December's Boris Diaw All Stars

Following up on November's edition of this fantasy break-out list, we have the players who have exploded in the NBA season's second month.

PG - Mo Williams: Mo has begun to enter elite company, and as of this posting sits with Kobe and LeBron in averaging at least 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game this year. He has 20ppg on 49% shooting this month, and has one triple double while going close on numerous other occasions. Not bad since stepping into the hole left by T.J. Ford heading to Canada in the offseason.

SG - Luther Head: Tracy McGrady was always going to get injured this year, but in the seven games he missed mid-month, Luther scored (games of 21, 22, and 26) and showed his speciality by consistently connecting from deep. He averages 2.5 threes a game.

SF - Rasual Butler: Stepping up for the injury-plagued Hornets, who have been devastated by long-term injuries to their best players (Chris Paul, Peja and David West), Butler has become the go-to guy. His 16 point average for the month, rebounding from a terrible November when he languished on the bench, have been enough to keep this team at least somewhat competitive.

PF - Luke Walton: He'll always be the butt of jokes and the target of ridicule just because of who he is, but Luke has matured greatly into a solid option for the Lakers. With Lamar Odom out, he has seen more attention from defenders, but is still contributing 12 points, 5 boards and 4 assists each night. Add to that his 50% shooting, occasional treys, and solid defense highlighted by his steals totals. Don't look now, but Luke could be the reason for a Laker revival this year.

C - Al Jefferson: Having been highly touted for a long time, this high school lottery pick has exploded since returning from injury and retaining his starter's role. He recorded 8 double-doubles in December - including six in a row - for 15ppg and 10.8 rpg over the month, and has added shot-blocking to his game. The Celtics could be excused for holding onto AJ instead of trading him for AI as had been discussed.

On a finishing note, Happy New Year! The blog will have been running for a month come New Year's Day, and will hopefully grow a readership over the next year. The Diaw All-Stars will return next month to see who made good on their resolution to become a big time fantasy stud.

Legends never die

The heading for this post comes from the movie "The Sandlot Kids" of all places, but appropriately describes how Shane Warne will be remembered in the world of cricket.

This won't be a long dissection of Warne's career, his achievements or whether his personal life somewhat marred his onfield work. Simply put, Warne needs to be mentioned in the same breath as Don Bradman when discussing the greatest cricketer of all time. He has re-defined the leg spin craft, making it a much more popular discipline among young players (myself included, as I have been known to weave the odd leggie and wrong'un). He has won every possible individual accolade and been crucial in the dominance of the Australian cricket team over the last decade.

Warne is one of the best characters in world sport, and as shown by his performance in his retirement conference today, is surprisingly eloquent for a man who has been attacked so much for his persona and public profile. He will stay involved in the game for years after this, likely making large sums from commentating and his various endorsements, but more than anything his intense competitive spirit and creative means of winning a match will be remembered by the masses for a long time to come.

Mile High Hijinx

Reports are swirling today which state that Allen Iverson has (finally) been traded to the Denver Brawlers for Andre Miller, Joe Smith and two first-round draft picks in 2007.

This saga has drawn out for two weeks, but hasn't seen enough interest around the NBA to really create a frenzy of high-stakes bidding. However, Denver was forced to act more urgently and perhaps give up a little more in the aftermath of the great New York Rumble (N.B. The fight footage begins at 1:25.) because they have lost the league's leading scorer (AI is second) Carmelo Anthony until January 20 due to his best Ali impersation (the 'hit and run' punch; watch him scamper away) resulting in a suspension. With their next best option J.R. Smith, he of the numerous bad shots per night, also out, the Nuggets have had to secure Iverson in order to stop the watershed of a potentially disasterous next ten games without their stars.

Of course, from a Philadelphia standpoint, this isn't as bad a trade as some (including me in the "I'm Out" post) had feared. Miller has been a solid point guard for a long time, and will hopefully encourage Andre Iguodala to become less timid as a scorer now that Iverson isn't demanding that he be given room to bounce around on drives and make insane lay-ups over 7-foot giants. Joe Smith has never been a risk-free proposition as the Timberwolves well know, but he is essentially a dead weight with a contract in this deal. Also, the two picks give the 76ers three first-round selections in next year's Draft, which is anticipated to be the deepest since 2003 and 1996; this also includes the team's own pick, which is likely to come as they finish as near cellar-dwellers, thus giving them hope at landing Greg Oden.

