New Home For Melo?

I am definitely not a Carmelo Anthony fan, and I am very sure that I will not be one anytime in the near future. I don't like his style of play, I don't like his attitude, I don't like his ego, but that is just all personal opinion. But despite my irritation towards Mr. Anthony, I feel the need to write this blog because the debate about where Carmelo will be playing this season is going on for quite sometime now. 


Carmelo Anthony is a veteran, an all-star. On June 23, 2003, Melo was chosen third overall by the Denver Nuggets in the Draft pick. It's safe to say that he's been doing big things ever since he stepped into the league. He's spent all his career playing for Denver, but he's also never won a championship with that team, they've always come up a little short. Over the summer, trade rumors started to speculate about his desire to leave Denver and join another team. And ever since then, the team has been looking for a new home for their star. Today, at Media Day, Melo took a different stance on this issue, saying that he never said he wanted to be traded and just saying that he's focused on his team right now. Is that because he might go to the New Jersey Nets who had a horrible and embarrassing season last year? No one really knows the answer to that question, but whatever his decision may be, he's just going to be another big name that got a lot of attention this offseason for the rumors about where he's going to play during the 2010-2011 season. 


Picture: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2010/09/28/sports/NUGGETSfloater.html

Starting the Season Off Right

Training Camp started today ! Yet again, teams across the league came together to kick of the month of preparation with their Media Days. Media Day is the day when players take new pictures for the season, reporters get to talk to and interview players and coaches, teammates get acquainted with one another and the head of the teams, like the owners, get to formally address new changes to the public. This day is a really fun, relaxed day where players can get to know each other off the court , take pictures that will be used on opening night, be accessible on the website for fans, and also be used on TV for ads, and get interviewed by reporters to put themselves out there and give fans the chance to get to know them a little better. All in all, Media Day is like the first day of school, a wonderful way to start Training Camp with just a fun-filled day of reuniting.  

New Owners, New Era.

It's that time of the year again. Players are now leaving their families back home and starting to slowly return to the cities where their teams are based. This is the time when players start to get serious, when the journey for a championship ring begins. Team training camps are starting next week and in my own opinion, it's a crucial part of the season. New players are fully introduced to veterans and they start to get to know each other and everyone else's style of play. Training camp is the time for everyone to get acquainted and really mesh together, because teamwork is definitely a big part of success on the court. Also, during training camp, players start working out in the gym and in the weight room again, building their muscles, getting faster, working on their weaknesses, trying to get better and be one step ahead of the competition. 

But while other teams are starting to prepare for season, a rumor is going around that my favorite team, the Golden State Warriors, are in the process of appointing a new head coach. Last season, Don Nelson, their former coach, became the most winningest coach in NBA history with a career total of 1,335 wins on April 7, 2010. Not to mention the fact that in 2008, he led the Warriors to the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. But despite all the good things that came out of the "Nelson Era," fans and players weren't too happy with the way Don Nelson coached and dealt with people. For the past couple of years, there has been some tension around the team. Apparently, the new owners are hoping to rid the team of that awkward tension by switching it up and bumping Keith Smart, former assistant coach, to the head coach position and kicking Nelson to the curb. Hopefully, this rumor does come true, I'll be sure to keep this blog updated with that news. But with that being said, with new owners, a new logo, basically a new team and HOPEFULLY a new coach, the future is looking bright for this team that's never really gotten much respect around the league. 

Picture: http://www.nba.com/warriors/photos/CourtBW_1011_1280x800.jpg

"Let's Get Ready to Rumble."

TNT NBA 10-11 Season Commercial

One day, as I was casually flipping through the channels, I stumbled upon a commercial on TNT that really interested me. The commercial was just a montage of different star NBA players talking about their love for the game, their passion for the sport and players they have respect for. I knew it was there to capture my attention, that's what commercials do after all, but I felt a deeper connection to the commercial. The things that those players were saying, the things they felt for the game, when I heard their opinions and feelings, I felt somehow connected to the men I basically idolize and adore.

Nate Robinson said, "If you took out my heart, it would probably be a basketball." Kobe said, "The squeaking of the sneakers against the hardwood, the sound of the ball bouncing on the hardwood, the sound it makes when it goes through the net, the smell of the leather, all of that, I love everything about it." I've got so much respect for professional athletes. It may seem like fun and games, but really, they work their butts of during the season, during the difficult and sometimes long, 82 game journey and even during the offseason. Like a priest or religious brother, they've dedicated their lives to one thing they truly love. They've had to move from their hometowns where their families live to completely different cities and environments to play. And from the time they were young kids to now as adults, they've had to work to get that leg up, to be better than their competition and be successful in their sport. 

Fifty Days,

Golden State Warriors, Season Opener - Introductions

My family and I are diehard Golden State Warriors fans. Watching their games is like watching the news at my house, we try to watch every game we can and if we can't see it right when it's on, we record it. Thank God for TiVo ! People love teams for many different reasons. Some people love teams because that's who their family loved growing up so they still feel an attachment to that team, others love a team just because their favorite player is on it. Then there are the fans who love the team because they won the championship the season before or are just having a really good season, those are what you call bandwagon fans, who just hop on the hype. 

No matter why they love the teams of the NBA, I'm writing this blog because to anyone who enjoys watching the NBA that it's almost that time of year! The NBA Season is right around the corner and many players are already hard at work preparing for the long season ahead. For fans of the Warriors, I'd just like to say, as of September 7, 2010, there are only 50 more days until the season starts on October 27th at Oracle Arena against the Houston Rockets. Usually, the first official games of the season are played during the third week of October and regular season lasts until April while playoffs go until June. In those 7 months, players play 82 games that bring joy, or heartbreak, to many fans who love the sport and the teams they watch. 

Brotherhood

 

When you're on a basketball team, that team is your family. On the court, you stick together, you've got each other's backs. You spend so much time with that team, whether its the basics like practice and games to even more family oriented things like team bonding and going on road trips together, that during the season, you start to love and trust your teammates as parts of your family. And you go through so much with them. The good times, like winning a championship to the bad times like getting demolished by 40 and wondering how you can even face the people of the crowd when the game's over. When it's all said and done, they're the only people that you've got to count on when you're out there on the floor giving all you've got. 




Picture from: http://blog.cleveland.com/shaw_impact/2009/01/large_lebron-james-mo-williams.jpg

Let The Show Begin...

As I mentioned in my last blog post, the FIBA World Championships started last Saturday, August 28th in Istanbul, Turkey. There has been so much talk about the USA Men's team in the last few weeks, "They're not that tall" or "They're not that experienced because they're so young," etc. I'm proud to inform anyone that reads this blog that the men's team has been representing the USA very nicely overseas. On Saturday, they dominated over Croatia beating them 106-78 led by Kevin Durant and Eric Gordon. And today, Sunday, August 29th, they beat Slovenia in a 99-77 victory. Even with new rules that they need to adjust to, the USA team has been making fans proud by the great shows they've put on. For a young team who's only played about 7 games together, they're looking ready to get the gold for us with a little more work and experience playing under the FIBA rules. They're next game is tomorrow, Monday, August 30th against Brazil, let's hope these boys keep their good work up and do well in the FIBA World Championships. 

Picture from: http://i2.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/multimedia/photo_gallery/1008/usa.croatia/images/usa.croatia.3.jpg

Going for the gold

The past week has been quite eventful for the USA Men's Basketball team. The other day they went from having 13 players on their team to now carrying 12. The players are now: Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls), Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets), Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies), Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers), Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers), Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers), Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves), Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers), and Russel Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder).
The team has been preparing for the FIBA World Championships, which will be commencing on Saturday, August 28, in Istanbul, Turkey. They have gone to training camp, played nationally televised scrimmages and recently played a series of exhibition games against Lithuania, last Saturday, Spain, last Sunday, and finally against Greece, yesterday, in which, they came out victorious over their tough competitors. The Men's team is now looking ahead to represent their country well in the World Championships and follow in the footsteps of the 2008 USA Men's Basketball team, that was dubbed the "Redeem Team" when they got the gold for the United States at the Beijing Olympics after 8 years without a gold. Despite the fact that none of the Redeem Team members came back to play for the USA Men's team this summer and the team has had to face numerous challenges, like injury, already, the future looks bright for this young and competitive team that looks like they have the heart and drive to get the gold, or at least put on a good showing, in Turkey this year. 

Picture from: http://www.usabasketball.com/photos/10_mwc_gallery_athens_4.html

In the beginning,

Dr. James Naismith was a PE teacher working in a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. In need of a game that the children could play indoors during the winter in a relatively small space, Dr.Naismith took two peach baskets and a soccer ball and on 1891 the first ever game of basketball was played. The game soon developed as it became more popular. A decade later, bottomless nets started to be used which eliminated the need to manually remove the ball from the baskets after every made shot. Soon more and more changes were made to improve the sport as it got more and more popular. Basketball has definitely come a long way since 1891, it started off as a little game to play when it was too cold out and has evolved into an international sport loved and played by young and old. 

picture from: http://www.kansasheritage.org/people/naismith.html

Introduction

This blog is here to flaunt my passion for the sport of basketball. From updates about the USA National team, breaking news about the NBA during the preseason, and lessons about the history of the sport. This blog showcase all the wonderful aspects about a sport I've grown to love. It will be a testimony to the love and passion just one girl feels for basketball, a sport that, in my mind, is truly amazing.