Memphis Grizzlies are The Expendables

No matter what happens in tonights/tomorrow morning's Game 7 between the OKC Thunder & the Memphis Grizzlies, one thing is for sure: The Grizz have more than impressed this post-season. For a franchise that had never even won a single playoff game, to finish 8th in the Western Conference standings, and still find themselves just a game away from a place in the Conference Finals is nothing short of amazing.

But what makes this feat even more amazing is that the Grizzlies, unlike the other teams still surviving in the playoffs (Bulls, Heat, Thunder, Mavericks), have done it with a roster full of misfits, rejects, and expendables. Unlike Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Dirk Nowitzki, the Grizzlies don't have a single current all star on their squad. And it was this roster that defeated the best team in the West, the Spurs in the first round, and it's this roster that is now taking the Thunder to a deciding game in the second round.

Leading from the front is obviously Zach Randolph, the much-maligned power-forward who bounced around the league carrying on him a reputation of being a nutcase and a selfish, incomplete player. Randolph was only the 19th pick in the 2001 draft, and after his third year in the league, he started to build an impressive offensive repertoire. As he traveled from Portland to New York to the LA Clippers to Memphis, Randolph's production remained consistent, but he was never considered to be an elite power forward. He has only one all star appearance and his highest individual honour has been a single All-NBA third team appearance, which only happened this year.

And yet, he has been one of the most valuable players in this post-season, peaking at just the right time in his career in terms of maturity and talent to carry this unfancied side this far.

Randolph's frontcourt mate is Center Marc Gasol, the less popular brother of Pau, who is considered to be one of the greatest Euros to ever play in the NBA. While Pau won rings and accolades, Marc slowly gained a reputation as being one of the most solid if not spectacular NBA big men. But Marc was also considered an 'expendable' three years ago - he was drafted by the Lakers as the 48th pick, but his rights were traded to Memphis with a few others in exchange for older brother Pau. It is funny to think that this year, Marc has been far more valuable than his older bro.

While Zach and Marc may do all the scoring, the real reason why Memphis are troubling the Thunder so much has been the defense of Tony Allen on Thunder superstar Kevin Durant. Guarded by Allen, one of the best man-to-man defenders in the NBA, Durant's efficiency has fallen way off. He had early troubles in his career as a Celtics off the court, as he was involved in a shooting incident where he was accused of 'breaking another man's eye socket'. But just like Randolph, Allen's on-court reputation was impeccable: He was an important part of the Celtics side that reached the 2010 Finals, but Boston considered him expendable come summertime, leaving the door open for Memphis to swoosh in and sign him. He has since become the heart and soul of his rugged side, giving them the toughness they have needed - before Durant, Allen was responsible for tough D on Manu Ginobili in the first round.

The next case is of swingman OJ Mayo, who has had his own brushes with controversy. Despite being an unstoppable high-school talent, Mayo's reputation was tarnished when he was accused of receiving improper from his college, USC. He was still the third pick in the 2008 draft (by the Timberwolves) but with his character in question, he was traded away to Memphis. This year, Mayo, who in his youth was compared to Kobe Bryant, was humbled when asked to play off the bench. The core of this Grizzlies side nearly self-combusted when Mayo was invovled with an altercation with Tony Allen on an airplane, but the situation was quickly resolved and the team found its chemistry again. But Mayo's troubles didn't end, as in January, the NBA suspended him 10 days for testing positive for banned substance Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). The Grizzlies nearly traded him away at the trade deadline, but the attempted trade for Indiana Pacers' Josh McRoberts failed because both teams ran out of time.

But the prodigious talent seems to have left behind his issues for the playoffs, where he has been an important contributer whether off the bench or when in the starting lineup.

There are several other cogs to this complex Grizzlies side. There is Shane Battier, the offensively limited, but defensively brilliant small forward, who has time and again taken the responsibility of guarding the opposing team's best players. Battier was only brought back to Memphis from Houston in the mid-season, and its no coincidence that this intelligent glue-guy is behind this team's surprising rise.

There is Mike Conley Jr., who came into the league as an afterthought at the point guard position but slowly and unspectacularly worked his way to a stable starting role for the Grizz. The Grizzlies even game him a surprisingly large contract extension at the beginning of the season, but he has so far repaid (kind of) their faith.

