A Fan’s Impassioned Plea for Dicky V

 

John Biever/SI

Dear ESPN,

It’s Tournament time.  I’ve been waiting a whole year for these next three weeks.  To find out which schools were invited to the Big Dance, and which ones saw their bubble burst.  To root again for the team I’ve loved since childhood, the North Carolina Tar Heels, to bring home another national championship.  To pick that 14 over 3 upset but lose my office pool to a guy who can’t tell his Washington Huskies from his Connecticut Huskies.  To see the clock strike midnight on Duke.  I’ve waited a whole year for an entire country to fall in love with an unknown college kid, like Bryce Drew in 1998 or Stephen Curry a decade later.  For David, like George Mason in 2006, to slay Goliath after Goliath on its way to an improbable Final Four run.  For history to be made.  For “One Shining Moment.”  For a whole year, I’ve waited to watch reality TV in its finest form – an event that provides so much drama, so much exhilaration that not even the best Hollywood writers could script out a better story.  To see the tears flowing down the faces of heartbroken players, wanting to give them a pat on the back, especially to those realizing they may never experience the unique excitement March Madness provides, ever again.  But more importantly I’ve waited a whole year to watch pure, unbridled joy, personified in the form of jubilant student-athletes who just pulled an upset for the ages or won a thrilling, unforgettable game, wishing I could feel what they were feeling for just once in my life.

But there’s one thing I’ve been waiting for my whole life.  Ask any fan, casual or diehard, who the voice of the game is and you’ll hear only one answer – Dick Vitale.  And, because of his contract with you, I won’t be hearing him call any tournament games.  None of us will.  He never has.  But the man lives and breathes college basketball.  Love him or hate him, he is college basketball.  No one loves the game more than Dicky V and I dare anyone to show me someone who does.  His passion is unrivaled and we’re reminded of it every time he puts on a mic.  At 69 years old, however, his time as an announcer may be near its end.  His voice fails him from time-to-time and just last year, he missed a few months to have surgery on his vocal chords.  But I can’t imagine an NCAA Tournament without Dick Vitale, yet I’ve never experienced one with him.  I’m not alone when I say I want every dipsy doo dunkaroo and super scintillating sensational moment in March to come with a heavy dose of “It’s Awesome baby with a capital A!”  And the only one that can make that happen is you ESPN.  So can’t you just loan him to CBS for a couple weeks, the way you loan them Jay Bilas and Bill Raftery?  CBS wants it, the players want it, the coaches want it, and most importantly, the fans want it.  So please, do us all a favor and do the right thing before it’s too late.

Sincerely,

David Im, college basketball fan since 1990

Game for the Ages

Watching Syracuse/UConn go into the 6th overtime right now.  Ridiculous.  Want to sleep so bad………………..

The Brotherhood Goes to School

Adidas recently came out with some commercials with four of their preps-to-pros (Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, Tracy McGrady, Josh Smith) going to “school” called March Is A Brotherhood.  I’m not really sure how they decided on the schools but I guess the guys just got to pick (an Adidas-sponsored) school to align with for this year’s tournament.  I am certain those aren’t the schools they would’ve gone to because I know KG would’ve gone to either Michigan or North Carolina and Dwight had his heart set on Chapel Hill as well.  (I’m thinking they aligned Dwight with Kansas because of the UNC/Kansas ties).  Unfortunately for them (and Tar Heel fans) they are Nike-sponsored schools so obviously it was impossible for them to be used.  Nonetheless, it’s a cool idea and I’m glad to see Adidas has been stepping their game up with their ads.

KG for UCLA

Superman for Kansas

T-Mac for Louisville

J-Smoove for Pitt

The Top Pro Factories Since 1995

Peep out the original publication of the article here.

As March Madness draws near and future NBA hopefuls hit the hardwood, putting it all on the line for that one shining moment, it’s an opportune time to see which colleges have most effectively churned out players ready to make the jump to the League.

The best pro factories combine a winning tradition with preparation for the NBA game. Programs such as Duke and UCLA have been able to get their players nabbed high on draft day, and as a result, have elevated their profile and ability to recruit new talent. There’s no telling how much Michael Jordan has done for the Tar Heels.

