One day after James Harden was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, Harden aired out his dirty laundry and threw a few people under the bus on his way out of Philadelphia.

Harden told the media that the role he was given on the 76ers left him playing “on a leash.” He argued that he was not a system player. “I am a system,” he boasted.

Harden isn’t completely wrong about his “system” argument. Systems are built around NBA superstars. The problem with his claim is he is no longer an elite player. He’s still an above-average starter in the league, but the days when he was an All-NBA performer or MVP candidate are long gone. In terms of the superstar hierarchy in Clipper Land, Harden falls behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Harden is now 34. He’s past his prime. He is playing for his fourth team in three years. He is five full years removed from his 2018 MVP season. If the season ended today, his 17 points per game would be the lowest of his career since 2012 (his last season with Oklahoma City). Seems like we have a systemic problem for The Beard.

Meanwhile, his understudy in Philly, Tyrese Maxey, has been unleashed and thriving under head coach Nick Nurse’s system. The Sixers are playing at a much faster pace, which wasn’t the case when Harden was running point because he preferred to walk the ball up the court.

L.A. started the season 3-1 and were among the league leaders in offensive and defensive efficiency. After acquiring Harden, the Clips lost their lost their rhythm for a stretch and dipped to 30th in offensive efficiency and 24th in defensive efficiency. Since Dec. 1, the Clippers have regained their footing and have become a top-five offensive team. Harden has blended well with Leonard and George in the starting lineup, and the Clippers have climbed back in the top tier in the conference.

Despite their recent success, the Clippers remain vulnerable against teams with length and size up front. During their annuals Grammys road trip, the Clips’ lone blemish in an otherwise successful 6-1 roadie was a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are solid in the backline, anchored by 6-11 center Jarrett Allen and first-team all-defensive forward-center Evan Mobley. Allen and Mobley combined for 30 points and 26 rebounds.

In the Battle of L.A. series, the Clippers had all sorts of problems dealing with L.A. Lakers big man Anthony Davis in their three losses against their intracity rivals. Davis punished the Clippers’ small ball unit offensively and defensively, taking away driving lanes and making them one dimensional.

Harden’s ability to attack the paint is supposed to be the key to free up some of the congestion on offense. But Harden was part of the problem. He finished with 23 points in the 116-112 loss to the Lakers on Feb. 28, but 12 of them came in the second quarter. He was MIA during the fourth quarter when the Lakers mounted a furious rally that erased a 21-point deficit. When asked by reporters what went wrong, Harden said, “everything.”

“It’s on all of us,” said a frustrated Harden, who was just 2-for-9 from behind the 3-point line and committed four turnovers in the third loss to the Lakers.

“We are in this together, you know what I mean? It’s frustrating,” Harden said. “You can’t be up [21] points at home and give away a win, especially this time of the year. It’s that simple.”

The Lakers loss capped a brutal February for the Clips.

In their high-profile showdown with the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 12, the Clips were punished by the Timberwolves’ twin towers Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns in a 121-100 beatdown. A week later, the Clippers were routed by Oklahoma City 129-107 coming out of the All-Star break. It marked their second straight defeat to a team ahead of them in the standings.

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue is well aware of the team’s shortcomings against bigger squads. His solution? Go small.

“I thought our physicality wasn’t there. They played better than we did. They outreached us, outplayed us and everything,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said.

Lue admitted that the size of the T-Wolves affected the Clippers, especially Kawhi and PG as both struggled to get to their basket and couldn’t make enough shots from the perimeter to pull Gobert and Towns out of the paint.

“When we’re not making quick decisions and playing the right way, they will make you look bad. I thought their length bothered us. They’re the No. 1 defensive team for a reason.”

When asked how to combat the size and length issue, Lue said “going small” is their best option.

Going small has been Lue’s modus operandi since he took over the job. He prefers a small ball lineup to finish games, usually playing Harden, Leonard, George with Norm Powell and Russell Westbrook or Amir Coffey. The small lineup normally works against most teams, but not against teams with quality bigs.

The best way to counter size is to push the pace and don’t allow defenses to get set. Unfortunately for the Clips, the man charged with initiating the offense prefers to walk it up.

“You can’t walk around offensively. You have to get to your next action. Things we have worked on the last two years. We just have to do a better job in doing that. If you don’t do that and you don’t do it hard, you’ll get beat every night,” Lue said earlier in the season during the Clippers’ six-game losing streak.

Lue refused to put all the blame on Harden during the team’s awkward period. But he did engage in some “dialogue” with his veteran guard about how they could make things work.

“He just needs to understand what we need from him. Him being aggressive, not looking at the bench. Just do your thing,” Lue said. “If you do it too much we’ll let you know. He’s a special player. When you come into a new situation it is tough to come in and try to take it over. With PG, Kawhi and Russ, we’ve had these conversations. We just have to make sure to make James as comfortable as possible because he is going to be huge for our team on what we’re trying to do.”

The Clippers’ season turned around in late November when Westbrook reportedly approached Lue and suggested that he’d be willing to come off the bench to allow Harden more time to gel with Kawhi and PG13 on the first unit. Since Westbrook’s selfless move, the Clippers were able to right the ship and now find themselves in the thick of the race for the best record in the West.

