Weekly Whistle volume 1

For this season, I've decided to write a weekly NBA blog regarding all things NBA. I'm officially christening my baby as The Weekly Whistle
Now I know, only about four people will bother reading this, half of whom would probably read it out of sheer curiosity only to turn away after a few paragraphs.

I can tell you know you don’t know what you’re missing. Twenty years from now, these weekly recaps will be considered literature gold mines and all of you will kick yourselves in the nuts for not being a part of it.

See, I can still write a paragraph of fugazi BS without cracking a smile. It takes talent to do that.

Now onto the first edition of The Weekly Whistle

Hornets past and present

It’s a week into the NBA season and the only thing that makes sense so far is that my Hornets are 4-1. 5-0, if it wasn’t for that overweight point guard from Golden State deciding to play his best basketball against his former team.

I’m just kidding. I still root for you Diddy, just not against the Hornets.

How about that game, huh? Two of my favorite players going toe-to-toe and carrying their teams on their shoulder. And their stats, whew!
Chris Paul: 34-5-10
Baron Davis: 36-4-9

Players of the Week

Speaking of monster stats and strong performances, here are my first picks for players of the week:

East: Joe Johnson – Five games in and he’s averaging 28.4 points, 5 boards and 5 assist. Even more impressive? Atlanta’s 4-1 record, considering they didn’t get win number four last year until their 20th game!

West: Chris Paul – Of course I’m biased! But favoritism aside, it really has been a monster start for CP3. Going into today’s game against the Blazers, he’s averaging 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 10 dimes. Savage.

Beast of the Least

So the Hawks are the number one team in Eastern Conference. The Pistons and Bulls, pre-season favorites by the way, sit at the bottom of the Central division. The Cavaliers win all their games against good teams but get embarrassed against bad teams.

I know it’s a week into the season but these trends are really unsettling. It’s beginning to look like nobody wants to win the East.

That being said, at least five teams right now have a legitimate chance in winning the conference, albeit, none will do it convincingly. I have Miami, Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, and New Jersey.

Now, who’s my pick out of these five? I’m picking the team with the least amount of questions surrounding their season. And conveniently enough, it’s the New Jersey Nets.

Miami’s too old now, and they probably have hunger issues. Detroit has lost its mojo. The Bulls are offensively inept. The Cavs are a one-man show, unless proven otherwise. So, the odd team out is Jersey.
They have one of the most explosive scorers in VC, a reliable do-it all guy in RJ, and the measuring stick among all point guards, J-Kidd. Not to mention, a budding and ever improving slot man in Krstic and a better bench, although it’s still not as deep as it should be.

So, they’re my pick to win the East. So what if they’re from Jersey?

As for the Hawks? They should enjoy their early success because they’ll come crashing back down to earth soon.

Motown Dud

I feel bad for Detroit. Two years ago, they were the model franchise of the NBA. It seemed like everything Detroit GM Joe Dumars did turned to gold. Since then, all of Joe D’s moves have been anything but golden. Let’s recap:

a) He let free agent C Mehmet Okur walk back in 2004.
b) He traded Darko Milicic and Kelvin Cato to Orlando for…I cant even remember who got back in that trade…just so they have the cap space to sign Big Ben, who coincidentally,
c) bolted to run with the Bulls for greener pastures.
d) Now, there’s talk of Chauncey Billups moving to Milwaukee next year.

Now, if Isiah Thomas made those moves, it wouldn’t be all that surprising. But, Joe D? I know you’ve made Isiah look good back in your playing days, but to do it now? What gives?

King of the Hill

How about Grant Hill, huh? It’s amazing how incredibly efficient he still is after everything he’s been through. He still shoots at a high percentage, still does everything so well, and he can still defend the opposing team’s best player.

He’s like that favorite uncle who used to give you the best toys for Christmas only to leave for another country and takes all the presents with him. He sends the occasional action figures, but it doesn’t happen as often as it used to be. Then he comes back, and the cool presents return too. You wonder how many G.I. Joe’s you could’ve had if he hadn’t left, right?

Gives me goose-bumps imagining how good Hill would have been if he hadn’t gotten hurt.

I’m thinking Top 10…ALL-TIME.

The LeBrons

Arguably one of the funniest campaigns out there right now. For all the accolades LeBron has received on the court, its his talents off the court that’s going to make him huge. In this campaign by Nike, LeBron, or Athlete LeBron, as he’s called in the ad, shares a home with three other LeBrons, Business LeBron, Wise Lebron, and Kid LeBron. The funny thing is he plays all four roles so convincingly; you’d think he took lessons from Eddie Murphy.

Here’s three of the four ads from season one of the LeBrons. Check out the link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=40GKEtQzUOk