Fourth Best Comeback Story of the 08/09 NBA Season: Boris Diaw and Ben Gordon Putting their Money Where Their Mouths Are

Last week showcased two players that were thought of as finished. This week will feature two more players who also had to beat the odds and shut their detractors up. However, these two players are not coming back from career threatening injuries, but were actually trying to break out stigmas and stereotypes put upon them by the media. One had been considered overrated and overpaid while the other had been considered as just plain overrated. They are Boris Diaw of the Charlotte Bobcats and Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls and together they make the fourth best comeback story of the 2008/2009 NBA Seasaon.

When Boris Diaw came into the league, not much was known about him. He played for the French Junior National team and helped them win the European title in 2000. Many scouts and observers lauded his versatility, his basketball IQ, his unselfishness and willingness to play defence. When he was picked by the Atlanta Hawks late in the first round, he was seen as a curiosity—a project of sorts. No one expected him to be more than that.

Ben Gordon was a completely different story. He garnered national attention while playing for the University of Connecticut where he helped the Huskies win a National Title in 2004. When he was picked third in the 2004 NBA Draft right behind his Husky Teammate, Emeka Okafor, some had their doubts. At only 6 ft 3in, he was considered by many as too short to play shooting guard in the NBA and would not be able to guard the bigger guards in the league.

Both of these players would shock and surprise their sceptics. After two very nondescript years with the Hawks, Diaw was packaged in a sign and trade deal in the 2005/06 season that sent him to the Phoenix Suns for Joe Johnson. It was there he joined Coach Mike DAntoni and exploded boosting his stats and helping Phoenix rebound from one of their worst showings last year. He subbed in for injured star Amare Stoudamire at center and proved to be a mismatch for quite a few opponents. He earned the Most Improved Player Award and was also rewarded by the Suns as they signed him to a 5 year 50$ million extension. The organization and its fans thought they had a future star on their hands.

Ben Gordon would also shock his doubters and he had a splendid rookie season, posting about 15ppg coming off the bench. He won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2005 and earned a reputation as one of the best clutch players in the league. However, the critics still dogged him about his game saying he was not starter materiel, about his shoot first mentality and his lack of a passing game among others. Even though he had led the Bulls in scoring for two years straight, critics still claimed that Gordon was not worthy of big money or a long term extension from the Bulls.

Boris Diaw received just as much criticism, but unlike being viewed as overrated as Ben Gordon was, he was viewed as a disappointment. After his breakout year with the Suns, Diaw’s production dropped as his minutes as shot opportunities dropped as well. That was primarily because Amare was back to health and he was pushed to the bench in favour of veteran Grant Hill. Although he did produce decent numbesr being one of the few NBA players to average at least 5 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists a game, he was basically relegated to role player status and a quite expensive one at that considered he would be make at least 10$ million for the next five years.

In Chicago, Gordon was still trying to bust out of the stigma that he was nothing but a role player and deserving of respect, but he was still relegated to sixth man duty as he was considered to shaky to be a starter. It would get even worse as last season he got hurt in the most important year in his career—the year the Bulls would decide whether to offer him a long term extension or not. It did not help either that Chicago missed the playoffs last year too. To add insult to injury he would be virtually ignored in the offseason and Chicago made him all but expendable by drafting Derrick Rose with the first pick of last year’s draft.

Things certainly looked bad for these guys. Boris would later be sent to Charlotte along with Raja Bell for shooting guard Jason Richardson. Gordon would have to face finding playing time in an already crowded Chicago backcourt consisting of not only rookie sensation Derrick Rose, but also Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes, and Thabo Sefolosha in a contract year of all years. Both faced tremendous odds; however, as some say, “adversity usually brings the best out of people,” and Ben Gordon and Boris Diaw did not disappoint one bit.

This would be the breakout season for both players as they would surpass expectations and acquire the respect that so much eluded them. Diaw made a fresh start for the Charlotte Bobcats posting career numbers in scoring with 15.1ppg, his best year since he won most improved player in Phoenix three years earlier. He also gave the Bobcats and their new coach, Larry Brown, what they really needed with his high basketball IQ, and ability to run an offense thanks to his versatility. Thanks to him, Charlotte nearly made the playoffs for the first time unfortunately losing it to the Detroit Pistons in the end. With his performance, he will certainly be a fixture in Charlotte’s future plans.

The tables would turn for Ben Gordon as well as new coach Vinny Del Negro would give him the chance to start. Gordon bounced back from a lack lustre season plagued with injuries an lead Chicago again in scoring. He also actually proved to be an excellent complement to up and coming star Derrick Rose as they would team up to be one of the best backcourts in the league. Gordon also proved his critics wrong by helping his team return to the playoffs and helping the Bulls tie the series 2-2 against the heavily favoured Boston Celtics. Gordon truly showed how he should not be underestimated.

Both Gordon and Diaw should tremendous grit to fight for respect and they certainly achieved that. Diaw proved the Suns made an error by trading him and Gordon proved that he can be the big money franchise player that many had their doubts. That is why their performances were ranked fourth among the best comeback stories of the NBA 2009 Season. Stay tuned as next week will be number three. What will it be? You’ll have to see to find out.

Looking Back at the Five Best Comeback Stories of the 08/09 NBA Season. Number Five: The Returns and Redemption of Darius Miles and Nene

The 2008/2009 NBA season can be considered the year of the comeback. Careers that were thought to be over had been given a new breath of life. Those whose reputations were sullied or ruined found redemption and salvation in the eye of hoops fans and the media. And they were those who have received constant criticism throughout their careers proving their detractors wrong.

This season sure had it share of feel good stories. What better way to commemorate such events than to acknowledge the best comeback stories of the year. These five stories will certainly open the hearts of the most cynical person. Let’s start with number five: two players whose careers were thought to be over defying the odds and returning to the court.

Both of these players were considered as busts and embarrassments. They were basically written off by their teams, fans, and league observers. As a result of their numerous ailments, no one ever believed that would be any good, let alone play again. However, they showed grit and proved the hecklers and cynics wrong. Their names are Darius Miles of the Memphis Grizzlies and Nene of the Denver Nuggets.

Miles and Nene are very similar in both respects. They both were teenagers barely out of high school when they got drafted in the NBA and had lofty expectations put on them from the beginning. Miles was picked third in the 2000 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers and was being groomed as their star of the future. Nene was only nineteen years old, but had already had international and professional basketball experience playing in the Brazilian League and for the Brazilian National Team. He was picked seventh by the New York Knicks in 2002, and then was shipped off to Denver Nuggets along with Marcus Camby and Mark Jackson for Antonio Mc Dyess.

Both players showed plenty of promise early in their careers. The Knicks were shown to be fools trading Nene on draft day. He had a splendid rookie season posting 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game while their much touted pickup Antonio McDyess spent the year on the injured list and never regained his All Star form. Miles’ start was also quite exceptional especially considering that he was playing other much touted players such as Lamar Odom, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, and Quentin Richardson. While playing behind those four guys, he posted around 10 points and six boards a game, and he was not even twenty. The future looked bright for these two young up and comers.

Things however, would take a sour note as both players never really progressed from their rookie seasons. The Clippers tired of Miles’ apparent lack of progress, shipped him off the Cleveland Cavaliers where he proved to be an even bigger disappointment. Not only did his scoring production not improve but, his shooting percentage took a nose dive as well. He was then shipped to the Portland Trailblazers where he did show some promise, enough for Portland to sign him to a long term extension. That would prove a fatal mistake as Miles spent his Blazer career not only hampered by injuries, but also by bad press.

Nene did not fare any better as he also showed little progress from his rookie year and was bumped to the bench when the Nuggets picked up Kenyon Martin via a sign and trade deal with the New Jersey Nets. And even though he battled through injuries, only playing 1 game in his contract year, the Nuggets made the questionable move of signing Nene to a five year fifty million dollar extension. Since signing that extension, Nene played only 80 games in two seasons being plagued with numerous ailments, including a bout with testicular cancer. He was slowly becoming considered as one of the biggest and most expensive busts in NBA history.

With so much turmoil and adversity, it is amazing how these players found the courage and the determination and battle back the way they did. But they did and proved any doubters and sceptics wrong. From being labelled a bust, a knucklehead and an overall embarrassment, Darius Miles has become the feel good story of the NBA, battling tremendous odds just to play again. Darius had a much tougher road for not only did he have to battle his injuries, but he fighting against a concerted effort by his former team the Portland Trailblazers who were mounting a trash campaign to make sure that he was not signed. However, he overcame that as the Memphis Grizzlies took a chance on him and he paid them back by having a decent season scoring 4 points a game in limited minutes while shooting .500 from the field.

When Denver traded defensive stalwart Marcus Camby for nothing but a second round draft pick, most saw the Nuggets as sunk. The Nuggets lost their best rebounder and shot-blocker and all they had to replace him was this gimpy Brazilian who had shown nothing much in the first place. Boy, were we ever wrong as that was not the case. Nene not only came back from his injuries but has had the best year in his career producing career highs in points, rebounds and blocked shots. He not only redeemed himself, but also the Nuggets management who many saw signing him while he was injured as unwise. However, it is a sure bet that team management wished that Nene was like that two years ago when they originally signed him.

So that concludes the first of a five part series of the most memorable and feel good stories of the 2009 NBA Season, stay tuned for what will be number 4 on the best comeback stories of the 2008/2009 season.

Looking Back on the Season that Was and What’s Coming Up on JT’s Hoops Blog

The NBA regular season is over. All of the playoff seedings have been set and all there is left is the playoffs where the Lakers, the Celtics, or the Cavs will take what is rightfully theirs—the NBA Championship.

Looking back at the past 82 games, there have been some pleasant surprises that made great feel good stories. There was the return of New York Knicks into basketball relevancy, Larry Brown redeeming himself after his disgraceful exit from the game, and my favorite, the career comeback of once maligned player Darius Miles. The 2009 Season can be certainly called “the year of the comeback.”

As there were the feel good stories, there were also the unpleasant ones as well—the grave disappointments, the disasters and the debacles that made the season worth watching as well. Some notables are the Elton Brand debacle of the Philadelphia 76ers, the Washington Wizards crashing and burning, the fading away of the once powerful Phoenix Suns, and the fall NBA superstar Tracy McGrady. These instances certainly left their mark on the season, especially on the faces of their dejected fans.

With all that has happened in the season, JT’s Hoops Blog plans to take a walk through memory lane with a series of articles that highlight the best and worst of the 2009 NBA Season. They will start of first with the “booms” –the stories and performances that were most impressive and the best feel good stories of the years. After that will come the “busts,” the stories and performances that were the most disgraceful and disappointing.

Look for them in the next coming weeks. I know that it has been a while since my last posting and I assure you that they will not disappoint. It’s the NBA as seen by jtshoopsblog—prepared to be astounded and amazed.

New NBA Power Rankings Are Up

This week's NBA Power Ranking have just been posted on http://www.totalprosports.com/. In this edition, the Phoenix Suns have dropped 11 straight spots to the bottom of the heap thanks to their five game losing streak tanking any chance of them getting to the playoffs. The Jazz, thanks to their hot streak have climed up three spots as well and look to sneak in the top five.

Click this link and see where your favorite team lies in my NBA Power Rankings.

http://www.totalprosports.com/blog/index.php/2009/03/nba-power-rankings-week-15/

The Phoenix Suns: The Sad Sight of A Star Slowly Fading Away

This must be the most depressing time for fans of the Phoenix Suns. Their team has a winning record and is in second place in their division. However, even with its success, it is four games behind the leading Dallas Mavericks for the last playoff berth and it continues to lose ground. What’s even worse is that it is a sign of things to come for this once dominant franchise.

Like a star that collapses and ends up as a black hole, the Suns have slowly starting to slide into the abyss. No matter how hard the team plays and how hard it may try, the Suns cannot stop the inevitable. Watching them play is gut wrenching and painful, even for those are not Suns fans. It’s like watching a fish dying in its bowl struggling to gasp for air until it ultimately stops.

For Suns fans, watching their team must feel like watching a loved one slowly deteriorate by illness day by day. Each day is more painful than the next as the time draws nearer to the loved one’s eventual demise. It’s just a matter of time, but the suffering just continues to drag on and it becomes painful just to look at. Phoenix fans must be praying for someone to pull the plug and end the misery once and for all.

It’s probably even worse for the Suns fans than those of other under-achieving, poorly performing or disappointing teams such as the Washington Wizards, the Toronto Raptors, the Philly 76ers, the Los Angeles Clippers, or the Golden State Warriors. In the case of Washington, Toronto and Philly, it was almost a shock such as a sudden injury or an accident. Fans will moan and curse the heavens for their teams’ poor stature, but then they get used to it, accept it and wait for next year. The same goes for the Clips and the Warriors, but their fans have gotten used top it longer and practically expect it.

No one expects the Suns to collapse. Oh they may have an off year or two, but those would be considered as aberrations, not a general trend. This case is different as the Suns try as they might, are wasting away before spectators eyes. They will come out most likely with a winning record come seasons end, but what is a winning record with nothing to show for it? That’s even more disappointing and depressing than rooting for a team that is a perennial loser.

Come season’s end, it will be a whole new Suns team. Seeing the futility of this season, team execs will make cost cutting decisions that will be even more painful for fans. Familiar faces will go and be replaced with enormous gaps in the roster that may be next to impossible to refill. Suns fans will have to look forward to an extremely painful rebuilding period and the ensuing loses that come with it.

However, cheer up and keep your chins up, Suns fans. As they say, “out of the ashes the phoenix will rise again.” And it’s not that bad rooting for a loser. You cherish more the games you win and look at your team in a more positive light—kind of like rooting for the underdogs. Oh, whom am I kidding? Expect pain and even more pain as you watch your team slowly fade into irrelevancy. That is a cruel thing to say, but who cares? I am not a Suns fan anyways.