The best duos in the NBA today

Sprite slam dunk champion Blake Griffin and 8th leading scorer Eric Gordon. Young and talented. These two have great futures ahead of them. Griffin has one of the best dunking abilities, I can even say from what I've seen better than Dwight's and Eric Gordon, the fact that he's the 8th leading scorer just means this kid can shoot, and well. Both can put up 20-plus points each every night.

 Probably the most known duo on my list of best duo. Two veterans,two excellent shooters,two great decision makers,two players past their prime. Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki are probably the two most deserving players in the league to become champions right now (aside from Nash). The two have appeared in the finals but fell short to two of the premier shooting guards in the league today, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. I hate to say it, but I don't think  Kidd or Dirk will ever win a title.

 Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The duo averages around 50 points a game alone, just the two of them. Durant is the youngest scoring champion in NBA history and is still going strong, while Russell Westbrook is a spitfire. He is just so fast and strong for his size.

Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis. The fastest duo in the NBA, not probably but the fastest. Ellis plays the two but is naturally at point but with Curry along he's forced to play the 2, but that doesn't really slow him down. Monta Ellis is still one of the league's top scorers and is a fantastic finisher. Curry, an excellent passer and handles the ball really well. It's just a shame that with all the young talent Golden State have, they aren't a better team even with 2010 All-star David Lee.

Finally. My favorite NBA duo. Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer. Rose potential MVP and Boozer former All-star and NBA vet. This duo is a classic example of the traditional two-some, the duo of the point guard and power forward. Rose and Boozer are both great scorers averaging 44 points for the Bulls and both excellent defenders as well. Because of Rose and Boozer the bulls are now one of the most dangerous teams in the NBA and 3rd in the East.

Wishes do come true

Carmelo Anthony is officially a part of the New York Knick's roster, and will hopefully stay there. In my last blog I spoke about Danilo Gallinari about being underrated and all, and I still believe he is, too bad he won't be playing with Carmelo for the rest of the season and so will Raymond Felton. But it's all good because although they lost a good Point Guard, they also acquired one in former All-star Chauncey Billups.
New York gave up Wilson Chandler, Felton, Gallinari, Mozgov, a first round draft pick and 3 million dollars but Denver gave up Chauncey, Carmelo, Renaldo Balkman, Anthony Carter and Sheldon Williams. Well atleast that's what my source tells me.

Moving on. Now that Amar'e and Anthony are on the same side, what does it mean for the Denver Nuggets? I really can't say but for now I'm sure they'll have enough cash room for another big hitter. Chris Paul, Deron Williams or Dwight Howard may enter free agency after this season but even then New York will still have enough dough to sign another star to their roster. Am I sensing another "Big Three" on the rise. We can only hope

Who is the most underrated player in the league?

Danilo Gallinari. Maybe it's beacause I like playing him on NBA 2K11 or maybe it's how much he offers to the Knicks each game. The Knicks forward averages 15 points and 4 rebounds, not All-star level but it certainly helps the Knicks. His depth and range prove useful in games when the Knicks are down or just when they  need an extremely talented scorer. He's 6'10, can shoot anywhere and can slam it down if he wants and yet, no one seems to remember his name.

Not exactly major..

Ron Artest endorses Nik.. I mean Peak. Wait, Peak? Yes, Los Angeles Laker forward Ron Artest endorses Peak Shoes. A China based brand that manufactures athletic shoes. Do they endorse other NBA stars? They have former Laker Sasha Vujacic and Maverick Jason Kidd but that's basically all I know. But there is a brighter side to this blog. A pair of these shoes would cost less than 50$. Yes, Believe it. And these shoes are actually comfortable. I'm not ashamed to admit I own a pair. These shoes are perfect when your on a budget or when you don't want to get your Nikes or Adidas ruined or something.

Partys Over

The All-star weekend comes to a close. John Wall takes MVP honors of the rookie game. Team Portland guns down LA, Texas and Chicago. Steph Curry blazes through the Skills Challenge. James Jones demonstrated why the Heat are the 3rd best shooting team. Blake Griffin,well, was being Blake Griffin and jumped over the hood of a car. The Western All-stars clinched a win over the East with Kobe Bryant going home with the MVP trophy.

 But now that it's all said and done. It's time to get back to business, and what I mean is the "W". With the trade deadline around the corner I hope my dreams come true and see Carmelo Anthony in a Knicks jersey. It'll be interesting to see how the teams perform after the All-star break. Will the Lakers get back to their wiining ways? Will the Spurs slow down? Will Boston make deals to acquire younger players? Where will Anthony end up in? All we can do is hope our dream transactions come true.

This weeks now and then.. Grant Hill

I've decided that every week I will pick an aging superstar and discuss his before and now state as a player. This week I have decided to talk about Grant Hill. Currently a forward for the Phoenix Suns. Before he was plagued with injury Hill was labeled "the next Jordan". Hard to believe now, isn't it? To all the young fans out there Grant Hill was one of the best players and would've been if it weren't for his injuries. He posted a career-high of 55 points back in 1997 and ironically it was against Phoenix. He averaged 25 points in the 99-00 season, back when he stilled played for Detroit. Now he averages but 13, almost half of what he made. It started at the 2000-2001 season. The season we saw Grant Hill play only 4 games, and injury kept biting Hill in the ass for seasons to come. Now the label "next Jordan' is but a memory of Grant Hill. It's sad to see such talent go to waste but hell, at least we still got Kobe.

The Era of the Point Guards

The NBA in this day and age strives on the Point Guard position. With young and talented floor generals getting drafted every year it's no surprise. Derrick Rose for example, potential MVP candidiate. He's one of those rare scoring-type point guards and he's quick. I mean freakishly quick. The guy averages 24 points a game. Rajon Rondo on the other hand is more of a traditional passing-type point guard, averaging 12 dimes a game. He and steve nash both have the deepest court vision in the league today. Tyreke Evans and Monta Ellis both lead there respective teams in scoring. Ellis' team mate Steph Curry is also a very talented point guard. Brandon Jennings, in his rookie year he posted a career high of 55 points in a game. John Wall, drafted first overall pick by the Washington Wizards in the 2010 NBA draft has been averaging 15 points a game and 9 assists. Moving on to the older 1's in the league.  Steve Nash, at age 37 he still proves to be the main man and leader of the Phoenix Suns. I don't know where they'd be if he wasn't averaging 16 and 11. The two-time MVP is the best passer I've seen in a long time. All in all, if I were asked who the best Point this generation would be, only one name pops in my mind. Derrick Rose. What doesn't he do? He scores, he can pass, he's an excellent defender and he's a fantastic decision maker. From Magic and Isiah to AI,  Kidd and Nash to Chris Paul, Rondo and Rose. Yeah, Sounds right to me.

The Big threes

Looks like all the top contenders have so called "Big Threes". But which one has the best three? The Celtics have Paul Peirce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. The San Antonio Spurs have Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. The Lakers assembled Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Ron Artest. The Miami Heat have the most controversial "Big Three" with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. Let's start of with the Boston Celtics. The 2008 NBA Champions. With the help of Rondo, Nate and Shaq, the Boston Celtics have managed to clinch the top seed in the East and second overall. But right behind them is the ruthless three headed beast from the east. Bosh, Wade and James combined average nearly 80 points a game, which is unheard of in the NBA. The Heat started out rough but look to end the season in a good note. The Spurs. Number One team in the league right now and still going strong. No one expected the Spurs to be as good as they are now, well at least I didn't. The LA Lakers. The defending champs haven't looked as good as they usually do. I mean with a loss to the Cavs, that says a lot. But if we're talking overall team performance I'd give this to San  Antonio but we're not so I'm gonna give this to the Miami Heat. Averaging almost 80? Nuff said.

Burn like the sun

Are these kicks hot or are these kicks hot? These shoes were featured during the rookie game and I gotta tell ya, I'm really feeling these. The yellow Adidias AdiPure shoes are one of the best shoes I've seen in a long time and the funny thing is it only looks good in the color yellow. Personally, I'm in love with the shoe. It looks glossy but it doesn't try too hard. It looks simple and clean but with the color yellow, you just can't not look at them. Personally, I think it's gonna be the best looking basketball shoe of the year and I don't say that a lot about shoes, that's gotta mean something. Believe me

Melo, New York. Please!

What does the future hold for Carmelo Kiyan Anthony? The Nets? Maybe. Another season in Denver? Probably or maybe a stint with the Knicks? God I hope so. Carmelo would be great for the Knicks and so would all other 29 NBA teams but the difference? Someone named Amar'e Stoudemire A.k.a Stat. Ever heard of him? I'm sure you have. Having both Carmelo and Amar'e along with a solid floor general like Felton on one team would mean just one thing. Championship Contenders and/or a start (or continuation) of a rivalry with fellow eastern conference team the Miami Heat, that would be great match-up. But back to Amar'e and Melo. At one hand Melo averages 25 points a game along with 7 rebounds but that's playing at Denver and at the other hand we got Amar'e averaging 26 points a game with 8 boards but that's playing without another star. If we see Melo and Amar'e in same colored jerseys expect their numbers to decline but I'm sure being in a championship caliber team would be worth it for both players. Point is Carmelo and Amar'e, two of the best forwards in the league right now, both still young, both still in the prime of their careers and both healthy. What's to think about?

CB1 is not CB4

Maybe it's the number change or maybe it's having both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as team mates but Chris Bosh hasn't been playing like Chris Bosh. He has one of the best mid-range game in the league, he can score from basically anywhere and yet he doesn't take more shots then he should. The former Toronto Raptor used to be one of the NBA's top scorers but now he averages 18 points a game, not even enough to crack top 15. I get the whole situation with Wade and LeBron and all, but if Mike Miller can get off with scoring 32 points, I think they could let Bosh score a bit more. I mean back in Canada Bosh averaged 24 points a game a huge difference from his 18 now. Bosh has the talent to be the leagues best Power Forward right now but he needs to show it. If Charles Barkley and Chris Webber don't think you deserve to be an All-Star after several All-star appearances then you must be doing something wrong. All I can say is CHRIS BOSH SHOULD TAKE MORE SHOTS!!

The Rookie who doesn't play like a rookie

Blake Griffin. What is there to say about the Power Forward from Oklahoma? Or rather what isn't there to say about this kid? The picture above should tell it all, right? Wrong. The first overall pick in the 2009 draft, not 2010. Although extremely talented, this guy shouldn't be qualified to be rookie of the year. Landry Fields,John Wall or DeMarcus Cousins are better candidates. I ain't a Blake hater, I'm actually a fan but I don't think the NBA should consider injured rookies to still be rookies the season after. It just isn't fair. But all of that aside, Blake Griffin is the most explosive player since LeBron James I'll tell you that and he's the best first overall pick in the last five years. What about Derrick Rose? Rose is a phenomenal player and he's a candidate for MVP but Blake Griffin's dunks gives Clipper fans hope and Laker's fans a reason to watch the Clippers. Matter of fact, it gives fans of basketball in general a reason to watch the Clippers. He, along with Eric Gordon made the Clippers relevant in basketball. I mean just look at what he's been doing this season. He made the All-star team in his "rookie" year. He recently won the Sprite Slam Dunk competition and he's averaging 22 points and 13 rebounds a game, which is very impressive for a pseudo-rookie. Plus he can knock down the mid range shots and I once saw him shoot the 3 ball. This kids got a huge future ahead of him. It's just a shame that if he wins rookie of the year, I'm sorry not if, but rather when he wins it I just wouldn't think he'd deserve it. His team on the other hand shows a lot of potential. If they all stay healthy and sign or draft some key guys we could see the Clippers in the play-off picture in a few year, maybe next season. But for now all we can do is sit back and enjoy Blake Griffin play ball.