“The Oregon Ducks-themed Air Jordan 3′s pop up once more. Yesterday we got a first-look at an ‘Oregon’ Air Jordan 3 White/Cement, and today we get a second look at the Air Jordan 3 – Black Oregon Ducks, which popped up a few weeks back. Like the white pair, there’s no reason to expect that these will ever release publicly, but of course we’ll let you know if anything changes. Via @thisisdaners” – NikeBlog
(Portland) Timbers Army Is For Real.
The Portland Timbers are new to the MLS this year, but that doesn’t mean their fans don’t know the game. With a sluggish record in their first year, The Timber Army still shows up STRONG. Especially when they beat the LA Galaxy 3-0 to ruin the Galaxy’s 14-game winning streak. Watch as the Timber Army reacts to Jorge Perlaza’s goal. Amazing.
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We Are All Witnesses (to LeBron 2.0)
By Kelly B. McGillivray
When LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach, the whole nation responded. It became instant news, full of images of torched jerseys, billboards in heaps on the sidewalk, and even the now famous all caps rant in Comic Sans by Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert, complete with a personal guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers would win an NBA Championship “before the self-titled former King wins one.”
But what people didn’t care to think about was how this would change LeBron. He later fired back, via twitter, that he was “taking mental notes of everyone taking shots at him” this past summer. And now the NBA is starting to understand what LeBron meant.
Welcome to LeBron James 2.0: (which is what I’m going to refer to LeBron as) a more aggressive, intense, and scariest of all, better LeBron James. On top of that, at least to me, it seems that 2.0 looks bigger and stronger than his Cleveland days, which doesn’t bode well for opponents. In teaming up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who decides to show up every once in a while and prove he’s worth the $110 million Miami has to pay him, (like he did in Game 4 against Boston with the late tip-in) 2.0 had his ups and downs during the regular season, doing so under a constant microscope. There was a bump with head coach Eric Spoelstra early in the season that made the media rounds and was critiqued from every angle, his inability to hit shots in the final seconds of games, and a regular season that did not go as Miami had hoped. But in these playoffs, 2.0 has seemed to embrace the Us against the World mentality, which so far has taken the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals.
He closed out the Boston Celtics in a ruthless, almost revenge-like manner. He matched Ray Allen shot for shot in Game 4, hitting two huge 3 pointers late, including one directly in front of a Boston bench that was doing their best to distract him. In Game 5, he fed off the momentum started by James Jones’ 3 pointer with 3:43 left, a shot he assisted on, turning that into two 3 pointers, a steal and uncontested dunk, and an icing-on-the-cake bank shot that sent the defending Eastern Conference Champions home.
So the real question is: why now?
Teamed up with a legit #2, or 1A, however you see it, LeBron seems to have more confidence in his game knowing there’s D Wade right with him to match his intensity. At the same time, LeBron knows that not everything has to be done by him, a feeling he never felt in Cleveland. Their collective talent and energy have pushed 2.0 to a level that have the Heat in a position to do something they intended to do, in the words of LeBron himself “not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven” times. The Heat are eight wins away from getting to the first one.
The target is on their back, in that fiery shade of Heat red. And what better color to have than red, when staring straight back at them is a team of Bulls, led by the youngest MVP in the history of the NBA in Derrick Rose? The Philadelphia 76ers were breakfast, which must make the Boston Celtics lunch. Dinner is being served, and the Heat are hungrier than ever. LeBron’s stomach is empty, and so is his ring finger. Come late June he hopes to have finished dessert, and wear a ring that shines brighter than a South Beach summer sun, for the first of what LeBron, D Wade and company hope will be the first of not five, not six, not seven…
Kelly B. McGillivray can be found on Twitter @kellybmcg
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Pac-10:Top Prospects ’11 NBA Draft.
This article was brought to you by our friends at SwishScout.com
1 Tyler Honeycutt, UCLA (Sophmore SF, 6’8”, 185 lb.s)- A versatile, ‘do it all’ player’ who knows how to get involved and leave an impact in a game without scoring. Smart player with great passing and play making ability, but his hallmark is on defense. Biggest knock is his unselfishness, but if he becomes more assertive and a consistent shot maker, Honeycutt could easily play his way into becoming a lottery pick this year.
Projected Draft Stock: Mid-1st Round
2 Derrick Williams, Arizona (Sophomore PF, 6’8”, 240 lb.s)-Physical banger in the paint who plays aggressive and with a great motor. Williams is an athletic forward with good footwork and post moves, but limited by his size at 6’8”. Although undersized for his natural position, he will be able to overcome it to contribute for an NBA team in the paint. He’s teetering between draft rounds, but expect him to put up big numbers to contend for Conference Player of the Year and raise his stock in 2010-11.
Projected Draft Stock: Mid-Late 1st Round
3 Klay Thompson, Washington State (Junior SG/SF, 6’6”. 200 lb.s)- The best shooter and pure scorer in the conference. He has a textbook shooting stroke and is deadeye from 3. He has proven he can lead a team and be a primary scorer, but without elite athleticism, can he do it in the NBA? Conventional wisdom says no, and he is likely a role player or ‘spark off the bench scorer,’ and a good one at that. His stock is in questionable, but a solid Junior campaign should show NBA scouts his true worth.
Projected Draft Stock: Late 1st Round
4 Malcolm Lee, UCLA (Junior PG/SG, 6’4”, 195 lb.s)- Lee is a solid scoring point guard who excels at attacking off the dribble. He’s not a traditional backcourt leader, but he gets the job done on defense and with his playmaking. An indefinite ‘shoot first’ point, but is limited by his perimeter shooting inconsistency. He has a solid build and size for his position in NBA terms, but his athleticism isn’t outstanding. I don’t buy him as a legit NBA starter, but could be effective as a back up in the NBA.
Projected Draft Stock: Mid-Late 1st Round
5 Josh Smith, UCLA (Freshman PF/C, 6’10”, 305 lb.s)- The hefty big man has yet to prove what he can do in college, but his size and skill set makes him a legit prospect. Smith is a landmark in the paint who is physical and talented. He rebounds, D’s up, has great hands and has solid touch around the basket. Despite his talents, his perimeter shooting and fundamentals are abysmal. He is a raw post player who hasn’t proven he has moves or post game to compete, but has the potential. Conditioning is in question as well, but he may opt for another year instead of becoming a ‘One and Done.’
Projected Draft Stock: Late 1st-Early 2nd Round
6 Abdul Gaddy, Washington (Sophomore PG, 6’3”, 190 lb.s)- Before his college days, Gaddy was a supremely talented and highly touted prospect. At UW, he disappeared as a freshman and was underutilized. With his true point guard play and court vision, he is a legit floor general who will emerge in his 2nd season. His dribbling ability and passing skills are superb. However, shooting the ball was not his strength as a freshman, nor was using his left hand. Good PG build and raw talent, but must raise his draft stock with on-court performance. Love his upside and overall game, but don’t expect him to leave this year unless has an extraordinary season, in which case his stock should greatly rise.
Projected Draft Stock: 2nd Round
7 Isaiah Thomas, Washington (Junior SG, 5’8”, 185 lb.s)- Quintessential college star who dominates play with his shooting and scoring talents. Maybe no better indicator of his potential NBA success than his predecessor at Washington, Nate Robinson. Conversely, being very undersized and not a true point greatly inhibit his NBA stock. Thomas is a nice shooter with explosive quickness and ball handling, but can become too enthralled with the 3-ball. Another player unlikely to leave after this season, but in the case he does, some NBA team should be willing to take a chance on him to make a spark off the bench.
Projected Draft Stock: 2nd Round or Undrafted
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