How much they make

These players make millions of dollars but you also have to understand how hard it was for them to get to where they are now. They did not get there by simply trying hard, they sacrificed their lives and they gave everything that they had to be able to paid this much money. Though some people believe that they get paid too much, this might actually bring up the question that they do not make enough. What do you think? Do you think NBA players should be paid this much?

Are NBA players making too much?

I am a believer of hard work and skill should be paid and that these players are definitely both. Players like Monta Ellis were not born with amazing height yet he is still able to be one of the best players in the league. He is paid millions of dollars a year and he definitely is able to live a nice life. But the fact that these players have to work all day everyday on their skills so that they will be able to perform at the highest level is what amazes me. Millions of people play the sport of basketball but it seems like not every one can do what these players can.

Should NBA players make less?

Why is that people think an NBA player should get paid less? Compared to a football player, an NBA player plays more games and puts their body through more stress. Compared to baseball players, I believe that NBA players work harder then them as there are less NBA players in the league compared to both players.

The only other sport that I believe deserves just as much money is Golf because they are definitely talented and skilled and they have to work extremely hard to become one of the 160 players on the tour. That is almost half of the NBA players and they make so much less compared to an NBA player. One of the top golfers will make about a middle level NBA player and a top level NBA player will make about as much as the whole tour put together. If you compare NBA players to golfers, I believe there can be a more even median between the two. What do you think about sports and how much the players get paid? I believe that all athletes deserve what they get paid to do.

Jerryd Bayless is a guy who could turn into a star in the NBA. He is finally getting more minutes than what he was getting with the Portland Trail Blazers. Bayless is simply s till inconsistent when he gets time out on the floor as he tends to run a lot of plays, causing him to turn the ball over quite a bit.

The Raptors also have some great hustle guys like Sonny Weems and Reggie Evans. Evans

and Weems are great role players, but they aren’t the kind of guys that are going to lead you to a ton of victories. DeMar DeRozan is a guy who can definitely excite people with some of his athletic plays, but many people have not heard of him because he plays in Toronto. Some people have even forgotten that Leandro Barbosa is even in the NBA, but the truth of the matter is that he is a favorite of Brian Colangelo, the current Raptors General Manager.

The fact that you can forget or not even notice some great players like Linas Kleiza is proof that the Toronto Raptors may be up for contraction after the new collective bargaining agreement is signed. Julian Wright out of Kansas is another player who could turn into something and get some major press if he did not play in Toronto. The starting point for me and the Raptors rebuilding process would be the need for a new head coach.

After an additional embarrassing loss , the Hawks are trying to rebound back versus the Bobcats again as they attempt for an 8th straight home court win within the series Saturday evening .

Playing not having All Star Al Horford for the 2nd straight matchup , the Hawks ( 33 – 19 ) endured their 2nd biggest loss of the year having a 117 – 83 defeat to the 76ers on Tuesday evening .

Horford participated in practice Friday for the 1st occasion since injuring his back before making the game winning from the stripe with 0 .6 seconds left during a 101 – 100 victory February 4th against the Clippers , however his standing for Saturday is not clear .

Horford , who is putting in 16 .2 points & a team-high 9 .9 boards , additionally skipped 2 matchups the previous month having a sprained right ankle . The 1st had been a 100 – 59 home court defeat to the Hornets on January 21st , when the Hawks put in their least amount of points since moving to Atlanta in 1968 .

Fellow All Star Joe Johnson , although , brought it with 32 points the following evening to direct the Hawks to a 103 – 87 victory in Charlotte .

Johnson was kept to a low for the year – tying 6 points Tuesday versus the Philly , however he is putting in 26 .6 points during his previous ten home court matchups with the Bobcats .

The Bobcats ( 22 – 31 ) are returning from a 94 – 89 defeat Friday evening against the Nets as PG D .J . Augustin’s current problems carried on .

Augustin , putting in 14 .5 points per game , had been kept to 4 for the 2nd occasion in 5 games , during which he is throwing up 30 .9 % from the floor .

Stephen Jackson , who is putting in 30 .0 points , 11 .0 more than his season mark , during his previous 3 games away from home , put in 21 on Friday however was not happy with his club’s performance as the Nets broke a twelve game away from home losing stretch .

While Augustin has posted 42 points in 2 defeats against the Hawks this year , Jackson has put in only 9 .5 on 21 .4 % from the floor .

The Bobcats , losers of 6 of 8 , have dropped 2 matchups behind the Pacers for 8th spot within the East .

Charlotte previous beat the Hawks away from home 96 – 75 on January . 19 , 2007 , thanks in part to Wallace’s eighteen points & fifteen boards .

An initial look at the injury seems that butler has at least a partial tear of the patellar tendon and a closer look will be needed before they can determine how long he will be out. But it will definitely be a couple of months minimum if not the whole season. He endured the knee injury in a match up Saturday against the Bucks.

Dallas now plays host to the Portland Trail blazers who are coming to town tonight and the Mavericks will also not have Dirk Nowitzki as well as Coran. Dirk has been out now for five games and Coach Carlisle did not want to comment on Caron’s status. Is

Completely in hospital gear, cap and gown, Caron posted a picture of himself on the Internet the via twitter.

Butler had definitely been playing well and had moved into the number two spot for scoring a hind Nowitzki in front of Jason terry by averaging 15 points a game. He definitely stepped up his game within the previous seven match ups were his numbers went off to 20 points a game and was doing quite well from beyond the arc.

This is a hard knock for Dallas considering Nowitzki is already out and it’s such a long-term injury. Veteran Shawn Marion will be stepping up in his place and will be attempting to pick up the slack which Marion is quite capable of. The hope is he can return before the playoffs begin. This is something that Dallas can definitely weather but hurts the death of their roster come playoff time.

Orlando (5-3) might be pleased to be away from home following losing 2 consecutive at the Amway Center, including Friday’s 110-106 defeat to lowly Toronto. Orlando permitted each competitor to go for 50.0 % in the straight defeats. Orlando made its way to a 105-90 victory over the Nets (3-5) on November. 5th while Howard got 30 points & 16 boards. Lopez bricked his initial thirteen shots, & completed with ten points & 5 boards prior to emerging from the locker room having a slight bruise below his right eye.

Both players happen to be weighed in at 265 lbs, however that was not apparent as Howard forced Lopez all-around as Orlando beat New jersey for the 4th consecutive time & 8th in 9 matchups.

Lopez is battling a challenging stretch in which he’s putting in 11.8 points on 28.8 % shooting & 5.6 boards over his previous 5 matchups. The 3rd year center had 4 points & 6 boards in Wednesday’s 95-87 victory at Cleveland.

Howard got 25 points & 8 rebounds Friday. He is putting in 21.4 points & 13.1 boards in 8 head to head matchups with Lopez, who’s put up 11.9 points & 6.5 boards in these matches.

Nets forward Troy Murphy skipped Wednesday’s match having a foot injury & is a game time determination. 2nd year swingman Terrence Williams will probably skip a 3rd consecutive game having an abdominal strain.

Kris Humphries replaced Murphy on Wednesday for his 1st start. Humphries got thirteen points & equaled a career best having eighteen boards as New jersey finished a 5 game losing skid.

New jersey has dropped 3 consecutive at home following starting 2-0 on their own floor.

Orlando is finishing its 3rd pair of back to back games, going 1-1 in the 2nd halves in the first 2.

The Cavaliers won their opener against the Boston Celtics but have looked bad since then. They were dominant at home the past two seasons with Lebron, but are already 1-2 in their arena this season. The Cavaliers also are dealing with an injury to Antawn Jamison, who may be their bets player. JJ Hickson has picked up the scoring slack, leading Cleveland with over 18 points per game. Anderson Varejao leads the team in rebounding, but he doesn’t get much help and isn’t big enough to crash the boards on his own. Mo Williams is off to a mediocre start. Cleveland has talent, but they don’t have a star to lead this team. Byron Scott is a good coach who may make this team compete, but it will take time.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia has problems of its own. New coach Doug Collins is trying to figure out a line-up with players who haven’t matured as many would have thought. Lou Williams is the surprise scoring leader with over 19 points per game, but that was helped by a strong showing in a loss to Washington. Andre Iguodala is having a decent season, but he can’t be the go to guy on this team. The young back court led by Jrue Holiday and rookie Evan Turner has struggled. They are good, but it will take time to develop. And free agent bust Elton Brand is healthy but hasn’t offered the team the output they need. Center Spencer Hawes has also struggled.

These are two teams that are in transition. Scott and Collins can coach, and this game will be a chance for both to tweak their rotations and see what works for them. Neither team is likely to make noise in the Eastern Conference, but this game is important to both so that the young players can start building some confidence. Playing at home, the 76ers need to take advantages of games like this. For Cleveland, it is a chance to pull out a road win. Neither team wants to finish the season at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, so expect them to play hard in this one.

Kobe Bryant put up 18 points in 24 minutes to lead the two time defending champions. Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol each scored in double figures for the Lakers while putting in significant minutes as starters. Ron Artest only managed 9 points did have two blocks, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. Devin Ebanks scored 14 points to lead the Lakers bench. Shannon Brown and Matt Barnes also contributed key points off the bench. The Lakers had several players out, including Andrew Bynum and Sasha Vujacic.

