Dear Mr. Silver…

10 Suggestions for the new commissioner to improve NBA and Basketball

An edited version of this feature was first published in the 124th edition (2014 - No. 3) of SLAM China magazine. Here is complete, original English version of the story.

For the past 30 years, David Stern shepherded the NBA to the new era. In 1984, he took over a relatively modest league with a small audience desperately in need of creativity and a transformation. Stern did just that, as he added seven expansion teams, helped the NBA become one of the most profitable corporations around the world, launched the WNBA, created the NBA Cares programme, expanded the league’s multimedia presence and, perhaps most importantly, opened up the international borders for players and fans like never before.

But now, we’re in the Silver Age. Stern has passed on the NBA Commissioner’s baton to Adam Silver and, for the first time in three decades, there will be a new face in charge of ‘basketball decisions.’

What will Silver’s legacy be? How will he impact the history of the sport? The NBA is still not perfect, and part of Silver’s job will be dedicated to transforming the sport to become a better product and reach a wider audience.

To welcome the new Commissioner, here are my 10 suggestions of how he can improve the NBA and influence worldwide basketball for the better:

1. 82-game season is way too long.

I understand that the arenas and markets who depend on a certain number of home games to boost their economy might protest this, but an 82-game season is an incredible strain on NBA players. There are too many injuries, too many unexplained DNPs, and a whole lotta lackadaisical play through major chunks of the season. If the season starts on Christmas Day and the number of games played per team is shortened, we would see teams rested and well-prepared to give in their full concentrated effort in every encounter, and every encounter would mean so much more.

2. Get rid of the Conference/Division Divide

Every year, undeserving teams from one conference (usually the East these days) make the playoffs and deserving teams form the other (the tougher West) don’t. This season, the third best team in the East wouldn’t even be good enough to make the playoffs in the West. This is especially surprising considering teams in the West play more often than other tough teams while teams in the East always have a softer schedule. With comfortable modern day travel options (and a shortened season as I suggested above), it’s time to end the conference and division divide and have all 30 teams in the same round-robin league, playing each other an equal number of times. 16 of the best, from any geographical location, will make the playoffs. Stop rewarding mediocrity with a post-season berth and punishing quality play for simply being in the wrong conference. Let’s make things fair and equal for all.

3. Change the draft lottery to give every team an equal chance

The lottery had good intentions, to spread the talent equally around the league by giving bad teams a chance to draft good players, but at the same time, make the likelihood of a higher pick depended on chance. Unfortunately, it has encouraged tanking around the league as GMs offer their fanbase a bad product in hope of getting lucky with a good player in the future. Too many franchises get stuck in the cycle of playing badly and then picking badly for years and the fans suffer. Meanwhile, teams who built upon smart thinking win a lot and never get a chance at drafting a good player. The best young players end up in losing teams with losing cultures. And the worst-sufferers are mid-tier teams who aren’t good enough to get past the First Round or bad enough to rebuild from the draft. So here’s my wacky solution: change the lottery radically to give everyone – including playoff teams – an equal chance in the draft order. The Miami Heat and the Philadelphia 76ers should have the same shot at the number one pick. This way, bad teams won’t be always rewarded, good teams won’t be always punished, and where a player ends up will depend on pure, equal luck.

4. Reward teams with flexible cap room for players they drafted

The NBA cap space is a great thing and it keeps – theoretically, at least – the rich from getting richer and the poor from getting poorer. Unfortunately, the cap space means that teams that have worked hard to draft talented players can sometimes end up losing those players because they become too talented for their budget after the rookie contracts. Case in point: the Thunder, who drafted brilliantly in getting Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Serge Ibaka together on the same side. So it was a pity that, to stay in budget, they had to trade Harden and be punished for the very thing that should be celebrated – their superior scouting. My solution is this: every team should be allowed exceptions to go over the cap limit a little for the players that have played for them since their rookie contracts. It’s a good way to reward smart management, avoid the breakup of a young team, and build a long-term bond between a team, a city, and a star player.

5. Foresee and prepare to avoid future lockouts

With the current season in full swing, we might be forgiven for forgetting the chaos and emptiness that existed when the NBA locked out in 2011. David Stern’s NBA had four lockouts in the last two decades, and it will be up to Silver to end the costly and painful ordeal that leaves a bad taste for team owners, players, and fans alike. It’s not an easy task, of course, but Silver will need to foresee and try to get both sides to negotiate well in advance before players can opt out of the current CBA (June 30, 2017). Stern called the 2011 Lockout the ‘nuclear winter’ of the NBA. Silver needs to make sure that the sun always shines on basketball.

6. 1x1 Tournament at the All Star Weekend

It might be hard to convince the league’s best players – who will publically profess that basketball is a team game – to put their reputations and health on the line for an exhibition one-on-one tournament. But imagine how much fun it would be! The NBA can have fans vote for the eight players they want to see play in a knockout one-on-one tournament on All Star Saturday. First to 15 wins and moves on to the next round. And offer a cash prize for the player and a charity for the winners. Everyone can be convinced for charity, right? My choice eight players are LeBron, Durant, Paul George, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose (when healthy of course), James Harden, and Kobe.

7. Less Technicals, More Physical Play

Let them play! In recent years, the league has become too reactive to calling fouls on the slightest touch, especially to the super-duper stars, and sensitive to any and every show of passion and emotion by punishing it with a technical. Look, no one wants players fighting or Malice In the Palace style brawls, but NBA rules have gone to the other extreme. Minor face-offs, an angry bounce of the ball, an aggressive step or two, or a frustrated scream for a split second now all warrant technicals. Meanwhile, physical play and tough defense is being discouraged and offensive players are earning the benefit of the doubt. Basketball is a contact sport, and I think a little bit of contact is fine. Offense is fun to watch, but true fans enjoy the grind-it-down style of defensive basketball that the NBA playoffs bring.

8. More penalties to refs for blatantly bad calls

Too many games are decided on refereeing decisions, and in many cases these days, the NBA is admitting to those mistakes a day or two after the damage is done. Refs are human and shouldn’t be penalized for close calls that could’ve gone either way. But I think there should be a bigger penalty to the referees for truly blatant bad calls, especially those that decide the fate of the game.

9. An Off-season, international basketball ‘Champions League’

This will not be Silver’s initiative alone, but like Stern worked with FIBA’s Boris Stankovic to help realize the 1992 Dream Team and thus brought basketball more popularity globally, Silver should work with FIBA to bring together an innovative international club basketball tournament. Think of it like Euroleague Basketball, or Champions League Football, but on a global scale. Like the proposed FIBA World Club Championship with top NBA teams going against top teams from Europe, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia play in a brief off-season tournament in meaningful games. Schedules don’t always align right now, but this can be worked out. Pit Miami Heat against Real Madrid, Olympiacos against Guangdong, Pinheiros against San Antonio Spurs, and more.

10. Make the Basketball World Cup the sport’s Holy Grail

Although FIBA will reinvent the World Championship as the World Cup in Spain this year, the tournament is still relatively minor in the basketball world. The best players in the world take the Olympic gold most seriously, and the World Cup second. But in the Olympics, Basketball is only one of the many events and can be lost in the shuffle of the other sports. The World Cup is about basketball and basketball alone. FIBA should learn from the footballing world, where teams usually send a second-tier team to the Olympics and save the best for the World Cup. The NBA’s and thus Silver’s role will be to take the first step in hyping up the World Cup. USA are by far the best team, and the NBA’s coordination in the event would help it reach the greatest audience. More importantly, if the world’s best basketball players – all of whom play in the NBA – can be sold on the idea that winning the World Cup for their country (like it’s in the Football world) is the biggest milestone of their career, even bigger than an NBA title, then Basketball can truly rival Football as one of the world’s biggest sports. For Silver and the NBA, it might sound like taking a step back at first, but I believe it will eventually lead them many steps forward.

