The extremely competitive Western Conference has been busy this off-season, with players finding new homes, and other players resigning with their current teams.

The biggest move thus far in the West belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers acquired veteran guard Steve Nash in exchange for two first-round picks, two-second round picks, and cash. The addition of Nash helps the Lakers continue to be dominant in the West. Kobe Bryant no longer needs constant control of the ball; Nash will help get whoever is on the court involved, especially young center Andrew Bynum. Bynum is coming off his best year of his career. The addition of Nash will help the powerful center improve even more. A healthy Lakers team could possibly make a run to the finals next season.

The Phoenix Suns took a significant step back with the loss of Nash. They did however rebounded with the signing of Goran Dragic.  Dragic signed a four-year $30 million deal that could increase to $34 million due to player option as well as bonus options. Dragic will have serious shoes to fill but will start for the Sun next season. The Yugoslavian-born point guard is coming off his best career season, averaging 11.7 points per game, and 5.3 assists per game while only starting 28 games for Houston. The Suns also picked up Luis Scola, which definitely improves their front court.

The Houston Rockets have welcomed back point guard Jeremy Lin to a three-year $25 million deal. Lin officially became a member of the Rockets after the Knicks did not match Houston’s offer. Lin will start in Houston and have a huge impact, especially after the departure of both Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry

Los Angeles Clippers were able to re-sign guard Chauncey Billups. The five-time All-Star was off to a good start, until his season was cut short after tearing his left Achilles tendon. They also signed guard Jamal Crawford, who will have an impact, especially with the departure of Nick Young and Mo Williams. In a multi-team deal, the Clippers also landed Lamar Odom. Odom is coming from Dallas, off the worst season of his career.

Minnesota Timberwolves have made some moves that will help improve their young talented squad. They signed guard Brandon Roy to a two-year $10.4 million deal. Roy, who retired earlier in December due to knee problems, is attempting a comeback. Although Roy may not be explosive or effective right away, the youngster could potentially restore his career. In addition, the Wolves acquired Chase Budinger from Houston in exchange for the #18th pick of the draft.

The Sacramento Kings have added guard Aaron Brooks to a two year deal, approximately worth $6.6 million. Brooks will have to work for his playing time, especially after the great play of Isaiah Thomas. Also the addition of Brooks has guard Jimmer Fredette’s playing time up in the air. The kings have tons of options to choose from to run the court next season.

After being knocked out in the first round of the playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks have attempted to piece some players together, which  they hope will help in getting back atop the Western Conference. Dallas signed, center Chris Kaman to a one year $8 million deal. Kaman will start in Dallas and will likely improve being next to Dirk Nowitzki. Dallas also signed forward Elton Brand as a back-up for both Dirk and Kaman. Dallas was also able to replace Jason Kidd with Darren Collison,  who joined the Mavs via trade along with Dahntay Jones. The Mavs also picked up guard O.J. Mayo, who will be an important young asset after the departure of Jason Terry.

One of the more exciting young teams to watch next season in the West will be the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets were able to re-sign young guard Eric Gordon. The Hornets matched the Suns’ four-year $58 million offer in order to retain the essential playmaker. The Hornets were also able to acquire forward Ryan Anderson from Orlando via trade, as well as center Brad Miller via trade from Minnesota. Although these signings may not make people say whoa, let’s not forget the Hornets drafted Anthony Davis, as well as Austin Rivers, and could be a team of the future.

As for the San Antonio Spurs, who finished with the first seed in the Western Conference, they were able to re-sign Boris Diaw, Tim Duncan, Danny Green, and Patrick Mills.

Although the Western Conference did not have as many moves as the East, essential changes have been made for several teams in their efforts to improve.

Click here,for more free agents deals and signings.

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On the brink of likely becoming an unrestricted free agent this Sunday, three-time All Star point guard Deron Williams’ uncertainty over what team he will join this summer hasn’t been commanding quite the amount of non-stop attention that Magic center Dwight Howard did this past season.

But Williams’ ability to maintain a relatively low profile throughout the year and up to this point doesn’t mean that his final decision won’t be felt throughout the league for years to come. Which is exactly why many are attempting to decode any potential significance behind him openly revealing through Instagram and Twitter that he was spending some quality time with Dallas Mavericks – not to mention former Nets – point guard Jason Kidd.

The two were out playing golf on Long Island that morning, and Williams thought it wouldn’t hurt to stir the pot just a little bit.

“Just finished playing East Hampton Golf Club w/ @RealJasonKidd let the speculation begin?????” tweeted Williams shortly after posting the picture.

Earlier in the week it was reported that Williams has narrowed his destination options down to two – either choosing to remain with the newly relocated Brooklyn Nets, or to make his way to Texas to become a part of his hometown Dallas Mavericks. If this holds true it would knock teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks – who were rumored to have a great deal of interest – out of contention for acquiring his services.

It would be easy to assume that the golf outing was Kidd’s method of recruiting Williams to sign with Dallas, but considering the fact that over the past few weeks he has expressed open mindedness to the idea of backing up Williams on either of the two squads he’s contemplating, Williams might just be doing the same with Kidd and Brooklyn.

With a depleted roster that currently has only four players under contract – forward Jordan Williams, center Johan Petro and guards Anthony Morrow and Marshon Brooks – the Nets are more than desperate to hold onto their star point guard, as they hope that he can eventually get them to the same place Kidd got them back in 2002 and 2003: the Finals.

Throw in a brand new arena in New York City and an even greater need to compete with the vastly improved Knicks on top of that as well and the Nets are outright praying for Williams to sign a long-term deal with them.

Brooklyn hopes to have its prayers answered by sometime next week. Until then, let the fun continue.

Image Courtesy of  Deron Williams

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With rumors surfacing over the last few weeks regarding a potential return to the Los Angeles Lakers for veteran forward Lamar Odom, there is one technicality that might end up making the reunion between the two sides nothing more than an unrealistic fantasy for Lakers fans.

That would be the NBA’s new rule that prohibits players from returning to their old teams as free agents less than a calendar year after that team has dealt them away in a trade.

As the postseason embarks upon its final stage, many have probably forgotten about the messy labor dispute that was not resolved until December, thus shortening the regular season campaign to a compacted 66 game schedule.

Once the new collective bargaining agreement was finally agreed upon, this new rule concerning the actual freedom of these free agents was implemented so that they would not simply be able to negotiate buyouts of their contracts with their new teams – as they so often did in salary cap-based trades – and rejoin their previous squad only a month later.

In a move that was heavily scrutinized at the time, the Lakers traded Odom to the Dallas Mavericks on December 11^th for a first round draft pick. Los Angeles would go on to send that pick to the Houston Rockets at the trade deadline in the deal that gave them long-time Laker guard Derek Fisher in exchange for forward Jordan Hill.

Odom, 32, immediately demanded that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak trade him after Commissioner David Stern rescinded a blockbuster three-team deal between the Lakers, Rockets and the then-owned New Orleans Hornets that would have had him playing in the Big Easy.

Plagued by a rough offseason filled with personal issues that were non-basketball related, Odom did not appear to give the Mavs a whole-hearted effort this season. Averaging only 6.6 points per game, he had the worst scoring season of his career and was deactivated by Dallas with about a month remaining.

Having been a Laker since being acquired from the Miami Heat in the 2004 Shaquille O’Neal trade, many believe that Odom left his heart in Los Angeles, which may have also played a major role in his dreadful stint with the defending world champion Mavs.

The popular belief is that Dallas will buy out Odom sometime this month for $2.4 million, making him an unrestricted free agent. But despite the fact that he would be eligible to return to the Lakers on December 11^th – that is, if the chatter is true and both sides are willing to try things out again – sources close to Odom say he would not be willing to miss about six weeks of action leading up to then, which would shut the door on the discussion before it could ever even really open.

In seven seasons with the Lakers, Odom averaged 13.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in his final season with the team and was also a major contributor to their back-to-back NBA Finals victories over the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

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The trade deadline has come and gone and not a single meaningful shot was fired. In fact, the shot not heard meant the most to the league and to those who followed every word anticipating big changes in Orlando.

