Not Lost

Hi people,

I am wasting some time before Lost starts this week. So, I watched the lame State of the Union Address, which would be way better if they could turn it into some sort of a competition. I rewatched the highly entertaining Gossip Girl first episode. It was nice seeing the character's evolve and how Dan Humphrey stayed pretty much the same, much like Chandler and Xander and from what I could tell, the Adam Brody character from the OC (but I never watched that, cause it seemed like it was a show for teenage girls). I was also impressed with my first viewing of Samantha Who? which was funny and touching, but the plotline of the episode was father-daughter relationship, which always touches me.

Then, I was rewatching the underrated subtly hypnotic Lady in the Water, which was masterfully created from iys enchanting score to the methodical camera movements. It was Paul Giamatti's finest performance, soulful and witty, unlike his acerbic and nebbishy portrayal of the Sideways and American Splendor characters. However, the twist in the movie was unsatisfying in comparison to the overall greatness of The Sixth Sense and the perfectly crafted, though not very entertaining, Unbreakable.
Now, M. Night Shyamalan's style is now clearly prononounced. He would have to be one of the few modern auteurs with his own unique directorial styles, alongside, Burton, Kevin Smith, Spike Lee, Sofia Coppola, Joss Whedon (I know he shouldn't count, but I'm counting him anyway), a couple of those Spanish directors, and Tarantino. I feel like I'm leaving a few people out, but I look forward to seeing a lot more from these guys.

One guy I'm not seeing much more of is Jason Kidd, of basketball fame, because he has finally come forth and vocally requested a trade (after three years of having his agent request trades). Unlike the Bryant complaint, Kidd has the clout to have his trade request granted while still being "expendable" enough to allow a trade request to yield some positive results for the team. So, I bid him a fond farewell with as much respect as I can muster for a guy who isn't satisfied making his $20 million a year in a great location (the New York area, not New Jersey in particular).

[Warning: The rest of the blog entry is heavilty basketball specific, feel free to avoid the rest of the piece today if you have no interest.]

SO, speaking of basketball, I feel like I should unveil my list of MVP candidates at this halfway point. Keep in mind, this is based on how much each of these candidates deserve the award (which of course is based on a combination of how much they add to their team, in terms of wins, how good they are compared to other players in that position and several other favtors), and not just who is the best player (or else Duncan would have gotten my award every year, and my list is not based on who I think the NBA will end up giving the award to. Some people choose the best player on the best team, others prefer the person with the best statistical year, and others look at a combination thereof combined with star power. Defense should be an issue, but if the player's team defense is sufficient, or if their offense is so overwhelming that it overcomes defensive incompetence, then it should not be totally preventative. Thus, Steve Nash's poor defense was possibly overcome by his facillitation of the most potent offense in basketball 2-3 years ago, with his great court vision, creation of a lot of easy scores, and shooting at over 50% from the field (and great free throw and three point percentages), along with very clutch shooting. Still, I probably wouldn't have given him the award (because his team was good offensively without him), but I understand the choice. So, without further ado...

1) LeBron James- ridiculous player, carrying the team offensively, frankly, carrying his team kicking and screaming because they often hinder him. Scouting report: Great court vision, great decision maker, great driving, solid jump shot (this year), clutch shooter, shut down defender when he applies himself (which is pretty rare, but see what he did to Kobe in the fourth quarter of their last meeting). Great leader and never makes a false move on or off the court. Ultimately, he contributes everywhere and is a force of nature every time he decides to take over a game, which is becoming more and more frequent much to the dismay of his opponents. Almost the passing ability of Magic, almost the athleticism of Michael, and almost the strength of Shawn Kemp, with the numbers that are starting to resemble Larry Bird's or Oscar Robertson or whatever he needs to win.

2) Chris Paul- great player, leading an unexpected team to the best record in the West. Great at driving, great passer, good shooter, great on defense, and taking an otherwise mediocre team to the top. The quickness of Isaiah with the passing of Stockton.

3) Kobe Bryant- ridiculous player, leading a well rounded team to near the top of his division. Very aggressive fourth quarter player, and now that he understands a bit more what LeBron has known since his rookie year, that you improve your team by getting your teammates easy shots, he is having his best year as a player. Slightly worse version of Michael Jordan, substantially worse shooting percentage, lower assist numbers, and never LED his team to a win in the playoffs (unless you count the Karl Malone, Shaq, Payton year). But, otherwise he has the same skill set of Jordan with the ferociousness and the drive to match, but the temperment of Scottie Pippen, which might be the more apt comparison, Scottie Pippen with a better jump shot.

4) Kevin Garnett- leading the team with the best record in basketball, while playing efficient offense (he doesn't take over too many games with his scoring ability, perhaps by choice), but is leading this team which would otherwise be average defensively to be great on defense. His intensity is contagious. Not sure there has ever been a player with KG's quickness and intensity, not to say he's better than the other people on this list, just that he's different than any other player before him.

5) Dwight Howard- physically dominant ala Moses Malone, scares people away from driving on Orlando and then turns around and rebounds the ball. His increasing offensive ability (meaning 1 or 2 very solid post moves) in addition to his penchant for getting open right under the basket makes him dangerous. The guy is leading his team towards greatness.

Top 10 other players who should be on the top 5 list for MVP
1) Tim Duncan- injuries, diminished playing time, along with some tough team losses is barely keeping him off the list. But I fully expect him and the team to round out into form soon enough.
2) Dwayne Wade- talent-wise he's there, but he was injured earlier in the year, and he is still a little reluctant to drive into the lane, which is his primary talent (getting to the free throw line).
3) Carmelo Anthony- he's the dominant scorer on the Olympic team and it's not a coincidence, because he's might be the most versatile scorer in ball, but he just looks a little tired and disinterested.
4) Dirk Nowitzki- psychologically scarred from the disastrous loss last year to the Warriors, but still a dynamic talent with great shooting and solid driving moves at his height with good rebounding skills, and average defense and passing skills.
5) Yao Ming- offensively very skilled, with post moves, a great medium ranged shot and great passing skills; defensively occasionally great and occasionally a serious liability.
6) Tracy McGrady- all of the offensive and defensive skills of Kobe Bryant (maybe more) with slightly less effort on and off the court and no playoff series victories to show for it and worse yet, a constant injury risk. Also, nagging back injuries hamper his overall performance even when he plays.
7) Steve Nash- gifted passer, incredible runner and driver, incredible shooter, incredibly clutch, but porous defensively. But, it helps to have such a strong supporting cast, with the running mate Shawn Marion, Amare, Grant Hill, Barbosa, Bell, and Diaw, He deserves a lot of credit, but it's a great team.
8) Carlos Boozer- offensively, he's among the best post players with a variety of moves, a good mid range shot, and tons of physical strength.
9) Amare Stoudemire- a physically powerful and quick player that uses those skills and Steve Nash to rack up points and opportunities.
10) Brandon Roy- the no name team that's competing in the vaunted West is not actually a no-name team. This guy's got something.

Round out the all star teams, not differentiating between conferences or positions,
16) Baron Davis for his offensive abilities,
17) Deron Williams for his Paul-esque leadership,
18) Chris Bosh for his post game,
19) Paul Pierce for his scoring,
20) Ray Allen for his clutch play,
21) Caron Butler for his ascendancy into being a great player,
22) Josh Howard, at times more dominant than Dirk,
23) Jason Kidd, a triple double machine,
24) Andrew Bynum, great offensive potential, already emerging onto the scene

Honorable mention to Al Jefferson (team is just too bad), Stephen Jackson (actually a captain and makes the team better... somehow), Antawn Jamison (first year that he was better than his old teammate AND the person that he was traded for AND his wife's best friend's husband, Vince Carter (and my favorite player)), David West (emerging offensive force) and Tyson Chandler (emerging defensive force), Marcus Camby (still dominant defensive force, while Shawn Marion slipped and Andre Kirilenko vacillates), Jose Calderon (what a duo when T.J. Ford returns), Hedo Turkoglu (outperforming any of the old Sacramento players and any of the current Kings players who are playing pretty well despite injuries). I would also include a Michael Redd and Kevin Martin if I needed shooters for the Olympics and if it were the Olympics, I would also include Manu Ginobli. Of course, I would give lots of props to Tony Parker for his quickness and floaters down the lane and improved jump shot, and Detroit's starting lineup (Chauncey, Sheed, Rip, Prince, and McD) as solid players on defense and offense. Charlotte and Atlanta have some nice young players too. But overall, the state of the National BA is strong.

Most disappointing players
1) Gilbert Arenas- despite incredible talent, he is actually detracting from his team this year. Go figure.
2) Jermaine O'Neal- the guy is at least very talented defensively, (in addition to offense), but where has that been?
3) Ben Wallace- I give him the edge over struggling center Shaq and over all his fellow teammates because his effort (which was his primary asset,) is down, so he is really delivering nothing.
4) Zach Randolph- even though his numbers are fine and the Knicks are not really worse than they were last year, this is more a tribute to the failure of the Eddy Curry- Randolph experiment to have two post scorers that don't play defense.
5) Miami- forget about Shaq. Where are all the other players? I know Zo went down and Wade is injured and Shaq is out, but c'mon... The team is a professional team, they should act like it.

I wanted to say something like the Sacramento stars were disappointing because they have been average despite the absences and injuries of the stars. Sacramento has been doing pretty fine without Ron Artest or Bibby or Martin in large part to a great coaching job by Reggie Theus who can't get the coach of the year because of a lack of wins (unlike Doc Rivers who shouldn't get it because of too little of his own influence on the team). But given that they have played better since the stars came back, I can't say that.

Other Mid-way point awards:
Defensive Player of the Year, Kevin Garnett over Marcus Camby.
Rookie of the Year, Kevin Durant over Al Horford
Coach of the Year, Byron Scott (NO Hornets) over Nate McMillan (Portland T-Blazers).
Most Improved Player, Andrew Bynum over David West.
Most like ME (Mark Ellis), Monta Ellis over Andre Miller.

Also, top 10 centers of all time just for fun:
1) Bill Russell- defensive slatwart, solid offensive skills, and consumate champion, the Joe Montana, or dare I say, the Tom Brady of basketball, with 11 championships with at least two sets of totally different personnel.
2) Wilt Chamberlain, the most dominant offensive force in basketball history, able to score 100 in a game (average 50 points a game for a season), and had another season where he declined physically, so focused on assists, and averaged 10 assists a game for a season, and managed to eke out 2 championships around the Russell era.
3) Shaq- a dominant physical presence, probably the strongest player ever, with remarkable quickness. He was a powerhouse on defense punishing the drivers and shutting down his opponent, and won 4 of his 6 NBA finals.
4) Duncan- Fundamentally sound basketball player who does whatever is required of him, great floor leader on defense, 1 on one defender, and team defender, great post moves, great decision maker and passer, great mid-range shooter and essentially does whatever is required to win the games, leading to 4 titles in 4 finals attempts on at least totally different sets of personnel.
5) Kareem Abdul Jabbar- steadiest greatness on offense out of anyone in this field with sky hooks and the like. Burdened with great teammates like Magic and Worthy and Oscar Robertson that cloud his otherwise incomparable career statistics (and a nice amount of championships, 6 of them).
6) Hakeem Olajuwon- the quickest player on this list with clutch play, great shuffles, post moves and a decent shot, while playing great quick defennse, and two championships snuck into the Jordan era.
7) Moses Malone- who is keeping this spot warm for Dwight Howard and/or Greg Oden, was a physical presence who outmuscled and outhustled everyone for rebounds. Paired with Dr. J, he did get a championship.
8) Patrick Ewing- a dominant defensive force who used his height and athleticism to reach balls all over the court. His offense was excellent, but he was hurt by the fact that he was such a great outside shooter because he came to rely on it over the post moves. Still, his skill and his longevity place him high on this list. No championships for him, but he got to the finals twice.
9) David Robinson- probably the most fluid athlete on this list with a good outside shot and great defensive skills. He won two championships, but the first one was Duncan's credit and the second was Duncan's credit.
10) George Mikan- my understanding is that he was a great inside scorer and the innovator of a number of moves including the hook shot.
10a) Supposedly Arvydas Sabonis belongs high on this list and based on what I've seen in his Portland days when he was already broken down physically, I tend to agree. With his incredible array of post moves, large stature, great three point range, and solid defense (even against Shaq in his prime), had he played in the US earlier, he might have been able to crack the top 5, though I really have no idea how he would compare to these guys, so I am keeping him as 10a.
10b) Bill Walton- great scorer, passer, and wily champion, but his pique was so short, I can't justify putting him ahead of others on this list.
10c) Robert Parish- crafty player whose longevity and solid play was not punctuated by a particularly strong pique, so I could not justify putting him ahead of the others on the list.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Without further, adieu,
ME