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  <channel>
    <title>Bleacher Report - Kobe Bryant</title>
    <link>http://bleacherreport.com/</link>
    <description>Bleacher Report - The open source sports network</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <ttl>30</ttl>
    <item>
      <title>This Holiday, Say "I Cheated" Like Never Before...Or Like Kobe Did</title>
      <author>Ryan Maloney</author>
      <description>&lt;div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"&gt;
&lt;a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DkpCq0NsULc/SxIinNDbjJI/AAAAAAAATgY/LDK4msUm7fg/s1600/Kobe+Special.jpg"&gt;&lt;img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DkpCq0NsULc/SxIinNDbjJI/AAAAAAAATgY/LDK4msUm7fg/s640/Kobe+Special.jpg" border="0"&gt; &lt;/a&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt; The Tiger Woods one-car accident story has dominated the headlines over at TMZ.com over the past few days, and their latest post is a doozy.&#160; The website has somehow learned the details of a phone call between Woods and a friend that took place soon after the golfer's Friday morning car crash.&#160; Here is what Woods &lt;a href="http://www.tmz.com/2009/11/29/tiger-woods-elin-nordegren-kobe-bryant-rachel-uchitel-zales-ring/"&gt;allegedly told his friend&lt;/a&gt; over the phone regarding his relationship with his wife and the &lt;a href="http://www.nationalenquirer.com/tiger_woods_cheating_rachel_uchitel_exposed_source/celebrity/67747"&gt;rumors that he has been having an affair&lt;/a&gt; :&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;blockquote&gt;
&lt;div style="text-align: left;"&gt;During the phone conversation on Friday, Tiger told his friend, "I have to run to Zales to get a 'Kobe Special.'" The person on the other end of the phone asked Tiger what a "Kobe Special" was. The reply&#8212;"A house on a finger."&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; During the conversation, Tiger said his wife had "gone ghetto" on him.&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;/blockquote&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt; I still feel like this story hasn't even hit peak yet.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/14477212-3468759209998042798?l=www.thevotl.com" border="0" height="1" width="1"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read more &lt;a href="http://bleacherreport.com/kobe-bryant" title="Kobe Bryant analysis, news and photos"&gt;Kobe Bryant&lt;/a&gt; news on BleacherReport.com&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:39:00 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/299198-this-holiday-say-i-cheated-like-never-beforeor-like-kobe-did</link>
      <guid>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/299198-this-holiday-say-i-cheated-like-never-beforeor-like-kobe-did</guid>
      <comments>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/299198-this-holiday-say-i-cheated-like-never-beforeor-like-kobe-did</comments>
      <category>Humor</category>
      <category>Basketball</category>
      <category>Kobe Bryant</category>
      <category>Tiger Woods</category>
      <category>Opinion</category>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Kobe Bryant, LeBron James: The NBA's All Star Game 2010 Part I</title>
      <author>Brandon Ribak</author>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;It's never too early to get started on who deserves to compete in one of the most highly publicized events on television world-wide.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;NBA Primetime ranks their top performers on the season thus far and lists the starting five and bench players for both conferences.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Eastern Conference&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Starting Five&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;G- Dwyane Wade&amp;mdash;Averaging 27.8 PPG 14 GP (fourth in league). A clear favorite in the starting lineup.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;G- Vince Carter&amp;mdash;Has helped bring Orlando to a 12-4 record (best in Eastern Conference), while averaging just under 20 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 2.3 APG.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;F- LeBron James&amp;mdash;Arguably the most elite player in the league, is there any doubt LJ won't make the starting five!?!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;F- Josh Smith&amp;mdash;An extreme underdog who probably won't make it into the starting five, but a player who is more than deserving of the opportunity.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;C- Dwight Howard&amp;mdash;The clear favorite at the center position, posting 17.3 PPG, 11.8 RPG, and 1.8 BPG.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seven Bench Players&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Joe Johnson- SG&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/chris-bosh"&gt;Chris Bosh&lt;/a&gt;- PF (Will most likely make the starting five list)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Kevin Garnett- PF (If not Bosh, definitely KG)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Paul Pierce- SF&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Rajon Rondo- PG&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Andre Iguodala- SF&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Danny Granger- SF&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;On the bubble bench players- &lt;/strong&gt; Ray Allen- SG, Jamal Crawford- SG, Mo Williams- PG&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Western Conference&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Starting Five&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;G- Kobe Bryant&amp;mdash;Leading the league with 30.1 PPG. Need I say more?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;G- Steve Nash&amp;mdash;Although CP3 will grab this spot, Nash is currently leading the league with 11.9 APG and is currently on the hottest team in the NBA.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;F- Carmelo Anthony&amp;mdash;If one athlete deserves to be in the starting five most it's Melo. No. 15 is posting a career-high 29.7 PPG, along with 6.1 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.7 SPG.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;F- Dirk Nowitzki&amp;mdash;Nowitki is averaging just under 27 PPG and 9 RPG, including 3 APG and 1.6 BPG, leading the Mavericks to a 11-4 record thus far (fourth in the West). He also scored 29 points in one quarter this season!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;C- Andrew Bynum&amp;mdash;Bynum is playing the best basketball of his career dropping 19.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 1.7 BPG in 12 contests this season. On a team like LA, Bynum's inflated voting numbers should send him right into the starting five in the West.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Seven Bench Players&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://nbaprimetime.com/2009/11/27/kobe-bryant-lebron-james-the-nbas-all-star-game-2010-part-i.html"&gt;Click here to get sent to the full article at NBAPrimetime.com!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read more &lt;a href="http://bleacherreport.com/kobe-bryant" title="Kobe Bryant analysis, news and photos"&gt;Kobe Bryant&lt;/a&gt; news on BleacherReport.com&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:16:40 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/297624-kobe-bryant-lebron-james-the-nbas-all-star-game-2010-part-i</link>
      <guid>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/297624-kobe-bryant-lebron-james-the-nbas-all-star-game-2010-part-i</guid>
      <comments>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/297624-kobe-bryant-lebron-james-the-nbas-all-star-game-2010-part-i</comments>
      <category>Basketball</category>
      <category>NBA</category>
      <category>LeBron James </category>
      <category>Kobe Bryant</category>
      <category>Dwyane Wade </category>
      <category>Kevin Garnett </category>
      <category>Dwight Howard </category>
      <category>Rankings/List</category>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Just Saying, Is All... | Why I'm Thankful for Kobe Bryant</title>
      <author>Ryan Alberti</author>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;The most authentic Pilgrim is the one who never stops sailing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/kobe-bryant"&gt;Kobe Bryant&lt;/a&gt; is a hopeless perfectionist. He should also be an honorary Puritan. When our forefathers came ashore at Plymouth Rock, they sowed the seeds of history&amp;rsquo;s mightiest civilization&amp;mdash;which would have been better news if they&amp;rsquo;d taught their children how to drop anchor and savor the harvest.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Satisfaction means relishing the new ring on your finger.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Success, on the other hand, means reaching for the next rung on the ladder.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I&amp;rsquo;m not suggesting that Bryant has anything left to prove. His r&amp;eacute;sum&amp;eacute; speaks for itself, and his passion for the game is beyond question. But it&amp;rsquo;s precisely that passion which prevents him from basking in his own glory. In a league where complacency so often breeds mediocrity, the best players are those who refuse to settle for mere excellence.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You can&amp;rsquo;t always get what you really want.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You can&amp;rsquo;t ever find what you really seek.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If there&amp;rsquo;s a lesson in Kobe&amp;rsquo;s questing, it&amp;rsquo;s simply that the pursuit of happiness is an endless trip.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/nba"&gt;NBA&lt;/a&gt; legends aren&amp;rsquo;t conditioned for contentment. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird&amp;mdash;they were pathological champions, competitors whose most lasting peace came in the conflict of competition. The implication, of course, is that restive longing can be its own reward. Critics of American culture will argue that Bryant&amp;rsquo;s inherited inquietude is symptomatic of a national disease. I&amp;rsquo;d counter that national dis-ease is the single most important source of this country&amp;rsquo;s resilient health.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s good to count your blessings.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s better to lick your chops.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Kobe may go to bed hungry on this and every other Thanksgiving, but at least his ravenous dreams will always whet his appetite.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Satiation is the enemy of human progress. Food in the stomach inclines a man to old habits; fire in the belly drives him on to New Worlds. I&amp;rsquo;m thankful for Kobe Bryant because he&amp;rsquo;s as American as ambition and apple pie, and because we all ought to be more appreciative of those cravings that won&amp;rsquo;t stay quenched. Every pilgrimage is born with a prayer for blissful days in the future. The one that&amp;rsquo;s still vital after almost four centuries owes its endurance to the curse of restless nights in the present.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;*&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Scott Fitzgerald never sat courtside at Staples Center, but he did know a thing or two about the plight of &lt;a href="http://thinkexist.com/quotation/gatsby-believed-in-the-green-light-the-orgastic/748152.html" target="_blank"&gt;chronic yearners&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Kobe believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that&amp;rsquo;s no matter&amp;mdash;to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And one fine morning&amp;mdash;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Which has been the wind in the sails of every American ship since the &lt;em&gt;Mayflower&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Because the Home of the Brave will forever be a bit further upstream, and anyone who argues for yielding to the current is either OD'd on tryptophan or only just saying, is all...&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read more &lt;a href="http://bleacherreport.com/kobe-bryant" title="Kobe Bryant analysis, news and photos"&gt;Kobe Bryant&lt;/a&gt; news on BleacherReport.com&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:16:27 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/297235-los-angeles-lakers-why-im-thankful-for-kobe-bryant</link>
      <guid>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/297235-los-angeles-lakers-why-im-thankful-for-kobe-bryant</guid>
      <comments>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/297235-los-angeles-lakers-why-im-thankful-for-kobe-bryant</comments>
      <category>Basketball</category>
      <category>NBA</category>
      <category>Los Angeles Lakers</category>
      <category>Kobe Bryant</category>
      <category>Los Angeles</category>
      <category>Opinion</category>
      <category>Riverside</category>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Are the Los Angeles Lakers on the Brink?</title>
      <author>Paul Peszko</author>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Between the &lt;a href="/los-angeles-lakers"&gt;Lakers&lt;/a&gt;' victories last Thursday against the &lt;a href="/chicago-bulls"&gt;Chicago Bulls&lt;/a&gt; and Sunday night against the &lt;a href="/oklahoma-city-thunder"&gt;Oklahoma City Thunder&lt;/a&gt;, they had two practice sessions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This was unusual because Phil Jackson will normally give the team the next day off when games are three days apart. &amp;nbsp;But he decided to hold practice on Friday because he felt the Lakers were &amp;ldquo;on the brink.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On the brink of what, Jackson didn&amp;rsquo;t say. &amp;nbsp;But seeing how the Lakers have performed in both of those games now that Pau Gasol has returned, it&amp;rsquo;s quite obvious what Jackson was alluding to.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Lakers seem to be on the brink of having one of the most successful seasons in their history despite losing three games during Gasol&amp;rsquo;s absence.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They are virtually indefensible. &amp;nbsp;With two seven-footers and four players on the court who can post up, they will cause match up problems for every team they face.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And unlike most &lt;a href="/nba"&gt;NBA&lt;/a&gt; teams, the parts are interchangeable.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They start out with Andrew Bynum at the five-spot, Gasol at the four, Ron Artest at the three, &lt;a href="/kobe-bryant"&gt;Kobe Bryant&lt;/a&gt; at the two, and Derek Fisher running the point. &amp;nbsp;Lamar Odom, their 6-11 sixth man, can come off the bench for Gasol.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But Gasol can move to Bynum&amp;rsquo;s spot and Odom then goes into Gasol&amp;rsquo;s spot. &amp;nbsp;Or, if Jackson prefers, he can have Odom come in for Artest and go extremely big.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The really cool thing about all three big men is their athleticism and versatility. &amp;nbsp;Odom has even been known to play the two-spot and bring the ball up. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;All three can hit medium range jumpers, and Odom is tied for second on the team with 10 three-point buckets.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Their best man-up defensive player, Ron Artest, is also the leader in three-point makes with 21.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Going deeper into the bench, Jordan Farmar usually comes in for Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown for Kobe Bryant.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;When those two are on the court along with Ron Artest, the team speeds up from a half-court game to more of an explosive &lt;a href="/phoenix-suns"&gt;Phoenix&lt;/a&gt;-style fast break game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Just as he does with Odom, Jackson can interchange Farmar and Brown. &amp;nbsp;Sometimes Brown will be on the court with Bryant, along with Artest, Odom and Gasol or Bynum.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The last two games have shown what a nightmare this is for opposing coaches. &amp;nbsp;The only time there is any relief at all is in the fourth quarter when Jackson removes all of his starters along with Odom and puts in the rest of the bench.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That remains the one problem that Jackson and the rest of the staff must solve. &amp;nbsp;If the Lakers are on the brink, the bench (or at least the remainder of the bench beyond Odom, Brown and Farmar) is on the blink.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Sasha Vujacic, Adam Morrison, D.J. Mbenga, and to some extent Josh Powell have not shown any consistency so far this season. &amp;nbsp;Powell has been the most consistent of those four, averaging 13.5 minutes and 5.3 points per game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Morrison and Mbenga are averaging 2.3 points while Vujacic is low man with just 2.0 points per game. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Even the injured Luke Walton, who is out for the next six weeks with a pinched nerve in his back, hasn&amp;rsquo;t done much better, averaging only 3.7 points in ten minutes.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Nevertheless, this may suit Jackson, who normally likes to go with an eight-man rotation in the playoffs. &amp;nbsp;Walton, if he is healthy, will be the ninth man, and Mbenga will come in only if one of the big men incurs an injury.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So, now that Gasol has returned, Jackson and the Lakers have a lot to be thankful for.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;First of all, they can be thankful that they don&amp;rsquo;t have a game on Thanksgiving. &amp;nbsp;Instead, the Lakers can feast on the &lt;a href="/new-york-knicks"&gt;New York Knicks&lt;/a&gt; tomorrow night at Staples Center.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Secondly, they can be thankful that they will have three days off to rest and heal before back-to-back games with the &lt;a href="/golden-state-warriors"&gt;Warriors&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="/new-jersey-nets"&gt;Nets&lt;/a&gt; this weekend. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Warriors and Nets? &amp;nbsp;Hmm, that&amp;rsquo;s even more to be thankful for. &amp;nbsp;Here&amp;rsquo;s looking at a 13-3 start!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read more &lt;a href="http://bleacherreport.com/kobe-bryant" title="Kobe Bryant analysis, news and photos"&gt;Kobe Bryant&lt;/a&gt; news on BleacherReport.com&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:43:33 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/296138-are-the-lakers-on-the-brink</link>
      <guid>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/296138-are-the-lakers-on-the-brink</guid>
      <comments>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/296138-are-the-lakers-on-the-brink</comments>
      <category>Basketball</category>
      <category>NBA</category>
      <category>Los Angeles Lakers</category>
      <category>Lamar Odom </category>
      <category>Kobe Bryant</category>
      <category>Andrew Bynum</category>
      <category>Ron Artest </category>
      <category>Phil Jackson</category>
      <category>Los Angeles</category>
      <category>Opinion</category>
      <category>Riverside</category>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>NBA Power Rankings: Orlando Jumps While Portland Falls</title>
      <author>Curtis Finchum</author>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;1. Orlando&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Vince Carter has struggled the past two games, going for a combined 19-53, though he did hit a game winner against Boston. But Van Gundy doesn't need to worry, his defense has finally started to improve holding teams to just 91.2 points in the last five games.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;2. Atlanta&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Seven straight wins? No problem, the high flying Hawks have been hard to keep up with. Though after losing to New Orleans and Mike Bibby going down with an ankle injury some concern could be on their minds. They play the Magic next after all.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;3. Boston&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;After a hot start, the Celtics now seem to look like another team of average joes. Their main concern? Seeing Kevin Garnett limp up and down the court the past few games, and almost getting burned by the Knicks.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;4. Phoenix&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Steve Nash has the Suns offense rolling, but the defense is starting to fall. Unless they find some way to fill the cracks in the lane, the top of the Western Conference will be up for grabs.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;5. LA Lakers&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="/kobe-bryant"&gt;Kobe Bryant&lt;/a&gt; did it all for the first few weeks, but now, his running mate Pau Gasol returns from injury, and they look like the defending champs again. After trouncing the Thunder and Bulls. Maybe the Ron Artest experiment is actually working.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;6. Dallas&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki have carried the Mavs, with some help from Jason Terry and rookie Rob Beaubois. Looks as if the Mavs might find a way to compete this season.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;7. Cleveland&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;After struggling to start the season, Shaq and LeBron have finally started to mesh...offensively anyway. Their defense still lacks something however, first a 30-12 run by the Wizards, then a 22-3 run by the Pacers, and finally a 23-9 run by the Sixers.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;8. Denver&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They Nuggets have shown flashes of their brilliance, but they lost to the Clippers not to long ago. Maybe they'll finally find some consistency after going on what could be the easiest road trip in &lt;a href="/nba"&gt;NBA&lt;/a&gt; history. Two against the Wolves then the Nets, Knicks, and Warriors.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;9. Portland&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Andre Miller was brought in to lead the Blazers high octane offense. Though they are 7-2 when Miller starts, he has been moved to the bench, and will probably remain their after their most efficient offensive win of the season, even if it was against the Wolves.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;10. Milwaukee&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Who would have thought that without stars Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut the Bucks would still be winning? They have rookie Brandon Jennings to thank for that, whose playing like a young Allen Iverson, except no attitude.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;11. Miami&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jermaine O'Neal has looked solid so far this season, and has played up to his word, but how long will that continue? Dwayne Wade needs all the help he can get, so his only hope of making a playoff run will be if O'Neal stays both healthy and consistent.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;12. Houston&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;No Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady? No problem! Aaron Brooks and Trevor Ariza have brought toughness to this battered squad. How long will they stay above .500 though? Plus what happens if McGrady returns and the  chemistry is disrupted? Way to many questions for the Rockets to think about.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;13. Oklahoma City&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Thunder have been led by Kevin Durant (no surprise) but the real surprise has been the play of the defense. Though they were thrashed by both the Magic and Lakers, they managed to key wins against San Antonio and Miami.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;14. Utah&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They finally managed to beat Spurs after losing twenty straight games in San Antonio. They've finally begun to show improvement on both sides of the court, maybe they'll pull it all together and forget the continuing distraction that is Carlos Boozer.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;15. San Antonio&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Richard Jefferson was supposed to be the answer for the Spurs bringing them their first truly athletic small forward in years. Besides, the Spurs big three have already missed eight games, maybe keeping them healthy would benefit Jefferson some, just maybe.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;16. Chicago&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Derrick Rose has struggled this season, maybe he's suffering from the infamous sophomore slump? Though part of it was his ankle injury, which looks like it might be behind him after scoring a combined 48 points in the past two games. But he really needs John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich to get their act together and start hitting shots.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;17. Toronto&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They offense in Toronto has gotten the job done, including the excellent play from &lt;a href="/chris-bosh"&gt;Chris Bosh&lt;/a&gt; who is definitely putting his name in the MVP thoughts. But their defense has yet to improve, after allowing Orlando to go to the line 35 times.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;18. Indiana&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Danny Granger is really the only big name for the Pacers, but he's struggled. Though just looking at the roster, their doesn't look to be much help for him. After blowing leads over both New York and Charlotte, now the Pacers defense is being questioned.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;19. New Orleans&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;No more Byron Scott and no Chris Paul who fell with a sprained ankle. But it may have been a blessing in a very ugly disguise, his fell seemed to wake up the young backcourt of Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton. Maybe Paul will have a better team when he returns.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;20. Detroit&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Good news for the Pistons is both Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince have started practice again. Bad news, they're losers of five straight and have struggled on both sides of the ball.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;21. Sacramento&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Should the Kings get their offense rolling again, they are very capable of winning their next five games. Though they've shown&amp;nbsp;to be a very competitive while losing to both Dallas and Houston, but lack any consistent defense.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;22. Philadelphia&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Sixers are finally getting some production out of Elton Brand, but ironically, Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young have struggled. Plus, after a few defense games they where showing signs of promise, they allowed Memphis to shoot 52 percent from the field.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;23. Memphis&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Allen Iverson experiment is over in the Music City. They've won three out of their last four since the Iverson fiasco ended and have started to play solid defense. Now they just have to learn to finish games.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;24. LA Clippers&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The second LA team have yet to discover an identity. Playing without Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin probably doesn't help the matter either. They lose to New Orleans and Memphis, but they thrash the Nuggets after a 19-0 run in the first half, what does Baron Davis have to do to bring some consistency to the locker room.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;25. Golden State&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Monte Ellis has officially played on of the best games in his life. He not only shut down All-Star Brandon Roy, but he scored 38 points and collected eight assists, six steals, and two blocks. Maybe this will give the Warriors a spark after trading off Stephen Jackson.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;26. Charlotte&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;They've broken 100-plus just twice this season, maybe the Jackson trade payed off. Finally they have a go to scorer that Larry Brown might have faith in. The Raptors are next, maybe they can pull off two straight 100-plus point games.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;27. Washington&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Antawn Jamison returned to lead the Wizards over the Cavs on Wednesday. However, changes seem inevitable after following their best defensive game with their worst. A damaged and splintered locker room can not bode well with Flip Saunders.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;28. New York&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;After coming back from 19 down to beat Indiana, they managed to survive against New Jersey and take Boston into overtime. However, they have what could be considered an impossible road trip coming up, which could kill whats left of the Knicks life.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;29. Minnesota&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Damien Wilkins should get some kind of medal for his antics against New Jersey at the beginning of the season. Other wise they would probably off to the worst start in NBA history. Wilkins has only made eight of 28 since.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;30. New Jersey&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;0-13 is really all you have to say about the Nets. Once the best assist team in the league, they've fallen to the bottom ranking 29th. Devin Harris' return should help their lack of offense, but predicting any time table for their first win is incredibly difficult.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Bleacher Report NBA Power Rankings are done by averaging individual feature columnist's tallies. Weekly contributors are: Denton Ramsey (Houston Rockets), Keith Schlosser (NY Knicks), Curtis Finchum (Oklahoma City), Brandon Ribak (Orlando Magic), Hotnuke (Miami Heat), Bryan Toporek (Philadelphia 76ers), Andrew Ungvari (LA Lakers), Shaun Ahmad (Washington Wizards) and DeMarco Williams (NBA Lead).&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read more &lt;a href="http://bleacherreport.com/kobe-bryant" title="Kobe Bryant analysis, news and photos"&gt;Kobe Bryant&lt;/a&gt; news on BleacherReport.com&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:20:14 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/295920-nba-power-rankings-orlando-jumps-while-portland-falls</link>
      <guid>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/295920-nba-power-rankings-orlando-jumps-while-portland-falls</guid>
      <comments>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/295920-nba-power-rankings-orlando-jumps-while-portland-falls</comments>
      <category>Basketball</category>
      <category>NBA</category>
      <category>Kobe Bryant</category>
      <category>Kevin Garnett </category>
      <category>Vince Carter </category>
      <category>Steve Nash </category>
      <category>Chris Bosh</category>
      <category>Rankings/List</category>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Pivot Points: L.A. Lakers Defense Wins, While Boston Celtics Win Without</title>
      <author>Hadarii Jones</author>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Talk about your basic role reversals. The &lt;a href="/boston-celtics"&gt;Boston Celtics&lt;/a&gt; are known for their rugged defense, and their ability to clamp down on opponents, but that trait deserted them last night as they were forced into a shoot-out with the &lt;a href="/new-york-knicks"&gt;New York Knicks&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="/los-angeles-lakers"&gt;Los Angeles Lakers&lt;/a&gt; are capable of playing great defense in spurts, but are more known for their crisp precision on the offensive side of the floor, however against the &lt;a href="/oklahoma-city-thunder"&gt;Oklahoma City Thunder&lt;/a&gt;, they were able to sustain defensive dominance throughout the game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Boston continued their uninspired play in the month of November and were extended to the brink by the lowly Knicks. The Celtics needed a last second shot, in overtime from Kevin Garnett to secure the win.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There is&amp;nbsp;something that I have noticed from watching the Celtics play, and that issue was in full display against New York. Their defense is not as tight as it has been in the past few years.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It may be age catching up with them, or it may just be the subtle difference that comes when blending in new players. I'm not sure which one it is, but I can see where they were hurt on the floor last night.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Boston was horrible when rotating on defensive shifts, and they were constantly caught out of position in the post. They allowed the younger Knicks to consistently outer-bound them when the Knicks made their critical run in the third quarter.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;That, with the fact that the only Celtic able to hit any shots, was Paul Pierce, and you have a recipe for an unexpected loss.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ray Allen and Garnett seemed to take turns missing shots in the third quarter, although both did hit important shots in the pivotal fourth quarter where the Celtics were able to force overtime.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Boston, with time, can reverse many of their defensive issues since they are more a matter of technique and timing.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But the question of age is still something that requires adjustment and improvisation to make it work.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It seems evident that Allen may have lost a step, and Garnett may not be fully recovered from the knee injury, since he still seems to lack some of his former explosiveness.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The depth of the Celtics' bench&amp;nbsp;may be something they have to fall back on as the season progresses and the schedule becomes more difficult.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LA LAKERS:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In Los Angeles, there would be no overtime sessions this go-around, as the &lt;a href="/los-angeles-lakers"&gt;Lakers&lt;/a&gt; dominated from the opening tip and had the game basically won by the end of the first quarter.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Thunder were able to extend the Lakers to an extra period in their first meeting, but this time fell victim to an inspired and suffocating swarm of purple and gold.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Lakers completely jumped on the young Thunder and made them pay dearly for each mistake, forcing 19 turnovers and converting them into 25 points. It was a thorough beat-down in every since of the word.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;To be able to play this type of defense is nothing new for the Lakers, but to be able to employ it the duration of a game is a cloth of a different color.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It's one of the things that drive fans crazy about the Lakers,&amp;nbsp;because they have the potential to be the best defensive team in the league, but show neither the desire nor the will, to make that potential real.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;If they could manifest that effort every night, they would be more of a dread to the rest of the league than they already are. Their offense has been in great shape all year, and last night was no different, as several Lakers had big games.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Andrew Bynum continued his dominance in the post with 25 points and nine rebounds, while Pau Gasol continued to demonstrate his value to the Lakers by having a commanding performance on both ends of the floor.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Lakers'&amp;nbsp;team is a different animal with Gasol in the line-up. &amp;nbsp;Not to mention the Kobe cushion of 26 points in this game.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Gone is the pre-Gasol urgency that was present, replaced with the contentment of letting the game flow to him.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;For the first time it seemed, the Lakers played with the confidence of a champion, recognizing the importance of taking the spirit away from an opponent and ending the game early.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Boston Celtics are former champions and it would serve them well to recapture the aura of fear and confidence that they projected on so&amp;nbsp;many of their challengers, because right now opponents are no longer in awe of the Celtics.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read more &lt;a href="http://bleacherreport.com/kobe-bryant" title="Kobe Bryant analysis, news and photos"&gt;Kobe Bryant&lt;/a&gt; news on BleacherReport.com&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:41:16 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/295788-pivot-points-lakers-win-with-defense-while-celtics-win-with-none</link>
      <guid>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/295788-pivot-points-lakers-win-with-defense-while-celtics-win-with-none</guid>
      <comments>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/295788-pivot-points-lakers-win-with-defense-while-celtics-win-with-none</comments>
      <category>Basketball</category>
      <category>NBA</category>
      <category>Los Angeles Lakers</category>
      <category>Kobe Bryant</category>
      <category>Pau Gasol</category>
      <category>Los Angeles</category>
      <category>Opinion</category>
      <category>Riverside</category>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The NBA's Size Prerogative and the Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant Anomaly</title>
      <author>Mayoclinic 32</author>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href="/boston-celtics"&gt;Boston&lt;/a&gt;, Massachusetts-&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt; Vince Carter had the ball isolated in the wing against Paul Pierce in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Carter is no pushover at 6'6", 215 pounds, but Pierce's 6'7", 235 pound frame hulked over him. After all, Carter is a shooting guard who hasn't added muscle to his frame since his Tar Heel days, and Pierce is a small forward who can wrestle Lebron James.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;After Michael Jordan's retirement, scouts and general managers scoured the face of the planet looking for the next 6'6" shooting guard with jumping ability. What they failed to understand was that Jordan is an anomaly, that a 6'6" shooting guard is not as efficient as a 6'7", 6'8", or 6'9" small forward.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;And so, we had a bevy of 6'6 Jordan clones&amp;mdash;Carter included&amp;mdash;shuffle rank and file through unfair media scrutiny, before 6'7" small forwards Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony restored the league back to its pre-Jordan normalcy, when big men and small forwards such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird dominated the scene. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There is significant size prerogative in the game of basketball. Bigger is better. Longer is better. Stronger is better. These qualities trump speed and agility.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Take a look at the league today: the top teams are led by an elite big man or an elite small forward&amp;mdash;not an elite guard.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The &lt;a href="/cleveland-cavaliers"&gt;Cavaliers&lt;/a&gt; have Lebron. The &lt;a href="/denver-nuggets"&gt;Nuggets&lt;/a&gt; have Carmelo. The Magic have Howard. The &lt;a href="/san-antonio-spurs"&gt;Spurs&lt;/a&gt; have Duncan. The Celtics have Garnett and Pierce.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Guard-led teams are struggling&amp;mdash;the &lt;a href="/miami-heat"&gt;Heat&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;a href="/new-orleans-hornets"&gt;Hornets&lt;/a&gt;, the &lt;a href="/chicago-bulls"&gt;Bulls&lt;/a&gt;, and the &lt;a href="/utah-jazz"&gt;Jazz&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The undersized shooting guard is being marginalized as we speak. And although the &lt;a href="/phoenix-suns"&gt;Suns&lt;/a&gt; are off to a hot start, they will not challenge league supremacy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Size is efficient, and will eventually overwhelm speed, especially in seven-game battles of attrition. The &lt;a href="/los-angeles-lakers"&gt;Lakers&lt;/a&gt;, led by &lt;a href="/kobe-bryant"&gt;Kobe Bryant&lt;/a&gt;, are the lone exception, but they are backed by considerable size (Bynum, Gasol, Odom, Artest).&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Kobe Bryant is the only anomaly to this size prerogative besides Michael Jordan.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;At 6'6", he is the consensus best player in the league and has been in the top two for the past decade. But an oft-neglected aspect of his game is his post-game; like Jordan he is the best post-up guard of his generation, and that allows him to shift into more of a forward position on offense.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Even so, Bryant has found some difficulty when matched up against the size of Carmelo and Pierce.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The history archives support these claims too.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Championship teams have traditionally been led and dominated by big men&amp;mdash;Russell, Wilt, Kareem, Reed, Moses Malone, Unseld, Hakeem, Shaq, and Duncan.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The size of the basketball court is a limiting factor against quickness and speed. Players are confined to a small space where open lanes are rare and speed bursts can only gain small advantages. Furthermore, bigger players operate closer to the hoop, where field goal percentages are higher.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;As triangle offense proponents Tex Winter and Phil Jackson repeat, basketball is a game played inside out, not the other way around.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Ignoring the size prerogative has negatively impacted franchises looking for fresh talent. Trying to find Jordan clones, or Iverson clones, or clones of other successful guards, has largely led to failure.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But, I digress.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I remember thinking to myself that Carter didn't have a lot of options when matched up against Pierce. He certainly would be at a disadvantage trying to post, so after a few useless dribbles he took Pierce baseline. After Pierce cut him off baseline Carter could only&amp;nbsp; spin back and launch an impossibly difficult fade-away.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On this night, Carter's world class talent would tease us again as his shot fell through, propelling his Magic to an impressive&amp;nbsp;83-78 victory over the Boston Celtics.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px;"&gt;While Carter beat Pierce on that possession, we certainly can not expect that success to repeat, especially in the long run. It took a magnificent fade-away off a spin for a shooting guard to score against a small forward. Advantage, small forward.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px;"&gt;And the only exceptions Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. But to the next 6'6" shooting guard, he may as well be trying to replicate Rembrandt. &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px;"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read more &lt;a href="http://bleacherreport.com/kobe-bryant" title="Kobe Bryant analysis, news and photos"&gt;Kobe Bryant&lt;/a&gt; news on BleacherReport.com&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:42:25 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/295549-the-nbas-size-prerogative-and-the-michael-jordan-kobe-bryant-anomaly</link>
      <guid>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/295549-the-nbas-size-prerogative-and-the-michael-jordan-kobe-bryant-anomaly</guid>
      <comments>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/295549-the-nbas-size-prerogative-and-the-michael-jordan-kobe-bryant-anomaly</comments>
      <category>Basketball</category>
      <category>NBA</category>
      <category>Los Angeles Lakers</category>
      <category>Paul Pierce</category>
      <category>LeBron James </category>
      <category>Kobe Bryant</category>
      <category>Vince Carter </category>
      <category>Michael Jordan</category>
      <category>NBA History</category>
      <category>Los Angeles</category>
      <category>Opinion</category>
      <category>Riverside</category>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Jashaun Agosto: Young Basketball Star Is Almost Not Human, Literally</title>
      <author>Frank Gasper</author>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;Jashaun Agosto, a Seattle kid&amp;nbsp;who was on the news one day, ended up being on YouTube. A couple million views later, he is a star.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;He works out every day from 4-8 p.m. That is crazy. He is clearly dedicated to his basketball. He just works, and works, and works.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Between his legs, easy. Behind his back left and right, easy. Behind the back and through the legs at the same time, easy. Behind the back and through the legs in every way, also known as the spider, makes it look easy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Spider while walking, easy. Two balls dribbling, easy. Two balls dribbling between the legs, easy. Two balls between the legs and behind the back, while walking, easy. I could just go on and on.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The scary thing is, his dad doesn't even push him. Everything Jashaun does, is his own decision. Jashaun does always go to his dad for guidance to make him better though.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This kid is also ripped. He does 200 pushups, 200 situps and 150 one-leg squats before bed every night.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;He plays 2 on 1 with his older brother and cousin. It is a "make it take it" game. It kind of gets boring for his brother and cousin because he makes it, and takes it, and makes it, and takes it, and makes it, and  continuously does that.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;His fifth grade team is so good, they play against sixth graders, and easily beat them. He will drive in against the biggest kids, and beat them!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;He is also a track-runner. He runs a mile in&amp;nbsp;an amazing time of&amp;nbsp;4 minutes and 50 seconds! That is faster than any 11 year-old ever in competition.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Doctors tested why he could run so good. They tested how much oxygen his lungs could take in, and he tested off the charts!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This kid is just so good. He says his goal is to make it to the &lt;a href="/nba"&gt;NBA&lt;/a&gt;. I personally think he has an extremely great chance.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The kid eats, drinks and breathes basketball. I would love to see him in college or the NBA, just dominating.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Read more &lt;a href="http://bleacherreport.com/kobe-bryant" title="Kobe Bryant analysis, news and photos"&gt;Kobe Bryant&lt;/a&gt; news on BleacherReport.com&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:19:57 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/295090-jashaun-agosto-young-basketball-star-is-almost-not-human-literally</link>
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      <category>Basketball</category>
      <category>NBA</category>
      <category>Los Angeles Lakers</category>
      <category>Kobe Bryant</category>
      <category>Pau Gasol</category>
      <category>Ron Artest </category>
      <category>Magic Johnson</category>
      <category>NBA History</category>
      <category>Kareem Abdul-Jabbar</category>
      <category>Los Angeles</category>
      <category>Opinion</category>
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