It features the best pure scorer in the NBA.

Image source: Reddit

I’d say he’s living up to the quote, wouldn’t you say?

“Don’t let the hype get to you, just stay humble and hungry, and do what you do best: HOOP!”

That pretty much sums up Kevin Durant doesn’t it?

In case you missed it last week, here is the latest and greatest example of Durant doing what he does best:

And in related athlete yearbook photo news, here is another picture from that same yearbook. This one features former Maryland star and current NBA player Greivis Vasquez.

Image source: Reddit

That must have been one hell of a high school basketball team.

Remember, our goal here is to rank the top 25 players in the NBA right now.

A quick review of the criteria:

Bill Gates, an extremely under-the-radar die-hard basketball fan, approaches you with an idea. The NBA lockout will not be resolved this year.  Mr. Gates has decided to fund a rogue basketball league for the next six months.  Here are the rules:

• There will be 25 teams.
• Every player in the world is up for grabs.
• You are presented with the #1 pick.
• We are using the exact same game rules as the NBA (example: no hand-checking, so quick guards maintain their ridiculous advantage).
• The draft will follow the incredibly boring old-school non-snake style…so you get the 1st pick…and the 26th pick…and the 51st pick…etc.  Does this make it extremely unfair for the guy picking 25th?  Sure.  Who cares.  Just think about yourself in this scenario.
• Salaries don’t matter…Bill Gates will pay all 1st round picks $20 million dollars, all 2nd round picks $5 million dollars, 3rd round picks $3 million dollars…and so on.
• The league will last for four months exactly.  Come June, the NBA lockout will be resolved, and even though they lost a season, they will be ready to come back in 2012.
• The GM of the winning team gets $50 million dollars and the opportunity to become the new GM of the Portland Trail Blazers – the team that Bill Gates just stole from Paul Allen in a move that has the entire business world in a frenzy.

Who do you pick?

The reason for all of these rules is simple.

• It doesn’t matter which NBA player has the most future potential.
• It doesn’t matter which NBA players have championship rings under their belts.
• It doesn’t matter who each NBA player currently plays with.
• Nothing matters but this:  Who is the best player, right now, in the NBA.

As promised, here is my top 25.

Guys who narrowly missed the cut: Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Marc Gasol, Rudy Gay, Tony Parker, Joakim Noah, Joe Johnson, Danny Granger, Andrew Bogut, and Stephen Curry.

 25. Al Jefferson

Jefferson is one of maybe five guys in the entire league that commands a double team in the low post. He averaged 19 and 10 last season, and he even improved on the defensive end where he blocked almost two shots a game. Another issue that has flown under the radar is that besides his major knee injury a few seasons ago, he’s surprisingly durable – he’s only missed six games in the past four years otherwise.

24. Manu Ginobili

At 34 years old, Manu’s prime is probably behind him. However, this will still only be his tenth year in the league, and he has a lot left in the tank for the near future. Last season, he was clearly the Spurs’ best player, averaging 17, 5, and 4 for a team that finished with the best record in the West. A lot of what Manu does can’t be measured in stats though – like catching bats with his bare hands.

For those of you that think Manu is overrated, I offer you this: List five shooting guards in the NBA who are better than him. Can’t do it, can you? Manu still got game.

23. Monta Ellis

Ok ok…don’t freak out. Monta is the first of several guys that we will talk about that is just, unfortunately, trapped on a terrible team in a system that is not right for him. Remember the criteria for this exercise: you get to build the team. Are there three reasons why he couldn’t be a poor man’s Allen Iverson with the right players?

First of all, the rules favor Monta more than they EVER favored Iverson. If you could team Ellis up with a tall point guard that’s a good shooter and could guard other shooting guards (Jason Kidd), and even a remotely decent big man that could shoot the rock from 20 feet (David Lee, Paul Millsap, etc.), wouldn’t Ellis be absolutely TERRIFYING to guard one-on-one? If you spread the floor with shooters, and big men that could bang inside and shoot, Ellis would be fabulous.

22. Paul Pierce

Pierce, at 34, is still getting it done on both ends of the floor. He averaged 19 points a game last season for a team that had a surprisingly low number of scorers. He routinely guards the other team’s best player, and he is incredibly durable. He’s boring, old-school, and tough. And he’s still a top 25 player in the league.

21. Kevin Love

ESPN listed Love as the #16 overall player in the league. Here is my counter. Didn’t we see what Kevin Love’s ceiling as a team’s best player was last season? Sure, he’s a double-double machine, but the T-Wolves were absolutely terrible.

Yes, they have an awful GM. And yes, they also had 35 small forwards on their team. However, Chris Bosh did more with just as little for years in Toronto. I love the big fella, but he’s not better than ANY of the next five guys – who all happen to be Power Forwards as well.

20. Chris Bosh

• Is Bosh languishing away on a team that doesn’t cater to his strengths in the least bit? Yes.
• If Bosh was traded for someone half as good but with a game like Joakim Noah, would the Heat be much better? Yes.
• Is Bosh way too much of a finesse big man for the Heat to succeed? Possibly.
• But is Bosh still a great player? Yes.

Just remember what he did on Team USA when the team made sense. If you drafted Chris Bosh, you could draft a guy like Noah to play beside him, do all the dirty work, and play defense – enabling Bosh to be an unguardable force on the high post – just like he was in Toronto.
Bosh has taken a lot of heat (no pun intended), but on the right team, in the right system, he is still absolutely one of the best players in the game.

19. Al Horford

Horford is another guy that is stuck on a team that doesn’t cater to his strengths at all. However, he is so unselfish that he has filled the hole in the Hawks for years with nary a complaint. In all actuality, he’s a very skilled big man that can shoot and pass very well. For the Hawks, he’s stuck defending the other team’s best big man every game, and trying to grab every single rebound that Josh Smith doesn’t tip dunk.
He’s been playing a rough, tough game for four years now, even though that’s not necessarily his strength. Put him on the right team, and he will blossom into so much more.

18. Amare Stoudemire

What can you say about Amare that hasn’t been said already? Are his knee problems terrifying to think about for Knicks fans? Yes. Does he constantly play “matador” defense AT BEST? Yes. Is he an arrogant player who fits right in with the other stars in New York? Yes.
But he’s also the third best scoring big man in the league, as well as a surprisingly effective player in crunch time. I would take Amare for one year any day of the week.

17. Blake Griffin

When I first saw that ESPN had Griffin at #10, I freaked out. Then I thought further. He had to play for Mike Dunleavy, they never ran plays for him, and there really were no good passers on the Clippers last year. Despite all of that, he averaged 23 and 12.

The excitement that Griffin brings to the floor is unmatched, and the intensity with which he plays is unbelievable. Unfortunately, I’m not sure HOW MUCH that actually translates into winning games. Would Griffin be a top 3 player if this was about the future? Definitely. However, if we are just looking at this year, there are still some other guys left on the board that have more complete games, and have proven to be better winners than the youngster.

16. LaMarcus Aldridge

Aldridge might be the most underrated player in the league. What is it about Portland players being underrated? For years, Brandon Roy was the guy that didn’t get nearly enough credit, and now it’s the big man that he was drafted with.

Very quietly, Aldridge averaged 22 and 9 last season, as he led the Blazers to a surprising playoff birth. He also shot a very good 50% from the field and even 80% from the foul line. He’s one of the best big men scorers in the league, and is a much better passer and defender than Amare and Blake.

15. Steve Nash

Is he almost over the hill? Sure. Is he over the hill yet? Only if averaging 15 points and 11 assists with percentages of 49/91/40 is bad.

The fact is that Steve Nash practically wrote the book on how a point guard should run a team in this era. I think it’s clear to everyone, now, that HE was the engine in the machine, not Mike D’Antoni.

As long as you surround Nash with a few shooters and a big man that can protect the rim, Nash’s teams are a lock for the playoffs.
I have to be careful with Nash, because I love him so much that hyperboles can start rolling shamelessly off my tongue. But make no mistake about it. Nash is the best teammate in the league, and if I had the #15 pick and he was still on the board, I would take him in a heartbeat.

14. Pau Gasol

Pau is one of those guys that’s 10x more impressive when you watch him live. He has more skill than almost every other big man, and is actually a very good teammate (consider the fact that he has meshed with Kobe, World Peace, the Kardashians, and more for the past several years).

I probably don’t even need to spend much more time defending him. In my mind, he’s not only the fourth best big man in the league, he’s a winner.

13. Zach Randolph

To be honest, I wanted to put the big man higher. There is no more dominant big man in the league right now on the offensive side of the ball than Z-Bo. He can shoot the three, he can post you, he can hit the midrange j, and he can pass…all while possessing a 10 inch vertical. If Randolph were white, he would be hailed as the next Kevin McHale. Instead, people keep focusing on his troubled past and saying, “Let’s see him do it again.”

Not me. Randolph is simply unstoppable with the ball in his hands. And in a league with so few big men, that makes him the 13th best player in the league.

Crap. Now I want to rank him higher. Let me just move on before I talk myself into anything foolish.

12. Deron Williams

Well, I think we can all put to rest the Deron Williams vs. Chris Paul arguments for the time being. Even so, D-Will is still a fantastic player.
He’s probably the most complete scorer at the PG position in the league, and his size advantage allows him to tire out most other PGs every single game.

Unfortunately for Deron, I’m not sure if he’s really a great team player. A guy can have high assist numbers without actually making his team better, and I’m afraid Deron is one of those guys.

11. Rajon Rondo

Instead of talking about what Rondo CAN’T do (shoot the ball), let’s discuss what he CAN do.

Without a doubt, he’s the best defensive point guard in the league. And in a league where nobody can guard anybody, that’s an invaluable quality.

Further than that, he’s the third best passer in the league behind Nash and CP3. He averaged over 11 assists a game last year…and NOBODY was playing him to score. Teams went into games knowing that Rondo was going to pass first…and he still abused them.

Sure, he’s a bad shooter. That’s fine. I’ll still take a guy who is going to be the fiercest player on the floor in every game, and who will have his teammates’ undying respect at all times.

10. Russell Westbrook

There is no better example of a “Table” player in the league. He brings so much to the dinner table…and yet takes so much away.

Is he possibly a bad teammate for Kevin Durant? There’s no question.

However, I will never forget opening night from last season when he went mano-y-mano with Derrick Rose down the stretch…and beat him.
All I’m saying is this. If you traded Westbrook for Rose last season, I don’t think there would have been a huge difference. Sure, Chicago may have won 5 fewer games, but all things considered, I think Westbrook would have been a SLIGHTLY poor man’s MVP.

So basically, you have a guy who is 97% as good as Derrick Rose. That’s amazing. He’s definitely a top ten player in my book…especially if I could build my team around him the right way.

9. Carmelo Anthony

Charles Barkley once said that Carmelo was the easiest and most complete scorer in the league. I agree. There are six ways to score: Shoot the three, shoot off the dribble, shoot off the pass, post up, get to the rim, and get to the foul line. Carmelo can do all of those with ease.
That is why he is, every year, one of the best clutch scorers in the game. There is simply no fool-proof way to guard him down the stretch.
He is also an above average rebounder and an underrated passer. If he gave even 75% on defense, Carmelo would be higher.

8. Kobe Bryant

Alright, Laker fans. Just do as I say. Breathe in. Breathe out. Count to ten. Now listen.

There are not many people that love Kobe more than me. I actually think he’s going to have a better career than Michael Jordan. However, he’s a shell of his former self. And you really can’t argue otherwise.

He averaged 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists last year – very good, but not other-worldly. He also had VERY average percentages of 45/83/32.

The fact is, he can no longer get to the rim whenever he wants. He’s also not a good three point shooter, and hasn’t been for several years now.

He is what he is. 1998 Michael Jordan. He just kills you with his back to the basket.

The only problem is that the league is much better today than it was in 1998. An unathletic Michael Jordan might still have been one of the top ten athletes in the league back then. An unathletic Kobe just has way more problems in 2011.

I know he has more rings. I know he’s accomplished great things. I know he’s a warrior.

But for THIS year? With the game he has RIGHT now? These next seven guys are, simply, better.

7. Dwyane Wade

There is literally no way that you could look at the numbers from last season and objectively argue that Kobe is better than Wade at this point. Kobe is a better shooter, but that’s it. Wade is a better slasher, he’s more explosive getting to the rim, he’s a better passer, and he’s CLEARLY a better defender at this point. (Don’t be fooled by the ridiculous All-NBA Defensive Teams…Kobe hasn’t been an elite defender for three years now.)

The guy that gets Wade at #7 will be licking his chops.

6. Kevin Durant

He can do almost everything that Carmelo can do (he can’t post up consistently yet) at a slightly better rate. He may not be the easiest and most complete scorer in the league, but he is the best scorer.