The ball’s in your side on your court, Mr Commissioner. It’s up to you to dribble it ahead to a brighter future.

Countdown: NBA is Back! Top 10 things I'm looking forward to this season!

The NBA is (pretty much) back, baby!

After it was all said and done, the 'nuclear winter' of the NBA came to an end before the real winter began. The NBA Lockout unofficially lasted nearly 149 days, 149 days of despair, destitute, cluelessness, and existential crises. 149 days of NBA players going international, going ballistic in charity games, or going plain crazy. 149 days of the average NBA fan (yours truly included) nearly losing his NBA religion and thankfully, finding it again.

But it's back, yes it's back. NBA players still have to vote for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, but this remains as a mere formality. I was tentative to celebrate at first, but the signs around me were encouraging. NBA.com finally replaced photographs of Billy Hunter in a suit with those of LeBron James in a jersey. December 25th - Christmas Day - was chosen as the 'return of the NBA', with five games slotted for opening night. And soon-after, entire schedules for a shortened, 66-game season, were released for all the NBA teams. Even before teams and players were allowed to talk to each other, we were already hearing trade rumours and free-agency news.

So what if there remain some questionable red flags about this whole ordeal. The lockout came to an end, but not before one of the worst series of official debates and negotiations in sports history. Plus, as Dave Zirin wrote in his excellent SLAM article,, the NBA players got 'played' by the new deal.

Another issue is going to be with the new-look schedule: teams will play 66 games in about 120 days, means, there will be several back-to-back-to-back games, and several teams will be playing five or six games a week.

But that said, it truly is a Christmas miracle for hopeless NBA fans that there will indeed be a 2011-12 season, and that it is going to begin in about 18 days (!!!). Gifted with sudden optimism after months of the 'dark ages', we now have tonnes of basketball-related (and not money/negotiation related) things to discuss, watch, appreciate, criticise, and experience again.

So without further ado, here is my Top 10 Countdown of the Things I'm Most Looking Forward For the 2011/12 NBA Season:

10. Where will the Free Agents end up?

Free Agency is usually the first order of events during any NBA off-season. This year, with the official 'off-season' lasting just about two weeks, the free-agency period is expected to be crazier than usual. The 2011 Free Agents do not have the star power of 2010 (LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Amar'e, Joe Johnson, Boozer) or the star power of 2012 (Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Deron Williams), but what it does have - in buckets - is the NBA's most precious commodity: size. With solid post players becoming rarer and rarer in the NBA, I'm expecting the current crop of free agents to be rated highly and paid generously.
Amongst the bigs, the free agents include Nene, Marc Gasol (restricted), David West, Tyson Chandler, Glen Davis, DeAndre Jordan, Samuel Dalembert, and Carl Landry. Other free agents of note are Jason Richardson, Jamal Crawford, Thaddeus Young, Grant Hill, Tayshuan Prince, Jeff Green, Caron Butler, and JJ Barea. Oh, and by the way, there are the guys in China - Kenyon Martin, Wilson Chandler, JR Smith, and Aaron Brooks - who may or may not be able to return to the NBA before March.
I love it when a team comes together, especially when the starting five fits neatly, and each player is capable enough for his position and a good fit for the team as a whole. This current crop of free agents may not have guys who could revolutionise a team's system, but there are several who can 'complete' a starting line-up. With salary caps and trade scenarios, it's hard to predict who will end up where, but over the next few days, I can't wait to witness the shifting around.

9. John Wall

There is one player every year who breaks out and improves more than we expected him to improve. This season, I'm predicting that the player will be John Wall. The Wizard's PG will come into his second year with his role clearly defined, with the keys to his team's offense clearly in his hands, and with the sky as the limit! In a shortened season with games crammed in close together, expect the younger, fitter guys to perform better: Wall, with his speed and athleticism, is going to outrace almost everyone else on the basketball court. I'm expecting him to clearly be have an All Star season and for the Wizards to become one of the most exciting (but still relatively unsuccessful) teams in the league.

8. Watching early morning live games in India

Last season was a golden period for the NBA fan in India. Thanks to the Ten Sports and Sony PIX deals, four live games were shown weekly here, and by the latter part of the season, the number was increased to six a week. Live in India means tip off usually between 5:30-8:30 AM - for a geek like me, this meant that I was up at the crack of dawn six days a week out of seven. The lazy boy in me complained at first, but the NBA lover in me soon shrugged off the complaints and got accustomed to a cup of hot chai, a comfortable couch, and early morning NBA action. I can't wait to become a morning person again.

7. The 2012 Draft-Class Tank Off

You know what the lockout did? It forced several up-and-coming basketball stars who would've been top picks in the 2011 draft to stay in college for another year. 2012 was supposed to be a big year regardless, but now, it seems that it could be one of the best draft classes ever (probably the best since the LeBron-Wade-Melo-Bosh class of 2003). If the 2011 rookie class turns out to be a little underwhelming, have no fear, because 2012 is on it's way. Between the likes of Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond, Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones, Bradley Beal, Jeremy Lamb, James McAdoo, Michael Gilchrist, and Austin Rivers, there is enough talent here for NBA teams to build around for their future.
Which brings us to the upcoming NBA season: a lot of non-playoff teams will clearly have an eye on the draft, especially in bagging someone from the big three of Davis, Drummond, or Barnes. While the draft lottery is supposedly a fair system that should prevent NBA teams from 'tanking' (losing games on purpose to get a higher probability of a top draft pick), a lot of teams may sneakily do it anyways. So, as the season gets to it's last 10 or so games, watch for some of the worst teams in the league (Raptors, Cavs, Pistons, Bobcats, etc) to enter the 2012 Draft Sweepstakes a little early.

6. Ricky Rubio

Few players have gone from underrated to overrated to loved to hated to just ignored all before their 21st birthday, all before a second of NBA experience. Former Spanish teenage Phenom was the world's best teenage player at 15, gathered up success, accolades, and incredible YouTube highlights before he turned 18, had memorable Olympic performances, got drafted into the NBA, never showed up to the NBA, and then buckled under the pressure of his young fame to perform at a high level. But he's finally here: Rubio will start the new NBA season finally with the Minnesota Timberwolves. At 21 years and 2 months old, he already has wealth of international and professional basketball experience. But can he run with the best of the world night in and night out in the NBA.
I've always had a soft spot for Rubio, and despite his recent failings, I predict him for NBA stardom in the future. Like most international players, it will take him a few years before getting into his stride, but when he does, this intelligent and exciting point guard is headed for big things. Currently, he will start as the motor that runs a young Timberwolves squad, who will surely be most fans' favourite-bad-team. Rubio, Kevin Love, rookie Derrick Williams, and Michael Beasley (if he stays) will make a strong nucleas for this team. I can't wait to watch them run!

