NBA
The Star Are Out
By: Alex Mathis
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It is almost time for the most exciting all-star weekend in professional sports. The top players in the NBA will spend All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles this year.
The NBA all-star break is quickly approaching and there will be a lot of different changes. The traditional all-star weekend consisted of the top players from the Eastern Conference versus the top players in the Western Conference. That format is getting old.
Fans were getting tired of seeing the same thing over and over, so the NBA has decided to throw a monkey wrench into the process. The NBA allowed the fans to vote for two captains to represent the two teams. This year those two captains are Lebron James and Stephen Curry.
These two were tasked with drafting their all-star super team. The talent pool consisted of the players who were voted on by other NBA players and fans. Lebron James’ squad consists of his former teammate Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Demarcus Cousins.
These four were picked by LeBron to be the starters. James, however, will have to make some roster adjustments already because Demarcus Cousins is lost for the season after tearing his achilles tendon against the Rockets.
LeBron’s bench will be loaded. LaMarcus Aldridge, Bradley Beal, Jose Calderon, Victor Oladipo, Kristaps Porzingis, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook will try to help lead team LeBron to victory.
Team Steph will be star studded as well. Joining the captain will be James Harden, Demar Derozan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid.
Stephen Curry hopes his bench will help lead his team to victory. His bench will include Al Horford, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, Klay Thompson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Draymond Green.
After examining the rosters, I would give Team Lebron the slight edge. Lebron has some of the top guards in the NBA on his team. Stephen’s team is loaded with a bunch of go getters. A bunch of hard working NBA players. This all-star game may be one of the ages.
The NBA will also have some familiar events that fans enjoy. The NBA All-Star Celebrity game will also be back this year. Fans will get to see their favorite tv stars, politicians, and musicians compete in a basketball game.
The NBA will also have the Rising Stars Game. This game will consist of the top youngsters in the NBA. There will be a USA team versus a World Team. Players like Lonzo Ball, Ben Simmons, Dennis Smith Jr., and Buddy Hield will be some of the stars that will suit of for the Rising Stars Game.
The Taco Bell Skills Challenge will also take place this year. Some of the best ball handlers in the NBA will take on the difficult obstacle course. The three point contest will also be an event this year. Devon Booker, Kevin Love, Klay Thompson, Bradley Beal, and Wayne Ellington.
The Slam Dunk competition has been down as of late. There has not been the excitement that Nate Robinson, Dwight Howard, and Vince Carter once brought. This year participants hope that they will be able to bring some of that excitement back to the event.
High flyers Dennis Smith Jr, Larry Nance Jr, Victor Oladipo, and Aaron Gordon will be looking to make this an event that fans love again.
The changes to the NBA All-Star weekend could be a huge success this year. The MLB made changes that made their game more exciting for the fans. It gave the players more motivation to participate. The NBA is hoping for the same thing with their All-Star weekend.
Low Flying Hawks
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
We’re possibly one game away from crowning a new World Series champion. The NFL is at the midway point in their season and the college football regular season is about one month from being over. There’s so much going on in the sports world right now that basketball might get overlooked.
My hometown Atlanta Hawks may not be doing well on the surface. They are 1-6, which is tied with Dallas for the worst record in the league. That means they rank dead last in the Eastern Conference.
The Hawks average 99.6 points per game while opponents average 107.6. Not surprisingly, their lone win came on opening night against the Mavericks 117-111.
You may remember Atlanta let their starting frontcourt from last season go in the offseason. Paul Millsap and Al Horford left as free agents and they traded center Dwight Howard to Charlotte.
That shows on the court because in the most recent 117-106 loss to Milwaukee they were outrebounded by 12. Point guard Dennis Schroder is playing well, scoring 21 points against the Bucks.
”They came out with energy. We didn’t match it in the first five minutes,” Schroder said. ”In the second half we did a better job defending Antetokounmpo, but we’ve got to play for 48 minutes and be better.”
Schroder is averaging 22 points and 6.8 assists per game so he’s really the only good player on the roster. Rookie small forward Taurean Prince might develop into a good player. So far, he averages 13.3 ppg and 5.4 rebounds per game.
I think we can look at this season positively, which might sound crazy. There are only two ways to get a superstar in the NBA and that’s through the draft or free agency.
Historically marquee players have not signed with the Hawks in free agency so that leaves only one-way to improve. Teams need a top five pick to have the opportunity to get a legit playmaker.
I felt Atlanta has been at a crossroads for quite some time. They made the playoffs every year since the 2007-08 season. In 2014-15, they had the best record in the league (60-22) and had the top seed in the East. They broke a 48-year streak of not advancing past the second round of the playoffs and made it to the Conference Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers swept them in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
It seems like they were content to be an above average regular season team. Then when they face elite teams in the postseason, they got obliterated. I like the approach this year because it looks like the franchise has learned from Philadelphia.
They have been tanking the last 4-5 seasons to get the highest draft pick each year. They made the slogan ‘Trust the Process’ famous and it seems like it’s paying off now with talented players like Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz on their roster.
I hope they can sustain the current pace and finish the season with the worst record. If that leads to the top pick in the 2018 draft it will be worth it.
Ironically, Atlanta’s next game is November 1st against the 76ers so they get to see how well this strategy works in person. My guess is Philly will win easily.
Hawks Rebuilding Nest
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Only a few seasons removed from having the best record in the NBA and only one season after a go-for-broke acquiring of superstar Dwight Howard, the Hawks have begun the process of breaking it all
down and rebuilding.
Generally any team in the midst of a rebuild can be counted on to be out of contention come playoff time and while that is likely to be the case for Atlanta, playing in a weak conference (and in a league where so many teams get into the postseason) means that those hopes aren’t completely dashed.
Back To Ground Level
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
By now it is obvious to anyone paying attention that the Atlanta Hawks are in rebuild mode, despite newly appointed GM Travis Schlenk‘s comments about staying competitive.
Dwight Howard Trade Perfect For Charlotte Hornets
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Normally there are only a few times where you pay an athlete in excess of $20 million when he or she is on the downside of their prime, playing for their fourth team in five years, at a position that has almost become obsolete.
Either they are the local hero ending their career in front of the hometown fans; they are the last piece to what could become a championship team; or the player has photos of the team’s General Manager in compromising situations and is blackmailing their way into a lucrative contract.
Since none of those things seem to apply to Dwight Howard being traded to the Hornets (Rich Cho does happen to live a fairly private life though), it’s a little odd that I like this trade as much as I do.
All Time Warriors
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2016-17 NBA season is officially over. Golden State defeated Cleveland 129-120 in Game 5 to win their second championship in three years. Kevin Durant won his first ring and was named Finals MVP.
This makes me wonder, how does this Golden State team stack up against all-time great teams? I think they might be one of the best ever.
Hawks Future Flight
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
There’s nothing groundbreaking in talking about how important decisions being made during a team’s offseason will have far reaching implications on their future.
That said, it seems like whomever the Hawks decide to bring in as their General Manager this summer looms even larger than usual.
LeBron Bad For NBA
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NBA season is winding down. While Boston and Washington battled through a game 7 for the right to get to the Eastern Conference Finals, Cleveland had their feet kicked up waiting to see who wins. So, I have to wonder, is LeBron James bad for the NBA?
Super Schroder
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Hawks made the playoffs yet again, but yet again they couldn’t push their way into the Finals.
This year the killing blow came in just the first round, a step back for a team that just two years ago seemed to be changing the way great teams were put together.
However, there was a bright spot for Atlanta during their losing series against Washington, the emergence of a certain young German point guard.
Hawks and Wizards Preview
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NBA playoffs are here and the Atlanta Hawks have another opportunity to bring home an NBA title.
Yea, there is also an opportunity to win the lottery but like the Hawks winning an NBA title, the odds aren’t in your favor.
