THE BASEMENT NBA ALL-STARS: All-Stars from the bottom of the standings

The All-Star reserve list was announced on Thursday and with every announcement come a band of critics of the list. For instance, Al Jefferson didn’t make the All-Star team but some would argue that he’s not deserving because although he's playing great, his team is horrible. A lot of good players on bad teams never get the credit as All-Star talent because their team is sitting in the bottom of the standings. Some people call them All-Star snubs, some people call them Stat Stuffers on bad teams, either way here’s the best of the worst.

Here are the qualifications for this team:
Have to have played at least 40 Games
All-Starrish stats this season
Player's come from a team with a losing record

In the West:

Starting at Point Guard
Russell Westbroook, Oklahoma City Thunder (11-35)
Finding a good point guard in the West is easy. Finding a good point guard in the West on a losing team is impossible. There's Tony Parker, Chris Paul, Steve Nash on the winning side but the best on the losing side is Russell Westbrook. He has been amazing as a rookie. Westbrook has averaged 14 pts, 4 reb and 4 assists for the Thunder. And on another note, he should also be in the dunk contest instead of Rudy Fernandez.

Starting at Shooting Guard
OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies (11-34)
This spot is hard to fill . I could have went a few directions but Mayo has been pretty consistent and has been an offensive threat for the Grizz. Mayo is averaging 19 pts per game and is a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year.

Starting at Small Forward
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder (11-35)
The Thunder are in 13th place in the Western Conference but they got a young 20-year old Kevin Durant to build their franchise around for the future. KD has been a quiet all-star in OKC and has been averaging 25 points and 6.6 boards. In the West, Durant is the third highest scorer behind Kobe & Dirk.

Starting at Power Forward
Al Jefferson, Minnesota Timberwolves (16-28)
Probably the biggest All-Star snub, Al Jefferson has been averaging 22 pts, 10 rebounds & 1.6 blocks with the Wolves. Minnesota has been playing good ball as of late going 7-3 in their last ten. Jefferson is one of only three players in the league to average 20/10.

Starting at Centre
Andris Biedrins, Golden Sate Warriors (14-32)
Biedrins has been a beast on the boards for Golden State. He averages 13 pts & 12 boards on the season along with 1.2 steals & 1.6 blocks. The Latvian has been getting in done in Golden State with his double double consistency.

In the Eastern Conference where pretty much half of the teams have losing records...

Starting at Point Guard
Devin Harris, New Jersey Nets (20-26)
New Jersey has been a perfect opportunity for Harris. He landed a lead point guard role and has flourished with the Nets. He has been the biggest suprise for the Nets averaging 22 pts & 6 assists, he deserves to be on this year's All-Star team.

Starting at Shooting Guard
Vince Carter, New Jersey Nets (20-26)
I mean the Nets unload Jason Kidd & Richard Jefferson, who else is supposed to pick up the scoring?

Starting at Small Forward
Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers (18-28)
Granger isn't all-star snub as he made the All-Star reserves. Granger's scoring has been bananas lately averaging 27.6 points in the last month including a game against the Warriors where he dropped 42.

Starting at Power Forward
Antawn Jamison, Washington Wizards (9-36)
Jamison is averaging 21 pts, 9 rebounds and 2 assists. He has been a consistent 20/10 threat each night but the Wiz just stink. Someday Gilbert Arenas will be healthy for the Wizards.
Starting at Centre
Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors (19-29)
Of course, CB4 is an all-star he's one of the best big men in the East. But unfortunately, the Raps have not lived up to their expectations. CB4 has been the leader on the Raps and since the Eastern conference is so bad, the Raps have an opportunity to make a run for the playoffs with Bosh leading the way.

Photo credit: (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

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Devin Harris Shakes, Bakes But Doesn't Make

Raptors 107, Net 106

Devin Harris had his chance to put away the Raps but his wide open jumper clanked off the rim.

The New Jersey Nets made a run in the fourth but couldn't close it out as the Raptors won their third in a row.

