Loved the Shaq at LSU and check big Stanley Roberts (#53) in the foreground…he Shaq was DOMINATING last night as the Heat won 106-105 over Charlotte in OT with 35 points and 12 rebounds including all 8 Heat points in overtime…

Speaking of Shaq, he is supposedly contemplating buying the Orlando Magic as a co-owner with Grant Hill after both retire…

Rumour is that former T-Wolves SG Fred Hoiberg (and his pacemaker) will join the Pistons by the end of the week…

Trust me…Tennessee, Texas and Memphis are not to be trusted in the tournament…

This is so funny and so embarrassing…and the dude is the starting small forward at Texas A & M…http://www.bevosports.com/2006/03/01/aggie-chris-walker-makes-a-bad-decision-2/

Larry Brown confirms that things are not going so well between him and Stephon Marbury: “I don't react to what he says…If we share the ball and try to guard and try to play hard, you'll generally get something accomplished…I've been preaching that forever. If you want to listen and learn, you'll get it. If you don't, chances are you won't figure it out…I've never talked anything about being a systems coach in my life, I've been a basketball coach, about guys playing the right way. And I think that's always been what I've said. It's amazing to me that the guys who have wanted to have really prospered, wherever I've been. It's always about the team, and that's the only thing that really matters."

Funny quote from Greg Cote of the Miami Herald: “A new survey of NBA writers suggests Steve Nash could win a second straight MVP award, mainly because so many say they can't vote for a player, Chauncey Billups, with the first name of an English butler.”

Allen Iverson is on fire since he found out that he had been snubbed for the US Olympic team…he killed the Rockets for 40 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in a victory at Houston last Wednesday…two days later he went for 47 points and 12 assists in a win over the Wizards…than on Sunday he has 33 points and 9 assists in a close loss to the Pacers…narrowly missing becoming the 3rd player in NBA history to go for 40 points and 10 assists in three straight games…the other two being Michael Jordan and Tiny Archibald

Watching the very mediocre Lakers the other night and I can’t help but think that the Shaq trade was possible the worst trade in NBA history…the Lakers are paying Lamar Odom's $12 million annual salary until 2009 and Brian Grant's $15 million annual salary until 2007, even though he's no longer a Laker…imagine what the Lakers could do if O'Neal's $30.6 million was coming off the books in terms of salary cap room for next year…

1) Pat Forde of ESPN.com with his exhaustive commentary on NCAA Hoops:

So many players, so little hardware to give out…Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college basketball (Jason McElwain Fan Club memberships sold separately):

PATS ON THE BACK, KICKS IN THE RUMP

The conference tournaments are the madness before the Madness, the little dance before the Big Dance, the first audition for Cinderella. They should be watched and enjoyed on a level only slightly below the actual NCAA Tournament -- especially in the one-bid league, where winning the title is as big as winning a first-round NCAA game. But before we dive into Championship Week like Kyle Lowry (1) in pursuit of a loose ball, let's take a moment to appraise what we've seen during the four-month prelude to March. Winners and sinners from the major conferences:

ATLANTIC 10

Player of the Year: Steven Smith (2), La Salle. George Washington's powerhouse-by-committee approach leaves the POY award open for the guy who has keyed the Explorers' unexpected bounce-back season. Six-foot-9 Smith, who took his name out of the NBA draft last summer, is averaging 19.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists for a La Salle team that won seven straight late and sits a surprising fourth in the A-10.

Coach of the Year: Karl Hobbs (3), George Washington. At 24-1 and 14-0 in the A-10, this is merely the best season in school history. Credit the former Jim Calhoun assistant with building a great program the right way. In his fifth year, Hobbs has a veteran, balanced team that does just about everything well (the free-throw shooting could be better). The question is whether Hobbs is headed for a bigger job when this season ends.

Bust of the Year: Xavier (4). Five weeks ago, the Musketeers appeared well on their way to a Top 25 season and an NCAA Tournament berth. Today, they're 17-9 overall and 8-7 in the league, having lost seven of their last 12. Losing big man Brian Thornton five games ago to a season-ending injury sure didn't help, but this team was in the tank before Thornton went down.

Minutes Moment of the Year: When Saint Louis finally got off its supernaturally long win-loss-win-loss streak by winning two in a row. It took until the 19th and 20th games of the year, but once the Billikens got it done? Look out. They've won seven of their last eight and have moved into a tie for second in the league.

ACC

Player of the Year: J.J. Redick (5), Duke. You were expecting Patrick Davidson? This pick isn't exactly going out on a limb.

Coach of the Year: Roy Williams (6), North Carolina. Of all Williams' great coaching jobs at Kansas and Carolina, you're looking at the best. This was supposed to be the year the rest of the ACC got its shots at the Tar Heels, after they lost their seven leading scorers from the 2005 championship team. Instead, the Heels could wind up second in the league and owning a top-four NCAA seed. Amazing.

Bust of the Year: Wake Forest (7). This was a team that began the year in most Top 25s and could finish it with two ACC wins. Skip Prosser's teams are never obsessed with defense, but this has been ridiculous: In league games, the Demon Deacons are last in points allowed, field goal percentage defense and 3-point percentage defense.

Minutes Moment of the Year: If you're a Dookie, it was Redick's setting the league's all-time scoring record. If you're not, it was the day the ACC suspended the officiating crew that gave Duke a break with a bad technical foul call on Florida State center Alexander Johnson.

BIG 12

Player of the Year: P.J. Tucker (8), Texas. He's Adrian Dantley reincarnated: a 6-foot-5 low-post power averaging 16.4 points and 9.2 rebounds. On a team flush with talent, he has been the most consistent performer (10 double-doubles and counting), showing impressive development after being sidelined by academics midway through last season.

Coach of the Year: Bill Self (9), Kansas. Roy Williams' replacement had his own Roy-style rebuilding job this year, replacing four key players with a cast of raw rookies. After some early wobbles, the Jayhawks went on a 10-game winning streak that solidified their NCAA bid -- and solidified Self as the COY.

Bust of the Year: Iowa State (10). Early on, the Cyclones beat the other two state powers -- Iowa and Northern Iowa -- and they probably should have packed it in right there. They've been a washout in league play (6-9, including a 17-point loss at cellar-dwelling Baylor). The backcourt of Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock has largely lived up to the hype, but hasn't gotten enough frontcourt help.

Minutes Moment of the Year: Jan. 11, 2006. The day Baylor finally got to play a game. The punishment for NCAA rules violations was severe. And you know what? It should have been.

BIG EAST

Player of the Year: Randy Foye (11), Villanova. It's awfully hard to go against Connecticut forward Rudy Gay, especially after Gay's length helped force Foye into a 4-for-18 shooting day in Storrs this past Sunday. But over the season, The Minutes has been more impressed with Foye's killer instinct, compared with laid-back Gay. At 6-4, Foye never backs down from his matchups with post players standing half a foot taller. At 20.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game, Foye delivers more than all but a few players anywhere.

Coach of the Year: Louis Orr (12), Seton Hall. This could have gone to Tom Crean, Andy Kennedy, John Thompson, Jamie Dixon ... the list goes on. But consider this: On Big East media day, the Pirates were picked to finish 15th in the 16-team league. After defeating Cincinnati on Tuesday night, they clinched a first-division finish and a .500-or-better league record and greatly enhanced their NCAA Tournament hopes. Orr entered the season under heavy speculation that he'd be fired, and that only intensified after Seton Hall opened league play 1-3. He coached through it without a Mike Davis-style meltdown and turned his team's season around.

Bust of the Year: Louisville (13). And then there are the Cardinals, picked third on media day and now scrambling to make the 12-team league tournament. Moving into this meat-grinder league with a young team was tough. Suffering a string of injuries to key players made it tougher. But nobody could have foreseen a Rick Pitino team that (a) has failed to beat a ranked team all year and (b) has played at such a laborious, boring pace.

Minutes Moment of the Year: When West Virginia center Kevin Pittsnogle rolled out of labor and delivery on a Friday and hit four 3-pointers against Cincinnati on a Saturday. Who's your daddy, Kwynsie James Pittsnogle? The guy wearing No. 34.

BIG TEN

Player of the Year: Dee Brown (14), Illinois. The Minutes was sorely tempted to cast this vote for Ohio State point guard Jamar Butler, whose play has been vital to the Buckeyes' breakthrough season and who misses far fewer shots than Brown. But even Dee's tangible assets (a team-leading 14.9 points per game in conference play, a Big Ten-leading 5.8 assists, a Big Ten-leading 38-plus minutes per game) are not as important as his intangible assets. You can almost feel his will keeping the Illini among the national elite this season.

Coach of the Year: Thad Matta (15), Ohio State. In October, the program slogan should have been "Wait 'til next year," when Greg Oden comes aboard. Today, it should be "the future is now," as Matta's second Buckeyes team stunningly has roared to the top of a very, very tough Big Ten.

Bust of the Year: Michigan State (16). You know the world has gone haywire when Rick Pitino's team can't run and Tom Izzo's team can't guard. Welcome to the new reality. The Spartans were a popular Final Four pick before the season, but now they're an underdog to reach the final four of the Big Ten Tournament.

Minutes Moment of the Year: Mike Davis' calling in sick when Steve Alford came to Bloomington. Indiana even produced a note from his doctor saying the coach was really, truly, honestly sick ... but did anybody check the handwriting on that thing?

CONFERENCE USA

Player of the Year: Rodney Carney (17), Memphis. By the time the season is over, Carney should be the No. 3 scorer in the rather excellent history of Memphis basketball. He can beat you with 3-pointers, alley-oops or running the floor from the wings. And yes, the NBA will be calling his name come June.

Coach of the Year: John Calipari (18), Memphis. Calipari always has been an excellent college coach, but he showed his flexibility this year. With a roster full of athleticism, Calipari took off the restrictor plates and let his guys push the tempo full throttle. Result: Memphis (26-2) ranks third nationally in scoring at 83.1 points per game. Calipari also deserves credit for an aggressive nonconference schedule that has kept C-USA from weighing down his team's power ratings. That's why the Tigers still have a shot at a No. 1 seed.

Bust of the Year: The Bottom Eight (19). It's understandable for this to be the Memphis Show in the league, but UAB, UTEP and Houston should not be miles better than the octet of sorriness beneath them. The lower two-thirds of the league ranks between 194th and 289th in the RPI, which just about puts that group on par with the Atlantic Sun. Nice work.

Minutes Moment of the Year: When the refs T'd up Houston's Tom Penders for having the temerity to collapse during the Cougars' game against UAB. Even when Penders was treated by medical personnel, officials refused to rescind the call. You're all heart, guys.

MISSOURI VALLEY

Player of the Year: You'd have an easier time getting Ashley Judd (20) to wear Tennessee orange in Rupp Arena than selecting the POY in this league, but this is no time to cop out. The pick here is Northern Iowa guard Ben Jacobson (21). He showed classic signs of trying to do too much this season (decreased field goal percentage, increased turnovers, with much of the trouble coinciding with the injury to teammate Erik Crawford). But his all-around game (14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals), maturity and competitive fire will be essential to the Panthers' postseason.

Coach of the Year: Mark Turgeon (22), Wichita State. In his five years on the job, Turgeon improved the program but couldn't get into the NCAA Tournament -- until now. The Shockers won the MVC regular-season title in what was supposed to be a transition year after Wichita State lost three four-year starters.

Bust of the Year: State of Indiana (23). The Minutes remains flabbergasted at the extended suffering by the Valley's Hoosier State delegation. Evansville and Indiana State are a combined 9-27 in league play. Coaches Royce Waltman (Indiana State) and Steve Merfeld (Evansville) beat Big Brother this year (see below) and have worked a bit of March magic in their pasts, but they enter this March wobbling.

Minutes Moment of the Year: Say hello to my little friends. Creighton beats the in-state BCS school, Nebraska, by 26. Northern Iowa beats Iowa. Indiana State beats Indiana. Evansville beats Purdue. Bradley beats DePaul by 15. Makes you wonder what might happen if Kansas would play Wichita State, Missouri would play Missouri State or Illinois would play Southern Illinois, doesn't it?

MOUNTAIN WEST

Player of the Year: Marcus Slaughter (24), San Diego State. Fourteen double-doubles on the year and averages of 16.8 points and 10.7 rebounds for the low-post leader of the league's regular-season champs. After spending his first two years dabbling with a perimeter game, Slaughter has parked himself on the low block, taken just one 3-pointer, shot a higher percentage and gotten to the line more often.

Coach of the Year: Dave Rose (25), BYU. Nobody could have envisioned the Cougars would have entered the final week of the regular season with a chance to tie for the league title, but here they are, 10-4 and just a loss behind the league-winning Aztecs. Under first-year coach Rose, BYU has won eight of its past nine to keep faint at-large hopes alive.

Bust of the Year: Utah (26). The Minutes knew the Utes would take a step back without Andrew Bogut, but this has been a full-fledged backslide. An early loss to 200-level RPI opponent Rice and a 27-point beatdown from a lousy Washington State team were signs of the struggle to come. Tuesday night's loss at bottom-dweller TCU shows things haven't improved much. At 12-14 overall, Utah is scrambling to avoid its first losing season since 1988-89.

Minutes Moment of the Year: Jan. 28, 2006, when San Diego State gave Wyoming the Lorenzo Charles Treatment (plus one) in Laramie. The Aztecs were down two in the final seconds when leading scorer Brandon Heath air-balled a 3-pointer. But Trimaine Davis grabbed the ball and put it in while being fouled, then dropped in the free throw for the win with .8 seconds left.

PACIFIC-10

Player of the Year: Brandon Roy (27), Washington. With sincere apologies to Leon Powe, who joins Rudy Gay on the list of guys The Minutes
cannot believe are not getting its POY awards. But the fact is, Roy has played wonderfully versatile basketball all season -- averaging 19.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 51 percent from the floor -- and has brought his game to a late-season crescendo. He has scored 20 or more points his last nine games.

Coach of the Year: Ben Howland (28), UCLA. Nobody in the country has had to work harder at keeping a team together through every sprain, strain, fracture and tear imaginable. Not only have the Bruins survived, they've thrived. They lead the Pac-10 heading into the final weekend.

Bust of the Year: Oregon (29). A third consecutive season of .500-or-below play in the league, plus some off-court issues, could cost Ernie Kent his job. For a team that returned three double-digit scorers from last year, seventh place in a weak Pac-10 is not what anyone was hoping for.

Minutes Moment of the Year: The offensive agony that is Washington State basketball. In their last three games, the Cougars have scored 37, 41 and 37 points. And don't forget the 30-point masterpiece against UCLA a couple of weeks earlier. Yes, in fact, it is time for Dick Bennett to retire at Wazzu.

SEC

Player of the Year: Glen "Big Baby" Davis (30), LSU. Eight straight double-doubles by the SEC's Round Mound of Rebound Redux have led the Tigers to the overall regular-season title. During this streak, he's averaging 20.5 points and 13 boards, and nobody has the faintest idea how to handle him in the paint.

Coach of the Year: Bruce Pearl (31), Tennessee. The record (20-6, 11-4) speaks for itself, but how about the psychology behind the record? This was a soft program when Pearl arrived last spring -- indifferent defensively, uninterested in mixing it up inside and always willing to back down against a tough opponent at crunch time. Today, Tennessee is 180 degrees opposite. That's great work on the mental and physical toughness front.

Bust of the Year: Kentucky (32). Remember when the Wildcats were going to be saved by the return of Randolph Morris from NCAA suspension? Here's how that has worked out: They were 10-4 without Morris, and they're 9-6 with him. Bottom line on this Kentucky team: It beats bad teams and loses to good ones (last night's win at Tennessee being a notable exception). Even if the Wildcats hadn't beaten the Vols -- and regardless whether they win at Florida this weekend -- they would have made the NCAAs on name alone.

Minutes Moment of the Year: Pearl's wardrobe malfunctions. The orange blazer? Well, at least it's popular in one arena. The orange suspenders? Again, he's appealing to his audience. The sweated-through gray suit at Florida. Uh, no. And then there was the postgame locker room scene when the Volunteers beat Kentucky in Rupp Arena. Point guard C.J. Watson reported it thusly: "Coach was ripping his shirt off in excitement. He told us before the game to act like we've won here before."

WAC

Player of the Year: Nick Fazekas (33), Nevada. By a whisker (not that the baby-faced junior has many) over Louisiana Tech's Paul Millsap. How do you decide between a pair of guys who rank 1-2 in the league in scoring (Fazekas-Millsap) and rebounding (Millsap-Fazekas)? You look at head-to-head. Nevada swept the season series, and Fazekas had a slight edge in production (35 points and 25 rebounds to 33 points and 21 rebounds).

Coach of the Year: Reggie Theus (34), New Mexico State. The former NBA star and Louisville assistant is more than just a pretty face and a sharp sideline suit. He can coach. Picked to finish near the bottom in their first WAC season, the Aggies instead are 10-5 in league play. They're riding a six-game winning streak and have won eight of their last 10, with the only losses to league champ Nevada.

Bust of the Year: Idaho (35). The Minutes had no expectations of glory from the Vandals (4-23, 1-14) this season. Even so, an 0-13 road record and an average defeat margin of 20.5 points in those games is ugly.

Minutes Moment of the Year: Dec. 1, 2005: Nevada 72, Kansas 70. In Allen Fieldhouse. The Wolf Pack's RPI has been boosted significantly by that win ever since.

SWAPPING E-MAIL WITH ...Marquette's Steve Novak (36). Full disclosure: The Minutes caught up with Novak via phone, not e-mail, while he was riding the team bus to Notre Dame last Friday. (Work with me here.) Novak has missed exactly two free throws all season after Wednesday night's shocking 0-for-1 at Louisville; he's 72 of 74 for the season. He submitted to the following ruthless interrogation (before that miss) from The Minutes:

Forde Minutes: So what happened on the free throw against Cincinnati?

Steve Novak: I don't know. I went back and watched it a couple times on film. It was just long. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Back rim. That's all there was to it. It's really just something I take a lot of pride in, from a young age. My dad built into me that free-throw shooting was very important. He taught me his routine that he used in high school and in college. It's a three-dribble routine: line up my right foot with the nail hole and limit my motion.

FM: How many plays does Tom Crean have, and how do you keep them all straight? How many of them are for you?

SN: There's a lot. We have all the plays drawn up for us the day after they're put in, to study them and memorize them. We probably have about 200 in. How many do I know? (Laughs) I know all the ones we're going to run in the game tomorrow.

FM: If you and Kevin Pittsnogle had a Big East big man shoot-off from 3-point range, who would win? We know he beats you on tattoos, but what about range?

SN: He definitely has me on tattoos. In his gym, he shoots it pretty well there. In the Bradley Center, I think I'd have the edge. On a neutral court, it would be something to see. He's definitely a great shooter. On range, I think we're pretty similar.

FM: Some long-standing swimming world records were once set in your hometown of Brown Deer, Wis. What other interesting factoids can you tell us about the town?

SN: It's not the most interesting place in the entire world. It's a village of about 12,000. I guess it's your typical small-town suburb kind of place. Right across the street from Milwaukee. It's about 20 minutes from my house to campus. My dad coached me at Brown Deer, and he's been the AD and coach there for 23 years now. He might be a historical fact by now.

FM: If Marquette ever has a throwback jersey game, what would you think of wearing the old 1977 uniforms, with the untucked jerseys and names at the bottom?

SN: That would be awesome. Bo Ellis designed those, and he was our assistant coach last year. Whenever they came up in conversation, he made sure we knew he designed those. We all have on throwback jerseys right now for the trip. I'm wearing the Jabbar jersey from when he played at UCLA. We got a Wes Unseld jersey and a Dirk Nowitzki, and a Doc Rivers Marquette throwback. It's quite a collection.

AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE! ... DUKE, DUKE, DUKE! So you think you're a college basketball fan? Willing to drive several hours to see your team play? Terrific. Now meet Dan Kowalski (37), who has arrived in the United States from his native Australia this week for one purpose: to watch Duke basketball. The former Olympic swimmer -- he won four medals at the 1996 and 2000 games -- was at Duke-Florida State on Wednesday night, and will be at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday for Duke-North Carolina. "I was lucky enough to walk out in the Opening Ceremony at the Sydney Olympics in front of 110,000 crazy, passionate fans and had the amazing feeling of standing on the Olympic medal dais," Kowalski said. "But this, seeing this game live, on Senior Night, is an absolute dream come true." Kowalski, the coordinator for the 2007 World Swimming Championships in Melbourne, caught the college hoops bug watching Aussie Andrew Gaze play for Seton Hall in the late 1980s. Then he happened to be in the U.S. when Duke made the national title game in 1990. "I watched UNLV absolutely kick Duke's butt, so I decided to follow them from that point," Kowalski said. "It is very Australian to cheer for the underdog. The only way I could find out how they were going over the next few years was via my grandparents, who would send magazines from Canada. Quite often, I would get the news months later. The next time I saw a game was during the '95-96 season, when I was in America on a training camp. In 1996, Australia got ESPN, and shortly after, I got online, and it exploded from there. I am passionate about swimming; I love Duke basketball! "For me, college basketball is the ultimate sport. If I could have my athletic career over again, I would trade in my Olympic medals to be the point guard at Duke for Coach K." Good on ya, Dan.


COACH WHO EARNED HIS COMP CAR THIS WEEK

Stetson's Derek Waugh (38). The Hatters have won their last eight games, shooting up the Atlantic Sun standings and carrying big mo' into the A-Sun tournament in bustling Johnson City, Tenn. (Just one question: Do they have comp cars for the head coach at Stetson?)


COACH WHO SHOULD TAKE THE BUS TO WORK THIS WEEK

Maryland coach Gary Williams (39), who recently ripped the proliferation of bracket projections, saying they put too much pressure on players. Well, after the Terps lost four of five and slid to 6-8 in the ACC before beating Miami on Wednesday night, the pressure probably is off your guys now, Gary.

BOX SCORE OF THE WEEK

UC Irvine 82, UC Davis 68 (40). The Anteaters went to the line 21 times in this game and made 21 foul shots. That's second-best in the nation this year, behind a 22-for-22 effort from Old Dominion in December. Irvine's top six scorers all shoot at least 71 percent from the line, which helps.

2) Marc Stein of ESPN.com thinks Nash is still the MVP:

MVPs so far: Nash, Billups

Jon Stewart played soccer in college. Which is naturally one big plus with me in Stewart's lifelong quest to host your favorite awards fest. But Stewart had to settle for the Oscars when I remembered that you'd rather have me do it. So ... With each team in the league now having played at least 54 games, and without further ado, here's my second Trimester Progress Report as we enter the stretch run.

West MVP of the First Two Trimesters - Steve Nash, PG, Phoenix Suns. I went with Dirk Nowitzki after trimester No. 1. I might have to take another long look at him at the end of the third trimester -- also known as season's end -- if the Mavs can hold off San Antonio for the top spot in the West and finish in the 65-win range. For now, though, it has to be Nash. It's looking that way again for April, too. At last check, seven members of the Amare Stoudemire-less Suns were carrying career-high averages in scoring. Does anyone in basketball make other players better than the reigning MVP? I know, I know. You're about to tell me that Shawn Marion is just as deserving of the MVP trophy as Nash, if not more. Stop right there. Marion is one of my favorite players and personalities in the league. I could watch him play all day. But anyone who tries to suggest that Nash isn't at least somewhat responsible for nudging Marion to the highest stratosphere of his career is forgetting where Matrix was before Nash got to Phoenix. On the trading block, in other words, with a max contract other teams wouldn't touch. Mike D'Antoni's system and Nash's ability to run it have helped create the stage on which Marion now dazzles us nightly at pretty much every position except the one. Still in denial about Nash's MVP-worthiness? If so, ask yourself this: How would the Suns be doing if Nash was out all season and not Stoudemire? I'll go out on a limb and say that they wouldn't be leading their division by six games and on pace to finish 57-25.

East MVP of the First Two Trimesters - Chauncey Billups, PG, Detroit Pistons. LeBron James' hopes are fading and Dwyane Wade is gaining, but you obviously still have to go with a Piston here. Which means you still have to go with Chauncey Billups. Obviously. As stated in our first Trimester Report, it'll probably be harder for Billups to win this trophy than it was for him to win the NBA Finals MVP award in 2004. The five-man ensemble nature of the Pistons' success is bound to work against him with some MVP voters when official ballots are cast just before the playoffs start. But look at what he's doing. Billups is third in the league in assists (8.8 per game), second in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.1-to-1) hitting 42.5 percent of his 3-pointers and 90 percent of his free throws to average 18.9 points. He's actually getting better at getting teammates involved as the season goes on. And on our list of Clutchest Players Alive, he has to be right there with Kobe Bryant and Robert Horry.

Coach of the First Two Trimesters - Byron Scott, New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. Have I mentioned how hard it is to pick out one coach in what always seems to be the category with the most worthy contenders? Right. Every single time I do one of these columns. Seriously, how do you choose here? Flip Saunders isn't the runaway he was after the first trimester because Detroit's lead over San Antonio and Dallas has been sliced, but he's still acing the ominous test known as Replacing Larry Brown. Avery Johnson, meanwhile, arguably deserves as much credit for the Mavericks' success as Nowitzki, and perhaps the same should be said for Mike D'Antoni with respect to Nash's Suns. Then there's Indiana's Rick Carlisle and the Los Angeles Clippers' Mike Dunleavy, who are getting precisely zero mention in spite of the huge impacts they've made -- Carlisle holding the Pacers together through another season of turmoil and injury; Dunleavy teaming with point guard Sam Cassell to make the most dramatic culture changes in the history of Clipperland. Yet I'm going with Scott now because (A) his team is exceeding expectations more than any team on the map and (B) I have a feeling he won't be recognized at season's end and I want to make sure he scores something for his role in the Hornets' fairy-tale season in the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation.

Rookie of the First Two Trimesters - Chris Paul, PG, New Orleans/Oklahoma City. Let me get in my obligatory Sarunas Jasikevicius mention and then let's just move to the next category because CP3 has zero legitimate competition. (Let me also reiterate my never-going-away disbelief that the Atlanta Hawks, knowing Paul actually wanted to play for them, didn't draft him anyway and thereby lost the chance to trot out a Paul-Joe Johnson backcourt.)

Defensive Player of the First Two Trimesters - Bruce Bowen, SF, San Antonio Spurs. Finally. A category that a point guard can't win. It's usually a big man here, as you know, but Bowen is right there this time. You don't even have to be a Titan to see it. If you saw the defense Bowen played on Nowitzki on Thursday night -- and Nowitzki, for the record, has been torching small forwards all season after admittedly struggling against them in last spring's playoffs -- you can understand the sentiment. Bowen's on-the-ball defensive excellence is routinely downgraded by folks who say he'd never be this good without Tim Duncan (and either Nazr Mohammed or Rasho Nesterovic behind him), but Bowen is playing this season with a hobbled Duncan (which is why TD doesn't figure in the MVP discussion). Yet there's Bowen, still giving flat-out fits to someone like Nowitzki, who's widely considered one of the toughest (if not the toughest) individual matchups in the league. With Marcus Camby and Alonzo Mourning no longer in contention here and Ron Artest eliminating himself, I suspect this will eventually come down to Bowen, Marion and Detroit's Ben Wallace. Big Ben figures to be the favorite in real life and no one will be able to quibble because of everything he supplies -- boards, blocks, steals and intimidation -- for the team that still has the league's best record. But Bowen deserves this award at least once and this season makes the most sense.

And finally ...Dallas' Jerry Stackhouse is my Sixth Man of the First Two Trimesters ahead of New Orleans' Speedy Claxton, Milwaukee's Mo Williams, Memphis' Mike Miller and the Suns' Eddie House. Reason being: Dallas is 26-5 since Stack, scoring 12.6 points per game in just 25.3 minutes, returned from a 26-game injury absence to start the season. And San Antonio's Tony Parker is my Most Improved Player of the First Two Trimesters, besting countryman Boris Diaw in Phoenix, New Orleans' David West, Charlotte's Gerald Wallace and two Clippers -- Elton Brand and Chris Kaman -- by shooting nearly 55 percent from the field to make his All-Star breakthrough.

3) Mike Kahn of Foxsports.com with his weekly 10 things column:

Plenty of playoff spots still up for grabs

We're two-thirds of the way through the season and just as we anticipated, the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs seemed destined to meet again in the Finals. Make that, probably. For now, anyway, we see the Pistons and the Miami Heat as the only two teams capable of winning the Eastern Conference, with the Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, and maybe the Phoenix Suns the real players in the West. Otherwise, there are seven teams — New Jersey, Philadelphia, Washington, Cleveland, Indiana, Milwaukee and Chicago — battling it out for the other six spots in the East. In the West, as many as nine teams (Denver, Utah, the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, Memphis, New Orleans/Oklahoma City, Sacramento, and possibly Houston and Minnesota) fighting over the other five positions.

1. Item: Despite the dominance of the top five teams in the league all season long, the playoff positioning remains in doubt for both conferences, with the exception of just a few spots. What this really means: So many teams are in the middle of the pack — 12 of the 30 teams entered the week within six games (either side) of .500. And with one-third of the season left, a lot can happen to any of those teams through streaks and slumps and injuries. The pressure builds on all the players that find their teams on the bubble — which just happens to be most teams. Is this parity or general ineptitude that has caused this, several people have asked. Honestly, it's a little bit of both. The influx of youth and international players over the past half dozen seasons has been exorbitant and when joined with expansion, has diluted the pool of experienced talent. But that's not to say there aren't a lot of extraordinarily talented players ... there just aren't a lot of very good teams. That's why when you see teams that play so well together like Detroit and San Antonio, they win so consistently because they're not counting on just one or two players every night. Most of the other teams just don't get it.

2. Item: For all the criticism and embarrassment suffered by guard Allen Iverson for the erratic team and coaching he's dealt with on the Philadelphia 76ers, and being left off the U.S. national team, he's handled himself just fine since the All-Star break. What this really means: One of only four players in history (along with Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and George Gervin) to win four scoring titles and now battling for a fifth, Iverson has jump-started the Sixers since the All-Star break to a 5-2 mark. Despite a crushing one-point loss to the Indiana Pacers Sunday, the solid post-break move has pushed the Sixers back into the race with the New Jersey Nets for the Atlantic Division title. Iverson has been nothing short of spectacular, averaging 35.2 points, 8.9 assists and 2.3 steals — actually, very close to his season averages. Now if he can get some even play from Chris Webber, Andre Iguodala and Kyle Corver, Iverson may get the Sixers back into being dangerous come playoff time. More importantly, you would think at some point he would get more respect than the criticism he so often receives. It certainly isn't his fault that the Sixers have been through four coaches in the last three seasons, nor did he have anything to do with them grossly overpaying Samuel Dalembert, who has been a horrible bust this season. Instead, he's helping this team overachieve — isn't that what superstars are supposed to do?

3. Item: After blowing past the Spurs to take over the No. 1 seed in the West, the Dallas Mavericks suffered a rude awakening from the Spurs and the Phoenix Suns. What this really means: Playing without injured Josh Howard and Keith Van Horn, the Mavericks couldn't compete down the stretch of either close game — losing by nine at San Antonio and eight to the Suns in Dallas. That's not to say the Mavericks aren't capable of beating either team in the playoffs. The good news is neither player is badly hurt — especially with Howard being a starter and their most versatile player. Van Horn is always a contributor coming off the bench as well. But what we really need to know is if Dirk Nowitzki and this bunch have the heads to beat the Spurs in the second round. Of course it will help if the Mavericks are able to wrestle back the home-court advantage. But even if they do, are they mature enough to deal with the strength of resolve and consistency of the Spurs? Mavs coach Avery Johnson still has a lot of convincing to do.

4. Item: Speaking of the Suns, they won their 10th consecutive game Sunday at Dallas, ending the Mavericks' club record 16-game home winning streak. And in case you didn't notice, Suns point guard Steve Nash is playing at arguably a higher level than he did last season when he won the MVP award. What this really means: With 25 points and 11 assists in such a key game, Nash proved again he is one of the top five players in the game today. But that's not to ignore the triple double for Boris Diaw of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists (his second this season for the Suns), or Shawn Marion's 22 points and 10 rebounds. Marion has averaged an astounding 30 points and 12.5 rebounds since the All-Star break. Nonetheless, it is Nash running the show for coach Mike D'Antoni, at an entirely different level than any other point guard in the game today — including Jason Kidd. The Suns have added oft-moved Tim Thomas, who was released by the Bulls on Wednesday. He has been a huge disappointment throughout his NBA career, but he is 6-10, 240 and exceedingly gifted. His exceptional physical tools may just play out fine for the Suns considering he's just an ancillary contributor. He can play both forward positions and big guard and he runs well. The question, particularly with Amare Stoudemire still weeks away from returning from knee surgery and Kurt Thomas out with a stress fracture in his foot, is can he finally figure things out in Phoenix. Coming so cheaply, the hope is the Suns system will prove to be precisely what he needed all along and that Thomas will at least surpass expectations every once in a while.

5. Item: When Tim Duncan put up 22 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks in the Spurs' 20-point win over the Trail Blazers Saturday night, it extended the Spurs' winning streak to six games and they've now won 16 of 18. But until Saturday, Duncan had gone 12 games — dating back to Jan. 28 — since he last reached 20 points. What this really means: Considering Duncan's battle with plantar fasciitis, this team has shown how special it really is. Manu Ginobili is having a tough season as well, battling foot and ankle injuries. Meanwhile, Tony Parker has matured into an All-Star and a 21st century version of Kevin Johnson. With Bruce Bowen not only the league's top perimeter defender but leading in 3-point percentage and center Nazr Mohammed playing at the most consistent level of his career, the Spurs are positioning themselves as well as ever to win the West for the fourth time in eight years.

6. Item: The Cleveland Cavaliers had lost five of six since the All-Star break until a home-and-home series with the Chicago Bulls over the weekend. There's nothing like a sweep to cure what ails a team. What this really means: Although LeBron James averaged 35.0 points, 10 rebounds and 7.5 assists to lead the Cavs as always, the key to the weekend may have been the ascendance of guard Flip Murray as the answer to the absence of Larry Hughes, now recovering from the second surgery on the middle finger of his right hand. The Cavs were 18-10 with Hughes and 14-16 until the weekend when Murray's 3-pointer in the final five seconds won Friday's game. Then Sunday, he contributed eight points, four assists and three steals. But more than the numbers, which will swell as he adapts after coming to the Cavs for Mike Wilks in an 11th-hour trade deadline deal with Seattle, is the offensive threat he presents. The pressure of having to carry the entire scoring load had begun to take its toll on James. But the way James played the past two games, there is evidence that Murray has energized him. With the way first-year coach Mike Brown has focused on defense first, the Cavs' offense is inept far too often. The two wins created a huge sigh of relief with visions of the second-half collapses of the past two seasons coming into focus. It would behoove the Cavs to run their offense through center Zydrunas Ilgauskas every possession, if for no other reason than it would always give James more room to operate.

7. Item: It was just 10 days ago that Hornets coach Byron Scott blew a gasket with young forward J.R. Smith, with the two refusing to speak to each other. Not that it would put a damper on what has been the surprising success story of the season. What this really means: Scott took a lot of heat — mostly unfair — after taking the New Jersey Nets to consecutive Eastern Conference titles, then getting fired during the 2002-03 season. Now he blew off Smith, claiming, "I stop talking to people that don't listen," because he doesn't have time for players like that. Think again Byron. Dealing with the youngsters is a huge part of your job, however difficult they may be. Not all of them can be as mature as Chris Paul and David West. Perhaps as a consequence of this tension came Wednesday's 22-point loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles. But that only tells part of the story. The Hornets led 51-47 at halftime, and proceeded to set a new NBA record with just 16 points in the second half. After going 22-for-40 from the field in the first half, the Hornets made just five of their 34 field goal attempts in the second half — including a stretch of 12:41 when they did not score and missed 21 consecutive shots. Maybe Scott and Smith should at least chat with each other about shooting rhythm, don't ya think?

8. Item: Ron Artest scored 30 points on 13-of-19 shooting for the Sacramento Kings Sunday — his highest scoring total since coming to the Kings for Peja Stojakovic on Jan. 26. What this really means: Not as much as his defense does, considering he was the only one who played both ends of the floor in their 117-107 loss at Washington. More importantly, the Kings lost their first two games with Artest and have been 10-5 ever since. The difference in the intensity of the team has been obvious and the result has moved the Kings to within 2½ games of the eighth seed in the West after such a surprisingly woeful start. The franchise in general appears on the brink of upheaval, with coach Rick Adelman on the final year of his contract and the inability of owners Joe and Gavin Maloof to strike a deal for a new building with the city. Whether it's the buzz of moving to Las Vegas or Anaheim, making the playoffs or not, Adelman retained or not, there could be no more ironic twist than Artest as the stabilizing factor. Of course, that won't be determined until we see whether the Kings slip into the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.

9. Item: After getting drilled 102-86 at home by the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Clippers have lost two in a row and seven of 10. What this really means: Here we go again? Maybe so, but it doesn't look that way. More likely the two losses have come as a result of trying to fit Corey Maggette back into the rotation after being out since the first week of December with a separated ligament in his left foot. He had 12 points and three rebounds in 25 minutes during the two-point loss to Utah on Friday that was his first game back. Then the former Duke star struggled with 1-for-5 shooting, one rebound and six points in just less than 20 minutes on Sunday. The bad loss to Memphis could also be attributed to the combined 5-of-18 shooting from the starting backcourt of Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley. In the big picture, Maggette's presence is critical for the Clippers to be serious challengers in the postseason. His scoring average went up in each of his first six seasons in the NBA to a career-high 22.2 last year. But more importantly, he gives them depth and firepower, and with the acquisition of Vladimir Radmanovic last month, the Clippers now have the depth to be dangerous in the playoffs — a place they've only been five times in franchise history. And their only playoff series win was one of those bizarre best-of-three series over the Philadelphia 76ers in 1976 — when they were the Buffalo Braves.

10. Item: Finally, Jerry Colangelo, the managing director of the USA Basketball Senior team, announced 23 players that have been invited to compete for spots on the first "national team," constructed with a three-year commitment. What this really means: The group —- which includes Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards), Shane Battier (Memphis Grizzlies), Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons), Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors), Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs), Elton Brand (Los Angeles Clippers), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards), Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings), Adam Morrison (Gonzaga University), Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers), Chris Paul (New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets), Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics), J.J. Redick (Duke University), Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks), Luke Ridnour (Seattle SuperSonics), Amaré Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns), and Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat) — has a chance to set the tone for a new approach for USA Basketball with a long-term infrastructure. Colangelo said he met with 36 players face-to-face and 28 players wanted an opportunity to try out in Las Vegas early this summer. None of these players are guaranteed a roster spot, with Redd reportedly waffling due to a family commitment. Most of all, this is the way it had to be so the U.S. doesn't suffer the same embarrassments of the past four years with players haphazardly agreeing, then walking out on their pledges. Injuries will preclude it from being 100 percent, but that's inevitable. The only real problem will emerge from the injuries that invariably occur, and could affect their respective NBA teams.