But just when the Clippers were finding their groove and surfacing as serious contenders, the injury bug bit them at the worst possible time. Westbrook fractured his left hand on March 1 and Kawhi left the game against the Timberwolves on March 12 with back spasms. Down two of their studs, the Clippers blew a 22-point lead against the Wolves and ended up getting demolished 118-100. Harden was MIA yet again, finishing with just 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting with four turnovers.

The Harden experiment is still a work in progress. There are days when the Clippers look like word beaters and then there are games when they look like they’re headed for an early playoff exit. The Clips will secure a playoff berth for sure, but the regular season is not where this team will be judged. The final grade will come in the postseason where Harden often failed to deliver.

Harden, who is now playing for his fourth team in three years, acknowledged his playoff shortcomings in a 2022 interview with Fox Sports, but didn’t put all the blame on himself. “I’ve had a few bad games in close-out games. Not all of them have been bad,” he said. “Quite frankly, a lot of the times our team wasn’t good enough to compete for championships, if you want to be honest. There’s only so much I can do.”

He could only do “so much” in a couple of high-profile meltdowns in the postseason.

Against the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 Western Conference finals, Harden had a hand in the Houston Rockets’ disastrous cold streak as the team missed 27 straight 3-point shots. Harden went 2-for-13 from behind the arc.

Against the Boston Celtics in 2023 the Eastern Conference semifinals, he teased the Sixers with a tantalizing 42-point performance in Game 4. A few days later, he had a 9-point stinker on 3-for-11 shooting in Game 7 in Boston.

Anything less than a trip to the conference finals would be considered a huge disappointment for L.A. Should the Clippers get bounced from the postseason in first or second round, the question will pivot to re-signing Harden. Is owner Steve Ballmer — despite having deep pockets — willing to give Harden the big payday he coveted in Philly?

It’s a million-dollar question for a billionaire owner.

When the Los Angeles Clippers played the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 17, it marked just the 16th time that Paul George and Kawhi Leonard shared the court together for the Clippers. The lack of cohesion and lineup uncertainties are Clippers coach Tyronn Lue’s biggest challenges since taking over the team during the pandemic year of 2020.

Not knowing who’s available on a week-to-week basis can’t be a fun exercise for Lue. It’s a credit to his coaching talent that the Clippers are still in playoff contention despite all the injuries and the myriad of challenges in dealing with load management.

At the center of the Clippers’ load management saga is Leonard. The two-time NBA Finals MVP has yet to regain his MVP form after tearing his ACL during the 2021 playoffs. Kawhi, who missed all of last season while recovering from the injury, has looked a step slow in the 22 games he has appeared so far this season. He’s averaging just 19.4 points per game, which would be the lowest in his career since 2014-15, and his hallmark lockdown defense is nowhere near Kawhi level.

Kawhi is the unofficial face of the player load management movement. When he was in San Antonio, the Spurs carefully massaged his recovery from various injuries. The load management practice carried over to L.A. when Kawhi joined the Clippers in 2019. But load management only works when you’re saving the player from wear and tear. It’s a different story when the player, as in Kawhi’s case, is coming back from a significant injury and his damaged body is preventing him from regaining his old form.

ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst offered a grim assessment on Kawhi’s health earlier this season. “I don’t think Kawhi looks very good. He’s had a couple of OK games, and his shooting particularly don’t look good,” Windhorst said on “NBA Today.”

Throughout his tenure with the Clippers, Lue has seen more lineup changes than a manager in a Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Lue has had to shuffle his lineups so many times this season that he’s running out of cards. He said he just wants to see his team play together for a 15-game stretch to find out its true potential. He would even take a 10-game stretch.

“I know we have a good team,” Lue said after his Clippers dropped to 23-23 for the season after losing 120-110 to the 76ers at Crypto.com Arena. “But as far as staying healthy, we need to establish some continuity.”

One night after making those statements to reporters, Lue was forced to reshuffle his starting lineup again as The Athletic reported that both Leonard and George would miss the game against the Utah Jazz as a precautionary measure since it was a back-to-back game. Leonard and George didn’t have an injury designation. The Clippers termed the missed game as a “rest” day.

“We’ve just been behind the 8-ball just in terms of injuries and lineups and guys in and out,” said George, who briefly returned to the court to play the Sixers after missing the previous five games due to a hamstring injury. The team is carefully managing George’s hamstring injury and don’t want any setbacks. But at some point, George will have to play consecutive games to get back into All-Star form. He was very rusty against the Sixers, scoring just 13 points on 11 shots.

“I thought he was a little rusty as far as handling the basketball, making the plays, that’s to be expected,” Lue said of George. “Just getting him back on the floor was a positive thing for us.”

But it’s not just George and Leonard who’ve been hit with the injury bug. Veteran point guard John Wall, the Clippers’ big signing in the offseason, sustained an abdominal injury against the Denver Nuggets and is expected to be out for a minimum of two weeks.

