10 Best Players in the NBA Draft

By Chris Le

My player evaluations run long so I’ll get to the point.  No one wants to read a wordy introduction before ten equally verbose player breakdowns.  So save the lube and foreplay for next time; I’m sticking it in dry.  Here’s the intro: throw out team need and how this player fits into that team.  This is simple and clear — these are the ten best players available in the NBA draft.

First, the players who missed the cut:

Jrue Holiday, PG, UCLA — Holiday is not a true floor general, and his problems were compounded by a disappointing freshman campaign after being the most touted guard in the recruiting class.  But Holiday doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses and could be this year’s Brian Westbrook, in that his game translates better to the NBA.

DeMar DeRozan, SG, USC — The athlete of the draft.  There’s one every year.  DeRozan’s vertical and prototypical size are drawing comparisons to Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant.  I see the athleticism, but I don’t yet see the game.  He’s a project.

Earl Clark, SF, Louisville — If Clark’s potential is realized, he could become one of the best three players in this draft.  He’s that talented — and wrapped in a 6’10 body, to boot.  Unselfish stat-stuffer extraordinaire.

Terrance Williams, SG, Louisville — I thought Williams was the best player on a Louisville squad crammed with NBA potential.  His game is defined by versatility, nimbleness and omnipresent defense.  In a system that doesn’t need him to score in isolation, he’ll be the key player who glues everyone together.

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Six-Star Prospects

These are future All-NBA First or Second Teamers, bona fide franchise players that can anchor an offense or defense.  Former six-star prospects include LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley — players a team can build around.  The number of six-star players in this year’s draft?

Zero.

I don’t see one player significantly changing a franchise now or in the future.  There’s no sure thing like in past drafts.  Every prospect seems to have question marks or a visible limit to how good they can become.

Five-Star Prospects

These are potential All-Stars.  Not quite the cornerstones of six-star players but could develop into a solid second banana, like Pau Gasol, that can push a team already with a superstar into title contention.

1. Blake Griffin, PF, Oklahoma — The valedictorian of a class replete with mediocrity.  But that’s no indictment of Griffin.  He is the rare blend of athleticism and size that is worthy of a number one overall selection — in this or any other draft.  Griffin’s ladder has an extra step or two, so in a jump situation he still elevates while defenders, feeble victims of gravity, are on their way down, leaving them in perfect position for a facial.  His cocktail of overall agility, vertical jump, motivation and — the coup de grace — willingness to pass out of a double team, all in a large body, have GMs pining like they were when scouting Amare Stoudemire and Dwight Howard.

And like those former lottery picks, Griffin does not rely on talent alone; he’s a hustler, diving for loose balls (over scorer’s tables after suffering a concussion, if need be, as he did against Texas Tech), elbowing his way through traffic and jockeying for position like a bench warmer vying for playing time.  This explains Griffin’s best attribute: rebounding.  He gobbles any errant shot because he wants it more than anyone and works his tail off to box out an opponent.  It’s the type of work ethic you want in a top selection; hell, it’s the type of drive I wish to instill in my future child — the requisite internal motivation needed to excel in any field.  In basketball, however, it’s also nice to be tall, and in a rare instance of honesty in basketball measurables Griffin measured in at his pre-combine listed height of 6’10.  I always thought he was closer to 6’8 ½ – 6’9 — a common fib told by teams as a scare tactic — but he and Oklahoma were telling the truth.  A welcome surprise.

But while Griffin is sufficiently tall, he comes up short in length, with a wingspan of only 6’11, which means, even with his hops, he’ll have to work to score around the rim amongst the NBA trees.  Another concern is his offensive stock, or lack thereof.  Other than a tomahawk dunk, and despite his 22.7 points per games, I saw in the sophomore Sooner very little scoring development.  He has a decent — though not great — jump shot and displayed a nifty spin move in the post.  But that’s about it.  The rest of the time he’s facing up and driving towards the hoop with hopes of throwing it down.  He’ll need to mix up his bag of tricks by cultivating a consistent shot, particularly at the free throw line (59 percent), improve his defense and add to his back-to-the-basket arsenal.  But with proper coaching and his drive to excel these shortcomings should be remedied in no time.  Griffin is a lock for the number one pick.

I think this video encapsulates my argument nicely.

NBA Comparison: Rawer, more athletic Carlos Boozer

Four-Star Prospects

Fringe All-Stars.  These players will see playing time early, but strictly as third options at best.

2. Tyreke Evans, PG/SG, Memphis — I’ve been high on Evans since his junior year of high school, when he was the top prospect in the nation.  And he carried this success into college winning Freshman of the Year honors.  But the problem isn’t his credentials; it’s that he’s stuck in no-man’s land between point guard and shooting guard.  Pundits groan that he’s too selfish and turnover prone to play the point, while lacking the efficiency and range desired in a lottery two-guard.  It’s a valid criticism.  I myself don’t know which position fits him best.

But what I do know is this: Evans can flat out play the game.  I sound like a simpleton, but I can’t think of a more apt nor eloquent description.  When the game is on the line, put the rock in Tyreke’s hands and he’ll win it.  He has an innate understanding of how to get to the basket, and with his physique (6’5, 220 pounds, a freakish 6’10 ½ wingspan) and ballerina-like body control, he can finish in a crowd.  I see in ‘Reke the ability to routinely get in “the zone” where, no matter the defense, he can’t be denied points.  Every draft or two, there’s only one player who qualifies as a natural scorer.  Evans is this year’s natural scorer.  As I wrote in a blog about Evans before his freshman year at Memphis, he “has the requisite swagger and lack of conscience needed in a go-to scorer.”  And I stand by that statement.

NBA Comparison: OJ Mayo

3. Ricky Rubio, PG, Italy — Caveat: I’ve only seen Ricky Rubio in the Olympics and in YouTube mixes (which always have horrible and mismatching songs.  My favorite is this Tim Duncan highlight).  YouTube mixes, I realize, amount to nothing.  If I made a highlight reel of myself nailing the one in 15 shots I attempt or show an isolated Magic Johnson-like dime, weeding out the seven accompanying turnovers in my assist-to-turnover ratio, I bet I could look like a top-10 prospect.  But what’s a draft discussion without Ricky Rubio?  So humor me, and let it seem like I know what I’m talking about.

If one word describes Rubio, it’s playmaker. If I had two more words, I’d choose crafty and exhilarating.  And no, they are not oxymorons.  He’s crafty in that he lacks physical gifts — you won’t see him posterize anyone or exhibit Jeff Teague-like speed — but he’ll still manipulate the basketball like a yo-yo; pull off double-pump shots at the rim from awkward body positions; and split double-teams while dribbling, in one swift move, behind his back and between his legs.  That makes Rubio exhilarating.  He’s a magician on the court.  He executes maneuvers you think he is incapable of doing.  Adding to the aesthetics, his moves border on wild and at times, look mechanical, but his basketball IQ and flair for theatrics leave your jaw near your feet.  I feel the same way watching Steve Nash.

Passing, for Rubio, is an art form, the court his exhibit and the fast break his medium of choice.  You name it, he can do it: one-handers, no-looks, bounce passes from unfathomable angles or a combination of all three.  And he executes it all with élan.  Nice word, huh?  Gotta love that dictionary.com word of the day.

But the Spaniard is not without flaws.  Like most point guard prospects, he needs a better jump shot.  And he’s weak.  There doesn’t seem to be an ounce of muscle on him, which gives me the impression he’ll be bounced around when finishing in the paint, or even when trying to turn the corner on a pick-and-roll.  But did I mention he’s only 18?  He’s obviously going to be weak but will fill out with age and some sweat in the weight room.

