EJECTED.

JORDAN vs. KOBE.

How were the LAKERS able to comeback against Mike Jordan's BOBCATS for the win last night?  MJ gave KOBE some key advice before the game...ADEDS S/O to Sam Higgins for the caption!

SNOOP LION.

'Countdown To No More Mike Brown?'

Dwight Howard.  Steve Nash.  Metta World Peace.  And Kobe Bryant.

Coach Mike is either the next Coach Spo or the next Del Harris.

Those are some pretty big egos right there.  Not so much Nash, as he pretty much keeps the same demeanor at all times but those other three guys . . . wow, talk about psycho-emotional roller coasters.  That being said, is current Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown really fit to coach this team?  I must admit that the most recent NBA Championship winning coach, Erik Spoelstra, did prove me wrong as I predicted that he wouldn't last as head coach dealing with the superstars that are the Miami Heat Big Three.  But by comparison, this Lakers collection of headcases seems like a group that not even an acclaimed psychiatrist could fully breakdown.  Unless, of course, he was a master. . . Zen Master possibly?  Let the speculation of Phil Jackson's imminent return to professional basketball begin.  First off, no one really knows if Phil wants to come back to basketball since he really doesn't have anything left to prove in his career.  Furthermore, he's already done the Lakers thing twice.  I would've suspected that if he were up to a new challenge that the recent New York Knicks opening would intrigue him since Jackson spent most of his NBA playing career as Knickerbocker and was part of the 1973 team, which was the last time a Finals championship banner was raised in the Mecca of basketball.  But Jackson turned down the position and remained retired.  But come to think of it, Phil's thing hasn't really been about accepting a 'challenge', it's really more about taking the best collection of talent on the planet and putting them over the top.  When you look at it that way, then a third stint in L.A. for Jackson seems exactly what the universe would prescribe . . . dharma if you will.  But as it stands, Brown is the coach of this team.  The only things stopping Mike Brown from earning (coasting to) his first ring is possibly being out dueled again by Scott Brooks and the OKC Thunder gang, and his good ole pal LeBron James, who helped another low-profile, defensive-minded coach earn (coast to) a ring last year.  And, the order of the universe of course.

NBA Clutch Players: Jerry West aka 'Mr.Clutch'

West didn't win a ring until his 12th NBA Season

Jerry West - Los Angeles Lakers, 1960-1974
6-2 175lbs, Cheylan, WV (5/28/1938)
NBA Draft: 1960, Round 1, 2nd overall - West Virginia
NBA Championships: 1 (1972)
NBA Finals MVPs: 1 (1969, losing team)
Career Playoff Stats: 153 games, 29.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 6.4 apg

Clutchness:  West was second option for the Lakers (behind Elgin Baylor) until the 1964-65 playoffs.  In particular, West smashed on the Baltimore Bullets in the Western Finals best-of-five series to the tune of 46.3 points per game (NBA record) including a unforgettable performance in Game 2 when he dropped 52 points on 20-21 field goals and 12-12 free throws.  In 1969, West became the only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP in a losing effort.  He had a triple-double in Game 7 (42 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists) but it wasn't enough to top the powerhouse that was the Boston Celtics.  West's most famous moment of 'clutchness' came in the 1970 NBA Finals against the Knicks.  West drained a 60-foot prayer in Game 3 with under three seconds left that sent the game into overtime, where the Lakers eventually pulled out the victory.  Click here to watch the shot.

Clutch-in-question:  His career record in NBA Finals appearances is 1-8, losing the first eight in a row.  West played in a Finals Game 7 four times and averaged 35.3 points per game, but is still 0-4 in those games.  West also played with Hall-of-Famers for most of his career that arguably carried him (Baylor, Gail Goodrich, Wilt Chamberlain).  The one championship West won in 1972, he himself says that he wasn't the main reason the Lakers won the title, saying, "I played terrible basketball in the Finals, and we won… It was particularly frustrating because I was playing so poorly that the team overcame me. Maybe that's what a team is all about."

