LeBron James is Sportscenter's most mentioned athlete

I wrote this up for Philly.com earlier this afternoon, so be sure to check out the original article here.

LeBron James, on top of all the other accolades he has accumulated over the past 16 months, is Sportscenter’s most discussed athlete, according to a recent report published by Deadspin. 

James, whose Miami Heat have won back-to-back NBA titles, has been a top topic for all things ESPN since he entered the league as a highly-touted teen back in 2003. ESPN’s website even has an entire tab dedicated to the Heat team known simply as the Heat Index.

James has been the most discussed and dissected athlete over the past decade, so his spot atop Sportscenter’s most mentioned list is not a surprise. 

Jrue Holiday thinks the New Orleans Pelicans' name is 'funny'

It has been almost a month since Jrue Holiday was traded to New Orleans from Philadelphia, but the all-star guard is still not completely accustomed to his new team's nickname.

Check out the full article here.
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"When the New Orleans Hornets initially changed their name to the Pelicans a few months back, the move was met with some skepticism. Sure, Pelicans may be fierce and ferocious, and there are a lot of them in New Orleans, but still, ‘Pelicans’ isn’t the most intimidating moniker. 

At the time the name change originally occurred, Jrue Holiday was still the centerpiece of a struggling Sixers franchise, and didn’t have to pay too much attention to New Orleans’ new nickname, as the Sixers only play the Pelicans a couple times a year. 

A shocking draft day trade however saw Holiday shipped south in exchange for the rights to Nerlens Noel, who was selected sixth overall by New Orleans. Suddenly Holiday was part of the Pelicans.

This isn't how Kobe Bryant envisioned the end

Not surprisingly, Kobe Bryant is doing well with his rehabilitation and recovery from recent ACL surgery.

Dude is determined. I don't think i would want to play video games against him.

Anyway, recent reports of of Los Angeles are saying that he may be ready for as action as soon as the preseason.

This is great news for Laker fans and a testament to Kobe's toughness, but I find myself asking, what's the rush?

The Lakers, by all accounts, aren't going to be very good next season, and coming back too early could jeopardize what is left of Bryant's NBA days.

This can't be how he envisioned the end.

Charles Barkey calls the current Sixers coaching search "silly"

The 76ers are currently the only team in the NBA without a head coach, and Charles Barkley thinks that is a 'joke.'

Check out the original article, which ran on Philly.com this afternoon, here.
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Sam Hinkie knows what he’s doing, or at least he wants us to think he does. 

A year after his departure, the Houston Rockets are looking like a serious Western Conference Contender, and many are expecting, or hoping, that he will do the same with the Sixers. 

While his lack of communication with the media throughout the summer has been bothersome to some, it can be argued that it doesn’t negatively affect the franchise. Technically, he doesn’t need to report to us.

When draft day came he was unafraid to go big and bold. He made moves that he thought were in the best interest of the future of the franchise, and for the most part people seem to be receptive, albeit apprehensive, about this new and different direction. 

His coaching search however, has me scratching my head, and I am not alone. 

The new-look Brooklyn Nets are built to win now

Check out the full article here on Pattison Ave.
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"Despite eventually emerging victorious, the Miami Heat looked vulnerable at times throughout their playoff run, and Brooklyn wasted little time in building a team that they feel can contend with, and possible dethrone King James and co. 

The moves made in Brooklyn this summer have been nothing short of bold. Mikhail Prokhorov has spared no expenses in the process of building Brooklyn back into a contender this offseason. 

Are the Cleveland Cavaliers aiming to bring LeBron James back?

A full season sits between LeBron James and his next potential 'decision.' It is never too early to speculate however. Some of the moves the Cavs have been making recently suggest that they may have a plan in mind. 

This article originally ran on Pattison Ave over the weekend, so check out the full article here. 

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"The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered a big blow when they publicly lost LeBron James in the summer of 2010. The team went from being a true title contender to a lottery lock in the time it took for LeBron to finish telling us where he was taking his talents. 

As we all know, LeBron has gone on to win back-to-back titles since shipping himself south and has clearly cemented himself as the best player in the game. 

For its part, Cleveland, despite struggling through the past three seasons without a playoff appearance, has done a decent job of building itself back up into a contender. The addition of oft-injured Andrew Bynum is the latest piece to the puzzle, joining a plethora of lottery picks from the past couple seasons.

The team is rounding out well while adding a lot of young talent. They may only be a piece or two away from true contention, and the name that seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue is LeBron James. 

After a solid summer league performance, expect more from Arnett Moultrie

Before the Orlando Pro Summer League began, I had a piece on Philly.com suggesting that we may see more from Arnett Moultrie this season, so the organization can get an idea of exactly what he's worth.  

The original article can be seen here. 

After a strong summer league performance in Orlando, it is safe to assume that Moultrie will indeed be seeing more minutes this season.

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"Sixers former head coach Doug Collins, you know, the guy that wanted to sign Kwame Brown to a four-year deal but was overruled, is notoriously meager with the minutes he gives to rookies and young, developing players. 

(Remember scratching your head for the bulk of the 2011-12 season wondering why Jodie Meeks was consistently starting over Evan Turner?)

Collins relied upon proven players, and never necessaryily prided himself on developing talent. 

Video: Spiderman has handles

It is always entertaining to watch a street ball player with an exceptional handle.

It is even more entertaining to watch a street ball player with an exceptional handle when he is dressed in a spider-man suit schooling underage children at a local park, which is exactly what happens in this video.

Spidey has handles:

How Slim Thug helped the Houston Rockets land Dwight Howard

The Houston Rockets just landed themselves an all-star center in Dwight Howard, and as a result their offseason status jumped from pseudo-contender to pretty serious contender. 

While the presence of the electric James Harden on the roster certainly helped the Rockets sign the center, the Rockets should also thank Houston-based rapper Slim Thug, whose convincing Twitter pitch to Howard pointed out all the highlights of Houston.

In a serious of Tweets directed toward the all-star center, Slim Thug pointed out the affordability of real estate, the quality and quantity of strip clubs, the cheapness of alcohol, the ability to text while driving, and even the fact that Dwight would have to pay less for child support than he does in L.A.

Andrew Bynum, big supporter of self-sabotage

With any lucky, Andrew Bynum will be out of Philadelphia shortly, so I figured I should take advantage of what little time I have left and write yet another piece about Bynum while he is still topical to the 76ers.

This piece ran originally on Philly.com and kicked up a lot of comments; people didn't have a lot of kind words for the big guy. But seriously, refusing to work out for suitors; what is he thinking??

Anyway, check out the original article here, and read more about Bynum's latest *interesting* decision after the jump.

Sam Hinkie paving the way for the Sixers to sign a star

Originally from Pattison Ave, check out the article in it's entirety here. 
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"After weeks of what seemed like extended silence out of the organization, Sam Hinkie and the Sixers kicked the offseason into high gear in a hectic and eventful Draft day last Thursday. 

Hinkie orchestrated some major moves that collectively added assets and cut cap space, vastly altering the outlook for the future of the franchise. 

While it became crystal clear that Hinkie has every intention to clean house entirely when he shipped all-star Jrue Holiday out of town for a kid with a box-cut and leg injury issues, his plan is probably deeper than it seems at the surface.

The Miami Heat should sign a center this summer

Casual NBA fans would see Miami’s second title in a row and think that all is solid in South Beach, as “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is a popular approach in the NBA.

However, those that closely watched Miami struggle to secure its second title in two years realized that the team, as presently constructed, is in trouble. 

From: Bleacherreport.com

For some teams, winning a single title is an enormous accomplishment. Hell, I’d be the happiest person in America if the Sixers could add one more championship banner to the decorated rafters in the Wells Fargo Center. But, for Miami, that is not the case. 

This team was supposed to win championships; plural, not singular. 

“Not one, not two, not three,” you remember. 

While they now have two under their belt, some personnel moves will need to be made this offseason if they want to turn the back-to-back titles into a three-peat, especially in the frontcourt. 

The large front lines of both the Pacers and the Spurs gave the Heat some serious issues, as they were not equipped to bang with a deep batch of bigs. Roy Hibbert had his way for much of the Pacers series, and Tim Duncan often had his way with Chris Bosh throughout the NBA Finals. While superior play from LeBron and other Heat players allowed them to oversome these issues, it would not be wise to overlook them in the offseason.

Dwight Howard would actually make a lot of sense in Miami, as he could provide the Heat with a solid post presence on both ends of the floor, while drawing defenders away from LeBron and the other perimeter players. His physical style of play would be more effective than that of Chris Bosh with the way the Heat are currently constructed. Obviously Dwight is not going to settle in South Beach, but that same line of logic could be applied to other players. While they don’t have cap space to sign a premier post player, some size needs to be added, whether it be Greg Oden on a flyer, or another free agent option like Jason Collins, Samuel Dalembert, or Chris Kaman.

It’s not like they need a superstar, or someone to run an offense through. Big bodies that can finish and defend are the aim. Chris “Birdman” Andersen did an excellent job in the role for Miami throughout the playoffs, but the team struggled when he was suspended. 

As long as LeBron is there, Miami has an opportunity to compete for a title, they just need to fortify the frontcourt in order to be playoff-prepared and put themselves in prime position to compete for a third straight title next season.

Michael Carter-Williams NBA Comparisons

Some draft reaction for Philly.com. Check out the full article here.  

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"Although Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said his former point guard, and recent Sixer selection, Michael Carter-Williams can’t really be compared to any current player due to his rare combination of size and speed, we are going to try anyway.

While his game may not cleanly compare to one other individual, you can see traits of others reflected throughout his game, some good, and some not as promising.