Can the Hawks comepete for the championship?

The Hawks have the whole world buzzing with their unbelievable play this season, but the number 1 question to ask is can the Hawks compete for the NBA championship? I think the hawks can compete for the NBA championship and heres why; while the hawks are at a steller 39-8 nobody on there team manages to avereage over 17 points a game. Now some might ask will that hurt the team in the post season without a scoring option to go to in crunch time? It might, but the Hawks are the true definition of team basketball they can also sit down on the defensive end and control the pace of the game. The Hawks are 1st in defense holding teams to 96.3 PPG and their 2nd in assists a game putting up 26.2 APG. They move the ball really well and create open looks for guys like Kyle Korver, Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap, and DaMarre Carrol while being able to throw the ball into the post to efficient scorers in Al Horford and Paul Millsap. A big reason why they are where they are in the conference is because they are a very versatile team, they can beat you in so many ways than 1. They can beat you one night by shooting the ball really well, the next night out they'll beat you by post production, and the next they'll beat you by defense having their opponents struggling to shoot the ball well. So yes i believe the Hawks has just as much chance as competing for the championship as others like the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, and Toronto Raptors.
    -Brandon Murray

Is Hassan Whiteside the real deal?

A triple-double in just 25 minutes of action, and 14 rebounds in a single quarter (24 overall) has the internet buzzing about this kid playing for Miami. Over his last three games he has logged stat totals of 46 points 43 rebounds 13 blocks in just 90 minutes of action giving him averages of 15.3ppg 14.3rpg 4.3bpg playing 30 minutes per night over that span. Which is leading me to wonder is this kid the real deal? Before his emergence as a force he was averaging 7.4ppg 5.8rpg and 2bpg 15mpg in 17 games played with Miami this Season, it is his third season in the NBA. He was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 33rd overall pick in 2010, was released by the Kings in 2012 after appearing in only 19 games (zero starts), Signed by the Grizzlies in 2014 but did not play a single game with them and then picked up off waivers by the Miami Heat. So now that he is playing as well as he is can he keep this up and become a legit starter in this league for the long term. I think he can, it is far from impossible that 2nd round draft picks force their way into rotations and never look back Manu Ginobili, Monta Ellis, Carlos Boozer, and Gilbert Arenas will tell you all about that. At just 25 years old and standing at 7ft tall he is something of a dream come true for plenty of teams looking for a legit big man to be a force on the boards and protecting the rim (Brook Lopez should try working out with him and learn a thing or two) and to be a young player with his best years still very much likely ahead of him. Hassan Whiteside at this point seems to be a low risk high reward player that Miami will hope to have in their organization for a very long time. Expect this kid to be a monster on the glass and on the opposing teams field goal percentage for years to come.
-Jermari Murphy

5 NBA trades that SHOULD happen

In an NBA where trades have been happening at a huge rate this season there are still a couple of moves that should still happen. Players like Brook Lopez, Deron Williams, and Greg Monroe are still with the teams they began the season with while players like Rajon Rondo, Jeff Green, and Nate Robinson have already been moved.

    Trade #1: 2 of the 3 Brooklyn Nets "stars" will be moved

 I'ts the worst kept secret in basketball right now, the Brooklyn Nets are desperate to clear up cap space and move at least two of the three monster sized contracts. The latest news regarding the three is that Brook Lopez has been linked to the likes of Denver and Miami, and Deron Williams being linked to the Sacramento Kings (a trade the Kings would be smart to not pursue.) Joe Johnson is proving to be the hardest of the three to move while Brook Lopez while injury prone is seeming to be the most trade rumor linked player of the three. The league, the Coaches, and the internet is on the verge of breaking trying to determine if Deron Williams is in the twilight of his career or if the 30 year old Point Guard still has some good basketball ahead of him if he could make a change in scenery. The Sacramento Kings will most likely miss the playoffs for yet another season and it seems that they are intrigued in the chance to bring in another big name and rekindle his career like they recently did with Rudy Gay when they grabbed him from his struggles in Toronto. 

Trade #2: Denver Nuggets fire sale 

The pain it brings me to say that the Denver Nuggets should prepare to hit the reset button and strip down their roster is so brutal that I am still praying that somehow Kenneth Faried will play like he did for team USA, Danilo Gallinari will return to the player he was before his ACL injury, and Jusuf Nurkic will be one of the leagues next premiere big man. Sadly though we live in this thing called reality and the fact of the matter is that the Denver Nuggets are not the Run and Gun Mile High team they were when they won 57 games. With a team that is Virtually 3-deep at every position (except for Center now with Timofey Mozgov out in Cleveland.) Players like Wilson Chandler, Randy Foye, Alonzo Gee, and Darrel Arthur should be relatively easy to move with reasonable contracts. Kenneth Faried, Javale McGee, and Danilo Gallinari might be a bit tougher with contracts that might exceed their performance as of right now. Gary Harris, Jusuf Nurkic, and Erick Green will probably stand put being young prospects with pretty good upside, and Ty Lawson is Ty Lawson, don't expect to see him move unless a team offers something the Nuggets can't deny.

