AboveLegit

Exactly, so that leaves the question still up in the air: How does one thing Pau is dominant right now? I believe I mentioned Yao. -_-

I too believe there's a slight chance he comes out of retirement. I just cannot see Allen retiring for good, he still has a lot of basketball left in the tank, and I know he's hungry to win a title. But I honestly do not see how his Hall of Fame status is up in the air, I think he's a sure hall of famer and one of the greatest guards to ever play the game.

I hope you're joking.....

http://btabasketball.com/news/allen-iverson-retiring/

Matter of fact I have seen 8 Laker games this year. To say Pau DEMANDS a double team is erroneous. He's not dominant, he's just a good scorer...there's a difference.

Well if you're talking about just offense, Tim isn't the same player he once was. But even to this day, his defensive presence in the paint is outstanding. Tim still gets his points in the post, though during games he often falls in love with his midrange shot, he always finds a way to get it done in the paint. his fundamentals is a large part of it. He's also a great passer in the post as well.

Pau definitely does not demand a double team and there's absolutely no way he has the best post game in the league. Duncan has a more refined post game. But if we were to talk about the player with the most effective post game, I might also add Antawn Jamison, Dwight Howard, Yao Ming, and Chris Bosh.

lol damn, someone would take that long (4 pages) just to stand up to a Wizards hater (Brandon). Some people need to realize it's the internet.

Phil, Pop, Woodson, Brown, and the great Mike D'Antoni.

I still cannot get over this death. For some of you guys who don't know Mr. Pollin, he was the heart and soul of this team, and easily one of the best owners of any sport. One of the assistant VP's talked to Abe around 11 a.m. today, and before the conversation finished, Abe told him, "Make sure everyone goes home early today so they can spend as much time with their families during this Thanksgiving week." Another instance desciribing Pollin is something you all are familiar with. You may wonder from time to time why the Bullets name was changed to the Wizards. Well in spite of the violent attacks and crime rates gradually increasing in DC, Pollin thought the name "Bullets" referred to it, and thus, changed it to something more appealing. It just shows you the type of man Abe was. Jamison looked like he was going to break down in tears in his post game interview a few hours ago when asked about this tragedy. He said something along the lines of "I loved him. He always spoke highly of me, often comparing me to Wes Unseld. That truly means a lot to me." Abe would go down to the training camp in Richmond, Virginia and take each player aside and give them some words of advice for the upcoming season. Not once did he say something negative. There's just so many stories to tell about Abe, I had a good chance to see him, meet him, and watch him year in and year out for 8-9 years, he's such a prominent member of D.C. and Maryland.

Nick and Antawn stepped it up big time for us. an ugly win, but I'll take it.

Right here in Maryland.

http://btabasketball.com/news/wizards-owner-abe-pollin-dies-at-85/ I'm at loss of words right now...I cannot believe it. We all knew of his health issues, and this was something that was bound to happen, but damn. The Wizards play the Sixers at home tonight, the players were all very fond of him, he was a darn good owner and very caring of our franchise. I had a chance to meet Abe before, he was such a soft spoken man, but everyone respected him. RIP Abe, you were a great owner and an even better person. I hope this tragic death sends a message to our players, it's unfortunate Abe couldn't see us win another championship (he had always hoped to see that light of day), but this is the time we come together as a unit and start winning games. This season is dedicated to Abe, and I hope we exceed expectations from now on.

http://i34.tinypic.com/1jkyz8.png Welcome back to yet another exciting Race to the MVP presented to you by Beyond the Arc Basketball. I'd like to talk about the Milwaukee Bucks, and more importantly, the player everyone has their eyes on, Brandon Jennings. The kid is still rolling through the league with a head of steam, leading this underdog Bucks squad to the best record in the Central Division. Jennings is leading all rookies with just under 25 points per game to go along with nearly 6 assists per game and 5 rebounds per game. On top of that he's shooting a respectable 47.7% from the field and is connecting on over half of his three point attempts, proving critics wrong who have cited the range on his shot as a weakness. However, questions still linger as to whether or not the Bucks can keep it up and whether or not Jennings can keep playing at a high level. A few issues stand in their way. First of all, will Jennings hit the rookie wall? It's a common fear for first year players who have never played this many games in a season before. Can Jennings’ body handle the rigors of the NBA after playing 40 or 50 games? Only time will tell if Jennings can fight fatigue better than his fellow freshman. Look out, the Thunder are playing solid right now, and Kevin Durant is on the verge of getting some MVP consideration. The kid impresses the hell out of me. He's an excellent shooter, but his shot really isn't falling right now....yet he is still dropping in 27 a game, getting to the line, and getting it done. I think he has a great unselfish attitude, can be a good leader, and will only get better. His numbers are already elite, and I believe he is on the edge of becoming a true superstar. You OKC fans have got something special so enjoy it. I want to dedicate a small portion of my time to a former MVP and a sure Hall of Famer, Allen Iverson. He needs to realize the league is moving away from the one man show offense, this is not a league full of teams relying on one player to do everything. Say what you like, but even LeBron James relies on his teammates to score, hence his high assist averages. Allen has all the talent in the world, but is too accustomed to being the star of the team. I would love to see him end his career on a good note, preferably signing with a title contender to assure him a ring in his career. The future of this once great superstar looks very dark. Well that does it for my weekly rant, now onto the list. 1. Kobe Bryant, Lakers (10-3) G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT% 12 38.1 30.2 5.2 2.8 3.3 0.2 .474 .192 .861 Last Week's Rank - 1 The recharged Los Angeles Lakers powered by their captain, Kobe Bryant are looking great. With a healthy Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, this offense looks dominant, scoring from all cylinders, but that has not stopped Kobe from playing at a superstar level. He's leading the league in scoring, shooting a respectable percentage from the field, and is makig good decisions on the floor. 2. Joe Johnson, Hawks (10-2) G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT% 12 37.9 23.6 5.3 4.7 0.8 0.1 .464 .345 .870 Last Week's Rank - N/A The most underrated player in the league will soon be known as a sure MVP candidate if he keeps playing like this. What hasn't he done? He's scoring at will, shooting at an extremely efficient percent from the field, making plays for his teammates, and is playing like a true leader. The Hawks are slowly sliding into the Eastern Conferences' Elite. 3. Steve Nash, Suns (10-3) G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT% 13 33.3 16.8 2.6 11.8 0.2 0.2 .506 .440 .929 Last Week's Rank - 2 Nash remains as the best Point Guard in the game currently due to Chris Paul's injury. His impressive numbers still remain afloat, the Suns are still amongst the best teams in the league, and Nash is surely a huge part of it. He's playing at such a high level, just a few days ago against Houston he exploded for 16 assists, keeping his assist averages at the top of the league. 4. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks (9-3) G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT% 12 38.5 27.3 9.3 2.6 1.1 1.6 .447 .364 .902 Last Week's Rank - N/A This past week proves why Dirk has not lost a step in his game since winning the MVP title a few years ago. He's willing to give up shots and save a bit of energy for important stretches of games. Nowitzki is playing the best basketball of his life right now, this past week he was incredible, but because of intangibles not because of his box-scores. His effort on defense has drastically improved, almost to the point where he is not considered a one sided player. 5. Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets (8-3) G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT% 11 35.6 29.9 5.8 3.0 1.6 0.4 .468 .360 .847 Last Week's Rank - 6 Melo has been a beast so far to start the season off with. Sure his season opening dunk over Milsap left us all in awe with a glimpse of what he has in store + the 19 points in the 4th quarter game against Portland to seal the deal. However, he continues to get better on D, rebounds at a solid rate, is averaging 3 assists per game, & like George Karl & Chauncey Billups have said, he's become a more mature team leader. 6. LeBron James, Cavaliers (8-4) G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT% 12 37.8 28.3 6.6 8.1 1.7 0.8 .516 .364 .774 Last Week's Rank - 5 The highly anticipated return of LeBron James to the top of this list will have to wait...for another week at the very least. He's putting up MVP numbers, his assist averages for a SF is un-precedented, and most importantly, he's still shooting with accuracy. He's evolving into the complete player we all thought he would be, but the Cavaliers have yet to back him up. The Delonte West saga is still continuing as he remains in & out of the line up, Shaq has been injured, and most of his role players are not consistently playing up to standards. 7. Dwyane Wade, Heat (7-4) G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT% 11 38.6 27.6 4.8 5.2 2.1 1.2 .431 .267 .772 Last Week's Rank - 3 Miami have lost 2 out of the last 3 games, and are looking terrible on defense. Luckily, Dwyane Wade managed to hit a spectacular three pointer to keep the Nets winless, something that is very routine down in Miami. Wade is running the show, and that's exactly what a MVP does. 8. Brandon Roy, Blazers (9-4) G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT% 13 36.7 20.3 4.8 5.1 0.3 0.2 .448 .370 .830 Last Week's Rank - 7 To a degree he hasn't been playing up to our normal expectations. He seems less confident on his drives right now and at times I sense he's struggling with whether to take over or to defer to others. The guy can still have a slow start and then you'll look up at the board at 3/4 time and he'll have 16 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Sooner or later the team is going to gel completely or he'll just decide to take over more often. Nothing to worry about here. 9. Paul Pierce, Celtics (9-3) G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT% 12 34.5 18.4 4.8 3.9 1.2 0.3 .511 .478 .809 Last Week's Rank - 4 His numbers still remain above average, and his shooting is still stellar, but the Celtics are dropping. They haven't looked fresh out there, Celtics are doing just what most people thought... aging. There's the lazy Sheed we all know and the OLD Big 3. Right now... and its early, Rondo and Pierce look like the Big 2. 10. Brandon Jennings (6-3) G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT% 9 34.8 24.8 5.8 4.7 1.1 0.2 .477 .558 .786 Last Week's Rank - 8 How can a rookie be on this list for 2 weeks running? It's simple, when that rookie explodes for 55 points, the highest point total in a game this season, you know he deserves it. This kid is just unbelievable, his shooting is great, his maturity on the court is above that of a Sophomore, and his decision making and overall court presence is phenomenal. http://btabasketball.com/articles/bta-race-to-mvp-week-2/ http://bleacherreport.com/articles/296002-...-the-mvp-week-2

As logical as that sounds, it won't happen.

You talk trash about the Wizards as if you watch us on a consistent basis. Gil has been playing like his old self, you're just too narrow minded to admit it.

He's better as a 2 guard because he's better playing off the ball. But that leaves Mike Miller out of the starting line up, which puts us in a bad position. Really, the only thing we can hope for is getting Gil to pass more, the chances of him going on the trade block is next to nothing, so don't bet your money on it.

He has the talent to do so, he just isn't a PG at heart. I'm disappointed in the Wizards as a whole, it's so hard watching this team at times. We definitely need to make some moves to get some defenders in the rotation. Arenas isn't someone we will trade, nor do I want to see him leave, but someone has to go.

How much emphasis does AI's current situation have towards his legacy? He's guaranteed a spot in the Hall of Fame, and is easily a top 50 greatest player of all time, but does his current situation leave a big asterisk on his legacy as a great player?

Nicely done Erick!

That's one of the most ignorant posts I have ever seen. Did you even watch Kidd when he was on the Nets? He's more than capable of winning a championship, even at this age.

I would start watching again if he came back.

Going to my cousins house in Virginia for dinner. Probably going to go a day early so we can go hit up Best Buy/Mall on black friday, just like every year.

Who's the better player right now? Who would you rather have?

This is the game that will turn our season around.