Carmelo Anthony, Team USA Shatter Olympic Records

Posted on August 3, 2012 by OneManFastbreak.net

The most impressive part about the United States’ 156-73 destruction of Nigeria in the preliminary round of the men’s basketball tournament at the 2012 London Olympics was Carmelo Anthony’s 37 points in 14 minutes.

Think about it. Melo made13 of 16 shots from the field and was 10-for-12 from behind the 3-pointer arc (a couple of feet shorter than the NBA line). He did all that in 14 minutes! That’s not even a complete half of basketball. Had Anthony played another 14 minutes he could have easily reached 60 points, which would have broken Oscar Schmidt’s single-game mark of 55 points.

Anthony set the U.S. Olympic mark for points in a game in less than three quarters, breaking Stephon Marbury’s old record of 31 points set in the 2004 Athens Olympics. The U.S. also set the Olympic record for points in a game and points in a half (78), as well as most 3-pointers (26), field goals (59) and best field-goal percentage (71).

“Well, obviously, we just shot better than any team in a game that I have ever coached,” said USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “Our guys just couldn’t miss tonight, and they shared the ball.”

The U.S. had a record-tying 41 assists, including 11 assists from Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers). Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) scored 21 points, Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), who played in the first half only, had 16, Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) had 15; Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) finished with 14; and Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets) had 13 points and was 3-for-3 from 3-point range.

“Well, the support system that we had, that I had with my teammates, you can’t explain that,” Anthony said. “The way that they tell me to shoot the ball, encouraging me to make shots, take shots, but then just to feel it every time, that touch, it’s kind of hard to explain it. If you’ve never done it, you really wouldn’t understand what I’m talking about just in terms of shooting the ball and shooting it well.”

The USA opened with a 13-0 run and had nearly set the record for team 3-pointers made in the first 10 minutes, shooting 11-of-14 from behind the arc in the first quarter – four of those came from Anthony, and three were by Durant. Nigeria tried to slow the pace with timeouts at 7:16 and 2:06, but its efforts were in vain as the first-quarter buzzer sounded on the USA’s highest scoring quarter of the tournament, 49-25.

“It’s funny to see, man, Durant said. “What Carmelo did was unbelievable. Hopefully we keep it up. We passed the ball well, our guys were knocking down our shots, our point guards made sure we got open shots and we were able to knock them down. So, it was a fun game.”

The previous U.S. Olympic high had been 133 points set by the 1996 squad against China, and the previous all-time Olympic high was 138 points, which was recorded by Brazil in a win over Egypt in 1988.

“It’ll go down in history,” said Andre Iguodala, whose 3-pointer with less than five minutes to play in the fourth quarter broke the scoring record. “It only matters if we achieve our goals. We’re trying to get better as a team going forward. That’s three games down and a few more to go. Our mission is to get the gold and we’re trying to peak at the right time.”

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Post MLB Trade Deadline Thoughts

Posted on August 1, 2012 by TheBaseballPage.com

The Pirates have had a busy day, just not as impact full as some wanted but it has been busy. The Pirates were able to get Wandy Rodriguez as we all know. Now they add Former All -Star 1st baseman from the Miami Marlins Gaby Sanchez for Gorkys Hernandez. They picked up Travis Snider from Toronto for Brad Lincoln. This was the deal that has most people frustrated. Then the Pirates traded Casey McGehee to the Yankees for pitcher Chad Qualls.

The McGehee deal is harmless, he was fine as a defensive first baseman, but has done nothing with the bat in weeks. Gaby Sanchez was a nice pickup, though he has struggled this season. The Previous few seasons have been good, and they have him for multiple seasons. This gives the Bucs depth on the bench and at first to help out Jones. Wandy was a great deal but that was before today so lets move on.

The Big one. Travis Snider is the Pedro Alvarez of Toronto. A guy with huge upside, he’s only 24, and lastly..they Pirates have him for 4 or 5 more seasons. It’s a guy the Pirates have been pursuing all season long from all reports I have seen and heard. The frustration with Pirate fans is the fact that this guy has Potential, but he’s not a crazy good bat right now. The problem I have is the fact that some people have stated and reported that the Pirates missed out on Shane Victorino because they would not give up Lincoln. As if it was a straight up deal Lincoln for Victorino. As you will hear later and for days to come, that was not the case.

Some of the local writers and talk show hosts are really beating up the Pirates for not getting Shane Victorino. He was good and still is pretty good. But Victorino is not one of the greatest lead off men of all time. And They would have only been able to keep him 2 months. And contrary to what some have heard, the Pirates were going to have to give up not only Lincoln, but also one of their minor league gems. In that case, it was just not worth it. My opinion obviously.

And Another thought that I was reading on Twitter this afternoon. The fact that some think this will be a one done opportunity for the Bucs. Like this will be one of the only seasons they can compete. This is not the only season this team will compete. No one in the Central got that much better during the dead line, and in most cases, they all got worse. The Cubs are not going to compete for a championship next season or for a little while. And the Cardinals have some older players that are considered key’s to their team. The Brewers gave away their best pitcher and the Reds picked up a rental, so essentially next season, they will be the same. So this window that the Pirates have is not shrinking. They have an opportunity going forward to compete more often and that still includes this season. Did they get Hunter Pence, Victorino, or Chase Headley? No But that has more to do with the asking prices. I read a quote from the Dodgers ownership group today. It read something along the lines of, the hell with money, make the team better. That would be nice, but not even close to realistic for the Pirates.

This team will continue to compete and at a high level. Will they win a World Series, probably not. Will they compete for a playoff spot? Absolutely. This team made a 15 game upgrade from 2 years ago to last season. This season, they are 15 games over .500. If the season stopped now, a 30 game improvement from last year. It would be great to go out and spend like crazy, but at what cost. The Pirates would have to not only give up future top of rotation players, because, lets face it, that is all they have to trade along with take on huge amounts of salary. So…let’s just all back away from the edge of the Clemente Bridge, take a deep breath, and enjoy the rest of the season. In the Immortal words of Kevin Bacon, “Remain calm…All is well”

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Mark Cuban and Olympic Basketball

Posted on July 29, 2012 by wcornblatt

Today, Marc Cuban told Yahoo! That “…the Olympics are huge for-profit endeavor. It makes no sense that NBA owners subsidize it.” The article then goes on to detail the skepticism of other higher ups in the NBA.

Essentially, those involved in the business of basketball aren’t comfortable with their star players risking injury for no money in return. For the players, it’s a golden marketing opportunity to get exposure internationally. Cuban of course has a point, why should owners and GMs pay players tens of millions of dollars only to risk major injury playing for an event that won’t increase profit for the team? The answer is there is no answer.

Proposing an age limit or preventing star players from participating is certainly not the solution. Basketball is America’s sport through and through, they’ve only not won the gold in four Olympics. It’s our way of asserting ourselves on the international scene. Other teams can’t compete with America’s athleticism and intensity, and the country needs that. It’s important to be reminded how powerful our nation can be, and it always seems like Olympic basketball is a sticking point of patriotism for viewers everywhere. Simply put, it’s the most popular and important Olympic event for Americans, but letting these players participate is bad business, and you’re a fool is you think billionaires are going to allow a bad business decision simply for the pride of our country. It’d be nice if they would, but that’s an idealistic way of thinking that has no foundation in reality.

So in the end, were no closer to a solution. The push for a new system of Olympic basketball players will continue, as will opposition to it, hopefully the debate wages on until I’m long gone. No matter how fiscally irresponsible it is to allow NBA players to represent their country in the Olympics without some sort of profit for the teams they come from, it’s an essential part of the games that can’t be lost…especially for America.

Cole Hamels and His New Deal

Posted on July 25, 2012 by wcornblatt

I remember when Matt Cain signed his mega-contract, I couldn’t believe it! I thought in cumulative terms, and laughed that we’d gotten to the point in the business end of sports that Matt Cain was receiving the largest contract for a right-handed pitcher in baseball history. It just felt like a stretch for a Cain, who seemed solid but not revelatory. That kind of money should mean Cy Young contention every year. In the end, it seems to have worked out. Not only did Cain pitch a perfect game, but he’s 10-3 with a 2.74 ERA, and more importantly his consistency has kept the Giants pitching dangerous despite Tim Lincecum’s dreadful year.

So when Cole Hamels signed a deal that was the second biggest for a pitcher in history, the feelings I had about Cain’s deal resurfaced. As good as Hamels has been, he’s only had one season with an ERA under 3. Even during this season, where he’s been a lone bright spot for the struggling Phillies, he still has a 3.23 ERA. Maybe Cain should’ve taught me a lesson, maybe I’m wrong in thinking that pitching is so cerebral, so fragile, that giving somebody $160 million dollars and expecting six years of dominance is a risky investment.

The Phillies are loaded up with huge contracts for Hamels, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard and Jonathan Papelbon. They’re counting on production and development for years to come. Is that unrealistic in a league where pitchers find serenity and balance one year, only to lose it the next? Maybe or maybe not. Matt Cain proved that developing pitchers can deserve the absurd paydays they’re now receiving, but Tim Lincecum demonstrated that sometimes, the slightest mental and physical lapses can change a career and leave a pitcher lost. The Phillies are betting $160 million that Hamels will follow the former.

10 Best Players in 2012 Las Vegas NBA Summer League

Posted on July 23, 2012 by OneManFastbreak.net

The NBA Summer League just concluded in Las Vegas and a number of young studs, especially rookies, put on impressive performances. OneManFastBreak.net ranks the 10 best players in the Vegas summer league:

Josh Selby, Memphis
After what the former Kansas star did in Vegas you’ll understand why the Grizzlies let O.J. Mayo leave for free agency and sign with the Mavericks. Selby averaged 29 points and shot a mind-boggling 73 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (19-for-26). Overvall, he made 60 percent of his field goal attempts. His best game came against the Bobcats, in which he scored 32 points and made seven of 11 threes.

Damian Lillard, Portland
The Blazers got a good one in Lillard, who should step right into the starting point guard spot vacated by Raymond Felton, who signed with the Knicks. The Weber State standout averaged 26.5 points in Vegas and made 44 percent of his field goals. Aside from his outstanding perimeter game and naturally scoring ability, Lillard also unleashed a nasty side when he posterized Keith Benson on a rim-rattling dunk.

Klay Thompson, Golden State
Thompson absolutely lit up Cox Pavilion on opening night by swishing six of eight shots from behind the 3-point arc and finished with 24 points. With Thompson, Barnes, and Steph Curry, the Warriors will have plenty of firepower from the outside. Thompson, son of former Laker Mychal Thompson, shut it down early in Vegas but he still made a great impression.

Jeremy Lamb, Houston
The UConn Huskies are well represented in the Association and Lamb is the latest offering from Jim Calhoun. Lamb is a smooth player who has the total game — and has a little bit of T-Mac in him. The 6-foot-5 swingman has the pull-up jumper, the floater, and can finish at the rim. He also plays under control, which is rare for a first-year player.

Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio
Leonard had a short stint in the summer league (averaged 25 points in two games), but the Spurs had seen enough and there’s no reason for Leonard to prove himself. Head coach Gregg Popovich loves Leonard’s game and is already a major player in the Spurs’ starting lineup.

Bradley Beal, Washington
The former Florida Gater showed great poise and plays within himself. Beal doesn’t force things and is built like a running back. He should be a good complement to John Wall, who likes to attack the basket instead of stay out in the perimeter.

Terrence Ross, Toronto
Raptors coach Dwane Casey saw a lot of Ross when he played at the University of Washington and liked him enough to make him the Raptors’ first-round pick in the 2012 draft. Ross is a natural scorer with a boatload of confidence. He also had a spectacular reverse dunk in Vegas, letting everyone know he’s the real deal. Ross is Ricky Davis 2.0 without the off-the-court headaches.

Harrison Barnes, Golden State
The ex-Tar Heel scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 66-57 win over Chicago Friday. He has proven he can create his own shot as well as knock down the long 3-pointer. Barnes should be the starting small forward for Golden State when the season begins.

Jared Sullinger, Boston
The former Ohio State All-American is using the disappointment on the draft as motivation. Sullinger is playing with a huge chip on his broad shoulders and taking it out on the competition. He may be undersized (listed at 6-9 but probably closer to 6-8) but Sullinger uses his body real well, especially on the boards. He has also displayed a decent face-up game, which is a prerequisite in Doc Rivers’ offense.

John Henson, Milwaukee
North Carolina is well represented in Vegas with Barnes, Henson, and Tyler Zeller all getting good reviews. Henson has surprised some with his low-post game. We all knew about his shot-blocking ability, but he opened some eyes with some jump hooks (with either hand) and an up-and-under move.

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