Buy The Blowtorch’s Big Book of Basketball Facts Now!

It has been a while since popular blogger Trey Kerby said he was going to publish his book called The Blowtorch’s Big Book of Basketball Facts. But, finally, Kerby has done it! The great blogger who previously has wrote at theblowtorch.net and Yahoo!’s Ball Don’t Lie, is now a writer for thebasketballjones.com. Kerby continues to bring the great humor he provides about the game of basketball.

I had a chance to talk with Kerby as we both and many other bloggers collided to make the book called The Kwame Brown Chronicles, which you can buy here. You can also ask me for a free copy by clicking here and also spread the word more about the book we made.

But Kerby’s book is a thrilling read as he covers many player profiles with a lot of humor. The Yao Ming one, which was the last player profile, was most probably my favorite. The book is finally published. Kerby is very nice enough to let you download the book for free. But please folks, don’t be greedy and cheap. Please donate as Kerby definitely deserves the compensation for a such a masterpiece.

So download/donate for the book! It’s a good read!

Keep up the good work Trey.

The Basketball Outsiders Ep. 15

After a five-month hiatus, the podcast is now back. We’ll be discussing things that we have missed and all of that. So tune in as the podcast is back! We also discuss our podcast name-change and also other things.
Click here to listen

The New Basketball Outsider

Hi, I am Josh Dhani. Rafael Uehara has done a great job at this blog. We all had a great time here. But this blog will now be the podcast website for my podcast show called the Basketball Outsiders, which you can see at blogtalkradio.com/basketballoutsider. This blog will be part of Hardcourt Mayhem’s blog network at hardcourtmayhem.com.

Thank you and I hope you enjoy the new blog!

Tim Duncan Is Spurs’ All-Time Leading-Scorer; Is He the Best Spur In Team History?

The San Antonio Spurs are recently coming off a huge victory, improving to 10-1 with a 94-82 victory over the “Comeback Kings,” the Utah Jazz. The Spurs are going off to one of their best starts to the decade.

Much of the help is thanks to the big three that has been fueling this team for years now, led by none other than Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and of course, Tim Duncan.

Duncan was entering the game 13 points shy of breaking David Robinson’s record of points scored all-time for a San Antonio Spur. It came off a well-thought-out pass made by young point guard Tony Parker. Parker was driving to the lane and found Duncan wide open under the arc.

With a swish from the net, Duncan was officially named the all-time points-leader for the Spurs. Duncan needed 13 points to break the record of 20,790. Duncan would finish with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

All of this comes down to the big, boiling question: Is Tim Duncan the great Spur ever?

To me, this is probably the easiest question to answer, as it a definite yes.

No disrespect to David Robinson, but Duncan is simply better. By the time he retires, Duncan may very well be known as the best power forward to play the game of basketball. And there is no joking there.

Duncan is in double-digits for All-Star game appearances. By the way, Duncan has also won four league championships for San Antonio. He was MVP three of those times in those Finals games. He is also a two-time MVP.

There is no way someone else could be better. Robinson is one of the greatest, but Duncan is simply better.

Congratulations to Duncan on breaking the record. Keep playing hard and keep playing the great way you do.

Simply one of the bests ever.

Greg Oden Was the Right Pick

The Greg Oden bust songs have come out full force and this time there might be no turning back. In the past couple of days there has been much discussion regarding the news that Greg Oden will once again be out for another season because of injury. This is the third time that Oden has suffered a season-ending knee injury and with the Blazers in dire need of his services it is a major question of whether or not we will see him in a Blazers uniform ever again.

With fellow 2007 draftee and reigning 2009-10 NBA leading scorer Kevin Durant flourishing in Oklahoma City it would seem that, through the benefit of hindsight, we can easily state that the drafting of Greg Oden by Portland was the wrong choice. However, if you take a closer look into the understanding behind the Greg Oden choice there is no doubt in my mind that it was the right one.

As I said it is easy to say that the Greg Oden pick was a bad one, but if you think back to 2007 you would remember that the Blazers front office as well as fans and analysts alike spent the summer trying to figure out which player would be the better selection. The #1 choice that year was a virtual coin toss between Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. The situation was essentially the same as the Peyton Manning, Ryan Leaf debate except for one key ingredient to the equation. With the crucial aspect being that Oden and Durant do not play the same position unlike Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf.

When drafting players there is always that fine line of drafting for talent or for need. Eve though this was not even a situation that was necessarily talent over need, the need of the Blazers was not for another primary ball handler and scorer.

With the Blazers currently sitting at 8-5 in the tough Western Conference, and their franchise player Brandon Roy currently out with a nagging injury to his knees I guess they could use a legit star. However, back in 2007, Brandon Roy was a healthy, emerging star in the NBA. His silky-smooth play combined with leadership and poise made him a player that any team would love to have as the focus of their franchise.

Why would the 2007 Portland Trail Blazers mess with the center-piece of their franchise by adding another ball-dominating, scoring wing player?

Having two ball-dominant guards in the NBA is something that is not looked upon as the formula for a championship winning team. Year after year we see that the winning teams combine a star wing player with a or multiple quality big men, which was something the Blazers were still looking for back when they chose to draft Oden in 2007. In fact, the Blazers still could use that elusive big man in their line-up as Lamarcus Aldridge is not the interior presence that team’s fear on defence, nor is he enough of a pure scoring force to make up for that lack of defensive prowess.  Moreover, the Blazers are employing past his prime, 36-year-old Marcus Camby as their starting center who would serve much better at this point in his career in a backup role.

The Los Angeles Lakers combined Kobe with Shaq and then Pau Gasol, the Spurs have Parker/Ginobli with Tim Duncan, and the Heat had Wade with Shaq just to give a few examples of championship winning combinations. Contrast that to a Nugget unification of Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony or the potential bust of the current Miami Heat team with Lebron James and Dwayne Wade

If Greg Oden was healthy and able to fulfill the vast potential that everyone see’s in him there is no doubt that he would be a perfect fit in the Blazer line-up. His scoring touch isn’t as polished as it needs to be, but when you have Roy and Aldridge as your two primary scorers there is no pressure on him to put up 15-20 points on a nightly basis.

Obviously though this is not the case. Greg Oden is not healthy and he is not realizing his vast potential.  Nonetheless I still feel that the most important aspect of this debate is that Kevin Durant wasn’t, is not, and never will be the right piece of the puzzle for the Portland Trail Blazers as long as Brandon Roy is in town.

It is sad to see that Greg Oden will most likely end up being a bust rather than a star, but Blazer fans and Oden critics need to understand the process instead of just pointing to the results.

Chris Ross is a contributor for the Basketball Outsider and can be followed on twitter @paintstheblack or reached via e-mail.

More from Chris can be found here or also on Painting the Black, his personal multi-sport blog.

 

The Greg Oden bust songs have come out full force and this time there might be no turning back. In the past couple of days there has been much discussion regarding the news that Greg Oden will once again be out for another season because of injury. This is the third time that Oden has suffered a season-ending knee injury and with the Blazers in dire need of his services it is a major question of whether or not we will see him in a Blazers uniform ever again.

 

With fellow 2007 draftee and reigning 2009-10 NBA leading scorer Kevin Durant flourishing in Oklahoma City it would seem that, through the benefit of hindsight, we can easily state that the drafting of Greg Oden by Portland was the wrong choice. However, if you take a closer look into the understanding behind the Greg Oden choice there is no doubt in my mind that it was the right one.

 

As I said it is easy to say that the Greg Oden pick was a bad one, but if you think back to 2007 you would remember that the Blazers front office as well as fans and analysts alike spent the summer trying to figure out which player would be the better selection. The #1 choice that year was a virtual coin toss between Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. The situation was essentially the same as the Peyton Manning, Ryan Leaf debate except for one key ingredient to the equation. With the crucial aspect being that Oden and Durant do not play the same position unlike Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf.

 

When drafting players there is always that fine line of drafting for talent or for need. Eve though this was not even a situation that was necessarily talent over need, the need of the Blazers was not for another primary ball handler and scorer.

 

With the Blazers currently sitting at 8-5 in the tough Western Conference, and their franchise player Brandon Roy currently out with a nagging injury to his knees I guess they could use a legit star. However, back in 2007, Brandon Roy was a healthy, emerging star in the NBA. His silky-smooth play combined with leadership and poise made him a player that any team would love to have as the focus of their franchise.

 

Why would the 2007 Portland Trail Blazers mess with the center-piece of their franchise by adding another ball-dominating, scoring wing player?

 

Having two ball-dominant guards in the NBA is something that is not looked upon as the formula for a championship winning team. Year after year we see that the winning teams combine a star wing player with a or multiple quality big men, which was something the Blazers were still looking for back when they chose to draft Oden in 2007. In fact, the Blazers still could use that elusive big man in their line-up as Lamarcus Aldridge is not the interior presence that team’s fear on defeace, nor is he enough of a pure scoring force to make up for that lack of defensive prowess.  Moreover, the Blazers are employing past his prime, 36 year old Marcus Camby as their starting center who would serve much better at this point in his career in a backup role.

 

The Los Angeles Lakers combined Kobe with Shaq and then Pau Gasol, the Spurs have Parker/Ginobli with Tim Duncan, and the Heat had Wade with Shaq just to give a few examples of championship winning combinations. Contrast that to a Nugget unification of Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony or the potential bust of the current Miami Heat team with Lebron James and Dwayne Wade

 

If Greg Oden was healthy and able to fulfill the vast potential that everyone see’s in him there is no doubt that he would be a perfect fit in the Blazer line-up. His scoring touch isn’t as polished as it needs to be, but when you have Roy and Aldridge as your two primary scorers there is no pressure on him to put up 15-20 points on a nightly basis.

 

Obviously though this is not the case. Greg Oden is not healthy and he is not realizing his vast potential.  Nonetheless I still feel that the most important aspect of this debate is that Kevin Durant wasn’t, is not, and never will be the right piece of the puzzle for the Portland Trail Blazers as long as Brandon Roy is in town.

 

It is sad to see that Greg Oden will most likely end up being a bust rather than a star, but Blazer fans and Oden critics need to understand the process instead of just pointing to the results.

Who Is the True Leader for the Indiana Pacers?

The Indiana Pacers were opening up the season with their leader being All-Star forward, Danny Granger. But since then, there have been questions swinging around this team of who the team’s true leader really is.

Roy Hibbert has drastically stepped it up this season, increasing his points total by nearly two per game and rebounds by nearly five! He is so far averaging at total of 16.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

Granger really isn’t much behind, putting up All-Star numbers, too, with 22.1 points and five rebounds per game.

Both have been solid this season and both could very well be going repping the Eastern Conference in their dark-blue jerseys coming up in February.

And it could happen.

But who is the leader?

Hibbert has showed promise and is showing that he can also make the case for winning MVP. Some ESPN experts predicted Hibbert being in that race and also becoming the winner for the Most Improved Player award. In my opinion, Hibbert should win MIP. He has vastly improved over the course of this summer.

Pacers columnist Kent Sterling says that Hibbert is the leader of the Pacers, as he shows great emotion and leadership the Pacers desperately need since Reggie Miller.

Hibbert even started a Pacers group called “Area 55.” Many fans are dedicated to this and crazy for No. 55.

But making the case for Granger is the exact same.

From the point after the year Reggie Miller retired up until the end of the 2007-08 season, Pacers fans gone into depression and have not been proud of the way their team played.

Sure, they had the talent with guys like Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, and Jamaal Tinsley. Yes, there was also Jermaine O’Neal. But many big events happened over the course of that time.

The only good thing was O’Neal. But he couldn’t do everything by himself. When he was the man, the Pacers could only win near 40 games a season. O’Neal would then be plagued by injuries and become traded.

Jackson and Tinsley would go into troubles with laws, mainly the shootings that happened in downtown Indianapolis.

Artest was a man with anger-management issues. He had a huge problem and was just a crazy person. And there is no point bringing back the memories of what happened at the Palace, so I’ll put that to rest.

But once the 2008-09 season, many saw the glimpse of the team’s new rising 6’9″ 230-pound star, Danny Granger. Granger stepped last season in 2007, averaging about 19 points per game. But 2008 was when he brought Pacers fans back into joy.