Career Playoff History
Result/ Points scored in deciding game/ Highest scoring teammate pts/ Significant opp. stats
1960-61:  loss, 3-4 St. Louis Hawks, Western Finals; West - 29 points, Elgin Baylor - 39 pts in Game 7; Bob Pettit (STL) - 31 pts
61-62:  loss, 3-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 35 pts, Baylor - 41 pts in Game 7; Bill Russell (BOS) - 30 pts, 40 rebounds
62-63:  loss, 2-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 32 pts, Baylor - 28 pts in Game 6;
63-64:  loss, 2-3 St. Louis Hawks, Western Semis; West - 25 pts, Baylor - 28 pts in Game 5; Lenny Wilkens (STL) - 30 pts
64-65:  loss, 1-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 33 pts in Game 5, Baylor DNP - injury
65-66:  loss, 3-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 37 pts in Game 6 win (forced Game 7) Gail Goodrich - 28 pts; West - 36 pts, Baylor - 18 pts in Game 7; Russell (BOS) - 25 pts, 32 rebounds
66-67:  DNP - injury; loss, 0-3 San Francisco Warriors, Western Semis
67-68:  loss, 2-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 22 pts, Baylor - 28 pts in Game 6; John Havlicek (BOS) - 40 pts
68-69:  loss, 3-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 42 pts, Baylor - 20 pts, Wilt Chamberlain - 18 pts in Game 7
69-70:  loss, 3-4 New York Knicks, NBA Finals; West - 28 pts, Chamberlain - 21 pts in Game 7; Walt Frazier (NY) - 36 pts, 19 assists
70-71:  DNP - injury; loss, 1-4 Milwaukee Bucks, Western Finals
71-72:  won, 4-1 New York Knicks, NBA Finals; West - 23 pts, Goodrich - 25 pts, Chamberlain - 24 pts in Game 5
72-73:  loss, 1-4 New York Knicks, NBA Finals; West - 12pts, Goodrich - 28 pts in Game 5
73-74:  loss, 1-4 Milwaukee Bucks, Western Semis; West played in only 1 game and scored 4 pts

Statistics and info gathered from:
http://www.databasebasketball.com/
http://www.basketball-reference.com/
http://www.nba.com/
http://www.wikipedia.org/

8 Things To Watch For Now That The NBA Lockout Is Over

1 - Will LeBron, Wade, Bosh, make the Finals again?

The Heatles have one year under their belt together and should put together a sound round through the Eastern conference on the way to the Finals.  Atleast that is what the talent of the roster indicates.  Pressure is on LeBron James again to see what he can do down the stretch.  I'm not sure his career/legacy can take another 4th quarter late playoff meltdown/disappearance.

2 - Chris Paul, Dwight Howard on the move?

King James can't afford another 4th quarter playoff letdown.

This was originally fifth on my list of things to watch for before the events of this past week transpired, with Paul almost becoming a Los Angeles Laker and Howard seemingly on the cusp of becoming a New Jersey Net.  It's going to be interesting to see now how the league handles CP3 and the league-run New Orleans Hornets.  Paul may have to just become a free-agent as it will be difficult for teams to propose a trade for him without other league owners having a problem with it and urging commissioner David Stern to step in once again.

3 - Can Kobe be a good teammate without Phil Jackson as coach?

Mike Brown is the old coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the new coach of the L.A. Lakers.  So this means he is going from coaching LeBron to coaching Kobe Bryant.  If Brown couldn't really check Bron's ego, what the hell is he gonna do when Kobe starts throwing up 30 shots a game?  It will be something to watch to see how coach Mike handles that yearly slide that the Lakers always go through, when they're losing to teams they shouldn't lose to and people act like the world is coming to an end.

4 - What rookie will take the NBA by storm?

It's happened for a good four straight years now where a rookie has hit the scene and looked like a future dominating presence in the NBA (see John Wall, Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, and Kevin Durant).  It's been a while since we've seen these guys because of the lockout but write me down for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams and Sacramento Kings guard Jimmer Fredette as the top two rooks to have big impacts.

This might be the last chance for the 'Big 3' to get that second ring.

5 - Boston Celtics 'Big 3' final run?

When Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge put together the team that would eventually win the 2007-08 NBA Championship in its first year together, most basketball fans found it likely that this team probably could win a minimum of two rings barring any major injuries.  But of course, sports are sports and injuries do happen.  Kevin Garnett went down with a knee injury the following year and really gave the C's no chance of repeating.  The 2009-10 squad made it back to the Finals, only to squander a 3-2 series lead at the hand of the rival Lakers.  Last year, most Celtics fans would blame Ainge for the team not making the Finals, as long time center Kendrick Perkins was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder late in the season, effectively destroying the team chemistry and morale.  But Boston still has K.G. (age 35) along with Paul Pierce (34) and Ray Allen (36), but the window of oppurtunity for that second 'chip keeps getting smaller.

Dirk is the reigning NBA 'baddest man in the clutch'.

6 - Can Dirk establish himself as one of the greatest players of all time?

Dirk Nowitzki led the Dallas Mavericks to the franchise's first championship ever last year while running through the Western Confrence and the likes of Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant and stunning the star-studded Miami Heat in the Finals.  This was no doubt one of the best individual playoff runs in NBA history, as the Mavs were not anyone's favorite to win the title before Dirk began his unconscious tear.  Can Nowitzki repeat this type of playoff performance in 2012, with the target of 'baddest man in the clutch' squarely on his back?

7 - Short season to benefit veteran teams or young teams?

You would think that this short season would help the veteran teams because logically they already have chemistry playing together, but I'm not so sure.  Sometimes it takes the older guys some time to get things rolling, it's only 16 less games, yeah, but those games definitely could effect where teams are seeded when playoff time comes.

8 - Blake Griffin?

What do I really have to say here?  It's Blake Griffin folks!

Look out below!!!

'Can't Take The Heat'

Wade has seen better days in South Beach.

The regular season in the NBA doesn't mean anything.  The schedule is for 82 games and we can't judge a team in April by what they did in November.  Plus, good teams lose to the Memphis Grizzlies and the Charlotte Bobcats all the time; not because those teams are better or have better players, but because good teams can't get up to play those games on the second night of a back-to-back on a roadtrip.  And when two good teams collide in the regular season, whoever wins doesn't matter either, 'cause like Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson said "Is is the playoffs yet?"  The only thing that the team's overall record means is where they will be seeded in the playoffs and whether or not they will have home court advantage; it has nothing to do with their chances of reaching or winning the Finals . . . In my opinion, NONE OF THESE EXCUSES APPLY TO THE 2010-2011 MIAMI HEAT!!!!!  After blowing a 24 point second half lead at home to the Orlando Magic last night, and squandering leads of 15 and 11 to the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls respectivley in the past week and a half, it is clear to me that this team does not have what it takes to make a significant playoff run this year.
This was supposed to be the newest, biggest, and best "BIG 3" of any collection of three players to attain that moniker in the entire history of the NBA!  LeBron James coming off an MVP season, Dwyane Wade coming off an MVP calibur season, and Chris Bosh, a 20-10 guy that can drop 40 on any given night, joining forces to form the most powerful group of heroism since the Justice League.  The "Heatles" were supposed to sweep across the universe to the tune of 72+ wins, according to ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy, eclipsing the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for the single season wins record.  They won't sniff 70 wins this year and frankly, there's been some hard day's nights for the Heat lately, especially when it comes to playing good teams and closing out games.  Allow me to throw out everything that happened before Christmas Day 2010, since those guys with big egos were still in the 'feeling out' process with each other's games.  On that Christmas, the Heat blewout the defending champion Lakers in L.A. 96-80, and had everyone thinking that they had turned the corner.  Since that win, Miami has two wins over a top 10 NBA team (at Oklahoma City Thunder Jan. 30 and at Orlando Feb. 3).  On the other hand, they have lost to the Denver Nuggets (when they still had Carmelo Anthony), the Bulls (twice), Boston, and then this recent slide when they have had double-digit leads and still were not able to close out.  The toughest question to answer is "what is going wrong with them?" since it seems that there are multiple responses to that singular question.  You wouldn't think a team with that much star power would have so many holes.  Let me atleast scratch the surface.

Still looking for answers.

1.  They don't run anything on offense.
The next time you watch the Boston Celtics, see how they set up their offense when they are in the half court.  Rajon Rondo gets the ball at the point and will throw up some type of hand signal to key the beginning of a play.  Players will set screens for Ray Allen to run through, big men make back picks, the ball moves from one side of the floor to the other, and no one cares who shoots the ball; as long as they get a layup or a good open look.  This doesn't happen with Miami.  They are at their best in transition; converting on the break when other teams miss a basket or turn the ball over by using their athleticism to get down the floor.  They get ball movement sometimes off isolation but that mainly happens when James and Wade are hitting (see last night's game, first half).  When 'Bron and D-Wade are off, the offense is stagnant, and that lag leaks into the team's defensive intensity as well (see last night's game, second half).

2.  The team's best defender, rebounder, and shot blocker, is LeBron.
James is a physical beast that prides himself in doing it all and excelling at it all but his bread and butter is on the offensive end.  He can lockdown on D, and chip in rebounding the ball, but he cannot be the biggest presence in the paint on defense.  If LeBron has to be in the low block so often to help stop penetration, it takes away from his capability to leak out and start transition offense.

3.  No one outside of the 'Big 3' is reliable.

No role player is stepping up in big games.

If Wade, Bosh, and James each score 25 points, my math tells me that's only 75 points.  Those are good games individually, but clearly not enough collectively to win against elite teams without some help from someone else.  James Jones and Mike Miller get plenty of open looks when the big guys are rolling, but they don't create shots for themselves or teammates and they are defensive liabilities.  Erick Dampier, Joel Anthony, and Zydrunaus Ilgauskas are average rebounders and defenders at best and are totally inept offensively, so forget about creating offense by feeding the post like the Celtics, Magic, Lakers, Bulls, and San Antonio Spurs can do.

4.  Who takes the last shot?
When you look at it honestly, newly acquired veteran guard Mike Bibby is the clutchest player on this roster.  Every once in a while, one of LeBron's fadeaway 35-footers to tie or win a game actually goes in, but the next leap year isn't until 2012, so I guess we will have to wait until then to see that again.  Wade is a proven finisher, but when James is on the court, I think he is almost expecting to not get the ball, and it steals his swagger a little bit.  Bosh would be an option if he actually played in the post, but he's just a jump shooter and you would rather have James or Wade doing that.

5.  The wrong guy is coaching this team.
History shows that a team with this many egos requires a coach with an above average to equal ego of the top players or they will pretty much coach themselves.  Erik Spoelstra is just another guy.  Pat Riley has stated that he doesn't want to coach anymore but he might be exactly what this team needs.  The last time he took over the Heat, when they had just acquired Shaquille O'Neal from the Lakers, Miami went on to win the championship.  Don't know why Riley is holding out but I think that he could probably coach this team in his sleep.  No way are they blowing fourth quarter leads and taking wild shots with someone heading that team to steer them right when things are going wrong.

Listen, I'm not trying to bash the Heat, because I think eventually they will work out the kinks.  I just think that the time to figure out all these problems have run out for this year.  Maybe they can miraculously turn things around these last games and in the playoffs but I doubt it.  They have the Spurs tonight in San Antonio, before the Bulls, Lakers, and the Spurs again next week at home.  We'll see really soon whether or not they can prove me wrong.

Throwbackz: LeBron vs. Melo

Magic vs. Bird 2.2

They were supposed to be the Bird and Magic of our era but it hasn't been that way.  LeBron brought one Cleveland Cavaliers team to the Finals and Melo never did with the Denver Nuggets in the first seven years of their respective careers.  Larry's Celtics and Earvin's Lakers met twice in the Finals in the first seven years of their careers, and for a third time in 1987.  Its an unfair comparison, I know, because those 80s Boston and L.A. teams were stacked with hall-of-famers and legendary role players (if being a "role player" can be considered legendary) up and down the rosters.  For James and Anthony, they really haven't played with any HOFers (unless you want to count Melo playing with an aging-but-still-good-for-20-points/shot attempts-a-night Allen Iverson or LeBron with the "Big Fossil" Shaquille O'Neal) to make their matchups significant, entertaining, or even a little bit memorable.  But all of that changes on Sunday when the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat play for the first time since the Melo trade and the Decision have made New York and Miami relevent in the Eastern Conference again.  Melo has been the buzz of the NBA for a good three months now with all the speculation of him being traded by the Denver Nuggets before the trade deadline.  Before that, it was all LeBron and the Miami Heat anybody wanted to talk about.  Both players are extremely popular and if you were a GM wouldn't mind building a team around either guy.  However the one glaring difference between these two guys is the image that NBA fans have of them.  Melo is still loved just about everywhere while LeBron is feeling the full effects of the villain treatment, booed basically everytime he touches the ball at opposing arenas.  If I said I saw this coming years ago you wouldn't believe me, but let me take you back to the high school days to illustrate the difference in personalities.  A friend of mine attended the famed first ever matchup between LeBron and Melo back in 2002 and gave me a little insight.  In case you weren't aware, that year 'Bron was rated the number one junior in the country at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, OH and Carmelo was rated the top senior playing for powerhouse Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, VA).  If you haven't seen the highlights, then you're probably not really a basketball fan.   If you have seen them, then you know they never get old.

Oak Hill won 72-66, and they should have because they had alot more talent than the S.V.-S.M. team that LeBron carried.  Melo dropped a cool 34 and had 11 boards.  James had an ill stat line: 36 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and six steals.  The numbers predicted how versatile a player LeBron would become on the court in the NBA but something before the game occurred that the cameras didn't catch that may be telling of how LeBron is perceived off of the court.  My friend attended the game and told me it didn't feel like a high school game; the game was played at Soverign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ which seats 8,500, and arguabally the two best players in the NBA at that time, Shaq and A.I. (kinda funny right?), were in attendance.  But it is what my friend told me about what took place before the game that stands out for me the most.  He told me that before the game Melo was signing autographs and taking pictures with kids and that LeBron declined to do any of that.  LeBron as a junior in high school, 16 years old, and its too much for him to sign an autograph?  This could mean one of two things:  (a) He was so focused and committed to the upcoming game that he didn't want any distractions or (b) he is and has been very full of himself and his personal celebrity.  He's a great player no doubt, probably the most physically gifted human to ever touch a basketball.  But I guess he's just never been able to tone down the ego a few notches.  If that's what makes him go than he should keep doing it, because either way, LeBron being loved or a villain, its good for the NBA.  He says he doesn't mind getting booed, but if he does, then I bet he really regrets not taking those pictures and signing autographs for those kids because LeBron knows what karma is . . . As far as Melo goes, his positive karma brought him a National Championship in one year at Syracuse and now a big contract with the Knicks, and a reality show to boot for himself and his wife LaLa.  Melo definitely brings the swagger to New York that the Knicks have been missing since John Starks played for them.  The Knicks and the Heat were rivals at one point too with some classic playoff battles, and the unforgettable fight that ended with Jeff Van Gundy wrapped around Alonzo Mourning's leg! 

Might not see any of that but the court will be filled with very good talent from Dwyane Wade, Amar'e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, and Chauncey Billups as well as LeBron and Carmelo. 

WeekleeInsperayshunFrumThaWurldUvSportz

You call it ballhogging. I call it bravery.

Thank you Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant for showing no fear in the face of your critics!  You knew you would get criticized for being selfish if you shot the ball 29 times, and had no assists.  But you also knew that if you're team lost, you were gonna get criticized anyway. . . so f*ck it, might as well drop 40, right?  Stay the course, my friend.  After all . . . is it the Playoffs yet?

The Lake-Slow



Bryant can't do it alone

  "We get behind early on in the third quarter on some stupid plays -- poor passing, poor transition defense -- and then Kobe has to screw up the game and start energizing the team by going one-on-one and that takes the rest of the guys out as a consequence." Lakers coach Phil Jackson after 104-85 loss at Staples Center against the Memphis Grizzlies.

We're almost halfway through the 2010-11 NBA season and one thing that is very apparent to me about the 2-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers is that they don't have the same speed and energy from the supporting cast as they have had on the teams that reached the Finals the three previous seasons.  The problem is not Kobe. (and Phil knows that, he's just doing that Jedi post game presser talk he always does.)  The reality is, it's like everyone besides Kobe and Shannon Brown are playing in slow-motion right now.  Lamar Odom has had sparks of brilliance but has often looked lethargic (crash from sugar high) and disinterested (wishes he was with the other Kardashian sisters).  Pau Gasol looks about 10 years older than he did last year (Miguel Tejada?).  They can still light up the score board on any given night but they don't play with the same intensity and urgency as those other teams.  Bottom line: It's an old team with not much to prove.  We all know in sports that teams experience a 'hangover' after winning a championship and get complacent, but many people believe that the will of Kobe Bryant to be the G.O.A.T., and the manipulative mind-game modus operendi of master-motivator Phil Jackson, would be enough to get the Lakers where they need to be and in position for a three-peat.  It's still early but the guys they have lost and the guys they have replaced them with have either lost motivation or have been quite vast downgrades.

Trevor Ariza - Ron Artest

Odom is dissapointed; he chose the wrong Kardashian

Ariza was an O.K. NBA player when he was with the New York Knicks (and a little less good with the Orlando Magic) but became the most important 'glue' guy for the Lakers for those first two Finals teams.  An L.A. guy through-and-through (Westchester H.S. and UCLA), the then 22-year old Ariza was an athletic defender that grew in confidence with his jumpshot from what was obviously a combination of hard work, and the motivation that can be inspired when playing for a player like Kobe and being coached by a coah like Phil.  His game improved so much from his time in Los Angeles that he was basically given the 'green-light' whenever he was in the game and became the designated team defensive stopper.  The culmination of Ariza's career in L.A. came in the 2009 Playoffs where he shot 48% from three in 23 games and had a 13 points in a crucial third quarter run against Orlando in Game 4 of the Finals to help lead the Lakers to an overtime victory.  When Ariza signed with the Houston Rockets the next year (five years, $33 million), it left the door open for L.A. to sign a seasoned player who was known for his defensive tenacity, Ron Artest.  But Ron-Ron didn't come without controversy.  In fact, many wondered when the eccentric 29 year-old forward from Queensbridge (who signed for . . . five years, $33 million) would transform back into his semi-psychotic side and make the Lakers rue the day they signed him.  For the most part, Artest was majorly motivated to win a championship and kept the antics under wrap, and hit memorable game-winners in the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns and the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.  But what is left on the plate for Artest now? 

Artest is ready to move on to different things

We all know that The Tru Warier can't stay focused for long.  He's always been into music and is now talking about possibly trying out for the NFL or going into boxing.  The lack of focus for Artest has been very noticeable this year, with his point total dropping to 7.5 points per game through 34 games this year after averaging 11 ppg (77 games) a year ago.

Jordan Farmar - Steve Blake (30 years old, 6 different NBA teams in 8 seasons)

Farmar may have been the single most motivated player on the team during this Lakers run not named Kobe Bryant.  Farmar, who like Ariza went to UCLA and played high school ball in the L.A. area, felt like the starting point guard position was in his reach and worked like a mad-man to try and get it.  While he never captured the starting role (two starts in four years), especially with the return of longtime Laker point guard Derek Fisher in 2007, the 24-year old Farmar was probably the fastest player on the team and often the spark for the Los Angeles transition game and, along with Sasha Vujacic, became a key part of the second unit.  With Blake coming in (with a $4 million contract no less) its hard to believe that the Lakers improved their second group, nor did they get bang for their buck.  Blake is a better shooter from the perimeter, shooting 41% from three so far this season, but he doesn't force the tempo the way Farmar did.

New additions: Matt Barnes and Devin Ebanks

Barnes balls on and off the court; but mostly off

Barnes, 30, was known as a runner and gunner when he played for those exciting Golden State Warriors teams a few years ago and again in a stint with the Suns.  He tried to reprise that role last year with the Magic but was mostly just known for getting under Kobe's skin and Basketball Wives.  Now that he plays with Bryant, I guess all he has to be known for is Basketball Wives.  Ebanks came out of West Virginia with high-praise and displayed much of his raw skills and athletic ability in the summer league and pre-season.  However, the 21-year old Queens native has been mostly subjcted to the D-leauge so far this year.