The Whole 9… week of Nov. 30, 2009….

1. A.I.’s coming back to Philly
This story headlines this super-long T-Day weekend. Iverson retired, was led to believe the Knicks would sign him, and is now seeming to be ready to return to the Sixers, where he should’ve started the season. I’ve told everyone who’d listen to me since he was still a Nugget that there were only two places A.I. could go that made sense: Charlotte (with Larry Brown, which by the way is not applicable anymore since the team traded for Stephen Jackson), and Philly (which will always love Iverson more than any athlete in the city’s history, except…maybe…Jimmy Rollins). Both those teams also needed a SG who can score. And oh yeah, A.I. certainly can still do that. After the Jack trade last week, the Sixers were the only team that made sense. I almost was able to talk myself into the Knicks, but luckily that came and went before I could fully embrace that idea. But let’s face some facts; the Sixers are 5-11. They suck. AI2 is a second or third banana at best. Elton Brand is probably a second banana in his prime, which we suspect may be over. Lou Williams is hurt, but even before he got hurt this team couldn’t score.  A.I. just might be that spark to take them back into the playoffs.  It certainly would be a wonderful scene if that happened.

We all know Iverson as a Sixer, that’s how it should have always stayed.  Some guys just belong to a city. Bird belonged to Boston. Jeter belongs to N.Y. Probably a better comparison is Ricky Henderson, my favorite baseball player of all-time. Ricky started his career with the A’s, and had his most memorable seasons after returning. He played for many other organizations, but he belonged to Oakland, always. That’s how Iverson belongs to Philly. It always bugged me that he left.

2. Steelers lose to Ravens in OT, Hines calls out Ben, blah blah blah
Under the subject of “nothing to see here,” Hines called out Ben on TV supposedly. Only he really didn’t. He didn’t actually say anything to call out Ben. He did say that he’s played with concussions before and that he wished Ben was playing. Both of those are facts. Neither directly emplies him calling out Ben. On the other hand, the Steelers’ debut of Dennis Dixon was a mixed bag. He was great in the first half, but the Ravens adjusted well to him in the fourth quarter, and were able to shut him down. Well, on we go to next week hoping to cling to a playoff spot. Coach Tomlin says that the Steelers are going to “Unleash hell here in December,” so at least we got that goin for us.

2. Melo drops 50 on the Knicks
And we come to our second 50 point game of the year, this one a little less surprising. It was by the league’s leading scorer, Mr. Melo. However it wasn’t quite as impressive being that the Nuggets almost tripped over a terrible Knicks team, and did lose to an even worse T-Wolves team a couple nights later. They get Golden State tomorrow night which should be a great scorer’s duel because…

3. Monta Ellis scores 42 on Wed, 45 on Mon
Monta had to go and drop 45 tonight on the Pacers, and then fouls out with six minutes to go. The rate he was goin, he definitely would’ve topped 50 had he stayed in, and it was a pretty crappy call that he fouled out on. Actually Monta picked up a couple of terrible foul calls. But nothing could stop him. The best part of Monta’s development is that he’s starting everything on the defensive end. He guarded Danny Granger for most of the night and held him to 7-17 on the night. I think we are seeing the rise of another young superstar out west.

4. The Kings sweep all 3 Games, finally get some attention
While it’s true that the Kings beat the Knicks, Nets, and CP3-less Hornets, it’s also true that everyone else plays those 3 teams as well (at least until Chris Paul comes back). It’s also true that the Kings now sit at 8-8, and currently stand as the biggest surprise of the young season. J.T. and Tyreke are really the consistents, everyone else has sort of pitched in when needed. Donte Greene had a monster game against the Knicks, Beno Udrih was the MAN against the Nets, and Sergio Rodriguez destroyed the hot Darren Collinson and the Hornets.

5. Saints destroy Pats, ’74 Dolphins’ champagne ice begins to melt
The Saints and the Colts are both undefeated in one of the strangest football seasons I can remember. In other football news, Alex Smith looks to finally be on the right track, both Vince Young’s Titans and T.O.’s Bills are suddenly in the playoff races, and Desean Jackson and Matt Ryan both got hurt.

6. Brandon Jennings and Derrick Rose square off
In what was billed as this year’s eventual Rookie of the Year vs. Last year’s rookie of the year, Young Money and the Bucks beat Rose’s Bulls. Let me explain this a little more. The Bucks are fairly consistent, but not quite as good on their best nights as the Bulls. The Bulls are the opposite. They can play with anyone, and lose to anyone. Very strange team. And while Young Money has been very good, Andrew Bogut and Ersan Ilyasova deserver a lot of the credit for the Bucks’ turnaround as well. Still, this is definitely Young Money’s ship.

7. Rihanna Flops…sorta
In what seemed like the perfect set-up, Rihanna is not living up to expectations and looks to move slightly less than 200K in her first week. Oh well. None of her singles really took off before the release date, so it didn’t end up mattering that she released her album on the biggest retail weekend of the year. And that thing I wrote about her having the biggest album of the year? Let’s just forget I ever said that. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Chris Breeze sells better when his album drops a week from today.

8. Clipse, Kellz, Timbo all spring a leak
As we get into the holiday rush, all of the albums that are actually going to be released should be leaking soon. Clipse I’m excited about, Kellz….ehhhh, Timbo….ehhhh. But all the leaked Clipse songs are dope, especially “Popular Demand,” and the “I’m Good” Remix with Rawwwsssee.

9. North Carolina’s Big Week
Having already lost to Syracuse, NC gets both Michigan State and Kentucky this week. We’ll see what the defending champs are made of, as we rarely see so many tough games scheduled so close to each other, so early in the season. Deon Thompson and Ed Davis are both studs, but what else do they have in the cabinet?

 

I pop off like a mobster boss…..

The heading has nothing to do with this post. I just have that line stuck in my head. I’ll get to the Whole 9 later, but I haven’t posted anything in a week, so here’s something I’ve been wanting to post.

The 30 Best SF’s In The NBA

First some explanations: no one who has played under 35% of their team’s minutes will make the list (Sorry Donte Greene! You’ll make it next time!). The bottom 10 just get a little blurb, the middle 10 get a blurb and a pic, the top 10 get a full explanation. Let’s Go!

30. James Posey, NOH: Posey has been terrible for the Hornets, and has lost a lot of minutes to rookie Marcus Thornton.
29. Trenton Hassell, NJN: Forced into heavy minutes due injuries, Hassell has been among the league’s worst regulars for a few years now.
28. Matt Barnes, ORL:Barnes is actually sort of impressive in making this list. While technically the backup, he’s basically splitting this position with…
27. Mickael Pietrus, ORL:Pietrus and Barnes are essentially giving Orlando league-average starters minutes at the 3 for the whole game. Not a bad combination. This is a good thing for the Magic.
26. Wilson Chandler, NYK:Chandler showed some promise towards the end of last year, but has been a disaster this season. His defense has been passable, but he hasn’t been able to get any offensive production whatsoever.
25. Al Thornton, LAC:Thornton has started to heat up recently after starting the season with 8 straight clunkers. But he’s well on his way back up.
24. Peja Stojakovic, NOH:Another disappoointing start this year for Peja. It ain’t hard to tell with him tho’: he’s a shooter, when he isn’t making jump shots he’s not really helping you. And he’s shooting a career low percentage.
23. Michael Finley, SAS:Pretty much left for dead after last season, Finley’s quietly assumed the backup role and helped Richard Jefferson fit in well with the Spurs.
22. Ryan Gomes, MIN:Another guy who got off to a horrendous start before turning it on lately, Gomes has started to take control of the T-Wolf offense with Big Al struggling.
21. Quentin Richardson, MIA:Q is in the middle of a bit of a bounce-back year after being left for dead and traded 4 times in one off-season. He’s in a good situation playing with old pal Dwizzle.

20. Jared Dudley, PHX: The first of a few WTF names on the list, Dudley has quietly emerged as a very strong bench player for the Suns.  He’s added a scrappy element to the team that was obviously missing from the team before.

19. Shane Battier, HOU:I’ve explained many times that Shane’s the best defender in the league. But his offense has slipped to a point where he’s becoming a true Bruce Bowen clone. But his on the ball defense combined with Trevor Ariza’s long arms and athleticism on defense have made the Rockets quite possibly the best defensive team in the league…..And this is without their 7-and-a-half foot center.

18. Marvin Williams, ATL: The main defender on a Hawks team that has jumped into the elite of the Eastern Conference thus far, Williams is an elite specialist in that area. And we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now, but his offense is starting to sink to Battier/Bowen levels.

17. Grant Hill, PHX: Grant’s certainly been tremendous in helping Phoenix with all of the dirty work/little things. They’re also doing a good job of cutting his minutes down with contributions from Dudley.

16. Caron Butler, WAS: I’m willing to throw Tough Juice a bit of a bone for his season thus far as it seems he’s been playing with nagging injuries and has struggled to fit into Flip Saunders’ offense thus far. But what’s saddening about this situation was to see Gil call him out . Butler’s always been supportive of Gil through all of the Hibbaci’s injuries. And everyone loves Tough Juice’s game while Gil’s can be pretty selfish at times. These two need to get on the same page, obviously. But that seems to be Antawn Jamison’s role: to keep everyone on the same page. We’ll see how things turn out in Washington.  But I think Butler’s still one of the top 5 SF’s in the league, but his season thus far has been terrible.  But to be fair, so has Gil’s.

15. Richard Jefferson, SAS:After a summer in which he made the news for a few of the wrong reasons, RJ has thankfully kept his news this year on the court. But the Spurs haven’t been as good as expected, and RJ’s a big reason for that. He’s slowly becoming accustomed to the Spur way of life, and that’s going to take some time. But I think both he and the Spurs will be better off after going through these growing pains.

14. Stephen Jackson, CHA: It’s been a weird season for Captain Jack, who was exiled by the Warriors to Charlotte.  Though from now one he’ll probably be known as a SG in Charlotte.   But since his arrival, the ‘Cats are on a run. Maybe, just maybe the situation will work out for Jack. Actually, I think it probably well. Jack and Pop had a great relationship, and I expect similar of his situation with Larry Brown. And players always leave the Warriors to get better, don’t they?

13. Omri Casspi, SAC:The second of our WTF names on this list is Omri Casspi, a guy who’s as good as anyone in the league at doing anything that’s asked of him. Think Shane Battier before he became just a defender. The guy gets to the rack, hustles, plays D, rebounds, and is an excellent passer. It should also be noted that Donte Greene would have made the top 10 if he’d played enough minutes. The SF spot was a complete black hole for the team last season, this year it seems to be a strength. Casspi’s currently starting there and Greene is switching between the 2 and the 3 until K-Mart is back from injury. The Kings have been the surprise team of the year so far, and I just hope it continues as they’re sitting pretty at 8-8.

12. Gerald Wallace, CHA: Wallace and Jack are essentially both wings, as LB’s playing two wings instead of a typical SG and SF. Wallace, as we know, is a great weak-side help defender. He uses his unreal athleticism to grab an un-real amount of rebounds for a SF. The ‘Cats are looking pretty good since they got Jack.

11. Hedo Turkoglu, TOR: I was one of the many people who didn’t like this signing, but it seems to have worked out quite well for all parties. With Calderon struggling a bit, Turkoglu has moved in to the spot as the second banana behind Chris Bosh for a Raptors squad that is overachieving a bit.

