Jeremy Tyler's overseas woes

As rewarding as playing professional basketball overseas can be, it is not nearly as easy as it seems. Just ask Jeremy Tyler of San Diego. Tyler opted to forgo his senior season (of high school, that is) to play professionally in Israel for Macabbi Haifa to the tune of $140,000 tax-free dollars. He is now three months into his adventure, and by all accounts has not adapted well to things on or off the court. According to a recent New York Times article, Tyler has rubbed his coach and teammates the wrong way, repeatedly offended his neighbors, broke down in tears after his first game, and is eager to point fingers rather than accept personal responsibility. What is wrong with him? He is getting paid a lot of money to do something he supposedly loves to do, so why isn't he doing a better job of making it work? Is it really that big of an adjustment for someone to make? What can he do to turn things in his favor?

Just imagine moving to a place where you know nobody and do not speak the language....at 18 years of age. Now you know what Jeremy Tyler is going through. Although Israel is American friendly and English is widely spoken, the youngster can't help but feel lost in a place where people have different behavioral patterns, beliefs, and traditions. Not only that, but he has had no one to help him make the transition smoother. Shouldn't the team be looking out for him, you ask? The answer is yes, but the unfortunate reality is that most teams do little or nothing to make life easier for their foreign players. And what about his agents, the Wasserman Media Group? Well, they didn't even inform him that he needed a passport to go to Israel. They only sent a representative (Makhtar N'Diaye) over for a short time once they realized how problematic Tyler's situation had become. N'Diaye has come and gone and once again Tyler finds himself all alone to deal with another culture, set of customs, and responsibilities that can no doubt seem overwhelming to a teenager at times.

Being a basketball player, Tyler has umpteen hours of free time every day, but he has no family or friends to pass the time with him. This is far different from the life he had led prior to going to Israel. In the States, he was attending classes, participating in practices and games, hanging out with his buddies, going to school functions, and doing everything a normal high school kid does. Now, he is surrounded by unfamiliar faces, unrecognizable places, and his time commitments are minimal. This is an incredibly difficult situation for anyone to be in their first year away from home, especially someone as young and naive as Tyler. In the short time that he has been in Haifa, he has showed up late for an interview, missed a workout, and has been visited three times by the police for excess noise coming from his apartment. He is obviously immature and unsure how to go about his business, but this should not come as any surprise since he is just an 18 year-old kid. It is difficult enough for a grown adult to go through this process, but a teenager.....without guidance.....come on! It is way too much to expect, even if he did sign a professional contract.

Living in a foreign land may be the most challenging thing Tyler ever faces. He can either make his life easier by forgetting the whole thing and coming back to the States, or he can stay over there and pursue his dream of being a professional basketball player. The best way for him to persevere is to gain the respect of his coaches and teammates by fully immersing himself into his job. If he truly loves the game of basketball, this will not be a problem for him. All he really needs to do is show up on time, work hard while he is there, listen to what his elders have to say, and learn as much as he possibly can. In the end, he will be richly rewarded by demonstrating that he is serious about his craft. He will not only progress as a player but more importantly as a person. There is no greater teacher than life experience, and it is up to Tyler to embrace the amazing opportunity he has and make the most of it.

2009-2010 NBA Playoff Predictions

Eastern Conference

Quarterfinals:

#1 Boston beats #8 Chicago

#4 Washington beats #5 Atlanta

#3 Cleveland beats #6 Miami

#2 Orlando beats #7 Detroit

Semifinals:

#1 Boston beats #4 Washington

#2 Orlando beats #3 Cleveland

Finals:

#1 Boston beats #2 Orlando

Western Conference

Quarterfinals:

#1 Los Angeles Lakers beat #8 Phoenix Suns

#4 Dallas Mavericks beat #5 Denver Nuggets

#3 Utah Jazz beat #6 New Orleans Hornets

#2 San Antonio Spurs beat #7 Portland Trailblazers

Semifinals:

#1 Los Angeles Lakers beat #4 Dallas Mavericks

#2 San Antonio Spurs beat #3 Utah Jazz

Finals:

#1 Los Angeles Lakers beat #2 San Antonio Spurs

NBA Finals: Lakers beat Celtics in six games

NBA Preview: Northwest Division

1. Utah Jazz (54-28)

The Jazz have all kinds of talent and are a very dangerous basketball team. Their win total was lower than expected last season, but that was primarily due to injuries suffered by studs Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. Fortunately for Jazz fans these two are back along with the rest of the team's nucleus. Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmut Okur, Paul Millsap, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Miles, Kyle Korver, Matt Harpring, and Ronnie Price have grown accustomed to playing with each other and will be looking to put last year's disappointing season in the rear view mirror. This group is capable of representing the Western Conference in the NBA Finals, but to do that they will have to stay healthy, play excellent basketball, and hope that the Lakers and Spurs do not play up to their potential.