5. A full season with Melo & Amar'e in New York

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'd know that I haven't exactly kept my Knick-fandom a secret. The Knicks have been my favourite team since the dawn of my interest in the NBA, and for the first time in over a decade, they actually have a squad that could challenge the NBA's best contenders.
Carmelo Anthony was brought to New York a little too late last season, and didn't really get a chance to gel with the Knicks' other All Star, Amar'e Stoudemire. They both had their moments of brilliance, though, and left us fans excited for much more. Melo may not be in the elite class of superstars like LeBron, Durant, or Wade, but he is an unquestionable offensive talent. This season could be his perfect year: if he can get his act together, become a better leader, and play a little more defense, he could be looking at a career year. I'm hoping that Amar'e provides consistent support from the post, Chauncey Billups keeps the team running, and the role players step up, and all added together, the Knicks could be a force to reckon with.
If Carmelo Anthony was ever going to have an MVP-caliber season, it's now.

4. The extended Dwight/CP3/Deron melodrama

Unless you're a fan of the Magic, Hornets, or the Nets, this point will rank high on your list, too. Three superstar players - Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams - are all set to become free agents next season. Now, free-agents-to-be can take three routes of dealing with a situation where they don't want to remain with their current teams:
1. Openly refuse the contract extension before they become a free agent.
2. Do the Carmelo thing, which means, make it clear to their team that they won't resign, so that the team can then sign and trade them somewhere else and get back some value for them. Carmelo Anthony wanted to leave the Nuggets, but he got them a lot of good value (Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton) in return from New York.
3. Do the LeBron thing, which means, not give the team any clues to his future all season, and when free agency comes, surprise the team by leaving them and getting them nothing in return. LeBron did this with a spectacular fail otherwise known as 'The Decision'.
The drama is about to start for Dwight/CP3/Deron: will they stay, will they go, where will they go, who will they be traded for, who will be heart-broken????? Even before the players' CBA agreement was to be signed, we already heard of several rumours, including Chris Paul wanting to play for the Knicks, the Celtics offering New Orleans Rajon Rondo in exchange for Paul, Deron Williams turning down the extension offer from the Nets, the Mavericks targeting Williams for next summer, the Bulls considering a trade package to team up Dwight Howard with Derrick Rose, and the Lakers offering everyone in their team not named Kobe Bryant to acquire both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard.
The rumours are going to get crazier and crazier. YES!!

3. Young squads - Bulls & Thunder - take the next big step

Led by two of the best young players in the league in Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant, the Chicago Bulls and the OKC Thunder are similar teams since they have been both on 'the come up' over the past year. Both teams arrived till their respective conference finals before losing out to more experienced squads. This season could be very different. A couple of shrewd trades or free agent pick ups will make the supporting roles around Rose and Durant stronger. A shorter but more dense season will help squads with young legs. With experience on their side now, we could be looking at the future of the league in these two teams. Rose and Durant are also both humble, hard-working players, who have strong organisational support behind them to help them in their success. Could one of these teams make the NBA Finals. With Miami in the East, Chicago's way to the promised land looks much tougher. But this may be the Thunder's year to finally breakthrough to the NBA Finals, especially in an ageing Western Conference (and especially if the Lakers don't pick up Chris Paul and/or Dwight Howard).

2. Metta World Peace

I'm sure - no, I'm convinced - that I'm not ranking this too high.
A few months ago, a player named Ronald William Artest, Jr. who is a Small Forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, a tenacious defender, an occasional big-shot hitter, a part-time rapper, and a part-time nutcase, decided to legally change his name to Metta World Peace.
Why does this matter so much to me? Because I'm already imagining the flurry of changes we can expect from this historical move. 'Lakers - World Peace' jerseys will be flying off the shelves, commentators in NBA games will have to blame World Peace for taking bad shots, the name 'M. World Peace' will be on NBA programmes, World Peace will make a rap album, World Peace will stop a potential altercation, and World Peace will be called for technical fouls.
And, if my ultimate dream comes true, some genius somewhere will use his or her powers of persuasion to make sure that Metta World Peace is picked as the designated defensive stopper for USA's Olympic Basketball team at the 2012 London Olympics. The jersey will say USA in the front and 'World Peace' in the back. If that isn't diplomacy, then I don't know what is.

1. Christmas Day (Or, because of the time difference, the morning after Christmas)

I'm by no means a person who gets into the 'holiday spirit': Christmas hasn't necessarily been anything more special than another day off school (in my childhood) or work. But Christmas 2011 is looking to become my favourite once, since, well, ever. That is the night that, 54 days later than expected, the NBA season will begin.
Five games are already scheduled for Christmas night, or for us in Asia, the morning after Christmas: Celtics @ Knicks, Heat @ Mavericks, Bulls @ Lakers, Magic @ Thunder, Clippers @ Warriors.
Boom! That means that, after an extended lockout, we get to see Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e, LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Nowitzki, Rose, Kobe, Gasol, World Peace, Dwight Howard, Durant, Westbrook and Blake Griffin all on the first night! We've been presented with a rematch of the NBA finals, an exciting match-up between the Celtics and the Knicks at the Madison Square Garden, a face-off between powerhouses Bulls and Lakers, and Blake Griffin vs. an awful defensive team so that we see as many incredible dunks as possible.
The NBA's past, present, and future are all there together on opening night.

The lockout - an ugly period where green bank notes threatened to kill the soul of the beautiful, orange, bouncy, basketball - is over. There will be no nuclear winter this year. Time to get hyped again. The NBA is back!

NBA's loss is CBA's gain

When the NBA and it's players failed to agree on a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and thus, put an end to the current lockout, there is another CBA that seems to have gained: the Chinese Basketball Association. And now that the NBA's player's union has disbanded, and the 2011/12 NBA season is seemingly slipping away, China will start looking like an even more attractive destination for NBA players.

Of course, going overseas isn't a newly-discovered option for former NBA players - bit players who couldn't find NBA jobs and those who were past their prime have occasionally taken the leap overseas and taken their talents to Europe, South America, and in rare occasions, to Asia.

But the change in economy has also directly influenced the change in preferred basketball-player destination. The NBA, which is the richest and the most competitive basketball league in the world, is obviously the dream destination for every basketball player in the world. But the NBA is no more (for now): and so, during this lockout, more and more players are thinking China. Europe is in serious recessions, while China has become the world's second largest economy. It also happens to be a country crazy about hoops - of course, the cultural barrier in the Far East as compared to Europe may be a tougher hurdle for the average NBA player - but the CBA has rising competitiveness and relative financial strength in its favour. No team outside the NBA can really match NBA salaries, but in today's economy, it seems that the CBA comes the closest.

The CBA was only founded 16 years ago - in 1995. The first American player to play in the league was James Hodges. There are 17 teams in the league.

The first American to play in the CBA was James Hodges, back in 1996. Since then, former NBA players slowly made their way back and forth, but the biggest breakthrough in NBA to CBA history was the arrival of former All Star and Timberwolves/Nets/Suns/Knicks/Celtics guard Stephon Marbury. One of the most exciting (and possibly crazy) players in the NBA, Marbury shocked the world when he joined China's Shanxi Brave Dragons in 2010. Since then, Marbury has played for the Foshan Dragons and has now signed for the Beijing Ducks. In the process, he has become one of the most popular players in China, all while also promoting his shoe company there. For a former perhaps-nutcase, Marbury has flipped his career around for the better with the China move.

Now, to promote their own talent, Chinese teams have quite stringent rules for allowing foreign players on their rosters and for the playing time that the foreign players get. All teams except the Bayi Rockets can have a maximum of two foreign players, although the bottom five teams in the league are allowed to sign an additional Asian player to their roster. When facing an opponent in any game, the foreign players are allowed to play a combined total of six quarters, except for when teams are facing the Bayi Rockets, in which case the foreigners can play up to five quarters.

