When Orlando Magic General Manager Otis Smith swung a deal to acquire the talents of former LSU Tiger Glen Davis for starting power forward Brandon Bass in a sign-and-trade, many fans were puzzled. Not only was Smith shelling out a four year, 26 million dollar cumbersome contract  to an unproven big man, but many were wondering what Davis brought to the table that Bass didn’t possess?

So far, its looks like extremely little.

In the first eight Orlando Magic exhibition games, Glen Davis is averaging a measly seven points and four rebounds per game. That is a considerable amount lower than last season’s averages of nearly 12 points and five rebounds per game.

Brandon Bass, on the other hand, is playing the role of consistent front-court contributor while averaging a career-high 13 points per game to go along with six rebounds per match.

Sure, “Big Baby” did put up a season-high 20 points on a fantastic 8-13 from the field versus the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, but Davis’ start to his first season with the Magic can be summed up by one word: inefficient.

Since being drafted in the second-round of the 2007 NBA Draft, Davis’ shot selection has been more than questionable. Even though the former Boston Celtic has a refined post-up game, the fifth-year veteran still insists on shooting his inconsistent mid-range jumper. With the Celtics, Davis averaged 10.3 shots off the bench, most of them coming from the outside. This season has been no different, as Davis is averaging an extremely poor 32 percent from the field.

Plus, it seems as if Davis is more interested in personal accolades than team achievements. A few months ago, the young power forward stressed his desire to make an All-Star team. Now that the big man has an increase in minutes, Davis is chucking up every shot in sight with hopes of earning that title.
Howard revives Davis

But if there is one reason that this transaction was horrible for the Magic, it is the sad fact that the Magic lost a ton of athleticism, hustle and leadership with the absence of Bass. It is quite obvious that Orlando lacks in the aforementioned areas and substituting in Davis was definitely not the answer. When Orlando added Davis to the roster, the Magic thought they obtained a player who could help crash the boards and do the “dirty work” with Howard. However, Davis has done the exact opposite and, instead, has been somewhat soft in the paint.

Despite being a back-up to one of the most hard-working, intense leaders in Kevin Garnett, Davis has shown little to none of the qualities that made KG one of the best power forwards of all-time.

The Orlando Magic’s Friday night game against the powerhouse Chicago Bulls was a perfect testament to Davis’ lack of hustle and leadership.

Going into the matchup against the 6-1 Bulls, the Magic knew they would have to come out with energy, determination and efficiency if they were to come away with the win. However, Glen Davis and the Magic accomplished none of these goals.

First of all, Davis shot a terrible 25 percent in the game and allowed countless offensive rebounds to the likes of Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Taj Gibson. In a league where rebounding is a necessity, giving up offensive rebounds is an absolute killer.

However, the real kicker of the night came when All-NBA center Dwight Howard jokingly acted like he was reviving teammate Davis after he fell going for a loose ball. Even though it was quite funny, would other championship-caliber teams be all smiles if there teams was losing by five in the fourth quarter?

In the end, Glen Davis is only 26 years old and still contains some potential to grow into a star in Orlando. But with each passing game, Magic fans miss more and more Brandon Bass and his smaller, more reasonable contract.

The Denver Nuggets took off some of the luster from Miami’s blowout win over the Dallas Mavericks by doing the same. Also, for the second game in a row, the Mavs made the game appear closer than it really was by trimming into the lead in the fourth quarter.

For the second straight game, they trailed by over 30 points at the end of three. Needless to say, Dallas is not going to defend its title playing like this.

To say they miss Tyson Chandler would be an understatement. Suddenly, the Mavericks are the worst defense in the league, surrendering 110 points per game, and that’s with their opponents sitting their starters in the fourth quarter.

Lamar Odom, who was supposed to be his replacement, has a field goal percentage of 12.5. That’s not points per game, that’s field goal percentage! Certainly they can get better than that form him, and will. That’s not the problem.

Vince Carter and Delonte West have been filling in at the shooting guard spot and have somewhat struggled, but not horrendously so, combining for an average of 14 points per game. While that could be improved upon, that’s not the problem either.

It’s not just the quality of play that’s of concern. To a degree, that’s excusable. With the brevity of the training camp and the preseason, it’s understandable.

What’s more disconcerting is the lack of intensity.

The Mavericks don’t have the same level of focus that they had last year when they were playing like a team possessed and were mowing down every team in their path.

The biggest opponent the Mavericks have right now is complacency. They have the personnel, but they need to dig down and find the desire. Until they do, they won’t scare anyone, even if they are the defending champs.

One of the new features in the agreed-upon NBA collective bargaining agreement is an amnesty clause that allows each team to release one player whose salary will count just 25 percent against the cap. It appears as though the Portland Trail Blazers are ready to exercise that clause by dumping Brandon Roy.

Roy, who is a three-time All Star, struggled mightily with a significant knee injury last season, and spent much of the year as a reserve. He showed signs of life in the playoffs, but it appears as though the Blazers are ready to be rid of his $15 million-per-year contract.

While the move may make sense for the Blazers fiscally, it is terrible from a public relations sense and a basketball sense as well. According to the report by John Canzano of The Oregonian, Portland is ready to cut ties with Roy as soon as possible, without so much as giving him an opportunity to prove that he’s healthy.

Knee injuries have been the deathblow for many NBA players, and that may prove to be the case with Roy. But it seems in bad taste to simply discard a player that has carried the franchise for the past few seasons and been considered one of the best players in basketball.

Roy has had an extended offseason to rest his troublesome knee, and he is just 27 years old, so he conceivably has a lot of good years left, provided his knee holds up over an extended period of time. With that being said, there is a very good chance that Roy will come back to bite the Blazers if he is given his walking papers.

It is rumored that the Golden State Warriors, a Western Conference foe, would be very interested in Roy, especially since Roy’s former agent, Bob Myers, is the Warriors’ assistant general manager. This means that Roy would have the benefit of facing the Blazers a couple times per year and showing them exactly what they gave up on.

Aside from basketball, though, Roy has been the team’s most popular player by far among fans since entering the league. Regardless of whether he can still play effectively or not, cutting Roy will likely be looked upon as a cheap, cost-cutting move by Blazers management, as it should be.

Portland has a decent skeleton outside of Roy, but the Blazers are never going to be a true contender without him, or without a player like him at the very least. The Blazers will still be a solid team, but if the ultimate goal is to win an NBA Championship, then this is the wrong move.

It may not be apparent whether the Blazers cutting Roy is the right move or not for another few years. What is apparent, however, is that Portland’s front office cares much more about saving money than it does about pleasing the fans and fielding the best team possible.

Roy is as competitive as they come, and I firmly believe that he will do everything in his power to battle back from this knee injury in order to prove the Blazers wrong. I ultimately think he will succeed in that regard.

Of all the things weird and bizarre I have seen in the sports world, the oddest has to be Ron Artest shifting from villain to lovable goof. With his appearance on “Dancing with the Stars,” I can assume that the nation is indeed ready to love him.

This is a man who once had the words “deplorable” and “villain” follow him wherever he went. Now he is labeled as goofy, zany and on the wrong side of wacky.

On Monday, Ron Artest, who is now legally Metta World Peace, will take to the national stage on one of the hottest TV shows in the last few years.

“Dancing with the Stars” is a show received by all sorts of people, through all walks of life. This is a show that will be seen by millions, a good portion are sports fans, while even more couldn’t tell you what Ron Artest does for a living.

If they know anything about the Lakers forward, it’s that he was once involved in something horrible. They may have overheard that Artest is self-certified, calling himself just as wacky as his fans would.

The great part about Metta World Peace is that he doesn’t take himself seriously. Those with the same issues that he has would cower from the spotlight, but Peace just wants to have a good time.

That is the first thing you will notice about him. When he gives interviews or is asked a question, there is forever a glint in his eye and a smirk on his face.  This is a guy who thought he would forever be defined by the day he rushed the stands at The Palace in Auburn Hills.

He now has a renewed image to go along with his altered name. That image of class clown is a far cry from the man that almost tore the NBA asunder.

At that time, I never would have guessed Artest would star on a network TV show watched by millions of viewers crossing a whole swath of cultures and ideals.

I guess it is not so weird when you consider that he is no longer Ron Artest. Metta World Peace changed his name, but altered his image a long time ago. Now America can enjoy the best kept secret in the NBA. Enjoy all the laughter, because there will be plenty.

The 2011 NBA lockout has quickly become an ugly battle between the owners and players.  New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul is one of the stars of the league and is widely considered one of the best ambassadors for the game. So when he says a quote like this, it really gets your attention:

Obviously, everyone knows that we are very far apart right now. I’m hoping like everyone else that something turns and happens. But if not, we’re prepared.  The players are not stupid, they know the whole negotiating process is no joke and it must be taken very seriously. After getting a resounding “W” in the 1999 labor dispute, the players are obviously reluctant to give up all of the benefits they have been reaping for the last 12 years.

So when the owners constantly talk about the hundreds of millions of dollars they are losing (the approximate number has still yet to be found), they are doing so to get leverage. They are trying to sway the fans opinions in the dispute. It’s their way of controlling the media’s message and that’s their biggest bargaining tool…how can a league be successful when over half the league is in the red?  Yet the players aren’t going to sit back and let the owners sway the fans.

Their latest bargaining idea is telling the media they will begin to explore options for playing overseas. Deron Williams made headlines last week when he announced a deal with a team in Turkey to play with if the lockout were to bleed into the regular season.  Now the floodgates have opened and stars like Kobe Bryant, Amar’e Stoudemire, Kevin Durant and Ron Artest have all openly suggested they will strongly consider perusing a team overseas. Nate Robinson even has talked about trying out for an NFL team.

But will they actually consider the move?

Probasketballtalk.com writer Kurt Helin talks about the bluff the players are currently pulling off:

The players union has threatened to take action to make sure players can go overseas now. Of course they are, they want the leverage. Which is why you see this coordinated “I’ll consider playing overseas” line from so many stars. We’re still skeptical many will follow, but the players would love to tell the owners they have other legitimate options (even if those options pay a lot less).

Money is always the root of any decision an athlete makes and European teams simply can’t compete in this department. The contract of Williams would be worth $200,000 a month in addition to a personal driver and other various perks.  If the lockout ends in time, Williams will make $16.6 million with the New Jersey Nets. That’s the equivalent of playing for his Turkish team 12 months a year for the next seven.  The gap in salary is far too great for the big name players to risk their bodies and the odds of a star going to Europe are slim to none.

Sure the love of the game will be weighing heavily on the players, but protecting the greatest asset—their body—is the most important thing here and ultimately their agents will remind them of that.  It’s a great idea in theory to stay in shape and get a taste of overseas ball…but money talks and it’s loud and clear on this issue. This is the player’s best way of scaring the owners into thinking they don’t need the NBA. Yet in reality, if they want their Hummers and mansions—they need the league badly.

So when you read the latest story of a star player going overseas, remember they are bluffing. The players aren’t holding a full house…they have a two and a four.

That’s why it’s no surprise that one word from Kevin Durant caused a bit of a stir recently.  This excerpt taken from an article posted on TMZ describes an incident that should not be a big deal, but it was quickly turned into one.

Cameras from celebrity news outlet TMZ recently caught Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant on the street in Los Angeles and asked him what there is to do for fun in Oklahoma.

When Durant mumbled “nothing” as he continued to walk away from the camera, his response created controversy and forced Durant to explain his comment on social networking Web sites Twitter and Facebook.

“I dissed Oklahoma cuz I didn’t wanna sit n talk to TMZ and all I said was the word nothing..y’all forgot all the times I scream OKC? ok cool” Durant posted Tuesday on his Twitter account.

Durant has said a number of times how he loves Oklahoma City and their fans, and that he wants to stay there and win the franchise an NBA championship.  That is all well and good for being politically correct, but let’s be honest about this comment.  There probably is “nothing” to do in Oklahoma City for a young millionaire athlete; it’s not exactly a travel destination people are flocking too.  If he had to choose where he wanted to play out of Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Atlanta, Washington, and Oklahoma City where do you think Oklahoma City would rank on that list?

Is it any surprise Kevin was spotted walking in the streets of Los Angeles in the off season and not in the streets of Oklahoma City?  We are just saying the things that Kevin Durant can’t say because the fans in Oklahoma City would take offense, but the truth hurts sometimes.  Durant slipped up the question was a simple answer there is nothing to do, but instead of saying no comment he blurted it out.  If you notice when he was clarifying his statement it never said anything about I scream OKC because the city is awesome to live in.  We all know he was referencing the team and organization, and to further clarify he just purchased a million dollar condo in Miami!  If Oklahoma City was that great, why would he feel the need to buy homes in other big market cities where people more of his stature are spending their time?

Fans in small cities need to wake up, your city is not appealing for certain types of people.  They come there to do their job, but that does not mean they have to like the area.  These players are drafted or traded to these places, or they sign there to accomplish something in their chosen sport.  I have never heard anyone say man I want to live in Green Bay or Oklahoma City, but there are plenty that would love to play for the teams there.  Living in the city is just an unfortunate by product that they accept.

“When asked if Miami is the worst professional sports town, Barkley, who reiterated his admiration of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, said: “Yeah they have the worst fans. No question. It’s not even loud in there. You’re at the game and you are like, ‘Man this place isn’t even loud.’ At least when you go to Chicago, it’s loud in there, it’s crazy down in Dallas but it’s not even loud in Miami.”

“Listen, if the Miami Heat were playing the Washington Generals I would pick the Washington Generals,” Barkley said with a chuckle. “It’s something about that team that annoys me.

“They just a whiny bunch and I can’t root for them.”” (http://sports.espn.go.com)

Barkely never one to mince words makes very good points, last season the Miami Heat ranked 15^th in attendance out of 30 teams in the NBA.  While the Bulls and Mavericks were both in the top four #1 and #4 respectively.   This season the Bulls and Mavericks retained their same ranking, but the Miami Heat moved up to the #5 ranking in attendance.

That fact alone shows the “fair weather” nature of Miami fans, so of course they are not going to be passionate when they show up.  The influx of fans is attributed to a very simple concept, everyone wants to be associated with the fad team or who they think will win a title.  The loyalty from the fan base seems to dwindle every season, and the 2011 Miami Heat is a perfect example of people jumping on the bandwagon.  The first home game of the season against the Orlando Magic a fan paid $26,000 for two courtside seats to the game; Jack Nicholson does not even pay that much for his Lakers courtside tickets.

Then the fact that during the Chicago Bulls series when Barkley and his TNT colleagues were outside of the American Airlines Arena trying to do Inside the NBA Heat fans were obnoxious and belligerent.  These so called “fans” even started throwing things at Barkley on the set causing Barkley to make a few threats that he would defend himself.  Real fans don’t act this way, and they may give you a hard time for rooting for the other team, but there is a line that they won’t cross.  As a result TNT moved the show inside the American Airlines Arena because of the fans, this ruined an opportunity for fans to be able to get on TV and interact in the TV show.

All Heat fans are not like this as there are some who have been fans since the teams inception, but this latest group of people who only recently started following the Heat make the entire fan base look bad.

You can throw those games out of the window though because the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls both took the season series from the Miami Heat, but fell to them in the playoffs.  Despite what Miami did to the Bulls and Celtics the Mavericks are going to present something the Heat have not seen during the playoffs, a team that has four or five players who can put up big games.  The entire Mavericks team is shooting the ball at a high percentage right now, and that will be a big change from the Bulls lack of difference makers on offense.

The Mavericks are looking to avenge their 2006 Finals loss to Miami after they went up 2 – 0 and then watched the Heat win four games in a row to take the title.  The only players left from that 2006 team are Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki, and the 2010 version of the Mavericks is a different animal to deal with than the 2006 version.

Keys for Dallas to win

Dallas will win if they can stop the dribble penetration of the Miami Heat, and force Wade, Bosh, and James to be primarily jump shooters.  This will give Dallas more opportunities to take advantage of their size in the paint and create second chance opportunities.  The Mavericks have an overall size advantage against the Heat, and they will need to win the rebound battle in order to win this series.  Some or all of Miami’s big three will get hot at different times during the series, and the only way to weather that storm is for Dallas to not foul and rebound when they miss shots.

Putting Wade, Bosh, and James on the free throw line repeatedly is what killed the Bulls, Dallas needs to play disciplined defense, rebound the ball effectively, and utilize the match up advantages they have with Dirk in certain situations.  The final key is for the Mavericks bench to outplay the Heat’s reserves significantly because they have an advantage there with JJ Barea and Jason Terry coming off the bench.

*One key note the Mavericks had Caron Butler for those games, and he will not be playing in this series.

Keys for Miami to win

The formula for Miami is relatively simple to win this series, they will not have a size advantage against Dallas and will need to take quality shots.  That means Wade, Bosh, and James getting in the lane drawing fouls on Tyson Chandler, Dirk Nowitzki, and Shawn Marion which will get them off the floor and allow the Heat to score easy points.  No one can match up with Lebron James, so the Heat always have an advantage there,  and the Mavericks will probably put Deshawn Stevenson on him.  Jason Kidd is a few steps behind Dwayne Wade, so whomever has Kidd on them will have an advantage.  The Mavericks are big in the paint and Bosh may struggle a bit this series because the Mavericks do defend the post well, it will be dribble penetration by James and Wade that will break this Mavericks defense down.  The Oklahoma City Thunder had a lot of success getting in the lane with Russell Westbrook finishing a the rim, the Heat have two of the best in the game at that.

The Heat play solid defense, but it’s going to be tough for them to slow the Mavericks down with the amount of offensive talent and shooters they roll out there.  The Heat will need quality minutes from their bench to help supplement the scoring from the big three, if the bench can contribute enough points and rebounds then the Heat can win this series.

Sports Session Prediction – Dallas Mavericks win in 7 Games

Just like that, the 2011 NBA Draft Lottery has come to a close. The Cavaliers have to be ecstatic, landing two of the top four selections. The Jazz are thrilled too, and may be looking for the next Deron Williams at number three overall. The Timberwolves, on the other hand, can’t be too happy, dropping from the first overall selection.

So, where did your team land in the draft order? Take a look below at the complete draft order for both rounds of the 2011 NBA Draft.

First Round:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers, 2. Minnesota Timberwolves, 3. Utah Jazz, 4. Cleveland Cavaliers, 5. Toronto Raptors, 6. Washington Wizards, 7. Sacramento Kings, 8. Detroit Pistons, 9. Charlotte Bobcats, 10. Milwaukee Bucks

11. Golden State Warriors, 12. Utah Jazz, 13. Phoenix Suns, 14. Houston Rockets, 15. Indiana Pacers, 16. Philadelphia 76ers, 17. New York Knicks, 18. Washington Wizards, 19. Charlotte Bobcats, 20. Minnesota Timberwolves

21. Portland Trail Blazers, 22. Denver Nuggets, 23. Houston Rockets, 24. Oklahoma City Thunder, 25. Boston Celtics, 26. Dallas Mavericks, 27. New Jersey Nets, 28. Chicago Bulls, 29. San Antonio Spurs, 30. Chicago Bulls

Second Round:

31. Miami Heat (from Minnesota Timberwolves), 32. Cleveland Cavaliers, 33. Detroit Pistons (from Toronto Raptors), 34. Washington Wizards, 35. Sacramento Kings, 36. New Jersey Nets, 37. Los Angeles Clippers, 38. Houston Rockets, 39. Charlotte Bobcats

40. Milwaukee Bucks, 41. Los Angeles Lakers, 42. Indiana Pacers, 43. Chicago Bulls, 44. Golden State Warriors, 45. New Orleans Hornets, 46. Los Angeles Lakers, 47. Los Angeles Clippers, 48. Atlanta Hawks, 49. Memphis Grizzlies

50. Philadelphia 76ers, 51. Portland Trail Blazers, 52. Denver Nuggets, 53. Orlando Magic, 54. Cleveland Cavaliers, 55. Boston Celtics, 56. Los Angeles Lakers, 57. Dallas Mavericks, 58. Los Angeles Lakers, 59. San Antonio Spurs, 60. Sacramento Kings

Whether warranted or not, there is one glaring disparity between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat in their conference finals matchup. It isn’t a tangible discrepancy, such as free throw attempts or second chance possessions. It is an intangible that has been looming over the Miami Heat all season, and now looms larger than ever after the Heat’s Game 1 loss to the Bulls. So, what is it?  Pressure.

The Heat’s season has been riddled with scrutiny intense enough to make Barack Obama blush. And as the playoffs have progressed, the intensity of that scrutiny has reached new heights. After its poetically dramatic Game 5 win over the Boston Celtics, many assumed the worst was over with for the guys from South Beach, and that there was now a clear path to the franchise’s second championship.

But as the Heat’s Game 1 meltdown in Chicago indicated, that assumption was dead wrong.  The season-long attention with which the media has showered the Heat has created the perfect remedy for the higher seeded Bulls to “upset” the most hated team in America.  While being incessantly analyzed by the national media, the Heat’s 58-win season, good for third-best in the NBA, was deemed underwhelming by the majority of the basketball universe.

On the contrary, the Bulls began the season with no major expectations outside of the city of Chicago. Their biggest off-season story was that LeBron James didn’t sign with them. The Bulls flew under the radar and finished the season boasting a league-best 62 win season. Considered by most to be overachieving, the Bulls haven’t been getting the credit they’ve rightfully deserved.

So here we are, the Bulls up one game to none and the pressure mounting on the Heat. In Game 1, the overlooked Bulls relished their first true opportunity to prove themselves, while the Heat looked vastly over matched while attempting to prove itself for the 93rd time this season.

Chicago played like a team with nothing to lose, shooting confidently from deep (47 percent) and relentlessly crashing the offensive boards, snagging 13 more than its Miami counterparts.

To be honest, no one will blink an eye if the Bulls lose this series. They are playing a team with two roster spots reserved for two of the best basketball players on the planet, players who came together for the sole purpose of winning championships, and to start doing so immediately.

The Bulls, meanwhile, are lead by the 22-year-old MVP Derrick Rose, whose breakthrough season also warranted Most Improved Player consideration. He, unlike LeBron, has no playoff reputation to correct. He, as well as the rest of his team, has nothing to lose. But unfortunately for the Heat, it believes it has something to prove.

At this point, Chicago’s season has already been credited as a success by everyone not named Derrick Rose or Tom Thibodeau.

On the other hand, the Miami Heat’s season will be considered a failure unless it brings the Larry O’Brien trophy back to South Beach.

The Heat has bounced back from adverse situations all season long, and is undoubtedly prepared to do so again against the top-seeded Bulls.

Doing so, however, will unquestionably be the highest hurdle of the Miami Heat’s season thus far, as it will have to overcome a team with nothing to lose and out to prove that it is as good as its 62-20 record indicates. And after the shellacking the Bulls gave the Heat in Game 1, those 62 wins are beginning to seem like an accurate reflection after all.