Here's the thing with the MVP race this year, you can make a legitimate argument for four different candidates. The candidates are all so worthy and so different that I wouldn't argue anyone's choice if they backed it up logically. Of course, there are a lot of illogical arguments out there, and I have no qualms about destroying them with my scathing wit :P. Also, if you're going to argue that the MVP is anyone other than KG, LeBron, Kobe or CP3, you have to wear the stupid helmet.

What makes this MVP race especially difficult to decide is that the candidates are so completely different. Do you think that the MVP is the best player on the best team? It's hard to argue against KG there. Do you think the MVP is the most productive player? LeBron has a pretty strong claim to that distinction. You can make the case for anyone, and a lot of it depends on what you think the MVP award means. How do you define "Valuable"? As I write this, I'm not even sure who my pick is, I'm just going to make the best case I can for each player.

Make no mistake, this is not who I think will win the award. Kobe's going to win it, I don't think there's any doubt about that. This is who should win the award.

I'm gonna throw some statistics out there that you might not know. They aren't necessary to understand, but I'm just putting them out there. I explain them quickly in this post, a little way down the page.

LeBron James
Relevant Statistics:
51.8% eFG
71.2% FT
11.1 RB%
37.3 AST%
11.4 TO%
33.5 Usage%
116 ORtg

So, halfway through the year I announced that LeBron was my midseason MVP. What's changed since then? For LeBron and the Cavs, absolutely nothing. LeBron's stats are almost identical now to what they were at the halfway point. The Cavs' record at that point was 23-18, they ended the season at 45-37, almost exactly the same winning percentage. In fact, what I said at the time looks almost prescient in retrospect,

"LeBron is killing teams this year, and he’s dragging a really bad team to a top 4 seed in the playoffs."

Quite simply, LeBron has been superb this season. Make whatever arguments you want about clutch or leadership or whatnot, but the fact of the matter is that LeBron has produced more, night-in and night-out, than any player in the league. To put things in perspective, the Cavs play the 6th slowest pace in the league, almost 10 possessions per game less than league-leading Denver. Despite that, he's putting up the kind of numbers that Oscar Robertson put up in his prime. He absolutely denies comparison, Within a few years, we could legitimately be talking about him in the "Greatest Of All Time" sense.History may show us to be fools if we deny him here. LeBron James has to be the MVP.

Chris Paul
Relevant Statistics
52.4% eFG
85.1% FT
6.2 RB%
52.2  AST%
12.1 TO%
25.7 Usage%
125 ORtg

It's taken Chris Paul a mere three seasons to draw comparisons to Isiah Thomas in his prime. Three years to rejuvenate basketball in New Orleans. Three years to become the unquestioned leader of the #2 seed in the toughest conference in history. Three years to give the Hornets their first ever division title. Three years. That's how long it took him to average 21 points and 12 assists per game. You know how long you've got to go back to find the last guy who went 20 and 10 with assists? All the way back to the 92-93 season, when Timmy Hardaway did it. Even more impressive? Paul did it while playing on the 5th slowest team in the league. When he was on the floor, CP3 assisted on 52% of his teammates' field goals. The only other guy ever to do that? It's this guy you might have heard of, goes by "Stockton". He's responsible for single-handedly making Tyson Chandler an offensive force. You want to see improving your teammates? The two seasons before he came to New Orleans, Chandler shot 52.3% on 4.4 FGA per game. In two seasons with Paul, Chandler has shot 62.3% on 7.1 FGA per game, and the Paul-to-Chandler alley-oop has become one of the NBA's signature plays. In three short years he's taken the title of "best point guard" from a hall of famer still playing some of the best ball of his career. He's one of the most efficient players in the NBA, he's the league's best point guard, and he saved basketball in New Orleans. Chris Paul has to be the MVP.

Kobe Bryant
Relevant Statistics
50.3% eFG
84% FT
9.0 RB%
23.9  AST%
11.3 TO%
31.4 Usage%
115 ORtg

Over the last 5 years, Kobe Bryant has arguably been the best basketball player on the planet. He's been to the Finals, he's carried a mediocre team to the playoffs the last two years, he's dropped 81 points in a single game, and he made All-Defensive Team after All-Defensive Team. In all that, he's been passed over for the MVP award time and again. People always had complaints: He shared credit with Shaq, his team wasn't good enough, he wasn't a good teammate, he looked for his own scoring too much. Well, no such complaints this year. Surrounded by a core of talented young players. Kobe has moved past his off-season discontent and been the leader the Lakers need. His guiding of an injury-plagued team to the #1 seed has been nothing short of amazing. Consider the Lakers' two main trade acquisitions this year. Paul Gasol has played effectively 26 of the 37 games since he came over, and Trevor Ariza has played a mere 24 of the 70 games since he arrived. Add to that the fact that centers Andrew Bynum and Chris Mihm have spent the majority of the year on the DL, and you see what a truly impressive feat it was for Kobe to take this team to the top of the Western Conference. He's become the player we kept saying he should be, and his team sits on top of the toughest conference of all time. Kobe Bryant has to be the MVP.

Kevin Garnett
Relevant Statistics
53.9% eFG
80.1% FT
16.8 RB%
19.9  AST%
110.8 TO%
25.5 Usage%
118 ORtg

Two numbers ultimately describe Kevin Garnett's impact this season. 66 and 24. That's the Celtics' win total from this year and their win total last year. Lest this 42 game swing doesn't impress you, remember back to the beginning of the season, back before the Celtics started demolishing everyone in their way, back when no one was sure how this would work. 3 superstars with 0 championship rings between them, not much of a bench and a reliance on young, unproven guys to fill the other spots on the court. We knew they'd be pretty good, we certainly knew they'd be better than last year, but no one was ready for this. 66-16, the best record in the league wire-to-wire, a huge +10.26 point differential (3.5 points higher than second-place Utah), and the best defense in the league by a long shot. More than anyone else, Garnett's impact goes beyond statistics (and that's saying something, since his are quite impressive). His arrival brought about a culture shift in Boston. His intensity has ratcheted up the defensive play of every other member of the team. His deft passing in the post and willingness to give them the ball has instilled confidence in guys like Kendrick Perkins, Glen Davis and Leon Powe. His presence has drawn in free agents like James Posey, P.J. Brown and Sam Cassell to give the Celtics veteran depth. As far as overall impact on a franchise, it's hard to argue anyone has done more than Garnett. He's the best defender in the game, he turned his team around, and he rejuvenated basketball in Boston. Kevin Garnett has to be the MVP

---

There are legitimate cases to be made for all four candidates.  However, we've got to pick one, so who's it going to be?

LeBron might be the best basketball player on the planet, but his team hasn't been impressive this year. Despite their overall record, the Cavs actually have a negative point differential. Basically, they're lucky to have even broken .500, much less be a 45 win team. How much fault does LeBron take for that? I'm not inclined to criticize him much, since he's been surrounded by a truly sucktastic supporting cast this season. However, he certainly doesn't have the defensive impact that Kobe or Garnett have, and I'm not sure Chris Paul hasn't actually had the better offensive season.

Paul has certainly put up impressive numbers and led his team to be a lot better than they were supposed to be. However, he's also got some pretty solid teammates around him. Peja's shooting stroke and David West's solid all-around game (by the way, even though people keep saying it, he's still underrated) really complement his skills and give the Hornets a strong team. Unlike last year, and unlike the Lakers this year, Paul's Hornets have stayed healthy and haven't had to deal with much adversity during the season. Also, of all these 4, Paul is probably the weakest defensively.

Kobe's overall production and statistical impact just don't measure up to LeBron and Paul. Those two are having, quite simply, transcendent seasons. His season certainly doesn't jump off the page like the others do. Also, the MVP award isn't a career achievement award, it's an individual regular season award. Frankly, Kobe has had better seasons, and just because he didn't win it then doesn't mean that he should win it now. Sure, he has done a great job leading the Lakers, but does it even remotely compare to the job that Garnett has done in Boston?

Garnett might be the main force behind Boston's turnaround, but it's not like he did it alone. Having teammates like Paul Pierce and Ray Allen certainly helps. Garnett also isn't the guy who is going to take the tough shot at the end o####ame, he's never relished that role. Can you be the MVP if your team goes to other guys in the clutch, especially when compared to these other three guys?

The Pick

I've swung back and forth on this in the last few weeks more times than I care to count. As I said above, I hadn't decided who this pick would be even as I wrote the post. After poring over everything, I realized that my MVP vote has to go to Kevin Garnett. Here's the thing, all week I've kind of dismissed KG's candidacy. I thought he was the weakest of the four, not  on the same level as Kobe, Paul and LeBron. However, as I looked over all that he's done this year and the numbers that he has put up, it becomes harder and harder to find any reason not to pick him. I'm not concerned with the fact that he isn't their go-to clutch scorer, I'm much more concerned with what happens in the first 45 minutes of the game than what happens in the last 3. I remember back to the criticism of the Ray Allen trade and how that only really turned into a good thing once KG was on board. I thought back to how uncertain I was of the Celtics at the beginning of the season. I thought about how Garnett transformed a team with no other guys who you could call reliable top-tier defenders and transformed them into one of the best (if not the best) defensive teams of the past ten years. His defensive presence, the way he has completely altered the team's atmosphere and the incredible turnaround from worst to first all point to one thing.

Kevin Garnett is the MVP

I've been following the Houston Rockets at a distance this whole season, and I was pretty disappointed in them up until recently. I even considered dropping them from my list of contenders at midseason because they just hadn't played well at all. In fact, here's what I said about them on January 25th, 3 games after McGrady came back:

"They’re the biggest stretch on the list and might not even make the playoffs. However, they’re an elite-level defensive team, and they still have half a season to try and get McGrady to buy into Adelman’s system...However, they’ve still got 40 games to work things out, and I think a McGrady easing his way back in after injury still has a chance to integrate himself into the offense. I think this team either takes off in the second half or they piddle along for a while before collapsing."

You know, I think 16-1 since McGrady's return might qualify as taking off. So, what's changed in the last few weeks that has Houston playing so well? Like I did a while back with Portland, I'm going to take a look at the Rockets' streak both statistically and what I've seen when I watched them.

The first thing to note is the recent play of McGrady. I've remarked multiple times on how T-Mac's ball domination and constant isolation plays were killing the Rockets' offense. That's changed since McGrady came back from his injury. He's still scoring, but not as much, and he's taking less shots. The drastic difference though is seen in his passing ability, from 4.6 APG in November to 7 APG in January. McGrady's size gives him the ability to see and pass over basically any defender he's faced with, which is deadly in Rick Adelman's offense which features a lot of back-cuts. He's still a great option to have when the clock is running down and he still has those times when he gets hot and carries the team, but more and more he's fitting into the offense and getting his teammates easy looks.

The other big thing that's immediately noticeable is the increased production from the PF spot. Luis Scola has begun to start games and get more minutes and he's doing more with them. He moves so well without the ball and he's finally figuring out Adelman's offense, so he's getting himself easy shots and converting (leading to his 58.9% shooting this month). One of the most surprising developments in the league has been emergence of Carl Landry as a legitimate contributor on a playoff team. I panned the drafting of Landry at the time, but 'm eating my words now. He's ridiculously strong and has great hands, so he finishes almost everything he gets near the rim, and he's a pretty decent mid-range shooter. Most impressive might be the way he has quickly adjusted from being the primary option in college to moving off the ball and finding open space for easy shots. He and Scola both are very good with their spacing, and they're making teams pay for helping off them. What surprises me though is that the increased minutes have come at the expense of Chuck Hayes and the Rockets haven't suffered defensively or rebounding the ball. As a result, they've been a much-improved offensive team while maintaining their solid defense.

So, what do the stats from Houston's streak tell us? Well, most notably they're averaging almost 7 more points per 100 possessions, a huge jump from where they were from the rest of the season. Why are they so much better? Immediately what jumps out are the teams' assist numbers. The Rockets are averaging almost 5 more assists per 100 possessions, and they've assisted on 66% of their made FGs during the streak vs 57.7% for the rest of the year. All that extra ball movement and their turnovers are actually down, averaging 3 less TOs per 100 possessions. That ball movement results in the increased shooting percentages and better offensive efficiency that we see. It certainly looks as though the team is getting adjusted to Adelman's offense.

Defensively, I think Houston might be playing the best defense of any team in the league right now. I'm not sure how many people realize just how good this defense is because it doesn't jump out at you as you watch them. They don't block a ton of shots or force a lot of turnovers, and if you were just watching them play your team you'd probably think your guys just had a bad shooting night. However, if you pay attention to the Rockets, you'd notice that a lot of teams seem to have "bad shooting nights" against them. It's the thing that statistics finds almost impossible to quantify in individual players, the ability to play solid D and force tough shots. Houston has a few guys who are very good at making you take a tough shot over them (Battier, Hayes, Landry), but they also play fantastic help defense, rotating well in pick and roll situations and doing a good job of "helping the helper". Lastly, of course, there's Yao, who has the ability to block or alter shots without leaving his feet, meaning that he doesn't give up rebounding position to make your shot tougher. Put it all together and you've got a really good defensive team.

So what do things look like going forward for the Rockets? Well, first of all they play their next four games at home against Washington, Memphis, Denver and Indiana before they go play at Dallas, so there's a pretty good chance that they run this streak to 16 games. More importantly, this doesn't seem to me like a team that just got hot. This is a team that has genuinely made some huge progress during the season. I think McGrady came back from injury looking to integrate himself in the offense, and that Scola is getting better and better as he adjusts to the NBA game. Combine that with the emergence of Landry and the recent acquisition of Bobby Jackson (who played under Adelman in Sacramento) and you have a deep and talented team that is improving each game. The McGrady injury is looking more and more like a blessing in disguise. It got the rest of the team sharing the ball and moving it around well in order to score, and when McGrady came back he fit in and the role players were better for the experience. Also, that's 11 less games on McGrady's back this season, meaning he should be fresher come playoff time.