This was an important game for the Toronto Raptors as the games leading to all-star break become very crucial. If the Raps have playoff hopes, they need to start piling on the W's. Last night's game against the Nets and the matchup against Milwaukee on Friday are games the Raps have to win because of the tough four game stretch after that. They face Orlando, Cleveland, the LA Lakers and New Orleans Hornets afterwards. So in order to build on any playoff hopes, the Raps had to stick it to VC & Devin Harris' Nets.

The Raps were at home.....oops I mean they were in their home white jersey in Jersey. I think the Nets like the red alternate road jerseys as they are a horrible 9-14 at home. Vince went off in the first going for 16 in the quarter. The Raps shot 52% but were still down 30-21 after the first.

The Raps started to get the three ball falling as Jason Kapono and Andrea Bargnani nailed threes. Chris Bosh started to get it going and hit the jumper bringing the Raps to within four. Oh yeah, I'm seeing a beard. Anthony Parker didn't shave, so immediately I had high expectations of exceptional play from AP. Bobby Simmons hit a three to get the Nets up eleven but AP answered back with a three. Jamario then hit a three to get within five. Then more AP, who hit another three. Chris Bosh hit the jumper and got the foul to get it to 52-50. At the half, Nets were up 54-50.

The Raptors were a little reckless with ball and had 10 turnovers in the first half. Anthony Parker had 16 points for the Raps, all thanks to the beard. Even though the Raps were down by four, they shot a lot better than the Nets: Raps 61 FG%, NJ 43 FG% but the Raps just turned it over too many times.

Chris Bosh got it started in the third by hitting the jumper. Jamario Moon played a decent game and had a nice block on Bobby Simmons which landed right in Jay Triano's hands. Raps got the lead 55-54 with another Parker three. Jose Calderon played well in third and had a nice alley oop to Jamario Moon. The Nets got it going again as Devin Harris blew by Anthony Parker and took it to Chris Bosh for the And 1. NJ got up 64-60. Jose Calderon continued his excellent play and had 10 points in the third quarter. The Raps went on a 8-0 run up 82-74 after three.

Devin Harris started the fourth with a three. Jose Calderon nailed the J to get up nine. Anthony Parker played excellent backup point guard, hooking up Joey Graham with the basket. Our boy, Beard-nani didn't play much of the fourth as the Raps went withh the small ball. Even though the Raps had a good lead throughout the second half, the Nets made a run at the end of the fourth. Bobby Simmons hit a three to get within four, Vince Carter hit a three to get within three and Devin Harris drove in for the layup to get it to one, down 107-106. Jose Calderon missed his jumper leaving it to NJ for the last possession. Devin Harris handled the ball in the closing seconds, broke Joey Graham's ankles but his open jumper didn't fall. Raps won their third game in a row.

Key Notes:
JOSE! had 17 pts & 11 assists

Anthony Parker: 21 pts, 6 assists, 7 boards and 1 stubbly beard
Raps' Bench aka Joey, Jason and Jermaine scored 33 pts
Raps shot 56% and NJ shot 46% from the field
Devin Harris/Vince Carter combined for 52 pts, 13 rebounds and 15 assists
Raptors had six players in double figures

Raps play the Bucks on Friday

Photo credit: (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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SUCKA FREE 4: Who didn't suck in the NBA last week

Vince Carter of the NJ Nets didn't suck
Last week: 25pts, 8 rebounds, 11 assists
VC has been dropping dimes, getting double digit assist games against Milwaukee and Memphis.

Lamarcus Aldridge of the Portland Blazers didn't suck
Last week: 24 pts, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
Lamarcus had three twenty point games against the LA Lakers, Detroit Pistons and Golden State. The Blazers sit a game and half behind the Nuggets in the Northwest.

Pau Gasol of the LA Lakers didn't suck
Last week: 20 pts, 10 rebounds
PG 20-10 averaged 20-10 last week with a huge game against Golden State. He had 33 points, 18 rebounds and 2 blocks against the Warriors. Check out the dish by Pau in this clip:

Philadelphia 76ers didn't suck
Last Week: Won 4 in a row
The've won four in a row knocking off Houston, Milwaukee, Charlotte and Atlanta. They sit in the third spot in the Atlantic Division.

Minnesota Timberwolves didn't suck
Last Week: Won 5 in a row
The Wolves are only 11-25 but are on a streak beating mediocre teams Golden State, Chicago, Memphis, OKC and Milwauekee. The Wolves are 4th in the Northwest. They squeaked out a win against the Bucks 106-104 even without Kevin McHale (ejected) and Al Jefferson (fouled out)

Photo credit: (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

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SUCKA FREE: Who didn't suck in the NBA last week

With the Raptors just being the Raptors, we all need some straight up positivity, just some straight up "not sucking" news. So here are the guys who DIDN'T suck last week:

Devin Harris, New Jersey Nets
Devin averaged 26 pts 9 assists and 2.5 steals last week. He took it to his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, on Friday, going off for 41 pts and 13 assists.

With Devin Harris as the new big baller in New Jersey, the crowd gave their thanks to Mark Cuban.



Brandon Roy, Portland Trailblazers
Averaged 40.5 ppg last week, including a careeer high Fitty Two against the Suns. Fitty Two!

Zach Randolph & Marcus Camby, LA Clippers
These two are the new Elton Brands of LA. Z-Bo averaged 29pts and 12reb and Marcus Camby averaged 16pts, 16boards and almost 3 blocks last week. The Clippers seem to have gotten their act together and have won 5 of their last 7.

Paul Millsap, Utah Jazz
Averaged 22pts and 12rebounds last week filling in for Carlos Boozer who had recently told ESPN.com that he plans on opting out of his contract. Paul Millsap has had 14 straight double doubles.

Danny Granger
Last week, he averaged 27 pts, 7 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals. At his game against the "No D" Golden State Warriors, Danny went for a career high 41 pts, 11reb and 6 assists. His game isn't throwing down big dunks or shooting threes, he's known for knocking down that mid range J.

Rajon Rondo
Big Three? More like the Big Four. Rajon Rondo has had an amazing season averaging 16 pts, 6 reb and 10 assists along with almost 4 steals a game last week. This triple double threat has made big time contributions with the Celtics 17 game winning streak.

Boston Celtics
They've won 17 in a row. Do I really need to explain more?

New Orleans Hornets
Led by CP3, the Hornets are on a 3 game winning streak knocking off Toronto, Memphis and most recently, the San Antonio Spurs.

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Raps Get Whacked By Jersey

This game was the last time Toronto would face the Nets for the regular season and this was also the "rubber" match as the series was tied 1-1. There was some good and bad, so here it is in Pleasure & Pain format.


Pleasure - The Raps started out really well jumping on the Nets from the get go. They started out on a 9-0 run until NJ called a timeout. Vince scored a basket out of the timeout but the Raps continued to make a run getting up 16-2 on the Nets including a nice alley oop from Jose Calderon to Jamario Moon. Jermaine O'Neal played well in the first as well. The Raps played a good first quarter and had the lead 28-20 in the first.

Pain - The Raps couldn't shut down Vince like the last game, and VC scored all of the Nets first 7 points.


Pleasure - It was good to see good plays from all around the roster: Roko had a sweet dish to JO, Bosh had a nice block on Trenton Hassell and Joey Graham had a sick "Graham slam". Ever since the coaching change, Joey has been playing with more energy and confidence and his game has really stepped up.

Pain - The Nets were able to chip away at the Raps lead and Yi was able to bring it within two with a three. The Raps stunk it up on the offensive boards as the Nets beat the Raps on second chance points 14-0 which lead to a Nets 1 point lead at halftime. I'm not a fan of Jamario's outside jumpers and three attempts either, I think he's got the hops and should attack the basket more. I've seen a lot of Jamario missed outside jumpers when he could probably attempt for a better shot.


Pleasure - The Raps came back in the third outscoring the Nets 25-17 and were up by 7 at the end of the 3rd. Joey Graham continued to look active and Andrea was more aggressive driving to the basket and playing good defense. It was good to see him tussle with Vince when trying to get a rebound, it shows his grit that we've rarely seen from him.

Pain - Andrea Bargnani played well last night but looks like he has been suffering the Greg Oden disease and not looking confident in his game. Like Oden, people have been dogging them since they were both #1 draft picks and haven't been meeting the high expectations.


