2016 - 2017 NBA Regular Season Storylines

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POINTS AND DIMES: Only once has a player led the NBA in scoring and assists in the same season: Nate “Tiny” Archibald in 1972-73. It’s incredibly early, of course, but it’s realistic to think that former teammates James Harden of Houston and Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City could accomplish the feat. Both are known first as scorers, but Harden and Westbrook deserve credit for their continued improvement as playmakers. Harden has shifted to point guard for the Rockets as he looks to raise his assist average for the seventh straight season. Westbrook is a triple-double threat every time he takes the court.    

AGAINST THE GRAIN: At a time when NBA teams are launching three-pointers at a record rate, Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan is doing things his way. DeRozan opened the season with four 30-point games that included a total of one three-pointer. That’s in keeping with his career pattern, which is unusual for a two-guard. DeRozan has emerged as one of the game’s top scorers by attacking the rim relentlessly and thriving in the mid-range. The savvy DeRozan knows how to get to his spots and draw fouls. He’s also the face of the Raptors, who drafted him in 2009, re-signed him last summer and have seen him become an active presence in the community.         

DENNIS DAZZLES: This is shaping up to be a breakout season for Atlanta’s Dennis Schröder. The first German guard to make a big impact in the NBA, the four-year veteran is starting for the first time in his career after the Hawks traded Jeff Teague. Schröder is a late bloomer who didn’t fully commit to basketball until he was 16, when his father died and he viewed the game as a way to provide for his family. (Skateboarding was his first love.) One of the NBA’s quickest players, Schröder has watched a lot of film on Tony Parker for pointers on how to use his speed and finish around the basket against bigger players.

WELCOME BACK: Sergio Rodriguez’s first NBA stint didn’t quite go as planned, with the 2006 first-round pick heading home to Spain after four seasons with the Trail Blazers, Kings and Knicks. Rodriguez spent the next six years honing his craft with Real Madrid and the Spanish National Team. He signed with the 76ers over the summer and is off to a solid start as an immediate starter and veteran presence for the NBA’s youngest team, averaging 12 points and nearly 8 assists. Given his age (30) and comfort level overseas, it’s unusual that Rodriguez decided to give the NBA another shot.

STUDENT OF THE GAME: Quin Snyder’s basketball résumé speaks for itself. He played at Duke before joining Coach K’s staff. He served as an assistant in the NBA and with CSKA Moscow (under current Spurs assistant Ettore Messina) and a head coach in college and the NBA D-League before becoming coach of the Jazz, a potential breakout team in 2016-17. Snyder has another version of his résumé, one that shows him graduating with degrees in philosophy and political science. He also earned a law degree and an MBA from Duke. With many career options, both after college and during a mid-2000s coaching break, Snyder kept picking hoops. It’s interesting to consider what lessons from academia shaped him and his coaching.

PASCAL’S PRINCIPLE: Pascal Siakam’s journey from Cameroon to a spot in Toronto’s starting lineup as a rookie has taken a few twists and turns. None bigger than the first turn, when at the behest of his family, which included three older brothers with NBA aspirations, he reluctantly agreed to give basketball a try. A positive experience at a Basketball without Borders Camp in South Africa in 2012 led to his relocating to the U.S. and becoming a standout at New Mexico State. After thriving at the NBA Combine, Siakam was selected by Toronto with the 27th pick in 2016, fulfilling the dream his late father had of having one of his sons reach the NBA. The forward, 22, has made an immediate impact with his energy and athleticism.

Upcoming Games

·         Nov. 8: Pelicans @ Kings, 10:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV: Anthony Davis vs. DeMarcus Cousins

·         Nov. 9: Nets @ Knicks, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN: Jeremy Lin leads his new team into MSG.

·         Nov. 10: Bulls @ Heat, 8 p.m. ET, TNT: Dwyane Wade returns to Miami for the first time.

Body Shots 2016 Candidates in Swimsuit

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Body Shots is a premiere modelling competition in the Philippines brought to you by the Fashion Designers Association of the Philippines (FDAP) and produced by Creative Saints. They will hold the grand coronation on November 30, 2016 in Manila, Philippines. Online voting started on November 5, 2016.

Ms. Digna Rosales, FDAP President, and Actor-producer-director Carlo Maceda, sealed an agreement to be partners in mounting this year’s search: Body Shots @ 30

Body Shots 2016's advocacy this year is: Earth Matters!

"While there are almost 900 confirmed exoplanets in the universe (exoplanets are planets outside of our solar system that share similarities to Earth), scientists believe the nearest one is at least 6.4 light years away from Earth. That’s 37,623,203,463,989 miles away! It would take the Helios 2 probe (which is the fastest man-made spacecraft travelling at 150,000 mph) 250,821,356.5 years to go that far. This means that if we don’t care about our environment here on Earth and continue to destroy it, we have nowhere else to go."

Below are photos of the lady candidates in their swimsuit taken during the media launch held at Eurotel North EDSA Quezon City a few days ago. Let us know who your bets are.

Manila Auto Salon 2016: The Gorgeous Gals of Motoring Shows

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Men should admit that most of us come to motoring events not only because of the vehicles and their accessories, but also because of the lovely lady models that makes the rides a lot more attractive to look at.

Yeah, who wouldn't want to have cars as alluring as the models posing beside them? And of course, who wouldn't want to have the ladies ride with them as a big bonus?

Who wouldn't be enticed with those vibrant smiles and giggles complemented by those skimpy outfits? Lol!

Sadly, most of us would have to settle with a photo ops with the gorgeous gals of motoring, unless perhaps if you would purchase and drive one of the cool cars, babes blessed with bountiful bosoms and behinds - plus angelically innocent or seductively naughty (depending on your taste) faces, would take a second gander at you. Seriously, most car show models are Class A or top of the line. You're definitely an impotent alien if you won't admit to have lusted for them.

Attending car shows like the Manila Auto Salon, is probably an onanistic way of spending time, but we do love it because no only do we get updated with the latest information about our favorite car or motorcycle brands, we get to be up close and personal also with these stunning babes as if they're our BFFs or close acquaintances. Actually, the often we visit these car shows, the models would literally become our friends, at least on Facebook or any other social media accounts where we post their photos in an album containing their different poses.

I also love the thought of contributing to their popularity and giving them exposure to get discovered into mainstream TV or even movies. True enough, most of them are the creme of the crop when it comes to beauty, and they would surely go a long way if they have the brains and talent to go with those adorable looks.

Below are some of my favorite models, in no particular order since I do not want to rate them since this is not a beauty pageant, from the Manila Auto Salon 2016 held on November 3 to 6 at the SMX Convention Center: