Posts Tagged ‘Brandon Pemberton’

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Chris Bosh Has Found His Place With The Heat

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

Coming off of a 34 point performance last night in a 96-85 win over the Chicago Bulls in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals, it’s pretty obvious to me that Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh is playing with confidence and has found his place on this team.  Early in the season, Bosh looked lost, passive, and out of place on the floor.  He was often criticized for his timid play and lack of rebounding.  Playing in Toronto, most people hadn’t really seen him play much unless you are a big fan of hoops and had the NBA League Pass.

Bosh was used to being the man for the Raptors, having the offense run through him and everyone else playing off him.  While he averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds per game and made six All-Star performances, he’d never won a playoff series and he never was a legit superstar player.  A player like Lebron James or a Derrick Rose type, who has enough talent to carry a team to high places with fair talent around them.  There were plenty of basketball fans that thought Bosh was that kind of player but he wasn’t, and hasn’t been that kind of guy.

Now, playing with two legit superstars who have the ball in their hands the majority of the time, Bosh had a rough time early in the season finding his role on the team.  The injury to Udonis Haslem made things even worse for him, as the team needed him to play a more physical role, similar to what Haslem would play.  The Heat struggled with chemistry and Chris was one of the [main] culprits.

As the season progressed, Bosh and the Miami Heat have gotten better on the offensive end of the court.  The Heat use him in pick & roll situations, which fits his game perfectly as he has one of the best mid-range jumpshots in basketball (big man or not).  He also has been playing well, finishing off passes from James and Wade and hitting the offensive glass.  In the three games against the Bulls, he’s averaging 25 ppg and grabbing 7 rpg as well.  You can see the confidence that he lacked during the season as each playoff game goes by.

Finally, I’ve never been the biggest Chris Bosh fan and after the WWE type celebration he, Lebron, and Wade partook in [after signing], it made me dislike him even more.  Add in the fact that he’s a fake tough guy and it irks me when he scowls and yells on the court, but I have to admit that he is playing well and will be one of the key reasons the Heat win it all this season.

Brandon Pemberton, Blogger for War Room Sports

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2011 NBA Draft Top (American Born) Prospects

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

The NBA Draft Lottery was last Tuesday night (May 17) and the Cleveland Cavaliers ended up winning the lottery and have the 1st and 4th picks in the draft.  I’m officially in draft geek mode right now and here are the top 30 draft prospects, in my opinion.  The list has been put together on something I call the “Brandon Pemberton Eye Test”.  Potential, and how the player’s game translates to the NBA.  These are American born college players, as I have watched the Euro leagues, I don’t possess the knowledge on these players like I do college players in the U.S.  Also, let me remind you that the 2011 draft class is a weak class due to potential lottery picks returning to school because of the looming NBA lockout.  The 2011 NBA Draft will take place on June 23rd.

1. Kyrie Irving PG
19 years old, Freshman
6′ 3″ 185lbs.
Duke2. Derrick Williams PF/SF
19 years old, Sophomore
6′ 8″ 235lbs.
Arizona

3. Enes Kanter PF/C
19 years old, Freshman
6’11″ 261lbs
Kentucky

4. Alec Burks SG
19 years old, Sophomore
6′ 6″ 200lbs.
Colorado

5. Tristan Thompson PF
20 years old, Freshman
6′ 9″ 235lbs.
Texas

6. Brandon Knight PG/SG
19 years old, Freshman
6′ 3″ 185lbs.
Kentucky

7. Kemba Walker PG
21 years old, Junior
6′ 0″ 180lbs.
Connecticut

8. Kawhi Leonard SF
19 years old, Sophomore
6′ 7″ 225lbs.
San Diego State

9. Marcus Morris SF/PF
21 years old, Junior
6′ 8″ 225lbs.
Kansas

10. Jordan Hamilton SF/SG
20 years old, Sophomore
6′ 7″ 210lbs.
Texas

11. Markieff Morris PF
21 years old, Junior
6′ 19″ 245lbs.
Kansas

12. Klay Thompson SG/SF
21 years old, Junior
6′ 6″ 187lbs.
Washington State

13. Reggie Jackson PG
21 years old, Junior
6′ 3″ 208lbs.
Boston College

14. Tyler Honeycutt SF
20 years old, Sophomore
6′ 8″ 200lbs.
UCLA

15. Jimmer Fredette PG
22 years old, Senior
6′ 2″ 195lbs.
BYU

16. Tobias Harris SF/PF
18 years old, Freshman
6′ 8″ 210lbs.
Tennessee

17. Chris Singleton SF/PF
21 years old, Junior
6′ 8″ 210lbs.
Florida State

18. Kenneth Faried PF
21 years old, Senior
6′ 8″ 225lbs
Morehead State

19. Trey Thompkins PF
20 years old, Junior
6′ 9″ 245lbs.
Georgia

20. Josh Selby PG/SG
20 years old, Freshman
6′ 2″ 190lbs
Kansas

21. Travis Leslie SG
21 years old, Junior
6′ 4″ 202lbs
Georgia

22. Justin Harper PF/SF
21 years old, Senior
6′ 10″ 225lbs
Richmond

23. Darius Morris PG/SG
20 years old, Sophomore
6′ 4″ 190lbs
Michigan

24. Nolan Smith PG/SG
22 years old, Senior
6′ 3″ 185lbs.
Duke

25. JaJuan Johnson PF
22 years old, Senior
6′ 10″ 215lbs.
Purdue

26. Jimmy Butler SF/SG
21 years old, Senior
6′ 7″ 220lbs.
Marquette

27. Norris Cole PG
22 years old, Senior
6′ 2″ 185lbs.
Cleveland St.

28. E’Twaun Moore SG
22 years old, Senior
6′ 4″ 191lbs.
Purdue

29. Kyle Singler SF/PF
23 years old, Senior
6′ 8″ 210lbs.
Duke

30. Shelvin Mack PG
21 years old, Junior
6′ 3″ 215lbs.
Butler

Brandon Pemberton, Blogger for War Room Sports

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Game 2 Heat at Bulls: A Must Win for the Heat?

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

One of Taj Gibson's TWO highlight reel dunks in Game 1

The Miami Heat came out flat in game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Bulls and the play along with the final score showed.  Lebron James (15 points, 5-15 from the field) and Dwyane Wade (18 points 7-17 from the field) were flat out brutal, while Chris Bosh carried the team with 30 points and 9 rebounds.  When I watched James after the game 7 win against the Celtics on the ground resembling a player who had just won an NBA title, I thought to myself, “he is acting like the season is over and they’ve won it all”.  And he and his team’s play was a disgrace on Sunday night.

Yeah we all noticed that James and Wade played badly, but there was plenty of blame to go around.  The Bulls were the more physical team on both ends of the court and the Heat allowed Chicago to grab 19 offensive rebounds, which lead to 31 second chance points.  The Bulls also forced the Heat into 16 turnovers and held them to only 10 fast-break points.

The Bulls’ bench clearly outplayed Miami’s, outscoring them 28-15, providing solid defense and mistake-free basketball.  Taj Gibson scored 9 points off the bench, including two highlight reel dunks, one of them on Dwyane Wade.  Ronnie Brewer gave the Bulls some good minutes, drawing the assignments of James and Wade.

Look, I know it’s a seven game series and all, but the last thing you want to do is go down 2-0 and leave yourself in a spot where you have to win four out of the next five games.  I expect Lebron and D-Wade both to come out more aggressive and assertive, looking to go to the rack more and get the Bulls into foul trouble. There were too many occasions where they settled for jump shots instead of putting pressure on the defense by driving the ball.  It would help if the Heat could get some scoring from the bench, but at this point I don’t know if it’s really possible.  Mike Bibby, Mario Chalmers, and James Jones would help out greatly if they can hit the open shots available to them.

I’m looking at the Vegas line on this game and it has the Bulls (-2) as the home favorite.  That’s a Miami line if you ask me so I will take the Heat minus the 2 to cover and win the game.  If they don’t…they are screwed and the Lebron hate will be all over the place.

Brandon Pemberton, Writer for War Room Sports

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Lebron Scores 10 Straight to Close Out the Celtics: Is That Clutch Enough for You?

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

All throughout the regular season, people have questioned the Miami Heat’s ability to close out games and they had a legitimate case.  At one point during the season the Heat had one of the bottom 5 records in the league in games decided by five points or less.  Countless times they were unable to hold leads in the fourth quarter and down the stretch most of the shots were taken by Lebron James.

When the Heat decided to bring the trio of Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh together, everyone fed into the instant hype and said they would threaten the Bulls 72-win season from the 95-96 campaign.  I knew they had talent but it would take time to mesh and I really didn’t like their bench on paper.  They had a problem early in the season winning games against the top teams in the league and even had a moment after a tough loss where Head Coach Erik Spoelstra said “there were plenty of emotions in the locker room, and some crying”.

Well it’s the playoffs and they are playing their best basketball at the right time and have won their first two rounds of the playoffs each in five games.  D-Wade has taken his fair share of shots down the stretch and has closed games, and James has made some timely shots to close games as well.  At this point of the season the Heat clearly have it figured out and with the Lakers knocked out of the playoffs, Miami is the clear favorite to win the whole thing, in my eyes.

In games four and five, Lebron James hit shots in the clutch that finished the Celtics off.  In game four, Lebron scored 11 straight points for his team to send the game into overtime.  And in the series clinching game five with the scored tied at 87-87 with 2:33 left to play, James scored his team’s final ten points and sent Boston home for the summer.

