'The Sixth Element'

Jack is like thunder to Curry's lightning.

At times, it looks like Jarrett Jack actually enjoys contact.  If he played in the NFL, he'd probably be a wide receiver; the guy you can count on to make the tough catch over the middle on 3rd & long.  Physical guy, but can really handle the rock and hits at around 40-percent from 3-point range.  Best thing that happened to him is playing on the Golden State Warriors, because his hard nosed style compliments backcourt mates Steph Curry and Klay Thompson very well, because those guys are finesse players.

J. R. Smith, he never met a shot he didn't like.  If he crosses the half court line and no one is guarding him, trust and believe he feels like he's wide open.  No pressure playing under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden for the New York Knicks either.  Straight fearless shooter that can miss 10 shots in a row and still have the absolute confidence that number 11 will go down pure.  And don't dare challenge him at the rim.  Jadakiss already told us in the song, only he gets higher than J.R. does.

When Crawford is on the floor, no ankles are safe.

The term 'nutmeg' became mainstream when Jamal Crawford put on a Los Angeles Clippers jersey.  Combine Lob City catalysts Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan with the sick ball handling ability of Crawford and it's like watching the dopest And 1 mixtape ever made, right there at Staples Center.

If you were in a time capsule for the past five years, then came out and watched highlights of all three of these guys from the 2012-13 NBA season, there's no way that you would think any of them were not starters.  Of course, you would be shocked and amazed to find out that all three guys actually do come off the bench. 

Just to be clear, no one is saying that having a star player come off the bench is a new phenomena in the NBA or anything like that.  Guys in the 1980s like Kevin McHale and Vinnie 'The Microwave' Johnson really popularized the role, while John Starks, Detlef Schrempf, and Manu Ginobili would carry on the tradition in later years. 

Smith can put the team on his shoulders with his scoring ability.

However, this 2013 class of NBA sixth men is the most dynamic we've seen at any point in the history of the game.  Furthermore, the argument can be made that this decade (the 2010s?) has changed the game to the point where teams are opting to have that electrifying type player start the game on the pine; even if he might be well qualified to be in the starting line up. 

James Harden, the 2012 Sixth Man of the Year Award  with the Oklahoma City Thunder, is now the focal point of the Houston Rockets offense as the starting 2-guard.  Jason Terry (2009 SMOY) was huge for the Dallas Mavericks when they won the 2011 NBA Championship.  Nate Robinson does work for the Chicago Bulls.  Even Chris "Birdman" Andersen is receiving huge hype coming off the bench for this year's defending champion Miami Heat, stealing some of the spotlight from LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. 

Smith won the award this year, but it wouldn't have been an outcry if Crawford or Jack would've won.  All three guys are about as explosive as it gets in the NBA, and their teams don't mind starting the game without them on the floor...as long as they finish.

NBA Trash Talk: 'Bad Person' of the Week; 1st Edition

Known in the NBA for being a punk, Stiemsma had this coming for a while now.

Who's deserving of the ADEDS NBA Trash Talk 'Bad Person' of the Week?  Is it Matt Barnes for taking out his tough guy aggressions on obviously the most threatening big man in the NBA, Minnesota Timberwolves F/C Greg 'The Steamer' Stiemsma?  Is it Metta World Peace for once again disturbing the peace with his QB-manhug and chin inspection of Detroit Pistons G Brandon Knight?  Maybe DeMarcus Cousins being T'd up for the 732nd time this season on his way to being ejected for arguing a call while both teams were walking towards the lockerooms for halftime?  I got it; it has to be Kobe Bryant for calling out Dwight Howard for missing games while nursing a torn labrum, very unsurreptitiously telling 'Superman' that AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!  All of those people, make no mistake, are very bad people, and they should feel bad, but they do not win the ADEDS NBA Trash Talk 'Bad Person' of the Week award.  That honor goes to former NBA point guard and current Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson.
You see, Jackson's Warriors were getting lit up from 3-point by the Rockets in Houston last week, to the tune of an NBA-record tying 23 makes from distance that contributed to a 140 spot on the scoreboard. Towards the end of the game, however, when Coach Mark caught wind of Houston being one 3 shy of setting the record, told his players to intentionally foul the Rockets so as to put them on the line and avoid getting the record set against them.  After the game, Jackson had this explanation to offer:

"We're not going to lie down," Jackson said. "I was an old-school basketball player. I'm an old-school coach. If you can't appreciate that, that's on you.
"If you're going to try to get the record, we're going to stop you. ... I would expect nothing less if I was on the other side."

Jackson signalling Draymond Green to injure a Rockets player.

Okay, I can't disagree with any of that. You can't 'lie down' against anybody. Gotta play hard to the end. And if guys are jacking up 3's trying to set the record on you, especially when you're already down by 30, you just can't let that happen.  But the way you stop them from getting that record is by playing hard defense throughout the ENTIRE GAME; not intentionally fouling at the end so that the other team has to shoot free throws.  That's not 'old-school basketball' Mark, that's bush league.  That's like if a guy is coming up to bat in a blowout with 4 homeruns already and then you intentionally walk him.  Can you imagine Chuck Daley ordering Bill Laimbeer or Dennis Rodman to intentionally foul at the end of a game to stop a team from setting a 3-point record?  No, you can't imagine it.  Why? Because those Detroit Pistons never would have let you sniff the record to begin with.  Because they played 'old-school basketball' the whole game.  Mark Jackson, you're a bad person for what you did, and you should feel bad.

'NBA Trash Talk: Dave and Busters; Dirty Birds; That's Gay; We've Only Just Begun

The Clippers are good.  Really good.  Almost too good.  So much so that a point guard as talented and capable as Eric Bledsoe can only get on the court for 20 minutes per game.  Once Chauncey Billups comes back from injury, expect those numbers to dwindle down to about 10-15 minutes per game.  This for a 6-foot 1-inch 23-year old who's built like a free safety, has stupid bunnies, and can fill every major statistical category on the box score with efficient scoring on any given night?  It's really not fair for us basketball fans that we don't get to see him play more.  Maybe David Stern steps in here and forces the L.A. brass to deal Bledsoe by threatening to veto the Chris Paul trade.

I broght Chris Paul into this world, I can take him out.

The Hawks scored 58 points in a game earlier this week.  That's probably not even enough points to win a game if they played in the Big Ten.  Maybe against the Wisconsin Badgers?  Joe Johnson may be the most overrated/over paid player in the history of the NBA, but for at least one game, I must admit, the Hawks really could've used him.  Even if he had to jack up 40 shots, Johnson would have made it his goal for the Hawks to at least break the 70 point barrier.  You can say it's only one bad game, but I think this really reveals a glaring problem for Atlanta.  This team was constructed around Joe.  A bunch of blue collar guys that can contribute everywhere needed on the floor but without a true consistent go to scorer.  Time to blow this thing up now...and trade Josh Smith to the Celtics.

Apparently, the ball does lie.

Of all the precarious ongoings of Knicks president James Dolan, this one takes the cake.  He's hired a guy to record Carmelo Anthony during games to hear if players are going overboard with the trash talking.  Really?  For what reason does this benefit anyone?  Are we going to start penalizing players for saying offensive things?  As if the NBA wasn't soft enough.  Great, let's start handing out fines and suspensions for this.  I can see it now:  'Chris Broussard reports Sacramento Kings F/C DeMarcus Cousins will be suspended 1-game for saying Memphis Grizzlies F Rudy Gay's 'last name suits him' and calling him his 'little bitch'.  Gay is listed as day-to-day (took it personal reasons).

"And then he said I was ugly, and I couldn't read good."

