BENCHED!
I’m supposed to be out in Las Vegas for NBA All-Star Weekend right now. But I’m stuck. After the icy snowstorm that swept through much of the country earlier this week, a bunch of Vegas-bound flights got canned, including mine. Meaning I’ll be spending part of my weekend in the next-best place — the Tropicana in Atlantic City.
That said, all the airport delays gave me plenty of time to reflect on life, why it only snows on days I don't want it to, and, oh yeah, the first half of the NBA season. Are the Mavericks going to get a ring this year? Can anyone quiet — and I do mean, quiet — Gilbert Arenas? And will Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony be able to coexist? Since I'm not going to be in Vegas, I also thought about the other guys that might deserve to be in Vegas playing in the All-Star Game but aren't (that's right, none of my Bulls made the squad). And, you know, there's a lot of cats who aren't technically "All-Stars" but are vital to their respective teams this season. So I started listing 'em. And, yes, there are some obvious picks on the list I came up with, but hell, I also put ballers like J.J. Redick and Kyle Korver down on there. Maybe I just really feel like gambling. Whatever the case, peep game. Thirty guys on thirty teams that you should start talking about...
Atlanta Hawks. Marvin Williams. At some point, the Hawks have to get better. Law of averages or something. Williams is steadily improving.
Boston Celtics. Delonte West. Technically, no one looks good on a team that loses 18 games in a row. But he's got a game that's gonna be explosive on a good team one day.
Charlotte Bobcats. Gerald Wallace. He dropped 32 on the Bulls on Wednesday and might be the only reason to catch a Bobcats game this season.
Chicago Bulls. Ben Gordon. Unless the Bulls pick up a big man to provide some interior scoring, the “other” Ben needs to keep firing 'em up.
Cleveland Cavaliers. Larry Hughes. LeBron will man the highlight reel. Get to the free throw line, Larry.
Dallas Mavericks. DeSagana Diop. It’s Dirk-or-die for the Mavs, but when Diop plays big, Dallas is tough to beat.
Denver Nuggets. J.R. Smith. Keep asking A.I. and ‘Melo who takes the shot to win the game. I’m betting it’s Smith, wide open on the wing.
Detroit Pistons. Chris Webber. Welcome to the D.
Golden State Warriors. Monta Ellis. Here’s another reason folks continue to ask why high school players can’t jump to the pros.
Houston Rockets. Rafer Alston. The Rockets winning formula is simple: Get the ball to T-Mac and Yao. But the plays start with “Skip To My Lou.”
Indiana Pacers. Jamaal Tinsley. Stephen Jackson’s gone. So why can’t Tinsley stay out of trouble?
Los Angeles Clippers. Sam Cassell. One step forward, two steps back. Cassell needs to keep the Clips moving in the right direction.
Los Angeles Lakers. Andrew Bynum. Phil Jackson will be the first to tell you: The Lakers go as far as Bynum, not Kobe, takes them.
Memphis Grizzlies. Pau Gasol. Will he stay or will he go?
Miami Heat. James Posey/Antoine Walker. The tandem provided the Heat with a clutch basket every time they needed one during last year’s playoff run.
Milwaukee Bucks. Michael Redd. The Memphis Bleek of the NBA: Redd’s one-hit — or playoff series victory — away from superstar status.
Minnesota Timberwolves. Ricky Davis. Okay, okay, it’s really Kevin Garnett. But he can’t do it alone...Right?
New Jersey Nets. Vince Carter. One day Vinsanity will realize he can be recognized for more than just dunking.
New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. Tyson Chandler. The oft-injured Hornets are young, but the former Bull finally has the experience to excel in the playoffs.
New York Knicks. Jamal Crawford. Sometimes he drops 50, sometimes he drops 5. He’ll be dangerous if the Knicks ever figure out which one he really is.
Orlando Magic. J.J. Redick. He knows how to play the game. And after playing just 19 games with the Magic, he’s showing glimpses of it. Full disclosure: The writer of this is a Duke fan.
Philadelphia 76ers. Kyle Korver. Every high school player in the tri-state area knows how pretty the sharpshooter’s shot looks.
Phoenix Suns. Raja Bell. No one talks about Bell until playoff time.
Portland Trailblazers. Brandon Roy. If the Blazers are patient, Roy’s going to be a star.
Sacramento Kings. Mike Bibby. The Kings will miss the playoffs by thismuch — unless Bibby can find his shot again.
San Antonio Spurs. Melvin Ely. The Spurs landed the forward in a deal with the Bobcats last week.
Seattle Supersonics. Ray Allen (?). ‘Cause, seriously? Who else plays on the Sonics these days?
Toronto Raptors. Andrea Bargnani. Rookies always hit the wall during the second half of the season. Can Chris Bosh make up for it?
Utah Jazz. Deron Williams. His numbers are down this year but the Reboundin’ Russian keeps putting in work.
Washington Wizards. Antawn Jamison. 'Cause it ain't easy being the captain of Gilbert Arenas.
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Extra points:
Jackie Robinson, Arthur Ashe, Hank Aaron and Muhammad Ali have all appeared on the Wheaties box in the past in honor of Black History Month. Today in Vegas, Wheaties unveiled the new packaging, featuring Hall of Fame NBA star Bill Russell.
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Comments
1.
romedigs says:
Golden State - yes Monta Ellis is an all star for his second year in the league...but, you can't leave Baron Davis out playa...he single-handedly changed the warriors mayne. The rest of the list is on point.
Peace!
02/17/2007 at 12:21 AM