Restoring the Glory: A Modern-Day New York Knicks Dynasty (DDS:PB)

[MacroGuru]

Wow, how do you feel drawing L.A.?

[Izulde]

cubbyroy1826: Default. Maybe you could post on the Wolverine boards about it? Or, if you added a team before starting the game, that could very well be your problem, as you're not able to add teams once you start a league.

MacroGuru: A very mixed bag. They're one of the hottest teams in the league after getting everyone back from injury, but by the same token, I think we match up pretty well with them. On the other hand, we aren't nearly as good a fit since George Karl's dumbass took Billups out of the starting lineup.

[Izulde]

The runup to the first round series with the Lakers involves ad naseaum replays of Shaq's "How my ass taste" slam against Kobe from a few years ago and debates over who's going to be the man of the series, Kobe or AI.

Here's an excerpt of one of the better preview articles.

"...At 37 years old, there was some doubt that Shaq would even get an offer before the season began, but then GM Jestor and the Denver Nuggets, with a vastly weakened frontcourt following the renouncing of Marcus Camby's rights, came calling with the mid-level exemption.

The big man became the one in the middle and overcame a broken elbow that caused him to miss 25 games to average 14.3 points and 8 rebounds a game. While both were career lows, it was just what Denver, with its elite backcourt, needed.

Kobe missed the first 26 games of the season himself, but upon his return, he turned the Lakers into one of the hottest teams in the NBA, averaging 26.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.9 steals along the way. 32 years old, he's still in an extended prime.

Clearly, this battle will not be won by either Shaq or Kobe by themselves. Indeed, there's no reason to believe that their rivalry will make much of a difference in the fight between their two teams. It will fall to the others, such as Denver's Allen Iverson to decide the outcome.

Point Guard
[u]Ben Gordon vs. Jordan Farmer[u]
George Karl's decision to start Gordon at the point after AI's return has left many within and without the organization puzzled and questioning his tactics. Gordon, a perfect shooting guard who's flourished in New York and Denver, is ill-suited to run the offense and looks distinctly uncomfortable doing so. That said, he's a gifted shooter and a solid enough defender.

Farmer is a solid, but largely unremarkable PG. He's there to distribute the passes and make the occasional shot. Signed a 6 year, $40 million contract extension recently.

Advantage: Draw

Shooting Guard
Allen Iverson vs. Kobe Bryant
The real marquee matchup of this series pits AI, who's been averaging over 33 points a game and showing little to no signs of his year layoff from basketball due to a torn knee tendon against Bryant. Iverson's also averaging 2.5 steals a game and while he's shown the ability to singlehandedly take over games, he's still not obtained full chemistry with the rest of the team, which could be a telling point in the series.

Bryant has energized the Lakers and turned them into one of the most dangerous teams in the postseason. An awesome shooter and a terrific defender, he has the skills to individually shut Iverson down and take away a major gun in Denver's arsenal.

Advantage: Lakers

Small Forward
Joakim Noah vs. Lamar Odom
Noah is one of the most underrated players on the Nuggets. He won't pop out at anyone of the scoresheet, but he plays great, tenacious defense and at 6'11", he's going to create some major matchup problems for the Lakers.

Odom, on the other hand, is a preplexing player. He should be a dominant force, but he doesn't show it. Instead, he's wildly inconsistent, though that can in part be explained by a lengthy injury history that caused him to miss 35 games last year and 50 games this season. When he's on, he's tough to beat and when he's off, he's really off.

Advantage: Nuggets

Power Forward
Kenyon Martin vs. Derrick Robinson
K-Mart had his best statistical season in years with 9.3 points a game and 6.2 rebounds. He's no longer a marquee player like he once was and even then he wasn't the best, but he'll still surprise you every now and then and plays hard defense, same as Noah.

Robinson is in his third season and is steadily developing into a very solid player, breaking double-digit figures in scoring this year and boasting an impressive 2.5 blocks average. He should be among the upper echelon of power forwards before too long, but for right now, the 22 year old can be burned on defense. That shouldn't be too much of a problem against Martin, however.

Advantage: Lakers

Center
Shaquille O'Neal vs. Andrew Bynum
Even at 37, Shaq is still a quality force to be reckoned with and a gifted defender, whose 7'1, 340 lb frame still gives him the ability to abuse lesser opponents and steal the game.

Bynum is one of the league's single best centers and he was on fire this season, averaging 21.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.4 blocks, numbers that have him on the short list of MVP candidates. How the battle between him and O'Neal goes will be a key factor in how things go. Bynum gives up an inch and almost 60 lbs to Shaq and the two are more equal than the stats would indicate.

Advantage: Draw

Bench
Denver has Chauncey Billups, who should be the starting PG as the 6th man, surprising rookie Leroy Wright as the combo utility reserve who can play all three frontcourt spots and pretty well[. Peter John Ramos has shown flashes, as has raw but tantalizing rookie Brazilian guard Paulinho Buboltz.

Rasheed Wallace, 35, is a shadow of what he once was, but Thabo Sefolosha is a high-quality reserve who can play both guard spots and small forward and really shut down the opposition. Hilton Armstrong is out for the season after tearing his knee tendon and his loss devastates the Lakers in terms of their frontcourt depth.

Advantage: Nuggets

Final Thoughts
Pit the starters against each other and the Lakers have a decided advantage, particularly with Billups sitting on the bench for the Nuggets. However, Los Angeles lacks big man depth which is one of Denver's strengths and the Nuggets can go deeper than the Lakers overall.

The longer this series lasts, the worse off it is for the Lakers, as Iverson will have more time to gel with his teammates and Gordon can continue getting adjusted to playing the point. For Los Angeles to win, they need to get things over with quickly and they have the talent to do so.

Prediction: Lakers in 5

***End Article***

Game One
We kick things off at home with a burst of enthusiasm and hope, but it all turns to naught as the Lakers beat us every single quarter. Andrew Bynum shreds us for 27 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks and a steal in making Shaq look silly and Derrick Robinson gets 13 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks to add to the crushing. Kobe Bryant started things with 26 points. On our end of things, Ben Gordon double-doubled with 27 points and 11 assists, but he was really the only noteworthy performance. This thing could be over in four.
Los Angeles 98 Denver 80

Game Two
Shaquille O'Neal got pissed after Game One and came out hot this contest, taking Player of the Game with 30 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. Allen Iverson scored 26 and Chauncey Billups was a key part of the second unit with 10 point and 8 assists. Andrew Bynum got another double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds, but he fouled out. Thabo Sefolosha scored 10 points from the bench on 5/6 shooting and I'm tempted to trade for the Swissman in the offseason. Good thing is, we're now tied at 1.
Los Angeles 95 Denver 110

Game Three
The series switches to Los Angeles and Allen Iverson takes over, scoring 34 points to carry the day. Four of our bench players scored 8 or more points and that 32+ points was the differencemaker despite 13 points from Rasheed Wallace for the Laker reserves. Lamar Odom torched us for 28 points and [b]Andrew Bynum[b] double-doubled with 14 points and 11 rebounds, but it doesn't matter because we've taken the series lead.
Denver 107 Los Angeles 97

A blessing in disguise. Ben Gordon strained his calf so Chauncey Billups is going to start at PG in Game 4. This could be the most serendiptious event to happen all series.

Game Four
Or maybe not. Jordan Farmer has an unexpected 23 points to lead a balanced Lakers offense, Thabo Sefolosha contributing 14 points from the subs, as we lose a defensive battle. Shaquille O'Neal double-doubled with 14 points and 13 boards and Ben Gordon and Paulinho Buboltz scored 13 and 11 reserve points respectively, but I have a strangely sinking feeling when Allen Iverson plays just 6 minutes and there's no foul trouble.
Denver 85 Los Angeles 98

The results from the team doctor come back. Fortunately it wasn't a serious injury, just one bad enough to take him out of the game and throw us all out of synch. But that's okay, we're still at 2-2 and still have a fighting chance to win this series.

Three sweeps in the first round. Toronto over Washington was expected, Boston in four over Cleveland not. The biggest surprise to me was Dallas sweeping Minnesota, as I thought the Timberwolves looked a lot better than that.

San Antonio and Sacramento are tied at 2, which I can't believe. Houston and Miami are both up 3-1 in their series over Charlotte and Phoenix respectively and the Bucks and 76ers are tied at 2 along with us and Spurs/Kings.

Game Five
This is the pivotal game and I'm glad it's at home. I'm even gladder that Chauncey Billups is still the starting PG and puts up 25 points and 12 assists, even though Allen Iverson won Player of the Game with 28 points and 7 rebounds. Ben Gordon scored 12 off the bench and I'm hoping, probably against hope, that George Karl will stick with his current lineup once Gordon's fully healed. Derrick Robinson and Andrew Bynum put in fine efforts for the Lakers with 22 points and 12 rebounds and 10 points and 12 rebounds respectively. Brian Cook scored 10 in 11 minutes, Vladimir Radmanovic bettering that with 10 points in just 6 minutes.
Los Angeles 98 Denver 107

We're up 3-2. All we need to do is win one more game and we move on to the next round, improving over last year's first round exit.

Game Six
I love Chauncey Billups, I really do. He takes over this game in a big way, with 33 points, 10 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in winning Player of the Game. Shaquille O'Neal added 19 points and 11 rebounds and we're advancing to the next round!!!!! The Lakers tried a balanced offense again, led by Lamar Odom's 22 points, but it just didn't work.
Denver 108 Los Angeles 98

Nuggets advance!!!! Nuggets advance!!!

In other playoff news, the Bucks stunned the 76ers 4-2, the Rockets beat the Suns 4-1, the Bobcats and Heat are going to a seventh game...

...And the biggest upset of all.

(1) San Antonio 2 games (8) Sacramento 4 games

My darkhorse has fallen.

Charlotte wins the 7th game and the field is set for the second round. We draw Dallas, who I like a lot better to go up against than the Timberwolves.

[cubboyroy1826]

Congrats on the 1st round win.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by cubboyroy1826

Congrats on the 1st round win.

Thanks. It's a great feeling.

[Izulde]

It's really, really exciting being in the second round of the playoffs. I knew I'd made major improvements to the team and had us pegged for the playoffs, but I didn't think we'd do better than a one and done.

But here we are against the Dallas Mavericks. I'll snippet the same paper as last time.

"Just as we predicted, an extended series spelled doom for the Lakers and Denver did a fantastic job of shutting Kobe Bryant down.

Now the Nuggets move on to (2) Dallas and the Mavericks promise another good series after squashing an excellent Minnesota squad in four games.

Point Guard
Chauncey Billups/Ben Gordon vs. Jason Terry
There's no denying the Nuggets run much more effectively with Billups at the helm of the offense, but George Karl insists on starting Gordon when he's healthy. Compare the numbers from the first round: Gordon averaged 17 points with 5 and a half assists, compared to Billups, who averaged 15 points and 7 assists. More to the point: Billups had a 3.9 A/TO ratio, Gordon 1.6.

Terry is one of the most underrated PGs in the league. He can shoot, pass and defend very well and the 33 year old shows no sign of aging. He's been dazzling so far in the postseason, averaging 24 points and 10 assists a game.

Advantage: Mavericks

Shooting Guard
Allen Iverson vs. Josh Howard
AI has been terrific in the playoffs, leading the Nuggets with a 22 point game average, playing dynamite defense and handling the ball very efficiently. He did a brilliant job of limiting Kobe Bryant in the first round and if Denver hopes to advance, he'll need to continue his superlative play.

Howard has never developed into the player his kind of talent suggests he should have, but he still plays respectable defense, is good for 16 points a game and half a dozen boards. It'll be a tough series for him to go against Iverson however and he'll probably need some help on defense.

Advantage: Nuggets

Small Forward
Joakim Noah vs. Dirk Nowitzki
Noah will have one mission and one mission only this series: use his height and defensive prowess to contain the 7' last season's MVP Nowitzki. If he can do that, Denver has a very good chance of winning.

A sore wrist hasn't slowed Nowitzki down any, as he's averaging 24 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, a steal and nearly 2 blocks a game in this playoffs and he had a lot more skilled opponent in Kevin Garnett in the opening round. Dirk may well be the Denver-slayer.

Advantage: Mavericks

Power Forward
Kenyon Martin vs. Jeff Green
Much like Noah, Martin's only task will be to play defense. The good thing for Denver is that Green isn't much of an offensive threat, so K-Mart should be able to slide over and help Noah against Nowitzki.

Green's a decent young player, with some respectable all-around skills, but there's nothing that really stands out about him. Anything the Mavericks get from him this series will be gravy. Much better suited to the second unit, where he can provide an offensive sparkplug off the bench.

Advantage: Nuggets

Center
Shaquille O'Neal vs. Jonte Jones
The Big O is averaging 16 points and 9 rebounds in the postseason and he gets a tantalizing matchup in the rookie Jones. Shaq's extensive playoff experience and veteran smarts could be a major, major advantage for Denver here.

Jones has been a very pleasant surprise in the playoffs, averaging 13 points and 9 rebounds himself, but although he's a superior rebounder to Shaq at this stage in O'Neal's career, the rookie's defense needs serious work and at 6'11", 260 lbs, there's a very good chance he could get abused by the wily Shaq.

Advantage: Nuggets

Bench
Whichever of Billups or Gordon is the 6th man will provide major headaches for the Mavericks. Surprise rookie Leroy Wright is averaging 5 points, 5 rebounds, a block and a steal and can play respectable D.

Bobby Simmons is one of the most underrated players in the league and a nice offensive sparkplug, averaging almost 8 points from the bench. Devin Harris is a textbook PG, who can play D and 2nd year big-man Daniel Wilder adds to the Mavericks' solid rebounding corps.

Advantage: Draw

Final Thoughts
It'll be a close series most likely, one that could go the full seven games. The Mavericks have a huge edge in rebounding, but the Nuggets have both the defensive stoppers and the offensive firepower to counter Dallas. Shaquille O'Neal will likely be the deciding factor of this series. If he has the type of outing he's capable of against the relatively soft Dallas interior defense, the Nuggets win. If not, it'll be the Mavericks.
Prediction: Nuggets in 6

Ouch. We're favored. I hate it when that happens, because that puts pressure on us and creates expectations. Still, maybe we'll prove worthy of the billing.

Game One
I cringe when I see Ben Gordon starting at PG, but it's no problem after all as he scores 34 with 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Allen Iverson adds 26 and it's enough to punch out the Mavericks despite 14 points and 10 rebounds from Jonte Jones and 10 bench points out of Bobby Simmons. It's always critical to win the first game in a series like this. Especially on the road.
Denver 110 Dallas 96

Game Two
Allen Iverson dominated this game with 34 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals and Chauncey Billups scored 14 with the reserves, but the real story of the game was Shaquille O'Neal with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. True, Jonte Jones and Dirk Nowtizki had double-doubles, Jones with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but Nowitzki had just 11 points on 3 for 20 shooting and 10 rebounds. Those 11 points were half of the 22 Dirk had in Game One and Joakim Noah and Kenyon Martin are really giving him a rough time of it. Bobby Simmons had 13 points, Devin Harris 12 to as the Mavericks' second unit outplayed ours, but it didn't matter as we played absolutely stellar team defense, frustrating Dallas' shooters all night and coming away with an stellar 2-0 advantage heading back to Denver.
Denver 106 Dallas 85

Game Three
Jason Terry took Player of the Game with 28 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and a steal and Jonte Jones had an impressive 19 points, 17 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks, Bobby Simmons and Daniel Wilder playing great with 10 points and 11 points and 8 rebounds respectively off the bench. But it wasn't enough as Shaquille O'Neal put up 23 points and 13 rebounds, Allen Iverson had a great all-around game of 20 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals and Ben Gordon torched the Mavericks for 30 points to snatch the close victory and put us one game away from a sweep. Joakim Noah and Kenyon Martin continue to frustrate Dirk Nowtizki, limiting him to 8 points on a 3 for 15 night.
Dallas 97 Denver 105

Game Four
George Karl pulled a fast one on the Mavericks and delighted me by starting Chauncey Billups at PG. Billups went on to score 13 and dish out 10 assists, but Allen Iverson was the key to the game with 31 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Shaquille O'Nealwas no slouch either with 23 points. Jason Terry did his best with 18 points and 10 assists for the Mavericks and Dirk Nowtizki and Josh Howard scored 20 and 21 points respectively, but it wasn't enough. Jonte Jones had his worst outing of the series with 6 points and 12 assists and Jeff Green was held to 0 points.
Dallas 85 Denver 101

We've swept the Mavericks!!!! We're going to the Western Conference finals!!!!

We already know who our opponents are. It's another Texas team, as the Houston Rockets swept the upstart Sacramento Kings. Over in the East, Toronto flawlessly eliminated the Bucks 4-0, while the Bobcats hold a 3-1 edge over the Celtics.

An edge that turns into a 4-1 series victory and establishes this year's pro Final Four.

One of four teams left in the playoffs. Oh how sweet it is.

[Izulde]

If you'd have told me before the season that we'd end up in the Western Conference finals, I'd have said thanks for the confidence and privately thought you drinking Kool-Aid laced with something bad for the brain.

But here we are and the Rockets aren't the worst draw in the bracket for us in my opinion. Of course, they're not going to be pushovers, but I feel like we've got a shot.

Usual preview writer excerpt.

"That the Denver Nuggets have advanced this far is a testament to GM Jestor's foresight in acquiring Chauncey Billups, Ben Gordon and Joakim Noah, his signing Shaquille O'Neal and resisting the temptation to trade the injured Allen Iverson and his expiring contract.

They looked impressive in sweeping the Mavericks, Dirk Nowitkzi publically crediting Noah and Kenyon Martin's double-teaming defense for "making shooting a frustrating experience".

But can they beat Yao Ming and the Rockets to advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years? Houston has looked impressive in the playoffs, knocking off Phoenix in five and sweeping upset-minded Sacramento. Denver could well represent the first real test for Yao's team.

Point Guard
Chauncey Billups/Ben Gordon vs. Mike Bibby
Billups and Gordon make a formidable one-two punch at the point, the former an excellent, pure PG who masterfully runs the Nuggets offense, the latter a sharpshooter who has looked more and more comfortable as the floor general the more games he's played there. Billups is averaging 14.2 points and 7.5 assists this postseason, Gordon 17.1 points and 5.4 assists.

Bibby really needs no introduction, having single-handedly willed the Bulls to the NBA title last year. He's one of the top PGs in the entire NBA, a consistent All-NBA selection who's been on fire in the playoffs, averaging 21.9 points and 7.2 assists.

Advantage: Draw

Shooting Guard
Allen Iverson vs. Richard Hamilton
AI's return intially caused some chemistry and flow problems in the Nuggets offense despite his initial stardom, but Denver's now got him fully integrated in the offense and the team's been firing on all cylinders. He leads the team with 24.4 points in this playoffs and has 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and nearly 2 steals a game to go with it, an all-around performance that's been nothing short of genius.

It's hard to think of a more underrated player than Hamilton. Most casual NBA observers are surprised to see him scoring 20 points a game and two All-Star bids, but they're there and the 32 year old is a match for a lot of SGs in the league, but then, AI isn't a lot of SGs.

Advantage: Nuggets

Small Forward
Joakim Noah vs. Hakim Warrick
Neither one of these players is a dynamite scorer, although Noah's averaging 8 points and 5 rebounds a game in the postseason. It's Noah's defense that's critical to the Nuggets' plans and he'll probably be used in some type of help against one of the Rockets' higher-octane scorers.

Warrick's averaging 10 points and 5 rebounds in the playoffs and he's similiar to Noah in a lot of ways. Not quite as good on defense or stripping the ball, but a much better shotblocker and more disciplined in the foul game. He'll likely be pitted against AI, as he's the best of the non-bigs on defense for the Rockets.

Advantage: Draw

Power Forward
Kenyon Martin vs. Brandan Wright
Martin isn't going to be asked to a single thing other than be a shutdown defender.

The 22 year old Wright has the talent to be an offensive star, but can't seem to put it together, averaging just 10.3 points in the postseason, which is actually better than his nondescript regular season performances. What Brandan -has- accomplished, however, is excellent defensive skills and he's averaging over a steal and nearly a block a game in the playoffs. If he can finally get untracked on offense, the Rockets will have yet another bullet in their already formidable gun.

Advantage: Rockets

Center
Shaquille O'Neal vs. Yao Ming
Shaq abused the rookie Jonte Jones in the last series, pushing his scoring average in the playoffs up to 18 points a game and holding steady at 9 rebounds. His size and playoff experience have been huge assets to Denver, as he's yet to meet an opposing big man that can fully contain him.

At 7'6, 310 lbs, Yao is one of the few centers in the league that can hold his own against Shaq sizewise. That Yao is averaging 20.7 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in the playoffs make this even more of a mismatch, much as we love Shaq around here.

Advantage: Rockets

Bench
Billups or Gordon will again continue to be an offensive force to watch out for, though we've gradually grown less and less impressed with the rest of the Nuggets bench as the postseason's worn on, with the exception of Leroy Wright, who's shown much better defensive skills off the bench than we'd anticipated.

Shane Battier is one of the premiere defensive players in the NBA and he's averaging a steal and a half and 2 blocks... from the bench. The 8.4 points is a nice bonus. B.J. Whitehead's output is similar to Wright's, but with none of Wright's defensive skills. Chezley McCleary has mad rebounding hops and the third-year player should see more minutes against the board-starved Nuggets.

Advantage: Rockets

Final Thoughts
This is an extremely tough matchup for Denver. The Rockets boast 3 players capable of averaging 20 points a game or more and have the lockdown defenders necessary to counteract the Nuggets' own stalwart stoppers. Worse still for Nuggets fans, Houston's bench is actually better than Denver's. This is looking like a short series, the kind that could well be another Rockets sweep.
Rockets in 4

***End Article***

Ouch. Still, they're right, I suppose. This is one fantastic team they've got and one that matches up extremely well against us... but then, miracles have been known to happen, right?

