New York, New York! Bringing a championship home

[zike_42]

January Player of the Month – Ishmael Faye, Indiana Pacers – 29.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 6.0 blocks per game.

January Rookie of the Month – Derion Perez, Minnesota Timberwolves – 20.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.

Denver trade:
2043 1st round pick

Memphis trade:
SF Andre Miller

Winner – Memphis. Another team trading away their lottery bound pick for a pretty average player to Memphis. How are they doing this?

The Hawks are just not on our level and we show our dominance with a 129-110 win that was done at half time. Marshod had 33 points and 8 rebounds but was helped by Harms’ 18 points and 18 assists and Pin’s 14 points and 16 rebounds. John Meliet had 34 points and 10 rebounds but with Michael McQuay back it means that Jordan Williamson is back to the bench where he’s not happy with.

Phoenix Suns 35-12

Sam has a sore shoulder so Herb gets the start at PF against Dallas and he does alright with 11 points and 6 rebounds as we win again 119-99. Harms was the star with 27 points and 10 assists and even with a sore shoulder Sam blocks four shots in 11 minutes, so it mustn’t hurt that bad. Chris Howard had 23 points for the Mavs but Shaun Tebbs and Matt Hackett went 7/23.

Phoenix Suns 36-12

Even the Sonics are good this season but they weren’t good enough for our two superstars as Marshod and Harms combined for 78 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds as we beat them 117-101. Yep, two players had nearly 80 points between them. Mac Davis had 18 points off the bench and even though Seattle shot 52% from the field we had 16 more free throws than our opponents.

Phoenix Suns 37-12

Well that was interesting. Not only did Joe Adras torch Harms for 30 points and 8 assists but Diego Acosta had his best game ever, going 18/23 for 43 points and 16 rebounds as the Kings beat us 118-104. This was one game where one player took over everything and won it on their back alone. Marshod was our best with 21 points.

Phoenix Suns 37-13

New Orleans’ seldom used Matt Smith destroyed all comers in the Slam Dunk Contest, beating out Indiana’s Lamar Traylor 70-48 in the final. Another Indiana player went one further as Winston Shannon beat out his opponents to win the Long Distance Shootout pretty comfortably.

The Rookie/Sophomore game was not close as the second year guys shot 57% from the field, 28/49 from three and forced the Rookies into 22 turnovers to win 169-133. Brodney Smith hit 11/14 threes on his way to 43 points and 12 assists to win the MVP award. Brian McGadney had 24 points in 20 minutes as everyone had quality minutes. Derion Perez had 33 points and 8 rebounds for the Rookies while Mathias Wabbes added 28 points. Rashon Woods had a shocker, going 4/13 for 8 points and 6 rebounds.

The All Star game was much closer with both teams having multiple leads but it was the good conference that came out on top as the West won 137-130. James Carroll was named All Star MVP with 21 points and 5 rebounds but there were seven other players with double digit points. Mack Haston had 20 points off the bench and Tip Rice added 17 points and 8 rebounds. We only had one participant in Michael Harmon who had 5 points and 2 rebounds in 17 minutes. The East was dominated by Juia Henchoz and Winston Shannon who added 70 points between them. In a scare for Detroit, Jamie McMillian started and played 8 minutes before leaving the game with a possible back problem, however he came up alright and won’t miss any time.

Eastern Conference All Star Starters
Winston Shannon, Indiana Pacers (2nd selection)
Daniel Brazzle, Toronto Raptors (3rd selection)
Juia Henchoz, Orlando Magic (6th selection)
Arthur Carey, Cleveland Cavaliers (1st selection)
Jamie McMillan, Detroit Pistons (6th selection)

Eastern Conference All Star Reserves
Rich Muckle, Brooklyn Nets (2nd selection)
Kurt Sutton, New York Knicks (2nd selection)
RT Adams, Charlotte Bobcats (2nd selection)
Joey Peterson, Miami Heat (1st selection)
Adam Bell, Memphis Grizzlies (1st selection)
Jonathan Roland, Washington Wizards (1st selection)
Luigi Cannavaro, Brooklyn Nets (3rd selection)

Western Conference All Star Starters
Axel Rancik, Oklahoma City Thunder (4th selection)
Cliff Havens, San Diego Riders (5th selection)
James Carroll, Houston Rockets (4th selection)
Matt Hackett, Dallas Mavericks (1st selection)
Tip Rice, Golden State Warriors (1st selection)

Western Conference All Star Reserves
Michael Harmon, Phoenix Suns (9th selection)
Scott Oates, Utah Jazz (1st selection)
Mack Haston, San Antonio Spurs (5th selection)
Ryan Holcomb, San Diego Riders (1st selection)
Mitch Edwards, Seattle Supersonics (2nd selection)
Nathan Gordon, Los Angeles Lakers (4th selection)
David Baxley, Sacramento Kings (3rd selection)

Our first game back from the All Star weekend was dominated by our guards as Harms scoring 32 points and 8 assists while Roman put up 24 points and 11 rebounds as we beat the Bulls 119-104. Sam and Pin also had nice games to combine for 21 points, 21 rebounds and 8 blocks but it was Harms and Roman who did the damage. Victor Hoiberg had 23 points and 11 rebounds for Chicago but Kevin Morrison has a torn knee tendon and will be out for a loooooong time.

Phoenix Suns 38-13

Next up is the Neon and we demolish them, shooting 57% from the field to win 140-114. Marshod and Harms had 64 points while everyone played lots and everyone but Keith Dudley scored at least once. Petrick Rancik is becoming more comfortable with starting and had 23 points on 8/11 shooting.

Phoenix Suns 39-13

Sigh, we just couldn’t slow down Pete Edgerson and Juia Henchoz as we go down to Orlando 126-115. The Magic’s dynamic duo had 65 points and 16 rebounds and even though we shot better than them and we only turned the ball over seven times, they had 15 more free throws than us and hit seven more three pointers. Marshod had 33 points on 13/16 shooting while Roman had another 20 point game with 20 points.

Phoenix Suns 39-14

Adam Bell got his 17 points and 4 blocks but needed 19 shots to get them and that’s where we won it, in our efficiency. We shot 51% to their 42% and only turned it over 12 times as we beat the Grizz 115-98. Harms had 31 points and 11 assists while Marshod was a great back up with 29 points. Pin is blossoming before our eyes and had 10 points and 17 rebounds tonight.

Phoenix Suns 40-14

Our last game of February was a strange one as the Hornets got out to a 43-26 first quarter lead before we won every other quarter, with a 36-15 last term, to win 129-114. Marshod was the catalyst with 36 points and 8 rebounds while Harms backed him up with 21 points and 11 assists. David Stetson had 15 points in the first term on his way to 30 points with Jeff Seabrooks and Lewis Jones added 16 points apiece.

Phoenix Suns 41-14

It’s same old same old as we are sitting in fourth place in the West with San Antonio at 46-10 and San Diego at 43-10. It’s crazy that fifth placed Dallas are also plus .700 at 39-15. Minnesota are wallowing at the bottom at 17-45.

Detroit are leading the way in the other conference at 44-18, which would be good for sixth in the West. Orlando and Charlotte are second and third while Toronto’s wheels have fallen off at 13-45 and our pick is looking better and better.

Phoenix Top Points
Marshod Anderson – 27.2
Michael Harmon – 22.1
Pin-zhen Yuan – 13.6

Phoenix Top Assists
Michael Harmon – 9.6
Olaf Milosz – 3.4
Romanos Demosthenous – 1.6

Phoenix Top Rebounds
Pin-zhen Yuan – 10.7
Marshod Anderson – 6.0
Sam Russell – 5.7

League Leaders
Points – Tip Rice (GSW) – 29.9
Assists – Israel Payne (SDR) – 13.8
Rebounds – Pin-zhen Yuan (PHO) – 10.7
Blocks – Adam Bell (MEM) – 4.3
Steals – Arthimus Smallwood (HOU) – 3.1
Efficiency – Axel Rancik (OKC) – 29.5

Rookie Leaders
Points – Derion Perez (MIN) – 21.1
Assists – Marcus Johnson (UTA) – 4.1
Rebounds – Rashon Woods (TOR) – 8.2
Blocks – Rashon Woods (TOR) – 2.8
Steals – Marcus Johnson (UTA) – 1.2
Efficiency – Matias Wabbes (PHI) – 18.1

Third Round of NBA Draft Prospects –
1. PG Antoine Bedard (High School), Senior, 6’4”, 201lbs
2. PF Desmond Taylor (Indiana), Sophomore, 6’10”, 218lbs
3. SG Randolfo Da Vinci (Italy), 17 years old, 6’7”, 199lbs
4. SG William Cornette (Massachusetts), Freshman, 6’6”, 197lbs
5. PG Scott Smith (High School), Senior, 6’1”, 162lbs

Thoughts – This is all about Bedard. Not only did he start with great stats but he’s actually INCREASED them to 37 points, 12 assists, 13 rebounds and 3 steals a game! What? Yep.

[zike_42]

February Player of the Month – Tip Rice, Golden State Warriors – 33.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.

February Rookie of the Month – Derion Perez, Minnesota Timberwolves – 24.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.

Finally some good trade dead line deals.

Houston trade:
C Albert Stapleton
PF Ben Jones
PF Brian Holmes

Cleveland trade:
SG Frank Slaughter
2043 2nd round pick

Winner – Both. Purely talent wise the Rockets win this by a mile, as Slaughter has been fantastic this season, averaging 13 points and 11 assists a game. He’s 33 years old and still owed $13 million for the next three years but Houston get another great piece to a championship team. Cleveland gets $13 million in expirings for a guy who will drop off pretty soon.

Dallas trade:
SF Michael Emery
PG Earl Harris

Boston trade:
C Ben Jensen
2043 2nd round pick

Winner – Dallas. A few years ago this would have been vastly in favour of the Celtics as Harris was a fantastic point guard, averaging 14 points, 15 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals a game in 2039. It’s now 2042 and he’s only just a good point and won’t be starting in Boston. Jensen on the other hand is only 30 years old and a great scorer.

Dallas trade:
C Kresimir Balas

Utah trade:
PG David Forrest

Winner – Utah. Even though Forrest is a great defender and an above average passer, he’s still stuck to the bench behind Andre Davenport. On the other hand, Balas is now starting for the Jazz. However, Utah now have five centres on their squad and owed $37.5 million this season. Which is just insane.

Our first game of March was a blowout, which usually happens when one team outscores the other 40-19 in the first as we beat the Lakers 128-106. Marshod led us with 29 points and 10 rebounds but it was Roman who surprised everyone with 29 points on 13/17 shooting. Hell, Sam even had a great game with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 7 blocks on 10/11 shooting as the team shot 66% from the field. Nathan Gordon is finally playing at SG and had 20 points.

Phoenix Suns 42-14

The Lakers get another crack at us in LA and even though Nathan Gordon had 28 points we had the talent and the win at 131-105. Marshod is scoring in bucket loads and had 32 points tonight while Pin added 25 points and 16 rebounds. Herb Celuck put up 19 points and 7 rebounds in only 17 minutes.

Phoenix Suns 43-14

Did I say that Marshod is scoring in buckets? Well he was unstoppable with 40 points as we top the Grizz 130-120. Harms has been a little sore in his right hand but still had 25 points and 10 assists. Herb had another great game off the bench with 21 points and 7 rebounds to make up for Sam’s goose egg. Kenyatta Harvey led Memphis with 22 points but Adam Bell was held to only 10 points and 5 fouls.

Phoenix Suns 44-14

The Rockets got out to a 10 point lead in the second quarter before we got out to a 10 point lead in the last quarter, so obviously the game went to overtime. Arthimus Smallwood and Marshod Anderson had a massive battle with our old SF having 37 points and 12 rebounds while our current SF had 37 points and 11 rebounds. Luckily for us we had plenty of help as we win in the extra time 129-122 to keep the streak going. Sam had one of his best games of the year with 26 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks while Herb added 20 points as he’s really coming along off the bench. Harms didn’t have a great game with 9 points, 15 assists, 8 rebounds and 10 turnovers while Roman was close with 9 points, 7 rebounds and 9 turnovers as we cough it up 29 times and I’m surprised we didn’t lose with that number.

Phoenix Suns 45-14

We withstand a 33 point game from Axel Rancik as Marshod gets his ninth game in a row with 29 points or more with 30 points and 9 rebounds to beat OKC 114-109. Sam, Pin and Harms have double doubles while Roman and Herb were in double figures. Kelly Moreland had 24 points and 8 rebounds but both Brandon Bailey (torn ACL) and Zan Tepavac (torn knee tendon) are out for quite a few months still.

Phoenix Suns 46-14

“Just ride Marshod” is what everyone is saying and he doesn’t disappoint with 39 points as we beat the Blazers 120-103. This game seems to be a mirror image of last game with Sam, Pin and Harms having double doubles and Roman and Herb having double digit points. Spooky. Ben Angeli had 38 points in a fantastic display but the rest of the team was pretty average.

Phoenix Suns 47-14

Getting the usual Marshod performance out of the way as he had 33 points. It was a battle between two heavyweight point guards as Harms went up against Axel Rancik and the Thunder. He might not have had the numbers that Rancik did (19 points, 16 assists and 7 rebounds) but Rancik shot 6/20 compared to Harms’ 11/15. Ok, that sounded like he played badly but he did finish with 25 points and 12 assists. Right, I’ve made a mess of this report, let’s move on and just say that we won 117-103.

Phoenix Suns 48-14

The Sonics are good, but just not as good as us, especially with a guy called Michael Harmon on the team. Harms had 33 points on 12/16 shooting while Marshod broke his streak with ‘only’ 25 points and 8 rebounds. Mitch Edwards had 24 points for the losers as Drew Martin only put up 9 points, nine less than his average.

Phoenix Suns 49-14

Looks like we’re in the midst of a Hell Week plus a bit as we have eight games in 12 days. The third game in that stretch is a close one as we just couldn’t shake the Nuggets but we held on just long enough to win 109-101. Marshod had 28 points but our star was Roman who put up 22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks and 3 steals to stuff that stat sheet. Jeffrey Johnson actually scored the ball with 26 points and 12 rebounds and I’m wondering why he couldn’t do that when he was playing in Phoenix.

Phoenix Suns 50-14

50 wins, woo!

Olaf busted his toe in the last game which is a shame because he’s been playing well, so to miss a couple of games is disappointing. Kenneth will fill in for the back up PG position for the time being.

Son of a… AAARRRRGGGHHHH. Damn damn damn damn damn. Sorry, in our 115-92 win over Denver, Marshod went up for a rebound and landed badly, real badly. He had to be carried off and he didn’t come back. The team doctor told me after the game that it was the worst thing they imagined, he’s torn his MCL and will be out for at least 9 months. This team is in shock and we couldn’t celebrate the win. The crowd was so silent when he was carried off it was like a funeral. Dammit.

Phoenix Suns 51-14

So we have 46.8 points per game currently in street clothes at the moment in Marshod and Cam and Coach has to do some serious re-ordering of the roster. Olaf was thought to be the best option to start at SG with Roman sliding to SF but we’ve got no guard depth apart from the old Kenneth Long and Cort Majishun so he thought that having Olaf coming off the bench would be better for team balance. So we now have Roman staying at starting SG while Herb slides into the starting SF position even though it’s not really his usual spot. We’ll see how it goes.

That was unexpected. Even though David Baxley had 39 points and 9 rebounds we still beat the Kings really easily 122-107. The reason was Pin, who is growing before our eyes and had 22 points and 21 rebounds to demolish Diego Acosta. What I also didn’t expect is Herb to go full guts mode, going 9/26 from the field and a crazy 1/11 from three for 20 points. Also, Olaf was fantastic off the bench with 15 points and 12 assists when Roman got into foul trouble.

Phoenix Suns 52-14

The Kings are one thing but going up against the 52-13 Spurs is going to be a huge task even on our home court. So when Pin nabs 27 points and 9 rebounds and Roman scores 25 points and we ream them 105-87 it makes me feel warm all over. We keep them to 38% shooting as Mack Haston goes 5/15 for 16 points and 9 assists. This is a real statement game to say even without two of our big three we are still a force in the league.

Phoenix Suns 53-14

I don’t know what it is, it may be that the team has bonded over our stars going down but this team is running at max as we torch the Neon 139-111. There were great performances everywhere with Roman leading us with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Herb had his best game for us with 27 points on 12/16 shooting while Olaf put up 23 points and 12 assists with Harms having a rest for most of the game. He still finished with 12 points and 9 assists in 17 minutes. Hell, even Jack Dawkins had a nice night with 11 points in 10 minutes. Petrick Rancik was the best for the Neon with 25 points but they were just overwhelmed by our teamwork.

Phoenix Suns 54-14

The Nuggets finally get a win against us and snaps our 15 game winning streak in the worst possible way. We got up to a 21 point lead just before half time before just not turning up in the second half to lose 108-98. Yep, that’s a 31 point turnaround. Du Yip had 20 points and 10 assists while Tom Jordan and Jarrad Prewitt also had 20 points. Harms was our best with 24 points but we just lost it in the second half and being on our home court makes things so much more disappointing.

Phoenix Suns 54-15

Our last game is against the super strong Mavericks and it was exactly like last game as the Mavs beat us 108-98. Shaun Tebbs is still battling away out there and had 23 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists while Ozkan Periganovlu (now that’s a name) had 21 points and 12 rebounds. Sam, Pin and Roman combined for 46 points and 32 rebounds but Harms had 6 fouls and 8 turnovers which doesn’t help.

Phoenix Suns 54-16

With such a close race at the top of the West, we’ve jumped into first place! That doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods with San Diego, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas are all within four games of us. Golden State aren’t anywhere near us at 22-51 and on the bottom of the conference.

Detroit have broken away from the rest of the East at 53-23 with Orlando (47-28) and Charlotte (43-31) falling behind. It’s still golden for us with Toronto pretty much locked up last place at 21-54.

Phoenix Top Points
Marshod Anderson – 27.9
Michael Harmon – 20.8
Pin-zhen Yuan – 13.9

Phoenix Top Assists
Michael Harmon – 9.8
Olaf Milosz – 3.6
Romanos Demosthenous – 1.9

Phoenix Top Rebounds
Pin-zhen Yuan – 10.8
Sam Russell – 6.5
Marshod Anderson – 6.1

League Leaders
Points – Tip Rice (GSW) – 30.1
Assists – Israel Payne (SDR) – 13.2
Rebounds – Pin-zhen Yuan (PHO) – 10.8
Blocks – Adam Bell (MEM) – 4.3
Steals – Arthimus Smallwood (HOU) – 3.0
Efficiency – James Carroll (HOU) – 29.5

Roookie Leaders
Points – Derion Perez (MIN) – 21.2
Assists – Scott Clark (MIL) – 2.9
Rebounds – Rashon Woods (TOR) – 8.2
Blocks – Rashon Woods (TOR) – 2.5
Steals – Rashon Woods (TOR) – 1.0
Efficiency – Matias Wabbes (PHI) – 18.9

Last round of NBA Draft Prospects –
1. PG Antoine Bedard (High School), Senior, 6’4”, 201lbs
2. SG William Cornette (Massachusetts), Freshman, 6’6”, 197lbs
3. PF Desmond Taylor (Indiana), Sophomore, 6’10”, 218lbs
4. PF Andre Evans (Eastern Kentucky), Junior, 6’10”, 222lbs
5. PG Scott Smith (High School), Senior, 6’1”, 162lbs

Thoughts – Obviously Bedard will be number one in the draft but this has some nice talent further down. Guys like Da Vinci, Gerald Watkins and Cameron Whitworth (brother of Derek and Terry who are already in the NBA) will be good players in the future.

