Tony Parker, that’s how. A Ridiculous performance by the league’s favorite Frenchman. 55 pts, 10 ast and 7 reb. Only Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson have had 55 and 10 before tonight. Awesome night for TP.
UPDATE: Amare Stoudemire had 49 and Lebron had 41. What’s gotten in to these youngsters tonight?!?! Filthy Ridiculous.
JA Adande of the LA Times has some very good insight about the blockbuster deal that is bringing Shaq back to the west coast. How will this, coupled with Pau Gasol’s recent relocation, change the western conference? I think the most direct effect of these two trades will be that the playoffs will feature far less of the run and gun action that made last year’s so much fun to watch. Add Chris Webber to the mix of new west coast big men, and all the running teams are showing signs of slowing down. Luckily for teams like the Blazers and Hornets that have the future in mind, and not the present, all three new bigs may not be factors beyond this season or next. It is safe to say that Andrew Bynum is the Lakers center of the future and who really knows how many years Shaq has left.
I thought i’d knock it up a notch this week with a few video clips. BAM!
First we’ve got Steve Nash looking for Robert Horry……
Yeah, I don’t get it either.
Next, we’ve got Kobe unveiling his “passion bucket” on TNT.
How did Cheryl Miller keep from laughing in his face?
Yesterday on Full Court Press, they were discussing their top 12 players in each conference THIS YEAR. Not to be outdone and because their lists sucked, I have decided to throw my two cents in. This is not an actual all-star team list, as I’m not basing it on picking a team or by position or any of that bogus nonsense. That would make too much sense. This is just a straightforward list of my top 12 players in each conference so far THIS YEAR. Let’s start with the east.
In no particular order:
Bron Bron
D-Wade
Jermaine O’neal
KG
Paul Pierce
Chauncey Billups
Michael Redd
G-Force
Dwight Howard
Caron Butler
Jason Kidd
Joe Johnson
And now the West. Again, in no particular order:
Nash
Kobe
Chris Paul
Dirk
Tim Duncan
A.I.
Melo
Yao Ming
Amare
Baron Davis
Deron Williams
Chris Kaman
I know there’s a few left off that have deserved it in years past(I’m lookin at you T-Mac), but they just haven’t really done it for me this year. Injuries also played a part in this(Did Arenas retire?) So, there you have it. I’ll compare this to the actual all-star roster when it’s announced. Should be interesting to see what top players are left off because of their position.
Links from the weekend you may have missed:
Week 10 Power Rankings
Sam the Man is pouting again
Amare throws a temper tantrum
Isaiah Rider Arrested
Bron Bron explodes for 24 in 4th, blames courtside fans
My game of the night has to be Blazers V Bulls, i.e. a terrible team hosting a super hot team. I’m almost giddy for this one. The fact that in one game the entire country will see the rise(Blazers) AND fall(Bulls) of a franchise is almost unheard of. Should be a Blazers smack down.
Also, Spurs and Suns win tonight . It is quite possible that all 3 games tonight could end up being blowouts.
UPDATE: went 2-1, no blowouts. I can’t believe how the Bulls played. They actually looked good. It’s like they wanted me to look like a fool. And since when do the Spurs lose!!! Excuse me while I wipe the egg off my face.
Now you can officially add Shawn Marion to the list of this summer’s list of trade demands. His feelings are hurt because he has heard his name in trade rumors all Summer and has yet to get a contract extension. Has he lost his damn mind? Does he really think there is any better place to play than Phoenix? Dallas or San Antonio, maybe, but there is no chance in hell he could or would end up in either place, so put a sock in it and play. How could he possibly be so pissed off at the only team he’s played for that he’s willing to leave Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. You are already on a team with two of the best talents in the game, and you want to leave! Someone needs to shake some sense into that numbskull before he says something even stupider. Yeah, the prospects of playing with Kobe might be enticing, but the chances of that trade between Marion and Lamar Odom are slim to none. Rumors are also abound about a trade between Andrei Kirilenko of the Jazz and Marion. These all just seem so far fetched to me. Marion’s got to snap out of it in a few days. He just has to. Too good of a player not to. I really believe that come Monday, the start of training camp, it will be business as usual for Marion and the Suns.
