Milk... it was a bad choice.First off, you just have to be impressed by Shaq’s performance last night, even if everyone in the game pretty much decided to let Shaq have his in what could be his last All-Star game. He has shown this year that he still has it in small spurts.
Second, Kobe is really a bad actor. How much did it pain him to pretend to be enjoying himself with Shaq?
Third, the trades:
Lakers get rid of Vladrad’s contract, get Adam Morrison, Shannon Brown. Adam Morrison is terrible. I have criticized him here numerous times and will not stop doing so just because he is a Laker. He plays no defense and because of that and the complexity of the triangle offense, I doubt he plays much for the Lakers this year. He becomes an expiring contract next year, but in reality, the Lakers made this trade to add depth at guard (Brown is capable of playing 5-10 minutes a game to give Fisher/Farmar during the regular season – I don’t imagine him playing much in the playoffs) and addition by subtraction (Vladrad was terrible. Terrible shot selection. Soft. Bad defense. He’s mainly bummed about the trade because he is no longer 2 hrs from Big Bear. Snowboarding, not a weekend option anymore for Vladrad).
Heat get Moon & O’Neal, Raptors get Marion and Banks. I think it was Hollinger that wrote about this, but Moon is really the key to the deal for the Heat. He’s a worse defender than Marion, but is a very similar offensive player. O’Neal is a huge upgrade on defense at center for the Heat, so now the Heat can trot out a lineup of Chalmers, Wade, Moon, Haslem, J. O’Neal. Not terrible. Could probably get themselves in position to win a round or two in the playoffs. Still see them having a hard time getting by Boston or Cleveland, although having O’Neal to defend Garnett and the rim will help.
Fourth – the contests:
Dunk contest: I was wholly unimpressed. I thought the judges were TERRIBLE. There is no way Nate Robinson should have advanced after using Wilson Chandler as a stepping stool to dunk. My buddy Adam did that in 10th grade off my friend Samir’s back. Adam is 5’7 and white. Nate Robinson, for your second dunk, you shall receive no points and may god have mercy on your sole – geez, a simple no would have sufficed. Sorry for that tangent. Also, I thoroughly criticized Rudy Fernandez. I said he didn’t belong. Under the rules of the contest, he should have faced off w/ Dwight Howard in the Finals, however it taking him over 2 minutes to complete his dunk w/ Pau should have rightfully eliminated him. Howard’s dunk on the high rim was cool. His dunks in the finals were not. When are people going to stop recycling dunks? The jump from the free-throw line isn’t cool anymore. Stop doing it. It’s why you lost to Nate Robinson…. Well that, and you let him jump over you. The entire time Nate-Rob was setting up for that dunk, I kept thinking to myself, how great would it be if D-Howard put him arms up right as Nate was going to dunk it and just swatted it…
3-point contest: props to Daequan.
G-E-I-C-O: The Durantula!
The Rookie Game: see above. Also, Michael Beasley just looked so much more comfortable in that game than he does in NBA games. He just knew that nobody in that game could stop him. He needs to bring that to the court every night… that and maybe some effort on defense.
Second, Kobe is really a bad actor. How much did it pain him to pretend to be enjoying himself with Shaq?
Third, the trades:
Lakers get rid of Vladrad’s contract, get Adam Morrison, Shannon Brown. Adam Morrison is terrible. I have criticized him here numerous times and will not stop doing so just because he is a Laker. He plays no defense and because of that and the complexity of the triangle offense, I doubt he plays much for the Lakers this year. He becomes an expiring contract next year, but in reality, the Lakers made this trade to add depth at guard (Brown is capable of playing 5-10 minutes a game to give Fisher/Farmar during the regular season – I don’t imagine him playing much in the playoffs) and addition by subtraction (Vladrad was terrible. Terrible shot selection. Soft. Bad defense. He’s mainly bummed about the trade because he is no longer 2 hrs from Big Bear. Snowboarding, not a weekend option anymore for Vladrad).
Heat get Moon & O’Neal, Raptors get Marion and Banks. I think it was Hollinger that wrote about this, but Moon is really the key to the deal for the Heat. He’s a worse defender than Marion, but is a very similar offensive player. O’Neal is a huge upgrade on defense at center for the Heat, so now the Heat can trot out a lineup of Chalmers, Wade, Moon, Haslem, J. O’Neal. Not terrible. Could probably get themselves in position to win a round or two in the playoffs. Still see them having a hard time getting by Boston or Cleveland, although having O’Neal to defend Garnett and the rim will help.
Fourth – the contests:
Dunk contest: I was wholly unimpressed. I thought the judges were TERRIBLE. There is no way Nate Robinson should have advanced after using Wilson Chandler as a stepping stool to dunk. My buddy Adam did that in 10th grade off my friend Samir’s back. Adam is 5’7 and white. Nate Robinson, for your second dunk, you shall receive no points and may god have mercy on your sole – geez, a simple no would have sufficed. Sorry for that tangent. Also, I thoroughly criticized Rudy Fernandez. I said he didn’t belong. Under the rules of the contest, he should have faced off w/ Dwight Howard in the Finals, however it taking him over 2 minutes to complete his dunk w/ Pau should have rightfully eliminated him. Howard’s dunk on the high rim was cool. His dunks in the finals were not. When are people going to stop recycling dunks? The jump from the free-throw line isn’t cool anymore. Stop doing it. It’s why you lost to Nate Robinson…. Well that, and you let him jump over you. The entire time Nate-Rob was setting up for that dunk, I kept thinking to myself, how great would it be if D-Howard put him arms up right as Nate was going to dunk it and just swatted it…
3-point contest: props to Daequan.
G-E-I-C-O: The Durantula!
The Rookie Game: see above. Also, Michael Beasley just looked so much more comfortable in that game than he does in NBA games. He just knew that nobody in that game could stop him. He needs to bring that to the court every night… that and maybe some effort on defense.
And now… onto the power rankings.
30. Sacramento (11-43) – 0-4 week to close out the first half. Sac-town faithful hope this is rock bottom for their once proud franchise. [pv wk 30]
29. Washington (11-42) – Barely squeaked past Sacramento here. Not a lot going for the Wizards right now. At least with Barack in office, nobody in Washington even pays attention to the Wizards… [28]
28. Clippers (13-40) – 2-2 to get to the All-Star break. If the Clippers went 29-0 to close the season, they’d still miss the playoffs. Ladies & Gentlemen Charles Kellett’s 2009 Western Conference Surprise Team! [29]
27. Memphis (15-37) – Tell me Marc Gasol wasn’t impressive in the rookie game. Gasol-Mayo-Gay form a trifecta that could win some games down the line for you…. [27]
26. Minnesota (17-34) – Power Rankings jinx shows now mercy to struggling T-Wolves who only won 1 of last 8 & with Al Jefferson’s injury, I don’t see many more on the horizon. Even though their record is superior, with their injury situation as is, they fall all the way past the Thunder. [22]
25. Oklahoma City (13-40) – The Durantula! I love Kevin Durant. He’s awesome. I don’t care if nobody was playing defense in the rookie game. He was filthy. Portland, you made a mistake. I don’t think this is going to be Bowie-Jordan all over again… but…. Yikes. [26]
26. Minnesota (17-34) – Power Rankings jinx shows now mercy to struggling T-Wolves who only won 1 of last 8 & with Al Jefferson’s injury, I don’t see many more on the horizon. Even though their record is superior, with their injury situation as is, they fall all the way past the Thunder. [22]
25. Oklahoma City (13-40) – The Durantula! I love Kevin Durant. He’s awesome. I don’t care if nobody was playing defense in the rookie game. He was filthy. Portland, you made a mistake. I don’t think this is going to be Bowie-Jordan all over again… but…. Yikes. [26]
24. Golden State (19-35) – 4-1 since last power ranking. They inch closer to the fourth tier of the east. [25]
23. Indiana (21-33) – I’ve exhausted all I can say this season about the Pacers. Danny Granger – very good. Everyone else on the team – very bad. [24]