[zike_42]

March Player of the Month – Marshod Anderson, Phoenix Suns – 32.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.

March Rookie of the Month – Matias Wabbes, Philadelphia 76ers – 23.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.1 blocks per game.

It’s great to see Marshod getting the recognition he deserves for the great month he had before he went down with that horrific injury.

The Blazers are just not on our level and we show them to the best of our abilities with a 121-104 away win. Harms was great with 23 points and 16 assists while Roman and Herb added 22 and 23 points respectively. Ben Angeli was the best for Portland with 23 points but turned it over 7 times.

Phoenix Suns 55-16

Great, now Roman is injured with a sprained toe and he’ll be out for about a week. Olaf is now the starting SG and we’re running out of players.

Even with such a depleted team we put up a massive fight against the Neon but fall short 120-16. Glen Abrams did the damage with 29 points as we just didn’t have the guard depth. Harms did his part with 29 points and 10 assists while keeping Ben London to a 1/12 shooting night.

Phoenix Suns 55-17

Roman was back in the line-up and had 12 points as we beat the Knicks 113-105 as Harms is running this team with 32 points and 9 assists. Herb, Sam and Pin combined to grab 38 rebounds as Pin added 19 points to that tally. Ezra Kidd had 29 points but it was New York who couldn’t hold onto the ball with 22 turnovers.

Phoenix Suns 56-17

It was the Michael Harmon show in our 126-118 win over Cleveland as he shot a crazy 15/24 from the field for 35 points and 9 assists to carry this team. Well, not really as both Pin and Herb had 21 points but this team is running 100% through Harms. Marcus Jenkins had 32 points for the Cavs.

Phoenix Suns 57-17

A massive test is next against the Riders and even though we falter in the last quarter we do enough to force overtime. That’s where our bench came into play with Olaf, Darryl and Jack doing the heavy lifting to lead us to a 138-131 victory. Olaf and Darryl had 15 points while Jack added 14 points as mash San Diego’s bench by far. Harms was again the star with 31 points and 12 assists as we shoot 50 free throws which was matched by the Riders. Cliff Havens had 33 points and Ryan Holcomb added 38 points and this goes a long way to show that we are still relevant without Marshod and Cam.

Phoenix Suns 58-17

The Sixers are better than usual but they are still a lottery team as we smash them 113-89. I feel like a broken record in saying that Harms was our best with 33 points but Pin and Herb helped out with 20 points, 9 rebounds and 21 points, 9 rebounds respectively. Matias Wabbes is the best player on their team already and had 23 points and 10 rebounds tonight.

Phoenix Suns 59-17

With six games to go we have a two game lead which we’ll need without Marshod and Cam. So it was great to see us come back from a 17 point deficit to win 117-101 against the Celtics. Yep, a 33 point turn around. There was only one player that could orchestrate that, and that was Michael Harmon who had 31 points and 17 assists. The main beneficiary of that was Pin who added 24 points and 10 rebounds. Alan Patton was great with 25 points but didn’t do much in the last quarter.

Phoenix Suns 60-17

Woo, 60 wins!

Harms with 33 points and 12 assists and we beat Los Angeles 113-104. Makes sense.

Phoenix Suns 61-17

Damn. We just had one of those games where nothing went right as we lost to Chicago 98-93. Everything went wrong apart from no-one got an injury as we shot 40% from the field and turned the ball over 23 times. Yikes. Santo Tommasini showed the family class with 31 points and 9 rebounds while Pin was our best with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Next.

Phoenix Suns 61-18

There were six players for Boston with 14 points or more but they were no match for Harms who made up for his shoddy game last night with 42 points and 8 assists as we beat the C’s again 110-95. Pin had another great game, going 8/11 for 18 points and 10 rebounds as we led from wire to wire.

Phoenix Suns 62-18

Two more games and we still have a two game lead, so one more win will clinch it for us.

This wasn’t it, as the Sonics force us into 26 turnovers to beat us 111-91. There were a crazy eight players on that squad in double figures while on our side Harms had a devil’s triple double with 18 points, 10 assists and 11 turnovers. It was a shame because Roman had a great game with 30 points and 10 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 62-19

Phew. I thought that without Roman who has a sore leg and didn’t suit up we would lose but Olaf of all people was the high man with 32 points as we beat the Warriors 115-103. Pin added 22 points and 13 rebounds which offset Harms’ 4/12 shooting night. Tip Rice shot 5/18 from the field and 8/14 from the line, neither are good numbers for 18 points and 7 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 63-19

Western Conference Final Standings
1 – Phoenix Suns – 63-19 (.768)
2 – San Diego Riders – 62-20 (.756)
3 – San Antonio Spurs – 62-20 (.756)
4 – Houston Rockets – 60-22 (.732)
5 – Dallas Mavericks – 57-25 (.695)
6 – Seattle Supersonics – 48-34 (.585)
7 – Sacramento Kings – 43-39 (.524)
8 – Utah Jazz – 42-40 (.512)
Last – Minnesota Timberwolves – 24-58 (.293)

Eastern Conference Final Standings
1 – Detroit Pistons – 56-26 (.683)
2 – Orlando Magic – 54-28 (.659)
3 – Charlotte Bobcats – 51-31 (.622)
4 – Brooklyn Nets – 47-35 (.573)
5 – Chicago Bulls – 44-38 (.537)
6 – Indiana Pacers – 43-39 (.524)
7 – New Orleans Hornets – 43-39 (.524)
8 – Cleveland Cavaliers – 34-48 (.415)
Last – Toronto Raptors – 22-60 (.268)

Phoenix Top Points
Marshod Anderson – 27.9
Michael Harmon – 21.8
Cameron Brown – 18.9*
Pin-zhen Yuan – 14.3

Phoenix Top Assists
Michael Harmon – 9.8
Cameron Brown – 6.5*
Olaf Milosz – 3.6
Romanos Demosthenous – 1.9

Phoenix Top Rebounds
Pin-zhen Yuan – 10.7
Sam Russell – 6.8
Marshod Anderson – 6.1

*only 18 games

League Top Points
Tip Rice (GSW) – 29.7
Cliff Havens (SDR) – 28.3
Marshod Anderson (PHO) – 27.9

League Top Assists
Israel Payne (SDR) – 13.0
Mack Haston (SAS) – 12.9
Brodney Smith (ORL) – 12.0

League Top Rebounds
Pin-zhen Yuan (PHO) – 10.7
Abel Williams (IND) – 9.8
Kurt Lewis (WAS) – 9.4

League Top Blocks
Adam Bell (MEM) – 4.3
Ishmael Faye (IND) – 3.2
Sam Russell (PHO) – 2.7

League Top Steals
Arthimus Smallwood (HOU) – 3.1
Axel Rancik (OKC) – 3.0
Shaun Ashman (LAL) – 2.8

League Top Efficiency
James Carroll (HOU) – 29.0
Ishmael Faye (IND) – 28.9
Axel Rancik (OKC) – 28.8

Rookie Top Points
Derion Perez (MIN) – 21.2
Mathias Wabbes (PHI) – 20.4
Marcus Jenkins (CLE) – 12.6

Rookie Top Assists
Scott Clark (MIL) – 2.8
Derion Perez (MIN) – 2.2
Todd Mintz (OKC) – 1.3

Rookie Top Rebounds
Rashon Woods (TOR) – 8.2
Michael Porter (NYK) – 7.2
Mathias Wabbes (PHI) – 6.5

Rookie Top Efficiency
Mathias Wabbes (PHI) – 18.5
Derion Perez (MIN) – 15.6
Rashon Woods (TOR) – 14.8

[zike_42]

2043 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#1 Detroit vs. #8 Cleveland
#2 Orlando vs. #7 New Orleans
#3 Charlotte vs. #6 Indiana
#4 Brooklyn vs. #5 Chicago

Western Conference
#1 Phoenix vs. #8 Utah
#2 San Diego vs. #7 Sacramento
#3 San Antonio vs. #6 Seattle
#4 Houston vs. #5 Dallas

The season series with the Jazz was tied 2-2 and with Marshod and Cam sitting on the side lines I’m a little worried that we’ll get knocked off in the first round as a one seed which isn’t a good look.

Western Conference First Round – Utah vs. Phoenix

Point Guard
Gamal Hicks vs. Michael Harmon
17.4 points, 11.4 assists, 3.5 rebounds vs. 21.8 points, 9.8 assists, 3.3 rebounds

This will be the biggest match up by far with both of these guys in the top five at their position. There is massive pressure on Harmon to perform as everything is riding on the way he plays.

Winner - Phoenix

Shooting Guard
Phil Magnum vs. Romanos Demosthenous
15.2 points, 7.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds vs. 12.9 points, 1.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds

After being drafted #25 four years ago and having major doubts about his work ethic, Magnum has come a long way in a short time. He can not only score the ball but he’s a willing passer and an above average defender. This is Demosthenous’ shot at the big time and if he can outperform Magnum it will be a major win for him.

Winner - Utah

Small Forward
Nathaniel Jackson vs. Herb Celuck
16.8 points, 1.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds vs. 11.0 points, 1.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds

Even though Jackson is 33 years old and playing out of position he is still a fantastic player, and Celuck is going to need to play as good as he has all season to slow down the Utah captain.

Winner - Utah

Power Forward
Scott Oates vs. Sam Russell
22.2 points, 1.0 assist, 7.2 rebounds vs. 8.1 points, 0.7 assists, 6.8 rebounds

This is the real danger match up for the top seeded Suns as Oates is a bonafide superstar who has done his time on the bench and is now the leading man for the Jazz. He can score in so many ways while his leadership is top notch. Russell is going to have to put all of his efforts into slowing Oates down, and it might not be enough.

Winner - Utah

Centre
Derrick Culuko vs. Pin-zhen Yuan
13.1 points, 1.0 assist, 5.3 rebounds vs. 14.3 points, 1.3 assists, 10.7 rebounds

Yuan is only young but he’s already a stud. He lead the league in rebounds and his scoring has come in leaps and bounds since Cameron Brown and Marshod Anderson went down with injury. Culuko is a decent centre but he will be overpowered by the best Chinese player in the game.

Winner - Phoenix

Bench
Kresimir Balas, Bob Benton, Renard Hawkins vs. Olaf Milosz, Darryl Abrams, Keith Chapman

Balas, Benton and Hawkins are good enough as bench players but they have no guard depth whatsoever. Sure, the Suns have only got Milosz but he’s a quality player that can man both guard positions, giving Phoenix the edge.

Winner – Phoenix

Prediction – Utah in six. This is a really tough one because on paper the Jazz have more talent but don’t ever count out Michael Harmon and what he can do for a team single handedly.

This is a real worry for us as the Jazz have all the makings of an upset. Harms did well for 28 points and 7 assists while Pin had an amazing game with 30 points and 8 rebounds but we couldn’t slow them down, losing game in 118-108. Gamal Hick was the star with 31 points, 12 assists and 5 steals while Scott Oates and Nathaniel Jackson had 44 points between them. This is going to be hard to get back but we’ll try our hardest.

Utah leads 1-0

That’s more like it. We shoot 54% to their 44% as this game was over quickly to level the series 118-100. Harms had 25 points, 7 assists and 4 blocks while Pin added 22 points and 12 rebounds as he’s demolishing Derrick Culuko. The reason we won was not that we slowed down Nathaniel Jackson (who had 29 points) but we suffocated Gamal Hicks as he shot 4/20 for 10 points.

Series tied 1-1

We need to win at least one game in Utah to salvage this ship and it started out well with Harms having 36 points and 8 assists. Oh yeah, he had 13 turnovers as the team lost the ball a mind boggling 29 times. As you could expect, we lost game three 123-107 as we just couldn’t hold onto the ball. Pin had 25 points and 10 rebounds but also turned the ball over 5 times. Phil magnum was the star for Utah with 32 points, 8 assists and 8 steals in the win.

Utah leads 2-1

Wow, what a come back game. Roman and Pin combined for 45 points while Herb Celuck massacred everyone in his way for 35 points and 8 rebounds as we take back home court advantage with a 132-107 shellacking. The team shot 59% from the field and held Utah to only 43% as Gamal Hicks and Phil Magnum combined to shoot 8/28.

Series tied 2-2

There was one sweep in these playoffs with #2 San Diego beating #7 Sacramento in four games.

My goodness Harms, take care of the ball! I don’t care that you had 26 points and 8 assists, 10 turnovers are just not good enough. Fortunately for us, Sam and Herb combined for 48 points and 16 rebounds as we finally got ahead in this series with a 109-99 victory. Scott Oates went 4/12 as none of the Utah guys could get going with Kresimir Balas having 18 points (but also 5 turnovers).

Phoenix leads 3-2

Only one series was won in five games with a major upset happening with #7 New Orleans beating up #2 Orlando 4-1.

We have struggled all series long but we never gave up and finally, in game six, we got that monkey off our back by beating Utah 123-107 to win the series 4-2. Harms was our star (like usual) with 28 points and 7 assists (and 5 turnovers) while Roman had 22 points on 9 shots and Herb added 21 points This team played well after a really slow start to the series which we won’t be able to do next round. Nathaniel Jackson went 8/9 for 24 points but Phil Magnum went 1/13 for 6 points.

Phoenix wins 4-2

#5 Chicago beat #4 Brooklyn in six games which means there are still four series that are going the distance.

How about that, only one of those four favourites won through, with #1 Detroit beating #8 Cleveland in seven games. However, #6 Indiana, #6 Seattle and #5 Dallas beat their higher opponents in #3 Charlotte, #3 San Antonio and #4 Houston. That makes our road a little better.

[zike_42]

2043 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#1 Detroit vs. #5 Chicago
#6 Indiana vs. #7 New Orleans

Western Conference
#1 Phoenix vs. #5 Dallas
#2 San Diego vs. #6 Seattle

We won the season series 2-1 but like last time, without two of our big three we are going to be the underdog.

Western Conference Semi-Finals – Dallas vs. Phoenix

Point Guard
Andre Davenport vs. Michael Harmon
12.3 points, 6.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds vs. 26.8 points, 8.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds

Harmon will be happy that he’s not going up against a superstar like Gamal Hicks anymore as he just couldn’t hold onto the ball. He’s leading the playoffs in turnovers at seven per game which is simply crazy for someone of his talent. He’s going up against a great defender in Davenport and an elite defender from the bench in David Forrest so he might not get any time for himself.

Winner - Phoenix

Shooting Guard
Shaun Tebbs vs. Romanos Demosthenous
26.4 points, 8.6 assists, 8.0 rebounds vs. 13.8 points, 1.8 assists, 6.5 rebounds

Just look at those numbers from Tebbs in the first round. Seriously, that’s just crazy talk. The series went to seven games as well so it’s not like he just got hot over four, he had to work for those numbers. If Phoenix want to move on to the next series Romanos is going to have to pull out all the stops to slow down Tebbs.

Winner - Dallas

Small Forward
Chris Howard vs. Herb Celuck
20.6 points, 2.0 assists, 6.1 rebounds vs. 20.8 points, 1.2 assists, 6.8 rebounds

At only 23 years old, Howard has become a fantastic player in this league. He’s seen as a fantastic scorer that can do most things, shown by his 1.9 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in these playoffs. Celuck has been fantastic so far this post season and apart from a 1/11 three point night in the first game he has been shooting well, so this match up isn’t as bad as it first seems.

Winner - Dallas

Power Forward
Matt Hackett vs. Sam Russell
19.1 points, 1.1 assists, 9.0 rebounds vs. 14.7 points, 1.5 assists, 8.3 rebounds

Hackett can do two things, score and rebound. He can’t defend, steal or block and his passing is pretty woeful but he can do those two things brilliantly. Russell is going to need to push him out of his comfort zone to put Hackett off balance.

Winner - Dallas

Centre
Gellies Van Vleck vs. Pin-zhen Yuan
12.9 points, 0.6 assists, 6.7 rebounds vs. 18.5 points, 2.0 assists, 8.2 rebounds

When usual starting centre Ben Jensen went down with a broken leg near the end of the season, the Mavericks looked sunk. In comes Dutch Gellies Van Vleck who didn’t play a second in the regular season but has started every game in the first round and has looked good doing it. Shooting 57% from the field and having nice numbers, he won’t be as good against the superstar in the making in Yuan. The best Chinese player around will be wanting to grow his hype with a big series.

Winner - Phoenix

Bench
David Forrest, Ozkan Periganovlu, Tobe Slaughter vs. Olaf Milosz, Darryl Abrams, Keith Chapman

In a perfect world, Forrest should be starting at PG, he’s a very good player. He’s an amazing defender who has been stuck behind Gamal Hicks in Utah for the past three years. I’m not doubting he will get plenty of minutes against Michael Harmon. The rest of the bench are decent players without being stellar. Phoenix’s bench have been ravaged with the injuries of Cameron Brown and Marshod Anderson but they are still good enough not to give up leads. But the prescence of Forrest swing this towards Dallas.

Winner – Dallas

Prediction – Dallas in six. This Dallas team is primed for a deep post season run and Phoenix are just limping through the playoffs. Look for the upset.

Game one was a track meet, as both teams shot over 53% and scored 130+. Harms was our best with 24 points and 16 assists but fouled out early in the fourth. That gave Andre Davenport a chance to shine and he took full advantage, going 11/13 from the field for 37 points as Dallas took our HCA with a 142-135 win. Shaun Tebbs continued his fine all around form with 24 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds while Chris Howard added 25 points. Herb led us with 29 points while Olaf added 17 points and 11 assists off the bench but we just couldn’t stop the Mavericks from scoring.

Dallas leads 1-0

It’s good to see your leader take a personal vendetta against his opponent and usually we win when that happens. Harms had 27 points and 14 assists while holding Andre Davenport to 1/5 shooting as we win a completely opposite game 97-87. Our defence did the job as we had 13 blocks to hold the Mavs 41% from the field. Pin, Sam and Herb combined for 40 points, 36 rebounds and 9 blocks to decimate their big men. Shuan Tebbs had 26 points and 9 rebounds while Chris Howard added 26 points but turned the ball over seven times.

Series tied 1-1

The Dallas crowd was amazing and it rubbed off on the Mavericks as they took game three with a comfortable 116-101 win which flatters us. Chris Howard had 25 points while Gellies Van Vleck had a blinder with 20 points and 8 rebounds as they forced us into 22 turnovers. Pin held his own with 24 points and 7 rebounds but Harms had another devil’s triple double with 18 points, 16 assists and 10 turnovers. Ouch.

Dallas leads 2-1

We need to win game four otherwise it seems that it will be out of our reach. We got out to a 4-2 lead and then we lost all ability to score the basketball or defend our opponents. The Mavericks shot 60% to smash us 139-100 to put us on our knees. Andre Davenport had 25 points while Chris Howard and Matt Hackett put up 55 points and 13 rebounds as we again couldn’t hold onto the ball, turning it over 24 times. Harms was good and bad with 28 points and 8 assists with 8 turnovers and Roman scored 21 points on 22 shots and 5 turnovers. We’re really missing Cam and Marshod.

Dallas leads 3-1

This is it. If we lose this, we lose the whole season and we try again next season. Harms finally had a game where he could hold onto the ball with 25 points, 11 assists and only 3 turnovers while Sam and Pin combined for 25 points, 22 rebounds and 5 blocks as we got out to a 17 point lead going into the fourth quarter. And then Shaun Tebbs happened. He went 7/9 from the field, 3/3 from three and 5/6 from the line IN THE LAST QUARTER to nearly outscore us himself as he put up 22 points in the final term to steal the game 112-105. That’s right, the Mavs outscored us 43-23 in the last to take the series. Sigh. I hate this game sometimes.

Dallas wins 4-1

The other three series’ go the distance with only two favourites winning. #6 Indiana beat #7 New Orleans, #2 San Diego took care of #6 Seattle while Chicago rides eight players in double figures to upset the Pistons to send both number one seeds packing.

[zike_42]

2043 NBA Playoffs

Eastern Conference
#5 Chicago defeat #6 Indiana 4-0

Western Conference
#5 Dallas defeat #2 San Diego 4-1

2043 NBA Finals – Chicago vs. Dallas

Point Guard
DJ Forbes vs. David Forrest
18.2 points, 7.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds vs. 11.3 points, 6.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds

Winner - Chicago

Shooting Guard
Travis Morant vs. Shaun Tebbs
4.9 points, 0.9 assists, 2.1 rebounds vs. 21.1 points, 6.9 assists, 6.8 rebounds

Winner - Dallas

Small Forward
Santo Tommasini vs. Chris Howard
28.1 points, 1.5 assists, 5.3 rebounds vs. 20.8 points, 1.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds

Winner - Draw

Power Forward
Victor Hoiberg vs. Matt Hackett
19.1 points, 1.8 assists, 6.9 rebounds vs. 17.9 points, 1.1 assists, 10.3 rebounds

Winner - Dallas

Centre
Terry Whitworth vs. Ben Jensen
13.9 points, 0.9 assists, 6.4 rebounds vs. 7.5 points, 0.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds

Winner - Dallas

Bench
Randy Canal, Kelvin Cooper, Bernard Leis vs. Andre Davenport, Gellies Van Vleck, Ozkan Periganovlu

Winner - Draw

Prediction – Dallas in six. Without Kevin Morrison many people are surprised that the Bulls have got this far which means that they’re doing something right but with the likes of Tebbs, Howard and Hackett and home court advantage, the Mavericks will have enough to get over the line.

Game One
Chicago 108 – Dallas 116 (DAL 1-0)
Player of the Game – Matt Hackett (DAL) – 22 points, 16 rebounds

Game Two
Chicago 129 – Dallas 140 (DAL 2-0)
Player of the Game – Chris Howard (DAL) – 24 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals

Game Three
Dallas 124 – Chicago 121 (DAL 3-0)
Player of the Game – Andre Davenport (DAL) – 21 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds

Game Four
Dallas 130 – Chicago 118 (DAL 4-0)
Player of the Game – Shaun Tebbs (DAL) – 31 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists

I don’t think many people would have picked a Dallas sweep in the NBA Finals but here we are. The Mavericks win their first championship in ten years while Chicago are left being a bridesmaid for the second consecutive year. Shaun Tebbs adds to his title in Portland with another one here and was named Finals MVP to boot with averages of 21.0 points, 6.5 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals a game, closely beating out Matt Hackett’s averages of 19.5 points and 11.8 rebounds.

With the trade of Rashon Woods we somehow nabbed the best odds of winning the draft which is crazy, so fingers crossed.

16 – Oklahoma City (0)
15 – Los Angeles (0)
14 – Memphis (0)
13 – Washington (0)
12 – Portland (0)
11 – Washington (0)
10 – Miami (0)
9 – Boston (0)
8 – Atlanta (0)
7 – Philadelphia (0)
6 – Memphis (0)
5 – New York (0)
4 – Minnesota (-2)

Milwaukee and Golden State have jumped.

3 – Golden State (+1)
2 – Phoenix (-1)
1 – Milwaukee (+2)

Dammit, this pick because much less valuable now that we don’t have a shot at Antoine Bedard.

If Harms doesn’t get into an All NBA team with the way he carried this team I’m going to be very upset.

Most Valuable Player:
James Carroll, Houston Rockets – 27.4 points, 1.9 assists, 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 1.0 block

Not the guy I would have gone with (Ishmael Faye) but it’s not a bad pick.

Defensive Player of the Year:
Arthimus Smallwood, Houston Rockets – 17.3 points, 1.8 assists, 7.4 rebounds, 3.1 steals, 1.8 blocks

No doubt, great selection here.

Sixth Man of the Year:
Eddy Wooley, Philadelphia 76ers – 16.4 points, 6.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 0.3 blocks

Another quality selection here even if Wooley started quite a few games.

Rookie of the Year:
Mathias Wabbes, Philadelphia 76ers – 20.4 points, 1.2 assists, 6.5 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.2 blocks

He was a lock many, many months ago so I’m glad they didn’t budge on the proper pick.

Coach of the Year:
Morrow Hanavan, San Diego Riders – 62-20 (.756)

Coach Jones had a better record and he had less to work with when Cam and Marshod went down.

All NBA First Team:
Axel Rancik, Oklahoma City Thunder
Cliff Havens, San Diego Riders
James Carroll, Houston Rockets
Lewis Jones, New Orleans Hornets
Jamie McMillian, Detroit Pistons

All NBA Second Team:
Mack Haston, San Antonio Spurs
Daniel Brazzle, Toronto Raptors
Ryan Holcomb, San Diego Riders
Arthur Carey, Cleveland Cavaliers
Joey Peterson, Miami Heat

All NBA Third Team:
Michael Harmon, Phoenix Suns
Pete Edgerson, Orlando Magic
David Baxley, Sacramento Kings
Matt Hackett, Dallas Mavericks
Tip Rice, Golden State Warriors

All Defense First Team:
Axel Rancik, Oklahoma City Thunder
Williams Shine, Detroit Pistons
Arthimus Smallwood, Houston Rockets
Ishmael Faye, Indiana Pacers
Rashon Woods, Toronto Raptors

All Defense Second Team:
Michael Harmon, Phoenix Suns
Phil Magnum, Utah Jazz
Ryan Holcomb, San Diego Riders
Jarrad Prewitt, Denver Nuggets
Adam Bell, Memphis Grizzlies

All Rookie First Team:
Scott Clark, Milwaukee Bucks
Derion Perez, Minnesota Timberwolves
Todd Mintz, Oklahoma City Thunder
Mathias Wabbes, Philadelphia 76ers
Rashon Woods, Toronto Raptors

All Rookie Second Team:
Thomas Majerus, Minnesota Timberwolves
Chris Wilcox, Seattle Supersonics
Marcus Jenkins, Cleveland Cavaliers
Delawn Hooks, Boston Celtics
Michael Porter, New York Knicks

With the second pick in the draft that is dominated by Antoine Bedard and his 33.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, 10.6 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game in high school I might be able to find something worthy of a number two pick, or I’ll just trade it.

1 – Milwaukee – PG Antoine Bedard
2 – Phoenix – SG William Cornette
3 – Golden State – SG Eric Parker
4 – Minnesota – PG Gerald Watkins
5 – New York – SF John Prato
6 – Memphis – PF Andre Evans
7 – Philadelphia – PG Scott Smith
8 – Atlanta – SF Horace Mociler
9 – Boston – C Jim Jackson
10 – Miami – SG JR Nielsen
11 – Washington – SF Rahmeen Penney
12 – Portland – PF Desmond Taylor
13 – Washington – C Brad Newby
14 – Memphis – SG Wesely Greenberg
15 – Los Angeles – PF Ray Caskill
16 – Oklahoma City – SF Cameron Whitworth

[zike_42]

A long, long time ago I said that I would retire when every one of the Rookie Six players retired. As all of the remaining members are going around for one more year but there are strong rumours that this will be the last season so I’m going to go all out.

2043 NBA Draft

1 – Milwaukee – PG Antoine Bedard
Well, duh.

I go through every team and try and trade this number two pick and no-one wants it. It would be so much easier if we got the number one pick in a one man draft but no-one wants it for what I think it is so I go with the next best player.

2 – Phoenix – William Cornette
He averaged 31 points and 10 rebounds a game in his freshman year so he can definitely play ball but he has a low work ethic which may turn people off.

As much as it pains me, Cam just has too much time left on his injury and if I’m going to win again I can’t have someone of his stature on the bench and not being used in a trade. I was SO close to trading him to San Diego for Cliff Havens but Havens shoots sub-.430 which just isn’t good enough so I go for someone who isn’t as good as Cam but still a very good player.

Phoenix trade:
SG Cameron Brown
C Darryl Abrams
2044 1st round pick

Boston trade:
SF Alan Patton
SG LeDarion Bennett
2044 1st round pick

Winner – Phoenix. If Brown was healthy it would be in Boston’s favour but as he still has a long stint on the sidelines a healthy star is better than an injured superstar.

I like this trade as Patton is 55% shooter on a good night with a career ppg average of 21. Bennett is trade fodder and nothing more than an expiring contract.

3 – Golden State – PF Andre Evans
The best big man in the draft, he has such a good touch around the basket that he just knows how to put the ball in the hoop. He should make a fantastic dynamic duo with Tip Rice for many years to come.

4 – Minnesota – PG Gerald Watkins
He may be a junior in college but this kid is an amazing point guard. He can score, pass and most importantly he can defend and Minnesota should be very happy with this pick.

5 – New York – SF John Prato
This guy has silky smooth shooting skills and you can depend on his defence. His attitude is a little lacking which might be exposed in New York but it’s still a good pick.

6 – Memphis – PF Ray Caskill
A great rebounder who averaged 13.5 rebounds a game at Duke. He’s a good defender but he doesn’t have the best hands on offense and is known to turn it over a bit too much. A bit too high for Caskill in my opinion and the experts agree.

7 – Philadelphia – PG Scott Smith
This is the perfect spot for Smith. He’s an unbelievably good passer (14.9 apg in high school) and he’ll do those things that the Sixers have been missing. In a couple of years having Smith and Wabbes will be a great pair.

8 – Atlanta – PF Desmond Taylor
When you have two great bigs in Jordan Williamson and John Meliet, why would you waste a top ten pick on another big man? Taylor should be a great player but this is a horrible fit.

9 – Boston – PG Keith Myer
I have no idea who this is. He averaged 13 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals a game for Colorado but he’s still a mystery to me. It’s a shock to the experts as well, as they’re slamming the Celtics for this. The only good thing they can say is that he’s a good locker room guy.

10 – Miami – SG Eric Parker
I really like this pick. He may be raw but he has a crazy good work ethic and he has potential out his ears. If the Heat can stick with him this will look so, so good.

11 – Washington – C Brad Newby
The best centre in the draft but that’s not saying much when this is where he should be picked. The Wizards should be happy with this one.

12 – Portland – PF Horace Mociler
The Blazers were really high on Newby so had to scramble to find someone else. He’s not a glamour pick but for #12 this is acceptable.

13 – Washington – PF Rahmeen Penney
The Wizards must be looking for their next starting front court with Penney teaming up with Newby. Too bad that Penney probably won’t be a serious starter and is at best a good bench player.

14 – Memphis – PG Marquis Sims
Two swings and two misses from the Grizz after picking Caskil at #6. Sims is flat out not a lottery pick and there could be an argument that he is not a first round talent. Yuck.

15 – Los Angeles – SG Wesely Greenberg
For an end of the lottery pick, this is a good one. He’s not a good passer but his scoring instincts are great and he should be able to learn a lot from Nathan Gordon.

16 – Oklahoma City – SF Michael Lawson
Yawn, this is a nothing pick and with other guys with more potential like JR Nielsen and Randolfo Da Vinci still on the board it’s a bit of a waste.

17 – Memphis – SF Cameron Whitworth
18 – Utah – JR Nielsen
19 – Indiana – PG James Johnson
20 – Sacramento – PG Al Pipkins
21 – New Orleans – C Jim Jackson
22 – Chicago – SG Derick Brown
23 – Brooklyn – SG Mao Meng
24 – Seattle – SG Tommy Tart
25 – Charlotte – C James Tyler
26 – Orlando – SG Randolfo Da Vinci
27 – Boston – C Larry Herring
28 – Dallas – SG Tom Grandison
29 – Houston – PG Miroslav Balas
30 – San Diego – SF Schin Howard
31 – San Antonio – SG Eddie Marshall
32 – Toronto – PG Heddick Mullahon

A couple of decent trades but nothing mind blowing.

Toronto trade:
SF Jit wei Fong

Memphis trade:
SG Kenyatta Harvey
2043 2nd round pick

Winner – Toronto. Fong may be the better player but Harvey fills a need and has a shorter contract.

Philadelphia trade:
SG Joe West

Cleveland trade:
SF Kerry Williams
2043 2nd round pick

Winner – Both. They’re both quality players that are still at a good enough age to not fall off quickly. West has only got one year left on his contract while Williams has three which might figure into things.

Golden State trade:
SF Darnell Kimbrough

Portland trade:
SG Ben Angeli
2043 2nd round pick

Winner – Portland. Both have similar contracts, both will get starting minutes so it all comes down to who is the better player, and that is Kimbrough.

[zike_42]

I renounce Cort Majishun, LeDarion Bennett, Kenneth Long, Dave Jackson, Jack Dawkins, Keith Chapman and Keith Dudley while holding onto Marshod. He may still be going through rehab for his torn MCL but he should be back in the team sometime during next season.

You all know the drill, summer league is upon us and Olaf, Billy (William Cornette) and Sam get call ups. I really want to see how Billy goes as he might be close to starting at the beginning of the season.

I don’t know who had a better game in our 96-83 win over Milwaukee, Sam or Olaf. Sam was the statistical darling with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 8 blocks while Olaf might have only had 18 points and 5 assists but he kept unanimous number one pick and future superstar Antoine Bedard to 3/21 shooting which is insane. Probably Sam.

He might have only had 10 points in the first game (but also had 11 rebounds) but it was Billy’s night tonight with 21 points as we beat the Nuggets 88-76. Sam had 14 points and 9 rebounds but Olaf went 17 for 3 points. Andre Miller for the Nugs went 4/22 for 12 points so our defense is doing its job.

That’s three from three as Billy tore it up as we slide past the Lakers 94-90. After warming up in the first two games, Billy torched LA with 31 points and 7 rebounds while Olaf added 15 points and 8 turnovers. Brandon Crosby went toe-to-toe with Billy with 27 points but shot a lower percentage.

He’s just getting better and better, going 15/20 for 35 points as Billy did everything he pleased as we smashed the Bobcats 120-79. Olaf didn’t play because he’s done enough as Clyde Malone had 5 points and 8 assists. James Tyler was the best for the Bobcats with 11 points and 15 rebounds.

Sam went 9/10 for 20 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks while Billy added 21 points but neither of them were player of the game in our 98-90 win over Cleveland to give us a perfect 5-0 summer league. That honour went to Clyde Malone, who went 9/12 from the field for 27 points and 6 assists. Good on him, but he won’t be getting a contract from me.

I really, REALLY like what I saw from Billy and Sam with our rookie putting up numbers of 23.6 points and 6.4 rebounds while our big man having 15.8 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game. Good times.

This free agent crop might not have the overwhelming superstar factor that last season’s did but there are still some top flight players on display. Here is the top ten –

PF Deon Fox*
PF Scott Oates
SF Marshod Anderson
PG Axel Rancik
SF Arthimus Smallwood
SG Phil Magnum*
SG Pete Edgerson
SF David Baxley
C Jordan Williamson*
SF Tom Jordan*

And it also has the likes of Rich Muckle, Kurt Sutton and Will Campbell.

I get to work and offer Marshod the same contract that I offered Harms and Cam, a five year deal worth $77.5 million. Less than the max but if he wants to fight for another title he’s going to have to take a little less.

In a move seen by everyone, Deon Fox re-signs with Charlotte for near the max which is a good deal for a player of his calibre.

The next day Marshod comes back to us which is great news while Rich Muckle, Axel Rancik and Kresimir Balas also go back home.

Woooooooooooowwwwwwwww. First up David Baxley, Tom Jordan and Kurt Sutton re-sign with their respective teams. Then Cleveland drops two bomb shells, with the Cavs stealing Scott Oates and Phil Magnum (with an offer sheet) from Utah on four year deals. The Jazz must be fuming that two of their best players have decided to jump ship. We’ll have to wait and see if Utah matched Magnum’s offer sheet.

This free agency is madness as Axel Ranick jumps to Minnesota for a hell of a lot of money and just made the Wolves titles contenders. The West is scary good.

Houston re-signs Arthimus Smallwood while Pete Edgerson goes back to Orlando but good news for one of my old draftees as Tavorris Hancock gets a four year deal with Houston worth over $27 million. It’s great to see that he stuck with it and is getting his reward.

The whole of Salt Lake City sighs a big sigh of relief as the Jazz match Cleveland’s offer for Phil Magnum. The Cavs don’t sit on their hands as they sign Abel Williams to a four year deal worth about what Magnum is now getting paid. It’s tender offer signing day as all of the good restricted free agents go back around for one more turn.

I go to fill out our bench and sign Dave Jackson, Ross Woods, Nigel Sowder, Eddie Walcutt, Paul Cunningham and Tarrell McMahon which gives up 15 players so I’m done.

Training camp comes and goes and I’m a little sad for Olaf as he could start for most teams and at only 21 years old he could do it for at least 10 years. I’d love for Billy to start at SG as he’s almost ready but I’m sure Coach will start Roman which I’m fine with also.

Western Conference Pre-Season Rankings
1 – Phoenix Suns
2 – San Antonio Spurs
3 – Los Angeles Lakers
4 – Houston Rockets
5 – Minnesota Timberwolves
Last – Portland Trailblazers

This conference is just brutal. With the Lakers adding Matt Hackett and the Wolves nabbing Axel Rancik, it brings even more strength to the top five and it’ll be battle to get to the top.

Eastern Conference Pre-Season Rankings
1 – Charlotte Bobcats
2 – Cleveland Cavaliers
3 – Orlando Magic
4 – Toronto Raptors
5 – Indiana Pacers
Last – Atlanta Hawks

With the addition of Scott Oates and Abel Williams and the impending superstar explosion of Marcus Jenkins, I can definitely see Cleveland at the top. In fact, the top four of this conference are also very strong which could give a great seeding race from the get go.

Pre-Season All NBA First Team:
Michael Harmon, Phoenix Suns
Nathan Gordon, Los Angeles Lakers
Ryan Holcomb, San Diego Riders
Zan Tepavac, Oklahoma City Thunder
Tip Rice, Golden State Warriors

Pre-Season All NBA Second Team:
Mack Haston, San Antonio Spurs
Daniel Brazzle, Toronto Raptors
Marshod Anderson, Phoenix Suns
Ishmael Faye, Indiana Pacers
BJ Watson, Toronto Raptors

Pre-Season All NBA Third Team:
Gamal Hicks, Utah Jazz
Cameron Brown, Boston Celtics
James Carroll, Houston Rockets
Deon Fox, Charlotte Bobcats
Adam Bell, Memphis Grizzlies

This is it guys, most likely my last season in the league. So let’s go out with a bang with your 2043-2044 “One More Time” Phoenix Suns –

PG – Michael Harmon
SG – Romanos Demosthenous
SF – Alan Patton
PF – Sam Russell
C – Pin-zhen Yuan
6th – William Cornette
7th – Eddie Walcutt
8th – Herb Celuck
9th – Tarrell McMahon
10th – Olaf Milosz
11th – Nigel Sowder
12th – Ross Woods
13th – Dave Jackson
14th – Paul Cunningham
IR – Marshod Anderson

[zike_42]

We start the season with a triple double, but not in the good way. Harms had 28 points, 11 assists and 10 turnovers as we still win with a 117-87 shellacking of Seattle. Patty (Alan Patton) had a great first game with 25 points while Roman put up 20 points and 7 rebounds. Mitch Edwards was the leader for the Sonics with 26 points.

Phoenix Suns 1-0

Billy gets the start in our second game and took full advantage with 24 points as we take care of the Nuggets 115-102. Harms had a better game with 22 points, 12 assists, 5 steals and only 5 turnovers. Herb had a nice game as Sam hurt his calf with 14 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. Vitali Gurevich is a real talent in his second year and had 32 points and 7 assists tonight.

Phoenix Suns 2-0

Wow, this might be the game of the season already. We have Orlando come into our home and things go crazy as Patty went 22/35 for 54 points while Harms added 17 points, 19 assists and 7 rebounds as we still lose, going down 131-128 in overtime. The reason was that all five Magic starters were in double figure rebounds which I have never seen before. Ever! Seriously, five players with 10+ rebounds, here they are –

Gavin Harvey – 10 points, 14 rebounds
Kurt Lewis – 21 points, 13 rebounds
Juia Henchoz – 29 points, 11 rebounds
Pete Edgerson – 46 points, 10 rebounds
Brodney Smith – 9 points, 10 rebounds, 24 assists

As I said, Wow.

Phoenix Suns 2-1

Damn. What a disappointment after last game was we let the Kings rattle off a 41-23 last quarter to steal the 117-106 loss. Patty went 17/23 for 43 points which is a shame to waste that kind of performance while Diego Acosta was the best for Sac-Town with 22 points and 9 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 2-2

That’s better, with Sam back in the starting five it gave us a bit more stability as we beat the Bulls 124-102. Harms made up for last game’s performance with 29 points and 10 assists while Patty led again from the front with 28 points. Sam and Pin did their thing with 21 points and 25 rebounds but I think Billy isn’t ready for the starting five as his shooting has been well below par at 33%. DJ Forbes was great with 24 points and 8 assists but Santo Tommasini went 6/25 to make that all worthless.

Phoenix Suns 3-2

Roman goes back to starting and had 16 points and 3 blocks as we get smashed by the Spurs as they shoot 56% from the field for a 128-107 scoreline. Shaheen Mason was fantastic with 29 points and 9 rebounds while Mack Haston added 22 points and 14 assists. Marshod can’t come quick enough.

Phoenix Suns 3-3

The Wizards are 1-8 so I really don’t want to lose to them so luckily that didn’t happen as we beat them easily 122-107. Patty had 29 points and 10 rebounds while Harms added 23 points and 13 assists. Jon Przybilla is a star on the rise and had 23 points and 12 rebounds while Jonathan Roland has finally shaken off that Philly stink (the team, not the city) with 9 points, 18 assists and 8 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 4-3

Pin fouled out in 23 minutes. The reason? Jamie McMillian, and his 16/22 free throws for 32 points and 12 rebounds. We still won though as Harms had 31 points and 8 assists to win 123-106. Ben LaLane had 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 turnovers which is nice because it was Harms who got the devil’s triple double.

Phoenix Suns 5-3

Harms, Roman, Patty and Olaf combined for 88 points as we beat the Blazers 122-115. The team shot 55% from the field which usually means that we win, even if we turned the ball over 21 times. Marques Jones was a lone hand for Portland with 28 points.

Phoenix Suns 6-3

I’m really enjoying Patty on this team as not only is he scoring lots (29ppg) but he’s doing it efficiently at 54%. He had those numbers tonight with 29 points as we beat the Pacers 112-102. Harms was again the star with 32 points and 11 assists as the team again shot more than 50%. Ishamel Faye had 22 points but Winston Shannon only scored 16 points.

Phoenix Suns 7-3

Happy, happy news! Marshod has been cleared to play and why not, let’s through into the starting five at SG. We’re up against Patty’s old team and again we get smashed in the last quarter, going down 35-18 to lose the game 99-91. Pin had our best game with 21 points and 11 rebounds while Marshod only had 8 points. Patty had 18 points in his return but fouled out. Ipolitas Margolis led Boston with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 7-4

He’s getting better but Marshod’s minutes are being strictly watched as he only had 12 points in 22 minutes but we still won 127-96 over Atlanta. Patty was our star with 24 points while Pin and Sam added 27 points and 24 rebounds and I’m Ok with this so far. Jordan Williamson had 24 points and 10 rebounds but the Hawks shot 43% from the field.

Phoenix Suns 8-4

Marshod’s going back to the bench which is understandable after a horrible injury as Roman goes back into the starting five and had 19 points against the Nets. The Nets had the golden touch, shooting 57% from the field and 62% from three to decimate us 148-121. Ryan Cornell had 31 points and 16 assists, Ryan Lemeke added 28 points and Rich Muckle added 25 points. Yep, all three were my players at some stage in history. Harms had 30 points and 12 assists but Patty only put up 15 points.

Phoenix Suns 8-5

We get back to winning with a 120-115 victory over Philadelphia who are doing pretty well for themselves finally. Harms had a great battle with Eddy Wooley as our PG had 31 points, 14 assists and 7 rebounds while Wooley countered with 36 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals. Sam had his best game of the season with 16 points, 17 rebounds and 6 blocks and it’s just great to the Sixers get back to somewhere close to respectable.

Phoenix Suns 9-5

When we’re good we’re good, but when we’re bad we’re atrocious. I can’t remember the last time one of my teams have been beaten by 50 points but it happened tonight as we shot 39% to their 55% as we lost to the Mavericks 141-89. Ben Jensen and Shaun Tebbs had 23 points each but this was just embarrassing.

Phoenix Suns 9-6

Marshod is back in the team and we get our revenge against the Nets as Harms was close to a triple double with 25 points, 12 assists and 9 rebounds as we win 135-111. Patty was also great with with 28 points and Marshod added 19 points. Steve Baxter led Brooklyn with 23 points and 13 rebounds as this win put my mind at ease a little bit after a few blowouts.

Phoenix Suns 10-6

After such a sluggish start we just can’t get the team together properly. Meaning I can’t get it together, as there has been quite a lot of rumblings in our front court guys about playing time, especially Eddie Walcutt. So I make a trade, it took all of ten minutes and changed the state of the league.

Phoenix trade:
SF Alan Patton
SG William Cornette
PF Dave Jackson
SG Paul Cunningham
C Eddie Walcutt

Indiana trade:
PF Ishmael Faye
SG Jon Childs

Winner – Both. Trading away one of the best power forwards in the league usually isn’t the best thing to do but when he’s 32 years old it might be time to look elsewhere. That’s what Indiana did, trading away their rock for a scoring star and an up and coming superstar at ages 28 and 20 respectively is a pretty good return. They won’t be as good straight away but next season with Patton and Cornette combining with Winston Shannon it’s a decent trade. For the Suns, this is all in. If they weren’t all in when they traded Cameron Brown they are now, bringing on nearly $7 million in extra salary for a guy that is nearly at the end of his superstardom. This is a win now at any cost type of trade.

I’m really happy with this deal as Ish’s decline isn’t as bad as some have said while Childs is a serviceable SG off the bench. Harms was over the moon when I told him we traded for Faye as they are best buds from Indiana. I sign Derek Whitworth, Eric Owens and Tobe Slaughter to round out the roster.

We’re third in the conference behind the streaking 11-1 Rockets whiel Dallas are showing no signs of a championship hangover at 12-5. The Lakers are back down the bottom at 3-12 and will probably be there for a while.

The Cavs and their new additions are doing well atop the East at 11-5 with Charlotte right behind them at 10-5, while Indiana will be lucky to hold onto third place at 13-7. New York are sitting at 3-10 and having NY and LA at the bottom of their respective conferences is a weird thought but it’s true.

Phoenix Top Points
Ishmael Faye – 25.1*
Michael Harmon – 23.1
Romanos Demosthenous – 13.4

Phoenix Top Assists
Michael Harmon – 10.6
Olaf Milosz – 3.1
Jon Childs – 2.2*

Phoenix Top Rebounds
Pin-zhen Yuan – 8.4
Sam Russell – 8.1
Ishmael Faye – 6.9*

*Indiana numbers

League Leaders
Points – Joey Peterson (MIA) – 31.4
Assists – Israel Payne (SDR) – 13.6
Rebounds – Rashon Woods (TOR) – 10.1
Blocks – Adam Bell (MEM) – 3.6
Steals – Arthimus Smallwood (HOU) – 3.3
Efficiency – Joey Peterson (MIA) – 30.7

Rookie Leaders
Points – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 16.1
Assists – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 6.7
Rebounds – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 3.5
Blocks – Rahmeen Penney (WAS) – 0.9
Steals – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 1.2
Efficiency – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 15.8

[zike_42]

November Player of the Month – Joey Peterson, Miami Heat – 31.4 points, 1.1 assists, 9.4 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.

November Rookie of the Month – Antoine Bedard, Milwaukee Bucks – 16.1 points, 6.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.2 blocks per game.

There were no other trades during November and people are still reeling from our blockbuster.

Our first game with the new team is a win as Ish takes on all comers to beat OKC 115-109. Ish set up camp at the foul line and didn’t leave very often, going 19/23 from the stripe for 33 points and 9 rebounds as Harms added 23 points and 6 assists. Everyone got a go as we had a bit of foul trouble but nothing to worrying. Zan Tepavac didn’t back down from Ish with 34 points and 5 rebounds but they are really hurting with Axel Rancik defecting to Minnesota.

Phoenix Suns 11-6

In Alan Patton and William Cornette’s first game they had 28 points and 16 points respectively which shows that they got a good deal in the trade.

It was a track meet against the Raptors as we rode 23 points from Harms and 20 points on Roman to win 125-115. Pin was the star of the game though with 19 points and 20 rebounds as he took it up to BJ Watson who had 21 points and 8 rebounds. Rashon Woods isn’t the player I thought he would be just yet but still had 8 points and 15 rebounds. Daniel Brazzle nearly won it for Toronto with 42 points but fouled out in the last term.

Phoenix Suns 12-6

We stay undefeated in the Ish Faye era with a 116-100 road win over the Bulls as Ish had 22 points an 11 rebounds. Marshod is getting back to his best with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Roman went 0/9 for 1 point and 6 turnovers. Derick Brown was the best for Chicago with 18 points off the bench.

Phoenix Suns 13-6

It’s great to see someone fit in so quickly after spending a lot of time at another team and that’s what is happening with Ish as he went 14/20 for 30 points and 8 rebounds as we beat the hapless Lakers 118-104. Harms had a great night with 25 points and 11 assists while Roman made up for the previous game with 17 points. Nathan Gordon is finally not playing PG and still had 19 points and 9 assists in the loss.

Phoenix Suns 14-6

It’s crazy to think that Ryan Holcomb is only 23 years old with the way he’s taking over the league and tonight he was unstoppable with 38 points and 11 rebounds as the Riders break our streak with a 114-105 win in Phoenix. Cliff Havens has still got a lot left in the tank with 30 points as we shoot better than San Diego but turned the ball over 17 times to their five. Pin was our best with 21 points and 16 rebounds but Harms had 9 turnovers himself.

Phoenix Suns 14-7

It’s right back on the horse with a 119-89 shellacking of Golden State as Marshod led us with 25 points and 6 rebounds. He’s so close to being fully healthy which is great news for our morale. Seeing someone as important as Marshod at his best lifts the rest of the team to a higher level. Tip Rice still seems to be a lone hand for the Warriors with 34 points with no other GSW player being in double figures.

Phoenix Suns 15-7

Woah. When a team shoots 60% from the field it rarely loses, especially when our now healthy big three of Marshod, Ish and Harms had 88 points, 29 rebounds and 21 assists. What was surprising is that it happened against an elite team in Charlotte as we smashed them 146-109 on our home court. Olaf added 14 points and 7 assists while Deon Fox was the best for the Bobcats with 19 points.

Phoenix Suns 16-7

The Nuggets have some quality young guys but they just aren’t on our level yet as we breeze past them 131-89. Ish is our go to guy now and had 33 points and 8 rebounds as all five of our starters had at least 17 points which is great balance. Vitali Gurevich, who could be a top five SG in the future, had 17 points to lead Denver.

Phoenix Suns 17-7

The Bobcats have a payroll of $127 million dollars for the year, $29 million more than the next highest paid team. They’re paid $48 million MORE than our team which is insane so I’m guessing team owner Reggie Rucker is gunning for a championship at any cost. The bad thing is that they’re good, great even, but I don’t see them being the odds on favourite to win the title which might rub a few people the wrong way. Especially when we smash them 124-106 on their home court as our big three combined for 84 points, 25 rebounds and 18 assists. Deon Fox, their jewel, had only 16 points and 7 rebounds and they really need to consolidate some of that talent and contracts to get ahead.

Phoenix Suns 18-7

It’s disappointing to see the Raptors doing so badly now that Rashon Woods has come aboard but it doesn’t matter to our players as they beat them 107-91 in Toronto. Ish went 10/11 from the stripe for 32 points, 11 rebounds and 6 blocks while Pin helped him out with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Daniel Brazzle and BJ Watson combined to shoot 10/30 which pretty much predicts the result which isn’t a good one for their team.

Phoenix Suns 19-7

Ish hurt his arm on his way to 21 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks but luckily it’s nothing serious, he’ll just be a bit sore for a while as we beat the Blazers 110-102. Pin picked up the slack with 27 points and 12 rebounds and even though we shot only 41% from the floor we turned the ball over a surprising 5 times to Portland’s 12. Darnell Kimbrough had 22 points and 8 rebounds but they’re nearly ready to look for next season.

Phoenix Suns 20-7

Great. Just as he got healthy again Marshod has gone and broken his ankle on a drive in our 104-95 loss to Denver. He had 14 points but will be out for about a month and a half. Sigh. Pin did his best with 18 points and 15 rebounds but with Marshod out and Ish not 100% we got run over in the end. Tom Jordan was the best on ground with 29 points and 8 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 20-8

Derek Whitworth will start at SG while Roman moves to SF.

Harms puts on his big boy pants and goes to town on the Sonics with 30 points and 8 assists as we have an up and down game to win 109-91. We win the first quarter by seven, then the second by 14, lose the third quarter by 18 and then round it out with a 15 point last quarter win. Pin was great with 23 points and 11 rebounds while Roman added 9 points and 10 rebounds. Derek had 13 points and 7 rebounds in his first start. Syniker Smalls was the best for Seattle with 22 points and 7 rebounds.

Phoenix Suns 21-8

The Mavericks come to town and we send them packing as Sam had a blinder off the bench with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks as we win 144-104. Ish and Harms had 24 points each and it’s great to have someone that goes to the foul line consistently as Ish does with a 14/18 night tonight. Andre Davenport had 28 points for the defending champions.

Phoenix Suns 22-8

Our last game of 2043 on New Year’s Eve was an easy one and it seems that the guys wanted our fans to leave early so they can get to their NYE parties with a score line of 125-110. Harms was fantastic with 36 points and 8 assists while Ish added 29 points and 14 rebounds. This game was done and dusted at half time with Gamal Hicks going 2/18 for 8 points. Ouch.

Phoenix Suns 23-8

The Rockets just keep powering on at 23-2, already six games ahead of us in second place. San Antonio are four games back from us so Houston are rocketing on if you like. OKC are sitting at the bottom of the conference at 6-18 with LA just ahead of them.

The Pistons are leading the East at 23-7 with Orlando right behind them at 24-8. The $127 million Bobcats are in fifth at only 15-12. Atlanta are giving the Thunder a run for the worst team in the league at 6-19.

Phoenix Top Points
Ishmael Faye – 24.4
Michael Harmon – 23.0
Marshod Anderson – 15.3

Phoenix Top Assists
Michael Harmon – 10.1
Olaf Milosz – 4.2
Romanos Demosthenous – 2.1

Phoenix Top Rebounds
Pin-zhen Yuan – 9.7
Ishmael Faye – 7.7
Sam Russell – 6.3

League Leaders
Points – Joey Peterson (MIA) – 33.9
Assists – Israel Payne (SDR) – 13.8
Rebounds – Pin-zhen Yuan (PHO) – 9.7
Blocks – Adam Bell (MEM) – 3.2
Steals – Arthimus Smallwood (HOU) – 2.9
Efficiency – Joey Peterson (MIA) – 32.7

Rookie Leaders
Points – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 15.8
Assists – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 6.2
Rebounds – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 3.9
Blocks – Rahmeen Penney (WAS) – 0.9
Steals – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 1.0
Efficiency – Antoine Bedard (MIL) – 15.0

First Round of NBA Draft Prospects
1. C Ely McDuffie (High School), Senior, 6’9”, 248lbs
2. C Ben Webb (Texas Tech), Freshman, 6’10”, 258lbs
3. SF Brandon Henry (High School), Senior, 6’7”, 217lbs
4. PF niki Iliev (Bulgaria), 18 years old, 6’11”, 220lbs
5. PF Brian Crocker (UCLA), Junior, 6’8”, 230lbs

Thoughts – First up, yes niki Iliev’s first name is a lower case. I don’t know if all Bulgarians are like that or he’s just different. I like McDuffie but I think that Henry will be the top pick this draft.