But it’s not just about the numbers. The Minnesota Golden Gophers have sent nine (!) players to the pros since 1995, including six first-rounders, with none worth a mention beside Bobby Jackson. And Jackson isn’t exactly a franchise centerpiece. Likewise, Stanford had eight of their players called by David Stern, but only Josh Childress (now playing in Greece) and rookie Brook Lopez averaged double-digit points in the NBA.

While we acknowledge that many of today’s top NBA players came straight from high school, David Stern effectively put an end to that factory with his infamous age-limit rule. So preps-to-pros, along with international players, were not looked at for the purposes of this article. For the purposes of brevity and to focus on the current generation of NBA players, we’ve decided to only go as far back as 1995.

ARIZONA WILDCATS

Number of players sent to the NBA: 20

Number of first-round picks: 8

Stud: Gilbert Arenas

Other notables: Mike Bibby, Andre Iguodala, Richard Jefferson, Jason Terry

Hardly an impact: A.J. Bramlett, Miles Simon, Loren Woods

Arizona may have the best NBA representation of any school, but its future is a little murky. With Lute Olson, one of the best recruiters in history, forced to retire, the Arizona program is in disarray. Olson hadn’t coached since 2007, as he’s been battling various health issues while also in the midst of a nasty divorce. His leave of absence, combined with the NBA’s age-limit (and maybe a little test called the SATs), led to No. 1 prospect and likely 2009 lottery pick Brandon Jennings’s decision to play in Europe in lieu of Arizona. A recruiting mess involving four-star prospect Emmanuel Negedu (now at Tennessee), uncertainty surrounding the head coaching position, and now possible recruiting violations have left the Wildcats with zero commitments in the coming years. So while the future of this factory (despite boasting likely top-five pick Jordan Hill) hangs in the balance, it’ll be up to the stars from Olson’s Golden Era (Arenas, Bibby, Jefferson, Terry) to keep Arizona relevant in the basketball world. This is one school, however, that could eventually be bumped off the list.

CONNECTICUT HUSKIES

Number of players sent to the NBA: 15

Number of first-round picks: 11

Stud: Ray Allen

Other notables: Caron Butler, Rudy Gay, Ben Gordon, Richard Hamilton, Emeka Okafor

Hardly an impact: Khalid El-Amin, Donny Marshall

Looking at all the players that UConn has recently sent to the NBA, a case can be made that the best pro factory lies in Storrs, Conn. Of the eight Huskies drafted since 2003, all were first-round picks and only two (Josh Boone and Marcus Williams) fell out of the lottery selections. With the exception of Hilton Armstrong, the other five lottery picks (Butler, Gay, Gordon, Okafor, and Charlie Villanueva) are averaging double-digit points and are emerging stars in the NBA. Butler already is an All-Star. And of course you have Rip and Allen, two of the bigger superstars in the league and both NBA champions. Now with Hasheem Thabeet a lock for the lottery this year, current freshman Kemba Walker looking like a future first-rounder, and incoming freshman Alex Oriakhi a possible one-and-done candidate, Jim Calhoun is keeping this factory chugging along. The question is, how much longer will he be head coach?

DUKE BLUE DEVILS

Number of players sent to the NBA: 19

Number of first-round picks: 13

Stud: Elton Brand

Other notables: Shane Battier, Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng, Mike Dunleavy, Corey Maggette

Hardly an impact: William Avery, Josh McRoberts, Jay Williams

The Dukies lead the way with 13 first-round picks since 1995. Elton Brand, a former No. 1 overall pick, is their biggest star and opened the path for future Blue Devil underclassmen to declare early for the draft (which didn’t exactly make Coach Mike Krzyzewski or this rather busty student very happy). Brand has signed two contracts worth over $160 million but he’s hardly the school’s only star. Carlos Boozer has made a nice career for himself (even though he screwed over a blind man) and Shane Battier is, according to the New York Times, the No-Stats All-Star. I am convinced Jay Williams would have been a perennial All-Star, but unfortunately, one bad decision derailed his whole career and now he’s been relegated to providing mediocre college basketball analysis for ESPN.

GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS

Number of players sent to the NBA: 15

Number of first-round picks: 9

Stud: Chris Bosh

Other notables: Travis Best, Matt Harpring, Stephon Marbury

Hardly an impact: Drew Barry, Alvin Jones

Perhaps the one school that looks like it doesn’t belong here is Georgia Tech. They’ve never won a national championship and have made only two Final Fours in its school’s history. But they’ve had more first-rounders since 1995 than Indiana and Georgetown, including lottery picks (both No. 4 overall) in the vaunted drafts of 1996 and 2003, the only school who can lay claim to such a distinction. Paul Hewitt might be the king of recruiting one-and-dones as he’s sent three freshmen to the pros since 2003 with a fourth likely on the way in 2010 after the recently committed Derrick Favors spends his expected one-year in Atlanta.

KANSAS JAYHAWKS

Number of players sent to the NBA: 18

Number of first-round picks: 12

Stud: Paul Pierce

Other notables: Nick Collison, Drew Gooden, Raef Lafrentz, Greg Ostertag

Hardly an impact: Ryan Robertson, Keith Langford, Billy Thomas

The University of Kansas can certainly make a case as the most storied program in college basketball history. They are the third-winningest program in NCAA history, count James Naismith, Phog Allen, Larry Brown, and Roy Williams as head coaches, have won three national championships, and just wrapped up their ninth Big 12 title in the conference’s 13-year history. It’s no wonder they’re on this list. Paul Pierce is by far the most accomplished player from KU in the last 14 years. His play last year in leading the Boston Celtics to an NBA title elevated his status to another level. Though Coach Williams is responsible for Pierce and most of the Jayhawk NBAers, the program has not missed a beat under Bill Self, who has already won a national championship (something Ol’ Roy never did at Kansas) and sent several Jayhawks to the League with more on the way.

KENTUCKY WILDCATS

Number of players sent to the NBA: 20

Number of first-round picks: 10

Stud: Antoine Walker

Other notables: Jamaal Magloire, Tayshaun Prince, Rajon Rondo

Hardly an impact: Gerald Fitch, Reggie Hanson, Wayne Turner

The winningest program in NCAA history. Seven national titles, 17-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and 13 Final Fours. Do Rick Pitino and Adolph Rupp ring any bells? But college success doesn’t always translate into NBA success. Their list of NBA players don’t exactly strike fear in you. Their most decorated alumni is Antoine Walker, who might be more famous for his shimmy-shake dance after big baskets than anything else (I still can’t believe he has a ring). Tayshaun Prince is a former All-Star and Rajon Rondo looks to be one in the future, but they’ve been blessed with being on stacked (i.e. championship) teams. I doubt they’d be as good as they are today if they were playing for the Los Angeles Clippers.

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

Number of players sent to the NBA: 17

Number of first-round picks: 11

Stud: Vince Carter

Other notables: Raymond Felton, Antawn Jamison, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace

Hardly an impact: Joseph Forte, Sean May, Kevin Salvadori

Michael Jordan. His name alone is enough to validate any school as a pro factory. Count him as one of your alum, and you’ll have the best recruits in the nation lining up to play for you (and they do). Luckily for the Tar Heels, no other school can say the greatest NBA player of all time ever played for them. As a result, UNC has the best core of players to come from college since 1995. The 1995 draft gave us Stackhouse and Wallace while Jamison and Vinsanity came out in 1998. All four boast multiple All-Star appearances and are icons in their own way. But the new millennium has not been kind to North Carolina — no Tar Heel drafted after 1998 has been named an All-Star. But with Roy Williams and his run ‘n gun system back home in Chapel Hill, UNC looks to reclaim its status as the preeminent pro factory. He’s already brought in ten McDonald’s All-Americans since he took over the program in 2003 with four more coming in the fall. The crown jewel of that class? 6′ 10″ forward John Henson whom draftexpress.com is already listing as a top-five pick in 2010.

UCLA BRUINS

Number of players sent to the NBA: 22

Number of first-round picks: 8

Stud: Baron Davis

Other notables: Jason Kapono, Kevin Love, Earl Watson, Russell Westbrook

Hardly an impact: J.R. Henderson, Charles O’Bannon, Ed O’Bannon

Ask any Bruin student and they’ll tell you the C in UCLA stands for championship;  a total of 11, including seven straight from 1967 to 1973. But that was a long time ago and we’re only going back to 1995. Still, UCLA has only missed the Big Dance twice in the last 14 years and made the last three Final Fours. You don’t achieve this kind of success without talent and the Bruins have sent a whopping 22 players to the NBA in that span, the most of any school. Unfortunately, the only player of those 22 that has made any kind of impact in the pros is Baron Davis, and he’s probably best known for being an injury-prone point guard on the verge of blowing his vast potential and talent. But with Ben Howland now at the helm, it looks like he’s combining quality with quantity as he’s already sent five of his players to the NBA, with Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook looking like future All-Stars. His defense-first mantra does not seem like it’d be very appealing to kids with NBA dreams, but it’s working for UCLA; they had the #1 recruiting class in 2008 and have a top-10 class in this year.