He’s also a leader, and loves to have the rock in crunch time. He dominated for Team USA, and he was a manimal in the playoffs last year.
Having him #6 is not a slight either. Again, if this were a draft for the future, he could very well be #1. These other five guys are just a little bit better than him RIGHT now.

5. Dwight Howard

I had more trouble with D-12 than I had with anyone else on this list. On the one hand, he’s the best defensive big man in the league, and has a growing offensive game. Nobody can guard him. Nobody is as big as he is. He’s very unselfish. He’s a game-changer in every single way.
However, this Superman has a kryptonite as well – free throw shooting.

Dwight Howard, for all of his positives, runs away from the ball in crunch time. The next four guys don’t.

Will Howard make your team a lock for the playoffs every single year? Yes. However, he’s not guaranteeing me a title unless I get some really good play from other players. That’s why he comes no higher than #5.

4. Dirk Nowitzki

Just look at what Dallas did with him in the lineup last year. I could spend hours talking about how good he is in crunch time, how effective he is on the high post, and how great of a leader he is on and off the floor.

However, I’ll just leave it at this. Dirk has the second most unstoppable shot of all time…and that will give you a chance in every single game.

3. Derrick Rose

Last season’s MVP, and for good reason. With the way the rules are currently set up, there is just no real way to guard any point guard that is quick.

Rose was getting by his man with ease – before he had a jump shot. They were standing five feet off of him, and he was STILL blowing by them. Now that he has a more consistent jumper, he’s basically a cheat code.

He’s also an incredible defender, and hates to lose. I watched him single-handedly put the Pacers out of the playoffs last season. He’s a winner, and on the right team, he will win it all.

2. Chris Paul

The evolved Isiah Thomas. As long as he’s healthy, nobody makes his team better. Look at the Hornets’ roster, and give me one reason that they made the playoffs last year that doesn’t include “Chris Paul did…”

He can score at will, but chooses not to until his team is firing on all cylinders. He singlehandedly destroyed the Lakers in the playoffs, and did it in beautiful fashion.

He’s Coach K’s choice for PG on Team USA, and if not for the last guy on this list, he would be the best player in the league.

1. LeBron James

Trust me, I’m as much of a LeBron hater as anybody. But let’s talk about LeBron for a moment.

Is it his fault that he’s literally never had a competent GM putting together the right type of team around him? Remember, you get the first pick, and then you don’t get to pick again until #26. That means that there will be NO teams in this league with multiple superstars. In fact, very few teams in this league will even have multiple All-Stars. We have turned our new NBA into a socialistic league – all of the talent is divided up “equally.” If the teams were equal, would you really put your money on anybody else?

Look, I understand that LeBron shrunk in crunch time last year. That was the product of not knowing his place on the team. It’s easy to forget that LeBron took this team to the NBA Finals…by himself. It’s easy to forget that a team whose second best players were Mo Williams and Zydrunas Ilgauskas NEARLY beat a team that had Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo.

In what world were the Cavs SUPPOSED to win any of those series’?

Give me LeBron with the #1 pick. At #26, I’ll take Marc Gasol. Then with #51, I’ll “reach” a little bit and pick Jason Terry (ranked #55 in ESPN’s rankings).

There’s really no way the #1 pick could be anybody else.

Would I take LeBron James on the Heat over Dirk Nowitzki on the Mavericks? Maybe not.

But if I can build my team around him, and all the other teams are equal, to me, it’s a no-brainer.

**********

What do you think?

Which selections do you agree or disagree with?

Let’s get some fun conversation going below.

And this was KD’s first ever visit to Rucker Park. He finished with 66 points. What a beast.

Is there a more universally likable player in the NBA? I submit that there is not.

Editor’s note: We are currently preparing an article in which a number of MSF writers submitted their top 20 NBA players of all-time. The goal is to see where Dirk falls in the top 20, or if he even makes it at all. Evan decided to narrow his scope a bit and go with the top 20 players of his lifetime. So we are posting his article first, with the mega top 20 article to come. Stay tuned…

Also note that Evan is 22 and says that he really started watching the NBA during the 1997-98 season.

It’s top-20 NBA Players mania around here right now, all thanks to Dirk Nowitzki’s superstar performance in earning his first ring this month. Everyone from announcers to journalists to bloggers are saying Dirk has hit legendary status, maybe even top 20 of all time. I think that sounds a tad high for Dirk, but he now has some serious hardware to reasonably back up the claim to a top-20 spot.

For my own part, I have always thought that the NBA MVP award was the most meaningful of any of the four major sports. Scan the list and you’ll notice every single winner is a Hall of Famer or well on his way to being enshrined. Dirk has his MVP award, he has his Finals MVP award, and most importantly he has his ring.

But is he on par with Larry Bird? Or is that just the most racially convenient historical comparison bandied by most experts?

Honestly, I don’t really know because I never actually saw Larry Bird play. But I have seen plenty of other great players, so for my Top-20 NBA Players list, I decided to restrict myself to those guys I’ve actually seen play. Here is my list with some highly subjective choices, some no doubters, and perhaps one begrudgingly included sharpshooter who burned my New York Knicks many years ago.

In no logical order:

Michael Jordan

Any all-time list has to start with Jordan, for better or for worse. It is incredibly hackneyed, yes, but I make my choice having seen Jordan take down two very good Utah Jazz teams, walk away from the NBA for a second time, then make a much hyped and ultimately unfulfilling comeback with the Washington Wizards.

I went to college in DC and I can tell you that Wizards fans still speak in hushed tones about the time they saw Jordan striding through the halls of the then-MCI Center. Even at 70%, Jordan was still the best of all time, and everyone knew it – remember Vince Carter giving up his starting spot on the 2003 All Star squad?

Vince Carter

Speaking of Vince, would any other player have really given up a starting spot on the All Star team for an aging legend? That act seems to encapsulate Carter’s career: he just didn’t care enough to be a winner. He attended UNC graduation the morning of Game 7 of the 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the 76ers and then missed a shot at the buzzer that would have sent the Raptors to the Conference Finals.

We as sports fans love to make assumptions about players character or mental makeup, especially for guys that just don’t seem to care that much. It is maybe the most frustrating ascribed personality trait, since fans care so much about sports that they simply cannot fathom a player not giving 100 percent every time they hit the floor.

But damn it if Vince couldn’t dunk with the best of them.

Allen Iverson

Question: who was the player burning up Vince Carter’s Raptors during the 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals? Answer: The Answer.

I remember rocking the Reebok I3 sneakers while trying out for my middle school basketball team, trying to cross over just like Iverson. Definitely the coolest NBA player of the last few decades. If you look at Iverson in a vacuum, without the off the court stuff, the tattoos, the “practice?!” incredulity, he may be the best high volume scorer of the last 20 years. He took a lot of shots to get his points, but he was a warrior and played much bigger than his size.

Now he’s trying to come back to the NBA. Please, no one give him a shot. Let us keep the memories, AI.

Chris Webber

This is one of those subjective picks. For whatever reason, I loved Chris Webber. I would stay up late to watch Kings games from the West Coast and always picked the Kings in NBA 2k for Dreamcast. He was such a good passer, such a silky shooter, and such a waste of immense talent. Another career seemingly cut short by injuries and maybe just not caring enough.

Gary Payton

I had a weird thing for Seattle teams as a kid, mostly because I loved Ken Griffey Jr, and I loved the nickname The Glove. Payton was an unstoppable defender and a legendary trash talker – in the same way Michael Jordan always had his tongue out, it seemed Payton’s mouth never closed. Also, those Sonics teams with Payton, Shawn Kemp and Detlef Schrempf were absolutely unstoppable in NBA Jam.

(On a related note, it is incredibly satisfying to see Schrempf cameo on Parks and Recreation every once in a while.)

Tracy McGrady

Vince Carter’s cousin in game and in spirit. McGrady looks like he is sleeping through games because of his droopy eyes, and it can be very infuriating. But he may have had the most unique skill set of anyone on this list – it seemed like he could score from anywhere at any time.

Remember his 13 points in 33 seconds? A legendary scoring binge.

Ray Allen

I debated putting Reggie Miller here, but I hate Reggie Miller and this is my list. T-Mac’s 13 in 33 is the best scoring binge of all time, because 8 in 18 NEVER HAPPENED.  But while Miller is probably the best outside shooter of the last 20 years, Ray Allen is the better all-around player. He has really had quite the career, from superstar to trade bait to a resurgence on the other side of 30 as a contributor for a championship squad.

Kevin Garnett

Maybe the scariest player I’ve ever seen. The opposite of Vince Carter. He would run through a brick wall. Not for anything, just for fun.

Jason Kidd

Hanging on forever, finally earning his first ring, and seemingly always in the right place at the right time. An appallingly bad shooter for most of his career, and yet a guy you would never want to see on the other team.

Tim Duncan

Could you put together a YouTube video of Duncan highlights that won’t put you to sleep? Probably, but I will mostly remember Duncan for being great and awful to watch and bugging his eyes out at every chance.

Shaquille O’Neal

I have written about Shaq before but it bears repeating that he could have won the MVP every single season during his prime and it still would not have been enough.

Kobe Bryant

Oddly enough, the closest thing we will ever get to Michael Jordan in the immediate future. He is constantly evolving and adapting his game from a high flyer as a kid (below) to a beefed up slasher to a deadly shooter. And probably the undisputed king of the twisting, spinning circus shot.

Dwyane Wade

Unless it’s this guy.

LeBron James

I really, truly hope he comes back next season with a vengeance. He’s entering that Shaq phase of his prime in that he probably deserved the MVP award this year, and will probably deserve it every year for a while. Ultimately will be judged by championships. Most hated, but also the top selling jersey in the NBA. Hmmm…

Dirk Nowitzki

His game is like a trapeze act – your heart drops every time he spins and launches a high arcing shot, and you think there is no way he can land it. And almost every time, like clockwork, bottom of the bucket.

Steve Nash

Dirk’s former running mate and probably the most fun player in the NBA. He just seems like a cool guy, right? With the hair flopping and the shots that always fall, a real treasure. I really hope the Knicks don’t trade for him and his creaky back.

Chris Paul

However, I DO hope the Knicks get him and his balky knees.

Amar’e Stoudemire

Speaking of balky knees. A veritable Six-Million Dollar man and a marvel of medical science. The fact that this guy can still dunk like a beast makes absolutely no sense, and makes me want to transport his surgeon back 10 years to save Chris Webber’s career too.

Carmelo Anthony

I am so excited for the 2011 Knicks, in case you haven’t figured that out yet.

Kevin Durant

I don’t really know what will happen with Durant. It seemed like he poised for a transcendent season, and basically hit a plateau at very very very good. But besides the crazy beautiful shooting stroke, he can dunk like very few others.

Blake Griffin

Finally, the one guy who can absolutely shut down the internet like a Blake Lively sexting mishap. There are basically two schools of thought on Blake Griffin:

1. HOLY CRAP!!!
2. What if he develops a jump shot HOLY CRAP!!!

There have been a lot of incredible players in NBA history, but guys like Griffin and Derrick Rose and Deron Williams and Stephon Curry and Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook around, there is a talent glut like never before in my lifetime.

Until the lockout ruins it all.

So I pulled out the only trick I could think of: I bought her a puppy.

Now that the desire for something small to love was gone, my wife and I began to try and learn how to raise the little guy. The first day, little Figo (Italian for “cool”) ate some food, drank some water, and then used our kitchen floor as a toilet. A few hours later, he did the same thing in our living room. If you have ever had a puppy, you know this became a common occurrence over the next few weeks.

Every time the little guy did it, I wanted to get angry. But I couldn’t. Why? Because as my father once told me, “You can’t get mad at puppies for acting like dogs.”

Another way of putting would be that “You can’t expect a puppy to behave and obey like his older, more experienced counterparts.”

I have been thinking about this a lot during the NBA Playoffs.

Image source: Buzzle.com

I understand that sports is chock full of hyperbole and over-reaction. Just yesterday, Scottie Pippen said that LeBron James was a more complete player than Michael Jordan. Later, I was watching Outside The Lines, hoping to hear a voice of sanity about 33’s comments. Nope. Somebody actually made the comment that “LeBron James is by far a better passer and floor leader than Michael Jordan ever was.”

Time, paper, ink, or my computer’s battery life would not grant me enough time to attack this argument. So let’s just keep this short and sweet. In the words of Jason Segel in that awful-looking new movie with Cameron Diaz:

It bears repeating:

“Call me back when LeBron has six championships….IT’S THE ONLY ARGUMENT I NEED SHAWNNNNN!!!!!!!”

Sometimes we exaggerate because of something great that just happened. It’s easy because we WANT someone to be as good as Jordan. We WANT to see the glass half-full. However, too many times, we go the other way. And usually, the glass half-empty approach is just unfair.

In the past week, I have heard the following statements made about different players:

• Kevin Durant is DRAMATICALLY overrated.
• Russell Westbrook is the worst thing that has ever happened to the Thunder. He should be traded, he’s not a point guard.
• Derrick Rose was a terrible choice for MVP, LeBron abused him.

All of these statements have evolved from a myth that NBA fans have been believing for the past twenty years, a myth that’s just not true.

Somewhere along the line, we started expecting young players to play like veterans in the playoffs. But in reality, expecting Durant and Westbrook or Derrick Rose and the Bulls to get to the Finals this season was just as dumb as a new pet-owner expecting his 3-week-old puppy to be potty-trained in two days. These things are supposed to take time.

Think about Michael Jordan. The GREATEST basketball player of all time. It wasn’t until year seven of his spectacular career that he finally figured out how to win it all. And oh, by the way, he also had to wait until he got better teammates and a better coach.

Was Michael Jordan of 1991 really that much better than Michael Jordan of 1989? Not much. If anything, you could probably argue that he was better ATHLETICALLY in 1989. But in the late 80s, the Celtics were still the Celtics. The Pistons were kings of the world. The Lakers were as good as it got. Jordan’s Baby Bulls just weren’t ready.

Did that mean that Jordan was overrated and not a winner in 1989? No. It just simply wasn’t his time.

This exact situation, or something similar, has happened over and over again throughout NBA History. Isiah’s Pistons had to wait to beat the Celtics. Jerry West and Wilt couldn’t beat Bill Russell’s teams. Over and over it goes. Young guys come up, gain attention, and lose in the playoffs.

Instead of seeing it for what it really is though, we choose to ignore nearly every precedent in NBA history and criticize young guys for not coming through.

Why?

Because of the 2006 Finals.

Image source: Sun-Sentinel.com

In 2006, for the first time in over thirty years, a young player led his team to a Championship.

(Note: Rookie Magic doesn’t really count since the third best player of all time was on his team and still in his prime tossing in sky hooks.)

In that series, Dwyane Wade put on a show like none other. John Hollinger even developed some random stat to say that Wade’s performance was the greatest Finals performance in NBA history.

Because of Young Wade – I’m resisting the incredible urge to add “and the atrocious officiating” – we have all been fooled into thinking that young guys not only can win in the playoffs, but that they are supposed to win in the playoffs.

If you really think about it though, 2006 was the exception, not the rule. Still, ever since 2006 we have looked at our stars with a “glass half-empty” approach.

In 2007, LeBron ran through a weak Eastern Conference and got to the NBA Finals where the Cavs were swept by the more experienced and better coached San Antonio Spurs. The storyline was this: LeBron is scary good, but Tim Duncan is just better right now.

Each progressive year, we got more and more upset at LeBron for supposedly “choking” in the playoffs. You almost never heard a voice of reason. Nobody slowed down and said, “Chill out guys. Jordan didn’t win it all until he was 27. Give LeBron some time.”

We kept getting ahead of ourselves. We wanted him to win before it was his time.

Well, I hate to break it to everyone, but it looks like it could finally be his time. It is either LeBron’s time or Dirk’s – a guy playing at a historically efficient and amazing pace on offense.

But you know whose time it ISN’T? Kevin Durant’s. Or Russell Westbrook’s. Or even the MVP’s, Derrick Rose.

Does that mean Kevin Durant over-rated? Let’s see:

• He averaged 29 and 9 in the playoffs.
• He led Team USA to an unbelievable Gold Medal this summer.
• He has led the league in scoring two straight years.
• He put on one of the best Game 7 performances in recent memory against the Grizzlies.
• HE LED THE YOUNGEST TEAM IN THE PLAYOFFS TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS!

So what did we find out about KD during this year’s playoffs? We found out that Dirk Nowitzki was better than him and that the veteran Mavericks are better than the young Thunder. You can go ahead and nitpick Durant for that.

But were you really surprised that a 32-year-old with an unstoppable fallaway played better than a 22-year-old who is still tapping into his potential?

I will look at the glass half-full.

I will try and comprehend the fact that Kevin Durant was the first guy since Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal who led his team and scoring AND rebounding while taking them to the Conference Finals in one of his first four years in the league.  Seriously.  The Thunder will be fine. This year will make Durant better. Just give him some time.

Image credit: Getty via PassTheRock

What about Russell Westbrook? The poor guy has been picked on nonstop for the past three weeks.

To be honest, much of it is warranted.

He only took five less shots than Durant did against Dallas. That needs to stop. But on the flip side, he is also only 22 years old, and has been playing the point guard position for a total of three whole years. He is the most athletic point guard in the game, and is fearless down the stretch of games. He also played an unbelievable Game 7 against the Grizzlies, throwing up an awesome triple-double.

You can go ahead and nitpick him for not picking his spots. But again, should we have been surprised that Jason Kidd ran his team better than Westbrook? Should we really have expected a team led by youngsters to beat this playoff-tested Mavericks’ squad?

Again, I will look at the glass half-full.

Now to the MVP.

As you know, I’m not exactly the biggest fan. I think Derrick Rose is more Allen Iverson 2.0 than the next great point guard. One of the craziest stats I heard today was that Rose scored 117 points in 120 shots this series, while Dirk scored 161 on 88. So he’s not the most efficient star in the game.

But really, what are we so mad about?

A team led by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh beat a team led by Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng. Sure, the Bulls’ bench might have been better, and they may have had more size, and they may have had home court advantage; but Miami had three of the best four players in the series! In the playoffs, where the bench shrinks, and starters log more minutes, was there really any surprise that Miami won so convincingly?

Rose deserved the MVP. He fooled us all into thinking his team was better than it was. The play of Boozer, Deng, Korver, and Noah in the playoffs showed us how weak the Bulls really were. Without Rose, they wouldn’t have even beaten the lowly Pacers.

It’s easy to look at the glass half-empty. It’s more fun to say that “so-and-so” just choked instead of explaining that it’s just not their time.

However, I can’t write a column based upon my feelings. I have to look at the facts. History shows that young players and young teams just don’t usually win rings. And history has no respect of persons. Michael Jordan? He waited his turn. Isiah Thomas? Jerry West? Hakeem Olajuwon? Kobe Bryant? Shaquille O’Neal? They waited their turns too.

LeBron and Dirk had to be patient as well.

And so will the young guns in today’s NBA.

You can’t expect a puppy to stop acting like a dog. So let’s stop asking KD, RW, and Rose to be something they’re not.

While the two teams may be in similar holes, there is nothing similar when comparing the two situations.

In one corner we have the Western Conference Finals, currently led by the Dallas Mavericks over the Thunder. The Mavericks have not only shown that they are the holders of one of, if not the, most lethal offensive weapon in the game in Dirk Nowitzki, but they’ve also shown us that they have one of the deeper benches in the league. With the versatility, speed, length, and scoring that comes off of the pine, it isn’t hard to see why OKC is down.

As for the Eastern Conference Finals, we have three of the game’s best wing players on this earth. For the Miami Heat we have the Dwyane Wade and the LeBron James. Enough said, right? Not so fast. If you’ve been paying attention to anything sports related, you wouldn’t have been able to miss the recent offensive outpouring put on by Chris Bosh. So not only is the tandem of LeBron & Wade a headache in itself, but Miami has Bosh and a few role players who canalso draw attention to themselves. This is why Chicago finds themselves in a hole.

Therefore, with two young, but contention-ready teams finding themselves in a hole, what should they do? Can either team afford another L on their plate? Most definitely not, but hopefully I can provide Thunder and Bulls fans some insight as what your team can do to help even the series, and possibly still take it.

The Thunder need a spark

The Thunder not only find themselves down 1-2 in this series, but they let two big things happen that will surely hurt their confidence going down the stretch:

One being that they let Dirk Nowitzki blow up in their face with one of the best offensive outputs in recent memory. First off, he went 12 for 15 in Game 1, with an incredible 24-0f-24 from the charity stripe; consequently, by the end of Game 1 Dirk Nowitzki finished with 48 points, and a golden 80% field goal percentage. Not only did this prove that no single player on the Thunder can match Dirk from the block nor the perimeter, it showed that the Thunder were against one of the greater plays on this earth.

Another key element that might cause issues for the Thunder in this series has to be the loss they brought to Oklahoma City. The fans in OKC are supposed to be known for being the team’s Sixth man — with all due respect to James Harden –  and they are supposed to be known as some of the NBA’s best fans ; however it sure as hell didn’t seem like it for Game 3.

The Mavs at one point were leading the Thunder by 23 points! That shouldn’t be happening in a Conference Finals that is featuring the “NBA’s best crowd,” should it? Luckily the Thunder were able to cut into the large margin, but in the end still suffered defeat.

So, what can the Thunder do to make sure the Mavericks bench won’t won’t go off, or to make sure another home-blowout won’t occur?

The key to this series has been and always will be Kevin Durant.

In Game 1 Kevin Durant’s 39 point explosion was easily overshadowed by an all-time performance put on by Dirk. That is clearly something that Kevin cannot overcome, unless he were to put on an all-time performance. Scratch Game 1.

Game 2 is when it became apparent that the Thunder will go as far as Kevin Durant takes them. Now let me assure you, Kevin Durant didn’t have the best shooting night for last Thursday in Dallas; but watching him on the court, in huddles, and his demeanor throughout the game, you can almost feel the entire Thunder’s team emotions in him. I might even go as far to say that James Harden had a great night due to what Kevin Durant told him before tip-off, which resulted in OKC’s only win of the series.

As for Game 3, it seemed to be a combination of both. Kevin Durant did have an off-shooting night for the second consecutive game, but he also was the reason Russel Westbrook sparked for 30 points. If you heard his post-game comments in Game 1, you’d understand.

Not only has it become obvious that Durant is the pinnacle of this Thunder team on the court, but emotionally he portrays OKC as a whole. Whether you agree or not, you’ll soon realize it more and more.

And one last obvious point has to be the Thunder’s defense: In a series that has scoring output coming from all directions, which includes more Mavs players than Thunder, it’s obvious that OKC’s defense needs to step it up. They did a nice job of it in Game 3, as Dirk was held to 33% shooting, but they must continue to do so against Dallas’ bench. J.J. Barea can’t go off for 20 points anymore, and Dallas’ bench can’t continue to score 30 more points that the Thunder’s.

If these keys are followed, OKC can easily comeback in this series.

All together now

The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat have been putting on an incredible show for us NBA viewers. Especially if you enjoy games that feature low-scoring, convert about 75% of their energy on the defensive end of the court, and play with heart on each play. This series has to easily be my favorite out of the two. But hey, maybe some lockdown-defense isn’t your thing; that’s why Dirk is out west blowing up.

In all fairness, the Chicago Bulls have quickly found themselves in an 1-2 hole much like the Thunder. While the Bulls did steal Game 1 in impressive fashion, they could not find a way to avoid tying their season high for consecutive losses: 2. Crazy, right? The key to this series much unlike out West, is the on the offensive end of the floor.

In Game 1 the Bulls simply outplayed Miami. Whether it was the ability to destroy them on the boards; the ability to cut LeBron and Wade from the rim; or the amazing bench play that we expect from Chicago; the Bulls showed up in areas Miami couldn’t. End of story. But sadly that is the only win Chicago has been able to take from Miami, and there are a couple reasons as to why.

This first point proved to be very noticeable in Game 3, as Chris Bosh made the Bulls pay. He did it with hustle, heart, and some nifty mid-range moves. While most of the credit can very deservingly go to Bosh, the Chicago Bulls defense has a part to play in this as well.

For those of us who examine defense like myself, you can notice that the Bulls play a different type of defense against the Heat. What they do is run a somewhat of a 3-2 defense at times to be able to cover a large portion of the floor, but here’s the part that makes their defense different:

Whenever LeBron or Wade are both on the floor, Chicago likes to keep the 2-2 in motion like most teams; yet, the big difference in this 3-2, is that whomever is guarding the Heat’s big-man — whether it be Joel, Magloire, or Haslem — they like to send to LeBron or Wade, depending on who is the ball handler. While this defense is very effective at times against the tandem, it leaves Chicago vulnerable if a certain No.1 for the Miami Heat decides to get his fair share in.

That is exactly what happened in Game 3, as Chicago’s bigs were forced to do a lot of work whenever LeBron or Wade had the ball. The rotations, the energy spent, and the continuous movement, would hurt players like Joakim Noah, or Carlos Boozer, when it came to actually guarding their man (Chris Bosh).

But in my opinion, this next point is the main reason Chicago finds themselves down right now.

Again, when Chicago took Game 1 from the Heat, they did it right. The scoring was distributed very well, as Luol Deng came up big not only on guarding LeBron, but scoring on him. Derrick Rose also had a very efficient night on the offensive end. Even the bench outplayed Miami offensively, with 23 points compared to the Heat’s 15.

The point here is when Chicago gets multiple scoring efforts from one or two players not named Derrick Rose, the Bulls start to look like the team that won 62 games this season.

