NBA Player of the Week:

Mike G said:
Okay, okay. I understand tomorrow's the"Big Game," and everyone's going to be talking NFL tomorrow. But I hope I make it real clear when I say that the NFL will never overshadow anything here at the Nothin But All-Stars crew! That being said, it's time for this week's installment of NBA Player of the Week!
Now this week, we saw a lot of great players put up great numbers. Naturally, there were plenty of candidates who proved themselves worthy of receiving this top honor. BUT...I've said it once, and I'll say it again: There can only be one!
And the award goes to........................NOT Andrew Bynum! Sorry Lakers fans, but this week's NBA Player of the Week, as given to you unbiasedly from the Nothin But All-Stars crew, goes to none other than King James, himself! Yes, that's right! LBJ had an amazing week on the road, as the Cavs went 3-1 on their trip to the west coast. King James averaged 30.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 2.3 steals -- Just shy of a triple-double! He was also ranked in the top ten in All of those categories among All players in the Eastern Conference. And in addition to being named the Nothin But All-Stars's Player of the Week, this is also the fourth time that LBJ has been awarded Eastern Conference Player of the Week by the NBA. On behalf of the Nothin But All-Stars crew here at CSU, East Bay, I would personally like to congratulate LeBron James for what has turned out to be an amazing season! King James....What else can I say? You've earned it.

Week 3: Question of the Week

Should fans be allowed to vote for the All-Star Game starters?

Kris said:

I do not believe fans should be allowed to vote for the starters of the All-Star Game. Perhaps we could be allowed to vote for one or two players per conference, but not the whole starting line-up. Voting for the whole starting line-up is giving too much power to the people. Fans tend to vote for their favorite players or who they like, but these players do not always deserve to be All-Stars and could be taking roster spots from players who actually deserve it. I understand that the NBA is for the fans, but I do not think it is fair when a player that deserves to be an All-Star does not get the opportunity to participate in the game.
The reason I chose this question as Question of the Week is because TNT announced that Allen Iverson is a starting guard for the Eastern Conference. I honestly do not believe that he deserves it because since he joined the Pistons, they are 20-19. Iverson’s scoring average this season (17.7 ppg) is also well below his career scoring average (27.7 ppg). I also think there are more deserving players than Iverson, like Rajon Rondo and Joe Johnson.
Need some examples? Yao Ming has been voted to start every All-Star game since coming into the league (that is 7 years in a row). Did he deserve it every year? Not really. Some years he did, but when he makes the starting line-up during an injury plagued season, something must be wrong. Some players that come to mind that could have started instead of Yao Ming in the past: Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Amare Stoudemire, Marcus Camby, Carlos Boozer, Dirk Nowitzki, and Al Jefferson.
During the 2005-2006 season, the Detroit Pistons started 40-8; one of the best starts in NBA history. However, no Detroit Piston player was voted as an All-Star starter even though they all played so well. Instead, the players chosen as starters were Lebron James, Shaquille and Jermaine O’Neal, Dwayne Wade, and Allen Iverson.

Week 3: Game of the Week

All right folks, I'm not bias when it comes to the NBA's game of the week, but this week I'm going to pick Cavs V.S. Warriors. I know in Week 1 I had Cavs up there and Week 2 I had the Warriors, but if any of you guys seen the Friday Night game with LeBron and the return of Monte Ellis, you would have to agree with me. Warriors kept the game very close through out the night, but King James just breaks the Warriors heart again for the 2nd consecituve game, by making a last second shot. LeBron was struggling a bit shooting on the court, he shot well below 50% going for 10 out of 24, but doesn't matter how bad your night is, it's all about making the shot when it counts. As for Monte Ellis return, not bad of a night for him. Scoring 20 points with 34 minutes and shot just above 40% going for 8 for 19. It's really good to see him being able to play like how he did on Friday night after coming back from suspesion and injury, because he missed nearly half of the season. Things don't look too bad for Golden State right now, with Monte back in the line up things will look much better for them in the future.

NBA Player of the Week

MiKE G said:
Okay, HERE WE GO! It's time for another installment of NBA Player of the Week. And as usual, this installment is brought to you straight from the Nothin But All-Stars crew at California State University, East Bay.
This week's candidates for player of the week included names such as LeBron James, Yao Ming, Dwayne Wade, and Deron Williams. However, despite their efforts, 2 names were decisively left ahead of the pack. But as we know, there can only be one. Sorry CP3, but this week's NBA Player of the Week award goes to Jameer Nelson of the Orlando Magic. With his help, Orlando went for a 3-0 record for the week, and currently sits in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference. Nelson had a great week, averaging 24.7 points, 8.0 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in the Magic's road victories over Sacramento, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver. Pretty Impressive, if you ask me!

Week 2: Question of the Week

Which current NBA player would you have take the game-winning shot?

Kris said:

There is only one current NBA player I would trust to have the ball at the end of the game; Kobe Bryant. Bryant has constantly proven himself in pressure situations; be it the NBA Playoffs, the regular season, or the Olympics. He is always calm and it seems as though his field goal percentage rises at the end of games. In my opinion, Kobe Bryant is the most dangerous player in clutch situations.
I chose Kobe Bryant over the likes of Lebron James and Dwayne Wade because of the 2008 Olympics Gold-Medal Game. Spain was close to making a comeback against the heavily favored Team USA and the game was shaping up to be another upset at the Olympics. But then, Kobe Bryant steps up and hits a three-pointer while getting fouled in the fourth quarter. That four-point play was the biggest play of the game because it turned the momentum in favor of Team USA.
If you need more reasons, then remember Game 4 of the 2000 NBA Finals when Shaquille O’Neal fouled out in overtime against the Indiana Pacers. Kobe Bryant carried the team and scored eight points in the extra period. Also, remember Game 4 of the 2006 First Round Playoffs; Suns vs. Lakers. Kobe makes the game-winning shot over 2 Phoenix Suns players in overtime. I can go on and on with this list, but I think I will stop it here for now.

Week 2: Game of The Week

This week game of the week has to go to King V.S. Warriors at Oakland last Wednesday. Both teams had a combined win of 21 wins total this season together, not very impressive but the fact that both team played a very competitive game and bringing the game all the way to triple over time deserved game of the week. Both team combined for 268 points for the night, definitely a high scoring game. Game ball goes to Brad Miller, scoring 30 points shooting 10-20, just at 50 percent, dominating the paint with 22 boards, shooting 9 for 9 at the line, 2 steals, and 1 block.

Week 2: NBA Player of the Week

Mike G Said:
Yes, it's about that time: time for another installment of NBA Player of the Week!
This week was a tough one! With so many players having such phenomenal weeks, there was an over-abundance of deserving candidates, including the likes of LeBron James, Vince Carter, Andre Iguodala, and even Paul Millsap. But when it comes down to the come down, there were two players that stood above the rest: Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard. However, there can only be one.
And this week’s winner for NBA Player of the Week goes to.............Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant! Though it was a close call, Bryant is the rightful successor to the throne. He led the Lakers to an impressive 3-1 record for the week, with wins over Golden State, Indiana, and Miami. And might I add, with his 28.8 scoring average, Kobe still leads the Western Conference in PPG. Not bad, Kobe. Not bad.

Week 1: Game of the Week

Adam said:

This week’s game of the week was Boston V.S. Cleveland on Friday night. Both teams were ranked top in the East Coast as number 1 and number 2. Cleveland coming into the game was 18-0 at home this season. The Cavaliers were looking for some vengeance against the Celtics after what happen last year in the Eastern Semi losing to Boston 4-3 . Going into Friday night’s game, Boston lost 6 out of its last 8 games, but with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, and Kevin Garnett things can change and this wasn’t going to be easy for Cleveland. After half time Cleveland had a commanding lead over Boston 49-40. Cleveland shot better than Boston on the field, shooting slightly over 50% while Boston was only shooting 41%. The game resulted as a victory for the Cavaliers 98-83. Superstar LeBron James knocked down 38 points along with 7 rebounds, 6 assist, and shooting over 50% on the field proving that he is the top candidate for this years run for MVP.

Here are the highlights from the game:

Week 1: Player of the Week

Player of the Week: Not Who You Think!
Mike G said:

This week installment of NBA Player of the Week comes in the form of a tie! That’s right – a tie! And the award goes to…………none other than Detroit Pistons sophomore guard Rodney Stuckey and Minnesota Timberwolves center Al Jefferson.
For the week of December 29th – January 4th, Rodney Stuckey helped Detroit to 4-0 record for the week, averaging 23.0 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game. With the addition of Stuckey, the Detroit Pistons rode a seven game winning streak after adding him to the line-up.
Now in the West, Timberwolves’s center Al Jefferson led Minnesota to a 3-1 record for the week. Jefferson averaged 27.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game, and shot 52.4 % from the field.

Week 1: Question of the Week

Are fouls being called too prominently in today’s NBA game?

Kris said:
I do believe that fouls are being called too prominently in today’s game. There are so many “touch” fouls called that it is starting to get annoying. A player can rarely drive the lane without a foul being called; and if you are rooting for the other team, it just makes you so angry. I must admit that referee’s are getting better at calling real fouls, but there are still a number of phantom fouls (especially on Kobe Bryant) being called.
Players are getting to the foul line numerous times during a game and the hand-check rule takes away any defensive advantage. The only person probably still getting away with hand-checking is Bruce Bowen. I understand the league input the “hand-check rule” to promote offense since high octane offense produces ticket sales, but at what cost? They are taking value away from the game and turning professional athletes into babies and actors (flopping, flailing, and yelling). Besides, constant fouls only slow the game down.
If Magic Johnson and the Showtime Lakers were to play Larry Bird and the Celtics in today’s game, it would be a “free-throwfest”. If Kobe Bryant and Lebron James can average 30 points in today’s game, then Michael Jordan would have been able to average at least 40 points considering defenses used to dog him all the time. I am pretty sure Jordan would have benefited from so many “touch” fouls.