NBA All-Star 2010 Reserves announced

Reserves for the 2010 NBA All-Star game in Dallas, Texas were announced earlier, with seven first-time players making the cut. These will include Chicago Bull Derrick Rose, Boston's Rajon Rondo, Atlanta's Al Horford, Gerald Wallace of the Bobcats, Kevin Durant of the Thunder, Zach Randolph of Memphis and Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz. Each of these players has earned their first ever spot on the All-Star team, serving as reserve players. All-star reserves are selected by the coaches from the respective Conference, while the starters are voted in by the fans. Here's a look at each conference's full All-star lineups.

Eastern Conference All-Stars

Starters:
Allen Iverson G
Dwyane Wade G
Lebron James F
Kevin Garnett F
Dwight Howard C

Reserves:
Derrick Rose G
Rajon Rondo G
Joe Johnson G
Chris Bosh F
Al Horford F
Gerald Wallace F
Paul Pierce F

Western Conference All-Stars

Starters:
Steve Nash G
Kobe Bryant G
Carmelo Anthony F
Tim Duncan F
Amare Stoudamire C

Reserves:
Kevin Durant F
Pau Gasol F
Dirk Nowitski F
Chris Paul G
Zach Randolph F
Brandon Roy G
Deron Williams G

This will mark Kevin Garnett's 13th appearance in the All-Star game, with Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan each having 12 appearances. Allen Iverson will have his 11th appearance on an All-star team, Dirk Nowitski his 9th, and Paul Pierce will make his 8th appearance on the team. If any player is unfortunately unable to play in the game, NBA Commissioner David Stern selects his choice as replacement.

The 2010 NBA All-Star game goes down on Sunday, February 14, 2010, Valentine's Day, in Dallas, Texas before an expected crowd of more than 80,000 fans.

2010 NBA All-Star starting lineups revealed

According to NBA.com, the Eastern and Western starters have been announced as voted on by the fans for the NBA All Star game 2010 edition. Both teams will feature some familiar faces who have been commonplace on the squads over the past several years, including the return of AI in the East.

This year's Eastern Conference squad will feature a starting lineup which includes guards Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade, forwards Lebron James and Kevin Garnett, and center Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic. Many have questioned the selection of Iverson during his worst campaign of his career, as he's returned to play for the Philadelphia 76ers. However, the fans have spoken and Iverson will be amongst the competitors.

For the West, two Phoenix Suns have been voted onto the starting team, with guard Steve Nash and forward/center Amare Stoudamire. Joining them will be Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, Tim Duncan of the Spurs and Carmelo Anthony of the Nuggets. Anthony struggled in year's past to get onto the team, but now seems to have become a fan favorite.

Last year's game went down in Phoenix with a reunion of former teammates, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal sharing the MVP honors, despite their recent feud. The West crushed the East by a score of 146-119, so the East will be looking for some possible revenge out in Dallas.

They're doing it up big for this year's 2010 NBA All-Star game too. The game is to be held in Texas at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Estimates have put the crowd at near 100,000 fans. The game will be played the night of Sunday, February 14, 2010, and most likely with the game in Dallas, Mavs GM Mark Cuban will make sure the night is full of entertainment for all.

See ticket information for NBA All-Star 2010 here.

For more on this year's All-star game visit NBA.com

Spurs Dynasty Falling?

n the Love & Basketball season preview, it was mentioned that one team on the decline in 2008-09 could be the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are winless after 3 games, lending to the notion that an aging roster could spell trouble for their chances at NBA gold. The last time San Antonio was 0-3 was about 35 years ago in their pre-NBA days with the ABA. While there's many many more games left, it's definitely an early warning sign.

Currently, the Spurs have about 3/4 of their roster in the 30 years or older category. Duncan's 32, Bowen's a startling 37, Michael Finlay's 35, Ginobli's 31 and so forth..In the case of last year's champions, the Boston Celtics, they added two players in the similar age range, but two guys hungry for a title and ready to give everything that had. Before KG was added to that mix there was initial anger at adding an aging Ray Allen who had ankle problems. That anger quickly dissipated when the Big Ticket was put into the mixture. The Spurs have been there done that, and everyone knows that the hunters become the hunted once they've added plenty of trophies. The Spurs made very little in terms of big trades or roster moves to bolster their aging roster.

