NBA's biggest stars plan exhibition world tour

Thus far, it has been an unusual off-season to the NBA, where the locked-out league saw failed negotiations between the owners at the players reach a point where actual regular season games got cancelled. Meanwhile, the locked-out players found their own way to have fun with hoops, playing exhibition games all around the USA, and for one magical week, in the Philippines, too.

If you were like me, you woke up this morning to even more depressing news about the lockout, that the bitter rift between the two sides widened and talks broke down. Well, here is some measure of good news coming via the NBA's players and a soon to be very popular Atlanta business mogul.

ESPN reported yesterday on what could be the mother of all lockout exhibition programmes: The NBA's finest players - pretty much ALL OF ITS FINEST PLAYERS, instead of a few here and there like the previous exhibitions - will be going on a two-week world tour, touching four countries in four different continents, and playing exhibition basketball games. It's the Beatles in Basketball form.

Of course, nothing is finalised yet, and a twist in the lockout negotiations story could change everything, so know that what you read ahead is only tentative.

Participating players? According to ESPN, the players taking part in this tour could include: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Amar'e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Rajon Rondo, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, Carlos Boozer, Paul Pierce, Kevin Love, Kevin Garnett, and Tyson Chandler.

No this is NOT a list of the NBA's best players, this is a list of players who could face each other in these international super all star games. The only notable exceptions from this list are Dirk Nowitzki (probably resting after the Euro Basket), Dwight Howard (who has already visited 15 countries this summer), Deron Williams (currently playing professionally in Turkey), and Pau Gasol (practicing with FCB Barcelona).

The tour, scheduled to be held from October 30 - November 9th, will make stops in Puerto Rico, London, Macau, and Australia. Two games each will be played at sites in London and Australia.

(Before you ask: sorry, there's no word yet on whether Kobe/LeBron/Wade etc will be dunking on each other at Mumbai's Nagpada or Ludhiana's Guru Nanak Stadium anytime soon.)

Here's more about this Superstar World Tour from ESPN.com, as reported by Chris Broussard:

Atlanta business mogul Calvin Darden has been putting the tour together with the players' agents for nearly three months. He has already obtained signed contracts from Bryant, Wade, Bosh, Griffin, Rondo and Pierce. Sources say he's hoping to complete the rest of the agreements, along with insurance requirements, over the next few days.
Even so, sources warned that the tour has not yet been finalized and there's still a chance it could unravel.

Darden is hoping to broadcast the games in as many international markets as possible and perhaps in the United States as well.
The players will be paid, receiving salaries ranging from six figures up to $1 million, sources said. Some of the money generated by the tour will be donated to charity.
The tour would be the biggest lockout event NBA players have ever staged.

Beyond the salaries the players will receive and the overseas venues, this tour is different in that the rosters will be comprised completely of All-Star caliber players.

Darden, the former senior vice president of U.S. operations for UPS, sits on the boards of Target, Coca-Cola and Cardinal Health. He is also the chairman of his own real estate development company, The Darden Development Group. In 2002, Fortune magazine named Darden the eighth-highest ranking black executive in America.

My friends, wherever you are, let's take a moment to get up from our seats and give a slow clap for The Talented Mr. Darden right now for potentially pulling off something massive like this. On second thought, let's hold the applause until this tour is actually finalised.

Meanwhile, the NBA's owners and players are not letting you and me and all the other fans enjoy the league we so love over a difference of 2.5 percent.

Video: Vince Carter - The Dunk of Death

I want to take a short interlude from our regular scheduled programming here at the Hoopistani blog to talk about my favourite dunk.

AAAAAH... The dunk... Everyone has a favourite dunker, a favourite slam, whether it is in a Slam Dunk competition, during a fast-break in a game, or my personal favourite, an unexpected elevation from a freakish athlete right in the middle of the crowded lane. Usually, these are the dunks that make for the best posters.

With so many choices, how do you pick just one? I'm starting off my narrowing my field down a little bit - the dunk has to be elite and relevant - and by that I mean, the dunker has to be a relevant basketball player at his time and the stage has to be at the most elite/competitive. So, sorry random dunkers (with little other basketball skills) in Algeria (Kadour Ziani) or streetball dunkers (Taurian Fontenette), or our own Indian Blake Griffin, TJ Sahi (who dunked over a Mumbai taxi two weeks ago): I'm officially unconsidering you all for my list.

The next thing I want to count out are dunk competitions altogether. Yes, they are nice to watch, sometimes. Yes, the likes of Jordan, Dominque, Dr. J, Kobe, Vince Carter, Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson, and Blake Griffin have been spectacular in dunk competitions, but they don't count for two points and crushed souls of the opponents like in-game dunks do. This paragraph is officially dedicated to TJ Sahi, the finest dunker in India, who one-upped Blake Griffin in India's own slam dunk competition 10 days ago with a dunk for the ages in Mumbai, when he jumped over a kali-peeli taxi.

Anyways, now seeing that my field has been narrowed down so far, you probably expect an in-game NBA dunk. You probably expect to see a big man like Amar'e Stoudemire, Shawn Kemp, or Blake Griffin eating opponents alive here. Or a backboard breaker by Shaq or Darryl Dawkins. Or John Starks pulling out a classic. Or Scottie Pippen making Patring Ewing cry, or Dr. J, Michael Jordan, or Dominique, or Vince Carter making posters out of ordinary human beings in an NBA game.

Nope.

My favourite dunk of all time does indeed belong to one of the names above. The last one, actually. Vince Carter. But it isn't from an NBA game - it's from the Olympics.

To a new NBA fan, Vince might be that dude who comes off the bench for the Suns, behind Jared Dudley. He's that slow-footed guy who looks like he doesn't care about the game at all, and averages about 14 points a game. Well, my friends, you need to go back in time, about a decade back actually, to realise that at point, Vince Carter was the most unstoppable force in the league. Without going into superlatives, I'll just say that where other talented players choose to slide in a tough lay-up, Vince Carter chose to rise above and slam it in. He is the man behind countless SportCenter Plays of the Day, countless Slam Magazine SLAMADAMONTH's, countless in-game humiliation, and the single greatest slam dunk competition performance of all time.

But for me, Vince's finest moment came in the 2000 Olympics, where he was representing the USA Basketball Team. This moment came in the game against France on September 25, 2000. Carter (6"6), jumped OVER the 7"2 Frédéric Weis' head and slamming the ball in. This dunk was so famous that it made the man who was dunked on famous. Just think about that. Weis, A French player, who never played in the NBA, and was barely an influence in the French national team, is known amongst hoop-heads for one reason, and one reason alone - Vince Carter. Hell, this dunk is SO famous it has its own nickname: The French Media called it "le dunk de la mort", or "the dunk of death".

It's a pity that, being an Olympic game, there are few excellent copies of it available on the internet. I present you the best copy available. Enjoy!



The Dunk of Death, indeed.

Video: TJ Sahi dunks over a Mumbai Taxi

Blake Griffin was not the first person to dunk over a car. But when the 'Blake Show' took off to slam it in over a Kia during the 2011 Slam Dunk competition, it was the first time an "over-the-car" dunk was done on such a big stage. I was there in person, and I was impressed. Half of me was impressed because it was a pretty good dunk, and the other half of me was impressed because of a combination of entertaining things that took place along with the dunk - The Gospel Choir, "I Believe I can Fly", the Staples Center home crowd cheering him on, and did I mention, it was the friggin NBA Slam Dunk Competition?

But strip the dunk bare of all the side-shows and what you're left with is a 6 foot 10 NBA player dunking over a short car.

Forward another couple of months. The scene is drastically different. It's a slam dunk competition all right, but one being held far from the glitz, glamour, and indoor-court comforts of Los Angeles/Staples Center. This dunk contest was being held at the first ever Indian All Star Weekend in Mumbai. The court was the Mastan YMCA, in Nagpada, which in most terms is the exact opposite of LA glamour. Nagpada is known for its kebabs, its crowds, its chawls, and its basketball.

And it was in this setting that, in an outdoor court, with a temporary rollover surface over the concrete court, and where the crowd had free entry to come and watch India's best dunkers exhibit their stuff, that TJ Sahi created history. If you don't know, Sahi is perhaps the most explosive dunker in India: the six foot tall Punjabi point guard, nicknamed 'Air India', has reached cult status for his athletic ability, and has been a main feature in several dunk competitions held in the country over the last few years. You can check out more of his videos on his YouTube channel.