10. Corey Maggette, GSW: While the Warriors have been up-and-down this year, Maggette is having a career season. He’s playing solid d, blocking shots, grabbing rebounds and shooting out of his mind. My main criticism with Bad Porn’s game has been that he takes some bad shots, has bad court vision, and doesn’t do anything but score. Well he’s shooting a career high 51%, cutting down on the 3’s, and has his lowest turnover numbers in 10 years. His scoring has actually gone down, but his scoring efficiency is way up. He and Monta have really taken off since Jack was dealt, and it’s perhaps been a blessing in disguise for a team that was just in terrible shape altogether.

9. Danny Granger, IND:That he’s in the top 10 isn’t too surprising, but Granger’s been a bit of a different beast this year than last. Most of his scoring numbers are down (including shooting percentage, which is way down), but both rebounds and assists are up. He’s also turning the ball over and fouling more. He was an easy top 5 here last year, but while he’s still a superior player, he’s not quite what he was last year thus far.

8. Ersan Ilyasova, MIL:Probably the biggest WTF name on here, Ilyasova has been extremely good for a Milwaukee team for which he doesn’t even start. He’s shown a great presence to do all the little things and helps Young Money on the high-pick and rolls with his ability to shoot from the outside/mid-range. But since Andrew Bogut went down, he’s really been cranking out the scoring as well. He’s also grabbing the boards like crazy. He and Bogut have been the main beneficiaries of Brandon Jennings’ incredible rookie season thus far. The question would come down to who’s been more surprising? Ilyasova or Casspi? What it really comes down to is their rookie point guards.

7. Rudy Gay, MEM:While he’s always had the potential to be this good, Gay’s finally starting to put it together in this, his fourth season. He’s scoring a career high 20.7, shattering his career high for shooting (50%!), and is ahead of his career high in rebounds (6.9). He and Marc Gasol have established themselves as the best players on the Grizz (like I’ve said before, OJ Mayo is basically just a chucker). He’s fun to watch as he just comes out of nowhere with acrobatic dunks and such. He and Wallace are in the top 5 most athletic guys in the league.

6. Paul Pierce, BOS:An interesting question that’s come up recently is where The Truth falls in the hierarchy of Celtics history. I think a lot of it has to do with how they do this season. If they can come up with another ring (which I think they will), he HAS to be in the Celtic top 3 of all-time, with Bird and Russell. If not, I’d say he’s top 5, behind Bird, Russel, Hondo, and Cousy.

5. Ron Artest, LAL:I must say that I did not see this coming. Ron Ron has been perfect in LA. Hes done all the little things, and Phil has even had to talk to him about being “too unselfish.” While I’m personally never going to be a big fan of his again (players are banished from my fan-dom when they join the Lakers), I must admit that it’s a wonderful thing to see for Ron’s career.

4. Luol Deng, CHI:I had no idea what to expect from Deng this season. After the Bulls did so well without him in the playoffs last year, and then losing Ben Gordon in Free Agency, who knew what would become of Deng, whom the Bulls wouldn’t give up in a potential Kobe trade a couple of seasons ago. But he’s been an overwhelming success and he’s the best player on the team right now (yes, that includes Derrick Rose).

3. Kevin Durant, OKC: The top 3 are almost inter-changeable but after that there’s a big drop off for number 4. Here we’re going to slot KD in at third because of the lack of team success….at least for now. We’re really being picky in the top 3. KD’s only averaging 27.4 and 7.2 in only his third season at the tender age of 21. It should also be noted that everyone thought Oklahoma City would be good, but they seem they’re even better than we thought. Russell Westbrook looks like a stud at PG, we know KD is a superstar, Jeff Green’s still playing the Pippen to KD’s Jordan, and James Harden looks much better than i expected. Either way this is a team to be reckoned with. Slot them with Portland and Sacto as the future powers of the West.

2. Carmelo Anthony, DEN: Again, we’re being picky here, but I gave Melo the edge on KD because of his performance in the playoffs last year. Really we’re talking about 3 potential MVP guys here. So they’re really 1, 1a, and 1b. But ‘Melo has turned that corner and is one of the 5 best players in the league now, pretty much unanimously agreed upon. He’s averaging a career high 31 points (which leads the NBA), and shooting a career high (49.3%). And the Nuggs are in first place, but are in a dog fight for the Northwest with Portland, Utah, and OKC. Ultimately, one of those teams will probably not make the playoffs this year, but don’t count on that team being the Nuggets.

1. Lebron James, CLE: The best player in the league. Period. Kobe’s not even that close anymore. I don’t like talking too much about Lebron because it’s just so cliche to do so. But since we’re talking about him anyway, I think the NBA has an upper 8 elite players and everyone after is pretty mixed: Lebron, Nash, Wade, Kobe, Melo, Dwight Howard, CP3, and KD. If you really want to, you can throw Deron Williams and Tim Duncan in there too to make it an even 10. But after that it’s pretty mixed depending on who you’d ask. Some would put KG in there, but I think I’d probably have him third on his own team (behind Rondo and Pierce). Brandon Jennings? Not yet…Derrick Rose? Not ready…. Bosh? Too inconsistent… Billups? He’s having a down year…. One of the Spurs would probably come next, but which one? Who’s better between Parker and Ginobili. We’ll see how these questions are answered as the year goes on.

 

The Whole 9….

It’s been a long time

…..but I’m back and rejuvenated heading into the end of the year.  It’s Monday, so Let’s go over the highlights of the weekend:

1. The Bengals beat the Steelers.
My boys were swept by the Bungals, who look for real.  And word is that they’re getting Larry Johnson, too.  Even more real is that as I’m typing, the Ravens are beating the batter out of the Browns.  So the AFC North looks like this:

1. Cincinnati ………7-2

2. Pittsburgh………6-3

3. Baltimore……….5-4

Cincy has 4 easy games (@Oakland, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City), 2 tough games (@Minnesota and a @ a red-hot San Diego), and one who knows game (@NY Jets to end the year). While the Steelers have 3 relatively easy games (@KC, Oakland, @Cleveland), two more they SHOULD win (Green Bay, @Miami), and two who-knows games with the Ravens. The Ravens have the two Steelers games and a Colts game, then 5 games they should win. All things being equal we could very well have three playoff teams from this division. I think we’re looking at records of 12-4 (Cincy), 11-5 (Pitt), and 10-6 (Baltimore). What’s the best division in football?

2. Manny Pacquiao Beat Down Miguel Cotto

Manny by no means kicked his arse, but it was a very good fight until the last couple of rounds. Unfortunately it was stopped in the 12th round, which made no sense to me. Either you stop the fight in the 10th, when it looks decisive, or you let the man fight til the end. He’s earned the right, having taken the pounding through 12 rounds. Anyway, rant over.  Now we can pay our attention to the potential Mayweather/Pac-Man fight.  As Mayweather bet millions on Manny on Saturday and was seen celebrating his “earnings” with Diddy and Ray-J.

But does this mean that the matchup is inevitable?  I’m sure there will be plenty to read on this dream fight, so I’ll pass on my .02 for now.

>3. Young Money drops a double nickel on the Dubs
He looks like a cross between Trey Songz and Terrence from 106th and Park, his game reminds us of AI, and he’s from the city of Compton. He’s got the mouth to start ish, and the game to back it up. Be prepared for the Ochocinco of the NBA here folks. Or the second coming of AI, which ever you prefer. Oh and he was callin himself Young Money (i don’t know if he calls himself that anymore) before Lil Wayne, Drake an’ ’em wanted to fuck every girl in the world. Did i mention he spent the pre-draft talking trash about Ricky Rubio? The Bucks are the surprise team of the year (with my beloved Kings flying under the radar), and he’s the main reason.  Young Mooooola, baby!

4. Belichick also went for it on fourth, in case you haven’t heard
In the least hyped game of the year (sarcasm alert!), Belichick went for it on 4th and 2. My take is the guy knows what he’s doin. As much as i loathe Belichick, the guy has 3 rings – why criticize? This is not Eric Mangini we’re talking about here.

5. Carmelo and the Nuggets destroy the Lakers, then the Rockets do too
The Lakers faced their two main foes from last year’s playoffs and lost to them both. First Carmelo and crew absolutely destroyed them on the latter end of a back-to-back. Then, the star-less Rockets pick-and-rolled them apart as well. Suddenly, the Lakers don’t look so invincible in the West.
6. Buzzer Beaters: Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, John Wall
Dwayne broke the Nets’ hearts last night, then tonight Dirk did the same in OT to Young Moola and the Bucks, then John Wall shook off any upset threats from Miami of Ohio and saved Kentucky with a buzzer beater of his own. By the way, keep an eye on Wall, he’s my pick for College Player of the year. Think about it: who’s returning that’s got any clout? Cole Aldridge? Perhaps not even the best player on his own team. Luke Harrangody? Child, please…. Kyle Singler? Great player, not Player of the Year quality. Kalin Lucas? Are you kidding? Willie Warren or Scottie Reynolds would by my pick of the returning class, but this year’s draft sucked the talent pool clean of the returning players. I’d go with Wall #1, with Avery Bradley #2. Going to Kentucky and Texas, they arrive to coaches who know a thing or two about freshman sensations (John Calipari has had Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans the past two seasons, and Rick Barnes had Kevin Durant).

7. The biggest album of the year leaked
Sorry Hov, Slim, and Weezy, but Rih Rih’s comeback is the biggest album of the year. It also leaked sometime Friday night/Saturday morning.  “Hard” is ill with Young Jeezy, and it looks like the next single.  “Rock Star 101” has hit single written all over it as well.  I’m still gathering my opinion on this album and I’ll drop it later.

8. Fiddy called out Jigga, again
The G-Unit/Roc rivalry continued this weekend as 50 Cent jumped on the hook of Beans’ new single and called out JiggaMan at the ending. Not sure where this is goin, or if I even care.

9. ESPN’s College Basketball Marathon just started
….And I’m watchin UCLA tryin to avoid an upset from CS Fullerton (which is a big baseball school, but not much of a hoops school). I’m out, as I attempt to watch as much of this marathon as humanly possible.

 

Stock Check

The NBA Playoffs are still in the first rounds.  But it’s time to see whose stocks have risen and dropped in the playoffs this year, leading to a comprehensive “best players of the year” list that i HOPE to write deeper into the playoffs.

Let’s start with the just-finished Denver/New Orleans Series:

UP: Chauncey Billups & Carmelo Anthony, Denver:

Probably having the most to gain from this series, Denver’s duo of all-stars’ stocks both went way up in this series for two different reasons.  Chauncey showed more ‘Melo in his game, and ‘Melo showed more Chauncey.  And right now it’s a legit question: Are either or both of these guys top 10 players in the league?  Chauncey took off from the beginning, catching fire from the tip off of game 1.  He drained three after three to help dominate this series.  Really, he played the role of Carmelo Anthony.  ‘Melo did the opposite.  He started off pretty quiet scoring-wise, but picked his spots perfectly.  Passing out of constant double-teams, playing shut-down defense on Peja, grabbing rebounds, playing all-around inspired basketball, and looking like he’s enjoying every minute of it.  ‘Melo was playing like Chauncey.  Until game 5, when ‘Melo and Chauncey went back to their familiar roles with ‘Melo dominating offensively and Chauncey rallying the troops.  When these two play like this, even the Lakers should be scared.

However it’d be difficult to find anyone on the Nuggets whose stock has dropped in this series.  (Nene, maybe?)  Just about everyone finally started playing up to their talents.  Whether it was Dahntay Jones and Kenyon Martin smothering the Hornets’ two best players, Chris Anderson soaring for blocks and rebounds (sometimes on the same shot), JR Smith nailing threes and then throwing up his three fingers so it looks like a gang sign, or Anthony Carter just looking for another guard to hit.

On the flipside, it’d be hard to see any bright side for the Hornets, but their two stars played particularly bad:

Down: Chris Paul & David West, New Orleans:

These two are on the downside for different reasons.  Let’s start with West.  He is not a legit all-star.  And after stealing Melo’s all-star nod this year, it was obvious in this series who was the better player.  In fact, I’d be surprised if he ever gets another all-star nod again.  Words can’t describe how well Kenyon shut him down.  He did not look like the David West we’ve seen for the past two years, he looked hesitant and scared.  He very rarely took that confident, catch-and-shoot style midrange shot that’s his bread and butter.  He’d always look around, scared Kenyon was going to swat his shit into the fifth row.  If David West was considered among the top 10 PF’s in the NBA earlier this season, he may possibly have fallen out of the top half.  It was just a really bad series for him.  Kenyon was in his head, as was Chris Anderson.  And they rendered him irrelevant in this series.

CP3 looked up, I’d think sometime in the first quarter of game 4.  He looked up and his team was getting their asses handed to them.  He had single-handedly given up his body and all his energy to lead them to a two-point victory in the previous game of a series his team was obviously over-matched in.  He was physically beaten, emotionally beaten, and mentally beaten.  He looked up at the scoreboard, and he finally got to thinking “there’s always next year,” and he gave up.

He didn’t give up in the sense that he didn’t play.  He still played.  Even played well at times.  But he wasn’t Chris Paul.  And you have to wonder about that.  Paul is considered by most (including myself) the best PG in the NBA and a consensus top 5 player in the league.  But Lebron or Kobe wouldn’t have just given up.  Certainly Wade wouldn’t.  Dwight Howard’s stock  may not be as high either, but at least he would’ve hit someone.  Chauncey definitely wouldn’t have given up.  You saw Deron, he played every minute of the Lakers series knowing he was out-matched, but still left it all on the court.  Same with Tony Parker against Dallas.  Rajon Rondo’s still doing it in Boston.

Chris Paul is still the best PG in the NBA until further notice, but you have to wonder about him after this series.

Utah/Lakers:

Up: Deron Williams, UTA:

It’s hard to give any sort of nod to the Lakers, since they won this pretty much as expected, so let’s focus on the Jazz. Deron Williams is for real. I questioned him in his rookie year because his performance was so streaky (ala Derrick Rose this year), but right now….he’s legit. He’s the second best PG in the NBA and is closing in on CP3 (of course we’re learning that Chauncey may be better than both of them….still). He pretty much single-handedly carried this team in this series, eventually falling in a noble defeat to the most talented team in the league.

Up: Paul Millsap, UTA:

While the Jazz did lose the series, Millsap proved to be a problem for the Lakers every step of the way.  And if Jerry Sloan ran more plays for him instead of Jarron Collins (!?), maybe the Jazz take another game.  But we’ll blame that on Sloan’s old age, instead of sadling it on Millsap.  He pretty much proved to just about everyone what I’ve suspected all along: that he’s better than Boozer, at least as an all-around player.

Down: Carlos Boozer, UTA:

While I don’t think Boozer directly effected his stock on the upcoming Free Agent market, since the Lakers were supposed to win anyway, Boozer sure didn’t help his situation in comparison to Millsap.  Millsap outplayed him in this series – defensively AND offensively.  And Boozer’s flaws defensively were never more apparent than having Pau Gasol simply dominate him.  Though to be fair, Gasol dominates everyone in the post.  And the undersized combination of Millsap and Boozer couldn’t stop the Lakers’ bigs at all.

Down: Mehmet Okur, UTA:

While it’s quite possible that the outcome may not have changed anyway, it’s hard not to notice that the Jazz were playing this series without their center when the Lakers are dominating them up front in every way possible.  Let’s get this out of the way: I’m not doubting Okur’s injury at all.  But many players are injured at this time of year, and if you can play at all in the series, you should play the whole series.  Especially when you watch your team being so easily handled on the boards and you’re the tallest guy on the team.

Cleveland/Detroit:

Up: Mo Williams & Delonte West, Cavs:

Lebron’s undersized backcourt sidekicks are the most important factor of the playoffs, let’s start with Mo.

I am now a believer.  I was as critical as anyone when the Cavs signed Mo in the offseason, but he’s proven me wrong throughout the playoffs and on through the postseason.  He’s fit perfectly into the team’s concept and proven to be the one sidekick-star Lebron’s had that is as reliable as the King is.  He hits big shots, plays good passing lane defense, and adds a ton of intangibles to a team that is my pick to win the title.  He is a legit all-star and is playing as well as any Eastern PG not named Rondo.

As far as Delonte, I was always a big fan of the kid’s, despite his uber-ghetto off-the-court life. And he’s proven me right throughout the season and well into the playoffs.  He plays great defense (especially considering he’s probably closer to 6’1″ than his listed 6’3″ and he’s guarding 6’7″ two-guards), provides necessary hustle plays, and fills up a stat sheet (points, rebounds, assists, steals, and even blocks).  With his development and the emergence of Jameer Nelson in Orlando as a legit all-star, just how good was that St. Joes team?

Down: Rasheed Wallace & Allen Iverson, Pistons:

This is a painful one for me to talk about.  But as much as I’ve been in both of these guys’ corners throughout their careers, they both turned in horrible showings in this series. I’m letting Tayshaun and Rip off the hook, and Dice played his ass off.  But these two have some explaining to do.

Rasheed pretty much stopped playing, and resorted to his typical screaming at refs.  As talented as he is, he’s always been an equally big head-case.  We thought that was mostly behind him when he joined Detroit.  But he he looked intimidated throughout the series.  Did he simply give up in game 4?  It wasn’t like Cleveland had anyone who could stop him.

Iverson probably lost the most ground out of anyone in the playoffs, and he didn’t even play.  Or perhaps I should say, because he didn’t play. It is not like the Answer to give up. But that’s how it appeared this year. Allen has been one of my favorite players in the league for years, but this year he had his first terrible year ever, and he didn’t fight through it in typical Iverson fashion. In fact, he didn’t fight much at all. It seemed like he was backed into a corner with the team’s failings and the coach wanting him to come off the bench. Instead of coming out and being the killer he’s been throughout his career, he gave up. I don’t doubt his injury was legit, but it certainly had funny timing, coming right after he was demoted to sixth man. And he’s a free agent this season, so it looks like it came at the worst time in his career.

Atlanta/Miami:

Up: Mike Bibby & Josh Smith, ATL:

The first is a long time veteran who was supposed to be done, and the other is a immature kid who looked like he’d never quite live up to his incredible potential.  Bibby’s post-Sac rejuvenation is one of the more over-looked stories of the year.  He’s been the team’s second best player all year (after Joe Johnson) and has carried the team in its’ Miami series despite JJ being MIA (get it?).  Bibby went from being outplayed by Beno Udrih (the worst starting PG in basketball) in Sacramento to being the second best player in this series.

Smith finally seems to be getting it.  Of course, the kid is still a headcase without a jumpshot.  But he plays great defense, runs down loose balls, and dunks on…well…everyone.

Down: Michael Beasley & Mario Chalmers, MIA:

So the Heat had the second pick in the NBA draft.  Who’d they pick, again?  The most NBA-ready player in the draft, you say?  Was he injured during their first round series?  No?  Sure was hard to nice him…

And where was the other rookie they had?  The kid who won the NCAA title game with his three?  He keeps fouling out?  Is 95-year-old Mike Bibby speeding faster than him from Bibbs’ wheelchair?

Dallas/San Antonio:

Jason Kidd, DAL & Tony Parker, SAS:

This series has traditionally been about Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan, but this year’s was about the veteran PG’s.  Now mind you, Kidd is essentially a PG on offense only (there’s no way he’s chasing TP around for 40 minutes), but he’s still proving his worth.  Devin Harris’ emergence as an all-star put a black eye on Cuban’s trade.  But I’m pretty sure Kidd would trade an all-star nod to still be playing in May.  He still ran the offense, and most importantly, kept the scorers happy.  Dirk, Josh Howard, JJ Barea, and Jason Terry were the central scorers, but Kidd made sure they were all involved.

Meanwhile, Tony Parker went down in a blaze.  He averaged 28.6 in the San Antonio, good for second in all playoff series’, just behind Lebron’s 32. Unfortunately, after Duncan’s 20 & 8, Parker got no help whatsoever.  Part of that blame could go on him as the point guard, for failing to get his other guys involved, but most of it is just his teammates aren’t that good.  Especially without Ginobili. If there was any doubt that TP is a top 5 (at the very least) PG, it was erased in this series.

Down: Bruce Bowen, SAS & Dirk Nowitzki, DAL:

There was a time at which this would’ve been the heavily buzzed matchup of this series.  However it wasn’t to be here as both players failed to show up.  Bowen couldn’t stay on the court and Nowitzki couldn’t stay effective.  Ultimately it led to the downfall of the Spurs, but Dirk’s teammates had enough to lift up his struggles.  However things won’t get any easier for Dirk as he will draw Kenyon Martin in the next round.  And just as important, his key teammates will also get some strong defensive assignments: Kidd is in line to draw Chauncey Billups, while Jason Terry looks like he’ll draw Anthony Carter, and Josh Howard should get Dahntay Jones.

Houston/Portland:

Up: Brandon Roy, POR:

If there was any question regarding Roy’s newly-found superstar status, it was certainly answered in this series.  The Rockets have, arguably, the two best wing defenders in the league in Ron Artest and Shane Battier.  But it hasn’t mattered to Roy.  Artest called Roy the best player he’d ever covered.  I’ll tell you right now that he isn’t too far behind Kobe and Wade as the third best SG in the league.   Obviously, he doesn’t have the rings that they do, but there’s plenty of time for that.  The Rox very will may close out the Blazers at home tonight, but it won’t be without a fight from Roy.  He’s just too talented and too motivated.

Up: Yao Ming, HOU:

Scola and Brooks have played way better than anyone could’ve expected.  But its’ Yao who’s gained the most from the Rockets side.  It’s time to end this silly Yao Ming/Dwight Howard debate.  Yao is the best center in the world.  Period.  No commas.  No parentheses.  He’s the best, ok?  Live with it.  If the Rockets passed to him in the low post every single time, they’d win every game.  That’s it, he’s the best.  End of discussion.  Period.

Down: Greg Oden, POR:

He’s become sort of the joke of this series.  He’s been racking up fouls like he did in the regular season.  And with Outlaw struggling, you sort of wonder how good Portland would be a with a really good SF.  Maybe a SF like…..say, Kevin Durant?

Down: Ron Artest:

As everyone is enjoying talking about how much better the Rockets are playing without T-Mac. The little secret no one’s talking about is how little they’ve gotten out of, essentially T-Mac’s replacement, Ron Artest. You mean to tell me the Rockets wouldn’t have already won this series if T-Mac was out there? Even at 65%? Ron Artest has given you nothing in this series. Roy’s lighting him up on D, and Ron’s only scoring 13/game at 37% shooting. In his worst playoffs series, as a sixth man for Toronto, McGrady averaged 16.7 points on 39% shooting, his career playoff lows. As a starter, his worst series was two years ago when he dropped 25.3 pts on 39% shooting. Think the Rockets couldn’t use that right now? Along with his typical end-of-game heroics?