Rubio can be special.  Considering his age and accomplishments, he already is.  He’s a left-handed prodigy who has been playing in a league five times tougher than the Big East Conference against fully-matured men.  The roster of whichever team picks Rubio should sleep with smiling faces on draft night because he will be a joy to play with.  If the Oklahoma City Thunder nab him, look out.

NBA Comparison: A weaker Jason Kidd and without the rebounding

4. James Harden, SG, ASU — Outside of Griffin, Harden is the most ready to contribute prospect.  Teams know what they’re getting in Harden: a fundamentally solid, well-rounded and safe pick, but without much potential or zest.  He’s the minivan of this draft — and there’s nothing wrong with that at all.

The 19-year-old lefty can score every which way but does so with purpose; rarely does he display off-the-cuff, mid-air creativity — this could be viewed as a good or bad thing, mainly because his limited hops don’t allow him time to be imaginative off his feet.  He acts only after pinpointing weakness in a defender, and then exploits it with a plan.  He doesn’t force anything.  He sees a defender playing off and it results in a shot from deep; a smaller man is on him and Harden sets up in the post; a slower opponent bodies him up and Harden attacks.  The best way to explain Harden’s feel for offense is that he’s in-tune with the game.  He’s a thinker on offense, calculating where and how to break down a defense, and at a sturdy 6’5, 222 pounds, there isn’t much anyone can do to stop him.

But Harden is crafty for a reason — it makes up for his pedestrian athleticism.  His first step is as explosive as a cap gun, and I rarely see him finish above the rim.  He can’t overwhelm foes with speed or power, so he does it with guile.  And though he can contribute immediately, as is often the case, he doesn’t have much potential.  Despite being only 19, is he close to his ceiling?

NBA Comparison: Smaller, poor man’s Paul Pierce

Three-Star Prospects

This is where the wheat separates from chaff — where the draft really shows its shallow well of talent.  In a typical draft, I don’t think any of these players are taken in the top 10.  This draft is that bad.  Anyhow, three-star prospects are either projects that will need years to make an impact or those who will be role players.

5. Hasheem Thabeet, C, UConn — A dominating defensive force packaged in a mobile 7’1, 267 pound frame.  If that’s not a prospect, then I don’t know what is.  Thabeet’s allure is his defense, but I specifically love this kid’s timing.  He’s patient and doesn’t bite on pump fakes, which is a pet peeve of mine.  But even if Thabeet does jump at feints, his second best trait is his recovery, which I’m sure moistens scouts’ underwear every time they witness it.  Thabeet’s second jump is a quick bounce, as if he were on a trampoline, nearly reaching the apex of his standstill vertical.  It’s a shocking feat of athleticism by a lanky, yet weighty body.  It’s this athleticism that also allows Thabeet to be a multi-faceted defender.  He’s equally adept at blocking shots in help- or on-ball scenarios and is comfortable manning up all the way out to the three-point line.  This results in 4.4 blocks per game and countless altered attempts.

Thabeet’s offense, however, is another story.  For his size, he runs the floor well, resulting in easy baskets, and he mainly feeds off teammates’ scraps, with the majority of his points coming from alley-oops and put-backs.  But he’s not the type of player you dedicate a play to.  You can’t dump the ball to him deep in the post and let him go to work.  He’ll end up looking like Dwight Howard against the Lakers — confused and likely to commit a turnover.  At this point in Thabeet’s development, he is not looking to score, and he shouldn’t.  He’s being drafted to defend, and that he can do.  But he has displayed a soft touch, which is a hopeful sign he could develop a consistent jump shot.  It’s just a matter of fine-tuning his mechanics and thousands of repetitions in the gym.

But the beating he received courtesy of Pittsburgh’s DeJuan Blair gives me some concern.  Thabeet was bullied on both ends of the floor by a wide and lower-center body commonly seen in the league.  If Thabeet wants to make a career of basketball, adding mass to his spindly frame is a must.

NBA Comparison: Samuel Dalembert

6. Brandon Jennings, PG, Italy — Malcolm Gladwell postulates in Blink that our first impressions are oftentimes the truest — that instinct is more valuable than hours of dissection and study.  Seems legit to me because in sports predictions I’m often torn between what is said by my gut and what is said by my head.  And my gut — my initial feelings — turns out to be correct 65 percent of the time (I totally pulled that number out of my ass).  Brandon Jennings is my gut pick.

And my gut really likes Jennings’s breathtaking athleticism.  His quickness, no joke, rivals Allen Iverson, but he can get up about half a foot higher than the Answer to perform some YouTube worthy dunks.  He’s like a crotch rocket in the open field and has panache that’s up there with Ricky Rubio.  And anyone who rocks hair like this, I like.

So fresh -- and aerodynamic.

My main gripe is an absent outside shot.  But from his workout reports, he nailed nearly every shot he attempted.  Okay, I hear you: making shots in an empty gym is different than drilling shots with Chauncey Billups in your grill.  But the workouts show Jennings has consistent and nicely groomed mechanics.

His international campaign was less than stellar, but I admire how he persevered through a tough situation of fluctuating playing time and acclimating to a new culture.  Hearing recent interviews with Jennings, he comes off as matured and humbled.  From day one, it’ll be evident that going overseas was a good life choice as well as a sound basketball decision.

NBA Comparison: A more athletic version of the Tony Parker that first entered the draft.  You know, the one who was blazing fast but couldn’t make a jumper to save his life.

7. Stephen Curry, PG/SG, Davidson — The Kobe Bryant of college basketball.  Okay, allow me to explain: he’s not Kobe in terms of talent, but Curry is the most polarizing player in this draft — not even Tyler Hansbrough is as divisive.  I’m in the camp of Curry believers.  With a pure stroke like he has, he’ll find a roster spot on any team.

It’s not only his quick draw that would have even Doc Holiday envious, it’s his offensive awareness.  He understands spacing — the shortest distance needed to get off a shot — and he can create it with a toolbox of hesitation moves and pump fakes.  He just knows how to put a defender in a position of vulnerability.  And I think this makes up for his underwhelming size and speed.

His offensive wherewithal will also lend to his future as a point guard.  I thought he played well at the helm in his junior season at Davidson, displaying clutchness and stouthearted leadership that will translate into the NBA.  And while he won’t be the preferred penetrate-and-kick-out type point, he’ll be serviceable.  At worst, he’ll be instant offense off the bench, but a complete liability on defense.  At best, he’ll be a game-changing playmaker.

NBA Comparison: Smaller Kevin Martin/Mike Bibby

8. Jonny Flynn, PG, Syracuse — I became a believer after his 34-point, 11-assist, 67-minute (!), 6-overtime victory against UConn.  Anyone with that stew of ability and heart is, in my book, a gamer who I’d want beside me in a war.  The mental resoluteness to withstand burning lungs and cramping legs is an indication of a winner.  A willingness to sacrifice the body is a side effect of the voracity to be better.  And with Flynn’s talent, he can be great.  First of all, talk about a freak athlete: at six feet, Flynn has a 40-inch vertical!  So you can double-check that box in your evaluation sheet.  He’s also fleet-footed and can handle the ball so I have little doubt he can penetrate and create for teammates.

Creating for himself, though, may be the problem.  As I wrote before, he’s undersized at 6’0 and while at Syracuse, didn’t showcase a dependable outside game.  But he plays long due to a 6’4 wingspan, and with such volatile talent, he’ll be a fine scorer.

NBA Comparison: Damon Stoudamire

9. Jordan Hill, PF, ASU — Hill is a pick of pure potential.  He’s tall at 6’10 with long arms and good upward burst.  But there’s nothing more pathetic than a lazy talent (Oh, hi, Darius Miles!).  Good thing Hill is a scrapper and very active in the paint.  High-energy guys of his ilk flourish in high-octane offenses (as I think Hill would in the Golden State system) but fall short in the half-court game.

Hill began playing basketball late in high school so he’s still rough around the edges, particularly in the post.  He’s clumsy when his initial attack fails, and he has a tendency before making a move, like Dwight Howard, to bring the ball low in prime position to be stripped.

Hill is a project and will require a season or two before becoming a valuable part of a team.  His bad fundamentals and low basketball IQ, particularly on defense, will keep Hill from significant minutes.  But like I said, he has that ever-attractive potential.

NBA Comparison: Wannabe Chris Bosh / Better Ronny Turiaf

10. Gerald Henderson, SG, Duke — I’ve seen 99 percent of Henderson’s career games, and while his first two and half seasons at Duke were a bigger disappointment than the Cleveland Cavaliers’ playoffs, Henderson improved across the board each year, culminating in the player we saw during the 2009 ACC play.  That late version of Henderson was the best player in the conference — better than Jeff Teague, Tyler Hansbrough and even Ty Lawson.  Okay, maybe not Lawson, but the fact is Henderson ripened into an elite performer.

With Henderson, you first notice how powerfully he glides across the floor and then through the air.  God bestowed upon him the quickness of foot to stay in front of any slashing player, and the ups to attack the rim against any obstacle.  Henderson skyrockets with the best of them and utilizes his leap equally well on both halves of the court; he had as many sky-scraping blocks as he did dunks.  Every Duke game I waited for G to make a play worthy of rewinding my DVR, and he never let me down.

But it was his dramatically improved mid-range game that pushed him into All-American territory.  Every time he pulled up to elevate after a hard dribble, or when he received a pass for an open corner three, or when he turned around for a fadeaway, I expected to hear the clang of the rim.  But I didn’t.  Instead, I heard a swoosh.  I was shocked.  This all-around offensive game and his defensive mindset should ensure him a nice career much like his father’s.

A few hiccups in his game, however, give me pause.  He has no left hand, whatsoever.  If defenses force Henderson to his off-hand, he’s not a threat to score, and in fact, often looks out of control, much like he did against Villanova in the NCAA Tournament.  And despite blossoming into a dangerous scorer, he still seems hesitant to let it rip.  He must be more aggressive and demand the ball when his team is in need of a bucket.

NBA Comparison: Dahntay Jones

Lay Off the Layup

By Chris Le

Everyone in Orlando and their moms are pulling out their hair over Courtney Lee’s missed alley-oop layup.   Understandable because, ooh wee, it was a big one that would’ve tied the series at one game apiece.  Instead, the ball bounced off the glass and clanked the outer edge of the rim, and the game was sent into overtime where the Lakers took control and won, 101-96.

Not to sound all dramatic and hyperbolic, but Lee will be haunted by that layup for the rest of his life.  Players need to sack up and finish in end-game situations if they want to win a championship, and Stan Van drew up a greaaat play.  Plus, Kobe Bryant blew that defensive assignment by failing to switch off the screen, freeing up Lee for the lob.  He had a chance to embarrass one of the best defenders in the league, and he blew it.  He can’t count on Kobe botching another play.  Boo hoo for Lee because he will have to live with the albatross of squandering a golden opportunity to dramatically alter this series.  My thoughts are with him today.  I doubt he got much, if any sleep last night.

But I’m not labeling this kid a complete goat.  I seem to be the contrarian in this debate, but I thought it was a tougher play than most people make it out to be.  Everyone is saying, Oh, man!  He’s been making that play ever since he was shooting hoops in the backyard!  It was a point-blank layup, bro, a shot I could make if given the opportunity. These are probably the same meatheads who high-five their buddies while watching porn and think they could f*ck Jenna Jameson better than Ron Jeremy.  Come on, buddy.  Be real.

Don’t get me wrong, it was a very manageable shot; I mean, the ball was two feet away from the rim.  But Hedo Turkoglu’s inbounds pass could’ve been more on-point.  It was a little long and a split-second too late, which is why Lee caught the ball behind the backboard, had to go under-and-up to release the shot, all while momentum was dragging him out of bounds.  Then you factor in he’s only a rookie and he felt the need, with a scant 0.6 seconds left, to rush what really was a reverse layup.

Again, he’s a pro and he should’ve made the shot, but this wasn’t your typical layup you run during warmups.  That’s all I’m saying.

NBA FINALLLZZZZZZ

By Chris Le

I honestly haven’t thought about this matchup since the Conference Finals ended last week.  Not for one second.  I’m still somewhat in disbelief at how easily Orlando dispatched of LeBron and his Cleveland Cavaliers.  Forgive me, Dwight and Carmelo, but I was just so amped to see KOBE VS. LEBRON!!! on the court and in some new puppet commercials, that any other outcome (in this case Kobe vs. Dwight) simply would not register in my head.  I was in denial, maybe even a little bitter.  To be honest, I’m still not quite over it, but I’ve come to accept that these NBA Finals feature the hated Lakers and the spoiling Magic.  And now that I’ve taken some time to think about the teams’ contrasting stylistic idiosyncrasies, I’ve also come to believe it will be, dare I say, an entertaining series — even if it still pales in comparison to Kobe vs. LeBron.

So, now that everything is set, who will win?

Let’s look at the Tale of the Tape, one position at a time.

Point Guard

Derek Fisher has been horrible this postseason. He’s showing his age, playing as slow as molasses (I think he’s still dizzy from guarding Aaron Brooks) and shooting an atrocious .355 from the field and .235 from three.  But he’s been on this stage before, knows what it takes to win a championship and I’d be surprised if he makes any critical offensive mistakes.  But on the defensive end … yeesh.  He’s gonna be in trouble.

Rafer Alston, despite his mediocre shooting percentages, has had a decent playoffs.  He has the quickness to beat Fisher off the dribble on more than a few occasions, but I question his basketball IQ.  Alston will routinely leave you scratching your head by jacking up questionable shots instead of setting up the offense and distributing to teammates.  The Lakers will play off Alston, and he’ll have to prove he can consistently nail an open jumper before they consider him a threat from deep.  Still, even with a helter-skelter trigger finger, he can be more of a difference maker than Fisher at this point in their careers.

There are hints that Jameer Nelson will make a cameo, and if he’s hovering around 80 percent, he’ll make an impact on the series.  He absolutely demolished Fish during the regular season and was the Magic’s key to victory.  Think of the beating Aaron Brooks gave Fisher, cubed.

Edge: Magic

Shooting Guard

Kobe is gonna be Kobe.  The best offensive player in the league will get his when he needs to, but it won’t be effortless.  Enter Mickael Pietrus.  The number he did on LeBron was eye-opening.  Pietrus has the strength and the adequate lateral quickness to keep Kobe from freely driving to the hoop; any penetration into the paint Kobe will have to work for, and if he does get by his defender, he’ll be meeting the Defensive Player of the Year at the rim.  I like Pietrus’s physicality, and I loved his ball denial against LeBron, and I expect him to do the same to Kobe,  who won’t be able to comfortably receive the ball in his favorite spots — he’ll have to go get it out in the perimeter.  This is all you can really ask of Air France: deny Kobe the ball and stay in front of him.  He’ll want to reduce Kobe to a jump shooter, and I see him having at least some success.  But if Kobe’s shot is on point, there’s nothing he can do beside put a hand in his face and pray.  And unlike LeBron, Kobe has some decent teammates who can guard Turkoglu and Lewis, so he won’t need to expend much energy on the defensive end.

