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The Champions, The Los Angeles Lakers Improve With Addition of Ron Artest

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4:34 am 4:34 am

The Los Angeles Lakers made a statement last season. In the face of so many naysayers, Kobe Bryant proved that this team had what it takes to win a championship. Many fans and experts doubted Kobe Bryant once the Lakers lost Shaq.

Well, for one, they’re the defending champions. They defeated the Orlando Magic with relative ease in the NBA finals, and looked very solid throughout the duration of the 2009 NBA playoffs.

It should also be noted that the only significant player the Lakers have lost is Trevor Ariza. While Ariza was a valuable role player in Los Angeles, he’s not one of the team’s stars, so all indicators would point to the notion that they should be okay without him.

Much of the Lakers’ success last year should be attributed to a lot more than just Kobe himself. This was a team effort through and through.

Andrew Bynum needs to have a break out year this season because he has contributed little in his career thus far. Bynum has improved his scoring average every year he has been in the league but can’t stay healthy. Bynum is a good talent; he has size and has shown signs of having the potential to be a great big man.

The Lakers are looking to repeat this season – their chances are very good. The last time a team repeated as champions were the Lakers 01′ & 02′.

It’s hard to repeat as champions in professional sports because players get hurt and more trades happen now then ever before. The Lakers still have Kobe Bryant and he is playing at an elite level.

Then there’s the x-factor, of course. The signing of Ron Artest, one of the best defensive players in basketball. Artest will turn 31, making for a well aged team that has the physical prowess and the knowledge to do anything a team is capable of doing. The Los Angeles Lakers are favorites to repeat entering the season.

For more on the Lakers, check out the Los Angeles Lakers forum at RootZoo Sports. Enjoy their NBA pick em and more, all for free.

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The Los Angeles Clippers Should Improve in ‘09-’10

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1:18 pm 1:18 pm

The L.A. Clippers season was over before it began last season – which was shocking to most that the Clippers could be that bad, even for them.

Injury issues limited Davis, and even Camby to a degree. Still, the Los Angeles Clippers greatly underachieved, and ended up in a position that brought the franchise a number one draft pick.

It’s unfair to Blake Griffin that he has to come in this situation and change the team completely. Griffin is a highly talented player who should do well in his first season in the NBA.

An extremely versatile player, Griffin’s power and forcefulness are the type that can positively impact any team. He’s a franchise player in the mold of a Tim Duncan.

Being picked number 1 overall doesn’t mean success for example – 98′ Michael Olowokandi draft by Clippers, 01′ Kwame Brown drafter by Washington Wizards, and 05′ Andrew Bogut drafted by Milwaukee Bucks. There have been many number 1 draft picks that have found success, its not a guarantee a player drafted number 1 will be great.

The Clippers have a very long history of failures and never found that core group of players that meshed long enough to make a serious playoff run. The leading scorer on the Clippers last season Zach Randolph, who isn’t on the team anymore. They only won 19 games with him as the leading scorer so it was time to make a change one would assume.

Griffin’s presence in the middle should easily free up the lane for Baron Davis, and create additional opportunities for players like Al Thornton to shine. He’s one of the strongest players coming out of college I’ve seen in a long time. Give him some time and he should be a stud.

Clippers fans should feel very grateful for the outcome of there draft. There’s a new big name in Los Angeles. If Baron and Camby can both stay healthy, this team has a lot of potential.

For the most exciting NBA forum online, check out RootZoo Sports. Continue this conversation on their Los Angeles Clippers forum with other Clipper fans.

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The Rockets Look for Success Without Yao and Artest

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12:20 pm 12:20 pm

The Houston Rockets were one of those teams last NBA season that quietly flew under the radar. Having finished the regular season with a 53-29 overall record, the Rockets just missed the number two seed in the playoffs by a mere game.

The Rockets went 53-29, which in the Western Conference is very good. The Rockets racked up wins by their defensive efforts holding teams under 95 points per game. The Rockets were 17th in scoring – which is why they couldn’t beat the Lakers, not enough fire power.

This nearly happened, as the Houston Rockets took the Los Angeles Lakers to a full seven games during the Western Conference semifinals last season. While the Lakers won this game 7 by a whole’ points, the Rockets had LA’s number during a few of these games, leaving many wondering just how dangerous this efficient basketball team was.

Yao Ming has been battling injuries his entire career and many as of late. We still do not know if he will play in the 09-10′ season.

The loss of Ron Artest is a blow because he was one of their best defenders. The Rockets ranked 6th in opposing team scoring last season but should see a drop off without Artest this season.

The Rockets did pick up free agent Trevor Ariza – who had a very good regular season and played even better in the playoffs. Aaron Brooks had his break out season with the Rockets averaging 16 points per game in the playoffs – 5 more then his regular season average. Luis Scola had his best season in the NBA averaging 12 points per game and 8 rebounds.

The Rockets are a playoff team with the current roster they have. If the Rockets are ever going to contend for a championship they must stay healthy. Every year someone seems to get hurt thus limiting their chances at a serious title run.

Whether this has to do with having better players around him or issues with his health isn’t known, maybe both. McGrady’s scoring average always increased during the playoffs but he would face better teams and couldn’t make it out the first round.

For more on the Rockets check out the Houston Rockets forums at RootZoo Sports. Be sure to get the latest nba fantasy basketball news there as well.

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Melo To Carry The Denver Nuggets On Both Sides Of The Court

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6:32 am 6:32 am

During the past few seasons, the Denver Nuggets have been one of those teams that generally play respectable basketball, finish the season with a winning record, make the playoffs and exits in the first round. Basketball fans had become accustomed to seeing this take place on a yearly basis, so people were surprised (to say the least) to witness the run that the Denver Nuggets embarked on during the 2009 NBA playoffs.

The most shocking reason for this all stems from the fact that the Nuggets had traded Allen Iverson, the team’s second highest scorer, to the Detroit Pistons. This panned out to be a great deal!

The knock on Denver for many years was they can score but refused to play defense – this wasn’t the case because Denver was’th is defense. Trading Iverson for Billups, definitely was a key move to fixing this problem.

Coach George Karl and the rest of the team had other plans though. The acquisition of Chauncey Billups proved invaluable to the team. Billups’ leadership, efficiency on the court, playoff experience, and his ability to serve as a natural point guard – a position the team had sorely been lacking ever since the departure of Andre Miller a few seasons prior – all gave the team a major boost in places that the Nuggets had been lagging before he joined the team.

Chauncey Billups came from the Detroit Pistons in a trade for Allen Iverson – the trade for Billups worked out well for Denver, not so much for the Pistons.

Carmelo Anthony emerged as a defensive player as well because of Billups. Anthony could possibly be the best pure scorer in the entire NBA – that includes Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. Everyone knew ‘Melo could score but his improvement on defense was most impressive.

As a result, the Nuggets ended up beating the Hornets in five games, before easily defeating the Mavericks in round 2 of the NBA playoffs. Then it was on to the Western Finals against the Lakers.

The Denver Nuggets have the same core of players that had last season and it wasn’t enough to beat the Lakers, maybe Denver can add one more piece to their team to give them a better chance this season.

For more Nuggets talk, check out the Denver Nuggest forum at RootZoo Sports, the most exciting sport forum online.

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Tennessee Titans Keep Falling

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1:00 pm 1:00 pm

Who would have expected the Tennessee Titans to open up the season with an 0-2 record? After a successful 2008 season, it’s shocking.

An amazing defensive unit, two powerful running backs in Chris Johnson and LenDale White, and a team led by the wise ways of accomplished head coach Jeff Fisher.

Many thought this was a Super Bowl team last season. I think I thought so myself. They made a few changes during the off-season that seemed positive.

The running game of the Titans is more dangerous, as Chris Johnson and LenDale White are a formidable running duo. The Titans’ defense has been good at stopping the run but not much else. The Titans are among the worst in the NFL in points per game allowed and passing yards per game allowed.

They don’t seem to be doing anything different then last year – which might be the problem this year.

So they were 0-1, but they were expected to lose that game, right? Surely, they’d bounce back to 1-1 after hosting the Texans at home.

It is hard to believe that a team coached by Jeff Fisher will continue to play this way for an entire NFL season.

The Titans now have an 0-2 record to begin the 2009 NFL season and sit at the bottom of their division. Things aren’t looking so good in Nashville now.

If you’re looking for the most exciting Tennessee Titans forum online, then look no further than RootZoo Sports. Be sure to check out their new fantasy football leagues that everyone’s been talking about!

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Big Time Struggles

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7:40 am 7:40 am

The Tampa Buccaneers are one of the many teams in the NFL trying to start from the ground up and rebuild their franchise. After the Super Bowl win in 02′ the Buccaneers haven’t had much success.

