9. Mike Conley- As I’ve mentioned so many times before, we’re in a golden age of point guards right now in the NBA. A perfect example of how true that statement is comes directly from a move made by the Grizzlies. Memphis traded away their leading scorer and put their team in the hands of Mike Conley, who has subsequently shot up the point guard power rankings like a bat out of hell. For whatever reason, I have a somewhat irrational trust in Mike Conley to come through in big games. I just feel like he’s going to come up big on the bigger stage. Gasol and Randolph would be the Vegas favorites to win Finals MVP if the Grizzlies were to win the championship, but Conley could easily sneak into that MVP discussion. Where does that leave him going forward? At only 25 years old and saddled with a frontcourt that point guards dream of having, Conley’s ascension would perhaps only be beginning with a Finals run this year.

May 19, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich reacts after a play during the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies in game one of the Western Conference finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at AT

8. Gregg Popovich- On my initial construction of the list I initially had Coach Pop as the individual with the 3^rd most to gain from winning a championship. It would be his 5^th title which ties him with Pat Riley for the 3^rd most all-time, but then I realized that if I was indeed discussing who had the most to gain, Pop can’t go much further up. A fifth title wouldn’t necessarily launch him past Riley, Phil Jackson or Red Auerbach since he’s already in that discussion. The Mount Rushmore of NBA head coaches is already carved up and made up of those four, and I can’t see Pop’s spot being challenge anytime soon. Still, this would be a 5^th title in a fifteen year period for Pop, Duncan (coming up) and the Spurs, which is incredible when you think in terms of longevity. The Celtics incredible run in the late 50’s and 60’s came to an end with Bill Russell as the head coach, not Red Auerbach. Phil Jackson and the Bulls won six titles in eight years and then broke it apart. Phil Jackson’s Lakers three-peated in the early 00’s, blew it up, and then Phil came back for two more titles. But Pop and the Spurs have churned out 50 win seasons for the last fifteen years (with the exception of the 1999 strike season where they finished 37-13). That kind of consistent excellence is hard to match and, well, excellent.

7. Paul George- George’s remarkable 2012-13 season could only get better if it was capped off with a Pacers title, and likely a Finals MVP to follow. Looking back at all of the past winners of that prestigious award, only Magic Johnson (20) and Tim Duncan (22) would be younger than George (23) would be if he were to add the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award to his Most Improved Player Award he won earlier this year. Before we start etching George’s name on the trophy he has to get through the Miami Heat and LeBron James. I love the fact that there is so much build up for the LeBron/George matchup, but let’s be real: there is at least a 75% chance LeBron turns this into an Olajuwon/Robinson or Jordan/Drexler situation and goes on to eviscerate Paul George. And that isn’t meant to be a knock on Paul George. I’ve been on that bandwagon since he was a lanky sophomore at Fresno State that no one had ever heard of, and I’ve been saying for a year that the Pacers could hand the keys to George for the next decade and just pretend Danny Granger never had the keys. I just don’t know if George is ready for that kind of build up just yet.

6. Marc Gasol- There are a whole lot of historical ramifications for Marc Gasol in the next two rounds. The four most important ones are as followed:
1: Only Hakeem Olajuwon has won Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in the same season. Gasol could potentially become the 2^nd individual to join that very exclusive club. Any time you’re mentioned with Hakeem Olajuwon, you’re doing something right.
2. A title for the Grizzlies and Finals MVP for Marc Gasol would just about put an end to the “Who won the Grizzlies/Lakers trade from 2008” argument, and make the Stephen A. Smith “They Gave Up Kwame Brown” video 5% less funny. Ah, who am I kidding? It’s still just as funny. Additionally, it would vault Marc past Pau in the “Greatest Career by a Gasol Brother” power rankings.
3: I’ve called Marc Gasol the modern day Bill Walton for a while now based solely on their style of play and the fact that the stats of each player doesn’t totally back up how vital they were to their respective teams both offensively and defensively. In order for my argument to gain some momentum, a Grizzlies title is a necessity. When you really think about it, the parallels between the 2013 Grizzlies and 1977 Trailblazers are there. Both teams are from smaller markets. Both were relatively new franchises at the time, and both are built on defense and team cohesiveness. Each teams cornerstone was a center who was flanked by a banging power forward (Zach Randolph and Maurice Lucas, whose nickname was “The Enforcer”), a smart, heady and good defensive point guard (Mike Conley and oddly enough, Lionel Hollins), and then a relatively forgettable supporting cast. The comparison can go even further if the Grizzlies were able to defeat Miami in the Finals, which is the closest equivalent to the 1977 Philadelphia 76ers I could come up with (LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Allen compared to Dr. J, Doug Collins, George McGinnis and World B. Free kind of works for the sake of this argument).
4. If the Grizzlies wins the title and Marc Gasol plays an MVP caliber series, he grabs firm control of the Best Center in the World Championship Belt but more importantly, he helps change basketball as we know it. If a small market like Memphis can win a title during a time period where teams are so concerned with forming Big Three’s and Superteams and players want to play in big media markets, then the script is officially flipped. I can’t help but think it might be a good thing.

5. Erik Spoelstra- Obviously there is no way of proving this now but if the Heat would’ve failed to bring a title back to South Beach last year, Erik Spoelstra wouldn’t have a job right now. But as fate (or LeBron James) would have it, Miami did win the title and in the year since Spoelstra has turned Miami into a 66 win juggernaut; an offensive machine that plays positionless basketball, spreads the floor, shares the ball and revolves everything around the most talented player to come into the league in the last 20 or so years. As if the Heat hadn’t made enough history this year, Spoelstra is the odds on favorite to become the 7^thcoach since 1960 to win back to back NBA Titles, putting him in the same category as Red Auerbach, Bill Russell, Pat Riley, Chuck Daly, Phil Jackson, and Rudy Tomjanovich.

May 15, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) takes a shot over Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah (13) and shooting guard Richard Hamilton (32) in the second half in game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

4. Dwyane Wade- Dwyane bought himself a column without insult thanks to his revival in Game 5 against Chicago. I wish I didn’t even need to worry about whether I had to go through a whole column without calling Dwyane Wade a wussy or questioning why his shot selection is sometimes so poor, or why he never runs back on defense… but I do. That’s not on my agenda today though. Today, I’ll just mention all that Wade has at stake over the next two rounds. If Wade maintains grasp on his “Robin” role for Miami and the Heat win the title, then that means he will have won three titles, one Finals MVP and twice was the 2^nd best player on the team. Outside of the times when he’s playing like a wussy, he’s one of the most overqualified 2^nd options of all-time considering he’s likely going to retire as either the 3^rd or 4^th best shooting guard of all-time.

Over the next two rounds all Wade has to do is score 20 points, pull down 5 rebounds, and dish 5 assists per game. I don’t care if he has to fly to Germany every other day for the procedure Kobe had or douse his knees in deer antler spray on the days off; Wade just needs to play at a B- level over the next four weeks and Miami has a very good shot of winning another NBA title. And if he does, I hereby swear I will never write another bad word about Dwyane Wade… unless he completely deserves it.

3. Tim Duncan- I shouldn’t have to rank Tim Duncan this high on the list. It should be a case similar to that of Gregg Popovich, where there isn’t much more that Duncan needs to do to prove his greatness. But the unfortunate fact is, there is. It took me a longer time than I’d like to admit to realize how astonishingly good Tim Duncan has been for nearly two decades. Like I mentioned in the Popovich section, Duncan is the anchor is sixteen straight seasons of the Spurs winning more than 60% of their games. What’s even more remarkable than that is that Duncan could potentially win a Finals MVP this year (his fourth), fifteen years after winning his first… in the previous effing millennium! Are you joking? How is it that Duncan’s per 36 minutes statistics this year (21.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.2 blocks, 50% FG) are just as good as his per 36 minute stats from the 2002-03 season, his 2^nd MVP season (21.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, 51% FG)? There are only two potential explanations. Either he’s A) An alien; or B) Hands down the greatest power forward of all-time. I’d hesitantly go with option B, although I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility for there to be an option C, which is All of the Above.

2. Tony Parker- There is a whole lot riding on these next two rounds for Tony Parker. In fact, the last time there was as much riding on the performance of a Frenchman it was Napoleon Bonaparte who was leading France into the War of the Sixth Coalition. That didn’t work out too well for France (Paris was captured) or Napoleon (He was exiled to Elba, and not my hometown in New York either). A poor performance in the next two rounds certainly wouldn’t get Tony Parker exiled, but it would put a halt on the momentum he’s been building for his legacy.

With a 4^th title and a likely 2^nd Finals MVP—which should be his first; he shouldn’t have been rewarded with a Finals MVP just because he ran circles around Boobie Gibson, Damon Jones and Eric Snow for four games; you could’ve replaced Tony Parker with at least ten other point guards and San Antonio would’ve still swept Cleveland—Parker would put himself in remarkable company. Only nine other players have ever won multiple NBA Finals MVP Awards. Magic Johnson is the only point guard to do so. Additionally, Hakeem Olajuwon is the only foreign born player to win the Bill Russell Award twice, and no foreign player who came into the NBA without college experience has ever won multiple Finals MVP’s. This raises the question: Where does Tony Parker rank on the all-time list of foreign players in the NBA? He’s only 31 years old and could easily end up with 20,000 career points and 8,000 career assists. He already has three titles, a Finals MVP, five all-star appearances, two All-NBA Team nods, and will certainly go down as one of the best point guards of his era. With another title and Finals MVP under his belt—one that would carry a whole lot more weight than his 2007 Finals MVP does—we might be talking about a Top 50 player of all-time perhaps? At this point, isn’t Dirk Nowitzki the only player more accomplished in the NBA than Parker when it comes to foreign born player who never played college ball in the United States?

1. LeBron James- Everyone is familiar with this narrative by now, right? LeBron James was the most highly touted amateur athlete of our time, is the most highly criticized athlete in our time, and someday (we’re a while away from this) he will be recognized as the greatest athlete of our time – get ready for an absolutely mammoth “if”— IF he can win a few more titles. Whether it’s fair or not, LeBron’s legacy, and in large part every other great athlete’s legacy too, will boil down to how many rings he is responsible for winning. LeBron promised multiple championships; not one, not two, not three, and so on… so if he can win title number two this year it would be a fitting end to one of the greatest 20 month stretches of basketball we will ever see.

Here is the interesting question: Where does a championship put LeBron James in the grand scheme of things? You’ll certainly hear some more Greatest of All-Time chatter from some people, while others will say he’s still not top ten all-time (In my opinion, that statement should be immediately followed with a small shock from a Taser). I’m not in a position to say where I think he’d be on that list because it would certainly be twisted around so it came off as biased. It’s just hard to look the big picture and not recognize that this is a player whose individual accolades will never be able to accurately express what it was like to watch him play the game of basketball.

May 15, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat point guard Norris Cole (30) reacts during the second half against the Chicago Bulls in game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Miami Heat won 94-91. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

20. Norris Cole- The rest of Norris Cole’s postseason holds significance for not just the Miami Heat, but also for an entire hair style. Cole could end up being an off the bench catalyst for the Heat, and also an off the court catalyst for the high top fade hair style. Surely, Will Smith, Doug E. Fresh, Kid ‘N Play, and Big Daddy Kane are pulling for Norris Cole.

19. Justin Timberlake- Here is JT’s resume since September 2012: Became a minority owner of the Memphis Grizzlies… Got married to super-hot actress Jessica Biel… Released The 20/20 Experience… Retained his championship belt as “Coolest Man Alive”… and adding an NBA title on top of all of that is just unfair to every other man in the world, yet, I can’t help but root for him. He’s that damn cool.

18. Tayshaun Prince- A title for the Memphis Grizzlies would mean Tayshaun Prince was the starter on two NBA championship winners, as well as a member of a gold medal winning Olympic Team in 2008. That is a tremendous trivial nugget right there. You’re welcome for that! How many people in the world would know that about Tayshaun Prince? How many people even know Tayshaun Prince isn’t on the Pistons anymore? Regardless, two NBA titles, an Olympic gold medal, and being able to say he was one of the better perimeter defenders in the league for a five to seven year period equates to a pretty nice resume that Prince has built for himself.

17. Shane Battier- It can’t be a complete coincidence the Battier played for one of the great college teams of the 2000’s (2001 Duke Blue Devils) as well as the teams with the 2^nd and 3^rd longest win streaks in NBA history (this year’s Miami team, as well as the 2008 Rockets). There is just something about Battier that is vital to success. Maybe it’s the professionalism he brings to the table or his play on the court, but with a stretch of play as impressive as he was in last year’s Finals (11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 61% FG, 58% 3PT in 5 games), Battier could easily stumble into some “Poor Man’s Big Shot Bob” comparisons.

16. Ray Allen- The greatest shooter of all-time until Stephen Curry shatters all of his records is coming off the bench for the juggernaut Miami Heat, but that doesn’t mean his legacy wouldn’t be boosted with a 2^ndring and at least one trademark “Holy crap Ray Allen is really effing good at shooting” game in the next two rounds. My mom has been Ray Allen’s biggest critic over the last two rounds—I can almost hear her future self saying “He’s stunk so far! If Chris Bosh missed as many open shots as Ray Allen has you wouldn’t let me hear the end of it!”—but I keep telling her that the time will soon arrive when Ray Allen goes absolutely bonkers from behind the arc. Frankly I’m glad it hasn’t happened yet. Let’s save that game for some time in mid-June.

May 19, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard Tony Allen (9) loses control of the ball during the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs in game one of the Western Conference finals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at AT

15. Tony Allen- Allen already has the well-deserved reputation as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He’s a relentless competitor whose personality and play is the driving force of this “Grit and Grind” Grizzlies team. Hell, his nickname is The Grindfather. Allen has as good of a chance as anyone to effectively “D-Up” any perimeter player in the entire world, so just imagine what a playoff run that could potentially include guarding Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, Tony Parker/Manu Ginobili, and LeBron James/Dwyane Wade would do for the perception of Tony Allen. To put this a little more simply: Tony Allen could very well take on the responsibility of guarding at least four of the top 12 players in the NBA for stretches of time over the course of the playoffs and that, coupled with a Grizzlies title, would seemingly establish Allen as one of the premier defensive players of his era. I’m sure it would almost make you forget about his offensive shortcomings and sometimes comedic attempts at fast break layups.

14. Roy Hibbert- After his evisceration of the Artist Formerly Known as Tyson Chandler last round, I’ve found opinion of Roy Hibbert turning drastically. I never thought that someone who was forced into playing basketball by his parents because tennis, golf and piano didn’t work out would eventually be twisting a member of the All-Defensive team into a pretzel in the post during the Conference Semi’s, while simultaneously making it impossible for the Knicks to score in the paint. Hibbert worked over Chandler pretty badly, and much to my surprise I’m actually pretty concerned with what he could do to Miami’s small ball lineup.  I don’t know that I’m prepared to live in a world where Roy Hibbert is the responsible party for why LeBron James won’t be winning a 2^nd NBA Title. The fact is the Pacers need Roy Hibbert to exploit Miami’s lack of size in order to have a shot of advancing to the Finals. If Hibbert could do that then I’m forced to eat all of the distasteful words I’ve spoken about Roy Hibbert since last spring.

13. Manu Ginobili- Although Ginobili’s role and productivity have diminished while his bald spot has grown larger, he’s still the third most important player for the Spurs title hopes, and similar to Ray Allen, it’s a foregone conclusion that there will be a few games every postseason when Manu is the x-factor. It’s just going to happen whether you expect it to or not. And if the Spurs win a title, there will be able least two games in the next two rounds where Ginobili carries the Spurs offense for a long stretch of time. You have to know how the story goes by now. He’ll have the Euro-step in full effect. He’ll be nailing step back jumpers and he’ll be finding teammates with Peyton Manning type accuracy. He’s a big game player, a truly unique player and one of the most accomplished foreign players to ever step on a basketball court. Ginobili already has three NBA titles, a Euroleague title and a Gold Medal. By my account, he only stands behind teammate Tony Parker in the discussion of best foreign guard ever.  And he killed an effing bat!

12. Zach Randolph- Yuck! Do you smell that? Yeesh, that’s terrible! Oh man, that must be the smell of Z-Bo’s 2 point, 7 rebound, 1-8 shooting and -28 +/- from Game 1 against San Antonio. We’ll cut this section short so the stink of that performance doesn’t get on anyone’s clothes.

Apr 28, 2013; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Miami Heat center Chris Bosh shoots a jumper over Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova in game four of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

11. Chris Bosh- Remember a few months ago when Chris Bosh said, and I quote, “Hell, yeah, of course. I’ve been a Hall of Famer like four years ago.” Unless back in 2008 Chris Bosh hopped into The DeLorean and gunned it to 2018 and saw a future where he would leave the Raptors and win not one, not two, not three (you get the idea) NBA Titles, then he would have no way of predicting he’d be a Hall of Famer. But in Bosh’s defense, I will say with another title he’s getting closer. In all likelihood, a Heat title this year would mean Bosh was the 3^rd best player on back to back title teams (or maybe the 2^nd best player on this year’s team if Dwyane Wade keeps playing like a wussy) and arguably the “Non-LeBron James Key Piece” for both teams as well.

Mike Conley- When Memphis traded away Rudy Gay it was a statement that the Grizzlies were going to be moving forward with a foundation that would go against the grain of the direction that the NBA was seemingly going in. Instead of building a small ball team around an athletic perimeter player who was a fringe star, the Grizzlies have gone forward with two bruisers inside (Gasol and Randolph), a hodgepodge of role players, and Mike Conley, who received a highly criticized contract extension back in 2010. Ultimately, a large portion of the Grizzlies success was going to be on the shoulders of Mike Conley, who wasn’t backed down from the challenge and definitely hasn’t backed down from anyone in the playoffs. Conley went head to head with Chris Paul in the 1^st round and delivered a near triple double(26 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists) against Kevin Durant and the Thunder in Game 2.

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) brings the ball up court in game four of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-97, and lead in the series 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant- I give Durant’s 2008 LeBron James impression a B+ so far, and I swear that’s intended to be a huge compliment. Durant’s putting up Cavaliers LeBron-esque numbers (31.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists), but has been stymied by the Grizzlies defense late in Games 2, 3 and 4. Before anyone thinks of bringing up Boston in 2010 or Dallas in 2011, I’m going to move on to the current version of LeBron James.

LeBron James- No justification necessary. You don’t leave the best athlete alive off of any 1^st Team, whether it’s an actual 1^st Team or a made up one like this is.

Marc Gasol- Over the past three days I have changed my mind about 25 times concerning who should get the center spot for this hypothetical team. Tim Duncan held down the top spot for a bit. Joakim Noah had a cup of coffee there based solely on his Game 7 performance in Brooklyn. I ended up deciding on Marc Gasol, giving the Grizzlies a 2^nd player on my made up squad which leads me to believe I might be getting a tad bit caught up in this Grizzlies team. Let’s roll with it though. In Game 4 against Oklahoma City Gasol made a ton of huge plays down the stretch on both ends of the floor and ultimately that won me over. He’s in firm control of the conch when it comes to which Gasol brother is the better player and he is right at the top of the list when the discussion of smartest basketball players alive comes up.

Better postseason for a player with a flat top hair cut: Norris Cole or Iman Shumpert?
It’s a tough call, and as much as I’d love to make this a homer pick, I’ll take the flat top whose talents are being displayed in New York City over the one in South Beach. Cole was fantastic in Game 2 against Chicago, even better in the Heat’s Game 3 win on the road, and managed to take full advantage of his crunch time minutes. For a guy who played four years in the tiny Horizon League and came into the NBA with an inconsistent jump shot, Cole isn’t one bit intimidated of the big stage, and is proving it by going toe to toe with Nate Robinson and by shooting a head-scratching 73% from downtown. Not to be outdone, Shumpert has been just a good, which is impressive on a completely different level than Norris Cole considering Shumpert is just a little over a year removed from tearing his ACL (Shumpert tore his ACL the same day as Derrick Rose did, and has been playing since January). Shumpert’s two way impact this postseason has been the most impressive facet of the Knicks postseason, even more impressive than Carmelo and JR Smith to be able to completely shoot the Knicks out of games (we’re getting there). Shumpert gets the slight edge over Cole, perhaps for degree of difficulty alone.

Is “Birdman, Birdman!” still funny?
Yupp, still funny.

How good was Game 1 of the Warriors/Spurs series?
Let me put it this way, I’ve watched a ton of playoff basketball over the last decade or so, and there are only an elite group of games that stand out as truly memorable. Not only were these all unbelievable games, but with these games I can remember where it was that I watched it, who I watched it with, and even particular events that occurred during that day and during the game itself… And I’m confident that these games will stick with me for a long while. That list looks something like this:

NOTE: I drastically cut down the number of LeBron James playoff games and just kept the ones that REALLY stick out. Realistically, I could’ve had about 25 LeBron games on here.

May 8, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half in game two of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the AT

2002 West Finals Games 4 & 7 (Lakers vs. Kings), 2002 East Finals Game 3 (Nets at Celtics), 2003 West Semi’s Game 3 (Mavericks at Kings), 2004 West Semi’s Game 5 (Lakers at Spurs), 2005 NBA Finals Game 5 (Spurs at Pistons), 2006 West 1^st Round Game 4 (Suns at Lakers), 2006 NBA Finals Game 5 (Mavericks at Heat), 2007 East Finals Games 5 & 6 (Cavaliers vs. Pistons), 2008 East Semi’s Game 7 (Cavaliers at Celtics), 2009 East 1^st Round Games 1, 4, 5, & 6 (Bulls vs. Celtics), 2010 NBA Finals Game 7 (Celtics at Lakers), 2011 West Semi’s Game 4 (Thunder at Grizzlies), 2012 West 1^st Round Game 1 (Clippers at Grizzlies), 2012 East Semi’s Game 4 (Heat at Pacers), 2012 East Finals Game 6 (Heat at Celtics), 2012 NBA Finals Games 4 & 5 (Thunder at Heat).

The newest addition to this list is the double overtime thriller that we were treated to in Game 1 of the ongoing Warriors/Spurs series. It had all of the elements you could possibly ask for out of a basketball game—an incredible individual performance (Curry’s 44 point, 11 assist gem), a furious 4^th quarter comeback (San Antonio trailed by 16 with 4:20 left in the game), multiple overtimes, and a game winning shot with little time remaining (Manu buried a wide open 3 with 1.2 seconds left). Is there any better cinema than a close NBA game? I really don’t think so.

Is there a frequent playoff commercial better than the Pillsbury Dough Boy Geico commercial?
Absolutely not. No offense to all of the individuals who “Ate the bones”, the little kids who are about to play tackle football in the Hyundai commercial, or the guy who would humplepuff himself, but that plump little guy giggling when he is getting frisked by airport security cracks me up every single time. I would pay thousands of dollars to have him as a pet/mascot/friend if he was real.

Has the Bulls/Heat series been too physical or just typical playoff basketball?
Typical playoff basketball and anyone who says otherwise is a humplepuffing softy. Sure, there have been some plays and scuffles that have been a little bit questionable and definitely dirty, but it’s the playoffs! I don’t understand how the general public isn’t accustomed to seeing this every spring. When I’m playing a series of pick-up basketball with my friends the guys who are on the other team start to get on my nerves and things get testy between us. Why is there such an outburst when two over competitive teams who are playing for an NBA title do the same thing?

The pushing, shoving and trash talking is going to happen. There is nothing anyone can do to stop it unless the refs start calling technical fouls every time guys bump into each other or look at each other the wrong way, which would in turn ruin the flow of the game, as we’ve seen so many times in this series, and throughout the playoffs in general. Just let the competitive juices flow until it gets out of hand, which from my vantage point it only has once. Nazr Mohammed fouled LeBron James pretty hard in the open court (considering the Bulls had the numbers on the break, you could argue it was a dirty play, but I feel like it was just a hard playoff foul). LeBron reacted how any other person would. As Mohammed had him wrapped up, LeBron aggressively brushed Mohammed off of him. Again, from my vantage point, still nothing out of the ordinary in playoff basketball, and still nothing that would warrant a technical or flagrant foul. Mohammed got up, shoved LeBron who flopped to the floor, and got an ejection/standing ovation for his actions. That was the only part of that sequence of events that warranted a technical foul. Everything else should just be accepted as a staple of playoff basketball by now.

What are the odds David Lee is on deer antler spray?
If Lee was back and tossing up 20-10 games again I’d say there was a good chance, but considering his minutes have been extremely limited and he’s far from being an x-factor, I’ll say the odds are very low. Still, it seems a little fishy that Lee could come back from an injury in 12 days that was supposed to sideline him for 8 weeks. Shoot, he wasn’t even supposed to be able to walk for 4 weeks after he tore his hip flexor. Maybe he’s just the toughest man alive, or maybe his super-hot model girlfriend is giving him some super sweet loving at home that’s got him ready to get back in action, but Lee’s return poses a much more important question in the grand scheme of the playoffs: If Lee is in fact using deer antler spray, can Dwyane Wade borrow some?

I’ve been very critical of Dwyane Wade in the past (if you don’t know, that’s kind of my shtick), but I swear it’s warranted this time. I don’t want to say that Wade has been utterly terrible in the playoffs since 12.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists can’t be considered “utterly terrible.” However, I can’t sit here and say that Wade hasn’t been a complete non-factor in just about every Heat game so far. There have been a lot of times in the past where I’ve jokingly said, “Is Dwyane even playing tonight?” when he’s in the middle of an off game. But that’s become a serious question at times during these first seven games of the playoffs. He’s either been more injured than we knew (my guess, the popular choice amongst people with basketball knowledge, and a legitimate reason for Wade to experiment with deer antler spray) or he’s a little pissed off and disinterested because he lost his alpha dog role for Miami (if that’s the case then he better learn to live with it and morph into the most overqualified 2^nd option in the league like he has for a good portion of the last calendar year). Either way, this needs to be fixed sooner rather than later.

“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
I haven’t given this topic of whole lot of philosophical consideration in the past, but I have to believe the answer would be yes. Then again, I’m no philosopher; I’m just an NBA fan, and the NBA version of this question is, “When Carmelo Anthony is missing 61% of his shots in the playoffs and nobody on television makes nearly as big of a deal about it as they should, does anybody else notice?” Once again, I would argue that the answer is yes. I’ve noticed. I’ve noticed that the Knicks are 2-4 in their last 6 playoff games, and Carmelo is shooting a chilly 36% from the field in those games. I’ve noticed every single contested shot that Carmelo has jacked up, and I gleefully rejoice every time he missed because it continues to make Gary Washburn look more and more like an idiot for giving his MVP vote to Carmelo Anthony, someone who at times epitomizes the term “black hole” more than anyone else in the league (Jarrett Jack may have something to say about that, but that’s a different discussion for another time).

May 11, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) takes a shot against Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) in game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats New York 82-71. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, Carmelo is perfectly capable of heating up in a hurry and making me look like a fool for making this overcomplicated comparison between him and a falling tree. That’s his thing. The label he gets as ”best pure scorer in the league” comes from all the times in the past when he is shooting so well that the ball might as well be on fire like in NBA Jam. Maybe Carmelo gets off the schnide and turns things around in these next few games. Or maybe he stays on the schnide and shoots the Knicks out of the playoffs.

