Casey Mack -- The Man Who Completely Predicted Linsanity

The greatest part of Jeremy Lin's story was that it was completely unexpected. Lin came seemingly out of nowhere to quickly become one of the biggest sports stars in the world . No one saw it coming. Coaches, analysts, owners, reporters, writers, no one. Except for Casey Mack. 


From August of 2010 to March of 2011 Casey Mack was a writer for the website dimemag.com. The 8th of the 35 articles that Casey wrote for dimemag.com was a historic one. It was proof that linsanity was in fact predicted. In Casey's article, "The Warriors Have The Next Steve Nash On Their Roster", he talked about how Lin could turn out to be a very special player. He wrote this article before Lin had played an NBA game (written in September 2010), and much of what Mack predicted has been remarkably accurate. Here are the main predictions from the article, and how they've really turned out.

Prediction: "Each [Nash and Lin] is a blur in the open court, with great vision and dependable pull-up jumpers.".... "By always keeping his options open with the ball in play, Nash creates extra time and space for himself and for his teammates to get open and get buckets. I think that knack for keeping his dribble is what will translate into Nash-type success for Lin more than anything."

The Truth: That prediction could not have been more correct. All the comparisons that were made between Nash and Lin's game were because they both have amazing quickness, vision, a dependable pull-up jumpers and the ability keeping his dribble alive. Those things are what have made Lin such a great player. Lin's ability to keep his dribble alive gives his teammates time to get wide open and get easy buckets has also been a huge part of his game, just as Casey suggested it would be.

Prediction: "If Lin can keep his handle up to par and keep that chip on his shoulder until the right opportunity comes along, the double-doubles are sure to come for this Asian-American sensation."

The Truth: The right opportunity wasn't the Warriors, wasn't the Rockets, it was the Knicks. Once again the prediction was correct.

Prediction: "Just like Nash, Lin didn't hone his skills at a college basketball powerhouse. Just like Nash, he is a minority in the game who has had to prove himself at every step in the process and plays with a perpetual underdog chip on his shoulder."


The Truth: Everything mentioned, his Harvard education and Asian background have been the reason he's been overlooked, and has been the reason he's been able to fight through adversity and find success.

Casey Macks must have seemed insane at the time it was written, but now it seems genious. Here's a link to the full article: http://dimemag.com/2010/09/the-warriors-have-the-next-steve-nash-on-their-roster/

NBA Players Draft Round 1 -- All Players Eligible

Every year kids from college are drafted into the NBA. Here's what the draft order would look like if GM's got to draft anyone in the NBA, not just college players. (These teams would be drafting these players to their team for many years to come, not just this year)
1. LeBron James (SF) -- Some question how clutch he is, some question his competitiveness, but no one questions that LeBron is the best overall player in the NBA. He's more valuable to a team than anyone else.
2. Dwight Howard (C) -- Dwight Howard single handedly makes his team one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. He also has eight 20 point 20 rebound games this season. He's tough to turn down.
3. Kevin Durant (SF) -- Kevin Durant is the best scorer in the NBA. He's won the scoring title the last two years, and is just 23. The only reason he's third and not first in this draft is that the two players above him are much better defenders than he is.
4. Derrick Rose (PG) -- Derrick Rose has not peaked yet, which is unbelievable for a player that has already won an MVP. He may not be the best point guard in the NBA right now (Chris Paul) but he's just 23 and is still improving. Imagine how good he's gonna be when he peaks...
5. Chris Paul (PG) -- As mentioned Chris Paul is arguably the best point guard in the NBA right now. He's behind Rose though because he's three years older and isn't going to improve as much as Rose will in the future. Paul does have a huge impact on a team though, a perfect example is the LA Clippers.
6. Blake Griffin (PF) -- Blake Griffin's upside is enormous. His offensive game is currently very raw, yet he still averages 21.2 ppg this year. When Griffin learns learns how some good post moves and gets his jumper more consistent, NBA watch out. Also no one sells tickets quite like Blake Griffin which is very important to some struggling franchises.
7. Dwayne Wade (SG) -- Wade falls back to no. 7 because of age and injuries. He's been struggling with a number of injuries this season, which has resulted in inconsistent play. Also Wade is 7 years older than Griffin Rose and Durant, so why pick Wade over those guys?
8. Kobe Bryant (SG) -- Sadly the great Kobe Bryant is getting old (well... basketball old). At 33 no one know how many more great seasons he's going to have. He may be getting old, but it doesn't seem to be affecting his scoring. He's a great scorer and shooter, and will likely be able to put up the amazing numbers he's currently putting up for at least the next 3 years. Kobe is a great leader, and when crunch time comes there's no one in the NBA who's I'd rather have.
9. Russel Westbrook (PG) -- Russel Westbrook is insanely athletic, and can do things at the point guard position that no one else can. The downside is that he's often criticized for shooting too much and not passing to the other star his team, Kevin Durant. If Westbrook is on a team that fits his playing style, he could become a point guard very similar to Derrick Rose.
10. John Wall (PG) -- Similar to Blake Griffin, John Wall has incredible upside. A change of scenery and a new system could turn this much hyped no.1 overall pick into the best point guard in the NBA.
11. Demarcus Cousins (PF) 
12. Andrew Bynum (C)
13. Deron Williams (PG) 
14 Kevin Love (PF)
15. Carmelo Anthony (SF)
16. Al Jefferson (C)
17. Rajon Rondo (PG)
18. Roy Hibbert (C)
19. Ricky Rubio (PG)

20. Kyrie Irving (PG)
21. Rudy Gay (SF)
22. Pau Gasol (PF)
23. Tony Parker (PG)
24. Brandon Jennings (PG)
25. Tyreke Evans (PG/SG)
26. LaMarcus Aldridge (PF)
27. Steve Nash (PG)
28. Paul Pierce (SF)
29. Dirk Nowitski (PF)
30. Monta Ellis (PG/SG)

The Most Underrated Player in the NBA -- By Far

In the Air Canada Center in Toronto the least talked about, most forgotten, and most underrated team in the NBA play about twice each week. That team of course is the The Toronto Raptors. On that forgotten team are 12 players who all deserve more media attention and most of them are very underrated. The most underrated player (by far), on the most underrated team is James Johnson.

The 6 ft 9 starting SF for the Raptors has been having an amazing season. Johnson is underrated by fans, writers, reporters, virtually everyone outside of Toronto. The players know how good Johnson is though. He is as strong defensively at his position as anyone else in the NBA. LeBron, Igoudala, Gay and Durant are generally looked at as the best small forward defenders, but James Johnson is equal to all of them, if not better. He defends the opponents' best scorers, and defends them just as well as the names I previously listed. Don't believe me? Look at the stats below.




















As the charts show James Johnson is one of the best defenders in the NBA even though outside of Toronto he's virtually unknown. He definitely deserves to be in the Defensive Player of the Year discussions, but given how underrated he is, he may not. James Johnson deserves way more credit than he receives for his defense, and he's improving on the offensive side as well.

5'6 Aquille Carr --- The Future of the NBA

At just 5'6 Aquille Carr is tearing up high school basketball. In his freshman season with Patterson High School he averaged 25 points, 8 assists and 5.3 steals per game. That was good enough to get him freshman of the year honors. His best game came against Lake Clifton when he was being guarded by current Memphis Grizzlies bench player Josh Selby. Carr scored 39 points along with 19 assists while being defended by the 7 inches taller Selby. In his sophomore season he lead Patterson High School to a 25-2 record and to the Class 4A state championship game. That season Carr had an incredible 57 point game against Forest Park, where he broke the school's 50 year record for most points in a game. In his junior year he just kept improving as he averaged 31.3 points, 5.6 assists and 4.5 steals per game. His senior year was very similar to his previous two, and it ended with leading his school to a Class 3A state championship. In that game Carr had 28 points, 8 assists, 6 steals and 3 rebounds.

Carr's success is being noticed all around the world. CBS Sports called him "one of the most explosive scorers in the country". ESPN wrote that he's "one of the quickest and [most] explosive players in the country, regardless of class." Sports Illustrated wrote, "He has explosive speed, electric ball handling and court vision that could rival Steve Nash's."

A 5'6 140 pound kid scoring 57 points in a game with a 48 inch vertical leap and the ability to dunk is certainly going to get peoples' attention. He was reportedly offered 26 scholarships at the start of his sophomore season. As well, after averaging 40 points a game with the U.S. junior team in the Junior International Tournament in Italy he was offered $750,000 to leave school and go play professionally for the Italian team Lottomatica Roma. He has decided he will graduate high school (this is his final year) and he has verbally commited to playing for Seton Hall next year. Here are some videos to show just how explosive and talented this young man is.

Why Stoudemire Stands In the Way of a Knicks Postseason Run

The Knicks are hoping to surprise some people and make a deep run in the post season. There is just one thing standing in their way. His name is Amare Stoudemire. Amare was most at fault for the Knicks struggles earlier on this season, and the same problems will likely occur in the postseason. Since Mike Woodson's arrival Stoudmire has barely played because of his injury, and when he does return the Knicks are destined for trouble. Here's why. 

The low point of the season for the Knicks came after losing to the Bulls on March 12th. They were 18-24 which was an embarrassing record for a team of such talent. Two days after that loss D'antoni resigned, and since then the Knicks season has been revived. They're winning a lot more under Mike Woodson and are playing with more passion and effort than they were with D'antoni. Even with the success of the Knicks under Woodson, as I look back at the first 42 games of the Knicks season I realized the Knicks struggles were even more Stoudemire's than D'antoni's.

Up to that point the Knicks had been a tale two teams. One team that is 10-23, and one that is 8-1.

The 10-23 team is an unexcited and unenerergized group that is stagnant on offense and plays minimal defense. This is a team with chemistry problems and with guys that just don't play well together. This is a mix of egos, between Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and even at times Jeremy Lin.

The second team, the team that went 9-1, is a completely different story. This is a team that is very willing to share the ball, and that plays great team defense. This team features a lot of Jared Jeffries, Billy Walker, Steve Novak and Iman Shumpert, and even with the lack of star power these guys work great together. These guys are easily excited and show emotion after virtually every play.

There was tons of blame going around about why the Knicks weren't able to play to their potential (which they're now doing). Some of the blame was on Carmelo Anthony for not passing enough and some was on D'antoni for poor coaching. Both of these men were at fault for the Knicks struggles, more D'antoni than Carmelo, which has been proved by the success the Knicks have had since D'antoni's resignation. The real blame though should have been on Amare Stoudemire.

This aging superstar has never been a fit in New York. He was the main reason for the stagnant offense which has cursed the Knicks all season. He's also liability on defense. Opponents intentionally target him as a guy to score on, which has been done successfully many times this year. The lack of defense and the stagnant offense he brings to the Knicks are the two things that have killed the Knicks all season. Since Stoudemire's recent injury the Knicks have looked like a new team, just like they seemingly do every time Stoudemire isn't playing. That's why the Knicks made a huge mistake not trading Amare at the trade deadline, and they should trade him in the off season.

You may be asking; But who will become the team's power forward? Jared Jeffries. Jeffries is a very unselfish passer who plays unbelievable defense and always hustles. He's almost the very opposite of Stoudemire. You may also be asking; But you have no proof the team struggles because of Stoudemire!!? Wrong. The Knicks are 5-18 when Stoudemire shoots more than 12 times in a game, and 4-15 when Stoudemire plays more than 35 minutes. On the contrary when Jared Jeffries plays more than 20 minutes in a game the Knicks are 12-6. If the Knicks want to make a run in the postseason, they need to play Jared Jeffries and Steve Novak a lot more than Amare Stoudmire. 

Why Nash Could End Up in Orlando Next Season

According to CBS sports and Sports Illustrated during Dwight Howard's weeks of indecision about whether to re-sign in Orlando or not he asked the Orlando Magic front office to pursue 38 year old 2 time MVP Steve Nash.

Both Nash and Howard stayed with their respective teams, but a Nash to Orlando move could be in the horizon. This summer Nash is a free-agent. He has stated that he wants to win a title right now, and that he won't be returning to the Suns if their isn't significant improvement to their roster (which isn't likely). Nash would be a very good fit in Orlando, with a team similar to Phoenix just many, many times better. Just like phoenix the Magic are a team of sharp shooters, and have a dominant center. Nash would fit in right away, and would likely take this team from a mediocre playoff team to a serious title contender. 

Nash has averaged the most assists per game in the NBA thus far, and has made guys like Jared Dudley and Marcin Gortat look spectacular (though Gortat is pretty good). Nash's passing ability and Howards finishing ability would make them a 1-2 punch no defense would want to play against.

The team Nash ends up with will be a big part of this years off season, and Orlando seems like the best possible fit for the future hall of famer. 

Thunder Wrong to Decline Trade for Dwight Howard

Brian K. Schmit, a Magic insider recently tweeted that the Oklahoma City Thunder have recently turned down a trade that would send Dwight to OKC and James Harden and Ibaka to the Magic. There may have been other players or cash involved in the trade to bring the Thunder below the salary cap, but if a trade involving mainly these players was purposed and declined by the Thunder as Schmit suggested, than the Thunder may be regretting this decision for a long time. There are lots of positives and negatives for the Thunder about this trade, here they are.

Positives: Dwight Howard is much better than any other center in the NBA. His incredible size and shot blocking ability makes it very difficult to drive the lane, and Howard's defensive ability is shown by his 3 defensive player of the year awards in the last 3 years. Dwight also has incredible scoring and rebounding abilities. That has been shown by his seven 20 rebound 20 point games this year, and his incredible 23 rebound 45 point game against the Warriors. Dwight would give the Thunder what no other contender has, a consistent offensive presence inside. Dwight would give them the very important edge inside over most teams, especially the Heat and Bulls.

Negatives: Right now the Thunder have a great core of players with Durant, Westbrook, Harden and Ibaka. They have some nice depth as well with Thabo Sefaolosha, Nick Collison, and Eric Maynor. This team has been one of the best this year, and has the looks of a being contenders for the next decade. This trade would send two of their talented young pieces to the Thunder for a Dwight Howard. This would give the Thunder three superstars who demand the ball and who demand to get their fair share of shots. That isn't always always a bad thing, but adding Howard to the mix could mess up the chemistry in Oklahoma City.

Analysis: Adding Howard would turn the Thunder from contenders for many years to come into favorites for many years to come. Harden is likely to leave Oklahoma City when his contract expires (because he's too good to be a career 6th man), and Ibaka's shot blocking wouldn't be missed because of Dwights inside presence. This trade could result in the Thunder to struggle with chemistry in the short term, but in the long run this Thunder team would figure out how to play together and would become a multiple championship winning team.

Overall: The Thunder definitely should have accepted this trade, and will likely be regretting declining this trade in the future.

Why The Raptors Will Be A Force in the East Very Soon

The Raptors are one of those teams that people don't pay much attention to. At first glance they seem like one of the worst teams in the NBA and a relatively untalented team with many losing seasons ahead of them. Those people are right and wrong. The Raptors right now are pretty untalented. Their best player has been injured for most of this season and is a seven footer that barely rebounds, and struggles to defend (although he is improving). Other than Bargnani, Calderon, and Derozan the Raptors are a team full of role players. In terms of raw skill, they are the worst in the NBA (yes, worse than the Bobcats). But unlike the Bobcats the Raptors have found a way to get their players to work well together, and have a bright future ahead of them.

This year the Raptors have actually been a good team. With Bargnani the Raptors are 6-7, which if continued throughout the whole season would likely have gotten them a playoff birth. Bargnani's injury forced the Raptors to learn how to play without him though. They struggled at the start but have since figured out how to play without the big seven footer. In the last 16 games the Raptors are 6-10. During that span the Raptors have not lost by more then 7, and have lost in the last seconds to the Knicks, Lakers, Celtics, Magic and Spurs. They have been very close to winning every one of the last 10 losses.

They've had success with great passing, but mostly with great team defense. The Raptors coach, Dwane Casey, who was the genius behind the Mavericks' championship winning defense last year, has been an incredible coach. He's gotten this team from worst in the NBA in team defense to the middle of the pack in the defensive rankings. The more time Casey's had to coach these guys the better they've gotten. This whole season they've only given up more than 100 points 5 times. Last year at that point it had happened 23 times!! The only thing that must improve is the offense.

The Raptors are clearly missing a consistent scorer, a reliable center, and a solid wing player. The consistent scorer is already on the team roster, Andrea Bargnani, and though plagued by injuries he's shown huge improvements this season. The reliable center, Jonas Valanciunas, is tearing up the Lithuanian Leagues and getting ready to join the Raptors next year. The solid wing player will come out of next years draft. The Raptors will likely have a high pick in the draft, and this is a draft packed with small forwards. There are many options, including Perry Jones III, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Harrison Barnes, and Terrence Jones. In my opinion, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is the most likely pick. If he was picked by the Raps this would become their 2012-13 starting lineup.

PG: Jose Calderon
SG: Demar Derozan
SF: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
PF: Andrea Bargnani
C: Jonas Valanciunas
This offensive minded group will work perfectly with Dwane Casey's defensive ingeniousness, and as a result this team will be a force in the east for many years to come.

Michael Jordan Punched Teammate During Practice -- Teammates Explain

Michael Jordan was loved for his competitiveness. His competitiveness was why he always wanted the ball, and demanded that he was the one taking the final shot to win or lose the game for his team. His competitiveness was not loved by everyone though, as his teammates were often on the other side Jordan's raging anger. In this video Jordan and his former teammates discuss some of Jordan's angriest moments, including when he punched teammate Steve Kerr in the face during practice.

Why Chris Paul Has The Edge Over Than Derrick Rose

The NBA is currently stacked with talented point guards, including Deron Williams, Rondo, Nash, Parker, Westbrook and many others. The best two point guards though, without much dispute, are Derrick Rose and Chris Paul. I recently did a poll asking who was better between the two point guards and the results were 47% voted for Chris Paul and 53% voted for Derrick Rose. I decided to figure out myself who was better between the point guards. Here's the comparison in all the main aspects of being a point guard.

