10 Worst NBA Postgame Outfits

A few years ago David Stern implemented a dress code for NBA players and the players have run away with it. Let's be real, crazy fashion, if you want to call it that, is nothing new in the NBA. Take a walk down Memory Lane and check out some of Walt Frazier's outfits or even Magic Johnson's. These crazy styles have been around for awhile, but it seems like the past few years it has really taken off. Russell Westbrook has become the poster boy for eccentric outfits, but Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and James Harden never cease to amaze with their get-ups. Here's a look at 10 fashion nightmares from the NBA's stars.

10. Russell Westbrook
Russ rocks a white polo in this picture, but it's not just any white polo. This one has fishing hooks on it. Where you purchase something like this I'm not sure and he might be the only man on the planet with one of these. Not pictured are the bright red pants and, obviously, he has the matching red glasses without any lenses. The fake glasses will be a common theme as we move down the list. Russell Westbrook will also be a common theme.

9. Nick Young
Nick Young may be unknown to just about everyone, but the hardcore NBA fans, but on this night in 2012 he turned heads with this shirt. It looks like the design was inspired from some art down in South America and Young elected to go BeeGees-style on us and leave a few of the buttons undone. To top it all off, he's rocking the sunglasses indoors. I know the lights are bright in a postgame press conference, but apparently they are bright enough to require shades.


8. Kevin Durant
KD patented the backpack in the postgame press conference, but on All-Star weekend he was in rare form. He pulled out the denim vest which is always a risky move and then for an undershirt he wore a black tee with stars on the chest. It kind of looks like the stars were Bedazzled on there and he also has buttons on his vest to spice it up a little bit. Throw in the fake specs and the fedora and it's quite the sight from the Durantula.






7. Amare Stoudemire
What's better than one denim vest? TWO denim vests! Here's Amare Stoudemire modeling one and I'm not sure when this picture was taken, but there's a lot going on here. Not only does he have the vest on, but he's wearing another sleeveless shirt underneath. It's hard to see in the photo, but he has some seriously long beads around his neck. Amare, like Young, also chose to wear sunglasses inside and I don't know if he can see the game that well with them on. The hat tops it all off, but it's not the yarmulke that he wore during the playoffs this season. He also is big on scarves and a Google search will show you those various looks.




6. Tyson Chandler
This wasn't before or after a game, but it cannot be ignored. I don't have a lot to say here except that it's just plain wrong. There's nothing here that says "good fashion" and there's nothing here that makes Chandler look classy. This is a nightmare.







5. Dwyane Wade
I'll admit that D.Wade has pulled off some pretty classy looking outfits, but not this one. This photo is just a few weeks old and it's a suit with polka dots on it. What I can't figure out is whether Wade grabbed his son's pants or if he really meant to have them that short. It's my personal opinion, but I'm not big on guys wearing capris and that's especially true if it's a suit. Wade has experimented with quite a few different fashions such as the fake glasses, suits with basketball shoes, and themed band-aids, but I think it's safe to say that this was a failed experiment right here.


4. Russell Westbrook...again
In this one Russ looks somewhat normal until you get to his pants that barely make it past his knees. And then you see his man-purse thing that he's carrying with him. After that you notice that he's wearing his shades inside and then on top of all that you notice that his shirt and pants are so tight that they might be tattooed on to his body. I have a lot of questions about this outfit, but if I ever got to ask him one I think it would be, what's in the bag??




3. Paul George
Paul George had never made headlines for anything but his play on the court until this year's Eastern Conference Finals. It all changed when he decided to go green. George is rocking the green pants with all-white kicks and the shirt is something else. It has green-paisley design all over it that kind of looks like throw up and  it doesn't quite match the green on George's pants. However, are we really going to tell the guy to stop wearing what he wants when he is putting on a show against LeBron & Company? I don't think so.




2. LeBron James
Bron keeps it pretty classy most of the time, but this sweater is too loud to ignore. The red is extra bright so that's already enough to turn heads, but then you notice the design on it and then you're puzzled. Again, not sure where he got this one, but it's wild. It's kind of got a beach-feel to it and I suppose that's appropriate since he's down in Miami, but I would hope he doesn't pull this one out of the closet again.


1. Russell Westbrook...one more time
Russ out-did himself with this outfit from earlier this season. The skin-tight capris were one thing. The fishing shirt was a little crazy. However, this outfit tops them all. Westbrook looks like a girl with this cutoff sweater on and those glasses. The chain around his neck is large and if the medallion part was any bigger then Flavor Flav would accuse him of theft. The glasses are clear and that doesn't help the feminine-look of this outfit. So in short, what did we learn from all this? Russell Westbrook has the wildest style when it comes to NBA ballers in the game today. There's not a whole lot of competition either.

