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Thursday, June 4, 2009
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Early Entry And On The Fence
Should I stay or should I go?
by Joey Whelan
The NBA officially declared the start of draft season with the release of the early entry candidate list on Thursday afternoon. The 103 names present were the typical combination of college hoops stars coupled with plenty of names that will leave even the most die hard fan scratching his or her head.
It’s inevitable that every year plenty of players with absolutely no chance of being selected in June submit their names to the powers above that be (the League offices) to announce their intention of going for the gold. This year is no exception with the likes of
Kevin Harris from Northwest Mississippi Community College and Junior Salters of Wofford throwing their hats in the ring. Sometimes it can even make for a fun team building activity. Such is the case for Texas A&M who essentially has their entire roster listed as early entry candidates, all of whom have the same shot that I have of playing in the League next year.
But, this isn’t about the guys with no shot. This certainly isn’t about the guys who are locks. This is about the question marks, those handful of players who feel the need to test the NBA waters before deciding what everyone wants to know: stay or go? Here’s a breakdown of some of the more interesting cases of college players looking to get feedback on their stock before choosing to remain in past the June 15 withdrawal deadline or jump ship for another year of higher hoops learning. (Note: Players who have already signed with agents and must remain in the Draft will not be discussed.)
For the rest, log on to Slamonline.com
NBAcom Coverage on Game 1
Lakers, Magic enter Game 1 with different motivations
By Art Garcia, NBA.com
Posted Jun 4 2009 12:59PM
LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers are motivated to finish the job they left undone. The Magic are crashing the party.
Welcome to The Finals, which tip off tonight (9 p.m. ET, ABC) with Game 1 of the best-of-7 series at Staples Center.
Phil Jackson's and Kobe Bryant's quest for another ring, 10th and fourth, respectively, was ended last June by the Celtics in a renewal of the NBA's most-storied rivalry. Orlando ended any hopes for a sequel in the Eastern Conference semifinals and, for good measure, knocked out LeBron James and the top-seeded Cavaliers in the following round.
While most prognosticators are picking the Lakers to corral the franchise's 15th title, don't undersell the Magic's momentum. Eliminating the Celtics and Cavs, without the benefit of homecourt advantage in either series, is heady stuff. The Lakers are next on the list.
"We want to come out and play," Magic center Dwight Howard said Wednesday. "This is the chance of a lifetime to be playing for the championship and this is the furthest that a lot of us have ever gotten in our career. Our motivation is greatness. We want to be a great team. We want to be considered as a great basketball team. This is a great opportunity for us."
As for Bryant, this is a chance to make up for opportunities lost. This will be Kobe's third attempt at a fourth championship since 2004.
"We're determined to try to come up with a better result," he said. "The last few times we've been there, it's been the short end of the stick. Hopefully this time around will be better."
Five Burning Questions
1. Will the Lakers double Howard? Jackson has already said nope and the strategy makes sense. No sense in leaving Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Rafer Alston and Co. loose on the outside. But if Superman is destroying the Lakers big men, including the bulked-up Pau Gasol, would doubling become an option? The Lakers want to avoid such a move at all cost, but taking your chances on shots from downtown might beat a parade of dunks if Howard keeps getting free.
2. Is there such a thing as a coaching edge?
My main man John Schuhmann is calling it even. What does Stan Van Gundy think?
"If Coach Jackson and I were out there 1 on 1, he was an NBA player and I was a below average Division III player in college, so my guess is the advantage would go to him," Orlando's neurotic coach said. "The bad hips might even it up a little, but probably not enough to make a difference. The guy has won more Playoff series than I have Playoff games. I mean, obviously you're talking one of the greatest coaches, if not the greatest coach, in the history of the NBA, and I'm here for the first time."
3. Other than Kobe and Gasol, which of the Lakers is more likely to step up as a consistent third option?
That's been an issue for L.A. throughout the Playoffs. What was supposed to be a deep supporting cast has not been the case often enough, especially on the road. The Lakers did appear to turn a corner at the end of the Denver series, as Kobe took the role of facilitator more to heart. Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza are the only other Lakers, besides Bryant and Pau, scoring in double figures and both are capable of impacting play at both ends.
4. How much does the regular season play into The Finals?
Orlando swept the season series 2-0, with both meetings taking place by Jan. 16.
"It means we have a great deal of respect for them as far as a team," Jackson said. "They played very well down the stretch in both the games to win the two games they played against us. Obviously those are mitigating circumstances. We had different people in the lineup. They had different people in the lineup. It was four months ago, but it certainly gives us a great deal of respect for them."
An intangible from the regular season that could pay dividends for Orlando again is the possible return of Jameer Nelson. The All-Star point guard had big second halves against the Lakers, and just being in uniform could be an emotional boost.
5. When it comes to finishing games, is it a contest?
Lewis had a game-winner in Game 1 against Cleveland and Turkoglu would have another in Game 2 had LeBron not hit the biggest shot in Cavs' history. And Howard slammed the door shut on Cleveland's dream season with 40 in Game 6. Without taking anything from that Magic trio, Black Mamba is the best on the planet at delivering a basketball knockout blow.
"He's a closer," Howard said. "Every game that we played in the Olympics, he did an excellent job of closing teams out. He's very competitive. He wants to guard the best player on the team. He wants the ball in the fourth quarter. Even if he had to guard Yao Ming, he would have tried to do it. That's just how competitive he is."
Art Garcia is covering The NBA Finals for NBA.com. If you have a question or comment, send him an email.
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