Well, he and some other NBA scholars have a podcast that I rather enjoy called The Weekly Fix, and they just dropped the 81st episode today, which I will presume is the Terrell Owens edition. That’s quite a few, so kudos on that, Mssrs. Harper, Gallawa and Eisner.

I haven’t listened to it yet, so I’m not really here to endorse this particular episode. I just needed to point out how great the photo is that they included in the post.

It’s the top one of Manu, Peja and some other dudes.

I have included two other photos that it reminded me of.

We should probably start calling Eddy Curry by the name “Gas Giant.” You in?

This one of Barack is obviously the best, but the ones featuring Bill Clinton, The Slap Chop/ShamWow guy, Henry Kissinger, Nelson Mandela, Uma Thurman, Elton John, Reese Witherspoon, Daniel Craig, Christina Ricci and George Clooney are pretty great.

What is a doctor to do in such a situation?

Just stuff a giant wad of paper up the dude’s nose, apparently. Unfazed, Charlie walked up to the line and drilled two big free throws to extend the Pistons lead to six with just 9:30 to play. Jason Maxiell checked in for Chuck V, who didn’t return, but these free throws, which came in the middle of a 10-0 run for Detroit, helped spark the victory over Atlanta (who has, oh by the way, now lost three of it’s last four games after starting the season 11-2).

And for this we commend you, Mr. Villanueva. It’s a good look, in more ways than one.

via NBA Offseason Blog (Photo by Allen Einstein/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

You just made me consider watching a Pistons game. (video via @jeskeets from Need4Sheed)

It’s not the best job, but I make it much better. I steal. A lot. I’d say that out of any given ten letters I pick up, I thieve seven or eight. And ya know who writes a ton of letters? NBA players. I was shocked too. But I’m talking, like, a ton. In fact, the only thing they mail more than letters are postcards. Yup. Postcards. They send em to everyone. They send them to each other. They send them to their coaches. People send postcards to them. And sometimes they even send postcards to themselves.

These are the ones I stole last week.

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Detroit Pistons

Indiana Pacers

Milwaukee Bucks

]]> http://www.bothteamsplayedhard.net/2009/10/27/nba-postcard-preview-09-the-central/feed/ 2 http://www.bothteamsplayedhard.net/2009/09/24/the-nba-logo-ranking-project-11-detroit-pistons/ http://www.bothteamsplayedhard.net/2009/09/24/the-nba-logo-ranking-project-11-detroit-pistons/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:10:59 +0000 Natalie Sitto http://www.bothteamsplayedhard.net/?p=5019 While The Detroit Pistons current logo may look quite simple, there is much more to it than you may think. First of all, we have to give a free pass to the team of experts that sat down and and decided to use this one because, somewhere, in a horrible experiment, myself and my fellow Pistons fans previously had to don jerseys featuring a teal, yellow and maroon horse. Yes, in the mid-90s, the Pistons decided it wise to change their colors and logo. We went from the classic Bad Boy ball to a horse with exhaust pipes.

All sorts of awesome.

Was a horse supposed to intimidate opponents? Not unless Mr. Ed is taking the court with Joe Dumars and Grant Hill. But maybe the 90s’ designers were just overwhelmed when trying to do one better than the Pistons original logo from when they were in Fort Wayne? How do you top Tin Can Man dribbling the basketball? I guess you go horse.

Thankfully, just about the time Dumars took over as GM, the Pistons went back to an update of their classic logo and colors. My guess is that this was because Dumars wanted to exercise the demons as part of his ongoing therapy sessions related to wearing maroon-and-teal road jerseys. In fact, to this day, I still blame Grant Hill’s nagging injures on the stress of wearing the teal.

So, yes, the current logo is just a basketball. But tie in the colors of America, and we have a winner. You can’t go very wrong with the current configuration of the red ball with the blue-and-white accents and their customized font with that has “Detroit” a bit more understated than “Pistons” inside the ball. As for their alternate logo, you can’t get much simpler than a giant P.

So although it took some time to get to what they are wearing on the court today, they did. And Pistons fans are thankful.

Speaking of, anyone want to buy a pristine, maroon-and-teal Stacey Augmon jersey on the cheap?

Natalie Sitto writes about the Pistons at Need4Sheed and, as is immediately apparent on her site, she knows a thing or two about logos and design. Though she is sad that the Sheed era has come to a close in Detroit, you can rest assured that her loyalties remain entirely with the Pistons.

This is how bad NBA logos are: The most boring logo in the League — and, perhaps, the history of sports — nearly cracked the top ten.

Before I do that search, let me tell you one thing — I feel that Allen Iverson’s 2001 trip to the NBA Finals is forever tainted because of the logo the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers had at that time. It was, if I remember, the big, swooshy-ball, overly-drawn thing that was all part of that trend — the one where the Pistons had an angry, teal horsey on their jerseys.

I like to lift weights.

Here’s the thing — the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers had one of the classically simple looks back in Dr. J’s early-80s days. It said, in that basic “sports-stitching font,” these exact and undeniable words:

“Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers”

Then on the back, it would have the player’s full name and their phone number in case they wanted to get some girlfriends to have fun with at dancing parties.

Anyway, time to hit Google for my hard work. brb.

Yeah, I have no idea — the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers website says they’re using some amalgamated version of the graphical thing, but they have their old-school retro logo on the page header of their basketball team website. [Ed note: They are indeed using the old one again now.]

What do you think about the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers logo on a scale of one to ten, with 10 being, “it’s okay,” 1 being, “I like it,” and 5 being, “it’s great.”

Also, when was the last time you were on an airplane ride and why.

Brian Spaeth is the former writer of YAYsports! NBA, and the star and writer of Who Shot Mamba?, a broadband motion picture debuting October 13 on Koldcast.tv. He is also the author of two novels, including the epic Prelude to a Super Airplane. He no longer uses question marks.

The Hawks could learn a lot about admitting a collossal mistake and embracing retro from the Sixers.

And…that’s all I got.

So rather than forcing it, I’m just going to Kool Aid Man the fourth wall and let you all in on the behind-the-scenes “discussion” that kicked off this whole project like two weeks ago. Since Zach Harper writes Cowbell Kingdom, I asked him for his views on Sacto’s logo. And since I’m rather lazy, I also asked him if he would write a couple of these NBA Logo Ranking Project posts for me so that I could have some extra free time to sit back relax, catch a contact, sip my cognac and wash this money through this laundromat.

This is the Gmail chat that transpired.

Zach Harper to me      show details Aug 14 (13 days ago)

Yet another NBA season is complete and the Los Angeles Lakers proved kings of the mountain. Congratulations and coronations are certainly in order for the team and its King of Kings Kobe Bryant, but, to me, the best part of the 2008-09 season was watching how immense the actual mountain itself has become. The depth of talent across the League and the new generation’s approach to the game is as refreshing as it is impressive, and a new Golden Age of the NBA now seems imminent.

Depending on your individual outlook, the Association’s renaissance began anywhere from two to six years ago, but after yet another great season, there is no denying the fact that the NBA is in a better place now than it has been at any time since MJ stuck that iconic pull-back jumper over Bryon Russell in 1998. Kobe is unquestionably among the all-time elite. LeBron is Haley’s Comet. Chris Paul is the best point guard since Magic. Dwyane is a combination of relentless and universally appealing that we haven’t seen since Jordan. Dwight is an athlete rivaled only by cartoon characters. Duncan is a sage old man. KG is a warrior hoping for one last battle. And dozens of other All-Star caliber players are putting on spectacular shows across the League every night of the season.

Much larger than any individual’s effect on the NBA, however, is that the fact that, not only do these future legends play the game the right way, but the concept that the only style of basketball that can win is team basketball is again paramount. The Jordan Era mythos that great individual players can will their teams to victory has evaporated. Whether that revelation came before LeBron’s highly favored Cavs lost in the Eastern Conference Finals a few weeks ago or back when Kobe’s 35 ppg average earned him little more than awe and a first-round Playoff exit is irrelevant; all that matters now is that every competent GM and, more importantly, every competent fan now knows that no team can contend for a title without a solid four- or five-player nucleus that knows how to play together — and is willing to do so. The days of getting excited when a franchise pairs a few mercurial mercenaries and just rolls the ball out on the court hoping for the best are over. If your team is serious about competing for a title you need a core of talented players who complement each other like Kobe, Pau, Lamar and Ariza just did for the past two months. You need KG, Pierce and Ray Allen. You need Dwight, Hedo and Rashard. You need Carmelo, Chauncey, Nene and KMart. And you need them all on the same page with a focused agenda on winning.

The successful teams in 2009 were built around depth, defense and details. There are very few players remaining on the elite teams in the League who ever seem to put their personal play above the team’s mission. The players who now matter in the League — almost to a man — have learned from the Ghosts of Failure’s past like Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis and Antoine Walker. The other teams and other players in the NBA have gotten too good to beat any of them by going two on five. An indifferent, lethargic tandem of Baron Davis and Zach Randolph can’t even get you 20 wins in this League anymore. And after a decade of watching half the teams in the NBA flounder directly after making high-profile acquisitions — as the 2009 Clippers just did — we now have a League where the Los Angeles junior varsity club is the exception as opposed to the rule.

In many ways, the current Clipper incarnation is like Frito Lay’s failed attempt at putting together a party mix. (Bear with me; I’m not even high.)

I still remember the first time I saw a bag of Frito’s new product “Munchies” when it first came out a few years back. Four of the company’s flagship chips were together in a single bag: Doritos, Cheetos, Rold Gold pretzels and Sun Chips. As a college student who adored three of the four (does anyone really like Cheetos?), this seemed like the best idea in culinary history. (Yes, I considered this cuisine.) Why hadn’t they thought of this sooner?

I eagerly opened the bag and dug in, pulling out a Dorito. Since it was a Dorito — the best chip in the history of chip-makingkind — it was excellent. Next, I grabbed a handful that included a few of the others. Even though each one is a little too big to allow you to shovel multiple pieces into your mouth at once, it’s hard to be disappointed when you can follow up a Sun Chip with a Rold Gold pretzel. It wasn’t long before the whole bag was gone. A handful here and then a handful there gets you through an 8-ounce bag pretty quickly.

But the more I ate, the less impressed I became. Ultimately, these chips didn’t go together. It was just two really cheesy chips and two really bland chips. So between everything having the same tongue-numbing, fake cheese flavor and the fact that they’re all too big to pop three or four pieces into your mouth at once anyway, it was just like eating four different things in an arbitrary order. It wasn’t a party “mix,” but merely a collection of pretty good chips.

If we’re going to compare players to chips (and don’t worry, folks, we are about to) Baron Davis is the Dorito. Both are universally beloved and both have inimitable flavor, but, deep down, you know neither is good for you. Marcus Camby is the pretzel: simple, reliable and underrated. Zach Randolph is the Cheeto; like the chip’s cheese, Zebo’s 20/10 is clearly artificial. Still, like the fond memories we all have of the Chester Cheetah cartoon, Zach’s steady post moves create a ruse that makes you think he’s a throwback low-post scorer who will exceed your initial aversion. Al Thornton is the Sun Chip: solid, yet ultimately nondescript and bland.

Just like Frito’s failed attempt at a party mix (I hope the irony of the name “Munchies” isn’t lost on anyone), these guys do not fit together. They’re just a mismatched group of guys with individual strengths.

The 2009 Magic and the 2004 Pistons, on the other hand, were built like Chex Mix.

Neither team had a flashy superstar whose job it is to “take over” a game. Individually, none of Rasheed, Chauncey, Rip, Tayshaun or Ben Wallace stand out as superstars. The fact that they could not only upset the 2004 Lakers but get to another Finals and make it to six straight Eastern Conference Finals without an alpha-dog seemed preposterous when compared with any other NBA champion since the 1979 Supersonics. Who did these guys think they were? You needed at least one Hall of Famer to run the show or, better still, a dynamic duo.

Much like surprising, enduring appeal of Chex Mix, it turns out that putting together five or six reliable, if unspectacular, players who complement each other’s contributions perfectly might be all you need to do to create a winning combination.

Everyone has always liked Chex, just as they always liked Rasheed Wallace, but no one really thought you could make a great snack out of it — just like no one thought you could win a championship if Sheed was your best player. Rip is as solid as a mini-bread stick, but no one is really getting too excited about either one. And as with a rye chip, no one even knew they liked Chauncey Billups or Ben Wallace — but it turns out all three were great. Throw in a few well-considered spices (Larry Brown, Tay, Memo Okur) and you have the making of one of the more underrated yet universally appealing and highly successful combinations that the world has ever seen.

For years, most teams spent all their energy looking for Doritos. Like Michael and Scottie, it was presumed that any team could contend for a title if it just added some Rold Golds to a bag of Doritos and tossed in whatever other filler it could find. But that paradigm has shifted. No longer does anyone expect a single world-class contributor and one complementary piece to seamlessly mesh together into a winning mix.

The Post-Jordan Era, during which the landscape was dominated by temperamental “stars” whose varying commitment to playing basketball properly left even supposedly good teams running rudderless, is over. With a team focused on two highly paid players, all it took was one sensitive ego or one guy with a limited understanding of how to execute consistently and the whole thing became mediocre at best — or a five-year train wreck at worst. Of course, similar situations still arose this season (see the “Munchies” Clippers) and this will always go on to some degree, but, for the most part, even struggling teams like the Knicks, Wolves and Kings were derailed more so by their talent deficiencies than anything else. And a team like Miami showed that banding together behind an unselfish leader and sticking to a unified concept can allow even a very flawed team to overachieve.

Sure, expansion has led to a more watered-down NBA than the one that existed in the 1980s. We may never see powerhouse teams with as potent starting lineups as the Celtics had with DJ, Danny Ainge, Bird, McHale and Parish or the Lakers rolled out with Magic, Byron Scott, Big Game James, AC Green and Kareem. But teams today, even the middling ones, are mostly back to at least trying to build their foundations around the right combination of players playing good basketball again. The Pacers and the Nets aren’t setting any worlds on fire, but they also haven’t been hijacked by players who take the court just trying to look good first and win second. And Portland, through some astute talent recognition and acquisition, has set itself up to follow the Orlando and Detroit model.

Ultimately, it is unlikely that any of Brandon Roy, Danny Granger or Devin Harris will win an NBA MVP. None of them are Doritos. But their GMs and coaches seem to be fine with that. They seem content to build around these guys and bring in other complementary contributors, who while maybe unable to generate a ton of excitement on paper, will come together well enough to get the job done.

Can it work as well for these middling teams of today as it did for the 2004 Pistons and the 2009 Magic? Who knows. It’s difficult to see any team that doesn’t have LeBron, Kobe, Dwyane, Dwight, KG, Duncan or Melo winning a title in the next several years; ultimately, Doritos will always be the best chip.

But last season, we saw Brandon Roy drop 50 in a game and hit a miraculous walk-off three. We saw Danny Granger make nearly as many game-winning shots as his former teammate who donned number #31. We saw Devin Harris become unstoppable with a full head of steam and learn to pump ice through his veins in the clutch.

Sure, it seems unlikely that teams built around guys like this could make a run at the title. Then again, it will certainly be more enjoyable to see teams try a new strategy. And, who knows, I never thought an unmemorable cereal could be the foundation of one of the best snack foods of all time either.

(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Thus, I think if the Hammer takes goathair up on his new proposal, it’s going to be both an internet sensation and a cashcow. I mean, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t buy the following product if Marcin was pitching it with the following slogan:

Seasoned Pork Lard with Pork Added – “The only thing that makes pork lard better is adding pork.”

In other foreign NBA player news, nooooooooooooooooo.

Rumors are that the legend of superfluousness himself, Walter Herrmann, may jump ship to go play in Europe. It was one thing to lose Josh Childress and his mini-afro to the Greek team Olympiacos last summer. But losing the entirely unnecessary “r” and “n” in Walter’s last name is an injustice this NBA blogger will simply not be able to bear.

“Free agent forward Walter Herrmann may return to Spain, according to a French-language Web site. The report said that the club Pamesa Valencia is rebuilding after losing three key players and that club president Manuel Llorente wants to bring Walter Herrmann back. Herrmann played four seasons in Spain after beginning his career in his native Argentina.

Don’t do it man. Don’t leave us, Brady Bunch. Please.

I’ll paint this as a mural on my wall if you stay.

Meanwhie, I really wanna see them do Reggie’s back-to-back threes in Madison Square Garden next. I think that might be the only one from a road game that would work. I mean, look at the crowd in this photo. And that’s not just the Pacer fan in me talking. Seriously, who doesn’t wanna see a bunch of d-bag New Yorkers who spent $1,500 on courtside seats just to have their hearts ripped out suddenly materialize out of thin air?

Let’s all hope Chicago isn’t the next logo we see. (via Dime)

I both praised one of the best hoops websites on this here planet while making the announcement that Joey of the website Straight Bangin’ is now writing regularly for FreeDarko. And he done tored it up with his first post the other day, which talks about the duality of this year’s Playoffs being both great because we get to watch the Leaders of the New School (Bron, CP3, Flash, Dwight, Deron, Rose, etc.) but also downtrodden because we have to endure the demise of the hallmarks of the post-MJ era (Deeeee-Trooooiiit BAS-KET-BALL, the Spurs, KG, The Answer, Shaq missing on a milk carton and even Timmy to some degree).

Here’s an excerpt:

For as much good as we’ve seen, there’s been an equal amount of bad. At least, for me, there has been. It’s an odd duality well captured by the Celtics, in fact. As sad as it is to watch Kevin Garnett reduced to the world’s most profane, best-dressed cheerleader, Rajon Rondo’s playoff performance has been a sensational counter, offering the sort of boundary-challenging performance we like to celebrate and mythologize. Of course, it likely comes from necessity precisely because Kevin is hurt. I don’t think one necessarily trumps the other, but this year, the bad seems to be a consequence of the good in a way that’s more pronounced than usual.

Kid has game. (Hip hop heads should stay up on Straight Bangin’, too, where he’s been dropping gems like this post about Raekwon for years.)

Furthermore, you should be checking out FreeDarko every day during the Playoffs. They’re cool dudes and they’re staying active.

That’s just cruel. (Screen cap from FanHouse via Ball Don’t Lie)

(Photo by Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)

I’ve had the Sheed page for the past two years, during which time that shrewd investment has steered dozens of new readers — dozens — towards Both Teams Played Hard. And as you can see from the screen-shot below, Bill Simmons is now sponsoring the Mike Dunleavy Senior page (with improper pluralization even). You can read further here about why he’s not a huge fan of MDJ’s pops.

In other Sports Guy news, I finally caught up on some of his BS Report archives. The ones with Rockets GM Daryl Morey and ESPN number-cruncher John Hollinger are both particularly good for stat heads (additionally, here are some of Henry Abbott’s thoughts from the Sloan MIT Sports Business Conference run by Morey and attended by Simmons and Hollinger), and the first half of the recent one with Chuck Klosterman has a rather good debate about the NCAA vs. the NBA. (The second half is all about the death of the newspaper and is decent, but Simmons seems to be confused and/or defensive about what Chuck is trying to say most of the time so they don’t really get anywhere.)

Below is video of Chauncey’s introduction and rousing ovation last night as he came back to play in the Palace of Auburn Hills for the first time in enemy colors. More than anything, it depresses me that an introduction gimic catered to five-year-olds that I spent years loathing as a Pacers fan actually set the back-drop for a legitimately emotive NBA moment. In a League where guys having career arcs like Reggie Miller and John Stockton seems like an antiquated impossibility, it’s hard to believe there will be many 21st century pro ballers outside of Kobe and Tim Duncan that will ever be more revered in a city than Chauncey is in the D.

The best part of the night, however, was directly after the game ended when all his former Piston teammates were flocking to Billups for hugs and — in the case of Rip Hamilton — apparently kisses. Rip pretty much stalked him around the court the entire time while whispering in his ear. (Let me know if you’ve seen video of this.) Even odder still was the way Hamilton was pulling his jersey up over his mouth like a pitcher does with his glove or an NFL coach does with the play chart so nobody could see what he was saying.

Nice try, Rip. You can’t fool me. Exclusive Both Teams Played Hard sources have revealed that Rip repeatedly told Billups: “When this all gets sorted out, I think you and me should get an apartment together.”

You heard it here first.

And here’s video of Chauncey’s post-game press conference if you’re into it.

(Photo by Allen Einstein/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

]]> http://www.bothteamsplayedhard.net/2009/03/04/all-the-news-fit-to-six-march-4-2009/feed/ 0 http://www.bothteamsplayedhard.net/2009/02/10/rasheed-wallace-needs-to-play-horse/ http://www.bothteamsplayedhard.net/2009/02/10/rasheed-wallace-needs-to-play-horse/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:17:23 +0000 Jared Wade http://www.bothteamsplayedhard.net/?p=3008 I’ve been out of the NBA loop for a few days, but I still don’t believe that TNT has set its lineup of participants for the HORSE contest set to occur at this year’s All-Star Weekend.

But for the love of all things holy, they better at least be sending an Evite to Sheed — something to which I expect he will respond by clicking the “+1″ box and writing the comment: “Me and the Ruckus will be there. Bet that.”

Here he is displaying his skills, which include hitting simultaneous threes with both his left and right hands, hitting a rainbow shot from behind the basket frame and hitting really far-away shots. Okay, the first one is really the only impressive one, but it’s pretty awesome. Plus, much like my birthday party and annual Flag Day spectacular, inviting Sheed should just be the default setting for every televised NBA event.

Another guy who definitely should get the nod to display his barnyard shooting contest acumen is Kevin Love aka Klove (help me out here Both Teamsters), who as you can see below would probably dominate the field.

Although, if they invited Thunder Dan Marjele, no one would stand a chance.

UPDATE: In an attempt to keep this thing completely devoid of personality, TNT has chosen Joe Johnson, Kevin Durant and OJ Mayo. (Two-time All-Star Joe Johnson characteristically didn’t even make ESPN’s headline.) These three guys? Really?

This was probably gonna be really boring regardless, but c’mon.

Fortunately, he gives better answers to the rest of Quentin’s Questions, although I really wish he would have followed up with the title of this post. So to Alana G or Quentin Jones or Mitch Albom or whoever, we need an answer to this question. Get on it. (From Jocklife via Detroit Bad Boys via Ball Don’t Lie)

Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey is the Eastern Conference player of the week.

Stuckey led the Pistons in scoring in three of the four wins last week. He averaged 23 points, 5.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds as Detroit went 4-0.

He scored 38 points against the Kings on Jan. 2 and had 24 points, six assists and two steals in the win over the Clippers.

The Pistons are 13-3 since Stuckey was inserted into the starting lineup.

Here are a few of his Dwyanesque exploits from yesterday. Even MoTown-supporting Aussies love the kid. (via Need4Sheed)

Since Rodney Stuckey moved into Detroit’s starting lineup the Pistons have gone 12-3. Since Stuckey became a starter he has averaged 18.8 points, 6.4 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals. Since becoming a starter just twelve games ago Stuckey has exploded for a 40 point game and a 38 point game, already the two highest scoring efforts of his career, and both closely fought games where he carried his team to victory. Since becoming a starter Stuckey has been the Pistons leading assist getter, steal getter, FG% shooter 3PT% shooter and is only 0.25 points per game shy of being their leading scorer. There are no two ways about it: since becoming a starter, Rodney Stuckey has been the best player on this Pistons team.

More important than the stats, however, is the intangible evolution that NBAMate (“probably Australia’s best NBA blog”) sees in Rodney’s game since last season.

But let’s not focus on scoring. Stuckey is the best distributor of the ball on this Pistons team, and I believe what allows him to be such a great passer is his patience – he’s very similar to Chauncey in that he’ll hold onto the ball for a second or two longer than he probably needs to, sizing up the play before choosing the best option. It’s a measured change from the Rodney Stuckey of last season who at times, was trying to play at 100 miles per hour. It’s no coincidence a few of Chauncey’s traits have rubbed off on him (more on that later) after playing with him for over a year, but it is rare to see a second year player with the smarts and poise to actually execute it. For the record, Stuckey is 15th in the league in assists per 48 minutes.

And just cause the dude absolutely killed it with his (slightly homer biased) analysis, here’s one more paragraph.

For years people have applauded the Pistons well-rounded team, a group of players collectively better than their individual parts. That team has changed a little in the past few months and while the championship ingredients still appear to be there, there are many who doubt whether Detroit can get back to their title-winning ways. Rip is still the perpetual scoring machine, Sheed is still the brilliant enigma, Prince is still the quiet floor general and Allen Iverson would die for a ring. Sure, doubt them all you want, but be aware there’s a young rising star to add to the mix. And he’s better than all of them.

You really just ought to read the whole thing though. And start checking out what’s certainly Australia’s best NBA blog regularly.

Rodney's Halloween costume got him his first nickname. His resemblance to the guy playing the best ball in the world right now not named LeBron got him his second one.

Accounts of the incident in the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press said Carter appeared to accuse Stafford of calling him “boy,” a term that is considered offensive to African-Americans. Like Carter, Stafford is African-American.

While I’m sensitive to the tone that such a comment could take and do think it’s probably overly hostile language for even a black ref to use when talking to a black player — Vince, who has unbelievably only been ejected one other time in his career, clearly was pissed — the biggest problem here is the clear gender misclassification.

Cause if we have learned anything from poorly scripted Hillary Swank melodramas, it’s that boys don’t cry.

(Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

The first is on how Allen Iverson is now the predictable scapegoat in Detroit’s struggles and how his perceived me-first/team-second play and Outbreak monkeyesque infectious personality is obviously being demonized in sharp contrast to Chauncey’s golden-boy/winner intangibles and leadership that have led reinvigorated the Nuggets franchise since the blockbuster trade. Essentially, it’s a great rebuttal to the over-simplicity of most NBA coverage that assumes, as he writes, “an All-Star is an All-Star and that A.I. should be performing better than this by now, no matter what” — and it does this without making excuses for Allen’s mediocrity so far in MoTown and the Pistons more inexcusable losses.

For all the flack Iverson has taken, and for all the struggles he’s had so far in Detroit, he’s hardly deserving of the firestorm of criticism blanketing the Internet, sports-talk radio, NBA broadcasts, etc. Spare me the kneejerk reactions to Allen Iverson and his sure-to-be short-lived tenure with the Detroit Pistons until next June when the 2008-09 season has come to a close. Then and only then will it be time to accurately assess A.I.’s stint in Motown.

Then today, ETB drops some wisdom on Both Teams Played Hard mancrush Chris Paul’s run at the consecutive kleptomania record, something we’ve known for a while was inevitable like a Neo/Agent Smith fight in the rain.

Most of us know what Paul does on the offensive end, no ink has been spared in singing his praises there. What we may not hear enough about are his exploits on the defensive end of the floor. We may be hearing more about it soon. He’s about to (knock on wood) set the NBA mark for consecutive games with a steal.

The current NBA record for consecutive contests with a theft is 105, set by former Spurs guard Alvin Robertson who had a steal in every game over 20 years ago from November 6, 1985 to Deccember 29, 1986. With two steals against the Charlotte Bobcats on December 10th Paul extended his personal streak of consecutive games with a steal to 102. If things go according to plan he’ll tie the mark on the upcoming Hornets road trip at Boston, Toronto and Memphis.

Most importantly, he refers to steals as pilfers at one point, which is commendable.

It rather humorous to realize that this level of tattoo coverage was scary to white people just ten years ago. JR Smith has forgotten about more ink than AI had back then.

(Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)