Wednesday Breakdown

*Thanks to BDTG reader Willie for a story on the Vanilla Grandmilla.

*Ken Berger reports, Larry Bird is an...Eminem fan?

*One of my favorite writers, Scoop Jackson, telling us the LeBron to NYC talk is over.

*Lil Wayne on First Take! Oh man, who woulda thought Lil Wayne and Skip Bayless would battle it out.

via BDL, Kings Rookie Prank



via SLAM, Paul Rogan NBA Rap



via TrueHoop, Steve Nash will beat you
in a Free Throw Shooting Contest

Monday Breakdown

Lotta good links today. We're starting off the New Year strong, got a nice shout out again on CBS Sports. For any/all of those new readers....we'll keep it interesting, so keep coming back for more. But while you're here...might as well break it down with me! Drop me a line below.

*I'm a little late on this, but did Charles Barkley really say THAT to the cops...?? (Rated R for explicit talk of a BJ, not named Armstrong.)

*My man Brandon from Ballerblogger.com is now writing daily for Real GM. Check out his first Scoop Du Jour, giving us links from around the L.

*Pretty dope basketball blog, Obsessionism, seen first at TrueHoop. Their latest post, an unbelievable graphical breakdown of a team's clutch stats, and coming up with interesting conclusions and revealing data about coaches, players, and more.

*The New York Times had another take on the Mike D'Antoni's effect to the team and their stats. Much like all stats in a D'Antoni system, the inflation of numbers/stats doesn't tell the whole story. Fact is, the Knicks still need to be more efficient. Thanks to my man Mo for the tip.

*Staying on the topic, I am SO thankful of Hardwood Paroxysm. A must-read article, that actually makes sense (!), comparing The Joker, to Mike D'Antoni's system, 7SOL. Brilliant, and definitely one of the funniest pic's I've ever seen.

*A Dime Q&A with my favorite new fantasy player, G Dub. Thanks Dave!

*NBA.com Power Rankings. ESPN.com Power Rankings. Also, ESPN's writers predict whats in store for 09.

*Coach Muss compares the two leading ROY candidates and what makes Derrick Rose and OJ Mayo both very special.

*Kobe, or no Kobe? Pay off the house, pay off the car, and then kick that cow to the curb, my man. Stupid ass wanted him to take the box with one grand....don't get me started....

Monday Wake N Break

Great win last night for the Knicks! There's been a ton of bad blood between these teams for a while, especially Q and Paul Pierce, so it's good to get that win at home. With about 3 minutes left, I turned to my buddy Brett and said the Knicks probably won't score again (thinking Boston D was going to lock down). Meanwhile, it was Boston who went cold, and Knicks won by 12, 100-88. Felt great to be wrong! That should give us enough momentum to take down the Thunder on their turf, but after that....the Knicks are at Dallas, then Houston, then New Orleans before they come home and face a hot(ter) Wizards team, beating LeBron and the Cavs. As for Boston, they've lost 4 of their last 6, and we can officially count them out for winning 70 games and agree they're not in a class of their own.

I just started reading Phil Jackson's book, Sacred Hoops. There's a ton of material that I could share here, but I'll try to keep it to mostly to the fun stuff for the masses...

The Associated Press reported that, in a survey of African-American Children, Jordan had tied with God as the person they most admired after their parents. A radio station in Chicago asked listeners if Jordan should be named king of the world, and 41 percent of the respondents said yes. - Phil Jackson in Sacred Hoops on Michael's return to basketball in 1995.

RetroDunk: Jordan breaks backboard

Tuesday Breakdown

To all the loyal readers, sorry for the lack of posts. We'll try to pick it back up to normal after the New Year.

A few links while I'm here:

The Jordan 2009's are coming out. Pretty sweet...

Awesome read on Chris Paul and his nastiness.

Steve Nash is the most over rated player...EVER! Bill Simmons joins me in my frustration, and states the case that Nothing has altered the NBA more than Mike D'Antoni. Unfortunately, it's because Steve Nash is the biggest joke of a back-to-back MVP and the most over rated player, EVER! (Did I mention that?)

In case you forgot, the Consecutive MVP Club looks like this: Kareem, Bird, Magic, Moses, Jordan, Russell, Duncan, Wilt … and Nash. Gulp.

That is ridiculous. Check out Nash's numbers this year compared to his last season in Dallas:

Nash, 2003-04: 78 games, 14.5 PPG, 8.8 APG, 47% FG, 41% 3FG, 92% FT.
Nash, 2008-09: 24 games, 15.5 PPG, 8.5 APG, 48% FG, 42% 3FG, 94% FT.

Nuff said...

Speaking of Mike D'Antoni, Ken Berger breaks down Mike D's very under-rated defense.

Friday Breakdown

Sundays have not been kind to teams in Detroit...

Always good to see people with big ego's self-depreciate a bit. Amare Stoudamire has a favor to ask...

I'm officially sick of the "NBA. Where Amazing Happens" commercials. Finally, something new.

Chris Paul, "I don't have any tattoos. My mom and dad would kill me."

For LeBron's 24th Birthday, 24-Hours of LeBron on NBAtv.

DeShawn Stevenson is a D-Bag.

Experience is a tough teacher, it gives the test first and the lesson afterwards. Also from E-Muss, establishing a culture of work. Great reads.

So I guess it was true...? Bonzi really is playing in China, and posted 48 points, 11 boards and 7 steals in his debut. He must love them yellow chicks...why the hell else would he be in China playing for 40K?

Imagine the Wizards were so bad, they stop taking basketball seriously and do a reality show. Well...you don't have to imagine it....Thanks for bringing this to my attention Jim. I can NOT believe this years Wiz are worse than last years Knicks.

New York rocks, Boston sucks....

One more thing on the Celtics. I'm from New York, and if the Knicks had just set a record for the best start in NBA history and longest winning streak in franchise history, there would be a solid six pages of hysterical coverage in the New York papers. The Boston Herald offered two -- game story, column, notebook, just like any other game. The Celtics are the best team in basketball ... and the Yankees signed Teixeira! - Ken Berger, CBS Sports.

Monday Wake n Break

*Rotoworld, Breakin down the Fantasy Week Ahead.

*A wise man learns from the mistakes of others (Boozer)...That's what LeBron James did this weekend when he said publicly that the Cavs are moving in the right direction, and its possible he signs a contract extension this offseason, contrary to recent thoughts that he'd move to New York. Ken Berger catches up with Wade and Bosh about the topic.

*Chris Paul watches so much ball, he can see the future.

*Marc Stein gives out his trimester awards in ESPN's Weekend Dime. Also in the Dime is a Q&A with Al Harrington.

*A Free Darko, Sunday rant.

*It's possible this season, we see NBA records broken for best and worst teams. ESPN officially starts the 72-game watch, and also keeps an eye on the Thunder and their horrible start.

*SLAM goes one-on-one with Charlie Villinueva. Come on Charlie V...how could you be a New Yorker and a Reggie Miller fan??

*Upside and Motor gives us the NBA Archetype Hierarchy. Great read from last week.

Can Charles Barkley Dodge A Shoe Like Dubya?

Thursday Breakdown

David Thorpe's new Rookie report is out, on ESPN.com, and guess who's finally made it to the top? OJ Mayo! I've been on record all year saying the minutes and green light make well for a Rookie of the Year candidate, and with Derrick Rose's recent struggles (mostly on defense), OJ's taken the lead.

Shaq, sounding like Big, BIG, Baby, crying about not getting enough touches. I'm surprised he's still singing that tune, considering he's got Amare, Nash and J Rich on his team. Sharing is caring big fella.

LeBron + Ice Cube = This TV Show

Yesterday, Ball Don't Lie interviewed The Jet. Today, we get Ernie, the brains behind the TNT Emmy-Award winning studio show.

STAT's got a blog! So how long before he publicly demands a trade on it?

Be careful Raptor fans....don't boo your superstar, soon-to-be, free agent.

HoopsWorld says Flip Saunders has an open invite to be the next coach in Philly. Makes sense, they could really use some more offensive options.

Speaking of...EB is out for a month, from a dislocated shoulder he suffered last night. Another blow to the Sixers, although this might be a good thing considering they played a lot better last year without Brand.

Lil Wayne's blogging again. Don't do it Weezy...don't pick Kobe over MJ.

It's nice to see some players with enough confidence and balls to allow their teammates to yell at them. With all the success CP3 and the Hornets have had, their ego's still haven't inflated to the point of not taking criticism.

Knickerblogger breakin' down the Knicks roster spots.