To me, few teams are exhibiting the kind of offense/defense balance that Houston is showing right now, and I think they're legitimately one of the top title threats. Obviously there's almost no predicting who comes out of the West this year. However, after seeing how they've begun to play offensively, I feel more comfortable now with saying the Rockets are contenders than I was at the beginning of the season.

You know, I’ve tried to write this post like 6 times, and every time I just stall at the beginning and give it up. Maybe I’ll actually get it written this time.

Anyway, we’ve hit the half way point of the NBA season. It’s time to look back at what we’ve learned, as well as look forward to what we can expect from the rest of the season. With that in mind, lets take a look at some of the teams that I really missed on.

Memphis Grizzlies
Wow, did I miss on these guys or what? Strangely enough, a lot of what I thought would happen with them did happen. Rudy #### really blossomed in his second year, becoming a potent scorer, J.C. Navarro has been one of the best rookies in the league and has had some truly spectacular shooting performances, and Mike Conley has played very well since returning from injury. They’re actually a decent offensive team. However, where I was wrong was thinking that they would be an improved defensive team. #### hasn’t been much of a defender, even though he has all the tools for it, Kyle Lowry isn’t having nearly as much impact as last year, and most importantly, Darko has been absolutely terrible. One reason I liked them so much was because an even slightly improved Darko would give them a much-needed shot-blocking presence in the back of their defense. Instead, Darko has, amazingly, been much, much worse than he was in Orlando last year. Of course, I also though 42 or 43 wins would get you into the playoffs out West, and that doesn’t appear to be the case at this point. Oh well, they’ll at least put themselves in good position to get Mike Beasley or DeAndre Jordan in the draft.

Chicago Bulls
I, like everyone else, have been pretty stunned by the poor performance of the Bulls. Now, to some extent we probably should’ve been able to see this coming. All the talk about a Kobe trade obviously had an effect on the young guys on this team. It was also painfully obvious that Ben Wallace was declining rapidly as a player. However, there’s no way that anyone could’ve predicted the inexplicably bad play of the Bulls’ young core players. To have one young guy regress when he should be improving is one thing, but for five guys under the age of 27? It’s absolutely incredible. Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Duhon and Thomas are all having worse seasons than last year. We’re not just talking about slightly worse either, we’re talking about them being significantly less productive. 7 of the top 8 guys on the team (with Joe Smith as the exception) are shooting worse than they were last season. It’s absolutely mind-blowing how the young Bulls have regressed. I think we’re going to see the Bulls in the playoffs at the end of this season 1) because they’re in the East, and as bad as they’ve been they’re only a game behind the Pacers for the last playoff spot right now, but also because 2) it’s absolutely unheard of for a team full of young players to take a huge step backwards like this, and I think they’ll bounce back some and be respectable by season’s end.

Portland Trailblazers
I actually kind of thought Portland would be better than most people thought they would, but I never thought they’d have this kind of success. The biggest shocker to me has been the extraordinary play of Brandon Roy. I’ll be honest, I thought Roy was a really good player when Portland drafted him, and I thought he’d make a few All-Star teams and be a really good player, but I never thought he’d be this good, this fast. He has become the unquestioned leader of the team that has the best chemistry in the league. He does all the little things and he’s a big-time clutch player, making big shots, big defensive stops and getting big rebounds. I’d be hard-pressed to name a player with a better hesitation move than Roy, he reminds me a bit of Nash in the way that he always looks like he’s completely under control. Of course, the other big reason for the Blazers’ success has been the brilliant coaching of Nate McMillan. This Blazers team has great chemistry, they run their offensive sets really well, and they use zone defenses as well as any team in the league. That’s great coaching, McMillan has got this young team executing and believing in themselves.

Those are the teams that have really surprised this year, but we’ve also learned a lot this season about the league’s elite teams. With that in mind, I’m taking another look at my list of potential contenders and cutting it down to size a bit.

My list from the preseason looked like this (in no particular order): Spurs, Mavs, Rockets, Jazz, Celtics, Nuggets, Bulls, Suns

My list now (again, in no particular order): Spurs, Celtics, Pistons, Rockets, Nuggets, Lakers

So, why did I drop the teams I did?

Bulls are obvious, I’m not going to go over them

Jazz
They can’t defend the post at all, and I can’t bring myself to pick them in a conference with Duncan, STAT, Yao, Dirk, and now Bynum. You have to defend the post, and they can’t.

Mavs
Gone unnoticed by basically everyone is the fact that the Mavs’ defense has not been good this year. This team was 2nd in the league on offense and 5th on defense last year, this year they’re 2nd on offense and 18th on defense. Add that to their playoff failures the last two years and this team screams “paper tiger” to me.

Suns
Hardest drop from the list for me. I love Nash and I think this team is tremendously talented. However, they’re a worse defensive team than last year, and they aren’t going to win a title that way. Amare continues to be a weakness defensively in the post, and Brian Skinner brings defense, but he doesn’t have any offensive skills. Kurt Thomas was so great because he could both guard bigs and step out and hit the mid-range jumper, Skinner can’t do that. I hate it, but bad defensive teams don’t win titles.

You’ll notice a common theme on why I didn’t pick any of the previous teams. To put the importance of defense in perspective, there have only been 2 teams in the modern era who have won a title without a top 10 defense, and they were the ‘95 Rockets and the ’01 Lakers (who don’t even really count because they played great defense the year before and the year after and during the playoffs with essentially the same team, and obviously didn’t care about the regular season this year). Moral of the story is that defense is really important.

You may also be wondering why the Hornets didn’t make the list. Simply put, they don’t have a bench. I would take their starting five against any other starting unit in the league, but they don’t have the depth or the experience to make a deep run, especially not if anyone (read: Peja) gets hurt. I love the team, I love Chris Paul, they’re a great story, but I don’t think this is their year.

So, why the teams that I did pick?

I’m not going over the Spurs and Celtics, you all know why they’re on that list.

Nuggets
They have two possible starters who are out indefinitely with injury (Nene and Chucky Atkins), Carmelo’s production and efficiency is down significantly from his past two seasons, and they have a serious lack of three-point shooting. Still, they’re 25-16 and first in their division. The reason is because Allen Iverson has fully embraced being a co-star with Melo and is having the most efficient season of his career, and because Marcus Camby takes this team from being a very bad defensive team to being a very good defensive team. If Atkins comes back healthy or they can add one more shooter through a trade, I think this becomes a very dangerous offensive team as well as a good defensive team, and that makes them a contender.

