Pearls of Wisdom From Charles Oakley

Check out this feature on Charles Oakley, when he stopped by Toronto recently.

Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers...Two Teams With Very Bright Futures

Is it possible to play so well that fans actually start to panic?

The situation I'm referring to is in Sacramento. The Kings are a modest 8-8, half a game out of eighth playoff spot in the west.

It doesn't sound like a great record, but given that they are 7-4 without guard Kevin Martin and his 30-ppg average, some Kings fans are starting to wonder if they are better off without him.

Martin is a big time scorer and has been getting to the line almost 10 times per game over the last four seasons.

There are two reasons why I would consider trading him. First, Martin does little else other than score the ball. He only gets a hand full of rebounds and his career high in assists is 2.7-per game.

For a player who is on the floor as much as he is (37-minutes per game over the last four seasons), it's not good enough.

The second reason is that Martin is injury prone. While no player chooses to become injured all the time, it's hard not to notice the fact that Martin missed 21 games in 2007-08, 31 last year and he's slated to miss at least another 15 on top of the 11 he's missed already with his fractured wrist.

Sacramento has a bright future with Tyreke Evans, Donte Green and Jason Thompson so maybe it's time they put out a few feelers out for Martin to see what they can get for him.

Certainly the Kings could use another scorer, just one who isn't injured as often as Martin.

*****

Still in the northeast and the despite boasting a 12-7 record, all is not well with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Portland lost at home to the Memphis Grizzlies last Friday, then got dumped by the Utah Jazz a night later.

The problem?

The Blazers seem to have too much offense. Brandon Roy is the teams undisputed leader. He's easily in the top 10 players in the league but this year his numbers are down. He's scoring about three points per game less than last year, but more importantly, despite taking fewer field goals, his percentage is down also.

Part of the reason stems from the fact that Greg Oden is finally becoming an option in Portland's offense. However, the problem is that he is taking up the lane more than he has done in the past, and that means that Roy - who loves to attack the hoop - can't get into the paint as often as he would like.

Portland has a brilliant head coach in Nate McMillan. He is one of the most underrated coaches in the league and because the Blazers made the playoffs last season, losses like the one at home to Memphis weren't part of the plan this year.

I think that it will all turn out ok for the Blazers. They are still young but behind Roy and Aldridge, they have a solid core. They're not quite ready to win it all just yet, but watch out in two or three years time.

*****

I think the Philadelphia 76ers would be mad to sign Allen Iverson.

On Monday, before the game against the Dallas Mavericks, Iverson and his entourage met with Sixers GM Ed Stefanski and head coach Eddie Jordan.

And, it appears that Philadelphia will roll the dice with their former golden boy.

This will end in tears. Iverson and Philly are done. They had 11 sometimes good years together, but a reunion now would be a disaster.

Iverson clearly has absolutely no desire to win a championship.

If he did, he wouldn't be going to play for Philadelphia again. Instead he would pester a team like the Lakers, Cavs or Celtics, telling them he's willing to do whatever he can to get his hands on the Larry O'Brien trophy.

But, nope. He wants to go back to being a ball hog in Philadelphia.

While the Sixers season isn't going to well (they've lost seven straight), the young nucleas of players they have such as Lou Williams and Marreese Speights gives Philadelphia a bright future. One that gets dimmed if Iverson returns.

Iverson should know also that the only reason the Sixers are interested is because of the spate of injuries they've suffered. Otherwise, they wouldn't consider it.

Nope, Iverson's time as a Sixer should be over. There's just no way that this story has a fairytale ending.

Memphis and Denver Lose Ugly, Oklahoma's Future Continues To Look Bright

As stated in my weekly power rankings, just as the Memphis Grizzlies looked all set to blow out the LA Clippers, Memphis falls apart. They scored just seven points in the fourth quarter and gave up a 22-point lead to the Clips.

If it was the Lakers, Celtics, Suns or Magic that Memphis had fallen to, then it could have been explained as a young team melting down against an experienced playoff contender, but the Clippers? Seriously, the Clippers? No one ever collapses like that against LA's other team.

I really like Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo but the one guy who is underrated on that team is Marc Gasol. He's not sexy by any means, but Gasol gets the job done. The Grizzlies have a decent young core, but they can't afford these types of mental slip ups if they want to be taken seriously.

Understandably, Clipsnation was all smiles today. There's a lot of love for Eric Gordon who was playing his third game back. He led the Clippers with 29 points. I think Gordon is a player in the Vinnie Johnson mould. He's lots of energy and scores in bunches.

*****

Pretty disgusting effort by the Denver Nuggets to lose to the Timberwolves. Here's an interesting look at the Nuggets season from Denverstiffs blogger.

The Nuggets have had a fairly easy schedule so far and haven't quiet capitalized on it.

Still, it's not the end of the world that they lost to Minnesota. Eventually, the Wolves were going to win again and they will probably end up with 15-20 wins.

The message should be clear for the Nuggets that they aren't quite as good as they thought they were early into this season.

*****

While the Nuggets have had a light schedule so far, that isn't the case for the Oklahoma City Thunder who are only 9-8. But as pointed out here, OKC hasn't yet faced most of the leagues bad teams.

Also, four of their wins have been against Orlando, Miami, Utah and San Antonio.

It is fun watching the Thunder grow and develop together. Kevin Durant is the superstar and he has a very strong supporting cast around him.

*****

Milwaukee Bucks guard Carlos Delfino is not noted for his defense, but check him out here.

NBA Power Rankings: Suns Go Top, Mavs and Hawks Tumble

Ok, so it looks like I've just randomly inserted a photo of a hot chick, but hear me out.

I think it sums up life for the Phoenix Suns right now.

They are smokin' hot and it's smiles all around and besides, she's got much better hair than Steve Nash.

The Golden State Warriors won only once this week, but it was a biggy—against the Dallas Mavericks who appear to retain some mental scars from that 2007 playoff defeat to Golden State.

At least the Mavericks had a better week than Tiger Woods , who apparently scored one birdie too many recently.

Ok, enough silly jokes, onto The Daily Hurt's weekly power rankings.

1. PHOENIX SUNS - The Suns have won four straight and by an average margin of 21 points. Steve Nash says that he reads every negative article that's written about him saying that he is too old and too slow and uses it for motivation. So, as someone who loves watching him play, Steve, you're too old and too slow.




2. ORLANDO MAGIC - The Magic were a Michael Beasley dunk away from being on a nine game winning streak. Sunday's win at New York was Orlando's sixth straight on the road, which suggests they are in good shape for a stretch where they play four of the next five away from Amway Arena.



3. LA LAKERS - You know everything is going well in the Lakers camp when Phil Jackson's biggest concern was the color of Ron Artest's underwear during his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel last week.


4. BOSTON CELTICS - By their own admission , the Celtics haven't been playing their best basketball lately, but they've been winning, which is all that counts, especially as they play six of the next seven on the road.


5. ATLANTA HAWKS - I could excuse the home loss to the Orlando Magic last Thursday, but Sunday's loss at Detroit was the Hawks third in the last four games. Atlanta plays six of their next eight at home and only one (Utah) has a record over .500.


6. SAN ANTONIO SPURS - Even the Spurs need a little help occassionally. San Antonio has won five straight and while it wasn't their toughest week in terms of opponents, they used it to gather momentum just in time for a week in which they host the Celtics and Nuggets.


7. DENVER NUGGETS - 'Melo had a party against the Knicks going for a career high 50 on Saturday night, but Minnesota delivered the hangover on Sunday when they overcame a 17-point deficit to shock the Nuggets...and well pretty much any sane basketball mind quite frankly.


8. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS - Last week I asked the question whether or not the Cavs were better without Shaq . Cleveland went 5-1 with Diesel sitting out and lost to the Bobcats in his return, before beating the Mavs. Make of it what you will, but I'm certainly not convinced that O'Neal makes them better than they were last year.


9. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER - If you're still not overly impressed by the Thunder's 9-8 record, it's worth noting that they haven't faced the Nets, Grizz, T'Wolves, Sixers or Warriors yet which gives you some idea of how tough Oklahoma's early schedule has been and why I have them this high.


10. DALLAS MAVERICKS - What made the Mavericks loss to the Warriors so bad was that two of Golden State's six healthy players were Mikki Moore and Vladimir Radmanovic, hardly all-star talent. It begs the question, is Dallas mentally strong enough?


11. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS - Just how do the Blazers explain the 31-2 run they allowed the Memphis Grizzlies to go on during the home loss on Friday night? Head coach Nate McMillan had every right to call out Blazers captains Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge after that performance.


12. UTAH JAZZ -Jerry Sloan rarely gets excited at the best of times, but even he had to be impressed with his team after they shot better than 60-percent from the field two games in a row.


13. MIAMI HEAT - Dwyane Wade is good enough to keep the Heat in the play-off mix by himself, but he sure could use some help as Miami heads out west for a tough four-game road trip, which includes stops at Portland, Denver, and the Lakers.


14. HOUSTON ROCKETS - The Rockets ended a tough week on a bitter-sweet note when they lost Luis Scola to an eye injury, but won at Oklahoma City. Hopefully Scola doesn't miss much time as he has been superb this season, and might be the leagues most under-rated player.


15. MILWAUKEE BUCKS - The Bucks shouldn't be too upset with their 0-4 week. It was tough, and for the most part they were competitive. In case you missed it, check out Brandon Jennings on PTI this week. The kid's got a solid head on his shoulders to match his game.


16. INDIANA PACERS - Remember when Danny Granger predicted the Pacers would beat the Celtics and they went out and did it? Why doesn't he predict wins more often?


17. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES - I was just about to write how the Grizzlies had won three of their last four and were starting to earn some respect. Then on Sunday they get outscored 33-7 in the fourth quarter against the Clippers and "stuff" if all up.


18. SACRAMENTO KINGS - Maybe the Kings felt sleighted that they were pegged as the team most likely to lose to the Nets, but Sacramento held firm. They also went 3-0 versus the "New" teams last week.


19. NEW ORLEANS HORNETS - When Chris Paul returns, he'll expect nothing less than the effort he's seen from his team during his absence. If the Hornets can keep it up, there's no reason why they can't be considered a playoff team again.


20. LA CLIPPERS - After the 0-4 start, the Clippers have gone 8-6 since. It's not quite time to start the talk of them toppling the Lakers as LA's No. 1 team, but the signs are there that the Clips are improving.


21. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS - Gerald Wallace was a beast this week. He went for 25 points and 14 rebounds and the Bobcats won all three games, including one over the Cavs and have four straight overall. I still have never found out who came up with the name "Bobcats."


22. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS - The dubs only went 1-2 for the week, but the victory over the Mavs warrants a rise in the rankings. While I wish Don Nelson a speedy recovery, I can't ignore the fact that Monta Ellis looks free in his absence.


23. TORONTO RAPTORS - The Raptors keep harping on about how they are an improved team defensively, then they go out and give up 116 points to the Charlotte Bobcats. There's just no backbone to this team.


24. CHICAGO BULLS - Chicago only played twice last week but lost both games by a combined 43 points. The Bulls have lost four straight overall and the circus road trip still isn't over; they are at Milwaukee on Monday night.


25. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS - Yes, Lou Williams broken jaw was a devastating blow to the already shorthanded Sixers, but it doesn't mean they should bring back Allen Iverson . Philly has lost six straight and it doesn't get any easier as they are at Dallas, OKC and Charlotte this week.


26. WASHINGTON WIZARDS - Antawn Jamison is back and Gilbert Arenas is healthy, yet the Wizards still can't get it together. My prediction: One of the big three is traded before February's deadline.


27. DETROIT PISTONS - Detroit needed something special to halt their seven game slide and Ben Wallace delivered it. Big Ben grabbed 18 boards in the win over the Hawks on Sunday. Was anyone else expecting just a little more out of Rodney Stuckey this year?


28. NEW YORK KNICKS -The Knicks have lost four straight, but at least they're finally shown some fight. They're still only better than the Wolves and the Nets though.


29. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES - With Lawrence Frank gone, the coaching spotlight turns to Kurt Rambis. Minnesota was only one win better off than the Nets and the T'Wolves had a worse points differential (-4.1 through Sunday) than New Jersey when Frank was gunned. Overcoming a 17 point deficit to rock the Nuggets in Denver on Sunday was a good start though.


30. NEW JERSEY NETS - It had to happen. Regardless of the injuries, Lawrence Frank somehow had to scratch out a victory to save his job and he just couldn't do it.
    

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No Love For Ex-Gators Team Mates Horford and Noah, Lots of Love Two of Argentina's Best

Two of the leagues best young big men were in action on Thursday night but neither came away with a victory.

Al Horford's Atlanta Hawks lost at home for the first time this season, going down 93-76 to the Orlando Magic, while in Utah, Joakim Noah's Chicago Bulls were never really in it against the Utah Jazz, losing 105-86.

Both guys though are having monster seasons and it's great to see.

Noah is averaging career highs in points (11.1ppg), rebounds (11.7rpg), blocks (1.6bpg) and even assists (2.4apg). It helps that he's playing almost 10 minutes more per game this season than last, but he's earned it.

Horford, he's also posting career bests in points (12.9ppg), rebounds (10.0rpg) and blocks (1.7bpg) and the Atlanta Hawks at 11-4 are tied for second best record in the East.

The Bulls aren't travelling quite as well at 6-8, but they are in the middle of a tough Western road swing.

Their record should even out over the next month or so.

Apart from the numbers though, it's the way they've both been playing. Noah's confidence is sky high and a lot of it stems from his performance in the playoffs last year against the Celtics. He knows that he doesn't have a shooting stroke like Ray Allen but Noah is aggressive and always attacks the rim hard.

I love that.

Too many players still go too softly when going inside and get the ball spiked away, but Noah always puts the emphasis on the defenders to try and block him.

That's the way big men should play.

Horford is the same. Throw it down like a man. And he does.

It's great to see these two former team mates rounding into big-time big-men at around the same time. Hopefully, they develop some form of mid-range jump shot and become truly dominant.

*****

Friday night on the sched, the New Jersey Nets get their 16th shot at going for a win.

They are in Sacramento and while it doesn't look good for the Nets, if they don't get it done tonight, their bid to avoid the worst start ever means they'll have to beat the Lakers.

The Kings have been one of the surprise teams in the league (6-8) but have lost four of the last five. Rookie Tyreke Evans has been outstanding (19ppg, 5.1rpg, 4.9apg) and fellow rookie Donte Greene is coming off a crazy night - 24 points (6-for-7 three pointers), five assists and SIX blocks.

Good luck to the Nets. Head coach Lawrence Frank probably will be fired within the week, but I think we'll see him coaching again soon. He might look like a 12-year-old, but he's proved that he can cut it.

*****

Elsewhere, two Argentines go at it in Houston. Manu Ginobili's Spurs take on Luis Scola and the Rockets.

I have the utmost respect for the way these two play the game. Tough, hard and fair. Both are World Champions and Manu is a three-time NBA champ. Hopefully Luis gets an NBA ring during his career. I doubt it will happen this season with the Rockets but you never know.

Check out this romantic shot of the two !

I interviewed Luis Scola earlier in the season (it will feature on http://www.thescore.com/) soon and he was one of the most professional and polite people I've ever met. There was no attitude or ego with him at all.

We talked mainly about soccer as it was just after Argentina had qualified for the World Cup so he was happy but also relieved as the albeceleste almost missed out.

Also, while many England fans will never, ever forgive Maradona for the 'hand of god' goal, Scola said that he felt sympathy for England.

True Class.

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Allen Iverson: The Soldier Who Refused Help

And so it ends for Allen Iverson.

Unwanted and unloved, the answer for Iverson is retirement.

He remains too stubborn for his own good but stubbornness is not a strength—it's a weakness.

At one time or another, everyone of us has had to accept change. Like it or not, it's a part of life.

Those who adapt, learn from it, move on and usually become better people.

Those who don't end eventually up being forgotten and passed over.

After a career of being "the man" and being in spotlight, when it dimmed, he didn't want to step away.

For all his prodigious talent, Iverson wasn't a leader. He was a soldier who didn't know how to bring the best out of his team mates.

His career was always all about him. He didn't know how to share and he looked uncomfortable when he was asked to do it.

Iverson's legacy is one of contradictions.

He was truly a great individual talent. Someone who fought well above his weight. He was tough and uncompromising.

But he would bend to nobody. No player, no team.

Everyone had to accommodate him. Change their game, their style.

It was his refusal to compromise that would prove to be his undoing.

When he was traded to the Pistons last year, it gave him a chance to prove that he winning meant more to him that scoring titles did. For years, he groaned and griped about not having team mates to help him compete for a title.

Finally, he got one in Detroit. For the first time in his career, he would be playing with a group who had won it all together. Maybe that Pistons team together was coming to an end as well, but it was hoped that Iverson would be the injection the Pistons needed.

This would be the ultimate test of Iverson's character.

And he failed it. Miserably.

In Memphis it was the same story this year. He talked a good game but didn't back it up.

He lasted only three games.

It didn't have to end this way for Iverson. It could have been and should have been more.

He's only 34. Still young enough and healthy enough to play for a good few years.

He still has the talent to play at the NBA level.

Unfortunately though, Iverson just doesn't have the smarts to go with it.

He just doesn't understand that no team is going to build around him. He's had his time and now it's over. There are other roles for him now, but he's not interested.

For him, it's all or nothing and the league's teams have spoken: nothing.

Once again, Iverson gets his way.

It's reasonable to think this isn't the last we've seen of Iverson. As injuries mount, teams will surely consider him as the playoffs draw near, especially if they feel that the former MVP and scoring champ can get them over the line.

For now Iverson in the NBA is no more.

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The Golden State of Texas For The Warriors...No Iverson In Boston...and Kevin Durant Is Better Than Michael and LeBron

Just how do the Golden State Warriors do it? Only six players played, yet the Warriors dumped the Mavericks 111-103. According to Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, it was mental and physical.
"Yeah, mental. Maybe it's physical too, but I don't know. We've had too many of these games at home where we've lost focus. We've been able to win the majority of them, but tonight we left too much to chance in the last six minutes."

You would think that the Mavericks would be up for any contest against Golden State after what the Warriors did to Dallas back in 2007.

But, as it was in the playoffs, Dallas simply must have overlooked them. Again.

It's funny in sport how some teams just have the wood over others. Dallas wasn't at full strength either, but Golden State's lineup included non-All-Stars Mikki Moore and Vladimir Radmanovic, guys who would otherwise be making up the numbers on any team.

It was an awful loss for Dallas and another reason why they won't win a championship with this crop of players. They are mentally fragile and they get worse in the playoffs.

Good on Golden State though. I would love to see them get it together even though I doubt that this win will amount to anything serious. They'll remain in the western basement.

*****

One team that appears to be heading out of the basement is the Milwaukee Bucks. Rookie Brandon Jennings has been disgustingly good so far, but in typical understated style, coach Scott Skiles isn't getting carried away.

"We're an eighth of the way in, so I don't think it's time to be handing out any medals right now," Skiles said.

I love Skiles hard nosed approach to coaching. It doesn't always mesh with his players but all he's ever asked for is the same accountability from his players as he expects from himself.

It has been suggested that his coaching style is an act that wears thin after a while, but I think he could be a very good coach if he gets the right players and he may have that now in Milwaukee.

The Bucks have been excellent so far, especially as they've had injuries to Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut.

*****

The Boston Celtics have been very healthy by comparison to most of the league and that is part of the reason the team isn't interested in signing free agent sulk Allen Iverson.

I'm not surprised at all that the Celtics discussed picking him up. It might be the only team that Iverson might realize that the whole basketball, no wait, entire world doesn't revolve around him and accept coming off the bench.

Then again, this is Iverson so he probably wouldn't do it anyway.

I would have loved to have been a fly on that dressing room wall though when the idea was tossed around.

*****

One team that certainly doesn't need Iverson is the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Last night, they brushed past the Utah Jazz, 104-94.

Kevin Durant is dis-gus-ting. He has got all the tools to be a genuine superstar in the league.

He is as skinny as a rake and like Chris Bosh, he'll probably always look like he could do with steak, but he is so talented.

*****

Interesting story here out of Portland. Blazers franchise star Brandon Roy opts not to stand with his team mates during the national anthem before home games.

It's caused a bit of controversy as it is viewed as disrespectful and that while Roy says he just likes to be by himself and gather his thoughts, it's suggested that it might be more a silent protest.

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