NBA Friday Night Diary

Welcome to my first ever NBA Friday Night Diary! I doubt anyone reading this is as excited to read this as I am to write it or watch the games tonight. To me, these games matter. I realize the importance of these late February games that most of the players probably aren’t taking too seriously. After one of the busiest mid-season trade frenzies in recent years, I feel that it’s necessary to take a look at what we can expect from the teams that made moves and the teams that held on to what they have. Not only is this a terrific time to evaluate the current state of the NBA, but I have had the NBA League Pass for 3 seasons now. I have had the capability to watch any game I wanted. For three years I have had arguably the single greatest development in sports television at my fingertips, yet I have never once written about what it is like to be able to watch up to 15 games in one night. So here goes nothing. Tonight I will be working on the eight early games of the evening.

The Slate
Utah at Indiana- 7 p.m.
Detroit at Philadelphia- 7 p.m.
Phoenix at Toronto- 7 p.m.
Sacramento at Charlotte- 7 p.m.
New York at Cleveland- 7:30 p.m.
Washington at Miami- 7:30 p.m.
New Orleans at Minnesota- 8 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Orlando- 8 p.m.

We’ll lead off tonight with Utah at Indiana. That’s correct, I’m in Florida watching a game on a Utah television station. I’m probably one of the only non-Pacers/Jazz fans interested in this game. Indiana is quietly one of the hottest teams in the league (9-3 in their last 12 games) and Utah just traded their franchise player, and I feel like got the much better end of the deal. Utah traded Deron Williams to New Jersey for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, New Jersey’s first-round pick this year, which is not lottery protected, Golden States first-round pick for 2012 which is top-seven protected. No one can convince me that Utah didn’t get the best of this deal, at least until New Jersey signs another big name player to play with Williams, and that will likely be in 2012. If Prokhorov can’t bring in another big name, then all New Jersey got was a year and a half rental of Deron Williams.

7:21 pm.- I’m not sure how a team that features Josh McRoberts in the starting could go 9-3 in a 12 game stretch in the NBA, but the Pacers have managed to do it. Right now Indiana sits at 26-30, good enough for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and by my estimations they will only need to hold off Milwaukee to stay in this position. Charlotte, who are currently a game and a half behind Indiana, gave up their best player, Gerald Wallace in a trade that makes Portland a lot better down the stretch than they already were. But hey, Charlotte got “The Vanilla Gorilla” Joel Pryzbilla out of the deal. Anytime you could get a clumsy center for an elite wing defender, you have to do it right? Utah leads 12-9 early, commercial break.

7:26 p.m.- Speaking of Charlotte, they are currently losing 23-18 to the Anaheim (or Sacramento) Kings. Right now on the floor for Charlotte is Stephen Jackson, DJ Augustin, Gerald Henderson, Boris Diaw and Eduardo Najera. Add Pryzbilla to the mix and this is a wildly mediocre team. Quick flip to the Phoenix at Toronto game and we have Phoenix leading 24-12 with 4 minutes left in the first quarter. Vince Carter still gets serenaded with boo’s every time he touches the ball. Translation: there is no hope for LeBron in Cleveland.

7:30 p.m.- Time for Miami Heat Basketball on Sun Sports with Eric Reid and Tony Fiorentino! New faces on the Wizards include Mike Bibby, Maurice Evans and Jordan Crawford. I think I would bet my unborn son that the Heat win big tonight.

7:35 p.m.- Scores at the end of the first quarter:
Utah 24, Indiana 13
Sacramento 30, Charlotte 28
Philadelphia 29, Detroit 22
Phoenix 35, Toronto 14

7:40 p.m.- Local hero Gordan Hayward got his first basket of the game, which resulted in a “Gordan Hayward” chant by the crowd. Yeah, Indiana is in the playoffs as of right now, but when the hometown kid gets a bucket that obviously trumps everything else. Speaking of hometown kids, doesn’t it just feel like Utah is bound to take Jimmer Fredette with New Jersey’s first round pick this year? He is easily the most popular player in the state of Utah since Karl Malone.

7:55 p.m.- Besides the Wizards-Heat game which I am currently watching, we also have New York playing at Cleveland. Could there be two more polar opposite teams right now than the Knicks and Cavaliers? The Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony who has desperately wanted to play there all season. He fits in perfectly with Mike D’Antoni’s coaching style, and they are suddenly being considered as a legitimate contender in the East. And not only did they acquire Carmelo, they also got a former Finals MVP in Chauncey Billups who played exceptionally well in his first game as a Knick. The Cavaliers traded for Baron Davis who before the season almost binge ate himself out of the league. He has feuded with Cavs coach Byron Scott in the past, and Cleveland is by far the worst team in the NBA. But what does that matter? Cleveland leads 16-10 early. Also, Santino Charles Giuliano Jr. might be in trouble. Washington is on top of Miami 16-9 halfway through the first quarter.

8:00 p.m.- According to Jazz announcers Craig Bolerjack and Matt Harpring, Josh McRoberts is playing with an edge tonight because Indiana attempted to trade him in a package deal for OJ Mayo. I could be wrong, but I just don’t see McRoberts as one of those guys who play with an edge.

8:10 p.m.- Score update time:
Washington 25, Miami 20- End of first quarter
New York 30, Cleveland 28- End of first quarter
Utah 43, Indiana 38- Halftime
Philadelphia 59, Detroit 49- Halftime
Phoenix 60, Toronto 42- Halftime
Charlotte 52, Sacramento 44
We now have eight games on television…eight. New Orleans, who made a sneaky good deal for Carl Landry is playing in Minnesota who sent Corey Brewer to New York and received 360 lb. Eddy Curry and 160 lb. Anthony Randolph (those weights are approximate). On ESPN we have Orlando hosting Oklahoma City who may have made the second best deal at the deadline. Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson aren’t playing tonight, but the Thunder addressed their two biggest needs: A.) An interior defender with a mean streak, B.) A player who can come off the bench and spell Durant as the scorer on floor. The Thunder just made a serious splash in the Western Conference. I am unsure how this trade affects Boston. From a chemistry standpoint, it cripples them. This was a team that loved playing with each other. From a toughness standpoint, they lost their enforcer. However, Boston was in desperate need of a wing defender who could give Boston quality minutes off the bench. So we need to wait and see what this does for the Celtics. I personally hope they crumble without his presence.

Sincerely,
A Loyal Heat Fan

8:22 p.m.- Dwyane Wade has scored 18 points in the first four minutes of the second quarter. These types of spurts that we see so often from Wade and LeBron give me hope that even though the Heat lack so much, they could still end up flipping the switch come playoff time.

8:45 p.m.- Carmelo Anthony has 19 points as New York and Cleveland are tied at 53 going into halftime. Miami leads Washington 63-61 at halftime. Nick Young with his Lenny Kravitz hair cut has 24 points. He is working his way into a select group of players that shoots wayyyyyyyyy too much and will shoot from anywhere on the floor. In case you were wondering, that group includes Michael Redd, Gilbert Arenas, Quincy Douby, Eddie House, and Brian Cook. BYU star Jimmer Fredette is the college inductee to this group. In his defense his range reaches to roughly 35 feet. I must say, I am beyond excited to see BYU visit San Diego State tomorrow afternoon.

8:58 p.m.- Utah and Indiana, and Sacramento and Charlotte are all tight games in the fourth quarter, but I want to check out the 7th place Philadelphia 76ers. Right now they are putting a beat down on Detroit, which isn’t really saying much I guess, considering Detroit hasn’t scored yet in the 4th quarter. From what I’ve seen in approximately five minutes of watching is they are extremely athletic (the lineup right now is Jrue Holliday, Lou Williams, Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, and Marreese Speights) and they have thus far played very unselfishly. They lead 98-78 halfway through the 4th quarter.

9:10 p.m.- For two hours I’ve been thinking of a way I could bring a certain point up in a funny or clever way but I can’t think of one. So I guess I’ll just throw it out there. I think Andrei Kirilenko styled his hair based on a female toddlers haircut. It might be the worst in the NBA right now. Meanwhile, Charlotte leads Sacramento 103-91. Just imagine how much better they are going to be once they insert Pryzbilla into their rotation.

9:25 p.m.- All of the 7 p.m. games have come to a close. Detroit fell to Philadelphia 110-94. Utah defeated Indiana 95-84. Charlotte defeated Sacramento 110-98. And Phoenix wins in Toronto 110-92 behind 17 points from Vince Carter. Cleveland leads New York 83-75 at the end of the third quarter. Baron Davis is not playing in this game. Sources are saying he is at the Pizza Hut buffet.

9:35 p.m.- Time to check out New Orleans at Minnesota, where Kevin Love is looking to extend his double-double streak to 45 games now, which is absolutely amazing if you really think about it. I guess on a team as bad as Minnesota somebody needs to get all of the rebounds. His 31-31 game this year remains the most impressive stat line of the season. Right now he has 11-9 with Minnesota trailing 66-54 with four minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

9:45 p.m.- Miami leads Washington 104-92 halfway through the 4th quarter behind a strong game from Dwyane Wade. Mike Bibby has played all of the fourth quarter so far. I’m sure he is really excited to be the back-up point guard on a bottom of the pack Washington Wizards team.

10:00 p.m.- Washington is wisely using the Hack-a-Shaq method on Erick Dampier. I have been to eight NBA games in my life, and I can say with confidence that Erick Dampier is the worst offensive player I have ever seen as far as warm-ups goes. He couldn’t make a jump shot outside of 12 feet. Destroying my point, Dampier made 3 of 4 free throws during this stretch.

10:05 p.m.- Funniest moment of the night just happened in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers upset the Knicks 115-109 . After Daniel Gibson knocked down a huge three pointer for Cleveland, the Cavs announcers are raving about how Baron Davis has to be excited about joining this team… Cut to Baron Davis sobbing while stuffing his face with food.

10:20 p.m.- We’ll finish up with the Thunder and Magic, with Orlando leading 90-79. I really wish Perkins were healthy and playing right now so we could see how this new look Thunder team would look. Plus the Howard/Perkins matchup is always fun to watch. Perkins does as good of a job as anyone in the league at bothering Howard, so this trade tells me Boston isn’t worried about Orlando this year. By the way, I’m not big on the whole Dwight Howard-Hakeem Olajuwon comparison, mainly because Olajuwon was the second best player of the 90’s, but Howard deserves a lot of credit for what has he done this year. The Arenas trade has been a disaster and for the most part Orlando has been underwhelming. Howard has had his best season by far though. I love that he called out his teammates after the loss against Sacramento. As much as it terrifies me, I’m waiting for smile-all-the-time Dwight Howard to be replaced by let’s-get-this-f’ing-win Dwight Howard. He has 34 points and 13 rebounds tonight.

10:25 p.m.- Suddenly Oklahoma City can’t make a shot and Orlando has knocked down back to back threes. I guess we’ll end the diary here since a 3 and a half hour diary plus nearly 3 hours of homework has beaten the hell out of me. So what has this diary taught me about the NBA and the trades that were made? Well nothing really. I needed a column for this weekend and I love the NBA so if you mix the two you get a 2,000 plus word account of meaningless February basketball. Hope you enjoyed!

Updated Bracketology

19 Days Until Selection Sunday!
31 Automatic Bids in CAPS

EAST (Newark)

(Cleveland)
1: OHIO STATE
16: MCNEESE STATE/TEXAS SOUTHERN
8: Kansas State
9: Cincinnati

(Charlotte)
4: Louisville
13: CHARLESTON
5: North Carolina
12: CLEVELAND STATE

(Washington DC)
6: Missouri
11: Boston College
3: Georgetown
14: VERMONT

(Tucson)
7: GEORGE MASON
10: Georgia
2: San Diego State
15: MOREHEAD STATE

WEST (Anaheim)

(Tulsa)
1: Kansas
16: LONG BEACH STATE
8: UTAH STATE
9: Old Dominion

(Tampa)
4: Syracuse
13: OAKLAND
5: Kentucky
12: Minnesota/Gonzaga

(Tucson)
6: St. John’s
11: Virginia Tech
3: Wisconsin
14: COASTAL CAROLINA

(Denver)
7: Temple
10: Alabama
2: BRIGHAM YOUNG
15: BUCKNELL

SOUTHEAST (New Orleans)

(Cleveland)
1: PITTSBURGH
16: HAMPTON/MONTANA
8: Florida State
9: UCLA

(Washington DC)
4: Connecticut
13: SOUTHERN MISS
5: Vanderbilt
12: Colorado State/Butler

(Tampa)
6: Texas A&M
11: Michigan State
3: FLORIDA
14: PRINCETON

(Chicago)
7: West Virginia
10: ST. MARY'S
2: Purdue
15: LONG ISLAND

SOUTHWEST (San Antonio)

(Charlotte)
1: DUKE
16: MIAMI OH
8: Tennessee
9: UNLV

(Denver)
4: ARIZONA
13: MISSOURI STATE
5: Villanova
12: BELMONT

(Chicago)
6: XAVIER
11: Marquette
3: Notre Dame
14: FAIRFIELD

(Tulsa)
7: Washington
10: Illinois
2: TEXAS
15: FLORIDA ATLANTIC

Bracketology Podcast

Phil "Poncho" Ostroski joins me to break down my current bracketology projections.

The Hypothetical College Basketball All-Star Game

Late Tuesday night I was involved in a serious session of multi-tasking. While listening to a Bill Simmons podcast, I was also working on Bracketology, looking at NBA standings, trying to figure out what games to bet for my Cent Sports account because I had been on a serious losing streak, and attempting to figure out what to write for a column this weekend since I had been on a writing drought that had gone on just as long as my aforementioned Cent Sports losing streak. I should mention that in my defense, I have only been betting 3 or 4 game parlays in an attempt to build my money account so I could be in good position to make the big money come NCAA Tournament time. Yeah, that’s right. The best money making plan I have right now is Cent Sports.

As I was struggling, I realized that I wanted to step outside of the box for this column. I considered writing about the hypothetical scenario of if I was in total control of the sports world. It’s a great idea- an idea so great that I will soon be turning it into a podcast featuring Dr. Collin Stucko. I can only imagine what he is going to bring to the table. I thought about diving into if LeBron James would’ve decided to join the Los Angeles Clippers this summer. Although it’s a hypothetical situation that had the potential of being an absolute visual orgasm, I doubt people want to hear my babble about LeBron again and again. It’s like having to watch Ronnie and Sammi fight week after week on Jersey Shore. For those who aren’t emotionally invested (like I am with the LeBron situation), it gets redundant… and in the case of Jersey Shore, it becomes an educational video on why not to use steroids. The bottomline is I was idealess.

All of the sudden I realized its 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend, which doubles as my birthday weekend. I decided I would use my current knowledge of college basketball and keep up with the All-Star weekend theme and construct the hypothetical Eastern/Western All-Star rosters for the college basketball season.

East

STARTERS
Kemba Walker- Connecticut (23.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.7 apg)
-Walker’s first month of the season was one of the best in recent college basketball history (26.5 points per game, 10-0 start, Maui Invitation Championship). He has made the leap from being a good player to an outstanding player, and has carried a mediocre Connecticut team to 20-5 record.

Nolan Smith- Duke (21.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 5.4 apg)
-Smith is quietly having one of the best seasons in the country. Just compare the numbers to Kemba Walker’s and you’ll see that they are very similar. He, not Kyle Singler (http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XQ2Cg6koHPQ/0.jpg) is the best player on one of the most talented teams in the country and the favorite to win ACC Player of the Year.

Terrence Jones- Kentucky (17.8 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.8 apg)
-If John Calipari can make it through the rest of the season without killing Terrence Jones, Kentucky might be in good shape come March. They aren’t deep, but they have some young talent that could make a difference. Terrence Jones is an NBA player playing in college right now. He’s a terrific scorer, has a decent outside shot, and is good rebounder.

JaJuan Johnson- Purdue (20.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.0 apg)
-It was difficult to leave E’Twaun Moore off of the roster, and even more difficult to believe that Purdue is one of the best teams in the country, and perhaps their best player hasn’t played all year. If Robbie Hummel were healthy, we might be talking about Purdue as the best team in the Big Ten.

Jared Sullinger- Ohio State (17.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 1.4 apg)
-If it weren’t for a certain phenomenon out west, Sullinger might be the Player of the Year favorite right now. He is putting up better numbers as a freshman than Greg Oden, BJ Mullens and Kosta Koufos did (not really a surprise with the last two) and has led the Buckeyes to a 25-1 start. Cross your fingers Cavaliers fans, he could be yours in June.

BENCH
Jordan Taylor- Wisconsin (18.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 4.8 apg)
-Ask Ohio State fans who the best player on Wisconsin is and they will tell you Jordan Taylor, not Jon Leuer. Taylor had a career defining game in Wisconsin’s win over Ohio State last week, including an unprecedented number of ballsy three pointers that brought the Badgers back from a 15 point deficit.

John Jenkins- Vanderbilt (19.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.1 apg)
-A casual fan probably hasn’t heard of John Jenkins. Just like a casual fan probably doesn’t realize Vanderbilt is 19-6 and has wins over Marquette, St. Mary’s, Georgia, Alabama, and Kentucky, which was highlighted by a 32 point performance by John Jenkins, which made me believe he is capable of carrying Vanderbilt on a legitimate tournament run.

Ashton Gibbs- Pittsburgh (16.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.1 apg)
-It’s hard to choose one player from a team that is as balanced as Pittsburgh is, but they are the best team in the deepest conference in the country and need one player on the All-Star team. The spot could’ve just as easily been given to Brad Wanamaker.

Austin Freeman- Georgetown (18.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg)
-If you listen to my podcast, you’ll know that I’m not big on Georgetown. Something about the fact that they got severely beaten by 14 seed Ohio last year in the tournament is a turn off. But I have to admit that their recent 9 game run impressed me. Wins over St. John’s, Villanova, Louisville, Syracuse and Marquette shouldn’t be overlooked. In their 9 game winning streak which brought Georgetown all the way to 3rd place in the Big East rankings, Freeman led the way averaging over 18 points per game.

Jon Leuer- Wisconsin (19.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.8 apg)
-The white guy spot on the All-Star team belongs to Jon Leuer. While everyone else is throwing alley-oops and running isolation plays, Leuer is going to be setting a number of good screens and working hard for rebounds.

Dwight Hardy- St. John's (17.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.0 apg)
-Perhaps the story that isn't being talked about enough this year is the resurgence of St. John's as a Big East contender. Alot of credit can be given to coach Steve Lavin, but the phenomenal play of Dwight Hardy is what really stands out. He has played his best in the big games, and it seems like every game St. John's has played has been big. They boast wins over Duke, Connecticut, Georgetown, Notre Dame, West Virginia and Marquette. Don't sleep on St. John's or Dwight Hardy.

Erving Walker- Florida (14.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.4 apg)
-This spot could easily go to Marshon Brooks, Providence forward who is the leading scorer in the Big East. But in my college All-Star team I put a decent amount of stock into how much you help your team. Erving Walker’s numbers might not be spectacular, but he is the most important player on what might be the most underrated team in the country. He’s the guy with the ball in his hands at the end of all of Florida’s many close games, and he’s fearless.

West

STARTERS
Jacob Pullen- Kansas State (18.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.8 apg)
-Just when I thought Kansas State was finished, Jacob Pullen decided to drop 38 on Kansas and make me remember why I picked them to go to the Final Four last year. His team isn’t as good as we expected them to be, but for the most part Pullen has been terrific.

Jimmer Fredette- BYU (27.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.3 apg)
-It’s really simple: In the player of the year race, there is Jimmer Fredette, and then there is everyone else. He’s that much better than anyone else, and he might be good enough to take BYU to the championship. And in five years when he is a relevant starting point guard I won’t be one bit surprised. Also, in the hypothetical college All-Star weekend three-point shootout, Jimmer is the odds on favorite.

Derrick Williams- Arizona (19.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.0 apg)
-In my opinion, Williams might be the best prospect in this year’s draft. 6’8, 240 lbs. with a good outside touch (shooting 69% from downtown) and shooting 63% overall, leading a wildly mediocre Arizona team to a 22-4 record.

Jordan Hamilton- Texas (18.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2.3 apg)
-I’m terrified to say this, but I believe in Texas. I said the same exact thing last year in early February, and then the Longhorns had an epic collapse and ended up getting beat in the first round of the tournament. I don’t think it’s going to be the same story this year. Mainly in part to the play of Jordan Hamilton, who I think should be getting more mention for player of the year than he is. Best player on arguably the best team in the country.

Kawhi Leonard- SDSU (15.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.6 apg)
-If Jimmer Fredette isn’t going bananas then I guarantee we are talking about Kawhi Leonard as the best player on the west coast. The fact that he went for 22 points and 15 rebounds against BYU gets overshadowed by Fredette’s 43 points.

BENCH
Khris Middleton- Texas A&M (14.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.1 apg)
-In a recent podcast I mentioned how I thought Khris Middleton was the Poor Man’s Kevin Durant, based on looks and style of play. Being a complete sports nerd, last weekend I found myself watching the Texas vs. Kansas Big 12 Championship game from Durant’s freshman year. I would like to change my analysis of Middleton from Poor Man’s Kevin Durant to Mentally Insane Extremely Dirty Stuck in the 1960’s Homeless Man’s Kevin Durant. I need to remember not to compare anyone to him, ever. Congrats to Khris Middleton though for becoming an All-Star!

LaceDarius Dunn- Baylor (20.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 2.3 apg)
-LaceDarius would be in his absolute glory playing in this hypothetical All-Star game. No need to play defense, or pass the ball. Shoot, shoot, shoot. Dunn is one of the favorites to win MVP of the game just because he will get up the most shots.

Perry Jones- Baylor (14.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.2 apg)
-Don’t get me wrong, Jones has been good all season. He’s undoubtedly one of the best freshmen in the country. But is he really a top 5 pick in the upcoming draft? I’m not so sure. I need a little more than 14 and 7 out of my freshman number one pick in the draft.

Klay Thompson- Washington State (20.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.2 apg)
-I’m going to be completely honest, I haven’t seen Klay Thompson play one time this year. Yet I’m putting him on my All-Star team. Why? Because no one name “Klay” has ever been an All-Star.

Marcus Morris- Kansas (16.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.4 apg)
-Kansas doesn’t exactly have the best guards in the country, so a lot of credit needs to go to the Morris twins. Leading scorers, leading rebounders, and they provide quality interior defense.

Markieff Morris- Kansas (12.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.4 apg)
-See Marcus Morris. They are twins after all.

Mickey McConnell- St. Mary’s (16.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 6.2 apg)
-The Non Jimmer Fredette White Guy spot on the Western All-Stars goes to Mickey McConnell. The award for name of the most likely Irish mobster in College Basketball goes to Mickey McConnell.

ALL STAR PRIMER
Quickly, here are five things to pay attention to this weekend.

1: My favorite sports writer, Bill Simmons, making his coaching debut for the “East” Celebrity Team in the Celebrity All-Star Game. He will be leading his team against the “West” and coach Jimmy Kimmel. I’m beyond giddy about this.

2: This All-Star weekend we get a heavy dose of rookie sensation Blake Griffin. I’m unsure of his status for the Rookie Challenge tonight, but he is a go for the Dunk Contest and the All-Star Game. First, I am going on record as saying he will have the greatest Dunk Contest performance since Vince Carter in 2000 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbzBIvXwqEU&feature=related) Second, I get dizzy thinking about the fact that we could see Chris Paul throwing Blake a number of Alley Oops in the All Star game. Third, Blake is a dark horse All-Star MVP candidate.

