NBA Thoughts:
-I believe one of the biggest differences in the Phoenix Suns is Grant Hill... for better and worse..good because it gives the Suns another ball handler other than Steve Nash,but at the same time it stunts the growth of Leandro Barbosa..he averaged a career high 4 asts last season and thats down to a little under 3...he is also shooting a career low from behind the 3pt line(shade under 36% vs 43% last year) and FT(under 75% from around 85 last year)...Another difference is the small lineup they use...Amare cant play center...he just can't...his defense is spotty at best and when players like Chris Bosh and Andrew Bynum are having field days on you..something has to change...last year they had Kurt Thomas but he didnt start that many games..it was Boris Diaw who contributed at center..but it seems that Boris has ballooned himself(since his contract) into an Eddy Curry state where the coach can barely play him for long stretches..Brian Skinner helps..but he cant be relied upon all the time

-I watched the majority of Minnesota/Dallas Sunday afternoon and I must say....Minnesota is terrible...I mean Randy Wittman must have used every player he physically could...and everyone looked so ineffective...and that was just offense..on defense they had very little resistance...Jason Terry,Josh Howard and Dirk were just jogging around screens and shooting...it was like a mild practice with a fairly decent crowd..I thought to myself a zone could be more effective..something,anything..they tried that..nothing..then it hit me you have to have players who know how to play a zone...they are young...way too young..but with all the same players...allow me to explain...you have your undersized power forwards..in Craig Smith(6'7), Mark Madsen(6'9) and Ryan Gomes(6'7)...swingmen who shoot alot but do little to nothing else(Gerald Green,Rashad McCants and Antoine Walker) and then players who can do something well..but not on offense(Sebastian Telfair and Corey Brewer)..How does McHale still have a job?...atleast they aren't Miami..who they beat the other night by 10 with Wade playing..


-Can someone tell me why Aaron Brooks is playing over Mike James and Steve Francis?....I cant think of the last time I saw Stevie now that I think about it...I mean I like Brooks over the ballhogging James or Francis...but..Tracy McGrady is hurt and neither of these guys can get off the pine at all?...interesting..

-Remember when Orlando couldn't be stopped?...well...those times(like last year) have come and gone...apparently they can't get any production out of their backcourt..JJ Reddick cant get into the game,Jameer Nelson can't play defense?...and Kenyon Dooling just cant(Noticeable oversights would be Keith Bogans and Maurice Evans...do I have to say why?)...

College Basketball Thoughts:
-Starting on the west(shock) Gonzaga has talent to go pretty far in the tourney this year..but for some reason I see them not winning the WCC for the at-large bid...make sense?...stay tuned for that...just a little stat to throw out...Jeremy Pargo is shooting 58% from the Free Throw line....

-This just in....Arizona is wildly inconsistent...they just lost(like...just now) to Arizona State...let that sink in....9th place out of 10 last year ASU...oh boy..I mean...you dont have Bayless...he's still out with the sprained knee...we're losing like that?...wow....show me the panic button please...

-From the limited diversity of teams that I've seen this year(I blame ESPN so far) these are teams that interest me that arent ranked
-Oklahoma
-Cal
-Oregon
-I cant add any ACC or Big East teams because they've all been dissected multiple times over..that list should grow though

-Oh yeah...has anyone seen Washington State play yet?...no....didnt think so...

-I knew Kansas State's Michael Beasley was a monster...but I didnt know he was 5th in the nation in points and 1st in rebounds...just take a minute and think of the number of people who play D-1 basketball....done yet?....its alot...and hes good

-Games I'm playing attention to coming up
*USC/Washington St 10pm thursday(stay up!)
*UConn/Georgetown(GU wasnt as dominate as I thought they would be...UConn has talent)
*Washington State/UCLA(For the Pac-10...might be the lowest scoring Pac-10 game ever...too much defense played)