NBA ALL STAR GAME 2009 - PHOENIX

ALL STAR TEAMS ANNOUNCED!!!

After the starters were announced a couple of weeks ago the coaches have decided on the final make-up of the two teams who will heat things up in the Valley of the Sun. As there is everywhere, there are a few suprises. Only 1 team has 3 players making the roster, wihle 5 teams have 2 players. There are 3 players making their first appearance at an all-star game. Some may suprise. Lets Take a look at the two teams. WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

STARTERS

Chris Paul, PG (Hornets) 21.1 PPG, 11.1 APG, 2.8 SPG, 5.4 RPG

Thoroughly deserved. If McGrady had of been voted in ahead of CP3 this game would have been laughable. At age 23, this kid could be the greatest Point Guard in NBA history when his career finally closes.

Kobe Bryant, SG (L.A Lakers) 26.6 PPG, 5.2 APG, 5.6 RPG How could you not invite the man? Arguably, still improving there is no one more skilled in the game than Kobe. Like Jordan he sets the tone for the All-star game while on the floor.

Amare Stoudamire, PF (Phx Suns) 21.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.1 BPG

STAT is still talented but perhaps not standing so tall. If not for the fans' vote he may not have even been part of the weekend's festivities. Good luck guarding LeBron for the first 6 minutes.

Tim Duncan, PF (S.A Spurs) 20.6 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 1.9 BPG.

The fundamentalist throughly deserves his starters role. Keeping the Spurs in contention while Parker and Ginobli both recovered from injuries.

Yao Ming, C (Houston Rockets) 19.6 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.6 BPG

I dont think he's anything special to watch in an all-star game, but he deserves to be here. He has kept the Rockets around the 5-6 spot in West with both Artest and McGrady out of action.

RESERVES

Shaquille O'neal, C (PHX Suns) 18.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.6 BPG

Now a 15 time all star- 2nd only to the goggled one, Shaq has had a great season. Probably his best since helping the Heat win it at all back in 05-06. Probably deserves to be there even more than his frontcourt team-mate

Pau Gasol, PF (LA Lakers) 17.3 PPG, 9 RPG, .9 BPG

Has he really been that good? Bah - i'd rather see LeMarcus Aldridge from the Blazers. Or even Jason Terry. But he is on a strong Laker team and has been the so called difference maker

Dirk Nowitzki, PF (Mavericks) 25.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG, .8 BPG

Having a great season Dirk cant play pretty all-star ball but he thoroughly deserves his selection

Chauncey Billups, PG (Denver Nuggets) 18.8 PPG, 6.5 APG, 1.5 SPG

The team is 2nd and the West and Billups has been instrumental. I'd still rather see Jason Kidd in an all-star game than Billups.

Tony Parker, PG (S.A Spurs) 20.4 PPG, 6.6 APG, .9 SPG

Yeah! Due to an overload of Western Conference point guard talent he has missed out for 2 straight years. Welcome back Tony! Brandon Roy, SG (Portland) 22.4 PPG, 5.1 APG, .356 3P%

He is the man in Portland. This 3 year man is a great leader and will has the ball in his hands down the stretch either getting to the line, scoring or making the right pass.

David West, PF (N.O Hornets) 20.1 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1 BPG

Maybe not as deserving as a year ago, but still a solid season by West. I think there a

EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

STARTERS

Allen Iverson, SG (Detroit Pistons) 17.7 PPG, 5.3 APG, . Can you believe HE is the Piston chosen to the team? Yikes! Dwayne Wade, SG (Miami Heat) 28.5 PPG, 7.2 APG,

What a season, what a player. Love it. A true superstar of the game is back. Leading the league in scoring, he is why the Heat are as good as they are this year.

LeBron James, SF (Cleveland Cavs) 27.9 PPG, 7 APG, 7.9 RPG

Look at those numbers. Enough said.

Kevin Garnett, PF (Boston Celtics) 16.2 PPG, 9 RPG, 1.2 BPG

Not having a great season but the mystique that surrounds garnett is irrestible

Dwight Howard, C (Magic) 20 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 3.2 BPG

SU PER MANNN !!!!! His place as a superstar of the league was cemented by the fans. This year he polled more votes than anyone in the history of the All-Star Weekend. He's leading the league in both rebounds and blocks.

