The Magazine INAUGURAL ISSUE
PHOTO BY Jed Jacobsohn
JANUARY2012
The Magazine
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Los Angeles based monthly NBA magazine. Non-biased real opinion about the NBA and it's players. Photo By Andrew D. Bernstein
Kobe Bryant & the Fountain of Youth By Daniel Brewster
Kobe Bryant and his Lakers reached their lowest point last year when the eventual NBA champion Dallas Mavericks swept them out of the playoffs in the second round. The last images we had of the Lakers were Andrew Bynum walking off the court shirtless, Phil Jackson watching in disappointment as his coaching career came to an end, and Kobe Bryant visibly angry as the Mavs knocked off the back-to-back defending champions. So how would Kobe Bryant respond? Well, as we all know, Bryant had been hampered by chronic knee and ankle problems, oftentimes playing through the pain last season. Due to an extended offseason Bryant was able to go to Germany twice and have a procedure done on his bad
knee and ankle. The procedure is called Regenokine or Orthokine, where blood is removed from the infected area, then created into a serum, and finally injected back into the target area. The FDA has not approved this procedure, which is why the Lakers star had to go to Germany to get it done. Well the results are in and, for Laker fans, they are good. Kobe has come running out of the gates this season and currently has his Lakers on top of the Pacific Division with a 9-5 record. Not only are the Lakers playing well, but with the resurgence of a healthy Andrew Bynum, it looks like Kobe has another dominant big man to play with - which may be the reason for the increase in his assist numbers. Kobe currently leads
the league in scoring at 32ppg and has even channeled his younger days by dropping 40 points in four straight games, something no one has done since Kobe himself did it in 2003, when he posted 40 in nine straight games. Mind you Kobe is doing this on an injured wrist which he sustained while playing against the Clippers in the team’s first preseason game. The wrist injury is one that requires at least 4 weeks of rest, which Kobe has no intentions of taking anytime soon. We all heard the pundits say that Kobe was too old, hurt, and past his prime, but we should have known Kobe had much more up his sleeve. Kobe is one of the last players that still plays with a killer instinct; I mean he is the Black
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Mamba for a reason. With all of the doubt circulating around the league, Bryant just continues to do what he has always done, get buckets. Laker fan or not, you have to appreciate that. Kobe is fine with being called old, or anything else being thrown out there. I know one thing, if Kobe’s performances are a result of being old, then 33 must be the new 20. Photo By Andrew D. Bernstein
Bynum’s Time is Nigh The Lakers Next Dominant Center
With a brand new bill of health and an increased role, the sky is the limit for Lakers center Andrew Bynum.
By Eric Lemus
The last time we saw Andrew Bynum in the 2010-2011 season he was walking off the court at the American Airlines Center after being ejected for a flagrant foul against J.J. Barea in an absolutely embarrassing showing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Not only did the Lakers lose by 36, but it was the clinching game in a sweep of the defending champs, to the eventual champion Mavericks. As we all expected, the Lakers did not sit still in the offseason and made moves to get the franchise back on top. Well, at least tried to. David Stern nixed a trade that made Chris Paul a Laker and the fallout led to an unhappy Lamar Odom being shipped to Dallas for a draft pick. Add to that a 4-game suspension that Bynum had to serve to start the season for his antics at the end of the last, and having to play their back-toback-to-back in games 1, 2, and 3 of the season and the Lakers looked in worse shape than after the sweep a few months prior. The Lakers were able to keep their head above water and Andrew Bynum was ready to make his debut. Bynum started his season with a home-and-home on New Year’s Eve against newly rewarded Nene and the Denver Nuggets, and with Odom out of the picture, an increased role to boot. Game 1: 26 points and 13 rebounds. Game 2: 18 points and 16 rebounds. Happy New Year, Lakers. In fact it couldn’t have been more fitting for Bynum to debut with such numbers on such a significant holiday.
Photo By Andrew D. Bernstein
You see, the Los Angeles Lakers do not often get lottery picks in the draft, so when they selected Bynum with the 10th overall pick in 2005, they expected much from him. However, to this point in his career Bynum hasn’t lived up to the expectations. Although Bynum’s point totals of 10.5 and rebound totals of 7 per game in his six year career leading up to this season aren’t great, they also aren’t too bad considering Bynum has only played an entire season once, and has been the third or fourth option his entire career. This year the Lakers have given Bynum the shot attempts and he has proven that he can be a dominant player in the league. He posted a 21-point, 22rebound game in a victory over Houston and a 15 & 15 game in a win over Memphis.
Bynum is becoming the best center in the West and with an aging Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, he will see an increase in opportunities to prove himself an All-Star in this league. However, Bynum’s talent has never been the issue and both he and the Lakers will hope that he can avoid the injury bug from this point on in his career.
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A New Beginning in Los Angeles The Birth of Lob City By Daniel Brewster
Ladies and gentlemen, these are your Los Angeles Clippers. No seriously, they are. Yes, your starting lineup does consist of Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Caron Butler, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan. Things are changing in Clipper land whether you like it or not. After all the misery, the future is looking really bright for the team that has long been known as the ‘other’ team in Los Angeles. First thing’s first, why did the Clippers trade Eric Gordon for Chris Paul? Ok I get it, Eric Gordon is a good young player and can go off for 30 on any given night - and that’s the problem. When you have Blake Griffin on your team he must be the featured player on your team, point blank period, dude is a star. Trading for Chris Paul was the best thing the Clippers could have done because he brings them instant credibility. The Clippers have been the laughing stock of the NBA for over 30 years and in that span have only made the playoffs 3 times. The Clippers have had 13 coaches since 1984. They have let countless players walk away, who then turn around and become stars in other places. If it was the wrong thing to do, you name it and the Clippers have done it, and Chris Paul changes all of that. Paul is one of the best point guards in the league and his presence alone now makes the Clippers one of the most dangerous and most respected teams in the league. Let us not forget the significance of the Caron Butler and Chauncey Billups signings either. Before
Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups look to turn Los Angeles’ second team into it’s best team. Photos By D. Clarke Evans & Andrew D. Bernstein
getting hurt last year Butler was easily one of the best players on the Dallas Mavericks last year as Dirk Nowitzki struggled out of the gates. A career 16ppg scorer, Butler gives the young Clips’ another scoring option alongside Blake Griffin. Besides scoring, Butler provides a veteran presence that the Clippers have not had in years past. The Chauncey Billups signing was one of the weirder signings of the offseason but I know Clipper fans are not complaining. The 14-year veteran also known as Mr. Big Shot, is the consummate NBA player. A former NBA Finals MVP, Billups is the player that may carry the Clippers over the top. Now on his 8th team, Billups is the same player that he was in his younger days, but his experience alone is something that most contending teams would kill to have. Oh yeah, there is also some guy named Blake Griffin that plays for the Clippers too. Griffin was the first rookie since Yao Ming to be named to an All-Star game, and the scary part is that it is only the beginning for Blake. Having teachers like Chris Paul, Caron Butler, and Chauncey Billups will have a huge impact on Griffin’s development. Already a freak athlete, if Griffin can develop that 15-17 foot jumper then we may be seeing the next Karl Malone, folks. Well, the early results are in and boy are they good. The Clippers have already knocked off teams like the Portland Trailbazers, Miami Heat, and Houston Rockets and have done it in a way which we’re not accustomed to seeing the Clippers play.
ADDICTED2THEGAME Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups have given this team a swagger that’s has been non existent in the 42 year history of the franchise. Lob City mania has swept over the city and there are many who feel like the Clippers are better than the Lakers. At this point Chris Paul is doing for Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan what he did for Tyson Chandler, and that is making them better. Scary. Griffin was already an All-Star and Jordan is already an athletic freak of nature but with Chris Paul’s grooming he can be one of the top 3 centers in the game. Things are looking bright for Clipper fans and they should be excited, they have a team who can legitimately challenge for a Western Conference title. When in Clippers history has that been the case? Times are changing in Los Angeles and it isn’t because of the Lakers, there is a new sheriff in town and the way the Clippers are looking they’re not going away any time soon.
Blake Griffin has lived up to the #1 overall draft pick but now he is focused on making the Clippers a championship contender. Photo By Andrew D. Bernstein
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Is Ricky Rubio the Real Deal?
Ricky Rubio has already won over some fans, but is he a future star or will his shine fade away?
By Eric Lemus
On June 25th, 2009, the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Ricky Rubio knowing that he was under contract with Spanish club DKV Joventut and with no plans on paying the hefty $6-8 million buy out. Instead, they let Rubio stay in Spain, honing his game. Fast forward to the summer of 2011 and the chosen one had arrived in Minnesota. On June 20th, 2011, Rubio stepped off the plane and was greeted by a Minnesota crowd going so crazy you would have thought they’d been waiting on the Beatles. Instead, it was their franchise player, a shaggy-haired kid that could just as easily be a flop as he could be an all-star. So far in Rubio’s career, however, he is trending toward the latter. He made his regular season debut in front of a home crowd that grew crazed every time he touched the ball; and they were not disappointed. Although Rubio finished with modest numbers, posting 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists, he showed glimpses of that magic that we all had heard of. Four nights later, the Wolves played their second home game of the season against the NBA’s highest profile team, the Miami Heat. Rubio took the stage and shined. He scored 12 points, brought down 6 rebounds, and had 12 assists as Minnesota played the Heat as close as they could. A last second lob from LeBron James to Dwyane Wade off of an inbounds play proved to be the difference in a 101-103 loss for the host Wolves, but they had their man.
Photo By David Sherman
Wolves fans and the management were elated to see that what they expected back on the day Rubio stepped off the plane was happening before their very eyes. He threw passes with so much flair that they had crowds both home and away ooh’ing and ah’ing, and with so much accuracy that they had the players and coaches in admiration. In Minnesota’s tenth game of the season, Rubio finally had his first start, and the Ricky Rubio era in Minnesota had begun with a victory in New Orleans and a filled up box score that looked much like what it has all season: 12, 6, 9, plus 3 steals.
With glimpses of Manu Ginobili-like flair and intuition, it is easy to see why Ricky Rubio has an entire city excited about a team that just came off of an NBA-worst 17-win season just a few months ago. Do yourself a favor and see for yourself, who knows, if you get a chance to see Rubio in action, you may just become a fan as well.
The Future in Minnesota
Timberwolves won’t be raising banners anytime soon, it sure feels good to know that your team is headed in the right direction. Ricky Rubio looks like the floor general that we all heard he was in Barcelona. Derrick Williams has enough size and agility to play any of 3 positions on the floor and is getting better every day. Kevin Love is still posting MVP-like numbers and is out to prove that last year was no fluke. All that means is that the Minnesota Timberwolves will be a force in the Western Conference for years to come.
By Eric Lemus
Time will tell Kevin Love leads a Minnesota team with an influx of young talent. Ricky Rubio and #2 overall pick Derrick Williams look to turn the Timberwolves into a contender. Photo By David Sherman
The Minnesota Timberwolves have a lot to be happy about in 2012. They drafted a freakishly athletic kid in Derrick Williams who has all the upside in the world, they finally were able to bring their franchise point guard to the States from Spain, and they added NBA champion J.J. Barea to bring some leadership to a young team. Oh yea, and they still have Kevin Love. On one hand, the Wolves are coming off a 17-win season (worst in the NBA), but on the other hand, 8 months seems so long ago. And although the
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NBA All-Star Who Should go to Orlando?
Noteworthy NBA Milestones
Did He Really? Dwight Howard’s Record
By Eric Lemus
By Eric Lemus
✦ Just before the bell tolled on 2011, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Every year we are left scratching our heads at the All-Star selections. We Popovich won his New Year’s Eve understand its a popularity contest and matchup against the Utah Jazz - marking allows fans to be apart of the game. For the 800th win of his career. Pops became the most part, the selections are pretty the 14th coach in NBA history to reach accurate as to who should play in the the 800 wins plateau and ranks third game and this year its shaping up to be among active coaches behind only the same. Kind of. George Karl and Rick Adelman. Recent votes have shown that if the game were to be played tomorrow, Chris ✦ Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki were able to reach scoring marks early in Paul and Blake Griffin would start - but the 11-12 campaign. Kobe passed 28,000 anyone who watches basketball would know that Paul is not playing at an Allcareer points and moved into sixth place Star level at the moment and Kevin Love all-time while Dirk made it past 23,000 is clearly the best Power Forward in the points and 23rd all-time. Bryant is also game. Kyle Lowry who is avg. 17.8ppg, now 17th all-time in steals. 6.9rpg, and 9.3apg is clearly playing ✦ Also moving up in the all-time ranks better basketball at his position and may was Denver Nuggets guard Andre Miller. be the third best point guard in the game Miller is now 13th ever in assists, passing behind Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo. That's not to say that after more time Tim Hardaway. with his teammates and getting in better shape Paul won't be playing at his usual level but he isn't at that point now. The starters should be Lowry, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Love, and Andrew Bynum. The reserves should be include a combination of Russell Westbrook, Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, Monta Ellis, LaMarcus Aldridge, Gerald Wallace, Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol and Chris Paul. But of course, due to the hype, CP3 and Lob city will have control over the all-star game this year. I would just like to see deserving players go, at least once, who may not end up with 10 All-Star selections at the end of their career. By Preston Newsom
Golden State Warriors first year head coach Mark Jackson decided he was going to play the percentages. Jackson figured that his Warriors would not be able to contain Orlando Magic superstar Dwight Howard, so instead of letting him get whatever he wanted down low he would have to earn it at the free throw strike. Howard is a historically bad free throw shooter and this day was no different, as Howard only connected on 54% of his attempts. The problem, however, was that Howard was sent to the free throw line 39 times, converting 21. The 39 attempts broke a regularseason single-game record that Wilt Chamberlain owned for nearly 50 years. Both starting power forward and starting center, David Lee and Andris Biedrins fouled out for Golden State, Biedrins managing to play only 21 minutes. Reserve forward Ekpe Udoh was able to add 5 fouls in 15 minutes, rookie swingman Klay Thompson also tallied 5 fouls, and rookie forward Jeremy Tyler even got in on the fun adding a foul in his only minute of action. Dwight Howard finished the game with 45 points on 12 of 21 shooting from the field and pulled down 23 rebounds. The 45 points were good for the 2nd most of any player all season, trailing only Kobe Bryant’s 48 in Phoenix. Jackson’s strategy almost worked, as his Warriors had a two point lead heading into the last quarter, but the Photo By Glenn James Magic posted 37 points in the final frame and won the game 117-109. ✦ NBA journeyman Mike Bibby has found a new home in New York and Maybe calling so many games the although he has been playing the fewest last few years for ESPN led Jackson to minutes of his career, he has made them over-think things a bit, but going to the count. In January, Bibby became only the hack-a-Howard 10 games in to your 15th player in NBA history to make 1500 coaching career seems drastic. I can only 3-point field goals in a career. hope things get easier for him from here ✦ Los Angeles Lakers point guard and on out. NBA players’ union president, Derek Good luck, Coach. Fisher achieved a great deal off the court this past fall, but Fisher also made history on the court, as well. Fish played in his 500th consecutive game, which is the highest active streak but is still well short of A.C. Green’s all time record of 1,192 consecutive games.
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Early in the season the Heat and Thunder look faster, stronger, and just flat out better than the rest on the NBA. Has last year’s embarrassing Finals’ performance lit a fire under the Heat? Is OKC a team of destiny? Photos By Layne Murdoch & Mike Ehrmann
A Tale of Two Teams By Eric Lemus
As soon as the curtain came down on the 2010/2011 season, most NBA know-italls predicted that the Miami Heat would have their day in the sun soon. As devastating a loss the 2011 Finals were for Miami, it didn’t keep most people from pencilling the Heat in for the ’12 Finals. And their opponent? None other than the team the Mavericks beat before they took care of the Heat, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yes, like a prophecy from a sci-fi thriller, an OKC vs. Miami Finals has been foretold, but unlike the movies, they still have to play the games. The usual suspects seem to have all been written off this year, and all for the same reason...age. The Spurs have been too old for 4 years now and the other
modern NBA dynasty, the Lakers, are now too long in the tooth as well. The Celtics no longer can keep up with the athletic teams in the Association and the World Champion Mavs just exerted their “last hoorah.” Right? The new order of the NBA is in Chicago with the league’s youngest MVP ever and in Memphis where youth was served in the first round of the 2011 playoffs as the Grizzlies stuck the proverbial fork in the Spur Dynasty. The new order of the NBA is in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder have been climbing the ranks of the NBA elite for 3 years and are now the favorites in the West. The new order of the NBA is in South Beach, where diamonds have
been getting set in the championship rings since “The Decision.” Expectations, however, have been known to buckle the knees of the strongest of contenders - a fate the two favorites are desperate to avoid. The Thunder wasted no time in proving to the world that they are who we all thought they were. Kevin Durant opened the season with 4 straight 30 point games and led the team to 5 straight wins. Russell Westbrook is proving that he is the best second option in the world while at the same time declaring himself a number one. If you aren’t tired of the cliches yet, here is another one, it’s looking increasingly like the only team that can stand in OKC’s way is OKC. But the more and more the
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media pushes the Thunder’s buttons on the Durant/Westbrook rift, the more the Thunder deny any rift at all. Winning is the best medicine after all, and if the Thunder keep winning this so-called rift will only be a family disagreement, and let’s be honest, which family doesn’t disagree? How many wouldn’t love this problem? Should we give the ball to the 2-time reigning NBA scoring champ or should we let our walking triple-double point guard get more shots? I can’t imagine how much sleep GM Sam Presti is losing over that. Oh and don’t look now but your other lottery pick, James Harden, is putting up 17 per game. Poor Sam. That’s not to say that the Thunder aren’t without flaws. Well, maybe ‘flaws’ is a bit strong, lets say they still have questions. The main one being whether or not the rest of the roster can step up and get this team to the promised land. There has never been an NBA championship team that achieved the dream without a total team effort (cliche alert!) The Thunder have players that can hit contested shots and get tough points in spurts, like Thabo Sefolosha and Serge Ibaka, but do they have players that can carry the load when the top two guys are having a bad day or being shut out? They don’t have that guy yet, and quite honestly, they don’t need him in January. The NBA regular season is long and filled with ups and downs.
Unsatisfied with being a sidekick, Russell Westbrook has no problem proving that he can be a number one option. Photo By Layne Murdoch
The elite teams always grow and develop what they need. They cover up deficiencies and showcase strengths. Over in South Beach the tune is a bit different. It isn’t about developing into a championship-caliber team, it’s about making this championship-caliber team a champion. The expectations have transformed into rights, but that’s what happens when you have two of the top 5 (or top 3 or top 2 depending on your own opinion) players in the world. The Heat don’t have the problem of deciding who is Batman and who is Robin, they have Batman and Superman. Dwyane Wade is already a World Champion, but he isn’t satisfied with just that one. LeBron James is The King, but thirsts for the crown. Chris Bosh was an All-Star as a #1, but longs to be a champion as a #3. Or at least that’s how it should be. That is what we assumed would happen since “The Decision” because that is what they told us would be the case. Instead, the Heat have been like the characters from Wizard of Oz, always beings criticized more for what they lack than what they have. If LeBron only had that clutch gene. If Wade only had the courage to take the final shot away from LeBron. If Chris Bosh only had...well, lets keep it mature here, ask the NBATV and ESPN personalities what Bosh lacks. But at the end of the day, those that hate on the Heat hate on them because they recognize that this team has the potential
to do big things, or as Jay and Kanye said, “Damn they hate ballers these days. Aint that like LeBron James? Aint that just like D-Wade?” Well, the Heat entered the 2011/2012 campaign on a mission. The early season struggles from a year ago are laughable now. Moreover, LeBron James looks like he is out to prove something. Much like Durant, James posted point totals of 37, 26, 35, and 34 to kick off the season - all in Miami victories. Dwyane Wade has been playing much like one would expect him to play, but the surprise early on has been the solid play from Bosh and the excellent play from the rest of the Miami roster. Rookie Norris Cole has shown glimpses that he can be a good NBA player, so much so that some were predicting him taking the starting role away from Mario Chalmers. Chalmers, in turn, didnt take too kindly to that and, when Wade and James sat out a game against a good Atlanta squad, he let the world know that he wasn’t going to let a rookie take his spot. Chalmers dropped 29 and added 7 boards, 8 assists, and 3 steals. Add to that a healthy Udonis Haslem and a veteran like Shane Battier and this team seemed ready to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy. But not so fast. Although the season is early it has already given cynics an opportunity to come down on LeBron. Remember those, “What’s the difference between LeBron and a dollar” jokes? (The answer being you can only get three quarters out of LeBron) Well they have reared their ugly heads. Three ugly fourth quarters and three Ls in as many games against the Warriors, Clippers, and Nuggets in January have dropped the Heat from the best team in the league to the most overrated team in some minds. A roaring comeback by the Warriors in Oakland in which LeBron was Cavs-V-Celtics-like absent started the clamoring, which only grew louder with missed free throw after missed free throw in Los Angeles against the Clippers in an overtime loss the next day. Add to that an ugly last frame in Denver and LeBron is now known as the Anti-Tebow, but opinions in the NBA are always subject to change. No team is perfect and like I said earlier, the NBA season is a long one (even this 66 game one) and although nothing is given and everything is earned in this league, and even with a bit of turmoil early on, The Heat and Thunder look to be on a collision course for June...which we can all claim to have called last June.
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InTransition By Eric Lemus
Let us start by thanking you for reading and supporting our latest endeavor, Addicted2TheGame The Magazine. We can only hope that you welcome our digest as you have our web blog addicted2thegame.com. We wont claim to be the end all-be all of NBA literature but we can promise you that will never put pen to paper without the sincerest efforts to provide you with our best work. Although our writing will reflect each author’s personal opinion, we will never be overbearing with that opinion and are committed to providing non-biased work. Hopefully, you will find that work entertaining and worthy of your time. Addicted2TheGame was the brainchild of Daniel Brewster, whom, in 2011, created a website with the single purpose of providing a one-stop shop for all things NBA. Along with news, addicted2thegame.com provides highlights, game recaps, and personal takes on anything and everything happening in the association. I was glad to lend a helping hand and contribute to the site for Daniel, a friend of over 10 years. Since the launch of the site we have added the expertise of Preston Newsom and Kryston Tillet, also longtime friends. The NBA lock-out a mere few months after the site was online provided an interesting challenge for us: how to sustain an NBA website without an NBA. Thanks to NBA players making news abroad and superstars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kobe Bryant playing in summer leagues across the States, we were able to provide our visitors with some entertaining and informative information. With the NBA lockout over and the regular season kicking off on Christmas Day, we were now excited and able to get back into the swing of things. While brainstorming new ideas for bringing our site to the masses, Daniel and I planted a seed that would lead to what we have today. We are personally excited about the launch of this magazine because it was a project we started with the goal of entertaining you, the reader. Our plans are to bring you an issue per month filled with articles all NBA fans want to read about, regardless of favorite teams and players. Although it has been much hard work to get to this point, we enjoy every minute of it and have no plans of slacking any time soon. We have worked tirelessly to provide you with a design that is aesthetically pleasing and functional at the same time, and although our work is still amateurish, we hope you will stay with me us as we work hard to hone our craft. We hope you enjoy this issue and those to come, and thank you for your continued support in our mission to bring you all the NBA your heart desires. -Stay Addicted2TheGame, Daniel Brewster - Founder, Co-Editor Preston Newsom - Contributor Eric Lemus - Co- Editor ~ To be added to our mailing list please email A2TGmagazine@gmail.com