Most of the NBA teams are terrible at business. Wait, check that, most professional sports teams in all leagues are bad at business. Just as with corporations, sports teams are usually dysfunctional organizations that limp along from year to year barely surviving a plethora of bad decisions.
However, there are some sports teams that know what they are doing, and one of them is the Los Angeles Lakers. Over the years, the Lakers have been patient, drafted well and traded well. They’ve cut older vets loose at the right time and brought in young guys at the right time.
That’s why with the talk of a Carmelo trade to the Lakers, I find it interesting that the Lakers aren’t actually looking to shed someone else.
Kobe Bryant.
Kobe has now played more games in his career than Michael Jordan. Now, it’s true that Kobe entered the league younger than Jordan did, and Kobe does appear to have more in the tank at this point than Jordan did when he’d played this many games. But the reality is, even though Kobe has a lot of scoring left, it’s plain that the end is in sight within a few years.
That’s why now is the time for the Lakers to be looking to trade their superstar, while they can still get a maximum return. This isn’t the first time they would have done it; Shaq still had enough game left to bring a title to Miami before he became the Big Backup, but the Lakers cut him loose for the long term. It may be time for the Lakers to do the same with Kobe.
It won’t be a popular decision, but it would be a blockbuster trade that could set L.A. up for the next ten years. It might even involve multiple teams. I couldn’t tell you what the frenzy would result in or where Kobe would land. All I could say with relative certainty that he wouldn’t end up in Cleveland.
Consider this: four years from now, Kobe might not even be in the league. That’s how fast a player’s career can go from superstar to Allen Iverson. And for Kobe, that time is approaching. Each year…actually, each month…that the Lakers hold on to him, he gets closer to that reality. Sure, he might play another five, six years, but the truth is, that’s not likely. Next year, he’ll be worth less than this year. The year after that? Less.
So before the Lakers make a big trade between Carmelo and some other supporting player, I think they should be looking at a major shakeup.
Duke basketball landed a talented junior in Alex Murphy (SF, 6’8″, 2012), who has stated for some time that Duke and Florida were the two schools that were recruiting him with the most intensity. Murphy took an unofficial visit to Durham and the Duke campus last month.
Murphy is a slender forward with a good shooting touch, if a little bit on the slow side with his release. Naturally, comparisons to current Blue Devil Kyle Singler are going to be made, but Murphy definitely will need to add strength and does not look like he’s ready to play much post at the college level yet, but has a good offensive game and can handle the ball.
Gerald Henderson knows all about the Duke vs. UNC rivalry, and even though he’s focused on his own pro career now, he’s still well aware of the implications of the game. James talked with Gerald last summer, and here’s his thoughts on the biggest rivalry in basketball:
While many athletes wait until junior year to start their college search in earnest, sophomore year is the ideal time to start because an athlete who wants to be recruited for college sports has a much more complicated search than the non-athlete.
A handful of high school athletes will be playing at the varsity level in their sophomore year, but most won’t, especially if they attend large high schools. If you’re not playing varsity yet, don’t let that deter you from researching which colleges are the right fit for you as an athlete. Sending college coaches your stats and videotape from varsity competitions will be important next year, but that’s getting ahead of the game. At this point, you should be doing preliminary research so you can figure out which schools you want to target.
Here are five things you should start doing as a sophomore:
1. Get an accurate assessment of your skill level.
You will save a tremendous amount of time and preserve your self-esteem if you aim yourself correctly when you start to contact college coaches. Too often, kids aim too high and are disappointed when coaches pass them over. Worse, if they wait too long to figure out that they are aiming too high, they may end up with nothing.
Talk to your high school coach, club team coach, and other kids or parents of kids who have been through the recruiting process. They can give you a better idea of where you might fit. It’s also helpful to look at the track record of athletes from your high school who have gone on to play in college. What level are they playing at? How many have gone on? How would you compare your skills to their skills?
2. Research colleges and athletic programs online.
There are 1700 colleges between the NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA (junior colleges). Use some of the college search programs such as www.Petersons.com or www.collegeboard.com to start narrowing down to a list of 30-50 that you want to research further. Start your search by putting athletics aside for a moment. Consider the academic requirements, if they have your intended major, the size and location, the type of campus atmosphere, and the cost.
When you find a school you like, go to their website, link to your sport, and take a look around. You can learn a lot by looking at the characteristics of the other players on the roster. Look at their size. For many sports, your ability to participate at a given level will be dependent on your size. Look at their high school history. You’ll know if you’re in the same league. If you’re looking at a team with kids who were all-state and you’re not playing varsity as a sophomore, keep looking. Blue chip, elite athletes are typically playing varsity at least three and possibly all four years of high school.
Make sure you consider schools that you might not be familiar with, especially if they have good programs for your academic area of interest, and good athletic programs for your sport. Student athletes often limit themselves to schools they are familiar with and their list gets very small, very quickly.
