By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

The impact of labor negotiations milling right to the brink of the NFL season figured to cause issues on the field. Poor play and non chemistry amongst teammates were expected. The season though has been a success for the most part. More quarterbacks than ever came close to eclipsing Dan Marino’s mark, and Drew Brees accomplished it.

The NFL showcases it’s dominance as the premier sport in America year in and year out. The NBA, however is coping with a delayed start to their season much differently. Teams are no where they need to be.

The first stretch of games have looked awful, and more like exhibition games. The imbalance of putting together four complete quarters is nightly. Struggles of displaying effort consistently is also there nightly. More and more teams are utilizing rookies, undrafted free agent rookies, and even NBA development league players.

Athletes that were likely training harder during the lockout to prepare for overseas, figuring they needed a true backup plan from the NBA.

Games have been so laughable that during the Atlanta vs. Miami Heat game, Charles Barkley and fellow commentators could not hold back comments aimed at lazy play. Atlanta had to rely on their near 12^th man in Ivan Johnson to provide a spark, while their nucleus of stars hoisted errant shots and played defense as if they were participating in practice drills.

To the annoyance of Charles Barkley, he was disgusted to broadcast play by play in a triple overtime game as such. The game already was missing the Heat stars of Dwayne Wade and Lebron James, but the enthusiasm of role players ready to play was night and day, between the two teams.

As the season continues towards a rushed All-Star break, how will fans cope with the accelerated season with a decline on the court? David Stern has been a solid commissioner for quite some time, but this lockout is going to offset some of the momentum the NBA had gained back from the 1999 lockout.

Many teams just do not have the superstars or talent on them. The superstars we are use to are aging fast. After the top ten to fifteen superstars there is a major drop off. Second units that come onto the court are typically inexperienced, as opposed to tenured veterans that could revive teams.

It’s a mess that can all plagued to front offices, coaching staffs, and players rushed to put together a season.

Revenue was already lost with the late start to the season, it will continue with the decline of the performance the NBA is displaying nightly to it’s fans.

By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Of the many recent trades in the NBA recently, the one between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Charlotte Bobcats isn’t getting much publicity nationwide, but it is one that seems to have worked out for both teams, especially the Blazers.

Portland traded center Joel Pryzbilla, forward Sean Marks, power forward Dante Cunningham and two first-round picks for forward Gerald Wallce. The Trail Blazers gave up a lot for one guy, but Wallace brings a lot to his new team and can help in several ways.

With the Bobcats, Wallace averaged 15.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, and in three games with the Blazers, he’s averaged 11.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. His numbers have dropped, but as he gets more comfortable with his new team, they should go back up. His steals per game have gone up from 1.2 to 2.0 since being traded, and he’s a great athlete who regularly gets play-of-the-night worthy blocks and dunks. Portland didn’t really have that kind of athlete on its roster, so Wallace brings a new element to the team.

Meanwhile, the new Bobcats have not done much since being traded. Pryzbilla and Marks have not scored a point as Bobcats so far, and Cunningham hasn’t played more than 12 minutes in a game. The first-round draft picks are for this year’s draft and for the 2013 draft, and they should help a young Bobcats team that has the pieces for success. Pryzbilla, Cunningham, and Marks could be key role players in Charlotte for a while, but as of now, the Blazers are getting a more immediate impact since the trade.

If you’ve got Wallace on your team, expect more of the same stats he’s been putting up this year. He’s a great player to have coming off the bench to give Portland a boost. It looks like he’s getting close to the same amount of minutes he was getting in Charlotte, so he can still play the same role in Portland. His statline in the Blazers’ 103-87 loss to the Houston Rockets on Mar. 1 is indicative of the many ways in which he can help your team. In that game Wallace had 14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and went 3-4 from 3-point range. He can be Portland’s third or fourth-leading scorer and has a chance to be the team’s most complete player.

Look for Wallace to become a crucial part of the Blazers this season and beyond, and expect him to contribute significantly to your fantasy team.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

One and done is often a phrase used by the quick exit strategy of college freshman hoops stars. Kentucky last year had a slew of them with all five going in the first round of the 2010 draft. The downside to this all the time remains that only a small percentage contribute right away. The rest are drafted on potential for years down the road. Case in point, DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins has carried over many of the concerns on his work ethic, maturity, and attitude issues to the NBA Casino Games Online . Resulting in multiple suspensions, fines, and an NBA coach having to baby sit Cousins when he shouldn’t have too.

Cousins is acting like an immature college student, which is where he should be. A sophomore on a Kentucky team possibly leading them further than their exit of last season.

The NBA seems to be getting younger and younger and it is. Teams are having to drift further out to find seasoned athletes to offset rookies not ready to play. Venturing to international teams to pickup players that couldn’t make it in the NBA out of college, but have grown their game overseas. The development league has also helped fill out rosters.

Tyler Hansbrough is an example of how the NBA Draft is supposed to work. The team realized they were aging depth wise, but also realized Hansbrough would need to be brought along slowly. Not be useless and sit on the bench, but earn his minutes based on his play. Jeff Foster and Mike Dunleavy aren’t necessarily going to be on the Pacers team a year from now or two years. Hansbrough is the guy that the Pacers truly believed will fill in and be able to start.

Hansbrough’s rookie season was filled with injuries, but thus far in his sophomore campaign he has proven to be a quiet gem. His energy has translated to many hustle points, and the older Pacers are feeding off that. The Pacers bench is now becoming a force. When AJ Price, Hansbrough, and rookie Paul George enter , the intensity is going to be raised on both ends. It all starts and leads based on Hansbrough. A simple deflection out of bounds or a missed put back affects Hansbrough tremendously. His expressions show it, and he plays with a huge amount of emotion on the court.

Good for Indiana. They’ve drafted properly. Notice the trend of their younger athletes and what their class of collegiate ranks were coming out. AJ Price, Hansbrough, and Danny Granger. Even Roy Hibbert and Paul George at least played multiple years in college.

Hansbrough currently is available in 83% of Yahoo Leagues. Don’t expect that too last much longer. After the All-Star break you’d expect Hansbrough’s minutes to increase. Indiana is in the race for the eighth seed, but the future relies with their depth and bench rotation. He has had a solid January and February statistically and will be garnering more minutes if his play keeps up.