March 1 - March 31

March 25th, 2006

The "Omar Smash" is for real!

Article from "Le journal de Libreville", march 25

Only months after his arrival in the wba, Omar Raoumbe is making a name for himself in this league by putting impressive numbers for a rookie(15.5pts and 6.1rebs) and also by the already famous "Omar Smash", the name that had be given to his incredible dunks we see all the time on the Prime-time-sports highlights center.

Omar was drafted 7th overall by the Giants, who were more than happy to be able to select the young kid

who grew up and Gabon and is well know in the aera not only for his basketball skills but also for his

great human spirit. "This is a excellent acquisition for the Giants" said the general manager Simon Drapeau.

"We acquired a very good basketball players with unlimited potential, and at the same time we acquired a

person that is well respected and known by the fans. Here people just love Omar... he is the pure definition of a local hero."

"I am so happy right now." said the 21 years old foward. "Basketball is a game I love and to be able to represent my people while playing this game, its really an honor for me. I was really glad that the Giants picked me, because even though I love this game very much, my family and friends are even more important for me so I dont think I would have accepted to go play in another city. There are some prorities in my life I have to respect if I want to be happy. But I dont have to worry about that anymore. I am a Giant for life." he said with a huge shiny smile on is face.

His teammates have also some words to say about him. Gabon's scoring leader "It feels great to play on the court with him. The crowd is so into it when he makes something happens... its like we have an extra player on the floor. Its amazing..I had never experience that before he came to this team." Veteran Jerry Bramson added; "I think we are witnessing the beginning of a long love story between Omar and the Giants fans. This union projects a very bright future for this team." And what about thoses monster dunks?!? added Elvis 'the King' Harris. "theses are so powerful and spectacular... too bad there aint a slam dunk contest anymore."

When asked about being the favorite to win the rookie of the year honors so far, Omar gives a little smile and says; "I would be flattered to won the rookie award, but that doesnt mean much compare to what the organization and our fans really wants, and that is a championship. I will concentrate my efforts in the years to come to upgrade my game so that we can get closer and closer to that goal. If I win some trophies and personnal honor along the way, its fine. But I have to keep focus on the team's goal."

It is so gently said it may sound a little cliché and even false if it would have been said by another young star in this league, but in this case its all truth... because Omar is for real.

March 22nd, 2006

Around the WBA

Cancun's Paul Carroll tore his groin and is expected to miss several weeks.

Ed Kane tore his ACL and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Ellis Law has a broken finger on his shooting finger andis expected to miss at least 10 games.

Jaxon McCall has been suspended for two games for pushing Otto Hameleers in todays game.

Cincinnati's Chris Worsinger ripped his Achilleas Tendon and will miss the rest of the season.

March 22nd, 2006

FREE AGENCY PREVIEW: THE POINT GUARDS

1.- CHARLIE MEYERS, PARIS, 25 years old (13.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 6.6 apg, 44.4% FG)

Charlie Meyers is a great young player to make some great players to play. HIs stats dont jump at you unless you look at his 1.1 blocks per game, but the most outstanding item on him is the flow of the game when hes on hte court. Every player knows how, where and when to move, and Meyers is the extension of the coach on the court, playing always under control and dominating the pace. On the other hand, Charlie MEyers is an average defender, with very good leaping ability, so he will find it easier to block a shot than steal a pass. He will ask for a big pay raise for sure, and it will be interesting to see how PAris handles the situation. With three great contracts in Curtis, Lee and VAsquez, Meyers can ask for more than expected. GUstavo knows about it and hes trying to trade Anthony Curtis and his 10 M contract. If Meyers hits the free agency, he will receive big time offers, and he could be out of range for PAris

2.- OLIVER DOHERTY, LONG ISLAND, 26 years old (14.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.3 apg)

Doherty is a scoring guard first of all, i would dare to say that hes a shooting guard in a PG body. In this league you can live and die for him, as hes not afraid to take a lot of shot, not caring about who are his teammates. Hes shooting at 35% this season, which makes all his scoring ability to be somehow realative. SO, he is not shy at all, and his constant quest for shots and penetrations make him to draw a lot of fouls, he actually leads huis team with 6 free throws per game, making 80 % of them. PLaying for a team like Long ISland, you could think that he is hurting a good team by shooting too much, but hes playing off guard, as Kadeem Reed is the primary point guard. He knows hes out of long Island at the end of the season, as Gorman will require a big paycheck in his extension. HE could be perfect for a team with a good passer in the shooting guard, or maybe he could use the summer to practice playing shooting guard. His chances to land a big contract would rise

3.- JAVONTE BOLK, ROCHESTER, 24 years old (12.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 8.0 apg, 47.1 % FG)

Bolk is still a young player who has the ability to make his teammates better now.Unlike Doherty, he enjoys sharing the ball, and he is already a top ten passer in the league. Other than that, he loves to shoot from long range, but he could use some work in that particular area. His defense is average, and he tries to put his body between the opponent and the basket. Being 24, he still has a lot of space to develop, and some teams will try to get him. ROchester could have some problems keeping him, given that they will have another important player to resign in Ramon Phelan. It will be a hard work for Dave to make the adjustments to fit all of them under the cap, and we could see a sign and trade here.

4.- JIMMY WHALEN, CHARLOTTE, 28 years old (6.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.7 apg in 20 minutes)

Whalen is suffering one of the worst situations a free agent to be could think about. HE is playing limited minutes, not being able to shop his skills. WHen hes on the court, he is a very efficient player. His last two seasons in Rochester, he averaged 8.7 and 8.9 assists per game, and getting close to 5 boards. That is the player you could sign here. He knows he cant sign another contract like the one he has now, and he feels that he is no more than cap relief for Charlotte, but there are a lot of teams that could use his ability to find the open player on the court. A contractin the range of 4 millions would be enough for him, but we doubt he will forgive Charlotte for losing the oportunity to get a better offer.

5. JOHN GAISER, SEOUL, 28 years old (10.4 ppg, 2.2 apg, 5.4 apg)

Gaiser is one of the best pure passers in the league, thats for sure. He averages over 7 assists in his whole career in 30 minutes per game, which makes almost 10 assists per 40 minutes. He has had a good career, but a little dissapointing after being drafted 4th overall in season 6. HE could be an interesting player in some other team. AT the moment, Seoul is looking for an identity, and a veteran player unable to dominate is not the best option, even more when they have a player like Daren Benson who is a better scorer and can match with him at 22 years old. Some teams could require a veteran guard to dish the ball to their stars, and in that situation, Gaiser is one of the best

March 20th, 2006

What is the key to success in the WBA? Ask the maid at the hotel!!!

By Johnny "HOOPS" Hamilton

There are lots of ways to compare teams in sports. But the one stat that great teams have over the bad teams is superior play on the road. The best teams find a way to win games on the road and that's what sets them apart. Ironically the teams that win on the road are likely the teams that will get to avoid it come playoff time. What do all the 30+ win teams have in common. Yes the obvious answer is the correct one. They all have a winning road record.

Cancun Overall: 38-8 Road: 18-5

Capetown Overall 37-10 Road 17-6

Oregon Overall 35-10 Road 14-8

Brooklyn Overall 33-11 Road 15-7

Paris Overall: 32-12 Road 13-9

Charlotte Overall 30-17 Road 13-11

The only division leader that doesn't have a winning road record is Colorado and they are the only sub 30 win Division leader as well. Now for the bad and ugly teams with a below .500 record. to protect the innocent we won't name them individually but you all know who they are. here is what they have done as a group on the road:

Road Record of Below .500 Teams: 89-271 .247%

Gabon was the only team to have double digit win total on the road with 10 wins. At the other end of the spectrum is Cincy at 2-21. Ok so we are not protecting the innocent totally. But facts are facts you lose on the road you have no hope of being a contender for anything other than the draft lottery. WBA fans truly can say they have an impact cause the teams that can't take the pressure from the visiting fans crumble. In fact only 11 of the 30 WBA Franchises have a losing home record. The worst being Mexico who at least is consistent 4 wins at home 4 wins on the road and too many loses to count. Maybe its the water in Mexico why they can't win at home I have no idea. That is a completely different issue though. Teams more often than not will max out their effort at home but the ones that can take that with them on the road are the teams that can contend for a WBA title.This is the combined road record for the past 5 WBA champions regular season:

138-62 which works out a winning percentage of .690

We could go on listing stats to support the argument but it's clear you win on the road and you are part of the elite few in the WBA that is in the mix to be considered a championship contender. stats of shooting % rebounding and anything else you can think of have an impact but none more than if you can get the W's on the road. So make sure you have the good hotels and the nice charter planes for the players cause what they do on those trips have a big impact on the level of success they can have. Hi room service bills are worth it if you can get wins on the road.

Good teams get it done under any circumstances. Chicks may dig the long ball but Owners dig road wins. Fans dig winning Basketball teams and will show their support even in places like Alaska where hope is just a rumour.But fans all over the WBA make road wins like gold and they are hard to gain. Sometimes we over look the obvious when looking at teams but how they play on the road is usually the best reflection of where they are as a franchise. Road games are advertising for the fans as well. More people see any given road game on GSPN than actual live fans at a home game. Think of it as a 2 to 3 hour infomercial for ball clubs to their hometowns. No team wants to be the guaranteed win night in the other teams buildings. But some teams lack of success make the promotion a worth while effort for clubs.

March 20th, 2006

The Spin on the Pacific Coast Exchange

A funny thing happened this past week in the executive offices of the WBA. The most successful team in recent years (Oregon) made a deal with the historically must unsuccessful team in league history (Alaska). A number of big names were involved as well. From Oregon Boom Boom Casey saw himself dealt once again--solidifying his place as a journey man in the last years of his glorious career. Also one of the more versatile and unique players in the league, Donavon Jones saw himself on his way to Alaska. From Alaska we saw Corey Mosley, the leading rebounder in the league, make his return to Oregon. We also saw Scott Nicholson, a mainstay of Cancun's gloried dynasty make his way to Oregon to try and create another dynasty. It is uncertain what repercussions this deal will have for each team but it is clear that for both the deal is brewing with potential.

In its position, Alaska has little pressure on the outcome of the deal. If it does not pan out it will just be another deal that didn't pan out. But for the hopeful and faithful Alaska fans, this deal could very well be interpreted as the beginning of a great turnaround for the franchise. On one side the team managed to unload the contract of who they see as the most overpaid player in the league, Scott Nicholson. Either 14 million doesn't buy what it used to or Nicholson is stealing money by only racking up 13 points and 7 rebounds a contest. From this point of view Nicholson living solely off of his reputation. Obviously, this is not what Oregon thinks. To make that kind of monetary investment Oregon must still believe that Nicholson still has the same essential qualities of a winning player and only needs the right situation to blossom. The other key player Alaska gave up was the leading rebounder in the league, Corey Mosley. For Alaska fans this departure isn't so sad when they view it from the side of inflated stats. With one of the leagues worst shooting percentages how couldn't Mosley be leading the league in rebounding in Alaska? But obviously Oregon thinks otherwise. Perhaps no other team is a better gauge of Mosley's abilities than the team who drafted him and won a championship with. But is Mosley the same player at age 30? Oregon has banked that he is.

A key player involved on the other side is Donovan Jones and with this acquisition Alaska fans are ecstatic. Here is a player who can do it all and who has established himself as a proven winner. Forget the fact that his stats are all down from last season this is simply because he had been sacrificing individual glory for team success. Oregon may have held on to him this long for thinking just that but the lack of production eventually convinced them to pull the trigger on this very deal. The fact that Oregon did not win a championship until they acquired Jones was probably in the minds of Oregon management but eventually put aside when the deal was struck. The last piece of the puzzle in this deal was the legend Boom Boom Casey. A lot was made in the press about Casey and Gonzalez getting a chance to play on the same team. With one of the leagues best records the mix seemed to be working. But obviously something wasn't sitting quite right for Oregon.

In acquiring Mosley and Nicholson Oregon receives two players that have played integral parts of past championship teams, albeit different ones. The question that faces Oregon is whether they specifically will mix together. The construction of a championship caliber team is a delicate process and as two-time champions Oregon is well aware of this. The risk to unbalance the team was obviously a risk the team thought worth taking.

Will the acquisition of Mosley and Nicholson separate Oregon from the rest of the powers in the league and pave the way to another championship? Or will the departure of Jones signify the end of Oregon's run? Could the acquisition of Jones mark the turning point in Alaska's lackluster past? For now, it all depends what spin you put on it but time will reveal the ultimate outcome of the deal.

*Despite the swirling rumors about this trade itwas blocked by the league offices.

March 20th, 2006

Paris smashes SLC 114-91

By Clark Lane.

Saturday evening on the Palace de Bercy SLC comes to play Paris. Nothing special, even if SLC is playing better than he used too, he is not a contender this season yet. But owner and GM of SLC Brad Bangerter declared early this week that Cordell Parks was an MVP candidate and Vasquez a distant 3rd. (Abdiel Gordon being the second man on the race).

This pushed like fire the play of Paris and Vasquez in particular. The whole week the team was winning everywhere they were playing, but Saturday was a special day. Vasquez asked the rest of the team to step-up the physical play and show a lesson to SLC. He specially trained all week with Al Lee to recover the play that made Lee a fan favorite in Paris. He is the essential player, the one that make turn the wheels. He does all the little things a team need to win a match. No fuss, but great results.

Saturday, playing in from of Cordell Parks he thought it was going to be a tough game. But he shown why he has always been in the plans of Paris coach Gustavo Follana. The strategy for the game was simple. Play hard, put the pressure on them and wait till they crumble. The match started pretty even , but at the end of the first quarter a 8-0 run by Paris allowed them to finish the first quarter winning 26-30. SLC never came back in the game after this run. Six minutes into the second quarter and Sean Ashman was called his sixth foul. This allowed the rest of the team to try to stop Brad Bangerter and Cordell Parks.

Bangerter had a really good game showing who is the real boss at SLC putting 20 points and 10 rebounds, and even with the help of Austyn Williams with 21 points and 10 assists they were not able to stop the rout. Parks went to the bench with 4 minutes to end the 3rd quarter, and Wally Birkhead did his best to hold it on, but was send away a few minutes later.

From Paris, Al Lee put 16 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists for Paris. Vasquez played his usual stellar game with 29 points, 9 rebounds 5 assists and 2 blocks. Helped by Curtis and Meyers with 21 and 22 points each.

At the end a great game for Paris. SLC was no match at all, maybe the early expulsion of Ashman did stop them short and broke a promising beginning of match.

We will have to wait until day 78 to see if SLC can avenge this lose and show they deserve some respect…

March 20th, 2006

WBA STATS ANALYZER: WEEK 8

MMF

WEEK 8		MMF	TOTAL		MMF
1	Bishop Stein	149.3	1 (=)	Bishop Stein	1183.2
2	Jay Vasquez	144.3	2 (=)	Abdiel Gordon	1104.35
3	Dave Williams	140.95	3 (=)	Cordell Parks	1026.1
4	Anthony Curtis	140.7	4 (+2)	Heiko Van Brand	1005.6
5	Mike Bennett	130	5 (+2)	Mario Bailey	1003.45
6	Walt Jackson	128.65	6 (+4)	Dave Williams	997.35
7	John Devine	128.3	7 (+2)	Shane Strom	993.9
8	Charlie Meyers	126.5	8 (-3)	Devonta Corriga	988.05
9	Shane Strom	124.9	9 (-5)	Marquez Houston	987.05
10	Gordon Whitehou	120.75	10 (-2)	Lou Gonzales	980.05
11	Greg Lacy	118.5	11 (+4)	Jay Vasquez	964.8
12	Tom Kinsey	117.45	12 (+1)	Walt Jackson	962.25
13	Parker Mason	115.55	13 (-2)	Omar Jefferson	934.95
14	Abdiel Gordon	115.5	14 (-2)	Jaxon McCall	931.4
15	Mario Bailey	114.4	15 (+1)	Craig Bradshaw	906.1
16	Angelo Bacchi	114.3	16 (-2)	Obafemi Mabruke	899.35
17	Eugene LaMaitre	113.45	17 (+4)	Mike Bennett	868.15
18	Pat Stephenson	113.45	18 (=)	Yuri Vilasny	867.85
19	Gerhold Verholm	111.7	19 (-2)	Maury Coleman	852.75
20	Samir Sheth	111.5	20 (-1)	Kent Mercer	845
21	Heiko Van Brand	110.7	21 (-1)	Oshodi Bombata	829.5
22	Roy Base	110.65	22 (=)	Brad Bangerter	818.95
23	Ahmed Dougherty	110.05	23 (+2)	Paul Spagnoli	811.55
24	Daren Benson	108.8	24 (+4)	Roy Base	810.2
25	Jerry Bramson	108.65	25 (+7)	Parker Mason	809.3
26	Branko Filipovi	105.7	26 (-3)	Juwan Bixby	802.95
27	Evilio Nunez	104.95	27 (+7)	Tom Kinsey	801.1
28	Craig Bradshaw	103.75	28 (+6)	Greg Lacy	799.65
29	Edgar Kamara	102.75	29 (+7)	Ahmed Dougherty	786.75
30	Lou Gonzales	102.7	30 (-4)	Sean Ashman	778.75

VORP

WEEK 8		VORP	TOTAL		VORP
1	Anthony Curtis	49.3902	1 (=)	Bishop Stein	352.7236
2	Bishop Stein	47.0646	2 (=)	Mario Bailey	311.1646
3	Mike Bennett	44.4507	3 (=)	Lou Gonzales	307.4506
4	Jay Vasquez	42.7115	4 (+5)	Dave Williams	294.2295
5	Walt Jackson	41.1125	5 (-1)	Jaxon McCall	287.9641
6	Shane Strom	39.4845	6 (=)	Cordell Parks	284.4079
7	Tom Kinsey	38.3066	7 (=)	Abdiel Gordon	281.7252
8	Dave Williams	37.6681	8 (-3)	Marquez Houston	281.3529
9	Charlie Meyers	37.2134	9 (-1)	Maury Coleman	273.8471
10	Ahmed Dougherty	35.8257	10 (=)	Omar Jefferson	270.3169
11	John Devine	33.8884	11 (+2)	Shane Strom	263.2416
12	Angelo Bacchi	33.3811	12 (-1)	Devonta Corriga	262.6517
13	Branko Filipovi	33.2439	13 (+2)	Jay Vasquez	260.2993
14	Mario Bailey	32.7185	14 (=)	Walt Jackson	259.3575
15	Daren Benson	31.8093	15 (-3)	Oshodi Bombata	258.9431
16	Eugene LaMaitre	31.5847	16 (=)	Ahmed Dougherty	250.5082
17	Lou Gonzales	30.9007	17 (+1)	Mike Bennett	248.8810
18	Harry Jarvis	30.7326	18 (+5)	Yuri Vilasny	218.2417
19	Pat Stephenson	30.5315	19 (-1)	Dexter Kodak	217.4722
20	Bill Yeager	29.9544	20 (+1)	Heiko Van Brand	216.4760
21	Gordon Whitehou	29.7716	21 (+3)	Craig Bradshaw	213.3202
22	Paul Spagnoli	29.4322	22 (=)	Kent Mercer	211.9047
23	Tom Perkins	29.3109	23 (-6)	Tony Dimateo	210.6441
24	Jerry Bramson	29.1669	24 (-5)	Oman Fatafehi	210.3744
25	Anson Valente	28.7682	25 (+9)	Tom Kinsey	210.2833
26	Chad O'Donnell	28.0018	26 (+3)	Wayne Taylor	205.8883
27	Samir Sheth	27.9106	27 (+3)	Paul Spagnoli	204.7015
28	Evilio Nunez	27.7804	28 (-3)	Sean Ashman	200.0329
29	Wayne Taylor	27.7570	29 (+9)	Charlie Meyers	198.7100
30	Kurt Beck	27.7323	30 (+4)	Greg Lacy	198.4372

WEEK 8		AV	TOTAL		AV
1	Anthony Curtis	2.13220	1 (=)	Bishop Stein	9.8963
2	Jay Vasquez	2.13220	2 (+1)	Abdiel Gordon	9.5933
3	Bishop Stein	2.12214	3 (+4)	Heiko Van Brand	9.4895
4	Mike Bennett	2.05123	4 (+1)	Cordell Parks	9.4038
5	Greg Lacy	2.01034	5 (+1)	Lou Gonzales	9.3854
6	John Devine	1.97949	6 (-4)	Marquez Houston	9.3609
7	Dave Williams	1.96917	7 (-3)	Devonta Corriga	9.3301
8	Tom Kinsey	1.93810	8 (=)	Mario Bailey	9.1450
9	Walt Jackson	1.89642	9 (+1)	Jay Vasquez	9.0644
10	Shane Strom	1.88595	10 (-1)	Craig Bradshaw	8.9525
11	Pat Stephenson	1.87547	11 (+2)	Shane Strom	8.7522
12	Heiko Van Brand	1.87547	12 (+2)	Dave Williams	8.5378
13	Charlie Meyers	1.84389	13 (-2)	Jaxon McCall	8.5314
14	Angelo Bacchi	1.84389	14 (+1)	Walt Jackson	8.4680
15	Gordon Whitehou	1.84389	15 (+5)	Mike Bennett	8.4616
16	Jerry Bramson	1.82273	16 (-4)	Obafemi Mabruke	8.4489
17	Eugene LaMaitre	1.81213	17 (+6)	Greg Lacy	8.3598
18	Craig Bradshaw	1.80150	18 (-2)	Brad Bangerter	8.2959
19	Parker Mason	1.75877	19 (-1)	Oshodi Bombata	8.2383
20	Roy Base	1.75877	20 (-3)	Kent Mercer	8.1870
21	Mario Bailey	1.74804	21 (+4)	Paul Spagnoli	8.0711
22	Abdiel Gordon	1.71570	22 (-1)	Juwan Bixby