Orlando/Philly:

Up: Louis Williams & Thaddeus Young, PHI:

It is the general consensus that Philly wasn’t supposed to be close to Orlando.  In fact most experts picked a clean sweep.  However, it is also general consensus now that Philly will probably beat an Orlando team without Dwight Howard and Courney Lee, to force a game 7 in Orlando on Saturday.  Most of the credit for this surprise has gone to the team’s two Andre’s: Iguodala & Miller.  However the most efficient players have been Young and Williams, the second-tier players.  Basically, these two can score.  And yes, Miller is the veteran leader and Iguodala, well, it’s his team.   But it’s hard to ignore these two.  Young is averaging 13 on 47% shooting, while Williams is only 8 on 41 % shooting.  So it’s easy to see why they are overlooked.  But these two are leading the team with energy and defense that don’t usually show up in box scores.  But anyone watching the game can see their impact.

Down: Dwight Howard & Hedo Turkoglu, ORL

These two also moved down for different reasons.  Hedo (or “He Don’t” as  I’ve called him in his post-Kings days…which…by the way…is a nicknamed i ripped off from a Lakers fan) has been terrible in the series.  11.8 points on 33% shooting, while averaging 3 TO’s to 3 Assists and 3.4 fouls per game.  Just terrible.  Hedo’s playoffs have been a series of stinkers: 2-8 with four fouls in game one, a 3-10 night that was saved by his 9-11 from the line in game 2, a 2-5 night with 5 fouls and 5 turnovers in game 3,  a 8-11 breakout game in game 4 with 17 points, leading into a 3-14, 5 foul game in Game 5.

Dwight’s numbers, on the other hand, have been outstanding.  He’s been completely dominant and has made Sam Dalembert look like a kindergardener who just got his transformers stolen.  So with all of his dominance, why the need for the sucker punch in game 5?  That could end up costing the Magic the series.  That plus his fall on Courtney Lee rendered their most effective perimeter scorer out for the playoffs.  Altogether, the Magic could very well end up losing this series.  And while some of the blame will undoubtedly fall on Coach Stan Van Gundy.  The majority should fall on Howard.  He got himself kicked out of game 6.  He fell on Lee.  And he is going to have to make up for all of this with a monster game 7.

Boston/Chicago

Up: Ben Gordan, CHI & Rajon Rondo, BOS:

Other than maybe the Nuggets, these two have raised their respective stocks as much as anyone in the playoffs.  Rondo is leading an under-manned, beat up veteran team, and Gordon is keeping the inconsistent, young Bulls affloat.  He’s averaging 25 pts on 42% shooting in the playoffs.  And this is with a bad hammy.  He’s leading a Bulls team deeper into this series than anyone expected.  And, oh yeah, he’s in a contract year.

Rondo has been the unsung hero for the Celtics all year.  While it’s true that Pierce is still actually their best player, Rondo is a very close second, and has been even better than Pierce in this series.  How about 24.2 points on 51%(!!!) shooting to go with 10 dimes and 10 boards a game.  That’s right – Rajon Rondo is averaging a triple double in this series.  he may have passed Nelson and Harris as the elite young PG in the east.

Down: Eddie House & Stephon Marbury, BOS:

Nice performance off the bench from House and Marbury.  Combined, they are 15-50 from the field.  That’s 30%.  That’s terrible.  One would think that the Boston guards would have the advantage off of the bench.  But Kirk Hinrich is outplaying both of them.  If they don’t turn things around, the Celtics could have a long summer.

 

All-Stars

This year’s all-star picks are going to be more statistical, courtesy of my two favorite stats: 82games.com’s Roland Rating and ESPN’s J0hn Hollinger’s PER Rating.

Let’s Start with the West Guards:

Off the top of my head I’d probably go with Chris Paul, K.O.B.E., Ginobili, Chauncey Billups, and *duh-duh* Brandon Roy.  Let’s see what the stats guys say. These are all the players who rank out of the top 50 of each:

Top West Guards by PER:

1. Chris Paul  – 30.2 PER
2. Kobe Bryant – 24.95 PER
3. Brandon Roy – 24.6 PER
4. Tony Parker – 22.91 PER
5. Manu Ginobili – 21.91 PER
6. Chauncey Billups – 20.42 PER
7. Jason Terry – 19.98 PER
8. Kevin Martin – 18.80 PER
9. Steve Nash – 18.38 PER

Ok so we can delete K-Mart since he’s missed more than half of the season.  So far, I see nothing that makes me change my opinion.  I still give Billups and Ginobili over Parker just because Ginobili seems like the best player on that team and Billups has been so important to the Nuggets’ turnaround.  Let’s check the 82games:

1. Paul – 20.1
2. Roy – 11.4
3. Bryant – 11.2
4. Nash – 8.1
5. Ginobili – 7.5
6. Terry – 6.4
7. Billups – 5.7
8. Parker – 4.7
9. Martin – 4.5

So we have the same 9 guys in a different order. I think it’s pretty safe to call Paul and Bryant the starters and give Roy the first bench spot. Then the debate gets interesting. One thing that stands out to me at the moment is that Ginobili, despite being the Spurs’ best player, has only played 37% of the team’s minutes. I think this calls for him to be thrown out with Martin’s injury problems. So we’re down to Nash, Terry, Billups, and Parker fighting for 2 spots.

Nash – 18.38 PER + 8.1 Roland = 26.48 Total
Terry – 19.98 PER + 6.4 Roland = 26.2 Total
Billups – 20.42 PER + 5.7 Roland = 26.17 Total
Parker – 22.91 PER + 4.7 Roland = 27.61 Total

If you want to get too technical, Parker and Nash should go, but their stats are essentially identical, so we’re going with the two players on better teams: Billups and Parker.  Sorry Nash and Terry, maybe next year when your teams are better. As for who is actually going to make it, T-Mac is leading CP3 for the second spot so that pushes everyone down a notch. My feeling is the Spurs get spurned again and CP3, Roy, Nash, and Billups probably make it – with Billups going as an injury replacement for T-Mac. I don’t see Terry going, so if anyone else gets hurt we’re probably seeing Ginobili.

Now to the West Forwards:

PER:

1.Carlos Boozer – 24.77

1. Tim Duncan – 24.46
2. Dirk Nowitzki – 24.01
3. Al Jefferson – 22.38
4. Amare Stoudemire – 22.26
5. Pau Gasol – 21.76
6. Paul Millsap – 20.65
7. Zach Randolph – 19.57
8. Kevin Durant – 19.39
9. Andrei Kirilenko – 19.16
10. Brendan Wright – 19.08
11. Nene – 19.04
12. LaMarcus Aldridge – 18.36
13. David West – 18.60

One curious note about this list: No Carmelo Anthony. Now to the Roland ratings:

1. Kirilenko – 11.2
2. Nowitzki – 10.9
3. West – 9.2
4. Millsap – 7.5
5. Stoudemire – 7.4
6. Lamar Odom – 7.0
7.Aldridge – 6.9
8. Duncan – 6.7
9. Nene – 5.9
10. Hakim Warrick – 5.9
11. Anthony – 5.7
12. Jefferson – 5.4
13. Ron Artest – 4.6

A couple of things strike me here, first that Duncan and Jefferson are so low on the Roland Ratings. Also, I would’ve never guessed D-West to be so high. Also, this re-inforces my point that Kirilenko should be an all-star. But to sum things up, Nowitzki and Stoudemire deserve to be your starters. And while neither of them will end up there, they both should make the all-star game pretty handidly, so that’s nice. Filling the bench is a bit more of a stretch. Millsap actually looks the best of the rest with Kirilenko and Duncan right after him. So those are your deserving All-Stars: Nowizki, Stoudemire, Millsap, Kirilenko, and Duncan. We’ll go with David West as the sixth in case of injury. However I think Gasol actually gets the call, since the Lakers have been so good and he has the next best stats. Millsap and Kirilenko probably don’t make it, but Carmelo’s actually going to start or make it strictly off his name so D-West stays the alternate again.

The center position isn’t much of a question. Yao Ming is 2.3 Roland points ahead of Camby and 3.3 ahead of Shaq, though Shaq does beat him by .52 in PER. Camby is more than 2 points behind both in PER. So Yao will probably go and no one else, but both Shaq and Camby are more than deserving if either of them make it as reserves, since Yao is always voted as the starter. Unfortunately, Shaq’s Suns are in 7th in the West and are not likely to get three all-stars if Nash goes and if the coaches have to choose between Shaq and Nash it’s probably Nash at this point. And Camby’s team is so terrible he’s not likely to be rewarded.

But just to make things fun we have West, Shaq, Camby, Terry, Nash, and let’s throw Al Jefferson in there as guys right below the all-stars competing for our 12th roster spot.

Terry – 19.98 PER + 6.4 Roland = 26.2 Total
Nash – 18.38 PER + 8.1 Roland = 26.48 Total
Shaq – 23.56 PER + 6.8 Roland = 30.36 Total
Camby – 20.89 PER + 7.8 Roland = 28.69 Total
Jefferson – 22.38 PER + 5.4 Roland = 27.78 Total
West – 18.6 PER + 9.2 Roland = 27.8 Total

As you can see, Shaq wins this pretty handidly. Camby comes in a close second and becomes the first alternate with Nash as the guard alternate – we’ll even say that David West is the third alternate.

So here is our Western Conference All-Stars (starters in bold):

G Chris Paul, NOH
G Kobe Bryant, LAL
F Dirk Nowitzki, DAL
F Amare Stoudemire, PHO
C Yao Ming, HOU
G Brandon Roy, POR
G Chauncey Billups, DEN
G Tony Parker
F Tim Duncan, SAS
F Andrei Kirilenko
F Paul Millsap
C Shaquille O’Neal

In reality, the All-stars will look like this:
G Kobe Bryant
G Tracy McGrady
G Chris Paul
F Tim Duncan
F Carmelo Anthony
C Yao Ming
G Brandon Roy
G Steve Nash
G Chauncey Billups
F Amare Stoudemire
F Dirk Nowitzki
F Pau Gasol
C Shaquille O’Neal

To the East we go, starting with the Guards.  These are our PER stats:

1. Dwayne Wade – 28.87
2. Devin Harris – 23.63
3. Jameer Nelson – 21.15
4. Vince Carter – 20.82
5. Joe Johnson – 19.05
6. Mike Bibby – 18.94
7. Michael Redd – 18.94
7. Rajon Rondo – 18.9
8. Jose Calderon – 18.94
9. Andre Miller – 18.25

Yes this is correct, Harris and Nelson are 2 & 3, deservedly so.

Roland Ratings:
1. Wade 19.5
2. Ray Allen 11.2
3. Johnson 8.9
4. Nelson 8.6
5. Redd 8.0
5. Carter 6.8
6. Delonte West 6.5
7. Rondo 5.7
8. Harris 5.6
9. Ramon Sessions 4.8

Wade is the easy pick as the first starter. The real surprise is Nelson as his backcourt mate. After that it’s a pretty tight race with Allen, Johnson, Vince-sanity, Rondo, and Harris. Three of the five can make it, two will get left out. Let’s take a look at the race:

Allen – 17.66 PER + 11.2 Roland = 28.86
Johnson – 19.05 + 8.9 = 28.95
Carter – 20.82 + 6.8 = 27.62
Rondo – 18.9 + 5.7 = 24.6
Harris – 23.63 + 5.6 = 29.23

So Rondo clearly is eliminated, but after that it looks like the last man out is Carter. Not bad, since Harris has been a little better than him and the Nets don’t deserve to have two all-stars. So Wade and Nelson are our starters with Harris, Allen and Johnson as his backups. But the difference between Nelson and Harris is so small that it could change after any game. I think AI is going to win the second starting spot which pushes everyone down a spot, eliminating Allen. Nelson and Harris should be quite a nice story going into this game.

The Eastern Forwards’ PER:
1. Lebron James – 31.59
2. Chris Bosh – 23.38
3. Danny Granger – 22.16
4. Kevin Garnett – 21.25
5. Marreese Spreights – 20.44
6. Antawn Jamison – 20.38
7. Andre Iguodala – 18.4
8. Caron Butler – 18.24

And on the Roland side;

1. James 24.2
2. Iguodala 10.2
3. Granger 10.2
4. Garnett 10.1
5. Bosh 8.3
6. Rashard Lewis 8.0
7. Hedo Turkoglu 4.9
8. Paul Pierce 4.6

So here our top 5 is pretty clear cut. The only question is, after James who starts?

Let’s look at the numbers:
Bosh – 23.38 + 8.3 = 32.18
Granger – 22.16 + 10.2 = 32.36
Garnett – 21.25 + 10.1 = 31.35
Iguodala – 18.4 + 10.2 = 28.6

So by a nose, Granger starts and we start two tweener-small forwards. With Bosh, Garnett, and Iggs backing them up. Now for the actual team I’d probably have to say Pierce makes it and Iguodala gets pushed off as an alternate.

Which leads us to…

Dwight Howard is the center. No question. Big Z is a clear-cut #2 as well. But I think for the actual game, Iggy gets his roster spot. Plus Z is hurt anyway.

Our Deserving Eastern Conference All Stars (Starters in Bold):
G Dwayne Wade, MIA
G Jameer Nelson, ORL
F Lebron James, CLE
F Danny Granger, IND
C Dwight Howard, ORL
G Devin Harris, NJN
G Ray Allen, BOS
G Joe Johnson, ATL
F Kevin Garnett, BOS
F Chris Bosh, TOR
F Andre Iguodala, PHI
C Zydrunas Ilgauskas, CLE

And the team that will likely make it:

G Allen Iverson, DET
G Dwayne Wade, MIA
F Lebron James, CLE
F Kevin Garnett, BOS
C Dwight Howard, ORL
G Jameer Nelson, ORL
G Devin Harris, NJN
G Joe Johnson, ATL
F Paul Pierce, BOS
F Chris Bosh, TOR
F Danny Granger, IND
F Andre Iguodala, PHI

Snubs:
So here we go with whose going to get snubbed. The two Jazz potential All-Stars are going to be spurned by the more popular Gasol and Anthony, while T-Mac’s winning the West Vote won’t probably mean much as he looks like he’ll miss the game anyway. In the East, Pierce essentially cancels out Allen, and Iverson takes Z’s spot. Not too much to complain about, though I’d bet Jerry Sloan’ll be pissed. What’s impressive is Millsap and Terry’s success as reserves.

 

“In the night I hear them talk/

The coldest story ever told/
Somewhere far along this road he lost his soul….”

Why are there so many “Heartless” NBA teams?

So last night’s games affirmed a couple of things to me:

1.) The Celtics are still hungry

2.) The Lakers are really loaded

3.) The Blazers may be a tad overrated

and….

4.) The Bucks really suck.

On with the NBA preview….

19. Atlanta Hawks

Tell me, NBA experts, why you expect these Hawks to make the playoffs.  It contradicts many of the common “NBA expert” predictions.  First, they say the East is better.  Well, how are Hawks making the playoffs in the better east without their sixth man, and without gaining any rotation players?  Is a whole year of Mike Bibby going to make that big of an impact?  The Hawks are fun, until you realize that the frontcourt is confusing.  Marvin Williams is your starting 4?  And Al Horford is your starting 5?  Or is Josh Smith your 4?  Basically you have two SF’s with one of them playing the PF.  Then you start a PF at C.  This is confusing.  Luckily, the one person Bibby helps out is Joe Johnson.  I fully expect a big year from him.  But with this bench?  Or lackthereof…..this team should slide a bit this season.  Mike Woodson may get fired.

18. Dallas Mavericks

Common NBA wisdom has these guys in the playoffs.  I don’t think so.  It’s going to take a major injury to a

Ason apparently left his J at home for the playoffs again

competitor for the other D to make the playoffs.  Conventional thinking has the Nuggets as the West team on the outside looking in.  I think it’s Dallas.  This is why: The Nuggets can score (as we’ll get to later).  Who scores for Dallas? Dirk may get you 25/game, but what after that?  Are you really going to rely on Jason Terry and Josh Howard to give you 15-20 every night?  Who else? Jason Kidd? Even in his prime he wasn’t much of a scorer.  Jerry Stackhouse?  He’s done.  Erick Dampier?  You must be kidding.  Secondly, how’s this for depth?  Starting Terry on the bench gives you two reliable subs (Terry & Brandan Bass) and four reliable starters (we’ll say Antoine Wright starts for defensive purposes, but really he starts because Terry’s too small to start at the 2).  Sad thing is, they’re probably going to waste another great season for Dirk, and he’s going to complain to Mark Cuban.  They’re going to need a big trade to get into the playoffs.  Otherwise they’re also-rans in the West this season.

17. Indiana Pacers

I wanted to put these guys in the playoffs, really did.  But I juuust don’t see it happening.  One thing’s for sure: This will be a fun team to watch.  TJ Ford can certainly run, and Mike Dunleavy (*gulp*) had a career year for them.  Danny Granger is one of the most under-the-radar stars in the NBA.  And they have Jarrett Jack, one of the offseason’s most underrated acquisitions, to step in if Ford gets hurt.  Really, 1-4 they’re loaded two-deep with offensive players, and both Nesterovic and Foster can play D, hustle, and grab boards.  This is going to be an interesting team, I just don’t think the quite get into the playoffs.  I actually think that, top 8 vs. top 8, the East is better than the West this year.  But the Pacers will be the last team out.  That’s a credit to Jim O’Brien, because Obie has one of the teams with the least talent in the league on it.

16. Denver Nuggets

So this is where I have Denver.  They are, to me, the wild card of the west.  They could race out to the best record in the league, grab home court advantage, and no one would really be surprised.  “Well, they do have Carmelo and Iverson,” people would say.  “Plus that bench, with Kleiza and JR Smith!  They sure can score the basketball!  And they have a glutton of bigs!” Or they could sink quickly to the bottom, Iverson could demand a trade, Carmelo would probably be traded too, and they could end up with the worst record in the leage.  Again, no one would be surprised.  “That team was built for self destruction,” they’d say.  “George Karl can’t control them.  Carmelo’s one of the worst defenders in the league.  And Iverson’s done.”  I think they’ll end up pretty much where they have in recent years – in the middle of the pack.  But I do think Iverson gets traded.  Two places really make sense for him: Cleveland and Philly.  He would purrrrrfect in either place.  As the finisher to LeBron’s fast breaks, or as the go-to scorer that Philly needs to ascend to championship contender status.  And by the way, I do not consider Carmelo a bad defender.  I think he would be fine defending the 4.  It’s the athleticism and speed at the 3 that he does not really have.

(Tangent Alert)

That said, these are the 10 Worst Defenders in the League:

10. Monta Ellis, Warriors: He’s obviously hurt right now, but he’s just too small to guard most players, and he can’t guard the pick-and-roll so he can’t guard points.  He is just possibly the worst pick-and-roll defender in the league.  He never knows what to do.  And that’s the most elementary play in basketball!

9. Eddie Curry, Knicks: He’s big, chubby, and slow.  Doesn’t really make for a guy who can guard the athletic centers of the world.  That said, he does allright in staying in front of people.  But shouldn’t a guy that’s seven-foot block more shots and get more rebounds?

8. Brad Miller, Kings: The Kings have a couple of other players who you could argue onto this list (Kevin Martin and Beno Udrih, I’m looking at you), but Brad is the biggest culprit.  He wasn’t always a horrible defender, but since he got to the Kings he’s gotten progressively worse each season.  I’m sure it doesn’t help that he’s possibly the slowest, least athletic player in the league.  But he does so much for you on offense, that you have to play him.

7. Andrew Bogut, MIL: I think this guy is kind of the second coming of Brad Miller.  Not exactly what you expect from a first overall draft pick, but a solid player – especially offensively.  He keeps the ball moving and can hit jump shots.  That said, he has even worse footwork than Miller on defense.  And he isn’t quite as good as him on offense.  Bogut has some time to learn, but not on this Bucks team that has 3 of the 10 worst defenders in the league!

6. Steve Nash, PHO: A couple of years ago, I would’ve said that Nash isn’t as bad a defender as teammate Amare Stoudemire.  But while Stoudemire is no ace on that end, he’s learned how to use his athleticism and size to stay in front of people.  Meanwhile, Nash has gotten a little slower  – thus regressing defensively.  He may hit the tail end of his career as the worst defender in the league.  But again, he’s a two-time MVP, so I’d think he makes up for it on the other end.

5. Troy Murphy, IND: That he’s sunk to fifth in the league is a tribute to how bad of defenders the top 4 is.  Murphy is pretty horrible on the defensive end of the floor, that’s no secret.  I had season tickets his last season in Golden State.  He gets lost in the pick & roll, he gets lost on the break.  He really just has no defensive awareness.  In fact he doesn’t really have much offensive awareness, but you play him because he’s a big who can shoot.  And somehow seems to be in the right position at the right time to grab rebounds.  But they’re the type of rebounds that you look up and he as 8, and you have no idea how he got them.

4. Luke Ridnour, MIL: Ok, so Luke was always a pretty bad defender.  Even in Seattle with Nate McMillan, he managed to be pretty bad on defense, even losing his starting job to Earl Watson (who is something like 5’8!) because of defense.  When a midget is replacing you for defensive purposes, you got problems.  Now he’s looking like the starting point guard for Scott Skiles’ Bucks.  I find it hilarious that a defensive/tough-minded coach like Skiles decided to take over the Bucks, who may be the worst defensive team in history.  Should be great for shits and giggles.

3. Wally Szerbiak, CLE: Both NBA players and fans had Wally as the worst defender in the league.  I say he’s third.  Not by a wide margin, but he’s pretty bad.  He really does nothing properly on defense.  He’s really just on your team to shoot.  That’s all he does.  Plus he has an expiring contract.  That’s always nice.

2. Zach Randolph, NYK: This is where Z-Bo comes in.  I talked a bit about him yesterday and I’m sure I will talk more about him this season.  He’s one of my favorite subjects.

Yeah, that's what you get for telling Charlie to play D!

1. Charlie Villanueva, MIL: This is the battle, in particular, that looks fun.  Villanueva vs. Skiles.  The showdown in Milwaukee.  They should get a pay-per-view set up!  Villanueva’s actually so proficient on the offensive end, that it makes you scared that he still can’t get on the floor for his lack of defense.  He’s actually a possible 50 points every night.  But yes, he’s really that bad on defense.

(And Now Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Preview)

15. Portland Trail Blazers

Yes I just said that they’re overrated, and I think everyone has them here too.  But screw it.  With Oden, they end up here.  If he’s hurt for any significant time, they (and my Fantasy team) sink.  Bottom line.  This team has everything but a dominant big man.  They have the athletic big man, but not the brute strength big man.  By now I’m sure you’ve read all about the rest of the team: Roy, Aldridge, Outlaw, Fernandez, Rodriguez, Webster, Blake.  Loaded.  I don’t need to go into too much other detail.

14. Phoenix Suns

When you trade for Shaq for defensive purposes, you realize that your team doesn’t really do much on that end.  Nevertheless, this Suns team is still loaded with talent.  Steve Nash, Shaq, Amare, and Grant Hill are all still there.  But Shawn Marion and Mike D’Antoni are gone.  And with the additions of Matt Barnes and Robin Lopez, they now have a pretty good bench.  Nash may have slipped, but he’s still among the elite PG’s in the league.  The Raja Bell/Leandro Barbosa combination at the 2 is still as good as any in the league.  Barnes should take some heat off Grant Hill from wearing down at the end of the year, remember, Hill played at almost an all-star level for the first half of last year.  Boris Diaw and Lopez will come off the bench for Amare and Shaq to give them a pretty solid big man rotation.  This team is still quite loaded, and could definitely make a run for it.  But it’s hard to put them higher than here, since we don’t know what the drop off from D’Antoni to Terry Porter is.

13. Washington Wizards

Everyone seems to be counting these guys out.  I’m not.  This is a very good team.  They still have Butler and Jamison, and if he ever gets healthy, Gilbert.  They still have the role players DeShawn “I Can’t Feel My Face” Stevenson, Antonio Daniels, and now Juan Dixon.  And they have the kids in Nick Young and Andray Blatche.  This is a very good team without Gilbert.  They are a Championship contender with him.  Last year they showed that they can win with defense.  With Gil they obviously can score with anyone.  Caron Butler has developed into one of the best 3’s in the league.  That leads me to my second tangent of the day:

The Top 10 SF’s in the NBA:

This is a situation where the top 4 are pretty much set in stone, then you work your way down.

10. Kevin Durant, OKC: Obviously this guy is the future of the position (I also think that, when all is said & done, Beasley will be a SF too), but he’s got a lot of ways to go.  He sure can score though.

9. Josh Howard, DAL: While I’m not sure where else to put him, Black Gumby goes here.  Unfortunately, this summe rhe let his mouth overshadow his game.  And that’s sayin somethin cuz his game is crazy hype.

8. Tayshaun Prince, DET: A difference-maker on both sides of the court.  He is among the best defenders in the game and can shoot it out from behind the stripe.

7. Shawn Marion, MIA: This may be a surprise to a lot of people, but I think he’s started his descention this past season.  This year we’ll see how he does in Miami playing next to a superstar and with a talented rook tryin to take his spot.

Danny would like you to know he's underrated

6. Danny Granger, IND: Yes, he’s really this good.  Granger has been under-the-radar since he came into the league backing up Ron Artest.  But this might be the year he really breaks out, as the Pacers will make a playoff run.

5. Ron Artest, HOU: This seems like the best spot for him at the moment.  No one’s sure what he’s going to do in Houston, but if he plays up to this ranking, they are going to be making a deep trek into the playoffs this season.

4. Caron Butler, WAS: A very solid #4 on this list, Butler has developed into the positions top two-way player.  An all-defense team-level defender and an all-star scorer, Butler can beat you in the post or the around the arc.

3. Carmelo Anthony, DEN: I like to say that he’s a more advanced offensive version of our #2 guy, but he’s not anywhere near him on D.  And that’s really the difference between the two teams as well.

2. Paul Pierce, BOS: Again, the 2/3 matchup here is pretty even.  But something tells me Pierce has a huge season, now that he’s clearly the #1 weapon out of the big 3.

1. Lebron James, CLE: You expected something else?

(And now back to the Preview)

12. Philadelphia 76ers

I know, I know.  This is where they were last year.  And I know, they added Elton Brand.  But you know, they still have the same hole they did last year.  They merely improved a part of the team that was already pretty good, and made it championship caliber – post play.  But they still need a go-to scorer, preferrably on the wing that can drop 20-25 a night and score in the clutch when needed (see: Iverson, Allen).  Just as the Nuggets never quite replaced Andre Miller, the Sixers never replaced Iverson either.  And while they have a ton of nice pieces, they still lack a number one option.  But they do have Miller at the point with Louis Williams draining it off the bench.  Iguodala is a 2/3 swingman, but he’s more of a third scorer.  Thaddyeus Young should ideally be a bench guy at this point of his career.  Elton Brand and Sam Dalembert will play really well together, though they do a lot of the same things with weakside defense.  Again, I think it’s going to come down to the trade deadline.  If they go after a number one guy, they could be right there with the Celts and Cavs.  The downside of going after Iverson: they probably have to give up Dalembert to do it.  We’ll see what happens here, things could get very interesting in Philly.  Even if they wait until the offseason, i think the chance of them landing Iverson might actually improve.  But without him, I think they’re still the seventh best team in the East.

11. San Antonio Spurs

This is another team that’s difficult to project.  It’d be easy to say “oh yea, they can get it together again once Ginobili gets healthy.”  But that’s overlooking a couple of things.  First, Duncan and Parker are going to have to shoulder this offense by themselves.  All of the role players either can’t score (Bowen, Oberto), or got old really quick (Finley, Thomas).  The result of this is Duncan and Parker are likely to be carrying assortments of injuries into the playoffs.  Secondly, this team no longer has any depth.  RC Buford has been as good of a GM as there’s been in the league.  But this team desperately needed a reloading this offseason.  And they simply didn’t get it.  They look like they could be in serious trouble going into this season.  They may fall even further than I have them right now.  Especially realizing that Duncan and Ginobili are also getting up there in age themselves.

10. Miami Heat

This is really high for them by most people’s standards.  I’m not most people.  I’m the same guy that was saying that the 2005-2007 Dwayne Wade until his injury in 07, was the best player in the league.  Offensively, this guy was Jordan reincarnated.  Now obviously Wade is a mildly average defender, and Jordan was all-world, but offensively, Wade is the closest thing to Jordan we’ve ever seen.  Beasley and Marion fill out the forward spots, but they play, essentially, the same position.  Though I do think we will mainly see them playing together, they’ll start the season with Beasley coming off the bench for Udonis Haslem.  Haslem will probably move up to Center for the majority of the time.  They do have holes at center and at the point, but Mario Chalmers and Haslem will eat most of those minutes.  This team is really the wild card of the conference.  Everyone seems to say that they’ve all gotten behind new head coach Erik Spoelstra.  And they do have plenty of talent.

9. Orlando Magic

I think they come back to the pack a bit.  It won’t really show up in the standings, as they’ll still win the Atlantic and end up with the 4-seed, but I think there are 4 teams in the East better this year.  Of course, Dwight Howard would need to dversify his offensive game in order for them to improve.  And over the Olympics, he routinely looked worse than Chris Bosh.  I know that they don’t actually play the same position, but they tend to guard each other.  Bosh also has a better supporting cast.  Though I do think Hedo has developed into a stud, the rest of the team leaves a lot to be desired.  Rashard Lewis is a mediocre player with a superstar’s salary.  Jameer Nelson and Keith Bogans form the least potent backcourt in the league.  And bench?  What bench?

8. Toronto Raptors

Thus I put Bosh’s Raptors right ahead of Howard’s Magic.  Bosh is another of those silent superstars.  This kid is really good.  And he has a very good team around him.  Jose Calderon is a budding star, Anthony Parker is very solid, and Jamario moon can jump over anyone.  Then there’s the team’s x-factor in Jermaine O’Neal.  He can give them a defensive boost and complement Bosh in the post.  If he works out for them, they should challenge for the title.  If he doesn’t, they still probably end up here.  Jason Kapono can shoot the lights out and Andrea Bargnani does a little bit of everything off the bench.  So this team’s biggest weakness is depth.  But Bosh has gotten really good and caused me to make another tangent.

The 10 Best PF’s in the NBA:

10. Carlos Boozer, UTA: Slightly overrated, but he’s very good.  Might be in Miami next year playing with Wade and Beasley.  Now wouldn’t that be a team?

9. Pau Gasol, MEM: Somwhat weak-minded.  I could see him disappearing into a secondary role with the Lakers as the season progresses.

Antawn's been pumped since he left the Warriors

8. Antawn Jamison, WAS: Slightly under-rated.  Jamison creates matchup problems with his shooting, and goes to the boards and plays D better than he ever has before.

7. David West, NOH: Very good player, but I’m not ready to put him ahead of Brand.  He doesn’t play D quite as well.  He does score better than him, but doesn’t play D or rebound as well.

6. Elton Brand, PHI: He has to show me he’s fully healthy before he can even sniff the top 5.  But with West on his heels, he might not even be 6 for long.

5. Amare Stoudemire, PHO: He’s actually #1 if we’re talking stats, but with his defensive weaknesses and injuries I’m keeping him lower.

4. Chris Bosh, TOR: Bosh has grown into himself finally.  And this kid is a freakin monster.  Bosh will give you scoring, rebounding, energy, physicallity, and he can run or post.

3. Dirk Nowitzki, DAL: At one point, I considered him the second best player in the league.  He’s not quite there anymore, but being third at the most top-loaded position in the league is not bad either.

2. Tim Duncan, SAS: The Duncan/KG argument can continue in terms of legacies, but it’s pretty clear that TD is slipping at this point.  He’s not quite as good of a defender, and can’t score or pass as well.

1. Kevin Garnett, BOS: KG is still the best defending big man in the league (though a healthy Jermaine O’Neal would challenge him), and he still drops 18 and 12 every night.  Oh and he finally won a ring.

(Now back to the preview)

7. New Orleans Hornets

David West is very good.  Chris Paul is very good.  Tyson Chandler and Peja Stoyakovic are pretty good as well.  But what about the rest of the roster?  Ehhh….James Posey fills out the starting lineup, but an injury to West, Paul, or Chandler would be devistating.  And even with them, I don’t know how they beat Utah or L.A.  And who knows about Houston.  I think they over-achieved a bit last season, but they should make it up this year.  I see them as another second round playoff team (they are the new Suns).  Paul in particular should take a step backwards this year.  But he’ll still have a very good season.  I actually wouldn’t be surprised if the other three had better years this season.  Actually I think they will.  Very good team.  Not quite championship caliber.

6. Utah Jazz

Deron's so much better than Parker, he shoves it in his face!

Like his buddy CP3, I see D-Will going out in the second round.  The Jazz, as a team, play over their heads.  Only D-Will is really that good.  And he really doesn’t get the credit he deserves.  He makes Boozer, Okur, and Brewer look better than they really are.  Well, he and Jerry Sloan.  I see Boozer playing the second half with a foot out the door.  Ak-47 should really start at the 4 for this team.  Or Paul Millsap.  Bozer can leave, they have 2 PF’s here that might actually play better without him.  The swingman spots are a bit of a hole, with Brewer being the best of the bunch.  Matt Harpring’s age is finally catching up with him, and Kyle Korver is almost exclusively a three-point specialist.  But Sloan is good at getting the most out of his players, and with a pass-first PG in D-Will, these guys should all be kept happy with plenty of shots.  If you continue to wait for the Jazz to go away, they won’t.  This is a very good team, and they still will be very good for the seasons to come.

5. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are as deep as they’ve ever been.  But you wonder if all those deep playoff runs are wearing down the starters.  Amir Johnson looks to get more looks this year, and with Stuckey and Maxiell, this young bench is only getting better.  But despite the offseason promises, Joe Dumars made no real move of interest.  The same Billups/Hamilton/Prince/Wallace/McDyess starting 5 still remains.  Dice might be out of the starting lineup this year, and wither Johnson or Maxiell are likely to replace him.  Dice just isn’t enough of an option on offense anymore to keep him in there.  Maxiell (offense) and Johnson (defense) are each more of specialty players at this stage of their careers, but either would fit the starting 5 fine as Rasheed Wallace, the other starting big, is a threat at both ends of the floor.  As are the rest of the starting 5.  Each seems to be slipping a bit (with the exception of Prince), but they are all still right around all-star-caliber players.  Look for the Pistons to make another deep run, but ultimately fall short of yet another Conference Finals appearance.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

Here’s what I don’t like about putting these guys here: I think last year’s squad was better than this year’s.  But I think the Pistons have slipped enough to put the Cavs into the #2 spot.  To me, Mo Williams has nice numbers, but is not an upgrade over Boobie Gibson and Delonte West in terms of wins for the team.  Of course if they make the Iverson trade, all bets are off.  But even if they got him, I still don’t think they’re beating Boston.  I could sit here and talk about how great LeBron is, but he still needs more help.  The Cavs don’t have nearly the talent around him that their rivals in Detroit and Boston do.  This seems like beating a dead horse, but lets look at the three major players they got in last year’s trade deadline deal; Ben Wallace, West, and Wally Szerbiak.  Szerbiak is a taller version of Damon Jones.  He can shoot, but can’t do anything else.  And he probably doesn’t shoot the 3 as well as Jones.  Wallace was an entirely defensive player in his prime, and at this point is slipping every year.  And West is a very strong defender, but doesn’t really have an offensive position.  This is a team of a bunch of loose parts and role players, but none of which really fit together around the superstar.  But even with that, LeBron is so good that chemistry has gone out of the window and the team competese for a title every year anyway.

3. L.A. Lakers

This might be a huge suprise to some, but I have them going down in the Conference Finals.  I just think something’s got to give with these guys.  Lamar’s unhappy coming off the bench (he’s in a contract year).  I see Pau being resigned to being an understudy.  Bynum still has little offensive game.  And sans Kobe, the second team might be better than the first team.  But with all that said, they’re just too talented not to get far in the playoffs.  I think they need more of a systematic approach, and don’t doubt that Phil Jackson will eventually give it to them, but not this year.  The Lakers will look like the best team in the NBA for stretches, even dominating at times.  But they eventually go down in the Conference Championship to….

2. Houston Rockets

Any excuse to throw up this classic

Yes, Ron Artest is a headache.  But every team he’s been on has been significantly better immediately.  That’s great news for Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, as the new big 3 will be taking over the Western Conference.  Much has been made about Tracy’s Paul Pierce-like transition into a team player from an individual superstar.  Yao is the best center in the league (Dwight Howard, get back to me when you learn some offensive moves), and Ron provides a star third scorer.  Shane Battier is the best defensive player in the game.  Rafer Alston is the heart and soul of the team, a gunner with a never-say-die attitude.  Luis Scola and Carl Landry were so great at combining at Power Forward, that they decided to re-unite and do it again.  But this time they have reinforcements in Joey Dorsey and Chuck Hayes.  The wing spots are deep too with Luther Head, Brent Barry, and Aaron Brooks coming off the pine.  This team is so loaded, they couldn’t find room for Dikembe Mutombo to come back.  T-Mac has the team he’s always wanted.  Actually, he has a team that just about everyone has always wanted.  Now it’s time to prove your worth.  You too Yao.  Ron’s been to the Conference Finals before.  He’s seen what it took.  Now you guys have to go take him to the promise-land.  But in the end I have them coming up juuuuust short.

1. Boston Celtics

The Lakers and Cavs are the trendy picks because of Kobe and LeBron.  The Hornets and Rockets are the fun picks because they resemble the Suns and Heat of the past.  The Jazz and Spurs are the boring picks that are there every year, but no one wants to make them.  But the Celtics are still the best team.  And that’s really all there is to say.  Kevin Garnett?  Still in his prime.  Still a super-duper-star.  Still the best PF in the game (see above).  Paul Pierce?  Also still in his prime.  Now a super-duper-star.  The second best SF in the game (see above).  Ray Allen?  Past his prime a bit.  But still has a ton left in the tank.  Still one of the best pure shooters in the game.  Rajon Rondo?  Very good point guard.  Already among the upper tier of PGs.  Plus they have the Bynum/Howard-type center in Kendrick Perkins, who I might mention, is a freakin monster.  And Perkins and Rondo are just getting better.  Plus they got Bill Walker, a personal favorite, who can jump over skyscrapers.  Plus that bench, Big Baby, Leon Powe, Eddie House, Gabe Pruit should make a splace.  This is a championship caliber team.  No, this is a multiple championship-caliber team.  And I like them to win #18.

 

“The Best Class Of Them All”

“The Best Class Of Them All”

With all of the teams i was rooting for seemingly about to get knocked out, it’s time to turn our attention to the draft. We’re going to go through the three best classes, and do a “where are they now?” and look over their careers. In 2003, we were treated to the best draft class of all-time (questionably). There were 58 players drafted that year, 12 of them never made the league (with one, Greece’s Sofoklis Schortsanitis, that still has scouts trying to bring him over). Twelve more are out of the league now. That leaves 34 players from that draft still in the league!

Marcus Banks, Dahntay Jones, Brian Cook, and Matt Bonner are essentially bench-warmers. Though Marcus Banks will likely get a shot at a starting gig in Miami next year and Cook and Bonner may pick up some big playoff minutes in Orlando and San Antonio, they are all non-rotation players at this point.

That leaves 30 out of the 58 players drafting, that are still contributing in the NBA. That is completely nuts! I have separated these guys into five groups. Let’s take a look at how they all panned out:

Solid Contributors:

Three-point ace Jason Kapono (#31 overall to Cleveland) leads this group off. Washington’s picks, Steve Blake (#38 overall) and Jarvis Hayes (#10), have both turned into solid rotation guys for other teams. ZaZa Pachulia (#42 overall) is the third big on a playoff team. Luke Ridnour (#14) had one good playoff series a couple years ago. Carlos Delfino (#25) is a key role player for the Raptors, in their playoff run. And Brian Cook (#24) has been in and out of the lineups on different Laker and Magic playoff teams.

Top Of The Rotation Guys:

The Warriors’ Mickael Pietrus (#11) is definitely the most talented of this bunch. But Luke Walton (#32) is having an incredible series for the Lakers right now. James Jones (#49) has had the most playoff success as a defensive/3 point ace for the Suns and Pacers. Darko Milicic (#2) still has a chance, but he’s looking more and more like a bust every year. Yet he’s been good enough to stay in rotations in Orlando and Memphis. Willie Green (#41) is sporadic for the over-achieving 76ers. Keith Bogans (#41) has featured a reduced role this season, but still stays in rotation in Orlando. And Nick Collison (#12) has been a standard in Seattle.

Championship Level Starters (meaning that they’re good enough to be starters on championship teams

Kendrick Perkins (#27) has the best chance this season to end up a starter for a Championship team in Boston. Three point ace Kyle Korver‘s (#51) addition has Utah looking like a title contender as well. Kirk Hinrich (#7) had a down year for the Bulls, but last year at this time everyone was on his nutts. Plus he turned it around and had a stellar second half, but the team still stunk. Boris Diaw (#21) and Leandro Barbosa (#28) have tasted plenty of success in Phoenix, but don’t look like they’re quite on that championship level again. Travis Outlaw (#23) was perhaps the second best player on a good Portland squad. He hit a lot of threes and most of them were in clutch spots. Sasha Pavlovic (#19) developed into one of Lebron’s favorite running mates in Cleveland. And while Mo Williams (#47) took a step backwards this year, he’s still a very solid player for Millwuakee.

All-Star Level Players

Here we’ll start with Chris Kaman (#6), who has played at a just-below all-star level the past two seasons. The Caveman has plenty of jokes cracked at his expense, but has turned into quite a presence in the low post. He can score, rebound, and take a lot of pressure off Elton Brand. When together and healthy, Kaman and Brand can absolutely dominate the boards. In a weak league for centers (where all the best Centers consider themselves “Power Forwards), Kaman could definitely add an all-star appearance or two before he’s done.

The next here is TJ Ford (#8). Despite the media’s bias against him for supposedly being outplayed by Jose Calderon, Ford is still a top 10 point guard in the league. At his best, he is the second best player on this team and a potential all-star. At his worst he is still the third best player on this team (behind Chris Bosh – see later, and Calderon). And this team is in its’ second straight playoffs, in the second year since Ford arrived. Coincidence?

We’ll flip to the self-imposed pot-head Josh Howard (#29). I have the Black Gumby as the sixth best player from this draft, but he was the last pick of the first round, quite a diamond in the rough. He was an all-star last year and very well could have been one this year. He has the arms to give any player 1-4 trouble on the defensive end, and shoots the mid-range shot with ease on offense. And despite his struggles against the Hornets, he’s traditionally been quite a good playoff performer as well.

The best of this group is David West (#18). While he is a VERY good player, i would not quite consider him a franchise guy. It would be interesting to see how good he was without Chris Paul, however. But as it stands now, he is a slightly smaller, more athletic Elton Brand. He is money with that 12-15 foot jumper, and plays off the ball very well. He also has very good chemistry with Paul, and was rewarded with his first trip to the all-star game this season.

Franchise Guys

The Raptors saw their two best players drafted in this draft. While they had to trade for Ford, they drafted Chris Bosh (#4), and he became the franchise player. “Lefty KG” as I like to call him, has led them to two straight playoffs, and is now a three-time all-star. If not for the team’s location in Canada, he would probably get alot more spotlight in a bigger market. He is one of the most exciting players to watch in the league, and has quite a fun rivalry with the Magic’s Dwight Howard.

Despite calling out his team this weekend, Carmelo Anthony (#3) has thus far been a franchise player on the court. He has had his share of incidents off of it (including one on it), but his talent is enough to always take a chance on. He is absolutely unstoppable when he faces you up within 12 feet. But he could learn to pass better and play better defense in order to be among the league’s truly elite players.

Dwayne Wade (#5) is one of the most fun players to watch in the league. He is among the fastest, and can jump out of a gym. Plus he’s not afraid of contact. When he’s on (as he was from the end of the 05 playoffs through the point he was injured last year), he’s another Jordan on offense. Defensively, he could use some work. But he’s still an above average defender and used to (before the acquisition of Shawn Marion) draw the best offensive wing player on the other end of the floor. He’s a top 5 player in the league today when fully healthy, but as much as it pains me to say this, he’s not quite as good as….

The King, Lebron James (#1) was picked first overall in this draft, and is the second best player in the league today.

