Today the government rejected Everton’s plans to move the club into a new 50,000-seat stadium in Kirkby.

Everton chief executive, Robert Elstone, today suggested that Everton would welcome a shared stadium with local rivals Liverpool.

Why not, It works for AC and Inter Milan….

From a financial standpoint, Liverpool and Everton would both benefit from a new shared stadium.

And the city of Liverpool would have a super 90.000 stadium on par with Wembley.

But what about the fans?

I started to think about this today, What if Spurs, who are looking to have a stadium revamp were to come to the Emirates and pay off some of our debt? How would i feel about sharing a ground with the people I hate?

Well, Football is no long about the fans, its about making money so I feel the members of the board would jump at the chance. But from a fans point of you I would just hate it. Its almost like asking me  if I would share my wife… I cant think of anything worst as a football fan then to have no home that you can call your own.

How would you feel?….. Join our forum ( HERE )

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When we went out of our way to make a move for Niko at the end of the summer window; most people saw the purchase as a shrewd move in backing up lynchpin Luka. However despite the absence of Modric, Kranjcar has found very limited time on the pitch despite being a perfect ‘fit’ for the role.

Much can be made of the suggestion that Redknapp values Robbie’s influence on the pitch so much that he overlooked Kranjcar for the time being. On his performance against Wigan, (despite the other distractions that game had to offer) you can’t help but feel that playing Robbie in his position is somewhat shortsighted when you consider that Niko can simply do it better; and with another avenue to explore in attack the confidence that is installed in the players at the moment is certainly something we should be looking to maintain.

However, this weekend could very well see the return of Modric himself which could mean one of two things; firstly that Kranjcar returns to the bench for the time being; (which I believe personally is pretty unlikely), or we’ll have to rejig the system to incorporate both talented Croatians. Whether this would mean a fluid role for both, switching from wingplay to attacking midfield, (I’m hoping in the absence of Jenas) could really be something that would excite the Spurs faithful. If this is the case; then Huddlestone also finds himself in a bit of a quandary as it’s fair to say that when looking at the team sheet, he’ll find himself hard pressed to usurp Palacios, Lennon, or Crouch/Keane for a place.

If only we were allowed 12 players! For me though, Krancjar seriously has to get more game time, as his quality is something which I always tend to find myself comparing to Berbatov, which is a joy that we’ve repressed since his acrimonious departure to Manchester.

In other assorted newsy bits. It’s all gone a bit quiet on the western front in relation to Joe Jordan’s possible move to take over as the Scotland manager. Whilst some of you might say; ‘who?’, this fiery scot is one of the member of backroom staff which for me is invaluable in our recent turn of fortunes as he seems like a seriously ‘to the point’ kind of guy. Fingers crossed he won’t be heading anywhere, but the lack of any official statement to suggest that he would shy away from a move might be an indictment of his possible plan.

The transfer wagon has also started rolling again and whilst at this stage any links without specific insider knowledge backing them up are indicative of lazy hacks with a penchant for annoying us yids, I’ll be taking a closer look at some proposed targets in the near future to give you the low down.

Here’s some light viewing to keep you occupied.

What a day for basketball and hockey! It doesn’t look like there are any NBA games I can play straight but I still have a few teasers to do.

Hockey, on the otherhand, has produced quite a few nice plays, but the moneyline is a little too weak for some of them to actually be playable.  I don’t go less than -150.

By the way, the NHL game you can watch for free tonight is Chicago Blackhawks vs San Jose Sharks. It should be a good game.  Just click on that link once the game starts and you should see a “watch live” button somewhere.

Also, this is going to be a quick pick day again as I am too busy to write out the full details.  And I’m putting my O/U picks on hiatus until I find a good system for that.

First, my NBA picks:

DEN VS MIN; DEN -4.5 (bought 4)

NJ VS POR; POR -11.5 (bought 1)

GS VS SA; GS +17.5 (bought 4)

NY VS SAC; SAC +2.5 (bought 7)

I played Portland as a straight wager with a 1 point buy.  I also included the Blazers in a few teasers, which included the other teams:

4pt teaser: POR -8.5, DEN -4.5, GS -17.5

7pt teaser: POR -5.5, DEN -1.5, GS -20.5

7pt teaser: SAC +2.5, DEN -1.5, GS -20.5

And for the NHL games, I just did a 3-team parlay as that makes the most sense.  Why bet straight on a bunch of  -200 teams when you can combine them to give you a 3-to-1 payout? Normally it’s not quite that good of a payout, I don’t think.  I’m pretty sure sportsbook.com is doing some Thanksgiving promotion on parlays.

Parlay:

MON vs PIT

CAR vs ANA

TOR vs TB

There were others that showed up as strong games but since I’m just getting into the NHL again and this system is so new I didn’t want to get greedy.  I’ll call them on here, but just know I didn’t bet on these.

PHI vs NYI

OTT vs NJ

BUF vs WAS

STL vs DAL

NAS vs COL

PHO vs CAL

To celebrate the Holidays I am going to post a free winning pick for every day of the week starting on Thanksgiving and going all the way to Sunday. I will also post some great sportsbook bonus so you can take advantage of some of the best in the business! Take time out to be thankful for everything in life and remember the troops that can’t be home on Thanksgiving.

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Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

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Free Pick for Thursday November 26th, Turkey day!

Texas @ Texas A& M

Texas has already clinched the Big 12 South and will play Nebraska in the

Happy Holidays!

Championship game but they can’t afford to get caught napping here. This will be no problem for Texas as they are focused on going to the Championship game after the loss last year that put them out. Texas A&M has flopped in six of nine as dogs of 20 points or more and in 10 of 12 ATS off a home win. The Longhorns have scored at least 41 points in their four previous road games this season. They are 23-12-2 ATS in November and get a blowout win here.

Play: Texas -21

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Free Pick for Friday November 27th

Alabama @ Auburn

Auburn enters this game with revenge after getting blanked last year. Alabama is going to the SEC Championship game against Florida so this game is a warm up. The Tigers have covered seven of 11 against Alabama and the home team is 4-1 ATS in the last five showdowns. The Crimson Tide dropped nine of 13 ATS when giving up more than 11 points on the highway. Auburn will not win but they will keep it close.

Play: Auburn +10

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Free Pick for Saturday November 28th

Arkansas @ LSU

The loss for LSU was a tough one that will linger over to this week. Arkansas has pulled off the upset against LSU the last two seasons. The Razorbacks are 11-6 as road dogs and the visitor is 6-3 in the past nine meetings. The Tigers are 2-14 as SEC home favorites and they have floundered in 27 of 34 ATS at Baton Rouge in November. Arkansas knows hwo to beat LSU and will do it again.

Play: Arkansas +3.5

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Free Pick For Sunday November 29th

Indianapolis @ Houston
Houston will be playing on a short week and they have to get Chris Brown in the right mindset for this game. Houston has cashed eight straight as home dogs and won six of those eight SU, the only two losses at the hands of the Colts by a total of four points. The Colts have struggled within the division, dropping 14 of 21 ATS, while the Texans are 6-2 at Reliant Stadium versus AFC-South citizens. Indianapolis has won six of seven at Houston, but failed in five of seven ATS. Houston finally gets the win against the Colts.

Play: Houston +3

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I woke up to two very good news.

The first won’t be revealed.

The second was rather refreshing. Liverpool out of the Champions’ League. It took quite a while to digest and it was followed by a good laugh.

Truly, I hope they would finally acknowledge that they are nothing but a has been, a good has been but a has been.

I am trying to be as just as I can here, the key word being trying. I sympathise with the players actually. Liverpool had been rather cursed with managers killing of careers. I pitied the likes of Milan Baros, Luis Garcia, Peter Crouch even Robbie Keane. Such potential went wasted in Anfield. My hatred for Liverpool is the hatred of a rivalry, nothing more. In fact during their days of Jamie Redknapp, Steve Mcmanaman and Robbie Fowler, I thought they excelled up to a certain level.

At the moment the current manager is definitely under utilising Yossi Benayoun who in my opinion is a gem for Liverpool. Like how Arsenal is depending on darling Fabregas ( I find him really cute and I’m a woman, we watched football for more than one reasons, deal with it), the same Liverpool is depending on Torres. The man delivers no doubt, but how does one deliver if one is not properly fed? They rose but only on certain occasions which is clearly not enough. This season is not theirs to take. The manager will soon fall out of favour. If things aren’t turned around, Liverpool will no longer be part of the big four especially with Spurs and Villa battling their way through. Liverpool will just be a team who used to be good. As it is, they are sinking in what appears to be a quicksand. Good luck Liverpool or is it good riddance??

Now, I am not saying my darling Manchester United is raring to go in the rhythm of perfection. No, even the devils have got their work cut out for them. Ronaldo is never miss but a gap still needs to be filled. Sir Alex cannot live in denial. I believe in my team but we are still not good enough for the likes of Champions’ League. I still see Berbatov as a liability. He has proven to be a waste of money.

Well here’s to me being wrong (about the Manchester United’s not being good enough that is)

XOXO

Premier League side Wigan Athletic did their level best to enter the record books on Sunday – but for all the wrong reasons, writes Fingertips’ Daniel Shane.

The decision of Wigan Athletic’s starting 11 to refund ticket prices to their fans was the least they could do for the suffering legions who made the 400 mile roundtrip from Lancashire to White Hart Lane on Sunday.

While Roberto Martinez’s side’s 9 – 1 crushing by Tottenham Hotspur was by no means the most one-sided result in sports history, it was unique in that few teams have conspired to capitulate so spectacularly in such a short period of play.

Following a not insurmountable 1 – 0 deficit at the break, the boys in blue and white hit the self-destruct button and shipped eight goals in little over 40 minutes.

While Martinez says he will now concentrate on dusting off his battered troops and preparing them for next weekend, he should be concerned.

Wigan aren’t exactly in great company when it comes to these kind of score lines.

In 1995, Andy Cole spearheaded a rampant Manchester United attack and helped himself to five goals when his team lined up against Premier League stragglers Ipswich Town.

His teammates pitched in with another four to help destroy the Tractor Boys 9 – 0.

A couple of years later, Ron Atkinson’s Nottingham Forest leaked eight against the same side at the City Ground. Alan Rogers’ sixth minute strike provided scant, scant consolation for Big Ron and the Forest faithful.

Like Ipswich, Nottingham Forest were dumped out of the division that May and have been yo-yo-ing between the Championship and League One ever since.

A beleaguered Sheffield Wednesday were the next victims of a relentless drubbing – this time at the hands of a Sir Bobby Robson inspired Newcastle United. In his first home game at the helm of his new charges, a rampant Alan Shearer struck five times in an 8 – 0 victory to send the Owls spiraling towards oblivion.

Poor old Sheffield Wednesday haven’t been seen since in the Premier League.

While this all adds up to grim prediction over Wigan’s future in the division, Martinez and his side can take some comfort from impressive wins against runaway leaders Chelsea and Aston Villa earlier this year.

The fact that the season is still young gives Wigan plenty of time to steady the ship, while the general wretchedness of Portsmouth and Hull will also ensure that there is plenty more fight in this relegation battle.

For all the latest news and views on sport check out Fingertips.net

As the original intention of this blog was a footballing discussion between an Arsenal and Spurs fan, I felt it was only appropiate that I posted this goal and asked the question: Bad defending or brilliant individual goal?

I’m also aware how annoying posting this video must be too any Spurs fan, but hey, I’m gonna gloat a bit while I can.  Particulary as certain Tottenham fans won’t stop talking about the 9-1 demolition of Wigan on Sunday for months.

But still, what a goal from Cesc. 

James

The Milwaukee Bucks start tonight with what is going to be a tough stretch of games.  They start it off tonight against the San Antonio Spurs in the Alamo.

The Spurs are a willy bunch of veterans, who will be without point guard Tony Parker.  Definitely a big loss, but the Bucks will be without Andrew Bogut for two to four weeks themselves.

A bright spot on this trip for Milwaukee is that shooting star, Michael Redd, is finally expected to make it back, coming  off the bench tonight.  I am expecting 10 to 20 minutes tonight for Redd, who will slowly get back into the flow of the game.

I am wary of Redd’s presence in the rotation, especially as he gets back to full strength as he may start to disrupt the flow and pace of which the Bucks have grown accustom to.

The Bucks, being led by rookie point guard, Brandon Jennings has the team clicking offensively, and defense is first to the team.  He is averaging 25 points and 5.5 dimes as well, and a sure lock for Rookie of the Year.

Redd’s game may cause the team to pay less focus on the defense, and also take away shots from Jennings, as well as a hot shooting tandem of Carlos Delfino and Ersan Ilyasova.  Bogut’s presence is going to be missed, but I hope Redd keeps the group together rather than apart.

I like the Bucks to bounce back to take care of business against New Orleans and Oklahoma City after tonight’s loss.  Look for a fun game Saturday night as well at home against the Orlando Magic.

1. Amazing to think that you can score five goals in a game and there can still be a debate over whether you were man of the match. Aaron Lennon’s performance against Wigan ensured that Defoe didn’t come away with all the plaudits, his sparkling play from the right playing a big part in at least half the goals.