Game One
The good news: Yao Ming was limited to 6 points. The bad news: Ming grabbed 23 rebounds and Richard Hamilton and Mike Bibby conspired to score 26 and 21 points respectively. Allen Iverson was Player of the Game with 33 points and Chauncey Billups scored 13 off the bench, but the Rockets destroyed all of our other shooters and won this one handily.
Houston 100 Denver 88

Game Two
Our Big Three put everything they had into this game and by Big Three, I mean our guards: Ben Gordon and Allen Iverson had 24 and 23 points respectively and Chauncey Billups continued his great reserve play with 13 points in 18 minutes, but all five Rockets starters and Shane Battier scored 11 points or more and Yao Ming continued to make Shaq look old and finished: 24 points, 21 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and a steal. Just five points separated us from evening the series and this may have been our final chance, because it's on to Houston. Joakim Noah was shut out to the tune of 0 points and if he'd even scored so much as those five points, it might have been a different game.
Houston 109 Denver 104

Game Three
Ben Gordon refused to give up and double-doubled with 27 points and 11 assists, but Yao Ming had 15 points and 16 rebounds and Richard Hamilton continues to be unreal with 31 points. There's just too many weapons in this Rocket arsenal for us to overcome and we're on the brink of elimination.
Denver 102 Houston 113

Game Four
Allen Iverson didn't want to go out of Denver with the bitterness of a sweep and so he took in matters into his own hands with 31 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds and a steal in one of the finest games I've ever seen. Chauncey Billups contributed 11 points to lead the subs and we finally stop Houston for one shining game, Mike Bibby the only Rocket with 20 points or better at 22.
Denver 92 Houston 88

Game Five
Remember how I said the last game was one of the greatest performances I've ever seen? Well, Allen Iverson topped that tonight: 52 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 7 steals. It was absolutely incredible and the home crowd was thrilled and clamoring loudly on its feet for most of the game. Ben Gordon got in a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists and Chauncey Billups and Leroy Wright scored 13 and 10 points off the bench. The Rockets played their damnedest this game too. Yao Ming had 26 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks and Mike Bibby scored 33. It was one of the most entertaining, most thrilling games in years. This is what the playoffs should be about. Even better? We won and have clawed to 3-2.
Houston 112 Denver 129

Game Six
In Houston for Game Six and this is probably the end of the road for us. Yao Ming goes on a tear with 27 points, 19 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals and Mike Bibby double-doubles with 24 points and 14 assists. But then a funny thing happens. Allen Iverson continues to shoot lights out with 36 points, Shaquille O'Neal plays like he's five years younger with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks and Leroy Wright scores 10 and grabs 8 boards with the second unit, pairing with Chauncey Billups's 11 points to seal the deal. We're going to Game Seven in Denver!!!!!
Denver 113 Houston 104

Game Seven
At home for all the marbles and a spot in the NBA Finals. My heart is pounding like it hasn't since the first time I fell in love (3rd grade, a girl named Nikki). All eyes on AI and Allen Iverson doesn't disappoint with 30 points, 4 assists, 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Ben Gordon goes bezerk with 27 points and 10 assists and Chauncey Billups channels Gordon as a sharpshooter with 17 points from the bench. But will be it enough?... Yao Ming gets handcuffed by Shaq and foul trouble, but still manages a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds. Mike Bibby scores 21 and Hakim Warrick and Brandan Wright turned on unexpected offense with 19 and 17 points respectively. But we shut down Richard Hamilton, limiting the underrated sniper to 8 points on 3 for 12 shooting AND WE TAKE IT!!!
Houston 90 Denver 114

OH MY GOD!!! OH MY GOD!!! DO YOU -BE-LIEVE! IN MIRACLES! 3-0 DEFICIT AND WE WIN!!! WE'RE GOING TO THE NBA FINALS!!!!!

GO NUGGETS!!!! GO DENVER GO!!! AI, I LOVE YOU!!!!!

That just made my night, my week, my month, maybe even my year!!!!

[cubboyroy1826]

Wow on to the finals good job. Bet the Knicks ownership is taking some flak now.

[MacroGuru]

Amazing turn around.....lets hope management is happy with the title and forgets that you were supposed to pinch pennies.

[cubboyroy1826]

Wouldn't that suck, thanks for getting us to the finals but you spent too much, you're fired.

[BreizhManu]

Best dynasty I've read in a long long time

[Izulde]

cubbyroy1826: Thanks I definitely wouldn't be surprised to see the Knicks owner getting some major heat in the New York media.

MacroGuru: I've never seen anything like this comeback to be honest, not when both teams have all their top players in and going all-out. It's what makes it all the more exciting to have done it. Getting fired for not penny-pinching is a possibility, but I'm trying not to think about that just yet.

cubbyroy1826: Yes, that would suck, but it could happen. Owner doesn't want to spend money and doesn't care about winning.

BreizhManu: Wow, thanks for the high praise!

[cubboyroy1826]

Off topic a bit i just finished the 2008 season with the Cubs on OOTP9 and won the NL Championship after going down 3-0 against the Diamondbacks and then beating the Yankees in the World Series. I can understand the high you are riding, just one more step.

[RedHawk00]

been away for most of the season, wow it went really well, lets hope ownership takes the finals over the few million bucks you may have over spent...

[MacroGuru]

Alright, on the edge of my seat waiting to hear about the finals....

[cubboyroy1826]

Yeah come on enquiring mind want to know.

[Izulde]

cubbyroy1826: Congratulations!!! Hope we're as successful here.

RedHawk00: I'm certainly hoping so.

MacroGuru: Tonight you'll find out.

cubbyroy1826: Hell's Kitchen season finale tonight first.

[Izulde]

I'll let this article do the talking.

Mile High Dreams

Carmelo Anthony insists he has no regrets.

Sitting here in one of New York's multitude of delis on this late spring morning, the Knicks' first superstar since the days of Patrick Ewing is content with his new team, even after a season filled with debacles and disappointment for New York basketball fans ended in an embarassing 11-71 record, worst in the NBA by ten games.

"It'd be great to be in Denver right now, preparing for the Finals, sure. But I'm here to bring the Knicks back to the team it used to be. If I can help do that, it'll mean a lot more than just keeping what I had with the Nuggets going."

Anthony struggled considerably for much of the season, as did his Knicks, but both he and the team showed significant progress towards the end of the year, winning four games in the final month as Carmelo shot his points per game average up to 24.4, his highest in years.

Despite the tail-end improvements, New York isn't happy and the New York Times and New York Post have both been relentless in their criticism of Knicks owner Charles Rowen.

"The biggest fool in New York's history is not the Inuit who was swindled by Peter Minuit, but Knicks owner Charles Rowen who first sacked the Raffle GM Jestor after just one season and then was persuaded to surrender to the same GM an All-Star in Ben Gordon, an underrated player in Joakim Noah, a top 10 pick and an additional first round pick for a paltry mid-round pick and Carmelo Anthony, who has never shown the ability to singlehandedly lead a team like the truly best players in the league can and who costs almost double the salary of Gordon for not quite the same production", angrily wrote Post sports columnist Frank Wester recently.

Times writer John Regis was much more brief, but just as scathing. "Charles Rowen should be ashamed, for he has torpedoed all hope of the Knicks returning to respectability any time soon."

And yet, it is little wonder that Gordon and Noah were the ones the once-Knicks, now Nuggets GM requested from for his former team, for it was Noah that Jestor moved up to take with the number 10 pick in the 2007 draft and Gordon was the centerpiece that he shipped a package that included Eddy Curry to Chicago for.

"Gordon and Noah are my boys", Jestor admitted in an e-mail interview, "I've always thought Ben didn't get the recognition he deserves and Noah's the kind of hard-working player with tremendous collegiate success and heart that I like in my draftees. They're fantastic players to build, or in the case of the Nuggets, to bolster a team with."

Indeed, it is only fitting that the two years in which Gordon was named to the All-Star team were the two years in which Jestor traded for him.

Not that the sharpshooting guard and the ace young defender object to being called Jestor's Boys. In fact, it became the basis for a deep and close friendship between the two men.

"Me and Ben, we hung out a lot and worked out a lot together this summer after we got the news we'd been traded to Denver. Jestor has a lot of faith in us and we vowed we would reward that faith by busting our butts and being the best we could", Noah said.

These sentiments of gratitude and a burning desire to reward the GM's confidence is also found in Leroy Wright, the Nuggets' second first-round selection in the draft with the 29th pick.

"Jestor called to tell me they were drafting me and that he was damned glad I was still there because they built their entire draft around my being there at 29. When he said that, I just got this lump in my throat and I told him I'd do whatever it took to make him proud of me", Wright said after a practice session last week.

Jestor certainly should be proud of Wright as the rookie came from out of nowhere to become one of the team's most versatile players, able to play the three, four and five and doing a remarkably adequate job filling in as the starting center for a month while Shaquille O'Neal was out with a broken elbow. For most of the season, he's served as the team's 6th man and is still the first one off the bench when Noah, Shaq or Kenyon Martin need a breather.

Part of Wright's rapid development can be attributed to another of Jestor's changes; the complete replacement of head coach George Karl's assistants. In what many said was a publicity stunt, the GM overrode Karl's protests and brought in former NBA stars Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Detlef Schrempf as the top assistants and former three-time All-Defense NBA player Lionel Hollins as the third man.

"Leroy was calling or talking to at least one of us every day, either me, Detlef, Lionel, Shaq, Kenyon or Joakim, picking our brains and absorbing everything he could from us. He's a hard-working kid who has a real passion to get better", Abdul-Jabbar noted.

Noah cites Hollins's influence as really helping him to further hone his skills on defense and the Nuggets ranked 16th in points allowed this season, a perfect respectable statistic given how much Denver relies on its offense to win games.

The Nuggets will need all of that offense if they hope to beat the team they're facing in the NBA Finals, because the Toronto Raptors allowed the fewest points per game in the regular season at 91.3 and were fourth in points scored at 103, ahead of even Denver, who average 102.9 points an outing.

In fact, it shapes up to be a thrilling series of opposing team styles and philosophies.

Point Guard
Ben Gordon vs. T.J. Ford
Gordon took time to adjust to playing the point, but now he seems to have found his rhythm and is proving to be a real asset on the court with his passing as well as his famed shooting abilities. In spite of missing four starts with a strained calf earlier in the playoffs, he's still averaging almost 19 points and 6.5 assists going into the Finals.

Ford is a pure point guard whose only task is to run the offense and generate turnovers with his stealing abilities. He does an excellent job with both, averaging 8.3 assists and over a steal this playoffs. The 12 points per game has been a very nice bonus. Still, he's going to have a difficult time stopping Gordon.

Advantage: Nuggets

Shooting Guard
Allen Iverson vs. Larry Hughes
It doesn't need to be said that without AI, the Nuggets don't pull off the amazing upset in coming back from a 3-0 deficit to upset the heavily favored Rockets in the Western Conference finals. 28 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2.2 steals a game in this playoffs. He's arguably going to be the best, most complete player on the court night in and night out.

Hughes was heralded as a great free agent signing for the Raptors and he's been precisely that, filling in Toronto's biggest void. A very good defender with excellent stealing instincts, he's averaging 12.3 points and 1.7 steals in the playoffs. He'll need to limit AI if Toronto wants to win the title.

Advantage: Nuggets

Small Forward
Joakim Noah vs. Andrea Bargnani
All Denver wants Noah to do is play lights-out defense and he's done that throughout the playoffs, shutting down Dirk Nowtizki in the second round and making the Rockets players fight for their shots in the conference finals.

The 26 year old Bargnani is the least heralded of the Raptors feared frontline, but he's been sensational in the postseason, averaging 18.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.2 steals and almost 2 blocks a game. Noah will have his hands full defending him, that's for certain.

Advantage: Raptors

Power Forward
Kenyon Martin vs. Chris Bosh
What goes for Noah applies triple to Martin. Just play superhuman defense.

But then how do you stop someone who's averaging 21.5 points and 8.7 rebounds against some of the NBA's best players and teams? Bosh is the second of the Raptors three-headed frontcourt hydra and he's the scorer of the trio.

Advantage: Raptors

Center
Shaquille O'Neal vs. Greg Oden
The Big O's assignment doesn't get any easier after containing Andrew Bynum in the opening round, decimating rookie Jonte Jones in the second round and battling against the superlative Yao Ming in the conference finals, but Shaq's been here before and knows what it takes to win. 15.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game in the postseason show he still has the stuff to compete at the top level, even at 37.

Oden earned his first All-NBA team award last season and the youngster showed no signs of slowing down this year. An incredible rebounder and the single-best defender on both teams, he's not a shabby shooter either, averaging 18.1 points, 13.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.3 steals and almost 3 blocks a game this playoffs. The Raptors won't rely on his offense nearly as much as they'll rely on him to shut down Shaq. The one wild card? This is Oden's first NBA Finals.

Advantage: Raptors

Bench
Chauncey Billups is averaging 13.2 points and 5.8 assists off the bench and he'll need to continue to be the offensive spark in the second unit for the Nuggets to win. Leroy Wright's solid all-around rebounding and defensive game will be vital as well.

Quincy Doby and Mike Patterson are the Raptors' top reserves, but neither one has been exceptionally impressive in the playoffs and they look to have a tough time against Denver's subs.

Advantage: Nuggets

Final Thoughts
Both teams put in the full limit in the conference finals, the Nuggets making the improbable comeback over Houston that won the heart of the nation, the Raptors suprisingly requiring all seven games to ouster the always scrappy and underrated Charlotte Bobcats.

This will be a titanic battle of styles, Denver's peerless set of guards against Toronto's equally flawless big men. Despite the presence of some very good to great defenders on both sides, we could see a high-paced, high-scoring Series, one that very well could go the distance. The Raptors have the better overall set of five starters, but the Nuggets counter with a better and deeper bench. That greater depth might be the final tipping point.
Prediction: Nuggets in 7

***End Article***

Gee, nothing like pressure there. I'm sweating and not just because it's hot and humid here. But here goes nothing.

Game One
They predicted a shootout and what they got was a gritty, defensive game highlighted by the Raptors getting second chance after second chance thanks to their ungodly rebounding prowess. Greg Oden had 23 points and 17 rebounds, Andrea Bargnani 22 points and 13 rebounds, Chris Bosh 15 points and 11 rebounds. And yet, we were able to mount a challenge, Allen Iverson scoring 27 and Leroy Wright picking a great time to double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Unfortunately, we fell -just- short. As in, five points short.
Denver 86 Toronto 91

Game Two
Allen Iverson scored 27 and stripped the ball 5 times, Chauncey Billups great with 21 points off the bench, but Chris Bosh had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Greg Oden 10 points and 13 rebounds, T.J. Ford 18 points and 13 assists and Quincy Doby just put the icing on the blowout cake with 14 reserve points. Not good. It's like we're deflated after that first loss.
Denver 84 Toronto 111

Game Three
Finally at home in Denver. Allen Iverson and Ben Gordon put on amazing shooting clinics of 34 and 32 points respectively. The Raptors counter with six players in double figures, including 17 bench points from Quincy Doby. Andrea Bargnani 12 points and 12 rebounds, Chris Bosh 30 points and 14 rebounds, Greg Oden 12 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks. The difference in the game? One freaking point and we're the losers. Not a single Nugget outside of AI or Gordon reached double-digit figures.
Toronto 104 Denver 103

Game Four
I have a feeling this is it. We've played our hardest and come so damn close a couple times to making it a 2-2 series, but we're staring at 3-0 and I don't know that we can repeat the miracle twice. Ben Gordon scores 33 and Chauncey Billups puts in 16 points from the bench, but seven Raptors break double-digits, including reserves Quincy Doby, who I'm starting to hate, with 11 and Mike Patterson with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. T.J. Ford double-doubles with 13 points and 11 assists, as does Greg Oden with 15 points and 10 rebounds. In the end, we just simply ran out of gas against a superior team.
Toronto 108 Denver 98

Swept in the Finals. It's a damn tough way to end the season and it's going to be a rough offseason.

A lot of decisions to make. What to do about AI, Martin, and Shaq as the first and foremost concerns.

Still, even with the disappointment running through right me now, I'm damned proud of this team and what we've accomplished. At the beginning of the season, nobody gave us a chance to do much with AI out for all but 10 games and even my own expectations were a first round playoff exit.

But here we are, Western Conference Champions and though we were swept, we gave it our all against a team I've considered one of the most talented in the league for the past four years, a team that fully and completely deserves the ecstacy they're feeling as they celebrate the franchise's first title.

We'll be back again. Maybe not next year, but some day.

[cubboyroy1826]

Sorry to see but it was a very good season, one that you exceeded all expectations. Good luck on a tough offseason.

[MacroGuru]

Ouch, but you did amazing!

Good luck in the next season..

[Neon_Chaos]

I sense the unemployment line for Jestor if the Owner is a penny pincher...

On with the drama!

[Autumn]

Wow, totally amazing season. Much more than I expected out of this team, and now you've got some hard decisions to make Allen disrupted the team a bit, but played like an MVP. Very impressive for your first season. Keep going!

[Izulde]

cubbyroy1826: Thanks. And yeah, the decisions I make this offseason will have a major impact on the team for the foreseeable future.

MacroGuru: Thanks! I'm definitely thrilled with what we accomplished this year, despite the sour note of the sweep.

Neon_Chaos: I'm dreading that phone call, you can be sure.

Autumn: The disruption didn't last that long, actually. Only about 12 games or so. And yes, AI's MVP-like brilliance in the playoffs, not to mention his extreme popularity, are going to make the choice of what to do about him the most difficult one. And I agree, amazing season.

[Coffee Warlord]

Just watch...

...You're fired!

Then get hired back by the Knicks and get back Gordon and Noah.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Just watch...

...You're fired!

Then get hired back by the Knicks and get back Gordon and Noah.

That would be simultaneously sucktastic (to be fired) and amusing (hired by Knicks and getting Gordon/Noah back. )

[Izulde]

The day after our defeat in the Finals, I pick up the third-year options on Leroy Wright and Paulinho Buboltz. Wright was a forgone conclusion after the rookie year he had and I saw enough tantalizing flashes from Buboltz to give him another season as well.

Lottery
1. New York Knicks
2. Los Angeles Clippers (+6)
3. Memphis Grizzlies (+3)
4. Atlanta Hawks (-2)
5. Detroit Pistons (-2)
6. New Orleans Hornets (-2)
7. Seattle Supersonics (-2)
8. Orlando Magic (-1)
9. Utah Jazz
P10. Indiana Pacers
11. Chicago Bulls
12. New Jersey Nets
13. Golden State Warriors
14. Portland Trailblazers

Big-time win by the Clippers, who already have a solid young PG in Brian Metcalfe from last year and legit gamers in 31 year olds Corey Maggette and Elton Brand. The Clips could see a return to the playoffs this year if they make the right choice at #2.

Of course, I'm a little nervous about the omen of the Knicks with the first overall pick. The last time that happened, I got fired.

New York can't afford to blow this pick, in my opinion. Sure Ronny Smith is only 22 and has tremendous talent, but after three seasons in the NBA, he's still looking stagnant in terms of his production.

Of course, this being the Knicks, they probably will.

NBA Awards

MVP
Yao Ming - Houston Rockets - 24.2 ppg 13.3 rpg 2.6 apg 1.2 bpg 0.9 spg
Defensive Player of the Year
Andrei Kirilenko - Utah Jazz - 13.5 ppg 6.6 rpg 3.1 apg 4.0 bpg 1.4 spg
Rookie of the Year
Jonte Jones - Dallas Mavericks - 10.8 pg 9.4 rpg 2.3 apg 0.9 bpg 0.9 spg
6th Man of the Year
Darko Milicic - Orlando Magic - 7.3 ppg 8.1 rpg 1.9 apg 1.2 bpg 0.8 spg
Coach of the Year
Gregg Popovich - San Antonio Spurs

Although I'm a little pissed that Mateen Yeaton didn't get Rookie of the Year, I can see the reasoning behind Jones, who played all 82 games and helped take the Mavericks to the second round of the playoffs. Darko as 6th Man of the Year strikes me as really funny, though I don't know why. AK maintains his strangehold on Defensive Player of the Year.

All-NBA 1st Team
PG Dwayne Wade - Miami Heat
SG Lebron James - Cleveland Cavaliers
SF Dirk Nowitzki - Dallas Mavericks
PF Elton Brand - Los Angeles Clippers
C Yao Ming - Houston Rockets

All-NBA 2nd Team
PG Gilbert Arenas - Washington Wizards
SG Michael Redd - Milwaukee Bucks
SF Paul Pierce - Boston Celtics
PF Kelvin Moody - Minnesota Timberwolves (The first Utah Sixer to earn All-NBA recognition and in his 3rd season!)
C Andrew Bynum - Los Angeles Lakers

All-NBA 3rd Team
PG Chris Paul - New Orleans Hornets
SG Tracy McGrady - Sacramento Kings
SF Kevin Durant - Portland Trailblazers
PF Tyrus Thomas - Philadelphia 76ers
C Greg Oden - Toronto Raptors

Ben Gordon got screwed again. I'm reminded I need to update on the Utah Six, though.

All-Defense 1st Team
PG Dwayne Wade - Miami Heat
SG Tracy McGrady - Sacramento Kings
SF Andrei Kirilenko - Utah Jazz
PF Tyrus Thomas - Philadelphia 76ers
C Greg Oden - Toronto Raptors

All-Defense 2nd Team
PG Gilbert Arenas - Washington Wizards
SG Lebron James - Cleveland Cavaliers
SF Gerald Wallace - Charlotte Bobcats
PF Tim Duncan - San Antonio Spurs
C Marcus Camby - Cleveland Cavaliers

All-Rookie 1st Team
PG Brian Metcalfe - Los Angeles Clippers
SG Mateen Yeaton - Indiana Pacers
SF Jeremy Lemons - Orlando Magic
PF Leroy Wright - Denver Nuggets
C Jonte Jones - Dallas Mavericks

All-Rookie 2nd Team
PG Dan Wessel - Seattle Supersonics
SG Jamar Jefferson - Atlanta Hawks
SF Courtney Jones - Atlanta Hawks
PF Kevin Thomas - Phoenix Suns
C Dan Jacobson - Washington Wizards

Wow, what an awesome, awesome suprise! I figured Wright had a shot at the second team, but to be a 1st Teamer is a nice icing on the tasty cake of Leroy's great first year.

The Utah Six 2010-11 Year In Review

PF Kelvin Moody - Minnesota Timberwolves
Easily becoming the most successful player in his class. An All-Star, All-NBA 2nd Team selection who finished with 18.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.7 blocks and 0.8 steals a game. And to think he was the #3 overall pick behind Ronny Smith and Brandon Brooks. He's already one of the league's best players at 22 and he should only get better and better. Could we be seeing the beginnings of a Hall of Fame type career?

PG Brandon Brooks - Portland Trailblazers
Averaged 12.1 points, 8.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds. He's turning into a very nice pass-first PG with some considerable defensive skills, but at 25, how much more development does he have left? Career projection suggests that he'll be a good player, but not a great one and nowhere near franchise levels.

SF Julius Austin - Miami Heat
A half-time starter at SF which explains the drastic dip in scoring to 5.6 points a game. Other stats held steady though, with 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.7 blocks and 1.2 steals. An intense, high-octane defender, arguably one of the best in the game right now, he's a lot like a better defense/less offense version of Joakim Noah. Rather fitting considering they were both taken with the 10th pick.

C Rudy Braun - New York Knicks
8.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game are only very slight improvements over last season as he once again was a half-time starter at C. It's frustrating to see a guy who's 7'5, 301 lbs not be able to do anything with his impressive height and size, but such is the case with Braun, who apparently will never be able to do much with his physical gifts.

SF Brian Robertson - Los Angeles Sea Dogs
Unsigned in free agency and undrafted in the D-League draft, he eventually signed on with the Los Angeles Sea Dogs midway through the season, starting 18 games and playing 22, averaging 6.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 blocks and 1.2 steals. Made just $35,000 this year. I honestly don't think we'll ever see him back up in the NBA, though he has the makings of being a pretty good D-League player.

PF B.J. Whitehead - Houston Rockets
Played in 68 regular season games, plus playoffs, averaging 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 10 minutes a game. He has some real potential, but unfortunately he's buried pretty deeply on Houston's bench. I'm tempted to trade for him, as I think he'd be worth a second-round pick.

But first, there's the call from Crenshaw to review the season.

My stomach's churning a little, because I -know- he's going to bring up the money thing. But I don't back down, telling him I think I did an excellent job getting the team to the Finals. I pointed out that even with Carmelo's absence, we sold out of our season tickets and the playoff revenue added a ton of money to our coffers.

He does note that I spent more than I'd said I would, but the postseason monies and related merchandising revenue helped offset those costs and that he looked forward to seeing how we do next year. Even better, he told me that my job security status is unchanged.

YES!!!!! On to the offseason!!!

[AZSpeechCoach]

Whoo hoo! You still have a job! Congratuations.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by AZSpeechCoach

Whoo hoo! You still have a job! Congratuations.

Thanks. I was pretty amped myself.

[Izulde]

I meet with Crenshaw over dinner at Olive Garden, same as last year, to discuss next year's scenario.

Honestly, I see the Timberwolves and Trailblazers as tops in our division and I'm not sure if we'll have the werewithal to be able to challenge them, much less make the kind of miracle run we did, even I brought AI back.

Still, I think we can make the playoffs again and Crenshaw's fine with that. Then the money issue comes up over dessert and I stare into my ice cream. This is it. This is where push comes to shove.

"We've got some major expiring contracts, but on the other hand, we've got some holes to fill.... I think we can be right about the cap."

"I'm perfectly okay with that, Mr. Jestor."

Whew.

I've painted myself in a corner, but I think it'll work out okay. Even if we don't get AI back, we'll have more development time for Paulinho Buboltz.

Coach Hiring Season

Larry Brown jumps ship from the Knicks to the Nets, which is a good move on his part. The Knicks make a nice recovery by hiring Jim O'Brien to take over on a two year deal.

Mock Draft

This is a fantastic draft for swingmen. SG Kyle Hoiberg, a 20 year old from Oklahoma and SG Chris Gearheart, who just finished his freshman year at Texas, averaged 35.9 and 31.5 points a game respectively. In fact, the top prospects are all either SG or SF, with a PG or two thrown in. Terrible class for big men, though. That spells trouble for us.

The mocks have us taking C Kenyate Hazelton, a 22 year old blocking specialist out of Sacramento State with the 24th pick. He's even more raw than Buboltz was last year, but initial impressions suggest he has some potential.

I invite Hazelton, along with some others that I have my eye on for our 1st round spot to workouts. B.J. Whitehead is available on the free agent market, his fourth year option not having been picked up by the Rockets. This means our 2nd rounder can be used for trade bait.

2011 NBA Draft 1st Round
1. SF Georghios Kairis - New York Knicks

The Knicks must be trying to tap into the Grecian market here with Kairis. He's a decent player, but to pass up on him when Hoiberg and Gearheart are out there is just stupid. The Clippers should be celebrating hardcore right about now.

2. SG Kyle Hoiberg - Los Angeles Clippers
3. SG Chris Gearheart - Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies and the city of Memphis would like to send a big thank-you note to the Knicks for being morons. Personally, I liked Gearheart better out of Hoiberg vs. Gearheart, so I think the Grizz got the best deal here.

4. SG Vince Murray - Atlanta Hawks
5. C Tim Davis - Detroit Pistons
6. SF Rick Harris - New Orleans Hornets
7. SG Chauncey Thomas - Seattle Supersonics
8. C Eugene Whitmore - Orlando Magic

If Whitmore would've dropped out of the Top 10, I would've traded up to go get him. In my opinion, he's the best C in this draft. Really nice pickup by the Magic.

9. PG A.J. Dunkley - Utah Jazz
10. C Phillip Gill - Indiana Pacers
11. C Danny Hamilton - Chicago Bulls

Damn. I thought sure Hamilton would drop a little bit more into territory where we could've made a play for him. No dice, though.

The analysts all slammed the pick, though, so maybe I should be glad about it.

12. SF Andrew Soloman - New Jersey Nets
13. PG Kenny Graham - Golden State Warriors
14. SF Marcus Honeycutt - Portland Traiblazers

I initially really liked the looks of Honeycutt, but the coaching staff all slammed him hardcore. At any case, he went higher than expected, a lot higher.

15. PF Tyrone Dotson - Washington Wizards
16. C Ryan Sweetwyne - Miami Heat

Fuck! I was hoping Sweetwyne would fall to us. One of the top rebounders in the draft with respectable all-around skills outside of his board-crashing wizardry. We may trade out of the first at this point.

17. C Tyler Palmore - Cleveland Cavaliers
18. C Mario Florence - Sacramento Kings
19. SF Dusty Hammond - Atlanta Hawks
20. SG Durko Jagr - Chicago Bulls
21. PG Brent Short - Los Angeles Lakers
22. PF Ron Collier - Chicago Bulls
23. PG Jefferson Flint - Phoenix Suns

The discussion that comes up with our pick is PF Brian Gipson out of Illinois, C Kenyate Hazelton, the mock draft selection for us or trading the pick.

Let's see, the staff rated Hazelton as a rookie free agent and Gipson sucks at defense. If I'm taking anyone, it's PF Lynn Shipley out of UConn, who despite being rated a 3* player by the major scouting networks and 4* by our staff, has dropped down to this level. Unfortunately, he wasn't invited for a workout so I don't have a great feel for him.

The more I read what reports I do have on him before me in the war room though, the more I think he's not the option to take.

So it's speed-call time.

Unfortunately, we only have six players under contract and none of them are guys I really want to move, with the exception of last year's second round pick Andre Egans, whose paltry $414k salary isn't going to do much.

I very briefly toy with a blockbluster trade that would've sent Paulinho Buboltz and the 24 pick to Indiana for Mateen Yeaton and the Pacers' 1st round pick the next season, but our team doctor threw himself at the table and tore the cell phone from my hand, screaming that I didn't want Yeaton because he was injury-prone as all get-out.

It's enough to make me call off the trade, because honestly, I really like Buboltz. He's saved our bacon in the Brazilian market after Nene got dealt and while he's more of a shooter than a passer, I think he'll be an adequate starting PG or SG.

On the other hand, I'm fielding a flood of calls for the 19 year old. A -ton- of GMs are interested in trading for him. I get quite a few calls about Chauncey Billups, too.

I try to put together deals that will net us an answer at SF or C, using Billups as bait, but trades for Gerald Wallace and Andre Iguodala fall through when their GMs stand firm despite appearing to be interested at first.

So in the end, I'm right back where I was when I started, holding the 24th pick and looking at players I have no interest in. My personal code of ethics won't allow me to trade for the draft rights to players taken ahead of me, either, even though the Heat are perfectly willing to listen to offers for Sweetwyne.

Finally, I bite the bullet and draft him. If I don't like the looks of him, I can always trade him after the draft is over.

24. PF Lynn Shipley - Denver Nuggets

The analysts really like the selection, but I discover in their discussion why he fell so far. He's a damned lazy ass. I'll be trading him the day after the draft's over, you can bet on that.

25. SF Samaki Hall - Houston Rockets
26. SF Charles Elleby - Minnesota Timberwolves
27. SG Rahmeen Cox - Charlotte Bobcats
28. SG Donte Smith - Boston Celtics
29. C Paul Fisher - San Antonio Spurs
30. SF Del Mickael - Toronto Raptors

I miss who the talking heads say we'll take in the 2nd round, but at this point, it's all flyers anyway and one is taken on SF Beau Rice out of Maryland. He's 6'10" and has the strength to rebound.

The TV practically explodes with fury, J.P. calling it the worst pick in the history of the draft and Chris snidely wondering aloud, "Who's running this team? Zeke?" leaving me to wonder, "Who in the hell is Zeke?"

After the draft, we get our first look at the players. Rice -does- look that bad and Shipley's even worse than I feared. Rice doesn't get a contract and I get to work on shipping Shipley out.

It turns out easier than I expected.

Charlotte Bobcats receive
PF Lynn Shipley

Denver Nuggets receive
PF Ike Diogu
Charlotte Bobcats 2012 1st round pick

What this means for the Bobcats:
Shipley gives the team a prospect to try and develop in the frontcourt. He may not get much playing time on a team where everyone is under 30, but he's a great team player and is popular with fans after he starred at Connecticut.

What this means for the Nuggets:
Rumor has it that GM Jestor tried repeatedly to deal the 24th pick in the draft, but found nothing to his liking. Now he spins it into a probable extra late 1st round pick next year and a much-needed veteran rebounding presence in Diogu, who should receive a lot more than the 8 minutes a game he had with Charlotte last season.

Winner: Nuggets
Jestor was able to turn someone he didn't want into something that'll benefit his team.

Now the hard part. Contract renouncements.

I start with the easy ones, saying goodbye to Jared Jeffries, Jason Collins and Justin Reed. Kenyon Martin says farewell, too, as does Peter John Ramos and Rod Little.

So now we're down to Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson.

I think and think and think and think some more, before letting our rights to Shaq go. He's getting old and his skills have definitely dropped.

This puts us at $1.2 million over the cap and we've 7 players signed, because Beau Rice isn't going to be on our team. So we have a choice.

Renounce AI and be $21 million under the cap, giving us room to play ball, or keep his rights and be limited in what we can do, having at most a mid-level exemption, a low exemption and min-sals, much like last year.

It's agonizing, but in the end, I have to renounce. The free agent crop this year looks too enticing.

Paulinho Buboltz, Andre Egans, Leroy Wright and Beau Rice get their tickets to our summer league team.

Summer League

Paulinho Buboltz scores 20 points in the first summer league game against the Mavericks and it's a real eye-opener. Of course, he follows it up with 3 points against Golden State, which is a loss.

13 points in Game 3 for Buboltz and Player of the Game against the Chicago Bulls, scoring 21 points and dishing out 9 assists with 3 steals. Leroy Wright is consistent throughout the summer league, generally good for about 6-10 points and 6-8 rebounds. Not flashy at all and a little worrisome considering the level of competition, but consistent.

Still, we finish the Summer League 3-2 and Paulinho Buboltz wins his second straight Player of the Game award against the Celtics, with an amazing 22 points, 14 assists, 4 rebounds, a block and 3 steals. Keep in mind he's still only 5'11, 182 lbs.

I like the looks of third-year pro PF Steven Caspers from our summer league team. Shows some great defensive skills and decent scoring touch for the bench. Definitely worth a min-sal, if nothing else.

Free Agency

Great, great free agent class this summer. As in the following names:

SG Kobe Bryant
PG Dwayne Wade
SF Dirk Nowitzki
SG Allen Iverson
SF Paul Pierce
SG Michael Redd
SF Kevin Durant
PF Zach Randolph
C Yao Ming
C Chris Bosh
SG Ray Allen
PF Pau Gasol
C Eddy Curry
PG Tony Parker
SG Jason Richardson
C Amare Stoudamire
SF Caron Butler
C Greg Oden
SF Andrei Kirilenko

And those are just the cream of the crop!

I take the above list and break it down into levels of interest.

Very High Interest
SG Allen Iverson

Considerable Interest
C Greg Oden

Fair Interest
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Dirk Nowitzki
SF Kevin Durant
C Chris Bosh
SG Jason Richardson
SF Andrei Kirilenko

With $21.5 million in cap space, we have the money to go after at least one of these guys without breaking the bank. AI's asking $16.8 million for one year. It's tempting, because we'd still have the mid-level's worth to play with, but Oden comes a lot cheaper and we can sign him to a multi-year deal.

So we offer Oden the max deal we can and give AI the rest of our cap room.

Oden spurns us the next day, taking 6 years and $93.7 million to stay with the defending champion Raptors. Oh well.

AI's perfectly happy to consider a paycut to $9.5 million, leaving us $12 million to find a good C. Oh by the way, everyone is now quite interested in signing with us.

Unfortunately, much as you might expect, it looks like all the top free agents are headed back to their old teams.

On the other hand, there's a player who looks like a perfect fit for us, who has no other commitments and his old team shows no interest in re-signing him. His asking price is also extremely reasonable.

We secure our main target early in free agency, signing PF Andris Biedrins, formerly of the Golden State Warriors, to a 5 year, $50.5 mil. deal, a controlled cost of $10.1 million a year. He's a terrific rebounder and his scoring average has gone up each year he's been in the league. Last season he averaged 10.1 points and 10.9 rebounds a game, along with 1.9 blocks and 1.2 steals. 7', 240 lbs. Best part of all, he's only 25 years old.

My guess is he'll slot in at PF, leaving Joakim Noah at SF and still leaving a hole at C.

Other teams have leapfrogged our offer to Allen Iverson, so it might be time to say goodbye to AI and concentrate our remaining $11 million elsewhere.

Now that we no longer have so much to offer, free agents are suddenly cooling to us, but there's still players worth pursuing out there.

AI signs with the Heat for $14.1 million on a one year deal, ensuring, along with Dwayne Wade's re-signing, that Miami will once again have a superior backcourt.

On the same day, Kenyon Martin signs with the New York Knicks. 2 years, $2.38 mill. Sorry guys, but signing our cast-offs isn't the way you're going to get back to the glory days.

The biggest shock of the day's activity came from Paul Pierce's defection to Detroit. The Pistons may still be old, but they just got a lot better in hurry by his addition.

A few days later, I snatch Caron Butler up for 3 years, $35.4 million. I overpaid for him, probably, but he's a fellow hometown Racine boy and we both went to Park at the same time for a little while there, as I probably mentioned before. Not to mention, with Butler, Gordon and Noah all re-united on the same team and all probable starters (Butler SF, Gordon SG, Noah PF/C, we're looking a lot like Knicks West, only a hell of a lot better.

So now we're at zero in cap room and we've got 9 players signed. No problem, we'll just find some min-sal guys to bring in.

Like Tyson Chandler, whose rebounding and defense I like so much, I sign to a 2-year min sal deal. He could potentially cut into Leroy Wright's development time, but the more rebounding and defense we get, the better. The same day sees us signing SG D.J. Strawberry to a one year min-sal. Hard-nosed kid who handles the ball extremely well and plays great D, but he won't see the floor all that much.

We have another candidate for best backcourt in the NBA when Tony Parker pulls a stunner in signing with Indiana for 5 years, $58.2 mill, the same day Ray Allen joins the Knicks for one season and $10 mill and Eddy Curry hies it to the Hornets for 5 years, $42.6 mill, thus ending most of the big name suspense.

Wow, I guess the Knicks must be convinced they're only a couple pieces away from a playoff berth with all the old farts they're picking up in free agency.

The Celtics make up for losing Pierce by stealing Shaquille O'Neal for a one-year $8 million contract and getting Bobby Simmons the exact same day for 3 years, $18.5 mill. Together they won't equal Pierce, but Shaq will give it all he has and I've always kind of liked Simmons.

Later on in free agency, I'm pleased to see B.J. Whitehead re-sign with the Rockets for 2 years, $6.9 mill. Always good to see a Utah Sixer have some success.

I'm even happier the next day when Javaris Crittenton agrees to a two-year min-sal deal. I've always thought he was a quality player who just needed the right break to showcase his skills. It's hard to say if he'll get that chance with us, given how stacked how our backcourt is, but I'm happy to have him in a Nuggets uniform.

That gives us the required 12 players and we're a very nice $2.68 million over the cap, so I stop free agent hunting because we're not likely to find any more bargains that I'd be interested in.

After the last day of free agency, I extend Ben Gordon for another 4 years, $32.5 million, which will make him a Nugget until he's at least 33. Better still, his extension ranges from $7 mill-$9.3 mill. in his 33 year old season. It's all about keeping my guys here.

Oh yes, the Big List of changed teams below. Everyone else re-signed with their old teams.

The Big List - Players Changing Teams
SG Allen Iverson - Signs with Miami - 1 year, $14 mill.
SF Paul Pierce - Signs with Detroit - 2 years, $28.7 mill.
SG Ray Allen - Signs with New York - 1 year, $10.1 mill.
C Eddy Curry - Signs with New Orleans - 5 years, $42.6 mill.
PG Tony Parker - Signs with Indiana - 5 years, $58.2 mill.
SF Caron Butler - Signs with Denver - 3 years, $35.4 mill.

Training Camp

Paulinho Buboltz showed significant strides and the fans and coaching staff are absolute delighted with how he's progressing. If he continues to improve, he could be ready to take over at the point by next offseason, which would allow us to renounce Chauncey Billups's contract.

Leroy Wright didn't appear to make any major improvements, but he showed enough that...

Denver Nuggets 2011-12 Starting Lineup
PG Chauncey Billups
SG Ben Gordon
SF Caron Butler
PF Andris Biedrins
C Joakim Noah
6th Paulinho Buboltz (PG/SG)
7th Leroy Wright (SF/PF/C)
8th Tyson Chandler (SF/PF/C)
9th D.J. Strawberry (PG/SG/SF)
10th Ike Diogu (SG/SF/PF/C)
11th Javaris Crittenton (PG/SG)
12th Andre Egans (SF)

...he was able to beat out Chandler for the top big man off the bench.

We sold out our season ticket allotment again, but I was stunned to read the season preview magazines.

They're picking us for dead last in the conference, claiming we won't be able to win without Shaq.

Un-freaking-believable. Granted, I agree with their assessment that the Raptors are again the team to beat in the East and that Portland, Minnesota and the Lakers are the three top teams in the West, but to pick us for LAST IN THE FREAKING CONFERENCE just blows my mind.

Then again, the same magazine has the Knicks picked to make the playoffs as the 6 seed.

Granted, New York is a hell of a lot better with Ray Allen to pair with Carmelo Anthony and this might be the year that Ronny Smith finally gets the lead out of his ass, but the playoffs? In an improved East? Not seeing it.

[Neon_Chaos]

I think the lack of faith in the Nuggets is mostly because of Iverson being gone than Shaq.

On with the drama!

[cubboyroy1826]

I just do not seem to have time for my dynasty since i keep checking yours for updates.

[Izulde]

Neon_Chaos: That could be, but I think it's both, as we were picked 11th last preseason and that's with AI gone for all but 10 games of the year. Still burns me up, especially since we've made major strides at the forward spots in my opinion.

cubbyroy1826: I could always update slower.

[Izulde]

soulD over at the Wolverine Studios forums has created a fan blog of sorts to be included with the dynasty. All credit for this blog goes to him. The first two postings are below, the first before the NBA Finals, the second after free agency.

The Golden Mile Sports Blog
by R. McDonald(NBA sportsfan):
"So, how about them Nuggets huh?"

As recent as a few seasons ago, 'Lottery GM' Jester made headlines as the 'lucky short-term fix' in New York. As a 1st time General Manager at any level, Jester achieved a 22-60 record just 1 win less than Thomas had the previous season. Thinking forward as a GM, Jestor had made trades which otherwise would have been immovable due to the incredulously overpaid contracts for players who were mediocre at best, & were limiting the ability to make the team better for the future. From a team over the cap, and unable to move anyone Jestor pulled out some trades which no one expected, landing former Chicago star Ben Gordon. He also shed almost all the bad contracts left on the team, and even earned the 1st pick in the following year's lottery. Things however went downhill from then.

Just two days after seasons end, Jester was given the news that he was no longer to be the NYK GM by owner Charles Rolen. Though he gave the Knicks excellent future position for draft picks and also shed most of the immovable contracts, he would have to move on.

Jester followed the following year in the D-League as the GM of the Anaheim Cats. It was there that he was able to turn the team's 23-27 record into a 38-12 season, allowing the Cats to go to the D-League Playoffs where they find a 1st round exit in a heated 77-76 loss to the Idaho Buckaroo. Idaho would eventually lose in the D-League finals to eventual Champions Dakota.

Jestor would leave the team at the end of the year to test the GM Market. Unfortunately the NJ Nets job he had been eyeing had been declined due the Nets were pursuing other GMs at the NBA level to replace their current dire situation.

After seeing the job Jestor has done as GM, Austin Mammoths owner Michael Masters decided that Jestor will build his new team for this upcoming season.
With much hope, Mammoth fans watched the new season hoping for a winning season and maybe a change at the championship. At season end, the Mammoths achieve a winning season with a 28-22 record tied for 3rd place in the East. Unfortunately history had indeed repeated itself w/a 1st round exit to the Sioux Falls 97-90, who eventually would win it all.

Though it would seem that luck had always left him at crucial points, his work did not go unnoticed. Denver Nuggets Owner Steve Crenshaw offered Jestor his 2nd round in the NBA to GM his team who also had just been given a 1st round exit in the playoffs. Crenshaw was quoted after the hiring as saying, "After our 2008 Championship, then 2009 playoff exit in the 1st round, I just HAD to do something to get our team back into mental shape again. We have the potential, but mentally all our guys were spent. Also our opponents showed us quite a few holes which need to be addressed so we can again bring the trophy back to Denver where it belongs for our fans. I'm looking forward to our upcoming season where we will again get back to the top!".

Welcome to Denver, now take us to the top!

The Golden Mile Sports Blog
by R. "BigE-Mac" McDonald(NBA sportsfan):
"2011-12 Season Year of the Golden Nuggets?"

With the unfortunate 2010 NBA Finals exit of our beloved Nuggets, we look to another season hoping to reach the promised-land once again.

It's the 2011 NBA Draft night, the commisioner D.Stern comes out to announce our 1st round pick: "With the 24th pick in this year's Draft, the Denver Nuggets draft PF Lynn Shipley!" The crowd has somewhat mixed emotions, as they were hoping our GM Jestor would pull the perverbial "rabbit out the hat trick" in this year's draft as well and make some spectacular trade. The 2nd draft pick for 2011 comes up and the commish is back to announce our pick: "With the 54th pick in this year's draft~~ Denver picks 'SF Beau Rice'. " The crowd brings gives out a huge booing for the youngster, and the tv analysts denounce the choice of Jestor w/fervent disbelief(comparing him to the guy he originally replaced in NY Isaiah Thomas of all people!).

Shortly thereafter, we hear a trade was made, and our 1st rounder pick 'PF Shipley' was off to Charlotte for 'PF Ike Diogu' & the 'Charlotte Bobcats 2012 1st round pick'. WOW! Great move! I applaud you Jestor!
With this move, we get a pretty good defensive big man & a future pick as well(just gotta hope Charlotte has a bad upcoming year ).
---------
Post draft, Jestor also makes some new changes to our current roster.
Contracts for Jared Jeffries, Jason Collins, Justin Reed, Kenyon Martin, Peter John Ramos, and Rod Little are released. Though they all were servicable, fans here in Denver hope to get more upgrades in the front court to make a stronger push. K. Martin was the only one we were sad to see go, as its been a pretty good run with him on the team.

Our youngun's for this year include Paulinho Buboltz, Andre Egans, Leroy Wright, and Beau Rice. All will be given some development time in the Summer League. We look forward to greater growth from our PG
Buboltz and out big man Leroy Wright.

Then the BIG names hit. Shaq & AI were also let go. Fans were in disbelief as both were integral players in our Finals push this past season. Nugget-nation keep their fingers crossed as the Free-Agent list of this year include a VERY GOOD list of TOP CLASS players. We hope to land a BIG NAME player, but understand that we have a lotta competition to keep them away from us. Please GM Jestor, bring us a Big man to replace Shaq & K-Mart.

We rank the 2011 FA Class below by position:
PG
D. Wade
Tony Parker
SG
Kobe Bryant
Allen Iverson
Micheal Redd
Ray Allen
SF
Dirk Nowitzki
Paul Pierce
Caron Butler
Andrei Kirilenko
Kevin Durant
PF
Amare Stoudamire
Paul Gasol
Zach Randolph
C
Yao Ming
Chris Bosh
Greg Oden
Eddy Curry

Needs for our team look to be in the front court as well as 2nd team reserve players.

GM Jestor manages to sign PF Andris Biedrins to a 5 year $50.5 mil. , SF Caron Butler 3 years $35.4 mill., SF/PF/C Tyson Chandler, SG D.J. Strawberry 1 year min-sal., PG Javaris Crittenton 2-year min-sal.
All in all, not too bad, though I'm sure fans were hoping for a Bigger name stand-out inside player to help 'Big-shot' Billups and Ben-G.

Sport magazines seem to rate us a C- due to the downgrade in star players, but I'm sure Jestor will manage to get us where we belong.

The next day, the Nuggets front office gives us a possible preview of the upcoming season's team:

Denver Nuggets 2011
PG Chauncey Billups
(back to his 'natural' role at PG/SG, we look for Chauncey to be back to a higher double-double type player. perhaps back to form this year w/o AI sharing time?)
SG Ben Gordon
(our coveted SG will help out more in scoring than last year, hopefully taking on the top scorers in the league once again this year. barring any injury, this could be his breakout season?)
SF Caron Butler
(seeing his play in New York and Golden State, gives us hope he will be as promising as his career was there. here's hoping for a double-double player)
PF Andris Biedrins
(a definite upgrade in defense, how much will we miss in offense with AI & Shaq gone, may be the issue however)
C Joakim Noah
(has made some strides since being drafted by Jestor. we are hoping with the addition of more playing time, he will develop into a greater defensive board presence)
Bench
6th Paulinho Buboltz (PG/SG)
7th Leroy Wright (SF/PF/C)
8th Tyson Chandler (SF/PF/C)
(a good pick-up and big body inside. should show us some good coverage & hopefully pick up some points when in the game. helps a lot that he can spell 3 positions, should foul trouble become an issue.)
9th D.J. Strawberry (PG/SG/SF)
10th Ike Diogu (SG/SF/PF/C)
(great pickup who will be able to swing over to multiple positions. the question mark however is how much more will he be able to produce given additional playing time?)
11th Javaris Crittenton (PG/SG)
12th Andre Egans (SF)

The sports sites rank us last in our conference... L A S T !!??! I'm sure these aren't the only changes Jestor has in store for us for this year.

[Izulde]

Halloween Night for the opener again and in the freak show of Los Angeles, no less. It's a frenzied capacity crowd, because we're playing the Lakers in a rematch of last year's first round. The good: Caron Butler scores 24 points in his Nuggets debut and Joakim Noah has 12 points and 17 rebounds in his first start at C. The bad: Andris Biedrins shoots a dreadful 1 for 9 to finish with 4 points, though he did grab 11 rebounds in his own Denver debut. Ultimately that poor shooting performance costs us and we lose 93-84. Inauspicious start to the new-look Nuggets.

Paulinho Buboltz gets a surprise start at PG the next game against Minnesota and Chauncey Billups promptly steals the show, scoring 31 points with 7 assists, a rebound and 2 steals off the bench in carrying us to a 108-90 victory over the Timberwolves. Always good to get an early victory in against a division rival.

We've got three games in four days, the first two against the Jazz, the second of which is the first half of a back-to-back. Game One against Utah is a 113-110 thriller of a shootout that tilts our way as Paulinho Buboltz double-doubles with 19 points and 11 assists, Ben Gordon scores 29 and Chauncey Billups and Ike Diogu are magnificient from the bench, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 points and 11 rebounds respectively.

The euphoria of the win quickly evaporates when Paulinho Buboltz breaks his leg during the game. He'll be out 62 days. That's really going to hurt our depth, especially since we really started clicking on offense after George Karl unexpectedly decided he was ready.

But we press on for the double-header and drop a disappointing 98-96 decision in the second game against Utah, despite Caron Butler's excellent all-around game of 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals and 14 bench points from Leroy Wright. Seattle proves a much more satisfying contest, as Andris Biedrins double-doubles for 13 points and 10 rebounds, Ben Gordon is brilliant with 31 points, 8 assists, a rebound and 3 steals and Ike Diogu continues his surprising run of offense with 14 points from the reserves in a 112-89 whomper.

Paul Pierce's Pistons are up next and we hammer them 113-93 behind double-doubles from Joakim Noah (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Chauncey Billups (13 points, 13 assists) along with 12 reserve points from Ike Diogu.

We get a nice stretch of days off and come back to work to a bombing, a Tracy McGrady 38 point air raid that leaves us shell-shocked and handed a frustrating 105-102 loss despite six of our guys in double-digit points, including reserves Javaris Crittenton (11 points) and Ike Diogu, who just missed a benchside double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

The dissapointment of the Kings loss washes away in a tough 84-80 victory over Toronto of all teams. Andris Biedrins suddenly wakes up and erupts for 23 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks and a steal in earning Player of the Game. -That-'s what I gave you the fat contract for, Andris! Chauncey Billups contributed 13 points and 12 assists, while Ike Diogu is still playing great, with 10 points and 8 rebounds to lead the second team.

Caron Butler has his turn to get hot with 32 points in our next game and Javaris Crittenton steals the show from Ike Diogu with 16 bench points as we top the Bulls 100-85. I always said he just needed to get a chance to showcase his skills and I'm being proven right while Buboltz is out with a broken leg.

Our mini-win streak crashes in a 101-83 thumping by the Mavericks. Can't blame our subs, though, as Javaris Crittenton scores 15 and Ike Diogu double-doubles with 10 points and 10 boards. Our starters just played like crap.

Chauncey Billups gets 15 points and 10 assists and Javaris Crittenton double-doubles off the bench with 13 points and 13 assists, another great game to pair with Ike Diogu's 12 points, but we fall to the Nets 127-119 in a shootout. The inconsistency of our starting five is maddening and I'm especially worried about Ben Gordon's decline in production.

Things continue to get rough with a doubleheader against San Antonio and Houston. And yet, we top the Spurs 109-102 thanks to 29 points and 14 assists from Chauncey Billups, who just missed out on a triple-double with 9 rebounds. Ike Diogu added 12 points. Even more shocking, we crush the Rockets 111-97 as Ben Gordon has a terrific all-around game of 29 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals, Chauncey Billups chalks up 24 points and 12 assists and Ike Diogu rips down 11 boards off the bench.

34 points from Caron Butler and 13 points and 10 assists from Chauncey Billups aren't enough to stall a heartbreaking 106-100 loss to the Hornets, as our bench, which has been playing so well, suddenly decides to take the night off at the most inconvenient time. What a frustrating team this is!

We close out November with a 102-96 win over the Cavaliers as Chauncey Billups gets a double-double of 16 points and 13 assists and Javaris Crittenton adds 10 bench points. Ben Gordon is actually averaging 21.5 points a game and gets 23 points this game, along with Caron Butler; I simply just choose not to highlight all his 20+ point games, preferring to only indicate the 30 or better games, unless it's a double-double or a sensational all-around performance.

So after the first month of play, we're 9-6, a game and a half behind the Timberwolves, two games in front of Seattle. Portland is again off to a confusing start at 4-10. I just don't get it. That team has so much talent, they should be one of the top teams in the conference, let alone the division.

36 days until Paulinho Buboltz comes back.

Caron Butler appears to have been a great addition. Although my fellow Racinian is inconsistent as all get-out, he's averaging 20 points and 2 steals a game in the early going, numbers comparable to Ben Gordon's 21.5 and 2.2 respectively. Andris Biedrins has been a huge disappointment to start, averaging 9.6 points and 6.9 rebounds, though he is averaging a block and a half. By comparison, supersub Ike Diogu is averaging 9.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Biedrins is making $10.1 million, Diogu $902,674.

Still, maybe there's some chemistry kinks to work out, still. Although I'm very tempted to try and find a buyer for Biedrins, I'll give him another month to sort it out and if I'm still not satisfied, then I'll explore trade options.

[Izulde]

Two trades to report on for November.

Atlanta Hawks receive
PG Kirk Hinrich

Chicago Bulls receive
Atlanta Hawks 2012 2nd round pick

What this means for the Hawks
No, that's not a misprint. Atlanta just got one of the best PGs in the league for a 2nd round pick. The Hawks looked to be headed in the wrong direction with last season's moves, but they just reversed course quickly in a hurry with this absolute steal.

What this means for the Bulls
Okay, we get that Chicago is forgetting about winning now and that they wanted to clear the unhappy Hinrich, sick of the team's losing direction, and his $8 million salary off the payroll. But why in the world do you give him up for a 2nd round pick?!. This isn't just stupidity, this is beyond a doubt the most moronic trade made in at least the past five years, probably the past fifty. This is about not knowing trade value if it bit you where the sun don't shine.

Advantage: Atlanta
The biggest win the Hawks will have this season.

Orlando Magic receive
PF David Lee
Chicago Bulls 2012 2nd round pick

Chicago Bulls receive
PG Darius Washington
SG J.J. Reddick
SG Charlie Bell

What this means for the Magic
Lee has really blossomed into a serviceable starter since going to Chicago in the New York Gordon trade. He's getting up there in years at 31, but he gives the Magic a much needed rebounding boost to pair with Dwight Howard and though undersized, he steps in at C, taking over for Hedo Turkoglu, who was actually off to a good start.

What this means for the Bulls
The detonation of the comparatively recent NBA Champions continues. Washington is roster filler, Reddick has never been a starter and never developed to his potential and Bell is yet more filler. The only advantage is that Lee's contract is now off their books. On the other hand, Reddick takes over as the starting SG.

Advantage: Orlando
The Magic actually made legitimate improvement to their team in an area that needed it and got the bonus of a probable high 2nd round pick. As for Chicago... we're still in disbelief over the Hinrich trade.

Poor Bulls fans. It's like when Jerry Krause blew up the dynasty and the team wallowed in suckiness for years afterwards. Did John Paxson not learn from that? I guess not.

In any case, I'm more concerned about us right now.

The home crowd is amped for the Miami Heat coming to town to kick off December and although Allen Iverson scores 26 in his return to Denver, Caron Butler and Ben Gordon score 31 and 30 to surpass him, Chauncey Billups providing the killing blow with 14 points and 10 assists in a 116-107 win for the good guys. Great win to start the month with.

We continue to host Florida teams and beat them, knocking off Orlando 117-109 behind 32 points from Ben Gordon and strong bench play out of Ike Diogu (13 points) and a determined-not-to-be-forgotten Leroy Wright (11 points on a perfect 5/5 shooting).

The road's not nearly as hospitable as Washington beats us 94-82, in spite of Ben Gordon's 28 points and 10 assists, 10 points from reserve Javaris Crittenton and 11 rebounds from fellow benchmate Ike Diogu. Joakim Noah was a ghastly 0 for 8 this game, finishing with a grand total of one point.

And yet, two nights later we beat the Raptors in Toronto 126-119 behind Chauncey Billups with 26 points and 13 assists, a rebounding Joakim Noah with 10 points and 13 rebounds and a supersensational sub show from Ike Diogu with 18 points and 12 boards.

11 points and 10 rebounds from Joakim Noah and 12 bench points from Javaris Crittenton are pretty weak highlights and we look just that, weak, in bowing to the Knicks 110-97 in New York next game. Carmelo Anthony kicked our asses with 30 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Ray Allen scored 25 and Ronny Smith double-doubled with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

I'm pissed about the loss, but the Knicks are definitely improved this year at 8-12 following their victory over us. They're certain to beat last season's 11 wins and might even make a run at .500 for the first time in, uh, let's say forever.

Two East Coast doubleheaders are up next and we drop both in the first set, 101-88 to Philadelphia and 98-90 to Boston to officially put us on a three-game losing streak. Ike Dioguwas the lone 76er highlight with 12 points and 12 boards. I have to admit, I really like the looks of this Philadephia club. I could see them making some noise in the playoffs. Chauncey Billups put up 31 points and Joakim Noah got a weak double-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds against the Celtics in a game we really should've won. 10 bench assists from Javaris Crittenton weren't enough.

We end the East Coast trip from hell with two much-needed victories, 102-84 over the Heat and 81-65 against the Magic. Allen Iverson is held to 22 points in the rematch, while Ben Gordon scores 28, Andris Biedrins tries to remind everyone he's still a good player with 10 points and 10 rebounds and... what's this? Joakim Noah is on the bench and he scores 11 points, just missing a double-double with 9 rebounds. D.J. Strawberry surprises with 10 sub points himself. So who started at C this game? Ike Diogu. I'm... impressed. George Karl is really starting to grow on me. The crushing victory over Orlando in the defensive battle was powered by Ben Gordon's 26 points, a timely double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds from Caron Butler and 11 points from the ever-steady Javaris Crittenton, who may be the best min-sal signing I've ever made.

Ben Gordon and Caron Butler lead the way again in a 99-81 win over the Suns, Gordon torching Phoenix for 32 points, my fellow Racinian a great second at 28 points. Those two are really getting into a rhythm for us, which makes me proud, because they're my boys.

We roll up Seattle 102-93 for an early Christmas present, Chauncey Billups playing Santa with 17 points and 11 assists. Leroy Wright pitches in 11 rebounds from the second team, Joakim Noah adding 10 points from the bench as he has yet to win his starting job back.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are filled up with a back-to-back and we split it, winning a 98-96 heartstopper over Dallas despite Dirk Nowitzki's 41 points with 25 points from Ben Gordon and 12 points from still-benched Joakim Noah and losing 99-85 to Golden State, even though Ben Gordon scored 31 points. Joakim Noah got his starting job at C back and promptly goes 1 for 11, but makes up for it a little by grabbing 21 rebounds.

Oh, so close, so damned close! Chauncey Billups again flirts with a triple-double and falls just short. 30 points, 9 assists, 9 rebounds. On the bright side, his performance secured an awesome 99-93 home win over the 76ers, which I'm extremely happy about.

Unfortunately for our relaxed holiday hopes, we get stuck with another doubleheader on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day against the two Los Angeles teams. The Lakers thoroughly school us in a 101-92 loss, Andris Biedrins the only one coming to play with 11 points and 10 rebounds, but we rebound with a tight 114-111 win against the Clippers, keyed by Ben Gordon's 30 points and bench support from Javaris Crittenton of 10 points and 9 assists.

And so at 19-12, we're in front of the Minnesota Timberwolves by half a game for the Northwest Division lead. Seattle is a healthy six games back and right now it's looking like it'll be a Nuggets/Timberwolves race for the division.

The Lakers and Rockets are clearly tops in the West at 24-4 and 24-7 respectively, Dallas the only other 20-win team at 20-10. Eight teams with +.500 records overall.

Toronto leads the East at 19-13, but the Bobcats, much to my disgruntlement, hold the second-best conference mark at 18-10. Atlanta, after acquiring Hinrich, have flown up to 15-14, just as a side note. The Bulls are last and least at 6-22, to no one's surprise. The Knicks have already equalled last year's win total, but still stink at 11-19.

The big surprise? The Indiana Pacers leading their division at 17-11, a game ahead of the 17-13 Detroit Pistons. Looks like their key offseason signings of Tony Parker and Paul Pierce respectively made an even bigger difference than I'd anticipated.

In a lovely bit of irony, Mateen Yeaton has been perfectly healthy and is averaging almost 20 points a game for the Pacers. I think I'll go strangle the team doctor now.

Paulinho Buboltz will be back before our next game, though and it'll be interesting seeing how George Karl handles it.

I'll report on statistical leaders next month. I will say though, that for the first time I can remember, no one is averaging 30+ points a game.

[Izulde]

Chicago Bulls receive
PG Andre Miller

Philadelphia 76ers receive
Chicago Bulls 2012 2nd round pick

What this means for the Bulls
Say hello to Kirk Hinrich's replacement, who's 35 and earning $10.2 million, albeit an expiring contract. Hinrich's $8 million was an expiring deal too and the Bulls just traded away the probable top pick in the second round for Miller, who while solid, is old and nowhere near as good as Hinrich anymore.

What this means for the 76ers
They shed $10 million, but they also just lost their only serviceable PG except for extremely raw third-year PG Mikhel Zukauskas. Sure they'll get a decent young player with the pick, but it hurts Philadelphia's chances to compete now.

Advantage: None
Both teams hurt themselves with this swap, though if we had to pick a winner, it'd be Philadelphia, because there's some justification for it, however small.

Phoenix Suns receive
PG Mikhel Zukauskas
Philadelphia 76ers 2012 2nd round pick

Philadelphia 76ers receive:
PG Jefferson Flint
PF Luther Cross

What this means for the Suns
The 22 year old Zukauskas is green, but has some scoring instincts and a good outside shot, along with some potential in traditional PG passing and ballhandling skills. He's a -huge- upgrade for the Suns in terms of bench guards, as they were solely lacking in quality backups for Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw.

What this means for the 76ers
Now they're -really- without a PG and in fact are so bad off, they're starting SF Rodney Carney there, even though Starbury, the starting SG, would make a lot more sense. Flint is a mediocre rookie PG with nowhere near Zukauskas's upside. Cross is roster filler garbage and the the 76ers already have a glut of young PFs in Tyrus Thomas, Yi Jianlian and Todd Maxwell. Philly's front office is as bad as the Bulls.

Advantage: Phoenix:
Nice coup for the Suns here as they address a gaping hole and set up nicely for the future, both with Zukauskas and the 2nd round pick. You really have to wonder why Philadelphia is tearing out the foundation of what was a good-looking team.

Minnesota Timberwolves receive
SF Jarrod Owens

Philadelphia 76ers receive
SF Charles Elleby

What this means for the Timberwolves
The second-year Owens won't ever be a scorer and isn't much of a rebounder, but he goes to the head of the class as Minnesota's best defender as he's a real ace at it. The Timberwolves really needed to get tougher on D and Owens provides it, as well as steps in as a possible heir to Kevin Garnett at starting SF.

What this means for the 76ers
Elleby, the Timberwolves 1st round pick this year, has no development and even less potential. The 76ers continue to be the new version of the Bulls in their team-destroying moronity.

Advantage: Minnesota
Great job by the T-Wolves to shed a zero and get back something they need for it.

I'm not what you would call happy about Minnesota's shrewd move in stealing Owens from the 76ers, but it does give me an idea.

An idea I unfortunately can't make work after some discussions, but that's okay, because I'm still working the phones in the days leading up to our first game of the month.

I go round and round with a certain team regarding a certain player, but they're absolutely refusing to give, despite my willingness to break one of my cardinal rules of GM philosophy to get him. In fact, I spend most of my time on the phone with them discussing a deal, but in the end, the Memphis Grizzlies want too rich a price for Pau Gasol. I run into the same exact difficulties in Phoenix trying to acquire Amare Stoudamire. Again with Portland and LaMarcus Aldridge.

"Give us something more equal in value", every single bastard GM parrots when I try to give them a deal that includes a first rounder, which I never, ever do unless I'm getting some kind of first round pick in return.

Not that I blame them. These are guys who are cornerstones, popular franchise players and it'd take a lot to land them.

But at long last, I strike a deal, one that I think really strengthens the team.

Denver Nuggets receive
PF Mehmet Okur
Utah Jazz 2014 2nd round pick

Utah Jazz receive
PF Andris Biedrins

What this means for the Nuggets
Denver's biggest weakness was a lack of inside scoring and while Okur won't surpass Ben Gordon as the team's top points generator any time soon, he gives them a legitimate inside offensive presence with excellent rebounding skills, the equal of Biedrins in truth. He's good for 14-15 points and 9-10 rebounds a game on average. Those extra points and rebounds could mean the difference in close contests.

What this means for the Jazz
Biedrins give the Jazz a sorely needed big body to put at C and his 7', 240 lb frame is quite welcome, because it allows Utah to shift Carlos Boozer back to his natural position at PF, which should give the Jazz better production out of him. It's another fresh start for the 25 year old Latvian and maybe he can finally tap into his considerable potential here after very quickly wearing out his welcome in Denver.

Advantage: Draw
Both teams benefit significantly from the swap, although a better Boozer may be the best thing Biedrins brings to the 13-20 Jazz.

I'm glad to get out from under Biedrin's big contract, although it's a bit embarassing to admit I made a mistake with our top free agent splash so soon.

Okur is 32 and signed through his 35 season, where he'll make $13.3 million. He'll be an albatross like Kenyon Martin by that time I'm sure in terms of his value relative to the money he's making, but I'm gunning for a shot at returning to the Finals and the Turk will give us the inside offense we need to compete with the Toronto Raptors of this NBA world.

The test of our newly improved interior offense comes early with a doubleheader against San Antonio and Houston to begin the New Year. We win a thrilling 103-100 victory over the Spurs as Ben Gordon scores 29 points and Leroy Wright contributes 12 points from the bench on another perfect 5 for 5 shooting. Paulinho Buboltz returns to action and is a reserve, putting up 14 points and 8 assists. Mehmet Okur pays off major dividends in his Denver debut, allowing us to overcome a horrific 2 for 14 shooting night from Caron Butler by scoring 18 points. That's one in the win column directly thanks to Okur. We get the sweep and beat Houston the next night 111-102 as Chauncey Billups lights things up for 29 points and Leroy Wright and Paulinho Buboltz stay hot with 10 points and 9 rebounds and 12 points to lead the second team respectively. Ike Diogu is the starting C again while Joakim Noah recovers from back spasms and he gets his first starting double-double in a Nuggets uniform with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

A day off and another doubleheader, against Sacramento and the Lakers. We decimate the Kings 104-80 as Ike Diogu rips off another starting double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds and he's joined in the twice pleasure by Paulinho Buboltz, who's returned to the starting PG spot and turns in an 11 point, 11 assist performance and by Mehmet Okur, who contributes a terrific 19 points and 10 rebounds. Unfortunately we struggle against the Lakers, falling 105-97, Chauncey Billups our top performer and leading scorer with 16 points off the bench. The Purple and Gold are really, really good this year.

Ben Gordon scores 25 in our next game, but it's our bench who deserves all the claim as four reserves hit double-digit points: Leroy Wright (10 points, 9 rebounds), D.J. Strawberry (14 points), Chauncey Billups (13 points) and Tyson Chandler (10 points). The surprise sub scoring surge and total team defense has us obliterating the Timberwolves 110-74.

It's out to the West Coast for a two-day doubleheader on the road. We get victories both nights, beating Golden State 97-88 on the strength of Caron Butler's 25 points and 10 bench points from Chauncey Billups. Joakim Noah returns to the starting spot at C and just misses out on a double-double with 9 points and 11 rebounds. Ben Gordon takes care of Seattle with 30 points and a great 8 rebounds, Javaris Crittenton leading the second unit with 10 points in the easy 104-80 win.

The Grizzlies pay for refusing to trade Paul Gasol to us by losing 113-101 as Ben Gordon ravages them for 35 points and Chauncey Billups contributes 13 bench points.

Our hot streak ends with an embarrasing 126-106 loss to Dallas despite 28 points from Caron Butler, Joakim Noah's double-double of 12 points and 10 boards and 19 bench points from Chauncey Billups. I've noticed that either Caron has a great game or Mehmet Okur does and Okur's really been struggling lately.

A four-game tour of the East on the road is made up of two doubleheaders and we take both games of the first set, first topping the pathetic Bulls 100-86 on balanced offense, led by 23 points from Ben Gordon and 20 points from Paulinho Buboltz. Chauncey Billups led the bench cavalry with 10 points. Detroit throws everything they have at us, but we escape with a 99-97 win as Ben Gordon scores 30 and Caron Butler gets a nice double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Our jaunt to my home state and the basketball as religion state are much more mixed. We glide past the Bucks 103-90 as Ben Gordon puts up 28, Mehmet Okur scores 11 and grabs 13 boards and Chauncey Billups is blistering hot with 20 reserve points, but fall 109-105 to the Pacers in a matchup that gets a lot of hype because of Mateen Yeaton vs. Paulinho Buboltz. Buboltz has 13 points and 10 assists, but was a woeful 3 of 13, while Yeaton was masterful, winning Player of the Game with 32 points, 6 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal. The former Hoosier is beloved in Indiana and he's a delight to watch. Hell, -I- even have his jersey hanging up in my house. And I could've had him.

But the truth is, with Gordon already on the team and Buboltz as our PG of the future, handpicked by me no less, who famously said that Buboltz looked like the best player in his class before the draft, there was just no room for Yeaton. Besides, it's a better story that a guy who played college ball at Indiana is part of the Pacers return to respectability, maybe even some playoff glory.

January ends with yet another back-to-back and another split decision. We avenge ourselves by thrashing the Knicks 111-85 on a balanced offense led by Mehmet Okur's 19 points and Paulinho Buboltz's 13 points and 10 assists, but lose 94-83 to Portland even as Joakim Noah collects 12 points and 12 rebounds and Chauncey Billups adds 11 points as part of the second unit.

Still, I'm not going to complain about a 30-16 record, which has us up by the Timberwolves by a single game in the division race. The Trailblazers are now up in 3rd place, but they're 19-25 and 10 games out.

The Lakers and Rockets still hold court in the West at 37-6 and 33-14 respectively, but we're down to seven teams over .500 in the conference because Phoenix is stalling at 24-24. Utah has been terrible since the trade going 3-10 in January to kill any chance they had of turning their season around. There's been no change in Carlos Boozer's numbers and Andris Biedriens is averaging 8.4 points and 8.1 rebounds. Sure, he's averaging a board more, but that's inflated by the fact he's playing center.

Out east, the Raptors have reasserted themselves as -the- force in the conference at 31-15, although the Bobcats still hold the #2 record at 27-15. Seven over .500 in the East, too, with the Hawks sitting even at 22-22.

Fun race in the Central, where the Pistons and Pacers are deadlocked atop the division and the Bucks are 2.5 back. You have to feel sorry for Cavs fans. All that talent in Lebron James and the team's wallowing with a 16-28 record. The Bulls are looking like this year's version of the Knicks at 8-35, while the actual New York team is still languishing in the Atlantic cellar at 16-29, despite Carmelo Anthony averaging a career-high 26.9 points a game. Ronny Smith continues to underachieve with 11.5 points and 7.2 rebounds a game, which is a shame, because talent-wise, he's right up there with Utah Sixer and classmate Kelvin Moody.

Still no one averaging over 30 points a game. King James is closest with 29.3. Former Nuggets Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson are 2nd and 3rd respectively with 26.9 and 26.8. Ben Gordon is 12th, averaging 23.6 points.

In contrast, four players are at double-digit assist averages: T.J. Ford (11.2), Chris Paul (11.1), Tony Parker (10.4) and Baron Davis (10.3). Paulinho Buboltz is 16th with 7.5 dishes per game.

Greg Oden is the undisputed leader in rebounds, averaging almost 15 boards a game. Next-closest competitors are LaMarcus Aldridge, Joel Freeland (Cleveland), Kelvin Moody and Andrew Boguy, all averaging in the 12 rebound range. As you might expect, no Nuggets worth noting.

Andrei Kirilenko again faces a small uphill battle to retain of 4 blocks on average for the season with 3.7. For the first time in a long time, he's got company in the 3+ category with Kelvin Moody averaging 3.2 a game. You know, I'm really glad the Knicks passed on Moody when they fired me, because I'd have been pissed at being robbed of the chance to see Moody turn New York around and with me out of it.

Chris Paul and Gerald Wallace are tops in steals at 2.2 and 2 per game respectively. What's interesting is that there's 3 Nuggets averaging a steal and a half per game: Caron Butler and Ben Gordon with 1.6 and Paulinho Buboltz with 1.5. That really makes me happy, because when I played rec league basketball as a kid, one of my coaches nicknamed me Dr. D (or Dr. Defense) and I was particularly well-known for my ability to either steal or tie up the ball. Unfortunately, I shot about as well as Kenyon Martin did last year, so no prospects of a basketball playing career for me.

For the rookies, Kyle Hoiberg and Chris Gearheart are lighting things up as expected, averaging 15.2 and 14.4 points respectively. This is a good scoring class by the looks of it, as Vince Murray is averaging 13.6 points, Tim Davis 11. Gearheart also leads in assists with 4.2. Ryan Sweetwyne, who I coveted with our 1st round pick, is tops in boards with 7.2 a game. Of course, that's with starting and he can't play defense worth a damn. Vince Murray also leads in blocks, averaging 1.1 despite being a SG. Then again, he's 6'4", so maybe that and mad hops gives him the advantage. Great pick by the Hawks it turns out, as he's been a key part of their resurgance. Not bad for having the #4 pick and missing out on Hoiberg and Gearheart. Gearheart and Murray are tied for class steals lead with 1.1 a game, though Hoiberg and Dusty Hammond, the Hawks pick at 19, are also averaging a swipe per contest.

Now this is interesting. Ryane Sweetwyne and Dusty Hammond are tied for the lead in rookie double-doubles with 3. Good thing Ike Diogu has turned out such a startling steal for us after dealing away the unwanted 24th pick, Lynn Shipley, who, by the way, is averaging 9.1 points and 3.5 rebounds....

...in the D-League, where he's played 17 games and has 3 starts as the Fort Worth Colonials' 6th man.

[Izulde]

The Buboltz-Yeaton connection has me thinking about how sometimes the biggest deals you make are the ones you don't make and about how a lot of trade discussions never get reported.

Take the possible Buboltz-Yeaton swap. The general public doesn't know about it and it will be some basketball historian, years after they've retired, maybe even after I've retired, that will uncover the truth.

And I think about what would've happened if we'd done the deal, how it'd have affected both teams, at least in the short-term. In that scenario, Tony Parker doesn't sign with the Pacers, Ben Gordon slides to PG and we'd still be lacking in a true legitimate heir to Chauncey Billups as a primary passer, unless you count Javaris Crittenton, who I've never seen in starting action.

Looking at that, it's pretty clear to see that not making the trade benefited both of us largely, because Indiana did steal Parker and the future is now with Buboltz as our starting PG. Pacers fans keep their hometown hero in Yeaton and we're still beloved in Brazil for Buboltz.

I think about how the secrecy of Buboltz-Yeaton directly contrasts with Andris Biedrins, who everybody and their mother knew I wanted to deal after the 60-day window expired. The papers and Internet were alive with the rumors of the big names I mentioned before and ESPN originally reported that we were on the verge of trading for Charlotte's Emeka Okafor from the Charlotte Bobcats.

Which is true. I was just about to greenlight the deal for Okafor when I held back. Sure, Okafor's a fantastic rebounder, a dynamite defender and a dazzling shotblocker, but in terms of the offense he could've given us, it was only slightly better than Mehmet Okur's.

And so I went with Okur, which was a simple one-for-one deal with a 2nd round pick thrown in for us, whereas the Okafor trade involved a few more pieces.

I still think it was the right decision to make, but it's something I'm going to be second-guessing myself about if we perform badly in the playoffs.

Speaking of trades, time to review January's exchanges.

New Orleans Hornets receive
PG Brevin Knight

Toronto Raptors receive
New Orleans Hornets 2012 2nd round pick

What this means for the Hornets
Knight is a pass-first PG and shores up New Orleans's backup guard situation, but he's 36 years old and the Hornets are having a terrible season, so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

What this means for the Raptors
The Raptors get a playing piece for the next draft, a probable high 2nd round pick, but the defending champions now have nobody capable of playing the point if something happens to T.J. Ford. Very risk move.

Advantage: None
Not really all that smart a move for either team. Toronto would have the edge if it didn't imperil their repeat chances.

A note on the Hornets. They have a second year SG in Nigel Abel who has come out of nowhere after being taken with the fifth pick a couple years ago to average 21.6 points. Scouts around the league are now speculating that he could become the greatest scorer since Lebron James with excellent defense. The problem? He only played 62 games last year, averaging 6.1 points in 11.2 minutes, a rate that so underwhelmed the Hornets, they didn't pick up his third-year option. It's going to be a harrowing free agency for New Orleans fans.

Detroit Pistons receive
PG Brevin Short

Los Angeles Lakers receive
PF Karim Webber

What this means for the Pistons
Short, a rookie, was the Lakers' 1st round pick this season at 1.21. His name is fitting, as he's even smaller than Denver's Paulinho Buboltz at 5'11, 176 lbs. That said, he has potential to be a capable pass-first PG with considerable defensive skills. Also, Detroit's starting PG, Steve Nash, is 37 and already much diminished from what he once was. Short allows them to build for the future.

What this means for the Lakers
Webber is a fourth-year man, taken at 1.21 himself by Detroit back in the 2009 draft. A superlative rebounder and a good shotblocker, the 24-year old can't shoot and can't play defense. He's not a bad bench roleplayer to have, though and his rebounding and shotblocking are areas the Purple and Gold needed assistance in.

Advantage: Detroit
Benefit for both teams, but the Pistons gain a drastic improvement, whereas the Lakers uptick is very slight.

Indiana Pacers receive
C Darko Milicic
Orlando Magic 2012 2nd round pick

Orlando Magic receive
PF Bob Perry
C Johan Petro
SG Ronald Murray
SG Juan Dixon

What this means for the Pacers
Indiana has a terrific starting five, save for C. While Darko probably won't fill that role, he gives the Pacers a desperately needed proven backup C and he's capable of delivering, as his 6th Man of the Year award shows. He'll be one of the top reserves while promising, raw rookie Phillip Gill works on his game in the D-League.

What this means for the Magic
Orlando's not going to make the playoffs this year, so they cash in for Petro and Perry, as Murray and Dixon were released immediately following the trade. Petro is 26 and mediocre in all respects, but he provides frontline depth after top pick Eugene Whitmore was lost for the season after tearing his Achilles in the summer league. Perry is a team player and can play a little defense, but he's awful everywhere else and the 22 year old will marinate in the D-League, where he's probably a lifer. This deal was largely about cutting a few million off the cap number.

Advantage: Indiana
Yes, Orlando saved some cash, but the players they got back are fairly worthless, whereas the Pacers addressed a real need area and got a high 2nd round draft pick on top of it.

Ironically enough, the very next day, the Pacers re-signed Dixon and Murray from the free agent pile.

We could still use a legitimate C ourselves, because all we have are combo players at the spot, with the exception of Tyson Chandler, but they don't come cheap and trying to pry one loose, especially one of the talented young big men, from teams in this league is extraordinarily difficult and the free agent market is absolutely barren.

Still, it's something to keep in mind as we start February with a 128-106 victory over Golden State, Paulinho Buboltz the game's top player with a terrific 21 points, 12 assists, 2 rebounds and 3 steals. Chauncey Billups was absolutely on fire with the reserves, scoring 22 points in exactly 22 minutes. Leroy Wright added to the sub scoring with 10 points of his own.

An in-division doubleheader against the Jazz and the Timberwolves goes the .500 route. We top Utah 95-79 when Mehmet Okur takes over the game with 27 points and 13 rebounds, his best outing in a Nuggets uniform. Minnesota nicks us 109-89, though, Ben Gordon our lone legitimate scorer with with 25 points. Joakim Noah goes 2 for 11 and I'm starting to really get frustrated with his lack of offense. Honestly, as much as I hate to say it about one of my boys, but I think he's probably best-suited to a reserve role.

Only how to get somebody to supplant him? Either I have to give up a ton or I have to sacrifice one of my chosen guys to make salaries match and it's just not something I'm willing to do yet.

I sure do love watching Lebron James play, especially when he scores 40 points and Cleveland still loses to us 112-92. Seven Nuggets with 12 points or better, including Chauncey Billups and Javaris Crittenton with exactly a dozen off the bench. Mehmet Okur and Joakim Noah tallied double-doubles with 14 points and 10 rebounds and 12 points and 13 rebounds respectively.

36.1% FG shooting dooms us in a 95-90 loss to New Jersey. Chauncey Billups had 11 bench points, Ike Diogu 11 bench boards and Mehmet Okur had 11 points and 10 rebounds, but that was largely padded by 7 of 8 FT shooting, as he was 2 for 10 from the floor.

The road trip out East continues with a back-to-back for our final two games before the All-Star break. Atlanta goes down 116-103 as Ben Gordon scores 28, Chauncey Billups gets a dynamite double off the bench with 23 points and 12 assists and Ike Diogu, who takes over as the starting C again, double-doubles himself with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Charlotte beats us the next night though to force the split, 106-83. Ben Gordon scored 25 and Chauncey Billups had 19 points in a reserve highlight, but by and large, we got schooled.

Outside of the Rookie-Sophomore game, I don't really foresee an enjoyable All-Star weekend for Nuggets fans or me, as I spend a lot of time wrestling with the question of what to do about our gaping hole at C. It's honestly giving me a headache.

It doesn't help matters that [b]Leroy Wright[/b[ isn't having the best season, primarily because his minutes have been drastically chopped. He doesn't seem to have the same aggressive instinct that he did last year either, so I'm wondering if maybe he isn't a flash in the pan.

Chauncey Billups has almost no trade value on the market, which really puzzles me, as he's still a front-line PG and a $14 million expiring contract besides.

I go back and forth with a couple of teams over their young big men, but they're not allowing much wiggle room. Basically, they want Paulinho Buboltz in exchange and it'll snow in hell before I give him up for anyone but Mateen Yeaton.

So I suspend talks for a few days.

I'm outraged when I receive word that Paulinho Buboltz is not invited to the Sophomore squad for the Rookies-Sophs game. I understand him not starting with Mateen Yeaton and Nigel Abel around, but to not even make the damn team? Evidently the team selection committee decided Brian Metcalfe's 7.5 points and 6.2 assists was better than Buboltz's 11.6 points and 7 assists. Oh and did we mention Buboltz's 1.6 steals? Fuck the selection committee!. Sophs win 82-67 in a snoozer, Jeremy Lemons MVP with 17 points and 11 assists.

It's typical All-Star snub shenigans surrounding my players and I'm sick of that crap. Ben Gordon getting two All-Star appearances and not playing a damn single minute, Chauncey Billups getting the same shaft last year.

I'm not expecting any Nuggets All-Stars this year and there are none. Kelvin Moody starts at PF for the West for the second straight year and Mateen Yeaton gets on the East squad, but doesn't get to play. Exciting back and forth game that sees the East pull away at the end to win 116-101. Tyrus Thomas was Game MVP in leading all scorers with 20 points.

So it's back to the drawing board for a C after the All-Star Game.

A crazy scheme gets in my head to strike a deal with the Knicks for Utah Sixer Rudy Braun, but they counter with the remark that, "It'd make us too weak at center", which sends my jaw to the floor in stunned disbelief.

Basically what it's boiling down to is this: Any attempt to improve upon Noah at C will have to result in trading Noah himself and I'm just not willing to do that. I'd sooner trade Caron Butler, who, by the way, is having the greatest season of his career.

Finally, at long last, I hammer out a deal. It's not the blockbuster improvement I'd hoped to get and I dealt away a couple players I didn't really want to, but I think it'll turn out okay in the end.

Denver Nuggets receive
C Jamaal Scruggs
SG Luther Head
Philadelphia 76ers 2012 1st round pick

New Jersey Nets receive
PF Ike Diogu
PG Javaris Crittenton

What this means for the Nuggets
GM Jestor and George Karl clash over the question of Scruggs. Jestor sees him as a possible replacement for Joakim Noah at C. Karl has him as an 11th man. Head is a career backup guard. If the Scruggs issue isn't worked out, the best part of this deal may be the 76ers pick, the third late 1st round pick the Nuggets hold in the next draft, giving Denver great flexibility to move up or even make another trade before the deadline. Second year man Leroy Wright will also see a lot more minutes with Diogu's departure.

What this means for the Nets
New Jersey's collecting bright young PGs in the same way that Denver's gathering up late 1st round picks. Crittenton looked excellent at times for the Nuggets off the bench. Diogu was a terrific find for the Nuggets, a versatile four-position player who put up some nice numbers both as a reserve and as the half-time starting C. The consistency of his performances started to drop after a hot early start, however, suggesting perhaps he doesn't have the stamina to maintain it. If so, the already losing Nets are in trouble, as Diogu's their new starting C.

Advantage: Draw
Question marks on both sides of the deal are balanced by obvious benefits for the two teams. The full impact of this trade won't be known for another year or two yet.

I'm a little ticked that Karl can't see I've improved our frontcourt considerably, as Scruggs has a nice inside shot which nobody else on this team really has. Oh well. If it's a one and done in the playoffs anyway, I'd rather have the extra 1st rounder to play with.

Our first game after the All-Star break is an easy 114-96 win over the Celtics. Ben Gordon scores 37, Chauncey Billups starts at PG in a surprise turn, but double-doubles with 17 points and 11 assists and Paulinho Buboltz contributes 15 points in reserve duty. Jamaal Scruggs is a DNP. Guess Karl's sticking to his word.

My stomach churns two days later as we drop a 110-108 road game against the Grizzlies. Ben Gordon is on fire with 36 points and Paulinho Buboltz, again a sub, puts in 17 points, but our front court stunk just enough to cost us the win.

Six players in double figures key a 125-104 victory over New Orleans. Four Nuggets score 20 points or better: Ben Gordon (20), Caron Butler (23), Mehmet Okur (21) and Chauncey Billups (24 and 11 assists). Paulinho Buboltz scores 10 to lead the second team.

Caron Butler has back spasms, so it's a frontcourt of SF Noah, PF Okur, C Wright agains the Hawks in our final game of the month. Ben Gordon scores 37 and Paulinho Buboltz adds 13 bench points to rescue us in a 106-95 victory.

So we're 37-20 after the short month and our lead in the Northwest is expanded to 3 games over the Timberwolves. We're also closing in on the Rockets for the second-best record in the West, as they're 38-19. The conference leaders are, of course, none other than the 45-10 Lakers. 8 teams with winning records, a 9th, the Sacramento Kings at .500 at 29-29.

Toronto is the only 40-win team in the East at the moment. Second-best record goes to the 33-21 Bobcats, although the 33-23 Pacers, 32-23 Pistons, and surprisingly straightened-out 32-24 76ers are all within striking distance. 7 teams hosting a winning record in the East, 25-31 Atlanta hanging on to the 8th seed at present.

[Izulde]

Philadelphia 76ers receive
C Nenad Krstic

New Jersey Nets receive
Philadelphia 76ers 2012 1st round pick

What this means for the 76ers
Krstic is a nice 10 point, 10 rebound type C, but won't give you much more than that. He plays respectable defense and he fills a gaping hole, taking over as the starting C for Philadelphia, who also finally got smart and are starting Stephon Marbury at PG. Krstic comes with a cap-friendly deal for the next couple years as well and at 28, he's in his prime.

What this means for the Nets
Their season is already over, so it make sense to stock up an extra draft pick, even if it's a late 1st rounder.

Advantage: Philadelphia
The 76ers need Krstic far more than they need the late 1st round pick and he helps them more than the 1st rounder will the Nets.

A 1st round pick that they later traded to us.

Indiana Pacers receive
C Patrick O'Bryant

Utah Jazz receive
PG Dan Johnson

What this means for the Pacers
Indiana -finally- gets a legitimate starting center. O'Bryant won't dazzle on the scoring side of things, but he's a very good rebounder and a solid defender. He's precisely what the Pacers need to make some noise in the playoffs.

What this means for the Jazz
Johnson's a second-year PG with no appreciable skills and the 23 year old isn't likely to get any better any time soon. A tanking move more than anything else it looks like.

Advantage: Indiana
This is the big body they need to challenge the Raptors.

Houston Rockets receive
PG Kyle Lowry

Utah Jazz receive
PG Patrick Cooper

What this means for the Rockets
Lowry is one of those all-around players who does a little bit of everything, but doesn't do anything exceptionally well. That said, he takes over as the 6th man and gives the Rockets some more backcourt depth.

What this means for the Jazz
See note on Johnson for Cooper.

Advantage: Houston
It's a bit of a shame in a way though, as Mackel Greenleaf has considerable potential, but now will get a lot less time to develop as a result of this deal.

So much for the new-look Pacers. We beat them 109-96 as Ben Gordon scores 29, Mehmet Okur doubles with 19 points and 11 rebounds and Chauncey Billups follows suit with 24 points and 10 assists. Paulinho Buboltz scores 10 and I'm thrilled when Jamaal Scruggs not only gets major minutes, but goes 7 for 10 for 14 points off the bench! This is still a damned good Indiana team though and they look -much- better with O'Bryant out there.

The romp continues with a 117-97 win over the Clippers. Ben Gordon leads the charge with 32 points and Paulinho Buboltz adds another 18 from the bench. Joakim Noah even channels Caron Butler as the starting SF and scores an amazing 20 points.

For the first time in ages, we beat the Trailblazers. It's close, of course, at 100-96, but I'll take it. Ben Gordon does his usual magic with 27 points and Mehmet Okur is simply amazing with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

Double-header up next and we drop the first one to San Antonio 106-98 on the road. Six players with 11 points or more, Joakim Noah doubling with 11 points, 11 rebounds and Paulinho Buboltz putting in 14 off the bench, but nobody hits 20 points. We get the draw in crushing the Suns, though, as Caron Butler and Paulinho Buboltz make their returns to the starting five. Butler celebrates by scoring 27, Mehmet Okur and starting at C again Joakim Noah both double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 16 points, 10 rebounds respectively. Chauncey Billups has no problems as the 6th man, scoring 14 as a reserve. Final: 115 Denver 90 Phoenix.

Ben Gordon singlehandedly takes out the Bobcats with 36 points and Paulinho Buboltz assists with 12 points and 10 assists as we beat Charlotte 106-91. Always good to see one of our extra picks tack on another loss. Even better when we're one the ones doing the damage.

Another game against the Clippers, another win, this one good for 110-89 on the strength of Ben Gordon's 26 points, 13 points and 12 assists from Paulinho Buboltz and a surprising 14 bench points from Luther Head. Unexpected, but we'll take it.

Milwaukee beats us 109-98 to end our win streak. Ben Gordon scores 32, but no one else comes to play and the Bucks have all five starters in double figures, the most impressive of which is Andrew Bogut with 18 points and 25 rebounds.

Things go from bad to worse as the Wizards destroy us by 21 points. Once again, it's all Ben Gordon with 33 points as we have a 40% shooting night, which a couple guys having 0 fors. Names won't be mentioned to protect the guilty.

As if that wasn't enough, Chauncey Billups gets a nasty bruise on his calf, which is going to hamper both him and us because we don't have the safety net of Javaris Crittenton anymore.

The losing streak stretches to three games with a frustrating 103-97 loss to the Lakers. Ben Gordon leads us with 29 points, Paulinho Buboltz puts up 12 points and 10 assists and Luther Head contributes a nice 14 points off the bench, but we still lose.

We scratch out an 86-72 win over the Kings to snap the cold streak. Joakim Noah gets 14 points and 10 rebounds and Luther Head continues to play well in Chauncey Billups's absence with 13 sub points. We needed this victory to get our confidence back.

Phoenix just can't seem to beat us as Ben Gordon goes absolutely ballistic for 38 points, Luther Head goes on a scoring spree off the bench with 19 points and Leroy Wright just misses out on a double-double with the reserves at 8 points and 12 rebounds in the 115-105 win.

We need every single last one of Ben Gordon's 35 points, Mehmet Okur's 12 points and 13 rebounds and Leroy Wright and Tyson Chandler's 10 bench points a piece and I mean that literally, because we only beat the Jazz by a point. 103-102 is the heartstopping final score.

A doubleheader concludes March and as expected, we lose to the Spurs. What wasn't expected was the 79-68 final, nor Ben Gordon's 7 points, his lowest ever in a Nuggets uniform. We snap back with a 109-92 win against the Trailblazers however, keyed by 14 points and 12 assists by Paulinho Buboltz and 16 reserve points from Leroy Wright.

Five and a half games separates us as division leaders from the Timberwolves with ten games to go. The Lakers have already locked up the #1 seed with a 57-15 record. The Rockets are currently second at 49-24, followed by San Antonio at 48-25 and us with a record of 47-25.

Toronto has the East sewn up at 52-20, as the second-best team is the 44-28 Bobcats, followed by the 43-29 Pistons and the 42-29 Pacers. Come on, Charlotte! Tank as much as you can! On a pleasing note, the 76ers really fell apart in March and are now 37-35, damning them to a likely 7 or 8 seed, depending on if the 36-36 Atlanta Hawks can kick it in gear.

Ten games to go in the season and I'm just going to ride them all out.

Two doubleheaders kick off the last set of ten. Chauncey Billups scores 17 in his return, but it's spoiled by a 94-88 loss to the Grizzlies, who are actually a pretty dangerous team with Pau Gasol and superstar rookie Chris Gearheart. We make a beaut of a recovery the next night to stomp all over the Hornets 113-90. Ben Gordon heads the pack with 27 points, followed by a double of 17 points and 10 rebounds from Caron Butler and a dazzling 23 reserve points from well-rested Chauncey Billups.

Game one of the second doubleheader is the most critical of the four-game set, because it's against Minnesota. We respond with a heartbreaking 105-103 loss to the Timberwolves, even as Joakim Noah has 12 points and 13 rebounds and Leroy Wright tops the benchmen with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The difference-maker? Chauncey Billups going 0 for 5. Irony, I am your bitch. The next night is an easy 99-83 win over Seattle, but Ben Gordon's 31 points and Paulinho Buboltz's 15 points and 13 assists seem hollow, Chauncey Billups's 10 bench points downright cruel.

My sense of gloominess continues with a 106-99 home loss to Golden State. Ben Gordon scores 28, but as sometimes happens with this infuriatingly inconsistent team, everyone else takes the night off.

Luckily the Hornets come to town and improve my mood with a thrilling shootout, which we win 136-125. I'm gleeful at Ben Gordon (33 points), Caron Butler (11 points, 14 rebounds), Mehmet Okur (19 points, 16 rebounds), Paulinho Buboltz (10 points, 13 assists), Chauncey Billups (21 bench points) and Leroy Wright (19 bench points and a career high in scoring). It's a delightful way to get our 50th win of the year and even better, it means the best the Timberwolves can do is tie us for the division. Four more games to go. We need just one win to clinch the division title.

Two double-headers, all four games brutal contests against teams that can and have beaten us soundly in the past. Buoyed by the enthusiasm of our 50th win, however, we go out and ravage Memphis 119-69 in the most lopsided win I can remember.. It's positively delicious as Mehmet Okur thunders for 25 points and 11 rebounds, Ben Gordon lightnings for 25 points and 10 assists and Chauncey Billups pours on the rain of 19 points from the bench. It's so satisfying to clinch the division that I don't mind the 105-98 road loss to the Rockets the next night.

We finish strong in the second doubleheader, setting the Suns down 110-97 behind Paulinho Buboltz's highest-scoring game ever: 24 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals. How someone 5'11 pulls off 3 blocks in a game, I'll never know, but he did it. Chauncey Billups played an excellent second with 16 reserve points. The sweep comes 112-84 over the Trailblazers, Ben Gordon the man of the match with 31 points, Paulinho Buboltz vital with 13 points and 12 assists, Chauncey Billups the supersub with 17 points.

Our final regular season record is 53-29, four games ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves, good for fourth record-wise in the conference behind the Lakers (66-16), Rockets (57-25) and Spurs (54-28).

The eight teams representing the West are the Lakers, Rockets, Spurs, Nuggets, Mavericks, Timberwolves, Grizzlies and Kings. 43-39 was the final ticket punched to the dance by Sacramento. Feels weird not seeing the Suns in the playoffs, but so it is.

The defending champion Raptors take the top seed in the East at 59-23 and I'm disgruntled to see the Bobcats second at 51-31. Oh well, there's five teams in the West with better records than Charlotte (Dallas the other one at 52-30).

We'll see the Raptors, Bobcats, Pistons, Bucks, Celtics, Pacers, Hawks and 76ers represent the East in the postseason. Philadelphia, I'm happy to report, has the 8th seed at 41-41 and we'll have the first non-lottery pick in next year's draft. Can you say trade ammunition? I knew you could.

Lebron James just missed out on the 30 point per game average at 29.8. Allen Iverson was ironically second at 27 points a game. I have a sinking feeling we're really going to miss AI in the playoffs. Ben Gordon finished 10th with a 24.8 point average.

After the dust cleared, three passers had double-digit assists: Chris Paul (10.9), T.J. Ford (10.8) and Baron Davis (10.1). Paulinho Buboltz took 17th with 7.2.

Greg Oden took the rebounding title with 14.7 boards. Andrew Bogut and Kelvin Moody were tied for 2nd at exactly 12.

Andrei Kirilenko -just- missed taking his 4 blocks per game to a 5th consecutive season, finishing with 3.9 rejections. A damned shame, but he should still have Defensive Player of the Year sewn up. Kelvin Moody was second with 3.1.

Gerald Wallace was the lone 2 steal a game man. Chris Paul and Rudy Gay were just behind at 1.9. Three Nuggets averaged 1.5 swipes or better, Caron Butler, Paulinho Buboltz and Ben Gordon. Butler led the team with 1.6.

Chris Gearheart, who I would've taken with the #1 overall pick, ran away with the rookie scoring title for the Grizzlies, averaging 16 points a game. Kyle Hoiberg was second at 13.9. This is an absolutely stunning scoring class as I've said before. [b]Six players averaged double-digit points in their first season. Gearheart, Hoiberg, Tim Davis (12.8), Vince Murray (12.7), Durko Jagr (12.4) and Ron Collier (10.5).

Underwhelming in the assists category though, Chris Gearheart and Durko Jagr the top players with 4 and 3.5 averages respectively.

Ryan Sweetwyne led in rebounds with 8 per game, the second man Tim Davis with 6 a contest. This is really looking a class with great scorers, but blah in everything else.

Vince Murray and Chris Gearheart add to that impression as the top blockers at 0.8 per game, though they do their class credit by tying for the steals lead as well with 1.2 swipes per game. Kyle Hoiberg averaged exactly a steal a game.

We're given the #4 seed in the playoffs and draw a familiar foe chomping at the bit for revenge from last season.

The Dallas Mavericks.

[Izulde]

There was a nice article on the Pacers this week, so I'll include it.

Return of the Pacers

For the first time since 2008, the Indiana Pacers are back in the playoffs. It's been a rough stretch of years for the pro team in the most basketball-mad state in the country ever since the infamous 2004 Brawl in Auburn Hills, but now, in 2011, the restoration is complete, thanks to a series of savvy moves by the Pacers front office.

There was the hiring of Rudy Tomjanovich as head coach, which instantly gave the team a master strategist to direct things and one of the most accomplished coaches in the league.

Shrewd draft picks resulted in two key players, SF Patrick Pastner taken with the 17th pick in the 2009 draft who has gotten better and better in his three years in the league and emerged as one of the bright young swingmen in the league and, of course, SG Mateen Yeaton, the hometown Hoosier drafted 4th overall a year later who has been, along with New Orleans's Nigel Abel the most electric shooter in his class, both young men averaging over 20 points a game in just their second season.

The final rebuilding pieces came in this year's free agency period and during the season, when the Pacers pulled off an upset in landing PG Tony Parker as a free agent and made trades during the regular season to net former 6th Man of the Year C Darko Milicic and C Patrick O'Bryant to bolster their frontcourt.

The end result has been a return to the playoffs and a near-capturing of the Central Division crown before star PF Jermaine O'Neal broke his wrist with 20 games left in the season, costing Indiana the division title and imperiling their chances to advance in the playoffs.

Even if Indiana fails to beat the other newly resurgant team, the Pistons, however, prospects are good for another fine season next year, which is more than the Pacers' faithful have been able to say for years.

***End Article***

I hope the Pacers pull out the upset, I really do.

But I want us to win most of all and here's an excerpt profiling our series.

"Denver swept Dallas in the second round last year and you can bet that the Mavericks will be fired up and ready to avenge themselves of that embarrassment. A key test for the Nuggets will be to see how they fare in the charged atmosphere of the postseason without Allen Iverson, who had an absolutely legendary series of performances in leading Denver to the NBA Finals.

Point Guard
Paulinho Buboltz vs. Jason Terry
Buboltz is another one of the great players in this amazing 2010 draft class. It's hard to believe he's only 19 years old and 5'11, 182 lbs, because he plays like a veteran with some serious size, possessing good passing skills and a devastating outside shot and scoring instincts.

Terry is a crafty veteran, the 34 year old averaging a shade under 20 points and 9 assists a game in the regular season. He's also a very good defender who will seek to shut down the potentially explosive Buboltz, which he should be able to do.

Advantage: Mavericks

Shooting Guard
Ben Gordon vs. Josh Howard
Gordon averaged almost 25 points a game and is a legitimate All-Star type talent with underrated ball-handling and defensive skills. He's Denver's best and most consistent scorer.

Howard signed a lucrative contract extension this year despite having the worst season of his career in years and averaging just 11.7 points a game with 3.3 rebounds. One of the league's biggest underachievers, he'll have his hands full trying to guard Gordon.

Advantage: Nuggets

[b]Small Forward
Caron Butler vs. Dirk Nowitzki
Butler's from the same hometown as GM Jestor, but don't think it's just a case of the old boy network, because Butler has serious shooting instincts, good defense and can strip away the ball like nobody's business. Althoughly wildly inconsistent with his shot, he's the team second-leading scorer, averaging 15.7 points a game in the regular season.

Nowitzki had a slight down year and of course it says something when a down year is 25.4 points a game average. He'll get his points this series after having been shut down by Joakim Noah and Kenyon Martin last year, but unlike last season, he opposes a genuine scorer this go-round and at 33, he doesn't have the step to play great or even good defense anymore. He's still far more consistent than Butler, however.

Advantage: Mavericks

Power Forward
Mehmet Okur vs. Daniel Wilder
GM Jestor dealt disappointing free-agent signing Andris Biedrins for Okur early in the season and it was one of the smartest moves he's ever made. Okur gives the Nuggets a legitimate scoring punch inside, as well as a genuine rebounding force, two things they lacked last season from the PF spot. Shows inconsistency and only an average defender, but still a solid player.

Third-year man Wilder is average in every aspect of the game, especially as a PF. There's just nothing that stands out about him and he's liable to get eaten alive by Okur.

Advantage: Nuggets

Center
Joakim Noah vs. Jonte Jones
Last year Noah occupied the SF spot and played a critical role as stopper against Nowitzki as noted above. This season he's the man in the middle. His rebounding has improved from the position switch, but his scoring is down. He won't score much in this series, but that's okay. His job will be to bring his trademark defense to bear against second-year Jones.

Jones was frustrated by the Big O last year and he could face the same problems going against Noah, but perhaps not, as he averaged 15.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, a block and a steal per game in his sophomore season. In a league of exciting young Cs, last season's Rookie of the Year is one of the best, with rapidly improving shooting, dynamite rebounding and improving rebounding and ballhandling skills.

Advantage: Mavericks

Bench
Chauncey Billups is Denver's 6th man, capable of taking over seamlessly at the point. He's an incredible scorer against weaker benches and a textbook passer. Leroy Wright experienced a major sophomore slump, however.

Dallas counters Billups with Devin Harris, who's just as good a passer, but who never developed the scoring instinct necessary to become an elite PG or even a good offensive sparkplug off the bench. That duty belongs to 24-year old Jeff Green, who fills it quite well. Matt Harpring is a top-notch defender.

Advantage: Mavericks

Final Thoughts
No sweep for the Nuggets this year and in fact, this looks like the kind of series that could go the limit. Much as we'd like to pick Denver, they were better off last year when they had fewer scorers, more defensive hardbodies and of course, Allen Iverson.
Prediction: Mavericks in 6

Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence guys. I mean, I know we don't have AI and Shaq, but I think we can still beat this team.

Game One
Well, we knew it wasn't going to be a sweep for us and it wasn't. Paulinho Buboltz has the wrong kind of double-double with 14 points and 10 turnovers, the first time I've ever seen that. Luther Head and Chauncey Billups scored 12 and 10 points off the bench, but three of our starters scored 4 or 8 points and Jonte Jones abuses Joakim Noah for 32 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Dirk Nowtizki gets 12 points and 12 rebounds, Jason Terry 20 points and 11 assists. Sheer ugliness.
Dallas 114 Denver 90

Game Two
Revenge is bliss and Ben Gordon delivers the killing blow with 33 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Jamaal Scruggs and Chauncey Billups contribute 10 reserve points a piece as we even the series on our way to Dallas. Jonte Jones got a weak double-double of 10 points, 11 rebounds and Jeff Green and Devin Harris led Mavericks subs with 12 and 11 points respectively.
Dallas 99 Denver 117

Game Three
A thrilling, intense back-and-forth came that wasn't decided until the final minute. Ben Gordon scores 34 points, Mehmet Okur and Paulinho Buboltz double up with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 15 points, 17 assists respectively. Most notably, Buboltz had just -one- TO. Far cry from the 10 in Game 1! Leroy Wright took in 10 boards off the bench. Dirk Nowitzki and Jonte Jones were on form with 22 points and 11 rebounds and 16 points and 16 rebounds, but in the end, we just barely edge out the squeaker and seize a vital 2-1 series lead.
Denver 104 Dallas 101

Game Four
13 points and 10 assists from Paulinho Buboltz, 10 bench boards from Leroy Wright and 13 reserve points from Chauncey Billups can't counter 25 points, 9 assists from Jason Terry, 10 points, 10 rebound from Dan Wilder and 17 points and 10 rebounds from Jonte Jones as the series go back to a draw.
Denver 95 Dallas 107

No sweeps this year in the first round, so there's still a lot of exciting playoff basketball to watch.

Game Five
The Mavericks mount a furious fourth quarter rally and they had great games from Jonte Jones (18 points, 19 rebounds), Devin Harris (17 points on the bench) and Chris Wilcox (11 points with the reserves). But in the end they fall -just- short as Ben Gordon scores 32 and Chauncey Billups, Jamaal Scruggs and Leroy Wright counter the Dallas reserves with 16 points, 11 points and 10 rebounds respectively and we take the crucial 3-2 series lead, meaning at most a Game 7.
Dallas 96 Denver 98

Game Six
Dallas's home crowd was in eardrum-shattering mode and our guys played like crap, save for Ben Gordon's 31 points and Chauncey Billups's 16 sub points. Dirk Nowitzki scorched us for 28 points, Jason Terry added 23 points and 11 assists and Chris Wilcox added 11 points with the reserves to force a Game 7 in Denver.
Denver 91 Dallas 113

Game Seven
This is it. Our entire season boils down to this game. Win and we advance to the second round. Lose and we suffer the humiliation of bowing out in the first round in defense of our Western Conference title. I'm downcast as our offense plays terribly and Dirk Nowtizki scores 26 points with 12 rebounds, Daniel Wilder gets 11 points and 10 boards, Chris Wilcox has an insane 16 points and 14 rebounds off the bench and fellow reserve Jeff Green scores 15. But then Ben Gordon channels Allen Iverson and blitzkriegs the Mavericks for 42 points and Paulinho Buboltz scores points 15, 16, and 17 as we complete the come-from-behind win, outscoring Dallas 30-13 in the 4th quarter!!!!
Dallas 103 Denver 105

We did it!!! We're advancing to the second round!!!!

Ours was the only series to the full seven games. The Lakers beat the Kings 4-1, Houston topped Memphis 4-1 and, in the biggest upset of the opening round, the Timberwolves ambush the Spurs 4-2. In the East, Toronto put away Philly 4-2, Boston upended Milwaukee 4-1, the Pistons eliminated O'Neal-less Indiana 4-1 and the Bobcats knocked out the Hawks 4-1.

[MacroGuru]

Awesome first round playoff series win!

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

Awesome first round playoff series win!

Thanks. I was really sweating it out there. Not having Shaq meant Dallas matched up a lot better against this year, especially with Jones getting another year of experience under his belt.

[Izulde]

Poor Houston. Not only do they draw the incredibly tough Timberwolves in the second round, but Yao Ming is gone for the rest of the year with a broken finger. Their starting C for the rest of the playoffs? None other than Utah Sixer and former Austin Mammoth B.J. Whitehead. Small world, though I think B.J.'s insertion in the starting lineup will translate into a Minnesota victory.

As for us, we get the fun, if you can call it that, of playing the top-seeded Lakers. This is like last season in reverse!

Usual preview article snippet.

"Last year, the Nuggets faced the Lakers, then the Mavericks in the first two rounds, beating Los Angeles in six and sweeping Dallas. This season, Denver went up against Dallas in the first round and needed the full distance to send the Mavericks home and they draw the Lakers in Round Two.

It won't be easy, as the Lakers were easily the best team in the league in the regular season.

Point Guard
Paulinho Buboltz vs. Jordan Farmar
Buboltz recovered beautiful from the 10 turnover gaffe in Game One in the opening round and is averaging 15.6 points and 9.1 assists in the playoffs, tops in assists and second in scoring for the Nuggets. More importantly, he's averaging 2.6 steals and has been a real disruptive force on defense.

Farmar is a solid all-around player, but although he averaged 14.8 points in the first round, he looked surprisingly out of sync running the offense, averaging 3 turnovers a game and under 5 assists. He also averaged four fouls. All told, that's a dangerous combination for the 27 year-old against the 19 year old Buboltz.

Advantage: Nuggets

Shooting Guard
Ben Gordon vs. Kobe Bryant
29.6 points a game in the playoffs is something you'd expect out of Bryant or last year's playoff SG, Allen Iverson, but this year, it's Gordon who holds that august statistic. If Denver wants to have a chance in this series, they'll need that kind of lights-out shooting from him again.

Kobe may "only" be averaging 24.8 points, but he's also averaging four and a half rebounds and assists and, most importantly for the Lakers, he brings to bear the kind of awesome defense that's going to be needed to limit Gordon and turn this into a short series.

Advantage: Lakers

Small Forward
Caron Butler vs. Lamar Odom
Despite all the expectations of a great series against the Mavericks, Butler just didn't produce, averaging only 11 points a game with just shy of 6 rebounds. He'll need to boost his scoring numbers to give Denver a shot.

Odom may have averaged 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds in the opening round, but he made up for one of the worst showings of his career with 2.8 steals a game. No longer the scoring threat he once was, his greatest value now comes in his ability to play all 5 positions, giving Phil Jackson the versatility needed to create matchup problems.

Advantage: Draw

Power Forward
Mehmet Okur vs. Derrick Robinson
Okur was bothered by a strained hamstring for most of the opening round, which explains why he averaged just 8 points. He did take down 7.4 rebounds a game though and his great shooting and hard-nosed rebounding prowess will be a key factor in this series, especially if he's fully recovered in time for the first game.

The fourth-year Robinson is averaging 11.6 points and 5 rebounds in the playoffs, along with an impressive 2.6 blocks. He may be supbar defensively and still have some ways to go in his development at 23, but his shotblocking skills and good shooting and rebounding talents will make the Okur/Robinson matchup a fun one to watch.

Advantage: Draw

Center
Joakim Noah vs. Andrew Bynum
Noah just doesn't have the size, rebounding ability or inside shot to be an effective starting C and he was absolutely abused in the first round by Jonte Jones. Did we mention he's also foul-prone, averaging 4.8 against the Mavericks?

Bynum is the best inside shooter in the league, a great scorer with very good rebounding, defense and shotblocking ability. He's averaging 21 points and 11.8 rebounds so far in the playoffs and he's going to have a field day feasting on Noah.

Advantage: Lakers

Bench
Chauncey Billups is the man, averaging 9 points in 14 minutes in the first round. Leroy Wright looked much improved than in the regular season, averaging 5.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks off the bench.

Thabo Sefolosha plays terrific defense and is averaging a little over 8 points a game, both in the regular season and playoffs. At 37, Rasheed Wallace may not have much left in the tank, but it's still good enough to average 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds with respectable defense.

Advantage: Draw

Final Thoughts
On paper, there's a lot to say that these teams are pretty evenly matched, but when one team has Bryant and Bynum and the other has Gordon, the overwhelming advantage goes to the B&B team. This one has all the makings of a sweep.
Prediction: Lakers in 4

Dismissed again. Not that I don't agree in this case, of course. The Lakers really are that good this year.

Game One
Kobe Bryant eviscerates us for 27 points, Derrick Robinson adds to the fire with 26 points and Andrew Bynum rips us apart for 18 points and 15 rebounds. Best part of Kobe's night? Limiting Ben Gordon to 8 points on 4 for 15 shooting, but everyone sucked tonight. We shot 38.8% from the floor, compared to 51.3% for the Lakers. Paulinho Buboltz got 13 points and 10 assists and Leroy Wright scored 8 with 10 rebounds off the bench. Yeah, it was that ugly.
Denver 91 Los Angeles 112

Game Two
The good news: Ben Gordon scores 21 and makes the game a lot closer. The bad news: Andrew Byunum has 25 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks, Kobe Bryant 19 points and 10 assists[/b] and Thabo Sefolosha finishes off with 11 bench points. Down 2-0 and we're looking every bit the inferior team.
Denver 93 Los Angeles 105

Game Three
We need to get a win here in Denver, preferably tonight. Ben Gordon scores 25 and Paulinho Buboltz has 15 points and 10 assists to go along wiht Leroy Wright's 11 reserve points. But the Lakers counter with 30 points from Kobe Bryant and 18 points, 17 rebounds from Andrew Bynum to push us to the brink of elimination. The cliff looms large beneath us.
Los Angeles 108 Denver 101

Game Four
No miracle comeback this year. Paulinho Buboltz gets 11 points and 12 assists and Chauncey Billups puts up a heroic 19 points off the bench in what is likely his final game as a Nugget, but it can't trump 36 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocks from Andrew Bynum.
Los Angeles 109 Denver 84

Another bitter sweep to end a pretty successful year. I'm getting a little tired of these, to tell you the truth. What is absolutely clear is that under no circumstances can Joakim Noah be the starting C next year and if that means I have to trade him, then by Jove, I'll do it. My boy or no, he really cost us this season.

At least we weren't the only sweep. Charlotte knocked out Paul Pierce's Pistons in four as well and the other two remaining series look like they'll end in five.

They do, with Toronto dismissing Boston and Houston showing no discomfort at losing Yao in dropping the Timberwolves.

Raptors/Bobcats and Lakers/Ming-less Rockets. Have to go with the Raptors and Lakers in this one, even though Charlotte has been scrappy and underrated all throughout this universe, with two East Conference championships and deep playoff runs, including this one, to show for it.

The defending champions sweep the Bobcats and the Lakers win in five over the Rockets, who really missed Yao in that series.

NBA Finals

The Lakers are back among NBA royalty, but the Raptors have the chance to become the first repeat champions since I entered the NBA.

Point Guard
T.J. Ford vs. Jordan Farmar
Ford has really turned it on in the playoffs, averaging 15.2 points and 10.2 assists. An absolutely sensational pass-first PG with some very nice shooting to go with it.

Farmar has improved slightly in the passing department since playing us, but he's still only averaging 6 assists and 14.2 points. He's clearly outmatched against Ford.

Advantage: Raptors

Shooting Guard
Larry Hughes vs. Kobe Bryant
Hughes has, believe it or not, been Toronto's leading scorer in the playoffs at just shy of 20 points a game. He's not going to do that against Bryant, but that's okay. His biggest job will be limiting Kobe's effectiveness.

25.6 points a game, 4.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 steals. Yep, Kobe's still the man even at 33. He'll of course remove Hughes as a legitimate offensive force, but that's just fine with the Raptors, who have that awesome front line. The key to this series will be limiting the Lakers' franchise players.

Advantage: Lakers

Small Forward
Andrea Bargnani vs. Lamar Odom
Bargnani might be limited by a sprained wrist, but he's still averaging 17.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks as the first part of the Unholy Toronto Trio.

Odom has the same injury and much less glitzy numbers with 9.2 points and 5.6 rebounds, though he holds an edge in averaged playoff steals with 1.9. Still, this one is a major advantage to the Raptors.

Advantage: Raptors

Power Forward
Chris Bosh vs. Derrick Robinson
Don't let the 10.1 points and 5.5 playoff rebounds fool you. Bosh has been limited to 19 minutes a game in this postseason because of a calf injury. He's now back to full health and it couldn't have come at a better possible time for Toronto or a worse time for the Lakers. He is going to be an absolute terror this series.

Robinson's 12.8 points, 6 rebounds, steal and 2.4 blocks might throw some pause into some other opponents. When you're up against Demon #2 of the Toronto Trio, though, you're pretty much done.

Advantage: Raptors

Center
Greg Oden vs. Andrew Bynum
17.6 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in the playoffs, along with the well-deserved reputation of being one of the top defensive centers in the game. Oden will provide a titanic matchup and a thrilling opponent for fans against the Lakers.

Bynum is averaging 23.1 points, 12.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. He's the better scorer by far, Oden the better defender by far and they cancel each other out in the rebounding department.

Advantage: Draw

Final Thoughts
Forget the benches, this is all about the superstar battle of Bryant and Bynum versus the Raptors' heralded frontcourt. This is where the Lakers' run ends and this is where Toronto becomes the first repeat champion since my NBA entry.
Prediction: Raptors in 5

Game One
[b]Kobe Bryant]/b] scores 28 points and a whole lot of 4: 4 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals. Andrew Bynum scores 23, Thabo Sefolosha 11 to beat Chrish Bosh's 26 points, 10 rebounds, Greg Oden's 11 points, 19 rebounds and Mike Patterson's 13 reserve points.
Toronto 97 Los Angeles 106

Game Two
Jordan Farmar is the surprising lead scorer for all teams with 20 points. Andrew Bynum adds 13 points and 12 rebounds, Thabo Sefolosha 13 points as one of the league's most clutch 6th men. Most noteworthy stat for the Raptors? 10 bench points from Quincy Douby. Horrible night by Greg Oden: 3 for 18 for 8 points, even with 21 rebounds. Toronto's lead scorer was T.J. Ford with 16 points.
Toronto 71 Los Angeles 94

Game Three
You didn't really think it was going to end here, did you? Greg Oden goes bezerk for 25 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks and 2 steals as Andrew Bynum played just 15 minutes and fouled out with 0 points. Thabo Sefolosha continues to be hot off the bench with 12 points. I gleefully note his contract is up and make plans to steal him in free agency to be our top reserve guard. The victory's not all good for Toronto, however, as they win by just 9 points in spite of Bynum's goose-egg.
Los Angeles 91 Toronto 100

Game Four
Andrew Bynum gets revenge in a big way with 22 points and 21 rebounds and Kobe Bryant puts on the finishing freeze with 32 points. Rasheed Wallace adds insult to injury with 10 bench points. The best the Raptors can do is 17 points and 14 rebounds from Greg Oden as they hover on elimination's edge.
Los Angeles 109 Toronto 84

Game Five
Toronto will not go down without a fight. Andrea Bargnani puts up 30 points and 13 rebounds, Chris Bosh 22 points as a reserve, again limited by injuries, Mike Patterson starting at SF with 15 points and 14 rebounds and T.J. Ford the finisher with 13 points and 17 assists. Lamar Odom and Derrick Robinson provide the very weak opposition with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 15 points, 11 rebounds respectively.
Los Angeles 82 Toronto 98

Game Six
Oh what a beautiful game it was! Both teams pouring it out and giving their all on the court. Greg Oden had 19 points, 22 rebounds and 4 blocks. Andrea Bargnani scored 24. T.J. Ford was magnificient with 22 points and 13 rebounds. But Lamar Odom scored 21, Thabo Sefolosha 13 and Jordan Farmar led his team with 23 points. One point. One point was all the difference and Thabo Sefolosha was that difference-maker, calmly sinking a bucket as time expired after Farmar fouled out, taking with him Toronto's dynastic dreams and the world's hopes for an even more dramatic Game 7.
Toronto 91 Los Angeles 92

[Autumn]

Wow, an exciting season. You guys still made it pretty far even without Shaq and AI. But it seems like Gordon and Billups lost a step this season (Billups obviously moving back to 6th man). With all those draft picks though you might be able to line up a new superstar. Good luck.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Autumn

Wow, an exciting season. You guys still made it pretty far even without Shaq and AI. But it seems like Gordon and Billups lost a step this season (Billups obviously moving back to 6th man). With all those draft picks though you might be able to line up a new superstar. Good luck.

I'd say it's less about Billups losing a step than it is about Buboltz being the real deal. Remember, our budding Brazilian (who incidentally was the 5th Brazilian all-time to be drafted according to the draft blurbs in the game), is just 19 years old and he showed real signs this season of becoming a star. My beloved Mateen Yeaton, by comparison, is 24, and Brian Metcalfe, the guy everybody thought we'd take instead of Buboltz, is 23 and with none of our kid's ceiling.

Gordon was fine in the regular season. The problem there is that the playoffs exposed him for what he is; a sensational scorer and a great player, but one who lacks the -it- factor that marks the Kobe Bryants and AIs of the world. He simply can't carry a franchise by himself.

But we're going to get him some help this offseason. Oh yes we will and those 3 1st round picks will play a part. Just what role, though, I'm not sure yet.

[Izulde]

This is my first year on the NBA level where the entire team is guys I drafted, signed or traded for and so I think it's only fitting to put up a final statistics sheet of how everyone did.

Attachment 278

Mark my words, Buboltz will have a breakout season next year. It seems like the elite young players of recent classes burst through in their second or third season and it'll be Paulinho's third.

Incidentally, I quickly pick up Buboltz and Wright's fourth year options. It may be a bit much on Leroy, but I have a faith he can be a solid bench player for us still.

NBA Lottery
1. Utah Jazz (+6)
2. Chicago Bulls (-1)
3. New York Knicks (-1)
4. New Jersey Nets (-1)
5. New Orleans Hornets (-1)
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (-1)
7. Los Angeles Clippers (-1)
8. Seattle Supersonics
9. Washington Wizards
10. Golden State Warriors
11. Miami Heat
12. Portland Trailblazers
13. Orlando Magic
14. Phoenix Suns

Never a joyous occasion when a division foe gets lucky in the lottery and comes away with the #1 overall pick in the draft. It's going to make an already difficult division even tougher.

NBA Awards
MVP
Greg Oden - Toronto Raptors - 17.4 ppg, 14.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.8 bpg, 1.0 spg
Defensive Player of the Year
Greg Oden - Toronto Raptors - 17.4 ppg, 14.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.8 bpg, 1.0 spg
Rookie of the Year
Tim Davis - Detroit Pistons - 12.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.1 bpg, 0.5 spg
6th Man of the Year
Tim Davis - Detroit Pistons - 12.8 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.1 bpg, 0.5 spg
Coach of the Year
Phil Jackson - Los Angeles Lakers

A double double-sweep of the major awards? Unbelievable. Chris Gearheart got robbed of Rookie of the Year and while Oden had a great season, I don't know that those numbers are MVP-worthy, nor do I think he deserved to stop Andrei Kirilenko's Defensive Player of the Year streak.

All-NBA 1st Team
PG Dwayne Wade - Miami Heat
SG Michael Redd - Milwaukee Bucks
SF Dirk Nowitzki - Dallas Mavericks
PF Elton Brand - Los Angeles Clippers
C Greg Oden - Toronto Raptors

All-NBA 2nd Team
PG Mike Bibby - Houston Rockets
SG Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers
SF Carmelo Anthony - New York Knicks
PF Kelvin Moody - Minnesota Timberwolves
C Andrew Bynum - Los Angeles Lakers

All-NBA 3rd Team
PG Chris Paul - New Orleans Hornets
SG Lebron James - Cleveland Cavaliers
SF Rudy Gay - Memphis Grizzlies
PF Tyrus Thomas - Philadelphia 76ers
C Yao Ming - Houston Rockets

All-Defense 1st Team
PG Dwayne Wade - Miami Heat
SG Tracy McGrady - Sacramento Kings
SF Andrei Kirilenko - Utah Jazz
PF Tyrus Thomas - Philadelphia 76ers
C Greg Oden - Toronto Raptors

All-Defense 2nd Team
PG Baron Davis - Golden State Warriors
SG Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers
SF Gerald Wallace - Charlotte Bobcats
PF Kelvin Moody - Minnesota Timberwolves
C Murray Alexander - Golden State Warriors

All-Rookie 1st Team
PG A.J. Dunkley - Utah Jazz
SG Chris Gearheart - Memphis Grizzlies
SF Dusty Hammond - Atlanta Hawks
PF Ron Collier - Chicago Bulls
C Tim Davis - Detroit Pistons

All-Rookie 2nd Team
PG Kenny Graham - Golden State Warriors
SG Vince Murray - Atlanta Hawks
SF Georghios Kairis - New York Knicks
PF Michael Shannon - Los Angeles Clippers
C Ryan Sweetwyne - Miami Heat

One question... where's Kyle Hoiberg?

Utah Sixers

PG Brandon Brooks - Portland Trailblazers
Averaged 13.1 points and 8.5 assists. The general consensus seems to be that the 26 year old has tapped out on his potential, the #2 overall pick settled into a very good, but not great PG and definitely not a franchise player.

PF Kelvin Moody - Minnesota Timberwolves
Another All-Star game appearance and another All-NBA 2nd Team award, in addition to the new All-Defense 2nd Team nod. 18.2 points, 12 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.1 blocks and a steal a game have earned him the reputation as one of the best PFs in the league and he's only 23 years old! Will the Hall someday call? It's too early to tell for absolute certain, but he's having a roaring start.

SF Julius Austin - Miami Heat
Brought his points up to 7.3 a game with 3.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, a block and 1.1 steals. Reminds very much of Joakim Noah, who was taken the year before at the exact same 10 spot as I've noted before, only Austin is limited to the forward spots.

C Rudy Braun - New York Knicks
It's a testament to how bad the Knicks still are that they stick with Braun at C and even gave him the most starts of his career year this year at 70. Despite this, he averaged the same 8 points and 6+ rebounds a game he has just about every season. One of the most disappointing wastes of physical potential ever. Oh yes, that reminds me, the Knicks rebounded from last year's 11-win season to win an impressive 25 this year, but they have Ray Allen's 37 year old body flipping off Father Time to score 20.8 points a game to thank for that.

PF B.J. Whitehead - Houston Rockets
Played in a career-high 70 games with 4 starts this year and averaged 5.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. Started all 15 Houston playoff games at C after Yao Ming was lost for the year with a broken finger and averaged 8.9 points and 9.2 rebounds in the postseason. Won't ever be anything more than an average NBA bench player, but he's making over $3 million a year, so we can say that he's made it.

SF Brian Robertson - Free Agent
Robertson didn't even catch on with a D-League team this season and there's reason to believe that this is the end of professional basketball for the 26 year old. Taken in the 2nd at #49 by the Mavericks, if this is the end, Robertson will be best known for two solid seasons as the starting SF with the Fort Worth Colonials.

Next day, Crenshaw calls. I wouldn't say I did excellent like last year, but I'm pleased with how things turned out, all in all. He agrees with my assessment, though I predicted that one, especially since we had a pretty balanced budget this year, sold out the season tickets and got two rounds worth of playoff revenue. We decide that we'll again shoot for the playoffs and right around the cap next season.

[Izulde]

John Paxson, the tool who destroyed Chicago's championship team from a few years ago, makes Scott Skiles and his staff the scapegoat despite the fact that Skiles had to operate a team with 4 rookies making up roughly a third of the roster. I can't wait to see Paxson's ass get fired someday.

Skiles is definitely the hottest coaching commodity, though I'm curious to see where Eric Snow goes. If I wasn't so intent on keeping a tight leash on our budget, I'd fire one of our assistants, probably Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and hire the younger, better and more promising Snow.

Paxson quickly realizes his mistake and re-signs Skiles to return as head coach for 3 years at $3.1 million a year. On the same day, he pulls off a coup in hiring Snow as Skiles's 1st assistant. 3 years, $534,000 a year.

Doug Collins gets a 5 year, $2 mill. per year deal to head up the Hornets and I laugh hysterically for a good three hours a few days later when Seattle signs Isiah Thomas as their head coach for 2 years, $1.5 million a year. They must really be desparate up there in the Coffee Capital.

George Karl is in the final season of his contract. He's been terrific for us and he's willing to take a pay cut from $6.6 million to $5.5 million a year for three years. It's a tough decision and one I'll be agonizing over for quite some time to come.

Mock Draft
There's some glitzy scorers out of the college ranks this year, led by two Big East 20 year old SFs: Jeremy Leach out of Syracuse (36 points, 11.4 rebounds) and David Anyan from Pittsburgh (29.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocks). The top Cs both spent one year in college, Austin Buller (Boston College) - 29.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and Demarcus Baptist (Michigan State) - 27.4 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.9 blocks.

Baptist is much more polished, but Buller's bigger size and, from initial reports, greater consistency and defensive skills have me tilting towards him. Baptist is projected to go to the Nets with the 4th pick, Buller to the Clippers at #7.

Currently, with the 15th pick, we're tabbed to take PF Dusty Coursey a 20 year old from Duke who plays a lot bigger than his 6'8, 219 lbs suggests, with an excellent shot. With the 24th selection, the mocks have us at C Adam Phillips, a senior out of Indiana with fluid moves and all the physical abilities to play well, but maddening inconsistency and questionable heart. A second center, Nick King, a senior out of Wake Forest is our presumed man at 26, but he's woefully undersized and his only notable talent is free-throw shooting.

Anyan and Leach should go 1 and 2, so my guess is that we'll need to be ready to move up to somewhere around 4 or 5, because my plan is to grab whatever C is drafted second the pick after first one is taken. Hopefully it'll be Baptist first and a bit closer to the bottom of the Top 10, but I want to bring both in for scouting reports first.

If we didn't already have our PG of the future in Buboltz, I'd be very strongly tempted to take Calvis Graham, the 22 year old from Georgia Tech, projected to be the first PG off the board with the 14th pick. He looks like he has some serious game and if the Suns get him that far down the draft, he should be a steal.

As we start looking over the players to invite to work out, Dusty Coursey, by all reports, has franchise-player type potential, but is extremely raw. Not a good fit for us, who intend to challenge for the championship in the relative short-term.

We bring in the big guys we're interested in for our first round picks and invite a slew of PGs, mostly for 2nd round selections, but one or two first round possibilities in case we can't trade up to get the C we want, or if we're not impressed enough with either of them to move up.

After reviewing the information, we're even more sold on Austin Buller as the guy we want to move to up for. Baptist's work ethic is absolutely horrendous.

2012 NBA Draft 1st Round
1. SF David Anyan - Utah Jazz
2. C Austin Buller - Chicago Bulls

My heart just leapt in my throat and jumped off on a suicide divide to splatter in my stomach. I'm staring at the screen in shock, dismay and disbelief. He was supposed to be -my- pick, -my- C to build around. What the hell do the Bulls want with him at #2 anyway?! Why not take Leach?!

3. SF Jeremy Leach - New York Knicks

Anthony and Leach are going to make a very solid SG/SF combo. For once, the Knicks didn't screw up their selection.

4. C Demarcus Baptist - New Jersey Nets

Baptist fell off our radar after the workouts and at this point, I've decided not to move up, but play the waiting game and see who falls to us with the 15th pick. I don't have any centers left that I like it, so we're going to look at some type of guard or power forward probably.

5. SG Michael Blunt - New Orleans Hornets
6. PF Sean Pryce - Cleveland Cavaliers

...Damn it! Pryce was one I thought for sure would be there at 15, as the mocks had him going 19 to the Pacers. This draft is quickly turning into a nightmare.

There's one PF remaining that I have some liking for, but I'm not sure he's worth trading up for at this point in the draft. Now watch, he'll be the next to go.

7. PF Bill Towns - Los Angeles Clippers

..... *CRACK!*

That was the sound of my brain's sinews snapping or my cellphone hitting the wall and shattering in frustration, I'm not sure which. Anyway, there goes the last big man I really wanted. We're definitely sitting tight now.

8. SG Andre Quarles - Seattle Supersonics

The Sonics were absolutely crushed that Towns went off the pick before theirs and they react by reaching for Quarles, who shows none of the offensive skills that Towns has. At least they'll have fun wallowing in the lottery next year.

9. SF Charles Garren - Washington Wizards
10. PG Calvis Graham - Golden State Warriors

Baron Davis and Graham. Going to be a pretty darn nice backcourt out in Oakland, I tell you that much. Graham was also the last player I deemed worthy of the 15th pick, even though he doesn't fit a need area.

11. SF Jon Wilson - Miami Heat

Bye-bye Julius Austin as a starting SF.

12. C Terrence Howard - Portland Trailblazers
13. SG Kyle Smith - Orlando Magic
14. PG Imari Parker - Phoenix Suns

They're predicting PF Ben Searcy from Pittsburgh or C Marvin Stapleton from Kentucky. ....Yeah, like I'm going to go with a 6'9 finesse C, even if he does weigh 277. As for Searcy, he's got poor rebounding skills and plays softer than the Pillsbury Doughboy.

There -is- a value PF I like for later in the round, but this isn't the spot to take him and I think he'll be available when our second of three 1st round selections comes up.

You know what this means.

Unfortunately, the trade market is extremely brutal. Quality centers are at a premium in this league still, even with the recent influx of good, young fives in the last few years. I try to pry Buller from the Bulls, but they've got a youth movement going on and they won't even consider it without Gordon back in a Bulls uniform, or more preferably, Buboltz.

There's a highly rated PF still left on the board who I didn't scout, along with a guard and the value PF I mentioned whom would both serve a useful role, but both of them would be a reach.

I go back to the dealing board and finally, I get one of the guys I wanted.

Denver Nuggets receive
C Dan Jacobson
Washington Wizards 2012 2nd round pick (39th)
Washington Wizards 2013 2nd round pick
Washington Wizards 2014 2nd round pick

Washington Wizards receive
C Tyson Chandler
SG Luther Head
Denver Nuggets 2012 1st round pick (15th)

What this means for the Nuggets
GM Jestor has long been a fan of Jacobson's game and reportedly considered selecting him with the 6th pick in the 2010 draft before trading down to the 8th spot and taking Paulinho Buboltz, Jacobson the sandwich selection at 7th. He looked much more taking shots in his sophomore season and should be a 10 point, 10 rebound, 2 block average player this year, as he had 10.6 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks last season. He fills Denver's biggest need in a major way. At 7'3, 290 lbs. he's the monster in the middle that Jestor and the Nuggets front office have been said to desperately covet since Shaquille O'Neal left and at 25 years old, he's still got a little more growing room, particularly at defense and shotblocking, which are both already quite good.

What this means for the Wizards
The #15 pick will hopefully give them a chance to find another scorer to pair up with Gilbert Arenas, as he's their only offensive option. Head is a great veteran pickup because he gives the Wizards another player with some passing and ballhandling skills besides Arenas. Chandler provides rebounding punch and will be in the mix to fight for Jacobson's old C spot.

Advantage: Denver
The Nuggets finally get the player they wanted after everyone else on their draft board flew off before their pick came up. More to the point, they're able to keep their other two 1st round selections this draft while doing so.

Whew! -Huge- load off my back and mind.

15. PF Dusty Coursey - Washington Wizards

The analysts are stunned that he wasn't picked before. Umm, maybe because he sucks and my coaching staff absolutely despised him? He doesn't even appear to have the franchise potential everyone was glowing about before the draft and he was raw on top of it, but we'll see how things look after the draft's over.

16. PF Jeremy Diarra - Atlanta Hawks

The highly-rated PF I thought about, but hadn't interviewed and eventually passed on. Considering bypassing him landed me Jacobson, I'm perfectly fine with that.

17. PG Darrell James - Sacramento Kings
18. PG Craig Shehan - Memphis Grizzlies
19. PF Sean Bergmann - Indiana Pacers

There goes the PF I thought would last until the 24th pick, but the Pacers, who look a lot like us in a lot of ways, jumped on him. Great minds think alike, I guess.

20. PF Ben Searcy - Boston Celtics
21. PG JJ Alvin - Milwaukee Bucks
22. SG Kevin Floyd - Minnesota Timberwolves

The last guy I knew for sure I really wanted was tabbed by the experts to go to the Pistons, so I very quickly called them and offered to flip-flop picks in exchange for their taking the 39th pick I got from the Jacobson trade. They accepted and I was able to get my final man.

23. SG Duez Walker - Denver Nuggets

I loved this guy when we brought him in for a workout. Good shooting ability with some pretty decent ballhandling skills for an off-guard. I think he's got a good shot of at least partially supplanting Chauncey Billups's role as the scorer off the bench. Good team guy and a hard worker. The TV men like the pick, too.

24. SG Rico Wolfe - Detroit Pistons

I considered Wolfe as well, but at 6'8, 190 lbs, he just struck me as awfully frail, not to mention which, there were some character issues surrounding him and the staff didn't like him as much as they did Walker.

25. PG Jamar Barnes - Dallas Mavericks

The talking heads are saying we're going to trade the 26th pick and I'm somewhat tempted to do that, but I also see a few players worth taking a flyer on. After some looking, hemming and hawing, I make my choice.

26. SF Jerrance Newman - Denver Nuggets

We get slammed on the selection, but it's not suprising. I never do well on these flyers.

That's our last selection this draft, so I take off the rest of the night after reviewing the first round.

27. SG Beau King - San Antonio Spurs
28. PG George Greene - Houston Rockets
29. PG Brian McNeill - Toronto Raptors
30. SF Ben Larson - Los Angeles Lakers

Raymond Badu is a SF the ESPN guys have been chatting up for most of the late 1st round, but he hasn't been taken. He finally goes, ironically enough, with the 39th overall pick that I traded to the Pistons, the 9th pick in the 2nd round.

In the post-draft review, Duez Walker doesn't appear to have the passing game I'd originally hoped for, but Jerrance Newman balances that somewhat by having some potential to be a legit bench player, despite the boos. Dan Jacobson, our shiny, minty new C looks like he could become even better under our staff than we'd dared to bargain for and I hastily sign his fourth year option. Walker, by the way, can play three positions, which will come in handy.

There's going to be hell to pay when he and Buboltz come to their extensions. I quickly come to terms with Jacobson on a 4 year, $28.4 million extension that'll pay him just shy of $8 million in the final season, when he'll be 30. It's a comparatively cheap salary relative to the impact he can have. Buboltz wants $12 million base, so I'm going to have to hold off on him and see what he can show me this year.

One problem with Newman. He's a cancer waiting to happen, so I quickly turn around and pawn him off.

Denver Nuggets receive
PG Leigh Nash

Boston Celtics receive
SF Jerrence Newman

What this means for the Nuggets
Denver's accumulating a lot of Class of 2010 players lately and Nash is another one. GM Jestor calls the 2010 one of the greatest draft classes to ever appear in the NBA. We're not sure about that, but Nash has some definite potential to be a good combo guard with some nice defense. He didn't play much in Boston, only averaging 5 minutes a game his first two seasons and he may not see even that much, given the presence of rookie Duez Walker, but he's worth a shot.

What this means for the Celtics
We're not sure why Newman was dealt immediately after being drafted, but we've heard rumors of an incident with one of the Nuggets that led to his being traded. He doesn't appear to have as much upside as Nash, either, although he does help push Donte Smith further down the bench.

Advantage: Denver
Boston gave up one of their hardest-working, most genial guys for a player whose team ethos is questionable, has lower upside and who doesn't really fill a role on their team. A win for the Nuggets, however small it might be.

I pick up Nash's 4th year option and renounce all our expiring contracts, which gives us $8.4 million in cap space for free agency and we have 3 slots to fill. All of our money is going to one player probably and then we'll min-sal the other guys.

Summer League

Leigh Nash, Duez Walker, Leroy Wright and Dan Jacobson were all put on the Summer League team. For some reason, Paulinho Buboltz wasn't eligible, though I have no idea why and I couldn't get a straight answer from the league office.

In any event, we beat the Mavericks 89-75 in Game 1 of Summer League as Dan Jacobson double-doubles with 12 points and 16 rebounds, Duez Walker scores 17 and Leigh Nash contributes 14 points off the bench.

Good start, but we lose 96-86 to Golden State the next game as Calvis Graham drops 30 points on us. If it wasn't for getting Jacobson, I'd love to have seen Graham fall to us. A future backcourt of him and Buboltz at PG and SG respectively would give the other teams in the league nightmares for years.

We win the next two games to assure ourselves at bare minimum a winning record, but it's a little perturbing that Dan Jacobson isn't dominating, although he did get 16 points and 14 rebounds and thoroughly owned Austin Buller in a blowout win over the Bulls.

But who knows? Maybe I'm worrying too much. In any case, we go 4-2 in summer league and Mackel Greenleaf, the former Rocket and Austin Mammoth, catches my eye with his passing skills. He may be worth a min-sal look.

Boy, am I glad I didn't take Dusty Coursey. Not only is he so raw he's 2nd round pick raw, even if he reaches his potential, he'll be a revolving door on defense. Heck, even Joakim Noah could drop 30 points on him.

A handful of interesting free agents this year, though nothing like last year's banner crop. Carmelo Anthony, Kelvin Moody, Allen Iverson, Nigel Abel, Ronny Smith, Ray Allen, Tyrus Thomas, Jason Terry, Kevin Garnett and Gerald Wallace are the most intriguing names.

Ronny Smith makes me laugh. He wants a max deal. No way in hell that's happening, though somebody will be dumb enough to give it to him.

So we're going to sit and wait a few days to see what shakes out.

Moody re-signs with Minnesota for the maximum. No surprise there. Nor is it a surprise with Carmelo and TT re-up with New York and Philly for max deals a few days later.

We make our big splash fairly early on in free agency, inking SF Al Thornton to 5 year, $44.5 million contract. Did we overpay? Yeah, probably, but we need scoring options off the bench and Thornton can provide that to both forward spots, something we needed.

Ronny Smith re-signs with New York to a 6 year, $69.6 mill. deal, so the Knicks don't go max deal. Smart move. Kevin Garnett takes $11 million and one more year with the Timberwolves, even though I was sure he'd jump teams.

A player who did switch was Chris Kaman, who got $38.2 million for 5 years from the Pistons, making me feel a lot better about the Thornton deal, even though Kaman's taking over as C and shifting Tim Davis to PF. 7'3, 294 lbs at PF and 7'0, 268 lbs at C. It's the kind of size I dream about.

We get a couple more min-sals to beef up our bigs in Tiago Splitter and Ben Wallace, even though Big Ben is old like Shaq now. The news goes practically unnoticed though, in the wake of a huge signing.

Nigel Abel, the scoring star on par with Mateen Yeaton and another member of that dynamite 2010 class, spurned the New Orleans Hornets and took 5 years, $52 million from the Miami Heat. Oh man, oh man. A Dwayne Wade-Nigel Abel backcourt. I'm faint just imagining that possiblity. It makes the Bibby-Hinrich backcourt of the champion Bulls a few years back look D-League level in comparison. On the same day, Utah Sixer Julius Austin re-signs with Miami for 5 years, $31.6 million. Miami is going to be good this year and might even challenge Charlotte for the division.

Tim Duncan follows KG's suit in taking a one year deal to stay with his old team.

We grab Sebastian Telfair on a min-sal, just because the guy always had potential and I like to stash pass-first PGs with good ball-handling skills.

We're at 13 players now and $3 million over the cap, but there's one more guy I want to go get.

The Knicks re-sign Ray Allen, the Bobcats Gerald Wallace and I think I'm going to stop commenting on re-signings. Just assume that they happen.

Chauncey Billups signs with the Spurs for $6 million and San Antonio should re-emerge as a Western Conference power now.

Grr. I lose out on Thabo Sefolosha as he opts to take the Hornets' two-year min sal instead of ours. Evidently he wanted to go East or South for whatever reason. Bah!

Starbury signs with Toronto, which amuses me. Yeah, that's going to get the Raptors their title back all right.

I kick myself when I see I could've gotten Ike Diogu back on a min-sal, but he defected to the 76ers. Oh well, I still think he was a flash in the pan type. Mackel Greenleaf, who intrigued me, got $3 million to play another year with Houston. We sign Desmond Mason to a min-sal to bolster our bench defense some more.

And the apocalypse hits.

Shaquille O'Neal - 1 year, $2.1 million - New York Knicks

Training Camp

This will be Paulinho Buboltz's breakout year. I said it last June and I'm saying it again now. He looked great in camp. Duez Walker doesn't appear to have the scoring we'd hoped for, but he looks like he might have better all-around skills than anticipated.

We have very, very high hopes for Dan Jacobson this year as well. Mehmet Okur has lost a step, but should still be solid. Enough babbling.

Projected 2012-13 Opening Day Denver Nuggets Lineup
PG Paulinho Buboltz
SG Ben Gordon
SF Caron Butler
PF Mehmet Okur
C Dan Jacobson
6th Joakim Noah (SF/PF/C)
7th Duez Walker (PG/SG/SF)
8th Al Thornton (SF/PF)
9th Leroy Wright (SF/PF/C)
10th Tiago Splitter (SF/PF/C)
11th Sebastian Telfair (PG)
12th Desmond Mason (SG/SF)

Inactive
13th Leigh Nash (PG/SG)
14th Ben Wallace (PF/C)

Leroy Wright really regressed this offseason and could see himself on the trading block soon. But overall, I feel like this team is a lot stronger than last year's, if only because we've finally got a legitimate starting C. Walker honestly doesn't strike me as being worthy of the 7th man spot, but the coaches have faith in him.

I'd call us a playoff team, but our chances of a third straight division title in my tenure look awfully slim I'd say.

We're picked for the playoffs in the preview mags and that's at 4th in the division behind perennial preseason power Portland, rated #1 in the conference again, Minnesota (#2) and Utah (#7), just ahead of us. Yeah, okay I know they got the #1 pick, but I know we're better than the Jazz.

The Raptors are again the top choice in the East, even though Chris Bosh is coming off the bench as the 6th man. Interesting choice, but apparently the team is really high on Mike Patterson, a fourth-year at SF, Bargnani at PF and Oden at C and feel that Bosh could do more damage by rampaging on other teams' 2nd units.

Funniest thing about the preview mag: The New York Knicks as the #2 seed in the conference. Their starting lineup:

PG Johnny Willias (more on him later - it's 3 am here and I have to be up in 5 hours)
SG Ray Allen
SF Carmelo Anthony
PF Ronny Smith
C Shaquille O'Neal (39 years old, almost 40 year old Shaq, mind you).

[Autumn]

Bad luck with those centers in the draft. I hope this new guy works out for you. I wasn't able to open that stats attachment you did, I'd be interested in seeing how Billups, Gordon and Buboltz's lines looked over the last two years.

[Swaggs]

I'm really enjoying this one.

I was away from internet access for a few days and enjoyed catching up. Keep up the good work.

[Izulde]

Autumn: Thanks. I think Jacobson will work out, to be honest. I've had my eye on him ever since the 2010 draft and he's developing really nicely in my opinion.

As far as our three guards go...

Chauncey Billups
2010	82 games/72 starts	19.5 ppg	9.2 apg		3.2 rpg		0.9 spg		2.5 topg
2011	76 games/39 starts	14.9 ppg	6.6 apg		2.1 rpg		0.6 spg		2.0 topg

Ben Gordon
2010	82 games/82 starts	25.9 ppg	3.6 apg		3.7 rpg		1.3 spg		2.4 topg
2011	82 games/82 starts	24.8 ppg	3.7 apg		4.3 rpg		1.5 spg		2.3 topg

Paulinho Buboltz
2010	82 games/0 starts	 5.2 ppg	2.5 apg		0.9 rpg		0.5 spg		1.2 topg
2011	54 games/43 starts	11.8 ppg	7.2 apg		2.5 rpg		1.5 spg		2.4 topg

Billups is starting at PG for the Spurs right now, in case you were wondering.

A caveat to Buboltz's rookie numbers: he only averaged 12.1 mpg, versus 28.6 mpg last season. My expectation is that his minutes will go up this year along with all of his other stats.

Swaggs: Glad to have you back and to hear that you're still enjoying it.

[Izulde]

I've got this nagging feeling that we're thin this year, though it's probably just my paranoia that we have no legitimate centers outside of Dan Jacobson. Or maybe it's because it's George Karl's contract year, or perhaps it's because Chauncey Billups, our security blanket 6th man and combo guard, is now back in a starting role over in San Antonio.

The queasiness in my stomach doesn't let up any when we open against the Lakers on Halloween night, but a lot of the tension goes away when we pull off the one-point 105-104 upset as Ben Gordon scores 24 and Dan Jacobson has a great Denver debut with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks.

I'm even gladder than ever that I got Jacobson this offseason when the team doc informs us after the game that Joakim Noah broke his finger and he'll be out a month and a half. Granted, Leroy Wright filled in admirably as a starting C his rookie season, but he's actually regressed, not progressed.

Fun game against the Timberwolves next, with three Nuggets scoring 20 points or more: Ben Gordon (27), Paulinho Buboltz (22) and Dan Jacobson (20). Al Thornton gives us the bench offense we signed him for with 11 points in the 111-105 victory.

Our record runs to 3-0 thanks to Mehmet Okur, who has one of his singlehanded game-takeover performances with 27 points and 13 rebounds to top Utah 118-109.

This is looking an awful lot like last year's schedule so far and I'm not surprised when I see a doubleheader up next, which includes a second game against the Jazz, followed by the Supersonics the next night. In fact, it's the exact same schedule as last year's so far. The Jazz nip us 108-104 to end our unblemished start, despite 31 points from Ben Gordon and 15 bench points from Al Thornton. Seattle turns it into a losing streak, downing us 128-117 even though Ben Gordon scored 30 and Paulinho Buboltz had 26 points and 13 assists. Brooks Smith, a fifth-year player who came out of the blue to be an All-Star last year is off to a fiery start again this season with 43 points against us. Smith was drafted 18th overall in the 2008 draft and didn't look like much until the 2010 season, when he erupted for 22.5 points a game in his first year as a full-time starter for Seattle.

Detroit two nights later and we win 104-96 as Ben Gordon scores 25, Dan Jacoboson puts up 11 points and 12 rebounds and Paulinho Buboltz has 12 points and 15 assists. The schedule is still the same to the T as last year's and it's really starting to annoy me.

On the road against Sacramento, where we lost last year. We win this time, again 104-96, as Dan Jacobson leads the team with 21 points and 15 rebounds and rookie Duez Walker has a career-high 12 points from the bench. All five starters save for Caron Butler scored at least 12 points in the victory.

Toronto whips us 105-88 to kill the win streak dreams. Caron Butler had 14 points and 11 rebounds, but the Raptors have restored Chris Bosh to the starting lineup and that much interior muscle is too much for us to overcome, even with Jacobson.

Ugh. I just looked ahead and the entire effing schedule is a repeat of last year's.

Great, just great. It wouldn't hurt to actually -gasp- have some freaking originality from the NBA scheduling office, would it? What the hell have those bastards been doing all fucking offseason anyway?

Double and triple UGH!

Anyway, we beat the still ridiculously young Bulls 105-87 as Ben Gordon scores 28, Paulinho Buboltz has 16 points and 11 assists and Al Thornton contributes 10 points off the bench. At least Gordon and Buboltz have been refreshingly consistent so far.

The Mavericks look just silly in losing 130-87 to us. Ben Gordon is still on fire with 40 points, Paulinho Buboltz doubles with 13 points and 15 assists and Sebastian Telfair has 10 points benchside.

We break the 130 point barrier again by outrunning the Nets 135-123. Ben Gordon has his second straight 40+ point game with 46 and Duez Walker shows off some sleek shooting skills in getting 18 points with the second team.

My least-favorite doubleheader up next, the Spurs and the Rockets. We edge out San Antonio 100-93 behind a balanced offense led by Ben Gordon (23 points), Paulinho Buboltz (22 points), Dan Jacobson (11 points, 11 rebounds[/b] and Duez Walker (10 bench points). Chauncey Billups is the 6th man for some reason, but had 18 points for the Spurs. If you'd told me before the Houston game that Dan Jacobson would have 14 points and 18 rebounds and Yao Ming 6 points and 9 rebounds and we'd still lose, I'd have called you a cracksmoker, but that's what happened. 100-87 loss as Mike Bibby scores 37 and Richard Hamilton puts up 24 points to out-star-backcourt us.

No problems vs. New Orleans, Ben Gordon scoring 26 to go with double-doubles from Mehmet Okur (12 points, 10 rebounds) and [b]Dan Jacobson (20 points, 12 rebounds). Leroy Wright is trying to prove he's still relevant by scoring 10 in reserve time.

My restored calm is burst in a 121-82 home blowout against the Cavaliers. Cleveland actually looks like they have some offense this year after signing 23 year old John Aylsworth, a fourth-year and former 1st round pick of the Jazz (#13 overall) in free agency, who's having a breakout season thus far. Mehmet Okur has 13 points and 10 rebounds, Paulinho Buboltz 15 points and 11 assists, but pretty much everyone sucks it to end the month.

Still, we're leading the division after the first month at 10-5, a game and a half ahead of Minnesota. The defending champion Lakers are looking great again at 14-2, though the Mavericks are a surprising 13-4.

The Raptors are schooling the East at 15-2 as expected. Oh, and the alleged *snicker* 2nd best team in the conference, the New York Knicks?

4-10 in November with nary an injury to excuse them. I mean hell, we're missing our best defender not named Dan Jacobson and we're still ahead in a competitive division.