Laker Eight Presents - Risky Business

Risky Business

With the Trade Deadline having passed a couple of days ago, I was all prepped to write about all the blockbuster trades that I was sure were going to happen (Gasol to the Suns, a Rondo/Parsons swap, Kevin Love to the Lakers/Mavs) but alas, it was all extremely underwhelming. Other than Danny Granger finally moving on from the franchise he was the face of for a good few years, nothing notable really happened so before anyone questions why I didn’t touch on the subject, that’s why.

The Trade Deadline may have been a complete non-event and nothing of note has happened in the few games to be played since the All-Star break so this week I’m going to discuss something that has nothing to do with the game itself but is nonetheless causing a huge stir amongst the fans. Adam Silver has started his reign as commissioner in somewhat controversial fashion as he confirmed what we had all long suspected and long feared – not only are the sleeved jerseys here to stay, but on-jersey advertisements will soon be joining them. Is this a sign of the apocalypse in American sports as some seem to think, or just a savvy move for a league that at the end of the day is still a business? Well, I feel strongly one way (hint: it sure isn’t in favour of the ads/sleeves) but for the benefit of those of you who remain on the fence about it all I’ll do my best to put forth some kind of counterargument.

Apparently the NBA leaked this. Uh oh

“The league is a business! We need money!”

The above is the basic argument put forward by the top dogs in the league office, and at first glance it may seem to be a case of the rich getting richer as it’s estimated that last season the league had revenue of $5 billion. That’s 20% more than just a couple of years earlier, so it would appear that the league has no problem with money. However, that’s revenue – not profit – and after all expenses have been taken out and the appropriate money has been doled out to all 30 teams, I imagine that the actual figure isn’t quite so glamorous and that stakeholders may be asking a few questions about why the league isn’t doing everything it can to maximise earnings like any other business would. Furthermore, running a team isn’t usually profitable for the owners so when Silver claimed that the ad spots may be worth $100 million to a team, you better believe that their ears perked up. A profitable team makes for a happy owner, which leads to benefits that range from the major (splashing out on a superstar) to the minor (upgrades to the arena or training facilities), all of which ultimately lead to a more successful team - you don’t often hear of cash-strapped small markets achieving much in US sports. With the double whammy of increased profitability for both the league and the owners having undeniable trickle down effects for both the teams and the fans, it definitely makes you think twice about whether having a small ad on the jerseys is really worse than having a mediocre (albeit ad-free) franchise.

Alternatively, this is why Silver wants more money

Of course, sports aren’t all about the financials or even necessarily about winning championships. For many, it’s about feeling connected to the team and the feeling of community and brotherhood that can result from a shared fandom with otherwise complete strangers. This leads me to the other argument being put forward by people in favour of the ads, which is that leagues worldwide have their uniforms plastered with ads and fans not only accept them but also embrace some sponsors as being key parts of their team’s history. Perhaps the most obvious example is the English Premier League – who doesn’t know someone who drinks Carlsberg because they’re a Liverpool fan, or who chose Vodafone or Samsung because of their prominent sponsorship of Manchester United and Chelsea respectively? If anyone watched the Rising Stars game, you would have seen a sneak preview of the proposed ad sizing, which is basically a tiny square which it seems will either be below the number on the back, or on the front above the numbers as seen with Harrison Barnes in the photo above. So from an entirely non-financial standpoint, it does all seem slightly win-win – either fans will embrace whoever sponsors their team ala the Premier League, or the ads will be too small to really care about.

“Yeah but... America! Freedom! Liberty!”

Americans seem to enjoy a very love/hate relationship with ads. As anyone who’s ever watched more than about 30 seconds of the NBA or NFL will know, you can’t escape them – including special league-mandated timeouts to ensure maximum commercial time – but the seemingly logical progression of ads on jerseys has largely drawn the same reaction as I imagine punching a bald eagle in front of the White House would. The main reason for offence seems to be that none of the other major leagues (NFL, MBL, NHL) have ads and are all hugely successful so why does the NBA need them, especially when it seems to have exploded in popularity during the LeBron era? Yeah, the WNBA and Major League Soccer have on-jersey ads, but they are also wildly unpopular for the most part and haemorrhage money so it’s probably more of a desperation move from them than anything else. Perhaps fans are also worried that should this NBA experiment prove successful, it’s only a matter of time before the idea infiltrates the other sports and it won’t be long before you can’t buy a single item of American sports apparel without a McDonalds logo on the front and a Google logo on the back. Although most of us outside the US are perhaps more used to it with our sports teams, the idea of being a walking billboard doesn’t seem to sit pretty with Yank fans so expect many threats of boycotts and bypassing official jerseys in favour of ad-free Chinese knockoffs - because somehow that’s more patriotic than sporting a small logo.

A possibility

Finally, to take the argument down to its most basic point people (including myself) are quite frankly sick of the outrageous amounts of advertising in every single aspect of the league. Things like the Sprite® Slam Dunk Contest presented by Kia ® are now common place (as if an event being sponsored by one company wasn’t enough...) and even seemingly charitable acts like donating $X per 3 point shot made have turned commercial as every time a team hits a shot we’re forced to hear the same snippet about how great that company is and how we should all buy from them. This helps explain why there is such outrage when it’s seemingly a pretty reasonable idea, because by itself defiling the jerseys may not be a problem, but when combined with the bombardment of advertising NBA fans already face it may be the straw the broke the camel’s back. Storied franchises like the Celtics and the Bulls who have had pretty much the same uniforms for 30, 40, even 50 years will all of a sudden have the history of their timeless jerseys cheapened by tacky advertising, and whilst casual fans probably aren’t too fussed about it I’m sure many diehards will consider it a truly dark day for the NBA.

Either way... It’s happening.

At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter what you, me or even Kobe or LeBron think. Ads on jerseys are coming whether we like it or not, the sleeves are most likely here to stay and any sense that the league had at least some standards when it came it whoring itself out has gone out the window. Yeah, I know this has all sounded a bit doom and gloom and I’m sure in time we’ll all get used to it but right now it truly does seem like the NBA will sell itself to anyone for the right price because it knows that casual fans don’t care enough to notice and hardcore fans care too much to stop watching. Hopefully this has brought a couple of points to your attention so what do you think about the whole palava? Is this the start of a new age of profitability and newfound attachment to your McDonalds Lakers brought to you by Toyota, or a sign that Adam Silver may in fact actually be Satan and Hitler rolled into one? Well, that’s up for debate at present - my guess is he’s probably not, but that bald head isn’t entirely trustworthy - but we’ll all find out soon enough.  

NBA First Half - Done and Dusted with the Mid Range Jumpers

MVP

Fresh Prince

1.      Kevin Durant

2.      LeBron James

3.      Paul George

4.      Blake Griffin

5.      LaMarcus Aldridge

Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge has been instrumental to their first half of the season

His Airness

Kevin Durant – 31.5 points, 5.5 assists, 7.8 rebounds.

Durant is my number one pick for this year MVP thus far, having stepped his game up over the past 3 months. Durant has so far been unstoppable. The only question is, will he be able to keep this level of play up and continue to lead his team to victory?

LeBron James – 26.8 points, 6.5 assists, 7.1 rebounds.

Despite LeBron slipping to third overall in points per game, I expect him to pick his game up as the post season gets closer. LeBron’s stats are very good but he is currently being outplayed but Durant, the final part of this season will decide who wins MVP.

Chris Paul – 19.0 points, 11.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds.

Paul has just come back from injury and although at this stage in the season he may not be everyone’s third candidate but I believe he could be the only real other player who may slip in and take the MVP title.

The Nighthawk

Kevin Durant - 31.5 ppg , 7.8 rpg , 5.5 apg

KD is the MVP of the first half of the season based off his numbers and his team’s win column. He's the MVP because take him out of the Thunder team and they wouldn't be having the same success and the fact they have been winning without superstar Russell Westbrook makes his case even stronger. The second half of the season will be interesting because Westbrook returns and Lebron is beginning to step up his game.

LeBron James - 26.8 ppg , 7.1 rpg, 6.5 apg

LeBron has won the last 2 MVP awards and 4 out of the last 5 and very early in the season it seemed as if LeBron would cruise to winning his 3rd straight and 5th overall. However with Durant’s amazing stretch through January and February the whole league began to talk about him. LeBron is right there and is putting together another MVP type season and his game as of late has begun to pick up. The second half of season is going to be good as we see 2 of the best players’ battle for the top individual award the NBA has to offer.

Blake Griffin - 24.4 ppg , 9.9 rpg , 3.5 apg

Griffin has been great during the first half of the season and has his Clippers sitting 4th in the strong West, all without their floor general Chris Paul for most of the season. Griffin is sitting in 3rd on my MVP race although he is well behind KD and LeBron and the MVP race seems more of a 2 horse race and anyone outside of them seems to be a bit of a long shot to win the award.

Standout teams

FP

-       Oklahoma City Thunder

-       Indiana Pacers

-       San Antonio Spurs

-       Houston Rockets

-       LA Clippers

-       Portland Trailblazers

HA - Oklahoma City Thunder

You have to go with the team with the best record in the NBA at the moment. When Westbrook went down on Christmas day you would not have expected the Thunder to sit in this position, however, lead by Durant the Thunder are currently 43-12.

Phoenix Suns

Currently 32-21, the Suns have surprised everyone this season. Nobody thought they would be a playoff contender yet they currently sit 6th in the West and what makes this more impressive is that they have been without arguably their best player in Eric Bledsoe for much of the season

Toronto Raptors

Sitting third in the East the Raptors have been a bit of a surprise this year, I definitely didn't expect them to be sitting third in the East at any stage of this season. Although their record 29-25 would not be good enough to make the playoffs in the West they are still a team that has stood out this season.

NH - Toronto Raptors (29 wins , 25 loses , 3rd in the Eastern Conference)

Meet DeMar DeRozan.

The Raptors have been a team that has quietly played extremely well for the first half of the season and seem like a dark horse team to win it all. Lead by first time All Star DeMar DeRozan who has had a breakout season thus far has the team narrowly sitting 3rd in the East.

Houston Rockets (37 wins , 17 loses , 3rd in the Western Conference)

The Rockets created a lot of talk this offseason and for good reason, they were a solid team last year and acquired the top center in the league in Dwight Howard. Their season started off quite bumpy and they seemed like a team that would take a little longer than expected to hit their stride and leading into the All Star break it looked as if they had really hit their stride well and ended up carrying a lot of momentum into the break heading in with a 7 game win streak. They are a team to look out for as we head into the second half if the season.

Disappointing teams

FP - While I could list the teams that generally nobody talks about, the ones who are lottery bound and look as if they are counting down the days until the season are finished, I thought I would list the teams who have performed below expectations. All of these teams, bar the Lakers were teams I thought would be closer to playoff contention. All four teams need a strong showing from here on out to have a sniff at playoff basketball but still have been disappointing so far. The Lakers however are another story.

Unfortunately Kobe hasn’t been back for long enough to see where this team is at and they have been hit badly with injuries. The Lakers are looking to position themselves to make free agent acquisitions with a lot of salary space but so far the 2013/14 season has been a disaster for the NBA’s second most successful franchise.

-       New York Knicks

-       Minnesota Timberwolves

-       New Orleans Pelicans

-       Cleveland Cavaliers

-       LA Lakers

HA - New York Knicks 

The Knicks have been a disappointment this season, after their promising season last year I thought they would continue to get better this season, however, with J.R. Smith struggling and Carmelo Anthony having no support the Knicks have slumped this season. The Knicks can still make the playoffs and I expect Melo to keep putting up big numbers trying to get something out of this season.

Cleveland Cavaliers 

With such a promising roster coming into this season I thought the Cavs would have a very good season, however, this has not been the case. Rumours that All Star MVP Kyrie Irving is not happy and Luol Deng not wanting to re-sign next year the Cavs are a team that has been very disappointing this season.

NH - New Orleans Pelicans (23 wins , 30 loses , 12th in the Western Conference)

The Pelicans are a team that have been very unlucky with injuries this season but still have been a disappointing team after this offseason they acquired last year All Star Jrue Holiday and former Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans. Anthony Davis has been very good this season and averages 20-10 and has been one of the better defensive players but with the team dealing with players injuries and constantly having different lineups they have been very inconsistent and sit at the bottom of the West because of it.

New York Knicks (21 wins , 33 loses , 11th in the Western Conference)

The Knicks have been the most disappointing team this season and have seen the biggest drop off from last season, not good considering Melo has a choice to test free agency this offseason. Knicks players don’t seem to want to play and aren’t playing with the same energy they had last season. They are however lucky there are in the weak Eastern Conference and still amazingly as bad as their season has been they still have a chance at booking a trip into the post season.

Undercover Brothers

FP

-       DeMar DeRozan

-       Al Jefferson

-       Isaiah Thomas

-       Aaron Affalo

-       Andre Drummond

HA - DeMarcus Cousins

I continue to put Cousins in as my undercover brother because he is one of the best-unknown players in the NBA. Averaging 22.5 points, 11.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks a game his stats put him in a very unique category, averaging a double-double a game Cousins stats are just as good as Blake Griffins, Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge. Obviously his team the Sacramento Kings are at bottom of the West with a record of 18-36 but Cousins continues to play well and with his new mentor Shaq hopefully Cousins can continue to improve.

NH - DeMarcus Cousins (SAC) 22.5 ppg , 11.7 rpg , 2.9 apg

Cousins’ has been one of the best big men this season and was arguably the best player to get left out of the All Star Weekend. He seems like a player that doesn't get much recognition because of his past struggles with his attitude and him being on a lottery team, however his team’s struggles aren’t all on him because he couldn't really be player at a higher standard. Cousins’ future looks bright if he can continue playing the way he has.

Rookie Watch

NH - Michael Carter Williams (PHI) 17.1 ppg , 6.3 apg , 5.3 rpg

MCW has been the Rookie of the Year through the first half of the season and hasn't really been pushed, he got off to an early lead and hasn't looked back since. Through January and February his numbers did see a bump and shooting percentage was down but even with those numbers he is still a top two rookie at worst. It’s going to take something pretty crazy for someone to overtake him for this award come the end of the season.

Both MCW and Vic Oladipo have done well as rookies

Victor Oladipo (ORL) 13.5 ppg , 3.9 apg , 4.3 rpg

Oladipo has been pretty much as expected during the first half of the season, he’s been solid on both sides of the ball and has gradually been getting better as the season wears on. His January and February were very good and used that strong stretch to close in on MCW’s big early lead but still has a lot of work to do if he wants to steal away the award.

What to watch for

After the all-star break the NBA starts to heat up. The trade deadline has just passed and while there were no ‘blockbusters’ a number of trades followed two main themes. Either teams in playoff contention were looking too add another factor to make a playoff run, or looking to unload player salaries to get under the luxury tax or to create roster space. Indiana made the biggest move trading former standout Danny Granger to the Philadelphia 76ers for Evan Turner. Turner has a lot of potential and is starting to become a fairly polished offensive force, something Granger has been missing since returning from several injuries. The other trade I rate was the one between the Washington Wizards, currently sitting 5th in the East acquiring veteran point guard Andre Miller from the Denver Nuggets. Miller adds some experience to the Wizard’s backcourt and some important depth at the point guard position behind all-star John Wall. The Golden State Warriors also made a similar move for former Laker Steve Blake.

"So where you wanna go after we get that ring bruh?"

As the playoffs near, teams will slowly get eliminated and the race to make the final eight positions in each conference will heat up. With around 30 games each to play it is still enough for a team to come from nowhere albeit unlikely. I expect the teams who are ‘real’ contenders to stand up and assert some dominance over the next stretch in an attempt to distance themselves from any late season runs. The Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers are the obvious candidates but there are several teams looking to make the jump into that upper echelon.

A few other things to watch for are the return of Russell Westbrook to the Thunder, Kobe Bryant’s eventual return and finally the race to the MVP which at this stage seems to be between Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

Jeter.

I know I probably didn’t pay enough attention to you as a player, Jeter.

It’s not that I didn’t care, it’s just that there were other things going on.

I mean, it’s been 19 years since you first donned those pinstripes

Almost as long as I can remember.

I guess I just thought you’d always be there.

I don’t hate you Jeter.

I hate A-Rod, sure. So does everybody.

And you better believe I hate the goddamn Yankees.

I hate them with the fury of a thousand armies

With the fire of a thousand suns

With the passion of a thousand dead French poets.

I hate the goddamn Yankees.

But I don’t hate you, Jeter.

In fact I always kinda liked you.

I watched your 3000th hit live on TV

Baseball just won’t be the same without you there

Crouched at shortstop

Awaiting the pitchers first move

Patrolling the infield

Like a feline on the prowl

Concentration

Agility

Dependability

You were a timeless hero

A permanent icon

Defying all concepts of age and time and mortality

But it was always inevitable, wasn’t it Jeter?

I hope you achieved everything you always wanted too

I hope you finish with the flourish that you deserve

I hope you find a lucrative punditry role on ESPN

I hope you keep banging supermodels

You deserve it.

Laker Eight Presents: The Final All Star Installment

First things first, I hereby promise that this is the last time you’ll see me dedicating an entire entry to All-Star weekend – but there are always so many tasty (and not so tasty) tid bits to take away from the shenanigans. Plus, it’ll help take your mind off the disaster that was the Warriors semi-final loss in the Nines.

So, how did ya’ll enjoy All Star weekend anyway? Good? Bad? Ugly? I certainly think there were parts to the festivities that fit all these descriptors. Effort levels may have stayed at their historically low standards (Joe Johnson seemingly doing the shootout in slow motion, for example) but nonetheless, the results are often pretty exciting from an entertainment standpoint. So, in chronological order, let’s digest the weekend that was...

What the Celebrity game lacked in actual celebrities, it made up for in exciting play and a surprisingly high quality of basketball. With the exceptions of Wale, Kevin Hart and that fat Mike, everyone seemed like they actually knew what they were doing – first time viewers may take this for granted, but trust me, it isn’t always the case. Speaking of Kevin, didn’t I say he’d undeservedly get the Celeb MVP over my boy Arne Duncan? Mad props to him for handing the trophy over, but even madder props to Arne for his filthy behind the head pass – that’s what balling with Barack at the FBI building will do for your game. A bevy of blonde stunners certainly made the game easy on the eyes too...

