The Break

As the number of days of winter break winds down, I must say that it has been halfway decent. A lot of basketball and a lot of chill time. Zack's back from UC Merced. We set up the Christmas tree really late this year, the 22nd to be exact. On a side note, I'm feeling really good about school basketball this year. My team beat De Le Salle by 3 at Kezar about a week ago. For those of you who don't know who De Le Salle is, their sports programs are amongst the top sports programs in the nation. I've had a lot of time to just kick it with family and appreciate everything. I even had fun at the dentist, and got a new toothbrush. My dentist told me that I'm special because I was the last patient of the day and cause I didn't get cavities. Feeling very special indeed. I thought the Christmas day matchups were very good, but somewhat disappointing. The Rondo-less Celtics couldn't pull through at the end despite Dwight's blowup in the first half and overall crappy performance. The Lakers were very disappointing if I might add. Although, LeBron was having quite a ball game. The Warriors played the Blazers on Christmas: no Brandon Roy though. Sad face. It was still, nonetheless, a great time out. Dinner at my favorite restaurant the following night too? I just hope the next few days don't blow by too fast. Really not ready for school to start back up again. But then again, is anyone?

R&G Lounge: salt and pepper crab anyone?

Setting up the tree.

Christmas Day special in Dubtown.

10 Things (Part 2)

5) Bull Sh*t: To me the Chicago Bulls are one of the more underrated teams in the league. At 19-10, they're first in the Central and third in the conference, yet they do not get the love they deserve. The reason? I believe is because of the their style of play. They're not very fun to watch. Under Tom Thibodeau, the Bulls are cloning themselves into his old team, the Boston Celtics, with a focus on defense and efficient half-court sets. The two things that have hurt this team are injuries to their big men and lack of offense from their shooting guards. Carlos Boozer missed the first month and he's now starting to get comfortable with his new team. Taj Gibson is coming back from a concussion, and Joakim Noah is now out until late March, early April with his finger injury. To fix the off-guard issue, the Bulls are looking for trades. Despite the injuries and lack of solid 2-guard play, the Bulls are still playing very well because of the hometown stud, Derrick Rose. He has been killing it this season averaging a career best 24 ppg, 8 apg, & 4.5 rpg. Luol Deng has been Luol Deng this year and that is all that is needed of him, and whoever is healthy enough to play the pivot next to Booz, yes Kurt Thomas, has been solid. Defense and team basketball win championships. They have the superstar and sidekick to carry them and they're progressing with the right formula towards that championship level.

4) Monta & His Cronies: The hot start to the Warriors' season at 6-2 seems so long ago. Since then the Warriors have only won 5 games. In that stretch they've had two losing streaks of 5 games and 7 games. They're currently 12th in the West and they really haven't gotten much better from last year. Their chemistry is better, their defense is better, but they're offense is not as good as last year and they're still injury-plagued (at one point they had 6 power forwards on the depth chart and only two healthy enough to play). The only positive for this team so far has been the fourth-leading scorer in the league, the Mississippi Missile, or simply  Monta Ellis. Whoever follows knows I dislike Monta a lot, but he has really changed the way he plays this year. He is still very selfish (never passes on a 2 on 1 fast break), but he has become a much better teammate and he gives his all at 40 mpg. Is he an all-star? Well he's deserving, he averages 26 a game and his three point shooting is much-improved, but he plays on a losing team so I doubt he makes it. The one thing that really bothers me is the Warrior fans. I was at the game on Christmas and the fans were chanting "MVP!" for Monta while he was shooting free throws. Really? Really Warrior fans? I bleed blue and yellow and take pride in being a part of one of the most loyal fan bases for a terrible team, but come on fans! Monta is nowhere close to deserving of an MVP chant (only 3 are deserving: Kobe, LBJ, KD) and the fans should know better. As for the rest of the team and its record, they are exactly where I thought they would be. I just wish David Lee could hold onto a basketball when going up on a drive, and Steph's ankle will avoid another sprain or twist. The Playoffs are still possible and once again it's all about being healthy to get there.

3) Marvelous Mavs: When I did the season preview for the West, it was a coin flip for either putting the Mavs as the second best team or the Jazz and I was convinced it was the Jazz. However I don't know why because of that decision I left the Mavericks outside of the top 5. The Mavericks are certainly top 5 in the West and top 5 in the NBA. They currently own the second-best record in the league at 23-5 and they've beaten all the top teams in the league (Celtics, Spurs, Heat, Magic, Jazz, & Thunder) besides the Lakers, only because they have not played them yet. Like the Spurs and Celtics, I believe the Mavericks window of opportunity closes after this season or next. They're one of the oldest teams in the league and their core players are all 30 or older except for 28-year old Tyson Chandler. The individual stats for their core have also all declined besides Tyson Chandler's. With age comes great experience however, and this team seems to have the best composure and poise in the NBA. Jason Kidd can still run a team at a high-level and the German isn't slowing down anytime soon. Tough Juice is no longer playing like an all-star but he still contributes and Jet seems to hit every clutch three pointer when they need it. This team has a very deep roster and maybe they can be a force to be reckon with come the Playoffs. Then again the Mavericks have always been great in the regular season but a bust when it counts.

2) Lackadaisical Lakers: After giving high praises to the "Lake Show" for their amazing start to the season, they've once again come upon that annual month of careless basketball. It really is no big deal because Kobe will wake his teammates up, but it's always news and something to talk about. As a basketball fan, I hate it. The Lakers have a roster that is so much more superior than the rest of the league. They can win 70 games in the season (not anymore) and three-peat with relative ease if they just play to their potential and talent. However they are too arrogant and too confident. They know they're great so they take nights off because they just don't feel like playing and think they can turn on the switch when they want to. That's not how it works when you're the champs, when you're the hunted. The Heat are not the biggest concern to the Lakers yet. It's the Spurs being back, it's the Mavericks being a year older and a year better, and it's the Celtics being better with Shaq and with redemption on their minds. I know they'll pick themselves up eventually and Kobe won't let this team slip, but Pau Gasol needs to start playing like he did when the season started and so does Lamar Odom. Andrew Bynum needs to get healthy and they just need to wake up and dominate the league again. Did I mention Chauncey Billups would be excellent on this team? 

1) Heating Up: Two months into the season, and the Heat are starting to click. I was pretty critical on this team when the season first started because they seemed to really not care and that cocky attitude did not sit well with me. Too much talent and too much star power to be playing so poorly. After destroying some pretty bad teams, they're starting to get it. Erik Spoelstra won't be fired, the Big 3 are starting to play the way they should, and besides Udonis Haslem, they're healthy now (Mike Miller & Mario Chalmers). The Heat were expected to be an offensive juggernaut, but it's actually their defense that is making them an excellent team. The team defense that these guys play is incredible (90.8 points allowed per game). They're pick and roll defense is tops in the league and the overall defense they play is the type that teams need years of playing together to develop. Once they play offense the way they're capable of playing, the Heat will begin to look like the beast they should be. The Celtics are still the team to beat in the East and the Lakers are still the team to beat in the NBA. The Christmas day victory was just another win in the season for the Heat, but trust me, to LeBron, DWade, and Bosh, it was much more than another win. It was a message to the Lakers: Come June no more fun and games, they'll be ready.

10 Things (Part 1)

It's been awhile, hope everyone enjoyed your Christmas, back to business, two parts this time, here you go:

10) Broken Kingdom: Losers of their last 7 games and 21 of their last 23, the Sacramento Kings are headed in the worst direction possible at the worst possible time. Being a Warrior fan my whole life and a Laker fan during my childhood, I hate the Kings, but it's pretty sad to see where this franchise is heading. In my opinion they were probably the best team in the early 2000s to never win a championship thanks to Shaq and Kobe. Since Rick Adelman left and the CWeb era ended, the franchise has declined immensely. The Maloof brothers have tried to move the team to Las Vegas, they've tried to get a new arena built in Sacramento, they've had four new coaches, and none of those things have worked. Last season in Paul Westphal's first season as head coach, the team's record was third worst in the league, but things seemed to be turning around. They had the rookie of the year in Tyreke Evans, another good draft pick in Omri Casspi, and they drafted a promising DeMarcus Cousins this offseason. However, everything is falling apart this season. Tyreke is going through a sophomore slump, the role players are terrible, and Cousins's reputation as being uncoachable is showing. It's only a matter of time before Westphal gets the axe, and so does long-time GM, Geoff Petrie. The cow bells have stopped ringing for a long time in Sacramento. A new era thought to be promising has proven false, and once again it's time to rebuild.

9) Those Darn Injuries: This NBA season has been pretty great. Plenty of storylines, most of the teams expected to play well have lived up to expectations, and individual play from the league's stars have been satisfactory. There is one problem this season though, and that is injuries. Too many players and key contributors to their teams have been plagued by the injury bug, way too many! The list of injuries amounting significant time out include these notable names: John Wall, Mehmet Okur, Aaron Brooks, Andris Biedrins, Greg Oden & Brandon Roy, Brandon Jennings, Mike Miller & Udonis Haslem, Andrew Bynum, Carlos Boozer, Chris Kaman, Yao Ming, Vince Carter, Rajon Rondo, Joakim Noah, etc. I know injuries happen all the time, but this year it has occurred way too often to important players. As a basketball fan I would love to see all teams at full strength, and I cross my fingers hoping no other significant injuries occur this year, please, absolutely please no Shaun Livingston's.

8) Change of Cards: Last week, a pretty big trade went down in the league. A change was necessary in Orlando, but as for the players the Magic gave up and received in return, I'm not too sure it will be enough to put them over the top. The ultimate goal for GM Otis Smith is win now and keep Dwight in Orlando past 2012, but is Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, and Gilbert Arenas enough? I think J-Rich fits in the best because he can shoot the 3, spread the floor, and he's a better defender than Vince Carter. Turkoglu is back in a system he once flourished in, but he is two years older now. The biggest name in the trade is Gil and if Orlando thinks he's that perimeter sidekick Dwight needs, I beg to differ. Hibachi was pretty much a cancer to the Wizards and not too many teams were even willing to trade for him. In his first 4 games, he's shot 11-40 from the field, and the Magic have only played him around 24 minutes a game off the bench? I'm not sure what Stan Van Gundy has planned the rest of the season for Gil's role, but at the same time with this new team they've recently ended the Spurs's 10-game win streak and the Celtics's 14-game win streak so they look good so far.

As for the other two teams involved in the trades, I think they will benefit in the long-run. The Wizards get Rashard Lewis's contract which is still better than Arenas's and they're on their way to rebuilding correctly. All they need is John Wall to get healthy now. For the Suns, I don't know what direction they're headed in. They can still be a playoff team, yet they seem like they want to rebuild. Vince Carter is... well I don't like Vince Carter, he's lazy and selfish in my opinion, but he only has one year left on his contract. Mickael Pietrus will fill the 3-point shooting void left by J-Rich, and Marcin Gortat, I believe is the biggest acquisition for the team. With legitimate playing time, I think the "Polish Hammer" can prove himself to be a quality starting center in the NBA. Overall these trades benefit all sides, but for the Magic it's a big gamble, but is it worth the risk? We will find out in May.

