November 10, 2006 ...The All-Star game isn’t until February. We track the worthy all-stars every couple of weeks here to see who is playing at that level. We looked at the top efficiency ratings of those who have played at least 100 minutes so far. At his stage of the season (one and half weeks in) anything is possible. The minutes sampled are not enough to make any real long term predictions. What it does offer is a snapshot of the first ten days of the season. ...EAST: Guards - Gilbert Arenas .682, Vince Carter .648, Michael Redd .585, Kirk Hinrich .577. Forwards - Chris Bosh .779, Antawn Jamison .715, Charlie Villanueva .709, Paul Pierce .708, Drew Gooden .707. Centers - Nazr Mohammed .714, Etan Thomas .696, Samuel Dalembert .664. WEST: Guards - Sam Cassell .710, Chris Paul .704, Steve Nash .636, Derek Fisher .598. Forwards - Zach Randolph .805, Kevin Garnett .773, Carlos Boozer .719, Dirk Nowitzki .673. Centers - Andrew Bynum .764, Yao Ming .745, Fabricio Oberto .644, Mehmet Okur .620.

 

November 8, 2006 The Sacramento Kings are struggling on offense relative to the rest of the NBA. Sac ranks 29th of 30 in points per game. The Kings Efficiency Ratings through the first four games are also very low on an individual basis. Of course the only real stat that matters is the Kings 2-2 record. At this juncture the Efficiency Ratings are what they are but they don’t tell the whole story. Mike Bibby, for instance, is playing hurt. His field goal percentage is down, and his turnovers are up as he struggles to handle the ball with a jacked up thumb.  ...Here are the numbers from highest to lowest for those playing at least eight minutes per game:

1.          Kevin Martin .506

2.          Ron Artest .471

3.          John Salmons .389

4.          Ronnie Price .378

5.          Shareef Abdur-Rahim .362

6.         Kenny Thomas .347

7.         Mike Bibby .318

8.         Brad Miller .270

...Now—how about checking in on some rookies? ...Craig Smith .602, Brandon Roy .392, Kyle Lowry .382,

...Now—how about checking in on some rookies? ...Craig Smith .602, Brandon Roy .392, Kyle Lowry .382, Randy Foye .382, Rudy Gay .377, Jordan Farmar .352, Cedric Simmons .282, Shelden Williams .247, Tyrus Thomas .217, Rodney Carney .130,

November 7, 2006 ...We hit ARCO last night for the 22nd season opener in Sacramento Kings history. The Kings prevailed over the T-Wolves in a relatively boring game. ...I’m still not sure why Trenton Hassell plays so many minutes. I understand he defends—but he is also an offensive liability for Minnesota. Also—the T-Wolves hurt from the lack of a true point guard. They have guys that play the point—but they are not natural pass-first point guards. Last night—it was Mike James, Marko Jaric, Randy Foye and Troy Hudson that were guilty of not getting Kevin Garnett enough touches inside. The Kings perimeter defense was also very good. The issue of a lack of size inside for the Kings was not a huge factor because Sacramento applied so much ball pressure on the wings. ...It was good to hear some new beats in the background on the ARCO p.a. when the Kings were on offense. ...Utah is off to a 4-0 start.

November 5, 2006 The first week of NBA action this season has entertained me plenty. Lebron James’ crazy drives to the hoop vs. San Antonio had me shaking my head in amazement. His left hand is becoming another weapon. ...I enjoy Kevin Calabro on Seattle telecasts. ...Brad Miller may miss an extended period of time for Sacramento. Their paper soft inside is sure to be tested as Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and Mo Taylor try to play Center. ...Jalen Rose will join the Suns — giving them another versatile player. ...I would take Tyson Chandler over P.J. Brown all day every day. ...NBA-TV; could you please lose the bottom scroll on your live games? Scroll it once a quarter or something but not all the time. Between the top score graphic and the bottom scroll you are missing too much of the court. ...Josh Smith can fly.

October 31, 2006 The season started with a thud as Chicago ran Miami out of their own gym. How long before the media crowns the Bulls as the new champs? ...Glad to see Ernie Johnson in his chair as TNT host. ...I love Alonzo Mourning and was happy to see him receive his NBA Championship ring. The Heat’s rings have ten carats of diamonds. …’Zo played like crap though in the season opener. ...I didn't foresee Chris Quinn making the NBA. I was shocked to see him playing backup point guard for Miami. I expect that Quinn, as a guy getting minutes, will not last long. Miami is said to be in the running for Jalen Rose’s services. Jalen was waived by the Knicks yesterday. Other teams in the running are Phoenix, the Lakers and Detroit according to ESPN.com.