Top performances of the season

The first season was amazing for Blake Griffin. He has 63 double - doubles and 2 triple doubles. His actions with strong dunks were many times evaluated as play of the day. On the second place is Kevin Durant with perfect shooting and rebounding. The most improved player and best on rebounds is Kevin Love.

1. Blake Griffin - dominated in the Staples Center with dunks and rebounds. He has 47 games with 20 points - 10 rebounds this season.

• Nov. 20 vs New York (L): 44 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists.
• Jan. 17 vs Indiana: 47 points, 14 rebounds, 79% from the field, 9/11 ft.
• Mar 23 vs Washington: 33 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists, 74% from the field.

2. Kevin Durant - is second time the best shooter in NBA, but he is able also to rebound very well. He has 29 games with 30 points.

• Jan. 26 at Minnesota: 47 points, 18 rebounds, 13/14 ft in 50min.
• Feb 2 vs New Orleans: 43 points, 10 rebounds, 10/11 ft, 5/7 3 points, 74% from the field, 5 assists.

3. Kevin Love - perfect at rebounds and he is able also shoot 3 points - 88 times. He has 31 games - most in the league - with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

• 31 points, 31 rebounds, 12 offensive rebounds.
  
• 37 points, 23 rebounds, 3/4 3 points
  

4. Rajon Rondo

• 23 assists, 10 rebounds, 12 points.
• 24 assists, 10 rebounds, 10 points.

5. LeBron James

• 51 points, 11 assists, 11 rebounds, 68% from the field at 25 shots.
  

6. Dwyan Wade

• 39 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 5 blocks.

7. Dwight Howard

• 46 points, 19 rebounds, 70% fg.

8. Derrick Rose

• 30 points, 17 assists, 12/12 free throws.
  

9. Russell Westbrook

• 35 points - 13 rebounds - 13 assists.

10 . Carmelo Anthony

• 50 points, 11 rebounds.

Other remarkable performances:

• Andray Blatche - 16 offensive rebounds, 36 points.
• John Wall - 9 steals, 29 points, 13 assists.
• Ty Lawson - 10/11 3 points, 37 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists.
• Paul Gasol - 10/10 fg, 8/8 ft, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 blocks.
• Matt Barnes - 7/7 fg, 5/5 3 points, 5/5 ft, 24 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists in 24 minutes.
  
• Kevin Martin - 18/18 ft, 34 points.
• JaVale McGee - 12 blocks, 12 rebounds, 11 points.

Player of the Week #1 - Dwyane Wade

Difficult start for Miami was successful after loss to Boston with 3 wins (Philadelphia, Orlando, New Jersey). Wade has constant performance and lead the Miami star team to the consecutively wins.



"The balance is what we are here together for," Wade said, "to have an opportunity to make the game easy on everyone and we're doing it. We're playing great team basketball and we're still not where we want to be, but we're making sure everyone gets an opportunity."

Week #1: Dwyane Wade

• Boston L (13-5-6-3-0)
• Orlando W (26-6-3-0-2)
• Philadelphia W (30-7-4-3-2)
• New Jersey W (17-6-7-2-1)

other candidates:
Chris Paul 3 wins, 20p - 9a -5r
Pau Gasol 3 wins, 25p-10r-5a-2b

Other performances:

• Monta Ellis 46pts
• Kevin Durant 88pts (30,30,28)
• Joakim Noah 19 & 17 reb
• Rajon Rondo 24 & 17 as
• Mike Conley (MEM) 7 & 4 st
• Josh Smith 6 & 5 bl
• Kevin Martin 17/17 tf
• Luis Scola 36p + 16r
• Triple double: Rajon Rondo (10,10,24), Brandon Jennings (20,10,10)

Dementieva announces retirement

Elena Dementieva retired from tennis after a loss 6-4, 6-2 to Francesca Schiavone at the WTA Championships in Doha. The 29-year-old Russian reached two Grand Slam finals, won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics and helped the growth of tennis in Russia.

Place of birth: Moscow
Date of birth: October 15, 1981
Residence: Monte Carlo
Height: 1.80 m
Weight: 64 kg
Turned pro: 25 August 1998
Retired: 29 October 2010
Plays: Right-handed (two-handed backhand)

After Anna Kournikova in the late 1990s, Dementieva was the first of the current wave of Russians to reach the Top 20 in 2000. She stayed in that elite for 524 of the next 529 weeks, including this week, and she spent an amazing 328 career weeks inside the Top 10 (peaking at No.3 for five weeks in the spring of 2009).

Dementieva seemed to get better and better with age, her most treasured title, the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, coming at age 26, and her two Top 5 finishes coming at 27 and 28 (at the end of the 2008 and 2009 seasons).

In addition to 16 WTA titles, Dementieva reached another 16 finals, including Grand Slam finals at the French Open and US Open in 2004. Dementieva reached the semifinals or better at Grand Slams nine times, doing it at least once at every Grand Slam.