Courtney Lee is negligible on offensive, unless he unearths his three-point shooting (.267 against Cleveland, .400 during regular season).  Where Lee can show his worth, however, is on defense.  He’ll start games guarding Kobe, and he’ll hold his own.  But come on, let’s be serious, Kobe is not losing any sleep over this matchup.

Edge: Lakers, and it’s a big one.

Small Forward

Trevor Ariza is a pesky son of a bitch.  He’s found a knack for making game-deciding plays on defense, (but you could credit this to the Nuggets’ horrible inbounding) and he has emerged in these playoffs as a must-defend three-point shooter.  With his size, athleticism and versatility, he’ll draw the assignment of defending Hedo.  The key may be his decisions on pick-and-roll situations, but he’s got the requisite skills to make life hard for the Turk, especially compared to the undersized matchups he saw against Cleveland.  You gotta think Ariza’s confidence is at an all-time high.  He’ll need it in this series.

Hedo Turkoglu is the Magic’s most valuable player.  He’s a point-forward in the mold of Scottie Pippen, and he makes the Orlando offense as dangerous as it is.  He’s a deadly three-point shooter (who isn’t on this Magic team?), has good enough handles to drive and finish or dish and most importantly, is a great decision maker.  His series against Cleveland was a bona fide masterpiece.  His every decision on pick-and-rolls was the correct one; he nailed the shots the defense gave him, he slashed every time the Cavs switched and he never failed to find an open teammate lurking behind the arc.

Edge: Magic

Power Forward

Pau Gasol is perhaps the most skilled big man in the NBA.  The Spaniard can nail outside shots and free throws, has a mother’s touch around the rim, can rebound at a prolific rate and is capable of hurting a team in the post (though I question the last two when up against a physical defender).  But where Gasol really shines is with second-chance opportunities.  He’s always in position after a drive to suck in an offensive rebound or tap in an easy putback.  He’s the ultimate garbage man and a glorified one at that.  But it’s a requisite that Andrew Bynum box out Dwight Howard, who gobbles up any and all rebounds within his exceptional reach, if Gasol is to see any success at feeding off his teammate’s leftovers.  He sizes up favorably against Rashard Lewis and should have his way on the block.

Lamar Odom is a starter who doesn’t start.  He’ll play 30+ minutes and finish games, especially if he performs like he did in the back-end of the Denver series.  His ability to score outside and inside, and his productivity on the boards could prove to be the Magic’s back-breaker.  If Odom can routinely score against Hedo, he’ll free up Bynum and particularly Gasol, whom I think the Magic may look to double-team when bodied up by Lewis.

Rashard Lewis. I don’t know what got into him against Cleveland, but he looked like Reggie Miller, hitting one clutch bomb after another.  I mean, it was ridiculous how many daggers he nailed.  I don’t see why he’d cool off now.  At the start of games, Lewis will be a HUGE mismatch on offense, drawing the slower Gasol outside his comfort zone of the paint.  Gasol will have to contest every single three-point attempt, but that’ll leave him vulnerable to drives by the swifter and more agile Lewis.  That’s why Odom, who can adequately defend Lewis, will get a lot of minutes at power, shifting Gasol to center, leaving Bynum out of the lineup, freeing up Dwight.  Uh-oh.  But the advantages Lewis has on offense may be offset by his difficult defensive assignments.

Edge: Lakers

Center

Andrew Bynum hasn’t recorded a single double-double in the playoffs, and at this point, I think Lakers fans would be happy if he averaged 8 points and 5 rebounds — and I’m being serious.  He’s played passive and soft against Yao Ming and Nene, and that won’t do against the league’s best defender and top rebounder.  Learning from the Cleveland-Orlando series, the Lakers will single-cover Dwight Howard and secure the perimeter, leaving Bynum on his own against D12.  This is bad news.  I have a feeling in a number of games Bynum will account for more fouls than points.  With Bynum having trouble suppressing the ref’s whistles, Gasol will have to try to handle Dwight all by his lonesome.   Talk about a boner-shrinker for the Lakers.

Dwight Howard has blossomed into a superstar and has bumped his way into the “if you could pick one player to start a franchise” debate alongside LeBron.  Dwight, even with an arsenal that consists only of dunks and flat hook shots, will devour anyone the Lakers throw at him, facing up and circumventing Gasol and creating contact against Bynum in the key.  On defense, Dwight will do what he’s done all season long: hold down the paint, mainly to defend Kobe’s slashing attempts, since I don’t think anyone else has the balls to challenge Howard at the rim.  But with Pietrus in the way, pushing Kobe out of the lane, Howard won’t have to worry too much about foul trouble. Kobe will more frequently throw up shots than go to the hole.

Edge: Huge edge for the Magic.

–

I’ll say it again ad nauseum: Styles make fights — and this is a series of lopsided position battles for both teams.  Much like their series against the Cavs, I think the Magic have the personnel to beat the Lakers.  They have mismatches, particularly at point and center, which they can exploit, but the key to a Magic victory is how they defend their own defensive disadvantages.  If Orlando is still red-hot from three and if they can hold Gasol in check and force Kobe to shoot a low percentage, they can take this series.  I also think the Finals 2-3-2 format can work in their favor.  The Magic can win on the road — they’ve proven so in these playoffs — and it’ll be tough for an up-and-down Lakers team to win two games at Orlando.  Then again, the Magic’s most valuable player Hedo tends to play better on the road …

If I were the Lakers, I’d bench Bynum and start Gasol at center and Odom at power.  It’s their only lineup that can defend the Magic.  Like LeBron’s, if Kobe’s supporting cast shows up, (I’m looking at you, Lamar, Derek and Sasha) they’ll be hard to beat.  Odom’s productivity versus that of Hedo Turkoglu will prove to be significant; keep an eye on their numbers.  I think it comes down to a Game Seven, and I’m not betting against Kobe in that situation with his legacy at its tipping point.

Prediction: Lakers in seven.

Another Sir Charles Gem

You gotta love Charles Barkley.  If not for the hilarious aesthetics of his game — he averaged 22 and 12 as a 6′6″ (closer to 6′4″) fat guy — or for his awesome monikers, you have to admire his candor.  It’s almost a child-like innocence in that he lacks a filter between his brain and his mouth, except not because he knows damn well whatever he says will embarrass someone (usually himself).

The post game analysis of the Magic ousting LeBron and his Cavs was no different.  Add this comment to the laundry list of classic one-liners. This is Emmy-winning commentary.

Best Pure Scorer in the NBA

By Chris Le

Call him dumb.  Call him hilarious.  Call him loud-mouthed and nonsensical.  But there’s no denying Charles Barkley is provocative — perhaps the most clamorous figure in basketball today.  And Sir Charles didn’t disappoint  last week when he dropped, almost on schedule, another eye-opening line when he called Carmelo Anthony the best pure scorer in the league.

Initially, there was some head-shaking on my part, thinking Barkley was merely caught up in the moment of Melo’s magnificent series against the Dallas Mavericks, in which he averaged 27.0 easy points per game, hitting one clutch shot after another.  But following a period of digestion, and the eventual pondering of the phrase

When Charles speaks, you listen.

“Best Pure Scorer” itself, the whole thing confused me, even more so than when I first contemplated the topic.  Amid all my bewilderment, only one conclusion was deduced: I cannot say whether or not Melo is the purest because I don’t know what purity consists of.

The idea of the “Best Pure Scorer” is an interesting one.  It’s a title we fans imprudently toss around in arguments amongst friends to boast our favorite players without knowing what it really means.  Its understanding is and always has been implied, but the phrase has gone unspecified for as long as I can remember, with no universally agreed-upon definition.  And it seemed strange that during all my years as a basketball fan, I have yet to hear an acceptable explanation of it.