When the Clippers are whole, they have a potent unit capable of challenging for an NBA title. With a healthy Kawhi and a healthy PG13 in 2021, the Clippers reached the Western Conference finals before losing to the Phoenix Suns. Without Kawhi in the lineup, the Clippers finished third in the Pacific Division and missed the playoffs in 2022.

Lue isn’t wrong when he said the Clippers are a “good team.” However, a good team can’t be great when it is unable to get any continuity. The Clippers had championship aspirations entering the 2022-23 season. But if Kawhi and PG continue to miss games, the Clippers could miss another opportunity on fulfilling their full potential.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George team up in L.A. (Getty Images)

You know you’re big time when you can top an earthquake as the biggest news of the day. Just a little over two hours after a 7.1 magnitude quake rocked Southern California, Kawhi Leonard registered a major aftershock when he decided to come to the Los Angeles Clippers and brought another All-Star player with him.

The stunning announcement shifted the balance of power in the NBA. All of a sudden, the Clippers — long considered the JV team at Staples Center — became the favorites to win the 2019-20 NBA title and it evaporated dreams of a Lakers superteam. In the end, Kawhi wasn’t really interested in joining forces with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He was more interested in creating his own dynamic duo across the hallway.

Sacramento may be the capital of California, but Los Angeles is now the epicenter of the basketball universe.

For a guy known around the league for being quiet, Kawhi sure knows how to communicate what he wants. Kawhi looked around the landscape to see who’d be interested in joining him in L.A. He reportedly tried Kevin Durant, but he was already set for Brooklyn. There were reports he tried to lure Kyrie Irving but Kyrie also had his sights set on Brooklyn. That’s when he turned his attention to another former Southern California native, Paul George. Kawhi laid the groundwork by talking to George about joining forces. Once PG13 was onboard, Kawhi then told the Clippers what he wanted. His message was: make it happen and I’m coming. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, coach Doc Rivers and general manager Lawrence Frank went to work, and with the help of legend Jerry West acting as yoda, the Clippers got a deal done with Oklahoma City to bring George to L.A. Once PG13 was in the Clipper fold, Kawhi said “no” to the Lakers and Toronto Raptors.

This is now the new NBA. Two stars surrounded by good role players.

When Durant decided to leave Golden State and take his talents to Brooklyn, the superteam era officially came to an end. And this is a good thing for the league because the Warriors simply had a significant competitive advantage during Durant’s three years in the Bay Area. They had arguably four of the top 15 players in the league all in the primes. It just wasn’t fair.

Now that the Warriors are down to three studs (two for now until Klay Thompson returns from his ACL injury), teams feel like they have a shot.

Kawhi saw what Durant went through in Golden State. He saw all the scrutiny KD endured for joining a superteam and he wasn’t about to walk into that same fire. Kawhi already earned two NBA championship rings and wasn’t interested in being handed a third.

The move may not have been popular in Laker Land but it definitely made it a lot more interesting for the NBA and basketball fans. The league is wide open.

The Clippers may be heavy favorites according to Las Vegas oddmakers but there are bunch of teams led by terrific tandems right behind them, all with legitimate shots at winning a championship. OneManFastbreak breaks down the best duos in the NBA:

Kawhi Leonard + Paul George (L.A. Clippers) – Kawhi and PG are considered the best two-way players in the NBA. Add pit bull guard Patrick Beverley to the mix and the Clippers may possess the most impenetrable defense in basketball.

LeBron James + Anthony Davis (L.A. Lakers) – Last we checked, LeBron is still pretty good. He’s coming off one of his worst seasons due to injury, but statistically LeBron is still a top-15 player when healthy. The same can be said about AD. When he’s healthy, Davis is arguably the best big man in the basketball and capable of producing astronomical numbers.

Steph Curry + Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors) – The Splash Brothers have taken a bit of a hit recently due to injuries and tons of mileage from playing in five straight NBA Finals. But we’re not ready to count out the Splash Brothers.

James Harden + Russell Westbrook (Houston Rockets) – When Woj broke the story that Westbrook would be traded from OKC to Houston for Chris Paul and draft picks, a lot of basketball pundits immediately dismissed the Harden-Westbrook collabo as a desperate move by the Rockets. Talking heads are completely missing one important factor: friendship. Harden and Westbrook are very good friends off the court, so they will find a way to make it work on the court.

Damian Lillard + C.J. McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers) – One NBA executive said Lillard and McCollum are so good they can carry three dudes from the YMCA into the playoffs. Lillard and McCollum could have been in the Finals if Jusuf Nurkic didn’t break his leg.

Ben Simmons + Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) – Simmons and Embiid are the Eastern Conference version of LeBron and AD. The Sixers came within a Kawhi Hail Mary bounce in Game 7 from reaching the conference finals. If Simmons adds a jumper and Embiid gets in better shape, Philly could reach the Finals for the first time since the Allen Iverson era.

Mike Conley + Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz) – The Jazz upgraded at point guard with the acquisition of Mike Conley from Memphis. The veteran gives budding superstar Donovan Mitchell a runningmate who can run the team, score if needed and defend his position.

Jamal Murray + Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) – Jokic had a breakout season in 2019 as he established himself as one of the best centers in the Association. The 7-footer is a walking triple-double and the Nuggets run their offense through him. The Nuggets believe in Murray after signing him to a $170 million contract.

Kyrie Irving + Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) – This dynamic duo should be higher strictly on star power. Because of Durant’s devastating Achilles injury, NBA fans will have to wait a year. Kyrie will have to shoulder the load until KD returns.

Russell Westbrook and Paul George are locked in long-term in Oklahoma City. (Getty Images)

You can take Paul George’s name off the NBA free-agent tracker list.

At 11:51 pm ET on June 30, about nine minutes before the official start of the July 1 NBA free agency period, an Oklahoma City Thunder fan with the Twitter handle @GabeIkard posted a video of Paul George announcing his decision to stay in Oklahoma City. “If y’all didn’t quite get it. Let me say it again. I’m here to stay,” George told fans during a summer party hosted by Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City that was also attended by team officials. If you connect the dots, it was probably the worst-kept secret in the league. Westbrook reportedly left his Hawaii vacation to fly back to Oklahoma City to host a shindig and invited his buddy PG13. It would have been one heck of a letdown if PG ended up telling everyone at the party that he was going to L.A. Fortunately for Westbrook and OKC fans, Paul George is staying and the party really got started.

You heard it here first. pic.twitter.com/jN6gBn6j1Z

— Gabe Ikard (@GabeIkard) July 1, 2018

At 12:18 am ET, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed the announcement and reported that the All-Star forward agreed to re-sign with the small-market Thunder on a four-year, $137 million deal. The contract can’t officially be signed until the NBA’s moratorium period ends on July 6. The deal includes a player option for the fourth season.

Paul George has agreed to a four-year, $137M max contract with the Thunder, league source tells ESPN. Deal includes a player option.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2018

“This is a guy who had one of the worst injuries we’ve all seen,” TNT reporter David Aldridge said of George, who suffered a broken leg in 2014 during an exhibition game for Team USA. “The opportunity for him to stay at some place who took a chance on him, knowing that his heart was probably thinking about L.A., that meant a lot to him. He felt comfortable playing with Russell Westbrook for a long time.”

George’s deal aligns with Westbrook’s five-year, $205 million megadeal that he signed last year. With both superstars locked up long-term, the Thunder are in excellent position to put forward a plan that will keep them as title contenders in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.

“[OKC GM] Sam Presti and his staff, and [head coach] Bill Donovan, got him to commit to four years. You got him and Russ locked up for the remainder of their prime. And you know what nucleus you’re building. That means you can make thoughtful and mindful decisions,” former Cavaliers general manager David Griffin said on NBA TV. “You’re not chasing this championship, and now what. They are in a much better team-building situation.”

The George news was a big blow to the Magic Johnson, Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers’ rebuilding plan. It was widely expected that George was going to sign with the Lakers and bring in other free agents — aka LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard — with him to L.A. That plan has been torpedoed.

Indiana Pacers All-Star Paul George is taken off the court on a stretcher after breaking his lower right leg in an intrasquad scrimmage in Las Vegas. (GETTY IMAGES)

It was the perfect storm. An NBA All-Star suffers a major injury on national TV while playing a meaningless intrasquad scrimmage on a court many suspect does not meet NBA standards.

Everyone at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Arena cringed when Indiana Pacers star Paul George broke his lower right leg while trying to block a layup. It was later diagnosed as a compound fracture of the tibia and fibula, which likely knocks George out for at least 12 months or longer.

You could see the pain in the faces of players when they saw their teammate crumble to the floor and unable to get up. Some couldn’t even look. Their worst fears were realized, and all of a sudden playing for the red, white and blue wasn’t such a good idea anymore.

This unfortunate injury is a major setback for USA Basketball, the NBA, FIBA and the Pacers. Fortunately, the right person is at the helm to do damage control.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski smartly called off the game, knowing that the rest of the team was in no mood to finish the exhibition game. He joined USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo at the post-game press conference where he immediately put a hold on any roster moves and channeled all the focus on the health of George.

If there is one man who can restore order amid the chaos and the depression that has fallen over Team USA, it’s Krzyzewski.

He made the right call in not continuing the game and he avoided digging the program into a deeper hole by suspending training camp and allowing the players to be with their support system outside of basketball.

When Coach K was hired to lead Team USA in 2005, he inherited a program that needed a major overhaul. The senior men’s national team was coming off a disappointing bronze-medal finish in the Athens Olympics. Since Coach K took over the program, Team USA is 62-1 in international competition. The U.S. won two Olympic gold medals and finished first in the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey. The only blemish on Coach K’s USA Basketball resume was a loss to Greece in 2006.

Krzyzewski was saddled with the huge task of restoring Team USA’s dominance in Olympic competition, and he accomplished that by leading a squad anchored by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant to gold in Beijing in 2008. That team was known as the Redeem Team.

Now, Coach K will be asked again to redeem Team USA.

This challenge will be a bit different. It won’t be about winning gold medals or blowing out teams by 30 points. The challenge will be more about fixing the team’s psyche and reassuring the NBA community that George’s injury was a freak accident and players shouldn’t pass up an opportunity to represent your country against the rest of the world.

No one knows the pulse of the USA Basketball program better than Coach K. He will carefully assess the situation and figure out the next more with the blessing of Colangelo.

“We need to take care of right now appropriately and then move on,” Krzyzewski said.

The remaining 19 players in camp, the majority of them under 30 years old, will look to Coach K for strength and guidance. And you can bet that Coach K will find the right things to say. He always does.

Krzyzewski will likely use George’s injury as a rallying point. Once the shock of the grisly injury wears off and Team USA returns to training for the FIBA World Cup, Coach K will find a way to bring this unit together. All the players are reportedly going to honor their commitment to USA Basketball, which is a good sign. That’s the first sign of healing.

George’s injury could have occurred anywhere. He could have done it while working out on his own or while playing in the L.A. Drew League. The reason why there was so much overreaction was because it happened on live TV.

The players on this team have a ton of character and resolve. They knew what they were signed for when they accepted the invitation to wear the American colors.

In the short term, there will be some hesitation. In the long term, Team USA should rebound and bring home the gold medal for Paul George.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Paul George and Lance Stephenson are in a dogfight with the Hawks. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Indiana Pacers were in a fighting mood the day before the 2014 NBA playoffs started. Unfortunately, they were fighting themselves.

Lance Stephenson and Evan Turner got into a scuffle during practice, according to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, and had to separated by teammates David West and Luis Scola. Turner walked away from practice with a cut.

The fistfight is symbolic of how the last three months have gone for the Pacers.

They have gone from being title contenders to punchlines on social media, and the hits just keeps on coming. The Pacers, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, are in a dogfight with the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks, who finished with a sub-.500 record during the regular season.

On paper, this first-round series should be an easy one to predict. The big, bad Pacers against the undersized Hawks. But somehow, the paper got wet as the Hawks are looking like the contenders and the Pacers are acting like a bunch of pretenders.

Pacers All-Star Paul George summed it up best after his team lost Game 3 to fall behind 2-1 in the series. He said, “Our toughness is questionable right now.”

That’s a bold statement coming from the team’s best player.

Toughness was supposed to be the Pacers’ calling card. It was the foundation of their vaunted defense. George and Co. had the second-best defense in the NBA this past season, and they have a roster loaded with Ruff Ryders.

But sometimes having physical toughness doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have mental toughness. That’s where the problem lies with the Pacers. Between the ears.

Confidence is a fragile thing, and it’s hard to get it back once you lose it.

Right now, the Pacers have lost their swagger. Instead of walking around with their heads held high, they’re looking around for excuses when things go wrong. And the guy on their team that has lost his mojo is 7-2 center Roy Hibbert.

When Indiana coach Frank Vogel was asked if Hibbert will start Game 4 against the Hawks, Vogel said: “We’ll see.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

“He’s our anchor,” Vogel said. “We won 56 games with him as a starter. We’ll see. Probably.”

You can understand Vogel’s hesitation when the subject of benching his “anchor” came up. It’s a tough call. Benching Hibbert could have a domino effect. He could lose Hibbert mentally for the rest of the playoffs. He could alienate the rest of the team. He could also save the Pacers from elimination.

The Hawks and their perimeter-oriented offense is a bad matchup for Hibbert. His forte is protecting the rim, but if the Hawks are staying away from the rim then there’s no need to have rim protector. Hibbert looks like a fish out of water guarding Hawks center Pero Antic, who prefers to drift outside the 3-point line. It’s a terrible matchup for him.

One solution is to start Hibbert but pull him after 3-4 minutes, and insert Luis Scola at center to team up with West. Scola has been much more effective than Hibbert in the Hawks series and arguably the Pacers’ second-best player at the moment.

But Hibbert is just one part of the multiple issues the Pacers need to address.

The starters look gassed and Vogel may need to reach out to his bench to stay afloat.

Indiana also has too many ball-stoppers on the floor and not enough shooters. Spreading the floor could open up lanes for George to drive and kick.

But mainly, the Pacers need to address their locker room. They are a fractured group. They have two guys in Stephenson and Turner looking for the their next contracts. That’s likely why they were fighting. They’re both after the same thing and they will go through each other to get it.

Money is the root of all evil.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

LeBron James and Paul George are the top vote-getters in the East. (GETTY IMAGES)

The voting process for NBA All-Star games is far from perfect, but usually fans get it right. This year, they struggled a bit.

If we’re handing out grades on how the fans did on voting for the starters in the 2014 All-Star Game on Feb. 16 in New Orleans, they should get a D for disappointing. Of the 10 starting spots the fans got six of them right: Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Paul George, Kevin Love, Steph Curry and Dwyane Wade. The other five . . . meh. At least the fans have stopped voting for Yao Ming.

The NBA officially announced the starters on TNT. The reserves will be announced on Jan. 30.

James and George deserve to start in the frontcourt for the Eastern Conference, but Carmelo Anthony does not. The Knicks are a train wreck so far, and Melo looks like he has one foot out of the door. The Indiana Pacers own the best record in the NBA and deserve to have two players in the starting lineup. Roy Hibbert is the logical choice here. The big man anchors the best defense in the league, and he could very well be the defensive player of the year.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving joins Wade in the East starting backcourt. The next guy on the list is John Wall followed by Derrick Rose. Yes, the same Derrick Rose who has played in 10 games. To quote Sir Charles Barkley, “that’s just terrible!”

