Kevin Durant Is A Lock To Win MVP

                                                  (Image from: socialnewsdaily.com)
Kevin Durant is a lock to win the 2014 NBA MVP award. That's right, he's a LOCK. The odds that anybody besides Kevin Durant wins the 2014 NBA MVP Award is at 0% and it isn't going to change. You might be thinking to yourselves that LeBron James or Paul George has a chance to win the award over the course of the second half of the season, but you would be wrong to think that. Dead wrong. The fact of the matter is that a combination of Durant's sensational play, the lack of support from Russell Westbrook, and NBA history is what makes Durant a lock to win the MVP award. I will explain how these three elements combine to make him a lock to win the award.

First, let's address his sensational play. Over the last 5 games, Durant has had games of 54 points, 30 points, 46 points, 36 points, and 32 points. Not only is he scoring at ridiculous rates, but he's doing it while sharing the ball. He has combined for 34 assists over these past 5 games, which amounts to an average of 39.6 points and 6.8 assists. Over the course of the season, he's averaging a league high 31.1 points per game to go along with 7.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.5 steals. He's the ultimate fantasy basketball player, and more importantly the most valuable player in the NBA right now. Nobody else is playing nearly as well he is. Not even LeBron James.

Not only are his stats the best in the NBA, but he's also leading his team to the best record in the Western Conference with a 35-10 record. More impressively, he's done this without the help of Russell Westbrook, who has only played in 25 of those 45 games. Durant has had to carry the team on his back for the past month and a half, and he's done far better than anybody could have anticipated. One of the key ingredients for having an MVP season is carrying a team on your back and winning in the process. Especially if you do it with a key member of the team getting hurt. If you can win games with your #2 player sidelined and carry the team, MVP voters take strong notice of that when they cast their votes.

Not only is Durant playing out of his mind and in the process carrying the team on his back to the best record in the NBA, but he's also DUE for an MVP award. That's right folks, the NBA MVP Award isn't always about who the best player in the NBA is. Over the course of the NBA's history, the MVP award has been traditionally passed around and given to different players each season. While the NBA MVP Award  has gone to Michael Jordan 5 times and LeBron James 4 times, the award is frequently given to the best of players only once or twice in their careers even if they are deserving of it more than once. Players like Charles Barkley, Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Allen Iverson, and Kobe Bryant all won MVP Awards once when they probably could have won it more than once, but didn't due to other guys being "due".

More importantly in Durant's case, the NBA MVP Award is rarely given to players multiple times in a row, and as it happens, LeBron James has won the award two seasons in a row and four out of the last five seasons. Rarely has anybody won it for a third straight time such as Larry Bird, Bill Russell, and Wilt Chamberlain, who are the only three guys to ever accomplish that feat. Winning it back to back years isn't terribly uncommon since Steve Nash, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan have all accomplished that feat, but winning it 3 times is very very rare. One cannot expect LeBron James to win the award for a third straight season based on history alone, and then when somebody like Durant comes along and out performs him, one might as well say that LeBron James won't win the MVP Award.

In conclusion, the reason why Kevin Durant is a lock to win MVP is because he's putting up the best numbers, leading his team to the top of the standings with Westbrook sidelined, and LeBron James has had the spotlight four out of the last five seasons. Those three factors combine to form an airtight case for not only why Kevin Durant should win MVP, but more importantly why he will win MVP. It's that simple.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord 

Why Anthony Bennett Is Not A Bust, But Rather The Victim Of A Horrible Decision Made By The Cavaliers

                                            image from: espn.go.com 

Cavaliers rookie power forward Anthony Bennett is having the worst statistical season of any overall #1 pick.  Basketball-Reference.com  released an image of the PERs (Player Efficiency Rating) of all #1 draft picks over the past 24 seasons to give us some perspective on how bad Bennett is playing. What the image showed was that Bennett's PER is 1.1 and Kwame Brown (considered by many to be the worst #1 pick of all-time) had a PER of 11.2 during his rookie season. With these kinds of numbers, many basketball analysts are already saying that Anthony Bennett is the worst #1 overall pick of all time and thus the greatest bust of any #1 overall pick. While I agree that he very well may be the worst #1 overall pick of all time, I don't think it is fair to call him a "bust". What I will do is explain why Anthony Bennett isn't a "bust", but rather the victim of a horrible decision made by the Cavaliers' front office.

Before I explain why Bennett isn't a bust, I should probably first define what "bust" means. "Bust" is a word used to define a player who fails to live up to his or her expectations, with those expectations usually being lofty. Players who are expected to be franchise changing players and fail to live up to those expectations are usually the players who are categorized as "busts" due to their high expectations. Players under this category are Greg Oden, Shawn Bradley,  and sadly Len Bias. To use examples from the NFL,  Quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell of the Raiders and Ryan Leaf of the Chargers meet this criteria as well. These are guys who were drafted with tremendous hype from not only the teams that drafted them, but all of the media and analysts. These were players who were "can't miss" players who were sure to turn around their franchises in a very short period of time. These were guys expected to turn their respective franchises into championship caliber teams.