Denver makes a great move to make them legitimate Finals contenders. Iverson is obviously a scoring phenomenom, and has shown that - despite what his old reputation might have been - he can play as point guard, having averaged 7.3 assist per game this season. He provides an elite 1-2 combo with Carmelo, allows J.R. Smith to develop in the third option role instead of having to carry too much of a burden, and gives the Nuggets a more flexible team as he can play shooting guard with Earl Boykins at point (in the world's smallest lineup) to create a lightning fast and exciting new possibility in the new Small Ball world. The X-factor he brings, too, is that Iverson has just been through two weeks of being an inactive piece of trade meat who, it seems, no one really wants. That gives him something major to prove; consider how Gilbert Arenas has tried to show Team USA wrong for leaving him out of the recent campaigns, and then imagine AI - he of the career 28 points per night average - wanting to demonstrate to the entire league that they just missed acquiring one of the most unique and unstoppable scoring threats in basketball history.

Leaving aside the fact that Kevin Garnett is arguably the biggest loser in this deal, as he continues to stew in a cesspool of mediocrity with an ever-fading glimmer of hope that he will get near an NBA championship, this is a very smart trade for Denver and hopefully can help them recover from the damage that Mardy Collins and Isiah Thomas helped to inflict with their dirty tactics of fueling a brawl in a supposedly professional sporting environment. And the Sixers may have sold the house for chump change, but at least they did it with a enough credible returns that you don't draw blood while scratching your head.

Bidding Freddy adieu

The 2006 World Cup was a key moment for the further development of soccer (it's still too strange for an Australian to say "football") into a truly dominant world game, as the success of the Asian nations like South Korea and Turkey in 2002 spread to Australia and other nations previously seen as minnows.

Of course, the final frontier for the sport is to find some penetration in the lucrative American market, where the money from potential sponsors and owners could easily create several new Chelsea All Star-type teams with the revenue available. Although Americans embrace sports such as gridiron (where 60 minutes of game time is spread over four hours of TV) and baseball (where the majority of the pitches result in no swing offered or a fouled off ball), the prospect of watching 90 minutes of continuous play on a soccer pitch does not inspire American sports fans at all.

And now, the best player to have ever graced American pitches (at least, the best one who wasn't on his last legs and trying to cash in on his own legacy. You've been outed, Romario.) has been banished from a major city in Washington to the sports back alley that is Salt Lake City. Freddy Adu was compared to Pele and other legends when he signed to D.C. United as a raw but electrifying 14-year-old soccer prodigy, and his name has been linked to such football meccas as Chelsea and Manchester United in recent years.

Only in America could a soccer player with such promise and such rare ability be treated this poorly. One only hopes that Adu is saved from the quick slide to obscurity in Utah, where he will never receive national media coverage or a big Nike deal which could propel him to stardom in America, and that he is signed to England, Italy or Spain where he can become the type of player which we would love to see. Unfortunately, such a move would likely end any hope of the U.S. becoming a new breeding ground for elite soccer talent as even if he were to live up to his initial hype this would likely be forgotten in the land of the Red, White and Blue.

Getting back on the bike

OK, this title is a cruel pun, but in a brief post I acknowledge the determination of Jay Williams, who has signed up for D-League play in continuing his long road to recovery after falling off a motorbike as a rookie with the Chicago Bulls. He had his jersey retired by Duke, and was drafted #2 in the 2002 draft (ahead of Amare, Caron Butler, Carlos Boozer and others), and certainly had great potential.

All the best Jay, and I take my hat off to you for trying so hard to continue doing what you've always loved in just playing hoops.

I'm out

"Breaking news: Allen Iverson wants to be traded, and the Sixers want him gone."

This seems like a storyline I've heard. In fact, I've heard it during every NBA offseason for what seems like the last five years. But apparently, this time they're serious. Like they weren't when they tried to ship him after he beat his wife, or when he failed to turn up to practice, or when he was unable to work with Larry Brown (who won a championship a year after being forced out of Philly)?

