Welcome to The Basketball Chat. Every week, Mike Slane, co-founder of ElevationMag.com and myself will chat about the latest news in the NBA. We'll take a look at players and teams, as well as any trades, suspensions, and other NBA happenings.
Dennis: Welcome back to another edition of {i]The Basketball Chat where we bring nothing but basketball goodness from your screen to your eyes. Let's get started!
Dennis: Another week goes by here on The Basketball Chat and so does another win streak. Bye bye Phoenix Suns 17-game string of W's. Mike, did you think it would be the Minnesta T-Wolves to end the streak? I really thought it would have been the Spurs or Jazz whom the Suns play later this week.
Mike: I honestly thought they were unbeatable. The way they were playing was amazing. But if any team was to end the streak, I thought it would have been the Spurs on Thursday NOT the Timberwolves. Let's face it, the T-Wolves aren't a good team and aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
The Spurs are still a championship-caliber team even though they always find a way to stay under the radar. Tim Duncan is putting up great numbers this year and still gets overlooked.
Dennis: Well, TD will always be overlooked because, let's face it, his game is boring. Very effective, but boring. When playoff time comes, however, you'll see him step up his game and actually get better, as will the Spurs.
But, back to the Suns, last week we gave out our half-season awards and chose Avery Johnson as the Head Coach of the Year... do you think we should switch it to Mike D'Antoni?
Mike: I don't think I'd change my selection just yet. Both teams started off slow and have been unstoppable since. The Suns are playing great, but I think when it's all said and done the Mavs will be in the FInals, not the Suns.
Therefore, Avery still gets the nod.
Dennis: Okay, okay. Continuing with the Mavs, what are the chances of Josh Howard getting an All-Star berth? We'll find out tomorrow when the rest of the All-Star squad is announced for both conferences. Let's look at potential All-Stars and their chances. So, what are Howard's?
Mike: I think Howard will be selected as Yao's replacement. So look for both Carmelo and Howard to get the invite.
I don't think position will affect the Commissioners decision for a replacement.
Dennis: How about Emeka Okafor? With his gaudy rebounding and block numbers, despite playing for a bad team, does someone like Okafor have a chance? I personally would like to see it because I've liked his game since his days at UConn. And, speaking of a good player on a bad team, how about Eddy Curry of the Knicks? He's been the most consistent scorer for the team and is garnering respect for his offensive capabilities around the league. Do you think he'll be overlooked?
Mike: Despite a great defensive year from Emeka and a solid offensive season from Curry, I don't see either of them getting a nod over Jermaine O'Neal and Dwight Howard. It's unfortunate that Shaq earns a spot over those two despite playing only a few games this year.
Dennis: Okay, let's talk about some injuries... Antawn Jamison went down last night for the Wizards and it's still unknown how long he'll be out. (ED NOTE: It has been announced that Jamison will be out two to eight weeks with a sprained left knee). How does this affect the team with the best record in the East? Does Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler just step up their game and cover for Jamison's numbers or does this bring the team down?
Mike: Hopefully he won't be out for too long but we should know by tomorrow. It's the first time all season Washington will be without their big four of Stevenson, Arenas, Butler and Jamison. The Wizards have two All-Stars in Arenas and Butler so I think they'll be okay for a couple games, but not if he's out for an extended period.
