WWE SummerSlam 2012 Reaction

While SummerSlam was billed as "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it wasn't really hyped as much as it should've been. But it still delivered on some levels. It wasn't mind blowing amazing, but it was a solid pay-per-view with great wrestling throughout.

SummerSlam Pre-Show: 

United States Championship Match

Santino (c) vs Antonio Cesaro

For the hardcore wrestling fans, this match is Santino vs Claudio Castagnoli. But anyway, let's get to the match. I personally haven't seen Cesaro wrestle, so this was a real treat. The guy is extremely talented, got the body type, looks like he doesn't botch, and is a great mix of a brawler and grappler type wrestler. The match was pretty solid, with a funny spot for the kids where Santino pulls out a spare cobra from his ass after the first was torn earlier on in the match. But let's get to the important part...

There is a NEW United States Champion. Let me repeat, a NEW United States Champion! FINALLY! Santino was doing absolutely nothing with that Championship and certainly devalued the belt in the process. I certainly hope that they book Cesaro to do something with the belt and not just drop it to Santino at the next ppv, or at worst, tomorrow night on RAW. Keep the belt on this guy for a while and let's see what he can do.


 

After a meh intro and a good pyro display, we get introduced by Cole and Lawler. Before they can finish, we get interrupted by a very loud EXCUSE ME! I guess we know what match is gonna kick this show off and I don't have a problem with it one bit.

Chris Jericho vs Dolph Ziggler (w/ Vickie Guerrero)

This match was great. I mean, it was a really well done match. It started pretty basic with Jericho getting in early offense and Ziggler dominating for a good portion of the match, but once it got going, it got really good. It was so fast pace with great back and forth action. Match ends with Jericho forcing Ziggler tapout to the Walls of Jericho. Amazing match to kick off the show.

My only problem was that the whole theme Cole and Lawler were building throughout the match, and even when the match ended, was that Jericho couldn't win "The Big One." I understand that he hasn't won a ppv match since his return but, how is beating Dolph Ziggler winning "The Big One?" They act like Jericho just won the WWE Championship. No, he just beat Dolph Ziggler. Winning "The Big One" would be winning the WWE Championship, not beating an upper mid-carder at SummerSlam. C'mon now...

I don't think Ziggler loses anything from this loss, but Jericho leaves on a positive note.

Kane vs Daniel Bryan

A pretty ok match for the time it was given. This match proved that Kane can still get it done in the ring and Daniel Bryan is the best wrestler in the WWE right now. It was your average big man vs little man match with Kane bringing the power and Bryan to quicken the pace and wear him down. I thought it was a solid match. Didn't bore me one bit. I was a little shocked to see Daniel Bryan get the win here. The man is on fire, and I pondered how they were going to book this to have Bryan win and wins with a rollup after avoiding the tombstone piledriver. Solid match. After the match, Kane tore apart the locker room looking for Bryan. I see this angle is going to continue. They didn't this feud any life, or any story. Wonder where they go from here.

Intercontinental Championship Match
The Miz (c) vs Rey Mysterio

Here's where the string of good matches stop. Ok, let me not be that mean. It was a good match, but after the last two matches, this one falls just short. And it's a title match! Nothing really stuck out to me about this match. The close calls at the end saved it a little bit, but the match seemed a little too slow and stagnant for my taste. Miz wins via Skull Crushing Finale.

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sheamus (c) vs Alberto Del Rio

I've been so tired of Sheamus' run as World Champion. It's not necessarily his fault, but rather the lack of top stars for him to face. And Del Rio is dull as dishwater. They've given Del Rio multiple times to get over, but he still can't get it done. That's my gripe with these two and this feud has been so boring, so poorly built, that I really didn't care that much about this match. Both men are great wrestlers, don't get me wrong, but they have ZERO chemistry with each other. This match was one of their better ones, but the meh storyline kind of takes away from it.

Then there's the lackluster finish. Sheamus hits Del Rio with a shoe, then hits the Irish Curse Backbreaker, and covers him. Del Rio puts his foot on the ropes, but the ref doesn't see it and counts to three. Sheamus knocks the foot off after the ropes. There seems to be some confusion as the Sheamus' music didn't play right away making the finish look that much more bad. Sheamus wins, but this ending tells us to that this feud is not over............great.




