2009 All-Star Rosters Set

(2009 All-Star Logo from NBA.com)

The 2009 NBA All-Star rosters are official for this year's game in Phoenix. There will be several first-timers making the trip to play in the mid-season NBA classic, with guards Devin Harris of the Nets and Jameer Nelson of the Magic suiting up in the East along with Forward Danny Granger of the Pacers. The West continues to follow tradition with its lineup which includes all returning players, as well as newcomer to the West, Denver's Chauncey Billups. Billups makes his 4th trip to the game after 3 appearances with the Pistons, while the hometown hero, Steve Nash was not selected for the first time since 2004. Pau Gasol, Chris Paul, Brandon Roy and David West all make just their 2nd appearance in the game, while starters Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan have been at least 10 times each. Phoenix Suns Center Shaquille O'Neal, who was named to the bench, makes his 15th All-Star appearance. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has more trips to the game with 19.

Starting players were voted on by fans via the internet and paper ballots, while the reserves were chosen by the league's 30 head coaches. Coaches were asked to choose two guards, two forwards, one center and two other players regardless of position from their conferences.

Eastern Conference Starters:

Allen Iverson (G) (Detroit)
Dwyane Wade (G) (Miami)
Lebron James (F) (Cleveland)
Kevin Garnett (F) (Boston)
Dwight Howard (C) (Orlando)

Eastern Conference Reserves:

Devin Harris (G) (New Jersey)
Jameer Nelson (G) (Orlando)
Joe Johnson (G) (Atlanta)
Danny Granger (F) (Indiana)
Rashard Lewis (F) (Orlando)
Paul Pierce (F) (Boston)
Chris Bosh (F/C) (Toronto)

Western Conference Starters:

Chris Paul (G) (New Orleans)
Kobe Bryant (G) (Los Angeles)
Tim Duncan (F) (San Antonio)
Amare Stoudamire (F) (Phoenix)
Yao Ming (C) (Houston)

Western Conference Reserves:

Chauncey Billups (G) (Denver)
Pau Gasol (F) (Los Angeles)
Dirk Nowitzki (F) (Dallas)
Tony Parker (G) (San Antonio)
Brandon Roy (G) (Portland)
David West (F) (New Orleans)
Shaquille O'Neal (C) (Phoenix)

Coaching the East squad will either be Mike Brown of the Cavs or Stan Van Gundy of the Magic, depending on which team has the best winning % through this weekend's games. Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson takes charge of the West. The All Star game will be the 58th edition, played in Phoenix at the US Airways Center on February 15th, 2009.

2009 NBA All-Star Jerseys

The new NBA All-Star jerseys by Adidas are available for sale at NBA.com store today, and have a futuristic style to them as seen in the above pictures. According to some reports the new jerseys can also improve your game. Mensfitness.com reports they're made of a material that's 31% lighter than the traditional basketball jerseys are with a tighter fit for improved mobility. Also the conference names and player numbers were bonded using glue rather than layers of twill sewn together.

Other features of the new jersey are a "gripper waist band" which keeps the jersey tucked in at all times, which is a league rule (not that the All-star game is rule heavy). There's also a better ventilation system in place, as Adidas mapped out the body's heat zone areas where players tend to sweat most and put ventilation holes over them. This ventilation system works in conjunction with the TECHFIT compression garments worn underneath jersey.

The 2009 All-Star game will take place in Phoenix, Arizona this year on February 15th. The uniform is said to feature a design with lines resembling Arizona's rock formations and colors "desert red" for the West and sunset blue for the East.

Pricing for the new jerseys: NBA All-Star Authentic Player Jerseys and Customized Jerseys: $200; NBA All-Star Swingman Jersey: $80; NBA All-Star Replica Jersey: $50. Available at NBAStore.com

Lebron James = Midseason MVP

During ESPN's NBA Shootaround show on Friday night, both Avery Johnson and Jalen Rose chose Lebron James as their "Midseason NBA MVP". Avery Johnson said he considers Lebron as having a shot at the MVP as well as Defensive Player of the Year. Jalen Rose agreed with Avery's midseason MVP, and added in that the best closer in the game is Kobe Bryant while the best point guard is Chris Paul. Host of NBA Shootaround, Looking at King James' stats in the chart below, it's clear he's on pace for the award as he's helping out with just about every important stat on the floor, offensively and defensely.