Next up, not to blow my own horn too much, but after the Rising Stars game all my predictions had come off – Drummond absolutely dominated (25 rebounds... are you serious?!) and Team Hill took home the honours. Highlight of the night was definitely the crazy 1 on 1 duel between Tim Hardaway Jr and Dion “I’m fat and usually shoot bricks” Waiters, or perhaps it was the fact that the Plumlee brothers made me eat my words when they proved to actually be some of the most athletic players out there. Like the Celeb game, the fact this one was close throughout made it so much better to watch, as it meant that it didn’t degenerate into the impromptu dunk contest/3 point shootout that it often does. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the dunks... but wildly athletic blocks also float my boat. Either way, it was a great game and if you think otherwise you were probably watching the wrong channel.

You’d look sad too if your MVP trophy broke

My predictions then fell apart, so I hope none of you out there lost any fat stacks after taking my advice down to the TAB. Few, and by few I mean absolutely no one, would have picked Marco Bellinelli to take out the 3 point contest – advice that seemed particularly sage after he airballed 2 shots in the first round. In classic slippery Italian fashion he somehow managed to pull it out though, but even after seeing it with my own eyes I’m unsure how he beat guys like Steph Curry. His post-win interview seemed to explain his unfazed attitude (one he seems to share with countryman Andrea Bargnani – do Italians just not care that much?) though, as in broken English he gave the invaluable answer that his secret to winning was “I shot the ball”. Shooting the ball in a 3 point contest – is this advice so simple it’s genius, or just the result of a simple mind? For the amusement I got from this answer alone I’m willing to accept my poor predictions  and maybe next year the other contestants will follow this wise mans words and just “shoot the ball”.

Marco Bellineli - They don't call him big balls for nothing

Unfortunately after all the excitement of a sudden death shootout, the dunk contest was perhaps the worst thing I’ve seen at All-Star weekend since I started watching. Some of the dunks were undoubtedly electrifying, but the main problem was there actually weren’t that many dunks to be had. In fact, the whole thing raised so many questions that I don’t really know where to start – why did the judges need iPads to display a single word? Who was Barnes trying to fool with his 2K14 gimmick?  How could the public possibly have time to fairly award the best individual dunker when the award was given seconds after the final dunk? Why did neither the dunkers nor the announcers seem to know that there wasn’t a second round? And most importantly, who is it that got paid millions to organise such a clusterfuck? This whole thing reeked of the NBA trying too hard to refresh the event, but when there is such a talented pool of contestants they really need to just let the dunks speak for themselves. Just thinking of it makes me irrationally angry so I think it’s best for the sake of my health that I leave it there, and simply say that at least John Wall was recognised for his best of the night dunk over the impossibly creepy Wizards He-Man-esque mascot.

Last but certainly not least, the All-Star game itself was certainly the pinnacle of the weekend and continued the trend of upsets. It somehow managed to combine the teams getting the record for most points in an ASG with a real defensive edge in the 4th, so fans really got the best of both worlds in terms of offense and defence. This year truly marked the passing of the torch from the era of guys like Kobe, Timmy D and KG to the young bloods like Kyrie and Blake Griffin, as evidenced by the impressive ability of Tony Parker and Dirk Nowitzki to seemingly completely disappear from the game (Dirk was even the only guy not to score). I thought the West was going to win in a blowout, but questionable lineup choices (putting Harden back in at the end – Scott Brooks perhaps showing some favouritism to his ex-player there) and the improbable partnership of Joakim Noah and LeBron (are there two guys who hate each other more in the league? You’d be hard pressed to find them) meant that the East ground it out. A downright silly number of threes, a healthy smattering of alley-oops and a suitably impressive display of handles by Kyrie – who might be the smoothest handler in the league- meant that this game will certainly live on in the memories of fans, even if other elements of the weekend seem destined for the scrap heap.

Stud: Although Blake Griffin proved my point that those who are willing to run the floor will be rewarded in the box score, the MVP really couldn’t have gone to anyone but Kyrie “Uncle Drew” Irving. He spurred the East on in the 4th, showed them young bloods that the game has always been about buckets and somehow racked up 14 assists while doing so.

Dud<strong>: </strong>James Harden. I actually didn’t notice that he’d even scored in the game, and he seemed to pull a vanishing act during the 2nd and 3rd quarters – hell, even when he was on the court he was nearly invisible. Combined with his 3 point foul on PG24 in the clutch, he definitely was a fish out of water in this game. Honourable mention must go to Steph Curry though, who seemingly couldn’t buy a three out there.

So there we have it. Another All-Star weekend come and gone, symbolising the start of the real grind in the league proper. You can bet that come playoffs all that buddy-buddy stuff between the players will be gone, but it was nice whilst it lasted anyway. My player of the weekend would have to go to John Wall, who put on a real show in the dunk contest and was looking good in the ASG until he was unfairly yanked just when he was threatening to really break out, and my flop of the weekend is Damien Lillard – for a guy who was hyped so much about entering every event, he sure didn’t achieve much. Finally, for those keeping track of my predictions from last week... Well, they didn’t go so well so unfortunately I can’t boast about being an NBA messiah just yet. 

Weekly NBA Wrap with the Mid Range Jumpers

MVP watch

Fresh Prince

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder 31.2ppg, 7.7rpg, 5.5apg)

LeBron James (Miami Heat, 26.5ppg, 7.0rpg, 6.6apg)

LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trailblazers, 23.9ppg, 11.4rpg)

Paul George (Indiana Pacers, 22.2ppg, 6.4rpg)

Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs 17.7ppg, 6.2apg)

Chris Paul (LA Clippers, 19.2ppg, 11.1apg)

Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors, 24.6ppg, 9.0apg, 4.4rpg)

Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves, 25.8ppg, 13.2rpg, 4.0apg)

His Airness

Kevin Durant: 31.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists. The way this guy is playing is crazy, averaging 32 points while shooting 55 percent over the last 10 games. Durant has sustained his high level of performance and is not looking like stopping. With the All Star break coming up and the return of Russell Westbrook in the coming weeks it will be interesting to see if Durant’s numbers drop or continue to impress.

Lebron James: 26.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists. Lebron’s number’s continue to impress, scoring more than 30 points in his last 3 of 5 games. Lebron looks to continue his rise in performance, he has begun to shoot the ball more, now taking nearly 20 shots a game which could be an attempt to save his MVP hopes. Lebron’s game winner against the Warriors has made up for his shocking performance against the Jazz.

Listen to me, I'll get you a ring bruh.

Blake Griffin – 24.2 points, 9.8 rebounds. The third spot in the MVP ladder is a tough one, at the moment it is hard to live up to the level of Durant and Lebron but Griffin is doing his best and has put up some impressive performances over the last 5 games. With the return of Chris Paul look for Griffin’s numbers to only improve and maybe make a run at the top two.

Nighthawk

Kevin Durant (OKC) - 31.2 ppg , 5.5 apg , 7.7 rpg

Durant’s Thunder keep racking up the wins and are 8-2 in their last 10 with losses coming against Washington and a surprise last second loss to Orlando. Durant seems like he is coasting at the moment in his last 10 - he's averaging 32.1ppg, 7.4rpg and 7.2 apg while shooting 55% from the field and this is still without their other star Russell Westbrook. The question remains will the Thunder be more dominant with him back or will they take a step backwards?

Lebron James (MIA) - 26.5 ppg  , 6.6 apg , 7.0 rpg

Lebron has been on a tear ever since his loss to Durant’s Thunder and it seems Lebron now has some competition and has began to pick his game up. Over the past 10 games, he's averaging 27.9 ppg 8.4 rpg and 6.6 apg. He is finally beginning to take more shots and the Heat are benefitting from it as they have gone 8-2 in the last 10. LeBron is also fresh off a clutch performance after he hit a game winning fade-away 3 to beat the Warriors the other night. It seems that Durant hasn't won the MVP race yet and this is going to be fun to keep an eye on after the All Star Weekend.

Blake Griffin (LAC) - 24.2 ppg , 9.8 rpg , 3.5 apg

Blake Griffin has been great over the month of January and has continued that form and then some in February. He is averaging close to 35 a game and 8 rebounds. Griffin is proving he’s more than just a player who scores on huge dunks but a player who's capable of beating you in a variety a ways. That’s not say he doesn't still throw it down as he had back windmill dunks in their huge blowout win against the Sixers. With Blake’s great play and now a returning Chris Paul the Clippers now become a legitimate title contender as we go into the All Star weekend.

Standouts

FP - Blake Griffin/LA Clippers

Blake Griffin has bought life to the Clippers franchise that has had little to celebrate before they drafted him in 2009. Now they are one of the NBA’s premier teams and the All-Star power forward is excelling under Doc Rivers tutelage. Over the past 10 games he is averaging 35.4 ppg and 8.8 rebounds per game. That includes three games of 36 points and one with 43 points. The Clippers have gone 7-3 over those past ten games and have only had all-star Chris Paul back for two of those past ten. The Clippers are a team on the rise and with their All-Stars leading the way, the depth to make a good playoff run and one of the NBA’s top coaches I expect the Clippers to continue their winning ways after the All Star break.

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are another Western Conference team that is looking stronger every outing. With All-Stars James Harden and Dwight Howard playing well, the Rockets have won seven straight games, the last one against the Washington Wizards coming off a James Harden game winning layup with 0.7 seconds remaining. The Rockets are a team that also benefits from having two All-Stars and good depth in their roster and are now sitting third in the Western Conference, a good place to be going into the All-Star break.

Teams on the rise

FP

Oklahoma City Thunder

Miami Heat

LA Clippers

Houston Rockets

Dallas Mavericks

HA - Houston Rockets

The Rockets remain in my ‘team on the rise’. They are currently on a 7 game winning streak and sit third in the West. With Howard and Harden playing well this team is starting to live up to the hype created during the off season.

Cleveland Cavaliers – The Cavs have won their last 4 games and although they haven’t played any decent teams during this run they are looking a bit better. Their next five games look promising as well, with their toughest opponent being the struggling Hawks.

NH - Houston Rockets

The Rockets were my team on the rise last week and are still there this week. They are currently on a 7 game win streak and still aren't getting much attention which may be a good thing for them. Over this winning streak Dwight and Harden are leading the way, they are averaging a combined 50 points per game together and are also getting a good punch from Jeremy Lin off the bench. The Rockets are under the radar and could be a dark horse for the title this year.

Teams on the slide

FP

Philadelphia 76ers

LA Lakers

Atlanta Hawks

Denver Nuggets

HA - Philadelphia Sixers

The Sixers are on a 8 game losing streak, however it gets worst, they recently became only the second team to lose back to back games by 40 points. Are the Sixers tanking? Or are they really that bad.

NH - Atlanta Hawks

Jeff Teague goes up

The Hawks have been on the slide lately. They are currently on a 5 games losing streak. Al Horford’s injury has hurt them especially on the offensive end and Jeff Teague hasn't been as good without him. The Hawks have surprisingly been better without Teague as they are scoring 10 more points per 100 possessions without him on the floor. The Hawks however are a top 10 defence without Horford but its proving that Horford’s offence is more valuable to the team than his lack of defence.

Performance of the week

Lebron James – 36 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 14-26 FG, 4-8 3PT, Game winning 3PT shot

Lebron James earns himself another performance of the week award for his near triple-double vs. the Golden State Warriors. Lebron was aggressive and led the Dwyane Wade-less Miami Heat to an impressive road win. The Heat led by 18 at one point before the Warriors clawed back to lead by two with 14.6 seconds to go following Stephen Curry’s ‘and-1’ bank shot. Lebron got the ball and drilled a step back three-pointer with 0.2 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Heat.

Play of the week

Play of the week this week goes to Blake Griffin for these Chris Paul assisted back to back windmill dunks against the Philadelphia 76ers. Note – these happened within 30 seconds of each other

Undercover Brother

FP - Jared Sullinger

This week’s undercover brother is Boston Celtics forward Jared Sullinger. The second year pro is currently averaging 13.2ppg and 8.2rpg but as of late is performing above his season averages.&nbsp; Over his past seven games, he has recorded six double-doubles, with his best performance a 31 point 16 rebound effort coming against the Kings. With playmaker Rajon Rondo back dishing out assists, it’s no surprise Sullinger is playing above average and as long as they can stay healthy this could be the new duo to watch in Boston.&nbsp;

NH - DeMarcus Cousins

You would think this guy would be an All Star, averaging 22 points per game with 11 rebounds. Cousins nearly has better stats than my third place MVP Blake Griffin. What makes Cousins so good is he is not only good offensively like Kevin Love or Blake Griffin but he is also a good defensive player. Cousins is one of the best big men in the league at the moment.

Storyline Watch/Random thoughts

HA - Steph Curry (GS)

Curry has been great over the past 10 but it hasn't translated to any more victories, however he is arguably the player that’s most valuable to his team. If he wasn't playing for the Warriors they would have no shot at making the playoffs and would arguably be a team contending for the number 1 pick. It seems as if Curry needs to score 30 plus and dish 10 assists for Golden State to get a narrow win. For example there last game against the Heat he scored 29 with 7 assists and hit a potential game winner only to be out done by Lebron but it’s an example of how good he needs to be for them to win.

FP - All Star break is finally upon us (starting Saturday NZT) and once again ESPN and Sky has done a great job in getting the broadcasting rights so us kiwi’s can tune in to the All-Star festivities. Here are a few things to look out for during the weekend

Rising Stars Challenge

Steven Adams competing against a number of other talented first or second year players including All Stars Damian Lillard and Anthony Davis as well as rookie of the year candidates Michael Carter Williams and Victor Oladipo.

Prediction: Team Hill

Skills Challenge

This is always an interesting event that happens fairly quickly. It involves a number of different skills normally suiting point guards. It’s a good showcase of the little skills you don’t always see in an actual game, which illustrates just how talented these players are.

Prediction: Damian Lillard

3-point contest

The three-point contest is an interesting competition as it can be really eventful or quite dull depending on how close the scores are. It’s good to see how accurate these guys actually are from three point range with no defenders but the added pressure of a time limit and other scores often makes up for it.

Prediction: Stephen Curry

Dunk contest

As I mentioned last week I expect a rejuvenated dunk contest this year with several stars competing along with a new format. I’m interesting in seeing the freestyle round where each conference’s players have a 90 second time limit featuring an unlimited amount of dunks. I say that because I’m the type of guy who prefers classic dunks rather than the gimmick dunks that feature props. Either way each of the rounds should provide a little for every fan to enjoy.

Prediction: John Wall

All Star Game

All star games can be tedious but the NBA has been doing a good job to make this game more exciting. Fortunately Kevin Durant and LeBron James are on opposing teams and I hope these two go head to head at some stage. I expect the game to stay close up until the 4th quarter where the game will hopefully pick up. Prediction: West to win&nbsp;

Games to watch (All NZT following all-star break) 

Raptors @ Wizards on Wednesday 

Heat @ Mavericks on Wednesday 

Heat @ Thunder on Friday

Rockets @ Warriors on Friday 

Hey now, you're an All Star - Laker Eight

It’s reached that point of the NBA calendar where the All-Star starters are announced, and over the years this has proven to be a controversial topic. Is Tim Duncan a center or a power forward? Should MJ really be starting over Vince? Should we eliminate fan voting? And to really go back, is it even safe for Magic Johnson to be playing? (For the record, the answers are power forward, yes, no, and yes).

The very nature of the fan-driven voting process means that inevitably people get flustered when their favourite players are overlooked despite having an MVP-worthy season (Steph Curry) in favour of cult players on the decline (Duncan, Garnett) or players from huge markets (Yao Ming, Jeremy Lin). Every year without doubt fan forums and friend circles are divided along the lines of promoting who they believe deserves the nod, and players themselves have been known to try and rustle up a few votes via campaigns such as “Show Kevin some Love” and Chris Bosh’s memorable 2008 video dressed as a used-car salesman.

The campaigning and champagning is over now though so I’m going to give my rundown on the 2014 starters for both conferences – who snuck in by reverse psychology, who is the biggest surprise and who is the least deserving? Let’s find out...

Unfortunately fans can’t vote on the uniforms. These are terrible.

Western Conference

PG: Steph Curry. Steph has been balling out of his mind recently, averaging a league-leading 3.2 threes a game and a second-best 9.2 assists, leading Kevin Durant to call him the greatest shooter in NBA history. With stats like these and his stroke as wet as it is, it’s hard to disagree with him. After being robbed last year of a reserve slot this starting spot is well deserved, especially after Chris Paul’s unfortunate injury. Prediction: Could set new record for most 3’s in the game.

SG: Kobe Bryant. This is perhaps the most inevitable selection despite the fact he’s only played in a handful of games all year, due to the overwhelming support he has worldwide. Fans will vote for him based on name and legend alone until he retires, despite him going on record as saying that they should vote for younger, more deserving players like Damien Lillard. He’s announced that he’ll sit out the game in order to avoid injury, so don’t get your hopes up for a repeat performance of his two late game blocks on LeBron from last year. Prediction: James Harden will replace him in the starting lineup and set a record for most wild head flails.

SF: Kevin Durant. KD. Durantula. The Slim Reaper. Whichever nickname you want to use for him (Slim Reaper is by far the best) this guy simply gets it done on a night to night basis. Leading the league in scoring, nearly 7 feet tall and one of the most clutch performers in the game, Durant is the favourite for MVP and arguably the 2nd best player in basketball. I don’t think he’s the most exciting player in the world, probably due to how easy he makes it all look and lack of true highlight reel dunks, but his matchup against either Paul George or LeBron will be the most anticipated of the night. Prediction: Tweets about his disdain for the Slim Reaper moniker will overshadow his game.

PF: Blake Griffin. For purely personal reasons, this is the first selection I’m not thrilled with. Maybe it’s because I’m a Lakers fan, maybe it’s because I hate his stupid blank face after every dunk he does, and maybe it’s his stumpy little arms. Whatever the reason, I think Blake is somewhat overrated. Whilst undeniably a great dunker, I think people overestimate his true offensive capabilities due to how easy it must be to play next to Chris Paul, and his defence is average at best. Having said that, he’s tailor-made for the all-flash no substance nature of All-Star games, so perhaps he deserves this spot after all. Prediction: blank face mean mugging after a barrage of alley-oops.  

C: Kevin Love. This is my biggest surprise of the night and the selection that I’m most pleased about, although again this may have something to do with the fact that I’m a Lakers fan so I’m bound to hope that Dwight Howard fails at everything he does. Kevin Love is perhaps my second favourite player in the league, because watching a short unathletic white guy outrebound and outscore hyper-athletes like Dwight and Blake never gets old.  An absolute terror on the glass and a bomber from deep, K-Love is probably the most well-rounded PF in the game (sorry Lamarcus) and is also the only white guy in either starting line-up. Prediction/Hope: gets traded to the Lakers.

Eastern Conference

PG: Kyrie Irving. Kyrie largely claims this spot by default as the East is so devoid of talent that the only other real challengers were Kyle Lowry in Toronto and John Wall in Washington, both of whom aren’t as well-known as the guy who was meant to fill LeBrons shoes in Cleveland. He slipped off the radar a bit early in the season and people were questioning whether he’d ever really be a truly great player, but he’s putting up nice enough numbers now to warrant the start. Prediction: Will break someone’s ankles like he did to Brandon Knight in the Rookie Challenge

SG: Dwayne Wade. It really shows the state of the Eastern conference and the SG spot in general when a guy who will rest for multiple games at a time can still comfortably be an All-Star starter. Sure, he’s averaging nearly 20 ppg, but I can’t help but feel that someone like Aaron Afflalo is at risk of being criminally overlooked for even being a reserve when he could arguably be a starter. Either way, I can’t see D-Wade playing very long with his knees in the state they are, so don’t expect fireworks. Prediction: Will barely play unless it’s a close game in the 4th.

SF1: LeBron James. It’s LeBron. Definitely the best player to come out of a stacked 2003 draft, and almost definitely the best player in the NBA (and the world) right now – what else is there to say? Prediction: If the East win (which they won’t), he’ll be the MVP.

SF2:  Paul George. PG24 has always flown under the radar somewhat, putting up good enough stat lines and being a crucial part of an Indiana team that has always threatened to break out, but wasn’t really a household name until he absolutely took it to LeBron and the Heat in the playoffs last year. This year he’s continued along the same lines, racking up monster game after monster game and being both an offence and defensive lynchpin for the team I think is the best in the league. Plus, did you see his 360 windmill jam recently? Woowee... Prediction: Will throw down at least one ridiculous dunk.

SF3: Carmelo Anthony. On a Knicks team that is carrying on their tradition of mediocrity, Melo  is the only bright point. If you watch any NY games, he’ll be the only guy who’s diving on balls, getting putbacks, and generally doing all the small things that you need to do in order to actually win some games. This shows with the fact that despite playing alongside two 7 footers and being moved from the PF spot he played last year, he’s averaging around 9 rebounds a game which is pretty incredible. Three SFs in the starting lineup means he’ll probably be asked to guard K-Love, which could be an interesting matchup, but could also mean the East gets killed on the boards. Prediction: Will thoroughly enjoy playing with team mates that actually have some talent.

So there we have it, your 2014 NBA All-Star starters. On paper it seems that the West will destroy the East, particularly when the reserves come on, but being an All-Star game it really comes down to who can actually be bothered putting in any effort during the first 3 quarters. Look for hometown hero Anthony Davis to get voted in by the coaches and receive huge playing time, and for Boogie Cousins to be the biggest snub. Prediction: West take it easily, with The Brow being the early favourite for MVP. 

NZ Breakers 106-101 Wollongong Hawks

Kerron Johnson (Photosport)

Fast Break Report

Stat Line

Points   K. Tiggs 24 (WOL), R. Clarke 23 (WOL), K. Johnson 21 (NZB), D. Gruber 21 (WOL)

Rebounds   M. Vukona 6 (NZB), T. Abercrombie 6 (NZB), several with 5

Assists  T. Coenraad 7 (WOL), C. Webster 5 (NZB), L. Davidson 4 (WOL), G. Wilkinson 4 (NZB)

Steals    C. Webster 3 (NZB), several with 2

Blocks   D. Gruber 3 (WOL), several with 1

What Went Right?

• Scoring 106 points. That oughta win it every time in this league.
• 15/26 3pt shooting. That’s a straight up clinic. KJ, Wilko, Abo, Webster and Te Rangi all hit 3 each.
• Finishing the game off. They’ve had trouble this season in this regard, so it was great to see the Breakers finish strong after the Hawks tied the game up with less than 4 mins on the clock.
• Gary Wilkinson. Ol’ Bear Claws is sprinting up the FBR MVP rankings, even more surprising because he wasn’t even on the roster until Game 6. But the big fella has nestled right back into a comfortable place where he’s absolutely dominating.
• Nobody fouled out.

What Can Be Improved?

• Defence. Although you gotta hand it to Rotnei Clarke, who had a great game, and did so with a number of other heavy contributors on the Wollongong side.
• Get Alex Pledger back. He was doubtful for this one, and ultimately sat it out. He’s got another week to recover now.
• The rebounding and turnovers still have room for improvement, but they’re getting there. Not a lot else to worry about, to be honest, just gotta hope they can keep this level of performance up for the final 10 games and maybe sneak into the playoffs…

Play of the Game

A beautifully executed offensive possession (after a missed field goal) culminates in a wide open 3 pointer for Kerron Johnson, who sinks the dagger blow late on:

Match MVP Points

Gary Wilkinson 3

Tom Abercrombie 2

Kerron Johnson 1

Corey Webster 1

Mika Vukona 1

Season MVP Standings

Mika Vukona 27

Kerron Johnson 23

Gary Wilkinson 22

Tom Abercrombie 19

Alex Pledger 10

Up Next

Thursday, 7.30pm: NZ Breakers vs Sydney Kings, Vector Arena (NZT)

NBA Wrap up with the Mid Range Jumpers

MVP watch

Fresh Prince

Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder31.0ppg, 7.7rpg, 5.1apg)

LeBron James (Miami Heat, 26.2ppg, 6.7rpg, 6.5apg)

LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trailblazers, 24.2ppg, 11.2rpg),g

Paul George (Indiana Pacers, 23.3ppg, 6.2rpg)

Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs 18.4ppg, 6.3apg)

Chris Paul (LA Clippers, 19.6ppg, 11.2apg)

Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors, 23.5ppg, 9.2apg, 4.6rpg)

Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves, 25.0ppg, 13.0rpg, 4.1apg)

Beautiful

It’s been a while since my last entry but not much has changed atop the MVP watch. Kevin Durant has been sublime averaging 31.0 points per game and nearly averaging 50-40-90 (percentages for field goals, 3 pointers and free throws). It would also be rude not to mention his ridiculous form, scoring 30+ in his past nine games including a NBA season high 54 point game against the Warriors. The best player in the world continues to get better however I think we are still yet too see the best out of LeBron this year. LaMarcus Aldridge has led the Trailblazers to a 31-11 record, sitting 3rd in the Western Conference. There is no doubt the all star has been imperative to their success and rightfully a MVP contender. Paul George is a strong candidate for MVP and his continued improvement on offense and stout defense has led the Pacers to a league leading 33-8 record.

