All of these players are already great at their positions in the NBA. Although Harden has not played a single NBA game yet, but he was the third overall pick in the past NBA draft, which has to mean something. Durant is already considered one of the top 10 scorers in the NBA, and I might even put him in the top 5. Westbrook is a great point guard, and can only get better. He played with Durant and Green last year, so he already knows their style of play. Jeff Green is the kind of guy every NBA team wants; he is hard-working and a hustler, he gets the rebounds, blocks the shots, and is all over the floor doing whatever it takes to win for his team. Although Kristic isn’t considered one of the best centers, he is definitely solid. He has a decent post-up game, and he doesn’t like to step away from the basket much. On this team, he really won’t need to as much because of all the shooters, which can only help his game.

The only thing that worries me is this team’s bench. Behind the starting 5, there is not that much talent at all, which won’t help. This starting rotation is one of the best in the NBA thanks to Durant, and hopefully the backups work very hard in practice so the starters can benefit and hold leads while they are on the bench. This team plays in the Western Conference – the much more difficult conference – which doesn’t help as well. Although I’d really like to say it, I don’t think the Thunder will make the playoffs. They definitely will win more than the 23 games they won last year. Pay attention to this team this year and in years to come, because if they build a bench correctly, you will be seeing some playoff games in the near future in Oklahoma City.

Now entering college at USC is Lamont “Mo Mo” Jones, a highly touted recruit from Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. Originally from Harlem, NY, Jones was the #21 point guard on the ESPNU Recruiting page. Jones recently played in the Jordan Brand Classic as a National All-American, and I got a chance to meet with him and ask him a couple of questions.

Interview with Lamont Jones: Highly Touted Recruit Attending USC in the fall.

Q: What do you expect from your future?

A: Nothing but greatness. Being from Harlem, I have been in mostly the worst situations anyone can be in. Since I was in the worst in the past, things can only get better and my future can only get brighter.

Q: You are in such a big spotlight here at the Jordan Brand Classic; do you feel any added pressure?

A: I feel absolutely no pressure from the spotlight here at the Jordan Brand Classic. I feel that I deserve to be here. I have worked hard since day one, and it is finally paying off. Being here is very rewarding, but the pressure and nerves that others feel I don’t feel.

Q: Obviously you’re a hard worker, otherwise you wouldn’t be here playing in this prestigious event, but you aren’t nervous to be playing tomorrow on the biggest stage in the basketball world?

A: Being from Harlem, this is home; I’m home. I feel excited and anxious more than anything. I’m ready to show my hometown what I have worked for the past years at Oak Hill, and ready to show New York City the real Lamont Jones.

Q: Back to your future. We already went over what you expect from your future, but now I want to ask about in concretely. NBA thoughts in your mind? Think you can make it?

A: Obviously every little kid that plays basketball has the dream of being in the NBA in the back of his mind, but I’m not thinking about the NBA right now, let alone not even thinking about college right now. I have one game left in my high school career, and I want to focus on that and play it to the best of my ability. While I believe the NBA is very possible, it’s not in my head right now.

Q: Give me one thing that has motivated you throughout this whole process.

A: One statement has been told to me, and it is a statement I tell many reporters; the ball is in my court. I have worked hard to get here, and now it is in my hands to do what I can with what I have and make the best of all the situations and opportunities that are going to come my way.

Q: Tomorrow you and your Jordan Brand All-American teammates will get national exposure on ESPN2. You have already been on ESPN for the RISE National HS Invitational, where your Oak Hill Academy made it to the final. How do you feel that exposure was for you, and how do you feel you performed?

A: I feel that the tournament was almost like my coming out party. Everyone got to see Lamont Jones. I played great; I couldn’t have played the tournament any better. Findlay Prep just outplayed us, and I give props to Avery (Bradley) and the team for winning the title. That exposure was great though, because everyone got to see that Lamont Jones is one of the best guards in the country.

Q: You just said you are one of the best guards in the country. You are definitely a great guard in this recruiting class of 2009, but what makes you stick out over any other guard here?

A: My confidence. I always have the “you can’t guard me” mentality. I always believe that I can do any move on anybody, guard anybody, score on anybody, and do whatever it takes to win a game. If I’m needed to take over, I will step up to the challenge with great determination and confidence.

Q: You have yet to commit to a college, but have uncommitted twice (Louisville junior year, Virginia Tech in March). What is the recruiting process to you?

A: It really is nothing more than a process to me. I play my game and I do what I have to do. The scouts and coaches come and talk to me if they want me to play for them. No matter what happens during this process, I’m still going to play the same way.

Q: What is the reason for the two uncommits?

A: It was mostly a family decision. We decided as a family that Louisville and Virginia Tech were not the best options for me. I have spoken to other schools and we felt that some of the other schools that want me may fit myself as a whole much better.

Q: Some players want a certain coach, some want prestige and name; what impacts your decision on picking a school?

A: I want to be able to make a big impact right away. Obviously everyone’s dream is to make the NBA, so I also want a team that can give me that opportunity. And lastly, I am looking for a team that fits my style, a team looking for a leader and a floor general to run the team. I want to have a great NCAA career, so I need to find my best fit.

(NOTE: This interview was conducted at the Jordan Brand Classic on Friday, April 17th, 2009 and Saturday, April 18^th, 2009. On April 19^th, Lamont Jones signed a national letter of intent to attend the University of Southern California (USC)).

He also said that the fans love him, but the organization pretends to appreciate and like him, which is also ridiculous. Patrick Ewing is one of the faces of the Knicks organization history, and will always be known for what he did in Madison Square Garden. Many teams have tried to obtain him as a part of the coaching staff, and although I do not know if the Knicks made an attempt, but it doesn’t seem like they have. If the Knicks were intelligent enough, a move would have been made already, and Ewing would be an assistant coach.

Walsh, D’Antoni, whoever – get Ewing back to MSG, it’s where he belongs. The Knick fans would love to see him back home, he could help out the power forwards and future centers of the team and make them great, and he could be an overall force on the bench. Ewing would do wonders for the organization, so my recommendation is to get him back, and do whatever needs to be done to do it. Stan Van Gundy is right; it is shocking to see him somewhere else besides New York, so bring him back.

Now onto the East, which probably is a little easier until you get to the bottom. Your top 3 will most likely stay as is: Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando. LeBron is LeBron, and he will do whatever it takes to stay on top of the Eastern Conference. Boston has a very complete team all the way through their bench, and that will really help in the struggle that is the postseason. If Orlando gives Dwight Howard the ball often enough, they can be a force to be reckoned with. Atlanta was a shock to most this year, but I have always liked the talent on that team. They finally brought it all together this year, and will grab the fourth seed. Miami (along with my pick for MVP Dwyane Wade) grabs #5, and watch out for them. I have been a fan of them all year, and although experience is lacking on this team, most teams in the East lack experience, so hopefully Wade gives his team some insight. Philly and Detroit hold on to their 6 and 7 seeds, just because the bottom is so weak right now. Luckily they play in the East, where a mediocre record slides you into the playoffs. And for the eighth seed that has 6 teams within 4 games of each other, I have narrowed it down to New Jersey and Chicago. I made this decision by looking at both of their schedules for the end of the season, and Chicago has more home games and plays team with worse records right now. Sorry New Jersey, but Chicago holds on and takes the eighth spot.

Now, let’s pick some winners. In the West, the Lakers have no trouble with Dallas, San Antonio defeats the Hornets, Utah pulls of the upset and takes care of Denver, and Portland uses their young talent to move past Houston. The Lakers then take care of Portland, and San Antonio doesn’t let Utah pull of two upsets and moves on. And for the Western Conference representative in the NBA Finals, I’m going to pick the Lakers. Their team is just too complete and well rounded; plus, San Antonio has a lot of older players, and may get tired out this far into the playoffs.

In the Eastern Conference, the top 3 seeds will have no trouble with the bottom 3, so Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando move on with ease. Again, I like Miami a lot this year, and I don’t know how long Joe Johnson or whoever is on Wade can hold up, but it probably won’t last a whole series. Miami pulls the East upset and advances to the next round. Unfortunately, this is where Wade’s run ends, because although he is great, LeBron and the Cavs are just too good for his Heat team to handle. And although Orlando looks really good as of late, Boston has way too much experience on that team and will move on past Orlando. Boston and Cleveland meet again in the Eastern Finals, and this time it’s LeBron’s turn. Cleveland moves on to the NBA Finals to play Kobe and the Lakers.

Lastly, for my NBA champion. In 6 games, I believe that it is finally time LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Of course it will be a brutal battle in all six games, but Cleveland has the manpower to hold on. If it does turn out this way, King James deserves it, and this is only the beginning for him.

My first article is going to follow up on one of the very first articles I wrote about the Miami Heat. Early in the year I told you all to keep an eye on the Heat, and that they can be a force to be reckoned with. At 35-29, the Heat are 5th in the East and can basically punch their ticket for the playoffs. Although the entire team has been playing well, one man deserves most of the credit (and the Most Valuable Player award at the end of the year): Dwyane Wade.

Dwyane Wade has been playing absolutely lights-out recently, averaging 36 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds a game since the All-Star break. These numbers have carried the Miami Heat to and 8-5 record in the last 13 games, and will probably keep these winning ways going. The way Wade takes over a game is why he is my pick right now for MVP over LeBron, Kobe, Chris Paul, or anyone else you want to mention.

