Welcome to the newest installment of the Weekly Musings, an entertaining look back at the week that was in the NBA.  We dish dirt and dimes, all the while providing unsolicited opinions and completely unsubstantiated claims.  It?s journalism at its finest.    Let?s get out on the break!

? What I learned this week: The Lakers? new PG Smush Parker is better than you think he is but worse than he thinks he is. There is a difference between being a Small Forward (Rashard Lewis) and a small forward (Quentin Richardson).  Speaking of the Knicks, if your PG is a smidge under 6? and he would rather shoot the ball than pass it, you should probably play a 5?8 guy at SG to balance it out.  Good luck with all that Larry.  Teams are starting two Centers in their frontcourts (LaFrentz and Blount, BOS; Curry and Frye, NY; Okafor and Ely, CHA), why?  Because none of these guys brings a complete game and you need both offense and defense from a big in this league to compete. Teams with big men who can defend and finish are winning games (Pacers) divisions (Heat) and titles (Pistons).

? Granted, some alternate jerseys are bad (Mavericks green, Mavericks silver, really Mavericks anything) but, you have to admit, some are just sickeningly atrocious (Nuggets dark blues, Hornets yellow).  

? Vladimir ?My Bad? Radmanovic might be the most selfish player in the NBA.  A 6?11 forward, he grabs fewer boards than such prolific rebounders as Chris Paul, Rafer Alston and the immortal Smush Parker, ranking 173rd in the NBA?s total rebounds.  To compound that he throws up five 3-pt shots a game, accounting for over 60% of the shots he takes.  On a team with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, a seven-footer ought to be occupying space, attracting defenders and cleaning glass, not spotting up and waiting for a kick out. He?s a disgrace and should be buying Kwame Brown a polyanna. If it weren?t for the Guru bringing Kwame to La-La Land, Radmanovic might be the worst player in the Conference getting serious minutes.

? The 76ers had a chance to distance themselves early from the rest of the Atlantic Division. But by losing to Charlotte, being swept by Milwaukee and dropping an OT game to the Knicks on Saturday and dropping one in Boston on Wednesday, they aren?t helping themselves. Boston nearly lost twice to Charlotte, did drop one against Atlanta and has played Detroit twice.  Meanwhile, New Jersey has already had a west coast road trip that brought them 4 losses and they still have to play @ Denver before hosting Detroit to end November.  The Knicks started with 8 road games in their first 12, including a brutal 1-5 road trip.  In short, the 76ers aren?t that much better than the rest of the division even though they should be.  Allen Iverson and Chris Webber are the most talented 1-2 punch in the division and, if healthy, IF HEALTHY, could carry this team to the 2nd round of the playoffs.  Stay tuned.

? Houston, you have a problem. Yao is soft. No one needs a 7?5 jump shooter (see Vladimir Radmanovic, above).  He?s only averaging 19 PPG and with McGrady missing games early, he should be racking up points.  Why isn?t he? One reason is he can?t stay on the floor (4 fouls/game.)  In 33 mpg, Ming is grabbing a paltry 9 rebounds a game, fewer than Zaza Pachulia or 6?7 wingman Richard Jefferson.  His 1.6 blocks don?t make up for it either, he should be blocking shots standing still.  All of this begs the question: why trade a PG that shoots too much and doesn?t play D for a wing man that shoots even more and can?t grasp Van Gundy?s defensive schemes? Then you pay him more and up the ante by trading for Rafer ?Skip to my Lou? Alston and signing Stromile ?Skip every other possession on D? Swift?  

Thanks for tuning in to the third official ?First Edition? of the Weekly Musings.  For the Weekly Musings, I?m Kevin Casini, asking you this: Got Buckets?