The debate is over as to who should get the cover for the NBA 2K13 game.

A year after Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson all graced different covers, this years edition of the game includes a trio of  stars gracing the cover.

That would be young stars Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose.

The game, which is scheduled to be released in October, remains popular among NBA fans and also is a symbol that the league is as popular as ever.

Here are the stars comments through a press release (via Ball Don’t Lie):

“Being crowned as one of the NBA 2K13 cover athletes is a great way to cap off what has been an amazing season,” said Durant, who won his third straight scoring title and led the Thunder franchise to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1996. “It’s humbling to grace the cover after the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.”

“There’s so much young talent around the NBA, so it’s very exciting to be chosen forNBA 2K‘s ‘New Dynasty’ alongside Kevin and Derrick,” added Griffin, who helped lead the Clippers to their first postseason since 2006. “The NBA 2K series has always been my first choice when I want to get a game in.”

“It’s a dream come true to be one of the cover athletes for NBA 2K13,” commented Rose, the 2010-11 NBA Most Valuable Player, who led the Bulls to a league-best 50-16 record this season. “I’ve worked closely with 2K Sports since NBA 2K10, and I’m honored to follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan as the latest Chicago Bull to be featured on the cover.”

 

I liked the 2K12 game a lot. Hopefully the new version will be even better.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

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May 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) reacts during the second half in game one of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

When you think of the NBA and it’s superstar’s first two names that instantly pop up in everybody’s heads are Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

I define a superstar as a franchise player that you wouldn’t trade for anyone else besides one of the top tier superstars in the league. An NBA superstar throughout the years has had reoccurring traits. These traits include: league leading stats, marketability, leadership, and most of all – winning.

A superstar is the guy you build your whole franchise around for the next 10 years. The guy who is taking the last shot. The player who makes everyone around him better. They are the Michale Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson of today.

Superstars are not just the best players at their position. Andrew Bynum started for the West this year in the All Star game; he’s not even close to been called a superstar. One of my rules is my mother has to know who you are. My mom knows Kobe, LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and obviously Carmelo Anthony because of the Knicks. Superstars sell jerseys and put fans in the seats both home and away.

Do you think if Bynum were on the Houston Rockets they would sell out a Nets game?

The NBA is different from every sport in one way, their faces are always seen. There’s no helmet or cap hiding their face. I think marketability is key in superstardom. Just look at Jordan. The guy has his own clothing company.

The Jordan brand and sneakers has been synonymous with MJ for decades now but it would have never happened if he never won. He had the stats, the looks, the highlight reel plays and dunks, the swag and the likeability.

But it all means nothing if you do not win.

The NBA has several franchise players, but not many superstars. Kevin Love is obviously the Twolve’s franchise player, but he is not a superstar. Here is my ranking in top 10 superstars:

May 21, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) reacts to the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in game five of the Western Conference semifinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder defeated the Lakers 106-90. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

1. Kobe Bryant – For a player who some say he is past his prime, he was second in the league in scoring by .07. He has the 5 rings, the endorsements, and is the king of Los Angeles. Everyone in the world knows his name and who he is. At the end of the day I think he is No. 2 behind Jordan. That number 2 spot will be forever up for debate.

2. LeBron James – Three MVP awards in four years, and is coming off his best statistical year of his career. He is tearing up the league and is just entering his prime. We all know how “The Decision,” went down and how he embraced the villain role, but that shouldn’t take away from the guy’s game. He hasn’t won but he has lead his team to two Finals appearances, on the verge of his third. LeBron and Kobe are the top tier of superstars in today’s NBA.

3. Kevin Durant – This spot is up for grabs by a lot of players, but it has to go to KD here. I don’t think everyone realizes how great he truly is. This is only his fourth year in the league and he has already won three scoring titles, made three All-Star games, won an All-Star MVP, Rookie of the Year, and has been selected to three All-NBA First teams. Did I mention he’s only 23? Durant has a personality that no one can hate, just hard working and keeps to himself. You will never hear bad press about him, never in every headline like LeBron, the guy just balls. The Finals appearances will come very shortly.

4. Dwyane Wade – Before LeBron and Chris Bosh came to Miami, South Beach was all Wade’s. He won a 2006 title by coming back and beating the Dallas Mavericks. He gives it his all every game, and got James and Bosh to come to HIS team. They could have gone other places together but he was the bigger man and sacrificed. Wade is the second best shooting guard in the league, and you can make a case for taking him over Kobe right now.

5. Dwight Howard – The best big man in the league without question I rank as my No. 5. I know he has maturity issues the past year, but I think once he gets out of Orlando and lands in a place like Brooklyn with a top five point guard in Deron Williams, he will flourish. He has made a name for himself and led his team to the Finals with Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu as his second and third best players. He is extremely marketable and a physical monster. You want to build your franchise with a big man? He’s the way to go.

6. Chris Paul – With the best point guard in the league debate as hot as ever, Chris Paul has been constantly the best or near the best for years now. The guy does everything you need, plays with heart, a media’s dream, and a leader. I believe it is a lot harder for a pass first point guard to single handing lead a team to a championship. You look at the past decade’s champions and the point guard’s are never the best player on the team. With a little more help in L.A CP3 has a good chance of leading the Clippers in deep playoff runs for the next several years.

With the list half way done, think to yourself, would you be mad if the Knicks traded Carmelo Anthony for anyone of these top 6? The only one I can see if Dwight Howard because of the Knicks already crowded frontcourt, but if they didn’t, Melo – Dwight swap wouldn’t upset many. On to the bottom 4:

7. Derrick Rose – Last year’s MVP is turning into the best scoring point guard in the league. When healthy his quickness and speed make it hard for anyone to defend. With his monster deals with both the Bulls and Addidas, D-Rose will be a household name in a few years right up there with LeBron and Kobe. If the Bulls see Finals in the next two years and he beats the Heat, he will sky rocket up this list.

May 9, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the second half of game five in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Miami Heat of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at the American Airlines Arena. Miami won 106-94. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

8. Carmelo Anthony – And here we go. I am going to tell it how it is with Carmelo coming from a die-hard Knick fan. Melo has been a superstar ever since he came into the league. I think this partly has to do with him winning in college and the draft class he was in. If he were a third pick in any other draft I don’t think he would have gotten that much buzz. When you get drafted with LeBron, Wade, and Bosh along with coming off winning a college championship as a freshman, stardom will come to you no matter what. He has the numbers and all-star games already, now he has to win plain and simple. He is the man on his team and has the coach he wanted. He’s in the city he chose and has proved he is clutch. He now has to advance the Knicks deep into the playoffs, if he does this he will easily be top five.

9. Tony Parker – The best point guard still playing the playoffs this year is Parker. He just beat Chris Paul’s Clippers and chances are he will beat Russell Westbrook and Durant on the way to his fourth championship. I think he is one of the most underrated and disrespected players in the league. Does anyone remember two years ago when there was a rumor he was going to the Knicks or another team via sign and trade? None of these players on his list will ever be openly traded for any reason other than request. Parker is known internationally and is also a household name for marrying Eva Longoria. He is running the Spurs like a well-oiled machine.

10. Dirk Nowitzki – A year removed from his championship, Dirk has become a household name. With most of the country rooting for him vs. the hated Heat last year, Dirk became a hero. He has been an all-star and a solid player for years, but winning a championship and last year’s magnified stage propelled Dirk into superstardom. Without last year, he is not on this list.

Honorable Mentions – Tim Duncan, Blake Griffin, Paul Pierce, Deron Williams
On the cusp – Rajon Rondo, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook,

Superstars don’t have to be the best talented players playing right now. No question LeBron is the best talent in the world, but Kobe is the bigger superstar. Kevin Love puts up better numbers than Dirk, but clearly Dirk is the bigger star. Superstars win games, sell jerseys, sell out arenas, the public knows them, and are leaders.

Do the Heat make the most sense for the Knicks in the playoffs?

Throughout this roller-coaster of a regular season, the New York Knicks have gone through multiple identities. There was the “Trade ‘Melo” movement, Lin-sanity, the Woodson Era, and I’m sure I’m missing three or four other periods of play.

All we know is, with 10 games remaining, the team is tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference and are two games clear in the loss column ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks, who the Knicks face tomorrow after a rematch with the Chicago Bulls tonight.

With all things considered, the Knicks best-case scenario for the playoffs is outplaying the Philadelphia 76ers over the next 10 games and capturing the 7th seed in the East. Either way, the Knicks will be facing one of the two juggernauts in the first round: the Bulls or the Miami Heat.

I’m here to tell you that, in a perfect world, the Knicks want to face the Heat in the first round.

Wait…what!?!?

I know what you’re thinking, and I ask you to hear me out. The knee-jerk reaction to my statement isn’t unjustified considering the the two times the Knicks and Heat have played this year, it hasn’t been close. The Heat have beat the Knicks by a total of 24 points in two games, while the Knicks have always played the Bulls tight, winning one of three, but never losing by more five points.

Yet, I still like the Heat as a match-up and there are three reasons why.

The first, the Heat have not faced this specific, Mike Woodson-led Knicks. The last time these two teams met was at the height of the Lin-sanity, and the Heat locked down Jeremy Lin and dominated the action from start to finish. However, this version of the Knicks plays with an emphasis on the defensive end and have begun playing a more complete basketball game. Woodson has handed the keys to the Knicks offense to Carmelo Anthony, who has finally taken the leap to the “this is my house, this is my team” attitude fans have been waiting for since he came over from Denver. ’Melo would be licking his chops if he got a chance to match-up with LeBron James, in New York, in the playoffs, with a chance to re-establish himself as a superstar.

Also, guard Iman Shumpert has taken the next step in his development under the guidance of Mike Woodson. Sunday’s game was his coming-out party to the nation: 15 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assist, 4 steals. His defense would be the X-factor in any playoff series, but especially against the Heat and having the ability to man-up against Dwayne Wade. And there’s always Tyson Chandler, who last year proved to be the inside kryptonite to LeBron James for the Dallas Mavericks. That has to be in James’ head moving forward.

The second reason why the Knicks want to play the Heat: this team will struggle against elite point guards. What gets lost in the excitement of the Knicks win over the Bulls on Sunday was the 21-point lead the team blew against a resurgent Derrick Rose. As much as I love the defense Shumpert provides, he is yet to prove that he can match the quickness of an elite point guard, someone at the level of Rose, Chris Paul, Deron Williams or even Brandon Jennings.

