This is not last night’s best O’Neal…

Jermaine O’Neal tied a career playoff high with 37 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Pacers beat the Nets 107-95 to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series. Vince Carter was 8-21 from the field for 25 points…he’s now 4-20 from three in the playoffs…Anthony Johnson was fantastic at PG for the Pacers going for a playoff career-high 25 points, five rebounds and eight assists…oh, and after Johnson called out the Vince Carter for being "soft" between Games 2 and 3, Carter responded as expected turtling in the 2nd half as he went 0 for 10…

The other O’Neal, as in Shaquille O'Neal, had 8 points, 7 turnovers, 5 fouls and 4 rebounds in 24 minutes during the Heat's blowout 109-90 loss to the Bulls…O'Neal had one of his worst playoff performances highlighted by the fact that he had as many field goals after three quarters as Bulls C Luke Schenscher…."I guess we were just out of it today," O'Neal said. He had one basket through the first three quarters and scored six meaningless points in the fourth, narrowly missing his career playoff low. O'Neal had seven points against Houston on April 19, 2004. After averaging 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in the first two games, O'Neal picked up his third foul just over three minutes into the second quarter and spent the rest of the half on the bench. The Bulls had very balanced scoring with 19 for Nocioni, 24 for Heinrich, 24 for Gordon and 21 for Deng…

Knicks rookie PG Nate Robinson has a very entertaining blog here….http://www.gr8life.msnbc.com/

As it happens every year, the list of early entrants grows well beyond the NBA’s 2 round draft capacity…here’s where it is so far:

2006 NBA Draft Early Entrants
Arron Afflalo SG UCLA So.*
LaMarcus Aldridge C Texas So.
Morris Almond SG Rice Jr.*
Will Blaylock PG Iowa State Jr.*
Josh Boone F UConn Jr.*
Ronnie Brewer SG Arkansas Jr.*
Shannon Brown G Michigan State Jr.*
Guillermo Diaz G Miami Jr.*
Mike Efevberha SG Cal State Northridge Jr.*
Carl Elliott G George Washington Jr.*
Jordan Farmar PG UCLA So.*
Nick Fazekas F Nevada Jr.*
Thomas Gardner SG Missouri Jr.*
Rudy Gay SF UConn So.
Daniel Gibson PG Texas So.*
Aaron Gray C Pittsburgh Jr.*
Brandon Heath PG San Diego State Jr.*
Alexander Johnson F Florida State Jr.*
Trey Johnson G Jackson State Jr.*
Kyle Lowry G Villanova So.*
Paul Millsap F Louisiana Tech Jr.
Adam Morrison F Gonzaga Jr.
Patrick O'Bryant C Bradley So.*
Danilo Pinnock G George Washington Jr.*
Leon Powe F California So.*
Richard Roby SG Colorado So.*
Rajon Rondo PG Kentucky So.
Mustafa Shakur PG Arizona Jr.*
Marcus Slaughter F San Diego State Jr.
Curtis Stinson PG/SG Iowa State Jr.*
Tyrus Thomas F LSU Fr.
P.J. Tucker F Texas Jr.*
Ian Vouyoukas C St. Louis Jr.*
Marcus Williams G UConn Jr.

*Player is testing the waters, but retains college eligibility by not hiring an agent.

1) Mike Kahn of FOXSports.com reports that the Heat simply can’t defend:

Heat need to start playing some defense

It's hard to fathom that the Miami Heat are a Pat Riley-coached team. In case you believed for a moment you were hallucinating, you weren't. Indeed, Riley had to resort to a zone defense because the perimeter defense of his players was so pathetic during their humiliating 109-90 loss to the Chicago Bulls Thursday night at the United Center. Well, guess what Riles? It was bad in the other two games too, but the Bulls didn't have the confidence or wherewithal to win in Miami yet. Suffice to say they're a few steps closer. Buoyed by the foul trouble and ineffective play of Heat center Shaquille O'Neal, the Bulls took control of the game early, fended off a few Heat runs in the first half, then blew them out in the third quarter. Chicago made 13-of-18 shots in the quarter, with guards Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon essentially running free from baseline to baseline. And athletic forward Luol Deng had his way in the frontcourt all night as well. Hinrich had 15 of his 22 points in that third quarter, while Gordon led the scoring with 24 and Deng added 21 and eight rebounds. Meanwhile Andres Nocioni battled inside with 19 points and nine rebounds in what turned out to be a dominant performance by the Bulls, who lost the first two games by a grand total of 12 points. But O'Neal averaged 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in the first two games. Incredibly enough, he was an invisible 7-1, 325-pound superstar on Thursday, while his sidekick Dwyane Wade still produced 26 points and four assists. But if they're not going to get productivity from the Big Guy, then somebody else has to come up big, or they have to shut down the Bulls. That hasn't happened yet and those close to the Heat have been bemoaning their lack of perimeter defense all season. It also answers the question why there was a fair number of analysts who picked the Bulls to win the series. The problem is the Bulls didn't know they were capable of beating the Heat. They had a shot to win both games in Miami, just didn't execute well enough early in the games so they didn't have to battle huge deficits. They took the lead early and kept the tempo up. The Heat got another good game out of point guard Jason Williams, with 17 points and four assists. Then again, nobody will ever accuse him of playing defense. And when Riley went to Gary Payton, it was painfully obvious this is soon to be 38-year-old GP, not the Hall of Fame-bound, nine-time first team All-Defensive stalwart of seasons past. The lack of defense allowed the Bulls to increase their average scoring to 107.8 in the series, while the Heat now are averaging 105.3. This is the kind of pace the Bulls want and if the Heat don't pick up their defensive intensity in Game 4, the perspective of this series could change in a hurry. Heck, if the Bulls had made more free throws, missing 14 of 46, the scoring differential would have been even more pronounced and reflective of the blowout. But it's only one game. You can only imagine what Riley had to say to his team after this game and what practice will be like for the Heat before the two teams meet again on Sunday in Chicago. It's just hard to ever consider a Pat Riley team defenseless. One more game like this, however, and we'll concede.

The stud: Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal seemingly took control of the series with the New Jersey Nets with 37 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks. O'Neal was 12-of-15 from the field and 13-of-14 from the free throw line in a dominating performance at both ends of the floor.

The dud: The other O'Neal, first name Shaquille suffered only his second single-digit scoring playoff game out of 174 games. The Heat All-Star center was saddled with five fouls, had just eight points, six rebounds, seven turnovers and he was 0-for-6 from the free throw line. He scored seven points in a 98-84 win over the Houston Rockets on April 19, 2004 when he played for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The quote: "When you get your ass kicked like we did, it's time to move on to Game 4," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "We're getting our ass kicked, then we started looking at officials ... that's something we don't want to do."

This and that: The Indiana Pacers and Jermaine O'Neal made it very clear that they have no inclination whatsoever to bow out of these playoffs easily. With O'Neal dominated the game at both ends of the floor, the Pacers battered the New Jersey Nets 107-95 to take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 Saturday in Indianapolis. All five Pacers starters were in double figures, as point guard Anthony Johnson continued to hurt his old teammates with a career playoff-high 25 points and eight assists. The Nets jumped out to a quick lead behind Richard Jefferson, and even led by six at halftime. But O'Neal led a 27-15 bustout in the third quarter and they never looked back. Vince Carter shared scoring honors with Jefferson for the Nets with 25 points. The Denver Nuggets withstood the suspension of forward Kenyon Martin with a resilient 94-87 victory Thursday night vs. the Los Angeles Clippers to slice the Clippers lead to 2-1 in the series, with Game 4 back in Denver's Pepsi Center on Saturday. Carmelo Anthony led five double-figure scorers with 24 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Marcus Camby had 12 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks, with Earl Boykins coming off the bench with 13 points and five assists. Nonetheless, the Clippers virtually gave the game away with 25 turnovers that produced 25 points for the Nuggets. It represented the most turnovers they have had this season — regular or post. The Clippers got 23 points in 21 minutes from Corey Maggette, otherwise, they would have been blown out much earlier. The Nuggets had a series-high 21 assists, led by Andre Miller's seven. There still isn't any word regarding how long the Nuggets will suspend Kenyon Martin for conduct detrimental to the team, with coach George Karl, it isn't exactly the kind of distraction a team down 0-2 in the playoffs needs. Martin verbally abused Karl during halftime of Game 2 after playing just seven minutes in the first half and refused to play in the second half. The buzz has already started about his trade value because he's only two years into a maximum deal. But Portland's Zach Randolph is an interesting prospect. Adding to the issue is Nuggets president Kiki Vandeweghe finishing up his contract. ... Heat center Alonzo Mourning made his playoff debut Thursday night after sitting out since March 22 when he tore his right calf muscle in a nine-point loss to the Detroit Pistons. Mourning played eight minutes and finished with two points, two rebounds and two turnovers Thursday night. During the regular season, the 6-10 Mourning averaged 7.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.66 blocks. Medication was limited for the 36-year-old former All-Star because of a December 2003 kidney transplant. So the healing process required an inordinate amount of time. ... Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Kevin Garnett was announced as the winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship as voted by the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Garnett earned the award largely on the well-publicized $1.2 million he donated for construction in the wake of Hurricane Katrina's destruction. His foundation also built new computer labs for two high schools in the Twin Cities. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will change his uniform number from the No. 8 he has worn for 10 seasons to No. 24 for the 2006-07 season. He wore No. 33 his senior year in high school, but had worn No. 24 prior to then. He could not get No. 33 with the Lakers, of course, because it is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's number.

The statbook: Shaquille O'Neal was 11-of-15 in the first two games and 6-of-7 in Game 2. In Game 3, he missed his all six of his free throws in Game 3. ... In the Nets win, Vince Carter was 12-of-20 from the field. In the two losses he was 20-of-54. He was 0-for-10 with four points in the second half after catching a Jeff Foster elbow in the nose. Nenad Krstic averaged 21 points in the first two games for the Nets, but had just nine on Thursday. ... Jason Williams has been the pleasant surprise as the Heat playmaker, averaging 18.8 points and 3.8 assists in the three games. The Bulls bench has outscored the Heat bench 80-61 in the third games. ... Pacers forward Peja Stojakovic was questionable for the game with a sore knee, but he still started, played nearly 25 minutes and contributed 10 points, four rebounds and three assists. … The Nets bench has produced 40 points in the three games compared to the 75 points from the Pacers reserves. ... Ben Gordon is averaging 24 points to lead the Bulls, Kurt Hinrich is averaging 23.3 and 8.8 assists, with Andres Nocioni 22.3 points and 10.3 rebounds. ... The Nuggets had two lane violations negating their own free throws in Game 3 against the Clippers. Only two other players besides Jermaine O'Neal have shot 80 percent from the field and scored at least 35 points: Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. ... For some reason the officials got their whistles stuck in their mouths in Denver on Thursday night. ... The Nuggets were the worst 3-point shooting team in the NBA during the regular season and .325. They only wish the were shooting that well during this series. They were 0-for-11 Thursday and add to 6-of-34 for the series ... .176. Clippers center Chris Kaman averaged 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in the first two games, but was scoreless until the final two minutes and finished with just 4 rebounds due to a sprained ankle and problems with the altitude Thursday. Cuttino Mobley was in and out of the lineup for the Clippers with a hip flexor problem.

