NBA MVPs Usually Win NBA Titles

The NBA has given out an end of year MVP award since the 1955-56 season.  Here is the complete list of MVPs who have NOT won the title in their career.

Charles Barkley (1993)
Karl Malone (1997, 1999)
Allen Iverson (2001)
Steve Nash (2004, 2005)
LeBron James (2009, 2010, 2012)
Derrick Rose (2011)

Small list considering they've given out more than 50 MVPs.  You've all heard the fact by now that LeBron is the only 3-time MVP winner in any of the major sports to not win a championship.  Not sure if that's ground breaking, how many 3-time MVPs are there?  And it would be a bigger deal if his career was over.

Quick observations looking at that list.  3 of the 6 are done (yes A.I., you are done).  So only Charles, The Mailman, and The Answer will definitely remain on this list.  Nash is closing in on the end, but he's a free agent, could he join the Heat or some other team with a shot at the title next year?  Of course he could.  Rose is like 24 years old, so his inclusion means nothing.  It is all about LeBron, but at 27 years old, we probably shouldn't get crazy about it.

Also Barkley, Malone (twice), Iverson, and LeBron (twice and counting) have at least PLAYED in the FINALS.  Nash has only gone as far as the Conference Finals, same can be said about Rose, who again is insanely young. 

I looked all this stuff up while killing time at the Garden waiting for Game 6 of the East Finals between the Celtics and Heat.  Lot on the line tonight!

-Keefe

The Injury Bonanza of 2012 and How The Celtics Stack Up

NBA players are dropping like flies in the playoffs.  Perhaps a victim of the 66-game lockout shorten season or in some cases because of self mutilation (see: Amar'e Stoudemire punching glass), big names and small names alike are missing the most important games of the year. 

2011 MVP Derrick Rose suffered a torn ACL, Knicks rookie guard Iman Shumpert the same.  Baron Davis just went down with a nasty knee injury himself.  Dwight Howard will not play in the playoffs, Al Horford just returned after sitting out nearly the entire season, his backup Zaza Pachulia is still out.  The flash in the pan known as Jeremy Lin has been sidelined for the first 4 games of the Knicks-Heat series.  Memphis stud Zach Randolph worked his way back into the lineup the final couple weeks of the regular season.  The T-Wolves' chances of making the post season went out the window when rookie PG Ricky Rubio blew his ACL, the Clippers lost their leader Chauncey Billups, and many more.  And then you have the "old" Celtics.

The C's are up 3-1 in their 1st round series with the Hawks.  Boston managed to win the Atlantic Division title despite numerous injuries throughout the season, which began with the news that Jeff Green would miss the year and need heart surgery.  Chris Wilcox was forced to the sidelines in an eerily similar fashion.  And Jermaine O'Neal... whatever.  The veteran group fought through the multiple back-to-backs and the ridiculously thrown together season (little to no practice time and crazy travel schedule) to win the division (for the 5th straight year) and enter the playoffs as the #4 seed.  They still did not have home court advantage.

Where do the Green stand health wise?

Ray Allen missed the last 9 games of the year with an ankle injury and Games 1 and 2 against the Hawks.  Allen surprised himself coming back for Game 3, saying that he had told KG he would probably miss the entire series.  It's hopeful that he will be on the court the rest of the way, but it's no sure thing.  Allen will undergo surgery when the C's are done.

Paul Pierce, who was extremely durable this season, hurt his knee in shootaround prior to Game 4, and Doc left the morning get-together thinking the Captain would miss the game.  He played, 24 points in 17 minutes, and said on his twitter that he was glad he only played limited minutes to he could rest his knee.

Mickael Pietrus played in 42 of the 66 games this year.  He missed time with a concussion and left Game 4 in the 3rd quarter with a hamstring injury.

Avery Bradley re-injured his left shoulder in Game 3.  He was a game-time decision in Game 4 (he played), but will be a concern through the rest of the playoffs.  He apparently popped out his shoulder 2-3 times during the season, but Doc Rivers said it was like a "LEGO" and would just pop back in, but in Game 3 it did not do that.  Gross.

Greg Stiemsma (feet) sat out of nearly every single practice the Celtics had this season.  He should be able to go the rest of the playoffs for as much time as the team needs him, but it should be pointed out that he's been playing banged up all year.

Is it possible that Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett are the healthiest players on the team?   

The lasting image of the 2011 playoffs for the Celtics was Rajon Rondo playing against the Heat with one arm.  After Dwyane Wade tackled him to the floor, Rondo got up and tried like hell to play through the pain.  The 2009 playoffs were essentially a lost cause because of the knee injury that kept Kevin Garnett from suiting up with the team.  Now in 2012, Rondo and KG are the healthiest, and without question the two pieces most important to knocking of the Heat in a potential Eastern Conference Finals match-up.

Few would have predicted the type of season KG had.  At 35 years old and with well over 1,200 career games played, Garnett averaged 16 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists per game (playing in 60/66, sitting out a couple for personal reasons and for rest).  I believe he will be All-Defensive 2nd Team and All-NBA 3rd Team, at center, where he really flourished in the 2nd half of the season.

Health has already derailed the top seeded Bulls and the Orlando Magic.  If the Celtics are going to make a deep run they are going to continue to walk the injury tight rope.  KG and Rondo will have to defy the odds and Pierce (knee), Allen (ankle), Bradley (shoulder), Pietrus (hamstring, head), and Stiemsma (feet) will have to be "healthy enough." 

Believe it or not I said Heat-Celtics in the East Finals in my pre-season predictions.  There is no reason to change that now. 

-Keefe

Top 20 NBA Players By Position

All-Star weekend is in the books and now all eyes turn to the March 15th Trade Deadline. Why not put together a list of the Top 20 Players By Position? All “Rankings” are always very debatable, and this is certainly no different. What makes one player better than another? A lot of it comes down to individual opinion. Also these rankings are based on what I expect for the rest of THIS season. Age, contracts, etc. have no value here. Simply I would want the guy ranked #1 over the guy slotted #2 and so on for the rest of the year. And for the “tweeners” I made the executive decision and placed the player in just one position.

Point Guards:

1. Derrick Rose, Bulls
2. Chris Paul, Clippers
3. Deron Williams, Nets
4. Russell Westbrook, Thunder
5. Rajon Rondo, Celtics
6, Tony Parker, Spurs
7. Steve Nash, Suns
8. Stephen Curry, Warriors
9. Kyle Lowry, Rockets
10. Brandon Jennings, Bucks
11. Ricky Rubio, Timberwolves
12. Tyreke Evans, Kings
13. John Wall, Wizards
14. Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers
15. Jeremy Lin, Knicks
16. Ty Lawson, Nuggets
17. Lou Williams, 76ers
18. Jeff Teague, Hawks
19. Mike Conley, Grizzlies
20. Raymond Felton, Trail Blazers

Right out of the gate you can see how difficult this task really is. The Top 3 is pretty much a lock, but after that? I’m not even that confident in Westbrook, although he has played extremely well as of late. I don’t like his shot selection or when he takes the game over and forgets he has Durant on his team. I have John Wall real low on my list knowing he could storm up the rankings at any time. He needs to not turn the ball over, plus he’s leading a terrible team. Lin? I think he is ranked just fine at 15… for now.

Shooting Guards:

1. Kobe Bryant, Lakers
2. Dwyane Wade, Heat
3. Joe Johnson, Hawks
4. Manu Ginobili, Spurs (injured)
5. Monta Ellis, Warriors
6. James Harden, Thunder
7. Eric Gordon, Hornets
8. Wesley Matthews, Trail Blazers
9. Kevin Martin, Rockets
10. Jason Terry, Mavericks
11. Jamal Crawford, Trail Blazers
12. Ray Allen, Celtics
13. Rodney Stuckey, Pistons
14. Paul George, Pacers
15. Arron Afflalo, Nuggets
16. DeMar DeRozan, Raptors
17. O.J. Mayo, Grizzlies
18. Tony Allen, Grizzlies
19. Nick Young, Wizards
20. Anthony Morrow, Nets

Not a power house group right here. After the dominate Top 2 we see quite a drop off. Don’t love Joe Johnson at 3. Stuckey may be a point guard, but with Brandon Knight starting alongside him he’s been playing a lot of SG, and he actually lit up the C’s a couple weeks back.

Small Forward:

1. LeBron James, Heat
2. Kevin Durant, Thunder
3. Carmelo Anthony, Knicks
4. Paul Pierce, Celtics
5. Rudy Gay, Grizzlies
6. Gerald Wallace, Trail Blazers
7. Andre Iguodala, 76ers
8. Luol Deng, Bulls
9. Shawn Marion, Mavericks
10. Danny Granger, Pacers
11. Caron Butler, Clippers
12. Danilo Gallinari, Nuggets
13. Tayshaun Prince, Pistons
14. Nicolas Batum, Trail Blazers
15. Michael Beasley, Timberwolves
16. Jared Dudley, Suns
17. Carlos Delfino, Bucks
18. Hedo Turkoglu, Magic
19. Dorell Wright, Warriors
20. Kawhi Leonard, Spurs

I know that our own Brian Robb is going to be disappointed with my ranking of Luol Deng (8th). I understand his value, but I’ve just never been impressed by him. He certainly helps the Bulls a great deal, and does a lot of different things well. But he’s not elite.

Power Forward:

1. Kevin Love, Timberwolves
2. Blake Griffin, Clippers
3. LaMarcus Aldridge, Trail Blazers
4. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
5. Zach Randolph, Grizzlies (injured)
6. Pau Gasol, Lakers
7. Amare Stoudemire, Knicks
8. Chris Bosh, Heat
9. DeMarcus Cousins, Kings
10. Paul Millsap, Jazz
11. Kevin Garnett, Celtics
12. David Lee, Warriors
13. Josh Smith, Hawks
14. Luis Scola, Rockets
15. Serge Ibaka, Thunder
16. Greg Monroe, Pistons
17. Ryan Anderson, Magic
18. Carlos Boozer, Bulls
19. Kris Humphries, Nets
20. Antawn Jamison, Cavaliers

Real tough Top 20 right here. Perhaps the deepest position in the league, PG has a lot of elite talent, but check out 1-20 here, plus I’m sure I forget/left out a few solid guys. Most nights I believe Aldridge is better than Griffin, but then when it came time to fill out the list, I just couldn’t do it. Randolph hasn’t played all season. When he comes back, I expect him to be a Top 5 talent. You may think Cousins is ranked a little generously. I love this guy. He may be an immature head case, but he can play!

Center:

1. Dwight Howard, Magic
2. Marc Gasol, Grizzlies
3. Andrew Bynum, Lakers
4. Tim Duncan, Spurs
5. Tyson Chandler, Knicks
6. Al Horford, Hawks (injured)
7. Andrew Bogut, Bucks (injured)
8. Joakim Noah, Bulls
9. Al Hibbert, Pacers
10. Al Jefferson, Jazz
11. DeAndre Jordan, Clippers
12. Nene, Nuggets (injured)
13. Anderson Varajao, Cavaliers
14. Kendrick Perkins, Thunder
15. Marcin Gortat, Suns
16. Marcus Camby, Trail Blazers
17. JaVale McGee, Wizards
18. Samuel Dalembert, Rockets
19. Brendan Haywood, Mavericks
20. Tiago Splitter, Spurs

Definitely the league’s weakest position as these are the 20 best. Not too many crunch time players on this list. How many command a double team? The days of Olajuwon, Shaq, Robinson, Ewing, Mourning, and Mutombo are long gone. I know what you’re thinking, No Jermaine? He was 21.

-Keefe

NBA Awards

It’s time to hand out the regular season awards here on The Sports Brief. Everything from All-Rookie 2nd Team to the MVP is listed below. If you agree, disagree, or just want to interact, hit up the comments section below.

2nd Team All-Rookie:

Greg Monroe, Pistons
Wesley Johnson, Timberwolves
Eric Bledsoe, Clippers
Evan Turner, 76ers
Paul George, Pacers

1st Team All-Rookie:

Blake Griffin, Clippers
John Wall, Wizards
DeMarcus Cousins, Kings
Landry Fields, Knicks
Gary Neal, Spurs

Rookie of the Year:

Blake Griffin, Clippers (22.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 62 double-doubles with 1 game left to play)
Among rookies, Griffin ranks 1st in points, 1st in rebounds, 2nd in assists, and 9th in steals.

Most Improved Player:

Kevin Love, Timberwolves
14 points/ 11 rebounds in ’09-10 – 20.2/ 15.2 in ’10-11

Coach of the Year:

Tom Thibodeau, Bulls (#1 in Eastern Conference)

6th Man of the Year:

Lamar Odom, Lakers (14.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3 assists)
Yes Odom did start 34 games because of Bynum’s injury, but he is truly a 6th man this season.

2nd Team All-Defense:

Andre Iguodala, 76ers
Serge Ibaka, Thunder
Tyson Chandler, Mavericks
Chris Paul, Hornets
Rajon Rondo, Celtics

1st Team All-Defense:

Kevin Garnett, Celtics
Dwyane Wade, Heat
Dwight Howard, Magic
Kobe Bryant, Lakers
Josh Smith, Hawks

Defensive Player of the Year:

Dwight Howard, Magic (14.1 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.3 steals)

3rd Team All-NBA:

Rajon Rondo, Celtics
Russell Westbrook, Thunder
Pau Gasol, Lakers
Paul Pierce, Celtics
Blake Griffin, Clippers

2nd Team All-NBA:

Kobe Bryant, Lakers
Chris Paul, Hornets
Amare Stoudemire, Knicks
Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks
Carmelo Anthony, Knicks

1st Team All-NBA:

Derrick Rose, Bulls
Dwyane Wade, Heat
Dwight Howard, Magic
LeBron James, Heat
Kevin Durant, Thunder

MVP:

Derrick Rose, Bulls (24.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.9 assists)


Can't wait for the playoffs!

-Keefe

NBA Awards Finalists

Before I unveil my NBA Awards for the 2010-11 season here are the finalists.

Coach of the Year:

-Doug Collins, 76ers

Did you think Philly would be the 6 seed in the East, let alone above .500? Of course you did.

-George Karl, Nuggets

Think about what George Karl has had to go through this season. Putting up with the whole will he, won’t he with his best player, only to get 80 cents on the dollar (at best), and turn it into an intriguing playoff team.

-Tom Thibodeau, Bulls

The defense-first former C’s assistant has his Bulls a top the East and fighting for the #1 overall seed heading into the playoffs. Any other year he would be a slam dunk, but Collins and Karl are stiff competition.

Defensive Player of the Year:

-Tyson Chandler, Mavericks

Much like Kevin Garnett did for the Celtics back in ’07-’08, Chandler has completely changed the defensive attitude for the Mavs this season. There’s a “D” in Dallas joke in there somewhere.

-Dwight Howard, Magic

If he wins it, he would become the 1^st player ever to be named D-Player of the Year in 3 consecutive seasons. His chances are strong, to very strong.

-Dwyane Wade, Heat

Miami was playing near .500 basketball for a good part of the beginning of the year. Their triumvirate started to get it together, having nights where they would score 90+ combined points, but perhaps the biggest change was D-Wade turning into the Glove on defense.

6^th Man of the Year:

-Jamal Crawford, Hawks

Crawford won this award last season and if he were to win it again, he would join Detlef Schrempf and Kevin McHale as the only back-to-back winners, and toss in Rickey Pierce as the only other 2-time recipient of the award.

-Lamar Odom, Lakers

Odom has basically split his time between coming off the bench and starting this season for LA. (34 starts, 42 games off the bench and counting). He probably has the biggest impact of any sub in the league.

-Jason Terry, Mavericks

JET won this award to years ago; so much the same historical significance applies from Crawford here. Terry has carved out a nice niche for himself in the NBA, great scorer off the bench. In fact he’s 2^nd on the team in scoring behind Dirk, and has allowed them to still be successful minus Caron Butler.

Rookie of the Year:

-DeMarcus Cousins, Kings

He has literally been everything the scouts thought he would be, for better or worse. 3^rd in points, 2^nd in rebounding, and 4^th in blocks among rookies, and got thrown off the team plane for fighting Donta Green and tossed out of practices for arguing with coaches. But did I mention the talent?

-Blake Griffin, Clippers

You can argue that he was technically in the league last year, but I still believe he should be eligible. He had a medical red shirt, get over it if you don’t think he’s a rookie.

-John Wall, Wizards

Terrible team, but Wall definitely showed flashes this year of why he was the #1 pick in the draft. 16.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists is nothing to sneeze at. I understand he does it in meaningless games, but those are solid numbers for anyone.

Most Improved Player Award:

-LaMarcus Aldridge, Trail Blazers

He is averaging 4 points and .6 rebounds more a game this year than last, but it’s more than just the numbers. If you watch Aldridge this year, he’s just better, no way around it. Of course I’ve always hated “Most Improved,” sounds like the guy sucked the year before. We would always make fun of the “Most Improved,” “winner” in high school and college.

-Kevin Love, Timberwolves

We all know about K-Love this year with his double-doubles and selection to the All-Star team despite being on one of the league’s worst clubs. In his 3^rd year (which would have been his senior season at UCLA), Love improved his ppg from 14 to 20.2 and his rpg from 11 to a league best 15.2. His shooting %’s are up across the board as well, making him pretty tough to beat for this “award.”

-DeMar DeRozan, Raptors

He’s also on a bad team, but DeMar improved his scoring from 8.6 points per game as a rookie to 16.8 this season. Let’s not forget he got jobbed at the dunk contest too, so maybe he deserves this as an I-O-U.

MVP:

-Kevin Durant, Thunder

The league’s leading scorer is not going to average 30 points per game like he did last season, but he deserves to be in this conversation. The Thunder are primed to host a 1^st round playoff series for the first time in franchise history.

-Dwight Howard, Magic

If there was any year for Howard to win the MVP, it’s this year. He will finish with a career high in points per game, he’s currently matching his best rebounding effort, career high in steals, all while shooting 60% from the field. Throw in adjusting to two separate supporting casts and likely another D-Player of the Year Award, and he could just do it.

-Derrick Rose, Bulls

He is about to set career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, 3pt %, FT%, and minutes while doing it on the best team in the Eastern Conference. With all the talk about the Heat and Celtics, Derrick Rose has led his team (through injuries, see Noah, Joakim and Boozer, Carlos) to the best record, potentially in all of basketball.

Check back next week when I unveil all of the winners for these awards and many others.

-Keefe

What If They Stayed In School?

Before the 2006 draft the League and the Players Association agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement (this is not a post on the upcoming CBA, don’t worry), and part of the agreement stated that high school players could no longer be drafted. They must wait at least until 1 year after their high school class graduation and they need to be 19 years old.

Let’s play a hypothetical and say that they changed the rule, forcing players to stay 4 years in college. (It would be a terrible rule, in fact I don’t like the restriction of keeping high school players out as it is now, but that’s another article all together.)

The 2011 NCAA tournament brackets were announced yesterday, and I’m sure it will be an entertaining few weeks with upsets, great performances, and memorable moments. But can you imagine what it would it be like had players not been allowed to leave school early for the NBA? Here is a quick look at all the teams that saw players skip out for pro ball. (Something tells me the seeding would be different and there would drastic changes to the 68 team field.)

ACC:

Florida State – Soloman Alabi, Ryan Reid

Georgia Tech – Derrick Favors, Gani Lawal

North Carolina – Ed Davis

North Carolina State – J.J. Hickson

Virginia – Sylven Landesberg

Wake Forest – James Johnson, Jeff Teague, Al-Farouq Aminu

Big 10:

Indiana – Eric Gordon

Michigan – Manny Harris

Ohio State – Kosta Koufos, B.J. Mullens, Evan Turner

Big 12:

Baylor – Ekpe Udoh

Iowa State – Craig Brackins

Kansas – Cole Aldrich, Xavier Henry

Kansas State – Michael Beasley, Bill Walker

Oklahoma – Blake Griffin, Tiny Gallon, Willie Warren

Oklahoma State – James Anderson

Texas – Avery Bradley

Big East:

Cincinnati – Lance Stephenson

DePaul – Dar Tucker

Georgetown – Greg Monroe

Louisville – Samardo Samuels

Pittsburgh – DeJuan Blair

South Florida – Dominique Jones

Syracuse – Donta Greene, Jonny Flynn, Wesley Johnson

West Virginia – Devin Ebanks

Pac-10:

Arizona – Jerryd Bayliss

Arizona State – James Harden

UCLA – Kevin Love, Jrue Holiday

USC – O.J. Mayo, DeMar DeRozan, Davon Jefferson

SEC:

Florida – Nick Calathes

Kentucky – John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton

LSU – Anthony Randolph

Ole Miss – Terrico White

Mid-Majors:

Memphis – Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, Elliot Williams

Gonzaga – Austin Daye

St. Mary’s – Patty Mills

Butler – Gordon Hayward

Xavier – Jordan Crawford

Fresno State – Paul George

Nevada – Luke Babbitt, Armon Johnson

New Mexico – Darington Hobson

UTEP – Derrick Caracter

VCU – Larry Sanders

Marshall – Hassan Whiteside

That is a total of 65 players who still would have been eligible for college basketball this season. The talent is just off the charts. This year’s All-American teams have yet to be announced, but this is how they could have looked…

Keefe’s Hypothetical 2011 All-American Team

1^st Team

Derrick Rose, Memphis

Kevin Love, UCLA

Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

Eric Gordon, Indiana

John Wall, Kentucky

2^nd Team

Michael Beasley, Kansas State

O.J. Mayo, USC

DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky

DeJuan Blair, Pitt

Jerryd Bayliss, Arizona

3^rd Team

Jonny Flynn, Syracuse

James Harden, Arizona State

DeMar DeRozan, USC

Tyreke Evans, Memphis

J.J. Hickson, North Carolina State

(Compare that list to this year’s likely All-Americans: Jimmer Fredette, BYU; Nolan Smith, Duke; Derrick Williams, Arizona; JaJuan Johnson, Purdue; Jared Sullinger, Ohio State; Kemba Walker, UConn… Do any of those guys crack the list?)

