NBA players go Wild, International

It's been 55 days, 7 hours, 5 minutes, 14 seconds, and counting since the NBA announced that it will commence a lockout of its players, until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached with the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), as per the excellent counter on SLAMOnline.com. There was never going to be basketball in the off-season, anyways, but with a lockout, there will be no official training camp, no Summer League, no pre-season, and no regular season until the agreement is reached.



Take a deep breath, inhale the disaster and depression of this happening, and then exhale it all out. There is an extremely faint silver lining to all this doom and gloom.



One of the most interesting lists currently online is on the excellent basketball website, HoopsHype.com. Go to HoopsHype.com/Overseas.htm and you will immediately unlock a wealth of information in one short html page. This is because this page currently lists NBA players who have signed a contract to play with international teams during the lockout, and another list of players who are considering it. NBA players aren't just the world's biggest basketball superstars, they are also the world's hardest working basketball players, and like you and me and your cousin and that guy you punked on the court last week, they really, really love the game. A prolonged period without competitive basketball can be hell for even the best of them, and that's why, many NBA players are opting for the next best solution: playing overseas until the issue is resolved. FIBA cleared the way for NBA players under contract to play overseas until work stoppage, and many players are taking advantage of this.



Now, NBA players have been flirting with the overseas option for a long time. Amongst the American players who have made the jump recently have included former MVP Allen Iverson (who played for Besiktas in Turkey last year), Stephon Marbury (played in the Chinese Basketball Association, the CBA, for the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons and the Foshan Dralions, and was the CBA's all star MVP!) Josh Childress (played for Olympiacos in Greece from 2008-10), Rafer Alston (for Zhejiang Guangsha in China), Casey Jacobsen (who has spent several years in the German League, and has dominated, winning Finals MVP twice), and Steve Francis (who had a failed stint with the Beijing Ducks in China). Of course, a lot of the NBA's international players have also chosen to go back to their home countries in the past after a stint in the NBA, such as Rasho Nesterovic, Juan Carlos Navarro, Fran Vasquez, and many many more whom I can't think of right now.



But now, the situation is different. Of course, the NBA is considered to be the Mecca for basketball stars, as the ultimate destination for the world's best players. Earlier, NBA stars went overseas if they weren't getting their desired salary/role/opportunity to play with the NBA; now, with the lockout, none of the players will be getting their desired salary/role/opportunity. It's a free for all.



The biggest name to sign an overseas contract so far in this lockout has been Nets' point guard Deron Williams, who made waves by announcing that he was going to sign with Besiktas in Turkey for the duration of the lockout. Williams, one of the best point guards in the NBA, immediately becomes the best "in his prime" player to take his talents outside the NBA, at least in recent years.



Since the lockout, Williams has been followed by many more. A quick glance of the list of 30 players (and growing) on HoopsHype shows up names such as Toronto's Leandro Barbosa, who has signed with Flamengo in his home country of Brazil, Nenad Krstic, who will be heading to play for CSKA Moscow in Russia, Ty Lawson has signed a contract with Zalgiris Kaunus in Lithuania, and Nicolas Batum of the TrailBlazers is going back to France to play for Nancy.



The biggest name who has been linked with overseas play though has been Kobe Bryant. Kobe was recruited heavily by Besiktas in Turkey and by Shanxi Zhongyu in China. So far, there has been no formal commitment by Kobe, but watch this space.



China seems to be by far the best destination for NBA players, and funny, that the one to make the breakthrough in this country was NBA-nutcase Stephon Marbury. But the problem with China is that the CBA have aren't happy with NBA players using them and leaving them: they have decided to ban players already with an NBA contract to sign a contract with a Chinese team. Immediately, players like Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Amar'e Stoudemire, etc, who had expressed interest in China before, had to back off a bit. Kobe could still play in China though, as Shanxi Zhongyu has invited Kobe to play for the team in some warm-up games or exhibition games before the CBA season starts, which is not against the rule.



Amongst the other players who are showing interest in going the international way include Ron Artest, who has been flirting with the Cheshire Jets, a team of the British Basketball League. Brandon Jennings, who spent one year playing in Italy before coming to the NBA, is considering heading back out there again. Other players showing 'high' interest to jet overseas include Stephen Curry, Andrei Kirilenko, Aaron Brooks, Jared Dudley, and many, many more.



Not everyone, of course, feels that it is necessary to sign a professional contract overseas to play overseas: the mother of all lockout/international news came from the Philippines, where Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Durant, Chris Paul, JaVale McGee, James Harden, Derrick Williams, and Tyreke Evans played in two exhibition games. News is that after the success at Philippines, NBA stars like Durant, Rose, Paul, and Pau Gasol will head to Australia for a tour next.



Back in the States, Kevin Durant has been absolutely killing the street basketball world this lockout, including an impressive 66 point game at the Rucker Park. Kobe and James Harden have had impressive performances at the Drew League. There have been several other notable streetball appearances by NBA stars.



And then there are players who are getting even more creative with their time: The Lakers Luke Walton has joined the University of Memphis as an assistant coach. Former Kentucky players like John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo, Eric Bledsoe, and Jodie Meeks might go back to complete their education. A former Volleyball superstar, the Rockets' Chase Budinger returns to try his hand again at the sport.



And it's a good thing, too, because there is nothing more dangerous and being idol in many cases. Already, the off-season has seen NBA players get themselves in all sorts of wildness. Michael Beasley was caught with weed, and later shoved a fan during a streetball game. Matt Barnes punched a fan, too. Darius Miles, who was arrested for trying to bring a loaded gun through airport security, Rafer Alston, who was sued over his alleged role in a strip club fight, and Samaki Walker, who allegedly tried to eat eight grams of marijuana during a traffic stop in Arizona, during which police also confiscated prescription drugs and liquid steroids. The great Kobe Bryant is being accused of hitting someone who tried to take a cell-phone photo of him in church.



Aaaaahhh... How I miss the good ol' days when the daily basketball related news items were about Derrick Rose winning an MVP or LeBron James choking against the Mavericks. Now, we have to deal with an off-season of emptiness, with no horizon in sight, although it has been mildly improved by the NBA players' enthusiasm at playing the game they love, whenever and wherever!



The NBA may or may not be coming soon (probably the latter), but there is hope ahead: The European Basketball Championship, or EuroBasket, featuring the best players in Europe, including several NBA stars, kicks off in Lithuania in a little more than a week. As the message on the T-shirts that some NBA players wore of the Goodman-Drew streetball game says: 'Basketball Never Stops'.

NBA Playoffs- The Best Absentees

The playoffs are now only days away and I'm sure that if you're like me, you're barely able to sit still with all the potential drama that's going to follow in the NBA's postseason. But like every postseason, there are always those who aren't good enough to make it. 14 of the NBA's 30 teams are going fishing early, and some of these 14 teams have serious talent, too.

In the playoffs, we will get a chance to watch the likes of Derrick Rose, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Amar'e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, and many, many more stars... But before we splurge into the future and see who amongst these will rule the roast, let's take a moment to celebrate those whose season has already ended.

Steve Nash - Suns: Steve Nash is once again going to be the league leader in assists, and its a shame that he will not be able to step into the postseason to battle once more. The 2-time MVP perhaps saw his finest moment last year when he took the Suns to only a few games away from the NBA Finals. Ever since, Amar'e Stoudemire left and the team has been subpar at best without him. Of course, the 37-year-old point guard's efforts are not to be blamed, as he continues to be one of the strongest players not making an appearance in the post-season.

Deron Williams - Nets: Oh, poor Deron... Remember him? Just last year he was considered to be perhaps the best point guard in the league. With a mid-season trade to New Jersey, went from a team contesting for a playoff spot to one just hoping to not be the league's worst. His departure saw Utah plummet away playoff contention too, but this perennial playoff superstar will be missed this post-season.

Kevin Love - Timberwolves: Yes, Love has never made the playoffs before, and no, there wasn't even a chance for the lowly T-Wolves to make it this year, but he is the league leader in rebounds - that has to count for something, right? Hopefully we'll see his hustle in the playoffs soon in the near future.

Blake Griffin - Clippers: Along with Deron Williams, Kevin Love, and Yao Ming, Griffin is the fourth all-star this season not in the playoffs. Too bad, because the electrifying rookie would've been the toast of the league for a couple of games. At least he'll be able to drown his sorrows with the Rookie of the Year trophy.

Monta Ellis - Warriors: Some believe Monta is only a few steps away from being one of the most talked-about players in the NBA. After all, he did spend the season averaging 24.1 ppg, which by the way, makes him the highest-scoring player not in the postseason.

Special Mention - Kevin Martin & Yao* (Rockets), Al Jefferson (Jazz), Stephen Curry & David Lee (Warriors), Brandon Jennings & Andrew Bogut (Bucks), John Wall (Wizards), Tyreke Evans (Kings).

*Yes, I had to mention Yao.

And then there are those who are missing due to injury; these guys have teams in playoff contention but we will probably not be seeing them in action this postseason - Caron Butler (Mavericks), David West (Hornets), Greg Oden (Trailblazers). Fans will be wishing to see the likes of Shaq (Celtics) and Udonis Haslem (Heat) return to their squads sometime in the course of the playoffs.

The NBA - where even the losers are pretty damn good!

NBA + London = Winning

When was the last time you saw the entire basketball world excited about a Raptors-Nets game? No seriously, when? Back in the Vince Carter/Jason Kidd era, probably. I admit, I've always had a soft spot for the Raptors before my favourite player from 10 years ago, Carter, turned a little too soft himself.

But last week, the two teams fighting each other for the battle of the worst team in the Eastern Conference became part of history. On back-to-back games over the weekend, the Nets and the Raptors made NBA history, as the first ever NBA regular-season games were held in Europe, at the fantastic O2 Arena in London. The venue had previously played host to a few pre-season games, including a Lakers-Timberwolves match-up before this season, but a regular season game, where players play hard because it matters, is a wholly different issue.

So what if the two teams had a combined all star - Deron Williams, recently brought to New Jersey from Utah - to boast? The rest of the 'big' names in the match-up included former number one pick and Italian Andrea Bargnani, slam-dunk participant DeMar DeRozan, underrated but dominating big man Brook Lopez, and Kris Humphries who is famous because he has a famous girlfriend, who in turn is famous for being famous. At least the two teams had similar (awful) records coming into the game - Nets at 17-43, Raptors at 17-44. Of course the games were going to be competitive.

Anyways, the two games benefited many different parties:

1) The two teams, underrated back in North America, got a little international exposure and experience.
2) NBA fans in England, who may otherwise be too busy watching football, rugby, or cricket, finally got a chance to see a meaningful game in their own backyard.
3) England's 2012 Olympic campaign got a major boost, as the organising committee got the chance to hold two high-quality (relatively), close games, and thus create more hype for the Olympic basketball tournament featuring the best international teams in the world that will be held at the same venue next year.
4) Me, and other NBA fans in India, got the opportunity to watch the extra two games broadcast live on TV, taking last week's toll of live games to SEVEN. Awesome.
5) Famous people, and people who live famous people: Like any NBA game, the celebrities game out to support the London NBA Games, and as we all know, whatever celebrities like, the rest of the world follows. In the audience for the two games were football players from two of London's biggest clubs - Peter Cech, Didier Drogba, David Luiz (Chelsea) and Jack Wilshere, Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, and Gael Clichy (Arsenal). A couple of famous Non-Resident-Indian Punjabis - Monty Panesar of the English Cricket team and Canadian Nav Bhatia, the Raptors' Super Fan and entrepreneur - completed the mix.
6) The NBA

Yes, the NBA were clearly the biggest winners. For a long time, David Stern has been mulling over the possibility of expanding the NBA to Europe. What that means hasn't really been exactly clear: Does he mean to have NBA franchises in Europe? Does he mean to play more regular season games there? Or will he be able to launch his pet project - a five-team European division within the league? All of the ideas above have various drawbacks, including the crazy travelling involved between the two continents, the finances involved in launching any kind of ambitious project between the NBA and Europe, and the organisational difficulties in managing it.

Yet, if this was the first major test for Stern to see if the NBA could work in Europe, it has succeeded. Many fans in London may not be completely well-versed in basketball yet (Check this out from the CNN report: in order to make sure anyone new to basketball understood what was going on, an announcer explained who the players, teams and coaches were and gave a commentary to explain the scoring to the crowd.) But at least they showed up and a majority enjoyed the action. I mean - its NBA basketball - who cares if it's just Raptors vs Nets - it's gonna be fun, right?

The two teams played hard, too. The Nets became the most successful NBA team ever, in London, as they won both high-scoring games. In the first contest, Brook Lopez dropped 25 points to lead the Nets to a 116-103 win. The second was a classic, as the teams battled way into triple-overtime, showcasing to London every emotion and piece of action that involves amazing NBA games. Lopez was again the star 34 points and 14 rebounds, while Europe's sweetheart Bargnani had 35 points for the losing side. Travis Outlaw stepped up in the end to seal the win, scoring the last 8 points for the Nets.

Now looking ahead, I'm not sure I approve or disapprove of what the future of the NBA holds in store across the Atlantic - it is hard to say since it is still early days and no one is sure exactly how things are going to develop. But it was a successful exhibition for the NBA and for basketball in England.

The NBA's now held regular season games in England and tonnes of pre-season games in other parts of Europe, South America, and South-East Asia. But what about us? About 11 months ago, I wondered if the NBA could ever hold a pre-season game in India. As a great open market, it would make sense. But we are far, far, faaaaaar behind in our infrastructure and organisation. Does anyone remember the Commonwealth Games? Yea - I don't think Suresh Kalmadi and David Stern would be a compatible partnership.

But, the NBA will send us something one day. The Cavs, maybe. An NBDL side? A WNBA side? Something. It's going to happen though. I know it...

CP3 Returns!

One of the most encouraging yet under the radar NBA stories this season has been the return of Chris Paul, CP3. The point guard who has been in contention for the best pg in the league has been recovering from an injury-riddled season, playing only 45 games in the 2009-10 season. While he was gone, the likes of Steve Nash, Rajon Rondo, and most emphatically, Deron Williams touted for the 'best point guard' spot in the league.

Given Paul's injury problems and Williams' consistency in the highest playoff level, I would give Deron an edge in the race.

Back to CP3 though - after what seemed to be a strange few weeks in the off-season where Paul wanted to leave New Orleans, things got even stranger as he did a complete U-turn and decided to stick with the Hornets. He has returned to a team that hasn't gotten that much better or that much worse... The Hornets still have David West, Emeka Okafor, and Peja Stojacovic. They've surrounded this team with other talents like Marcus Thornton, Trevor Ariza, and most recently, Jerryd Bayless. Hornets lost talented backup pg Darren Collison to the Pacers.

So, was the team really going anywhere? So far, the Hornets have been one of only three teams to have a perfect 3-0 start (Hawks and Lakers are the other two). Hornets have beaten the Bucks, Nuggets, and Spurs already, and Chris Paul has been on fire, playing as if he never left. In the three games this season, CP3 has been averaging 20 points and 9.3 assists per game.

But the big question is, can the stellar play of Paul and the Hornets continue? Three games is no sample size, but its an encouraging start nevertheless. I'm still highly doubtful of this roster, especially considering the competitive in the Western Conference with all its improving teams. I'm sure Paul will continue his great start, and will fight to become one of the best, if not the best pg in the league again. The Hornets though... I'll be shocked if they finish above seventh in the West.

Still, its nice to see an exciting team back in action!

You can vote for the NBA MVP

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As if letting NBA fans vote for All-Star starters wasn't controversial up enough (see Iverson, Allen or McGrady, Tracy for further proof), the NBA is now going to give one of its 125 Most Valuable Plater (MVP) votes to the fans. The other 124 votes for the MVP are decided by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States. The one fan vote will be the accumulated vote of all the fans.

Okay, so 1/125 isn't that big a deal when it comes to shaping the MVP award, but its still significant. You can vote for your top five MVP choices at NBA.com/kiamvpfanvote.