Defoe meanwhile became just the third player to score five in a game in the Premier League era and notched the second fastest hat trick after Robbie Fowler’s four and a half minute wonder against Arsenal many years ago. I’ve mentioned in recent weeks that he needed to watch his temper and just concentrate on his football, and with performances like that there’s no chance of him not going to South Africa. Lennon too did his case no harm, and on current form is far and away the best option when it comes to tricky small winger.

Spurs’ goal difference enjoyed a big boost in terms of chasing Arsenal, while they are beginning to take advantage of Man City, Liverpool and Aston Villa’s inconsistency to open a little gap over those three. They face one of their rivals next week in Aston Villa but should have nothing to fear the way they are playing.

As for Wigan the best you can say is that it’s just one game. These sorts of results can have a lasting effect, especially if you go behind in a game. It will be up to Roberto Martinez to ensure it remains a one off.

High five, we're going to South Africa!

2. Would Phil Brown be fearing for his job if Jimmy Bullard hadn’t got injured in his first game after signing? His performances in the last couple of games suggest that may have been the case. A win over Stoke and a fightback from two goals down to draw against West Ham possibly indicates an improvement in fortune for the men at the KC. Even Tango Man himself seems to be less in the spotlight than usual.

Bullard may have dodgy knees but he has an enthusiasm for the game that few players can match and his energy and creative play have got Hull scoring some goals again. They have a tough run coming up with three well organised teams in Everton, Man City and Aston Villa. Ok maybe not Man City but still! I’m pretty sure Geovanni isn’t injured and he appears to have lost his place to Bullard but I would be interested to see them both in the same team. Part of Hull’s success last year was to be brave, so maybe playing both together would have the same effect this year.

3. Before Arsenal get completely written off for losing against Sunderland (who have drawn with Man Utd and beaten Liverpool), let’s not forget that the key game is next week against Chelsea. Defeat would leave an 11 point gap; a win would leave it at just five with a game in hand. This defeat does render next weekend rather important if a title challenged is to be maintained. The lack of focal point without van Persie (and Bendtner) was a concern but it was in midfield where Sunderland won, with Cana stopping Fabregas and his teammates from creating many chances.

In addition to this, a set play was once again Arsenal’s outdoing at the back with Darren Bent reacting quickest after the initial ball had not been dealt with (déjà vu anyone?) While such defensive frailties are a long-term malaise, Arsene Wenger must ensure that his patched up squad is mentally right for the Chelsea game. Win it and two easier home games against Bolton and Stoke follow and momentum can be formed. Lose it and another frustrating season could be on the cards.

Pin the placenta on the van Persie.

4. They were impressive but it was only Wolves at home. Chelsea’s next two tests are the altogether tougher visits to the Emirates and Eastlands. Let’s see how the keenly the absences of Lampard and Drogba are felt then.

5. Liverpool and Man City played out a draw which leaves neither going anywhere fast. Man City have now drawn six on the spin which has stagnated them after a promising start. Just one win in eight games fro Mark Hughes’ side. A Hull side winless away from the KC provides the best possible opportunity to end that run next weekend.

Liverpool have one win in six but their habit of winning games they don’t lose (Saturday was just their second draw) means they’re still in a good position. The pretenders to the top four ideally want a gap going into the spring as if Gerrard and Torres are fit for the run in, I know who I’d back to get the last Champions League spot.

6. David Dunn is scored his fourth goal in six games and is playing the best football of his career. Someone left a comment asking what chance an England call for the Blackburn man. While I think he’s bit of a luxury and probably not quite international quality, there’s no doubting there are few more in form midfielders playing at the moment.

Quite good these days.

T.

I’ve recently moved into a house without internet access. Such is my dedication to this blog, that I’ve come to a cafe with wifi access in order to keep it up. Or it could be something to do with the fact that Spurs put 9 (nine) past Wigan yesterday.

I’ll just do a short update, because I know it can’t be fun for anyone else to read about how fantastic Spurs are. However, it has to be said that this was an awe-inspiring display of firepower.

Put the ball in front of Defoe and he will score. Lennon draws people out to meet him, beats them, and rips teams apart. Every fan deserves a moment of absolutely unreserved joy every so often, and this was our turn. I wasn’t even able to check the score between half-time and full-time, so imagine my surprise when I noticed that we won the second half 8-1. Definitely a moment to savour, and MOTD will remain on DVD for a long time to come. I imagine Spurs will bash it out on DVD in time for Christmas anyway.

This did bring to mind another topic we could debate – what has been everyone else’s stand-out moments of joy? Two conditions: 1)you have to be able to remember it, and 2) it has to be football related.

Elsewhere this weekend (as if anyone really cares about anything else though), Liverpool (yawn) dropped more points. Man City drew again. I wonder if I can get that on a template so I don’t have to type it every week?

United came through the game against Everton like I expected them too. Darren Fletcher again proved his worth to the side.

My Potteries correspondent at the Britannia sent me his match report late last night: “we were shit, lucky to win. 3 defensive midfielders starting against fuckin’ Pompey?” Still, points win prizes, and Pulis got a result.

Phil Brown narrowly stayed out of the papers again -West Ham will be kicking themselves for lost points there, as will Burnley against Villa. Something else stranger than Spurs scoring 9 happened this weekend – Heskey scored for the first time in 7 (seven) months. A close friend told me he got a nosebleed straight after.

Sunderland beat another BIG FOUR team this weekend (notice this wasn’t considered an ‘end of an era’).

Adios for now. I’m going to plaster my new walls with today’s back pages.

At points this season I have let my blog and Twitter followers down by not covering a game as completely as I would like.
Mostly this is because of work my lack of sleep or I’ve got too pissed to remember my wordpress password.
For this I apologise but what
I witnessed today will have everyone blogging like mad so I am sure you didn’t lack Reading material. BBC sport alone had four pages of video and two writing about the game their sport writers have also gone a bit bonkers Defoe is new andy cole yadda yadda ya. What worries me is will Defoe have the same largely promising friendly matches for England but never making an impact at a world cup. We know andy went on to win umpteen trophys for man u and we shall see if the same is true for Defoe but if you do one thing this year capello you must take little and large to saffa.

Now azza is another thing all together.
He was simply perfect edman was made to look like a fool and if you remember him in a spurs shirt he had a habit of taking off players kneecaps when they pissed him off. He simply couldn’t catch Lennon in the first ten minutes and then that was it he was shit scared of him. He just let him cross when he wanted and just gave him all the time in the world. Usually this would be a time to falter for Lennon as he would get stuck in two minds or could not put In a decent ball. But today he had little n large screaming at him for the ball and it was all so easy he shone.

9-1 is not easy feat 26 shots on goal 12 of which missed the target is bloody hard work and we worked our socks off till the very last minute We always looked hungry which is the most important thing for a spurs side as wel all know how easily it go arse over tit.

I won’t go into too much details about the game as if you didn’t see it and you are a yid you should be ashamed so I will say one thing and that is i can’t wait till next
weekend !

Un’altra settimana di regular season è trascorsa e ci avviciniamo a piccoli passi verso una situazione stabile. Ho avuto la possibilità di vedere diverse partite e vi riporto le mie impressioni:

• Atlanta vs. Portland
  Partita bella con molte emozioni: i Blazers grazie al nuovo schieramento a 3 guardie stavano andando forte e gli Hawks erano primi a est.. ne è uscita una partita in overtime. Portland ha dimostrato di essere molto competitiva, con molte opzioni, anche troppe; anzi… diciamo proprio troppe! Il potenziale è altissimo ma non c’è una vera gerarchia, nei momenti chiave la squadra la prende in mano Roy, e sono buone mani, la seconda punta è Aldridge, favoloso attaccante ma assolutamente non una personalità dominante, più adatto a essere il terzo di una gerarchia da squadra di livello… il vero problema è che dopo questi due c’è la confusione, e ciò non vuol dire che non ci sia supporting cast, anzi il contrario ce n’è fin troppo, ci sono altri 7-8 giocatori, con diverse caratteristiche ma stesso livello di importanza. La storia insegna che una squadra vincente deve avere una gerarchia ben stabilita con una strutturazione spesso a piramide. I Blazers devono ancora trovarla… da 2 anni la stanno cercando… mi ripeto ma hanno assolutamente bisogno di una trade!
  Che dire di Atlanta invece… Sorprendenti! Ci si aspettava un buon inizio, una buona squadra, ma non così. Estremamente discontinui, accendo e spengono in un attimo, ma quando si mettono a giocare, sia in attacco che in difesa sono fantastici. Hanno un gioco spettacolare e divertente, pochi schemi, diciamo pure che gran parte del gioco è improvvisazione, ma si divertono e fanno divertire. Ma allora la domanda è lecita: come fanno a vincere così tanto se sono una squadra così umorale? I motivi sono 3 a mio parere: 1. Si divertono e quindi giocano, attaccano in 5 e difendono in 5, quando decidono 2. Sono molto forti fisicamente, atletici e rapidi, Josh Smith ne è l’emblema 3. Joe Johnson dimostra come si può essere un leader senza spiccicar parola; con i giornalisti è un divo del muto, in campo non parla mai, ma nel quarto quarto, quando sono stati in partita giocando male, solo sfruttando il talento, dice 2 parole, schiaccia il bottone e come d’incanto la squadra cambia faccia… leadership silenziosa.
  Di fatto sono loro i favoriti per la quarta testa di serie dei playoff. Non credo vadano più su ma non è detto.
• Boston vs. Orlando
  Altra partita per cui potrei scrivere per pagine e pagine, cercherò di essere breve. Con Garnett per i Celtics è tutta un’altra musica, ma non è evidentemente un’intera partita nelle gambe dopo l’infortunio e deve amministrarsi. La squadra deve ancora trovare tutti gli equilibri ma per me è ancora la favorita. Prevedo che prima di natale arriverà una serie di vittorie consecutive da 10 o più per mettere in chiaro le cose.Ci sono degli automatismi da sistemare e giocatori da recuperare.
  Wallace riesce ancora a stupirmi. Per Boston è un lusso incredibile averlo dalla panchina, e per lui è un’ottima cosa data l’età non essere costretto a un minutaggio da titolare. In questa partita abbastanza sorgnone, fino a una brutta decisione arbitrale che lo ha fatto molto arrabbiare nel 4° quarto. Da li in avanti, per 3-4 minuti è stato il dominatore assoluto della partita, chiudendo su tutti i Magic in aiuto e ridicolizzando Howard in 4 possessi consecutivi, sia offensivi che difensivi. Che dire, se si scatena non ce n’è per nessuno. La buona notizia è che dopo la sfuriata ritorna tranquillo, ma giocare con lui e Garnett insieme dovrebbe essere illegale.
  Orlando: tornato Lewis e ricomincia la festa! Più o meno… Il gioco è tornato quello dell’anno scorso e l’efficacia pure, la cosa diversa è che Carter, come era previsto, si è dimostrato molto meno adatto di Turkoglu a questo sistema; soprattutto nel 4° quarto quando sentendo la responsabilità del suo ruolo nella squadra ha cercato di prendere in mano la squadra: ne sono usciti una serie di forzature, alcune andate anche a segno grazie al suo immenso talento, ma nulla creato per i compagni. Sta volta è andata bene, anche per via dei problemi di Boston, ma questo modo di giocare tende a non farti vincere nel lungo periodo.
• San Antonio vs. Dallas
  Altra partita molto sentita questo derby texano, e le 2 squadre hanno riservato sorprese in questo avvio di stagione: Dallas è partita molto bene, che era prevedibile, ma soprattutto esprime un bel gioco, come non si vedeva dal 2006, l’anno della finale. San Antonio invece attraversa un momento di crisi, ci si aspettavano problemi di infortuni, ma non così presto. Il più penalizzato è Jefferson che è un’ottimo giocatore ma non ha le caratteristiche per prendere in spalla la squadra, è stato preso per giocare con Parker, Ginobili e Duncan, con questi giocatori a esaltare le sue qualità, non per essere il primo terminale offensivo, e in questa situazione è in crisi soprattutto psicologica. A San Antonio prevale l’idea che meglio avere infortuni nella prima parte di stagione che nella seconda, e di fatto è vero, ma ora si stanno accumulando un po’ di sconfitte che, se la crisi non rientra potrebbe essere difficile assorbire.
  I Mavs invece sembrano giocare sul velluto e, come nel caso di Atlanta, sembrano divertirsi. In più c’è Nowitzky, che gioca come mai in carriera e lascia a bocca aperta per quanto grande è il suo repertorio.
• I Knicks continuano a perdere tranne una piccola parentesi con i Nets, e Gallinari continua a giocare alla grande, tranne una piccola parentesi con i Nets.
• Tornato Gasol, ora vediamo i veri Lakers… non che quelli visti fin ora facessero schifo, ma Pau da tutta un’altra dimensione alla squadra.

LONDON, Nov 22, 2009 (AFP) – Jermain Defoe scored five goals as Tottenham Hotspur thrashed Wigan Athletic 9-1 at White Hart Lane here on Sunday, a record victory for the hosts in the top-flight.

Spurs were only 1-0 up at the break, thanks to a goal by Peter Crouch before fellow England striker Defoe ran riot after half-time with Aaron Lennon, an own-goal by Chris Kirkland and Niko Kranjcar’s 90th minute effort adding to the North London club’s tally.

Although Defoe seemed certain to grab the headlines for his five goal return, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said Lennon had made a key contribution to this thumping win.

Tottenham Hotspurs’ Jermain Defoe (C) shoots past Wigan Athletic’s Titus Bramble (L) during the Premiership match at White Hart Lane in London on November 22, 2009. Tottenham won the game 9-1 with Jermain Defoe scoring five second-half goals (AFP photo)

“I thought we started really bright, we had 25 minutes where we really got off after them in the first half before they came back into it,” Redknapp told Sky Sports.

“We came in at half-time and said we had to get back to how we started, pressing them all over the park, and we decided to work them and made the opportunities and took them.

“Their keeper (Chris Kirkland) made some great saves as well.

“Lennon is a fantastic talent, anybody would have had a hard day with him in that sort of form. He deserved that goal at the end.”

Speaking about Defoe, Redknapp added: “For Jermain to get five goals was an outstanding performance.

“Yesterday (Saturday) in training he looked so sharp and I felt if he could carry that into the game he would be a real handful.

“You don’t get too many nines in the Premier League, it’s a bad day for Roberto Martinez but he’ll come back even stronger.”

Wigan manager Martinez added: “We finished the first half very strongly and looked like a team who were going to dictate things.

“But we have ourselves to blame for the goals we conceded and after that you are climbing a mountain.”

Tottenham’s haul was all the more impressive as Redknapp decided to rest striker Robbie Keane after the Republic of Ireland international’s involvement in the controversial midweek World Cup playoff loss to France.

Wigan could have been forgiven for agreeing to put this match back by 24 hours following the international break as their defence took a pummelling.

Spurs went ahead in the ninth minute when Crouch headed home a cross from Lennon.

Kirkland then had to be alert to deny both Lennon and former Wigan favourite Wilson Palacios.

Defoe, who hit the crossbar before half-time, led a rout in the second half with a hat-trick in seven minutes.

From Lennon’s cross, he got in front of Titus Bramble to shoot into the roof of the net before he slotted home at the far post after the Wigan defence failed to cut out Palacios’s centre.

Paul Scharner then pulled one back for Wigan although the Austrian midfielder clearly used his hand to control the ball before shooting past Heurelho Gomes.

Tottenham protested to referee Peter Walton but barely a minute later Defoe had his hat-trick as Spurs’ three-goal lead was restored when he volleyed in Lennon’s cross.

Lennon himself added a fifth after Crouch did well to find the winger in a congested penalty area.

Defoe grabbed his fourth 21 minutes from time by scoring off the post after latching on to Vedran Corluka’s through ball and had a fifth late on when he shot through Kirkland’s legs.

David Bentley’s free-kick then appeared to hit both the bar and Kirkland before going in and, in the closing seconds, Kranjcar’s shot went in off the woodwork.

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So, the might Spurs took on Wigan at The Lane yesterday…

Highlights here.

Not too shabby eh?

COYS!

Bit of a strange thing to say about a 0-0 draw, but Saturday’s encounter between County and Aldershot was genuinely enjoyable: a terrific game of football. The Shots defended well and were threatening on the break, especially in the second half, and although Notts pressed through0ut they just couldn’t squeeze the ball past the goalkeeper or over the line. Almost entirely a different team from last season, the home side are benefitting not just from new personnel, but a new approach: gone is the hopeful boot up front for a hapless striker to run on to, instead this is proper football played on the deck, the ball being moved through the midfield [Davies from Shrewsbury and Jackson from Tottenham, outstanding] out to the wings or up into the area for men to run onto. There just remained, on this occasion, the small problem of putting the ball in the net. Not something that bothered my other team the following day .

To be amongst the 36,000 plus at White Hart Lane on Sunday was to bear witness to something joyous and remarkable. And it will, I imagine, become one of those occasions where the numbers claiming to have been present would have filled the stadium umpteen times over. In case you’ve missed the headlines, Spurs beat Wigan 9-1, Jermaine Defoe scoring five.

The first half was a curi0us mixture; Spurs were so fast and skilful for the first fifteen or twenty minutes, it looked as if Wigan might get overrun, but then, somehow, the home side took their foot off the pedal, lost focus and concentration, and let the visitors back into the game;  by the half-time whistle we were fortunate to be a single goal ahead. During the interval, Harry Redknapp must have had a quiet word in his players’ ears. The effect was electric. Three goals for Defoe within seven minutes, Lennon running at the Wigan defence at speed and, on the other flank, Niko Kranjcar  challenging hard and then playing neatly threaded passes and long, curving through-balls that were sublime. As the goal after goal went in, a sort of half-dazed, half-crazed euphoria spread around the stands; this couldn’t be happening, except that it was, right before our eyes. “We want six!” ‘We want seven!” “We want eight, nine, ten …” We were there: a day to remember for sure.

Finally, it happened ‘Jedward’ were kicked off The X Factor. Which means now all the other mildly talented people will get some attention for a while. I think this means there’s only one show left now of the current series, so that’s good news. Apart from ITV who (after I’m a Celebrity… finishes) will go back to having absolutely no programs anyone wants to watch.

Talking of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Some Media Spotlight, I have no idea what is going on in there. Though if memory serves me, I think they are going to start voting people off soon. So that’s interesting…right? RIGHT?! [Additional Content!] I woke up this morning to see that Katie Price, or Jordon, has quit the show. Apparently the viewers had been continuously voting her to do the ‘bushtucker trails’ which is hilarious. Katie said she doesn’t know if the public “love me or hate me, I don’t know”. Let me give you a clue, we don’t love you.

Children in Need was a success as usual this year, raising £20,309,747 for charity. It’s actually less than last years raised which puts a stop to it beating previous years records like it has been for so long now. I didn’t watch any of the show, mainly because it looked so awful I decided to go to the pub instead. Which I think we can all agree was a better use of my time.

Have you heard about the Tottenham – Wigan match from yesterday? Spurs beat Wigan 9-1, with Jermain Defoe scoring 5! I’m changing my mind about Defoe with his recent performances. Ask me a few years ago if he should be in the England squad and I’d laugh myself to death at the suggestion. Now, I’ve completely changed my mind. Not only should he be in the squad, he probably should be starting as well.

Jermain Is Ready... Is England Willing?

