Week 13 Picks

Simon	Matchup	Mike
NO	Saints @ Falcons	ATL
CHI	Seahawks @ Bears	CHI
HOU	Texans @ Titans	HOU
NE	Patriots @ Dolphins	NE
BUF	Jaguars @ Bills	BUF
DET	Colts @ Lions	IND
CAR	Panthers @ Chiefs	CAR
GB	Vikings @ Packers	GB
SF	49ers @ Rams	SF
NYJ	Cardinals @ Jets	NYJ
DEN	Buccaneers @ Broncos	DEN
BAL	Steelers @ Ravens	BAL
CIN	Bengals @ Chargers	CIN
CLE	Browns @ Raiders	CLE
DAL	Eagles @ Cowboys	DAL
NYG	Giants @ Redskins	NYG

Raptors Reaction: Nov 28 @ Memphis Grizzlies

Another ugly game for the Raptors. Andrea Bargnani was out of the line-up, which intruiged me since his name is in the middle of all sorts of trade rumors. I viewed this as a chance to see what the Raptors offense would look like if Bargs gets shipped out of town. My optimism quickly eroded, though, as it was announced Linas Kleiza would be in the starting lineup. Essesntially, the Raptors replaced one offensive black-hole (Bargnani) with another (Kleiza). I hate Linas Kleiza, and last night was a shining example of why. But I'll touch on that a little more in the good and the bad from last night (last night was heavy on the bad).

Raptors Reaction: Nov. 27 @ Houston Rockets

This one got ugly early, and the Raptors were never really a threat to win. After a string of close losses, the Raps just never showed up in this one, proving that being blown out is always worse than losing a tight game late. Here's some reaction from the game:

The Good:

• Terrence Ross easily played his best game as a pro, logging 36 minutes while scoring 19 points, and shooting over 50% from the field. James Harden blew by him a couple times, but Ross held his own overall on the defensive end as well. Hopefully this will translate into more minutes for the rookie. Oh and he did this. And this... and this.
• Kyle Lowry has got to be one of the best rebounding point guards in the league. He struggled to score in this game, and forced things a little bit offensively, but he grabbed 8 boards in the game (note: this is good for Lowry personally, but the fact that the starting point guard led the team in rebounds is terrible).
• Ed Davis had another good game off the bench, scoring 12 points and nabbing 4 rebounds in only 21 minutes. He struggles on the defensive end, but usually provides a scoring threat off the bench. I'll take the good with the bad on this one, as I still think the Raptors bench stinks overall.
• Andrea Bargnani's first half was nice, as he scored 19 points.

NBA MVP Power Rankings: November 23

The NBA Season is approximately 8.2% over. Normally this point of the year isn't marked with anything significant, but that's not the case at rsfreshmen. Here, the 8.2 mark is a crucial part of the season, as it means we revisit the NBA MVP candidates.

There are some changes from the Pre-Season Power Rankings (spoiler alert: Andrew Bynum is not on the list this time around), but the man atop the list remains the same.

We could be seeing this image again soon...
LeBron's hairline would be pushed back a couple
inches, of course

1. LeBron James, SF, Miami Heat (24.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 6.6 apg, 52.4 FG%)

It seems like Dwyane Wade's role on the Heat gets smaller each game, and that's completely justifiable since LeBron is in full beast-mode. It's becoming increasingly evident that LBJ is a once-in-a-generation player, so my advice going forward is just sit back, and enjoy the show.

2. Kobe Bryant, SG, Los Angeles Lakers (27.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 5.2 apg, 53.1 FG%)

My favorite part of Mike D'Antoni's debut as head coach of the Lakers was how he used Kobe. The Black Mamba was continually used as the ball handler in pick-and-rolls (with Pau Gasol as the picker/ roller), and it definitely passed the eye test (even if the Lakers' second game under D'Antoni was a little lack-luster). Steve Nash is still a week—or more—away, and I'm thinking Kobe will continue to be the main ball-handler until Nash is back. That's a good thing for the Lakers, as he's not only shooting at a career-high level, he's got his highest per-game assist total since 2007-08.

NFL Pick'ems - Week 11 Results, Week 12 Picks

Cue the comeback! Dow, with an unprecedented 14-0 week, is now nipping at my heels for the top spot. Meanwhile, King had an impressive 13-1 week (although his week 11 picks at si.com didn't include the Thursday night game), while Prisco faltered. Prisco was the only one to pick Miami, Carolina and Pittsburgh... and all those teams lost. Here are the results from last week, and the overall standings: