Welll, the Shaq's been goen for while, so here's a great pic of the original Shaq-de-Shaq studying rimology at LSU and bangin one big tim on Arkansas...

Wow…Duke PG Sean Dockery made a 40 feet three pointer with less than a second left propelling top-ranked Duke to a 77-75 victory over Virginia Tech last night…

Hmmm…the Knicks released SF Matt Barnes…maybe in preparation for a trade to get Blazers SF Darius Miles?

Trade Rumours: Sixers send a 2nd round pick to Toronto and cash for SF Eric Williams…Bulls trade SG Eric Piatkowski to Miami for C Michael Doleac…

Mark this date: ROSE BOWL - Jan. 4, 8 p.m. (ABC) USC (12-0) vs. Texas (12-0)…this game will be an all-time classic…

I wonder if the Hawks are thinking what I’m thinking…which is why the hell didn’t they draft Chris Paul instead of Marvin Williams…in 16 games Williams is averaging 22.6 minutes/game, 6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 0.6 APG on 39.6% shooting from the floor and generally looking like the second coming of Brad Sellers…Chris Paul is looking like the second coming of Isaih Thomas. Over 16 games he’s averaging 36.9 minutes/game, 16.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 6.8 APG on 44.0% shooting from the floor…can you say Rookie of the year?

Weird…Steve Nash leads the NBA in turnovers (4.5 per game) and assists (10.4 per game)…Assists you’d expect, but turnovers? Probably because Amare Stoudamire, who has the best hands this side of Chris Webber (who has the best hands in NBA history), is not around to catch those tough passes in transition that only he could catch…

For four of the five previous seasons the Spurs have ranked in the bottom five in free throw percentage. This year, with the arrival of new shooting coach, Chip Engelland, the Spurs are hitting at a 74-percent clip. The Spurs haven't shot above 75-percent from the line in 13 years and Tim Duncan is now back up to 78-percent, just a shade off his career best of 80-percent four years ago.

Break up the Raptors after Chris Bosh had 29 points and 13 boards, Mo Pete had 24 as the Raps beat the Nets 95-82 in Jersey…of course the Nets' Big Three shot a combined 16-for-41...Toronto had not won road games on consecutive nights since April 2000 and had lost its first seven away games this season, a stretch that included a 33-point loss to Detroit on Nov. 5 and a 26-point defeat at Golden State last Saturday. ''They came back but we didn't get down on ourselves, we just worried about the next play,'' Bosh said. ''We've been there so many times. We knew eventually we'd have to turn the corner.'' Peterson, was 8-for-12 from the field including 3-for-4 from 3-point range had this to say: ''We didn't feel like a 2-15 team or whatever our record was,'' he said. ''We realize that we just got off to a bad start and we knew it was going to take a while to turn things around. We've had a lot of games that slipped away, but we've been playing competitive basketball and that's what it's about.'' Wince Carter left the game midway through the third quarter after turning his ankle, but returned later in the period and finished the game. After the game, he described the injury as: “…an irritation of the joint….” As you can guess, Carter collapsed to the floor like he’d been shot from the grassy knoll on a play where he actually just stepped on another player’s foot while jogging at half speed…honestly, I’ve turned my ankle worse getting off the couch…

Bab Robcock watch:

Player Pos FG-A FT-A 3P-A Reb Ast St To Blk PF Pts
Rafael Araujo C 2-4 2-2 0-0 5 1 0 1 0 2 6
Jose Calderon G 3-5 0-0 2-3 4 8 2 1 0 2 8
Joey Graham F 1-2 7-8 0-0 6 1 1 1 0 3 9
Charlie Villanueva F 5-14 2-2 0-2 2 1 0 2 0 4 12

1) Royce Webb of ESPN.com thinks Boris Diaw is really starting to get it:

