The Clippers have been comically bad for a very long time. There’s the Madden Curse, the Sports Illustrated cover jinx, and then there’s the death sentence that is getting drafted by the other team in Los Angeles. Remember Michael Olowokandi? Darius Miles? Shaun Livingston? Yaroslav Korolev? Even the Clippers’ celebrity superfan, Frankie Muniz, appears to have faded into oblivion like his favorite team’s lottery busts of the last dozen or so years.

When Blake Griffin suffered a freak injury prior to his rookie debut in 2009, most NBA fans assumed it was another example of the Clippers managing to hex another first-round selection. The fact that the high-flying, durable Griffin had been so quickly grounded almost seemed par for the course.

But Griffin broke the trend. He threw down an electrifying jam for the first bucket of his career, sending shockwaves through the Staples Center on a night when Kobe Bryant and company were nowhere to be seen. Ninety seconds later, the crowd still abuzz, he connected on another tip dunk. The culture of the Clippers was forever changed.

Thanks to the arrival of Griffin, it should come as no surprise that Chris Paul wanted to play for the Clippers. Paul’s game compliments Griffin’s like peanut butter on jelly. There is no better passer in the NBA than the former Hornets’ point guard, an offensive savant with a sixth sense for finding his teammates. Griffin, meanwhile, is a ferocious, physical specimen. When he charges down the court and throws his hand up for an alley-oop, fans of all 30 teams fixate their eyes on the inevitable: the lob, the leap, the catch, and the violent collision of ball and rim. Rinse, lather, repeat.

The NBA doesn’t have another duo like Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are two brilliant individual acts on the same team, but their skill sets don’t mesh in the same stratosphere as CP3 and Griffin. The same applies to Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire in New York, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City, even Kobe and Paul Gasol in the same city. Critics say Paul and Griffin will need time to get their chemistry down before the Clippers will be able to contend, but they’re wrong. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin were born to play basketball together.

Of course, if David Stern hadn’t started meddling in the trade talks involving the Lakers, Hornets, and Rockets, Paul might’ve been throwing alley-oops to Andrew Bynum instead of Griffin. The carnage Stern’s overbearing veto power left behind is astounding–the Lakers had to deal an angry Lamar Odom for nothing, Kobe is already upset, the Rockets are stuck with their original roster, and new Hornets GM Dell Demps has quickly learned he has no standing in the organization he’s supposed to be running. It’s an unfortunate situation for everyone involved–except, that is, for the Clippers. For the first time in their history, they lucked out. They one-upped the Lakers, albeit in a way they would’ve never imagined. The season is less than ten days away, and the Clippers look to be in better shape than their L.A. counterparts.

In the history of almost every hapless franchise is a light at the end of the tunnel. The Boston Red Sox, for instance, waited 86 years for a title and ended up winning two in four seasons. It is the assumption of sports fans that the status quo will always remain in place, that cinderella stories are bound for an abrupt, reality-crushing conclusion. Losers are supposed to remain as losers, after all. But Blake Griffin started a new trend, and Chris Paul’s addition validates the change basketball observers could clearly see in a team that finished last season with only 32 wins: the Clippers were already gaining confidence, and fast.

There are still a few kinks for the Clippers to work out before the season starts. Is Chauncey Billups going to serve as the team’s sixth man? Or will he slide over to shooting guard, playing in an undersized but incredibly pass-happy backcourt alongside Paul? Where does Eric Bledsoe fit into the team’s plans once he returns from injury in eight to ten weeks? And can the Clippers trade away Mo Williams for a backup big man to give Griffin and center DeAndre Jordan some much-needed help on the interior? These are pertinent questions that will need almost immediate answering, because the Clippers have a shot at making some noise come playoff time. Remember, Paul led a subpar Hornets team to 46 wins and took the Lakers to six hard fought games in the first-round of the playoffs–the latter feat accomplished without leading scorer David West, who tore a ligament in his knee towards the end of the season. Now he has an elite, top-15 player alongside him (Griffin) plus a savvy veteran guard (Billups), a proven scorer on the wing (Caron Butler) and a young, up-and-coming center (DeAndre Jordan) with the potential to re-create the magic CP3 created with another lanky athletic big man, Tyson Chandler. The Lakers are in flux, the Spurs are in decline. Other than the Thunder and the Mavericks, there are no clear-cut teams in the Western Conference that are undeniably better than the Clippers. In year one of the CP3-Griffin experiment, the Clippers will prove to be worthy challengers to any postseason opponent. By year two, they should be able to beat anyone. Yes, the Clippers will title contenders in two years. Ridicule me now, but remember this–the Curse of the Bambino was never supposed end. The New York Rangers were never supposed to recover from the Curse of 1940. They did. With Chris Paul and Blake Griffin leading the way, the Clippers will soon be known as a preferred destination for rookies and free agents alike instead of the place basketball dreams go to die.

On November 11, 2010, an estimated 400 million people tuned into a regular season matchup between Yao Ming’s Houston Rockets and Yi Jianlian’s Washington Wizards. In comparison, 111 million viewers saw the Green Bay Packers defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, which currently stands as the largest audience in U.S. television history.

Six minutes and 34 seconds into the game, Yao Ming came hobbling off the court. It was a familiar sight for Rockets fans, who had become all too accustomed to Ming’s injury struggles. What the city of Houston and the country of China didn’t know, however, was that they had watched their fallen hero fade off into the sunset for the last time.

At his peak, Yao Ming was the best center in the NBA. In 2006-2007, he averaged 25 PPG, 10 RPG, and 2 BPG in just under 34 minutes per night. He was a career 83% free throw shooter,  a phenomenal defender, and an even better teammate. Fellow retiree and legendary big man Shaquille O’Neal recently said of Yao–”[He's] one of the greatest players to ever come out of China, one of the greatest players, period.”

It’s easy to point out Yao’s shortcomings–his team’s inability to advance past the second round of the playoffs (he only made it that far once in his career) and of course, his inability to stay healthy. But Yao’s accomplishments far outweigh his failures. He averaged 19/9/2 for his career, made eight all-star teams, and five All-NBA teams. He also broke the stereotype that seven-plus footers aren’t coordinated enough to contribute offensively. Shawn Bradley and Hasheem Thabeet might’ve lived up to that bill, but Yao was the most polished big man in basketball during his playing days.

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As other basketball writers/bloggers have mentioned, Yao Ming’s most important contributions may have come off the court. It’s hard to forget the poignant image of Yao in 2008, when he served as the flag-bearer for China during the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Beijing. With the entire world watching curiously, Yao patriotically represented the most populous nation on earth–this coming just months after devastating earthquakes ravaged the Chinese province of Sichuan, killing nearly 70,000 people. He brought basketball to the forefront of Chinese sports, was a monumental part of the NBA’s growing international fanbase, and helped humanize a country that for so long had been dominated by preconceived notions from those living in the Western Hemisphere.

There is no debate–Yao Ming is a Hall of Famer. If he had stayed relatively healthy over a longer career and put up averages of 19/9/2, he would go down as one of the greatest centers of all-time. Truth is, he didn’t stay healthy–but he did put up those stats in spite of his injuries. I’m thoroughly convinced Yao was capable of repeating his 2006-2007 averages (25 PPG, 10 RPG, and 2 BPG in just under 34 minutes) if he hadn’t been so heavily involved with the Chinese National Team, which clearly drained him physically. And while detractors say that Yao isn’t the first superstar talent to be derailed by injuries, no other professional sports star can claim to have an even remotely comparable international resume while simultaneously balancing the enormous societal pressures that come with the expectations of billions. Sometimes, we aren’t able to quantify the contributions of an individual until he or she is a few years removed from their craft. I just hope that in the future, we’ll be able to look back at Yao Ming for what he was–a Hall of Fame talent, a global sports icon, and a larger than life legend.

In the fall, I’m moving halfway across the country from a suburb of Dallas, Texas, to the heart of Los Angeles, where I’ll be a freshman at the University of Southern California. The prospect of being a five-minute bus ride from the Staples Center has me in basketball heaven. Unfortunately, attending an out-of-state university isn’t exactly cheap (and that’s putting it nicely), so I’ll have to choose games to attend very selectively. Which brings up a very important question—which team would I rather pay to see in person, the Lakers, or the Clippers?

On prestige level alone, comparing the Lakers to the Clippers is like pitting Michael Jackson against Ray J or Ritz-Carlton hotels against Holiday Inns. There is no room for debate. But, perhaps for the first time, the battle of Los Angeles is more than skin-deep, thanks to the arrival of poster boy Blake Griffin and the sudden implosion of Kobe and company in the second round of the postseason. One team is looking up, the other team is looking uncertain. But is that enough to choose one of the least successful franchises in NBA history over a perennial powerhouse? I say yes.

