2009 NBA All-Star Ballots Open (My Selections)

The 2009 NBA All-Star ballot has just been released and the voting is under way, so I'm picking up what I did last year by picking who I vote for and why. Two teams. Two guards, two forwards and a center each, and a write-in. It's not about the top talents like Chris Paul LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. They're already getting in. It's about getting other all-star talents recognized.

You can vote online everyday until January 19. You can vote on nba.com, or you can do it right here, using the NBA All-Star 2009 widget on the top-right side of my blog. T-Mobile will be helping out the Phoenix community by donating $1 for every ballot you cast in a T-Zone or T-Mobile's wireless web portal. So if you can, do it.

Enough talk, let's get it on.

WEST

FORWARD: ANDREI KIRILENKO Utah Jazz. He's coming off the bench now as one of the best sixth men in the league. He's getting 14 PPG on 55% shooting, 6.8 RPG, 2.9 APG 1.1 SPG and 1.4 BPG. He's an all-around player, efficient on both sides of the ball helping his team to a 6-1 record, which includes winning five straight. If he keeps this up, he'll make his first all-star team.

FORWARD: LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE Portland Trail Blazers. Aldridge, in only his third year, will be a dominant force in the NBA with his ability shoot. His numbers are 18.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG and 1.4 BPG. He has the ability to have a 20-10 game and he's had a 24 point, 13 rebound outing this year already. In the future when he's working with Greg Oden, the Blazers frontcourt will be a force to be reckoned with.

GUARD: KEVIN MARTIN Sacramento Kings. K-Mart looks like he's back with a vengence. He's come out as more agressive and has made his case on a 4-game homestand after starting 0-4 on the road. He's averaged 28.7 PPG on 53% shooting, 3 RPG, 3.7 APG and 1.6 SPG, leading the Kings on a 3-game win streak at home. Unfortunately, he re-sprained his ankle against the Warriors, but he should be back in a week. Otherwise, with some all-star moves early on in the season he's sure to make his case to get on the team again this season.

GUARD: STEPHEN JACKSON Golden State Warriors. Since Baron Davis left for the Clippers and Monta Ellis was injured and out until January and now Corey Maggette injured, Captain Jack has taken charge of the team with the best numbers of his career so far. He's averaged 23.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 5.6 APG and 1.4 SPG. Even though the team has struggled with a 2-5 record, he's doing everything he can to get his team through some tough times.

CENTER: ANDRIS BIEDRINS Golden State Warriors. Biedrins has been very good early on. Averaging 16.8 PPG on 53% shooting, 14.3 RPG 1 SPG and 1.8 BPG, Biedrins is an unstoppable force on both ends on the floor. He fights for every board, which is why he averages nearly five offensive RPG. There's no other way to put it, he's the best center in the West on the ballot.

EAST

FORWARD: ZACH RANDOLPH New York Knicks. So far, he's stayed out of trouble. Maybe Mike D'Antoni straightened him out. He's averaging 19 PPG, 11.5 RPG and 1.5 SPG as the Knicks' new center at 6'9. He's also helped lead the team to a 4-3 record. As long as he stays out of trouble and puts up some good numbers, I'll vote him. If he's really changed, there's a spot on the team for him.

FORWARD: TAYSHAUN PRINCE Detroit Pistons. In 2005, Ben and Rasheed Wallace, Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups were all-stars. Prince was the only one of the starting five who wasn't chosen. I think it's time he became one. He's averaging 18.7 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.6 APG and 0.9 BPG. He's really coming into his own. Don't worried about him being injury prone, he's an iron man. He's started in all 82 games for four straight seasons. He's played in all 82 games for five straight seasons. Even with Allen Iverson coming in, it's still Prince's time to shine.

GUARD: JOSE CALDERON Toronto Raptors. The Spanish Sensation up north, Calderon is starring beside Chris Bosh and Jermaine O'Neal. He's averaging 13.5 PPG and 9 APG and has over a 5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He was a big part of the Spanish National Team in the Olympics before he was injured, missing the gold medal game. Calderon came out of nowhere last year when T.J. Ford was injured. Now with the starting role he continues to shine.

GUARD: JOE JOHNSON Atlanta Hawks. JJ has led this team to 6-game winning streak to start the season, and he was questioned by Paul Pierce last year on why he made the team last year over Ray Allen initially. He's averaging 24.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.9 APG and 1.6 SPG in an effort to make sure the Hawks finish better than an eight seed. He and the Hawks are making sure that the whole NBA knows and Johnson is the perfect canidate for the Hawks.

CENTER: ANDREW BOGUT Milwaukee Bucks. He's probably one of the most balanced centers in the East right now when it comes to stats, but he's done better in the past. Averaging 10.1 PPG, 10 RPG, 1.2 SPG and 1.1 BPG, he's ready to prove that he earned his extension. He's playing with two very good scorers in Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson, but if he gets rolling like he did at the end of last season, the Bucks can start see some wins coming their way.

WRITE-IN: NENE Denver Nuggets. Filling the void Marcus Camby left at center when he was traded, he's bounced back from testicular cancer to play one of the best seasons of his career so far. He's avveraging 15.6 PPG on 67.2% shooting, 8.9 RPG, 1.4 SPG and 2 BPG in a bounce back season when it looked like his career may have been over. Now it's about staying healthy for his team because he's a key piece. Without him, even with Chauncey Billups they can't think about the playoffs. Nené is that important.

LAST THOUGHTS: There's a few newcomers on the ballot. Yi Jianlian, after getting a lot of votes as a write-in last year, is on the ballot this year. Rookies Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo and Greg Oden have made the ballot as well. If you haven't noticed, there're five international players that I've picked. Kirilenko (Russia), Biedrins (Latvia), Calderon (Spain), Bogut (Australia) and Nené (Brazil). It's amazing how many good players there are from overseas. Rudy Fernandez and Ricky Rubio could be next.

I'm done now, so go vote. There's 67 days left to do it, and you can do it every day. Be on the lookout for Part 2 in a couple of weeks.

Rudy Fernandez Back Door Reverse Alley-Oop Dunk

Kevin Martin didn't have the only impressive dunk of the night. Rudy Fernandez goes backdoor on the Kings and hooks up with Sergio Rodriguez for an alley-oop reverse dunk. Spanish Air Flight #5 takes off.

Kings Lose to Blazers 112-98

It's been a while the last time I went to a game, but I couldn't pass it up when it was right on my 20th birthday. It was a game of highs and lows as the Kings took on the Portland Trail Blazers for the last time in the pre-season.

1ST QUARTER

My first look at Greg Oden. A 7'0, 285 pound manbeast that you have to see to believe. He won the opening tip against Spencer Hawes. The Blazers got off to a hot 9-2 run led by Steve Blake's 5 points. The Kings had a sluggish start when Hawes picked up 3 fouls and committed 2 TOs in less than 6 minutes to bring soon to be suspended Brad Miller into the game. LaMarcus Aldridge was impressive from the start, scoring 8 points in the period. Kevin Martin, who would be the star of the night got an alley-oop lay-up from the starting point guard Bobby Brown.

The Kings tried to get their rythym going with John Salmons and Mikki Moore scoring 4 points each and Bobby Jackson hit a buzzer beating lay-up at the end of the quarter, but after review it was no basket as the Blazers led 27-19.

2ND QUARTER

The Blazers took off again Channing Frye and Rudy Fernandez hitting two straight 3-pointers. Kenny Thomas looks like he'll be getting regular rotation minutes with the regular season nearing. He scored his only 4 points in the quarter. Martin had the highlight of the night crossing over Fernandez and dunking over Oden and Aldridge sending excitement around the whole arena. Fernandez would go on to make two straight 3-pointers later in the quarter, but the Kings were making a run, trailing 57-50 at the half.

3RD QUARTER

Martin would be on fire. He scored 13 of his 27 total points that he had up to that point. Through 5 games this pre-season he's shooting a scorching 60.9% from the field. Aldridge was hot too as he put up 8 of his 23 points. The Kings were down by as much as 11 points and were within 2 points of the Blazers, they failed to capitalize as the Blazers led 80-76, and it stayed that way.

4TH QUARTER

The Blazers took off running when Fernandez got a alley-oop reverse dunk from Sergio Rodriguez, and it was all downhill for the Kings after that. The Kings came within 3 points but the Blazers went on a 27-12 run to close out the game as the Kings dropped to 1-7 in a 112-98 loss while Portland closed out their pre-season 3-2. Salmons was the only help to the Martin with 27 points.

HIGHlLIGHTS

Team High=*

Game High=**

(R)= Rookie

KINGS

Martin: 34 pts** (10-13 FG), 2 stl, blk, 4 TOs*

Salmons: 27 pts (10-18 FG), 5 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl*, 2 TOs

(R) Jason Thompson: 6 pts, 6 reb, (4 off.)

Moore: 6 pts, 6 reb, stl

(R) Brown: 8 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, stl, 2 TOs

BLAZERS

Aldridge: 24 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl**, blk

Brandon Roy: 21 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, stl, 2 TO

(R) Oden: 13 pts, 9 reb** (6 off.**), 3 ast, stl, 2 blk, 5 TOs**

(R) Fernandez: 16 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast, stl, blk, 2 TOs

Even without starting point guard Beno Udrih and 6th man Francisco Garcia due to injury, it was a pretty bad loss for the Kings because they had the chance to win. The same problems have been plaguing the Kings for two years now. Defending the perimeter, rebounding and assist-to-turnover ratio. The Blazers let loose with wide open three pointers shooting 12-25 from behind the arc. They outrebounded the Kings 41-29 and the Kings had 14 assists and 20 turnovers.

Sacramento will have trouble getting 35 wins this season if they don't change their habits. The run game was not there last night, which could have been a game changer. Every time the Kings gave-up the ball to another player, they just tried to penetrate. They also have no one underneath the basket to try to get an offensive rebound almost every time. They're going to disappoint fans who watch them every night playing like that every night. Until they learn how to play defense, fans have to remember they're still in rebuilding mode.

Rookies Make Marks Around the NBA

Some of these rookies have been impressive already. Only four days into the pre-season. The Blazers, especially Rudy Fernandez, have made the most noise.

Blazers' Rudy Fernandez, Greg Oden & Jerryd Bayless

The Blazers have the most talented rookie nucleus than any other team. Fernandez stole the show in the 2nd half of the first game with 6 points and 5 assists, including a back door alley-oop dunk and an alley oop reverse lay-up high off the glass. Even though he shined playing 36 minutes in his second game, his night ended earlier than expected when he sprained his ankle. He finished with 15 points with 3 three pointers, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 steals in his first start.

In 20 minutes, Oden posted 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists and blocks each for a nearly sold out Rose Garden, who witnessed a 110-81 blowout of the Kings. His second game against the Warriors, 14 points and 9 boards (5 offensive) in the loss. Bayless put up 5 points and 3 rebounds and assists each his first game. Starting in the place of Sergio Rodriguez the next game, he had 13 points and 2 rebounds, but struggled as a point guard with no assists and 5 TOs.

Heat's Michael Beasley & Mario Chalmers

Beasley had an impressive 3rd quarter against the Pistons, scoring 13 of his 16 points in the loss. He also grabbed 6 boards in 21 minutes off the bench. Chalmers came off the bench and didn't do as well. He put up 4 points, 3 rebounds and assists each, 2 steals and 4 TOs in 24 minutes off the bench.

Kings' Donté Greene & Jason Thompson

Even with the massacre they took that was the Blazers, Greene was one of the few bright spots for the Kings. He scored 12 of his game-high 18 points in the final 4:31 left in the game and grabbed 2 boards. JT showcased his quickness and put up 6 points, 4 rebounds and a block. Unfortunately, he also fouled out.

Grizzlies' O.J. Mayo & Marc Gasol

Mayo did a solid job in his 30 minutes, putting up 14 points, 3 rebounds and a steal. He did have 4 TOs though. His second game against the Wizards, not so good with 7 points, 2 rebounds and a steal in 31 minutes. You can't blame Marc when his first game in the NBA is against Yao Ming. He put up 5 points, 2 rebounds and assists each and a block. His second game against Etan Thomas, he had 10 points, 9 rebounds and a block.

T'Wolves' Kevin Love

He didn't start in front of scoreless Mark Madsen, but he should have. Love had 13 points on 6-10 shooting and 5 rebounds in 23 minutes of play. His second game off the bench, 10 points, 5 boards, an assist and a block in 28 minutes. Expect him to start by the regular season.

Celtics' Bill Walker

In limited minutes, Walker did an excellent job. 11 minutes, 8 points, 2 rebounds.

Bucks' Luc Richard Mbah a Moute & Joe Alexander

That's a long name. In his first game he had 9 points, 2 rebounds and assists each, a steal and only one foul in 26 minutes of play. In his first start against the Pistons, he had 4 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 5 TOs in 43 minutes. Lottery pick Alexander hasn't even stepped onto the court yet.

Wizards' JaVale McGee

McGee did a decent job in his first game with 7 points in his first game against the Mavs, but he went for 20 points in his second. With Antawn Jamison's injury, his playing time could increase.

Magic's Courtney Lee

He didn't do much his first game. In the second game against the Bobcats, he had 9 points 4 rebounds and a steal on the night in a blowout win over the Bobcats.

Pacers' Roy Hibbert

Hibbert did good in 14 minutes of play with 6 points and 2 boards. He also got hit with a flagrant foul in the 105-71 loss to the Hornets.

Cavs' J.J. Hickson

He had a good debut with 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a block in 22 minutes. A solid start.

Thunder's Russell Westbrook

Westbrook had an okay debut with 13 points, 3 rebounds and assists each, but also had 5 TOs.

Warriors' Anthony Randolph

Randolph put up some good numbers. Six points and rebounds each along with 2 steals in 18 minutes. He also had 4 TOs. It got worse for him in his second game. He scored nothing in 10 minutes of play, getting only 3 rebounds 2 assists and a steal.

Raptors' Roko Ukic

The point guard made his debut against the Knicks after coming overseas. He had 7 points, 2 assists, a rebound and a steal.

Sixers' Marreese Speights

Speights played well in the Las Vegas Summer League. This game, he had 8 points, 2 boards and a steal in 19 minutes, but he also had 3 TOs.

Suns' Robin Lopez

Lopez didn't do well against the Hawks. He fouled out in 16 minutes, finishing with 5 points, a rebound and 2 TOs.

We'll see the best rookies of the year at the rookie game during All-Star Weekend in Phoenix this year. The starting line-up for the rookies look like it'll include at least Fernandez, Oden, Beasley and Mayo. In the second half of the season, who knows who could break out? It should be an exciting season watching to see which rookies shine.

Heat, Blazers, T'Wolves Could Sign Livingston

After a what could be a career-ending injury,

can Shaun Livingston work his way back into the NBA?

Former Los Angeles Clippers' point guard Shaun Livingston has narrowed his choice to 3 teams according to Yahoo! Sports. The Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Adrian Wojnarowski, who wrote the exclusive article, spoke to two league sources that said that the Blazers are the "favorites" to sign him after he worked out in Portland. Livngston also had private workouts at Tim Grover’s Attack Athletics facility in Chicago, where Minnesota executives Jim Stack, Fred Hoiberg and coach Randy Wittman observed him.

Livingston suffered what might be a career-ending knee injury in the 2006-07 season, and he hasn't played a game since. Since then, the Clippers renounced his rights and he's been looking for a team.

The 6'7 Livingston has attracted the attention of at least one other team, the Golden State Warriors. They scheduled a workout for Livingston weeks before thier intended starting point guard, Monta Ellis, severely sprained his ankle. Right now, it looks like that the Warriors are not in the running.

The Heat were interested in Livingston earlier in the summer after losing Jason Williams to the Clippers, leaving them with rookie Mario Chalmers, Chris Quinn and Marcus Banks. They're superstar shooting guard, Dwyane Wade, doesn't like to play point guard. It's a good thing too because he's averaged 3.89 turnovers per game his career. Depending on how Livingston plays if he signs with the team, he could be a major upgrade from all three point guards, playing with Wade, #2 overall pick Michael Beasley and Shawn Marion.

The Heat, however, are concerned about his knee and might sign Matt Walsh, according to the Miami Herald.

The Blazers were another team that were possibly looking for a point guard, with rumors saying that they were looking for Chicago Bulls' point guard Kirk Hinrich and the Memphis Grizzlies' Mike Conley. Now the Blazers are considered as the frontrunners for Livingston and it is believed that they want to look at his medical records, according to The Oregonian. The Blazers would be a great spot for Livingston to land if healthy. He could run the floor with the young team of all-star Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, LaMarcus Aldridge and Travis Outlaw. Livingston is only 23 years old.

They already have a full roster after signing Luke Jackson, but Sergio Rodreguiez is a possibility to cut from the team because he only makes $874 K this season with one year left. He only averaged 2.5 PPG and 1.7 APG.

Last but not least, the Timberwolves. They're a team stacked with guards like Mike Miller, Rashad McCants, Randy Foye and Sebastian Telfair, not to mention young talent in Al Jefferson, Corey Brewer and Kevin Love. The article said the the T'Wolves are "sold on the workout and want to sign him." They have one spot left on their roster and he'll most likely back-up Telfair.

So this week, Livingston could sign with one of these three teams, where his comeback officially begins.

Shareef Considering Retirement, Coaching Career

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, second from the right, says he'll decide if he'll participate in the

Sacramneto Kings' training camp after coming home from a trip South Africa for the NBA.

(From left to right) Milwaukee Bucks' Charlie Bell, San Antonio Spurs' Matt Bonner,
Abdur- Rahim,and Washington Wizards' Caron Butler.

The last time Sacramento Kings' power forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim was heard from before going on the NBA's Basketball Without Borders trip to South Africa, he was practicing with their summer league team in Las Vegas. At the time, he was not doing well. Now that he's home, retirement looks more of a possibility than ever for the 31 year old.

Shareef is due $12.8 million over the next 2 seasons and has an early-termination option in 2009. The Kings, however have insurance on him so they won't have to pay him anything unless he plays for another team. According to Amick, he and the Kings have discussed the possibility of him becoming their big man coach.

The Kings were supposedly looking for a big man coach over the summer to develop the young bigs like sophomore center Spencer Hawes, rookie power forward Jason Thompson and third year power forward Shelden Williams. A good coach would do them well, and Shareef, a former All-Star in 2000, might be a good fit for them. He was one of the best power forwards in the NBA the first 8 years of his career. Right now, the playing part of his NBA career seems to be over.

Shareef was drafted #3 by the Vancouver Grizzlies where he played his best for 5 years, setting franchise records with 23 PPG in 1999 and 10.1 RPG in 2000. He was the by far the best player the Grizzlies franchise has ever had. He also won a gold medal for the men's USA Basketball Team in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

The Grizzlies traded him for to the Atlanta Hawks rookie Pau Gasol in 2001 where he played for two and a half seasons before getting traded for Rasheed Wallace, who only played one game for the Hawks before getting traded to the Detroit Pistons. Portland was the only place Shareef wore a different number than #3. He wore #33 there.

After 2 years in Portland, and not one playoff appearance with any team, Shareef was to be signed-and-traded to New Jersey for a first round pick, which Portland planned to trade for the Phoenix Suns' Leandro Barbosa. He failed the physical, putting the trade on hold, but he decided to go into free agency, signing with the Kings.

During his time in Sacramento, he broke his jaw and had it wired shut. Expected to be out for a significant amount of time, he came back early and played, with his jaw wired shut. He made his first and only playoff appearance against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Although they tied the series after being down 2-0, the Kings lost the series 4-2. In the 06-07 season, Shareef averaged career lows of 9.9 PPG and 5 RPG missing the playoffs. The next season, two knee surgeries limited him to 6 games out of the whole year.

If his career is over, he would have missed the playoffs 11 out of 12 seasons. Even so, his resumé includes a gold medal, an All-Star appearance, and 1996-97 NBA All-Rookie First Team. In college, he was the first freshman to win the PAC 10 Player of the Year Award at California. Not to mention, his extensive involvement in the community that extends from Sacramento, to New Orleans, to Atlanta and now, Africa.

Shareef was and still is a great ambassador for the NBA. His contributions on and off the court touched millions of people. He will not be forgotten.

Blazers Offer Travis Outlaw to Bulls

RUMOR:

The Portland Trailblazers are desperately looking for a point guard according to rumorpress.net, and have offered the long and athletic Travis Outlaw to the Memphis Grizzlies for Mike Conley, according to the Memphis Edge, part of The Commercial Appeal daily newspaper in Memphis picked up by USA Today. Now they may be offering him to the Chicago Bulls. The deal also includes Joel Przybilla from the Blazers for Kirk Hinrich, someone the Bulls haven't been ready to trade despite a poor season. The Bulls have also said that they won't make any moves until they figure out what to do with Ben Gordon. Gordon also has the last say on where he wants to go.

ANALYSIS:

Trading Hinrich for Outlaw is a bad deal for both teams. Trading for Gordon would be a better deal for both teams but wouldn't get the Blazers a point guard. Both deals, however, leave the Blazers shorthanded at small forward. Even if the Blazers have Brandon Roy running the floor, it looks like that the Blazers are just looking for a pure point guard and feel that Steve Blake and Sergio Rodreguiez aren't enough.

If Gordon was traded to the Bulls, a rookie from the Blazers, Jerryd Bayless or Rudy Fernandez, would have to be offered in the deal. A rotation of Roy and Gordon would be dangerous. After trading Outlaw, Martell Webster would remain the starter but Luke Jackson hasn't been able to perform at the NBA level consistenly. That would be a glaring weakness for the Blazers. They could look for free agency options like 25 year old Kirk Snyder.

If for some reason the Bulls did give up Hinrich for Outlaw, they'd leave the 2008 #1 overall pick Derrick Rose without any help for a back-up, and free agency doesn't offer anything close to Hinrich. They lost Chris Duhon to the New York Knicks and Hinrich is their only hope if they want to contend for the playoffs. So he's out of the picture unless they can get a point guard equal in value and talent in return.

The potential deal between the Bulls and Blazers shouldn't go through because both teams can't get what they're looking for. My guess is it won't happen because it leaves too many voids for both teams.

Kings-Blazers in OT Grab Vegas Spotlight Day 5

Kings (2-0) v. Blazers(1-1)

The Kings and the Blazers battled it out in OT, and in the end, Jason Thompson drive to the basket to make the game-winning 3 point play to win the game 75-74, the second game winner in summer league in 5 days of play. Thompson came off the bench for 17 points, 9 rebounds and a block, while Quincy Douby added 24 points and 6 steals. Shelden Williams posted 9 points, 11 boards and 2 blocks and Spencer Hawes had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Jerryd Bayless had 26 points (13-16 FTs) including the tough jumper that sent the game to OT. Bayless also had 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Petteri Koponen continued to shine with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists and while Josh Davis had 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. Nicolas Batum had 6 points, 4 rebounds and a block.

I couldn't watch the game, but it was exciting to watch the boxscore update to the end.

Warriors (3-0) v. Bobcats (1-2)

Even with Anthony Randolph taking the day off, the Warriors are the hottest team in Vegas after winning 99-93 and getting a 3-0 record. Marco Belinelli went off for 30 points with 2 rebounds and a steal. C.J. Watson had 23 points, with the help of sinking 13 free throws, while Brandan Wright had 11 points 5 boards and 2 steals for the day. Georgia Tech's Anthony Morrow had 11 points and 3 rebounds off the bench and Louis Amundson had 6 points, 4 rebounds and the team's only 2 blocks.

D.J. Augustin knows how to score it up, but hasn't shown the ability to distribute as a point guard. He scored 30 points and a steal but had no assists and 5 TOs. The bench play wasn't bad for the Bobcats. In fact, they did more work than the other 4 starters alongside Augustin as Kyle Hines finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds and a steal, Marcus Slaughter had 10 points and 3 rebounds in less than 12 minutes and James Mays put up 12 points, 4 rebounds. Orien Greene had 9 points, 2 boards and 2 steals.

Sixers (1-2) v. Lakers (1-2)

Thanks to triple 16s, the Sixers got their first summer league win, 81-73. Rookie Marreese Speights led the team with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. Jason Smith also finished with 16 points, along with 4 rebounds and 2 blocks, while Thaddeus Young had 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Junior Harrington came off the bench for 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals while Jamont Gordon finished with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

Coby Karl led the Lakers with 18 points, 2 assists and a steal, and got some help from Joe Crawford with 16 points 3 rebounds and a steal. Bryant Dunston had 10 points, 8 rebounds (4 off.) and 2 blocks while Cedric Bozeman finished with 4 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.

Bucks (1-1) v. Pistons (2-1)

The Bucks ran away with a win, outscoring the Pistons 23-9 in the 4th quarter, winning 73-59. Ramon Sessions continues to lead his team with 21 points, 6 points and 4 rebounds. Unknown Olumide Oyedeji finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds (4 off.) and a steal while second round pick Luc Mbah a Moute had 7 points, 6 boards, 2 assists and a steal. "Average" Joe Alexander had a better than his average game with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a block. He hasn't lived up to the expectations around him, but he still has a few more games.

Arron Affalo continues to take charge with the Pistons with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Will Bynum filled in with 9 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. Deron Washington had 7 points and 4 rebounds off the bench while Walter Sharpe had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Rodney Stuckey did not play.

Hornets (2-1) v. Spurs (2-1)

Bobby Brown continues to impress playing for the Hornets, leading them to a 76-68 win over the Spurs. Brown had 15 points and 8 assists, while sophomore Julian Wright added 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Hilton Armstrong had 11 points, 4 rebounds and a block and Brandon Bowman had 12 points, 3 rebounds, a steal and a block. Derrick Byars had 8 points, 2 rebounds and a steal off the bench.

The Spurs' James Gist came out with a double double off the bench with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 2 steals in the loss. Ian Mahinmi has no signs of slowing his play, finishing with 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and a block, and Anthony Tolliver finished with 14 points and 2 rebounds that night. George Hill couldn't score but 3 points, but grabbed 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

Donte Greene Goes off for 40 on Day 4

Rockets (1-0) v. Suns (0-1)

We got our first 40 point performance, thanks to Donte Greene leading the Rockets past the Suns 100-97, the highest scoring game yet. Greene, who also had 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, shot 12-20 from the field, 5-10 beyond the arc, 11-12 free throws and 36 of his points came from the first 3 quarters. Mike Harris also played big with 21 points on 9-14 shooting and 13 rebounds while Maarty (with 2 A's) Leunen had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists off the bench. Aaron Brooks had 13 points and 4 rebounds.

D.J. Strawberry, son of former baseball player Darryl Strawberry, put up 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, a block and a steal. Alando Tucker also posted 22 points and 6 rebounds, along with 2 assists. In his debut, Robin Lopez, twin brother of Brook had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks while Iowa State's Jiri Hubalek had 10 points and 3 rebounds off the bench.

Knicks (1-0) v. Cavaliers (0-1)

In another thriller, Wilson Chandler led the Knicks to a 97-94 win, putting up 26 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Alan Roberson had a great night with 22 points, 2 assists and a block while Mardy Collins had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Danillo Gallinari made his debut with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.

Rookie J.J. Hickson also had a solid debut with 26 points and 9 rebounds for the Cavs, and Clay Tucker had 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks off the bench. Darnell Jackson 10 points and 8 rebounds, Mike Green had 4 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, a block and a steal, and Robert "Tractor" Traylor had 8 points 3 rebounds and a block after spending some time out of the NBA recovering from heart surgery.

Blazers (1-0) v. Wizards (0-1)

Jerryd Bayless scored 28 points (with the help of 18 free throws made) and 4 rebounds in his debut to help the Blazers edge the Wizards 78-73. Finland's Petteri Koponen pitched in 19 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal, while Josh Davis added 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks and Bernard Robinson had 7 points, 7 rebounds and a block.

Andray Blatche came in and dropped 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and a block for the Wizards and Nick Young chipped in 17 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Wake Forest's Frank Elegar had 10 points and 4 rebounds while both Dominique McGuire and Vladimir Veremeenko each had 6 points 5 boards and a block. JaVale McGee had 11 points and 3 blocks.

Nuggets (2-0) v. Raptors (0-2)

Taurean Green led his team with 17 points on 3-3 shooting and hitting 9 free throws, along with 3 rebounds and 4 assists, leading his team to a 90-79 win over the Raps. Elton Brown had a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Dhantay Jones posted 16 points and 3 rebounds. Bobby Jones, Mike Hall and Curtis Sumpter, all had 10 points and 4 rebounds.

Joey Graham had 16 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists for the Raptors and John Lucas had 11 points 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Coleman Collins 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. C.J. Giles put up 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4 blocks and a steal.

Mavericks (1-2) v. (0-1) Timberwolves

Reyshawn Terry starred off the bench with 15 points, 4 rebounds and a block in the Mavs first summer league win 88-74. Jajuan Smith had 19 points and a steal while Shan Foster had 17 points and 3 rebounds. Pape Sow had 6 points, 6 rebounds and a block and James Singleton had 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Gerald Green did not play.

Kevin Love debuted in the T'Wolves first games, with 18 points, 13 rebounds and a steal. Sophomore Corey Brewer had 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal while Blake Ahearn had 17 points off the bench. Chris Richard had 4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal and Pooh Jeter had 9 points and 5 assists.

Spurs (1-0) v. Grizzlies (2-1)

Ian Mahinmi helped the Spurs fend off a late Grizzlies rally to win 78-76 in their summer league debut. Mahinmi led the team with 18 points and 8 rebounds and George Hill put in 17 points and 8 rebounds. Anthony Tolliver had 13 points and 4 rebounds and Devin Green had 12 points, 4 rebounds and a steal.

Darrell Arthur had a bounce back game and led the Grizzlies with 23 points, 6 rebounds and a block while O.J. Mayo had 18 points on 5-17 shooting, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. He also hit a 67 foot shot. P.J. Tucker 12 points, 9 rebounds off the bench, 2 steals and a block while Ebi Ere had 11 points and a block off the bench. Javaris Crittenton had 6 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.

Day 4 had the best performance yet from Donte Greene. Hopefully, the best is yet to come.

Kings Beat Blazers for 3-1 Season Series, 103-86

KINGS' BRAD MILLER HEADBAND NIGHT (NO PHOTOSHOP)

The Kings owe this win to Beno Udrih's 1st quarter and John Salmons' huge 2nd half. Otherwise this game could have been a bigger struggle. Up by as much as 20 points in the 2nd quarter, the Kings almost blew their huge lead when the Blazers came within 4 points. Even though it looked tough, the Kings eventually pulled off their 3rd straight win against Portland to take the season series 3-1.

Before I get to the game, let me get to where the headbands come in. Most of the Kings wore headbands in honor of Brad Miller, who's out for the rest of the season. He was thought to have a lower leg strain when he blew a wide open dunk against the Clippers, which I saw when I was there. It turned out to be a stress fracture, and he had a bone chip in his elbow. Miller had successful surgery the day before to remove the bone chip.

Kevin Martin, who normally doesn't wear a headband, was the first to volunteer to wear one. "Kevin was the first to say he would wear it and everyone else jumped on after that,'' said Salmons, who always wears one. "I was thinking if you miss a couple of shots don't blame the headband on me.''

Even Kings' coach Reggie Theus had a little fun with it, even though he didn't wear one. “Cisco was asking me why I left him on the bench for so long in the first half," Theus said with a smile. "It was because I didn’t recognize him."

He also left a hint that what I call "Headband Night" might come back. “We’d have to have a lot more wins for me to do that," Theus said laughing.

Beno Udrih had other plans with the headband(s). "I never wear it before so I'm not going to do that,'' he said afterward in the locker room. "Look, I have three headbands in my locker because they kept throwing them at me, saying 'come on wear one, wear one. I support Brad, but I’ve never worn one before and I don’t have a bald head like the other guys.''

In fact, earlier in the season, Miller stopped wearing his headband and had some of the best games of his career. The only other King not to wear a headband was Shelden Williams. The last time I remember a whole team wore headbands was the Phoenix Suns this season during Heritage Week against Seattle. They were losing to the Sonics, so they took them off and won the game. All except D.J. Strawberry.

1ST QUARTER

The Blazers got of to a 4-0 start, but Udrih helped the 8-6 lead, making 6 staight points. After that, it was all Sacramento. Martin had a dunk to push the momentum the Kings way while Udrih went 5-5 from the field for 10 points and sparked a 12-2 run. He didn't make a shot after the quarter ended and finished with 11 points on 5-8 shooting. Rookie center Spencer Hawes was making his shots with 6 points early in his 4th career start. Enter Francisco Garcia in place of Shelden Williams. The first thing Cisco does is dish out an alley-oop to K-Mart. At the end of an exciting quarter, the Kings led 29-18.

2ND QUARTER

You can tell the Blazers are in trouble when Raef LaFrentz steps out on the court. He's played 7 games before, since the beginning of March. Quincy Douby came out with his headband and made 2 straight 3 pointers. Maybe he should keep his headband on. Not only that, Cisco made one right after that. It's gotta be the headbands. That started a 17-4 going into the quarter, putting the Kings up 42-22. K-Mart had another big dunk off of Hawes' high post passing. Despite everything was going well for the Kings, the Blazers went on an 11-4 run to close out the quarter, trailing 51-41.

3RD QUARTER

Kings fans were starting to get concerned. That 11-4 run turned into a 17-6 run spilling into the 2nd half. LaMarcus Aldridge was starting to light up the Kings and led the team to trail 57-53. He had 12 points in the quarter. In comes NBA TV's favorite bench player John Salmons, who actually started in place of the injured Ron Artest. Nicknamed "Super-Sub" by one of the broadcasters there, Salmons scored 10 points in the quarter to help revive the Kings and keep them out of trouble by scoring and playing great defense. Thanks to Salmons, the Kings led with a comfortable 78-62 score.

4TH QUARTER

The Kings got some bad news when K-Mart left to the locker room. He had a strained knee and wouldn't play for the rest of the night. With their leading scorer out for the game, Hawes, Douby, Salmons, Garcia, Moore and their headbands would have to fend off the Blazers looking to stay above .500. They alreday closed in on them once, they wouldn't let them do it again.

Douby would start where he left off by scoring the first basket. Travis Outlaw would answer back with two straight jumpers. After 2 minutes of either team scoring, Channing Frye broke through with a jumper of his own. After that, Salmons took over. He scored 7 straight points, including gettting fouled on 2 drives and making both shots and free throws. Garcia made 6 straight points after that and after a Mikki Moore jump shot, Douby capped it off with a 3 pointer. Josh McRoberts appeared at the end, but the Kings run away with a victory 103-86.

HIGHLIGHTS

* = Team High

** = Game High

KINGS

Salmons: 18 pts*, 6 reb, 4 ast*, 2 stl* (all pts in 2nd half)

Martin: 16 pts, 7 reb*, 3 ast, blk*, stl (DNP 4th qtr, knee strain)

Hawes: 15 pts, 7 reb*, 3 ast, stl

Garcia: 16 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, stl (bench)

Douby: 13 pts, 2 reb, 2 stl* (bench)

Moore: 10 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, blk*

Udrih: 11 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast (1st start since back injury)

Williams: 4 pts, 7 reb*, blk*, ast (bench)

BLAZERS

Aldridge: 24 pts**, 15 reb** (5 off.**) 3 blk**, 3 stl**

Frye: 15 pts, 14 reb, ast

Outlaw: 18 pts, 2 reb, ast (bench)

Jarret Jack: 10 pts, 4 reb, 7 ast** (bench)

Brandon Roy: 12 pts, 4 ast, 2 stl, reb

Blake: 2 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast, blk, stl

LaFrentz: 2 pts, 2 reb, blk (bench)

Sergio Rodriguez: 2 pts, ast (bench)

McRoberts: 0 pts, 2 reb, 2 min (bench)

Von Wafer: 1 pt, 1 reb, 2 min (bench)

It's a great win for the Kings as spoilers. They might have spoiled Portland's chance to finish with a winning record. Eight players played and all but Williams finished in double figures in scoring, but he had a team high in rebounds. It's unknown if Martin will be ready for tongiht's game against the New Orleans Hornets, the second night of a home back-to-back. The Hornets just came of to the Lakers and it'll be a road back-to-back for them The Kings are already short-handed with Miller out and Artest questionable every game for the rest of the season. They played well without them in the 4th quarter, and they played well with the whole team last time against the Hornets.

The thing I like about this win is that the Kings used balance. No player stood out for the rest with the exception of Salmons scoring all 18 points in the 2nd half. In the end, no one player really stands out, like what the Pistons did all year. Their leading scorer, Rip Hamilton, averages only 17 PPG. It's balance that can help a team win games.

For the Blazers, the 17point loss to the Kings goes right up with the 21 point loss at San Antonio, 20 point loss at New Orleans and their 17 point loss in Denver. The Kings gave the Blazers their worst home loss at the time, beating them by 11 points Feb. 19. The Suns came in March 4th and beat the Blazers at home by 13 points. They're 39-40 and under .500 for the first time since Dec. 14. The Blazers haven't had a winning record in 5 years and play against the Mavs tonight on the road-home back-to-back. Roy, who didn't take a shot in the first half said, "I want to have a winning record, if we get above .500 it's more for your own pride."

Not only Roy was cold, James Jones went 0-6 and didn't tally a point. Roy didn't even have to deal with Artest killing him on the floor, but still played a below average game.

The Kings had a great win, and look to take the top seeded Hornets, who are 1/2 a game ahead of the Lakers.

Best of the West

These are the best players in the Western Conference, AKA The Wild Wild West. The West boasts 2 MVP canidates in Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul. When it comes to who's MVP, it might come down to who's in first place at the end of the year.

Below are the All Division teams for the Pacific, Northwest and Southwest divisions. Each has the best player at each position at the top, followed by the 7-man bench. The stat line is the following: points per game-rebounds per game-assists per game. Some might have steals per game or blocks per game, or in Andrei Kirilenko's situation, both.

After you see the division teams, see who are the best players in the conference at the end.

All Pacific Division Team

KOBE BRYANT

C- Pau Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies-Los Angeles Lakers) 18.8-7.7-3.7, 1.9 BPG (Season)
PF- Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns) 25.2-9.3-1.4-2.14 BPG
SF- Ron Artest (Sacramento Kings) 20.5-5.7-3.5-2.32 SPG
SG- Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)28.6-6.4-5.4
PG- Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns) 17.4-3.4-11.2
Baron Davis (Golden State Warriors) 21.9-4.6-7.6-2.39 SPG
Chris Kaman (Los Angeles Clippers) 15.7-12.7-1.9-2.77 BPG
Corey Maggette (Los Angeles Clippers)22.2-5.6-2.7
Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers) 14.2-10.5-3.6
Stephen Jackson (Golden State Warriors) 20.1-4.5-4.1
Kevin Martin (Sacramento Kings) 23.7-4.4-2.1
Monta Ellis (Golden State Warriors) 20.1-4.9-3.7

All Northwest Division Team

CARMELO ANTHONY

C- Marcus Camby (Denver Nuggets) 9.3-13.3-3.3-3.65 BPG
PF- Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz) 21.6-10.6-2.8
SF- Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets) 25.9-7.5-3.5
SG- Allen Iverson (Denver Nuggets) 26.3-2.9-7.2
PG- Deron Williams (Utah Jazz) 19.2-3-10.5
Al Jefferson (Minnesota Timberwolves) 20.9-11.2-1.4
Andrei Kirilenko (Utah Jazz) 11.1-4.8-4.1-1.16-1.52
Brandon Roy (Portland Trailblazers) 19.3-4.9-5.7
LaMarcus Aldridge (Potland Trailblazers) 17.7-7.4-1.6
Kevin Durant (Seattle Supersonics) 20-4.2-2.3
Mehmet Okur (Utah Jazz) 14.4-7.4-2
Nick Collison (Seattle Supersonics) 9.7-9.2-1.5

All Southwest Division Team

CHRIS PAUL

C- Yao Ming (Houston Rockets) 22-10.8-2.3-2 BPG
PF- Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) 19.5-11.5-2.9-2 BPG

SF- Josh Howard (Dallas Mavericks) 20.3-7.1-2.2
SG- Tracy McGrady (Houston Rockets) 21.9-5.2-5.8
PG- Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) 21.5-4-11.5-2.7 SPG
Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks) 23.6-8.7-3.5
David West (New Orleans Hornets) 20.4-9-2.3
Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs) 19.8-4.5-4.8
Jason Kidd (New Jersey Nets-Dallas Mavericks) 9.8-6.4-9.6-2.46 SPG
Tyson Chandler (New Orleans Hornets)11.8-11.9-1.1
Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) 18.3-3.2-5.8
Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies) 20.2-6.1-1.9

All Western Conference Team

C- Yao Ming (Houston Rockets)
PF- Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns)
SF- Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets)
SG- Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
PG- Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs)
Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns)
Baron Davis (Golden State Warriors)
Chris Kaman (Los Angeles Clippers)
Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz)
Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks

Tracy McGrady (Houston Rockets)

Rookie of the Western Conference

SG- Kevin Durant (Seattle Supersonics) 20-4.2-2.3

Best Defensive Player

C- Marcus Camby (Denver Nuggets) 9.3-13.3-3.3-3.65 BPG

Most Improved Player

C- Chris Kaman (Los Angeles Clippers)

Last Season: 10.1-7.8-1.1-1.5 BPG

This Season: 15.7-12.7-1.9-2.77 BPG

Kings Douse Blazers 96-85, Calling out Odom

After coming off a huge victory against the Lakers, the Kings don't miss a beat by controlling the Blazers in a wire-to-wire win against a cold Blazers squad. They absolutely couldn't keep up with the Kings' all-around team play for the whole game despite getting as close as 7 points behind them. They were bringing in "L.A. energy" that they used to beat the Lakers with to beat the Blazers. A lot of fans wanted the Kings to take complete control of the game by blowing out the Blazers as they were down as many by 17 points. And at the very bottom, I'm calling out Lamar Odom for calling the Kings a high school team.

1ST QUARTER

The Kings started off on Ron Artest's 6-2 run. He had 9 points in the quarter to go along with 3 steals, 2 from Steve Blake. Brad Miller hit his first 3 pointer and looks like he's back on track. Later on, the Kings went on a 10-5 run, started by John Salmon's reverse slam on Travis Outlaw. Outlaw came in later with a long dunk, but hanging on the rim will get you a technical. Then Channing Frye hit a half court shot before the buzzer sounded. The Kings went through their whole regular rotation in the quarter, and they had a 34-27 lead at the end.

2ND QUARTER

The benches were cleared out on both teams. It was Salmons, Shelden Williams, Quincy Douby, Spencer Hawes, and Francisco Garcia vs. Outlaw, Frye, Jarret Jack, Sergio Rodreguiez and James Jones. The Kings bench schooled the Blazers' bench with an 8-0 run and ended it as an 13-3 run. Those were the only 3 Blazers points for the first 5:50 of the quarter. In the whole quarter, they were 7-26 FG (26.9%) while the Kings were 10-24 FG (41.6%). Salmons had 7-11 points in the quarter too, something fans want to see more of when he comes off of the bench. Hawes had some great post moves on Joel Przybilla as the Kings led 58-44.

3RD QUARTER

This quarter wasn't great for either team. The Blazers shot 6-21 (28.5%) from the field while the Kings shot 3-16 (18.75%). They made more points (8) on free throws than field goals (6). Kevin Martin tried a huge dunk over Przybilla but missed and on the other side, Outlaw couldn't dunk over Brad Miller. There was a scary moment where Artest was running with Brandon Roy when Roy stepped on his foot and Artest crashed into a screen by LaMarcus Aldridge, which looked like he was leaning in. Artest turned his ankle and had a really bad fall, but he was OK. The Blazers went on an 8-0 run at one point but the Kings were all but ready to give up their lead, as they led 72-63.

4TH QUARTER

The Kings didn't want to fall behind as they started out with a quick 8-2 run. Beno Udrih led the way a with his signature spin move on Brandon Roy, something I haven't seen Roy do in a while. Because of his spin move, color commentator and Director of Personnel Jerry Reynolds nicknamed him the "Tasmanian Slovenian." The "Slovenian Devil" would sound better, but his nickname has got out nationally, and Udrih doesn't seem to mind. Portland answered back with another 8-0 run. The Kings held their ground for the rest of the game, and after a couple of dunks from Garcia and Artest in the second half of the quarter, the game was over, 96-85.

HIGHLIGHTS

*=Team High
**=Game High

KINGS

Artest: 22 pts, 6 stl (season high), 4 reb, 3 ast
Udrih: 14 pts, 8 reb (ties career high), 7 ast, 6 TO
Miller: 14 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, stl
Salmons: 11 pts, 2 reb, 2 blk, ast (bench)
Moore: 10 pts, 5 reb
Garcia: 5 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl, 2 ast (bench)
Martin: 6 pts, 2 reb (1 off.), ast, stl
Douby: 6 pts, 3 reb (bench)
Hawes: 6 pts, reb (bench)

BLAZERS

Roy: 21 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl, blk, 5 TO
Aldridge: 20 pts, 6 reb, stl, blk
Przybilla: 4 pts, 10 reb, 3 blk
Outlaw: 13 pts. 5 reb, 2 blk, stl (bench)
Blake: 6 pts, 6 ast
Frye: 4 pts, 7 reb (bench)
Webster: 10 pts, 2 reb

The Kings' bench outscored the Blazers' bench 30-24. Although they were outrebounded, the Kings played great defense, causing 20 TOs (2 on shot clock violations) and staying in front of their man. Artest's 6 steals played a major role against this team which could have taken away a potential 12 points. The Tasmanian Slovenian was on his way to a quadruple double, the bad one. He had a 7:6 assist to TO ratio but he did tie a career high 8 boards. 28 first half points in the paint helped out a lot too. Everyone who stepped on the court contributed to the team. Eight Kings scored 6+ points.

