Dethroning

The Lakers have now lost two of three. After they were pumped by the Cavs on Christmas day, they narrowly escaped in a 2OT thriller against the Kings. This was followed by a drubbing from Phoenix today.
Besides denting the perception that the Lakers are unbeatable, it also drops Kobe in the MVP discussion. (2nd to 4th in mine). And whats more, after the Cavs and Suns beat LA, it has propelled LeBron and Nash to 1st and 2nd in my MVP leaderboard.
Kobe has been dethroned, the King has resumed his mantle.

• Just a quick mention from yesterday, Tyler Hansbrough had another nice double double with 10 and 10. The peculiar thing was, he went 0/5 from the feild but made 10 free throws.
  
• I haven't seen Thabo Sefolosha play, but have heard his man defence is top notch. You would hope so, because based on his box score numbers you would be a bit worried considering he is the starting 2 guard getting 30mins a night. His 6.4 points and 5.3 boards equate to 10.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per 48 minutes, which are still not even worthy of starters minutes let alone 48!
  
• After all the hype around the number 1 pick in the 08 draft, there is another point guard from that draft that is quietly turning in a more impressive season. Statistically:
  Rose: 17.5, 3.3, 5.7
  Westbrook: 16.4, 4.9, 6.8
  Besides superior stats, Westbrook also has his team off to a 16-14 start in the uber tough Western Conference, whilst Rose is leading his team straight to the lottery. Now i'm a big D-Rose fan, but i'm just sayin...
  
• Zach Randolph's averages over the last 5 games: 28.2, 18.2, and 4. And by the way, not 4 assists per game, 4 wins. MVP form? This dude has been a monster all month. 23.3 and 13.9 are superman territory.
  
• With all the trade talk surrounding the Wizards, i think Gil Arenas is trying to bump up his stock in case there is a slight chance someone wants to take on his Mount Everest contract. His numbers are steadily increasing month by month. His December numbers: 24.9, 4.9 & 7.7.
  
• How do you spell Bust? Is it T-H-A-B.....
  
• NashBash powered the Suns past the Lakers today with 16 & 13. Speaking of my man Steve, Check out his AllStar Video he made to try get fans to vote for him.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhUvJElZ_QY
  I love it that he can humour himself like that and is not like other insecure NBA superstars.
  
  

Boxing Day Games

Sorry Steve...
When D'antoni left Phoenix, i saw Steve Nash's stats decrease a fair whack.
I looked back at previous history, and noted that Nash had inferior stats prior to his D'antoni days also. His assists in Dallas in 03/04 were a career high of 8.8. The following year, after his trade to the D'antoni coached Suns, his assists jumped to 11.5 and he recieved his first MVP trophy.
After four seasons of D'antoni ball, Nash averaged a stunning 17.5 points and 11.2 assists. Then once D'antoni fled to NY, the Suns brought in Terry Porter, Shaq, and slowed down the Suns usual blistering pace. Nash's buoyant stats then dropped to a pre-D'antoni-esque 15.7 & 9.7.
After they dumped Terry Porter, the Suns GM Steve Kerr brought in Alvin Gentry, who's game plan is similar to D'antoni's e.g 7 seconds or less.
If you look at Steve Nash this season, he is playing like somone 10 years younger. His 18.1 & 11.3 are as good as any of his MVP season's. He is playing with Channing Frye (who was a benchwarmer in Portland) and is making him look like an allstar. Grant Hill is turning back the clock. And J-Rich (although not statistically dominant) is relevant for the first time since the 07 playoffs. In what could be described as the weakest team in all of Nash's days, he has them to a record good for 4th in the West, even though they have played more road games than any other team in the league. And its all due to the 35 year old running the point.
Before this season, i was starting to think that Nash would never have been this good without D'antoni. That he needed D'antoni's system to thrive. Then i look over in NY and see thier record. It's now that i realise, along with many other NBA viewers, that i was wrong the whole time. D'antoni didn't make Nash. Nash made D'antoni.
So now i feel completely guilty about ever doubting one of my alltime favourite players. Ther's only one thing needed to be said at this stage.
Sorry Steve...

Todays NBA action

• Woh Woh Woh Josh Smith are you kidding me!!! The Hawks forward poured in 22 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, 5 blocks and.... 4 steals! Ohhh ever so close to the ever so elusive 5x5. And still we wait for the next player to achieve it. My top 5 most likely:
  1- Josh Smith
  2- Andrei Kirilenko
  3- Tyrus Thomas
  4- Dwyane Wade
  5- Andre Iguodala
  What are your 5?
  
• Pyscho T, my man from NC, got starters minutes and posted a handy 19 & 11 and...
  
• If your one to look at a players +/- to see how effective they are, then check out the Indiana's starters vs benchwarmers for the game against Atlanta. The 5 starters went a combined -106, and the bench went a combined +46. Pacers new starting lineup:
  G- TJ Ford (+9)
  G- Luther Head (+11)
  F- Tyler Hansbrough (+11)
  F- Josh McRoberts (+5)
  C- Solomon Jones (+7)
  
• Now that the Nets are nearly back to full strength, it will be interesting to see whether Brook Lopez's scoring will go down. On one hand, you have Harris, Lee, and Jianlian back in the lineup taking shots off him. But on the other hand, Lopez will no longer get double and tripled teamed in the post so his poor 48% from the field should rise to his rookie year mark of 53% at least, and probably go higher.
  Lopez is now the franchise player, and i think the others know this, so they won't deprive him of too many shots i would assume.
  
• We all know Gilbert Arena's is packin heat, but that doesnt mean he's hot. It's never pretty when you take more shots(28) then score points (26). His 1/7 from deap was particularly icy.
  
• Tony Parker AKA Sacre Le Blur is averaging his lowest points rebounds and assists since 03/04. The man is only 27. He should be in his prime. After his career year last year, i thought we would be seeing much of the same. Hopefully Mr Eva Longoria can find his feet soon, after an early season injury.
  
• Basketball is back in Sacremento!!! After taking the Cavs to overtime a few days ago, the Kings challenged the Lakers and ultimately, were outclassed in 2OT. But who can't be impressed? In a year that most thought they would once again be cellar dwellars, the Kings are doing thier best to grab the 8th seed in the West.
  Who was leading from the front against the Lakers? Once again, it was rookie Tyreke Evans(18 points).
  
• My favourite new point guard (Curry) took on my favourite old point guard (Nash) in a matchup of two very exciting offences today. Curry took home the win, but Nash taught him a few lessons on his way to 36 points and 9 assists.

Because i didnt get a chance to mention it yesterday, i will now. Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win Cavs win.
And i have officially decided that LeBron is better than Kobe. More on this soon.

shaq note

I just wanted to point out how strange it is that shaq is probably going to retire after this season (he's 37), but he's still making 20mil this season.
How often do you think a player, in any sport, retires after finishing a $20,000,000 contract?
Congratulations Miami Heat. The smartest thing you did this decade was not signing shaq to 5 years for 100mil (at age 33-when most players, especially centers, are already on the steep decline), but actually getting rid of that peice of shit contract.
Big Aristotle? Big Shaqtus? Or The Big Waste of Money?

Christmas Eve

A funny little tidbit i noticed whilst scrolling through Wednesday's Bullets on ESPN: "Tracy McGrady ... had by far his best performance of the season, even coming close to a dunk on one occasion." Poor T-Mac, one of my alltime favourite ballers. I fear this is the start of the end for him. Let's hope he doesn't pull an Iverson at least.

What's happenining in the NBA today Chunk?

• What can Dwight Howard do with 4.3 minutes?
  Well, considering he averaged 33.1 minutes per game in his first 18 games, and 37.4 in last last 11 games, a difference of 4.3 minutes, his averages have gone up by 2.6rebounds and 1.7blocks. Thats equates to 19.0 blocks per 48 mins. Weird, what that extra few mins does to his game.
  
• Lovin Carl Landry lately. His 16.4 points in 27mins off the bench is dreamy.
  
• Deeeetroit. 64 points against the worst defensive team in the league!!! To think this team made the EC finals in 2008..
  
• Kevin Love may even be a better rebounder than Dwight Howard. He's 21, averages 13 a game, and best of all.... He's a white boy!
  
• Double teaming Lopez in the post? Not a worry for New Jersey, if the big man can hand out 7 dimes like he did today. (season average of 1.9apg)
  
• Randolph's amazing yet intriguing game was on display tonight. 12pts, 8rbs, 2ass, 2stls and 8 blocks.
  
• Steph Curry over his last 3 games: 19.3ppg, 8.3rpg, 6.3apg. If he keeps this up, as well as his tasty 1.9 steals(season) we might have to extend the ROY race to 3.
  
• You gotta feel bad for Portland regardless of how you feel about them. Check thier starting lineup from todays game: Miller, Bayless, Howard, Aldridge, Webster.
  Then realise it could be Roy, Fernandez, Oden, Aldridge, Outlaw. The Portland pool is still the deepest, it just ain't got no water.
  
• But on a positive note, Jerryd Bayless got his first career start and dropped 31 and 7.
  My favourite summer league rook from last year is makin strides.
  
• Timmy D must be getting sick of putting up awesome numbers but not getting wins. Another 24 & 11, another loss, this time to a depleted Portland team.
  
• J.R Smith poured in 41 points off the bench in the Nugs big win over the Hawks. A funny stat though: he went 10/17 from 3 point territory but only 1/6 from the charity stripe.
  
• Arrrghhh!!! Don't make LeBron mad!!! After being even at the end of regulation against the Kings, the Cav's went 13-0 in overtime and LBJ ended up with 34 points, 16 boards and 10 assists. Can you say 'TRIPLE MUTHERFUCKEN DOUBLE'?
  

Well tomorrow is christmas and that only means one thing, Cavs V Lakers!!!!
Look for a completely unbaised LeBron vs Kobe 'Who'se a better player' post coming soon...

Meryy Xmas

Arena's is back

Agent Zero is back ladies and gentlemen. During a boring night of bartending at the Esplanade, the only thing worthy of putting a smile on my face and momentarily relieving myself of my boredom was a 4 word message i recieved from my man robbie d.
"Agent Zero is back"

Here's what else is goin down

• I'm still waiting for Andrew Bogut to have a career year. I just reckon one year he's gunna explode into a 20-10 dominant force, but instead it seems he just creeps up slowly, crawling towards that mark. His 15.2ppg and 1.9bpg are career highs, but he has rebounded better before. In a league where you can get Brook Lopez at number 10 in the draft, the number 1 pick has to show the worldhe has game. Or forever be tagged as a bust.
  
• After starting slow, whats the chance D12 once again leads the league in rebounds and blocks? His November averages of 11.7 & 1.75 have been replaced by 14.2 & 3.22 in December. 17 and 5 in January?
  
• Utah Jazz, owner of the only two teammates that are 20-10 players(nearly). But are they the best 1-2 punch? Who would you rather have?
  Williams and Boozer- (19.8ppg & 10.2apg)(19.9ppg & 10.9rpg)
  Nash and Stoudemire- (18.1ppg & 11.4apg)(20ppg & 8.3rpg)
  Kidd and Nowitzki- (8.4ppg & 9.3apg)(26.1ppg & 8.1 rpg).
  My pick: Nash and Stoudemire.
  
• Tyreke Evans went up against another young point guard of the future, Derrick Rose today. Rose edged out Evans with 1 more point and 4 more assists but Tyreke took home the win. Lets hope Evans/Rose/Jennings/John Wall can all develope the sort of rivalry that D-Will and CP3 have.
  
• Don't look now, but if Spurs keep winning (currently 15-10), Tim Duncan will be my sleeper MVP pick. His 20, 10.8 and 2.1blocks is off the chizzle, considering he's playing a career low 32.1mins a game. His scoring is currently the highest its been since his 04/05 campaign. The career high FG% is pretty tasty too.
  

Thats all for now. Peace

• Check out the stats of big Z and the big aristotle against New Jersey today.
  Shaq: 25 mins, 16 pts, 5 rebs, 2 ass, 1 stl, 3 blk, 7/9 FG and 2 made free throws.
  Big Z: 22 mins, 16 pts, 5 rebs, 1 ass, 1 stl, 3 blk, 7/9 FG and 2 made free throws.
  I said it once, and i'll say it again- Who is the 20mil player?
  
  
• Poor Andrew Bynum. Since Pau's return, his stats are dropping in a big way. His averages, per month: Oct(2 gms)- 20ppg, 11.5rpg, 0.5bpg. Nov (12 gms)- 18ppg, 10rpg, 2.17 bpg. Dec(6 gms and Pau's return)- 15.3ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.0bpg. But hey, the Lakers are 19-4 so cant complain...
  
  
• Brook Lopez, newest addition of the 20-10 club?
  His stats of 19.4, 9.5 and 2.2 blocks are very impressive. And to think he only went number 10 in 08! Since traditional centers are a dying breed, and there are so many good young point guards nowadays, maybe Lopez could end up being the most valuable pick of the 08 draft. Would it be such a travesty to say that maybe he should have gone ahead of the extremely highly rated Rose? After all, Rose has not impressed many this year in which most thought he would jump to elite point status.
  
  
• T-Mac!!! Back in action! 3 points in 8 mins... hmmmm. On a postive note, he is averaging career highs in FG% and 3FG% hahaha
  
  
• Tyreke Evans has been impressive, no doubt. But i wonder how he compares to current superstars, who also had impressive rookie season's?
  Tyreke Evans: 20.0, 5.0, 5.1, 1.5 stls.
  LeBron James: 20.9, 5.5, 5.9, 1.6 stls.
  Melo Anthony: 21.0, 6.0, 2.8, 1.2 stls.
  Brandon Roy : 16.8, 4.4, 4.0, 1.2 stls.
  
  
  

AllStar Voting- A Joke

The first returns are in for the 2010 AllStar game with many familiar faces.
The leading vote getter, not surprisingly, is Kobe.
Here are the starting lineups at this stage:
EAST: Wade, Carter, Garnett, James, Howard...
WEST: Bryant, McGrady, Anthony, Nowitzki, Stoudemire...
As you probably know, McGrady hasn't even played a game yet this season. But he has this popularity accumulated for so many years. (Even i voted him in as a starter). But realistically its a bit of a joke considering the West guards also have Paul, Nash, Williams, Roy, Billups, Parker, Evans, Westbrook, Kidd, Davis, Ellis and others i cant think of off the top of my head, all who are obviously more deserving.
But like i said, even i voted =P

Back after a small hiatus

• LeBron James is averaging a career high in assists, at 8.3. He has especially turned it up of late, averaging 10.8 over his last 4.
  We all know he is the best forward in the game. But i actually think if he switched to the point he would be a better distributor than Paul, and Nash.
  
• Speaking of Paul, his comeback game(after his early season injury) was just gnarly- 16 points, 6 rebounds, 15 assists, and........ 8 steals!!! On second thought, Paul is the king of all points.
  
• How did Brook Lopez fall all the way to 10th on draft night back in 08? I had him at 3rd on my big board, but if the draft was retaken today, i think a lot of GM's would opt to possibly take him number 1... A true 7 foot center averaging 19 and 9 with 2.3 blocks- that is the sort of player that dynasties are built on.
  
• Watching a game the other day i was laughing when they were talking about the Millers having a 2 on 2 with the Parkers. I think Reggie has the edge over Candace, but Anthony tops Cheryll. It would be fun to watch.
  
• Big Z came off the bench to play 20 mins against the Bucks and had a (+/-) of +31!
  Shaq started at center and played 15 mins and had a (+/-) of -18...
  Which one is the 20 million dollar player?
  
• 2 boards in 37 minutes Jamison? Hold your hands in the air, jump, reach, catch. Follow those steps and you should be fine.
  
• Its official- Tyreke Evans is now the best rookie in the NBA. His 20, 5 and 5 is off the chizzle.
  
• I don't know about Mario Chalmers. He's solid, and his 10 and 4 with 1.5steals is nothing to sneeze at. I think i wanna see how he performs in a backcourt without Dwyane Wade before i make a judgement.
  
• Everyone may have jumped on the BJ band wagon way too early- i even heard some people saying he will turn out better than the King.
  But when i think of it, this time last year, I, along with most people, were completely sucking off OJ Mayo.
  OJ Mayo's first 17 games- 22.0 ppg
  Brandon Jennings first 17 games- 21.5 ppg
  OJ then ended up with 18.5ppg for the season. Very respectable, but nothing groundbreaking.
  
• What's with Phoenix always drafting the lesser of two brothers? Taylor Griffin... Robin Lopez... WTF
  

• Andrew Bogut- Mvp candidate?
  Everyone thought Brandon Jennings early season play has been the reason for the Bucks hot start. But i think the real reason is the emergence of Bogut as one of the best centers in the league.
  They have a 70% win pct with Bogut in the lineup, and 56% without him. His comeback game: 22pts, 15rebs, 3ass, 3stl, 4blks, shows why he is so important. Go Aussies.
  
• Elton Brand played arguably his best game of the season: 21 & 10 on an efficient 8/12. The weird thing? He came off the bench, for the first time this season.
  
• Carlos Boozer- Point Forward?
  His last 5 game stats- 25.2, 9.8 and... 5.4 assists. LeBronish numbers, they be.
  
• Monta Ellis has exploded! After not reaching 30 points in his first 11 games, he has now put up over 33 in 4 of his last 5 games, averaging 35.2 in that span.
  
• Lets hope AI heads back to Philly. Everyone, regardless of whether they love or hate the guy, is mesmerized when he is on the court.

29/11/09 - Stat Sheet Stuffers!!

Iguodala: 21 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, 3 blocks

Marc Gasol: 26, 5, 6, 3, 3

Durant: 25, 9, 6, 2, 3

Nene: 10, 10, 5, 3, 3

• Steve Nash and Gilbert Arena's-copycats?
  They both went 4-7 scoring 9 points, in 27 minutes played, in a win for thier respective teams. Nash played the better game though, also dropping 11 assists.
  
• I may have jumped the gun on Jamison. I thought he would have cooled off, but in 5 games he is averaging 24.8ppg and 11.2rpg, both career highs. If he starts getting more help from Agent Zero and Caron, Wizards could make some noise in the playoffs. We zll know Hibachi is clutch afterall.
  
• Javale Mcgee is on my sleeper list. If this guy ever gets more minutes, he should be a block machine. He is averaging 1.4 rejections in only 8.2mins a game. Imagine if he even got 6th man minutes (24). That would equate to about 4.2 blocks a game!!! Imagine starters minutes- it would be about 6!!!! I wanna see what this young center can do with more court time. (The only thing stopping him from getting more court time, is that he rebounds at the same rate as he blocks.)
  
• Its like Rasheed Wallace has turned completely one dimensional. He has shot 87 threes this season, making only 24. Thats the lowest percentage out of everyone in the top 60 in attempts.
  
• A humorous fact- in Ben Wallace's 13 year career, he has never averaged more points than rebounds. A stat line of 15.4 and 6.9 is pretty common. but 6.9 and 15.4? That's weird. You would think getting 4 offensive boards a game, (as he did in 02/03) you would average more than 7 points!
  
• I think Tyler Hansbrough will be one of my all time favourite non-allstars.
  This is a guy that was one of the greatest college players of his era, but in his senior season copped a lot of flack because most thought he had no NBA game in him. But the draft camps saw his stock rise greatly as he went from being a potential second round pick to becoming lottery bound. Scouts were impressed with his hustle, determination, and his big motor. His stats are great for someone with limited minutes, and you can tell "Psycho T" is out there fighting on every possesion. What a lad.
  Check this sequence of pics to see why he's called Psycho T http://tarheelmania.wordpress.com/2007/03/04/
  
• Ariza or Artest? They did the switcheroo this season- Artest from Houston to LA. Ariza from LA to Houston. Both on the mid level exception (about 5.8mil).
  Ariza: 18.4, 5.1, 3.7 with 2.13 steals.
  Artest: 12, 5.3, 4.1 with 1.29 steals.
  Obviously though, Ariza doesn't have to compete for shots with Kobe, Pau, Lamar and Bynum.
  The debate rages on...
  
• 41points and 10 rebounds off the bench??? Only two players in the league could get a chance to do this. Anthony Randolph and Al Harrington. Who was it?
  Harrington, who of course, plays run and gun under D'antoni.
  
• Fuck yeah Melo. 50 points on 17/28 with 15/16 at the line.
  Against New York of course...
  
• Portland- you lost to Memphis at the Rose Garden?!?
  
• If Marc Gasol played for pretty much any other team out west besides Memphis (or maybe Minny) he would be a sleeper pick for the starting job in the allstar game. His 15.4 and 10.8 a game are impressive.
  
• Look out Brandon, Tyreke is right on your tail (23.6, 6.6, 5.4 over last 9 games.)
  
  

• Tim Duncan just keeps on chugging. He is rebounding at his best rate since 03/04. And his 17.8ppg is nothing to sneeze at. Truly is the greatest PF of all time.
  
• Is it just me, or has Derrick Rose seem to have hit a sophomore slump? The reigning ROY is averaging less points, rebounds and assists, and this is a guy who most people thought would be thrust into elite point guard status this season. I don't even know if he would be starting in Sacremento and definately not in Milwaukee, the home of two rookie point guards.
  
• Greg Oden, dropping 24 and 12 in 27mins on the Bulls. Made Noah look like a little girl. With hair like that, maybe he is.
  
• Looking back at Baron Davis's career stats, i noticed that he has a tendency to hoist a ton of three's and make them at a really low percentage. In 03/04 he shot 32% from deep and chucked up an average of 8.7 a game. Hmmm....
  This year, he is marginally better. He's shooting a dismal 31%, but only putting up just over 4 a game, the third lowest mark for his career.
  

MEM/PHI

• I always love reading the memphis grizzlies box score. I reckon you can never tell who is going to be their leading scorer each game. You have Gasol (15.2), Mayo (17.2), Randolph (18.4), and Gay (21.8), all who have the ability to go for 30 on any given night.
  
• Philadelphia, on the other hand, is the most uninteresting box score to read out of all 30 teams. Iggy drop 18 and 5 like he has for the last 5 years in a row? Check. Elton Brand with another diappointing stat line? Check. Dalembert with more rebounds than points? Check. Boring!
  
• And another thing, Iguodala has had seemingly the same stats for like, ever! his rebounding averages in his 6 years: 5.7, 5.8, 5.7, 5.4, 5.7, and 6.5.
  His points, in the last 4 years: 18.2, 19.9, 18.8, 18.2.
  I keep waiting for him to take the next step, but he never does. What a waste of talent.
  

Hmmm....

• Congrats Dominic McGuire (Wizards), you just posted a legit "million" : 1 min, 0 FG attempts, 0 FT attempts, 0 rebs, 0 ass, 0 stls, 0 blks, 0 pts... waive!!!
  
• How long can my man Antawn Jamison keep up his lofty averages? (26.5 & 11 with 54% FG). After 2 great comeback games, expect him to come back down to earth.
  
• What does James Harden do with solid 6th man minutes?
  In the only two games where he has got more than 25mins, he is averaging 24.5 points on 60% shooting and connected on 10/13 three's. If he gets more minutes, he could be up there with Jennings for ROY.
  
• Tyreke Evans last 6 game averages: 24 ppg, 5.8 apg and 6 rpg. This is a sign of great things to come. Cant wait for him and BJ to face off.
  
• Jason kidd has 6 games this season where the only points he's scored has come off 3's.
  For the season, 63% of his FG attempts have been 3's. Not sure if i'm a fan of this...
  
• The best looking player in the NBA, Kris 'model dog' Humphries had his best game of the season with 15 points on 7/11 shooting. And he looked good doing it.
  

Thats all for today

Why i'm disappointed in LeBron James

How can you be disappointed in someone averaging 27.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 7.6 apg? (27.5, 7.2, 7.6)
You cant. But i still feel disappointed, and i will tell you why.

When LeBron entered the league, he averaged a staggerring 20.9, 5.5, 5.9 which claimed him the rookie of the year honours.
This escalated greatly his sophomore season, where his averages increased to 27.2, 7.4, 7.2.
Though a slight decrease in rebounds and assists in his 3rd season, LeBron increased his scoring to 31.4 points per game, good for 3rd in the league.
In his 4th season, LeBrons slight dip in stats was a sign he was trusting his teammates more, and it showed as he guided them to the NBA finals where they lost to the Spurs.
His 5th season, 07/08, LeBron lead the league in scoring, and took his team to the conference finals where they lost in a dramatic 7 game series to the eventual champions, the San Antonio Spurs.
Last year, LeBron won the MVP, and lead his league to the best record in the league.

So far this year, LeBron's stats are'nt exactly wowing me (27.5, 7.2, 7.6- still better than anyone else in the league) and the Cavs have a mediocre record. I guess i'm just used to him always raising the bar. Why do you have to set such high standards LeBron.

But never fear, the season is still young, and so is he.

spicks and specks

• Nene Hilario nearly recorded the near impossible 5x5 game today. his stat line: 20pts, 10rebs, 5ass, 4blks, 4stl- was only a block and a steal away.
  The all time leader in this category is Andrei Kirilenko, this is interesting too http://www.coachmarian.de/Spezials/QuintessentialPlayer/TheQuintessentialPlayer.htm
  
• It's official, Allen Iverson and the Grizzlies have parted ways. Another blemish on AI's incredible career.
  
• Also, Stephen Jackson has gone to Charlote in what seems a very lopsided deal. Word on the grapevine is that the Cav's wanted him for Delonte West and a few others. Talk about trading with the wrong team. The GSW franchise is pathetic!
  
• Steve Nash dropped 16 assists on Houston today. I think he might have regained the point god crown off Chris Paul's head. (Suns are 9-2, Hornets are 4-8)
  
• Jason Kidd has lost his ability to smash out triple doubles. His latest effort: 10rebs, 17ass, and... 9 points!!! That hurts when you don't even get to the line once.
  
• .............................................................................................. (me wanking over Brandon Jennings again)
  

6 quickies

• After having a terrible year last year with many injuries, Andrew Bogut, the aussie, is making a big comeback season. If you ignore his very first game back, in which he had limited minutes, he is currently averaging 19.5 pts, 10.3 rebs and 2.5 blocks. Considering the bucks are now 4-2, and the fact that D12 has started very slowly, it could be argued that Bogut is playing better than any other center in the league right now. If he keeps this up, consider him a lock for his first allstar game.
  
• Brandon Jennings has no ceiling. He was drafted 10th overall this year, in what was considered the weakest draft in years. But last years ROY winner's stats: 16ppg and 6apg, pale in comparison to Jennings: 20ppg and 5apg. And he's only just warming up...
  
• I know Carmelo Anthony is averaging 30 points a game and all, but i think some nights he needs to rack up a few more dimes(3 per game).
  His last 3 games, he has gone a combined 24/68 which turns out to be 35.3%.
  When you have a player averaing around 24 shots a game, he needs to be making a higher percentage.
  
• Most unbelievable stat of the week: Greg Oden played 26mins... without a foul!
  He also had 18points and 11 boards. Nice.
  
• Dwight Howard played 82 games last season and had 13 games without a double double.
  In 9 games so far this season, he has missed out on a DD 5 times. The reigning defensive player of the year is also only averaging 1.5blocks per contest. Lift your game superman.
  
• The Rockets starting centers: 08/09: Yao Ming, 7 foot 6
  09/10: Chuck Hayes, 6 foot 6
  That has to be some kind of record?
  

Theoreticals

• Although Allen Iverson is a complete pain, at about 3mil a year, he is also a complete bargain. I think Boston should pick him up. If they said to him "look Allen, your one of the greatest guards of your generation, but to be considered one of the best of all time, you need a ring. Why don't you come off the bench for us, and form what will be the most star studded roster of all time?"
  How could he refuse? Its not like he has any other options after his stint in Memphis
  
• Imagine if Miami does manage to keep Wade, and lure LeBron in 2010, as some are suggesting. Not sure if even Jordan and Pippen could handle that duo.
  
• Further, if Miami clear some space and give an offer to Chris Bosh too. LeBron has publically stated that winning is more important than money. If CB4 felt the same way, Miami would have arguably the 3 best players from arguably the greatest draft of all time, all heading into thier prime. I think the Lakers and Celtics would have to merge to even be a threat.
  
• How long can Kobe Bryant keep scoring at such a high rate?
  He's still fairly young. If he keeps scoring above 20 points per game til he's 37 or so- which is highly possible, he might take Michael Jordans place as no. 3 on the all time scoring list. Until Kevin Durant kicks him out.

RPG's (Random ParaGraphs)

Those fans in Cleveland must be getting mighty worried.
The fact of the matter is that when its all said and done, unless Cleveland win a championship this season, LeBron is going to leave his home state of Ohio. With the 2010 free agency looming, Danny Ferry and co. have only a few months left to prove to King James that they are serious about winning, otherwise Cleveland may be back to where they were prior to LeBrons arrival- in the lottery.

Allen Iverson's recent behaviour has seriously disappointed me. Here is a guy who has been one of the best guards of a generation. He was one of the first point guards that could legitimately lead the league in scoring. At 6' 0 he could get to the basket in the blink of an eye due to his amazing speed, and many times have we seen him break the ankles of any defender who steps up to him. He is one of the most watchable players to ever enter the league.
But after what seems to be a second failed venture, this time with Memphis, i'm not sure he has another chance.
This could have been the point in his career in which all the negative rumours about him were put to rest. But apparently AI is too much of a superstar to come off the bench. He may make a big deal about it, but after missing the second half of last season, and all of preseason, i'm starting to wonder- does he even have game anymore?

The revival of the Phoenix Suns has been my favourite part of the season so far. Nash and the 7 seconds offense was the reason i got into basketball in the first place.
At 35, its a wonder Nash can still ball so well, but after dropping a 20-20 game on philadelphia the other day, i think there is no doubt the two time MVP winner still has his astronomical passing ability and record shooting percentages. As always with the Suns, its time to sit back, relax and enjoy the 110 points per game.

Brandon Jennings is amazing.
Touted as the cream of the crop of the 2008 prep class, Jennings rejected several offers (one from Arizona who has a history of point guards in the NBA, like my main man Agent Zero) and chose instead to play for Lottomatica Roma in the Euroleague. After a few very hyped, but fairly unextraordinairy matchups against Ricky Rubio, Jennings declared for the 2009 draft.
Milwaukee got an absolute steal at number 10, and now all we can do is wait for Blake Griffin to come back, to see whether the ROY honours will be his.