 

WWE Tag Team Championship MatchKofi & Truth (c) vs Primetime Players

Not a lot to say about this match. That's too bad because I like the Primetime Players. They're a simple, basic heel tag team. The match didn't really do anything for me. It seemed like just another filler match with no story attached, no matter how hard they try. But Kofi & Truth win a short, but good tag team match. This begs the question, now what? There's really no other teams left for Kofi & Truth to face and they really haven't done much with the tag titles. And since the kids love them, they won't drop the belts any time soon. I mean, as much as I like the Primetime Players, I don't feel like seeing these two teams going at it for the umpteenth time. Let's move on, shall we?

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship
CM Punk (c) vs John Cena vs Big Show

One word for this match: Weird.

I did like this match, but there were a few things I didn't like. First of all, their main selling point during this match was making the Big Show look dominant and they got the job done to perfection. I thought I was watching a handicap match. It was all about which man can get the Big Show down for the count first. Big Show was dominant throughout the match. I have to admit, I don't think I've ever seen a triple threat match go down like that. It Show vs Punk, then Show vs Cena, and so on, and so on. They were trying to get Show down, but the Big Man was dominant. That was very well booked on their part.

Here's my problem with this match: CM Punk and John Cena had two....TWO interactions with each other throughout the match. Once when Punk interrupted the five knuckle shuffle and another at the end. There was no trash talking and no wrestling between both men whatsoever. I mean, there was never even a staredown between these two. Really? It's Summerslam. Are they trying to save these two fighting for the next ppv? We've seen them wrestle before. It's not groundbreaking if these two face off.

It wasn't your average triple threat match, but it was still good. It didn't live up to the hype, but it still delivered. The cool spot at the end was interesting when Punk and Cena both had submissions on Big Show and he tapped. AJ came out and restarted the match. I thought Big Show had the match won after that double chokeslam, but I knew better. Cena hits the AA, Punk throws him out of the ring and pins Big Show for the win.

This match tells me two things:

1) I don't expect Big Show to win the WWE Championship one last time before he retires.

2) I expect that they're going to have Punk face Cena at Night of Champions seeing as how they had almost no interaction with each other throughout the match.

Match was good, Punk retains and I'm happy with that.

SummerSlam Concert:

Mr. One-hit-wonder Kevin Rudolf and his band performed the SummerSlam theme song, "Be A Star" with the Divas dancing in the background. I'm gonna be blunt. This thing sucked. Who really cares about Rudolf since "Let it Rock" anyway? I didn't even watch it. I switched away when he was being announced. They scrapped Damien Sandow for this? THIS? The next great heel in the WWE was scrapped for a Kevin Rudolf Concert. Good to know where WWE stands with its future stars. I feel like these concerts are going to be a yearly thing now at SummerSlam. Great.

Triple H vs Brock Lesnar

This match was really interesting. Unlike the Lesnar/Cena bout, HHH wasn't a bloody mess that got zero offense on Brock the entire match. The match started with Triple H actually getting the best of Lesnar. Lesnar takes his gloves off and it's on. Lesnar gets serious and starts his dominance of this match with a takedown and stiff shot to the neck. For a while, it's all Lesnar, but Triple H comes back and starts getting some more offense in on Brock. Another thing different from Brock/Cena is that there was less ground and pound. Brock didn't throw as many punches or implement UFC style holds and tactics like he did against Cena. My guess is HHH didn't feel like taking all those fist and knee shots. He wanted to work clean and be safe. Lesnar does work more stiff now since he's been in UFC and has the whole "fighter" gimmick. One day, he's gonna hurt someone.

Back to the match, after Triple H hits his second pedigree, Lesnar immediately gets up in locks Triple H in that Komura Lock and The Game has to tap out. I thought the match lagged a lot, but it was still an enjoyable bout. Lesnar gets the win and leaves with Paul Heyman. Triple H stays in the middle of the ring for a while and keeps saying I'm sorry. He leaves the ring, walks up the ramp, and says goodbye. He walks to the back and the show ends.

Does this mean Triple H will be off TV for an extended period of time? Is he done as a wrestler? Has Lesnar gotten his groove back? What happens with Lesnar and Heyman now? I guess RAW will answer all of that. 

Final Thoughts:

The show was solid. Not worthy of a 25th Anniversary version of SummerSlam, but it was ok.

