Kings of Hoop

With news early in the season that Brandon Roy had some serious knee issues, the Portland Trailblazers could have been forgiven for thinking it might be a long season of struggle and heartache. To their credit though, they hung tough and forged out a 48 win and 34 loss record, which included 30 and 11 at home. They put up a mighty fight against the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, eventually going down in six, and should have plenty to build on heading into the new season. [Read the Article...]

Philadelphia 76ers management should be very happy with their purchase of coach Doug Collins. He turned a struggling side around, managed to get them back to the playoffs and more importantly, gave the team a desire to achieve a lot more than they had in previous seasons. They ended up with a record of 41 wins and 41 losses and did a respectable job in their playoff series against the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, eventually going down 4-1. There were definitely positive signs and they will look to build on the momentum that Doug Collins has built in his first season as coach. [Read the Article...]

The New Orleans Hornets got off to a fantastic 11-1 start in 2010/11 and that was largely due to their point guard, Chris Paul. They had their ups and downs throughout the season but maintained enough momentum to grab the 7^th seed in the Western Conference, with a record of 46 wins and 36 losses. They were bundled out in the first round of the playoffs by the Lakers but it took six games to dispose of them. With only five players under contract for next season, the lockout cannot sort itself out quickly enough for the New Orleans team, who will be desperate to fill the holes in their squad [Read the Article...]

The Memphis Grizzlies were the surprise packet of the 2010/11 season. They scraped into the playoffs as the 8^th seed in the Western Conference, with a record of 46 wins and 36 losses. Their first matchup was against the number one seed, San Antonio Spurs, and very few gave them little hop of progressing through to the next round. Six games later and the Grizzlies had caused one of the biggest boilovers in recent memory and it then took the Oklahoma City Thunder seven games to dispose of the pesky Memphis team. [Read the Article...]

After showing so much promise in 2009/10, the Bucks were very disappointing in 2010/11, failing to even make the playoffs. Their draft day acquisitions of Stephen Jackson and Beno Udrih send out the sure signal they definitely are not looking long term and are keen to get back in the playoff mix as soon as possible. [Read the Article...]

Michael Jordan was as competitive as they came in the sporting arena and was never one to settle for second best, so it will be interesting to see how his career plays out in the ownership stakes over the coming years. The Bobcats have a new management team of Rod Higgins and Rich Cho and they have obviously been instructed to get things moving and headed back in the playoff direction. If their draft night activity is anything to go by then the Bobcats roster is going to get a complete overhaul. They ended the season with a record of 34 wins and 48 losses, finished 10^th in the Eastern Conference and were short of making the playoffs but so far are the team who have made the most noise with regards to their squad for 2011/12 [Read the Article...]

The Houston Rockets are hoping new coach, Kevin McHale, is the key to moving their team to the next level and getting back to where they can compete for a title. With a record of 43 Wins and 39 losses in 2010/11, they weren’t too far away from making the playoffs but they sit in a very competitive Southwest Division that includes the likes of the San Antonio Spurs and Championship Dallas Mavericks, so they can expect a fight each season  [Read the Article...]

The Detroit Pistons have been in a rut the past few seasons and new owner Tom Gores is looking to rectify the issue as soon as possible. His first move was to keep Joe Dumars on as team president and the second was to fire the coach, John Kuester. The big task now will be to try and sort out a roster that has been failing to deliver and letting their heads hang at any obstacle that got in their way. [Read the Article...]

We’ve already established the Miami Heat as the 2012/13 Eastern Conference champions. But who will be the new cream of the crop in the West? While the West has been the stronger conference since the turn of the century, the lockout has a number of Western teams sliding down the rankings with their key players really feeling the effects of old age. On their way down are Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Steve Nash, with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and half of the other Thunder players rising to the forefront of the West. [Read the Article...]

With NBA owners and players at polar opposites of CBA negotiations, the possibility of a lost 2011/12 season is now frightfully dawning in the back of every basketball junkies mind. As the negotiations to and fro, the only other news to come from the Association is limited to assistant coaching spots being filled. And no disrespect to all those hard working assistant coaches out there, but unless the Lakers decide to appoint Jack Nicholson, Denzel and P. Diddy to their bench as a publicity stunt, we’d much rather be hearing stories from the Vegas Summer League as the players work towards a season which will actually tip off in October. We are only a few weeks into the NBA downtime, but what if we really have to sit out a whole year? How will we, as NBA junkie fans, survive? And what league will be waiting for us in 2012/13? Well, let’s look into our crystal ball and see what the future of the NBA holds for us in the Post-Lockout World. [Read the Article...]