Double Technical

We Are The Champions

2011-06-16T08:59:00.001-07:00

Below are some random videos to celebrate the Dallas Mavericks winning their first ever NBA Championship.

A Finish To Remember

2011-06-03T23:25:00.000-07:00

Down by 15 points with 7 minutes to go, the Dallas Mavericks complete one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals History.

Presented in High Griffinition

2011-02-21T13:46:00.000-08:00

For those who missed it, below is a recap of the 2011 NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest. It was a dunktacular showing.

Big Head Mode

2010-12-13T15:37:00.001-08:00

These Bobblehead NBA commercials are fantastic.

Slim Chin Again

2010-10-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

Below is the latest Adidas ad featuring Ken Jeong and Derrick Rose. A much shorter clip than the first commercial spot.

At a quick glance, here are my top 12 picks for the Fantasy Basketball season. This is for standard H2H leagues. The rankings start from the top to the bottom and span from the left to the right.

Fast Don't Lie

2010-10-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

New Adidas commercial spot featuring Dwight Howard, Ken Jeong and Derrick Rose. Amusing little jingle right here.

Midnight Madness

2010-08-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

Highlights from the Midnight Madness 2010 Dunk Contest featuring Justin Darlington a.k.a Jus Fly and Guy Dupuy a.k.a Easy J. Easily better than anything the Association has put together in years.

Tricks of the trade.........

2010-07-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

The farther along a player gets in his career, the more they have to change their current skill set to still remain competitive at a high level. People always mention MJ as being one of the best at this. Just for parities sake, let's look at Kobe, who at 31 has played far more basketball (World Games, Playoffs, Finals) than a player his age normally would. Gone are the high flying dunks, 360 reverse layups, etc. Replacing them now are fadeaway jumpers, an assortment of post up moves, and a knack for getting to the free throw line. Take a look at the older, wiser Kobe Bryant:

The Decision

2010-07-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

A hilarious parody of the ESPN special, "The Decision" with Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd that was featured on last night's ESPY's.

We Are Witnesses

2010-07-09T08:56:00.000-07:00

Yikes. Lebron, Wade and Bosh on the same team? That's scary. That's a potential dynasty there. But I'm not willing to anoint them as champions quite yet, until I see how Pat Riley fills out their roster. You can't win a championship with just 3 players. And the Lakers are still the defending champions. Trading away Beasley for like nothing seems like a suspect move though. He has potential to be a star in the league. And was the #2 pick in the draft just a couple years ago. I feel for the fans in Cleveland. Lebron jumping ship is like a dagger in the heart. If it's any consolation, I'll be rooting again the Miami Heat next year. I'm not a big fan of ring chasers. Lebron should have proved his mettle by leading his hometown team to an NBA title. But that's just my two cents.

On the Fantasy side, this should hurt the value of Lebron, Wade and Bosh. There is only one ball to go around. And I think Durant is the clear #1 pick in all formats now. He's a beast!

It should be interesting to see Cleveland's reaction over the next few weeks. The below letter is just the beginning.

Open Letter to Fans from Cavaliers Majority Owner Dan Gilbert.

Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.

Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue....

Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers

Ron-Ron Unplugged....

2010-06-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

Classic....First Ron stole the show in Game 7. Then he stole the post game interviews.

And the Artest family:

Sweet 16

2010-06-18T16:34:00.000-07:00

Lakers vs. Celtics

2010-06-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Plays In Lakers vs. Celtics NBA Finals History. Nuff said.

Playoff Predictions: Finals

2010-06-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

Lakers Vs. Celtics: Round 2. This should be a brutal series. But I expect the Lakers to pull out a tough win in 7 games. I'll be rooting for the Celtic each step of the way though. I give the edge to the Lakers because of homecourt advantage. And also because of Kobe and Phil. This will be the end of Boston's fairy tale postseason run. The Lakers have more offensive firepower and a younger and more versatile team.

Once again, Rondo is the key to winning the series for Boston. He has a big edge over Fisher at the PG spot. I would not be surprised to see Kobe take on the defensive assignment of Rondo, and have Fisher defend Ray Allen. He sets the tone for the offense, and his gambling defense leads to easy buckets in transition. He'll need to prove he can hit that jumper consistently to be effective. I think Kevin Garnett will struggle against a legit 4 in Pau Gasol. He won't be matched up against an undersized PF like Jamison or Lewis. And his age and health will limit his effectiveness in this series. He is the anchor of this tough Boston defense though. This squad has been playing outstanding defense all postseason long; but will they be able to slowdown the Lakers for 7 games? Perkins is one Technical Foul away from a suspension. And I would not be surprised if him missing 1 game could be a turning point in the series. They need his size to matchup with Gasol and Bynum. Pierce or Allen will be relied on heavily to score buckets. Can they shoot their team victory? The Celtics have the edge on their bench also. Nate Robinson, if given minutes, could be an X-Factor for this squad. He provides instant offense off of the bench, and would give the Lakers guards fits. Tony Allen can come in for either Ray or Pierce and provide some solid minutes off of the bench defending Kobe. The Lakers don't have that same luxury. Rasheed Wallace and Big Baby provide much needed depth to the Celtics frontcourt.

Kobe has been on a tear this postseason, and he has extra incentive to play well this season to redeem himself from a poor showing 2 years ago. He has been unstoppable the past few series. Gasol has been arguably the best big man in the posteason, and is an excellent second fiddle to Kobe. They provide an excellent inside-outside game for the Lakers. Artest will need to focus on slowing down Pierce. He's a big upgrade for the Lakers over Radmanovic. And will quietly be a deciding factor in this series. Any offense they get from Artest is a bonus. Bynum's health is a huge question mark, but the Lakers will need him to play some solid minutes against the Boston frontcourt. Fisher will be relied on to hit some big shots. I expect Ray/Rondo to drift away from him at times, so he should have opportunities to shine. Anything the Lakers get from their bench is a huge plus. No one has provided any consistent play besides Odom. And he is practically a starter given Bynum's limited minutes. He'll have some big games against this Boston team. This is a much better Lakers team than the one that Boston faced a couple years ago. That was a team that had to rely heavily on Radmanovic, Vujacic, and Walton. And 2 of those players are struggling to get minutes on this new Lakers team. Brown and Farmar will need to hit open shots and not be a liability on the defensive end. Phil Jackson gives them the coaching edge also. He'll make the necessary adjustments to win the series and another cookie.

Playoff Predictions: Conference Finals

2010-05-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

I had actually written this post during the weekend, but didn't have time to publish it online it until now. As you can see, my predictions have been a bit off. This postseason hasn't gone as I expected.

Orlando (2) vs. Boston (4)

Orlando sweeps Atlanta in the previous round in dominating fashion. It was the most lopsided 4-game sweetp in NBA history, as Orlando won each game by an average of 25.3 points. I thought the Hawks would put up a better fight. But I suppose there were plenty of warning signs when the Hawks struggled to put away a Milwaukee team without it's best 2 players. Dwight Howard was a force in the series; and they also got solid contributions from Nelson (their leading scorer), Vinsanity, Lewis, and Pietrus. They look very impressive in the playoffs so far compiling an 8-0 record. But I have some concerns that the long layoff between the end of the second round and the start of the next round makes them vulnerable for a game 1 upset against Boston. Time will tell.

Boston pulls off the impressive upset against Cleveland. The team is finally healthy, and they are playing fantastic defense in the postseason. They have picked the right time to peak. KG is returning to form, which is bad news for the rest of the league. Rondo has been the best player on their squad. And you can't forget about Pierce and Allen. Their role players are stepping up their games too. They've gotten nice production from Rasheed Wallace, Tony Allen and Glenn Davis. The Celtics struggled coming into the postseason, but are now playing their best basketball of the year. They will be a dangerous team. And while some experts see this team as old, I see them as experienced and crafty. I think the champions will come from the Eastern Conference this year. Sorry Lakers.

Boston has plenty of length and size to combat Superman. And they play great team defense. Rasheed Wallace was signed specifically to match up with Howard. Wallace can defend him one-on-one, and his outside shot can drawn Dwight away from the basket. That is key; as much of Orlando's offense comes from double-teams drawn on Dwight Howard. Kendrick Perkins is also an excellent post defender; and KG will take some turns defending Dwight. I think the key for them is stopping Nelson, who has perhaps been the best player for Orlando this postseason. Also if they can limit the # of 3pt baskets made, they will be in great shape. Pierce and Tony Allen will need to slow down Vince Carter. Rondo and KG will be tough matchups for Orlando. Lewis is similar to Jamison, who KG feasted on in the last series. For Orlando, they need to be hitting their outside shots to stand a shot. They are still a jump shooting team. Vince Carter will be the key. He and Nelson are the only players who can really create their own shot consistently. Dwight will need to stay out of foul trouble and be productive. I like their depth, with Redick, Pietrus, Anderson, Jason Williams off of the bench. They can score points in a hurry. It's their defense that needs to be sharp. It's important for SVG to make the proper adjustments from game to game, and use their depth to their advantage. He needs to keep the team motivated and make sure they don't come up flat in Game 1. They have home court advantage, which could be the difference-maker. Boston has not played well at home also, so I think Orlando wins in 7. They were my preseason pick.

L.A. Lakers (1) vs. Phoenix (3)

The returning champs beat down Utah in a 4 game sweep. They weren't particularly dominating, but they managed to squeeze out the wins with some great play in the clutch. They got excellent production from Kobe and Gasol. Kobe scored over 30 points in all 4 games against Utah. The extra rest between the series should help Kobe also. The injury to Bynum is a bit worrisome however. They don't have a lot of depth on their bench, so they will be hurting in the frontcourt if Bynum is hobbled. They haven't gotten much production from their bench excluding Lamar Odom. Phil Jackson remains among the best coaches so he will make sure that his team is prepared. They have homecourt advantage and will be anxious to avenge their defeat from a few years ago.

Phoenix has been one of the hottest teams in the postseason. They swept a very touch Spurs team. I did not see that coming. They managed to elevate their game in the clutch. They got some defensive stops when they needed, and were relentless on the offensive end. J-Rich has played great so far in the postseason. Amare and Nash have been unstoppable with their pick-n-roll and are providing an excellent inside and outside game. Grant Hill has evolved into an effective defensive stopper. But the X-factor for the postseason, has been their bench. Frye, Dragic, Barbosa, Amundson and Dudley have been great. They've provided tons of energy and hustle, and have been the difference-makers. They have plenty of scoring, and just need to keep up the tempo and put pressure on the Lakers. They can't stop the Lakers frontcourt.

This will be an exciting series. The Lakers seem to have the advantage though with their length and size in the inside, plus having the best closer in the game in Kobe. But if Bynum is limping, that will definitely make this series more interesting. Lopez is scheduled to return for Phoenix, which provides another big body to defend against Bynum and Gasol. Hill will be assigned to Kobe, and asked to slow him down. Nash will murder Fisher. I wonder if the Lakers will elect to put Kobe on Nash. I think Artest will defend Richardson, and will slow him down. Amare vs Gasol should be a fun matchup. Amare has the power and athleticism advantage, Gasol being a more finese and skilled player. The Suns will need to push the tempo and try to outscore the Lakers. They'll need their bench to continue to play well. They have the edge there over the Lakers. Dragic and Barbosa could be keys to this series, with their quickness and ability to score. Frye's outside shooting; along with Dudley will be big off of the bench too. For the Lakers, Bynum, Gasol and Odom will need to dominate the post. They'll need to play good defense. Artest and Fisher will need to step up and hit some buckets for them. Any production they can get from their bench will be a bonus. I always say that defense wins championships, so I predict the Lakers will win in 6, maybe less.

Playoff Predictions: 2nd Round

2010-05-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

LA Lakers (1) vs. Utah (5)

Oklahoma City gave the Lakers a bit of a scare in the first round; but this happens just about every year. It's become an annual thing for the Lakers to be pushed to 6 or 7 games in a series against a lesser opponent. Who can forget the classic Houston series from last year. As long as Kobe and Gasol are healthy, this team will be in contention for the championship. Bynum's knee is a bit worrisome; but the Lakers managed to win it all last year without getting much contributions from him. So it can be done. Artest/Fisher/Odom will need to step up their games for the Lakers to repeat. Phil Jackson is one of the all-time great coaches.

Apparently, I underestimated the Utah Jazz. Even losing Okur in Game 1, they were able to knock off Denver in 6 games. Okur will miss the rest of the postseason, which is a huge blow for their chances. This does mean more minutes for Millsap, however. Kirilenko should be back sometime during the next series, which will help them defend against Kobe. Deron Williams and Boozer were brilliant against Denver. But the difference-makers in the series were the play of Matthews and Miles. They'll need to continue to play well for the Jazz to stand any shot at advancing to the Western Conference Finals. Also they will need to prove that they can win on the road, where they have struggle all year.

The Lakers had trouble stopping Westbrook in the 1st round, and now they have to face a toucher PG in Deron Williams. Fisher stands no shot at stopping him. I expect Kobe and Artest to take turns defending him. Once again, they have a huge edge in the frontcourt with Bynum/Gasol/Odom. Their length will cause havoc in the passing lanes. Also whoever is matched up against Fesenko will have a big edge. The Lakers will need Artest and Odom to contribute more on the offensive end. They didn't get much production from their role players in the first round. For Utah, Boozer and Millsap will need to continue to play big in the middle. Crash the glass and pound the ball inside. Wiliams and Boozer will get theirs; but the key will be the play of Matthews and Miles. If they can continue to play as well as they did in the first round, they'll stand a shot; albeit a slim one, to knock out the Lakers. If they can get Kirilenko back soon, that would also help their chances. Both Sloan and Jackson are great coaches, so it should be a fun matchup. But I still see [Lakers in 6]

San Antonio (7) vs. Phoenix (3)

I'm not surprised that the Spurs won, but I was impressed by their play. They were the tougher team, and they got solid contributions from their role players: Hill, McDyess, Blair and Jefferson. It's a scary thought when the Spurs can win a game with their Big 3 struggling. Interestingly, they were the first #7 seed to win a first round 7-game series. The key was the play of Hill, and Parker's willingness to come off of the bench. Both were questionable with injuries, but came up big in the Dallas series. Manu is a warrior and played well despite a broken nose. Duncan continues to show signs of decline, but is still a major contributor.

It took Phoenix a little longer than expected to take out Portland, but they ended up winning in 6 games. Assigning Grant Hill to defend Andre Miller was a key move. They won 4 out of 5 games after that decision. J-Rich was the X-Factor. In all games that he played well, the Suns won. Amare scored at a nice clip, but did not rebound or defend particularly well. Nash continues to do his thing at an advanced age. But it's the supporting cast of the team that was superb. Frye, Hill, Barbosa, Dudley, Dragic, Amundson... they provided this team with the necessary energy and depth to pull out the wins. Their defense is better than in previous years, but still not great. They are going to be a tough out this year.

These teams have a lot of history between them. The Spurs always seem to prevail against them. And I think this year won't be any different. I would not be surprised to see this series go the distance however. I expect Amare to have a huge series once again. But if the Spurs are able to slow down Nash and limit the # of 3pt baskets, they'll stand a great chance at winning. They are the better defensive team; and will be able to come up with key stops down the stretch of games. The Spurs will also need to pay special attention to J-Rich. As mentioned above, when he struggles, the whole team struggles. They'll need Hill/Parker to be aggressive and force Nash to work on the defensive end. The Phoenix bench could be a deciding factor in this series as well. They play with great energy and hustle, and have a number of deadly outside shooters. For the Suns, a key matchup will be Hill vs. Manu. If he can slowdown Manu like he did with Miller in the first series, that will be a great help for the Suns. Also history dictates that if they can shutdown the Spurs role players, they'll have an excellent shot at winning. The Big 3 can't win the series by themselves. I give Popovich the coaching edge. He'll know what adjustments to make to help the Spurs pull out a tough win against Phoenix. [Spurs in 7]

Cleveland (1) vs. Boston (4)

Cleveland beating Chicago was a foregone conclusion. Cavalier fans have to be concerned about Lebron James elbow injury though. The fact that he had to take a left-handed free throw at the end of Game 5 is worrisome. So much of Cleveland's offense is predicated on Lebron. And if he is playing tentative and not attacking the basket, that will have a drastic effect on the entire team. That's something to look out for. Also in the first round of action, they didn't get particularly strong contributions from their role players. Only Jamison and Mo Williams averaged double-digit scoring, for example. Lebron won't be able to win a title by himself, he'll need his supporting cast to step up and win some games. Shaq will get more minutes in the postseason going forward, and will need to show that he can carry this Cleveland team for short bursts of time. They will need his ability to draw double-teams, and score in the post.

Boston took out Miami more easily than I would have thought. I had picked Miami as one of the teams that had the best chance at an upset. But Wade didn't get much help from his teammates, and he could only carry his team so far. I think it's finally time to recognize Rondo as the best player in Boston. His defense, rebounding, passing and penetration are critical for this Boston team. He is the motor that makes this Celtics team go. We should refer to Boston as Rondo and the Other 3. Pierce proves that he can still be a major contributor to this team though with his last minute heroics. And Allen is still one of the league's elite shooters. KG is solid, but not the warrior he was in the past. And he lacks the explosion from his younger years. Despite this team's advanced age, they are still a factor in this postseason. Don't count them out. If their role players can step up their games, they will be tough to beat.

The key for Cleveland winning is stopping Rondo. I don't think Mo Williams has a shot at slowing down Rondo, so you might see West or Parker defend him for stretches of time. Pierce vs Lebron will be a marque matchup. As mentioned before, it will be interesting to see how the elbow affects Lebron's play. If he plays tentative, it will be absolutely crucial for Mo Williams, Jamison, Shaq and company to step up. I like the depth that Cleveland has. They can throw a bunch of different looks at the Boston team. Jamison was picked up for the exact reason to combat teams like Boston. His outside shooting will stretch the defense, and he gives Lebron another scoring option. They will need to use their energy and hustle to outplay the older Boston team. Hickson will be a solid contributor off of the bench. Boston will need to get strong contributions from their bench. Rasheed will need to wake up. Tony Allen could be called on to defend Lebron and be a pest on the defensive end. Perkins and Big Baby need to hustle and rebound. This is Cleveland's series to lose. [Cleveland wins in 6], but it could stretch out to 7 games.

Orlando (2) vs. Atlanta (3)

Orlando was the only team to sweep their opponent in the last series. And that was with Dwight Howard fighting foul trouble in each game. That's a scary thought. Nelson has been playing like a beast so far. Lewis has been scoring at a nice clip too. Carter has struggled with his shot so far, but Orlando hasn't needed him to score a ton of points to win. That may change in the next round, of course. But he has the potential to be a clutch performer for this team. They are getting solid contributions from their bench, which is a huge advantage. They have great depth, and can rely on their role players to hold and sometimes even increase leads. They look bound for the Eastern Conference Finals again.

Atlanta struggled to beat out a hard-working, tough-nosed Milwaukee team. That doesn't bode well for their chances in the next round. They were able to in game 6 and 7 in dominating fashion, however. But I still think that if Bogut was healthy, Milwaukee could have won that series. Crawford struggled for most of the series against Milwaukee, but came a live in the last few games. Johnson, Horford and Smith were sharp for most of the series. They will need to get better effort from Bibby and Marvin Williams to be competitive, however. Their bench isn't particularly strong, so their team will struggle if their starters are not playing well. They have a lot riding on this postseason, their success or lack thereof will determine if Woodson is brought back and whether Joe Johnson will resign with their team or sign with someone else.

Nelson and Dwight will be the keys for the Orlando team. They have favorable match-ups and will need to play at their best. Vince vs Johnson will be a fantasic matchup. Josh Smith and Lewis at the PF spot play very different styles. Lewis hits open 3pt shots and stretches the defense. While Smith plays tough defense, crashes the boards, and attacks the basket. I like Orlando's depth here though. Their bench is much better than Atlanta's. This will allow Van Gundy to keep his starters fresh. The longer this series goes on, the more it benefits Orlando. Dwight should be able to dominate an undersized Horford. He will need to stay out of foul trouble, though. They can't afford him to miss long stretches in each game like last series. Outside shooting could be a factor in this series also. Both teams hit 3's at a nice clip. Atlanta will need strong shooting efforts from both Crawford and Johnson. They have nice size at the wing positions, so they will need to crash the boards, defend well, and try to score easy buckets in transition. Overall, I think Orlando is just the more talented team. [Orlando wins in 6], maybe even 5 games.

Playoff Predictions: 1st Round (Eastern Conference)

2010-04-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

Cleveland (1) vs. Chicago (8)

Chicago squeaks into the playoffs barely edging out a slumping Toronto team that had just lost Bosh for the rest of the season, and their prize is a first round beat-down by the Cavaliers. I expect Cleveland to be focused and take care of business quickly. This series will give the Cavs a few games to integrate Shaq back into their game plan. He'll be a key component in latter series. Lebron will show everyone why he is the league's MVP. He will dominate both sides of the floor. Likewise, Rose will have his way against Mo Williams and West. It will take a team defensive effort to slowdown Rose. Chicago misses the firepower of Gordon off of the bench. I just don't think they have enough talent or weapons to compete with Cleveland. Noah is recovering from an injury, which won't help their cause at all. Deng will have his hands full defending Lebron. And their coaching situation is volatile. The weakness of the Cavs last year was a lack of firepower. But now they have added both Shaq and Jamison in the mix. Jamison's outside shooting and hustle will be huge for this team. Hopefully Mo will bounce back from a poor showing last year. In addition to the improved offense, Cleveland has much more depth than last year. This is the best team Lebron has played on. Varejao will continue to be a solid contribute for this team. [Cleveland in 4]

Orlando (2) vs. Charlotte (7)

While it's a nice accomplishment that Charlotte made it to the playoffs, I just don't see them beating Orlando. They have no one who can matchup with Dwight Howard. That leaves them with one of 3 options: single cover Dwight and let him score, foul him, or double-team him (which will lead to wide open 3's for his teammates). It's a pick your poison situation. Larry Brown is the superior coach, but I think the rumor of him leaving Charlotte next year might prove to be a distraction. Charlotte plays great defense, but they can't match up with the offensive firepower or depth of Orlando. And in a long series where teams make adjustments, this gives Orlando a big advantage. I suspect their role players of Redick, Pietrus, Barnes, Williams and Anderson will hit some big shots before this series is over. Orlando will need Lewis to return to form. He's been hit and miss all season long. This will give Vinsanity a chance to show his worth. But he's in a touch matchup with Jackson. Crash has the edge over Barnes or Pietrus; though I suspect that to be a feisty matchup. Nelson vs Felton is a wash. Neither guy has been consistent enough to be a difference-maker. Diaw will be an X-factor in this series, I think. The better he plays, the better this whole Charlotte team plays. [Orlando in 6]

Atlanta (3) vs. Milwaukee (6)

It's a shame that Andrew Bogut had to go down with an injury. Milwaukee would have been one of my darkhorse picks otherwise. I just like the way their team has been playing since the addition of John Salmons. The 2-headed PG of Ridnour and Jennings has been surprisingly effective. I don't think they have enough firepower to compete with ATL though. And their team lacks the postseason experience and depth to be competitive. Delfino and Ilyasova have played well for the team, though. Atlanta, meanwhile, is hungry and ready to take the next step in the postseason. JJ and Josh Smith will destroy whoever they are matched up against. And Crawford will continue to be huge off of the bench. He has been an exceptional contributor for this team, and is on his way to a 6th man of the year award. Horford has been solid in the middle, though I still don't think he deserved the all-star nod. But he's definitely better than Thomas or Gadzuric on the MIL side. They aren't going to intimate anyone. It'll be interesting to see how this MIL team gels once they have Redd and Bogut back. They have some interesting potential. But they will be a quick out this year. Atlanta needs to be careful about foul trouble and injuries, though. Their bench is not the best. [Atlanta in 5]

Boston (4) vs. Miami (5)

Yikes. Boston slipping all the way down to the #4 spot. They just aren't the same team this year. They are really struggling with injuries and just old age. KG, especially, is not the same player he was in previous years. Rondo has been their best player all year long, and will need to play well for Boston to make some noise in the playoffs. Allen and Pierce are still reliable scorers for the Boston squad. But their new acquisitions: Rasheed, Nate Robinson, and Daniels haven't panned out as well as they had hoped. If they can get some solid production from Big Baby, that would help their chances immensely. Boston is a team on the decline, and things will only get worse from now on. On the flip side, you have a mediocre Miami team surrounded by Wade. He is a miracle worker; so I give him a slim shot at pulling off an upset. Beasley will need to step up and prove to be a consistent #2 guy. Q-Rich, O'Neal, and the duo of Arroyo/Chalmers each have had their moments during the season. But they will need to be clicking on all cylinders just for this team to be competitive. In any case, I don't foresee either team giving Cleveland much trouble in the next round though. They are just speed bumps. [Boston in 6]

Playoff Predictions: 1st Round (Western Conference)

2010-04-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

LA Lakers (1) vs. Oklahoma City (8)

I'll be rooting like crazy for the Thunder, but I don't think it's their time yet. They are going to fall short against a more talented and experienced team in the Lakers, who are looking to repeat as champions. The Lakers have struggled coming into the postseason, but I expect them to turn it on once the postseason starts. Kobe should be well rested after taking the last few games off, and is still one of the league's best closers. Bynum is expected to return from injuries in time for the playoffs. The trio of Odom, Gasol and Bynum should dominate this series and carry the Lakers to the win. The Thunder have no one that can match up with them in the frontcourt. Durant is a future MVP and Westbrook is developing into a nice star as well. He should be able to dominate the matchup against Fisher. But I don't think it will be enough. If Artest is able to slow down Durant, this series could be over faster than people think. It's a nice achievement that Oklahoma City was able to win 50 games and make it to the playoffs, but their run won't last long. It should be a good learning experience for this young, up-and-coming team, though. I read that this is the first time a #8 seed has won 50 games. Nice. [LA Lakers in 5]

Dallas (2) vs. San Antonio (7)

I'm not sure why the Spurs gave up on the last game of the season. They had a chance to move into the #6 spot, and play Phoenix instead; which seems like a more favorable matchup. But you should never count out these former champs; they will be a tough out. Gregg Popovich is still one of the league's best coaches, and Tim Duncan is still one of the all-time greats, even if he is showing signs of age. Manu's revival has been huge for this team down the stretch. And he will be the key for the Spurs in this series. If Parker or Hill miss any games, the Spurs are going to struggle. Blair could be a difference maker with his energy and hustle. But their inconsistency on the defensive end will hurt them. Dallas has too much depth and firepower for the Spurs to handle. Kidd still is one of the best play-makers in the game despite his age. Dirk and Terry are a dynamic 1-2 scoring punch. And Butler and Marion provide help at the wing positions. Haywood and Dampier are two big bodies that they can throw at Duncan to try to contain him. Beaubois and Barea will hit some big shots for Dallas off of the bench. This is Dallas' series to lose. I give the Spurs a puncher's chance to win though. [Dallas in 6]

Phoenix (3) vs. Portland (6)

Phoenix gets a lucky break here. Portland is limping into the postseason full of injuries. Without Roy, Portland stands 0 chance of beating the Suns in a 7-game series. They might be able to steal 1 or 2 games though, based on hustle and heart. I commend them for playing as well as they have, overcoming the loss of several key players. McMillian deserves some recognition for Coach of the Year. But they don't have the talent or depth to compete with these other playoff teams. I don't think Aldridge can carry this team on his back. And Miller isn't going to score over 50 points again anytime soon. Camby will get some rebounds and blocks, but isn't a difference-maker. Batum, Fernandez, Webster and Bayless are too inconsistent to be relied on. Meanwhile, the Suns have way too much offensive firepower. Nash, J-Rich, and Amare are going to feast on Portland. And their supporting cast of Hill, Frye, Barbosa, Dragic and Dudley will hit some big shots, too. It should be a fun series to watch. They'll need Lopez back to be competitive in the 2nd round, though. A Dirk vs Nash matchup should be exciting. [Phoenix in 5]

Denver (4) vs. Utah (5)

That is definitely one of the more interesting matchups in the first round. I think it can go either way. Though I like Denver more at the moment. Mainly because they have homecourt advantage. Utah historically is an awful road team. Many experts have commented that Denver has not been the same team without George Karl at the helm. We'll see how that plays into the series. Billups vs Deron should be an epic matchup at the PG spot. JR Smith, as always, will be an X-factor for his team. He'll either shoot the Nuggets into victory or defeat. Carmelo has been huge against Utah in the regular season games. I just read that Kirilenko will miss the series due to injury, so that will hurt Utah quite a bit. Both Boozer and Kenyon Martin are coming up injuries, also. So health could play a big role in this series. Birdman has been playing hurt also. I think Okur's outside shooting will be huge for Utah. I don't see any of Denver's bigs running out to guard Okur at the three point line. Millsap and Lawson off of the bench are key player for their respective teams also. It should be the most competitive series in the first round. [Denver in 7]

Young Flyers

2010-04-01T07:09:00.000-07:00

Below is a recap video of the 2010 McDonald's All-American Dunk Contest. Not only was the NBADL Dunk Contest better than the NBA's. But the High School All-American's was better also. Ouch.