BONUS: Anything worn by Craig Sager

Injuries Highlighting NBA Playoffs

A year that definitely had its fair share of action has suddenly turned into a contest. Not a contest to see who hoists the Larry O’Brien trophy, but a contest to see who can be the last man standing…literally. Injuries have plagued quite a few, if not every team that is in the playoffs. Some players have been able to come back, while others have sadly exited the season for good and will most likely not be back next season either. There have been freak accidents, as there always are, but you also have to wonder if the condensed schedule doesn’t somehow contribute to all these casualties. Playing five games in one week (with every team having to fight through a stretch of three games in three nights) can definitely take a toll on anybody regardless of age or stamina. The playoffs were looking bright at the beginning, but here’s a look at the injuries that have slowly brought down the teams that have a goal to win it all.


Derrick Rose: Easily the biggest story of the playoffs so far. The 23 year-old phenom suffered a torn ACL in the first game against the Sixers and is expected to be out at least six to nine months. Rose’s left knee buckled awkwardly on a jump stop late in the fourth quarter, sending the point guard to the ground, grimacing in pain. Some say that the Bulls will lose in the first round without Rose, others say they’ll advance to the second round only to fall to either the Hawks or Celtics. If you ask me, the Bulls have every bit of a chance to make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals. They have proved time and time again that they can win without Derrick Rose and, with the depth they have, they have more than enough players that can step up. Don’t count the Bulls out yet.

Iman Shumpert: A kid that was only really a name because of his withdrawal from the dunk contest has suddenly become a big part of the Knicks late-season run. Yet all of that came crashing down when Shumpert crumpled to the floor with, you guessed it, a torn ACL. One of the best perimeter defenders in the league will not be making an appearance for the rest of the playoffs and will be confined to the seat next to the Knicks other injured point guard Jeremy Lin. The Knicks are in deep trouble being down 0-2 and will miss Shumpert’s ability to defend. Yet with the perk of heading back to the Garden for the next three games, hopes can be high for New York fans seeing as the Heat are not a very good team on the road. None the less, it does nothing but dampen the spirit in the locker room to see two promising young players who can do nothing but watch.

Caron Butler: He’s been around the league for quite some time, but has never been a big-time name. Yet the loss of Caron Butler is one that stings just as much as any other injury. With a broken hand, the Clippers lose a reliable shooting guard who contributed twelve points a game. And with the young talent they have, Butler was able to play a leadership role on the floor. He’s not the first Clipper to be sidelined since Chauncey Billups is battling an achilles injury, but with two of the most experienced players unavailable, it’s up to Chris Paul to really take the weight on his shoulders and lead this team.

Amar’e Stoudemire: Now you can call the previous injuries freak accidents and strokes of bad luck, but Amar’e Stoudemire’s actions last night prove to be that of ignorance and instinct. After losing another battle to the Heat, Stoudemire took his anger out on the glass fire extinguisher case in the locker room. Giving the glass window a solid punch, the 29 year-old power forward lacerated his hand, resulting in a call to the paramedics as well as a hefty amount of stitches. I can understand the anger he was feeling, I’ve been there myself so I would not be justified to rip the guy for what he did. All I will say is that, when the frustration is at its peak, that’s the time to be a leader. Don’t allow your teammates to see you act in that manner. Again, I’m not saying it’s bad to be that upset because I think it shows how much he wants to win and how much he cares. But all the same, stop and think about the repercussions.

The lockout made the summer very tough on everyone involved with the NBA. Players came back out of shape, coaches couldn’t stay in contact with players, and fans were continually kept waiting to see the next “Breaking News” on SportsCenter. Yet here we are, on the first of May, and the playoffs are well underway. It’s sad to see how the fatigue has begun to catch up with some of the players, especially with the four listed above. But let’s not forget some of the injuries that I didn’t go into detail on such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Ray Allen, Brandon Roy, Al Horford, Dwight Howard, Manu Ginobli, Kobe Bryant, Rip Hamilton, Carmelo Anthony, Ricky Rubio, Stephen Curry, and so on. I know that I left out some names, but you understand the wear and tear these athletes have suffered. It’s been a rough season for everybody, but we can now appreciate in depth just how tough these teams have to be mentally and physically.

NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Preview

Well, it appeared the Boston Celtics threw in the white towel last night and gave the Big 4 the night off and the subs promptly lost in overtime to the lowly Washington Wizards. With that loss, and Miami's win over the Atlanta Hawks, the playoffs are now set in the Eastern Conference. Like I said yesterday, this year's playoffs are going to very hyped up and rightfully so. There are four or five contenders in the East and many questions that will be answered in the coming weeks. The Chicago Bulls have won 60 games to date and are the top seed while the Heat are second and Boston is third. Many would say one of those three teams will represent the East in the Finals but watch out for the Orlando Magic and maybe even the New York Knicks. I've broken down each first round matchup and predicted the winners starting with the Bulls vs. Pacers so let's take a look...

1. Chicago Bulls vs. 8. Indiana Pacers

Could this be the start of another Chicago Bulls dynasty? It very well could be with the defense the Bulls have under rookie head coach, Tom Thibodeau. There's also that fella named Derrick Rose who has become one of the game's best players and should receive the MVP honors this year. Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah are a great tandem in the post with Boozer providing the scoring and Noah grabbing boards and bringing energy. Luol Deng is not talked about much but he has had a great season and will be counted on this postseason to take the pressure off Rose. The Bulls bench has also been very effective this season and they will need to be ready in the first round because the Pacers are always putting fresh bodies out on the floor. As many as 12 players see good time game in-game out for Indiana but they need Darren Collison and Roy Hibbert to come up huge if they hope for a first round upset. Locking down Rose is impossible but slowing him up would be huge for this young Pacers bunch. Don't expect an upset but don't be surprised if the Pacers steal one from the Bulls in Indianapolis. Prediction: Bulls in 5

4. Orlando Magic vs. 5. Atlanta Hawks

If big, bad Dwight Howard can keep himself from getting suspended because of technical fouls then the Magic should win this series for the second year in a row. However, the Hawks did win three out of four in the regular season so maybe there is some substance to that. Atlanta has five players who average double figures with Joe Johnson leading the way at 18.5 per game. What the Hawks need is for Al Horford to play great and Zaza Pachulia to be the irritant he is and get inside Howard's head. Jameer Nelson is always steady at point guard and Atlanta's Jeff Teague is faced with the task of stopping him. Teague has started a handful of games since Mike Bibby's departure and the playoffs could be a something of a coming out party for him. Kirk Hinrich has playoff experience with the Bulls and is reliable. This series is hard to predict but I'm going to guess that Dwight Howard can go seven games without being a cry baby and take the Magic to the second round. Prediction: Magic in 7

3. Boston Celtics vs. 6. New York Knicks

This so called "rivalry" has supposedly heated up this year but until now that was a lie. Now that the two teams are meeting in the playoffs things probably will heat up and we should be treated to a great series. If the Celtics hadn't made the idiotic move of trading Kendrick Perkins then I would say Boston would win easy but that's not the case anymore. If you're looking for an upset special this could be it. The Knicks can score in bunches and the Celtics seem very vulnerable right now. They haven't been the same team since the trade and they seem to have lost their edge. By no means am I saying the Knicks are a great team, but they are capable of winning this series. Carmelo Anthony is the best closer in the game right now and that means better than Kobe for all you Laker fans. He and Amare came to New York for a reason and, while they are a few years away from the ultimate destination, they can take the first step this season. For the Celtics it's championship or bust. Prediction: Knicks in 7

2. Miami Heat vs. 7. Philadelphia 76ers

We all remember that little pow-wow the Heat had at the beginning of the season when LeBron made the claim that they would win something like 11 NBA championships together. It seemed silly then and it seems silly now. Miami won't win more than four championships and they won't win this season. That said, they won't have a problem in the first round against the 76ers. With LeBron and Dwyane Wade, the Heat have two of the best finishers in the game and that's what a team needs to advance in the playoffs. Message to Erik Spoelstra: give Wade the ball for the last shot if it's needed!!! LeBron has been awful and lost his chance!! Okay, back on topic, Chris Bosh needs to play like an All-Star in the postseason for the Heat to advance far. For the Sixers, they are a young team with a veteran coach and they have a nice story this year but they don't have a chance to beat the Heat. Kudos to Doug Collins and staff but Miami will be moving on easily in this series. Prediction: Heat in 4

If those predictions hold true I would then pick the Bulls and the Heat to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and the Bulls would win to advance to the Finals. With a potential lockout looming, make sure to watch as much playoff basketball as possible because who knows when we will see it again. The East has made a comeback and now has several solid teams and is filled with superstars. That's a change from the past and these playoffs are where the conference can really showcase that. Four of the top candidates for MVP will be playing in the East and should all advance to the second round. Stay tuned in the coming days for the Western Conference preview once that bracket is set.