A little touch of Magic

Three years from now, who will be the best player in the notorious Joe Johnson trade? Will it be Johnson, who will have developed his fine talents in the obscurity of Atlanta? Will it be one of the two first-round draft picks -- lottery picks, no doubt -- the Suns received from the Hawks? Or will it be Boris Diaw, the player the Hawks handed the Suns to seal the deal? The surprising answer is becoming clearer during every Suns game. As Diaw, the drive-and-dish specialist with the Mensa-level basketball I.Q., continues to grow in confidence, he is showing a very rare set of skills that have us searching for the right comparison. Or, to put it another way: Maybe it's just me, but if I'm running the worst team in basketball, I don't give away an athletic, 23-year-old, 6-8 guy who can do a reasonable impersonation of Magic Johnson. Is Boris Diaw really another Magic? Of course not. Not yet, anyway. For one thing, there is no one else like Magic Johnson. For another, Magic had the ball in his hands all the time, as the point guard for one of the greatest teams ever. And, perhaps most significant, Diaw's personality is passive and Kareem-style cool, whereas Magic was an effervescent leader who had the same effect on the staid Lakers of the late '70s that Steve Nash did on the Suns in 2004-05. But, then again, how many guys can even be in the sentence with Magic? In Atlanta, Diaw had a big problem. He could get into the lane at will, but he wouldn't or couldn't finish at the basket -- he preferred to look for a teammate on almost every drive. He had, as John Hollinger noted, an "inability to score," largely because he was "almost comically unselfish." The Hawks, as dumb teams do, focused on what he couldn't do. The Suns, as smart teams do, saw what he could do. So, in a genius move that probably only Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni would try, they took the point guard and made him a center. (This is where the Magic comparisons start to make a little more sense, if you recall Magic playing the post in the 1980 Finals or during his 1996 comeback.) Diaw's got some work to do to reach his peak. His shot is flat, which costs him a potential weapon in the Suns' run-and-gun offense. Also, he needs to finish stronger. He can drive past almost anyone, with his long, smooth strides. (It's not his first step that gets you, it's his third, when he turns the corner and swoops in for a layup or draws the help defender and makes the dish.) But he tends to still look to pass or flip the ball up instead of dunking it when he approaches the rim. Sunday night, the Suns started to see signs that he's getting it, and fast. He tried a power slam on a drive in the first quarter, drawing a foul. In the second quarter, he followed a Suns miss with an Amare-like one-hand rebound jam, and in the third, he rolled to the basket for a convincing two-hand throwdown. If that's what Diaw's finishes of the future look like, watch out. Because otherwise he's got the total game. He guards power forwards and centers routinely, shutting down the 'Sheeds and Yaos of the world. He grabs boards and starts the break (though, unlike Magic, he doesn't often lead the break, given that the Suns have Nash). And he has eyes on all sides of his head and the imagination and passing touch to match. On Sunday, in his return to Phoenix, Joe Johnson played a very respectable game (23 points on 9-for-16 shooting, with an assist and two rebounds), especially considering the boos from the stands and the utter lack of help on the floor from the hapless Hawks. It certainly wasn't his fault the Hawks were blown out, trailing by 36 on the way to a 112-94 loss. But it was Diaw's nifty play and the efficiency of his stat line -- 5-for-6 FGs, 4-for-5 FTs, nine assists, four boards, four blocks -- that bring us back to the original question: Which team got the best player in the trade?

2) Kevin Kernan of the New York Post on the centre situation in NYC:

THIS RECIPE NEEDS CURRY

ON A DAY the Knicks were wearing throwback jerseys, all that was missing was Ken (The Animal) Bannister. It was that kind of day and that kind of play in their ugly 102-99 loss to the Celtics, Boston's first road victory. While much attention has been focused on the travails of Stephon Marbury, the Knicks have a host of woes. You have to wonder: When will center Eddy Curry show up at the Garden and points west? His No. 34 uniform was present yesterday and Curry was listed in the official box score as having played 14 minutes, but the 6-11 Curry was invisible. Same goes for the 7-1 Jerome James. To be fair, both big men are coming off injuries; Curry has a lingering calf problem, James a tender hamstring, but they were both well enough to take the court and were nowhere to be found. Until the Knicks start getting input from Curry, their inadequacies will be magnified; the lack of ball movement, the lack of instincts when the game is on the line like yesterday, when they did not deny the pass to Dan Dickau, who was in the game for one reason — to make foul shots. Then there was the amazing number of turnovers — 15 in the first half, 22 in the game. In that first half the Knicks managed all of six assists, which gave them the standard Biddy Basketball turnovers-to-assists ratio.
"Eddy Curry is not ready to play, Jerome James is not ready to play," Larry Brown said after scanning the box score that showed that Curry and James managed all of two, count 'em, two defensive rebounds in their combined 25 minutes. Curry hauled in one rebound in his 14 minutes. The laws of physics would require a couple of rebounds to fall Curry's way, don't you think? More than one every 14 minutes. Is that too much to ask? Overall, Curry and James combined for five points and three rebounds. Noted Brown, "Our best center, by far, is Jackie (Butler), and he's younger than all of them in terms of experience." In Butler's 21 minutes, he managed 10 points and five rebounds. The CBA graduate has become a Brown favorite, quite possibly because when he comes out of a game, he's covered in sweat. Curry, who will make $60 million over the life of his six-year contract, said the calf injury has been worse than expected. "This is not something that is going to happen every night," he said of the lack of rebounding. "It's strange, (James) is just coming back from an injury, I'm just coming back. We have to get back to where we were before we got hurt." The Knicks have a lot of things they have to do. As Brown noted, "We just have to grow up." That can be taken many ways. The best way is for the players to take personal responsibility. There was little flow to the Knicks yesterday. They looked like so many separate parts and yet they still had a chance to win this game. Curry had missed five straight games with the injury and he doesn't seem that encouraged about his recovery. When asked how long it will be before he thinks he'll be 100 percent, he said, "I think every time you play on it when you are not ready, you kind of set yourself back a little bit. That's just one of the risks that I'm trying to take." Curry and James did not play at all in the fourth quarter. That is not going to work. Now the Knicks head west, where life is never easy. "Tomorrow I'm definitely going to have to treat it and try to pick my points in practice and just try to get back where I need to be," Curry explained. That statement is fine, but wouldn't it nice to hear the Knicks center say, "I'm going to play through the pain and get my share of rebounds." Maybe someday.

3) Peter Vescey also of the New York Post with his take on the return of Larry Brown to Detroit:

KEEP ON DREAMIN'