To their credit or defense, the Spurs were without Manu Ginobli in all 3 games this season. He's been recovering from ankle surgery and will be back in about a month. In this young season, Duncan and Parker have consistently given their types of numbers to the team, while the rest of the team is adding just 40 points. Manu may be the lifeline... Center Fransisco Oberto also missed 2 games due to the discovery of an irregular heartbeat. The only real offseason free agent the Spurs added to their roster was Roger Mason Jr, far from a talented explosion of youth.

So the Spurs used to intimidate most teams but now are in search of a magic elixir of youth. Perhaps a mid-season trade will occur to bring in fresh legs, but that will most likely disrupt team unity and the Spurs will be set back further. Don't count them out of the playoffs just yet, but if they continue to play like they have, the Finals will be out of the question. Then again, the Spurs seem to thrive when they're forgotten about, so this might be another trick up their Ol' Pop's sleeve.

Lakers Have Spurs on the Ropes

The Lakers are now in cruise control with the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Los Angeles kept the Spurs from making the comeback Tuesday night to take a 3-1 series lead. With another win, Kobe will return to the promised land to await either the Pistons or Celtics.

On Tuesday night, Kobe lead the way with 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Duncan had 29 and 17 for the Spurs. It was very close down the stretch, but the Lakers took it 93-91. Brent Barry went for the win with seconds remaining, as he took a 3. Some claim Barry was fouled by Derek Fisher, but the refs made no call, creating somewhat of a controversy following the game.

The Lakers last were in the Finals back in 2004, when they had the team composed of Hall of Famers like Shaq, Kobe, Karl Malone and Gary Payton, but failed to defeat the Detroit Pistons. We could see a renewal of that series or a renewal of the storied Lakers vs. Celtics rivalries from the 80's. Right about now though, the world champions look about done, as the MVP Kobe and his new crew are ready for the Finals.

Recap of tonight's game from Associated Press

Large Lakers Comeback Beats Spurs

The Spurs had made plans to leave town early and catch a flight to LA Monday night, however their plane had been delayed for hours. The plane situation didn't seem to hurt them as they were walloping the Lakers for a while Wednesday night. In Game 1, the Lakers defended their homecourt, but they had to make a big comeback to finally overcome the Spurs in the 4th. Spurs led by as many as 20 in this game, but the determination of Kobe along with his squad were able to pull off an 89-85 win. The Lakers defense was credited for making a great deal of stops to charge back. Kobe was cold early but his performance helped push the team to the victory. He finished with 27 points, while Duncan finished with an impressive 30 points and 18 rebounds.

The final minute of the game proved exciting with the Spurs tying things up on a Duncan tip in, then Kobe coming right back at the other end to hit the jumper. Lakers were up 2 with 20 seconds to go. The Spurs tried to take the lead on a 3 point attempt by Ginobili which grazed off the rim. A melee ensued to get the rebound with several bodies hitting the floor. Lakers came up with the ball, a foul and then hit 2 free throws to go up by 4.

This should prove to be quite the competitive series as these two teams have been in the NBA finals most of the time over the past 9 years. The only other Western Conference team to make it was Dallas several years ago. If Lakers-Spurs goes 7, NBA fans are in for a treat.

Spurs Advance Past Hornets 91-82

In the words of former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, you can never "underestimate the heart of a champion". Perhaps many people did just that, self included, as the Hornets were blowing San Antonio away in New Orleans. Many people expected the champion Spurs to be done as of Monday night.

Monday night marked the final Game of the series, with a trip to the Conference finals on the line. Each team had been really dominating the other on the homecourt, but that wasn't the case here. Experienced champions were consistent here and the younger Hornets couldn't overcome their spirit. San Antonio was up by 9 as the teams headed into halftime. They had a hot 3rd quarter, going up by as much as 12. In the 4th, Janero Pargo narrowed the gap to just 3 points after New Orleans played volleyball with about 4 different offensive rebounds. Tony Parker hit a nail in the coffin type shot and the Spurs ended up winning it 91-82. Despite the loss, Chris Paul definitely had the breakout season of 2007-08 and should continue this heading into next season. Watch out for the Hornets!

