League Update: Wednesday Waiver Wire starring Ben Gordon giving the Goose eye

It has been the week of underdogs. Notably the Wizards have now increased their win total by 200% including last night's victory over the Heat. 

The Lakers have been helping in their typical early season form by letting teams like the Magic and Rockets increase their win total by beating them.

Maybe teams and players are rounding into midseason form and that's why teams that were previously being smashed are now competitng with the best of em.  Or, if you want to be pessimistic and subscribe to the school of thought that NBA teams realize they can afford to lose some of these early season games by resting their veteran star players (another reference to the Spurs).

Regardless, lots of guys stepped up and had great weeks that y'all should pay attention to.  

Don't Sleep on these guys  much longer:

Ben Gordon – (last 3 games )– averaging ~25 PTS, 2.5 3PTM, ~ 4 Reb, ~4 ASTS

Andray Blatche – (last 3 games) – averaging ~18 PTS, 9REB, 51% FG

Antawn Jamison –(last 3 games) – averaging ~19 Pts, 9 REB, 3 3PTM,

Alexey Shved – (last 3 games) – averaging ~17PTS, ~3.5 3PTM

Keep an eye out:

Jordan Crawford – Last night, season high 22, 6 AST 3 3PTM, averaging ~20 pts in last 4 games

Don't forget about 'em:

Elton Brand – Last game, 17 PTS, 12 REB, 4 BLK.

Steve Novak – (last 3 games) averaging 3 3PTM, 0 TO, 2 STLs

Highlight: Rocket's Play-by-play Announcer Quotes Kobe, Sorta

Hide your wife, hide Scot Machado, Rocket fans.  


The one man in the NBA who really doesn't need any external motivation to keep his competitive streak going just got a tremendous one.  Glad that the rematch (1/8/2013) is only about a month away.

Highlight: Chris Paul With the Slap Pass

The Clips needed every single basket to beat the Jazz last night, 105-104.  That's what makes this spontaneous slap pass so great.  In one swing of the paw, the possession went from a ill-advised Blake Griffin entry pass, into a wide-open three point shot for Caron Butler.

Carmelo Anthony Plays Pick-up With the Kids

I'm guessing that  this commercial was filmed sometime between this summer's London Olympics and the beginning of the season.  Rumor is that's when Melo, after spending all that time with Kobe and Lebron, realized he needed to start playing defense more consistently in ordered to be considered in the upper echelon of the league.  Hence the ruthlessness in swatting the four footer trying to score a bucket in the key. 

The realism in the video makes it worth the watch, from melo's one-on-one moves and smooth elbow jumper as well as the grimace on the poor fella at 0:24 trying to play post-D while getting the bumpety bump from Melo.