3: The Taco Bell Skills Challenge features Chris Paul who was already given a spot, and Stephen Curry, Derrick Rose, John Wall and Russell Westbrook who were voted in by the fans. As I mentioned at the beginning of the season I mentioned how we are currently in a golden age of point guards. Here are five of the best.

4: Last year it was bad enough that I had to watch Stephen Curry lose in the finals to Paul Pierce. Now I need to watch Paul Pierce AND Ray Allen (most likely with his lookalike mother in the crowd) compete for the title. The other competitors are Kevin Durant, Daniel Gibson, James Jones and Dorell Wright. The good news is this is a pretty deep field so there is hope that the Celtics won’t win the NBA title and the 3 point contest in 2011.

5: Finally there is the main event on Sunday night. No, not my birthday, but the NBA All-Star game. I know that it’s hard to take the NBA All-Star game seriously, but it’s safe to say that this is the most talented All-Star game in quite some time. An underrated feature of the All-Star game is the 4th quarter of it. If the game is close you get an accurate snapshot of the players who matter in that particular season based on who is playing down the stretch. It will be interesting to see who Doc Rivers and Gregg Poppovich are playing late. Does Doc Rivers play all four Celtics late? Does he play any besides Garnett late? What about the Miami Heat trio? Does Popovich give late game minutes to Duncan and Ginobili? Does Blake get any late game minutes? Do I care about this way more than most people? Absolutely! Enjoy the weekend, I sure will.

First Bracketology

27 Days until Selection Sunday!

31 Automatic Bids in CAPS

EAST (Newark)

(Cleveland)
1: OHIO STATE
16: MCNEESE STATE/TEXAS SOUTHERN
8: GEORGE MASON
9: Marquette

(Tucson)
5: Missouri
12: Alabama
4: Louisville
13: VALPARAISO

(Tampa)
6: Texas A&M
11: WICHITA STATE
3: Georgetown
14: VERMONT

(Charlotte)
7: Tennessee
10: Minnesota
2: DUKE
15: KENT STATE

WEST (Anaheim)

(Tulsa)
1: Kansas
16: LONG BEACH STATE
8: XAVIER
9: UTAH STATE

(Charlotte)
5: Vanderbilt
12: Colorado State/Memphis
4: Connecticut
13: OAKLAND

(Washington DC)
6: North Carolina
11: Old Dominion
3: Villanova
14: CHARLESTON

(Denver)
7: Washington
10: Georgia
2: BRIGHAM YOUNG
15: BUCKNELL

SOUTHEAST (New Orleans)

(Cleveland)
1: PITTSBURGH
16: HAMPTON/MONTANA
8: Florida State
9: UCLA

(Washington DC)
5: Kentucky
12: BELMONT
4: Purdue
13: COASTAL CAROLINA

(Tampa)
6: West Virginia
11: Kansas State
3: FLORIDA
14: PRINCETON

(Tucson)
7: Illinois
10: Boston College
2: San Diego State
15: LONG ISLAND

SOUTHWEST (San Antonio)

(Tulsa)
1: TEXAS
16: MURRAY STATE
8: St. John’s
9: UNLV

(Denver)
5: Syracuse
12: Missouri State/Richmond
4: ARIZONA
13: UTEP

(Chicago)
6: Temple
11: Cincinnati
3: Wisconsin
14: FAIRFIELD

(Chicago)
7: ST. MARY’S
10: Virginia Tech
2: Notre Dame
15: FLORIDA ATLANTIC

Last Four Out: Baylor, Michigan State, UAB, Cleveland State

New Podcast

Paul Clark comes to The Captain's Corner to discuss Jersey Shore, NBA and College Basketball.

Super Bowl Mega Podcasts Part One and Two

Paul Clark and I take on a two part podcast. In Part One we discuss Jersey Shore, College Basketball and the NBA. In Part Two, we break down Super Bowl XLV.

Part One: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/audioPop.jsp?episodeId=447075&cmd=apop

Part Two: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/audioPop.jsp?episodeId=447101&cmd=apop