4 (Somewhat) Under-the-Radar NBA Teams to Watch

The Sixers finally got off the schnide, avenging their game three 13-point loss in Indiana by clobbering the Pacers 101-75 in front of about 35 people at the Wells Fargo Center last night. Good for them.



I only half watched the game as I played quizzo at a bar, but looking at the box score, it seems as though the Sixers put together quite a nice game. Six 76ers put up double figures, led by Elton Brand's monster of a game: 25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 0 turnovers, a steal, two blocks, 7-7 from the line and 9-15 from the floor. No wonder Ed Stefanski made him the $82 million man. Joining Brand in the scoring parade were Thaddeus Young (16), Evan Turner (12), Lou Williams (11), Jrue Holiday (11) and Andre Iguodala, who had a nice all-around game with 9 boards, 4 assists, 0 turnovers, a steal and 4 blocks to go along with this play.

Marreese Speights also got his rebounding shoes on, grabbing 11 boards. Good win for the Sixers of what promises to be the first of very few wins.

As nice as it was to see the Sixers finally get on the board in the win column, I have to admit I was way more enthralled with the two games that were on ESPN: Celtics-Bucks and Kings-Lakers. The reason is simple — I really, really like these Milwaukee Bucks and these Sacramento Kings. It was icing on the cake that they were taking on two teams that I love to root against.

Sadly, neither team I was pulling for in those two contests won. Boston outlasted Milwaukee 105-102 in overtime of an incredibly exciting game. Paul Pierce led all scorers with 28 points and became just the third Celtic in franchise history to surpass 20,000 points (joining John Havlicek and Larry Bird). Ray Allen added 23, Rajon Rondo continued to prove he is the real truth with 17 points, 15 more assists, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and a block, and KG gave Andrew Bogut a facial.



In the late game, which I stupidly stayed up to watch in its entirety, was never really that close after the first quarter. Kobe Bryant is still public enemy No. 1 in Philadelphia, but god damn he is still just incredible to watch. Kobe had a triple-double last night, toying with the Kings for a game-high 30 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Pau added a double-double himself with 22 and 11, and Lamar Odom almost did too, finishing with 18 and 8. The Lakers are a machine.

Anyway, even though the Kings and Bucks lost, those games reaffirmed that any chance I get to watch them, I'm going to make it a point to do so. They are two of the four teams that don't get a ton of hype the way the Lakers, Heat, Celtics, Magic, Thunder and even teams like the Blazers, Bulls and others receive, but that are still worth watching. Here they are.

Milwaukee Bucks



The Bucks certainly got a good amount of attention last year thanks in large part to Brandon Jennings' early-season 55-point game and the team's surprising run to the playoffs. But they aren't exactly a team full of household names just yet. Doesn't matter to me. Any chance I get to see Brandon Jennings play, I'm gonna take it.

Once I saw Jennings play in Gunnin' for that #1 Spot, where he was named co-MVP of his team by scoring 12 points and dishing out 15 incredibly awesome assists, I was hooked.



I've followed him devoutly ever since. Right now, he's my favorite player in the NBA, no question about it. His flair, his style of play, it reminds me somewhat of a young Allen Iverson, though a less skilled scorer and more willing passer. While he may not put up the same kind of statistics just yet as some the the league's best point guards — Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Rondo, Derrick Rose, Steve Nash, etc. — he is the unquestioned floor general for a Bucks team that is on the rise.

So far this season, Milwaukee has struggled, sitting with the same record as the Sixers at 1-4. But with a roster that includes Andrew Bogut, Drew Gooden, Carlos Delfino, Corey Maggette, former 76er and Plymouth Whitemarsh grad John Salmons, and the corpse of Michael Redd, there's a lot of complementary talent. Bogut has developed into one of the best centers in the league, Salmons has somehow become a legitimate scorer, Gooden gives them rebounding, Delfino has been briliant, Maggette is a solid scorer as well and Jennings is plain fun to watch.

Then you add to that 5'5 Earl Boykins, not to mention the athletic Chris Douglas-Roberts and you have yourself an extremely entertaining team. The Bucks are must-see TV in my book. By the way, they come to Philly on Nov. 19 and again on Jan. 14. You can bet your ass I'll be there for at least one of those games.