Game 3 was a perfect example of this. Amidst Chris Bosh’s headline night, the Bulls had a player on their end contributing just as well, and maybe even better. Carlos Boozer finished with 26 points, 17 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Now, I look at those numbers and can’t help but admire work like that. Unfortunately for Chicago, this was another of those “non-impact” games, as while Boozer did put up a nice heap of statistics on the screen, it didn’t impact the Bulls that much.

Well, why is that? Like I said before, in order for the Bulls to be successful, they need scoring contributions from more than just Derrick Rose. And that is what they got last night from Boozer.

However, league MVP Rose put up 20 points last night with 8-0f-19 shooting, yet he contributed just 2 measly points coming in the important 4th quarter. Surely that was the main problem the Bulls in Game 3. If that isn’t enough, Derrick Rose had a game low -13  in the +/- rating.

While Game 3′s loss can easily be put on Rose, the main issue is that when the Bulls don’t do it together as a unit, the result is a loss. When the Bulls do it as a unit, the results is a W. It’s as simple as that, my friends.

**********

Thanks for reading, and hopefully I helped shed some light for you Bulls and Thunder fans!  Make sure you also follow me on twitter!

My friend is a HUGE Oklahoma City fan, while I am a huge basketball fan in general. I love the Pacers, but when they aren’t playing I enjoy good basketball, especially if it’s being played at the point guard position.

With the Celtics now out of the playoffs and the Thunder moving on to the Western Conference Finals, our argument has centered on Russell Westbrook. And after watching Game 7, it is clear how Westbrook needs to play to be the right fit at the point on this young, talented, up-and-coming Thunder team.

Let’s just get a few things straight right away.

I think Westbrook is an amazing player. If I’m ranking point guards in the league today, I take him third behind Chris Paul and Derrick Rose. I really don’t think anyone else is that close. Rondo and Deron Williams round out the top five, but they aren’t in the same class as the top three.

Westbrook, along with Derrick Rose, is able to do things athletically from the point guard position that no one has ever seen. He’s one of my favorite players to watch attack the basket, and there is no shortage of excitement when he is on the floor.

I honestly believe that he is Derrick Rose Lite. Rose is a better finisher at the rim in my opinion, but Westbrook might actually be an even more explosive athlete than Rose.

Rose was this year’s MVP, and he definitely deserved it. But I honestly believe that if you switched him and Westbrook this year, Russell would have been able to lead the Bulls to 55 victories and he would have gotten serious consideration for MVP.

Again, I love Russell Westbrook.

But for the longest time, I have disliked him ON OKLAHOMA CITY.  For one reason or the other, I just didn’t think he had a grasp of THE SECRET.

You see, I have this theory: there are certain players who can win you championships and others who HELP those players win championships.

(For all of you that mistakenly believe the NBA can be won by a good team with no stars, find a champion since 1980 that didn’t have a true superstar. Besides the exception of the 2004 Pistons, you can’t. Kareem, Moses, Magic, Bird, Isiah, Jordan, Hakeem, Duncan, Shaq, Kobe, and Garnett. Argument won. Let’s move on.)

Anyway, I believe that Kevin Durant is one of those players who wins you a championship. Other current players who fit this category include LeBron, Wade, Kobe, and Dwight Howard.  Dirk, Carmelo, Chris Paul, and Derrick Rose MIGHT be able to do it (the jury is still out).

In my mind, Westbrook falls in the next category right below that group.  Obviously, this makes him one of the best fifteen players in the league…but I don’t think he’s quite good enough to win you the title.

I just don’t believe that you can build a team around a small scoring guard and expect to win a title. Allen Iverson was as good as it gets for a small scoring guard, and he STILL came up short. Maybe today’s NBA with all the rule changes that reward quickness will change all of that. We will find out soon enough if it’s possible to win this way because the Bulls are trying to do it right now.

So I might be wrong.

But if I’m not, then in my opinion, Westbrook doesn’t fit with OKC.

Correction…DIDN’T fit.

Because on Sunday night, in Game Seven…he fit.

You see, I have been arguing with my friend for the past week that Rajon Rondo would be a better fit for the Thunder than Westbrook. Despite all of Rondo’s shortcomings (comparative to Westbrook), he puts on a clinic when it comes to running a team. He absolutely kills himself on offense in order to do one thing: get his teammates the ball in good spots.

From where I was sitting, even though Westbrook’s ceiling is higher than Rondo’s, the way he had been playing would put a cap on Durant’s ceiling.

In essence, for Westbrook to reach 100% of his potential, Durant would have to settle for 85% of his own. Whereas if Rondo was running the show, even if his 100% wasn’t as good as Westbrook’s, he would push Durant to the max.

And remember: Durant is the guy who wins you the title…not Westbrook.

But then I realized it. I’ve been much too hard on the young fellow.

Maybe you didn’t realize it, because I didn’t, but Westbrook is YOUNGER than rookie Greivis Vasquez.

In the irony of ironies, Westbrook played the best game of his career on Sunday, and to be honest it was EXACTLY the type of effort you would see out of Rondo.

He didn’t score much; he didn’t NEED to score much. What he did was play incredible defense, pull down vital offensive rebounds, and most importantly, get his guys shots when they needed to touch the ball.  He finished with an incredible 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists.

But the game didn’t exactly start with a bang for young Russ.

There was a play late in the first quarter that was typical of the old Westbrook. He screamed down the lane on a fast break with Durant on his left. If he passed it off, it would have been an automatic two points. Instead, he drove right at Marc Gasol and made a spectacular layup.

But I instantly texted my friend. “THAT’S THE PLAY HE HAS TO MAKE! HE HAS TO GIVE HIS GUY THE BALL!!!”

As a point guard, your job is to make sure your whole team is involved at all times, especially your meal ticket. You have to make sure he’s getting enough touches to stay in the game. Even though Westbrook scored, I thought it was indicative of his problem.

But midway through the second quarter, the Thunder once again had a fast break. This time, it was Durant leading the break with Westbrook on his left and Harden trailing the two. Durant could have easily scored, but instead, he unselfishly dropped off to Harden who soared in for the lay in. All three players looked at each other and screamed. From then on, Westbrook was a different player.

Maybe Durant’s play made it click with Westbrook. Maybe Scotty Brooks yelled at him during a timeout. Maybe Russell just didn’t feel comfortable with his shot.

Whatever it was, something clicked with him during Game Seven. I watched with sheer glee as Westbrook stopped on a dime to give it to a trailing Durant on a fast break for the open three. I saw him drive into the lane WITH THE EXPRESS PURPOSE of breaking down the defense for his teammates.

For the first time, I saw Russell Westbrook being a true point guard.

Durant is the superstar. He is the best scorer in the league. For OKC to win the title, Durant will have to be firing on all cylinders. But the reality is that the Thunder will go as Russell Westbrook goes. If he keeps channeling his inner Rondo, nobody is beating them.

He was the reason for Durant’s 39. Without Westbrook, Harden doesn’t hit the big threes that he did on Sunday.

Learning to play the point is a long, arduous process. I’m sure Westbrook will continue to struggle over the next few weeks and maybe years. But I know this:

For a guy that never played point guard in college, a guy that has only been in the league for three years, a guy that is one of the best scorers in the NBA though his team doesn’t need him to be, a guy that is younger than most rookies…he sure played the position to perfection on Sunday.

They showed us that they had a chance at upsetting any big team last season, when they gave the Lakers a run for their money in the West’s first round. The athleticism, the desire to prove, and the hunger for a chance at an NBA Finals berth — it was all there. You saw it in the eyes of Durant, Westbrook, Harden, head coach Scott Brooks, and former Thunder Jeff Green. It was there.

This season, the Thunder had a slow start and didn’t seem to have shown too much improvement from the former season. That is, until February 22nd came along, and the Thunder front-office pulled a shocker by acquiring longtime Celtics center Kendrick Perkins.

This not only gave the Thunder a solid inside presence (much respect to Serge Ibaka regardless), but it gave them an NBA champion who can clear the vision for this young squad. And boy did it show on Sunday when the Thunder hung in with the Lakers, and eventually took them out in LA.

This is just one of many examples that show the Thunder are quietly entering the group of contenders. But are they capable of doing it this season? Can they get past the elite Spurs, Mavericks and possibly Lakers?

Perhaps.

From the Seattle days to the Oklahoma City days, you cannot say that this Thunder squad came straight from the gutter to becoming a strong Western Conference contender! I like to call them the West’s version of the Bulls. They brought in KD, built around the kid with some great young pieces, and have learned to play together and build a chemistry that is nearly unmatched in the entire league.

Much thanks can go to Scott Brooks, who very much deserved last season’s NBA Coach of the Year Award. To be able to bring in an 18-year old and keep his head on right while painting a vision for future playoff success is hard. Brooks has made it look easy, and it hasn’t only been with just Durant, but with the young guns like Westbrook, Harden, and Ibaka too. They’ve all put in the time, effort, hard work, and hustle. Now it is finally showing.

And Sunday’s game against Los Angeles clearly showed how important the acquisition of Perkins is to this franchise.

He might not have impressed anyone with his stats, but he does the little things: by being in Gasol’s head before the game even started; by encouraging the young squad that they can run with the Lakers; and by stirring it up with the Black Mamba. Let’s not forget that Perkins’ body alone is a huge help against LA’s two 7-footers. In the end, it resulted in a solid W in Lakers-land.

Perkins is exactly what this team needed. He is doing for them what KG did to him once he arrived in Boston; teaching the mental-game.

While Perkins is doing that, while the Thunder have their two stars to fill up the stat-box.

Enough cannot be said about what Westbrook and Durant do for this team. Whether it is Durant throwing up some crazy deep balls and sinking them right in the D’s face, or Russell’s ability to cut to the rim or give you the sexy “no-look” pass, these kids can ball. In my opinion, these two are the perfect 1-2 punch combo the NBA has to offer.

Heard that South Beach?

Westbrook, who is a future MVP candidate, is the perfect fit for Durant. He can slash through defenses, draw in the pressure, and easily kick it out to the long-armed sharpshooter. His speed is as blinding as anyone’s in the league. Let’s not forget that his defensive pressure is something to behold as well. His quick-hands are averaging nearly two steals per game and keeping guards on their toes.

As for the Durantula; he’s a beast.

He’s the most pure, graceful, and destructive offensive-machine this league has to offer. The soon-to-be 2-time NBA scoring leader can do it plenty of ways. Whether it’s the sweet, sweet jumper, or his ability to get to the rim and use his wingspan to drop it over the defenders, Durant’s offensive skills are top-notch. But the wingspan isn’t only helpful on offense. The kid is averaging a solid 6.8 rebounds per game, nearly the same as LeBron.

But all the credit can’t go to the stars. Let’s not forget this Thunder bench.

Whether we are talking about the offensively-talented/bearded James Harden, the defensive skills of Thabo Sefolosha, or the leaping abilities of Ibaka (whom I think should’ve made it to the Slam Dunk Finals), you can sure count on some great production off the Thunder’s pinewood.

The point I am getting at is that this Thunder team that is currently 4th in a hard Western Conference, this team that went 14-2 in the month of March, is a team to keep both eyes on. They are young, they are hungry, they are talented, and they are gaining experience.

It shouldn’t be too long until we begin asking if the Thunder are at the top of the West. So before everybody gets on this bandwagon, just remember that i told you so.

Make sure you follow me on Twitter folks!

Of course I was appalled.

How could you possibly say the two are comparable? Sure, Carmelo is a great scorer, especially in crunch time, and he was great on Sunday night against the Heat…but better than LeBron? Come on.

Further than that, not only was the question raised, but there actually seemed to be some consensus that people would, in fact, actually take Carmelo over LeBron. In my mind, the madness had to be stopped. I dislike LeBron as much as the next guy, but declaring anything other than the best player in the league is a little ludicrous…right?

That’s when I got the idea.

Someone needed to, once and for all, actually rank the best players in the league; but they had to do it right. It doesn’t matter who the best scorer is. We don’t care who the best leader is. I don’t even want to know who is the most valuable to his team. I want to find out, once and for all, the answer to the following question: if you were going to build a team from scratch tomorrow, and you could choose from anyone in the world, who do you take first, and why?

First, the ground rules:

Ground Rule #1) Salaries don’t matter.

We don’t take Blake Griffin over LeBron James just because we could build more players around him. We look at everyone’s individual skills, and simply decide who is the best.

Ground Rule #2) Potential doesn’t matter.

Again, we don’t take Blake Griffin over Tim Duncan just because he has ten good years ahead of him and Duncan has two. We look at the here and now.

Ground Rule #3) This guy has to be a player that could be the best guy on a championship team.

This seems obvious, but in case you didn’t realize it, that narrows the entire NBA down to nine guys (in alphabetical order): Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, and Dwyane Wade.

