More TBC Smart Points

Daryl Morey deserves some credit for stuffing the ballot boxx in the final weeks in an attempt to get Steve Nash into the game instead of the wildly popular corpse that is T-Maq. First, he saved David Stern from complete embarrassment. So he gets 5 TBC Smart Points for saving the Commish. Second, McGrady playing in the All-Star game would only showcase his lack of value. This is very important as Morey tries to hoodwink teams into taking on tee-mak and his absurd contract. Rockets brass gives him 5 TBC Smart Points. And last but not least, the fans win on this one. So thats 5 TBC Smart Points from anyone who likes the NBA. That brings the total up to 15 TBC Smart Points on this single move, which might be a little generous but we make up the rules.

Glory Days Are Back Again

The Sixers wanted the Glory Days back and they are doing their absolute best to get them.

In an effort to not let them "pass you by", they went out and got the throwback jerseys... full time. Then they went and dug up one of the franchise treasures. Now they just needed a magical run through the playoffs and an All-Star.

You can't have the glory back all at once but they sure are doing a good job of acquiring the pieces. Now if they could just figure out that winning thing.

PS: Remember Steve Francis?

You Can Stop Your Moaning Now

If it's not about DeShawn Stevenson or Brandon Haywood playing hard defense, it's about Mo not getting any respect.

Mo is only playing slightly better than Big Z or Larry Hughes of years past. But there was never even a whimper about them being slighted. Not even an eyebrow raise. I guess they weren't mini-LeBron enough to warrant a public outcry.

Tell us, Mr. James, does Mo dance on top of the piano while you play "Just The Two Of Us" and do you buy everything in two's? Lets hope he doesn't get the first time All-Star curse and stop hitting all those wide-open 3-balls because you'll have a hard time getting rid of all the half size Cub Cadets.

Insult And Now Injury

Right or not, the method for picking All-Star Game starters is in stone- it's left up to the voters, who can vote everyday if they want to. I may not agree with how it's done, but it's how it's done and I just roll with it. The game is kind of for the fans anyway.

But the subs? Those are in the hands of the people who should know better- the coaches. Everyone has their opinion about the All-Star snubs, who should be there, who shouldn't. Here's mine:

IT IS CRIMINALLY RIDICULOUS AND OTHERWISE PREPOSTEROUS THAT DERON WILLIAMS HAS BEEN LEFT OUT AGAIN.


(Calming down.)

Phew. OK. Let's talk.

I'm not gonna play the Smalltown Inferiority Complex card. And I'm not digging into the moldy, overdone CP3 v DWill argument. CP3 got voted a starter-fair and square- and is a dominant player. I'll let time show us how their comparison shakes out.

It's CP3's teammate- admittedly the easiest target on the West roster- that's chapping the nethers here. There's no way that David West, this year or any year, is more valuable to his team or any team than Deron Williams is to the Jazz or would be to any other team.

Take the test: you're building a team around a star. Do you take David West or Deron Williams? If you said "West," either you need to take off the beer goggles or I sincerely hope that your home was OK after Katrina. Come on. COME ON. COME. ON. He's a better leader, a more proven playoff warrior, and has the killer instinct. He was SECOND TEAM ALL-NBA LAST YEAR. That means he was one of the 10 best players in the league and one of the 4 best guards. Yes, that was last season. This season he's averaging 17.6 points, 2.70 boards, 10.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game compared to last seasons 18.8 points, 10.5 assists, 3 boards, and 1.1 steals per game. Those numbers are down, but so incrementally as to not even matter. He's been the rock in the Jazz's injury-riddled season where even the healthy players (Okur, Korver, Brewer) have seen serious inconsistency plague them consistently.

West? Well, he shares a last name with the conference. I guess they thought they needed a forward. I won't go so far as to call him AC Green, but come on. Come. On.

Now the rest of the guys have arguments in their favor. Brandon Roy's Blazers lead the division and deserve a representative. The Lakers have dominated and should have two players. Dirk has been good, I guess. Chauncey Billups automatically improved the Thuggets, but how hard is that to do when the primary cancer is traded? Shaq deserves it. Tony Parker too, though it's hard to definitively say he's a better PG than D-Will (except when he carves up the Jazz).



The bummer is: now that he's injured, D-Will probably won't even get a chance to be an injury replacement. Maybe it's for the best.

Congratulations Dwight

Lets all give Dwight Howard a big pat on the back and start the coronation of the new king of the NBA.

All of this because he beat Kendrick Perkins, Samuel Dalembert and Andrew Bogut in a popularity contest. Did anyone really think this vote would be close at all? There hasn't been a landslide like this since since FDR beat Alf Landon in the electoral vote or since choosy moms had to chose a peanut butter.

The only thing more ridiculous than any sort of analysis of the All-Star voting is this.

Obama's In. Now Go Use Your Vote For Something Really Important.

If you're old like me, you remember when virginal forward AC Green was voted to start over Hall of Fame (and in-his-prime) power forward Karl Malone. Now, the Mailman isn't the most popular superstar ever; he made his share of enemies and has plenty of detractors. But AC Green? Sheesh.

Only you can keep Yi from starting. And he still might start because, hey, China is taking over. If the metric system makes you nervous, just wait until forks are outlawed.

So, go vote for your favorite NBA All-Stars. Now. Before it's too late. Kevin Garnett thanks you. Paul Pierce thanks you. The Committee for Keeping The All Star Team for All Stars thanks you.

Voting got me thinking about the all-star rock hoops team. This will be an evolving list as more research goes on, but for now:

Point Guard: Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) is a huge hoops fan. Originally Pearl Jam was called Mookie Blaylock, after the former Michigan guard. (Funny how the poster says Formerly Mother Love Bone, when lead singer Andy Wood was dead, as was anything that sounded like that band.)


Shooting Guard: Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) might be shorter than Eddie, but we're playing smallball, ok? And with all his incessant slapping, one has to guess that Flea's a pretty relentless defender.

Small Forward:Win Butler (Arcade Fire), apparently has some experience with roundball, though we'll probably have to buy him some shorts. My guess is that we should get the Spurs' road uni's, just to stay in character.

Power Forward: Nels Cline (Wilco, solo) has a real Detlef Schrempf thing going on.
















































Center: Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) or Peter Garrett (Midnight Oil), just because of the stigma that, if you're tall, you should be a basketball player.

Who did I miss?