Here’s my reasoning—Blake Griffin is a franchise altering, backboard-shattering superstar. If the Mafia strapped cement shoes on Griffin, he’d still be able to throw down vicious jams without breaking a sweat. As Chad Ford so aptly pointed out during a May 17^th appearance on the “B.S. Report” podcast, there are players that excel because of the environment they are placed in, and there are players that simply dominate wherever they suit up. Griffin belongs in the latter category. He changed the entire culture of a hapless squad run by an incompetent owner in the span of one year. Despite the curse of the Clippers, which kept the “Blake Show” from debuting on time in 2009, and which turned a 2.8% chance of the top pick in the 2011 draft into the top pick for another team—the future remains bright as ever in Clipperland. Eric Gordon quietly averaged 23 points per game last year. Eric Bledsoe and Al-Farouq Aminu are two youngsters with unlimited athletic ability. Chris Kaman and DeAndre Jordan form a tough one-two punch in the paint. And although we don’t know how the new CBA will shake out, the Clipps should be able to sign some impact free agents with their newfound cap room following the Baron Davis-Mo Williams swap. Put it this way—assuming we are treated to an NBA season, the Clippers will easily be one of the most exciting teams in the league, and they’ll also make a serious run at the postseason.

Meanwhile, all is not well for L.A.’s other team. The debacle that was the Mavs sweep of the Lakers exposed major problems for the former champions. And looking toward next season, I find it hard to believe that things will get much better. Phil Jackson is out and Mike Brown is in, meaning the identity of the Lakers is headed for a complete makeover. General Manager Mitch Kupchak has hinted at major roster changes, but I’m hard pressed to see where those changes will come. Ron Artest is under contract through 2014, as is Steve Blake (they will make a combined $11,727,280 in the last year of their deals). Derek Fisher and Luke Walton don’t come off the books until 2013, and Walton makes close to $6,000,000 a year to sit on the bench and high-five his teammates. Lakers fans/media need to get real—Dwight Howard and Chris Paul trade rumors are nothing but pipe dreams. No team in their right mind is going to trade the face of their franchise for Andrew Bynum, who at 23 years old, has already endured multiple knee surgeries and hasn’t played more than 65 games in a season since 2006. The Lakers will easily qualify for the postseason next year and have a shot at advancing as far as the Western Conference Finals, but Kobe Bryant has a much better chance at finishing with five titles than he does at tying Michael Jordan’s mark.

All that being said, there’s one additional factor involved in siding with the Clippers—one that has nothing to do with X’s and O’s: Over the years, the age of incoming rookies has moved closer and closer to my own. Now, as I head off to college, I realize that gap has finally closed. In fact, the NBA’s entire landscape is rapidly shifting in favor of 20-something year old superstars such as Blake Griffin, the man who may someday be known as the King of Los Angeles. Despite Donald Sterling’s inevitable meddling ways, Griffin and the Clippers will soon be the hottest ticket in town. I just want to grab a seat before it’s too late.

Mock draft projection: First pick, Cleveland Cavaliers

Why everyone is babbling about him: In a draft class without a standout prospect, Irving appears to be the safest bet to succeed in the NBA. His ceiling isn’t franchise-altering superstar–it’s more along the lines of on-again, off-again all-star. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. The Cavs just picked the wrong year to grab the top pick, because Irving isn’t good enough to lift them up from the wreckage of LeBron James anytime soon.

Irving has outstanding court vision, is fairly quick, and shoots a high percentage from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a large sample size of his game at Duke thanks to a broken toe, so it’s hard to tell just how good he really is. The comparisons to Chris Paul are unfair and probably unrealistic, especially until we at least see him in action against pro players.

Bold Prediction: On an awful team in a weak draft, Irving puts up 17 PPG/6 APG/2 SPG and wins Rookie of the Year fairly easily. Along the way, he’ll turn the ball over a lot and lose plenty of basketball games. But the Cavs are on the right track–coupling Irving with the fourth pick is the start of their long and winding reconstruction path. Depending on how Cleveland uses what’s left of the LeBron trade exception will also help determine how quickly they recover, and how much assistance young Kyrie gets along the way.

This time last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder were the darlings of the NBA playoffs. They fell to the future champion Lakers in six exciting games, spurring Kenny “The Jet” Smith to announce that “in three years, [Kevin] Durant will be the best player in basketball,” a comment most NBA pundits met with a fair amount of skepticism.

One year later, Smith’s statement doesn’t look so far-fetched. Durant didn’t win an MVP award like many predicted after LeBron James fled to Miami, but he did lead the league in scoring, and he does have his Thunder in the Western Conference Finals at the ripe old age of 22. The NBA is quickly transitioning to its next generation of superstars, and with as much parity as we’ve seen in this postseason, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility to believe that Durant may soon be considered the league’s best player.  Winning a title would certainly go a long way in bolstering Durant’s case for the unofficial honor.