With the Heat, if Mario Chalmers or Norris Cole is going to beat the Knicks, then they have more problems than originally thought. Neither of the two point guards for the Heat, regardless of how well they’ve played in spurts this season, play at a level superior to any of the potential points for the Knicks. If anything, a healthy (if that’s even possible) Baron Davis would have a slight advantage over the Heat. This team needs to avoid the dynamic point guards that populate rosters in the East, and the Heat are one team that doesn’t present a strong option at the lead guard.

The final reason why Knicks fans should want the Heat in Round 1: this is New York, baby! LeBron James needs to prove to the world that he won’t fold under the immense pressure of the playoffs. All eyes would be on James come late-April, early-May, fair or unfair.

There is no basketball environment quite like Madison Square Garden when the Knicks are playing at an elite level. We all saw what that place is like in a playoff-like atmosphere on Sunday. Carmelo embraced it, Shumpert embraced it, and it seemed to crack Derrick Rose ever so slightly.

Historically speaking, LeBron has owned the Garden. However, the last few times he has come to the Garden, he has been the show. The crowd wanted to see what LeBron could do against the Knicks, not what the Knicks can do to stop him. Now, everything has changed. This fan base is out for blood. Nobody has forgiven LeBron for choosing the Heat over the Knicks in the Summer of 2010. With Carmelo firmly entrenched as the Alpha Dog, there is a growing level of hatred for the Heat this city hasn’t seen since Jeff Van Gundy was glued to the ankles of Alonzo Mourning. We want to be the fans that officially break LeBron. We want to haunt his career. We want him running off our court with his tail between his legs. I don’t know one Knicks fan that doesn’t want to be, in some small way, personally responsible for another Heat collapse.

Look, I understand that priority #1 is just getting to the playoffs. The Knicks last 10 games are incredibly difficult with match-ups with the Bulls, Bucks, Heat, Celtics, Hawks and Clippers ahead of them.

But, there is a new feeling for Knicks fans. We saw something Sunday that makes us all want to believe. Carmelo Anthony is here, officially. Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert are stepping up at the right time. And Steve Novak makes everybody want to believe whenever he heaves up a three.

This team is as exciting as it has ever been all year. Now, bring on the Heat.

Landry Fields and the Other Knicks starters will need to put in a big effort against the Bulls tonight. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Tonight marks the first matchup between what was originally believed to be two of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference. That was the belief prior to the season anyway; since the season started however, as Knicks fans are tragically aware, it hasn’t quite panned out that way on the Knicks side of things.

The Bulls are currently seated atop the Eastern Conference, the Knicks, on the other hand, have not been so fortunate; currently sitting in the 10 spot the Knicks are on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in.

Despite the space between these two teams in the current standings, New York may have a chance tonight to steal a game against the aforementioned best team in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls will enter play tonight without two of their key pieces; both Luol Deng and Richard Hamilton have been ruled out of tonight’s game with injuries.  Based on what we saw last night against the Sixers, the Bulls are a very beatable team without their starting wings in place.

In order to come away with the win, the Knicks are going to have to get a similar effort out of their starters as they did against the Pistons on Tuesday.  The Knicks got an effecicent, balanced attack out of their starting five; highlighted by the play of Carmelo Anthony, who shot 9-14 from the floor, netting him a game high 25 points, and Landry Fields who also was impressive, finishing with 17 points on 7-10 shooting.

Sharing the ball was also key to their win against Detroit; the Knicks’s 25 assists was one of the highest totals of the season, and something that Knick fans have been waiting all season to see.

Defensively the goal for the Knicks has to be to try and contain Derrick Rose.  The obvious truth is that you are never going to stop a guy with the talent of Derrick Rose, but if you can limit his ability to get others involved, the Knickerbockers may be able to stunt the Bulls offensive attack just enough to steal a much needed win. (more…)

The First Time Anyone's Ever Passed With Jared Jeffries Defending Them (AP)

Box Score

If basketball games were 24 minutes long, the Knicks would be feared. Nobody would want a piece of them—Carmelo, Amar’e, even Toney Douglas—come early May. But alas, the game isn’t 24 minutes, it’s 48. Through the first half tonight, New York looked dangerous and effective on both ends of the floor. Their offense was clicking, the ball was moving, and defensively they controlled the game’s pace. Then halftime happened.  (more…)

Our team had trouble stopping Derrick Rose, but overall it was the Bulls who couldn't stop the Knicks. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

The Knicks defeated the Bulls last night, and two potential Bucket writers had things to say about it.  Show them some love.  This post is written by Stanley Chin:

Take that Chicago…

Ok, I admit I’d have liked to say that back when Jordan and Pippen were playing more often… but I’ll take the W thank you very much.

There was a lot to like about this game and a lot to be concerned about.

Lets start with the positives…

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Yesterday Team USA won gold at the World Championship, and if you don't think that's impressive or surprising, you couldn't be more wrong. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

The reaction from many friends when I’ve mentioned the US won the World Championship Sunday has ranged from “What is it?  I didn’t even know it was going on?” to “Big whoop.”  Even though less knowledgeable (or more blindly patriotic) people assumed of course we should win, that was far from fact heading into this thing.  Many didn’t even consider us the favorite.  So for the less-obsessed hoops fan out there, let’s go over the seven key points that made this victory so dang impressive and surprising:

1) We hadn’t won the World Championship in 16 years, and for the rest of the world the World Championship is a bigger deal than the Olympics.

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With the Cavs having lost the unstoppable Delonte West (plus I think some other guy?), how bad will they be? You might be surprised by our take. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

We already examined how much teams improved/regressed during the off-season, but now we’ll talk about how they stack up against each other.  Meaning, we gave Orlando a zero for their summer and the Wizards a +2, but now we’re here to tell you that yes, of course Orlando is still gonna be far better.  For those who haven’t seen those posts on off-season grades, click the following links to see what we had to say about the Northwest, Atlantic, Central, Southeast, Pacific and Southwest Divisions.  Also, we’re only gonna be talking about the regular season here.  So even though we don’t think the Celts will be a top two team record-wise, it doesn’t mean we think they’re incapable of making it through the gauntlet again.  Lastly, some teams will be put in clusters ‘cuz they’ll likely end up with similar records and what does a victory or two here and there matter?

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Derrick Rose helped the US escape today's game against Brazil with a win. What concerns lie ahead though? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

With the FIBA World Championship Tournament in Turkey now completing its third day, the US squad squeaked past Brazil to now be 3-0.  During the run-up to the tournament, the team had looked better and better as they scrimmaged against other countries.  The pitiful looking team that only barely scraped by against a seriously undermanned French team, managed to not only come out strong against co-favorite Spain, but to even maintain their cool and snatch the one-point win when things got tight in the end.  Before that game, although bookmakers had the US listed as the favorites, everyone in the know (including many big-time USA supporters) had Spain as the true team to beat.  So things look more hopeful now, but there are still 3 big issues to overcome.

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Could this be LeBron's final press conference in Cleveland? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

LeBron James coming to New York has always been a slim possibility.  Well, unless the Yankees are playing, then he’ll come.  But joining the Knicks?  Probably not.  For me, the most compelling reason for him to come, as I discussed in an older post, is that legacy-wise, for some inexplicable reason, winning championships in a major market carries more caché.  To me, because of his otherworldly abilities, I assumed his free agency thought process would really be more about “Where would I like to get some rings?” rather than “Where can I get enough help to win a championship?”  If he loses now, in just the second round, would that change his mental approach to the latter question?

There are still games to play, and I wouldn’t be surprised if LeBron willed the Cavs to victory yet.  And if he does go out now, it might not even effect his mindset at all.  However, since idle (or idol) speculation is all we’ve got left in New York right now, let’s look at possible ways that the King’s summer free agency could be effected by this surprise turn of events:

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As always, I do not support or stand by Shai in any way, so any issues you have with his choices should be completely directed at him.

#	Team	Player	Pos.	School
1	New Jersey	John Wall	PG	Kentucky
2	Minnesota	Evan Turner	SG	Ohio State
3	Sacramento	DeMarcus Cousins	C	Kentucky
4	Golden St.	Derrick Favors	PF	Georgia Tech
5	Washington	Wesley Johnson	SF	Syracuse
6	Philadelphia	Greg Monroe	PF/C	Georgetown
7	Detroit	Al-Farouq Aminu	SF	Wake Forest
8	LA Clippers	Patrick Patterson	PF	Kentucky
9	*Utah	Cole Aldrich	C	Kansas
10	Indiana	Ed Davis	PF	North Carolina
11	New Orleans	James Anderson	SG	Oklahoma State
12	Memphis	Xavier Henry	SG	Kansas
13	Toronto	Damion Jones	F	Texas
14	Houston	Ekpe Udoh	PF/C	Baylor
15	Milwaukee	Gordon Hayward	F	Butler
16	*Minnesota	Avery Bradley	PG	Texas
17	*Chicago	Quincy Pondexter	SF	Washington
18	Miami	Solomon Alabi	C	Florida State
19	Boston	Willie Warren	SG	Oklahoma
20	San Antonio	Lance Stephenson	SG	Cincinnati
21	Oklahoma Cty	Daniel Orton	C	Kentucky
22	Portland	Hassan Whiteside	PF/C	Marshall
23	*Minnesota	Donatas Motiejunas	PF	Lithuania
24	Atlanta	Eric Bledsoe	PG	Kentucky
25	Memphis	Larry Sanders	PF/C	VCU
26	Oklahoma Cty	Stanley Robinson	F	UConn
27	New Jersey	Paul George	F	Fresno State
28	Memphis	Gani Lawal	PF	Georgia Tech
29	Orlando	Elliot Williams	SG	Memphis
30	Washington	Luke Babbit	SF	Nevada

Shai’s Thoughts/Explanations:

I realized that if I just wrote a phrase or two about everyone projected for the first round, it wouldn’t be very interesting, and the non-top-10 picks I don’t know intimately (Editor’s note: I assume by “intimately,” Shai didn’t mean in the sexual sense, but who knows?). Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton from Kentucky, for example, didn’t get much pub last year because John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins were so ridiculous. Bledsoe is like Jrue Holiday at UCLA, pure potential (but more of a classic PG), no one really knows what he’ll do. I don’t even know what Orton looks like, but he’s a #10-#20 projected pick based just on flashes. He averaged 3.5 points and 3.5 rebs in 13 minutes a game. Who knows?