Sacramento Kings



I first heard about Tyreke Evans when he was a freshman in high school. A product of Chester, he's followed in the footsteps of Jameer Nelson to make a name for himself in high school, college and now the NBA. He has been so hyped from such a young age that at a Beastie Boys concert I attended at Penn's Landing, MCA gave props to Tyreke, then just 16 years old. He was also featured in Gunnin' for that #1 Spot with Jennings.



It wasn't the first or last time these two were linked either. With Jennings getting out to such a quick start last year, he was the early favorite to win Rookie of the Year. But Tyreke wound up winning the award going away, becoming just the fourth rookie in the history of the NBA to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The only others to do it are some guys named Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Perhaps you've heard of them.

Evans alone is reason enough to watch the Kings, but he's hardly the only reason. Much like John Calipari groomed Tyreke for the NBA, he did the same for DeMarcus Cousins, the man selected 4th overall by Sacramento. Cousins may end up being the second best rookie in this class (excluding Blake Griffin, who was drafted in 2009) behind John Wall this season and someone that is sure to become a dominant big man in the league.

Other notables include "You Ugly as Shit, Donte" Greene, Israeli Omri Casspi, Luther Head, Carl Landry, Jersey boy Jason Thompson, everyone's favorite former Philadelphia 76er Samuel Dalembert and intriguing rookie prospect Hassan Whiteside.

The Kings are currently 3-2 on the season. They come to Philadelphia March 27.

Los Angeles Clippers



Yeah, those Los Angeles Clippers. The historic laughingstock of the NBA. Believe it or not, this team is most definitely one to watch, and the biggest reason is Blake Griffin.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2009, Griffin suffered the curse of the Clippers by missing the entire year thanks to a torn ACL. It was tragic, especially for a player so explosive and powerful. It looked as though his career may be doomed. But fret not, because Griffin has dominated in his first 5 NBA games, averaging a double-double — 17 points and 10 rebounds. He's the clear-cut favorite for Rookie of the Year. And about that explosiveness and power — yeah, it's still there.



This is a young man you have to see play. The Clippers also have Eric Gordon, a guy who can fill it up, a solid center in Chris Kaman, and Baron Davis, who when motivated can be one of the better point guards in the NBA. They also have rookies Al-Farouq Aminu and Eric Bledsoe, another Calipari product, not to mention Philly flavor in LaSalle's Rasual Butler and Villanova's Randy Foye. The Clippers come to Philadelphia Dec. 15.

New Jersey Nets



Again, yes, I'm talking about the New Jersey Nets. The same New Jersey nets that gave the 1972-73 Sixers a run for their money as the worst team ever. If you look at the roster, this team isn't far away, at least foundation-wise. They really aren't.

The Nets have a good, relatively young point guard in Devin Harris. They have a very skilled center in Brook Lopez, the 22-year-old that is already one of the league's best at his position. And now they have Derrick Favors, the man picked immediately after Evan Turner.

Hindsight is always 20-20, and at the time Evan Turner seemed like the clear-cut No. 2 pick after John Wall. I admitted as much, talking myself into liking Evan Turner as the pick for the Sixers even though I really didn't like him all that much. At the same time, I lobbied for Derrick Favors, the player I really wanted the Sixers to draft. I can't blame Philadelphia for picking Turner. No one really can, no matter how this plays out. But it's pretty clear that Favors is and will be the more exciting player, and potentially the better one too. In his first five games, he's averaging nearly a double-double — 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds — in just 22 minutes a night. And he dunks all over people with extreme regularity.





The man looks legit. I wish he was looking that way in a Sixers uniform.

The Nets also have intriguing Louisville product Terrence Williams, a multifaceted player who has tremendous point-forward skills, rookie from Texas Damion James, instant offense scorer Anthony Morrow and one-time Sixer Joe Smith. As an Atlantic Division foe, the Nets visit the Sixers twice — Nov. 27 and April Fool's Day.

So there you have it, four teams that should be fun to watch for one reason or another. I'll also have my eye on Detroit to see how rookie Greg Monroe fares, among several other teams and players. Truth is, I can find an excuse to watch any team in the NBA, because there are some many individual players I enjoy following. The league may have plenty of disparity between the haves and have nots, but there's always a reason to watch. These teams are just four examples of that.

This Week in Bogus Brackets … and Weekend Highlights

If you thought I was agitated before, well, you ain't see nothing yet.



To put it frankly, Temple got fucked. Proper fucked. A No. 5? Really? So you're telling me a team that won its conference in the regular season, won its conference tournament — for the third straight year, mind you — and has won 10 straight games only deserves a No. 5 seed? Really? Who the fuck are these people making these brackets? Have they even watched Temple play once all season? This is fucking ludicrous.

The Owls got screwed. They deserved at minimum a No. 4 seed, probably a No. 3, given their résumé. Wisconsin got a No. 4. The same Wisconsin that finished fourth in the fucking shitty Big Ten. New Mexico got a 3, perhaps deserved, but the A-10 this season was every bit as good as the Mountain West … and oh yea, the Lobos didn't even win their god damn conference tournament. Baylor finished tied for third in its conference and got a fucking 3. And for the love of christ, mother fucking Villanova was given a 2 seed! Villanova! The same fucking team that has lost two in a row, not even winning a single game in the Big East tournament. The same team that's lost three of its last four games, that's lost five of its last seven. The same team that hasn't beaten a single good team since February fucking 8th.

As Arkansas Fred said to me last night, who's dick did Jay Wright suck? Honestly. If ever there's been proof that the committee and pollsters believe a loss in the Big East is more impressive than a win in the A-10, here you have it. I mean, jesus fucking christ, what more does Temple have to do? The Owls have been one of the hottest teams in college basketball, playing their best when it matters most. They've won 10 straight games, won their conference, demolished a Rhode Island team that was on the bubble and probably would have made the tournament had Temple not rolled them, and then avenged their last big loss by beating Richmond in the A-10 final — a team that is a 7th seed in the NCAA tournament. Meanwhile, Nova did nothing but suck all month, losing every tough game they had, yet they are a 2! This is complete and utter bullshit.



Fact of the matter is, if these fucking morons actually watched college basketball — you know, not just the games they play on ESPN and CBS each weekend — they would know Temple is flat out better than Villanova right now. They have been for more than a month. And Villanova is by far playing its worst basketball of the season right now. In no way, shape or form should they be a 2. Truth is, Temple probably deserved a 3 seed, and Nova a 4. I could concede it going the other way, with Temple as a 4 and Nova a 3 solely based on the fact that pollsters and the committee are fucking morons who think that playing in the Big East automatically means you are better than everyone else. Which is fucking retarded. Yes, the Big East is by far the best conference, no question about it. But that doesn't mean every team in the Big East is the best god damn team. I'm beyond furious.

And adding to my outrage is the fact Temple got doubly fucked. Not only did they get disrespected with a 5, but then they get matched up with probably the best 12 in the entire tournament. Temple has to take on a Cornell team that obliterated the Ivy League, took Kansas to the brink in Lawrence and has enough talent that Jay Bilas thinks they can get to the Sweet 16. Honestly, what kind of horseshit is this? Luckily for Temple, if they can manage to outlast Cornell (which I think they will), they get to take on a mediocre at best Wisconsin team that somehow got a fucking 4. It's still fucking horseshit.

It all is. I mean, look at the rankings. Nova is still ranked in the top 10 (No. 9), and Temple is still 4 spots behind the Wildcats (at No. 13). It's remarkable the lack of respect this team is getting. And ridiculous how much love a struggling Villanova squad is getting. To be perfectly honest, I don't have much of a problem with the rest of the brackets and seeding, but those two really jump out. What infuriates me even further is when one of the committee overseers was on the selection show on CBS last night explaining why Duke got a No. 1 instead of West Virginia. He said when it came down to it, Duke winning its regular season conference title and then going out and winning its conference tournament factored in and ultimately swayed the committee to favor Duke over West Virginia. I have no problem with this. Duke deserved a 1 every bit as much as West Virginia. But what the fuck … didn't Temple win its regular season conference title and its conference tournament? I believe the answer is yes. Yet the Owls are "rewarded" with a fucking 5? Fuck you, you assholes. Watch some college basketball besides the Big East, ACC and Big 12. You people don't know shit. And I hope you all lose your jobs and are forced to beg for change.



At least the weekend itself had some incredible highlights.

The Flyers managed to edge the Blackhawks 3-2 in incredible fashion, coming back from a 2-1 deficit to win 3-2 by scoring two goals in the last 4 minutes, including the remarkable game-winner with 2.1 seconds left.



A buzzer-beater in hockey? Now that's tits. The funny thing about those final minutes: Adam EatShit was complaining about Scott Hartnell, saying the guy hasn't been doing shit for a while. Then all he does is score the game-tying goal with 2:04 remaining and assist on the game-winner, which culminated with a slam dunk by Pronger on a ridiculously awesome cross-ice pass by Claude Giroux. That shit was awesome. And Michael Leighton was incredible again, stopping 39 of Chicago's 41 shots.

Talk about a tough weekend for Chicago. Not only did they surrender a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 in regulation to the Flyers, but yesterday they blew a 3-0 lead against Washington with Alexander Ovechkin getting a game misconduct and lost 4-3 in overtime to the Caps. Ouch.

Later Saturday night, Da'Sean went and did it again:



I don't know how he got that shot off, I don't know how it went in, but what I do know is Da'Sean is all sorts of clutch … and he probably should have won Big East Player of the Year. Who would you trust more to take over with the game on the line, Da'Sean or Wes Johnson? Yeah, I'd pick Butler too. Every time.

Then, after Temple took home its third straight A-10 title behind 18 points from Juan Fernandez, 11 boards by LaVoy Allen, some clutch threes by Ramone Moore and big free throws from Ryan Brooks, Kentucky ended Mississippi State's tournament hopes in dramatic fashion:





Then the Flyers came out and played awful against the Rangers yesterday as that little maggot Sean Avery played an incredible game, goading Flyers into penalties and scoring twice. Pathetic display all around, as the defense sucked, the offense was non-existent, the team couldn't pass and Leighton let in a softy on Avery's second goal, which took any hopes of comeback off the table. And a note to Peter Laviolette: Don't ever dress Riley Cote again. When the game didn't turn into a fight fest like he must have expected, Cote became useless. In the third period, when vying for the comeback, he was glued to the bench because he can't do anything on offense, which meant the lines were all jumbled and mixed because the Flyers were playing without one forward. Dumb move. Also, I know you know what you're doing and I think you are an excellent coach, but if I were you, I'd reunite all the lines that put you on that hot streak and ride them out. That would be Gagne-Richards-Carcillo, Hartnell-Carter-Briere, Asham-Giroux-JVR and Lappy-Betts-Powe. That is all.

Oh, and the Sixers still suck. Go figure.

Richards, Pronger and Cats Beat Dogs

First, there were reports that Richards would center Jarome Iginla and Jonathan Toews. Then, he was supposedly a healthy scratch, which is just ludicrous when you consider he's one of the best two-way centers in the world. But when it was all said and done, Richards was in the lineup for Canada's first game against Norway, centering Toews and Patrice Bergeron for most of the game. Oh, and he scored a goal in the 7-0 victory.



Let's face the facts … Canada has a loaded squad. Absolutely loaded. So just being on the roster is an honor, even if you become a healthy scratch. But under no circumstance should Richards even remotely be considered as a healthy scratch. Not with everything he brings to the table: scoring, defense, hitting, backchecking, power play scoring, penalty killing. Certainly there are more skilled scorers up and down the lineup: Sidney Crosby, Rick Nash, Jarome Iginla, Joe Thornton, Ryan Getzlaf, Dany Heatley, Eric Staal. But Richards is, without question, a more complete player than Nash and Heatley, and he's flat out better than Patrick Marleau, Brenden Morrow, Corey Perry and Patrice Bergeron when you take in all-around game, and maybe better than Toews as well.

Healthy scratching him would just be dumb. It really would. In fact, he may be the single best penalty killer as far as forwards go on the entire roster. So no way he should be anywhere near the healthy scratch list.

Fellow Flyers Chris Pronger, as the second oldest player on the team (behind Scott Niedermayer), also took the ice and saw considerable time, notching an assist on a rocket shot from the point that Heatley deflected in. All in all, a very nice showing by the Flyers in Canada's first game, though to be fair, it was a nice showing by the entire Canadian team. They did win 7-0 after all. Wake me up when they take on a real opponent.

Speaking of real opponents, No. 2 Kentucky certainly faced one in the form of Mississippi State last night. Even without their leading scorer Ravern Johnson, who was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team, even with their best big man and best NBA prospect/shot-blocking machine Jarvis Varnado saddled with foul trouble all night long, and even with shooting just 38.6 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three, the Bulldogs gave the Wildcats everything they could handle, sticking with them from start to finish to force overtime, ultimately losing 81-75.



Mississippi St. got 16 points from Barry Stewart and 17 points from Kodi Augustus, but it was point guard Dee Bost that really gave the Bulldogs the chance at the upset. A player that John Wall had faced in their high school days, the freshman phenom knew he was in for a tough night against the speedy Bost. Wall said he knew Bost was really fast and really good. He proved to be right, as Bost almost singlehandedly willed Miss. St. to the win, scoring 22 points, nabbing 5 boards, and swiping two steals. But he went just 2-10 from the three-point line, which proved costly.

If you don't take advantage of every opportunity against this young, talented Kentucky squad, you're in trouble. And the Bulldogs simply didn't capitalize enough. They missed five free throws, but more importantly, they missed 25 threes last night, finishing just 10-35. And they missed several open shots. Though Kentucky hardly made it easy.

Defensively, the Cats were all over the place, evidenced by their 12 blocks and 5 steals. They made Mississippi State work for every point it got, knowing full well the Bulldogs were without their leading scorer. And in the end, it was the three-headed monster that made the difference.

DeMarcus Cousins continued to roll along as the best big man in America, abusing Varnado to the point of getting him in foul trouble, finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds, especially taking over on the glass in the final minutes of regulation and the duration of overtime.



Patrick Patterson, the elder statesman of the starters, joined the party with a double-double himself, scoring 19 points, grabbing 10 boards, blocking three shots, adding a steal, going 4-4 from the line and finishing with a nearly identical shooting performance as Cousins, going 7-12 from the field, compared to Cousins' 7-11. And John Wall made it three double-doubles for the Kentucky, scoring 19 points himself to go along with 10 rebounds, finishing just two assists short of a triple-double.



Oh, and when Kentucky really needed him, Wall made all the big plays, even though his shot wasn't falling. Going just 6-16 from the field and failing to knock down his jumper, Wall instead hit clutch free throws, found teammates with beautiful passes and came up with two huge blocks that helped swing momentum and the game. Even when he struggles, he makes a difference.

It's just not fair that two freshman, Wall and Cousins, could arguably be the best two players in the country, or at least the best player in the nation at their respective position. It's a young squad and a beatable squad, but it's also one of the most talented. The Wildcats are scary good.

And the Sixers are scary bad. They lost to the Heat 105-78. They shot just 37.9 percent from the field, 8.3 percent from three (1-12) and 64.7 percent from the line. Conversely, Miami shot 51.2 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three and 80 percent from the line. Essentially, the Sixers played no defense and no offense. Awesome. And Andre Iguodala really inspired fans to put those trade rumors to rest with 11 points on 5-12 shooting, 0-4 from three and getting to the line for just two free throw attempts. These guys suck.

Busy, Here's Some Video

Seeing as I'm just returning from a four-day hiatus, I'm pretty backed up with real work. So enjoy this video of Arkansas-Pine Bluff guard Tavaris Washington jumping over Alabama State's Menji Mundadi for quite an impressive dunk.



And for good measure watch Travis Leslie of Georgia do something no one else has been able to do this season — put Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins in his place.

Your Defense is Offensive

So last night I was all set to get some split-screen action going so I could take in both the Flyers-Maple Leafs game and the McDonald's All-American game. When I went to set it up, all I saw on half the screen was this:



Turns out, our DirecTV satellite is fucked up, so I had to do some channel-flipping between the Flyers and the high school all-star game on the Comcast box. This made me very angry … and it was just the beginning of my anger.

You see, the Flyers are in the middle of a tight playoff race with a week left in the season. They currently sit in 4th place in the Eastern Conference with 92 points, tied with Pittsburgh, and the Flyers still have six games to play. And heading into last night, they entered a stretch where they take on a dreadful Toronto team twice, then Ottawa, Florida, the Islanders and the Rangers twice, starting last night — a very favorable schedule to close out the regular season.

Add in the fact that the Devils, once miles ahead, have been in a free fall, and the Flyers looked to have a golden chance to move into the top three, especially once Pittsburgh blitzed the Devils last night, meaning if the Flyers won, they'd be just four points behind New Jersey for the top spot in the Atlantic.



So what do the Flyers do? They come out and fall behind 1-0 to a terrible Toronto team. Sure, the Maple Leafs have nothing to lose, but the Flyers have been making this a habit of late: falling behind early and having to fight their way back, especially against inferior teams. It's getting pretty sickening, particularly with the playoffs right around the corner.

Yes, they did manage to tie the game up in the first on a nifty pass by Claude Giroux to Arron Asham, which Asham fired right away to catch Curtis Joseph off-guard, but after that, the Flyers were just embarrassing. Following a rash of neutral zone turnovers in the first, the Flyers took that up a notch, failing to connect on any passes and routinely turning the puck over both in their own defensive zone and in the neutral zone in the second period.

The only Flyers who looked like they gave a shit where Daniel Carcillo, Darroll Powe and Andreas Nodl, and even they seemed to care only a little bit. The defensemen were horrible, and not a single Flyer looked like he was trying. To be honest, I was putting more effort into flipping the channel between that game and the McDonald's All-American game than the Flyers were taking on Toronto. When they fell behind 3-1, it made my life a little easier, because I could focus on the basketball game.

Boy was I glad I did. The McDonald's All-American game is always one of my favorite events of the year, because I really like to see some of the future stars before they step foot on a college campus. There is no doubt, Derrick Favors is the most frightening player in the crop of 2009-10 college freshmen.



For his size, Favors had no peer athletically last night. He was the MVP of the game, leading the East to a 113-110 victory over the West, and the Georgia Tech-bound beast was just toying with people. In 18 minutes, he scored 19 points on 9-13 shooting, nabbed 8 boards and had a block. At 6'9", he runs like a gazelle, has soft hands, a great touch and out-of-this-world athleticism.

He'll be tearing up the ACC for sure next year.

While Favors proved he is the most athletic, talented big man in this class, he wasn't the guy who stood out the most, at least not to me. That honor went to the West's Keith Gallon, the 6'9", nearly 300-pounder headed to Oklahoma.



Without question, Gallon could stand to lose a little weight. He is nowhere near as trim as he'll need to be to become a dominant force for an entire college season, but just from watching him, getting in shape won't be a big issue. The guy hustles, and his skill for a big man is other-worldly.

Last night, Gallon led all scorers with 20 points, shooting an efficient 8-11 from the field, including 1-1 from three, made all three of his free throw attempts and nabbed 7 boards. More impressively, he showed tremendous footwork, the ability to run the floor and even a little handle. On one take to the basket, Gallon broke down a much smaller, quicker guard, slammed it home and was fouled.

He certainly isn't Blake Griffin, but Oklahoma is definitely getting another talented power forward to add to its ranks.

Of course, the Nova fans out there were probably most interested in seeing how Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek fared against the nation's tops preps. Well, let's just say no matter what happens in the Final Four, Villanova fans should be excited for the arrival of these two next year.

Wayns, who had the honor of being the East's starting point guard, didn't have a particularly impressive shooting game, going just 2-6 from the field for 5 points, but he showed all the attributes you look for in a point guard.



