For someone who is labeled as a cry baby for most of his time on TV, Danny Ainge sure stopped crying and got out there and done something. Now the once sulking and almost  suicidal Boston fans that you used to feel sorry for (and get annoyed  by) are still annoying as ever, but because they just rub it in so well.

I'm a Phoenix Suns guy, I've gone to games where Suns starting frontline was Jake Tsakalidis and Jake Voskul. When Brevin Knight was the starting point guard and when Jason Kidd had bleach blonde hair. I am a fan . Bill Murray said that people always ask him why he supports the Cubs when they haven't won in a 100 years, and his answer was "You people just don't get it do you?' He's right, you don't support a team because it wins, no team keeps winning for extended periods of time and every team has its day.

I talk to Suns fans , and now they got ideas like ,trade Nash, or trade Shaq or send Amare to Minnisota for Al Jefferson.... This is not it, you have to stick with a plan. You have a good team, and you will have salary cap and trading chips in 2 years. Nash comes off, Shaq comes off, Bell comes off, Diaw and Barbosa will still be young and they will not be owed a lot so they're easier to move. You got too rookies with potential , you got an All Star Forward you can build around. If someone is a fan, he will be waiting on this, cheering their team as the season ends (whenever it may end). And wait till our day comes.

Then comes the owners responsibility. Suns will have like $20m in cap room. What do you do with that? I'd keep coach Porter, go after Chris Bosh (if LeBron is not available) develop my rookies and start at least one of them (a la Rojon Rondo) then go after free agents and players in trades. This is when it comes to the owner's pocket. Just so you know, a team in a market like Phoenix can make up to $15 m a year , even it is $10m over the cap. If Sarver wants to make his $400m back , then he won't do it, and the Suns will be stuck with a team hoping to make it because Jerry Colangelo drafted Amare and signed Nash. I hope they don't fire Steve Kerr till after the results of the 2010-2011 season. The Celtics stuck with Ainge when he brought Brian Scalabrini and Vin Baker to Boston, When he sent 'Toine out of town when everyone was considering him the team leader, he fired Jim O'Brian when he was doing good, and gave Doc Rivers a starting job that he didn't deserve. Still they stuck with him, and he made all the right moves, moves that our team couldn't do and honestly never had the balls or the imagination to do it .

Before I go on I would love to say that I'm not a guy living in the past. I believe that the game has changed and everything has to be adjusted accordingly. I love the NBA today, and although I love the old times , I hate to it when "experts" talk about how the game is dying. That's simply someone who'd like to show you that he's lived better than you did by trying to prove that his days were better.

There were a million things wrong with the NBA in the eighties. Not everyone had a tough D as people want you to believe (Doug Moe's Nuggets averaged like 115 ppg) , the highest scoring game every was played in that era (Pistons scored 162 pts!!). The players weren't physically tougher, No Small Forwad could've stopped Lebron back then, players today are much more physically dominant. The rules have changed that's all. Now you get ejected and fined if you foul someone hard, in the past you had to stand up for yourself.

But one thing was better in the 80's. The commitment of players. The good players always got better. Magic entered the L with suspect D, midway through the 80's that changed. Jordan's mid range shoot was a weakness, till he made it a strength, Mailman was a worse free throw shooter than Ben Wallace, but he retired with a 70% FT career. Ewing had not finess , Hakeem had no fadeaway, Clyde didn't shoot or rebound well, Stockton was a weak spot on D... Those players had the will to change that, to become the best players they can. Players today don't have that, and they have too much power to get forced to learn something.

If Amare, LeBron , Wade or Dirk played in my day, we would've been helpless against him.  No player in the 80's can defend those guys or have the extras that come with these guys . A 6'10 guy who can run the floor and tomahawk an ally-oop, a 6'8 ball handler who can cross over and fly to dunk over a 7 footer sending him to the floor, a lighting quick 6'3 guy who can dunk on ANYONE, a 7 footer who shoots 45% from beyond the arc!! are you kiddin' me!! no one could've stopped these guys. But to see , Amare not wanting to take the physical punishment and LBJ and Wade not wanting to learn how to shoot the 3, and Dirk not willing to be tougher just amazes me. Amare had 3 rebounds last night!! If I was his coach I won't start him next game, I won't start him till he averages 12 rebs a game. I'd have extra shooting drills with shooting coach for LBJ and Wade, I'd demand a flagrant foul from DIrk every week ,  put Rasheed's Walace head on him.

But players have too much power, they'd protest and next you know the coach is getting fired because "a clash" with his star players. How come MJ, Magic, Bird , Malone and Stockton played for the same team all their lives while every year a "superstar" demands trade?

I think we have too many "superstars" and too few basketball players"

There are too many things that happened this week in the NBA (and NFL). I thought it's time to weight on some of them:

- Firing Squad: Carlisimo was fired and he was never the right fit for the young Thunder. They need an identity he's not the one to give them that. Jordan was fired by the Wizards and he did not deserve that, this team overachieved under him, he led a team with three superstars with no conflicts or whining, try putting Arenas in any other team and watch the turmoil.

- Lakers a re surging, they are playing very well, they are not as good as the 97 Bulls, but they caught the league at a weak time (Spurs older, Mavs fading, Suns changing, Rockets hurt , Jazz hurt...) so that makes them look that good. These Lakers are a great team, but I'd wait until all the other teams are set before I label them with the Bulls and Showtime Lakers.

- Knicks Trades: Plain Genius. Now at least Knicks fans can have patience.

- Celtics still look good.

- Injuries have been a nightmare to NBA. I mean Jazz vs Spurs today will be missing Manu, TP and Deron. Rockets are getting used to playing one of their stars at a time, Suns suited a league minimum twice (no trades), Arenas still in street clothes, Oden is still recovering from all the injuries that plagued him, Tysone Chandler and Peja went down and on their way to recovery, Hinirich is hit for a long time...... and so on. Nothing alters plans like injuries.

- No matter how good you think LeBron is, He's better than you think.

- Amare is getting soft! Maybe he's realizing that the infamous "suspensions" against the Spurs a couple of years ago was his last shot at a title. Nash is getting frustrated too

- Never count out the Spurs. NEVER.

- Titans got their 8-0 start snapped by Brett Favre. Now that's toughness.

- Donavan Mac. I think the Eagles never committed to putting a good team around this guy, it's the KG in Minnesota story all over again. Plus he had bad luck.

- Rookie watch: it's Rudy Fernandez so far

  

Since Election day I have wondered, did we make the right decision? will Obama live to the hype no other president has had while having to deal with challenges non of his predcessors had to deal with. I got to a conclusion that I will never know till the time comes. Nontheless, one thing for sure, it feels better to be an Amreican now than it did on Nov 3rd. The world looks at us with more respect and now they think we can surprise them, simply we have more pride in our own identity after 8 years of failed wars and lost money.

I can say the exact same thing about the NY Knicks. No one knows the effect that Walsh and D'antoni are going to have in NY until it happens. But so far Knicks fans can say they're Knicks fans in public with a straight face. You can even go a full week without booing. After years of money not so well spent (Larry Brown, ISiah Thomas, Eddie Curry, Zach Randolph....) and wasted draft picks, we get 2 guys who can make us believe in the Knicks again. Now fans have something to look up to.

After paying luxury tax for 5 years or more, now the Knicks are projected to have more space than most team in a couple of years. They finally have a system (like it or not), Marbury is on his way out, Isiah Thomas is long gone and there are no more egos, if Crawford and Randolph are gone no one is untouchable.

I wish they will arrange this LeBron thing to the last detail, I hope they have a Plan B just in case and I hope they start working on their supporting cast right away. It won't hurt getting someone like Gerald Walace or Manu Ginobili or a big man to help Lebron, CB, Wade or Amare if the Knicks land them . But one thing is for sure, I've always liked the Knicks and I can finally say that again.

The game was ugly. Especially for Suns fans like myself. The Suns made it interesting in the second but it was off after that. Apart from Mcgrady's fourth in which he scored 22 points, nothing is worth mentioning  other than the fight offcourse.

I hate to see players fight, it is just not what we are supposed to do. Off course basketballs players have to be emotional but in a smart way, don't take it out by fighting with someone , use it as motive to win the game, you hit someone and the crowd will boo and you'll be on your way to the locker room, you'll feel awful and ashamed. But if you dunk the hell out of that ball on the next trip down the floor, instead of fighting , the crowd will roar, your team will find a spark and you will feel great. Nontheless, once the fight happened, it can tell you everything you want to know about players.

From what happened we knew that Matt Barns is a team players and won't take it from anyone, Rafer Alston still has that playground attitude. T-Mac can be the Rockets leader, Steve Nash is frustrated and most of all, Shaq will stand up for his team. I love Shaq, but the way he just came and pushed everyone out of the way to clear for his point guard showed that he's not all words. The guy will stand up for his teammates . When we played the old Pistons or Sixers we hated to fight with them. If it ever happened you will find 5 players ganging on you, shoves and pushes from everywhere. None of them would let you have your way with the other by yourself. If I dunk on Mahorn with an extra "hang" to kick him in the chest "by accident" . Next play down the court ,  Lambeer is sticking that elbow in my chest on a screen or a rebound. They had you always looking around you, never comfortable , always out of your game.

I bet there will be some fines and a few players will sit down a few games. But something like this is good at the start of the season so you can know  what you are up against, and this showed the Suns are not against themselves at least .

As a Suns fan I watched a good part of Starbury's career. I like his talent, he's got a strong body, he's like a football running back. His shot, although sometimes erratic , still has to be respected, you can't leave him alone. His passing is as good as anyone in this league.

When you are "rebuilding" in the true sense,that's going on in NY. You don't let anything sabotage that. Even if that means benching someone like Stephon.  I think Coach D'antoni came up big by benching Steph. The Knicks will play better if he played, and Coach D chose to forget about winning today and worry about building a team that can win it all one day. It is the external pressure from the media, fans and players that alter the building plan. How many coaches were going in the right direction before the got fired or quit. If Donnie Walsh , Dolan , the NY media and fans stand behind D'Antoni. The Knicks have a chance to win it all someday.

I just don't get it, when the owner is too greedy, the fans get overworked on how he deals basketball as a business and does not care about winning, and if they sit down a player like Steph , everyone we'll be like "why are we paying him $20 m when we're not going to play him!!" , now the money is coming out of their savings account!! Word of advice, when your owner is ok with spending as much money as he can to make his team better, you should be thankful.

Stephon will not play $20m worth if basketball anyway, but it's 2 to 1 that he'll cause enough trouble to kill the team chemistry and the long term plans of Mr. Walsh and CoachD. He is untradable, and he's a free agent next summer. What can you do? It's like Vegas, either stop playing and walk away with what you lost, or try double or nothing to walk away even, most the times, house wins.

 

As a Suns fan I watched a good part of Starbury's career. I like he's talent, he's got a strong body, he's like a football running back. His shot, although sometimes erratic , still has to be respected, you can't leave him alone. His passing is as good as anyone in this league.

When you are "rebuilding" in the true sense, like what's going on in NY. You don't let anything sabotage that. Even if that means benching someone like Stephon.  I think Coach D'antoni came up big by benching Steph. The Knicks will play better if he played, and Coach D chose to forget about winning today and worry about building a team that can win it all one day. It is the external pressure from the media, fans and players that alter the building plan. How many coaches were going in the right direction before the got fired or quit. If Donnie Walsh , Dolan , the NY media and fans stand behind D'Antoni. The Knicks have a chance to win it all someday.

I just don't get it, when the owner is too greedy, the fans get overworked on how he deals basketball as a business and does not care about winning, and if they sit down a player like Steph , everyone we'll be like "why are we paying him $20 m when we're not going to play him!!" , now the money is coming out of their savings account!! Word of advice, when your owner is ok with spending as much money as he can to make his team better, you should be thankful.

Stephon will not play $20m worth if basketball anyway, but it's 2 to 1 that he'll cause enough trouble to kill the team chemistry and the long term plans of Mr. Walsh and CoachD. He is untradable, and he's a free agent next summer. What can you do? It's like Vegas, either stop playing and walk away with what you lost, or try double or nothing to walk away even, most the times, house wins.

 

I know I haven't been a big fan of the post Shaq Lakers, I thought they never really played well enough to live up to the Laker legacy. Even last year when they made it to the Finals they had no business being there. But I have watched them this year, and they look good. Sure they haven't played quality teams yet, but the Clippers, Blazers and Nuggets are this leagues average, and the Lakers just cruised past them.

The team is playing well, this is good basketball they're playing this year, they're winning with ease and everyone is contributing. Kobe takes over for short periods of time to stop the other team from making a run and that's game. The bench has been good too. It's just good basketball all over. Unless things change as the season progresses, I don't see anyone beating them.

Another good team who's been playing good is the Hornets. They're tough to beat, but the Hornets do have something about them that makes them look like this thing is too big for them. Like they can win and all, but once they're up against a tough team in the playoffs (Lakers, Spurs, Jazz, Rockets...) they implode. I cannot imagine CP3 winning the Finals, its just too early.

Rockets are my pick to play the Lakers come conference finals. I've watched T-Mac play up close and the guy is just scary good. I've wrote before the T-Mac is the closest thing to MJ that we have ever saw, now he has got help. He knows it and he is pacing himself to come at you later in the season and into the playoffs. He's the best passing wing in the game, a good rebounder , a great scorer and very good defender (when he puts his mind into it) It's about time something good happened to this guy.

Jazz are tough as always, Spurs are more experienced than anyone come playoff time and the Suns have shown that whatever they're working on might actually work.

The Hawks are good this year, they can finish in 4th-5th seed. Problem is, they pushed the Celtics to a 7th game last year, can't see them doing better this year. I like the Bulls with Rose, the kid is a freak, he reminds me so much of Kevin Johnson. Pistons can be good again, I like the Magic, Raptors,Pacers, Heat, Sixers and Knicks, but it's Clevland who stands out as a contender to dethrone the Celtics. LeBron is ticked, he's the most physically gifted guy to ever play this game.

 

I feel for you. I can feel your pain and I hope it is not as bad as it looks. I'm talking to the Portland Trail Blazers fans.

I have watched the game last night, and the thing that impressed me the most, ironically was the thing that hurt the most, that Greg Oden played big, as big as he is. I never bought into the Andrew Bynum hype, never will. He lacks coordination. But Oden was just amazing. For the 13 mins he played, he required so much attention by the Lakers defense and took a big chunk of the lane. He hussled, rebounded and defended like a veteran. He was a lot like a young Alonzo Mourning. Then he gets hit and goes down!!

X-Rays inconclusive!! in the NBA that means they can't determine how much he was hurt. I pray that it aint serious, I'd love to see this guy play again, we need more big me in this league, Big men will help  us know who are the great players in this league. In an era where Tony Parker leads the league in points in the paint and uncontested dunks at an all time high you need a big man to phase out the punks , And1 Mix Tape wannabes.

All the G-Oden. Hope it aint serious

I know it's not the "moral" highway. But I think the NBA letting the Palm Hotel and Casino accept bets on NBA games is just a gutsy, business oriented move.

I know that the donaghy scandall is still fresh, I mean the guy hasn't even been #### yet by his cell mate, and now we're allowing betting on games. Hypocratic isn't it? I think the whole culture has changed, in the past you'd get a couple of years for possession of drugs. Now if they find you lying on the floor almost dead from an OD, no one will even ask you how you got the drugs when you woke up. It's the culture of dealing with consequences if limiting the problem is almost impossible.

And that's what the NBA is doing. They're allow betting, but it will keep a close eye on everyone. Players, coaches, refs... even owners. And I can trust David Stern and Stu Jackson to do that. It's not like it's never been done. You can bet on sports in Europe. Bet Shops in London are more common than coffee shops. Sport bars have added a Bet shop so people can bet and watch the game at the same place. And in soccer it is much easier to manuplate a game, one goal can win the whole game, on missed penalty kick can lose the game. Now even in Europe, gangs still gamble under the table, or underground more like it. They have their own bookies, their own cover up schemes like pawn shops or mechanics, they have their own rules. You don't expect a gamgster to walk into a bet shop and place 100 grand on his local football team. This way things  will be more monitored. No Casino is ever going to jeopardize being shut down because of any bet, no matter how big. These places make more money than you think.

The under the table stuff will still be there, I mean most of the people who live in 50 states know where to bet on sports illeagally in their states. Rich people even have their own bookies who will make bets over the phone on any given game. Now if this becomes legal in Vegas, these bookies were go out of business, people who support them (mostly gangsters) will stop dealing with them and everything will go towards Vegas.

And if anyone , ever gets caught, that should be waaayyyyy more than the 18 months that Donaghy got. I think that a of people bet on games because it is not allowed, a taboo, the forbidden fruit. Like when Denzel won the Oscar everyone was talking about the first "black" actor to win, and Denzel said in his speech, that he hopes someday, we won't have to say "black" actor won , someday it will be as usual as anything. And that what happened when Forrest Whitaker took it, no one really went there. It's a common thing, so people don't care about unless it crosses their path. And this is how betting on NBA games will be 

 

Although the trade season wasn't so festive. The few moves that were made are enough to stir things up. This year is like a prep year for a shift in NBA powers in a couple of years. I'd like to think of this year as the last year of the after Shaq/Kobe Era. For the following reasons:

1- It is the final chapters of Shaq's legacy: As you might have noticed, the Suns have been sitting him down a lot and Coach Porter will give him a lot of rest within the season.

2- The Spurs are fading: TP is still there and better than his first run in 2001. Manu is still an All Star. But Bowen has gotten old and he will have trouble facing the new young and physical stars. TD is still as good as it gets, but teams have figured a way defend him especially teams with younger centers. They'll make a run in the playoffs till they fade towards the end.

3- The Celtics short reign: Well the C's might be good enough to win it all again. But this is not the 80's anymore. The team's 3 stars are over 30. Rondo is a nice point guard but that's about it. This team might  have a good year or two and that's about it.

4- Here come the Blazers, Bulls and Thunder: I think with all the things going on we forgot about Kevin Durant. I mean this guy is as good as anyone in this league, Durant WILL BE the best player in the NBA in a couple of years. And a supporting cast of Nick Collison, Earl Watson, Jeff Green and Chris Wilcox aint that bad. They have cap space and still they will do their best to win. As for the Bulls, I think they'll compete in the East this year, they'll pull off a trade and they will go deep in the playoffs. And do I even have to say anything about the young Blazers, they're amazing;.

5- Lakers are building a freaky team: Forget about the Lamar Odom saga. The Lakers have a very good team. Too bad that Phil Jackson doesn't have an idea how to coach a team like this. Jackson needs superstars to function and he cannot manage more than one or two in the same team. Shaq was the superstar of the old Lakers, and it was his strong personality that supressed the disastors conflict with Kobe. If Shaq was a walkover , Lakers would've never won 3 rings. If Kobe takes charge every game and doesn't let it slip, this team will be amazing for the upcoming 4-5 years.

6- Nuggets, Suns, Nets, Mavs will tear the house down and rebuild.

7- Here come the Knicks: I know a lot of you can't see this, but next year the Knicks will be in the conference finals. There's talk about Zach Randolph to Bulls, Curry is learning the System. D'Antoni is winner (At least before playoffs) and honestly if the West wasn't as tough as it was the Suns would have made it to the Finals while Cocah D was there. And Donnie Walsh will do the necessary.

8- LeBron is sick of this : Well the King has got help, Moe Williams might be an average guard, but this all LBJ needs. He will get better on D. And he'll develp a more solid shooting touch (without fading backwards) And this will make his last 2 seasons in Cleavland interesting.

9- If the Nuggets break it up, adding 'Melo to any team in the league will make them a title contender: I would go for this if I was the Knicks, Bobcats or Bulls. If the Knicks send and combination of Stephon, Crawfor, Lee, Curry, Balkman, Richardson and Nate to the Nuggets for Anthony, it will be considered an upgrade, the Bobcats should consider this too. As for the Bulls they have a crowded back court and an expiring contract in Larry Hughes. They can pull a trade for anyone in this league.

10- Dwight Howard, Michael Beasly, Dwayne Wade, Shaun Livngston  all work in the same state:  The names up there spell potential and expectaions. Shaun is back and can be looking to work on what was once expected from him, Wade played at a very high level in the Olympics and although DH didn't he had a great season last year and looking to build up on it, and Beasly got game, a lot of it.

11- Larry Brown is back in the Shadows: A year in NY media will drive you crazy. So getting paid for a contract you didn't fullfil. But being in Charlotte will help Larry Brown go back to his job again, NBA coach. He is not the master of anything, the Zen or whatever else, he's not the magician behind anyone, he's an NBA coach that has a very solid game plan and can build regular teams and ascend them to contenders. Anyone who has ever expected anything else from him has been let down and it costs a lot, ask Isiah Thomas.

12- 'cause if Amare Stoudemire doesn't get hurt again he'll be a force that we've never seen: Amare needs to work on his D, if he does he'll be the player coachs dream about. I mean we have really had a 6'10 guy who's athletic, can shoot from midrange and power players inside. I can think of guys like David Robinson , but Stat is better shooter already.

Guess that's about it...

For the past month I've been back in Arizona. I've been hanging around the Suns a lot too. The thing is , I like what I see. I always thought that the transformation the Suns are going through is tough. Very tough to be honest. But these guys act like pro and they have taken the tremendous change in style as something that they are supposed to do.

Coach Porter has a plan and he's right on it. I thought he's pressuring Raja a bit much on offense. He wants him to be what S. Elliot was to the old Spurs teams. Raja is taking it well as I see it, he's been the guy laughing the most as he always been. Amare is sick, and I'm not talking about the eye, I mean nasty, you can see flashes of Shawn Kemp or a young Vin Baker. He's moving faster on D, He has added like 4-5 lbs of muscle. I think Amare always had a chip on his shoulder, so for people to call him irresponsible and a loser like some "experts" did lately really gets to him and makes him crazy. Diaw is getting back to form, keep the hair man. And Shaq is just fit, he's agile again, but I think this will only last half a season unless Coach Porter pulls something out that keeps him running through June.

I have talked to Thunder Dan about the main concern of everyone, Suns age! And I really had a prespective about things but this a bit opened things up. I mean everyone is playing good now, who would want to face the Suns in the playoffs? No one. They got asa good chance of going all the way as anyone, so why tear anything up. In 2 years, Steve Nash's contract is coming off the books, so is Shaq's, so is Raja's . Grant Hill probably will be gone by then too. By then we will have a complete idea about what Dragic, singlatry, Barbosa and Diaw can do for us, Amare will be at a peak by then so we'll know that this the best we can get from him, so that decides if we wanna give him a bigger extension or no. $29 million come off the books in 2010. Kerr doesn't mind paying luxury tax. We'll be looking at players like James, Wade and Bosh. If James wants a contract that pays $22 million a year then be it. In team that has James /Wade and Amare, Lopez doesn't have to ever develop a defensive game. Barbosa will get loads of open looks and Dragic will pile up so many assists he won't believe it. Let alone the growth of Diaw and Tucker and Singlatery. One thing the Suns can do is look to obtain someone in next year's draft. As you recall, Atlanta's pick was a mess. One thing that was said at the end of the conversation was, imagine if we go to the finals this year or next year, then we afford to pay enough lxury tax to sign CB24 and LBJ together!! But we all know that it never works that way.

I like what I saw in the Suns, I think that this is a good team that is building for the Future, while never giving up on today.

Last night I was watching ESPN classics. They had Game 7 of the 1994 Finals. Rockets-Knicks (Back when the Knicks were still an NBA team) , you might all recall the 2-18 shooting performance fby John Starks. But it really stood out, how tough the D was.

I remember in one game we were playing MJ and the Bulls. 10 secs to go, MJ gets the ball on the wing, we send our best defender on him. He abuses MJ. Poking the ball away, smothering MJ, velcro chest to the shoulder, everything possible in this side of no call, after all t MJ fades back, our defender jumps with him, has a hand in his face the other hand rising in a desperate try to get a piece of the ball. It wasn't a clean swish, but he hit the game winner. That sequence always me wonder, what if taody's stars face D like that?

Players have become stronger and bigger. But last year the Celtics came in with good defense  that could've ranked 7-8th D in the leauge 15 years ago. And they stole the trophy. 4 years back Pistons did the same thing. Pistons didn't even have an offense and they beat the legendry Shaq-Kobe combo with more role players than a broadway musical. I've always known that Kobe can be stopped by stingy D. I've seen Reggie Miller do it when Kobe had 2 rings and was 10 years younger. I've seen Artest do it when he used to have half his brain cells functioning. I know Yao can't play against stronger centers who push him out of his comfort zone. But I hate to think that all the all stars of today will be just ordinary players when facing defense like the old days.

When I played we weren't ready to face someone like Lebron, Dirk or KG. The notion of a big strong guy who can dribble and score in any way was still undiscovered. Sure we had Magic but he was like the 8th wonder to all players back then, hell there's no player today quite like Magic. All centers had post moves and mid range spot shooting, so did power forwards, but no one who is 6'8 , 6'9" like Lebron or 'Melo can bring the ball up the wing, cross over, take an explosive first step and beat everyone to the basket.

Other than big atletic guys the rest was is a different story because players in the old days were tougher, rules were much more loose, team defense was as essential as free throw shooting and players had more commitment to playing defense. I love CB24 but he'll probably have a career ending injury against Bill Lambeer, I love CP3 but he'll have more turnovers than assists against a 28 year old John Stockton, I always enjoy watching Amare Stoudemire but if you think Bruce Bowen is dirty wait till you play against Rick Mahorn. How about Paul Pierce trying to take it to Xavier Mcdanial? or Ray Allen isolating against Joe Dumars? And don't even get me started on Tyson Chandler againt Hakeem or Boozer against Rodman.

I love the NBA today, and I hate people who talk about how the "Beautiful game has been uglified"!!! The game is much more exciting today, would you rather watch players performing fundemantal box outs and screens or no look passes and high flying dunks? But Barkely said that today's players suck and he can beat most of them is they played when he did, I'd hate to think that he was right.

I have heard a couple of suggestion , again from experts, that while international basketball is getting better, still international players cannot carry a team to a championship by themselves. Such point of view is intensified after the US Basketball won Gold in Bejiung.

I can respond in just one way: Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Dirk, Yao, Manu, Fernandez, Pau, Navarro, Deng, Gordon, Nocioni, Darko, Yi, Barbosa, Kaman (Now that he became German) even Varejao. Add Carlos Delfino and AK47 to the mix and you got the international team.

This team has a decent chance of beating the Gold medal team. On Defense, they're fast, get their hands on many balls, tough and can clog the middle. They matchup well, AK47 can defend Lebron(well as well as anyone can try to actually defend Lebron), Manu and Deng got Kobe. Nash should play same minutes as Kidd and TP got more experience and leadership than Deron and CP3. Nocioni can hold his own against 'Melo's offensive skills. Starting with Pau and Yao can cover up both their offensive drawback given that USA doesn't have a post game.

On offense, you will deal with Nash and TP running the offense, which is tough enough, but it gets tougher when Fernandez and Navarro take over. Dirk will probably score 30, given that no one can guard him on the team, Deng's slashing paired with the long reach and Nash's passing skills will result in so many spectacular layups and baseline dunks. Pau is as good as any inside scorer in the game today and Yao can be effective too. Delfino is a shooter and Barbosa is primary a scorer.

Team World can also run. Crazy speed that is, Imagine TP , Barbosa, Deng, Dirk and Pau you probably need 7 defenders to cover all those on the break.

I don't know about you, but I would love to see Team USA vs Team World every year

I've been reading a lot of season previews lately. I enjoy reading experts expectations and checking back on them as season progresses. Although no one can really predict what can happen ; some still have a valid point of view.  One interesting point of view was about my favorite team, The Suns. It looks like most people think they won't make the playoffs.

If you are not in touch with the Suns fanbase, you will not know that this comes as a shock to Suns fans. They think this year is the year their team will win it all. I think the fans are passionate which I like, and I think the experts have a good reason for what they say.

Suns have changed the style that made them who they are, they have fired the coach who can make the style work and made changes. The Suns are not equipped to play Spurs ball. Sure they have more talent and hunger than Spurs, but they lack the defensive guards, center, rotation and the patience on offense. The Suns are aging, they didn't address their needs significantly in the off season (although Barnes was a good pickup). Still , everyone had the Patriots as favorites to win the NFL championship, then Tom Brady got hit. One little thing can happen and it can all change.

For the Suns that one thing is Amare Stoudamire. If he puts this team on is shoulders, he has a better supporting cast than any superstar in the league. Number 2, can coach Porter work with what he has? Can he keep the same system on offense with implementing some defense. The best teams ever ran of defensive stops, Suns ran of anything. The old Celtics depended on Bill Russels interior blocking and rebounding to start the break, the Showtime Lakers had 3 players with 2 steals average or more, the had an interior rebounder and blocker in Kareem. The MJ Bulls had the meanest full court trap where Scottie Pipen would just smother the other teams point guard with his long arms till the help comes, forcing the other team out of their offense and comfort zone which usually resulted in bad shots (Bulls was a good rebounding team, that's a main reason they got better with Rodman) . Now if Amare and Robin Lopez can control the inside, the Suns can keep running and win. Shaq won't slow the run, just use him in half court sets if the fast breaks doesn't work.

That's a lot of work to do, still if Amare gets better on D things will be better in Phoenix. The shooters are still there, the engine for the offense is still there, there are some new backups, Suns have more size than they ever wanted (Amare, Lopez, Shaq, Diaw, Hill, Marks) 6'8" or more. The team is still athletic. Now in 2 years, Shaq, Nash, Raja are coming off the books. This team can be good for a long time if Amare can assume his role starting this season.