These guys should not be confused with “guys that could be the best on a championship team if they had three great teammates” (Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Deron Williams, etc.).

They DEFINITELY should not be confused with “really good second bananas that think they could be the main guy” (Brandon Roy, Joe Johnson, Amare’ Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Danny Granger, Pau Gasol, Carlos Boozer, etc.).

It also has to exclude the “guys who are a few years away in either direction” (think Blake Griffin and Russell Westbrook on the young side and Tim Duncan, KG, Jason Kidd, and Steve Nash on the older side.)

Ground Rule #4) Remember, YOU are building the team – not some dumb GM or player that believes he is making a great team simply by compiling great players.

This deserves much more attention than it’s getting. To illustrate Ground Rule #4, just think about the 2004 USA Olympic Team compared to the “Redeem Team.”

If you were to give me an NBA team, and then tell me I could pick any three players that I wanted, and the rest of the team would be filled out at random, here would be my three priorities in some order: a point guard who can score but more importantly knows how to get his teammates the ball in positions for them to succeed; a wing who can shoot well and score; a big man that can rebound and score on the block. That’s it. At no point would I look at my options and decide, “I want two incredibly athletic wings who can’t shoot and a finesse big man.” Yes, I’m talking to you LeBron.

Do you want to know what the saddest thing about “The Decision” was? That LeBron didn’t go to Chicago. Could you imagine a team of Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, LeBron James, and Joakim Noah for the next five years? Does ANYONE come close to beating that team?

This is why the New York Knicks are so intriguing. In no way, shape, or form do their pieces come anywhere close to being as good as the pieces in Miami…but they make sense. They have a great point guard, the best scoring wing in basketball, and a legitimate threat down low. You and I could be the other two players on the floor for them and we would have a decent shot at winning some games.

Ground Rule #5) The rest of your team is good enough to win 30-40 games without your main guy.

Why is this important? Because no one on earth could win a championship with the 2010 Cleveland Cavaliers. Be honest; although LeBron did quit last year in the playoffs, his team was terrible. Maybe we were a little too hard on him for not getting it done. Even Jordan couldn’t win without Pippen.

So with the ground rules in place, it’s time to rank the Best of the Best. If you were to build your team around one guy, for this year, 2011, who would it be?

#9 Kobe Bryant

Remember, this is not about what he’s done, but rather what he can do for us today. To be honest, it’s amazing that he’s still on the list. These are the names of the notable guys that were drafted with Kobe or six full years after him: Iverson, Camby, Marbury, Ray Allen, Peja, Nash, Jermaine O’Neal, Duncan, Billups, T-Mac, Bibby, Jamison, Carter, Pierce, Nowitzki, Brand, Odom, Hamilton, Maggette, Artest, Chandler, Gasol, Richardson, Joe Johnson, Tony Parker, Gerald Wallace, Ming, Amare’, Caron Butler, and Tayshaun Prince. So yeah…besides Dirk, there’s not a single guy that was drafted before 2003 that’s good enough, today, to be the best guy on a championship team.

My favorite thing about Kobe is the way that he’s changed his game in order to stay relevant. Watching his footwork, his new and improved post game, his fade-away midrange jumper, and better passing has been so fulfilling. The guy has come along way from hogging the ball in the All-Star game and even feuding with Shaq. He picks his spots and knows when to take over the game.

Kobe is one of my favorite players ever, and it hurts me to have him so low on this list, but again it’s not bad for a 33-year-old with almost 1300 games on his odometer. THIRTEEN HUNDRED!!! (By the way. Jordan only played in 1261…including his two years with the Wizards…so you could make a pretty good argument that Kobe’s prime has lasted much longer than the Jumpman.)

#8 Dirk Nowitzki

What can you say about the big fellow? He is almost painful to watch. He’s most likely the slowest impact player since Larry Bird. And yet, here he is, game after game, calmly stroking threes and making himself nearly unguardable in crunch time. You can always count on Dirk to do three things: lumber around. look ugly, and win.

I had a tough time with Dirk and Kobe. Who deserves to be higher? It really came down to this: the Mavericks have a better record than the Lakers at this point, and there really is no legitimate argument that the rest of Dirk’s team is better than Kobe’s. In fact, Dirk’s team has gone 2-7 without him this year. Chandler, Butler, Kidd, Terry, and those guys are solid players…but they wouldn’t win nearly as many games as Gasol, Odom, Artest, and Fisher.
So for this year, and this year alone, Dirk beats out Kobe…if only by his hair.

#7 Kevin Durant

Amazing offense, not much else. It’s really that simple. The Durantula might be the best offensive player of all time when it’s all said and done, and on a perfect team, he could absolutely be an NBA Finals MVP. However, he would need that team to be incredibly tenacious on defense, and probably have a leader at the point guard position, just like Team USA this summer. At this point in his career, KD doesn’t lead enough on both ends of the floor to be any higher on this list. But hey, he’s only 22. Give him a break.

#6 Dwyane Wade
#5 Chris Paul

Again, we have two guys who are incredibly close. Dwyane Wade has won a title, Chris Paul hasn’t. Chris Paul has won assist and steal crowns, Dwyane Wade hasn’t. Both guys have battled injuries. Both guys contribute significantly on both ends of the floor. But CP3 gets the edge because of one factor: he finds a way to impact the game even when he’s not scoring. Now you might say that is only because he’s a PG and point guards are supposed to be able to do that. Yeah, but still…

Here’s my best argument. We all know that Wade’s team was terrible last year and he still led them to 47 wins and the 5 seed in the East. That was impressive, but Chris Paul has done nearly as much with just as little in a much tougher conference this year. Past that, Wade has one glaring weakness that ended up giving Chris Paul the edge: his three-point shooting is atrocious. Yes, I understand that we are picking nits at this point, but when you are comparing the best of the best, it often comes down to that. And today? Chris Paul > Dwyane Wade.

#4 Carmelo Anthony

There are a few things about Carmelo that worry me a little bit. I’m not sure if he is the type of guy who will give it his all in every situation. We saw him sabotage the Nuggets these past few months and became a little less enamored with his overall game. He hasn’t always had the commitment to defense that we would like to see from our main guy either.

All of that said, he’s almost underrated at this point. This is what we know: he was without a doubt the best player on Team USA for three years. That means that on a team full of superstars, he not only held his own but really proved that he was among the best there is.

He’s also the most complete scorer in the NBA as well as the most clutch. The stats don’t lie. Over the past five years, no one in the league has been as good during crunch time. And really, this might be the single most important ability in basketball. If you don’t have a guy who can score down the stretch, you will have trouble beating anyone. Carmelo has his shortcomings, I understand that. But you should understand that I very nearly had him higher because of his ability to take over down the stretch.

We forget that it is Carmelo and not LeBron who has never missed the playoffs. We forget that he led a team with Marcus Camby and almost nothing else to a hair from the NBA Finals in the Western Conference.

There were a lot of people who were worried about the team dynamics in New York after the trade. I was not one of them. Sure, if a guy like Joe Johnson went there, he and Amare’ might have some battles. But if Michael Jordan had been traded to the Portland Trailblazers in 1993, it would have taken Clyde Drexler all of 3 seconds to give the team over to him. I’m not saying that Carmelo is Jordan, but the reactions were similar I think. NBA players know who is good and how isn’t. Believe me, I don’t see any alpha dog struggles between Carmelo and a second banana.

#3 Derrick Rose

Photo by Chris Chambers

I really don’t need to explain this one too much. I love what Bill Simmons said. Look at this year’s Chicago Bulls team and find five games where Rose, Noah, and Boozer all played. You can’t. And yet, here we are 3/4 of the way through the season and the Baby Bulls are just three games back from the Boston Celtics.

Nobody wants to play this team in the playoffs, and it’s all because of Derrick Rose. He’s the second most unguardable player the NBA, and this summer he did something that LeBron has yet to do: he got a jump shot.
Remember when he was a rookie and guys had to stay five feet off of him and it still didn’t matter because he would explode by them anyway? Well now he’s got a jump shot and it’s almost not fair. He looks like a video game at times, and he has developed into the best point guard in the NBA. In a Point Guard League that has guys like Paul, Williams, and Nash, that’s saying a lot.

#2 Dwight Howard

Maybe you’ve never thought about this, but here is a fun stat: in the past 31 seasons, 25 NBA Champions have been built around a post player. The six that weren’t? Jordan’s Bulls. But yeah, whether it was Kareem, Malone, McHale, Hakeem, Duncan, or Shaq, champions always seem to have that one thing in common. This is why centers get paid so much. This is also why, in a league with so few good big men, Dwight Howard is the second best player in the league.

He commands a double team on offense, and his offensive repertoire is continually expanding. He’s the back to back Defensive Player of the Year as well. He gobbles up every rebound, and is a legitimately good teammate. To be frank, he would have been #1 on this list if he could shoot free throws. I know LeBron is good, but no matter what stat you throw at me, 25 of 31 trumps it. It’s still a big man’s league, and D12 is as good as it gets right now.

#1 LeBron James

He dominates more areas of the game than anyone since a young Jordan. When he needs to get to the basket, he gets there. He’s not a pure point guard in the sense that he uses his passing to create shots, but he uses his incredible scoring ability to get guys open, and he always seems to make the right pass. Defensively, no one is better at his position. On the boards, no one is better at his position. He simply doesn’t hurt you anywhere.

Sure, it’s disappointing that he still doesn’t have a consistent jump shot. If he did, he would be the most unstoppable player in history. This hole has also made him somewhat of a letdown in crunch time. But lest we forget the 48 Special, the Shot against Orlando, and all his other crunch time heroics, the guy does alright in the clutch.

Quick caveat: I understand that LeBron and the Heat have been pretty poor down the stretch of big games this year. In the past two weeks, LeBron missed important free throws in Boston, passed to Bosh in the All Star Game in crunch time, clanked a three off the backboard in Chicago, got blocked by Amare and clanked another three in the same game…and we all saw what happened last night. It got me thinking, “Was Michael Jordan ever that wide open at the end of a game even once? Would anyone ever dream about leaving him for a second in ANY situation?” But then I remembered…LeBron is not Jordan.

If anything, I think his struggles down the stretch this year are more indicative of the fact that his team doesn’t make sense. Again, you have two ball-stopping wings that can’t shoot and a finesse big man. That’s not ideal for crunch time. You could almost make the case that you could give LeBron four role players and he would do better – like he did in Cleveland for eight years.

It comes back to this: if you have to choose one guy to start your team with, it can’t be anyone other than LeBron. Again, we aren’t filling a hole on a team that is one piece away…we are starting from scratch. Maybe a super athletic team that thrives on defense would choose Carmelo or Durant over LeBron. There are definitely some guard-heavy teams that would love to add Howard to their squad instead of LeBron. But the reality is that in 2011, today, right now, no way that you start a team than anyone else than the King.

Since it’s almost that time, you know what that means, right? My NBA nuts sure do! It means that the NBA is about to dish out another magnificent NBA schedule, just for us on the magical December 25th.

So what’s in store?

Well, courtesy of the fellas at ABC and ESPN, we can watch each and every single game on national television. So don’t worry, while you’ll be enjoying the amazing cranberry sauce, tweeting your butt off, cleaning up the wrappings, or ripping them apart, you’ll be able to have the TV on in the background and enjoy some great NBA action!

Here’s the lineup:

Game 1 (Noon ET/ESPN)

Chicago Bulls at New York Knicks

Final Score:

Chicago Bulls – 95

New York Knicks – 103

What’s better than having a Christmas in New York? Really, what is? You have Radio City, you have the snow, you have the parades, and everything else that comes with an NY Christmas. But this year there’s one more thing to pay attention to: the New York Knicks.

With the Knicks having been on a win streak of 9 games, they are everything different from previous Knicks teams. They are actually a playoff contending team, and can do some damage come April. Most of the credit can go to MY current MVP, Amar’e Stoudemire, the more improved play of Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, and Wilson Chandler. Props to rookie Landry Fields as well, whose been making a nice little run for ROY as well.

But with the Bulls, one of the East’s more improved teams coming in, the Knicks aren’t going to have a walk in the park. Derrick Rose continues to amaze me, season after season. He’s without a doubt, in the conversation of the A’s best point guards. Then when you have Joakim Noah, and the newly acquired Carlos Boozer on the block, your life is that much easier.

Look for fast-paced, physical play, and a great way to start your NBA Christmas!

Game 2 (2:30 PM ET/ABC)

Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic

Final Score:

Boston Celtics – 78

Orlando Magic – 86

Ah, yes. We’ve been accustomed to these two Eastern elites meeting up a few times a year. One being Christmas, a couple times in late March, and the rest in May.

Yes, the Celtics and Magic never cease to impress. The Magic might be struggling a bit at the moment, but without a doubt they are still a championship contending squad. It’s hard not to be, when you have the best big man in the game, a great head coach, and snipers all over the wing. And now they have made significant trades in hopes of bolstering their playoff chances. Could this be in time for Christmas? The Magic sure hope so.

As for the Celtics, they have the best record in the East, and continue to show us that they know where Ponce De Leon’s Fountain of Youth is hiding. Seriously, Ray Allen, KG, Paul Pierce, Shaq, and Jermaine O’neal? All these guys were MVP contenders from 2003-2006, and now they are playing on the same squad. What has that given us? Continued success, and hopes for a second NBA championship in 4 seasons.

I encourage you to watch this one, NBA nuts. No matter what you say, these two teams are almost bound to meet sometime in the playoffs.

Game 3 (5:00 PM ET/ABC)

Miami Heat at Los Angeles Lakers

Final Score:

Miami Heat – 96

Los Angeles Lakers – 80

The main event my friends. The big show, the one we’ve all been waiting forever. The red-hot, new-look Heat bring their talents to Los Angeles, and see for the first time ever what Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and the rest of the defending champion Lakers are made of.

This is what we’ve been waiting for people. More star-studded than last years Cavaliers, and Lakers matchup, and you can assume that this one will be much flashier.

The Miami Heat had started the season very rusty, and were questioned up to their necks, but they sure have silenced the haters as of late, no? They are defending better than most teams in this league, and it shows. The Heat rarely give up anything over 100 ppg for the opposing team, which allows their offense to come even easier to them, if that is even humanly possible.

The trio of Wade, LeBron and Bosh is what I call the “pick-your-poison” offense, because either way you’re going to lose, so you might as well choose which way it will be dealt to you. As for the rest of the Heat, they have been playing their roles to a perfect T! Mario Chalmers, Carlos Arroyo, James Jones, Erik Dampier..psh, perfect! There’s also a good chance that Heat sniper, Mike Miller, might be back by Christmas as well.

But hold up, don’t let anything I said fool you. The scorching Heat have been heating up, but the Lakers are still the defending champions, and with much reason. They are simply good!

Kobe Bryant is continuing to have another MVP-like season, and the same goes for Pau Gasol. It’s crazy when I think about it, but Kobe and Pau are both top ten, in this year’s MVP race. I don’t think many of you can argue that. Then there’s the rest of this Lakers squad. Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, and Matt Barnes each present trouble on the wing for any team. The Heat do have Wade and Bron, but it won’t be easy for either. Stick Ron and Barnes on both, and they will feel the pressure. Then there’s the return of Bynum, which could prove to be huge for the Lakers in this game. Will he expose to Heat in the center, or will Erik Dampier prove enough?

All something to watch NBA fans. Without a doubt, the NBA’s main course of action!

Game 4 (8:00 PM ET/ESPN)

Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder

Final Score:

Denver Nuggets – 106

Oklahoma City Thunder – 114

Congratulations to the Thunder! First ever NBA Christmas game in OKC, and with much reason! First, there’s Kevin Durant. No matter what, dude’s a monster. He has started the season in somewhat slow fashion, but don’t let that fool you, KD can play ball. Then, there’s the OKC fans! Are you kidding? These guys go bananas every time I watch the Thunder play, and just seem to be one of the better fan bases in the entire A.

The Nuggets and Thunder don’t seem to be favorites of anything at the moment, but that isn’t the point. This game is all about the marquee matchup at the small forward position. Melo, on Durant, Durant on Melo. Two of the league’s premier forwards, and two of the league’s best scorers. You can pretty much call this one a  shootout from a mile away. With each averaging over 24 ppg, it will be an “anything you can do, I can do better” type of battle.

Let’s not forget the current cloud surrounding Carmelo. It’s been looming ever since the talents were taken to South Beach, and it seems like it will never have an end. Will Carmelo even be around for this game? Yeah, I’m pretty sure. I’d give it up until the All-Star break, so no worries Nuggets fans.

In summation, this game will be for those of you who like the individualistic performances. It should be a great one, at that!

Game 5 (10:30 PM ET/ESPN)

Golden State Warriors at Portland Trailblazers

Well, I’m not going to lie. You look at this matchup, and you can’t help but laugh somewhat. Neither team is going to do a lot of damage in the postseason, and neither team is a lock for the postseason. So you might ask, what is there to look forward to? Well, that’s why I’m here!

The Warriors have to be one of the more electric teams in the NBA. When your backcourt consists of Monta Ellis, and Stephen Curry, there is basketball to watch at all times. Monta Ellis, in my mind, is making a nice run for MVP as well. Though he won’t get the award, he will have some really nice numbers at season’s end. The And 1 poster child, can almost do anything with a basketball.

Then there’s Curry. This kid is going to be special in a couple years. You can see it in him, almost like you can see it in Blake Griffin. The drive to get better continues to glow in the eyes of both. The difference is, Curry has one heck of a role model in Ellis.

As for the Blazers, they seem to be having one rough season, eh? First Oden is gone for the rest of the year, then Brandon Roy continues to get hammered? Not good, but things are beginning to progressively improve in Portland. Brandon Roy will most likely be available for this game, and the matchup of Roy and Ellis will be nothing short of exciting!

It should be nice watching the young guys like Aldridge, Fernandez, Batum, Curry, Roy and Ellis perform on the 25th.

If that’s not enough to keep you happy this Christmas season, I don’t know what is folks!

But honestly, Christmas is a little more than basketball, so make sure while you’re enjoying LeBron throw one down, or watching Kevin Durant net one at the buzzer, make sure you’re with your loved ones, and just enjoy the company.

From me to you, have a happy and safe holidays sports fans!

Enjoy!

The Three Kings, Durantula’s Breakout Party, Kobe’s Last Hurrah, and ‘Melo’s Malcontent have dominated the headlines, but there is so much more to talk about.

Without further ado, I present to you: Ten Bold Statements for 2010-11 – The Year of the Superstar.

Now some of these are not all that bold, and some of them are really not predictions. But all of them are important for this coming year.

#10.  2010-2011: The Point Guard Makes His Mark

Did you know that you could make a legitimate case for five different players to answer the “Who is the greatest point guard alive” question?

• Chris Paul is back from injury, and he is the ultimate “get my teammates involved for 44 minutes and take over the last 4” type of player.
• Deron Williams is bigger, stronger, and a better shooter.
• Steve Nash is still up to his crafty ways, is possibly the best shooting PG of all time, and it would be hard to argue that any point guard means more to his team than he does.
• Derrick Rose is one of the most athletic players we have ever seen at the position.
• Rajon Rondo outplayed all of them last year in the playoffs, and is easily the best defensive point guard since Gary Payton.

And we haven’t even mentioned youngsters like Russell Westbrook, Tyreke Evans, and Brandon Jennings; wily veterans like Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker, and Jason Kidd; or up-and-comers like Jrue Holliday, Darren Collison, and Ty Lawson. (You will notice that Johnny Flynn is not on this list. And neither is Ricky Rubio…unfortunately.)

Now add in the fact that offensive players are allowed to take 4 steps without dribbling, and defenders can’t so much as touch them, and you have the NBA in 2010. The point guard is king.

One of my friends asked me the other day if I thought the point guards today really were better, or if it was all about the rule changes. My answer? Today’s point guards aren’t better, OR worse…they are just different.

Gone are the days of crafty white guys running a team to perfection and knocking down open shots. Now we have track stars that can’t shoot running up and down the court, completely unstoppable off the dribble.

Do I think guys like John Stockton and Danny Ainge could stay in front of CP3, Rondo, and Rose? Absolutely not. But is that really supposed to be the point guard’s job? In today’s NBA, sure, but if you really think that any of those three were as complete of a player as Stockton…you clearly didn’t watch basketball in the 90s. And if you think that Rondo, Rose, Lawson, and Collison would have been free to attack the basket the way they do today? Foolishness.

However, it still remains. Without a point guard in today’s league, you will be mediocre at best (like the Heat? Yeah, keep dreaming…there are always exceptions).

#9.  In the Year of the PG, John Wall will rise.

Now, clearly this is not that bold of a prediction, but let’s just make one thing clear. In a league full of crazy-athletic point guards, John Wall STANDS OUT. It’s kind of like seeing LeBron for the first time all over again.

We had seen high-risers before. Jordan, Dominique, Vince, T-Mac, all of them. We were used to guys playing above the rim. But the first time you saw LeBron run the floor at 6’9” and literally overpower everyone else around him, you were in awe.
John Wall is like LeBron James in a point guard’s body. Every time he cheats the passing lane and comes up with the steal, it’s breathtaking.

I remember when Jordan used to steal the ball, and the entire stadium would hold it’s breath as he glided across the floor. He would come in from the angle, quickly set his feet, and jump into the air with his body parallel to the ground as he flushed it home.

Well, John Wall intercepted a pass last week, and I jumped up waiting to have that same reaction. Only, he had already dunked it. He is literally the fastest human being I have seen on the basketball court since young Iverson. With his size, on that team, in this league? Don’t be surprised if he puts up something ridiculous like 22 pts, 8.5 assts, 5 rebs, and 2.5 steals.

Mark it down. John Wall will be the best rookie since LeBron. And yes, I’m well-aware that Blake Griffin is already the most athletic Power Forward since Shawn Kemp. (Wow, The Glove and the Reign Man this early into the article? Anyone having SuperSonics flashbacks? Sorry, Seattle.)

#8.  However, in the Year of the PG, Size still Matters

Several writers have already talked about this at length, but if we learned one thing from last year’s NBA Playoffs, it was this: in a league where everyone seems to be going smaller, faster, and quicker, you need several QUALITY bigs to win it all.

Bynum, Gasol, Odom, KG, Perkins, and Rasheed all wore down their opponents. OKC couldn’t handle the Lakers because of it. Same with the Magic, Bulls, Cavs, Jazz, and Nuggets.

All we really need to know is that after the Celtics lost to the Lakers in June, they didn’t go out and spend money on young legs to guard Kobe. They really didn’t worry about having enough wings to guard LeBron and Wade. They went and got Shaq and Jermaine O’Neal.

Now, clearly, you can’t necessarily classify them as QUALITY bigs. But in a physical seven-game series? Name one team besides the Lakers that could throw out enough big guys to guard KG, Perk, Shaq, JO, and Big Baby. You can’t. And that’s why the Celtics will still be a force for one more year.

#7.  Unfortunately, this is why the Thunder are still a year away.

Now don’t get carried away. I fully expect the Thunder to have a very good year. They will definitely be in the top three of the Western Conference, and Kevin Durant will probably be the MVP.

My love for the Durantula has been well-documented. He is one of the most physically gifted offensive players…possibly ever. At 22, he’s already one of the top three players in the league, and you could make a legitimate argument that he’s number one. He is coming off an incredible summer where he single-handedly put Team USA on his back and led them to the gold medal.

Now you add in Russell Westbrook, who outplayed Derrick Rose, Chauncey Billups, and Rajon Rondo on team USA…convincingly. It’s easy to see why everyone has been so quick to jump on their bandwagon. Especially once you add in the likability factor.

Unfortunately, a rotation of Serge Ibaka, Nenad Kristic, Cole Aldrich, and Jeff Green is just not good enough in a seven game series against the Lakers. Actually, I’m not even sure it’s good enough in a series with Dallas. Don’t laugh, Dallas figured out the secret this past year, and they could realistically throw out a lineup of Kidd, Butler, Dirk, Haywood, and Chandler at times. Talk about size mattering…YIKES!

Either way, the fact is that the Thunder are still a year away unless the Durantula once again puts his team on his back and averages 37, 12, and 4 for an entire series. By the way, I’m not ruling this out.

#6.  So long to the era where people rooted for teams.

Not really a prediction, just an observation.  But this is why this year is the year of the Superstar more than anything else.

We have entered into a weird era for the NBA. I would consider myself to be a true fan. I love the Colts, Cubs, and Notre Dame football unconditionally. Basketball is my favorite sport, and I have liked the Pacers for as long as I can remember. However, wouldn’t you say that it’s more than a little weird that the last NBA team I truly cared about was the Pre-Palace Pacers?

Please allow me to try and convince you…it’s not just because they have been bad.

When I was growing up, the Pacers were often competitive, but rarely a force. The 1998-2000 Pacers were awesome. In ’98, Jordan beat them. In ’99, the lockout, officials, and Larry Johnson beat them. In 2000, Shaq and Kobe beat them. They once again rose in 2004 before the brawl splintered them forever.

Either way, I haven’t truly loved a Pacers team since Reggie Miller retired. While many things are responsible for this, the most important thing that has come out of it is that I no longer cheer for teams as much as I cheer for players.

In the era of free agency, greedy owners, and greedy players, it’s much harder to tie yourself to a specific team. Seriously, go through your favorite team’s roster sometime. How much has it changed, just over the last five years? Not only that, how often did your team’s BEST PLAYERS change?