He was saving Indiana from severe desperation and was lighting it up from all points of the floor, leading the Pacers to a 36-win season, coming up two games short of the playoffs. Granger was the reason why Conseco Fieldhouse was filled with fans again.

But both have stepped up to become leaders of the team.

But here’s what we should do, why not make both the true leaders of the team? Both have been here for a while and have stepped it up. They are both the most emotional, most-dedicated, and most loyal players on the team. They both definitely deserve the recognition as the leaders.

Darren Collison isn’t there yet. But he once he finishes up the season and keeps playing the way he is right now, Indiana can have their own big-three very soon.

So there you have it.

The season is young and bright.

And so are the Pacers leaders.

And their team.

NBA Talk: For Greg Oden, Is It Officially Over? Maybe Not

This is a huge blow. A big blow to the Portland Trail Blazers, but worst of all, a huge blow to Greg Oden and his promised career in the National Basketball Association.

Oden showed a lot of promise last season, on his pace to an invite to the NBA All-Star game. He was tearing up the boards and was just rocking it, earning the fans’ trust in him and becoming a dynamic player.

He was truly going to be great.

But then it happened. Oden got injured, again. On December 5th, 2009, it was announced his season was over for the second straight time. But there was hope for next year.

Oden would return by December hopefully. But now, it seems unlikely. The Trail Blazers told the media that Oden will undergo surgery again and he will be out for the remainder of the season…again.

The doctors badly wanted Oden to play, but now they will be performing surgery on his banged-up knee again. ESPN NBA columnist J.A. Adande asked if they should re-evaluate their methods.

“Absolutely,” he said.

The organization asked themselves, “Is there anything we could be doing that we’re not doing? Is there anything that we’re missing?”

It’s disheartening of how things would come to this conclusion for Oden. It seems like this is his last chance. And most probably, it is over for Oden and his career in Portland. But really, is it?

Similar things happened to Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Grant Hill. They were going through tough injuries, but now have bounced back and are one of the top players in the NBA today.

But for Oden, he could leave Portland. The Trail Blazers could be facing a big risk. The least they could offer is somewhere in the range of a one-year deal worth about $8 million. However, it seems that Oden may not accept. The Blazers don’t want to take the risk of giving him a long-term deal, as he has already have had three major injuries now in his young NBA career.

The guy is only 22 years old.

I just hope things can work out for him as he has so much promise.

But if he does get healthy, and I hope he does, I think he can be a huge addition for any team that would want him.

For the Houston Rockets, Is It Time to Give Up On Yao Ming?

The Houston Rockets were dealt with a huge blow to their team. Like Oden, Yao Ming will now miss more time with his Rockets’ squad.

Since Yao has been dealing with injuries, the Rockets have now been led by a new leader for the team, and that is believed to be new-acquisition from last season, Kevin Martin. Martin is set to lead this team to success now, even without Yao.

The Rockets have managed to deal without Yao for the past two seasons or so.

And they don’t even need a center anymore. Brad Miller and Luis Scola are good enough for the Rockets to succeed in the frontcourt business. Plus, they have two rising young stars under frontcourt with Patrick Patterson and Jordan Hill.

Houston also has Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry leading the guards with Martin. Brooks and Lowry make a solid tandem at point guard, as they helped get a few victories finally.

The Rockets also have a great defensive-stopper in Shane Battier. He’s been with the team for a while and is continuing to be the veteran leader for the squad.

There’s nothing wrong with the Rockets.

As of right now, it is No Yao, No Problem.

Ming’s career could be over now if he continues to get injuries like these. I wouldn’t be surprised if he calls for a retirement in the near future.

Ming even told the media this summer that the time could be near.

Bosh Finally Becoming Helpful to the Heat, But Needs One More Thing To Fully Succeed This Season

It was about time that Chris Bosh finally was becoming helpful to the Miami Heat.

It was getting so bad that The Basketball Jones made a parody of the team’s star power forward called “Like A Bosh.” They dissed Bosh badly and it was all true. Bosh needs to step it up.

Last night against the Phoenix Suns, he did. Bosh went up for 35 points and six rebounds, helping the Heat improve with a 123-96 win over the Suns.

Bosh is finally getting into his old swagger. Glad he’s finally starting to score now. But there is only one problem, and that is his rebounding total. He has a very low one, averaging about six per game.

I am expecting at least eight-to-twelve for Bosh.

But, however, I give him the pass. With a new starting center in Zydrunas Ilguaskas, the Heat will improve with rebounding dramatically.

And hopefully, so will CB4.

Everybody’s Underrated Pick, Baylor Bears Show Some Early Head-Scratchers

When the Texas Longhorns started last season 17-0, many people knew that the record was an indicative of UT’s weak schedule but just as many fell in love with the ‘Horns after their flashy win over North Carolina at Cowboys Stadium. When Texas came back to Earth and the Kansas Jayhawks stood as the top ranked team in the nation forever, all those bracket-fillers shifted to the ‘Hawks as a team of interest. When the Kansas State Wildcats pushed them over the edge, K-State became the face of the Big 12.

Lost in the shuffle, the Baylor Bears were that team that people were aware of but not necessarily counted in as possible contenders. Late season runs, including a couple of massacres on Texas, on the Big 12 Tournament, where they lost on the semi-finals to Kansas State, and the NCAA Tournament, where they lost on the semi-finals to the Duke Blue Devils, opened people’s eyes and Baylor enters this season as everybody’s underrated pick.

(If everybody knows their potential, that means they are no longer underrated, right? Shouldn’t it?)

With a couple of veterans returnees in Quincy Acy & LaceDarius Dunn, a high profile recruit in Perry Jones III and reliable systems on offense & defense, the Bears are expected to be a contender for the conference title and definitely, most likely for the national title.

After running over Grambling State to tip-off the season, Baylor’s first pesky test came on Tuesday, November the 16^th, at home versus La Salle in front of a national audience (Tuesday featured ESPN’s 25 hour tip-off marathon, a marquee event) and the Bears left this one with some early head-scratchers.

With Dunn off, Baylor experienced glaring shooting problems. The Bears jump-shot 3-13 from beyond the arc and 14-35 away from the rim. Dunn’s ball handling isn’t terrific either but without the combo-guard things got even worse. Baylor’s offensive scheme requires a lot of ball movement and player shift but behind pedestrian guard play, especially from A.J. Walton (who himself was responsible for 7 turnovers), the Bears turned the ball over 22 times.

Luck for them, La Salle’s transition offense was borderline terrible and the Explorers were unable to take real advantage of Baylor’s many miscues.

Lucky for them, overwhelming frontcourt production remains reliable even without Ekpe Udoh (who now plays in Golden State). Udoh’s replacement, the true-freshman Jones III, performed according to the projections which explained why many believe his college career will be short and the NBA will come knocking on the door at season’s end.

Jones’s length, at 6’11’’, makes him impactful crashing the boards and protecting the rim (especially on Baylor’s zone defense). His athleticism, running the floor extremely well for his size, is the reason why he’s a deadly threat in transition. And his hand skills and quick back-to-the-basket moves are responsible for him being just as dangerous in the half-court.

Alongside Jones, the junior Acy wish college was never over. For those who know how to define it, Acy is a star. Every Baylor game, he jumps off the screen with his jaw-dropping athleticism, which is his true meal-ticket on offense, and his long arms + lateral mobility that make him a perfect fit for the zone.

The combo Jones III & Acy carried the Bears to the victory on a game where they were pushed. They combined for 37 points on 17-30 shooting and grabbed 22 rebounds, while the rest of the Bears scored 37 points on 12-26 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds.

Besides the shooting and ball security woes, Baylor’s defense wasn’t reliable in this game. Since installing the zone after an 8-2 run off the tip-off, the Bears were outscored 30-21 the rest of the first-half. La Salle’s overdose of swing-and-kicks and lots of ball movement pushed the scheme over the edge.

The Explorers’ own lack of floor spacing (4-17 from beyond the arc) and inability to keep up with Baylor’s finesse and furious interior held them from pulling the upset. The Bears dominated the boards, 38-28 edge, and finished 15-21 at the rim. They also controlled their own end, blocking eight shots.

Baylor’s meal-ticket to contention proved itself valuable and Dunn’s return will provide them a more established perimeter presence but some red flags were exposed. There’s an exciting amount of talent on this team but their ability to hang with the big boys rely on discipline and execution, something they didn’t have and do Tuesday.

Rafael Uehara is the managing figure of the Basketball Outsider. He can be followed on twitter @rafael__uehara. More of his stuff can be found here.

Jazz’s Resiliency Carrying Them While they’re Yet to Click

In his 22 year tenure with the Utah Jazz, Jerry Sloan has led the franchise to 19 postseason trips, including two Finals appearances. Sloan’s teams never won a title. He was also never named the “Coach of the Year”. It’s too early to inquire about the first but the latter is being taken care of since this season, more than ever, Utah’s early success reflects Sloan’s presence and steady leadership.

The ’flex offense’ Sloan has installed and ran for the last two decades is borderline un-guardable when ran to perfection. For the first time in a while, Utah’s roster is not fully equipped to run the scheme. The departures of Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver have left a hole in two key departments for the execution of the system. Replacements Al Jefferson and Gordon Hayward don’t possess similar skill set.

Last off-season’s blockbuster acquisition, Jefferson is a true low-post presence, with strong back-to-the-basket leverage, skilled post moves and the ability finish around the rim. But he doesn’t pass off isolation, doesn’t pass particularly well off the perimeter, can’t slash, possess a weak face-up game, can’t drive his way to the basket, doesn’t jump-shoot affectively and runs the floor slowly in transition.

The flex requires a lot of slashing and cutting, shooting off spot-ups and action off screens. Jefferson isn’t a match, as he’s a totally different player than Boozer. Paul Millsap has been able to emulate Boozer’s role, providing even better productivity, but the coexistence with the newcomer hasn’t been smooth since Jefferson can’t stretch the floor and because of that, the paint has been crowded. The return of Mehmet Okur should fix that, leaving Al’s incorporation to the offense as the main issue upfront.

On the perimeter, the problem projects to have no answer. Utah ranked seventh in the league on outside shooting last season, while as of now they rank 17^th. According to Hoopdata, the Jazz has a .536 effective field-goal percentage from beyond the arc. Not only Korver, who led the league in three-point shooting with 53.6%, departed but Wesley Matthews, 38.2% from beyond the arc, did as well. Combined, the combo hit 122 of the team’s 439 three-pointers. The rookie from Butler was supposed to be plugged in and provide instant floor spacing but Hayward has struggled to understand the science of baseline-movement.

Comeback (down 18 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday) after comeback (down 22 to the Miami Heat on Tuesday) after comeback (down 18 to the Orlando Magic on Saturday) throughout this week, Utah has exposed its character, resiliency and confidence.

It was the case once again against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, November the 12^th, when the Jazz played its third-game in four nights, part of an East Coast trip, with the second of a back-to-back on Saturday. Down by as many as 11 early in the fourth-quarter, Utah rallied to pull their fourth straight come from behind win, outscoring the birds 27-17 in the final act including a 9-0 run to close the game.

Unable to rely on its machine of offensive efficiency, from eight in the league one year ago to 17^th nowadays, the Jazz scanned its coach’s identity to survive this early part of season when they’re yet to click, which we know will eventually happen.

Rafael Uehara is the managing figure of the Basketball Outsider. He can be followed on twitter @rafael__uehara. More of his stuff can be found here.

Blame Can Not Go All On Chris Bosh, But He Needs to Step It Up

Notice that picture right up there. Look at that above. I’d be screaming too if I were playing like that.

We know that game he played in. The Miami Heat were up by 20 points, but then blew it losing to the Utah Jazz. The undersized power forward Paul Millsap got a bunch of rebounds and brought up his game, having heroic Reggie Miller-like three-pointers towards the end of the game and helped the Jazz knock down Miami.

The Heat would then get pummeled again, getting triumphed by the older Big Three, the Boston Celtics. In their rematch, the Celtics once again came out on top with a 112-107 victory as they dropped Miami towards a 5-4 record. This is the record nobody expected at all.

But hey, guess what?

It happened!

And as the saying goes, s*** happens. And for the Heat, it’s getting pretty stinky. And like their name, they might as well heat up some of that cow dung like they showed in the South Park episode.

But now I am getting carried away. Let’s get back to where I was. Now what was my topic supposed to be about? Oh yes, Chris Bosh!

“People talk about the Big Three, but it’s really been the Big Two and Bosh,’’ said one Eastern Conference scout who has watched Miami several times. “Bosh has gone from a superstar to just another guy who isn’t that much different than Beasley.’’

In both of those meetings against the Jazz and Celtics, Bosh couldn’t produce. Take a look at his statistics this season compared to last season:

This Year (Miami Heat): 14.8 PPG, 6 RPG, 1.8 APG

Last Year (Toronto Raptors): 24 PPG, 10 RPG, 2.4 APG

There is absolutely no excuse why Bosh is producing like this. However, he does have one. Pat Riley needs to realize this by now: HAVING JOEL ANTHONY AND JAMAAL MAGLOIRE AS YOUR CENTERS WILL NOT HELP YOU AT ALL! You need a true center. You need guys that can help. Anthony, who is currently starting, is producing these amount of numbers:

1.7 PPG, 3.8 RPG

Are you kidding me? At least hook up Kwame Brown or get Michael Olowokandi out of retirement because they can produce better than if they were starting center. Let Greg Oden play while injured. He will get some rebounds! It’s ridiculous. You can’t have that type of production from your center.

Along with that, why couldn’t the Heat start Mario Chalmers in the first place? Chalmers will now be starting after Miami realized Carlos Arroyo isn’t good enough to take over starting roles. It’s about time.

It’s sad, really.

But this is why Bosh isn’t producing, if people haven’t realized by now. Bosh needs a true center to help him. Rumors have been coming up that Miami could go for Erick Dampier and sign him. Dampier is much better than Anthony or Magloire, no question. The fella can at least rebound, putting up about seven point and seven rebounds a night.

And with the Heat, you can expect a big increase in rebound when Dampier joins. Plus, with Juwan Howard as back-up, Miami can work very well with this.

Bosh easily expected to get more rebounds when he gets help. Because these past two games, he has been bullied by Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O’Neal, Glen Davis, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, etc. because he is the one-man show in the paint. That is why you got even LeBron James and Dwyane Wade getting a bunch of rebounds because they realize Bosh is struggling.

So help him by getting him a true center! It will do the Heat a big favor.

Along with that, Miami could also go for Jason Thompson, as the Sacramento Kings have been trying to shop him. Personally, I think Thompson would be a much more reliable option. He is about seven-feet tall and is very young and promised. He has a lot of skill and is very athletic. He can play center, power forward, and small forward. I would take the chance in bringing him in.

But Bosh, you need to step up, too. Seriously, dude. I have seen you with the Raptors. So what if you got James and Wade doing fine without you?

Step it up!

I know Bosh can do a lot better than he is doing right now. Now he’s got people saying he should be traded like famous Fox Sports columnist, Jason Whitlock. If Bosh keeps playing like this, I would have to agree with Whitlock.

Every team has had success with a good big man. Bosh needs to step it up. He needs to be that Dennis Rodman. He needs to be that Charles Oakley. He needs to be that Kurt Rambis.

Be the big man, Chris.

Take control.

The Heat are at 5-4. And there is more hate than ever.

Wade and LeBron are doing fine. They need that missing piece to fill in the puzzle to success.

And that missing piece is you, Christopher Wesson Bosh.

So How About that Free Agency Class?

The free-agency class was awesome this year. But many teams have been struggling lately with their new, improved squads. Yeah, improved alright.

Pff! Yeah whatever.

The New York Knicks? Seriously? At 3-5?! Come on, Knicks. Amare Stoudemire is now getting ticked. I predicted the team to go 44-38. They are right now at 3-5. They also got a handful of other awesome players like Raymond Felton, Anthony Randolph, and Wilson Chandler. Plus, don’t forget Danilo Gallinari and others.