Rockets
They’re the biggest stretch on the list and might not even make the playoffs. However, they’re an elite-level defensive team, and they still have half a season to try and get McGrady to buy into Adelman’s system. As I wrote back when I blogged the season-opener between LA and Houston, McGrady dominating the ball so much absolutely kills this offense, and they often look significantly better without him on the court. However, they’ve still got 40 games to work things out, and I think a McGrady easing his way back in after injury still has a chance to integrate himself into the offense. I think this team either takes off in the second half or they piddle along for a while before collapsing.

Pistons
I left them off in the preseason because I thought they were missing the tough, killer-instinct, underdog mentality that fueled their last title run. What I didn’t count on was the Celtics getting off to a historical start and really lighting a fire under the Pistons to prove that they were the best team in the East. I honestly think that Boston’s great start had a positive impact on the Pistons, that it lit a fire under them that they didn’t have last year when LeBron trampled all over them in the playoffs. They’re also getting fantastic bench production and they execute and exploit weak defenders as well as any team in the league. I still don’t think they could beat the Spurs, but I think they could beat another team from the West if San Antonio doesn’t make the finals

Lakers
This one comes with a caveat. I reserve the right to dismiss this if the post-injury Bynum we get isn’t the same as pre-injury Bynum. LA has been a MUCH better defensive team this year because Bynum has been on the floor more, has become far less foul-prone, and has rebounded a lot better than last year. The bench and the contributions of Derek Fisher have been great, but Bynum is the key. He isn’t an elite player yet by any means, but he has great hands and finishes well on offense, and he improves their defense exponentially. If he comes back playing as well as early on this season, the Lakers are a long-shot contender.

Well, this post has run on long enough, and I’m sure you’re all tired of my wordiness. The last thing I’ll leave you with is my MVP pick for the first half of the season.

MVP: LeBron James
 With all due respect to Kevin Garnett’s fantastic work in Boston and Kobe’s exceptional play and leadership (who ‘da thunk it?), this isn’t even close. Yes, I know about Boston’s 33-7 record and how KG has gotten everyone playing great defense. I repeat, the MVP race is NOT EVEN CLOSE. Lebron uses more of his team’s possessions than anyone outside of DWade, and his offensive rating this year is 12 points higher than Flash! He averages 30-8-7 with 2 steals and a block, and he shoots almost 50%. Lebron’s AST% (an estimate of the percentage of his teammates’ field goals his assists while on the court) is 6th in the league. 6th! He’s one percentage point behind Deron Williams! It’s not quite MJ numbers that we’re talking about here, but we’re getting close. LeBron is killing teams this year, and he’s dragging a really bad team to a top 4 seed in the playoffs. He’s the MVP, Period.

Alright, that’s it for me, I finally got this post cranked out. I’ll be sharing my opinions on the All-Star team next post, which should be pretty soon, so keep a look out for that.

Well, finally, after long hours of toil and research, my NBA Season Preview is finished. I sincerely apologize for not being able to finish all the teams in time for the season opener, it ended up being a much more time-consuming process than I thought it would be. Next year I'll know to start my preparations earlier. Anyway, I hope you appreciated the preview, I certainly had fun making it and debating on the merits of various teams. If there's something that could be improved on in the format or something that you think would improve it next time around, please let me know. I've already got some ideas for improvement, so hopefully next year's version will be much improved. Anyway, if you haven't been reading my previews and you would like to, you can check out my Eastern Conference Previews and my Western Conference Previews, you can link to each individual team's preview from there.

Now, with that said, some thoughts on the beginning of the season.

I knew Dwight Howard was going to be really good this year, but I didn't think he would be quite this good. Honestly, if you were going to give out the MVP award right now, it would go to Howard. He's been absolutely unstoppable on both ends of the floor. As J-Dizzle, Dusty and I were discussing in another post, Howard needs a good nickname, cause we can't just go around calling him D-####, it just doesn't work. My suggestion is Dwight "The Hammer" Howard. It has a nice ring to it, and it fits his game to a tee. Thoughts?

The Celtics are the best team in the East if the big three stay healthy. I've thought this from the beginning, and their start was extremely impressive. It wasn't just that they've been beating teams, it's that they've been KILLING teams, with a margin of victory in the mid-teens. That's simply obscene.

In retrospect, we probably should've seen this coming with the Bulls. They're a young team, and all the Kobe talk has obviously been detrimental to them. I still think they'll be alright. They're too talented a squad to miss the playoffs.

Stop trying to use Orlando's hot start to justify the Rashard Lewis signing. The issue was never about whether he was a good fit with the team. The issue was that they could have signed him for way less money, and they're going to be regretting this when he's 33 and they're paying him $24 mil.

Why can't Walter Herrmann get minutes for the Bobcats? This baffles me. Sam Vincent apparently prefers playing Primoz Brezec and Ryan Hollins 27 minutes a night instead of giving Walter some burn. After the way he tore it up last year, you've got to give the guy a chance out on the floor.

Indiana is going to be better than I thought. I didn't factor in the acquisition of Jim O'Brien as coach, which will help this team a ton. His style plays right into their strengths, namely 3-PT shooting. He's made a decent player out of Mike Dunleavy, and that's pretty good. They aren't a playoff team, but they can get hot from behind the line and beat people, so they'll most likely end up higher than I thought.

It's been years since the league has had a collection of sixth men as good as this. Manu, Terry, and Barbosa are all legit all-star talents.

Quick look at college basketball, next year's draft is going to be ridiculously deep. Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, Eric Gordon, Kevin Love, J.J. Hickson, Kosta Koufos, O.J. Mayo, and DeAndre Jordan are all guys who have been impressive early and are legit top-shelf prospects, and that's just the freshmen.

Have A Happy Turkey Day All!!

Stats Explanation, Western Conference Overview

San Antonio Spurs

Coach: Gregg Popovich
2006-2007 Record: 58-24
06-07 Expected Record: 60-22
Offensive Rating: 109.3 (5th in NBA, league average 106.5)
Defensive Rating: 99.8 (2nd in NBA, league average 106.5)
eFG%: 52.1% (2nd in NBA)
Possessions per 48: 89.8 (27th in NBA)

Roster
(You'll have to scroll to see it all. Red indicates new player, blue indicates rookie)

Tim Duncan remains the one player I would want above all if I had to win a championship this year. The truly elite post players who dominate both ends can be counted on one hand, and Ducan is the best of them all. He's one of the 10 greatest players of all time, and he shows no signs of slowing down. There's not a more consistently excellent defensive player on the planet, and though he isn't a prolific scorer, he still scares the #### out of you in the playoffs because he can drop 30-20 on you without breaking a sweat.

I hate to make a judgment on just the playoffs, but it looks for all the world like Tony Parker made The Jump in the Finals last year. He eviscerated a really good Cavs team (4th best defensive team in the league, and they were particularly good against PGs), just getting to the rim at will and showcasing an solid jumpshot. Overall last year he had easily his best year, and he' keeps getting better.

I wonder if Ginobili will end up getting the bulk of the starts at shooting guard, or if he'll end up coming off the bench for the most part. The rotation of Manu, Finley, and Barry at the 2 is as good as any in the league. Manu brings an up-tempo, gunslinger style that the team sorely needs. Barry is one of the game's best spot-up shooters and he's got excellent court vision.

Horry continues to be an excellent sub in limited minutes, and while he doesn't do a whole lot during the regular season, his defensive presence and shooting range are invaluable in the playoffs.

Bonner and Udoka are kind of being groomed up as successors to Horry and Bowen. I'd expect them to get a decent chunk of minutes this year to keep the old guys fresh for the playoffs.

X-Factor: Oberto and Elson - Oberto is the more polished interior player. Elson is the more athletic, dynamic defender. If only San Antonio could combine them into one supercenter. The Spurs would love for Elson to continue to develop as a defensive presence and finisher to complement Duncan, though they'll probably continue to platoon equally like they did last year. The contributions of Elson and Oberto were a big reason why the Spurs were so good last year, since San Antonio had just been getting by with Rasho Nesterovic (who basically defines the term "big stiff") ever since The Admiral retired. With a full year of playing time in the Spurs' system for both of them, I'd expect the two-headed monster at center to see improved production.

It's really amazing the way the Spurs keep their roster together. They've got the best front office in sports. They return an amazing 98% of their minutes played from last year.

Overview

Contrary to popular belief, the Spurs were actually the best team in the regular season last year. They had the best margin of victory and were one of the most consistent teams in the league. They came into the playoffs without as much hype as Dallas and Phoenix, but they executed like they usually do and came away with another title. Sure, they caught a break against Phoenix, but they won all the other series convincingly, including their absolute decimation of the Cavs. They were a great defensive team, and a better offensive team than people usually give them credit for. They don't get many offensive rebounds, but they shoot a very high percentage and they take great care of the ball, which makes them a very effective offensive team. They also had maybe the best bench in the entire league. Ginobili (at times), Barry, Horry, Elson, and Vaughn are all very good backups who can provide different looks for the team. There aren't many teams out there with more balance than the Spurs had last year.

Prediction

I'm convinced that the Spurs have to be the prohibitive favorites to win this season. After they won last year, there were a slew of stories about how the Spurs can't be considered a dynasty because they haven't won back-to-back championships yet. We also got a bunch of stories about how good and underappreciated Duncan is. I think this year the Spurs will be playing to prove their place in history, and that TD will take down another MVP award as they run towards the title. They kept their entire core and added a strong backup SF in Udoka. Nobody has more balance, experience, and chemistry than the Spurs, and the presence of Duncan still puts them on a different level than everyone else.

1st in the West - Frontrunner

Stats Explanation, Western Conference Overview

New Orleans Hornets

Coach: Byron Scott
2006-2007 Record: 39-43
06-07 Expected Record: 36.5-45.5
Offensive Rating: 104.7 (23rd in NBA, league average 106.5)
Defensive Rating: 106.7 (15th in NBA, league average 106.5)
eFG%: 47.9% (27th in NBA)
Possessions per 48: 90.2 (23rd in NBA)

Roster
(You'll have to scroll to see it all. Red indicates new player, blue indicates rookie)

This just in, Chris Paul is all kinds of good. I say this despite the fact that I hate him for once punching N.C. State star Julius Hodge in the groin. He's lightning quick, keeps the ball on a string, has a great passing eye, and finishes as well as any point in the game not named Tony Parker.

I think a lot of people underrate David West. He's not a great rebounder, but he's a very versatile offensive player.

You think the Bulls might be regretting that Tyson Chandler trade? Of players who played at least 20 minutes a game, he had the highest highest rebound rate in the league, and he led the league in offensive rebounds. In addition to being maybe the league's best rebounder, Chandler is a very effective shotblocker. He's not gonna be a go-to guy in the post, but he's only 25 and still learning, and he's the kind of defensive and rebounding presence that you can win a lot of games with.

If Peja is healthy, he gives this team a 3rd really legit scoring presence, as well as a guy who you absolutely can't double off of. Now, while Peja has always been a bit fragile, he's never missed a whole season like he did last year. I think he plays at least 60 games this year for the Hornets, and that's a huge boost to their offense.

Mo Pete had a strange season last year. Despite taking on a lesser load than in any of his previous years, he shot worse percentages (especially from the line) and was less efficient offensively. Peterson will take on a bigger role this season, and I'd expect he returns to his previous level of being a solid role player.

The bench on this team is, to put it lightly, not so good. When Bobby Jackson and Jannero Pargo are the main guys coming off the pine, you might be in a bit of trouble.

I really like Julian Wright. He's a huge talent, and when he was on last year, he was unstoppable. He doesn't have a good jumpshot yet, but he's got just about everything else. He's a really long player who can either play as a big 3 or a quick 4, and he's a very good passer and defender. When he's at his best, he's really a nightmare to match up against. Think a combination of Boris Diaw and AK-47.

X-Factor: Hilton Armstrong - I know it's a lot to expect much of a second-year guy who didn't do much of anything his first year, but I think Armstrong is going to be a solid contributor this year. He's a lengthy, athletic post who can rebound and block shots. He's gotten a lot of minutes in the preseason so far, and he's done a pretty good job with it. The Hornets' big weakness is their bench, and especially their backup post players. If they can get about 20 solid minutes a night from Armstrong, their bench improves quite a bit.

Overview

Few teams got as devastated by injury last year as the Hornets did. Paul missed 18 games, West missed 30 games, Chandler missed 9 games, Jackson missed 26 games, and Peja missed almost the entire season. That's 152 games missed by 5 of their top 6 players. The fact that the Hornets actually managed to win 39 games is absolutely amazing If they'd had a healthy Paul all season, you have to think they would've had a great shot at the playoffs. They were an excellent rebounding team, but they took way too many long range shots, resulting in a low shooting percentage and very few trips to the free throw line. Defensively, they were actually a fairly good team, but they didn't force many turnovers at all (29th in the league), so despite not sending teams to the line and rebounding extremely well, they were an average defensive team.

Prediction

I think too many people are sleeping on this team. If they can stay even relatively healthy they have a great shot at the playoffs. Their bench is thin, but they've got a well-balanced starting lineup, and Paul is a real game changer. They were 3 games out of the playoffs last year, and you've got to think that they would've made it without the terrible injury problems. The teams around them haven't significantly improved, and the Clippers have dropped out completely. With improvement from all their young players and recovery from injury, the Hornets have a great shot at the postseason.

8th in the West - Other Playoff Potentials

Stats Explanation, Western Conference Overview

Memphis Grizzlies

Coach: Marc Iavaroni
2006-2007 Record: 22-60
06-07 Expected Record: 26-56
Offensive Rating: 106.8 (12th in NBA, league average 106.5)
Defensive Rating: 112.4 (30th in NBA, league average 106.5)
eFG%: 50.4% (9th in NBA)
Possessions per 48: 93.6 (7th in NBA)

Roster
(You'll have to scroll to see it all. Red indicates new player, blue indicates rookie)

Gasol is an underrated player in my opinion. He's not a world beater, but he's a solid 20-10 guy who shoots a good percentage, is a solid rebounder, passes very well for a big man, and blocks shots without fouling. There are precious few big men in the league that you can say all that about.

Mike Miller may not play a lot of defense, but man can he shoot. He won't get you a lot in other categories, but the guy can fill it up in a hurry.

Warrick and #### are both highly athletic wings who have wiry frames and the ability to explode to the rim. Warrick started and ended last season extremely well, but had a lot of inconsistent outings. He's an effective scorer, but needs to become a better rebounder and cut down on his turnovers. #### had a bit of a rough rookie year, but he got a lot of burn and that experience should help him. He scored in double figures in 25 of 28 games at the end of last year. He also had some very good defensive games, and has the kind of length, athleticism, and skills that could make him an excellent defender. Both these guys are young and inconsistent, but they've got a ton of talent.

I loved the Navarro signing. He's one of the premier European players, and he's an outstanding shooter. With he and Miller on the floor, it becomes almost impossible to send someone down to double on Pau. In addition, he's a friend of Pau's from playing together on the Spanish national team, and should work well with the Griz's top player.

The point guard situation is going to be interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if the veteran Stoudamire starts games early in the season, but I would be shocked if Lowry or Conley isn't the starter by season's end. Lowry didn't play a lot of games last year, but he played very well in the games he did play, and he played well this summer. He's a very good defensive player and is a really gritty performer. Conley is the point guard of the future, and even though young point guards don't have a great track record, Conley is the kind of special talent that could prove the exception to the rule. He's an absolutely freakish athlete, who is extremely strong for his size and has a blindingly quick first step. His ability to finish around the rim reminds me of Tony Parker, he can hit the floater and he's great at finishing through contact and avoiding the block. He's also an exceptional ballhandler and has a great passing eye. A lot of the time when I watched him last year, I was reminded of Steve Nash in the way that Conley, like Nash, would get past his man and then slow up and let passing lanes develop. If he develops a jumpshot, watch out.

X-Factor: Darko Milicic - Anyone who tells you they know what's coming with Darko is lying. His talent is undeniable, but he's not a real strong rebounder and he's inconsistent on the offensive end. On the other end though, Darko's best attribute is his shotblocking, where he is one of the best rim protectors in the league. This season really is a make or break one for Darko if he's ever going to realize his talent. He's entering his 5th season at 22, and he's on a young team running a high-paced, international style offense. If he can't succeed here, I'm giving up on him. If nothing else though, he's a serviceable big man simply for his ability to block shots.

Overview

The Grizzlies' season was basically ended last year when Pau missed the first 22 games of the year, and Memphis plummeted to 5-17. For the rest of the season you basically got the impression that they had phoned it in and were tanking their way to pole position in the race for Oden. They replaced Mike Fratello with interim coach Tony Barone and immediately ramped up their pace. The team was actually pretty good offensively, 12th in the league in offensive efficiency, but they were absolutely terrible on defense. That is kind of surprising because they were a very good defensive team in 05-06 and only really lost Shane Battier, Eddie Jones, and Lorenzen Wright. Now, losing Battier definitely hurts, and Jones and Wright are both decent defenders, but you definitely wouldn't think that those losses would take a team from 2nd to last in defense. I think that a lot of the change had to do with the injury to Gasol, the losing attitude, and the change in coaching philosophy.

Prediction

I really like the Grizzlies this year, I've liked them all summer as I've watched the moves they made. Their mix of rangy, athletic players, quick guards, and long-range shooters is perfect for their transition-style offense. The additions of Conley, Milicic, and Navarro along with the development of the young players and the addition of Iavoroni at coach should improve on what was already a good offense. Defensively, the shotblocking of Milicic and a full season of a competent coach should improve the defense to being solid. Gasol and Milicic are above average defenders, #### has the potential to be a great defender, and Conley and Lowry are both good defenders. The problem for the Griz will be that Swift, Warrick, ####, and Gasol are all thinner, wiry players who don't have a lot of bulk to work with in the post. As a result, they're not a very good rebounding team, and they're vulnerable to pounding the ball into the low post. I would expect to see a lot of zone play from the team this year as it suits the type of athletes they have. There's a lot to like about this team, and I think they make a huge jump back to playoff consideration this year.

7th in the West - Dark Horse

Stats Explanation, Western Conference Overview

Houston Rockets

Coach: Rick Adelman
2006-2007 Record: 52-30
06-07 Expected Record: 52-30
Offensive Rating: 106.6 (14th in NBA, league average 106.5)
Defensive Rating: 100.0 (3rd in NBA, league average 106.5)
eFG%: 49.9% (15th in NBA)
Possessions per 48: 90.7 (21st in NBA)

Roster
(You'll have to scroll to see it all. Red indicates new player, blue indicates rookie)

There's no doubt that when Yao is healthy, he's the best center in the league. The problem is that he has missed 59 games over the last two seasons. You have to wonder if Yao has just been really unlucky, or if his size makes him especially injury-prone. The answer to that question could determine the fate of the Rockets' season. When he's on the floor, Yao is an elite post scorer, an excellent defender, and one of the few centers who shoots well from the line. Not only that, but he has improved every year of his career and worked with Hakeem Olajuwon this offseason. If he stays healthy, Yao is primed for an MVP-caliber season.

T-Mac really carried this team last year and took on a bigger load than he ever has in his career. Taking on that much of a load, he was a much less efficient scorer last year than he has been over the course of his career, though he had a much higher assist rate than he has ever had. The problem with T-Mac's constant back trouble isn't so much that he's missing games (though he did in 05-06), but that he gets worn down over the course of the season, and he becomes a less effective player because he stops driving and shoots from the perimeter too much. You could really tell he was ####ed up last year in the playoffs when he had a terrible series (even more striking because T-Mac has always raised his game in the playoffs). If the Rockets want to have success in the playoffs, they need to play well enough that T-Mac can take on a smaller load (~30 MPG) and rest up to be fresh for the postseason.

One thing that I think is often missed about the Rockets is that they have one of the best collections of role players in the league. Everybody knows what Shane Battier does, he's cultivated a reputation as a great spot-up shooter/help defender. However, the performances of Chuck Hayes, Luther Head and Dikembe Mutumbo are often overlooked. Hayes is an excellent rebounder and defender despite his small size. He was a big part of the Rockets' ability to force bad shots (they led the league in opponents' eFG%, despite not actually blocking a ton of shots), and he's a very strong offensive rebounder. Now, you don't really want Hayes as a starter, and the platoon of he and Juwan Howard was pretty awful (Howard was, to put it lightly, terrible). However, backing up, Luis Scola, Hayes makes a great energy guy off the bench. Head played surprisingly well in 27 MPG as a designated shooter. He'll probably take on a reduced role this year, but the minutes he played last year should help him as a contributor off the bench. I don't think a lot of people realize just how amazing Dikembe Mutumbo's season was. Nobody in basketball gave as productive a 17 minutes per game as Mutumbo did. His astounding rebound rate was second in the league, and he blocked more shots per 40 minutes than Yao did. He really saved their season when Yao went down, and you couldn't ask for a better backup center.

Luis Scola is every bit as good as he's touted to be, believe me. He has great vision for a post player, he plays hard, he can hit the mid-range jumper, and he's very skilled in the post. I think he'll thrive as a third option in Rick Adelman's up-tempo offense.

The big question mark is at point guard, where Mike James and Steve Francis will battle for the starting job. You know what you're getting with James; he's a good shooter and not a real good distributer, but at least a decent improvement over the three-point slinging Rafer Alston. Francis is a bit more interesting scenario. Now, we know Francis can play, he's not that many years removed from being one of the league's top point guards, and at 30 he's not too old to call him washed up. After being caught in the hell that was New York's backcourt mess of Starbury, Crawford and Nate Robinson, you have to wonder if Francis can be rejuvenated by coming back to Houston and not having to be "the man". If Francis comes even close to the player he used to be, the Rockets get that much scarier, and if not, it didn't cost them a whole lot to roll the dice on him.

Expect to see a lot more from Bonzi Wells this year. He had one of the best seasons of his career in Sacramento under Adelman, and should give this team even more quality depth as a guy who can score and rebound from the 3 spot.

Overview

Despite playing half the season without Yao, Houston was one of the league's best defensive teams. Despite not blocking a ton of shots (Yao and Mutumbo are the only shotblockers on the team), the Rockets held teams to a very low FG%, and most of that came from guys like Hayes and Battier who force a lot of bad shots. Houston also led the league in defensive rebound rate, so not only did teams miss a lot against them, they also didn't get many second chances. When you add Yao for a whole season, the Houston defense can only get better. On the offensive end, they definitely felt the loss of Yao and the lack of a decent point guard, as well as some stale playcalling on the part of Jeff Van Gundy. The hope in Houston is that a full season of Yao, improvement at the PG and PF positions, and the more offensive-minded Adelman can make for a top-level offense to complement that defense.

Prediction

It's all about Yao in Houston. They made the 4 seed with Yao playing only 48 games, but the load T-Mac had to take on had him worn down for the playoffs. If this team is healthy, they've got the best chance to keep the Spurs from repeating. No other team combines this kind of depth of talent with two top-tier superstars, but the season will hang on how well the team gels and if they can stay healthy.

I believe in this team. Don't ask me why, it's just a feeling. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they end up with the best record in the league next year. All the pieces are there, they just need to stay healthy.

3rd in the West - Championship Contenders

This is the start of my individual team in-depth analysis posts. For more information on the stats, you can check this post, and here is the entire Western Conference overview. I apologize in advance for the massive picture which I use to show the stats, but since this board doesn't really do tables and I'm copying from Excel, this is the easiest way for me to do it, and it has to be really big in order to be legible, so you'll just have to scroll to see it all.

Dallas Mavericks

Coach: Avery Johnson
2006-2007 Record: 67-15
06-07 Expected Record: 58-24
Offensive Rating: 111.6 (2nd in NBA, league average 106.5)
Defensive Rating: 102.9 (5th in NBA, league average 106.5)
eFG%: 50.9% (5th in NBA)
Possessions per 48: 89.5 (28th in NBA)

Roster
(red indicates new player, blue indicates rookie)

Funny how things work sometimes. Statistically, Nowitzki was a better player in 05-06 than he was last year, and Steve Nash has the best year of his career last year. However, Nash gets the MVP in 06, and the big German ends up with it last year. Eh, life is funny like that sometimes. Here's the thing, I really like Dirk, I truly do. He's one of the most unique players in the league, he's been as good as anyone in the league over the last 3 years, and his fadeaway jumper from the elbow might be the most unguardable shot since the skyhook. Here's the thing though, in the last two playoff series he has averaged 19.6 points on 38.7% shooting, and Golden State abused his defense that, while improved, is still poor. Unfairly or not, the blame for two straight playoff choke jobs falls on Nowitzki, and his career will be defined by how he handles that. He's posted great numbers, but until he proves that he has the kind of killer instinct that makes opposing fans cower in their seats, he doesn't belong in the same category as Duncan, Nash and Kobe.

It still amazes me that Josh Howard fell to the end of the first round. Forwards taken ahead of the ACC Player of the Year include Jarvis Hayes, Reece Gaines, Zarko Cabarkapa, Sasha Pavlovic, Dahntay Jones (I will never understand that one) and Ndudi Edi, unbelievable. Anyway, Howard is basically a poor man's Scottie Pippen, and he and Nowitzki are the best forward tandem in the West.

It'll be interesting to see what happens with the Mavs point guard situation. We heard a lot of rumors early in the offseason that they would be looking to move Jason Terry and hand the reigns over to Devin Harris, but no such shake-up was made. Harris is a bit better as a distributer and a much better defender, but Terry is the more dynamic scorer and better decision maker.

Bringing Stackhouse back was a big move for this team, he gives them attitude, and was probably the best player on the team last year at making his own shot. Neither of their offseason acquisitions are anything to get excited about, but keeping Stack was crucial.

X-Factor: Desagana Diop - Amazing to think that this guy was once a #8 pick, and is now working his way up from the bottom. If Diop had any semblance of an offensive game, he'd probably be the starter in Dallas. He's an excellent defensive center, among the best shotblockers in the league and surprisingly nimble. However, his offensive game is non-existant and when he does get the ball he turns it over a lot. If Diop's offensive game has made some progress over the summer, he could step in to the starting lineup and improve an already good defense without losing much on the other end.

Overview

Lets get something straight. The Mavs were very good last year, but they were also very lucky. They went an astounding 20-4 in games decided by less than 5 points, and outperformed their expected win-loss record by 9 games. They were actually third behind San Antonio and Phoenix in Exp Win%. They are an incredibly balanced team that excels on both ends of the court and have depth and talent at every position. One thing that surprised me was the fact that Dallas was the 3rd slowest team in the league, and shot less 3-pointers than any other team. Just a few years removed from Nellie and Nash's run-and-gun lightshow, the Mavs have turned a complete 180. One of the biggest reasons has been the evolution of Dirk from a long-range shooter to an actual post threat with an unstoppable mid-range game. Between Nowitzki, Howard, and Stackhouse, few teams can match the kind of efficient mid-range scorers that the Mavs have. They shoot very good percentages and take care of the ball (7th lowest turnover rate in the league). On defense they rely mainly on forcing bad shots and rebounding well, since they don't force a lot of turnovers and don't really have a great shotblocker outside of Diop.

Prediction

Your opinion of the Mavs for this year will depend heavily on how much stock you put in their postseason collapses. To me, I think that it was a mistake not to try and make a move to shake up this roster. The Golden State series on the heels of the Finals collapse was a huge blow to this team's psyche, and even if they're saying that they're past it now, it will come up again if the team goes through rough patches in the regular season. You just can't win in the playoffs with doubt, and right now there's doubt that this team, especially Dirk, can get it done. Of course, the other possibility is that Dirk plays like a man possessed in order to redeem himself and ends up just tearing the league a new one.

I'm not buying on Dallas, I don't think you can bounce back from two crippling series losses by maintaining the exact same roster, it just doesn't happen.

4th in the West - Championship Contenders

If you haven't heard about it yet, you should check out Darko Milicic's rant against the officials at the Eurobasket tournament. I will warn you though, it's pretty vulgar, so if you get offended easily, stay away. Really though, somebody needs to tell Darko to get a handle on his mouth. After previously calling now-teammate Pau Gasol soft, now he goes and says this. It's not like the reporters didn't give him chances to get out of what he said either, but he just pressed on and kept getting more and more obscene. Really, I'm looking forward to the Darko era in Memphis, there's no telling what might happen. He's come off as completely crazy this offseason, the kind of quotes you usually see from Ron Artest, but his reputation as a player is that he's soft. Are we going to see crazy Darko next year? Are we going to see the lazy Darko who didn't play in Detroit? Who knows. Can we arrange for Memphis to trade for Steven Jackson or Artest? The comedy potential of that would be off the scale.

Greg Oden is having exploratory surgery on his knee. Now, to be perfectly honest, this is probably nothing. It's not reconstructive surgery, and Oden will probably be good to go in camp. However, if you're a Blazer fan, especially a long-time fan who lived through Bill Walton and Sam Bowie, then you've got to be feeling nervous about Oden's various maladies this offseason.

This just in, NBA players are stupid. Seriously, Shawne Williams, what are you thinking? Been reading "Stephen Jackson's Book on How to Stay Out of Trouble", have you? Pro athletes disgust me sometimes.

Important free agents still out there: Chris Webber, Michael Pietrus, Anderson Varejao, Sasha Pavlovic, and Charlie Bell. I'm surprised Webber isn't signed yet, I was sure he would've picked what contender he wanted to play with and signed up quickly, but he's still out there. Still, you gotta think he'll be signing with Dallas eventually. He's not going to San Antonio or Phoenix, so the Mavs are his best chance of snagging a ring.

Game 3 of the WNBA Finals tonight. I know, you probably don't care, but I'll be watching to see if Diana Taurasi drops 30 on the league's best defensive team again.

For all you basketball statheads out there, I'll be making a post shortly on some of the lesser known statistical measures out there, so make sure to check back on that.

Switching gears, reports say that Kevin Everett is making much better progress in his recovery than originally expected, and doctors are optimistic that he will walk again. My prayers go out to him and his family, you hate to see that happen in a sporting event, and it's good to hear that his condition is improving.

I went into Monday Night trailing by 15 points and with Edge James as my only hope. He produced 17 points, and I squeaked out a win. Course, I wouldn't have needed that if I'd started Adrian Peterson and LaMont Jordan, 40 points on the bench kind of sucks.

Apparently, Romeo Crennel comes from the Charlie Weis school of quarterback management.

Again switching gears, Jerry Crasnick has a great article on my boy Troy Tulowitzki, who is putting together a very veteran-like rookie season for the Rockies. He trails Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins by just .001 in fielding percentage, but he's had 100 more chances than any other shortstop in the majors. Pretty impressive for a rookie. He's almost like the anti-Ryan Braun, who carries a big stick, but is the worst fielding regular in the league. The sheer gaudy offensive numbers will get Braun ROY, Tulo might be the more valuable rookie.

Anybody know what A-Rod is hitting so far in the month of August? That would be .533/.600/1.367, yeah, that's right, a 1.367 SLUGGING PERCENTAGE. That's just obscene. My friend asked me the other day if i thought A-Rod would hit 60 HRs, and I said "no way". After looking at the numbers, I'm not so sure. 8 HRs in 20 games? He very well might with the way he's hitting. What was a close MVP race with Ordonez has turned into a runaway.

In the NL MVP race, much as I'd like to say my man Prince Fielder should win it with a spectacular second year, but I can't really endorse that even if the Brew Crew make the playoffs. The simple fact is that Ben Sheets has been every bit as important to that team as Prince has. Chase Utley would probably be the choice if he hadn't missed a good chunk of time with injury, but alas, he did. To me, it comes down to Matt Holliday and David Wright. Both have very similar offensive profiles, and it'll probably come down to team performance. If the Rockies pull off an improbable comeback and make the playoffs, Holliday has to be the choice, but otherwise I think the trophy goes to Wright.

If you haven't seen him yet this year, you should try to catch the late innings of a Cubs game to see Carlos Marmol pitch. He throws high heat, and his slider really breaks dramatically. I definitely don't consider myself an expert on pitchers, and often I can't even tell a pitch is breaking until I see the slow-mo replay, but Marmol's ball really moves. He's fun to watch.

Well, that's all for now folks. I'll leave you with this trivia question. Who holds the NBA record for most blocked shots by a rookie?

I'm loving having cable TV in the dorm room. I've watched the Team USA vs. Canada game, part of the Argentina vs. Mexico game, and the Team USA vs. Brazil game. Sure, the games involving the US aren't exactly compelling basketball, but it's interesting to see players that I don't usually get a look at, and also to see how the US players fit into a system full of stars. Some things I saw...

- If I were George Karl, I'd be trying as hard as possible to duplicate the international style of play in Denver's offense, cause Melo is a monster in the international game. He plays well off the ball and has such a versatile game that he's almost impossible to stop. Just check out these lines from the 4 US games:

16 MIN - 17 PTs
17 MIN - 22 PTs
18 MIN - 25 PTs
17 MIN - 21 PTs

That's just obscene. Seriously, I realize the competition they're playing against, but that's nasty. With a full season to mesh together, I would be very scared of the Nuggets. They have 2 elite scorers and a great defensive center, they're absolutely a championship contender.

- Olu Famutimi was the only player on Team Canada who looked remotely like he belonged on the same floor as the US players. Sam Dalembert was a complete non-factor, but Famutimi (who is currently playing in the D-League) was a dynamic player

- I think Luis Scola is going to be a huge asset for the Rockets. He's a skilled player, but he's gritty and works hard on every play. From what I saw, he has a solid jumpshot and a good passing eye for a big man. He's also much more athletic than I thought, and rebounds very well.

- Nene looked terrible. Really, really terrible. He's gained weight since the end of the NBA se