BJ tatted on my forearm

Teams I will be watching- Warriors, Bucks, Thunder

Did Tyreke Evans get picked three times in this video?

Pooty!

Poot... it is amazing to hear that you will be coming to Southern California in September... What kind of teaching job could be in the works? I unfortunately will be in Boonville in September... is there anyway you could find a way to come north?

Summer League-

-Very pleased with the Warriors squad... Anthony Randolph, SL MVP is spectacular... I can't believe how much he has grown since the end of last season. I wager that this season or next he will have the best dunk of the modern era...

-Still hurting over the Curry pick-up over Jennings.... Jennings to Randolph/Monta/Jackson/Everyone else would have been a joy. Curry needs the ball way too much, and that is absolutely the last thing there is to go around on this team. Don't get me wrong, he is talented and will provide some excitement, but we didn't need another scorer, and his efficiency certainly doesn't provide enough to make up for it. On the other hand, the bucks are looking like they could be a fun young team to watch... Amir Johnson, Joe Alexander and Jennings is a great young core of talents, who will make for some appearances on Sportscenter. I also like Jodie Meeks playing behind gunner Michael Redd.

Summertime Ft. D.J. Jazzy Jeff

-It's more than halfway through this summer and my impending trip to southern California looms large on September 19th. Hopefully I can stay longer than a couple days but that might not be the case in the event that a teaching job is received during the final couple weeks of August. Either way, can't wait to see you both, even if it is for a short period of time.

-Pretty sure you guys have already reached this point....but MLB has truly lost its luster for me. Complete disinterest, even with my beloved A's. If they go on their typical August tear, my allegiances will still fall with Summer League ball on nba.com and the start of the European soccer league seasons in England, Spain and Italy. I can't quite pinpoint the exact reason as to why my interest has faded so dramatically. Perhaps it lies in the sheer amount of man-hours required to make it through a 162 game season or the frequent lulls in the action. It says something that a VERY patient person like myself (teaching kids) can't sit through more than a half inning before flipping to Deadliest Catch or Reno 911.

-Got to observe a couple T. Hansborough games during Summer League and I was a little surprised to see the numbers he was able to put up with ease, albeit in SUMMER LEAGUE. Bayless teased me last summer, so I'll withhold judgement until November. It's looking like he'll see about 20 minutes a game providing foul trouble relief from either Jeff Foster or Roy Hibbert (who is just as gangsta as he wants to be....Spice 1). Along the Pacer lines, I've spent a couple of hours reviewing advanced Pacers stats from last season and this season should show a few improvements. For details, explore this place for a bit.

-Boston's defensive efficiency rating is out of this world and Rasheed Wallace is only going to make it better. Look out for them boys next year, but that's it...as age is sure to set in during 2010-2011.

Episode VI: Return of the Poot

Sorry I've been away for such a long time.  It's not that all of my extra time has been spent watching the playoffs, I've been working on my Civil War class which is now finally done FOREVER.  That also means that I am officially a certified teacher. Look out kids!  Here are my more poignant thoughts on the 2009 NBA Playoffs.

-The Atlanta Hawks have really impressed me over the last two years.  Losing to a dominant Boston and Cleveland team is nothing to be ashamed of, and with any luck of the draw next year, they could be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.  I wish that Joe Johnson had more of a defined role. Reminds me a little of Rashard Lewis, in that you aren't really sure what you are going to get out of him on a nightly basis. "I'm a SCORER TONITE! Never mind, I feel like playing lockdown perimeter D and rebounding." 

-Every year I continue to hate the Lakers more and more.  Pretty sure that I pinpointed the reason during the Houston series. Just about every Laker throws on that "I'm god's gift to the earth" look on their face after every made basket. Or they are bitching their ass of to the ref and have the "pouty" face on. PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE ONCE IN A WHILE!! You are playing a game and it is supposed to be fun isn't it?

-The Baseline blog on Sporting News has been KILLING since their startup right before the playoffs.  Well, actually Shoals has been killing it.  Pretty sure he is my new favorite "author" ever.