With this definition now in mind, it suddenly doesn't seem as though Anthony Bennett really is a bust. As a matter of fact, he isn't even in the discussion. Bennett being drafted #1 overall and failing to deliver isn't the same as being hyped by all the media as the second coming of Karl Malone and failing to deliver. If Bennett had been viewed by all of the media and draft analysts as this "can't miss player" like another Karl Malone, then he would certainly be a "bust". But he wasn't. As a matter of fact, he was a viewed a borderline top ten pick in a weak NBA draft.

In my mock draft (not that I'm a draft expert), I had Bennett going #10 overall to the Portland Trail Blazers. In other mock drafts, I saw him going anywhere from 5 to 10.  When he went #1 overall, everybody was shocked and couldn't believe it. Certainly Nerlens Noel, Alex Len, or Victor Oladipo would go #1 overall. But no, the Cavaliers instead decided to role the dice on Bennet, which up to this point has blown up in their face. To make things worse, Bennett is suddenly being compared to all #1 overall picks ever taken when he shouldn't even be in the same conversation as them. But being picked #1 overall suddenly has his name being brought up in conversations that include LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Patrick Ewing, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Among #1 picks  that didn't pan out, he's suddenly the new Kwame Brown or Michael Olowokandi.

Those of us in sports media world need to be careful how we view Bennett's struggles as a #1 overall pick. Rather than focusing all of our energy and attention on him, we need to instead focus our attention on the Cleveland Cavaliers and their moronic front office. Specifically their general manager Chris Grant and owner Dan Gilbert. These guys need to take all the heat and blame for drafting a kid #1 overall when the rest of the basketball world didn't feel as though he was that kind of talent. If the Cavaliers really wanted him, why didn't they trade down to get him and get more picks? By drafting him #1 overall they had to know that there would be a ton of hype on him that wasn't warranted, making this selection an incredibly horrible PR move in addition to being a stupid basketball decision. The story of Bennett's struggles as a #1 overall pick shouldn't be treated as a #1 overall pick failing to deliver. It should rather be treated as a front office failing to show competence at properly evaluating NBA talent.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord  for the latest NBA news. 

NBA Power Rankings: January 1st, 2014

To kick off the New Year, I figured I would release a fresh slate of power rankings!

1. Indiana Pacers (25-5): The Pacers are riding a very nice 5 game winning streak right now, I don't see a realistic loss until maybe the 18th of January against the Clippers at home. After that, they have a trip out west where they could lose at maybe Golden State and Denver. The point is, the Pacers are going to continue to win, and continue to make a strong push for the #1 seed in the East. The biggest thing Frank Vogel needs to figure out right now is how to work Danny Granger into the rotation due to the emergence of Lance Stephenson as a legit wing partner to accompany Paul George.

2. Portland Trail Blazers (25-7): The Trail Blazers aren't slowing down at all, and I don't see them slowing down any time soon if at all. Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge are forming the best point guard/power forward duo since Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, who were the best point guard/power forward duo since John Stockton and Karl Malone. That kind of duo has been proven to be successful in the NBA, and when you add good wing guys like Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews, you got a recipe for championship success.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (25-6): The key for the Thunder will be to weather the storm until Russell Westbrook returns after the All-Star break. They have to find a way to keep Kevin Durant fresh enough for the last 6 minutes of the game so that he can go to work and close games. This means guys like Jeremy Lamb have to step up.

4. Miami Heat (24-7): When healthy, this is still the best team in the NBA. But if Dwayne Wade can't stay healthy, they are in serious trouble. But this is more of the overarching narrative of their season. As of right now, they are still playing really well, and LeBron James is playing like an MVP. However, so long as the Pacers remain ahead of them in the standings, they have to be worried about their 3-peat odds.

5. San Antonio Spurs (25-7): The Spurs are 0-6 against the Thunder, Trail Blazers, Rockets, and Clippers this season, which means they are 25-1 against the rest of the NBA. The point is, they are playing really well, but not against the teams they will have to beat to reach the NBA finals. While they are still viewed as the team to beat out West, they'll want to beat some of these teams before the playoffs start to validate their status as such.

6. Phoenix Suns (19-11): The key to the Phoenix Suns' success is quality coaching, unselfish play, and a sound frontcourt and backcourt. These Suns aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Look for them to be a playoff team come April.

7. Golden State Warriors (20-13): The Warriors have won 6 straight games including a stomping of the Nuggets in Denver. The return of Andre Iguodala seems to have made a big difference to this team. If they're healthy, look out. They have a nice balance of scoring with David Lee, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and defense with Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut. However, their bench is a bit of a concern outside of Harrison Barnes, which is why its imperative for them that their starting five stays healthy.

8. Houston Rockets (21-13):  They've overall held their own against the best teams in the Western Conference this season. With as deep as the West is, it's hard to see them reach the NBA Finals, but if Dwight Howard can average 25 points per game or more in the playoffs, they'll be able to make a run.

9. Los Angeles Clippers (21-12): Getting spanked at home by the Suns is actually pretty alarming despite the success that the Suns are having. Doc Rivers is trying to light a fire in the belly of his team by telling them they haven't done anything yet and also saying they are still a "work in progress". He doesn't want his team to start thinking they are entitled to championship level respect from opponents. I like what Rivers is doing, and now it's time to see if his team responds well to his words.

