Controversial Umpiring on Back to Back Nights

Wednesday night saw the Eastern heavyweights Indiana and Miami face off in an epic encounter. One that saw Roy Hibbert in foul trouble most of the night and a comeback win for Miami. Without going into detail, Pacers will be in the NBA Finals. During this match there was a controversial call as Paul George rose up for the three to tie the game in the dying seconds and we can see Lebron clearly holding him on the hips. If you see the video the legs also clash and Paul George's momentum is definitely affected and his shot is well out to the left. Many analysts agree with me that it was a clear foul. Coach Nick from BBALLBREAKDOWN went as far as to say it was "One of the worst no calls I've seen in some time." The play was later reviewed on a segment on his show where former NBA umpire Ronnie Nunn also came to the conclusion it was a foul. However do we really expect a foul to be called against Lebron James at home? No, nevertheless the Pacers will beat the Heat in the playoffs

Tonight when surely it couldn't get anymore dramatic than last night... IT DID. The Spurs were without Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan against the Warriors in Golden State. The Spurs got a tip in from Tiago Splitter with 2 seconds left for a two point lead. A tip in that clearly should not have been allowed as it was still on the cylinder. The NBA rules do not allow a review of goaltending unless goaltending was the original call made on court, in this case it wasn't so no review was allowed. Golden State were robbed in this sense. There should definitely have been an overtime in this game.

Good thing is this season we are seeing a game winner basically every night, but seriously these referees have to get better with their calls.

Kobe Out Six Weeks With a Knee Fracture

Kobe Bryant will be out about six weeks with a fracture of the lateral tibial plateau in his left knee, the same side as his torn achilles. 

He was injured in the third quarter v Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday yet finished the game out and won with the fracture. He is the complete definition of a true warrior. 
This is a huge blow and will no doubt put question marks over retirement once again. He only played 6 games averaging 13.8 PPG and 6.3 APG going 2-4 in this time. 

Kobe Bryant timeline: •4/12: Ruptures Achilles •11/25: Signs 2-yr, $48.5M extension •12/8: Returns to lineup •12/19: Knee injury (Out 6 wks)

This adds to already injured Steve Nash, Jordan Farmar and Steve Blake Lakers backcourt with news that Nash will be out at least another month and raises certainty that over these two years we will never see a truly healthy Pau, Kobe and Nash play alongside each other.

Xavier Henry will start at Point Guard now, a position that coming into the season the Lakers expected to be very deep at.

It may be a good idea to keep Kobe out for the season make sure he comes back 100% healthy and tank for a good draft pick now so the Lakers could compete next season. Either way we just hope Kobe can come back to his mamba best. Sad day in basketball

Steve Blake Out 6 Weeks

The last Lakers point guard, Steve Blake, will be missing the next 6 weeks with a torn UCL in his shoulder. The injury came November 26th against the Wizards. With Nash and Farmar still out this puts the Lakers in a dire position to sign a point guard. Possilbly Leandro Barbosa otherwise they can just tough it out

Blake said today that he will not have surgery but will instead get Platalet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy on his elbow.

In the meantime Kobe will run the point guard in only his third game back from a major injury and with the Lakers playing OKC tomorrow except Westbrook to have a huge game! 

Injury problems have been huge for the Lakers over the past 2 seasons and with the West being so strong this could destroy the Lakers hopes of making the playoffs. 

Rudy Gay Traded to the Kings

Rudy Gay has been traded to the Kings today. In return the Raptors will receive John Salmons, Vasquez, Patterson and Hayes. Along with Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray will be traded to the Kings too. The deal was reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

Rudy Gay was sent to the Raptors from the Grizzlies last season in a three team deal with the Pistons for Ed Davis, Jose Calderon and Tayshaun Prince. Gay is averaging 19.4 PPG and 7.4 RPG so far this season off an atrocious 18.6 FG attempts per game. He has been a consistent 19-20ppg guy throughout his career and a high volume shooter.