Dwight Howard, the big fish in the small pond chose to stay and opt-in the early termination clause of his contract. The process says more about the perennial all-star than the eventual outcome but what matters more is the impact his decision will have on free agency after the 12-13 season.

The team that Howard had been linked to for the last two years had been the New Jersey Nets, soon to be the Brooklyn Nets. A lot was expected from the Nets but things have not gone according to plan since the Russian billionaire took over — Mikhail Prokhorov came in and raised expectations for the franchise but it was clear things wouldn’t be as easy as he might have expected.

From Carmelo to Lebron, the Nets have swung and missed and now with Dwight choosing to stay because of his loyalty (as he puts it), the Nets are wandering through the NBA without a great amount of options.

Derron Williams will not follow Howard and sign his early termination clause, instead opting to test free agency in the off season and most likely leave to another franchise. The biggest competition at this early stage in the process is the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavericks will be without Jason Kidd who at this point is keeping the seat warm for a younger more dynamic guard in the mold of Williams. They will be in a great position given their cap situation to acquire the 26-year-old guard leaving the Nets without a marque star in Brooklyn.

The Nets will have the financial advantage in that they will be in the position to offer Williams twenty eight million more than any other team can offer. However; something tells me money won’t be the determining factor in his decision. The Nets can add pieces via free agency and the draft but it remains to be seen if it will match a potential Dirk Nowitzki/Williams combo. Not to mention the many other teams who will throw their hats in the ring for his services.

There was much excitement early on but that feeling has been replaced by disappointment and maybe even panic. The stadium is already making its presence felt in downtown Brooklyn and the people of Brooklyn are excited about having a team again but things are not looking good in terms of star power in the big city.

With the Knicks struggling at times, the opportunity is there or at least was there for the Nets to make an impact and at least become part of the conversation. The names are drying up and all that money won’t mean nothing if no one wants to come and play.

At this point it doesn’t really matter what Howard does two years from now in free agency — if it even gets to that point, chances are Williams will be gone and coming to Brooklyn to play by himself for Howard wouldn’t make much sense. Sure other big names will become available but given the track record of the Nets under Prokhorov, fans of the team should prepare for a lot more swings with many more misses.

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Dwight Howard will not be wearing a different uniform this season, as the NBA’s most prolific center decided just hours before Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline to remain under contract with the Orlando Magic, at least through next season, after waiving the early termination option in his contract that would have made him a free agent this summer.

“I’m glad this is finally over,” said Howard at a news conference to announce the decision. “… It’s not as easy as some people think. It’s been very hard. We’re talking a career-changing event. Most people don’t see that.

“I’m very loyal and I’ve always put loyalty above anything.”

Howard, a six time All Star, demanded a trade in the preseason that would send him to the New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks, or Los Angeles Lakers. He kept that sentiment rather consistent until just recently, and his openness in speaking about the situation only increased the level of speculation around the league.

Having played his entire career in Orlando since being drafted out of high school in 2004, Howard had wanted out due to the belief that the organization was not doing enough to build around him, giving the impression of a non-commitment to winning.

Questionmarks continuously arose about what route the Magic’s front office would take. They admitted to a strong desire to keep him onboard, but the last thing they and their fans wanted to see was him walking away and leave the team with no assets in exchange, similar to the way Shaquille O’Neal left it in 1996 when he signed with the Lakers.

The Magic denied ESPN’s report earlier in the week that they were so desperate to keep Howard that they would grant him the final say on the fates of coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith.

After an embarrassing three out of four game stretch in late January in which the Magic lost to the Boston Celtics by 31, and 91-83 three days later after blowing a 27 point lead, and 93-67 to the New Orleans Hornets the following night, Howard expressed passionate frustration with the effort of his teammates, as well.

“It hurts me to get out there and play your hardest,” said Howard. “I expect everybody to play the same. I’m not calling anybody out by no means because we all have to get better … but if you don’t want to be out there, don’t dress up.

“If you don’t want to play, stay home. People work too hard. I want to win a championship. I work too hard every night for anybody to not want to go out there and play hard. … None of the — whatever, trade stuff — none of that stuff matters. Play basketball. That’s why we all get paid to do this, because we love the game and it’s basketball, so why not give it your all.”

