Oh my, where do I start…for February being the shortest month of the year, so much went down. We had the all-star game, trading deadline, the Nets beats the Celtics (groan), CBA talks, a TRBL skills competition…Lets go!

Eastern Conference Player of the Month -LeeeeBron – Though I know to say the selections are the same as last month, but yes it is true. He led Cleveland to a 8-3 record. And only averaged 32 points and 10.5 assists a game during that stretch. This was a no-brainer. Not only is he scoring, but he’s helping his team score as well. Its like having the perfect wingman at a bar…

Honorable Mention – Dwight Howard. 22 ppg, 13.5 rpg, and a whopping 3.3 blocks per game. Not in Dwight’s house! He did have 7 blocks in one game against Detroit this month too…which is astounding.

Western Conference Player of the Month -Kevin Durant. Again, the selections are the same because they are playing above and beyond the rest of the field. Second in points behind LBJ, and not arrogant enough to change his number midseason. Has carried a very young team on the verge of making the playoffs and perhaps making a surprise run at the division title.

Honorable Mention - Steve Nash. Still continues to play well, but his contributions (along with the play of Amare Stoudemire) on the court led to Phoenix playing white-hot basketball over the month of February.  Deron Williams also got consideration here as well.

6th Man of the Month -I was giving consideration of this award to a variety of players, but after much research Jamal Crawford is still the best 6th man in the game. Continues to score well off the bench and is better than a majority of the starters in the NBA.

Rookie of the Month -Stephen Curry. His play has amazed me over the past month. While Golden State will continue to lose tough games, they now have a solid backcourt to build from (Curry and Monta Ellis). If this team builds with the draft and continues to develop Curry and Ellis, they could see themselves in the playoff hunt in a few years. Till then, Curry will carry this team until the season is over and perhaps push his way into the conversation for Rookie of the Year.

Team of the Month -THUNDERCATS! 11-2 since January 29th, they rolled through the month of February, only losing to Phoenix and San Antonio. Kevin Durant was a big part of this run, leading the team in scoring for every game. Now that playoffs appear to be all but a complete lock, please note- they are only 2.5 games out of the division lead. Could we see Denver and Utah fall a bit and the Thunder steal the division crown? More basketball remains to be played out, but I’m very impressed by this team’s over play and their decision to make defense a vital part of their winning strategy.

Honorable Mention -Dallas Mavericks. After a slow start, this team picked up the pace and closed out the month on some big wins – over Phoenix, @Orlando, Miami, LA Lakers, @Atlanta, and New Orleans…maybe Mark Cuban lit a fire under their arse.

INCRBL! -Here’s a fun fact – If you are a team under .500, don’t think you are winning at the Staples Center. The Lakers (10-0) AND the Clippers (9-0) are undefeated at home against teams with a losing record. Very interesting…

and last but not least…

(begin rant): TRBL! – The Boston Celtics. Pa-thetic. You lost to the Nets at home. It’s a miracle I still watch basketball this season.  They aren’t an elite team, they don’t have depth (Rasheed Wallace sitting on the 3-point line doesn’t count as “depth” – they have Brian Scalabrine for that), they aren’t playing with the intensity that they showed during their title run.  Night in an night out I watch them build leads in the first half of games and consequently blow them in the second. Just give up your playoff spot to a Western Conference team that won’t make the playoffs this year – you have an equal chance of making the finals.

(end rant)

Til next time (where I figure out how to save the NBA financially), this is The Commish signing out.