The same goes for the label of “Best Pure Shooter.”  I’ve come across experts who say Ray Allen is as unadulterated a shooter there is, while Steve Nash, though statistically just as deadly from behind the arc, is merely a player with perfect mechanics; he does not qualify as being pure — for reasons that are beyond my understanding.  I thought to myself, aren’t purity and technique one in the same?  What truly separates the Ray Allens from the Steve Nashs?

This same confusion extends to the ambiguity of Pure Scorers.  Though they amass a similar number of points per game, what truly sets apart Kobe Bryant from LeBron James?  Or how about Brandon Roy from Chris Paul?  Is there even a difference between them?  These are the questions I set out to answer.

As I contemplated the concept this past week, wasting a lot of productive work time at my day job in the process, I came up with five defining characteristics, without which a designated scorer cannot be considered pure:

Skill

Sounds simple and obvious enough, right?  But this is where mechanics — or, for a player with an unconventional release (e.g. Kevin Martin), a consistent, repetitive stroke — come into play.  It’s the ability to adjust a shot under myriad situations: mid-air, double clutching, fading away or floating towards the hoop.  A true scorer knows when, where and most importantly how to tweak his release given the circumstances.  And this is why someone like Shaq cannot be considered a genuine scorer, despite having averaged nearly 30 points a game in his prime.  His m.o. is overwhelming power and physicality, rather than polished technique.  That’s not to say Shaq is some unrefined brute who is all brawn and no brain.  It’s just that his game is more synonymous with strength.  I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’m a short, frail Asian guy, but I’m more keen on viewing the act of scoring as a skill developed through years of disciplined study and practice.  Scoring by way of sheer force seems cheap by comparison.

Not exactly the face of a skilled craftsman.

Well-roundedness

A pure scorer should be a Swiss Army Knife of offensive weapons, fully equipped with a sweet jumper, nice slashing ability and serviceable post skills.  A one-dimensional player cannot and should not be seriously considered.  That’s why a prolific point maker like Tony Parker does not qualify.  There may not be a better threat in the paint, nor a craftier mid-air contortionist, but his jump shot — while improved — barely qualifies as reliable.  He can be schemed, and he can be defended.

This brings up something I’ve been thinking about for a while now: Scoring seems to be synonymous with shooting more than, say, a player’s ability to drive and finish at the hoop or post skill or any other mode of point accretion for that matter.  Pure scorers need to possess a deadly jumper before any other tool.  That’s why Melo — whose penetrating capability and back to the basket scoring is solid, but far behind his J in development — is considered pure, and Parker — whose offensive skills are inversely proportional to Melo’s — isn’t so much.

Consistency

This is the dividing line between a lucid scorer and the proverbial streaky shooter.  No one questions the eruptive capabilities of Ben Gordon.  You’d be an idiot to do so, and all anyone has do to prove you wrong is replay the first round series between the Bulls and Celtics.  When Ben Gordon is “on,” like he was in Game 2, he can make the net swish like water and drop 40 points as if it were a day at the spa.  But for every game in which he makes the hoop look like the singularity of a black hole, he registers a dud.  He’s unreliable.  Or to be more specific, as I heard one analyst describe Gordon: He hits the shots he has no business making, and he misses the ones he should.  This is why Gordon is not pure…that is, unless he’s on fire.

Consistency is also what distinguishes skill from luck.  It explains how we consider a double clutch shot or a reverse layup through traffic done by Kobe to be the result of prowess and a credit to his basketball genius, and the same move performed by, say, Roger Mason is seen as blind luck.   A player of Kobe’s status has earned the right with sustained brilliance to have his every shot be considered skill.

Efficiency

Anyone can jack up 35 shots and score 25 points — just ask the Warriors.  But a true scorer makes the most of his possessions; he is a thinker on the court, observing all five defenders, performing calculations in his head and planning the highest percentage shot.

Effortlessness

Perhaps the key ingredient in this whole equation.  Ease of scoring is what comes to mind first when I think of purity.  The ability to put the ball in the hoop must seem natural, innate.  It can’t be ugly and plodding like a Ron Artest drive to the hoop or as hideous as Shawn Marion’s release.  Purity, by definition, is crystalline, and with that a certain degree of beauty is implied. Aesthetics is heavily weighed.  A pure scorer must look like a ballet dancer on the court: graceful, light, but at the same time not without a sense of strength.  There is an artistry involved here.  George Gervin immediately comes to mind.  From his sweet pull-up mid-range jumper to his gorgeous finger rolls, there probably wasn’t a smoother player to enter the league.  Ever.  The man should’ve had his jersey made out of silk.  He’s what I consider pure.

–

After deriving these five traits, it was time to make a list.  I easily whittled it down to six, because in all seriousness, while a lot of players have high averages, there aren’t many pure scorers in the league.  First, let’s see who missed the cut.

Tony Parker — TP is prolific no doubt, and some of the moves he does in the lane on men twice his size is flat out amazing.  But his offensive arsenal is anemic compared to the others on the list.  The fact that he lacks a legitimate jump shot holds him back from achieving purity.

Dirk Nowitzki — Dirk meets all of my requirements except consistency.  There are times when I see him play and think, There’s no way to guard this man. He’s such a great shooter with such a high-arching shot — and to top it off, he’s 7-feet tall — there’s nothing to stop him from scoring 30 points a night.  But then there are games where he’s not even the second-best player on his own team.  Dirk has developed a nasty tendency to disappear so there was no way I could put him on the list.

LeBron James — Okay, before you start spitting at your computer screen, hear me out.  The title of “Purest Scorer” suggests an inborn proclivity to score.  The desire to make it rain on an opponent has to be coursing through the veins.  But LeBron, by nature, is a passer, and he’s such a physical freak he is able to score 30 points while still being unselfish.  In any given situation, his first instinct is to make the best play, even if it means passing the ball.  But a scorer needs to lack a certain consciousness, a mental “flaw” that urges him to shoot despite being double-covered and seeing a wide open teammate in the corner.  LeBron, for better or worse, will always make the play to pass.  This alone almost disqualifies The King.  But then you also see that his scoring is mainly predicated on strength, overpowering opponents on his way to the basket.  His jumper is still inconsistent, due to minor mechanical issues.  I just don’t see him as a pure scorer.  To me, LeBron is more of an unstoppable force of nature that cannot be denied in the lane.

Now the list:

6.  Brandon Roy – They don’t call him the Natural for nothing.  There’s a smoothness to Roy’s game that is oh so pretty.  I’d say it’s akin to watching Morgan Freeman act: simultaneously methodical and languid in delivery, making everything seemingly effortless.  You watch Roy play and you honestly think you can do the same — until you actually attempt to replicate him on the court and fall flat on your face.  Have you ever tried driving towards the hoop at full speed, only to stop on a dime, and square up for a pull-up jumper?  It’s one of the toughest maneuvers to execute in basketball, and Roy makes it seem like he was doing it since exiting the womb.

5.  Paul Pierce — He can’t really jump out of the gym nor does he regularly blow by defenders with his average first step.  Not to mention he’s tied with Rasheed Wallace as the scruffiest looking player in the league: with an unimpressive, undefined physique and random patches of hair all over his face, he looks like a homeless bum plucked directly from a freeway underpass.  But I digress.  Bluntly stated, Pierce is physically the least gifted of the six listed.  But I’m hard pressed to find a scorer who does more with what he has.  Pierce is smooth in his motion and possesses a pretty (albeit slow) release, but above all else he’s exceedingly cerebral on the court — and he’s an absolute scholar at the top of the key in a one-on-one situation.  He’ll outthink anyone, setting up opponents for his next move as if it were a game of chess and he a grandmaster.  No one will mistake him for LeBron, but he’s almost as hard to stop.

