Dime’s Fantasy Finals Matchups

Basketball websites always has these gimmicky user-involved tournaments. Balls Don’t Lie is probably the king of these. But the best I’ve come across is Dime Mag’s Fantasy Finals. In fact I like these so much, I decided to post my thoughts on their early matchups.

2008 Lakers Vs. 1995 Magic

In Dime’s rules, everyone’s healthy and the older team has home court. Now personally, I have a somewhat low opinion of last year’s Lakers team, at least historically speaking. Fish is/was washed up. His last great year was with Utah. And I say “great” because Fish is one of the most underrated players of my lifetime. Played great D, hit clutch threes, Kobe and Shaq both trusted him, Phil trusted him. Vlad just sucked anyway. Ariza hadn’t really had his 2009 breakout year. Bynum’s soft. And Gasol needs to demand the ball more. Odom’s inconsistent. At least Vujacic and Farmar were much better last year. And they had Turiaf. Come to think of it, with the exception of Ariza, everyone on the Lakers was better last year.

This Magic team was one of my favorite NBA Finals losers. They had Shaq entering his prime, Penny in his dead-prime (which only lasted like 3 years). Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott playing out of their respective minds. Horace Grant giving it one last shot, and Brian Shaw doing all those little Brian Shaw-things. But their bench was very weak after Shaw.

The key to this series would be Odom. If he shows up every game, the Lakers probably win in 5 or 6. But since I have never seen him do that (even in Miami and with the Clippers – the playoffs were what made Wade and Brand the number one guys on those teams), I don’t think he does it here. I’d say if Kobe gets a 10 in this series, Penny’s probably an 9.5. Shaq’s a 10, Bynum’s probably a 6. I’d give Gasol a 10 if he was demanding the ball move – the dude has a sick arsenal of post moves. But since he’s so lax, he gets an 8, Ho Grant was standing on one leg at that point, he gets a 5. Since Penny and Kobe would guard each other, it’s washed up Fish vs. pussy Anderson. Fortunately it wasn’t until after 95 (when he missed the free throws) that Anderson went into a complete funk. But here he should have enough to barely edge Fish, say…..7-6. In the Vlad/Scott matchup we’ll call it even since Scott’s much more deadly, but Vlad has the size advantage, 7.5 each. The bench is where Odom comes in. I’ll give this to the Lakers, but only barely. When Odom doesn’t show up, it’s basically even. So we’ll say 8-7. Coaching-wise, Phil gets it 9-8 over Brian Hill. Totals? 46.5 for Orlando, 46.5 for the Lakers. Dead even. I’ll go with Orlando in 7. Because we know that Shaw shows up, we don’t know about Odom.  Plus the Magic get homecourt.

1998 Bulls Vs. 2007 Spurs

This is closer than you think. The most dominant NBA team of all-time goes up against possibly the most boring dynasty of all-time. At that point, Ron Harper was 2005 Derek Fisher. And Tony Parker kills him, we’ll say 9-7. MJ probably guards Ginobili, but Bowen probably guards him. We’ll say MJ gets a 10, because even though that’s got to be tiring, MJ’s sort of…well he’s the best player ever. Ginobili probably guards Pippen. So we’ll say Ginobili’s tired but still manages a 7.5. Bowen manages to be a solid 7, and Pippen’s a 9 here. Duncan gets a 10 while Rodman gets an 8, good matchup. And both of the terrible centers get 5’s because it’s really the sixth men who get play. The coaches are even at 10, but the Spurs pull the advantage off the bench with Horry, Finley and Barry over Kukoc and Kerr, 8-6. 55 for the Bulls, 54.5 for the Spurs. Bulls in 7.

2006 Heat vs. 2001 Sixers

This is a fun matchup. It’s Allen Iverson in his best season vs. Dwayne Wade in his I’m-better-than-MJ season.  One thing sticks out, Wade can sort of guard Iverson.  Iverson has no shot at Wade.  Wade’s almost as fast and about half a foot taller.  They have similar games in those seasons, but Wade is worlds better in efficiency.  Plus he has more help.  If Wade gets a 10, and Iverson a 9, the rest of this matchup is pretty one-sided.  Jason Williams, in his last effective season, beats snow, 8-7.  ‘Toine, also in his last effective season, bests George Lynch, 7.5-6.  For fun, we’ll call Haslem/Hill a tie, even though common sense would go with Haslem, 7-7.  And Shaq bests Deke, 8-6.5.  Coaching is an even 9, and the Heat’s bench still had James Posey, ‘Zo,  and GP, while the Sixers counter with Aaron McKie, a not-yet-developed Raja Bell, and a bunch of stiffs.  Heat, 9-6.  For a final total of 57.5 for a strong Heat team, and 50.5 for the Sixers.  I think the Heat sweep this.  Fun Series, but not too long.

2004 Pistons vs. 1994 Knicks

Bad matchup for the Knicks. The Pistons counter the Knicks strengths too well. Chauncey dominates Harper, 9-7. I think Rip pulls out ahead of Starks, 8.5-8. Tayshaun edges Smith 7.5-7. Rasheed pulls Oakley out of the paint, and beats him 8-7. While Ewing can only muster a 10-8.5 edge over Ben. Plus that Pistons team was deep. The Knicks’ strength was their depth, but this Pistons team was even deeper. The Pistons rolled out Corliss Williamson, Elden Campbell, Lindsey Hunter, Mike James, and Mehmet Okur. Picture that. Okur, entering his prime, was the 10th man on this team. And he’s been an all-star in this league. Anthony Mason and Greg Anthony give the Knicks the edge in a lot of series, but here they lose 10-9 Though we just called the Pat Riley/Larry Brown matchup a tie, so we’ll stick with that, 9-9. Brown gets his revenge here, 60.5-57. I think the Pistons take this in 6, they weren’t too good at breaking team’s backs, if you remember.

2008 Celtics vs. 1993 Suns

Wow, giving this a quick eyeball, it looks like the best matchup yet. KG’s best squad vs. Chuck’s best squad. Rondo/KJ. Majerle/Ray Ray. I’m giving KJ the PG edge, 9-8. But remember, KJ disappeared in the finals that year. Rondo does not disappear. He’s consistently annoying you. But KJ was better. Ray Ray gets the same slight edge on Majerle, 9-8. Mainly because, none of these guys could stop each other. But Ray Ray’s slightly better. He might be the best pure shooter I’ve ever seen. Pierce/Dumas is where the Celtics probably win the series. Pierce gets this, 10-7. Dumas was slightly underrated in memory, but also slightly overrated at the time because his numbers were better than he was. Mainly because of the system he played in – like a mid-90’s Leandro Barbosa. We’ll call KG/Barkley a tie, 10-10. Both moved on from their crappy first teams to much more loaded second squads. This was Barkley’s best year, but KG played better defense. The Centers were Kendrick Perkins vs. Mark West, and we’ll call this even at 6. As good as the Celtics’ bench was last year, the Suns’ was even better with Ceballos, Ainge, Chambers, Oliver Miller (don’t laugh, he was decent that year), and Frank Johnson, 9-8. And in Doc Rivers and Paul Westphal we have two of the most maligned coaches of all-time. They get an even 7. Final score, 58-56 Celtics. But the Suns get homecourt. I don’t know how to call this. It’s too close. Put a gun to my head? I’ll go with the Suns in 7.

2003 Nets vs. 1995 Rockets

Interesting matchup. I don’t know exactly how this’ll come out. Memory would probably tell you the Rockets were better, but let’s see because I think the Nets would give them problems. Kidd takes Kenny Smith pretty handily. Smith was one of the more underrated PG’s of the 90’s, at least he was before his TNT stint. But Kidd was the engine that made the Nets go, and 2003 was his best season. We’ll say 10-7.5. Clyde was not in his prime anymore, but still was very good. And he beats Kerry Kittles, quite easily, 9-6.5. Richard Jefferson probably beats Mario Elie, 8.5-7. They were similar players in those seasons, the difference being RJ’s defense and athleticism. K-Mart beats a young Horry, mainly on the defensive end. Most people don’t remember, but both of these guys were extremely athletic at that age. That would be a fun matchup. But K-Mart takes it, 8-7. Meanwhile, Hakeem dominates Collins, 10-6. I don’t need to say much else about that. Benches are pretty even – Deke/Lucious Harris & Aaron Williams playing over their heads/Rodney Rogers/a young Anthony Johnson vs. a young Sam I Am/Charles Jones (milk carton?)/Mad Max/Chucky Brown, 7-7. And Rudy bests Byron, 9-7. 56.5 for Clutch City, 53 for the Nets. Plus the Rockets get homecourt, so we’ll say Rockets in 6.

That was fun, we’ll do it again.

 

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.

 

Kill that Noise!

MC Shan told you about Chris Bosh!

First of all, let me say this: Chris Bosh is NOT an MVP candidate currently.  Stop giving him so much credit.  He’s probably 11th in the league right now.  Right behind Dirk and right ahead of Vince Carter.  So in the immortal words of MC Shan, “Kill that Noise!”

“So Jason, then who are MVP candidates?”

Glad you asked.  I’m going to give you the top 20 players in the NBA (statistically speaking) and the 10 worst in the NBA this season, so far.  Then, I’m going to give you my early All-Star picks.

(*Applaude*)

The 10 Worst Players in the NBA so far in 2008-09:

10. Dahntay Jones, DEN: To think that this guy’s started 14 of their 17 games is pretty outlandish.  This is the same guy who couldn’t make the Kings’ roster last year, and they sucked.  Homeboy can jump out of the gym, that’s for sure, but he’s not a solid NBA player.  The guy shoots 43% from the floor and averages more than three times as many turnovers to assists.  But with George Karl’s grudge against JR Smith still in place, Jones starts.  And they wonder why Denver’s under-achieved so greatly under Karl.  At some point, you can’t blame AI or ‘Melo, you have to look at the coach too.  But Denver’s been red hot with Billups running the point, so that may be a moot point for now.

9. Bobby Simmons, NJN: This guy had two good years, but after getting hurt two years ago, he’s completely fallen out of favor with the basketball Gods.  He plays for a significantly over-achieving Nets team, but can’t seem to keep up.  The scary part: he, like Jones, starts.  He’s basically their replacement for Richard Jefferson.  I say slide Vince to the 3, and start CDR (my favorite college player from last year)!

Even the most advanced statistical studies can't show everything Bruce Bowen does for you on the court

8. Bruce Bowen, SAS: Bowen always scores low on statistical tests because his one-on-one defense doesn’t really show up in stats.  And he’s not really good for anything else.  There was one point where you could count on his three-point shooting, but that age has gone far away.  Plus the Spurs looked pretty terrible to tip off the season, especially when Tony Parker went down.  But the good thing about that injury is that Coach Pop was forced to play bench guys.  They’ve put together quite a little rotation now with George Hill and Roger Mason, who will come off the bench with Ginobili and Parker healthy.  I still think they need one more big to really compete with the elite of the Conference, but they’re much better off than I’d thought they’d be.  But then again, why doubt the Spurs?

7. Tyus Thomas, CHI: To call this guy a bust is probably an understatement at this point.  He’s joining the Michael Olowokandi/Kwame Brown/Darko Milicic group soon.  Let’s just face it: Thomas got too much credit for LSU’s Final Four run that year, when really Big Baby was the center of that team.  Thomas’ upside at this point is maybe Hakim Warrick.  Maybe.  And considering Warrick’s a below-average NBA player, that’s pretty bad for a guy who was essentially a number two pick in the draft.  Even with a stud point guard, this guy can’t score.  Ouch.

6. Jason Kapono, TOR: I’ve always thought this guy was overrated.  He’s supposedly the best shooter in the league (and he does shoot 52% from behind the arc), but he can’t stay on the court because his defense is so bad.  I don’t know how I left him off my list of the top 10 worst defenders in the league.  But let’s just call a spade a spade: Kapono is terrible.  He does more things to hurt your team (defense) than he can make up with his one skill (shooting 3’s).  Also to be noted is that he can’t create his own shot and is a completely straight-up catch-and-shoot guy.

5. Nick Collison, OKC: This is a guy who doesn’t belong here.  He’s an average NBA starter, but he must be hurt or something.  His rebounding numbers are half of his career average.  His shooting percentage is way down and all of his defensive numbers are way down.  I’m thinking he’s hurt.  He’s normally a very good hustle-work guy in the Jeff Foster-mode.  I’m not sure what’s going on here.

4. Ronnie Price, UTH: You can’t see it, but I smiled while typing that name.  When he was with the Kings I told anyone that would listen; don’t be fooled, he’s not good enough to be in the NBA.  He’s too small to defend anyone, and not quick enough to stay in front.  He’s also not especially athletic and takes terrible shots.  But he would put up such solid garbage-time numbers that all my fellow Kings fans wanted to bring him back.  But he’s garbage.  He sucks.  He’s someone you’d want to root for, but he’s just not good enough.

Last year Deshawn couldn't feel his face, this year he can't feel his jumper

3. Deshawn Stevenson, WAS: This one hurts.  Deshawn had become one of my favorite players in the league after last year’s run-ins with LeBron.  And after two years of very solid player, has gone into the tank this year.  He’s currently in a season-long shooting slump, and his Defense has slipped drastically.  Though I think he’ll get it together, you have to wonder if the past two years were simply him playing over his head.  In which case, he didn’t take the step forward that I’d thought he’d taken.  But if you’re looking for reasons Washington has been so horrible this season, Deshawn’s probably reason #1.  #2 would be Andray Blatche and the center position, which has been almost as horrible.  And #3 is Tough Juice’s defense has slipped.  But I’m a big Wiz fan and I’m rooting for them to turn it around.

2. Earl Watson, OKC: Watson has been in the bottom five for at least 3 years now.  The fact the Sonics-turned-Thunder keep bringing him back is more indicative of how bad their point guard situation is than how good he isn’t.  It’s pretty impressive that he keeps finding jobs though.  He must be a great practice player.

Mr. Triple Double is having a down year

1. Ricky Davis, MIA: Ahhh Ricky.  I have to admit, I didn’t think he’d be this bad.  It’s quite well-documented that he’s never on a good team (usually not a coincidence), but at least he gets ‘buckets’ right?  Well he has the worst +/- in the league, and has the lowest PER of players with enough minutes to qualify.  In fact, he’s so far having the worst season since i began checking these stats two years ago.  He’s shooting 27% from the field and averaging 4.3 points per game.  And he’s a scoring-specialist.

Now for a turn for the better:

The 20 Best NBA Players this year so far:

20. Andrew Bynum, LAL: Lost in the Gasol/Kobe hype is that Bynum is having quite a year as third wheel.  He’s actually having a better season than Gasol or Odom, and is third on the team on this list.  (The second is going to surprise you.)  But 12.4 and 9.1 while shooting 53% fromt he field will do that for you.  Not to mention he’s shooting 72% from the line.  Did i mention that he got off to a slow start and his stats sure to race up as his averages catch up?  It’s going to be a long year for everyone in the West trying to catch the Lakers.

19. Chauncey Billups, DEN: It should be no real surprise that Chauncey’s Denver’s top player thus far, or that he was easily Detroit’s.  He’s been in the top 10-15 every year since the ’04 title year.  Especially given how slow ‘Melo’s started statistically.  Chauncey’s actually been the third best PG this year, ahead of such luminaries as Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Mike Bibby, and Jose Calderon.  It should also surprise no one that Denver caught fire once Billups was acquired.  They look like a legit threat to take down the Lakers and/or the Rockets, if they ever get theirselves together in Houston.  Talent-wise, there’s these three in the West, and then everyone else.  We’ll have to see how things work out in May and June though, as both Denver and Houston have histories of under-achieving.

18. Marcus Camby, LAC: Stat-heads are always crazy over Camby.  Because he gets outrageous amounts of Rebounds and Blocks without being a real viable option on offense.  He  litterally only seems to care about the team’s well-being.  Unfortunately, he went from an average club in Denver to a terrible club in LA.  But he’s still scoring 10 pts, grabbing 10 boards, and over 2.5 blocks/game.  What’s strange is that Denver has actually become a better defensive team without the former Defensive Player of the Year.

Ray Ray's rejuvenation

17. Ray Allen, BOS: I have to admit, I thought RayRay was done.  Sure he can be a fourth or fifth wheel on the Celtics and they can win a title, but his days of Jesus Shuttlesworth saving his team were long gone.  But he’s proving me wrong…..again.  17.7 Points, 4 boards and a new committment to defense say Ray Ray’s still got it.  His three-point percentage is down a bit, but overall Allen’s been the defending champs’ best player thus far through the season.

16. Trevor Ariza, LAL: The second Laker on the list is probably the biggest surprise of the group.  Though I can admit there are a couple other surprises coming up, Ariza isn’t even a starter, and he’s statistically the second best player on the best team in the NBA.  Ten points and 5 boards in 23 minutes/game isn’t that impressive.  But 1.73 steals per game in that time looks good.  Plus the kid rarely turns it over and has a really high FG% (50%) for a guy who can’t shoot (as his 32% from behind the arc and 62% from the line will tell you).  I’m not sure anyone saw this coming.  Last year when the Celtics won the title, Lakers fans said “wait til we get Bynum and Ariza back.”  We all kind of snickered at Ariza’s name being included in that claim.  We were wrong.

15. Danny Granger, IND: Anyone who thinks this one is a surprise does NOT watch enough basketball.  Granger has played at an all-star level for the past two years, and is sixth in the league in scoring this year.  What?  You thought Indiana was over-achieving because of Mike Dunleavy??! The fact that he’s continuing to improve should surprise absolutely no one.  This kid was the reason they felt Artest was expendable in the first place.  24 points and 5 boards is nice, but they’re even nicer when they come on 47% shooting.  What’s great about him is he’s also a lock-down defender.  His rebounds and 3 point shooting are down from his career averages, but if they come back out this Pacers team could be in the playoffs and you’ll know why.

14. Tim Duncan, SAS: He’s still 20/10 with 52%.  Though no longer THE dominant four in the league, he’s still very close to the top.  And with the early injuries to Ginobili and Parker, the Spurs have had to rely on Duncan even more than normal.  And now they are getting healthy again with Duncan having held down the fort.  Tim Duncan, despite his 20/10’s will always be underappreciated based on numbers alone.  He has been the dominant PF of this generation and is one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Brandon Roy is a superstar, officially now

13. Brandon Roy, POR: Last year he became a new poster-child for the NBA, as we all thrust him into the spotlight.  He had praise given to him that he wasn’t quite deserving of yet, sort of like Deron Williams.  Except he wasn an all-star, Williams was not.  Roy got most of the credit for the Blazers’ surprising first half success last year, when really it should have been doled out equally between he and LaMarcus Aldridge.  This year is another story.  This year it’s all him.  He’s gone from borderline star with superstar potential, to flat out superstar.  21 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and stellar defense for the franchise player who is, unofficially, their point guard.

12. Vince Carter, NJN: Big rebound year for Vince.  While he played well with Jason Kidd, he’s playing even better now.  It could be argued that he’s playing the best ball of his career this year.  And even then, he’s not the best player on his team.  Jersey is the surprise team of the NBA this season, and Vince-sanity is a major reason why.  He’s dropping 24 points on 48% shooting for the Nets.  It’s tough to say this about Vince, since he’s pretty much universally hated, but he’s having one helluva year so far.

11. Chris Bosh, TOR: Here is where I have the most overrated player in the league so far.  Yes, he’s third in the league in scoring.  Yes he dominated the Olympics.  It looked like he had gained the edge in the constant battle with Dwight Howard.  But since they returned to the states, he’s looked a distant second in that competition.  Howard continues to put up rediculous stats, while Bosh’s numbers are just as good – maybe better.  How about 27 & 10?  How about 54% shooting?  But the downfall here is that the intangibles are just not coming Bosh’s way.  He has a fairly low +/-, and usually that has to do with defense.  With Jermaine O’Neal now in the low post, Bosh has struggled to find his role in the defense.  The team as a whole doesn’t have enough talent to compete with the big boys in Cleveland and Boston anyway.  Hopefully they figure something out or Bosh might really be New York-bound in a couple years.

10. Dirk Nowitzki, DAL: Dirk has accomplished a lot in the NBA.  He’s won MVP, been to the NBA Finals, and been universally praised.  In my book, his best season was 2005-06, when I had him as the second best player in the league.  But this year may prove to be his biggest challenge.  With Kidd still productive, but on the downside of his career, and defenses able to key more on Josh Howard, Dirk has to carry more of the load than ever.  It doesn’t help that Jerry Stackhouse has been all but left for dead by Coach Carlisle, or that no one outside fo the Dirk/Kidd/Howard/Jason Terry group is even playing like an average NBA player.  Dirk is the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, so obviously he got something going.  He’s going to have to step up his game a bunch if the Mavs are actually going to compete.

9. Amare Stoudemire, PHO: Nobody appears to be happy in Phoenix, least of all Amare.  After have such a breakthrough in the second half of last year, Terry Porter’s new offense has been more centered around Shaquille O’Neal, and less around STAT.  This is a bad idea both business-wise and basketball-wise.  Business-wise, you are taking the risk of pissing off your marquee attraction for the future.  Nash and Shaq and Hill are all getting old fast.  The team is going to have to be rebuilt around Stoudemire.   But playing this game with him is risking losing him in 2010.  Even though he’s considering this a down year, he still is dropping 22 points and 8 boards a night.   He’s also shooting 57% and getting a block and a steal a night.  His defense is slowly improving, though it is still pretty bad.  Basketball-wise, you would want to get the ball in the hands of your best player, and Amare is the best player in Phoenix these days.

8. Andrei Kirilenko, UTAH: After his tiff with Jerry Sloan two years ago, Kirilenko went into the tank.  This season he’s come back rejuvenated.  Whatever he did, whatever his offseason regimen contained, he needs to stick to it because it worked quite well.  Boozer’s gotten most of the credit for holding the Jazz down during Deron’s injury, but it’s been Kirilenko doing the heavy lifting.  12.6 points and 6 rebounds a night are not outstanding numbers.  But it’s his defense and huge +/- numbers that put him among the game’s elite.

Even after all of the team's transactions, it was improvement from within that's led to Cleveland's hot start

7. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, CLE: This is probably just as big of a surprise as Ariza.  Ilgauskas has always been a plausible NBA center.  He even got to the all-star game one year by default.  But this year he looks legit.  While Lebron and Mo Williams get the credit, it’s really Big Z who, by taking his game to another level, managed to improve the team so greatly.  Zydrunas is only 16 points, 7 boards, and 54% from the field, but all of his percentages are high.  He’s shooting 87% from the line and 38% from behind the arc.  The impressive part is that he’s putting up good numbers in decreased minutes. The Cavs, smartly, want to keep him fresh for the playoffs and try to reduce risk of injury so Big Z can help them attempt to take out the Celtics.

6. Kobe Bryant, LAL: Sure last year he was MVP, but it wasn’t his best year.  And he really wasn’t the best player last year (that was Lebron).  But the argument can always be made for Kobe being the best in the league.  Even Shaq now recognizes the greatness of Mr. Kobe Bryant.  The Kobe-ster has a very quiet 25 ppg and has not needed to take over too many games this year.  With the lineup the Lakers have, he hasn’t needed to.  Must we remind ourselves just how loaded the Lakers are…..

Anyone who says they saw Devin Harris' 2008 season coming is lying.

5. Devin Harris, NJN: This guy has to be, hands-down, the biggest surprise of the year.  He’s gone completely nuts.  He’s basically turned into Gilbert Arenas.  25 points and 6 assists.  He just dropped 47 on Phoenix the other night.  He dropped 38 on Detroit.  He’s the main reason the Nets are still smack dab in the middle of the playoff race.  We always knew he could defend and get to the rim, but who knew he could score like this?! Devin Harris has Most Improved Player quite easily thus far.  And should be a dark horse in the MVP race if he keeps this up.  He’s having a completely rediculous season for the a Nets team that looked like they were going to be horrible.

4. Dwight Howard, ORL: After Harris, the rest of this list is fairly predictable.  Howard finds time, in between McDonalds Monopoly adds, to drop 24 & 14 every night, lead the league in blocks, and shoot almost 60%.  Just another day at the office for Superman.

3. Chris Paul, NOR: Statistically  he’s even better than last year, when I had him as the second best player in the league.  He’s going to lose points from MVP voters because of the Hornets’ underachieving, but that’s not his fault.  That’s more because David West’s jumpshot is in the Lost & Found somewhere.  20 points & 11 dimes are Paul’s M.O.

2. Dwayne Wade, MIA: Wade is currently second  in the league by a whisker.  Literally a one-hundredth of a point separates Wade from #1.  And to call this a bounce-back year would be a severe understatement.  The dude is single-handedly willing a  team lead by Chris Quinn into the playoffs.  Keep in mind that this is a team that has 2 of its’ best 5 players are rookies.  They have no bench and a rookie head coach.  And Wade has them currently tied for the 8th spot in the playoffs.  Flash is rediculous.  There is, however, one man playing even better (though however slight the difference may be).

1. LeBron James, CLE: Let’s clear something up: Lebron has been the best player in the league for the past two seasons.  But Wade is right on his rear tail.  Well, not even…these two are neck-and-neck.   But yes, i can admit that LeBron’s been the best player in the league thus far, which leads us to:

The Eastern Conference All Star Team

Starters:

PG Devin Harris, NJN
SG Dwayne Wade, MIA
SF LeBron James, CLE
PF Chris Bosh, TOR
C Dwight Howard, ORL

Bench:
F Danny Granger, IND
F Kevin Garnett, BOS
F Caron Butler, WAS
G Vince Carter, NJN
G Ray Allen, BOS
G Joe Johnson, ATL
C Zydrunas Ilgauskas, CLE

Here Ilgauskas gets it bad because there’s no other Centers worth mentioning for the team. Butler makes the team despite hsi lousy team, and Johnson takes the final guard spot. No surprise with Allen and KG both making the team from the Celtics, as two Nets and Cavs make it as well.  Obviously, it’d be tough for Z or Butler to make it, so you’d probably get a Piston or two in there along with Paul Pierce on the actual team.

The Western Conference All-Star Team:

Starters:

PG Chris Paul, NOR
SG Kobe Bryant, LAL
SF Andrei Kirilenko, UTA
PF Dirk Nowitzki, DAL
C Amare Stoudemire, PHO

Bench:
F Tim Duncan, SAS
F Marcus Camby, LAC
F Al Jefferson, MIN
G Brandon Roy, POR
G Trevor Ariza, LAL
G Chauncey Billups, DEN
C Andrew Bynum, LAL

Here Jefferson makes the cut as the last player on the squad.  This dude reminds me of a Elton Brand.  But he’s a number one guy, unlike Brand, and plays porous D, unlike Brand.  Here, Kirilenko, Camby, Jefferson, and Ariza would all have trouble making the squad.  You could probably replace them with Boozer, Yao, Carmelo, and T-Mac for the actual squad.

 

The Cavalry has arrived

Some things never change: people in San Francisco hate George Bush, and the Detroit Pistons are in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Tayshaun, Chauncey, Sheed, and Rip have all been here before. Many times. But this year is different. Last year was the weakest I’ve seen the foursome play. Tay forgot how to play one-on-one D, Chauncey was worn down, and Rip couldn’t get separation on his curls. But this year they’re back. And they look better than ever. Tay just locked down Hedo Turkoglu, Rip has been picking up the scoring, Sheed is always a monster, and Chauncey’s getting some extra rest for his tender achilles. But the best has been Tay. He’s been the team’s best player in the playoffs. He’s back to the long-armed, lock-down D that had become his trademark, plus he’s scoring at will with his ability to shoot over defenders. And they’re all rested with the rise of their bench. That bench….that bench is….scary good.

You start with Antonio McDyess, who is really the fifth starter in name only. He’s been down many of the roads with the first four, having been here in either a sixth-man or starting power forward role since the 2005 Finals Team. But Jason Maxiell is a best in McDyess’ old role. The super-sub looks like a more athletic and defensive-oriented Carlos Boozer. Constantly blocking shots and dunking on people, he’s become a big menace in his own right. The man is a beast in the low post. Then you have Rodney Stuckey, the rookie point guard who filled in for Chauncey for the past two games. Last night he dropped 15 points, 6 dimes, 2 steals and did not turn the ball over once. In a role where he can back up either Chauncey or Rip, Stuckey has elevated his game tremendously as the season has progressed. Aaron Afflalo was the best player at UCLA for a couple years, so adjusting to his role as an eighth-or-ninth-man was expected to be difficult. But it wasn’t. He’s developed in the bulkier, low post backup for Tayshaun. While Tayshaun causes problems with his long arms and athleticism on defense, Afflalo does it with his size and quickness. His minutes have gone down in the playoffs, but he’s still playing almost 10 a game. Wily vets Theo Ratliff and Lindsey Hunter round out the bench. Both of these guys are defensive-specialists. Hunter fits as the other backup guard to pair with Stuckey, and Ratliff is the fourth big. Both are proven performers at this level, and both feel the need to show that they still can play. Both could start for many teams but are perfectly content in their roles on such a good team.

But this is the big guys’ show. People talk about Nash, CP3, and Deron Williams, but Chauncey had his best season as a pro this year. He very well might have been the second best PG in the league (behind Paul) during the season, and continuing his stellar play into the playoffs. Rip has gotten back to his dominant shooting, dropping 32 & 31 in Games 5 & 6 to close out Orlando with Chauncey hurt. Tayshaun is playing the best ball of his career in these playoffs. He completely shut down Andre Iguodala and Hedo Turkoglu so far. He is going to be tested in the next round even further against either Lebron James or Paul Pierce, but he is up for the challenge. He’s also dropping 16 points and 6 boards a game while shooting 56%(!) in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Rasheed Wallace is still Sheed. He’s always going to be. He’s always going to lockdown your best low-post player, yell, scream, holler, and take over offensively when needed. He’s going to shoot over you and post through you. He’s the most underrated Power Forward of all-time, and might be the best true power forward (Sorry, Tim Duncan is a center) in the league right now. A battle with KG in the Eastern Conference Finals would be epic. But while the media loves the Celtics’ big 3, i’ll pick the Pistons’ big 4….with that bench….any day of the week.

 

“Well It’s Time…”

So baseball is back, but there’s still another 150-games or so. College Basketball is done. Football has its’ draft day, then they’re silent until October. And hockey’s fanbase is non-existent these days anyway. So basically, all eyes are on the NBA playoffs. For all intensive purposes, they kicked off last night with the Warriors being essentially eliminated by the Nuggets. So this is a quick look at all the playoff teams….

Starting today with the East;

1. Boston Celtics, 62-16 (Remaining Games: MIL, @ATL, @ NYK, NJN)

“Hey KG, We got the best record in the East!”
While they’ve had the best record in the league locked up for a while, the game in Atlanta could still prove meaningful. First, Atlanta is yet to clinch the 8th seed with Indiana 2 games back with 4 to play. Second, if standings hold they’ll get the Hawks in the first round. Also it will be interesting to see if Doc Rivers plays his starts the rest of the way like he did in Washington. He says that last year’s Mavs/Warriors upset has led him to take a different stance on his playoff proceedings. That’s all well and nice, but you have an old veteran team. Sam Cassell, Rajon Rondo, and Glenn Davis are all nicked up up, and it would be good to rest at least those guys. The problem with that is, they’d have no point guard. Nevertheless, they should make easy work of Atlanta in the first round. But they will have trouble with either team they get in the second round (assuming seedings hold). Currently its Cleveland vs. Washington, but Philly could catch either of them and Toronto could catch Washington. Washington is particularly scary for Boston, as the Celts have trouble with the Wiz’ combination of DeShawn Stevenson and Caron Butler guarding the wings. Plus Jamison draws KG out of the post, and Rajon doesn’t have a shot at guarding Arenas.

2. Detroit Pistons, 55-23 (Remaining Games: WAS, TOR, MIN, @ CLE)

The Pistons have been locked into the second seed for quite a while as well. However the Western top teams have caught them, and they could lose potential home court advantage in the NBA Finals should they get that far. They are currently tied with top seed New Orleans, but the top 6 teams in the West could all still catch them. And they play three playoff teams the rest of the way. Fortunately three of them are at home. Plus I think it makes for a nice tune-up to end the regular season. I think they go 2-2, falling to both Washington and Cleveland, before destroying Toronto in the first round.

3. Orlando Magic, 49-29 (Remaining Games: MIN, @ CHI, @ ATL, WAS)

The Magic are in a strange position. They cannot move up or down in the standings, and every Western team except Denver is ahead of them. They’ve also been relatively cold going 4-5 in their last nine games. It looks like they will get either Philly or Washington in the first round, and both of those teams are hot. Their best case scenario would be for Toronto to move up and they’d get them. But even that would be no gimme, as Bosh creates problems for Howard in the post, and the Magic have problems guarding either Toronto point guard. But they should end the season 3-1, only falling to the Wizz, and head into a first round matchup against Philly as a favorite.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers, 43-35 (Remaining Games: @ CHI, MIA, @PHI, DET)

“You, your not as good as the King”
The Cavs are a very mediocre 8-9 in their last 17, and seem to be limping into the playoffs. They could very easily get caught by Washington and/or Philadelphia. Despite the overwhelming feeling that they are a top 3 team in the east, they are one of the most vulnerable teams heading into the playoffs. Luckily, they get Chicago and Miami next. Then a real test in Philly, before closing the season hosting a Detroit team that will probably rest most of their stars. With those two creampuff games on their schedule, Philly has no chance to catch them and Washington would have to run the table to tie. I think they get Washington in the first round either way.

5. Washington Wizards, 41-37 (Remaining Games: @DET, PHI, IND, @ORL)

I think these guys are playing their best ball of the year. I like them to run the table, and be the team no one wants to face in the playoffs. Unfortunately, they’ll still get their nemesis Cavs in the first round. This will be the best first round series in the East by far. There will be a ton of storylines, from Gilbert’s return to the Lebron/DeShawn Stevenson issues.

6. Philadelphia 76ers, 40-38 (Remaining Games: IND, @WAS, CLE, @CHA)

Iguodala likes to sneak up on people and (Teddy Riley Voice) “Jam!”
What is interesting is that the 4, 5, & 6-seeds will all prove their worth over the last four games of the season. Two games are of note, and both involve the Sixers. They go to Washington on Saturday, and host Cleveland on Monday. They should win their other two games. I think they lose in Washington, then come back and beat Cleveland. But they don’t move in the standings. The good news? That matches them up with the slumping Orlando Magic in the first round.

7. Toronto Raptors, 39-39 (Remaining Games: NJN, @DET, MIA, @CHI)

If they win outright, they could catch Philly. But i think they go 2-2. They would really like to move up to the sixth seed to avoid Detroit in the first round. They can beat Orlando, they have no chance against Detroit. These guys are the coldest playoff team in the East going in. They’ve won only 7 of their last 22. Another first round oust, and they are going to need some re-modeling going forward.

8. Atlanta Hawks, 36-42 (Remaining Games: @NY, BOS, ORL, @MIA)
They are not likely to catch Toronto, but with their schedule, it doesn’t seem as if Indy can catch them either. So they will probably make the playoffs, only to be destroyed by Boston in the first round. Good times!

Eastern Conference Awards

MVP
3. Chauncey Billups, DET
2. LeBron James, CLE
1. Paul Pierce, BOS
The most overlooked of potential MVP candidates, Pierce has been Boston’s MVP this year. Garnett and Allen have been great additions, but when they got hurt Pierce continued to do what he does best: keep the Celts fighting. James has put up spectacular numbers, but the Cavs would not even make the playoffs in the West.


Any Superstar who still looks for hoodrats is allright by us

Defensive Player Of The Year
3. Tayshaun Prince, DET
2. Rasheed Wallace, DET
1. Kevin Garnett, BOS
This is no surprise to anyone who has paid attention. KG’s arrival made Pierce play D, made Rondo’s D even better, and made the Celtics become the best Defensive team in the league. The two Detroit-ers come in second and third, as Detroit was the second best Defensive team in the league.

She’s just with KG cuz i picked him for DPOY!

Most Improved Player
3. Rajon Rondo, BOS
2. Dwight Howard, ORL
1. Caron Butler, WAS
Butler jumps in here to keep it from giving Boston a clean sweep so far. Howard would have been the pick for most of the year, but he has tailed off dramatically of late. Rondo had quite a stellar year in the shadows of the Big 3, and actually (in my opinion) contributed more to the team than Ray Allen (on the court at least). But Butler is the pick here for keeping the Wizz afloat all season without Gilbert. He’s a borderline superstar now, after living in the shadows of Kobe, Wade, and Gil. And this team is VERY scary heading into the playoffs.

Caron’s so dedicated, he even walks his daughter with his jersey on!

Coach Of The Year
3. Stan Van Gundy
2. Mo Cheeks
1. Eddie Jordan
Van Gundy and Cheeks did a lot to move their teams forward, but Jordan’s job was to keep the team afloat. The fact that they have the fifth playoff spot with almost no contribution from the team’s superstar is amazing. But the credit falls between Jordan, and his two secondary stars, Butler and Antawn Jamison. Jordan started the season on the hot seat, but finished leaving many coaches in awe of the job he’s done.
Eddie shows us his biceps

Rookie Of The Year
3. Joaquim Noah, CHI
2. Thaddeus Young, PHI
1. Al Horford
Al is probably going to finish second in the actual rookie of the year voting to Seattle’s Kevin Durant, but he has had just as good a year. This is especially to consider that he’s playing out of position at Center! When he gets to his natural PF position, he will dominate.

It isn’t Al’s ears that make him fly

Playoff Predictions
Round 1:
1. Boston vs. 8. Atlanta
Boston throws a lineup of PG Rajon Rondo, SG Ray Allen, SF Paul Pierce, PF Kevin Garnett, and C Kedrick Perkins against Atlanta’s PG Mike Bibby, SG Joe Johnson, SF Marvin Williams, PF Josh Smith, and C Al Horford. The benches both look solid with Boston throwing out G/F James Posey, G Tony Allen, F PJ Brown, and some combination of G Eddie House/PG Sam Cassell. Atlanta counters with G/F Josh Childress (a sleeper sixth man of the year candidate), C ZaZa Pachulia, and G Salim Stoudemire. I’d actually call the bench even. Boston, however, has better coaching. We’ll call both guard positions a push, with Boston having the edge at SF and PF. We’ll give Atlanta a slight edge at C. Actually, i do not think this series will be as close as it may seem. Atlanta is not as good as they look on paper, and Boston is better than they look on paper. I like Boston in a clean sweep.

2. Detroit vs. 7. Toronto

Chauncey knows what seed he is
The point guard position is one to watch. Detroit throws Chauncey Billups, who was the second best in the league this year, against Toronto’s Jose Calderon/TJ Ford combination (the best combo in the league). However, Detroit has the advantage at every other position: SG Rip Hamilton over Anthony Parker, SF Tayshaun Prince over Jamario Moon, PF Rasheed Wallace over Chris Bosh (though that one could be a push ’em), C Antonio McDyess over Rasho Nesterovic/Andrea Bargnani, and Detroit has a deep and loaded bench with F/C Jason Maxiell, G/Fs Arron Afflalo and Jarvis Hayes, Gs Rodney Stuckey and Juan Dixon, F Amir Johnson, and C Theo Ratliff. Toronto throws out Calderon, Bargnani, Carlos Delfino, and Jason Kapono. A nice bench, but not quite what Detroit has. I like Detroit in 5.

3. Orlando vs. 6. Philadelphia

Here is where things get interesting. This is a very close matchup. At the point, Philly’s Andre Miller destroys Jameer Nelson. At the 2, Willie Green and Mo Evans is a push. Philly throws Dre Iguodala against Orlando’s Hedo Turkoglu, in another push at the three. The Sixers start Reggie Evans at the four, but really Thaddeus Young gets most of the minutes. And I’m going to call him Young vs. Rashard Lewis a push as well, in a matchup of fours that are really threes. Dwight Howard beats Sam dalembert in the middle, but its’ closer than you think. Dalembert will make him work for his points, and it may take away from Howard’s defensive efficiency. And on top of that, I like Philly’s bench of Evans, Louis Williams, and Jason Smith more than Orlando’s bench of Carlos Arroyo, Keyon Dooling (so the Magic have 3 points that can’t guard Miller or Williams), Keith Bogans (no shot against Iguodala), and Adonal Foyle. I am going to take Philly in six.

4. Cleveland vs. 5. Washington

Gil’s hoping to chop down Cleveland
The seeds might flip-flop, but whatever. Cleveland has ended Washington’s season two years in a row. But this time Washington’s more loaded than ever despite their low seed. I like the Gilbert/Antonio Daniels combo way more than Cleveland’s Delonte West/Boobie Gibson combo. I’ll also take DeShawn Stevenson/Nick Young over Cleveland’s Devin Brown/Wally Szerbiak combo. We’ll give the Cavs LeBron vs. Caron Butler, in the series’ premier matchup (though Stevenson will spend the most time on LeBron, but even if you switch Stevenson and Butler, the advantages are the same). The Cavs will throw some combination of Anderson Varejao, Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, and Zydrunas Ilguaskas in the post positions. The first two are defensive minded low post players, with the latter two stretching the defense with their jumpshots. None of them can guard Washington’s PF Antawn Jamison. The Wizz will also throw Brendan Haywood (who is having the season of his life, so long as he doesn’t have to guard LeBron), Darius Songalia (another shooter to stretch the defense, we’ll call him the Euro-Jamison), and Andray Blatche (the team’s future in the middle, we’ll call him the black Andris Biedrins). I’d be inclined to give the Wizz the slight edge here as well. We’ll call the benches even and the coaches even. But I’m going to say, the only advantage the Cavs have is LeBron. If Caron Butler can make LeBron pay on the defensive end, it’s going to be more one-sided than anyone would think. I’m going to go with Washington in six. I think if it goes seven, the Cavs win.

Second Round

1. Boston vs. 5. Washington

For matchup reasons, Boston just hasn’t been able to beat Washington this year. The Wizz are 3-1, with the only loss featuring an obviously physically beat Gilbert shooting 5-20, while the other Wizz just stood around and watched. This is a much different Wiz team with Gil in a supporting role to Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. A Washington team without Gil beat the Celts on consecutive nights in January, and beat them by 14 the other night with Gil. Boston is not going to go out without a fight, but I’m taking Washington to surprise everyone and make their first Conference Finals appearance since 1979. I got the Wizz in 7.

2. Detroit vs. 6. Philadelphia

Detroit’s second teamers just lost a game to Philly, but don’t be fooled. They are still a class above the Sixers. I think Detroit wins this pretty easily, as Detroit is better than Philly at every position. Even Philly’s two best players (Andre Miller and Andre Igoudala) will matchup with two better players in Detroit (Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince). I like Detroit in 5.

The Eastern Conference Finals: 2. Detroit Vs. 5. Washington

I think the Wizz will give ’em a run. I like Chauncey over the Gil/Daniels combination. But really, Chauncey’s playing better than any point not named Chris Paul. And I’d probably even call that one a draw. From there, I like Rip over Stevenson, but Butler over Prince. We’ll call Sheed/Jamison a push, but give McDyess the edge over Haywood. We’ll also give Detroit’s bench the edge. But never count out Butler. Tough Juice is the heart and soul of this team, and he’ll keep fighting until the last buzzer. But in the end, Detroit rises again, 4-2.

Someone Tell Mrs. Sheed she doesn’t get a belt for winning the East

The Western Conference Tomorrow!

 

Talking All-Stars, Lebron, and more….

This is going to be sort of an NBA round-about column. So first things first, anyone catch Lebron last night against Portland?

Where’s The Love?

I don’t think this is even a discussion at this point, but LeBron is better than Kobe, he’s better than Nash, he’s the best player in the league. And he should win MVP. I just said the other day that Nash is STILL the MVP, but he and Lebron are running neck-and-neck. Who means more to their teams? I could go either way, but right now I’m leaning towards Lebron. But people still seem to think KG will win MVP and that Kobe is a better player. Well those people are wrong.

K-Ci’s obviously tellin this lady what he wants to nickname Dwight Howard

Next to the All-Star picks, we already know who’s going to be the starters (Kobe, AI, Melo, Duncan, & Yao out west, with J-Kidd, Wade, LeBron, KG, and Dwight Howard, who NEEDS a nickname like Jodeci needs rehab, out east). The only one of these i have a problem with is Kidd. He is not an all-star. Chauncey Billups has been the best point in the East by far. It’s not even close. Kidd’s points and defense is down. And his team stinks. He does not deserve to be an all-star, but more on him later. After that, you could argue Wade or the two Nuggets. But basically, all of them fit a starting role. Iverson is really a combo guard on the Nuggets. So I have no real argument with him being the starting point, since he’d probably make the team anyway. Even though Nash and CP3 deserve it more. But they’ll make the team anyway. As for ‘Melo, you could put Dirk here. But while ‘Melo’s season isn’t as impressive as last year, Dirk is drastically worse than last year. It’d be arguable which Mav I’d even put on this team between Dirk and Josh Howard. They’d both be borderline picks. And Melo is the best SF in the West. Period. And Wade? Yeah, his team stinks. But is he the best SG in the East? Yes. Is he a big fan-favorite? Check. So yes he deserves to be there.

We will run on the assumption that Dirk, Amare, Nash, Ginobili and CP3 are sure shots in the West, and that Billups, Tough Juice, CB4, and Paul Pierce are sure things in the East. That leaves two open spots in the West, and three in the East. The West probably gets one more forward and one “wildcard.” The East gets one more guard and two “wildcards.” Carlos Boozer probably gets the West Forward spot, though I would go with David West.

The new “In” NBA Analysis: David West is underrated

Yes Boozer has a higher PER than West, but West plays on a better team, and West absolutely demolishes him in +/- (10.5-0.9). That tells me that West plays incredibly better on the defensive end. And, by the looks of things, New Orleans is going to only get CP3 in the game. When’s the last time the team with the best record in a conference only got one all-star? Actually…don’t answer that. But West is getting snubbed. Especially considering, with all the conference’s guard depth, that the final “wildcard” spot will be a guard.

So who gets that final spot? It probably comes down to four guards (Baron Davis, Tony Parker, Brandon Roy, and Deron Williams) and two forwards (Shawn Marion and Howard). I was going to favor Marion over West, but the Suns are going to get 2 all-stars already, and the Hornets have a better record. Plus it’d be nice to see a perennially overlooked player (West) make the team. As far as the “wildcard”, Davis probably gets it and deserves it, but Parker, Roy or Marion might get it over him. If so it’d be a tragedy. Baron is easily the best player of the four. And has had such a sensational year. He deserves his recognition. Although it is required as a Kings fan, that I mention that Kevin Martin has a better PER than any of the four of them.

“Andray, I have no time to hold your hand now. I Must Scoooooore!” (In Spanish)

In the East, one spot goes to the perennial “second Piston” which will probably be Rip Hamilton, though I would argue that Rasheed Wallace deserves it more. And he definitely deserves it over any of the other Centers in the East. Forreal, who is gonna pose as the East’s backup center? It was leaked this morning that Joe Johnson gets the second spot. I’d say you probably have to have a Hawk in there, either him or Josh Smith. As for the third spot, I have no clue who gets it. It probably comes down to Jose Calderon, Antawn Jamison, Michael Redd, and Ray Allen. This is where that Kidd nod comes into play. Because I think this is a two-horse race between Calderon and Jamison. Obviously, if Kidd doesn’t go and Billups starts, Calderon is the backup PG, and Jamison is the “wildcard.” But for me, it’d come down to which team has the better record. Right now, by half a game, thats Calderon. Though i think the NBA, given a choice, would go with Jamison. Personally, I’d take Wallace over both of them. But the league seems to have an agenda against him. He deserves to be an all-star.

So to sum up the column, Lebron’s the best, West is gonna be snubbed, Baron should be the final West All-Star, the NBA hates Rasheed Wallace, Kidd shouldn’t have been an all-star, and Calderon’s gonna get snubbed. Nice!

-J

[Ed. Note: I was dead wrong about Baron and D. West.  D. West and Roy made it over Baron, which is a crime.  But I was dead on about what happened in the east.]