IBL: Albany Legends Lose to Kankakee Soliders

The Albany Legends lost to the Kankakee County Soliders last night 121-118. This is the first loss of the season for the Legends and only their fourth loss in franchise history. Both teams are 1-1.

The leading scorer of the game was Ryan Edwards, who plays for the Soliders. The games second leading scorer was DeAndre Thomas of the Legends. Billy Baptist of the Soliders also had a good game, scoring 29 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Tiki Mayben (pictured above) finished with 12 points and 4 assists.

Whoever wins tonight (at CBA, 6:00 p.m.), will win the series. Hope to see you there!

Have any thoughts on the first loss of the season for the Legends? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.

IBL: Albany Legends Start Off Season With a Win

The Albany Legends of the IBL have kicked off their second season with a win at home against the Kankakee Soldiers. The Christian Brothers Academy gymnasium was packed with fans and the Legends did not disappoint. If you want to see the highlights from last night's game, CLICK HERE. My prediction is that the Legends will repeat this season and win the IBL championship like they did last season. Now let me break down the team this season:

Returning players include Scott McRae, Lloyd Johnson, Damone Morris, Chris Grant, and the 2010 IBL Championship MVP DeAndre Thomas. New additions to the team include Adam Abdourhamane, Scott Morton, Prince Jackson, Lucious Jordan, EJ Gallup, Anthony Bruin, and Emanuel "Tiki" Mayben.

Players who won't be returning to the team this year will be Gordon Klaiber (who led the team in points per game last season), former NBA player Kenny Satterfield (who led the team in assists per game last season), Jermaine Tate (who led the team in rebounds per game last season), Lloyd Clinton (who averaged 11.5 points a game last season), Evan Lane (who honestly wasn't that good), and Charles Henson (who only played 3 games with the team last season).
Damone Morris: This guy is good, a very talented player. If I could compare him to an NBA player, I would say Dwyane Wade meets Shannon Brown. He played a key role in helping the Legends win the title last season and can get above the rim and jam it. Look for him to be one of the go-to-guys on the team this season.
DeAndre Thomas: This center's NBA comparison would be Shaquille O'Neal. They're both massive and are beasts in the paint. He played a major role in the Legends' championship run last season and was named MVP of the championship game. He should be a major contributor for the team this season.
Chris Grant: Grant may be the most versatile player on the team. At 6-5, he can play point guard, shooting guard, and small forward. He should play a key role on the team this season.
Lloyd Johnson: He's undersized at 5-11, but can play on and off the ball and can even dunk! Not only that, but he can shoot the 3 do whatever needs to be done on the court....except maybe posting up. His NBA comparison would probably be Nate Robinson meets Chris Paul.
Scotty McRae: This 6-8 forward from UAlbany showed off his jumpshot during the first game of the season and finished the game with 13 points. I'd say his NBA comparison would be Jeff Green meets Al Harrington. If his jumper stays consistent and he can continue to grab rebounds, I'd look for him to get a lot of minutes this year.
EJ Gallup: Gallup's NBA comparison would be JJ Redick on the count of both of them being white and really knowing how to shoot the 3. During the first game of the season, he showed off his long-range stroke and made three 3-pointers. I'd look for him to keep making threes and maybe even hit a couple of big shots during the course of the season.
Emanuel "Tiki" Mayben: Mayben is definitely one of the most talented players on the team this year. He played Division 1 college basketball at UMass and Binghamton, and he might be in the NBA right now if it wasn't for legal troubles. I'm glad the Legends are giving him a chance and he should fill the void left by Kenny Satterfield's departure. Look for him be the team's main point guard and really show his skills.

The other players on the team should prove to be solid role players and help them win games.
As for the new head coach Ben Smith, I really don't know much about him, but if he's anywhere near as good of a coach as Derrick Rowland was last season, he should do fine.

Well, lets hope that the Legends do well this season. I'm out.

Have any thoughts on the Albany Legends that you would like to share. Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.

NBA: Sacramento Kings have a lot of potential

I'm making a prediction that if some players on this team develop and management doesn't do anything stupid, the Sacramento Kings can be a great team.

