In less than a week Ito Smith Jersey , ghouls and goblins will be haunting us again. Yes, both sides in the NBA lockout will be darkening our doors -- along with the costumed youths pounding doors and demanding candy for Halloween.

But NBA fans are likely getting no treats, just more unwanted tricks -- a steaming pile of curried prunes in our treat bag. Thanks, NBA.

The leagues version of "Scary Movie" is on an extended run and daily talk about charity games, international players going overseas, and player league startups are making fans search for a costume to hide from the empty chatter and rhetoric.

This ongoing hardwood catastrophe is our panelists' clear-cut choice for worst thing in the 2011 calendar year. See how other hoop-related maladies that afflicted the NBA rank in the minds of our totally bummed-out observers.

1. What was the fifth-worst thing to happen in the NBA in 2011?

Graydon Gordian Deadrin Senat Jersey ,48 Minutes of Hell: Reggie Miller's absence from the list of Hall of Fame finalists. Miller may not have been a first-ballot HOFer, but arguably the greatest 3-point shooter of all time and one of the iconic athletes of the 1990s deserved to at least be on the ballot.

Tom Haberstroh, ESPN: The Cleveland Cavaliers. If losing LeBron James wasn't bad enough, they lost a record-breaking 26 straight games from Dec. 20, 2010 to Feb. 10, 2011. Those two events may be related.

Matt Moore Isaiah Oliver Jersey , Hardwood Paroxysm: Rajon Rondo's injury. Take an epic series between two of the biggest rivals the league has. Set it in the playoffs on a huge stage with a chance to face the MVP and the Bulls on the line. Then have the best point guard in the series suffer a severe injury to taint the outcome. Such a bummer.

Brian Robb, Celtics Hub: Rajon Rondo dislocating his elbow in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Definitely a homer pick, but the gruesome injury on what some considered a dirty play by Dwyane Wade stained the series. Without Rondo healthy, fans were deprived of what could have been an epic showdown between the old and new guard in the East.

Charlie Widdoes,Clipper Blog: Lakers' playoff meltdown against Dallas. Losing to, even getting swept by Qadree Ollison Jersey , a better team is one thing. But the way they went out in Phil Jackson's last game on the bench, with Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum getting ejected for back-to-back cheap shots, was a stain on an otherwise exceptional NBA playoffs.


2. What was the fourth-worst thing to happen in the NBA in 2011?

Graydon Gordian, 48 Minutes Of Hell: The sustained hatred of LeBron James. The criticism James received for "The Decision" was deserved but, Clevelanders aside, most people have no reason to continue hating him. He was well within his rights to choose Miami as his destination. At this point the ubiquitous disgust for LeBron feels forced and irrational.

Tom Haberstroh John Cominsky Jersey , ESPN: The end of the 2010-11 playoffs. The most wildly entertaining and competitive playoffs that I can remember. Seriously, are we sure the Mavericks and Heat couldn't play best-of-77?

Matt Moore, Hardwood Paroxysm: LeBron's "wake up to their lives" comment. Reinforces the image of NBA players as arrogant, reinforces the criticism of LeBron after two minutes earlier he admitted he'd failed, reinforces the story of LeBron's failure being bigger than the Mavs' triumph. It was like sandbags for idiocy.

Brian Robb, Celtics Hub: The resignation of Jerry Sloan. After 23 years and 1 Kendall Sheffield Jersey ,127 wins in Utah, seeing the coaching legend step down so abruptly after reported locker room turmoil was a bitter pill to swallow. The man who gave so much to the game and the Jazz deserved a better farewell tour.

Charlie Widdoes, ClipperBlog: Derrick Rose, MVP. He was a legitimate candidate, but as is often the case with big awards, a narrative took over and the award wound up with the popular guy and probably not "the best." In the process Kaleb McGary Jersey , an ugly divide resurfaced between those who value advanced statistics and those who eschew them.


3. What was the third-worst thing to happen in the NBA in 2011?

Graydon Gordian, 48 Minutes Of Hell: The spate of homophobic remarks by star players. We often forget that the NBA court is also an office. The players are at work. And bigoted remarks, whether toward a fellow employee (NBA referees) or customers (fans) should not be tolerated at any place of business. NBA players should be combating homophobia, not encouraging it.

Tom Haberstroh, ESPN: Goodbye, giants. With the abrupt retirement of Yao Ming and the not-so-abrupt retirement of Shaq Chris Lindstrom Jersey , we bid farewell to the two largest human beings to put on an NBA uniform. Can't forget about Zydrunas Ilgauskas either. Don't worry, we still have Hasheem Thabeet!

Matt Moore, Hardwood Paroxysm: Tie between Joakim Noah's homosexual slur and LeBron James' depiction of a question as retarded. Sorry, not going to delineate between insulting homosexuals and insulting the mentally challenged. Both of these comments were in the playoffs, both were reprehensible, both were at once pointless and ignorant.

Brian Robb Wholesale Atlanta Falcons Jerseys , Celtics Hub: The Carmelo Anthony saga. It was the painful soap opera that loomed over sauthentic.com/]cheap air jordans womens[/url] Wholesale Nike Shoes China Wholesale Air Jordan