TOP 10 NBA Storylines (2012-13)

Whats up my peoples! With the 2012 NBA season ending up with Bron Bron, DWade, and Bosh getting that elusive NBA Title over the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder (brushing the haters off in the process), it setup a amazingly busy off-season which had some good (Olympic Gold), some bad (Dwight Howard  saga), and some ugly (Jeremy Lin / Knicks situation); With the NBA 2012-13 Season in gear, we here at SPORTSEFFECTLIVE.COM  would like to present you with the


                                      SELIVE  TOP 10 STORYLINES in the NBA


Drum Roll Please.......LETS GO!



(10) Will the Knicks make a serious run this season?
   The Knicks finished last season much like they started it - in a flux, trying to compete without a full team on display (Jeremy Lin knee & Amare smashing hand, Baron Davis hurt, changing of coaches) against a team the Knicks feel like they was as talented as and as good as (Miami). And while they was dealt a quick first round exit to the eventual champion Heat, the Knicks went away feeling as if they could - dare say it - beat that Miami Heat team, with a few changes, to say the least. So they ditched Twitter legend and 10 game sensation Jeremy Lin for a more solid, but sometimes silent Raymond Felton, and signed Hall of Fame PG Jason Kidd; They brang Rasheed (pronounced RAAAH-SHEEEED) Wallace out of retirement to shore up the frontcourt, and with Melo staying in shape year round and keeping coach Mike Woodson to start the season, there is no reason why the Knicks couldn't.....win a first round series this season?
Note: Amar'e Stoudamire is injured for first 6-8 wks with knee injury, making Rasheed that much more valuable.

(9) Are the Brooklyn Nets gonna take over crown as "King of New York?" 

  In the rap game, there are a few cats that could rightfully claim one of the most prestigous positions in history. Biggie, Nas, Jay-Z, 50, Diddy to name em. King of New York has one of the most powerful sounds to it in the english language.  Just ooooozes power, fame, fortune. And now, with the Brooklyn Nets in their new incredible playground (Barclay Arena), move over Knicks, as the Nets owner, (a Russian version of Ivan Drago In A Suit) tries to take the Nets where they have never been before. Teaming with Jay-Z definitely helped his cred (streed cred, to be exact) as Prokhorov has been loose with the pockets (signing Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, and Brooke Lopez) and has repeatedly said his 5-year plan will bring him a title. Will Prokorov take the Jay-Z Blueprint route? Or will he be more on the Vanilla Ice plan? I'd have to say right now, "Ice Ice baby" as Prokhorov has delivered a amazing one hit wonder with his new Arena and Team; Question is can he create a Classic Album? Remains to be seen.


(8)  Rookie Report 
Every season there is rookies who look to shape the future of the league, and this season is no different as colleges finest head to the pros. With Unibrow expert Anthony Davis leading the way, here is some rookies to look for to make a IMMEDIATE impact:

  Anthony Davis (New Orleans) - Davis reminds me of a young Marcus Camby, but with better skills on O. He can single handedly win a game without scoring 5 points, and he will keep the Hornets competitive every night. And he will be rookie of the year as well.
   Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte) - Kidd-Gilchrist is not the most recognizable player, nor will he amaze you with his high flying tactics or flashy moves, but one thing will be evident; his overall skills will help Charlotte climb up the ladder this season. He's a stat sheet stuffer who will become a lockdown defender and a 14 point, 7 board type of guy this year.
   Damian Lillard (Portland)  - Lillard lit up the summer league and preseason, and will get his chance to be the dynamic PG he is. With some good pieces already in place, he will fit seamlessly and could help the Blazers get to the playoffs. Rookie of the Year darkhorse.
   Harrison Barnes (Golden St) - Barnes had a good college career, but looked to be already thinking NBA while at UNC. Now that he's in the NBA, look for Barnes to average 15+ this season for the rising Warriors.
   Dion Waiters (Cleveland) - When the Cavs drafted Waiters, there was a feeling of "why they do that?" & "He ain't even start on his college team!"  But when you look more at Waiters, you realize he was the PERFECT pick. A confident combo guard who can shoot from real deep and can slash to the hoop as well, he will have ample opportunity to do his thing. If his defense turns up, he will be on the short list for Rookie of the Year.
   Jared Sullinger (Boston) - Sullinger dropped a little because of his "lack of explosion & knee problems" but his first bucket in the NBA was - a fast break dunk. Point made. Sullinger will be a key piece of the Celtics run if they want to get back to the NBA Finals.


Two other rookies to watch: Jae Crowder (Dallas) & Bradley Beal (Washington)









(7) Texas Roadbock

Lin-sanity to the Dirty South

  With 3 teams in Texas, there is a constant battle for bragging rights, but which team will be best? Dallas will have Nowitzki out early, but with newcomers O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison in the backcourt and rookie F Jae Crowder coming on strong, the Mavs could be a late season suprise; The Spurs will depend on their vets to keep them atop the league, but can they get back to the Finals with a old aging team? And the Rockets made the splash of the preseason, trading to get James Harden and Daequan Cook, but will they have enough to get into the upper echelon of the West? And will Lin-sanity continue to ball out in the dirty south? A Lin - Harden backcourt is very intriguing.