Then there's second year man Sam Young, probably the least known starter for the Grizzlies. Most teams would've ignored him - and they did, since he was the 36th pick by the Grizzlies, but despite averaging just over 7 points a game, Young's range and work ethic have suddenly made him crucial for this Memphis side.

This core is surrounded by the likes of Greivis Vasquez, Darrell Arthur, and Hamed Haddadi, players who are surprising many onlookers by being important contributers to Memphis' deep playoff run.

But what is perhaps as interesting as what the Grizzlies have is who the Grizzlies lost. They started off last season with a certain Allen Iverson on their team, who is by far the most popular player to ever wear a Grizzlies jersey. Alas, Iverson's issues with coming off the bench made this a short alliance - he only played three games for the Grizz before his contract was terminated. The team continued their rise without him.

The other 'absent' piece is Rudy Gay - on pure talent, perhaps the most valuable player in the Grizzlies franchise, and the one who has come closest to representing the team as an all star. Gay was averaging nearly 20 points and over six rebounds a game this season before his year was cut short after only 54 games. He was counted out for the rest of the season, and without him, the Grizzlies were doubted even to make the playoffs, much less be on the verge of a Conference Finals date. But that is how basketball works sometimes - Memphis found addition in the subtraction, and without Gay dominating the ball in the perimeter, they found a simple and effective system in going to their post players first and spreading the floor around them. And viola! - the Grizzlies became a better team without their (former) best player!

So, who knows how far the Grizzlies can go? Will tonight beat the end of their fairytale season? Or will they beat the Thunder in Game 7? Will they cause match-up problems for the Mavs? NBA Finals? This team consists of players who have fought personal demons, rejection, and low expectations throughout their career. But against everyone's predictions, they have bounced back, and now, no one will predict it against them to keep soaring.

Playoffs... Round 2... FIGHT!

I don't know about you, but that was indeed a breathless and emotional first round, perhaps one of the more exciting ones in recent years (of course, barring that SUPER-EPIC Bulls-Celtics 1st Round series two years ago). This year was breathless because of some crucial big games and some crucial upsets, and emotional because my favourite team, the Knicks finally made the playoffs for the first time in seven years only to be shown the door in four depressing games.

Anyways, we are now in the second round, and in a few paragraphs, I will lay out my predictions for four more intriguing series. Before we get there though, let's take a quick recap of what's happened so far:

- His Hornets couldn't complete their incredible bid for an upset, but Chris Paul (22 ppg, 11.5 apg, 6.7 rpg, 1.8 spg) is my nominee for 1st Round MVP. Epic performances in Game 1 (33, 14, 7) and Game 4 (27, 15, 13) were especially impressive.
- Grizzlies created history by becoming just the fourth eighth seed ever to beat a top seed when they beat the Spurs. I'm still enjoying the afterglow of that victory. The West has indeed been pushed wide open.
- Goodbye to Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Chris Paul - great players gone fishing.
- My first round predictions were a semi-disaster. With Hawks, Mavericks, and Grizzlies winning, I only scored 5/8. Let's see how these ones go...

East

(1) Bulls vs. (5) Hawks: Chicago struggled more than they should have against the Pacers, but they still managed to pull off a neat-looking 4-1 victory. They showed two things: 1) They still needed consistent offense from someone else but Derrick Rose to beat the better teams in the playoffs and 2) They showed poise to win games where they didn't play well, a sign of a great team. I think this team will be a lot more confident now that they have survived a first round.
The Hawks will go as far as the Bulls allow them to go. Yes, I don't discount their surprising domination of the Magic in the first round, but Chicago will be a whole another animal to deal with. Hawks will have trouble scoring over an elite Bulls defense, and everyone in that team will have trouble stopping Derrick Rose, especially since news is now coming that Kirk Hinrich may be seriously injured.
Chicago Bulls win 4-2

(2) Heat vs. (3) Celtics: Adrian Wojnarowski, on his Yahoo! Sports article, predicted that this could possibly be the biggest second round series ever. I am inclined to agree. This is a match-up fit for the finals, with enough storylines to keep one's mind well and truly boggled. Here's a quick rundown of the drama that will surround this incredible series:
1) Miami showed great vulnerability against Boston all season, losing their first three match-ups, before getting their revenge in the last one.
2) Miami, with its Big 3 of Wade, LeBron, and Bosh, are the league's most hyped team this year. Celtics have done it all before with their own Big 3 of Garnett, Pierce, and Allen, who won the championship in 2008. The question now is, who wins? Players in their prime in Miami but lacking the experience that the Celtics three had/have? Or the veterans, with more experience now, and with a much deeper bench?
3) LeBron James: A year ago, LeBron played for the Cavs against the Celtics at this exact stage. We all know how that ended. Celtics helped kill the LeBron era in Cleveland, helped push the brand of LeBron as a big-game choker, and the NBA's villain. Believe this: there is NO team in the world that LeBron wants to beat more than Boston. Read Wojnarowski's article linked above to know more.
4) Dwyane Wade: Before they beat LeBron, the Celtics beat Wade and Miami in the first round last year, but Wade didn't lose without having some big individual games. He has struggled against Boston this season, but now its his chance to show that he can beat them with the right squad around him.
5) Shaquille O'Neal: Will Shaq even play? A former teammate to both LeBron and Wade, I will be looking to see if the Big EVERYTHING can be a factor to end the dreams of his former teammates.
6) Delonte West: He's a Celtic now. He was a Cav last year. Ask LeBron's mum about the rest of the story.
7) The Matchups: Kevin Garnett vs. Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce vs. LeBron James, Ray Allen vs. Dwyane Wade will all be intriguing to watch... But who's gonna stop Rondo? And will Miami have an answer for Boston's deep bench?
My answer to that last question is yes, they will. Boston are deeper and more experienced, but they are also old and past their primes. I believe that Miami have begun to peak at just the right time in this series. It will be a back-and-forth battle where the equation and the momentum could shift after each game - I know it's tough to call, but I am going to side with the home-court advantage. I expect big things from LeBron and Wade here, and I expect seven unforgettably close games.
Miami Heat win 4-3

West

(2) Lakers vs. (3) Mavericks: With the Spurs out of the equation, the Lakers have to be feeling a lot more confident about completing their three-peat now. I know they showed some hesitancy in the first round against New Orleans, but from experience, I can say that this is a team that just gets better as the playoffs progress - remember last year, when they showed hesitancy against the Thunder in the first round and then went on to win a championship? Kobe is in Warrior-Mode, Gasol showed signs of recovery, and Bynum will be the key once again. Lakers are deep enough beyond these three, as consistent play by Artest and Odom will only improve.
Mavs, on the other hand, are running out of legitimate believers. Yes, they beat Portland, but it is how they perform against LA that will define them. Kidd and Nowitzki have been searching for that championship for all their careers, and this season could be their last best chance - fitting then, that their job is to remove the reigning champs off their perch. I say that they come up short.
LA Lakers win 4-2

(4) Thunder vs. (8) Grizzlies: If you're the Thunder, you have to be happy, right? Not only did you just cross the first round for the first time, beating a tricky Denver team 4-1, but your second round just got a whole lot easier. No disrespect to Memphis, but I'm sure Thunder had the Spurs and their experience in mind all throughout. Tony Allen contained Manu Ginobili - could he contain Kevin Durant? This could be the year that Durant begins to build his playoff legacy, and a big series against the Grizzlies could go a long way in securing it.
But can the team that just beat the West's best be so easily discounted? It took some amazing basketball by the Grizzlies to defeat the consistently unstoppable Spurs. And Memphis power-forward Zach Randolph has especially impressed me with elite-level play against perhaps the greatest power forward ever in Tim Duncan. Will Grizzlies be able to keep up the momentum in the second round, especially against another youthful team? I doubt it, but I doubted them before, too, and look what they did.
OKC Thunder win 4-1

So there we go - I say that the Conference Finals will be Bulls vs. Heat and Lakers vs. Thunder - what are your predictions?

My Pre-Season recap, if there's anyone out there to listen...

Please care about the pre-season. Please, pretty please! Look, I even went on NBA.com/India and pleaded its case. It's not not important, okay?

Well, whatever your sentiments may be for the seven or eight exhibition games played by each NBA team before the start of the regular season, you can now hold them until next October. The pre-season has concluded, the real season is only three/four days away, and peace has been restored in the galaxy, somewhat.

Still, the last few weeks haven't passed by without its set of talking points. Here are the stories that stood out from over the last few weeks of pre-season games:

The new technical rule: Be careful the next time you pump your fist in excitment or frown at the referee or raise your eyebrow to emulate The Rock. NBA refs have been given a super ridicolous new technical foul rule that will keep most of the NBA's players worried more about their body language than their defensive assignments. A bunch of critics have already emerged against this new rule and we can hope that Commissioner Stern will ease them up a little.