During the Friday night events of the Indian All Star Weekend about two weeks ago, Sahi did his usual in the dunk contest - wowing audiences with his leaping ability. But he saved the best for last, taking a page out of Blake Griffin's book, and then topping him. Sahi dunked over a Mumbai kali-peeli (Black & Yellow) taxi on-court - a car with greater height than the Kia Griffin dunked on. Watch the video of some of Sahi's best dunking highlights below (over bikes, kids, etc, etc), and it ends with this famous over-the-taxi dunk. (Warning: loud Punjabi music to be expected).



Here is a complete list of ways in which this dunk was more awesome than Blake Griffin's:

1. The kali-peeli taxi, an icon of all things Mumbai, was higher than Blake's Kia.

2. Sahi is about 10 inches shorter than Griffin.

3. If you don't know, these outdoor Indian courts aren't exactly best-suited for basketball athleticism. The court is uneven, with bumps, unlike the comfortable NBA floors which are obviously much easier on the dunker's knees.

4. Don't know if Griffin practiced, but Sahi later confirmed to me that he didn't. "I just had a gut feeling I could do it," he said.

5. Sahi had to figure out a way to cover the meter and the sharp edges on the front of the taxi with a mattress, because a single misstep could've brought a whole lotta pain to his nether-regions.

6. The taxi driver and a bunch of kids sat inside the car to watch him leap over it. R. Kelly was replaced from the soundtrack in favour of some Punjabi music. Now THAT'S entertainment!

Once again, I count myself lucky to witness this first-hand, right behind the basket. Thanks TJ, for another historical moment - we'll be waiting to see what else you have in store for us.

NBA Playoffs- The Best Absentees

The playoffs are now only days away and I'm sure that if you're like me, you're barely able to sit still with all the potential drama that's going to follow in the NBA's postseason. But like every postseason, there are always those who aren't good enough to make it. 14 of the NBA's 30 teams are going fishing early, and some of these 14 teams have serious talent, too.

In the playoffs, we will get a chance to watch the likes of Derrick Rose, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Amar'e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, and many, many more stars... But before we splurge into the future and see who amongst these will rule the roast, let's take a moment to celebrate those whose season has already ended.

Steve Nash - Suns: Steve Nash is once again going to be the league leader in assists, and its a shame that he will not be able to step into the postseason to battle once more. The 2-time MVP perhaps saw his finest moment last year when he took the Suns to only a few games away from the NBA Finals. Ever since, Amar'e Stoudemire left and the team has been subpar at best without him. Of course, the 37-year-old point guard's efforts are not to be blamed, as he continues to be one of the strongest players not making an appearance in the post-season.

Deron Williams - Nets: Oh, poor Deron... Remember him? Just last year he was considered to be perhaps the best point guard in the league. With a mid-season trade to New Jersey, went from a team contesting for a playoff spot to one just hoping to not be the league's worst. His departure saw Utah plummet away playoff contention too, but this perennial playoff superstar will be missed this post-season.

Kevin Love - Timberwolves: Yes, Love has never made the playoffs before, and no, there wasn't even a chance for the lowly T-Wolves to make it this year, but he is the league leader in rebounds - that has to count for something, right? Hopefully we'll see his hustle in the playoffs soon in the near future.

Blake Griffin - Clippers: Along with Deron Williams, Kevin Love, and Yao Ming, Griffin is the fourth all-star this season not in the playoffs. Too bad, because the electrifying rookie would've been the toast of the league for a couple of games. At least he'll be able to drown his sorrows with the Rookie of the Year trophy.

Monta Ellis - Warriors: Some believe Monta is only a few steps away from being one of the most talked-about players in the NBA. After all, he did spend the season averaging 24.1 ppg, which by the way, makes him the highest-scoring player not in the postseason.

Special Mention - Kevin Martin & Yao* (Rockets), Al Jefferson (Jazz), Stephen Curry & David Lee (Warriors), Brandon Jennings & Andrew Bogut (Bucks), John Wall (Wizards), Tyreke Evans (Kings).

*Yes, I had to mention Yao.

And then there are those who are missing due to injury; these guys have teams in playoff contention but we will probably not be seeing them in action this postseason - Caron Butler (Mavericks), David West (Hornets), Greg Oden (Trailblazers). Fans will be wishing to see the likes of Shaq (Celtics) and Udonis Haslem (Heat) return to their squads sometime in the course of the playoffs.

The NBA - where even the losers are pretty damn good!

A memorable weekend in LA - My pics from the 60th NBA All Star Game

About a month ago, I was lucky enough to represent NBA.com/India at the 60th NBA All Star Weekend in Los Angeles. As you can imagine for someone who has been a lifelong fan of the game, it was indubitably one of the most memorable experiences of my life. From getting to meet and converse with the world's best basketball players, watching them compete against each other in the All Star Game and other exciting challenges, to just soaking in the terrific carnival of basketball that the City of Los Angeles had transformed into, there were way too many glorious moments to properly recapture the essence of actually being there.



I kept a daily blog for NBA-India during the Weekend. Check it out!
Day 1: Los Angeles, the Home to a Basketball Pilgrim on ASW.
Day 2: Can the Stars come out and play?
Day 3: The City of Angels, Hollywood, and the Black Mamba.

I know it took some time for me to get around to do this, but I've uploaded several of the photographs that I snapped from my own (very primitive) camera. Of course, if you want well taken photos from good cameras at fantastic angles, you are much better off finding them here - for everyone else, check out my pics and anecdotes below.

The weekend started with the Rookie practice and the Rookie game on Friday. But Friday afternoon was the real entertaining time, as the Media Members were invited to interview all of the Eastern and Western Conference All Star Players.

Being one of the hometown players, the Lakers' power-forward Pau Gasol obviously garnered a lot of attention, from the local as well as the Spanish-language Media. I got around to asking him about his experiences in India. "It was a great experience," Gasol said, "I had a chance to get to know India a little bit, but at the same time I was very busy. Hopefully I can visit again and get some downtime to do more. I'm hoping basketball continues to grow there: The NBA has done a good job in promoting the sport in India. They have gotten the kids excited about it and showed how great basketball is."

A few weeks before the All Star Game, Chris Paul, one of the top point guards in the league, conversed with fans in India via an online chat. Paul remembered the event and spoke about the future growth of the league worldwide. "It's unbelievable how the game has grown," he said, "Just a year ago, I went to London, Paris, and over in China. At one point in the late 90s you could say that basketball is America's game, but now it's a world's game. Everyone has caught up."


The toughest people to catch in the room were LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony (this was nearing the trade deadline and he was still a member of the Nuggets then), hometown player Blake Griffin (who took part in the Rookie Challenge, the Slam Dunk competition, and the All Star Game), and of course, the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant. The entire city of LA was like Kobe's shrine, and this was literally the clearest pic I could get of him - Kobe's media table was swarmed by nearly a 100 media people even BEFORE he showed up! Winning the All Star Game MVP later only added to his local mythical status.

And here's Derrick Rose, who in about a month's time will be named the regular season's MVP. Rose and Durant were two of the least hyped stars at the Weekend, despite the fact that they had been having incredible individual seasons. Playing point guard to the likes of LeBron and Wade, Rose made it clear before the All Star Game that he was going to defer and let others dominate the night.

Surrounded by 100s like Kobe is his Eastern Conference counterpart LeBron. LeBron ended up having only the second-ever All Star Game triple double since Michael Jordan - an incredible feat - but it wasn't enough as he wasn't able to stop Kobe and co run away with the game on Sunday night.

Many people may not remember this, but Garnett came to India about four years ago, while he was still a Minnesota player, as part of an adidas promotional trip. He visited Bangalore, Delhi, and Agra. When I asked him about it, Garnett spoke about his fondness for Indian food. "I'm a curry guy - so I loved it there!" he said.
On a more serious note, KG added how impressed he was by the schoolkids he worked with back in India. "The best thing about my tour was how the kids in India embraced basketball straight away," said Garnett, "My advice would be that they should know that they can improve in multiple areas. I spoke to kids there and told them that whatever your focus on life may be, be it football or basketball or their studies - they should do it with passion. Show love for whatever you're doing and do it with your heart first."