Pleasure - Here came the famous Raptor "lead-blowing" and the Raps again blew their lead but managed to get big shots to stay in the game. Jason Kapono continued to hit the big threes, Jose hit big shots and Bosh hit a big three during the closing minutes.

Pain - Devin Harris scored 14 of his 20 points the 4th. The D started to break down again and the Raps continued to go back to their bad habits of settling for jumpers. Nets regained the lead and the Raps continued to turn the ball over with careless passes and bad shots. The Raps again were outrebounded by the opponent (for the 13th straight game), and were outrebounded 54-38. The Nets ended up building their lead to 10 with 3 minutes left and closed out the Raps 94-87


Pleasure - The Raps again had 6 players in double figures including 5 threes form Kapono. All starters had double figures along with Andrea's 10 points off the bench.

Pain - Toronto wasn't able to shut down Vince and Devin Harris like the last game and gave up as the duo combined for 40 points. Ryan Anderson from the Nets had a great game going for 21 points, 9 rebounds with 3 threes and some big shots down the stretch. And yes, the biggest pain was for Raps fans as VC got the better of us again.


The Raps are home to Dallas on Wednesday.



Photo Credit: (Photo by Ron Turenne/NBAE via Getty Images)

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The Big Payback - VC stinks it up

There’s an old James Brown song called the Big Payback and Friday was the Raps chance to get it.

"Gotta Get Pay Back!"
Ever since Vince was traded, Raps fans just want to eat him for lunch. Even though it was years ago, fans still want to see Vince suffer and stink it up. Unfortunately, Vince usually just rubs it your face like he stole your girlriend. Vince is the guy that once beat him in a fight and you're walking away, he's the guy to kick you in the back of the head because once you thought you've beat him, he just goes off.


"I'm Mad!"
The last game against the New Jersey Nets was the root of when everything started to go sour for Toronto. The Toronto Raptors have always been known for blowing leads but that particular game put a sour taste in Raptors fans mouths. Bosh, Calderon and Bargnani all had big games and were on rout to closing out the Nets when Vince just took over. It was the game where the Raps lost Jermaine O'Neal to injury, it was the game where Colangelo started thinking about firing Sam Mitchell and it was the game that lead to a string of losses where Bosh lost his groove. It just stung that not only was a last second loss but it was also against VC who Raptors fans hate. Vince Carter is the Raptors' Lex Luthor.


"Revenge"
Tonight was the second game of the three game series. Raptors were fresh off a win against the Pacers where they got increased production from bench players (now starters) in Jamario Moon and Jason Kapono. Moon and Kapono have had a quiet start of the season and the last game was somewhat of a breakout game for them. The Raptors were looking to put a string of wins together to end their funk and also get revenge on the Nets in their hometown.


"The Big Payback"
Anthony Parker was still out with the ankle injury so Jason Kapono got the start. Jamario also started in place of Andrea Bargnani. The game started out slow, and the Nets only scored 18 points in the 1st.

To the Raptors fans delight, the big story of the night was that Carter stunk it up. Bad. He went 0-13 from the field, missing a lot of jumpers and ended up with only 3 points. The Raps played good defense holding the Nets to 27% shooting in the first half. They were able to contain both Devin Harris and Vince Carter to a combined 17 pts where they were 4-23 from the field. Bosh looked strong in the first half, driving to the basket and getting to the line where he was 6 for 7 finshing with 18 & 5 in 30 minutes of play.

Another big story was the Raps had 6 players in double figures again. I think Triano's rotation of minutes is getting everyone out there playing and provding more scoring opportunities for everyone. Kapono, Calderon, Bosh, Graham, Bargnani and Roko were all in double figures. Jason Kapono had another good game as a starter going for 16. Joey Graham had another nice dunk as the Raps' second unit got more run as this was already a blowout in the 4th. A blowout for the Raps? Yes. It was good to see the Raps on the other side of the coin, Bosh, Calderon and Jamario sat out most of the 4th. The Raps were outrebounded by the Nets 50-37 but it was probably one of the best defensive efforts from the Raps this year.

Raps are home for the Hornets on Sunday and then the Nets again on Monday for the rubber match.

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Bosh-J.O., the 2008 Twin Towers?