The pros: Obviously, more fan involvement, interaction, and as 'Wikinomics' preaches, "When you ask the customers to dance, let them lead!" This would mean that fans would (faintly) believe that there opinion is making a difference in deciding who has been the season's most valuable player.

The cons: It's the friggin MVP award. Not a popularity contest. The All Star Game is the popularity contest, where the game is an exhibition FOR the fans, and thus one can argue that letting the fans decide who they want to see is the right move. The MVP award, on the other hand, is about the one player who has been the most valuable in the entire league, not to the one player who fans like the most. Obviously, there is a great number of fans who would vote sensibly, but you won't find too many hardcore Kobe fans voting LeBron despite the latter deserving the award much more. I don't want to see a billion Yao Ming votes when he is injured or not as many votes for Tim Duncan (because everyone outside of San Antonio seems to hate the Spurs) or not as many votes for Kevin Durant (because despite his brilliance this season, Kobe/LeBron/Iverson/McGrady/Yao etc are a lot more popular than him internationally).

Still, it's only 1 out of 125. That gives like a million of us a collaborated 0.8% chance to determine the 2009-10 MVP. [In Napoleon Dynamite's voice]: "Yesss..."

Now, on to my top five MVP pics. I'm going to make two lists here, one based on sound reasoning and one based on passion. Because you know, if they ARE going to let us vote here, are we not going to let our opinions seep through?

Sound Reasoning

1. LeBron James: Duh... Obviously. LeBron has been the best player in the league and the best player in the best team and is near the scoring leader and has the best stats and may end up having the best PER EVER and he's the most untradeable and the most valuable and you take him out the league or his team and it'll make the biggest difference and damn I hate over-LeBroning of the world. I'm not the LeBron fan that many, many others are, but there is no denying that anyway you define the meaning of MVP, he is it this season. He won it last year and only the infinite improbablity drive can keep him away from doing a back-to-back. But most probably not.

2. Kevin Durant: Damn, the Durantula really sneaked up big on everyone this season, didn't he? I mean, we all knew he was talented, but no one imagined that along with invidual brilliance (he might win the scoring title from LeBron), Durant has also made sure that the awful Thunder of last year have already won more than twice as many games this season, and the young, inexperienced team is easily heading into the playoffs. The most improved team of the year, on the back of one of the best talents in the league. Durant deserves a nod for his efforts all year.

3. Dwyane Wade: Three weeks ago, Kobe would've been number three on this list. But the month of March has been gold for D-Wade and the Heat. He has once again carried an inconsistent and awful team into the playoffs, improving his play off late and making sure that the Heat are now an 8-game winning streak entering the most important period of the year.

4. Kobe Bryant: Can't believe that after the first month of clear-cut domination Kobe has falled to FOURTH on my list. But Lakers are the second best team, he's their most valuable player, and still one of the best talents in the league. Plus, there were all those game-winners that have been leaving us all in awe. Plus, I still think that he will be the last one standing with the championship trophy in June.

5. Steve Nash: The two-time MVP is again having one of his best seasons, and the Suns, who are surprisingly underrated this season, have been playing amazingly under him. Of course, this is an arguable choice because Amar"e has been just as awesome, but i'm gonna go with Stee here.

Passion

1. Wade: Ya, he's my favourite player. And I still believe that he's the one player I'd like to have on my time for any one basketball game anywhere in the world.

2. Chris Bosh: Bosh has been having an all-world season, and although the Raptors dipped in form for a while, he has been able carry them close to a playoff berth with his amazing form.

3. Pau Gasol: Don't laugh. The Spaniard keeps on getting overlooked for his awesomeness, despite being a rock for the Lakers all season. Give Gasol enough touches and Lakers don't lose, it's as simple as that.

4. Amar'e Stoudemire: Amar'e has been a friggin beast all season, but especially after the all star break. He's ignored all the trade rumours and the contract-ending stuff and has just played amazing basketball. He has also helped the poster-making businesses around the world. Just as Anthony Tolliver.

5. Deron Williams: The Jazz are a model of consistency, and no one player has epitomized it more than Deron.

So who will finally win the MVP? Let me know your top fives, and vote here to get your voice heard. The results will be announced at the end of the season.

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