ESPN featured a doubleheader afterwards with 4 of the top 5 MVP candidates from 2007-08 as well as the 3 top teams from the league in action. Lebron's Cavs faced Chris Paul's Hornets in Game 1. Game 2 featured Kobe Bryant and the Lakers versus Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. One of these four players could be the surefire MVP as the 2008-09 award is handed out. Last year saw Kobe take the award over Chris Paul. In reviewing the stats below each of these players is statistically sound and quite capable of putting up the tough-to-achieve quadruple double in stats. All four men were also a part of last year's Gold Medal Summer Olympics squad and according to Jalen Rose are setting themselves up as legendary Hall of Fame players.

Current stats for the four MVP candidates:

Lebron James 27.7 PPG, 6.90 RPG, 6.7 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.3 BPG
Cleveland Cavaliers (30-7)

Chris Paul 20.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 11 APG, 2.91 SPG, 0.1 BPG
New Orleans Hornets (23-12)

Kobe Bryant 27.2PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Los Angeles Lakers (31-7)

Dwight Howard 20.2 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 3.2 BPG
Orlando Magic (31-8)

Reggie Miller Talks Obama Bball

TNT NBA analyst and NBA legend, Reggie Miller is hoping that soon-to-be President Barack Obama puts a regulation basketball court in the white house. If he does, Miller wants in on the pickup game. Reggie, who has yet to meet Obama, recently discussed Barack Obama's basketball style with CNN. According to Miller, Obama's left-handed game reminds him of other lefties he's played against such as Greg Anthony , or Hall of Famer, Nate "Tiny" Archibald.

Miller had the following to say regarding Obama's game and his campaign demeanor:

CNN: From what you've seen, how good a player is Obama?

Miller: I would not mind picking him up on my squad; if there were 10 guys and we had to pick, he could definitely be in my squad. Because he knows what his strength is -- making sure that everyone gets involved, and that's the kind of point guard I want. Those are guys like Magic Johnson, Mark Jackson, John Stockton, it's not all about them; it's about let's make sure our team is good. He's going to get the ball to everyone.

CNN: Speaking of being commander in chief, what are the lessons that you take away from Obama's basketball that you think would be useful?

Miller: If you look at his demeanor, he's very cool; you have to be cool under pressure. You can't make hasty decisions. You've got to look at the full picture as a whole and then you assess it. And I think from a strategic and a political standpoint, I think that very much sums up Mr. Obama.

You look at him during the debate and during the campaign, he pretty much never got too high and never got too low; he just kind of stayed right in the middle. When you're making the decisions that he's going to be making, for our economy, for Iraq, Afghanistan, you want someone who's levelheaded who's going to look at the big picture, who's going to rely on his Cabinet, which would be the other players.

You want them to all be on same page, which you want your starting five to be, and then you go out there and execute it.

(Source: CNN.com)

Read the entire Reggie Miller CNN interview piece here.

Obama's been seen in pickup games around the country, including this game with some Indiana High School students. You can also see his skills on display as Obama hits a 3 pointer, a la Reggie Miller.

Check out YouTube footage of Barack playing ball back in High School!

Watch George Bush play b-ball in Belfast!

Lebron's Latest Magazine Cover

(GQ February 2009 issue)

Add another achievement to the career of young phenom Lebron James! For the Gentlemen's Quarterly magazine (GQ), their February 2009 issue features Lebron on the cover along with an inside interview. In the interview Lebron discusses his latest endorsement deals, his two young sons and Barack Obama as the first African American president.

The GQ story also had Lebron suit up for a casual pickup game with the GQ magazine editors and writers in Cleveland. For the cover, Lebron dons a gray suit, pink shirt and gray tie. The cover can be added to his resume along with the likes of Fortune, Sports Illustratde, ESPN Magazine and Vogue. Lebron was the first black male to appear on Vogue in its 116-year history.

Lebron had the following to say regarding his scoring the cover of GQ and about who shaped his fashion sense most:

"It's great," he said of his GQ cover. "It shows that I'm fashionable. I never thought I would be on the cover of GQ. But I've done some things I never thought I would do."

"I have to thank (NBA commissioner) David Stern," James said. "Ever since he put in the rule about having to get dressed for the game, I had to get dressed."

(Source: WashingtonPost)

70 Wins for Cavs or Lakers?

Jerry Crowe in his recent LA Times Sports column mentions the tough milestone of winning 70 games during an NBA season. It was last accomplished by the unstopa-Bulls back in the 1995-96 season, lead by of course Michael Jordan. The Boston Celtics tried to hit the 70 win mark ten years earlier during the 1985-86 season. That was the Celtics team which featured Larry Legend and Kevin McHale. They lost just 1 game all season at home, yet failed to achieve a 70 win season.

Looking at the NBA standings, there's three teams that have been considered legitimate contenders for 70 games in 2008-09; the Los Angeles Lakers (currently 28-6), the Cleveland Cavaliers (currently 28-6), and the aforementioned Boston Celtics (currently 29-8). As the season was steamrolling ahead for the Celtics not long ago, the talk was that this team had that milestone all but achieved. For some reason, the Celtics have been having a miserable time since losing to the Lakers, then the Warriors, then the Blazers, Knicks and most recently the Houston Rockets. The Celtics would only be allowed two more losses for the rest of the season to hit the 70-win mark. The injury bug has hit them, and many analysts continue to say they need some more depth, such as the problematic New York Knick, Stephon Marbury.

The Cavs and Lakers are allowed 6 more losses each, and if they hit the halfway point on that pace, it's a realistic goal for the two teams to get 70 wins each. Each has a Jordan-esque superstar with Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. Both are considered lethal scorers capable of doing the other things needed to really take over a game. It's also been said each has vastly improved on their defense, especially Lebron who wanted to add to his repertoire. These are the sort of ingredients of a Jordan-type baller, hungry for MVP awards, NBA titles, and 70-win seasons. Judging by the competitive drive of both players to be the best in the league, and any team facing these two in the 2nd half of the season could be in for a rough game.

Somewhere Over Thunder's Rainbow...

Ironically, a team that comes from one of the most rain-prone cities in the US, now finds itself being pounded by Thunderous losses, night in and night out. While teams like Boston, Clelveand and Los Angeles have 6 or less losses, Oklahoma is hoping to get that many wins right about now. Definitely a team in transition and in search of identity, but not a team without potential cornerstones for success.

USA Today takes a look at one of the few bright spots amongst the hurting Thunder, with rookie Russell Westbrook. Westbrook earned rookie of the month honors in December, and admits he didn't even know such an award existed. Still the rookie doesn't mind winning it as his play alongside Kevin Durant's has given the team some hope for the future. Right now last year's 4th overall draft pick, Westbrook, ranks third in scoring for rookies, right behind two ROY candidates in Derrick Rose & OJ Mayo. Westbrook's name isn't part of the talks for that season award quite yet, but should he continue his current path he might have a shot.

Currently, OKC is bottom of the NBA barrel, winning just 4 games, while losing 30. They've become that team that other teams see coming up on the schedule and realize they can breathe easy and pick up an extra W. Just the other night, Kevin Durant did showcase a bit of that competitive nature though, and hit a huge 3 against Denver in the final seconds. The only problem was Denver's Carmelo Anthony came right back to seal the Thunder's fate, hitting a game winning 3 of his own. The Nuggets left the court all smiles while once again the Thunder could simply shake their heads.

But this is to be expected from a team that is in all senses of the term, an expansion team. Their coach Scott Brooks even had a taste of that expansion life when he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who ironically are slightly better than Oklahoma is this season. Over at TheSpoof.com they go as far as to fake a rumor that Kove Bryant might be traded to the Thunder, but only when Cuba becomes our 51st state. While they don't have a household name like Kobe, the Thunder's Westbrook and Durant are stars in the making who definitely give life to a young, talented squad and show promise for the future. The New York Times has a recent article which mentions that even if W's aren't there in Oklahoma, fans still show up but they're only concerned with the home games.

From NYTimes:

“Our fan base is still really not in tune with the rest of the league and even our team on the road,” Cornett said. “I don’t get the sense that if you walked into a restaurant and our team is playing a road game, that it’s a given that they are going to be playing it on TV. The market just hasn’t matured in that respect. To them, the N.B.A. is 41 home games, and the rest will take time to develop.”

So the fans are half into the team. Now the team needs to get more than just 2/5 of the team to give way more than 50% effort to cross that .500 mark within a few seasons.

Read Westbrook's honor gives dismal Thunder a bright spot at USA Today

Celtics Slump: Lose Sixth to Knicks

After starting the season on an impressive win streak and looking capable of smashing the 70 win mark this season, the Celtics have now found themselves on the losing end for the sixth time. Sunday night it was the lowly New York Knicks who knocked out the Celtics 100-88 behind Wilson Chandler's career-high 31 point performance. This was the Knicks first win against Boston since April of 2005, snapping their own 8 game losing streak against the squad.

For the losing Celtics captain Paul Pierce lead the way with 31, while Ray Allen added 16. Kevin Garnett was extremely cold and appeared to hurt his leg in the 3rd. KG had just six points all game on 1 of 6 shooting. It was in the 3rd when KG threw an around the back pass to set up a dunk. The All-Star forward appeared to land gingerly and returned early in the fourth with his leg wrapped below the right knee. The Celtics are still on track to finish the season 70-12, if they can regain their winning ways.

Just a day ago, the Celtics had handed the Washington Wizards a convincing loss in a 108-83 win in Boston. But with three losses during a four game West road trip and the latest loss, the Celtics seem to be in search of their ability to put together win streaks. On the season the Celts have lost to the Lakers, Warriors, Blazers, Nuggets, Pacers and the Knicks. Of those teams only 3 are legitimate playoff contenders, with the majority being West Coast teams, including last year's Finals opponent in LA. Many analysts believe the Celtics may try to add New York Knick guard Stephon Marbury who's been seeking a release from the team. Rumors have circulated that a deal will be done once Marbury's been bought out. Nonetheless, the addition of some new key personnel could be just the answer the Celtics require to get back on track during this slump.

2009 NBA All-Star Vote Leaders...

The NBA All-Star game arrives in just a month, illustrating how fast time keeps flying by this 200809 NBA season! This year's All-Star game will be held in Phoenix, Arizona on February 15th. That's just a day after Valentine's day, and many NBA players are hoping fans (or the coaches) show them the love. Here's a look at the current vote totals for the Eastern and Western Conferences....

2008-09 NBA All-Star Top Vote-Getters: (1/1/09)

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

GUARDS: Dwyane Wade, Miami, 1,473,225; Allen Iverson, Detroit, 1,027,153;

FORWARDS: LeBron James, Cleveland, 1,521,272; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 1,101,541

CENTERS: Dwight Howard, Orlando, 1,709,088

---

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

GUARDS: Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers, 1,534,020; Tracy McGrady, Houston, 961,852;

FORWARDS: Tim Duncan, San Antonio, 1,132,095; Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix, 743,639;

CENTERS: Yao Ming, Houston, 1,396,126;

As you can see from the above totals released January 1, 2009, Dwight Howard leads all vote-getters with 1,709,088. In case you're wondering where Portland's rookie center ranks, Greg Oden is 5th amongst Western Conference centers behind Yao, Shaq, Bynum and Mehmet Okur. That should change within a few seasons. As for this past season's top 2 draft picks, Michaels Beasley is 2nd to last for East forwards, while Chicago Bull Derrick Rose is 8th. Two of the guards that Rose has received more votes than are Jose Calderon (TOR) and Jameer Nelson (ORL), who just might find spots on the reserve section for their first appearance.

Also of note, but not shown above is that New Jersey's new addition, Yi Jianlian, is third in votes for Eastern Conference forwards with 959,324 votes. Overall, he's not too far behind Boston's KG, and has a good shot of capturing a spot. Yi is ahead of previous all-stars Chris Bosh and Paul Pierce with the votes, but if he isn't voted in, don't expect him to edge out either of those guys for a reserve spot. Chalk up the Yi vote to the Yao vote as the Chinese have embraced the NBA greatly since Yao's arrival to Houston.

You can see the rest of the 2008-09 NBA All-Star votes here at azcentral.com. Balloting for the 2009 NBA All-Star Game officially ends on January 19th, 2009.

75 Cent Nets Tickets?!?

If you're a New York/New Jersey native and want to see some pro basketball for a dirt cheap price, the Nets have a deal for you. Right now the New Jersey Nets are amongst those contending for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a 16-17 record. While they've dealt both Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson away, Vince Carter still remains and has rising point guard Devin Harris with him. Harris has been a pleasant surprise this season for the Nets and may be amongst those chosen for this year's East All-Star Reserves.

In a previous report on what franchises are worth, a comment was made that the Nets are hurting most as they try to secure loan money to get the team moved to Brooklyn. Wiht the team's record below .500, and J-Kidd & Jefferson out of town, ticket sales must really be hurting, as the Nets have offered the following $0.75 cent ticket deal for select games.

Fri, 12/26/08
07:30 PM New Jersey Nets vs. Charlotte Bobcats

Mon, 12/29/08
07:30 PM New Jersey Nets vs. Chicago Bulls

Mon, 01/05/09
07:30 PM New Jersey Nets vs. Sacramento Kings

Wed, 01/07/09
07:30 PM New Jersey Nets vs. Memphis Grizzlies

Mon, 01/12/09
07:30 PM New Jersey Nets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Thu, 01/15/09
07:30 PM New Jersey Nets vs. Portland Trail Blazers

Tue, 02/03/09
07:30 PM New Jersey Nets vs. Milwaukee Bucks

Fri, 02/20/09
08:00 PM New Jersey Nets vs. Washington Wizards

Your Complimentary* Nets Tickets Await!