It’s an interesting year for the draft. Last year everyone agreed Blake Griffin was #1, but they also agreed that the rest of the draft was quite weak. Instead, a number of rookies played major roles on their teams. Tyreke Evans averaged 20, 5, and 5, which only three guys did their rookie year: Jordan, LeBron, and Oscar. Nice company. Stephen Curry broke the record for threes made by a rookie while shooting 43% from there. Brandon Jennings, as I write, is the starting PG for a team that is ahead of the Hawks 3-2 in the playoffs, after losing their best player to injury. Darren Collison, Thornton, Lawson, Taj Gibson…they are not stars, but they are certainly contributors. A lot of people would love to have DeJuan Blair on their bench right now. I thought Blair was too undersized and raw to do much in the League, but he’s doing a lot of the things he did at Pitt, all on offensive rebounds and putbacks. (In Game 4 against the Mavs, Blair had 7 and 7 in 11 minutes. Not bad.) Also, I have learned that energy is a talent. Lackadaisical college players are likely to be lazy pros. Someone with a bounce and a nose for the ball, like Blair, will show up in the League. Looking back, last year’s draft looks pretty solid, and that’s with the top guy not playing. So I think a lot of GM’s are wondering if their outlook and selection strategy is accurate.

So this year, there is a clear-cut one and two, and I will argue no different. The only way you pass up John Wall is if you have a proven top shelf PG. The comparisons to Derrick Rose are fair. Wall is a better shooter and better defender, but Rose is more powerful and a better finisher. Wall’s ceiling is in the Dwayne Wade range, though I think he will continue to play point, with all these new super-athletic PG’s in the league.

#2 is Evan Turner. This season, he came back from a broken back early and immediately started playing out of his mind. Triple-double machine. 6’7″, solid athlete, excellent rebounder, good passer, good defender. Has ‘star’ written on him too. At that height, their team had him at the point. He’s getting fair comparisons to Wade, better rebounder, not as good an athlete, but really an all-purpose player. Needs to work on his release. Caron Butler is a great comparison for Turner, but Turner is a better passer and rebounder.

Now it gets hazy.

The next group of players is DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors, Wesley Johnson, and Greg Monroe. Cousins is a huge thick PF, a bit under-sized at 6’11″ because he’s not a great athlete, but he’s so big he powers through. He and Wall on Kentucky just ran people out of the gym this year. …but he’s slightly nuts. He was regularly caught on TV yelling at his coach, and the usual whispers of him as a thug. But I bet no NBA manager asks if his mother is a whore. Uncool Jeff Ireland. Derrick Favors is a pure PF at 6’9″ 250 (Cousins is 280), and he is very strong and athletic. The funny thing about him is that Georgia Tech’s guards were so terrible at getting the ball to their big men, no one really knows how good he will be. He’s pretty raw. But his frontcourt mate is also a prospect this year. You’d think a team with one decent guard could get two NBA first-rounders past the NCAA first round. I’m a big fan of Wesley Johnson. I just realized Joe Johnson is a good comparison, maybe Grant Hill in his prime and with range. I think he’ll be very good. 6’7″, good shooter, a little thin, had a huge game in the NCAA first round. Greg Monroe I loved in college, but the concerns about him are accurate. Lamar Odom-like handle, shot-blocker, most skilled big in this draft, but disappeared for long stretches in games big and small (hello again Lamar). This is why Georgetown bounced in and out of the Top 25 all year; GT is in the Big East, so they play tons of games against top teams. They would have done much better if Monroe comes up big regularly, instead of inconsistently.

There have been a couple of super-talented players that came into the league recently and coasted, so GM’s are a little nervous. I’m thinking of Rudy Gay and Charlie Villanueva. (Both UConn guys. Will Stanley Robinson follow a similar path? Great athlete, some fire, but a massive regular disappearing act. Still, he’s a projected first-rounder.) CV hit some 3’s, rebounded, got a big contract and sat back down. Rudy is probably going to get overpaid by someone who loses the LeBron sweepstakes this summer, but his ceiling is Luol Deng. Anyhow, that makes people a little nervous with Monroe.

The next couple are Aminu, Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich, Ed Davis, James Anderson, Xavier Henry, Damion James, and Ekpe Udoh. Aminu is still a pretty raw PF at Wake Forest, skills have improved, excellent athlete. His progress has been retarded by his terrible coach. Patrick Patterson was the elder statesman at Kentucky, put up great numbers (scoring and rebounding) in his previous years. Still had a solid year at KY with Wall and Cousins dominating, and extended his range to 3. Also showed himself a character guy, both by restricting his game with the influx of talent, and being a senior leader on an immature, ragged team. I think he will be overlooked in this draft a bit, but he could be a Millsap with better shooting touch.  I don’t like Cole Aldrich. He was a good shooter at Kansas, nice energy, shot-blocking and rebounder, but he has an insanely ugly shot, is not a great athlete or finisher despite his touch. I’m thinking of Eric Montross, the star white center at UNC, drafted in 1994 in the top 10, averaged 10 ppg his first year, a number that never improved. Aldrich will be drafted too high.

I like Ed Davis from UNC, looked great as a freshman, didn’t improve much this year, but a 6’11” PF with nice skills, nice touch around the basket, not enough fire in the belly. James Anderson is a skilled wing player, shooter and slasher. Xavier Henry disappeared for stretches, but he and Anderson could be nice contributors from the wing, or could be Mo Pete or Von Wafer guys who barely make a mark in the league. I think Damion James is really talented, was a freshman with Kevin Durant and DJ Augustin (and that team lost in the FIRST ROUND. Man, Rick Barnes is a bad coach). All purpose forward, 6’7” battler on the boards, needs to work on his release and shot selection, but could be a rebounder and scorer off the bench, like a Brandon Bass. My favorite in this group is Ekpe Udoh. I don’t know why he’s not higher. I didn’t get to see him a ton this year, but when Baylor went up against Duke, check out Udoh’s line: 18 and 10 (7 offensive), 6 assists, 5 blocks. 6’10”, good athlete, and he’s got the fire. I rate him higher than any big other than (crazy) DeMarcus.

For late first-round value:  I like Gordon Hayward, but he needs to work on his handle, passing, and fire. I don’t know if he’s really committed to being an NBA player. I like Avery Bradley, an athletic freshman PG at Texas, and Quincy Pondexter, a 20-ppg wing scorer from Washington. Solomon Alabi is a big 7-footer with ups and long arms, he will be a nice weak-side defender off the bench. Willie Warren, the backcourt partner of Blake Griffin in 2009, could be a very good point guard, strength, shooting and vision like Deron Williams. I should also mention Lance Stephenson, who I didn’t see in many first round projections but should be. PG skills at 6’7”, great passer, can shoot and finish and defend. Could he be a Scottie Pippen? I loved the way he seemed to come up big for his team with regularity.

It doesn't matter if you hate Chicago's Derrick Rose. As a Knicks' fan you should root for him to expose Cleveland's Mo Williams so that a certain King will get frustrated and wanna leave the Cavs. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

It’s Fan Appreciation 101 to root for your team to win, but as anyone who’s taken higher classes in Team Supportation knows, that’s just the tip o’ the iceberg.  Sometimes you gotta see the larger picture, which may require you to hope your team actually loses for say a better draft position.  The Indiana Pacers finished the season playing some of their best ball, but that annoyed many true-blooded Indy fans since it destroyed their lottery chances.  Other times, you may root for your team to lose so that the owner finally wises up and sees it has to fire that crappy coach or GM (or both — hello Isiah Thomas and Mike Dunleavy Sr.).

Frequently, as a member of the faithful, you may even have to root for outcomes in games featuring other teams.  Say you’re battling for the 8th seed in the playoffs, then you gotta watch the games involving the other teams in the battle so you can root against them.  Or maybe you’re assured of being in the playoffs, but you know you match up against one team better than another.  Now you gotta cheer for the right teams to win and the wrong ones to lose all so that everything falls perfectly for your one true team.

However, with the Knicks’ eliminated from the playoffs long-ago, what’s a Knick fan to root for?  Things that will help us out in free agency.  I spent the last month of the regular season caring less about the Knicks’ wins/loss total than about the outcome of the Raptors/Bulls’ battle for the final playoff spot.  I figured that if the Raptors don’t make the playoffs, then surely Chris Bosh’s chances of remaining in Toronto drop rapidly.  Does this mean he’s a sure-fire Knick, or even that he’s my top choice?  No, but I like to improve my odds as much as possible.  Had the Pacers finished with the fifth worst record instead of the tenth, they still might not have won the lottery, but it wouldn’t have hurt.

Thus, for a true Knick fan, here are the things for which we should be rooting in order to increase our chances during the free agency period:

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(source: Yardbarker.com) Like a little girl in puppy love, New York hopes we're the one LeBron's eyeing.

Seems ESPN has launched ESPN NewYork.com today and decided to promote it by rehashing the ol’ Will LeBron James Go To New York story.  There’s a surprisingly large amount of Nothing New, mixed in with Shameless Sensationalizing, Idiotic Conclusions Based On Personal Feelings, and just Awful Math.  That said, there were maybe a couple of Intriguing Bits to me, but it might all feel redundant to y’all.  Without further ado:

Idiotic Conclusions:

The worst part was where the sportswriters speculated the percent chance of LeBron going to one team or another.  Let’s start with Mark Stein saying there’s a 10% chance that LeBron will go to Dallas.  10%???  10% means 1 in 10!  You’re going out tonight and your choosing between your ten favorite restaurants — that gives each one a really good shot at being chosen.  Thankfully, of the four other Dallas writers, they all only gave it a 1-3% chance.  I like Stein’s writing a bunch, but his thesis his based on this you-can-substitute-LeBron’s-name-with-anyone statement:

I firmly believe LeBron likes the thought of playing with Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, trusts Mark Cuban to be an owner who will always spend whatever it takes to contend and loves the city of Dallas and Cowboys football

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Bosh revealed that he’s not necessarily interested in playing anywhere that he’s not the clear-cut franchise player.

“That’s a good question,” Bosh said when asked by ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher if he’s bothered by the widespread perception that he’s determined to follow either LeBron James or Dwyane Wade by signing on with one of the teams they choose starting July 1.

“It’s funny you say that, because I was thinking about it. I was just looking at what people say and it’s like, ‘Chris is going to go here and play with him or this, this and that.’ I’m like, ‘Wait a minute.’ I feel like I should be built around. And maybe that’s just my ego talking, but I feel that I’m a very good player in this league and I’m only going to get better. So … maybe we should be getting somebody [in Toronto].”

Bosh would probably be outta Toronto in a sec if one of the three teams in home state Texas were in the running

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And New Yorkers are buying into this hook, line & worm (why is it supposed to be sinker — I mean when a fish really falls for it he goes after the worm, much like an alcoholic with a bottle of tequila).  Darren Rovell who discuses the business side of sports tweeted yesterday that “Knicks 2010/11 tickets went on presale last Thursday. They’re on record pace, having sold 770 new tickets so far.”  Record pace???  Do fans realize we haven’t signed ANYONE yet?  If we end up looking like we’re gonna suck, even one-legged Tracy McGrady will look to leave town.  So this is a two-part look at what to realistically expect.  Part II will be sometime next week.

Let’s look at this first based on the available teams.  First, here are the ones who’ll be competing for poaching rights:

New York Knicks: $18.64 million in 2010-11 payroll
Miami Heat: $26.07 million in 2010-11 payroll
New Jersey Nets: $26.63 million in 2010-11 payroll
Chicago Bulls: $31.85 million in 2010-11 payroll
Los Angeles Clippers: $33.53 million in 2010-11 payroll

Sacramento Kings: $34.0 million in 2010-11 payroll

The Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves could also conceivably get in on the bidding, but they seem unlikely to join the chase.  I doubt Sacramento will even seriously look into trying to grab a big name and instead will prefer to build up a bit more from the ground up through draft picks.  It’s also kinda erroneous to list Miami as only having about $26 million.  Well, first the reason I list them even that low is ‘cuz I assume there’s no way they pick up James Jones’ $4.6 million option.  However, what makes them even lower is that their payroll includes Dwayne Wade’s $17.15 million contract that he’s said he’s gonna opt out of.  In other words, they’ll have less than $10 million in committed contracts!  So they could pay a max salary to both Wade & LeBron and still have say $10 million to offer to say Carlos Boozer.

Next let’s look at what each of the five teams has to offer (I’m excluding Sac).

The Knicks:

1. the second most cap space (after Miami),

2. the mass market of New York to provide much richer endorsement deals and better national exposure,

3. Perhaps the allure of playing at Madison Square Garden, aka “The Mecca of Basketball”,

4. An open and willing wallet (& now a well-respected GM in Donnie Walsh to make you feel they’ll spend wisely),

5. Coach Mike D’Antoni has a good rep as a “player’s coach” and as an assistant coach on Team USA he’s actually worked with most of these guys before.

Cons: 1. David Lee could likely be gone, meaning they’d be coming to a team with literally only Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler (oh yeah, plus Eddy Curry in the trainer’s room),

2. Perhaps a feeling that you’d have to sorta start from nothing.

The Heat:

1.For Wade it’s the only team he’s known(&he’d get more $), and for others it might feel less risky to jump with someone else to a brand new team rather than to join someone on their current team,

2. No income taxes in Florida,

3. Perhaps Pat Riley?,

4. A solid young player in Michael Beasley, and

5. The weather (& yes, that is a real factor for players).

Cons: 1.For some players it might actually be less appealing to join “Wade’s team” rather than go with him to a new place where it could be “our team” (kinda like how it’s usually better for a young couple to move into a new place rather than say just the gal moving into the guy’s place ‘cuz then it’ll always feel like “his place.”),

2.The fact that the Heat/Riley haven’t really looked for help for Wade since the championship year might make some concerned (including Wade) that this isn’t a franchise that will do whatever it takes to win the trophy.

The Nets:

1. Jay-Z is part-owner (& you bet that’s a factor for this hip-hop idolizing generation),

2. Will be moving to Brooklyn, giving it that New York mass market appeal, plus a chance to sorta “recreate” this franchise from the ground up in this new location,

3. Potentially a stud rookie (like John Wall),

4. Some decent players in the spots that are often toughest to fill: Brook Lopez at center and Devin Harris at point.

Cons: 1. They will be coming off a season where they were either the historically worst team ever or darn close to it,

2. It’ll be at least one year, if not two or more, until the team does actually make it to Brooklyn and the crowds ain’t been stellar in Jersey,

3.Uninspiring coach and front office,

4. If the NY angle is exciting, why wouldn’t ya just go to the Knicks?

The Bulls:

1.A chance to play alongside a franchise player in Derrick Rose, as well as solid pieces like Joakim Noah and Luol Deng,

2. Get to play in the house that Jordan built,

3. For Wade a chance to go home,

4.Good media market and good city.

Cons: 1. You’re playing in the house that Jordan built so you’ll likely always be second in the city’s heart to him,

2.Not enough $ to get a second max player so you’d have to feel that the addition of you alone can turn this team into a contender,

3. Questionable coach in Vinny Del Negro, and a timid front office that’s proven to be afraid to go all in (like by refusing to give up Luol Deng for Pau Gasol).

The Clippers:

1.Best nucleus of players with Baron Davis at point, potential all-star second-year player Eric Gordon at shooting guard, Blake Griffin at power forward, and Chris Kaman at center.  Throw in LeBron James at small forward and they could be contenders ‘cuz you could make a legit argument that the Clips would be stronger at every position than the Cavs supporting cast,

2. The huge market of Los Angeles,

3. The warm weather and Hollywood connections/glamor of LA,

4. A chance to do the impossible and turn a cursed laughingstock into a champion.  Even Jordan couldn’t have saved the Clips,

5. The chance to out-do Kobe Bryant in his own arena.

Cons: 1. It’s the Clippers,

2. Cheapskate owner Donald T. Sterling, so basically what you see is what you get — don’t expect any help walking through that door,

3.The injury curse — Wade gets hurt enough as it is, if he joined the Clips his torso would probably fall off his legs,

4. It’s Kobe’s arena and it’s a Laker town, even LeBron bringing the Clips three championships in a row still might not catapult him and the team to town favorite,

5. It’s the Clippers.

Not A Good Sign When The Bulls' Cheerleaders Do "The Dance Of The Dead"

Word is that the Knicks’ have chosen to go in a new direction since they clearly no longer have a shot at the playoffs after their month-long visit with mediocrity (actually mediocrity’s too good a term for them, let’s substitute that with suck-itude).  No, that new direction alas, is not “let’s play well” or “at least pretend to play some defense,” but rather “we suck so much, why don’t we at least let the rookies lose for us so we can see how they are.”  Thus last night we went out and made the Chicago Bulls look like they still had Jordan & Pippen, losing to them by a mere 33 points.

Bad Sign #2: The Players Join The Fans In "The Wave"

In fairness, Derrick Rose came out on fire, and I believe shot 9-for-9 for 19 points in the first half before he even missed a shot.  Rose, not know for his jumper, had it going last night, which makes him nearly unguardable.  Of course the Knicks’ persist in using Jared Jeffries to defend opposing teams’ point guards, which basically means he backs off and dares them to shoot the jumper.  If they hit ‘em, like Rose did, then we’re outta luck.  Actually, even when Jeffries plays up on ‘em, then if he gets beaten off the dribble it leaves players like Chris Duhon, Danilo Gallinari & David Lee to help out, none of whom are shot-blockers or particularly good at help defense.  It’d seem smarter to have Jeffries on one of the big men so that he can be the one who helps out.  Not only is he (sadly) the Knicks’ best shot blocker (out of the players who get minutes), but he also actually leads the league in drawing charges.  Meaning if Rose was to beat Duhon off the dribble, Jeffries could position himself so Rose would have to run him over, forcing Rose to commit a foul.

Bad Sign #3: Harrington Gives Up, Starts Doing One-Handed Push-Ups

When Rose went out at the end of the first quarter, the Knicks actually battled back and looked like they might make a game of it.  That lasted until about midway through the second quarter, and then I believe they lost interest when they saw a shiny object.  Or maybe they started to think about what they’d type if they were on Twitter.  Perhaps I’m short-changing them.  For all I know, they could’ve been contemplating the tragedy of Haiti.  Regardless, the focus was definitely on the game.

Wilson Chandler Spots Shiny Object Off-Court, Loses Focus

However, particularly with Nate Robinson out, the two kids we drafted (Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas) got some run.  Heck, the game got so out of hand that even Marcus Landry and Jonathan Bender got to jog up and down the court a few times.  Oddly, with the game clearly out of hand, Coach Mike D’Antoni still kept starter Chris Duhon in.  Maybe it was his way of punishing Duhon for his awful play the last two months.  And y’know even putting aside the fact that Du hasn’t hit a shot since the first Gulf War, it seems like all Duhon does offensively is run pick-and-rolls with David Lee.  I got nothing against pick-and-rolls, but how about doing some with Gallo, Wilson Chandler or Al Harrington?

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Smack 'Em

Anyway, the good news is that we won’t have to play Chicago again for at least a few more hours.  Yup, they’re coming to the Garden tonight.

These last few months may end up being very, very long…

Why's Chicago's Derick Rose Smiling So Big? He Gets The Knicks Two Nights In A Row!

With a few of them likely to sit out this summer so they don’t injure themselves before they get a new contract (in other words the guys the Knicks would chase after: LeBron, Wade, Bosh, plus A’mare Stoudamire who made the pool too), it does provide some openings.  Not to mention that say a banged up Kobe might need to take the summer off to get his body healthy again.  Of course, included in those free agents-to-be are none other than David Lee, so he himself might have to bow out.  Oh, and another thing in Lee’s favor is that once again the Knicks’ coach Mike D’Antoni will be one of the assistant coaches on the USA team.  It’s always nice having someone on the inside to help plead your case.

Anyway, the remaining invitees include the Denver Nuggets’ Chauncey Billups, LA Lakers’ Lamar Odom, plus a who’s-who of all the young and upcoming players in the NBA according to ESPN: the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant (pretty much a lock to make the final roster since he almost made it last time and he’s only gotten better), Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose,

Minnesota‘s Al Jefferson and Kevin Love; Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo of Memphis; Philadelphia‘s Andre Iguodala; Boston‘s Kendrick Perkins; Indiana‘s Danny Granger; New York‘s David Lee; New Jersey center Brook Lopez; Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook; Portland‘s LaMarcus Aldridge; Charlotte‘s Gerald Wallace; and Clippers guard Eric Gordon.

The Americans will choose a group from the roster to take part in their minicamp in Las Vegas in July. They are expected to play an exhibition game in New York before heading to Turkey for the world championships, which they haven’t won since 1994.