Why the Bayi Rockets exceptions, you ask? Well, the Rockets are China's Army Team, and thus, they feature only Chinese players. The Bayi Rockets also happen to be the squad that beat up players from the Georgetown University team in a 'friendly' game a few months ago. They also happen to be the most successful team of the CBA, winning 8 of the 16 titles so far.

Until last season, a few former NBA players did manage to make their impact on the, although none of them were as well known as Marbury. These included former Kings player Quincy Douby (Xinjiang Flying Tigers), who was last year's China All Star MVP, former Knick/Hawk Randolph Morris (Beijing Ducks), former Spur/Clipper/Bobcat Marcus Williams (Shanxi Brave Dragons), former Clipper/Mav/Wizard James Singleton (Guangdong Southern Tigers), former Rocket/Wizard Mike Harris (Shanghai Sharks), former NBA journeyman Andre Emmett (Fujian Sturgeons). Another former NBA big name - Steve Francis - had a shot with the Beijing Ducks, but it never really worked out. Former Kings player Bonzi Wells had a pretty successful 1 season in China with the Shanxi Brave Dragons.

Still, nothing prepared China for what was going to happen across the pond this year. When the NBA went into lockout, most of the players took the wait-and-see approach before deciding on their futures overseas. But some of them were more proactive and decided early. Now, compared to basketball leagues in other countries, China has strict rules that are still keeping NBA-ers at bay: once a player signs with a Chinese side, he has to play the whole season. In other countries, players can break their contract and return to America if the lockout ends; not in China.

But many players have made the jump eastwards anyways, and from the looks of things, many more are now considering it. Already, a major portion of the former Denver Nuggets have traded the Rocky Mountains for the Great Wall: Wilson Chandler (Zheijiang Lions), Kenyon Martin (Xinjiang Flying Tigers), and JR Smith (Zheijiang Golden Bulls) signed for CBA teams a few months ago. They were joined by the Nets' Dan Gadzuric (Jiangsu Dragons), and the Hawks' Josh Powell (Liaoning Dinosaurs). Chinese stars Yi Jianlian of the Wizards also headed back to his homeland to play for the Southern Tigers, who are the league's defending champions.

And a few days ago, the Suns' Aaron Brooks became the latest to accept a contract with the Chinese team, signing with the Southern Tigers. Chinese teams have been showing interest in bringing over Shane Battier, too.

And of course, there was a major push a few months ago for Kobe Bryant - it didn't resolve to anything back, but since the NBA's status has gone from bad to worse, I'm sure that even the Mamba would be thinking about expanding his horizons. Kobe would definitely become the biggest basketball name in country, and perhaps the best NBA player to ever play in an overseas league. But Chinese fans shouldn't get too carried away about that, yet, as he has a lot more international options and offers to choose from.

The NBA, our favourite league, is unfortunately slipping. Who knows when, and if, there will be a settlement between the two sides, especially now that they're going to court. But the NBA's loss has become the CBA's gain. And while the world's best basketball league in the world's strongest economy squabbles and shuts down over money matters, the second-strongest economy in the East seems to be becoming a brighter option for the basketball starved players.

Locked out NBA players should play a 1-on-1 tournament, Part 2

If the NBA's best players took part in a 1-on-1 tournament, who would win?

In Part 1 of this article, which I wrote yesterday, I argued that right now, with the NBA's players locked out of playing in the NBA, and with the common fan too bored out of his wits, the players need to play in an epic 1-on-1 basketball tournament. An event like this would bring more attention than any meaningless charity game, and spike fan interest like never before. We have all dreamed about the NBA's best players facing each other: now's a chance for them to actually do it.

Read my article from yesterday to know about all the logistics of making it happen, and the rules of the tournament. Basically, each half-court game will be up to 21 points, or up to 15 minutes. We play 'Loser's Ball' after each basket. I've also chosen to carbon copy the FIFA World Cup format for this tournament: 32 players in 8 groups of four each, and then the top 2 from each group move on to the knockout stage of 16, and so on and so forth.

Now, a little about the 1-on-1 format: to anyone who has played basketball 1-on-1 (which means, pretty much anyone who has played basketball, ever), you know how it differs from the 5-on-5 full-court game. The 1-on-1 game favours players with different talents. The best 1-on-1 players will be those who are good ball handlers, good shooters, players with speed, players who can finish well around the basket, good man-to-man defenders, players who can steal and block well, good rebounders, and those with good stamina. Big players who can't dribble well, create their own shot, or have a bad jump-shot wouldn't do too well.

So here is my fantasy tournament. I first picked the 32 best players in the NBA - not the 32 best 1-on-1 players - I mean the absolute best. This way, we can actually see how much better certain players are in this format than others. Secondly: I divided the players by their talent into four 'pots': 1-8, 9-16, 17-24, 25-32. Third step: I wrote the names of all the players of each pot separately, and then, one by one, I picked a chit of paper from each pot to make each group in my tournament fair. This was just like the FIFA draw, y'all! You'll have to go by my word here: I kept the system a 100% honest. Each group had a Pot 1, Pot 2, Pot 3, and Pot 4 player. Finally, I played out the fantasy tournament using my own knowledge and opinion.

Now, a lot of you will debate my decisions: my decision of the top 32, my decision of which player goes in which 'pot', and my decision of which player beats whom. I'm sure that no one will agree with everything, but I hope that you are able to see some sort of logic in my decisions by the end of it. If not, you're welcome to tell me how your own fantasy tournament would play out!

Players Qualified for 1-on-1 Tournament (Alphabetic Order): Al Horford, Amar'e Stoudemire, Blake Griffin, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Danny Granger, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, John Wall, Josh Smith, Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Love, Kobe Bryant, LaMarcus Aldridge, LeBron James, Manu Ginobili, Monta Ellis, Pau Gasol, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Tyreke Evans, Zach Randolph.

Player Seeding

Pot 1 (1-8): Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, Dirk Nowitzki, Dywane Wade, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant
Pot 2 (9-16): Amar'e Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Pau Gasol, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook, Zach Randolph
Pot 3 (17-24): Blake Griffin, John Wall, Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Monta Ellis, Paul Pierce, Steve Nash, Tyreke Evans
Pot 4 (25-32): Al Horford, Danny Granger, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Kevin Garnett, Manu Ginobili, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan.

Then followed the group draw... After fairly picking one chit each from each pot, these are the eight groups we got. Remember, each player plays against the three players in his group, and the top two players from each group move on to the next stage. The standings will be based on wins, head-to-head win, and then, on point difference.

Groups

Group A: Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Kevin Love, Joe Johnson
Group B: Dirk Nowitzki, Amar'e Stoudemire, Monta Ellis, Kevin Garnett
Group C: Kobe Bryant, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan
Group D: Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Tyreke Evans, Manu Ginobili
Group E: LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, LaMarcus Aldridge, Danny Granger
Group F: Derrick Rose, Zach Randolph, John Wall, Josh Smith
Group G: Kevin Durant, Chris Bosh, Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry
Group H: Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Paul Pierce, Al Horford

As you can see... We already have some interesting match-ups already. Wade vs. Paul, Rose vs Wall, etc. Now let's move on and quickly decide who wins each group.