In no more than 140 characters (Twitter style) what do the teams who have already been eliminated from the playoffs need to do to improve in the offseason?
Brooklyn Nets- Improve their heart, intensity, passion and every other buzzword that you could come up with that has to do with giving a crap.
Atlanta Hawks- Buy a lot of Dial For Men soap and try to wash off the stink of Joe Johnson’s irrelevancy. Try to get a big name in free agency too.
Boston Celtics- As a basketball fan it hurts me to say the words “The Celtics should rebuild.” As a LeBron James fan, I rejoice when hearing those words.
Milwaukee Bucks- Hijack Blake Griffin’s Kia Optima, go back to 1971, and replace the current team with that 66-16 championship team.
Denver Nuggets- Do everything they did this season, just try their hardest to avoid someone as hot as Stephen Curry in the 1st round.
Los Angeles Clippers- Fire Vinny Del Negro, then worry about re-signing Chris Paul and mending his relationship with Blake. But seriously, fire Vinny pronto.
Los Angeles Lakers- Work on signing Chris Paul, hand him the reigns until Kobe is back, and then go to war with two competitive maniacs and some added depth.
Houston Rockets- Sign Dwight Howard, build the 2009 Orlando Magic on steroids, part ways with Jeremy Lin, and make sure Harden never shaves his beard.

What do you foresee happening throughout the rest of the postseason?
Just check out the Easter Eggs. I was one year early.

My 2012 NBA Finals Predictions, featuring Easter Eggs!

UP: Golden State Warriors… Kudos to the Warriors for advancing to the 2nd round. After David Lee went down with a torn hip flexor during Game 1 it appeared—

DOWN: Golden State Warriors… WE INTERRUPT THE PREVIOUS SECTION TO BRING THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS A MUCH NEEDED REALITY CHECK. A few things: First, there have been wayyyyyyyyyyyy too many stretches of too much Jarrett Jack and too much Klay Thompson. That needs to be nixed pronto. Only great players should get isos multiple possessions in a row. At the last census I believe we determined that Klay Thompson and Jarrett Jack are not great players. Second, I don’t care if you need all five guys to do so, but Golden State needs to crash the defensive boards. Giving up 20 offensive rebounds is just asking to lose a game. Speaking of asking to lose a game, the Warriors were following the manual on how to lose a lead in the last 6 minutes of a close game step by step during Game 6. That was a bigger catastrophe than the Hawks/Pacers series. Hey, while we’re there…

DOWN: The Hawks-Pacers series… What a fantastically terrible piece of crap series this was! Admittedly, I did all that I could to avoid watching these six games. I probably spent less than one hour real time watching these two teams play. I got my fix of mediocre basketball during March Madness. I watch the NBA playoffs for good basketball. Thank the lord this atrocity has come to a conclusion. Speaking of atrocities…

DOWN: Playoff music… Is a montage of NBA players lackadaisically dancing and dribbling basketballs with will.i.am to his lame new song really necessary to get fans psyched up for playoff basketball? Do we need to be subjected to this torture EVERY SINGLE TIME there is a commercial break in a game on ESPN or ABC? Remember when NBC used the same theme song for every single game? Yeah, I do too, because it’s still the best song the NBA has ever used. It’s vintage NBA, and anyone who loved the league in the 1990’s will without question agree with me when I say that. You also have to agree with me when I say that…

May 5, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (center) holds his fourth MVP trohpy next to head coach Erik Spoelstra (left) and Heat president Pat Riley (right) at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

UP: LeBron James… LeBron James kicked a whole bunch of ass this year and was deserving of all 121 MVP votes (I literally laughed out loud when I saw that Carmelo got a first place vote, but that’s a discussion for another time). This was without question LeBron’s best season of his illustrious career, and I’ll give a lot of that credit to the title win last season. I’ve watched a lot of LeBron James basketball over the last 6 years thanks to NBA League Pass, and there was just a sense of calmness and control in his game this year that wasn’t always there. There isn’t the skyscraper sized burden on his shoulders anymore to win a title. He’s done all that any critic or analyst has asked of him. Now he just needs to focus on playing basketball, something he happens to be extremely good at. You know who else is good at basketball?…

UP: Russell Westbrook… Torn meniscus and all, Westbrook’s stock has skyrocketed in the last two weeks because the Thunder, who despite winning their series against Houston 4-2, have looked like a completely different team than they did with Westbrook in the lineup. This makes a lot of sense considering before this postseason began Westbrook had played in all 439 possible games since being drafted by the Thunder. Obviously, Westbrook had his downfalls (Shaky decision making at times/Kept the ball out of Durant’s hands) but when he went down, it completely changed the dynamic of this entire Oklahoma City team, and not in a good way. All of the sudden, the Thunder became the Cleveland Cavaliers circa 2007 and Durant was forced to do his best LeBron impression, which he’s done reasonably well at so far.

In a span of six months Kevin Durant has lost his two security blankets (Westbrook and James Harden) and is now left to go to battle with Serge Ibaka (not quite ready to be the 2^nd best guy on a championship team), Kevin Martin (not quite the bench spark that James Harden was), Reggie Jackson (the homeless man’s Russell Westbrook), and a bunch of other players who can’t even create their own shot. Right now, Westbrook’s stock is at an all-time high. Oh, and I forgot to mention…

DOWN: Scott Brooks… Durant is playing for a coach that as Bill Simmons has put it so many times before, “Is playing checkers rather than chess.” Not only has Scott Brooks insisted on playing Kendrick Perkins too many minutes despite every piece of statistical evidence and analyst saying this wasn’t a smart move (to his credit, Brooks only played Perkins four minutes in the Thunder’s Game 6 win at Houston), but he also resorted to a Hack-Asik strategy during Game 5 that lasted way too long and effectively killed any chance the Thunder had of winning that game. Asik handled his business from the line and the continuous stoppage of play killed any and all flow the Thunder offense had. It was a masterpiece of bad coaching. Just because Russell Westbrook is out for the postseason, that doesn’t give Scott Brooks the green light to coach incompetently. This might not be as big of an issue…

UP: James Harden… If James Harden was still a member of the Thunder, Westbrook’s stock wouldn’t be so high or Brooks’ so low. It turns out he was the most overqualified 3^rd option in the league when he was coming off the bench for the Thunder. Now he’s become the 1^st option, a likely 2^nd Team All-NBA guard, and the leader of a playoff team that is poised to improve after they snatch up a few marquee free agents over the summer. Let’s talk about that…

DOWN: Dwight Howard… Despite going out like a complete punk in Game 4 against San Antonio, Dwight will remain the most sought after free agent this summer, and I see him ultimately winding up in Houston. Why? Well the Lakers have turned into a complete mess. They have a coach that Dwight probably doesn’t want to play for (does anyone want to play for Mike D’Antoni right now), a star player who is recovering from a torn Achilles, and a supporting cast that is among the sorriest in the league. Still, there is the allure of playing in Los Angeles, and knowing how attention hungry Dwight is, that might be enough for him to sign there. The other logical landing spots for Dwight and his smile are Atlanta (his hometown), Dallas (Mark Cuban and Dirk Nowitzki’s twilight seasons), or Houston (James Harden and a bunch of shooters). If I was in Dwight’s shoes I’m already looking for some real estate in Houston. If Dwight cares about winning (I’m sure he does, but I’m not sure that is his number one concern) then the Rockets are the logical choice since they could easily become a jacked up version of the 2009 Magic team that went to the Finals. They already have a young crop of perimeter players on the roster, including James Harden who is arguably a top ten player in the league. I suppose I have to put my grudge against Dwight Howard aside and say he will and should receive a max contract. His presence could easily transform the Rockets from playoff team to title contender. Not many players could do that.

May 2, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) dunks the ball above Denver Nuggets center JaVale McGee (34) during the third quarter of game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

UP: Andrew Bogut… Remember way back in the day when Andrew Bogut grabbed a 3^rd Team All-NBA nod? Yeah, that memory is pretty fuzzy for me too thanks to the vision of Boguts right arm breaking and dislocating in 127 different places and the few injury plagued seasons that followed. But believe me, once upon time a case could be made for Bogut as the second best center in the league. In Game 6 against Denver Bogut turned back the clock with a throwback 14 point, 21 rebound, 4 block performance that was vital in propelling Golden State into the 2^nd round. Speaking of which…

UP (Continued): Golden State Warriors… as if the Warriors were finished. Well that didn’t happen. Stephen Curry did Stephen Curry things (here, and here, and here) and the Warriors also got some key contributions elsewhere (71 points combined from Jack, Barnes and Thompson in Game 2; 19 and 17 points from Carl Landry off the bench in Games 3 and 4; 16 points and 10 rebounds from rookie Draymond Green in Game 6; and Boguts standout performance). Now, the Warriors are on to round two once again as the underdogs, this time against the veteran San Antonio Spurs, who are poised to make a run in the depleted Western Conference.

Conventional wisdom would say the Warriors don’t have much of a chance against the battle tested Spurs. But the funny thing about the NBA is it doesn’t always rely on conventional wisdom. With some transcendent players conventional wisdom is thrown out the window. I’m willing to go as far as saying Stephen Curry is one of those guys. Maybe he only gives the Warriors a punchers chance, but at least it’s a chance. His swag is on high and his game has elevated him into superstar status. There is no telling what Curry is capable of every time he steps on the floor.

UP: Birdman, Birdman… I’m a Heat fan, but even I thought this little routine would get really annoying really quick. Maybe it’s because the Heat haven’t played a game in over a week so it’s still kind of fresh, but I still laugh whenever Shaq does his thing. We’ll have to check this one again in two weeks.

DOWN: Andre Miller…  After his Game 1 takeover against the Warriors Miller earned himself a mention in the “Stock Up” section the first time I did this a week ago. Since, Miller’s stock has dropped drastically but he has found himself an honorary member of two very exclusive clubs. First, the Brian Cook All-Stars, which I detailed in my write up of Monta Ellis during my countdown of the top 50 players in the league before the start of the season. He’s also one of the founding members of what I would like to call “The Jarrett Jack Club,” which inducts any players who make it a habit of dribbling out a possession and forcing up an impossible shot as the shot clock is about to expire.

DOWN: Spike Lee… Everyone who has ever been to a live sporting event knows that there are certain types of fans that you hope you don’t end up sitting next to. The guy who is drunk, obnoxiously loud, a threat to puke, and rooting against your team. The lady with the annoying voice who has no idea what is going on in the game but opts to cheer as loud as she can anyway. The kids who are sitting a few rows ahead of you and not paying attention to the game, so you’re bitter the entire game because they have better seats than you. And then there is Spike Lee, the absolute worst kind of sports fan. I pray for the unlucky souls who have to sit next to the single most annoying non-player in NBA history and suffer throughout the entire game. Spike Lee and this idea that Carmelo Anthony belongs in the same conversation as LeBron James is what makes me dislike the Knicks more than any other team in the NBA right now. For a series, that combination even turned me into a Boston Celtics fan, which is certainly no easy task.

DOWN: Brooklyn Nets… Granted I didn’t catch much of the postgame coverage of Game 7 of the Bulls/Nets series, but I have to imagine that if someone asked P.J. Carlesimo “What was your team missing in tonight’s game?” it would’ve sounded something like this.

UP: NBA… You know what makes me happier than the Pillsbury Dough Boy on his way to a baking convention? After a very bleak start to the 1^st round, things turned around in a big way. There were five 1^st round series that went to six games, one that went to seven, and I believe that will carry over into the 2^nd round. Think about it this way: The 1^st round has resulted in a 2^nd round that will feature legitimate superstars (LeBron and Durant), one “superstar” (Carmelo… sorry, I had to), some new blood in the mix (Curry and George), the two toughest teams in the league (Chicago and Memphis), one franchise looking to add one more title to their incredible 15 year dynasty (San Antonio) and at the very least 26 more games of NBA playoff action. Basketball fans rejoice.

UP: Chris Paul… So Paul was stifled in Game 3 at Memphis, but that doesn’t change the fact he’s still the Undisputed Point Guard Champion of the World. The evidence: Game 2. With Memphis rallying late in the fourth quarter and a 1-1 split in Los Angeles looming, Chris Paul made the executive decision that the Clippers weren’t going to be losing on their home court in Game 2. Paul took every big shot down the stretch, finished with a 24 point and 9 assist stat line, and delivered the just about at the buzzer dagger off the glass over Tony Allen. There are very guys in the history of the game who can make it an art form to appropriately toe the line between floor general and late game assassin. Chris Paul is the prime example in the league right now.

DOWN: Tim Grover’s Credibility… I could be talked into the idea that MJ could play 10 to 15 minutes per game in the NBA right now—hell, if Jeff Adrien, Chris Duhon, Luke Babbitt, and a 38 year old Jerry Stackhouse could do it, I’d bet that Jordan could. But Jordan’s trainer Tim Grover saying that a 50 year old MJ could average 20 points per game in the NBA right now seems like a rather large stretch of the imagination. With that being said, a Jordan comeback would give me that same tingly feeling in my stomach that I got when I was five years old on Christmas Eve.

UP: Kevin Harlan… BREAKING NEWS: An exorcism will soon before performed on Kevin Harlan. Harlan was reportedly possessed by Gus Johnson right before Game 2 of the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks series, and this happened.

DOWN: Lottery Teams… I’m always up for a challenge, but I can’t guarantee I’ll always succeed in tackling that challenge. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks looking at the upcoming NBA Draft, and I cannot do anything to get myself excited about the draft class. I’ve tried listening to upbeat music while looking at the prospects. I’ve tried eating a delicious snack while I evaluate the prospects. Nothing works. The only two players likely to go in the top 10 that I’ve talked myself into are Trey Burke (poor man’s Chris Paul potential) and Victor Oladipo (a more offensively talented Tony Allen). Otherwise, in my opinion there are a bunch of future let downs and one potentially great interior defended with a torn ACL.

DOWN: Lakers Backcourt… Maybe the only thing going right now that is more uninspiring that the 2013 NBA Draft class is the Lakers backcourt. You know the phrase, “Don’t take a knife to a gunfight”? That’s what the Lakers have done, and not by their own choosing. Kobe tore his Achilles right before the playoffs, and that was compounded with injuries to Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Jodie Meeks (Not the most inspiring backcourt crew to begin with). Now the Lakers are forced to rely on the backcourt crap sandwich also known as Chris Duhon, Andrew Goudelock, Darius Morris and… wait, that’s it? Seriously? Oh lord. Someone get Smush Parker on the phone.

Apr 20, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Andre Miller (24) is interviewed after the game one of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won97-95. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

UP: Andre Miller… Congrats to all of those who in 2005 made the bet that in eight years 37 year old Andre Miller would be a decisively more important player to his respective team during the 2013 playoffs than 39 year old Steve Nash, or 40 year old Jason Kidd… you can now cash in your vouchers at the nearest Off Track Betting facility. Someday Andre Miller is going to become the greatest OMRL (Old Man’s Rec League) player of all-time, but right now his game winning layup in Game 1 has kept the Nuggets from being in a disastrous 2-0 hole.

UP: Tom Thibodeau… After giving up a surprising 106 points to Brooklyn in Game 1, a lot of pundits were immediately writing off Chicago. That’s understandable. The Bulls aren’t going to score 100 points and beat any teams in a shootout. Games 2 and 3 were a completely different story. The Thibs led Bulls defense stymied the Nets thanks to a gutty effort from the injured Joakim Noah, and a grandiose individual defensive performance from Kirk Hinrich, who has played a major role in holding Deron Williams to 7 for 23 shooting in the last two Bulls wins.

DOWN: Cleveland Cavaliers… I guess when they couldn’t sell Phil Jackson on their coaching gig, Mike Brown, the same guy they fired 35 months earlier, is naturally the way to go. This is like breaking up with your longtime mediocre looking girlfriend, flirting around with the hottest girl you know, realizing she never had any interest in you, and then settling on getting back with your ex-girlfriend. This won’t end well for Brown or the Cavaliers.

UP: Phil Jackson… Did anyone seriously think that the greatest basketball coach of all-time was going to coach in Cleveland solely because there is a sliver of a chance that LeBron James might return to Cleveland in the summer of 2014? Why would he do that? Let’s assume hypothetically that LeBron James does return to Cleveland 14 months from now, a move that would likely break Twitter. If Phil really wanted to coach LeBron he could just meet with Dan Gilbert at any point in time after LeBron signed, flash those 11 championship rings and presto chango, Phil would become the new coach in no time. Why risk it and deal with coaching a young Cavaliers team for a year without LeBron?

This raises another question: Why would Phil even want to do this? The only possible explanation is that he would get the chance to be able to say that he coached three of arguably the top five basketball players of all-time (MJ, Kobe, LeBron), but does he really need another cherry on top of the sundae that he calls his career? He’s unequivocally the greatest coach in NBA history and has 11 titles to back it up. Plus he’s 67 years old and wasn’t exactly holding up with the grind of an NBA schedule when he was coaching in Los Angeles 2 years ago. Phil will always be in demand because he’s Phil, and he can afford to be extremely picky because, well, he’s Phil.

DOWN: Jeremy Lin… Watching Jeremy Lin go head to head with Russell Westbrook during this 1^st round series gives me the same uneasy feeling I get whenever I watch the Apollo Creed/Ivan Dragofight from Rocky IV. It’s a complete and total mismatch by any definition of the word, and it’s a shame that Lin needs to be subjected to that kind of abuse. Lin left Game 2 with a muscle contusion in his chest, stayed out of the game with hurt feelings, and Patrick Beverly stole his late game minutes, likely for the remainder of the series.

Apr 24, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) takes a shot against Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) during game two of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Atlanta 113-98. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

UP: Paul George…  You better buy Paul George stock before it’s through-the-roof expensive, and I would suggest not taking your sweet time on that either. The Paul George era in Indiana started with a triple double in Game 1 against Atlanta, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility for George to continue playing at such a high level.  Buy this stock now!

DOWN: Boston Celtics… That gong sound you hear is not The Undertaker’s music. It’s coming from the not-so-far-down-the-road funeral of the Garnett/Pierce era Celtics. I’ve never been a fan of the Celtics (although I did have a really cool Paul Pierce/Antoine Walker poster when I was like 10 years old) but I’ve learned to respect the hell out of that team since 2008. They’ve been a thorn in the side of LeBron James, and indirectly myself for the last five years, and although I’m happy that the thorn is being removed, it’s also a bit of a sad day. It was fun for me to root against the Celtics. I had to root against the Celtics out of principle, but in their heyday it was a blast to watch them play great defense and unselfish offensive basketball on a nightly basis. I suspect that when Rondo returns next year the Celtics will still be in playoff contention in the East. But that feeling that you could never count Boston out no matter what the circumstances were are gone now. It’s a new, slightly less frightening era in the NBA.

UP: Russell Westbrook’s fashion sense… Granted I’m not a fashionista, and I sure as hell couldn’t pull off any of those outfits, but I’d be willing to bet since Russ is wearing all of these outlandish threads to postgame press conferences that it means they are pretty cool in the world of fashion.

DOWN: Joe Johnson’s Stink of Irrelevancy… It’s a real thing. My theory is that a team featuring Joe Johnson in a prominent role will never make it past the 2^nd round of the playoffs, and it will take at least 5 years for any team he’s played for to wash off said stink. So that means Atlanta is on the hook of irrelevancy until at least 2017, and Brooklyn is in trouble for even longer than that.

UP: Manu Ginobili’s bald spot… It has become its own entity; therefore, its stock is rising.

DOWN: David Lee… I’ve had my bouts with hip pointers in the past (all were self-diagnosed, but still), so I can’t imagine the pain that David Lee is going through with a complete tear of his right hip flexor. The only pain that might be worse in Oakland right now is the pain of Warriors fans who understandably believed that Golden State could make an extended run in the playoffs before Lee went down. Conventional wisdom would say the Warriors would be done without Lee, but I would advise not letting go of that hope just yet Warriors fans…

Apr 20, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) hits a game tying three point shot with 14.5 seconds left as Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) defends during the second half of game one of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won97-95. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

UP: Stephen Curry… You’ve got Stephen Curry! Rejoice! Curry’s first two career playoff games have to be incredibly pleasing for Warriors fans (starving for a contender that they can cheer their faces off for), Warriors ownership (making them look good for the four year $44 million contract extension they gave Curry before the season), Curry’s ankles (survived a scare in Game 2, but healthy for the most part), and me (I’ll be rocking the Davidson Curry jersey this weekend). If it wasn’t for a David Lee hip injury and an Andre Miller layup, we could easily be looking at Golden State leading this series 2-0 heading back to Golden State in large part to the single season leader in three pointers. Although Curry got off to slow starts in both games, he kept on shooting—a great strategy when you’re the best shooter in the entire solar system—and eventually shot himself out of the funk he was in. Curry came through with the game tying 3 in Game 1, and a brilliant 30 point, 13 assist performance in the Warriors offensive explosion in Game 2. The series is back in Golden State, and there is no telling what Curry is capable of in front of a frenzied Golden State crowd.

DOWN: NBA… No Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, or David Lee in the playoffs. Plus there have been very few dramatic moments so far. What the hell is up with that?

UP: NBA… It’s the playoffs people! Sure, it’s unfortunate that Kobe, Rose, Rondo and Lee are all absent due to season ending injuries, but that doesn’t change the fact that for the next two months the NBA’s stock is at an all-time high. This is a fantastic time to be holding NBA stock, and an even more fantastic time to be an NBA fan.

1: He’s got a badass beard/haircut combo that allows him to stand out more than any other player in the league. It’s really easy to get behind voting for someone that looks as cool as James Harden does.
2: His numbers are among the best in the league, which makes a lot of sense considering…
3: Harden holds more responsibility than just about anybody else in the NBA. Think about the burden that Harden carries on his shoulders on a nightly basis. Harden is as versatile of an offensive player as there is in the entire world; someone who can score from any spot on the floor, highlighted by the fact that he leads his three point happy team in makes from downtown, and leads the entire league in free throws attempted. On top of that Harden has displayed the ability to create shots for teammates like some of the best point guards in the league. It shouldn’t be breaking news that Harden has this unique set of skills. They were on display in Oklahoma City, just never in a featured role. What Harden has done this year, his first year of being The Man, has been incredible.
4: Harden has delivered a few performances this year that are without question the work of someone who deserves to be mentioned in the discussion for MVP. Harden started the season with back to back games of 37 and 45 points respectively; effectively serving as an Eff-You to Oklahoma City for trading him right before the season started because they didn’t want to have to pay him superstar. In mid-February Harden exacted some revenge against the Thunder directly when he dropped 46 points on his former team in a Rockets win. Do games like that automatically qualify Harden as an MVP candidate? No, but those kinds of standout, Eff-You, “we aren’t losing this game” games are often on the resume of MVP winners.

Kobe Bryant (4 Shares)- 27.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 46% FG
I hate this. I hate that this is the last time I get to write about Kobe Bryant for the rest of this season, and also most likely for the rest of the year 2013. You don’t want to see anyone suffer an injury as severe as a torn Achilles, but it stung even more that it was Kobe Bryant who went down. We won’t know for a while what kind of player Kobe will be when he comes back. But this injury, and the season that Kobe was having before it highlights what kind of legacy Kobe will ultimately be remembered for.

April 12, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers small forward Metta World Peace (15) subs for shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) as leaves the game in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at the Staples Center. Bryant suffered a torn Achilles tendon. He under went surgery April 13 and is expected to miss six to nine months. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

This season wasn’t Kobe’s most dominant and it definitely wasn’t his most successful. There were times when those 17 seasons of mileage were glaringly apparent. Pau Gasol was hurt, Steve Nash was hurt, Dwight Howard was never totally healthy, and the Lakers were an absolute mess. Overall, this season would be considered a disappointment for the Lakers. But for some reason, this season of Kobe’s will always stick out in my mind. That shouldn’t be the case. Kobe after all has been around since I was going into kindergarten. He’s won five NBA titles, two finals MVP’s, one regular season MVP and two scoring titles. But ten years from now, when I think about the 2012-13 regular season, I’m pretty sure that after LeBron James, Kobe Bryant will be the most memorable player of the season.

In the public eye, Kobe Bryant might never reach the level of Michael Jordan. The title of greatest Laker ever might stay with Magic Johnson. Maybe LeBron James’s legacy will end up surpassing Kobe’s. And say what you want about the somewhat corny nicknames, the vacillation between being scoring Kobe and distributing Kobe, the new interest in being a member of social media, and the Lakers struggles. Kobe Bryant played 78 games of some of the most awe-inspiring basketball I’ve seen in my lifetime, and that’s something I won’t soon forget. He’s redefined the phrase “will to win,” by playing through a myriad of injuries that would have most players sitting out for weeks at a time, because he had to in order to keep the banged-up and benchless Lakers in the playoff picture. He logged an insane amount of minutes (3,013 minutes this year) for a player of any age, let alone a 34 year old with roughly 52,000 minutes of competitive basketball on the odometer. The last seven games of Kobe’s season show perfectly what kind of player Kobe is. With the playoffs riding on the Lakers success over the last two weeks of the season, Kobe saved his most incredible player for last, leading the Lakers to a 6-1 record in his last 7 games, scoring 28.9 points per game, pulling down 7.3 rebounds, and dishing 8.4 assists in a ridiculous 45.5 minutes per game. Only when his Achilles tendon was torn off the bone did Kobe finally stop, but not before knocking down two free throws. That’s a bad man.

Carmelo Anthony (6 Shares)- 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 45% FG
The Knicks late season 12 game win streak established themselves as the only unofficial threat to the Heat in the Eastern Conference, and Carmelo’s offensive outburst during said streak was almost enough to bump him past Chris Paul on the ballot. Carmelo is the league’s leading scorer, an absolutely vital piece to the Knicks ability to play small ball—which by the way is their most successful offensive identity—and a player who is absolutely fearless when going toe to toe with LeBron and Wade. He firmly believes he is on that level of superstardom with them. Whether you want to believe he is or not (On Wade’s level, yes; On LeBron’s level… that’s laughable), that type of mentality is essential in beating Miami four out of seven games this spring. However, I can’t ignore some things that are, let’s say missing, in Carmelo’s game.

His defense is still far from “elite.” Has Carmelo ever made a notable game changing play on the defensive end of the floor? He still struggles to make teammates significantly better. Expanding off of that point, he still will force up shot after shot after shot even when those shots aren’t falling. I did some snooping around at I found something very interesting. Carmelo Anthony has taken at least 20 field goal attempts in 46 games; LeBron 26 games. In those 46 games that Anthony has taken at least 20 field goal attempts, he’s shot 45% and averaged 3.7 assists. Conversely, in 26 games with over 20 field goal attempts LeBron has shot 53% and averaged 8.2 assists.

Look, there can’t be any dispute that Carmelo Anthony is an incredibly talented scorer who when in a zone can get hotter than any player in the world. He definitely deserves his 6 MVP shares… maybe even more. But there also shouldn’t be any dispute that LeBron James is in a different stratosphere than Carmelo Anthony as an overall player. There will be at least one deceiving game in the Eastern Conference Finals when Carmelo scores 45 points and notches a whole 2 assists and uninformed people will want to try to make a case for Carmelo over LeBron. Please don’t fall for it.

Chris Paul (8 Shares)- 16.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 9.7 assists, 2.4 steals, 48% FG
The Undisputed Point Guard World Heavyweight Championship Belt still belongs to Chris Paul despite a growing crop of young point guards that can possibly be described as a golden age for the position. Seriously, take a look at the top fifteen point guards (In my humble opinion, and in no particular order) in the league:

Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, Ty Lawson, John Wall, Mike Conley, Ricky Rubio, Goran Dragic, Jrue Holiday, Brandon Jennings, Greivis Vasquez.

That doesn’t even include injured stars like Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose; serviceable starters like Kyle Lowry, Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lin, Jose Calderon, Jeff Teague, George Hill, Kirk Hinrich, Mario Chalmers, Raymond Felton, Jameer Nelson, Isaiah Thomas, Mo Williams; quality backups such as Darren Collison, Andre Miller, Jarrett Jack, Eric Bledsoe, Steve Blake, Jerryd Bayless, Norris Cole, Reggie Jackson, Nate Robinson; or past their prime former superstars Jason Kidd and Steve Nash.

