Filowitz's Friday Five

1) I wish I could have a contrary opinion about the Shaq trade. I wish I could do like Michael Wilbon's article on Thursday, and try to talk myself into how this could work. I wish I could believe what Byron Scott said in that article, that Shaq on the Suns could be like an old Kareem playing with the Showtime Lakers. I wish I could understand how an injured, slow, 35-year-old Shaq fits in with the up-tempo Suns offense. But I can't. It made no sense to me when I first heard it, and it makes no sense to me now. I can't see it working. At all. Well, except as comic relief in their locker room.

2) Speaking of the Suns, the double-overtime game with the Hornets was reason number 5,478 why League Pass is worth the money. Fast-paced, well-played, with clutch shooting at the end of quarters and overtimes. Chris Paul was a man possessed, especially after having a bad game against Deron Williams the night before. 42 pts, 9 assists, 8 steals, 5 rebounds, 1 TO. That's as sick of a line as you can get. The rest of the All-Stars - Nash, Amare, and our boy David West - played at a high level, too. This is a perfect example of why the NBA is back to being must-watch on most nights of the week. Though I wonder how many more Suns games will look like this now that they have Shaq (damn you Steve Kerr. damn you to hell.)

3) Speaking of trades, I love the Gasol trade for LA. First, you get rid of Kwame Brown, who makes Michael Olowokandi look like Hakeem Olajuwon. Second, you get a seven-footer who is perfect for the triangle offense, since Pau can shoot and pass. I'm even kind of happy for Kobe, because I'd like to see the game's best player get another legit shot at the title, even though I think they'll ultimately not get past the Spurs. It's going to make the Western Conference playoffs that much more exciting, at the very least.

4) Speaking of the Lakers, despite their new team, they did lose to the Hawks the other night. I don't want to alarm anyone, but the Hawks are actually a pretty good team. And I don't want to further disturb you, but while Joe Johnson made the All Star team, he's not even the best player on the Hawks. That would be Josh Smith, who's averaging 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3.4 blocks (2nd in the NBA), and 2 steals (8th in the NBA), with a PER of 21. And he's fun to watch, too. This is not even mentioning Al Horford and Josh Childress. Do yourselves a favor and catch a Hawks game, you'll feel like a super NBA smarty-pants if you do.

5) Um, do you know anyone who watches the Pro Bowl? Seriously, can you name one single person that is actually planning to watch it? I mean, sure, if you're already home, and you're flipping channels, and you already saw the Law & Order they're showing on TBS, then you might watch it for a minute. But to go out of your way to watch it? It doesn't happen. And if it does happen, I mean, damn. You sound worse than a guy that does nothing but sit around his condo eating take out and watching Hawks games on League Pass. Aloha!