The Legend of the 12-Head

In case you haven't been made privy to this amazing information, I'm gonna let you in on it. Chris Bosh has a "girlfriend" (skeptical, we are). That, in and of itself, is newsworthy. However, even more newsworthy is the fact that this "girlfriend" has, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the world's largest forehead. Some may prefer to call it a 5-head, or even a 6-head, because it is most definitely a notch or two above your run-of-the-mill 4-head. On this sentiment, I must wholeheartedly disagree. She, unequivocally, has a 12-head. There is no way around it. That thing is HUGE. There is more space between her eyebrows and hairline than there is between seats on most commuter flights and in most NBA arenas. If her 12-head were for rent in Manhattan, it'd be advertised as a "spacious 1-bedroom," and go for $2200/month. To say the least, it's "quite roomy". But, because you probably don't believe me, I sent out the Raef Is About Power Investigative Team to capture photographic evidence. The results are amazing. See for your self.

The 12-head makes its first national TV appearance at a Raptors-Cavs game (yep, that Raptors-Cavs game)

Observing the Rookie Challenge at All-Star Weekend

Just kickin' it at home with Chris Bosh

Voicing her displeasure with a questionable call at a recent Raptors game

Back at All-Star Weekend, wondering where the hair went
Posing for the 2008 Got Milk? Seattle Seahawks fan calendar (who knew she was a Seahawk fan?)

Making her pro wrestling debut on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

After "fornication", and before eating Chris Bosh for sustenance

Courtside, and growing before our eyes

So, there you have it folks. Indisputable visual evidence of the only known living 12-head. It's OK to stare, just do so from a distance. While it may be hypnotizing, and even awe inspiring, it is no friend of yours. If you get too close, you will learn first hand the terrifying nature of this destructive power. Good luck, and godspeed.

Throw It Down Big Fella!

After watching Shaq’s Phoenix debut against the lakers, there is one thing that is absolutely certain. The Phoenix Suns are completely different team now. Sure, it’s hard to make sweeping generalizations after only one game, but if this game is any indicator, I think this trade just might work. The Suns had one major, glaring weakness, and that was on the inside, particularly guarding offensive minded big men, and rebounding. It’s obvious from the beginning that Shaq will immediately upgrade the Suns in both areas, even with minimal direct contribution himself. By him just being out there, teams are going to have to play them differently, thus opening things up for everyone else involved.

On offense, it was obvious that the initial game plan was to feed Shaq the ball, in an attempt to collapse the defense, and free things up on the outside. Right at the onset, it seemed like Phoenix was forcing Shaq to be involved in the offense, and it was slowing down their normally frenetic offensive attack. Players were standing around, seeing what he would do, and then reacting to the ball, as opposed to their usual offense that does a phenomenal job of letting the ball react to the players, creating open shots. The first half showcased numerous failed attempts at posting Shaq, and it really began to look like maybe the Suns made a huge mistake in trading away Shawn Marion for the big fella.

Then, in the second half, it all started to make sense. The offense started operating independently from Shaq, almost in the same manner as it does when Brian Skinner is in the game. The other 4 players played typical Phoenix Suns basketball, moving, passing, and shooting when they’re open. Meanwhile, Shaq just did his thing, setting screens (awkward as they were), gathering rebounds, and generally just taking up a ton of space. He moved reasonably well in and around the key, and when the ball came his way, he was able to make a few nice passes to cutting teammates for easy lay-ins. You could see the comfort level rising with each and every trip down the court, culminating in a 4^th quarter that showed glimpses of the old Shaquille that could simply overpower and dominate opponents into submission. After a slow start where he missed his first 2 shots and committed 2 early turnovers, he finished with a solid 15 points (6-9 shooting) to go with 3 assists and 3 turnovers. Not a bad nights work for his first time out.

On the other end, Shaq’s influence was more obvious early on. From the outset of the game, he gave Pau Gasol and the laker big’s a tough time, using his considerable size to disrupt the lakers offense, and wreak havoc on the boards. Although his final stats show a solid, but not spectacular 9 rebounds, he was instrumental in creating numerous rebounding opportunities for the usually outmanned Suns. Phoenix was uncharacteristically dominant on the glass, outrebounding the lakers 46-33, with Amare Stoudemire and Grant Hill grabbing 15 and 10 caroms apiece. Now, that my friends, is an improvement. Phoenix, who ranked 23^rd in the NBA in rebounding coming into tonight, might have done enough with this trade to become one of the better rebounding teams in the league. Each team has to focus so much attention on Shaq, that it’s going to free things up for everybody else to crash the boards using the quickness and athleticism that has been the Suns calling card the last few years.

In the same way that his presence by itself is enough to dramatically improve their rebounding, it will have a similar affect on their defense (although not in the same overwhelmingly positive way). By having Shaq in the middle, it allows Amare to slide over to his more natural position, power forward. This move gives them a great deal more size and shot blocking ability, as well as a lot more versatility to match up against all kinds of teams. However, it also means that they have a par to sub-par defensive player at every position (except when Bell is in the game). Uh, oh. The key though, is their offense will be given a big boost by potentially giving them two big time post playes that require maximum attention at all times. All these years, the teams that had the personnel would try to make the Suns go big, thus taking out one of their primary offensive weapons. Now? That means a heavy dose of Shaq. If you try to take Shaq out of the game, and go small? They’ll counter with a lineup of Amare, Diaw, Hill, Bell/Barbosa and Nash. I don’t know too many teams that can go small against that lineup and have continued success. Once Shaq gets himself settled (and he will), the Suns might be an even worse match-up nightmare than before, which is saying something.

One other aspect that requires mention, is that by adding Shaq (and thus changing everything about the make-up of the team), it's going to force the Suns to make a great deal of adjustments in the way they all play. On most teams, I'd classify this as a huge red flag, especially for immediate postseason success. One only needs to look at the Nuggets after acquiring Iverson. They had the talent to compete, but they just couldn't pull it all together for the postseason run, especially after having to come from behind in the standings. This Suns team, however, is a different animal. They've been rolling teams year in and year out for a while now, and have just crused through the regular season, until they reached a team that "figured them out", and they would be sent home. By adding Shaq, it's going to force the Suns to fundamentally change the way they do things. Instead of the free-wheeling run-and-shoot style they've been used to, they are going to have to actually install some sort of half court offense, and make these players remember how to win playoff basketball. Too often in the past, the Suns were beaten by their own style, forcing plays that weren't there, and using the "we'll make it up on the other end" excuse each time. That's all fine and dandy in the regular season, but come playoff time, when every possession matters (or so I hear), they need to be able to slow it down if the fast break isn't there, and actually operate in the half court. For most teams, the goal is to become less deliberate, and more free flowing. For the Suns, it's exactly the opposite. That being said, tell me one player in the league that will absolutely make your team more deliberate? There isn't anybody. And, I for one, think that's a good thing for the Suns.

Now, it’s worth mentioning that this game was against a lakers team that is weak inside, playing Pau at center, with Andrew Bynum still out with an injury. It’s also dangerous to jump to too many conclusions after only one game. However, this game did give quite a bit of insight as to how the Suns might play with Shaq, and how they might be successful. While there will undoubtedly be some growing pains, and there will be some teams that can contend with the Suns newfound bulk inside, it was pretty obvious after watching Shaq’s Phoenix debut, that this team will continue to be a force in the Western Conference. Now, will they be formidable enough to make it out of the West, and capture the city’s first pro basketball championship? That’s tough to say. But, they have just as good as shot as anybody, at this point. The only guarantee here is that this will only enhance what is already lining up to be one of the most entertaining playoffs in NBA history.

That wasn't so bad, now...was it?

So, like most NBA fans, I spent the weekend watching the NBA’s attempt to show off their best and brightest over the course of a weekend full of events that generally range from unwatchable to intermittently entertaining (with a few notable exceptions). How did this years festivities all turn out you ask? Well I'm glad you asked. So, without further ado, I present to you my somewhat in-depth review/critique of each and every event that mattered to anyone (sorry Celebrity Game and whatever they call that worthless NBA/WNBA shooting thing).

PS: Yes, I’m pretending someone cared about the Skills Competition.

Rookie Game

The Rookie Game is always mildly entertaining, if for no other reason than to know what basketball would look like if defense were entirely outlawed. It’s a fun enough game, simply because it’s always great to see some of the games brightest young stars screw around and show off their immense skills for a while. The real problem is that they insist on calling this a basketball game, as it’s been 5 years since the Rookies had a chance to win, and both teams refuse to play any semblance of defense. That being said, this year’s game was particularly… well… average.

There were some nice dunks, a few fancy passes, and some impressive 3 point shooting, but overall, the game lacked the pizzazz of past Rookie Games. Even with all the young talent in the game (and trust me, there was some), there was a serious lack of true star power. Maybe it’s because we’ve had back-to-back drafts that have yielded maybe 4 franchise level players (Roy, Gay, Durant, Oden) and Greg Oden didn’t play due to injury. Most of the other talent in the game are all gonna land somewhere between “quality role player” and “starter on a good team” when we look back on their career. Players like Rajon Rondo, Jordan Farmar, Al Horford, LaMarcus Aldridge, Daniel Gibson, and Mike Conley are all very good players, but all play mostly complimentary roles on their teams, and you could see that in the way the game played out. Even the “stars” like Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay aren’t exactly “give me the ball and get out of the way” kind of players. All this led to a lot of players trying to play an up and down, show-boating style that they aren’t used to, and trying to make spectacular plays that aren’t really the strength of their games.

Now, Rudy Gay had some pretty spectacular dunks (including catching an alley-oop from Roy he had no business catching), Daniel Gibson got hot from 3 point range hitting 11 3's (is that good?), and Brandon Roy looked solid throughout, while obviously saving himself for the big boy game. Kevin Durant showed why everyone was so excited about him coming into this season (he’s pretty good at this basketball thing), with a good overall performance including 23 points, some highlight reel dunks, and some freakishly long arms. All in all, it was worth watching, but I’m not going to shoot myself if I miss it next year.

Some quick thoughts about the game:

• Rudy Gay is athletic (in case you were wondering)


• Daniel Gibson was good, but not AMAZING. People were giving him 3’s, and my, oh my, was he taking them (20 shots, all 3’s!)


• Andrea Bargnani is playing softer than his name (that’s not good). By default, he should be the toughest Andrea in basketball. I’m guessing he’s not.


• This crop of rookies is better than we give them credit for, but still have a ways to go to catch up to the Sophs. Durant is legit, Horford is a beast, but the rest are a year away from having any sort of real impact on the league.

Overall, I think it’s a good idea for a game, although something just seems to be missing. Maybe it’s time for a format tweak, but I don’t think there is a logical way to do that. I think it’s best to just accept its shortcomings, leave as is, and hope for an upset every once in a while. The final score is not that important anyways. The best part is seeing young rising stars show off, have fun, and get rooted on by their big-brother All-Stars, and that’s just fine for me.

GRADES
Overall: B+ This Year: C+

Skills Challenge

If there was ever an event that just screamed “who cares”, this is it. Deron Williams won, ason Kidd made an appearance, and Dwayne Wade forgot how to play basketball for a few little bit. Chris Paul? Yeah, he was in it, but he didn’t win, or screw up, so who cares? Basically, this event was about 3 things to me:

• Dwayne Wade obviously quitting on the event after he knew he wasn’t going to win. He dribbled off of his foot, missed a couple jumpers, and then flat out quit. He just tossed his last few shot attempts towards the basket, then half-assed his way through the rest of the course, followed by missing not one, but two(!) lay-ups to cap an embarrassing performance. PATHETIC. If you’re a superstar, and the NBA invites you to participate in an event like that, you’ve got to at least try! I mean, I understand that you’re a competitor, you wanted to 3-peat, and that after you dribbled off your foot, it was all but over. But, come on! It’s a 1 minute long obstacle course! If I were the NBA, I wouldn’t invite him back next year, or any year (Although after this debacle, he might enjoy that. In which case, David Stern should Rasheed him, and make him participate).


• “At point guard, standing 6'4" tall, out of the University of California… ason Kidd!” Enjoy that championship run Dallas. Just hope your season doesn’t come down to your point guard being able to hit an open jump shot.


• As good as Deron Williams looked in this glorified (was it even that?) obstacle course, was it really all that impressive? Sure, it’s not that easy to make those passes, and hit a jump shot on command, but is there any doubt in your mind that any run-of-the-mill college guard could do just as good? It seems like it always comes down to who screwed up least. yay.

Now, as you can see, I am a BIG fan of this event [if by "am a BIG fan of" is the same as "don't particualarly care about"... which it is, right?]. That being said, it’s not all that bad, for one simple reason. It lasted all of 15 minutes. On top of that, it's simple to understand and is indeed a nice combination of point guard skills. So, I could take it or leave it. If the NBA is set on keeping it around, just leave it as is, and don’t put too much stock in the winner. Maybe next year, more than two people can actually display "skills."

GRADES
Overall: C This Year: D+

3-Point Shootout

OK, now here we get into the tried and true events that have been a staple of All-Star Weekend since its inception way back when (??). The 3-Point Shootout has definitely had its moments (Larry Bird anyone?), and most of them have definitely occurred prior to this decade. So, possessing a competition that’s struggled in recent years, David Stern decided to infuse a little star power into this years events, in hopes of resuscitating the dying event. In steps league MVP’s Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki (replacing an even bigger star in kobe bryant). Combine those two heavyweights, with the defending champ (Jason Kapono), a former 2-time winner (Peja), a young gun coming off a rookie game record 11 3’s (Gibson) and a masked villain (Rip Hamilton), and you got yourselves what should be an exciting competition that might actually live up to the “Shootout” in it’s name.

Unfortunately, the competition was over very quickly. How quickly? Well, luckily I was able to find a photo of the exact moment that Jason Kapono sealed up his second straight 3-Point Shootout crown (see right).

Yep, the moment Jason Kapono stepped off the bus, and arrived at New Orleans Arena, it was over. With all the hype of superstars, past winners, and face gear, everyone was calling for an upset of the reigning champ. Why? He’s the reigning champ for a reason, and that reason is The Kapono Dragon can flat out shoot the ball (exemplified by his remarkable performance in last years event). Second, every other competitor had an obvious reason why their ability to win the competition was suspect, at best.

Gibson is talented, as shown in the warm-up round, er… Rookie Game, but too young to not expect some nerves in a big spotlight such as this. Peja hasn’t been remotely healthy in years, so expecting the Peja of old to miraculously appear on demand would be foolish. Rip Hamilton has long been one of the best shooters of our era, but I can’t for the life of me remember him EVER being called a 3-point shooter. Meanwhile, Dirk and Nash are too busy winning MVP’s and trying the snatch the BIG trophy at the end of the season, to care about the little ones handed out halfway through.

Meanwhile, The Dragon has been spending the last 2+ seasons resting comfortably atop the leagues 3-point % charts, and is coming off of a record setting performance in last years competition. Throw in the fact that this is the event that will not only define his season, but maybe even his career, and you have yourselves a heavy favorite. The only knock on him is that he’s not Euro enough to follow in the footsteps of Dirk and Peja. Nitpicking to say the least (Although, I do think a name change is in order if he wins another one. My vote is for Jason Kaponeux. Sounds French.)

So, the contest went down as (should have been) expected, with each competitor struggling for a rack or two in round 1, while apparently trying to score exactly 17 points (If Peja hits his last money ball, and Rip can stay behind the line, we would have had a 4 way tie for 2 spots in the finals. At least then we’d have seen some drama). Meanwhile, Nash mailed it in, and Kopono easily cruised into the Finals with a smooth 21.

In the finals, Dirk stunk it up, Boobie got his 17 again, and The Dragon set an event record with his 25 points on 20 of 25 shooting. Damn, now that was impressive. If only he’d of had someone to compete with, this might have been one for the ages. Instead, it was just another lackluster 3-Point Shootout, with one mighty impressive display of shooting ability that saved it from the trash heap. Ho-hum. I’d still rather watch Shaq.

GRADES
Overall: C+ This Year: C+

Dunk Contest

OK, now this is what I’m talking about!

Out of all the events on All-Star Weekend, the Slam Dunk Contest is always the most hyped, and almost always the most disappointing. But, every once in a while the Dunk Contest actually comes through. This was one of those contests. After a couple years of sub-par competitors performing sub-par dunks, it was about time for a break out year. Right on cue, Dwight Howard shows up and puts on the best show the contest has seen since Vince Carter in 2000. It was just a complete domination from start to finish. Just like Vince, the moment Dwight threw down that first dunk (the filthy off-the back of the backboard, left-handed windmill) you had the feeling the contest was just about over. Then, once he pulled out the Superman “dunk”, you KNEW it was over. After that, he could have made two lay-ins in the finals, and walked away with the trophy. The first two dunks were just that nasty.

Meanwhile, Gerald Green pulls off one of the most creative and impressive dunks I have ever seen, and is nothing but an afterthought. I’m here to tell you right now, that the Birthday Cake dunk was just flat out COOL. There’s no other way to describe it. It’s like the old “Kiss the Rim” dunk, with a little more theatrics, and a lot lower risk of serious head trauma. Too bad he had to pull it off opposite Superman. I guess someone had to play the Steve Francis role of “Great Contestant Who Gets Severely Overshadowed By A Freak Show.” That’s OK Gerald, you’ll always have last year.

What about Rudy Gay and Jamario Moon, the two guys that had the most pre-contest hype? Well, they proved once again, exactly what hype gets you… squat. Now, to be fair, they had some nice moments, especially Rudy’s off the basket support dunk, that would have been sweeeet, had Superman (or was he still Clark Kent at that point?) not already pulled off what was essentially a more impressive version of the same dunk. Sorry, buddy, not your year either. And, at least Jamario knew he needed to go BIG on his second attempt. He set it up well, and was able to get the arena buzzing, but just didn’t have it in him. Maybe next, year.

All in all, this years competition was EXACTLY what the NBA had in mind when they reintroduced the ABA's dunk contest, in 1984. Let’s see… how about we take some of the best athletes in the world [check], get them to do disgusting things that no one has ever seen (or hoped to see) [check!], and after all that, have the winner catapult himself to superstardom [CHECK!]. Yeah, you can just go ahead and chalk this one up in the Success column.

Anyways, I’m gonna finish this off with my personal 2008 Slam Dunk Contest Top 5 Best Dunks list.

[Drum Roll, please]

1. Off the Back of the Backboard – WOW! Not only did he catch the oop off the backside of the backboard, and not only was his head still behind the backboard when he threw it down, but he threw in a fierce left-handed windmill for good measure, and threw it down clean as can be. Oh, and did you notice the weird bounce he got off the throw? Yeah, sick. (I'm already penciling it into my Top 5 ever.)

2. Birthday Cake – Arguably the most impressive and creative. It’s exactly what the contest is all about, and shows off Gerald Greens freaky hops. (He’s the only person I’ve seen get as high as LeBron in a McDonalds All-American dunk contest, and that's saying something.)

3. Superman – Not actually a dunk, but the whole “event” of the dunk was so off the charts perfect, and the “dunk” was still so unrealistically awesome looking, that it was just plain ridiculous. And isn't it the same idea as a dunk if you can get so high above that basket that you can throw it through the hoop? That sure works for me. The only question that remains is, "How long ‘til the Superman fathead is available?", cause I might have to get me one.

4. Dwight on Tap (tap off the glass) – Pretty-god-damn-impressive is the only way to describe this dunk. The sheer athleticism it takes to even attempt this dunk is unreal. Of course, Superman made it look easy.

5. Rudy off the Support – This dunk is getting no love, mostly because it followed Dwight’s disgusting older-sibling. But, still, this was very impressive. Hey, if you’re gonna be a JV something, at least be a JV Superman.

And that list doesn’t even take into account the Mini Hoop dunk or the vastly underrated No-Shoes, Through the Legs jam. All in all, it was pretty damn good show, and the NBA should be proud. And, I can tell you one thing, you better believe I'm gonna tune in next year, and I have a feeling I’m not alone.

GRADES

Overall: B+ This Year: A

It Ain't Gonna Be Pretty, But It'll Be Fun!

So, while deriding the NBA for their choice of Dirk Nowitzki to replace the already poor choice of kobe bryant in the 3 Point Shootout, I began to think of some ways to spice the event up. It seems like the last few contests have been pretty ho-hum. I suppose this is why they’re trying to force some star power into the game, even if it means including players having less than spectacular (understatement alert!) seasons from behind the arc.

[Now, you can totally ignore this once the Steve Nash beats Dirk with a late flurry of 3’s and a money ball at the buzzer to win it, setting records, energizing the crowd, and revitalizing the event. But, based off of the past few years, that seems increasingly unlikely.]

So, what’s my grand little scheme to save the 3 Point Shootout from becoming totally obsolete? Well, it’s the same formula that the league has used for years in order to generate wide-spread fan interest and excitement.

Shaq.

Yes, that’s right. I think Shaquille O’Neal should be one of the six members of the next NBA All-Star Weekend 3-Point Shootout. Think about it. When you tune in to the 3 Point Shootout this Saturday, would you rather see a reasonably impressive display of shooting acumen, or do you want to see arguably the biggest star in the game (still), put up more 3’s in 60 seconds than he has since he hit 6’ tall in the 3^rd grade? I mean, how many 3 pointers have you seen Jason Kapono, or Steve Nash make over the last few years? Hundreds. How many have you seen Shaq hit? Probably none (unless you happened to catch an otherwise nondescript midseason match-up between the Magic and the Bucks in February of ’96). You’ve gotta think he’d knock down a couple, given a few weeks to prepare, and 30 wide open tries at it. Each shot would no doubt be so ugly and awkward, that there’s no way the crowd wouldn’t get into it once the first one dropped (and what if he hit 3 or 4 in a row? Pandemonium I tell you. Pandemonium.)

Only problem is, he’d obviously have no chance at even being competitive given the current format. There’s no point to having Shaq only make a brief cameo, when he’ll undoubtedly be the contests main draw. So, let’s change the format a bit. Instead of the games best shooters, how about some of it’s most dubious? Could you imagine 6 of the shakiest shooters in the NBA jacking up 3’s in rapid succession, desperately trying to beat Shaq’s leading score of 5? I sure can. And it’s pretty awesome.

So, who would the other five contestants be, you might ask? That’s a great question.

First, you’d need somebody equally as awkward behind the 3 point stripe, and someone who everyone would genuinely want to see battle Shaq on one of the NBA’s biggest stages. Of course it’d be Yao Ming. Even after 5+ years of national TV battles, Yao vs. Shaq still has to be one of the easiest sells around, sports related or not. You put two HUGE, and talented, human beings in any sort of competition, and viewers will tune in. (I mean, somebody has to be watching those World’s Strongest Man competitions, for ESPN to keep playing them for all these years.)

So, now we got ourselves a first rate match-up of worldwide icons, competing in an event totally out of their element. That’s really all you need in order to have honest to goodness must-see TV. All that’s left is to round out the supporting cast with a group of players that will not only compete on an equal playing field, but also bring some entertainment value of their own to the mix.

You can add in the likes of Ben Wallace and Dwight Howard for a little more star power. Then, you have to be sure to include some of the lesser known (but equally disastrous) “shooters” in the game. Josh Boone and his phenomenal 32.9% from the line are an absolute must this season (If he can’t hit a free throw to save his life, who wouldn’t want to back him up a few feet and see what he’s got?). Then maybe a wild card like the worst shooter on the host team (Tyson Chandler anyone?), or if you really want to spice things up, a team owner (paging Mark Cuban) or local columnist (would any of them really pass up the opportunity to show up the players they rip apart on a day to day basis). Or even bring back an “All-Time Great” each year to challenge the new guys (Chris Dudley!). The possibilities are virtually endless!

Basically, let’s stop pussyfooting around the issue, and make All-Star Saturday exactly what it should be. A spectacle. I know I’d watch, and I’m sure I wouldn’t be alone.

Isn't the point of the 3-Point Shootout to see people MAKE 3's?

OK, I was all ready to write about how ridiculous it was to have kobe bryant in the 3 Point Shootout, just because he’s a superstar, even though he’s not anywhere near the top 50 in the league in 3PT% (a robust 35%). So, what does he do? He goes out, tears a ligament in his pinky, and backs out of the competition. Perfect. The NBA gets a do-over. Now, they can make it all better, and put in a real-life, bonafide 3 point shooting ace. Maybe James Jones (48.3%, 2^nd in the NBA), maybe Anthony Parker (47.4%, 5th), maybe even a little Jason Richardson (league leading 150 3 point FG’s, 41.6%) if they want to keep the same “former dunk champ in the 3 point shootout” gimmick.

So, who gets the nod? ……. Dirk Nowitzki.

Dirk Nowitzki?!!??!

Sure, Dirk won the 2006 shootout (in less than impressive fashion, I might add). But if you were to put together a list of less deserving players to participate in an All-Star game event, it’d be a short list (Grant Hill getting voted in as a starter while not playing a single game, comes to mind).

Look at Dirk’s 3 point shooting stats for the season, and tell me he deserves to be anywhere NEAR this competition.

Name	3PM	3PA	3P%
Dirk Nowitzki	41	141	0.291

That 29.1% is good enough for 115^th best in the NBA. Out of 118 players who shoot enough 3’s to qualify. Wow. That means, that if we chose the six 3 point shootout contestants based off of worst 3 point percentage, Dirk would be invited. Arggghh.

Although, that gives me an idea to make this competition REALLY interesting…. Stay Tuned.

Welcome!

Welcome to Raef Is About Power, a soon to be failed experiment in teaching you people the things you need to know about sports and such. Stay tuned for what is sure to be a wild ride that will be sometimes fun, sometimes offensive, and always misinformed.