My 2010 NBA All-Star Roster:

Well before the official reserves are announced tomorrow night on TNT, I figured I'll get my full picks in before it's said and done. Now first off do I agree with Iverson in that Eastern Conference line-up? No, but it is what it is! Now I shall get down to business. Basically I will pick out a roster in my opinion of who deserves an All-Star spot this year. The week OF All-Star I'll post my predictions for each event, as I did that last year.

Eastern Conference
PG-Rajon Rondo
SG-Dwyane Wade
SF-Lebron James
PF-Kevin Garnett
C-Dwight Howard

The difference: Easy, Rajon Rondo is an All-Star. Anyone that follows the NBA knows Iverson's situation and the number of games he's played this season. Compared to Rondo there shouldn't even be one between these two. Give Boston their two All-Star starters.

Reserves:
Derrick Rose-First are foremost on my list because of his recent play. Rose has exploded in the new 2010 year. He's had some excellent games against quality teams of Orlando, Boston, Phoenix, Houston and San Antonio. His jumpshot looks better each game and his energy is carrying that Chicago ball club to a new level.

Joe Johnson-Due to the success of the Hawks he's definitely the prime time player on that team that would get votes from the coaches and me. Always a quite star player he's been there plently of times in All-Star discussion.

Chris Bosh-An obvious selection...when Garnett is out of the picture he'll be taking the starting role for sure. (If he remains in the East after this summer that is).

Gerald Wallace-He's definitely having an All-Star year. Averaging a double-double and leading the Bobcats into a solid playoff position along side new comer Stephan Jackson he has rightfully earned his spot.

David Lee-This was very tough because Al Horford can be picked for this spot. I'm a believer that he's got game and not just putting up stats on a bad team. I can see Horford grabbing this spot due to the Hawks success, but I hope not as Lee is deserving.

Paul Pierce-Due to the lack of talent at this spot out East, he's probably a sure lock again for another All-Star.

Stephan Jackson-Call me crazy but I think Capt. Jack has earned his spot on the East's squad. He's faced a lot of adversity leaving Golden State. Taking that negative and help turning the Bobcats into a sub-par team that can compete against any team in the league has earned him some love from me.

Also considered: Jamal Crawford, Josh Smith, Ray Allen, Brandon Jennings, Andrew Bogut.

Western Conference:
PG-Steve Nash
SG-Kobe Bryant
SF-Carmelo Anthony
PF-Tim Duncan
C-Amare Stoudamire

The difference-NONE! I'm pretty happy with how the voting turned out for the West. There might be a minor argument for the PG spot with talent rich in the West at the position, but it's fine with me.

Reserves
Deron Williams-Obvious selection here, having a great year as expected.

Chris Paul-Can't leave him out although his team can do better. He's my favorite and top PG in the league.

Dirk Nowitzki-Obvious selection here too. The Mavs are overachieving and he is probably the front running reason. Not to mention...he is the home town All-Star!

Kevin Durant-The Thunder look new and improved as well as Durant for those who didn't know him before. He's been one of the best looking scorers in the league right now and doing this while so young! Give him his All-Star ticket now!

Pau Gasol-A huge key to the Lakers success every night. When Kobe struggles, it's Gasol picking up some of the energy in the offense leading them to victory.

Zach Randolph-A bold pick, but for a reason as the Memphis Grizzlies are taking a new turn into the push for a playoff berth. A huge part is because of Randolph's play with his new teammates.

Brandon Roy-Fighting with the injury bug a bit lately, but he's been spectacular when healthy. The Blazers have found ways to win without him but they miss him as well. Another superstar in the making here, book him to Dallas please.

Also considered: Monta Ellis, Tyreke Evans, Chauncey Billups, Al Jefferson, Carlos Boozer, and Chris Kaman.

NBA: Week 4

With the season a good four weeks in there are definitely a few surprises that myself did not expect. The Bucks are sitting at 8-3 and the Hawks are tied with Orlando in the East right now. The Suns are certainly putting me to shame right now, but of course I'm glad to see things can work out for them in the aftermath of the past year and a half. My disappointments have to go with the Spurs, Wizards and 76ers. At this point I expected all of these three teams to be better off than they are right now.