Scoring:
Chris Paul: Career Stats: 18.7 ppg -- .472 FG% -- .365 3P%
Chris Paul is a pass first point guard. Paul has the ability to score with his very good jumper and ability to drive, but he isn't as aggresive as he could be. When Paul chooses to he can be a huge scoring threat, but often he feels his team will do better if he passes instead of shoots, so he doesn't shoot as much as he should. Paul has the ability to take over games with his very underrated scoring ability.
Derrick Rose: Career Stats: 21.1 ppg -- .468 FG% -- .312 3P%
Derrick Rose is unbelievable at driving in the lane. He consistently cuts past defenders to the basket, and either gets fouled, makes the shot or passes it out. The only problem with Rose's game is his long distance shooting. His shooting has improved over the last few seasons, and he is now a threat to hit 3's, but is still not making them as consistently as he needs to. Rose is a very aggressive scorer, and is allways looking for the bucket.
Analysis: Chris Paul is a better shooter than Rose, but Rose is much better at driving to the hoop. Rose affects games more with his scoring and is much more aggressive on the scoring end. Rose's outside shooting has improved, and if he could become a more consistent shooter from outside he would become nearly impossible to stop. Chris Paul could put up the amount of points Rose puts up if Paul took more shots, but Paul often chooses to pass instead. Rose's aggressiveness and driving ability gives him the edge over Paul's pass first attitude about scoring.
Score: 10-8 Rose
Passing:
Chris Paul: Career Stats: 9.8 apg-- 2.5 turnovers per game 
Last season the Clippers were 32-50, this year they're 22-13. The reason for that is Chris Paul, but mostly Chris Paul's passing ability. Paul has an uncanny ability to find the open man, and even averaged more then 10 assists a game twice with a fairly untalented Hornets team. Paul makes the players around him better by consistently getting them open looks, and has been in most opinions the leagues best passer over the last five years.
Derrick Rose: Career Stats: 6.8 apg -- 2.9 turnovers per game
Derrick Rose is a good passer, but he's not a Chris Paul caliber passer . He has never averaged more than 8 assists while playing on a very talented Bulls team. Rose gets a lot of assists by driving and dishing the ball out at the last second, which can also be very risky and cause turnovers. Rose has improved his passing throughout his career, and if he can continue to improve his passing at the rate it's improving he'd become one of the best passers in the league.
Analysis: Paul has established himself as one of the best passers in the league, probably the best, while Rose is still trying to improve his passing. Paul plays a pass first version of pg, while Rose plays a more aggressive scoring style, which really affects their assist rates. Paul has gotten more assists and less turnovers with a less talented Hornets team then Rose has had with a very talented Bulls team. Overall Paul's ability to consistently find the open man and make his teammates better without turning the ball over gives him the edge over Rose.
Score: 10-7 Paul
Defense:
Chris Paul: Career Stats: 2.4 steals per game -- 0.1 blocks per game -- 104 defensive rating
Chris Paul throughout his whole career has been at the top of the steals leaders for that year. Paul is a master at picking the pocket of the opponent and using that to turn defense into offense. His 2.4 career steals per game is absolutely remarkable, and he's even had two years where he was very close to 3 steals per game. Paul has lead the league in steals 3 times, and has proved that he's one of the hardest point guards in the NBA to score on.
Derrick Rose: Career Stats: 0.9 steals per game -- 0.4 blocks per game -- 107 defensive Rating
 Derrick Rose's stats may not look too impressive but he is actually a very good defensive stopper. Rose is very quick which helps him stay in front of his man and not let opponents drive by him. Rose is great at stopping players when driving to the basket, and when they're isolation situations, but when the player starts running off picks and shooting Rose struggles to close out on the shooters. Rose plays for one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, so when Rose's defense is struggling he hears about it from teammates, and from defensive coach Tom Thibodeau.
Analysis: Chris Paul and Derrick Rose are very different types are defenders. Paul is known for being one of the best defensive point guards in the league, with his ability to pick his opponents pockets and get big steals. Rose is great at defending players like himself who are often driving to the hoop, but struggles to guard players who are great shooters. Paul's stealing ability gives him the big edge in this category.
Score: 10-7 Paul
Winning/Leadership
Chris Paul: Career Stats/ Achievements: 21.9 ppg, 11.1 apg in playoffs -- .539 reg. season win % -- .474 playoff win %
Plain and simple, Chris Paul is a leader. He's one of the most vocal players to ever play point guard, and if you watch him during the game he is ALWAYS talking. Communication is a big part of basketball and Paul is the master at communication. Whether on offence, defence, or on the bench he's allways directing traffic and telling people where they should go and why while congratulating them. Paul is also a very competitive player, and is has shown that with his clutch ability. Paul has been one of the most underrated clutch performers in the NBA, and has hit various game winners throughout his career.
Derrick Rose: Career Stats/ Achievements: 25.2 ppg, 7.3 apg in playoffs -- .585 reg. season win % -- .464 playoff win %
Derrick Rose is also a leader, but a different kind of leader. Rose doesn't lead with his talking like Paul does and instead leads with his actions. Rose has been a huge part of his teams winning, and his many clutch performances have been his way of leading.
Analysis: The playoff and reg. season win percentages for both players have been pretty equal, and have been pretty average. Though their teams haven't found enormous success in the post season, it certainly hasn't been their faults. Both Paul and Rose improved their assists and points once the playoffs came around, and both players were the reason their teams even made the playoffs. Both Paul and Rose are leaders, though in different ways, and both players have yet to make it past the Conference Finals.
Score: 9-9 Tie

OVERALL Score: 
37-33 Chris Paul