RESERVES

Devin Harris, PG (NJ Nets) 21.6 PPG, 6.5 APG, 1.7 SPG

hould be starting. Thank god the coaches selected him. Should see a lot of minutes going against CP3

Danny Granger, SF (Ind. Pacers) 25.8 PPG, 5 RPG, 3.4 APG

Yeah he is having a breakout season. He is the future 6th man for years to come. He's 4th in the league in scoring average.

Jameer Neelson, PG (Orl Magic) 16.9 PPG, 5.4 APG, 1.2 SPG

Having a solid season for the Magic but all-star worthy?

Chris Bosh, PF (Toronto Raptors) 23.2 PPG, 9.7 RPG, .9 BPG

Chris Bosh is awesome. He can play. Wait til 2010 when he teams with Lebron in New York

Joe Johnson, SG (Atl. Hawks) 21.4 PPG, 6.2 APG, .336 3P%

The Armadillo Cowboy has a shimmy shake that's oh so pretty. Good selection.

A great combo guard who can score and distribute.

Rashard Lewis, PF (Orlando Magic) 19.3 PPG, 6 RPG, .6 BPG

What about David Lee, Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Andrew Bogut (haha) Mo Williams, Igoudala, Antawn Jamison?? ANYONE!!!!! Not happy at all with this.

Paul Pierce, SF (Boston Celtics) 18.8 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.8 APG

Like KG he has dropped off. Garnett voted in by the fans. But Allen has had a better season than Pierce.

BIGGEST SNUBS

Carmelo Anthony, Antawn Jamison, Kevin Martin, Al Jefferson, Ray Allen, Rajan Rondo (probably the best Celtic player this year), LeMarcus Aldridge, Deron Williams, Nene, Kevin Durant, Jason Terry

MOST LAUGHABLE PICKS

Allen Iverson , Allen Iverson and Allen Iverson. No No No - he deserves to be there - His first all-star game was in 2000. And he had been brilliant long before that selection. I say he should play in 2 more - even if he's retired to balance things out.

Nba Team by Team

MIAMI HEAT

Current Record - 24-19 (5th East) You cant keep D-Wade down. After an injury plagued season in '08 which saw the Heat slump to a dismal record, Flash is back in 08-09 and this time - thanks to a high draft pick - with some talent on the wing. Michael Beasley has been solid off the bench, and will be a solid player. It looks like it may take a little longer for him than Mayo and Rose. The Heat are looking to offload Marion, but who will they get? If Pat Riley dares trade him for Jermaine O'Neal i will be really ticked off. Jermaine O''Neal for Shaquille O'Neal?? what kind of trade is that? I can understand it as the Heat certainly need some help up front. Haslem has been great but his past his best and Jamal Magloire is utter puss. Could Pat Riley bring in someone like Nenad Krtistic from the Thunder. Probably not as Riley likes biggens with a more hard nosed edge. But the Heat are heating up and will be a playoff contender for the foreseable future. What's missing - An outside shooter (why not grab JJ Reddick??) and a big man.

Nba Team by Team

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Current Record - 11-33 (12th West) I like this team. As with the Blazers this team is full of promising young stars. The Grizzlies are just developing though much like the Thunder, Wolves. O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, Kyle Lowry - how much younger can a team get? Mayo is already the leader of this team and although expected to be good, was not expected to be this good this quickly, arguably having a better rookie season than Chris Paul. Marc Gasol will be better than his odler brother, Rudy Gay is a veratile player but hasn't deeloped as quickly as the Griz were hoping. Expect this team to run out of puff in the second half of the season. Under ex-coach Mark Ivaroney they were running around like headless chooks, with no clear system. Some fresh coaching ideas may help but the long rookie season will not do Memphis any favours. What's missing? - Experience

Nba Team By Team

Current Record - 15-32 (1st in South)

This team has a lot of promise and is definitely becoming more widely accepted as a respectable team. Especially in San Francisco where this Mexican team has had a cult following for some time. Lets take a look at some of the Bandits key players...

Their home town hero Speedy Gonzalez, is one to watch. This fiery Mexican's blazing speed makes for difficult viewing but by gosh can he get up the floor. The best way to defend him is with a big block of Gouda cheese which usually results in a turnover and a solid scolding by an irrate coach. This has led to a few suspensions for Gonzalez who has only made his way back into the rotation by putting on some raging fiestas for his team mates.

At the centre spot the Bandits are a rebounding machine with their Bosnian import Ima Lankybitch. This huge man is leading the league in rebounds averaging 24.5 a game - all defensive. As you can imagine this 8 foot 2 freak of nature doesnt have the speed to get up the court on offense, so he stays in the defensive lane waiting for the next chance to snare another board.

Ima's defense is always needed due to the Bandits small forward who is absolutely pitiful on defense - struggling to get back play after play. What he lacks on defense he sure makes up for on the offensive end though.

Jamaican sensation Rasta Fareon has a deft shooting touch and a great spin move. He even practises this on the bench, even in his hotel room at home while watching Spongebob Squarepants. He has become an outstanding penetrator for the Back Door Bandits. When the spin move fails, Fareon involuntary releases his potent move dubbed by the media as "the upper lip hurl curl". This causes problems for opposing defenses who are utterly disgusted by his yellow stained teeth, causing them to puke their guts up.

As a result of this opposing teams are now forced to watch hours of scouting video to prepare for the upper lip hurl curl. They also get made to watch episodes of Roseanne to assist their immunity to barfing. Fareon's biggest problem though is getting up and down the court. He always makes a quick 5 second pit stop at the bench before running back on D to dissipate what he calls "the dries".

Despite their promising roster, their Coach Cock Rivers has done a dismal job. This team is all too predictable. I mean how many times can you run a back-door play before it gets all to predictable. His defensive philospohy leaves too many open shooters. He always calls for the double team. Despite Coach Rivers not having much to say the players always seem keen to huddle up real close in the time outs as if he has something really important to say.

More on the Bandits so stay tuned...........

Nba Team by Team

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Current Record - 35-9 (1st West)

Yeah well its been about 5 years i guess. Time for another Lakers championship right? Let's brek this down. Phil Jackson has a great rotation with players to fill every need. Andrew Bynum is back and healthy. And they have Kobe Bryant, one of the top 5 players to ever lace up a pair of sneakers. But me - I still cant see them beating the Celtics. I can see them beating the Cavs but not the Celtics. Why? Despite Kobe's greatness they just dont have a second great player. Pau Gasol is a former all-star and may make the all-star team this year, but he just isn't the dominant player they do need. He as fitted well into the system as many thought he would. After all - Phil's style is as close to Euro-ball as it gets - requiring good hands and a decent mid range shot. But he doesn't have that toughness. And that's what i think will hurt the Lakers in the playoffs. They just aren't tough enough. Kobe can do as he pleases on the court, Derk Fisher has poise and is decent enough defensively. Lamar Odom is streaky - when he's on he is one of the most versatile players in the game, but too often he just seems to get lost with what he's doing. Expect the Lakers to have a tough Conference Finals and more than likely make the Finals. They have posted the wins to secure home court advantage but they have not been convincing as many thought they would. What's missing - Toughness. ANdrew Bynum and Kobe have a solid 5 years at the top. The Lakers could 3-peet again in a few years once Bynum becomes a force. Or will Kobe sook and force a trade if that happens? Hahaha

Nba Team by Team

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Current Record - 10-34 (13th West) Their name says it all. They are a Los. And their talent is constantly being clipped. Eric Gordon is a solid rookie so expect him to play another 2-3 years before signing with the Pacers. Sure they have been absolutely hammerd by injuries.

But B-Diddy (Baron Davis) what has happened? Maybe Nellie-ball is all you can play. Or perhaps you should go back to roller-skating?

You look at them and you wonder what might have been if they had not suffred injuries. But isn't that what everyone says? well, nearly every key player has sat out for a decent stretch. Let's look at the future - You have Eric Gordon and Al Thornton. Please LA! Keep these 2 together. Their names even rhyme. Sure Kaman, Camby and Ricky Buckets (Davis) are all in the twlilight of their careers but if Baron Davis and Zach Randolph can put in some quality performances and regain some trade value you never know. This team could be back in the playoffs in 3 years or so. Still. I'd hate to be a Clippers fan. What's missing - A culture in the front office of winning

Nba Team by Team

INDIANA PACERS

Current Record - 17-28 (14th East) Despite their record the Pacers aren't too bad. This season has been Danny Granger's coming out party. How good is he? Well he's no Scottie Pippen. Yet. And they can still make the playoffs only 3 games behind 8th placed Milwaukee. Larry Bird has done well to re-brand the Pacers after the infamous Artest scandal in Detroit. Jackson, Artest and O'neal are all gone and they are looking to rebuild around Granger. Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy can play. TJ Ford is a serviceable point.ANd they also have Marquis Daniels, a decent swingman off the bench. But still they just don't have that other key player to really threaten the likes of Cleveland and Boston in the East. Expect them to maybe creep int the playoffs and win one game before being shown the door for this season. What's missing - Rebounding, some help for Granger.

NBA Team by Team

HOUSTON ROCKETS

Current Record - 28-16 (6th West) What can you say about this team? So disappointing, yet still in contention? It would be hard to even argue that. Many tipped the Rockets to even make it out of the West ahead of the Lakers but everyone has scratched that idea and smacking their bot bots in believing once again that the rockets are going to make it out of the first round. Did the Rockets make it out of the first round before acquiring McGrady from Orlando? God. Who wants him? Any takers? Going once going twice, c'mon - we'll even take a fat 3 year contract? anyone? PLEASE!!! You wanted him Houston - you've got him. The back-spasming prodigee of 2000 is now a fully grown crippled man. And what is his claim to fame? One scoring title. C'mon T-Mac - ride on the coat-tails of Yao, listen to Rafer and play the system. You look at this team and they are as deep as bro. Scola, Yao, Battier, Artest, Alston, McGrady, Barry, Mutombo and Landry. What don't they have? Maybe one additional shooter is all that could be argued. This team needs to get healthy, Tracy needs to understand he is no longer an all-star and start playing to the system and they could still be a threat to the Lakers. No joke What's missing? - Health

Oneword in 60 seconds - Lock

doors lock. players are locks in pro sports. Basically a lock is another word for security.Security to prevent a disaster from occuring. Why didnt someone put a lock around the World Trades Centre? or around Bali? Policemen and security forcers are not locks. But do we want them to be?

Nba Team by Team

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Current record - 14 - 31 (11th West) The Warriors are not looking THAT bad. C'mon - For over ten years now they have lost every franchise player they have ever had. Tim Hardway, Chris Webber, Latrell Sprewell, Joe Smith, Antawn Jamison, and now Baron Davis. For fans to even be remotely interested still is amazing. They are the warriors. No worries. Let's just keep rollin' and keep just out of the playoffs. After defeating Dallas 2 seasons ago in what will go down as one of the greatest playoff upsets in history, Californian's, and for that matter connesseur's of the NBA were rejoicing. Finally the Warriors are back. But sure enough they lose that key player. As we stand the Warriors have a good young centre and a bucketloads of talent waiting to happen at the 2 and 3 spots. Crawford, Ellis, Azubuike, with veterans Maggette and Jackson also filling these spots. And what has happened to Marcus Williams? This guy looked almost on par with a Devin Harris last season (maybe a stretch) and now he is not even part of the rotation. I mean c'mon. Give the guy some burn. In NJ he was a more than adequate backup and looked to be a future starter/budding all-star waiting to happen. What's Missing - Stability, and some help at the 4 and 5 spots.

Jokes - Its so Hot....

It's so hot that I saw two trees fighting over a dog It's so hot, today I saw a chicken lay a fried egg It was so hot my cab driver was wearing an oscillating turban. It was so hot Bill Clinton got a slurpee and then went to 7/11 It was so hot out that North Korea test launched a long range Icy-pole

NBA Team by Team

DETROIT PISTONS

Currently 6th in the East. Joe Dumars. Perhaps his first mistake since taking the reins? Well maybe not. Something did need to happen. A move (or two) had to be made. With only 1 title out of 6 Conference Finals appearances the Pistons have not been able to get it done. Whether it be Miami, Cleveland or Boston - all teams made the necessary moves to dethrown the Pistons with success. Now the Pistons are faced with the same challenge. Joe D. not only had to imrpove his roster to keep up with other elite teams, but is also faced with an ageing roster. Moving Billups for Iverson could have worked. Perhaps it was only 1 year either side of working. If Iverson was a year older and Stuckey, Johnson and Maxiell a year older. However it is clear that Iverson is now more a liability than a positive for any team. A volume shooter, he needs to re-evaluate how he contributes to a team. He's still an effetive slasher, but has slowed somewhat, and he isn't a fantastic spot up shooter and he defenitely is not great defensively - despite his ability to poke a hand into the passing lane. Rip Hamilton is clearly hurting the most from the Billups trade. Billups and Hamilton knew each other's game and with Billups being able to pass Rip the ball off the curl Hamilton truly flourished - but without Billups Hamilton cannot find the same shots he once did. Unfortunately the Pistons strength is now there weakness. A redefining of their roles is needed. Billups, the orchestrator is gone, Brown and Saunders are also gone. Stuckey, a promising young talent and possible future all-star, is not Chauncey Billups and the Pistons need to build around Stuckey, Maxiell, Johnson and Prince. In my opinion moving Prince isn't the option. I think Hamilton has to go. Iverson's expiring contract should free up enough cap space to see the Pistons return as an elite team in a couple of years. For now though, the Pistons will have to cop their licks as a team who are only 50/50 to make it out of the first round. What's missing - leadership and chemistry

Tennis - Who deserves the money??

So who really deserves the big bucks? The Australian Open is the only major tournament where both men and women are paid equally. Is this deserved? I'm interested to see what you all think on this.

I for a long time have thought that men definitely deserved more moula than their female conuterparts. Now i feel a little differently about this subject.

Lets get this straight. These tennis players are in a business. They are in the money making business. They are pros. Professional sports is all about the money generated from their players. For a long time women have been paid unequally. The reason for this is that men are typically better at sport than women. In other words - if you put Roger Fedorer on a court with Serena Williams, Roger would make her look ridiculous. However, if you look at this argument and apply it to say netball. Despite women being underpaid, they would still be paid much higher than a professional men's netball team. Why? Not because men are better than women at sport. The underlying argument of the last decade has been due to the length of matches. Women are only playing best of 3 set matches, yet men are playing 5 sets - so working harder for there money. So they should be paid per the length of match they play. But lets apply that to basketball. Men and women both play 48 minutes - should they be paid equally? Professional sports all comes down to the money generated by its players. If people are prepared to pay the amount for a ticket for women's games as they are a men's then they should be paid accordingly. The day women stop filling centre court is the day the argument makes sense. Secondly - despite women only playing 3 sets you could argue that they still face the same challenges as men in terms of a battle of endurance. Points are typically much longer in the women's game, as they don't have ir-returnable power on the serve or off ground strokes. Men's service games can last less than a minute, while women can typically struggle to hold their serve and grind it out on the baseline. A perfect example of this is the matches i saw at this year's open I went to two night sessions and both times the women's match lasted longer than the men's match. Roger completely dismantled his opponent in less than an hour and a half winning 6-3, 6-0, 6-0, while Dokic battled for nearly 2.5 hours in a tough fought 3 setter. A week earlier Sam Stozer was in another gruelling 2.5 hour match and then Rafer Nadal came on and towled up his opponent in 1.5 hours. Typically it was thought that the men's draw was a lot tougher, with players being equally skilled through the top 50 ranks, while women had 1-2 top players and the rest were just hoping to avoid these players to get the biggest pay check. But Fedorer seeded 2 completely destroyed the number 8 seed. Number 8!! At the end of the day it comes down to the money the players can generate back into the sport. Sure Fedorer is the most marketable person in the sport, but behind him all players, whether men or women, these days generate equal interest either through sex appeal (these days the men are generating more interest than the women used to), or through the quality of tennis match they play. Let me know where you stand.

NBA - Team by Team

DENVER NUGGETS

Currently 3rd in West. Looking at the record of the Nuggets since acquiring Chauncey Billups from the Pistons in exchange for Allen Iverson it most certainly appears that Denver won the trade. Whats this? Joe Dumars making a bad move? While questons marks still surround this team defensively, they are no longer the chaotic scoring bunch they were during the Iverson years. Billups has brought structure and control to the Nuggets, which is defenitely needed with the like of 'Melo and a freakishly talented J.R Smith. These two players' will learn much from Billups and should benefit the most - just as Rip Hamilton did in Mo Town. However a bigger story than Billups' acquisition is the play of Nene Hilario. Struggling with injuries for 2 seasons Nene is back and has stepped up to fill the hole left by Marcus Camby. Sure he needs some help, but he has undoubtedly been the Nuggets best player. What's missing - quickness and defense. I'd love to see them break out of the first round finally. Screw the Rockets. I'll be interested in them when they get rid of McGrady.

NBA Team by Team

DALLAS MAVERICKS

8th in the West. Why oh Why Mr Cuban? Why are both Avery Johnson AND Devin Harris gone?? Harris' scoring is not the what is missed. Sure he is having a break-out year in a much more free wheeling system, but what is really missed is his quickness on defense. Jason Kidd, a Hall-of-Famer to be as he is, is well in decline and he just can't keep up with CP3, Parker or any PG in the league for that matter. It could be argued that PG's find their space through a solid pick so it doesnt really matter who you have, they will always find space coming off the pick - but the results don't lie. The Mavs were a true force in the west and now they will battle Phoenix, who have fallen off in tandem with the Mavs, for the final splayoff spot and an early exit from the playoffs. Dirk is Dirk, a tremendous player with outstanding shooting touch, but the same questions still linger - where is your inside game? get to the line. And be 'The Man'. Rumours have been circling that Marion-J-Ho trade is in the works and i think this would be a great move - particularly for the Mavs. But it cannot be overlooked that the Mavs are now struggling to stay in contention, with a bunch of fat contracts that will be hard to move. A far cry from 3 years ago when they had the a bunch of players with an up-side and some tradable commodities. If you look at the talent that has gone through this team - Nash, Nowitzki, Howard, Stackhouse, Finley, Harris, Walker (??) Juwan Howard, Jamison you know they should have done more. What's missing - inside scoring - the Mavs are a jump shooting team, defense and 3-point shooting.

Team by Team Review

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

To sum up the season for the Cavs thus far: Mo Money Mo Problems For a couple of years the Cavs have been looking to acquire a decent point gaurd, and while Mo Williams is more of a combo guard than a tradional point - his influence cannot be overlooked. His acquistion has given Mike Brown and LeBron James relief in the scoring column and has turned into one of the elite teams of the NBA - and arguably the best in the East. LeBron - having an MVP calibre season, has beenfited most from Williams acquisiton, with defenders afraid to leave LeBron due to the kick out to either Mo or Delonte West - another player who is fits in well with the system - also giving them another ball carrier. When you look at the starting lineup of Williams, West, James, Wallace and Big Z, it is hard to see any real defficiency that could prevent them going deep. The defense is there with Wallace, James and Williams - and you have Anderson Verajo coming off the bench for an instant energy infusion. This lockdown defensive team of last season now maintains its presona but also adds the scoring punch to usurp the Celtics as the team to come out of the East. Expect these two to meet in the Eastern Conference finals in what will be a classic match-up. Pierce and LeBron who always elevate their games when going head to head will ensure a classic series. Currently 2nd in the East. What's missing? - The hardware.

A Jedi Saga: The Denver Sword Chronicles

PART ONE : LOOKING FOR LEIA

It is a time of uncivil whores.

Fear has swept the galaxy as a new wave of pimping and McDaddying is occurring in unprecedented numbers. Theres.. Theres too many of them!

While escaping the vile domain of Jabba's crotch, Leia has gone into rehab firstly to get over wearing a brass bikini (how sore would she be?) and secondly - looking for an upright walking dog for a pet, to live Diane Fossey style in the bush. You can tell she is messed up. Why else would she wear a stackhat?

But she could not escape try-hard husband Han Solo - The Thirst Crusher.His insatiable thirst for Leia's juice had driven him to drive his XF Falcon (which over 1000 years old now is called the millenium), halfway round Bathurst and beyond on his search, forcing her to flea from rehab to parts unkown.

Dismayed by her escape Solo has employed the services of Dark Jedi apprentice Balls Andall and his cheeky serivce droid R2FU2 to hunt down and befriend the young temptress.......

NBA Team By Team

CHICAGO BULLS

POS Point Guard Shoot Guard Sml Forward P. Forward Centre Start Derrick Rose Ben Gordon Luol Deng Drew Gooden Aaron Gray 2 Kirk Hinrich Larry Hughes T. Sefalosha Tyrus Thomos Joakim Noah 3 Lindsay Hunter Andres Nocionni Michael Ruffin Record - 18-25 (10th East) There are a lot of things to be pleased about in Chi-town. Since taking the Heat to the brink back in 06 under Skiles you could say expectations have been lowered for this team. IF you look at their roster they have an extremely young line-up with an abundance of talent that will likely become solid players as their careers progress. However, you could also argue that the only real star on this team is Rose, putting up outstanding numbers for a rookie in the PG slot. Gordon's play has been poor, Hughes needs to be moved, and Luol Deng looks completely lost. The Bulls need to build around Rose, Thomas and Noah and work out how to package their remaining expendablke talent to bring in a solid player. This team is still a work in progress, and it appears John Paxson knows this, bringing in rookie coach Vinny Del Negro. But it cannot be overlooked that it is time the Bulls returned to their former status as an elite team in the East. The Lakers Pistons, Suns and Heat have all turned it around in 10 years or less. Where as the Bulls are still languishing, perhaps only surpassed by the New York Knicks as the worst managed franchise in the last 10 years. The next 3 years will be interesting for the Bulls. What's missing - an identity. Work out which players you want to keep moving forward, utilise them and trade or free up cap space. Grade - B

NBA team by Team Review

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

POS Point Guard Shooting Guard Sm Forward P Forward Centre Start Ramond Felton Raja Bell Glen Wallace Boris Diaw Emaka Okafur 2 D.J AUgustine Shannon Brown Adam Morrisson Juwan Howard D. Diop 3 Sean Singletary Sean May Nazr Mohammed Current Record - 17-25 (12th in East) Trading Jason Richardson to the Suns at first didn't seem like the right option for Jordan and Larry, but since the trade the Bobcats have become a tough team to beat. Diaw is flourishing as a starter and Bell has returned to form. But you get the feeling that Michael is done with the moves. Felton is likely to go to open up more playing time for Augistine while Morrisson is likely to be moved as well. However this team is still a fair way off. This is a team stuck in no man's land with some busted draft pick's, inconsistent play from all of their starters and an inneffective bench. My advice - trade away Wallace, Okafur and Morrisson - hopefully getting something decent in treturn and join the '10 free agent sweepstakes Whats missing - Talent and depth Grade - B-

NBA IN REVIEW - Team by Team

BOSTON CELTICS

POS Point Guard Shooting Guard Sm Forward P Forward Centre Start Rajan Rondo Ray Allen Paul Pierce Kevin Garnett K. Perkins 2 Eddie House Tony Allen Bill Walker Leon Powe Glen Davis 3 Sam Cassell J.R Giddens Brian Scalabrine Patrick O'Bryant 4 Gabe Pruitt

Current Record - 35-9 (1st in East)

Despite a minor hick-up (losing 7 of 9 games after Christmas) you would be hard pressed to argue that the Celtics are the team to beat in the East. With a solid 8 man rotation, a full year's experience under their belt together the only thing to really contend with is complacency. Kevin Garnett will not let that happen. Not only that Ray Allen who struggled last season is now playing on two healthy ankles. Perhaps the biggest story to come out of Beantown has been the all-star play of Rajan Rondo. Nothing but question marks surrounded the 3rd year man last season, but this year he has answered all critics. The only weakness in his game is his shot outside 15 feet, if he can add this to his repertoire he will be one of the great point guards in the league behind the likes of Paul, Williams, Harris and Parker. Doc Rivers would also be pleased with the play of Tony Allen. He has stepped up to fill the void left by James Posey's departure and is their third best slasher behind The Truth and Rondo. The only thing stopping the Celtics from making it all the way to the finals are 2 things - can Rondo show enough poise to keep his dribble alive and make the right decision on the offensive end and secondly LeBron James. What's Missing? - The Celtics could still do with a solid back up option to Rondo. Is Starbury the answer? Powe and Davis have both improved but Danny Ainge may look to bring in some more help in the front court too. Mid-season Grade - A

SUPERBOWL 43 - Arizona v Pitsburgh

The Cindarella story ends here for the Arizona Cardinals. Despite suprising all firstly by defeating the Falcons and then even more by travelling East and dominating the Carolina Panthers, the Cardinals showed how susceptible there defense is against the Eagles, barely surviving a strong 2nd half from Donovan McNabb. Larry Fitzgerald has had a tremendous season (14.9 rec ave) but will he be able to break out when it counts? I just cant see Kurt Warner and Fitzegerald overcoming the best defense in the NFL. Despite the Steelers having one of the best Strong Safety's in the game Fitzgerald is a phenomenal talent and double coverage could be needed, but I see Fitzgerald most likely gainig the majoirty of his receptions from the equivalent of TE drags. gaining short yardage. Anquan Boldin's return is something that cannot be overlooked giving Warner another solid passing option. Warner was highly successful last week aainst the Eagles blitz and with Boldin's return you could argue Warner will have even greater success. So that leads to the question how will the Steelers offense fair against the Cardinals defense? This will more than likely be the decider. Will Ben Roethlisberger have the same time he did against the Ravens last week? - The Steelers have had blocking trouble and will need strong protection against the blitz, which the Cards have been reasonably successful with, Roethlisberger could have trouble. Particularly with a questionable Heinz Ward, the leading receiver may have trouble and will just need to become a strong route player. So at the end of the day i think it will come down to who can establish the running game. Here i give the Steelers a large advantage considering that they do have the No 1. rushing defense in the competition. Prediction - Steelers 24 - Cardinals 6

NBA in Review - Team by Team - Atlanta Hawks

POS Point Guard Shooting Guard Small Forward Power Forward Centre

Starts Mike Bibby Joe Johnson Marvin Williams Josh Smith Al Horford

2nd Acie Law Flip Murray Maurice Evans Solomon Jones Zach Pachullia

3rd Speedy Claxton Mario West Othello Hunter Randolph Morris

4th

Current Record - 24-16 (4th East)

It has been along time coming for the Atlanta Hawks but all the signs are there that this team will make it out of the first round of the playoffs. Taking the Celtics to 7 games last year suprised everybody and that experience will see them in good stead to take on the likes of Detroit, Miami, Philly - all of whom at this stage are struggling or looking to make moves. While still lacking a solid true centre which would allow Horford and Smith to move down a position bringing Williams in off the bench they have the parts there.

Mike Bibby is solid. A solid leader offensively, but lacks the speed to contain the likes of Stuckey and Rondo which will require some creative thinking from coach Mike Woodson. But having Josh Smith patrolling the lane will always alter any shot of any player looking to take it strong to the hoop.

Joe Johnson's game continues to evolve he is arguably having his best season averaging 22.2 points, 6 assists in 39.0 MPG. Early in his career playing under Mike D in Phoenix all the signs were there that he had the height, shooting touch and skill to break down and D off the dribble and it finally looks as if his game has matured to a level where his paly now is definiely an asset rather than a liability.

Williams, taken 2nd in the '05 draft ahead of Paul and D-Will (maybe Hawks management got confused between the two at draft time) is slowly developing his game. But the core group is there in Williams, Horford, Smith and Johnson and they will continue to improve. Hopefully the Atlanta fans will notice and start showing up to the Phillips Arena.

What's missing - A solid inside scoring option and a few more years of experience

MId-Season Grade - A+