2005-06 Upper Deck ESPN Basketball

Tonight is opening night for the NBA. Feel free to take just a minute to let that sink in. Sure, baseball is still being played (kind of) and we're still functioning in Daylight Savings Time in the U.S. (unless you're in Arizona or you're another rougue area that doesn't believe in it.) Since I don't really buy basketball cards, here is a pack that I discovered in a box recently, along with some football packs. I bought it a few years ago and completely forgot about it.

72 - Zach Randolph (Zach can fill up the stat sheet, but his deficiencies are especially glaring: he can't defend, he doesn't move especially well and, at least in his Blazers days, was pretty terrible at passing out of a double team. Whoever thought he would be a good fit in New York was obviously on some crazy pills.)

16 - Dirk Nowitzki (The peak of my Mavericks interest was probably around the late 90s or early part of this decade, back when Dirk was still gaining legs in the NBA. Now they're just annoying.)
37 - Caron Butler (I forgot that Butler used to play for the dreaded Lakers.)

35 - Elton Brand (The Sixers threw 80 million dollars at a guy trying to come back from a ruptured Achilles' tendon.)

MAG-LJ1 - LeBron James ESPN The Magazine Covers (Nothing like a set advertising ESPN with insert cards that further promote ESPN ventures in other media.)
22 - Ben Wallace (He's probably one of the most overrated players in the history of the league. An absolutely worthless offensive player who has never even put up Dennis Rodman-like numbers to justify his existence as a multi-million dollar multi-year contract player.)

64 - Allen Iverson (I'm not sure what the jersey is throwing back to, but it's not bad.)

8 - Emeka Okafor (One of the better players from an otherwise dismal draft class.)
45 - Shaquille O'Neal (If he's not all costumed-up in '90s hip-hop and/or movie gear, then he's not worth showing a picture of here.)

The Blazers/Lakers game is game 2 of the doubleheader tonight on TNT. Feel free to revel in the awesomeness that is the Blazers. Meanwhile, if anyone wants any of these cards, please let me know. I can always use more Blazers cards.