Ball or Die!

From time to time I’ll be writing for the website ballordie.com.  They’ve given me the opportunity to share my views with their readers to which I am very grateful.  But fear not, I’ll be posting my articles on here as well (thanks guys!) so you can go here or there to read them.  But I encourage you guys to visit their site as they’ve got some interesting stuff too.

Big Ten Tournament Preview

Big Ten Tournament Predictions:

Courtesy: bigten.cstv.com

March Madness has finally come!  The Big Ten Tournament is set to kick off on Thursday, March 12.  The BTT bracket was not determined until the last day of conference play — a fitting finale for the Big Ten which has seen the most parity from top to bottom in recent memory.   Michigan State won the Big Ten by a convincing four games but just two games separate seeds two through seven.  The Spartans won the regular season title outright with its win over Illinois in Champaign last weekend, but the Fighting Illini surprisingly clinched the #2 seed as Purdue lost to MSU and Penn State blew its finale to Iowa.

Day 1 Predictions:

Andy King/AP Photo

#8 Minnesota vs. #9 Northwestern: A very important game for both teams.  Minnesota is looking to improve its seed for the NCAA Tournament and cannot afford a loss to the 17-win Wildcats (just outside the RPI Top 50), who are looking for at least two more wins for an outside shot at the Dance.  This game will be a low scoring affair that will come down to whomever can execute better against a hard-nosed defense.  The Gophers’ Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson III lack athleticism but provide a large height advantage and a stellar inside presence.  Northwestern will need a strong showing from freshman Luka Mirkovic, who is developing nicely into a solid Big Ten center, to neutralize the Gophers’ big men.  Each team needs their stars to play well — Minnesota’s Damian Johnson can completely dominate games at times and point guard Al Nolen has had a very inconsistent season.  Northwestern, on the other hand, will need a good shooting effort from Kevin Coble and needs sophomore point guard Michael Thompson to penetrate the defense.  In the end, Tubbytown’s execution prevails over the Wildcats, who will see themselves missing the NCAA Tournament for over the 100th year in a row.  Pick: Minnesota 58, Northwestern 51. X-Factor: Damian Johnson.

Said Alsalah/The Michigan Dailty

#7 Michigan vs. #10 Iowa: Has there been a more Jekyll and Hyde team in the nation than the Wolverines?  John Beilein’s program has seen a quicker turnaround than anyone had imagined and perhaps the basketball team could be of inspiration to their football team.  However, Michigan’s season has been plagued by inconsistencies as they’ve had wins over Duke and UCLA, been swept by Ohio State and Wisconsin and have split the season series with Iowa, Illinois, Purdue and Penn State.  The Hawkeyes have been abysmal this season, unable to get into any sort of rhythm at all.  If the Wolverines can play their style of basketball, with the inside/outside games of DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris, supported by three point shooters Zack Novak and Laval Lucas-Perry, this game is theirs for the taking.  At this point, neither team is an NCAA Tournament team.  Michigan needs a much more focused Manny Harris to make it to the Big Dance.  Pick: Michigan 76, Iowa 62. X-Factor: Manny Harris.

Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo

#6 Penn State vs. #11 Indiana: Penn State capped off a historic season (first season ever winning ten conference games, first time ever winning at the Breslin Center) with a 2OT loss against Iowa where they looked flat after an emotional buzzer-beating win at home against Illinois.  The key to this game for Penn State is taking and preserving an early lead so they do not wear out their stars Talor Battle and Jamelle Cornley.  Indiana has been brutal this season but have given several teams a run for their money, including a close game against Michigan State last weekend. They sport a pair of freshmen guards who have exceeded expectations in Verdell Jones III and Matt Roth. What the Nittany Lions do not want to do, however, is play another double overtime game and have Cornley play 46 minutes on a shoulder he injured a week ago.  Pick: Penn State 66, Indiana 52.  X-Factor: Stanley Pringle.

Robert K. O’Donnell/AP Photo

Tournament Champions: Michigan State will be the favorite entering the Big Ten Tournament but they have never been much of a strong BTT team. This year will not be any easier with plenty of strong defensive teams on their side of the bracket, testing their offensive execution and discipline. Wisconsin will come out strong against MSU — just like they did a few weeks ago when they stormed out to a six-point halftime lead at the Breslin Center.  Wisconsin will have their hands full containing Kalin Lucas and Goran Suton, but timely baskets by Joe Krabbenhoft and Marcus Landry down the stretch will help the Badgers stave off the Spartans. Raymar Morgan seems to be in a funk ever since returning from his injury and playing against a stiff and unforgiving Wisconsin defense won’t do him any favors. Illinois, on the other hand, seems to have really lucked out by landing the #2 seed.  The bracket looks quite favorable to the Illini who will face the winner of the Michigan-Iowa game in their first game and the winner of the Purdue-PSU/Indiana game in their second before advancing to the tournament finals.  The Fighting Illini boast three emerging sophomore starters in Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis, and Mike Tisdale.  These guys almost tasted the Big Ten Tournament Championship last year, losing in the finals to Wisconsin, and will go for it all this year. A well-balanced offensive attack (1st in the nation in assists per field goal) led by the three sophomores, all averaging double-figures in points, combined with the leadership and defensive intensity of guards Trent Meacham (9.9 ppg) and Chester Frazier (Big Ten leader in assists) will allow Illinois to impose their will against opposing teams.  A second-round clash with Purdue would be in Illinois’ favor as the Fighting Illini seem to have the Boilermakers’ number, as they’ve carved up Coach Matt Painter’s defense in both their matchups this season.  A third date with PSU is slightly less appealing, but they looked very good in Happy Valley last week, discounting Talor Battle’s buzzer-beating circus shot.  An Illinois championship in the Big Ten Tournament would be an appropriate finish to their surprisingly successful season and representative of an even-keel balance of strong NCAA tournament bound teams upsetting each other in a wild finish to the regular season. Pick: Illinois takes the Big Ten Tournament over Wisconsin, 54-48.

Biggest Surprise: Wisconsin.  The Badgers kicked off conference play with a surprisingly slow start (including a six-game losing streak, their longest ever under Coach Bo Ryan) but have since recovered, winning seven of their last nine games.  Many of their conference losses have come by the slimmest of margins.  Wisconsin possesses the smothering defense and efficient offense that teams hate to play against in postseason basketball.  Despite losing a handful of seniors, Coach Ryan has rebounded his team nicely with forwards Marcus Landry, Joe Krabbenhoft and speedy point guard Trevon Hughes.  The Badgers have caught fire just in time for postseason play and they will force their opponents into playing disciplined basketball.  Wisconsin beat Ohio State earlier this season, forcing 19 Buckeye turnovers and they will be looking to repeat the defensive performance.  The Badgers are the darkhorse in this tournament — look for them to suffocate Evan Turner and the Buckeyes this Friday and upset Michigan State in the semi-finals.

Biggest Disappointment: Big Ten offense.  The Big Ten’s strength lies in playing grinding, wear-you-down defense and executing their offensive set to win games.  Offensively challenged games such as Penn State’s 38-33 yawner over Illinois earlier this season had fans snoring during the conferences’s 9PM games and many times the low-scoring has been the result of missed open jumpshots rather than good defense.  The Big Ten’s best offensive players are Lucas, Turner and Battle, each of whom have been completely shut down for long stretches in games if not for entire game on several occasions this season.   However, we have seen glimpses of offensive explosions this season from each of these players during crunch time when it counts.  Hopefully we’ll see some great scoring during the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments to silence the conference’s critics.

Duane Burleson/AP Photo

All-Tournament Team: Evan Turner, Talor Battle, Chester Frazier, Kalin Lucas, Marcus Landry

Honorable Mentions: Damian Johnson, Demetri McCamey, JaJuan Johnson, Joe Krabbenhoft, Lewis Jackson

Tournament MVP: Chester Frazier. Illinois’ senior point guard has shown tremendous progress since his freshman season and has become the heart and soul of a quickly maturing Illinois team.  He has shut numerous star players down on defense this season and led the Big Ten in assists.  He’s the only Illinois starter outside of Trent Meacham’s 9.9 points per game to not average double figures in points but leads the league in assists and seems to produce huge baskets at the most opportune moments.  Look for Frazier to have a big tournament for the Illini.

Big Ten NCAA Selections: Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Penn State, Ohio State, (Michigan)

Final Thoughts: All the Big Ten Teams minus Ohio State will see at least one big victory in the BTT before the Big Dance and despite the grueling nature of the BTT schedule, those wins will pay large dividends for the teams when it matters.  Wisconsin proves time and time again that they are a force to reckoned with in the postseason and the BTT will be a great medium for them to showcase their ability and as a result, will upgrade their seed in the NCAA Tournament.  The Spartans’ earlier than expected exit from the BTT will drop their NCAA seed a bit lower — to where they belong as they are slightly overrated on many brackets.  The media’s love affair with Purdue should probably come to an end after their early exit and they should see themselves fall to about a seventh seed in the NCAA Tournament.  Illinois’ BTT win will bolster them up to a 4-seed or even maybe a 3-seed (Illinois’ team this year reminds me a lot of Purdue’s team last year.  Tons of potential in their young talent that will return the following season and trick analysts all over the country to pick them as darkhorse favorites to win the Big Ten, just like Purdue this year.  Purdue hasn’t done anything spectacular all season long and they’ve lingered around the top 25 the entire year).  I think Minnesota may be a great candidate to upset a high seed early in the NCAA tournament.  Tubby Smith always has his teams ready to play with the best teams in the nation (see: Louisville) and the Gophers can change the tempo and play both the fast and slow games.  Michigan is in a must-win situation in the first round of the BTT as they are on the outside looking in on the NCAA Tournament bubble.  They may have one of the strongest nonconference resumes of the bubble teams but a .500 conference record may not be enough to get them over the hump with the selection committee.

D-Wade, Dwight, and Chuck

I’m real late with this commercial as it’s been out for a few weeks now but I still gotta post about it.  Another All-Star performance by Dwyane Wade in this bit.  I really think he has some acting potential and I’d like to see him make some appearances in TV shows (real ones…not like Terrell Owens in Under One Roof) or movies.  Having Dwight on board is a nice move by T-Mobile so now they gotta add one more NBA superstar or legend to round out the 5 (with Barkley and Yao as the other 2).  It was interesting thought that they decided to run this spot even in the wake of Sir Charles’s arrest.  I guess the publicity of Howard’s slam dunk contest participation was too much to pass up.  So we know T-Mobile can make some pretty good commercials, now only if they’d work on those dropped calls…

Power Rankings – March 1

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (46-12, #2 LW) - All four of the league’s elite teams lost this week, but the Cavaliers were the only ones not to lose multiple times.  As a result, the Cavs regain the top spot.

2. Los Angeles Lakers (48-12, #1 LW) – Tough week for the Lakers losing to both the Nuggets and a Nash and Amare-less Suns.  But back-to-back games against the Grizzlies and Timberwolves will cure any losing streak.

3. Boston Celtics (47-14, #3 LW) – A brutal week for the C’s as well (losing to the Clippers???)  They need KG to return bad.

4. Utah Jazz (37-23, #7 LW) – The Jazz have won 9 in a row to join the elite teams for at least a week.  Will the streak stay alive Wednesday against the Rockets?

5. Orlando Magic (43-16, #4 LW) – An unimpressive week drops the Magic out of the vaunted top 4 this week.  Looks like the loss of Jameer Nelson is really affecting this team.

6. San Antonio Spurs (39-19, #5 LW) – After missing three games where the Spurs went 1-2, Tim Duncan returned Sunday only to get blown out by the Blazers.

7. Houston Rockets (38-22, #8 LW) – A terrible loss to the Bulls stains an otherwise stellar last two weeks for the team from the Big H.

8. Portland Trail Blazers (37-22, #6 LW) – I wonder if Greg Oden will play again this season…

9. Denver Nuggets (39-21, #9 LW) - They follow up a huge win against the Lakers with a loss to the Pacers.  I can’t trust this team and I’ll predict another first round exit for the Nuggets.

10. New Orleans Hornets (36-22, #10 LW) - The Hornets have won 4 in a row but only by a combined 14 points.

11. Dallas Mavericks (36-23, #12 LW) - Another quality opponent, another loss for the Mavericks.

12. Phoenix Suns (34-25, #14 LW) - Nice win Sunday against the Lakers but they got a tough road trip ahead of them.  I’m guessing 1-3.