HOOP DU JOUR JUST for the record, Next Town Brown didn't return to Detroit, he was recalled. No, he wasn't overcome by the emotion of being embraced by his former starter as everyone seems to think, he was crying about the taxes he had to pay on the Pistons' payoff. Naturally, once again, everything was all about Larry. As usual, it could easily be argued his disruptive influence impacted the Pistons' play. Intent on proving to the world he's a practicing players' coach, Home Town Brown continued his questionable exercise of starting native sons. That explains (though hardly excuses) his decision to replace Channing Frye with Michigan's Maurice (Henry Ford HS) Taylor. As you recall, Matt (Del Campo HS) Barnes, deleted yesterday from the roster, got the intro treatment in Sacramento and Trevor (Westchester HS) Ariza was out there for the opening tip in Los Angeles. Now we know why Stephon (Abraham Lincoln) Marbury gets the nod in New York. As you can see, this Larry Brown Prom-enade isn't going to subside until he accepts his next dream job. Chris Webber didn't even try to hide his fury when replaced for defensive purposes down the stretch against the Knicks. Everyone within earshot heard him berate assistant John Kuester, who's apparently responsible for such substitutions. Webber spewed louder behind closed doors, says a source, only this time his rage was directed at Maurice Cheeks. "That's why I was brought here, to be on the floor at the end of close games, not be sitting on the sidelines," he fumed. So a locker room snitch claims.
A Sixer source disputes that version. Yes, it's readily admitted, Webber and Kuester had words during the game. "But Chris did not yell at Maurice in the dressing room. John tried to discuss the situation afterward with Chris and things were said. Maurice interceded when he got in there and settled it." Next day at practice, Webber and Kuester smoothed things over. Nuggets assistant Scott Brooks — 0-4 when George Karl is in suspended contamination — is being sent down to the D-League to work on his substitution pattern, timeliness of times out and capacity to keep Carmelo Anthony healthy. Doug Moe and Adrian Dantley will choose to see who takes charge next time NBA VP Stu Jackson sees fit to sentence Karl. Meanwhile, no coach challenged the integrity of the referees more defiantly and deviously than Charlie Brown, er, Jeff Van Gundy (Why's everybody always picking on Yao Ming?) did during last season's playoffs against the Mavericks. Yet the cost for advancing a malignant notion was mere money, a 100G fine. How come David Stern only threatened to deactivate the Rockets coach but docked the Nuggets coach two games pay (80G; Denver was penalized an additional 100G) for benignly mouthing off about the refs who were clearly duped by Vince Carter's refined method acting and failed to see him initiate contact (left elbow) on a critical possession? I've always maintained you need at least one conflict of interest in order to be successful. Van Gundy's has Stu Jackson. All the dashboard lights indicated he was intimately involved in last season's skullduggery. Speaking of rabbis, it'll be very interesting to see whether Jackson remains the VP of Violence once he losses his at season's end when deputy commissioner Russ Granik's retirement becomes official. * It was amusing (unless you're a sports editor) how many writers got burned by pretending to know the Knicks were offering Penny Hardaway for Tim Thomas. Why bother to discover teams are forbidden from re-acquiring traded players within a year after dealing them when it's easier to fabricate stuff to simulate you're an NBA Insider? Even if the Bulls were allowed to move Thomas back to New York, what makes anybody relatively rational think they'd be even faintly tempted to exchange one disgruntled player on the inactive list for another? No, the only way Larry Brown can repossess his twice-discarded "Timmy" is if the Bulls released him and he signed with the Knicks after clearing waivers. Fact is, there hasn't been a single, solitary offer for Thomas, expelled to his New Jersey home with pay, and Chicago doesn't expect any lately. As the mid-February trade deadline gets closer there figure to be a few teams looking to get rid of some contracts GM John Paxson and coach Scott Skiles would consider, but only if the player or players involved are ones they like. Fact is, the perception re: Thomas isn't exactly uplifting. When someone asked a friend of the banished Bull how he was doing the guy replied, "He's got it made. He got paid and then quit his job." "There is no doubt in my mind that's what happened," jabbed a Babyback Bull. "The guy has no passion for the game whatsoever." It's not as if Thomas is the lone muffin. "This league is something else," says a team executive. "Somehow a culture of entitlement has been allowed to exist with players and coaches and management. It seems as the money has grown, the disease of privilege has become worse. I don't see it changing anytime soon, either." California Republican Congressman Randy (Duke) Cunningham resigned after pleading guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes. This just in: Cunningham has changed his plea. He now claims he was simply holding the money for the Lorenzo brothers. Oprah Winfrey visited David Letterman Thursday night and the viewing numbers were off the charts. To counter that coup, the Tonight Show has booked Violet Palmer.

4) John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that things are not well in the Bulls locker room:

Skiles, Gordon: Bulls should've had 'Sheed limit

Things were so bad for the Bulls in the third quarter Saturday that Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace was laughing as he scored seemingly at will at the United Center. After the game, Bulls coach Scott Skiles sent a not-so-subtle message to his players when he was asked about Wallace's antics during Detroit's victory. ''I would not have taken that very well as a player,'' Skiles said. ''I would have done something about it.'' The reaction was split among the players. Some believed they did the proper thing in ignoring Wallace. ''It really depends on who you are,'' Luol Deng said. ''As a team, I think we just have to ignore it. I think we just have to worry about us. When he was laughing, it wasn't making us miss shots. It was their defense. We just have to focus on us.'' Ben Gordon, though, believes the Bulls should've done something because he felt Wallace was showing them up. ''When we see that as a team, someone has to step up and stop him -- or a hard foul or something -- and let him know we're still on the court,'' Gordon said. ''He got away with that. We just have to learn from that as a young team and next time know we can't have guys laughing at us on our home court.'' The Bulls play the Pistons in Auburn Hills, Mich., on Dec. 16. In the 92-79 loss Saturday, the Bulls once again played great for an extended stretch before suddenly falling apart during another stretch. ''We stuck to our pattern of playing good basketball for multiple minutes and then stopping,'' Skiles said. ''When you do that against a good team, they're going to sting you, and that's what they did. ''We've gotten away with it against clubs that aren't as good, but you can't do that against them.'' No, the Pistons (13-2) took advantage of the Bulls' lapses to turn a 15-point deficit, 33-18, midway through the second quarter into a 17-point lead, 66-49, midway through the third quarter. That's an extended run of 48-16. ''We had a nice rhythm going on both ends, and maybe a couple of plays don't go our way, and it appears that we're just getting demoralized so fast and so easy we're sort of paralyzed to respond,'' Skiles said. ''We have to be able to get out of that.'' The Bulls had have similar problems in wins as well. They led for much of the first half Friday in Boston, fell behind for much of the second half, then were able to rally down the stretch for the victory. ''I think it's something we have to work on,'' Deng said. ''There were some games we did that, and we were able to win the game, but against a team like [Detroit] you can't get away with that.'' Said center Tyson Chandler: ''We had a letdown again. We had a good start and we let them back in the game, but it's a good team; they're going to fight their way back. It's a bad loss for us, and we have to move on.''

