The reserves for this month’s NBA All-Star Game in Orlando were announced last night, and while I don’t agree with all of them, I DEFINITELY am not feeling Kenny and Chuck‘s reasoning. Listen, the All-Star selection process is fundamentally flawed as it is. Inevitably it comes down to what you deem worthy – is it wins? numbers? impact? – and inevitably, that’s different for everyone. But I’m sorry: Smith and Barkley were way off last night. Read More »

Monta Ellis is without a doubt one of my favorite players to watch play ball. The guy is incredible. When rumors were surfacing last year that my Sixers were in talks to potentially deal Andre Iguodala for Ellis, despite the fact that I’m supporter of Iguodala, I was all about it. The idea of bringing in the best scorer in Philly since an Allen Iverson-in-his-prime to drastically change our sputtering offense had me fired up.

There are plenty of guys in the NBA who can score, but there are few players in the world who can do it like Ellis does. The guy is so fast, so explosive, so single-minded in his attack mode – he’s one of those guys who was put on this planet solely to get buckets. The show he put on against the Oklahoma City Thunder last night was just incredible. Read More »

A legend passed a legend in Boston tonight. Paul Pierce needed 10 points to move past Larry Bird for No. 2 in Celtics history but Pierce dropped him by the third quarter as the Celtics beat the Bobcats, 94-84. Pierce will never move past the man from French Lick in the hearts and minds of Boston fans, even with now 21,797 points, but tonight wasn’t just about the points for The Truth. He added nine assists and eight boards to go with 15 points. Is that how a Celtic captain does it or not? … You knew Rajon Rondo (14 assists and 10 points) was looking for Pierce every time down the floor, too, and the C’s were setting up sets for him every chance they got. Not that the Bobcats could focus solely on the record man tonight. The other Big Two, KG (22 points) and Ray Allen (17 points) kept the Bobcats guessing … Read More »

Beast of the Night: Stephen Curry owned the Jazz last night, finishing with 29 points, five boards, 12 assists, three steals and a pair of threes. He shot 71 percent (10-14) from the floor, 88 percent (7-8) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. This was a nice bounce-back game for Curry, who had just 18 points on 7-of-23 shooting in his previous two games. For the season, he’s averaging top 10 numbers, which is right in line with expectations. Now let’s hope his ankles stay intact. Read More »

As much as ESPN hyped the head-to-head matchup between Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum before last night’s Magic/Lakers game, you would’ve thought that, you know, Bynum had actually done something to earn space on Dwight’s marquee. But choosing to ignore all the warning signs that this might be the most disappointing big-man “battle” since Emeka Okafor turned Luke Schenscher into an Australian Toaster Biscuit in the 2004 NCAA title game, the national media seemed bent on making Howard/Bynum the dominant headline on the NBA schedule … Unfortunately, that headline belonged in the Police Blotter section. Six minutes into the first quarter, Howard served Bynum with a nice lefty hook shot and a back-to-the-basket shimmy that led to a finger roll, and Bynum wound up on the bench with two fouls. Bynum came back to start the second quarter, but after blowing a defensive assignment and then picking up his third foul, he was on the bench less than three minutes in. Read More »

Thank you NBA fans. You’ve officially destroyed any drama that I ever got out of the All-Star voting. Not that it really matters. Almost every year, you can bank on certain names garnering the most votes and a starting spot in the Sunday capper of the best midseason weekend in basketball. Kobe Bryant could do his whole “watch what happens when I don’t shoot, world” routine for four weeks straight, and his fans would probably declare he’s the best passer in the world and should be in the game. LeBron James could act like a train off its tracks, and keep up that weird “I’m here, but don’t ask me to do anything heroic” face he’s had on since last June, and fans would still call him the most talented player in NBA history. Blake Griffin could blow out his knee or decide to never dunk again as long as the refs continue to screw him (Watch him complain on every call. Hubie almost had a heart attack last night: “GET BACK ON D! YOU GOTTA GET BACK!”), or he could have both happen, and Quake would still be in February’s ultimate showcase. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Monta Ellis put up 30 points, one rebound, five assists, six steals and a block, and hit two three-pointers last night against the Nets. He shot 55 percent (11-20) from the field, 86 percent (6-7) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Ellis is having a solid season for the most part, especially if your league doesn’t count field-goal percentage (41 percent) and turnovers (3.9 per game). Even when Stephen Curry returns, Ellis’ value should remain intact. Read More »

Ranking the NBA from worst to first …

30. Washington Wizards (1-12) LW: 30, — Well, at least John Wall finally had a big game yesterday against Houston (38 points) because I was beginning to believe that the rest of the guys had brainwashed him. Read More »

If there’s anyone to get a spinning, no-look flip shot to fall, it’s Monta Ellis. See for yourself. Read More »

Speaking of Laney High School, Monta Ellis was warming up last night in the Air Jordan V Retro “Laney High School” edition. This colorway – not one of the original four from 1990 – dropped in 2000, and has not been retroed since. Read More »