I really hope the lockout ends. Soon, not later. I'd like some hot stove pro basketball. I'm not ready for football. David Stern said, "New Orleans will be top 15 grossing franchise."

David West is the most talented free agent this summer in the NBA

It's almost bad luck that David West is so good. Most other players lose enough value when they have ACL surgery. West is so good that he'll be overpaid if he's not picky about where he goes. New Orleans could afford to keep him around for a below average salary, based on his market value. He and Chris Paul share a two piece BFF charm. I do believe that Chris Paul staying would be good for the Hornets, so David West as a sixthman would be my first choice. But if he's going to be paid like a star, it leaves less money for necessary upgrades. Why wouldn't I bet on West being a star? The Hornets are more than a year away from being a championship team, and with his less than stallar NBA quickness, injury, and advanced NBA age, West may have only one more star caliber season left. He'll be a good NBA player for the rest of his career, if for no other reason than his fluffy midrange shot. And I hope he proves me wrong, because he seems to be a nice guy. 

Draft Night

As an NBA nerd, happy draft night, as a New Orleanian and Horns fan, I'm interested in how much cash, what the deal is financially, and if I should get invested in a team that Cowherd, on the radio said is unfixable due to lack of corporate support. If the money isn't here geographically, I might just not follow the Hornets as a fan, but just mainstream association news. I'll have fond memories of rooting for a hometown team. I'm having trouble rooting for a player that is supposed to be so valuable that he, as an individual, has leverage against the team. He can't take over the scoring in crunch time. He may be the hardest worker, and deserves his praise, but he has the ability and authority to work with management on economic matters, and to help build a winner. But winning and losing may not matter in the "New Orleans" part of the Hornets situation.

NBA Players Today

This is a rendition of the Ryen Rusillo best NBA players list. This kind of conversation is enjoyable, especially in the off season. I've made a couple of adjustments, and while there's no exact order, the players are generally grouped in tiers. If you start to form teams, it soon becomes apparent that there's a lack of size in top quality players. Small ball isn't usually successful.


James Bryant Wade Howard Durant Paul DWilliams Rose Novitski Anthony Stoudamire Bosh PGasol Pierce Garnett Rondo Nash Westbrook Ginobili JJohnson Parker Duncan Granger Ellis KvMartin Aldridge Allen Boozer Horford Odom Billups JSmith Kidd Love Griffen Curry Noah Gay ZRandolph DHarris BGordon Nene Deng SJackson GWallace AJefferson Millsap Terry Marion Bogut Okafor Carter Richardson DvWest Roy

Teams would break down something like this:

1.       Rose, Bryant, James, Nowitski, Howard

2.       Paul, Wade, Durant,Stadumire, Gasol

3.       Williams, Ginobili, Anthony, Garnett, Duncan

4.       Nash, Johnson, Pierce, Bosh, Horford

5.       Westbrook, Allen, Granger, Aldridge, Nene’

6.       Parker, Martin, Gay, Odom, Noah

7.       Rondo, Ellis, Deng, Boozer, Jefferson

8.       Billups, Richardson, Wallace, Smith, Okafor

9.       Curry, Terry, Jackson, Griffin, Randolph

10.   Harris, Gordon , Marion, Love, Bogut

11.   Kidd, Carter, Artest, Millsap, Bynum