For the good of basketball, I hope that Iverson can be traded to a team where he can exhibit his rare skills as a lightning fast scoring machine. The early rumblings of a deal to get him on the court with KG in Minnesota would do wonders for both players, who each dream of having capable teammates, and would give hope of repeating successes like that of the Shaq/Wade and Shaq/Kobe combinations. Of course, the loser will be Philadelphia and its hapless sports fans - who can't catch a break when it comes to their teams - as they give up their franchise player and will be left with a potential star like Devin Harris, Randy Foye or Al Jefferson who isn't ready to take over alongside the wilted Chris Webber and Andre Iguodala, who is a perfect third piece in a Phil Jackson triangle offence but who may never be any more.

Let's hope AI can get a deal, and can return to peak form in a new city. But also, let's hope that the Sixers aren't left without a leg to stand on. As shown by tonight's outing, they don't have many other places to turn when Iverson's gone.

Heisman talk: Smith underrated?

When did upside suddenly begin to trump proven worth? The two U.S. leagues which rely on the draft process - the NFL and NBA - have been overrun by pundits discussing how much potential raw players will have in five years, or once they have gained 30 pounds.

Troy Smith, soon to be crowned the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner, has led his team to an undefeated season, and won the best regular season match-up of any U.S. sports league in decades, perhaps history. The coverage that the OSU/Michigan clash on November 18 received was incredible, and no amount of athleticism shown in an NFL combine - 40 yard dashes, vertical leaps, strength tests - can give a better insight of a player's readiness for the professional ranks than the pressure of the biggest game in the history of sport's greatest rivalry.

He has shouldered the pressure of expectation at OSU in 2006, the level of which wouldn't be matched by starting at quarterback for most NFL teams. Smith, like Matt Leinart and Vince Young, has demonstrated that he can handle constant media attention and the burden of favouritism in every game, and it seems that he would have little difficulty in a high-stakes football situation like playing in New York, or leading the Chicago Bears after their years of QB disasters. (Dream scenario, anyone? Urlacher and Co. get the 3-and-out consistently and happily turn the reigns over to a Heisman-winning QB on offence).

Analysts have predicted that Brady Quinn, who has succeeded in a similarly intense college environment, will be selected in the top three in the 2007 draft, but see Smith's height possibly keeping him in the late first round. Some even suggest he will fall to the second round!

There is no rarer player in the current NFL than a gifted quarterback who is able to maintain composure at the critical moments. The majority aren't even capable of holding their starting jobs long enough to get to such moments. It is obviously premature to suggest that Smith will emulate Tom Brady in his ability to manage a Super Bowl offence because of his college record, but surely he warrants a selection by one of the teams in the league which lacks a true leader?

Home is where the heart is

The surprise in the sports media over the last days at news that football coaches have turned down major openings at the Universities of Miami and Alabama seems to be tied to a belief that sport is all about prestige.

Why would Joakim Noah stay at Florida after passsing up certain NBA lottery selection as a national champion?

Why would Kevin Garnett stay loyal to the state of Minnesota when he could work a deal to Chicago or Philadelphia or Denver?

Why would Roger Clemens consider retirement instead of one last year and $20 million more in the spotlight of the Yankees dugout?

Once a person has climbed to the peak of their sport, or the competition that they're a part of, it would seem logical to cash in on your success and play in the biggest market or on the biggest stage. But the sense of satisfaction that comes with working hard to create your own rewards cannot be matched by the fleeting glory of riding the wave with an already storied team. While no doubt Gary Payton loved being a (bit)part of the 2005 Miami Heat championship team, do you question whether he would have preferred beating Jordan's Bulls in 1995/96 as the Sonics' undisputed leader?

The decisions by the coaches of Rutgers and West Virginia to turn down the jobs at these two major college football programs comes because they are much prouder of their work in building strong teams from the ground up. West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez had to choose whether to jump ship from a school which he attended and in the last two seasons has guided to 11-1 and 10-2 records in order to pocket $12 million to save the reputation of a faltering powerhouse, but the modern reality of sport is that you can now win anywhere (your 2003 World Series champion Florida Marlins?) and that there is no greater accomplishment than hand-crafting a winning team without the support of winning history or a blank check book.