Here are the Indiana Pacers’ three best players, year by year, since 2005

• 2005: Jermaine O’Neal, Peja Stojakovic, Stephen Jackson
• 2006: Jermaine O’Neal, Mike Dunleavy, Jamaal Tinsley
• 2007: Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy
• 2008: Danny Granger, TJ Ford, Troy Murphy
• 2009: Danny Granger, nobody…I will fight you on this

This Year: Danny Granger, Darren Collison, Roy Hibbert?

2007 and 2008 were the only back-to-back years where two of the Pacers’ three best players were the same (and let me tell you, when Troy Murphy is one of your three best players, you aren’t exactly excited about that). Try tying yourself to a team that’s mediocre when you can’t even follow the same players from year to year.

However, over the last five years, I have begun to appreciate good basketball in general. I love watching Steve Nash destroy people that are twice as athletic as he is (well, on offense at least). I love watching LeBron run the floor, D-Wade get clutch, and Kobe rip hearts out.

Does this make me a bad fan of the Pacers? Maybe. But has it made me a better fan of BASKETBALL? Absolutely. In the 90s, I was too obsessed with my own team to appreciate guys like John Stockton and other blue-chippers.

Now? I relish the opportunity to watch good basketball players whenever I can.

No matter what you thought of LeBron and D-Wade joining forces, just remember this.  Last year during the NBA season, you hoped every Thursday night that either LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Kobe, or Durant was playing.  If they weren’t, you weren’t watching.

This year?  There is a good possibility that two of them will be playing…in the same game…for the same team.

If you aren’t truly excited for this…you have deep-seeded issues.

#5.  With all of these players switching teams, it is amusing to see “yesterday’s stars” re-invent themselves.

Alright, I love Charles Barkley. Inside the NBA is absolutely my favorite sports-related show on television. I am not ashamed to admit that I have tivo-ed it, even when I didn’t watch the game before, because I enjoy it so much.

All of that said…he’s a grumpy old man.

What was Charles Barkley as an NBA player?

• One of the greatest rebounders of all time? Sure.
• One of the more exciting players in the open court? Definitely.
• A professional-class jerk? Positively (think of the “I am not a role-model Chuck).
• Good enough to win a championship by himself? Never.

He knew this. That’s why he left the Sixers and went to Phoenix. When he couldn’t get the job done there, he bounced and went to play with Hakeem, Clyde the Glide, and later Scottie Pippen and the rest of the Rockets.

What is he doing now? Bashing LeBron for “not winning a title on his own.” Does anyone else see the hypocrisy in this?

Now maybe Barkley is holding LeBron to a higher standard than he had for himself. Maybe he realizes that his own ceiling was considerably lower than LeBron’s. Maybe he thinks that LeBron is like Jordan, and that he should have been able to win a title by himself. However, his comments still reek of “everything was so much better in my day” pompousness.

I once remember Chris Webber and Charles Barkley comparing today’s players to those of their era. “Who’s better? Rajon Rondo or Dana Barros?” By the end of their conversation, you would have thought that Dana Barros was a step below Jordan and Rajon Rondo was a step above me.

I understand that we are all semi-programmed to think that our era was better than the current one. But when someone like Chris Webber – a guy who never won a ring, a guy that only made one All-NBA First Team when he should have won five, a guy that routinely choked Karl Malone-style in the fourth quarter of big games – reinvents himself by hammering today’s players…someone needs to step in.

Although they make for great television, sometimes we need to remember these guys for what they were: talented players that were never good enough to be THE GUY on a championship team.

Should they have a voice? Sure. Should they be attacking LeBron for “not winning it all?” No. Let’s let Mr. Jordan do that…but that’s all in part two. [Coming Tuesday.]

Fortunately, I have one, and only one, shot at redemption, which is the hope that while most Americans were watching the NFL kickoff its season, I could possibly write about something that most people missed:

Team USA against Turkey in the World Championship Final.

In case you have been living under a rock for the past three weeks, Team USA hasn’t won a World Championship since 1994. Of course, with the potential for failure looming over their heads, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Carmelo Anthony all chose not to play. Instead, a “B Team,” led by Kevin Durant and all of his buddies, chose to represent their country, and have overachieved to this point.

In the Gold Medal game, Team USA played the hometown favorites, Turkey, which had beaten all odds and ridden their crowd’s backs to the championship game. The atmosphere in the arena could be described as a cross between Fenway (when the Rocket returned), Cameron Indoor (on homecoming), and Philadephia (anytime).

All this is to say that the young Americans were definitely up against it.

Here is my running diary of the Gold medal game, which picks up halfway through the first quarter (thank you Bill Simmons for allowing me to blatantly rip off this idea).

3:06 left in 1st
The good guys are losing 17-14. I am immediately struck at how loud it is. It feels like a World Cup game without the annoying trumpets.

2:44 left in 1st
The Durantula hits a three from the Hellespont. I wish I wasn’t in love with the Pacers…how awesome must it feel to be a Thunder fan…well, besides the whole “We stole Seattle’s team from them” part.

1:50 left in 1st
Durant hustles back to block a fast break layup (very reminiscent of Tayshaun Prince…I will now go hang myself in the bathroom), followed by Steph Curry dropping another trey. USA up 20-17.

1:10 left in 1st
Westbrook pulls the old Travis Best trick where he dribbles around for 20 seconds without even looking for a pass before foolishly picking up an offensive foul. Gotta love when your role players do that.

:50 left in 1st
Eric Gordon plays stellar defense on some poor white guy culminating with one of those blocks that never even leaves the guy’s hand. Now is where I’m tempted to mention that I used to play with him at the YMCA in Indy, but I hate people who namedrop.

:02 left in 1st
Durant breaks some guy’s ankles, and then gets pummeled at the basket. Westbrook skies in from the weak side and picks up the foul to make 2 free throws. USA 22, Turkey 17.

Second Quarter

9:38
Westbrook muscles his way in for an and-one. There is really no other way to describe it. He reminds me of a running back that has already cut through the line and just needs to break the linebacker’s tackle in order to get into the secondary. If the NBA allowed hand-checking like they do in FIBA, Westbrook might be the only guard that was still able to penetrate.

9:00
Rudy Gay is the type of guy that can get 25 a game as long as he gets his 20 shots. Basically, he’s the worst possible player for this type of team. I hate Rudy Gay.

8:20
Rudy Gay takes the worst possible shot – a 17-footer behind the backboard – and buries it. I love Rudy Gay.

8:09
Number of times Westbrook has gotten switched onto a taller player: two. Number of times he has “muscled his way” into a steal: two. Love it.

7:07
Durant misses a wide-open three which causes Rudy Gay to punch some poor guy in the face as he drives to the basket. I love Rudy Gay.

6:50
Durant loses the ball after being quintuple teamed at half-court. Seriously. That’s how much respect he has earned at this tournament.

6:36
Rolando Blackmon is a coach for Turkey. Who knew? Is this allowed? Should this be allowed? I literally have no idea how I feel about this. On the one hand, if a COUNTRY came and asked me to coach for them, it would be awesome. On the other hand, that country is TURKEY. I still have no idea.

6:01
Andre Iguodala packs some big stiff from behind on a dunk attempt. I love Coach K, but when I heard that Iggy was not only making the team, but would actually be a starter…I was quite dubious. As it turns out, he has been our best defender and sparked several important runs all tournament. The lesson as always? Never doubt Coach K.

5:54
Durant absolutely gets leveled going to the basket.  Obviously, the Turks are taking umbrage – and rightfully so – to Gay’s recent actions.  I hate Rudy Gay.

5:15
Durant responds with his FOURTH three of the night. USA up ten.

I think it’s time to discuss Kevin Durant’s ceiling. I have a friend who swears up and down that he will be the greatest player of all time. I seriously doubt that, because I don’t think he’s a complete enough player. But what about the greatest SCORER of all time? He led the NBA in scoring at 21 years old – younger than anyone else in history. He’s 6’10, has a silky handle, and one of the more pure jumpers in the League.
I asked a friend of mine who is a HUGE Jordan fan, but also very level-headed about this type of thing this question: “If you put KD on the ’87 Bulls team, does he average 37 a game?” (I think this is the most impressive scoring record in the books) His answer? “I think he gets 40 a game, because of all the threes.”

So yeah, he’s not gonna be the GOAT, but I’m absolutely prepared to christen him the greatest scorer of all time.

4:09
Durant passes up an open look to feed Andre Iguodala for a wide open three. Of course it barely draws iron. This, among other reasons, is why I don’t think Durant ever comes close to Jordan. I’m just not quite sure he has the same desire to be a killer. I think he enjoys being universally loved by all of his teammates a little TOO much. At the other end, Hedo Turkoglu buries a three. USA up seven.

3:30
Durant decides, “Wait a minute. I’m the best player on earth right now” and drains another bomb.  He’s now 5 of 8 from three.  On second thought, he could absolutely have that killer instinct!

3:00
Another dumb FIBA rule at the Turkish end is followed by Durant burying a silky floater in the lane. I haven’t felt this way since watching Reggie in the Garden…and it’s still in the 2nd Quarter!

2:12
Anyone else think that this Savas guy that plays for Turkey looks like that jerk that used to date Pam on The Office? Just saying.

1:58
Eric Gordon misses another wide open three. Hey, I never said I taught him how to shoot.

1:04
“Mr. Big Shot” misses everything on a wide-open three from the top of the key. Rudy Gay comes up with a huge putback. I love Rudy Gay.

:24
The Turkish crowd is absolutely on the edge of exploding. Unfortunately, no Turkish player can respond by finishing a play. Turkoglu leads a fast break and finds a man alone in the corner, but he misses short. Time out on the floor. USA up nine.

Halftime

USA up by ten. Kevin Durant has 20 of our 42 points. By the way, the next time a camera guy doesn’t follow the flight of the ball on a full-court heave, I’m writing someone a letter at ESPN. Seriously, I defy one of you out there reading this to admit that you don’t hopefully follow every single full-court heave just hoping it might go in. I don’t care if he released it after the buzzer…GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!!!

Meanwhile, on Twitter, Kenny the Jet Smith asks Jason Whitlock, “Are you beginning to believe me that Durant will be the best player in the NBA in two years?”

Whitlock responds, “No!!! ONE YEAR!!! Good call.”

Interesting. Let’s just agree that Kobe IS the best, but is most likely on the decline and somebody will catch him either this year or next. We have all assumed that LeBron would be that guy. At first glance, it appears to be a bit of a mismatch. After all, Durant is a great SCORER, but doesn’t LBJ beat him at everything else?

I’m not so sure. I once wrote about LeBron putting up ridiculous stats, not unlike you would for your own created player on a video game. You know what I’m talking about. You create your own 6’6” point guard, but cherry pick on defense for steals, and rush him underneath the basket to pad his rebounding stats. You also make sure that he has 50 points and 20 assists so you end up averaging an unbelievable triple-double. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean you ARE a team-player. In fact, you are actually selfishly going for your own stats.
What if LeBron is like this? How many of us have seen him scowl at teammates for missing wide-open shots? How many of us see him fighting for rebounds in the end of a blow-out in order to get that triple-double. What if he is sadder about the missed assist than he is about the missed shot? 
I’m not saying LeBron isn’t talented enough to average a triple-double, but if that’s what he’s playing for instead of wins…then what?

To be honest, if I’m starting a team right now, and age is factored in, I think I pick Durant one, and then LeBron two.

Time for the second half.

Third Quarter

9:15
One of the ugliest basketball possessions I have seen in a while ends with Chauncey Billups missing badly on another three. However, the wife (who just entered the room and has no idea what I’m watching) notices that, “They are really hustling right now. They never do that.” I completely agree. If they played like this in the NBA, basketball as we know and love it would be alive and kicking. She also says, “I don’t like the Turks. All they do is come to America for a little while so they can make money.” She is so observant.

8:30
Durant hits his second straight three and sneers at the Turkish crowd as he walks off the court. I have literally only seen three guys EVER give that look effectively. Jordan, Kobe, and Reggie Miller. If this continues, I might decide that he will be the greatest athlete of all time after it’s all said and done.

7:03
Mr. Kardashian (Lamar Odom) gets a huge put back. Of course, this gets the wife more excited than she has been all day.

5:58
The US plays great defense but can’t grab the rebound as it falls out of bounds. Durant screams in anger. LeBron would never react this way unless Big Z just ruined another one of his assists.

4:48
Durant passes up a layup to feed Iguodala who promptly takes too much time to unload and has the ball stripped off his leg. I actually like the play. KD really trying to get the other guys involved.

4:17
Gay goes up like a sissy and misses a finger roll. Turkey responds with a three. The US lead is down to 11. I hate Rudy Gay.

2:40
Durant, playing Center, skies for a rebound, and then feeds his buddy Russell Westbrook for his second three-pointer of the entire tournament. USA up 16, it might be our night.