That’s a rather large group of very good point guards in the NBA, and Chris Paul has been a mainstay at the top of that list for the last 5 years or so. Paul is the complete point guard package; a willing distributor who makes the decision not to score 25 points a game (He could easily if he chose to), instead saving that extra scoring gear for late in games, where there are few as good as Paul at putting the final nail in the coffin down the stretch of a close game. He’s the best defensive point guard of his era and the most intimidating 6’0 tall player I’ve seen in my time watching the NBA. Chris Paul gives the Clippers, a franchise that has spent nearly all of its 43 year history in futility, a fighting chance at winning an NBA title just because he’s that damn good.

April 12, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket on Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) during the fourth quarter of the game at the Rose Garden. The Thunder won the game 106-90. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant (24 Shares)- 28.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 51% FG (Member of 50-40-90 Club)
Hypothetical question: Is this postseason a very crucial checkpoint in the career of Kevin Durant? Think about it. Durant rolled into the 2012 playoffs as the leading scorer in the NBA for the third straight season. After losing only one game in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Thunder were forced to rally from a 2-0 deficit in the Conference Finals on the shoulders of Durant, who performed brilliantly enough that I just about wrote off the next five to ten Finals appearances from the Western Conference to the Thunder. This set up the much anticipated matchup between the two best players in the game; Kevin Durant and LeBron James. As great as Durant was in the Finals (30.6 points on 55% shooting, and 6.0 rebounds), the Thunder came up short and Durant’s efforts were overshadowed by LeBron James’s.

Fast forward a few months down the road to the 2012-13 season, where Durant just got done putting together an MVP campaign that would be worthy of taking home the hardware in the majority of seasons past (In my opinion, he would’ve been the MVP winner in 2011 and 2012 with a season like this). Those numbers and shooting splits are off the charts impressive. Durant even seems to be playing with a bit of an edge this season. Just about everything is in place for Durant to be the torch holder in the NBA. Just about everything.

Once again, Kevin Durant will come up short when going head to head with LeBron James in the MVP voting, but a larger and much more important question is raised. Kevin Durant has spent the last twelve months being 2^nd best to LeBron James. He was 2^nd in the MVP voting last year. LeBron got the best of him in the NBA Finals. LeBron even closed out the Gold Medal game in the Olympics despite Durant’s 30 point performance. With another Heat/Thunder collision course on the horizon, Durant faces an early crossroads in his career: Will he again come up just a bit short against the world’s best player, or will he get past the only hurdle remaining between him and full blown superstardom?

DISCLAIMER: I’m not the type of person who thinks a player needs to win a title to validate their career. That sort of talk enraged me during the first decade of my LeBron James fandom. This is just the narrative that so many fans tend to rely on, and so many critics like to talk about. Durant is the 2^nd best player in the NBA and it’s by a considerable margin. He’ll likely remain in at least the top 5 for the next eight years or so, end up one of the all-time leading scorers in league history, and a title won’t change that.

LeBron James (61 Shares)- 26.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 56% FG
I’m not going to say much about LeBron, because there isn’t really anything I can say that hasn’t been said before. All I want to say as I wrap this mammoth 3 part MVP piece up is this: In about two months’ time there is a very distinct possibility that we will be talking about LeBron James having the greatest calendar year of basketball in NBA history. Prepare yourselves to live in that world LeBron haters. Everyone else who can appreciate basketball at its finest, just sit back and enjoy.

Stephen Curry (2 Shares)- 22.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 45% FG, 272 3 Pointers Made (NBA Record)
Maybe Curry should’ve been mentioned in part one as one of the honorable mentions. Or maybe I should be giving these two shares to Curry’s right ankle, because it held up so well so far this year (Knocking on wood as I type). But it’s hard to ignore the catalyst of maybe the biggest surprise of the season; the Golden State Warriors, who have qualified for the playoffs for the first time since Baron Davis dunked on Andrei Kirilenko so badly that when you type in “Baro” in a YouTube search, one of the suggestions is “Baron Davis dunks on Kirilenko.”

Apr 12, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles against the Los Angeles Lakers during the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Curry won’t be putting anyone on any posters this postseason, but his lightning quick release and silky smooth jumper will definitely be on display in the 1^st round, and I couldn’t be happier about that. I hate to put on my fan cap, but I’ve been a Curry supporter since his freshman year at Davidson, and even before Davidson’s Elite Eight run in 2008 I saw that Curry could have a future in the NBA. He’s always had this weird sort of aura about him where it’s you felt it was the slightest bit possible that he could go into Madison Square Garden or Staples Center and score 54 and 47 points respectively. Doesn’t it kind of make sense that he’s the first player in NBA history to average 20 or more points, 6 plus assists and at least three 3 pointers per game? And is it a total shock, or even a stretch to be able to say that if Curry can play a healthy 16 year or so career (A rather large if) he could end up the all-time leader in three pointers made (he’s on pace)? None of those statements seem like they would’ve been completely out of the question a few years ago. Still, to see Curry even mentioned in the discussion of players on the outside looking when it comes to the MVP makes me, a Stephen Curry fan, do a bit of a double take. I’m pleasantly surprised.

Tony Parker (2 Shares)- 20.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 52% FG
Before Tony Parker went down with ankle, shin and neck injuries, there would’ve ended up being at least one writer who would’ve thought it would be a fun idea to give Tony Parker a first place MVP vote, justifying it by saying “The Spurs are the best team in the West and Parker is having a career year. Plus he’s French!” Would he have deserved that MVP vote? No, not really. But the fact that he could play himself that highly into the MVP discussion is a testament of what kind of season he was having when healthy.

Parker is one of just two point guards (Jose Calderon being the other) who will finish in the top 40 of field goal percentage in the entire league. This might seem like an statistical oddity for those who don’t know any better, but Parker has shot at least 48% from the field in the last nine seasons, and has shot over 50% five times in that stretch. He gets into the paint and finishes with more ease than just about any other point guard in the league. The biggest feather in the cap of Parker’s MVP candidacy is the fact that he and Tim Duncan together were able to spearhead yet another 50 plus win season despite a young and relatively unproven supporting cast.

Dwyane Wade (2 Shares)- 21.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.9 steals, 52% FG
Before you scroll down and rip me apart in the comments for giving Dwyane Wade only 2 MVP shares consider a few things:
1: There is no such thing as MVP Shares. They are a completely imaginary idea that I made up.
2: I’m not an expert, and never claimed to be. I’m just a kid offering his opinion on the NBA, because I watch quite a bit of it.
3: In the last three seasons, the Miami Heat are 29-7 without Dwyane Wade in the lineup.
4: Wade is a teammate of the overwhelming and deserving favorite to win the actual MVP unanimously, thus diminishing the argument that Wade is the most “valuable” player in the league.

Please, just hold off on your scathing comments for a minute. This is the part where I talk really good about Dwyane Wade. I’d be foolish and ignorant not too. There is a lot about Wade that I can praise.
1: He’s arguably the 3^rd or 4^th best shooting guard of all-time.
2: He’s the 2^nd or 3^rd best shooting guard in the league right now.
3: I still maintain the belief that Dwyane Wade’s acceptance of being the number two option for the Heat is one of the biggest reasons why Miami won the title last year, why they won 66 games this year, and why they are the odds on favorites to win the title this year. And that is in no way meant to be a backhanded compliment. Wade’s the most overqualified 2^nd option in the NBA, and his willingness to accept this role has been extremely underrated.
4: For various reasons, Wade’s 2012-13 campaign was perhaps the most underrated of any player in the league. Again, when you play with LeBron James you aren’t going to get as much of the spotlight as you might deserve because he’s busy doing things that haven’t been done before. However, Wade should get the credit, even if it’s in the form of only two MVP shares.

Apr 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) puts up a defensive front against the Sacramento Kings during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Russell Westbrook (2 Shares)- 23.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.8 steals, 44% FG
I’m going to make a prediction. Actually, it’s more of a statement because it’s incredibly unlikely that this scenario would ever be possible. Alright, here it is: If Russell Westbrook played for any average to good team that was only missing a star player at the shooting guard position he would lead the league in scoring, be the unanimous choice as best shooting guard in the league, and be a top three MVP candidate.

Look, I’m sick of people, myself included, criticizing Westbrook for not being the “prototypical point guard” that I usually enjoy watching. Are there any other legitimate criticisms against Russell Westbrook other than “sometimes he takes shots away from Kevin Durant?” There are absolutely none. He’s a freak athlete who has played every single game in his five year NBA career while playing an average of 34 minutes a night and going 150 miles per hour at all time. Seriously, is there anyone who plays harder than Russell Westbrook? If there is, it’s an extremely short list. He’s almost impossible to cover defensively because of his combination of size, speed, and athleticism. And that’s before you even talk about his pull up jumper (impossible to stop), ability to get into the paint and finish (breathtaking and impossible to stop) and perimeter shooting (improving). It’s easy to look at the situation and say that Westbrook is taking shots away from Kevin Durant. He definitely is. But at the same time, you could easily say that Durant is taking shots away from Westbrook too.

Tim Duncan (3 Shares)- 17.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.7 blocks, 50% FG
Marc Gasol (3 Shares)- 14.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.7 blocks, 49% FG
The race for 1st team All-NBA center and perhaps Defensive Player of the Year as well comes down to two players, and two players only. They are each getting three MVP shares regardless, but I might as well sort out my 1st team All-NBA vote while I’m here. Just so you know, before I type this entire mess out, my vote is completely up in the air. I have no preference whatsoever, especially because both guys are so similar. They don’t stand out for their flash or even their numbers. There is a whole lot more steak than sizzle. And there are few things in life that are better than a delicious steak.

The case for Marc Gasol- The younger Gasol brother makes his argument for best big man in the league with a well-rounded and uber-intelligent game. His numbers won’t blow you away, but Gasol thrives in a similar way that greats like Bill Walton and even Tim Duncan have in the past: Anchor of the defense (The Grizzlies are statistically one of the best in the league), hub of the offense (Gasol has clearly established himself as the best passing big man in the league, and although he’s not a willing scorer, he’s capable), and almost always the smartest player on the floor.

The case for Tim Duncan- Couldn’t I just copy everything I just wrote about Marc Gasol and paste it right here, since Duncan and Gasol are similar in so many ways? They are each vitally important to their respective teams success, more so than any of their teammates (with all due respect to Tony Parker). The difference between the two is Duncan’s numbers are a little more impressive, and Duncan is 36 years old and in his 16th season in the league.

Tentatively, I have Duncan a smidgen ahead of Gasol, and therefore the starting center on my 1st Team All-NBA ballot. It was damn close though. It’s like choosing between a steak at Outback or a steak at Longhorns. Frankly, I don’t even know the difference between the two restaurants, and you’re getting a damn good steak either way. 

In 2011, Derrick Rose received a commanding 113 of the 121 first place votes. Did he deserve the MVP? Debatable, but I say yes. Did he deserve 113 of the 121 first place votes? I’m extremely skeptical. 50 years from now someone might be looking at www.basketball-reference.com on their laptop or TV or iPad or whatever the hell crazy ass technology will be around then, and they’ll see Derrick Rose won the 2011 MVP award in a landslide and think, “Whoa, he was just way better than everyone else that year.” In reality, that wasn’t the case. I was there. I watch wayyyyyy too much basketball on League Pass and I could tell you the MVP win shouldn’t have been that decisive… And this is coming from someone who would’ve given Derrick Rose a first place vote if I actually had a vote that counted. Just to put Rose’s victory in perspective, LeBron James earned 109 first place votes for his 2009 MVP season where he averaged 28 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists per game for a 66 win Cavaliers team that was far less talented than Rose’s 62 win Bulls team. That is where the whole MVP discussion hits a snag. Plenty of players deserve credit for being the MVP and in the end there can only be one MVP. But there could be a better way of deciding the MVP.

This is where my bright idea comes into play. What if we decided on the MVP by dishing out shares? Need me to explain? What if instead of sports writers and experts voting on their top 5 MVP candidates, they instead used their collective knowledge and assigned 121 MVP shares (it works out as one for every voter) to as many players as they feel necessary? This would show the true value of every MVP award.

Not a terrible concept, right? Sure, it’s radical, and it definitely will never ever happen, but if you haven’t caught on yet, I like coming up with radical ideas that will never happen. It’s fun for me. So since it was so much fun for me to do this last year, I figured I might as well do it again, especially since I’ll be appealing to a much larger audience than I did last time around. Maybe, just maybe, one of the higher ups in the NBA will read this, like the idea, make a push to put it in place, and I’ll become a millionaire because I was the creator of it. At the very least, this is a way for everyone to open up their minds a little bit.

First things first, you need to know how I define the MVP Award. I have five criteria on my MVP checklist:
1: How valuable is this player to his team in the landscape of the league? To answer, this question, you need to attempt to evaluate how many wins a player is worth to his team. Put more simply, what is this player’s role on their team, how well do they fit this role, and how important is that role?
2: To piggyback on the previous point, how successful was his team? It needs to be taken into consideration whether an MVP is good enough to get his team to the playoffs.
3: Statistically, how great was the player’s season? Was it one of his career best? Was it one of the NBA’s best? Was it historically good?
4: How good are they under pressure?
5: To steal an idea from Bill Simmons’s The Book of Basketball: In a giant pickup game with every player available and two knowledgeable fans forced to pick five-man teams, with their lives depending on the game’s outcome, what would be the order of the players picked, based on this season alone?

That’s it. That’s how it goes down. Using that criteria, I rank the MVP candidates and then assign them X amount of imaginary shares (This process is hardly scientific; basically I just throw numbers out there until they look right and I don’t sound like too much of an idiot when it’s all finished). Before we get to the players who are actually receiving MVP shares for the 2012-13 season, check out the honorable mention of this very elite end of the season list.

Apr 14, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George (24) advances the ball during the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 90-80. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Paul George- 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 42% FG
Not only should Paul George get a look or two as an honorable mention candidate for MVP of the league, but he should be right atop the rankings for players contending for the titles of Most Improved Player, Best Player Under 23 Years Old, Best “Two First Names” Person, and Entity Most Responsible For Danny Granger Eventually Not Playing Another Game For Indiana. Keep all of that in mind. Also, I know the All-Star game is viewed as a glorified pick-up game, but in the 4^th quarter of a close All-Star Game things stop being polite and start getting real. Back in February when things tightened up in Houston, Paul George was not just getting 4^th quarter minutes, but thriving in those minutes. He was completely unafraid by the big stage. That was telling.

Luol Deng- 16.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 43% FG
I don’t know if you guys have heard this… it’s not really getting a ton of media coverage this year… Derrick Rose hasn’t played this season. Not a single game. Still, the pugnacious Bulls finished 45-37 without Derrick Rose, which becomes an even more impressive feat when you consider that this team is far from a juggernaut. They don’t have a lot of depth, they’ve been ravaged with injuries, and they don’t have an overwhelming amount of size, speed, or athleticism on the roster. They don’t even have a consistent go to scorer (Unless you want to count Nate Robinson. I like to think of him more as a go to shooter than go to scorer). You can chalk Chicago’s surprising success up to great coaching, gritty defense (a result of the great coaching), and the play of Luol Deng.

Deng is the definition of “workhorse,” and played tremendous and fearless basketball when the Bulls ended Miami’s streak a few weeks back. LeBron always comes across as the best player on the floor, but on that night Deng was a close second. He went toe-to-toe with the best player in the world, and the Bulls came out on top.

Ty Lawson- 16.7 points, 6.9 assists, 1.5 steals, 46% FG/Danilo Gallinari- 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 42% FG/Kenneth Faried- 11.5 points, 9.2 rebounds, 55% FG/Andre Iguodala- 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.7 steals, 45% FG
Watching the Nuggets play is like watching what I assume it’s like to watch a group of longtime factory workers at a car plant. They have one goal: build that car. It doesn’t matter who gets the credit, or what job each guy is doing. One guy doesn’t stand out more than the next guy. Everybody just puts their head down, focuses on their respective task, and at the end of the day they end up putting together an absolutely brilliant product. That’s what the Nuggets do. Collectively, they at times look like an offensive machine despite not having a single All-Star, or even a player who scores more than 17 points per game. They succeed by running every single opportunity they can, sharing the ball with each other like they’re playing in an old man’s league, and attacking the basket relentlessly. Even though teams never want to play that style against the Nuggets, they almost always get sucked in. That’s why a four man honorable mention vote is necessary. You can’t completely say that any one of those four guys stands out more than the other. But by the sum of their parts, the Nuggets are a very scary team out west.

Tyson Chandler- 10.4 points, 10.7 rebounds, 64% FG
Last year I tossed Tyson Chandler a couple of MVP shares simply because on a team that was largely disinterested in playing defense, he made sure that games didn’t completely resemble something you’d see in an old school And 1 mixtape. Even though the Knicks defensive numbers are down across the board this season, Chandler remains an important cog in the Knicks ability to play small ball.

Apr 14, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams (8) makes a move to the basket against Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry (3) at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Nets 93-87. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Deron Williams- 18.9 points, 3.0 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 44% FG
Before the All-Star break Deron Williams wouldn’t have been able to sniff an MVP share even if it was doused in Icy Hot and strung up right in front of his face. Through the first 50 games of the season Williams’ numbers were pedestrian (16.7 points, 7.6 assists, 41% FG) based on what we were used to from him, and the Nets much anticipated move to Brooklyn seemed to fizzle out relatively quickly, mainly because Williams and Joe Johnson, both of whom among the most bland “star” players in the league, were in the middle of down seasons. But since mid-February Deron Williams broke out of his funk, his numbers are up since then (22.9 points, 8.0 assists, 48% FG), and he’s playing tremendous basketball for the Nets.

Andrew Bynum- 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists, 0 games played, 184 pin average
Got ya! I had to make sure you were still paying attention. Come back tomorrow to see who’s actually going to be receiving my imaginary MVP shares.

Mar 27, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) and point guard Mario Chalmers (15) and shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. The Bulls beat the Heat 101-97. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

In case you missed it, this NBA regular season is REALLY close to its conclusion. That’s right. Believe it or not, there are only 15 days until the playoffs start. Sneaks up on you, doesn’t it? Once April 20^th hits, basketball fans will only care about who wins 16 games first. That’s all that matters. But let’s be real, the regular season isn’t just a five and a half month waste of time. It’s a five and a half month odyssey that produces a bulk of storylines and a fair amount of winners and losers of its own before we even get to the winning and losing that casual fans will remember.

In case you missed it, I’m not a casual fan. I’m weird. I’m a certified basketball nerd who follows the NBA like it’s my religion, and this benefits my life in no specific way whatsoever, other than allowing me to discuss the winners and losers of the NBA regular season with close to complete confidence in what I’m saying. On that note…

WINNER: LeBron James
We might as well get the most obvious winner of the season out of the way right off the bat. I’m keeping this section short since next week I’ll breaking down my extended MVP ballot, and a large part of that will consist of semi-biased, although completely warranted gushing about the greatest overall basketball player in the last decade or so, who happens to be in the midst of perhaps his finest season of his career. Just know that if the Heat close this season out with a title (still a while down the road, but it doesn’t seem totally out of the question to assume it might happen), LeBron will take a major leap forward in the “Greatest of All-Time” discussion thanks to back to back titles, and a regular season for the ages.

Apr 2, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (left) and teammate small forward LeBron James (right) react during the first half against the New York Knicks at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

LOSER: Dwyane Wade
You’re probably wondering why Dwyane Wade would be considered a loser of this season, when conventional standards wouldn’t justify that at all. He has been a vital part of the best team in the Eastern Conference, put up extremely good numbers all year long, and could very well end up a top 25 player ever by the end of his career… but nobody is noticing. Dwyane Wade is making just a tad over $17 million this season playing in the sunshine state, but doesn’t need to spend a single penny on sunscreen… you know, because he’s spending so much time in LeBron James’ shadow. Word play at its very finest. Speaking of guys being in LeBron’s shadow…

LOSER: Kevin Durant
28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 50-40-90 club… and he’s a distant second in the MVP race. No need for sunscreen in Oklahoma City either.

WINNER: Erik Spoelstra
30 years ago it was a common belief that you needed a dominant big man to win a title in the NBA. Today, the best team in the NBA puts five players around the perimeter, plays without a center, and posts up their shooting guard and small forward more than their power forwards and centers. Erik Spoelstra could be called a basketball innovator. And to think he was one loss away from being fired last spring until LeBron walked into the TD Garden and killed the Celtics.

LOSER: Fired Coaches
Happy trails to Mike Brown, Avery Johnson, Alvin Gentry, and Scott Skiles, who were all relieved of their duties within the season, even though three of their respective teams will probably end up in the playoffs. The bright side for Mike Brown and Avery Johnson is they have ESPN experience. The bright side for all four guys is there will surely be teams that would be more than willing to hire any of them within the next couple of years, because some teams are just that desperate.

WINNER: Dwight Howard
Congratulations Dwight! You’ve come a long way, and it surely has been a bumpy road, but you’re no longer the biggest diva and piece of crap in the NBA. That title belongs to Andrew Bynum/Frederick Douglass/Pete Weber, or whoever he wants to pretend to be. I’ve already gone out on a limb on Twitter, and I’ll say it again here so everybody knows that I mean business; I don’t think Andrew Bynum will ever play another game in the NBA again… in part because of two chronically bad knees, but also because he does stupid things like going bowling while he is rehabbing said bad knees. So let me raise the question, who lucks out more than Dwight in this situation? Nobody! His biggest competition at the center position in the league has chronically bad knees, and a beyond questionable motor and desire to play basketball for a living.

LOSER: Philadelphia 76ers
Let’s break this down: On August 10^th Philadelphia traded away Andre Iguodala, Nikola Vucevic and Mo Harkless, and in return got Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson. Andrew Bynum was coming off his best season, Jason Richardson would seemingly be a nice complementary piece to the Bynum/Holiday duo, Andre Iguodala needed a change of scenery, and nobody even knew who Nikola Vucevic and Mo Harkless were. All the way around, that trade made sense on paper, especially since Philadelphia wasn’t going to contend for the title with the team they had in place. But the funny thing is, NBA games aren’t played on paper. On paper we didn’t take into account that chances were, Andrew Bynum wasn’t going to be able to play a full season, or even one game. On paper it didn’t necessarily say that Jason Richardson was past his prime, and would only play 33 games himself. That paper certainly didn’t say that Nikola Vucevic was going to be a double-double machine. All that metaphorical paper said was Philadelphia could challenge in the Eastern Conference because of this trade. Not quite.

WINNER: Houston Rockets
Here is an example of a trade that did work out exactly how it looked like it should on paper. When Oklahoma City and James Harden couldn’t come to terms on a contract extension before the season started, Houston was more than willing to ship over whoever they needed to in order to bring in James Harden, his massive beard, and his potential to be one of the ten best players in the league. You could say that both teams won this trade: Oklahoma City has the 2^nd best record in the Western Conference, Kevin Martin has had a nice season coming in off the bench, and the Thunder don’t need to worry about giving a third player a max contract. But let’s be real, if this trade doesn’t go down Houston wouldn’t be close to sniffing the playoffs even if the playoffs were covered in Icy Hot, and Oklahoma City’s upside could only be higher than it is right now.

LOSER: Danny Granger
If Danny Granger was a lost puppy and the Pacers were his owner, would they have already taken down the posters they put up around town, or would they leave them up for a while? If I had to guess, I’d say they took them down and already found a new puppy (Paul George).

WINNER: FGCU
Come on, I had to show some love for my school somewhere on The Skyhook. The Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles improbable run to the Sweet Sixteen prompted a whole bunch of school spirit, more bandwagon fans than you could imagine, the unofficial renaming of Fort Myers to Dunk City, and even a very well-received piece on what it’s like to be a student at FGCUas our basketball program ascends.  Check it out!

Mar 31, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan (21) reacts during the second half against the Miami Heat at the AT

LOSER: Father Time
Father Time is undefeated, and will remain undefeated for the rest of eternity unless we find the spring water that the people were drinking in Tuck Everlasting or everybody goes to Germany like Kobe did. But this year Pops Time took a nasty right hook to the jaw in the form of great seasons from Kobe Bryant (27 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6 assists, 46% shooting, 17^th season) and Tim Duncan (17.4 points, 10 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 50% shooting, 16^th season), a very good season from Paul Pierce (18.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 43% shooting, 15^th season), good seasons from Dirk Nowitzki (17.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 48% shooting, 15^th season), Kevin Garnett (14.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 49% shooting, 18^th season), and Ray Allen (10.8 points, 46% shooting, 17^th season), and varying contributions from Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Andre Miller, Antawn Jamison, and Steve Nash, all of whom are at least 35 years old.

WINNER: Western Conference
A lot is at stake during the next week and a half in the NBA. Imagine this: If the Lakers manage to sneak into that 8 seed in the Western Conference (my personal belief is they will), we could potentially be treated with seven straight Western Conference playoff series’ that at the very least will be legitimately interesting from a hype standpoint. Just check out the 1^st round matchups and imagine the possibilities of where this wild ride could lead us:

Spurs/Lakers: One last Duncan/Kobe battle. Sign me up as many times as possible. If you can only sign up once, I’ll use aliases.
Clippers/Grizzlies: Rematch of the 7 game 1^st round series they played last year that saw the Clippers prevailing on the road in game seven.
Nuggets/Warriors: Two very fast, young, and talented teams + Stephen Curry = A playoff series I would thoroughly enjoy watching.
Thunder/Rockets: This has to happen. If there is such a thing as basketball Gods (I believe that there is), they will make sure James Harden plays the Thunder, and delivers at least one “Screw You Guys, I’m The Best Guy Out Here” performances.

LOSER: Eastern Conference
A legitimate question that was posed in a podcast I recently held with my cousin and a friend of mine from New York: If the Eastern Conference put together a team of All-Stars (all players must be healthy right now), could they beat Miami in a seven game series? Common sense would say yes, with the amount of depth they could put on that roster, even with guys like Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Anderson Varejao, Danny Granger not available, they should win… but the fact that all three of us has to think pretty hard about it shows how far ahead of everyone else in the Eastern Conference Miami is.

WINNER: NBA
The NBA will always be the ultimate winner at the end of the day. We all watch it, we all speculate about it, and we all love it… no matter how things go down during the season.

1: Who gets the 1 seed, and who ends up 2?

2: How does 3-5 work out?

3: How does 6-8 work out?

Don’t worry, I’m ready to break it down.

Who gets the edge for the 1 seed? That would be the Oklahoma City Thunder. Not only are they the defending conference champs, but there is a very real chance the Spurs could actually fall out of the 1 seed with Tony Parker on the sidelines for the next few weeks, which by the way is an absolute crime. Tony Parker had been awesome this season, and worthy of consideration for a 2^nd place vote for MVP. And let me throw this out there… I think Tim Duncan deserves at least a mention in the MVP discussion. He’s putting up 17 points and 10 rebounds a game, he’s the anchor of the Spurs defense (Duncan’s averaging 2.6 blocks a game, and the Spurs have improved since last year in field goal percentage, three point percentage, and opponents points per game), and let’s be real, if the Spurs are going to win the title, Tim Duncan needs to be at least 2007 level Tim Duncan, which seems possible given how well he’s played at times this year. Father time always wins, but the near 37 year old Duncan is still out there throwing punches. The Spurs have won at least 50 games in 14 straight seasons, which is a feat I’m confident no other team can boast. But that doesn’t automatically qualify them as a 1 seed in my book. It’s like how Duke always gets the easiest region in the NCAA tournament just because they’re Duke and Duke has history. Sometimes the name matters. In this case, it doesn’t.

In my book, Oklahoma City is the 1 seed. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka are all having career best seasons, and detractors of the Thunder can’t even use the excuse anymore that the Thunder are too young. They’ve beaten the Spurs, been to the Finals and felt the pain of defeat on the biggest stage, and you can tell it’s hardened them, particularly Durant. I love the edge he’s played with this season, and I don’t even mind the increased number of technicals he’s had called against him. It’s almost like the loss in the Finals last year and everyone writing the Thunder off after the Harden trade legitimately pissed Durant off. And by the way, I don’t know if Sam Presti regrets trading James Harden, but at least once a week he day dreams about what it would be like if Harden was still in a Thunder uniform. And how can you blame him? Harden’s poor performance in the NBA Finals coupled with a steep price for his potential upcoming contract was just enough to drive Presti to panic trade Harden right before the beginning of the season. More and more I wonder what it would be like if the Harden was the first guy off the bench for the Thunder instead of Kevin Martin. Isn’t it totally possible that we’d be looking at a 65 win juggernaut with Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and Harden all having career years for the Thunder? My goodness gracious that’s slightly horrifying. And as a Heat fan, with the Thunder being perhaps the biggest road block to a 2nd consecutive title, Harden and his beard scares me a whole lot more than Kevin Martin and his herky-jerky jumpshot does.

It’s settled, Oklahoma City over San Antonio for the 1 seed. Now it’s on to a much tougher decision; how to seed teams 3-5, all of whom have definite sleeper potential in the West. We have the Clippers, Grizzlies and Nuggets all in the mix, and each team can make a serious case for the 3 seed. The only possible way to sort this mess out is with a Dr. Jack Style Breakdown: Triple Threat Edition!

Mar 13, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) dunks the ball during the first half against the New York Knicks at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Star Power: Behind Chris Paul, Cliff Paul, Blake Griffin and Young Blake Griffin, the Clippers are runaway winners in this category. Much respect to Marc Gasol/Zach Randolph and the Grizzlies, and the relatively no-name Nuggets, but casual fans will get behind the Clippers. Edge: Los Angeles

Starting Five: This one is just about as close to impossible to call as you could get. If you just use the eye test, you look at Memphis and Los Angeles who both have multiple All-Stars in their starting lineups, and more names that casual basketball fans would probably notice. But if you want to get nerdy about it and look at the five man unit statistics, then the Nuggets starting five holds a slight edge in production over the Clippers current starting five, which makes sense for a variety of reasons (coming up). I’ll go with the numbers and give the Nuggets the edge. Slight Edge: Denver

Bench: Even though Denver’s bench continues the high octane pace the starters bring from Jump Street, and the Grizzlies bench is much improved after the Rudy Gay trade, neither team boasts two Sixth Man of the Year Award candidates like the Clippers do. Eric Bledsoe, Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes could all start for a number of teams in the league. Edge: Los Angeles

Home Court Advantage: Denver will run, and run, and run, and run, and never stop running; and at that high altitude, they are close to unbeatable. The Nuggets and the Heat are both 30-3 playing on their respective home courts. Edge: Denver

Move That Got Them Here: It’s easy to say I told you so after the fact, but the bottom line is, every move each of these teams made to get them here I defended at the time. I obviously loved the Chris Paul to Los Angeles trade (Los Angeles Clippers, not Lakers; that trade wasn’t allowed to happen). I thought people were too critical of Memphis for the Rudy Gay trade, even though it solved their biggest issue (they desperately need bench help, plus they got a better outside shooter in Tayshaun Prince). And I adamantly defended Denver for trading Melo to New York even when nobody else wanted to. I loved it, and I still think they are better off with this group than with Melo slowing down the offense, which is their biggest advantage (We’re really close to getting to this). Edge: Denver

Most Impressive Run: All three teams have put together some pretty dominant stretches of basketball this season. Memphis is in the midst of a stretch where they’ve won 14 out of 16 games. The only two games Memphis has lost have been at Miami, and last night at Denver, who are in the middle of a pretty impressive streak themselves. Denver has won eleven straight games (7 by double digits). Dig a little deeper and you’ll find this streak even more impressive. Denver has beaten six playoff teams (Lakers, Thunder, Hawks, Clippers, Knicks, and Grizzlies) during this streak, and speaking of streaking, they’ve won 15 in a row at high altitude in Denver. But the most impressive run by any of these teams this year was posted by the Clippers, who won 17 in a row throughout December. The quality of those wins (wins against only three current playoff teams) aren’t nearly as impressive as the 11 game streak by the Nuggets, but the number alone gives them the slight advantage. Slight Edge: Los Angeles

Calling Card: Although Lob City is a ton of fun, definitely highlight worthy, and in some rare cases life ending, it’s not necessarily a calling card you are going to have long term success with. Leave those to Denver and Memphis, who by two completely different methods are an extreme pain in the ass to deal with. Maybe you can’t say Denver is the fastest or most athletic team, but they are bar none the most relentless team I’ve ever seen when it comes to attacking the basket. In a league that is shooting more and more three’s and becoming so perimeter oriented, it’s refreshing to watch Denver do the complete opposite and do it so well. They are going to work in the paint, and it doesn’t matter if it’s off a turnover, missed basket, made basket… they are filling their lanes and running full speed to the basket, and it’s going to turn into a layup or dunk. They average 11 more points in the paint per game than anyone else in the league, and to be completely honest I’m surprised it’s not a wider margin because they are always fast breaking and attacking. On the other end of the spectrum, you have the Memphis Grizzlies who play at a deliberately slower pace, and it’s just as effective as Denver’s tactic of speeding the game up. Memphis is methodical and patient on offense, and stifling on defense. If you are looking for a team that has given Miami, the clear cut favorite at this point, the most trouble, you don’t have to look any further than Memphis. That’s a tough matchup for the Heat in a prospective Finals matchup because of their ability to defend on the perimeter and a ton of size to prevent LeBron and Wade from attacking the basket. They’ll grind out wins, and it won’t be as fun as Los Angeles, or even Denver, but it’s just as effective. Tie: Denver/Memphis

Overall: It comes down to the calling card for me. I buy into Denver and Memphis more long term because they do something great. And it’s not throwing lobs. Denver is my 3 seed, Memphis is 4, and Los Angeles is 5.

Finally, we’ve got to sort out the final three seeds of the Western Conference, and I’ll keep it relatively short and sweet. The Warriors and Rockets get the 6 and 7 seeds respectively, and I don’t really think there could be much dispute about it. Golden State and Houston are both moderate surprises this year, and both have been consistently in the playoff picture all season long. Stephen Curry and James Harden both need to be in the playoffs, and is there any basketball fan on the planet that doesn’t want to see a Thunder/Rockets round one series? I haven’t met one. These two young teams might not be ready for an extended run this year, but their time might be coming in the near future.

And the final spot in the Western Conference belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers. I could slice this one up a ton of ways. I could talk about how bad Utah looks on some nights since there is no trace of perimeter play making on that roster. I could talk about how Dallas’s time might be past, Portland’s time isn’t here yet, and Minnesota’s will never come because apparently God hates the Minnesota Timberwolves. But I’ll leave you with two words to justify why the Lakers are locked in as my 8 seed: Kobe Bryant. And that’s really all I need to say.

I love March Madness just like everyone else does. I haven’t been to school on the first two days of March Madness since I was ten years old, and it became a running joke amongst my high school teachers that I was always going to be “sick” on those two days. I’m slightly obsessed. But even as the Madness is about to commence in a few days, I’m still here pondering the everyday happenings of the NBA. Since most people want to check out bracket projections and will be searching “bracket projections” in their respective search engines, I figured I’d not only make a push for some accidental site views, but also entertain the totally farfetched idea that I could be a one man selection committee for the NBA playoffs this year.

You’re probably asking yourself how this would work. Honestly, since I thought of the idea about three days ago, I’m not totally sure how it goes. I’m basically making it my imaginary job to get the right teams into the playoffs for the most desirable matchups for us, the fans, even though my qualifications for the job aren’t quite as high as someone you’d realistically put in this role, if, you know, it was real. Let’s get started, NCAA Tournament style.

Eastern Conference
Sorry to the Rudy Gay led Toronto Raptors, Andrew Bynum-less Philadelphia 76ers, Mourning-the-loss-of-Brandon-Knight Detroit Pistons, Suddenly tanking Cleveland Cavaliers, Terribly depressing Washington-Wizards, “No Ewing Theory here” Orlando Magic, and Charlotte Jordans Bobcats… start buying your scratch offs, because you’re lottery bound. All eight teams currently in the Eastern Conference playoff picture I’ll classify as “Locks.” But how should those eight teams be seeded?

Let’s end the suspense right now. Miami is the 1 seed; and in all reality, it doesn’t matter how you seed the rest of the teams because the Heat are on cruise control until the NBA Finals. People can say all they want about the Pacers, Knicks, and maybe even Celtics potentially being road blocks in the Eastern Conference, and who knows, maybe they can take the Heat to six or even seven games in a series, but does anyone really think in a do or die game anyone in the East can beat the Heat? If you do, I want to hear the rationale behind your case, and you might as well toss in a few more fairy tales as well.

The 2 seed comes down to the Knicks and Pacers. The Knicks started the season off incredibly fast (winning 20 of their first 27 games, garnering a whole bunch of “Whoa the Heat might not be the best team in the East” hype, and even more “Carmelo’s finally figured it out, he’s the MVP” hype). Since the Knicks entered Christmas day 20-7, they’re 18-18 since, and all of that early season hype has vanished quicker than Alan Parrish got sucked into Jumanji. Meanwhile, the Pacers stumbled out of the gate to a 10-10 start through twenty games as they adjusted to life without Danny Granger. But just as I expected, they turned it around without Granger, who I will call overrated as long as I have someone willing to listen to me, and have been good enough to steal some of that early season hype the Knicks were getting about potentially taking that Eastern Conference crown from the defending champion Heat.

March 8, 2013; Orlando FL, USA; Indiana Pacers small forward Paul George (24) drives to the basket against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. Indiana Pacers defeated the Orlando Magic 115-86. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

I give the edge for the 2 seed to Indiana. They’re just a better basketball team than the Knicks. Plain and simple. By any defensive statistical measure you can come up with the Pacers will be at the top of it, and their offensive has been more productive as late as well. In their first 40 games of the season, the Pacers scored 100+ points in only five games. In the 26 games since, they’ve scored 100+ twelve times. Give me the Pacers over the free-falling, and now banged up New York Knicks for the 2 seed.

I’ll hesitantly leave the Knicks as the 3 seed just because their start to the season was impressive, and the idea of a 1-1 series going back to Madison Square Garden for two straight games is daunting. How to seed teams 4 through 7 is as big of a mystery as why the Ravens haven’t been able to re-sign a single player besides Joe Flacco this offseason. They’re currently separated by 2.5 games, and it’s to be expected that they’ll be shuffling for the next month. Of the four teams in question (Atlanta, Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago), Atlanta and Boston have the most home games left, and Brooklyn has the most left on the road. If we’re going by the “Best wins”, “Last twelve games” and “Eye test” techniques the NCAA selection committee uses to pick their tournament teams, that would slot Boston as the 4 seed, Chicago as the 5, Brooklyn as the 6, and Atlanta as the 7. Allow me to justify my reasoning:

-Rajon Rondo went down with a torn ACL on January 25^th, and improbably the Celtics, 20-23 at the time, have turned the season around and gone 15-6 since. Just like it doesn’t make sense that the Harlem Shake has gotten so incredibly popular, it doesn’t make any sense that the Celtics would be playing better basketball without Rondo. In college basketball the selection committee would likely lower a team by at least one seed if they were missing their best player, but I’m going to look past that. They’ve been the 3^rd best team in the Eastern Conference since February 1^st, and in my eyes, are much scarier than the Knicks are.

-Chicago has dealt with their share of injuries this year too, and I’m not even counting Derrick Rose, who shouldn’t come back this year. Maybe that’s an unpopular opinion, but this Chicago team, even with a completely healthy Rose, wouldn’t beat Miami. It’s just not going to happen. Still, their ability to defend and win on the road (6^th best in the league, only behind the Spurs, Clippers, Heat, Thunder and Grizzlies) make them worthy of a 5 seed.

-Deron Williams isn’t the Deron Williams he used to be, Joe Johnson is still the Joe Johnson he used to be (which means his respective team gets Grandfather Claused into the 6 seed and ultimate irrelevancy) and the Brooklyn Nets might as well still be playing in New Jersey. They pose no threat to any of the top teams in the East, but it would be cool to see a Brooklyn/New York playoff series round one.

-Atlanta was able to shed Joe Johnson and his all-time horrendous contract, but they are still covered in his stink of irrelevancy. It might last a while. They aren’t going any further than a five game series in the first round. I can’t have them any higher than the 7 seed.

And that leaves Milwaukee as the 8 seed, which seems pretty close to a lock right now unless one of two things happen:
1: A super small ball lineup featuring Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, JJ Reddick, Ersan Illyasova and LARRY SANDERS! leads them past Atlanta for the 7 seed, which would be fine with me as a Heat fan.

2: Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings get into a fist fight over who is taking more shots, the Bucks plummet out of the playoff picture, and somehow the Raptors or 76ers sneak into that 8 seed.

This means in the 1^st round the matchups would be Miami/Milwaukee, Boston/Chicago, New York/Brooklyn and Indiana/Atlanta. I feel as though half way through this process, I’ve done a pretty good job. Since I don’t have any committee members to share some congratulatory handshakes with, I’ll just pat myself on the back and move on to the Western Conference.

Mar 1, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) reacts during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at the American Airline Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

I have never claimed to be an expert. I’m just a basketball fan who cares way too much for his own good. That’s why I allow myself to not only have rooting interests in the game, and make them pretty well known. I’ve always been vocal about my love for LeBron James and Stephen Curry, never-ending worry about the Boston Celtics, and incredible frustration about the fact that Dwight Howard isn’t universally despised by basketball fans. I like to think that even though I am far from afraid to voice my opinions, those opinions never cloud my judgment when I evaluate what is going on in the NBA.

The Miami Heat have not lost in one month. That is what’s going on in the NBA right now. They’ve collected thirteen straight wins thanks to a truly historic stretch of basketball by LeBron James, the best stretch of the season by Dwyane Wade, and a number of other timely contributions from a supporting cast that sometimes seems a little overqualified to be considered just a supporting cast. In the midst of this, the Heat have accomplished something that goes beyond the box scores. They’ve shed that elusive villain tag that so many people placed on them in the summer of 2010. They’ve become the loveable Goliath of the NBA in part because of amazing singular talent, breath-taking fast breaks, and on-court team chemistry that occasionally seems to be far ahead of any other team in the league. But this transformation from heel to face goes beyond the collective success on the court.

After the Indiana Pacers handled the Heat in game three of the Eastern Conference semis last year I wrote a scathing piece about how much I disliked the Heat. It was fueled by the loss, but there was definitely some resentment towards the team that never quite seemed like the team I was used to watching LeBron James play for in Cleveland the previous few seasons. It was LeBron and a group of misfits running teams out of the gym and laughing, dancing, and taking family photos while doing it. You knew they loved playing together. It was close to two full seasons together, and I wasn’t getting the impression that was ever going to happen with the Miami Heat. The rest is history.

Feb 23, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Miami Heat forward LeBron James (6) and guard Dwyane Wade (3) enjoy the game from the bench late in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Heat defeated the Sixers 114-90. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron took his game to another level for the next fifteen games, Dwyane Wade transformed into Robin (What’s up Skip?), and everything else fell into place. The pressure was off after the first ring came, and this year it’s glaringly obvious that the Heat are playing with a different mentality than ever before. The Heat are playing like a team that knows they can take their game to another level when need be. The tenseness and constant discussion of “Who’s taking the last shot?” is long gone. Even when that late game situation presents itself, it seems like it is solved organically rather than through a long and constant struggle in the huddle and in the media afterwards. They’ve got a title under their belt; they don’t need to answer to the media.

For the first time in two years, I see this Heat team the same way I saw those Cavaliers teams in the past. LeBron is LeBron. He’s the most talented basketball player in the last twenty years, the best athlete in the history of basketball, and has mentally mastered the game like so few have before him. Dwyane Wade has gone from a player I legitimately disliked, to a player I love to hate and hate to love. He’s the most overqualified “Robin” in the league. In that same breath, Chris Bosh is the most overqualified third wheel, and the best photo bomber in the league. The rest of the fifteen man roster falls into place just as the remaining fourteen did back in Cleveland. They do the dirty work, hit open threes, and give their best impressions of college cheerleaders when they are sitting on the bench. But like I said, the Heat transformation into the likeable winners has been an off the court endeavor as well.

The Heat are putting on a show before the game begins by holding their own pseudo dunk contests, much to the dismay of one Skip Bayless, who will grasp at the shortest straws when trying to criticize LeBron James. LeBron, Wade and Miami native James Jones attended a Miami Hurricanes game a few weeks back. And do I even need to mention the Harlem Shake video? I’ve watched it at least 25 times and find something new to laugh at every time I watch it (Check out my evaluation of the Heat Harlem Shake video over at my blog LaterNamed). Is there any doubt LeBron and the rest of the Cavaliers would’ve made a video like this? Not one bit.

This is what I love about this Heat team. They’ve coupled that on the court success with off the court likeability, which is an extremely rare combination to find in professional sports. They’ve won convincingly against the Clippers, ugly against the Grizzlies, and impressively on the road against the Thunder. LeBron James is putting together the best individual season of basketball in 10 years… 20 years… 30 years? And as a team, you can see they are having fun doing it all. What’s not to love?

It’s easy to let your opinion of an athlete or team mess with your perspective about what is going on in the world of sports. But this time, what’s going on in the world of sports is changing my ideas about the Miami Heat. Maybe it’s because of the win streak. Maybe it’s because of the Harlem Shake. Maybe it’s because of the level of mastery LeBron James is at. But I can’t fight this feeling anymore. Finally, I have to call myself a Miami Heat fan.

Mar 12, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; The Chicago Bulls celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first NBA Championship during halftime against the Utah Jazz at the United Center. (L-R) Scott Williams , Tex Winter , Dennis Hopson , John Paxson , Horace Grant , Craig Hodges , Stacey King , Michael Jordan , Will Purdue , Scottie Pippen and Cliff Levingston. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

I think we’re past the point where I need to explain how big of a basketball fan I am. That should be a given by now if you’ve read some of my stuff from the past. But I do want to explain how far it actually goes. From ages 3 until 8 my loving parents allowed me to keep a Little Tikes basketball hoop set up in the living room of our apartment. When we moved to a bigger house when I was 8, they let me devote a whole room to that same hoop. I am, and always have been consumed by basketball. My dad had me shooting baskets and catching stuffed basketballs before I could even walk. On a home video of my 3^rd birthday party, my parents pull me aside and make me tell them the starting lineups of a few teams in the NBA. Even though I clearly watched a ton of hoops before I started pre-school, the game furthest back that I can actually recall sitting down and watching as it happened occurred when I was six years old. It was Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. Coincidentally, this was the last game Michael Jordan ever played in a Chicago Bulls uniform. It’s only appropriate that a basketball fan like me would remember basketball’s greatest legend play in his final meaningful game. And since today is MJ’s 50^th birthday, I thought to myself, “Hey, why don’t I go retro and put together a running diary of this landmark game in NBA history?” So that is exactly what I did. Buckle yourself in, we’re going on a wild ride back to 1998!

Pre-Game
The pre-game introductions starts with Bob Costas describing Game 5 as if it were a dramatic play. I love and miss the NBA on NBC with a passion, but one thing I will give ABC credit for is nailing their pre-game NBA Finals intro. Costas takes the drama theme even further as they show a number of players arriving at the Delta Center for the game, by calling them the cast of characters. Yes, Dennis Rodman is certainly a “character.” We enter the arena and Bob Costas spouts off a bunch of scenarios surrounding this series. He tells us that no team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win an NBA Finals, but six teams have done that in earlier rounds, including 3 teams who went on to win an NBA Championship. He concludes by telling us that if Utah wins this game, then they would have the edge in the series since very few teams have ever won a Game 7 on the road. Essentially, what Bob Costas is telling us is that he has no effing idea what is going to happen.

Costas (well-respected as a sportscaster, but absolutely horrendous as a play-by-play guy for the NBA) is joined by Doug Collins (overqualified for the job) and Isiah Thomas, (even more terrible than Costas) who makes his splash in the pre-game show when he butchers Jordan’s, Pippen’s and Kukoc’s stats from Game 5. Here is what Isiah tells us, word for word:

“Now it took Kukoc 11 field goes… Kukoc made 11 field goals on 42… ugh… on 13 shots… Pippen and Jordan took 42 field goals to combine for 11 field goal attempts. I think for the big three, they gonna have to play well tonight, and all of them gonna have to big effort here Bob.”

Yes, I’m aware that is a grammatical disaster. I’m just quoting the man.

1^st Quarter
Ahmad Rashad and Jim Gray give us the pre-game injury report and we find out that Scottie Pippen is suffering from a back injury and received all different sorts of treatment before the game. Ron Harper has the flu, Howard Eisley has Vertigo, and now I’m Googling the symptoms to Vertigo.

One more thing to keep in mind, in 1998 my Dad and I were huge Bulls fans and oddly enough, my Mom was a semi-insane Jazz fan. My Dad and I watched the game in our living room, and my Mom watched about 15 feet away in our dining room. Tense times in the Giuliano household.

11:40- Pippen scores the first basket of the game on a dunk and aggravates his already injured back. This sets the scene for Michael Jordan having to shoot 35 times.

11:00- Bob Costas tells us that Luc Longley “has contributed little offensively, and been abused defensively by Malone.” Ladies and gentlemen, Luc Longley!

10:45- After Jim Gray tells us pre-game that Karl Malone was going to attack the basket early and often, Malone’s first shot is a fadeaway. Apparently he didn’t get the updated scouting report. I bet Jim Gray didn’t expect to be interviewing LeBron James twelve years later when he decided to take his talents to South Beach. This is probably because LeBron James was 13 years old at the time of this game.

8:49- Costas says he doesn’t want to compare Pippen’s back injury to Jordan’s flu game, but he does anyways. Pippen goes on to do everything he possibly can to make him look like a fool for making the comparison.

7:50- Jordan hits a turnaround jumper over John Stockton for his first score of the game. Bulls are up 10-8. After seeing how Stockton acknowledged that nobody would be able to distinguish him as a member of the Dream Team on NBA TV’s The Dream Team special, I can’t help but think he would also be able to acknowledge that guarding Jordan in the post might be a little bit of a tall order for him.

7:00- Scottie Pippen connects on a jump hook and falls hard to the court afterwards. He can barely run back down the court. His gait is very similar to Mike Miller’s.

My DVD fast forwards to about 3 minutes left in 1^st quarter and Chicago up 18-14. Jordan is in the game with Dennis Rodman, Steve Kerr, Bill Wennington and someone named Scott Burrell. I don’t know this for sure, but I have to imagine that as long as Jordan is on the court with this group, he is going to be shooting the ball approximately 97% of the time.

2:20- Jeff Hornacek hits a transition 3 and the roof comes off at Delta Center. It still holds true to a degree, but Utah used to have an absolutely insane home crowd. The OKC/Utah comparisons definitely are warranted. And by the way, when is the next time an NBA player is going to have the nickname “Horny”?

0:15- A great sequence to bring the 1^st quarter to an end: A Karl Malone runner followed by a Jordan jumper over Bryon Russell (foreshadowing!!!), topped off by another Malone runner plus the foul to put Utah up 25-22 at the end of the quarter. This great play by the incredibly muscular Malone leads to Doug Collins saying “See Bob, that’s what I’m talking about being aggressive… Isiah. Taking the ball to the basket.” Not only does Doug Collins have to do his best to pull Isiah out of his comatose state, but he also has to deal with Bob Costas calling the game like he’s a radio announcer. Collins is doing his best 2007 LeBron James impression in this three-man announce booth.

2^nd Quarter
The 2^nd quarter starts with much less than a bang. On the court to kick things off are Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoc, Jud Buechler, Bill Wennington, Ron Harper, Scott Burrell, Shandon Anderson, Howard Eisley, Antoine Carr, Greg Foster and Chris Morris. Let me quickly recap the happenings of that horrible 3 minute stretch of basketball… Two horrible Greg Foster turnovers, a few Kukoc heavy possessions for Chicago, and a 30 footer from Howard Eisley that was waved off because of a shot clock violation, even though it clearly wasn’t.

DVD fast forwards to 5:52 left in 2^nd quarter and Utah leads 34-33. Ahmad Rashad tells us it’s uncertain if Pippen will return. So much for Flu Game part II.

5:40- With Jordan at the free throw line, Bob Costas, oozing with informational nuggets, tells us that Jordan hasn’t missed a game since returning from baseball. In the Bulls six title seasons Jordan missed a total of 6 games. Taking it a step further, aside from the ’85-’86 season where Jordan broke his ankle, and the ’94-’95 season where he played in the final 17 games of the season after returning from retirement, Jordan missed only 7 games in his entire career. That’s absolutely crazy. The man was a workhorse.

3:50- Malone scores in the paint with Rodman guarding him, and good lord is Karl Malone jacked. I get the body comparisons to LeBron to a degree, but nobody in the NBA right now has bigger arms that Karl Malone did. He’s got 18 for the game. At the other end, Jordan answers with a 3 bringing his point total to 19. Game’s tied, 39-39.

3:15- Not to be outdone by MJ, Karl Malone hits a fadeaway jumper over Rodman to bring his total up to 20 for the game. Bob Costas is talking like he has a fuzzy feeling in his stomach.

For some odd reason, my DVD decides to fast forward through the remaining 2 minutes of the 1^st half. Going into the 3^rd quarter Utah leads 49-45.

3^rd Quarter
11:40- Karl Malone blows by Luc Longley for an easy lay in. Longley’s feet move slower than the water level rises in the Great Salt Lake. Not to be outdone, Adam Keefe gets burned by Toni Kukoc on the other end. RIP to the era where guys like Luc Longley and Adam Keefe are starters in an NBA Finals game.

The DVD fast forwards a bit to half way through the 3^rd quarter. Utah is leading 54-51.We see a clip of Karl Malone and Dennis Rodman getting tangled up 3 times, and both falling over 3 straight times. Later in the summer of 1998, Dennis Rodman would team with Hollywood Hulk Hogan to face Karl Malone and Diamond Dallas Page at WCW’s Bash at the Beach pay-per-view.

4:10- Jerry Sloan calls on Antoine Carr to enter the game. Carr sprints over to the scorer’s tables, rips off his warm up jacket and throws it as hard as he could to the ground. He looks like an overexcited mid-card wrestler who is about to enter the Royal Rumble.

1:30- Isiah Thomas tells us that Luc Longley needs to get involved in the Chicago offense. Apparently the Knicks didn’t get ahold of the commentary from this game before they hired Isiah as President of Basketball Operations AND Head Coach.

3^rd quarter ends with a badly missed Luc Longley jumper, then an Adam Keefe layup over Longley with one tenth of a second left. Longley doesn’t play at all in the 4^th quarter. Utah leads 66-61.

4^th Quarter
11:10- Jordan hits a jumper over Shandon Anderson which leads Bob Costas to exclaim, “He’s still Michael Jordan.” I think Costas was the only one who was confused about this concept.

10:30- Dennis Rodman hits a 20 foot jumper and gives an exaggerated shrug afterwards. Shades of MJ in 1992. Bulls trail 68-67.

9:40- Chris Morris scores on a nice baseline reverse lay-up. Chicago calls timeout and the Delta Center blasts “Are you ready for this?” I miss the days where arena’s played music like this instead of LMFAO and Pitbull.

9:16- We see a close-up of Jud Buechler during a timeout after Isiah calls him the X-Factor for the Bulls right now. The amount of shoulder and chest hair Buechler has makes it easy for me to identify with him. I’m looking for a Jud Buechler jersey on eBay right now.

7:27- Jordan is attacking the basket relentlessly. On top of the 35 shots he took in this game, Jordan would also take 15 free throws. 45 points on 35 shots isn’t terribly efficient, but look at the offensive weapons Jordan had alongside him this game. A hobbled Pippen and Toni Kukoc were his next best options. And keep in mind; this was the 103^rd game of the season for the Bulls, and the 304^th game that a 35 year old Jordan had played since November 1995. He was running on empty.

5:45- NBC shows the stat line for Dennis Rodman on the night: 6 points, 7 rebounds, 4 fouls, 1 exaggerated Jordanesque shrug, 12 piercings, 3 different colors in his hair, roughly 30 tattoos, and 1 future appearance on Celebrity Mole (which he would win). In retrospect, it’s really surprising that Dennis Rodman isn’t the NBA player that changed his name to Metta World Peace. Buechler update: There are no jersey’s on eBay (I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised), but there are a decent amount of autographed basketball cards listed for cheap prices. I’m tempted.

3:00- After a missed three, Jordan intercepts a long outlet pass from Hornacek to Russell. One thing that gets lost in the shuffle when talking about MJ is not only what a great defender he was, but also his sense of the moment. We know about the game winning shots, but MJ had a knack for making more plays late in games other than just scoring. More on this in a second.

2:30- After a Karl Malone wing jumper, the Jazz lead 83-79. Jordan has 37, Malone has 31.

1:10- Stockton misses a three pointer late in the shot clock, and Jordan collects his first and only rebound of the game. Jordan also had just one assist. Not exactly filling the stat sheet, but he did what he had to do for Chicago to get the win. Oops, spoiler alert.

0:42- Hard to believe it, but this is the first real mention of John Stockton so far, perhaps the greatest pure point guard of all-time. After two MJ free throws, Stockton buries a three from the right wing and the Delta Center erupts. Also, as this was happening at the time, my mom just went nuts from the dining room and I likely started crying. I can’t say this for sure, but she probably laughed at me if I did cry. She was obsessed with the Utah Jazz. She had no idea her heart was about to be ripped out by one Michael Jeffrey Jordan.

0:37- After a timeout, Chicago scores quickly after MJ blows by Bryon Russell and finishes the lay up over Antoine Carr. At the time, every Utah Jazz fan within the Delta Center was fearfully chanting “Let’s Go Jazz!” Now, if there are any reading this, they are probably cringing knowing what is about to happen next.

0:30- You might as well just watch how it unfolds.

On one hand, it is fitting for the consensus “Greatest player of all-time” to end his final game with 45 points and a game winning dagger on the road. On the other hand, and forgive me for bringing this up, this 45 point performance isn’t nearly as impressive as LeBron James’s overall brilliance in the NBA Finals last year, or the stretch he’s in the midst of right now. But that’s another discussion for another time.

Happy Birthday, MJ.

29. Kwame Brown (Previously Unranked)
Shoot! This isn’t the timeline for bad executive decisions made by Michael Jordan; this is the top 50 player rankings. Honest mistake.

29. Kevin Garnett (Previously #19)
This straight-from-high-schooler worked out a little better than Kwame. I dropped Garnett because more often than not, it looks like he’s fighting a losing battle against father time. I still wouldn’t want to have to deal with KG in a playoff series though. There is always the chance he could turn back the hands of time and unleash some vintage Big Ticket performances while trash talking the opposition and eating Honey Nut Cheerios in the process.

28. Deron Williams (Previously #10)
Deron Williams: “Did you hear this garbage about that kid Sonny Giuliano dropping me 18 spots in his NBA player rankings?”

Deron Williams’ Publicist: “Well a lot of it has to do with the fact that you’re in the middle of your worst statistical season since your rookie year and—”

Deron Williams: “What does he know about basketball? And what do you know about basketball? You’re just here to make sure people like me.”

Deron Williams’ Publicist: “About that… you’ve got to stop getting coaches fired. You’re making my job really difficult.”

27. Jrue Holiday (Previously on Toughest Omissions)
Holiday makes the biggest jump of any of the players previously on the toughest omissions list, and for good reason. I forecasted that Jrue Holiday would make the leap into the top 50 because of the 76ers’ addition of Andrew Bynum. Well, Bynum has been busy bowling and growing out his hair to extraordinary lengths, but Holiday’s progression hasn’t slowed a bit. Holiday’s jump from mid-level point guard to arguably a top five point guard in the league has been the deciding factor in keeping the 76ers in the playoff picture after Philadelphia made a trade that left them with nothing to show for it for the time being. Thanks to Holiday (and let’s give some credit to Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young too, they’ve both come along this season as well) the 76ers are hanging around in the East, and maybe with a break or two (Rondo’s torn ACL may be one, potential roster-busting trades for the Bucks and Hawks may end up being another), we could end up seeing Jrue Holiday featured in the playoffs.

26. Paul Pierce (Previously #21)
The truth is, Paul Pierce has lost a step. You can’t tell by the numbers, but he’s definitely lost a step. He isn’t as quick off the dribble as he used to be. He can’t defend like he did in years past. He doesn’t have the spring he had in 2007. It’s his 15^th season in the league, it’s to be expected. In a lot of ways, he isn’t the same Paul Pierce he once was.

The truth is, I’m still terrified of Paul Pierce. And as a LeBron James fan, I’m still terrified of the Celtics. Even though common sense and conventional wisdom says I should be hoping for a plush 1^st round matchup against the Celtics, I’m praying Boston manages to fight out of the 8^th spot because I don’t want the Heat to have to deal with the Celtics in round one. That’s way too much stress for me way too early.

The truth is, Paul Pierce is still the truth. Even though he can’t bring his A game every night, it’s there every once in a while, and Pierce’s A game is just as dangerous as anyone else’s. That’s why I’m terrified.

25. LaMarcus Aldridge (Previously #22)
24. David Lee (Previously #50)
I have a ton of love for LA and WCW (White Chris Webber for those of you who aren’t familiar with the Shaquille O’Neal given nickname of David Lee). They are both all-star caliber power forwards who do just about anything you could want a power forward to do. But the problem is, David Lee’s point guard’s all-star credentials are greater than either of these two. I’ll be picking that nit in a minute.

23. Chris Bosh (Previously #20)
To avoid the wrath of my mother for dropping Chris Bosh in the rankings, let me use this time to say that I’m half way on Chris Bosh’s side when he claims he is a hall of famer. Sure, he might’ve went a little too far when he said he was a Hall of Famer “like four years ago”, but the case could potentially be made that the forgotten man in the Heat Big Three will indeed someday end up in Springfield. Let’s look at his résumé so far:
Career averages of 19.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 50% FG, 80% FT… 8 time All-Star… 7^th in 2006-07 MVP voting, 12^th in 2009-10 MVP voting… One 2^nd Team All-NBA… Three seasons of at least 22 points and 10 rebounds… 3^rd best player on one Championship runner-up, and one NBA Champion

Well, maybe that isn’t the most rock-solid résumé, but consider this: It’s not a stretch that Bosh could end up one of the Top 50 all-time scorers and rebounders. It’s also not a stretch that Chris Bosh could end up with a couple of more titles. So let’s assume Bosh ends his career with 18,000 career points, 8,500 rebounds, 10 All-Star appearances, 3 NBA titles as the 3^rd best player on the team, and a few “Whoa, Chris Bosh is really important to the Heat” moments like he had last year in the playoffs. Is that good enough to make the Hall of Fame? I’d say yes. And the kind folks at www.basketball-reference.com seem to think so too. Bosh is currently the 11^th most likely active player to make the Hall of Fame. This system is a little flawed though, considering Steve Nash is currently 20^th on that list. Let’s just put the Chris Bosh Hall of Fame argument on hold for a few years, and while we’re doing that, I can pray my mom will still make me delicious dinners.

22. Joakim Noah (Previously #45)
This man is the 22^nd best player in the NBA.

Jan. 30, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (12) against Phoenix Suns center Marcin Gortat (4) at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

21. Pau Gasol (Previously #17)
20. Dwight Howard (Previously #3)
Try to contain your excitement… It’s time for another fun-sized round of “Make up fun fake trades on ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine that will likely never happen.” I can feel your excitement seeping through the computer screen. I’m a firm believer in the idea that the Lakers best move is to keep Pau, trade Dwight Howard (he’s leaving Los Angeles in six months anyways) and try to make the playoffs on the shoulders of Kobe Bryant, some added depth, and Pau Gasol when he comes back from his torn plantar fascia.

Trade #1: Los Angeles gets Kemba Walker, Gerald Henderson, Hakim Warrick and DeSagana Diop; Charlotte gets Dwight Howard.

NOTE: Realistically, this trade never comes close to happening for a myriad of reasons. But the thought of Dwight Howard (a notorious goofball; someone who has the reputation for not being nearly competitive enough) being traded from Los Angeles (where he’s been playing with the competitive player in the NBA) to Charlotte (owned by the most competitive athlete ever) makes me laugh.

Trade #2: Los Angeles gets Omer Asik, Patrick Patterson, and Chandler Parsons; Houston gets Dwight Howard.

NOTE: This is quite a bit of value the Lakers would be getting for Dwight, and enough size to survive for the period of time where Pau Gasol will be out. And wouldn’t Houston want to make this move too? The Rockets would be able to build around Dwight, the Beard and Linsanity, and they could even market Dwight as the next Hakeem (That’s just the marketing side of me thinking. The basketball fan in me is saying Dwight will never be Hakeem). As for Dwight, I can’t help but believe he would consider staying in Houston. It’s a relatively big market, features a young roster, and he would be lucky enough to be coached by one of the best low post scorers of all-time in Kevin McHale. This is a winning deal for all parties. I’m legitimately impressed with myself right now.

Trade #3: Los Angeles gets Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion and Rodrigue Beaubois; Dallas gets Dwight Howard and Metta World Peace.

NOTE: Again, this is a trade that will never ever happen, but just stay with me for a minute. On one hand, Dallas is another city where Dwight would likely stay, but that’s not why I’m making this hypothetical trade. Kobe, Dirk, Marion, and Pau are all under contract through 2014. Add Nash into the mix too. Why not give those five guys a year and a half to play with each other in Los Angeles. I say we contact David Stern and convince him to put this trade into motion. He clearly has the power to do so.

One last thing: I’m sure there are some who will be critical of me for dropping Dwight Howard to 20^th. I’ve made no bones about the fact that he’s my least favorite player in the league, but that isn’t why I dropped him. Do you see what’s happening to the Lakers? It’s a damn circus in Los Angeles, and the reason is Dwight Howard. Part of my criteria for ranking the players is their reputation; “Do players like playing with him or is he despised? Does he do little things that make the team better or is he out for himself? Is he known as a hard worker and leader, or someone who doesn’t always give a crap?” The answer to each of those three questions is the latter choice. And do we know for sure how healthy Dwight is? I don’t think he’s any better than 75% healthy and that isn’t really a good sign going forward. At this point, I’d be more surprised by a three-year Dwight Howard resurgence than a three-year Dwight Howard downfall.

19. Marc Gasol (Previously #27)
18. Zach Randolph (Previously #38)
Quick tangent: I loved the Grizzlies as a potential sleeper team in the playoffs this year, just like I did last year. I don’t think I was necessarily alone in believing that either. We didn’t really have any idea how this team would come together in the postseason when all the pieces were completely healthy, but the only reasonable guess would be that they would have a lot of success since two years in a row they were a tough out in the postseason, one year without Rudy Gay, and one year with a hobbled Zach Randolph. But through free agency and some curious trades, the Grizzlies of 2011 (Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Tony Allen, OJ Mayo, Shane Battier, Greivis Vasquez, Darrell Arthur) has been whittled down to Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Tony Allen, a past his prime Tayshaun Prince and a few other young pieces that Grizzlies fans can only hope don’t get collective stage fright in the playoffs. What the hell went wrong?

Alright, my tangent is over. It just makes me upset that a potential Western Conference juggernaut was torn apart for no other reason besides the fact that Grizzlies ownership wanted to save money. But here is the silver lining for the Grizzlies; the fact that they have the best big man tandem in the game is enough to leave them with the smallest sliver of a chance to contend for the title. It’s microscopic, but you have to find a silver lining.

17. Derrick Rose (Previously #8)
Of all 50 players, well actually closer to 75 or so players I had to evaluate for this list, ranking Derrick Rose was my toughest task. How do you rank someone who was the league MVP in 2011, played well when he played in 2012, tore his ACL, and has missed every single game this year? It’s impossible. I kept Andrew Bynum out of the top 50 because he hasn’t played a game this season, but I couldn’t do the same to Derrick Rose.

I can’t exactly explain my rationale for why I have Derrick Rose ranked 17^th. I’m sure some people will say Rose should still be a top ten player. Others will probably say that he shouldn’t be on the list at all since he hasn’t played. I’m not sure if I ranked him properly, and I have no other explanation as to why I put him here besides that it felt right. That’s terrible journalism, but it’s true. Derrick Rose could easily return and be the same exact player he was before. But there are two major what-ifs that come into play.

What if Derrick Rose is never the player he was prior to tearing his ACL? This is the absolute worst case scenario. It would be one of the greatest sports tragedies ever if Derrick Rose, someone who thrived on track star speed, breathtaking athleticism and miles of heart couldn’t be the real Derrick Rose because of torn knee ligaments. But…

What if Derrick Rose goes Adrian Peterson on us? After what All Day just did for the Minnesota Vikings, there is a glimmer of hope that Derrick Rose can return and improbably be better than he was before. Whenever I watch Derrick Rose go down my stomach turns and I feel uneasy. But the thought of Rose returning towards the end of the year, and sparking a storybook run to the Finals is the kind of stuff that gives me goosebumps.

Until Rose returns, I have no idea how far off I am with my ranking of him. For everybody’s sake, I hope he ends up much higher than 17^th.

16. Stephen Curry (Previously #48)
We’re going two routes here. The first route is you listening to Charles Barkley rant about Stephen Curry being snubbed from the All-Star game. The second route is me ranting about Stephen Curry being snubbed from the All-Star game. So click here to listen to Chuck, and then come back for more. Ready, go!

I’ve always loved Charles Barkley, and this was the cherry on top of the metaphorical sundae. Barkley’s voice echoed the tweets of so many who were frustrated with the fact that the brightest young star on the most surprising team of the Western Conference could somehow be left off the roster of the All-Star game. And this wasn’t a sentimental “The game is being played in his city, let’s get him on the roster” kind of snub; and it wasn’t a “This is his last season, let’s get him out there one more time” snub either. This was a blatant “This guy has turned around a franchise and is having a historically good season, he should be in there” snub. Did you know Stephen Curry is on pace to become the first player in NBA history to average 20 points, 6 assists and 3 three-pointers made per game? That’s been done by exactly no one. Not to mention he’s making a somewhat absurd number of three pointers per game on 45% shooting from downtown. And his team (young, relatively inexperienced, and a general surprise) is currently in 6^th in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. What else is missing? And besides the fact that Curry’s credentials more than warrant a spot on the roster, why wouldn’t you want someone who is not only a lights out shooter, but one of the most creative offensive players in the league in a fast paced game like the All-Star game? Seriously, what the hell happened to keep Stephen Curry out of the All-Star game?

And one last thing, Collin Stucko is getting close to owing ten dollars on our “Stephen Curry will never be a top five point guard in the league.” It’s damn close.

15. Kevin Love (Previously #7)
When I talked about Andre Iguodala last week I touched on this idea that after you play with Team USA you have a breakout season. Well, we saw it from Love after his time with Team USA at the World Championships in 2010, and a potential Love breakout season in 2012-13 was one of my favorite subplots until he developed a seemingly chronic right hand injury. Was there potential of a 28-15 season for Kevin Love? I don’t think it was too farfetched.

14. Kyrie Irving (Previously #25)
In two years when LeBron is playing alongside Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, it’s going to be a really interesting debate as to who should take the last shot in a close game. Kyrie is that good. And yes, my sources are telling me LeBron will be back in Cleveland in 2014-15.

NOTE: I have no sources, but it’s fun to pretend I do.

13. Blake Griffin (Previously #14)
Try not to be too concerned with the statistical drop-off Blake Griffin has had since his rookie year. Whether people see it or not, he’s a better player now than he was then. He’s much more patient and definitely more polished offensively than he was during that breakout rookie season. And if you are worried about those numbers steadily decreasing, take a look at his minutes per game which have dropped each year as well. The good news for Blake is there is a direct correlation between his minutes and numbers dropping, but commercial appearances going up.

12. Tony Parker (Previously #16)
Last year Tony Parker got a little bit of MVP buzz that I scoffed at mainly because Skip Bayless was firmly planted on the Tony Parker bandwagon, and I didn’t like that. Well, I changed my television watching habits, and I don’t watch ESPN’s First Take anymore, so I have no idea what Skip Bayless is saying about Tony Parker. That allows me to marvel at the season Tony Parker is having without knowing I’m agreeing with Skip. The fact that Tony Parker is averaging 20.7 points and 7.7 assists for the team with the best record in the league is impressive enough. But man oh man, when I look at his shooting percentage (roughly 54%, 16th in the league) I’m left scratching my head wondering how a 6’2 Frenchman is the only point guard firmly planted in the top 40 in field goal percentage. Even though this year LeBron and Durant are on an entirely different level than anyone else, if Parker keeps this up you could talk me into putting him in the top three of MVP rankings.

February 1, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler (6) reacts after a dunk against the Milwaukee Bucks during the fourth quarter of an NBA game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

11. Tyson Chandler (Previously #30)
I decided to re-do my rankings partly because it was halfway through the regular season, and it seemed logical to take the temperature of the NBA by doing something substantial like this. I also did it to try to correct any big mistakes I made in my prior rankings or in pieces I’ve written since then. When I did the Tyson Chandler section I gushed about the ability of Tyson Chandler to communicate with and motivate some less than stellar defensive players on the Knicks. Still, I might’ve underrated his defensive ability by ranking him 30^th. Apparently I didn’t learn my lesson. About a month ago when I ranked the Eastern Conference teams, I somehow let it slip my mind that Tyson Chandler (in the midst of his best season to date) should be an Eastern Conference All-Star. I have no good excuse for that one. So maybe some will see 11 as a little high for Chandler, but I had to do something to make up for the mistakes I made before.

10. Tim Duncan (Previously #28)
Admittedly I was off on Tyson Chandler. I’m not taking that same blame with Tim Duncan. How would I be able to foresee Duncan once again popping father time in the mouth and delaying the inevitable state of depressing decline? The story with Duncan is the similar to the one we’ve been seeing with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Maybe that A game isn’t there every night, but when it’s there, as Kevin Garnett would say, “Anything is possible.” Call me crazy, but I think it’s possible that the Spurs can ride Tim Duncan to another NBA championship. And as great as Tony Parker has been, the Spurs need vintage Tim Duncan to contend for a title.

9. Rajon Rondo (Previously #5)
Another player extremely tough to rank considering he tore his ACL. Before the bad break against Atlanta, Rondo was in the middle of his career best statistical season which was getting very little appreciation due to the fact that the Celtics were floundering in the Eastern Conference. Now since Rondo has gone down the Celts have won 7 straight and people are forgetting the fact that their title chances have just about evaporated without Rondo in the picture. Sure, the fan in me is still terrified of the Celtics, but the realist says that without Rondo running the show the Celtics aren’t a legitimate title threat.

8. James Harden (Previously #24)
You heard it here first—James Harden for All-Star game MVP. Take that one to the bank. And how about we get James Harden in the MVP discussion? He’s not going to win, and he shouldn’t, but shouldn’t he get some credit for turning the Rockets into a playoff team and clearly proving that he is capable of being “the man” for a good team? I’d say yes.

7. Dwyane Wade (Previously #9)
I’ve moved Dwyane Wade up two spots. See, I’m capable of giving him credit when credit is due.

6. Russell Westbrook (Previously #11)
When my roommate Weston and I were watching the Thunder/Lakers game a couple weeks back we were talking about the role of Russell Westbrook for the Thunder and how he constantly waivers between being the distributor and number one option. After a few sequences of typical Westbrook play (breathtaking athleticism and offensive skill coupled with shaky decision making at times), I came to realize that being a Thunder fan has to be an absolute emotional rollercoaster. In the hypothetical scenario that I were a diehard Oklahoma City Thunder fan, I don’t know if Westbrook would be my second favorite player on the team because he’s one of the top three overqualified number two guys in the league, or my least favorite player because of the constant emotional turmoil he has to put Thunder fans through. Season ticket holders should get free therapy sessions after every ridiculous Westbrook performance.

5. Carmelo Anthony (Previously #13)
I’m approaching my self-appointed word limit, so I’m going to make this as quick as Carmelo Anthony’s release on a transition three-pointer. Carmelo has been awesome this year. The MVP talk has faded a little, but watching Carmelo heat up with a frenzied MSG crowd cheering him on is a little terrifying.

4. Kobe Bryant (Previously #6)
It’s hard not to feel for Kobe Bryant. He’s on pace to become the first player in league history to average 25+ points while in their 17^th season, yet the Lakers, which had such high expectations before the season, have turned into a complete joke. I still maintain the belief that the Lakers will make the playoffs or Kobe Bryant will die trying. Actually, let me rephrase that. I still maintain the belief that the Lakers will make the playoffs or Kobe Bryant will kill someone trying. Yeah, that sounds more realistic.

3. Chris Paul (Previously #4)
Even in defeat and still hobbled, it was evident to me on Friday night when I was at the Clippers/Heat game that Chris Paul plays the point guard position like not many others ever have. He’s in such control of everything going on and sees things differently than 99% of anyone else who plays basketball. I may have said it before and I don’t care to look and see if I did, but watching Chris Paul run the point is like watching an instruction manual of how it’s supposed to be done. The thing that stood out to me most on Friday night was how he composed himself like a general of an army. I’ve never seen a more intimidating 6 foot point guard in my life. There was one sequence where Paul obviously upset about a call and didn’t hide this from the official who made the call, and eventually hit him with a technical. But for about 10 seconds when Paul was going from pursuing the ref to getting right in his face, you could see the competitive juices flowing and that’s what separates Paul from so many others. You could see that he just wanted it more than most do.

2. Kevin Durant (Previously #2)
Durant is the only guy who is standing in the way of LeBron winning his 4^th MVP, and might be the only guy standing in the way of LeBron winning a second NBA Championship. At this point it’s hard to imagine anyone beating a LeBron James led Heat team 4 out of 7 games, but Durant is the only one who I could see being a catalyst in doing so.

1. LeBron James (Previously #1)
Not much to say here to justify why LeBron is number one, so I’ll keep it short and sweet. As I mentioned before, I was at the Clippers/Heat game on Friday night, and I’ve never been more impressed with a basketball player in my life. Keep in mind I’ve seen quite a few “great” players in my life. I’ve seen LeBron multiple times, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Bosh, Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Derrick Rose, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, and Blake Griffin; and I’ve never seen someone so close to mastering the game of basketball in my life as LeBron James did on Friday night, and has been for the last, well, basically this whole season. It’s a cliché, but it was almost like watching nine guys on the floor playing one game, and LeBron playing another. It was a treat.

To go back and in just two weeks redo everything I had done previously was tough, especially considering this same task took me a few months to complete the first time around. So what you’ll see here is indeed a two-part list of the top 50 players in the NBA according to me, a fan who cares way too much for his own good. Just don’t expect nearly as many statistical nuggets, relevant notes, or total words as my initial rankings.

If you aren’t familiar with my rankings, I suggest you click here to review the criteria I used to rank the players a few months ago. So without further ado, here are the adjusted top 50 player rankings

NOTE #1: I tried not to react too much to anything that’s happened so far this year, but there are certainly going to be some changes I made that will probably draw some criticism (Hell, I’m not even completely happy with everything I did). I welcome it. The fun part about sports is that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If we all thought the same way it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.

NOTE #2: I sincerely hope this doesn’t end up 10,000 words, but I can’t make any promises.

Here’s who got bumped from my original top 50: You’d think in a contract year Paul Millsap (#47 previously) would be having a career year, but he’s actually having a down year compared to the previous two…Roy Hibbert (#44) is averaging 9.9 points and 8.3 rebounds, which is all fine and dandy until you consider the following four things: (1) Both of those numbers are down from last year, (2) He’s 26 years old and has no injury history, so there really isn’t a good reason why those number should be done, (3) He’s averaging a pedestrian 9.9 points on putrid 42% shooting, (4) This wouldn’t be a problem if he wasn’t 7’2 and the starting center on an eastern conference contender… Monta Ellis (#43) gets bumped because there is only so much value I can place on a guy who scores 18 points per game on 18 shots per game when he is supposed to be “the guy.” Look out for that previous sentence to appear again soon… Ricky Rubio (#42) is playing like he spent a little too much time backyard wrestling rather than playing basketball when he was rehabbing his knee… Eric Gordon (#41) has been ravaged with injuries, and until he proves he can stay completely healthy I have to keep him off the list… Does Indiana really miss Danny Granger (#36) that much?… Remember that huge game Manu Ginobili (#27) had this year? Yeah, me neither… Steve Nash (#18) just doesn’t look like Steve Nash anymore… Andrew Bynum (#15) just doesn’t look like Andrew Bynum anymore. He looks more like Frederick Douglass… Dirk Nowitzki (#12) just doesn’t look like Dirk Nowitzki anymore. But let me say this, I hate my own decision to leave him off, and I’d still want to go to war with Dirk Nowitzki in the playoffs… whatever that counts for.

Now it’s time to get to the twelve toughest omissions, in no particular order whatsoever.

Nikola Pekovic/Nikola Vucevic: Who would’ve thought that two Europeans named Nikola would be quality NBA centers?

Brandon Jennings: “There is only so much value I can place on a guy who scores 18 points per game on 18 shots per game when he is supposed to be ‘the guy.’”- Sonny Giuliano

Jan 23, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (center) looses the ball while driving to the basket against New Orleans Hornets forward Ryan Anderson (left) and Anthony Davis (right) during the second half at the AT

Ryan Anderson/Anthony Davis/Greivis Vasquez: Maybe the name is a bit of a letdown (New Orleans Pelicans isn’t completely terrible, but doesn’t Bayou Ballers have a pretty nice ring to it?), but the future is definitely bright in New Orleans. If not for nagging injuries, Davis could very well be in the rookie of the year race. Ryan Anderson is doing typical Ryan Anderson things (17 points, 7 rebounds per game, 1^st in the league in 3 pointers made). And has there been a bigger surprise this year on an individual level than Greivis Vasquez. When he was in Memphis it seemed like he was destined to thrive as an overconfident bench player. Now in a starting role, he is running a very young Hornets team and doing extremely well. The most interesting statistic of the year might be that Greivis Vasquez is 3^rd in assists this year.

Kemba Walker: Sure, Kemba might not be carrying the Bobcats on his back like he did with Connecticut a couple years ago, but he has been the second biggest bright spot for the Bobcats franchise. In case you were wondering, the biggest bright spot is the prospective name change back to Hornets, and potentially rocking the old school teal pinstripe uniforms.

J.J. Hickson: I still have a place in my heart for one of my favorite Cavaliers of the LeBron James era (soon to be continued?) and what’s not to like about Hickson? In just 29 minutes per game, J.J. Hickson is averaging 13.0 points and 10.8 rebounds, and is third in double-doubles with 26.

Omer Asik: The Billy Rosewood look-alike is making the most of his increased minutes in his first season as a Rocket. He still lacks a strong offensive game, but the big Turk rebounds the ball at a high rate and is a defensive presence in the middle.

Mike Conley: On one of the most disruptive defensive teams, it all starts with Mike Conley who has developed into one of the best defensive point guards in the league, on top of being a quality game manager and big game player. With Rudy Gay gone and Tony Allen not displaying much of an offensive repertoire, Conley will likely shoulder a larger offensive burden.

David West: The ever-changing status of David West’s value is currently sitting at “underrated.” He was a borderline All-Star this season, and was my 2nd toughest cut from the Top 50.

JR Smith: This one might draw some criticism considering JR Smith was considered by many an All-Star snub. That may be true, but it doesn’t change the fact that JR Smith is a volume scorer who shoots 40%, and has had way too many 7 for 18 type shooting nights to be considered in any higher regard.

I’m looking at this top 50 list as if it were a freezing cold swimming pool. You can’t tiptoe your way into it; you’ve got to dive right in. So here we go!

50. Jamal Crawford (Previously Unranked)
Let me start this off by saying this cut-off spot was a dead heat between JR Smith and Crawford, but there was only room for one of the two. Both Smith and Crawford have had buzz worthy seasons; each of the two got a little too much hype, and a little too much talk sounding like “Even though he’s coming off the bench he’s been the 2^nd best player for his team this year,” leading me to believe that people have quickly forgotten about reigning Defensive Player of the Year Tyson Chandler and the most marketable under 25 player in the NBA, Blake Griffin; each player benefited from a strong opening month of season (After November, JR Smith has shot 39% and Jamal Crawford has shot 40 %.) Ultimately, I decided on Crawford over Smith because I trust Crawford late in games over Smith. Plus, I like the name Jamal better than Earl.

49. Ty Lawson (Previously #46)
When Andre Iguodala came over to Denver in the offseason (we’ll be getting to him in a jiff) I expected Denver to be an offensive machine of some sort (In their defense, Denver is 4^th in the league in points per game. I guess my expectations were a little bit out of hand). Maybe I slightly overrated that pick-up. Or maybe I overrated the potential progression of Ty Lawson, whose shooting and free throw percentages have dropped.

48. John Wall (Previously #37)
The good news for sports fans in the Washington area: When John Wall is healthy and in the lineup, your team is significantly better. Smile! The bad news for sports fans in the Washington area: John Wall has only been on the court in 13 games this year. To make matters much worse in Washington, Robert Griffin III and Stephen Strasburg can’t stay healthy either. Maybe don’t smile.

47. Joe Johnson (Previously #35)
Joe Johnson’s Financial Advisor: “Joe, why are you buying a yacht? Didn’t you watch the 30 For 30 about how athletes recklessly spend all of their money and end up broke?”

Joe Johnson: “Yeah, I saw it. But did you check out my bank account? I’ve already been paid over $100 million in my career, and I’ve still got $87 million coming on my current contract!”

Joe Johnson’s Financial Advisor: “I understand that Joe, but in the last two months you’ve bought a yacht, two houses, a fire truck, an aquarium and ownership in an Italian soccer team. You’re spending way too much money.”

Joe Johnson: “You don’t get it. I’m an above average player with no exciting qualities to my game and a general lack of charisma. Yet somehow, I’m the sixth highest paid player in the whole NBA. I can buy whatever the f*** I want!”

46. OJ Mayo (Previously Unranked)
Mark Cuban is a billionaire. I’m far from it. But oddly enough, Cuban and I have something in common. Most likely, both of us are probably surprised by the free agency developments from the summer of 2012. Mark Cuban probably didn’t expect to have to settle on OJ Mayo, who was coming off a two year stretch of disappointing basketball, as his marquee free agency pick up. Maybe Cubes knew something that I didn’t know, because I didn’t expect Mayo to get back to the level he was playing at during his time at USC and his first couple of years in the league. 

45. Rudy Gay (Previously #32)
44. Nic Batum (Previously on Toughest Omissions)
Here is how I justify putting Nic Batum ahead of Rudy Gay: Batum is two years younger, a better outside shooter (the numbers so say), a better facilitator on the offensive end, arguably a better defender, completely willing to punch opponents below the belt if need be, and from a salary cap standpoint, he has a much more desirable contract. Additionally, part of the criteria I use is the role a player fills on their respective team, and how well he fills that role. Gay and Batum can do all of the same things on a basketball court, only Batum is viewed as one of the best complimentary pieces in the NBA and Rudy Gay is going to be billed as the go-to-guy in Toronto (to some degree he had this same label in Memphis). Maybe Gay will go all James Harden on me and make me regret saying this, but I’m not buying any stock in “Rudy Gay as the best player on an NBA team.”

43. Anderson Varejao (Previously Unranked)
I left Varejao off the list the first time around because in the previous two seasons he’d only played in 56 games. So what’s the difference this year, a season cut short at only 25 games? Well, it was pretty clear that Varejao would likely have been an All-Star if he’d stayed healthy (14.1 points, 14.4 rebounds per game gets him in even on a bad team). Even more important than that is the fact that the Gina Montana lookalike could’ve very well ended up the feature piece in a trade that would drastically swing the title picture. For the last six years you could argue that Varejao was one of the very best role players in the league. He knows his niche and never tries to do something he can’t do. I can’t think of any contender that couldn’t use a healthy Andy Varejao.

42. Kenneth Faried (Previously on Toughest Omissions)
You know what Kenneth Faried is? He’s the slightly undersized Anderson Varejao on speed. I swear that was meant as a compliment. I love watching Kenneth Faried play basketball. He’s actually one of my favorite players to watch. He brings energy that not every player brings, and the stats show it pays off. Faried is 11^thin the league in rebounds in only 29 minutes per game and might be the leading candidate for the “Most Difficult Player to Box Out Because He’s Running Around Like a Damn Maniac Award… presented by Kia.”

Feb 2, 2013; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard (0) brings the ball up court against the Utah Jazz at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports

41. Damian Lillard (Previously Unranked)
18.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists. Those are pretty impressive numbers for a rookie point guard, right? I’d say that’s probably a Rookie of the Year worthy stat line, agreed? Actually, that’s definitely a Rookie of the Year stat line, because that stat line doesn’t belong to Damian Lillard. It belongs to Kyrie Irving. Those were Kyrie’s numbers last year. Lillards numbers? 18.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists. I’m not saying Lillard is Kyrie Irving, I’m just saying these numbers made me go “Hmmm.”

40. DeMarcus Cousins (Previously #40)
I decided to leave DeMarcus Cousins right where I had a few months ago because in my eyes nothing about him has changed in the last… well, I guess since he was a freshman at Kentucky. He’s still immensely talented. He’s still unquestionably nuts. He’s still on the absolute worst possible team he could be playing for. Until Cousins either gets traded or improbably grows up, he’s not going to reach his full potential.

39. Carlos Boozer (Previously Unranked)
It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense that I would move Boozer up 20 or so spots from my first list. In retrospect, I looked at the massive contract he got back in 2010 and saw how Booz was underperforming, and I penalized him for that. He shouldn’t have completely been left off the first time around. Statistically, Boozer is putting up basically the same numbers as he had the previous two years in Chicago, only now in Derrick Rose’s extended absence, his consistent double-double numbers are all the more impressive.

38. Brook Lopez (Previously Unranked)
Three reasons why Brook Lopez didn’t make the list the first time around: 1. He played in only five games in the 2011-12 season; 2. Over the previous two seasons he posted embarrassing rebounding numbers (6.0 in 2010-11, 3.6 in his five games in 2011-12); 3. Despite his impressive repertoire, his teams have always sucked. A bonus fourth reason was because his brother Robin had much cooler hair. This season Lopez returned, he’s healthy and is up to 39 on the midseason list. Why? He’s one of the most talented offensive big men in the league, he’s rebounding at an acceptable rate (7.2 per game), he’s established himself as a rim protector, and thanks to some offseason moves (both personnel wise and the geographical move to Brooklyn) the Nets are relevant once again. I’ll give a good chunk of the credit to Brook Lopez since Deron Williams has been disappointing this year (just ask Avery Johnson how he feels), and really, how much credit can you give to the always stoic Joe Johnson?

37. Greg Monroe (Previously #39)
There is a new rule pertaining to Greg Monroe… whenever you are talking about him, you have to be super quiet since that’s how he carries himself on and off the court. Most people don’t realize that Monroe is an extremely gifted offensive player, a top 15 rebounder and has an extremely high basketball IQ. He goes to work night after night for an exceedingly crappy team. He’s a true professional.

36. Andre Iguodala (Previously #23)
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane, shall we? There is a history of players greatly benefiting from their time with USA Basketball. In the season immediately following the 2008 Summer Olympics, LeBron James won his first MVP Award, made his first All-Defensive team and led Cleveland to 66 wins in the regular season. Kobe Bryant won his first post-Shaq title and Finals MVP. Dwight Howard won his first Defensive Player of the Year Awards en route to leading the Magic to the NBA Finals. Dwyane Wade, coming off knee surgery, led the league in scoring, improved his scoring average by 6 points per game, and took Miami to the playoffs. Chris Bosh, Deron Williams, and Chris Paul all improved statistically. Let’s run through this again only in the 2010-11 season after the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Derrick Rose won the MVP, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook led the Thunder to the Conference Finals, and Kevin Love had a 53 game double-double streak. When you play with Team USA, you see how the best players in the world compete day in and day out, and you take your game to the next level. I expected Iguodala to make that kind of jump after a summer in London and a trade to Denver. He hasn’t.

35. Paul George (Previously on Toughest Omissions)
“When Danny Granger is out of Indiana, don’t expect the Pacers to drop off too much. George will be well capable of being the man in place of Granger.” This is what I said about Paul George on September 9^th, 2012. Indiana is currently 28-19, tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference, and only three and a half games back of first place. I know what I’m talking about every once in a while.

34. Serge Ibaka (Previously #49)
After Oklahoma City traded James Harden a few days before the beginning of the regular season, the big question other than “Why does Kevin Martin’s jump shot look so squirrelly but still go in” was “Is Serge Ibaka ready to establish himself as something more than a destructive shot blocker?” The answer is yes. Serge is still far from an offensive savant, but he’s scoring 13.8 points per game on 56% shooting, both improvements from last season.

Jan 18, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Chicago Bulls small forward Luol Deng (left) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

33. Luol Deng (Previously #34)
For some reason, Luol Deng is one of my favorite players in the league. He went to Duke, and he plays for a rival team of LeBron James, but it’s hard for me not to appreciate one of the most underappreciated players in the game. Deng has stepped up his game big time in the absence of Derrick Rose, and does so logging huge minutes every night for the last three seasons. He’s the only player in the league playing 40 minutes per game this year. He’s a damn work horse.

32. Al Jefferson (Previously #33)
Utah is 26-22 and in the Western Conference playoff picture despite the terrible lack of explosiveness on the perimeter. Their most effective backcourt player, Mo Williams, has missed half of the Jazz games, so Utah’s success is in large part because of the play of Big Al and the rest of the Utah frontcourt. In a league where slash and kicks and screen and rolls are the popular offensive options, it doesn’t hurt to have someone like Jefferson to throw it inside to and watch go to work.

31. Al Horford (Previously #31)
30. Josh Smith (Previously #28)
Since it seems as if the Atlanta Hawks are primed to make a move before the trade deadline, it’s time for another rousing fun-sized round of, “Make up fun fake trades on ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine that will likely never happen.” Get psyched!

Trade #1: Atlanta gets Dwight Howard and Metta World Peace; Los Angeles gets Josh Smith and Al Horford.

NOTE: Dwight’s from Atlanta so there is a chance Atlanta could lure him into making a commitment to stay long term and being the face of the franchise (As fickle as he is, I could see it happening). Additionally, you can’t convince me this trade doesn’t make Los Angeles a whole lot better. They keep a good young player in Horford for four years, and J-Smoove is a free agent this summer so the Lakers don’t need to take on his salary if they don’t want to.

Trade #2: Atlanta gets Goran Dragic, Marcin Gortat and Channing Frye; Phoenix gets Josh Smith and Devin Harris.

NOTE: Again, this one isn’t too radical. Phoenix is going nowhere, so why not make this move and either clear some cap space while completely rebuilding, or retain a top 30 player in the offseason. Atlanta gets two good, young, European players who could give the Hawks a burst going into the stretch run of the season. Plus, Atlanta gets really big if they start a lineup with Horford at the four and Gortat at the five. A team like Miami might have some trouble with that.

Trade #3: Atlanta gets Dwyane Wade; Miami gets Al Horford and Louis Williams.

NOTE: I had to.

Whoa, we’re almost 4,000 words in! Why don’t we wrap this up and tackle the rest of the list next week. Deal? Deal!

The city of Sacramento- Those poor, poor Sacramentans. The history of the Sacramento Kings is one littered with disappointment. First, in the only draft that Sacramento had the number one overall pick, they selected Pervis Ellison. Then they struggled to a somewhat unthinkable 1-40 road record in 1991. Then they drafted Duke standout point guard Bobby Hurley, who got in a near fatal car accident two months into his rookie season. Then Dick Bavetta and the Lakers happened, derailing the best Kings team in the franchise’s history. And now, after a relatively tortured past, the Kings are most likely going to be relocating to Seattle in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. All Sacramento really has to hang its metaphorical hat on is that is the capital of California. But then again, so are Helena, Concord, Bismarck and Cheyenne.

The idea of unselfishness in Sacramento- To make this really simple for everyone and avoid having to find any statistics to back up this point, I’ll just say this: the idea of unselfishness in Sacramento is just as real as Manti Te’o’s girlfriend.

The Mike Brown Era- Poor, poor Mike Brown. I think a lot of people saw this coming from many miles away. At the first sign of struggle the Lakers were going to need a scapegoat, and coaches usually don’t make out too well in those kind of situations. Just ask Avery Johnson, Jerry Sloan, Mike D’Antoni (New York version), Stan Van Gundy (Miami and Orlando version), Mike Brown (Cleveland version) and every other notable coach who got the axe because a player wanted him out, or because the team was underperforming. Mike Brown never stood a chance. Once the Lakers started 1-4 Mike Brown was canned and there were instantly rumblings that Phil Jackson would be open to returning. But then, a funny thing happened…

January 15, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D

The Mike D’Antoni Era- After Mike Brown was fired the Lakers signed Mike D’Antoni to a three-year, $12 million contract which came as a shock to the Lakers fans who were clamoring for the return of Phil Jackson. Although D’Antoni had coached Steve Nash for many years in Phoenix during Nash’s prime and reportedly had a good relationship with Kobe Bryant, the hire was met with some skepticism. There was uncertainty as to how D’Antoni’s system would work with Pau Gasol (I continue to believe it is Pau’s lack of touches in the post that have ultimately led to his stock dropping… More on this coming up) and Dwight Howard in the line-up. There was no guarantee that the Lakers, a relatively old team, would be able to play at the “7 seconds or less” tempo D’Antoni would likely prefer to play. And my cousin Paul Clark refused to stop referring to Mike D’Antoni as a creep and shyster. D’Antoni was facing a lot of pressure and some heavy expectations, and so far the results haven’t been great. You could make the argument that the Lakers haven’t been healthy all year, particularly since D’Antoni was hired. But the record often doesn’t lie. The Lakers are 10-16 under Mike D’Antoni this year. Sure, D’Antoni has had more success than Mike Brown did this year, but clearly, Bernie Bickerstaff was the man for the job.

Pau Gasol as the best Gasol in the NBA- Pau’s run as the best Gasol in the NBA was a long and successful one. From the 2001-02 season to the 2011-12 season Pau averaged 18.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 blocks while also being the centerpiece of one of the biggest hijacking’s in NBA history, and winning two NBA titles after that trade. As his younger brother Marc was inching closer and closer to taking the metaphorical conch from his older brother, Pau dominated the 2012 Summer Olympics and nearly spearheaded a Spain upset in the Gold Medal Game, leaving most to believe that Pau had something left in the tank and was more than just a trade piece for the Lakers. Thanks to creaky knees, a Javale McGee elbow, Mike D’Antoni’s system and his younger brothers continuing emergence, Pau is for the moment 2^ndin the Gasol Power Rankings, and way further down on the California Power Rankings than I’m sure he’d like to see himself, and much further down that I expected him to be. Pau almost single handedly beat the United States in the Gold Medal game. This cannot be forgotten.

Jan 18, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins (15) drives against Memphis Grizzlies forward Marreese Speights (5) at the FedEx Forum. Memphis defeated Sacramento 85-69. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

DeMarcus Cousins Potential as a member of the Kings- I can’t think of a player in the NBA who desperately needs a change of scenery more than Boogie Cousins does. I’m the kind of fan who wants to see good players playing in meaningful games. Unless there is a major overhaul or a literal change in scenery (i.e. perhaps relocation for the franchise… we’re getting there), Boogie might never reach the level that he could, and should. We’re talking about a player who averaged 26 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists his freshman year in high school; a player who could’ve possibly been the number one pick in the NBA Draft if scouts weren’t saying things like this: “To his credit he made it through the entire season without any suspensions or ejections. However, there were a few times (flagrant fouls) where he may have deserved to be.” Whoa! Congrats Boogie! You made it through a whole college season without getting suspended or ejected. A tremendous accomplishment! Instead, Cousins dropped to the 5^th pick and was slated to be the centerpiece of the in-total-shambles Sacramento Kings, where he’s been flanked by a bunch of perimeter players who care about themselves on just a slightly lower level than Lance Armstrong does. Hopefully Boogie Cousins gets his head on straight, lands on a contender, and perhaps emerges as a star player and feel-good story.

Dwight Howard- Dwight Howard is my least favorite player in the NBA and I’ve never been afraid to say that. I think he got let off the hook for what he did to Orlando. I think he gets vastly overrated historically because he is playing in an era where more and more teams are playing small ball. And from a skill-set standpoint, he’s one of the least impressive “superstars” I’ve ever seen played in person. Still, I had Dwight ranked the third best player in the NBA before the season started. Slightly hypocritical, I know. I believed that a guy built like an ancient Greek sculpture (as I knock Dwight’s basketball skill set, I will say he and LeBron James are the two most impressive physical specimens I’ve ever seen in my life) would be able to shake off back surgery and thrive in a new role with a new team and new coach. Apparently back surgery wasn’t something Dwight could just “shake off.” And apparently, the new team and coach wouldn’t be providing much help for an easy transition from Orlando to Los Angeles.

I’m firmly planted on the “Dwight isn’t totally healthy and doesn’t really want to be playing in Los Angeles” bandwagon. I don’t think Dwight is any better than 75% healthy. He certainly doesn’t look like it. And I think he still has his heart set on playing in Brooklyn, which would make all kinds of sense. Not only would Dwight walk into Brooklyn as easily the most marketable player on the team, but he and Deron Williams would have all kinds of fun getting a coach fired every month while Joe Johnson would sit there quietly not saying a word while he was still busy counting the $119 million he got in 2010. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

Golden State’s Championship chances- Who would’ve thought that this conversation would be warranted in mid-January? Even as someone who picked Golden State to make the playoffs, I didn’t think it would be necessary to evaluate their title chances. Frankly, as I’m about to do so, it still feels a little weird. To sort it out, let’s go through the checklist of everything a team needs to be considered “Championship caliber.”

Scorers: Stephen Curry and David Lee have emerged as one of the best point guard/power forward duos in the league, and for people who haven’t seen the Dubs play that much, you just need to look at the stats to see where the Golden State resurgence is stemming from. Curry and Lee are both sitting in the top ten in scoring, one of three groups of teammates to be able to boast this (Durant/Westbrook and LeBron/Wade are also in the top ten). Plus, Klay Thompson is always will to take on the scoring load. He’s inching his way closer and closer to a “Brian Cook All-Stars” roster spot. CHECK.
Rebounding/Defense: I decided to combine these two sub-categories into one larger category since Golden State was 28^th in the league in both rebounding and scoring defense last year. Thanks to some personnel changes and brilliant coaching by Mark Jackson, the Warriors have improved in both categories this year. The Dubs are 4^th in rebounding (a drastic improvement) and 22^nd in scoring defense (not as big of a jump, but they are no longer playing pick-up game defense like they were last year). Also, keep this in mind: Golden State has been playing without 7-footer Andrew Bogut all season long. CHECK
Coaching: I give Mark Jackson the slight edge over Mike Woodson, Tom Thibodeau, and Frank Vogel in the Coach of the Year standings right now. The impact he’s had on this team in a year and a half has transformed the Warriors from perennial lottery team to playoff contender. And stylistically, he’s been the catalyst in changing the Warriors from a street ball team to an actual basketball team. I touched on the rebounding and defensive improvements, but he’s also changed the way Golden State plays offensively. Oddly enough, the Warriors were 28^th in assists last season. This season they’ve jumped up to 8^th. He’s engrained in them a mentality to not only look for the right pass, but to also look for the extra pass. Mark Jackson is a very good coach. CHECK
Bench: Part of what has made Mark Jackson so successful in year two is the moves Golden State made over the last 12 months. The acquisitions of Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry, and selection of Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli, and Draymond Green have made Mark Jackson’s job much easier. Every coach would welcome that kind of talent influx. But it’s been Jackson’s decision to bring Jack and Landry off the bench that allows Golden State to get the check mark in this category. I’ll discuss Jack and Landry’s sixth man of the year candidacy in a little while. Most games Golden State won’t skip much of a beat when they start bringing the bench players in, and often times they’ll close the game with Jack and Landry on the floor. CHECK
Free Throw Shooting: Golden State sits in 2^nd behind Oklahoma City in team free throw percentage. You have to make your free throws to close out games, and the Warriors late game line-up can do just that. Stephen Curry, David Lee, Klay Thompson, Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry all shoot over 80% from the free throw line. CHECK
Home Crowd: Don’t think this can’t swing a series. Remember back in 2007 when 1 seed Dallas got upset in the 1^st round by, wait a second, what team was that again… oh that’s right, it was the Golden State Warriors who rallied behind their frenzied home crowd to become only the third 8 seed to ever upset a 1 seed. CHECK
Experience: No check mark here. The Warriors are inexperienced and haven’t been through the pain and heart ache of coming close and falling short. Jordan, Kobe, LeBron, Shaq… they all suffered heart breaking defeat before they got to the top. This is why Oklahoma City is so dangerous this year. That’s why 3 years from now Golden State, if they stay together, could be a title contender. Right now they are missing the key ingredient though.

Jarrett Jack as Sixth Man of the Year- Jack has been 0.5% better as a sixth man than Jamal Crawford, 10% better than Matt Barnes and Carl Landry, and 9,000% better than Jodie Meeks.

DeMarcus Cousins Potential on any team but the Kings- I touched on this briefly before, so instead of repeating what I said above, here are my favorite/most interesting/totally unrealistic DeMarcus Cousins fake trades thanks to ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine.

Trade #1: Sacramento receives Rajon Rondo and Josh Smith; Boston receives DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans and Jimmer Fredette; Atlanta receives Jeff Green, Jason Thompson and Aaron Brooks.

NOTE: Former high school teammates reunite as the faces of the new team out west. Boston takes on DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans, and most likely get the most out of both players. Atlanta accomplishes what seems to be a big goal of theirs by finally trading Josh Smith.

Trade #2: Sacramento receives Dwyane Wade; Miami receives DeMarcus Cousins, John Salmons and Jimmer Fredette.

NOTE: I had to.

Trade #3: Sacramento receives Dwight Howard; Los Angeles receives DeMarcus Cousins, Marcus Thornton and John Salmons.

NOTE: I asked my cousin Pauley, a Lakers fan, if he would want this trade. His response: “Man that’s really tough. If Cousins wasn’t such a dick I think I would for sure.” Ladies and gentlemen, DeMarcus Cousins!

Trade #4: Sacramento receives Kevin Love; Minnesota receives DeMarcus Cousins and Paul Millsap; Milwaukee receives Al Jefferson and John Salmons; Utah receives Monta Ellis, Ersan Ilyasova and Nikola Pekovic.

NOTE: Oddly enough, I think every team improves in this trade. The franchise formerly known as the Kings gets a marquee player to toss a ton of money at and build around. Minnesota gets two high quality pieces for Love. Milwaukee also makes out on the deal, especially if they could keep Al Jefferson around. And Utah doesn’t have to deal with the dilemma of losing Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap without getting anything back.

Trade #5: Sacramento receives Marc Gasol and Pau Gasol; Memphis receives Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace and Marcus Thornton; Los Angeles receives Rudy Gay, Brook Lopez and Francisco Garcia; Brooklyn receives Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins, John Salmons, and James Johnson.

NOTE: This would go down as my favorite trade of all-time even though Memphis and Los Angeles are simply pawns. Big picture, it teams the Gasol’s up in Sacramento Seattle, AND it would result in Dwight Howard, Deron Williams and DeMarcus Cousins would be on the same team. No coach is safe!

Kobe’s homicide potential- This was at the top of the power rankings a couple of weeks ago until Kobe joined Twitter, reconciled with his wife and actually gave credit to LeBron James after a tough loss last Thursday night. Kobe Bryant isn’t a competitively homicidal maniac… maybe he’s actually a cuddly teddy bear. 

Kobe’s scoring leader potential- Roughly half way through the season Kobe (29.2 points per game) is trailing Kevin Durant (29.5) and tied with Carmelo Anthony (29.2) in the race for the scoring lead.  With the Lakers collective back against the wall, Kobe knows nothing to do besides shoot his way out of trouble. If I were a betting man, I’d have my money on Kobe to close out the season as the leading scorer in the league.

January 4, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers small forward Metta World Peace (15) and Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin (32) during the game at the Staples Center. Clippers won 107-102. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Bad Blood amongst the California teams- I’m a huge advocate of teams not liking each other (or at least playing like it), and out west there is no such thing as California Love. The Lakers and Clippers turned into a rivalry when David Stern intervened and took Chris Paul away from the Lakers, essentially deciding that the league was better off with Paul throwing Blake Griffin a whole bunch of lobs and Kobe not winning six or more titles (just kidding, but that is what a lot of the Lakers fans will say). There are a whole bunch of big personality and hyper-competitive players that make any Clippers/Lakers game must-see TV. Not to feel left out, the Warriors made their mark this year by playing in what was probably the most entertaining game of the season against the Lakers back in December. Then they followed that up by openly mocking Blake Griffin after he horribly missed three pointer, only to be on the losing end of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul eff-you games three nights later. Last night, Golden State handed the Clippers their 10th loss of the season as Stephen Curry outplayed Chris Paul. Finally, you have the Kings who aren’t going to be relevant in this conversation unless DeMarcus Cousins decides it would be a fun idea to challenge Metta World Peace to a fist fight, which is something we can’t rule out.

The Clippers “Lob City” Moniker- Observe.

San Francisco 49ers Championship chances- The 49ers are the early four point favorites in the “Harbowl” and I have them winning by seven points. 27-20, the San Francisco 49ers are your Super Bowl Champions.

Chris Paul’s MVP credentials- If LeBron James wasn’t playing the best all-around basketball of dare I say all-time, and if Kevin Durant wasn’t “next in line” to win the MVP Award, it would already have Chris Paul’s name etched onto it. The Clippers are improbably 32-10 just three years removed from being the premier cellar-dweller in the NBA, and it wouldn’t be possible without Chris Paul. Sure, they’ve got a roster that goes ten deep, but all of the Lob City hoopla started when David Stern decided it would be fun to put Chris Paul in the mix. Did you see the YouTube video of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan after they heard about the trade? There is a reason why Blake Griffin reacted like a 7 year old kid does when he walks out of his bedroom on Christmas morning, and it’s not just because he knew he was going to be catching an exorbitant amount of alley-oops. It was because for the first time, the Clippers were going to be relevant. Chris Paul turned the Clippers into the best team in California. Every night he goes out and competes harder than anyone else. He’s fearless, and his play and attitude reflect that. More and more I think the Clippers can win the title just because of Chris Paul.