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This time last year, the Dallas Mavericks had once again proven themselves to be the biggest disappointments in the Western Conference. They entered the postseason as a two-seed, and quickly bowed out in five games against the aging San Antonio Spurs.  Fans didn’t know whether to blame Dirk Nowitzki, his supporting cast, or coach Rick Carlisle. Consensus was that the Mavs would blow things up, try to trade for a star, and make one more stab at a championship. Instead, they swapped Erick Dampier for Tyson Chandler, grossly overpaid Brendan Haywood to serve as a backup, and called it a day. No one predicted that would be nearly enough to overtake the two-time defending champions.

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So here we are in 2011. The only way to watch Lamar Odom on television is to tune into his reality show. Kendrick Perkins is still scowling at referees like they stole his lunch money, but the Celtics are nowhere to be found. The perennial playoff contenders are out.  The perennial playoff  losers find themselves matched up against a one-two punch of talented but inexperienced superstars for a chance at a championship. Who has the edge?

Each team has a major advantage over the other. Oklahoma City has an elite athlete (Russell Westbrook) who should easily be able to run circles around Dallas’s slow as molasses backcourt. Jason Kidd could only keep up with Kobe Bryant by holding onto him for dear life, and Kobe has quite a lot of mileage on his legs already. Westbrook doesn’t have that problem. On the other side, Dirk Nowitzki is one of the best in the game at drawing fouls on opposing big men, and it just so happens that OKC will fire out a host of foul-prone guys like Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison, and Kendrick Perkins. Dirk will get to the free throw line in this series. A lot.

I don’t buy into the theory that any of Dallas’s swingmen will be able to slow down Kevin Durant. Shawn Marion is a good defender, but not an elite one. You need an elite defender to make Durant struggle. Even still, that’s not necessarily a deal-breaker for Dallas. They should plan on KD getting his points. As long as he and Westbrook aren’t absolutely tearing it up, the Mavs should be in good shape assuming one thing–they limit the production of OKC’s role players.

Russell Westbrook’s decision-making mistakes have been well-chronicled thus far–what’s being ignored is that he often has to force up bad shots because OKC’s role players simply aren’t asserting themselves enough. That’s what makes guys like James Harden so valuable. When Harden is penetrating and dishing to open teammates or knocking down three-pointers, the Thunder become a less static and predictable offensive squad down the stretch. Defenders aren’t double or triple-teaming Durant and forcing OKC’s talented point guard to take bad shots.  Here’s a telling stat–according to www.hoopsstats.com, when James Harden has a higher efficiency rating than his matchup, the Thunder are 6-0. When he doesn’t, OKC is 1-2. My point is this–the Thunder have plenty of above-average defenders, but not enough scorers to help their dynamic duo. They cannot win unless James Harden, Daequan Cook, Serge Ibaka, and Eric Maynor take (and make) more shots.

Ultimately, I don’t think James Harden, the most important of OKC’s role players,  is ready to outplay Jason Terry or any of Dallas’s other guards. He’s shown flashes of his potential, and I have a sneaking suspicion he will “put the pieces together” this offseason, but for now, he isn’t ready to handle the responsibilities that will be placed on his shoulders. The spotlight is on the superstars, but it’s the other guys that matter most in this series. Dallas has the deepest bench in the league, and that’s what will make the biggest difference for them. Oklahoma City’s youth hasn’t fatally wounded them yet, but I think it might in this series. The steady play of Dirk Nowitzki (who is undeniably playing some of the best basketball of his illustrious career) should be enough to propel Dallas to the NBA Finals. It won’t be an easy series for the Mavs–I’d be fairly surprised if it isn’t 2-2 heading back to Dallas. But the Mavs have me convinced that they are the best team in the Western Conference. I have my doubts about whether they’re capable of taking down the Bulls or Heat, but at the very least, Dirk and Jason Kidd will get one more shot at cementing their place in basketball history before their window of opportunity closes for good.

“This is a must-win game“–actual quote from every NBA player, coach, analyst, and commentator during any given playoff series in the history of basketball.

The Los Angeles Lakers and I strongly disagree with this  sports cliche, albeit for polar opposite reasons. In my estimation,  it’s a ridiculously redundant statement. Like really, the last game you participated in wasn’t a must-win? It’s a best-of-seven series for a reason.

Los Angeles looks at things a little bit differently. For them, there are no must-wins. Heck, why not take game one off? They’ll win the series in six anyway. They did it against the Hornets in the first round, they’ve done it in years past, and it rarely catches up with them. But the Mavs caught the Lakers off guard, and now Kobe and company are in a world of hurt.

Truth is,  we saw the signs of a slow Lakers demise, and we ignored them. After all, it’s Kobe Bryant. It’s Pau Gasol. Phil Jackson has more rings than [insert clever comparison here]. We assumed L.A. would eventually turn on the afterburners and take out those pesky Mavs. But they just haven’t played up to par. Is it too late to turn it around? I wish I had the answer.

What I do know is this: this Lakers team is not nearly as good as the championship squads from 2009 or 2010. Their uncharacteristic five game slide at the end of the regular season should have been the first warning sign. Lakers teams typically go into the playoffs on a roll, not the other way around. On an X’s and O’s level, here are the Lakers’ five biggest problems in the postseason:

1. No bench--I know, an odd thing to say with the Sixth Man of the Year on the roster. But Lamar Odom has been streaky at best thus far. And excluding him, the Lakers are getting nothing from the backups. Steve Blake is afraid to shoot, pass, or do anything productive (his headband is amusing though). Shannon Brown isn’t getting enough minutes. Matt Barnes has a cool neck tattoo. L.A. has no one else to throw out there.
2. Pau Gasol is playing poorly–I don’t need to explain this one too much, it’s been stuffed down everybody’s throat enough. My favorite Gasol joke at the moment? Pau Gasol is softer than pampers wipes.
3. Kobe’s refusal to pass–Kobe has three assists in two games. Sorry guys, I don’t buy into the “but his teammates aren’t making shots” theory. He’s not passing the ball enough. Andrew Bynum has played well against Dallas. Feed him the rock more. Get those Mavs big men in foul trouble. Bryant tried to win on his own with those awful L.A. teams after Shaq left. It didn’t work.
4. Bizarre coaching decisions–On May 5th’s B.S. Report, Matthew Berry joked that Phil Jackson was already back in his Montana home, and we just don’t know it yet. I’d generally agree. It’s not often that the Zen Master makes crucial substitution errors like he did at the end of game one. He’s not playing Shannon Brown enough, and he hasn’t figured out a way to get Kobe posted up on Jason Kidd.
5. Bad team defense–Andrew Bynum’s trust-issue comments illustrate this point fairly well. J.J. Barea shouldn’t be scoring 12 points on the defending champions. When a Dallas guard drives the lane, no one stops him. And Dallas’s guards have about as much offensive ability as Minnesota’s guards. That’s not a good thing.

If any team is capable of fixing those problems in an 0-2 hole without homecourt, it’s the Lakers. But regardless of whether they recover to win this series and win a title, or more than likely bow out against Dallas, next season and beyond doesn’t look good. Consider these facts.

1. Kobe Bryant turns 33 in August. His contract runs through 2014, at which point he will be 36 years old. He is set to make $30,453,000 in the final year of his deal. It’s unfathomable to think of now, but I’d be shocked if Kobe is worth anything near that figure in 2014. You never know, he could even be known first and foremost as an expiring contract by that time.
2. Ron Artest’s contract also runs through 2014. He makes over seven million dollars per year, and by next season he’ll probably be worth half of that.
3. Steve Blake, Derek Fisher, and Luke Walton will make a combined $12,960,000 next year. And none of them are off the books until 2013 at the earliest. That’s a huge chunk of salary cap that will be sitting on the bench for the next two or three seasons.

In other words, the Lakers are stuck. We don’t know what the new CBA will entail, but chances are, it won’t be kind to high-payroll teams like the Lakers. A hard cap will likely be in place, meaning those MLE (mid-level exception) players Los Angeles loves to bring in might not be a possibility anymore. And if this Lakers team fails to make it past the second round, what’s going to be any different about their 2011-2012 counterpart? All the veterans are starting to hit the wrong side of 30, and Phil Jackson won’t be back. In other words, we could very well be witnessing the end of a dynasty.

