After watching Derrick Rose light up the NBA’s best team for 42 points and eight assists, I’ve moved him to the top of my MVP list….

This could change in a week, but the way he destroyed Tony Parker and the Spurs was brilliant….

The Bulls have quietly pulled to within a game and a half of the Heat and Celtics for the #1 seed in the East and on a tremendous roll without center Joakim Noah….

True, Noah would have been a back-up center back in the 1980′s, but in this day and age is one of the best pivot men in the NBA….

He has no offensive game, but runs the floor, rebounds, defende like hell and plays hard. What he lacks in skill he makes up for in will….

When he comes back, the group of Rose, Carlos Boozer, Luol Deng and Noah is one hell of a starting unit and they’ll have as good a chance as anyone to come out of the East and possibly win the NBA championship….

All season, I’ve listed the Celtics, Lakers, Heat and Spurs as the only teams in th eleague with a legitimate shot at winning the championship. But with a healthy Noah, I’m adding the Bulls to the list….

Man card violation for Iowa high school wrestler Joel Northrup, who gave up a chance to compeete for a state championship because of his refusal to compete against a girl….

If the girl, Cassy Herkelman, is good enough to qualify for the state tournament, he should show the proper respect and face her on the mat….

In his release, Northrup claims “his religious beliefs don’t allow him to comptete against a girl” and wrestling is a combat sport and can get violent.”….

Reaction: Bulls*** and this guy comes across as a coward….

f he’s too strong and it’s a mismatch, he’ll take her to the floor and pin her quickly. Nobody is going to get hurt, except maybe the girl’s feelings. But she joined her wrestling team knowing she’s have to compete against boys and at some point would overpowered by a male competitor….

I’m sure Cassy is a big girl and can handle it; too bad this p**** Northrup can’t….

It’s not sexist and insulting to defeat her in a wrestling match, it’s sexist and insulting to refuse to face her simply because of her gender….

She qualified for the tournament and Northrup’s claim that he’s afraid of hurting her are ridiculous….

What if he were going up against a boy who was obviously not in his class and physically weaker? Would Northrup withdraw from the match, cite his religious beliefs and talk about wrestling “being a combat sport and can get violent?”….

Of course not, and only doing it because Herkelman is a girl is reprehensible….

I’m not buying all this nonsense about the Nets getting back into the Carmelo Anthony negotiations, along with the Mavericks and Rockets….

In my opinion, the Nuggets are wisely floating this bulls*** to try and get more from the Knicks….

The Nuggets reportedly want the Knicks to give up Eddy Curry’s expiring contract,m Raymond Felton a #1 pick, Wilson Chandler and either Landry Fields or Danilo Gallinari for Melo, Chauncey Billups and filler….

No way in hell I do that if I’m the Knicks. As good as Anthony is, I’m not going to gut a good, young team to get him….

And why should Denver trade him at all? With the CBA running out and there probably not being a season in 2011-12, Carmelo is not going to give up $40M in salary just because his wife loves New York….

He’ll sign an extension with the Nuggets 24 hours after the February 24 trade deadline passes….

Unless….

The wild card in this whole thing is some owner (Mark Cuban?) willing to make a deal without Anthony agreeing to a contract extension. Normally this would be franchise suicide, because if you didn’t win the championship you’d be renting him for a season and wind up losing front line players and draft picks for nothing….

Except for this….

After trading for him without his agreeing to an extension, you have the hole card of next year’s lockout and drastic salary cuts….

As the season gets closer and closer to ending, Carmelo might be convinced that staying put, wherever he is, is preferable to not getting paid at all next season and losing tens of millions….

And since you’d have Carmelo on your team, you’d have a couple of months to wine and dine him….

Of course, at the same time you’d work on convincing Melo, his agent and his free spending wife to take the extension and save tens of millions….

The more I think about this, the more I’d be tempted to do it….

And by the way, the Clippers can offer Denver a better deal than anyone….

How about Chris Kaman’s expiring, $11M contract, a lottery pick and any two players on the roster not named Blake Griffin or Eric Gordon….

The Nuggets get everything they say they want: Cap room, a lottery pick and good, young players….

And once the Clippers get him, Melo might be faced with a scary choice: Take the Clippers extension or leave and lose $40M….

And if chooses the latter, he can probably kiss his marraige goodbye; because LaLa Vasquez is not going to take kindly to Melo taking back all his gold cards while he’s unemployed. And LaLa not spending wildly with Melo’s money is almost unimagineable….