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Game 36 Preview, Nets vs Memphis

By Cliffy | January 7, 2009 | StateNets

Here's a perfect opportunity for the Nets to extend their humble 2-game win streak at home, but most importantly, get back to .500 in the standings. Starters: Nets: Lopez, Yi, Simmons, Carter and DoolingMemphis: Gasol, Arthur, Gay, Mayo and Lowry Injuries:Nets: HarrisMemphis: Milicic Okay, maybe it's not really the perfect opportunity, because the Grizzlies have not really been push overs as of late. They have actually been playing well, just losing games in the final quarter. Main point of concern here is Gay, who has been under the radar so far this season. Sure, his production has not really been that great, but he can carry this team when he needs to. Some say that the Nets have one of the best groups of rookies in the NBA, but I do believe that Memphis beats them in that category, with Love, Mayo andGasol, these Grizzlies are definitely set for the...

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NBA Power Rankings: New Year, New Number One

By Joe Boikess | January 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Dwight Howard - Keith Allison/Flickr.com

It's been two weeks since the last edition of my power rankings, where the East's mighty trio of Boston, Cleveland and Orlando took the top three spots. But that was last year, and now that 2008 has come and gone, it's time for a new leader: the Lakers. There was plenty of repositioning elsewhere as well, including the Detroit Pistons re-entering the top-10 for the first time since mid-November.1. Los Angeles Lakers (27-5) - Technically the Lakers are still a half-game behind the Celtics for the NBA's best record, but after L.A. beat Boston pretty convincingly on Christmas Day, then downed both Utah and Portland by double digits, there's no question who should be #1.2. Cleveland Cavaliers (27-6) - LeBron couldn't rally the Cavs past the Heat last week on his birthday despite dropping 24 of his 38 in the second half, and I can forgive him for that. But...

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Eight-Second Violation: Monday, January 5, 2009

By Zach Harper | January 5, 2009 | Talk Hoops

By Zach HarperCeltics Free FallNearly two weeks ago, the Boston Celtics were 27-2 and threatening to tear down the doors to the exclusive 70-win Club that was founded by the '95-'96 Chicago Bulls. Now, thirteen days later and the Celtics would be ecstatic to just put together two straight wins. The Celtics have faltered from their Christmas time road trip that has featured four losses in six games and now has the Celtics barely hanging on for the second best record in the league. 70 wins is nearly a mathematical impossibility and home court advantage throughout the playoffs is something they'll have to work for. The Christmas Day loss to the Lakers in the Staples Center was excusable because the Lakers are a good team with a deadly superstar. And the following loss to the Golden State Warriors in Oakland seemed to be the product of a back to...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Boston Celtics, Both Teams Played Hard, Denver Nuggets, Dwight Howard, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Portland Trailblazers, The Basketball Jones

NBA Studs and Duds (Jan. 4)

By Stu Holdren | January 4, 2009 | NBA Noise

Studs:Wilson Chandler, New York KnicksChandler netted a new career high, scoring 31 points in a surprising win over the Celtics. The win was especially crucial for the Knicks as they were riding an eight-game losing streak. Along with his strong scoring effort, Chandler had 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. [boxscore]O.J. Mayo, Memphis GrizzliesMayo was on fire from downtown tonight, sinking 5 of 8 behind the line. He finished with a team-high 21 points and also had 6 rebounds and 2 assists to lead the Grizzlies to victory against the Mavericks. [boxscore]Anthony Parker, Toronto RaptorsParker was lights out tonight, scoring 26 points on an extremely efficient 13 of 16 shooting performance. He also added 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a big win against the Magic. [boxscore]Duds:Jason Kidd, Dallas MavericksKidd got outplayed by a young Grizzlies backcourt and was a virtual non-factor in today's loss. While Kidd...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Anthony Parker, Dallas Mavericks, Jason Kidd, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA, New York Knicks, O.J. Mayo, Quentin Richardson, Studs and Duds, Toronto Raptors, Wilson Chandler

Ranking the top ten players 6'0" tall and under

By Stu Holdren | December 27, 2008 | NBA Noise

The NBA is a league of giant men, but it is the little guys who we often find the most endearing. Maybe is that us "average Joes" can relate to being the little guy, or even live vicariously through the short players in the league. Some of everyone's favorite absurdly small, but productive Lilliputians included the 5'3" Mugsy Bogues and the 5'7" Spud Webb - a former Slam Dunk Contest winner. Currently, there are 17 players on active NBA rosters who are 6'0" or less. While I don't even believe that many of these guys are as tall as they say they are, let's take a look at the top 10.1. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets, 6'0" CP3 is undeniably one of the best players in the whole league. Even at only 6'0", people generally don't associate him with his diminutive stature. Maybe that is because of the diverse skill...

Read more | 4 Comments | Tags: Aaron Brooks, Allen Iverson, Charlotte Bobcats, Chris Paul, D.J. Augustin, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Jameer Nelson, Jose Barea, Kyle Lowry, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Sebastian Telfair, T.J. Ford

Vote for the fourth Slam Dunk Contest participant

By Stu Holdren | December 25, 2008 | NBA Noise

Dwight Howard is back to defend his Slam Dunk Contest title, and he will be up against some familiar competition. Competing against Howard will be Memphis' Rudy Gay and New York's Nate Robinson. Because of Howard's height, he has had to rely on his creativity, while Robinson has the ability to wow the crowd with the huge hops necessary for a man of his stature to throw down. Gay is more of your prototypical acrobatic high flyer that we have come to expect in the Dunk Contest.What makes this year different is that the fans will have a say as to who the final participant in the contest should be. Among the contenders for the final spot include Milwaukee's Joe Alexander, Portland's Rudy Fernandez and Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook. Despite my homer tendencies, I'd honestly be surprised if Fernandez doesn't get the bid, he's just got too much flavor....

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Dwight Howard, Joe Alexander, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Nate Robinson, NBA, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Rudy Fernandez, Rudy Gay, Russell Westbrook

Rockets trade Steve Francis to Grizzlies

By Stu Holdren | December 25, 2008 | NBA Noise

The world has a funny way of bringing things full circle - and this is a laughable instance. The Houston Rockets have traded Steve Francis to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for a conditional second-round pick in 2011 (aka nothing). If you recall, Francis was originally selected by the Grizzlies (of Vancouver at the time) in 1999, but pitched a classic hissy fit that forced the Grizzlies to ship him off to Houston.Francis, who has struggled with injuries in recent seasons has been little more than a contractual trading chip. He was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers from the New York Knicks as part of a 2007 a draft-day deal that sent Zach Randolph to the Knicks. The Blazers then bought out Francis' contract, having no real intention of keeping him as a part of that trade.Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace stated that the trade was made with the...

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Eight-Second Violation: Tuesday, December 23, 2008

By Zach Harper | December 23, 2008 | Talk Hoops

First Trimester Awards Breakdown By Zach Harper For all intents and purposes, every team in the NBA is pretty much done with one-third of the regular season. This may sound a little contradictory and it certainly is to some degree but I hate it when people talk about playoffs and make a statement such as, "If the playoffs started today..." It's arguably the dumbest statement you can make because it's completely hypothetical and at the same time undeniably impossible. The playoffs will never start earlier than after the last scheduled day of the regular season. It just won't happen. Shannon Doherty has a better chance of someone asking who her plastic surgeon was because they like that doctor's work. But people want to know where players stand throughout the season in regards to which guys are winning the awards. If the season won today, who would win what awards? ...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Brandon Roy, Carlos Boozer, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA, O.J. Mayo, Ron Artest, Shane Battier, Utah Jazz, Yao Ming

NBA Power Rankings: New Year, New Number One

By Joe Boikess | January 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Dwight Howard - Keith Allison/Flickr.com

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NBA Stock Market: Rondo Keeping Celtics on Record Pace

By Joe Boikess | December 22, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Rajon Rondo surveying the floor (Photo via culhanen/flickr.com)

Note: We at MVN Outsider have re-organized our posting schedule in an effort to make our sports coverage more well rounded and timely. For those of you expecting to see the NBA Power Rankings today, that post has been moved to Tuesdays. With these changes, get ready to see more fresh content every day on every major sport. Thanks, and enjoy!Rising:Boston Celtics - Honestly, this team has been on the rise this entire season, piling up wins at a rate that we haven't seen since the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. They now have won 18 in a row and have tied the league mark for the best start (26-2) for a team with two losses. Their recent success has been due in large part to the play of point guard Rajon Rondo. When the team needs him to score, he does it (as we saw on Sunday in the C's win...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, NBA, NBA Outsider, New York Knicks

NBA Roundtable: Breaking down Wednesday's trades

By Michael De Leon | December 11, 2008 | MVN Outsider

I got a chance to talk to Ryne Nelson of SLAMonline, Stu Holdren of NBA Noise, Zach Harper of TalkHoops and Ben of Ben's Suns Blog about the two trades that sent eight players packing and on flights to their new NBA homes Wednesday.The biggest trade had the Phoenix Suns sending Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Sean Singletary in exchange for Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley and a 2010 second round pick.In the other trade, the Wizards acquired Mike James from the Hornets and Javaris Crittenton from the Grizzlies, while the Hornets get Antonio Daniels from the Wizards. Memphis comes away with a future first round pick.Listen in as we talk about the winners and losers, how this trade affects each team, and if Jason Richardson can help get the Suns over the hump and into the finals. Oh and we have some not too kind words about Mike James as...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: audio, Charlotte Bobcats, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA, NBA Outsider, New Orleans Hornets, Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards

How Marc Gasol Has Made Chris Wallace Look Smarter Than You Think

By Amar Panchmatia | November 18, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 It seems like the entire world and their mother is under the impression that Memphis GM Chris Wallace just pawned off Pau Gasol to the Lakers for Kwame Brown's expiring contract and nothing more last January. Please, for the love of everything good and holy left fighting for on this earth, let's dispel this myth right now. The name "Marc" may not trump "Pau" when "Gasol" comes up in word association games, but Marc Gasol could be far more relevant long after his older brother has retired from the game. The Grizzlies got the rights to Little Gasol (if you can call the hulking 7'1", 265-pound Marc Gasol that) back in January, but he was viewed at largely as a throw-in.After making a mark in the Beijing Games for the Spanish team this past summer, the 23-year old Marc Gasol...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Chris Wallace, Kobe Bryant, Kwame Brown, Los Angeles Lakers, Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies, O.J. Mayo, Pau Gasol, Rudy Gay

Fantasy Tracker: Target Gasol, Thompson to boost forward/center production

By Michael De Leon | November 5, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Every Wednesday, I'll highlight five players who you should either add to your fantasy team if you need the help or put on your watch list. I'll also list 5 players that should have their bags packed and may be on their way to free agency in your leagueADD/WATCH LISTNick YoungWhile Young was buried on the guard-heavy Wizards bench last season, he will get plenty of minutes this season with Gilbert Arenas out once again. The Wizards start Antonio Daniels to set up the offense and distribute the ball, but when they want instant offense, Young is their go-to guy. He has been averaging 16.5 points through two games, and I only see him getting better. Keep in mind that for the most part, he is mostly a one-cat guy. If you need assists or steals, you may want to go another route, but Young will provide points and he...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, NBA, NBA Outsider, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards

How the West will be won

By Joe Boikess | October 22, 2008 | MVN Outsider

With the NBA regular season set to tip off in less than a week, it's time to reveal my predictions for how the Western Conference will shape up. Last year the requirement was at least 50 wins for a team to make the playoffs in the ultra competitive West, and I believe this year will be no different. That's not to say that all the same teams will be there in the end, however...In addition to ranking the teams in the order that I believe they'll finish, I decided to also separate the teams into tiers based on their potential to win the West. Here goes...Tier 1: The Clear Favorites1. New Orleans Hornets (1st in Southwest) - I realize that preseason performances should only be taken with a grain of salt, but the Hornets are 6-0 so far, and they have allowed the third-fewest points of any team during the...Read more

Read more | 7 Comments | Tags: Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, NBA Outsider, New Orleans Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, Western Conference

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