The Big Three

No longer The Big Three

The "Big Three" Automakers have made the headlines over the past couple months, asking to be bailed out by the federal government. A poor (said by Hank Walter - poo-er) economy, terrible domestic sales, and a concentrated move away from the gas guzzlers are all reasons the Big Three are failing, so it is time to move on and take that moniker away from them.

Recently, there has been a trend in the NBA to get three stars on your team. It started when the media got a hard-on for Ray Allen, KG, and Paul Pierce in Boston. Before them, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and Tim Duncan were in San Antonio. Midseason last year, Pau Gasol was traded to LA, and the media had a new "Big Three" to drool over. Throw in Butler/Arenas/Jamison in Washington, Boozer(Millsap)/Williams/Okur in Utah, the failed Brand/AI 2.0/Dalembert trio in Philly, and the list can go on and on. Who really is the best? This can make for some healthy debate, so let's get right to it.

Top 5 Big Three's

5) Houston Rockets - Tracy McGrady/Ron Artest/Yao Ming - The newest of the Big Three's, Artest came over in a trade from Sacramento last offseason. The problem with this B3 is that it does not fit well with the role players that populate Houston's roster. Shane Battier is a huge asset to have, but it is hard to have him and Artest on the floor at the same time. Both are defensive stoppers, but neither is quick enough to play the two guard successfully on a consistent basis. On top of this, nobody has been more overrated since he got big time than Tracy McGrady. He is constantly hurt, jacks up too many three pointers, and chokes in the playoffs. The third member, Yao Ming, is as good of a center as there is in the league. That said, he is hurt wayyyy too often, which is why the Rockets always keep Dikembe Mutumbo's number on speed dial. Unless you are trying to raise money in Africa, that number is no longer a good one to have for a center.

4) Cleveland Cavaliers - Lebron James/Mo Williams/Delonte West (or insert player name here) - The trio in Cleveland is more like the trio from the Batman movie with George Clooney. You've got Clooney, international megastar who is playing Bruce Wayne, then you have Chris O'Donnel playing Robin. O'Donnel doesn't have much cred, but Robin carries some weight. He is a good second man, which is exactly what Mo is. Then you have Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl. The third person doesn't really matter when you are carrying around the legacy of Batman & Robin. Sure, the movie was awful, and the acting was just as awful. It is the name brand that I am looking at. Lebron can carry any trio into the top 5 by himself, and Mo Williams only cements them further into upper echelon.

3) LA Lakers - Kobe Bryant/Andrew Bynum/Pau Gasol - In any normal world, this list would be tops. However, this is the NBA, and these guys fall into 3rd place. Kobe is the elite player in the game today, with more competitive drive than anyone on the planet, save Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan on the blackjack table. He is the alpha male in the NBA, and that point was only further proved when everyone looked to him to take the big shots in the Gold Medal game against Spain. What did Kobe do then? He put a dagger in those f'n Spaniards. Gasol was a star in his own right during his days in Memphis. In a day when a true post player is hard to find, Gasol is a magician on the block. He is the epitome of the European player; smart, fundamentally sound, and a pathetic beard. Bynum is the wildcard in this trio. Just starting to come into his own, he cannot seem to stay healthy. When he is healthy, he is Alonzo Mourning with a post game. He changes shots in the paint, has a surprisingly good touch from the floor and the line, and is still only 14 years old.

2) Boston Celtics - Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett/Ray Allen - The trio that originally sparked the name "Big Three", these guys are as professional of a trio as you will find. KG is the unquestioned leader of the Celtics. Pierce may seem like it, because he has been there the longest, but make no mistake; the Celtics follow Garnett. It wasn't until KG demanded the Celts play defense last year that they really took off. If another PF (more on him later) wasn't in this generation, than people may be talking KG up as the greatest power forward ever. (Screw you, Karl Malone. Even though you did do a cameo in Soul Plane) Pierce is the guy that the Celtics look to down the stretch. When he wants to, he can be a lock down defender. Save Kobe and another player to be named, nobody clutches up better than Pierce. That leaves Allen, who fills in the "in between" time. When the Celtics are struggling to score in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, they go to Allen. He is the consummate professional, never complaining that he is often the odd one left out of the talk of the "B3". He deservedly made the All-Star team this year, no matter what bitter Cavs fans have to say. If these guys add a few more championships, they may very well take over the top spot. Until then, it stays with...

1) San Antonio Spurs - Tim Duncan/Manu Ginobli/Tony Parker - In this trio, you have got it all. Championship rings, best power forward ever, best Trent Parmen look-a-like ever, and hottest NBA wife ever. These guys deliver championships like Martin Lawrence delivers good comedies - all day err' day. They are my favorites to take home another one this year, and it all starts with Duncan. The greatest player the post MJ-NBA, Duncan will go down as the greatest power forward that has ever played the game. Ever since he stepped into the NBA, he has been a legitimate MVP candidate. He elevated David Robinson to a championship, and 10 years later he is still doing it. The Big Fundamental goes about his work, uses the bank shot better than Brian Hemminger, and wins championships. Period. The second man, Manu Ginobli, is like the Mariano Rivera of the Spurs. Duncan may be the man that makes it all go, but Manu is the guy they look to in crunch time.

The list for taking a last shot goes like this right now in the NBA 1) Kobe 2) Manu 3) Pierce 4) DWade 5) Brandon Roy.

Manu is the craftiest player in the NBA, which is what makes him such a good crunch time performer. You may think you know what move he is going to go to, but he will pull out something crazy that no one has ever seen before. This is what makes him a superstar - yes, that's right. He is a superstar. The last guy in the trio is Tony Parker Longoria. Best known for his hot wife, people often forget how good he is on the court. There is not a quicker player in the league, and no point guard is as good at getting into the lane and finishing with regularity. He may not have a consistent outside jump shot, but when you can break somebody down off the dribble like he can, there really is no need for it. That is where he is such a good player. He knows he doesn't shoot well from the outside, and he doesn't try to force it. (Unlike some of his peers; Baron Davis, I'm looking at you) The bottom line with these guys is that they get one thing you cannot argue with: results. When they are hoisting up the NBA Championship trophy this year, I will be the first one to say I told you so.

Now, these trio's are all great, but everyone knows there is only one true "best trio ever" in basketball. Yep, you guessed it.

Neon, Butch, and Ricky from Blue Chips brought Western out of the dumps and back into the spotlight in college basketball. It doesn't matter how they got there, it just matters that they beat both Duke and Indiana on the way to (in my mind, anyway) winning the NCAA championship. My only beef with this movie is the casting of Ricky Roe. So you are telling me you can get Shaq and Penny, but you can't get a famous white basketball player to play Ricky? Are there that few of them left? Was Brent Barry really busy at the time?

That's all for today, NRTTS and such.

Coach Deuce