2) Marc Berman of the New York Post with a report that Isaih shops at K-Mart:

KNICKS EYE K-MART

April 28, 2006 -- The Knicks will again bid for Kenyon Martin now that he assuredly will be traded by the Nuggets this summer, but Larry Brown has also asked Isiah Thomas to target another potential injury risk: Miami's free-agent center Alonzo Mourning. Brown is desperate for Thomas to obtain an inside banger, a rugged rebounder and shot-blocker. Brown does not appear to believe that Eddy Curry or Channing Frye will become stout defenders. Martin is as available as ever - though the Knicks are one of few potential suitors, as they were at February's trading deadline - because of Martin's long-term contract ($54 million over four remaining years) and knee problems. He missed 26 games because of tendinitis in his surgically repaired knee. He's now at war with coach George Karl, who suspended the power forward for two playoff games. Mourning, whom Brown loves, plays it year by year. Despite his kidney illness, Mourning had a ferocious defensive season, averaging 7.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.66 blocks. Playing against the Knicks in November, he notched nine rejections. He returned from a partially torn calf muscle, playing in Game 3 of the Heat's series against the Bulls last night in Chicago. As a potential draw, some of Mourning's kidney doctors are based in New York. Mourning made just $1.7 million this season and the Knicks could easily outbid the thrifty Heat by using all or part of their $5 million mid-level exception. Owner James Dolan's generosity gives the Knicks the advantage of extending long-term deals to risky players. The Nuggets will likely look to dump Martin for an expiring contract; the Knicks have two of those, in Maurice Taylor and Jalen Rose. Last February the Nuggets were interested in Penny Hardaway's expiring deal but also wanted Frye in a larger package.

3) Ian Thomsen reports that Martin is all but gone from Denver:

Addition by subtraction - Nuggets already preparing for life without Martin

Do the Denver Nuggets have the Clippers right where they want them? It may prove to be a ridiculous question. Earlier this week while the Nuggets were suspending their most expensive player in Kenyon Martin, the Clippers were holding serve at home while dominating the first two games of their opening-round series. But Thursday night in Denver, the Nuggets climbed back into contention with an ugly 94-87 win. The Clippers clearly are the more talented team, yet they have zero history of success in the playoffs. Having staked them to a 2-0 lead, the Nuggets will seek to establish their aggressive defense and explosive running game in Game 4 while trying to make the Clippers worry about choking on their series advantage. Remember when Lou Holtz used to suspend his best players before bowl games? The departure of Martin might galvanize his teammates, who are now 30-9 without him the last two years. They surely weren't surprised by his recent outburst, or by George Karl's response. That's because the issues between Karl and Martin go back months, cresting with one particular locker room incident following the Nuggets' 90-89 win against Cleveland Jan. 18, a game in which Carmelo Anthony was outrebounded 11-1 by LeBron James. "We were lucky sons of bitches," Karl told his players afterwards. "Everyone that's in this room right now is not playing to the level we need to rebound the ball." That remark was aimed mainly at Anthony. Then, in reference to the absence of center Marcus Camby, Karl added: "Maybe when the skinny guy gets back we'll rebound the ball better." Martin felt slighted by Karl's sarcasm because he had contributed 17 rebounds to go with his 16 points. The next day at practice Karl tried to explain his intentions, but Martin -- in full view of the team -- loudly told Karl to stay away, then turned his back and walked away from the coach. Karl followed after him, but Martin would not talk. When I asked Karl about this later in the season, he used the incident to express sympathy for Martin, who has been limited all season while trying to recover from offseason microfracture knee surgery. The comments that Karl shared last month provide fresh perspective on their relationship today. "I don't know what he feels about me," Karl said. "Kenyon and I talk: We communicate, sometimes angrily, and sometimes he's not happy with my thoughts. But I know he cares, I know he's passionate, and I know he's hurt. And I think I've done a pretty good job of understanding that because of those three things he's not going to be an even-keeled guy every day. "Early in my career I wasn't an even-keeled coach every day, so I think we're similar in a lot of ways. I don't think he's going to be 100 percent till next year. I never thought he would be 100 percent this year, just the way the year went and the pain he's feeling and how he's playing and the inconsistency of good and bad performances. He's a proud player, and he gets angry when he can't play to his level of what he's proud to be. Even though I'm frustrated because he can't get there, I've got to manage that. And sometimes I've got to manage away from him, and that probably gets him more frustrated and more angry." Karl was "managing away" from Martin when he limited him to six minutes in the first half of Game 2 in Los Angeles, which led to Martin's halftime tirade in the locker room and his suspension from the team. While Anthony and Karl have made peace after their relationship got off to a rough start last year, the same cannot be said of Karl and Martin. Karl's sarcasm doesn't play well with Martin, an emotional guy and a strong presence in an otherwise quiet locker room. "I told him this: That he's a very powerful person," Karl said of Martin in March. "Unfortunately, he chooses the negative power as much as he chooses the positive power. It's your choice as a leader. You can be negative, and you can take whatever I say and take the opposite side. You can choose whatever rationalization you want. And I think sometimes Kenyon puts a weight on this team because he's choosing the negative. But in the same sense, when he's positive, he's a very powerful guy too." The Nuggets believe that Martin will return to full health by next season, as doctors had warned that he would struggle with his rehab this year. While this suspension may hinder their ability to trade him this summer, the Nuggets should be able to fetch decent value by seeking a shooting guard in return. Teams usually like the idea of trading small for big, and the Nuggets are desperate for a scoring guard to complement Anthony. In the meantime, they'll try to rally around Martin's absence without tarnishing him or his trade value. "I've walked over to Kenyon when I know he hates my guts and I know I'm pissed at him," Karl said in March. "But I still walk over to him." It's fair to say that the coach has taken his last steps in that direction. Wherever the Nuggets go, they'll get there without Martin.

4) Jay Bilas of ESPN.com with an interesting article on his Mount Rushmore of NCAA coaches pre 1980:

Hard to quibble with these four choices

To reduce hundreds of coaches in the history of college basketball to just four faces to be chiseled into the side of a mountain seems like pure folly. When Mount Rushmore was conceived in 1923 to be carved into the Black Hills of South Dakota as a monument to American history, there had been just 29 presidents. Since the game was invented by James Naismith in 1891 as an indoor "athletic distraction," there have been eight head coaches for the Jayhawks alone, including Phog Allen, Larry Brown, Roy Williams, and two Jayhawks players -- Dean Smith and Adolph Rupp -- who later went on to distinguished coaching careers worthy of inclusion on that mountain in South Dakota. Ironically, Naismith is the only head coach in Kansas history to sport a losing overall record. When you factor in that there are several other institutions that have comparable reputations and are similarly rich in hardwood tradition, such as Indiana, St. John's, Kentucky, UCLA, North Carolina and Duke, you see the difficulty in reducing the number to just four. If we were to undertake this exercise in 1923, it would be a much simpler task, and the field would be much smaller and more manageable. It seems a no-brainer to put Naismith on the mountain, for he invented the very game that we honor by this monument. However, Naismith does not make my pre-ESPN era lineup of four. While I do not claim to know as much about baseball as I believe I know about basketball, I would not put Abner Doubleday on a baseball Mount Rushmore, and the same principle applies for college basketball. Naismith supporters can take some solace in the fact that I also left off the likes of Allen, Lou Carnesecca of St. John's, Clarence "Bighouse" Gaines of Winston-Salem State, Everett Case of North Carolina State, Fred Taylor of Ohio State, Harry Litwack of Temple, Vic Bubas of Duke, Frank McGuire of North Carolina and South Carolina, Nat Holman of CCNY, Clair Bee of Rider and LIU, Piggy Lambert of Purdue, Jack Hartman of Kansas State, Ralph Miller of Iowa and Oregon State, Al McGuire of Marquette, Ray Meyer of DePaul, Phil Woolpert of San Francisco, Bob Boyd of USC, Don Haskins of UTEP, Jud Heathcote of Michigan State, and Marv Harshman of Washington. To get it down to four, I went not just with the four coaches with the most wins or national championships, I decided to go with the four that I consider to be the most influential and best coaches. While I recognize that reasonable basketball minds can differ, and the four of another basketball observer can be just as good as mine, I don't believe that anyone's list could be any better than this one.

John Wooden, UCLA The inclusion of Wooden is a no-brainer. He won 10 national championships in 12 years at UCLA, and won with very different teams. Critics -- and there are few -- will say that Wooden won with Alcindor and Walton, and won in an age when you only played four NCAA Tournament games and stayed in your own region. Well, providing my most thoughtful and intellectual response to that position, I say that is a bunch of bull. Wooden won two titles (in 1964 and '65) before Alcindor ever showed up on campus, and won with Walt Hazzard and Gail Goodrich instead of the behemoth centers he had in Alcindor and Walton. He also won between the two fine centers with Steve Patterson, Sidney Wicks and Curtis Rowe, and played a different style and game. Similarly, when Walton took his act to the NBA, Wooden continued on winning with David Meyers, Richard Washington and Marques Johnson up front, and stopped winning only because he retired. On the region front, if West Coast basketball was so much weaker than East Coast basketball, how come none of the East Coast powerhouses could clip the Bruins in the Final Four? Oh, and I believe that UCLA could have handled a 16th seed and the No. 8 vs. No. 9 winner in any given year. Wooden was an innovator with his use of full-court pressure, and he is one of the sage voices in the game's history and one of its finest gentlemen. Wooden is also the first man to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player and a coach, with both honors coming on the collegiate level. His is the first face on my Mount Rushmore.

Henry Iba, Oklahoma State Henry Iba was the first man to win back-to-back NCAA championships in 1945 and 1946, and is a legend among legends in coaching. Referred to as "Mr. Iba," he was a true innovator in man-to-man defensive principles and was the only man to coach three Olympic teams and two gold-medal-winning teams in Olympic play. While many will remember Iba simply as having coached the 1972 Olympic team that was cheated out of its gold medal in a loss to the Soviet Union in Munich, Iba was one of the true greats of the game. He won 767 games before retiring. Bob Knight once said of Iba, "Of all the shadows cast in the game, his was the longest." Henry Iba is the second face on my Mount Rushmore.

Adolph Rupp, Kentucky Rupp played and studied the game under Allen at the University of Kansas, where the inventor of the game once coached, and went on to win four national championships at Kentucky -- second only to Wooden's 10. During his time as the man in the brown suit, Rupp went 879-190, winning more than 82 percent of his games. In addition to the four national titles, Rupp won an NIT championship when the NIT was just as prestigious as the NCAA title is today, and he won 27 SEC championships. When he retired, Rupp was the all-time winningest coach in basketball history, a mark that was later passed by fellow Jayhawks player Dean Smith. Rupp was the co-coach of the 1948 Olympic team, which featured the five best players from his Kentucky team. Some might argue that because of the perceptions of Rupp's reputation stemming from the 1966 NCAA championship game loss to Texas Western and the policies of the SEC and Kentucky in the segregated South during his coaching career that Rupp should be kept off of this monument. While I am sensitive to that position, I disagree with it. Rupp's accomplishments and ability level demands that he be included here. Adolph Rupp is the third face on my Mount Rushmore.

Pete Newell, California Newell is every bit the giant in the game that Wooden, Iba and Rupp are, despite the fact that he did not coach as long. Newell is perhaps the finest teacher in the game's history, and is one of the finest basketball minds ever. He coached at the University of San Francisco, winning the NIT championship in 1949, and at Michigan State, before making his biggest splash as the coach at California, where he led the Golden Bears to back-to-back NCAA championship game appearances. Newell won the NCAA title in 1959 and fell to Jerry Lucas' Ohio State Buckeyes in 1960. In 1960, Newell coached the United States to the Olympic gold medal, which was believed to be the greatest amateur team in history, with Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Walt Bellamy. After leaving college coaching, Newell served as general manager for the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers, and still is one of the most respected clinicians, authors and consultants in the game. Newell still conducts his annual Big Man Camp, which has set the standard for footwork and fundamentals. I have had the pleasure of knowing Newell since I was in high school in Los Angeles, and the game has not known a finer coach or gentleman. Pete Newell is the fourth and final face on my Mount Rushmore.

Quick NFL Draft note…Patriots QB Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round…before Brady took over for the injured Drew Bledsoe in late-September 2001, Patriots coach Bill Belichick was 5-13 (.278) in Foxboro. Since then, he's 68-21 (.764) with three rings…just something to think about…

Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson will be named the NBA's Coach of the Year, according to media reports in the Dallas area Monday night.
The Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and ESPN 103.3 FM all reported that Johnson would be honored Tuesday. Johnson, who is in his first full season as the Mavericks' coach, led Dallas to a 60-22 record this season and in March set the record for best coaching start in NBA history after 82 games (66-16).

NCAA dunk contest highlights here…http://gorillamask.net/ncaa06dc.shtml

Milk Carton: Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin…Anthony goes 0-8 in the 1st quarter and finishes with 16 points on 5-15, while Martin plays 7 minutes and sores nothing…nada…not a sausage…bugger all…in fact, put the whole Nuggets team on that milk carton, right now they look like they’re gonna get swept…

Whereas Elton “MVP” Brand goes for 19 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in leading the Clips to a 89-87 win and a 2-0 series lead over the Nugs…And Vin Baker still looks drunk on the sideline…

Dwyane Wade, flu and all, was amazing in a 115-108 win over the bulls to take a 2-0 series lead…Wade had getting 21 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals, but really had 2 defining plays: one where with 1.8 seconds left in the 1st half he stepped in front of a weak inbounds pass underneath the bulls basket and with one step crammed it home at the buzzer and two when he blocked Ben Gordon’s teardrop with about a minute left to go to crush the Bulls momentum/rally…Andres Nocioni had 30 points on 13-15 shooting in a losing cause for the Bulls… The Bulls made 53 percent of their field goals Monday and still lost. It's the second time in these playoffs that an NBA team has lost with such a high field goal percentage; Memphis shot 53 percent in its loss to the Mavericks on Sunday. Over the past seven NBA playoffs, the only other team to lose with as high a field goal percentage as the Bulls was the Suns, who shot 56 percent in a loss to the Spurs last year.

Tonight:

Kings need to put Artest on Tony Parker to start Game 2 so that he doesn’t proceed to tear Mike Bibby a new one again…oops, Artest got himself suspended for this game…Spurs win by 20…

Nets need Wince Carter to pass the damn ball tonight...period dude was 10 for 20 in the paint but 2-13 from everywhere else…meanwhile, Richard Jefferson sits in the corner clapping his hands for the ball and get…well nothing…Nets tie it up tonight in a close one…

Wiz need to actually show up…Arenas 7-20, Jamison 4-11 and Butler 4-11…your three best scorers go 15-43, your going to lose, especially when the other team has LeBron “New Jack Big O” James…I know it’s an absolutely terrible knickname, but what can I do…the hood I grew up in had cows in it…anyway…Cleveland wins in a squeaker with Flip Murray supplying some addition offence…



1) Chad ford with his draft update for ESPN.com:

'Next Yao' ready for draft?

Only one international player, Italy's Andrea Bargnani, has really gotten GMs excited this year. Until now. On Monday, Yao Ming's agent, Bill Duffy, told me that he believed that Yi Jianlian, widely considered the second-best Chinese basketball player in the world (ranked behind only Yao), was declaring for the NBA draft this week. The news comes as a bit of surprise to NBA executives, for a couple of reasons. One, China had recently said that they weren't allowing their players to enter the draft until the age of 22. Because Yi is listed as 18 years old by the Chinese national team (though some believe he was actually born in 1984 and is currently 21, not 18), scouts thought he was years away from making the jump to the NBA. Two, after word leaked in China last week that Yi had been cleared to enter the draft by his team, Guangdong Hongyuan, Yi told the Shenzhen Evening News that he wasn't entering the draft. According to the report, Yi said that he was not yet up to the level of Yao and wasn't not good enough to compete in the NBA. However, Duffy, who will represent Yi in the NBA, said, "I believe he'll enter his name in the draft. It just remains to be seen whether he'll stay in the draft. We're looking for the right situation for Yi. He needs to go to a team that will develop him." On Monday, I talked to four NBA GMs, as well as several international scouts who know him well, to get their take on Yi. All say he's an elite talent. Yi stands a legit 7 feet tall, has long arms and is very athletic. "He's not anything like Yao," one international scout said. "He's a face-the-basket type combo forward who can do just about everything. He's very, very skilled. When you combine that with his size, quickness and athletic ability, you have a pretty exciting prospect." Duffy compared Yi to a young Toni Kukoc and scouts didn't disagree. While every scout said he needs to get stronger, especially in the upper body, and toughen up his inside game, the real concern is his lack of experience playing against good competition. While his performance in the 2004 Olympics was good, it's one of the few times he's played against NBA talent. Despite the concerns, it's clear that many of the executives and scouts we talked to are drooling at the talent. "He's got star potential," one NBA team executive said. "You look at the reaction that Yao Ming had. Now combine that with a player who has an exciting game. He's going to sell tickets. People will love him. And at the end of the day, I'm not sure he won't be a better player than Yao." Where will he go in the draft? That's tricky. Whoever drafts him is going to have to negotiate a buyout with the Chinese Basketball Association. The Houston Rockets will be the first to attest that it won't be easy. That will surely scare some teams away who are afraid that they could draft him and not actually see him in the NBA for years. Because of the sensitive nature of Yi's buyout situation with the Chinese Basketball Association, and because Yi is seeking the right opportunity, Duffy believes that it's more likely that Yi probably won't be a lottery pick and could possibly even slip to the second round. That doesn't faze Duffy, who says, "He needs to go to the right team. I don't care about draft position with a player like Yi. I want him playing in the right environment."

Wildcat Williams a draft wild card

A GM was remarking to me over the weekend that he was surprised more underclassmen weren't declaring for the draft. The draft is weak in part because there are no high school players and the international crop is weak. He thought more marginal prospects would take advantage of that and try to sneak their way into some guaranteed money in the first round -- something unlikely to be available next year, given the prospective strength of the 2007 draft. Then boom. In the last 48 hours we've heard that Patrick O'Bryant, Shannon Brown, P.J. Tucker and Daniel Gibson are declaring. Now, as we reported earlier, two sources close to the situation say that Arizona freshman Marcus Williams will also declare for the draft.
This is an interesting one. While scouts have been high on Williams all year, they thought he'd spend at least one more year at Arizona. Apparently not. Not only is Williams planning to declare, he's also interviewing agents. Several NBA executives that I spoke with on Monday were a little taken aback by the news. They haven't scouted Williams as heavily as they have other prospects, but they have seen enough to know that they like what they've seen. "He's a definite first-rounder," one NBA team executive told me on Monday. "We'll have to go back and see more tape, but I could see him anywhere from late lottery to the early 20s. He's a prototypical NBA swingman." Williams finished the season very strongly for Arizona, averaging 17.8 ppg over his last six games, including a 25-point performance against UCLA and a 24-point game against Villanova.
Williams is long, athletic and smooth. His versatility will allow him to play the two and three at the next level -- and maybe even a little point. He ran point for the Wildcats late in the season in certain situations and looked great. Williams has always been a good mid-range shooter but extended his range to the 3-point line as the year went on. He ended the season shooting 44 percent from 3-point territory. He's going to get pushed around a little in the pros, so scouts want him to add some weight to his wiry frame. But his quickness and length make him a pretty good defender anyway. Williams is currently ranked No. 23 on our Top 100, but he can move up into the mid-first round if two other top swingman prospects, Corey Brewer and Shawne Williams, decide to stay in school.

Gibson, Tucker not ready

Two weeks ago, when Texas forward LaMarcus Aldridge declared for the draft, Daniel Gibson said he was returning to Texas for his junior year. Meanwhile, P.J. Tucker was on the fence. An e-mail from someone in the Texas athletic department last week asking us to move Gibson from "Out" to "50-50" in our In/Out List was the first clue that Gibson was having second thoughts. On Sunday, sources told me that Gibson was very likely to declare. That was followed by a report in the Austin American-Statesman that Gibson's father, Byron Gibson, said it was "likely" that his son was entering. Then, on Monday, Tucker declared for the draft on Monday and said he wouldn't hire an agent. Declaring for the draft is a questionable call by both players. Gibson was ranked as a top-five pick to start the season, but his stock quickly tanked once scouts became convinced he wasn't a point guard. The Texas offense ground to a standstill when Gibson had the ball in his hands, prompting head coach Rick Barnes to move Gibson to the two midway through the season. If he could play point guard, Gibson would be an excellent prospect. He's got a quick first step, a beautiful jump shot and good size for the point in the NBA. As a two guard, the situation is not nearly as pretty. Gibson is about 6-2 in shoes and doesn't have the length or explosive athleticism that two guards need in the pros. While a few scouts think he could learn to play the point, all of the NBA executives I spoke to said they were evaluating him as a two guard. And they all said they currently have him projected as a second-rounder. Gibson's father told the Austin American-Statesmen that scouts from Atlanta and Toronto told him that his son was a "solid first-rounder." But the Hawks and Raptors are both likely to have high lottery picks. Given that no one projects Gibson to be taken that high, any such reports are not to be taken too seriously. Perhaps the Hawks and Raptors would be interested in taking him with their early second-round picks, with both teams in need of a point guard. Tucker is a tough, tenacious player who's an excellent rebounder at 6-5. But he's a poor shooter, so making a transition to the three in the NBA pretty unlikely. His draft stock is harder to project. It's tough to see Tucker would be able to crack the first round, though another undersized four, Jason Maxiell, did it last year. Look for both players, if they're smart, to test the process and return to school. Then again, both have been itching to declare and have had their names attached to agents. So, if they were to make a mistake and stay in the draft that wouldn't be shocking either. That's too bad for Texas. With prep star Kevin Durant (a likely top-five pick in the 2007 draft) heading to Texas this year, the Longhorns looked like they were going to be great.
Draft update: Brown's size an issue

Michigan State guard Shannon Brown gave us a mild surprise on Monday when he announced he was entering his name in the draft. Brown moved steadily up our board all season and looked poised to crack the first round if he could continue his strong play into the tourney. He didn't.
Brown was awful for the Spartans late in the season and in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, shooting just 2-for-11 (for a total of 10-for-41 in his last three games). For a guy who was a borderline first-round pick anyway, it wasn't the impression he wanted to make on NBA scouts.
Scouts still like Brown as a prospect. He is built like a tank but still possesses great quickness and explosive leaping ability. He has dramatically improved his perimeter shooting this season and also can get it done at the defensive end of the floor. Still, scouts have their worries. He's yet another undersized two guard without the playmaking skills to make it as a point guard in the pros. He's also a little turnover prone, which doesn't help his case. Brown says he's not hiring an agent and plans to play at the NBA pre-draft camp in Orlando. It will be interesting to see what he does there. It is the right type of environment for Brown to shine. He'll have the ball in his hands a lot and he should be able to score. If he can show teams in workouts that he's got NBA range on his 3-pointer and that he has no problem getting his shot off against bigger players, he still has a shot at the first round. Several NBA executives that I spoke with this afternoon said they would give Brown serious consideration in the late first round and have him ranked ahead of Texas' Daniel Gibson, another undersized two guard expected to declare in the next few days. Given that Brown's main weakness is his size, maybe he's better off capitalizing on a great year while he has the chance. Another year in school isn't
going to make him any taller.

Timing right for O'Bryant

A wish came true for NBA GMs on Saturday when Bradley center Patrick O'Bryant announced that he was entering the draft. With Joakim Noah saying that he's staying at Florida, it's looking as though O'Bryant might be the best center prospect in the draft. That's what makes his decision a slam dunk. Some team in the first round is going to gamble that O'Bryant has what it takes to be a serviceable NBA center. That's all NBA teams are asking for these days. O'Bryant actually has the potential to be more. He's a big-time rebounder and shot blocker who projects as a true center in the pros. His long arms (7-5 wingspan) and good frame combined with solid athleticism have scouts intrigued. He's still got a way to go offensively, but his 28-point outburst vs. Pittsburgh in the tournament (against Aaron Gray, another NBA center prospect) showed that he has upside on that end of the floor as well. O'Bryant claims he's still trying to decide whether to hire an agent or not, but few in the NBA believe him. He's knows it will be harder for him to compete next year if Greg Oden and Noah are in the draft. While his stock is all over the place at the moment, it's probably going to end up pretty high. Scouts have O'Bryant as a mid-to-late first-rounder, but if he works out well, it's not out of the question that he cracks the top 10. That says more about the weakness of the draft at the center position than it does O'Bryant, but give the kid credit for taking advantage. "Publicity is high right now and my stock is so high right now, you've got to go with it," he said on Saturday. Say what you like about his ability. Just don't call him stupid.

2) Elliot Kalb of Foxsports.com with his 10 greatest opening round playoff performances ever in honour of LeBron’s Triple dip the other day:

Ten greatest opening round playoff series


Usually, the best, most-competitive playoff series come in late-May, or June. But sometimes, the first round of the playoffs brings an intensity that rivals anything that comes later. Depending on the year, some of these series were best-of-three, others best-of-five, still others best-of-seven.

1. 1989 Eastern Conf. First Round: Chicago 3, Cleveland 2 - Lenny Wilkens led the Cavs to a 57-25 record during the regular season. The Bulls finished with 47 victories, and a sixth-seed in the playoffs. This series was only a best-of-five, and Chicago took the first game in Cleveland. But the Cavs battled back to win the fourth game at Chicago Stadium (in overtime) to send the series back to the Richfield Coliseum for the fifth and final game. In the fifth game, Cleveland led virtually the entire first three quarters. But there would be seven lead changes in the final 2:30 of play. Scottie Pippen hit a huge three-pointer to put Chicago ahead 97-95 with 73 seconds remaining. Then, the Cavs' Craig Ehlo hit a three-pointer to put Cleveland back on top. The game came down to Chicago's Brad Sellers taking the ball out of bounds for one last play that would determine the series. Pippen popped free, and was momentarily open. But Sellers found Michael Jordan, with Ehlo in his face, and Jordan drained an 18-footer to win the game and series for the Bulls.

2. 1984 Eastern Conf. First Round: New Jersey 3, Philadelphia 2 - The Philadelphia 76ers were the defending NBA champions, and had the same cast of characters. They had Moses Malone and Julius Erving (who combined to capture four of the previous five MVP awards). They had Andrew Toney and Bobby Jones and Maurice Cheeks. They finished 32-9 at home. This was a wonderful series, for so many reasons. First, the teams were in-bred. Darryl Dawkins, the Nets starting center, had been a Sixer. Erving had, of course, been a huge star for the Nets (in their ABA days). New Jersey took the first two games of the best-of-five series in Philadelphia, led by Michael Ray Richardson. Richardson had 18 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 5 steals. Buck Williams neutralized Malone in the middle. The Sixers came right back and, facing elimination, won two games in Jersey. A confident Erving said after the fourth game that "you could mail in the stats for the fifth game." Not exactly. Philadelphia had a 90-83 lead midway through the fourth quarter, and couldn't hold the Nets off. Michael Ray had 24 points, 6 assists, and 6 steals.

3. 1981 Western Conf. First Round: Houston 2, Los Angeles 1 - Led by Magic Johnson, the Lakers won the NBA title in 1980, and were favored to repeat. The Houston Rockets made the playoffs despite a 40-42 record. The Lakers and Rockets met in a best-of-three series. The Rockets won Game 1 in Los Angeles. The Lakers came back to win in Houston. In the third and deciding game, Kareem Abdul Jabbar did his job (33 points). Moses Malone did his (23 points). The surprising star was Mike Dunleavy, whose 18-footer with 15 seconds remaining gave the Rockets the lead. Magic Johnson then missed a 10-footer with five seconds remaining that would have given the Lakers the lead. Magic was only 2-of-14 in this game and scored only 10 points. He went to the Finals nine times in 12 years, but not in 1981. Lakers coach Paul Westhead would last only 11 games into the next season, before Pat Riley would be called in to coach (and make the game fun again) for Magic.

4. 1994 Western Conf. First Round: Denver 3, Seattle 2 - Paul Westhead landed in Denver, where he led the Nuggets to seasons of 20-62 in 1991 and 24-58 in 1992. By 1994, Dan Issel had taken over, and led the franchise back to mediocrity (42-40) and a spot in the playoffs. Seattle was the NBA's top team, finishing with 63 victories. The underdog Nuggets fell behind 2-0 in the series. Then Denver stunned the sports world with three consecutive victories. Seattle was a 12-point favorite going into the fifth and final game. Dikembe Mutombo blocked eight shots in the final game. When Denver point guard Mahmoud Abdur-Rauf couldn't do the job against Gary Payton, Issel inserted Robert Pack. Pack had a tremendous series. The final game went to overtime, where Mutombo blocked two shots in the final 78 seconds, as the Nuggets beat the Sonics 98-94.

5. 1999 Eastern Conf. First Round: New York 3, Miami 2 - The Nuggets were the first eighth seed to eliminate the top seed, but in 1999, the New York Knicks joined them. This was the lockout-shortened season, however, and the Eastern Conference included eight teams that were separated by six games. This was a memorable series between two bitter rivals. The Heat had eliminated the Knicks in seven games in 1997 when Patrick Ewing was suspended for Game 6 in New York and the Knicks were undermanned in Game 7. The next year, the Knicks eliminated the Heat in the first round in five games, in a series that featured more fighting as Larry Johnson got into a fight with Alonzo Mourning that earned both of them suspensions for Game 5. Without Mourning, the Knicks blew the Heat out in the final game in Miami. The teams waged playoff battle for the third straight year in 1999. The series came down to a final Sunday afternoon. Ewing, playing with an Achilles problem and rib cage injuries, scored 22 points. Alonzo Mourning scored 21 for the Heat. But the series came down a shot by the Knicks' Allan Houston, who scored the series-winning basket with 0.8 seconds left.

6. 2003 Western Conf. First Round: Dallas 4, Portland 3 - This was 2003, before the Boston Red Sox came back from an 0-3 deficit to defeat the Yankees. It was impossible to comeback from an 0-3 deficit. A couple of hockey teams had done it, but that was hockey, and a long time ago. When the Mavericks took the first three games of the first round against the Blazers, it appeared hopeless. But it wasn't. Portland showed pride in winning the fourth game. They broke serve in Dallas in the fifth game. They blew out the Mavs in the sixth game, holding Dirk Nowitzki to a career-worst playoff effort. The pressure entering the seventh game, was clearly on Don Nelson's Mavericks. Nowitzki scored 31 points in the seventh game, and Nick Van Exel (who backed up Steve Nash) led a run in the fourth quarter that decided things for Dallas.

7. 2002 Eastern Conf. First Round: New Jersey 3, Indiana 2 - Reggie Miller had amazing performances in the playoffs, including some in the first round. In 1996, he returned to action after missing eight straight games (the final four regular season games, and the first four games of the best-of-five series against Atlanta). In Game 5, he scored 29 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter. It wasn't enough, as the Hawks eliminated the Pacers. In 2005, Miller's Pacers played a seven-game series in the first round against the Celtics. Miller, at the very end of his 18-year career, averaged 15.6 points per game in the series, including a 33-point game. But in 2002, Miller and the Pacers played one of the most exciting five-game series of all-time. In the fifth and final game, the Nets' Jason Kidd and Miller battled it out. Kidd scored 20 points after the third quarter of the final game. Miller hit a desperation 3-pointer from 35-feet to force overtime. Miller flew to the hoop and scored with 3-seconds remaining to force a second overtime. Kidd then had a last shot to win the game in the first overtime. It went in-and-out. In the second overtime, Miller missed all four of his shots. The Nets advanced.

8. 1970 Western Semis: Los Angeles 4, Phoenix 3 - Wilt Chamberlain had missed 70 games during the season, after suffering a knee injury early in the campaign, but he was ready for the postseason. Would he disrupt the Lakers, or lead them? The Suns took a 3-1 series lead, and in the fourth game, opened up with a 19-2 run. Joe Mullaney benched Elgin Baylor after four minutes, and he didn't return. Over the next three games, the world finally saw Baylor, West, and Chamberlain at the top of their games. In the fifth game, the Lakers won at home 138-121. Chamberlain finished with 36 points and had 14 rebounds. His backup, Mel Counts, had 18 rebounds. In the sixth game, the Lakers won in Phoenix, 104-93. In the seventh game, back in Los Angeles, the Lakers blew out the Suns.

9. 1999 Western Conf. First Round: Utah 3, Sacramento 2 - The Jazz had made the NBA Finals in both 1997 and 1998. The Kings were trying to win a playoff series for the first time since 1981 (and the first time ever in Sacramento). The Kings took the third game in overtime to take a 2-1 lead and push the Jazz to the brink of elimination. But the Jazz calmly took the fourth game in Sacramento (90-89) when John Stockton hit a game-winning shot and the fifth game back in Utah (99-92 in overtime). Shandon Anderson scored seven points in overtime to lead the Jazz in the fifth game.

10. 1970 Eastern Semis: New York 4, Baltimore 3 - This was a great rivalry, with the two teams matching up against each other. Reed versus Unseld. DeBusschere versus Gus Johnson. Frazier versus Earl Monroe. Yes, the Knicks won the NBA Championship in 1970, but the Bullets almost prevented them from getting to the second round. The first game of this series went to double-overtime. Monroe scored 39 points, and Unseld had 31 rebounds — but it wasn't enough. The Knicks took the first two. The Bullets took the next two. The series extended to seven games. In Game 7, it was Dick Barnett, of all people to score 29 points and lead the Knicks. The two franchises met in the playoffs in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, and 1974. Three times it went the limit, including in this first-round matchup.

Honorable Mention:

2003 Eastern Conf. First Round: Detroit 4, Orlando 3 - The Pistons were a year away from winning the NBA championship, but showed everyone that they were a team to be reckoned with. In the first round of the 2003 playoffs, they fell behind 3-1 to the Orlando Magic. They blew out the Magic in the final three games, winning by 31 points, 15 points, and 15 points. In the seventh game, Chauncey Billups scored 37 points.

1962 Western Semis: Detroit 3, Cincinnati 1 - This was Oscar Robertson, in his greatest season, looking to advance to play Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and the rest of the Lakers in the Western Finals. First, the Royals had to defeat the Detroit Pistons. They had played each other 12 times during the season and split the games evenly. Oscar, at 23 years old and in his first playoff series, averaged a triple-double (29 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists). It wasn't enough. Detroit won the first game in Detroit. Cincinnati won the second game in Cincinnati. Detroit held serve at home in the third game. In the fourth and final game, the Pistons 7-footer Walter Dukes played iron-clad defense on the Royals' Wayne Embry to key a one-point series-clinching victory. Don Ohl scored 33 for the Pistons, and Gene Shue had 21, to offset Oscar's 32-points.

1963 Eastern Semis: Cincinnati 3, Syracuse 2 - It's always a great playoff series when it comes down to a final climactic game. In this best-of-five, the Syracuse Nats had the home court for the fifth game, and an 88-83 lead after three quarters. But Oscar Robertson's 33 points led a late comeback, and the game went into overtime. The Royals would win 131-127 and advance to play the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. More significantly, it was the last NBA game ever played in Syracuse, as the Nats moved to Philadelphia before the next season and became the 76ers.

1976 Eastern Conf. First Round: Buffalo 2, Philadelphia 1 - Just like the 1984 Philly-New Jersey and the 1981 Houston-Los Angeles series, this first-round series had the road team winning every game. In this series, both Buffalo and Philadelphia finished the regular season with 46 wins. These teams were evenly matched. In the third game, the Sixers' Fred Carter hit a shot with six seconds left to give Philadelphia the lead. Bob McAdoo came back to tie the game with one second left with two clutch free throws. John Shumate scored 15 points after the third quarter for the Buffalo Braves, after missing the second game and spending the night in the hospital. The Braves would be eliminated by the eventual champion Celtics in the next round of the playoffs.

1973 Western Semis: Los Angeles 4, Chicago 3 - From Wilt Chamberlain's 1974 autobiography, "Wilt: Just like any other 7-ft black millionaire that lives next door, "The Lakers had just beaten the Chicago Bulls 95-92 to win the first round of the 1973 playoffs in Los Angeles. We had won in the final seconds of the final quarter of the final game, when I blocked a jump shot, grabbed the ball and fired a full-court pass to Gail Goodrich for a lay-up …The Bulls had outplayed us and outhustled us in almost every game. They had given us just about the most physically punishing and emotionally exhausting seven-game series I can recall in my 14 years of play … I knew that in a matter of days—if not hours—Chicago's brilliant, valiant effort would be forgotten." No, it won't, Wilt.

Quick pic of "Big Girl" 2 months away from baby day...with Buck the dog taking an apparent interest...

Here’s a link to Lang Whittaker’s fantastic Blog on SI.com where he annually details the funniest and weirdest stories of the year:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/lang_whitaker/04/17/nba.oddities/index.html

Seattle's Ray Allen broke the NBA record for 3-pointers in a season, finishing with 269, in a 109-98 over the Nuggets on Wednesday night…dude certainly has the prettiest jumper and the fastest release in the league…

Utah centre Greg Ostertag ended his 11-year NBA career Wednesday night…he was given a 5 minute standing ovation by the Utah crowd…I’ll always remember him at Kansas in the tournament getting dunked on by Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson of Purdue… the 6’7” Big Dog posted up the 7’2” Oostertag and basically turnaround dunked right on Ostertag’s head, immediately followed by Robinson talking trash to him…to which Ostertag relied: “OK, you got me, you’re bad….you’re a bad man I get it…” So Funny…

Oh my god…they cannot be stopped…http://jackiechristie.com/

Darius Miles' days in Portland figure to be nearing an end as he continues to be a disruptive force. The latest incident occurred last week in Los Angeles when Miles inexplicably changed into street clothes at halftime of Portland's loss to the Clippers. Coach Nate McMillan told Miles that he didn't plan on playing him because he had been having problems with his surgically repaired right knee, but wanted him in uniform and be ready just in case. But after he didn't play in the first half, Miles changed out of his uniform at halftime, saying that the only reason he suited up was because he thought he was going to play.

Apparently Knicks PG Nate Robinson was playing pickup at the West 4th St courts in Brooklyn Wednesday night, the night before the Knicks season finale…

Perennial International prospect, 7 foot centre Tiago Splitter will officially enter his name into the draft today…I’ll believe it when I see it…

MVP Picks, which for me is the guy who is the most valuable to the team, and runner’s up:

MVP - Steve Nash Phoenix Suns 18.9 ppg, 10.4 apg, 4.1 rpg, 0.76 spg, 51.0 FG% / W-L: 53-28 – last year’s MVP joins Larry Bird, Mark Price, Reggie Miller and Steve Kerr as the only players in NBA history to shoot at least 50% from the field (51.3), 40% from three-point range (43.3) and 90% from the free throw line (92.4).Phoenix lost Amare Stoudamire and Joe Johnson… Nash’s numbers are all up across the board this year…he led the league in assists, despite the fact that for the 1st 20 games of the year all of the new players on the Suns were dropping passes all over the place… he shoots 51% from the floor, which at 6’2” and with limited vertical (he apparently cannot dunk) is ridiculous…plus 4.1 RPG? Well, Joe Johnson, who is 6’7” and playing 5 more minutes per game is only getting 4.1 RPG…Stephen Jackson, at 6’7” is only getting 3.9, Tayshaun Prince at 6’9” is only getting 4.1, with both of these players playing the same number of minutes…and the list of players Nash has made better? Check it out: Boris Diaw goes from (2004-05) 4.8 PPG, 42.2 FG%, 2.6 RPB, 2.3 APG, 0.3 BPG to (2005-06) 13.3 PPG, 52.6 FG%, 6.9 RPG, 6.2 APG, 1.0 BPG…basically he goes from 12th man to the new Derrick McKey…Leandro Barboaa goes from (2004-05) 7.0 PPG, 47.5 FG%, 36.7 3FG%, 2.1 RPG, 2.0 APG to (2005-06) 13.1 PPG, on 48.1% FG%, 44.4 3FG%, 2.6 RPG, 3.0 APG…James Jones, Eddie House, Tim Thomas, Raja Bell, all have seen their numbers improve across the board…his unselfishness actually seems to permeate to his teammates, making everyone a passer at any moment, combined with the fact he makes the team run constantly…take him off this team and they become selfish, shooters with no facilitator for the offence, they stop running and basically they suck…maybe a 20 win team…

1st runner up - LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers 31.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 6.6 apg, 1.56 spg, 48.0 FG% / W-L: 49-32 – only the 4th player in NBA history to average 31 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, the other three being Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson and Jerry West…he is also the only player in the NBA with at least 100 three-pointers and 100 dunks…has he made anyone better? Well, Larry Hughes is not better, his PPG is down from 22 to 15.5, his shooting percentage is down from 43.0% to 41.9% from the field, his rebounding is down from 6.2 to 4.5 per game, and his assists are down from 4.7 to 3.6, Gooden, Ilgauskas, Jones, Mrshall all have lower numbers this year…and LeBron’s team might be more talented than Nash’s Suns...seriously, Ilgaukas at centre vs. Kurt Thomas and Hughes at SG vs. Raja Bell are in Cleveland’s favour…Shawn Marion and LeBron is a wash…Nash is a better PG than Damon Jones (and a better shooter) and at the PF spot Drew Gooden is not quite the player Diaw is but close…certainly to start the season, you’d have to say that Cleveland should have been the equal of the Suns with Amare…If LeBron is off this team they win suck too, but not as much as Phoenix without Nash…

2md Runner up - Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers 35.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.5 apg, 44.9 FG% 84.9 FT% / W-L: 44-37…1st player to average 35+since MJ in 1987, the 81 points on the Raptors, the run of 40+ games…but…does he make anyone better? Smush Parker? Yes, much better…Lamar Odom? No…Chris Mihm? Yes…Kwame Brown? No…2nd question is. Does Bryant taker a lot of shots? Yessir…piles of them…in fact, Kobe has taken 2691 (2’s and 3’s together) shots this year, which is 34 shots per game...MJ in 1986-87 took 2345 to average 37 for comparison…so my point? Well, I think if Kobe was off this team, within the context of the triangle, Lamar Odom is much better without Kobe hogging the ball, and Kwame Brown gets more touches and this team still wins about 25 games…

Honourable mention:

Dirk Nowitzki Dallas Mavericks 26.6 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.02 bpg, 48.0 FG% / W-L: 60-21…The diggler is good, but he doesn’t make anyone better…and if he’s not there Josh Howard steps in to be the new star and they still win 45 games…

Chauncey Billups Detroit Pistons 18.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 8.6 apg, 0.88 spg, 41.8 FG% / W-L: 64-17…is part of the best starting 5 in the world, but imagine how good they’d be with Nash…and if he’s not there, they still win 45 games…

Shawn Marion Phoenix Suns Stats: 21.7 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.98 spg, 52.2 FG% / W-L: 53-28…the most underrated player in the NBA, maybe in NBA history…but I’ll underrate him once more…if he;s not there, they still run and gun their way to 30 wins…

Elton Brand Los Angeles Clippers Stats: 24.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.55 bpg, 52.7 FG% / W-L: 46-34…one of my favourite players and the hardest working star on the court…however, without him they keep Chris Wilcox and still win 30…

1) Anonymous but genuine scouting reports on some draft eligible prospects:

Adam Morrison - Quick notes: Awkward, fiery, defensively challenged, scoring machine, well-developed offensive skill set…Overview: Forget the Larry Bird references; Morrison is a vastly different player. Morrison's competitive desire, though, might be his biggest strength -- and his ultimate weakness. Morrison has a tendency to chase the ball like a moth chases light, which simply will not work in an NBA structure. He does, however, want the ball to take (and usually make) every timely shot for his team. Don't be deceived by the gawky way in which he runs. Morrison is quicker than you think, stronger than he looks and is a difficult matchup because he can hit you inside with awkward low-post moves and outside with increasing range. Morrison loves to go right and has an uncanny ability to fade away so his shot is virtually unblockable, thus his lack of true explosive speed is hidden by his feel for various ways to score the ball. Defensively, he's a zone waiting to happen. It's not that he lacks the speed, quickness and long arms to at least be a viable defender. It's whether the desire to be one ever hits him. Say what you want about Morrison, but there is one thing for certain: Whatever team he plays for eventually will be able to count on 15 and maybe upward of 20 points a night from a guy who knows how to score.

LaMarcus Aldridge - Quick notes: Long, rangy, soft, skilled, can score with back to basket and face up from 17 feet and in…Overview: Aldridge might very well be the No. 1 overall pick, but the sight of him being pushed continually off the block by Glen Davis might have sent shock waves across the teams that think Aldridge can be their next star big. The most common comparison thrown around is Marcus Camby, and while Camby has had a highly effective NBA career, he's never been the star he was in college. If that's the case with Aldridge, his label of being soft, especially with his back to the basket, might stick. Make no mistake about it -- Aldridge is at least 6-foot-11, has long arms, a nice hook shot and an immense level of skill for a guy who has played all of a season and a half of college basketball. Still, there are some questions.

Tyrus Thomas - Quick notes: Long … longer … longest, ridiculous athlete, upside galore, mean streak that came out in key situations, raw, highly unproven, no position, can't shoot. Overview: In a draft filled with uncertainty, the one thing that is certain is that Thomas is considered the pick with the largest upside in this class. Thomas can jump to the moon, blocks everything in sight, catches mostly everything thrown this way and is not afraid to compete with older, stronger, more refined players. However, he has improved at a sensational rate in the two years since he nearly attended North Texas. Can we expect that same curve of improvement over the first four years of the NBA career? Like Aldridge, as well as Dwight Howard two years ago, Thomas is considered a sensational kid. He has a smile that lights up a room and lacks a posse that will follow him around on the road for 41 games a year. With no apparent baggage, Thomas might supplant Aldridge as the No. 1 overall pick.

Rudy Gay - Quick notes: Smooth, effortless motion, at times disinterested, extremely long, more complete game than you would think. Overview: Gay is a more refined guy who seemingly has all the tools to be a star. He has the length to guard three positions, goes left as well as to the right, seems to have improved his range on his 3-point jumper and can create Morrison-type separation in the lane. The problem is … is he a killer? Gay might be the first player from Baltimore to be considered too nice on the court. UConn coaches told me Gay's a great kid, his mom's a great lady, but only the fact that he's a lock to be a top-five pick is making him go to the NBA draft. Say what you want about Morrison's lack of athletic ability, but he'll tear your heart out to win a game. Gay seems OK with having three or four nice dunks, a couple of nice, high-arcing jump shots, and packing a shot or two with style, but he lacks the killer instinct that makes players stars in the NBA. It is possible that he's just not selfish enough, or driven enough, to be a big star at the next level. In that league, nice guys really do finish last, and Gay is one nice guy.

Rajon Rondo - Quick notes: Wiry, huge hands, long arms, potential lockdown defender, solid passer in transition, average decision-maker in halfcourt, poor shooter, surly disposition. Overview: Rondo was handed the keys to the Cadillac that is Kentucky basketball and drove it like he was constantly looking around for the Maybach that belonged to him. Five months ago, he was a lock to be the first point guard taken, but his awkward jump shot leaves me wondering just how he will be able to keep defenses honest at the next level. While he has the arrogance that Rudy Gay lacks, it doesn't necessarily play out as quality leadership while he's running the point. In fact, Kentucky didn't make its move this season until Rondo was moved to the 2. Rondo can single-handedly change a game with his defense and finishing around the basket. Dare I say, he's the new and not-really-improved version of Rod Strickland? Believe it or not, that's a compliment to Rondo. Strickland was very respected in NBA circles. He never missed around the basket, created for his teammates and defended at a high level, despite the lack of a jump shot. If Rondo can improve on his perceived leadership issues, he can be a starting point guard while his jump shot develops.

Nick Fazekas - Quick notes: Long, skilled, can shoot out to 22 feet. Overview: With shooting and size at a premium in the depleted draft pool, Fazekas would be a solid pick if you are a playoff team and can develop him. He has tremendous scoring and rebounding ability around the basket, can pick-and-pop with the best of them, and even though he has a weird running gait, he's deceptively athletic. If he can add 20-25 pounds, he'll play in the NBA for 10 years.

Guillermo Diaz - Quick notes: Springy, tweener, lacks court sense, major-league athlete, has solid range to 21 feet. Overview: For some reason, Diaz decided to sign with an agent although the buzz around him has diminished a bit from his sophomore year. He is about 6-2 and has no real position on an NBA floor. Despite that, his ability to shoot and jump over people when he enters the lane probably will allow him to make a team as either a late first-rounder or a second-round pick. I like Miami backcourt mate Robert Hite's game better for the next level.

Thomas Gardner - Quick notes: Athlete, shooter, scorer, needs to learn better guard skills. Overview: Gardner is a highly draftable player with an NBA physique and the ability to get his own shot off the dribble or the catch. While he's not a true 2, he can mask it by finding ways to put the ball in the basket. A bigger, stronger, less prolific version of Ben Gordon.

Richard Roby - Quick notes: Silky smooth, 2-guard with a nice game using screens to catch and shoot. Overview: Roby can put the ball on the floor and create and has the size in the lane to get his shot off against more athletic defenders. He is a consistent scorer and seems to have the potential to score more as he develops the ability to create fouls through penetration.

Paul Millsap - Quick notes: Strong, athletic, high basketball IQ, perfect worker bee for a playoff team that needs a rebounder. Overview: While he might not be taller than 6-8, that matters little because he knows his strengths and plays to them -- and the NBA game is more about defining one's skill and specialization. He dominates the boards and scores in and around the basket, and there is no one better or more developed at the college level.

Marcus Slaughter - Quick notes: Great rebounder/scorer with range out to 18 feet. Overview: Uncanny ability to get to the line and shoots a high percentage when he gets there. He's somewhere between a 3 and 4, but he's still draftable because of his athleticism and tenacity on the glass.

Curtis Stinson - Quick notes: A 2-guard in a 1's body, great off the dribble, average off the catch, streaky shooter, creative passer, lacks some sound fundamental decision-making. Overview: Stinson should be able to come into the league in the mold of Gordon, Troy Hudson, Eddie House and others who are essentially scoring 1s or combo guards. He needs to improve his consistency on his long-range jump shot, but with the shot clock winding down, he can create his own shot and is a willing passer.

Quincy Douby - Quick notes: Deep range, wiry, strong combo guard who can score points in a hurry. Overview: Douby fits into the same mold as Stinson, only he shoots the ball at a much more prolific clip and probably is two inches taller. Douby has unlimited range and a knack for taking and making the big shot. A willing passer and an above-average defender, Douby might be this year's Luther Head.

Josh Boone - Quick notes: Body like Tarzan, finishes like Jane. Overview: Boone seemed to have a bewildered look on his face at times this year. Put Millsap's tenacity into Boone's body and you have a heck of a player. Still, some NBA scout will stake his career on Boone, because as the saying goes, if you are going to make a mistake, make a big mistake. Boone is quiet and, at times, too polite on the floor and the lack of fire in his belly is the only thing keeping him from being a star.

Brandon Heath - Another combo who can score in a hurry. He has unlimited range, but is a poor decision-maker and will take (and sometimes make) any shot. He probably will come back to school, but his shot-making ability is the type that, if he got it going in Orlando at the predraft camp, might allow him to stay in the draft as a first-round pick.

Mustafa Shakur - Came along nicely at end of the season. Was rated ahead of Chris Paul coming out of high school and seems to read those old articles and tries to become something he is not. Shakur probably will play in the NBA, but not this year.

Will Blaylock - Great ballhandler, below-average long-range shooter, can make anyone look bad while he's going by you off the dribble. While he has some skills passing the basketball, he's overly fancy in everything he does, so his turnovers sometimes can match his assist levels. He should return to school.

2) Chris Sheriden of ESPN.com has the 1st round picked:

We've got the winners

It was well past midnight on the East Coast by the time all the NBA playoff matchups were finally set, and now there will be just two short days of downtime before the real season gets started. The defending champion San Antonio Spurs will go up against Ron Artest and the Sacramento Kings, who won't be a pushover if their 10-point victory on the Spurs' home court just two weeks ago was any kind of a preview. The defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons will get an opponent, the Milwaukee Bucks, generally regarded as the postseason's most legitimate pushover candidate, although the Bucks took the Pistons to overtime in their first visit of the season to The Palace and were up by 17 in the third quarter of their second visit before crumbling down the stretch. The East playoffs will have three heavy favorites -- Detroit over Milwaukee, Miami over Chicago and New Jersey over Indiana -- along with one series that should be more of a toss-up: the playoff-tested Washington Wizards vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first postseason game of LeBron James' NBA career. The West offers slightly more intrigue, at least on paper. The Spurs will be solid favorites over the Kings, and the same goes for Dallas over Memphis, but the Phoenix-L.A. Lakers series has the Kobe Bryant factor at play, and the Los Angeles Clippers-Denver series offers the oddity of the sixth-seed, the Clips, having homecourt advantage over the third seed by virtue of having a better regular-season record. "This is the most wide-open I've ever seen the NBA playoffs," TNT analyst Charles Barkley said. "If the Clippers make it to the Western Conference finals I wouldn't be shocked, and if Denver makes it to the Western Conference finals I wouldn't be shocked." ABC, the league's network rightsholder, got first choice of which games to televise and selected Wizards-Cavs for the Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET time slot and Lakers-Suns for the same slot on Sunday. The playoffs begin Saturday with Wizards-Cavs at 3:30 p.m. ET, Sacramento-San Antonio at 5:30 p.m., Bulls-Heat at 8 p.m. and Nuggets-Clippers in the uncoveted 10:30 p.m. slot. Sunday's games are Pacers-Nets at 1 p.m. ET, Lakers-Suns at 3:30, Bucks-Pistons at 7 and Grizzlies-Mavericks at 9:30. Here's the briefest of looks at each series, along with the Sheridan picks (I went chalk, big-time).

EAST:

Bucks-Pistons: Detroit's experience will be the determining factor in each fourth quarter, but the Bucks have the right combination of size, speed and shooting to keep up with the Pistons. Detroit in 4.

Heat-Bulls: Miami has too much size and too good a player, Dwyane Wade, to be threatened much. But Chicago has been playing playoff-type games for two weeks. Heat in 5.

Pacers-Nets: The Nets are pretty high on themselves these days, but Indiana never goes down easy in the playoffs. We'll tab Jason Kidd as the difference-maker here. Nets in 7.

Wizards-Cavaliers: LeBron takes the big stage for the first time, but is everyone going to underestimate Gilbert Arenas again? Cavaliers in 7.

WEST:

Spurs-Kings: Two of the game's best defenders and loosest cannons, Bruce Bowen and Artest, could make this a combustible series, and the Mike Bibby-Tony Parker point guard matchup is nifty. Spurs in 5.

Suns-Lakers: Kobe Bryant scored 39, 37, 51 and 43 in the Lakers' four games against Phoenix, three of which were losses. If you had to pick only one series to watch, this would be it. Suns in 7.

Nuggets-Clippers: Anyone who bets against Sam Cassell will eventually part ways with his money, although the Clips haven't been in the second round since 1976. Clippers in 7.

Grizzlies-Mavericks: There is no one on Memphis who can defend Dirk Nowitzki, and the Grizz still haven't broken their schneid of zero career playoff Ws. Mavs in 6.

3) Chad Ford of ESPN.com with his draft update:

Powe has something to prove

Cal's Leon Powe is the latest college underclassman to enter the draft. No surprise here. Powe has been itching to declare for the NBA since he was a senior in high school and he has the talent to be an excellent NBA player. But there is a big if attached to his draft candidacy. On talent, Powe is a potential mid-first rounder. He was one of the most devastating low-post scorers and rebounders in college basketball. Powe also possesses some nice perimeter skills with a good mid-range jump shot and solid ball-handling abilities. He has great hands, is very aggressive on both ends of the floor, has a legit NBA body and is an excellent athlete. While scouts believe he might be only 6-7, making him undersized to play the four, he makes up for it with super-long arms and explosive leaping ability. He sounds like a more athletic version of Ike Diogu -- a guy who went No. 9 in the draft last year. So why doesn't Powe have lottery buzz? Because he has had to overcome two serious knee injuries, a fact that worries scouts. Powe injured his ACL as a junior in high school and then reinjured it toward the end of his freshman year. He missed his entire college sophomore season recovering from the injury. And then a stress fracture kept him off the floor for the first month of the 2005-06 season. Given the conservative nature of Cal's offense, scouts are still wondering whether he's really regained the athleticism that he once had. That's going to make physicals and workouts essential for Powe. If he can go into NBA workouts and wow teams with his athleticism and get a clean bill of health from doctors, he'll probably fall somewhere in the 20s or early 30s. If he's lost a step or team doctors are concerned about the long-term prognosis on his knees, he could slip all the way out of the draft.

Morrison has star appeal, flaws

Adam Morrison's decision to declare for the 2006 NBA draft comes as no surprise. He was the best player in college basketball this year and could hardly have done more to help his draft stock next year. On the draft board this season, Morrison moved up and down a bit. He started the season as a top-10 pick based on a stellar sophomore campaign and, for a time, had moved all the way up to the No. 1 spot in the draft, according to some scouts. Morrison has several characteristics of an NBA star. He can score, he is a fearless leader and competitor, and he has a very good (though not great) jump shot. Just as important to some NBA executives, Morrison has star power. He and J.J. Redick were the faces of the college game during most of this past season. His long hair, wispy moustache and intense, quirky demeanor will sell tickets -- especially in the Pacific Northwest, where two teams, the Sonics and Blazers, desperately need an identity. Morrison's stock slipped a little bit in the NCAA Tournament due to a good, but not stellar, performance. Morrison had created an aura for himself through most of the season, but the Zags' disappointing early departure from the tournament damaged that. Now scouts are starting to focus on some of the weaknesses we've been discussing all year -- the guy doesn't play much defense, isn't a great athlete (especially in terms of lateral movement) and has to work awfully hard to get his shot off. Who's he going to guard in the NBA? If he had to work so hard in college to score, what's it going to take in the NBA? They're all legit questions about Morrison, and they lead many scouts to believe that he's a good prospect who will never be a big NBA star on the court -- think Wally Szczerbiak, not Larry Bird. Right now we have Morrison ranked No. 5 on our big board, but there are several scenarios out there involving Portland, Seattle and Orlando in which he goes higher -- maybe even No. 1 overall.

Opposite paths for Gay, Thomas

Today brings big announcements from UConn's Rudy Gay and LSU's Tyrus Thomas. How will they affect the draft? Six months ago, it seemed a foregone conclusion that Gay not only would declare for the draft but would also be considered a front-runner for the No. 1 pick. Gay's announcement that he's declaring for the draft and hiring an agent, ending his college eligibility, is the easy part. Becoming the No. 1 pick in the draft? Gay may have a much harder time pulling that off. While NBA scouts believe that Gay has the most potent combination of athleticism and skill in the draft, everyone still wonders why he doesn't use it more regularly. Gay had a solid sophomore season for UConn, but he never became the dominant player scouts thought he could be. With his length, strength and perimeter skills, scouts imagined that Gay would become a lethal inside-outside threat. After a dominant 28-point performance against Arkansas at the Maui Classic in November a number of scouts and NBA executives declared him the No. 1 prospect in the draft. What happened? After the Arkansas game, Gay never scored more than 22 points, and he cracked the 20-point mark just six times. He spent most of his time on the court as a complementary player, hanging out on the perimeter waiting for someone to kick it to him for an open jumper. Gay rarely put the ball on the floor or posted up smaller defenders. When his 3-point shot failed him (he shot just 32 percent from 3-point land this year, down from 47 percent last season), his confidence seemed to wane. Gay did get more aggressive toward the end of the season. In the NCAA tournament, he put up good numbers against Kentucky and George Mason ... but he wasn't dominant the way that players like Joakim Noah and Thomas were. Toward the end of each UConn game, it was Marcus Williams, Denham Brown and Rashard Anderson leading the charge. Gay looked like a bystander. That concerns NBA scouts, who are asking one key question about Gay: Does he have the desire and aggression necessary to be a great NBA player, or is he the second coming of Tim Thomas, an amazing talent without the motor it takes to be dominant in the pros? That question explains Gay's declining draft stock. Still, scouts are saying that Gay is a lock for the top 10 because at some point someone is going to gamble on the talent. Then again, scouts said the same thing about Pittsburgh's Chris Taft last year until about two weeks before the draft. Gay doesn't have some of the problems that Taft did -- Gay has an excellent work ethic, is a model citizen off the court and stays in great shape. But if he doesn't come in and compete at a high level in workouts, will he slip? Over the past few years a great motor has become more and more valuable to scouts. Gay still hasn't shown it. Gay ranks at No. 8 on our big board. But we'll be watching him closely for workout feedback. If he works out great (and he has all the tools to do it), he'll probably rise. However, in one-on-one workouts he better compete hard or he also faces the risk of slipping further. The other guy declaring, Tyrus Thomas, is the Bizarro version of Rudy Gay. While Gay was the consensus No. 1 pick on the preseason draft boards of most scouts, Thomas wasn't in the Top 100. After a redshirt season at LSU last year, no one expected Thomas to deliver the way he did. By January, scouts were referring to Thomas as a potential lottery pick for next year. By late January, they had moved up the timetable -- now he's a potential top-five pick this year. After a dominating performance in the NCAA tournament against Duke and Texas, Thomas is now considered by a number of scouts to be the top prospect in the draft. If Joakim Noah sticks to his guns and returns to Florida, the possibility that Thomas goes No. 1 increases dramatically. While Thomas' offensive numbers on the court aren't as good as Gay's, defensively he was awesome, averaging 9.2 rpg and 3.1 bpg in just 25 mpg. Thomas, like Gay, is long and super-athletic, with a body that is beginning to fill out. However, unlike Gay, Thomas has a motor that runs nonstop. Thomas flies up and down the floor, plays aggressive defense, is always crashing the glass and has an emerging offensive game that includes a sweet 15-foot jump shot. While it's clear that Thomas is still raw, especially on the offensive end, scouts feel that taking a player with those tools and with that motor is a low-risk scenario. Big, athletic prospects flop in the NBA every year, but they rarely do when they play as hard as Thomas. If the draft were held today, the Bulls, Warriors, Rockets and Hornets would all be leaning toward taking Thomas No. 1 if they won the lottery. If Noah stays out of the draft, you could add the Blazers and Timberwolves to that mix as well. Barring some sort of injury or background problem that would come up when NBA teams investigate more closely, there aren't many scenarios where Thomas slips out of the top five.

4) Marty Burns of Si.com looks back at the season that was:

Unforgettable - Playoffs bring time to reflect on season's memories
Wednesday night marks the end of the 2005-06 NBA regular season. What will we remember most about this year's regular season? It was the year Larry Brown's old team (the Pistons) dominated and his new team (the Knicks) imploded. It was the year the Clippers made the playoffs and the Hornets turned it around. It was the year they played some big D in Big D, while a few miles down I-45 they said, "Houston, we have some injuries." It was the year Steve Nash kept the Suns bouncing like a soccer ball on his head and Kevin Garnett got tired of carrying the T'wolves on his slender shoulders. It was the year one Franchise (Stevie) moved and two more (Seattle, Portland) threatened to follow suit. It was the year a 7-footer (Dirk Nowitzki) won the Three-Point Contest and a 5-foot-9 guard (Nate Robinson) won the Slam Dunk. Memorable contests? There was that wild 152-149 double OT Sonics win at Phoenix on Jan. 22, the most points scored in an NBA game in 11 years. There was LeBron James beating out hometown favorite Tracy McGrady for All-Star MVP in Houston. And, of course, there was Kobe Bryant's 81-point masterpiece, which came on the same day as the aforementioned Sonics-Suns tilt. To be sure there were some headaches for David Stern as well. Ron Artest put his Nikes in his mouth again. Antonio Davis took a walk on the wild side. Chris "The Birdman" Andersen tried to fly a little too high. But through it all, they kept playing. Now here we are at the end, with 16 teams getting ready to square off for the ultimate hoops prize. After more than five months and 1,230 games, it's finally time to get on to the real season. Soon enough the Pistons, Spurs, Heat, Mavs and all the other top title contenders will write the final chapter to this season. Until then, here's a look back at the top 10 things I'll remember most about the 2005-06 campaign (in reverse order):

10. TONY THE TIGER - Spurs point guard Tony Parker has always been a good finisher around the basket. But this year the fifth-year Frenchman took it to a whole new level, seemingly converting every runner and floater and teardrop he attempted. Despite standing just 6-2, he ranked among the NBA leaders in points scored in the paint all season and wound up shooting over 54.0 percent from the floor. Not since Tiny Archibald has a little guy been so deadly inside the land of the giants. It's not often one sees an established NBA star like Parker dramatically improve an aspect of his game like that in one summer. Especially when he could have spent the time hanging out with his girlfriend, Eva Longoria.

9. RILEY'S RETURN - One of last summer's hottest rumors came to fruition in December when Heat coach Stan Van Gundy abruptly resigned for "family reasons" and president Pat Riley took his place. Riley had stoked speculation he might return to the sidelines with comments he had made after Miami's disappointing loss to the Pistons in Game 7 of the '05 Eastern Conference finals. With the Heat off to an 11-10 start, Van Gundy apparently decided to jump before being pushed. Riley wound up leading Miami to the No. 2 seed in the East. But can the Hall of Fame coach finish the job and guide the Heat to the Finals? Van Gundy surely will be watching.

8. IGGY'S DUNK - Who says the Dunk Contest isn't worth watching anymore? Sixers guard Andre Iguodala unveiled one of the best dunks in recent memory, catching an alley-oop toss from Allen Iverson behind the backboard and then floating up and under it on his way to the rim. The 6-8 Sixers star literally scraped his head on the bottom of the backboard before cramming the ball home. Incredibly, he still lost the contest to Knicks guard Nate Robinson, who had his own impressive dunk over Spud Webb in the preliminary round and then clinched it in the finals with a between-the-legs number that required 13 tries but nonetheless dazzled the crowd at Houston's Toyota Center.

7. CP3 AND OKC - Displaced by Hurricane Katrina, the Hornets found a welcoming home in Oklahoma City and proceeded to become the NBA's feel-good story of the season. Led by rookie point guard Chris Paul, aka "CP3", the Hornets more than doubled their victory total from the season before (18-64) and stayed in the Western Conference playoff race until the end. Paul averaged 16 points, five rebounds and eight assists to wrap up the Rookie of the Year award early on. Meanwhile, OKC fans packed the Ford Center every night and turned it into a college-type atmosphere.

6. THAT'S (ALL) AMARE! - Having lost two starters and all-star forward Amaré Stoudemire to a knee injury before the season, the Suns were expected to struggle just to make the playoffs in 2005-06. But with reigning MVP Nash and a much-improved defense, Phoenix surprised the NBA by staying at the top of the Western standings much of the season. When Stoudemire returned to action with 20 points and nine rebounds in a promising debut against the Blazers on March 23, Suns fans had hopes of an NBA title. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. The 6-10 Stoudemire began suffering soreness in his knee and was forced to shut it down again after only three games.

5. A.D.'S WALK ON THE WILD SIDE- In perhaps the most bizarre incident of the '05-06 season, Knicks veteran center Antonio Davis ventured 10 rows up into the stands during a game in Chicago to check on his wife after she got involved in an altercation with a fan. During a timeout in the fourth quarter of a tight and emotional game, Davis suddenly left his New York team's huddle, hopped over the press tables and walked up into the crowd. The sight of the 6-10 Davis, in uniform, wading into the stands immediately conjured memories of the infamous Pistons-Pacers brawl the season before. While Davis clearly went in as a peacemaker, and the incident ended without incident, Stern was not amused. The NBA suspended Davis for five games.

4. RON-RON GOES BYE-BYE - For the second straight season, Pacers forward Ron Artest found himself at the center of controversy that threatened to derail his team's title hopes. It began in early December when the All-Star forward told the Indianapolis Star that he no longer felt he could thrive in Indiana and that he wouldn't mind being traded. Although Artest would later retract his comments, the damage was done. Pacers bosses Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh immediately suspended Artest and began shopping him around the league. After six weeks of speculation and rumor, Artest finally was dealt to the Kings for Peja Stojakovic. Artest went on to spark Sacramento to the playoffs, while Indiana continued to struggle amid injuries and chemistry issues.

3. NY BLUES - Brown's first season in New York turned into a tabloid headline writer's dream. The Hall of Fame coach feuded with his players, most notably Stephon Marbury, while constantly juggling the rotation in a futile effort to get the Knicks to "play the right way." Meanwhile, GM Isiah Thomas pulled the trigger on blockbuster trades for Jalen Rose and Steve Francis while fending off an embarrassing sexual harassment lawsuit brought by a former female Garden employee. In the end, nothing worked. New York's season ended in turmoil with Brown missing some games late with a stomach ailment and the Knicks posting their worst record in franchise history.

2. KOBE'S 81-POINT GEM - On Jan. 22, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant stamped his name alongside Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA record book by scoring 81 points in a 122-104 win over the Raptors at Staples Center. Putting his entire arsenal on display, the 6-6 guard hit 28 of 46 shots from the floor and 18 of 20 from the foul line. It was the second-most points scored in a game, behind only Wilt's 100-point classic in 1962. Bryant's masterpiece sparked a fun national debate about the historic impact of his performance, the effects of the new hand-check rules and whether such solo efforts were good for the basketball in general and the Lakers in particular. But there was one thing upon which everybody agreed: Bryant was spectacular.

1. PISTONS' 37-5 START - With new coach Flip Saunders at the helm, the Pistons didn't skip a beat. In fact, they were even better. Thanks to a souped-up offense, Detroit averaged more than 100 points per game for the first three months en route to a 37-5 record. The Pistons were so dominant, some began wondering if they could catch the '95-96 Bulls (72-10) for best record of all time. While Detroit ultimately wasn't able to sustain that pace, it did get four players in the All-Star Game (Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton) and finished with the NBA's best record and the resulting homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. Of course, if the Pistons don't go on to win the title this goes to the back of the list.

Threevie-Steevie Mullings sent this link to me and it is absolutely awesome…http://gorillamask.net/shawnbradley.shtml…for all the times Shawn Bradley’s been dunked on, I’m still struggling to pick a favourite…

Ouch…LeBron turned his ankle in a 96-73 loss to the Pistons last night…no word on the severity of the injury, but with the playoffs coming up fast there could be trouble…

Young Rook…Gerald Green scored 22 points Wednesday. At the age of 20 years and 76 days, Green became the youngest player in the Celtics' franchise history to score 20 points in a game. The previous mark was 20 years, 82 days by Antoine Walker on Nov. 2, 1996…that was back when he still did the Shimmy…

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports Shawn Kemp won't be making a comeback with the Mavericks this season. According to the newspaper, when the NBA rejected the team's request to sign an extra player because of injuries, Kemp no longer became an option.
"It's dead," Avery Johnson told the newspaper. Johnson added that the failure to work out Kemp in Houston last week didn't factor into the decision.

Apparently, after the game Wednesday, Jazz owner Larry Miller came to Denver's locker room to meet with Nuggets assistant Adrian Dantley, a former Jazz star who many believe should have his number retired. "He needs to know there's not any misgivings," Miller said. "We've been occupied with (retiring John Stockton's uniform last season and Karl Malone's this season). I wanted to make sure to do the right thing for those guys, and over the summer, (we) can talk." Miller stopped short of saying Dantley's number definitely will be retired. Dantley called it a "good talk."

I’ll be giving my awards countdown over the next several postings…here’s my most improved player and runners up for this year:

Winner: Boris Diaw, SG/SF/PF/C, Phoenix Suns…honestly, look at the numbers, nobody though he’s replace Joe Johnson, but he might actually be abetter fit, and he’s certainly the most versatile player in the NBA

2004: 66 G; 4.8 PPG; 2.6 RPG; 2.3 APG; 9 3PTM; 42.2 FG%; 74.0 FT%; 0.6 SPG; 0.3 BPG
2005: 76 G; 13.5 PPG; 6.9 RPG; 6.0 APG; 8 3PTM; 52.7 FG%; 73.4 FT%; 0.7 SPG; 1.1 BPG

1st runner up: Mike James, PG, Toronto Raptors…the upswing in minutes is really responsible for the improvement, but the increase in FG% and FT% are remarkable considering…

2004-05: 74 G; 11.8 PPG; 2.8 RPG; 3.6 APG; 100 3PTM; 44.1 FG%; 75.2 FT%; 0.9 SPG; 0.1 BPG
2005-06: 75 G; 20.0 PPG; 3.3 RPG; 5.9 APG; 159 3PTM; 47.0 FG%; 82.3 FT%; 0.9 SPG; 0.0 BPG

2nd runner up: Gerald Wallace, SG/SF, Charlotte Bobcats…if dude could make a shot outside of 12 feet he’d average 25 instead of 15…

2004-05: 70 G; 9.8 PPG; 5.5 RPG; 2.0 APG; 17 3PTM; 44.9 FG%; 66.1 FT%; 1.7 SPG; 1.3 BPG
2005-06: 52 G; 15.4 PPG; 7.5 RPG; 1.7 APG; 14 3PTM; 53.6 FG%; 61.7 FT%; 2.5 SPG; 2.1 BPG

3rd Runner up: David West, PF, New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets…might have had more to do with a bad knee all of last year than an improvement in skills, but the numbers don’t lie…

2004-05: 30 G; 6.2 PPG; 4.3 RPG; 0.8 APG; 2 3PTM; 43.6 FG%; 68.0 FT%; 0.4 SPG; 0.5 BPG
2005-06: 71 G; 17.0 PPG; 7.4 RPG; 1.3 APG; 3 3PTM; 50.8 FG%; 84.1 FT%; 0.8 SPG; 0.8 BPG

Honourable mention:

Delonte West, PG/SG, Boston Celtics…

2004-05: 39 G; 4.5 PPG; 1.7 RPG; 1.4 APG; 24 3PTM; 42.6 FG%; 70.4 FT%; 0.5 SPG; 0.2 BPG
2005-06: 71 G; 11.8 PPG; 4.1 RPG; 4.6 APG; 84 3PTM; 48.7 FG%; 85.1 FT%; 1.2 SPG; 0.6 BPG


Kevin Martin, SG, Sacramento Kings
2004: 45 G; 2.9 PPG; 1.3 RPG; 0.5 APG; 5 3PTM; 38.5 FG%; 65.5 FT%; 0.4 SPG; 0.1 BPG
2005: 68 G; 10.8 PPG; 3.7 RPG; 1.3 APG; 61 3PTM; 48.0 FG%; 84.8 FT%; 0.7 SPG; 0.1 BPG

Smush Parker, PG/SG, Los Angeles Lakers
2004: 16 G; 3.0 PPG; 0.8 RPG; 0.9 APG; 3 3PTM; 41.9 FG%; 69.2 FT%; 0.3 SPG; 0.0 BPG
2005: 78 G; 11.4 PPG; 3.3 RPG; 3.7 APG; 113 3PTM; 44.7 FG%; 68.0 FT%; 1.7 SPG; 0.2 BPG

1) Randy Hill of Foxsports.com with his own unique awards:

These NBA 'sharpies' were clearly off the mark

With the NBA staggering toward its round of 16, we have a few issues to settle. That's right, it's awards time. It's a time for individuals in a team sport to step forward and be counted. It's a time to recognize those who've left an unmistakable mark on the game that we may be unable to erase. Please note that the Most Valuable Player Award is not on this column's agenda. We also couldn't care less about Rookie or Coach of the Year. And the Sixth Man seems more of a concern for Paris Hilton's press agent than it does for us. What we're bringing to this particular table is a motley squad of rascals who seem well-quipped for a food fight. Some, it should be pointed out, have made more mistakes than others. But after the last pie has been lobbed, the following NBA sharpies will be left standing with Dubious Distinction (D2) honors for 2005-06. For the record, no paper cuts were registered during the voting for these awards.

Rick Pitino Award - Rick, who thought it was going to be cool to coach the Boston Celtics and ruin their talent base, may have nothing on Larry Brown. As this year's winner, Larry chose to work as coach of the New York Knicks instead of achieving some sort of employment in Cleveland. As a Cavalier, he could have been known as Larry LeBrown. But he chose New York, where he soon learned that the only Brown with a real dream job is Dee.

Hanging Chad Award - The hanging could have been more substantial, but the voting certainly was shaky. When it was over, the judges decided that Knicks rookie Nate Robinson was the slam dunk champion despite logging a lower field-goal percentage than he might have had in the three-point competition.

Muhammad Ali Award - If you float like a horsefly and stink like a B-movie, you must be Ron Artest. Artest qualifies as the Ingrate-st of All Time by deciding he no longer wanted to be an Indiana Pacer. All Ron did to the Pacers was wreck an entire season (2004-05). All the Pacers did was stand behind him. Eventually, he was dealt to Sacramento, where having your palms out doesn't bother the Maloof brothers.

Baryshnikov Award - We're pretty sure he hasn't had a fling with Sarah Jessica Parker, but Kobe Bryant has made a fashion statement. In an effort to tighten up even more than Archie Bell and the Drells, the L.A. Lakers star began wearing tights under his game shorts. The resulting hubbub has produced the most discomfort among the league's male observers since everyone realized that John Stockton and Richard Simmons had the same short-length preference.

Scottie Pippen Award - By refusing to go back in after he was taken out, Detroit Piston Ben Wallace demonstrated that he's still committed to being defensive. He also reminded us that it's possible for another Wallace to think his first name is Rasheed.

T-Wrecks Award - With Rasheed Wallace already on hand, let's give him credit for missing a game in exchange for exceeding the league limit for technical fouls in one season. This suspension ended a streak during which the Pistons started Rasheed, Ben, Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince. And we thought this run would be interrupted by Darko Milicic.

Even Joe Dumars Screws Up Award - Let's continue our clumsy-segue tactics by crediting Darko (since traded to Orlando) with being the low-water mark in the talent-acquisition history of otherwise astute Pistons GM Joe Dumars. With that on the record, we now move to Atlanta, where the Hawks passed on an opportunity to draft point guard Chris Paul. Instead of selecting the eventual Rookie of the Year, the Hawks selected small forward Marvin Williams. Please note that, despite a shaky rookie season, Marvin is expected to be much better than Darko.

And 1 Tour Award - This honor belongs to Masha Lopatova, a former Russian pop star and the current wife of Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko.
According to a published report, Masha gives Andrei an allowance of one road-trip fling with another woman per season. So, in addition to cheating into the passing lane every night, Kirilenko is free to exercise his libido. We're not sure if — in the event that Andrei takes a year off — Masha offers a rollover plan.

Donald Trump Award - Miami Heat president Pat Riley didn't exactly fire Stan Van Gundy; credit for that has gone to Heat center Shaquille O'Neal.
Van Gundy insisted that it was his idea to quit as head coach of the Heat. Insiders still believe that Stan is spending more time with his family and turned down an opportunity to work as Ron Jeremy's stunt double.

Smelling Like a Rose Award - After Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver alienated free-agent candidate Joe Johnson, GM Bryan Colangelo was obliged to work a sign-and-trade deal with the Hawks. The Phoenix-bound throw-in was Boris Diaw, who has developed into the best-passing big man in basketball. Colangelo, who woke up and smelled the coffee, now works in Toronto.

Nothing but Cabernet Award - For providing us with more vintage whine (the refs are against me), Miami's O'Neal has another piece for his trophy room.

Wife Swap Award - Then-New York Knicks forward Antonio Davis went into the stands to protect some guy who was having a verbal altercation with Mrs. Antonio Davis. A few days later, Davis was traded to Toronto and waived by the Raptors. We don't think Antonio played enough to qualify as having a better half of this season.

Neal Walk Award - In 1969, the Phoenix Suns lost a coin flip with the Milwaukee Bucks and selected Walk, a 6-foot-11 center from Florida, as the draft's second overall pick. With the first pick, the Bucks selected some guy named Lew Alcindor. The circumstances are different, but the Chicago Bulls — thanks to a deal with the Knicks — are threatening to have the most ping-pong combinations as we lurch toward lottery night in Secaucus, N.J. That would have had the Bulls sitting pretty in regards to drafting 7-foot high school lane monster Greg Oden. Unfortunately for them, Walk Award winner David Stern — who also doubles as league commissioner — decided that high school hotshots must be a year removed from the prom before achieving draft eligibility. The Bulls may take heart in realizing that very few ping-pong combo leaders actually secure the first overall pick.

Bob Whitsitt Award - Whitsitt, the guy who wrecked the Portland Trail Blazers, seems to have been an inspiration for Isiah Thomas. As this year's winner, Isiah handed Larry Brown an even more difficult lineup than Lee Marvin faced in The Dirty Dozen.

2) John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Al Harrington is tampering with himself…which sounds a little bit…well…you know:

Harrington not hiding that he's Bulls material

Because there will be no quality centers on the free-agent market this summer, the player who probably makes the most sense for the Bulls to pursue is forward Al Harrington of the Atlanta Hawks. Harrington made it clear Wednesday night that he's definitely interested in the Bulls. "Obviously, the season is still going on, and I'm still an Atlanta Hawk,'' he said before the Bulls and Hawks played at Philips Arena. "But I am going to free agency unrestricted, and I'm looking at every situation out there. "What's going to be the biggest thing that's going to help me decide where I go is the winning factor. I'm definitely trying to get back to the playoffs.'' Harrington, 26, has been keen on the Bulls since the end of his time in Indiana. He reportedly asked the Pacers to trade him to the Bulls but instead was shipped to Atlanta in July 2004. "The No. 1 thing is their tradition and their history, and then you look at the steps they're taking to get back to that level,'' Harrington said when asked why the Bulls are attractive. "Right now, I would love to be in the situation they're in, where they're fighting for their lives for a playoff spot and they have a very good chance of making it.'' His interest in the Bulls is more than just passing. He has told friends around the NBA that he admires coach Scott Skiles' system and likes the Bulls' style of play. Harrington, who's averaging 18.6 points and 6.9 rebounds this season, even went so far as to consider how he would fit in. "I look at the way they play and they don't have any inside presence,'' he said. "That's something that I think I can fill for any team I go to, and definitely [for the Bulls].'' Because Harrington -- who didn't play Wednesday because of a bruised left hand -- still is under contract to the Hawks, the Bulls are not able to comment on whether they'd be interested in him. But it's no secret the team had an eye on him going back to his days with the Pacers. Regardless of where he ends up, Harrington is happy the decision will be his to make. "I can choose my own destiny now,'' he said. "My thing is that I just want to win. Whatever the best situation is where I can get back to the playoffs and start competing for a championship, that's what I'm going to do.''