Today is Kobe Bryant's 30th Birthday!!!  Kobe has been in the league 12 years and he is only 30.  Hopefully the 30's don't mean that he will start declining.  I don't think it does because Kobe is the best!!!  NBA.com had some stuff about it so here it is.

Q & A with Kobe Bryant

August 23, 2008 -- Superstar Kobe Bryant turns 30 today. While that may be old by NBA standards, Bryant is showing no signs of slowing down. He capped a remarkable 2007-08 season by winning his first MVP award and leading the Los Angeles Lakers to The Finals. And he and the rest of the U.S. Olympic Team appear on the verge of a gold medal. This week, he spoke with John Schuhmann of NBA.com about reaching the big three-oh.

NBA.com: Your thoughts on turning 30?

Kobe Bryant: I made it.

NBA.com: Does it make you feel old?

Kobe Bryant: It's funny. I honestly feel younger now than I did last year or a couple of years ago. My legs feel great. I'm feeling great.

NBA.com: What are your plans for your birthday?

Kobe Bryant: Go watch Argentina and Nigeria play in the (men's soccer) finals and check out the women in the gold medal game.

NBA.com: How do you feel?

Kobe Bryant: I feel great. I'm in a great spot right now with the U.S. Team, and my team back home with the improvements that we made. I'm feeling good. I'm rolling at 30.

NBA.com: Do you think your teammates will tease you about being old?

Kobe Bryant: They know they gotta see me come October, so they're not gonna say too much.

SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY KOBE BRYANT AKA BLACK MAMBA AKA THE DOBERMAN!!!

I, like many other bloggers have made a couple blogs with trade ideas for Lamar Odom.  My favorite trade idea used to be Lamar Odom and Jordan Farmar for Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni.  And before he was resigned, I thought that a signed and trade for Josh Smith would be the best.  But after hearing that Lamar Odom might be traded for this Tuesday it has made everyone think of who it might be for.  People have commented on by blogs with their ideas and the best one I have seen is Lamar Odom for Antawn Jamison.  Even if we have to throw in Jordan Farmar and they throw in Antonio Daniels it is still the best trade I've heard.  The best one for the Lakers would be to trade Odom for Jamison and Pecherov.

We don't need to make a complicated 4- way trade like I always want to do.  Just two teams and 4 players.  According to ESPN trade machine these trades work.

Lakers Trade:

Lamar Odom ($14,148,596), Jordan Farmar (1,080,000)

Wizards Trade:

Antawn Jamison (9,923,285), Antonio Daniels (6,200,000)

OR

Lakers Trade:

Lamar Odom ($14,148,596)

Wizards Trade:

Antawn Jamison (9,923,285), Oleksiy Pecherov (1,446,720)

Comparing Lamar Odom and Antawn Jamison:

I'm not going to put in the stats because it always gets messed up for me.  Antawn Jamison averaged 20 and 10 last year while Lamar Odom average 14 and 10.  Lamar Odom is a 6-10 Foward who can bring the ball up court and pass well.  He can't shoot very well and isn't very aggresive.  Antawn Jamison is a 6-9 Foward who can shoot really well, rebounds well, but can't bring the ball upcourt and isn't known for his passing.  They both play mediocre defense.  Antawn Jamison was one of the only 20 and 10 guys last year.  He has better stats than future hall of famers Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.  He did all that while being the 2nd option on his team.  Lamar Odom was the 3rd option for most of the year, but he had similar stats to when he was the 2nd option on a not very good team.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderes
ult?players=294~2775~1724~883~2165~2184~510~990~27
72~10 17~2753~568~3016~1018~1026&teams=30~18~1    4~18~30~30~8~30~14~8~14~14~18~8~18&te=&cash=p>

Pistons Trade:

Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Jason Maxiell

Pistons Receive:

Zach Randolph, Shawn Marion, Jason Richardson

Knicks Trade:

Zach Randolph, David Lee, Eddy Curry

Knicks Receive:

Rasheed Wallace, Gerald Wallace, Adam Morrison, Jason Maxiell

Heat Trade:

Shawn Marion, Udonis Haslem, Marcus Banks

Heat Receive:

Tayshaun Prince, Raymond Felton, David Lee, Nazr Mohammed

Bobcats Trade:

Jason Ricardson, Raymond Felton, Gerald Wallace, Adam Morrison, Nazr Mohammed

Bobcats Receive:

Rip Hamilton, Udonis Haslem, Eddy Curry, Marcus Banks

I was talking to my friend about how Odom is rumored to have been traded and I thought of a trade that  would be cool if it happened.

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/traderes
ult?players=3207~1981~3224~2456~976~1781~2426~3002
~549~617~1016~2027&teams=13~ 13~10~13~13~13~10~4~4~4~10~4&te=&cash=

LA Lakers Trade:

Lamar Odom, Vladimir Radmanovic, Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, Chris Mihm

LA Lakers Receive:

Andres Nocioni, Kirk Hinrich, Shane Battier, Luis Scola, Aaron Gray

Chicago Bulls Trade:

Andres Nocioni, Kirk Hinrich, Aaron Gray, Joakim Noah, 2nd round draft pick

Chicago Bulls Receive:

Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton, Chris Mihm

Houston Rockets Trade:

Shane Battier, Luis Scola

Houston Rockets Receive:

Joakim Noah, Trevor Ariza, Vladimir Radmanovic, 2nd round draft pick

When I first started writing blogs on Foxsports it seemed like there was at least 2 new blogs every time I looked, but now there is only 1 new blog about every 5 times I come on.  Whenever I go on a computer I look to see if there is new blogs or new comments on my blogs.  I don't know if it is because the NBA season is over, or people are just on the computer less during the summer.  It could be because everyone is not having any ideas for a blog like me.  Usually when I can't think of a blog to write I just write one with trade ideas, but I have already written enough of those and I have used all my good ideas.  There hasn't been any big trades to blog about either and when one person writes about a trade there is no point in writing one that says the same thing.  I'm not into baseball at all and I don't really watch football or know anything about it so I don't read those blogs.  I like football, but I'm not a fan.  After every Olympic basketball game there is always one or two blogs that talk about the game, but that doesn't interest me as much as a blog with trade ideas or one where a blogger is giving their opinion on something in the NBA.  I wasn't blogging on Foxsports last season when Kobe Bryant demanded to be traded, but I bet there was probably a lot of blogs with trade ideas or bloggers hating on him.  This offseason there is no superstar demanding a trade or even being widely shopped around the league.  The Pistons said they want to change their team, but I haven't heard of them getting close to a blockbuster deal.  All the big free agents are gone too so there is no rumors about where they will sign.  I hope that once the season rolls around that there will be more blogs being written.

The Spanish basketball team is drawing a little heat this week for a promotional photo in which they all stretched their faces to slant their eyes. Making jokes about slanted eyes might not be the best preparation for a trip to Beijing…

Gasol, who said he was forced into it,  recently had this to say…

“Some of us didn’t feel comfortable doing it just because to me it was a little clownish for our part to be doing that,” Gasol told Martin Rogers of Yahoo! Sports. “But the sponsors insisted and insisted. I think it is just a bad idea I guess to do that, but it was never intended to be offensive or racist against anybody.

“I didn’t find it very funny. I didn’t find it offensive, either. I guess some guys didn’t mind. To me I don’t want to be that way, I guess, to be doing that stuff. “If anybody feels offended by it we totally apologize for it. We never meant anything offensive by it.”

Pau Gasol knew it was wrong, and he did it only after a sponsor insisted.

 

                                           
                                                  
                                 I didn't write this story.

Really Early Offseason Edition

Next season I am going to copy NBA.com and have a Race to the MVP post (with a different name).  Right now I'm bored so I am going to make a really early post.

 1. Lebron James, Cavaliers

Last season Lebron had the best overall stats, but he didn't have a great team and thats the reason he didn't win.  If he can improve his jumpshot, defense, and free throws then he might take the title of best in the game today away from Kobe Bryant.

 2. Chris Paul, Hornets

Chris Paul was 2nd in MVP voting after leading the Hornets to a surprising 56-26 record and 2nd seed in the West.  This season he will be better, which will in turn make his team better.

 3. Kobe Bryant, Lakers

Kobe won the MVP last season after leading his team to the #1 seed in the West, but this season he will have less chance because he has already won it and the voters don't like giving him MVP awards.

 4. Dwight Howard, Magic

Dwight Howard is the best center in the league and a force on offense and defense.  He was 5th in MVP voting last season and should have a better chance this season if he develops a better post game.

 5. Brandon Roy, Blazers

Brandon Roy is the leader of the young Blazers who are sure to be contending for the next decade.  Brandon Roy will be better next season and so will the Blazers.  If the Blazers get a top seed in the West then Roy might be the MVP.

 6. Deron Williams, Jazz

Deron Williams is one of the best point guards in the NBA and he has a good team, so that automatically puts him in the MVP discussion.  If the Jazz do good then he has a good chance at the MVP, unless Carlos Boozer takes the spotlight.

 7. Dwyane Wade, Heat

If the Heat get back to their elite status next year then Wade will be a frontrunner for the MVP, but for now he is #7.

 8. Kevin Garnett, Celtics

Garnett has less of chance of winning MVP this year because the Celtics have already been the big story and everyone knows they are back.  If the Celtics have the best record in the league again then Garnett will have a very good chance of winning his second MVP.

 9. Chris Bosh, Raptors

With the acquistion of Jermaine O'Neal the Raptors are expected to become a powerhouse in the East, and if they do then Chris Bosh will be a legitimate MVP contender.

 10. Tim Duncan, Spurs

Tim Duncan may be arguably the best power forward ever, but he has already won an MVP and unless the Spurs are the best team in the league next season he doesn't have a good chance at the MVP.

Top 20 (The Next 10)

11. Baron Davis, Clippers

12. Paul Pierce, Celtics

13. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks

14. Steve Nash, Suns

15. Rip Hamilton, Pistons

16. Yao Ming, Rockets

17. Elton Brand, Sixers

18. Tracy McGrady, Rockets

19. Carlos Boozer, Jazz

20. Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets

Please send feedback to thebasketballoracle@yahoo.com

I will use a points system to determine who is the best perimeter player in the NBA.

     Shooting        Passing       Rebounding       Defense        Inside Game        Playmaking

Lebron James:          6  -  7  -  7  -  8  -  10  -  7

Kobe Bryant:              9  -  7  -  7  -  8  -  10  -  7

Dwyane Wade:          7  -  7  -  6  -  7  -  10  -  7

Michael Redd:           10  -  5  -  5  -  5  -  6  -  5

Paul Pierce:                8  -  5  -  5  -  6  -  7  -  5

Ron Artest:                  7  -  4  -  6  -  10  -  6  -  5

Tracy McGrady:          8  -  7  -  6  -  7  -  10  -  6

Steve Nash:                 9  -  10  -  3  -  3  -  3  -  10

Jason Kidd:                 5  -  10  -  6  -  6  -  4  -  10

Chris Paul:                  6  -  10  -  5  -  6  -  7  -  10

Deron Williams:         7  -  10  -  4  -  5  -  7  -  10

Allen Iverson:              7  -  7  -  4  -  5  -  7  -  8

Carmelo Anthony:      8  -  4  -  7  -  6  -  10  -  6

     Shooting       Passing        Rebounding        Defense        Inside Game          Playmaking

Grand Totals:

1) Kobe Bryant - 48 points

2) Lebron James - 45 points

3) Dwyane Wade, Tracy McGrady, Chris Paul - 44 points

4) Deron Williams - 43 points

5) Jason Kidd, Carmelo Anthony - 41 points

6) Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Ron Artest - 38 points

7) Michael Redd, Paul Pierce - 36 points

Yesterday I did a points system to determine who was the best player in the NBA, but that was unfair since it is harder for the smalls the rebound and harder for the bigs to shoot.  I'm putting in shooting just to give Dirk a chance.  The points go by how they compare to other bigs.

               Inside Game   -   Post Game   -   Rebounding   -   Blocking   -   Shooting

Tim Duncan:              10  -  10  -  9  -  7  -  5

Kevin Garnett:             9  -  10  -  9  -  6  -  6

Chris Bosh:                  10  -  9  -  8  -  7  -  5

Yao Ming:                      10  -  9  -  7  -  6  -  6

Dwight Howard:            10  -  10  -  10  -  7  -  3

Shaquille O'Neal:           8  -  8  -  7  -  5  -  3

Dirk Nowitzki:                6  -  6  -  6  -  4  -  10

Carlos Boozer:              8  -  8  -  7  -  5  -  6

Andrew Bynum:             9  -  9  -  8  -  7  -  4

Greg Oden:                   7  -  7  -  8  -  7  -  4

Jermaine O'Neal:         8  -  8  -  7  -  7  -  5

LaMarcus Aldridge:        9  -  8  -  7  -  5  -  5

Pau Gasol:                        9  -  7  -  7  -  6  -  5

Grand Totals:

1) Tim Duncan - 41 points

2) Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard - 40 points

3) Chris Bosh - 39 points

4) Yao Ming - 38 points

5) Andrew Bynum - 37 points

6) Jermaine O'Neal - 35 points

7) Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Carlos Boozer - 34 points

8) Greg Oden - 33 points

9) Dirk Nowitzki - 32 points

10) Shaquille O'Neal - 31 points

Its a little unfair for Dirk since he plays more like a small forward.

I read a blog that ranked the NBA teams using a points system and now I am going to that, but instead I will be using a points system to find who is the best player in the NBA.

 Inside Game (IG)    Shooting (S)   Passing (P)    Defense (D)    Clutch (C)     Rebounding (R)

Kobe Bryant-

           10 - 8 - 7 - 8 - 10 - 6

Lebron James-

           10 - 6 - 7 - 7 - 8 - 7

Paul Pierce-

           8 - 7 - 4 - 6 - 6 - 5

Chris Paul-

          10 - 6 - 10 - 6 - 6 - 5

Tim Duncan-

          10 - 3 - 5 - 10 - 8 - 10

Kevin Garnett-

           10 - 4 - 10 - 5 - 10

Dwyane Wade-

           10 - 6 - 7 - 7 - 8 - 6

Carmelo Anthony-

           10 - 7 - 4 - 5 - 10 - 6

Allen Iverson-

           10 - 7 - 7 - 5 - 10 - 4

Dwight Howard-

           10 - 1 - 3 - 10 - 6 - 10

Grand Totals:

1) Kobe Bryant - 49 points

2) Tim Duncan - 46 points

3) Lebron James - 45 points

4) Dwyane Wade - 44 points

5) Chris Paul, Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett - 43 points

6) Carmelo Anthony - 42 points

7) Dwight Howard - 40 points

8) Paul Pierce - 36 points

I have already made predictions for the next season, but as more trades happen I am changing my predictions.  So there will probably be another NBA prediction by me near the start of the season.

REGULAR SEASON RANKINGS

West:

1 - Los Angeles Lakers

2 - New Orleans Hornets

3 - San Antonio Spurs

4 - Houston Rockets

5 - Utah Jazz

6 - Portland Trailblazers

7 - Dallas Mavericks

8 - Phoenix Suns

East:

1 - Boston Celtics

2 - Orlando Magic

3 - Detroit Pistons

4 - Philadelphia 76ers

5 - Miami Heat

6 - Cleveland Cavaliers

7 - Washington Wizards

8 - Toronto Raptors

PLAYOFFS

West:

First Round

1 Lakers (4) - 8 Suns (0)

2 Hornets (4) - 7 Mavericks (1)

3 Spurs (4) - 6 Blazers (3)

4 Rockets (4) - Jazz (3)

Second Round

1 Lakers (4) - 4 Rockets (2)

2 Hornets (4) - 3 Spurs (3)

Conference Finals

Lakers (4) - Hornets (3)

East:

First Round

1 Celtics (4) - 8 Raptors (2)

2 Magic (4) - 7 Wizards (1)

3 Pistons (4) - 6 Cavaliers (3)

4 76ers (2) - 5 Heat (4)

Second Round

1 Celtics (4) - 4 Heat (2)

2 Magic (4) - 3 Pistons (2)

Conference Finals

Celtics (4) - Magic (3)

FINALS

Lakers - Celtics

Game 1: Lakers

Game 2: Lakers

Game 3: Celtics

Game 4: Celtics

Game 5: Lakers

Game 6: Lakers

NBA Champions - Los Angeles Lakers

Finals MVP - Kobe Bryant

AWARDS

MVP - Chris Paul, Hornets

Rookie of the Year - Michael Beasley, Heat

Defensive Player of the Year - Kobe Bryant, Lakers

Coach of the Year - Nate McMillan, Blazers

Executative of the Year - Joe Dumars, Pistons

6th Man of the Year - Lamar Odom, Lakers

First Team All-NBA - Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard

Second Team All-NBA - Deron Williams, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett, Yao Ming

Third Team All-NBA - Jason Kidd, Brandon Roy, Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Andrew Bynum

First Team All Defense - Kobe Bryant, Bruce Bowen, Shane Battier, Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard

Magic, Jordan, Kobe, Wilt, and Kareem would probably make up the all-time NBA team, but what lineup of other players would have the best chance of stopping them from scoring at will.  The smartest choice would to get all the best defenders in NBA history.  Among those would be Bruce Bowen, Shane Battier, Larry Bird, Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon, Jason Kidd, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Marcus Camby, Gary Payton, Ron Artest, Tayshaun Prince, Ben Wallace, and more.  Since Magic Johnson is 6-9 that would create matchup problems so it would be hard to have Jason Kidd or Gary Payton on the team.

Jordan:

The person to defend Jordan has to be quick, strong, and mentally strong.  Ron Artest, Dennis Rodman, Bruce Bowen, and Larry Bird are the best suited to defend MJ.  I think that Dennis Rodman would be the best choice because he is 3 inches taller than Jordan, he is strong, and he knows how Jordan plays since he was on his team.

Defender: Dennis Rodman

Kobe:

Kobe is just like MJ with better range.  Larry Bird, Bruce Bowen, and Shane Battier are all good Kobe defenders.  We have seen Bowen and Battier defend Kobe, but Bird was long retired by the time Kobe was playing.  Kobe scored 45 on Battier in the season opener, but that doesn't mean he can't guard Kobe.  I just think that Bowen is the only person in the league right now that makes it harder for Kobe without the help of his teammates.

Defender: Bruce Bowen

Magic:

Magic isn't much of a scorer, but he would be able to set Jordan, Kobe, Wilt, and Kareem for easy baskets.  The person to guard Magic would need to be long and tall so that he wouldn't have as easy of passing opportunies.  Larry Bird and Tayshaun Prince are best suited for that job, but Tayshaun is longer, taller, and more of a defensive player.

Defender: Tayshaun Prince

Wilt:

Wilt is the most dominant scorer in NBA history.  He is the only person to average 50 points per game for an entire season and he is the only person in NBA history so score 100 points in a game.  The person to defend Wilt needs to be strong and tall.  Ben Wallace and Hakeem Olajuwon are the best choices.  Ben Wallace is stronger, but Hakeen is taller.  Even though Wilt has a 3 inch advantage, I would have Ben Wallace guard him.

Defender: Ben Wallace

Kareem:

Kareem wasn't the strongest person, but he was really tall and really long.  He also had the unblockable hook shot.  No one in the world could block his hook shot, except for maybe Manute Bol if he timed it right.  The best defenders for him have to be tall and good shot blockers or disrupters.  The top choices are Dikembe Mutombo and Manute Bol.  Mutombo is 3 inches shorter than Kareem, while Manute is 4 inches taller than Kareem.  I think that just his size alone would make it hard for Kareem, so I would put Manute Bol on Kareem.

Defender: Manute Bol

If these two lineups faced each other in a game then the final score would probably be somewhere around 125-65 at the end since the defenders wouldn't have a good enough offense to win.  Even though the All NBA team would probably score around 125, that is a lot less than they would score if a bunch of average defenders guarded them.

Magic Johnson (6-9) - Tayshaun Prince (6-9)

Michael Jordan (6-6) - Dennis Rodman (6-9)

Kobe Bryant (6-7) - Bruce Bowen (6-7)

Wilt Chamberlain (7-1) - Ben Wallace (6-9)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7-3) - Manute Bol (7-7)

'Agitated' Pierce cuffed, let go in Vegas

Updated: August 4, 2008, 1:35 PM EST LAS VEGAS (AP) - Police detained NBA star Paul Pierce in handcuffs during a weekend traffic stop on the Las Vegas Strip, but released him without issuing a summons.

Las Vegas police Officer Bill Cassell said Monday that Pierce was handcuffed briefly after emerging "a little agitated" from a vehicle he was driving around 3 a.m. Sunday.

Pierce led the Boston Celtics to the championship this year and was MVP of the finals.

The 6-foot-7, 235-pound Pierce was given field sobriety tests and a Breathalyzer, which registered below the legal limit. Cassell said Pierce was not arrested.

A valet was called to drive Pierce's car, and Pierce took a cab back to where he was staying.

A spokeswoman for the Celtics said Monday the team and Pierce had no comment.

 

*FoxSports writer wrote this story not me.  I don't know who wrote it though.

The main thing that Lakers fans are thinking this offseason is whether or not the Lakers are going to trade Lamar Odom.  I was one of the fans that thought getting Artest for Odom would be a dream deal, but that is no longer an option.  The only people that the Lakers could get for Odom now are Josh Howard, Ben Gordon, Tayshaun Prince, Shawn Marion, a bunch of picks and a veteran, and maybe Josh Smith.  The only trades that would be good out of those would be for Josh Smith, Shawn Marion, or Tayshaun Prince (but only if the Pistons throw in someone decent or a 1st round pick to go along with him).  But the smartest move might be to not trade him at all.  If the Lakers had Bynum on Perkins and Odom on Pierce the Finals would have been a lot different.  Pierce wouldn't be able to guard Odom on offense and Odom is quick enough, long enough, good enough, and tall enough to be able to stop Pierce on defense.  The Celtics would have had trouble guarding Bynum, Pau, and Odom on the inside when they only have Garnett and Perkins.  They wouldn't be able to go tall like the Lakers because that would require them either putting Allen or Pierce on the bench, or putting Allen at PG and Rondo on the bench which would make them have no ball handlers on the court so the Lakers could steal the ball easily.  If Bynum averaged around 16 ppg, 12 rpg, 2 bpg and Pau averaged around 17 ppg, 8 rpg, 3 apg and Odom averaged around 12 ppg, 10 rpg, 4 apg then the Lakers would have the best frontline in the NBA, to go along with one of the best backcourts and benches in the NBA.  The Lakers have 2 open roster spots available and with those they should sign a veteran PF who is good at defense and re-sign DJ Mbenga.  With so much help Kobe will only need to score around 25 ppg, which will allow him to focus on becoming the best perimeter defender in the league.  Fisher, Kobe, and Bynum are already good defensively, and with Odom being really tall for his position he will be good defensively unless he really doesn't try.  Pau is decent defensively, but with the rest of the starting lineup good at defense and him not being the center of the defense no one will notice as much.  I think that trading Odom would get rid of one of the biggest advantages that they will have next season.  Odom will be a free agent next offseason, and Kobe could opt out.  Odom is only worth around 7-9 million per year, and Kobe wants to win a championship and the only way for them to keep this team together would be for the Kobe to take a paycut which I think he would do.  If Bynum has a good season he will demanding the max, or close to it.  The Lakers haters think that there will only be 1 year of this team, but with the right moves it is very possible for the Lakers to keep the team together.  If they can trade Luke and Radmanovic for some picks, or a veteran then they will have an even better chance of keeping the team together.  Even after signing Kareem Rush the Sixers still need some shooters, so trading Radmanovic to them could be an option.  So I don't think the Lakers should trade Odom, unless the big lineup turns out to be a bust.  I also think that the Lakers should start Farmar to see how he does and because Fisher is getting older (and it would also minus the amount of time that Sasha and Farmar are in the same backcourt together).

The Lakers lineup (depth chart) next year could be:

PG - Jordan Farmar - Derek Fisher - Dwayne Mitchell / Coby Karl

SG - Kobe Bryant - Sasha Vujacic - Dwayne Mitchell / Coby Karl

SF- Lamar Odom - Trevor Ariza - Kobe Bryant - Luke Walton / Vladimir Radmanovic

PF- Pau Gasol - Lamar Odom - Free Agent - Vladimir Radmanovic

C - Andrew Bynum - Pau Gasol - Chris Mihm (healthy) - DJ Mbenga

Pierce was interviewed again and he said that he wasn't joking.

I added it to my original blog

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/Ubershort
y/2008/07/29/Pierce_says_hes_the_Best_Player_in_th
e_World