Hilarious, right? The “State of Fandom” allows you to declare your team allegiance through customized Facebook cover photos, watch some funny team mascot vidoes (like the one above), and do a slew of other things..

You can also generate your NBA fan graph to see where your Facebook friends’ loyalties lie, and watch how things play out as we move into the NBA Playoffs!

The Miami Heat is a huge favorite to win the Eastern Conference in NBA future odds after they took the crown last year following a disappointing and inconsistent regular season.  The Heat has been right behindChicago for Eastern Conference supremacy and look to be a prime candidate to take the title this year.

The Eastern Conference has also seen several potential surprise value teams emerge that may not get the public love or full court “press” but certainly have proven to have the ability to go deep into the post season. Such teams as the Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, andPhiladelphia76ers are all making noise as potential contenders that were off the radar to start the year.

And then there is “The Over The Hill Gang” in Bostonas the Celtics are starting to get it together after a dreadful start.  Bostonwon 9 out of 12 games from January 22 through February 10 to eclipse the .500 mark and get back in the post season race.  The Celtics were 14-12 and built on a foundation of the NBA’s top ranked defense.

Philadelphia was the surprise of the Atlantic Division that Bostonwas supposed to dominate.  The 76ers were also built on defense as they ranked 2^nd only toBoston in team defense.  The Sixers are the ultimate team game type that is greater than the total sum of their parts as their leading scorer, Louis Williams, was averaging just 15.6 points per game.

Speaking of defense, Chicagois among the best and ranked 3^rd overall in the NBA. What sets the Bulls apart is that they also have an offense and superstar leader. Derrick Rose was averaging 22 points per game along with 7.8 assists per outing to spark an offense that ranked 9^th in the NBA.

The Miami Heat have used their 2^nd ranked offense to challenge the Bulls for Eastern supremacy.  The Heat were ranked 16^th overall in the NBA for defense and were of course led by King James and his 28.1points per game.

Kobe Bryant
Kobe is on just about every “best dressed” list, and for good reason. Known for rocking the full suit, Kobe Bryant knows how to draw attention to himself without looking even remotely out of place. As one might expect, Kobe puts just as much effort looking good off-court as he does in the middle of a heated competition, and is one of the NBA’s most stylish players. It doesn’t hurt also that Kobe is one of the most well-known names in basketball, which means those who don’t even follow the sport likely have a sense for how the man dresses. His signature look: charcoal suit with strong pin striping pattern, white shirt, and bold necktie. Kobe also likes to accessorize his suit & tie with complementing pocket square and tie bar.

Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony’s name is synonymous with style. Always one that dresses to impress, Anthony embodies New York style both on and off the court. A trendsetter like no other, “Melo” turns heads wherever he goes, and is a great example of how athletes can be fashionable during their time away from the game. While Kobe prefers the elegant suit & tie look, “Melo” dresses both casually as well as elegant/trendy. His favorite sui & tie look: Gingham check shirts, boldly colored, striped or paisley patterned tie, and contrasting jacket with bold patterns in gray, beige, or brown. His favorite accessories include sunglasses by Gucci or LV, pocket squares, and fedora hat. He himself said in a recent interview with GQ that he is the best dressed man in the NBA.

LeBron James
It should come as no surprise that LeBron James makes the list of best dressed players in the NBA, especially to those who have paid attention to his style during the course of his career. James’ style can only be described as “casual-hip,” comprised of elements that only the highest paid player in the game could ever be able to afford. Just as comfortable in jeans as in a full suit, LeBron James knows what he’s doing when it comes to throwing together an attention-grabbing outfit. That he has also been featured on the cover of GQ magazine is no surprise to us. His signature look consists of cashmere V-neck sweater and dress shirt that are leisurely worn with with rolled up sleeves displaying an exclusive, over-sized designer wrist watch.