Off the Fly:
Atlanta Hawks: I didn't think they'd get off this hot of a start again but nonetheless you have to give them some credit. They beat Portland, Boston, Miami and Houston while taking their only loss of the week to the Hornets. I don't think they'll stick around the top spot for long as Orlando is right there with them but they do have a fairly easy schedule until the end of December where they face Cleveland on a home stand.

Milwaukee Bucks: Well they haven't slipped up yet. Taking a loss to the Mavs by a Dirk jumper in overtime is impressed for this team alone. At this point I might have to purchase a ticket to catch them here in Orlando. They have a nice blend of European players including Ersan Ilyasova who I'm impressed with. He can shoot the ball very well but played some excellent defense on Dirk in their loss.

New Orleans Hornets: They won two big games without Chris Paul, defeating two of the NBA's hottest teams, Phoenix and Atlanta. Last night they lost on a Haslem jumper but nonetheless doing better than expected without Paul and the coaching change.


Slackers of the Week:
Memphis and Allen Iverson: Oh the drama...if Iverson wants a ring good luck to him, but I do think one of these contending GM's are dare devilish enough to take a risk of him. Who do I have in mind? Well maybe Cleveland. I know it sounds a bit out there however with no promise that Delonte West is going to be 100% back and Mo Williams incapable of being a go to guy, Iverson could be AN ANSWER! Next to Lebron and Shaq he could help the offense and Mike Brown is dumb enough to start him right off the bat.

OKC Thunder: I was pretty high on them until now, maybe they are finally coming back to to earth? A few bad losses this week has them back at .500. They couldn't give Orlando or the Lakers competition.

San Antonio Spurs: I have the Spurs as a top 5 team and top 3 out West. However recently they are disappointing me. I do hope the get things together, of course it's a big issue when you can't see this team fully healthy. Duncan is still producing and Blair is a nice fit along side him. Have no fear though, if you see this team get a hold of the handles in the second half of the
season.

Last Thoughts:
-Following up the two games I wanted to see last week proved to be some thrillers. Washington got a big against the Cavaliers after being down double digits and ended up winning by double digits! My Magic defeated Boston in a well played defensive battle by both teams.

-The Thanksgiving special starts off with the Magic @ Hawks, the Hawks will be sitting on four days of rest while the Magic play them on the back end of a back to back. For the most part I believe the Magic have a huge advantage over this Hawks team. I wouldn't disapprove of a good game though.

-Things change fast but I'm not sure if the Thunder can make the playoffs with New Orleans looking a bit better than they have.

-Dwight....Noah still leads the league in rebounding.

Play of the Week:

NBA Week 2 & 3

Yo! Back again for another version of my NBA weekly update. Well I slacked off for week 2 so I'll have to do it on the fly and train myself to get it going weekly. First off I want to say yes, Brandon Jennings and Dwayne Wade will get some heavy coverage in this week's update from me. I'm a Wade fan outside of my Magic and I'm jumping on the Jennings bandwagon, I hope the best for this young guy because he is truly talented.

Off the Fly:
Kevin Durant and the Thunder: They conintue to show signs of growth and a playoff berth for Oklahoma City. The season is young but the Thunder have more wins already than they did three months into the NBA season last year! They whooped my Magic, gave the Lakers some thunder, and just beat the Spurs. On the flip side they just lost to the Clippers but again a young team that is prone to slipping up more than the average contender.

Denver Nuggets: I was high on them after the first week and in week 2 they would take a 6 game, 9 day road trip out East. It started off well with two wins against the Pacers and Nets but after took a little bump. They dropped the next two which was at Atlanta and Miami. Both quality teams and two teams I feel they needed to show some dominance on to contend with the Lakers. They would then get a one point win in Chicago before losing to the Bucks to end the trip. Overall coming out of the trip they fared at 3-3. Back home last Friday they did give the Lakers some hell at home which was a great way to bounce back. I'm still feeling the Nuggets can get the Lakers on their heels but only time will tell.