Trade #3: Greg Monroe

Greg Monroe seems like he'll spend the remainder of the season in Detroit as the season goes on. A mistake Stan Van Gundy and his staff should not make. It is all but inevitable that Greg Monroe will be switching Jersey's for the start of the 2015-2016 season and he is too talented of a player to leave without getting anything in return. Before Brandon Jennings' Achilles injury I would have expected them to be packaged together as a deal but now it seems like the Pistons will have to begin to try and look at solo trade scenarios with Monroe but one way or another they should try to get something done before the trade deadline or they will be empty handed come October.

Trade #4: MCW TO A CONTENDER?

Michael Carter-Williams is a player the Philadelphia 76ers are shopping and have been shopping for the past month if not longer. Obviously the 76ers will be looking for young prospects and/or draft picks.The Houston Rockets would be smart to try and snag MCW from Philly, they have Patrick Beverly to offer up along with multiple different ways they can involve any or multiple of their 5 available draft picks between now and 2017. It would be beneficial for both teams to consider this.

Trade #5: Carmelo Anthony out of New York?!

Yes I realize Carmelo Anthony is 110% behind the Zen Master Phil Jackson and yes I realize trading Carmelo Anthony is about as likely as Kobe Bryant getting 17 assist in a game. So yes I think it is possible but a lot of things will have to come together PERFECTLY for it to happen. First the Zen Master himself will have to learn that as long as Carmelo Anthony is the best talent on his team he will not win a ring, he is just not that dominate or versatile of a player. Yes he will always be the number one scoring option on his team (unless he miraculously ends up playing alongside Kevin Durant) but he is not a bring his team to the Championship type player proof when he was in Denver and he had a very good supporting cast before losing in the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers. Second is there has to be a team who can either afford Melo or have the Assets with high enough contracts to obtain him. If he is moved look for a third and very possibly a fourth team looking to get involved to either add veterans to a contender or obtain young talent for the future.

-Jermari Murphy

NCAA MARCH MADNESS SLEEPERS

I think that everyone believes that 1Kentucky and 2Virginia (both out standing defenses) has the best chance at winning the tournament, but I want to talk about the sleepers that could creep up and make a run at the NCAA championship. 8Notre Dame is a big sleeper that nobody really has an eye on. Jerian Grant the leader and floor general of the team is truly a reamarkable talent. With him not being able to play last year Notre Dame was not able to make a serious run and contend for NCAA championship, but with Jerian Grant in the swing of things this season he has the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at a whopping 8 seed in the NCAA Rankings. Of course he's not the the only standout on that team; along side him are sophmore Demetrius Jackson and senior Pat Connaughton. Another sleeper that could make a big run during March Madness is 5Wisconsin. 5Wisconsin is a team that likes to get up and down the floor and run a high tempo kind of game, but lets not forget that they can settle down and run halfcourt sets as well. The 7-0 forward Frank Kiminsky is a big reason they are having lots of success. He can step out and hit a jumper as well as score in the post with a variety of post efficient moves. Also, lets not forget about the fast pace 13North Carolina Tar Heels. 13UNC didn't quite get off to a good start with a struggling Marcus Paige (an all american point guard at sesons start), but they managed to pull it together winning 11 of their last 12. Along side Marcus Paige he has help with the athletic forward Brice Johnson, the much improved forward Kennedy Meeks (who lost 50+ pounds during offseason), and a young talented freshman Justin Jackson, with Nate Britt coming off the bench providing another ball handler on the floor to help with the high tempo game 13UNC likes to play. Of course nobody can count out 4Duke with the outstandling play of freshman Jhalil Okafor (maybe freshman and player of the year), freshman Tyus Jones (another freshman standout who can attack, shoot, and pass) and senior guard Quinn Cook. With the the help of key role players 4Duke has the potential to be a very scary team come March. 3Gonzaga also looks like they could make a push towards the NCAA championship as well. With the play of Kyle Wiltjer (Kentucky transfer) and senior guard Kevin Pangos (who just recently broke a school record with most 3pt field goals made). The last team i believe that could make a push are 6Arizona Wildcats. Stanley Johnson is playing really great basketball for the Wildcats and has proven he can be reliable player down the stretch for them. Brandon Ashely is also a remarkably player for the Wildcats (who has a skilled post set and can step out and hit mid-range with a unreliable 3pt shot, but he can hit the 3pt at times).
     -Brandon Murray

NBA EASTERN ALL STARS REVIEW

Last night All Star reserves were announced for the Eastern Conference. For the first time since 1980 the Atlanta Hawks have 3 All-star reserves Al Horford, Jeff Teague, and Paul Millsap (All whom do not rank in the 10 players in the NBA), the hawks were counting on Kyle Korver being the fourth participant, but he was not selected into the All Star game. Others such as Kyrie Irving (last years All Star game MVP), Jimmy Butler (first time selection), Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh will also be representing the East All Stars. At the forward spots for the East, they go with a more skilled and exciting lineup featuring Pau Gasol, Carmelo Anthony (who has been injured most of the season with a sore knee), and Lebron James (who is making a statement that he is still the best player after coming off a sore knee injury) followed by the young talented guards John Wall and Kyle Lowry. With the Eastern all-star starters I am very content with the decisions to start those players, but I feel as though Jimmy Butler (20.4 PPG, 6 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.8 SPG, and 0.6 BPG) could be a argueable All-Star starter over Kyle Lowry (19.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, and 0.2 BPG) due to his more efficient play. Jimmy Butler leads in almost every statistical category over Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler has a better shot percentage shooting 0.461 FG% and Lowry at 0.428 FG%. Not only is Jimmy Butler leading Kyle Lowry in almost every statistical category, Jimmy Butler is also #1 in the Eastern Conference win shares. As for the reserves I think they did a good job with the voting and placing the payers, but Brandon Knight could also be in the talk for an All Star reserve if Dwayne Wade is not healthy enough to play in the All Star game. Most would say Kyle Korver should be the participant to replace Dwayne Wade because of how lights out the Hawks or playing (sitting at 38-8), but Brandon Knight has really led his team into the playoff race (sitting at 24-22) especially after losing Jabari Parker (Torn ACL), a key piece to what the Bucks have planned for the future. I also feel as though Al Jefferson could be deserving of a nAll Star appearance despite his teams drought this season, but I don't think he is more deserving than Paul Millsap or Al Horford. Also ruling out his teams play I think Michael Carter-Williams is deserving of All Star appearance. Michael Carter-Williams is second on his team in PPG (behind Tony Wroten's 16.9), leads his team in APG (2 more assists than the next person which is Tony Wroten at 5.2 APG), and MCW is also second in rebounding on his team in rebounds behind Nerlens Noel. Could he slip into the All Star game?
       -Brandon Murray

NBA ALL STAR ROSTER REVIEW *WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL STAR

-** UPDATE**-
DeMarcus Cousins will replace Kobe Bryant on the Western Conference All Star roster.



Last night before the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies faced off (although it was largely one sided throughout) the All star reserves were announced finalizing the star studded rosters representing the East and West, the latter of which I will be talking about now. Representing the West is the leading vote getter (surpassing LeBron James) Stephen Curry joined at the guard position Kobe Bryant although he will have to be replaced due to injury. At the Forward spots the west go big and dominate with two defensive powerhouses in Anthony Davis and Marc Gasol as well as one of the most entertaining players in the league to watch today Blake Griffin. The all star reserves headlined by James Hrden and Kevin Durant also include Tim Duncan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Klay Thompson, Russel Westbrook, and Chris Paul. Looking at the starters for the west I was pretty satisfied with how they turned out, except for of course I believe James Harden should be undeniably the starting shooting guard even with a healthy Kobe Bryant. James Harden is probably the second best basketball player this season (behind Stephen Curry, sorry LeBron) and is leading his team into the western packed playoffs with injuries sidelining Terrence Jones and Dwight Howard for much of this season so far. but with the reserves I wasn't to impressed. My first red flag has to be Tim Duncan he's still managing a double double with 14.7ppg and 10.1rpg as well as still being a very good passing big man 3.1apg but with players like DeMarcus Cousins who is averaging 23.8ppg and 12.3rpg while putting up 3.2apg it is unacceptable that a player of his caliber is being passed up on. Unless of course Tim Duncan's San Antonio Spurs were a whopping 37-6 to lead the NBA but they're not instead they are 30-17 only good enough for the 6th seed in the west. the Second red flag for the reserves is the fact that the Oklahoma City Thunder have TWO all stars and they stand at just 23-23, 3.5 games behind 8th place. I'm not against having Russ in, I wouldn't even be completely against Kevin Durant in (if he played more games than he missed 21-25) but they are NOT deserving of two all stars. Lastly I might have to throw half a red flag on CP3. I'm not saying he isn't deserving of an all star selection but is he MORE deserving of a All star selection over the likes of Damian Lillard or even Ty Lawson (yes you read that correctly Ty Lawson.) Damian Lillard is hands down the most clutch player in the NBA and is putting up season averages of 21.8ppg 6.2apg and 1.4spg whereas Chris Paul is also having a good year averaging 17.5ppg 9.7ppg and 1.9spg and I am not saying Ty Lawson deserves the Selection but that he deserves serious consideration averaging 16.6ppg 10apg and 1.3spg. I guess this one is really with you do you go with but I personally believe Damian Lillard is the more deserving of the selection.
-Jermari Murphy