• NBA preseason is here! I caught the Raptors debut in Toronto against Mike D'antoni's Knicks. Raps look a little different this year; no Delfino, no TJ, no Rasho, no Garbajosa, no Primoz but they do have J.O. in the lineup this time around. They've been comparing the Bosh-J.O. combo to my fave twin towers, Tim Duncan and David "The Admiral" Robinson. They looked a little rusty in the win, but when you have two bigs trying to co-exist, it may take a little time for the chemistry to come around. Raps take on Elton Brand and the new-look Sixers tonight.
• It was my first time to check out Matt Devlin (Chuck Swirsky's replacement) and his play by play. I'd say he was alright, nothing special. I'll give him a few more games before I can really give an opinion on his announcing, we're gonna miss Chuck Swirsky and his "Swirsky-isms"
• I just finished watching the Nets-Heat game in London.....very exciting game for the London crowd. NJ beat the Heat 94-92.
• If you haven't check Chris Bosh's video blogs, check them out on youtube or at chris-bosh.com, I hear he's battling Baron Davis for video blog supremacy.
• My annual fantasy hoops league is up and running again this year. The league name is Hali Hoops Vol.VI on Yahoo! fantasy sports. In its fifth season, I have taken home 3 championships but fell to a disappointing 4th last season, I got to get my research game on for the draft next week, I'll keep you posted. Hoopheadsnorth co-writer U-E came in second last season.
• As far as the video games scene, Ive tested out both NBA 2K9 and NBA Live '09 for the XBOX 360. And I know EA has come out with some big improvements this year but 2K9 gameplay is so much better and realisitic. EA graphics look a lot better but in terms of gameplay, 2K9 has it hands down again.

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Billionaire Boys Club – Lebron James

After watching the NBA Draft on Thursday, one of the big trades of the night was the trade that sent Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. ESPN also reported that the trade supported the rumours of Lebron James possibly landing with the Nets in 2010 (when Lebron is eligible for free agency). I haven’t even heard of this rumour until that night, so it sparked me to do some research.

Check this Lebron James quote from Dec. 10, 2005 - Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

In the next 15 or 20 years, I hope I'll be the richest man in the world. That's one of my goals. I want to be a billionaire. I want to get to a position where generation on generation don't have to worry about nothing. I don't want family members from my kids to my son's kids to never have to worry. And I can't do that now just playing basketball.

Lebron + Jay-Z + Brooklyn = Kings of NY
It’s no secret that Lebron James, one of the biggest NBA icons today and Jay-Z, one of hip hop’s biggest icons (and part owner of the New Jersey Nets) are tight. They host an event together around All-Star weekend and call it the “Two Kings” party. If you put these two in New York, it will fall in lines with the LRMR Marketing’s vision: “....developing and executing successful partnerships between brands and the world’s most recognized talent.....”

What is LRMR Marketing?
I was reading an issue of SLAM magazine (Issue 116, April ‘08) and read the article on Lebron and how Lebron had fired his agent and decided to take high school friends/teammates to be his representation, creating Lebron's LRMR Marketing. Check out LRMRmarketing.com, this points to their website for Lebron’s own sports marketing/branding company. Just take a look at the Methodology section of his company’s site; they plan to do big things by “uniting entities that will benefit from mutual engagement.” Lebron, Jay-Z, New York and Nike....put them together and they will spell......dollar signs. Lebron’s Nike contract could skyrocket if Lebron heads to NY. If Lebron lands in a huge market like LA or New York, his Nike contract could probably double, leading him closer to that billion dollar goal.

The evidence is there...... articles about the Nets trying to clear up cap space, they unleashed Jason Kidd and now Richard Jefferson is off to Milwaukee for young talent, and draft picks. Even when Lebron signed his contract with Cleveland, he opted for the shorter contract instead of the long-term contract with more money. If Cleveland can’t provide Lebron with the supporting cast that is championship calibre and Jay-Z and the Nets execs can get him that championship cast, it looks like there’s no doubt Lebron will be sporting the Brooklyn Nets jersey.

What better way to introduce the Brooklyn Nets than with Jay-Z in the front office and Lebron James as your star athlete.....possibly bringing a long awaited championship trophy to the Mecca of basketball, New York.

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