New Orleans: Well anytime things go wrong normally a coach is the first one out. Unfortunately this happened to Bryon Scott. I like him as a coach and he really helped the franchise these past years with the cornerstone Chris Paul. I know CP3 loved him as well and really didn't want Scott out but it happens. My take on this is that the Hornets are simply not talented outside of Paul. David West has been a huge lackluster after the 2008 playoffs where he played his best year. Bringing in Okafor for Chandler should of been an upgrade but it hasn't been decided yet. On top of that Chris Paul is down with an ankle injury as the days are gloomy in New Orleans. I hope the best for CP3 and I also hope that Bryon Scott finds work, both guys aren't to fault for the Hornets struggles.

Phoenix Suns: They will be the one team that I certainly underestimated this year. Pending a major meltdown in the season they will make the playoffs. Nash and his two 20 assist games are impressive as well.

Slackers of the Week:
The 3 teams that let Kobe score 40 in 3 nights: Enough Said

Golden State Warriors defense: He's talented and that great but at least make an effort to slow him down! Brandon Jennings for 55!

Honorable Mentions:
Dwayne Wade: As I said, watching him is just amazing. Although they dropped the game to Cleveland we can't forget the poster he laid on Varajeo. However the game winner on the win-less New Jersey Nets was epic as well.

Brandon Jennings: Come on...do I need to continue? 55 points 5 Assist 5 Rebounds. 21/34 shooting 7/8 from 3Pt land.

Last Thoughts:
-Boston, Cleveland, Orlando all have three loses while Atlanta and Miami currently sit one and two in the East. Ok, nothing to panic about but the stakes might be higher this year around if they keep up the competition. The West is not different as Phoenix and Portland are one and two out there.

-I'm debating whether to give the green light to the Thunder making the playoffs. I like what I see from them defensively, and obviously the offensive is there with Durant, Westbrook and Harden. If New Orleans drops any lower than they are now, I think the Thunder will take their place for playoff contention.

-If someone told me the Bucks would be 5-2 through seven games I wouldn't really buy it. Depending on how you look at them, they've beaten some quality teams if you ranked them in the gutter. If not their most notable win is against the Nuggets. I'm sure Jennings will keep them in some form of playoff contention but once things settle down they might be brought back down to earth.

-Joakim Noah currently leads the league in rebounding....come on Dwight get your act together!

-Looking forward to Wednesday's match-up of Cavs @ Wizards and Friday's Magic @ Celtics. Two games that should be some good basketball.

Play of the Week: (easily)


Performer of the Week: (tough)

NBA: Week 1 in the Books!

Well it isn't exactly a week but the first week of the NBA season is officially over. With some surprises, few spectacular plays and the usual dominance of certain guys I shall name and teams...it's back!

Let's start off with the media whores though....that being the Cleveland Cavaliers. I enjoyed the whole 0-2 start but to be honest I wasn't one to jump to conclusions about them so fast. Last year my Magic started 0-2. They lost they home opener to Atlanta, then went to Memphis and lost on a Rudy Gay buzzer beater. My hopes for a great season were kind the down but the Magic would then go on a 24-4 run, eventually the NBA Finals. So my point? An 0-2 start isn't much to be bothered with Cavs fans. There still is time for Lebron and Shaq to get acquainted with the whole team as well. They got back on track with decent wins against the Bucks and Bobcats and back at .500. It does make you wonder though, how good they will be.

Moving on, the Lakers already have a loss. I wouldn't guess they'd lose so early but the Mavs looked poised to get some respect against the heavy Western favorites. I was impressed with the way they did win doing it without Josh Howard. The Celtics look like the Celtics we know from 2008. Rasheed Wallace is a great fit and Garnett is slowly dusting that rust off. Rondo continues to progress and was rewarded a 5 yr. 55 mill contract in the process. I did pick the Celtics to finish with the best record this season and they aren't disproving right now.

The Undefeated:

Photo from NBA.com

Orlando-Well my Magic Men have come out the gates fast with red hot shooting. Vince Carter has a mild injury but Redick filled his void excellent in Sunday's game against the Raptors. Jameer Nelson also had a big game against Toronto with his hot hand. An honorable mention is Ryan Anderson who continues to impress the rest of you who don't have a clue!

Denver-Two Words, one name: Carmelo Anthony. He continues to support why I think he'll lead the league in scoring this year. He's explosive and in my opinion, the best scorer in the game right now. Billups and the tough front line of the Nuggets is really looking to contest the Lakers, similar to the Mavs. If the Lakers aren't out to capture the top spot Denver will take it.

Boston-Like I said before they are looking as the team from 2008. The big 3 are in tact once again, and as long as they stay healthy the Celtics are running things.

Slackers of the Week:
Los Angeles Clippers-A lot of expectations for this team were higher than they have started. 0-4 start and a dysfunctional team has to be in question for Dunleavy's future.

Cleveland Cavaliers-Definitely their 0-2 start has them at 8th seed in the East with a 2-2 record. The good news is that there are 82 games in a season!

Honorable Mentions:
Oklahoma City Thunder-Off with a winning record, I think they will be good enough to maybe challenge for an 8th spot in the playoffs. Durant is looking fantastic and his supporting cast is doing all that they can to win games.

Ryan Anderson-Who wants Rashard Lewis? Completely shocked by his shooting, and even more so his basketball IQ. He's a perfect fit in Orlando and making the best of it.

Gilbert Arenas-Say ain't so but is Agent Zero back? He's really got himself back into great form, now stay healthy and the Wizards are going places.

Manu "Batman" Ginobili-Anytime you swat down a bat in an NBA game you've got to be mentioned. My joke for this one was: "The Spurs are so old they even have bats in their arena!"

Last thoughts:
There isn't much we can really decide on just from the first week, teams are still trying to get a fit for the usual NBA grind, and coaches are still manipulating their roster. Through the first 10 games we should start to see most of the expectations happen and a few surprises.

Play of the Week:

Performer of the Week: Carmelo Anthony

October 6th, 2009: A day to Remember!

Cheaa! Well folks I have officially met one of the world's most well known athletes, a star in the NBA, and star of my beloved Orlando Magic. I have the worse of luck when meeting famous people. A lifelong fan, I have never met an Orlando Magic superstar before but I've met Jameer Nelson in his rookie year, Pat Garrity, Darrell Armstrong, and James Augustine. Yea, that list is amazing huh? It's been quite some time that I've heard about Dwight hanging around the areas I visit as well. It was long overdue but I got a pic with him and my NBA Live 10 FREE! So, I'm sure you all know who that is of course, I'll write about what happened to save myself from repeating to others....

So I was on my Xbox in the evening playing NBA 2K10 and my phone by my side. I periodically checked out my Twitter and saw Dwight was giving away copies of NBA Live 10 for those of us in Orlando. We'd have to find him at a spot he gave clues for on Twitter. So basically the location was about 7-10 min away from my house and the time he posted it gave me enough motivation to actually test my luck. I hauled ass down the road and reached the location: A local Gamestop around the Magic's practice facility. I got there and ran to the door but a guy was there already with his phone out. He said Dwight wasn't there yet and the Gamestop folks didn't see him.

We waited because this Gamestop matched all the clues and as minutes went by a few more people who were also following Dwight on Twitter arrived. Then a nice White Maybach rolled by to park and none other than Dwight was cruising in it. So he walked up to the front and into the store to find out who were the first five people there. They would be the ones getting the free copies.

By now more people rushed into the store and began to take pictures of Dwight. Eventually Dwight announced that he can only give away five copies of the game and the rest of us would have to settle for pics and autographs. While he was deciding, three people got copies because they were assured by the Gamestop people that they were indeed there first. That left Dwight with two extra copies and a few of us. So in between all this people were speaking up and I said I was a true fan, born and raised here then at the same time this one guy had to tell Dwight that I bought 2K10. (He was outside prior while we talked about our journey to the Gamestop and I slipped I was playing 2K10). Dwight gonna tell me about being a real fan and buying the cover with Kobe. Sorry Dwight, but I bought the game that would be worth my enjoyment. My reason for getting it first was because all my friends had plan to buy NBA 2K10 and I wanted to play on Xbox Live with them. I was eventually going to buy NBA Live 10 when I got paid again, since I'm NOT RICH!

Long story short, Dwight and I got into a debate about Live vs 2K this year. He claimed it was too slow and "sucks". Then the Gamestop lady asked who played the Demos and games so I opened my mouth. Then Dwight said he'd look at this Twitter and he pointed to me and said He saw me on Twitter. (I had tweeted that I was coming to the Gamestop to him on the way). So one guy had to give up his game because he had a PS2. As you know those are outdated and only 360 or PS3 version were available. So Dwight picked me to get a copy.

I got my copy signed and a pic with him, before I left he told me to get rid of 2K. I thanked him and left happy as hell. I must say Dwight is a real class act, he goes around the city and treats his fans as people that exist, unlike the normal celebs. Taking a step further to sponsor give-a-ways and special treats for his devoted fans is something a lot of these current players should look at.

Anyways I still think 2K10 is slightly better than Live 10. Dwight....I love that you're all over the game and I appreciate the game and autograph but my personal preference would settle for 2K's gameplay and graphics. Although, Live has better features and more dribble moves than 2K. Next time get on the cover of 2K!

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/chevyballinhot

BE MAGIC!

That's right: BE MAGIC!

Orlando's marking slogan this year is "Be Magic", in case you didn't know. Tomorrow is media for the Magic Men and for the rest of the week they will be spending time in training camp right before their preseason gets in session on October 5th in Dallas. I really can't wait for this season at all, as my team is fresh off an NBA Finals visit and looking to avenge their loss to the Lakers.

The excitement for this season is definitely high. With a few new key guys in Brandon Bass, Vince Carter, and Matt Barnes, I cannot wait to see how they play with Dwight, Rashard and Jameer.

I love the NBA season because of my passion for basketball, the smack talking with my friends who are fans of other teams, the epic games, the amazing plays, the late West Coast games, and then eventually the NBA Playoffs! The point is I'm a devoted NBA fan year-round and it's busiest time is coming around again.

If you're a fan of the NBA go ahead and follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/chevythecoolest and we can talk nothing but NBA all day!

ORLANDO MAGIC 2010!

NBA 2009-2010 Pre-Season Predictions

Here are my predictions solely based on how the teams and league is formed BEFORE the season!

FINAL DRAFT!

Teams in BLUE qualify for playoffs, seeds are listed after season records.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division:
1. Boston Celtics (61-21) 1
2. Philadelphia 76ers (47-39) 5
3. Toronto Raptors (45-37) 7
4. New York Knicks (40-42)
5. New Jersey Nets (32-51)

Central Division:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (58-24) 3
2. Chicago Bulls (41-41)
3. Detroit Pistons (38-44)
4. Indiana Pacers (36-46)
5. Milwaukee Bucks (35-47)

Southeast Division:
1. Orlando Magic (60-22) 2
2. Washington Wizards (50-32) 4
3. Atlanta Hawks (48-34) 6
4. Miami Heat (42-40) 8
5. Charlotte Bobcats (34-48)

Teams in RED qualify for playoffs, seeds are listed after season records.

Western Conference
Northwest Division:
1. Denver Nuggets (52-30) 3
2. Portland Trailblazers (51-31) 5
3. Utah Jazz (47-39) 7
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (31-51)
5. Minnesota Timberwolves (25-57)

Pacific Division:
1. Los Angeles Lakers (62-20) 1
2. Phoenix Suns (43-39)
3. Los Angeles Clippers (32-50)
4. Golden State Warriors (28-54)
5. Sacramento Kings (22-60)

Southwest Division:
1. San Antonio Spurs (56-26) 2
2. Dallas Mavericks (54-28) 4
3. New Orleans Hornets (50-32) 6
4. Houston Rockets (45-37) 8
5. Memphis Grizzlies (35-47)

Kanye's Stunt and the Upcoming NBA Season!

Ok so this is a pretty big 'hot topic' that is even receiving comments from our very own President Obama. My views are solely based on the fact that MTV is crap, not Taylor Swift or Kanye West.

I really have no interest in any award show that MTV puts out there really. I mean did you see how some of these people come in dressed? I agree that artists and celebs should at least have an informal fun type of award show here and there but recently MTV has become worthless. That is just my feel on them.

So with that said I feel like Kanye WAS wrong for what he did but at the end of the day, the VMAs and controversy from past shows simply made this little incident another one for the books. It was overblown and a one day thing that probably didn't need to reach the President's office.

When it's all said and done: Taylor Swift is rich and has fans, Kanye West...the SAME! Do I feel for both of them? Not really but Ye is still one of my favorite artists.

NBA 40 DAYS AWAY! (From Sept. 17th, 2009)

Well last season was hella exciting for me. My Orlando Magic went through the whole Eastern Conference to only LOSE in the Finals :(

I'm counting down the days slowly, but I do have some predictions I'll share on this blog and see how I do later...so here we go:

1. Washington Wizards will be the 4th best team out East. I think they are serious this year and long over due. Especially with Arenas, Jamison, and Butler finally healthy once again they'll be hungry enough to lead this team. Their supporting cast is pretty decent and Coach Flip Saunders should be a big key to improving them this season.

2. REVISED: Since Tracy McGrady is expected to be 100% healthy by the Preseason start, the Rockets will make the playoffs but hold on to the 8th seed. All of the teams that made the playoffs in the West will make it again this year with different positions on the seeding.

3. Blake Griffin wins Rookie of the Year. Obvious, but I think he's got this one locked up pending injury. I saw his footwork, shooting touch and overall game and I was impressed. I don't think any rookie will come close to the numbers he puts up.

4. The race in the East from 5th seed and beyond is going to be a bit tough. The Raptors and Wizards will make the playoffs which means two teams from last year won't. I'm going with Detroit and Miami not making the playoffs. Detroit may struggle with a thin frontline and Miami will be the odd one left as Toronto takes their spot.

5. Trade deadline blockbuster: Amare Stoutamire is out if he doesn't produce like the Suns want him to.

That's all I have for now but as the season draws closer I will have more to discuss about the 2009-2010 NBA season. Again I can't wait!

NBA All-Star Weekend Predictions

Its a weekend that all NBA fans mark their calenders for and one weekend that the celebs party with the NBA...All-Star Weekend! This weekend (February 13-15) will be the 58th All-Star game in NBA history. Hosted in Phoenix this year with a stud line-up from each NBA Conference, I'm excited and ready for a few reasons. First off the Magic have three All-Stars in Rashard Lewis, Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. Now of course its a bummer that Nelson won't be able to participate in the game itself or the Skills Challenge, he still gets his credit! Also Dwight will be participating in all three days as he coaches the Spohomores on Friday night, takes flight in the Slam Dunk Contest Saturday night and the Sunday night game. Rashard Lewis will be featured in the 3 point Contest. This is the first All-Star in a few years where more than Magic player has been featured in more than just the game, so I'm going to enjoy it as much as possible.

Anyways, I will get to the blog title and show off my predictions/who I'll be rooting for this weekend.

Friday Night:

Celeb Game: Terrell Owens' Team!

Rookie-Spohomore Game: Going with this guy's squad the Sophomores!
Saturday Night:

H.O.R.S.E.: Joe Johnson

Shooting Skills Challenge: Team San Antonio (maybe Team SA can finally repeat at something)

Skills Challenge: Devin Harris

Three-Point Contest: Homer but, my boy Rashard Lewis!

Slam Dunk Contest: DWIGHT "SUPERMAN" HOWARD!
Sunday Night's 58th NBA All-Star Game: EASTERN CONFERENCE!


All-Star MVP: Dwayne Wade or maybe Lebron