-Sad to see Kevin Garnett's from this year's playoffs.  Big Baby is highly annoying and I've never enjoyed watching him, including LSU days. And I CANNOT for the life of me figure out why I don't like his game being that he reminds me a little of ME.

-Bulls-Celtics epic series did not turn me on as much as the mainstream media. Simply for the reason that it was a 2-7 matchup with key stars injured.  That is all except for the 57 OT game.

-Kobe Bryant holds on to the ball for about 40% of the Laker's possessions.  That means about half the time the Lakers have the ball, the other 4 players are doing just about nothing except spotting up for an inevitable wide open jumper or a quick jog back to the defensive end.  How does that NOT save a ton of energy.  No wonder Ariza, Fisher, Odom and Bynum play phenomenal defense on the other end. That's pretty much all they have to worry about....and hitting WIDE OPEN jumpers.

-Hoping to throw some thoughts on paper regarding the upcoming Draft in the next few days, keep your eye on the blog.

Pray Break

I'd say Poot's World is entering the Matt Millen Detroit Lions era circa 2002. We don't quite know when we're gonna get out this funk, but maybe this summer we can pick up a draft pick that will send us to the top. Mike, the Birdman, Pugh just got busted for a Schedule 1, and will be gone for 2 years, and Poot, well... Poot will be standing trial at the supreme court for HGH next month. As for me... I heard the Warriors wanted AK-47 and Steve Nash this off-season... I'm hanging it up boys...

I hope the Matt Millen comparison doesn't relate to what I want to say, but yes folks, today is a great day to be a fan of a bad team in the NBA,. While the conference finals are seeing fan-boys pop up over the globe, and Vince McMahon and the Denver Nuggets are set for a steel cage match during halftime of Game 4, we are given the pleasure to spectate into the future of our miscreant franchises. The Lottery will take place (the one which doesn't involve people getting stoned to death), and my hopes are up, as I'm sure your guy's are, that the the long breath that lasts between the opening of envelopes 9-7 will not hear the Golden State Warriors name be called; Rather, one of those fateful 4 ping-pong balls will land in the 1,2, or 3 spot, and a franchise will be rocketed to blog stardom for the next 1.5 months. I have studying to do, but here are my thoughts...

1. Blakey
Would be pumped, we have a hole at Power Forward for an explosive beast around the bucket. Could you imagine an AB, AR, and Blake Griffin front court? My genitalea are trembling...

2. Rickey
What would be better than a Rick Rubey Monta back court? First, getting to see if Rubio's stellar defense is what it has been prophesized, since he would be guarding the best point guards in the world on a daily basis. I'm on the fence between Brandon Jennings and Rubio, but that's the beauty of being slated at 7 right? Ricky's gonna be something special but the last white lottery pick I said that about was Adam Morrison.

3. Hasheem Thabeet
Wait... Did I say I wanted to get the 3rd ping-pong ball?


If my Warriors don't get what they deserve... my hopes heavily rest on the OKC Thunder's chances. What if this team got Blakey? Maybe James Harden could move KD to SF and Green to PF? 2nd fav team in the league for sure.

Well let's take a break out of our day to cross our fingers, light some incense, and rub Poot's belly. Today is what makes franchises boys....

No Good When Working

Have to apologize for the frequency of postings. As the amount of classwork/regular work increases, the amount of free time left spent on a computer diminishes to about 5 minutes a day. And of course those 5 minutes are spent updating myself on the newest Yo Gotti tracks or finding out if Kevin Pelton has found out the secret to advanced basketball statistics. Fear not ladies and gentlemen, the playoffs are here and I foresee that the frequency will again rise for the next couple of months. Quality will go probably go down, but who am I kidding, it never was that high in the first place. After one complete season of a League Pass subscription, my regular season awards as follows, with no explanations...

Rookie of the Year:

Sixth Man:

Defensive Player of the Year:






















Most Improved Player:


































Coach of the Year:























MVP:

Inspiration

This will be short and sweet because i have to get to class, but reading Ball Don't Lie's power rankings this morning, jump-started my day with a rallying-cry I thought no-one in warriors nation, besides myself, was getting behind these days. While that statement may seem a little narcissistic, just rack your brain for the Warriors headlines these days... Team falling apart, Management in Shambles, Don Nelson is Crazy... Well, thanks to a streamlined and thoughtful weekly Rankings by Kelly Dwyer, I was happily able to read this over my morning coffee.

24. Golden State Warriors - The worst part about this sad, pathetic, pointless mess? This team is so, so fun to watch. They have legitimate talent, and a good GM and good coach could take this kernel and do great things with it. To say nothing of possibly the best local play-by-play team in the NBA covering things, and an All-Star fan base. Sad, sad, sad.

So many correct things in one small paragraph, (minus the fact Chris Mullin will be gone next year). Jim Barnett and Bob Fitzgerald are the best play by play team in the league, they are absolutely loaded with young talent, arguably more than Portland and Memphis, and they have a coach who will be the all-time winningnest next year... Can I say more?

The Mystery Of Findlay Prep

About a week ago, ESPN hosted a tournament where the Top 8 high school teams from across the country competed in a 3 day event to see who was the "National Champion." I was completely unaware of this due to my 55 hour work week during the games but received word from a friend that Findlay Prep School upset Oak Hill Academy to take home the top honors and the title of "NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!" This lead to a research session between my friend and myself for information on this mysterious school in Henderson, Nevada. Our findings are as follows...

-Findlay Prep was founded 3 years ago as a college preparation high school. This year was its first as a regular high school, which means that no one on the team is eligible for a 5th year of basketball.

-The first thing that struck me as I opened up the school's website was its complete devotion to the basketball team. There is a brief "Mission Statement" about the school in the bottom right hand side of the website. Other than that, the school seemed to revolve completely around its basketball team. Don't get me wrong, everyone and their mother is aware of the fact that Oak Hill is first and foremost a basketball school, but at least their site pretends to have some sort of academic intent and create the "student-athlete ideal." I even had to click on 3 links before getting to their basketball team's website. Findlay on the other hand, has no mention of classes, curriculum, field trips, student organizations etc.

-Coming from a purely basketball standpoint, I was surprised that Findlay's team consisted of only 8 players. Strange as that may sound, looking at the team's stats for the year showed that 1 of their players only played 5 total games. Albeit he averaged 11 ppg during his brief stint, but most of Findlay's season was played with only 7 basketball players. Listening carefully to the ESPN recap of the game, you'll notice that the announcer says that all 8 players are Division 1 recruits. Not a bad set of individuals to have on "campus."

-The school's website raised quite a few questions, so I continued my research on Youtube where I found an 8 minute documentary on this team's season. My favorite part of this episode was at the 1:30 mark, where the campus map shows signs for the school's Gym, Fields, Athletic Office, Campus Center, and Cafe. No directions to classrooms of any sort, or anything academically related. It's food, fields, and basketball courts my friends. The coach is interviewed during this piece and did shed some light on possible scholastic endevours that these 8 individuals take part in. Apparently, Findlay is loosly associated with The Henderson International School, a private school that costs approximately $17,000 a year to attend. The coach (who ironically looks like a pre-pubescent John Calapari, only increasing his "shadiness factor") mentioned that the players are "integrated" into the Henderson School for classes. I checked out the school's financial aid page and it stated that "funds for financial aid are very limited." Translated: "The only students that recieve financial aid at Henderson are 8 students...chosen at random." The documentary also mentions a couple other fun facts, including the extreme difficulty of practice. Yes that makes sense, considering the coach can't even run a full 5 on 5 scrimmage! The documentary states that it is Episode 1, but we couldn't find an Episode 2, only a preview of it.

-More searching in the archives of Youtube unearthed this gem. It takes the viewer into the living situation of the 8 members of the basketball team. They all eat, sleep and live under the same roof with the Assistant Coach playing the role of father/mother. Not sure, but that sounds like some sort of NCAA rules violation. Especially after hearing that all 8 of these players were "hand picked from all over the world."

-Fun little video Findlay made a couple of years eariler based on my favorite Nike Basketball campaign. Notice that the team is only slightly bigger in size, and that all the players are sporting a variety of accents from all over the globe.

So what does all of this say about the supposed "monumental upset" of Oak Hill Academy? It wasn't an upset at all! These guys were bred to be star prep basketball players and in no way could you call this game a "David vs. Golaith" matchup. Please take into account that I did not write this piece out of any sort of jealousy or to start any sort of contravorsy. I don't think that Findlay is some sort of morally corrupt school that breeds future D1 recruits who bring down the "student athlete" montra. Hell, I would have loved to have gone to this school had I not been lacking in additional height and basketball talent. It just seems that something slightly shady might be going on in the outskirts of Las Vegas. To be honest, my friend Brekke and I spent most of our time laughing over AOL Messenger at all of the sites visited and videos watched. It was a fun way for me to spend my morning avoiding my Civil War Independent Study class. Special thanks to Brekke by the way, couldn't have done this without you mentioning Oak Hill's loss.

Weekend in Review + Weekend in Preview

-Not much beats the first couple days of March Madness in your typical college basketball season. I guess this year veered away from the normal buzzer beating upsets that we are used to on Weekend 1. Can't complain, there were a few upsets here and there, but nothing truly inspirational such as the U of Florida wins of old, or the Valpo experience of B. Drew. Seeing Wake Forest lose was a slight turn on, but it lacked character and ESPNClassicability. No mention of brackets as far as "MY BRACKET SUCKS," or things of that nature, as the novelty has truly worn off for me. It's for the love of the game folks.

-Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill are on my watch list for their game against Louisville. They will truly have to take over if Arizona hopes for a win against the ridiculously deep Patino squad. Chase continues to climb the draft board daily? Afraid he may be another Joe Alexander? Not I said the fly. His utterly unflappable midrange game will translate well in the league and he will learn quickly that a little effort will be required to create space for an open shot, something missing from the college game. No worries though, "Athlete Budinger" has not been released. October 2009.

-2 seeds losing to 3 seeds is not considered an upset in my book. So will any of the 1 seeds be upset this weekend? In an ideal west coast world (a world we should strive harder to create in the midwest) Gonzaga and Arizona would pull off the shockers. Sadly, my beliefs are that Connecticut and Pitt. will be the 1 seeds catching the Final 4 omission. Good luck to all.....and BIG NEWS coming in a day or two. 

Obama's Flaw

-I don't know if you guys got to check out Obama's bracket on ESPN, but there is only one west coast team coming out of the first round! What a biased dude.

-This article by Dan Wetzel hits home. I picked USC to win it all last year too, and was met with OJ Mayo not doing shit against K-State, Bill Walker looking like MJ, and Beasley eating it up. Why didn't that team with Taj, OJ, and Davon not do it way bigger?

THE MADNESS BEGINS TOMORROW!!!!!

Big East Butt-Licking

The word around the block this week has been surrounding the superiority of the Big East Conference this year. Some analysts have even gone as far as to say that this is the greatest conference at any point during the era of a 64 team bracket. Under no circumstances can I agree with these statements and a majority of that has to do with the amount of NBA talent created by teams in particular conference. Other than Thabeet and Flynn, the Big East is hardly a place frequented by NBA scouts on their travels around the country. A few good potential role players lie in the midst (Wes Matthews and Terrence Williams) but the true talent lies in a somewhat weak freshman class spread evenly throughout the country. Quite often, the Pac-10 is able to pile up on "1 and done" talent, but this year proved to be somewhat disappointing. And with the continual coaching problems at Arizona, it doesn't look good in future years for McDonald's talent out west. Back to the Big East, we see that coaches have worked on recruiting middle class talent that won't bolt for the NBA after freshman seasons. While these experienced players provide a solid foundation for tournament success, we don't see the type of supreme talent found during the era of Patrick Ewing or Zo Mourning staying for at least 3 seasons. Personally, I find the "1 and done" teams much more entertaining in that we are able to watch the best basketball talent offered in our country. More athletes, better shooters, NBA bodies etc... I'll even follow players to Europe if I have to (Brandon Jennings) see NBA quality material. Until they are able to garnish teams with the nation's top high schoolers, this Big East butt-licking needs to stop folks. On a somewhat unrelated note, look out for Memphis next year. The inevitable loss of Tyreke Evans to the league will be cured by 4 incoming freshman. Three of them are ranked in the Top 10 and McDonald's All-Americans and the other is ranked in the Top 25. Possible Fab Four?