The Bucs rank among the worst in defense and offense and the future looks bleak. The Bucs had potentially a few Hall of Fame players on their team 7 years ago, now they are just looking to avoid a 3 win season.

With the loss of Joey Galloway, the offense looked as if it was in a position to suffer, but some nice additions in the offense department (Byron Leftwich at quarterback, Derrick Ward at running back from the Giants, and Kellen Winslow at tight end from the Browns) put the Bucs in a position to build on their offensive struggles from the 2008 season.

The defense didn’t change much. They’re one of the worst units in the league and they should have spent a bit more on balancing out the squad, not just improving the offense.

RB Cadillac Williams was a rising star in the NFL a few seasons ago. In 05′ Williams ran for over 1,100 yards in– games but injuries have put his progression as a RB on hold. 07′ – 08′ Williams only played in 10 games, scored 7 touchdowns and rushed for 441 yards.

The main WR on the Bucs is Kellen Winslow – who in his best year in 07′ caught for over 1,000 yards with 5 touchdowns for the Cleveland Browns.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were dealt a somewhat difficult opponent in week 2, traveling to Buffalo to face the Bills. The Bills had nearly beaten the New England Patriots in week 1, and looked to be much improved in 2009, thanks to a few key additions at both offense and defense (most notably Terrell Owens). The Bills won this game 33-20, nearly the same score as the Bucs’ week one loss.

The Bucs defense is one of the worst in the league – if not THE worst – the Bucs have given up more the 30 points more times then many teams give up the entire season. It will be a long season for the Bucs in 09′.

Head on over to the most exciting Buccaneers forum at RootZoo Sports. Check out their trivia with over 60,000 questions.

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Sheed looking for a Title with the Boston Celtics

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11:37 am 11:37 am

The Boston Celtics can’t be happy. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce can’t be happy. Without Kevin Garnett, the Celtics simply weren’t the same team during the 2009 playoffs and greatly suffered without him, ultimately losing a seven game series to the Orlando Magic.

After one of the most exciting playoffs series, first round or not, against the Chicago Bulls the Celtics didn’t have enough to put away the Orlando Magic. It was a shame the Celtics didn’t have the opportunity to defend their 08′ championship at full strength.

If the Celtics had a healthy Kevin Garnett there is no reason they could not repeat as champions – the Celtics nearly beat the Orlando Magic without Garnett in the second round.

Essentially everyone from last year will be back in action. The big three (Garnett, Pierce, Allen) are all back in tow, and Rajon Rondo, Leon Powe, Glen Davis, and the rest of the supporting cast are there as well. Out is Stephon Marbury, which may in fact be a good thing for the team.

Rasheed Wallace joins the Celtics after a disappointing season with the Detroit Pistons. This might also be one of the last seasons Rasheed Wallace has a chance to win a NBA title – he is 35 years old and in NBA years that’s much older.

In is Rasheed Wallace. A seasoned veteran with playoff experience and enough talent to still play some highly effective basketball, Sheed will add a much needed lift to the Celtics, who will be forced to compete with a competitive set of teams.

Glen “Big Baby” Davis has his best season in 09′ making a game winning shot against the Orlando Magic in the second round. Davis will have to continue to improve his game if the Celtics expect to make another serious playoff push.

The Boston Celtics might not be the predominant favorite coming out of the Eastern Conference – they surely will be a contender all season and will give any team a challenge once playoff time comes around.

For more hoops talk, check out the Celtics forum at RootZoo Sports. Make sure to play their free daily NBA pick ‘em.

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The New Orleans Saints Stay On Top of the NFC

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10:19 am 10:19 am

The New Orleans Saints started out the season with all guns blazing. They have the potential to have the greatest offense the league has seen in the last 30 years which includes the 2007 New England Patriots team that set many NFL scoring records.

QB Drew Brees is playing the best he has ever played and will be a favorite for MVP once the season is over. The 09′ season should be a good one for the Saints franchise overall, many expect the Saints to play late in January.

The Saints have weapons all round the field from RB Reggie Bush, WR Marques Colston, WR Jeremy Shockey, WR Devery Henderson, and RB Mike Bell. With such a potent offense the Saints can outscore anyone in the league -which means they are never out of the game no matter what the score is.

The offense ranks in the top 10 in every major statistical category and should continue to do so all season long. The Saints defense isn’t bad either; they are holding opponents to around 20 point per game — averaging much more then that on offense.

To begin the 2009 season, the Saints were given a very easy opponent in the Detroit Lions. As expected, they went on to win this game rather easily.

The defense is what the Saints need to keep opponents to a relatively low score – we know the Saints can score in bunches and quickly. But defense wins championships!

New Orleans has struggled financially the last few years and a good Saints football team is what the New Orleans community needs. Sports have been a great way to help bring communities together during tough times.

The Saints had a disappointing loss to the Bears in the 06′ NFC Championship game in freezing weather. Let’s hope for the Saints sake they receive home field advantage all through out.

Come check out the most exciting New Orleans Saints forums and the hottest new free fantasy football game all at RootZoo Sports.

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Struggling NBA Teams With Better Players

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11:01 am 11:01 am

We’ve gone through several games of basketball and I’d like to take a look at some of the predictions people made about NBA teams. I happen to disagree with some of the proclamations that were made, and I’d like to explain why. Let’s determine the best NBA team.

As I write this, we’re only a couple of weeks into the season. Many would say that we haven’t seen enough basketball to make this determination, but I’m going to go out on a limb with a few proclamations that I do believe will hold true at the end of the season. Let’s see if I’m right.

All due respect to some of the players that I’m about to put down, but I’m simply stating my opinions here. I believe that a player can be great on paper, and possibly a great fit for certain teams, but there are three players who’ve all flocked to elite teams this season, and I believe that none of them are the types of players who win their teams games. In fact, I believe just the opposite.

In the case of Ron Artest with the Lakers, I’m not quite sure if he’ll be good for the team. While he’s obviously an exceptional player, I think that he still has attitude and maturity issues to deal with.

He’s gone from team to team in the NBA and never seems to find a home where he’s loved. LA took a chance with him and I’m not sure that I agree with the move.

Then there are the Cavs. Shaq is a different story than Artest, as he has a great attitude and wants to win. Unfortunately, I think he just throws off the team’s rhythm and his presence in the middle might not be so good for the team. Their record so far would indicate this too.

With the Magic, I’m just not a fan of Vince Carter. I loved him during the earlier part of the decade, but I think that his best days were behind him and I do think that Hedo Turkoglu was a better fit for the team.

The only team that I believe got it right was Boston. Having acquired veteran All-Star Rasheed Wallace, I think he blends in perfectly with the Celtics, and I’m not surprised to see that they’ve won their first six games.

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Panic for Pittsburgh Steelers Fans

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10:28 am 10:28 am

In Super Bowl XLIII, the Pittsburgh Steelers became the first team in the Super Bowl era to win 6 championships, quite a remarkable feat. In 2009, the Steelers are looking to add to the franchise’s trophy case with a 7th Lombardi Trophy, but this might prove more difficult then ever for a repeat championship.

The Steelers are not showing their championship form when they overcame the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII – in one of the greatest endings for a Super Bowl, ever. Teams that typically win or just make the Super Bowl the previous year, they often experience a letdown. Football is the hardest team sport to repeat as champion in.

For this reason, many football fans pegged the Pittsburgh Steelers as the team to beat in 2009, making them the odds-on favorites to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

During a nice week 1 victory at home, the Steelers edged by the Tennessee Titans, one of the AFC’s best in 2008. This was a defensive game, and in typical Steelers fashion, the team essentially out-defended the Titans, starting off the season on a great note with a 1-0 start.

During this game, veteran and Pro Bowl defender Troy Polamalu went down with an injury that will leave him sidelined for an estimated 3-6 weeks. This is a blow to the Steelers, and perhaps more of a blow than anyone was anticipating.

The team lost its week 2 game to a Bears team that looked like a mess in week 1 at Green Bay. Not only did the Steelers lose this game, but the defense didn’t record a single sack, interception, or fumble recovery. I don’t know the last time this has happened, but I’m sure it’s been a long time.

Does the absence of Troy Polamalu hurt the team this much? We’ll have to wait and see. Anytime a pro bowl player is missing, it’s usually a major blow.

If the Steelers offense can maintain some consistency – letting the defense make plays and create turnovers, the Steelers will be back in the driver’s seat in the AFC North.

Look no further for the best Steelers forum at RootZoo Sports. Make sure to play their sports futures and see where you stand compared to the rest of the competition.

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