Anthony Davis, finally has blossomed into the superstar player that we all thought he'd become 3 years ago. Davis came into the league tearing it up, but somewhat plateau'd after his second season. It was only a matter of time before he was able to channel his inner killer and take over basketball games. Unfortunately, it took Boogie Cousins getting injured for it to be triggered inside of Anthony Davis. The last 6 games Davis has been completely unstoppable. The Pelicans have won 6 straight and you can thank AD's crazy stat line of 41.5ppg, 15rpg, 3.2bpg, and 3spg over that stretch. He's been a man one man wrecking crew, which of course at this stage of the season has sparked MVP talk. 

It's great to see AD back in the MVP conversation after going ghost for a couple of seasons. He was obviously still a great player, but wasn't quite living up to the almost unrealistic expectations that were created for him. If AD can position the Pelicans as a top 4 seed then without a doubt he'll be MVP worthy. That roster without Boogie Cousins is G-league worthy. The guy is carrying the whole team on his back and he knows it, as a matter of fact he said it himself. He has choose to embrace the mamba mentality and become a young MJ for the Pelicans. I'm watching this 6'10" gazelle do things I never thought possible by a big man and it really makes me wonder could he be the next great thing. Do I think he'll have a MJ like career where he goes and wins 6 straight championships, no. Do I think he has the best shot of anyone to average MJ like scoring numbers and have huge playoff games like Mike did, yes.

I know I'll get a ton of backlash for that last comment, only because it'll be taken out of context. Anyways, it's just fun to finally see some other success besides like the three actually good NBA teams. Pelicans could make some noise in the west, I don't see any reason for them not to. The Spurs aren't at full strength and as long as they can avoid the Rockets and Warriors they'll last as long as AD allows them. If this beast continues to put up Wilt like numbers for the Pelicans, then I believe the Pelicans will finish as a top 4 seed in the west, and Anthony Davis will be the league MVP. 6 games isn't the biggest sample size, however it's not something you can ignore either. My guess he comes back to earth a little and won't end up winning MVP or being this unguardable dominant Wilt Chamberlain like player. However, the potential is most certainly there.

The FBI wire-tapping shook up the college basketball world when they came out last week with reports of players being paid. Of course, no one was actually surprised by this, however it did confirm our suspicions. Now, we're seeing the repercussions of those actions, Miles Bridges, the star Michigan State basketball player, was one of the eye popping names on the list that came out about players taking money. Some sleaze bag agent came out saying he was paid by Miles Bridges, turned out to be bullshit. What didn't turn out to be bullshit was that his family members took a private meeting with an agent without his consent last year, in which the agent paid for dinner. This breaks the even more bullshit NCAA rules. Basically, Miles Bridges almost lost his eligibility at the most crucial time in his college career through no fault of his own. A huge scandal over $40, how petty is the NCAA. Miles Bridges paid the $40, is now eligible, and has cleared his good name.

The theme of this blog is obviously bullshit. If you didn't catch that by the amount of times I said the word in the previous paragraph, then you're obviously not great at picking up context clues. Anyways, the fact that this innocent kid had to put up with all this shenanigans because the NCAA is a bunch of greedy bloodsucking thugs, is a huge load of bullshit. If something doesn't change all top notch players of out high school should go play overseas. If not that then the league LaVar Ball mentioned about paying top high school players would be a better option. We can not let the Oligarchy that is the NCAA control these kids like they're prisoners. They're the ones with all the talent. They're the one's bringing in the revenue. Therefore, they deserve a metaphorical piece of the pie, or at the bare minimum a literal piece of pie. The fact Miles Bridges had to even deal with this bullshit while he's got enough pressure on him already is just criminal.

Lebron James to the 76ers would be a move this offseason that not many would expect. The Cavs, Lakers, Heat, and Rockets have been the most talked about destinations, with San Antonio and even Golden State garnering some mention. The Philadelphia 76ers however, haven’t been much of a topic of conversation in the Lebron sweepstakes. Now, thanks to a local business in Philadelphia the rumors are beginning to swirl, what if LeBron were to join the 76ers. Honestly, at first I laughed, then I gave it some more thought, and came to the conclusion it might be his best bet at winning another championship.


Everyone will say, well the Rockets have CP3 and Harden, so Lebron should go there to get rings. Well, CP3 isn’t getting any younger, Harden isn’t a good defender, and all three of them love to have the ball in their hands. Just don’t think it would mesh the way others think it would. I think they’d look more like the Thunder than the Warriors and we all know the Thunder aren’t beating the Warriors. As for the Lakers and Cavs, neither one of those teams have a player as talented as Ben Simmons or Joel Embid, so obviously they’d have a much lesser chance at beating the Warriors.


Lebron to the Sixers makes a ton of sense to me. They got cap space to pay him the max, they have two young stars that will only get better, and who knows maybe Markelle Fultz won’t be a total bust. That’s the most talent Lebron would have around him unless he were to join the Warriors of course. Also, staying in the eastern conference is huge since it essentially guarantees a spot in the Finals for Lebron, no matter what team he’s on. I think playing in the Finals is a huge deal for him and leaving the eastern conference would put that in jeopardy.


The only reason I see Lebron not going to Philly is if he wants to stick it out in Cleveland the rest of his career or maybe he wants to build his brand even larger in LA. I don’t think Lebron really needs LA to build his brand larger so I highly doubt he’ll go to LA. This leaves Cleveland and Philly as the final options. Will he choose loyalty or try to win more rings? Do you think Lebron could win a championship if he goes to Philadelphia?

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And the hits just keep on coming. The world of college basketball as we know it is soon to be flipped on it's head. 

The latest findings in the FBI's Probe into college basketball and the dealings of the players, agents, coaches, and sponsors who facilitated payments for players, has brought some of the biggest names and programs in college basketball to the forefront of the conversation. 

And the latest high-profile names, Sean Miller, of the Arizona Wildcats, and his superstar forward (and my projected #1 draft pick this season) DeAndre Ayton. 

I am not sure what this all means for DeAndre Ayton, but I truly hope it means nothing in the grand scheme of his career, because this kid is a legitimate star. A big man who can score from all over, and use his superior athleticism and overall dominance. 

I have grown to become a fan of Sean Miller's over the years, starting with Xavier and then more so during his time with Arizona.

Miller is most notably a fan favorite for the obscene amounts that he sweats during games, leaving him looking like he just jumped directly in the pool.

​Best of luck to you Coach Miller, you're gonna need it my friend.

And as for the rest of the NCAA coaches, may the odds be ever in your favor. 

Anthony Davis is doing Anthony Davis things. AD had a historic night last night, doing just about everything in order for his Pelicans to pick up the win in Miami. I mean just look at those numbers.

Davis' historic stat night also led to a big road win for New Orleans, which makes the performance even better. The Pelicans are currently the 8-seed in the West, and with Boogie being out for the rest of the season, AD is going to have to carry them by himself once again. 

AD is currently putting up 27.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG, & 2.4 APG, and while that current stat-line is a thing of beauty, it's scary to say that he might need to do even more if the Pelicans want to make any sort of a playoff run. 

Anthony Davis has had no help his entire career, and finally he gets some real help with DeMarcus Cousins, and of course just as quickly he lost Boogie to an Achilles injury. I would love to see Anthony Davis suiting up elsewhere next season, but I know he's in for the long-haul with New Orleans and I respect every bit of that. I just hope NOLA can finally do something to get AD the pieces he needs. 

Seeing this news last night hurt my heart. Not only do I love Jimmy Butler, regardless of the team he plays for, but he's also the key component of my Timberwolves success.

That video of Jimmy being carried off is clearly not a good sight and he looks to be in significant pain. 

However, initial reports have said that the X-Ray's taken last night have come back negative, and while today we will likely find out the final diagnosis, there is some hope.

Jimmy Butler is having a career season, and has been in MVP talks all season. While his points will never be his selling point, with 22.2 PPG, it is everything else that makes him so great, adding 5 APG and 5.4 RPG, and player First-Team All-Defense caliber defense. 

I am praying for good news for Jimmy, he's a great guy and he's the biggest key in the Wolves success, and with the playoff race heating up, they're going to take a huge hit. I hope he gets good news later today and that he can help the Wolves continue their run. 

I'll update this as the news comes in. 

The #2 recruit in the nation that has had to sit out the entire year with an injury has been cleared by doctors to resume basketball activities. The question still remains, will he play college basketball this year. I know Missouri fans are praying for it. They’re right on the bubble for the tournament, which means every game is make or break for them. The addition of a star like Michael Porter Jr. increases their odds of winning those games and getting in. With the SEC wide open who knows, maybe he’ll even carry them to a SEC tournament championship.

Sorry Missouri fans, I’m probably getting your hopes up pretty high right now all for nothing. It’s still uncertain when he’ll return to play in a game when he hasn’t even practiced yet. He also has his future to think about. Why would he risk reinjuring himself at this point and put his draft stock in jeopardy. Right now he’d be a top 5 pick, make some nice bread, and wouldn’t have to play a single college game. Not a bad deal at all. Although, if he were to play it’d say a lot about his character. Any true competitior would want to get back out on the court and ball the fuck out. With March Madness knocking at the front door you’d have to be dead inside to not want to get back out there and compete. We’ll see what happens, though. All I know is that it’d make the tournament a whole lot better if one of the best players in the nation was playing in it.

The second half of the NBA season starts tomorrow, which means it’s time for some predictions. Let’s start with who will close out the season with the strongest performance to take home the MVP. Right now, James Harden is the front runner to win the award followed by LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Russell Westbrook. There’s a few others still in the race, they’ll just have to go absolutely bonkers to win the award. I think the MVP is going to come down to Lebron, KD, and James Harden. My pick to win is James Harden since he’s never won even though he’s been having MVP caliber seasons the last few seasons. Typically the voters will give it to a guy that hasn’t won before if the numbers are all in the same vicinity. This is the exact reason why Lebron doesn’t win every year and hasn’t won in the last 4 seasons. If the Rockets do finish as the 1 seed in the West, Harden will most certainly win. If the Warriors finish with the 1 seed then KD or maybe even Steph have a good shot to win. The only way I see LeBron winning is if he carries the Cavs on some sick run down the stretch and they end up as the 1 seed in the East. That won’t happen, so ultimately I believe James Harden should be able to hold on the rest of the way to win his first MVP.

That leads me into my next prediction about who will end up finishing the season in first place in both conferences. I believe winning the conference will be a decisive factor in who ends up winning the MVP award. I’ll start with the East. The Raptors currently sit on top by 2 games over the Celtics. Behind the Celtics is the Cavs who are 6.5 games out of first place. After that the East is irrelevant. The Cavs have dug a hole too deep and I don’t think they’ll be able to completely dig themselves out of it. With their new look roster they’ll be much improved, but there’s just not enough time left to make up the ground that they lost struggling so heavily pre all star break. I see them finishing as the 2 seed. The Celtics stumbled into the break, but are clearly the best coached team and have the most overall talent on their roster. That’s why I believe they’ll prevail and ultimately finish atop the East. Raptors will come back down to earth down the stretch as teams make their push for the playoffs. Now, the West where I believe it’s only a two team race at this point. Rockets and Warriors are going to dual it out for that top spot in the West. It’s going to come down to which team can go on one of those runs where they win 15 out of 17 games, or something along those lines. Rockets seem like a team of destiny this year, so I want to rock with them(no pun intended), however it’d be irresponsible not to pick the Warriors to finish as the top seed. With that being said, I’ve never said to be responsible when it comes to delivering takes, so I’m rocking with the Rockets.

Now, here’s just some random takes for what I believe will transpire the rest of the season:

Blake Griffin and the new look Pistons are going to crush it, make the playoffs, and make some noise while they’re there. Don’t sleep on Mo town.

Ben Simmons will continue to be the catalyst that drives the 76ers on their way to the team’s first playoff appearance since Nam, while capturing Rookie of the Year honors along the way.

Lonzo Ball, my boy, will return to the court and show that next season this young Lakers core is going to be ready to take that next step. Lakers will have an above .500 record post all star break.

Knicks will go full tank end, up with a top 5 pick, and draft another Frank Nilikina. In all seriousness, this team could’ve drafted Dennis Smith Jr. and decided not to. They don’t deserve anything but misfortune since they bring it upon themselves with moronic moves like that.

Anthony Davis will fail to fill the void Boogie Cousins left behind and the Pelicans will once again fail to make the playoffs. Then, I think Boogie will leave and Davis will follow as the Pelicans project rears to a close as a massive failure.

That’s all I got. Let’s hope the NBA delivers some more fire storylines in the second half of the season and more importantly fire basketball. It’ll be fun to look back at these takes in June to see just how right/wrong I was. Now that you’ve heard mine, what are your predictions for the second half of the season?

Over the All-Star weekend, Adam Silver spoke about the possibility of changing the NBA Playoff format from the traditional 1-8 East vs. West seeding, to a 1-16 East and West seeding. 

Adam Silver, keep on killing it my man. I love this idea. I don't know if I'm in the minority here but I am absolutely all in on this new format. For this past decade-plus, the West has dominated the NBA with the exception of the Big-3 Celtics and the Lebron-led Heat and Cav's teams, and a result of that has been that many teams in the West are often left out of the playoffs who deserve to be there. 

The new 1-16 seeding format would guarantee that the best teams in the league would be playing in the playoffs and we would be able to see some different and exciting new playoff matchups. 

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If the season ended today and the playoffs began, these would be the matchups we would have going into the playoffs, and the two matchups I would love to see would be the Celtics vs. Blazers & the Wolves vs. the Bucks. 

The new seeding would simply force teams to compete harder, and give the fans matchups they would normally never see. 

That's just my two cents. Would you guys enjoy this new format or do you think it would lead to more bad than good?

NBA All Star weekend used to be one of the most highly anticipated events of the NBA season. It has been far and away the best all star showing of all the major sports for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, just like the other sports, NBA All Star weekend has begun to lose it's luster. The all star game itself was definitley the best it's been in years, competitiveness wise that is, however not televising the drafting of the teams was a huge miss. Getting rid of the east and west format was definitley the right plan since the west is 10000x better than the east. My biggest problem was with all the pregame theatrics that failed miserably, along with the low energy in the building for the Slam Dunk contest. Was anyone even in attendance Saturday night because I'm pretty sure after every dunk the only thing you could hear was the contestant yelling, not the fans. It was a sham, it was bad television, and now the NBA has to work on fixing that instead of the all star game itself. 

Anyway, here are the winners of all the events that took place over all star weekend:

Skills Competition: Spencer Dinwiddie

The only trophy the Nets will win this year. Tip of the cap to Spencer Dinwiddie as he continues to make the most of his opportunity. This guy was a nobody, now playing with the Nets he's been able to make a name for himself around the league. This dude can actually ball and might be paving his way to a nice payday quite soon.. All Star weekend is where you make a name for yourself on a national level and he did just that by winning a contest filled with star talent. The guards are back on top in the skills challenge, thanks to Spencer Dinwiddie.

We know Devin Booker gets buckets, I mean the dude did drop 70 points in an actual NBA game last season. So, it was no surprise when he put up a record 28 points in the 3-point contest. I'm no expert on this event, but I think the most points you can get is 34, safe to say Booker did quite well. Especially, when you take into account that Paul George only ended up with 9 points and came into the final rack with only 4. Booker demolished the field and now gets the crown of 3-point king of the NBA

The dunk contest was pure garbage. I mean Oladipo and Denis Smith Jr. didn't bring much to the table. So much so, that I can't even remember what cool dunks they had before being eliminated. Larry Nance did a dunk where he mocked his dad's signature dunk from the inaugural slam dunk contest in 1984, it was nice, but dad did it better, and that was 30+ years ago. Nance then had the best dunk of the night when he threw the ball off the backboard, caught it, then threw it off the backboard again while mid flight, caught it again, and slammed it home. It was so creative and unique that the fans didn't even know what he just did, which in turn definitley took away from the excitement of the moment. It wouldn't be enough, though. Donovan Mitchell won the event with a rendition of Vince Carter's 360 windmill dunk from the 2000 slam dunk contest. I had a few problems with him winning on that dunk because it was executed so poorly. He wore the wrong Vince Carter jersey while doing it, he did it so much worse than VC, and that dunk was done 20 years ago!!! How does a dunk done 20 years ago still win the dunk contest today, makes no sense. Huge thumbs down for the once great slam dunk contest.

I'll be totally honest, I watched maybe the first 5 minutes of the all star game before focusing my attention elsewhere. I have no desire to watch a meaningless game. I for one, actually liked it better when no defense was played in the all star game and the guys were just throwing down sick dunks and heaving up deep 3-pointers. Instead, people wanted to see defense, which doesn't even happen in real NBA games anymore.  Well, the people got their wish and defense was played. As LeBron would say the integrity was restored to the all star game, which is total bullshit. No one scored over 30, LeBron put up his regular season stat line and won MVP. All in all I thought the whole weekend was a bust, especially for LA.