10. Dallas Mavericks (19-13): Given the ridiculous depth of the Western Conference, it's easy for a quality team like the Mavericks to get lost in the shuffle. This team has tremendous offensive potency and can hang with anybody on the offensive end. They just need to shore up their defense a bit by getting Samuel Dalembert rolling.

11. Atlanta Hawks (18-14): With Al Horford out for the season, they're going to need Paul Millsap to step up even more. He's averaging a solid 17.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game right now, but if he can have games like he did on Tuesday (34 points and 15 rebounds), the Hawks will be able to hang on to the #3 seed in the East. Of course, he won't be able to have games like that all the time, but if he can put up around 23 points and 10+ rebounds a game, that should be enough to keep them where they are at. Of course, the loss of Horford takes away any remote chance of advancing past the 2nd round of the playoffs.

12. Minnesota Timberwolves (15-16): Kevin Love not getting the call when Shawn Marion fouled him at the end of their game against the Mavericks was a sad reminder to the Timberwolves that Kevin Love is yet to earn superstar status, even though he plays better than half of the "superstars" in the NBA.

13. Toronto Raptors (14-15): They lead the Atlantic Division, which I guess speaks for something. Trading away Rudy Gay doesn't seem to be hurting their playoff odds at the moment, and rumor has it that Masai Ujiri isn't done making moves.

14. Washington Wizards (14-15): This team is much better when Bradley Beal is in the backcourt to accompany their budding all-star point guard John Wall. If Wall and Beal stays healthy, they'll easily be a playoff team in the horrible Eastern Conference.

15. New Orleans Pelicans (14-15): They went 1-4 on this their 5 game road trip against the Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Trail Blazers, and Kings. Not too pretty right now for the Pelicans.

16. Charlotte Bobcats (14-18): I'm convinced that a Kemba Walker/Al Jefferson duo has a lot of promise. The record says otherwise, but I expect these guys to get above .500 by season's end.

17. Denver Nuggets (14-16): The Nuggets are missing the presence of Danilo Gallinari. Hopefully he can come back soon.

18. Memphis Grizzlies (13-17): The return of Marc Gasol will be a big boost to this team. But will it be a big enough boost to vault them into the playoffs?

19. Detroit Pistons (14-19): If Josh Smith is only going to average 15 points and 6.5 rebounds, they might as well trade him. They would be better off to focus on running a heavier dose of pick and roll basketball with Brandon Jennings and Andre Drummond/Greg Monroe.

20. Boston Celtics (13-18): The return of Rajon Rondo is coming soon. If the rest of their division continues to flounder, look for the return of Rondo to get them into the playoffs by winning the Atlantic Division.

21. Chicago Bulls (12-18): Losing Luol Deng for any extended period of time is beyond disastrous for this team after Derrick Rose going down. Hopefully with Deng back playing, they don't have to play any more games without him.

22. Los Angeles Lakers (13-19): The Lakers front office looks incredibly incompetent right now with the way they overpaid Kobe Bryant and also tried to convince their fans that they are building a contender around him. It's almost laughable.

23. Sacramento Kings (10-20): Rudy Gay and the Kings could be a nice fit together. The Kings need another all-star and Rudy Gay needs a permanent home.

24. Brooklyn Nets (10-21): Is there anything positive to say about this team? Brook Lopez is done for the season, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are pissed off, and Jason Kidd is counting the days until he is fired. This team is beyond a disaster.

25. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-21): With Andrew Bynum suspended from the team, it's back to the lottery for this team.

26. Orlando Magic (10-21): Arron Afflalo wants to get all-star consideration, but with this kind of record, it'll be hard for him to get any consideration from coaches, though I do think he deserves serious consideration.

27. New York Knicks (9-21): The Knicks are an embarrassment to the mecca of basketball that is Madison Square Garden.

28. Utah Jazz (10-24): If this team were in the East, they'd be a playoff team. No joke. Trey Burke is playing really well, Alec Burks is proving to be a really nice fit in the back court and Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter are showing why there is so much hype around them. Of course, they play in the monstrously tough Western Conference, so they aren't going to get a lot of wins to show for it.

29. Philadelphia 76ers (9-21): They have fallen back to earth. After their hot start, they've dropped back into the range where we thought they'd be. Of course, given the pathetic state of their division and the Eastern Conference, they are only 5.5 games out of the division lead and 3.5 games back of the #8 seed in the East.

30. Milwaukee Bucks (7-24): Brandon Knight's 37 points against the Lakers on New Year's Eve gives this team a flicker of hope for future success in a season that has them winning the race for the most ping pong balls in the NBA Draft Lottery.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord 

NBA Christmas Day Preview

For die hard NBA Basketball fans, Christmas Day is a fun day purely because it is filled with NBA basketball; for casual fans it's sort of the day that the NBA season kicks off. So if you are one of the die hard NBA fans, this article isn't really for you to read, although you will still enjoy reading it! This is for the casual fan who wants to know "What should I look for with these games? Why do these teams matter?" So with that, I will give you a quick preview to each game and give you reasons to watch and things to look for.