Join us to see the Nets battle Gilbert Arenas & the Wizards, cross-river rival NY Knicks, Chris Bosh & the Raptors OR Carl Boozer & the Jazz!

As part of the Nets Tickets on Us Program, you are receiving this one time, complimentary* ticket offer to see the Nets take on some of the NBA's best at the IZOD Center. Simply select one of the home games listed below and you can receive up to two tickets to the game. It's about taking a break and enjoying a night out, courtesy of the Nets.

Valid on tickets regularly priced at: $110 $80, $76, $40, $20, and $15.

To take advantage, enter the following code in the Paperfast Offer box: ONUS

You're not dreaming, because these are real 2008-09 regular season NBA games for 75 cent admission! That's cheaper than going to the movies, or even renting a movie at Blockbuster! The opposing teams might not be the NBA's best, but the Portland Trailblazers are nothing to shake a stick at. Last year's Rookie of the Year, Brandon Roy, as well as big man Greg Oden and phenom LaMarcus Aldridge make that one exciting team to see. You've also got Memphis with Rudy Gay and then Oklahoma with Kevin Durant. Once again, not the cream of the crop for the NBA, but for 75 cents and the chance to see some future All-star phenoms, why not?

Head over to Ticketmaster at this link and use promo code: ONUS in the Paperfast Offer Box. You can print tickets directly to your printer to avoid shipping and handling. There will most likely be at least a $3.50 or so convenience charge though.

BuzzerBeaters & East Guards

Several great buzzer-beaters in Friday night's NBA action. The Oklahoma Thunder (former Sonics) were on cloud 9 after young superstar Kevin Durant knocked down a huge 3 to put his team ahead. With just seconds remaining though Carmelo returned the favor, hitting a three to give the Nuggets the win, coach George Karl's 900th. Can it get any worse for the Thunder? When it rains on them, it pours...

Vince Carter also hit a 3 to win the Nets game Friday night. The Nets continue to be amongst playoff contenders in the East behind the standout play of Guard Devin Harris, who was acquired in the Jason Kidd trade. Recently though the Nets were offering a ticket to any of 5 home games for just 75 cents. Maybe a move to Brooklyn and bringing the King to town will see better ticket sales.

As for guards in the East, ESPN NBA Analyst Jeff Van Gundy was saying he thinks PG's Jameer Nelson, Jose Calderon and Devin Harris are all deserving of All-Star spots. His co-analyst Mark Jackson let him know that they won't all be playing in Phoenix this February, so it will be interesting to see which guys get the nod. With Billups departure, Iverson is back east. Then you've got superstar guards like Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen, so the bench will be interesting.

Speaking of Ray Allen's Celtics, there's now rumors that Boston is interested in acquiring Stephon Marbury. Newsday reported:

On Friday, a source-based report on ESPN.com suggested that the Celtics are interested in signing Marbury once he completes a buyout with the Knicks, who are owned by Cablevision, which also owns Newsday. Walsh, who has given Marbury permission to talk with other teams to find a new home, said he had no indications that the Celtics, or any NBA team, had a sincere interest.

The Celtics were caught off-guard by the report, and general manager Danny Ainge had no comment Friday about Marbury.

A KG-Starbury reunion would be something to see, but would it help or hurt the Champs? Marbury's been a star in the past but his on/off court problems are always a danger to teams he plays for. Read Newsday's full article here.

Charles Barkley DUI Arrest

NBA Hall of Famer and current TNT NBA Analyst, Sir Charles Barkley, was arrested on New Years Eve (12/31/08) morning for a DUI in Arizona. The arrest was made by the Gilbert Police Department at a DUI Checkpoint when Barkley ran a stop sign. Barkley was blood tested on scene by mobile DUI task force and released from custody just a short time after the arrest, calling a taxi to pick him up. According to reports, Barkley told the cops he ran the stop sign due to the fact he was in a hurry to have sex with a female companion.

According to TMZ.com:

According to the officer who wrote the report, "He told me that he ran the stop sign because he was in a hurry to pick up the girl I saw get in the passenger seat."

The officer continues: "He asked me to admit that she was 'hot.' He asked me, 'You want the truth?' When I told him I did he said, 'I was gonna drive around the corner and get a b**w job. He then explained that she had given him a 'b**w job' one week earlier and said it was the best one he had ever had in his life."

Also according to the reports, the police impounded a handgun found in Barkley's vehicle, but there's no word on whether it was legal or not. Not sure if he needed it, but it's good that Barkley has D-Wade in his Fave 5 speed dial for that one call you get at the station to have someone bail you out.

See Photos of the Barkley arrest from TMZ.com