Role Call Week 4

Your look around the league from the awesome to the putrid:

1) Atlanta (8-2) --> (7) Big win in Boston and coupled with some losses by the top and the Hawks are the new number 1 team
2) Phoenix (9-2) --> (3) After a loss to the Lake show, they bounced back and get a solid come from behind win in Atlanta to go 3-1 for the week
3) Denver (7-3) --> (4) The Nuggets looked like a very formidable team in the 2nd half against the Lakers. Held Kobe scoreless in the 2nd half as well.
4) LA Lakers (7-3) --> (2) Ariza gets his ring but the Rockets found a way to pull out the W in Tinseltown. FYI: The Lakers play 17 of their first 21 at the Stapler. On a bright note, they have this record with no Gasol.
5) Portland (8-3) --> (12) Slowly but surely ascending up the rankings after they have won 6 in a row.
6) Boston (8-3) --> (1) A two game losing streak to the Hawks and the Pacers pushes the Celts down but with their defense, they will be in any game.
7) Cleveland (7-3) --> (11) Where is all the early season talk of how the Cavs are struggling. Yes, they have lost 2 at home already, but they wiped the floor with the Magic and the Heat on their Florida road trip.
8) Miami (7-2) --> (5) D-Wade's dunk on Varejao was crazy good.
9) Orlando (7-3) --> (6) Rashard Lewis comes back tonight and the Magic are slowly getting healthy. Hopefully the defensive numbers will bounce back.
10) Dallas (7-3) --> (8) Must be a contract year, Erick Dampier is playing significantly better.
11) Houston (6-4) --> (9) I need to sit down and watch one of their games from start to finish because I am still not sure how they are doing so well without a superstar playing on their team.
12) Milwaukee (5-2) --> (17) Brandon Jennings put up 55 against the Warriors in a win on Saturday night. Can we say that the Bucks got a draft day steal (at least so far).
13) San Antonio (4-4) --> (13) The disconcerting part has been their defense, but on the positive note, with Duncan and Parker down, RJ and Manu have stepped it up. Hopefully, the four will be able to work together.
14) Chicago (5-4) --> (10) Do the Bulls have the third best center in the league?
15) Oklahoma City (5-5) --> (15) Holding steady in the middle of the pack. Durant threw up a 40-8-1 with a block and a steal in a losing effort to the Clips on Sunday.
16) Indiana (4-3) --> (19) Big win for the Pacers against the Celtics. Hopefully, they can build on it and continue to get solid minutes from their role players.
17) Detroit (5-5) --> (18) Did the Pistons waste money this offseason?
18) Toronto (5-5) --> (16) Tough game to lose after leading the game in the 4th by 7.
19) Philadelphia (4-6) --> (14) The Maresse Speights (out 6-8 weeks) injury can't be good but maybe this will help out Brand and get him started.
20) Sacramento (5-4) --> (25) Color me surprised with the Kings having 5 wins already despite Kevin Martin going down.
21) Utah (4-6) --> (23) Deron has missed the last two games dealing with a family situation but the outside shooters like CJ Miles and Korver missing extended time is also not helping.
22) LA Clippers (4-7) --> (20) Love the starting 5, the bench not so much.
23) Golden State (3-6) --> (26) Captain Jack seems to trying to get out the door and with Biedrins out, Anthony Randolph finally has an opportunity to produce.
24) Washington (2-7) --> (22) I can't figure my team out at all. They've lost 6 in a row and in lots of different ways. Caron Butler seems to be off. Hopefully, with Jamison coming back, the team will bounce back.
25) Charlotte (3-6) --> (24) Just can't get too excited out of what is coming from the Queen City. Their guard play has been atrocious.
26) New Orleans (3-8) --> (21) Byron Scott is out as coach, CP3 is down now for like 2 weeks and Jeff Bowers, the GM, takes over and is told to fix his mess he made.
27) Memphis (2-8) --> (29) Is "The Answer" really done?
28) New York (1-9) --> (28) MSG is definitely not a rockin' right now
29) Minnesota (1-10) --> (27) After an opening night win, they have lost 10 in a row.
30) New Jersey (0-10) --> (30) Still not a W in sight but they got close against the Sixers.

Top Fantasy Performers

So, each week, I'll take a look at the top 5 performers for the week overall and then look at the top 5 for each position for the season. BOLD PARENTHESES for players under 90% owned in Yahoo.