Portland just didn't play well out there and performances like that say that the playoffs are not in this team's future, at least this year. The players just didn't play well. Roy was the bright spot, but none of the other players stepped up to try and win like last time in Portland, where Martell Webster and Outlaw were shooting the lights out, but still lost. At least they tried. It's been a long road trip for this team, but in the end it looked like they just flat out quit.

While the Blazers go home to play the T'Wolves tomorrow, the Kings will take on the Suns on the same day, fresh off of a win against the Warriors. The Suns have beaten the then hobbled Kings 3 times already before the new year began. This will be the only time the Kings will face Shaq this year, and he's avoided Sacramento all year. They saw Shawn Marion 5 times this year. The Kings are going in confident and bringing that L.A. energy that they used to beat the Lakers to take on the Suns, because if the Lakers can beat the Suns, and the Kings can beat the Lakers, then the Kings can beat the Suns.

Another thing, I've been hearing a lot, saying that no one takes the Kings seriously. If the Lakers didn't take them seriously, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Kobe Bryant wouldn't have had 40+ minutes in that game. Odom had the nerve to call the Kings Dominguez High School (#1 high school team in California). Where was your defense on Artest? I still haven't seen it for 2 games especially when Artest dunked on you. In fact I'm putting up lost flyers around Sacramento because that's where you lost it. Your radio announcers are scared because they think the Kings match-up to your team too well. So before you call out on a team who just beat you, make sure you show up to the game. See you in Sac. Peace.

Blazers Lose 5th Straight to Kings, 105-94

It was the Artest show in the 4th quarter as he scored half of his points there and shut down Brandon Roy. Shelden Williams had an impressive debut in limited minutes, Garcia scored 23 points off of a back injury, it was all good for the Kings. It was a physical game with a dash of technicals and boos to Artest, again. The Blazers surged to stay in the game, thanks to the bench from Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster who chipped in a combined 41 points. It was close game throughout, and each team went on runs to put on the pressure. In the end, in the words of coach Nate McMillan, "We just couldn't handle Artest."

1ST HALF

In the beginning, Channing Frye and Joel Przybilla went off of the Kings, dunking on them wide open in the lane. Portland was going crazy like the dunk contest spilled over into the Rose Garden. After the 1st quarter dunk fest, things started to heat up. It started to get competitive, with Francisco Garcia and Travis Outlaw in a shootout. Garcia finished with 12 points in the half while Outlaw had 10 points. Shelden Williams came on his Kings debut strong with solid defensive play in the las minute of the game which could give him more playing time. the score tied at 51 at the half.

Kevin Martin only had 2 points. Looks like he's due for another horrible night. Maybe not.

Brandon Roy had 9 points. He should finish around his average of 19.5 PPG. Maybe not.

2ND HALF

The Kings let their guard down for the first part of the 3rd quarter, allowing the Blazers to make the first 3 shots. The Kings answered back with a 13-4 run, helping them to a 70-65 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Let's look at the odds of the Kings winning. Since the Sacramento era of the Kings began in 1985, the Kings have a record of 15-70 at the Rose Garden. That's a 17.6% winning average at Portland. The odds aren't that good for them winning. But add Artest to the equation, and it changes.

Outlaw and Webtser exploded in the 4th quarter getting 23 points and 18 points respectively. But on the defensive end, nothing could go Portland's way as the Kings were getting almost every foul call they could. The Kings getting to the line ended in the Kings going 11/14. Martin exploded in the 2nd half to finish with 21 points, while Garcia continued his shootout to finish with 23 points. In the end, most of the credit goes to Artest for shutting down Roy in the 2nd half. Not only that, but he also got 12 of his 24 points in the 4th quarter as well. Portland self-destructed at the end when Webster fouled Martin and got a technical for exploding at the ref. No question he was fouled though. Thanks to a big 4th quarter, the Kings pulled out win #16 since 1985, and sent the Blazers to a 5th straight loss.

Highlights

Kings
Artest: 24 pts, 5 rbs, 5 ast, 3 stl (held Roy scoreless in 4th quarter)
Garcia: 23 pts (5/7 3pt), 6 reb (bench)
Martin: 21 pts (19 pts in 2nd half), 6 reb, 3 ast, stl
Brad Miller: 15 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast, stl, blk
Williams: 3 pts, 3 reb (2 off.), blk in 5 minutes (bench)

Blazers
Outlaw: 23 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl (bench)
Webster: 18 pts, 3 reb, stl, blk (bench)
Roy: 11 pts (2 pts 2nd half), 8 reb, 6 ast
Jarret Jack: 9 pts, 11 ast
LaMarcus Aldridge: 12 pts, 5 reb, 3 blk, 2 stl, ast
Przybilla: 6 pts, 9 reb, 2 ast, 2 blk

The Kings are keeping their hopes up to go on a run like they did 2 years ago, when they had the 4th best record in the NBA after the All-Star Break. Artest, even though he's on the verge of being traded, backs it up by saying "We just don't want to be a rollover type of team, so we're making a push. We're not out until they say we're out.''

The Blazers, on the other hand, sound like their starting to get worried when Przybilla said, "We've got less than 30 games to go and we've got to get back on one of those streaks and get our confidence back.'' It was Portland's worst home loss of the season.

As the Blazers get reday to take on the Sonics after a day of rest, the Kings head back home to face former teammate Mike Bibby and the Atlanta Hawks tonight in an ironic, yet emotional homecoming. Bibby, however, was injured playing the Lakers last night, but he might play. If it's long term, it will hurt the Hawks' playoff run.

Look Ahead for the Western Conference

Ever since the Pau Gasol trade, the West has been loading up with talent. Shaq goes to PHX, Damon Stoudemire to the Spurs, and before all the trades, Kyle Korver to Utah. It's going to be a fight to the finish for any position in the West. There are 10 teams that are contenders for a playoff spot, but 2 teams are going to be pushed out.

1. New Orleans Hornets have been an incredible team this especially when you consider that they're in the Southwest division. What makes it even more incredible is that it's in a conference loaded with a bunch talent. Chris Paul has been incredible, maximizing the frontline in Tyson Chandler, David West and Peja Stojakovic. Need to go inside? TC or D-West. Can't get a lay-up driving inside? Kick it out to Peja for three. No wonder he averages 10.9 APG. Paul's also had an MVP caliber season to go along with the Hornets' amazing season so far. If they keep up the pace that they're on, they're definitely title contenders for this year.


2. Phoenix Suns (37-16) Even though they still have one of the best records in the NBA, a lot of people think that the Suns are worse than before. Maybe that's why they made the move to get Shaq in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. The trade gave them the much needed size that they needed since they lost Kurt Thomas, but it's still in question if Shaq can hang with the run-n-gun style of the Suns. Word is that they're not done trading yet. The Suns have missed opportunities to get to the Finals for the past 3 years and time is running out for them. Still, 2 time MVP Steve Nash still has the drive to lead the new look Suns to a championship.


3. Los Angeles Lakers (35-17) Six months ago, many people thought Kobe Bryant was on his way out of L.A. With the rise of Andrew Bynum they've been labled as contenders. Then they go get Pau Gasol and get rid of Kwame Brown. Now they're labled as the best in the west. Bynum's got a few weeks to go until he gets back on the court since injuring his knee, and Kobe just injured his pinky finger and said no to surgery. If Kobe can't perform the way he usualy does while he's injured, as tough as the West is, a bad run can drop the Lakers to a 7 or 8 seed, or even drop out of the race. If Kobe doesn't perform as well, Gasol and Lamar Odom will have to step up their game to stay in the race for at least homecourt advantage. But we've all seen Kobe.


4. Utah Jazz (34-19) The Jazz are back on track to repeating where they finished last year. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer have proven to be one of the toughest duos to match up against in the league, averaging 40.8 PPG. Williams has become an excellent playmaker with 9.7 APG while Boozer has been a 20-10 machine. AK-47's been a stat stuffer, Ronnie Brewer's stepped up his game and with the addition of Kyle Korver, the Jazz get a much needed shooter that could help them still be contenders.
   
5. San Antonio Spurs (34-17) The NBA Champions are still in the mix. Tim Duncan has led the Spurs to 4 championships in 9 years but it looked like they were taking a tumble after losing point guard Tony Parker. Many thought that age would finally catch up to the oldest team in the NBA. When Jacque Vaughn didn't look like enough, they turned to newly signed Damon Stoudmire, where they gained control during their annual rodeo trip. Now they look to do what the Spurs haven't done before, win back-to-back championships.
   
6. Dallas Mavericks (35-18) The Mavs have had what has been the best 2 year run in the franchise's history, but at the same time the most disappointing run. They went up 2-0 to the 2005 Finals only to lose 4 straight. They clinched the first seed in the West last year and Dirk Nowitzki got the MVP, only to get booted out the first round by the Golden State Warriors. Now they look to even up with the top teams by trying to acquire Jason Kidd, only to be blocked by Deavean George. They're still working on the trade but if the Mavs don't get the trade through, it could cause problems with the team's chemistry and emotionally hurt them in the second half of the season. It can hurt the players involved with that trade the most.


7. Golden State Warriors (32-20) The Warriors barely made it in last year. This year, they've been in the playoff picture since they hit the .500 mark after starting 1-6. The Yard's own Baron Davis has helped lead this team to where they are dishing out 8.1 APG, Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson are lighting it up from 3 point land, Monta Ellis' stepping up his game. One bad run for this team can cost them the playoffs, but since getting back Captain Jack, that doesn't seem likely. Hopefully Chris Webber will help give the Warriors the size they were looking for.
   
8. Denver Nuggets (32-30) They're right in the mix for leading the Northwest division, fighting with Utah and Portland. As competitive as the West is, they could get knocked out. With a strong line-up Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby and Kenyon Martin, they're too strong not to make the playoffs. Melo has made it public that he would like to add to the team by trading for the Kings' forward Ron Artest, which will be a major boost in defensive. Seemingly the organization is willing to part with Eduardo Najera, not the up and coming Linas Kleiza. The Kings aren't interested in acquiring just Eduardo Najera with a draft pick or recent cancer survivor Nene. Either the Artest for Kleiza-Najera, Artest for Kleiza-draft pick or Artest for Nene goes through, or they'll go with what they have, which is still pretty good.
   
9. Houston Rockets (32-20) The Rockets were struggling in the first half of the season with Tracy McGrady injuring himself early, Yao Ming had to help carry the Rockets. During a good run that they had earlier, some were starting to think that the Rockets were better without T-Mac. This was during the time that he wanted to be traded from the team. Luther Head stepped in and had some good games to fill in for T-Mac. But now that McGrady is back, they've won 10 of 11 games to be tied for 7th place and they look better than ever. With Head injured, the team is still doing great and is looking to get even better keeping everyone healthy.
   
10. Portland Trailblazers (28-24) The Blazers were the feel good story of the NBA. Once the hottest team in the league, they won 13 straight games after losing 9 out of 10. Brandon Roy emerged as their leader, LaMarcus Aldridge became a threat, the whole team just performed well with their unbelievable chemistry on and off the court. Since their miracle run, the youngest team in the league cooled back down, losing 4 straght games, going to 4 games over .500 and 4 games out of the playoffs. They're not counted out of the playoffs and definitely not counted out as title contenders in the future, espcially with Greg Oden coming in.
    
11. Sacramento Kings (23-28) Looks like it's time to call it a season, because Mike Bibby just got traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, Lorenzen Wright and Shelden Williams (all but Williams have expiring contracts). It seemed like a bad season from the start for them. Bibby was hurt for over 35 games, Ron Artest was suspended the first 7 games and injured later, and leading scorer Kevin Martin (23.9 PPG) was injured, it all seemed hopeless. Throw in John Salmons and Beno Udrih's breakout year, 3 Francisco Garcia game winning 3 pointers, and throw in beating divisional leaders 7 times, and they have hope for next year. Looking to finish over .500 for the year under new coach Reggie Theus and having over $1 million in cap space for a big free agent, they look to start fresh. And Artest wanting a trade, he's backed off of it.
    
12. Los Angeles Clippers (17-33) After surprisingly starting out a red hot 4-0, they went on to win only 13 more games. Everyone knew that it was going to be a horrible season without Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston. That gave Chris Kaman the opportunity to become a great center in the NBA. With Brand and Livingston due back, the Clippers look to get back on track for next year, hopefully getting back on track to becoming playoff contenders, shaping back into the form they were 2 years ago. Hopefully, both players will play the same way did before their injuries.
    
13. Memphis Grizzlies (14-38) There's not much to say about the Grizzlies now. After letting Pau Gasol and a 2010 2nd round draft pick go to the Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, brother Marc Gasol and 1st round picks in 2008 and 2010, Memphis is looking to rebuild for the future. Mike Miller may be on his way out too and they bought out Damon Stoudemire. Rudy Gay and Mike Conley are the 2 essential pieces for their future. Gay could be a potential superstar with the way he's performing. He's one of the league's best dunkers and has a great jump shot. To think he's still developing. Who know's, Darko Milicic might be a defensive key with the way he's blocking shots.
    
14. Seattle Supersonics (13-38) The Sonics are right around where they're expected to be. Kevin Durant has been one of the leading canidates for Rookie of the Year. The line-up has shaken up a little bit. Luke Ridnour lost his starting point guard job to Earl Watson, Damien Wilkins earned the small forward spot then lost it to rookie Jeff Green and Robert Swift was marred by injuries again after expecting to start this season (I know, he told me). Add this bad season with a franchise record 14-game losing streak with the controversy of moving out of Seattle, it's a year to forget, except for the fact they got the number one rookie in the draft. It's a rebuilding year, and they look to develop all the young players that they have, and players like Swift and Delonte West might not come back next year.


15. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-41) It was a dead on predicition that Minnesota would be one of the top lottery teams this year. Seven players have expiring contracts, including point guard Sesbastian Telfair, one of their best players. Obviously after trading Kevin Garnett away, this team was in rebuilding mode. Signing star power forward Al Jefferson to an extension gave the team a centerpiece to work with for the next few years. Rashad McCants has put up good numbers. They brought in some experience too by trading for Antoine Walker, while getting rid of Mark Blount and his big contract. In 10 wins so far they've beaten the Suns twice. Before going on their current 5 game losing streak, the team showed signs of development by getting two 2-game winning streaks, winning 5 out of 7 games. They've got a lot of work ahead of them, but under Jefferson, this team has a future to look ahead too.

It's going to be a wild finish for the Western Conference. Many teams have performed well throughout the season but only 8 can make it to the playoffs. There might even be an upset.