Group A: A lot of you may be questioning my decision to keep Chris Paul in the second pot, but he wasn't top 8 to me (he was 9), and thus, we have this interesting match-up straight away between Wade and Paul, two of the best 1-on-1 players in the world. Joe Johnson will be a dark horse here, of course, but although he has the talent, I don't think he has enough heart to defeat Wade or CP3. Kevin Love isn't going to win any games - the 3 guards will be too quick for him. Wade finishes this group at the top, beating Chris Paul in their head to head match. Paul ends at second place.

Group B: This will be an amazing group, I think - each player brings their own specialty to this format. Dirk will have the best perimeter pull up jumper, and thus, the best fake-and-attack-the-basket move. Amar'e is quite athletic for his size, and will be able to hit the mid-range jumper. Monta Ellis is brilliant in 1-on-1 format, as quick, can shoot well, and can hit tough layups. Kevin Garnett, though old, will be a great defender and a good mid-range shooter for his height. It will be very tough to score on him. I think Dirk will be able to beat Amar'e quite easily, but will struggle against Monta's speed and KG's length: still, I'll favour Nowitzki to survive those two tough games and end at the top of the table. Second place will be interesting: I think Garnett will beat Amar'e, because of his sheer intensity which Amar'e won't be able to match. But Monta Ellis will be the surprise package here, as I think he'll speed by both the big men to end at second. A young KG would've probably topped this group, but he's much older and slower now.

Group C: OOOH! This is a group of vets, and all technically gifted players: Kobe, Deron, Nash, Duncan. I'm looking forward to see Kobe go toe to toe with his two great playoff nemises: Nash and Duncan. Duncan will honourably lose all three games he plays in, but Nash, because of his shooting ability and speed will remain a pest. Kobe though is too gifted for anyone in this group and will finish at top. The game to watch will be between Deron and Nash - Nash has the better jumper and can score quickly, but Deron Williams is stronger and Nash, a bad defender, may not be able to stop him. I say a close 21-19 win for Deron Williams decides this group and takes Deron into the next round. On a sidenote: Kobe beating Duncan in this group will be the largest win of this tournament. I expect Kobe to win around 21-5 here.

Group D: First off, this group satisfied an old fantasy of mine: Dwight Howard vs. Pau Gasol, two players who visited India last year, and two of the best post players in the NBA. Although I admit now that Howard is a better overall basketball player, the 1-on-1 game will favour Gasol, and he will win this iconic match-up. But really, none of the two are moving on to the next round (Yes - I said it!). Because both Tyreke Evans and Gibobili will be specialists in this format and will cause upsets against the big names. My older brother believes - and I agree with him to a certain degree - that Evans may be one of the best suited players for this format, because of his size, strength, ball-handling, and ability to finish around the basket. Tyreke will top this group, Ginobili will come second.

Group E: LeBron's fodder? No one but Rondo is going to give LeBron any trouble, and even against Rondo, LBJ should do okay. LeBron will steamroll past all three opponents to finish on top. Danny Granger may cause some trouble to Rondo, but I think Rondo's speed and fighting spirit will be too much. Too many 1-on-1 games are won by players solely on confidence, and Rondo's confidence may make up for his lack of a jumpshot. He'll finish second.

Group F: Derrick Rose vs John Wall, I'm already salivating. Two of the fastest, most athletic point guards in the history of the game. This group belongs to them. Randolph and Smith will be too big and slow to keep up with the PGs. And in the dream game, Rose will have the better of Wall because of his better outside shot and his experience. Rose finishes 1st, Wall 2nd.

Group G: Three athletic forwards - Durant, Bosh, and Griffin - make this group exciting. And then there's Stephen Curry, who is as good a shooter as he's a dribbler. Expect nobody to have an answer for Durant - his jumpshot will be on fire, and he has the length to matchup to the other forwards. Durant will finish on top, and I predict that Curry will surprise the other two to finish at second place. Bosh vs. Griffin will be an interesting game: although Griffin is more athletic, I think Bosh can post up and shoot better, which will help him win the close game in over time.

Group H: I'm calling upset here, folks. This group has Melo, Westbrook, Pierce, and Horford. Horford will lose all his games. The other games will be incredibly close. Melo vs. Westbrook, Westbrook vs. Pierce, Pierce vs. Melo. Carmelo Anthony may be the most talented player here, but he has one glaring weakness: comfortable creating his own shot from the perimeter. Melo needs to find his spot, get the ball, and then drive in or shoot - with a man constantly guarding him, this may not be possible. Plus, Melo is the worst man-to-man defender here. I say Westbrook wins all the games and tops the group. This leaves an amazing Paul Pierce vs. Carmelo Anthony game to decide second place. And guess what? I'm calling Pierce. It will be a grueling game, but Pierce has the ability to dribble, create his own shot, and get contact better. Anthony will have the better mid-range shot, but Pierce's isn't too bad, either. The game will go into overtime, Pierce wins, making him the final and unexpected entry into the last 16.

Second Round

I'm sticking really close to the FIFA model. So this is what happens in the second round, the knockout stage of the 16 remaining players.

A1 vs. B2 - Dwyane Wade vs. Monta Ellis
C1 vs. D2 - Kobe Bryant vs. Manu Ginobili

E1 vs. F2 - LeBron James vs. John Wall
G1 vs. H2 - Kevin Durant vs. Paul Pierce

B1 vs A2 - Dirk Nowitzki vs. Chris Paul
D1 vs. C2 - Tyreke Evans vs. Deron Williams

F1 vs E2 - Derrick Rose vs. Rajon Rondo
H1 vs G2 - Russell Westbrook vs. Stephen Curry

Wade vs. Ellis: Ellis is good, just not Wade good. This game will be one on Wade's defense versus Ellis lack of D. Wade will attack the basket at each opportunity, win fouls, and on the other side, hound Ellis. Wade wins.

Bryant vs. Ginobili: Oh boy! Another match-up of two guys who have fought many playoff battles against each other. And by fought, I mean literally, fought. But Ginobili, for all his wily skill, is now way past his prime, while Kobe has remained skilled and deadly. Kobe will end this old rivalry with a win. I'm assuming that flopping wouldn't get Manu any calls.

James vs. Wall: Wall will try to speed past initially, but LeBron James, with his length, athleticism, and strength, will be way too much for the young Wall. LeBron is a better shooter too, and Wall wouldn't be able to defend him. LeBron wins.

Durant vs. Pierce: This is where the Pierce fairytale end. He'll meet a bigger, better version of Carmelo Anthony vs. Durant, and Durant will use every trick in his offensive skill-set to get past Pierce.

Nowitzki vs. Paul: Two completely different dominant players, two completely different styles. How will this play out? How will Paul defend Dirk's jump-shot. How will Dirk defend Paul's drive to the basket. Dirk isn't a good 1-on-1 defender, and to me, that will finally be the difference. Trailing in this game, Dirk will start relying on three-pointers to make a comeback, but Paul will be able to pester him and take advantage of Dirk's below-average dribbling ability. In a close fight to the finish, Chris Paul will win to advance to the Quarter-Finals. Sorry Dirkophiliacs.

Evans vs. Williams: Evans is suited for this format, yes, and will be trouble, yes. He is stronger and taller than Deron Williams, but Deron isn't too weak himself. Plus, Deron's advantages are shooting ability and quickness. It will be a battle which will leave Deron bruised for the next round, but he will survive to move on.

Rose vs. Rondo: Another amazing matchup. If you aren't excited to watch these two play against each other, then you don't like basketball. Rose is slightly quicker, Rondo slightly stronger. Both can finish well around the basket. But Rose's jump-shot is better, and when these two start getting tired and settling for outside jumpers (it happens all the time in 1-on-1 games), Rose will prevail.

Westbrook vs. Curry: Russell Westbrook has a similar skill-set to Rose, and with his confidence to attack, he is a very dangerous 1-on-1 player. Curry will have moments of brilliance, but this game belongs to Westbrook.

Quarter-Finals

I couldn't have scripted the line-ups better. Through my random picking and groupings, we have now reached a stage of four games, each of which more amazing than the last. These are my Quarter-Finals. Hold your breath tight.

Dwyane Wade vs. Kobe Bryant
LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant
Chris Paul vs. Deron Williams
Derrick Rose vs. Russell Westbrook.

Oh. My. God. If I asked four people to vote on their favourite match-up, we would get four different answers. I'm dying just thinking about it. In each game, both the players play the same position, and in each game both are amongst the best in their position.

Wade vs. Bryant: The league's best shooting guards. The two best shooting guards since Michael Jordan (sorry, Iverson (But on a sidenote: if there was a 1-on-1 tournament 10 years ago, no 1 would be touching AI)). In their different ways, these two players have embodied MJ like no other. Wade finishes like him, has the winner's mentality like him. Kobe has the same style of movement, shooting, and of course, the winning mentality. If there are two players who hate to lose in the world, it's these two. So who wins this amazing match-up? Kobe's a better jump-shooter, he's taller, better free-throw shooter, and he's smarter. Wade is far more athletic now, can finish better than anyone in the world around the basket, is better at creating his own shot, and is quicker. Both are great defenders, but Kobe's slightly taller. My prediction: Dwyane Wade's drives to the basket will be the key to this game. Two years ago, Kobe could've stopped him, but Wade today has the edge today. Still a tough call though. Kobe will hit his outside shots, and he'll beat Wade off the dribble a few times. But with the game tied at 20, it will be Wade who will pull his deadly two step/euro step, and rush to the basket, leaving Kobe behind and qualifying for the Semi-Finals. When I had asked about this tournament to Indian followers on Facebook, an overwhelming majority had voted for Kobe. Sorry guys, but 2011 KB24 isn't 2008 KB24 or 2005 KB24 or even 2001 KB24. He faced a tough opponent too early and he's eliminated.

James vs. Durant: The league's best small forwards. One is the ultimate all-round player, one of the greatest the world has ever seen. The other is a shooting guard in a power forward's body, and also the league's best scorer. Because of his size, Durant matches up well with LeBron, even though he is weaker. Durant will be dangerous from the three-point line and might take a big early lead. But LeBron will crawl his way back, defeating Durant on the defensive end first, and then tiring him out with his strong drives to the basket. LeBron may be a better team player than a 1-on-1 player, but in this instance, he will be good enough to defeat KD. Only a few people can stop Durant's outside shot, and I think LBJ is one of those few.

Paul vs. Williams: Two of the best 'pure' point guards. Drafted in the same year, into similar teams, with similar needs, and picked just one spot apart from each other. There is little to say between Paul and Deron, who PGs whose careers have been eerily similar. There is very little to call between these two: Williams is stronger, but Paul is quicker. Both have equally good outside shots. Deron could post up against Paul, but Paul is good at taking contact and finishing lay-ups + floaters around the basket. In another game that will go to the wire, Paul will win by two or three points.

Rose vs. Westbrook: Two of the best new-age point guards. Rose is the MVP, Westbrook is a very similar style of player and Rose's toughest challenger in his style of play. Still, I think that, in everything that Westbrook is good at, Rose is a little bit better. And Rose seems to have more of a level head on his shoulders, which will help him when the going gets tough. Rose wins.

Slam Dunk + Three-Point Championship

Hey! It's time we take a break before the last two rounds - so, as I had suggested yesterday - we need to have some exhibition competitions here.

Slam Dunk Competition: Blake Griffin wins, duh. If you doubt me, go here and see. It doesn't matter who else is participating, but just so you know, the runners-up will be Dwight Howard, John Wall, and Amar'e Stoudemire.

3-point Competition: The field is set with self-proclaimed 'best shooter in the world' Paul Pierce, the Warriors' sharp-shooting duo of Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, Steve Nash, Danny Granger, and Carmelo Anthony. This will be Dirk's opportunity to make up for his early departure, and he'll defeat his old teammate and friend Steve Nash in the last round to win.

Semi-Finals

Back to business, then. Things are getting serious, and so are the matchups.

Dwyane Wade vs. LeBron James
Derrick Rose vs. Chris Paul

Wade vs. James: Obviously the pick of the round, and perhaps the most important game of the tournament. Two close friends, two team members, two team leaders, two scorers, creators, two guys from the same draft class, two of the most similar dominating players of the league, and in my opinion, the league's two best overall basketball players. Could you really ask for more drama? The world has been wondering ever since Miami paired these two together about who is the alpha dog amongst them, who is better. They took turns dominating the league the whole season. In the NBA Finals, with LeBron playing passively in Game 3, Wade finally called him out, showing the first sign of friction between the eternal super-buddies. It's time to capitalise on that and build a spicy rivalry. Who do you think wins in a 1-on-1 game? LeBron may be a better all-round talent, but can he really match Wade, who is a 1-on-1 specialist? LeBron is bigger and a slightly better three-point shooter. Wade is quicker, more creative, and can finish better. LBJ will use his size advantage defensively, and will also test Wade's iffy outside shooting. Wade will counter it by driving hard to the basket and winning fouls. LBJ will do the same. This will be a tough, defensive game, and I say both of them will have a tough time in scoring. After 15 minutes, both LeBron and Wade will be tied on 17 each. We go into a 3 minute overtime. It is here that the winning mettle will show, and LeBron's close-game crisis will overcome him. Wade lives for tense moments, LBJ has recently died by it. Both players will get to the line, Wade, a better free throw shooter, will make more of his shots. Wade wins the emotional game, hugs his team-mate, and heads to the final.

Rose vs. Paul After the emotional roller-coaster of the last semi-final, this one will be relatively underwhelming. Chris Paul doesn't have the deadly scoring instinct that Derrick Rose has. Plus Rose is a quicker player. Paul will be settling for his jump-shot a lot and will rely on tough defense to stop Rose, but Rose is another player designed to be unstoppable in this format - he will beat Paul and enter the final.

Final

Dywane Wade vs. Derrick Rose Fitting, I think, because before starting this tournament, I would've imagined these two to be the best 1-on-1 players in the NBA. Well, here we have it now: two incredible guards, both hailing from Chicago, and players with similar styles and intensity, going head to head in the final against each other. Rose will rely on his speed once more, but Wade matches him in ball handling ability and quick change of direction. The one advantage that Wade has is that he can dominate defensively and play well even when the game is slowed down. Rose will get quick early baskets, but with both of them tiring out, it will be Wade who will be stronger towards the end. Both players will use similar weapons from their arsenal against each other, but being bigger, stronger, and better on the defensive end, it is Wade who will hold the advantage. In a down to the wire game, Wade will be the first to the finish line, beating Rose 21-18.

WINNER: Dwyane Wade

So there you have it: After several exciting match-ups, close games, upsets, and with the settling of many old rivalries, the creation of many new ones, Dwyane Wade will be the last one standing and the winner of the 1-on-1 championship.

Agree? Disagree? Overjoyed? Fuming? With the format that I have presented, how do you think the tournament will proceed? Who do you think will the ultimate 1-on-1 champion? Let me know your thoughts, where I went wrong, where I went right, whom I overrated, whom I underrated.

Whatever your opinion, I'm sure we'll agree on one thing: THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN. This will be every fans dream, and will settle numerous debates and confusions about 'who is better' (1-on-1 at least). And after that, we can start hoping to finally seeing these guys do what they do best: play REAL 5-on-5 basketball for their NBA teams. Until then, enjoy the court(room) drama.

Locked out NBA players should play a 1-on-1 tournament, Part 1

Go ahead and mourn first: The NBA is in a lockout. The owners gave the players a terrible collective bargaining agreement 'final' offer. Yesterday, the player's rejected the deal, dissolved the union, and are now threatening to take the matter to court. The 2011/12 season which should've begun 2 weeks ago is still locked out, and it seems that, with the court battles and the chaos that is now following, we are a long way away from seeing NBA basketball again.

No matter what side you think is the bigger 'villain' here, I think both share some fraction of the blame for this 'nuclear winter'. But one thing is clear to me: the NBA is famous, and thus the players and the owners are rich, mostly because of the players. Not anything else. The Cleveland Cavaliers weren't a popular team because of their owner, Dan Gilbert, they were popular because of LeBron James. With him gone, I wonder how many former 'fans' are rooting for the owner. Fans like players, and therefore, the players need to prove that it is they who have the power to draw more fans.

Now, few voices spoke out in support of NBA players creating their own, separate basketball league if they can't agree on a deal with the NBA. But this kind of operation is much easier said than done, especially in the short term. The NBA is too well-organised, connected, and popular around the world: any new league created by the players will of course be attractive, but still, it would take a long time before it will reach the standards of the NBA. It will have problems with the infrastructure, TV deals, etc etc. Plus, it would be a long time before a league like this would be organised enough to take off, and honestly, by then, they might as well fix their problems with the current NBA.

The players have tried other ways to play basketball and enjoy their 'freedom' from the NBA during the lockout. They have taken part in streetball championships, in numerous box-score stuffing charity games, and even planned (and failed) to take part in an All Star World Tour. These charity/streetball games are exciting for a while (OMG LEBRON CARMELO WADE PAUL MELO ON THE SAME TEAM OMG!!!) but eventually, they get boring and useless, since their is little at stake in terms of competitiveness and player legacy.

So here's my ultimate solution to the current state of affairs we find ourselves in, a solution that will help temporarily satisfy the NBA fans, give the players a competitive platform to flaunt their star power, and of course, satisfy the behind-the-scenes sponsors who would like to continue promoting their brands with the big-name players they pay:

The NBA's best players need to take part in a first-of-its-kind, historic, 1-on-1 tournament.

First off: 1-on-1 basketball is not REAL BASKETBALL. Let's get that straight. Basketball, in its purest, and most beautiful form, is a 5-on-5 unselfish, full-court game, where ideally every person on the court runs, passes, scores, rebounds, and defends with equal effort.

That said, for a short time (perhaps just 4-5 days), a tournament like this will be incredible. Every NBA player has played 1-on-1. As a matter of fact, every living, breathing soul who is a casual or a serious or a professional basketball player has played 1-on-1. It is not the purest form of the game, but it's still a fun form. I want to see 32 of the league's best players (will explain that number why later) play in a short tournament to decide the league's best 1-on-1 player, and thus win bragging rights to call themselves the 'best player', too. There is too much peace and love in today's NBA, anyways. With money and hype over everything, players don't go hard at each other individually that much anymore.

Case in point: LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant, everyone's favourite 1-on-1 dream scenario. Yes, they have very different styles, and yes, they are in different stages of their careers, but Kobe and LeBron are nearly the same height, play nearly the same position, and are the league's most popular, divisive, and amongst its most talented players. Most NBA fans are either on the Kobe corner and on the LeBron corner. The 'who's better' argument has been raging for years, with no way of truly finding an answer. Same goes for other similar players, such as Deron Williams vs. Chris Paul, Derrick Rose vs. Russell Westbrook, or Kevin Durant vs. Carmelo Anthony. Or how about, players in the same NBA team for a pinch of drama: LeBron James vs. Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony vs. Amar'e Stoudemire, Kevin Durant vs. Russell Westbrook. This is a chance to really play out those countless video game fantasies that you have been harbouring.

And now listen to this: Last October, Kobe Bryant claimed that he would beat LeBron 1-on-1. A few weeks ago, Kevin Durant said that Kobe would beat LeBron, too. Yesterday, a video surfaced where LeBron was asked if Kobe would beat him 1-on-1, and he said that he would be 'victorious' over anyone. The players are already talking about it, the wheels are in motion, it's now time to make this happen!

How to 'make it happen', though? Here is the main stipulation that will have to be taken into consideration: The players will have to ignore the risk of injury and the perhaps bigger risk of public embarrassment. With no NBA future on the cards, this may not be as far-fetched a stipulation as you may think.

There are a multitude of sponsors who will be able to fund this type of massive event, especially since many of their sponsorship deals are suffering with the absence of an NBA season. I had first considered shoe companies like Nike/adidas, but they have too much power over who plays or doesn't play and may try to only field players signed under their banner. No worries: there are plenty others, and this is a lucrative venture. What will make it even better is if the proceeds go to charity.

The tournament doesn't need to be stretched out longer than a 4-5 days, as with the format I'm about to suggest later, any player will play a maximum of only seven short 1-on-1 games. ESPN can broadcast it (hey, they broadcast the friggin' Decision).

Now, I was thinking about what would be an ideal venue for an event like this, and I thought no further than Las Vegas. The city of Vegas has already been rumoured to be a future destination for an NBA team. The 2007 NBA All Star Game was held there. Players head to Vegas for the Summer League before every season (not this one, though!). And of course, the 'Impact Basketball League' was held in Vegas two months ago. It will be a neutral floor but a place which will guarantee investor interest.

And the fans - I'm sure - will watch this tournament in flocks. Fans will watch it in the arena, watch it on TV, see highlights on YouTube, and discuss it on blogs and social networking sites in great numbers. We're DESPERATE. And the only thing second to the news that the real NBA season is returning will be the news that the NBA's best players will be putting their talents, their egos, and their legacies on the line against each other. Because, let's face it, 1-on-1 basketball is the ultimate ego-showcase. No one has to pretend to win for the team anymore. It's going go be every man for himself, a prospect that will create unique drama like never before. Hell yes, the fans will be excited. There are too many arguments to settle here.

Now, on to the tournament rules. I'm going to unabashedly steal from a very simple and efficient, tried-and-test format: the FIFA World Cup. The World Cup has 32 of the best teams, divided into eight different pots of four teams each. Each team plays three games against those in the same group. The best two teams from each group goes into the knockout stage. The knockout stage starts with the Second Round (16 teams), Quarter-Finals (8 teams), Semi-Finals (4 teams), and Finals (2 teams). I think this is a good and fair system, and it means that a participant plays a maximum of seven games.

In the middle of this tournament, I also propose a Slam Dunk competition and a Three-Point Shoot-Out. Why not?

I propose that in each game, a coin toss wins starting possession. The games will be on the half-court, of course, and after each basket, the possession will start from the three-point line. I want the players to play the 'loser's ball' system, meaning the player who has just scored will then have to defend his opponent in the next start of possession. The scoring will be normal (two pointers, three pointers, 1 point for free throws) up to 21. But I'm willing to give the players 15 minutes max, after which the game stops and the higher score wins. There will be no breaks/time-outs. If scores are tied at the end of regulation, add three more minutes of overtime.

A big issue in 1-on-1 games is fouls: I want the foul calling to be much laxer, meaning, only rough and very obvious fouls should be called. Any shooting foul will be free-throws, as normal. But to stop players from fouling bad free-throw shooters too much, I want to set a five foul limit - any player who fouls five times will give up 1 point to his opponent.

So there it is: these are my proposed scenario and rules for my dream 1-on-1 tournament. But I'm not done, because why dream up such an incredible scenario and not dream of how it would play out? That is why this is just Part 1 of this story. In Part 2, I'll pick the 32 players who will be making the cut, divide them into the groups, and then, based on the style of the 1-on-1 format, play out the entire tournament.

So for all the times that the NBA promoted the 'There can only be 1' ads, we will finally have an appropriate platform for determining the last '1' standing. Yes, this is indeed going to be epic.

How the Lockout punctured NBA's brighest moment in India

There is no good time to have a lockout, but the timing of this particular shut-down of the NBA couldn't have been worse. The league was at its height of popularity and it featured an exciting group of popular veterans (Kobe, Garnett), incredible in-their-prime stars (LeBron, Wade, Nowitzki, Dwight Howard), talented youngsters breaking into the elite (Rose, Durant) and tantalising prospects for the future (Blake Griffin, John Wall). In addition, the NBA seemed to be becoming open and unpredictable again: Mavs, Heat, Bulls, Thunder, Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, etc all boasted formidable, exciting teams.

But for the NBA fan in India, the lockout couldn't have come at a worse time: the NBA was at the height of its popularity in India last season. For me, the feeling has been of taking a big bite of my favourite dish (Butter Chicken) to build an appetite, and then being robbed of eating it anymore, and instead staying hungry. Now multiply that feeling by a 100 and replace Butter Chicken with Test Cricket. That's the Lockout.

Rewind back to a year ago and you'll know what I'm talking about. The 2010-11 season couldn't have been better for NBA fans in India. Things started off on the highest note possible in the off-season itself, as India was visited by two of the best big players in the planet: Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol. If that wasn't enough, Gasol even brought the Larry O'Brien trophy with him to India. The NBA Trophy in INDIA!!! Even recalling that moment gives me the chills.

But hype for the upcoming season had already been built before Howard's and Gasol's visits, since a certain LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach, ie. join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. The Heat became the most-talked-about team, for better or worse, even before playing a single game, and all eyes followed them through every move in the season. This influence wasn't lost in India, obviously, as more fans than ever joined in the excitement and anticipation of what the Heat will bring in the new season. A couple of other off-season moves - Amare to Knicks; Boozer to Bulls - added to the intrigue.

And then the season started, and to the delight of Indian fans, it was soon announced that the NBA will be showing four live games a week on Indian TV - on Sony PIX and Ten Sports - after signing deals with both the channels. And then, this number went up to five, and near the end of the season, it was up to six. Six live games in India every week! I was getting no sleep, waking up at wee hours of the morning every single day, and it was okay! By playoffs time, we were watching nearly every game live. It was certainly the golden age.

Of course, the NBA continued to increase its programming and web presence specifically for the Indian audience, showing a clear interest in catering to the growing legions of fans here. There were several NBA-themed shows on TV, and the NBA's India website featured regular blogs from fans in India - including a bi-weekly blog by me - in addition to promoting players/teams via social networking in India.

Wait, I'm not done: things got even better when the NBA announced that they would be releasing authentic NBA jerseys for fans across India! There were only a few available because of the first-time launch - Kobe, LeBron, Dwight, and Garnett - but it was a start.

By the end of the season, Chris Paul had chatted with Indian fans online and Brandon Jennings had also come to India. Things were real good.

We had already been spoiled as fans: So to see exciting individual and team performances live in our Indian living rooms in the playoffs was an incredible cherry on the top. Compared to the LeBron/Kobe bandwaggoners, their may have been fewer Mavericks, Thunder, or Bulls fans in the country, but rest assured, these teams and their superstar players gained several popularity points by the time the season ended.

It was all good... Until... Well, until look-at-where-we-stand-now...

And now, here we are: It's mid-November, a period that should be about two weeks into the 2011-12 NBA season, but instead of seeing Wade and LeBron and Kobe and Carmelo Anthony, we see David Stern, Adam Silver, and Billy Hunter. I've stopped thinking of Derek Fisher as the clutch Lakers starting point guard and started thinking of him as a lawyer in a suit.

The optimists say that the deal is near. That if the players agree to the NBA's latest offer, the league should start by December 15th. The pessimists say that the players are unhappy with the offer and could decertify from the union instead, sending progress way back again. Either way, the damage has been done, and there's no NBA on TV, no scores to follow on the internet, no real sporting news to discuss with fellow fans.

After a season of its highest point in connecting, engaging, and interesting Indian fans, the NBA is seemingly on an Anna Hazare inspired maun vrath - a vow of silence. I'm sure a lot of new fans were made last season, and a lot of casual fans became serious fans, and a lot of serious fans (like me) went downright neurotic (in a good way!). The thing about casual fans, though, is that they need constant reminders to be kept hooked before getting reeled in to join the hardcore fans. With a long locked out summer, with no rumours, no big free agent signing, no trades, no preaseson, no dunks, no game-winners, nothing, it becomes difficult to keep the casual fan hooked on.

Recently, in a poll done by PollPosition.com, 76 percent of American fans showed signs of switching off from the league, saying that they don't miss the NBA. 12% had no opinion about it, and only 12% said that they were missing the league.

But it isn't just the American market where the NBA may be losing fan support: The NBA has a massive international following, bigger than all the other major American sporting leagues (NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS). It is this following that actually helps the NBA remain as rich as it is, and it might actually be the most important factor when determining it above the other leagues mentioned above. Since the lockout, international fans are also a devastated bunch, and it'll be depressing to see more casual fans from across the world lose interest in the product when it does return.

Of course, the serious fans are hurt too: It's impossible to look past the sham when your favourite league and your favourite players begin a very public and bitter dispute against each other. We feel disillusioned that our favourite game, our favourite league, could be stopped by men in Meeting Rooms.

Will everything go back to normal once (and if) the season does begin? Will we easily get distracted by the six live games on TV every week to remember how barren and crappy this lockout was? Will Kevin Durant or Paul Pierce visit India and be received with the same enthusiasm as the fans as Dwight and Pau were last year? Will jersey sales increase?

Perhaps, yes, because at the end of the day, the NBA provides an incredibly exciting and addictive product, which, if you are reading this blog, you are most likely in love with. You and I will both be happy when and if the NBA returns no matter what, and with the current crop of talent and excitement around the league, you and I will most likely forgive the months we spent in the NBA Dark Ages during the lockout. It will be like forgiving and accepting a loved one back again after they have done you wrong, because no matter what you did, you still love them.

But it's not all that simple, is it? Because forgiving something doesn't mean that the bitter taste of betrayal has been washed out of your mouth. We'll be happy to have your beloved NBA back, yes, we'll forgive what we missed out as fans, but we aren't going to forget this summer.

The NBA was on the cusp of a breakthrough internationally this year, especially in India, and its phenomenonal progress was brought to a screeching halt by the cursed lockout. Let's hope that it can soon get back on track, and get back to blowing our minds again.