Basketball

Any NBA fans? I'm a Bulls fan and I'm frustrated that most good basketball is being played in the Western Conference these days. I'm also interested in seeing if Jeremy Lin is a flash in the pan that can be adjusted to or if he's a legit player at the 1 on the NBA level.

Due to time zone differences most western conference games are on late at night when I'm doing graphic arts projects and stuff. I know Dirk had a case of head-in-ass combined with a leg issue earlier in the season and that Cuban was unhappy with him. Has Dirk pulled it together? I don't know if the Mavericks can beat Oklahoma City in a playoff series this year, but Dirk is pretty solidly the best pure scorer in NBA history, and possibly the 2nd best foreign-born player in NBA history. I would like to see him rebound (if he hasn't already)and finish his career out in top shape.

My family could never afford Bulls tickets during the Jordan era, but there's a good chance I can pry a game or two away from a season ticket holder for face value. I won't be able to score Bulls/Heat tickets or anything, but I might get to see Orlando, New York, or Boston play at the UC. I missed out on MJ so I'd like to see Derrick.


I wish the Tebow/Lin comparisons would stop. Unlike Tebow, Lin has an actual thought in his head at any given time, and he's actually been pretty good so far. I'm wondering if his emergence causes the NY media to toss Melo to the fire. My money is on Lin regressing and Melo going back to being Melo, but it's all speculation at this point.

I'm going Linsane....with Lin. Seriously, he seems like a great guy but enough with the puns!

It's amazing the depth the NBA has at point guard. Even more amazing is the lack of talent at center. There is only one elite 5 in the game right now.

None of those three are what I would consider great offensive players (another reason that position is so weak right now is no one is really a dominant post presence in the game), but Howard is a 3 time Defensive Player of the Year Award winner who doesn't really have a tough match-up on any given night. Bynum and Howard are both better than Bogut, I think. I question Howard's desire to improve and win, and I think Bynum is an injury-prone, technical-prone punk. Howard has a massive ceiling he has come no where near hitting yet, but guys like Ewing, Robinson, and O'Neal (The good O'Neal) would have smoked the guys playing today.

Who would put on an all-time great starting 5? Mine would look like this:

PG Magic Johnson
SG Michael Jordan
SF Larry Bird (For some reason this doesn't feel quite right)
PF Tim Duncan
C Hakeem Olajuwon

Interesting the choices over Shaq. I consider him to be one of, if not the, most imposing figures in NBA history. He might lack other offensive skill sets but his ability to drive and dominant within the hole is, I believe, unmatched.

I definitely agree that it was very competitive position at one point.

I have Malone at 2nd all-time for that position.

Hakeem had the unfortunate displeasure of peaking during the Jordan years. Usually, the team with the best center in the league makes it to the finals, if not win them. When Jordan went away, Hakeem got his rings.

Shaq was the most physically imposing big man to ever suit up, but his inability to close games due to a lack of free throwing ability (which leads to Hack-A-Shaq) knocks him down the list. I'm a little hesitant to show Wilt and Russell love as the game has changed so much since that time, but I'm not ruling them out. Suspending Russell and Chamberlain from discussion, I'd say the top 3 centers of all time are Hakeem, Kareem, and Shaq. Kareem was a finesse player with an unblockable shot, Shaq was an 800 pound force of nature who couldn't be guarded by any one human, but Hakeem had both finesse and post presence, an unblockable, unguardable Dream Shake, and otherworldly defense. Phi Slamma Jamma. Even MJ, the most insufferably competitive athlete since Ty Cobb, tipped his hat to Hakeem regularly.

I hesitate on Bird because I think his overall value might be a little inflated due to being white and being one half of the big Magic/Bird rivalry. My knowledge of historic 3s is a little thin. Scottie Pippin would be in my top 5 due to his defense (he's often underrated because he played next to Jordan), but while hardly a poor offensive presence, he isn't Larry Bird with the ball. Charles Barkley LeBron James might be the most physically gifted player at SF, or any other position for that matter. That guy confuses the hell out of me. He willed that pack of bums in Cleveland to the finals by his damn self but he's been a headcase since coming to the Heat. Unless he's guarding Derrick Rose late in the 4th he doesn't seem to be "on". He also has a 45 year old's hairline.

I love me some Derrick Rose. If he was 5 inches taller and 15-20 pounds heavier, he would be unstoppable.

Too big, too fast, too strong, too good. That's your point guard, Funk.

I think not only should he be suspended from the entire Playoffs - or at least as long as Harden is hurt - but he should also face Assault and Battery charges from the LAPD. The guy is lucky he didn't go to jail from the Malice in the Palace, he should not be so lucky this time around.

The "Former Bulls Players I Don't Miss From 1998-2010" list certainly includes Ron Artest.

Dwight Howard has proved himself to be a complete flake.

I would love to have Kevin Love on the Bulls.


I would love even more for Derrick Rose to evolve his game a la Michael Jordan to prevent getting batted around so damn much. It's harder to get hurt when you're not being knocked out of the air every 48 seconds.

Words fail me. This is a bad year for Chicago sports.

From a pure spectator's point of view, the best Finals would be Heat/Thunder. I could live with Heat/Spurs or Celtics/Thunder, but Celtics/Spurs would be the most boring assemblage of historically great talent ever assembled. Now, if this was 2008...