Top 10 Backcourt Potential Pt. 1

Let's get this out of the way first. Potential is a tricky subject. One that can be interpreted in a myriad ways by everyone. It is really a made up fancy that scouts came up with to determine if a prospect was worth drafting or not. The truth is, over the past 25 years I've been following the NBA, potential has lead to some of the worst draft mistakes in league history. Likewise, players "lacking potential" have gone on to have great and sometimes extraordinary careers. So, the following list is not how it's going to end up. Injuries happen. Players are traded. Players get paid and stop working. Other players step up through hard work and sacrifice.

The following list is current pairings of young guards sharing the same backcourt that have the potential to be great. I left off Derrick Rose because I have no idea what he will be when he comes back, nor is there any indication of who the Bulls plan on putting next to him going forward. Rip Hamilton and Marco Belinelli are not the answer. Nor, is Kirk Hinrich. And, for the record, Chris Paul has been omitted for a similar reason. My cousin did point out that if Chris Paul is healthy, it really won't matter who's next to him, because that backcourt will automatically be one of the top backcourts in the Association.

13 Stories to Watch in 2013 Pt. 2

Now that we're into our second day of 2013, here's the second part to Monday's post.

13 Stories to Watch in 2013

It's New Year's Eve. In light of 2013, here's 13 trends/storylines to look forward to in the coming year.

Divergent Viewpoints: James Harden Trade

Kelly Sugino: I think it's good for both teams if OKC wasn't going to sign him...Still think it puts them back a little this year. Dork Elvis finally wins.

Jordan Ikeda: I don't know if it's a win, but a Lin/Harden backcourt could be very intriguing. They cover for each other's weaknesses in many ways. But Harden's not a max player. He doesn't want to be "The Man."

David Stern: A player feature from a fan's perspective

David Stern has been a very good commissioner. He was the only NBA commissioner in my own lifetime, so I have no one to personally compare him to, but according to the majority, he was a huge upgrade over Larry O’Brien. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize how well of a job he’s been doing because they’re either too young or wildly unreasonable – or both. My point is this – running a professional sport league successfully is an overwhelming task and nearly-thankless job, and David Stern did it better than most people think.

The knock on Stern these last several years is that he is stubbornly tyrannical, and that it’s been a long time coming for him to step down. Off the top of my head, I can think of four events that helped fuel this reputation of his. There was a public outcry for each one, but each one was defensible.