The Friday Report

Hello there all of our loyal readers. Due to popular demand, we have decided to restructure this blog and shift the focus a little. We will do the blog 3 times a week (Fri, Sun and Wed) and instead of making predictions, we will analyze the major news in the league, recap the main events and discuss players/teams on the rise and fall. We will also take in questions from our readers (cheungsharj@gmail.com) and discuss anything that people want to hear about. Lets get this show kickin' and we encourage people to comment on the blog and even vote for who you agree or disagree with more...CHEUNG OR SHARJ!

Top 5 Players of the Season So Far:
Cheung: 1. LeBron 2. KG 3. Dwight 4. Baron 5. Nash
Sharj: 1. LeBron 2. Dwight 3. Baron 4. Boozer 5. KG

Cheung: Alright, so I've been having this argument with a LOT of different people saying Dwight is better than KG, but you have KG at 5! I am FLABBERGASTED. I know you are sore cuz his fantasy numbers have been a little low. BUT you have to think of what KG's presence brings Boston. And YES Boston is the best team in the L right now until proven otherwise. They have the best record, and have only lost to Lebron's insanity and the Magic, who are a solid squad.
Sharj: Well LeBron is the consensus #1 so we won't bother discussing his greatness. I have to put KG a little lower. I know KG has brought a lot to Boston, but the way I think is...how bad would the team be if that particular player were taken out. Without LeBron, Cavs get the #1 pick next year. Without Dwight, the Magic would NOT be a playoff team let alone 14-3. Without Baron, the Warriors would be partying under the Golden Gate Bridge...same goes for Boozer. I think without KG, the Celtics are weaker but still have enough in Pierce/Allen to make the playoffs...KG is valuable no doubt about it, but not as valuable as the other 4 to their teams. Nash and KG were borderline on my list. My top 4 are having bigger statistical seasons as well.
Cheung: Statistics only measure certain contributions to the game; however KG's game is much more versatile than Dwight, he can step away from the basket, pass the ball and creates HAVOC. I think he is being UNDERUSED in Boston. That said, I don't think the Celtics are a playoff team without him. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce have been on decent teams and had horrible results. The key piece to the Boston team is KG. He got an abyssmal Wolves team to the playoffs, and now that he is surrounded with the two other All-Stars he is the centerpiece of a great team. Overall, looking at the Magic supporting cast, I think they are actually better than Boston.
Sharj: I am by no means doubting KG's importance to the Celtics...he is their most important piece, but I think relative to the other guys I listed...those guys are more important to their franchises. KG is underused and I think that will come back to bite them in the playoffs. KG has only taken them far in the playoffs once and that too with the help of Sprewell and Cassell
Cheung: But as you say taking away that player determines how good a team is, I think if you take away KG and Dwight, the Magic are better than the Celtics. The same could be said for the Warriors as well with Baron.
Sharj: Thats where I disagree. I have to give Baron more credit because he is leading that team in the Western Conference
Cheung: He is, but look at his supporting cast, he has a squad of REALLY talented guys even on the bench, Nelly has almost 2 starting lineups to put on the floor
Sharj: Warriors have no shot without him. Without Dwight, Turkoglu and Jameer can't create their shots and all they have is Rashard. Pierce and Allen still can create and win a game on any given night
Cheung: I completely disagree, You have to look beyond those players to the respective benches, Boston has an extremely weak bench, I agree with my boy Quentin Richardson in his analysis of the Boston bench... before the Celtics served the Knicks last night. OH, and by the way have some Canadian pride, Leaving out the two time MVP, speaking of importance to a team???
Sharj: The Boston bench is not being given enough credit. Posey and House are great shooters and can get you 10-15 pts just by the attention Pierce Allen draw. As for Nash, I love the guy and he was tough to leave out...the boy has won it twice...he is JUST as important as the other guys I've listed but I feel this year the rest of his team has upped their game slightly...but no disrespect to him

Lets move on to the next topic...the ABYSMAL NEW YORK KNICKS!

Cheung: The Knicks-Celtics game was just embarrassing, it was like watching the last 2 minutes of a high school basketball game when all the subs are in, only it lasted for 3 quarters of the game! Zeke is DONE. DONE! Fire him today, now!
Sharj: The Knicks should be moved to the WNBA...Isiah and Laimbeer can ponder over why their lives suck (even though Laimbeer is successful in the WNBA)...and hey...Ronaldo Balkman will be the 10th hottest girl in the WNBA
Cheung: You would be on the top 10 list in the WNBA, with that new haircut.
I think if Isiah is out, and the players get a system they can buy into, they have a shot at being a decent team, but then on the other hand, they could just throw this season and go for draft picks. The Knicks formula just doesn't work. You can't recruit a team of dysfunctional players and hope for them to work together. They should hire psychiatrists.
Sharj: The problem is Isiah...him and Dolan should end their love affair, trade Marbury...build around the rest and hope you don't get stoned to death outside MSG.

Which teams are going to pull up their socks and turn things around??

Cheung: I know the easy pick here is to say the Bulls, but guess what, I don't think they are going to turn it around. Not until Scott Skiles gets fired and they choose a freaking starting lineup (THAT INCLUDES ANDRES NOCIONI!!!). My pick is the Memphis Grizzlies. Saw a few games this past week, and they are making strides. They did get ass whooped by my Toronto Raptors, but a) the raptors are a good/deep team and b) they had just whooped the Nets the night before. PS if you are wondering that works out to this formula: RAPTORS>GRIZZLIES>NETS!!! I LOVE IT. But, once Milicic is healthy again (if ever?) and they move Gay back to the 2 spot, this team will be looking good. I also just picked up JCN in fantasy, and the kid is a 3 point gunner.
Sharj: Not to sound bias...I agree the Bulls won't turn it around, I think the Nets will. VC is getting back into form, Kidd and RJ are heating up. The Nets have sucked in the 2nd quarter and I think to address that problem, Frank will bring VC off the bench so he is on when the others aren't. The Nets are an easy pick for me...I don't think Memphis will, they are in a tough conference and I just don't see it happening (rely too heavily on the 3 ball). My pick is the Miami Heat...Wade is still getting into form, Shaq is on fire...if their bench steps up...I think they will make a huge surge within the next month and make the playoffs with a lower seed. OH and by the way...NO WAY the Grizz & Raps are better than the Nets...speaking of the Raps, I hope you enjoy your 3 hrs at the ACC tonight when LeBron, Bosh and Bargnani don't play
Cheung: I will enjoy it because all eyes wil be on SUPER JAMARIO, they gotta start playing the NES theme song in the ACC when he scores. As for the Nets, they should be better with the return of VC; however, of late RJ hasn't been as effective as he was in the first 3 weeks (predictable) and Kidd is going to get hurt, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow but soon. Regarding the Heat, I read a little rumor the other day about a deal involving them receiving Andre Miller. Why did I drop him in fantasy?? (because he sucks) but he is a great distributor of the ball when he has players to pass to, and in Miami he would (I know he has Iggy now, but Iggy creates his own shots.)
Sharj: Miami is looking to dump Jason Williams...that boy is a waste of talent. Miller will be a good fit and I think Riley has the know how to pull off that deal...as an NBA fan I want to see Wade in the playoffs...as a Nets fan I hope they don't make it because they've killed us in the playoffs way too often
Cheung: Can't hate on J-Will, an ex-Florida baller. He is inconsistant though, and Miami needs a guy to bring the ball up so Wade can spot up away from the ball. Not much else to say. (Nets suck).

Final Friday Night Shoutouts

Cheung: My last words are gonna be props to my boy Mike Dunleavy Jr. for stepping up in the absence of J-O (may his injury continue to hinder him) and giving me a much needed fantasy boost, and last but not least: I HATE AK47. Peace.
Sharj: My last words are hoping my Nets turn it around...and importantly for tonight (I think one of the best nights in the NBA tonight)...some awesome games (Boston Miami, Orlando Phoenix and Lakers Utah)...Turkish Delight will RIP UP Phx's Canadian Bacon!

You'll all be hearing from us again on Sunday. Keep those emails (cheungsharj@gmail.com) and comments coming in.