Top 5 Overall (from November 3 through November 9th):
1) Chris Paul (New Orleans) --> 24.8 pts, 4.5 boards, 11 dimes, 1.5 treys, 1.8 stls, 60.3% FG, 92% FT
2) Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) --> 27 pts, 8.3 rebs, 2.3 stl, 1.3 trey, 49.1% FG, 91.3% FT
3) LeBron James (Cleveland) --> 28.3 pts, 7.7 boards, 7 dimes, 1.3 stls, 1.7 treys, 56% FG
4) Chris Bosh (Toronto) --> 27.5 pts, 9.3 boards, 0.8 stls, 1 blk, 0.8 treys, 58.8% FG, 79.7% FT
5) Rudy Gay (Memphis) --> 28 pts, 6 boards, 1.3 stls, 1.3 treys, 55.6% FG, 80% FT

Top position players through November 9:
Point Guard
1) Chris Paul (New Orleans) --> 26.3 pts, 9.8 dimes, 1.9 treys, 1.3 stls, 63% FG, 86.5% FT
2) Rajon Rondo (Boston) --> 10.6 points, 4 boards, 9 dimes, 3.1 stls, 59.4% FG
3) Steve Nash (Phoenix) --> 18.3 pts, 12.9 dimes, 2.1 treys, 52.5% FG, 92.6 FT
4) Chauncey Billups (Denver) --> 19.7 pts, 5.1 dimes, 1.3, stls, 2.3 treys, 88.9 FT
5) Deron Williams (Utah) --> 21.4 pts, 4.9 boards, 10.7 dimes, 1 stl, 80.6% FT

Shooting Guard
1) Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers) --> 33.6 pts, 5.7 boards, 2.6 stls, 48.6% FG, 85.7% FT
2) Paul Pierce (Boston) --> 18.8 pts, 5 boards, 4.1 dimes, 2 treys, 1.3 stls, 51% FG, 85.7 FT
3) Jason Richardson (Phoenix) --> 20.3 pts, 3.7 treys, 55.7% FG
4) Larry Hughes (New York) --> 14.8 pts, 1.2 treys, 2.5 stls, 0.7 blks, 47.8% FG, 81.8% FT (63% owned)
- I still believe in Hughes and his fantasy potential that he has in D'Antoni's system
5) Ben Gordon (Detroit) --> 24 pts, 1.7 treys, 0.9 stls, 47.3% FG, 89.3% FT

Small Forward
1) LeBron James (Cleveland) --> 26.3 pts, 7.7 boards, 8 dimes, 1.7 stls, 0.9 blks, 1.7 treys, 51.7% FG
2) Carmelo Anthony (Denver) --> 31.4 pts, 6.3 boards, 1.7 stls, 81.8% FT
3) Josh Smith (Atlanta) --> 15.1 pts, 6.6 boards, 4.4 dimes, 1.6 stls, 2.9 blks, 57.3% FG
4) Rudy Gay (Memphis) --> 22.3 pts, 7 boards, 1.4 stls, 1 trey, 51.3% FG
5) Andrei Kirilenko (Utah) --> 13.7 pts, 4.7 boards, 1 stl, 1.4 blks, 1 trey, 47.8% FG, 80.6% FT (82% owned)
- How is AK-47 not universally owned? He provides a plethora of stats to fill the sheet up.

Power Forward
1) Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) --> 26.7 pts, 8.8 rebs, 2.3 stl, 1.3 stls, 1.7 blks, 1.2 trey, 89.1% FT
2) Chris Bosh (Toronto) --> 29 pts, 11.6 boards, 0.6 stls, 1 blk, 0.9 treys, 52.2% FG, 76% FT
3) Marcus Camby (LA Clippers) --> 9.3 pts, 9.9 boards, 1.3 stls, 2.4 blks, 49.2% FG
4) Joakim Noah (Chicago) --> 11.3 pts, 11 boards, 2.3 blks, 60.9% FG (81% owned)
- He is a player who you love to hate if he plays against you but would love to have on your team. He is constant hustle and energy and these stats have some staying power especially with Tyrus Thomas down.
5) David Lee (New York) --> 18.4 pts, 9.9 boards, 1 stl, 55.7% FG

Center
1) Marc Gasol (Memphis) --> 15.4 pts, 11.9 boards, 1.3 stl, 1.6 blks, 55.4% FG, 80% FT (88% owned)
- Just run out and pick him up with all the bricks going to be coming out of Memphis. He has lost weight and looks to be in great shape. Look for close to a double-double nightly with solid percentages.
2) Andrea Bargnani (Toronto) --> 20.1 pts, 6.4 boards, 2.4 treys, 1 blk, 52.6% FG, 91.7% FT
3) Andrew Bynum (LA Lakers) --> 20 pts, 10.6 boards, 1.2 stl, 1.2 blk, 54.9% FG, 75.9% FT
4) Chris Kaman (LA Clippers) --> 21.9 pts, 9.4 boards, 0.9 stl, 1.8 blks, 57.3% FG, 73.3% FT
5) Al Horford (Atlanta) --> 11.9 pts, 10.7 boards, 2.3 blks, 50% FG, 75% FT

