* AOL Funhouse posted one of the best interviews with Carmelo Anthony I’ve ever watched. The interview was conducted by Miss Gossip and her style of doing interviews is quickly becoming one of my favourites. She’s well prepared when it comes to her research, doesn’t ask brutal questions and her laid back manner helps the players get loose and give up some great sound bites instead of the tired old cliches I get tired of hearing. She was able to talk with Melo about getting in trouble in school as a kid, who controls the music in the Nuggets locker room and whether or not he would change his name to one word like teammate Nene did.

* I couldn’t help but chuckle while reading MJD’s post on The Dagger where he debated whether the Memphis Tigers could beat the Miami Heat. Like MJD, I’m someone who feels a college team could never beat an NBA team, however after looking at his roster comparison I’m starting to second doubt that claim. Besides Ricky Davis, who on Miami is a clutch scorer? You could even argue that Davis isn’t labeled a clutch scorer and that Memphis head coach John Calipari could think of a defensive scheme to limit Davis’ effectiveness. I’m not a gambling man, but if I were to lay down a wager on this game my money would be on Memphis.

* Jeff Goodman reported last week that the NBA and NCAA are hoping to enforce a new age limit. The new rule would require players to stay for at least two years of college but hasn’t been passed by the NBA Players Association. For the longest time I felt kids should be kids and enjoy college life - being treated like rock stars, ordering pizza at 2 am in the morning and skipping classes to play video games - but during the past year I’ve changed my mind and feel these kids should have the choice to go pro. What happens when these kids bust an MCL? What if they’re projected as lottery picks as high school seniors but fall out of the first round after playing three years of college ball? I think kids should be able to cash in on their abilities if they need to help their families or if they want to pursue their dream of playing in the NBA.

* It was great to see Adrian Wojnarowski back and posting on Yahoo! after he had taken a brief break to finish off working on his latest book. He had a solid article this week on Kobe Bryant where he argued why Black Mamba should be named MVP this season.

* Are the Knicks the worst team in the history of professional sports? The New York Times thinks so and they recently posted a eulogy for the Knicks.

* Hoopvine posted a solid interview with Raymond Felton.

* This clip of Rodney Stuckey breaking some ankles is one of my favourite clips of the year.

* I remember last summer David Blatt was being talked about as the next “big thing” when it came to coaching prospects. The LeBron James of coaching if you want to compare him to an NBA player. Tobias over at Ball In Europe summed this situation up perfectly when he wrote: “Where does this leave Blatt? From hero to zero - meaning from winning the European Championship with Russia 2007 in Spain to getting fired from a struggling Turkish Euroleague team? Or is this just the way he planned to get out of Turkey to make his way to CSKA?”

* Fear The Beard came up with an amazing printout which allows Baron Davis fans to rock a paper beard of their favourite point guard.

* Can someone please explain to me how Rod Benson failed to make the First Team for the D League.

* Huge kudos goes out to 3 Shades of Blue for securing an interview with Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley.

* The latest Bloggers picks for MVP and Rookie of the Year are up on Queen City Hoops.

* Who is the Least Valuable Player in the NBA this season? Head over to Deadspin to cast your vote.

* Back in September I was asked to write a Raptors preview for Celtics Blog and my prediction of 52 wins crashed and burned. Click here to read my feeble explanation for making a prediction that was so far off the mark.

* Joakim Noah is excited to have a French passport and hopes to play for the national team at Olympic qualifiers and FIBA tournaments. Noah had to choose between playing for France, Sweeden, Cameroon or the United States, and all reports I’ve read online indicate he has chosen France. According to Ball In Europe he will play for France in September as they compete in the 2009 Eurobasket qualifying games.

If you need to add some new music to your iPod check out these songs that should be in your rotation:

1. We Do It Right has a collection of all of W.A.L.E’s releases. If you haven’t heard of W.A.L.E. you need to check out this talented MC.

2. I’m a huge fan of Soul music and a new artist that caught my attention is Sy Smith.

3. There has been a flood of Jay Z remixes of American Gangster to hit the net and I’ve almost gotten sick of hearing them all. Almost. This week I was amazed when I heard “American Thriller: Off The Wall” and it’s a mixtape I highly recommend you check out.

4. As much as it pains me to say this, Nelly has another summer hit on his hands. I normally can’t stand cheesy hip hop but I’ve always been a fan of his summer hits and his collaboration with Fergie called Party People looks to be another huge hit. Another “cheesy” track I’m liking is Usher’s new track “Love In The Club” where he recruited Young Jeezy.