Jason Thompson is a great player that doesn't get the minutes he deserves, probably because the team has rookie DeMarcus Cousins and had Carl Landry for half the season. His stats don't look overly great because he only averages 23 minutes a game. He averages 13.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per 36 minutes.

Tyreke Evans was last season's Rookie of the Year, so he should blossom into an all-star with the right coaching and stuff like that. His averages are down this season, but that is because his minutes are down and he was injured for a good portion of the season. If you look at past ROY point guards of the recent past, the list includes Derrick Rose (who is in MVP talks this season) and Chris Paul (who has been an all-star starter multiple times). Hopefully, he turns out like them rather than Damon Stoudamire.

DeMarcus Cousins is having a stellar rookie season. His play isn't quite up to par with Blake Griffin and John Wall, but he should make the All-Rookie team. He's averaging 14 points and 8.6 rebounds in only 28 minutes a game.

Francisco Garcia and Beno Udrih have also played solid for the Kings for multiple seasons now.

Recent transactions the Kings have made have also contributed to the massive potential this team has.

They traded Carl Landry to the New Orleans Hornets for Marcus Thornton in February. It proved to be a very smart trade because they had too many power forwards and needed a good shooting guard. Plus, Thornton has played very well this season as a King. In 24 games this season with the team he's averaged 20.8 points per game, which leads the team.

They also traded a 2017 2nd round draft pick for Marquis Daniels, which was a smart trade. Though his stats don't look overly great right now and he is injured, he averaged 13.6 points per game with the Indiana Pacers two seasons ago.

Rookie Pooh Jeter and 2nd year player Jermaine Taylor show a lot of potential, but in order to see it, you have too look at their averages per 36 minutes.

Pooh Jeter averages 10.7 points and 6.8 assists per 36 minutes, which is pretty good for a rookie. Jermaine Taylor averages 16.3 points per 36 minutes which is also not bad.

I haven't even mentioned Samuel Dalembert, Darnell Jackson, Hassan Whiteside, Omri Cassipi, and Dante Greene, who are either good or have potential.

Let's focus back on Cousins, Evans, and Thornton. They are all very talented as I've proved, but look at how old they are. Thornton is 23, Evans is 21, and Cousins is 20! When this team fully develops, they will be a championship-caliber team. Mark my words.

If you remember, I made a similar prediction like this last season with the Washington Wizards. I was right in a few ways (I predicted they would get the 1st pick in the lottery and select John Wall) but, they let Mike Miller go and Josh Howard has been recovering from an injury this season.

Will the Kings be contenders? Not this season, but I think they will next season, or in a few years from now.

Disagree? Leave a comment below and tell me what you think.

And one more thing, I also think they should fire Paul Wetsphal as head coach. Peace out.

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NBA: The Miami Heat Won't Win A Championship This Season

The Miami Heat are currently 3rd in the Eastern Conference with a 43-21 record. By the looks of it, it seems like this Heat team can contend for a title during the Playoffs. But if you look closely, you'll see a few interesting statistics that prove that the Heat will have a tough time winning games in the Playoffs.

The big thing is that the Heat are currently 13-17 against teams above .500, but their record looks so good because they dominate against bad teams. They have a 30-4 record against teams below .500. That is pretty impressive but it won't help them in the Playoffs.

Before the season, I didn't predict the Heat to win the title this year, but I kept an open mind. Now, however, I am making a bold statement in saying that the Miami Heat won't win the NBA Finals this season. Maybe they'll win it next season or in a few years, but at the moment, I don't think they have what it takes.

Agree or disagree? Leave a comment and tell me what you think.

Baller Bio: Shawne Williams

You may have heard of Knicks player Shawne Williams. He's 6'9" and hits nearly half of his 3's. Along with his great 3-point shooting this season (44%), he's averaging 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in only 19 minutes a game. Williams has also gotten in an altercation with Ron Artest and a scuffle with Marvin Williams this season. He's been a solid player for the Knicks this season, but let's look at what his career was like before this season.