After hearing these comments the rest of the roster certainly responded, having a potential impact on Howard’s decision to stay. The Magic are third in the East at 28-16 going into a game with the New Jersey Nets on Friday night.

And despite doing a great amount of talking, Howard never skipped a beat, averaging a staggering 21.2 points and a career high 15.2 rebounds per game.

Things suddenly changed when Howard stated that he wanted to remain with the team after a win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night, only to confirm it somewhere between the flight back from San Antonio the next night and Thursday morning.

Smith made everyone aware in a statement before Howard’s final decision that the team was fully prepared to deal him.

Signing the early termination option waiver makes Howard incapable of signing a long-term deal with the Magic this offseason, but he can still sign a two or three year extension before then. As of this moment he is due $19 million next season and the door is still open for the potential of this entire fiasco occurring again next year.

However, that was not Howard’s main focus.

“Now we can get back to playing basketball and having some peace and trying to win a championship,” said Howard.

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On the verge of an NBA season to be opening on Christmas day, fans will enter a familiar place where curiosity sets in for their beloved teams and how far they can go this year. However, with the exception of the summer’s draft picks, teams have remained relatively the same since the end of last season due to the lockout prohibiting trading and free agency. Therefore, expectations should be the same.

With free agency set to begin on December 9^th, just sixteen days before the season tips off, several general managers will make significant roster moves that can have a huge impact on the playoff picture at season’s end.

The 2011 class doesn’t contain any stars the way that the 2010 list did with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, but it does possess some interesting talent that can really shake up the final standings in comparison to last year. So out of the dozens of players available which ones should fans hope that their teams go after exactly? Let’s break it down categorically beginning with restricted free agents.

Some of the top restricted free agents include names like Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler and Grizzlies center Marc Gasol. Chandler brings the ability to score from anywhere on the floor, which is why he was a major piece of the trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to New York. Meanwhile, the much improved Gasol brings incredible size with the ability to also shoot at 7’1, 265 pounds.

Other restricted free agents that will spark interest include Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo, Celtics forward Jeff Green, Heat guard Mario Chalmers, and Clippers center DeAndre Jordan for his remarkable athleticism. Although there aren’t any restricted names that jump out as great scorers, there are a few unrestricted ones that could help a team put up points down the stretch to complement their primary threats.

This includes Mavs forward Caron Butler and Magic guard Jason Richardson. Richardson has averaged 18 points per game over his career since coming into the league in 2001, while Butler has averaged 16.6 since beginning a year later in 2002. While Butler did not contribute to the Mavericks title run in 2011 due to injury, three key components on that team will also be available on the 9^th.

Guard J.J. Barea, who brings great energy and a consistent jumper, will be on the market along with teammate forward Tyson Chandler, who adds ferocious defensive intensity and strong rebounding.

Guard Peja Stojakovic, an extremely lethal shooter, helped spread the floor for the offense as well, while hitting a number of big shots throughout his career going all the way back to his early 2000’s days with the Kings.

Every team needs at least one pure three-point threat similar to Stojakovic. The Nuggets’ J.R. Smith, the Hawks’ Jamal Crawford, and the Heat’s James Jones provide excellent shooting for any team that lacks it. Jones won last year’s three point shootout and shot almost 43% from behind the arc, while Crawford and Smith can also score off the dribble as well.

But shooters and scorers won’t be enough to win championships. That can only be done by obtaining size to clog up the paint and rebound, along with lockdown defenders to shut down perimeter scorers in the big moments of a game. Players such as Boston’s Glen Davis, Denver’s Nene and Kenyon Martin, and New Orleans’ David West make the best available big men.

Memphis’ Leon Powe and Shane Battier, Phoenix’s Grant Hill, and Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince are the main desired defenders. Although there are several more players who will become free agents in a matter of days, these seem the vital pawns for a team’s playoff run, and even perhaps to win a championship.

Fans should hope that their teams can acquire any of these players, especially those that played for them last year. While there are other players who seem interesting on paper such as Mavs forward DeShawn Stevenson, Lakers guard Shannon Brown, and Wizards guard Josh Howard – their character issues make them distractions that fans should hope their teams stay far away from.

