Joy to the League

The Basketball Gods want to spread some joy in this very happy holidays remembering to all teams those little things that make them smile this passing year. They are aware that some teams don't seem to find anything to cheer about but hey! They are the basketball Gods, if somebody can find something good on the Knicks organizations are these guys:

Celtics: Anything. Just pick your choice: their record, the trade for KG and Ray Allen, the fact they are relevant again, the Pistons game which they lost but were damn close even though they didn't play their best game. Just let me tell you wy this guy should be smiling from ear to ear: they lost the lottery, they didn't get the chance to selecte either Oden or Durant which propelled them to get KG and Allen. The Gods work in mysterious ways

Spurs: They can be happy for a number of reasons starting with their fifth championship but they should also cheer that they current roster is as complete as any other in any of their championship runs getting good production from guys like Bonner and Udoka when given the chance.

Pistons: Everybody is expecting the year when this guys slow down. At the start of the season RIP and Sheed were a little injured and that slow them down and you started to wonder if this was the year. Well, nobody is wondering nothing with their current 11-2 stretch. I've to remind everybody that the Gods work in mysterious ways: Don't you think they have a chip in their shoulder after game 5 of the Conference Finals? That's the type of stuff that makes this team tick.

Magic: Finally Dwight Howard discover how good he can be.

Suns: Another team blessed in so many ways. Amare and Marion haven't kill each other yet, 27 games and counting and the seem like a happy and "we are on the same page" type of team. The biggest joy - not only for the Suns but also for the rest of the league - Grant Hill is playing and playing mighty good.

Mavericks:They had a 67 win season, that's a good thing. So what if Dirk can't smile anymore! Josh Howard is showing signs that they don't need to rely in Dirk "warm blood" to win a close game.

Golden State Warriors: They were the hottest team in the league for 6 weeks and got into the playoffs after a 12 year absense and make lot's of noice in the process. Nobody really thought that the Warriors could keep playing the way the played those 6 weeks - including me - and after that 0 -9 start I wasn't happy to be right. Now I'm happy to be wrong. Nellie ball rules.

Trail Blazers: They're achieving so much without their 40 year old rookie center. They can't take all the credit, it's bad karma, they need to thank Kevin Mchale and John Paxson for handing them Roy and Alridge for some other rookies... not that good. Let's leave it like that, I don't want to make anybody cry.

L.A. Lakers: Kobe's still in uniform and he says he's happy. If you want a Christmas miracle, you know outside Kobe being happy, just take a look at Bynum's progress and new found work ethic

New Orleans Hornets: None of their core players have missed more than 4 games (Peja Stojakovic ). It ain't that big of a thing but after what this guys went through last year, it is huge for them. By the way, the should also thank John Paxson for the Chandler gift. John Paxson is so good with the rest of the league.

Utah Jazz: Impressive playoff run that cemented Boozer and Deron Williams as more than up coming players, they are ready to play with the big guys. The new season brought them that old AK 47 they were mising so much.

Denver Nuggets: Thet won the Iverson sweepstakes and KMart seems to be getting back in track.

Cleveland Cavaliers: They had a easy path to the Conference finals and play inspired basketball against the Detroit Pistons including the 48 point perfomance by Lebron James. They should not only be thankful for having Lebron but they also must be appreciating this days, no matter what their record is, just a word of advice from the Basketball Gods. Enjoy this days.

Toronto Raptors: They have a Colangelo running things. Isiah Thomas used to run their team. Pretty good change, right?!

Atlanta Hawks: They are 14-12. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith are playing the more mature type of basketball we've seen from them. Al Hortford might pan out as the second best rookie of the 2007 class.

Milwaukee Bucks: They get to keep Yi and Mo Williams and they are in the Eastern Conference which means that it doesn't matter how mediocre they are they still have a chance to get in the playoffs.

China is mad

Somewhere, Jack Bauer is saying "I told u so", I really don't want to be the kind of person who says (or writes ) "this damn chinese are craazy", so, I'm saying (or writing ) this people from China are insane. We are receiving some bad impressions from China's "official spokespersons" lately. I haven't said or write anything about the Yi thing, because I know where's going to end. This is why, Chinese Basketball Program, "regimen" is more of a appropriate word here, recruit kids with potential before they hit puberty and invest on them with one goal and one goal only, to develop a superarmy of basketball players that take control of the basketball Olympus.

They want their supersoldeirs to develop their arms and tactics in the fieriest battle camps, but don't be fooled, they don't have the control of their own fates, they must be grateful and dedicate their lives to the greater good... their country. When chinese players get to the NBA, China expects his superplayers to have significant playing time, you know, in order to develop their arms and control our Olympus. Also, once they are there, the should became a global icon (whatchout Lebron!) and all the money that comes along (I don't know if that money goes to the superplayer or the supercountry, if anybody knows, please let me know).

Once the season ends, their asses must get back to China, we have seen how Yao offseason revolves around the Chinese basketball program, the kid doesn't get any rest, unless China says so. The Wan Zhizhi history is another perfect example of this, he refused to go back and fight with his nation's basketball troop and was labeled as a "immature ingrate" and was banned from the China national team for 5 years, and this is not a good thing, neither for him nor for his family.

Said that, who controls Yi is China and China alone, the NBA rights belong to the Bucks, but the human being belongs to China, there's no debate here who has the upper hand, if they can't force a trade Yi would not play a NBA game for a long time. What's the solution here, you ask?. It could be:

1. The Bucks trade Yi to Golden State and everybody is happy
2. Take some 10 million of Chinese people, move them to Wisconsin, gave them high acquisitive power and Bucks' season tickets

Right now, I don't know which one is more unlikely.


Let's said China officials are not that bad, they are just taking care of their "investment", but then another story comes along, apparently Yao was having too much fun getting married, living his life and immature and ingrate stuff like that, hurting China in the process:

"No matter how lofty public welfare activities are, they can't be allowed to take first place in a player's life,'' the China Sports Daily, a federation-owned newspaper, said in an article appearing Tuesday. "No matter how sweet personal life is, it can't be compared to the exultation of capturing glory for one's nation,'

First of all, I love the phrase "the exultation of capturing glory", it will become my new personal battle cry when going clubbing.

You might think that "it's really sick how this guys are being treated, they are not free, the have not decision power over his personal life..etc..etc." But they do have the option, just ask the Zhizhi dude, but in that culture they live their lives following an honor code and being "immature ingrate" it's way worst for them than for any of us, it's like punching your sweet caring grandma; the option is there and the opportunity might arise, but nobody is going to do it... I hope...