2. Denver Nuggets (53-29)

The Nuggets' fortunes changed last season after shipping Allen Iverson to Detroit for Chauncey Billups. Mr. Big Shot, a former NBA Finals MVP, gives coach George Karl a point guard that is capable of providing leadership and direction for such talents as Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Nene, J.R. Smith, Anthony Carter, Renaldo Balkman, Chris Andersen, and Johan Petro. Denver will be bolstered this season by the arrivals of Malik Allen, Joey Graham, Aaron Afflalo, and rookie Ty Lawson. These guys will be looking to step in, contribute, and build off the momentum created by last year's run to the Western Conference Finals. It will not be easy to repeat last year's success, however, simply because the competition in the conference is so strong.

3. Portland Trailblazers (48-34)

The Blazers, winners of 54 games last year, overachieved more than any other team in the league. They wisely kept their youthful core intact as All-Star Brandon Roy is back along with LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, Travis Outlaw, Joel Pryzbilla, Martell Webster, Rudy Fernandez, Nicolas Batum, and Steve Blake. After suffering a disappointing first-round exit to Houston in the playoffs, the Blazers' brass decided to bring in some veteran talent to help out the youngsters. Andre Miller gives them a savvy point guard and Juwan Howard will provide coach Nate McMillan with yet another big body. Unfortunately the conference is better than ever and the Blazers will not go very far despite the upgrading of their roster.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder (26-56)

The Thunder have two rising stars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. They are young, skillful, athletic, and will provide the people of Oklahoma City with many exciting plays this season. Unfortunately for Thunder fans team management failed to make any significant free-agent signings, bringing in such low-profile players as Etan Thomas, Kevin Ollie, and Ryan Bowen. Putting them alongside the returning Nick Collison, Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, Shaun Livingston, Thabo Sefalosha, Kyle Weaver, D.J. White, and rookies James Harden, Byron Mullens, and Serge Ibaka means very little progress will be made in the win department. It remains to be seen if this franchise even wants to be competitive.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves (21-61)

The biggest news for the Wolves this off-season was that Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio decided not to join the franchise. Sadly, the Wolves and new head coach Kurt Rambis are still in the early stages of the rebuilding process. Al Jefferson, the undisputed star of the team, will be seeing many new faces as first-year GM David Kahn has made significant changes to the roster (only Kevin Love, Corey Brewer, Ryan Gomes, and Brian Cardinal return). Through free agency, trades, and the draft, Minnesota acquired Damien Wilkins, Jason Hart, Sasha Pavlovic, Ramon Sessions, Ryan Hollins, Oleksly Pecherov, Johnny Flynn, and Wayne Ellington. Only two things are certain this winter in Minneapolis--the weather will be cold and the losses plenty.

NBA Preview: Pacific Division

1. Los Angeles Lakers (69-13)

Kobe Bryant and the defending champion Lakers will be back better than ever this season. L.A. made only one significant change this summer by replacing defensive specialist Trevor Ariza with volatile swingman Ron Artest, giving the Lakers another lock-down defender and proficient scorer. Along with the all-world Bryant, Phil Jackson will count on the continued presence of Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Derek Fisher, Luke Walton, Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Josh Powell, D.J. Mbenga, and the sparsely used Adam Morrison. As long as this group remains injury free and Artest keeps his head on straight, there is very good reason to believe that they will be in the finals once again competing for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

2. Phoenix Suns (43-39)

Phoenix is a team heading in the wrong direction. After having the league's best record in 2005, Suns' management has made several changes over the past couple of seasons, taking the franchise from a championship contender to a playoff hopeful. They seem to be content with that as they were not an active player in the free-agent market this past summer. They re-signed Steve Nash and Grant Hill, acquired Channing Frye, and will be relying heavily on veterans Amar'e Stoudemire, Jason Richardson, and Leandro Barbosa. They will also be expecting contributions from reserves Jarron Collins, Robin Lopez, Alando Tucker, Louis Amundson, Goran Dragic, Jared Dudley, Earl Clark, and Taylor Griffin. The bottom line is that the Suns do not have enough firepower to compete with the top teams in the talent-rich Western Conference.

3. Los Angeles Clippers (35-47)

After a dismal 19 wins last season, coach/GM Mike Dunleavy was hoping that Blake Griffin's arrival would revitalize the franchise. Unfortunately the Clipper curse has struck again as Griffin, the number one overall choice in the 2009 draft, suffered a stress fracture in his kneecap and will miss the first month or two of the season. To win, the "other" team that occupies the Staples Center will need retuning players Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Ricky Davis, Brian Skinner, Mardy Collins, and DeAndre Jordan to step up their game and jell with the recently acquired Rasual Butler, Craig Smith, Sebastian Telfair, and Kareem Rush. This squad does have a lot of individual talent, but changing the fortunes of the franchise will require everybody to sacrifice themselves for the common good, and I just don't see that happening.

4. Golden State Warriors (25-57)

The Warriors magical season two years ago is long forgotten. Coach Don Nelson is now leading a group that has absolutely no chance of making the playoffs. Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis, Corey Maggette, Andris Biedrins, Kelenna Azubulke, Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Morrow, Brandan Wright, Anthony Randolph, and C.J. Watson are back with the franchise. They will be joined by free-agent signees Speedy Claxton, Devean George, Mikki Moore, Acie Law, and rookie Stephen Curry. The Warriors perimeter players are very hard to guard but they are lacking an inside game. Due to this, they will press, trap, try to create turnovers, and look to run at every opportunity. This will not be enough, however, as they will find themselves on the wrong end of high-scoring shootouts time and time again.

5. Sacramento Kings (18-64)

No franchise won fewer games last year or drew fewer fans. The Kings, winners of only 17 games, are going to struggle mightily again this season. New coach Paul Westphal simply does not have enough talent at his disposal for his team to be a factor. Several players will be back from last year, including Kevin Martin, Andres Nocioni, Beno Udrih, Kenny Thomas, Francisco Garcia (out for 4 months), Spencer Hawes, Donte Green, and Jason Thompson. They will be joined by rookies Tyreke Evans, Jon Brockman, and Omri Casspi, along with the recently obtained Desmond Mason, Sean May, and Sergio Rodriguez. This group will be outmatched nearly every night they take the floor. They will win a few simply because it is impossible to lose them all.

NBA Preview: Southwest Division

1. San Antonio Spurs (60-22)

Make no mistake about it, the Spurs will be a legitimate threat to the Lakers' supremacy in the West this season. Stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili are back with the franchise along with veterans Michael Finley, Roger Mason, and Matt Bonner. The reason for renewed optimism in San Antonio, however, is due to the arrival of Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff, and Keith Bogans. These seasoned pros have a high basketball IQ and will provide coach Gregg Popovich with more scoring options, rebounding, shot blocking, and defensive intensity. The rotation will be further bolstered by the lesser known DeJuan Blair, George Hill, Marcus Haislip, Malik Hairston, and Ian Mahinmi. As long as the big three stay healthy, this team is capable of winning it all.

2. Dallas Mavericks (54-28)

The Mavericks, thanks to owner Mark Cuban's burning desire to win, are one of a handful of teams with championship aspirations this season. After suffering early playoff exits the last two years, team management tweaked the roster by bringing in veterans Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden, Tim Thomas, Quinton Ross, and Kris Humphries. They will step in and provide help to mainstays Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Erick Dampier, James Singleton, and Jose Barea. Although Josh Howard is injured and will be out for a while, this remains a very dangerous squad. It is unclear, however, if they will be able to develop the chemistry that is needed to be a legitimate contender. Rest assured, Cuban will do anything he can to get the franchise back to the finals and erase the awful memories from 2006.

3. New Orleans Hornets (50-32)

Last year was a disappointing season for the Hornets, and the only significant move they made in the off-season was to acquire Emeka Okafor from Charlotte for Tyson Chandler. Both players are known for their defense and rebounding, so it will be interesting to see exactly what kind of impact this change has on the franchise. All-Stars Chris Paul and David West will again be asked to carry the load, along with Peja Stojakovic, James Posey, and Morris Peterson. Coach Byron Scott will also count on contributions from Julian Wright, Devin Brown, Bobby Brown, Hilton Armstrong, Earl Barron, Darius Songalia, and Sean Marks. This is a playoff team with an excellent starting line-up, but they lack sufficient talent and depth to compete with the Lakers and Spurs for Western Conference superiority.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (31-51)

The Grizzlies stand no chance of making the playoffs this season. They do have some fine talent in Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, and Mark Gasol, but team management surprisingly decided to surround their young standouts with veterans Allen Iverson and Zach Randolph, both of whom have shown a lack of discipline in the past. Hopefully AI and Randolph will be a positive influence on teammates Marko Jaric, Mike Conley, Steven Hunter, Darrell Arthur, Marcus Williams, and rookies Hasheem Thabeet and Sam Young. The franchise is still in the rebuilding stages but no doubt headed in the right direction. Patience has to be preached as better things are yet to come for the Grizzlies and their fans.

5. Houston Rockets (28-54)

Optimism was high when the Rockets took the Lakers to seven games in last year's playoffs, but their chances of competing for a title this year all but disappeared with the injury to Yao Ming. The game's second best big man leaves an irreplaceable gap in their lineup. To make matters worse, coach Rick Adelman will be without often injured Tracy McGrady until December. This means that players like Shane Battier, Luis Scola, Aaron Brooks, Chuck Hayes, Carl Landry, Brian Cook, Kyle Lowry, and the newly signed Trevor Ariza, David Andersen, Pops-Mensah Bonsu, and Chase Budinger will have to step up and play at an extremely high level just for the Rockets to have a chance to win games.

NBA Preview: Southeast Division

1. Orlando Magic (65-17)

Orlando's management made it clear this off-season that they are not satisfied with just getting to the finals; they want to win it all. They made some huge moves this summer, and now the most dominant big man in the league, Dwight Howard, will be going to work with Vince Carter, Jason Williams, Matt Barnes, and Brandon Bass. Add that to an already stellar group that includes Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, Mickael Pietrus, Anthony Johnson, J.J. Redick, Marcin Gortat, and Ryan Anderson, and you have arguably the best roster from top to bottom in the league. The Magic will compete with Boston and Cleveland for tops in the Eastern Conference and are entirely capable of winning the whole thing.

2. Washington Wizards (43-39)

The Wizards have a new coach and proven winner in Flip Saunders. They also will have Gilbert Arenas back from injury. This bodes well for a franchise that won only 19 games last season. They will certainly improve on that win total, but they do not provide a viable threat to anybody. Along with Arenas, the Wizards will count on Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler to put up big numbers. They will also look for production from DeShawn Stevenson, Brendan Haywood, Andray Blatche, Nick Young, Mike James, and the newly acquired Mike Miller, Fabricio Oberto, and Randy Foye. This will be a playoff team if they stay healthy. They have a lot of firepower on offense but not enough quality overall to scare Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando.

3. Atlanta Hawks (42-40)

The Hawks will make the playoffs and then lose to either Boston, Cleveland, or Orlando. That is just the way it is. They have a wonderful blend of athleticism and experience, but are a player or two shy of being able to defeat the league's elite. They are led by Joe Johnson, one of the best all-around players in the game. He will be creating shots for himself and teammates Mike Bibby, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Zaza Pachulia, Marvin Williams, and Maurice Evans. He will also be counting on production from veteran free-agent signees Joe Smith, Jamal Crawford, and Jason Collins. Atlanta made it to the second round of the playoffs last year, but it will be very difficult for them to repeat that success this season.

4. Miami Heat (42-40)

The Heat, thanks in large part to Dwyane Wade's amazing performance, improved tremendously last season. Unfortunately for them, this year will be just like last year. They will make the playoffs and lose in round one. Jermaine O'Neal, Michael Beasley, Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers, and Daequan Cook are back for Miami and will log a lot of minutes. They will need some help from mainstays Dorrell Wright, James Jones, Chris Quinn, and Joel Anthony as well as new acquisitions Quentin Richardson, Carlos Arroyo, and Jamaal Magloire. Any way you slice it, this group will not be contending for a championship this season. The most interesting thing, at least for the media, will be the speculation surrounding Wade and the summer of 2010.

5. Charlotte Bobcats (21-61)

It will be another long year for Michael Jordan, Larry Brown, and the rest of the Charlotte Bobcats. Gerald Wallace will make several highlight plays throughout the season, but that will be the only bright spot. Boris Diaw, Raymond Felton, Raja Bell, Nazr Mohammed, Vladimir Radmanovic, and Dasagna Diop will be back alongside the recently obtained Tyson Chandler, Ronald Murray, and Stephen Graham. This overmatched group will have to have amazing chemistry in order to win games. Their work is seriously cut out for them as they, along with the Nets, have the least talented roster in the conference.

NBA Preview: Central Division

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (64-18)

LeBron James is on a mission this season. He will settle for nothing less than a championship, and the Cavs' management has put the organization in a great position to contend for the title. The acquisitions of Shaquille O'Neal, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, and Leon Powe will do nothing but give them more talent, size, and depth (which is scary considering last year's squad won 66 games). Mo Williams, Delonte West, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, Daniel Gibson, and J.J. Hickson are back with the franchise after last season's disappointing exit in the conference finals. Unfortunately this year is going to be tougher for Cleveland simply because Boston and Orlando upgraded their rosters even more than the Cavs.

2. Detroit Pistons (42-40)

The Pistons will be relying heavily on its outside game for point production this season. The addition of Ben Gordon will provide punch to the already effective exterior trio of Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Rodney Stuckey. Detroit can count on Ben Wallace and Kwame Brown to play solid interior defense, but they will need somebody to step up and give them offensive firepower on the inside. Jason Maxiell, Charlie Villanueva, and Chris Wilcox will be called upon to get the job done. New coach John Kuester will also look for contributions from Chucky Atkins and Will Bynum. Only one thing is certain in Motown--the 2009/2010 season will not be as disappointing for Detroit's denizens simply because the expectations for the franchise are no longer what they once were.

3. Chicago Bulls (41-41)

The defection of Ben Gordon to the Pistons is going to hurt, but the bottom line is that Chicago is just like every other team in the East not called Cleveland, Boston, or Orlando. They will be playing to make the playoffs and nothing else. Derrick Rose, Kirk Heinrich, and Luol Deng will all be better than they were last year. I also expect John Salmons to show that last season was not a fluke. The problem for Chicago is that they have no inside scoring threat. Brad Miller can knock down jump shots, Tyrus Thomas offers athleticism, Joaquim Noah provides hustle and defense, and Jerome James brings size to the table, but none of these guys can score with any consistency from the low block. Coach Vinny Del Negro will also look to Lindsey Hunter, Jannero Pargo, Aaron Gray, Taj Gibson and James Johnson to provide help off the bench.

4. Indiana Pacers (33-49)

The Pacers have a budding star in Danny Granger. He is capable of hurting the defense in a variety ways and making spectacular plays. He doesn't have enough help, however, for Indiana to play a significant role in the NBA this season. He has a few veterans, such as Troy Murphy, T.J. Ford, Jeff Foster, Earl Watson, Dahntay Jones, and Mike Dunleay Jr. (when he comes back from injury) around him, but that will not be enough to threaten the top teams. Unless they get some serious production out of younger players Roy Hibbert, Solomon Jones, Brandon Rush, Luther Head, Travis Diener, Josh McRoberts and first-round draft choice Tyler Hansbrough, this season will be a lot like last's for coach Jim O'Brien and his staff....one to forget.

5. Milwaukee Bucks (26-56)

The Bucks will get Michael Redd back from a torn ACL, but that will be the only good news for the franchise. The management, very active in the off-season, brought in Kurt Thomas, Hakim Warrick, Carlos Delfino, Ersan Ilyasova, Brandon Jennings, and Roko Ukic. Adding them to mainstays Andrew Bogut, Charlie Bell, Dan Gadzuric, Luke Ridnour, Francisco Elson, and surprising Luc Mbah a Moute means the Bucks will not come out on top very often. It is not a knock on these individuals as they are all legitimate pros, but collectively they are just not talented enough to compete with the upper-echelon teams in the league. This season is a lost cause for Bucks' fans.