Irving is a spectacular player when he’s healthy, so this pick is not too bad. Is there someone deserving over Irving? Absolutely. The Washington Wizards are in the playoffs if the season ended today, and the biggest reason for the Wizards’ turnaround is Wall. He is averaging 20 points, and is fourth in the league in assists at 8.5.

If we could have a do-over, the starting lineup in the East should be: LeBron James, Paul George, Roy Hibbert, Dwyane Wade and John Wall.

The reserves should be: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, DeMar DeRozan, Kyrie Irving, Joakim Noah and Lance Stephenson.

If you think the fans blew it in the East, they did worse in the West.

Kobe Bryant will likely miss the All-Star Game. (GETTY IMAGES)

Kobe Bryant, who has played in a whopping six games, got 988,884 votes. That’s the second-best total in the West behind only KDtrey5. Bryant is obviously touched by the fan support, but even he felt a little embarrassed by the selection. He even begged fans not to vote for him.

“Even though there’s so much respect that comes from me to be able to play for the fans, I’d much rather see the young guys go out there and play in the game,” Bryant told USA Today. “They’ve obviously put the work in to be there that weekend, so I’d much rather see them go in there and participate.”

Did the fans listen? No.

Voting for a future Hall-of-Famer like Kobe could be argued. But how do you explain Omer Asik getting more than 130,000 votes? Could we please close the polls in Turkey?

The player who should start in place of Kobe is James Harden. The Houston Rockets guard is fifth in the league in scoring at 24.3 and has firmly established himself as one of the 10 best players in the NBA. Too bad the fans are not paying attention. Harden’s Rockets teammate Jeremy Lin got more votes than him (628,818 to 470,381). Talk about lack of respect.

Speaking of lack of respect, what does Blazers forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge have to do to get some love from the fans? The MVP candidate is having a career season, but he finished fifth among frontcourt players. Fifth!

Only two players in the Association are averaging 24 points and 11 rebounds this season: Aldridge and Kevin Love.

If we could have a do-over, the starting lineup for the West should be: Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, James Harden and Steph Curry.

And the reserves should be: Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Damian Lillard and Tim Duncan.

Sorry, DeMarcus Cousins, Zach Randolph, Anthony Davis, Ty Lawson, Al Jefferson and Goran Dragic. Better luck next year. And get well soon D-Rose, Kobe and Russell Westbrook.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

NBA ALL-STAR 2014 BALLOTING (from NBA.com)

Western Conference

Frontcourt
1. Kevin Durant (OKC) 1,396,294
2. Blake Griffin (LAC) 688,466
3. Kevin Love (Min) 661,246
4. Dwight Howard (Hou) 653,318
5. LaMarcus Aldridge (Por) 609,172
6. Tim Duncan (SA) 492,657
7. Anthony Davis (NO) 286,247
8. Andre Iguodala (GS) 266,611
9. DeMarcus Cousins (Sac) 255,005
10. Pau Gasol (LAL) 247,323
11. David Lee (GS) 232,210
12. Dirk Nowitzki (Dal) 201,873
13. Chandler Parsons (Hou) 174,512
14. Omer Asik (Hou) 130,344
15. Andrew Bogut (GS) 127,947

Backcourt
1. Stephen Curry (GS) 1,047,281
2. Kobe Bryant (LAL) 988,884
3. Chris Paul (LAC) 804,309
4. Jeremy Lin (Hou) 628,818
5. James Harden (Hou) 470,381
6. Russell Westbrook (OKC) 317,338
7. Damian Lillard (Por) 280,966
8. Tony Parker (SA) 258,751
9. Klay Thompson (GS) 162,984
10. Ricky Rubio (Min) 124,230

Eastern Conference

Frontcourt
1. LeBron James (Mia) 1,416,419
2. Paul George (Ind) 1,211,318
3. Carmelo Anthony (NYK) 935,702
4. Roy Hibbert (Ind) 524,809
5. Chris Bosh (Mia) 406,867
6. Kevin Garnett (Bkn) 209,398
7. Joakim Noah (Chi) 181,145
8. Andre Drummond (Det) 163,798
9. Tyson Chandler (NYK) 137,512
10. Luol Deng (Cle) 121,754
11. Jeff Green (Bos) 121,040
12. Carlos Boozer (Chi) 103,502
13. David West (Ind) 95,363
14. Paul Pierce (Bkn) 95,034
15. Josh Smith (Det) 75,433

Backcourt
1. Dwyane Wade (Mia) 929,542
2. Kyrie Irving (Cle) 860,221
3. John Wall (Was) 393,129
4. Derrick Rose (Chi) 359,546
5. Ray Allen (Mia) 250,909
6. Rajon Rondo (Bos) 174,654
7. Lance Stephenson (Ind) 148,382
8. DeMar DeRozan (Tor) 131,228
9. George Hill (Ind) 129,533
10. Deron Williams (Bkn) 126,423

Paul George has been one of the breakout star of the 2013 NBA playoffs. (GETTY IMAGES)

You know you’ve arrived as a legitimate superstar in the NBA when LeBron James gives you a dap in the heat of battle.

Paul George followed his 27-point performance in Game 1 with an even better all-around effort in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals against defending champion Miami. His loudest play came with under 10 seconds left in the third quarter when the Indiana Pacers’ super swingman took the ball at the top of the circle, drove left past LeBron, and posterized Chris “Birdman” Andersen at the rim with a monster slam …. and one!

Not to be outdone by a visiting player in his own building, James came right back with a 3-pointer before the third-quarter buzzer sounded right in George’s face. Moments later, LeBron turned to George and gave him some love by slapping his hand. Not many guys can go head-to-head with the four-time NBA MVP and gain the upperhand.

“He’s really good. He’s gonna be a great one,” LeBron said of the Pacers’ 23-year-old All-Star. “His maturity and his game has definitely risen because of the opportunity [Indiana coach] Frank Vogel has given him. His teammates have a lot of confidence in him and he has confidence in himself.

“I love competition and I’m gonna be up for the challenge and try to be there for my team as well.”

The 2013 NBA playoffs has turned into a coming-out-party of sorts for George, who in the previous round gave Knicks star Carmelo Anthony fits with his stifling defense. Melo is probably still seeing No. 24 in his sleep for the way George got in his jersey during the East semifinals.

“I just can’t believe how much that kid keeps growing, and growing, and growing,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said of George, who was named Most Improved Player of the Year.

“He’s a third-year player, his third year in the NBA, and going against the best player in the world in LeBron,” Vogel said. “He’s guarding him the entire night and carrying an offensive scoring, and just making confidence-building plays on the offensive end.

“He makes the extra pass, always, finishes at the rim, and he has given us a huge, huge lift.”

George and Roy Hibbert were huge in the Pacers’ 97-93 win over the Heat in Game 2. Hibbert had a game-high 29 points, while George had 22 points on 9-for-16 from the field and six assists in 38 minutes.

But George has done much more than just score in the first two games of the series. He has played point guard when George Hill and D.J. Augustin struggle with ball pressure, and he has taken on the monster task of defending LeBron for the majority of the game.

When TNT’s David Aldridge asked LeBron what’s the next step is for George to become an elite player, James said: “I know the answer to that but I’m not gonna say it right now while I’m competing against the guy. He might use it during our matchup right now. I’ll answer that after the series.”

Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen got 25 first-place votes in the All-Defense voting. (GETTY IMAGES)

Playing defense is more than just racking up impressive numbers in steals, blocks, and rebounds. A great defender can go unnoticed because you don’t see the spectacular block or steal on SportsCenter or NBA Game Time. And more often, the best defenders come from teams that put a premium on defense. Of the 15 teams that have clinched playoff berths, eight are in the top 10 in points allowed.

The Memphis Grizzlies own the best defense in the Association, and Tony Allen and Marc Gasol are huge reasons why teams feel like they go through a meat grinder whenever they play the Grizz.

Allen is a 6-4 physical guard who specializes on hounding the opposition’s best perimeter player. In the first round of the playoffs, Allen was matched up with Clippers star Chris Paul. In the second round, Allen was matched up with Thunder star Kevin Durant. Both the Clippers are and Thunder are now sitting home in the playoffs. Being able to guard a point guard one round and then turn around and guard a high-scoring small forward shows Allen’s versatility.

Gasol is a 7-foot brute who guards the basket like his life depended on it. He uses his wide frame to push low-post players out of their comfort zone and force tough shots. The Spaniard may not be blessed with great athletic ability, but he has a high basketball IQ and moves his feet well for a big man. Given that he’s the anchor of the best defensive team in the NBA, it was a bit of a surprise the coaches didn’t vote him on the All-Defense first team.

Marc Gasol was named 2013 Defensive Player of the Year. (GETTY IMAGES)

Now, you can see why the sportswriters and NBA coaches were not on the same page this year when it came time to vote for Defensive Player of the Year. If you ask the writers, it’s Gasol. If you go by how the coaches voted on the first-team All-Defense team, it’s Allen.

Using a football analogy, Allen is the shutdown corner while Gasol is the big defensive tackle who stuffs the run and applies pressure to the quarterback. Both deserved to win Defensive Player of the Year, along with Miami Heat star LeBron James. Allen and James tied with the most first-place votes (25).

Traditionally, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award goes to big men. Since 1992, nine centers have won the award and three of them won it at least three times (Dwight Howard, Dikembe Mutombo, and Ben Wallace). The last time a guard won defensive player of the year was in 1996 when Seattle’s Gary Payton won it.

Allen was part of a Grizzlies defense that allowed a league-low 89.3 ppg. According to NBA.com/Stats, Memphis’ defensive rating with Allen on the floor was 94.3 points per 100 possessions compared with 101.1 points when he was on the bench. Allen may not have won defensive player of the year in 2013, but his reputation is spreading like wildfire and the media may finally give him his due someday.

OneManFastbreak.net picks the five best defensive players in the NBA for the 2012-13 season:

AVERY BRADLEY, Boston, guard
Since Rajon Rondo went down Bradley not only assumed the point guard duties but he has been absolutely dynamite when it comes to stopping the opposing team’s other point guard. The Synergy Sports Data stat shows that Bradley is second in allowing 0.678 points per play among guards involved in 200 or more defensive plays. But Bradley doesn’t need stats to prove how good he is as a defender. Just ask the point guards around the Association.

TONY ALLEN, Memphis, guard
Allen got rave reviews during the 2010 NBA Finals when he gave Kobe Bryant fits in the Lakers-Celtics seven-game war. When Allen was traded to Memphis, the Grizzlies instantly became more of a defensive-oriented team.

PAUL GEORGE, Indiana, forward
George burst onto the scene when he gave Heat star Dwyane Wade fits during the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals. The Pacers give up the second-least amount of points in the league and George is a huge reason why. George uses his length (6-8) and quickness to disrupt scorers, and he is also strong enough to hold his position in the low post. Watch the way he defends scoring champ Carmelo Anthony in the 2013 playoffs. You can create a DVD on how to play defense just from the Knicks-Pacers series, starring Paul George.

LeBRON JAMES, Miami, forward
James is better at playing defense than the idealized version of an NBA defender, as conceptualized by an analytic system that factors in everything from the precise positioning of every player on the floor to the individual skill-sets of the players involved on a given play. The Heat play great help defense and part of the reason why is James’ ability to cover so much ground. James is the epitome of a two-way player, which is a rarity these days. He’s not only a big force on offense, but he is extremely disruptive on the defensive end.

MARC GASOL, Memphis, center
The Grizzlies own the best defense in the NBA and a big reason why is the big Spaniard in the middle. Sports Illustrated writer Rob Mahoney makes a case for Gasol for defensive MVP. Mahoney wrote: “Gasol’s gift comes in the form of clairvoyance. He’s neither quick nor explosive, but manages to connect the dots of offensive action to give him the jump on a particular play’s progression. With a preternatural knack for timing, he slides into place to contest opportunities just as they become available.”

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Pacers forward Paul George has the potential to be an All-Star. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Indiana Pacers are on the brink of something special. After pushing eventual NBA champion Miami Heat to six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2012, the Pacers are expecting big things for the 2012-13 season.

On the forefront of this hoops hysteria in Indiana is Paul George. The 22-year-old athletic forward is entering his third season with the team. Three seasons ago when the Pacers drafted George out of Fresno State, George stood 6 feet 8 inches tall. Since then George has had a 2-inch growth spurt and now measures at 6-10.

But his frame isn’t the only thing that has grown. George has become much more than just a dunker and a rim-rattler. He worked on his ball handling and low-post game all summer, as well as his midrange jump shot. He’s not a finished product by any stretch, but Indiana assistant coach Brian Shaw believes the fate of the franchise rests on the shoulders of this Palmdale, Calif., native.

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star wrote:

After George had finished one of his summer workouts at a Southern California gym, Shaw sat the third-year guard down and left him with something profound to ponder.

“I told him that the fact that everybody in the starting lineup is basically already who they are with the exception of him,” Shaw recalled saying. “Whatever steps he makes are going to be the same steps the team will take.”

Talk about pressure.

George looked like he was ready for that responsibility last season when he played at times like the team’s best all-around player. But then there were occasions when he was the fifth best Pacer on the court.

That’s in the past, according to George. Shaw’s conversation is implanted in George’s brain and he said he is ready to carry that load on his shoulders.

“I feel like there’s a lot riding on me,” George said on the eve of training camp opening today. “I like the pressure. I like to be in the situation I’m in. I worked hard the whole summer to get better at my game. I’m the ‘X’ factor.”

George averaged 12.1 points and 5.6 rebounds a game last season, and former Pacer and current TV analyst Austin Croshere thinks George can increase those numbers.

“He is the guy on this team that has the most upside,” Croshere said. “He had a number of big games, but he struggled a little as far as consistency. This is the year he becomes more consistent and comes into his own. He’s the biggest key whether this team is a five seed or a two seed that could challenge Miami.”

Croshere added: “I don’t know if there is really a limit on how good this guy can be; the athleticism, the skill set, to be 6-10, jump the way he can. I don’t want to limit him by saying he can only be an All-Star. MVP? You don’t want to put that type of pressure on him, but he can be very, very good.”

During the offseason, George obtained valuable experience playing against Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony in Las Vegas as part of the USA select squad that practiced against the U.S. Olympic team.

George watched how the players on the gold-medal winning team worked out every day, what they ate and how they approached the game. He was also able to talk frequently to LeBron when they went to China as part of a Nike promotional tour.

“The USA thing helped a lot,” George told the Indy Star. “You’re playing against some of the best players in our league. They brought it to us every game and every practice was tough.”

With the uncertainty of Derrick Rose’s return, the Pacers have a tremendous opportunity to overtake the Chicago Bulls in the Central Division. Indiana returns all five starters who played in the postseason and the core group that finished third in the Eastern Conference remains intact. So, anything less than a No. 2 seeding will be considered a disappointment.

Projected finish in Central Division: First.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.