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Sorry for the all-caps title! this is gonna be a biased blog for my favorite team. The Chicago Bulls won the draft lottery and has a chance to get back to the playoffs as early as next year. For me, I think the Bulls should go for Derrick Rose. Michael Beasley might be the best player in the draft, and is almost sure to win Rookie of the Year honors, but with the emergence of the phenomenal point guards and how it affects the team (Chris Paul, Deron Williams), I think the Bulls should go with Rose.

Derrick Rose carried the Memphis Tigers to the National Title and I think he can do the same with the Bulls, especially with Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, and young prospects Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas in the line-up.

I hope this is the year the Bulls will legitimately come back to being a contender.

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Last season, when Kobe was eliminated, Derek FIsher was deep into the playoffs. Then came the news on Fisher’s Daughter’s cancer. Fisher needed to move to a city where there are facilities that can cure Fisher’s daughter. He moved to L.A.

Kobe was delighted to have his most trusted teammate back in a Laker uniform. Fisher was the veteran presence they needed. Now, he has played big for the Lakers. Unfortunately for the Jazz, it was Fisher, the guy they let go for his daughter’s cause, who nailed the dagger in game 2 of the Lakers-Jazz series.

The Lakers is often about Kobe Bryant, but after reading Ludden’s column, this duo may somehow be likened to the famous quote about Jordan and Pippen, “Michael never won a ring without Scottie.” The Lakers is not just about Kobe Bryant, it can also be about Derek Fisher.

“If he doesn’t come back, I’m not coming back,” Arenas said Wednesday in a post on his blog.

Arenas can opt out of his contract with the Wizards, a move he has publicly stated that he will do for more money. Jamison will become a free agent and expect many teams to acquire the services of Jamison who steered the Wizards into a playoff spot despite injuries to Arenas and Caron Butler.

Arenas and Jamison have been teammates the past four season in Washington and two season in Golden State. Arenas said that Jamison is part of his success as a player. So having Jamison back is a must for Ernie Grunfeld if he wants Arenas back.

For more topics about the Wizards and the recently concluded Cleveland-Washington Series, visit Gilbert Arenas Blog.

Niko’s Sports Blog

The Cleveland Cavs fell victim to the “Kevin Garnett basketball show”. Garnett scored 28 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists to lead the Celtics to a 1-0 series lead on a night 2 of the big three were having off-nights. Garnett was amazing both on the offensive and the defensive ends. When the Celtics didn’t know where to get the points from, they went to one man that can surely create some shots.

LeBron James was held to just 12 points on 2-of-18 shooting, but vowed that he won’t have the same fate in game 2.

“I can’t play no worse than I did last night,” James said.

Whatever the players may say, game 2 promises to be another exciting one. Hopefully, this game would show more “on fire nights” rather than a couple of off-nights from superstars. LeBron has to comeback strong, or else the Cavs are doomed. For the Celtics, they hope Paul Pierce and Ray Allen comes back and contribute to the “Kevin Garnett Basketball Show.”

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The NBA playoffs is the most important part of the NBA season. This is when you find out if your team’s offseason or mid-season moves are worth it and will take your team to the NBA Finals. This is the time when the game gets more physical compared to the regular season. The true character of a player, or a team, shows in the playoffs. Is your favorite player a true superstar? Or will choke when it comes to the last shot of a game 7 of an NBA playoff series? In short, the playoffs is the most heart-thumping part of an NBA season. Not being able to watch it…SUCKS!

Our cable provider had a disagreement with the cable channel that carries all the NBA games in the Philippines late last year. Early in January, all I could do was read the news on the internet. I write about the NBA a lot in my Sports Blog, that’s why it was hard for me not to watch the games.

But come February, I discovered a way to watch the games online. Their called P2P Channels. These channels give live feeds of live events such as sports, news channels, movies, tv shows, etc., to people all over the world. How do you use it? First, you have to download a P2P player. I’ve got three on my computer: SOPCast, TVU, and TVAnts. There are more players, so just pick what suits you best. Once I have installed the player on my computer, I go to http://myP2P.eu and look for live sports and click it. There you will find the NBA Playoff Schedule and the games that are available. Just pick a game, click play, and there you go, you’re off to watching your favorite NBA team…LIVE!!!

Good luck to all the teams! Hope all of you could watch the NBA Playoffs!

Niko’s Sports Blog

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Jason Kidd

and

Ben Wallace

Were the trades better for them? Are they happier now in their new home? Let’s find out:

1. Ben Wallace, Cleveland Cavaliers, C – Wallace is now in a better position than when he was with the Bulls. The Bulls counted on him to become a big time player in his not-so-prime days.With young players surrounding Wallace, they counted on him for leadership, which he could not bring. Now, all he has to do is do LeBron’s dirty work. The Cavs is a better fit for Wallace because he can concentrate on rebounding, blocking shots, and waiting for putbacks.

2. Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks, PG – Kidd was miserable in New Jersey. With that said, I think it shows in his game right now that he is happier now. Kidd‘s numbers went up a bit (including his shooting percentage) but I don’t think he can sustain it the whole season. But still, he is better now in Dallas because he is in a better playing environment for him.

3. Shawn Marion, Miami Heat, SF – Marion is not in a good position right now. Yes he wanted more playing time from Mike D’Antoni in Phoenix, and now he has them in Miami. But Dwyane Wade has quit on this season and Marion‘s inability to carry a team on his own will be exposed. Shawn Marion was never a go-to guy in Phoenix. He had Jason Kidd, or Steve Nash to create for him. So now that Wade is out for the season, Marion has to carry the Heat on his shoulders, which I think he could not do.

4. Mike Bibby, Atlanta Hawks, PG – The Hawks are having another disappointing season despite the playoff push. By trading for Bibby, they improved their roster, mainly for next season. On Bibby‘s part, I think he is enjoying a new system of running with the Hawks. He has had 2 double-digit assist games with the Hawks – something he hasn’t done since 2005. I think Bibby is a good fit for the Hawks especially since the team has just been waiting for a quality point guard for them to become an above average team. I think next season will be more exciting for Bibby.

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(This list is according to http://nbadraft.net, March 3, 2008.)

1. Michael Beasley, 6-9 235 SF K.St. Fr.
2. Derrick Rose 6-3 195 PG Memphis Fr.
3. Brook Lopez 7-0 260 C Stanford So.
4. Jerryd Bayless 6-3 182 PG Arizona Fr.
5. DeAndre Jordan 7-0 250 C TX A&M Fr.
6. Eric Gordon 6-4 220 SG Indiana Fr.
7. Nicolas Batum 6-8 210 SG France 1988
8. Danilo Gallinari 6-9 210 SF Italy 1988
9. Russell Westbrook 6-4 187 SG UCLA So.
10. OJ Mayo 6-4 210 SG USC Fr.

OJ Mayo used to be the number 1 prospect for the 2008 draft before the college season began. But due to great performances of other prospects, and a not so explosive season for Mayo, he is now at number 10.

One prospect I am excited to see in the NBA is Texas A&M center Deandre Jordan. To me, he resembles the game of Dwight Howard. Although he is very far from what Howard is right now, the potential is there. He has a long wingspan that makes him very effective on the defensive end. He also is capable of creating explosive offensive plays. Right now, he is at number 5. But if shows some more of solid performances, he may climb up the ranks and get picked earlier than 5.

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