The only title change was on the pre-show, the next great heel in the WWE in Damien Sandow was scrapped for a horrible concert, and pretty much everything after Jericho/Ziggler up until the WWE Championship match was forgettable except for the Kane/Bryan match, which was pretty solid. I feel like if these matches, or even the overall pay-per-view was hyped better than maybe it would've been more enjoyable. I like the wrestling in the show, but everything in between was meh. I feel like I would've been more invested in these matches if they had at least, semi-decent buildup. The only matches that had any sort of good build was the WWE Championship match, Jericho/Ziggler, and HHH/Lesnar.

All that being said, SummerSlam gets a 6/10 for me. And I'm being very generous with that. RAW tomorrow night should be quite the show.

Feel free to Comment.

By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

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WHO RUNS NEW YORK - Passrush vs Secondary

Darrelle Revis

                                                                VS

 

Jason Pierre-Paul






















             


    ( White Plains, New York)   Welcome back football, with training camps opening up and rookies being signed, the beginning of the NFL season is upon us. We have seen many offseason changes from the great Peyton Manning becoming a Denver Bronco to the Detriot Lions doing their best impression of the troublesome Cinncanati Bengals with five players being arrested. We have seen many stories and headlines but you can't speak big names and headlines without mentioning the big apple New York. New York is where the defending Superbowl champions New York Giants reside and also where Tim Tebow calls home as he is now the new back- up quarterback for the New York Jets. When you have the champions and a person many call the prodigal son Tim Tebow in the same city, drama surfaces and debates begin to arrive. 


          One debate that has arrived with the NFL season around the corner is who is the best defensive player in New York?  The two players to face off in this debate are Jason Pierre-Paul and Darrelle Revis. I am here to say it's not even close. The answer is Darrelle Revis and I know everyone wants to be caught up in the love for the New York Giants and they can do no wrong, but the notion that Jason Pierre-Paul is better than Darrelle Revis or, more importantly, better than a shut down corner like Revis is absurd.  




       I've heard many arguements to why Jason Pierre-Paul is more important such as "He disrupts the quarterback or every play", "He's in on every play", "He's a freak of nature", "He forces the quaterback to get rid of the ball fast", "Pass rushers are more important than secondary". I understand the Giants have won two Superbowls because of pass rush, but let's not act like Asante Samuel didn't drop that interception during their first Superbowl, and that Tom Brady wasn't carving up this New York Giants defense and that Wes Welker didn't drop a wide open pass that hit him in the hands this past Superbowl. This pass rush was great, but defense is a team game. In this team game, pass rushers need help from the back end, and we shouldn't be prisoners of the moment. Jason Pierre-Paul is a great player, but he's still young. He had one good season. Who knows if this guy will keep this up, who remembers a young Shawn Merriman? 




           Many people are saying look the Giants won with a pass rush and an average secondary, but that is not the case. Webster and Antre Rolle are very good defensive backs, so its not like they were playing with scrubs in the secondary. The other day the media brought up the Pittsburgh Steelers and how they win with great pass rush also and an average secondary. Excuse me, future Hall of Famer and best strong safety Troy Polumalu is on that roster and Ike taylor has been a consistent pro bowl corner, and let's not forget that Ryan Clark is a good player as well. Perfect example: look at when the Steelers play without Polumalu and when Ike Taylor plays below average and look what happens they lose even with that great pass rush. 
      


So what position is more important?  It has to be lock down corners and secondary play in a passing league. Let's look at the top 5 pass rushers from last season: Jared Allen, DeMarcus Ware, Jason Babin, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Terrell Suggs. Three out of the top five missed it because they had average and below average secondary play. We all love the Giants pass rush but let's not pretend their secondary isn't above average and that you can just have a ok secondary and a good pass rush and win because if that was the case Jared Allen and DeMarcus Ware's teams would have made the playoffs. Don't get me wrong, the secondary needs the pass rush to get to the quarterback, but most times the reason why the defense gets pressure on the quarterback effectively and consistently is because for the secondary help. 


         Darrelle Revis is the best defensive player in New York and more important that JPP and Justin Tuck who shouldn't dare to be mentioned in the same breathe as Revis because he is the best at his position of cornerback in the entire league. Darrelle Revis is more important than a pass rusher because you can always find three to four good pass rushers in one year. There is only four to five lockdown cornerbacks in the league. Darrelle Revis also plays the run great and lines up against the best offensive threat on the field and shuts him down. I've heard people say, well you can just throw away from him but think about how much of a advantage it is for the defense when they have one side of the field  and best offense weapon completely a non factor for a entire game. When you have a player like Darrelle Revis, it gives you more flexability on defense and guys like that will always keep you in the game because they control the offensive pace and looks. Pass rushers need help from the defensive tackle and secondary to make a consistant impact also they don't match up against the best offensive lineman every week. Darrelle Revis goes against the best skill postion player every week.