1:56
Durant isolates his guy up top, dribbles once with his left, and then smoothly spins right to bury a contested 20-footer. He is absolutely UNGUARDABLE.

1:12
Westbrook lets that three-pointer make him a little too confident and his misses a quick 18-footer. Then he fouls a big man underneath to help the Turks cut the USA lead to 59-46.

0:00
A sloppy last minute ends the third quarter. Team USA 61, Turkey 48. Durant with 28.

Fourth Quarter

9:46
A terrible pass from Derrick Rose draws the wife’s ire. When she decides it was a bad pass, it’s safe to say that it WAS a bad pass.

8:47
The USA get four quick fast break points, courtesy of Derrick Rose. The crowd is eerily quiet. I’ve always thought that the silence of a crowd on the road better than the explosion of your crowd at home. The fact that it’s the Turks that are quiet makes this moment unforgettable.

7:45
Lamar Odom beats the shot clock with a three from the corner prompting the wife to seemingly wake up and scream, “YAAAAY!” I can’t add anything to that. USA up 18.

6:58
Odom runs the floor and hits a layup to increase our lead to 20. The wife gives a very serious looking fist-pump. I just know that she and Khloe could be best friends in another life.

4:55
Odom has four more points, bumping up his second half total to 15. This leads to ESPN giving us a quick lesson on the differences between FIBA and NBA rules. Is there anyway for this to make any LESS sense? I mean come on. That would be like me walking into Rome and telling someone how to make spaghetti. If you are going to steal our sport, why are you trying to change it? You don’t see America adopting cricket and then changing some rules because “we know better.” Ridiculous.

3:37
Westbrook hits another three bringing the US lead back to 20. Danny Granger scowls from the bench. GO PACERS!!! You know how many Heat players are on this team? That’s right, zero. Let’s see, with this added experience making Granger tougher, and the new additions in Paul George and Darren Collison, maybe the Pacers could…ah nevermind. We will be mediocre. Again. Sigh.

2:07
With the USA up 15, the Turkish fans start cheering loudly for their team. I guess it’s admirable what they have accomplished. It’s just too bad they’re Turkish. (BTW, I really have nothing against Turkey, it’s just that when national pride is on the line, it’s ok to say things like that.)

1:11
Kevin Love enters the game, causing the wife to proclaim, “Oh, a white guy!” He then misses an easy layup as she notices, “That’s probably why he’s not playing, right?”

Gotta love blowouts!

Final: USA 81, Turkey 64

Tournament MVP: Kevin Durant

Somewhere in South Beach, LeBron James is watching this at a party with some friends.

Meanwhile, in LA, Kobe Bryant looks up from the bench press and notices the young buck. He’s finally got a worthy challenger.  The number of elite teams in the NBA has now increased by one, because of the Durantula.

The rest of us? We are just lucky enough to partake.

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* – Team USA photo credit: Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images via CBC.ca

I lived in Bloomington, the Pacers weren’t all that great until I got to high school, and Michael Jordan was the most exciting single phenomenon I’d ever seen. Plus, being a Bulls fan was awesome because they were, of course, the best.

Once MJ retired and the Bulls dynasty ended though, my NBA cheering preferences rotated. I cheered pretty hard for the Bullets (then the Wizards) for a while because IU legend Calbert Cheaney played there, and obviously MJ eventually did too.

Then when I lived in Miami I got into the Heat because Dwyane Wade was exciting, I got to go to some games, and they won a title. Then when I moved from Miami and the Heat started to suck I got more into the Cavs because of LeBron. But after LeBron quit on the Cavs during and after the playoffs, I was once again left with an NBA void.

Well, that voids needs to be filled and I’m here to announce my decision for who my new NBA rooting interest will be, and why.

Let me preface this by saying that I understand that I’m way too old now to become a die-hard fan of a new team. I have my IU basketball and the Chicago White Sox, and those are the two teams I live and die with and have for years upon years upon years. Then I have my football allegiance that rotates to wherever my dad is working. It’s been that way since I was born and always will be.

That said, I do like having a dog in the fight, so to speak. When it comes to the NBA, even though I’m not a die-hard fan of any franchise, I still like having one team that I follow and pull for over any other. It makes long seasons more interesting and exciting.

Plus, in every other sport I am stuck with what I have. I can’t change, no matter how frustrating and tormenting IU or the White Sox can be. This is my one opportunity to actually make a rational choice for who I’m going to cheer for and, hopefully, set myself up for some consistent winning…something my teams cannot always provide.

So, today, I am here to announce – and this, this is not hard at all – that I am taking my talents to Oklahoma City to officially become a fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Here are the reasons why:

1. Kevin Durant

What can I say about Kevin Durant that hasn’t already been said all across the Internet? He is young, he’s exciting, he’s humble, and he is eminently likable. And he says things like the quote below that, as a sports fan, make you want to clone him and put him on every one of your favorite teams.

Asked by the Fayetteville Observer what being on Team USA can do for his profile globally, here is how Durant responded:

To be honest with you, I really don’t care. I really don’t. It would be cool for most people to know who the Oklahoma City Thunder are. That’s what I’m about. I really don’t care about my global brand or anything like that. I just want to come out here and be the best player. This has never been about raising my profile. I mean you look around here (at this camp) and I’ve never been an NBA champion like Lamar Odom. I’ve never been a Finals MVP like Chauncey Billups. I haven’t played as many playoff games as a lot of the guys here. There are a lot of stars here. A lot of guys have a leg up on me. I’m here to learn from those guys to keep getting better.

If sports fans could get quotegasms, the above quote would be considered porn.

What is amazing about Durant is that I could spend ten minutes on Google and probably find 100 other quotes similar to that one. Even more amazing is that Durant is not being disingenuous and just paying those sentiments lip service. He means them. You can tell by his actions.

Whereas LeBron James has made it really, really hard to like him, Kevin Durant simply makes it impossible not to like him.

So fine; I give in. I’m officially a fan of Kevin Durant.

2. D.J. White

I can’t adopt a new team that doesn’t have an IU tie. In the case of the Thunder, that IU tie is D.J. White, one of my all-time favorite Hoosiers.

Few players went through the kind of turmoil during their career that D.J. did. Yet, through it all, he improved more from his freshman to his senior year than any player I can remember.. All most people remember about White’s senior year was the overwhelming presence of Eric Gordon and then the season collapsing beneath the weight of Kelvin Sampson’s lying and lack of discipline, but White’s dominating, consistently stellar play all season long should not be forgotten.

No, his first two seasons in the NBA haven’t gone well, but if his college career is any indication then improvement is on the way and D.J. could still turn into an important piece of the puzzle.

3. The Thunder are young, loaded, and exciting

OKC is not just KD. Russell Westbrook is an exciting, budding star in his own right. Jeff Green is a solid player. Eric Maynor is a good, tough backup point guard. James Harden has potential to be a solid player. Morris Peterson reminds me of the good ol’ days in the Big Ten. Cole Aldrich gives the white guys all someone to look up to.

All in all, OKC has a good, young, fun roster that makes them a great choice for someone in search of a new team to cheer for. This won’t be a one-year wonder (like when the Heat won in Shaq’s first year) but rather a team that a new fan like myself can grow with. That’s what I’m looking for, and I’m not sure another NBA roster provides this in the way the Thunder can.

4. Proximity to where I am right now

I live in Dallas, which is just a hop, skip, and a jump from Oklahoma City. Let’s say this new fan-team relationship goes well and in a couple years I am a) still in Dallas and b) really into the Thunder. They’re close enough that I could pop on up for a big regular season game or a playoff game.

My biggest frustration about being down here in Texas is that going to a White Sox or IU bball home game is an expensive and usually damn near impossible proposition. Spontaneous trips are definitely out of the question because of the travel involved. Becoming a fan of the Thunder gives me the potential to have a team I like actually be close to me. I cannot pass that chance up.

5. Kevin Durant

Yes, I’m repeating reasons. But have I mentioned how likable Durant is? In that same Fayetteville Observer article linked to above, Durant is asked about the contract extension he recently signed without fanfare and whether he’ll regret not being able to test the free agent waters next year. Here is his answer:

I don’t regret it a bit. When I came into the league, I always said I wanted to be on one team my whole career. You never know what will happen. But at the same time, that’s what I feel like I really want to do. I love my team (in Oklahoma City). I feel like we’re moving in the right direction. And so I just wanted to get the deal done.

Look at that. A superstar committed to one team who actually backs it up by signing an extension rather than plotting when he and his friends can be free agents in the same offseason. Ahh…refreshing.

It’s also the crux of my decision.

If LeBron had re-signed with the Cavs, I probably would have re-upped with the Cavs as well. I’d invested a few years growing to like the Cavs and wanted to be a part of cheering for the city’s first title in forever. With LeBron gone, and with me having no real lifetime connection to the area, the ties simply were not strong enough to bind me. (To any of my Cleveland friends who I offend with this decision, I’m sorry.)

It is comforting to know that if I throw my attention behind KD and the Thunder that he won’t be jumping ship anytime soon.

Ultimately, the NBA is all about the stars, and if your team has a super-duper star then he holds the prospects of your franchise in the palm of his hand. LeBron figuratively took Cleveland’s prospects into the palms of his hands, crushed them up into dust, then flippantly threw it all up in air during the most arrogant public spectacle in the history of sports.

Kevin Durant did just the opposite. That’s why, in this new NBA era of good versus evil, I’m wasting no time jumping emphatically to the side of good.

Oklahoma City, sign me up. Your bandwagon, if it still has room, now has one more member.

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* – Kevin Durant screaming photo credit: TheGo.com * – Kevin Durant smiling photo credit: NiceKicks.com

But before all that, we have to see who can make it out of their conference alive.

I’ll be previewing my own “highlighted” matchups for each round, as well as game follow-ups, highlights, and everything else NBA Playoffs over the next couple of months.

In the first round there is one mano-a-mano matchup between two names we recognize that stands out above the others. One name we’ve heard for years, another we will hear for years to come. One has a slate of four NBA rings in his collection, and the other is salivating to get his first.

I present to you the great matchup of newb vs veteran, all-star vs hall of famer, present vs future…

Kobe vs Kevin

When the Oklahoma City Thunder pay a visit to the Staples Center this Sunday, not only will it be a marquee matchup with two of the game’s best, but it will almost be like watching two different eras crashing in some sort of time warping collision.

But honestly, who could ask for more? It’s almost like this whole story has been written out by David Stern himself. We are watching the descent of the great Kobe Bryant, while witnessing the rising of the West’s next possible legend. Picture perfect. No?

Want more icing on top of the cake? In a recent game, in which the Lakers and Thunder played (OKC won), Phil Jackson had a few comments to make about Kevin Durant, and the relationship he has with the officials:

“Yeah, by the calls he gets, he really gets to the line a lot, I’ll tell ya,” Jackson said, according to The Oklahoman’s Web site.

Jackson also added that Durant gets the special “superstar” and “baby” calls. Here’s what Durant had to say in return:

If you say that I get superstar calls or I get babied by the refs, that’s just taking away from how I play. That’s disrespectful to me.

“If the refs pay attention to that and change how they call things because of that, that’s terrible,” Durant said, according to the newspaper. “That’s terrible to the game of basketball and to us.

So without a doubt, there hasn’t been much love as of late between the two promising teams. But these are just the side stories, let’s get to the basketball matter of the game.

For those of you who believe this series is lopsided, I’ve got news for you:

It’s not.

In the 4 games these teams have played, the Lakers have won three times, but 2 of those 3 victories were won by under 5 points. Not bad at all, especially when the team the Lakers beat is by average, the youngest team in the NBA.

Now that you know the Lakers won 3 out of 4, how about the loss? Well let me help describe how it went.

First off, the Lakers were just one assist above their all-time low for assists in a game, with 7. Second, the Thunder were up by as many as 33 points against the defending champs. Third, Russell Westbrook had 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting, six assists, and four steals, on the Lakers guards (which I believe is the Lakers’ weak point [point guards]). Fourth, the Kobe Bryant, and Lamar Odom were the Lakers top scorers, with 11, and then Odom with 15.

This doesn’t mean that the Lakers will have a TON of issues against OKC, I mean come on, they did win 3 of 4 in that season series, but still, Kobe with 11? Down by 33? This can’t happen to the defending champs!

But there is that #35 guy waiting on the other end. Could we see an explosion for KD, or will Kobe and co. simply BRING IT to OKC? Well…

…the Lakers are going into the playoffs rusty, with Andrew Bynum banged up, and with Phil Jackson going through his monthly period.

Just like ESPN’s J.A. Adande said, “if there is one time you’d want to play the Lakers in the post-season, it’s in the first round..”

But, the Lakers are the Lakers, and I expect Kobe to be…well, Kobe!

Personal Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers – 4 / Oklahoma City Thunder – 2

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* – Kobe & Durant photo credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images via ESPN.com