I know the NBA season just started guys, but the Lakers are 2-0!  And they're just not eeking out wins folks, they're crushing it!  They beat Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers (w/o Anderson Varejao) 113-93 and dismantled the Milwaukee Bucks (in L.A.) with coach Mike Brown (D'Antoni) opting to use Kobe as the key defensive stopper rather than the focal piece of the Princeton offense.  As brilliant as they've looked, they have a very tough test tonight against the defending NBA champion Miami Heat.  If they can get the W, and a Minnesota Timberwolves loss to the Clippers, that would put them at 3-0 on the season, and leave them in sole possession of 1st place (10th) in the Western Conference.  Are the Showtime Lakers back?  We will have to see!  The NBA season is back y'all, get excited!

Really?...Really?...........really?

NBA Trash Talk: American Psycho; Don't Kill My Vibe; By Oden's Beard

Carmelo suspended one game for waiting for Kevin Garnett at the Celtics team bus?  Yeah, there's no way I'm disagreeing with the NBA on this one, there's just no real way of legitimizing it.  It's not that Melo deserved the suspension because there was a 'confrontation', because as far as the reports show, no hands were thrown.  The reason the suspension is valid is because, if you let a player get into your head to the point you wanna fight him after the game, maybe you need to take a break from playing for a while.
Thing about KG, he's a guaranteed first ballot NBA HOFer.  And also, he will go down in history as one of the greatest trash talkers in the history of sports.  Taunting Charlie Villanueva by calling him 'cancer patient' is not below his standards.  Physically, his game is just as grimey as his speech.  From punching Chandler Frye in the balls to the discrete forearm shiver to Tyler Hansborough's orbital bone last week, there's more than enough evidence to reveal Garnett's obvious propensity for on-court psychotic fits of rage.  Carmelo was trying to show that he's not a bitch, and all that KG tough shit looks and sounds good on the court, but don't mean shit in the real world.  I get where you're coming from Melo.  But on the NBA premises, you will always lose.  In this case, Carmelo let KG beat him twice.  KG succesfully took you out of your game (not to mention some surprising lockdown D by Jeff Green) and you shot 6-for-26 while phasing out your teammates and it was ultimatlely the reason the Knicks lost the game.  And now your team has to play without you in the next one.

Ya wife told me you have a little dick nigga!

There are few things in the NBA I enjoy more than when Kobe Bryant goes into full-on Kobe Mode.  This is the point in the game where Kobe feels like his teammates' intensity is lacking, and it's up to him to be the hero and pull out the win for the Lakers.  As a result, basketball fans get to witness the entire Kobe Bryant offensive repertoire.  You don't know how he's gonna score next: circus layup, miraculous fadeaway, 5-feet behind the line 3-pointer.  But we all know one thing is for certain; he's not passing it no one, no matter what.

Here; give this to Kobe.  I'mma go box out.

It's being reported that former college basketball National Player of the Year and No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden is rehabing his re-surgically repaired knee and plans to make a return to the NBA.  The team being reportedly interested in him is the Miami Heat.  If this were to go down, there isn't a better possible thing for Oden to come out of destroying every possible ligament in your knee after being drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers and before playing 100 games in about a 5-year span.  Oden will get to rehab in Miami, which in itself needs no more further explanation.  And he'll get to come off the bench/sit on the bench and have a high-percentage chance of winning a championship ala Juwan Howard.  At the very least/best, Oden could provide the same amount of impact as Joel Anthony or Dexter Pittman.  Meanwhile, Kevin Durant has all the pressure on him to lead OKC to a championship, and he was the No. 2 overall pick that year.  Now that's what I call coming out on top.

Oden in early rehab for is imminent return to the NBA.

'NBA Trash Talk: Speaking in Tongues; Passive-Agressive; No Country for Old Men; Kriss Kross, and More'

Dirk finally back, and finally producing going forward hopefully? He had 19 points today which is huge since he's basically been scoring a little bit more than Dominique Jones and Rodrigue Beaubois since his return from knee surgery some time a couple weeks ago. They lost to the Heat but it looks like some of his swagger is coming back. Shiiit, even seen him do that litte retarded sideways tongue thing, which is inspiring.