Wade’s supporting cast is nowhere near as good as any of the aforementioned stars. He has a rookie point guard in Mario Chalmers, a reserve forward who is doing okay in a starting role in Jamario Moon, a veteran forward in Shawn Marion (who hasn’t been playing up to his caliber), and Udonis Haslem, who is undersized at center. When things start to go south with this club, Wade needs to take over, and sure enough he does.

My favorite example of recent history was against the New York Knicks. As a Knick fan I got to see Wade take over. The Knicks were up 103-88 in the fourth quarter, and before I could turn my head, it was 107-103, with Miami in the lead. Wade led a 19-0 run by scoring 15 of the 19 points, and scored 24 in the 4th as they won 119-115. Wade is an unbelievable basketball player, and would love to see him take the MVP and take his team deep in the playoffs.

LeBron lit it up, and played unbelievable (surprise, surprise). He had 52 points, 9 rebounds (10 that night, but they made a stat error), and 11 assists, including a

huge first quarter, where LeBron had 20 points. The Knicks fought hard all game though, and even took the lead about halfway through the fourth quarter. Sure enough though, the Knicks failed to finish the game, and LeBron and the Cavs took the win by 5, 107-102.

The atmosphere in MSG was something I’ll never forget. The fans were going wild for New York and for King James, and it was by far the loudest I have ever heard the Garden. When big stars come to town, many more fans come out to the game to see them. Although I do enjoy seeing the stars like Kobe, LeBron, KG, etc., I just was happy to take in another Knick game.

Ending (Feb 1st)

Total Pro Sports – We have a new #1 in this weeks NBA Power Rankings. The Boston Celtics just barely take the lead over the Lakers who slip to the #2 spot in the rankings.

The Portland Trailblazers seem to be a team on the rise with all their young guns they are slowly solidifying themselves as the team to beat in the Western Conference.

NBA Power Rankings Movers And Shakers

Our biggest mover this week in our NBA Power Rankings, were the Portland Trailblazers and the Dallas Mavericks moving up 5 spots in the power rankings.  The Trailblazers moved from #12 to #7 and the Mavericks moved from #13 #5.

Our biggest shakers this week in our NBA Power Rankings for week 14 were the Detroit Pistons losing 5 spots in the NBA Power Rankings.  The Pistons dropped from #9 to #14 this week.

Lets take a look at the rest of the league: NBA Power Rankings for Week 14.

Rank	Team	Record	Change	Comment
1		40-9	1	Boston jumps up to the top spot because of this winning streak, and at this rate can keep it going 20+ games.
2		38-9	1	Only dropped because Boston is so hot, and Kobe tore up MSG last night with 61. Without Bynum, the Lakers might have a little bit of trouble, but Kobe and Pau can pick up the slack.
3		37-9	-	Cleveland is great right now, but the other 2 teams ahead of them are just better. Mo Williams deserved All-Stars, but there just isn’t enough room for everyone.
4		36-11	-	Playing great, and have 3 All-Stars (Howard, Nelson, Lewis). Look for Orlando to keep playing great through the ASB.
5		33-14	-	On a 4 game winning streak right now, and looking to stay hot to catch the Lakers.
6		31-16	-	Much deserved for Billups to get All-Stars, but Carmelo getting snubbed is shocking. The Nuggets are great, and can really make a run at the Finals.
7		30-17	5	A 5 game winning streak jumps the Blazers up 5 spots this week, and hopefully can keep it up. I really like this team, and hope they can do well this year.
8		28-19	5	Their 3 game winning streak jumps them up here to #8. Hopefully Kidd, Terry, Nowitzki and Co. keep things rolling through the ASB.
9		29-19	2	They played well without Yao, and now that he’s back (and an All-Star again), the Rockets look even better.
10		28-17	2	Last night’s loss (of the game and Chris Paul) were both disheartening. They are not the same team now, and will probably struggle until he comes back after a few games.
11		26-20	1	Although it was on the Kings, Phoenix’s beatdown last night proved to me they have some life in them. Amare is always lights out, Nash is a great point guard, and this team has a good playoff shot.
12		26-21	2	3-2 in their last 5, Miami is going to be really good. Cleveland, Boston, Orlando – watch out.
13		27-20	2	1-3 in their last 4 is no good, but I don’t expect much out of Atlanta. They may have talent, but the chemistry is poor.
14		25-21	5	1-2 in their last 3; I am not liking the way they are playing. This team is much better than their record, and they better fix this now.
15		27-22	-	.500 in their last 4, Utah is fighting to stay in the hunt heading in the ASB. This team is shaky, and they hope to stay in it.
16		23-23	-	2-2 in their last 4, Philly needs to have a big game tonight to try and upset Boston.
17		21-26	1	3-1 in their last 4, the Knicks played a close one last night (even though Kobe scored 61). Look for the Knicks to play Cleveland and Boston close at home this week, and maybe even win one.
18		21-27	4	3 in a row is nice for Chicago, and they need to keep it going to have a chance in the East after the ASB.
19		24-27	2	Switch with the Knicks after going 2-2 in their last 4 even though their record is better. Not having Redd hurts, and their record is showing that.
20		21-27	-	1-3 in their last 4, the Nets don’t look good. Devin Harris is great, but really doesn’t have much help right now.
21		19-29	3	2-2 in their last 4, Indiana needs to pick things up with Granger getting a bid to play in Phoenix for the ASG.
22		19-29	1	This team has talent, but just doesn’t play well. I am a fan of them, but just have no life.
23		19-30	-	The Raptors really shock me. Bosh, Calderon, O’Neal; you’d expect a lot more from them. But they don’t fail to disappoint, and are stinking this year (congrats to Bosh on ASG though).
24		15-34	1	They are going to be better with Monta Ellis back, but obviously not good enough to make the playoffs.
25		16-30	6	Their hot streak has fallen off a little bit and fell under the Warriors because of Ellis.
26		12-35	-	OJ Mayo is awesome, Rudy Gay is going to have a great dunk contest in a few weeks, and they just destroyed the Wizards. Do something Memphis, you have talent.
27		11-37	1	Durant got SNUBBED thanks to their dismal record. He totally deserved an All-Star spot, but didn’t get it. Hopefully he’ll prove himself and get it next year.
28		10-38	1	They can thank the Kings, otherwise they wouldn’t have moved.
29		10-38	1	They may have been crushed by Memphis, but not by more than 40.
30		11-39	1	Losing by 48 makes you drop to last in my book, no matter how bad Washington is.

Be sure to check back next week with our NBA Power Rankings for week 15.

1.       Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers: I don’t care what anyone else did this week, the 61 points was unbelievable and really made fantasy owners happy (or sad in my case, as the team I’m facing has Kobe). With Bynum out, his numbers are only going to get better. Most people won’t trade him, but if you can make an unbelievable offer for him, do it now.

2.       LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers: Triple-double last night, 52 points last night; this guy is amazing. The things he does with a basketball are unbelievable. The Cavs are rolling this season (especially at home), and after seeing LeBron first-hand last night, the team fully runs through him.

3.      Yao Ming, Houston Rockets: Yao is having a career year, averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds. 73 points in his last 3 games along with 28 rebounds are some good numbers. He had a great week, and fantasy owners should be shopping him while they can before his value goes down.

All 14 of these players definitely deserved it and have had good seasons up to this point. Unfortunately there is only room for 12 people on the All-Star roster, so there were a good amount of players who were snubbed this time around. Usually there is a few, but I feel that for the first time in a while there are so many players who could really have been on this reserve roster.

In the West, some players who could have deserved it also are Kevin Durant, Paul Millsap, Steve Nash, Carmelo Anthony, and Al Jefferson. The 2 people I feel out of these 6 that really should have gotten it over others are Kevin Durant and Paul Millsap. Durant is averaging 24.8 points per game, which is good enough for sixth in the NBA. Paul Millsap has numbers that are definitely All-Star worthy, but the fact that David West has Chris Paul as a point guard is what gets him on the team. With a player like that on your team, you become better and better day by day, and David West has taken full advantage of Paul.

I think the reason Durant didn’t get the spot was because of team record. The seven reserves all play on teams with winning records, and Oklahoma City is far from that at 11-35. The West was pretty spot on with their All-Stars, and the picks that were borderline didn’t bother me.

The East is a pretty good squad, and there aren’t that many snubs. The only possible others who had an outside shot were David Lee, Ray Allen, and Mo Williams. These 3 players have made great contributions to their respective teams so far this year, and all of them will play a big role on their NBA Finals run (in Allen and Williams’ case) or a playoff run (in Lee’s case). While all 7 East reserves definitely deserved it, I think this was the time for David Lee. He is averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds on an improving Knick team, and along with Chris Duhon, is a huge leader. Lee is having a great year, but since it is early in his career, it isn’t a total snub, as he has a bright future and will eventually earn a spot.

I wish the best of luck to all the reserves and the starters in the game, and for the end of this article I’m going to make my All-Star pick: East 141, West 135.

Marbury is asking for most of his contract, and after the Knicks offered $19 million of his $22.1 million, he countered with $21 million and the Knicks declined. Give him the money, get him off the payroll, and open up the roster spot for someone that is going to play. The guy doesn’t even travel with the team, what use is he!

It just ticks me off that the Knicks are paying him to sit home and do nothing. I would love to see the Knicks bring back Patrick Ewing Jr, a guy who brought energy to the team in the preseason and could fire up that bench along with Nate Robinson. I want to see Marbury be happy elsewhere, because he is terribly upset in New York.

Donnie Walsh, give him his money and let him go. Please comment on this story, and let me know what your opinion is on the situation.