Winner : Darrell Revis 





















 By  Phillip "Stats" Rodney








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RAW 1000th Episode Reaction

On January 11, 1993, Monday Night RAW debuted in the Manhattan Center. 19 years and 999 episodes later, RAW is still on the air and still kicking. Albeit not like back in the day, but still going strong. Monday night was the 1000th Episode of Monday Night RAW.

RAW kicked off with an AMAZING video highlighting all the great moments and highlights from Monday Night RAW past and present. I was very impressed. They're already off to a great start. The video package almost brought a tear to my eye just thinking back on how far RAW has come showing all the ups and downs in the WWE.

After the video, RAW kicks off with a new logo, new intro, and a somewhat brand new set. Well, the set looks better than the last one that's for sure. The titantron is bigger, but everything else is pretty much the same except for the RAW 1000 logo at the top and side the new giant circular titantrons on the side.

Mr. McMahon came out, thanked the fans and welcomed everybody to Monday Night RAW. He wasted no time and brought out DX!

Triple H and HBK came out with the merchandise and camo pants. HHH started and said, "Wasn't there more of us?" They both point to the RAW set and out come the other members of DX! And then out came The New Age Outlaws and X-Pac! I always knew the Outlaws would be here, but I didn't expect X-Pac!  These fans didn't seem too loud for DX, but I sure as hell marked out seeing all five of these guys together. Hearing Road Dogg and Triple H do their shtick brought me back to the 90s and I was damn sure happy to see it. It's one of those nights where you sit back and enjoy being a fan.

And then Damien Sandow came out to some heel heat and started putting down DX in admirable fashion. They must really love Sandow if they're willing to put him in the opening segment with DX. And DX taking him out was classic. Great segment, great start.

Sheamus, Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs Chris Jericho, Dolph Ziggler, & Alberto Del Rio

Jim Ross came out to a great pop to join Michael Cole and The King on commentary. Jim Ross was always my favorite announcer and it's going to be so refreshing hearing him talk. I also want to hear the chemistry between JR and King again.

RAW started off with a solid six man tag team match. It was weird that Ziggler and Jericho teamed together despite their little misunderstanding last week. But it was a great match throughout that set the tone with great spots and fast paced action. On a side note, it was damn good hearing JR on commentary again. He's just so great to listen to when the action is going on. Sheamus gets the win after dropping Jericho with the Brogue Kick. A solid match and so far RAW 1000 is still off to a good start.

Brodus Clay vs Jack Swagger


Brodus squashes Swagger and then afterwards, Mick Foley, dressed up as Dude Love, comes out and dances with Clay, Naomi, and Cameron.

Couldn't care less at this point about Brodus Clay.

Daniel Bryan/AJ Wedding


This was one of my favorite segments of the night. The only thing that was missing to add a little bit of realism to it was an actual Officiant (person who marries you.) I think Slick was a little bit over the top, but whatever. Bryan says his vows and slips the ring on AJ's finger, they both say yes and we're good to go, right? Wrong. AJ stops and said she was saying yes to somebody else and accepted a proposal from that somebody else.

Mr. McMahon's music hits and he makes his way out and announced that AJ is the new GM of RAW! Whoa! Not only did that take me by surprise, but it took the fans and Daniel Bryan by surprise as they popped and Bryan was left in the ring shocked and confused as AJ skipped around before ultimately leaving the ring. So, not only was Daniel Bryan stood up at the Altar, but AJ is the new GM of RAW.

This move is actually......interesting. It's been a while since we had a female as a General Manager. Go back to Stephanie McMahon in 2003. I don't count Tiffany as WWECW General Manager in 2009. But AJ's psycho gimmick has taken her to new heights in her career and this new GM position is actually a pretty cool move. I can't wait to see how they book AJ as GM. There are so many ways to go with her character. Should be interesting.

The Rock's Return


After Bryan got stood up, he started throwing a temper tantrum and this brings out the WWE Champion CM Punk. Punk pretty much rubs it in his face that he got stood up and said he can continue throwing a fit and Punk is going to continue being the WWE Champion and The Best in the World. Bryan continues and calls himself the greatest superstar of all time! This brings out THE ROCK!