We now get a great Western Conference finals matchup pitting Kobe's top LA Lakers against the World champion Spurs. I actually give San Antonio the edge here believe it or not, because I think they do hold the experience factor. While LA still has Derek Fisher and Kobe from the championship Lakers teams of past, I'm not sure they can solve Tim Duncan effectively. The combo of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom inside could work well to stop the Spurs' guards as they guys on TNT's postgame show mentioned. Will Kobe have it in him to bring this Lakers team back to the Finals? Will Duncan and his crew earn a return trip to defend their title? Either way it should be a great series in the Wild Wild West!

Tuesday night will see the start of the Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons series which also will make for some must see NBA TV!

Read more about the Spurs victory over the Hornets at AP.

Spurs Hurt the Hornets

The Spurs not only hurt New Orleans with a 19 point win Thursday night, but also hurt their All-star forward, David West. West left the game after taking a hit in the back by Robert Horry. Apparently back spasms forced West to the back locker room with the help of his teammate and staff. Hopefully for the sake of New Orleans he's able to play again on Monday in a do-or-die Game 7.

The Spurs looked very good in the second half, and due to Chris Paul's foul trouble, they were able to build an impressive lead. Despite Paul's 21 points and 8 assists, San Antonio outscored the Hornets 20-12 in the 3rd quarter. For San Antonio, Duncan notched 20 points, 15 boards and 6 assists, with Ginobli scoring 25 to lead the team. The Hornets didn't really have any other impressive performances, as Peja had just 13, West chipped in 10 and Chandler had 14.

The World champs who were once down 2-0 and seemed "out of it", are now easily in position to return to the promised land. So now we get to see what could be a classic Game 7 on Monday night in New Orleans. At stake is a spot in the Western Conference Finals. According to ESPN Sportscenter,the Spurs have Lost in Game 7 every time they've forced one in the Conference Semis.

As a friend remarked to me earlier in the night, we could see three Game 7's depending on how Cleveland and Utah fare on Friday night. If any team needs to prove itself with a road win right about now, it's the Boston Celtics.

2007-08 NBA All-Defensive Team

On Tuesday the NBA unveiled its 2007-08 All-Defensive Team. League MVP Kobe Bryant was on the first team along with another MVP candidate from the past season, the Celtics Kevin Garnett. Rounding out the team were Denver's Marcus Camby, Spurs' Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan.

KG and Kobe each received 24 first-place votes from NBA coaches. The second team consisted of Shane Battier (Rockets), Chris Paul (Hornets), Dwight Howard (Magic), Tayshaun Prince (Pistons) and Raja Bell (Suns).

Several of the names above are still active in the playoffs with the Celtics, Pistons, Spurs, Lakers and Hornets potentially the final 4 for this year's postseason.

Source: Associated Press

Jazz & Spurs Even the Score

On Sunday the two Western Conference playoff series resumed with both of the home teams tying things up. It was almost a bit of a mirror of Saturday's East games, with the first game a close affair, and the second a massive rout.

Utah played host to the Lakers in Game 4 of their series. I watched most of the first half, but had to set the DVR for the second due to Mother's day plans. Luckily, I set the DVR to tape a half hour beyond the scheduled end time. The Jazz were up by 12 points with about 4 minutes left, but the Lakers were resilient. Lamar Odom played the role of hero to hit a key 3 as well as the tying basket to bring it to overtime. In OT, Utah was able to hit their foul shots as they should, and capitalized on a few LA turnovers to win it. We now have a 2-2 tie in this series after Utah's 123-115 win. The Jazz also continue to display an impressive home record this 2007-08 season.

In the late game it was another NBA playoff blowout, as the veteran Spurs really walloped the New Orleans Hornets in San Antonio. The Hornets will now remember the Alamo, as coach Byron Scott even said his team's intensity was horrible. The usually consistent Tim Duncan recorded 22 points and 15 rebounds in the victory. For the Hornets sake, hopefully this hasn't taken their momentum away. Once the Spurs machine is running on all cylinders, they are tough to stop come playoff time.