Role Call Week 3

Your look around the league from the awesome to the putrid:

1) Boston (7-1) --> (1) only blemish came on Friday night against Phoenix at home but other than that they have been rolling
2) LA Lakers (6-1) --> (4) After the Dallas loss, they have rolled off5 straight wins and that is without Pau Gasol as well
3) Phoenix (6-1) --> (6) Do the Suns medical staff have like shamans or something down there? Case study 1: Shaq. Case study 2: Grant Hill
4) Denver (5-2) --> (3) 2-2 on current road trip (Indiana, New Jersey, Miami, Atlanta) with Chicago and Milwaukee to close it out
5) Miami (5-1) --> (5) D Wade is doing a great job and Quentin Richardson is adding some much needed scoring punch as well as Jermaine O'Neal and Beasley
6) Orlando (5-2) --> (2) They go 10 or 11 deep and that is good with the injuries and suspensions they have right now
7) Atlanta (5-2) --> (8) Solid West coast trip for the Hawks
8) Dallas (4-2) --> (10) With Josh Howard back, they have another weapon.
9) Houston (4-2) --> (12) Their two highest paid players are hurt but they are continuing to roll. The essence of team basketball.
10) Chicago (4-2) --> (16) Joakim Noah has been a beast down in the low post but now Thomas is hurt. Will it continue?
11) Cleveland (4-3) --> (11) This year it has to work for the Cavs to try and keep LeBron in his home state
12) Portland (4-3) --> (14) Starting 3 guards seemed to go real well against the Spurs on Friday
13) San Antonio (2-3) --> (7) Struggling on the defensive end of the court which is definitely surprising
14) Philadelphia (3-3) --> (13) The Sixers are still learning Eddie Jordan's Princeton offense but once they get it, they will be really good
15) Oklahoma City (3-3) --> (15) Durant and the rest of the young Thunder team seem to be gelling together well
16) Toronto (3-3) --> (21) Can Toronto do enough to keep Bosh up north after this year?
17) Milwaukee (3-2) --> (18) Brandon Jennings has been the best rookie from the Class of 2009 thus far
18) Detroit (3-4) --> (20) Rip has been hurt now for 5 games and they are still getting the kinks out
19) Indiana (2-3) --> (23) Tyler Hansbrough seems to still be able to get calls in the pro game
20) LA Clippers (3-4) --> (28) Kaman and Camby both see the writing on the wall. Blake Griffin is the future so these two are playing to stay or be shipped out to another team
21) New Orleans (2-5) --> (19) Chris Paul is putting up solid numbers but will anyone else be able to help out
22) Washington (2-5) --> (9) An 0-4 (@ Cleveland, vs. Miami, @ Indiana, vs. Phoenix) week will do that to ya but they were in all the games and had a chance to win except in Indiana
23) Utah (2-4) --> (17) They used to be rock solid at home but shaky on the road. Now they seem to be shaky at home as well
24) Charlotte (3-3) --> (26) Diaw and Raja Bell are providing solid leadership for this young team
25) Sacramento (3-4) --> (30) Kevin Martin is out but Tyreke Evans and the team as a whole has stepped up and got a few wins this week
26) Golden State (1-4) --> (24) Can Anthony Randolph get some consistent playing time?
27) Minnesota (1-6) --> (22) With Kevin Love hurt, Oleksiy Pecherov has proved some solid production
28) New York (1-6) --> (27) Can the summer of 2010 get here fast enough?
29) Memphis (1-6) --> (25) ...AI takes a leave of absence for a personal matter
30) New Jersey (0-7) --> (29) With Devin Harris hurt, the Nets are struggling to say the least

ESPN Wednesday Night

ESPN had two awesome games on last night that both came down to the last minute. The opener was the Heat @ the Wizards and the Heat came out strong and opened up a lead of 19 points but Washington clawed back and by the end of the third quarter, it was a back and forth affair until the buzzer sounded.
Danny, my brother, was not amused by the ball movement or lack thereof displayed by the Wizards. He was like basically the Wizards hold the ball for 15 seconds and then they set a high screen for Arenas then he drives and shoots or passes. No fluidity it seemed. Amazing how a lot of the NBA has become that way where it is dribbling then driving or shooting as the shot clock expires. When the ball moves around crisply, you get open shots for your teammates.
Back to the game, the Wizards had taken the lead at 89-87 with 90 seconds to go. The Heat drove and took the lead and then played solid defense. The Wizards decided to run their isolation offense (see above) with Arenas at the top and he drove and passed for an attempted alley oop that went awry. The Heat were able to get a solid shot and stopped the Wizards and ended up winning 93-89. A tough defeat to watch after they had dug themselves out of the hole they were in early.

As for the second game with Dallas @ New Orleans, it too was a close game. We'll pick it up with 10 seconds left in the 4th quarter. Dallas had the ball and was up by 3. They missed a technical free throw (Byron Scott received it for arguing) and then also missed two regular ones. Peja came down and drilled a trey to send the game to overtime tied at 97. In the overtime, the Hornets took over and won 114-107.
Chris Paul: 39 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals
David West: 25 points, 10 boards, 5 assists, 3 steals
Emeka Okafor: 11 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks
Jason Terry: 35 points
Erick Dampier: 16 points, 14 boards
Dirk Nowitzki: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 6 fouls (fouled out with 3 minutes to go in 4th), 4-15 FG

Needless to say, both were solid games and as for other noteworthy information:
2 of the 3 unbeatens won

• Nuggets (5-0) over the Nets in the Meadowlands 122-94 with Carmelo struggling with his shot
• Boston (6-0) eked out a victory over the T-Wolves in Minnesota 92-90
• Magic (4-1) knocked the Suns (4-1) from the ranks of the unbeaten with a home victory of 122-100

In the Artest-Ariza game (Lakers-Rockets), they played to a dead heat mostly but Kobe was phenomenal knocking in 41 points with an OT victory for the Lakers

So all in all a good night of hoops.

Watch and React

One of if not the best rivalry in the NBA continued last night with the Wiz meeting up with the Cavs in Cleveland. The Wiz came out scorching hot and opened up a lead of as big as 18 points. Everything seemed to be clicking for them. At the end of the first period, the score was 31-17. However, the Wiz were getting their bigs in foul trouble and the bench seemed to let up allowing the Cavs to come back and by halftime the score was only 54-50 Wiz. In the second half, the Cavs continued to attack and ended up winning 102-90. So the Wizards only scored 59 points in the final 36 minutes of the game. So the Cavs as is there calling card played some lockdown D. If the Wiz are to take the next step, they also need to have consistent defensive efforts because they have the horses to score ponts. Performances of note:
- Arenas and Butler each had 22 points for the game. Arenas also had 7 boards and 5 assists
- Mike Miller was the only other Wizard in double figures with 12 points and he also added 8 rebounds.
- Blatche and Haywood combined for only 15 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 blocks and the Washington "bigs" (Blatche, Haywood, McGee, Oberto) had 16 fouls.
- LeBron was LeBron with 27 points, 8 boards, 6 dimes and he also added 3 steals
- Shaq had 21-8 and Mo had 15 points and also 6 assists
- Varejao was his typical grunt work self getting a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards with a steal and a block as well

Journey as an NBA fan

So I figured I should probably give some information before we get too deep into the blog world. I am a sports junkie and love sports but for some reason basketball has always been what I loved the most to play and to watch. It truly is the best example of a team sport and beautiful artwork when done the right way.
First championship I remember watching: Bulls vs. Lakers (MJ's first title where he pulls off this move against Magic's Lakers
Favorite player and team (brief synopsis): I loved MJ just like all the other people in their pre-teen and teenage years, but my favorite player was Larry Johnson. Therefore, the Hornets became my favorite team growing up. I loved Larry at UNLV and it carried right over to the Hornets with his moves. Him and 'Zo together made an awesome duo and they were a really solid team. Then, George Shinn, owner of the Hornets, decided to be a JERK (btw, some things don't ever really change because it is the same way now with Chris Paul in New Orleans) and move the franchise after selling off all the pieces like Zo and LJ. Shinn was a penny-pinching owner who would not spend to improve the team and take them to the next level. I was torn but felt I needed a new team after the Hornets were moved to New Orleans. As a transplant from DC, I was drawn back to the Bullets (now currently the Wizards). They had some lean years but then things started to change when they signed Agent Zero to a 64 million dollar contract about 6 years ago followed by a shrewd trade of Kwame Brown for Caron Butler of the Lakers. Then we signed Antawn Jamison from the Mavs forming our current core.
However, the years between Jordan retiring from the Bulls after the shot over Bryon Russell and 2002 were a dead spot for me in my hoop watching like most NBA fans. However, toward the end of 2002-03 season, I kinda got pulled back in with the games coming onto ESPN and watching Yao and Amare battle for rookie of the year in my college apartment. The 2003 draft was insane with LeBron, Darko, Melo, Wade, and Bosh. 4 future NBA Hall of Famers there so I tended to gravitate towards Melo as he was a Baltimore native and had won the National Title in his only year at Syracuse. The combination of the new talent being influxed in and the Run and Gun Suns brought me back fully. They just wanted to score and score and score and they were entertaining. It would be an interesting study to do a case study of the Suns from the time that Steve Nash came to them from Dallas (future blog post). The rest as they say is history.

Top Fantasy Performers

So, each week, I'll take a look at the top 5 performers for the week overall and then look at the top 5 for each position for the season. BOLD PARENTHESES for players under 90% owned in Yahoo.

Top 5 Overall (through November 2nd):
1) Carmelo Anthony (Denver) --> 37.7 pts, 7 boards, 1.3 stls, 53.6 FG, 87.8 FT
2) Kevin Martin (Sacramento) --> 31 pts, 3.8 3PTM, 2.3 stls, 86 FT
3) Channing Frye (Phoenix) --> 19.7 pts, 5.7 boards, 4.3 treys, 2.0 stls, 58.3 FG (69% owned)
- with Frye, he has a starting job and is in the run and gun Suns offense. Nash will find him and he can knock down the treys, give you some boards and some steals. (UP, percentages might dip as well as steals but should be right around 2 treys a game possibly)
4) Paul Pierce (Boston) --> 21.8 pts, 6.5 boards, 3.3 treys, 1.5 stls, 58.3 FG, 85.7 FT
5) Larry Hughes (New York) --> 19 pts, 5.5 boards, 4 dimes, 2.5 stls (49% owned)
- In the D'Antoni system, I think Hughes definitely has some value especially with Nate Robinson down a minimum of 2 weeks and he might continue it on even after Robinson returns (UP)

Point Guard
1) Chris Paul (New Orleans) --> 27.8 pts, 8.5 dimes, 2.3 treys, 65.6 FG, 81.5 FT
2) Louis Williams (Philadelphia) --> 20.3 pts, 5.3 boards, 5.0 dimes, 1.7 stls, 63.6 FG, 84.2 FT (77% owned)
3) Chauncey Billups (Denver) --> 23 pts, 6.7 dimes, 2.7 treys, 89.3 FT
4) Aaron Brooks (Houston) --> 21 pts, 4.8 boards, 4. 8 dimes, 2.3 treys, 89.8 FT (84% owned)
- With Yao and T-Mac questionable this year, Brooks has stepped up and provided some very solid numbers and definitely feel he can continue with this in terms of those numbers. Maybe a dip in points but a bit of a spike in assists (UP)
5) Steve Nash (Phoenix) --> 18.7 pts, 14 dimes, 2 treys

Shooting Guard
1) Martin
2) Hughes
3) Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers) --> 31.3 pts, 7.3 boards, 3 stls
4) Jason Richardson (Phoenix) --> 23 pts, 4 treys, 1 stl, 57.1 FG
5) Brandon Roy (Portland) --> 27 pts, 4.8 boards, 4. 8 dimes, 2 treys, 89.8 FT

Small Forward
1) Anthony
2) Pierce
3) Danilo Gallinari (New York) --> 19.3 pts, 4 boards, 1 stl, 4.8 treys, 83.3 FT (75% owned)
- value comes with threes and his shooting and he is again in D'Antoni's offense so i'd say (HOLD)
4) LeBron James (Cleveland) --> 24.8 pts, 7.8 boards, 8.8 dimes, 1.3 stls, 1.3 blks, 48.6 FG
5) Josh Smith (Atlanta) --> 15 pts, 5.3 boards, 5.7 dimes, 2.3 stls, 1.7 blks, 58.1 FG

Power Forward
1) Frye
2) Andray Blatche (Washington) --> 21 pts, 6.3 boards, 1.3 blks, 71.8 FG, 77.8 FT (64% owned)
- Jamison is not playing right now since he is out but he has become the first man off the Wizards bench so there still might be some potential after Jamison comes back from injury (HOLD)
3) Marcus Camby (LA Clippers) --> 11.4 pts, 10.4 boards, 1.2 stls, 2.4 blks, 53.1 FG
4) Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) --> 26.3 pts, 9.3 rebs, 1.0 stl, 1.3 blks, 1 trey, 87.5 FT
5) Tim Duncan (San Antonio) --> 14.7 pts, 12.7 rebs, 1.3 stls, 1.3 blks, 62.5 FG

Center
1) Marc Gasol (Memphis) --> 19 pts, 12.3 boards, 1 stl, 1.5 blks, 64.9 FG, 84.8 FT (82% owned)
- Just run out and pick him up with all the bricks going to be coming out of Memphis. He has lost weight and looks to be in great shape. Look for close to a double-double nightly with solid percentages (UP)
2) Dwight Howard (Orlando) --> 21.7 points, 16 boards, 1.3 stls, 2.3 blks, 62.9 FG
3) Chris Kaman (LA Clippers) --> 22.6 pts, 10.2 boards, 1 stl, 1.8 blks, 60 FG, 77.3 FT
4) Andrea Bargnani (Toronto) --> 22 pts, 5 boards, 2.7 treys, 59 FG
5) Emeka Okafor (New Orleans) --> 14.5 pts, 10.8 boards, 2.3 blks, 54.5 FG, 83.3 FT

Role Call Week 2

1) Boston (4-0)--> 4 solid wins to start the year (@ Cleveland, vs. Charlotte, vs. Chicago, vs. New Orleans)
2) Orlando (3-0)--> Let the Vince reunion tour begin
3) Denver (3-0)--> Melo has been rolling to start the year out
4) LA Lakers (2-1)--> Defending champs got off to a good start to the year
5) Miami (3-0)--> D Wade helps Heat to good early stat
6) Phoenix (3-0)--> 7 Seconds or Less seems to be back
7) San Antonio (2-1)--> Manu catches a bat.
8) Atlanta (2-1)--> starting 5 for these guys can compete with anyone but can Crawford help the 2nd team and be a spark off the bench
9) Washington (2-1)--> Agent Zero is back but now Caron and Antawn are down. Luckily, Caron should be back for the Cleveland game on Tuesday.
10) Dallas (2-1)--> Good win against LA in Hollywood
11) Cleveland (2-2)--> Everyone needs to relax. Everything is fine. No need to blow up the roster. Let them play it out and work it out over the next few weeks.
12) Houston (2-1)--> Trevor Ariza had 33 points on Saturday
13) Philadelphia (2-1)--> Interested to see how Elton works his way into Philly's flow.
14) Portland (2-1)--> Ran up against the buzzsaw that is Melo but other than that performed admirably
15) Oklahoma City (2-1)--> Durant shot 3-21 last night with 0 assists.
16) Chicago (2-1)--> Good opening night win against the Spurs. Rose, Noah, Thomas were beast.
17) Utah (1-1)--> (see D Will)
18) Milwaukee (1-1)--> Brandon Jennings- solid opening week to start his NBA career
19) New Orleans (1-2)--> CP3 pretty much played Rondo to a dead heat and that can't be good if the Hornets are going to get wins
20) Detroit (1-2)--> still working out the kinks.
21) Toronto (1-2)--> good win on opening night against the Cavs. Now they just need consistency.
22) Minnesota (1-2)--> Kevin Love out 2 months but Jonny Flynn has been pretty good
23) Indiana (0-2)--> Danny Granger can't do it himself. He needs a sidekick badly.
24) Golden State (0-2)--> Where will Stephen Jackson end up?
25) Memphis (1-2)--> Still not enough basketballs and AI still hasn't played yet.
26) Charlotte (1-2)--> 59 points TOTAL against the Celtics on opening night.
27) New York (0-3)--> Nate Robinson has a sprained ankle and might be out up to two weeks but Larry Hughes seems like a nice fit in the D'Antoni system.
28) LA Clippers (0-4)--> Tough week to be a Clips fan: first with Blake Griffin going down, then a Ring Night on your home floor, then an 0-4 week.
29) New Jersey (0-3)--> With Devin Harris down, it definitely looks like the Nets are lost on the floor.
30) Sacramento (0-3)--> Tyreke Evans is a bright spot!

The Big Fundamental

Tim Duncan, the Big Fundamental, is probably the 2nd best player I have ever seen play behind Michael Jordan and definitely ahead of all of his contemporaries including Shaq, Kobe, Iverson, Garnett, and anyone else. Why do I say this? Because he is not concerned about stats because the only stat he cares about is wins as in "How many championships can I win?" He is at 4 right now and with the cast that is around him, I can definitely see them making a run to get a 5th ring this year. Current ring totals: Duncan 4, Kobe 4, Shaq 4, Garnett 1. How many rings could Kobe and Shaq have won if they sacrificed both of their egos. 6? 7? 8? They were two of the five best players (Kobe, Shaq, Duncan, AI, Garnett) at the time but they wouldn't sacrifice for team. Both Shaq and Kobe each won a ring after separating and now they are realizing their legacy is related to rings not scoring titles. Now a word about the split with the two. Kobe gets painted as the main culprit and problem for the split with Shaq. While I do think Kobe is part of the problem, I think it is very telling that Shaq (as an elite one of a kind center) has been on 5 different teams and always seems to leave on less than cordial terms (Magic, Lakers, Heat, Suns). Look at some of the players he has been traded for and there is not an elite player among them. The problem why most don't appreciate Duncan's game is that it isn't "sexy" enough. Boring comes to mind but he is far from that. He does all the little things to help his team win. Last night during the Bulls game, it was no different. He put on a clinic against the Bulls with his shooting and cutting and positioning himself for the basket (13-19 FG, 28 points, 16 boards, 2 steals, 3 blocks). I counted at least 5 to 6 shots that were bank shots from the elbow. Although the Spurs did not win on this night, Duncan has made an environment where winning is the culture and self is sacrificed for the better of the team. Comments are always welcome and I would love to discuss further why I think Duncan is the best of his contemporaries and the 2nd best I have seen (I was born in 1981 so didn't get to see Bird or Magic at their primes and remember it).

D Will

I didn't get a chance to watch much basketball last night with youth group and the World Series getting started but I did sit down to watch about 30 minutes of the Jazz-Nuggets game. In those 30 minutes I watched in the third quarter, Deron Williams (pictured to the left) truly was unstoppable. He used and abused Anthony Carter in so many ways both on the defensive end and the offensive end. He has such a great combination of speed and muscle. He used his speed to get to the lane for a driving layup and his muscle to handle any contact from a big man. He also used his body to put himself in the right position on defense and to muscle his opponents as well. He truly has the capability to do it all with the drives to the lane to take a layup or set someone up with a dime. He also has a phenomenal mid range game and can knock down 3s as well. Obviously, if the Jazz are to be successful this year, they will need to ride Williams and have him carry them into the playoffs and beyond. Chris Paul and Deron Williams will forever be linked due to them being drafted one pick apart and each are amazing athletes in there own rights, so it will be interesting in the next few years how it all works out with playoff victories and leading their respective teams.
Final Line: (9-15 FG, 2-3 3P, 8-8 FT) 28 points, 13 assists, 1 steal

Western Conference and NBA Finals

15 Questions for the West

Southwest:
San Antonio- Does Tim Duncan and Co. have one more run in them?
New Orleans- With CP3 and David West, can you ever truly consider them out of it?
Dallas- Is "The Matrix" reloaded?
Houston- Is Daryl Morey the top GM with the way he has constructed this team and lured Trevor Ariza away from LA?
Memphis- Are there going to be enough basketballs to go around?

Northwest:
Denver- How awesome is Chauncey Billups leadership and winning?
Utah- When will Jerry Sloan get a Coach of the Year recognition from his peers?
Oklahoma City- Can Kevin Durant take the team to the next level and get them to the playoffs?
Portland- I personally think they take a step back and stop listening to Nate McMillan, but I could be wrong. What say you?
Minnesota- So when exactly is Ricky Rubio going to be a T-Wolf if ever?

Pacific:
LA Lakers- Is Ron Artest that much of an upgrade to the Lakers to mess with the chemistry from last year?
Phoenix- Will 7 Seconds or Less return in the desert?
LA Clippers- Is Blake another pawn in the Clippers Curse?
Golden State- Anytime you can start 4 guards and one center you gotta do it, right?
Sacramento- With some of the best fans in the NBA, will the team be staying in Sacramento and if so does Arco need to go or get upgraded.

Playoffs:
1) Lakers
2) Nuggets
3) Spurs
4) Suns
5) Hornets
6) Mavs
7) Jazz
8) Thunder

Western Semis: Lakers over Suns, Spurs over Nuggets
Western Finals: Spurs over Lakers

NBA Finals: Spurs over Magic in 6 games
With the Spurs healthy, I think they have one more run in them and I like their additions of Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, and DaJuan Blair. They seemed to get younger overnight but Manu is the key for the Spurs. Can he stay healthy? With Dwight Howard and VC, I think the Magic will get back to the Finals but just against a different opponent but with the same result. Looking forward to another awesome NBA season.

Eastern Conference Predictions

15 Questions for the East

Atlantic:
Boston- Will KG's knee hold up the whole year and if so, should other teams be concerned?
Philadelphia- Will Elton justify the contract Philly lavished on him before the start of last year?
New York- Can 2010 come fast enough and will the King be a Knick?
Toronto- How exactly does signing Hedo to a 50 million dollar contract help keep Bosh there?
New Jersey- Can the "Russian Mark Cuban" get this team to Brooklyn?

Central:
Cleveland- Will Shaq win a ring for the King?
Chicago- What will Derrick Rose do for an encore after the first round series with Boston last year?
Indiana- Will Danny Granger be getting any help any time soon?
Detroit- How exactly do Charlie Villaneuva and Ben Gordon bring Detroit back to prominence?
Milwaukee- Has it really been since 1971 that we won a title (with Oscar and Kareem)?

Southeast:
Orlando- Will VC give a rip now that he is on a winner?
Washington- How much trust do you have in Agent Zero's knee?
Atlanta- Can Mike Woodson please get a contract extension?
Miami- Are more troops coming next summer to help D-Wade or is Flash bolting?
Charlotte- Hey MJ, if you cared about the Bobs as much as ripping people in your Hall of Fame speech, maybe you could field a winner.

Finish:
1) Celtics
2) Magic
3) Cavs
4) Wizards
5) Hawks
6) Bulls
7) Sixers
8) Heat

Eastern Semis: Wiz over Celts, Magic over Cavs
Eastern Finals: Magic over Wiz

Ring Night & other two games

Ring Night last night for the champs and the ring itself is insane. No, seriously, have a gander at this bad boy. Although I am not a huge Lakers fan (read Anti Lakers Fan), it was cool to see some of the old championship Lakers there including Magic, Rick Fox, the Logo (Jerry West) among others. On a side note, how do feel being the Clippers where you are treated like an afterthought and you have a championship celebration in the building you play in (Staples Center) but it isn't for you.
- Sad to see Blake Griffin is out for 6-8 weeks. For a comical but insightful read on the "Clippers Curse" read this article down before draft night by Bill Simmons. On a Bill Simmons note, I want to pick up his new book, The Book of Basketball, which came out yesterday.
- As for the game, Chris Kaman had a pretty good game with 18 points and 16 boards. Camby is working back from injury and put in 14 points and 6 boards mostly from the second half. And prolly my favorite Clipper, Eric Gordon, had 21 points with 4 assists. I just love his game and look forward to how he progresses this year in this his 2nd year.
- The Lakers seemed to always be in control of the game even though it was a good game throughout. Kobe paced the champs with 33 points and 8 boards and we had an Andrew Bynum (26-16) siting in the first game of the year but I won't put much stock in it since he went for 42 against them last year in a game and Pau Gasol was a DNP with a strained right hammy. Candyman and newly married Lamar Odom got the start and put in 16 points and 13 rebounds. Needless to say, it should be an interesting title defense with new addition Ron Artest and the circus that will follow him, Candyman and the other Lakers.

Wizards-Mavs
- After a 19 win campaign by my Wizards last year, hope springs eternal with a return to health of Agent Zero, Brendan Haywood, Deshawn Stevenson amongst others and adding Oberto, Randy Foye, and Mike Miller. However, with Antawn out about 4 weeks, Wizards fans await the combination of Arenas-Butler-Jamison to play a game together. Last time was in April 2007. However, the Wiz looked sharp last night in Big D scoring a 102-91 victory with solid defense and some awesome scoring from none other than Agent Zero, Gilbert Arenas. He looked to have his old hop in his step with his drives and shots. Final line was 29 points and 9 dimes. 39 points off the bench between Blatche and Foye also didn't hurt. Caron was his typical self with contributions across the stat sheet.
- The Mavs were paced by Dirk with 34 points and 9 boards. Did you know that was his 26th consecutive game with 20+ points and also the 11th straight game with 20+ against the Wizards. Was very impressed with Shawn Marion now that he is back in a run and gun offense he is able to use his skills (16-7 with 1 steal and 3 blocks) to the max and truly be "The Matrix."

Opening Night (Celts-Cavs)

Opening Night last night in the NBA. Kevin Garnett so aptly put it that "Opening Night is like a first date." Think there is a lot of truth to that. So glad the season is finally here and that we are finally playing games that matter. Watched 3 games last night: Celtics-Cavs, Wizards-Mavs, and Lakers-Clips. Each were different in there own respect.
Celtics-Cavs:
- Cavs started with a lot of intensity and got off to an early 21-7 lead, but the Celtics weathered the storm and were down 28-21 after 1 period
- Celtics owned the 2nd quarter and were up 51-45 at the half. The Celts bench with Rasheed and Marquis Daniels dominated the Cavs bench.
- 2nd half was back and forth and the Celts pulled it out 95-89. Paul Pierce (23 points, 11 boards) had two daggers at the end of the game to put it away for the Celts.
- Definitely was impressed as I said by Rasheed and Daniels and the energy and lines they had. Daniels gives the Celtics another ball handler. Rondo had a typical Rondo line with 8 points, 10 assists, 3 steals, and 6 boards. I know it was only game 1 of 82 for the regular season but Kevin Garnett (13-10-3 blocks) looked good but still not totally sold on the knee. However the C's missed his intensity and defense at the end of the year and into the playoffs.
- As for the Cavs, Lebron (38-7-8-2 steals and 4 blocks) was amazing. He had 4 blocks on the night and two on breakaway layups (45 seconds in and 1:48 in). Shaq had a double double with 10 and 10. Another player who caught my eye and has always flown under the radar for the teams he has played on is Anthony Parker. Solid line: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block