13. Atlanta Hawks (33-26, #11 LW) - A bad week was capped by a heartbreaking loss to the Cavs Sunday night.  They stay ahead of the Heat because of their win against them.

14. Miami Heat (31-27, #13 LW) - Dwyane Wade, a dark horse for the MVP award this season, has been putting the team on his back all season long.  I haven’t heard any of his doubters lately.

15. Philadelphia 76ers (29-29, #15 LW) - The Sixers have a pretty easy next two weeks of the season before they go on a west coast road trip.

16. Detroit Pistons (29-29, #20 LW) - After losing 8 in a row, the Pistons bounced back with 2 road wins against the Magic and the Celtics.  Impressive wins yes but it looks like AI is gonna return soon so their streak will end Tuesday against the Nuggets.

17. New Jersey Nets (26-33, #16 LW) - The Nets stay one spot ahead of the Bulls with their head-to-head win Wednesday night.

18. Chicago Bulls (27-33, #17 LW) - Amazing comeback by the Bulls against the Rockets.  Totally uncalled for loss by Houston.

19. Milwaukee Bucks (28-31, #19 LW) - The Bucks are holding onto that last playoff spot.  I’ll be shocked if they make it though.

20. Charlotte Bobcats (25-35, #24 LW) - After dropping 3 straight, the Bobcats have won 3 in a row, making their push for that last playoff spot.

21. Indiana Pacers (26-36, #22 LW) - The injuries are piling up for the Pacers as now Mike Dunleavy, who has been hobbled all season, is done for the year.  But amazingly the already Danny Granger-less Pacers only lost by 5 to the defending champs and beat the Denver Nuggets.

22. Golden State Warriors (20-39, #21 LW) - Two brutal losses this week to the Clippers and Bobcats.  Another bad week and the W’s will plummet in these rankings.

23. Toronto Raptors (23-38, #20 LW) - This week will be a good test for the Raptors and we’ll see if they are worthy of making the playoffs.

24. New York Knicks (24-35, #23 LW) - The Knicks angered a battered and bloodied D-Wade and were outscored by 20 in the 4th quarter (24 points by Wade) to give a victory away to the Heat.  Shades of the Knicks of old have been showing in recent games.

25. Los Angeles Clippers (15-45, #29 LW) - Any time you beat the Celtics, you’ll move up in the rankings.

26. Memphis Grizzlies (15-43, #26 LW) - Mike Conley has played pretty well since the team traded away Kyle Lowry.  Can’t say the same about the team though.

27. Washington Wizards (14-45, #27 LW) - The highlight of the their week?  How about having the President attend your game?  Fortunately for the Wiz, they were able to win the game.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves (18-41, #28 LW) - I’m beginning to wonder if the T-Wolves will win another game this season.

29. Sacramento Kings (13-48, #30 LW) - The Kings’ last three wins have come against the Clippers, Grizzlies, and Thunder.  Not exactly the cream of the crop in the NBA.

30. Oklahoma City Thunder (14-45, #25 LW) - Bad news for the Thunder as they lost KD to an ankle injury…the same ankle injury that kept Deron Williams out for a month.  A Durant-less Thunder team easily makes it the worst team in the league.

Barack Obama the Savior of the NBA?

President Barack Obama took in the Wizards-Bulls game Friday night in the nation’s capital.  It was pretty awesome to see him sitting courtside, drinking a beer, and mingling with the fans.  It’s cool that he would come to a game and enjoy it just like the rest of us would (albeit with a better view).  As a die-hard basketball fan, I am ecstatic that our President is such a huge fan of the game.  I know the sport’s popularity has dwindled quite a bit, for a variety of reasons, since Michael Jordan retired and we’ve been trying to figure out who will fill his shoes and bring the sport back to the masses.  But maybe the answer won’t be a player on the court.  Perhaps it’ll be a fan…The First Fan actually.  Maybe it will be the President that makes basketball reach the status it enjoyed during the Jordan Years.  His passion for the game has been well-publicized and his desire to replace the White House bowling alley with an indoor basketball court made headline news.  With many casual fans leaving the game along with His Airness, possibly turned off by the new hip-hop regime that took over the league, can it be the leader of the free world who will revive basketball?  It might be a little far-fetched but I’m glad he’s on our side.  So next time you’re watching an NBA (or college) game, you can sit back knowing that maybe the President is doing the same.