It's still tough to say which West team is going to get to the NBA Finals. Same goes for the East, but who wouldn't love to see the new look Lakers versus the new look Celtics for this year's trophy? Lebron & the Cavs versus Kobe & the Lakers, Celtics versus Spurs, Pistons versus Spurs..so many great possible Finals matchups to anticipate.

Pistons & Hornets Up 2-0

Deja vu yet again on Monday night as the Pistons defeated the Magic to take a 2-0 lead, and the Hornets are now up with an impressive 2-0 lead on the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.

The Pistons-Magic game was not without controversy. Chauncey Billups hit a 3 point shot with 5.8 on the clock near the end of a quarter. The shot gave Detroit a 2 point lead. The problem was the clock never started when the ball was thrown inbounds. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy protested that the shot shouldn't have counted. For some reason the refs decided it was legit. Pistons end up winning in a game that definitely may have deflated Orlando. That's not to say the Magic won't even the series in Orlando, but the Pistons are definitely playing in cruise control right now, with impressive wins.

The Hornets have impressed me most in the playoffs so far. I hadn't seen them play much during the regular season, and couldn't believe they were on top of the West. They now can say they have the champs down 2-0, with a 104-92 win over San Antonio Monday. Chris Paul churned out yet another great stat line of 30 points along with 12 assists to lead his troops. Hugo the Hornet and the Ring of Fire didn't factor into this game, but TNT still used it for jokes. After the game Tony Parker remarked that the Spurs don't feel their backs are against the walls. This is true, they are the world champs and are capable of overcoming a 2-0 deficit.

Tuesday night offers just one game and it should be a good one. The Cleveland Cavaliers travel into Boston to face what could be a worn down Celtics team for Game 1 of their series.

Don't forget there will be 23 cent large pizzas in Cleveland Thursday, regardless of a Cavs win or loss!

2008 NBA Playoffs Day 1

The 2008 NBA Playoffs have started off at a furious pace. On Saturday the playoff gates opened with a classic Western Conference game going into double overtime. It was the rematch of the Spurs vs. Suns, which is now considered one for the ages. Tim Duncan, who hadn't hit a three point shot all year managed to hit one in the first overtime to tie things up. In the second overtime there was a series of wild shots by both teams, ending with Manu Ginobli's drive with 1.8 seconds to go. The Spurs defeat the Suns 117-115 to take Game 1. Duncan recorded a game high 40 points and 15 rebounds in the thriller.

Cleveland and Lebron James handled the trash talking Wizards 93-86 in their game 1 in Cleveland. Gilbert Arenas had made comments that there's no way a team can beat another in the playoffs for 3 straight years, and the Wizards would "try their luck" this year. His teammate Deshawn Stevenson decided to throw in that Lebron James is "overrated". Definitely not the smartest of moves to stir up King James after he made the Finals just 1 year ago.

In other action, The Hornets defeated Dallas 104-92 in Game 1. Chris Paul made his much-anticipated NBA playoff debut scoring 35 points and 10 assists to lead his New Orleans Hornets to a 1-0 start. Dallas was ahead by as much as 12 at one point, but New Orleans gained momentum and played almost flawlessly in the second half. Paul also showed why he may be receiving the proverbial torch from future Hall of Fame PG, Jason Kidd. Dirk Nowitski had stated earlier that he was happy they weren't facing the red hot Lakers, but it looks like the Hornets were just as heated.

In the nightcap, Tracy McGrady's Rockets met Deron Williams and the Utah Jazz. T-Mac has the stigma of being bounced from the first round of the playoffs all 6 times in his career. As Stephen A. Smith of ESPN noted "it's like a black cat is following him around". That black cat sort of hit when it took out Yao Ming for the season, but the Rockets still had an impressive 22 game winning streak, with half of them during Yao's absence. T-Mac was on the receiving end of another loss to start things off as the Jazz defeated the Rockets 93-82. Deron Williams, Andre Kirilenko and Carlos Boozer combined for 61 points for the Jazz.

More playoff action Sunday with the Celtics vs. Hawks, Pistons vs. Sixers, Raptors vs. Magic and Nuggets vs. Lakers series all opening up.