The first event on Saturday morning was a practice session for the two teams. All the All Stars took different sides of the same court to practice with their coaches for the weekend, but mostly, joke around with each other. After the practice session, they held a Guinness Book of World Records competition of most three-pointers made by a duo in a minute. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen of the Celtics represented the East and scored 13 threes. But their record was short-lived, as Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant quickly took on the challenge for the West and nailed 15 three-pointers to snatch the record away!

Right after the practice session, the Media were given permission to talk to the players on court. This is when I got a chance to approach Dwyane Wade and talk to him. Wade, who was the MVP of last year's All Star Game, said that this time around, he will not be gunning for the MVP - "I predict my teammate Chris Bosh will get it," he said. Wade had a low-key game, but nearly gave his fans a scare after he suffered a minor injury by stepping on Deron Williams' foot during the All Star Game.

One of the more likable characters in the course of the weekend was Ray Allen, who I got the opportunity to interview twice, on Friday and on Saturday. Allen had recently beaten Reggie Miller's record of most three-pointers made, and seemed to be on a roll, having the most efficient season of his career, even in an older age. This was the night that he was to participate in (and lose) the three-point shooting competition. Allen said that when he was growing up, his own shooting idol was Dell Curry.
Another anecdote regarding Ray Allen is that, the previous day, I asked him a question that I didn't really expect him to take seriously: see, I'm a big fan of Spike Lee's basketball classic He Got Game, featuring Ray Allen as a talented young star, Jesus Shuttlesworth, and Denzel Washington as his father who plays him one-on-one at the end of the game. I will not tell you any more about it, except that you need to go and see it. But back to my question: "Ray - who has been your toughest basketball challenge - Kobe Bryant... Or Denzel Washington?"
Without a flinch, and with a straight face, Jesus Shuttlesworth answered: "My toughest challenge is probably eating too much lasagna before a game!"

For most of the time, Thunder teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook took their interviews together, a good sign of the bond between the two young stars of one of the league's most exciting up-and-coming squads. Both of them had led Team USA to the FIBA World Championship gold in Turkey last summer, and in the progress, Kevin Durant won the tournament's MVP. Durant was optimistic about the growth of basketball worldwide. "It's great to see the talent developing around the world," he said, "I hope that one day basketball can become the most popular game in the world."

This photo is from Saturday night - the Slam Dunk competition, and here's Blake Griffin about to take off for his final dunk, while being serenaded "I believe I can fly" by a gospel choir, ready to jump over a car. The hype for this event may have been greater than the final product, but actually being there in person made this one of the most entertaining nights ever. I also believe that this was surely the most entertaining slam dunk competition since Vince Carter destroyed everything in his sight 11 years ago. Check out the video of Griffin's dunk here. And for good measure and nostalgia, here are Vince Carter's finest aerial moments.

Lakers fans, the photo below is for you. For Clippers fans, too, if there are any here. This is the Staples Center, the Mecca of Los Angeles Basketball. The area around Staples was entirely of a basketball theme. And I was lucky enough to be given a short tour of the Arena hours before the All Star Game.




ANDDDDD... Here we go... Tip off to the 60th NBA All Star Game - Amar'e Stoudemire and Tim Duncan tipping it off. It was the beginning to the end to a wonderful weekend - thanks a lot NBA for helping me soak in this amazing experience!

What were your thoughts on the All Star Weekend? What were your favourite moments and your favourite players? Feel free to share any thoughts on the comments section below...

Meet Me Halfway: Mid-Season predictions

It is now roughly halfway through the 2010-11 season, and you know what that calls for? Mid-Season predictions! Last year, cautious over all of the changes that might befall at the trade deadline, I waited till the end of Feb to make my mid-season predictions. This time around though, I'm going to take a brave plunge and do the predictions a month earlier, just to make the process fairer, math-wise.

Last year, I'm proud to say that I was correct in several categories. Lakers won the title, Kobe was Finals MVP, LeBron was MVP, Tyreke Evans was Rookie of the Year, Scott Brooks was Coach of the Year, Aaron Brooks won the Most Improved Player award, and Jamal Crawford was the sixth man of the year. The only category where I went way wrong was with the Defensive Player of the Year, as I underestimated eventual winner Dwight Howard by handing out my honours to Gerald Wallace instead. Of course, I also predicted that the Cavs will be in the NBA Finals. Ya, that was way, way, before a certain Game 5.

But again, I credit the late submission of my predictions for my accuracy. This year is going to be way, way tougher. LeBron's Decision and the Car-MeloDrama have raised a lot of questions about this season. Can James become MVP again, now that he shares his responsibilities with Dwyane Wade. Are Heat contenders? Are the Lakers worse. Should the Celtics never be doubted again. Why are the Spurs playing so well all of a sudden? Did anyone expect Derrick Rose and Amare Stoudemire to be THIS good? What about Magic/Mavericks/Thunder. And how will the end of the Carmelo Anthony saga (the end for this year = trade deadline) influence any predictions I make now?

So, very gingerly, I move on to my bold predictions for the 2010-11 season...

Most Valuable Player (MVP): Derrick Rose This year might be the most closely contested and most widely debated MVP race in my many years of NBA watching. There are at least 11 strong candidates, each of whom can put up a legitimate argument for the coveted award. And since it's such a close debate, I think they all deserve a shout-out.
Amar'e Stoudemire: The league's second-highest scorer. And he has transformed the lowly Knicks into a solid playoff team this season.
LeBron James: The stats leader in one of the best teams in the league. Heat have gone from being first-round fodder to potential title-challengers since his and Bosh's addition.
Dwyane Wade: LeBron's SuperTwin. James and Wade are Batman and Batman. Wade is playing equally well as LeBron is, which is why I argued that either both could be co-MVPs, or neither of them will get it.
Kobe Bryant: Still one of the best in the league in still one of the best teams in the league. Kobe and the Lakers have been ageless this season.
Dwight Howard: Never to be underestimated, as the only true mega-star in a great Magic team. The league's best post defender added a potent offensive arsenal, too.
Kevin Durant: His chances are hurt a bit, simply because of the rising play of Westbrook. But he's NBA's top scorer and Thunder are much better than last season.
Dirk Nowitzki: The Mavs were the NBA's second best team all of this season, until he got injured and they lost six in a row. That's a good argument for a second MVP award.
Manu Ginobili: A Spur HAS to be here. Spurs are terrific this season, currently on an NBA-best 36-6 record. Ginobili is the best player on the best team.
Rajon Rondo: A Celtic HAS to be here too. Too many options in Boston, but Rondo is the best/most consistent of them all.
Chris Paul: Has carried a very average Hornets team on his frail shoulders... They are still in the playoff hunt.
As you can see... A tough, tough challenge to predict this. But my vote goes to Derrick Rose. Rose has excelled in all the categories that the above players have done well in, and then some. He is averaging 24 and 8, leading the Bulls to third place in the East, and they have shown again and again the cojones to beat the league's best. Despite other teams' ups and downs (or in the case of Celtics/Spurs, their balanced ups), Bulls, led by Rose have done well when they have been without Carlos Boozer or without Joakim Noah.
That is why I vote Derrick Rose, 2010-11 NBA MVP.

Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin From the toughest decision to the easiest one. Blake is not only the best rookie this year, he may be having the best rookie season for over a decade. Averaging 22.5 and 12.8, scoring regular 40 point games, posterising any and everyone that dare mess with him under the basket, and most importantly, making the Clippers (who have won 10 of 13) into a REAL threat. No debate here. John Wall and Landry Fields are having good years too, but they aren't good enough to stand in Blake's shadow.

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard No one candidate stands head and shoulders above anyone, so I'm going with the safe choice here. Howard is the most consistent good defender in the league, and I think he will edge out Kevin Garnett, LeBron, Wade, Andrew Bogut, Kobe, and Josh Smith for this award.

Most Improved Player: Kevin Love Roy Hibbert of the Pacers looked like he was going to run away with this award earlier in the season, but Love has really made a case for himself halfway into the year. After averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds a game last season, he has picked his averages up to 21.5 ppg and 15.7 rpg, and he is the league's leading rebounder. Now THAT'S improvement.
But there are a lot of legit contenders for Love for this award too: Derrick Rose, if he wasn't an MVP candidate, Michael Beasley, if he wasn't Love's LESSER teammate, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Jrue Holiday, and Wesley Matthews are all in with a shout.

6th Man of the Year: Glen Davis That's right. Big Baby is finally going to get some respect coming his way. With Perkins out injured, KG and Shaq being missing a bunch of games, Jermaine O'Neal barely playing, it's been Davis who has had to carry the big man load often for the Celtics. And he has done if off the bench most of the time. He has nearly doubled his output this season, now averaging 12.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg.
Tyrus Thomas, last year's winner Jamal Crawford and perennial 6th man favourite Jason Terry have done well off the bench, too.

Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau Thibo (that's what I'm going to call him from now onwards to make life simpler for all) deserves to share the credit with Derrick Rose for Chicago's improved play. The former apprentice of Boston's Doc Rivers, Thibo has made this team into a defensive powerhouse, and has perfectly fitted in the new players that have joined the side. Erik Spoelstra (why do coaches have such hard to spell names?), Gregg Popovich, Jerry Sloan (he HAS to win one day, right? Right?) deserve to be mentioned in this race, too.

All NBA Team

G: Derrick Rose
G: Dwyane Wade
F: LeBron James
F: Amar'e Stoudemire
C: Dwight Howard

This list pretty much picked itself. And damn, it's a hell of a list.

All Rookie Team

G: John Wall
G: Landry Fields
F: Ed Davis
F: Blake Griffin
C: DeMarcus Cousins

I had a hard time finding a second forward for this team, Ed Davis will have to do. And I'm disappointed that Derrick Favors/Evan Turner haven't showed up yet.

Now, on to what I feel will be the Playoff Picture come May:

East

1. Heat
2. Celtics
3. Bulls
4. Magic
5. Hawks
6. Knicks
7. Bucks
8. 76ers

Since I'm Nostradamus (or Hoops-a-Damus) this is what's going to happen: Heat will chop open and each the 76ers, Celtics will molest the Bucks, Bulls and Knicks will be closer than most think, but Bulls will win in seven, and Hawks will revisit their nightmare, and just like last year, have no answer for the Magic.

In the second round, I expect Heat and Magic to play out an entertaining six or seven game series, but Heat's individual brilliance will take them past. Celtics should have little trouble beating the Bulls, despite Thibo and Doc River's similar ways, Celtics are saving themselves for this moment.

Conference Finals: Heat vs Celtics. THIS WILL BE EPIC. If there is anyone that knows how to thwart superstars, its Boston. If there are any superstars that know how to thwart defenses, it's Wade and James. It will take seven games, but Boston Celtics will be the last one's standing from the East.

West

1. Spurs
2. Lakers
3. Mavericks
4. Jazz
5. Thunder
6. Nuggets
7. Suns
8. Hornets

I see a couple of potential upsets here. If Melo stays in Denver (A HUGE IF), the Nuggets will be dangerous. But they will face a deeper Maverick squad, who should beat them in a close series. Thunder I say will upset the Jazz and move into the second round. Spurs over Hornets, Lakers over Suns, easily.

Spurs will be given a shock by Thunder's youth, but they will use their wily old experience to get past. Lakers will finally come to their own in the Mavs series and beat them in six.

Conference Finals: Spurs vs Lakers, just like the old times. Except now, the Spurs would've gotten worse as the playoffs progress, and Lakers, better. I expect Kobe and Los Angeles Lakers to play their best basketball of the year in this series and advance to the NBA Finals.

NBA Finals: Celtics vs Lakers Call it an easy, cop-out choice, but hey, I say it as I foresee it! LA's fourth straight finals appearance, Celtics third in four years. A repeat of 2010 and 2008. This one will be to decide who is truly the team of this era.
I think a lot of trends from last year's finals will repeat, but this time around, I feel the Celtics, despite their age, will come out on top. They have too much depth, toughness, defensive tenacity, and consistency to go down to LA again. I say Celtics win the NBA Finals in six games.

And once again, it'll be done through team-work. But there has to be an MVP, and for his improved playoff performance (like last year), the Finals MVP will be Rajon Rondo.

Let me reverse roles here and turn it over to you guys - what are your predictions for MVP, DPOY, ROY, Champions, etc this year? How much do you agree/disagree with me?