NBA Nicknames

Creating solid nicknames seems to be a lost art with the aliases that NBA players have today. The latest and lamest trend in nicknames in today's sports is initials and single letter prefixes. The initial nickname is by far the laziest form of a nickname. Kevin Garnet claims the nickname of KG. KG? Really? Where is the creativity? Now I know he has one of the good nicknames in the Big Ticket so why is KG even still around? Other culprits include...

CP3 - Chris Paul #3

CB4 - Chris Bosh #4

AI - Allen Iverson / Andre Iguodala

The single letter prefix is almost as lazy as the initials. Baseball made it famous by creating A-rod for Alex Rodriguez. Some ballers have tried it out like Deron Williams going with D-Will. Lets discuss some of the current stars of the NBA and their nicknames.

Kobe Bryant - Black Mamba

Recently this nickname got bashed on ESPN by both Jalen Rose and Barry Melrose. I respectively disagree. The Black Mamba is original and will never be repeated. The Black Mamba is one of the worlds most deadliest snakes and it can attack at 99 percent accuracy, similar to Kobe himself.
Lebron James - King James

New Nickname - Prince James

This one bothers me, especially since he was dubbed King James way to early in his career. You can't be a King until you earn the crown and as of now King doesnt have his Crown. He is working and fighting for it right now but until that crown comes to Castle Cleveland, all you are is a Prince.
Andrei Kirilenko - AK-47

This is the only circumstance in which the initials number combination is acceptable. AK the initials and 47 his number works on another level. Kirilinko is from Russia and the deadly AK-47 originated in Russia. Any nickname that refers to your home country and one of its most deadly inventions is fine with me.

Kevin Durant - Durantula

New Nickname - Stretch

This one I enjoy, and I have give credit to JE Skeets of the Basketball Jones for coining this one. It is creative and a nice play on his name. Someone has to defend it a little more in terms of Durantula describing the type of Game that Durant has. Unless you were given a nickname before you started playing sports by a grandma or neighborhood friend, the name has to do your game justice. Durant has ridiculous reach with those lanky arms and uses them to his advantage. You heard it here first boys and girls, Kevin Durant you are now Stretch.

Dwight Howard - Superman

This nickname is perfect. Looking at Howard the last thing you think is ordinary human so he must be Super Man. Also it doesn't hurt that he flew through the air during the dunk contest on national TV two years ago.

Dirk Nowitzki - Dirkus Circus

Again the great JE Skeets of Basketball Jones coined this one and it fits beautifully. Dirk is the ring leader of the circus shot. Off balance, completely unorthodox, legs kicking in the wrong direction, getting bumped, and he still manages to make clutch shot after clutch shot. If Mr. Big Shot, Chauncey Billups, wasn't already taken Dirk would have rights to it.

Why we love sports

Athletic and Skilled Big Men

Most big men are just that, big. There is not much to them. They were gifted with incredible size and the logical choice of a career, besides volleyball, is basketball. They acquire a two foot shot and simple post moves and for the next 10-15 years they will make about 50 times more than you make in your life. But every now and then a big man seperates himself from the usually clumsy big man.

These big men play the game like they are 6 foot 6 instead of 7 feet. In the case of Dirk Nowitzki they are more comfortable shooting threes than backing you down. A man like Dwight Howard flys through the air like Jordan but has the height of Shaq and the body built like a boxer. Little is more fun than watching a guy that has to duck when he walks into most homes do things that most NBA players can not do. So we thank you athletic big man, for your amazing skills and always surprising athleticism is one more reason why we love sports.

Stat Line of the Night

Dwight Howard - Magic

18 pts 14 reb 8 blk - W 118-99 vs Raptors

Celtics reign over?

Vince and his 26 help the Magic knock off the suddenly old Celtics

Everyone knew that acquiring Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and now Rasheed Wallace over the last couple of seasons to go along with Paul Pierce makes the Celtics an old team. But these older guys are very good, mature, and have a the rings to prove it (minus rasheed). Suddenly their stacked roster doesn't look like the Eastern Conferences best. Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, and Dwight Howard is looking like the new Big 3. Later in the year it could be the Big 4 when a healthy Jameer Nelson is back.

Boston lost a defensive battle Friday night and pre-season predictions of 72 wins are looking more like a pipe dream than a possibility . With younger and better looking teams such as the Magic, Hawks, and Cavs playing better as the young season goes on, the Celtics are looking less like a Champion and more like a just another contender. There is no reason to panic and jump ship as a Celtic or a Celtic fan, but the days of breezing their way through the regular season and most of the playoffs seem to be gone.