If there was one player I wished I had been more like growing up, it's Tony Allen.

Whereas last summer reshaped the NBA and as a byproduct of that, helped usher in the extended lockout, the upcoming abbreviated free agency period won't include a single franchise player.

When I first met Tyreke Evans five years ago, I came away unsure that the 6-foot-6 high school sophomore could dunk.

Beast of the Night: Stephen Curry followed up his forgettable opening night with 21 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, six steals and a three-pointer. He shot 58 percent (7-12) from the field, 86 percent (6-7) from the free throw line and had four turnovers.

Lamar Odom, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul aren't walking through that door.

In the last decade, the NBA has transformed from being a big man's league into a guard's league.

The lockout is just a memory, the NBA is days away from its glorious Christmas Day return, and fantasy basketball preparations are in full swing.

Of all five teams that the New Orleans fiasco sort of screwed over this week (Los Angeles, New Orleans, Houston, the Knicks and Boston), it's the Lakers who are probably hurting the most to get these talks kick-started and moving again.

The Sacramento Kings have sky-high potential when it comes to fantasy appeal.

Somebody is lying.

Mr.

It's a wonderful thing when there is one meaningful game that affects the playoff picture on the season's final night.

Beast of the Night: LeBron James put up 35 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals last night. He hit 75 percent (12-16) of his shots from the field, 77 percent (10-13) of his attempts from the free-throw line, hit a three-pointer and had five turnovers.

The sequel never, ever lives up to the hype.

What a game in Oklahoma City last night between the Thunder and the Blazers.

Beast of the Night: Dwight Howard posted 28 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, four steals and four blocks last night. He shot 82 percent (9-11) from the field, 83 percent (10-12) from the free-throw line and had four turnovers.

Beast of the Night: Marcus Thornton scored a career-high 42 points to go along with three rebounds, one assist, four steals and four three-pointers made. He shot 65 percent (13-20) from the field, 86 percent (12-14) from the free-throw line and had no turnovers.

When Miami plays like they did last night against the Spurs, you can see why people get all fired up and revert back to the hyperbole they used when they would talk about the Miami in the offseason.

Weekend Wonder: Monta Ellis averaged 27.5 points, four rebounds, eight assists, 2.5 steals, one block and 3.5 threes in his two games over the weekend. He shot 54 percent from the field, 86 percent from the line and averaged 3.

Weekend Wonder: Brook Lopez had himself a bloody good weekend in London, where he averaged 29.5 points, eight rebounds, two assists and 5.5 blocks in two games against the Raptors. He shot 61 percent from the field, 82 percent from the free-throw line and averaged 2.