7) Where Will Melo Go?: As trade talks heat up for the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes, I actually don't think the question is where will Carmelo go, but when will Carmelo go. Carmelo has been a class-act this year, playing hard despite not wanting to be in Denver, he's addressed the front office and worked with them to get a trade, and the Nuggets are trying their hardest to get the best value they can for their disgruntled star. The Nets are actually the only team with legitimate trade pieces to offer the Nuggets, but a three-team deal for other complimentary players to go with Melo needs to be worked out in order for him to sign a contract extension and be satisfied in Jersey. As for New York, where Melo would actually like to go, they don't really have much to offer. The best offer I can think of for the Knicks would be Eddy Curry's expiring contract, Wilson Chandler or Danilo Gallinari, Toney Douglas, Anthony Randolph, and future draft picks if the Knicks have any (they seem to always trade them away). The Bulls and Bobcats are the drakhorses, and there are rumors of many teams interested in renting Melo's services for half a season, no extension necessary.

All I know is once Melo is traded, then the fun begins. It means the Nuggets will probably rebuild and they have a lot of valuable players that can help many playoff contenders. The Bulls need a shooting guard and they're interested in J.R. Smith . Kenyon Martin's contract is expiring and teams would definitely be interested in his half-year service, and lastly Chauncey Billups could be an excellent pick-up for a team with title aspirations and in need of a point gurad, or maybe the Lakers?? Chauncey has admitted that he would love to retire a Nugget, but he has also admitted he doesn't want to play for a rebuilding franchise to end his career. If Carmelo is traded to New Jersey with Andre Miller and Devin Harris heads to Denver, Ty Lawson is still on the roster as well and he is currently playing well, therefore Chauncey would no longer be needed. The Lakers would be a perfect fit and they would not need to offer much. My proposed trade would be Steve Blake, Luke Walton, Shannon Brown, and perhaps a future draft pick for Chauncey, Gary Forbes, and Shelden Williams or Renaldo Balkman. If this were to happen I would be delighted, but for now we wait for Melo's trade to put the wheels in motion.

6) Raymond's Revenge: Please try and focus on the man in the back of the picture, not number 1. That is Mr. Raymond Felton and he is playing the best basketball of his life this season. Last time, I spoke about the Knicks and their returned relevance, I kind of brushed off Felton as a success this season because he is a product of Mike D'Antoni's system, but I am wrong. Sorry Ray. I'm actually not the only person who has written him off since his time in the league. His previous seasons have been sub-par and when you're the fifth pick in the same draft class as Chris Paul and Deron Williams and considered one of the best point guards to ever come out of North Carolina, 13 & 6 is not enough. Before he played his first game in the blue and orange, analysts were already writing him off and talking about Tony Parker in 2011 or Chris Paul in 2012. This season however, Ray has turned it around (18 & 9) and it seems like he is thriving in the Mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden, New York City. He just fits the knit and grit of the city and many say he plays like a "New York City" point guard though he is not from NY. Ray has silenced the critics, including myself, and he and Amare Stoudemire make the Knicks one of the most fun teams to watch this season. The man is an all-star this season and he will certainly lead his team into the playoffs and maybe deep into it if Melo joins. For now, the spotlight is shining on Raymond Felton and he is putting on a show.

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow... Thanks for reading.

Dinosaur Dunks

Last night was a pretty great evening for throwdowns. First is Romeo's best friend DeMar DeRozan. I mean the guy has been dunking on people since he was 13, through high school and college. He was bound to make posters in the league, sorry Tyrus Thomas...



Second is Jordan Hill. Aren't we (Warrior fans) glad we chose Steph Curry over him? He hasn't really been great since being in the league but who knows what he's capable of with playing time. Jordan got pt last night, and made sure Samuel Dalembert knew he was in the game.


None of these beat Mr. Griffin's or the bearded one's in OKC, but great dunks on a night of studying.

Finals Can Shoot Itself

Last week of school before winter break?! Le do eeet. Haha. Studying and staying up til 3:30 and crap is most definitely not the business. I probably won't post anything for the rest of the week? But maybe? I haven't contacted J.E. about his finals and stuff, yet. But finals really blows. I'm not enjoying it. On the bright side, I get out at 12:30 everyday (excluding Friday)? Hopefully I get to kick it with that someone during the break. And all the other homies too. I don't have any basketball games this week, and coach said I'm allowed to skip practice in order to study and stuffs which is cool, I guess. We had a tournament this past weekend. I scored 17 and 15 points in the first two games, respectively. 3rd game, I had 5 points in our 40-point blowout win. I thought I played pretty well? 2nd game was pretty ridiculous. K.J. had 27 points and I had 13 in the 4th quarter? I think? I had 2 three's from somewhere in the middle of... half court and the three point line. However, we still lost. Not good. :P I have my Chinese final and my computer art final tomorrow. I guess computer art class is pretty chill. I don't really do much. I love my wallpaper on my computer at school though. I should probably be studying right now, but it's really boring. It's about 1:20 A.M., and it's really late. I gots this huge headache right now. I'm gonna stop studying in about 15 minutes or so? Hopefully, I don't completely bomb my Chinese test. Goodnight world.

No Bull

Jordan-esque?

Air Arenas

I've kind of taken this from Sole Collector, but I'm really interested in it. Anyone that knows me well knows I like shoes. I like shoes a lot (started when I was 2). I would not consider myself one of those kids that buy shoes based on hype either and I am very selective with my shoes, besides a pair of Chucks or Rainbow slippers, Jordans and Nikes (and no SB's) only please. That brings me to Gilbert Arenas and his sneaker free agency. It is freaking sweet. I think the last time a notable player stood out without a shoe endorsement was Kobe after Adidas, before Nike, and currently Nate Robinson impresses, but this year, Hibachi is showing out each night with something different, something clean, and even sometimes crazy. Sneakerheads enjoy.

 (Not related now, but College Days, KG 3's)

(Media Day, Penny 1's)

(Space Jams)

(Taxi 12's)

(Dolce & Gabbana for the ladies?? Yes he did.)

"Let me feel the arena, I'll be Gilbert Arenas" - Mr. Steal Your Girl

Sorry I really wanted to use the lyric, it's only fitting. Anyways, I can't wait to see what else Gil pulls out from his collection, but so far it has been great.

We Reminisce: Glen Rice

So this is something new to the blog that Josh and I call "We Reminisce." It will be a post of basketball-related people, events, and fads that have caught our attention through our lives, or something we would just like to reflect on. First up for me: Glen Rice

Before Mike, before Kobe, before KD, Glen Rice was my first favorite player in the NBA. The man shot the lights out. To be honest I think it wasn't his game that made him appealing to me, but rather the jersey (Turquoise and pin stripes, too legit) he wore. I never got a chance to watch him play as a Heat, but I remember him the most as a Hornet and a Laker. Every Tuesday or Thursday I remember him playing either on TBS or TNT and he was always stroking. When I played NBA Live 98, the Hornets were my team. I will always remember when he was traded to the Lakers for Eddie Jones. He became the 3rd scorer behind Shaq and Kobe, and it began the dynasty that I loved during my childhood. Like most of the star scorers of the 90s however, Rice played for a couple bad teams after the Lakers and his career came to a close due to injuries. His son currently plays for Georgia Tech and yeah, Glen Rice, one of my basketball idols, respect.

My Apologies

So...I haven't posted in a while. Sorry about that. I've been a little busy with basketball and school and stuff, but that's not really a good excuse. You deserve a lot better. I apologize. Sorry again.

Let's see...for basketball, the team moved up to 4 - 1 on Saturday with our win over University. I heard they beat Lowell by 9 and Wash by like 20-ish? That's always a good sign then. I'm feeling like Jack Sparrow with that captain status though. And I was crossing guys like Allen Iverson / Derrick Rose / Deron Williams. Kinda, sorta, not really. (I highly advise clicking the links on the left.) Our team got brand new jerseys this year, I don't know if I mentioned that in the last post I had. I'm reppin that #1 "cause I’m the one like I’m Tracy McGrady." I'm feeling really good about the team this year. A lot more support from the bench, and I feel that we should end the season with nothing short of a championship.

Highlight of the game on Saturday: I airballed a three, and all my teammates made fun of me in the locker room. Sad face.

Lowlight (if it's a word?) of the game: I trucked this guy on the other team on a fastbreak and made the basket, but got called for a charge due to our 20 point lead.

Headed up to Merced to watch the big brother play, but I only got to watch him sit on the bench and warmup during halftime (due to getting there with only 2 minutes left in the 1st half). I heard he filled up the stat sheet though - 2 points, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 assists, 0 turnovers - in 7 minutes of court time. After the game, I got to kick it with some of his friends and ate at Wingstop for about 40 minutes or so.

I had a pretty decently good weekend, but like all other weekends, it was way too short. Now for another week of school and getting back to the grind.

Signing autographs for the kids is always fun, right?

Gonzaga's Finest

He might not be the best player to ever come out of Gonzaga (John Stockton), but he is one of my all-time favorite collegiate basketball players. Sad to not see him in the league, but glad to see him doing work overseas, enjoy.

10 Things

If you read the first one, you know the drill:

10) Miami Mess: I'm pretty sure everyone is tired of hearing about the Heat already, but they're going to be relevant news for the entire season, and currently this team is a disaster. A couple weeks ago, I said they would get it together and start winning like they should, but currently they're 11-8, 3rd in their division and 5th in the conference, and this should be 70-win team is now looking like a 50-win team at best. This team has yet to put together a winning streak of 3 or more games, and they're still only beating teams below .500. The superstar trio blame their lack of success on Erik Spoelstra when the blame should actually be on them. Wade, Bosh, and James' numbers are all down this year and not in the way it should be down. Bosh's rebound percentage is at its lowest since his rookie season, LeBron is shooting his lowest field goal percentage ever and Wade completely abandoned his great mid-range game. Bosh just wants to "chill" (ask Kobe if he ever took time to "chill") and LeBron is still the biggest diva in the NBA. Worst of all their influence is playing out on D Wade who has always been a class act. The truth is, Erik Spoelstra will most likely lose his job not because of poor coaching (he's not a great coach, but he's good) but because he lacks the respect of his star players. It's sad that this team needs Pat Riley to take over in order for them to start playing real basketball. These guys signed up for this and should have known it wasn't going to be a picnic with every team giving them their best shot every night. What an embarrassment.

9) Death in Cleveland: December 2, 2010 is the day on the NBA schedule that I looked more forward to than any other day on the schedule. I don't care about Christmas day with the Lakers and Heat. What I cannot wait to see is tonight's game between the Cavaliers and Heat and the "homecoming" of LeBron James. I personally fear for this man's life and I'm glad that Quick and Loans is increasing their security to protect him. It may seem crazy to think a fan would do anything, but there are some crazy people who would try. I just dare Bron to do the chalk toss tonight, I double dare him to try it and see what may happen. Other than the aspect of seeing a man's life possibly threatened, the game should actually be great to watch, hopefully. I'm thinking it will be a playoff atmosphere in the arena and the Cavs are gonna play like it's game 7 of the NBA Finals. I also believe there are some huge consequences for the Heat if they lose this game. I can almost guarantee a temper tantrum from Bron in the locker room if they lose, and a pink slip for Erik Spoelstra would be almost inevitable because of Queen James's demands. All I know is I'll be in front of my TV watching the pre-game to see if anything crazy happens and like TO said, "Get your popcorn ready."

8) Sophomore Slump: Last year's rookie of the year, Tyreke Evans is playing almost similar to last year, but his ppg are down by 3 (17). Steph Curry is having a better season than last, averaging 21 and 6 this year. Brandon Jennings's numbers are also up at 18 ppg and everything else is the same, but his field goal percentage is still crap (39%). Jonny Flynn? He's been hurt all year and Ty Lawson, Jrue Holiday, and Darren Collison are getting more pt this season so their stats are up and should be. The two stand out improvements for sophomores this year are Taj Gibson and DeMar DeRozan. In Carlos Boozer's absence Taj has been solid averaging 11 and 7, not bad, and DeRozan's bumped his ppg up by 4 from last season. Overall the class of 2009 is pretty weak and has only two studs in my opinion. One is considered a rookie this season and I'll talk about him in a bit, and the other is Tyreke (I'm a bit disappointed, I thought he'd blow up). Basically the sophomores are putting up better numbers than last year, but they're just not relevant enough for recognition. Maybe it's because they all play for bad teams...  

 7) Empire State of Mind: The New York Knickerbockers are playing good basketball and are somewhat relevant in the East again. They have won 7 of their last 8 games, they're 7th in the conference, and I think they'll end their playoff drought this season. Amare Stoudemire has been reunited with Mike D'Antoni and he's been a stud (24 & 9). Raymond Felton has also been a good pick-up in the offseason and he's averaging 18 & 8, but then again any point guard who can throw a good bounce pass will thrive in their offense, just ask Chris Duhon. Danilo Gallinari has shot the ball well, Wilson Chandler is having an excellent season, Landry Fields has been a big surprise, Timofey Mozgov...well just ask Blake Griffin, Ronny Turiaf is Ronny Turiaf, and they don't even play AR4 or Andy Rautins. I love Andy Rautins. With this team and any Mike D team, they'll score a lot, play no defense, and be fun to watch, but this is no championship contender. Next year though? This upcoming summer of 2011 will be huge for the Knicks. If they sign Carmelo, then the wheels will be in motion for a new super team. I can be 75% sure the summer of 2012 will then see CP3 sign with the Knicks too. However that's a long way from now and things never work out for this franchise. See LeBron James for example. They should just be happy Isiah Thomas doesn't run this team anymore.

 6) Keeping Up with the Pace(ers): It's really difficult to breakdown the Pacers. They're 9-7 and one of the hotter teams in the league right now. They just beat the Heat and the Lakers, and they've won four of their last six games. However this team doesn't really do anything great besides play good defense, have crazy games where they score 54 points in a quarter, and they have a bunch of guys that can play on the roster but no one that really stands out besides Danny Granger. But that is how this team has worked so far. Not every game has been Danny Granger this season. Roy Hibbert is having an excellent season. As expected, Darren Collison is showing why he is one of the up and coming point guards in this league, and guys like Mike Dunleavy, Josh McRoberts, Brandon Rush, and even Psycho-T have contributed. They're a pretty good team. But how good are they really? I'm not even too sure, we'll just have to wait for this month to play out and see, but I do have a nice lyric for this team, boom:
"I'm Danny Granger, I'm just working with a different pacer." - Wale

 5) Brilliant Blake: What has not been said about this physical specimen? Blake Griffin is an absolute monster, and Josh likes to call him "White Dwight." I know a couple weeks ago I gave the rookie of the year to John Wall and I'd like to take that back and reconsider. Blake is averaging 20 and 12 for the season and recently his numbers have been 25 and 15. His athleticism is ridiculous and this is coming off missing all of last season with a knee fracture. I bet Greg Oden would even kill to have that fractured knee of Blake's (sorry Gregory, he doesn't deserve the insult). It's a shame that he plays for the Clippers though, but they have a lot of upside with their young guys (Eric Bledsoe, DeAndre Jordan, and Al-Farouq Aminu) and I really dig that inside/outside game he can work with Eric Gordon for the next couple of years. However, Blake's a little too aggressive and reckless and that can make him injury-prone, I'm just hoping he learns how to take care of his body and to this day I still wish the lottery balls fell in favor to the Thunder in 09...

4) The Curious Case Of Gregory Oden: The promising career of Greg Oden is almost all but over. It really is a shame to see such a good guy with so much upside play only one season (82 total games in two seasons) in four years. maybe he was never going to be a franchise center, but when he was on the court, he was productive averaging 9 points and 7 boards a game in only 22 minutes. Who knows? If healthy he could have actually been a franchise center. I mean in his only collegiate season, he dominated playing with only a left hand, averaging 16 and 10 and 3 blocks, and he led his team to the national championship game. With all that being said, there were a lot of warning signs about his health and even questions about his age (he looks 40). He was however the clear consensus number 1 pick in 2007 and I guess Greg's health is similar to his current team's luck. The Blazers just can't seem to get it right. They've cleaned the Jail Blazers era with the Brandon Roy era and now it's becoming the injury era. Josh and I always wonder what if the Blazers were 2nd in 07 and drafted Durant. We'd have a new age Jordan and Pippen with Durant and Roy. Unfortunately for Blazers' fans, Durant is a Thunder, Roy has a bum knee, and GO's Blazer days are most likely done. I just hope he can recover the way Big Z did and have a long career. He's young and he deserves to be healthy.
 
3) Be Easy Love: Although the Minnesota Timberwolves are 4-14, I absolutely love their front court. First, key word "love," Kevin Love, and I love Kevin Love. Kurt Rambis finally woke up this year and decided to play him more. He averages 19 ppg and 15 rpg, yes 15 rebounds and he is the best outlet passer in the league. Not to mention he had a 31-31 game! <3 Next is "Be Easy" or Michael Beasley. Beasley has been getting a lot of crap the last few years for being lazy, suicidal, and a bust. However, this season, he's putting it all together. Maybe it's because he's the primary scorer now, maybe it's because he moved to small forward, or maybe it's the crazy dreads. All I know is Beasley is having a great season and finally living up to his potential. Lastly, "Free Darko." Darko Milicic is not a bust. As of late he has been pretty good posting double figures scoring and blocking a lot of shots (23 pts, 16 rbd, & 6 blk against the Lakers). I actually always thought Darko could play (ask Josh) as long as he was given fair minutes and now he's getting it. Good for him. Besides these three guys though, the T-Wolves are pretty bad, but they're another team with huge upside. Wesley Johnson is a rookie and Jonny Flynn will be back. Give them a year or two and they can be scary.

 

 2) Sidekick Sensation: I don't even know if I should call Russell Westbrook a sidekick anymore because this guy is slowly but surely becoming a superstar in his own right. Is he still Kevin Durant's "Scottie Pippen?" Sure he is, but Scottie is one of the top 50 players to play in the league ever, and Russell has asserted himself as one of the top 10 players in the league this season. Doubt it? The numbers don't lie (25 ppg, 6 rpg, & 9 apg). Those are LeBron MVP numbers. Westbrook has improved his game so much since being drafted. It's crazy to see his assist numbers this high because he was always a combo guard that never ran a team until he was in the league (Darren Collison was the pg during his days at UCLA). His mid-range jumper is on-point and that athleticism? Off the charts. Westbrook has carried the Thunder this year especially in Durant's absence and he's now capable of taking over at the end of games (all 13 of his team's points in the 3rd OT last night). If you ask me who is the NBA's MVP this season, I say without a doubt, Russell Westbrook. 

1) The Alamo: The San Antonio Spurs are still the most boring team in the NBA and they are the team with the best record in the NBA right now (15-3) and I am really not surprised. In the season preview I said the biggest factor for this team is health, and they are healthy for the first time in awhile. Manu Ginobili is having his best season at the tender age of 33, Tony Parker recently divorced Eva Longoria and he looks emotionless every time he plays now, but he's playing angry and well, and "The Big Fundamental" is doing ok. Timmy's numbers are way down this year, but his knees do not seem to bother him, and he posted a triple-double the other night for only the 3rd time in his career. The biggest factors for this team so far are their road play (1 loss) and the play of the role players. RJ looks more comfortable a year into Pop's system, DeJuan Blair, Matt Bonner, & Antonio McDyess have done what they're asked to do, and Gary Neal is another one of those typical Spur "finds." I think this is the top team to challenge the Lakers in the West, but like I've said a million times, they have to stay healthy, and that is always a question when their core is 30+.