The Denver Nuggets were especially depleted in the game. Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Chris Birdman Anderson, and Al Harrington did not play in the game. Only 9 players contributed minutes for the Nuggets. Arron Affalo had 20 points in 30 minutes. Nene had 13 points and JR Smith added 12 out of the starting lineup. Renaldo Balkman and Ty Lawson each played over 30 minutes off the bench and each scored in double figures. As a team, Denver had 20 turnovers and no blocks. That helped make the difference in the final score.

The Denver Nuggets had a turbulent offseason. The situation involving the future of star player Carmelo Anthony stole all of the headlines in the summer. It remains to be seen if Denver will trade Anthony during the season or not. After reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2009, Denver regressed and lost in the first round in 2010. The health of Coach George Karl is also a big question mark. Denver was often undisciplined and failed to close out games. That is something that needs to change if Denver is going to return to elite status. Meanwhile, the Lakers are seeking another threepeat as NBA champions. With Bryant, Artest, and Gasol, the Lakers have a big three to rival any in the league. They are deep and well coached with Phil Jackson returning another season. The Lakers are the favorites to win the NBA title once again. The health of Bynum has been a question mark in recent seasons and his knee issues aren’t going away. Even without Bynum, the Lakers are still the most formidable team in the league.

One of the few point guards that could have stopped John Wall Thursday night left to take his talents to South Beach.

Playing their second game in the post-LeBron James era, Cleveland found themselves against a team that was just like them. John Wall is to Washington now what LeBron James was to Cleveland when they drafted him first in the 2003 Draft. Wall is the future of Washington, a number one draft pick with the weight of an entire city on his shoulders, and after a rough start in Thursday’s game, he showed why the Wizards are talking playoffs. Wall struggled in the first three quarters before connecting on his next five shots, an array of jumpers and drives to the hoop. His scoring will improve with each game and with experience, but the most impressive statistic Wall put up besides scoring was his nine assists. With the majority of Wall’s baskets coming from easy layups off the fastbreak, Washington is showing themselves as a new and improved team that likes to run. As facilitator and playmaker both, John Wall has shown himself in his NBA debut to be a point guard to be reckoned with for years to come. The Wizards are happy to be taken along for the ride.

Under a new coach and with many new players, Cleveland is using the preseason not as a way to test themselves against other teams, but to test themselves for how well they can play without their former superstar. Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison are nursing injuries and Zydrunas Ilgauskas followed his teammate to Miami. Only two of Cleveland’s five starters scored in double digits. There wasn’t a player on the roster that shot the ball consistently, what is sure to be an area of concern as Cleveland moves forward. Hickson had the most free throws and the most overall points of the night, but the others seemed sluggish and unsure. To move forward, they’ll have to get better and play together.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the rest of the preason to figure out a way to win without LeBron James. They have no choice.

They’ll be the first ones to tell you they wish they did.

It was his first game with the Utah Jazz and his first three point attempt of his NBA career. Only just signed to a ten-day contract and with his team trailing by two, Gaines threw up a prayer. The buzzer sounded. The Utah Jazz had just beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers by one by a buzzer-beater three-pointer taken by a player in the D-League who had only played in four previous NBA games. Sundiata Gaines did all he could do get better over the summer, scoring all eight of his points in the latter half of the fourth quarter to help his team to a win over the Portland TrailBlazers in their pre-season opener.

Paul Millsap scored fourteen points for Utah on six-for-ten shooting, Devon Williams led the team with fifteen, and the Jazz had a sizeable lead at the end of the opening quarter. Led by Dante Cunningham and Wesley Matthews, Portland scored forty points in the second quarter to go into halftime only down by three. They also went into halftime down another player. Center Jeff Pendergraph injured his right knee in the second quarter and had to be helped off the floor. Already without Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla due to knee injuries, Portland coach Nate McMillan can only hope Pendergraph’s injury isn’t as serious as it appears.

If any coach in the league knows how to react to injury news, it’s Nate McMillan. His TrailBlazers were the most injury-prone team in the league last year, with at least eight different players being out for various lengths of time during the season. Greg Oden has yet to play a full season since he was drafted, and there is no clear timetable for his return. Brandon Roy was hampered towards the end of last season by a nagging ankle injury.

This was Utah’s first game of the pre-season and first win, and as they prepare to become strong after losing three of their players to Chicago via free agency, their players must provide Devon Williams with the help he needs. In a Western Conference crowded with talent, both Utah and Portland are aware that depth is the key to longevity in the playoffs.

If his past is any indication, Sundiata Gaines is more than willing to take the shot.

 The biggest departure that the Celtics will have to overcome is that of Rasheed Wallace, who retired. Wallace provided some valuable defensive toughness that they hope they have replaced with the O’Neals. The biggest concern for the Celtics will be staying healthy, especially with such a veteran roster. Also important will be the continuing progress of PG Rajon Rondo, who broke through last season with career highs in points and assists and made his first All-Star game. The Celtics also face a tougher and retooled Eastern Conference, with the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat all having made additions that will make them tougher foes.