I'm back bitches!

Jose Calderon 0 points and 13 assists today and Kyle Lowry also had 0 points but nine assists. Terrence Ross dropped a career-high 26 points and Amir Johnson had 17 points seven boards. Ed Davis had a good game too, and Landry Fields is back. Could this make Toronto relevant again? And by relevant I mean...aw fuck, I forgot what I was gonna say.

Baby, I just wanna hold you and never let go.

When is this Will Bynum and Rodney Stuckey flip-flop gonna end? I mean, it's really not that difficult Lawrence Frank; put Kyle Singler's ass on the bench until he starts producing and start Stuckey while finding ways to get Bynum the basketball more. I know you don't want to disrupt team chemistry and blah-blah but fuck that. You're not making the playoffs. At least let the fans see the best available players play the most significant amount of minutes.

I don't care if he's 1-for-13 Rodney, he hasn't played 30 minutes yet.

Avery Bradley came back today. I would say his stat line but it's not really important. The Celtics suck ass right now and it's really very frustrating. Two HOFers and Rajon Rondo but no type of inside game whatsoever outside of Jared Sullinger. Brandon Bass looks lost on this roster. Jeff Green can play a little, but that's only on offense. Any big man that faces the C's imposes their will on them. Case in point: Joakim Noah and DeMarcus Cousins each have triple-doubles this year. Both games have come against Boston. I won't say anymore, this rant will take forever.

But Doc, I ain't played center since the 5th grade!

It's not the end of the world that the Clippers have lost two games in a row guys, they're just looking at the monstrous margin they've built between themselves and the Western Conference (with the exception of San Antonio) and saying, "mane, we can coast most nights" and they're probably right. They got spanked on the road by the Warriors, who have 16-year old guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Ain't nobody got time for chasing them young boys up and down the court all night. Especially when you have a "Look Who's On Top Now?" game coming up on Friday against the Lakers.

We finna play y'all in 5 days.  Yup, me and Klay.

It's finally been confirmed today that D.J. Augustin is in fact alive and well and does stil participate in the National Basketball Association. Augustin, who had so many dazzling plays when he was the University of Texas point guard that no one thought he would turn out worse than T.J. Ford or Daniel Gibson (at least Boobie fuckin Keyshia Cole though), but has in fact found himself to on the path to the D-League, a place where neither of the two aformentioned preceding Longhorn point men have ever achieved. Luckily, George Hill got hurt and Augustin has been seeing starters minutes and actually producing. 18 points, 6 dimes, and 4 boards sounds like what we would expect him to average on a nightly basis, but for now it will suffice as some sort of a pulse that Augustin isn't dead in this league just yet.

Mane...y'all niggas all in shape and shit.

Which brings us to Jameer Nelson and the ongoing Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball saga for yours truly. You see, Nelson is one of those guys that will either have an 8 point-8 turnover game, or a drop 30 with 5 three's, or tweak his ankle and miss four games in a row. On this particular night, Yahoo!, who uses Rotoworld.com reports, still had him with the "injured" icon, yet he played and had 32 freakin points...from my bench of course. Look, I know it's my fault: I should've checked his injury status 5 minutes before the game started, but Jesus H. Christ, can they find a way that you can check a box for a player to start if he's going to be available to play, and as soon as they receive notification, it swaps him for the scrubby utility guy (in this case, Carlos Delfino, who lit up for 2 whole points) of your liking? It's 2013. Get on this guys.

Damn, shoelaces fucked up...I ain't playin' to somebody fix this shit.

EJECTED.

JORDAN vs. KOBE.

How were the LAKERS able to comeback against Mike Jordan's BOBCATS for the win last night?  MJ gave KOBE some key advice before the game...ADEDS S/O to Sam Higgins for the caption!

'Rest So Hard David Stern Wanna Fine Me?'

Maybe Pop will learn now, a little courtesy goes a long way.

Gregg Popovich is a great basketball coach, and I respect his demeanor and the way he goes about teaching and motivating his players, but I can no longer consider myself a fan of his. On a night where his San Antonio Spurs were scheduled to face off against the defending champion Miami Heat in South Beach, Pop announced Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Danny Green were sent back to Texas and would not play in the game, because he wanted to "rest" them.  Granted, it was the fourth game in five days, (the three previous games of the road trip examined later in this post) for the Spurs, with all games played on the road, and the Heat game in particular coming on the second night of a back-to-back.  Despite all of that, my initial reaction was, 'It's November and you're resting players? That's nonsense!'

I know that strategizing for a possible Finals matchup with Miami was a possible reason for this, because you don't want to 'show' them anything they can get a book on.  But it's freaking November!  Should you not have any obligation to the league and it's fans that pay you/made you who you are today by putting the best quality basketball on the floor each night? How different is this than teams that tank?

People have defended Pop, saying, 'he always does this', but he's not the only coach in the league with key players that are older and, as far as i know, he's the only one that does this. If it were after February, it probably wouldn't have solicited a response from NBA commissioner David Stern, but "resting" players in November that people pay good money to see, for an NBA showcase game, comes off as a bit of a spiteful gesture to the leaugue and its fans.

$250,000?!?!?

Furthermore, the timing of when Popovich announced that those guys weren't gonna play is very suspicious.  The NBA schedule has been out for weeks now.  Pop knew that this was gonna be the fourth game in five days and his best players are old.  He had to know that announcing that he was sitting his best four players for a showcase NBA game, like half-an-hour before tip-off, would rub some people the wrong way.  (The league should implement a policy in which you must announce players' game time status in a timeley manner.  You have to do it in the NFL, why not in the NBA?)  Could've been done after the previous game in Orlando Wednesday night at the postgame presser.  Could've been done before shootaround on Thursday.  Common courtesy was so evidently void in the situation that Stern reacted in a way that most humans do when they feel disrespected:  he overreacted.

To fine a team for something that is an unwritten rule, and as substantially as 250k, comes off as a power trip move on Stern's part.  He definitely took Pop's move as an indirect shot at himself.

Look, it's not that I think Pop hasn't earned the respect in the league to be able to have carte-blanche when it comes to his team and do whatever he feels is in the best interest of his team.  Rather, I simply do not subscribe to this kind of childish/spiteful behavior.  I'm not naive enough to think that Pop's decision was purely strategy, and in no way was a sideways shot at Stern, the league, and the fans.

BONUS MATERIAL:  We already know that the Heat game was the fourth game in five days.  I got curious as to see what the previous three games were and what the minute distribution was between the players that were held out.  Here's what I dug up.

@ Orlando Magic, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 7:00 PM EST: 110-89

Duncan: 27 minutes (DNP 4^th quarter)

Parker: 29 minutes (DNP 4^th quarter)

Ginobili: 23 minutes

Green: 31 minutes

No opponent, Tuesday, Nov. 27

@ Washington Wizards, Monday, Nov. 26, 7:00 PM EST: 118-92 (W)

Duncan: 23 minutes (DNP 4^th quarter)

Parker: 22 minutes (DNP 4^th quarter)

Ginobili: 20 minutes

Green: 17 minutes (DNP 4^th quarter)

Quotes from after the Wizards game: "What are you guys talking to him for? He played like half the game!" -- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich walking past Tony Parker, who was talking to reporters about the role Boris Diaw played in the win.

"It's just great to sit there in the fourth quarter, especially after the game we had last night," – Spurs center Tim Duncan talking about the double-overtime game the previous day against the Toronto Raptors.

@ Toronto Raptors, Sunday, Nov. 25, 1:00 PM EST: 111-106, 2OT (W)

Duncan: 41 minutes

Parker: 46 minutes

Ginobili: 36 minutes

Green: 48 minutes

'2012-13 NBA Season: 8 Most Underrated Players In The NBA'



Bledose could start on a lot of NBA teams.

Eric Bledsoe, G, Los Angeles Clippers
3rd year, Kentucky, 2010 - 1st round, 18th pick (Oklahoma City Thunder)
2012-13 stats: 15 games, 9.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.3 spg

Try being a young NBA guard competing with minutes behind the league's premier point guard in Chris Paul, former NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, and former Sixth Man of the Year and scoring machine Jamal Crawford (leads team with 17.5 ppg) on the same roster as you. This is exactly what Bledsoe is faced with, and is only averaging around 18 minutes per game, but the boy sure knows how to make every minute count. His stats show that if he got more minutes, he would be one of the premier guards in the league. Besides shooting a sizzling 49.6-percent from the field, Bledsoe ranks 31st in scoring per 48 minutes (25.0) and seventh in steals per 48 minutes (3.28). You can also catch the kid on the nightly highlight reels, as he uses his freak athleticism to make plays above the rim.

Al-Farouq Aminu, F, New Orleans Hornets
3rd year, Wake Forest, 2010 - 1st round, 8th pick (Los Angeles Clippers)
2012-13 stats: 14 games, 10.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.8 spg

After being a spot starter for most of his previous two NBA seasons, Aminu is finally coming into his own with the Hornets in his role as starting small forward.  He started 14 of the last 17 games last year and has started all 14 games this year with steadily increasing results.  Aminu is shooting 49.6-percent from the field (career 40.2-percent entering season) in just shy of 32 minutes per game.  Defense and rebounding are the six-foot nine-inch swingman's best attributes.  Aminu pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds Nov. 7 vs. the Philadelphia Sixers and has recorded a steal in 13 of the 14 team games played so far this season.

Carl Landry, F, Golden State Warriors
6th year, Purdue, 2007 - 2nd round, 1st pick (Seattle SuperSonics)
2012-13 stats: 15 games, 14.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg

Landry has showed glimpses of double-double potential, as he averaged 18 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game after being traded from the Houston Rockets to the Sacramento Kings midway through the 2009-10 season. He'll never get the attention he deserves, because his game isn't very flashy, but his steady play will always earn him starters minutes.  Landry, who has never shot less than 49-percent from the field in his career, is currently hitting at a 58-percent clip.



Sessions is an underrated scoring threat.

Ramon Sessions, G, Charlotte Bobcats
6th year, Nevada-Reno, 2007 - 2nd round, 26th pick (Miami Heat)
2012-13 stats: 14 games, 16.5 ppg, (tied with Kemba Walker for team lead) 3.7 rpg, 4.3 apg

Sessions is off to a sizzling start in his first year in Charlotte, averaging a career-best 16.5 points per game (previous career high, 13.3ppg, 2010-11 with Cleveland Cavaliers) while coming off the bench. He's only shooting 20.6-percent from three-point range after shooting 45.2-percent last year, but there is no denying the impact he has had on the Bobcats turnaround from a dreadful 2011-12 season.



Reggie Evans, F, Brooklyn Nets
11th year, Iowa, Undrafted
2012-13 stats: 14 games, 3.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg

The 2012 version of Dennis Rodman?  Better known for flopping and poor free-throw shooting (which Rodman was also known for, by the way) Evans is turning into one of the most prolific rebounders in NBA history.  The 11-year veteran leads the NBA in rebounds per 48 minutes at 21.1 and is 8.6 rebounds per game average is tied with New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler for 19th in the NBA.  Evans averages 19.5 minutes per game, mainly due to him being an offensive liability, but his rebound average makes him the only player in the NBA in the top 50 rebounders that averages less than 23 mpg.

Wesley Matthews, G, Portland Trail Blazers
4th year, Marquette, Undrafted
2012-13 stats: 16.8 ppg, 2.4 apg, 2.1 spg

Matthews played in all 82 games as a rookie for the Utah Jazz (48 starts), all 82 games his first year with Portland (69 starts) and has not missed a single game to this point in his NBA career (245 games).  Not bad for a guy that no team selected in the 2009 NBA Draft after a successful career at Dwyane Wade's alma-mater.  Want more consistency?  He's shooting 44.5-percent from the field, just below his 44.8-percent career average entering the season and his steals per game average has increased by about 0.4 each year since he's been in the league (2.1 spg this year compared to 0.8 his rookie year, 1.2 his second year, and 1.6 last year).  Only inconsistency has come in free-throw shooting. Matthews has already missed 20 free-throws (39-59) after only missing 24 all last year (147-171).  His 2.4 assists per game is better than what he has done and should continue to increase with the offensive improvement of Nicolas Batum (career-high 17.9 ppg ) and a healthy LaMarcus Aldridge.


Conley is becoming a true floor general.

Mike Conley, Jr., G, Memphis Grizzlies
6th year, Ohio State, 2007 - 1st round, 4th pick (Memphis Grizzlies)
2012-13 stats: 12 games, 14.9 ppg, 6.4 apg, 2.2 spg

More known as a penetrator, defender, and distributor than a scoring point guard, Conley is finally starting to put together the type of season people expected him to after he and Greg Oden led the Buckeyes to a memorable NCAA tournament run a few years ago.  Through 12 games Conley has been dynamic for the Grizzlies, shooting 50-percent from the field, and 43.5-percent from three-point range.  Conley is ranked 10th in the NBA in adjusted field goal percentage, leads all NBA point guards in adjusted field goal percentage (57.8).   There's nothing to sniff at on the other side of the ball either, as his 2.2 steals per game ranks him 3rd in the NBA.

Goran Dragic, G, Phoenix Suns
5th year, Yugoslavia, 2008 - 2nd round, 15th pick (San Antonio Spurs)
2012-13 stats: 16 games, 15.8 ppg (leads team), 2.9 rpg, 6.8 apg , 2.1 spg

Dragic has proved to be one of the better point guards in the NBA both as a scorer and a passer. He's currently boosted his scoring average by four points per game (11.7 ppg last year with Houston Rockets) and ranks second amongst NBA point guards in adjusted field goal percentage (54.7). Goran is a magician with the rock that also distributes the ball efficiently, ranking 10th in the NBA amongst starting point guards in assist to turnover ratio (2.9).

'Tinsley's Jazz Renaissance'

Tinsley is averaging 5.9 APG in only 19.5 minutes per game.

With Mo Williams missing games due to minor injuries this season, Utah Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin has gone to Brooklyn-native Jamaal Tinsley as the replacement point guard, and the nine-year veteran has produced quality results.  Tinsley, 34, is coming off a 14-point (4-6 3PT), seven-assist performance in 31 minutes Nov. 24 against the Kings in Sacramento, and has been a solid contributor for the Jazz (7-7) as backup point man early this season.  He's only scoring 2.2 points per game (9.1 PPG career) but he's dishing out 5.9 assist per game while spending about 20 minutes on the floor a night, putting him second in the NBA in assists per 48 minutes with 14.6, trailing only Rajon Rondo (17.1).  Main thing about a guy like Tinsley, you better watch the 5-hole whenever you're defending him.  He's still not too old to go 'Mel-Mel the Abuser' with the ball handling and put you on the YOUTUBE highlight reel.

'8 New And Exciting Things To Watch For In The 2012-13 NBA Season'

-LeBron James as a defending champ.
Is it finally no discussion of calling James 'King' anymore? Critics will say that one ring doesn't a king make, and probably not two either, but this will be the first season where 'Bron can call himself the reigning NBA Finals MVP and world champion. As if he didn't already have a target on his back. If LeBron leads the Miami Heat through the gauntlet similar to what he did last year, it will certainly solidify his standing among NBA royalty.

How many more jewels will the King add to his collection?

-Lakers form latest 'Big 3'.
Ask the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat if adding two big name players in an off season doesn't add up to big time results. Dwight Howard and Steve Nash joining Kobe Bryant is the latest trio and may be the most devastating ever formed when you combine career accomplishments. It's not like they'll be trying for 5,6,7 chips as the Heat prophesied, as Nash and Bryant are in the twilight of their careers. One championship would mean a lot for all three players, with Nash and Howard earning their first in their careers, and Bryant donning his sixth, tying him all-time in rings with one Michael Jeffrey Jordan.

This group, when playing as a unit, will be the toughest out in 2013.

-Revamped Celtics squad.
The Boston Celtics threesome of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen produced two NBA finals appearances, one championship, and two notorious up 3-2 games series collapses. As a Celtics fan, it's hard not to feel cheated that this group didn't win multiple titles together, and the eldest of the three -- 37-year old Allen -- would leave the Northeast for the arch rival in South Beach. Despite that, there's still a quiet buzz of anticipation going on in Boston right now. On paper, this year's Celtics squad looks younger, deeper, taller, and more athletic than last year's team. The core of the team -- Pierce, Garnett, and Rajon Rondo -- already has championship pedigree, and a bitter taste in their mouths from allowing Pierce's Game 5 Conference Finals heroics to be inducted into the forgotten-clutch-playoff-game-winner-hall-of-fame. The return of guard Avery Bradley and forward Jeff Green, combined with the signings of guards Courtney Lee and Jason Terry, will help pull weight for whatever drop off you might have lost with Allen's departure.  Rookies Fab Melo and Jared Sullinger add depth to a small frontcourt.

Rondo will need this many rocks to dish to all the talent on the C's roster this year.

-OKC Young Gunners minus Harden.
It almost feels like the Thunder gave up on this year when it was announced that badman-beard James Harden was on his way to the Houston Rockets via trade. OKC was in the Finals last year, and yeah they got dominated by the Heat, but it was alot of James Harden's heroics against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals that got them there.  The daggers, energy and excitement that Harden provided, can that be replaced by adding Kevin Martin (who in his defense has been a consistent offensive threat since the 2006-07 season, averaging right around 20 ppg) and UConn rookie guard/forward Jeremy Lamb?

The OKC gang will be firing with an extra chip on their shoulders.

-Flopping Rule.
In soccer, you get yellow carded for 'taking a dive' and certain accumulation of yellow cards leads to disqualification. The NBA will be similar to this format starting this year. The point being, just as we see in soccer, being penalized for 'flopping' won't actually stop players from doing it completely (see Chris Paul and Manu Ginobili) but at least now the consequences are more severe.

Really, Chris Paul?...really?

-Take a Brow.
The boy Anthony Davis has in the past year won a Gold medal in the Olympics, won a National Championship at Kentucky, won the Naismith and Wooden POTY awards, and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. You gotta give this long, lanky, athletic freak from Chicago his props as no stage seems to big for him. A 6-9 former point guard that can block shots, grab boards, start fast breaks, and has a decent jumpshot? It's only a matter of time until Davis connects that success he's been having into NBA stardom.



Davis' unique skill set will catapult him to NBA stardom in due time.

-Where Brooklyn at?
Deron Williams knows that when it comes to a franchise that is building up high expectations, in the midst of one of the biggest media markets in the world, Brooklyn is on top, and there is no competition. The Nets didn't land Dwight Howard this off season, but BK will be the new perennial hot bed location for off season free-agent player interest. They put up big money to grab scoring guard Joe Johnson from Atlanta, and re-up'd on budding big man Brook Lopez's rookie contract. Add in the Williams extension and swingman Gerald Wallace, and you can clearly see that sky's the limit for Brooklyn in the Eastern Conference.

New look Nets are coming of age in Brooklyn.

-Do it again.
Show and prove time for Jeremy Lin.  Everyone wants to know if it was just a fluke you had, or are you really an elite point guard in this league?



The make or break time for Lin is now.

H-TOWN.