Calvin's Kicks
 
     NBA games are back, if only the preseason variety. But NBA play is NBA play. And with it comes some fireworks. Here's what you've missed so far.

The Rookies

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     Odds are the 2010-11 NBA Rookie of the year will be a former Wildcat. From the 5 players taken from Kentucky in the last draft two had especially impressive debut performances.
     John Wall: In 36 minutes of play Wall scored 21 points, and dished out 9 assists and had only 2 turnovers prompting this quote from Gilbert Arenas: "He's going to be great, he has a knack for finding people and getting to the basket. ... He's Batman, I'm Robin." More on this situation in a second.
     Demarcus Cousins: Can you say double double average? First game after just one year at UK, and he managed to rack up 16 points and rebounds against the Suns, might be too early to tell, but looks good so far.
     Evan Turner: The third pick in the draft didn't look so good from the field shooting just 1 for 6 from the court, but managed 12 points, thanks to a 10 for 12 free throw shooting night.
     Derrick Favors: The Nets forward had a 14 point 9 rebound night against Israeli league team Maccabi Haifa.

The New Looks

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     We got plenty of new faces in new places. There is nothing like putting on a new jersey, or if you are Amare Stoudamire, putting on nothing.
     Shaquille Oneal: 8 points for the newest leprechaun, including a few ally-oops. Once again, he looks older.
     Amare Stoudamire: 32 points ain't bad for a debut, however it wasn't against the Lakers, per se. Olimpia Milano didn't put up much defense against Stoudamire, but the Timberwolves defense held him up for 11 points against his first NBA opponent wearing the blue and orange.
     LeBron James: In his first game not wearing the wine and gold, he dumped in 18, including 12 in the first 12 minutes of his debut.
     Chris Bosh: Had 20, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals, in his first game outside of the shadow that is Toronto basketball. Welcome to the media world Chris!
     Tracy McGrady: Not as heralded as the others on this list, the new Piston didn't even score in 8 minutes of play, but grabbed 2 rebounds. Maybe it was the jealousy of the big 3: "I'm happy for those guys, I look forward to, when I'm done playing basketball, seeing them win a lot of championships."
    


 
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With the explosion of talk concerning vacationing LeBron James future, and the epic free-agency of 2010. Dwyane Wade isn't getting much talk time around the media world. Wade might not be of James importance to the league, but to Southern Florida, he is Miami.
Maybe it's because we've been hearing about LeBron's future for the past 3 years, or maybe it is simply his business demeanor, but LeBron isn't the Cavaliers. On the other hand, I cannot put an image of Dwyane Wade in a jersey that is not that of the Heat. Wade, unlike LeBron has brought a Championship to his city. And even if he isn't the local prodigy, Wade embodies Miami unlike any other player since A.I. was in the finals with Philly.
To show just how much Miami wants Mr. Wade to resign, the Miami Heat have launched WeWantWade.com, where fans can leave messages, download wallpaper, and get tips on what to do if you see #3 in town. Miami residents can even request a free fan kit. Because of heavy traffic, I couln't even log on for a few hours yesterday. Hopefully, this will help show Dwyane how much Miami needs him.

Shaq may leave, but Wade is forever.


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