Chicago Bulls (10-16) @ Brooklyn Nets (9-18) (Noon ET on ESPN): 

It's been a disappointing season for both the Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets this season as both teams entered the season with championship aspirations and so far neither team appears to be capable of turning things around. The Bulls have lost their star point guard Derrick Rose for the season due to tearing the MCL in the knee opposite of the knee that had ACL surgery and the Nets have lost their star center Brook Lopez for the season due to a broken foot. So with both teams basically out of the championship race, why should you watch this game?

Well, for one thing, both of these teams faced off in the playoffs last year and it proved to be quite a battle that resulted in the Bulls advancing to the second round of the playoffs. The Nets will be out for some revenge and the Bulls will be out to show that they still won't go down without a fight (more of their motto for the season than for just this game).  Secondly, Nets head coach Jason Kidd just came out and said "We're getting really close to just accepting losing." It'll be interesting to see if his team responds to his harsh words and plays well, or if they play uninspiring basketball again and let down the Brooklyn fans on Christmas Day. Lastly, Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau always has the Bulls play tough and play as a team. It's always fun to watch quality team basketball in today's NBA that isn't predicated on star play, but predicated on defense, rebounding, and hustle.

Oklahoma City Thunder (22-5) @ New York Knicks (9-18) (2:30 PM ET on ABC): 

Unlike the previous game, this game features a team that is a championship contender. That team would be the Oklahoma City Thunder. The New York Knicks on the other hand have been a disaster so far this season. They have shown utterly no ability to form a cohesive unit. It's basically been Carmelo Anthony jacking up 30 shots a game to keep the team within 5 points at the end of the game. Amar'e Stoudemire hasn't been healthy and he hasn't been playing anywhere close to where he used to be when he was an all-star, and the additions of Metta World Peace and Andrea Bargnani haven't exactly given the team the kind of boost they were hoping for. For the Knicks, beating the Thunder on Christmas Day would be a small step forward towards showing that they aren't totally dead this season.

As for the Thunder, they have less to prove today. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are both playing fantastic basketball along with their big man Serge Ibaka. They'll definitely want to win, but beating the Knicks won't tell us much about the Thunder. Even if Kevin Durant goes off for like 60 points, we won't learn much about the Thunder since all we will say is "The Knicks still suck".

In short, this game is all about the Knicks. This is their chance to show that they aren't totally dead and it's also their chance to show that Carmelo Anthony can be a clutch player who can lead his team to win big games against great teams (provided Carmelo Anthony's ankle allows him to play).

Miami Heat (21-6) @ Los Angeles Lakers (13-15): 

Like the previous game, this game has one contender (Miami Heat) and one team that isn't (Los Angeles Lakers). The Lakers were hoping to have Kobe Bryant back for Christmas Day, and while he returned before Christmas, he has gone down with a fractured left knee that will keep him out for several weeks. The Lakers are also without Steve Nash, and Pau Gasol remains the only really recognizable player on this team to the casual basketball fan that is actually able to play today.
The only thing to look for when it comes to the Lakers today, is to see if Mike D'Antoni has the ability to get these guys to play above their level of expectation like Tom Thibodeau has done with the Bulls. Beyond that, there isn't much to glean from the Lakers. Kobe is out and even when he's healthy, they aren't contenders anyways.

As for the Heat, the thing to look for will be kind of along a similar vein as the Thunder. Look for them to remind us of why they are a contending team (back-to-back champs)  and why LeBron James is the best player in the NBA. An easy and sound drubbing of the Lakers would be reminder to us that the Heat are still the team to beat in the NBA, but it wouldn't teach us anything new.

In short, there isn't much to take away from this game. The Heat are contenders and they don't need to prove that to us today, though they can remind us of that; and the Lakers are clinging to a position where they can maybe make a playoff push when Kobe comes back.

Houston Rockets (18-11) @ San Antonio Spurs (22-6): 

Finally, we have game that features two teams that actually are in the championship picture!! The San Antonio Spurs are once again flying under the radar with an impressive record and winning in a wide variety of ways thanks to their hall of fame players Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili and their hall of fame coach Gregg Popovich. The Spurs are sure to be a tough out come playoff time and still probably are my pick to win the Western Conference and get back to the NBA Finals. Look for the Spurs to put on another exhibition of high quality basketball with off the ball screens, and passes that accurately hit cutting players. That is how basketball is supposed to be played!

As for the Rockets, look to see how Dwight Howard fits in with his new team. The Rockets have high hopes for their season, and believe that they have a contending team with the arrival of Dwight Howard. A win against the Spurs today would be a big win for them since it would send a message that they are a serious contending team. The Spurs are the standard in the West, and if you can beat them on the road in San Antonio, you can beat any team anywhere. This is by far the biggest game today in terms of indicating where teams are in the championship picture. If the Rockets win today or even if they play the Spurs close, we'll have to take the Rockets seriously going forward. If the Rockets get stomped, it won't mean that they can't compete or contend, but it will mean that they are still much more of a work in progress.

Los Angeles Clippers (20-9) @ Golden State Warriors (16-13): 

This is by far the most entertaining game of the day, which is why I'm glad it's last! The Clippers have high flyers Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan receiving lobs from their star point guard Chris Paul and the Warriors have perhaps the best 3-point shooting backcourt of all-time in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The "Splash Brothers" as they are called can shoot from literally anywhere on the court and seem to shoot with more confidence than anybody else in the league. The point is, if you like offense, you'll love this game!!! This is the exact opposite of the Bulls-Nets game to start the day. There will be tons of scoring, dunks, and long-range shots in today's Clippers-Warriors game!

