walk with me.

Top 10 people who shaped the NBA this decade...

10. R.C. Buford

The general manager of the decade helped shape the Spurs into a contending machine throughout the 2000s. Buford has four championships as GM, three this decade. He imported major talent from the Draft without using high picks, stealing Tony Parker at No. 28 in 2001 (two years after Manu Ginobili came at No. 57) and DeJuan Blair at No. 37 last summer.

Plus, the Spurs collected plenty of “missing pieces” along the way: Robert Horry, Bruce Bowen, Michael Finley, Brent Barry, etc. The payroll stays middle-of-the-pack, making the Spurs the best value in the league. Obviously, the R.C. stands for Rebuilding Champions.

9. George Shinn

The Hornets had the biggest success of the most recent wave of expansion, but their run in Charlotte was cut short when the owner fell out of favor, not the team. Personal and professional issues forced Shinn to pack the team bags for a hasty move to New Orleans in 2002. Sensing that Charlotte still thirsted for basketball, the league gave Charlotte an expansion team, but the Bobcats can’t fill a nice new downtown arena. All of this could’ve been averted had Shinn simply sold the Hornets to a new owner who would’ve kept them in Charlotte.

8. Allen Iverson

The decade began with the Sixers trying to dump Iverson; they nearly had a deal with Detroit. Instead, Iverson stayed in Philly, led the Sixers to the championship round and became an NBA cultural icon in the process.

He’s had that kind of love/hate relationship within the league; the NBA once air-brushed his tattoos for PR reasons. At least there’s no denying the connection between Iverson and young fans, which helped the NBA tap into a new generation, as the Bird-Magic-Erving old-school devotees began to fade. Quite fitting, Iverson will end the decade back in Philly after wearing out brief welcomes in Detroit and Memphis.

7. Steve Nash

Imagine: A small white player raised in Canada managed to awaken two NBA teams and bring back the fast break. Nash has done everything except win a championship, his best chance denied by Robert Horry’s body check in the 2007 playoffs.

Along with Dirk Nowitzki, Nash rescued the Mavericks from basketball oblivion, then signed with the Suns and turned them into the most entertaining team in the league. Along came two MVP awards, putting him in exclusive company with Russell, Bird, Magic, Kareem and a few others who were awarded in consecutive years. While the league sometimes struggled to attract new fans in the post-Jordan era, Nash’s teams were always worth the price of admission.

6. Larry Brown

The entire decade perfectly sums up his career. Brown coached four teams, won one NBA title and went to the NBA Finals with another. The Sixers had one star, the Pistons none, and yet both flourished under Brown. Eventually, as he usually does, Brown found another job. His resume this decade also includes a disastrous and forgettable one-season stint in New York, where the Knicks delivered the worst season in NBA history, all things considered. Most coaches would never recover from winning 23 games with a $100-million payroll. But most coaches aren’t Brown, now teaching in Charlotte.

5. Isiah Thomas

In one sense, he got a bad rap: The demise of the Knicks predated his arrival. Still, the tumble was hastened during his stay as general manager and coach from 2003-08. The Knicks kept their results low and payroll high and denied the league a visible winner in the largest and most important market in sports.

They’re still digging out from the rubble caused by his decisions and will finally have salary cap space next summer for free agents. Isiah’s signature move was trading for and entrusting his reputation in Stephon Marbury, a disaster on many levels. Had Isiah began a rebuilding process at the start, instead of adding contracts, he might still be in charge.

4. Phil Jackson

The winningest coach this decade is on his second stint with the Lakers, which may end up being as satisfying as his first. He put Shaq and Kobe on the same page and won three championships, and when they were no longer compatible, Jackson won another with just Kobe. Jackson also passed Red Auerbach on the all-time bling list and perhaps, in the minds of many, settled all arguments regarding “best coach ever.”

3. LeBron James

He has lived up to the pre-hype, which is amazing considering his high school games were nationally televised and kept scalpers busy. The King quickly established himself among the top three players in basketball, yet sits alone in terms of marketing and endorsements. It also helps that, aside from nit-picking incidents (refusing to shake hands following his 2009 playoff ouster), LeBron has remained clean and worth the massive idolization. His tour next summer as a free agent will be bigger than U2’s.

2. Shaquille O’Neal

He won championships with Kobe, then went to Miami and won a championship with Dwyane Wade. He meant that much to both players. His skills are eroding fast as the decade comes to a close, but for about half of the 2000s, no player carried more clout. Until LeBron came along, Shaq was the face and personality of the NBA, as a massive, playful giant with appeal to all ages.

1. Kobe Bryant

Not quite Magic, not quite Bird and not quite Jordan, but for overall impact on the game, Kobe rules the decade. He began it as a teen idol who made basketball cool. His image took a hit after legal problems in Colorado. And then, in large part because his basketball skills are so supreme, he recovered it all: endorsements, box office and another title, his fourth this decade.

Ugaliin ang tamang paglalaslas

cranberrykiss:

ramonbautista:

Fig 1. Ang wasto at mas epektibong paglalaslas ay sa direksyong lengthwise at hindi crosswise sa pulso. Mag ingat sa blade at baka mahiwa ang kamay-panlaslas. Babala: Huwag tatanga-tanga at delikado ang prosesong ito.

WAHAHAHA. FUNNEEEH!

Zach is a swell autograph signer, apparently.

dailyzqphoto:

priestly:

Top 10 Celebrity Signers in 2009 - US/Canada

Zachary Quinto - Very courteous and patient with autograph seekers. It’s obvious that the “Star Trek” star appreciates his fans. Quinto garners the top celebrity signer for 2009.

Aww, this makes me happy, you guys. Despite the fact that half the people who hound celebs for autographs just do it to resell them, it’s wonderful to know that Zach appreciates his fans so much. :(