*****************************Poot's World Bracket Challenge****************************

^^^^^^^THIS ONES FOR YOU MICHAEL!^^^^^^^^

And for both of you....Remember Smilez and Southstar? Well you sure as hell should, and you NEED to listen to this.

Erection Sunday

Welcome Trojans, to the big dance. It's time for Demar Derozen to showcase his freakish athleticism and pole vault his way up to the Top 5 in this June's draft again. Here's to hoping the selection committee realizes that St. Mary's didn't have their best player for the past 6 weeks and still rolled out an overall 25-6 record. And of course let's not forget there were still some pretty phenomenal NBA games on the schedule to go along with the matriculation into March Madness.

-Duke seems to have locked down a 2 seed with this advancement deep into the ACC tourney. As usual, I like them to make it to the Sweet 16 and promptly lose in a moderate upset. Really haven't spent much time watching this team, but they seem to have the tendencies of a team too reliant on their 3 point shooting to make it far in March.

-Pacers continue to amaze me with their ineptness versus inept basketball teams. Tall, slow, good-shooting Euros continue to pose the most problem to their defense and I can't seem to figure out why. Lebron comes to town and is held in check (as much as you can with LBJ) but Mehmet Okur, Danillo Gellardo and at this very moment, A. Bargnani are cutting through this team with the effectiveness of Kobe Bryant. Does Jim O'Brien just tell his players to give up and let these guys beat them and stop all other scoring threats? Why do Jeff Foster and Troy Murphy possess the necessary skills to hold Yao Ming to 5-14 shooting but Okur drops 43? At this very moment, Indiana is down 19 to the Raptors. Danny Granger has returned but his +- is currently a -19.

-Just watched Mississippi St. beat Tennessee in the SEC Tournament finals. Another bubble goes POP! If the selection committee is thinking with their heads on straight, it'll be a Big 10 squad. How many years of the 2nd-7th ranked Big 10 teams exiting after the first weekend of March Madness will it take before they stop inviting them?

-Speaking of Big 10 basketball, Purdue is about to tip off against Ohio St. Any feelings on Robbie Hummel's potential as an NBA prospect. As much as I hate the conference's style of play, I could see this guy being an integral cog in a future playoff team. He rebounds and defends well along with his dead eye range. Can't argue with that Shane Battier, or James Posey.

-Only one complaint for the selection committee this year....St. Mary's in over Wisconsin. That's right, I'm backstabbing my own alma mater. By far, this had to have been the worst season for me to get season tickets to the Badgers, and I still regret the decision to this day. Incredibly boring team to watch play on both ends of the floor with the most stagnant offense created by man and a brutal "beat the living shit out of the other team" defense. The real cherry on the cake is their cakewalk of a schedule through the overrated Big 10 regular season and a less then impressive non-conference schedule. When they did schedule good teams, (UCONN and Texas) they were supremely outclassed. Arizona was allowed into the tournament on NBA talent alone in my opinion. If you seeded based on lottery selections in next year's draft, Arizona would have been a 1 seed. Can't deny talent.

-Poot's World Bracket Challenge...All are welcome to join.

On the Bubble

* The moment we've all been waiting for: Mark Cuban's All-Stars

* Didn't know if either of you got to catch the playoff '07 rematch earlier tonight, but the Warriors just lit the Mavs up as electrifyingly as when Baron did it 2 years ago. Look at the NBA.com video.

