Stop Talking, Start Playing Ball...

For six months I've been hearing the same jawing from the same eight guys on ESPN. Heat. Wade. Shaq. Rings. They keep telling us that the Miami Heat are going to be there in June. Sure Shaq sat out 42 games, Dwyane Wade is playing hurt, four key guys are over the age of 35 and Pat Riley stopped caring in mid-November. So? They won a championship last year. That makes them a championship caliber team, doesn't it? Dwyane Wade is back from injury, that means they have a good chance at repeating,
doesn't it? No it doesn't.

Last year the Miami Heat were a group of old guys hoping to climb on Shaq's back and make their last ditch effort to win a ring. It worked, they won. After the game, the only thing more shocking than guys like Payton and Mourning actually thinking that they could do it again was all the media who jumped on that bandwagon with them. Even when they were 10th or 11th in the E.C., people kept saying, "They'll be there in June, watch out for the Heat". What are you talking about? It got even worse when they actually ended up winning their extremely weak division and experts gave Miami great odds at winning another Conference Championship.

Enter the Chicago Bulls, a team that's been sailing under the radar almost the entire season. Throughout the season they've been criticized for spending too much on Ben Wallace, for being too young, for losing close games, and for failing to hold on to the two seed on the last day of the season. Don't sleep on the Bulls though. They're extremely athletic and one of the best defensive teams in the league, not to mention a strong home team. Most importantly, they're a team packed with championship experience. Struggling teams take note: draft good players from championship teams. Chicago's top eight players are made up of five Final Four participants, an Olympic champion, an NBA champion, and a strong veteran leader in PJ Brown.

[Sidenote] Listen, I know drafting good players with championship experience and putting them on a team together seems easy enough, but nobody does it. This is why guys like Hasheem Thabeet and Spencer Hawes are going to get taken 10 spots too early in the draft this year. Guaranteed.

So now the Bulls are matched up with a team in Miami that could best be described as a talented but overrated team going through a bout with apathy. You can't count on that to win in a league where teams and players want rings this badly.

If none of this makes sense to you, then the best reason to put your money on Chicago is simple. Revenge. The Bulls and Heat have been locked in a 10 year rivalry that hit its peak last year when Chicago thought they were man handled and whistled out of a very competitive first round match up. Now, a better team, Chicago has something to prove. Not just to the Heat, but to the Pistons, the Cavs, and the NBA. These ain't Jordan's Bulls anymore, but if you watch carefully, they might just show you something.

The Heat? Not so much.

"The City" Fights On...

Sports writers are funny people. Two weeks ago, when the playoff picture was becoming a little clearer and they were all forced to make their post season predictions for the long run into the finals, most looked ready to hand the trophy over to the Mavs and call it a day. Now two weeks later, the stories are different. Sunday’s surprising upset sent them searching for their laptops to write what they thought was the story of the day.

“Can the Mavs recover? Do they even have a chance at beating the Warriors?”

What? How do you say that about the defending Western Conference Champions who are better this year than last? They have the MVP favorite in Dirk Nowitzki, the coach of the year in Avery Johnson, a very convincing Scottie Pippen look alike in Josh Howard, and one of the best supporting casts in basketball. The Warriors on the other hand look vaguely like a playground basketball team picking last. They have a number of good players and a lot of raw talent, but nothing outside of Stephen Jackson pulling a gun while driving the lane is going to scare your standard playoff team.

On Sunday I wanted to shout out “Yes, of course they can. Why would anyone be afraid of the Warriors?” On Monday though, I became a sportswriter.

Don’t get me wrong; I would be dumbfounded if the Mavs ended up losing but just like you can’t count them out of the series, your sure can’t count on them to win. Now more then ever, sports refuses to be black and white - the truth lies on a gray scale in between. You have to logically look at the stats, the teams, the history and the psychology if you want to pick your winner. As always, I do my best.

For the Mavericks it comes down to a few key factors. First, the Golden State Warriors are a team in the purest sense of the word. No stars, different guys making stand out plays every night, ball players. They score at will and pass as well as any team other than Phoenix. The Warriors force your defensive game to change every night because you can’t watch tape on a team that plays their style of jungle ball. They can drive if they want or they can kick and shoot. It makes it very difficult to guard their talent, size, and athleticism both inside and out.

It also doesn’t help that Warriors coach Don Nelson was the Mavericks coach and Avery Johnson’s mentor for years. He knows the team better than his own and Johnson as well as anyone. Why do you think Dirk was so ineffective on Sunday? Because Nelson taught him everything he knows. He has the weaknesses and strengths stored and can exploit them at will. Once again, this forces Dallas to change game plans, refocus the offense, and try something new. Not what you want to be doing in the 83rd game of the season.

Lastly, the Mavericks have no one to put on Baron Davis. On Sunday they switched the line up to start Devean George for a size advantage. Not only is this a defensive liability in itself since George runs like Dick Bavetta, but that limits the offense by leaving Devin Harris on the bench. No matter how they move the line up around, they’ll have holes in their defense and obvious mismatches all over the court. They’re once again forced to change an aspect of their championship game plan. You just shouldn’t have to do that when you’re the best team in the league.

I know, I know, “So why is Golden State an eight seed?” Not counting the fact that they were saddled with Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy, the Warriors are young and careless team and when they get down they get discouraged. They may play some of the most exciting basketball in the NBA, but when all is said and done, their immaturity is their biggest weakness. Much like Phoenix, their defense is their offense and that allows teams to get back into games quickly when the shooters go cold.

If you give them a solid big man and two years together playing like a team, you’ll be looking at a team that could and will terrify any of the West’s big three. For now though, you’re looking at a team that has a shot to do something special.

The NBA Playoffs... Thank God they're long...

The NBA... It's Fantastic!

I love the NBA. I do. I love it so much that I’ve spent the last six months trying to convince everyone I know that they should love it too. In some cases it has worked and I count that as a victory. Still, there are stories that while peaking the interest and imagination of anyone willing to listen have really dragged down the NBA this season. I’ve decided to take out the trash, nail off all the topics that are on the minds of ESPN and the like and help us all move on to the playoffs quickly before anyone notices in retrospective how bad this season really was. Here goes.

-Duncan vs. Crawford-
Stern spent the entire off-season talking about how referees were going to be harsher and that whistles were going to come faster. The refs were not to tolerate a lack of respect by players for their position. Joey Crawford goes out and does exactly what he is told to do. What does Stern do? He throws Crawford under the bus and suspends him to protect one of the league’s most important players and then, like many issues he has faced over the last couple years, refuses to talk candidly about it and instead deals with it politically.

Listen, I’m a Suns fan, so you can question my motives all you want, I won’t be offended. The fact of the matter is that Crawford was trying to do his job, he thought Tim Duncan was undermining his authority and he dealt with it the only way he could by throwing him out. I won’t pretend to know what exactly happened, but I will say this – if that was Rasheed Wallace and not Tim Duncan, this is a non-story. For that reason alone, the suspension was unacceptable.

The main argument to warrant a suspension from Stern is that Crawford asked Duncan for a fight. No one is mentioning that it’s possible the "Do you want to fight me?" line was taken out of context. Crawford more likely meant, "Do you want to test my authority?" I don’t assume that a 56-year-old man wanted to fight a 6’11” 260 pound professional athlete, but he’s feisty, so I could be wrong.

So now we’re going into the playoffs with angry referees out to prove their authority and players who feel like they’ve gotten their right to whine and complain back. Oh, and we’ll also be missing one of the best refs in the game and someone who has had a part of every finals since 1986. Goody.


-Tanking Teams Reaching for Lottery Picks-
Houston tanking to win the first pick in 1984 might be the reason why the lottery was created, but the lottery has proven to solve nearly nothing. In probably the deepest draft since that same year every team is doing whatever it can to improve its draft status. Honestly, I would too. Kevin Durant could turn out to be one of the best pure scorers of his generation and Greg Oden has the ability to make the kind of difference right away that we’ve only seen in Shaq, Duncan, Olajuwon, Chamberlain, Russell and David Robinson. That’s a pretty good list to be on. So let’s stop crying foul for teams tanking. They’re not hurting anyone but themselves.

Honestly, I have more of a problem with teams mailing in games after locking up their spots and seeds in the NBA playoffs. Have the teams earned the right to rest their players? Of course they have. Should they? Of course they should. Is it bad for the game? YES. It's a disgrace to the integrity of the game. The Warriors and Clippers are still fighting it out for the eight spot in the West. The Clippers have to play two-time MVP Steve Nash and all the other starters on an elite Suns team. The Warriors have to play eight guys not named Dirk, Jason, or Josh. While this is smart, it’s not fair to the teams still competing or the fans that have spent good money to see a team like the Mavs come to town. Let’s vilify these guys instead.


-The Most Valuable Player Race-
I don’t know what more I can say on the subject. Instead, I’m just going to run a Bill Simmons quote and then fill in the gaps.

“Statistically, Nowitzki submitted superior seasons in 2005 and 2006, and his 2007 stats ranked behind Larry Bird's best nine seasons, Charles Barkley's best 10 seasons and Karl Malone's best 11 seasons. Nowitzki's shooting percentages were remarkable (50 percent on field goals, 90 percent on free throws, 42 percent on 3-pointers), but his relevant averages (24.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists) look like a peak season from Tom Chambers. He can't affect games unless he's scoring, doesn't make his teammates better and plays decent defense at best. If you're giving the MVP to someone because of his offense, he'd better be a killer offensive player. You can't say that about the 2007 Dirk Nowitzki.”

If you’re using the exact acronym then the MOST VALUABLE PLAYER is Steve Nash. Has to be. He’s worth over 50 points a night with his assists and points added up and his shooting percentages are actually better than Nowitzki’s above. He’s having the best season of his career and most importantly, he makes his teammates better. Nowitzki is awesome. He has been my number one pick in every Fantasy Draft I’ve been in and I’ve never regretted the decision. Still Simmons is right; he doesn’t make his teammates better. He also has a more complete supporting cast and his team has proven that they can win without him. The Suns don’t have the same luxury.

That’s it. Those are my opinions. I’m done with those topics. Tomorrow I’ll break down the potential NBA playoff match-ups for the Western Conference. Until then, enjoy the final games of the season.

The End of a Very Short Era...

“Screw all y’all. I’m gonna get mine”

These, while not quite being the actual words that Bob Huggins may have used nonetheless are the sentiment that he has recently sent to Kansas State, his former players, and especially his new recruits. Instead of making his way back to K-State for what seemed to be a promising second year and a chance to bring a once proud program back from obscurity, Huggins decided instead, to flee the Wildcats for his alma mater and take his chances with N.I.T. Champion West Virginia.

You would think that after 10 years of failed NCAA tournaments, a Cincinnati U team constantly on probation, a DUI and forced resignation as well as some unethical recruiting practices, Bob Huggins would be happy lay low and see what he can do with a 20-win team and the nation’s number one recruiting class. Not so. Instead he made a choice – a choice that, while affecting everyone at K-State, was made by thinking of no one but himself.

The smart move would have been to stay with the Wildcats, the team that gave him a second chance to rebuild a reputation tarnished over years of failure and the team most likely to break out of the cellar this next year. If K-State’s commitment to both the program and Huggins himself wasn’t enough to convince you, then try this. After hearing of West Virginia’s interest in Huggins, Kansas State AD Tim Weiser went into to Huggins’ office and simply said, “You tell us what your salary should be. Whatever West Virginia is offering, we will match it and then some. Same for the assistant coaches.”

A great offer, but apparently nothing was going to keep this former Mountaineer player from his dream job. Not even his integrity.

So, in lieu of Huggins shortsighted stay in Kansas, what happens to a top recruiting class that includes BMOC and McDonald’s All-American MVP Michael Beasley? Answer: nothing short of a yard sale. Even after Weiser refused to release the players from their letters of intent and promoted Beasley’s AAU coach, Dalonte Hill, to “Associate Head Coach”, the word is still out on whether Beasley and his packaged deal players will stay in Kansas. In fact, Beasley has already started speaking to Memphis, NC State, and Florida State; all three headed by strong former NBA coaches who he hopes could propel his game to the next level. Sounds like a smart kid looking out for his future.

While you definitely can’t count out K-State as Beasley’s final destination, it sure doesn’t help that Weiser ended up naming Huggins’ assistant Frank Martin as Head Coach over Hill. Martin’s lack of pedigree and coaching experience is only bested by his own unethical recruiting practices. He was expelled from coaching at high schools in Miami after recruiting and paying off now NBA players Steve Blake and Udonis Haslem – the worst of all crimes perpetrated by a coach. Even that has somehow left him unfazed.

Seems like the perfect replacement for Huggins to me.

Don't Mess with Texas. Seriously...

When Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash suit up and play in front of their thousands of fans, its as if they’re playing on a slanted driveway on a hot summer day. A hoop hanging over the garage and two best friends playing one-on-one. Scratching and clawing for rebounds, driving hard and fouling harder. Yelling and taunting up and down the blazing concrete. A winner and a loser, but no love lost. A rivalry based not on hate, but respect. It may never be Bird and Magic, but its close - and its what that the L needs again. Two men who act like men and who play like men. Two great players. Two fierce competitors. Two MVPS.

As for the teams, they’re almost perfect equals. Boasting both inside and outside talent, Stoudemire, Nash, and Marion might as well be Nowitzki, Terry, and Howard. While the Suns run a quicker offense, the Mavs counter with a superior defense. In a game like this, all that matters is whose specialty falters first and whose bench shows up to play. With the Mavs deadheading to 70 wins and boasting the probable MVP, it seems like they have to do less and less for the same result… wins.

Unlike the Mavs, the Suns had gone 4-4 since the emotional rollercoaster and all out war with Dallas that left them spent. San Antonio had crept within two games and the Suns final 10 game schedule rivaled that of Germany near the end of World War II. It seemed as if the Suns had won their championship that March night in Dallas and were content with stumbling through the rest of the season, making a quick stop in the playoffs and then getting some much needed rest by starting the off-season early. After 38 years of a disappointing end to the season, the Suns had squandered what might have been their best shot at winning a title since Chuck and KJ.

Then the Suns did the unthinkable. They played their best game in years and sent Dallas packing for the second time in 18 days. This time, the game wasn’t a war or a dogfight. They weren’t left wounded in victory. Instead, the Suns broke the Dirty Dallas D in inspiring fashion, shooting 65% and winning by 22 points. Their big home victory was coupled with even better news, the Spurs fell to a plummeting Indiana team on a last second lay-up. A punishing blow that ended a 6 game streak that had them hot on Phoenix’s heels.

Breathing room.

Now the Suns have the confidence to know that they can bring that same game to the court any night of the year. They don’t have to worry about meeting up with Dallas in the playoffs anymore; instead, they can just say, “Bring it.” While it might have been better for Phoenix’s record to lose earlier this month in Dallas, nothing can take away the attitude going into the last string of regular season games. Now they need a two seed and an easy first round. Its still a tough road facing seven Western playoff teams in their final nine games, but they're Phoenix and even two time MVP Steve Nash knows that its all about the name on the front. Screw the name on the back. Keep your eyes on the prize.

9 games to go. The NBA… Brian Scalabrine makes 3 million dollars!

O.J.? Oh no...

I'm angry with O.J. Mayo. Not because he's a punk who knocked down a referee during a high school game. Not because he's an arrogant, show boating, pot smoking high school basketball player straight out of "Above the Rim". Not even because his name is Ovinton J'Anthony - which is more of a reason to be angry with his parents. Instead, I'm angry because everyone still loves him. Why? After a 4 for 17 shooting night accompanied by a single rebound and a blown game winning three, the talk on ESPN isn't that MVP Michael Beasley looks ready to make a difference at Kansas State or that Gani Lawal could elevate Georgia Tech back to a Final Four team. Instead the story is O.J. Mayo and he couldn't be happier. It just goes to show you that no publicity is bad publicity.

When Mayo chose to attend USC, it was to the surprise of the media, his teammates, major college basketball programs, and USC coach Tim Floyd… who never actually sent him a recruitment letter. Can you blame him? Floyd is a basketball coach at a football school and is best known for leading the post Jordan bulls to a 15-67 record. What does he have to offer a top three talent? Well, nothing, he's Tim Floyd... but Southern Cal’s campus exists in the epicenter of Los Angeles, a city that loves its sports teams almost as much as it loves its trendy fashion, pretentious music, and vegan diets. By landing himself in L.A. Mayo has made the choice to look past college and begin marketing himself to the NBA crowd. He's made sure that he won’t be just another face that has passed through the halls of great programs like Duke, North Carolina, or even rival UCLA; instead he will BE Trojan basketball... so long as he's not a bust.

If you’re asking if this is a smart move, just look at Matt Leinart. He may work in Arizona, but for the four years prior to becoming an NFL quarterback, he was the golden boy of Los Angeles. He dated stars and showed up in magazines. He was on billboards, commercials, and even did an episode of Desperate Housewives. People in Los Angeles are still talking about getting an NFL team just to bring Leinart back so he can lead them to a Superbowl. The problem with this train of thought is that Leinart is a Heisman trophy winner who led his team to a national championship. O.J. Mayo hasn't done anything. Leinart had Bush, White, a better offensive line then the Arizona Cardinals and a great defense. Mayo has eight guys who play the same position he does. Even worse, Mayo is probably heading to the NBA the first chance he gets, which won't sit well with the USC faithful. That doesn't matter much to Mayo though. He's proven over the last year, and especially in last night's game, that all he cares about is himself.


Aside from Mayo, the McDonald's All-American game didn't disappoint. There were dunks and deep threes, a lot of talent and a lot of sheer athletic ability. Watching the game last night I was genuinely excited for the future of college basketball and thankful that these guys are forced to actually play there. Here's a break down of the standouts from last night:

O.J. Mayo (USC) - Needless to say, not impressive. He scored 12 points and had a rebound. I don't think he had any assists since that would require him passing, but I didn't check. He's athletic, fast and has a great build but he was overly selfish and took bad and unnecessary shots. He also could have tied it up in a 3 on 1 situation, but chose to jack up an errant three and lose the game. While he has shown that he can dominate against 10 awkward white guys from West Virginia, its a little different going against the caliber players that get chosen as All-Americans. If I’m wrong I’ll admit it. I guess we’ll have to see.

Nick Calathes (Florida) - Smart basketball player, great team player and great shooter. He has good range for his size but his size is the problem. He's weak and has to force up an awkward three point shot. The upside is that he's really good looking and every girl in America will want to make relations with him. If Billy Donovan stays in Florida, I like this kids chances in developing to a really great player.

Gani Lawal (Georgia Tech) - Powerful dunker and a great rebounder. He's perfect for Georgia Tech and would have helped them shut down Wendell White and destroy UNLV. He's strong enough to play in the NBA but not mature enough. Wait until he gets two or three years under his belt.

Kevin Love (UCLA) - Slow, strong, and boring. Rebounds well and follows really well. Good footwork and great fundamentals. Again though... slow and boring. By the way, these are all words I would have used to describe Tim Duncan in college. I hate the fact that he's playing at UCLA mostly because Arizona hasn't had an inside presence ever and I'm not looking forward to a couple more years of getting our asses kicked.

Michael Beasley (Kansas State) - One reporter called him Michael "Beastly", and while I don't appreciate the pun, it's quite an accurate description. The guy is big and strong, can shoot outside and can post up inside. He rebounds and he's not a bad passer. He scored 23 points and brought home the MVP. He also went to Oak Hill, the best basketball high school in the country. Downside? He's apparently very lazy in practice and can mail in games every so often. Bob Huggins at Kansas State will take care of that pretty quickly. Seriously, watch out for this kid.

Taylor King (Duke) - Not much to say about him because he wasn't featured much in the game. All I can say is that I'm convinced he could shoot 40% from the half court line. His range is beyond any high school kid I've seen. I'm always excited to see a kid like this go to Duke and learn how to play under Coach K. Perfect situation.

Kosta Koufos (Ohio State) - If Ohio State holds on to Oden and Conley and adds a kid like Koufos, then you should probably just write them into your bracket now. He's 7'1" and can shoot from deep much like Dirk, Bargnani, or Okur. He's slow and can't really drive, but once he's inside he can clean up after errant shots very well. Plus his name is Kosta and he smiles like the foreign kid from Can't Hardly Wait. What's not to love?

Jerryd Bayless (Arizona) - Love him. Couldn't be happier with the new Wildcat. Smart player, excellent at the drive and dish, athletic, great shot, has deep range and isn't afraid to take shots. His defense was also much of the reason O.J. Mayo was ineffective yesterday. Much like current Arizona phenom Marcus Williams, he's way too thin right now. He also isn't that impressive at running the point, but he works with Mike Bibby in the off season and will hopefully end his career with a similar result, National Champion.

I'm a bit giddy right now... Enjoy the Final Four.

For the Love of the Game...

The NCAA Men’s Basketball page says it all. They had the right team winning but the wrong score and the wrong team’s picture. Then, the right score, but the wrong team winning. Finally, they got it right. I guess that’s better than ESPN, CBS, and Yahoo! none of which are running the story at all. It seems without a name like Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, it’s hard to make a case for front-page news, but with that said I just watched the most exhilarating ending to any college game I’ve seen since Laettner hit the game winner against Kentucky in ‘92.

Did it involve Kansas or UCLA? No. Was it Ohio State against Memphis? Not in the least. It was the Division II Championship between the Barton Bulldogs and the undefeated Winona State Warriors. Winona hadn’t lost since January… that is January of 2006. They weren’t about to start a losing streak against a team like Barton who overachieved all season. Not against a team they beat in the Elite Eight on their way to the 2006 championship. Not a little team from a little college like Barton.

With 39 seconds to go and Barton down 74-69, time was running out and legs for both teams were getting tired. After working for twenty minutes to hold on to a ten-point halftime lead it seemed like Winona State would be the first team to repeat as Division II champions in over 10 years. If Barton was going to win, they were forced to rely on 5’10” PG Anthony Atkinson, a young man who had already hit a game winning three at the buzzer and a pair of game winning free throws to take down two giants of Division II basketball earlier in the week. Did he have one more left in him?

Atkinson didn’t even look at his teammates as he came down the floor. Instead he found a small opening and sprinted towards the basket, forcing the defense to take a step back. This gave him just enough space to stop and hit a five-foot pull up jumper to pull within three. Then Barton caught Winona off guard as Quincy Henderson stole the inbounds pass and quickly dished it back to Atkinson for a lay-up and a foul. The pressure was heavy though, as Atkinson missed the free throw, 74-73. After the miss, Barton was forced to foul quickly and put Winona State’s Jonte Flowers on the line for two shots. He returned the favor by missing the front end, but made the second to put his team up by two.

With 19 seconds left Atkinson still wasn’t concerned. He walked the ball up to half court and then ran right past the defense again, scoring on an impressive reverse lay-up to tie up the game at 75-75. With 11 seconds left, there was still plenty of time for Winona State to get off a shot, but guard Zach Malvik could only make it to half court before having his pocket picked clean by Bobby Buffaloe with 4 seconds left. Atkinson saw this and quickly took off towards the basket, receiving the pass from Buffaloe with 3 seconds… 2 seconds. He didn’t have enough time to make it back to the hoop, but somehow he did and with exactly 0.1 seconds left, the ball left his hand and his game winning lay-up dropped through the hoop. Game over. 77-75 Barton Bulldogs.

You won’t see Atkinson in the NBA and you won’t see Buffaloe’s steal on the cover of Sports Illustrated. You probably won’t see Malvik with his head buried in his jersey on ESPN, and it’s truly a shame, because you won’t see a better end to an NCAA game this season. You probably didn’t even see this one. It just goes to show you, there are still guys out there who play basketball knowing that they'll never make a million dollars. They simply love the game.

See It Here.

A German MVP? Can't be worse than a Canadian...

For most of the NBA season the MVP has been a race between two-time award winner Steve Nash and the dirty German Dirk Nowitzki. Nash started as the clear favorite for a three-peat until Dirk and the Mavs tore up the league for a three-month stretch that included a 52-5 record and three 12+ game winning streaks. Nash stormed back last week by single handedly beating Dirty D and the Dallas Three in a 2OT thriller as Dirk lost the game, his composure, and possibly the MVP by blowing two late free throws. So who is the MVP this year? Well that depends on your interpretation of the award. Some say it's the player his team simply can't win without, others say it's the best player on the best team, and a few would even say it should go to the most talented player in the league. So instead of everyone fighting over a single acronym, I've taken the liberty myself of handing out multiple awards based on each player's own effect on his team and the league.

B.O.P. - (Best on Planet) - To Kobe Bryant who is far and away the most talented player - which is to say - pure scorer alive today. He might be the best one-on-one player the league has ever seen and can make any given shot on any given night. He's also one of the leagues most underrated shut down defenders. The problem? Kobe isn't even the MVP of his own team. Lamar Odom is a better passer, rebounder, and all around team player than Kobe. When he gets hot he can score 25-30 points any night. In fact, the Lakers have been without Odom in 14 of the Lakers 32 losses this season. Without Kobe, they're 3-2 including a win against Phoenix where Odom tallied 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists. Oh, and Kobe travels… a lot. Probably has something to do with it.

M.I.P. - (Most Important Player) - To Shaquille O'Neal who at 35 years old doesn't show up for half the season, doesn't lead his team in any category, probably doesn't practice, can't shoot free throws, and puts on 30 pounds each off season. Still, he could be the cornerstone of any championship team. His inside presence, size, and strength on both sides of the ball make him a factor every second he's on the floor. What's worse is that he plays good, smart defense, so it's hard to get him into foul trouble. Add all this to his charm and personality and you've got probably one of the most important players in the history of the league.

B.P.C.B. - (Best Player/Crazy Bastard) - To Gilbert Arenas. He may score 30 a night and be one of the best second round pick-ups in recent years... he's also just a crazy bastard. He yells "hibachi" when shooting threes, wears shorts of the opposing team to bed, thinks everyone is out to get him and tried to stop a cop from arresting his friend by running over the cop. Still he's a good player and a good interview... I'd just rather not be in the same room as him.

B.P.B.T. - (Best Player, Best Team) - To Dirk Nowitzki. There's no doubt that Dirk owns the title… at least this year. He averages 25 points and 10 rebounds. He shoots over 50% from the field, 40% from three, and 90% from the line and has yet to him miss from the elbow this season. Even with how talented he is though, without a 79-point performance by Jerry Stackhouse, Jason Terry and Josh Howard, the Suns would have trampled the Mavericks. In fact, in the three games this season where he played 10 minutes or less, the Mavs won all three in convincing fashion. Dallas is so deep and talented that they don't need Dirk to win, they're just that much better when he's on the floor.

M.V.P. - (Most Valuable Player) - To Steve Nash. Sure the last two years have been a good barometer, but this season he's even better - especially that hair cut (sexy sexy). Take the game in Dallas where he scored 32 points and handed out 16 assists. If we assume all his assists lead to 2-point baskets - which they don't - he was personally responsible for 64 points in Dallas, 66 against Washington, and 68 in New Jersey earlier this year. On two of his lowest scoring nights this year he had over 20 assists, so even when he's having an off night, he's smart enough and humble enough to defer and create baskets for his teammates. Phoenix is 2-4 without him this year and 4-12 without him over the last three seasons. This coming from a team averaging 60+ wins a season during that same span. They may have survived much of last year without Barbosa or Stoudemire, but Phoenix has proven this season, that they can't go a week without Nash.

To be honest, I'm just glad sportswriters vote on these awards and not the fans. I don't know if I could take Yao Ming winning his 5th straight MVP award after another long stint on the injured list.