2008 NBA All-Star Game Review

This year's All-star game from New Orleans featured plenty of starpower and playmakers looking to showcase their talents. Prior to the game Kobe Bryant spoke about his injured right pinkie and having to play despite his coach or GM not wanting him to. Kobe has a torn ligament in his finger but will play the remainder of this season and wait to get surgery. Jason Kidd told TNT reporter David Aldrige he expects to be in Dallas within the next 48 hours. TNT's Ernie Johnson added in that Keith Van Horn may be part of the deal and have to come out of retirement to sign a $4 million contract with the Mavs.

First Quarter:
Kobe Bryant came out within the first 3 minutes of the 1st quarter with no points scored. The East squad jumped out to an early lead. Chris Bosh had a ton of dunks early on and J-Kidd threw an impressive lob to Lebron for a throwdown. At one point all three Detroit Pistons were in the lineup along with the lone 2 Bost Celtics. Crowd members shown included Alyssa Milano, Gabrielle Union, Governor Schwarzenegger, Terell Owens and Ludacris.

Second Quarter:
The East continued to maintain its lead thanks to the West's turnovers. Lebron and D-Howard had several alley oop exchanges for dunks. An interesting stat flashed about Dwight Howard as well. He has 145 dunks total this season which is more than 4 different NBA teams have for total dunks. East closes out the first half up 74-65, on pace for one high scoring game.

Third Quarter:
The West narrowed the gap several times, but the East continued its lead by 13. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen of the Celtics scored the last several points of the quarter. During the quarter Chris Paul continued to display why he's such a great floor general in New Orleans.

Fourth Quarter:
This game got good in the 4th Quarter making for one of the better finishes to an all-star game in recent history. Ray Allen had 27 points as did Lebron. Ray hit a flurry of three's in the 4th quarter to help his team out, and Lebron had a strong key jam. There was also a critical foul called on Chris Paul where he caused Ray to hit the deck. Brandon Roy hit a late 3 to bring the West within 3 with under 10 seconds to play, but Ray Allen kept his team ahead with free throws. Allen was 1 shy of tying Mark Price's previous record for 6 three pointers made in an All-star game.

Overall impressions:
A little disappointing to see Lebron win the MVP over Ray Allen. Not that Lebron had a bad performance, but Allen's always been a deadly sharpshooter and three point shooter in the league and should have been rewarded for his great shooting in the game. Still Lebron's performance was just as deserving as he had just about every stat possible excluding popcorn sales.

There didn't seem to be the high flying razzle dazzle that All-star games of the past 5 years may have had. Notably, Kobe Bryant was out with a pinkie injury and high flyers like Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady weren't present. Two other guys missing who add a great deal of personality to the game are Shaq and KG (injury). However it was a great showcase for the Best of the rest of the NBA this year in New Orleans and an exciting fourth quarter finish.

Early NBA All-Star Votes

The NBA has released the first round of results from All-Star Balloting for the 2008 Game in New Orleans. Right now the leaders of the pack are Boston Celtic Kevin Garnett and Cleveland Cav Lebron James in the East. The West's top vote-getters are Kobe Bryant of the Lakers and Denver Nugget, Carmelo Anthony.

It's good to see Melo finally getting the love, and he can probably thank KG for leaving for the East. KG was a top vote-getter consistently out West for the forward spot. As expected Yao Ming is leading the Western Centers in voting, with Erick Dampier in second. Not for long though, as Marcus Camby is 7,000 votes behind him.

Here's how the starting teams would look if voting ended today:

Eastern All-Stars:
G Jason Kidd, NJ Nets
G Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
F Lebron James, Cleveland Cavs
F Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
C Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

Western All-Stars:
G Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers
G Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
F Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets
F Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavs
C Yao Ming, Houston Rockets

It's interesting to see that Tim Duncan isn't on the list, yet. He's 3rd among forwards and trails Dirk by about 20,000 votes. And in case you were wondering, the latest import to the NBA from China, Yi Jianlian is 5th in voting for Eastern Conference forwards. Let's hope China doesn't get any last minute ideas, even though the rook has potential in the league. Head over to NBA.com to cast your All Star votes for the 57th NBA All-Star Game (New Orleans, Sunday Feb. 17).

NBA Season Begins...

Last night the NBA season opened with just 3 games on the schedule. Here's a quick look and some thoughts.

Jazz defeated the Warriors 117 to 96

Carlos Boozer scored 32 pts along with 15 boards. I expect him to be in the top 10 maybe even top 5 scorers this season and to have a big All-star season for the Jazz this year. Deron Williams added 24 points and should continue to become the star player h was looking like last year.

Spurs defeat Blazers 106 to 97

Opening night action was supposed to see the big rookie Greg Oden match up against the champion Spurs. However, Oden is out for the season, so Mr. Duncan reigned supreme with 24 points and 13 rebounds, after getting his championship ring.

Rockets 95 to Lakers 93

The closest game of the night, Kobe Bryant showed his usual scoring prowess with 45 points total. T-Mac went off for 30 points and added 6 rebounds. Big man Yao added 25 points and 12 boards. It was Shane Battier who hit a tiebreaking 3 pointer with just 2.5 seconds left in the 4th quarter. A close contest, but the Rockets should be one of the top 5 or 6 teams in the West, and the Lakers may be as well.

Eight games on Halloween night, which include the Bulls taking on the Nets, Seattle vs. Denver, Dalls visiting Cleveland, and Milwaukee facing Orlando. See the full lineup here.

Survey Says Durant is Top Rookie

NBA.com released a 2007-08 Rookie survery on its site which proclaims Kevin Durant as preseason favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award. Durant was also voted above Oden in terms of who would make more All-Star game appearances before they finished their career. The survey was conducted by NBA.com, who gave several questions to the 44 rookies in attendance at a rookie photo shoot on July 27.

Durant received 23 of 44 votes (53%) over 5 votes for Greg Oden to receive rookie of the year. You might attribute this to the fact that Durant had a strong showing in the Vegas Summer league, with some mega scoring efforts. Also add in that Oden didn't play all of the summer league, due to leaving for a tonsillectomy procedure.

The rookie who was voted #1 in the "know least about" category was the big man from China, Yi Jianlian, of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Another interesting question asked of the rookies: Which current NBA player are you most looking forward to playing against? (Votes followed by percentage)

1. Kobe Bryant, LAL 10 24.4
2. Shaquille O'Neal, MIA 5 12.2
3. Tim Duncan, SAS 3 7.3
Kevin Garnett, MIN 3 7.3
LeBron James, CLE 3 7.3
Steve Nash, PHX 3 7.3

I find it odd anyone looks forward to playing Shaq, because those young rooks will be getting bulldozed over, at least for a few years to come.

Check out the 2007-08 NBA.com Rookie Survey at NBA.com.

The Spurs Dynasty & Player Debatin'

The Spurs have done it again. Stephen A. Smith of ESPN summed it up pretty well when he asked Tim Duncan why the Spurs seem to win a title every other year or so. Duncan joked that they like to make it interesting. It would almost seem as if the Spurs need time off here or there to work out the kinks. Some may even say the Spurs were a few shots and foul calls away from being 6 time champions about now. Nonetheless, it begs the comparisons now amongst sports commentators and fans as to who's better, Duncan or Shaq? And are the Spurs a legitimate dynasty?

The stats and numbers tell the true tales. The Spurs have one of the best winning percentages amongst professional teams of the last 10 years. They also have won 4 titles over the past 9-10 years. This puts them in pretty good company, as the only other teams to have won at least 4 titles are the Bulls, Celtics and Lakers. So technically the Spurs appear to be a dynasty, if not entering into that territory. As much as I love to hate this team, they keep getting it done, and that deserves the respect.

Now as to whether Duncan is a better player than Shaq..Well I'd say Shaq is a more dominant force in the league. He's accomplished more in his career. Both men have 3 NBA Finals MVP awards, and 4 titles. Shaq has won a title with two different teams and many argue that he had the services of a star guard or forward in D-Wade and Kobe. I still believe if you matched Duncan vs. Shaq in their primes, Shaq would take that matchup probably 8 or 9 out of 10 times.

So I'd put the Spurs in the Dynasty category or at least teetering on the brink of it. In terms of the Duncan vs. Shaq comparison, you can argue it both ways, but the Diesel has seemed to have a bigger impact wherever his imposing frame goes.