Dwayne Wade
Dwayne Wade needs no introduction, as he is one of the most well-dressed players in the game. “Flash” has been a part of a few successful modeling projects, and is well adept at displaying his unique fashion sense. Women the world over love Wade’s ability to go from “casually thrown together” to “thoughtfully composed” at the drop of a hat, making him one of the most versatile players in the NBA when it comes to off-court fashion. He has been spotted wearing self tied bow ties, cardigan sweaters, boldly patterned neckties paired with sleek V-neck knits, elegant 3-piece suits, as well as flashy all-white tux with matching white fedora. His signature look? There is none! Mr Wade knows how to dress and can pull of almost any style imaginable. He definitely earns a gold medal for the TOP 5 best dressed NBA player award.

O.J. Mayo
O.J. Mayo might just have the most unique sense of style in the NBA. When off the court, mayo looks more in line with a flashy professor than a basketball player, rocking some extremely formal attire that is often comprised of three-piece suits, fat Rolex watches and sophisticated frames. As a result, Mayo commands a great deal of respect not only for the fact that he’s the number one draft pick since LeBron, but also as a result of the way he dresses.

This article was brought to you by Hendrik from Cheap Neckties

Shocking that Kobe is getting divorced. He was sleeping around for years. I guess Vanessa realized that the diamonds only get so big. That and the girls only get younger. Typically, the wives wait until the career is over. Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley are good examples. Lets just hope that Kobe doesn’t get caught looking for BJ’s driving down the main drag of Scottsdale, AZ.

This shouldn’t affect the twilight of Kobe’s Career. Especially when he has Meta World Peace playing along side of him. Dare I say the Clippers may be the next show in Los Angeles? That is one scary proposition. The end of the Lakers Era. Mike Brown doesn’t not have the pedigree to carry this aging Lakers roster. Vinny DelNegro has more upside then Brown. The Cards have aligned and the Clip are about to overtake the Lakers.

The NBA as officially been turned upside down…

I Describe this trade in three words – A Bleeping Joke! The NBA owned team (Hornets) sent the best PG in the game to the racist Don Sterling. Why might you ask? To try to revive the joke of the NBA— The Los Angeles Clippers. Lets be honest. The Lakers already have a great audience. The Clippers do not. Why not spread the wealth around the NBA. LA is a huge market. Since the NBA is a show why not entice Hollywood? I’m sure Jessica Alba is a happy woman today. She has a reason to go to more Clip games. No reason to give Chris Paul to the Lakers when you can revive a dead franchise in the same building.

In reality there are only 5 markets that mean anything – New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami (because Lebron exists), and Dallas. That’s it. Post lockout Stern wisely decided to pump up one of only two markets that has two teams – NY and LA. In fact, LA almost had 3 teams! Remember last year when the Kings were looking into Anaheim? They would have been the Anaheim Kings of Los Angeles. The NBA seems more like a Ponzi scheme then it does an Association.

Here’s the trade directly from ESPN:

The Clippers will send guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota’s unprotected 2012 first-round pick to the Hornets for Paul. The Clippers will also receive two future second-round picks.

Stern is trying to rebuild the New Orleans franchise. This is shady as shady comes. Sell off the pieces and stockpile the 2012 first round pick to attempt to recruit an owner in a damaged economy. This move solidifies one thing. That the Hornets will be in Las Vegas by 2013. The big argument against Vegas was the fear the Hornet’s would throw games. That “an ugly” element will creep into the NBA. There is nothing more shady then how this CP3 trade went down. So as far as I’m concerned feel free to ship the Hornets to Vegas. There is no legitimacy to this league— it has all been lost!

Does this make the Clippers better? Duh?! Obviously. Does this help the Hornets? Hmmm. I guess. Ask Memphis how long it took for them to rebuild. How bout those Timberwolves? If the goal is for the Hornets to suck then Stern was genius.

Though I’m annoyed and still unsure as to whether I will purchase NBA League Pass; I am happy the NBA is back. The stalemate has ended and indeed we will see a 66 game season. The playoffs are going to be a wild ride with back to back games. I look forward to watching the drama unfold. However, will the rest of America return to watch?