Shawne Brian Williams was born on February 16, 1986 in Memphis, Tennessee. After a successful high school basketball career, he accepted a scholarship to Memphis. He played only one season at Memphis, putting up averages of 13 points and 6 rebounds a game before declaring for the 2006 NBA Draft.

Williams was drafted by the Indiana Pacers with the 17th overall pick in the draft. He had a less-than-great rookie season with the Pacers with averages of 3.9 points and 1.8 rebounds a game, but noticeably improved the next season with his averages jumping to 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in only 14.9 minutes a game.

After two seasons in Indiana, Williams was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He played only 15 games for the Mavs with averages of 2.8 points and 3.1 rebounds a game while playing limited minutes. Williams was traded midway through the 08-09 season to the New Jersey Nets and was waived by the team shortly after.

After not playing in the 2009-2010 season, Williams accepted a training camp invitation from the New York Knicks over the Charlotte Bobcats and eventually beat out Patrick Ewing Jr. for the final roster spot.

Though not much was expected from him this season, Williams has exceeded expectations and has been a key player in Mike D'Antoni's rotation. Most would agree that he is playing his best season yet and will hopefully keep playing well for the Knicks.

If you want to see more Shawne Williams, click here to watch a mix that was recently made of him with the Knicks this season.

Have any thing to add? Leave a comment and tell me what you think.

NBA: Knicks waive Corey Brewer & Kelenna Azubuike

The New York Knicks are finalizing a buyout with forward Corey Brewer, who they acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Carmelo Anthony trade last week. They also waived Kelenna Azubuike, who they got from the Golden State Warriors in the David Lee trade during the offseason. I find these transactions puzzling.

Brewer is a talented player who is capable of helping the Knicks in their playoff run. He averaged 13 points and 3 rebounds with the Timberwolves last season and was putting up similar numbers this season before the trade.

Azubuike is just as talented as Brewer. He hasn't played this season due to injury, but has career averages of 11 points and 4 rebounds in 4 seasons with the Warriors.

Now I can understand why players like Eddy Curry, TJ Ford, Mike Bibby, and Troy Murphy would be bought out by teams but, Brewer and Azubuike don't seem to fit in with them. They aren't overpaid or underachieving (Azubuike is injured, but that's different.

The Knicks used their new extra roster space to claim Derrick Brown off waivers. Brown has played 41 games with the Charlotte Bobcats this season putting up averages of 4 points and 2 rebounds. They are also planning to sign Jared Jeffries, who formerly played for then Knicks. Jeffries is averaging 1.5 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per game.

The Knicks need height, but they just got rid of two good players and replaced them with two okay players.

Want to share your opinion? Leave a comment and tell me what you think.

NBA: Knicks trade for Carmelo Anthony (and why the Knicks made a good trade)

All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony has finally been traded to the New York Knicks after months of talk and speculation.

The trade was a 3-team deal between the Knicks, the Denver Nuggets, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Knicks get: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter, and Renaldo Balkman.

Many people are saying that the Knicks might have given up too much, but here are 7 key points that show that the Knicks have made a decent trade.

1. They got the best player in the trade, Carmelo Anthony, and that will probably inspire Chris Paul to join the Knicks after his contract with the Hornets runs out.

2. The Knicks had expressed interest in getting a back-up center and a back-up point guard and center Shelden Williams and point guard Anthony Carter can fill that void.

3. They lost Danilo Gallinari, but Carmelo Anthony will more than make up for that.

4. Chauncey Billups is aging and isn't as good as Raymond Felton, but he'll probably only be starting until the Knicks hopefully get Chris Paul and there is one thing Billups has that Felton doesn't: a championship ring. And that's what the Knicks want.

5. Corey Brewer came out of nowhere and is now joining the Knicks. He will help soften the blow now that Wilson Chandler is a Nugget.

6. The Knicks finally got rid of overpaid center Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph, who they weren't even using.


7. The Knicks also got an extra player in the trade, an X-Factor, or kicker, you could say. Renaldo Balkman is returning to the Knicks! Balkman averaged 4 points and 4 rebounds in his 2-year stint with the Knicks who drafted him in 2006.