Conference Player of the Year:

ACC: J.J. Hickson, N.C. State

Atlantic 10: Jordon Crawford, Xavier

Big 10: Eric Gordon, Indiana

Big 12: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

Big East: DeJuan Blair, Pitt

Conf. USA: Derrick Rose, Memphis

Horizon: Gordon Hayward, Butler

Mountain West: Jimmer Fredette, BYU

PAC-10: Kevin Love, UCLA

SEC: John Wall, Kentucky

WAC: Paul George, Fresno St.

West Coast: Austin Daye, Gonzaga

By my count 11/12 of the best conferences in the country would have had different player of the year had they all been forced to stay.

How about the competition for NCAA Player of the Year? My pick is Rose, but it’s scary to think what kind of numbers Love and Griffin (all 3 were NBA All-Stars this year) would put up against college kids.

Also you see John Calipari’s finger prints all over this hypothetical. Chances are Tyreke Evans wouldn’t have gone to Memphis if Derrick Rose was still there for three years. I’m not going to try and guess where he would go, but that’s a big reason I got Evans all the way down at 3^rd Team status. Would Coach Cal leave that backcourt for Kentucky?

Three of the four 1 seeds in this year’s tournament (Ohio State, Kansas, and Pitt) all would have even deeper teams. The #1 overall Buckeyes could add Evan Turner as well as big men Kosta Koufos and B.J. Mullens to their roster. Kansas is stronger with Xavier Henry and Cole Aldrich, while Pitt is all the more dangerous with DeJuan Blair. Interestingly, Duke seems to have gone back to the way they were pre Corey Maggette, William Avery, Elton Brand, Luol Deng, and don’t have as many 1 or 2 and done players as they once did. Their best players (Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler) decided to return for their senior year after already winning a title.

Memphis, Kentucky, Syracuse, UCLA, USC, and Kansas State all would have likely battled for 1 seeds; I bet Duke ends up as a 4 or 5 this season.

Oklahoma, Wake Forest, Indiana, Arizona State, and Nevada would likely have all made the tournament this year instead of finishing outside the 68 team field.

Top 8 Seeds this year:

1. Ohio State
2. Kansas
3. Pitt
4. Duke
5. Notre Dame
6. North Carolina
7. San Diego State
8. Florida

Top 8 “What If” Seeds

1. Memphis
2. UCLA
3. Oklahoma
4. Kentucky
5. Kansas
6. USC
7. Kansas State
8. Ohio State

It’s difficult to really predict and understand what college basketball would look like with all these players still in the game. Someone like O.J. Mayo, who has already gone from a starter to a reserve in the NBA and seen his points per game average drop each season in the league (18.5, 17.5, 11.8), could be a senior at Southern Cal this year. I personally think if he was still there we’d be talking about a guy putting up 25+ points, 8 assists a game and it’d be must see TV when the Trojans face Kevin Love, Jrue Holiday and the UCLA Bruins.

Look at the jump Kemba Walker from UConn has made in 3 seasons. He went from 8.9 points per game to 14.6, to 23.5 this year. There were rumors swirling that he would go pro after his freshmen and sophomore seasons. You think we’d know his name had he done that? Imagine if some of these other players listed above, who left after their 1^st or 2^nd college season elected to stay, how many points per game would they average?

Again I’m not blaming anyone for leaving school, if you’re going to get drafted in the 1^st round and make millions of dollars, no one can blame you. My only point in comparing a player to Kemba Walker is you can see the jump they can make in school. Is 30 points per game too much for Eric Gordon or Jerryd Bayliss? 35?

ESPN interviewed Walker, Jimmer Fredette, and Nolan Smith yesterday after the brackets were announced. They were picked because they are 3 of if not the 3 best players in the country. If everyone stayed in school are they in the Top 15? 20? How tough a job would ESPN have had trying select just 3 players to talk to between Love, Rose, Griffin, Gordon, Mayo, Wall, Beasley etc.?

In the end it’s just a fun “What If” game that will never be/ should never be the reality in college basketball. Enjoy the tournament this year like you do every March, but try not to drive yourself crazy envisioning Bill Walker and Michael Beasley in a Wildcats uniform when watching Kansas State play. Or O.J. Mayo during USC’s games… or Kevin Love for UCLA… or Derrick Rose for Memphis… or John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins for Kentucky… or…

-Keefe

NBA All-Star Predictions

The starters for next month’s NBA All-Star game from Los Angeles will be announced this Thursday night. The starting lineups, as we know, are voted on by fans all over the world especially China. We got a sneak peak of the results with two weeks left to vote, and if those results hold true the fans deserve some credit. Not a ton of credit, but 9 out of 10 deserving All-Star starters is pretty good. Let’s take a look at the expected starting lineups with my picks for the reserve spots.

Western Conference:

Chris Paul, Hornets (16.2 points, 9.6 assists (3^rd in NBA)) Paul’s numbers are below his career averages across the board, FG% is slightly up and 3pt% is way up. But he’s quietly having one of his best seasons. New Orleans is right in the thick of the playoffs in the Western Conference, currently tied for 3^rd place. Paul is adjusting to some new teammates while still clicking with the one guy he has played with his entire career, David West. Don’t let the low ppg fool you; Paul should be the starting point guard in the loaded West.

Kobe Bryant, Lakers (25 points (6^th in NBA), 5.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists) Kobe’s Hall of Fame career continues as LA tries to capture their 2^nd 3-Peat in Bryant’s tenure. With all the talk that the Lakers are struggling, don’t look now but they are in 2^nd place in the conference and winners of 9 of their last 11. I know I’m looking forward to Sunday when the Celtics take the floor at Staples.

Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets (23.5 points (9^th in NBA), 8 rebounds) Melo is still on the Nuggets and thus likely to start on the West Squad. If he is shipped to the Nets prior to the February 20^th game, than he would suit up for the East. Anthony has played well, maybe surprisingly well, with such a public possible trade going on. The fans in Denver have booed him, but the way things are progressing he’ll be representing them in the All-Star game.

Kevin Durant, Thunder (28.3 points (1^st in NBA), 6.3 rebounds) My preseason pick for league MVP may not be that right now but he certainly deserves to be starting for the West. He is on pace to win his second consecutive scoring title and OKC could have home court advantage in the 1^st round of the playoffs.

Yao Ming, Rockets (18.2 minutes per game in 5 GAMES) Did I mention that votes are tabulated all over the world particularly China. I get that Yao is popular in America too, but come on. This is one of the worst examples of fan voting ever. (Allen Iverson from last year was bad as well, but at least he was playing.)

Injury Replacement: Pau Gasol, Lakers (18.6 points, 8.6 rebounds (6^th in NBA)) Gasol should be the replacement for Yao and start for the West. Yes, Pau is technically a power forward and not a center, but with Andrew Bynum missing so many games this year, more than half, he qualifies as a center and deserves to start alongside his LA teammate Bryant.

Here is where it gets fun… and extremely difficult. Picking the reserves is always a bit tricky, but this year’s Western Conference is as tough as ever. The West is loaded with talent at every position (besides center obviously). These are the 7 I’m taking…

West Reserves:

Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks (23.4 points (10^th in NBA), 7.1 rebounds) Dirk looked like the league’s MVP (again) earlier this season, but injuries to him and Caron Butler have knocked him down that list. However he is still a lock for the All-Star game, for what will be the 10^th time in his great career.

Deron Williams, Jazz (21.7 points (15^th in NBA), 9.5 assists (4^th in NBA)) D. Williams is still my pick for the best point guard in the NBA. I know Derrick Rose is playing out of his mind, but I like Williams. Paul is having a better season, thus deserves to start, however there won’t be a drop off when they go to the bench. He is one of the guys that will make the All-Star game that much more entertaining.

Russell Westbrook, Thunder (22.7 points (13^th in NBA), 5 rebounds, 8.3 assists (9^th in NBA) It was difficult to leave Steve Nash off the roster, but I doubt they would take more than three point guards. Westbrook has been a monster, as seen by the numbers. He and Durant are the highest scoring duo in the NBA and should both be in LA next month. I do question his shot selection late in games, although that shouldn’t prevent him from making his 1^st All-Star game.

Blake Griffin, Clippers (22.8 points (12^th in NBA), 12.9 rebounds (4^th in NBA), 238746289 Highlights (1^st in NBA)) The eventual Rookie of the Year has more than taken the league by storm. The staunchest Clippers fan… Penny Marshall, Malcolm in the Middle…? Whoever, could not have guessed Blake would be this good, this soon. Clipper games are now must watch. Fact.

Kevin Love, Timberwolves (21.3 points (19^th in NBA), 15.6 rebounds (1^st in NBA)) All-Stars are usually on successful teams. Well certain exceptions can be made, and this is one of them. Mr. Double-Double has been outstanding, 38 in 43 games. Also we can now rest on the “Greatest Current White American Born Player” debate that for years featured the likes of Wally Szczerbiak (who was actually born in Spain), Luke Ridnour, Kirk Hinrich, Mike Miller, Brad Miller, before it appeared as though it would settle on David Lee… now, it should be Love for the next 10-12 years. Whew.

Manu Ginobili, Spurs (18.5 points, 4.8 assists) I keep waiting for Manu to run out of gas. Guess it won’t be this year either. His basic numbers don’t “wow” you, but 37-7 does. The 2^nd best current international player deserves to be on there. Bill Simmons had a fantastic article last week about All-Star picks and he mentioned the fact that the 3 best international players (Dirk, Manu, and Pau) will all be on the same team. And they would have had Yao if he was healthy.

Tim Duncan, Spurs (13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds (9^th in NBA)) Under 14 points per game, but it’s still Tim Duncan, the Big Fundamental. He, along with Manu, Parker, and Pop have San Antonio on top in the West. I’m not one for lifetime achievement awards; this is more deserving than just name recognition. Duncan is still putting up a near double-double every night and is anchoring a defense for a team with the best record in basketball. Also in my scenario for All-Stars I need Duncan to be considered my second center. Please don’t shoe horn Okafor, Nene, or some other “center” in this spot.

Just Missed Out:

This group is far more extensive than its Eastern Conference counterparts. You can field a pretty good 3^rd All-Star Team just from this selection of stars…

Monta Ellis, Warriors (25.8 points, 4^th in NBA)

Eric Gordon, Clippers (24.1 points, 9^th in NBA)

Steve Nash, Suns (10.9 assists, 2^nd in NBA)

Luis Scola, Rockets (19.1 points, 8.3 rebounds)

Michael Beasley, Timberwolves (20.6 points, 20^th in NBA)

LaMarcus Aldridge, Trail Blazers (21.4 points, 18^th in NBA)

Zach Randolph, Grizzlies (20.1 points, 13.1 rebounds)

Rudy Gay, Grizzlies (20.5 points)

Tony Parker, Spurs (17.4 points, 6.9 assists)

Lamar Odom, Lakers (19 double-doubles)

David West, Hornets (18.9 points)

Kevin Martin, Rockets (23.3 points, 11^th in NBA)

If the Clippers (who have won 12 of their last 17) had been playing like this all season, Eric Gordon would have been a lock. Monta Ellis is one of the easiest scorers in the NBA and perhaps the 2^nd or 3^rd most entertaining player in the league, however he won’t crack this list. Two-time MVP Steve Nash will likely watch this game from home, which seems crazy.

Career years from Aldridge, Beasley, and Scola also will net them on the outside looking in. But for an All-Star game to be truly great/ memorable, you need extremely talents players having career seasons to not make the cut, and that’s what you have this year… in the West. The East is a little easier to narrow down to 12.

Eastern Conference:

Derrick Rose, Bulls (24.7 points (7^th in NBA), 8 assists (10^th in NBA)) Perhaps the league’s MVP at the midway point of the season, Rose recently surpassed Rajon Rondo in the fan vote and will likely keep his advantage and start at point for the East. He certainly deserves it, Charles Barkley recently crowned him the Best PG in the NBA.

Dwyane Wade, Heat (25.1 points (5^th in NBA), 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists) The Heat had been rolling until an injury bug came out of no where and bit them, including D-Wade. The additions of LeBron and Bosh did not hurt Wade’s scoring as he is barely under his career average.

LeBron James, Heat (25.9 points (3^rd in NBA), 7.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists) LeBron is not going to average a triple-double like some thought he would at the beginning of the year, but he will still be in the running to win his 3^rd straight MVP award. Love him or hate him, who is better than LeBron in the East? In the NBA?

Amare Stoudemire, Knicks (26 points (2^nd in NBA), 9 rebounds (13^th in NBA)) Amare has taken New York by storm. He’s got the Knicks in the Top 8 in the East and turned a basement dwelling team to an attractive location to fellow stars (See: Anthony, Carmelo).

Dwight Howard, Magic (22.1 points (14^th in NBA), 13.3 rebounds (2^nd in NBA)) The league’s best center will take his familiar spot as the starting big for the Eastern Conference. Dwight has withstood a major shake up to his team’s roster and he’s only gotten better. To go along with his monster points and rebounding numbers he is also 5^th in blocks and on pace to be the league’s top defender once again.

East Reserves:

Paul Pierce, Celtics (19 points, 5.2 rebounds) Another All-Star season for Pierce, who leads the best team in the East in scoring. Similar to the players on the Spurs, the Celtics star players can’t compete based strictly on stats with many other stars, but their winning and overall play on both ends of the floor make it easy to pick them for the All-Star game.

Kevin Garnett, Celtics (15.2 points, 9 rebounds) KG is playing his best basketball in a Celtics uniform since the 2007-2008 season when he won Defensive Player of the Year and popularized the phrase “Anything is Possible!!!” Amare deserves to start ahead of KG, but in a historical perspective, Garnett in the starting 5 would give you 5 potential Hall of Famers (LeBron and Wade are locks, Howard is on his way, same with Rose, just don’t see Amare making the cut.)

Rajon Rondo, Celtics (10.5 points, 13 assists (1^st in NBA)) Rondo has solidified himself as a regular for the All-Star game with an impressive first half of the season. He’s dishing out assists at a record clip. Insert him into this starting lineup, and something tells me Wade, LeBron, Amare, and Howard would enjoy themselves a lot more.

Al Horford, Hawks (16.2 points, 9.7 rebounds (8^th in NBA)) The Hawks continue to be the same team from the past three seasons. They will finish at best in 3^rd place in the conference and at worst 5^th. Horford is a double-double big guy. If he was battling the likes of Aldridge, Nowitzki, Duncan, etc. he’d have a tougher time.

Chris Bosh, Heat (18.6 points, 8.3 rebounds) Those are the worst numbers Bosh has put up since the ’04-’05 season, but he’s doing it for a winner now. Bosh also had a very slow start to the season and has come on strong. We’ll see how this latest injury (ankle) affects him when he returns. A month and a half ago the “New Big 3” looked like it would send just 2 to the All-Star game, but it looks at though Bosh will get the invite after all.

Danny Granger, Pacers (21.5 points (16^th in NBA), 5.7 rebounds)) A solid scorer on a very average team, Granger also benefits from playing in the East. Indiana is a fringe playoff team, but out of that group of Philly, Charlotte, Milwaukee, I think Granger is the best any of those teams have to offer, this season.

Ray Allen, Celtics (17.3 points, 50.7% FG) I think Allen returns to the All-Star game this year. He’s made 9 in his career, including his first two seasons with the Celtics. He did not go to the game last year, but has responded this season by shooting over 50% and knocking down countless crunch time shots. Doc is the head coach, Pierce, KG, and Rondo will be there, so why not Ray?

Just Missed Out:

Not nearly as many tough omissions in the East as in the West, but these guys could have a gripe.

Joe Johnson, Hawks (19.7 points, 5.5 assists)

Andrew Bogut, Bucks (Averaging a double-double, 1^st in blocks)

Raymond Felton, Knicks (17.5 points, 8.7 assists)

Joe Johnson has made 4 consecutive All-Star games. A slow start to the season will likely snap his streak. He has come on, raising his averages to just below 20 points a night and 5.5 assists on a winning team. Bogut is shooting a miserable percentage for a 7 footer (49%), he should stay at home.

Felton deserves consideration as the metamorphosis in New York is not solely due to Amare. Felton could definitely make it. Look back at 2009 as Devin Harris and Jameer Nelson both made the team and Mo Williams was later added as a replacement. (Ray Allen replaced Nelson, and then Williams took Chris Bosh’s spot) How does Felton’s year compare to those guys from ’09?