As for what this game means for championship ramifications, both these teams are expected to be capable of making a deep run in the playoffs later this season. The Clippers have a legitimate MVP candidate in Chris Paul who will want to show today why he is a worthy MVP candidate and the hands down best point guard in the NBA. The Clippers have looked really strong this year and are in good positioning already. With this game on the road and the Warriors being behind the Clippers in the standings, this game means a lot more for the Warriors than it does for the Clippers. The Warriors will want to win this game to show that they still belong in the same conversation as the Clippers and that while they don't have Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, they do have guys that can hold their own in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord 

The NBA Needs To Fix Its All-Star Selection Process And Possibly Ban Fan Voting All Together

The NBA All-Star Game claims to be a game that features the best players in the game of basketball, rewarding those who have played the best basketball over the first half of the NBA season. However, in recent years, those who get the most all-star votes are frequently not the most deserving players. For example, Kobe Bryant has over 500,000 all-star votes for this season while only having played a couple of games so far. In addition to that, Jeremy Lin has more all-star votes than Russell Westbrook, Tony Parker, James Harden, and nearly 5 times the votes of Damian Lillard; and Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge (the two best power forwards in the Western Conference and possibly the NBA), don't have as many all-star votes as Blake Griffin, who is certainly all-star worthy, but not worthy of being an all-star starter.

I could go on and on about other blatant issues with the voting results thus far (Steve Nash having more votes than Damian Lillard; Ray Allen having nearly 100,000 votes; and Kyrie Irving having 3 times as many votes as John Wall), but I will instead try to be solutions oriented and propose some changes to some obvious flaws in the all-star voting system.

Change #1: Don't Allow Fans To Vote Until Christmas; Make Players Play an x number of games before they can get votes. 

This change would fix a lot of problems I think. This would prevent cases like Kobe Bryant getting half a million votes before playing a single minute. If the NBA wants to have the All-Star Game reward the best players in the game with the honors of starting, then they need to make sure that those who are durable and those who actually have played games get the honor of starting. Without this change, the NBA All-Star Game will have to change its name to the NBA Most Popular Players Game, which is actually a different category than being an "All-Star". An "All-Star" is supposed to be a player who exemplifies excellence in the sport among the world's best, not a player who wins a popularity contest. By having players have to play a certain amount of games before they are eligible to be voted for, this would at least guarantee that in order to get in the all-star game as a starter you have to have participated in the season to a certain extent. Guys like Kobe Bryant under this system would either (a) not appear on the ballot until playing a certain portion of games (e.g. 15 games) or (b) appear on the ballot but be locked, meaning that until they play say 15 games, they won't be able to be voted for.

Change #2: Put A Reminder On The Ballot About What An "All-Star" Is

This may not do anything, but it would help if the NBA at least put on its ballot front and center something along the lines of: "An all-star is one who has excelled most at the game of basketball over the course of the season. One should receive votes not based on achievements from previous seasons, celebrity status, or out of blinded favoritism. Voting for an all-star is a vote for a player who you think is honestly deserving of this high honor of based on their play. Votes for reasons other than that are considered unfair by the league."

Now one may ask what good will that do? Probably not much, but it would at least be a reminder to fans under what criteria they should be voting on. It would also add an extra sense of weight and seriousness to the event. Fans should know that being voted an all-star starter is a tremendous honor and that it isn't fair for certain players to not get votes because they play in a smaller market, etc.

Change #3: Be More Selective On Who Gets On The Main All-Star Ballot 

Technically, every NBA player is eligible to be voted for an all-star starting job, but only a select amount are front and center on the ballot. The fact that Jeremy Lin has 5 times the number of votes as Damian Lillard is absurd and an embarrassment that shows an obvious flaw in the voting process. What flaw is that? The flaw is that a player who gains votes entirely based on his international outreach and not basketball abilities is front and center for all to vote for. I like Jeremy Lin a tremendous amount and I respect his journey, etc. But he honestly isn't a player good enough to be one of the select few who are front and center on the ballot. He should have to be voted in via the write-in option, which would lower his all-star votes since so many people would be like "Where's Jeremy Lin?" or at least be too lazy to scroll down and vote him in via write-in. The NBA should only put players on the ballot who they think are clearly all-star worthy or worthy of being starters. Aside from that, everybody else should be write-in.

Change #4: Have A Minimum Stats Requirement For All-Stars 

This would be a really easy thing for the league to implement. I don't know why they don't do this. All the NBA needs to do to ensure the best players get voted in is make the criteria for being an all-star starter a certain level of ability. The best stat to use for this is the efficiency rating, which factors in all player statistics and puts it into a +/- score. The best efficiency ratings are around +25 and above (Kevin Love and Kevin Durant are nearly at +30). In order to be an all-star starter, the league should make it so that a player has to be at +25 or higher in order to be a starter. If two players are both above this level of efficiency, then the fan vote decides from there. E.g. If Blake Griffin gets an efficiency at +25 or higher, then he should be able to start ahead of Kevin Love by having more votes than Kevin Love even though Kevin Love has played better. However, if Griffin doesn't make this mark of efficiency, then having more votes than Kevin Love won't allow him to start ahead of Love (or LaMarcus Aldridge for that matter). I think this type of system would be a fair hybrid between letting the fans decide and making sure the best players in the NBA get to start.

Change #5: Threaten To Take Away Fan Voting Privileges

This seems like a mean tactic, but it's not as mean as the sixth change that I'll propose (I think you will figure out what it will be if you haven't already). Threatening to take away fan voting privileges may be something that the NBA should consider. They should threaten to take away fan voting on the grounds of integrity, stating that unless fan voting starts to more accurately reflect who really should be an all-star starter, then the league will resort to having players, owners, general managers, and coaches make the decisions on who should be an all-star starter as well as an all-star reserve. It would be interesting to see how voting results would differ if the league made such a statement.

Change #6: Take Away Fan Voting Privileges 

If the NBA threatens to take away fan voting privileges, and the fans still vote like idiots, then the NBA will have no choice to but to follow through on their threat and actually cut fans off from the voting process entirely. Seems mean, huh? Well, the reality is that those who are casting these idiotic votes are pissing off the rest of us who are educated basketball fans. Guys like me who vote for Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Stephen Curry because they are the best players at their positions would happily welcome any change that prevented idiot fans from altering the all-star selection process even if it meant that our ability to vote has to be taken away. The NBA says "The game is for the fans", but which "fans"are they talking about? What constitutes a "fan"? A true basketball fan wants to see the best players rewarded for their hard work and see the best five players from each conference start the all-star game. They don't want to see an aging has-been start while the best players sit on the bench to start the game. If the NBA wants to reward the real basketball fans and not the fake fans with blind allegiances to certain players and their own teams, then the NBA should ban fan voting, and give the educated fans who really care about the game the comfort of knowing that guys like them are making the decisions on who is and who isn't an all-star.

If the NBA were to make this change (which I would be happy with), then they should at least allow fans to vote on who should be in the dunk contest, the skills competitions, etc. This should happen at the expense of players' wishes. They should allow fans to vote for whoever they want for these events, which means that if LeBron James gets voted to do the dunk contest, then he has to do it. This way, the more casual fans  who vote based on celebrity status or other non-basketball related reasons would get to see their favorite players participate in a wide variety of events on all-star weekend, but the integrity of the all-star game would remain intact. I think under this system we have a win-win situation. The all-star game would truly represent the best current players in the game (since the only votes are coming from people within the league) and the former stars or players with only celebrity status would still make appearances for those fans who want to see them play even if they aren't worthy of being actual all-stars.

In conclusion, how many of these changes do I actually welcome? The answer is all six, and the last change I welcome the most. The NBA has a problem, and that problem is that they have a system in place which doesn't reward the best players in the NBA with a chance to be an all-star starter. It rather rewards players who play in bigger markets and also rewards delusional fans who don't vote for the right reasons. The NBA has to make changes to make the All-Star Game a game for the best players in the world to shine, and not a game that rewards players based on some other criteria.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord 

Why It's Terrible For The NBA To Have Such An Appalling Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference in the NBA is about as bad as it has ever been. Sure the Miami Heat (13-3) and the Indiana Pacers (15-1) are playing fantastic basketball, but those are only 2 out of 15 teams who call the Eastern Conference home. Of the remaining 13 teams in the conference, only the 9-9 Atlanta Hawks have a winning percentage of .500 or better, and to make things worse, the entire Atlantic Division is deeply submerged beneath the .500 mark with the 6-9 Toronto Raptors leading the division with a winning percentage of .400. The Eastern Conference has been bad before, but it has been quite a while since it has been this bad. While it is somewhat entertaining in a rather pathetic way to watch the entire Eastern Conference stink so badly, it actually is really bad for the NBA. So bad, that the NBA should consider eliminating conferences and instead send the top 16 teams to the NBA playoffs regardless of conference.

The reason that this is so bad, is because this greatly hurts the NBA's product and competitiveness. What fans want to see is the best possible basketball, and by having such lousy teams all clumped in one geographic region, the NBA's overall competitiveness and marketability is greatly harmed because (a) the best teams don't go to the playoffs and (b) one half of the country is surrounded by lousy basketball, which means fans of east coast teams won't want to watch the NBA. I have felt for quite some time that the NBA ought to flirt with the idea of shaking things up by instead sending the top 16 teams in the NBA to one tournament instead of breaking it up by Eastern and Western Conferences, and after seeing how this season is going, I've become even more convinced that the NBA needs to go this route. I understand the rationale behind having the conferences on the grounds that it makes travel easier, creates more playoff teams across all three NBA timezones, etc. But the NBA needs to at least have some sort of a clause that prevents things from getting this bad or out of whack.

One possible option is for the NBA to say that only division winning teams are guaranteed spots and from there, the remaining ten teams can come from either conference. By switching to a 6 division/10 wildcard format, the NBA could preserve some of its geographic balance while also allowing the best teams to make the playoffs. In this year's case, it may still result in a sub .500 team making the playoffs, but for the most part, at least one team in each division is good enough to be well above the .500 mark. I think this option is an option that the NBA should strongly consider.

The NBA could also provide a clause that says you have to be above .500 to make the playoffs. Such a clause would ensure that all competitive teams in each conference go, but it would prevent the current calamity that is afflicting the Eastern Conference from happening. If one conference can only produce three teams with winning records, than the remaining spots should be awarded to Western Conference teams who can play above the .500 mark. In cases where you don't have 16 teams at .500 or better, you could at least make it so that the top 16 teams in the NBA go.

Whatever the solution is, something like the above mentioned suggestions is better than the NBA not doing anything to fix this problem of having such a horrible Eastern Conference. It's one thing when a conference has maybe one or two teams in the 7 and 8 spot under .500. But when 13 out of 16 teams in the conference are below the .500 mark, something is going horribly wrong. I know it's too late for the NBA to fix the problem this season, but I pray that the NBA will give this issue some serious thought and try to do whatever they possibly can do to prevent such a horrible disaster like this from happening again.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord 

What Every NBA Team Has To Be Thankful For

Thanksgiving is a time of year to reflect on what matters most to us in life and what we are most thankful for. As all 30 NBA teams got Thanksgiving day off, I thought it would be fun to acknowledge at least one thing that each NBA team can be thankful for at this time of year. It may be hard for some teams to feel grateful for something at this time of year, but you can rest assured that there is something that your team can be thankful for! So rejoice in hearing the good news for your team!

Atlanta Hawks: The Atlanta Hawks still have a ways to go before they can be considered a contending team, but one thing we know for certain is that Josh Smith was not going to lead them to a title. The Hawks should be thankful that Josh Smith is no longer their headache and that he is now a member of the Pistons. They should also be thankful to have a more quality guy like Paul Millsap in their organization to take his place.

Boston Celtics: The Boston Celtics are entering full re-building mode, with the days of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen over. Only Radian Rondo is left from the era as Doc Rivers has bolted for the City of Angels to coach the Clippers. While it may seem like the Celtics don't have anything to be thankful for, they actually do have some things to be thankful for. One of those things being that the 2014 NBA draft is stacked and the other being that have a quality franchise player to build around in Rajon Rondo. A lot of teams in the NBA would love to have an elite point guard like Rajon Rondo to build around. The fact that the Celtics have that puts them well ahead of a lot of teams.

Brooklyn Nets: The Nets' season so far has been an utter and complete disaster. Jason Kidd is spilling soda pop on the court to call pseudo-timeouts, Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, Jason Terry, and Andrei Kirilenko have all been injured, and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce look like the aging stars that they are. But if there is anything that the Nets can be thankful for, it is that the Knicks stink as much as they do, and also, the entire Eastern Conference has been awful. That means they still have plenty of time to get healthy, figure out their team, make the playoffs, and maybe make some noise.

Charlotte Bobcats: This one is pretty obvious. The Charlotte Bobcats can be thankful that next season, they will be known as the Charlotte Hornets. The return of "Buzz City" will make NBA basketball in Charlotte exciting again and also something that Charlotte fans can get behind.

Chicago Bulls: For the Chicago Bulls, it's hard to think of what they have to be thankful for after Derrick Rose goes down again (this time he tore the meniscus in his other knee). But if there is anything they can be thankful for it is that Derrick Rose can still be a major part of their future and that his torn meniscus can regain full strength with proper rehab. They can also be thankful for the fact that Derrick Rose has already made a full recovery in the past. Hopefully next Thanksgiving, the Bulls can be thankful for a healthy Derrick Rose on his way back to MVP form.

Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cleveland Cavaliers have enough to be thankful for to mask the obviously horrible start by #1 overall draft pick Anthony Bennett. One of the main things they can be thankful for is the fact that the 76ers gave up on Andrew Bynum and didn't make any effort to re-sign him in the summer. Bynum still may eventually shape up to be a quality center for them to accompany Kyrie Irving, and it wouldn't have happened had the 76ers invested in Andrew Bynum past last season. Also, the Cavaliers can be thankful for the fact that they have Kyrie Irving, who may one day become the best point guard in the NBA.

Dallas Mavericks: What the Mavericks have to be thankful for is the fact that every team in the NBA overlooked Monta Ellis in free agency. Ellis has been a great fit in Dallas and has given them the perfect offensive punch that they have needed. I'm not saying the Mavericks are contenders with Ellis, but they'll be in the mix all season long for a playoff spot (which in the Western Conference might be all that you need) as a result of picking up Monta Ellis.

Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets should be grateful for finding Brian Shaw to replace George Karl as head coach. I've never been really high on George Karl as a head coach, primarily because I think he underachieved as a coach of the Seattle Supersonics in the 90s, only reaching the NBA Finals once while having Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp to work with. But, with that being said, Karl is still a quality coach, and letting him go would have been a big mistake had they not been fortunate enough to find a quality replacement in Brian Shaw.

Detroit Pistons: The Pistons in free agency went from being a bottom feeder of a bad Eastern Conference to being a potential playoff team through picking up Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith. Both those guys along with Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe ought to lead the Pistons to the playoffs this season, which for the Pistons is a huge step in the right direction.

Golden State Warriors: The Golden State Warriors have a lot to be thankful for. They signed Andre Iguodala in the off season, they have great fans, and a chance to make a deep playoff run, etc. But if there is one thing that the Warriors should be most thankful for, it is that they have a quality front office and a quality ownership that has a vision for the franchise. The Warriors lacked this kind of vision in the previous ownership, but now that they have these new guys at the helm, the Warriors can be sure to contend for many championships in the future.

Houston Rockets: If there is anything the Rockets can be thankful for, it is landing Dwight Howard in the summer. I know things didn't work out for Dwight in Los Angeles and Orlando, but he still is the premiere franchise center in the NBA. Landing Dwight Howard may have dramatically changed the course of this franchise.

Indiana Pacers: The Pacers should be grateful for signing Paul George to a max extension in the offseason, and locking him up as their key franchise player to build a championship caliber team around.

Los Angeles Clippers: This team needed a better coach than Vinny Del Negro, and they got one in Doc Rivers. They should be thankful for landing Doc Rivers as their head coach, which hopefully will take their already talented roster to new heights.

Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers should be thankful that Kobe Bryant will play basketball again. I didn't agree with the fat contract extension that they just gave Kobe Bryant, but they should be grateful that they got a couple more season to see if he can bring them a title. I don't think he will, but if they didn't have him, they'd be back to page one (which thankfully for the Lakers isn't as bad as it is for other team).

Memphis Grizzlies: After Marc Gasol went down with a knee injury, thoughts of a torn ACL had to cross the minds all Grizzlies fans. The Grizzlies should be thankful it's just a sprain and that he'll only be out for a couple of weeks.

Miami Heat: The Miami Heat have many things to be thankful for, but the main thing they have to be thankful for is that they have the best basketball player on the planet in LeBron James. So long as they have him, they'll be the toughest team to stop in the NBA.

 Milwaukee Bucks: They're playing terrible, but they should be thankful that the 2014 NBA Draft is stacked and that they have good odds at getting a quality franchise player to build around in the draft. Plus, they should be grateful that they no longer have Brandon Jennings, and instead have  a quality point guard in Nate Wolters who fell to them late in the draft. Bucks fans, feel grateful! There is reason to rejoice in the future of the Bucks!

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Timberwolves should be grateful to have the best big man in the game in Kevin Love. He's playing like a hall of fame big man, and so long as they have him, they'll be a force in the Western Conference. They should also be grateful to have picked up Kevin Martin in free agency.

New Orleans Pelicans: The Pelicans should be grateful for having Anthony Davis pan out. Sometimes #1 picks don't become franchise changing players, but thankfully for them, they have a franchise changing player in Anthony Davis to build around for years to come.

New York Knicks: The Knicks should be grateful that the Nets suck as well. If the Nets were really good and the Knicks were horrible, the New York media would be ripping into them like piranhas ripping into dead gorilla floating down the amazon.

Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder obviously have one thing to be grateful for among all the things they can be grateful for, which is that Russell Westbrook returned earlier than expected and that he is looking healthy. As a result, they'll be able to get a high seed in the Western Conference and make a deep run into the playoffs.

Orlando Magic: The dust has cleared from the Dwight Howard trade that sent Howard to the Lakers, Andrew Bynum to the 76ers, and Nikola Vucevic to the Magic. The Magic ironically won that trade, which is what they should be feeling grateful for. At the end of the day, the Magic look like the smart ones in that trade. Plus, they got a promising rookie in Victor Oladipo who can be a key piece for them to build around in the future.

Philadelphia 76ers: The 76ers should be grateful that Michael Carter-Williams may end up being the steal of the draft. The NBA is point guard driven, and they likely have already found their franchise point guard to build around in MCW.

Phoenix Suns: The Suns should be grateful to have hired Jeff Hornacek as head coach. Hornacek has this young, inexperienced Suns team playing way better than they were expected to, which is largely due to his credit. Expect Hornacek to be the head coach of this team for a long long time.

Portland Trail Blazers: They are 13-3, Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge are a legit one-two punch, and they are holding their own in a tough Western Conference. Plus, Greg Oden is gone. The Trail Blazers have a lot to be thankful for in addition to having an easy schedule to start the season.

Sacramento Kings: The Kings (and more importantly their fans) should be thankful that their team is staying in Sacramento.

San Antonio Spurs:  I could say that the Spurs should be grateful for Tony Parker, Tim Ducan, Gregg Popovich, etc. But that would be too obvious. What Spurs fans should be thankful for is that no team in the West leapfrogged them in terms of being favored to win the West over the Summer. The Warriors and Rockets improved their teams, but I still gotta put the Spurs ahead of both teams right now.

Toronto Raptors: In order to have a successful NBA franchise, the first thing a team needs is quality management. The Raptors hired last season's Executive of the Year Award winner Masai Ujiri to be their new GM. Somehow the Nuggets let him go, which means that the Raptors should be sending thank you cards to the Nuggets' front office very soon. For the Raptors, they should definitely be thankful to have Masai Ujiri as their general manager.

Utah Jazz: The Utah Jazz are awful this season, but they should be thankful to have quality young players to build around for the future and also an absolutely stacked draft in 2014. They are in prime position to land either Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins in the draft, which could greatly change their franchise for the better.

Washington Wizards: The Wizards should be thankful that so far, John Wall is living up to his max contract and is looking like an elite franchise point guard.

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord