Coaching 101 - NBA

A wise person once said, "A good coach is one who makes a good team great, not a great team good." Well, okay, this so-called wise person is me. If you are a good coach, you can turn a team full of mediocre talent into a group that works well together and become a great team. If you have great talent that under-performs and you cannot turn that talent into an exceptional team, then you're just not a
good coach.

We have one of each in the NBA Finals right now, and it's because of the coaches that one team has the series lead right now.

Jason Collins - Modern-Day Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson, Jim Abbott, Magic Johnson, Nancy Lieberman, Janet Guthrie, Oscar Pistorius.

These men and women broke barriers in professional sports with regards to race, gender, and physical disability. They remain as icons to those who came after them. 

African-Americans look up to Jackie Robinson for breaking the color barrier in baseball and allowing them to one day play in the majors. Those born with physical disabilities see Jim Abbott pitching in the majors with one hand or Oscar Pistorius running in the Olympics with prosthetics and know that they too could make it to the top. Young women see Janet Guthrie compete in a male-driven sport of auto-racing or Nancy Lieberman getting double-teamed in a men’s professional basketball league.

These men and women are an inspiration to the rest of the sporting world. These are just a few of the many out there who have made an impact on countless young, aspiring athletes worldwide.

Yesterday, the world got another barrier-breaker and inspiration in Jason Collins.

2012 NBA Draft Preview

A quick preview for the NBA Draft tonight. James went on ESPN Radio 1240 WBBW yesterday to talk some NBA Draft. Who do the Cavs take? Do they trade up? Maybe trade down? All we know is there should be lots of trades.

The Ring-less "King" No More

It's over, he did it. Lebron got ring. He did it in a dominating fashion also. Lebron James took home the NBA MVP and the NBA Finals MVP award. The dude deserves it, he really does. A lot of people have called me a Miami Heat apologist, I can assure you that it not the case. 

Image courtesy of latinospost.com

I rooted for the Heat because of the unique circumstances that the "decision" and the premature celebration created for the the big three. Yes, I know that Lebron, Wade, and Bosh put the pressure on themselves, but still the pressure almost didn't seem fair even for what they did. Death by media, that what this article would have been called if Miami lost this finals. I guarantee you that the "big 3" regret the celebration they had when King James arrived, and I especially guarantee the way Lebron left Cleveland. I could honestly imagine Lebron James drinking himself into a hospital bed if he would never have won a championship in Miami (God forbid that ever happens).

"He Said / He Said" - Do you want to see the Heat win the title?

@3SNDeLlav                                @3SNdot  

We know that our 3SN team is very much split on their desires to see the Miami Heat win an NBA title. After a big Game 6 by LeBron and the Heat, it's time for our experts to make their voices herard. We asked DeLlav and Dot to clarify and defend their positions on the Heat winning a championship.

Let the Players Play...Let the Referees Ref

After the past couple of weeks full of ejections, technical fouls, and the subsequent analysis of the questionable plays and the player/coach/referee reactions, it's time to make a statement:

LET IT GO

Just think about what's wrong with sports here:

• When the analysis on technical fouls takes up more air time on SportsCenter than the highlights of the game itself, then something is wrong with sports.
• When Jim Leyland's "saw what you saw" bit is heard more than the strikeout in question, then something is wrong with sports.
• When equal punishment is given on court to a coach saying "c'mon Eddie" as a player throwing a two-armed slam to an opponent's head, then something is wrong with sports.
• When players feel the need to argue every single ruling an official makes during a game, and thus seven-year-old kids now are seen kicking dirt on umpires while saying a call is wrong, then something is wrong with sports.

So, let me say why sports and the sports publishing powers that be are again making me rather frustrated. EVERYBODY is to blame.

I have no hometown NBA team...so who do I root for?

Since I am from the Pittsburgh area, I cheer for the Steelers, Pens, and Pirates. Obviously, there is no NBA team in the steel city so I really do not have a team that I call my own. That being said, I am a fan of a few teams in the NBA. No, not a true fan or diehard fan or anything like that, but I do pull for the Grizzlies, Cavs, and Lakers. I like the Lakers because of Kobe Bryant, I like the Cavs because I like Dan Gilbert (and by default I guess they are the hometown team), and I'm really pulling for the Grizz because they are the smallest market in the NBA (or at least one of the smallest - sorry I do not feel like Google sources or citing stuff because I just graduated from college and I've had enough of that for a while).

My point is that I would love to see a small market team win an NBA championship. The Titans and Predators really don't do much for Tennesse so if the Grizz can pull together and get a ring for themselves, then the small city of Memphis can have something to feel proud about. I've also been fond of the Grizzlies because some of my favorite players have played for them. Sam Young and Jason Williams (Randy Moss' good friend) are just a couple. The Grizz were a laughing stock in Vancouver and are finally coming around now in Memphis. I am growing tired of glamor big market cities always winning championships. The first team to come to mind when you think of big market with glamor is the Miami Heat.

That being said, if the Grizz can't win a title then I am all for the Heat winning. I really want Lebron to win a ring so haters will shut up. I'm talking to you Skip Bayless (and any bitter Cleveland fan). The Heat remind me of the nWo, and when LeBron took his talents to South Beach two years, it made the NBA interesting. So in a way, people should be thankful for LeBron. We don't know if the Heatles will stay together for much longer, but if the "evil" and "villainous" LeBron James wins a title, it sure as hell will make things even MORE interesting in the NBA. When was the last time you could say that?

Could the "chosen one" return home?

Lebron James rocked media headlines this week when he said he wouldn't rule out a return to Cleveland in the future. Most Cavalier fans I talked to said they don't want him back. Now I can understand why they wouldn't accept him back but let's be honest here. Let's say if the Cavs continue to have losing seasons and down the road it turns out the Lebron is genuine in his return, would you REALLY not want him back? He may not have won a title during his Cleveland tenure but he can at least deliver winning seasons and playoff appearances. It would bee up to fans to decide if they would want more continuous losing seasons or Lebron. I would take Lebron back in a heart beat, but then again I'm not a Cleveland guy so I may not understand the hatred for him. Yes he embarrassed the City and left, but everyone acts like he assaulted one of their family members or something. The NBA is business and people shouldn't take what happens in it personally. People need to grow up and swallow their pride, Lebron is going to be the NBA MVP and now that Kobe is aging he is gonna be hands down the best player in the NBA. So fans should accept Lebron back because he might be their only shot at ever getting close to a championship, not just in basketball but in any sport. Personally I would take the winning seasons and best player in the NBA over losing seasons and being a bottom dweller in the NBA but hey that's just me I guess.

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups

Every Wednesday at 5:30 pm, the 360 Sports Network joins the Ryan and Christian Show on ESPN 1240 WBBW to talk fantasy hoops. We can't cover every fantasy question a fan might have, so we encourage you to comment, tweet, or email us with your fantasy questions so we can help YOUR team get a win!

Air Date: January 25, 2012

Chris Paul - Hornet for Life!

The NBA will be starting up in less than two weeks now. Christmas day. Yet with so few days before the start of the season, many big names on the trading block could find new homes within a week of the start of the season! CHAOS!

Among those is Dwight Howard, who now is lowering his trade demands from Orlando. Many thought he could be traded to the Lakers and become a modern-day Shaq. This appears unlikely now. However, the Chris Paul fiasco is giving everybody in the NBA a headache, and EVERY player / coach / owner / fan has a reason to be interested in the trade discussions between LA and NO.

LOCKOUT: No Bargaining Arising, No Fans Listening

NFL players are locked out. NBA players will share the same fate in about 10 hours. Two of the top sports leagues in North America will both be shut down.

 

Why?

Players and owners don’t trust each other. They want their “fair share.” Translation: They want more, they want everything. 

What should happen?

Players are employees. They have rights, that’s for sure. But like any other business, if an employee doesn’t like the employer’s rules and ideas then they won’t work for that employer. Then the employer must find a new worker, and there are plenty of other potential players out there. 

Owners are accountable, too. If they don’t treat their “employees” right then they won’t have any workers, and definitely not the best ones out there. 

Both groups need to just grow up basically.

What happens next?

NBA owners are willing to lose an entire season of play (which is stupid considering the NBA finally had a good season of ratings for the first time in close to 15 years) so the winter months are now under full control of the NHL. We might start see TNT broadcast hockey games on Christmas day to maintain their sporting event broadcasts.

The NFL season is in danger of being at least shortened, meaning the end of the MLB season will be without competition for once. With no professional football, other sports have a chance to get the spotlight for once. Might MLS finally make a name for itself? IndyCar racing is looking to do a race televised by ABC during the normal slot of Monday Night Football, so a good broadcast there could get open-wheeled racing the final push it needs to take its already improving ratings and move to national prominence. College football is all that’s left for pigskin fans, which means the BCS will be under more scrutiny than ever. Might some games move to Sunday? Some teams have Thursday or even Wednesday night games to get higher viewer ratings since there are no other college football games on those nights. Now with no professional competition, NCAA players might get an early wish to “play on Sundays.”

Finally, SportsCenter will become more like the World News discussing striking workers instead of sports highlights. 

OchoCinco will make highlight reels by wrestling alligators instead of catching a rare touchdown. 

The Manning Brothers will start starring in cop shows (http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2011/06/23) instead of throwing touchdowns. 

Terrelle Pryor will get recognition from his off the field antics instead of his skills on the field…oh wait, that’s already the case…

 

Whatever may happen, there’s one thing that is certain: sports fans will be in for some BIG CHANGES over the next six months and beyond. NBA and NFL ratings will very likely fall, and others will rise in their place and get their chance. NASCAR got its chance 15 years ago with the IRL/CART split, who will benefit from this work stoppage?

Finally Back

After a drought of no blog posts from myself (due to final exams, getting a new job, moving, etc) I have decided to make to blog about several different topics.

I am not a Lebron James fan. That being said i am rooting for him harder than ever this NBA finals. I'm not going to lose sleep if he does not get a ring but i really would love to see "the decision" pay off.  Despite what people thought in july and all through last summer, Lebron has not had it easy. All the criticism, hate, and trials he has been through since he made the decision would definitely make his championship ring, one of the most special in sports history. Its not like the heat had a breeze getting to the playoffs this season. Some people even doubted they would get in when they were 9-8. A combination of off-season trials and regular season trials would make his championship win one of the most unique in sports history. I'm sure people are going to call me crazy for saying that but think about it. In my opinion, the great athletes are the ones who walk through fire to get their ring. Whether or not they bring the fire upon themselves.

I really miss football. I know that even if the NFL was not in lockout mode there would not be any games played but no football activity at all (such as trades, free agency, etc) are really annoying me. I also am not liking the fact that there may not be any fantasy football next season. Yes i know life goes on but its still sucks

I will be blogging more later on probably within the next few days. Our youtube channel is doing real well and our podcasts get plenty of views. Our march madness podcasts had 30,000 views and our mock draft had a lot of viewers also. We also are being looked at for a possible spot on 96.7 for sundays from 10am-12pm. So we are on the way up. Also the addition of Ryan Mooney is helping out a lot.

Have a happy memorial day weekend everyone.

The big 3 or the big bust

I know, i know they have a winning record but Miami has now lost four in a row and five of its past six games, and the Heat continue to struggle against quality opponents. Coach Erik Spoelstra said players were crying in the locker room after the game, and the panic alarm has become a screaming siren.





Miami is now 1-9 against the top five teams in the NBA (San Antonio, Dallas, Boston, Chicago and the Lakers), but more importantly the Heat are 0-6 against Boston and Chicago, the top contenders in the East.


So much for an all star team. As far as crying in the locker room (girls do it) but does anyone think it wasn't lebron james? I mean the guy leaves Cleveland becomes a villain, not just to Ohio but all of the country and now his team is collapsing.  Lebron was beloved and a hero, now he aint nothing but a zero.  Do i blame him for leaving Cleveland? No. He can do what he wants to do but he did treat that city like crap in July when he made THE DECISION. Michael Jordan said it best when he said he tried to beat the best NBA players, not join them.  Lebron owes a lot to the city of Cleveland, and now im beginning to think he knows how good he had it......

Trade Deadline Deals

With the NBA trade deadline behind us and the NHL deadline about 36 hours away, I'd like to take the time to analyze the deals that have been made and the craziness behind the trade deadline. 

...and by taking the time, I mean I want to know what the fans think. What do you make of Carmelo and Billups going to the Bronx? What do you make of the Celtics getting rid of their young, starting center? How do you grade the Pens in their deals getting Neal, Niskanen, and Kovalev? What does this year's deadline tell us about each league as a whole? There's no limit to what can be discussed here regarding trades. Make fun of the leagues. Call teams stupid for their deadline decisions. Demand that players cannot demand trades like 'Melo did. You be the judge!

You can comment directly to this post, send a message to anybody in the 360 Sports Network, tweet us @3SNetwork, or comment us on the facebook group with your thoughts.