Loyalty is a powerful commodity, and these two coaches should be respected for their desires to stay and create their own legacies rather than riding the coat tails of Miami or Alabama. Equally, it is much better to see Miami promote from within in hiring their own defensive coordinator and former star LB Randy Shannon to call plays instead of heaping money on an established coaching brand.

After all, there is no more admired coach at the college level than Joe Paterno, who has led the Penn State Nittany Lions to two national championships and five undefeated seasons over 41 years. Would he have been so well loved if he'd left to coach Michigan instead because they were more certain to win each year?

Gil, you so crazy!

Gilbert Arenas is not your average basketball player. He swirls the ball around himself before shooting free throws. He plays video poker during half time breaks. He not only not only writes a blog on NBA.com, but he uses it to give Halo teams shout outs!

The latest development? He shouts "Hibachi!" while taking shots. A hibachi is a kind of Japanese hot plate, and according to Arenas it says something about his jumper. Let him explain: "You know, a hibachi grill gets real hot. That's what my shot's like, so I've been calling it that: 'Welcome to the hibachi'."

This guy needs a sitcom or a reality TV show, or some excuse to have either a high-pitched shrieking black girlfriend or Chris Rock (whoever is available) to scream "Gil, you so craaazy!" every time he pulls one of these antics. Sit up and take notes on this Hollywood, because when Gilbert speaks people act.

November's Boris Diaw All Stars

In 2005, the fantasy NBA season could only be discussed properly while one also drew "I Love Boris" in the top corner of the page like a teenage girl dreaming of Chad Michael Murray or the latest guy to succeed to the mantle first held by Elvis's hips in the 1950s. Diaw exploded in '05 as a third year pro to average 13 points (on 52.6% shooting), 7 board, and 6 assists in 25 minutes of play each night, entering fantasy sporting folklore as one of the great sleeper picks of our time.

With one month gone in the NBA, and most rosters looking fairly set for the first half of the season at least (with apologies to Memphis Grizzlies fans, and cruel mocking laughter directed at anyone holding Knicks season tickets), it seems fair to name the Diaw All Star line-up: a group of the ten players whose names have entered the fantasy hoops lexicon, and who are responsible for many a roto-league owner waking up sweating at 3am with thoughts of their unexpectedly wonderful outputs.

(N.B. In the spirit of the new "small ball" craze, we have three guards in the team because they've all been too good to ignore.)

PG - Monta Ellis: the 6'3 Ellis came straight from high school and despite his seemingly tiny build has shown incredible athleticism and highlight-reel ability in averaging 18 points. Baron Davis' creaking joints thank Monta for stepping out of the shadows this season.

SG - Leandro Barbosa: on the Brazilian scale, for the first weeks of the season he was as hot as Adriana Lima, but with the Suns restoring their 2005 starters he is the 6th man and therefore only as hot as the women on beaches in Rio. That's still hot.

SF - Kevin Martin: despite an awkward-looking jumper and an equally awkward-looking haircut, Martin has exploded into one of the league's best pure shooters. Only Adam Morrison is more effective at scoring and doing nothing else but shoot all night, but no one who owns Martin is complaining. They're too busy rejecting trade offers involving All Stars that actually undervalue him!

PF - David Lee: usually when you play 25 minutes a night, you are either a fairly average low first-round pick who will never star, or a serviceable veteran. In New York, you can be a human pogo stick who is 5th in the league with boards per 48. Lee is finally getting the starter's role after going close to a triple double in 30 minutes on November 24.

C - Andris Biedrins: with the advent of small ball the Euros are back in business. Zaza Pachulia, Andrea Bargnani, Jorge Garbajosa, Darko Milicic. These are NBA basketball players, and good ones at that. Biedrins earned this spot from Andrew Bynum when he blocked Tim Duncan, the owner of several rings and MVP trophies, three times in a recent match.

The Cheap Seats Doctrine

Welcome to Reflections on Sport, a new blog aiming to provide short analysis and commentary on sport issues from around the world. This blog is inspired by the writings of Bill Simmons, ESPN's resident Sports Guy and he of the cult following, and will provide similar musings on sport issues from a true fan's perspective.

The focus will be on the NBA, as I am a strong follower of the league albeit without one particular team to root for, and at times may also feature the NFL (Go Broncos!), soccer and Australian sports such as cricket or football.