The Rock comes out and tells Bryan that only the people can decide who the greatest of all time is. He turns his attention to CM Punk and says that The Rock has a WWE Championship Match set in stone for the Royal Rumble. Punk tells Rock that not only is going to beat John Cena, but he is going to beat The Rock at the Royal Rumble.

Bryan interrupts the great back and forth with Rock and Punk and gets a Rock Bottom for his trouble.

Good segment. This was the first time we had Rock and Punk face to face. I don't understand why they have to wait until The Royal Rumble for these two to fight for the WWE Championship. Maybe it has to do with Rock's schedule, but do they really feel that The Rumble won't sell enough and they need Rock and Punk for The Rumble? What's wrong with Summerslam? Better yet, what's wrong with a Triple Threat between Rock, Punk, and Cena. Rock can still lose without having to get pinned and keep a bit of momentum.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Christian (c) vs The Miz


This was a pretty solid match. Back and forth action all around. There was nothing really spectacular about the match. It was just a solid wrestling match which crowned a NEW Champion? Let's be honest, when was the last time a title changed hands on RAW? This was a shocker. Miz wins the belt and declares that he is the IC Champion and he is AWESOME. I like this move for The Miz. He's been in mid-card limbo for quite sometime and this is the way to get back to main event status. If WWE books it right, Christian and Miz could have a pretty entertaining feud.

Brock Lesnar accepts Triple H's challenge for Summerslam


Triple H comes out in his DX shirt and now is all business. He calls out Lesnar, but gets Paul Heyman. Heyman says No to Triple H for his match with Lesnar at Summerslam. Triple H calls Heyman some names and Heyman talks about Triple H's family. Stephanie makes her way out and starts beating on Paul Heyman for bringing Family into this situation. Heyman then gets upset and then screams yes that Lesnar accepts the challenge for Summerslam. In the midst of all this, Brock Lesnar's music hits and he comes down to the ring. Triple H and Lesnar brawl for a little while, until The Game gets the upper hand and tosses Lesnar out of the ring. The Game stands tall in the ring as the fans pop and Lesnar is held back by Heyman.

Good segment. But to be honest, I forgot what Triple H and Brock Lesnar are even fighting about. This storyline has been in limbo and not even mentioned as much since Lesnar "broke" Triple H's arm. A refresher is in order because there is no flare to this feud other than it's Triple H vs Brock Lesnar.

Heath Slater vs WWE Legends


Heath Slater's run in with the WWE Legends came to an end with the return of.....Lita. As Hot as Lita was looking, I was a bit disappointed. I was expecting Stone Cold, but nonetheless, Lita looked good, but before the match started, she said she hired some "protection" and out came the APA (Faarooq and Bradshaw.) Slater hightails it up the ramp and is met by all the Legends that beat up on him the last few weeks.

Long story, short the Legends beat up on Slater, Ron Simmons did his "DAMN!" and everybody loved it. Well....I know I loved seeing all these past superstars in the ring. The Nostalgia was just great. I felt like it could've been done a little better, but this was a decent segment.

The Brothers of Destruction Reunite


Kane comes out and gets ready for a match, but the JOB Squad comes out. The JOB Squad led by........Jinder Mahal of all people. Him, Tyler Reks, Curt Hawkins, Hunico, Camacho and Drew McIntyre. They surround the ring and The Undertaker's Gong hits the arena!!! The crowd popped! Undertaker comes out sporting the same gear and haircut from WrestleMania. The Bros. of Destruction cleared house of the Jobbers including dual chokeslams and dual tombstone piledrivers! It was an AMAZING moment here. Granted it seemed meh, but seeing Taker and Kane together one more time was a great moment for me. I'm hoping these two battle it out one more time in the ring for WrestleMania. Great segment.

WWE Championship Match
CM Punk (c) vs John Cena

CM Punk and John Cena was the main event for the WWE Championship, but that isn't even close to the bigger story. I'll get to that in a second. Punk and Cena had a hard fought battle for the WWE Championship. It wasn't as good as their past battles like Money in the Bank and Summerslam from last year, but it was still a solid match. It just lacked a bit of a big match feel. The match was slow paced and it seemed to drag on at times, but still it was a good match.

