All Star Reserves..My Verdict

As far as the starting lineup is concerned my only issue is that the fans voted Yao Ming as the starting center and his career is practically over. But this article is about the reserves that made it and if they deserved to play in the Staples Center this year or not.

Eastern Conference

• Ray Allen - The all-time leader in 3's made. Adding Jesus to the roster is a must. Verdict: Good Choice

• Chris Bosh - Not putting up the same number as he did as a Raptor due to playing with better offensive player. Verdict: Absolutely not the spot belongs to Carlos Boozer

• Kevin Garnett - One of the greatest power forwards of all-time has resurged since his knee surgery. Verdict: Of course he deserved to go

• Paul Pierce - The Truth. Nothing but the truth. Celtics most clutch player. Verdict: Of course
• Al Horford - Solid number down south and also possesses a great post-up game. Verdict: Yes
• Joe Johnson - One of the best offensive talents in the League. Verdict: Good Choice
• Rajon Rondo - Was the early favorite for NBA until Derrick Rose took over. Verdict: Duh

Western Conference

• Deron Williams - Best PG in Utah since Stockton and one the best PG's the the League. Verdict: Again one of the best
• Russell Westbrook - Will probably finish top 5 in MVP voting. Verdict: Again MVP candidate
• Dirk Nowitzki - Runner up for Rose's MVP this year. Verdict: Of course
• Kevin Love - Bad team but you can't deny his stats. Verdict: Can't keep the leading the rebounder off this roster
• Blake Griffin - Karl Malone in training is MSBG. Verdict: Human highlight real was a must
• Pau Gasol - Fundamentally sound Spaniard. Verdict: Between he & Al Jefferson but Gasol gets the nod
• Manu Ginobili - Best Spurs offensive player this year. Verdict: All-Star moves deserves an all-star nod
• Tim Duncan - Greatest power forward of all-time. Does not have to put up huge numbers anymore. Verdict: Again greatest power forward of all-time

Potential Western All-Star Lineup

Next Thursday on TNT, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley will announce the starting lineup for the All-Star Game. The forward position in the Western Conference is without a doubt the toughest lineup to crack. Blake Griffin and Kevin Love deserve to start in the Staples Center but they must contend with the usual suspect which are 'Melo, Duncan, Dirk, and Pau Gasol. Rudy Gay and Al Jefferson are also gave great years but probably won't make the the lineup. With my view on the Eastern lineup in my previous blog here's who should start in the West:

F- Kevin Love - Forget to fact that his team is not winning there is no way the league's leading rebounder should be left out of LA. He also has the only 30 point 30 rebound game this season. He's a walking double-double part 1
F- Blake Griffin - MSBG aka Must See Blake Griffin.....highlight real is required nightly on ESPN and NBA TV but Karl Malone in training is also in the top ten in scoring and rebounding the the improved CLIPPERS. It also helps the game's at the Staple Center.  He's the other walking double-double part 2

C- Tim Duncan - The big fundamentals is boring but he's one of the best to ever play this game.
SG- Kobe Bryant - The real question will he win the games MVP
PG- Steve Nash - The Canadian seems to get better with age. His passes also are a highlight real plus he has unlimited range on his shot. 

Potential Eastern All-Star Lineup

When the all-stars gear up to play the annual game in the Staples Center next center fans are still voting for the starting lineup and as of today, Derrick Rose surpased Rondo for second place only trailing Dwayne Wade for the top spot in guard voting. Coaches get to add the reserves but if it were up to me, this would be the starting lineup for the Eastern Conference:

• PG - Derrick Rose - Leading candidate for MVP for the first place Central Bulls.
• SG - Dwayne Wade - What other shooting guard is better
• SF - LeBron James - Best overall player in the League....hands down!!!!!
• PF - Amare Stoudamire - Playing in the top market has led made him and MVP candidate for the improved Knicks.
• C -   Jokim Noah - Scoring and rebounding has improved each season. Top five in rebounding before hand surgery.

Against a monster proceeds an intentional unfortunate.

Against a monster proceeds an intentional unfortunate.

Florida and Texas...Best NBA Teams?

Tonight in America Airlines arena the top two NBA Teams in the Western Conference squared off in TNT as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Dallas Mavericks. Not only are these two teams the best in the West but they make a strong case for who is the best pro team in Texas? Further east in the state of Florida the new look Orlando Magic led by Dwight Howard claim they're the best team in the NBA but the triple three in Miami claim that the Heat are not only the best team in Florida but also the NBA.

All four teams make strong cases for best team in the NBA but for now lest decide who's the best team in Florida and Texas:

Heat vs. Magic: With the addition of Jason Richardson and Gilbert Arenas, the Magic added additional scoring for Dwight Howard. Most Improved candidate JJ Reddick is improving every game and even regained his long range shooting. The biggest advantage for the Magic is Jamer Nelson. Miami has been unable to contain calaber point guards all year and Nelson and drive and dish all day. For the Miami Heat, it starts and ends with The Big 3. James, Wade, and Bosh can score any given night but the with the return of Mike Miller, he must provide the long rage shot when the triple threat are in trouble. Without a quality point guard I give the edge to the Orlando Magic.

The Texas Showdown: Tonight we saw the San Antonio Spurs victorious and I believe they're still the best team in Texas for reasons why. The Spurs are the smartest team in the NBA. The veteran team that's won 4 titles since 1999 has the same formula working since they won their first title. This team breathes defense and never takes any bad shots. Tony Parker is still one of the quickest point guards in the league and Manu Ginobili provides the additional scoring for Tim Duncan. Richard Jefferson has secured his role which is attacking the basket and having DeJuan Blair is a huge plus. Dallas is getting older and still does not practice defense. Jason Kidd can no longer guard the speedy guard and Dirk is still soft on the defensive end. Kidd's guard play, Dirk's scoring, Marion doing everything, and Tyson Chandler rebounding & blocking shots is still not enough for Mark Cuban's crew to win Texas.

What Basketball has taught me so far....

With the big Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers game headed this Christmas at the Staples Center, we would have completed two months worth of NBA ball and with college basketball just about wrapping up non-conference play, here's what I've learned..

• Kemba Walker is the best player in college basketball and a future lottery pick. The UCONN Huskies are the surprise of the Big East. With a fast start, they're not ranked in the top 5. It starts and ends with the Bronx PG.

• Kyle Irving should stay in school because a 3 guard lineup with Austin Rivers-Kyle Irving-Seth Curry is flat out scary.

• Illinois is my Final 4 sleeper but a bad loss to Illinois-Chicago then again to Missouri now  make me wonder going into conference play are they the best Big 10 team in the state.
• Speaking of Illinois teams in the Big 10, this is finally the year Northwestern does play in the big dance. 

• Unless the Miami Heat land a point guard via trade, they will not represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. 

• Don't count out the former champions Spurs & Celtics. Both teams have a lot of miles on them but they're both off to a great start. Let's hope their health holds up come playoff time. 

• The Dallas Mavericks are making a strong case that they're not only the best team in Texas, Western Conference, but in the NBA. Other than Tyson Chandler, no other Maverick is committed to defense.

• Dirk, Amare Stoudamire are the biggest impacts on they're team and have a strong case for MVP but the trophy belongs to Derrick Rose. 

• The new NBA rules are terrible and the Lakers are still the best team in the NBA...they're just bored until the playoffs. 

Potential 1st Time NBA All-Stars

With 2 months before the NBA All-Stars head to the Staples Center for the annual classic the usual suspects such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony have their spots secured. Every year players are snubbed and first time players are inducted as all-stars. Last year Derrick Rose, Gerald Wallace, and Deron Williams saw their first action but who are some the players that head to LA?

YES THEY'RE GOING

• Russell Westbrook - With averages of 23 ppg  8 assist 5rebounds he's definitely headed to Staples Center.

• Joakim Noah - Has improved every year in the league. Averaging a career high of 14 ppg and second in rebounding at 12. Expect him to backup Superman. 

• Kevin Love - The coaches should not penalize him because he plays for the Wolves. 20 ppg 15 rebounds...he's going home.

BARING INJURY FROM ANOTHER PLAYER THEY'RE GOING

• Blake Griffin - Karl Malone in training will have a tough time getting the nod over Dirk, Melo, Timmy, Gasol but it's hard to keep 20 ppg 11 rebounds out the lineup. He's also a fan favorite. 

• Monta Ellis - Just like Griffin Ellis has Bryant, Nash, DWill, CP3 to contend. He can only hope for the coaches or injury to get the nod. 

• Brook Lopez - Skills similar to Tim Duncan but unless Noah or Howard stay home, he's not going home. 18 ppg but should average more than 6 rebounds. 

• John Wall - Same story...has to contend with Wade, Rose, Rondo but it's hard denying his 17 ppg 9 assist and 2 steals per game. Then again AI didn't make it his rookie year as well. 

• Andrea Bargnani - Finally living up to his #1 draft pick billing and putting up 20 a night. 

MAYBE NEXT YEAR

• Brandon Jennings - Not even the best PG in his division or on I-94
• Eric Gordon - 24 a night but he plays for the Clippers. If they were a playoff team...yes
• Al Jefferson - Now that he's on a winning team this might be the year...or not 16 ppg 8 rebounds

NO CHANCE 

• Stephen Curry - Great range comes with is 21 PPG and 5 assist. Unfortunately he plays for the Warriors. 

• David Lee - Should have made it last year as a Knick but it will be much harder in the Western Conference. 15 PPG and 9 REB are down from last year.