Dementieva was part of the first all-Russian Grand Slam final, losing the French title in 2004 to Anastasia Myskina. Later that year she reached her only other Grand Slam final this time at the U.S. Open with Svetlana Kuznetsova. Dementieva competed in 46 consecutive Grand Slams until she missed this year's Wimbledon because of a calf injury.

Dementieva is a two-time Olympic medalist, having captured Gold in Beijing (2008) and Silver in Sydney (2000). Dementieva also represented Russia in 18 Fed Cup ties, leading them to victory in 2005.

Singles
Career record: 575–271
Career titles: 16 WTA
Highest ranking: No. 3 (6 April 2009)

Grand Slam:

Year	Australian Open	French Open	Wimbledon	US Open	Win-Loss	WTA
1996						624
1997						355
1998				LQ	0–1	182
1999	2R	2R	1R	3R	11–6	62
2000	3R	2R	1R	SF	8–3	12
2001	3R	2R	3R	4R	8–4	15
2002	4R	4R	4R	2R	10–4	19
2003	1R	1R	4R	4R	6–4	8
2004	1R	F	1R	F	11–4	6
2005	4R	4R	4R	SF	14–4	8
2006	1R	3R	QF	QF	10–4	8
2007	4R	3R	3R	3R	9–4	11
2008	4R	QF	SF	SF	17–4	4
2009	SF	3R	SF	2R	13–4	5
2010	2R	SF		4R	9–3	9

WTA Championships: SF (2000, 2008)
Olympic Games: Gold medal (2008), Silver medal (2000)

Dementieva's success wasn't just limited to singles. She won six WTA doubles titles (including the WTA Championships in 2002 with Janette Husarova) and reached another seven finals. Her doubles career-high was No.5.

This season she overcame shoulder, calf and ankle problems to qualify for the WTA Championships for 10th time. But after 12 years competing at the highest level, the Russian, who celebrated her 29th birthday earlier this month, decided to retire.

SLAMonline Top 50 NBA Players

My top players:

1. LeBron James
   
2. Kobe Bryant
3. Kevin Durant
4. Dwyane Wade
5. Dwight Howard
6. Chris Paul
7. Carmelo Anthony
8. Dirk Nowitzki
9. Chris Bosh
10. Monta Ellis
    

SLAMonline TOP 50 PLAYERS

Player	Team	Position	2009	2010
LeBron James	Heat	SF	1	1
Kobe Bryant	Lakers	SG	2	2
Kevin Durant	Thunder	SF	8	3
Dwyane Wade	Heat	SG	3	4
Dwight Howard	Magic	C	5	5
Carmelo Anthony	Nuggets	SF	7	6
Chris Paul	Hornets	PG	4	7
Deron Williams	Jazz	PG	11	8
Dirk Nowitzki	Mavs	PF	9	9
Pau Gasol	Lakers	PF	14	10
Brandon Roy	Blazers	SG	10	11
Derrick Rose	Bulls	PG	18	12
Chris Bosh	Heat	PF	13	13
Tim Duncan	Spurs	PF	6	14
Steve Nash	Suns	PG	22	15
Amar'e Stoudemire	Knicks	PF	16	16
Rajon Rondo	Celtics	PG	27	17
Joe Johnson	Hawks	SG	20	18
Paul Pierce	Celtics	SF	17	19
Carlos Boozer	Bulls	PF	32	20
Danny Granger	Pacers	SF	21	21
Tyreke Evans	Kings	PG	NR	22
Chauncey Billups	Nuggets	PG	19	23
Russell Westbrook	Thunder	PG	NR	24
Al Jefferson	Jazz	PF	23	25
Andre Iguodala	76ers	SG	26	26
Josh Smith	Hawks	PF	40	27
Rudy Gay	Grizzlies	SF	44	28
Kevin Garnett	Celtics	PF	13	29
Tony Parker	Spurs	PG	15	30
Manu Ginobili	Spurs	SG	29	31
Gerald Wallace	Bobcats	SF	NR	32
Brook Lopez	Nets	C	NR	33
David Lee	Warriors	PF	NR	34
Stephen Curry	Warriors	PG	NR	35
Zach Randolph	Grizzlies	PF	NR	36
Brandon Jennings	Bucks	PG	NR	37
Yao Ming	Rockets	C	NR	38
Andrew Bogut	Bucks	C	NR	39
Monta Ellis	Warriors	SG	NR	40
David West	Hornets	PF	31	41
LaMarcus Aldridge	Blazers	PF	39	42
Joakim Noah	Bulls	C	NR	43
Jason Kidd	Mavs	PG	45	44
Al Horford	Hawks	C	NR	45
OJ Mayo	Grizzlies	SG	46	46
John Wall	Wizards	PG	NR	47
Lamar Odom	Lakers	PF	33	48
Gilbert Arenas	Wizards	SG	34	49
Ray Allen	Celtics	SG	36	50

Roger Federer's 64th title ties Sampras

Roger Federer beat Germany's Florian Mayer 6-4, 6-3 to win the Stockholm Open and match Pete Sampras' total of 64 career titles.

Since 1968, only Jimmy Connors (109), Ivan Lendl (94) and John McEnroe (77) have won more singles tournaments than Federer and Sampras.

Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam winner, won his 50th match of the year Friday. He became only the fifth man, and the first since Sampras, to win 50 matches in at least nine straight years in the Open era.


Federer, the 16-time Grand Slam winner, continues to reach new milestones with every season. On Friday he won his 50th match of the year, becoming only the fifth man, and the first since Sampras, to win 50 matches in at least nine straight years in the Open era.

Most singles ATP titles in the Open Era (1968-present):

1. Jimmy Connors 109 (160 finals)
2. Ivan Lendl 94 (146)
3. John McEnroe 77 (108)
4. Roger Federer 64 (92)
5. Pete Sampras 64 (88)
6. Bjorn Borg 63 (87)
7. Guillermo Vilas 62 (104)
8. Andre Agassi 60 (90)
9. Ilie Nastase 57
10. Boris Becker 49 (77)

• Thomas Muster 44
• Rafael Nadal 43
• Stefan Edberg 42
• Mats Wilander 33
  
• Andy Roddick 29
• Lleyton Hewitt 28
• Carlos Moya 20
• Nikolay Davydenko 20
  
• Novak Djokovic 18
• Andy Murray 16
• Juan Carlos Ferrero 15

Masters Events (since 1990)

1. Rafael Nadal 18
2. Andre Agassi 17
3. Roger Federer 17
4. Pete Sampras 11
5. Thomas Muster 8
6. Michael Chang 7

2010-11 Lakers Preseason

The Lakers need to play a little more consistently in the regular season then be healthy and stay healthy through the playoffs.

What preaseason games show:

• Kobe Bryant is not 100 percent healthy
• Andrew Bynum's presence is missed
• Lamar Odom is in a good form after world championships title
• Shannon Brown looks ready to take a noticeable step
• Last season of coaching for Phil Jackson
  
• Sasha Vujacic is getting married
  

Player	G	MPG	PPG	REB	APG	SPG	BPG	PARBS
Pau Gasol	8	29.6	17.0	7.8	2.3	0.8	1.5	29
Lamar Odom	7	31.7	10.9	10.7	4.0	1.4	0.6	28
Kobe Bryant	7	21.6	12.6	3.9	3.0	0.3	0.0	20
Ron Artest	8	26.9	10.8	3.4	2.6	1.9	0.8	19
Shannon Brown	8	24.3	12.3	2.5	1.5	1.5	0.5	18
Matt Barnes	8	19.9	6.4	3.5	2.1	0.9	0.6	14
Steve Blake	8	21.6	5.5	1.5	3.6	0.8	0.1	11
Derek Fisher	8	21.8	7.0	1.3	1.9	1.3	0.0	11
Sasha Vujacic	5	16.4	6.2	2.2	0.8	1.2	0.4	11
Devin Ebanks	8	12.0	6.6	2.8	0.5	0.4	0.1	10
Theo Ratliff	7	15.3	2.9	2.0	0.6	0.3	1.4	7
Derrick Caracter	5	11.6	3.0	3.2	0.6	0.2	0.2	7
Trey Johnson	5	8.8	2.8	1.0	1.2	0.6	0.0	6
Luke Walton	2	8.0	2.5	0.5	1.0	0.5	0.0	5
Drew Naymick	2	8.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol took this summer off to rest their bodies. Devin Ebanks showed potential to be good contributor to Lakers. Vujacic and Walton are showing no progress. Theo Ratliff could improve during the season.

Lakers roster:

Departures:

• Jordan Farmar
• Adam Morrison
• D.J. Mbenga
• Josh Powell

Additions:

• Steve Blake
• Theo Ratliff
• Matt Barnes
• Derrick Caracter
• Devin Ebanks

The expected starting roster is the same like in the last year:
PG: Derek Fisher (Steve Blake)
SG Kobe Bryant (Shannon Brown)
SF Ron Artest (Matt Barnes)
PF Paul Gasol (Lamar Odom)
C Andrew Bynum (Theo Ratliff)

Blake is a solid NBA point guard, one who struggled the second half of last season. Matt Barnes will come off the bench to replace Ron Artest. Also in are draftees Derrick Caracter, Devin Ebanks, free agent center Theo Ratliff, and also Shannon Brown and Derek Fisher were re-signed. Total salaries are big problem for Lakers. There are many players, who are overpaid. The Laker's bench should be better than in recent years.

Player	2010/11
Kobe Bryant	$24 806 250
Pau Gasol	$17 822 187
Andrew Bynum	$13 842 332
Lamar Odom	$8 200 000
Ron Artest	$6 322 320
Sasha Vujacic	$5 475 113
Luke Walton	$5 260 000
Steve Blake	$4 000 000
Derek Fisher	$3 700 000
Shannon Brown	$2 200 000
Matt Barnes	$1 765 000
Theo Ratliff	$1 352 181
Devin Ebanks
Derrick Caracter	$473 604
Anthony Roberson
TOTALS:	$95 218 987

Lakers win a ring again in 2011!

Lakers All-decade Team

Last decade was very successful for Lakers in NBA. Sports Illustrated's named Lakers the franchise of the decade and Phil Jackson was selected as the coach of the decade. Kobe Bryant was called the seventh-best male athlete of the decade.

Lakers started 2000 by winning three consecutive championships, beating Indiana, Philadelphia and New Jersey, respectively, at the NBA Finals. They finished the decade by winning another title, this time over Orlando.

They also reached two other Finals in 2004, losing to the Detroit Pistons, and in 2008, losing to the rebuilt Boston Celtics. The Lakers won 530 regular season games during the 10-year period, trailing both the San Antonio Spurs (576) and even the title-less Dallas Mavericks (548). But they won when it counted.


Although Coach Phil Jackson and point guard Derek Fisher were part of all four NBA championships for the Lakers, only Kobe Bryant was part of every season along the way.

Starting lineup:

• Derek Fisher
• Kobe Bryant
• Rick Fox
• Paul Gasol
• Shaquille O'Neal

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal produced 3 titles together and are the best players in all categories. Derek Fisher has four titles and is very devoted to Lakers success all time. Three titles has Rick Fox. These players played more seasons for Lakers with team success and personal contribution. Pau Gasol played only two seasons for Lakers, but he contribution two these two successful seasons was very high.

Reserve lineup:

• Lamar Odom
• Robert Horry
• Andrew Bynum
• Luke Walton
• Devean George
• Jordan Farmar
• Chris Mihm

Shaq successor Lamar Odom played six seasons for Lakers and has title and final participation. He would have role of the sixth man. Andrew Bynum should be the player of next decade. The role players are Luke Walton, Jordan Farmar, Chris Mihm. From the teams of the begin of the decade are selected Devean George and Robert Horry (7-time NBA Champion).

Stars lineup:

• Gary Payton
• Caron Butler
• Glen Rice
• Karl Malone
• Ron Artest

For Lakers played some great players for only short time. These players will be candidate for Hall Of Fame members. When these players could play together it will be very strong lineup. Only Glen Rice became Champion with Lakers. Famose Malone and Payton stayed one step back in the 2004 Finals.


Garbage lineup:

• Smush Parker
• Stanislav Medvedenko
• Kwame Brown
• Sasha Vujacic
• Brian Cook

And at the end here is the worst roster of Lakers players. These players got a lot of chances, but their performance never been as was expected. The biggest disappointment of decade was Kwame Brown, the drafted number one. His performance was very poor and patience of Phil Jackson wasn't endless. In this roster is also Sasha Vujacic, because his current performance is really weak and behind expectation.

Special thanks for contribution to Lakers success belong to:

• Brian Shaw - 4x NBA Champion (2000,2001,2002,2009 as a coach)
• Horace Grant - Championship in 2001 and 2004 Finals
  
• Ron Harper - 5x NBA Champion (2000, 2001 with Lakers)
  
• Ronny Turiaf
• Trevor Ariza (2009 Champion)
  

The fourth title for Bryant became his most satisfying, refuting the belief that he couldn't carry a team without O'Neal to ride. But he proved everyone wrong, bringing the Lakers back to where they always seem to be – on top of the NBA.

Best shooters

The shooting percentage is key parameter for winning games. Players who are able to have high percentage for different types of throws are very valuable. To stay on high percentage is very difficult and only few players are all around shooters.

Here is list of best all around shooters:

Player	Team	Free Throws	Field Throws	Three Throws
Nash, Steve	PHO	94%	56%	46%
Paul, Chris	NOR	86%	54%	49%
Allen, Ray	BOS	93%	52%	36%
Pierce, Paul	BOS	83%	50%	44%
Williams, Mo	CLE	88%	45%	44%
Calderon, Jose	TOR	79%	56%	40%
Anthony, Carmelo	DEN	87%	50%	36%
Crawford, Jamal	ATL	87%	55%	31%
Williams, Lou	PHI	83%	58%	32%

The best shooter is Steve Nash, who is really able to be dangerous from all positions. His free throws (80/85) have the highest percentage in the league and 94% is his career maximum. The shooting behind the arc is also excellent and Nash is above 45%. Nash is at his age very competitive and his numbers are still very high.

On the second place is excellent long distance shooter Chris Paul. He was injured but his shooting performance is again amazing. This year he improved three points shooting dramatically and he is attacking 50% (23 / 47) here.