4.  Dwyane Wade — This year’s league leading scorer comes in at number four?  Like LeBron, Wade is as productive a scorer as anyone on earth, but he earns every point he gets.  He can score any which way, but he’s predominantly a slasher who does the majority of his damage at and above the rim, and he pays the price taking hard fall after hard fall.  The next three on this list seemingly get their points rolling out of bed.  I see the skill and concentration with Wade, but I don’t quite see the effortlessness.  I’ll give him this though: there’s no better maker of circus shots in the NBA.

3.  Kevin Durant — Entering the league, Durant was 6’10” and 215 pounds of straight-up bone.  He couldn’t bench 185 pounds once during his pre-draft workouts.  Pound-for-pound, I’m probably stronger than this dude.  But Durant makes up for his lack of physical strength with an uncanny offensive awareness that the league only sees once in a generation.  And talk about easy.  With one of the quickest triggers in the game, a nonchalant flick of the wrist, the ball swiftly leaves his fingertips and travels 25 feet towards the bottom of the net.  It’s one of the sweetest shots I’ve ever seen.  And his lankiness and athleticism combine to produce an oddly graceful style of play that conjures up memories of George Gervin, the Iceman himself, but with infinitely more range.  The league better watch out because Durant is upping his basketball IQ at a rapid pace, as evidenced by his improved efficiency after just one year (from .430 to .476, and .288 to .422).  I wouldn’t be surprised if he tops this list in a season or two.

2.  Carmelo Anthony — His rebounding and defense may leave some wanting more, but the dude can score the rock with the best of them.  Whether on the block, beyond the arc, or in no-man’s land of the mid-range — and you can have Shane Battier or Kobe bodying him up, it doesn’t matter — Carmelo is getting his.  He possesses at his disposal the most natural feel for the offensive game, and he’s so efficient with his movement that if you didn’t know better, you’d call him lazy.  It’s innate with Carmelo.  He knows the quickest and easiest path to gathering points seemingly without cognition.  Even in high school, his scoring was already developed to a professional level.  Melo was born to shoot a basketball, and there really isn’t much else to say.

1.  Kobe Bryant – I hate to say it because I despise nothing more than complimenting the Black Mamba, but Kobe Bryant is the most complete offensive player I’ve ever seen.  That’s not to say he’s the most dangerous or most prolific point maker of all-time, but more so that his offensive repertoire has no holes.  He’s technically flawless — a living textbook of basketball execution with fluidity and ever perfect mechanics, no matter the position.  And I don’t think he gets enough credit for his creativity.  It’s particularly awe-inspiring when he’s “stuck” after picking up his dribble following an unsuccessful pump-fake.  He’ll spin on his pivot foot at a dizzying pace, exploring every conceivable out before making what usually is the correct scoring option.  All you can do as a spectator — and as a defender — is shake your head in disbelief, and give credit where it’s due.  If you saw Kobe: Doin’ Work this past weekend, you begin to realize that on top of his overflowing natural ability, he is a true student of the game.  Kobe is the highest confluence of basketball’s mental and physical aspects, and I’m sure I’ll get little resistance when I say there’s no better pure scorer in the league today.

Playoff Basketball, I’ve Missed You

By Chris Le

Nothing passes the time quite like nostalgia.

I can stare at my screensaver, a slideshow of all of the pictures on my computer, for hours on end, and I’ll reminisce about the events of each image, smiling all the while. Seventy-five of my top 100 songs–if I were to make such a list–would be ranked, not because of their enjoyable melodies or head-bobbing beats, but because they are inextricably linked to particular moments of my life: the song that softly played during my first kiss, a tune that evokes memories of my first college trip to Vegas, that R&B joint that still to this day serves as a painful reminder of how I let that one girl get away…I can go on for hours with this.

And my longing for fonder times applies to all aspects of my life, especially to the realm of sports. I’m old school through and through. With boxing–the most ancient of all athletic contests–I’m an ardent advocate of 15 rounds, one champ per division, same day weigh-ins and the abolition of the junior/super weight classes.  Call me a sadist, but that is how boxing should be, like it was in the golden age of the sport.

When it comes to football, I’m all for horse-collar tackles and (slightly) late hits on quarterbacks. I say, enough of this protection by referees; it’s a contact sport, and the quarterback should be as much a viable target as any other position. And if it’s legal to drag down a ball carrier by his dreadlocks, then horse-collar tackles should be kosher as well.

And finally, for basketball, I’m an avid supporter of dunks (no thanks to the player formerly known as Lew Alcindor), hand-checking and of course, the good, old-fashioned playoff foul.

That’s why, after one-and-a-quarter rounds of playoff basketball, you see nothing on my face but an ear-to-ear smile. Like Ahmad, these first few games have me thinking of “Back in the Day,” when flagrant twos were run-of-the-mill whistle calls, almost brushed off as a natural consequence of a physical game played by gigantic, brooding men.

Not since the early ’90s have I seen such deliberately physical play.  We got a small taste of it in the ’07 playoffs when Robert Horry sent Steve Nash crashing into the announcers table like a rag doll.  But not much else–until this year.

Here’s a list of the action so far:

• Dwight Howard sideswipes Samuel Dalembert’s head with an elbow. Howard is known as a player with a child-like demeanor but lacking the requisite killer instinct to be great, and that’s what makes this one so surprising. It was a pretty vicious blow–and don’t let Dalembert’s relatively nondescript reaction fool you into thinking otherwise–that occurred after the play was done. The suspension was well deserved, but I wouldn’t mind seeing more ‘bows from Dwight in the future. Imagine how dominant he’d be if players actually feared him. He’d be like Mike Tyson before Robin Givens and Buster Douglas stole his dignity.

The NBA is my bitch.

• Rajon Rondo clotheslines Brad Miller. This one, I thought, was special, coming straight from the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons’ playbook. How this was not a flagrant two is beyond me; how Rondo wasn’t penalized postgame is even more perplexing. The fact that Rondo didn’t follow through with the arm swing shouldn’t matter. His aim was nowhere near the ball, plus it was pretty much a fishhook (which is illegal even in mixed martial arts), and he proceeds to drag Miller down…by the chin. Bravo, Rajon. Bravo.

• Oh, an encore? Rondo pulls Kirk Hinrich into the scorer’s table. Not only is Rondo maturing into a top-5 point guard, he’s developing into one helluva filthy player who isn’t afraid to show his claws. Though not particularly heinous, the move was blatant and unnecessary–yet Rondo goes undisciplined once again. Geez, just because he’s small doesn’t mean he should be able to get away with murder. It’s like when a kid punches and kicks you with all his might, thinking it’s okay because he’s little. Fuck that. Kids like this need to an ass whooping.

• Sasha Vujacic spikes Shane Battier’s face like a volleyball. My man crush on Battier aside, this one isn’t too bad, despite the horrendous result. The blow left Battier looking like a maxi pad, bloodied worse than Ricky Hatton after being blasted by Manny Pacquiao. However, Vujacic was merely trying to tap the ball out into the backcourt, and the hit was clearly incidental. Still, it at least warranted a foul call.
  

  Which one is Dirk?

• Kenyon Martin throws Dirk Nowitzki to the ground. Eh, whatever. I’ve grown to expect such things to happen to Dirk, the softest player in the league, who seems to suffer at least five similar embarrassments a year.

• Rafer Alston slaps Eddie House on the back of the head. This is by far my favorite incident of the playoffs. It was utterly stupid of Alston, no doubt, and he’ll justifiably be suspended, but it was too silly not to be hilarious. It was the type of slaps upside the head that a father gives to admonish his son’s idiocy.

• Kobe Bryant elbows Ron Artest, possibly in the throat. It’s cliche to label a physical, borderline dirty play as “playoff basketball,” but it applies here. This was just playoff basketball. There’s no better description for what transpired. It was two hard-nosed players fighting for a rebound–case closed. Elbows like this occur in every game, even in the regular season. The retroactive flagrant one is not deserved. Wow. I can’t believe I’m defending Kobe.

• Derek Fisher lays out Luis Scola with a shoulder brush. Call it sending a message or a dirty play, I say it’s both.  And it definitely brings back memories of better days.

On Boxing Coverage and Pacquiao-Hatton

By Chris Le

There’s an old adage in boxing that says you’re only as good as your last fight.  Meaning, the perception of any particular fighter is determined by his most recent result.  It’s the ultimate “what have you done for me lately?” criteria.  And really, with current sports fans’ obsession with the now and our tendency to be captives of the moment, this axiom is applicable to all sports.  In this sense, we have the memory of a newborn baby.  It happens, without failure, before every postseason.  A once-hot team that takes a midseason turn for the worse, but still manages to stumble into the playoffs, they are brushed aside — until they go on a tear, at which point everyone flip-flops again, jumping right back onto their bandwagon (the Arizona Cardinals, anyone?).

The sport of boxing, however, finds itself a unique situation.  It has changed a bit since the proverb’s advent, since the golden age when fights were aired on network television.  Changed in the sense that it’s, uh, dying.  The casual fan no longer cares about the sport’s non-premier matchups, reserving their attention to those fights previewed on ESPN, and as we all know, ESPN only covers the bouts that fall into the “Fight of the Year” category. When was the last time you saw Stuart Scott and Scott Van Pelt profile a “Boxing After Dark” matchup?

ESPN doesn't care about boxing.

So the saying needs to be modified a bit.  It should now read: In the public eye, you’re only as good as your last mega Pay-Per-View fight that was showcased on SportsCenter.

Taking this into account, the general public probably views tomorrow’s fight as being between the Manny Pacquiao who destroyed Oscar De La Hoya and the Ricky Hatton who was battered by Floyd Mayweather Jr.  In reality, however, only half of this equation is true.  The Manny Pacquiao that enters the ring will be the pound-for-pound king of boxing, the one that humiliated the Golden Boy into retirement.  This much is true.  But he’ll be facing a new-look Ricky Hatton.  If anyone expects the plodding, head-first brawler that was dissected by Mayweather, they’ll be sorely mistaken.  No, the Hatton we’ll see will resemble the one who stopped Paul Malignaggi back in November.  (I bet you didn’t know Hatton fought since his loss to Mayweather.  In fact, he’s had two bouts; the Malignaggi victory and a decision over Juan Lazcano.  Thanks for keeping us informed, ESPN!)

Hatton’s move to bring in the audacious Floyd Mayweather Sr. to head his training camp is a good career move.  As senile as Mayweather Sr. comes off at times, and he does to great extent, particularly when he rhymes like a wannabe Muhammad Ali, he’s a decent enough trainer — at least for Hatton.  If anything, he’ll instill in Ricky basic defensive maneuvers (like ANY semblance of head movement, parrying and blocking punches with his gloves and arms as opposed to his face, all of which were absent in his previous career) which will benefit him, particularly against someone like Pacquiao who likes to mix things up and doesn’t shy away from a brawl.

The best fighter in the world.

But in the end, it won’t make that much of a difference.  It will merely delay the inevitable.  Instead of being blitzed out in the first few rounds from a barrage of head-snapping blows, Hatton will have a moment or two of his own . . . until the mid-to-late rounds, when he’ll be stopped from a barrage of head-snapping blows.  There’s no one on the planet that can handle Pac-Man, and that includes the Hitman.

Prediction: Pacquiao by late-round stoppage.

Where Have You Gone, Chris Paul?

Entering the first round of the playoffs, my faith in Chris Paul and the Hornets was as steadfast as anyone’s outside the greater New Orleans area.  His game, at least to my eye, had no glaring weakness; if I were to nitpick, I’d point out that he sometimes unsuccessfully gambles on steals, and he’s far from being a lockdown defender or dead eye shooter, but he’s respectable in both categories.  Then there was his will to win and sense of the moment — knowing when and how to squeeze the remaining life out of an opponent — which were on par with the Kobe Bryants and Dwyane Wades of the world.  From this, I predicted the Hornets would not only beat the Nuggets, who I believed to be as weak a second seed in years, but advance all the way to the Western Conference Finals.

What a difference a series makes.

No, CP3 -- thumbs down.

The vintage Chris Paul playmaking I’ve come to enjoy and expect had disappeared.  His Mensa-level basketball IQ and floor generalship were now producing poor shot selection and more turnovers than I can count.  Even with half the Hornets squad at less than 100 percent, this was an epic, disappointing shock, the likes of which are customarily reserved only for M. Night Shayamalan films.  After the first few games, it was apparent the Nuggets were the better, more athletic team.  Things were not looking good, but I still had faith that CP3 would pick up his team by the shorts and make this a competitive series.

Then Game 5 happened.

Wow.  The 58-point margin is bad enough, but when taking into consideration this was in New Orleans in a potentially series-tying game, the resonance of this loss is magnified tenfold.  It goes from the biggest home loss in NBA history to an emotionally scarring, possible franchise-changing defeat; the type of beating that makes it hard to look in the mirror, but at the same time demands soul searching.  The Hornets waved their arms in the air and said No mas! and accepted their ass-whooping, concluding that there was no point in putting in the effort, not even to save face.

They gave up.  But most appallingly Chris Paul gave up.  I never thought I’d live to see the day this happen.  It was almost unfathomable.  This is the player whose skill is unsurpassed at the point guard position, whose will I thought to be indomitable.  Chris Paul was bulletproof.  From his high school days when, with a heavy heart, he honored the memory of his recently passed grandfather by scoring 61 points — one for every year of grandpa’s life.  From his years of carrying Wake Forest into the NCAA tournament and towards the Sweet Sixteen.  And to his first few seasons in the NBA in which he, like he always had, played beyond his years.

This was the Chris Paul I came to know.  But he was absent against the Nuggets.  His ego, a must for any superstar in this league, was deflated by the physicality of the Denver defense, and he was overcome by the frustration.  Not since the ‘07 Mavericks, and then-league MVP Dirk Nowitzki, were upset by the Warriors, has an elite level player been so torn down from his pedestal.

If Paul is able to weather the physical and mental breakdown that was this series, he’ll be impenetrable.  I just hope he can.

- Chris Le

NBA Playoff Predictions

By Chris Le

I love the NBA Playoffs.  Maybe more than any other season of sports.  More than March Madness.  More than Sunday at Augusta.  More than the NFL’s championship Sunday.  And definitely more than the BCS bowl season, which fails to crown a true champion.  The only possible exception may be a highly-anticipated fight between the two top fighters of a particular division that lives up to the hype.  But, with the politics of boxing and the sport’s dearth of talent, these are few and far between.

Yup, I’m sure of it: nothing provides consistent entertainment and drama like the NBA Playoffs.

But I don’t know how I feel about this particular postseason.

The opening round looks to be incredibly intriguing.  But for a bad reason: most of the teams are tragically flawed.  Compared to seasons past, it’s a weak field, with almost every team sustaining key injuries.  Manu Ginobili, Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady will be in street clothes for the entire playoffs, while the likes of Tyson Chandler and Hedo Turkoglu hobble into their respective series.