But still, it’s not good enough.

Stoudemire obviously doesn’t appreciate this.

“It’s definitely not fun, it’s not fun,’’ Stoudemire said Thursday before heading to Minnesota for Friday’s game against the Timberwolves. “It’s a learning curve for us.’’

When you look at the Knicks, they gave away their then-best player David Lee to the Golden State Warriors. Coming to mine, and everybody else’s surprise, the Warriors have been amazing this season and are doing far better than the Knicks.

Lee may probably be glad at where he is at right now. They have some solid, underrated scorers like Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. Lee has been at the top of league, especially in rebounds and has been producing very well.

“My role has changed a little,’’ Lee said. “When I was here in New York, I had to score. But as far as putting up 25 points a night, I don’t have to do that now. With the scoring guards we have, I have a little more help now. This is a great situation for me.’’

The Knicks, on the other hand, really need to improve. But hey, it’s only eight games into the season. I think they could turn it around. The Knicks are tired of losing, and for them and Stoudemire, they want to win. STAT finally stepped as the leader he was supposed to be after losing to the Warriors.

He said, “We can’t get comfortable with losing. That’s the mentality we can’t have.’’

The Knicks can’t have this losing anymore. They want to end it, and now.

But the $100 million-dollar-man can’t do everything by himself, even if he is the face of the franchise of basketball in the Big Apple.

“Our biggest weapon is Amar’e, and he’s having a hard time getting open looks and getting to the foul line,’’ coach Mike D’Antoni said. “So we’ve got to help him a little bit.

The Chicago Bulls have also been a surprise, as they are in a tight race for the Central Division, with the Indiana Pacers! But I’ll give them an excuse since Carlos Boozer hasn’t played a game yet.

Chris Paul MVP, Staying in New Orleans?

Chris Paul is arguably the best point guard right now in the NBA. Actually, I would give him a tie for first place with Deron Williams as both are hard to pick over. Paul is leading the New Orleans Hornets with a one-man show as his team continues to stay unbeaten. Williams has been doing the same, now making the Utah Jazz the Comeback Kids of the NBA after comeback wins over the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.

It’s exciting.

But for right now, if there were to be an MVP vote, it would come down to LeBron James and Chris Paul. James is averaging a near triple-double and could be onto a big season. Paul is a one-man army and continues to put up big numbers in the points category. But he is also a passer, recently dropping 19 dimes in a game.

Paul is averaging 18 points and ten rebounds per game.

After his injury last season, many took him out of the top point guards list. But he has re-tamed his role and wants to show that he can lead New Orleans to solid success.

"I know Chris," Denver’s Carmelo Anthony said to ESPN’s J.A. Adande. "That’s my guy. I know he wants to prove that he is one of the top point guards in the NBA. By his injury a lot of people stopped talking about him, which is normal. I’m glad to see him back doing what he can do."

If Paul wins the MVP and leads the Hornets to at least the Eastern Conference finals, you can bet he is going to stay and try lure some people here to New Orleans.

In Adande’s column, Paul showed how serious he was for this season. He was more serious than Kobe Bryant, and that’s probably saying something:

"It was letting them know how I felt," he says. "I don’t just play for the 82-game season. I want to win, and I want guys that are on that same page." Between Monty Williams’ coaching and new general manager Dell Demps’ early moves, such as bringing in Trevor Ariza, Paul has seen some encouraging signs. "Coach really came in here with a great plan," he says. "He’s got a great group around us right now, guys that just work hard. It’s a long season. We’re going to see how it goes.

"They’re doing a real good job right now."

Paul is showing he may not be going anywhere.

And that’s a good sign for the Hornets.

And the city of New Orleans.

If Paul can stay here and bring at least one championship to New Orleans, he will be, quoting Adande, relevant again and hold this down as a crowning achievement.

This concludes the NBA Talk column today! Next time I hope to share power rankings and things like that! Stay tuned! Thanks for reading!

Josh Dhani is a regular contributor for the Basketball Outsider and can be followed on twitter @JoshDhani

More from Josh can be found here or also on Hardcourt Mayhem, FootBasket or Always Miller Time, his personal blogs.