Very good situation is in Boston where are two elite shooters Pierce and Allen, what is big advantage. Boston has the best percentage efficiency from the field 49.5% and of course the focus is on the defense (best in the league).

In Cleveland is Lebron James supported by Mo Williams shooting. Among top shooters belong also Carmelo Anthony who is leading points per game in league with 30.4. He is shooting 20 attempts from field and 10 on the line in average and his shooting is very balanced from all positions.

Not far from this group are Dirk Nowitzki (89% / 48% / 35%) and Lebron James (78% / 55% / 36%). Dirk is excellent at free throws and Lebron from the field. From the frequent shooters quite low numbers have Trevor Ariza (67% / 41% / 34%).

Old but still good

Experiences are very important and every team needs players who are able to lead the team in critical moments. There are several elderly players who are able to compete. Here is list of oldest players who score 20+ points in single game this season:

Player	Age	Pos	PTS
Shaquille O'Neal	37-242	C	21
Grant Hill	37-027	F	23
Steve Nash	35-269	G	30
Marcus Camby	35-220	C	23
Rasheed Wallace	35-047	F	20

These 5 players are really very respected players and are playing very good. Steve Nash has started this season with shooting percentage above 50% from the field and behind the arc with average 19 ppg. He is one of the best shooter in the league.


O'Neal changed the team and is playing lower minute than in Phoenix (25mpg). Grant Hill looks better this season and Camby has 2+bpg. This group should join Jason Kidd and Michael Finley later.

There are 17 players who are 35 who are currently playing. The oldest is Lindsey Hunter who is 39 and plays for Bulls. Twenty points and more scored 112 players from 372 players till now.

Kobe reached 24,000 points

Kobe Bryant scored 41 points while becoming the youngest player to reach 24,000. Bryant carried the Lakers while reaching his latest scoring milestone 38 days before Wilt Chamberlain did. Kobe needed 954 games for this milestone. He has chance to reach this record also for 25,000 milestone (Wilt Chamberlain &0000000000000031.00000031 years, &0000000000000186.000000186 days), if he score them before Feb 25, 2010.

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is becoming the youngest player to score 24,000 career points. Youngest to 24,000 Points:

Player	Years-Days
Kobe Bryant	31-75
Wilt Chamberlain	31-113
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	32-331
Oscar Robertson	33-13
Michael Jordan	33-30

Kobe even overtook Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson for 16th place on the NBA's career scoring list. There are only 10 players in the NBA history who have 24,000 points, 5,000 rebound and 4,000 assists (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Julius Erving, Jerry West, John Havlicek and Alex English).

Bryant scored exactly 41 points for the third time in four games, giving him 99 career 40-point games. Kobe is third all-time behind No. 2 Michael Jordan's 173 40-point games and runaway leader Wilt Chamberlain's 271 (No. 4 Elgin Baylor 88, No. 5 Allen Iverson 79).

Top 10 NBA players

New season have started and the games showing us a lot of great actions. Here is look at the best players in my opinion, who deserve attention all of fans. What is interesting on first three places are Shaq teammates.

Last 3 years statistics: Statistics

10. Amare Stoudemire
After big season 2006-07 had Amare health problems but his best years should come. Phoenix after changes needs time to consolidate and then again attack the top stages in the league. With Steve Nash are the very good synchronized duo and can be dangerous for all teams. Amare is very efficient scorer with potential to have a lot of 20-10 games and be on of the best forwards in the league.
2009-10 (19-8-1-0-1) - 29

9. Kevin Garnett
After injury last year and missing play-off is Boston team again with complete roster and is prepared to be leading team in NBA. Garnett is key point in Boston defense and he is regularly in the first All-Defensive Team. Garnett wants the second ring and his ability could help Boston to reach the title again. This year he could play doble-double games.
2009-10 (13-8-2-1-1) - 25

8. Steve Nash
Two MVP thophies are at home and still ambitions to win. Phoenix team is changed but still actions with Amare Stoudemire are still famous. Nash is still assists leader in the league, behind Chris Paul He has one of the best hand in the league and his shooting percentage is famous. In free throws is one of the best with more than 90% and 3pt shooting around 45% and 50% from the field.
2009-10 (15-3-9-0-0) - 27

7. Tim Duncan
Duncan has three titles and two MVP awards and a lots of ambitions to the new season. San Antonio with addition of Richard Jefferson and Antonio McDyess will be one of the most experiences team. Duncan will be maybe declining at scoring but he is still one of the best defender. He is regularly in top 10 in rebounds and blocks.
2009-10 (16-11-2-0-1) - 30

6. Dirk Nowitzki
Best european player and former MVP of the league is in the stronger team this year. Dallas has ambitions to be again in the finale. He is regularly in the First All-NBA team. He is offensive threat and very good defensive rebounder. He is in top ten scorers and has a lot of free throws. At his 31 his numbers are declining.
2009-10 (26-8-2-0-0) - 36

5. Chris Paul
The best in assists and steals in the league for last two seasons is still raising and we can expect a lot. He is member of first defensive team in the league and he is able to have more than 11 assists and 2 steals per game. This season will probably increase his PPG. However New Orleans is behind the top favorite on the title.
2009-10 (24-5-10-2-0) - 41

4. Dwight Howard
Actually the best in rebounds and blocks and Defensive Player of the Year. His team with Vince Carter will be attacking the title after being last year in the finale series. But competition in Eastern Conference is huge though.
2009-10 (20-13-1-1-3) - 38

3. Dwyane Wade
Wade is shooting machine and he is going to be the best scorer again. He has the title with Shaq and his is trying to go back. Miami has good team but they can wait for maturing of Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers. He is in the top ten in assists and steals also. He was second in turnovers.
2009-10 (29-5-7-2-1) - 44

2. Kobe Bryant
Kobe has the biggest season behind with Olympics title, NBA title and All-Star Game MVP and NBA Finals MVP. He is still focusing on the Lakers success, but I expect lower average numbers. There is expectation that other players will take more responsibility. But Kobe's actions are the best in the league.
2009-10 (25-5-4-1-0) - 35

1. LeBron James
Actually the best player in the league. Current MVP and the strongest candidate for MVP trophy this year. The only goal is title this season. His numbers are maybe at the top last year, but his all around skills are incredible. This year he maybe will play 8rpg and 8apg. We can expect many tripple double this year. Next year he is before signing of new contract and the clubs will offer him the best offerings.
2009-10 (28-8-8-1-1) - 46

There are many opinions who should be in the list. Trully Yao Ming should be on the list, but he will be missing the whole this season. Paul Pierce with the title and leadership in Boston is also strong candidate.

Team leaders

The team leaders are the key persons in the team and every general managers would like to have star like Lebron James in the roster. These stars has own team and everybody is focusing on them.

True Leaders
There are only several players who are able to dominate and lead their teams long time. Here are players who lead the same team's stats for at least four years:

• Lebron James (24)
  
• Nowitzki Dirk (31)
  
• Bryant Kobe (31)
  
• Vince Carter (32)
  
• Chris Paul (24)
  
• Dwight Howard (23)
  
• Tim Duncan (33)
  
• Bosh Chris (25)
  
• Baron Davis (30)
  
• Andre Iguodala (25)
  

To be in this list means to be the best in the team for several season and be able to resist against injuries. In several teams is big competition and is difficult be the best every year. The oldest leader is Tim Duncan (33). The young players are coming forward Paul James and the youngest Howard. Leadership of New Jersey should take Devin Harris. Iguodala took the leadership from Allen Iverson at Philadelphia after his trade in 2006.

Interesting duo Howard - Carter will be very strong at Orlando this year. Combination of powerful center with dynamic Vince Carter (potential 20-5-5 this year) can bring additional wins.

Team	2009	2008	2007
Atlanta	Joe Johnson	Joe Johnson	Josh Smith
Boston	Paul Pierce	Paul Pierce	Al Jefferson
Charlotte	Raymond Felton	Jason Richardson	Gerald Wallace
Chicago	Ben Gordon	Ben Gordon	Luol Deng
Cleveland	Lebron James	Lebron James	Lebron James
Dallas	Dirk Nowitzki	Dirk Nowitzki	Dirk Nowitzki
Denver	Carmelo Anthony	Allen Iverson	Carmelo Anthony
Detroit	Tayshaun Prince	Chauncey Billups	Richard Hamilton
Golden State	Stephen Jackson	Baron Davis	Baron Davis
Houston	Yao Ming	Tracy Mcgrady	Tracy Mcgrady
Indiana	Danny Granger	Danny Granger	Jermaine O'Neal
Clippers	Baron Davis	Corey Maggette	Elton Brand
Lakers	Kobe Bryant	Kobe Bryant	Kobe Bryant
Memphis	Rudy Gay	Rudy Gay	Pau Gasol
Miami	Dwyane Wade	Shawn Marion	Dwyane Wade
Milwaukee	Richar Jefferson	Andrew Bogut	Mo Williams
Minnesota	Al Jefferson	Al Jefferson	Kevin Garnett
New Jersey	Vince Carter	Vince Carter	Vince Carter
New Orleans	Chris Paul	Chris Paul	Chris Paul
New York	David Lee	Jamal Crawford	Eddy Curry
Oklahoma	Kevin Durant	Kevin Durant	Ray Allen
Orlando	Dwight Howard	Dwight Howard	Dwight Howard
Philadelphia	Andre Iguodala	Andre Iguodala	Andre Iguodala
Phoenix	Shaquille O'Neal	Amare Stoudemire	Amare Stoudemire
Portland	Brandon Roy	Brandon Roy	Zach Randolph
Sacramento	Jason Thompson	Brad Miller	Kevin Martin
San Antonio	Tim Duncan	Tim Duncan	Tim Duncan
Toronto	Chris Bosh	Chris Bosh	Chris Bosh
Utah	Deron Williams	Carlos Boozer	Carlos Boozer
Washington	Antawn Jamison	Antawn Jamison	Gilbert Arenas

Other leaders
There are players who are the leaders and the only reason why there are not every year the stats leader are injuries.

• Paul Pierce (32)
  
• Carmelo Anthony (25)
  
• Dwyane Wade (27)
  
• Joe Johnson (28)
• Amare Stoudemire (26)

Young guns
There are several young players who have stable position in their team. One of the most potential players is Kevin Durant, who should be 25ppg / 10 rpg player.

• Danny Granger (26)
• Rudy Gay (23)
• Al Jefferson (24)
• Kevin Durant (21)
• Brandon Roy (25)

Interesting will be to watch who will be the leader at New Jersey (Devin Harris), Milwaukee (Michael Redd), Houston (Luis Scola) and Chicago (Luol Deng).

2009-10 Standings forecast

New season of NBA is before start and everybody is looking forward to the games. Here are the results of the teams from previous years and forecast for the new season. The forecast is linear regression of team's results from past six years. This method is trying to find the trend in the results. Of course there are some possible inaccurancy because some team has in some season very unusual results due to injuries or other factors (Miami in 2007). On the other side there are team which make break (Boston in 2007) and than the trend is completely different. But in the most cases the is interesting to follow the trends and compare them with real situation. The last column is standings in ESPN Power Ranking before the season.

Rk	Team	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	ESPN
1.	Cleveland Cavaliers	35	42	50	50	45	66	64	4
2.	Orlando Magic	21	36	36	40	52	59	64	2
3.	Boston Celtics	36	45	33	24	66	62	62	3
4.	Los Angeles Lakers	56	34	45	42	57	65	61	1
5.	Phoenix Suns	29	62	54	61	55	46	58	10
6.	Utah Jazz	42	26	41	51	54	48	56	12
7.	San Antonio Spurs	57	59	63	58	56	54	55	5
8.	Houston Rockets	45	51	34	52	55	53	55	22
9.	New Orleans Hornets	41	18	38	39	56	49	55	11
10.	Dallas Mavericks	52	58	60	67	51	50	54	7
11.	Denver Nuggets	43	49	44	45	50	54	53	6
12.	Portland Trail Blazers	41	27	21	32	41	54	47	8
13.	Atlanta Hawks	28	13	26	30	37	47	47	9
14.	Detroit Pistons	54	54	64	53	59	39	46	18
15.	Chicago Bulls	23	47	41	49	33	41	44	13
16.	Philadelphia 76ers	33	43	38	35	40	41	41	17
17.	Charlotte Bobcats		18	26	33	32	35	40	19
18.	Toronto Raptors	33	33	27	47	41	33	40	14
19.	Golden State Warriors	37	34	34	42	48	29	38	23
20.	Washington Wizards	25	45	42	41	43	19	32	15
21.	New Jersey Nets	47	42	49	41	34	34	31	25
22.	Miami Heat	42	59	52	44	15	43	29	16
23.	Milwaukee Bucks	41	30	40	28	26	34	27	29
24.	Indiana Pacers	61	44	41	35	36	36	26	24
25.	New York Knicks	39	33	23	33	23	32	25	26
26.	Los Angeles Clippers	28	37	47	40	23	19	23	20
27.	Oklahoma City Thunder	37	52	35	31	20	23	16	21
28.	Sacramento Kings	55	50	44	33	38	17	16	30
29.	Memphis Grizzlies	50	45	49	22	22	24	13	28
30.	Minnesota Timberwolves	58	44	33	32	22	24	12	27

The competition for the best season record will be very huge and the candidates for the title strengthen their teams. Top candidates are:

• Lakers - will try to repeat the last season and be again the team which is able to repeat the championships. The team is almost the same and the only change was replacement of Ariza by Ron Artest. There is big expectation how will be Artest able to integrate to this team and help to move forward.
  
  
• Boston - is back again with strong triplet: Pierce, Allen, Garnett and in addition is Rasheed Wallace. With dynamic guard Rajon Rondo the Boston's starter roster is maybe the strongest in the league.
  
• Cleveland - Lebron James will try to win the title with help of Shaquille O'Neal. If Shaq will be able to be 20-10 player, Cleveland will be very strong inside and most of the team will have big troubles.
  
• Orlando - The very ambitions team was in the final and goal is clear for this season. Best center in the league Dwight Howard will have new teammate Vince Carter. Question is if Carter will have expected performance and have a big season. Guard Jameer Nelson should be healthy and only player who will be missing is Hedo Turkoglu (to Raptors).
  
• San Antonio - is trying to compete again. The new players Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess (from Pistons), Theo Ratliff (from 76ers) make the Spurs one of the most experienced team in the league. Big expectations are from Richard Jefferson, who shoul add 20 points per game.

Behind these favorite teams should be Dallas with huge addition of Jason Kidd (re-signed), Drew Gooden (from Spurs), Tim Thomas (from Bulls), Shawn Marion (from Raptors). Roster is very strong and it will interesting how the team will be cooperate together. The second possible surprise could be Denver with Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. Denver had very strong series seven games series against Lakers in the last play off.

Preseason 2009-10: Lakers evaluation

Lakers preseasons games are finished and team show some good results. Overal results are 6 wins and 2 losses. Results are not so important because most of games are preparation and test for new players.
Bad sign are several injuries: Gasol, Bynum, Odom and Walton.

OCTOBER	OPPONENT	RESULT	W-L
Wed, Oct 7	Golden State	W 118-101	1-0
Fri, Oct 9	Golden State	L 91-110	1-1
Thu, Oct 15	Sacramento	W 98-92	2-1
Sat, Oct 17	Charlotte	W 91-87	3-1
Sun, Oct 18	LA Clippers	W 114-108	4-1
Tue, Oct 20	Golden State	W 113-107	5-1
Thu, Oct 22	Denver	W 106-89	6-1
Fri, Oct 23	Denver	L 105-119	6-2

Here is my evaluation of player's preseason games. I use my special coefficient Net Efficiency (NEFF).

Player	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Total
Kobe Bryant, SG	22	11	20	21	10	18	23	5	130
Andrew Bynum, C	19	17	22	20	25	23			126
Jordan Farmar, PG	14	6	5	21	10	9	11	4	80
Josh Powell, FC	-1	2	6	26	6	6	13	7	65
Ron Artest, SF	17	5	10	-9	13	11	6	7	60
Lamar Odom, PF	8	7	8			15	15	7	60
Shannon Brown, SG	6	5	6	-3	15	5	11	11	56
Sasha Vujacic, SG	5	3	6	13	-1	5	9	16	56
Adam Morrison, SF	0	3	3	5	12	5	5	5	38
D.J. Mbenga, C			2	4	6	-2	12	12	34
Tony Gaffney, G	1	5	4	11	4	3	2		30
Pau Gasol, FC	16	14							30
Derek Fisher, PG	1	-3	8	1	7	5	3	3	25
Luke Walton, SF	4	0					6	8	18
Mickael Gelabale, SF	4	5							9
Thomas Kelati, G	1	1	2	-3		3			4
Michael Fey, C		2							2
David Monds, F	2								2

In the preseason games leader was as always Kobe, who plays limited minutes. The biggest improvement showed Bynum. His offensive performance was very promising. Question is if his performance level will be stable during the season and if he is able to stay healthy.

Positive:

• Bynum offensive plays
  
• Lamar Odom all around plays
  
• Shannon Brown dunks and athleticism
  

Negative:

• Derek Fisher
• Luke Walton
• Adam Morrison
  

I expect bigger improvement from Morrison and Vujacic. To find time for these two players will be very difficult. Very important will be participation of Ron Artest who is learning the Lakers system. Maybe many people expect bigger impact on the team. He is very strong but his quite slow. I expect more and for me it's little disappointment. We will see how will be comparison with Ariza.

Expected starters should be:

• Bynum
• Gasol
• Artest
• Bryant
• Fisher

Sixth man would be Lamar Odom but during the season he very probably receive chance to start the games. For the guard position there will be interesting how strong will be the effort of Farmar and Brown to became the starter.

Lakers roster and salaries for 2009-10 season:

No	Player	2009/10
24	Kobe Bryant	$23,034,375
16	Pau Gasol	$16,451,250
17	Andrew Bynum	$12,526,998
7	Lamar Odom	$7,500,000
37	Ron Artest	$5,854,000
6	Adam Morrison	$5,257,228
2	Derek Fisher	$5,048,000
18	Sasha Vujacic	$5,000,000
4	Luke Walton	$4,840,000
12	Shannon Brown	$2,000,000
1	Jordan Farmar	$1,947,240
28	Didier Ilunga-Mbenga	$959,111
21	Josh Powell	$959,111
	TOTALS:	$91,377,313

Lakers are spending most money in the league for the player's salaries (Salary Cap for season 2008-09 is $57.7 million, luxury tax level is set at $69.92 million). From the last season the biggest change is replacement of Ariza by Artest. What is interesting both players have the same salary $5,854,000 in the coming season. The team remain almost the same. On the other hand there are only 13 players on the roster due to salaries cap. Morrison, Vujacic and Walton (15 million for all three) have very high salaries in compare to the role in the team and I expect the discussion about possible trade of them before trade deadline.

So I hope that the new season will be successful and Lakers repeat the championship title year and all the Lakers fans will be happy. Good luck Lakers in new season 2009-10!