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This years NBA Final is giving fans not only incredibly entertaining play on the court, but countless underlying stories that have kept everyone talking, even on the off days.

Everybody knows that superstars run the NBA, and because of that, commissioner David Stern must have had a grin as wide as the Grand Canyon when the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks reached the finals.

I want to start by saying that Dwyane Wade deserves every bit as much recognition as LeBron James for bringing Miami this far. I most definitely do not wish to ignore his accomplishments because he has a solid argument to be just as talented as any other player in the world. The thing about Wade is that he has already been to the promised land. He has hardware on his side, and that can never be taken away from him no matter how many times he may lose from here on in.

Now that I’ve said that, we can move on to who we all know who the big story really revolves around here.

LeBron James has been criticized more than any other player in the league for not having a championship ring on his finger at this point in his career. He has upped his game to the point where he is unquestionably the best player in the NBA, and probably the world. At this point, the only thing he has to worry about, is his legacy moving forward. If LeBron really wants to go down as one of the absolute best, he’s going to need the hardware.

Dirk Nowitzki is at this moment considered by many to be the greatest international player ever to grace the NBA, not to mention the best shooting big man of all time. He has brought a style of play that nobody has ever seen in the history of this game, and as of late has proved to be impossible to guard at virtually any spot on the court. Unfortunately he, like LeBron, is missing the same thing that they have been chasing their entire careers.

These two probably could not be more different people if they tried, aside from the arc of their careers to this point. Although Dirk has been around the block a few more times than LeBron, they find themselves at a similar point in the eyes of the rest of the world. Both men have been to the finals one time, been unimpressive to say the least, and gone home with disappointment rather than future hall of fame votes. This is their second chance.

The term “on fire” does not even begin to describe the way each of them have been playing to this point in the playoffs, not to mention the impressive performances that have kept fans on the edge of their seats thus far in the finals.

Even their stats are similar. To this point Dirk has 28.1 points per game in the playoffs to LeBron’s 25.5 (but when we factor in how much more help LeBron has on the floor, the numbers seem to even themselves out). Rebounds? Dirk has 7.8 per game to LeBron’s 8.8. Even their shooting has been incredible with both men raining down countless outside shots and going on uncanny made free-throw streaks to lead their teams to victory.

This will surely prove to be a battle between these stars, and nothing should be taken away from either of them no matter the outcome of the series. Unfortunately the key word there is should, and the fans, or the media for that matter, doesn’t exactly abide by the same rules of respect that I do.

Nobody knows what will happen in the remaining games in the finals. In 2006 most everybody believed that Dirk and the Mavericks had the series wrapped up halfway through game 3, but some teams lay eggs and we just can’t see it coming. One thing is for absolute certain, the remaining games in the coming days just may decide a lot about how these two players are remembered.

Should Dallas lose, Dirk’s chance at a ring may be gone for good. He will be remembered as a great scorer and shooter who just could never get over the hump. In the spectrum of all-time players, he will be considered really good, but not great, somewhere many players would appreciate being, but somewhere a true champion never wants to end up.

Should Dallas win, in my opinion, Nowitzki will be knocking on the door of the hall of fame. A complete career, an MVP award, a ring, and the honor of being not only the best player ever from Germany, but probably ever as an international player in the NBA. Not matter what would happen after this year, he would go out the way he wanted to.

On the other hand, if the Heat were to lose, the media would have a field day. Worse than the Brett Favre retirement fiasco, worse than Tiger Woods’ scandal, we would hear about LeBron’s uncanny ability to lose the big game for an entire year before the next season started again.

That would make two times that it seemed “King James” would finally reach the promised land and come up short. His career is already complete aside from the championships, and since everybody knows he wants to the the absolute best, the rings are what he needs.

He is still incredibly young and has plenty more time, but this one would have a real toll on him and maybe the rest of his career. He is focused and ready now, and everyone is sensing that this is the time, no more excuses.

If they win, all the talk goes away. He would have it all. The rings, the MVP’s, the scoring titles, everything. He would already be considered one of the greatest, no matter how hated he may be around the country. The only thing left to do would be to build a trophy room and wait for more championships to roll in after having the confidence of the first. Comparisons to the great one’s would be everywhere. His dream would be achieved.

I for one, can not wait to see what happens. These last few games of the season is going to have an incredibly impact on how people view these two outstanding basketball players. Most people don’t realize it quite yet, but LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki really are playing with their legacies on the line.

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The Dallas Mavericks are being led by none other than future Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd.  If you consider his playoff performances while being part of the veteran Mavericks squad, it’s somewhat surprising to see that his leadership and playmaking ability are still at such a high level.

His teammates see him as the glue in a team full of great individual performers whom have yet to reach that ultimate height in terms of team sports.

Kidd has been in the league for 16 years and has had a great amount of success, especially when you consider what he did as the leader of the overachieving New Jersey Nets.  So when you consider the history of this point guard, it’s not hard to see why he belongs in Dallas and it s not hard to see why the Mavericks need a player like Kidd and gave away their young point guard Harris to make way for this high level, proven guard.

Last post season was not particularly good for Kidd or the Mavericks and the hall of famer was noticeably outplayed and watching him against the younger guards in the NBA left us all with a sense that the game had passed him by…but I was wrong and so were many others.

At 38, Jason Kidd has brought himself back to this point where he could add the one thing his career is lacking…he could also lead the way in providing that very same thing for his star forward Dirk Nowitzki.

Would you believe that the old worn out point is not so worn out after all, would you believe that Kidd is leading all players in steals this post season; his game has changed in a way where he no longer resemble that quick flashy player he once was.

Rarely is Jason Kidd scoring points in the paint and taking advantage of smaller guards with his size, quickness and speed.  He now lives outside the paint hitting 3 pointers while still finding ways to help out his veteran teammates.

Even throughout all this, Jason Kidd still remains a great rebounder and one of the greatest rebounders playing the guard position in the history of this league…that has yet to change.

The challenge now for the Mavericks and for Kidd is the Miami Heat and the Heatles which they have been dubbed oddly enough by themselves.  Will Kidd be up to the challenge? That is a question that we wouldn’t be asking this tough veteran, but this is no regular foe in the South Beach trio.

Kidd will have to come up big and run this team to perfection in order to be victorious and claim that illusive title, but what would be a better way to end your career than to claim that ultimate prize and ride off in to the hall of fame sunset.

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Derrick Rose at 22 years of age became the NBA’s youngest to win the Most Valuable Player Award with his dominant 2011 season. Though he showed off his skills in a way that we had never seen out of him before, much of the talk around the league is that he was undeserving of the award this year, and in fact is a bit overrated as a player.

I believe that overrated is quite a strong word. It should merely be reserved for a class of players that has one or two strong seasons but then never quite seems to live up to that potential again throughout the rest of their career. I have no doubt that Derrick Rose does not belong in this class.

Although I hate to begin an argument with statistics (because they surely do not tell the entire story of a players overall game) I will use them as a launching point.

Rose is obviously first and foremost, a scorer. Whether or not each individual fan wants their point guard to be “score-first” they will have to deal with it from the young Bulls superstar, because his reputation has become one of the toughest guards to defend across the entire league. In 2011 alone he upped his scoring from 20.8 to 25 points-per-game.

Not only is he getting to the rim more but he also increased his free throw percentage from an average 76.6% to 85.8%, making it even tougher to defend him in the paint since no coach wants to give away free points.

The biggest transition in his game came with his touch from the outside. Much of this “overrated” talk came from Rose’s struggles shooting the ball in the playoffs. Whereas that may be true, anyone who has watched basketball for a significant amount of time knows that young players are bound to struggle come playoff time when the experience just isn’t there. All of the great players went through lulls where the ball just wouldn’t go through the hoop, and rose is no different. It should be said however that this is no reason to discredit his dominant regular season (especially since the MVP award is NOT based on the postseason).

Despite his struggles, throughout the regular season, Rose increased his 3-point shooting from a terrible 26.7% to a respectable 33.2%, and can be expected to increase again next season. The percentages do not tell the whole story however, since last season he was only able to net 16 shots from behind the arc, and in 2011 hit 128.

Rose’s blocks, steals, assists, and rebounds all increased by a fairly significant margin as well over his MVP year, and yet still he is doubted.

Let’s get to what I believe is the real root of the problem here: the Chicago Bulls as a team.

Do not get me wrong, personally I enjoyed watching the Bulls play this season and do believe they are on pace to compete for years to come in the eastern conference (if only they can get a shooting guard who isn’t named Keith Bogans into the starting lineup). The fact is, nobody expected them to be the top seed in the east this year whatsoever.

This is where my word change comes into play. Overachieved is the best word for both Rose and the Bulls. Rose was forced to take over many games in the regular season and in the playoffs due to the teams struggles without him. It seemed like they just haven’t gelled all the way yet, and are a good off-season away from being a serious title contender.

I also hate to use injuries as an excuse, because we have all seen what the Dallas Mavericks have done without one of their premier players Caron Butler, however the Bulls were bitten hard by the injury bug all year long, causing them only to be able to play with their real starting lineup for a handful of games coming into the postseason.

My real gripe with many fans though can be seen in comparing Rose to one of the other young budding superstars in the league, Kevin Durant. Like Rose and the Bulls, Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder made it to the conference finals and were dominated by an older, more experienced team. My problem is that everyone seems to give Durant a pass just because he’s young and hasn’t been there before.

Every respected voice across the basketball community believes that the Thunder will soon be the kings of the Western Conference, and just need some time to get there. So why the free pass for Durant and not Rose? In fact, Durant is not only a year older than Rose, but has mostly the same team as he did last year, while Rose was forced to create chemistry between he and the Bulls new high-powered forward Carlos Boozer this season, along with a slew of other new names and a new coach, or should I say NBA Coach of the Year, Tom Thibodeau.

Some may say that they want to see more out of their league MVP, and I get that some people will always be unhappy no matter who is chosen. All I want to say to fans out there is, give the kid time, and watch out, because both Rose and the Bulls will be back and hungry in the 2012 season, and don’t be surprised if you see some more hardware on Rose’s mantle before it’s all said and done.

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Tonight we saw what the western conference had to offer and it was offense and more offense.  Yes there were defensive efforts  here and there by one or two players,  but while the teams in the east struggle to score 80 points, the mavericks along with OKC seem to have no problem scoring…at times scoring at will.

Just as it was the bench who secured the win in the east, the bench played a large role for the Oklahoma Thunder, the overall youngest team in the league.   Oklahoma pulled out the victory with the final score being 106 to 100 in a very exciting game that can only make us look forward to the next game in a series that now has officially begun.

James Harden in his second year in the NBA had his best game as a pro in the playoffs scoring 23 points off the bench along with 7 rebounds; at times being the go to guy in a team with Durant and Westbrook.

Durant poured in 24 points in over 40 minutes and at times was very impressive hitting tough shots over strong but shorter defenders like Jason Kid and Deshaun Stevenson.

It was interesting how things took a turn for the worst for Russell Westbrook who has received his fair share of criticism for his play during the playoffs.

Westbrook scored 18 points on 15 shots but only dished out 4 assist, not good enough when you consider that he plays with arguably the best scorer in the league.  He basically sat out the 4^th quarter after slew of bad decisions and bad shots and was visibly upset on the bench.

His backup Eric Maynor in the minutes that mattered helped secure the win with 11 points off the bench and more importantly had zero turnovers. Westbrook is a good player and a future star in this league but he needs to learn to be a point guard not just a scorer.

Dirk Nowitzki had an off night compared to his game 1 stats, but his 29 points was not enough tonight to lead his team to victory.The difference is the Thunder made it harder for Dirk in terms of getting easy shots and getting to his spots on the court where he could easily involve his teammates or take advantage of his mismatches.  The bench played all right but not to the level of game 1, but if that is what they are expecting from the bench, then they will not win this series as I predicted.

Now the series is tied and the Oklahoma City Thunder has stolen a game on the road while shooting 56 percent on a very good defensive team.  Many adjustments need to be made in Dallas before this series gets out of hand on the road.

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