*Syracuse vs. Connecticut last night... I watched the 1st half and half time, went to a 3 hr basketball tourney and came back at the start of the 6th OT. It is the first time, as Jonny Flinn puts it, that a Big East Tourney game just really didn't matter , everyone was just over it.

*Poot: -- Nets Center Sean Williams plans to spend his summer working out with Amare Stoudemire and Chris Bosh. The ultra-talented second-year player spent eight games with Colorado's 14ers before being returning to the Nets. Teammates and coaches have noticed a difference in Williams since his return. Williams is more accepting of his role and has devoted himself to practice. Traveling in buses after being pampered by charter flights and $100 per diems tends to have that affect on young players. Williams possesses a boatload of potential. Let's hope his stint in the D-League was the wakeup call he needed. As far as role models for big men are concerned, I can't think of anyone better than Bosh.

*This is just too much

Brain Stir

-Hard to agree with a couple of choices on that mock draft you gave to us Alex. First off, can't stand Willie Warren going at number 14. The guy is entirely too raw and in my personal opinion, is not at all ready to step in as an NBA point guard. Ever. Same thing goes for Jrue Holiday, unless he is drafted as a shooting guard. Love the idea of the Warriors rolling out a Jennings-Ellis backcourt next year and for years to come. Yes they would be slightly undersized, but the thrilling pace at which they could play at with a Randolph/Biedrens frontline along with Maggete/Jackson/"insert one of the G.S. SF's here" is enough to make a person salivate. Seriously, the Warriors need to look in to locking up him or Rubio. Great things could happen. On that Bay Area note, listened to a KNBR talk show this afternoon with Ralph and Tom Tolbert. Tom was saying that the Warriors lack a STAR player. He went through all the top teams in the West and noted one or 2 players on each team that were better than any 1 Warrior player. Ralph argued that Monta is better than Roy, which was slightly "Chris Bridges" and I'd have to side with Tom's point. They need at least one star.

-People have been jumping all over this Rudy/Ariza play. I was more pissed off at the fact that Ariza showed no remorse. The play wasn't dirty, but it was damn reckless and stupid. 

-Man from the Eagles got fired last week for posting on his facebook that they were "retarded" for cutting Dawkins. While he might have a point, how stupid must this guy be?

-Had the complete and utter honor of watching this game live last night. Reminded my why I bought League Pass and why I still love watching basketball.

Quckie

Look at #8

Yes... my thoughts exactly Sportingnews.com. Despite having a rigged fantasy football contest, I can see you still maintain some wisdom.

HUGE NEWS!! And some sad news

Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I have huge news I have to share with you. Check this out. That's right, you can see our driveway on google maps street view! The entire Mountain View Road apparently has street view now. Other than people that actually live on Mt. View Rd and think it's cool to look at the road they already know, I don't know what use this would be to anyone...I guess someone driving from Point Arena to Boonville could plan out what pullouts they are going to stop at to take a piss.

I did find one more use for it though. I was able to locate the historical site of the best tire swing ever! And maybe it's like identifying Big Foot in a photo, but I swear you can see the ropes still hanging there....what do you guys think?



On a sadder note, Iggy, the official mascot of Poot's World, passed away yesterday. He was at home with my parents and brother, and apparently he'd been progressively acting sicker the last couple weeks. He will be missed, but I'm sure he's in birdy heaven right now...attacking Jesus's ear.

When I Put On A Shoooooooow...

Couldn't help but throw together a quick Poot's World show on a Saturday night. Had some things running through my head but they never really made it on to the cast. Part of me thinks I should throw a couple ideas on to paper before I flip on the mic and just spew my random thoughts. Might make for a MUCH more interesting listen, or if I could have Alex or Mike join in via SKYPE....who knows.

Episode 4: Brain Stir

Should explain the reasoning for putting a Brittany Spears song on the show....TNT killed it on the All-Star Saturday Night Festivities with this intro...

