http://www.yardbarker.com/content/team/72 Recent articles about the Milwaukee Bucks en-us If LeBron sat out and USA crushed them by 55 points, how much more would they have won by if he played? When the game was close at 30-24 in the first quarter, USA went on a 90-41 run the rest of the way. Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Michael Redd all went for 20 points, including Redd hitting 6-8 from downtown. Wade looks like he's back to his old self, displaying his athleticism with a spectacular windmill dunk. USA also shot 65.7% from the field but they'll have to work on their long range passing and lack of communication going down the court, leading to turnovers, in order to do well in the Olympics. Other than that, can't wait to see them dominate overseas. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:00:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295891 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295891 Lost in the shuffle of the excitement over the Eagles training camp, a few bits of Sixers news has fallen through the cracks. Well, it's better late than never. First, the Sixers signed first-round pick Marreese Speights. Second, the Sixers are working on a new contract with Louis Williams. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:39:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295636 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295636 What does one of these cities have over the other? And what does Gilbert Arenas have to do with it? Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:24:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295371 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295371 Detroit Shock's forward Cheryl Ford is done for the rest of the WNBA season. And it couldn't have happened in a worst way. She was a peacemaker. While trying to restrain teammate Plenette Pierson during the confrontation against Candice Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks, Ford's right knee buckled as she tore her anterior cruciate ligament. The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one of the four major and stabilizing ligaments in our knees. Studies have found that this type of injuries is common among athletes—especially women—due to a variety of reasons: hormonal, balance, posture, and genes. An ACL can be torn by way of a "sudden dislocation, torsion, or hyperextension of the knee." Basically, these type of injury can happen at anytime and anywhere—even outside the arena of sports—as I heard a story awhile back wherein someone did tear their ACL after sitting down for a long time with their legs crossed. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries have been out there for quite some time. Over the last twenty years, several prominent players like Bernard King, Patrick Ewing, and Ron Harper have been able to return from his injury despite surgical procedures still being in its infancy. Other instances Probably the worst possible ACL injury occurred in February last year when former Los Angeles Clippers guard Shaun Livingston tore three of the four major ligaments in his knee on a breakaway drive in the first quarter against the Charlotte Bobcats. In contrast, Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) Minnesota Lynx point guard Lindsey Harding, the first overall pick in the 2007 WNBA draft, suffered a torn ACL in her left knee during a seemingly harmless drive to the basket during the later part of her rookie season while playing against the Washington Mystics. Just can't get healthy No player has suffered more ACL injuries than NBA forward Danny Manning. Manning was the top pick out of Kansas in 1988 who spent portions of his productive 15 year career with the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks, and Detroit Pistons; suffered three ACL injuries: injuring his right knee during his rookie year in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks (1/4/89), another in the left knee during a team practice in Phoenix (2/7/95), and re-injuring his right knee again two years later in Sacramento (4/7/98). While in the WNBA, Rebecca Lobo, one of the most decorated collegiate and Olympic female basketball players of this generation, was also not spared of his injury. In the New York Liberty season opener against the defunct Cleveland Rockers (6/10/99), Lobo tore her left ACL 42 seconds into the contest. Six months later, she reinjured the same leg during a rehab session (12/16/99). Exceptions to the rule For every injured player, there are also exceptions and two players come to mind, Karl Malone (Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers) and NBA Iron Man A.C. Green (Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, and Miami Heat). Playing in 1458 games in a career that spanned 19 years, Malone's only significant injury came during his last and only year with the Los Angeles Lakers wherein he missed 39 games due to torn knee ligament. On the other hand, A.C. Green has never missed any significant time having played in 1192 consecutive games (an NBA record). Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:41:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295307 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295307 The NBA season is over but there is some wheeling and dealing going on. Elton Brand is a Sixer. Richard Jefferson is a Buck. (Doesn't that sound derogatory? I guess being a Buck is an insult.) Corey Maggette is a Warrior. My former fantasy basketball sixth-man Matt Barnes is a Sun. Chris Duhon joins the Apocalypse. Hype man Ronny Turiaf is getting live in the Bay now. TJ Ford is a Pacer. Jermaine O'neal is a Raptor. Marcus Camby is a Clipper. Talk about getting dissed. Camby was released for cap space and a secound round draft pick. Camby wisely predicts that the draft pick probably won't even make the team. Josh Childress is an Olympiaco. Olympi-who? J-Childs joined a team in Greece. The Hawks offered him $33 milli-ons over five years without including taxes and the Greeks offered $21 milli's in the air after the tax man cometh. Josh did real good. He's gets paid more and in a stronger currency with fringe benefits like free lounging. Good thing the Hawks drafted for the same position for five years in a row. They have been running through forwards. It looks like Team Josh is over. Josh Smith and Josh Childress might be gone. The big issue is what does this mean for the NBA and future NBA prospects? The high school kids looking through college brochures might be enticed to hit the Euro-league for seven figures instead of dodging freshman classes until the NBA draft while looking for ways to cover up booster scholarships. (Whew, I got winded after reading that sentence again.) Also, what impact will this have on the NBA benches? If a guy can make more money and start in Europe then why would he ride the pine in the NBA gaining no respect or PT. There's some rich people in Russia that could afford to bank-roll some serious basketball squads. What if they went after stars that are losing their home-side appeal like Vince Carter or Jason Kidd? This is an interesting time for the NBA. This could be bad news for the guys that go undrafted or get cut from NBA squads. It's already hard enough to become a professional basketball player. The last thing they probably want is competition from players with NBA job security. I hope Josh has some thick skin. It's all peaches and cream right now but those European fans have no boundaries. At least not in soccer where racism is obvious at times. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:09:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295057 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295057 According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the Sixers have agreed to a two year deal with free agent guard Royal Ivey, although the deal will not be official until Monday. Ivey spent last season with the Milwaukee Bucks. In 75 games, Ivey averaged 5.6 points and 2.1 assists in just over 19 minutes per game. He has spent four years in the NBA since being drafted out of Texas in 2004. He spent his first three seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. Ivey finished his college career as the Longhorns' all-time leader in starts with 126 in 133 games. During his time in Texas, the Longhorns reached the NCAA Tournament four times and the Sweet Sixteen three times. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:03:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294970 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294970 The Sixers have yet to take care of their two restricted free agent guards, Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams, but they are still working to fill out their roster, signing guard Royal Ivey to a 2 year contract. Ivey spent last season with the Milwaukee Bucks after starting his career with the Atlanta Hawks and has developed into a solid defensive player off the bench. He doesn't put up great offensive numbers (he averaged a career-high 5.6 points per game last season) but he is a decent role player. Click the link for Royal Ivey's career stats. Not a bad depth signing, but how about signing Iggy and Lou now? Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:02:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294909 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294909 The Daily News is reporting that the Sixers have reached an agreement with back-up point guard Royal Ivey. I have been a big fan of this guy from watching him play at Texas. He is a lock-down defender with good size for the point guard position. I believe the Sixers got a nice quality back-up to Andre Miller. Since I won't be very active on the blog over the next few days, I want to address a comment from a loyal reader about the signing... Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:30:05 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294887 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294887 On the day that James Posey was introduced in New Orleans and vows to do whatever the coach asks of him for a team he sees poised to make a run at the title, the Celtics officially re-signed Eddie House and Tony Allen. On Sports Tonight, Tony said that the math was simple. If Posey signed, he and Eddie would have had to find a home elsewhere. It was one or the other. Danny said that Doc was worried about letting Tony go because he feels that Tony is going to have a break out year after watching him practice at the end of last season. Another player who would have fit nicely on the Celtics is off the market. The Rocky Mountain News reports that Chris Andersen is returning to the Nuggets. The Birdman had visited Boston for 2 days early in the free agency period and Danny seemed to have interest in him and vice versa. Now, Andersen has agreed to a one year contract with the Nuggets and will continue his NBA comeback in Denver where he was a fan favorite from 2001-2004. I was hoping the Celtics would sign him, even though they already signed Patrick O'Bryant to back up Perk since O'Bryant may be more of a project than immediate help and Andersen would come in with athleticism and energy off the bench at the center position. Good signing by the Nuggets. Denver was reported to be seriously considering signing Francisco Elson to replace the recently departed Marcus Camby. With Andersen signing in Denver, that leaves Elson out and looking for another team that may want him. Depending on how quickly Patrick O'Bryant develops, a one year league minimum contract to Elson might make sense for the Celtics. Although, it would remain to be seen how KG would feel about playing with a guy who called him gay. Another player who had been linked to the Celtics as a possible Posey replacement was Maurice Evans. Mercury News reports that the Warriors have signed Evans to a three-year, $6.4 million deal. This means that the Warriors will not match the offer that their restricted free agent Kelenna Azubuike signed with the Clippers. Evans would have made sense to replace Posey because he is an athletic swingman who's known as a solid defender and good three-point shooter and would have filled those roles left vacant by Posey's departure. The Clippers and Jazz have swapped point guards. The Clippers will receive Jason Hart from the Jazz and will send Brevin Knight to Utah. Last season, when the Celtics were in the market for a back up point guard, Knight was considered a serious candidate but signed with the Clippers instead while Sam Cassell was bought out by the Clippers and ended up signing with the Celtics. This is starting to feel like a game of 6 degrees of separation. In David Thorpe's chat on ESPN.com, he was asked what he thought about JR Giddens and whether he will amount to anything or if Danny wasted a pick on him. Thorpe's response was that his athleticism could be a help off the bench. And when asked which 3rd year guy he sees improving the most from his sophomore season, Thorpe mentioned that Rondo should improve his game overall for next season. The Portland Trail Blazers signed guard-forward Nicolas Batum on Wednesday. Batum played the past three seasons in the French ProA League. He was the 25th overall pick in the draft by Houston who traded his rights to Portland. Leading up to the draft, Batum was a popular choice on the mock drafts for the Celtics with the 30th pick. The OC Register reports that the Lakers are no longer pursuing a trade for Ron Artest. Instead of the Ron Ron rumors in Laker land, there is talk that the Lakers have joined a list of teams interested in signing Luol Deng. The Bulls and Deng are having a hard time coming to an agreement on a deal and so rather than risk losing him, they may resort to a sign and trade and the Lakers are interested in making an offer if it comes to that. I can see a pattern to the players that the Lakers are pursuing this off season. Both Artest and Deng are known for giving Paul Pierce a hard time on defense. One of the problems the Lakers had in the Finals was trying to stop Paul Pierce. Getting either Artest or Deng would assure them of having a player who has given Pierce problems in the past. Now, if they only had an answer for KG, Ray Allen and Leon Powe, they would be all set. The Sixers have reached an agreement with Royal Ivey, who spent last season with the Milwaukee Bucks. Ivey will not officially sign the minimum-salary contract until Monday, which is believed to be for 2 years and include a significant guarantee. Ivey will come off the bench to complement Lou Williams, that is, if the Warriors don't lure Williams away from Philly. That will give the Sixers 9 players under contract. Now that Josh Childress has made the leap to play in Europe next season, there is a lot of talk going around about other's following suit. Perhaps the most interesting is Jason Kidd talking about going to Europe when his contract is up. Playing in Europe could extend a player's career by a few years because they don't play the physical game that is found in the NBA. This is also why many European players have trouble adjusting to the NBA as they aren't used to the physical play that they run into when they come here. Carl Landry is also considering a jump to Europe if he can't get a satisfactory offer from an NBA team. Nenad Krstic is also considering joining fellow Nets free agent Bostjan Nachbar in accepting an offer to play overseas if he can't get the right deal from an NBA team. On the other hand, Bobby Brown, who made a big impression with his summer league play, rejected several offers to play overseas and is set to sign a 2 year deal with the Sacramento Kings. It seems that Brown was in demand as the Hornets pursues him along with Israel's Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Spanish giant Barcelona before he decided to accept the Kings' offer. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:37:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294826 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294826 Sure Gilbert Arenas runs his mouth at times....but for the most part, it's all in good fun. (And yes, I've been frustrated at this "fun") But what's wrong with garnering more attention and creating a spirited rivalry between two cities/teams? We'll be hearing about this next season when the Washington Wizards face off against the Milwaukee Bucks. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:07:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294339 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294339 I have always been resistant to change. Even if I knew it was coming a mile away. Last February, I got the opportunity to see the Nets at their best for what turned out to be their last time together against a major opponent. And with the trade deadline looming, there were already some notable changes on their roster as the Nets shipped forward/center Jason Collins to Memphis for underachieving forward Stromile Swift. A few days later, team captain Jason Kidd followed suit when New Jersey sent him back to the very team that drafted him (Dallas Mavericks) for Devin Harris and other players. Change was coming. I just didn't know how fast. Nets Team President Rod Thorn and the rest of the Nets brain trust have been very busy this off-season. Having traded away their franchise's second all-time leading scorer—Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks for China's Yi Jianlian and underachieving forward Bobby Simmons. The Nets also did very well for themselves in the 2008 NBA Draft after they bagged Stanford's 7'0'' center Brook Lopez at #10, 6'10'' forward Ryan Anderson at #21, and arguably the steal of the draft at #40—Memphis scoring guard-forward Chris "CDR" Douglas-Roberts. Rod Thorn didn't stop there as he also allowed forward Bostjan "Boki" Nachbar to sign with a Russian team and sent guard Marcus Williams to the Golden State Warriors for a future lottery-protected 1st round pick. With that said, the only Nets left from last season's roster are Darrell Armstrong, Josh Boone, Nenad Krstic, Sean Williams, Vincent Lamar Carter and his $61.8 million dollar extension. Of those five players, only Boone, Williams, and Carter are certain to make the final roster. The New Jersey Nets have certainly positioned themselves well for the unrestricted free agent boon of 2010 that will feature the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr., Steve Nash, Joe Johnson, Walter Ray Allen, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Manu Ginobili, Tracy McGrady, and for what it's worth, Shaquille O'Neal. This list can further increase if players who hold Early Termination Options (ETO) in their existing contracts decide to exercise them. They are Amare Stoudemire, Michael Redd, Tyson Chandler, Richard Jefferson, Yao Ming, and Dirk Nowitzki. If the Nets don't land LeBron James in 2010. They are not short on alternatives from the wealth of talent on that list. Kudos to the Nets brain trust on their foresight. Brooklyn may not only be getting a team two years from now. But a solid contender. Addendum: - DeSagana Diop and the Dallas Mavericks agreed on a five-year, $31 million deal (the team's full midlevel exception) last July 9, 2008. It will be Diop's second stint with the Mavericks after being a part of the Jason Kidd-Devin Harris deal six months earlier - What exactly did the Nets get in the Marcus Williams deal? Fred Kerber of nypost.com shares that "if the Warriors are in the playoffs in 2011, the Nets get their first round pick. So it's lottery-protected in 2011. He adds "if the Nets are still waiting for the pick in 2012, they get G. State's first rounder, as long as it's not 1-through 11. If they're still waiting in 2013, they get the first rounder as long as it's not 1-through-10. But 2013 is the cutoff. If they haven't gotten the pick by then they get two second rounders, in 2013 and 2015." Sounds as shady as Marcus Camby being dealt for a 2nd round pick, if you know what I mean. - Lastly, at the age of 40, guard Darrell Armstrong won't be back with the Nets for the upcoming 2008-2009 NBA season. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:14:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294210 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294210 It's no coincidence that most of the MSM has turned into a hype machine for Team USA and that's because these upcoming Olympic Games are the most important we've ever known, in terms of basketball. The Americans had their creation and their domination, and their ultimate tragic fall at the hands of hubris. We've heard it all: "Foreign teams train for months!", "We didn't even send our best players!", "Larry Brown suxorz!", "Why didn't we send any shooters?", etc., etc. What's done is done, and while the USA should not have lost in 2004 (and 2006, really), they did. There's no rewriting that, no matter what happens in August. But what Team USA does have a shot at is responding...[continued] Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:33:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293809 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293809 J-Chill must really want to get out of Atlanta with that 3 year $20 million he's got on the table with Olympiakos in Greece. Right now, it's either a sign-and-trade or Greece for him, but there are other teams that could really use him, especially on the east coast. Philadelphia 76ers If Childress wants a sign-and-trade, Philly is a good place for both teams, especially when he visited them already. With him and Louis Williams, an undersized shooting guard, both restricted free agents, both teams trade a solid guard off the bench for another, only the Sixers get size. It also gives the Hawks an opportunity to truly go small when Lou comes off the bench. Cleveland Cavaliers Last season, Sasha Pavlovic didn't live up to the hype after going to the Finals in 2007. Five years removed from Serbia and 4 years since joining the Cavs, maybe he needs a fresh start with a new team. Childress would be an upgrade in terms of scoring, relieving part of the load on LeBron James and Pavlovic would add size to the Hawks. Detroit Pistons Detroit's looking to shake things up with the roster, and with Rodney Stuckey's play carrying from the playoffs over to the summer league, Chauncey Billups or Richard Hamilton might be on the trading block. Atlanta also needs a good, veteran big man to come off the bench for them. Trade Childress and Mike Bibby for Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess and Detroit starts the rebuilding process. Indiana Pacers Marquis Daniels might be a good fit for Atlanta. He went undrafted out of college and averaged near 16 PPG in the playoffs his rookie year in Dallas. Daniels' contract, in its last year, is probably around Childress' price range and is near what Olympiakos is offering. It wouldn't be a bad choice for the rebuilding Pacers. Milwaukee Bucks The Bucks are reloading after getting a new coach in Scott Skiles, but he's already made Charlie Villanueva unhappy before he even coached. The Hawks landing Villanueva is a long shot and they're probably not even interested, but highflyer Desmond Mason is a good possibility. Mason would add experience to the Hawks, something they lack. Childress can back-up Michael Redd and is a great compliment for a team with young talent in Andrew Bogut and Ramon Sessions and a veteran in his prime in Richard Jefferson. Charlotte Bobcats The Bobcats signed Matt Carroll to a 5-year extension last season, but Childress is better. Carroll could add better 3-point shooting for the Hawks with his near 44% from beyond the arc, #9 in the NBA. Adding Childress behind Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace and Emeka Okafor might be the move they need to get to their first playoff series in franchise history. The Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards could also use him, but don't have much.f anything, to offer. Otherwise, there's still opportunities for him in the NBA. Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:15:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293799 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293799 So the Nuggets just traded away thier MVP Marcus Camby. Don't take this the wrong way; I know Camby is not the best player on the Denver Nuggets. However, I do know that he was the heart and soul of that team and in many ways was their Most Valuable Player. So now what? Marcus Camby was just traded for the right to swap second round picks in next years draft. Excuse me? I know this article is a little late and maybe just a tad bit out dated but I've got some ideas for what the Nuggets may do in the future now that they have some slight wiggle room when it comes to the cap. The Nuggets also received a ten million dollar luxery tax exception in this trade. Although this does not get the Nuggets below the salary cap, it does allow them more flexibility to re-sign J.R. Smith this summer. That is the first move in a long line of moves the Nuggets need to make. After this season, the Nuggets will most likely let Allen Iverson walk. This is perfect. I love Allen Iverson, but the experiment has not worked. With A.I. gone, the Nuggets will then have about thirty million dollars to throw around at free agents and have more leverage when making trades. So the time isn't now for the Denver Nuggets. The time is in the future. We must be patient Denver fans. Let us go over what the Nuggets could possibly put together next summer in free agency. In the summer of 2009, as I said before, A.I. will be leaving us. That gives us thirty million dollars in cap room. We have J.R. Smith locked up now, and we are now signing Linas Kleiza to a multi-year deal. Stop there. Remember, we must be patient. Next season (2008-2009) will not be our year. After Iverson leaves, we could use a new face in the backcourt. That face could very well come in next years draft, where it is possible that we could have two first round picks (as long as Charlotte is not in the lottery - pray the Bobcats are a playoff team next year!). First priority in the draft is a point guard. I have three in mind now; Ty Lawson (University of North Carolina), Jonny Flynn (Syracuse University) and Darrin Collison (UCLA). All three would be great additions to the Nuggets backcourt and all three would likely see playing time early and often. Next is a big. I don't know as of now what next years draft will hold as far as bigs in the draft, but that is a hole we can fill next year. Re-signing Kleiza to a long-term deal is our next priority. Third; get rid of Karl. If it does not happen during the season, he needs to be gone after next season. I don't know what the future holds, but as of now Avery Johnson is still out there. Johnson is a fiery coach who demands respect from his young players and can turn around the Nuggets defense. Those are three things a once fiery Karl no longer has the ability to bring out in himself or his team. Ok, now we're done. We have a solid team now that may make the NBA Playoffs in the Western Conference. Here's the starting line-up: 1 - Ty Lawson (Or one of the other two) 2 - J.R. Smith 3 - Carmelo Anthony 4 - Kenyon Martin 5 - Nene. With a new coach, a solid point and Kleiza coming off the bench, its possible that this team will make the playoffs. Now comes the real fun. The Summer of 2010, aka the "Summer of LeBron." Guess what? That seven year, $93 million deal that Kenyon Martin inked years ago is now gone! Last year we re-signed Linas Kleiza and added a few rookies to the roster. That didn't exactly break the bank. With thirty million dollars to play with last year (minus the money we paid Kleiza and the rookies) plus all the bank we'll be making off of losing Kenyon Martin, we will now have a ton of money to play with to lure LeBron into town. Isn't this fun?! Here's a possible startig line-up for 2010 - 1 -Ty Lawson - 2 J.R. Smith - 3 LeBron James 4 - Carmelo Anthony 5 - Nene. Wow!!!! Now that's a team! We'd still have Kleiza off the bench too! I know Carmelo is a little undersized at the four but ask anybody in the league and they'll tell you that he is one of the most deceivingly strong players in the league. Not to mention he can jump just as well, if not better than, most of the other fours in the league and he is quicker than most fours in the league as well. Oh yeah, and he also plays the four for Team USA during the summer. And I believe he often plays his best while playing that position for Team USA. Now don't get too excited by this news quite yet. LeBron is obviously interested in New Jersey (soon to be Brooklyn) and he is obviously going to be lured by other teams. One phone call might go something like this: (Dwyane Wade) "I got this kid down her in South Beach named Michael Beasley. He's pretty good. What do you say to coming down here and playing with me and this young stud? We can win a championship together." (LeBron) "You know what D-Wade, that doesn't sound too bad to me!" End of conversation. I haven't done much research when it comes to this so I don't know if Miami will even have enough mulah to do that, but I'm just saying. It's very possible. So with that, here is a list of other NBA stars available as unrestricted free agents in the "Summer of LeBron": Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Ray Allen, Tyson Chandler, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Steve Nash Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Redd. I'll say it again: Wow!!!! I can't wait to see what the future holds for the Denver Nuggets. God knows there are endless possibilities out there. Now all we can do as fans is sit back, relax and pray for the best. Go Charlotte Bobcats! Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:04:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293576 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293576 In the "Keep Your Picks" Playoff, the Milwaukee Bucks have defeated the Orlando Magic 112-101. SG Michael Redd was named MVP of the game. The Bucks will play the Suns in round two. For complete game stats, check out the NBA DraftNation page. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:11:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293466 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/293466