It is only appropriate, on multiple levels, that we begin the preview in Part One with a look at Team USA. The Americans are the reigning champions, the most dominant international force in basketball right now, favourites to take out the Cup, and are highly topical given their current preparation schedule and the horrific injury to star swingman Paul George.

WHO WILL THEY PLAY?

Team USA sit in an easy pool, with Group C including FIBA Oceania entrant, New Zealand; Wildcard entrants Turkey and Finland; one of four FIBA Americas countries in Dominican Republic; and finally FIBA Eurobasket team Ukraine. [More on those nations in future parts to this preview series].

WHO WILL STAR FOR THEM?

Good question. Whilst the roster is not yet finalised, we do know who WON’T be repping the star spangled banner in Spain. First of all, we knew that for various reasons, stars LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams, Andre Iguodala, Carmelo Anthony and LaMarcus Aldridge were not making themselves available for 2014 World Cup play. Then came the unfortunate news for Coach Mike Krzyzewski that star big men Kevin Love and Blake Griffin were pulling the plug on their participation.

With all of those withdrawals, team camp opened and an intra-squad scrimmage was held. Then came that injury to George. It had a profound impact on team morale, clearly reminding the transcendent stars of their own mortality.

Who knows if it was the key factor involved in his decision, but not long after looking stunned and distressed at George’s downfall came the decision from clear team leader Kevin Durant to also pull the pin on his participation.

The loss of Durant is huge. At the 2010 World Championships in Turkey he was an unrivaled star, seemingly drilling threes from all over the floor at will. He was only going to be more dominant in this tournament given his current career arc.

Now comes the opportunity for a new bevy of players to take up the reigns of the national team and prove that the United States is still the world power in basketball. Derrick Rose is one such player. The dynamic point guard is the only true top-shelf star amongst the remaining squad and despite returning from a series of injuries, is looking impressive in intra-squad play.

Rose will be supported at the point by some combination of Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry – all of whom have an unnerving ability to score the ball, in their own particular ways.

At the shooting guard and small forward position, James Harden is well placed as an experienced National Team representative — one who will be expected to perform at a high level if this team is to achieve their potential. Other swingmen in the mix are Gordon Hayward, athletic DeMar DeRozan, sharp-shooters Kyle Korver and Klay Thompson, new Mav Chandler Parsons, and recently helicoptered in Durant-replacement, Rudy Gay.  The shooting of the likes of Korver becomes vitally important to success in the international game where zone defence is more common than in the NBA game.

The big man department is where Team USA is lacking beef. Ironically enough, 21-year old Anthony Davis is perhaps the most experienced big at the international level, with a 2012 Olympic Gold Medal in his possession. Davis will be a key piece with his intimidating shot-blocking ability. Supporting Davis will be a selection of DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Drummond, Kenneth Faried and surprise revelation Mason Plumlee. Cousins’ size and unusual talent provides a unique proposition for Coach K to work with, should he choose to take the plunge on the controversial big man. An engaged and switched on Cousins could be the X-Factor that most countries will struggle to contain.

WHERE ARE THEY WEAKEST?

There are a number of weaknesses in this Team USA squad.

Far from a 1992 Dream Team (or even a 1994 Dream Team II* for that matter), this iteration lacks the genuine star power of a LeBron, a Durant, a Melo, a Jordan, a Magic, a Bird… hell, even an Iverson or Zo. There will be a heavy reliance on not only the likes of Rose, Harden and Davis to perform at their best, but for them to get consistent support from the array of supporting stars.

This team can not afford to roll out in cruise mode. They need to be entirely engaged. They need to rely on each other as a team. And they need to respect the power of opposing nations.

We have seen in the past the disaster that can befall a Team USA squad that enters a tournament with a sense of complacency. Tip: it doesn’t end well (or with a medal).

Additionally, the lack of genuine world-class bigs could be an issue down the stretch. That’s not to say that the abovementioned power players (excluding Davis) are not capable of impact — heck, they are all legitimate NBA players. However, none of them are named Howard, Love, Griffin, Noah, Gasol or Ibaka. They all have holes in their games that may need to be patched through some effective coaching and substitution management. Of benefit to Team USA here will be the absence of numerous other stars from opposing nations (see parts to this preview series).

WHERE WILL THEY FINISH?

Anything less than a Gold Medal is unacceptable for Team USA. Quite frankly, it’s also the only truly imaginable scenario. If this World Cup does not finish with a battle in the Final between the Yanks and the host Spanish team, many will be very disappointed, and shocked.

 *Yes, yes, I know — there was only ever one Dream Team and there will only ever be one.

FOLLOW AND RISE ON FACEBOOK FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF OUR WORLD CUP PREVIEW SERIES (AND A WHOLE LOT MORE TO KEEP YOU ENTERTAINED).

The post 2014 FIBA World Cup Preview – Part One appeared first on andrise.com.

Apart from a few other small moving pieces, the only big news that we may yet wake to this off-season centres around the whereabouts of Kevin Love.

Rumours surrounding Love have abounded for months now. Will he end up with the storied Boston Celtics? Will the Golden State Warriors put together a package to bring him to the Bay? Will he somehow fill out the rotting corpse that is the Los Angeles Lakers roster?

Or, will Love end up with his most prominent suitor, King James and his newly incarnated Cleveland Cavaliers?

The prevailing opinion, at least early on, was that the Minnesota Timberwolves would not trade Love to Cleveland unless phenom lottery pick Andrew Wiggins was to be part of the package. That proviso was apparently the big factor that would gazump the trade ever happening, as it seems crazy for the Cavs to give up a player with such ridiculous upside as Wiggins, right?

Right?!

Well, contrary to that which our friend Haggard has opined elsewhere at AndRise, I’m here to tell you that the Cavs HAVE to make this deal happen. They simply can not afford not to.

Let me tell you why.

What is the key objective of any NBA franchise? Let me make it simple for those of you struggling at home: Win.

Don’t forget that for a second. Winning is all that matters.

We’ve entered an era in NBA hoops where the emphasis has shifted far too heavily in favour of potential. The future. Ridiculous upside potential.

The future is what losing teams focus on. Teams in a position to win right now, they need to do everything in their control to win. Right now.

If you have LeBron James on your roster — the fairly unanimously accepted best player in the world — then that automatically means that your team needs to be in Win Now Mode. In its current state, the Cavs roster surrounding LBJ is insufficient to take out Western Conference heavyweights the likes of the San Antonio Spurs. Just take a look at how LeBron’s star-studded cast failed in the Finals a month back.

Even with young stars the calibre of Kyrie Irving and Wiggins, the Cavs are not a team that can do better than the top four in the East. Even James himself admitted as much in his “homecoming essay” in Sports Illustrated recently. Pointedly, he failed to mention Wiggins’ name in that same essay.

On the other hand, both he and Love have made well… love, publicly around each others’ talents, and are clearly excited by the potential (there’s that word again) of pairing. Sure, Love lacks in the defensive department in many pundits’ estimations, but the man knows how to score in bunches, rebound like a behemoth, and he throws a mean fast-break-igniting-outlet-pass.

Bringing Love into a core of James and Irving could make for some very interesting basketball. It certainly makes for a much better chance at winning in the next few years. Let’s not forget: James is 29 years old — he’s in his peak. But that peak will only last a couple more years. Meanwhile, Love is only 25, Irving is 22.

These guys are going to be good for quite a few more years. Love has made it clear that he would happily re-sign in Cleveland. Other free agents would presumably be keen to come too.

Conversely, if you hang onto Wiggins with the promise of the future, you have LeBron playing Professor, teaching the young guys lessons, waiting for the day when they can contribute. Meanwhile, the best player in the league is getting frustrated about not winning (remember his last stay in Cleveland?) and is getting closer to the decline of his career.

If Wiggins turns out to be the next LeBron, well, you have a great team for another decade. But what if he isn’t? Talk about a hostile, impatient environment.

Not only will LeBron be anxious to win again, but the city of Cleveland will continue to hunger for the success that they have not seen.

The time is now. Winning is everything. Love is (almost) all you need.

(Credit (almost) to the Beatles)

The post …and why the Cavs should trade Wiggins for Love appeared first on andrise.com.

There is no doubt that the trio of James, Love and Irving would a force to be reckoned with and would be arguably one of the best trios in the game. Having a big guy that can stretch defences creating a huge hole inside for penetrators such as James and Irving to weave magic on the inside is a huge commodity. The concern would be how the Cavs work to cover the huge hole in defence with Irving and Love both on the court. But the 2014 NBA finals showed us that there is more to basketball than having a good trio.

With LeBron heading back home the Cavs have the ideal opportunity to build a team, and a team to win titles. My esteemed colleague, Mookie, will tell you that the Cavs have the perfect opportunity to go into ‘win now’ mode though deep down I’m certain he knows that isn’t what is best for Cleveland right now. James himself has stated that his return to Cleveland is a work in progress.

Wiggins is tipped to be a future star of the league. Let him learn from one of the best players of the modern era. What is the point in shipping him before you have seen the impact he can make in the league? If the Cavs wanted to be in ‘win now’ mode then the more NBA ready Jabari Parker would have been a better option.

A trade for Love is set to cost the Cavs the last two number one draft picks in Wiggins and Anthony Bennett as well as a future draft pick(s). Love would also eat up a lot of cap leading to the Cavs losing flexibility in Free Agencyageddon in 2015.

It makes little sense to trade away Wiggins and Bennett now for a core of James, Irving, Love, Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson when in a year’s time you can have a core of James, Irving, Wiggins, Bennett, Varejao, Thompson, and someone like Lamarcus Aldridge or Marc Gasol with the mountain of salary cap room they are capable of having. Sure, it will be tricky and will need to use a lot of creativity, but it could work. Get your weirdo with the beardo then.

So, Dan Gilbert, take out your Comic Sans font and send an open letter to the Wolves telling them “No Deal”.

The post Why the Cavs shouldn’t trade Wiggins for Love appeared first on andrise.com.

The 2013/14 NBA season is just around the corner. Just as we do with our NFL fantasy advice, we have you all sorted out here at And Rise with our Fantasy Basketball rankings, in preparation for your Fantasy NBA Draft.

We have split the rankings into the categories of point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center, giving you a Top 200 overall. This Mock Draft by category just made your draft day that much easier!

You can thank us by telling your friends on Facebook and Twitter about this article…

Who do we have ranked first at each position? Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), provided he remains healthy, is the top fantasy point guard this season.  Houston Rockets superstar James Harden is your top choice at shooting guard.

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) is the top choice at small forward, edging out yes, LeBron James. His Team USA teammate, Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) is the best value at power forward, with his well-rounded, safe fantasy game.

And in the all important middle, Memphis Grizzlies and Spanish center Marc Gasol is the choice above Al Jefferson. Here are the full rankings:

The post 2013/14 Fantasy NBA Top 200 Draft Rankings appeared first on andrise.com.

They have been oppressed, ridiculed and exiled for something beyond their control.

They are the ones who smudge their words as they write upon a board. They are the ones who recklessly flip guitars upside down! They are the ones who struggle with even the most simplest of can openers.

They are, of course, Lefties.

August 13. Left-Hander Day. A day we tip our hats and offer a left-handed salute to Mollydookers.

No one knows where they came from or why they are here. All we know is they make up about 10% of the world’s population and are weird to look at.

If you look around you can see their influence. From the Louvre to legislation and we at AndRise are proud to honor the ole Southpaw with a top 10 of the most prolific Lefties influencing the World today, in all their backwards glory.

Yojne. (That’s Lefty for, ‘enjoy’. What, that’s not how it works?! On with the list!)

1. James Cameron (Brought you the biggest movie in the world. Twice.)
2. Bill Gates (You’re on his PC)
3. Angelina Jolie (Acts, adopts, mastectomy. Philanthropist and beacon for breast cancer awareness. Who knew after seeing Gigi.)
4. LeBron James (2 championship rings – count em)
5. Oprah Winfrey (Almost bought a shop in Zurich out of spite for not letting her see a 40k handbag.)
6. Arya Stark (Last time we saw Arya she was getting stab happy with some Frey men. Are you going to tell her she can’t be on the list? Valar Morghulis, indeed.)
7. Barack Obama (Something to do with the White House)
8. Trey Parker (When he isn’t creating South Park he is doing whatever the hell he wants, whether that be Broadway musicals, puppet movies, or teaching English to the Japanese
9. Ned Flanders (Hens love roosters, geese love ganders, everyone else loves Ned Flanders)
10.  Ben ‘Haggard’ Indrisie & Mitch Page (You’re on their website, reading their article)

So let’s recap – we have a the Leader of the Free World, a reigning NBA MVP Champ AND Barrack Obama, (Oprah zing!) which tells me two things – if you’re lucky enough to be African American AND a Mollydooka, expect big things, secondly it shows that every day can be Left-Handers Day. Awwwww

So, if you see a left-hander, don’t snicker as they fumble awkwardly with the can opener, don’t look at them and cringe when they are using a knife, don’t call them the devil, because at the end of the day, they’re just a backwards you.

Or some type of wizard.

Mitch Page. Lefty and proud.

The post Left handed Salute appeared first on andrise.com.