Kings plan on using Rudy Gay as a stretch power forward & see Gay & Derrick Williams as interchangeable guarding either forward. Kings Potential Starters: PG Thomas, SG McLemore, SF Gay, PF Thompson, C Cousins with Derrick Williams and Carl Landry to come off the bench. They look like a solid team now however they will need to play perfect to make the Playoffs in the West as they have a 2nd worst 5-13 record.

The Raptors look like they will be tanking for Wiggins now and yes this means Rudy will not be playing in Kobe's return tonight. Vasquez is a nice pick up averaging 9.8 PPG and 5.3 APG, Patrick Patterson a 6.9 PPG and 5.8 RPG player and in his 6th NBA season. Salmons and Hayes are veterans, one has to wonder why the Raptors didn't attempt to get a pick in this trade.

Who won the trade?

How Will the Lakers Fare with Kobe's Return?

Credit: Beyond The Buzzer

Kobe Bryant is set to return in tomorrow's game against the Raptors. You know he loves to play the Raptors, he scored 81 on them in 2006 and last time against Toronto was an epic comeback game with three ridiculous threes to send it to OT and then win with the dunk. Now we can't expect any heroics like that so early in his return especially as D'antoni has said he only wants to play Kobe 20 minutes at the moment.

The Lakers are 10-9 now and are 10th in the Western Conference. I always said that if they could be at 500 or better without Kobe they would make the playoffs. Without Kobe the team has been flowing, the ball movement has been outstanding and the chemistry perfect. Kobe's return adds even more depth to the already deepest roster in the league. Now Meeks who has been a top 3 scorer for the Lakers and having a breakout season will come off the bench adding another weapon to the league's highest scoring bench. Some doubters believe the ball movement and chemistry will be ruined once Kobe comes back and he will take too many shots. However look at last season where the Mamba had a few games with 14 assists and ended with 6 assists per game the highest from any shooting guard.

Kobe coming up Clutch v Raptors

In fact I believe the ball movement will be improved and other players will find themselves with better looks than they have gotten this season. This will be instrumental for Shawne Williams who has yet to find his mark from 3 and should help Meeks, Young, Blake and Wes Johnson who are already having incredible seasons!

This team is still missing Nash and Farmar will be out until early January however I think they may be able to compete come playoff time. This team is eerily similar to the 08-09 team that beat Orlando in the Finals. Wes Johnson can hit the three ball and has proven early in the season to be an athletic defender just like Trevor Ariza was, Nash or Blake is an upgrade on Derek Fisher who only averaged 10 PPG and 3 APG. Steve Blake is orchestrating the offense better than D-Fish did however the Lakers did play the Triangle back then. Off the bench you have Meeks who is similar to Vujacic except Meeks can put the ball on the ground. Farmar and Nash as the two back up point guards are better than a younger Farmar in 09 and Shannon Brown who only averaged 3 PPG in season and 5 PPG in playoffs. Now they don't have a Lamar Odom coming off the bench however they have Nick Young, Shawne Williams and Chris Kaman. Jordan Hill and Sacre (Who is suprisingly playing well) are taking the spot of Bynum. Bynum only averaged 6 points and 3 rebounds in the playoffs of 09 so Hill/Sacre are actually an upgrade in terms of the stat sheet, and obviously there are two of them as opposed to one Bynum. Kobe and Pau would need to play at their respective levels and I believe both can. Pau will play better with Kobe and Kobe will continue being Kobe. D'antoni is a great coach he is receiving incredible amounts from his players, no one expected this team to be above 500. It is a long stretch to say the Lakers can win the championship this season but hey it's not impossible. And you can't deny this squad is eerily similar to the 09 squad but now they are deeper and more versatile.

The 08-09 Lakers and the 13-14 Lakers are very similar

Will Lakers make the playoffs and if so what seed? Do they have a shot at the ring if healthy?