Best Trade Deadline Moves

2010-03-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

The title of this entry is self-explanatory. A few weeks have past since the trade deadline, and it seems like an appropriate time now to comment on who were the winners and losers.

+ Dallas gets Brendan Haywood, Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson
+ Washington gets Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross, James Singleton

This trade actually worked out nicely for both teams. It catapults DAL into title contender status. It gives them some much needed toughness and defense. Haywood has been a beast in the middle for Dallas, who desperately needed a replacement for the oft-injured Dampier. Tough Juice is a big improvement over Howard; it also helps that he is actually healthy and playing. This trade pushes Terry to the bench where he excels in the 6th man role. A line-up of Kidd, Butler, Marion, Nowitzki, Haywood can make some big noise in the playoffs. They actually have the defense to match their offensive firepower. For WAS, it was a salary dump move. Stevenson and Butler are owed nearly $30 million over this and next season. Trading away Haywood frees up playing time for Blatche (who has been a revelation) and McGee. Also Singleton has been a solid addition to their frontcourt. He can provide rebounds and blocked shots and has some nice upside. WAS just needed to start over. And this gives them an opportunity to evaluate their young players.

+ Portland gets Marcus Camby
+ LA Clippers get Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw

I don't particularly care for this trade. It doesn't really benefit either team much. True, POR desperately need a big man. But they are fighting for the 8th playoff seed in the West, and chances are Camby will not resign with them during the offseason. So he was just a one-year rental. Both Blake and Outlaw are expiring contracts, so it's not like they came out better financially. I guess one positive is that players now have more defined roles on the team, and they can worry less about fighting for playing time. It's addition by subtraction, in a sense. Miller is the #1 PG, and Bayless is the backup. Batum and Fernandez are the main guys at SF now. For the Clippers, they get a nice backup PG in Blake, and a decent prospect in Outlaw. But it doesn't really help this team much in the short-term or the long-term. Surely they could have gotten some draft picks or something for Camby, right? I just don't get this trade for them.

+ Cleveland Gets Antawn Jamison, Sebastian Telfair
+ Washington gets Zydrunas Ilgauska, Al Thornton, 2010 1st Round Pick (from Cavs), rights to Emir Preldzic
+ LA CLippers get Drew Gooden

CLE comes out ahead in a big way. They pick up an all-star caliber without giving up Hickson. And it looks like Big Z will re-sign with the Cavs for a championship-run. So all they gave up was a late 1st round pick. Brilliant. Jamison is the stretch 4 that they were looking for. He is a solid defender, willing passer, prolific scorer, and just great teammate. He will find a way to fit in on this team and become a reliable secondary option on this team. Mo Williams was awful last year in the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how this team gels once Shaq comes back. I like Jamison on this more than Amare. And this move gives CLE a legitimate shot at winning the title. They are the team to beat now. Once again, I have no idea why LAC is involved in this trade. They just traded away a nice prospect in Al Thornton who is signed to a cheap deal. And got back an expiring contract in Gooden, who will not likely sign back with them. I just don't get it. For WAS, this continues their rebuilding program. They get a nice prospect in Thornton, a draft pick from CLE, and they dump Jamison's salary. It's a WIN-WIN situation for them. Could they have gotten more for Jamison? Maybe. But when you are desperate you have to make desperate moves. And this was the right move to make by WAS.

+ Chicago gets Hakim Warrick, Joe Alexander
+ Milwaukee gets John Salmons, 2010 & 2011 2nd Round Picks, option to switch 2010 First Round Picks (Top-10 Protected)

This is proving to be the most underrated trade of the season. Salmons has elevated this team from borderline playoff team to scary first round opponent. They are 12-2 since the trade. And are playing great basketball. He's a reliable scorer and play-maker, and has nice range on his jump shot. They are not missing Redd one bit. This MIL team has a bright future. I really like their core of Jennings, Salmons, Delfino and Bogut. Initially, I thought they were giving up too much for Salmons, but he has really played brilliantly. He's a huge upgrade over Bell or whoever else they had to start before him. For CHI, it's mainly a salary dump. They also get some draft pick consideration. But it's mainly salary dump. They were having trouble finding playing time for Hinrich and Salmons, so one of them had to be traded. It's all about being in the right system and getting the right opportunities. Chicago is positioning itself nicely for the offseason, where they can sign one of the major stars.

+ Houston Gets Kevin Martin, Hilton Armstrong, Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill, 1st Round Pick (from Knicks) (Top-5 Protected), Rights to Exchange 2011 1st Round Picks (with Knicks) (Top-1 Protected)
+ Sacramento gets Larry Hughes, Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey
+ New York gets Tracy McGrady, Sergio Rodriguez

Yikes, this is a complicated trade. But I like the move for all involved parties. Houston gets a big-time scorer to compliment their feisty defense. Martin and Brooks will form a formidable duo. I can't wait to see what this team is like next year with Yao back and healthy (hopefully). Jordan Hill is a nice prospect. And they get a 1st round pick from the Knicks also. It's a shame to see Landry go, but his departure frees up minutes for Scola. You need to give up something to get something. T-Mac was just dead weight on this team. Jeffries is a nice defender who can play multiple positions. He's a nice fit for this team off of the bench. Sacramento gets rid of a huge contract in Martin, who proved that he cannot play with Evans, and gets a nice prospect in Landry, who is one of the most underpaid athletes in the game. Dorsey is potentially a gem in the rough. NYK get their man T-Mac. And more importantly, get his expiring contract. Now they'll have the money to sign 2 big free agents this summer. I doubt either one will be Wade or Lebron, though. Rodriguez gets a chance to shine in New York. Getting rid of Jefferies contract as huge. Giving up the draft picks could come back and haunt them though. If they can't sign anyone of caliber. They are putting all of their eggs into one basket.

+ Charlotte gets Tyrus Thomas
+ Chicago gets Acie Law, Flip Murray, Future 1st Round Pick

Chicago makes another move for the future. They trade away Thomas for a 1st round pick. It's not a bad move at all. They were starting Gibson over Thomas anyway. They were tired of his inconsistency and his lack of maturity. So I approve of the trade, if they had no plans to resign him during the offseason. It's better to get something than nothing, right? He has all of the talent in the world, but just can't put it together consistently. Acie Law and Flip Murray are decent role players. But I'm not sure if either sticks with the team past this year. For CHA, it's a nice gamble. They get a lottery-talent player who can help them immediately. He's a great defender and should fit in well on this team, who is desperate for more depth in the frontcourt. What some people forget is that he is still young. He's got great athleticism and upside, and Larry Brown hopes he can thrive in a 6th man role. He's had some up and down success since the trade, but could still prove a valuable addition in the long-term. Charlotte has been a pleasant surprise this year.

NBA Jam Returns

2010-03-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

Below is the trailer for the upcoming NBA Jam game.

Dunktastic

2010-02-24T13:12:00.000-08:00

Check out the below videos for some nasty dunk highlights:

NBA All Star Weekend 2010

2010-02-15T10:21:00.000-08:00

Rookie Challenge. Excluding Westbrook, the Sophomores played like they didn't even want to be there. They had a huge advantage on the inside, which they rarely exploited. Beasley was their best big man, however. Mayo put up a solid 10 dimes for the Sophomores. Meanwhile, Jennings, Blair, Harden and Evans put on a show for the rookies. Blair was a beast on the glass with 23 rebounds. And he out-hustled the much superior front court of the Sophomores squad. I like the nickname Heavy D for him. It was a classy move by Evans to share the MVP award with Blair. It's surprising that their team won.

H-O-R-S-E Competition. Who knew that Rondo was such a good 3 point shooter? He had a nice stroke and was matching Durant shot for shot. Casspi was a dud though. He could not hit a shot and had 0 charisma. Why didn't they invite Rasheed Wallace or Monta Ellis, who are known for their trick shots? They need to invite players with a little more swagger, too. Trash talking should be the best part about the H-O-R-S-E competition. Also they need to come up with a different format for the contest so that it doesn't just turn into an old-fashioned shoot-out.

Shooting Stars Competition. Yawn. There's not much to report here. But it was impressive to see Kenny Smith shoot half court shots like they were straight 15-foot jumpers. He was the only one not using the walk-and-heave shot form. Team Texas had the best group of shooters. Pau Gasol was awful at shooting 3 pointers.

Skills Challenge. Steve Nash was awesome. He turned what is usually a boring event to a slightly less boring event. His posing and mugging of the camera was great. And it was hilarious when he tried to block Deron William's shot in the final round, after the winner had already been decided. Steve Nash was the winner, by the way.

Three-Point Shootout. Who predicted Paul Pierce to win this thing? I bet nobody. That just comes to show that the best shooter doesn't always win this competition. I was impressed that a score of 17 was needed to make it to the final round. No one really bombed this competition, which is a rarity. I wanted Curry to take it all, though.

Slam Dunk Contest Ouch. You know it's bad when the NBADL Dunk Contest is better than the NBA Dunk Contest. See the below video evidence. Shannon Brown, an early favorite, absolutely choked in this contest. And Gerald Wallace threw up some ordinary dunks like he didn't even want to be there. DeMar DeRozan and Nate Robinson had an equal number of good and bad dunks. But there was no drama or excitement in this contest. Nate probably won this contest based on name recognition. And the league claims he took only 51% of the vote.

The All Star Game. I don't have much to comment on the main event of all-star weekend, except that the audience was massive. A world record 108,713 people filled Cowboy Stadium to watch the game. Also I was surprised how close the game was, considering that the West was missing Kobe, Paul and Roy. They tried to make Dirk and Bosh the highlights of the event (Bosh being a former native of Dallas), but Wade ended up stealing the crown. I have him on my fantasy team, so I'm hoping that this momentum carries over to the 2nd half of the season.

Rookie Challenge Practice

2010-02-12T12:12:00.001-08:00

Two Words: Steph Curry

Will the real Superman please step forward?

2010-02-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

Shaq seemed to have some choice comments for Dwight Howard after last nights game. Could this possibly be the cause of Shaq's ire?

Regardless, the comments from Shaq were hilarious.

Nash shows his funny side....

2010-02-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

In a spinoff of the hilarious Dos Equis commercials that feature "The Most Interesting Man In the World", Vitamin Water brings us "The most Ridiculous Man In the World". Enjoy!!

Commercial Catch-Up

2010-02-08T15:39:00.000-08:00

Lebron & Dwight dunk off in this McDonalds commercial.

Big Z makes a hilarious appearance in this Nike MVPuppets ad.

A horrible Taco Bell TV spot featuring a rapping Barkley.

He's On Fire

2010-01-29T06:07:00.000-08:00

Below are the latest MVPuppets Nike Ads which feature Kobe's new shoes: the Nike Zoom Kobe V. And oh yeah, Zee added his comments to the all-star blog this morning. Go check 'em out.

All-Star Picks

2010-01-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the league announced the starters for the All-Star game. Of course, Zee and I had to chime in with our comments and also give our picks for the reserves, which will no doubt be better than the official rosters. We've listed a few alternates too, in case there are injuries to any of the selected player. Below are the starters that were selected by the fans, the top row being the starters for the Eastern Conference and the bottom row the starters for the Western Conference.

Eastern & Western Conference Starters

Kay's Comments: I don't have any qualms with the starters in the West. The fans did a solid job with their selections; though I'm disappointed that T-Mac got snubbed. Hah! I would have liked to see the look on David Stern's face if McGrady was voted in. On a side note, I'm a bit puzzled by why Amare Stoudemire was listed as a Center though. He's started 0 games as Center this season for the Phoenix Suns. The Eastern Conference is a different story though. There is one played in particular who sticks out like a tack: Iverson. He's only played in 16 games this season (3 with Memphis before he was exiled). And not only that, he's putting up career low numbers across the board, including scoring 12 points below his career average. I understand that the fans can vote for whoever they want, but I wish they vote based on merit rather than popularity. To a significantly lesser extend, I also don't like the inclusion of KG in the starting group. He's missed 11 games this season, and I think that a requirement to make the all-star squad is having played in at least 80% of the total games. That's the same reason why I personally think Pau Gasol and Danny Granger don't deserve to be picked for the all-star game either. But that's just my humble opinion.

Zee's Comments: If T-Mac played in the ASG, the Rockets front office would have a ton of explaining to do, as to why their "star" player is catching lob passes in Dallas but can't catch them in the Toyota Center in Houston. That said, the West looks really solid this year as opposed to years past. I honestly think the East should be able to pick up the snubs from the west as I don't think they stand a chance this year. Only problem I might have had with this western squad is how all these players are going to get the ball, then I see Steve Nash and CP3 and wonder if the all time ASG assist record is going to be broken. And now the Eastern squad. I understand people being miffed at A.I. making the starting roster (or the roster altogether) but what people don't understand is two very important things: 1) Iverson was SNUBBED on several occasions before the league had to come to grips with his "image". 2) The smart money is probably on the fact that Ive won't be playing much longer, so why not attempt to end his career on a high note? He's already playing in Philly so let's just let everything come full circle. I agree with Kay about Pau and Danny Granger not being on the team, especially when there are capable replacements that could be snubbed as a result of this.

Eastern Conference Reserves

Chris Bosh

Joe Johnson

David Lee

Brook Lopez

Rajon Rondo

Derrick Rose

Gerald Wallace

Kay's Comments: What I like about this batch of players is that we have good representation from all of the top teams, and we have 5 1st time all-stars. That just shows that the East is full of young and promising players. Bosh being picked is a no-brainer. He's having a MVP-calibur season. Joe Johnson is the best player on a surprising ATL team, who have been every bit as good as ORL and BOS so far in this regular season. Lee and Lopez are putting up huge numbers on bad teams; and I'm not one to penalize them for that. Both are very close to joining the elusive 20-10 club. Rondo has really elevated his game this year, and is proving to be just as value as the Big 3 to Boston's success. He's a triple double waiting to happen and is really the engine that drives the Boston team. So we gave him the nod over Pierce for an all-star spot. Rose is the Chicago Bulls. They will only go as far as Rose takes them. He's a top flight PG in only his second year. And Gerald Wallace is one of the most underrated stars in the league. He's putting up ridiculous numbers this year: over 18 points, 11 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1 block. And he's challenging for the rebound title. Crazy. He's a big reason for Charlotte's success. Who thought that they would be the #5 seed in the East?

Zee's Comments: Two of the above guys are on my fantasy hoops team so I have to show them love first (pause). Brook Lopez and Rajon Rondo hands down are worthy of being in the ASG. Let's start with Rondo. Not only is he having to constantly play with a banged up Celtics squad, he has managed to cement himself as a cornerstone of the Celtics future plans, ensuring he will be around to piss off Doc Rivers for years to come. The man is a triple double waiting to happen on any given night, and the only players you hear that phrase associated with are on a very short list: One plays the forward spot in Cleveland and the other is the point guard for the Mavericks, figure it out. And now Brook Lopez. Brook is a beast, plain and simple. Where would the Nets be without his services this year? 2 wins? 1 win? If the nets were smart they would try to get some talent around this guy ASAP, maybe they could clear up cap space and then..... I agree wholeheartedly with Kay about the influx of youth in the Eastern Conference. David Lee will be here for years to come, same for Derrick Rose but not necessarily for Gerald Wallace. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but he didn't get the nickname "Crash" for nothing. That said, his numbers this year, coupled with him being able to stay healthy, and Charlotte's push for a playoff spot make him more than deserving this year. Somewhere Michael Jordan is patting himself on the back, he's still a terrible GM though.

Eastern Conference Alternates

Andre Iguodala

Paul Pierce

Josh Smith

Kay's Comments: Iguodala has put up impressive numbers the past few years, but seems to always fall short of an all-star bid. He and Lebron James are the only players averaging over 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game. And he's near the top in the league in steals. Pierce continues to put up impressive numbers on a stacked Boston team. But as I mentioned above, I like Rondo just a bit more. If KG has to sit out of the all-star game due to injury, Pierce would be the guy I call up to replace him. Josh Smith has made some nice strides in his game this season. He's improve on his shot selection and decision-making. But his play has dropped off in recent weeks after a red-hot November. He would be a fun guy to invite to the all-star game because of his crazy athleticism. One player that barely missed the list was Stephen Jackson. He's done a nice job turning around the Charlotte Bobcats team.

Zee's Comments: Three great alternates. Iggy based on entertainment value alone should be in the ASG. Between him and J-Smoove, I expect several NBA Jam-esque high flying dunks (if they actually make the team). Paul Pierce is the man on that Boston team regardless of what anyone may tell you. Rondo get him the ball then gets out of the way. I look at his knee injuries this season and if he hadn't sat out those games, maybe he could've been a shoo-in to make the team.

Western Conference Reserves

Kevin Durant

Rudy Gay

Chris Kaman

Jason Kidd

Dirk Nowitzki

Chris Paul

Brandon Roy

Kay's Comments: We have a nice mix of old and new with this Western squad. Dirk and Durant are the no-brainers in this group of players. Both are putting up huge numbers and contributing to their respective team's success. There's no way that Durant gets snubbed again this year. The Thunder have been one of the surprising teams in the league and KD is a major reason for that. The other surprise team in the West has been Memphis. Who knew that they would be in contention for a playoff spot? Gay deserves the all-star recognition for being their top player. It's funny but at one point, Zee and I were considering 2 Memphis players for the all-star squad. But when Duncan was voted as starting PF, we had to pick Kaman over Randolph so that there would be a backup Center on this squad. Kaman, though, is having a monster season for the Clippers. He's close to joining the 20-10 club, and has been the most consistent and impressive player on the Clippers team. Who saw that coming? CP3 and Roy continue their streak of all-star game selections. Both of these young studs are going to be fixtures in the all-star game for many years to come. They are the best players on their respective team. And for the last spot, we went with Kidd over Deron Williams or Billups for sentimental reasons. The all-star game is being played in Dallas after all. And you can't discount the contributions that Kidd makes on that team.

Zee's Comments: So here are the reserves for the West a.k.a. Team Overkill. Good god this team is stacked. I feel for the Eastern squad more and more every time I see this roster. This team right here is one reason why the West stays so competitive each and ever year. Look at these selections, FIVE out of the seven don't play on the same team, and arguably six of the players on this reserve team haven't even played their best basketball yet. The league is going to be STACKED for years to come.

Western Conference Alternates

Monta Ellis

Zach Randolph

Deron Williams

Kay's Comments: Deron Williams seems to always get overlooked by Chris Paul. And with so many quality PG in the West (including Nash, Kidd, Billups), Deron will continue to have problems making the all-star game. He's definitely putting up nice numbers, but always seem to fall a bit short. His teammate, Boozer, also deserves some all-star consideration. Monta Ellis is putting up ridiculous numbers for a very bad Warriors team. If the selections were based purely on stats, he would definitely get a look. And wow, I can't believe that I'm saying this but Zach Randolph might be one of the biggest snubs of this season. He's playing outstanding for Memphis and is a double-double machine. Only he and Bosh average more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. I'm not a fan of voting rookies to the all-star game, but we had to consider Tyreke Evans for one of these alternate spots. He's probably having the best rookie season since Lebron James. But he'll get his chance soon enough.

Zee's Comments: All these guys are deserving, but they aren't going. These are what I like to call playing in the shadows kind of guys. They put of great stats, but because the league is log jammed with so many great players in their position, they won't have a chance until someone retires (Jason Kidd > Deron Williams), switches conferences (Zach Randolph) or unless they play for a better team (Monta Ellis). I expect to see Tyreke on an ASG roster sooner than later simply because he's a guy who could possibly get in playing at the G or F position for the West. Also because I think he will pull the King's out of mediocrity sooner than later, which I don't think Monta will be able to do in Golden State.

Pippen vs. Barkley Coke Ad Circa 1992

2010-01-12T12:54:00.000-08:00

Anyone remember this? It's an oldie, but a goodie.

The MVPuppets Do Christmas

2009-12-22T19:50:00.000-08:00

Haha. These recent MVPuppets Christmas ads are great. Props to Nike for their creativity. The spots showcase a rap battle between Blitzen the reindeer (Lupe Fiasco) and Santa Claus (KRS-One).

A couple of other MVPuppets ads featuring the mystery of Lebron's missing shoe. Not as memorable as the Christmas ads.

What goes around......

2009-12-21T15:11:00.001-08:00

Soooo, D-fish got boomed on something FIERCE a few days ago, and the person who delivered the dunk, Corey Brewer, had to be thinking this was the last thing that would happen to him......Somewhere D-Fish is smiling.

GP - Where are you now?

2009-12-16T08:43:00.000-08:00

As an avid NBA TV watcher, this season was a bit different. For starters, I noticed that GP was no longer doing commentary and had been replaced by Hall of Famer Kevin McHale. Gary wasn't always the most easiest to understand during his tenure on the air, but he was a billion times more entertaining than Eric Snow, Cheryl Miller, Steve Smith and Dennis Scott put together. Need proof? See Below.

Bonus: Here's a rarely seen Nike ad featuring GP and .....Evander Holyfield ?!?!?!

Fish can get baptized.....

2009-12-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

This hurts to watch...in a good way. Peep DJ Mbenga and Josh Powell cracking up on the Lakers bench.

Kobe Vs.

2009-12-05T17:24:00.000-08:00

Kobe's game winning shot against Wade and the Miami Heat.

The return of the Nike MVPuppets ads featuring Kobe and Lebron.

So Yesterday

2009-11-26T12:02:00.000-08:00

Have you guys seen the music video for "So Yesterday" performed by Toni Braxton & Trey Songz. It features Brooke Hogan, Ron Artest and Shannon Brown. Lol. Too bad Kobe didn't make a cameo.

Also I would highly recommend checking out this article on The 50 Best NBA Slam Dunks as compiled by Complex Magazine. It's a solid list that includes videos for each of the featured dunks.

Sign him up.....

2009-11-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

For the 2010 NBA Slam Dunk Contest ASAP. From the first angle this looks like a regular dunk, when you are able to see it from various angles it reveals how amazing it really is.

Knicks Basketball

2009-11-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

KrptoNate takes (and makes) a shot at the wrong basket just after the buzzer goes off to signal the end of the 1st period. Hilarity ensues, as D'Antoni chews him out. Classic.

QB's Finest

2009-11-18T08:28:00.000-08:00

Funny thing about this play is that it's completely legal. (I think)

Vintage Iverson

2009-11-12T14:12:00.001-08:00

Ah. Those were the good old days...

Players On The Rise

2009-11-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

It's still early in the season, but I thought I'd highlight some of the young player who look poised for a break-through year.

Trevor Ariza (HOU). He is looking like an offseason steal. His play so far has been outstanding and he is silencing the critics who doubted that he could be a legit go-to-player. Ariza was always known as a defensive stopper. But now he is showcasing his impressive offensive repertoire. If he can keep this up, Houston could be the surprise team in the West. Artest who? They have an exciting future ahead of them.

MIN	FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO
37.2	48%	70%	3.3	21.3	3.3	3.3	1.8	0.3	3.5

Aaron Brooks (HOU). With the departure of Artest and the injuries to McGrady and Yao, someone had to pick up that scoring slack. And that someone is Aaron Brooks. He's quick as lightning and is continuing his amazing scoring pace of last postseason. He has a nice outside shot, and gets to the free throw line at a nice clip. And more importantly, he's proven to be a solid play-maker, dropping dimes like they're out of style.

MIN	FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO
36.5	50%	83%	2.3	21.0	3.0	8.5	1.0	0.5	3.5

Andrew Bynum (LAL). So far, so good. Bynum is healthy through 4 games and his excellent play from the preseason has carried over. He looks like an all-star out there. Granted, Pau Gasol is out with an injury. It will be interesting to see whether he can keep up this high level of play once their entire squad is healthy. But he's been a force on the boards and in the block. If healthy, the Lakers will be tough to beat.

MIN	FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO
38.5	58%	77%	0.0	20.8	9.0	1.5	1.3	0.8	2.3

Chris Douglas-Roberts (NJN). The departure of Vince Carter frees up a lot of shots for this young New Jersey team. CDR was a beast in the preseason, and so far his strong play has carried over to the regular season. He's going to score a lot of points, and make a lot of NBA teams regret passing on him in last year's draft. He has a chip on his shoulder since he dropped into the second round. Watch out for him.

MIN	FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO
34.3	50%	88%	0.5	14.8	4.3	1.3	0.8	0.5	2.0

Channing Frye (PHO). Signing with the Phoenix Suns was the best career move that he could have done. He's a perfect fit for their system, where he can launch up as many 3's as he wants. They will utilize his shooting prowess to stretch the defenses and exploit mismatches. He's not a particularly good rebounder or defender; but will be a valuable contributor for this team, who have little depth at the PF and C positions.

MIN	FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO
30.6	53%	67%	3.5	17.0	4.8	1.3	1.8	0.8	1.8

Danilo Gallinari (NYK). D'Antoni proclaimed Gallinari the best shooter that he's ever seen. And so far during the season, he has backed up those claims. He's launching and making a ridiculous amount of 3's. He missed most of last season due to injury, but looks every bit of a lottery pick. And in D'Antoni's system, he should get every opportunity to thrive. And don't underrate his contributions on the defensive end.

MIN	FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO
32.7	43%	83%	4.8	19.3	4.0	2.3	1.0	0.8	1.3

Marc Gasol (MEM). Not only does Marc look more like his older brother after losing some weight during the offseason, but he is starting to play more like his brother too. I'm not sure if he'll be able to keep up the torrid scoring pace, but he'll have plenty of rebound opportunities with so many chuckers on his squad. He's a solid defender and a smart player, who will find ways to contribute to his team's overall success.

MIN	FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO
34.4	65%	85%	0.0	19.0	12.3	2.3	1.0	1.5	3.5

Brandon Jennings (MIL). I did not want to include any rookies on this list, but Jennings has been playing too good not to mention. He looks like a legit star, and could be the Paul Pierce of this season's draft. He nearly had a triple double in his first game. He's adapted quickly to the pace of the NBA game, and can get off his shot whenever he wants with his quickness. And so far, his jumper is better than advertised.

MIN	FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO
34.4	48%	70%	2.3	22.0	4.0	5.3	1.7	0.0	3.3

Marreese Speights (PHI). He's been the best big man for the 76ers this season. And has proven to be a valuable contributor off of the bench. In limited minutes, he's contributed two 20+ scoring and one 10+ rebounding game already. If he's able to supplant Dalembert or Brand from the starting lineup, he could be set for a huge season. He's an explosive scorer, and can put up solid rebound and block numbers.

MIN	FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO
23.1	60%	82%	0.0	14.0	7.8	0.8	0.5	1.0	1.5

Louis Williams (PHI). So far he's done a solid job of leading this team as the starting Point Guard. He can score at a nice clip, and will contribute a decent amount of assists and steals. He's more of a scorer than a play-maker, but he's the Philly's best option at the Point Guard spot. Iguodala can pick up some of the play-making duties also. He'll need to improve on his jumper for his team to be successful.

MIN	FG%	FT%	3PTM	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO
34.3	56%	81%	0.8	17.0	4.8	5.0	1.8	0.0	1.0

Preseason Highlights

2009-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Check out the top plays from Preseason action:

Look at the Laker bench

2009-10-20T08:44:00.000-07:00

Blake Griffin introduces himself to D.J. Mbenga, and a few of the Lakers get a chuckle out of it at his expense. That's just cold.....

Getting Ready for the Season to Start

2009-10-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

Below are a pair of commercials currently airing on TNT to hype up the upcoming NBA season. They feature Rainn Wilson interacting with NBA superstars, Dwight Howard and Gilbert Arenas.

The Year In Review (Part V)

2009-10-09T12:11:00.000-07:00

A quick update today. Below is the latest Top 10 video from NBA.com. This one covers the "Top Moves" of the past year.

Fantasy Basketball: Top 12

2009-10-02T18:21:00.000-07:00

Just like last year, I'm going to run down the top 12 picks in Fantasy Basketball. The couple top picks are no-brainers. But if you get stuck with a late draft pick, things get much trickier. This list is for 12-Team H2H leagues with the standard 9 scoring categories. Next to each player name is their position eligibility from Yahoo!.

1. Chris Paul (PG): Last year, CP3 was the consensus top pick. But with Lebron James's improved free throw shooting, I think you can go either way this year. Both guys are great for building your team around. CP3 once again led the league in both assists (11.0) and steals (2.8) per game; and by a large margin. He can single-handedly help you win those 2 categories. He's also a prolific scorer, netting over 22 points per game, nearly 1 3PT per game, and crazy high percentages for a Point Guard (50% FG and 87% FT). His only downside is a lack of blocks and a high amount of turnovers. But anyone who has the ball in his hands as often as CP3 will cough the ball up a few times. I should also mention that he averaged an impressive 5.5 rebounds per game from the Point Guard position.

2. Lebron James (SF): I like to think of CP3 as option 1A and Lebron as option 1B. You can't go wrong selecting either of these players. Lebron James is the league MVP and fills up the stat board like no other: 28.4 points (second in the league), 7.6 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.2 blocks, 1.6 3PT. He's improved on his FT shooting which used to be his Achilles heel (78% last season), to go along with his solid 49% FG. If you select Lebron James, you can go with any kind of draft strategy cause he's so well-rounded. He's valuable in that he gives you PG type assists and steals from the SF position. And he's a true ironman. He rarely misses any games. And the addition of Shaq on this team, could free him up for more open looks. Maybe. His only downside is his turnovers, which were down last year compared to the previous year.

3. Dwyane Wade (PG/SG): He rebounded brilliantly from an injury-plagued season and posted Fantasy MVP worthy type numbers. He averaged 1.3 blocks per game from the Point Guard position, which is unheard of. He also led the league in scoring at 30.2 points and was second in steals at 2.2 (and unfortunately second in turnovers at 3.4). He also improved on his 3PT shot, and averaged a shade over 1 per game. How's that for versatility? To finish off the rest of his statline, he averaged 5.0 rebounds and 7.5 assists, on 49% FG and 77% FT. Wade does it all. I rank him a shade under CP3 or Lebron because there are some injury concerns. He seemed to run out of gas at the end of the last season, probably from carrying his team all season long, and his team is basically the same as it was last year. Can he keep up this high level of play? Probably. The dual position eligibility is a nice bonus.

4. Kevin Durant (SG/SF): It feels a little strange ranking Durant so high, but he was a beast last year after moving to the SF position. He put up a statline of: 26.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals, 0.8 blocks, 1.5 3PT, 3.0 turnovers (unfortunately), 48% FG and 86% FT through 61 games. And I think he still has room to grow. He will only get better as this young Oklahoma City team improves. I really like their young nucleus of Westbrook/Harden/Durant/Green. I expect Velvet Hoop to make his first all-star game this upcoming season, and finally get some of the recognition that he deserves. I also considered Granger for this spot, but I have some injury concerns about Granger. Sometimes its better to go with the safe pick in the first round. Also I like his dual position eligibility. It adds some flexibility to your roster.

5. Danny Granger (SG/SF) You gotta love Granger's upside. He has made some great strides in his game over the past couple of years. He was second in the league in 3PT made with 2.7 per game and 5th in the league in scoring at 25.8. He also contributed on the defensive end with 1.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. He makes 88% of his FT which is dynamite. But he missed 15 games last season with a right knee injury, which is a bit worrisome. Also the rest of his statline is not as impressive, he only averages 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 45% FG. There's a good chance that he'll be able to improve in those areas, but he doesn't offer the across the board versatility that other players do. It's no clear how the return of Mike Dunleavy will affect his stats. I like the dual position eligibility, though. I'm going to be saying that a lot.

6. Kobe Bryant (SG): This year's Lakers squad is arguably the most talented team that they've rolled out in the past several years. The signing of Artest and the return of Bynum from injury could decrease the number of touches that Kobe gets each game. I think he is at the point in his career when he'll start deferring to his teammates more and playing less minutes during the regular season to be rested for the postseason. I still expect an excellent statline, but nothing like what he posted during his prime. He won't be averaging 30 points per game any more, and I expect his statline to look something like his career averages: 25.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, 1.5 3PT, 45% FG and 85% FT. Still very solid, but he doesn't have the upside that either Durant or Granger has. With Kobe you know what you are going to get; and that's both a good and bad thing. Also of note is that he has not missed a game in the past 2 seasons. He's rock-solid consistent.

7. Dirk Nowitzki (PF): He is probably the most overlooked superstar in the league. He quietly does his thing, and does not get a lot of accolade or attention. I wish that he would shoot more 3PT (only makes 0.8 per game), but you can't find much fault in his statline: 25.9 points (4th in the league), 8.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals. 0.8 blocks, 1.9 turnovers, 48% FG and 89% FT. The low turnover and the higher percentages are especially valuable. How many big men are there in the league that shoot nearly 90% from the charity line? And there's a chance that Dirk might gain Center eligibility in Fantasy Leagues. I heard that Rick Carlisle plans to play Dirk at Center for stretches at a time. That would make his selection at the #7 even sweeter. He's a great consolation prize if you get a middle of the pack draft pick, and is a great building block.

8. Amare Stoudemire (PF/C): Obviously, there is some injury risk with selecting Amare, but with the Suns returning to their old Run-And-Gun style, he has a chance to set career highs across the board. He is the only legit big man on the Phoenix team. So he'll get plenty of scoring, rebounding, blocking opportunities. Looking at his statline from 2 years ago before the Suns acquired Shaquille O'Neal, Amare averaged: 25.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 2.1 blocks, 59% FG and 81% FT. He can probably do better than that. And also it's worth noting that he's in a contract year, so he'll be eager to prove his worth. You have to love that he qualifies for both the Power Forward and Center positions. This makes him the top ranked Center in the game; with Centers being a prized commodity in Yahoo! Fantasy leagues.

9. Dwight Howard (C): He leads the league in both rebounds (13.8) and blocks (2.9), and like CP3 he can singlehandedly help you win 2 categories. But his FT shooting is just atrocious (59% on 11 attempts). It's the number of attempts that really hurts your team. In my opinion, if you select Howard, you have to go with the strategy of punting FT%. It's just not worth the effort to select high percentage and volume free throw shooters to try to compensate for Howard. He's the only player in the first round that necessitates a specific draft strategy. He also contributes nicely to points (20.6) and FG (57.2%), and is a decent thief for a big man with 1.0 steals per game. But his turnovers (3.0) are pretty awful for a big man. He needs to learn how to pass out of the post better. He and Yao are the only big men amongst the top 20 worst in turnovers. It's a gamble to select Dwight, unless you know what you are doing.

10. Deron Williams (PG): He is the #2 Point Guard in Fantasy Basketball. And that is not a bad thing. He will always be overlooked by CP3, but he is not a bad consolation prize. The main difference between the two is CP3 gets 1.7 more steals, and a couple more rebounds and points. Deron Wiliam is second in the league in assists (10.7) and also contributes nicely to the scoring categories: 19.4 points, 47.1% FG, 85% FT, 1.0 3PT. Like most other superstar point guards, he does average a lot of turnovers though (3.4 per game which is good for 2nd in the league). He missed 14 games early last season, but he was able to bounce back nicely and show his resilience. I'm not worried about any injury risk. The uncertainty of Boozer in Utah may add some distractions to this Jazz team. He should be safe to pick in the first round. His high number of assists can help anchor your team in that category.

11. Chris Bosh (PF/C): He is one of 2 players in the league to average more than 20 points and 10 rebounds last season. He's a great percentage guy, shooting 49% FG and 82% FT. And he takes approximately 8 attempts from the charity line each game. He is solid on the defensive end too, averaging roughly 1 steal and 1 block per game. The addition of Hedo Turkoglu on the Toronto squad should make him even better. As he has another shooter to stretch the floor, and another playmaker on the floor to feed him buckets. Supposedly he's put on a lot of muscle over the offseason and should be poised for another all-star season. As I've mentioned many times, these dual eligibility players are very valuable. I give him the nod over other remaining Centers like Pau Gasol or Al Jefferson, who are more risky acquisitions.

12. Brandon Roy (PG/SG): He keeps on getting better each year. The addition of Andre Miller should help him lessen his workload. He won't have to be a facilitator and a scorer. Miller should give him more easy buckets, and allow him to focus more on scoring and defense. Portland will need to improve their defense to become an elite team. He averaged 22.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.3 blocks, 1.1 3PT, 48% FG and 82% FT. He is like the guard version of Dirk Nowitzki or Chris Bosh. He's rock solid and puts up comparable stats to Kobe Bryant who is being drafted several spots earlier. The dual position eligibility is a nice bonus. He is a shooting guard that can post point guard type assist numbers. He's a very efficient player and averages only 2 turnovers per game, which is solid for a superstar player.

Players on the bubble: Pau Gasol, Al Jefferson, Steve Nash.

There Will Never Be Another

2009-09-25T18:06:00.001-07:00

Some of my favorite Jordan commercials from over the years:

Nike "Frozen Moment" Commercial

Nike "Let Your Game Speak" Commercial

Gatorade "23 Vs. 39" Commercial

McDonald's "The Showdown" Commercial

Nike "Career Retrospect" Commercial

Let The Season Begin

2009-09-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

Below is the latest Top 10 video from NBA.com. This one highlights the top "teamwork plays" of the last season.

Onto some bigger news, it looks like Yahoo! has opened up registration for the upcoming Fantasy Basketball season. Zee! and I usually run a private league every year where we invite some of our buddies to join. But this year, we are looking for bigger and better competition. So we are going to open up the league to the public. If any of you guys out there are interested in joining and have the credentials, please let us know. Maybe we can start up a little inter-blog league, if we can find enough blog owners out there who are interested in joining. We usually run a H2H league with mostly default Yahoo! settings. But just to warn everyone, if you join the league, be prepared to compete with Zee! for 2nd place. I'm going to take the league crown.

We miss you Spree.....

2009-09-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

Say what you want about the man, but he always tried to keep it classy with the fans....

MJ's Top Dunks....

2009-09-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

As a tribute to one of the newest members of the NBA hall of fame, here is a compilation of His Airness top 10 dunks...Congrats Mike!!!! Check M.J.'s reaction in dunk #8.

The 1 Year Answer.....

2009-09-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

Various media outlets are reporting that Allen Iverson via his twitter account has announced that he will be playing for the Memphis Grizzlies this upcoming NBA season. Reports have estimated Iverson's one year contract to be within the range of $3.5 million for this season along with a series of incentives. I gotta applaud Bubbachuck for just wanting to play, and not chasing a check. No denying the love he has for the game.

The Year In Review (Part IV)

2009-08-31T13:13:00.000-07:00

Here's another one of those Top 10 videos from NBA.com. This one covers the top circus shots of the year. The #2 play by Vince Carter is hilarious. He literally walks all over Delonte West.

Also I should point out that Zee! has finally added his comments to our preseason power rankings post. It's better late than never. Everyone scroll down on this page and check 'em out.

ZEE!: That's cold Kay, but I guess you don't understand that greatness takes time. Roffle.

The Year In Review (Part III)

2009-08-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

Below are the top 10 blocks from last season according to NBA.com. Meh. I wasn't too impressed with their selections. Although the Anthony Randolph block on Tyrus Thomas was pretty nasty. I'm surprised that Dwight Howard didn't have any highlights...

ZEE!: Why is it that Brooke Shiel...er Lopez getting blocked began and ended the countdown?

For those people who are keeping track, below are the top remaining free agents on the market. I expect most of these guys to get signed within the next few weeks. For example, Iverson is rumored to have gotten a contract offer from Memphis. As you can see there's a big drop-off in talent from the top 5 compared to the rest. So the pickings are starting to get slim. The bottom 5 picks are pretty interchangeable. In fact, there were a handful of other players that I was considering for those spots who were equally deserving; but won't get any mention here. There just weren't any clear cut favorites.

1. Allen Iverson

2. David Lee

3. Raymond Felton

4. Ramon Sessions

5. Nate Robinson

6. C.J. Watson

7. Rashad McCants

8. Flip Murray

9. Wally Szczerbiak

10. Desmond Mason

Preseason Power Rankings

2009-08-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

Just for kicks, Zee and I decided to throw together an early preseason power ranking. We both picked our top 5 teams from each conference, based on the current rosters. Between now and the start of the season, I'm sure there will be some additional trades, injuries and free agent signings. So we'll be sure to update this list as the start of the season approaches. With that said, we present the first edition of our preseason power rankings. Let us know your thoughts.

Western Conference

Kay's Picks

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Zee's Picks

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Kay's Comments: The Lakers are the defending champions and arguably the most talented team in the league. Resigning Odom might have been the most significant move made during the offseason by any team. Swapping out Artest for Ariza has the potential to make them an even better team. There's no reason to think that they won't make the Finals again. And if Bynum can stay healthy... Yikes.

ZEE!: I have to agree with you 100 percent on this one. For you to give the Lakers such props must mean that they have a team (and possible dynasty perhaps?) to be reckoned with for several years to come. I for one can't believe the move that Trevor Ariza made in leaving a team you just won a championship with, to go play for a team you beat in your title run, who has lost arguably it's two best players in Yao and Ron Artest. In addition, you have T-Mac on the bench taking up space until possibly the middle of the season. Have fun playing wallowing in mediocrity. While the Lakers team you left, should they stay healthy, will make continuous runs at a title for the next few years to come.

The Spurs have reloaded their roster and look like the only team in the West that could challenge the Lakers. Jefferson and McDyess are huge upgrades over Finley and Bonner. And the return of Manu should help this team greatly as well. They have some nice young talent on this roster too: Hill, Blair and Mahinmi. Can they stay healthy?

ZEE!: Umm...what to say here....SMH @ Kay thinking the Spurs will challenge the Lakers. I'm gonna go ahead and circle Tuesday, January 8th, 2010 and look forward to the first meeting between the defending champs, and your San Antonio Spurs. FYI: Timmy and Manu aren't getting any younger/healthier.

The addition of Miller on the Trailblazers could push them to elite status. He'll bring some much needed leadership and experience to this team. Roy continues to be one of the brightest young players in the league. Aldridge is a star in the making. If Oden and Rudy can live up to their potential, this team could be downright scary.

ZEE!: I agree, the Trailblazers are solid from top to bottom. Had they been able to grab Hedo, wow. But even without Turkoglu, these young guys really should make some noise this season, and hopefully Brandon Roy will step out into national recognition for his game. TNT needs to book as many Blazer/Lakers, Blazers/Spurs matchups as possible for airing on T.V.

I like the changes that Dallas made to their team in the offseason. The addition of Marion and Gooden are huge improvements in their frontcourt. When you add them to the mix of Dirk, Terry, Howard and Kidd, you have a dark horse team. Young guns Beaubois and Barea have shown flashes of brilliance so far.

ZEE!: I really don't like this team, seriously. Cubes is spending money on players that really aren't gonna do crap this season. Jason Kidd basically passed up on a ring back in the day when he could have signed with the Spurs, and opted to go to Jersey. Now he's at it again, playing for a team with no shot, but he is steady cashing checks....pathetic. Anyhow, the breakdown for this team goes like this: Soft perimeter oriented team will shoot, shoot, and shoot. They will play no defense, they will not make it out of the first round. Mark Cuban will rip his hair out and grind those ugly yellow plaque crusted teeth of his as he realizes he wasted more money. But isn't that what he does best?

For the last spot, I went with Denver (over Utah or New Orleans). They were the surprise team of last year thanks to the addition of Billups. The loses of Kleiza and Jones will hurt this team's depth, but they should still be competitive next season. JR Smith is primed for a breakthrough. K-Mart, Birdman and Nene need to stay healthy.

ZEE!: Ahh the Nuggs. Thanks for that wake up call in the WCF fellas! This team is so talented, yet so primed to self destruct at any moment that it isn't even funny. Billups didn't look like himself in the playoff series vs the Lakers, and I wonder if he was just trying to do to much, or if he's starting to wear down. Anyhow, I expect a second round playoff exit from this ballclub come next season.

Eastern Conference

Kay's Picks

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Zee's Picks

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Kay's Comments: It's only fair that the defending Eastern Conference Champions start at the top of the power ranking. They've completed retooled their roster. Out go Turkoglu, Lee, Alston and Battie. And in come Carter, Barnes, Bass, White Chocolate and Anderson. I like their depth and talent on paper, but only time will tell if they are able to recapture the magic and chemistry of last year's team. Also don't forget that Nelson missed a huge chunk of last year.

ZEE!: I think this team was fortunate last year to not have had to play a healthy Celtics squad. This go round, if they want to prove that last season wasn't a fluke they're gonna need to completely destroy Boston and Cleveland, which I don't think is going to happen. Expect Van Gundy to be out as Head Coach in a couple of years. However, I am juiced to see if JWill still has it. Ill advised 3 pointers anyone?

Had KG not been injured last season, we could have been talking about a Lakers and Celtics rematch. The addition of Rasheed, Daniels and Williams should provide some necessary depth in the frontcourt. This will hopefully allow them to rest their Big 3 and ensure that they are healthy for the postseason. Rondo is on the verge of stardom; if he can keep his head straight. They need a backup PG, though.

ZEE!: The silly, grammatically butchered off season twitters from Paul Pierce about the Lakers vs Magic series were comical . And after an early post season exit the Celts have gotten desperate and picked up Sheed, so they could fulfill the possibility of having two maniacs on their squad at the same time. Now to the optimist, hope springs eternal that the Celts turn out to be as interesting on the court as they seem to be on paper. Only problem with this team thinking they are going to go all the way is Cleveland and Orlando, which have beefed up their respective squads, and are ready to go mano y mano with each other. Makes for great T.V. no?

The Cavs could finish anywhere from 1 to 3. The addition of Shaq is a big wildcard. Can he stay healthy and how will he affect team chemistry? He improves their offense, but he doesn't help their pick-and-roll defense at all. The addition of Parker, Powe and Moon are all underrated moves. This team doesn't look as intimidating on paper as the other Big 3, but they have Lebron James and play great defense.

ZEE!: Poor poor LeBron. Who does Danny Ferry think you are? Why does he seem content to surround you with average and past-their-prime players? Quote me, if this season produces nothing less than a finals win, LeBron is gone like the wind. No joke, even Stevie Wonder could see that. But hey if they do win, LeBron may just stay for another year or so. If Shaq can produce at a level on par with his time in Phoenix, then the Cavs may be on to something.

Pending the healthy of Arenas and Butler, this Wizards team is my dark horse pick. I expect them to make a huge turnaround this year. Arenas will be a beast. Let's not forget that Haywood missed nearly all of last year, too. The additions of Miller and Foye give this team even more firepower and depth. But the success of this team is pending on the development of Blatche, McGee and Young.

ZEE!: Gilbert Arenas, the first minute you come into camp, give back 1/3rd of your gaudy salary you were paid by the Wizards, learn to be a point guard, and shut up. That probably won't happen so Arenas and co (Butler, Jamison and ..... meh) are going to need to step it up from last years season, anything will be an improvement, but everyone on that team needs to focus on the next step. For goodness sakes, you play in front of the President of the United States!!

I had a tough time deciding on the 5th team, but I elected to go with the Bulls. I like them slightly better than either Miami or Atlanta. Rose will continue to develop, and the return of Deng from injury should help fill the void left behind by Gordon. To make it to the next level, however, they will need their big men to step up: Thomas, Noah, Miller and the rookies. Time will tell if last year was a fluke.

ZEE!: Derrick Rose, how do you fail the ACT 5 times?!?!?

The Year In Review (Part II)

2009-08-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more of those Top 10 videos from NBA.com. You can tell that they are running out of ideas. Top Plays from Rookies. Top Plays from International Players. Lol. And I also see some duplicate plays between the videos. That's just lazy. But anyways...

Top 10 Alley Oops of the Year

Top 10 Plays of the Year from Rookies

Top 10 Plays of the Year from Internationa Players

Hyperizers - Don’t Criticize (Hyperize)

2009-08-07T17:38:00.000-07:00

Check out this hilarious faux music video by Nike, which features Mo Williams, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and Rashard Lewis.

Speaking of Rashard Lewis, he was suspended for 10 games without pay by the NBA for failing a drug test. According to the article, Lewis "took an over-the-counter supplement late last season that included a substance he did not realize was banned by the NBA... He will be suspended without pay for the first 10 regular-season games for which he is eligible and physically able to play. He will be docked about $1.6 million of his $18 million salary for the 2009-10 season." Ouch.

Offseason Moves: Part II

2009-08-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

Cleveland signed Jamario Moon (2 years, $6 million)

He's not going to be a starter for this Cleveland squad, but his versatility and athleticism will be a big help for them off of the bench. He can play either Forward position. Moon is one of those rare players who has the ability to average over 1 3pt, 1 stl and 1 blk per game. He provides the Cavs with a big man who has the quickness and length to defend hybrid forwards like Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu. He should improve Cleveland's defense of the pick-n-roll. On offense, he's a streaky shooter with limited ball handling and play making skills. But he uses his athleticism well to collect rebounds, block shots and thrown down the occasional highlight dunk. He should be a valuable contributor for Cleveland; playing a situational defender type role. I like the duo of Lebron and Moon at the Forward spots on the defensive end. He won't put up big numbers, but his play will be huge.

Toronto signed Jarret Jack (4 years, $20 million)

This a very underrated signing. Jack is a combo guard who can play either G position effectively. He's a solid defender and will add some much needed toughness to this Toronto team. I expect him to start at the SG position replacing Anthony Parker. He can score from anywhere on the floor and has very good play-making and ball-handling skills. A lineup with Calderon, Jack and Turkoglu sounds very dynamic on the offensive end. I expect Toronto to be a much improved team next season. Of equal importance is that he's a close friend of Chris Bosh. So this signing improves their chance of retaining Bosh next year when his contract expires. To throw out some random stats, after the all-star break, Jack averaged 17.3 pts, 4.9 asts, 1.5 stls and 1.1 3pts per game on excellent percentages 48 FG% and 85 FT%. Jack is definitely a baller. And they signed him at a reasonable deal.

Portland signed Andre Miller (3 years, $22 million)

A great signing by Portland. I think he fits their team much better than Lee or Millsap, who they also pursued earlier. He is a great leader and play-maker on the basketball court. Miller is a crafty passer, who will make his teammates better. He doesn't have a great 3pt shot, but he is a very efficient scorer. He takes high percentage shots and attacks the basketball well. Miller gets to the free throw line at a nice clip, where he shoots over 80% from the charity line. He is also a solid defender and rebounder. He will provide this young Portland team with some much needed experience. And he improves their PG position greatly. Blake is an average starting PG, but a great backup PG. He will be turning 33 this year, but based on his production last year, he still has plenty of gas in the tank. Portland could be dangerous next season.

Detriot signed Chris Wilcox (2 years, $6 million)

I'm not a big fan of Wilcox, but he has a shot at playing a major role on the revamped Pistons squad. His only competition at the C position will be Kwame Brown; one of the biggest busts in recent memory. Just a couple years ago, Wilcox averaged 14 pts and 8 rebs per game in only 30 minutes for the Seattle Supersonics. So he does have some talent. He has a reputation of being an underachiever who lacks focus and consistency. So it will be interesting to see how he adapts to his new team. Detriot will need him to improve on his rebounding and defensive stats. He is a solid scorer within a couple feet of the basket. He runs the floor well, can finish at the rim and has nice leaping ability and quickness. He needs to improve on his post game and his outside shot. He'll get every opportunity to prove himself in Detriot. He's still a relatively young talent, with a lot to prove.

Dallas signed Drew Gooden (1 year, $4.5 million)

This is a nice low-risk move by Dallas. Anyone is a big improvement over Eric Dampier. Hah! Though Gooden is mainly famous for his beard, he also is one of the league's top rebounders. He'll score points on put-backs and offensive rebounds, and will hit the occasional jump shot. He has a nice mix of size and quickness, and some decent post moves. And he can hit free throws which is always a plus from your big men. He will need to improve on his consistency though. He sometimes has mental lapses on the court. And he can play passive at times, not asserting himself like he is capable of. But still he should be a valuable contributor for this revamped Dallas squad, who could make some noise in the postseason. I like the frontcourt of Marion, Nowitzki and Gooden. I should also mention that Dallas has signed Tim Thomas. While he's never quite lived up to his full potential, he is a solid role player. He can stretch the floor with his outside shooting, and is a decent rebounder. He has nice length and size and can cause mismatch problems for the opposing team. He proves some depth for Dallas.

Orlando signed Matt Barnes (2 years, $3.2 million)

Wow. This Orlando team is stacked. All they need is an upgrade at backup PG, and they are Finals bound. It should be fun to see Pietrus and Barnes back on the same team again. If they elect to start Lewis at PF again, than Barnes will be competing with Pietrus for the SF position. He can play either Forward position, and can help stretch the opposing team's defense with his outside shooting. He handles the ball well for his size, but is prone to turnovers. He is a solid rebounder and defender; who always plays with a lot of passion, energy and toughness. He is just another weapon for this Orlando team, who should have no problems leading the league in scoring. They key for Orlando will be keeping everyone happy and getting them to buy into the team concept. There won't be enough minutes to go around for everyone.

New Orleans traded Tyson Chandler to Charlotte for Emeka Okafor

Wow. This trade was unexpected. I don't see how it helps out either team very much. I'm surprised that the Hornets pulled the trigger on this trade; since they are in a cost-saving mode. And they just took back more salary. Okafor's contract is 3 years longer than Chandler, and he is owed over $40 million during than span. For Charlotte, I don't know why they would mess with team chemistry when they were so close to making the playoffs. In general, Okafor puts up better numbers, and more importantly, has managed to stay healthy during the past 2 years. Both players serve a similar role for their respective teams; though they have different strengths. Okafor is a bit undersized at the C position, but he is a banger and an outstanding inside defender. He is amongst the league's top shot blockers and rebounders. He has a high basketball IQ also. He has limited offensive moves, but is capable of scoring from within a couple feet of the basket. He can hold his own in the post, but isn't a particularly quick or agile player. On the flip side, Chandler has 0 offensive moves. The only points that he scores are from alley-oop lobs from Chris Paul. He has great length and athleticism, and can run the floor like a Forward. He doesn't have the muscle to bang in the post like Okafor does, though. He still manages to be a solid rebounder and shot-blocker, though. But he is more of a help defender, who uses his agility and quickness to cover for his teammates. It seems like Chandler is better suited for New Orleans and Okafor for Charlotte. Doesn't it? It's tough to see how this will play out for either team.

Milwaukee signed Hakim Warrick (1 year, $3 million)

While not the biggest name in the market. Warrick has a chance to secure a starting spot in the Bucks lineup. He played PF for Memphis, but he may get some minutes at SF for this Milwaukee team. Hakim has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his young career. His strength is slashing to the basket, and he gets to the free throw line at a nice clip. He is also an effective fisher in the open floor due to his impressive athleticism. His jump shot still needs some work though. He has nice length and quickness, but isn't a particularly good defender or rebounder. He will also need to learn how to pass the ball better and work on his consistency. But he is still a young player and has room to grow. As a starter 2 years ago, he average 17 points and 7 rebounds per game. I'm sure the Bucks would be happy if he could reproduce those stats. He has limited competition for minutes.

The Year In Review

2009-07-31T12:38:00.000-07:00

Check out the below clips to see some of the most memorable plays of last season as selected by the people at NBA.com. What do you think of their selections? Are there any notable snubs?

Top 10 Plays of the Year

Top 10 Assists of the Year

Top 10 Dunks of the Year

Top 10 Buzzer Beaters of the Year

Much Ado About Nothing

2009-07-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

Below is the over hyped clip of Lebron James getting dunked on by Xavier star, Jordan Crawford at the Skills Academy.

Offseason Moves: Part I

2009-07-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

Boston signed Rasheed Wallace (2 Years, $10 Million)

This is a solid FA signing by Boston. But if they end up losing Big Baby in the process, that minimizes some of their gains. Rasheed provides them some much needed depth at the PF and C positions. And allows them to keep Scalabrine on the bench, where he belongs. Rasheed is a huge upgrade over the red haired one, who was forced to play a major role last year in the postseason because of injuries. Rasheed is still a capable defender and rebounder, and can stretch the opposing team's defense with his outside shooting. He's a little old, but seems to fit in with the rest of this Boston squad. The return of KG and this signing should propel them to the Top of the East, assuming that Rondo won't be too much of a distraction. The Big 3 in Boston should be able to to wheel Rasheed Wallace in, who otherwise can be a bit of a loose canon. Hopefully KG's intensity and hard work will rub off on Rasheed. They definitely have one of the more potent starting lineups in the league.

Detroit signed Ben Gordon (5 years, $55 million)
Detriot signed Charlie Villanueva (5 years, $40 million)

I'm not a huge fan of either signing, and think that Detriot overpaid for both players. Detriot was just desperate to make a move. They freed up a lot of this cap space, and needed something to show for their effort. In essence, they are replacing Rasheed and Iverson with Villanueva and Gordon. Which duo would you rather have? Ben Gordon is an undersized trigger-happy shooting guard, who doesn't offer much besides scoring. He is a weak defender and unwilling passer. His shot is streaky; but he continues to be one of the most clutch players in the 4th quarter. He has excellent range and can drive to the basket and draw contact. He is a borderline all-star that is better suited to come off of the bench. The other puzzling thing about this signing is that they just recently signed Hamilton to a contract extension. Both players play the same position. Either Hamilton is out of the door, or they are paying one of them over $10 million per year to come off of the bench. A backcourt of Gordon and Stuckey sounds very undersized. On the flip side, you have Villanueva who has proven to be a capable scorer when given playing time. He can score from both inside and outside, and has legit 3pt range. He's a decent passer and when motivated is a capable defender and rebounder. But often he plays too passive and disinterested. On the Bucks, he was constantly shuffled in and out of the starting lineup, and didn't develop into a good rhythm until both Bogut and Redd went down with season-ending injuries. Neither player strikes me as a good fit for the team concept in Detriot, which focuses on ball movement and team defense. Both are young players though and Dumars as a reputation as a smart GM. So we'll see how this plays out.

Houston signed Trevor Ariza (5 years, $33.5 million)
LA Lakers signed Ron Artest (5 years, $33 million)

The story as I understand is that the Lakers offered Ariza a 5-year contract for the mid-level exception. The Lakers felt that this was market value for Ariza and wanted to conserve the rest of their money to make a play at resigning Odom. Ariza was offended by the offer. And out of spite, he goes out and signs the same contract with Houston. What an idiot. He was a valuable contributor on a team that will be a perennial contender for the next few years. Why throw that all away? Instead he joins a borderline playoff team, whose 2 superstars will miss the majority of next season. It was reported that he was also offered the same contract from Cleveland, but he elected to sign with Houston where he would get more minutes and a better chance to be a focal point on the offense. Ugh. He will form a potent defensive duo with Battier. He is a capable 3pt shooter and finisher, but has limited offensive game. I think his game will be exposed playing in Houston where he won't have Kobe and Gasol drawing the defense's attention. On the flip side, the Lakers have a great consolation prize in Artest. I think part of their strategy was to not overpay Ariza, because they had a backup plan in Artest. He will fill the void left behind by Ariza. He is a rugged defender, but is a more dynamic offensive player. He is a capable passer, can hit the outside shot, and has a more diverse offensive arsenal. The key will be keeping his ego and make sure he doesn't become a distraction off of the court. They need him to avoid turnovers, ball hogging and chucking up bad shots. He has a tendency to force things instead of letting the game come to him. He's a friend of Lamar Odom, which may help in resigning Odom to a long-term deal. It's a high risk, high reward move; but the Lakers have a great shot at defending their title, assuming they can resign Odom. For all of Artest's wild antics, he is a former defensive player of the year, and has made the all-star team.

San Antonio signed Antonio McDyess (3 years, $15 million)

A very underrated move by the Spurs. This solidifies their PF position. He and Blair are arguably the most talented players that Duncan has played next to since The Admiral retired. They can finally limit the minutes of Bonner, who is better served as a bench player. While McDyess is a bit old, he is still a capable contributor and nearly averaged a double-double off of the bench last year. He was one of the more consistent players for Detriot last season. He has a solid jump shot, and can rebound with the best of them, despite his decreasing athleticism. He's a smart defender, and just a great teammate overall. He fits in well with the Spurs, and is an improvement over Kurt Thomas. I think this move guarantees that Duncan plays the C spot next season. Some experts think that the Spurs trying to sign Rasheed was just a smokescreen so that they could get the guy that they really wanted. I'm not sure if that is true, but the Spurs always like great character players and he fits the bill. He doesn't have 3pt range like Rasheed though. In the end, McDyess and Jefferson are a big improvement over Bonner and Finley.

Crazy 4-team trade between Dallas, Toronto, Orlando and Memphis.

Trying to summarize this trade would give me a headache. I think the only thing worth noting is that Dallas acquired Shawn Marion and Toronto picked up Hedo Turkoglu. For Dallas, it's a great move as they make something out of nothing. Marion is a great defender, who can play multiple positions. He will hit the occasional 3pt shot, but he is better known as a slasher and a finisher. He'll be the recipient of some nasty lobs from Jason Kidd. He is capable of grabbing double-digit rebounds, and will score on offensive rebounds and putbacks. He is one of those great players who doesn't need the ball in his hands to be successful. After some sub-par years (by his standards) in Miami and Toronto, it will be interesting to see what he has left in the tank. Remember that he was an all-star just a couple years ago. It's too bad that they were not able to sign Gortat. He would have given them a wildly different and dynamic starting lineup. Turkoglu meanwhile gets a fat contract in Toronto. He was this close in signing a deal in Portland, but changed his mind at the last moment because of his wife. He gives Toronto a dynamic play maker and scorer, and fits in well with their international theme. Toronto will score a ton of points, but also be scored on a lot. Turkoglu doesn't do much to help out their team defense. But he has great range, and his length will be a matchup nightmare for most teams. A starting lineup of Calderon, Derozan, Turkgolu, Bosh and Bargnani doesn't sound too shabby at all. I think they are playoff-bound.

Phoenix signed Channing Frye (2 years, $8 million)

Another underrated move that has flown under the radar. Frye gets a chance to showcase his talents on the run-and-gun Phoenix suns. He has a solid jump shot, and should be able to form a potent duo with Amare in the middle. He's not a great rebounder or shot blocker however. But he provides some length and athleticism to the Phoenix frontcourt. He needs to bulk up more to really be successful, but can stretch the opposing team's defense with his shooting. Don't be surprised to see him hoist up some 3pt shots in this Phoenix offensive system. I wonder if he will start over Robin Lopez. I know that Amare hates to play the Center position, even though his athleticism and speed gives him a big edge there. Nash has a record of turning bench players into stars. So It will be fun to see how he is able to elevate Frye to the next level. He was buried on the bench in Portland and finally gets a chance to showcase his skills. This is his make or break year. With the resigning of Nash and Hill, it doesn't look like the Suns have given up on winning and gone into complete rebuilding mode yet. Frye could be a nice sleeper.

Cleveland signed Anthony Parker (2 years, $6 million)

I like this move by Cleveland. They needed to add some size to their backcourt. Mo Williams and Delonte West had trouble defending some of the bigger SG. Parker is a solid veteran. He has great range, can score in bunches, but is also a capable defender and an underrated playmaker. He's a very fundamentally sound player; smart and team-orientated. He could be the player that pushes Cleveland over the top. He's no Candace Parker, but will do all of the little things to make this team win. He can play some minutes at the SF position, too. And he is an improvement on either Wally or Pavlovic. It's a short contract so it should not hurt them too much in the long-run. This move in addition to the signing of Shaq puts Cleveland at the top of the East with Boston and Orlando. It will be a fierce battle next season for the Eastern crown. This signing does make West or Gibson expendable, as they don't need 3 undersized guards. West is the more talented player, but is also easier to trade because of his contract. Don't be surprised to see one of them moved; otherwise, one of them will be out of the rotation.

Orlando signed Brandon Bass (4 years, $18 million)

A brilliant signing by Orlando who is breaking the bank this offseason. They tricked Dallas into thinking that they would not match on Gortat. So that took their attention away from Bass. Bass gives Orlando some much needed depth and versatility at the PF position. Bass is a bit undersized, but he plays hard and tough. He has a variety of moves to score buckets, and has a decent jumper. He gives this Orlando team just another weapon. Can they find enough minutes for him though? He adds a much needed dynamic to this team. Now Orlando can go with a traditional lineup at times, with either Bass or Gorat at the PF position and Lewis at the SF spot. Either is a big improvement over Battie or Foyle. I have not even mentioned Ryan Anderson who is a great shooter who will stretch the defense at the PF position. All they really need is a backup PG and they will be set to contend for another title. They are a really deep team. It will be interesting to see how Vince Carter melds with this team, and how they are able to cope with the loss of Turkoglu. Nelson's health will be a key for them next year.

New York traded Quentin Richardson and cash to Memphis for Darko Milicic.
Memphis traded Quentin Richardson to the LA Clippers for Zach Randolph.

Darko Milicic goes to NY where he has the best chance to revive his career and prove that he is not a bust. He can block shots with the best of them, is a solid rebounder and scorer. He has great quickness and athleticism. But needs to stay out of foul trouble and improve on his toughness. He has a lot of talent and potential to be a solid starter in this league. He is still too young to be called a bust. And D'Antoni's system should give him a lot of freedom on the offensive end, where he will be running and gunning, and getting some easy buckets in transition, where his speed will be a factor. Also Zach Randolph going to Memphis gives them a legit PF and a solid starting lineup. He doesn't really fit in with their young lineup though, and has never been a good character player. But he is a dynamic scorer and rebounder. He's not the quickest or most agile, but he finds a way to get the ball in the basket. He's a decent passer, too. His main problem has been his lack of defense and his attitude. This move puts Arthur back on the bench, who shows some flashes of being a starting PF last season. He hustles, rebounds and defends, but needs some more polish on the offensive end. Randolph provides Memphis an inside scorer to compliment both Gay and Mayo. This team has the potential to be dangerous but just needs more time to gel and season and get better and improve chemistry.

Pre-Draft Trades

2009-06-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

1) New Jersey Nets trade Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson to the Orlando Magic for Rafer Alston, Tony Battie and Courtney Lee.

And the big trades continue. Wow. Orlando acquires an all-star talent for some spare parts. Vinsanity can hit the outside shot and will be a good fit for this squad. Assuming that Orlando can resign Turkoglu they'll have the best starting 5 in the league, hands down. Every player in their starting 5 has the potential to average 20 points per game. That's ridiculous. Of course, it's also possible that the trading of Vince Carter means the Turkoglu will be changing addresses. Vince Carter is set to earn $33.5 million over the next 2 years. So this Orlando franchise will definitely be paying luxury tax. But this is a franchise hungry to win. I like that. Ryan Anderson is just a throw-in player. This trade does hurt the team's depth quite a bit. They'll be forced to rely on Anthony Johnson once again to backup Jameer Nelson. And they lost a good prospect in Courtney Lee. Tony Battie will be an underrated loss. They desperately need to resign Gortat or get another big body to backup Dwight Howard. But they have the pieces to return the NBA Finals again next year, assuming everyone is healthy. For New Jersey, this was a pure salary dump. They'll have a ton of money saved up for the summer of 2010. As all three players that they acquired have expiring contracts this year. Courtney Lee is a nice addition to this team and will be teamed up with Devin Harris in the backcourt. Saving up all of this cap space is only a good idea if they are able to sign someone. If they cannot attract a big-name free agent, their plan will have backfired. Will anyone want to play on a team that traded away all of their talent?

2) Golden State Warriors trade Jamal Crawford to the Atlanta Hawks for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton.

Apparently Don Nelson wasn't joking when he told Jamal Crawford that if he did not opt out of his contract, he would be traded. It was clear that a backcourt of Crawford and Ellis would not work. So I'm not surprised that the Warriors traded Crawford away. Nelson is looking for a pure PG to run his offense. Crawford was set to earn $20 million over the next 2 years, so the Warriors are saving a bundle in this trade. They also have an excess of backcourt players, so this trade helps alleviate some of that congestion. Even though they traded for 2 PG, I would not be surprised to see them draft a PG. I don't think Monta Ellis is the answer at that position. And trading back for Baron Davis doesn't seem like a good long-term move. I don't foresee Claxton getting any burn, and Acie Law is a backup PG at best. Crawford can score buckets, but I'm not sure where he fits in the Hawks squad. I heard that they plan to resign Bibby during the offseason. So that means they are trading for a $10 million per season backup PG/SG. Does that make any economic sense? He can fill the role left behind by Flip Murray, who is a free agent. And I suppose they could play a small lineup with Bibby and Crawford in the backcourt at times. But this trade doesn't really improve the Hawks team that much, who really need an upgrade at PG and C. The latest reports say that the Hawks don't plan on resigning Bibby. So Crawford will become the starting PG for this team. Yikes. I don't foresee this turning out well, at all. Neither Crawford or Johnson is a true PG.

3) Phoenix Suns trade Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, a 2nd Round Pick and $500K.

Cleveland finally pulls the trigger on this move. I like it. And they did not have to give up anything of value. Neither Wallace or Pavlovic played major roles in their rotation. Shaq's contract expires next year, so it's a nice low risk move. They will still have salary flexibility next summer to pursue one of the big name stars to play along Lebron. And in the short-term, they have a legit post scorer who will demand double teams. This also will allow Cleveland to single cover big men like Dwight Howard. The only downside is that he's poor at defending the pick and roll, and can be injury prone. But let's see how motivated Shaq is next year. I'm sure he's eager to 1up Kobe and win his 5th ring. On the other side, the Suns get some salary flexibility. Ben Wallace is considering retirement which would save them a ton of money next year. Pavlovic is only guaranteed $1.5 million next year, and will probably be waived. Amare should be happy now that he is the man in Phoenix, unless they decide to trade him. They can return to a run and gun style without Shaq clogging the middle. Phoenix is in a difficult spot though; are they in rebuilding mode or are they trying to win now? They have a lot of holes in their lineup now. Who will man the C spot now? Will Amare move back over to C? And who will start at the SF position?

4) Minnesota Timberwolves trade Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards for the #5 pick, Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas and Darius Songalia.

This is a great move for both teams. The Wizards stubbornly refuse to go into rebuilding mode, and they want to try to win now. So trading away a draft pick for some solid players benefits this agenda. They were also able to dump some bad salaries off to Minnesota. Thomas is set to make over $7 million next year, and Songalia is owed over $9 million over the next 2 years. Yikes. Meanwhile, both Mike Miller and Foye's contracts expire next summer. So it's a low risk move. I don't think this propels them to contender status, however. But these guys will provide some extra scoring for this Wizards team, who should be near the top of the league in that category. Flip Saunders is a great offensive coach. Both guys can hit the outside shot and should help stretch the offense. Foye is more of a shoot-first PG, so I'm not exactly sure where he'll fit in. I expect Miller to move to the starting lineup, with Foye taking on the 6th man role. I'm not sure where this leaves young developing talents like Nick Young and Javaris Crittenton however. The Wizards are a bit thin in the frontcourt after that trade. They are going to have to depend on Blatche and McGee to step up their games. And hope that Haywood can return back to form. For Minnesota it helps their rebuilding efforts. They now have 4 1st round draft picks and both the #5 and #6 picks. They have a lot of flexibility with what they want to do. I expect them to draft a new backcourt to join Love, Jefferson and Gomes. It should be an exciting time for the Timberwolves franchise.

5) Milwaukee Bucks trade Richard Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto.

Finally. The Big 3 get some help. The Spurs problem has always been a lack of consistent scoring from their role players. RJ will definitely help the Spurs in that regard. He's capable of scoring 20 points per game. And provides them with some much needed athleticism and "youth". And they had to give up very little to acquire him. RJ is owed nearly $30 million over the next 2 years, which hurts their salary flexibility. But with Duncan on the decline and Manu constantly injured, their opportunity to contend for a title is quickly closing. It's a good short-term risk. The trade leaves them with some major holes in the frontcourt, however. As of now, an injury to Duncan would be devastating for this team as of now. They have to hope that Ian Mahinmi can contribute next year, and they can try to resign Gooden or another big man. I've heard Rasheed Wallace's name being thrown around, which would be a perfect fit. A lineup of Parker, Manu, RJ, Rasheed and Duncan would be title contenders. RJ is a big upgrade over Finley or Bowen. He is a capable defender so the Spurs defense should not skip a beat. For the Bucks, it was purely a salary dump. Now they can use some of that money to sign Sessions or Villanueva. They will likely waive Bowen. And Oberto has already been traded to the Pistons for Amir Johnson. A nice PF prospect. Maybe the Bucks could have gotten more for RJ, but trading him off was a great move for their franchise for the future.

Rumor Has It

2009-06-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

1) The Arizona Republic's Paul Coro suggests trade talks between the Suns and Cavaliers surrounding Shaquille O'Neal have heated up again.

From what I had heard, Cleveland would ship Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix for the Big Cactus. Had Danny Ferry pull the trigger on this deal at the trade deadline, we could be talking about Lebron James winning his first title right now. It gives them a legit scorer in the middle, and a big man who can defend Dwight Howard. And think about all of the fascinating storylines that would have developed from this. Superman Vs. Superman in the Eastern Conference Finals. And than a dream reunion of Kobe and Shaq in the Finals. All 3 players are only signed through the summer of 2010 so its a low risk move for Cleveland. Phoenix meanwhile saves some coin in this trade if Ben Wallace retires and they buy-out Pavlovic. And they make Amare happy, who now becomes the focal point of their offense.

2) Carlos Boozer is expected to opt out of his contract with the Jazz and could be pursued by the Pistons or Cavaliers.

There are a couple big names players who will be opting out of their contracts this summer, but Boozer has the best shot at changing teams. Utah seems more concerned about resigning Millsap and playing him at the PF spot than retaining Boozer. Also if Okur opts out of his contract, they will have to worry about resigning him to a long-term deal as well. They won't have enough money to sign all of these players. With that said, I doubt that Boozer returns to Cleveland given their bad history. But a move to Detriot sounds possible. Detriot will have a ton of cap space due to the expiring contracts of Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson, and they can offer Boozer whatever he wants. Detriot is desperate for a big man who can score some points as they haven't had any luck filling the PF spot with young guns like Amir Johnson, Kwame Brown or Jason Maxiell. The question is whether Detriot wants to spend money now or hold off until next summer.

3) One trade possibility has Tracy McGrady landing in New York in exchange for Larry Hughes and Cuttino Mobley's expiring contract.

Considering Houston's postseason success without McGrady and his history of injuries, I think they are willing to depart with their superstar. It's one of those addition by subtraction moves. All players involved have expiring contracts. Even though McGrady is scheduled to miss the first month of the regular season (and perhaps longer), the Knicks can afford to take a gamble on McGrady. He, by far, is the greater talent and he'll help fill some seats at Madison Square Garden. And on paper, he has the necessary skill set to be flourish in D'Antoni's system. McGrady could be a nice rental for the upcoming season. And if he's willing to take a paycut the following year, he could be an enticing partner for a future summer of 2010 signee. And besides, it's not like Hughes was in their long-term plans anyways. For Houston, it's more about freeing up playing time for their other players and getting rid of a distraction from the locker room. Hughes is a decent player. He can create his own shot and gives Houston some size in the backcourt. He's good for some steals and is a good slasher/penetrator; differing from the rest of this jump shot happy team. Mobley is retired; but it would be nice to see him back in Houston. Now if only they could sign Francis...

4) Sam Smith of Bulls.com is reporting that the agent for Ben Gordon says the Pistons have guaranteed the unrestricted free agent an offer of $11 million this summer.

I think this report is just BS. There's no way that any team would make a guarantee to Ben Gordon for $11 million per year. He's just a one dimensional scorer and is not deserving of top dollar. And why would Detriot even be interested in Gordon? Sure they have the cap space, but they already have a backcourt of Hamilton and Stuckey. Stuckey is their future PG, and Hamilton was recently given a contract extension. It doesn't make any sense. I wonder if it's a rumor created by the agent to increase the perceived value of Gordon. Also Gordon is an undersized SG, who doesn't play defense or know how to pass the ball. He would not fit in on this Detriot team. He's a streaky jump shooter that can get hot on occasion. He would be a nice 6th man for a playoff bound team, but is not a star. I don't see any team offering him a big deal. Not even a desperate team. He should not have rejected the $10 million per season deal that Chicago offered him last summer.

5) An NBA source confirmed that a potential trade of Al Jefferson and the No. 6 pick for the Suns' Amare Stoudemire is no longer on the table.

Let me first start off by saying that there is little to no chance of this trade actually going down. Zee and I debated on which side of this trade gets the better deal. I'm siding with Phoenix because Al Jefferson is locked up to a long-term deal and plays some defense. Meanwhile, Stoudemire can opt out of his current contract during the summer of 2010. There is a lot of risk in trading for Amare. And throwing in a #6 draft pick also? Why would Minnesota make this deal for? Neither player's skill sets match the teams that they would be traded to. Al Jefferson is not an athletic big who can run with the Phoenix team, and Stoudemire can not score effectively in the half-court. Jefferson and Shaq in the middle would be an absolute mess. True, Jefferson just came off of knee surgery. But he's a young player, and I expect him to bounce back and make it first all-star game sooner than later.

Steve Nash covers the finals

2009-06-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

Nash is a pretty funny guy. Who knew?

The Candy Man.....

2009-06-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

This might explain why he has such sporadic play at times. Sugar rush perhaps?

Celebration!!!!

2009-06-16T15:30:00.001-07:00

Ahh yes, the puppets commercial all Lakers fans have been waiting for. Sorry Lebron, maybe in a few years.

Milking The Cash Cow

2009-06-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

Wow. Nike is really going overboard with these Nike Muppet ads. Below are 3 more spots to add their collection.

There's not much more to say besides that. The Los Angeles Lakers are the 2008-2009 NBA Champions beating the Orlando Magic in 5 games. I'm pretty sure that no one is surprised by the outcome of the NBA Finals, as they were the favorites coming into this season. Kobe finally got that monkey off of his back. And the Lakers will be perennial contenders for the next several years. This franchise will face some difficult questions during the offseason, however. Will they be able to resign both Odom and Ariza (Odom has already said that he's willing to take a paycut to sign back with the team) and will Phil Jackson retire? It'll be interesting to see whether a different coach is able to guide this team to a championship. Of note excluding Fisher and Bryant, this is a young team that will continue to improve and get better. The question now is how many titles can these Lakers win?

Jumping The Shark

2009-06-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

Below are # 8 and 9 of the Nike Muppet ad campaign. I wasn't too impressed with either of these spots. What do you think?

Most Valuable Puppets: Continued

2009-06-05T14:21:00.000-07:00

It looks like we haven't seen the end of these Nike Muppet commercials. Below is the latest spot, which features Lebron stuck at home with Lil Dez during the NBA Finals. Cold. But absolutely hilarious. I was wondering how they were going to extend this ad campaign. If only they could get a Dwight muppet mixed in there; but he's an Adidas guy. I'm looking forward to a spot with Kobe showing off his 4th ring to Lebron. I looked it up online and people are saying that Bobb'e J. Thompson is the voice of Lil Dez. He's the kid from the film, Role Models.

How The Lakers Can Win It All

2009-06-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

Zee knows how much I hate the Lakers so he asked me to write an article on why I think they are going to win the Finals. Hah. I'll try to be as objective as possible here. On the flip side, Zee will take the Eastern Conference and talk about why he thinks Orlando will win the finals. The Lakers are hungry to win this season and eager to redeem their lose from last year. Everything this season has built up to this moment. They will only be content with winning a ring, anything less will be a failure. Kobe is eager to cement his legacy as one of the best players in history and he knows that he won't get many more chances to win a title. I'm sure he wants to add a Finals MVP to his resume and prove to the doubters that he can win a title with Shaq. And for some historical context. If the Lakers win, this will be Phil Jackson's 10th ring as a coach (he also won one as a player). That will put him alone at the top of the most winningest coaches list. This will be the Lakers 15th NBA championship, second to only Boston. I checked out the ESPN web site, and 9 out of the 10 experts have picked the Lakers to win. I even read an article that said the Lakers are President Obama's pick. Let's drill deeper into why they are everyone's favorites.

First and foremost, they have homecourt advantage. I expect this series to go 6 or 7 games. And both of those games are played in Los Angeles. They have a great shot of closing out the series there. Phil Jackson has a record of 43-0 when he wins the first game of the series. So it will be huge for the Lakers to pick up that win. Phil Jackson in general is a better coach than Stan Van Gundy. He'll make the right adjustments, exploit the mismatches and win the psychological war. He knows how to work the refs and motivate his players to win. Coming off of a hard loss that year in the Finals, this team will be hungry for a win and a chance to redeem themselves. This inexperienced Orlando team may just be happy to be there and will wilt under the spotlight. The Lakers need to be careful not to underestimate Orlando. I have all playoffs long, and they have proved me wrong in 2 of the series. The Lakers had 2 hard-fought series against Houston and Denver. Hopefully some of that toughness will rub off on them. And they will continue to play hard and play smart each game. Compared to last year's squad, this is a better team. Ariza and Bynum were DNP's last year, and they have played big for them so far this year. Kobe is the best player in the series and maybe the league; and he'll need to prove it once again.

The main key for them will be slowing down Dwight Howard. If they are able to successfully single-cover Dwight with either Bynum or Gasol, that will give them a huge advantage. As the Orlando shooters won't have as many open shots. Cleveland got in trouble because none of their bigs could effectively guard Dwight Howard, and that opened up the floor for the rest of their players. Also of note, Dwight has gotten into foul trouble in the past and already has 5 technical fouls. If they can get him suspended for a game or get him into foul trouble consistently, they could dominate this series. Both Gortat and Battie are a huge step down from Superman. Second, the Lakers have length and athletic forwards to match up with Lewis and Turkoglu, who have been huge all playoffs long. They should be able to contest each shot and limit the number of easy baskets that they get. Ariza and Odom will have the main defensive assignments. Ariza has been great at stealing the ball and applying pressure in the backcourt. Once again, the X-factors will be Odom and Bynum. They will need to play up to their potential for the Lakers to win. I like Odom better at the PF spot over Gasol because he has the quickness and athleticism to match-up with Lewis. I think Bynum and Gasol will take turns defending Howard at Center. Bynum is better suited for defending Howard, but he will need to stay out of foul trouble and prove that he can put up consistent effort on both ends of the floor. Gasol has been a beast so far in the playoffs, averaging a double-double in the postseason so far with 2 blocks per game.

Of course, I have to mention Kobe in this article. He needs to be the best player in this series. He'll be the closer for the Lakers. Also he will need to facilitate the offense and get his teammates involved; and set the defensive tone early. They will rotate Lee and Pietrus to defend Bryant; neither of whom I think is capable of slowing him down. He should have a huge series as he makes a run for the Finals MVP award. Differing from Cleveland, the Lakers have a well-balanced offense. They can go inside and outside, and get buckets from a variety of players. With Cleveland, Orlando just had to focus on one player. That same strategy won't work against the Lakers. Also the Lakers will run the floor and try to get easy buckets in transition, which will put a lot of pressure on the Orlando defense. The Lakers role players will need to step up and hit big shots for them. Does Fisher have anything left? Can Vujajic break out of his slump? Brown and Farmar have had some great moments so far in the postseason. And if it's true that Jameer Nelson will play limited minutes for Orlando, they will be key in slowing him down. Quick PG like Nelson have always given the Lakers a lot of trouble. See Aaron Brooks in the Houston series. Nelson was the main reason why the Magic were able to sweep the Lakers 2-0 in the regular season. Fisher has lost a step on the defensive end, and is not quick enough to defend Nelson. Neither Alston or AJ will be a difference maker in this series.

Walton has been effective sporadically off of the bench. But he gives them size and another play-maker. This is a deep Lakers team that can hurt Orlando in many different ways. If they double Gasol or Kobe, that will open up their shooters. This Lakers team have great ball movement and is very efficient on the offensive end. But you can't always expect to outscore the other team. And I have some concerns about their defensive effort. Will they be able to close out shooters and stay focused for the entire series. They have to contest every shot and make Orlando work for every point that they get. This Orlando team has been red hot from the field. And have proven in both the Celtics and Cavaliers series to be resilient and tough to beat. They can come back from big deficits because of their outside shooting. How effective will Gasol be at defending Howard? Will the Lakers elect to double team Howard or will they force him to beat them by himself. I know that Jackson is against the Hack-A-Howard technique, but it might be a smart strategic move. His FT shooting as been streaky so far in the playoffs. Hopefully they will do a better job of defending the pick-n-roll than the Cavaliers did. Turkoglu and Howard were allowed to get any shot that they wanted. Slowing down Turkoglu will be huge. As he's the primary play-maker for this team. With all of that said, I expect the Lakers to knock out Orlando in 6 games. They match up well, and are a more balanced and deep team. And Kobe finally wins one by himself.

The End of the Most Valuable Puppets?

2009-05-31T15:05:00.000-07:00

Below are the latest videos from the Lebron and Kobe Muppets ad campaign. It looks like these will be the last spots in the series, as Lebron didn't live up to his end of the agreement. The league's dream match-up of the Lakers vs the Cavaliers has been spoiled by the Magic. It would be hilarious if Nike created one final spot which features either Kobe taunting Lebron, or a visit from Dwight Howard. But I wouldn't count on it. Stayed tuned for me and Zee's Finals preview. That should be forthcoming within the next couple of days.

So Amazing?

2009-05-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a funny take on that terrible Kanye West song the NBA has been playing non stop to promote the playoffs. Funny but true.

ENJOY!!!!

(Long Overdue) Western Conf Finals Preview

2009-05-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hello all, I know this is late, however it is with good reason, my niece was born and I was welcoming her into the world. 9 pounds and 21 inches later, Amelia was born. Uncle Zee loves you! And now back to the hoops:

The Lakers face a Denver team who has had plenty of rest after a couple of cakewalks through a depleted New Orleans and a soft Dallas team. Carmelo Anthony has experienced a rebirth after the Olympics games and along with Chauncey Billups have given this Nuggets team leadership, focus and the belief that they can win it all. This Lakers team is coming out of a lengthy 7 game series with a scrappy Houston Rockets team who lost their center in the second game of the series, and provided the cocky Los Angeles team with a wake up call.

Both teams on paper are very evenly matched, with Denver using their defense to ignite fast breaks and wreak havoc on their opponents. Denver bolsters their solid starting five with a bevvy of options off the bench that compliment their already dangerous offense and defense in the form of swingman J.R. Smith and Chris "Birdman" Andersen. Throughout the playoffs, these two have been invaluable in picking up the slack for the Nuggets when thing have gotten stagnant. Look for George Karl to try and exploit the Lakers glaring weakness at the point guard spot and to try and use forwards Nene and Kenyon Martin to bully Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum in the paint, and to torch the poor soul who has to guard Carmelo Anthony.

On the other side of the floor: The Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers team who now look very pedestrian when compared to the team who beat a Utah team soundly 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs. The Lakers team who distributed the ball, who rebounded well and then ran into a Houston team who could've cared less about all of that. The Lakers will spend lots of time watching film trying to exploit match ups and really seeing what minor things they could exploit to eek out wins against this versatile Nuggets team. Kobe Bryant will be called upon once again to leave his mark on this series on offense and also possibly his defense on PG Chauncey Billups. His negating of Billups could well be the determining factor in this series since Carmelo will get his offense no matter what.

As I mentioned in my Nuggets-Mavericks preview, the one thing that is still a question mark with this Nuggets team is their mental stability. Can JR Smith, K-Mart and company manage their emotions throughout the course of the series? Will they come unglued once Kobe begins to foul out Denver guards one by one? Will the Laker big men learn from the previous series and toughen up? Is Carmelo as good as advertised? And finally is this Nuggets team this good, or the beneficiaries of good playoff match ups?

The answers remain to be seen, but I'm going to go with experience on this one. The Lakers have been tested this year and last year, and while the Nuggets have been on a tear, they quite possibly may be in over their heads once the intensity ramps up in the later stages of the series.

Prediction: Lakers in 6

Most Valuable Puppets Again

2009-05-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

Below is the third video from the Kobe & Lebron Muppets ad campaign by Nike. This is brilliant stuff once again. If anyone was wondering, David Alan Grier does the voice for the Kobe muppet, while Keenan Thompson does the voice for the Lebron muppet.

Updated May 25, 2009. Here is the 4th video in the series:

Playoff Predictions: Eastern Conference Finals

2009-05-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

Cleveland continues to surprise me with their dominance in the playoff this year, as they knocked out the Atlanta Hawks in 4 games. They've been undefeated through 2 series in the playoffs. That's an impressive feat, even considering the weak opposition they've been against. You could argue that they haven't been tested yet in the playoffs. But they have dominated teams that they were supposed to dominate; which is more than I can say for the Los Angeles Lakers. Even in games when they played poorly, they were able to will themselves to a win in a tight game. Cleveland looks like a team on a championship mission. On the flip side, the Orlando Magic were able to get it together for the last 2 games and pull off an impressive win against Boston, who were 32-0 in series that they led 3-2. I'll give them props for winning game 7 on the road in dominating fashion and being able to persevere through all of the off-court drama. Dwight Howard stepped up big and backed up his guarantee. I thought that Orlando could have won the series in 5 games, but Boston gave them all that they could handle. Heart and effort can only take you so far; and with the injury to KG, Boston didn't have the talent to match Orlando. It's a shame. Of note, Turkoglu had a monster game 7, and may finally be out of his slump.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1) Vs. Orlando Magic (3)

The key to this series will be the match-up between Dwight Howard and Lebron James. Shocker. Both teams rely heavily on their superstar. And the star that shines the brightest will be able to propel his team to victory. Dwight Howard has been dominant in the middle, averaging 19.6 points, 16.6 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. He's the anchor for this team on both the offensive and defensive end. On defense, he needs to keep Lebron out of the paint. If they can turn Lebron into a jump shooter, they will stand a great shot at winning this series. They need to keep the ball out of Lebron's hands and force his teammates to beat them. On offense, he needs to be aggressive and set the tone early. He's not a polished scorer, but his inside presence frees up their shooters in the outside. This is a team heavily dependent on the 3pt shot. Another key for Orlando will be the play of Turkoglu and Lewis. Turkoglu is the barometer for this team. When he plays well, this team plays well. And he's been inconsistent so far in the playoffs. Lewis, once again, will be a tough cover. He's an undersized PF, with nice quickness and a sweet outside shot. None of the teams that they've faced have had a dominant PF who can take advantage of this mismatch.

On the flip side, everything runs through Lebron James. In the playoffs, he leads this team in points (32.9), rebounds (9.8), assists (6.8), steals (2.0) per game. He has been getting to the free throw line a ridiculous 13 times per game. He's also been hitting 2 3's per game, and overall is shooting 53% from the field. Orlando does not have anyone who can defend Lebron James. He needs to put this team on his back and carry them to the Finals. He needs to set the defensive tone and get open shots for his teammates. Big Z and Mo Williams have been pretty quiet so far in the playoffs; I expect them to step up their game against Orlando. This is a well-balanced team that can hurt you in many ways. Everyone knows their role and they can execute brilliantly on both ends of the floor. I should note that Cleveland has been dominant on defense so far, holding teams to under 40% shooting and 78 points per game. Orlando smashed Cleveland in their last match-up (being ahead by as many as 40 points), and holds the season edge at 2 games to 1. But I still think this is Cleveland's series to lose. They have been playing on a whole another level the past few weeks, and like everyone says, the playoffs are a different beast from the regular season. The better team will win in the end, which I think is Cleveland. They have homecourt advantage, where they are nearly unbeatable.

Let's do a breakdown of the positional match-ups. The backcourts are similar, but I give the edge to Cleveland. They are better shooters. Delonte West and Mo Williams have been lights out thus far. And I like their depth with Boobie and Pavlovic off of the bench. They are going to get a lot of open shots with Lebron dominating the paint. Alston is not a championship calibur PG. He is prone to jacking up bad shots and making boneheaded plays in the clutch. Lee has been solid so far with his shooting and defending. He was an excellent draft pick by the Orlando Magic. Pietrus could be big off of the bench. He has a great 3pt shot and he gives the team another guy to throw at Lebron. Hopefully Anthony Johnson won't have to play too many minutes. That's all I have to say about that. Reddick matches up well with some of Cleveland's role players, so don't be surprised to see him get some burn in this series, assuming his shot is falling. It's interesting to note that none of the above players are really true PG. Both teams depend on their SF to do much of the ball handling and decision-making.

Lebron dominates the SF spot. He is just too strong and too quick for Turkoglu to defend. I think they'll play Pietrus against Lebron at times to mix things up. Lebron has struggled in past games against Orlando because of Dwight's defense. It will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments he will make. The great ones always find a way to win. Wally as the backup SF is competent. He is a solid scorer and a wiley veteran. Turkoglu has been inconsistent, but he is one of the key players for this Orlando team. Whenever he plays well, this team plays well. He's 6' 10", can hit the outside shot, and is a great ball handler. He is the primary ball-handler in the clutch, and has already hit a couple of game winners in this playoffs. If Lebron is able to slow down Turkoglu, this series could be over soon than later. This will be a key match-up. With regards to the coaching staff, I think it's a wash. Mike Brown did win coach of the year; but that's mainly because Lebron lead this team to the best record in the league. He makes any coach look better than they are. Stan Van Gundy, on the other hand, screams too much and looks like Ron Jeremy, but is a capable coach.

PF/C has some interesting mismatches. Rashard Lewis is too quick for Varejao to guard. He'll probably be the team's top scorer again. He has a great outside shot which will drawn his defender away from hoop, and he has the quickness to drive to the basket. Joe Smith is the best guard against Lewis. So we might see him get extended minutes. Varejao is a pest, who gets under player's skin and does all of the dirty work. Don't discount his impact on this series. Orlando also has the edge at the C spot with Superman. I expect Dwight to be dominant. Unlike Boston, Cleveland has a lot of bodies that they can throw at Dwight to keep him off-balanced. And they have a lot of fouls to give, which could come into play as Dwight is a horrible FT shooter. Wallace might be the best guard against Dwight, but he's a liability on the offensive end. Big Z's shooting will keep the defense honest. If Dwight doesn't come out to defend Big Z, he could have some big scoring games. Gortat is a solid reserve who can bang with this Cleveland squad. He's proven to be a solid fill-in for Dwight whenever he gets in foul trouble. Overall, I think Cleveland has a better squad. Defense wins championships. And I think Lebron will have a bigger impact than Dwight. Cleveland wins in 6

Most Valuable Puppets

2009-05-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

These new Nike Muppet commercials featuring Lebron and Kobe are hilarious. I especially like the second spot which features Kobe taunting Lebron James about his championship rings. Classic. Whoever came up with this idea deserves a raise or something.

Zee's a little behind with his post predicting the winners of the Western Conference second round series. But let's see whether he can get that up before both series are finished. Hah! He's still got a few more days. I'm looking forward to Sunday. Both game 7's should be entertaining. I'll be rooting for Houston and Boston. I think it can go either way in the Boston and Orlando series. But I like Boston's chances because they have homecourt advantage and championship mettle. They'll need to get a better effort out of Big Baby and Ray Allen to advance, however. And they'll need to take better care of the ball.

Who would have thought that the Rockets would force a game 7 against the Lakers with both Yao and T-mac out? Crazy. Houston is playing with heart and passion. You gotta give these guys and their coaching staff a lot of credit. I remember telling Zee that Houston would be a tough out because of their toughness and their depth. The Lakers could learn a lot from them. They've been too Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for my liking in the playoffs so far, and are not giving a consistent effort each game. I'm starting to doubt whether they can contend for a title this season. But let's see if they can prove me wrong.

Bush League Tactics

2009-05-08T06:39:00.000-07:00

Absolutely hilarious. If you are going to get suspended for 1 game, you gotta at least get a good hit in like Derek Fisher. Not this weak smack upside the head. What was Rafer Alston thinking? That's what separates the contenders from the pretenders. Haha.

As a bonus, here is a video of Fisher's hard foul:

Playoff Predictions: 2nd Round (Eastern Conference)

2009-05-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

I did a decent job at predicting the first round series winners correctly. I was within one game for all of the series except for the Atlanta/Miami series. I underestimated how injured Wade was. I thought he would be able to will his team to victory over a superior Atlanta team. But he got little help from his supporting cast, and Atlanta was able to pull off a game 7 win on their home floor. It was quite a strange series with all of the games being double-digit wins. In any case, I don't think either team stands a shot against Cleveland. The Cleveland/Detriot series was a blow-out as expected. Detriot is not the same team without Billups, and they'll have some big decisions to make in the offseason regarding the direction of this team. 3 of the first 4 games in the Orlando/Philadelphia series were decided by last second shots. But besides that, Orlando took care of business and won the other 3 games pretty easily. The highlight of the first round was the Boston/Chicago series. That was one of the best first round series that I've ever seen. Almost every game went down to the wire, as they set a record for most overtimes played in a series. Rondo vs Rose was an epic PG battle. Pierce, Allen and Gordon all hit big shots for their respective teams. What surprised me was the play of Big Baby Davis, who filled in admirably for KG. The better team won the series; but Boston sure made their job harder than it should have been. If Pierce had hit that FT at the end of the first game, that could have completely changed the dynamic of the series. And they could have potentially swept the Bulls in the first round. But enough about that, let's move onto the second round...

Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. Atlanta Hawks (4)

There's no stopping this Cleveland Cavaliers team. They are focused on winning and the Atlanta Hawks will become their second victim. This Cavaliers team is well rested after sweeping the Detriot Pistons, and I expect the league's top rated defense to clamp down on this Atlanta Hawks team. They were 3-1 against the Hawks during the regular season, and I expect much of the same. Lebron James is the most dominant player in the league, and the Hawks don't have anyone on their team who can slow him down. I expect a huge series from him. He'll set the tone on both ends of the floor. On the Hawks side, Joe Johnson has been struggling so far in the playoffs. There's no way Atlanta can be competitive unless he's playing at his best. Varejao is an underrated defender. I expect him to get under Josh Smith's skin. He's the kind of hot-headed, immature player who will be easily rattled. Bibby has been scorching hot from downtown; but Cleveland is the #1 team at defending the 3PT shot. Al Horford and Marvin Williams are slowed by injuries, which doesn't help their cause at all. The Hawks are also horrible FT shooters. The only shot the Hawks have at winning is if they get huge production from their bench: Flip Murray, Evans and Pachulia. On Cleveland's side, they just need to consistently play hard and not take this Atlanta team too lightly. They are the better team on both sides of the floor. And they are nearly unbeatable at home. Mo has played nicely as second fiddle, and the Cavaliers have gotten solid production from their role players. Big Z and Joe Smith have provided nice scoring from the 4 & 5 spots. - Cleveland Wins in 5

Boston Celtics (2) vs. Orlando Magic (4)

This is a difficult series to predict. Both teams struggled to win their first round series. If you compare their rosters position by position, there are a lot of mismatches. In the backcourt, Rondo and Allen have a huge edge over Alston and Redick. I can't imagine Redick or Alston being able to slow down their counterpart one bit. And that could spell disaster; as Rondo was a triple double machine in the first round, and Allen was red hot from the field. His 51 point game with 9 made 3PT was pretty impressive. Orlando desperately needs Courtney Lee to return to health. Neither Pietrus or Johnson have been very effective off of the bench. I also give Boston the edge at the SF position. Pierce is The Answer and last year's Finals MVP. While Turkoglu has been awful so far in the playoffs; excluding his game winning shot. He could be the difference-maker, if he can get his game together though. The PF spot is an interesting matchup. Big Baby has the girth advantage and should be able to dominate the paint. But Lewis is one of the league's best shooters. I don't think Davis will be able to keep up with him. Howard is a beast in the middle. But Perkins is one of the better defending big men in the league. He is the X-Factor for this team. If he can stay out of foul trouble, and do a decent job of containing Howard, Boston has a great shot at winning this series. Otherwise, it's up to Big Baby, Scalabrine and Mikki Moore to defend Howard; and that's not a pretty picture at all. Howard will need to lead his team to the next round. His dominance in the middle opens things up for all of their shooters. And he's the anchor for this team on the defensive end. Both teams are excellent on defense, but Orlando might have more scoring punch. Neither team's bench has been that effective. But anything that Boston gets from House or Marbury is a plus. For Orlando, I like the duo of Battie and Gortat. Both are capable rebounders and defenders and provide some much needed depth at the 4 and 5 spots. Call me crazy, but I think Boston can pull off the win. Never underestimate the heart of a champion. That, and they have homecourt advantage. - Boston wins in 7.

If You Haven't Seen It, It's New To You

2009-04-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

Below are a couple of videos from the vaults that I'd thought I'd drag out and share with everyone. Both are absolutely hilarious and showcase the acting talents of some of the top NBA players.

The first video is a Nike commercial featuring Lebron James and Nicole Scherzinger from The Pussycat Dolls.

The second video is a movie trailer spoof featuring Steve Nash and Baron Davis created for the site: IBeatYou.com

1st Round Playoff Predictions (Western Conf)

2009-04-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

At last, the 2009 playoffs are upon us. Man, Woman and Child rejoice!!!!! The western conference playoff race was nothing short of draining. Up until last night, only one of the match-ups was set in stone, that being the #1 seeded Los Angeles Lakers vs the 8th seeded Utah Jazz. When the dust settled this morning all western seeding had been decided. Let's rundown the match-ups for the 1st round.

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs (8) Utah Jazz

It would be safe to assume that Kobe and the rest of the Lakers have been on a mission since being destroyed at the hands of the Boston Celtics in last years NBA finals. Now they're back in the playoffs with the best record in the Western Conference, home court advantage throughout all their Western match-ups, and a determination to not only make it to the NBA finals, but to win it all, nothing less will do. This does not bode well for the Deron Williams led Utah Jazz.

The Lakers won the 2009 season series 2-1, scoring 115.7 per game vs the Jazz, almost nine points more than their season average of 106.9 points a game. Additionally, Kobe Bryant averaged 31 ppg against the Jazz in the season series, the 5th highest scoring avg vs any opponent in the NBA this season. Another statistic that favors the Lakers in this match-up? They are 40-10 with Andrew Bynum in the lineup. Guess who's back? Andrew Bynum. (See where I'm going with this?) With a front court tandem of two seven - footers,Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, the Jazz will have a tough time defending the paint and denying the Laker bigs a chance at high percentage buckets (Bynum's stats vs Utah are 15ppg, 3rpg, 61.6 FG%). Add in a bench that includes Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, Sasha "masheen' Vujacic, mid season acquisition, Shannon Brown, as well as rugged inside presence Josh Powell, and you have a nice rotation of players to come in and spell the starters and hold, or possibly extend existing leads in the game. And last but not least, the black mamba himself, Mr Kobe Bryant. The man is still the best in the game, and this playoff season is going to be on a mission to get his hands on a ring without the help of Shaq.

To the Jazz's credit, they do have the edge in one crucial position in this match-up: The Point Guard. They have arguably one of the top three point guards in the NBA in Deron Williams. Williams heads into this match-up averaging 10.7 assists per game, good for 2nd in the NBA. The Lakers achillies heel all season has been their lack of depth and talent at the point guard position. If the Jazz can exploit this match-up and combine that with their knack for shooting high percentage shots (as a team, shooting 47.5 FG%, 3rd in NBA), this may be what the doctor ordered to confuse the Lakers and give the the edge when the match-up heads to the energy solutions arena for games 3 and 4, but I can't see the Jazz winning more than 1 game versus the Lakers, especially if they're motivated, hungry and out for blood. And they will be.

Prediction: Lakers in 4, (maybe) 5.

(2) Denver Nuggets vs (7) New Orleans Hornets

In an odd reversal of fortune, the Hornets and Nuggets almost flip-flop playoff spots from last season, when the Nuggets came into the playoffs as the 8th seed and the Hornets had the 2nd seed. This is just another example of how tightly contested the Western Conference has been the last couple of years, where a few losses here, a few there, and one minute you're in the middle of the pack, and then just like that, you're in the cellar.

The Nuggets and Hornets split the season series 2-2 apiece, with each team grabbing a win on the road, so there really isn't a clear cut favorite in this match-up. However, the Nuggets do come into the series ranked in the top 5 in the league in FG% and in FG% defense. Also, with new PG Chauncey Billups running the PG position, the Nuggets tied their franchise record for wins in a season with 54. So the argument could be made that with the exit of Allen Iverson, and the entering of a proven winner in Billups, maybe this Denver team is for real and is ready to finally make it to the second round of the playoffs, something that has alluded them since the Dikembe Mutombo days in 1994. (Yikes) It also stands to reason that should Carmello Anthony not make it out of the first round again this year, the inevitable comparisons to Tracy MacGrady will pop up, and really, who wants to be grouped in with that loser?

And now, the darlings of last years NBA playoffs, the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets come into this match-up with a road record of 21-20 on the road, tied for 3rd place in the Western Conference. So (maybe??) they've shown they can win on the road. Add to that, the team has experience dating back from last seasons deep run into the playoffs, and that will be instrumental in exactly how far they make a run in this years post season. The Hornets are 28-5 this season when scoring 100+ points, and truthfully, without number 3 running the point guard for them, I'm not sure the Hornets would even top 70 points on a nightly basis. What Chris Paul does for the Hornets is invaluable, and the match up between he and Chauncey Billups will be key in this series, along with David West going against Carmello Anthony. Will James Posey play the same lockdown defense he displayed in last years NBA finals against the current league MVP Kobe Bryant? If he can, and Tyson Chandler is close to full strength, then I think the Hornets have a shot.

Now that's a lot of if's. But regardless, I have a feeling that this series may go 6 games, if not 7. And if Denver is as tough as they look right now, and they go into the series focused, and exhibit a level of maturity, look for them to make it to the second round for the first time in a long time.

Prediction: Nuggets in 6.

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs (6) Dallas Mavericks

Wow, Dallas is to be commended. Not only did they manage to avoid playing the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, but they also managed to leap-frog the New Orleans Hornets and avoid playing the #2 seed Denver Nuggets! But guess what guys?!? This is the Western Conference! And you're playing the San Antonio Spurs. Now under normal circumstances this might be a bad thing, but with the injury of Manu Ginobli, combined with the ailing wheels of Tim Duncan, and you have a situation where if the Mavs play things right, they might just be able to advance to the second round....MAYBE.

The Spurs and Mavs are no strangers to each other, each team winning a game on each others floor, and splitting the season series 2-2. Some positives for Dallas? In those games, they shot almost 50% from the field against the Spurs (48.2 percent to be exact). Also, the last meeting they had with the Spurs on Nov 4th, they beat them soundly 98-81. If Rick Carlisle is looking for motivational material, this should be it. In order to have a shot at winning this series, the Mavs need to fast break as much as possible, play defense....um right, like I was saying, fast break, try and limit the Spurs 3 point attempts (they are shooting 38.6%, 3rd in the NBA) and focus on stopping either Tony Parker or Tim Duncan. If they can do that, they have a chance. A slim chance, but a chance.

Just like the Lakers, the Mavs have a weakness at the PG position in aging future Hall-of-Famer Jason Kidd. Tony Parker has torched Kidd in their head-to-head match-ups, averaging 31ppg on 52% shooting from the field. The Mavs need Kidd on the floor to find open teammates, ignite the offense, and to put his all-around stamp on the game (Against the Spurs,13ppg, 7rpg and 9ast and 51% from the field) so in a way their hands are tied, unless they opt to bring in 6th man of the year candidate Jason Terry, to try and slow Parker down. It's possible he could slow down Mr. Longoria, but how much of a toll would that take on his offensive output?

Also, the big guys, Timmy Duncan and Dirk Diggler, One goes in the paint and sets up his open teammates with 3pt attempts, the other attempts a lot of 3pts and doesn't go to the paint like he should. No question both of these guys need monster games to keep their clubs in it. All of this is shaping up to a monster series. But seriously, this is a Popovich coached club were talking about here, and the Spurs superior defense may just be the difference in the series.

Prediction: Spurs in 7. (This may be the best 1st round series)

(4) Portland Trailblazers vs (5) Houston Rockets

Ummm...wow. I'm not sure what to say about this series. Houston seems like they should make it out of this round, and get to the second round, especially without T-Mac around to muck things up. But that would be in a perfect world, in this world the Trailblazers have a team loaded from top to bottom, with depth at just about every position and a all-star do-it-all player in Brandon Roy. For Houston to win, it's simple: YAO MUST DOMINATE. Easier said than done however, as Portland has big bodies in 7 footer Greg Oden as well as forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge who can play tight defense, rebound, block and score buckets. Also did I mention that Portland likes to get out on the break, I mean really, really utilize the fast break? You have to wonder if this will be an issue for Yao over the course of a series. I think Ron Artest, Luis Scola, and Shane Battier will apply a considerable amount of defensive pressure, but I think this is a situation where the home team will win every game.

Prediction: Blazers in 7

Playoff Predictions: 1st Round (Eastern Conference)

2009-04-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

Cleveland Cavaliers (1) vs. Detriot Pistons (8)

Detriot is just the first hurdle that Cleveland has to jump over on their way to the NBA Finals. They are clearly the better team in this series. And I expect a dominating performance. They are nearly unbeatable at home, and have the league's MVP on their team. The Pistons, meanwhile, have floundered into the playoffs. With a record of 3-5 in April and 12-19 since the All-Star Break. The Pistons only shot at making it out of the first round would have been a matchup against Orlando; a team that they have historically dominated. The loss of Billups has had a devastating impact on the Piston's fortune. They are clearly not the same team that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals the past 6 years. They not only allow 5 more points per game, but they score 4 less points per game. They have a rookie running the PG spot, and Rasheed and company are a year older. Wallace is as enigmatic as usual. Their only consistent scoring option has been Rip Hamilton. And McDyess has been their best big man. Which says a lot about this team. Prince will have his hands full trying to slow down Lebron. It'll be interesting to see if Will Bynum can bring some of that magic to the playoffs. He and Stuckey could cause some match-up problems for Cleveland. On the flip side, Cavs have the league's #1 rated defense and have enough firepower to match that. They are amongst the league leader's in 3pt made per game. Everyone know's about Lebron and Mo Williams, but they also have shooters off of the bench: Boobie, Wally, and Pavlovic. Delonte West doesn't get that much attention, but his shooting and defense are big for this team. Big Z and Joe Smith are solid as always, while Ben Wallace and Varajeo are studs on the defensive end. This team has it all. Lebron by himself can will his team to a couple of wins, and now he has the supporting cast to make a legit run at the championship. It should be a fun ride to watch. - Cleveland wins in 5

Boston Celtics (2) vs. Chicago Bulls (7)

Ouch. It's being reported that KG might miss the entire postseason. There goes Boston's chances of a repeat, and their chance at getting their revenge against the Cleveland Cavaliers who they felt disrespected them a few nights ago. Pierce and Allen must be pissed off (see the above pictures). With that said, I think they still have enough firepower to take out the Chicago Bulls. They still play phenomenal defense (though not as good as with KG) and they are too experienced and talented to lose in the first round. Leon Powe and Big Baby Davis have stepped up their game nicely in KG's absence. And the Celtics still have 2 HOFers on their squad, and a rising star in Rondo. Let's not forget about Perkins either who is a defensive stud in the middle. Eddie House gives them scoring off of the bench. Though the X-factors will be the play of Tony Allen and Marbury off of the bench. I'm shocked that Chicago lost to Toronto on the last day of the season. I thought that they had the #6 seed all wrapped up. They could have given the Orlando Magic a run for their money. But against Boston, I don't think they stand too much of a chance. They are still too dependent on their jumpshot. And they are too young and inexperienced to make a playoff push. They have been 16-11 since the arrival of Brad Miller and Salmons, however. Those 2 guys have given this team some necessary toughness and leadership. Salmons has been their most consistent scorer. And has helped Chicago forget about the absence of Luol Deng. Gordon is still hit-and-miss, but is one of the league's best scorers when he gets on a hot streak. Derrick Rose is the ROY and will get his first tate of the playoffs; and his first defeat. Hinrich will be solid off of the bench; filling in any either the PG or SG position. I'm not sold on Tyrus Thomas and Noah in the frontcourt. They are too inconsistent, and neither is a reliable scorer. But his will be a good learning experience for this Chicago team. They should be back better than ever next year. - Boston wins in 6

Orlando Magic (3) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (6)

Orlando luckily draws the 76ers in the first round. Had they gone up against the Bulls or the Pistons, they might not have been able to make it out of the first round. This team is just too beat up right now. Turkoglu has missed the past 2 games with a sprained ankle, and Lewis has missed the last 3 games with knee tendinitis. They'll need both of their stars back and 100% healthy to make a nice playoff push. But with that said, I think they have enough talent and firepower to take out the 76ers who have been equally bad. They had lost 6 games in a row, before their OT win against a Cleveland team without any of their starters. Now that's just pathetic. Howard is by far the best player in this series. He's a legit MVP candidate and he'll be able to dominate the defensive end. Orlando depends heavily on Dwight not only for his defense, but for drawing double-teams to get their shooters open looks. And this team has a lot of shooters. They are the #1 3pt shooting team in the league. With Lewis, Turkoglu, Lee, Pietrus and Reddick as lights-out shooters. Alston has been a nice replacement for Nelson; but isn't as dynamic of a scorer. Gortat and Battie have proven to be solid big men. The 76ers are just a mediocre team. They can't score in the half court and depend on getting easy buckets in transition. Thaddeus Young is just coming off of a sprained ankle. They'll need him at the top of his game to be competitive. This 76ers team will struggle to score against Orlando's tough defense. They are one of the league's worst 3pt shooting teams. Andre Miller is a stud at the PG spot, and I like Lou Williams off of the bench for scoring. But I'm not sure that Iggy is ready to carry this team on his back. He's not consistent enough of a scorer or a player who can take over games in the clutch. Dalembert has regressed majorly this season. And he'll get eaten alive by Dwight Howard. Speights is a nice young talent, who will gain some experience in these playoffs. If they have to start Evans at PF, they will be in trouble. - Orlando Wins in 5 (or 6 if Turkoglu and Lewis aren't healthy)

Atlanta Hawks (4) vs. Miami Heat (5)

This should be an exciting match-up against 2 of the younger teams in the playoffs. The SG matchup of Joe Johnson vs Dwyane Wade should be especially fierce. While the Hawks have homecourt advantage, I believe that it's Miami's series to lose. They have the best player in the series. And Wade will be the difference maker. He can take over games when necessary and singlehandedly will his team to victory. The teams are pretty well matched up besides that. The PG matchup could play a big role in the series as well. Does Bibby still have any gas left in the tank? And how will Chalmers react to the spotlight in his first playoff appearance? Miami also has another rookie, Beasley, who will need to step up for Miami to come away with the win. Miami has some injury concerns in their frontcourt with J. O'Neal and Haslem. How much will they get out of J. O'Neal in particular? They have some great 3pt shooters in James Jones and 3pt shootout champion, Daequan Cook. It's too bad that Luther Head is injured. He could have played a nice 6th man role for this team. Atlanta, on the other hand, has some injury concerns of its own. How much will Marvin Williams be able to contribute? He's just come back from a back injury. But he gives Atlanta another offensive weapon. Josh Smith will need to bring his A game. He needs to be active in rebounding, shot blocking, and slashing to the basket. His poor FT% shooting could come back to haunt this team. Miami could resort to a Hack-A-Josh tactic. Smith is shooting 58% on the season from the charity line. Horford is a double-double machine. Flip Murray has been an excellent 6th man for his squad. He'll provide them some much needed scoring off of the bench. In many ways, this Atlanta team looks better on paper than the Miami squad. But I'm still convinced that Wade will be able to pull his team to victory. I just don't see anyone being able to stop or contain him. And we have seen in the past that he is able to carry inferior teams to victory. - Miami Wins in 6

Top 5 plays of 4/12/09 aka Marko Jaric meet Shannon Brown

2009-04-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

Marko can still go home to his supermodel wife, but man did he get caught up in the okey-doke by Shannon and Luuuuuukkkkeee. Mr Jaric, you got BAPTIZED!!!!

(It's play #3, but should have been #1) Enjoy!

Where Nut Shots & Blown Calls Happen

2009-04-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

"It was a dirty play. He threw me to the ground. He wrapped my arm and threw me to the ground, and I wasn’t going to do whatever he wanted. I'm not going to lie - I'll always stand up for myself and anyone on this team. It’s in my nature. They’re not going to just walk all over us. I had to make a stand. It was embarrassing for us to get beat this way - playing on national TV." - Ray Allen

"It looked like the ball was still in his hands. I didn’t study it, but I looked real quickly, and it looked like it was still in his hands." - Greg Popovich.

Ahh Kay, your precious Spurs resort to winning the only way they know how...by bending the rules again. - Zee!!

Handing out the hardware '09 (continued)

2009-04-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are our picks for the rest of the awards. Zee and I have switched roles in this entry. I'll be taking the lead, and Zee will chime in with any additional comments that he might have.

Defensive Player of the Year

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic.

There's no denying superman's impact on the defensive end. He leads the league in both rebounds (13.9) and blocks (2.9) per game. And is the anchor for one of the top defensive teams in the league. Orlando ranks amongst the top 5 in opposing team's FG% (which I think is a good measure of a team's defensive prowess). The only teams that are ranked higher are Boston and Cleveland. They are also tied for 6th in opponent's points per game average and are 4th in point differential. And that is thanks to Dwight. He's a great intimidator and protector of the paint. He can cover up a lot of mistakes that his teammates make on the defensive end. Take away Dwight from this team, and they will be an average defensive team at best. None of the other members of Orlando's starting 5 are standout defenders.

Runner Up:

Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs.

I'm amazed that Tim Duncan has never won a defensive player of the year award before. Part of my reasoning for selecting him is because of his legacy. The Spurs are perennially one of the top defensive teams in the league, and the reason for that is Tim Duncan. He's an amazing individual and team defender. And even though he puts up nice rebound and block numbers, his impact is beyond the numbers. The Spurs seem to always get the big stop when they need to in the clutch. Even more impressive is that the Spurs have maintained their defensive excellence despite the insertion of Bonner and Mason into the starting lineup for offensive purposes, and the demotion of Bowen to the bench. I'd like to think that's because of old reliable Duncan. Another candidate that deserves some mention is Dwyane Wade for his individual defensive stats. Like Zee mentioned before, Wade is the only player under 6' 4" to block more than 100 shots in a season. And he's also second in the league in steals with 2.3 per game. That's bonkers.

6th Man of the Year

Jason Terry, Dallas Mavericks.

Who else could it be? The Jet is averaging a shade under 20 points per game in arguably his best season ever. He has been instant offense for this Mavs team off of the bench, hitting over 2 3-pointers per game on excellent shooting percentages. The trade for Jason Kidd last season has allowed Terry to move over to the SG position, where he can just focus on putting the ball in the basket and not worry about setting up his teammates. And this has brought some necessary depth to the Dallas squad. Terry is a great pace-changer and provides great energy and scoring off of the bench. He is playing the role that the Pistons had hoped that Iverson would have accepted. Heh. Although he comes off of the bench, he is one of the key members of the Dallas team, and one of their most clutch performers; if not their most.

Runner Up:

Nate Robinson, New York Knicks.

Playing for D'antoni has done wonders for Nate who is having a career year, as he has been given more freedom on the offensive end. He's averaging over 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists per game off of the bench, and has willed this Knicks team to a number of wins. Though he shows some signs of immaturity on occasion, getting technical fouls for showboating and turning over the ball too much, he has been an invaluable contributor to this team. He's a decent point guard in the mold of Stephon Marbury (for better and worse) and electrifies the crowd with his crazy hops and play making. He brings a lot of energy to the team and instant offense. Another player that I considered for the runner-up spot was Andrei Kirlenko from the Utah Jazz. He deserves some credit for taking the move to the bench well. And he's provided that squad with a little bit of everything, especially defense.

Executive Of The Year

Danny Ferry, Cleveland Cavaliers.

My reasoning for this pick is simple. He traded for Mo Williams, and that move has catapulted Cleveland Cavaliers to the top of the league. It gave Lebron James a legit second option finally; a player who can hit the big shot and share some of the ball handling responsibilities. In retrospect, it was a brilliant trade. He traded away Damon Jones and Joe smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for Mo Williams. And than they ended up getting Joe Smith back later in the season after he was waived. So it was basically trading Damon Jones for Mo Williams. Genius. I know that it'll cost them big bucks in the long-run, but it gives them a good shot at winning a title. And more importantly, a shot at retaining Lebron James. Which is priceless. In one move he might have single-handedly saved this franchise. Only time will tell, however.

Runner Up:

Darryl Morey, Houston Rockets.

He is constantly looking for ways to improve the Houston Rockets team, and he has a great knack for finding talent. He signed Von Wafer over the summer, who has been a great role player for this squad. He's provided excellent scoring off of the bench. Prior to that, he was a journeyman who had played for 4 different teams in the last 4 seasons and struggled to get off of the bench. Second, Daryl traded Donte Green, Bobby Jackson and a future 1st round pick for Ron Artest. While a bit of a gamble, Artest has been an excellent addition to this team. He and Battier have formed a potent defensive duo on the wings. And when T-Mac inevitably went down, the team did not skip a beat because of the aforementioned acquisitions. In a low-key move, he signed James White to a multi-year deal. White not only is a crazy dunker, but has potential to be a great player in this league. That's a move for the future. Before the trade deadliine, he shipped Alston for Lowry and Cook. That gave Brooks some time to mature as the starting PG, and it gives them a defensive PG that adds some more toughhess to this team. This might finally be the year they get out of the first round.

DUNZO.....

2009-04-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

The Detroit Free Press broke the news today that Allen Iverson (back) will miss the remainder of the season. Should the Pistons make the playoffs, his "situation" will be reevaluated. I might be more inclined to believe this if it wasn't on the heels of Iverson's dramatic statement that he'd rather retire than come off the bench. I can't be the only one who thinks the Nuggets got the better end of this deal.

Handing out the hardware '09

2009-04-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

Continuing what has been a Double-Technical tradition, Kay and I will put our two cents in as to whom we feel are the deserving recipients of the MVP, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Comeback Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year. Kay is going to chime in throughout the article and share thoughts on his selections for these awards. All strapped in? Let's go. [Note from Kay: I just noticed that Zee forgot to mention Defensive Player of the Year, 6th Man of the Year and Executive of the Year. We'll tackle those awards in a separate blog entry. Just to let everyone know that we did not forget those.]

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:

Derrick Rose PG, Chicago Bulls

Any surprise here? This highly touted, number 1 draft pick lived up to the hype as well as the promise that the Bulls were hoping for. Upon arrival into the league,Rose was thrown into a team with (1) a mix of veterans, (2) 2-3 year players and (3) a rookie coach. Suffice to say, Rose had his work cut out for him. Judging by where Rose is at this point of the year, so far so good, as the young rook has posted numbers to the tune of: 16.6 ppg, 6.2 apg and close to 4 rebounds a game. Oh and I forgot to mention, as of today the Bulls are hanging on to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, within passing distance of the slumping Detroit Pistons (1 game) for the seventh place spot. Rose has been instrumental in all of this, thus the reason as to why he is so deserving of the award. Should the bulls make it to the playoffs, that would further cement Rose deserving this award.

RUNNER UP:

O.J. Mayo, PG/SG Memphis Grizzlies

Up until a few months ago, this was a two man race between O.J. Mayo and Derrick Rose, with Mayo leading all rookies in scoring with 18.3 ppg, 3.1 apg, 3.8 reb, 1 stl and close to two 3pt a game. Being one of the top scoring options on a bottom feeding team contributed to those numbers, almost in a way making it seem as if he was supposed to put up these type of numbers on a consistent basis. And he pretty much did all season long, without hitting the infamous rookie wall. But his team still struggled and all he did was what a typical star player on a bad team does: shoot, score, repeat. So, O.J. my friend, while you are a great talent and destined for stardom in this league, round one goes to your fellow rookie Mr. Derrick Rose. (Zee!!)

Your picks are spot-on, Zee. But I'd also like to throw out a few other names. This was a deep rookie class, and there are some other players that deserve some props: Brook Lopez, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love & Eric Gordon. All of these guys are playing significant roles on their respective teams. I remember that a lot of experts were bashing the Thunder for their selection of Westbrook, but he looks legit. He plays good defense, is a solid play-maker, and is a threat for a triple double on any night. Brook Lopez and Kevin Love have been solid big men for their respective teams. K-Love is a double-double machine, while Lopez provides better defense and shot-blocking. And lastly, Eric Gordon has put up comparable numbers as OJ Mayo when given the playing time. If he had been a starter since the start of the season, he might have been higher up in the ROY award considerations. (Kay)

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER:

Paul Millsap PF, Utah Jazz

I'm a bit biased about this pick simply because of Paul completely BEASTING out for my fantasy team this season, with Carlos Boozer being sidelined for most of the year with an injury. But give this guy some playing time and all of a sudden he's a double double machine. Since Millsap was thrust into the starting lineup and began playing 30-plus minutes, he has put up averages of 14ppg, 9rpg, and 1 blk per game, and now has people talking about him being the future of the Jazz at the PF position and poor Carlos Boozer can't leave town soon enough. But give credit where credit is due, Millsap was given more playing time and took the opportunity and ran with it.

RUNNER UP:

Danny Granger, G/F Indiana Pacers

Granger has made the leap from solid second or third option on offense to Indiana’s go-to guy. Larry Bird cleaned house and re-built this team with Granger as the centerpiece. It must've kicked in awful quick that he was going to be scoring options #1-3 on a talent depleted Pacer team. This is along the lines of my O.J. Mayo analysis earlier in that while Granger has posted great numbers this year, he's basically able to shoot whenever he wants, and everyone pretty much knew it was a matter of time before this kid blossomed into the dynamic player he is today. Hopefully next year with a team that includes Jarret Jack, Troy Murphy and a sleeper in rookie Brandon Rush, and a year more seasoning, he will be able to lead the Pacers to a playoff birth, it would only help to cement his reputation in the city of Indiana as a future basketball icon. (Zee!!)

My pick for Most Improved Player goes to Devin Harris. He's elevated himself to all-star level this season and has become the best player on the New Jersey team. He's proven himself to be a capable leader and floor general, and can score with the best of them. And did you see that buzzer-beater he shot? Nasty. Another player that deserves some recognition is Kevin Durant. I know that he was already a stud last year, but he's really upped his game this year and is amongst the elite wing men now. His shot selection has improved and he's up to 26 PPG, 48 FG% and 43 3PT%. He gets to the free throw line more often, and has increased his rebounding numbers. All of this while opposing teams are focused on stopping him on defense. His stats in February were gaudy, where he scored over 30 points in every game except 1 (before his injury). Some second-year stars that have made some nice strides in their game this year (mainly due to increased playing time) include: Thaddeus Young, Aaron Brooks, Rodney Stuckey, Wilson Chandler, Jeff Green, Al Thornton, Spencer Hawes. (Kay)

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

Dwyane "Don't call it a comeback" Wade, G Miami Heat

Wow. Where do I start? How about the 101 blocks, a record setting number for any player 6'4 and under? Or how about his league leading 29.9 points a game along with 7.5 apg and 5 rpg? His numbers are just insane this year, especially when you consider Wade was beaten up, raising criticism about his ability from haters and fair weather fans alike who had jumped off the Miami Heat bandwagon after the Heat fell from the ranks of contenders, and a injured, Shaq-less D-Wade was left with a team of youngsters that were too raw for prime time, or worse named Jamaal Magloire. Shame on you all for not wanting to be in D-Wade's circle, because now you're on the outside looking in and D-Wade is yucking it up at the league's expense. Play on young man, play on.

RUNNER UP:

Are you kidding me? No one is remotely close to a comeback of this magnitude. (Zee!!)

I'm gonna have to disagree with you, Zee. Wade only missed 30 games last year because of a shoulder injury. How is that a comeback? Shaq's career revival in Phoenix is a better comeback story. But my pick for Comeback Player of the Year goes to Nene. The guy came back from testicular cancer! That takes balls. He's putting up career numbers across the board and is a big reason (along with Chauncey Billups) why Denver is in contention for the Midwest Division crown. His recent play almost justifies trading away Marcus Camby. I admit, I was skeptical that he would be able to stay healthy. But he has only missed 5 games this year. My runner-up comes from the same team: Chris Anderson. He's been a defensive dynamo for this team coming off of a year-long drug suspension. He leads the league in blocks per 48 minutes at an impressive 5.5! He's provided great energy and defense off of the bench. These two guys are "real" comeback stories. (Kay)

COACH OF THE YEAR:

Larry Brown, Charlotte Hornets

I'll keep this short and sweet: If the Bobcats make the playoffs, there is no possible way Larry Brown will not be named coach of the year. That in itself would be a miracle with how horrible the Bobcats have played in seasons past. Brown did a minor restructuring of the team, shipping out Jason Richardson, bringing in veterans Raja Bell and Boris Diaw from Phoenix, while meshing them with current Bobcat players Gerald Wallace, Raymond Felton and Emeka Okafor, and adding quality rookie guard D.J. Augustine to the mix. The end result is a team that is a sleeper for the playoffs this year, and a definite challenger for a 7th or 8th playoff seed next season.

RUNNER UP: Mike Brown, Cleveland Cavaliers

Best record in the NBA? Check. Current 13 game win streak? Check. 1 home loss for the entire season up until this point? Check. Say what you want about him having #23 doing all the heavy lifting, but give Coach Brown credit for managing the team, not necessarily coaching per se. However his approach to the game, which is allowing players to have fun, along with him being energetic and animated seems to have worked out for the overall chemistry of the team, and good chemistry has led to a lot of wins. If the regular season wins equal post season success, then expect Mr James to stay around, and expect Coach Brown to keep smiling on the sidelines for quite some time. (Zee!!)

I think Mike Brown has the award in the bag. But there are a few other coaches that I'd like to spotlight. Gregg Popovich did a brilliant coaching job, especially given all of the injuries to the Big 3 on the Spurs (6 games by Duncan, 10 games by Parker, and 32 games by Manu). The team has an impressive record of 8-4 in games where only 1 of their Big 3 is healthy. And they had no right giving Denver a run for their money when all 3 of them sat out and they started a lineup of: Bonner, Thomas, Bowen, Mason and Hill. Popovich is a great motivator and strategist. The Spurs always play great defense, and he's managed to get the best out of scrubs like Bonner, Bowen, Oberto, Udoka, etc. They are battling for the second best record in the Western Conference. Of course, you have to give some credit to Phil Jackson, Doc Rivers, Rick Adelman, and Jerry Sloan for their great efforts. Sloan, in particular, is one of the most underrated coaches in history. He's never won coach of the year despite all of his team success. He's 4th all-time on the wins list. And he has the longest tenure of any other coach in the league (20 full years). He's had to overcome tons of injuries (14 by Williams, 9 by Okur, 45 by Boozer, 16 by Kirlenko) and this team still has managed to stay afloat and be competitive in the West. When will he get his? (Kay)

LEAGUE MVP : Lebron James (Surprise,Surprise)

Part of me wants the NBA to give it to Kobe simply because he isn't going to be winning anymore anytime soon, and we all know he was stiffed out of quite a few MVP trophies in the past. But, you can't deny the performances Lebron has graced the league with night after night. The 2009 NBA MVP is dropping 28 points a game, 7.7 rebounds a game and a mind boggling 7.3 assists a game. Kobe, all world player that he is, has not and will not ever distribute like Lebron does, and still manage to impact the game in multiple ways. I have full confidence that Lebron will average a triple-double before his career is done.....the future of the league is now. 2010 will be a madhouse when he becomes a free agent.

RUNNER UP:

Check the Comeback Player of the Year section. (Zee!!)

I have no choice but to agree. Lebron is the clear-cut winner. He's led his team to the best record in the league, while putting up some amazing stats. His season averages might have been even better if so many of the games weren't blow-outs. Think about that. He makes all of the players around him better with his passing, his leadership and the extra attention that the defense gives him. And he's finally stepped up on the defensive end and improved on his other weakness: FT shooting. There's no denying his importance to this team; or the league, for that matter. As an added bonus, he has not missed a single game this year. This guy is a machine. I give Wade the runner-up spot over Kobe and Dwight because of his nasty stat lines and how much the Heat depend on Wade. Wade scores or assists on over 45% of the team's points. That's crazy. But I don't think the MVP award will ever go to a player from a team that is barely hovering over the .500 mark. Team success is an important factor to consider when selecting MVP. (Kay)

Better than Lebron/J-Rich?

2009-03-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

This was a little while back, but man is this nasty. The only bad thing about it is the ref calling this a foul. Sometimes I wish these ref's would just let the guys play. Anyhow, check it out:

Can you top this?

2009-03-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

I don't follow college basketball too closely, but there were a pair of incredible games last week that deserve some attention. First off is the Texas Tech vs Texas A&M game. Texas Tech Sophomore Mike Singletary explodes for 43 points, breaking the Big 12 tournament scoring record. Even more impressive is that he scored 29 consecutive points in the second half to rally his team to victory from a 21 point deficit. Crazy. That's like a performance out of a video game. You don't see players take over games like that single-handedly. This was the biggest comeback in Big 12 tournament history also. What makes the accomplishment even more incredible is that his previous career high was 25 points, and he was averaging only 11 points per game coming into that historic game. According to NCAA record books, this was the second longest run of consecutive points ever recorded. The top mark is 54 points by Bill Mlkvy of Temple back in 1951.

Of course, the other game of the week was the epic 6OT Connecticut vs Syracuse battle. This was the longest game in Big East tournament history. The game lasted 3 hours and 46 minutes. The teams combined to score 244 points, 102 of which came after the regulation buzzer. 8 players fouled out of this game, and 6 collected double-doubles. Bananas. Jonny Flynn of Syracuse played a ridiculous 67 (out of 70 minutes) and posted up a gaudy stat line of 34 points, 11 assists and 6 steals. Teammate Paul Harris grabbed 22 rebounds to go along with his 29 points. On the UCONN squad, you had AJ Price going for 33 points and 10 assists; and Stanley Robinson compiling 28 points and 14 rebounds. Some say that this might have been the best game ever played at Madison Square Garden, which is a bold statement to make given how much history the stadium has. It's interesting to note that the underdog team won both of these games.

Wade Does It Again

2009-03-10T06:18:00.000-07:00

Check out the below video to see Wade come up with the clutch steal and buzzer-beating 3-pointer in double OT to beat the Bulls. That was just cold. He's making a strong case for runner-up in the MVP race. Hah! I especially like how Brad Miller mouths some profanity at the 0:15 mark in the video clip. While Wade doesn't have the supporting cast that either Lebron or Kobe has, he is just as dangerous. Miami will be a tough out in the first round of the playoffs this postseason.

Pushing Over The Top

2009-03-06T17:14:00.000-08:00

March 1 was the deadline for postseason roster eligibility, so as expected a number of veteran players were bought out of their contracts and given an opportunity to join playoff teams. Some of these moves could have a significant impact on the playoff landscape, so I thought I'd run down the moves and rate which ones will pay off the biggest dividends. Will any of these movies push their team over the top and make them title contenders? Some times these waiver pick-ups can have a more significant impact on the teams than trades. It's about players sacrificing money for a shot at a ring. Without further adieu...

1. Stephon Marbury to the Boston Celtics

For all of the baggage that Marbury carries, you cannot deny his talent. This is a great pickup for the Celtics. Marbury provides Boston with some necessary depth at the PG position. And unlike Sam Cassell, Marbury still has some game left in the tank. He can score in bunches, and is a more reliable setup man than House or Pruitt. He gives the Celtics another weapon off of the bench, and should allow them to rest their Big 3 (and Rondo) more as the season progresses. It'll be interesting to see how he acclimates himself with the Boston culture. He'll need to play defense on a consistent basis, and buy into the team system. Will he be happy playing only 10-20 minutes off of the bench each night? Can his ego handle not having the ball in his hands all of the time and scoring 20+ points per game? He has a great chance here to win a title, prove the doubters wrong, fix his tarnished reputation and make a case for a nice payday in the upcoming summer. It should be interesting to see KG & Marbury back together again. It will be key that KG and the rest of the veterans on this team rein Starbury in.

2. Drew Gooden to the San Antonio Spurs

This is an excellent high risk, low reward acquisition by the Spurs. He's a solid scorer and rebounder and should compliment Duncan's game well. Based on talent, he's probably the best big man that Duncan will have played next to since the Admiral during his early years. He provides the Spurs another body to play at the PF and C positions, which is huge plus. While Bonner has been playing well lately, I'm not sure I trust him to play heavy minutes in the playoffs. His work ethnic is suspect, but you cannot deny his talent. The Spurs have a knack for bringing out the best in their players, however. Combined with the emergence of Bonner, the free agent pick-up of Roger Mason and the drafting of George Hill; the Spurs team suddenly has a lot of depth and look like legit title contenders. I predict another Western Conference final matchup with the Lakers. I've been impressed by how they've been able to handle injuries to Parker, Manu and Duncan this year. Pop is definitely one of the game's best coaches. Gooden will have to prove that he is healthy and committed to winning in order to get minutes here.

3. Joe Smith to the Cleveland Cavaliers

With the loss of Ben Wallace to injuries, the Cavs desperately needed to pick up another big man. Joe Smith is a great blue-collar athlete, who will play good defense and his the open jump shot (unlike Wallace or Varejao). He'll set good picks, make the smart pass, and play hard. He's on the tail end of this career, but should provide some much needed depth to this team. I could see him start over Wallace based on match-ups also. Playing big Z and Smith together will provide Lebron with more offensive weapons to play with. I like that trio playing alongside Williams and West. While Gooden has more upside than Smith and is younger, Smith is the smarter and more reliable player. He hasn't quite lived up to the hype of being a #1 pick by the Warriors and than the whole controversy in Minnesota, but he's a great team player. He should have no problems getting acquainted with the Cleveland system, where he played at as recent as last year. I was not a believer of the Cavs in the early season, but they have won me over. They should contend with the Celtics for the Eastern crown.

4. Luther Head to the Miami Heat

I suppose Head will play the Terry/Gordon role for this team. He's an undersized SG who can score in bunches. With Chalmers inconsistent play, I would not be surprised to see Head and Wade play together frequently. Head is a great shooter, but will struggle on the defensive end and does not have the playmaking skills to be a point guard. I think this trade will mainly cut into the playing time of Cook and Jones. They are the designated 3pt shooters on this team. Playing next to Wade should give him an ample amount of open shots, but I'm not sure that he'll get consistent minutes on this team. Nor will he have a significant impact on this team's success. They seem destined for a first or second round playoff exit. I would have preferred him joining a young team like the Nets (who he also considered). Where he would have a chance to define his role for the long term, and grow along with the team. The Heat's greater need was for another big man, which this did not satisfy. Jermaine O'Neal needs to play well for this team to prosper in the playoffs; which is an uneasy proposition for Heat fans.

5. Stromile Swift to the Phoenix Suns

Its tough to predict what the Suns will get out of Swift, but he's a big-time athlete and has the potential to be a solid role player for them. I think its about time that we give up on Swift with regards to him becoming a star, but its hard to see him fail in this Phoenix system. He'll be able to run and catch lob passes from Nash all day long. He'll be able to block the occasional shot and grab some rebounds off of the glass. He's not a good team defender, but than the Suns don't really play defense. He's like Amare-lite-lite. Swift provides them some much needed depth at the PF/C positions in the short-term. I like him over Amundson or Lopez. And Nash makes a living out of making scrub players look like studs. It's always been a question about effort with Swift, but I think he's in a good position to excel. This is success or bust for Swift. He's not going to get too many opportunities to ball in this league. And he's starting to get up there in years.

6. Mikki Moore to the Boston Celtics

I think Boston should have waited longer before signing Moore. Both Gooden and Smith are the better talents. Moore is just kind of meh. He doesn't rebound or defend particularly well, and is just a decent scorer. I don't see him getting many minutes on this Boston squad also. I think both Powe and Davis are higher than him on the depth chart. But maybe he can pick up the garbage minutes that were going to Scalabrine. I think they need to be concerned about injuries to Ray Allen or Pierce. They don't have any quality backups to fill in for either of those guys (like a Posey-type player). This is supposed to be the PJ Brown type move of this year, but Moore is nowhere near the talent that Brown is. He can't defend as well, nor hit the shot as well. The Celtics still will be a dangerous team in the post season; but I think the acquisition of Gooden or Smith could have helped this squad out more.

Rating the Trade Deadline Deals

2009-02-26T14:21:00.000-08:00

As a change of pace, Zee and I have decided to post our first debate blog entry. We've selected a handful of the most significant trade deadline moves, and we are going to argue back and forth on which side got the better deal. We flipped a virtual coin to determine who would get each side to minimize any bias that we might have. Feel free to chime in with your comments and let us know who threw down the stronger argument, or whether you disagree with both of us.

1) Alston to Orlando Magic
Lowry/Cook to Houston Rockets
Foyle/Wilks/1st-Round Draft Pick to Memphis Grizzlies

Houston Rockets: I suspect that part of the reason Houston pulled the trigger on this trade was because Alston had openly called out his teammates. He's been a surprisingly solid point guard for this team, but I think they needed to get younger and faster. This trade allows them to start Aaron Brooks who had been a beast when given the minutes. He provides them with more athleticism and quickness than Alston. He's an explosive scorer and can hit the open 3 as well. Lowry as the backup PG provides them toughness and defense. Both are capable passers, as well. It should be a fun point guard battle to watch in the future. As a Rocket fan, it was painful to watch Alston jack up so many bad shots. And he's horrible from the charity line. I don't think that Cook will play much on this squad, if any. I like the Rockets as a dark horse team. Losing T-mac is addition by subtraction. (Kay)

First off, Houston is going nowhere fast, and I think everyone but Kay understands that. Houston is not a dark horse, they are a DEAD horse. Between injuries to Artest, Yao, T-Mac, and Battier, this team is destined to continually look good on paper but never live up to the expectations that people have set for them. When this trade went through, I was excited for Rafer simply because he'll be in a position to influence how far the team he's on can go. And for the record Kay, Skip's FT% over the course of the season was a solid 78%. This moves makes so much sense for the Magic, as they couldn't think Anthony Johnson was an adequate replacement for the injured Jameer Nelson. by acquiring a savvy veteran point guard in Alston, the Magic have added to their collective team strength: the 3 pointer. Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu will continually have wide open shots as defenders sag off to prevent Skip from getting inside and dishing the ball to Dwight Howard. All you need to do is look at Rashard and Turkoglu's numbers when Anthony Johnson was at the PG position, and look at the numbers now that Alston is running the point. Also look at Skip's first game with the Magic: 12 pts on 4-9 shooting, 9 ast, and two 3pt's for good measure. The Magic are trying hard to make sure they can compete with the top dogs in the east, especially now that Detroit is showing that for the moment, they are not among the eastern elite. This trade adds to that push they are trying to make in a big way. (Zee!!)

2) Salmons/Miller to Chicago Bulls
Gooden/Nocioni/Simmons/Ruffin to Sacramento Kings

Chicago Bulls: Hah! Brad Miller back in a Chicago Bulls uniform again. How ironic. But Miller gives them a legit post presence finally. He'll be a solid pick-n-roll partner with Rose, and can hit the open shot. He's also one of the best passing big men, and an underrated rebounder. He should eventually be able to force his way into the starting lineup. Salmons is insurance in case Ben Gordon leaves the team during the summer. He's a legit scorer, and can play either the SG or SF position. He's a bigger body than Gordon or Hinrich at the SG. And as an added bonus, he has a shorter contract than Nocioni. Trading Gooden away shows that the Bulls have faith in Tyrus Thomas, who is finally showing some signs of consistency. He could be the difference maker for this team. I think this trade should enable the Bulls to make a charge for one of the last remaining playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, where they will lose in the 1st round. (Kay)

Ahh the Sacramento Kings. Seems like yesterday, the Arco arena was abuzz with cowbells and rowdy anti-Laker fans. Then we spanked you a few times, got some pretty rings and a couple shiny trophies. My how the semi-mighty have fallen. Now the team is in danger of being moved to another city, any links to the fun & gun teams from the early 2000's are gone, and Reggie Theus was a coach for like 5 minutes. Now that I've gotten out of the way, I'll say this, we're in a recession and the Kings are really having crappy attendance the last few years based largely on the economic situation in Sacramento, and also because of the product that is being trotted out onto the court and shamefully being passed off as a NBA team. The players that were moved, were sent packing simply because of money. If you look at the Kings roster, you'll see that the youth (read:cheap) movement is underway. The Kings are doing two very good things, they are giving young skilled players like Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson a chance to play. Also, they are sending away skilled, but expensive players in Miller ($11,375,000) and Salmons ($6,077,151) and were able to position themselves to get 3 decent players in return. (Gooden, Nocioni, Simmons) Not exactly earth shattering, but it's a start in the right direction. (Zee!!)

3) O'Neal/Moon/1st-Round Draft Pick to Miami Heat
Marion/Banks/Cash to Toronto Raptors

Miami Heat: Like the above picture, I'm not overly excited about this trade. It's clear that Marion was not in their future plans, though. What I like about this trade is that the Heat were able to unload Banks contract and also pickup a future 1st-Round draft pick from Toronto. Jermaine is paid a ton, but his contract expires in the summer of 2010. If he can stay healthy, he provides Wade a legit big man. He can blocks shots, intimidate the opposition, and grab some rebounds. Also he's a much more capable scorer than any of the other C's on their roster: Magloire, Anthony or Blount. Ugh. Moon has struggled this year, but he's like a super-lite version of Marion. He has the potential to contribute in many different categories, and could play a nice role for this team. His contract expires this summer, and he's literally paid peanuts. This trade should allow the Heat to play Beasley more minutes. And allow Haslem to slide back to his natural PF position. (Kay)

This was the epitome of a meh trade. I'm sure Toronto didn't want to admit that picking up O'Neal was a knee jerk reaction to try and convince Bosh that they were trying to build a solid team around him, but nothing ventured, nothing gained right? (Riiight) Anyhow, good thing they were able to pawn J.O. off on the Heat, works out for them by receiving Marion because he has a veteran Point Guard who can feed him the ball in the right positions, which he has shown is the only way he can thrive offensively as he is incapable of creating his own shot. Losing Moon sucks, but he was under-producing in T-dot and was pretty much a lock to get moved outta town. I really can't comment on Marcus Banks as he has been a question mark his whole tenure in the league. and cash is always good right? Regardless, Bosh is bolting as soon as his contract is up, so this is merely a temporary fix until the real tragedy begins. (Zee!!)

4) Hughes to New York Knicks
Thomas/James to Chicago Bulls

New York Knicks: Amazing! I thought they'd never get rid of Jerome James. That automatically makes the Knicks the winner in this trade in my mind. Haha. Hughes is horribly overpaid, but is a decent talent. He may see a slight career resurrection playing for D'Antoni. He'll provide the Knicks with a backup PG, and allow them to rest Duhon finally. He's a decent playmaker, will gamble for steals, and can score in the open court. His jump shot is a little suspect, however. He's more a volume scorer than an efficient scorer, so that means David Lee will help more rebound opportunities. Haha. This will also allow Nate Robinson to move to backup SG where he is more comfortable. Losing Tim Thomas, the chronic underachiever, is no big deal. Walsh has done a fine job at cleaning up the Knicks roster. (Kay)

Fire Both Chicago and New York's GM's. (Zee!!)

5) Wilcox to New York Knicks
Rose to Oklahoma City Thunder

New York Knicks: Malik Rose had been collecting DNP like they were doing out of style. So shipping him off for Wilcox can only benefit their team. Both players have expiring contracts at the end of 2009. So it's not a risk for them either. Best case, Wilcox proves to be a valuable role player and he helps the Knicks make the playoffs in the East. If the gamble does not pay off, they can just let Wilcox go. The Knicks are preparing for the summer of 2010, so if they do resign Wilcox it will be for a 2-year deal only. The Knicks needed some depth at the frontcourt positions desperately. He's a decent scorer, but weak rebounder and defender. Which means he will fit in with this Knicks team. Haha. I don't think we'll be seeing Eddy Curry at all. And Jared Jeffries is both injury prone and a non-factor on offense. So don't be surprised to see Wilcox get some decent burn on occasion. (Kay)

Do we really need to cover this one? Oklahoma got rid of a cancer in Wilcox who was known to whine about playing time and also had a horrible work ethic ever since the thunder were in Seattle. (I still can't believe they moved!!) The Knicks continue to cement their reputation as one of the worst decision making teams in the NBA. (Zee!!)

6) Sefolosha to Oklahoma City Thunder
First-Round Draft Pick to Chicago Bulls

Oklahoma City Thunder: Sefolosha fills a need of OKC at the SG spot, with Desmond Mason out for the season. He's a nice young talent that has shown flashes of brilliance. And should eventually replace Kyle Weaver in the starting lineup. He's a solid defender and his all-around game should be a nice compliment to Westbrook and Durant. He'll need to improve on his range to really thrive on this team, however. It's too bad they rescinded the Chandler trade. A lineup of Westbrook-Sefolosha-Durant-Green-Chandler sounds pretty potent. They'll have to rely on Krstic returning to form to man the C position. He's a much better scorer than Chandler, but not nearly as efficient of a defender. It's a nice low-risk move. Sefolosha has a cheap contract, too. OKC has 3 draft picks this summer, and the bulls are getting the lowest one; which will probably the pick DEN owes them. (Kay)

Ummm.....I bet George Karl likes it!!! I'm just assuming Chicago is just trying to move money around in their much publicized attempt to land Chris Bosh in 2010. If they somehow can manage to move Kirk Hinrich, then they may be ahead of the game. And isn't that all any of us want to be? (Zee!!)

Andre Igoudala will have nightmares

2009-02-23T22:38:00.000-08:00

Yikes.....and it's not even like Andre wasn't playing defense! What do you do??

From the vaults.....

2009-02-20T14:31:00.000-08:00

Just something a friend of mine sent to me, I never even heard of this, let alone knew ESPN televised it. Enjoy!

He's Baaaaaccckkk!!!!

2009-02-20T08:33:00.000-08:00

Last night marked the return of Charles Barkley to Inside the NBA. He was rather subdued for most of the show, but then again, look at the games that TNT was televising. Anyhow, welcome back Chuck!! The show hasn't been the same without you. Also, can we swap out Kenny Smith with Chris Webber? Please?!?!

The Charles I know and love:

Random Oddities

2009-02-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

Just a few funny things that have gone on in the league in the last couple of days:

1) Tyson Chandler, aloha, and aloha!

This is pure comedy. The Thunder rescind a trade that would've given them Tyson Chandler and sent Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox to N'awlins. George Shinn, karma is a beast isn't it? It kills me how people are talking junk about Tyson when first off he's averaging 8.8 points and 8.3 boards a game and his career highs are only 11.8 points and 11.7 boards!! I understand the potential people think this guy has, but stop acting like it's some monumental disappointment that his numbers have dropped slightly. The season isn't over yet, the Hornets have time to make a strong run and for the time being Tyson is going to be a part of that.

2) Phoenix Suns - Terry Porter = 282 points in 2 games!!!!

Fellas, please tell me why you have to run up the score on a undermanned, and over matched L.A. Clippers squad? I'm not really sure I'm impressed by this offensive output mainly because it was against the Clips. Granted, this was a quick turnaround to the fast break Suns style of play from a year ago, but I'll be impressed when they do it against some of the better teams in the league. And looking at my NBA schedule, it would appear that they have a game on Sunday against the Celtics. I can't wait. And fellas, don't pour it on so much unless you want KG to do this:

Working For The Weekend

2009-02-18T11:53:00.000-08:00

I have to agree with you, Zee. Kobe was being a total douche bag over the weekend. There's no reason for him to have 10 shot attempts in the first quarter alone. And there's no reason for him trying to outshine Shaq in potentially his farewell all-star game. This isn't the Kobe Bryant show. That's just another example of why Kobe rubs people the wrong way. Both literally and figuratively. Hah! It was a nice gesture to give Shaq Co-MVP honors, even if he did not deserve the award. I can't help but wonder if the ending was predetermined and the voting was rigged. Kobe and Shaq reuniting for one last time, and them sharing the MVP honors? It sounds too good to be true. It's like a hollywood ending. Shaq's line of 17 pts, 5 rebs and 1 blk in only 10 minutes of action is mighty impressive.

Chris Paul's performance was mighty underrated. He almost had a triple-double. 14 pts, 14 asts, 7 rebs and 3 stls. I think he should have been named MVP; or at least, been in the running. But I guess CP3 has no shot of winning the award unless the all-star game is held in Oklahoma. He's not the media darling that Lebron, Dwight, Kobe and Shaq are. On the flip side, Joe Johnson had a horrible performance. In 21 minutes, he has 5 turnovers and 0 points on 0-4 shooting. Hilariously bad for an all-star game. He was the only player not to score on both squads. The West just dominated this game. They made a bold statement. I blame it partly on the league for picking horrible all-star replacements for the East squad. I mean the team already had too many guards, and they replace Bosh with Mo Williams. Come on! No make-up calls! Don't add the guy just to appease Lebron.

I was pretty bored with all-star weekend this year. But I say that just about every year, and I still go out and watch it. Heh. Let's start with Friday night's events. I won't even comment on the Celebrity game. That was just pure garbage. It reminded me of those old Rock-N-Jock games they used to show on MTV. Except this one was not entertaining. WNBA players + NBA Legends + Harlem Globetrotters + Celebrities = Yuck! The Rookies vs Sophomores game was pretty nice though. I remember talking to Zee last week and saying that the Sophomores stood no chance at winning unless Durant went for like 50. Kevin was pretty close to that hitting 46 points, a new record in the event. We both agreed that the rookie squad was more talented, but they just did not play with the same focus or urgency as the sophomores. Durant did a great job of setting the tone and taking over the game. He showed everyone that he deserves to play in the big game. He's a superstar in the making. Beasley put on a nice show, too. I still have no idea why they invite players (Wade and Howard) to coach the teams. But I must say that Lebron as a commentator is a nice fit. He knows his stuff.

Saturday was hit or miss. But more miss than hit. Heh. The inaugural H-O-R-S-E, I mean G-E-I-C-O event was disappointing. The players lacked creativity and it quickly turned into a 3pt shootout. None of the players looked like they wanted to be out there, especially Kevin Durant the eventual winner. He showed like 0 emotion and charisma, and looks like this generation's Tim Duncan. Next year, I hope they invite some cocky players like Rasheed Wallace or Gilbert Arenas to hype up the event more. Guys who will actually try some trick shots. The commentating by Kenny Smith and Chris Webber was pretty funny, though. I will skip over the Shooting Stars and the Skills Challenge events. Those are just a waste of time. The 3pt shootout was alright. I liked it better when the shooters would face off with one another on opposite ends of the court. But now, the players just take turns going. It was hilarious when Kenny Smith said that Daequan Cook had 0% chance of winning the contest. Not only did he win the contest but he had the top 2 scores of the night. What an idiot. They need to pick better players for this event also. Everyone knew guys like Bibby and Granger had no chance at winning. They aren't pure shooters.

Lastly, the slam dunk contest was pretty weak. The judges were on crack, too. Why oh why did they have famous Suns players judging the contest instead of players who actually know something about dunking? They gave perfect scores to some undeserving dunks. And its clear that Rudy and JR had no chance at making the final. Nate vs Dwight was their goal before the event even started. Also I don't understand why they only had 4 contestants. That number seems to go down every year. But back to the dunks, JR's double bounce windmill dunk was aight. But Sonny Weems screwed him over on his second dunk attempt. Rudy's dunks were both underrated. His second attempt when he took a pass of the backboard, grabbed it out of bounds and scooping in a one-handed jam on the other side of the rim was a work of art. He definitely did better than Nate in the first round. I liked how Rudy wore a jersey of Fernando Martin, who was the first Spanish player in the league, but none of the commentators knew who he was. I think one of them jokingly asked if Martin was a reference to Ricky Martin. Hah!

Excluding the dunk over Dwight Howard, I thought Nate Robinson's dunk weren't too memorable. I liked his celebration dance, however. Hah! The dunk off of Chandler's back was especially weak. How is that an impressive dunk? He used his back like a trampoline which makes the dunk even easier to finish. But the above dunk was enough to win the contest for him. The green jersey and ball, the nickname KrypoNate was a nice touch though. It was the best dunk of the night. The dunk contest is not about athletic creativity anymore. It's all about putting on a good show, using the right props, switching jerseys, and stuff like that. Dwight had some nasty dunks though. The 12' foot dunk was crazy. I think he could have gone like another foot or something, too. Also the one-handed jam off the side of the backboard and the 180 degree windmill dunk from out of bounds were both nice. But his last dunk didn't leave a good impression. The free throw dunk looked horrible from a 7 footer. He needed to finish off on a bang rather than a whimper if he wanted to win the event. All in all, a decent event. But Dwight just could not live up to the monster hype and expectations that he set for himself.

Are you kidding me?!?

2009-02-16T14:01:00.000-08:00

Normally during the all star game, there's an unwritten rule that usually happens when a superstar/marquee player is doing one of two things: Either wrapping up his career, playing in his teams arena (in some cases not all). That unwritten rule is to get that player the ball, let him score, repeat. End result of this being to get him the MVP award...er Bill Russell Trophy when the game is concluded. Now last night was the perfect way to send the Big Cactus, Big Aristotle, Big etc, etc off with a nice parting gift of the games MVP award. And for the most part, it seemed as if the west had their sights set on this outcome, correction MOST of the west squad had their minds set on that outcome about I'd say about 99 percent of them did.

But it seemed as if Kobe didn't get the memo, hey Kob we get it, you're a superstar player who can score whenever you want, but seriously man, let someone else shine for once. Normally I'm a huge Kobe/Lakers fan, but between Kobe almost breaking the All-Star single quarter shot attempt record in the first quarter of the game, and Phil Jackson making the west team play zone defense (Really?, Seriously? Zone in an All-Star game?!) I'm really disappointed in them both taking a lot of the excitement outta the game on Sunday. And because it would've been a travesty of justice for Shaq not to get the hardware for this game, the NBA thought it'd be cute to do this:

Part of me wished Shaq would've just cracked Kobe over the head for not allowing him to shine in his possible final ASG appearance. But thinking about it, hasn't this been the pattern of their relationship? Both would produce, and when one should have deferred to the other and gone with the plan, one didn't, leading to a selfish out for one's self mentality. And one only needed to look at half of the game to see that on display, pretty much if Kobe got his hands on the ball, he was shooting it.

This isn't the first (or last) occasion Kobe has had to have people talk about his inability to compute logic when it comes to playing with others, and this is eventually why Lebron James has, and will continue to get so much more support than Kobe does from fans, and talking heads alike, who want to anoint him the best in the game ASAP. Realizing strengths and weaknesses, and learning to win with your team as opposed to trying to outgun your opponent by yourself is what will always set the two apart. Real classy Kob, real classy.

Priceless....

2009-02-16T13:53:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post, I know that this has been posted everywhere, but this was why we'll miss the big fella so much once he's hung his up his sneakers for good.

There will truly never be another Shaq.

The Bynum Effect

2009-02-11T12:32:00.000-08:00

Since Andrew Bynum has gone down with a damaged MCL, the Lakers have:

1) Won 6 straight games on the road.

2) Halted yet another Boston Celtics double-digit winning streak.

3) Hung the first home loss on a Cavs team that hadn't sniffed a loss at the Q since last season.

All these milestones weren't supposed to happen according to some pundits, who because of the loss of the big fella in the middle were supposed to fold up and allow the tougher, stronger teams from the big bad eastern conference to run all over them.

But some interesting things happened along the way:

1) 61 aka the Roger Maris game.

Mr Kobe Bryant solidified his spot as the League's best player by dropping 61 big ones on your New York Knicks, setting the all time scoring record in that building along the way. (Sidebar: Pau Gasol had 31 in that game as well, but no one spoke about it.)

2) Someone woke Lamar Odom up.

Seriously, I hate that it took Drew tearing his knee up for this to happen but L.O. woke up Sunday in Cleveland and went to town, showing a toughness I hadn't seen since ..... um ..... Miami? Ok, ok, Lamar has never been lauded for his toughness, but hey 28 pts, 17 rebounds is always gonna be a good look in an important game like last Sunday's contest. Follow that up with a 12 point, 18 rebound effort against the hapless Thunder yesterday and one would think Lamar has finally stopped hitting that snooze button, either that or he realized that he'll be a free agent at the end of the season and this may be the nice chance to rack up some big $$. Whatever it is, his uptick in minutes, coupled with the production is most welcome in La-La land.

3) Pau expletive Gasol.

My man rated PG turned in some NC-17 performances for the majority of the first half of the season. If the Lakers happen to win the chip this year, (all signs point to Si) then Dr Jerry Buss needs to send his next 3 years of draft picks to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for nothing at all. If he wants to push the issue, maybe some tickets to Graceland, but that's it. For the 2008-09 campaign, Gasol is putting up averages of 18 ppg, 9 rpg and close to 4 dimes per contest. And that was WITH Bynum in the lineup. What happens now that Drew is out for the rest of the regular season? Buckets, that's what.

What does this rambling post teach us class? Well, it should put the league on notice that the Lakers have learned from last year, and have grown as a result. They now know what is expected of them, and what they have to do to make it to the promised land, with or without the services of a Mr Andrew Lee Bynum.

Hey Now, You're An All-Star

2009-01-31T18:50:00.000-08:00

How in the world does Bruce Bowen almost get voted into the All Star game? That baffles the mind. He was the third highest vote getter amongst forwards in the Western conference with nearly 1.4 million, and was edged out by Amare Stoudemire by less than 70,000 votes for the second spot. While I admit, it would have been hilarious had Bruce Bowen been voted an All Star starter, there is seriously something wrong with the current fan voting process. Apparently, fans are either stupider than I thought, or they are intentionally trying to sabotage the voting process. Was there some underground movement that I missed out on to vote Bruce Bowen into the all star game? Does he have some sort of regional or international support that I'm not aware of? Speaking of which... behind the strength of China, Yi Jianlian also was nearly voted into the all star game. He finished approximately 200,000 votes behind Kevin Garnett, however, for a spot in the Eastern Conference starting lineup. Wow.

But that's not even the worst of it. I hate it when fans vote for injured players. I don't care if they are charismatic, have the best blog, have the most commercials or the sweetest kicks; if they aren't playing any games, they should not be getting any votes. Why are they even on the ballot? For example, Gilbert Arenas got over 600,000 votes for the all star game, and he hasn't even played a single game this year. He got more votes than Danny Granger or Joe Johnson. What's up with that? It will be interesting to see if the NBA makes any changes to the all star voting process during the offseason. Everyone is going to be throwing out their outlandish ideas for fixing the voting process, but I think the main problem they have are their ballots. They should exclude injured players and players who are contributing minimally to their teams. That would have prevented (or at least reduced) the number of votes that Bowen or Yi or Arenas would get.

Western Conference Starters:

C - Yao Ming
F - Tim Duncan
F - Amare Stoudemire
G - Kobe Bryant
G - Chris Paul

Eastern Conference Starters:

C - Dwight Howard
F - Lebron James
F - Kevin Garnett
G - Dwyane Wade
G - Allen Iverson

With that said, I actually don't have too many complaints about the starters who were actually selected. I think all of them are deserving, except maybe Iverson. He's really had an off year since the trade to Detriot. But I just don't think that Michael Curry knows how to properly utilize Iverson in their offensive and defensive schemes. Iverson, for the most part, has been a good soldier and done whatever they've asked of him. But the fans will vote for whoever they like, and popularity doesn't always correlate to quality of play. I'm a bit surprised to see Duncan voted as a starter. I always thought his "boring" style of play did not appeal to the common fan. And it's nice to Dwyane Wade bounce back from an injury-riddled year and make the all star game, and for Chris Paul to be voted an all star starter for the first time in his career. He's a beast on the floor and its nice to see the fans recognize that. On a side note, there were 5 players who received more votes than Yao Ming this year. What this means is that either China's voting has less of an impact on the results than people think, or that China is not as biased in their voting as some experts might suggest. The last I heard is that Kobe Bryant is the most popular player in China, for example.

Things get a little dicier when it comes to selecting the all star reserves. There are only 7 spots and usually there are many players worthy of the selection. My complaints about the current system is that coaches always reward team success. You can be a B-grade player on a winning team and make the all star games. But an A-grade player on a losing team will usually get snubbed. I understand the argument that great players make their teammates better. But sometimes you are just stuck on a hopeless team. Putting up great numbers on a bad team takes as much skill as on a good team. Further more, I don't like it when coaches select like 3-4 players from the same team. I hated it when the coaches picked nearly the entire Detriot Pistons starting lineup a couple years back. Yes, their team was playing well. But not all of them deserve all star recognition. Second, I also dislike how coaches are biased towards veterans and established players. Young players and rookies rarely get a fair shot at making the all-star game. All star selections should be based solely on their current play, and should not factor in past seasons. I don't like seeing the same players selected every year based off of reputation and status, at the expense of other players.

Western Conference Reserves:

C - Shaquille O'Neal
F - Pau Gasol
F - Dirk Nowitzki
~~F - David West~~
G - Chauncey Billups
~~G - Tony Parker~~
G - Brandon Roy

F - Al Jefferson
G - Kevin Durant

The name that immediately stands out is David West. I didn't think he was deserving of the all star selection last year, and I don't think that he is deserving this year. He's a PF that gives you only 7 rebounds and 1 block. He's a fine young player, but not in the same class as his peers. The two snubbed players that I think have the best case for making the Western Conference all star team are Kevin Durant and Al Jefferson. I think they were left off of the team because they are on losing teams and they are young players. Both guys are putting up all-star numbers, though. Al Jefferson: 23 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 49% FG. Kevin Durant: 25 points, 6.5 rebounds, 47% FG and 86% FT and nearly 1 3PT, 1 block, and 1 steal. If I had to take off another player it would be Tony Parker. Not because he hasn't played great, but because he missed roughly 10 games in November. A prerequisite of all-star selection is playing in over 80% of the games. By that logic, guys like Deron Williams and Melo are out of the picture. 2 players I would like to point out in particular are Shaq and Billups. I've been really impressed with Shaq's career revival in Phoenix. I didn't think he still had it in him. He's still amongst the league's best centers. And Billups has done a brilliant jump making that Denver franchise relevant again. Who knew that trading away Iverson for Billups would elevate this team from struggling to make the playoffs to a division leader? Crazy.

Eastern Conference Reserves:

C - Chris Bosh
F - Danny Granger
~~F - Rashard Lewis~~
F - Paul Pierce
G - Devin Harris
G - Joe Johnson
G - Jameer Nelson

F - Antawn Jamison

Let me first start off by saying that I'm happy to see Granger and Harris on the list. I was worried that they would get snubbed because they are on losing teams and are both young players. Both players have elevated themselves to the top of their respective positions. Check out their stats. Granger: 25.5 points, 2.5 3PT, 88% FT, 1.1 steals, 1.4 blocks, 5 rebounds, 3.5 assists. He's the complete package. Harris: 21.5 points, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 82% FT. This reserve squad is definitely lacking in size, however. Chris Bosh is a tweener at the center position. I don't like that there are 3 Orlando Magic players on the all star team. And arguably their most important player: Turkoglu, is not one of those 3. I would take Rashard Lewis off of the team; who is not much more than a shooter. I was a little iffy about Jameer Nelson initially, but I think he's comparable to Mo Williams. So I'm OK with the pick. Zee seems to think that Mo Williams was a big time snub. Sure he's been a huge part of Cleveland's rise to the top of the league, but his numbers aren't that great. You could make a case for Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison or Caron Butler making the all star team. This reserve squad doesn't need any more high-scoring swingmen, though, so I would probably pick Jamison to play the PF spot. I would like to give a shoutout to David Lee. He barely missed the squad, but I think he's a beast. Lee: 16 points 11.5 rebounds, 1 steal, 57% FG and 75% FT for a big man. Paul Pierce is a borderline all star. But if I use team success as a tiebreaker, I think he deserves his spot. Just barely.

The Holiday 5-Pack.

2008-12-26T17:33:00.000-08:00

I don't care much for those new NBA commercials that feature the mini tour bus. The Lebron James spot is pretty funny when he is in the locker room singing "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper. But the Kobe Bryant-Pau Gasol and Greg Oden spots just fall flat. They aren't funny at all. And why, oh why did they constantly pimp the film: "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" yesterday, during the ball games? The film stars Kevin James (from King of Queens) and looks absolutely awful based on the trailers. The NBA desperately needs to find better sponsors. Third, enough with the NBA Cares commercials! We get it. You are trying to rebuild the image of the league after the Detriot brawl, the recent ref scandal, and the off-season stupidity of some of the NBA players. But those ads come off as being very pretentious, un-genuine, and more annoying than inspiring. I much prefer the T-Mobile ads with Wade and Barkley. Now those are entertaining. But enough about that, below are my comments on the 5 games yesterday.

Game 1: New Orleans Hornets vs. Orlando Magic

I only caught the second half of this game, but it was an absolute blow-out. This is a perfect example of why I think the Hornets aren't true title contenders. Despite having one of the best players in the game, Chris Paul, they have little depth and don't get consistent effort out of their role players. With Stojakovic out, they struggled to score points. And just were not able to get into a good rhythm. This allowed the Magic to hone in on Chris Paul and David West and limit their productivity. Chandler has struggled all year long, and was in foul trouble for most of the game. His numbers are down across the board. Chris Paul's steals streak was ended today also, which is just insult to injury. They don't have an answer at SG. Neither Devin Brown, Rasual Butler or Morris Peterson can give them a consistent effort.

On the flip side, Orlando looked fantastic. I haven't watched them play too much this year, but I got an understanding of why they are a top 5 team this year. Jameer Nelson is playing out of his mind and has elevated his game dramatically. He's scoring in bunches, and is a capable leader on this team. Dwight Howard continue to beast, and will defend his slam dunk crown this year. Even though he struggled to score in this game, he rebounded and defended well. Turkoglu, Lewis and Pietrus are excellent outside shooters that just lit up the Hornets. Another difference from last year's squad is the return of Tony Battie. He and Gortat are providing some solid play at the PF/C spots to backup Howard. This team is still over dependent on the jump shot, but are much improved from last year. It's amazing that they won by 20 points considering they only hit 1 FG in the last 9+ minutes of the game, and only scored 27 points in the second half.

Game 2: San Antonio Spurs vs Phoenix Suns

The Spurs have the Suns number. Plain and simple. They seem to always pull out on top and win all of the close games. The Suns completely reinvented themselves beginning from the second half of last season in order to beat the Spurs, and they still lost. It must be demoralizing for them. I've been impressed by the play of the Spurs role players. Mason, Bonner, Hill have given the Spurs some much needed energy and youth. And has allowed the Spurs to cut down on the minutes of veterans like Bowen and Thomas. Duncan, Parker and Ginobili continue to carry the majority of the load. Duncan was huge down the stretch on the defensive end, playing with 5 fouls. And Parker was able to get to the basket at will against Nash. He setup Roger Mason for the game winning 3-pointer. Interestingly, that was the first time that Mason entered the game in the 4th quarter. Clutch. This Spurs team is resilient, having been able to weather the storm with injuries to Manu and Parker at the start of the season. Never count out the heart of a champion. They are still contenders.

The Suns have one of the best starting lineups in the league; on any given night, any of the starting 5 can score 20 points. The problem is that they don't play good defense on a consistent basis. Nash continues to get exploited on the defensive end. Also they are struggling to find a consistent offensive identity. Are they a Run-And-Gun team, or are they a half-court team that runs through Shaq? Shaq and Amare were dominant in this game, conbining for 45 points, 25 rebounds, 3 steals and 6 blocks. But they still managed to lose. Ouch. Richardson is a nice addition to this team, but will take some time to really gel with this team. He is a big improvement over Raja Bell at the SG position, however. I like the strategy of resting Shaq on back-to-back games; but the problem is the Suns have a lack of depth at the 4 and 5 spots. Amundson and Lopez are not reliable big men yet. Barbosa looks completely lost this season and is struggling to get consistent minutes off of the bench. I like the duo of Hill/Barnes at the SF spot, though. They are a work in progress.

Game 3: Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers

An excellent game that lived up to all of the hype. But I just think the Lakers wanted it more. This snaps the Celtics 19-game winning streak. The Big 3 (plus Rondo) were superb, but they got little production from their bench. Which was the difference in the game. The Celtics bench was a combined 6 for 20 from the field. I'm pleased to see the continued growth of Rondo, however. His playmaking skills have been superb this year, and he continues to be an excellent ball thief. But he still needs to develop a consistent jump shot. That will help elevate his game to the next level. I'm not sure if he's deserving of an all-star bid yet. Garnett could not miss a shot yesterday. And got quite a few uncontested dunks and layups. Pierce had a nice run in the third quarter to bring the celtics on top temporarily, but was scoreless in the 4th quarter. Ray Allen had a mediocre game yesterday. I think they missed Posey in the clutch; his 3-point shooting and defense. This was a tight game up until the closing minutes.

The Lakers did not back down and matched the physicality of the Celtics. Their defense was a huge key to their win. Amazingly, Pau Gasol was clutch in the final moments of the game. And carried his team on his back. 20 points 3 rebounds is not exactly what you want coming from your starting PF, but they were able to pull out the win. Bynum looks lost at times. He still has plenty of room for improvement. Starting Bynum and Gasol together has produced mixed results. The Lakers team seem to play better when they have an extra outside shooter and don't have two big men clogging the middle. Odom's production has taken a big hit this year, but he did hit a pair of clutch 3's for his team. Kobe played superb and continues to be this team's MVP. Fisher looks a step slow. They may want to consider upgrading that position during mid-season. But this has to be a huge confidence booster for this Lakers team to pull off the win against the Celtics. They seem to be on track again now after losing 2 straight games earlier this month. They miss Jordan Farmar off the bench who gives them scoring, energy, and another play-maker.

Game 4: Washington Wizards vs Cleveland Cavaliers

I elected to skip most of this game, but apparently, it was a much closer game than I thought it would be. The Wizards led for nearly the entire game. But with a couple minutes left and down by 7 points, the Cavs clamped down on the Wizards on the defensive end, and scored 11 straight points to pull out the win. They still are unbeated at home. Very impressive. Mo Williams hit some big shots for this team down the stretch. That's the reason why they acquired him over the offseason. Lebron had a solid, but not spectacular game. Big Z was invisible, and Delone West missed 12 shots in the game. It's amazing that they were able to pull off the win. Varejao, of all people, hit 2 clutch free throws to clinch the game. He finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds off of the bench. He's a very underrated player. I noticed that 10 of the 11 shots that Wally World and Boobie attempted were 3-pointers. Crazy. Overall, a very valiant effort by the Cavs to pull off the win. Though I have no idea how the Wizards were able to stay competitive in this game. A Xmas Miracle?

On the flip side, the Wizards were led by Jamison and Mike James. Caron Butler struggled against Lebron James, but managed to contribute 10 assists to offset his bad shooting night. Young gun McGuire got his second start of the season and contributed 10 rebound and 7 assists. That's back-to-back games with double digit rebounds. Nice. But besides that, there were very few bright sides to this team. There is a reason why they are the second worst team in the league right now. I'm sure that Arenas is not in any rush to get back to this team. They are roughly 8-9 games out of the last playoff spot. And are 4-23 on the season. Other young guns Nick Young and Andray Blatche have been really inconsistent. With so much money devoted to their big 3 and a mediocre supporting cast, the Wizards are going nowhere quickly. They'll be a borderline playoff team even when everyone is healthy, over the next few years. I think it was a bad idea to fire head coach Eddie Jordan. He managed to get solid production out of a mediocre roster during the past seasons.

Game 5: Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trailblazers

An excellent game between a declining team (Dallas) and one of the rising teams (Portland) in the league. The Mavs were able to use their experience and toughness to squeeze out a close win. They ended the game on a 12-2 run. Dirk Nowitzki was on-fire in the first half, before fading away in the second half. Jason Kidd and JJ Barea were huge at the G positions. Combining for 20 rebound. Yikes. Rarely does a player impact the game without scoring points like Jason Kidd. He only hit 1 FG, but also added 12 rebound, 10 assists, and 2 steals. Josh Howard showed his immaturity by getting ejected from the game. He doesn't look 100% healthy yet. And he's struggled in the past few games to do anything but score points, averaging a mere 1 assist and 1.5 rebound in the past 7 games. Jason Terry looks like a lock to win the 6th man of the year award. He's killing it off of the bench. Devean George might be the worst starter in the league and the Dampier/Diop combo isn't intimidating anyone.

Brandon Roy is the truth. He's been on fire lately, which includes a 50-point outburst a few games ago. Too bad the rest of his team is not playing at the same level. Greg Oden looks lost out there, and not very agile. He has 4 pts and 5 rebounds yesterday, after a 0 pts and 2 rebound stinker in the previous game. He's not the savior that this franchise hyped him up to be. At least, not this season. Blake looks like a very capable PG for this squad, making the big passes and hitting some big shots. Aldrige was in foul trouble and didn't contribute anything. He needs to work on consistency and crashing the glass. I think he relies too much on his jumper also. Batum doesn't much of anything at SF. Outlaw, Fernandez and Przybilla provide a huge spark for Portland off of the bench. Outlaw came up with some clutch steals in this game, but it was not enough. He doesn't get consistent minutes, so it looks like whenever he is on the floor, he will shoot the ball whenever it comes to him. Rudy had some exciting plays and is an excellent 3-pt shooter. I'd be curious to see how he'd fare in the slam dunk contest, if he is voted in.