 

NBA Offseason Movers & Shakers

My 2 cents on this offseason’s hot topics so far:

The Hawks are a mess, Air Fro is going to Europe

1. The Josh Childress/Europe Connection: There has been tons written about this topic. I am pretty much in agreement with a lot of the writers in terms of what this could mean for the L. Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a huge Childress fan. I followed closely his run at Stanford, and he gave me reason to check on the Hawks for the last few years. But maan, this is a huge blow to the Hawks. And it also makes me wonder how this is going to effect Andris Biedrins’ contract discussions here in the O. But honestly, Biedrins can’t shoot. He’s not gonna be of much use in Europe. But Childress is. He can play either swingman spot, shoot, play very solid D, and get to the rack. He’s a very similar player to Anthony Parker, who was one of the most celebrated players in Europe before coming to the Raptors. I think he’ll do quite well. The Hawks front office is a mess. And if it took this Childress situation for anyone to see that, they haven’t been following the NBA.

2. The Carmelo Anthony/Tracy McGrady-chasing Pistons: It’s quite obvious that something is going to have to be done in big D. And my boy Sheed (who actually seemed to start the summer as the favorite to be traded in my opinion) now seems like the only safe starter on that squad. My opinion? Who they should thinkabout letting go, in order: McDyess, Rip, Chauncey, Sheed, and Tayshaun. Although ‘Sheed is getting up there in age these days. I’d let McDyess go first. He’s not nearly what he was two seasons ago, and now appears to be well on his way down. Plus the emergence of Jason Maxiell makes him quite expendable. Honestly, Maxiell outplayed McDyess down the stretch anyway. By far. Next, don’t get me wrong. I got love for Rip. He’s a great player. But you know what? Shooting is a skill that is far over-valued on championship-caliber teams (Allan Houston, anyone?). And that is what Rip really excels at. He is above average at everything else, but let’s not kid ourselves. He is in the league for his shooting. And while he’s one of the best at that, it’s not that difficult of a trait to find. Plus, a Billups/Stuckey starting backcourt makes a lot more sense than a Stuckey/Rip backcourt. Mainly because both Chauncey and Stuckey are combo guards. Plus Chauncey and Tayshaun shoot well enough to make up the difference. But really, I wouldn’t trade any of the Pistons’ top 4 without some sort of equal return on their value. To me, Tayshaun is the most valuable player on this team. This is because of what he is good at (defense, rebounding, and threes), his age (just entering his prime), and his experience (never been less than Conference Finals). But shit, if they wanna offer Tayshaun to the Kings for Artest, I ain’t complaining!

3. The Golden State Makeover: The hometown Warriors have been as active as anyone this offseason. First, Baron suprises everyone and opts out before heading to the Clips. Then the Dubs over-react and sign Maggette. Then Pietrus signs with the Magic. Turiaf signs an offer sheet and the Lakers don’t match. Azuibuke signs an offer sheet with the Clips and the W’s match. Barnes signs with the Suns. The W’s trade for Marcus Williams. Then they re-sign Monta to a slightly bigger contract than Maggette so that he can be the team’s highest paid player. The Warriors sign Mo Evans. Now all that’s left (at least, so i think) is their eventual re-signing of Andres Biedrins. Plus their top pick this year is tearing up Summer League. Wow. To re-cap, last year’s starting lineup: Baron/Monta/Jack/Harrington/Biedrins. Last year’s main bench: Pietrus/Azuibuke/Barnes. This year’s projected starters: Monta/Jack/Maggette/Harrington/Biedrins. But it’s the bench that really changes: M.Williams/Turiaf/Azuibuke/either Randolph or Brandon Wright/Marco Bellinelli or Mo Evans. Overall, they can go 11-deep this year if you get more run out of Bellinelli. They are a deeper team, but one that lacks the punch at the top of the rotation.

4. The Ron Artest Saga: The Summer starts off with Artest re-affirming how much he wants to stay a King. Then the deadline to opt out comes and goes, and he publically states that he wishes he’d opted out. Then he publically again affirms his love for the Kings, before requesting a trade. First it’s the Lakers who have the upper hand. But a deal for Artest + Kenny Thomas for Lamar Odom was never quite finalized. Next it was the Mavs (though they only offered Stackhouse and Bass, where Petrie wanted Josh Howard). Then it seemed all the speculation was a trade to the Pistons (though their rescinding offer was never mentioned (but it had to be straight up for Prince). With the Rockets and Nuggets insisting they will not trade T-Mac or ‘Melo, Artest becomes the best player available. And after GM’s watched Paul Pierce win Finals MVP, the Melo/Artest-type is in huge demand. My two cents: let’s just swap Artest/K.Thomas for Shawn Marion and call it a day, shall we? Or does that trade just make too much sense for both sides?

Westbrook + Durant = Scary good Future

5. The Oklahoma City (whatevers) Look like this year’s Portland: All the “Team of the Future” press that Portland’s getting (including my own), might just be jumping onto the bandwagon a little too early. This Russell Westbrook kid can play. And the three man break of Westbrook/Kevin Durant/Jeff Green looks scary-good. And with all the young bigs that team has, they look like quite a good bet to be the next “NEXT” NBA-darlings. By the way, the three played one Summer League game and made the opposition look like a High School JV team (as they probably should).

6. The Rise of the East: Watch out for 3 more teams to possibly climb into the Elite next season, and a fourth to be well on its’ way. The Wiz re-signed Arenas and Jamison, and ideally, a full season of their big 3 would probably put them right near the top of the Conference. The Raptors took a Mavs/Suns-like gamble, going “all-in” by trading for Jermaine O’Neal. The O’Neal/Bosh bigs combination is going to be the East’s answer to Shaq/Amare. Though ideally, it’d work out better as these two are far better defensively. And the Sixers added Elton Brand to a team that already looked pretty damn good in the second half of last season. But watch those Miami Heat. D-Wade’s team had the best draft in the L, picking up an immediate star and an impact starter in Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers. After the inevitable Shawn Marion trade (Marion and Beasley do too many of the same things), throw in Udonis Haslem, and this team is going to surprise people. But of course, it all hinges upon whether Wade can come back 100% from his injury. Because when this dude is on, offensively, he might be better than Jordan.

7. Team USA: We all know whats goin’ on here. But with a starting lineup of J-Kidd/Kobe/LeBron/Melo/Dwight Howard, not to mention CP3 and Deron backing Kidd at the point, and D-Wade as the freakin SIXTH MAN, this team has potential to rival the OG Dream Team. But potential doesn’t win you gold. Chris Bosh and Carlos Boozer know that, Michael Redd and Tayshaun Prince all know that. So it’s time to backup Lebron’s claim that this team will “absolutely” win gold. Or else we’ll still keep remembering that damn Jadakiss line from ’04: “Why does Team USA keep gettin their ass kicked?”

 

Working Summer

Ok, so I’m not even gonna front. Carmelo Anthony is my favorite player in the NBA. Period. After Gary Payton (my favorite player ever) fell from being “The Glove” to being “The Mitten” when he left Milwaukee for LA in 2003, I’ve gone back and forth on my favorite players. It was really between T-Mac and AI, but when ‘Melo and Wade jumped into the league, they were the new winners.

He is definitely not without his share of drama.  From the MSG fight to this season’s DUI drama, ‘Melo has had problems surrounding him since he got to the L.  But his game…….the best first step in the league, too big and bulky to be stopped in the lane, and that ever-expanding sweet J.  The only person who can stop Carmelo Anthony, is…..Carmelo Anthony.  We just watched Paul Pierce dominate the NBA Finals, and ‘Melo is an even more skilled version of Pierce (no offense to Pierce, who is quite a great player in his own right).  I loved it when they teamed ‘Melo and AI, cuz that’s two of my favorite players in the league.  (I think right now it’d go: 1. Melo, 2. Wade, 3. T-Mac, 4. Iverson, 5. Kevin Martin/Baron Davis).  He’s been the best player on the National Team for the past two summers, a team with Wade, LeBron, Kobe, and Dwight Howard.  And he’s going to continue that when the US takes home the gold this summer in Beijing.  (I mean seriously, Dwayne Wade is the sixth man!!! A guy who turned into Michael Jordan two summers ago is the SIXTH man!)

That’s not to say there’s not holes in his game.  Defense, Rebounding, passing out of double teams, and keeping his head in the game are all problems.  Rebounding looks like it’s no longer an issue, as he was consistently putting up double figure rebounds towards the end of last season.  He finished the season averaging 7.4 rebounds, and if he starts off this season as hot on the boards, it might be time to move him to power forward.  He’s so bulky he can handle the bigger forwards, and drive right by them even easier on offense.  It might be time to move Kleiza into a starting role at small forward and move ‘Melo to the PF.  Of course the Nuggets have $26 million worth of Power Forwards already, so that might not happen.  Passing out of double teams has been one of his biggest problems.  It is something i notice every time i watch him play.  A lot of times he’ll get stuck and AI will have to race over to save him.  That’s fine when you have someone with as big of a basketball IQ and the pure speed of AI on your team, but he does have 10 other teammates.  And Iverson is a free agent after this upcoming season.  Part of this is George Karl’s fault.  He should try to keep a shooter behind Melo at all times (preferably Chucky Atkins, Kleiza, or JR Smith).  For one, it gives ‘Melo an easy outlet, and for two, it makes it so defenses can’t constantly double him for fear of the three-ball.  Keeping his head into the game is another problem, but probably the least of them.  He can get frustrated easily, but a lot of that is the double teams.  The Nuggets simply need more shooters on the floor.  Atkins is only an allright shooter, and both Kleiza and Smith are subs.  ‘Melo is actually the best shooter on the starting unit.  That’s not going to cut it.  Of course, his biggest problem is defense.

This is where Carmelo should search out Pierce for advice.  Because like Pierce, his team has the talent to compete.  They just need their franchise player to lead the team.  If Carmelo plays defense, the Nuggets play defense.  Plain and simple.  As it is right now, only Camby and Kenyon Martin (who only has one leg) give any real effort on the defensive end.  Starting PG Anthony Carter is a supposedly defensive-oriented pg, who doesn’t play any defense.  I love Iverson, but he hasn’t played any sort of one-on-one defense since is 2001 MVP year.  Camby was Defensive Player of the Year a season ago, and was actually even better last year, but he can’t make up for everyone on this team.

That’s where it’s up to ‘Melo.  He has to set the tone defensively for this team.  The only way this team is going to really compete is if they all give in and play defense.  And just as he is the reason they make the playoffs every year, Melo is also the reason they go out in the first round every year.

 

Hovie’s Home

Jay-Hova is taking a bigger role with the Nets. He is going to represent them at the NBA Lottery tomorrow, as the Nets have a 1.1% chance of winning the first pick. Bruce Ratner (the majority share-holder) probably looked at Hov, then looked at Beyonce, and decided Jay was the luckiest dude in the organization.

But there’s a bigger rumor coming out of the Jersey, soon-to-be-Brookyn Nets: Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby for Richard Jefferson, Marcus Williams, Keith Van Horn’s expiring contract, and Jersey’s #1 pick in this year’s draft. I assume that last part would be only if Hov doesn’t get into the top 3. This would give the Nets a starting lineup of: Devin Harris, Vince Carter, Melo, Nenad Kristic, and Marcus Camby. This is immediately a playoff team. Possibly a second round playoff team. Especially in the East. But the bigger target would be LeBron James. With Bron Bron being a free agent and two years, and given his close relationship with both Melo and Hov, the Nets would look like the main option should he decide to bounce from Cleveland.

Whatever the case, things are starting to look really interesting out East. Especially if Melo should end up in Jersey. The pressure would definitely be on Cleveland to make a move to keep up. And all this right after the sweat hadn’t dried from yesterday’s historic clash.