Melo's Clutch Jumper Tops Pacers, Playoffs Looming for Both Teams

On Sunday night I had the chance to attend the New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers game at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and, wow, was it a treat. The two teams went back and forth all game long, with no team able to extend their lead much past seven, and with four seconds to go, Carmelo Anthony drilled the go-ahead basket that proved to be the game winner. The Knicks won 110-109 for their seventh win in a row and moved up into the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference. Anthony finished with 34 points despite sitting a prolonged period of time in the second half due to foul trouble. New York was without Amare Stoudamire but Anthony and Chauncey Billups stepped up in his absence. For Indiana, it was a disappointing defeat after playing well for the majority of the game, but failing to find consistent offense down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Danny Granger scored 17 points in the first half but was held to three in the second half and his potential game-winning jumper was blocked by Anthony.

After watching Indiana play it is clear they aren't going to be a breeze for the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. Do I think the Bulls will lose the series or that it will go seven games? No, not a chance, but the Pacers are a young, scrappy bunch and they should play the Bulls to a few tough games and, perhaps, steal one from them. They are the only Central Division team that beat Chicago this year and they match up well with the Bulls lineup. The Pacers play 11-12 guys and are a deep team, but the one thing they are lacking is that superstar and closer. Danny Granger can be that guy but last night he wasn't. A superstar can't score only three points in the second half and disappear in the final five minutes of the game. That's one thing the Bulls have going for them. Derrick Rose has been phenomenal this season and the MVP trophy is all his, no arguments. He is averaging 25 points, 4 rebounds and nearly 8 assists per game and has perfected that closer role for the Bulls this year. The Pacers use three point guards in Darren Collison, A.J. Price and T.J. Ford with Collison getting most of the minutes. There may not be a faster player in the league than him and how well he matches up with Rose will surely dictate how the series will go for Indiana. In the post the Pacers have Tyler Hansbrough and Roy Hibbert to go up against Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. Granger and Luol Deng will be a nice matchup to watch and then Paul George will guard Keith Bogans/Ronnie Brewer. The Pacers are on the way back to success but with such a young, inexperienced team don't expect an upset over Chicago.

New York is the mystery team in the East. They can be really good, like this seven game win streak, or they can be just plain awful like their six game losing streak at the end of March. With Anthony, Billups and Stoudamire in the lineup, the Knicks can score at will but the one thing hindering them is their defense. It is their style to score 100+ points and give up the same amount and that's not good come playoff time. Sure, they can guard somebody but they don't. They will face either the Celtics or the Heat and both teams can match the Knicks point-for-point while playing solid defense. If the Knicks play the Heat they won't win. They could push the series to six or seven games but, just like Mike D'Antoni's Phoenix teams, the lack of defense will hurt them. However, if the Knicks play the Celtics then they have a realistic shot at beating them. Without Kendrick Perkins or Shaquille O'Neal in the paint, the C's have lost their identity and they no longer seem like the big, bad bully on the block. Both the Bulls and the Heat have thumped Boston in the past week and New York may be able to pull of the upset.

The Eastern Conference playoffs should be very exciting to watch. Are the Heat good enough to make it to the Finals? Are the Celtics still the same, old Celtics we have come to expect? Are the Bulls really as good as their record indicates? There are questions all around the conference as the playoffs get ready to start and it should be a wild few weeks. It's fun to see teams getting into playoff mode and games getting chippy (take a look at Jermaine O'Neal's foul on LeBron James from Sunday) and who will emerge to take on the Lakers, Thunder or Spurs out West? They say the NBA is where amazing happens and we should be treated to some amazing basketball starting in just a few days.

Photo courtesy of Darron Cummings (AP Photo)

Melo's New York State of Mind

The deal is done and the drama is over. After months of speculation and rumors, Carmelo Anthony has been traded from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks. The trade, which also involved the Minnesota Timberwolves, was completed late Monday night and involved 12 players, draft picks and 3 million dollars in cash. New York is getting Melo, Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Shelden Williams and Renaldo Balkman from Denver while the Nuggets are receiving Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov and draft picks from the Knicks. New York also sent Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry to Minnesota for Corey Brewer. Anthony is a bona fide superstar in the NBA and Billups is a steady point guard who is a proven winner. The Knicks did sacrifice young talent but no one can deny that superstars win championships in the NBA and the Big Apple now has Melo and Amare Stoudamire in blue and orange.

Since the offseason, trade talks have swirled around Anthony and he made it no secret that New York was his preferred destination. He tried hard to end up in his chosen city without tarnishing his image like his buddy down in South Beach did and, for the most part, he was successful. Carmelo Anthony is back where he wants to be, the East Coast. Melo was the superstar in Denver and led them to the Western Conference Finals in 2009 but despite the success of the Nuggets, it was clear they were never going to win a championship. It became imminent that Anthony was on the way out, whether it was via trade or free agency, and now he will be playing in Madison Square Garden, the greatest arena in sports. The Knicks signed Amare Stoudamire in the offseason and he has lifted MSG's spirits, leading the team to a 28-26 record which is second in the Atlantic Division. Already much improved from last season and second in the league in scoring with 106.2 points per game, New York added Melo who averages 25.2 points. Stoudamire puts up 26.1 per game and the two average over 16 rebounds combined.

What will be interesting to see is how Anthony and Stoudamire mesh. Amare left Phoenix because he was tired of playing in Steve Nash's shadow and he wanted a team to call his own. He has been the star of New York City for the first half of the season and carried the Knicks so far but now Carmelo enters the picture. Can the two coexist and will Melo respect that this is Amare's team? I think they can do it and I believe they will produce. However, to say the Knicks are favorites to win the East is ludicrous. At best they will be the 5th seed behind Boston, Miami, Chicago and Orlando but they could make some noise in the postseason. It will be hard to win playoff games with little supporting cast. Landry Fields and Billups are reliable but after that there is little talent. Ronny Turiaf and Renaldo Balkman can defend and rebound but the scoring will be hard to come by off the bench. A few years from now the Knicks could be an Eastern Conference powerhouse but not this year.

I say they could be in a few years because they will be able to assemble a supporting cast and another summer of superstars in free agency will have gone by. Chris Paul has mentioned before that he would like to go to New York and team up with Anthony and Stoudamire and the idea of that should be scary to other teams in the East. Deron Williams and Dwight Howard are also approaching free agency so there are options out there. It is my assumption that Paul will end up in NYC to run the point for the Knickerbockers which would make Spike Lee and the Gang go nuts at MSG.

The Knicks have not been a good team since the new millenium hit and they haven't had a superstar since Patrick Ewing. Stoudamire has filled that role and now Anthony is with him. Ewing never could win the Big Apple a championship but it looks like these two should. This year expect nothing better than perhaps a first round win in the playoffs but in the years following, beware of the Knicks. Those are words we haven't heard in awhile. But then again, basketball is back in New York City.

Photo courtesy of ice-dotcom.com

It's An All-Star Game, Not A Popularity Contest

This weekend, the Staples Center in Los Angeles will be taken over by the NBA's greatest players in the annual All-Star game. It's a weekend of festivities, starting with the Celebrity All-Star Game on Friday night, (it is always great to see which celebs can actually play some ball). The Dunk Contest, 3-point Contest, and Skills Challenge all take the stage Saturday night, followed by the NBA All-Star game Sunday. The game showcases East versus West in a showdown of the game's best players this year. At least that is what it should be.  In reality, it's a game that highlights who the fans feel are the most popular players in the league. Every year, true fans of the game cringe when they see that Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady have been named All-Stars, despite having bad seasons or not even playing due to injury. That's the consequence of allowing fan voting. It's a flawed system that doesn't give the best players their due.

Fans only vote for the starters and then the coaches vote for the bench players which is good. If it weren't for the coaches who knows what the rosters would look like. Now, I give the fans credit for their selections this year because they all seem right to me, except for one. The East starting lineup will feature Derrick Rose at the point, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on the wings and Amare Stoudamire and Dwight Howard in the post. All five players are in the running for the MVP award at the end of the year so they are very deserving of the honor. In the West Chris Paul will run the point guard position with Kobe Bryant as his shooting guard. Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant will be the forwards and the man in the middle will be....Yao Ming???? Yao Ming, that guy from China who has appeared in five games of this year before being injured? Yeah, that guy. Seriously now, I know he's a good player when healthy and I appreciate that the fans in China rally around him but this is absurd. Commissioner David Stern chose Kevin Love as the replacement for Yao but it's sad that the fans couldn't get it right the first time.

Players like Allen Iverson, Yao and Tracy McGrady have made All-Star teams simply because they were popular and not because they were having the best year. A lesser known player rarely has a chance to be named unless the coaches vote him in. It's not just the NBA either. Every major sport thinks fans should have the right to vote for who is an all-star that year and every year the rosters are flawed in some way. I understand that the leagues want their fans to feel like they are part of the process but it's getting out of hand. I want to see the best players take the floor on Sunday night, not the most popular ones. Recently it has also been announced that a portion of the voting for the baseball Hall of Fame will be done by fans. This is wrong because if anyone can vote what qualifies them? Not everyone can have a say in what happens and that's life. Maybe for an All-Star game it's okay but when the fan voting starts coming to the Hall of Fame that's when I start losing interest.