Lebron James and the Heat are now four games away from playing in the NBA Finals and four more away from hanging a banner in the rafters.  There is plenty of Lebron and Heat hate going around, but Ray Charles could see that they are clearly the favorite to win it all and the excellent play of Lebron James is the reason why.  People, put the hate to the side and just watch this man play.  Prospectively, there is nothing he can’t do on the court and it’s not hard for me to say that he is now the best player in the league.

Brandon Pemberton, Blogger for War Room Sports

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The Sixers Need to Move Iguodala This Offseason, but Will They Do It?

Wednesday, May 11th, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

The Philly fans’ frustrations with the play and contract of the Sixers F/G Andre Iguodala grew to a all-time high this season and in my opinion, it’s time for him to go this offseason.  Yes Iguodala is a role player who’s overpaid in my eyes, but I put blame on Sixers General Manager Ed Stefanski for signing him to the deal instead of letting his ass walk.  Stefanski has made a number of mistakes since taking over for Billy King and now it’s time for him to right the ship with the help of  President Rod Thorn, who has a great track record (he put together the Nets teams who went to 2 NBA Finals in the early 2000’s).

The Sixers had a chance to dump Iguodala’s contract last season when the Houston Rockets were willing to take on his contract and Samuel Dalembert for the expiring contracts of Tracy McGrady and Chase Budinger.  But Stefanski said the Sixers weren’t looking to dump salary.  Now there are rumors floating around NBA circles that there are a few possible trades that could happen before the NBA lockout begins on June 30th, a week after the 2011 NBA Draft.

1. Rudy Gay:  The salaries match, but Gay is coming off of a bad shoulder injury and has an extra year (player option) on his deal that would pay him $19.3 million in 2014-15.  While Gay is a better scorer and shooter than Iguodala and people believe he hasn’t reached his full potential, I don’t want to take on another big contract.  Rudy Gay isn’t the type of player who takes the Sixers to the next level and I need to see a full year of a player they drafted #2 overall in Evan Turner.


2.  Chris Kaman:  Has one year left on his contract at $12.7 million and would give the Sixers a legit post scorer that they don’t have.  He played in only 32 games this season due to injury and his minutes were down due to the emergence of NBA Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin and his running mate DeAndre Jordan.  In the 09-10 season, he averaged a career best 18.5 ppg and pulled in 9.2 rpg.  This is a “win-win” to me.  You’d get Kaman for a year, put him in the starting lineup, and let him walk after the season.

3.  The Cleveland Cavaliers:  The Cavs have a $14.5 million dollar trade exception acquired in the Lebron James deal.  If the Cavs are that high on Iguodala, they could send anything from draft picks to the rights of a player, or a player that makes much less than Iguodala, since the trade doesn’t have to match dollar for dollar like typical NBA trades.  This is another way the Sixers could dump his salary and receive cap space and draft picks.  Remember, the 2012 NBA Draft is going to be loaded.

There you have it!  Me personally, I would go for either options two or three,
but that’s just me.  Bottom line, Iguodala’s time is up in Philly and he has
to go.

Brandon Pemberton, Blogger for War Room Sports

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The Bulls Need Boozer & Deng to Step Up

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

By Brandon Pemberton

In game four against the Atlanta Hawks, a game that the Chicago Bulls lost 100-88, Derrick Rose scored 34 points on 32 shots.  Yes Rose is the league’s MVP and the best point guard in the world, but he needs help on the offensive end.  That help should come from two sources, Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng.

The Bulls signed Carlos Boozer to a 5-year deal for 75 million dollars last off-season to be the 2nd scorer and post player they needed to take the next step and be a legit title contender.  Boozer missed 23 games this season due to a hand injury that happened when he fell at home.  He put up 17.5 ppg and 9.6 rpg, which are right at his career averages.  But in the 2011 playoffs, his production has dropped off as he’s putting up 10.7 ppg and 9.1 rpg.  He says he injured his right big toe in game 5 of the first round series against the Pacers, but he was playing horribly even before the injury.  Boozer never was a defensive player to say the least and he needs to produce, bottom line.

In game 1 of the series against the Hawks, Luol Deng had a good game scoring 21 points and grabbing 6 rebounds.  In the three games since, he’s scored 14, 7, and 13 points respectively, putting Derrick Rose in the spot where he’s taking more shots than he should.  While Deng is not a superstar nor a star player, he is a legit 2nd or 3rd scoring option on a good team.  Deng can score in a bunch of different ways and the Bulls need him to provide scoring in the 16 to 18 point range nightly, along with the great defense he plays, if the Bulls are to have a legit chance to make it out of the East.

If Boozer and Deng can get it together and play up to their ability along with Derrick Rose leading the way, the Bulls can win this series against the Hawks and find themselves one step away from the NBA Finals.