(6)  Battle for LA

  Last year the Clippers announced that they will be a threat last season by pulling a Kevin McHale (up and under post move) on the Lakers, sneaking Chris Paul and solidifying themselves as a player in the Western Conference Sweepstakes. The Clippers made it to the second round, and now with new players such as Lamar Odom, Matt Barnes, Jamal Crawford, and Grant Hill, can they take the leap over the Lakers? Not so fast Clip Joint, as the Lakers looked to do a one-up with the trade of Dwight Howard and the signing of Steve Nash. Should be a great year for LA. Which team will rise above the other?



BONUS: 
                                     Cavs, Pacers look to make major strides this season.

Cavs Season Outlook: Will the Cavs make the Playoffs?


The Cavs new dynamic backcourt duo

 The Cavs made a great decision to draft Kyrie Irving and Tristian Thompson last season, finally pulling away from the dark LeBron cloud that lingered over the franchise since the "Decision". Irving was the Rookie of the Year and proved the doubters wrong, that although he only played in a handful of college games, he was the real deal. With another bold draft in Dion Waiters, its looks as if he has his backcourt mate for the next 5 years; I said that Waiters would be a double figure scorer as soon as he touches a NBA court, and it looks as if he will (17 in his season opener). If  wild thing Anderson Varaejao can stay healthy, look for the Cavs to snag a 6 or 7 spot this season in the Playoffs.

Pacers Season Outlook:  Can they get to the Eastern Conference Finals?
The Pacers had a great season last year; They won a first round series, and won 2 games from the Heat, actually holding the lead in the second round series (2-1). However, DWade and LeBron woke up, turned up the juice and sent the Pacers packing. With budding talent in Paul George, Danny Granger, and Roy Hibbert, the Pacers will look to move up into the top 5 teams in the NBA. Won't be easy, but the foundation is there. George Hill will be running the show, and if George can take a step up, the Pacers will be a player again in the East. Only thing is, this season, nobody will overlook Indiana, which means they will have to come to play every night. Can they take it to the next level?

Note: They won't have Larry Legend looking over their shoulder this season.


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 NEXT ARTICLE : TOP 5 STORYLINES OF THE NBA SEASON (Friday)

Will Knicks sign Lin today or let him go to Rockets? NBA Coach holds Youth Camp; Mud Volleyball Results

Whats good my sports peeps! Another exciting weekend of sports action. Heres the biggest SELIVE HOT 5 HEADLINES for the weekend:


(1) Reds sweep Cards, stay on top of NL Central

BPhillips and Molina about to go at it

  With the second part of the MLB season heating up, and the fact that two Reds players were snubbed by Ex-Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa for the all-star game, this series was important, and the Reds delivered, sweeping St.Louis after ex-Card Scott Rolen hit a GW-2RBI double to put Reds 4 up on the Cards, and 1 up on the Pirates for first in the NL Central. Don't be surprised if Cards and Reds are left fighting for the division come September.

 (2) Brees $100 Million Dollar Man

 Drew Brees ended his lengthy holdout on the last day as the Saints gave him a 5-yr, $100 million dollar deal, with 40 mil up front. Wow. Can you say #winning?... I guess the Saints realized that he will be a player-coach this season, as the guy who got em to come to the Big Easy (Coach Sean Payton) is suspended for a year. Look for Brees, who broke the single seasom passing record last year, to do the same.



(3) Melo calls Lin's contract offer "Ridiculous"; Knicks opt not to resign Lin
     Carmelo Anthony has been the center of attention - again - after saying that the offer that the Knicks had to match from Houston (3 years, 25 million) was "ridiculous." Soon after, the Knicks signed Jason Kidd, traded for Raymond Felton, and the Knicks have looked Lin off more than Melo did when he was in the game. Funny, that it was Melo who advised his coach that Lin should play. Maybe he means "just not on my team."




(4) NBA Coach Tom Townsley holds basketball camp (YMCA) in Dayton

   NBA shooting Coach Thom Townsley held his annual Youth Basketball Camp in Dayton (YMCA Huber Heights and Springboro) last week. Townsley, who currently works with players from the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, was excited to help the young kids become better players and people, as there were a lot more participants in the event than last year. When asked about the Pacers next season, Townsley thinks that Paul George will be a player to watch for next season.  NOTE: SportsEffectLive.com will be having Townsley on the show this summer. SportsEffectLive.com also helped SPONSOR the Camp for the 2nd Year, and seeing the growth in the camp is a definite positive.


(5) Mud Volleyball Tourney goes down

Some of the players gettin down n dirty

    The Annual MUD VOLLEYBALL Tourney went down last weekend (20 years strong) as over 300 teams battled it out in the biggest volleyball tourney in the Miami Valley. With over 50 sponsors, hundreds of tents, and great food and drinks on display? Definitely was a great time. As long as you dont mind gettin dirty..... SportsEffectLive will DEFINITELY have a team in it next year! Whos ridin?