NBA going to Europe, Mexico, and Outdoors: The NBA continued to try new things in the pre-season, as the Lakers, Knicks, and the Timberwolves headed to Europe to play in Milan, Paris, and London. The Spurs also faced the Clippers in Mexico. And the Suns, in what is starting to look like a yearly tradition, held an outdoor game against the Mavericks.

The Teams playing well...: The Jazz have been on an absoulte tear in the pre-season, going 8-0, and so have the Magic, who have been 7-0. The Magic is no surprise: this is their THIRD STRAIGHT undefeated pre-season, and they're on a 21-0 pre-season streak. Too bad it doesn't count in conference finals games against the Celtics.
The surprise undefeated squad are the Grizzlies, who have also gone 8-0. And there are a few more surprises, because back in the East, the Cleveland Cavs are the third best team, going 6-2. Should anyone be shocked, since this has been the best regular season team over the last two years? They lost, like, just one player, right? Whatshisface whoever?
And then there's the Celtics, who are looking scary efficient, including their bench. They went 7-1. Plus, Shaq is in Boston and all things in life seem to be happy again.

... And the ones dissapointing: The Suns, last year's Western Conference finalists, lost Amar'e, and look in danger of losing their swagger, too. Then again, this is only the pre-season.

New faces making it count: The two leading scorers of the pre-season are both new faces in their squads: Amar'e in New York and LeBron in Miami. It'll be interesting to see how LeBron's scoring will be effected once Wade returns from his injury. Amar'e looks like he'll flourish with D'Antoni again.
The third leading scorer is Monta Ellis... Is this is a sign for a breakout season?

Miami-Orlando cancelled game: The NBA doesn't want LeBron, Dwight, Bosh, or Stan Van Gundy to fall on a slippery floor and hurt themselves (not too sure about Stan, actually). That is why this game was cancelled in Tampa last night. Too bad, it would've been a chance for Magic to protect their super important pre-season winning record against the new-look Heat.

Injury concerns in Miami: Wade went out about three minutes into the Big 3's debut in Miami. And now, it seems Mike Miller's gonna miss a couple of months. This is not my favourite team, but it'll still be sad to see injuries stopping what could otherwise be a historically good squad.

Rookies stepping up: The silent battle for this year's rookie of the year has already begun. Blake Griffin (injured and missed all of last season), John Wall, and DeMarcus Cousins are all looking good. Should be a fun race to keep an eye on.

The Carmelo Question: Is he going to New Jersey? No he's going to New York now. No, Chicago is the best fit right now. I think he's happy in Denver.
Too much speculation, too few answers. As of now, Carmelo Anthony is still a Nugget, but things could change as soon as I finish this sentence, really. He seems to have caught the LeBron-Decision bug and look for brighter lights and bigger success. I wonder how the speculation is going to affect his game...

Lockout looming?: Dark clouds in the league ahead. There has been much discussion and debate about the player's salary agreement, and it seems right now that David Stern wants the player's salary to be dropped by a third. Will there be repurcussions? Will there be a lockout? Rajon Rondo is already saving his cash for next year.

But whatever happens next season, happens next season. In three days, the 2010-11 season tips off. I will soon have my season review up, too. Let's get ready for some games that count...

Can no NBA team use an Answer?

I have been an Allen Iverson fan for over a decade. If you were born any time between 1975-1995 and you like basketball, there is a good chance that at some point in your life, you fell in love with Allen Iverson. If you're short, quick, and like to dribble the ball a bit too much, Allen Iverson is probably your guru.

But in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult to support the former MVP/former Rookie of the Year/former 11-time All Star/former 4-time scoring champions/former two time All Star MVP, and this is because there are a hell of a lot of 'former' great things that he has done and not much in the present. Still, it is a shocker to see someone go from 26.1 ppg and 7.1 apg guy in his last full season in Denver (2008) to being tossed around to Detroit and Memphis and back to Philadelphia and now being jobless.

Yes, 2008. Iverson was averaging over 26 points a game in a Nuggets team two years ago. He played all 82 regular season games that season, but in 2009, managed only 57. That number dwindled to 28 in 2010. It was a mixture of minor injuries, foolish pride, and personal circumstances that pushed him so far away so soon.