It should be a very exciting All-Star game this year. There is a lot of intrigue for who will make the West squad. In the East, could 7 of the 12 players really be from the Celtics and Heat. We will find out soon enough. The starters will be unveiled Thursday night. Make sure to let me know who you think will be named to the 2010-2011 NBA All-Star teams.

-Keefe

Who's the NBA MVP Right Now?

We are not even at the halfway point of the season, but let’s talk MVP anyway. Two of the league’s stars made recent comments about the award so why can’t we? LeBron James basically said as soon as he and Dwyane Wade joined company they could kiss any MVP consideration goodbye. Meanwhile Bulls PG Derrick Rose said it’s his goal to win the award this season and he thinks he can as long as the team continues to win. (Chicago is currently 3^rd in the East).

So, who is your MVP? Here is a look at some of the top candidates thru 30+ games.

Amare Stoudemire, Knicks: 26.4 points, 9 rebounds, 2.3 blocks.

In his first season in the Big Apple, Stoudemire has New York in 6^th place in the Eastern Conference while ranking 2^nd in the NBA in points-per-game. The Knicks are looking like a playoff team early thanks to stellar combination of Stoudemire and Felton. It will be tough for him to win the award if New York finishes around .500, which I expect.

Kevin Durant, Thunder: 27.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3 assists.

The NBA’s leading scorer has his team in 5^th place in the West but only a half game out of 3^rd and 3 games back of 2^nd. He was clearly the MVP of the Gold Medal winning World Championship team, and he has sort of carried that over into the NBA season. I thought he would be a little more dominating; after all he did crack the 30 points per game mark last year.

Derrick Rose, Bulls: 24 points, 8.6 assists, 4.7 rebounds.

The guy thinks he’s the MVP, wants to be the MVP, and could very well win the MVP. He’s 8^th in scoring, 7^th in assists, and his team sits in 3^rd place in a conference that is more top heavy than Dolly Parton. Rose has been a complete player leadings a team that has never been a full strength with the injuries to Boozer (early) and Noah (present/future).

Dwight Howard, Magic: 21.1 points, 13 rebounds, 2.5 blocks.

He’s the best center in the game (Duncan is a PF, naturally so is Amare, and Yao is in 7’6 suits the rest of the way), and because of this he will always get some consideration. His team made a major shake up but he remains the vocal point. The Magic will only go as far as Dwight takes them. If he is really going to win the MVP he might have to catch Love for the rebounding title and Bogut for blocks and win another Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Kobe Bryant, Lakers: 25.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists.

MVP talk must involve Kobe Bryant even though he has taken home the award just once in his Hall of Fame career. Kobe has not been torching teams with the same regularity yet he still ranks 3^rd in the league in scoring, but the Lakers find themselves tied for 3^rd place in the West. As long as Bryant is healthy his name will be mentioned on the MVP ballet at the end of the year.

Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks: 24.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 54.5% FG.

The 2007 MVP is once again putting up impressive numbers and doing it for a team that is piling up wins. The recent injury to Caron Butler will likely hurt the team, however with inspired performance it could help Dirk’s MVP case.

Deron Williams, Jazz: 22.2 points, 9.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds.

In my opinion he is the best point guard in a very deep group in the NBA. The Jazz are tied for 3^rd place while adjusting too many new faces. Boozer, Mathews, Korver, Miles are all gone and Okur has been out, yet Williams and the Jazz are still one of the best teams in the league. It also helps that he ranks 12^th in points and 4^th in assists. He won’t win it this year but an All-NBA 1^st team should be in the cards.

LeBron James, Heat: 24.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists.

The back-to-back reigning winner of the MVP trophy says he won’t win it this year. Is this a random moment of self deprecation? It doesn’t matter what he says, he will be considered. The Heat have a great chance to pass the Celtics (only .5 game back right now) for 1^st place in the East because of Boston’s injuries coupled with Miami’s recent performance. Also I am pretty sure Michael Jordan still won the award a few times with Scottie Pippen on the team. Monster numbers on a winning team = MVP.

Dwyane Wade, Heat: 24.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists.

Same rules apply for LeBron. Perhaps these guys would split votes if they has similar numbers (like they do now) and were the #1 seed in the playoffs. Even still I think each one has a chance at the award. Wade has caught fire as of late and now leads LeBron by .1 in points; they rank 5^th and 6^th in the league respectively. Another trip to the All-Defensive team for both will also help their consideration.

Rajon Rondo, Celtics: 10.8 points, 13.5 assists, 2.3 steals.

Given he’s missed 11 of the team’s 32 games, which would make winning the award a huge uphill climb, you have to wonder. What if Rondo put up these kinds of numbers for a full season and the C’s had the best record? Steve Nash won 2 (should have been 3) MVP awards and never averaged 13.5 assists in a season. Yes, Nash did score more points and we really shouldn’t even compare their shooting skills. But I wonder, in a year where LeBron and Wade are playing together, and Kobe isn’t dominating (as much), would Rondo have received many votes? Maybe he still can. The last time a player missed 11 games (so we would be assuming Rondo played in every game the rest of the way) and won the MVP award was Allen Iverson back in the 2000-01 season. AI played in 71 games but dropped a ridiculous 31.1 ppg.

It is really difficult to pick just one player as the MVP at this point in the year. If I had to choose I think I might take Kevin Durant, (he was my preseason pick). The Thunder will need to be a Top 4 seed in the West; Durant must defend his scoring title, and improve his rebounding to win it. LeBron and Wade will make a run for this thing too whether they think so or not. Who would you vote for?

-Keefe