Things Are Looking Up...

-Golden State played a nail-biter with the Lakers on Wednesday night. The dubs were up through the first 3 until the Lakers locked it down and gave it to their best. I distinctly remember saying that this was Anthony Randolph's best game as a pro, and now reviewing after the fact, it most certainly was. I also pointed out the similarities between the frame and games of Lamar Odom and Randolph, with Lamar obviously being way more experienced, yet out being out- played 2x in particular when AR went over the back of him to get a vicious put-back jam, and another time when AR sat on his back after grabbing a board. Odom's quote after the game:

"It's like looking in the mirror a little," Odom said of Randolph. "He's also 6-11, he's left-handed and he can put the ball on the floor. He's two times as athletic as I was at that age.

"He should set his goals high. He has All-Star potential, Hall of Fame potential, with that size, his ability to put the ball on the floor, he can shoot the three, he can pass. If he stays focused, the sky is the limit for him."

I've given Anthony Randolph shit since the season began, but if he can 1. learn the game, and 2. get a decent jumpshot, he could be out of this world. A fiery competitor to the likes of KG, with a ludicrous handle, and an appetite for boards.

-This article on Shane Battier is awesome.

-We are losing a lot of superstars. Al Jefferson, Amare, Andrew Bynum, Granger, Garnett, Jameer Nelson, and Ginobli... Bummer

-Trade deadline sure had a lot of hype before it, with my fallus fluttering undoubtedly the most with the Salmons to Chicago trade. Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox to New York is a snore, and the same with Rafer, worst starting point guard in the league, Alston to Orlando. The Jermaine O'Neal story is now just starting to get sadder, while Shawn Marrion remains as nostalgic about '05 as anyone. All and All I read a hefty daily amount of Realgm.com for nothing.

All-Star Results

Kind of a buzz kill of an All-Star weekend in my opinion. The one thing I wanted NOT to happen (Nate Robinson winning) did happen and the actual game itself was a moderate blowout. Is was nice to see both teams trying pretty hard up until the last couple minutes, a rarity in all other professional sports. There were a couple of major high points that need to be voiced in video form including Shaq's phenomenal introduction dance and Lebron announcing that he is entering his name in for the 2010 dunk contest. I wish I had video footage of this from my DVR...Lebron throws it off the glass for a two handed dunk and his nose is literally at the rim. Its one of those moments where you honestly cannot believe what you are witnessing. If he could just get a little creative in the air, the contest is his to lose. Part of me believes that he is capable of creativity, but has been holding out for all these years in hope of putting on one of the greater P.R. stunts in recent NBA history.

All Star Predictions

Being that a majority of the festivities take place on Valentine's night, I will not be able to watch the 3pt Shootout and Dunk Contest. Or for that matter, I think I have to work during the H-O-R-S-E competition. So why not make predictions on the events that I can't view...

HORSE: Not sure what to expect with this bad boy of a new event. Love the way Joe Johnson operates on the basketball court so I'm going to roll with him. I'm also going to put it out there that this event is going to be uneventful, boring and uninteresting. Go JOE!

Skills Competition: Devin Harris is the only one that will give a crap about this event so I'm giving the torch to the Wisconsin native. Also, visited his hometown last weekend and the town is completely up in arms about Devin's All-Star weekend debut. Well, on second thought...

3pt Shootout: Of course you know I'm going to be jumping on the Granger bandwagon in this competition. His line drive laser shot will need to catch fire, which of course it will slipping through the first round. Semi's and finals will be dominated by this year's most improved player.

Dunk Contest: ANYBODY BUT NATE ROBINSON, ANYONE BUT NATE ROBINSON!!!! So sick of little men getting major props for doing what would be considered a simple dunk for someone above the height of 6'5. Why not just have an event that measures vertical jumps and crown a winner. J.R. SMITH biatches! He's creative, has mad hops, and finishes with authority. Can't ask for much more. Plus his behind the back dunk 2 years ago did not get proper recognition in the dunk contest world.