And now, with less than two months remaining before the beginning of the upcoming NBA season (YEAHH!), Iverson isn't being courted by a single NBA team. Not one. So what does he plan to do? Well, if certain "sources" are to be believed, he's going to pull a Stephon Marbury. No, I don't mean eat a jar of vaseline and broadcast his life live on the internet.

I mean China:

Unwanted by the NBA, Allen Iverson is considering playing in China.
Gary Moore, Iverson’s personal manager, said Iverson has not been contacted by any NBA team with training camps set to open in less than two weeks. Moore said there is “legitimate interest” between Iverson and a team in China to work out a deal. Moore did not know the team’s name and was vague on details.
“We’re very astonished, to say the least, that not one team has contacted us with any interest,” Moore said. “I just don’t understand it.”

Moore says a Chinese team first approached the 35-year-old Iverson last month.

Furthermore, The Hoops Market reports that "the 35-year-old guard is in talks with Foshan (the new name of Shaanxi) for the next season, according to sources from the Chinese team."

Wow. So it seems AI is ready to follow Starbury on his Chinese adventure. Sure, he'll be popular as hell there. Chinese ball players have long been Iverson fans - maybe its the (lack of) height, or the quickness, or the flashy game, or the flashy off-court persona, or maybe they think that 40 bars is the greatest song ever. Either way, if he does show up there he'll undoubtedly be a success.

But I hope I'm not jumping ahead of myself here. This is Allen Iverson we're talking about. Allen friggin Iverson. Come on, someone in the NBA needs to pick him up already. Knicks? Raptors? Suns? SOMEONE needs an Answer, right. Right?

Dwight Howard vs. Pau Gasol: Battle of the India visitors

You knew this was inevitable, didn't you? After being relatively starved of NBA star-power for years, the world's finest basketball league decided to spoil us this summer. I already feel that August 2010 will go down in NBA India lore as the summer/monsoon season where India took its biggest splurge towards becoming a large NBA market.

In the space of two weeks, All-Star Orlando Magic Center Dwight Howard and All-Star Los Angeles Lakers Power Forward/Center Pau Gasol landed in India. Now apart from being recent fans of India, these two players have a lot more in common: they are both big players hovering around the 7 foot range, they are both in successful teams who have been going deep in the playoffs the last few years, and they are both devastatingly talented players.

But the question remains: which one of the NBA's All Star visitors to India is a better player: Dwight Howard or Pau Gasol? The two players faced each in the 2009 NBA Finals where Gasol, Kobe and the Lakers beat the Howard and the Magic 4-1. I'm going to lay down my stats and opinions, and finally my choice.

But first, I must answer the more important question of "What is better?" Is the better player the one with the better statistics? Is the better player the one who wins more? Is it someone who can carry a team better? Is it someone who performs better in tougher circumstances? Is it someone with a bigger worldwide influence?

Maybe it's a combination of all these things. And I'm going to use all of those factors, and then finally determine it through a final determining factor: "If I am starting a new team today, which player would I pick first?"

So here we go...

Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic): 24 years old, 6"11, 120 kg, Center
Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers): 30 years old, 7"0, 113 kg, Power Forward/Center

Basic Individual Statistics: 2009-2010 season - PPG: points per game, RPG: rebounds per game, APG: assists per game, BPG: blocks per game, SPG: steals per game.

Howard: 18.3 ppg, 13.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 2.8 bpg, 0.9 spg
Gasol: 18.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.7 bpg, 0.6 spg

Howard and Gasol averaged the same points per game, despite Gasol being the second option in his team (behind Kobe) whereas Howard being his team's "main man". In his last full season in Memphis before going to the Lakers, Gasol averaged 20.8 ppg. Howard, who is the two-time reigning defensive player of the year, scores better in rebounds and blocks (where he has led the NBA), and other important defensive factors that don't appear on the scoresheet.

The "Real Season", as many believe, actually begins in the playoffs, where the games are much tougher and a player's talents are tested more. Here are the statistics from last season's playoffs for both these players: Gasol played 23 games and went on all the way to win the title, whereas Howard's Magic were knocked out in the Conference Finals after playing 14 games.

Basic Individual Statistics: 2009-2010 Playoffs

Howard: 18.1 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 3.5 bpg, 0.8 spg
Gasol: 19.6 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.1 bpg, 0.4 spg

Both players improved on their blocks average, but as you can see, there is a sharp rise in Gasol's scoring and a slight fall in Howard's in the playoffs. Howard also became a worse rebounder. Most of these struggles are due to the Celtics Conference Finals series.

