The NBA’s been more of a dysfunctional high school than a business in recent times. The Chris Paul non-trade (again!), Dwight looking for greener pastures despite having “love” for Orlando and Brandon Roy’s untimely retirement are just a few of the many bombs and sh*tstorms tied to the league. Read the rest of this entry »

The one person I always felt sympathy for in the entire Carmelo Anthony trade saga was not Carmelo. It was Chauncey Billups. Over the years, I’ve grown to respect, admire and enjoy watching “Mr. Big Shot” carve his own niche in the league. He’s a Denver product who actually relished playing in the city and honestly did not want to leave. Read the rest of this entry »

NBA heads rejoice! All-Star Weekend is upon us and we’re in for three days of top-tier basketball with some throwaway events in between. The kid likes basketball more than Kurtis Blow so you know I’ll be glued to the tube for the festivities. I decided to switch things up in anticipation for the weekend by cooking up some quick picks for the bigger events. We’re not counting filler like the Celebrity game or the WNBA/NBA/old fogy parity shootout either. Read the rest of this entry »

NBA All Star Reserve Chris Paul is out indefinitely because he reinjured his knee. Early reports suggest he’ll likely miss up to two months of playing time and may need surgery. It’s a shame considering he’s my favorite point guard in the league. But this unfortunate circumstance leaves a spot open out West for the All Star Game. And what do you know? CP3 is a guard. That opens the floodgates for discussion considering the West is teeming with talent at the 1 and 2 spots. Here are the likely suspects that may fill in for Paul in for the NBA’s showcase of its best talent. There may be favorites but you really never know until it’s decided.

Major Contenders

Monta Ellis — Monta is a favorite considering the anti-fan voting movement going on lately. If you want to play numbers, he’s sixth in the league in points per game at nearly 26 points a night and third in the A in steals per game. Thing is dude is suffering from Mitch Richmond-itis as he’s a good player on a sub-par squad. And it’s not like the kid’s game is boring either. Ellis’ s blinding speed combined with his superb athletic ability will be more than enough to entertain the fans in Dallas.

Chauncey Billups — Chauncey is just as worthy as Ellis, if not more so, of nomination as Paul’s replacement. The west is chock full with great point guards and Chauncey just got the short end of the stick behind Nash, Paul and Williams. But he’s played some phenomenal basketball recently as he helped lead the Nuggets to just two losses in January. This impressive run let the Nuggets slide by Dallas into second place in the West. Add in Chauncey’s solid year until his mean streak and you’ve just run out of excuses against him deserving that spot.

The Long Shots

Aaron Brooks — If you looked at Houston’s roster on paper you’d think they’d be in the pits of the Western Conference. But the squad pooled their meager resources together under Brooks’s new role as a leader and they’re just a game out of 8th place. If Aaron doesn’t get a spot on the team he should at least gain consideration for the Most Improved Player award.

OJ Mayo — His touch from the perimeter has improved despite his ppg average staying the same more or less as last year. Nevertheless Orange Juice and Mayonaisse’s contributions as a scorer and a young leader have helped keep Memphis of all teams in the playoff hunt into the second half of the season.

Tyreke Evans — Brandon Jennings may be the media favorite among rookies but Evans’ output has been just as impressive. He’s one of the few bright spots for Sacramento and his upside is quite scary to even muster. You’d think the 20 year old was a seasoned vet netting a consistent 20, 5 and 5 a night.

So what do you desktop analysts think? Is Monta a shoe in or is the pack closer than expected? Personally, I’d be happy for Ellis if he made it since he’s having a monster year. Then again, I wouldn’t be surprised if bad team syndrome reared it’s ugly head as it’s a chronic illness among many snubs before him. So with that said, I expect Chauncey fill CP3′s vacant lane to the ASG. I hope I’m wrong but history has a thing for repeating itself.

I think I hate adidas right now. They’ve got Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Kevin Garnett, Chauncey Billups, Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, Michael Beasley and Josh Smith, all in one commercial. I don’t think I hate adidas as much as I’m looking @ Nike, wondering who let all these top tier names (okay, decent names @ least) slide past them. Read the rest of this entry »

Sexy Has A Name And It’s Deaveny

Kanye West And Lady Gaga Announce Fame Kills Tour Dates [MTV]

Daft Punk Sign On For DJ Hero Game [Rock On The Streets]

Floyd Mayweather Is Still Not A Fan Of MMA [Recall]

Who’s the Best Movie Prostitute? [Gunaxin]

This Is what $1,100,000 in Audio Equipment Looks Like [Gizmodo]

How To Smoke Pot and Stay Out Of Jail [HMJ]

Wendy Williams Admits To Crack, Disses Whitney [Urban Daily]

2 Guys 1 Cup: The Life Of Lawrence Taylor [With Leather]

Nike Blazer Hi iD [CtotheJL]

5 Signs You Might Be The Driver Everyone Hates [Coed]

Photo: Coolio Passed Out At A Slot Machine In The Las Vegas Airport [Broken Cool]

Chauncey Billups Talks CLOT adidas TS Cut Creator [TSG]

It’s pretty simple. If Denver wins tonight, the series is theirs. If L.A. wins tonight the series is (more than likely) theirs. Nuggets coach George Karl knows & relayed this to his team.

“My focus to our players is that this is our must-win game, almost as much as Game 4 was,” Denver coach George Karl said the day after his team had an impressive, 120-101 beatdown of Los Angeles. “You want to win there in Game 5 because history is against you in Game 7. — George Karl

Carmelo, Chauncey & J.R. will all need to be Read the rest of this entry »

The Nuggets have been on a roll so far. They’re 8-2 in the playoffs and team chemistry is at an all time high. Chauncey and Carmelo have led this healthy squad to this point, but let’s not forget the defensive contributions of Denver’s frontcourt in Kenyon Martin, Birdman and Nené. The team is tougher, more focused and just flat out better than last year’s squad. It wouldn’t be farfetched to say this is the best roster the franchise has ever seen.

All of this is fine and dandy, but is it enough to beat L.A.? Read the rest of this entry »