His Airness

Kevin Durant: 31 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists. Durant has to be the leading candidate for MVP this season; his recent outburst over the month of January has been simply remarkable. From his pull-up three pointers to his impressive finishes in traffic he is showing us why he is the best offensive player in the game at the moment. He’s been averaging an unbelievable 37 points over the last ten games.

LeBron James: 26.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists. After revealing his jealously over Durant’s amount of shot attempts LeBron has increased his averaging shot attempts to 19 over the last five games. This however, has had almost no impact on his average points per game and makes you wonder if he really can shoot the ball more while still making over 50% of his shots.

Stephen Curry: 23.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 9.2 assists. Curry continues to be impressive this season nearly averaging a double-double. Curry places third on the MVP ladder because he is such a vital part of his team. Curry has one of the biggest on-off court differentials meaning that without him on the court the Warriors turn the ball over more, score less points and simply are not a team that looks like it could challenge for a title. Miami have the big three, the Thunder have Durant and Westbrook (when healthy) and the Warriors have Curry.

Standouts

Not so beautiful

FP -Oklahoma City Thunder + Kevin Durant

The Oklahoma City Thunder have won five games straight, one would assume Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook must both be playing well. However the Thunder are without their standout point guard and the ‘Durantula’ has been in ominous form. Nine straight 30+ point performances includingthree 40 point games and one 54 point performance.  Durant has been playing at an MVP level and leading the Thunder who are now atop the western conference.

Brooklyn Nets

Finally Brooklyn are starting to play some good basketball going 8-2 in their past 10 games. Due to the mediocrity of the eastern conference, their 18-22 record is good for 7th in the East. Jason Kidd is finally getting a handle on his role as head coach and with the experience of Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce this could be one dangerous team come playoff time.

Teams on the rise

FP - Brooklyn Nets

Oklahoma City Thunder

Houston Rockets

Chicago Bulls

HA - Oklahoma City Thunder. You can’t go past the Thunder this week, over the last week they have beat four of the top eight teams in the Western Conference putting them back on top of the West. When Westbrook whet down things did not look good for the Thunder but with Durant leading the way they are looking better than ever.

Phoenix Suns. With injuries to  Eric Bledsoe and Emeka Okafor you wouldn’t expect much out of the Suns, however, it has been the complete opposite. They dominated the Pacers today and with a current record over .500 (24-17) the Suns could well be a contender to make the post season in the West.

Teams on the slide

FP - New York Knicks

New Orleans Pelicans

Orlando Magic

Milwaukee Bucks

HA- New York Knicks. The Knicks looked like they were getting back on track a week ago, however, this has all changed with a shocking five loss streak. This was capped off by a dismal performance against one of the worst teams in the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers.

Performance of the week

Durant vs Warriors (54pts, 6ast, 19-28 FG, 5-9 3PT, 11-13FT)

I know I’ve already mentioned this man a few times already this week but his performance against the Golden State Warriors was a memorable one. 54 points while matched up against one of the best perimeter defenders in the game in Andre Igoudala. Durant has been fun to watch and doesn’t look like slowly up anytime soon.

Play of the week

Play of the week this week goes to Paul George for his 360 windmill dunk versus the Clippers. There have been many impressive dunks this year but in my mind this is the best one so far.

Undercover Brother

FP - DeMarDeRozan

If you asked most basketball pundits who the top five scoring guards are in the NBA very few would mention DeMarDeRozan. The shooting guard from the Raptors is playing well for Toronto averaging 21.3 points per game. The Raptors are often overlooked and although their 21-20 record sounds ordinary it is good enough for 4th in the Eastern Conference. DeRozan is still very young and the highflyer is certainly one to watch!

HA - LaMarcus Aldridge

If you didn’t follow the NBA closely you probably wouldn’t know much about Aldridge. He’s averaging 24.2 points and 11.6 rebounds he has earned his place on many MVP watch lists. Despite this he is still my undercover brother.

Storyline Watch/Random thoughts

There are plenty of things to watch for in the upcoming weeks as we approach All-Star weekend (February 14-16) and also the trade deadline (February 21). Trade rumors are starting to pop up and often become hard to follow but I expect a few big trades as playoff contenders look to fill holes in their roster and non-playoff contenders either look to reload to make a run for the playoffs or cut their losses and unload salaries or acquire draft picks. In terms of All-Star weekend, fringe all-stars will be looking to make their case for selection. In case you hadn’t heard Rajon Rondo is being bled back into action for the Boston Celtics after he tore his ACL nearly a year ago now.

What to watch for (all NZT)

Spurs @ Hawks on Saturday

Clippers @ Raptors on Sunday

Spurs @ Heat on Monday

Trailblazers @ Warriors on Monday

Spurs @ Rockets on Wednesday

Thunder @ Heat on Thursday

A number of games to watch in this upcoming week, but there are three in particular to add to your schedule.

The San Antonio Spurs travel to Miami on Monday to take on LeBron James and the Heat. This will be a good indicator of how good each squad as, being after mid-season both teams will want too get a win over the other before all-star break.

LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland Trailblazers meet their Western Conference rival the Golden State Warriors on Monday. I’m looking forward to the point guard matchup in this one with both Damian Lillard and Steph Curry capable of lighting it up as well as pushing for an All-Star spot.

The final game to watch is on Thursday and one that many would have marked in their calendar when the schedule first came out. The two best players in the world meet in Miami in a rematch of the 2011-12 NBA finals. This rivalry has been fun to watch since LeBron arrived in Miami and is shaping up to be another classic.