Team Success

This is where the intangibles begin - I place a lot of importance on team success to determine a player's value. Dwight Howard, still only 24, joined the Magic as a rookie in 2004. After closely missing the playoffs in his first two seasons, Dwight has led the Magic for four straight years. For the last three years, Magic have been the best team in the Southeast division over the regular season. In 2009, Magic went all the way to the Finals only to lose to the Lakers. In 2010, they lost in the Conference Finals to the Celtics.

Gasol has had a lot more success with his teams. He has been in the NBA for nine years, six of which he spent with the Memphis Grizzlies. The team moved from Vancouver to Memphis in his first season there. In six full season's with the Grizzlies, Gasol saw Playoffs three times, each time to lose out in the first round. To be fair, the Grizzlies were a much inferior team who overachieved every year in a tough conference. But Gasol immediately showed his class after being traded to the Lakers half-way through the 2007-08 season. The Lakers became a world-class team again and made the NBA Finals for three straight years, winning the Championship twice. What is more astonishing is that he Lakers have only lost three straight games once in the Gasol era!

Both Howard and Gasol have had international success with USA and Spain respectively. Howard followed the "disappointment" of a Bronze medal in the 2006 World Championships with a Gold over Gasol's Spanish team at the 2008 Olympics. Gasol's Spain won the 2006 Championships Gold (with Gasol named the MVP of the tournament) and his team won Silver at the 2008 Olympics. In the FIBA European Championships, Gasol and Spain have won Gold (2009), Silver twice (2007, 2003), and Bronze (2001).

Howard never got the opportunity to star in a packed US squad filled with players like Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, etc, whereas Gasol has always been the first option for Spain.

More Valuable?

The last few categories may have made the questions of better statistics, better performance under pressure, and more team success, but the question remains: Given the same set of circumstances, which player would perform better? Would the Lakers win even more games if they traded Dwight Howard for Pau Gasol? Would the Magic continue to perform so well consistently if they had Gasol instead of Howard in the middle for them?

Gasol has had the luxury of having one of the NBA's best players in Kobe Bryant, the NBA's best coach in Phil Jackson, and an amazing supporting cast including Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest, Lamar Odom and others backing him. Howard's Magic may not be as star-studded, but they are certainly one of the deepest teams in the League, with talent pouring out of even their 11th and 12th best players. Last season, Dwight was surrounded by players like Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, Matt Barnes, Brandon Bass, Adonal Foyle, Jason Williams, Mikael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, and others. Stan Van Gundy isn't a bad coach, either.

My opinion is this: Gasol wouldn't be able to carry his team as far as Howard does every year. But conversely, I don't think Howard has the ability to carry a team with a different system (like Spain), or be able to play an ideal complementary player to someone like Kobe in LA. The biggest reason for the Lakers' consistent success since the Gasol trade has been the fact that Gasol eases can ease between being a main player to a complementary team player with ease. His shooting and passing make him stand-out in Phil Jackson's system, something that Howard would've struggled with.

The two also have a curious distinction: Howard is a stronger player physically whose biggest drawback may be his mental ability. Gasol is a relatively softer player but has shown championship caliber and toughness - especially against Garnett and the Celtics these last finals. I am actually of the opinion that Gasol should have been named the Finals MVP this time instead of Kobe.

The other major difference is in offence and defence: Gasol is one of the best offensive big men in the league (perhaps second only to Dirk Nowitzki), but has been exposed for his defensive problems in the past. Howard is a two-time defensive player of the year, a monster in the paint on defence, but hardly has any offensive post moves to stand amongst the greats.

There is one other clear advantage Howard has - he is about six years youngster than Gasol, and thus can be potentially a much greater player.

So, who do I pick?

So if it comes down to it today: I'm starting a new NBA franchise, I have no player on my team yet, and can make my first choice between Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol. There is also no guarantee how good my supporting cast will be - it could be LeBron James and Dwyane Wade or it could be Mo Williams and Jamario Moon.

And with my first pick I choose... (drumroll)... Pau Gasol!

He may be older and lacking in some of the raw atletism that Howard is gifted with, but Gasol will guarantee me a competitive team with any kind of roster.

Phew! Do you think I'm right? Or do you think I need to get some more sleep to think clearly? Both of them came to India, but who do you choose for your team - Dwight Howard or Pau Gasol?