Hayward perfect addition to new-look Jazz

     He was a hero in high school - hitting the game winning lay-up at the buzzer in the state championship, averaging 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists for his Brownsburg High School in Indiana. He was a hero in college - leading the underdog Butler to the NCAA National Championship game only to fall short to Duke. Now the 6'9 forward has landed in Utah to play alongside one of the greatest guards in the League. He could not be put in a better position to be a hero. With Kyle Korver gone, Hayward would be perfect as the starting 3, and play off Deron Williams. And with the addition of center Al Jefferson, it makes the Jazz into a real championship contender in the next few years as Hayward blossoms into a proper NBA starter.

     Not always the tallest player on the court, and as both his parents were under 6ft tall, Gordon grew up learning the skills of a guard, and modelled his game on Steve Nash. According to ESPN.com columnist Pat Forde, Hayward's father, Gordon Scott, "continually pushed his son to develop a guard's skill set." This is where Gordon's ballhandling and shooting skills originate from. And with a pass-first point guard in Williams, a strong scoring center in Jefferson, and newly acquired scoring 2-guard Raja Bell, Hayward is a perfect in this Jazz roster. "I just want to play my game, and maybe change a few opinions along the way," says the 20-year old. "For me I've always been a team guy. It's where I fit in, where I do my best work. For me it was weird going through all those [1-on-1] workouts. It was all about you. It wasn't about anything else except how you did individually. For me to be back on a team (in the summer league) just felt good."

     There's just something about his play style that I really like. Whether it's his shooting, his drive to the basket, or his footwork, he has this special something that I just can't put my finger on. This is exactly what the Jazz team are short to get to a Finals. They have the talent, they have the coaching, they just need that special something, and I think, in Madison Square Garden on the night of June 24th, they drafted that special something 9th overall.

Rondo at the helm of Celtics' future

     The Celtics are the greatest team in NBA history. Well, factually that is; their 17 championships are more than LA's 16, simple maths. But now in the present game, Boston seems to be slipping away from the glory days of Bird, Russell and Hondo. Pierce, Allen and Garnett make up possibly the best trio to come into Beantown in their 64 year history, but it seems that their time is passing. Both Allen and Garnett are over 34 years old and have played 14 and 15 years in the L respectively, while Pierce is entering his 12th season in the green and nearing 33 years of age.

     Then there's poor old Kendrick Perkins, who may have a nasty road ahead of him with the injury he picked up last post-season, still only 25. And as for Sheed and newly acquired Shaq, well need I go any further on that subject? So the key to the Celtics' future comes down to one man - a man drafted behind names such as Adam Morrison and Oleksiy Pecherov (yeah, I know). A man who crept behind our backs unnoticed to eventually earn himself a place on the 2010 All-Star team and All-Defensive First Team. A man who was the starting PG on a championship winning '08 Celtics team. A man who last year averaged a double-double on the Eastern Conference winning team.

 

     Rajon Pierre Rondo was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1986 to Amber Rondo. In his junior year in Louisville's Eastern High School, Rajon put up a more than respectable 28 points, 10 boards and 8 assists. Rondo was then transferred to the famous Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. This is when Rondo realised he had a future in basketball. "I went to Oak Hill, and I knew Josh Smith was going to the League" says the 6 year veteran. "I thought, OK if he's going to the League out of high school and I'm just as good as him, it gave me a lot of confidence". In his senior year he posted a nice season average of 21 points, 3 rebounds and 12 dimes. From here, Rondo turned down a scholarship to his hometown University of Louisville to attend University of Kentucky. While in this prestigious school, he averaged 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in his freshman year, and 11, 6, 5 and 2 respectively as a sophomore, good enough numbers to earn him a no. 21 pick by the Phoenix Suns in the 2006 NBA Draft. The rookie was involved in a draft day trade which sent him packing his bags for Boston.

     It took time for the UK man to make his way through the ranks in a team such as the Celtics who were having some trouble in the League themselves. In his rookie year, Rondo averaged 6 ppg, 4 apg, 3 rpg and 40% field goal (as apposed to Derrick Rose's rookie year; 17 ppg, 6 apg, 4 rpg, and 48% field goal). But Rondo has kept a strong self-confidence throughout his basketball career, always maintaining he was the best at what he did. During a section of TNT mid-way through last year's Playoffs, Charles Barkley gave his top 3 point guards in the League - Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Derrick Rose. On hearing this, Rondo just shrugged it off and said "That's just Charles, he's gonna speak his mind". When asked where he thinks he ranks among this list, his self-confidence - almost cockiness - showed again when he said "I think I’m one. I feel like I’m the best at what I do. That’s just how I put it. That’s how I play."


      However, with such self-confidence, critics are just waiting for a slip-up from last year's league leader in steals. Rondo says one of the reasons he thinks he's not on Chuck's list is because of the support he has in the Big Three - Williams, Paul and Rose "have to create everything for their teams" according to the pass-first point guard. So if Rondo continues to get better, and when "The Big Three" decide to call it a day, we will see for sure who is the league's best point guard.

Turner, Wall to revive lost sneaker brands

     Li-Ning is nowhere near Nike in the sneaker industry. Yet. Earlier this month Clippers veteran Baron Davis released his latest shoe - the BD Doom - to retailers across the US, and for the first time in Li-Ning's history to Eastbay.com. The brand has given itself a bright future by signing Philadelphia's number 2 draft pick Evan Turner to a 6 year deal. This will give the Ohio State man his own signature shoe and apparel and is expected to wear the shoe in the 2010/11 season. The deal between Turner and the Chinese brand was supposedly set up by David Falk; the same man who signed Michael Jordan to Nike, and will be Evan's agent for the next few years.

     The combo-guard signed a 3-year deal with the Sixers, and is expected to be a big part of Phila's offense. Last year as a Junior, "The Villain" averaged 20 ppg, 9 rpg, and 6 apg, and was voted the 2010 National Player of the Year. I think with the skill set he has, he will be the face of the Sixers in a few years time, and also the face of the Li-Ning Company Ltd. This could be history in the making, as Turner has the potential to be one of the NBA greats. His greatness, however, is slightly overshadowed by young Wizards phenom and number 1 pick John Wall. Wall has also made the decision to join a lesser known basketball brand name in signing a $25 million, 5 year deal with Reebok. Wall's new shoe - the Zig-Tech Slash - will be released in December 2010, however Mr. Wall will also wear his first signature shoe in this upcoming season.

     Last year playing for the UK Wildcats, Wall put up 16 points, 7 assists, 4 boards and 2 steals as a freshman, and went straight to the NBA, which makes Turner a full 2 years older than Wall. However, the number 1 pick's quickness and ability to get to the basket at will gives him the edge over Turner, in my opinion. Wall will definitely have a challenge in being able to carry the Wizards - and Reebok - to new heights in the world of basketball. Since Turner isn't receiving as much media attention as John Wall, there obviously won't be as much pressure on him to perform, which is good for the type of person Turner is. It should be interesting to see if both players will stick with their new brands as they progress through what will be an exciting few years to come in the NBA.

Too much talent taken to South Beach?

    

Well, first of all my name's Jack, and i love everything about basketball. I'm 13 from Ireland and play local basketball with Fr Mathews. Been following the NBA for the past few years and I've seen some great players and some great situations.

     So this first post will be about a topic everyone is very familiar with at this stage, and that's the great trio been formed in South Beach. I honestly did not see this coming. I mean when I heard Chris Bosh had packed up for Miami, I was kind of disappointed, mostly for the fact that he left Toronto stranded with possibly one of the worst rosters in the League, but also because I'm not sure he'll be able to play on a team where he's not always the go-to guy on offense. However, I feel he had to make the move, as the Raptors didn't even seem a bit keen on picking up some free agents, and Bosh would have wasted his prime in Canada.

     So we had Bosh and Wade on the same team. Good combo, a team definetly able to get somewhere in the League. Then came The Decision. When Lebron announced we would be taking an hour from ESPN just to announce he was "taking his talents to South Beach", I lost a lot of respect for that man. Some would argue that he did what he had to do to seize his best possible chance of winning a championship. This situaton in Miami clearly gives the King does give him a great opportuniy, but nothing is guaraunteed. In my view, he would have been better off moving to the Chi to play alongside Derrick Rose. Or maybe even staying in Ohio with the Cavs. But choosing to move to the Heat basically messes up the League altogether. Many say he took the easy way out, in that he doesn't have to carry a team all on his own, he has help from a 5 time All Star and former NBA Finals MVP. It just isn't fair is it?

     This isn't the first time someone has deserted their loving team in a desperate bid for a ring. Karl Malone left his beloved Utah Jazz to join Kobe and Shaq in Los Angeles in the 2003-04 season. The Mailman couldn't deliver in his last season due to injury, and he says that injury could be a problem for the new look Heat. After all, besdies Bosh, Wade and Lebron, who is the Heat's best player? Mike Miller? Eddie House? I mean, their good, but if one of the big 3 falls, I don't think Miami have anyone to step in to the starting line-up.

     Fatigue could also be a problem for the the Florida-based team. With the starting 5 (House/Chalmers, Wade, Lebron, Bosh, Big Z) seeing a lot of minutes due to, shall we say, lack of talent on the bench, this will definelty leave them tired by the time Christmas comes around, never mind the post-season.

Let's just hope they can fulfil their expectations, otherwise there will be some angry subjects in Lebron's new kingdom.