22. Toronto (21-34) – I think this trade is good for Toronto. Frees up Bosh more inside and Marion can go back to being Marion. [23]
21. Charlotte (21-31) – Jordan admits drafting Adam Morrison was a mistake. Jordan trades Morrison for VladRad. Laker fans rejoice. Addition by subtraction. Bobcat fans wonder when D.J. Augustin returns. [21]
20. New York (21-31) – At least Nate Robinson won the dunk contest. [18]
20. New York (21-31) – At least Nate Robinson won the dunk contest. [18]
19. Chicago (23-30) – 2-3 week keeps them steady at 19. Lot of smoke around a potential Amare trade… [19]
18. New Jersey (24-29) – Nets stop bleeding with 3-2 mark leading up to All-Star break. [20]
18. New Jersey (24-29) – Nets stop bleeding with 3-2 mark leading up to All-Star break. [20]
17. Milwaukee (26-29) –Bucks surprised me by holding on to the 8th spot in spite of Redd’s injury. [17]
16. Detroit (27-24) – Wow. I mean… wow. DEEEEEEEEETROIT BASKETBALL. [15]
16. Detroit (27-24) – Wow. I mean… wow. DEEEEEEEEETROIT BASKETBALL. [15]
15. Philadelphia (27-24) – 4-1 to close the first half. Somehow this team is far superior without Elton Brand. And Clippers far worse without him. Can Philly & Clipps get a mulligan on their 2008 offseasons? [16]
14. Miami (28-24) – Somehow D-Wade is being left out by everyone on the MVP debate. The Heat won like 10 games last year. [14]
13. Phoenix (28-23) – Steve Kerr should suffer the same fate as Terry Porter. He never should have fixed something that wasn’t broke (referring mainly to the Shaq-Marion trade)… [12]
12. Utah (30-23) – Still like them to eventually get fully healthy and secure a playoff spot in the West. [13]
11. Dallas (31-21) – 3-2 to close the first half causes slip to 11th. [10]
11. Dallas (31-21) – 3-2 to close the first half causes slip to 11th. [10]
10. Atlanta (31-21) – 4-1 close to the break gets them back in the top 10. [11]
9. New Orleans (30-20) – I think this is New Orleans lowest ranking of the year… Tyson Chandler involved in trade talks? [8]
9. New Orleans (30-20) – I think this is New Orleans lowest ranking of the year… Tyson Chandler involved in trade talks? [8]
8. Houston (32-21) – Par for the course for the Rockets last week… 3-2 close to break, coupled with New Orleans struggles moves them to 8th overall. [9]
7. Portland (32-20) – I can’t help but wonder where this team would be with a lineup of Roy-Fernandez-Outlaw-Durant-Aldridge. [7]
6. Denver (36-17) 5-1 before the All-Star break allows them to hold strong at 6. Could see them moving up above Orlando if they struggle with Jameer’s injury. [6]
5. Orlando (38-13) –Jameer Nelson’s injury could be devastating, combined with Dwight Howard’s loss in the dunk contest… not a good week to be a fan of the Magic. [4]
4. San Antonio (35-16) – Roger Mason gets worst score of 1st round of three point contest. At least I didn’t pick him to win or anything – oh, I did… Awesome. Thanks… for that. [5]
3. Cleveland (40-11) – Loss to Lakers causes drop to 3rd. Lebron is still my first half MVP. [2]
2. Boston (44-11) – 4-2 to close break, but loss to Lakers causes drop out of #1 overall spot. I still think their lack of depth off the bench (i.e. not re-signing Posey) comes back to haunt them this year… [1]
5. Orlando (38-13) –Jameer Nelson’s injury could be devastating, combined with Dwight Howard’s loss in the dunk contest… not a good week to be a fan of the Magic. [4]
4. San Antonio (35-16) – Roger Mason gets worst score of 1st round of three point contest. At least I didn’t pick him to win or anything – oh, I did… Awesome. Thanks… for that. [5]
3. Cleveland (40-11) – Loss to Lakers causes drop to 3rd. Lebron is still my first half MVP. [2]
2. Boston (44-11) – 4-2 to close break, but loss to Lakers causes drop out of #1 overall spot. I still think their lack of depth off the bench (i.e. not re-signing Posey) comes back to haunt them this year… [1]
1. Lakers (42-10) – No Bynum, No Problem. Lakers 5-1 since Bynum’s injury, including road wins in Boston & Cleveland. Close defeat in Salt Lake was only blemish. [3]
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