Big Show comes out while the referee is out and knocks out John Cena. Big Show implores Punk to cover Cena. Punk thinks about it and covers him, but Cena gets up of course. Big Show is pissed, jumps in the ring and attacks Cena causing the DQ. Show is beating on Cena until The Rock comes out and makes the save. He lays Show out and sends him out of the ring. He turns around and Punk drops him with the GTS!

The fans had a bit of a mixed reaction and Punk looks down at The Rock. He takes his WWE Title and walks away as the fans start booing a little more now.

This caught me by surprise. There was word brewing about WWE wanting to do a HUGE Summer Angle and this is only the beginning. A new heel CM Punk is what need right now. Punk has been face for far too long and his face character has vastly changed from what it was last Fall, and not in a good way.




Overall, this was a pretty damn good RAW. A night filled with great nostalgia moments and great entertainment throughout. Sure the whole show wasn't perfect, but it was still a great show.

They set up A LOT of angles in this RAW. AJ as GM, Miz winning the IC Title, The Rock/CM Punk situation and the continuation of John Cena's chase for the WWE Championship because for some reason, Cena can never lose clean so he's obviously going to get another title shot.

I am worried about RAW going 3 hours from here on out. Remember what happened to WCW when they went 3 hours? They never recovered. This Monday, RAW won't have Brock Lesnar, The Rock, DX, and some Marriage Ceremony to eat up a good chunk of their show. They need to keep up this momentum. I feel like they can, but they're probably gonna use all the extra time for ridiculous social media plugging, or whatever instead of building up characters and progressing storylines which is what they should be doing.

WWE has a lot to prove by permanently going 3 hours. Hopefully things get interesting.



Feel free to Comment.



By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

Ichiro to the New York Yankees

The Yankees have reeled in a Big Time Player here after the acquisition 10-Time All-Star Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki today for a pair of pitching prospects.

Apparently, both teams announced the trade Monday. It wasn't very common whether Ichiro was seeking a trade out of Seattle, but according to sources, he had requested to be traded and didn't want to be a part of a Mariners team that was in rebuilding mode. This move marks the end of the Ichiro Era in Seattle. He is MLB's first Japanese-born position player and named the American League's MVP and Rookie of the Year in 2001, leading Seattle to the best regular season in history.

On a personal note, I've been a Yankees fan for a while. Not as long as other claim to be, but long enough. And I know this a move Yankees fans have been waiting for for a long time. Ichiro was always a certified superstar and there were clamors of how good he'd be in a Yankees Uniform. Now, Ichiro is replacing the injured Brett Gardner in the centerfield because of the lack of depth that the Yankees have in the outfield. This is a wise move. Ichiro could be the boost that the Yankees need to get back to the World Series after being ousted by Detroit in the Wild Card Round. He's a guy that bring some speed, depth, and can hit and make plays around the diamond. Sure he's not as agile as he once was, but he's still a superstar that can lead any team when given the opportunity.

The Yankees have been known for their big moves, and this is a BIG one. And starting tonight, The Yankees start a 3 game series with The Mariners in Seattle.




Feel free to Comment.




By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete

NBA Trades and Signings

A lot has happened in the world of Basketball. Probably more than we ever thought would happen. It's been a wild offseason with a ton of signings and other transactions that left us with our jaws dropped.

I feel like a refresher is in order. Time to remind the people just what's been going on and how it affects the NBA when it starts back up in the Fall.

Steve Nash signs with The Lakers


This was probably THE move that turned a lot of heads and left people stunned. It was a common knowledge that Nash would find his way out of Phoenix and try to win that ring that has eluded him for so long. Teams like New York, and even Miami were a possibility. But Nash has gone to The Lakers. The team with Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum leading the charge. This spells trouble for the NBA. The Lakers now have a Big 3 of their own: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Andrew Bynum. A case could be made for Ron Artest, but I don't think it's necessary. But The Lakers now have the potential to cause some serious damage in the NBA. They have the second best big man in Bynum, Kobe is getting old, but still playing at a superstar level and now one of, if not, the best point guard in the league in Steve Nash. It's going to be interesting seeing how Nash meshes with Kobe and Co.



Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis sign with The Miami Heat


Ray Allen: The man who made had a career best and made 45% of his three pointers this past season has taken his talents to South Beach. This move had to have been influenced by James, Wade, and Bosh. It's sad to see Ray Allen leave Boston so easily because they offered him tons and tons of money and the chance for another ring. That goes to show loyalty really doesn't mean much these days. Nonetheless, Miami just got even better on the offensive side of the ball. Ray Allen is one of the best three point shooters in the league and a solid defender at that. He's going to give Miami that extra boost of scoring when they really need it which can come in extremely handy.