Tottenham Hotspur routed Wigan Athletic today 9-1 in a Premiership match that really didn’t get started until the second half of play. This stunning victory has kept Tottenham level with North London rivals Arsenal, as both teams sit tied for third with 25 points. While the Spurs’  team play was admirable, it was Jermain Defoe who separated the wheat from the chaff. After being used only sparingly in the qualification run up to the 2010 World Cup, Defoe has made his case for being included in the England squad that travels to South Africa next summer. Defoe, already having a solid season with 7 goals in 13 starts entering this afternoon’s clash with Wigan, managed to add 5 (count them… 5) to that tally, all coming in the second 45 minutes of play. Notably his goals equaled the Premiership record for most scored by an individual in a regular season match. Defoe will now share this record with Newcastle and England legend Alan Shearer as well as retired Manchester United striker Andy Cole. Moreover, what is perhaps even more impressive is that the prospective Spurs forward  managed to help himself to three of his five goals in under 7 minutes of play, a feat never before achieved in the EPL.

Highlights Part 1

Highlights Part 2

While all of this praise should be somewhat tempered by the fact that Defoe’s record setting afternoon came at the expense of Wigan Athletic. A performance such as this one begs the question: Can Fabio Capello keep Jermain Defoe off of his World Cup team come final selection time? And perhaps even more importantly, if not… can Capello find a way to fit both Defoe and his Spurs team mate, and midfield catalyst, Aaron Lennon into the same starting XI? Should these two players continue to develop on already outstanding chemistry? The answer would have to be emphatically no. Kudos Jermain, on a job well done…  I look forward to seeing if he can maintain his deadly form next week as the team travels to Villa Park in Birmingham to take on an Aston Villa team that sits only three points back of them in the table.

For more footy news stay tuned to cheddarbomb.wordpress.com, or follow us via RSS feed to get up to the minute info and insight on the world of sport.

How old are the contenders?

Okay, today we’re going to be looking at how old each of the contenders are.

I have chosen five legitimate contenders and one additional possible contender. Three in each conference. Those teams are:

• Boston Celtics
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Orlando Magic
• Los Angeles Lakers
• San Antonio Spurs
• Portland Trailblazers — the possible contender.

I’ll be looking at each team individually and checking these categories:

• Players at or above 35 years of age
• Players at or above 33 years of age
• Players at or above 30 years of age
• Average age of starting lineup
• Average age of team’s 9/10 man rotation
• Average age of squad overall

I’ll be looking at each separate section to both list the players who fit that category + the player’s ages + the player’s role.

I want to see both how old each team is respectively but also how dependent they are on some of their older players.

Boston Celtics

Thirty five years of age or older

The Celtics have one player in that age bracket and that’s Rasheed Wallace who is 35 years old.

Rasheed Wallace is the team’s sixth man.

Thirty three years of age or older

The Celtics have two players in this age group, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

Ray Allen is 34 years old. Kevin Garnett is 33 years old.

Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are both key individual players for the Celtics. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are two of their top four players.

Thirty years of age older

Three players here for the Celtics.

Paul Pierce is 32 years old while Brian Scalabrine and Eddie House are both 31 years of age.

Paul Pierce is one of the Celtics two best players while House is their lead backup guard and Scalabrine is one of their insurance big men (not in rotation).

Starting lineup ages + average age

Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins are 23 + 25 years old respectively.

Rajon Rondo is one of Boston’s top four players and Perkins is a key glue guy.

Those two combined with Garnett, Pierce and Ray give Boston’s starting lineup an average age of 29.4 years.

Average age of 9/10 man rotation

Marquis Daniels and Glen Davis are 28 and 23 years old respectively.

Marquis Daniels is the first wing off the bench while Glen Davis is the team’s second big off the bench.

Those two players along with Eddie House, Rasheed Wallace and the Celtics starting lineup give Boston’s first choice rotation an average age 29.3 years.

Average age of team

The overall average age of the team is 25.9 years of age.

The final five players on the team were Sheldon Williams (26), Tony Allen (27), JR Giddens (24), Lestor Hudson (25) and Bill Walker (22).

Cleveland Cavaliers

Thirty five years of age or older

The Cavs have one player in that age bracket and that’s Shaquille O’Neal who is 37 years old.

Shaq was brought in to be the Cavs second best player. A legitimate sidekick to LeBron James.

Thirty three years of age or older

The Cavs have two players in this age group.

Anthony Parker and Zydrunas Ilgauskas are both 34 years old.

Parker is currently the team’s starting two guard and important rotation player. Whilst Big Z is the team’s backup center, second big off the bench, and important rotation player (role may decrease if Hickson continues to prove himself as a starter).

Thirty years of age older

No additional players here for the Cavs.

Starting lineup ages + average age

Mo Williams is 26 years old, LeBron James is 24 and JJ Hickson is a ripe old age of 21.

That gives the Cavs an average age of 28.4 years in their starting lineup. As we can see that’s considerably higher than three of their starters due to Shaq + Parker.

Average age of 9/10 man rotation

Four more rotation players here …

Daniel Gibson is the team’s backup point guard and is 23 years old. Delonte West has an uncertain role for now but let’s put him down as the team’s backup two guard. Delonte is 26 years old. Jamario Moon is the Cavs main wing off the bench and he is 29. Anderson Varejao is the team’s sixth man and first big off the bench and is 27 years of age.

That gives the Cavs ten man rotation an average age of 28.1 years.

Average age of team

The overall average age of the team is 26.9 years.

The five other players were Leon Powe (25), Daniel Green (22), Darnell Jackson (24), Jawad Williams (26) and Coby Karl (26).

Orlando Magic

Thirty five years of age or older

The Magic have one player in that age bracket and that’s Anthony Johnson who is 35 years old.

Anthony Johnson is Orlando’s third string point guard.

Thirty three years of age or older

The Magic have two players in this age group, Adonal Foyle and Jason Williams.

Both players are 34 years of age.

Adonal Foyle is Orlando’s third string center and Jason Williams is the club’s primary backup guard.

Thirty years of age older

Two more players here for the Magic, Vince and Rashard.

Vince Carter is 32 years old and Rashard Lewis is 30 years old.

Vince Carter is the club’s second best player and go-to guy offensively. Rashard Lewis is the team’s third or fourth best player.

Starting lineup ages + average age

Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson and Mickael Pietrus round out the starting lineup. They are 23, 27 and 27 years old respectively.

The average age of Orlando’s starting lineup is 27.8 years.

Average age of 9/10 man rotation

Orlando have five more players that should be mentioned as rotation possibilities. So we’re going with an eleven man rotation for the time-being (roles still in dispute).

JJ Redick and Matt Barnes are the club’s top bench players on the wing. They are 25 and 29 years of age respectively. Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass are competing for the backup power forward position. Anderson is 21 years old. Bass is 24 years old. Marcin Gortat is the club’s sixth man and backup center. He is 25 years of age.

The average age of Orlando’s rotation players is 27 years of age.

The only bench player that is above 30 years of age is Jason Williams. The starting lineup has two players, Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis.

Average age of team

The overall average age of the team is 28.1 years.

Los Angeles Lakers

Thirty five years of age or older

The Lakers have one player in that age bracket and that’s Derek Fisher who is 35 years old.

Derek Fisher is the starting point guard for the Lakers.

Thirty three years of age or older

The Lakers have no players in this group.

Thirty years of age older

Three players here for the Lakers.

Kobe Bryant is 31 years old while Lamar Odom and Ron Artest are both 30 years of age.

Kobe Bryant is the team’s best player. Lamar Odom is the team’s third or fourth best player and their sixth man. Ron Artest is the squad’s fifth best player and starting small forward.

Starting lineup ages + average age

Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol round out the starting lineup. They are 22 years old and 29 years old respectively.

That gives the Lakers starting lineup an average age of 29.4 years.

Average age of 9/10 man rotation

The Lakers have five more players worth mentioning here.

Jordan Farmer and Shannon Brown are the team’s backup point guards and have been playing alongside one another fairly often too. They are 22 and 23 years old respectively. Sasha Vujacic was a pivotal bench player (backup off guard) two years ago but his poor play has him in danger of being phased out altogether. He is 25 years of age. Luke Walton is the team’s backup small forward and is 29 years of age. Josh Powell is the club’s second big man off the bench and he is 26 years old.

That gives LA’s rotation, eleven players, an average age of 27.5.

Average age of team

The overall average age of the team is 27.3.

Adam Morrison (25) and DJ Mbenga (28) are two other bench players that hadn’t been mentioned yet.

San Antonio Spurs

Thirty five years of age or older

The Spurs have three player in that age bracket.

Michael Finley and Theo Ratliff are both 36 years old. Antonio McDyess is 35 years of age.

Antonio McDyess is a key glue guy for the team. Michael Finley is a rotation player for the club (almost 20 min a night) while Theo Ratliff is battling for a rotation job (looks like he’ll be the fourth big in the rotation, but not a certainty).

Thirty three years of age or older

The Celtics have one players in this age group, Tim Duncan.

Tim Duncan is 33 years of age. He is the Spurs best player.

Thirty years of age older

One more player here for the Spurs.

Manu Ginobili is 32 years of age. He is the Spurs second best player.

Starting lineup ages + average age

The starting lineup is still unsettled for the Spurs … I’m going to go with their best five players for the time being.

That is Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess and Tim Duncan. Tony Parker is 27 years old and Richard Jefferson is 29.

The average age of that lineup is 31.2 years.

Side note: Tony Parker is the only player who is currently in their prime. Everybody else is declining (Manu is a question mark due to injuries, but likely declining).

Average age of 9/10 man rotation

Five players worth mentioning here.

George Hill is 23 years old and the team’s primary backup guard. Keith Bogans is the Spurs best wing defender amongst the role players and looks to be an important role player. He is 29 years old. Roger Mason Jr is the team’s backup two guard (along with Finley) and is 29 years of age.

DeJuan Blair is the club’s first big off the bench and he is 20 years old. Then there’s Matt Bonner who is also 29 years of age. That is a total of seven players (Finley/Theo) after the starting lineup … due to the Spurs unsettled rotation.

The average age of the rotation players is 29.8 years of age.

The Spurs supporting cast has three players that are 29 years of age and two more who are 36. One other is 27 … and two are young players (Hill/Blair).

Average age of team

The overall average age of the team is 28.7 years.

Three players who so far have gone unmentioned — Malik Hairston (22), Ian Mahinmi (23) and Marcus Haislip (28).

Portland Trailblazers

Thirty five years of age or older

The Blazers have one player in that age bracket and that’s Juwan Howard who is 36 years of age.

Howard is an insurance big man for the Blazers (not rotation player).

Thirty three years of age or older

The Blazers have one player in this age bracket, Andre Miller.

Andre Miller is 33 years of age.

Andre Miller is an important role player for Portland. Currently he is their starting point guard but that role is still up for grabs.

Thirty years of age older

One players here for the Blazers.

Joel Pryzbilla is 30 years of age. He is the club’s backup center and an important role player.

Starting lineup ages + average age

Only one starter mentioned so far, Andre Miller. The four others are Brandon Roy (25), Nicolas Batum (20), LaMarcus Aldridge (24) and Greg Oden (21).

The average age of the starting lineup is 24.6 years.

Average age of 9/10 man rotation

Steve Blake is 29 years old (backup point guard). Everyone else on the Blazers who hasn’t been mentioned by name is under the age of 25.

Other rotation players — Rudy Fernandez is the team’s main backup two guard and is 24 years old. Martell Webster is 22 years old and the squad’s backup three. Travis Outlaw is 25 years old and the club’s backup power forward.

Portland runs a ten man rotation with an average age of 25.3 years.

The Blazers have only three rotation players above the age of 25 — Blake + Miller + Przybilla.

Average age of team

The overall average age of the team is …

Rest of the team — Jerryd Bayless (21), Dante Cunningham (22), Jeff Pendergraph (22) and Patty Mills (21).

Portland has only four players above 25 and only three of them are in the rotation. The two point guards and the backup center.

Thoughts On Ages

(1) The Boston Celtics have only one truly old player (Rasheed Wallace) and his game is still effective with less athleticism/mobility. Two others to keep an eye on in Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett (mostly due to the injury). The rest of the team is in good shape. A bunch of young players (Rondo, Perk, Davis) and a couple of well season vets (Marquis, House).

(2) The Cavaliers have three elderly players to watch out for. Their two centers, who are key offensive players for the team, who are 34 + 37 years old respectively. And Anthony Parker who’s role could be larger than expected due to Delonte West’s situation. The rest of the team is in good shape age wise.

Shaq and Big Z have been pivotal players for the Cavs this season (Shaq) and in past years (Z). Their contracts are up at the end of the season and they’ll need to be replaced by someone capable of being a star-like-figure (Hickson? Trade? Free Agency?) for the Cavs to remain a contender next season.

(3) The Magic have one old rotation player and that’s their backup point guard who is backed up by another old player. All in all, that’s a fantastic situation. Vince Carter is someone to keep an eye on in the future but not now.

(4) The Lakers key players are between 29-31 plus Bynum at 22 years of age. That’s a nice grouping. They have several years in them with this core. Only one rotation player who you would point out age-wise and that’s Fisher and Fish has two backup point guards behind him (solid depth).

(5) The Spurs really are quite old. Several role players who are getting on in years, two of whom are past their sell-by-date as rotation players. An old main five guys, only one of whom is in his prime. Only two young players in their rotation.

(6) Portland is amazingly young. Only three rotation guys above the age of 25 and only one of them could be considered past his prime, and that player is aging remarkably well.

Rambling on ….

