The Pistons continue to steamroll the league. After sweeping th season series with the San Antonio Spurs, "Goin' to work" is at the top of my inaugural Power Rankings

1. Detroit Pistons--Maybe the Spurs didn't care about a regular season game in early January, but that loss means they were basically dominated by the Pistons twice this season. I think those two wins will pay huge dividends when home-court advantage is doled out in the playoffs.

2. San Antonio Spurs--The return of Manu Ginobili should help the Spurs, until the Finals, at least. I think Tony Parker needs to become more assertive on the offensive end. I know he's a point guard, but he gets in the lane so easily for long stretches of games. That could get him easy buckets and free throws, and it could get his teammates more open looks.

3. Dallas Mavericks-- I know plenty of people who thought this team would fold when they lost Steve Nash two seasons ago, but last season the Mavs turned in another 50-plus win season. So far this year, the Mavs sit at 27-10, one game behind the Spurs for best out West.

4. Memphis Grizzlies-- The Grizzlies quietly have the best defensive team--pointwise--in the league, giving up only 86.7 points a night. They have a star in Pau Gasol, a solid young guy in Mike Miller, and veteran leadership in Eddie Jones. They're playing well, but it'll take a lot for them to get into the upper echelon of great teams in the L.

5. Phoenix Suns-- Two triple-overtime defeats are Phoenix's only setbacks in their last ten games. If they get Amare Stoudemire acclimated quickly when he comes back, they could pose a serious threat to the Spurs out West.

6. Miami Heat-- Pat Riley's squad could finish up a seven-game western road trip 5-2 with a win over the Lakers tonight. I still don't know about the collection of egos he put together down in South Beach, though.

7. Utah Jazz-- If Jerry Sloan isn't the Coach of the Year at this point, I don't know who is. Sloan has his squad at the top of the Midwest Division and at third in the West. Pop quiz: Name three Jazz players other than Andrei Kirilenko.

8. Indiana Pacers-- Playing just .500 ball in their last ten games, but the Pacers may have found a reliable second option since "Psycho" left. Stephen Jackson scored more than 20 points in eight of those contests.

9. Los Angeles Lakers-- The Kobe show rolls on as No. 8 continues to carry this team back to respectability. Five of the Lake Show's last six opponents were teams currently in the top eight of each conference. The Lakers are 5-0 in those games, 3-2 away from Staples Center. Bryant is displaying his all-around game in those contests, too, with averages of 40 ppg, seven boards and five feeds. That 40 points might scream "Ballhog," but the Lakers are actually 0-7 when their second option, Lamar Odom takes more than 15 shots.

10. New Jersey Nets-- The Nets followed up their 10-game win streak with a three-game slide. Those 10 straight wins did vault them to the top of the Atlantic Division and a three-seed in the East.

Best of the Rest

(11) Cleveland Cavaliers (12) Milwaukee Bucks (13) Los Angeles Clippers (14) Minnesota Timberwolves (15) Denver Nuggets (16) Philadelphia 76ers (17) Washington Wizards (18) Golden State Warriors (19) New Orleans Hornets (20) New York Knicks (21) Toronto Raptors (22) Chicago Bulls (23) Sacramento Kings (24) Boston Celtics (25) Seattle Supersonics (26) Houston Rockets (27) Portland Trailblazers (28) Orlando Magic (29) Charlotte Bobcats (30) Atlanta Hawks

I've never liked the Detroit Pistons.

Growing up--15 minutes south of The D--I loved Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. You can't call me a frontrunner, either, because I was cheering for the G.O.A.T., Pip, Pax and the rest of those guys when the Pistons were beating them to get to the Finals in the late-80s and early 90s.

The Bad Boys played dirty. They whined, elbowed, punched and kicked their way to two chips back in the day.

Bill Laimbeer was so sneaky on the court, he could have survived an extended bid in Em City. Isiah Thomas was like the little mob guy in the old Looney Tune cartoons, he let the big, dumb guys do all the dirty work. They employed the "Jordan Rules," which amounted to nothing more than, "F#ck that m%hf*ck@ up whenever he gets into the paint."

I was glad to see them struggle when the old guard faded out. I reveled in the fact that a team that was so rough and brutish came out on some nights with guys like Bill Curley and Pete Chilcutt. I thought the organization was dead when Grant Hill's ankle exploded, and when they traded Tamia's husband, I figured there would be no Detroit Pistons, no Two Championship Drive, no Palace of Auburn Hills, either.

Then Bill Davidson and his crew made their best decision since they used a first-round pick on him in the 1985 NBA Draft. They gave Joe Dumars the keys to the car and he smashed on the gas.

Since Joe D took over in 2000, the Pistons have made the playoffs each year. Three of those years, 02-03, 03-04, 04-05, "Goin' to work" has made it all the way to the conference finals or the championship round. And in 2004, they beat the "juggernaut" that was the L.A. Lakers in a "five-game" sweep for the franchise's third title.

As a player, Joe "Duuuuuuuuumaaaarrrss" took a backseat to his more flashy, flamboyant backcourt mate, Zeke Thomas. I will even venture to say that few outside of the vicinity of Woodward Ave. remember that Joe was the Finals MVP when the Pistons swept the Lake Show in the '89 Finals.

As an executive, Dumars is second to nobody. Thomas is takin' up the rear. Thomas wanted a behind-the-scenes role with the team when he retired. Imagine that, Palace-goers. You could potentially have a roster chock full of small forwards and overpaid out of shape centers who show up to practice hungover.

Instead you have a team of professionals. When they got to Auburn Hills, some of them were castoffs. Air thought Rip Hamilton was expendable. A number of execs thought Chauncey Billups couldn't thrive in The League. Twenty-three squads passed up on Tayshun Prince. Ben Wallace, one of the league's premier defenders, was mired in obscurity in Orlando. Hell, even King Hothead, Rasheed Wallace, has stayed relatively docile since coming here.

Those expendable guys now make up the best starting five in the L. Hamilton is the energizer bunny. Billups has a Finals MVP trophy at his crib. Prince has blossomed into one of the league's better all-around guys. Sheed's remained solid, and Wallace has remained at his defensive best.

It still remains to be seen if they'll win a second title in three years, but their league-best 28-5 start is evidence that those boys are on a mission. Li'l Flip Saunders has let them freelance more on the offensive end, and they're still solid on D.

Oh...and in no way, shape or form is this a lovefest. They did beat my team in that five-game sweep, afterall. But if they didn't, I wouldn't have written this. And the brilliance of No. 4 in the red, white and blue would still be in question.

I love college basketball. I love the passion. I love the fact that (most of) the players are playing for nothing for than love of the game. I love the cheerleaders. I love each and every game of the NC2A Tourney.

Each week, I'll post what I think are the top 8 teams in the country, with comments to back up my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree.

1. Duke Blue Devils--As much as I hate to say it, the Dookies are rollin' right now. J.J. Redick continues to exhibit his flawless stroke, Shelden Williams is becoming a defensive force inside, as shown by his 10 block performance against arch rival Maryland, and their role players are giving them just enough. I could see them going undefeated in ACC regular-season play. Once DeMarcus Nelson comes back, look out.

2. Florida Gators--The Gators could go through the entire regular season without playing a ranked team. Talk about a down year for the SEC. They can only play who's on their schedule, though. Florida is exhibiting a balanced attack with five guys averaging at least 12 points a night, led by sophomore forward Corey Brewer's 13.7 ppg. We might not find out much about this squad until March, but, for now, to the undefeated go the spoils.

3. Memphis Tigers--Some might say, "why not UCONN or Villanova in this spot?" Well, Memphis' two L's are to No. 1 Duke on a neutral floor and to preseason No. 2 Texas. Tiger defenders held Adam Morrisson scoreless for the last nine minutes of their win over Gonzaga, and Memphis followed their losses with an eight-game win streak and three wins by an average of 18 ppg.

4. Villanova Wildcats-- The 'Cats stormed out of the gate with a 10-game win streak where they routed opponents by an average score of 81-58. That streak included a solid 11-point home win over then-No. 5 Oklahoma. Nova also won at Louisville in their Big East opener. That hiccup at Rutgers was nothing more than a speedbump. The 'Cats wing-heavy lineup is getting solid production out of Allen Ray, Mike Nardi and Kyle Lowry--averaging 19.2 ppg, 12.6 ppg and 11 ppg, respectively. Randy Foye is an All-American in waiting with his 21.3 ppg and 5 rpg. Foye and Nardi are hitting three's at 42 and 49 percent. This team is reminiscent of the 2005 MSU squad that was quard heavy and went all the way to the Final Four. If everyone remains in lockstep, the 'Cats will be in Indy, and Jay Wright could be National Coach of the Year.

5. Connecticut Huskies-- Jim Calhoun's boys are a Steve Novak classic performance away from being a few notches up on this list. The Huskies are a good team that can only get better now that point guard Marcus Williams is back following his "Cops" moment. Concensus number one draft pick Rudy Gay has been a bit inconsistent, but he still boasts averages of 15.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.3 spg and 1.8 bpg. Rashad Anderson and Hilton Armstrong are enjoying solid senior campaigns, posting 14.7 and 9.7 ppg, respectively. Armstrong is chipping in with 6.7 boards and 2.6 blocks each night, too.

6. Illinois Fighting Illini-- The Illini are doin' it with defense this season. Through their first 16 games this season, Illinois is giving up just 55 points a night. That included holding the Big Ten;s leading scorer, MSU's Maurice Ager, to just nine points and eight shots. The loss to Iowa may have exposed them a bit. Before that L, the Spartans were the only ranked team Illinois played all year. Dee Brown can't save them every night. If they don't get contributions from other guys, they might not get out of the first weekend of the tourney.

7. Wisconsin Badgers-- Bo Ryan must have cast a spell on Tom Izzo. Including their Jan. 8 win over the Spartans, the Badgers have taken seven out of eight from MSU. The Badgers only losses were at Wake Forest early, and at undefeated Pittsburgh. Alando Tucker and Chris Ro--Kammron Taylor continue to be the backbone of the team, netting 18.9 and 14.7 ppg. Wisconsin will be a tough out come March.

8. Michigan State Spartans-- Look at the Spartans losses: by three in triple OT to Gonzaga in Maui, by 10 at Illinois on a night where Bruce Bowen couldn't check Dee Brown, and by 19 at Wisconsin. I'm discounting the Hawaii loss, because that game should have never been played. Chaminade could have been a "tune-up" game. The Spartans get Illinois and Wisconsin at Breslin Center to close out Big Ten play, where those games could have different results than the first meeting. Izzo's team is made for March, not January. That'll come out in early Spring.

Other teams receiving consideration: Texas, Gonzaga, Louisville, West Virginia, Pittsburgh

In the wake of some fake journalists comments saying Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Donovan McNabb is a "sellout" because he hasn't ran as much this season, I say this to that man--who will remain anonymous because he seems like a complete moron--try watching a couple football games before you make a statement like that.

In a late-November issue of The Philadelphia Sun, a publication of the NAACP, the guy claims that McNabb wants to be a white quarterback since the Eagles QB has scaled down his scrambling. If he watched some games, he would see that McNabb has had several nagging injuries since the Eagles season-opening loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.

The guy goes on to say that McNabb could have solved the T.O. situation by simply taking a paycut and giving Owens part of his $112 million deal. Why the hell would McNabb want to do that after all the mud Owens dragged him through? That'd be like a slave saying, "It's alright, Massa, you were just doin' what you had to do with that whip."

When I was younger, people in every school I attended accused me of wanting to be white because I cared about my academic future. I guess I should have slept through english, shot craps in chemistry, and tried to holla at every girl that sat next to me in algebra. I wonder if that would have made people accept me more.

What I got from all of that is that some people just don't want to see others succeed. And, sadly, a lot of times, Blacks don't want to see each other succeed. The phrase "player-hater" is a saying coined by my people, not some guy named Biff. I'm not saying this is an exclusivity to black people, but it happens with us more often than any other race, and I hate it.

You should want to see your people in positions of prominence. Not this guy. I know the Sun is a long-standing publication for the group, which, last time I checked, was about the advancement of black people. But I think this guy just took a hot topic and ran with it so people would read his work. All I saw from what I read is a sad case.

And a hater who's jealous of McNabb because he can't read a defense or call a good audible.

            Indianapolis will be East Lansing South-sort of-next April.

            The Michigan State University Men's basketball team will cut down the nets in the RCA Dome next year. I'm not saying this because of all the publications' preseason rankings-No. 1 in Sporting News, No. 3 in Lindy's and Athlon, and No. 8 in Street's and Smith's. I'm going solely based on what I saw from State's new three-headed monster in the NCAA Tournament last spring.

            Senior center Paul Davis improved on his regular season averages of 12.3 ppg and 8 rpg, and is averaging 20.6 ppg and 10.1 rpg. Senior wingman Maurice Ager had an outstanding March and April, netting 18.2 ppg. The Detroit native has carried that momentum over to the 05-06 campaign, netting 21.7 a night. He also showed that he can up big numbers against quality competition and not just against teams like Florida Atlantic and Cleveland State. Junior guard Shannon Brown has chipped in with 15.4 ppg.          

           Any of these three is capable of going off for 25-30 points a night. Hopefully, head coach Tom Izzo won't tighten the reins on his stars. I know the 2000 title was won without anyone averaging more than 16 points a night, but the 05-06 team has three bonafide NBA lottery picks who should be given the green light this season.

            Look at the makeup of the last two national champions. In 2004, big man Emeka Okafor and the new "microwave," Ben Gordon, led Connecticut. Both were selected in the first three picks of last year's draft.

            I shouldn't even have to talk about the Tar Heels. North Carolina fielded four future lottery picks on their way to a title this past season.

            I think the last two NCAA tournaments have shown that the best players win the big games. That's not to say Jim Calhoun and Roy Williams are slouches on the bench. It just means they KNOW they have the best players.

            I truly believe the Spartans'--7-2, ranked 12 in AP and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls--trio is the best in the nation. I know other squads are returning their cores, too-Oklahoma, Texas, and Villanova come to mind-but no other set of players in battle-tested as these three. I know some might not want to admit it, but Davis and Ager led the Spartans to that surprise Elite Eight appearance in 2003, and Brown shows flashes of brilliance every time he touches the ball.

            When MSU is celebrating next spring, the "Three Stooges," as Izzo affectionately dubbed them, will have some help along the way.

            Sophomore guard Drew Nietzel will continue to develop into a solid, heady point guard. Redshirt freshman Marquise Gray should provide Davis with some help in the post. Bench play may be sketchy at first. The unit is comprised mostly of underclassmen and guys who haven't seen any real game action, but Izzo has worked wonders with lesser groups.

            What will also aid the Spartans on their march to Indy is the team has something it hasn't had in what seems like eons: size. MSU's roster has six players that are 6'8" or taller. Although most of those guys-juniors Delco Rowley and Drew Naymick--who may be redshirted a second time due to injuries, and redshirt freshmen Goran Suton and Idong Ibok-won't be asked to do much, they will be asked to provide a certain toughness when they hit the court.

            Once again, Izzo has taken the schedule from hell. The schedule includes match-ups against 10 2005 NCAA Tournaments teams. In the Maui Invitational alone, The Spartans have already had an instant classic with Gonzaga, an OT thriller with Arizona, and tough games against Georgia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and Boston College in the Jimmy V classic.

All that before the always tough Big Ten schedule. It goes back to Ager, Brown, and Davis. The core has faced hellacious schedules like this before. The 2003-04 schedule-Brown's first and Ager and Davis' second--included six nonconference losses to the likes of Kansas, Syracuse, and Duke.

            I don't see any "Oz"-ings like the one MSU put on Michigan to close out the regular season in 2000. I do see gleeful faces on Spartan fans as they belt out "One Shining Moment," though.