Thoughts

Thoughts:

I was kinda high on Larry Sanders but a few things will get in his way. He's not strong enough and I haven't seen him shoot the basketball. Also, he's playing behind Drew Gooden, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and Ersan Ilyasova so minutes will be tough to come by. Still, I think he's talented enough in various ways (good size despite being a little understrengthed, seems to be good enough offensively) that he'll find his way into a good bench spot in this league.

Derrick Caracter's Las Vegas summer league 2010 will be the last time we hear kind things said about him until LVSL 2011.

Free Ramon Sessions...to the Bobcats?

Still not sold on Demarcus Cousins, he showed a little promise in the Summer League, but if he's going to be shooting fade away jumpers then lol. If he can't bang down low he's not going to be an all-star.

A little early to anoint John (Jimmy) Wall, as the media seems to be doing, after he shot like 37% from the floor and turned the ball over so much. We already knew he was an excellent athlete, proving that in summer league is nothing. After all, Demar Derozan (chill out Toronto fans, I'm coming) also dominated.

Why does Toronto have a franchise? Yes, their fans are great, but no NBA player seems interested in playing there (except Steve Nash when he's 45). It sucks that NBA players are more attracted to warm areas or glamorous areas and feel fine leaving Minnesota, Cleveland, Toronto, etc. in the dust, but that's the truth and NBA players will continue practicing these methods, turning some cities into de facto Red Sox/Yankees conglomerates.

I love when the Celtics win. The big moments (The Rondo steal, Baby's game winner against the Magic, any of Ray's big shots over the past three years, and that time we won the championship) are amazing. But there's something about watching the Summer League, watching Keyon Dooling raving about Derrick Caracter and John Wall (can't believe they're in the same sentence), that makes me long for the days when I believed in Gerald Green and Tony Allen (Tony Allen fan for life right here). Maybe we'll return down that avenue in a few years when KG, Pierce, Ray and Perkins can no longer perform and it's the Rondo show much as it was the Pierce show for a long time. Maybe then I'll long for winning days.

Quick Hits

Couple of my friends were asking me why I don't write on the NBA since I'm so quick to talk hoops whenever possible, so I decided to re-ignite this for an evening. I'm planning on hitting everything from the NBA playoffs all the way until this bout of free agency, so I'll keep most of it brief (also I don't want to bludger you in the head with all that's already been written on the various subjects I will write on in this blurb).

Let's begin with Rasheed Wallace. You will have to believe me as I had not written on it anywhere officially, but I believed in Rasheed when no one else would. I mean it. Nobody else. I tried to explain my thoughts -- a 37 year old player with 35000+ minutes on his legs who has battled various injuries on a team that has other aging superstars who were missing various extents of time and were not in contention to win their conference. He's not going to be pushing for that 58th victory any time soon. Anyways, it only made sense that as a man who had grown up in the NBA of Shaq, where taking the regular season off for postseason success was the norm and not an exception, that he was going to be taking this route. And what happened? He left it on the floor, he battled with Shaq, he battled with Dwight, he took it to Pau better than any defender I've ever seen (if you told me that you could pull the chair on Pau Gasol I would not have believed you). So I feel vindicated. Probably not as vindicated as Sheed though.

As an afterward, he'll probably end up helping the Celtics in a continued way as we deal his expiring contract.*

*Quick note on that, but as uncertainty on the future of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) dawns upon us, I'm guessing that the fascination with the expiring contract will fade. Just a feeling but the trend of expiring contract's falling in value will continue.

Here's what I'm excited about: the Milwaukee Bucks. I don't know if words are successful when describing Brandon Jennings. He's incredibly poised for such a young player. It helps that he was put into an oppurtunity where he was given every chance to succeed (big minutes, a good supporting cast with the ball in his hands), but he's handled it in the biggest way possible, leading the Bucks to an improbable 7th game (credit also given to John Salmons) against the Hawks after Bogut, who was having by far his best season) was fell with a knee injury.

Moving forward, they've made some good decisions this offseason, adding depth in two troubled veterans (Corey Maggettee and Drew Gooden) who are now going to be handed a chance to prove they can contribute to a winning cause. They also kept John Salmons aboard, the catalyst to their late season push and a very talented shooting guard. They have Jennings, Salmons, Carlos Delfino, Ersan Ilyasova, Bogut, Maggettee, Gooden, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and of course, Michael Redd. Those are 9 very talened basketball players who can contribute in a variety of ways. I would be excited if I were a Bucks fan. Bold prediction time: the Bucks, if they avoid the Heat in the playoffs, will either win the East or be knocked off by the Celtics in a hard fought battle.

