We were hoping you would just let it go, but two days after being called for traveling on your “Crab Dribble,” you’re still trying to convince us it was a legal move.  We’re sure you’ve seen the video of you taking THREE steps by now, but if you haven’t, here it is again:

One, Two, Three…and Jalen Rose goes on to inform you that you’re even confused what a crab dribble is.

Since we are here to help you live up to your billing of The Chosen One, we wanted to inform you of 3 other moves that are illegal before you try them in a game.  Please let us know if you find these helpful as we might let Donovan McNabb know about some NFL rules once he’s finished with the playoffs.

1. “The Chalk Move” - Your new commercial is nice, but make sure you don’t actually clap chalk into your opponents face DURING the game.  For instance, do not dribble across half-court, scoop up some chalk, clap in your opponent’s face to blind them, and drive to the basket.  This would most likely earn you a technical foul.
2. “The Tornado” - After hearing you talk about Crab Dribble and watching your footwork over your career, we get the feeling you think anything is illegal when you’re pivoting.  We just wanted to let you know that you cannot just spin, spin, and spin to the basket without dribbling just because you are “pivoting.”
3. “Traveling” - An oldie, but a goodie.  We understand you are aware of the rule, but we just wanted to give you yet another reminder since you…well, you do stuff like this:

We would have listed “The Charge,” but it seems you are allowed to get away with this one.  Good luck!

Your Fans,

HoopsAvenue

Chicago Bulls

Nels: Give Me The Rock

Matt: Blog-a-Bull

Cleveland Cavaliers

Rock: Waiting For Next Year

FTS: Fear The Sword

David Friedman: 20 Second Timeout

Amar Panchmatia: Cavalier Attitude

Detroit Pistons

Brian Spencer: Empty the Bench

Natalie Sitto: Need4Sheed.com

Matt Watson: Detroit Bad Boys

Indiana Pacers

Tom: Indy Cornrows

Milwaukee Bucks

Jeramey Jannene: The Bratwurst

Frank Madden: BrewHoop

So, check out the previews and let us know what you think!  Will this be the Year of the King?  Even if it’s not to be for Lebron this year, it could be the year for your fantasy team.  Click here to sign up for fantasy basketball. If you win our league or another league, maybe you should convince the, ahem, losers to pick you up a fantasy trophy from the guys at FantasyTrophies.com.  Here’s what their trophy looks like:

Looks pretty sweet!  Works for football too!

The poll results for Eastern Conference champion closed out like this: Other 48%, Celtics 25%, Cavs 15%, Magic 8%, and Pistons 5%.  Hmm, looks like we’ve got either a bunch of pranksters or homers in this one as its hard to believe almost 50% of the fans would pick a team other than the Celts, Cavs, Magic, or Pistons next season!  Maybe we’re just underestimating the Knicks, though, who knows?

Anyways, what about the supposed top 4 teams.  Well, here’s how I’d seed them:

1. Boston Celtics – The Celts are a bit older, don’t have as much motivation, and lost a key player in James Posey, but they’ve still got the Big Three and will obviously be a force to be reckoned with.  They’ve got to be considered the favorites to get back to the Finals, but if I could take the entire field vs. the Celtics, I would.
2. Orlando Magic – Orlando had the 3rd best record in the East last season and Dwight Howard is still getting better (scary!).  Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis also give them a lot of versatility.  This team is primed to be in the hunt and don’t be surprised to see them make 1 more move during the season to make that championship push.
3. Detroit Pistons – The Pistons are probably getting tired of falling short, but I expect that to continue next season.  The same cast of characters is back which is still a good thing, but it might be time to shake things up a bit.  I wouldn’t count out a team with Chauncey Billups, though.  Detroit’s plan should be to aim for homecourt in the playoffs and then maybe things will break their way.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers – Now, this is an interesting team.  The big question is whether or not Mo Williams is the sidekick Lebron needs.  Larry Hughes was supposed to be that guy a few years ago and obviously that never panned out.  Another thing working in the Cavs favor is the desperation of their management to keep Lebron James happy with his free agency coming up in 2010.  Big Z doesn’t have too many years left so a big move this season might be necessary to keep Lebron happy, and it might help them win the East.

It would certainly be a surprise to see another team win the East, but there are some longshots.  The 76ers, after acquiring Elton Brand, are on the radar, but you still don’t get the feeling they are Finals ready.  Then, you’ve also got the Wizards who have one of the best Big 3s in the league, but once again injuries are threatening their chances.  Even Toronto with a frontline of Chris Bosh and hopefully (for them) a healthy Jermaine O’Neal could be a contender.

Who do you think will win the East?

This puts the Cavs right in the mix in the East. They are serious contenders to the Celtics and Pistons. Given that the Celtics will be a year older and less motivated, the door is wide open for Lebron James. For the first time in his career, he’ll be able to trust that his teammates can get it done when he needs a breather. I’m not ready to call the Cavs the East champions, but I’m getting close.