I'm not much of an NBA guy.  I know what's going on, but it's just hard to get into it until playoffs time.  Well, I'm in full NBA mode.  By full, I mean a little.  I'd still rather talk BCS, plus one, the 2010 NFL Draft, Braves pitching rotation, but come on.   The NBA will crown a champion soon.  Well, not soon..in about three months. 

    My question is this:  What happened?  In the East, Boston/ATL is knotted up.  Same with Rock City and Philly.  Orlando/Toronto was closer than the 4-1 series looked.  And Jay-Z is having problems knocking Soulja Boy off the charts.  While the West teams have dominated.  Wasn't the Nuggets/Lakers series supposed to seven?  Yeah, not even close.  Hornets took care of the Mavs easily (surprising easy).  Defending Champs took the best of what the Suns had and easily eclipsed them (see what I did there).  The only series of interest in the West is Jazz/Rockets. 

     Wasn't every series in the West going to be a knock down drag out?  Where eight seeds could beat one seeds and you don't know who to pencil in.  Didn't the Celts and Pistons have reserved seats for round two after four game sweeps?  

     All I have to say is beware of three seeds and their point guards.  Both PGs have seemed to flip the switch. 

   

   

The NBA salary cap is set at $53.135 million for the 06-07 season.  So I checked out si.com’s NBA salary report to make the best possible team that fits under that salary cap.  Let’s take a look:

 

 Starting five:

 

 C - Yao Ming – $12, 455,000

You’re going to need a presence down low.  What better than the 7’6” Ming? 

 PF - Dwight Howard - $4,806,720

Follow up that 7’6” nightmare with 6’11” Howard.  He’s a beast down low and you’re almost guaranteed a double-double. 

 

SF - Lebron James – $5,828,090

At a little under $6 mil, LeBron is a steal.  You won’t be able to keep him long, but one year is all you need with this team. 

SG - Dwyane Wade – $3,841,443

What else can you say about the SI, Sportsman of the Year?  He's what everyone wants in a teammate. 

PG - Kirk Hinrich - $3,192,628

He’s young, quick with great vision.  He’s Steve Nash with better range and without the reckless abandonment. 

 

Off the bench

 

C - Emeka Okafor –$4,300,560

Coming off the bench, Okafor can keep the middle clear of any flying objects. 

PF - Chris Bosh – $4,235,220

He’s the younger, cheaper version of Kevin Garnett. 

SF - Josh Howard – $1,667,603

I took Howard over Carmelo because he’s cheaper.  That’s the reason. 

SG - Ben Gordon - $3,862,080

Former sixth man award winner could be valuable backing Wade.

PG - Jameer Nelson - $1,272,120

Quite a surprise for the price.  Jameer can handle the ball and take that deep shot if needed. 

SF - Shane Battier - $5,393,300

Defensive specialist.  Every team needs one coming of the bench. 

 

Total - $49,187,161 (Below the cap, now I can get those leather seats for the box seats.)

 

There are thousands of choices I could have made.  What would your team look like?