Of course, even uttering that Kobe’s Lakers might not three-peat or win more titles is a punishable offense according to basketball pundits. “You just can’t count out Kobe Bryant,” they all say, because Kobe is the second-coming of Michael Jordan and is thus destined for at least six championships. But I’m a bit of a skeptic in the “fulfilling your destiny” department. Sure, it worked just fine for Harry Potter, but (as far as I know) he only exists in very large children novels that double as encyclopedias when the book cover is removed. Real life rarely gives us stories of fulfilling your destiny. I wish it were different–I’ve never been a huge Kobe fan, but it would be a “sports-fan-defining-moment” to see him one-up Michael Jordan in more ways than just his jersey number. My guess, however, is that this year is his last chance to tie MJ’s mark, and he’s coming dangerously close to failure. The rest of the NBA is growing in talent–previous powerhouses like the 60+ win Spurs are getting uprooted by the young, upstart Grizzlies. The Clippers will probably make the playoffs next year. Oklahoma City will only get better. The Eastern Conference is looking as formidable as the Western Conference. Dynasties are a fickle thing–in the moment, they are invincible, seemingly unbreakable. But you often don’t notice the cracks forming until it’s too late.  I doubt the Lakers come back against the Mavs. But even if they do, the cracks are more and more evident each and every game.

The dynasty is dangerously close to meeting an untimely end.

Regular season number one of the Miami Heat experiment has reached a merciful end. Depending on your perspective and preseason expectations, the Heat’s season could be considered a success story or a failure. What’s indisputable is Miami’s impact on the NBA–the Big Three rejuvenated basketball’s fanbase and brought viewers back into the sport like no has been able to do since the days of Michael Jordan (sorry, Buzz Bissinger, you’re wrong).

Of course, enthusiasm can be a double-edged sword. For every fan that tunes in to watch LeBron and D-Wade make highlight-reel magic, there’s a viewer desperately hoping to catch a Heat loss. The Heat have become a polarizing squad that you can’t not have an opinion on, perhaps even more quickly than any other sports team in American history (see also: Lakers, Yankees, Cowboys). But what’s really the reason behind America’s disdain? The answer? Not exactly black and white, but here’s what I do know:

The NBA is always thought of as a sport of individuals–the name on the front of the jersey doesn’t matter nearly as much as the name on the back. But that’s not entirely true. Sure, there are the global icons, but basketball, like any other sport, ultimately comes down to team tradition. Want to know why everyone is jumping on the Bulls bandwagon for the postseason? Because they’re a classic basketball team. They have an established superstar (Derrick Rose), a sidekick scoring option (Luol Deng), a few instrumental pieces (Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah), and the glue guy (Keith Bogans). We like the squads with clearly defined roles, where the chemistry between the players on the court practically oozes out of our television screens. There’s only room for one or two big egos on a championship contender–anything more rubs viewers the wrong way.

And that’s the Heat’s biggest problem. They have three players with egos that practically swallow up an entire arena. There are no assigned roles to this team; rather, it’s a collection of misfitted pieces. LeBron still thinks he’s the top dog, D-Wade still thinks he’s the top dog, and Chris Bosh still acts like he’s the top dog (although it’s obvious his confidence is shot). Think of it this way–if Pau Gasol was still on the Grizzlies, he’d be the unquestioned leader of the team–no one would bat an eye if he complained about foul calls or took “give me the ball, I’m the man” shots. But when he was traded to the Lakers, he was able to stash that ego away–not out of mind, just out of sight. The result? There are plenty of people who dislike the Lakers, but no one flat out doesn’t respect what Los Angeles is capable of on the court. Of course, winning back-to-back championships helps, but even during LA’s multiple losing streaks this season, the biggest Lakers haters have been careful not to write off Kobe and company.

Fair or not, the Heat don’t get the same treatment. When Miami started the season off 9-8, and when they went on long losing streaks, plenty of onlookers not only despised the Heat, they didn’t respect them or their chances to win a title. These people were actually viewing a strange phenomenon during Heat games, one that until now, has been left undefined. But don’t worry, the trusty Bball Babble doctors have found the root of the problem–Miami is suffering from ego misappropriation–a lack of understanding of team concepts resulting in the outward appearance of having excessive and unnecessary swagger (concepts include delegating a sense of entitlement to only one star teammate, and trying to establish some semblance of chemistry amongst all players on the team).

Unfortunately, there might not be a feasible solution to the Heat’s ego problems. LeBron James was anointed king of basketball in high school–he’s not bound to relegate any of his ego any time soon. In fact, if anything, he’s suffering from the Benjamin Button effect–at least in Cleveland, he was mature enough not to throw balls at players after they fouled him hard. He’s become more self-absorbed and protective of his “illustrious” image as a member of the Heat, mostly as a defense mechanism against his “haters.” D-Wade won’t be checking his ego anytime soon either–Miami is his town, always has been, and he isn’t ready to pass the keys off. And Bosh? On Toronto, it was fun to watch his awkward-looking screams and fist-pumps after big plays. Now? He comes across as the third wheel trying too hard to make a name for himself.

In a way, Miami’s ego misappropriation is an identity crisis. Fans don’t understand how such a talented team can’t quite put it together, both basketball-wise and image-wise. Regardless of how good you think the Heat are, it’s hard to argue that they’re playing up to their full potential. Miami doesn’t win games the way they are supposed to win games, instead relying on three unique individuals to carry the scoring load. The Heat will remain one of the most despised teams in the league for years to come, unless, that is, two of the Big Three members take a bite of Derrick Rose or Kevin Durant’s humble pie. If that were ever to occur, Miami’s image around the world has the potential to change faster than a John Wall fastbreak layup. And once the Big Three get their ego in check, they can celebrate their newfound fans by finally meshing on the court, and possibly even winning some championship rings.

Seems like just yesterday Jeff Van Gundy had  anointed the Miami Heat GOAT status. The Nuggets were penciled in as doomed without ‘Melo. Shaquille O’Neal was still technically capable of running up and down the court without limping straight to the locker room. Blake Griffin hadn’t jumped over a car or posterized half the league. Jerry Sloan and Deron Williams were Jazz mainstays. Baron Davis, Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, and Gilbert Arenas were cemented to their respective teams like a thirteen-year-old girl staring at Justin Bieber.

But the biggest story of this NBA season is none of that. This tale revolves around the one player who didn’t switch teams, didn’t fall into the trap of trade rumors or injuries, even when his own squad was chalk full of parity. Derrick Rose didn’t hold a press conference to announce where he had taken his talents, he simply let his talents dictate to the rest of the world what he had become–the MVP of the NBA. But even the most casual of basketball fans knows this by now, so there’s no point in paying unnecessary attention to a foregone conclusion. The real crime here is that D-Rose won’t get credit for another award he deserves to win in a landslide–Most Improved Player.

Most analysts point to Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge as the two top MIP candidates. Both have played exceptionally well this season, that point is indisputable. But neither improved nearly as much as Rose, especially when you examine the simplest of stats. See below.

Debunking Kevin Love’s Case

K-Love is a fan favorite, the most efficient rebounder in the game, and a 20 PPG scorer to boot. His improvements from last year are well documented. His scoring average is up big time, from 14.0 PPG in 2009-2010 to 20.2 PPG this season. His rebounding increased from 11 to 15.2 RPG, and his 3PG% went up from .330 to .417. But those stats are ignoring the two elephant stats in the room–Love’s minutes per game increase, and Minnesota’s lack of, well, winning.

We tend to forget that Love only played in 60 games in 2009-2010, and started just 22 of those contests. He averaged a measly 28.6 MPG, compared to 35.8 MPG this season. K-Love defenders will instantly turn this  around and point to it as another reason for him to win the MIP award–they’ll say his hard work paid off in the form of seven more minutes each night. But that’s the glass half full perspective. The truth is a little less flattering–coach Kurt Rambis inexplicably didn’t play his now-star PF nearly enough, which led to quite a few #FreeKevinLove Twitter hashtags (and even http://www.freekevinlove.com/). Love has always been this good–check out his 2009-2010 campaign vs. this year on a more balanced per-48 minutes scale:

2009-2010 stats per 48 minutes: 23.6 PPG, 18.4 RPG (1st in NBA)

2010-2011 stats per 48 minutes: 27.1 PPG, 20.4 RPG (2nd in NBA)

It’s obvious Love improved, but those adjusted stats are a bit more telling–if Rambis had come to his senses and freed Love in 2010, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. Plenty of players have jumped four points per game over a two season span, and Love was already the best rebounder in the NBA nearly two years ago.

And not to rub salt on a deep wound, but Minnesota won 17 games this season. They won 15 the season before. I’m not blaming Love–he has no help around him–but I’d like to see the MIP lead his team above and BEYOND expectations. Minnesota is awful, and we expected as much before the year began.

Debunking LaMarcus Aldridge’s Case

LaMarcus Aldridge was, without question, the biggest All-Star snub in the NBA. His case is harder to crack than Kevin Love’s because he’s done so much for his team when they needed him most. Brandon Roy’s career essentially blew up when his knee did, and yet, Portland is right around 50 wins/remains a dangerous darkhorse playoff team. He’s in the opposite boat as Love–other than PPG, where he increased from 17.9 to 21.8, everything else on his statline looks practically the same from the year before. But that’s where I draw the line between the two big men–if you watched a random Timberwolves game in 2010 compared to a game in 2011, it would be hard to pinpoint a significant difference in Love’s performance (unless you landed on his 31/31 masterpiece). Aldridge, on the other hand, is now a more complete player. Portland’s offense suddenly started running through him when Roy went down–no easy adjustment for a young big man to make mid-season–and he embraced the role wholeheartedly.

But while Aldridge raised his game to a higher level and managed to keep the Blazers afloat, he didn’t elevate Portland to new heights when things got tough. Derrick Rose did just that.

Making a Case for D-Rose

Derrick Rose combines the traits that make Kevin Love a MIP choice in some people’s eyes (improved stats) with Aldridge’s newfound ability to carry his team.

Rose’s minutes per game are nearly identical over the past two seasons, yet his scoring increased from 20.8 to 25.1.  His assists are up from 6 to 7.8, a fairly large jump for a starting point guard, and his free throw percentage is up big time, from 76% to 86%. The most shocking change is Rose’s newfound ability to shoot three pointers. He made 16 threes in his first two seasons, shooting a dismal 24% on those attempts. This year, those numbers have jumped exponentially–he’s 126 for 376 on three pointers, or 34%.

Rose did more than carry the load for Chicago, he took the Bulls from what seemed like a four-seed in the top heavy Eastern Conference straight to a 60-win Goliath. And he did it with almost an entirely new roster, one that was decimated by injuries to its best frontcourt players (Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah).

Of course, much of the argument I just presented is reason enough to give Rose the MVP award. And while that’ll mean more to him than the MIP award, there’s no logical reason as to why he doesn’t deserve both trophies. In a year when superstars forced their way around the league to try and win a championship, Rose made do with what he had. He put Chicago on the map, gave his fanbase a new title contender for the foreseeable future, and did it the old-fashion way–hard-work, and backing down from no one.

This past Monday was Carmelo Anthony’s one-month anniversary as a New York Knick. Since the blockbuster trade  that sent Anthony from the Denver Nuggets to the Knicks went down, the two teams have gone in opposite directions.

After all of the Melodrama, the Denver Nuggets should be the ones celebrating the one-month anniversary as they have clearly been the surprise story of the league over the past four weeks.  The Nuggets have shocked most NBA fans by winning ten out of their last 14 games, including eight by double figures. Did I mention they’ve had dominating performances and victories by 30, 40 and 33 points?

For the Knicks, the trade has not lived up to the hype. Since acquiring not only Melo, but Chauncey Billups as well, they have played poorly, as shown by a 7-9 record.

The Nuggets, who were looked upon as major losers in the ‘Melo trade, are a team to look out for because they are hustling, rebounding and playing at a better pace than they were with ‘Melo. The ball doesn’t just stop in someone’s hands every time down the floor. Instead, the Nuggets have balanced scoring and are playing fundamentally sound.

Going back to the Knicks–they’re a mess. After every game, Chauncey Billups keeps telling reporters that these things take time and he isn’t worried. While the savvy veteran could be right, there doesn’t seem to be a huge desire to improve New York’s true needs. Mike D’Antoni is continuing to talk about the offensive side of the ball when he should be focused on defense. After a Knicks loss, Melo told reporters it might take until next year for this team to click. It’s hard to tell what the Knicks will do in the future.

While Melo was the one who clearly wanted a trade, George Karl and his Nuggets seem pretty content with it thus far. Look what they have been doing…as a team.

The new Nuggets, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton and Danilo Gallinari have played extremely well, while big men Kosta Koufos and Timofey Mozgov are giving the Nuggets extra depth alongside Chris Andersen, Kenyon Martin and Nene. Chandler is averaging about 14 points and 6 rebounds, and Gallinari has played just as well, scoring 16 and grabbing 6 rebounds per contest. Raymond Felton and Ty Lawson look great together at point guard as a 1-2 punch. And even the man in Coach Karl’s doghouse, J.R. Smith, is playing at a high level. He almost got himself a triple-double the other night with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists.  Nene has also played exceptionally well as a center that finally gets the touches he deserves. In addition, Kenyon Martin is playing with more energy and is looking like a guy who wants to win at all costs.

Let’s not forget about the MVP for the Nuggets this season, Arron Afflalo. If it weren’t for Kevin Love and some other superstars out there, he could be in the running for most improved. Although he is out with an injury right now, he has helped the Nuggets win with his lockdown defense and precise perimeter shooting.

Look out for the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs. They may not be a title contender, but they could scare some teams.

Karma may have been a result of the trade that was agreed upon in late February. Carmelo left his team and the city of Denver without much regret. He pushed the trade to happen and controlled what went down. He was ecstatic about having his own big three, but the results thus far have been far from perfect. The Denver Nuggets are clicking, and the New York Knicks are struggling to get victories.