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The 2008 NBA Draft

July 1st 2008 03:49

I’d like to post about the previously finished NBA Draft. A lot of trades were completed/proposed making this years draft exciting and noteworthy. In this first post I will be going through the top five picks and thereafter with updates and all you need to know up to the minute stats and transactions.

Let’s get this post draft analysis going with the first overall pick for the Chicago Bulls DERRICK ROSE. Rose out of Memphis has a solid NBA body and can take the punishment as a player in the paint. He will mold himself into whatever type of player his team needs him to be as evident by the video below. He is one of the most ready-type players to enter the league. A truly solid addition to any team, kind of makes me think of the miss of Jay Williams. In which whom the Bulls took as the savior type PG years ago before he had his motorcycle accident stifling his promising career. With this pick Chicago puts themselves back into contention for a playoff spot in the East.

This video shows how Rose can affect the game as he will become a solid NBA-PG.

# 2

Undoubtedly the Miami Heat selected MICHAEL BEASLEY out of Kansas State. This PF needs no introduction to basketball fans as his huge wingspan makes up for any negativity about his height at the four spot. One of the perfect teams for Beasley to go to, I think his character issues would only become apparent if he were to have to battle with a solid proven veteran for his starting spot. He will be going in battling Udonis Haslem who has seen his stock drop as he needs to create more of his own offence. The heat I am sure are not finished in tweaking their team for the 08/09 season. Marion though will alleviate any concerns of the rookie being overmatched down-low as he is almost like an extra PF out there sometimes with his rebounding efforts and hustle in trying to make the right plays.

# 3

Minnesota at the third spot went with OJ MAYO, who I have seen and been hearing about for a good number of years. Mayo will be a solid two as at 6’4” 200lbs he is limited in selected positions, but this guy is just a born scorer and if he ends up in Grizz-town, look for him to team up with Rudy Gay as Mike Miller was moved with Memphis making the choice to let him go after he admittedly carried the Grizzlies last season at times. In return Minnesota looks to get #5 Kevin Love. I am in love with this deal as the T-Wolves send Antoine Walker also to MEM. Minnesota gets the scoring they desperately need and character guys, to build around. I know what fans may be thinking and no this isn’t the second coming of Wally World, Mike Miller is a gamer playing all three spots from 1-3 for the Grizz and did whatever was asked, as he became a versatile and proven scorer, unlike streaky Szczerbiak.

# 4

Russell Westbrook a surprise at number four as the top three had virtually been decided weeks beforehand. Westbrook though an unexpected pick is an explosive guard that will do well in this league especially when Seattle gets all the parts and can continuously run up and down with Durant and Green. The Sonics clearly want a guard that can break down the D and get up and down the court at breakneck speeds. They have found that guy with Westbrook. People want to compare him to NBA champion Rajon Rondo and maybe Monta Ellis, he is long and skinny and extremely athletic, time will tell if he can make the right passes for a long career with Durant by his side.

# 5

Care of NBADraft.net

Memphis picks Kevin Love at the number five spot and in turn will be sending him to Minnesota in the deal outlined in the third pick paragraph. Love is solid, not an athlete like the Grizz love at the four spot, but the T-Wolves just need ballers in which Kevin is for sure. Down-low he will be helped by Al Jefferson for sure on defense. Also he will have a great passer in Mike Miller to get the ball to him in good spots. I like Kevin Love on a solid team a rebuilding team he may flourish or sink as he’ll need to create his own offence and may struggle with the speed of the NBA at first.

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Jamario Moon Gives Us A Sneak Peek At What to Expect During the Dunk Contest.

February 5th 2008 08:33

Argh! The 'joys' of moving into a completely new place. Trying to get a phone line, let alone broadband connection is a two week process. Furthermore, being back at work and balancing a social life doesn't help matters at all.

So, as a bailout, here is a NBA N00b, Jamario Moon, the man with the mad hops giving us a preview of what to expect in a couple of weeks time in Nawlins. Enjoy.

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Posted By: Stanley - Category: Player News, Toronto Raptors

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Jamario Jumps for the Moon and Reaches the Stars.

December 9th 2007 13:26

We all love feel good stories and happy endings, because life is so often a big disappointment for most of us. One of the blessings and banes of being human is that we’re conscious of the fact that sometimes, things don’t work out the way we want. Or that we have to make compromises and give up our hopes and dreams along the way to make our way through this crazy world. That is why we celebrate stories like that of Jamario Moon because he allows us to dream big.

The Toronto Raptors rookie has been a massive revelation and has everyone wondering: where has he been all this time?

Jamario’s journey to the NBA has been one of dreadful lows, and, ultimately, one of triumph. Bouncing around in lesser leagues and with the Harlem Globetrotters, Jamario would do anything to keep his hoop dreams alive. Non-payment for games played, long bus rides across the country, bad hotel rooms and playing to empty gyms were part and parcel of Moon’s basketball career before this season.

According to Jamario, the lowest ebb in his nomadic basketball journey was playing for the storied Globetrotters due to the toll it took on his body. Moon was the high-flying dunker that wooed the crowd with his jaw-dropping abilities, skying towards the rafters to catch 15 food alley-oops. Jamario had to catch those balls without fail, night after night or faced being cut from the squad.

“If you didn’t get those dunks, they would release you,” Moon said. “Wherever they threw the ball, you had to get it. And I don’t care how young you are, that takes an incredible toll on your body. You’ve got to be upbeat every night. You’ve got to smile. You’ve got perform. You got

Jamario Moon is a budding superstar. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

to give them the show.”

He laughs now, and says, “People ask me how high I can jump, and I tell them the truth: I just jump as high as they throw the ball. I just go get it where it is.” (Wojnarowski, Yahoo!, 2007)

Moon, for all intents and purposes shouldn’t be a burgeoning star now in the NBA. After being cut from three minor league basketball teams, un-drafted and unloved when he declared his intention to turn pro in 2001, Jamario should be on the basketball scrap heap with millions of others who weren’t good enough. But he isn’t, and we love him for that.

The question still remains: where has Moon been all this time? Yes, he was bouncing around leagues such as the CBA, but the talent didn’t just appear overnight – it had always been there. It’s just NBA teams wouldn’t cut the man a break and put the word out that Moon wasn’t worth the trouble. Problem was Toronto kept on seeing a star. A ballers, baller – athletic, quick, energetic, and frightening on the defensive end, whilst having a nose for rebounding that was sorely missing from the Raptors squad. He was good and the team knew it.

As a young kid, Moon was caught in the world where any player with prospects was hounded by agents and people who wanted a piece of a potential golden ticket. Jamario got sucked up in the hype, and a lot of his problems stemmed from the fact that he listened to bad advice from those that didn’t have his best intentions at heart.

After bouncing around in the basketball wilderness for most of his early 20s, Jamario found salvation in the CBA with the Albany Patroons, and finding a new agent, Joel Bell, who was going to bat for his client to the death. Bell found it perplexing that a talent like Moon had never been invited to NBA training camps, so he turned water into wine.

This past summer, Toronto organised a mini-camp where Moon would display his talent for the Raptors front office. After seeing, Jamario do his thing, the Toronto management knew they couldn’t let him leave without gaining his services. The rest, as they say, is history. Jamario and his wife count their blessings, but still save up coupons and shop at Wal-Mart just in case.

“I’m glad I went through everything I did,” Moon said. “I wasn’t ready for any of this at 21 years old, and who knows where I’d be now if I got drafted then? I’m thankful for everything God put me through.” (Wojnarowski, Yahoo!, 2007)

In a cynical sports world, we need stories like that of Jamario Moon to remind us that we should always keep our dreams alive. Sometimes, happily ever after does happen.

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Posted By: Stanley - Category: Player News, Toronto Raptors

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Chris Bosh: The Baddest Raptor in Toronto.

August 26th 2007 08:22

The newest basketball playing icon in The Great White North is Chris Bosh, who has erased all memory that a baller named Vince Carter used to rock the rim in Toronto. Many Ontarians would ask: ‘Vince who?’ Then spit on the ground after asking said question.

After the defection of the player who-we-dare-not-speak-his-name in Toronto, basketball in Canada was in the doldrums. Enter Chris Bosh, the fourth overall pick in that dream draft, in the year of 2003!

Date of Birth: 24th March, 1984.
Height: 6’ 10” (208cm)
College: Georgia Tech
Draft: 2003 (4th overall)
Average Points per Game: 22.6
Average Rebounds per Game: 10.7
Average Blocks per Game: 1.3

After playing one electric season with Georgia Tech, Bosh declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft in the same year that players by the name of LeBron, ‘Melo and D-Wade decided to make their entries into the Association.

Unheralded at first, Bosh didn’t take long to establish himself as a formidable presence in the

Chris Bosh is a straight up basketball pimp! (Image from nba.com)

Raptor line-up by playing out of position in the pivot. Well, not only playing, but excelling.

As a rookie Bosh was averaging 11.5 points and a very impressive 7.4 rebounds, making himself the only weapon in a very crap Raptor team. In fact, CB4 was such a monster on the glass, that he set a franchise record for most rebounds in a season for a rookie at 557.

People could see that big things were about to happen with Chris and the steady improvements he made with each passing year was impossible to miss, culminating in an All-Star and playoff appearance with the season that just passed.

Bosh has also been a multiple selection for Team USA and has won bronze medals in both World Championships and Olympic games. Yes, we may expect more from the U-S-A when it comes to basketball, but the international game has caught up, and this still is no small feat.

The signs were there from the outset that CB4 was a unique talent, even before his rookie season. Here was a man in his high school days setting all sorts of basketball records as a basketball player, which was to be expected, but Bosh also was an excellent student as well making the national honour roll, whilst taking up a membership with both the National Society of Black Engineers and the Dallas Association of Minority Engineers.

But, wait, there’s more – he has also established the Chris Bosh Foundation that assists in the promotion of social enrichment, physical and educational well being amongst young people in both Dallas and Toronto. The foundation has worked closely with the Toronto Special Olympics, and Chris being the avid academic, is always around preaching the importance of reading to youngsters.

Chris Bosh, dare we say it, is more than meets the eye!

Want a greater insight in regards to Chris Bosh? Check out the video, buster!

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Posted By: Stanley - Category: Player News, Toronto Raptors

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