5) Tim Legler of ESPN.com with his Legler awards:

James is king of November

One month of the 2005-06 NBA season is in the books and it's time to take a look at the best and worst the league had to offer in the month of November. So, let's get right to the awards presentations. And remember, it's fun to step out of the box and be unconventional every once in awhile. Some of my choices may surprise you.

MVP - LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers: He has put up huge numbers in the past, but James' impact on the outcome of games has never been greater. The three areas he needed to improve upon after his sophomore campaign were perimeter shooting, defense, and leadership and he's addressed all three this season. His numbers (28.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 4.5 apg) are MVP-worthy, but his true greatness lies n his ability to make believers out of his teammates. They now buy into the fact that they are a legitimate contender (10-4) in large part to having No. 23 on their side every night. If the Cavs can avoid repeating the last two seasons and prevent a late season meltdown, LeBron may be taking home the MVP that truly matters.

All-NBA

Point Guard Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers - It's hard to believe we haven't seen the best of Iverson, but the man simply gets better with time. His Sixers (8-8) are merely an average team, but they would be living among the Raptors and Hawks in the basement of the NBA if the little guy weren't playing at an all-time level. He is averaging 34 ppg, 8 apg, and shooting a career best 45-percent from the field. End of discussion.

Shooting Guard Richard Hamilton, Detroit Pistons - I know there are Kobe Bryant fans screaming at me as they read this, but they don't understand the game. Bryant would have been a great golfer. That's an individual sport. Basketball is about five guys working together and filling their roles. By that definition, the best shooting guard in the NBA thus far has been Richard Hamilton (21 ppg, 52-percent). His constant motion on the offensive end of the floor is the primary reason the Pistons are averaging 98 points per game and are off to an 11-2 start.

Small Forward LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) – Duh.

Power Forward Elton Brand, Los Angeles Clippers - There is no question that Tim Duncan is the best power forward in the game. Only a fool would argue that and I'm no fool. By season's end, Duncan will be an MVP candidate and first-team All-NBA. But, through the first month, Brand (23.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 2.7 blocks, 56-percent) has been the most dominant front court player in the NBA. His consistent tenacity and efficiency around the rim has enabled Corey Maggette and Sam Cassell to thrive on the perimeter as a result of the extra attention Brand commands down low. With Brand leading the way, the Clippers (10-5) are off to the best start in franchise history.

Center Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Pacers -This is a three man discussion. With Shaq nursing an ankle right now, Jermaine O'Neal, Yao Ming, and Zadrunas Ilgauskas are the only three centers in the league worthy of this honor. J.O. gets the nod because he has been his team's best player and the Pacers are 9-5. The numbers back up his importance. On a team that relies heavily on the post up abilities of O'Neal and Ron Artest in a half court style, O'Neal's 21 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks every night provide the consistency and stability that make the Pacers a tough opponent every night.

Best coaching job Mike D'Antoni, Phoenix Suns - My preseason forecast was for the Suns to play .500 basketball for four months and wait for the return of Amare Stoudemire sometime in February to make a late season push and cause a stir in the playoffs. I sold them short because now the Suns are 8-5 and playing the same high octane, push it down your throat style as last season and Mike D'Antoni deserves a lot of the credit. Despite dealing with the losses of Stoudemire (injury), Joe Johnson (Free agency), and Quentin Richardson (trade), D'Antoni has shown the greatness of his system and how hard it is for teams to prepare for the full court onslaught directed by Steve Nash.

Worst coaching job Sam Mitchell, Toronto Raptors - C'mon Sam, I know you aren't laden with All-star caliber talent, but 1-15? Are you serious? The real shocker is that, as bad as the Raptors are on defense, they are even worse on the offensive end. What a shame to waste the young talents of the underrated Chris Bosh and rookie Charlie Villanueva. Those guys may as well be playing in Siberia. This team doesn't respect Mitchell and they have quit with 66 games left to play. What more needs to be said? By the way, honorable mention goes to Phil Jackson (5-8) out in Hollywood. Has he actually forgotten that he didn't win his first ring until Michael Jordan began to trust his teammates? Allowing Kobe Bryant to hoist 30 shots a night while the rest of the squad takes pictures is making Jackson look like a puppet to Bryant's selfishness.

Best rookie Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets - The steady, yet explosive play of Chris Paul (16.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 6.8 apg) has led the Hornets to a surprising 7-7 start. The rookie from Georgia Tech has taken the reigns for Byron Scott and has emerged as the leader a team desperately seeking one. His ability to attack the rim was apparent in college, but he has shown a maturity and decision making ability that belies his inexperience. When the game is on the line, Chris Paul make sit clear that he wants the ball in his hands and savors the pressure associated with the NBA's most demanding position.

Best Sixth Man Donyell Marshall, Cleveland Cavaliers - The Cavaliers had two major weaknesses last season, three point shooting and rebounding. They addressed both with the acquisition of Marshall (10 ppg, 7 rpg) from the Toronto Raptors. He has consistently given the Cavs double figure scoring while also helping out Zadrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden on the boards. With the playmaking abilities of LeBron James and Larry Hughes, having a front court player be able to extend the defense out to the three point line has been critical to the Cavs quick start.

Biggest surprise (team) Golden State Warriors (11-6) - I knew a full season with Baron Davis running the team would result in more wins, but I didn't expect this kind of turn around. Davis has teamed with Jason Richardson to form one of the most explosive backcourt tandems in the NBA. They get help in the starting lineup from Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavey. I'm surprised at their start, however, because the bench leaves a lot to be desired. Derek Fisher has been the only constsant on the second unit. Eventually, that will catch up with the Warriors. Until then, they deserve some love.

Biggest surprise (player) Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat - Where would the Heat be without the Herculean effort of Zo? The fans in South Beach can be thankful for their 8-5 start in large part to the rejuvenated Mourning's defensive prowess. Leading the league in blocks (4.5 bpg), while also contributing 11.5 ppg and 8.3 rpg, Zo has been a one-man deterrent for any would-be penetrator. His enthusiasm, energy, and toughness has been a savior on a team saddled with perimeter defensive liabilities like Jason Williams, Antoine Walker, and Gary Payton.

Biggest disappointment (team) Houston Rockets (4-11) - Most people give the Rockets a pass due to the fact that they have spent most of the season without Tracy McGrady, but I've run out of hall passes. They spent significant time without T-Mac last year and they rallied. Yao Ming has improved marginally for the third straight year. His 19 ppg and 9 rpg compare with the best centers in the league, but the problem is that he doesn't impact the outcome because he disappears in the fourth quarter. If you are 7'6" and want to be considered a star player, you have to be able to carry your team for a short stretch when your star teammate is out. He can't do it and as a result the Rockets have a lot of making up to do if they want to get in the playoff hunt.

Biggest disappointment (player) Joe Johnson, (Atlanta Hawks) - I like Joe Johnson's game. I really do, so I'm not knocking his ability but if you command $66 million as the biggest free agent commodity in the offseason, you can't let your team get out of the gate 2-12. He grabbed a lot of dollars, but let go of a lot of wins in Phoenix to be the man in Atlanta. His production (17 ppg, 39-percent) on the second worst team in the league makes him disappointing in my book. Honorable mention goes to the Eddy Curry/Jerome James two headed center disaster in New York.

So, there you have it. It's only been a month, but, as you can see, there are a number of interesting stories taking shape around the league. Some teams and players are becoming famous, while others are becoming infamous. The good news is that there is still plenty of time to make me eat my words.