Rashard Lewis, on the other hand, is a different breed as well. The man is a lean 230 pounder that also the uncanny ability to shoot lights out. He was one of the integral parts of the Magic's trip to the NBA Finals in 2009. Rashard is one of those players than can provide the mismatch for opposing teams, can post up when he wants, but won't shy away from shooting a perimeter shot. He's a well-rounded ball player on both sides of the ball, and with his strength, Miami got a tad bit better on the defensive side of things.



Jason Kidd signs with The New York Knicks


New York Knicks fans all around the world were beyond happy with this pick. Not only do they get to keep stars like Novak and JR Smith, but they've added a seasoned veteran in Jason Kidd who just helped Dallas capture their first ring last season. Up until Jeremy Lin got injured, there never really was a true point guard on The Knicks. The Knicks were better when they all shared the ball and Carmelo didn't take 40-50 shots a game. Jason Kidd is going to bring stability to this team and restore a balance that was missing within The Knicks towards the end of the season and into the playoffs. For the sake of Knicks fans, Kidd hopefully is the last piece to help get this team a ring........as soon as he gets cleared of his DWI charges.



Joe Johnson signs with The Brooklyn Nets


The Brooklyn Nets are playing no games this offseason. They've resigned Deron Williams, kept Humphries and Lopez, but now they've reeled in a pretty big fish: Joe Johnson. The man who was arguably the best player The Atlanta Hawks had on their team has signed with Jay-Z's Brooklyn Nets. This move was a warning to the NBA that this team is ready to no longer be the team that people deem as an easy win. The Nets have been bad for far too long. They've got more than enough firepower to be at least considered a contender heading into this season, or at least have a shot at making the playoffs. Joe Johnson has just reassured that fact if it wasn't already clear.




Jeremy Lin signs with The Houston Rockets


The Linsanity Era is over in New York and the craze will now make its way to Houston. I always thought Linsanity was a tad bit overrated and would die out eventually. Sure, Jeremy Lin had a pretty good stretch of games and made The Knicks look like a force in the process, but when he ran into The Miami Heat, things never were the same. I'm sure The Knicks felt the same way and had no intention of bringing him back despite what other stories reported. They felt like Lin was a one-hit wonder. Well, I'll give Lin this: he did make The Knicks good for a stretch. There was the emergence of Steve Novak and everybody on the team got a piece of the ball and had their moment in the sun. Lin was no ballhog to make a long story short. I'm a bit nervous about his move to Houston. Is Houston really sold on Lin being the answer after just having one really good stretch of games, or does Houston see something else that nobody else does?




OJ Mayo signs with The Dallas Mavericks


Last season, The Dallas Mavericks were on top of the world. They had just won the franchise's first NBA Championship and spoiled the first year of the Miami Heat Big 3. Fast forward a year later, they were swept out of the first round by Oklahoma City and now almost all the players that helped capture Dallas' ring is gone. Jason Kidd is gone, Jason Terry is gone, Tyson Chandler is gone, and JJ Barea is gone. Only person left is Dirk. But now Dallas has salvaged something from all this wreckage and managed to steal one of Memphis' best players from them. I don't know how Memphis fans feel about this move, or even if they care at all. Dallas is pretty much starting over with Dirk and OJ Mayo is the first step. Dallas has not handled their situation very well. But this was a wise first step.


Other Notable Transactions


Eric Gordon signs with The New Orleans Hornets
Lamar Odom and Grant Hill signed with The Los Angeles Clippers
Kurt Thomas and Raymond Felton signed with The New York Knicks
Houston Rockets signed Marcus Camby
Brooklyn Nets signed Jerry Stackhouse
Boston Celtics signed Jason Terry




For more information on NBA Trades and Signings along with notable free agents, go to the links below. And of course, you can count on Sports Monarchy to bring you the latest in NBA Offseason news!

http://www.nba.com/news/transactions/2012_13/


http://www.nba.com/freeagents/2012/


Oh and before I forget, Dwight Howard is STILL with The Orlando Magic. So much for that trade he's been complaining and wanting so badly. And people get on Lebron James' case.



Feel free to Comment.


By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete