Hey Now, You're An All-Star

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.

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.

2008-09 NBA Season Preview: Pacific

1. Los Angeles Lakers: This division is not the powerhouse that it's been in years past. The Lakers will win the division easily. They have a ton of talent, a good coach, and a very deep roster. They play an efficient offense game, and are underrated defensively. While Kobe is this team's best player, their MVP will be Andrew Bynum. He will be the difference maker with respect to whether the Lakers win the NBA championship or not. How will he handle all of the pressure? They have basically the same roster as last year, switch out Turiaf for Bynum, so they will have high expectations. If Kobe does not lead this team to the promised land, it will be just another blemish on his resume. Gasol, Bynum and Odom gives the Lakers a talented 3-headed PF/C platoon. It will be interesting to see how Odom reacts to playing off of the bench. He's known to be a bit of a space cadet. This finally might be the year that Farmar wins the starting spot from Fisher; or at least, plays more minutes than him. Vujacic and Radmanovic provide some outside shooting for this team. Ariza and Walton will provide sporadic value for this team off of the bench; Ariza with better defense and Walton with better offense. I give this team a slight edge over the Celtics due to their younger age and their superior inside play. It's title or bust for this Los Angeles team.

2. Phoenix Suns: It'll be fun to follow this team throughout the season, as they try to change their team philosophy, after the addition of Shaq. They are a much deeper team than last year, and I think Barnes and the rookies: Lopez and Dragic will provide solid production for this team. Hill off of the bench is great, and should help their second unit. He provides them some leadership, another ball-handler, and a guy who can create his own shots when needed. Limiting Hill's minutes will hopefully keep him healthy all year long. Amare and Shaq will beast in the middle. If Shaq can stay out of foul trouble, stay healthy, they will be tough to beat. Nash will continue to be a stud; I don't foresee any slowdown, despite his increased age. Raja Bell and Barnes form an interesting dynamic duo; they stretch the offense with their shooting and are tough, rugged defenders on the opposite side. Barbosa and Diaw may be the X-Factors. They need solid production from both reserves players in order for them to be competitive. This team needs to prove that they can get defensive stops in the clutch and win games with a slower pace; this favors Nash in the long-run, who could use the extra rest.

3. Los Angeles Clippers: I'd be surprised to see any of the below teams make the playoffs. They have too many questions marks and just not enough talent. This Clippers team in particular will be hit or miss; most likely miss. They have a ton of new faces compared to the last year, and are relying on two injury-prone players: Camby and Baron Davis to lead their team. Theoretically, they form a potent duo. But let's see how many games they end up playing together. That will be a barometer for this team's success. Kaman needs to prove that last year was not a fluke. Also it's not clear how he will jive with Camby in the middle. It seems like they will hurt each other's production. Thornton needs to build off of his promising rookie season. SG will be a rotating mess. Who do you start? Mobley, Rickey Davis or Eric Gordon? All are talented, but flawed players. It's too bad Jason Williams had to retire. It would have been fun to watch him and Baron Davis play together at times. Tim Thomas will provide some erratic play off of the bench. The departure of Elton Brand, and to a lesser extent Maggette, is a big step back for this team.

4. Golden State Warriors: The Warriors will struggle to match their win total from the previous year. Losing Baron is a big hit; he was the face of their franchise. Maggette can match Baron's scoring, but doesn't provide the same intangibles and leadership. Stephen Jackson will have to step up and earn his contract extension. The lose of Baron Davis and the injury to Monta Ellis leaves a huge hole on this team at the PG spot. Until they can find some stability at this position, they are going to struggle to win games. Marus Williams, DeMarcus Nelson, CJ Watson... that might be the worst trio of PG in the league. I hope that Nelson stays true to his word to play their young players. They have nothing to lose at this point, and I'm sure that fans want to see what Bellinelli, Randolph, Wright are capable of doing. Azubuike off of the bench should be solid and will be one of the few bright spots of the team. This team will desperately miss the versatility and hustle of bench players: Pietrus and Barnes, who have moved on to greener pastures. They were key to Nelson's crazy player rotations. Biedrins should hopefully get a boost in minutes and a chance to justify this huge contract. He should be a double-double machine. Harrington needs to be traded so that Randolph and Wright can get more playing time. Turiaf will be a solid reserve, though his minutes will be sporadic.

5. Sacramento Kings: I'll be watching this team closely. They are another rebuiding team with some interesting pieces. Kevin Martin looks to take the next step to all-star, while Salmons/Garcia will try to fill the void by Artest. Both have an excellent chance to flourish on this team. I'm not sold on Udrih being a rock at the PG position, but he should be adequate in the short-term. With Brad Miller suspended for drug use, Hawes and Thompson should get some extra burn. These two young players are the future of this team. I would trade Brad Miller to get them more playing time. Also Mikki Moore is a bum. They need to bench him or trade him. He might be the worst starting PF in the league. Shelden Williams should be the first big man off of the bench. This team is lottery-bound, so they should start looking towards the future and playing their young guys as much as possible. Playing Bobby Jackson heavy minutes, for example, is doing no one any favor's. I'm not sure where Donte Greene fits into this picture but he can score points in a hurry. Also either Quincy Douby or Bobby Brown (LOL) needs to solidify themselves as the backup PG.

2008-09 NBA Season Preview: Northwest

[Note From Kay: These Season Preview articles were written before the news of the Billups for Iverson trade. So the comments may be a little outdated. However, I don't see the trade having a significant change to either team's rankings within their division. So I haven't bothered to update the text.]

1. Utah Jazz: An overlooked team, that should be able to win their division yet again. They have a solid core, but I'm worried that Boozer has one foot outside of the door already and that could affect team chemistry and his overall play. Deron Williams is one of the best PG in the league, but gets overlooked because of Chris Paul. Okur is a sweet shooting big man who compliments Boozer well. Kirlenko has great versatility but needs to be willing to accept a bench role for the betterment of the team. On the bench, I like Korver for his outside shooting and also Millsap. If Boozer is injured or leaves the team, he could step and fill admirably. He won't score as much, but has potential to match the rebounds and will play even better defense. Miles, Price and Brewer need to step up to give this team some much needed athleticism and scoring off of the bench. They were dominate at home last year, but woeful off the bench. Will they be able to turn around their fortune and move into elite status?

2. Portland Trailblazers: While the injury to Greg Oden was equal parts predictable and unfortunate, I still think they have enough firepower to make the playoffs this year. Brandon Roy and Aldridge are future stars in the making. Outlaw and Rudy Fernandez off of the bench are explosive and give this team crazy depth. They go 2-deep at every position. This should limit injuries to their star players and keep everyone fresh come playoff time. The key will be everyone buying into the team concept and being willing to sacrifice their stats and minutes. Nate McMillan has his hands full with that task. Bayless looked like a beast in the preseason and summer camp, but he'll rarely get off of the bench. Same goes for Sergio Rodriguez. Webster's injury should give Rudy and Outlaw a chance to solidify themselves in the rotation. I'm not sure where Webster will fit in when he returns, however. Przybilla is a beast on the glass and is a great shot-blocker. Despite his offensive woes, he should fill in admirably for Oden while he misses games. Which could be frequent this season. They are still a young team, so expect some ups and downs this season.

3. Denver Nuggets: It's a crapshoot after Portland and Utah. None of these other teams really stand a chance at making the playoffs. Denver traded Camby away for nothing, which leaves their frontcourt with huge question marks. They can't rely on K-Mart and Nene to play heavy minutes; or to even be healthy for the entire season. Carmelo and Iverson will carry the offensive load for this team. JR Smith and Kleiza are streaky scorers. Anthony Carter might be the worst starting PG in the league. And their bench is full of no-names. They barely made the playoffs last year, and I think they took a step back this year. They don't play a lick of defense, and they will struggle against other Western teams. I don't know why they gave Nene a huge contract last year, coming off of an injury. They put themselves in a huge hole financially that the team may not recover from. That was the main reason why they traded Camby in a salary dump. Team morale has got to be at an all-time low on this team.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves: They should be fun to watch, but I don't think they'll make any waves in terms of the playoffs this year. Al Jefferson and Kevin Love have the potential to be a dynamic scoring duo on offense. Neither of them can defend centers, but their team is not very good defensively anyway. Backing them up they have a slew of stiffs: Booth, Collins, Madsen, and the decent Craig Smith. They have a lot of depth at the SG and SF positions. Miller is a sharp shooter, while Brewer has excellent defensive abilities. Gomes is solid; nothing extraordinary but will compliment this team well. I'm not sure where McCants will fit in; but he can score a lot of points in a hurry and has a nice outside shot. At point guard, they'll rotate between Telfair and Foye. Foye has break-out season written all over him assuming that he can stay healthy. A big If. This'll be a year for the young guns to get some experience under their belt and be ready for next year. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mike Miller traded to a playoff team at midseason.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder will be awful this year. I just don't like their roster at all. Durant and Green are nice players to build around. But Green is still a year or two away from being a consistent threat. Westbrook is a good defender, but needs to prove that he can score and lead a team consistently. Until than, he is stuck in a timesplit with Watson. I'm not sure where that leads either Desmond Mason or Damien Wilkins. They'll get spotty minutes all year, and really aren't a part of their youth movement at all. They have a ton of big men, but none of them are really any good. Petro, Swift and Sene all combined together are not a good player. They can, at best, block some shots, use up some fouls, and get the occasional rebound. That's about it. Wilcox will look to score points, but give up the same number or more on the opposite end. Collison is quality big men; but is better served on a winning team. He is a nice compliment, but not really a dominating big man. This team looks pretty hopeless.

The Answer for Detroit?

After all the rumors, it has been finalized. Allen Iverson will head back to the Eastern Conference this time as a member of the Detroit Pistons, while Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, and Cheick Samb will head to the Western conference and the Denver Nuggets. This is the second trade for Iverson in the last 2 years. Could this trade possibly be what Pistons GM Joe Dumars was referring to when he stated he would be "shaking things up"? Billups returns to his home state of Colorado, and McDyess returns to the team he began his career with from 1995-1997 where he had his best years as a pro.

Kay: Wow. I did not see this one coming. Based solely on talent, Iverson is probably an upgrade over Billups. He's a legit 30 point scorer, that can create his own shot and take over games in the clutch. And he seems to have aged better than Billups who seems a step slower since his Finals MVP award. I have concern about how well Iverson will jive with the rest of the team and whether he will sell into the whole team concept. But Iverson is hungry to win a title, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt. This could be the blockbuster trade that elevates the Pistons to the Finals, similar to Rasheed Wallace a few years back.

It does bring up some interesting questions however. Neither Iverson or Stuckey is true PG. Will the lose of Billups negatively hurt their ball movement and offensive execution? If they elect to start an Iverson and Stuckey backcourt (which is undersized), who goes to the bench: Hamilton or Prince? One of those players is not going to be happy. If Iverson starts and continues to play like 35-40 minutes that will greatly hamper Stuckey's development. Neither Iverson or Billups are defensive stoppers; I'd say their defense is roughly the same, right?

It's also worth noting that Iverson is in the last year of his contract. So he becomes a free agent at the end of this year. This gives the Pistons some salary flexibility. They could elect to either resign Iverson at a discount or go after some other free agents. Meanwhile, Billups had 3 more years on his contract after this one (at a cheaper price than Iverson, though). It is rumored that McDyess will be bought out and will return back to the Pistons, so his inclusion in the trade is moot.

Why would the Nuggets do this? Billups is a true PG and will bring some much needed stability and leadership to this young team. Previous to this they were starting Anthony Carter, probably the worst starting point guard in the league. Now they can slide JR Smith to the starting position and go with an explosive offensive team. Denver had elected to not extend Iverson's contract, so it's clear that he was not in their team's future. So the Nuggets needed to trade him away and get something in return, rather than see him walk away. Could they have gotten something better? Maybe. But Billups is not bad.