Some, like the Bulls and Trail Blazers, are incredibly inexperienced.  Derrick Rose is a rookie.  It’s expecting a lot if you think he can lead his team past the defending champs.  And Brandon Roy is a stud, a bona fide star who is a killer in the clutch.  But this is also his first trip to the big dance.  You can’t possibly expect him to have any success, especially with Ron Artest and Shane Battier all over him.  Right?  You could clump the Rockets, with their lack of postseason results, and the Magic in this group as well.  But at the same time, you can’t discount their collection of talent either.  These young teams are stacked.  So you have to ask yourself, “When does energy and athleticism begin to beat out savvy?”

Other teams (the Spurs and Mavs) are seasoned but on old legs.  No team looks as old as the Spurs heading into the first round.  Check that, no team is older than the Spurs.  They’re dinosaurs, and the mileage from all those long postseason runs — and short offseasons — are beginning to show.  But who’s willing to bet their 401(k) that Tim Duncan and co. are completely done?  Even though all signs point to their window being shut, I wouldn’t take that bet.

There are a lot of unknowns in these first few games, more so than in any other year.  It should all make for some wild finishes.

However, the undeniable supremacy of the Lakers and Cavs has rendered these initial matchups pointless, robbing fans of any true drama — until the Finals.  But if everything goes according to plan, I think we’re in for an epic showdown between the two preeminent players of this generation.  That would make up for the predictability of the opening rounds.

First Round

Western Conference

Lakers in 5 over Jazz
Hornets in 6 over Nuggets
Mavericks in 6 over Spurs
Rockets in 6 over Trail Blazers

Eastern Conference

Cavaliers in 4 over Pistons
Celtics in 5 over Bulls
Magic in 7 over 76ers
Hawks in 7 over Heat

Second Round

Western Conference

Lakers in 6 over Rockets
Hornets in 6 over Mavericks

Eastern Conference

Cavaliers in 5 over Hawks
Celtics in 6 over Magic

Conference Finals

Western Conference

Lakers in 6 over Hornets

Eastern Conference

Cavaliers in 6 over Celtics

NBA Finals

Lakers in 7 over Cavaliers

NBA Awards

By Chris Le

Each year before the NBA heads into the playoffs, I like to sit down and think of a storyline that defined the regular season.  A solitary episode that shaped the year in basketball.  This season it could have been a number of stories: the Allen Iverson-Chauncey Billups trade; the Mo Williams acquisition; the parity in both conferences, aside from the Lakers and Cavs (with five days left in the regular season, there still isn’t a set playoff series); and the ever-present injuries (Manu Ginobili, Tracy McGrady, Andrew Bynum, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett, the list goes on) that affected their respective team’s fortune.

Ironically, this year’s defining moment didn’t even occur during the season but three months before a single NBA tipoff.

Above anything else, more than the trades or the injuries, the Beijing Olympics and Team USA made this season what it is.  Every single member is better for having been on that squad, and their subsequent seasons saw the Olympics as the starting point.  Dwyane Wade’s Mickey Rourke-like resurrection began in the Games; seeing the energy with which he played and the burst in his every step, you just knew Wade was back in full effect.  Dwight Howard, who was relegated to being strictly a rebounder and defender, realized he had more to learn and transformed into a better-rounded beast.  And Kobe Bryant, to his credit, became less of an asshole. But most telling of all, LeBron James learned from Kobe what it takes to be truly great.

Which is in large part why…

Most Valuable Player: LeBron James — He’s had it in the bag for a while now.  It’s been evident from the onset of the season that King James is on a mission to make it clear, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is the best player in the league.  Though raising from last year his field goal, three-point, and free-throw percentages, the true elevation of his game is seen on the defensive end.  Unlike years past, James is now a consistently dependable on-ball deterrent while remaining a lethal help-side defender, perfecting the come-from-behind swat that Tayshaun Prince made famous.  James is the motor of the best defense in the league.  To sum things up, Wade has been the most dynamic player of the year, Kobe the most skilled, but LeBron is the most valuable.  The 2009 season will be looked back upon as LeBron’s.

Ballot: 1. LeBron James 2. Dwyane Wade 3. Kobe Bryant 4. Dwight Howard 5. Chauncey Billups

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard — Here’s another benefactor of being on Team USA.  Coach K, a master at teaching team defense, wanted Howard to do two things and two things only: rebound and block shots.  Well, that he can do.  D12 leads the league in blocks (2.9) and is second in defensive rebounds (9.6) for the third-best defense in the NBA.  Dwyane Wade will rightfully receive some first place votes, seeing how he’s been a complete menace in the passing lanes, amassing 173 steals and an astounding 105 blocks — not bad for someone who’s only 6’4”.  But as much as he’s done, he’s still not a defensive anchor like Howard, who’s an absolute eraser in the paint.

Ballot: 1. Dwight Howard 2. Dwyane Wade 3. LeBron James 4. Ron Artest 5. Kevin Garnett

Rookie of the Year: Derrick Rose — This is the easiest pick of the bunch.  Rose is well on his way to mastering the most difficult position in the game, and he’s doing it on a playoff-bound team, which won a measly 33 games in ’08.  He has a look of a seasoned veteran, brushing aside any pressure of living up to being the number one pick.  In any case, he’s exceeding any and all expectations.  It’s a big gap between first and second, but Russell Westbrook has shocked some people with his athleticism and all-around ability.  And Brook Lopez is proving to be a steal as the 10th pick and as a possible franchise center for the Nets.

Ballot: 1. Derrick Rose 2. Russell Westbrook 3. Brook Lopez 4. O.J. Mayo 5. Kevin Love

Most Improved Player: Devin Harris — I’m finding that year-in and year-out the MIP award is the most competitive category.  Durant has matured into possibly the most effortless scorer in the league; a flick of his wrist from deep and the ball swishes the net.  But a sophomore leap is expected.  And this award in particular is very much an acknowledgment of exceeded expectations.  Devin Harris is a legitimate star in this league and has a lot of people in Dallas regretting the Kidd trade.  Now who saw that one coming?  Exactly.  Expectations exceeded.

Ballot: 1. Devin Harris 2. Kevin Durant 3. Danny Granger 4. Paul Millsap 5. Nene Hilario

Sixth Man of the Year: Jason Terry — He’s been the Mavs’ best and most consistent player all season long, providing a potent offensive punch in the second unit.  He leads all super subs with 19.6 points per game and 160 three-pointers made.  Like all great sixth men, Terry may not start games, but he finishes them.  Mark Cuban and his Mavs wouldn’t be where they are without him.

Ballot: 1. Jason Terry 2. J.R. Smith 3. Nate Robinson 4. Travis Outlaw 5. Leandro Barbosa

Coach of the Year: Mike Brown, Cavaliers — It’s not just the fact that the Cavs have the best record in the NBA; it’s how they did it that makes Brown’s coaching performance all the more impressive.  Cleveland withstood the part-time losses of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West and Ben Wallace, all of whom are starters.  The Cavs have played with a fully healthy squad for only a small chunk of the season, and that’s scary news for everyone else because they’re only getting better.  And this isn’t even mentioning the seamless integration of Mo Williams.  And once again, the Cavs are one of the best defensive teams in the league.  Credit this all to Brown’s tutelage — and, I suppose, to some guy named LeBron.

Ballot: 1. Mike Brown, Cavs 2. George Karl, Nuggets 3. Stan Van Gundy, Magic 4. Rick Adelman, Rockets 5. Gregg Popovich, Spurs

All-NBA First Team

G  Dwyane Wade
G  Kobe Bryant
F   Paul Pierce
F   LeBron James
C  Dwight Howard

All-Defense First Team

G  Chris Paul
G  Dwyane Wade
F   Ron Artest
F   LeBron James
C  Dwight Howard