Dennis Rodman to Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame forward Scottie Pippen said he hopes former teammate Dennis Rodman gets into the Basketball Hall of Fame, which has him on its nomination list this season. Rodman led the league in rebounding seven straight seasons and was named to the All-Defensive team eight times.

Finalists for the Hall are announced during the NBA All-Star weekend. “We all watched Dennis’ career and we know just how good he was as a basketball player,” Pippen said. “I think we all got caught up in his antics, and things he did away from the game, and it sort of disrespected or took attention away from what he did on the basketball court. But he is surely a Hall of Famer.”

Pippen said he does not think Rodman’s “antics” should keep him out of the Hall. “I want to hope the people who voted to get me in saw the same thing that I saw in an opponent and as a teammate,” Pippen said. “That would be a player who had a very high IQ, played at a very high level and at the end of the day proved to be one of the best who ever played the game.”

Source: NBA.com

Cleveland Woes

by Longbackers

What a reversal of fortune. Imagine having the best NBA record for the two previous, and consecutive years, now they have one of the worst win-loss slate in the 2010-2011 NBA season. The Cleveland Cavaliers are also dead last in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference with a 8-29 record. Since losing Lebron James to free agency last summer, their offense and defense proficiency plunged down. The Cavs' points per game last season was 102.1, but through 36 games this season, their PPG have dropped to 94.08, a difference of -8.02.

Last season, James was their leader in two departments, in points and assists category. James lead the Cavs with 29.7 ppg and 8.6 ast per ball game. He almost lead the team in rebounds as his average of 7.3 rebounds per game is second to Anderson Varejao's 7.6 rpg. James definitely left a huge vacuum in Cleveland's offense. Because of his thirst for the elusive NBA crown, he and Chris Bosh from the Toronto Raptors, decided to join Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat in pursuit of their goal of getting this year's NBA championship and for many seasons to come.

Taking the scoring load to replace James is All-star forward Antawn Jamison, who is averaging 16.4 ppg, followed by point guard Mo Williams at 14.5 ppg, not enough to lead the Cavs for another winning season. Meanwhile, Anderson Varejao has improved his rebounding average from 7.6 rpg to 9.7 rpg. Leading in the assists department is Williams, at 7.4 dimes per game. With the way they're playing this season, the Cavs are likely to go to the lottery, hoping that they could get the same luck as they did in 2003 when they drafted James as the overall number 1 pick, the same draft class that boasts of present day NBA elites like Wade, Bosh, Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets who is likely to be traded to the New Jersey Nets anytime this month.

But I don't think they'll be instant contenders even if they win the lottery for next year's draft. I've never heard yet of any college player in the USNCAA who is going to make an immediate impact for next season. The only big time player entering the NBA would be Spain's Ricky Rubio, however his draft rights are already owned by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The only chance that they could acquire a marquee player is to try to trade their 2011 or 2012 first round picks in exchange for high quality players that would help them get back to the playoff scene and be a contender for the championship.

Next summer's big named free agent will be Carmelo Anthony, however, it looks like he'll be heading to another Eastern Conference team. Based on the latest press release, The New Jersey Nets are already close in acquiring Anthony via three team trade involving the Nuggets and Detroit Pistons. The Cavs should study very well their options, better plan now, anyway, the way they're playing, they'll surely be heading for the lottery.