Brandon Pemberton, Blogger for War Room Sports

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What’s Next For The Los Angeles Lakers?

Monday, May 9th, 2011
By Brandon Pemberton

 

The Lakers' dreams of yet another 3-peat are over

As I’m sitting here watching the Lakers getting their asses handed to them on a free lunch platter for the 4th straight game, all types of thoughts about this team are running through my head.  The Lakers just weren’t the better team in this series.  The Mavericks controlled the paint on both ends of the floor, were the better defensive team, moved the ball better on offense, and just played harder.

The Lakers were swept by the Mavs in a series where most people thought the Lakers were the clear favorites.  After watching the Lakers sort of struggle in the first round with the New Orleans Hornets, I thought the Lakers would have a hard time with Dallas but win in 7 games.  After watching the Lakers closely this season, I saw holes in the team that could be exploited by the right team.  The NBA is all about matchups and a mismatch could cause a team a playoff series.

One of the holes which should have been clear to anyone who knows basketball is the inability of the Lakers to stop dribble penetration.  We can start out with Derek Fisher who has lost the ability to defend his position.  He was a liability the whole season and during both rounds of the playoffs.  It’s time for him to hang it up.  Ron Artest during his career has been one of the best defensive players in basketball, but it’s obvious he has lost a step.  Teams have been attacking Fisher and Artest off the bounce all season, causing breakdowns in the Lakers defense which have led to open 3-point shots, layups, or foul trouble for the Lakers “bigs”.

Next up is Pau Gasol, who was a complete no-show this year in the playoffs. After averaging 20 ppg, 11 rpg, and 2 bpg during the Lakers run to their 2nd straight NBA title in the 09-10 playoffs, he laid a turd this year, putting up averages of 13 ppg and 8 rpg while shooting 42% from the field.  Numbers like this from a player of his caliber are flat out unacceptable.  Yes we all know Kobe is going to get his, but the Lakers won two in a row and played in the 3 prior NBA Finals because of the addition of Gasol.  The Lakers had no legit 2nd scoring option and they could have gone to Andrew Bynum more, but they chose not to.

Finally, I hate to ask this question, but Is Kobe Bryant slowing down a tad bit or did he just lose his trust in his teammates?  Yes, we all know that he isn’t the athlete that he was in the early 2000’s, and he has reformed his game as Michael Jordan did when he lost his ability to drive and jump over everyone ,by resorting to posting up and using his mid-range game to score.  There were plenty of situations in the series against the Mavs that Kobe blatantly looked off open teammates to take tough shots contested by two or more defenders. It also didn’t help that the Lakers bench, besides Lamar Odom, was a non-factor throughout the playoffs.

In my eyes, there are a few things the Lakers could do to fix this team and be right back in the Finals:

1.  Trade for Dwight Howard. The Orlando Magic are worried that they will lose Howard after the 2011-12 season (if there is one) for nothing to free agency.  The Lakers have what no other NBA team has, a legit, talented young center in Andrew Bynum, who’s 25 years old and has yet to reach his full potential.  Howard would give the Lakers a legit superstar center that would take the pressure off of Kobe and is the best defensive player in the NBA.

2.  They must find replacements for Derek Fisher and Ron Artest.  Fisher has been a nice pro and the perfect role player on some championship teams, but it’s time for him to retire.  He can’t keep anyone in front of him anymore and he never was a playmaker at the point.  Ron Artest’s better days have passed him and the little bit of athletic ability that he had and used to help him be one of the league’s most versatile and best defenders is gone.  It might be hard to move Artest and his remaining 3 years on his deal at $7 Million per, and if you do find his replacement, I can’t see Artest coming off the bench.  He’s going to be tough to replace.

3.  Retool the bench.  Lamar Odom was the NBA’s “Sixth Man of the Year”, but besides him and maybe Shannon Brown from here to there, who else made an impact off the bench?  Steve Blake and Matt Barnes were brought in to be glue guys and provide spark off the bench, but they were ineffective when it counted.  The Lakers could also use a backup center off the bench to rebound, defend, and block a few shots.

 

Is Phil really leaving?

4.  Finally, with Phil Jackson’s great career coming to an end, the Lakers are going to need a new coach, one with some creditability, past success, and a no-nonsense attitude.  Coming in to coach a veteran team who has had success and won titles before you have gotten there is a tough job.  Establishing respect, foundation, and your own system is key to winning the team over and being successful.  Kobe Bryant has openly endorsed Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw as the next Lakers head coach.

I know getting swept is a bad thing and it looked real bad.  Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom taking cheap shots in the fourth quarter down by almost 30 points made the loss even worse.  But if the Lakers’ front office doesn’t remain complacent and make the right moves, the Lakers can and will be back in the fold as a title contender.

Brandon Pemberton, Blogger for War Room Sports

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