Here's what I'm not excited about: the Chicago Bulls. Yes, Boozer was a very good move. The Bulls will again have someone who can score in the halfcourt, filling the role that Ben Gordon left absent (follow me for a second, I know they play vastly different positions, but it doesn't matter. Positions are largely irrelevant, it's how you are able to impact the game that counts, regardless of where you stand at the tip-off.) But they lost Kirk Heinrich, they have absolutely no bench, and I'm skeptical that they can beat any of the big teams in the East.

One final thought on this and then I'll move on: if the Bulls are more successful than I am giving them credit for, it will be due to Luol Deng.

Let's talk the power alignment, East and West (conferences, not rappers). The East is better. It has been for awhile. Last year the four best teams in the NBA were the Cavaliers, Lakers, Celtics, and Magic. Next year it will be the Heat, Lakers, Celtics, and Magic (I want to add the Bucks and Thunder, but I want you to continue reading my articles (if I continue to write). Anyways, the Eastern Conference featured the upstart Celtics rolling through the Magic and Cavaliers (if you haven't forgotten, they were pegged as the favorites before the playoffs), and on the other side the Lakers beating a cast of pretty good, but not great teams. And here's the kicker: the East has improved (West-to-East: Boozer, Amare, Anthony Randolph, Leandro Barbosa. East-to-West: David Lee and Brad Miller?)

Rookie Summer League: why bother? It's practically pickup, besides being a great social event for young players and a way for other less known young players to make a name for themselves, it doesn't serve a purpose. Every time I hear it described the words "pickup basketball" are used in the description. Alright, I think I get it. It's fun, it showcases talent, and gives us basketball junkies a look at some guys we hadn't seen yet. But let's stop projecting so much based on it. Gerald Green was the star of summer league one year. This year Demarcus Cousins, John Wall, and Demar Derozan are the stars. All three could be stars. Cousins and Derozan could also be busts. Hold off on players who haven't beaten an NBA offense yet.

The Lakers championship was gross. It wasn't World Cup bad, but I came away shaking my head. Also, they rolled through a weak Western Conference and beat the Celtics only due to Kendrick Perkins' injury and the worst game of Ray Allen's career. I'm over it though.

A few predictions:
1. Heat (61)
2. Magic (58)
3. Bucks (50)
4. Hawks
5. Celtics
6. Bulls
7. Bobcats
8. Knicks

Heat over Knicks
Magic over Bobcats
Bucks over Bulls
Celtics over Hawks
Celtics over Heat
Bucks over Magic
Celtics over Bucks

1. Lakers (59)
2. Blazers (58)
3. Thunder (57)
4. Nuggets
5. Hornets
6. Jazz
7. Mavericks
8. Spurs

Lakers over Spurs
Blazers over Mavericks
Thunder over Jazz
Hornets over Nuggets
Lakers over Hornets
Blazers over Thunder
Lakers over Blazers
Celtics over Lakers

MVP: Durant
ROY: John Wall
MIP: Raymond Felton

Just a little more:

1. Ramon Sessions should be starting somewhere. Hopefully Charlotte.
2. Serge Ibaka will be on everyone's tounge.
3. Michael Beasley will post huge numbers and the T'Wolves will be a much improved team.
4. Al Jefferson in Utah won't be pretty and they should have just run with Millsap.
5. Chris Bosh will think he's the man...until he gets punked in the playoffs.
6. LeBron James will think he's the man...until he gets punked in the playoffs...again.
7. Cousins and Tyreke Evans will be awesome.
8. Must watch NBA teams: Bucks, Bobcats, Grizzlies, Kings, Heat, Warriors, and Wizards.

Here are the best seven players in the NBA for next season, after this there is a pretty sizeable dropoff (note: Greg Oden is added to this list if he's healthy).
1. Lebron
2. Dwight
3. Durant
4. Chris Paul
5. Wade
6. Pau Gasol
7. Deron Williams

Next Article: I'm going to compile a list of the top 50 players in NBA history. Just to prove Paul Pierce belongs.

The East's Least Talked About Could Be

You know who I never see or hear people talk about any more? The Miami Heat. Yeah we talked about them after the Jermaine O'Neal-Shawn Marion trade. Sure you see Dwyane Wade putting up monster lines and some unbelievable highlights. But that's it. Michael Beasley, aka the next coming of Glenn Robinson, doesn't get as much hype as other rookies. They won't beat the Celtics/Cavaliers (and it seems likely they won't be in a position to play the Magic) in the playoffs. So what's there to talk about?

Their future. And it's beautiful.

I didn't really hear too much mention of this, or even write about it during the trade column article I did a week back, but the biggest externality of the O'Neal-Marion trade? When Jermaine O'Neal's contract expires. 2010 baby. The motherload.

Before I continue on that thought, let me show you what the Heat have right now in terms of talent to offer:

Dwyane Wade- On everyone's top 5 MVP list. Either All NBA first or second team. The best player on the court in the Summer Olympics.

Michael Beasley-I've already chronicled him as the next Glenn Robinson in this post, but I want to be serious about Beasley for a second. He's only playing 24 minutes per game off the bench. Now think about if he's getting starters' minutes playing alongside DWade. His numbers go up. Plus. He already seems labled as a bust, but how many players in this draft class are guaranteed to be better than Beasley, barring injury? I count two.

Mario Chalmers- Worst case scenario? He's a great defender who can play a little offense and hit an open shot, spreading the floor for Wade.

Udonis Haslem- Throws in a solid jumper, decent rebounding, and good defense. Oh and an NBA championship ring.

That's a 1-4 that could get it done. With the right big man.

That's where Jermaine O'Neal comes in. Or should I say Jermaine O'Neal's Expiring Contract (JOEC). With the JOEC in hand be it this summer, at the beginning of the season, or at the trade deadline, the Heat will be playing the role of buyers. And who will they be buying? Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire.

Chris Bosh is an absolute all-star and one of the top 10 big men in the NBA right now. Although the Raptors haven't played the way people thought they would after the Jermaine O'Neal trade, Bosh still deserves his due as a player. He puts up 22.3 and 9.5 as the guy that defenses plan around. That's impressive. On a winning team he would be a borderline MVP candidate.

But there's a problem with Bosh. He's a shooter. Rarely oh rarely do big men who shoot make the NBA finals. Here's the list in the last ten years: Rasheed Wallace, Jermaine O'Neal, Dirk, Zydrunas Ilguaskas, Kevin Garnett. Sure, it happens. And it's not like you need to eradicate shooting from your arsenal to get there, just ask Tim Duncan. But for Miami it's not the right fit. He, Wade and Beasley would have some difficulty meshing.

The other guy is Amare Stoudemire. We all know Amare has his issues. Poor attitude, worse defender. But during those D'Antoni Suns years, he was putting up numbers that had people talking like he was a top 10 player in the NBA. This season he was struggling, but that makes sense with the offense moving slower and the Suns running more through Shaq than before.

Now think about him as the Heat's big man. Wade is a great passer. He's no Nash, but he gets a lot of assists from the shooting guard position. Chalmers is a good passer as well.

But what makes this great is the same thing that made Amare great with those Suns teams. Everyone else on the floor will be able to shoot, and not just that, but will leave the paint entirely to Amare and Wade. And before you say that the team would struggle defensively, won't it be at least comparable to those Suns defense? And those teams were a championship contender every year. Add in the quality veterans who will be banging down the doors to play in the nicest climate in the NBA once Wade and Amare get their extensions, and this is a team that will compete next year, and continue as an Eastern Conference favorite every year for at least 5 years.

Oh, and did I mention how exciting a team with Amare and Wade would be?

But with this economy, we can only hope. So one time David Stern, make it happen!

Trade Deadline Thoughts

I love the trade deadline for one simple reason: it gives me a chance to measure my NBA IQ. Last year, like most sane people, I found myself having to give reasons why the Shaq trade was good for Phoenix. "Oh, Shaq's a proven winner." "It will give them a go-to-guy in the half court." Etc. When it didn't work out, I promised myself I would never not follow my gut on an NBA trade ever again.

So here are my gut reactions to the deals:

Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks

Great trade for the Heat, but I think it might be getting over hyped a bit. Yeah, when Jermaine is healthy he can play great defense, but he's never been that good offensively and he hasn't been able to stay healthy for most of his career. He's also 30 years old and has an awful contract. If Miami wanted to have the ability to contend for the best team not named Boston, Cleveland, or Orlando, then they've succeeded. But they've also killed their ability to sign Carlos Boozer this summer. Jamario Moon will also be a nice fit as a poor man's Marion. Overall there's some upside to this trade, I'm just not sure it's enough to justify paying Jermaine O'Neal $50 million.

Watching the Raptors play, it's pretty obvious they need a wing scorer. Shawn Marion is over the hill, he's a selfish person, and he's not a wing scorer. The one nice thing is that he's off the books this season, giving the Raptors some cap room for one last stand before Bosh leaves in 2010. The only problem is that nobody in their right mind wants to play for Toronto.

If you read my last article (which should probably also be rescinded), you'll notice that I wanted the Thunder to pick up a defensive-minded wing player. No doubt they did this in picking up Thabo Sefolosha. In one of their many draft day deals, Chicago dropped the so far disappointing Sefolosha, but I think time will show that this deal was a steal for the Thunder as this is exactly the type of player they had been looking for.

Bulls and Kings swap 6 players

When I watch the Bulls, I get a little confused. As far as I can tell, they have no direction offensively. Sometimes they push when they should pull, sometimes they pull when they should push (some might call that having a rookie PG). No doubt, however, that picking up two players as talented as Brad Miller and John Salmons will help things out.

Here's their rotation currently:

PG: Derrick Rose
SG: Ben Gordon
SF: Luol Deng
PF: Tyrus Thomas
C: Brad Miller
G: Kirk Hinrich
G/F: John Salmons
F: Joakim Noah
C: Aaron Gray

That's a strong rotation. Before the trade, I would've labled two of Chicago's bigger offensive problems as poor passing and lack of bench scoring. Well, I think they've addressed those needs (Miller averages 3.4 APG from the center position, Salmons was scoring 18.3 PPG). Before the trade, I would've put Chicago on the outside looking in at the playoffs. Now, I think they should be a lock.

The Bulls also picked up Tim Thomas from the Knicks, whose having a nice little season shooting over 40% on 3's, so he's a good pickup for them too, although I'm not sure where he'll squeeze those minutes in, unless Aaron Gray gets stashed on the bench.

On the other side, the Knicks pick up Larry Hughes, who has one of the worst contracts in basketball (he'll make just over 25 million over the next two years). But his contract expires in time for, you guessed it, 2010.

The other Knicks move is probably my favorite move of the season. After the rescinded New Orleans trade, New York snatched up the available Chris Wilcox. People who have talked NBA with me before know where this is going, but I think this is going to be the time when, once and for all, we discover just how overrated Amare Stoudemire is.

To explain, coming out of Maryland, Chris Wilcox was billed as a very athletic, great finishing power forward. Given that his point guards have ranged from Rick Brunson to Luke Ridnour to Russell Westbrook, and he's still put up relatively good shooting %'s for his career, it will be telling to see if he can put up some really good numbers with Mike D'Antoni.

I don't want to say that he'll put up Amare-esque numbers, because he's going to be behind David Lee and Al Harrington on the depth chart and might not get the minutes, but if he puts up anything close to the efficiency numbers that Amare put up, it will put the issue of Amare's talent to bed once and for all.

Sacramento pulled off three different trades, all of which served little or no purpose, or were just bad. To be honest, I couldn't tell you Sacramento's gameplan right now. They signed Beno Udrih to a really bad contract this summer, and will live with that through 2013. Then they went out and picked up Andres Nocioni's really bad contract, which also goes through 2013. They have Fransisco Garcia, Kevin Martin, Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson, and Donte Green all tied up for awhile as well, but I really don't see that core winning anything any time soon. I think they might have involved themselves in a few deals where they helped out some teams in exchange for "scratch my back, I'll scratch yours in the future" type deal.

The final trade I'll look at sent Rafer Alston to the PG desperate Orlando Magic. He'll be good to hit the occasional shot and to manage the Orlando offense. I like the move. Houston were lucky enough to be able to take in Kyle Lowry, the very athletic "point guard" from Villanova. I'm a fan of his, but I feel like he'll get sucked into the Houston point guard trap (although maybe not with T-Mac being done for the season). The last team, Memphis basically dumped Kyle Lowry in a financial move.



All around wholesome fun for everyone involved, although it's not completely done, as there are still teams who have fewer than 15 players (ahem, Celtics) and will look to fill up their roster with quality veterans as they look forward to playoff and championship pushes.

"The Team That Shall Not Be Named"

It's been a bittersweet season so far concerning the Oklahoma City Thunder. I was by no means a Sonics fan, but that team and that city obviously had a lot of history. This was obviously a big topic over the past year for the NBA, so I won't bore you with any details, but if you can't feel for the city of Seattle and the Sonics fans, then I might not be the right writer for you.

But on the other hand, it's a really exciting time for anyone who has any interest in the Thunder. David Thorpe has compared Westbrook to Dwyane Wade. Kevin Durant, fresh off his first big public appearance in which he destroyed the Rookie-Sophomore game, has been arguably the best player offensively in 2009. In the entire NBA. Look at the numbers. His game, with his ability to score in almost every way possible, without being an unbelievable athlete, reminds me of Larry Bird. And before you scoff at that idea, let me remind you that Durant is only 20. Bird was 23 as a rookie.

Right there, you have two future superstars of the NBA, neither of whom can legally purchase alcoholic beverages.

So why then, is OKC at the bottom of the standings? For one thing, neither Durant nor Westbrook is there. Not yet. Durant can put up points with the best of them, but he's still a lousy passer and defender. Westbrook is a shooting guard trying to run a team. That's why Earl Watson is getting significant minutes. Will Westbrook develop the skills to be a point guard? Questions like that are why I follow the game, and I can only hope the answer is yes.

As far as future prospect is concerned, smart money rides with the Thunder. The Thunder also have Durant's fellow sophomore, Jeff Green. Green is not a superstar by any means, but he has the game to become a James Posey type player. Not quite good enough (nor does he have the position), to be a starter, but he could be one of the best players in the NBA off the bench. In addition to their three young players, they picked up Tyson Chandler today as well. Chandler has been on and off injured this entire season, and even when he's played, he hasn't been great. But he's still 26, and has shown the ability to be a great rebounder and very competent finisher.

So the Thunder have a core of Westbrook, Durant, Chandler, and Jeff Green, all under contract through at least 2011. So two all-star caliber players along with two good players. That's a good place to start, especially in today's NBA where you need at least 3 all-star caliber players, along with some good players to knock off King James.

So what's next for the Thunder? Well, we get to play my favorite game: NBA General Manager. BTW, here are the links I use, so you can play along.

PG: Westbrook
SG: ???
SF: Durant
PF: ???
C: Chandler
Bench ball-handler: ???
Bench swingman: ???
Bench tweener: Green
Bench big man: ???

It's tough to ask someone to predict exactly which players a team should get, especially since we're speculating a couple years in advance, but this is an approximation of what the Thunder would need to catapult themselves into the Cavs/Lakers/Trailblazers/Magic/Jazz conversation that will be occurring once the Celtics and Spurs are all done (btw, the Nuggets belong with one of those two groups, but I'm not sure which so I'll leave them out for now.)

When I've seen the Thunder play, their half-court offense looks like. Post Kevin Durant up at the top of the 3 point line and let him go. It's such an amazing testament to his talent that he puts up the numbers he does given that this is how they often utilize him.

The other part of their offense is the transition offense, lead by the extremely athletic Russell Westbrook. To utilize him correctly, I think he needs a running mate. Ideally, they'd win the lottery and be able to select Blake Griffin (who I think will develop into a nice player, something akin to a pre-injury Kenyon Martin). But this is the real world, and the Thunder won't have a great shot to win the lottery and select Griffin. So the Thunder will need to dig into their scouting and look for the next Paul Millsap, David Lee, or Amare Stoudemire. A mid-late round pick with little to no ability other than to rebound and put the ball in the basket (although hopefully he'll be better defensively than those three).

As for the shooting guard, I'm not too familiar (yet) with who's available in the lottery this year, but picking a shooting guard for this team shouldn't be difficult. They need a lockdown defender. Not even talking the Battier's or Bowen's of this world, but a guy like Raja Bell would suffice.

So the lineup looks like this:
PG: Westbrook
SG: Lock-down defender a la Raja Bell
SF: Durant
PF: High-flier with minimal isolation ability, but who boards hard
C: Chandler

Re-sign Earl Watson to the MLE, throw in Green, Kristic, and a pure scoring 2-guard off the bench, and that's a top rate team.

One that hopefully will keep rings off of King James fingers.

All-Star Game Running Blog

7:53 pm: Welcome to my first annual All-Star Game running diary! Sorry to be copping Sports Guy's style, but someone's gonna have to be ready to fill his shoes. And as such, I just cracked my first beer. I've spent my day procrastinating my spanish essay (finished it in about 30 minutes), because all day I've been watching old All Star Games. Earlier was the 1988, currently I'm watching the 1998. In games full of the best players in the world, Jordan really stands out. Especially in 1988, Jordan was everywhere. It reminded me of Dwyane Wade in the Olympics, only he wasn't being guarded by the 8th player on the Portland Trailblazers, he was being guarded by Clyde Drexler and a young Kobe Bryant.

7:57: In a couple minutes, I'll be switching to the TNT broadcast, just want to comment that Bill Walton and Isiah Thomas did the color commentary for the 1998 game. I think that just about says it.

7:58: Isiah and Walton are all over Kobe. Just all over him. They're already crowning him the next Jordan. By the way, Antoine Walker and MJ were on the floor at the same time. Toine running his point forward routine that he would for those Celtics teams, walks up to the 3 point line and chucks it up. Clank. Grimace.

8:00: Time to switch to the TNT coverage of this year's ASG.

8:00: If you don't want to read about Kevin Durant, you might not want to continue reading from here on in.

8:03: Here comes the pregame show. The past two nights I've watched the NBA festivities, and both nights the girls I am with were constantly questioning why DWade was wearing the "WADE" bandaid under his eye. Wanna hear a joke? The WNBA.

8:04: Decent pregame show. CWebb has proven himself to be awesome. Kenny Smith, nahhht so much. Ernie Johnson is a very good pregame host, largely due to his experience handling Sir Charles.

8:05: Aaaaaaaaaand I'm already done with Craig Sager for the night. But the first interview of the night reminds me to post this amazing clip from Letterman.

8:06: As an externality to my enjoyment to Durant's game, if he turns out to be the player I hope, maybe I won't have to see as many LBJ interviews.

8:07: Two big underlying themes for the night: Amare's last game as a Phoenix sun? Will Shaq stop the game to talk about his relationship with Kobe?

8:09: The only difference between David Stern in 1988 and 2009 is the color of his hair.

8:11: First commercial break, here's a time for my predictions: Kobe and LBJ, although both claiming they will take it easy, really push themselves and we have a great game. Kobe takes down the MVP as the West wins 131-128.

8:12: DWade is talking about how all weekend Kevin Garnett "cutting up" everyone. The only cutting up I can see KG doing is taking axes to locker room furniture. That's my mental image.

8:14: Shaq has the demeanor of someone who is either already out or on his way out.

8:14: Sager's bright red alligator skin shoes are burned into my brain.

8:15: Iverson without the cornrows for the first time in 13 years might actually be the biggest shame of the night. That or the fact that he's in the game...

8:16: Shaq: Kobe! Kobe! How you doing my ex-student???
Kobe: Um...oh hey Shaq.
Shaq: It's so good to see you young padawan hahahaha. What are you up to after the game?!?
Kobe: Oh...Actually I think I'm coming down with...uh...a cold I think I'll probably just head back to my room.
Shaq: That's awful, Kobelaughagus, let me know...(notices Kobe walking away)...wait Kobe where are you going? KOBE! KOBE! I NEEEEEEEEED YOU!

8:19: Great we have Reggie "nobody has ever enjoyed doing commentary with me" Miller in the booth.

8:22: Kobe looks incredibly loose. LBJ looks incredibly tense.

8:22: I watched the new Star Wars show last night. Gotta say it wasn't bad. I probably won't make a habit of reading it, but you'll know I'm really drunk if I'm watching it at the end of the night.

8:29: Tony Parker has that constant "yeah I'm married to Eva Longoria and you're not" smirk on his face.

8:30: And Pau Gasol walks on stage brushing his hair back. I thought they said he improved his toughness.

8:30: I officially take back everything bad I ever said about Shaq. That man can move.

8:33: Amare Stoudemire made the all star game over Al Jefferson and Kevin Durant. Just a reminder.

8:34: DId I mention how much I love NBA players awkwardly moving around on stage? If only Rasheed Wallace was there.

8:39: While I'm being tortured with more pregame nonsense, I'll take this moment to acknowledge this article about Daryl Morey and Shane Battier by Michael Lewis. It is absolutely, definetly, positively, etc. worth a read for anyone who is remotely interested in basketball. (Note: if you're not a NYTimes.com member, you'll need to sign up, which only takes a second)

8:42: Duncan and Kobe, the two guys who vie for the "Best since Jordan" crown, have been doing this all-star thing together for a decade.

8:45: For the record, I cannot believe that Houston is letting Yao play in this.

8:46: Someone please tell DWade that the 3 point contest was last night and no one is going to mind if he actually attacks the rim. Please. Thank you.

8:48: Dwight Howard already with a dunk more impressive than any from the dunk contest, then making his presence felt defensively with a beautiful block on Chris Paul.

8:51: I can't give better accolades to Chris Paul other than that he reminds me of Jordan. Not so much their game because CP3 is a PG and MJ was a SG, but their overall tenacity and attitude towards the game. I say this as Paul steals a ball from KG's clutches penetrates then sets up Kobe for the flyind dunk.

8:52: East up an easy 20-10. Here's to hoping this doesn't get out of hand.

8:54: The Jim Beam girl is a dream.

8:58: Kobe knocks down a 3, LBJ? Bricks one next possession.

8:59: Is it too late to change my MVP vote to Chris Paul?

9:00: Nevermind I'll stick with Kobe.

9:01: Dough Collins is telling us that Shaq is a bad match up for Rashard Lewis. Thanks Doug. Do you think this makes Danny Ferry question Mike Brown's coaching ability?

9:05: How much is Phoenix loving Shaq playing with complete rejuvenation right now?

9:07: This is shaping up to be a very good game. 32-25 West is up. Great, great passing so far.

9:09: The girl watching the game with me just commented that she'd "be up to (Pau Gasol)'s hips."

9:11: Here's to not understanding the G commercials.

9:14: East playing that lineup with Rashard Lewis at center again. I think Mike Brown is trying to kill this game. I will kill him.

9:15: My friend Pat wants me to remind you all that Rondo would be tearing this game up.

9:17: As Pierce single handedly keeps this game alive. Did I mention that I don't like Mike Brown?

9:18: Pierce blowing up right now reminds me, Kevin Durant should be in the game right now, matching him shot for shot. :(

9:21: Time after time........

9:23: Just a reminder, Kevin Durant is awesome. He's been the only highlight so far this weekend, until this game which has turned out to be spectacular.

9:24: Any time the Jim Beam girl comes on tv, we're doing a shot of JB.

9:24: As David West bricks a shot. Where is DURANT!??!?!?!

9:30: I think I'm gonna hate the Jim Beam girl....

9:33: Upon watching the Craig Sager-Dirk Nowitzki interview about the Make-a-Wish foundation, my friend Dave says "I want to hear him say Schniza," and I think it would be about as meaningful as the rest of that interview.

9:36: Pat: how many fake behind the backs will rondo use when he finally makes the asg?

9:37: Those new Microsoft commercials reaaaaaally excite girls. College girls want kids? Who would've thought.

9:41: Bathroom break and I'm back. I was thinking a big reason I like the all-star game is that it's a break from the usual monotony and grinding that has become most NBA games. Don't get me wrong, "the NBA, it's faaaaaaaantastic," but I like a change of pace.

9:45: Paul Pierce and Chris Paul are my first half MVPs. For the record I'm wrong to assign Mike Brown the blame for playing Rashard Lewis at center. Here are the big men for the East: Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard. I know they lost Bosh, but great job NBA coaches.

9:51: And now I'll be taking rum shots for the G commercials. Depending on NBA commercial contracting, tonight could get sloppy.

9:54: Barack joining in on the half-time festivities.

9:55: I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that the halftime show is John Legend and Juanes as opposed to Corbin Bleu who shamed Durant's brilliant game in the rookie-sophomore game with that halftime "performance." He single-handedly interested millions of teenage girls in Durant though, so I can't complain. For the record, on my 21st birthday, I sang "A Dios Le Pido" by Juanes and "Time after Time" by Cyndi Lauper. So I guess the NBA does care...about me.

10:05: Half-time discussion has revolved around the new waffle sandwich at Dunkin' Donuts. Which brings up the McGriddle, which is amazing (note: cannot eat anymore because I'm a vegetarian). But all of you who aren't vegetarians, please eat one for me.

10:07: Luis Scola- my friend from Argentina

10:10: Here's to the Olympic basketball team and the great game they played in the finals against Spain.

10:13: I was in the bathroom for the initial cake presentation to Bill Russell. Now that I've seen it, just want to comment on a couple things:
1) Bill Russell finally getting his due from the NBA with the award.
2) The Big 3 is awesome. It's a great time to be a Celtics fan.
3) Any time that KG and Bill Russell get together it's really awkward.

10:18: Chris Bosh in a NBA Cares commercial. Just want to make it official that I think he's going to go Vince Carter on us. I hope I'm wrong, but anyways, I don't think Toronto can support a franchise.

10:20: Minute of silence to the snubbery of Kevin Durant and Al Jefferson.

10:21: Iverson throwing the ball over the backboard...I can see Pat right now boiling with rage as someone consoles him that Rondo will make the all star game next year.

10:23: For the record, this year's rookie class is going to be stacked with future borderline all-stars...all of whom will run into the greatness that is Kevin Durant.


10:28: This game is going to get very out of hand once the subs come in and Rashard takes his spot at center again.

10:34: The site of the Jim Beam girl makes me cringe at this point. And it's only been 3 shots of JB. I'll admit I've gone a little soft.

10:38: This game is officially out of hand. GG East.

10:41: The Big Cactus!!! I missed both the original and the replay of the great the pass through Dwight's legs and Shaq's finish. Pat's reaction? "wekjrhfwiwejhrf???"

10:46: Everyone, including me, seems to be mailing the rest of this game in. I promise to you, my sparing readers, that I will not be going Vince Carter like the rest.

10:47: While they're talking about Joe Johnson, my brother DB said that he thinks that JJ is the closest to LBJ in the league. I'm not sure about that, but he's a very complete player.

10:53: I just noticed that my friend Moe was wearing her Steve Smith Blazers jersey, so I threw my Sabonis jersey on. Microcosm of this all-star weekend.

10:55: There's not really much to say about this game any more, except at this point it looks like I'll be right about my MVP vote. Not that important, but it's always nice to beat Pat, whose probably the only person I'm competitive with.

10:59: Just got off the phone with DB,
"The East isn't trying...Mike Brown has done a bad job coaching...Not enough big men in the East...Shaq's the MVP" Gist of the conversation.

11:01: FWIW, I wouldn't be surprised if Shaq won MVP, but I think CP3 deserves it and that Kobe will get it.

11:03: In response to LBJ's huge travel (took 4.5 steps), I got an IM from Pat and a text from DB about it. So I'll post this.

11:04: Awww at the clip of Shaq and Kobe fooling around before the game. It's honestly heart-warming.

11:05: I haven't commented on this new BK commercial, but uh...yeah. One of the girls called it an "annoying commercial." I think that totally validates how great a commercial that is. Or maybe I'm a little drunk at this time.

11:09: The All-Star Game does a really good job of seperating all-stars from superstars. Kobe, LBJ, DWade, Shaq, CP3, PP. Those guys have stood out. Devin Harris, Granger, Joe Johnson, Brandon Roy. Those guys seem just happy to be there. A little disappointed Ray didn't bring back another big game.

11:12: Another G commercial...and I'm not sure if I give CP3 or Kobe the award at this point.

11:16: Terrell Owens with those um.....sunglasses. I wonder what watching an NBA game through red tint looks like.

11:17: Amare potentially capping off his career in Phoenix with a thunderous dunk.

11:19: West 146-East 119. Game over. Awards wrap-up then I'm going to get some pancakes.

11:23: Both Shaq and Kobe are there for the MVP presentation...co-MVP. To quote Pat "the epitome of CUTE..." The NBA: Where CUTE happens.

11:25: You know, for a kinda disappointing all-star weekend, we take two great things away. 1) Durant's official arrival. 2) The end of the Shaq-Kobe saga (hopefully).

Anyways, thanks for keeping up with tonight's running diary, as always if you have any suggestions or anything at all, leave a comment and I'll be sure to take a look and get back to you.

My New Blog

Welcome to Baller Stat-us (props to CS on the title). On this blog I'm going to cover everything basketball. I don't even want to cover everything because the list could go on and on, but basically I'm taking a look at anything that I feel like at any given time, because it is my blog.

To give you a brief overview of my basketball history, I have been watching my whole life (my dad is the biggest Celtics homer on earth). So if you see me talking about Dino Radja, don't be surprised. I played when I was young and haven't really stopped playing, although I only played high school basketball one season. I also was the assistant coach of a middle school team in high school, but I'm not sure that really resembled basketball. I currently play on an intramural team in college at UMass Amherst that has some potential to do some damage, but is currently struggling (made the semifinals of the winter holiday tournament, but currently 0-2 in league play in the spring season). I'll keep you updated on that. My game gets compared to Baron Davis, Jason Kidd and Rajon Rondo, but I think I'm probably most similar to Dre Miller.

The Celtics are my favorite team and Paul Pierce is my favorite player, but I'm also currently a fan of the T'Wolves, Knicks, Grizzlies and Thunder. Al Jefferson and Kevin Durant are probably my two favorite non-Celtics. Maybe because I think Big Al is going to be the next McHale and Durant the next Bird. I don't like LeBron, think Dwight Howard is overrated, DWade and Kobe are incredibly equal in my book, and if I were to start a team I'd probably take Chris Paul (although I acknowledge LBJ is better). My favorite teams ever are the D'Antoni/Nash Suns teams. My favorite non-Celtic ever was probably Gilbert Arenas, but I'm not sure how effective he was and how effective he can be when he comes back. I have a great respect for Tim Duncan. I've said before and will maintain that in terms of total careers, he's the only player I would say can enter the conversation with Jordan as greatest of all time.

I don't buy into PER or PPG or USG or any stat like that. They all deceive. But if you look at them while watching the game, they can aide the eye. To me, 82games is probably the most useful site in the world, and if I ever ran a front office of an NBA team, I'd hire a bunch of people to collect stats like they do. The stats they have there are the most useful stats I've seen on the internet.

That's it for now, but I promise in the future there will be actual content and not just me rambling. If you have any requests for me to take a look at something or to write a post on something, leave a comment. I can't promise I'll write about it, but I will always appreciate the support.