3. Continue competing on club, travel, or AAU teams.
Hopefully you are already doing this. If not, now is definitely the time to start. You will get the majority of your exposure to college coaches through these kinds of teams. If you are already playing on one of these teams as a sophomore , you will be a known quantity. You will probably have an easier time getting one of the coveted spots on this team for the all-important season between junior and senior year, than the kid who is showing up for the first time.
Football is a different animal because it doesn’t have these kinds of off-season teams. With football, you will have to pursue combines. Choose them carefully. Some will be beneficial to the recruiting process and others will only be beneficial to the wallets of the people who put them on.
Regardless of sport, try to participate in showcase events and summer camps. Again, the more important year is the following year, but by participating now, you will know what to expect, and you may catch the eye of coaches who will follow your development and look a lot more closely the following year.
4. Visit some colleges if the opportunity presents itself.
Before you start choosing specific schools to evaluate, you need to know some basics about the kind of college campus and experience you will be most comfortable with.
Big or small?
Urban, suburban, or rural?
What kind of campus atmosphere?
What are the students like?
Even if they are not schools you would necessarily be interested in, wander onto college campuses near your home or when you’re on family vacations. You will learn a lot about what you do and don’t like and that will make the process of developing your initial list that much easier.
5 And if you do nothing else, keep up your grades.
There are lots of talented athletes that don’t have the grades to gain admissions into the more selective colleges. If you keep your grades up, you will have access to sports programs that more talented athletes won’t have the grades for. If your freshman grades weren’t great, now is the time to bring up your grade point average. It’s almost impossible to improve your gpa as a junior if you have two years of bad grades in high school.
The Bulls missed a lot of easy baskets in the first half, when they really had an opportunity to stretch the lead.
The Bulls played poor transition defense early in the 2nd quarter. They became lazy and complacent, allowing Cleveland to get back into the game.
The Cavs are a very scrappy and hard working team.
The second unit for the Cavs seems more active on D and run more than the starters.
Turnovers and bad shots plague the Cavs. They struggle to defend the post and the paint. They have no shot blocker when Ryan Hollins is out of the game.
The Cavs are a decent defensive team in general, they just really struggle offensively.
The Cavs lost because they settled into bad habits at the end of the game, shooting contested shots and the inability to defend the paint or the pick and roll, with Hollins out.
Strengths- Good shooter from midrange and 3. Does it all on the court- fills up the stat sheet. Versatile scorer who can create his own shot, pull up, or get to the rim. Good rebounder. A very tough cover with what he can do offensively. Good size.
Weaknesses- Struggled defending Carlos Boozer in the post. He allowed Boozer to get too deep post position. Fades to his left when he shoots 3’s, leading to an inconsistent long ball.
Overall- After LeBron James left Cleveland for the sunny beaches of Miami, Jamison has been given the load to carry the offense for this young Cavs team. In his 12th year out of Chapel Hill, Jamison has been a consistent 20-10 guy in the league for years. Jamison’s play this season has been one of the few bright spots for a struggling Cavs team.
Strengths- Excellent rebounder. Very active on offensive boards. Uses athleticism and boxes out and gobble up rebounds and keep the ball alive. Above average athletically. Had a nice block on Rose early in the game. Showed the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to rim. Takes in at people- takes it strong to basket.
Weaknesses- Needs to continue to work on constancy on jumper. Takes some possessions off on defense. Likes to turn over right shoulder for turn around jumper, but showed the ability to turn over either shoulder effectively. Lacks a go to post move.
Overview- Has really improved since his days at NC State. His offense used to be a dunk or nothing, and this was his case in his early years with Cleveland. The Cavs organization is very high on Hickson, and one can see why with his 20 rebounds tonight. Needs to continue to work on being more of an offensive threat, but has time to grow.
Strengths- Very long and athletic. Good defensive player. Talks on defense and directs traffic on the defensive end. Very active player who hustles and plays hard every minute on the floor. Good shot blocker who influenced a lot of shots tonight. Good rebounder who really crashes the boards. Sets good wide screens. Good team player- great attitude and good body language through out game.
Weaknesses- Needs to get stronger in the upper body. At times he over hedges on the screen and roll and this allows screener to slip screen. Still very raw offensively- dunk or nothing. Brings the ball down too low allowing guards to strip the ball.
Overview- Intriguing player. Very hard worker who competes on every play. A player who you want to see succeed because he works so hard. Had some success last year playing for Minnesota. Hollins, who is entering his 4th year, out of UCLA, would be a great role player for a playoff team like the Spurs or Celtics.
Strengths- One of the top 3 shooters in the NBA. Very quick release- can shoot off the screen and with his feet set. Good passer and an underrated defender and rebounder. Has quick hands on defense. Does not try to do too much- knows his role.
Weaknesses- needs to improve ball handling- looks down when he dribbles.
Overview- Another solid game for Korver who has had a productive year so far with Chicago after spending most of his career in Utah. One of the most respected and feared shooters in the NBA.
