The Shooterz Corner

Why the hell not? If you disagree with these rankings comment below. There is a system to determining which mascot is better than which I just refuse to reveal it. Final note: some NBA clubs don't have mascots. We are going best to worst in this list: 1. Benny the Bull 2. Stuff the Magic Dragon 3. Hugo the Hornet 4. Rumble 5. The Raptor   6. Jazz Bear 7. Bango 8. The Coyote   9.  Rocky 10. Slamson 11. Hooper 12. Crunch 13. Harry the Hawk 14. Champ   15. Moondog 16. Boomer 17. Franklin 18. Pierre the Pelican 19. Grizz 20. The Gorilla 21. Clutch 22. G-Wiz 23. Burnie 24. Blaze 25. Chuck 26. Lucky

D-Wade and LeBron squared off for the last time in Wade's career last night. It was both epic and magical, much like Wade's career. So let's honor the third greatest shooting guard of all time with some of his insane career highlights.   My personal favorite Wade moment was his epic run during the 2006 NBA Finals. I remember being in absolute awe as a youngster, as he single handedly dragged the Heat to victory against a superior Dallas Mavericks team.

  The Warriors have had more drama than usual this year, which was accentuated by a blow-up Kevin Durant and Draymond Green had earlier in the season. While I don't think he's going to leave (primarily because I think he will want to open up the new arena in San Francisco), if he does I think the Thunder are actually the most likely destination. It would be really difficult to make the cap situation work, but I think Durant probably feels some strong ties to the community there. In addition,  the Thunder would afford him an opportunity to continue competing for championships without the label of jumping on the bandwagon. He would have to mend fences with Westbrook, but this makes the most sense. Other potential destinations don't seem like they would be as attractive to Durant. The Knicks have been so inept I don't think he would want to entrust the prime years of his career to them. The Clippers have appealing supporting pieces, but Durant would still be second fiddl

Let me be clear about what this exercise is. I am attempting to discern which teams have made a difference throughout the course of NBA history. This is not who is relevant in the moment, but rather which teams have stood out in the tapestry of basketball history. So I will slot teams into the categories of relevant and not relevant. I'm primarily doing this to piss off as many fan bases as possible, so lets get to it.  In the Category of Relevant:  Milwaukee Bucks : Just barely, but they have a passionate fanbase and have had multiple all time great players including Oscar Robertson.  Philadelphia 76ers : The Sixers are a classic NBA franchise with a storied history. This is an easy call.  Indiana Pacers : Indiana loves basketball and the Pacers are no exception.     Boston Celtics : No discussion needed. 17 championships and a bevy of iconic players, the Celtics are obviously relevant.  Detroit Pistons : The Bad Boys era alone makes them relevant, but they need to start

We've reached what is about the quarter point of the NBA season. So its time to hand out some quarter season awards. To be clear this is not who I think is going to win at the end of the year, simply who I think is most deserving at this point of the season. MVP- Giannis Antetokounmpo Rookie of the Year- Luka Doncic Sixth Man of the Year- Lou Williams Defensive Player of the Year- Marc Gasol Most Improved Player- De'Aaron Fox   Coach of the Year- Mike Budenholzer Disagree with any of these? Leave a comment below and tell me why.

This is an episode of a podcast that I did with friend and fellow basketball fan Jesse Palomera. Enjoy!