• The Blazers are set to be contenders for the next decade
• The Lakers are good for another couple of years
• The Magic have one key player to watch (Vince) and how they handle that situation will decide how long they last as a contender. But they’re good for the next two year’s of Vince’s contract.
• The Cavs have uncertain player personnel issues. This will be the last hurrah for that core.
• The San Antonio Spurs need to revamp their supporting cast and breathe some life into that team. They’re the oldest team here but they’re aging well (Manu’s injuries aside). They have another year or two or three left in them … but it’ll be the quality of the supporting cast around their main three guys that decides whether they get over the hump and actually win a ring or not.
• The Celtics need to watched. Two of their Big Three may be aging too fast for the C’s to maintain their place in the East. They’re fine for this season … but next season? Maybe, maybe not. Something to watch closely. If they can make one clever trade they could open up a title challenge for the next 3-4 years though.
• In terms of this season … only three teams are potentially vulnerable to age related situations (decline or increased chance of injury effected play) and they are the Spurs, Cavs and Celtics. The Spurs look the most vulnerable and it’s a toss up between the Cavs and Celtics for second place.

#1 – Atlanta Hawks

The best team of the NBA so far. Josh Smith has been superb in the first 14 games. He has been the horse they have been riding. The Hawks had a weird loss to the Hornets Friday but that’s Ok on the road and on a second of back-to-backs.

#2 – Cleveland Cavaliers

Without Shaq, the team plays better. He just doesn’t fit there and with him out for a while now, they were able to give minutes to JJ Hickson who could be the solution for their problems, certainly not offensively but maybe defensively.

#3 – Phoenix Suns

The Suns remain red hot. 2^nd best record of the league so far, even with the loss to the Hornets on Thursday which shouldn’t be a shock because every time that the Suns are dominated on the boards, they lose, and it’s a lock just like that.

#4 – Los Angeles Lakers

Gasol is back and that means the Lakers should make their push to the league’s best record now. With the Spanish Center there, they are just so tough to beat, they are big and physical.

#5 – Orlando Magic

With Rashard Lewis back, they become a matchup nightmare again. The win against the Celtics highlighted that. Vince Carter is coming alive, against Boston he scored 26, turned the ball over a lot but took the game over in the end and that what you expect from your superstar and the reason why Orlando traded for him.

#6 – Denver Nuggets

Carmelo Anthony has been terrific so far and put himself in the MVP race however they are still not on the same level as last season. Their defense has been OK but when Billups doesn’t play well, all of a sudden nobody else but Carmelo produces.

#7 – Dallas Mavericks

Nowitzki has been carrying them because the bunch of injuries already started, Marion and Howard haven’t played together for a decent amount of time, and it’s not close to end.

#8 – Boston Celtics

On back-to-backs they look old. The loss against the Magic can be faced as a problem but when healthy, they are still the best team in the NBA. The question is: for how long will they remain healthy?

#9 – Milwaukee Bucks

The Jenningsmania is all over the NBA, even in this Power Rankings.

#10 – Portland Trail Blazers

Travis Outlaw is out with the same injury that held Webster for the entire season last year and that’s a hit on their second unit. The 3 men backcourt has survived so far but maybe is time to trade Miller.

#11 – Miami Heat

As Wade goes, they go which means that so far, they are a playoff team.

#12 – Houston Rockets

Even I’m convinced that this team needs somebody who can create his own shots on clutch moments. That guy is neither Ariza nor Brooks. Hopefully McGrady won’t screw the good vibe around the team.

#13 – Oklahoma City Thunder

When those four guys score, they are tough to hold. Lately even when they lose, they are on the game until the end. As the season progresses, they progress and the Western Conference should watch out.

#14 – Utah Jazz

With Williams back and Boozer stepping up, the Jazz won all three games this week including one against the Spurs which was their first in San Antonio in 20 games.

#15 – Toronto Raptors

They won 42% of their games. With all the money spent in this team and with playoff expectations around them, they have to perform better.

#16 – San Antonio Spurs

Ginobili and Parker out this week, injuries caught with them like expected. They always start slow, so no worry there.

#17 – Chicago Bulls

Derrick Rose has struggled a lot and that’s a real problem. This is a team that has a lot of variations and formations but it’s only 8 deep.

#18 – Indiana Pacers

They are who we thought they were: a .500 team.

#19 – Detroit Pistons

With Hamilton and Prince out, they have been able to hang in there but the problems are the same, lack of size inside and no rebounders, and when they face decent competition, that’s a problem.

#20 – Sacramento Kings

They are 5-7. Can you believe that?! The Kings won 41.7% of their games and that’s crazy. Tyreke Evans and Omir Caspi have been big so far.

#21 – Los Angeles Clippers

Yes, they have been a disappointment but when Gordon and Griffin return, they should be better. The push to the playoffs is yet to come but Kaman has played the best basketball of his career and Baron Davis is finally finding himself on that offense. Their second unit is amazing.

#22 – New Orleans Hornets

Without Chris Paul and with the new coach, they played well this week. Rookies getting more playing time and when Stojakovic shows up to play, they are not that bad. It’s tough to see them over .500 though.

#23 – Philadelphia 76ers

They are the ones to open a playoff spot on the East. They face problems on offense and defense. With Brand there, they haven’t been as committed to Iguodala on offense which they should if they want to save the season.

#24 – Golden State Warriors

Jackson is gone and the Warriors got cap relief instead. They’ll play shorthanded for the rest of the season but Don Nelson likes it this way. Nelson who, by the way, is 23 wins away from his record which means he’s 23 wins away from retirement what could mean that next season, maybe the Warriors will be OK.

#25 – Charlotte Bobcats

Probably the dumbest team in the NBA. The franchise is for sale but yet they took on Jackson’s awful contract in a move that won’t make them better than those teams they are fighting.

#26 – Memphis Grizzlies

Iverson is now gone for good. It’s time for them to translate talent into wins.

#27 – Washington Wizards

They have been the most disappointing team so far.

#28 – New York Knicks

Apparently they refused going after Allen Iverson, which would at least entertain us, because of Eddie Curry and Toney Douglas. I have no words for that.

#29 – Minnesota Timberwolves

They miss Kevin Love but as expected they would be bad anyway.

#30 – New Jersey Nets

They have been banged up but nothing justifies that awful start. Douglas Roberts is back, so is Harris, which means the offense should be better but the 0-17 start looks real.

Check More At: MVN

Power Rankings III: http://basketballoutsider.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/power-rankings-iii/

Jermain Defoe scores five as Tottenham utterly humiliate Wigan 9-1 – their biggest top-flight win and the second-largest winning margin in Premier League history – to move fourth in the table…. From BBC News. Full story

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