron James, arguably the NBA’s biggest, most recognizable star said the Olympic stage in Beijing was the grandest he’d ever stepped on. Removed only two years from the bright lights of the NBA Finals, it gives you an idea of the immense pressure felt by each member of Team USA this Olympiad. After stumbling to a bronze medal in Athens, Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd and the rest of the “Redeem Team” ripped Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian and the Chinese national squad 101-70 this morning in front of a packed Beijing Basketball Gynasium. Dwyane Wade and LeBron James finished with 19 and 18 respectively for the Americans while Houston Rockets center Yao Ming finished with 13 points and was the preeminent celebrity of the evening. The game’s largest ovation came when the 7′6 center hit a quick-release three pointer to give the Chinese a 3-0 lead to start the game. In the end the American’s athleticism and sheer depth were too much for the Chinese, who despite lacking a true guard kept up with the U.S. for most of the first half. Despite the box score showing a 31-point blowout, it was still an impressive show for a Chinese national team looking to prove their worth on the world stage.

With the NBA’s unveiling of the 2008-09 schedule, Christmas has certainly come early for throngs of basketball addicts like myself. That’s because for the first time, the holy day will feature not two but five marquee matchups on three different networks. While many of us will be forcing down egg nog and unwrapping presents, we’ll also be treated to a matchup of two of the league’s best young talents when Dwight Howard’s Orlando Magic take on Chris Paul’s New Orleans at noon on ESPN. Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns will tip off against Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili on ABC at 2:30 before the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers face off in a rematch of this past June’s NBA Finals. TNT hosts a nightcap double header kicking off at 8 p.m. with Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and the Washington Wizards taking on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Perennial all-star Jason Kidd and former league MVP Dirk Nowitzki cap off the evening when they head to the Rose City to take on Greg Oden, former Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy and the exciting young Portland Trail Blazers. In a sense, Christmas came early for all of us NBA-ers with, in my opinion, the greatest regular season in league history followed up by a dream Boston-Los Angeles matchup in the Finals. With the Celtics and Lakers combining to be on 50 nationally televised games, it’s shaping up to be another great year of NBA basketball.

After successful microfracture surgery on his right knee, 2007 first overall selection Greg Oden is finally physically ready to get on the court for the Portland Trail Blazers. Oden will fill the Blazers’ monster-sized need for a dominant big man inside. Portland had one of the worst defenses in the NBA last season in Oden’s absence and the team hopes the 7-foot, 213-pound can both fill up the lane and help on the glass. It wouldn’t suprise me to see the former Ohio State Buckeye average about 7.0 points and 10 rebounds per game and be in discussion for the NBA’s 2008-’09 Rookie of the Year award.

The Detroit Pistons have signed former first overall pick and recent journeyman Kwame Brown to a 2-year deal worth upto $4 million. Brown was the first player taken overall in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards but has struggled with production and living up to lofty expectations. Brown played for the Los Angeles Lakers before being dealt to the Memphis Grizzles in the trade that brought center Pau Gasol to Los Angeles. The 26-year old averaged 4.8 points per game in 38 contests last season. Detroit seems the ideal destination for Brown, who may not be far from playing himself out of the NBA completely. Players such as Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess have resurrected their careers in the Motor City in recent years. The Pistons went 59-23 last season before being ousted by the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Two-time NBA Champion and unrestricted free agent James Posey has signed with the New Orleans Hornets just weeks after playing a key role to the Boston Celtics’ 17th NBA Championship. Posey scored 18 points in the series-clinching Game 6 and shot 50% from the floor for the Finals in just a shade over 25 minutes per game. The sharpshooting small forward was also instrumental in the Miami Heat’s 2006 title run that saw Posey shoot a mind-blowing 73% from behind the three point line. With Posey joining an already heavyweight contender in the Crescent City, it’s obvious the Hornets believe 23-year old superstar Chris Paul can lead the team to a title next June. Honestly, I wouldn’t disagree with them. With Posey and fellow sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic, the team can really spread the floor for big men Tyson Chandler and All-Star David West in the paint while allowing Paul to run his own personal magic wheeling and dealing. Look for New Orleans to be the team to beat in the Western Conference when teams begin training camp in September.