They were able to salvage the Christmas games. This is HUGE. Many families are accustomed to having the NBA on the tube while opening presents (mine included). The shortened season bodes well for the veteran teams like Boston and LA Lakers. Lebron should still be in shape since he marched around the country playing pickup ball. Miami will be an early favorite as ALWAYS.

Bottom line is we have ball. This is big for a blogger like myself that needs the Association for headlines. Otherwise, the best I can write about is the death of Hip-Hop. That is all the new Sixers ownership could do during the lockout— fire their mascot! Maybe, now they can finally get around to trading the “other AI” Andre Iguodala!

After filing two separate antitrust lawsuits against the league in different states, NBA players are consolidating their efforts and have turned to the courts in Minnesota as their chosen venue.

A group of named plaintiffs including Carmelo Anthony, Steve Nash and Kevin Durant filed an amended federal lawsuit against the league in Minnesota on Monday, hoping the courts there will be as favorable to them as they have been to NFL players in the past.

The locked-out players filed class-action antitrust suits against the league last Tuesday in California and Minnesota. The California complaint was withdrawn Monday. Click here to read more on the lockout and for a online sportsbook point of view on the NBA trying to settle.

“The likelihood was we’d get a faster result in Minnesota than California,” players’ lawyer David Boies said. “I think the result would be the same.”

NBA owners locked out the players July 1, and the labor strife between the two sides has forced games to be canceled through Dec. 15.

“This is consistent with Mr. Boies’ inappropriate shopping for a forum that he can only hope will be friendlier to his baseless legal claims,” Rick Buchanan, NBA executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement.

Federal court in Minnesota was the venue for all NFL labor disputes that reached the courts for the past two decades. The NFL players enjoyed several victories over the owners there, most recently when U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson issued a temporary injunction this summer that lifted the NFL’s owner-imposed lockout. That decision was stayed and eventually overturned on appeal by the 8th Circuit in St. Louis.

Boies insisted the only reason to pick Minnesota was to speed up the process. The first case management conference in California had been scheduled for March 9, although the sides could have requested the date to be moved up. Boies expected a hearing in Minnesota next month.

“The docket is less congested there,” he said. “They have a good track record of handling these kind of cases very promptly.”

The owners had already filed a lawsuit of their own in the Southern District of New York, a venue that has issued several NBA-friendly rulings over the years, and could file a motion to have the Minnesota case moved there.

After the two sides were unable to reach an accord, the players disbanded the union last week. That set the stage for the increasingly bitter labor dispute to move from the negotiating table to the courtroom, which could jeopardize the entire 2011-12 season.

Disbanding the union allowed the players to file an antitrust lawsuit against the league, a move the NFL players also used. Chauncey Billups, Rajon Rondo, Caron Butler, Baron Davis, Ben Gordon, Kawhi Leonard, Leon Powe, Anthony Randolph, Sebastian Telfair, Anthony Tolliver and Derrick Williams are the other named plaintiffs in the Minnesota lawsuit. The consolidated complaint added some players not in either of the original two, including Nash.

“Although the NBPA made concession after concession, including concessions that would cost its members more than one billion dollars over a six-year period, the NBA essentially refused to negotiate its basic 2007 demands, refusing to back off its demand for large salary reductions and harsh player restraints,” the lawsuit alleges.

The NBA must submit its response by Dec. 5. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz.

Boies said that if there had been time to talk to all the players and lawyers initially, only one lawsuit would have been filed in the first place.

“It was a desire to get things moving. It was not a competition,” he said of the two suits. “This was not anything in which people were going different directions.”

The courts would have consolidated the suits anyway, so doing it now saves time. And with the first month and a half of the season already canceled, time is of the essence.

Boies repeated that the players’ side would prefer to reach a settlement instead of taking the litigation to its conclusion. But there was no indication that either side would be contacting the other anytime soon.

“In the face of somebody saying, ‘I don’t want to talk to you. We’ve got an offer — take it or leave it. This is an ultimatum. We’re going to make no more proposals,’ and somebody saying, ‘This is baseless; it ought to go away,’” Boies said, “that’s a waste of time to make a telephone call.”

Never did I think the Players of the NBA would allow it to go this far. This email from a 74 year old grandmother says it best:

I am a 74 year old mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who, until now, would never want to miss any NBA game.  We had NBA League Pass until this season when we didn’t rejoin because of the lockout.   I am ashamed of the NBA players who think a 50/50 split is not fair.   Is it that they don’t think they make enough money?   What amazes me is that with all the charity work they do that they do not realize what this lockout has done to our economy.   Just think of all the people who are out of work because of this and all the cities who have lost business, restaurants, hotels/motels/–just everything.    I have been a Steve Nash fan and didn’t miss a game when he was in Dallas.    I just loved to watch him play.  I became a Phoenix Suns fan when he went to Phoenix even though I live in Texas.    As much as I have enjoyed watching professional basketball, the way I feel right now is that I really don’t care if I ever watch another game again.    I hope they all end up having to beg for a job from someone who feels as I do.  Thank you for letting me vent.   I know no one will ever read this or take it seriously, but I can tell you, for what it’s worth, that the professional basketball has lost a lot of watchers that I doubt will ever return —- from Victoria, TX 

I couldn’t have said it any better. Her frustration matches my anger. How can the player’s think 50/50 isn’t fair? The NBA has opened their books. They have shown the world that they are not profitable. These players obviously don’t realize the hell they are creating for themselves. This economy STINKS. They are so detached they don’t even realize it. They don’t notice that their fans are suffering. Basketball is a sport. It is supposed to take our minds off the the hum-drum of life. However, this lockout just amplifies our frustrations. Not only are we hurting financially with our home prices and unemployment in the crapper BUT NOW we can’t even forget about it for 60 minutes and watch our favorite teams.

The players should be held accountable and Derek Fisher should look around and see the diaster he has created. We are now in the throws of a nuclear meltdown. The only people who don’t realize this is the players!

Halloween with no NBA is a very possible event. This is something I hoped not to see. LB hoped that the idiots that run the NBA (Davis Stern and company) would have realized the importance of settling this labor dispute. I have always equated the beginning of the fall with NBA basketball. Of course, as a kid, I just enjoyed trick or treating. Now, as I have aged, I still enjoy Halloween but I love the NBA. I yearn for those first games. Another year, another storyline— will Larry Brown come back to coach yet another team? Will Lebron ramble about 7 championships then not deliver? Will Shaq dress in drag?  What NBA team will relo this year? I live for the next off the wall predictions from Chuck Barkley. I love to watch my boy Kobe in the twilight of his career. I’m waiting for his game 6 top of the key MJ moment. That has all been taken away from me.

Now, Kobe is buying a Villa in Italy. He is going to play basketball overseas. This is a disgrace. What should be my time to watch basketball has been overshadowed by greed and spoiled brats. I’m not sure who is the worse brat— the players or the owners? I tend to believe it is the owners. They are lead by the pompous man Mr. Stern. Does this man not realize that by not playing ball the brand of the NBA will become irrelevant?

MLB survived their lockout by allowing the roids to run rampant. With the roids we had the infamous Mcguire/Sosa race to 62 home runs. The NHL lockout nearly destroyed that sport. Well, that, and signing a TV contract with Versus. Never heart of Versus till that boneheaded decision. Even if they were the red-headed stepchild for ESPN they were better off there.

Today, the NBA announces they have cancelled preseason. Today, I announce that I cancelled my NBA League Pass. That is the only subtle protest that I can muster. However, if the preseason is cancelled, how much time is left till they cancel the rest of the season?

Lets hope they can hash out their differences so I have more to watch than my 5′ 9″ neighbor lowering his adjustable basketball goal down to 7 feet to show off his windmill dunks!