Kobe Fuels Bulls Fire, Nets Lose....Again

Bill Simmons' yearly trade value piece hit the net today, and as usual it's a great read. Simmons is one of the writers that I try to make a point to read whenever possibly, and this is usually one of his best columns every year, right up there with his annual NBA Draft piece.

Michael Jordan stepped onto the court and practiced with the Bobcats earlier today. He swears his isn't planning another comeback, but fans can still dream. I can't imagine what the Bobcat's youngsters must have felt like playing with the guy generally accepted as the GOAT. On one hand, it's Michael Jordan schooling you. On the other hand, it's a 44 year-old schooling you...

Tonight's Sacramento-New Jersey game had a few interesting story lines in it. First off, the Nets are really in a funk. They are struggling so much that coach Lawrence Frank inserted Sean Williams and Josh Boone into the starting lineup. Williams responded with 8 (!) blocks and will likely be scooped off of waiver wires by tomorrow morning at the latest...I certainly grabbed him in as many leagues as I could.

New Jersey eventually fell to the lowly Kings 106-101. With every loss you have to imagine that the Nets are getting closer and closer to giving in and dealing Kidd and getting what they can for him now. The problem is that they just gave Vince Carter a ton of money, and in order to truly rebuild they would need to deal both VC and Kidd for young talent, expirings, and picks. Not an easy task, especially when GM Rod Thorn is notorious for being cautious when it comes to trade talks.

Much of the first quarter of the Nets TV feed was filled with a rowdy New Jersey fan screaming at Kings forward Ron Artest. On one hand, hearing "Artest! You suck!" for fifteen minutes was annoying, but on the other hand it's not like the Nets themselves have been doing much to keep their fans occupied. Something was bound to happen sooner or later.

Bulls fans, on the other hand, mustered up a few very weak "Beat LA" chants as they watched their Forgetta-Bulls lose to the Lakers. During training camp most were questioning which team Kobe would be playing for when these two sides met up, but now it's looking less and less likely that Kobe will be traded following his public affirmation that he is happy as a Laker. It seems the Lakers feed off the drama though, so Phil Jackson and Bryant himself made sure to keep the story alive with some interesting comments just prior to tipoff.

Oh, and before I go, a quick memo to the Bull's arena staff: the Ben Wallace "Big Ben" gong sound effect needs to go. Playing it when Ben grabs a rebound is one thing, but last night Wallace didn't grab a single rebound until the 3rd quarter. At that point it's more of a desperate plea for the real Ben Wallace to return than anything else.

-unposs


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All-Access: Celtics Big Three Debut in Season Opener

The Celtics have looked downright monstrous this season. Here is where it all started...

Can Anyone Stop The Boston Celtics?

The sky is the limit for Paul Pierce and the Celtics

The Celtics are on a real tear right now and are currently the first team to reach 20 wins. Right now they are beating opponents by a ridiculous average of just over 14 points per game. They have looked flat-out dominant from day one, playing like a team that has been together for years instead of months. Expectations have been high for the Celtics and their big three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce from the day KG was traded to Boston. Few would have predicted this much success so soon though.

Most experts agreed that if one of the big 3 went down Boston would be in real trouble. Beyond Garnett, Allen, and Pierce their just wasn’t a whole lot else on the Celtics roster. As such, it was going to take a gargantuan effort from the aging trio in order to make any real noise. In the end, all those minutes would inevitably add up, the wheels would fall off, and the Celtics would fall short of their potential. At least, that’s what we thought.

The C’s have played their past two games without shooter extraordinaire Ray Allen who is out with an ankle injury. Somehow, they haven’t looked any less dominant. So how are they doing it?

The schedule can’t be overlooked, as they have had a home-heavy schedule loaded with weak opponents for them to feast on. Beyond that though, the Celtics role players are really stepping up and gelling. With Pierce, KG, and Allen attracting much of the attention of the opposition’s defense, guys are getting (and knocking down) the open looks. Case in point: Rajon Rondo, whose biggest question mark in his game was his jump shot, is shooting 53% for the season so far.

But the biggest impact that the role players are making is on the defensive side of the ball. The Celtics are giving up just 86.5 points per game, nearly 5 points less than the next-most stingy team in the league, the Detroit Pistons. Defense requires a mental commitment from every member of the team, and it’s clear that the role players have bought in to a defense-first philosophy. Check out what KG had to say about defense: "We do so many defensive drills in practice, I come home and I'm putting the press on my woman, denying her the ball. Y'all are laughing, but it's sad. I go home and deny the wing." Possibly the best KG quote ever.

So does all this mean smooth sailing all the way to the title for Bean Town? Far from it. The Celtics still have to prove that they can hang with the top teams in the league. Until they blow out Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, and the rest they will have question marks hanging over their heads. We should get a great idea of how good they can be when they take on the Pistons Wednesday night.

We also have to keep in mind that we are only a quarter of the way through a brutal 82 game season. Battling injuries and peaking at the right time is an art that only San Antonio seems to have mastered, and it clearly can make a big difference in the playoffs. Just look at last season’s fast starting Dallas Mavericks, who were infamously bounced in the first round by the Warriors.

There is no question that the Celtics have been the best team in the league thus far, but only time will tell if they can live up to the expectations that are growing every day.

-unposs

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The Unpossiblog Is Back!

Spread the word: the Unpossiblog is back!

To anyone still reading this blog, the Unpossiblog is back. Yes, I am still writing my fantasy blog for NBA.com. Currently NBA Fantasy Games is using my blogs to fill their weekend content, and that should continue during the entire season. Obviously I want my NBA blog to be as successful as possible, so if you would like to read my fantasy basketball thoughts that is the place to go.

However, I recently stumbled upon a realization. I have much more to say about the NBA then just what's going on in the fantasy world. I sat down to write a blog a few weeks ago about the fantasy version of the Kobe vs. LeBron debate that was raging at the time. Inspiration found me and instead I wrote a blog about the futility of the entire argument, completely neglecting the fantasy implications.

It turned out to be a great blog that a lot of people enjoyed. I did get a very kind reminder from the head honcho at NBA Fantasy Games though that my topic was fantasy basketball, and I needed to stick to it. Of course he was absolutely right.

So here we are today, with a fantasy basketball blog that is gaining momentum on NBA.com, but no where to express all my other thoughts about professional basketball. That's where the Unpossiblog comes in. I am shifting the focus of this blog away from fantasy basketball and to professional basketball in general.

And not only is the Unpossiblog back, but it's back with a vengeance. I am going to be adding content to the blog EVERY DAY. Yeah, it's not going to be an easy task. I do still have a day job, after all. But if I want to make this blog successful, and I do, it's something that needs to happen.

So, to sum it all up: The Unpossiblog is back, with a little bit of a different format. Fantasy freaks can check out my fantasy blog at NBA.com Fantasy Games.

Comments are always welcome. Spread the word.

-unposs

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NBA TV Top 10: December 14th

Some pretty sick plays from last night...gotta love that Andrew Bynum monster dunk!