The NBA- Let’s run through this super quick since I’ve already surpassed 3,000 words: There are four NBA teams currently in California. Three are going to be making the playoffs (Yes, I hesitantly include the Lakers). On those three teams, you could make the case that there are seven top 30 players (Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry, David Lee and Pau Gasol). The fourth California team is moving back to a city that is craving an NBA team, and provides a much bigger market for television ratings than Sacramento does. So to quote Charlie Sheen, the NBA is winning.

The Lottery Hopefuls
15-10: Washington Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic
-Here is the very short list of things I like about teams 15 through 10, all of whom would absolutely shock the world if they stole a playoff spot:
Detroit’s bench production; Nik Vucevic’s 29 rebound game; Washington’s wins over Miami and Oklahoma City; Toronto’s trade pieces; Orlando not completely rolling over without Dwight Howard; Charlotte starting the season quickly enough to make people think they might make the playoffs; Kemba Walker; Cleveland’s future with Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson, whoever they eventually trade Anderson Varejao for, and a top three pick in the 2013 draft (Hopefully Cody Zeller so he can play with his brother Tyler); Getting to wear all of my old Cleveland Cavaliers attire after Cleveland becomes relevant again; The fact that I’m not going to see any of these teams in the playoffs.

The Teams on the Bubble
9: Philadelphia 76ers
8: Milwaukee Bucks
-One of these two teams is going to claim the eight seed in the Eastern Conference, and really it doesn’t matter which team it is because their playoff stay will consist of three blowout losses, one close loss and a home win. My hope is for Milwaukee to manage to get this spot since it means a few more precious moments in the Monta Ellis/Brandon Jennings era, more Larry Sanders, and an increased chance my girlfriend would want to watch the series since it would be featuring her hometown team.

Jan 5, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders (8) sets to pass against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers won 95-80. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

On the outside of this imaginary bubble looking in is Philadelphia, who was the trendy pick in the East to unseat Miami at the top of the conference. A whole bunch of stock was put into Andrew Bynum becoming something of the next Moses Malone in Philadelphia, but instead he’s just become a Frederick Douglass doppelganger while in the process of sitting on the bench and rehabbing his bowling-induced-battered knees. If Bynum will return this season still remains just as big of a mystery as whether or not he’ll remain in Philadelphia after the season is over (by his choice or theirs), and what kind of team Philadelphia would be if Bynum was healthy from the beginning of the season. One of the most intriguing subplots coming into this year was how Andrew Bynum would be able to handle the pressure and responsibility of being a franchise player. The buzzwords “moody”, “immature” and “risky” are always thrown around whenever Andrew Bynum becomes the topic of discussion. Would Bynum have folded under the incredibly high expectations from the media and the always passionate and borderline crazy Philadelphia fans? I say there is a strong chance the answer is yes. What’s been lost in the shuffle amidst a relatively disappointing 76ers season is the improved play of Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner and Jrue Holiday, who is playing good enough to be considered for an All-Star spot.

The Other New York Team
7: Brooklyn Nets
-Oh yeah, it’s that other New York team. You know, the one that is owned by the Russian billionaire and the rap mogul, yet they’re somehow one of the least charismatic teams in the league, led by two of the least charismatic stars in the league (yes, for the sake of this section I’m tentatively and regretfully referring to Joe Johnson as a star) and to boot, they just fired the reigning NBA coach of the month. To be blunt, Brooklyn just isn’t as good of a team as New York, they aren’t as flashy or marketable, and the Barclay’s Center crowd doesn’t hold a candle to the MSG mystique. So what do I propose the Brooklyn Nets have to do to turn this whole thing around? It’s simple, they kill the Batman.  Whoops, that’s not right. They have to trade for, wait for it… Dwight Howard! Yes, the man who admitted he wanted to be traded to Brooklyn. The man who is going to be a free agent in the summer of 2013. The man who would be like peas and carrots with Deron Williams, where together they would go on to shatter the record for coaches fired between two teammates. Why wouldn’t Brooklyn offer Los Angeles something like Brook Lopez, Gerald Wallace, Marshon Brooks and a future 1^st round pick for Dwight Howard and Earl Clark? It immediately makes Brooklyn relevant, especially if Dwight hasn’t changed his mind (a monumentally huge if given his track record) and decides he really does want to play in Brooklyn alongside Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. In the meantime, expect Brooklyn to be exiting the playoffs in the 1^st round in 2013. Fingers crossed for a New York/Brooklyn 1^st round series.

The Same Old Story
6: Atlanta Hawks
-When I watch the Hawks play it’s like I’m in a never-ending state of Déjà vu, and it doesn’t matter one iota that Atlanta traded Joe Johnson in the offseason. He might as well still be there, because it’s the same exact team that we’ve been used to seeing for the last five years. Atlanta will stroll into the playoffs as a 3, 4, 5 or 6 seed and lose in either the first or second round, continuing their streak for longest stint of notable mediocrity in NBA history. I can honestly say that I believe that for the rest of my life Atlanta will never be great or terrible; they will always be just relevant enough to get an annual playoff spot, maybe win one first round series and then bow out in the next round if they are lucky enough to get there. Josh Smith and Al Horford are both having solid seasons and Lou Williams is a nice change of pace scoring option off the bench, but I don’t think there is anything that can be done to ignite an always comically lackadaisical Atlanta home crowd, or to turn the Hawks into something other than a first or second round exit. Can any of those three players possibly be relied on to put the Hawks on his back and turn a playoff series around? No sir. I can’t say stress this enough, but let me try to convey this to you in a slightly different way. If you are expecting anything differently than what we’ve seen the past few seasons from Atlanta, then as my heavily medicated roommate Tyler once told his mother, “You’re not smart.”

The Diamond in the Rough (Spot)
5: Chicago Bulls
-Last Sunday when Robert Griffin III went down with what turned out to be a torn ACL and LCL, I got the same feeling in my stomach that I did when Derrick Rose tore his knee up last April. It was a feeling like “How could this happen to someone so good, so young and so athletically gifted?” It’s something that took me a while to shake with Derrick Rose, and I’m sure it will be the same story with Griffin. Since Derrick Rose went down and subsequently so did Chicago, the Bulls have been the ultimate enigma in the NBA. Nobody knew what to expect from a short-handed Bulls team that went 18-9 without Derrick Rose in the regular season last year, yet wilted in the postseason after Derrick Rose got hurt, losing 4 of their next 5 games. We didn’t know which version of the 2011-12 Bulls this year’s team would mirror, and so far it looks like one very similar to the one from the regular season last year.

The Chicago Bulls can’t win the Eastern Conference without Derrick Rose. Even though without Rose the Bulls still defend better than 90% of the league, you can only go so far without a player who is capable and willing of taking command and saying to everyone “I’ve got this.” That was Derrick Rose. That isn’t Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah or any other Bulls, and I don’t mean any disrespect by that. There are just a very limited amount of guys who are capable of doing that, and Rose was the one guy in Chicago who was capable of it. So here is where the Chicago situation gets very interesting. What happens when/if Derrick Rose comes back this season? Is he going to be 50 percent of the player he was before? 75 percent? Will he go Adrian Peterson on us and be better than ever, making every athlete believe that if they undergo ACL surgery they will come back with super-human powers? That is what we don’t know, and that is why Chicago remains an enigma until Rose comes back. Chicago was supposed to be the kryptonite to Miami’s superman. They defend at a high level, they have a brilliant head coach and they have a fearless leader who relishes the chance to go head to head with LeBron, Wade and Bosh. But for all we know, Chicago might be remembered historically as a flash in the pan. Derrick Rose’s MVP season might end up being one of those lost seasons that never gains steam historically because he was never able to follow it up. The one thing we can safely assume is that the Bulls will at least be competitive this year, make a run at the Central Division and will not be an easy out in the playoffs.

The One Trick Pony
4: Indiana Pacers
-36 games into this season, we’ve learned two big things about the Indiana Pacers: A. They can win in the regular season without Danny Granger, a big question mark early in the season after a less than stellar 10-10 start to the season. Since that point, Indiana has won 12 of their next 16 games thanks to point B. They play stifling defense. Despite the fact Indiana barely cracks 91 points per game (29^th in the league), they are one of two teams in the league, Memphis being the other, that allows less than 90 points per game. Indiana is currently 2^nd in scoring defense (89.5 points), 1^st in opponent’s field goal percentage (.414, a full percentage point better than Oklahoma City, 2^nd in that category), 1^st in opponents 3 point percentage (.316, a full percentage point better than San Antonio and Golden State, 2^nd in that category), and 2^nd in rebound differential. All of that sounds like a recipe for success. And it just may be. In the last week Indiana has defeated Miami and New York, the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings, and held them to 77 and 76 points respectively. The big question with Indiana is whether or not their offense can give them enough to win. What kind of player will Danny Granger be when he returns from a left knee injury? Can Paul George continue to make a seemingly effortless the leap from complimentary piece to feature player? Will Roy Hibbert ever figure out he is 7’2 and decide to shoot better than 40%? Seriously, why the hell is Roy Hibbert, only 26 years old, digressing?

Last year Indiana gave Miami everything they could handle in the 2^nd round. It was even enough for me to write a scathing piece called “Miami Hate” where I basically tore apart the Miami Heat, reminisced about my days as a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, and prematurely gave Indiana a whole bunch of credit for ruining the Heat dynasty. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade started playing otherworldly basketball and won three straight. But those first 3 and a half games of the series shouldn’t be ignored. Indiana will hit you hard and bring their best every single night… even if their best doesn’t include scoring a bunch of points.

The Feel Good Story
3: New York Knicks
The Invincible Movie Villain
2: Boston Celtics
-Go ahead and take some time to pick your jaw up off the floor and voice any criticisms you have of my opinion (I won’t hear them anyway, unless you left a comment below). This may be a relatively unpopular opinion, but I stand firmly behind these rankings even though the standings will show that Boston is currently in 8^th place in the Eastern Conference. Last year when I did my Eastern Conference Power rankings, I didn’t have the courage to pull the trigger on putting Boston as my 2^ndbest team, even though there was little doubt in my mind that they would be the team left standing with Miami in early June. Instead I ranked Boston behind Indiana, Philadelphia, Chicago and Miami, despite the fact I had just gotten done making the comparison that the Celtics were the NBA equivalent of Michael Myers from the Halloween movies. I should’ve known better than disrespecting Michael Myers like that.

Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) dribbles around New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 102-96. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

I didn’t have Boston ranked 2^nd until late Monday night after Honey-Nut-Cheerios-Gate had occurred. What was overshadowed in this game was, well, the game itself. Boston walked into Madison Square Garden without Rajon Rondo and beat the New York Knicks, got into Carmelo Anthony’s head, and in the process, I was reminded of a game from last year. Last year the Boston Celtics got into a “bar fight” in Orlando, came back from 27 points down and won 91-83, playing without Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. I can’t exactly explain why these kinds of games are so significant, especially when they are happening in January or February. In some ways, it’s a sign of what kind of team you are talking about. The Celtics have proven time and time again they can win in a bar fight. It may not be pretty, and some people might not like it, but they get the job done even when they are down 27 points, shorthanded and have everyone piling on saying they can’t do it. The story will be the same this year. Once again, people will underrate the Celtics. They will go through some stretches where they play mediocre basketball. They’ll look extremely old, they won’t be able to rebound and the doubters and haters will have a whole lot to say. I won’t be one of them. I’ve seen this movie before. This season is just like every other one, just like all of the Halloween movies follow the same premise. You can’t kill Michael Myers, and you can’t kill the Boston Celtics. And just a word of advice to all of those aforementioned haters and doubters, the Celtics are 18-17 right now. 35 games in last year they were 18-17 also.

I could go into great detail about the the X’s and O’s for the New York Knicks, talk about their line-ups, discuss whether Amare Stoudemire should start, etc. But I’m choosing instead to make one simple point that will save myself a lot of writing, you a lot of reading, and ultimately, this point means more than all of the X’s and O’s. Kevin Garnett is by all accounts the most personal and uncensored trash talkers in the NBA. He will use anything and everything to get under his opponents skin. For years, it seemed as if the Boston Celtics and Garnett in particular, had a knack for festering in the psyche of LeBron James. They were the hurdle LeBron couldn’t get past. Last year in the playoffs Boston went into Miami in game five and took a 3-2 series lead. According to a lot of people close to the situation, Garnett’s trash talk towards LeBron was particularly harsh this game. LeBron responded by walking into Boston and turning into Michael Myers himself. He killed the Celtics. He silenced the Boston crowd and everyone else who had something to say. What did Carmelo Anthony do? He waited for Kevin Garnett by the team bus because he wanted fight him. This is reason number 342 why Carmelo Anthony shouldn’t be compared to LeBron James, and it doubles as the reason why the New York Knicks are not a better team than the Boston Celtics.

The Leader of the Pack
1: Miami Heat
-I’ll leave this one to the Nature Boy Ric Flair. Have a good weekend!

15: Sacramento Kings
Fun Fact: This isn’t so much a fun fact, more of a fun thought, but who do you think Jimmer Fredette is hanging out with on this Kings team? Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I just can’t see the Jimmer having too much in common with DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans or John Salmons outside of being a professional basketball player.
Not-so-fun fact: The Kings best player, DeMarcus Cousins, has been suspended three times this year. Once for confronting San Antonio Spurs announcer Sean Elliott in “a hostile manner”, again for punching Dallas Mavericks guard OJ Mayo below the belt, and most recently for “unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team.” All signs point to the #5 pick in the 2010 Draft being moved before the February 21st trade deadline.
Overall Position: When I look at this roster I can’t help but shake my head and think, “What moron thought it would be a good idea to put this collection of basketball players on the same team and expect it to work out?”  Former two-time NBA Executive of the Year Geoff Petrie is that moron. Good lord, there isn’t a single player on this team who could even pretend to enjoy distributing the ball. The leading assist man for Sacramento is small forward John Salmons, who is averaging a depressing 3.4 assists per game. I suppose this makes sense considering the Kings have someone acquired four of the most notorious shoot-first point guards coming out of college over the last five years or so (Tyreke Evans, Isaiah Thomas, Aaron Brooks, and Jimmer Fredette, who combined are producing just 10 assists per game). I can only imagine that Sacramento’s practices resemble a fifth grade basketball team’s practice, where little kids are yelling at each other as their running down the court because they don’t think they get to shoot enough.

14: New Orleans Hornets
Fun fact: Eric Gordon is back for the Hornets after missing the first 29 games of the season. Even though in his first two games this year he’s understandably looked a bit rusty (17.5 points per game on 33% shooting), Gordon’s presence should be enough to elevate the Hornets a bit.
Not-so-fun fact: Thanks to the luck of the draft lottery (or David Stern, depending on what you want to believe), New Orleans landed the first and tenth picks of the 2012 Draft and selected consensus National Player of the Year Anthony Davis, and Duke University standout Austin Rivers. It seemed as if the pieces would be in place for New Orleans to make a sleeper run toward the playoffs, but Stern couldn’t rig how healthy Anthony Davis how stay, and how well Austin Rivers would play. Davis has looked great (14.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2 blocks per game), but only played in 19 games thanks to a concussion and an ankle injury. Rivers on the other hand has had a bafflingly poor season thus far by any statistical measure you could find (7.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 34% shooting).
Overall Position: New Orleans isn’t ready yet, and in some ways it’s no fault of their own except their inability to stay completely healthy. With Eric Gordon in the picture all season, and a totally healthy Anthony Davis, New Orleans most likely wouldn’t be sitting at 7-25. But you can only play the hand you’re dealt. It will be interesting to see if David Stern expands the playoffs to all 15 teams per conference and rehires Tim Donaghy to officiate all New Orleans playoff games.

13: Phoenix Suns
Fun fact: Anyone who placed a “Michael Beasley will be a bust in five years” bet, you can now collect your winnings and your license to become a certified fortune teller. This isn’t a fun fact for the Suns, or especially Michael Beasley, but I’m trying to give the audience some love too.
Not-so-fun fact: The Steve Nash effect is indeed real, and without the presence of the bionic Canadian the Suns as a whole, and just about every Suns player who was there with Nash last season has taken a step backwards. Marcin Gortat averaged career highs in both points (15.4 on 56% shooting) and rebounds (10.0) last season, both of which have dropped this season (11.3 points, 8.6 rebounds). The same can be said of Jared Dudley who was the Suns second leading scorer last season.
Overall Position: The collection of players that Phoenix brought in this year (Beasley, Scola, Dragic, O’Neal) haven’t really panned out to the level that Suns fans hoped they would. Dragic has had a noteworthy season so far, but has nowhere near the impact on a team as his predecessor Steve Nash did. The Suns will have to adjust to being relatively irrelevant for the first time since before Steve Nash arrived.

12: Dallas Mavericks
Fun fact: It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that O.J. Mayo is having so much success this year. His first two seasons in Memphis were very similar statistically to the one he’s in the midst of now. Mayo will likely never be mistaken for a superstar caliber player, but his play this year has at least slightly eased the pain of Dallas failing to land one of those big name free agents last summer.
Not-so-fun fact: Has there ever been a quicker disappearance by a former NBA Finals MVP than Dirk Nowitzki? It was going to be tough for Dallas to make a dent historically regardless considering they were a team that got hot at the right time, and Dirk has always been a bit of an under the radar superstar anyway, but the lack of title defense and Dirk’s vanishing act hasn’t really helped their cause either. Dirk eviscerated the Miami Big Three in the Finals and also outdueled Kobe and Kevin Durant in the previous two rounds. Dallas won their first ever NBA Title in surprising and convincing fashion and then… well, last year they got swept in the first round, and this year they are 13-20. Dirk came into the lockout shortened 11-12 season admittedly out of shape, and this year had a knee surgery that sidelined him for the first 27 games of the season. Dirk’s 2011 postseason doesn’t even feel like a distant memory; it sort of feels like a dream. But to prove to you it happened, check out this video which show’s Dirk Nowitzki’s basketball mastery.
Overall Position: The pieces aren’t in place for Dallas to make a postseason run. Even if Dirk can get back to reasonable form, it’s difficult to imagine Dallas making a run towards the playoffs in a very deep Western Conference.

11: Utah Jazz
Fun fact: Utah has a trio of under-30 big men that are averaging a combined 40.6 points and 23.8 rebounds per game. That’s a lot to like, right? Well, here comes the bad news…
Not-so-fun fact: That trio will be broken up by this summer, and most likely by the trade deadline in February. Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap are both free agents this summer, and all signs point to Utah dealing one of the two by the trade deadline as a way to clear up cap space and give the third member of the trio, Derrick Favors, more minutes. If Utah can swing a deal that can land them some much needed perimeter help, then I can understand that. But if it ends up being a deal that focuses solely on cap space, I’ll remain skeptical.
Overall Position: Utah’s home court remains a tough place to win, but will it even matter? Can Utah remain in the playoff picture after trading one of their two best players? As I said before, I’m skeptical. Utah doesn’t have the kind of playmaking guards necessary to be taken too seriously. And if it’s Jefferson moved and not Millsap, Utah will fall out of the playoff picture.

10: Portland Trail Blazers
Fun fact: Be aware that there is a huge “but” coming up. The Trail Blazers starting five is really fun to watch, and one of the most effective starting units in the league. The two pieces most people were sure of coming into the season were Damian Lillard, who has been as good as advertised and LaMarcus Aldridge, who is having a typical Aldridge season (21 points, 8 rebounds per game). The rest of the starting line-up is filled out with J.J. Hickson (3^rd in the league with 18 double-doubles), Nicolas Batum (having his best statistical season so far, clearly riding the momentum he built over the summer when he punched J.C. Navarro in his Spanish family jewels) and Wesley Matthews (doing Wesley Matthews things like spacing the floor and making open three’s). It seems like all things are great in Portland, BUT…
Not-so-fun fact: The Trail Blazers bench is headlined by Meyers Leonard, Luke Babbitt, Ronnie Price, Victor Claver and Sasha Pavlovic. For the sake of Trail Blazers fans I wish that I was making a joke, but unfortunately I’m not. I should’ve changed this from “Not-so-fun fact” to “Downright depressing fact.” This becomes more startling when you notice that rookie big man Meyers Leonard is the only bench player who is shooting better than 38% from the field and averaging more than 4.5 points per game.
Overall Position: It’s really hard to imagine Portland making the playoffs with a bench that is so incredibly unproductive, especially when you consider the amount of depth that some teams have that are ahead of Portland in these power rankings.

9: Minnesota Timberwolves
Fun fact: No team has been more banged up than Minnesota this year. I don’t know if you could even make a case for anyone else. Kevin Love missed a good chunk of time, Ricky Rubio is just coming back from a torn ACL, and the Wolves have already lost Chase Budinger and Brandon Roy for the rest of the year. How exactly does this constitute as a fun fact? Well, Minnesota is currently in 8^th place in the Western Conference, despite missing so many key ingredients from what is a very interesting roster.
Not-so-fun fact: The fun fact in this case doubles as the not-so-fun fact. Brandon Roy and Chase Budinger are both done, Kevin Love re-injured his right hand, and Ricky Rubio seems to be miles from 100% right now. Still, the Wolves continue to win and remain a game over .500. But there is hardly any doubt that this can’t last if Kevin Love misses any kind of time.
Overall Position:When completely healthy, the Timberwolves are a very intriguing Western Conference contender. The problem is, we won’t see that this year, and if a turnaround doesn’t come quick, we may never see it. Kevin Love hasn’t shied away from voicing his frustrations about the direction this team is going. If Minnesota doesn’t win soon, Love may be on his way out in the summer of 2015.

Dec 26, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) and Minnesota Timberwolves point guard J.J. Barea (11) dive for a loose ball in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Rockets won 87-84. Mandatory Credit: Greg Smith-USA TODAY Sports

8: Houston Rockets
Fun fact: James Harden’s hot start to the season seemed to be an aberration after he cooled down as the season progressed into early December, but the best beard in the NBA is back to MVP caliber form once again, scoring at least 25 points in the Rockets last 10 games. Not only has Harden been extremely efficient in this streak, shooting 48% from the field and making 106 out of 122 free throws (87 percent). Right now it doesn’t look like there is a clear winner in the James Harden trade. Oklahoma City is playing at an extremely high level, but James Harden appears to be the superstar caliber of player that the Rockets expected him to be. The rest of the Rockets supporting cast has actually exceeded my expectations so far this year, and I’m not just talking about Linsanity. Omer Asik, Patrick Patterson and Chandler Parsons have performed tremendously well this season, chipping in an additional 38 points and 23 rebounds. Houston is young and hungry.
Not-so-fun fact: With youth comes inexperience, and in particular, inexperience on James Harden’s part when it comes to leading a team. I have been a huge fan of James Harden and his beard for a while now. My initial reaction to the Oklahoma City trade was that they made a big mistake. I, and many others, thought that James Harden was the stabilizing influence on that Thunder roster. Often times when Durant wouldn’t be taking it to the basket and Westbrook was being a maniac, it was Harden who controlled the offense, got everyone easy shots AND got to the free throw line… seemingly more times than anyone in the fourth quarter last year. I don’t think that anyone can question Harden’s ability to perform like “the man” in Houston. He’s averaging 26.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. Did anyone really expect that? And by the way, why isn’t Harden in any MVP discussions? But here is the catch: Can Harden keep it up at this level in the playoffs, when he doesn’t have the luxury of playing with two of the best perimeter players in the world? That’s my worry as a James Harden fan. And don’t let this be mistaken for me “hating” on James Harden. I’m not saying he’s tried and failed at this… all I’m saying is we have no idea if Houston, and Harden, can succeed with all eyes on him.
Overall Position: I certainly hope Houston stays in the playoff picture. Harden, along with a very intriguing young roster make for very entertaining basketball, even if their isolation offense does seem a bit gimmicky at times. Nothing would excite me more than a Houston/Oklahoma City series in the first round, with Harden having a chance at redemption against his former team.

7: Los Angeles Lakers:
Fun fact: It’s been mentioned by countless analysts and experts, but maybe not emphasized enough because of the Lakers overall record 15-16, that Kobe Bryant is having an unbelievable year even by the incredibly high standards we hold the Black Mamba to. The 34 year old seventeen-year pro is averaging 30 points per game for the season on career best 48% shooting. Anyone who believed that Kobe was past the stage in his career where he could be doing this on a nightly basis is already back at the drawing board figuring out what went wrong, and how someone who has played over 50,000 regular season and postseason minutes is giving father time a battle for the ages. Kobe’s 2012-13 campaign has been strong enough to warrant MVP talk, but he will fall short of his second MVP trophy if the Lakers can’t turn it around. But that is where the problem lies.
Not-so-fun fact: Kobe’s unbelievable start hasn’t really rubbed off on the rest of the Lakers roster, which has been an overall disappointment in comparison to most people’s expectations before the season. After Oklahoma City traded James Harden immediately before the season, most analysts quickly penciled in a Miami/Los Angeles NBA Finals matchup, and really, I have no room to criticize since I did the same exact thing. I overlooked every potential speed bump the Lakers could encounter, just like every analyst did: the coach (now fired), the old age (Kobe acknowledge it as a problem), the injury potential (Nash has missed all but seven games, Pau has been banged up and Dwight doesn’t look completely healthy after back surgery over the summer), the lack of a bench (not quite as deep as everyone expected), and the potential for Kobe to blow up on everyone (the odds of this happening are increasing with every Lakers loss). We’ve seen the one man Kobe show in Los Angeles before, and it didn’t get the Lakers past the first round. The story will remain the same if the rest of the “stars” in Los Angeles don’t start playing up to that label.
Overall Position: Despite all of those speed bumps that the Lakers are hitting, and it seems like they are hitting every single one, I can’t drop the Lakers any lower than seventh in the rankings. Why? There is too much experience, too much size and too much Kobe to make me think that the Lakers won’t make the playoffs and won’t give a serious scare to any team they play in the first round. Sure, right now they look like a mess, but who is the more dangerous team in April; Los Angeles or any of the previous four teams in the rankings?

Jan 1, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets small forward Kenneth Faried (35) reacts to a call in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

6: Denver Nuggets
Fun fact: Thanks to the scheduling Gods, the Nuggets will be playing 29 out of their last 48 games at home, where they are 10-2 so far this year. How it’s this lopsided I’m not sure, but this little nugget (pun intended) has to make Nuggets fans and season ticket holders excited for 2013.
Not-so-fun fact: Andre Iguodala didn’t get the memo that after you play for Team USA at the Olympics you’re supposed to have a breakout season, not your worst statistical season since your second year in the league. Admittedly, I was way off on Iguodala this year. I fully expected Iggy to put together something like a 20-6-6 season in Denver’s fast pace offense, but I was quite wrong. Rather than elevating his game and becoming the man for Denver, Iguodala has simply fallen in place with the rest of the roster which doesn’t boast a nightly go-to-guy, which may be troubling come playoff time.
Overall Position: Denver gave the Lakers all they could handle last year in the first round, and are probably a better team this year. With 29 home games left compared to 19 road games, the Nuggets have an outside chance of hosting a first round series in the playoffs as long as they continue to win at home at the same rate they have so far this season. Iguodala may not be having the offensive explosion some may have expected, but the Nuggets are ten players deep and have six players averaging at least ten points.

5: Memphis Grizzlies
Fun fact: Memphis is right back to where they want to be: flying under the radar. Despite having the fourth best record in the jam-packed Western Conference, the Grizzlies have managed to avoid any kind of talk of a title run, unlike last year where they were the sexy pick to make it to the NBA Finals, but failed to make it out of round one. Now with everyone focused on the Clippers win streak, the Thunder in the post-beard era, all of the Laker drama, Golden State’s surprise season and Gregg Popovich doing typical Gregg Popovich things, Memphis is just grinding out wins and doing so without too many people noticing. What I’ve noticed is Zach Randolph back in Z-Bo form (a league leading 22 double-doubles), Marc Gasol playing brilliant all-around basketball, and the team as a whole playing top-five level defense.
Not-so-fun fact: The problem with Memphis the previous two years was that they didn’t go into the playoffs, or play throughout the season completely healthy. In 2011 Rudy Gay was sidelined with a left shoulder injury, and in 2012 Zach Randolph missed a good chunk of time with a MCL tear, and wasn’t totally the same in the postseason. Assuming Memphis enters the postseason healthy, it will be the first time in this recent run of success. However, they will be entering with a less experienced bench than in years past. Shane Battier, OJ Mayo, and Greivis Vasquez are out of the picture, and Memphis will need to rely on Dante Cunningham, Wayne Ellington, Marreese Speights, Jerryd Ellington and Quincy Pondexter for production.
Overall Position: I’m not going to hop off the Grizzlies bandwagon just yet. If those five bench players can give Memphis good production in the postseason, then the Grizzlies are poised to make another postseason run. Without that production, it may end up another disappointing season in Memphis.

4: Golden State Warriors
Fun fact: I called this. I usually don’t like to brag, but I pegged the Warriors making the playoffs this year, and if anything I still managed to underrate them. I picked the Warriors to go 43-39 before the season, grab the 8 seed in the West and for Mark Jackson to win Coach of the Year. Right now the Warriors are only 2.5 games back of the top spot in the Western Conference, baffling for most people who are accustomed to seeing Golden State towards the bottom of the standings, not the top. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Golden State is here though. They’ve done just about everything a team needs to do to go from laughing stock of the NBA to “Whoa, we DEFINITELY don’t want to play them in the first round.” In the last four years, Golden State has selected five rotation players  (Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Ezeli, Green) and made some under the radar free agency pick-ups and trades, including signing David Lee in the much ballyhooed free agency summer of 2010, trading Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut (not that Bogut has done much, well really anything, but getting rid of Monta Ellis was vital), signing Carl Landry and trading for Jarrett Jack. Right there is the 9 man rotation that Golden State will go to war with this postseason. Plus, the Warriors hired a coach that has changed the culture of this organization. This Warriors team plays defense, rebounds the ball and makes extra passes (with the exception of Klay Thompson on this one), something that NBA fans are not used to seeing from Warriors teams of the recent past. Get used to it.
Not-so-fun fact: Frankly, there aren’t too many “not-so-fun facts” about the Dubs. The only possible problem I can foresee other than injuries, is one that I mentioned when talking about Houston. With such a lack of playoff experience on this roster, who steps up big in the postseason? The luxury that Golden State has that Houston doesn’t is that the Warriors have more guys capable of taking the metaphorical conch in that situation than the Rockets do. In Houston, I’d only rely on Harden. Golden State could easily rely on Curry or David Lee, and I wouldn’t even feel too uncomfortable with Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry leading the way down the stretch. But there is still the giant question mark surrounding the unknown.
Overall Position: Get ready to be living in a world where Golden State is making noise in the postseason. That’s my final warning.

3: San Antonio Spurs
2: Los Angeles Clippers
1: Oklahoma City Thunder
I’m ditching the previous format for the final three teams since these are the only three in the Western Conference that I could see myself picking to make the NBA Finals at this point in the season. Here is the fun fact for NBA fans… for the next three and a half months, we’ll get to watch these three teams play brilliant basketball. In the calendar year of 2012 we saw the following: San Antonio go on a run where they won 47 out of 54 games from January 30^th to May 29^th, Oklahoma City end that streak by winning four straight games against San Antonio in the Western Conference Finals (which also caused everybody on earth to give the Thunder the next ten NBA Championships), and this season we saw the Clippers win 17 straight games, 12 of which were by double digits. To think that from now until late April these three teams won’t be on a dead sprint for that number one seed would be foolish. Sit back, relax and enjoy. It’s going to be a fun ride.

It’s me, Sonny. I just wanted to get this out there before the big day. I understand you are probably really busy this time of year, but I assure you that this is important. Last year you helped to deliver the greatest Christmas present any basketball fan could ask for: the return of the NBA after a 16 game lockout. This year on my Christmas list you will see a drastic change from years past where I typically didn’t ask for much NBA related stuff besides an occasional jersey or DVD. I would really appreciate it if you didn’t necessarily have your elves craft me any handmade products this year. Rather, I’m just asking you to use your mystical powers to make sure the following things occur:

May 3, 2011; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (left) exchanges words with Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins (5) during the fourth quarter in game two of the second round of the 2011 NBA playoffs at Oklahoma City Arena. The Thunder defeated the Grizzlies 111-102. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

- I want to see Zach Randolph and Kendrick Perkins face off in a UFC fight, back alley brawl, backyard wrestling match, or just putting the dukes up at midcourt. Some sort of violent altercation between the two of them is all I ask for, and really it doesn’t seem like it’s out of the question.

- I need you to keep Stephen Curry and the rest of the Golden State Warriors healthy please. I know this is a lot to ask since Curry has had chronic ankle issues since his junior season at Davidson and Andrew Bogut’s arm almost snapped off of his body a few years back, but this is a hell of a story that should not be derailed. Plus I picked them to finish 7^th in the western conference before the season started, and not many people can say that, but that’s beside the point. Additionally, not too many people realize that this is one of the better teams in the league. Their win in Miami 9 days ago was far from a fluke, and neither was their 7 game road trip that they went 6-1 on, defeating 3 eastern conference playoff teams along the way. As long as Stephen Curry remains healthy and playing at an MVP caliber level (actually, David Lee has been just as good), the Warriors are an intriguing contender in the western conference. - For all of the past, present and future abolitionists everywhere, please make sure Andrew Bynum never cuts his hair and continues to look like a modern day Frederick Douglass.

- Since I hold you in higher regard than I do David Stern, and it’s much more likely you’ll actually listen to me, I’m going to blueprint how we can make NBA All-Star weekend better, and you do your best to put it into action. To make this as simple as possible, I’ll map it out in chronological order.

• On All-Star Friday night, everything is just about perfect. As long as Kevin Hart is involved in the celebrity game, it becomes can’t miss TV after his performance last year.  The Rising Stars Challenge is also as good as it can get. As long as we keep super athletic guys whose sole devotion is to make the SportsCenter Top 10 at the end of the night, we should be fine.
• We move to All-Star Saturday Night, which happens to be my least favorite night of All-Star weekend since it is in desperate need of star power, particularly in the Dunk Contest which is on life support after the atrocity of last year. Let’s just say that last year it was trending on Twitter for all of the wrong reasons. It’s a relatively simple fix: Offer some sort of incentive to some of the top guys in the league to get some big names in the contest. If you need to throw in a donation to a charity of the winner’s choice, the league should definitely do so to avoid a collective clamor from fans to get rid of the contest all together. After LeBron, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, etc. are coerced into the contest, tell them to cut all of the corny stuff out. I don’t need to see someone jump over a car or wear a goofy outfit when they are dunking; I just want a throwback to every pre-2000 dunk contest when guys just dunked the ball and the crowd went nuts for the right reasons. Not because Dwight Howard decided to pretend he was Superman just two years before he would start being the biggest A-hole in all of the NBA. And as long as big names remain in the 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge then things are good.
• The All-Star game should be treated the same way that the Rising Stars Challenge was last year. Two captains pick their respective teams, without what their conference mattering. The captain’s would be chosen by fan vote as a means to keep the fans somewhat involved, but not involved enough for uneducated/slightly biased fans to vote Jeremy Lin as a starter (at the last ballot returns, Lin was 3^rd in the voting for western conference guards). Hypothetically, let’s say that LeBron James and Kobe Bryant maintain their lead in the voting standings; it’s then up to those two to pick their teams with the only rule being you can’t pick more than two of your own teammates for your team. Can you imagine the rivalries that would be formed and animosity between the teams, especially if the teams were formed in a schoolyard pick’em? I would be willing to bet it would be the most competitive All-Star game yet. For the sake of this idea, this column and my own personal entertainment, here are the 24 players who I would like to see playing in the All-Star game this year, paying no attention to conferences:
  -Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Jrue Holiday, Dwight Howard, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Al Jefferson, David Lee, Kevin Love, OJ Mayo, Joakim Noah, Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, Zach Randolph, Josh Smith, Anderson Varejao, Dwyane Wade, and Russell Westbrook.

- Would it be totally out of the question to ask for everyone to fully appreciate just how good LeBron James is? Yeah, I’m probably getting a little ambitious with this one.

- I know that sequels are rarely as good as the original version, but I want Stephen A. Smith going off on Kwame Brown for 2 minutes straight, part two. Maybe it won’t happen with Kwame Brown since Kwame will never be this relevant again, but it’s totally in play that Stephen A. could snap and go off on just about anyone.

- Have you checked out the franchise names that have been trademarkedfor New Orleans? Santa, I’m thinking we go with something a little snazzier than the likes of the New Orleans Mosquitos. Bayou Ballers, maybe?

- To no surprise of my own, the Bobcats went from 7-5 to 7-18. How much fun would it be if their owner, Michael Jordan, made yet another comeback? Look, it can’t be that difficult to use your powers to coax the most maniacally competitive athlete of all-time out of his management position and back onto the basketball court. He clearly has the itch to do so. I don’t care how ripped apart I get for saying this, but I think for a four minute stretch MJ can still be an effective player, despite the fact that he is 49 years old and has been retired for a decade. You can’t convince me that if Jerry Stackhouse, 38 years old, can get crunch time minutes for Brooklyn, a playoff team, then the greatest basketball player of all-time couldn’t play down the stretch for a team who has lost 13 straight games. Sure, Jordan would likely be a complete defensive liability and limit any kind of fast paced tempo you wanted to play at, but wouldn’t teams still be terrified of Jordan late in games? I’d think so. At the very least, even if Jordan was clearly in over his head, this would make the Bobcats completely relevant every single night. They’d be the top story on SportsCenter, PTI, Around the Horn, First Take, etc. and would be by far the hottest ticket in the NBA if Jordan made a 3^rd return to the NBA. Realistically, that is probably the only way it could ever happen. Unfortunately for Charlotte, this is totally unrealistic… unless you can come through Santa.

- Am I the only one that misses the seeing a basketball playing dinosaur on an NBA uniform? I hate to turn this into a fashion column, but I would like to make a request that the Raptors, Grizzlies, Hawks, and Pistons all permanently wear their retro uniforms.

- I’m convinced that Charles Barkley isn’t wrong, and that Dwyane Wade is far from the player he used to be. Since the Big Three were formed back in the summer of 2010 it hasn’t been difficult to see that Wade has lost a step physically and statistically every year. Of course you have to factor in Wade taking a backseat to LeBron James, playing less minutes and the Heat bringing in more and more weapons each season, but at the same time, it’s glaringly obvious that Wade has lost a step. He isn’t the same physically and it’s understandable. He plays a very physically and sometimes recklessly, and it’s been suggested that unless he modifies his game in the fashion that Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant did, we won’t be seeing Wade for as long as we’ve been fortunate to see Jordan and Kobe. We still see glimpses of old school Wade every once in a while, but it’s not as consistent as it once was. Admittedly, I attack Dwyane Wade quite a bit, but I understand that a lot of what is going on in Miami is Wade (and LeBron for that matter) seem to be coasting through a decent amount of games this year, which is probably the best thing for them to do since they will be the heavy favorite in the Eastern Conference no matter where they are seeded. Still, my mind wanders every once in a while and I think about what it would be like to be a Miami Heat fan without Dwyane Wade in the picture. I’ve dabbled around with the ESPN trade machine every so often, and these are my favorite Dwyane Wade trades that I’d love for Santa Claus to look over.

Trade #1: Dwyane Wade to Minnesota for Kevin Love.
Trade #2: Dwyane Wade to Golden State for Stephen Curry, Harrison Barnes and Andris Biedrins.
Trade #3: Dwyane Wade to Cleveland for Anderson Varejao, Dion Waiters and Omri Casspi.
Trade #4: Dwyane Wade and Mike Miller to Los Angeles for Kobe Bryant.
Trade #5: Dwyane Wade to Golden State, David Lee and Mike Miller to Minnesota, and Stephen Curry and Kevin Love to Miami.

- Finally, I know it’s still four months away, but take a look at my suggested playoff seeding’s and see if you could get us here in late April. I even included a brief “Why we should be rooting for this” blurb below.
East- 1 New York, 2 Miami, 3 Chicago, 4 Atlanta, 5 Boston, 6 Brooklyn, 7 Indiana, 8 Milwaukee
West- 1 Oklahoma City, 2 San Antonio, 3 Los Angeles Clippers, 4 Memphis Grizzlies, 5 Golden State Warriors, 6 Los Angeles Lakers, 7 Minnesota, 8 Houston

In the East: New York wins easily over Milwaukee. Miami defeats Indiana somewhat easily in a rematch of last season’s physical series. Chicago (with Derrick Rose back) defeats Brooklyn, and Boston defeats Atlanta, keeping Atlanta in their constant state of irrelevance. In the 2^nd round Miami would be just a little too much for the rejuvenated Bulls, and the New York/Boston series would likely be a classic. You really couldn’t complain with either outcome in the Knicks/Celtics series since it would result in either New York/Miami (LeBron and Carmelo potentially dueling four times at Madison Square Garden in an extremely meaningful playoff series) or a Miami/Boston rematch which would of course go seven games and cost me a few years of my life.

In the West: James Harden returns to Oklahoma City in the first round, a series that the Thunder win easily except for one game in Houston where James Harden goes off for 40 points. San Antonio would defeat Minnesota, but it would be nice to see Love and Rubio in the playoffs. The Clippers/Lakers series is exactly what that rivalry needs in order to take off. We need seven games of Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard, Lamar Odom, Khloe Kardashian and everyone else going to war. As hot as the Clippers are right now, I’d give the Lakers the edge come playoff time. And how much fun would a Grizzlies/Warriors series be? These are two of the most underappreciated teams in the league who are backed by extremely good crowds. Either way, this either sets up for Stephen Curry vs. the Thunder in the 2^nd round, or a rematch of the 2011 Western Conference Semi’s where the Grizzlies as an 8 seed nearly pulled the upset of the upstart Thunder. In the other 2^nd round match-up it would be Los Angeles (Lakers or Clippers) facing the Spurs, which would be great under either circumstance. And you could really say the same thing about the conference finals. No matter who was there in early June, we would be getting classic basketball, which is really all I am asking for this Christmas.

Thanks in advance St. Nick. I know you will come through for me like you always have in the past. Have a safe trip around the world.  I’ll have the cookies and milk out on Monday night.

Sonny Giuliano

The Actual Award Winners of the Season

MVP: LeBron James, Miami Heat
The case could be made for Kobe Bryant (leader in scoring, so far a career best shooting percentage and 3 point percentage), Kevin Durant (3^rd leading scorer, career bests in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks), or maybe even Carmelo Anthony (2^nd leading scorer, lynchpin of the Knicks hot start), but I’ve opted to go with old reliable, LeBron James. Call me biased if you’d like, but 25 points, 9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, all-world defense and a whole bunch of late game takeovers say otherwise.

Defensive Player of the Year: Larry Sanders, Milwaukee Bucks
For you casual fans, go ahead and Google “Larry Sanders NBA” if you don’t know who I’m talking about, it’s fine.  All you need to know is that Larry Sanders is 3^rd in the league in blocks per game, 1^st in the league in blocks per 48 minutes, and even boasts a 10 block game this year against Minnesota.

Rookie of the Year: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Before the season it was considered a two horse race for Rookie of the Year between Damian Lillard and #1 overall pick Anthony Davis. Davis, who has been very impressive (16.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 49% shooting) is momentarily disqualified since he’s only played in only six games. Lillard has been just about as good as expected. He’s stepped right into the starting point guard role and produced offensively. Defensively… well, that’s another story. But for now Lillard gets the edge over Dion Waiters and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Most Improved Player: The Houston Rockets
Yeah, I’m cheating on this award. I’m making the executive decision to let four players divide the Most Improved Player Trophy in whatever four ways they want. It will be like the Immunity Idols on Survivor that break up in a bunch of different ways when there are more than two tribes. James Harden, the obvious choice, has made a significant statistical jump thanks to a largely expanded role. However, Harden isn’t the only player in Clutch City who has shown an obvious improvement this year. Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik and Patrick Patterson are all completely worthy of the Most Improved Player award. The former Florida Gator, Chandler Parsons, would be my pick if I had to give out the Individual Immunity Idol style Most Improved Player Trophy. I always thought he could be a decent player in the NBA, but he’s made a noticeable jump this year.

Sixth Man: Carl Landry, Golden State Warriors
Ray Allen, Jamal Crawford, and JR Smith are the runners-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award one month in, and that tells you what a deep year it is for bench players. I was this close (imagine me holding up my thumb and index fingers about an inch apart) to giving the award to Ray Allen (superb shooting and late-game scoring chops on display), but with Andrew Bogut missing all but four games this year, Landry has been the much needed second frontcourt option behind David Lee, and has been doing it incredibly efficiently (14.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 57% shooting). Before I go any further, let’s transition into our next award.

The Surprise of the Season Award

I give this award to the Golden State Warriors on behalf of everyone who expected yet another lottery bound season for the Warriors, and everyone who told me I was crazy when I picked Golden State to finish 7^th in the Western Conference before the season started. Let me just preface everything else I am going to say with this: All of Golden State’s success depends on how healthy the team can stay (i.e. Stephen Curry). Clearly, Golden State is deeper, more talented, and without question more cohesive than any of the Warriors teams in recent history. Despite some early shooting woes, Stephen Curry is playing the best overall basketball of his career. It’s been fun tracking him from his freshman year at Davidson (I was at his first round tournament loss to Maryland) until now. He’s evolved from a score first undersized shooting guard to a game-managing point guard 6 years later, and has done it rather seamlessly with the exception of his chronically bad ankles causing problems. The rest of the team falls in place perfectly. David Lee is validating my putting him in the Top 50 Players list prior to the season. Carl Landry, as mentioned, is playing Sixth Man of the Year worthy basketball. All three rookies (Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green, and Festus Ezeli) are all serviceable role players. Jarrett Jack has been an upgrade as a back-up point guard. And Klay Thompson is shooting a whoooooole bunch. The only possible worries you could have if you are a Golden State Warriors fan is Stephen Curry’s foot falling off when he rolls his ankle, or Klay Thompson evolving into Monta Ellis 2.0. That’s just about it. Put Stephen Curry in the playoffs and he will show up. He shocked the world at Davidson, and he and the Warriors might just be in the process of shocking the world now.

The Drastic Overreaction of the Season Award

Holy crap, we could have about ten winners for this category since everything the media does is a giant overreaction. The Bobcats 7-5 start, James Harden’s start to the season and immediate MVP hype, the Knicks getting off to a 6-0 start, and the Spurs sitting Duncan, Ginobili, Parker and Green… All consisted of drastic overreactions by nearly every party involved. Some quick thoughts on the runners up:

• Did anyone actually think Charlotte could be a playoff team, or did ESPN just want an interesting angle to run for their Bobcats/Thunder highlights? I’m leaning towards the latter.
• I bought into the James Harden hubbub a little bit, but never enough to think that Harden would be the league MVP, a multiple time NBA Champion, and the new face/beard of the NBA.
• The Knicks are the third best team in their division. Just wait and see.
• We’ll get to the Spurs in a minute.
• Now we get to the number one overreaction of the month old season. Maybe it’s because they are in Los Angeles. Maybe it’s because they employ one of the best basketball players ever. Maybe it’s because they traded for a franchise center that doubles as the instigator of the most poorly handled contract/trade demand situations in the history of the league. Or maybe it’s because they traded their coach five games into the season. Regardless, the Los Angeles Lakers have taken the title of “Most Covered and Scrutinized Team in the League” from the Miami Heat, and are running away with it without much contention.

Every reaction to the Lakers is an overreaction, so I’m taking it upon myself to look at the situation with a level head and unbiased eyes and try to come up with something that makes a little bit of sense. Even before the season started I didn’t expect the Lakers to be the top seed in the Western Conference. With so many key pieces coming in, it was to be expected that there would be an adjustment period before the Lakers started clicking. Plus, factor in nearly 80,000 regular season minutes combined for Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash, and Dwight Howard fresh off of a back surgery, it wasn’t too difficult to believe that there would be time missed by those aforementioned key pieces. Nash has only played two games, Pau Gasol is struggling with knee tendinitis, and Dwight Howard isn’t 100% yet. The Western Conference is loaded with good teams, so it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the Lakers fell somewhere between a 3 and 6 seed. From the get-go I pegged this Lakers team as the doppelganger to the 2003-04 Lakers team that brought in Gary Payton and Karl Malone before the season, finished 3rd in the West, made their run to the NBA Finals and ultimately lost to the Detroit Pistons. Don’t be too surprised if we see a repeat of this.

The Player Who is Single Handedly Effing Up My Top 50 List Award

Congratulations to Anderson Varejao. I’ve always liked Varejao since my heyday as a Cavaliers fan. I didn’t exactly forget Varejao when making my list, just disregarded him since he only played in 25 games in the 2011-12 season.  So far this season Varejao has made a very strong effort to force me to eat my never spoken words about him, posting career highs in points (15.1) and rebounding (15.3- a league best). I regret leaving Andy off of the Top 50 list, but I don’t regret keeping a lot of my Cavaliers attire. They are very young, have some good talent, and have been interesting enough this year that I’ve even been breaking out some of my old Cleveland threads; nothing too serious yet, just a Cleveland hat now and then and one appearance by my bright red Cavaliers shoes. I wouldn’t say I’m in a full blown affair with the Cavs, but there is some mutual flirting going on.

The Most Tragic, Yet Funniest Subplot of the Season Award

Take One on Andrew Bynum: We’re talking about a player who I had ranked as the 15^th best player in the NBA a player who was the only logical choice in opposition to Dwight Howard in any “Best Center in the NBA” debate; and a player who despite his moodiness and injury history, the Lakers were so hesitant to give up in deals for both Chris Paul and up until the very end, Dwight Howard. Bynum hasn’t played in one game this season due to troubles from his chronically bad knees. There is no indication of whether he’ll be back this year, be traded by Philadelphia before February, or leave in free agency after the season.Take Two on Andrew Bynum: Andrew Bynum is an immature superstar-caliber player who has never totally seemed totally committed to maximizing his potential. You could make the argument he did a lot of things in Los Angeles last year just to piss off Mike Brown. He was then traded to Philadelphia in a four team deal where he was expected to be the man for the 76ers, something totally realistic until you think about the way he carried himself on the bench when he was taken out in close games, or how he acted on the court while his team was getting blown out. Now, he might not even get the chance to be “the man” since he aggravated his knee injuries bowling. Additionally, his hair style choice makes him look like Frederick Douglass.

The Michael Myers “They aren’t dead yet!” Award

I covered this concept last February in my Eastern Conference Power Rankings. No matter what kind of start the Celtics get off to, no matter how dead in the water they seem to be, as long as they make the playoffs they are the single most dangerous team in the field of 16. It’s like in every single Halloween movie when Michael Myers has gone through just about every kind of punishment you could imagine, he just tilts his head sideways and keeps on trucking forward. He’s been shot, set on fire, and even had his head cut off, but he never stops. Same goes for Boston. I won’t be fooled and write them off. I’ve learned that lesson one too many times, and thankfully I caught on last year well before Boston nearly beat Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals (you know, up until LeBron did his own Michael Myers impersonation when you coldly dissected the Celtics in front of 18,624 fans in game six). I’m not one bit uneasy about being incorrect when I say that it’s going to be Miami and Boston in the East Finals once again.

The New-Found Favorite Team Award

I’m probably jumping on this bandwagon a decade too late, but it’s better to be late than never I suppose. I find it just about impossible not to enjoy everything about the San Antonio Spurs. For my sake, and everyone else’s, I suggest you start to appreciate them too because they aren’t going to be around much longer. I think this recent revelation has something to do with the Rest-Gate scandal and how it’s really turned into a “Spurs v. NBA” situation. Let me quickly voice my opinion on this matter: As a fan, it pisses me off in general that there are times when teams will rest players and we don’t always get to enjoy the best quality of game. I remember being 9 years old and going to the land up north to see the Toronto Raptors host the Utah Jazz. At the time I was going through a bit of a Vince Carter phase (allow me to thank the good lord that this didn’t last long), and Carter wasn’t playing because of an injury. I was devastated. And Carter had a legitimate reason not to play.

Here is what I have a problem with. This idea of resting players happens every year for the last three weeks of the season when teams are purposely trying to suck in order to improve their draft odds. Only David Stern has never addressed these instances as a “disservice to the league and fans.” None of those teams got fined $250,000. And as Bill Simmons put it on Twitter, “Disservices DJS didn’t mention: 16-game lockout; N.O. getting #1 pick, all “4 road games in 5 nights” trips; 1st CP3 trade; Sonics; Donaghy.” Yeah, that sounds about right. Where this situation takes an interesting turn is how everything the San Antonio Spurs do is a constant Eff-You to the powers that be in the NBA. In reality, this is the only franchise that this could and would happen to. It’s the perfect combination of players and coach. It’s the same franchise that has rested their players many times before, most famously when Gregg Popovich kept Tim Duncan out of a game last year because he is “old.” For those who don’t know, Coach Pop has a tendency to be so cold and miserable during his between quarter interviews that they have become a legitimate point of conversation amongst media members. Pop hit his breaking point in game five of the Western Conference Finals when he shattered his own record by giving two 2-word answers in his interview with Craig Sager at the conclusion of the 3^rd quarter. He is all out of effs to give, and that makes him incredibly endearing to someone like me. The cherry on top of the Gregg Popovich sundae? He’s one of the most accomplished coaches in NBA history.

Then we get to the roster which outside of the Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili big three is a collection of misfits that seemingly fit perfectly in San Antonio. Popovich has squeezed every bit of potential out of the likes of Tiago Splitter, Matt Bonnar, Danny Green, etc. like he is trying to make the most delicious homemade lemonade of all-time. Not only have the Spurs been the most consistent team of the last decade and a half, but the San Antonio dynasty is arguably the most underrated in NBA and sports history. Equally impressive is that Popovich and the Spurs have only had one true full-fledged superstar for the duration of this decade and a half run, and that superstar happens to also be drastically underrated in the grand scheme of NBA history. This year Duncan is off to a very impressive start (18.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 54% shooting) that leads me to wonder whether this year we should be taking the Spurs more seriously as a title contender in years past. It’s been 5 years since San Antonio has won a title, and really that was the last time we saw Duncan resemble the Tim Duncan we’d been used to for the previous ten years. If Duncan can keep this up all year long and carry it into the postseason then the Spurs are more dangerous than they have been since they won their last title. And if Duncan can anchor the Spurs and carry San Antonio to a title 14 years after their first in 1999, that would make the Spurs the longest running dynasty in modern NBA history, and possibly solidify Duncan as one of the five best players in the history of the game. As a LeBron James fan I’m obviously pulling for not one, not two, not three, not four… Heat titles. But as a basketball fan, it wouldn’t break mine or my cousin Gianni Zambito’s heart to see Duncan win ring number five.