For starters, his quickness is a key attribute. He didn't have a problem getting where he wanted to on the floor to set up his teammates, and that's something that's key for any point guard, especially in Villanova's system. And his passing? Amazing. He dished out 7 assists, second only to Louisville-bound Peyton Siva, and turned it over just once, extremely impressive considering turnovers are commonplace in all-star games — even more so in high school all-star games. And a few of his assists made me say, "Wow!" On one, he drove to the hoop, seemingly went up for a layup attempt, drew two defenders, both of whom towered over him, who tried to block his shot, and wrapped around a pass to a wide open teammate for the slam.

Later, he threw a bullet cross-court pass for another layup. Villanova fans are going to love this kid.

And Cheek? Well, let's just say the kid from Jersey City can fill it up.



Judging from last night's performance, it's evident this kid is a lethal scorer. One minute, he was nailing a three from three feet behind the NBA line, the next minute he's throwing one down inside. In just 14 minutes, cheek scored 15 points on 6-8 shooting, nailing both his three-point attempts. Honestly, he was the most impressive scorer last night, truly looking like a shooting guard.

His confidence emanated through the TV. This is a guy who isn't afraid to shoot it, and playing under Jay Wright's green-light system for guards, Cheek should flourish. However, for a guy who looks like such a lethal scorer and shooter, Cheek only managed to hit 1 of 5 free throw attempts. He'll have to do better than that to meet Nova's high standard of foul shooting. I'm sure he will.

The three other players that really stood out to me were all on the East: Lance Stephenson, DeMarcus Cousins and Peyton Siva.







Stephenson, who's still undecided but supposedly leaning toward Kansas, is the most NBA ready guard in this class, at least physically. At 6'6", 220, he simply can overpower smaller players, but his quickness doesn't suffer due to his size. He's fast, and that's a scary thing to see, a 6'6" 220-pounder flying down the court at the same rate as speedy point guards.

Stephenson did a little of everything, scoring 12 points, nabbing 4 boards, dishing out 6 assists and swiping 3 steals. And he really stepped his game up in the final few minutes, helping to lead the East to victory. Whoever lands Stephenson will be supremely happy.

DeMarcus Cousins, a 6'11" beast, is also undecided, but trust me, he will make an impact immediately. Cousins scored 14, nabbed 8 boards and added a block, which is something he's known for. In a game that doesn't showcase defense, Cousins was a guy who did alter some shots and completely owned the boards. I was thoroughly impressed.

Just as I was with Siva, who showcased his athleticism with a ridiculous 360 layup. Siva was possibly the quickest and fastest player on the court last night, and he showed his unselfishness, shooting just 5 times in 19 minutes, while handing out a game-high 9 assists. Rick Pitino won't have to worry about his point guard play next season, an achilles heel for the Cardinals this year.

One more player I had my eye on was UNC-bound John Henson, and the skinny 6'10" forward didn't let me down.



Henson looked an awful lot like North Carolina freshman Ed Davis, a tall, lanky power forward that has a silky-smooth game. Henson scored 14 points last night on 7-10 shooting and blocked two shots. Next year, he's going to give Carolina a formidable front court to go along with Davis and Tyler Zeller.

Henson definitely needs to add some weight to his slight frame, but look for him to contribute right away. UNC may be losing Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green, and most likely Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington as well, but at UNC, they don't rebuild, they reload. Henson is part of that reloading.

The game wasn't just a showcase either. It was exciting. Close throughout, it came down to the wire, with the East holding on for the victory. It was a nice distraction from the Flyers' pathetic effort.

Although, the Flyers did come back in the third, as they've done quite a bit lately, but it was too little too late. They lost 3-2, as Giroux scored on the power play with 3 minutes left to give me some hope, but in the end, Curtis Joseph made too many saves the Flyers played hard for about 25 minutes of the game. They gave up 38 shots, which is something else that's been an unnerving trend for this team. Routinely, they are getting outshot, giving up between 30 and 40 shots on a nightly basis. That's asking an awful lot of your goaltending, and turnovers are a big reason for that. The Flyers desperately need to tighten up defensively, make crisper passes, get some puck control and win some god damn faceoffs. Oh, and forechecking wouldn't kill you every now and then. Jesus.

It was a sorry excuse of effort for a team that's trying to maintain home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. You know it's a sad day when basketball players in an all-star play harder for 40 minutes than the Flyers did at all.