NBA Logo Rank 2016 Update

Three years ago in this blog, I ranked every NBA mascot from 30 to number one. Two years ago, I did the same thing with team names. Last year, I offered my thoughts on each of the logo packages (one just isn't enough any more it seems) rolled out by the franchises that make up the Association.

Team names are pretty much a constant so I don't think I'll be needing to update that countdown any time soon. But mascots and logos are an entirely different story. I've had to update my mascot rank each of the last three years because the NBA owners can't leave well enough (or bad enough) alone when it comes to sticking some dude in a costume. I rolled out my revised mascot rank last month. This month I'm tinkering with my logo rankings because well, folks keep tinkering with these things. Here's what the same and what's new and how I believe this all stacks up this year starting with the bottom of the bottom.

30. Los Angeles Clippers

One year into their 2015 re-brand, the Clippers logo package looks as terrible as it did when it was first rolled out. I struggle to believe Steve Ballmer sleeps well at night knowing he paid some good money to have a group of marketing folks come up with the awful wordmarks and graphics that the Clippers sport. Going to be difficult to convince me the Clips are ever going to climb out of last on this one.

29. Oklahoma City Thunder

On the other hand...the Thunder aren't much better than the Clippers. I still don't get the design of the Thunder's logo. I love the nod to native American imagery that the bulging triangle represents but it's just not doing it for me. I'd prefer a cartoon grey cloud to what they have now.

28. Denver Nuggets

For me, the Nuggets have one of the golden oldies of the old ABA in their miner with a pickax in one hand and a red, white and blue ABA ball in the other. Recently, the Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors have re-worked their old beloved logos to spectacular effect. Please, Denver, do the same here. The bulging Nuggets wordmark topped with the mountain ain't doing it for me.

27. Detroit Pistons

Detroit, just like Denver, had one of the best NBA logos of all time. All they had to do was, well, nothing. Just leave it alone. But instead, they had to go get some hack logo designer to draw them a new horse with tailpipes logo in some amazingly bad shade of dark teal. About a decade later they realized the error of their ways and went back close to the original logo (the NBA doesn't allow exact resurrection of old logos since for marketing rights they are all owned by a separate division of the NBA...or something like that) but the small differences make all the difference. Top 10 logo for sure mutated into a bottom five logo. Smh...

26. Dallas Mavericks

I could easily put the Mavericks further down towards the bottom of this countdown. I think they are saved by the fact that they have never had a super exciting logo that they've tried to resurrect and screwed up like the Pistons. The Mavs are pretty much the definition of boring in the graphic design department. Although I have to confess, I have no idea what's going on with the sideways leering "M" logo that looks like something out of a Spy Vs. Spy comic. Time to re-brand. Just don't do what the Clips did.

25. Cleveland Cavaliers

Boring in Dallas is preceded by boring in Cleveland. I hate the font the Cavs have elected to use here, almost as much as I hate the team itself. The Cavaliers have never had a good logo in their entire history and I think now that they have won a title (God, I hate writing that!) I think we are stuck with this sort of mediocrity for a while.

24. Orlando Magic

Ummm...it's a basketball with some stars. Doesn't seem that magical to me. However, it's better than six other logos in my opinion. Might be higher if it weren't for that terrible font the Magic insist on using.

23. Phoenix Suns

In 1968, the Phoenix Suns joined the NBA and rolled out the logo above. WHY WOULD YOU EVER CHANGE THIS LOGO??? It's simple, it's clear, it's a sun (the Suns aren't always that clear on equating their name with symbology - check out their mascot) and it's of its time. It looks like it's straight out of the late 1960s. I love it. I'd take this logo over any logo in the NBA today. Keep this intact and the Suns would be number one. As it is, they go with a flaming ball with their airport code. Pass!

22. Houston Rockets

Houston, we have liftoff. Unfortunately, the current Rockets logo doesn't do it for me. It's not the worst logo the Rockets have ever had by a long shot but it's not good all the same.

21. Minnesota Timberwolves

Rounding out my bottom 10 are the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team with a logo so complicated and intricate that there's no way a kid sitting in study hall could quickly and easily draw this thing (I spent a lot of time as a kid drawing sports logos in study hall - it's like a litmus test).  Word is that Wolves owner Glen Taylor is exploring a rebrand. They have to move up, right? I mean they just have to. Dear Mr. Taylor: don't hire the folks the Clippers hired.

20. Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are the anti-Timberwolves. They have definitely erred on the not complicated side of the equation. For sure. And this definitely passes the kid in study hall test. The problem? The kid can't spend ENOUGH time drawing this thing. Love the black and white. Don't love how simple it is.

19. Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks, like the Pistons, decided to resurrect and update one of the NBA's classic logos, the so-called Pac-Man Hawks logo. They had to change it a bit but it looks pretty much as good as it did when the team abandoned it 21 years ago. Way better than the Pistons. Bravo! But then the Hawks went off the rails with a secondary logo that looks like a winged teardrop missing the top part of the drop. I don't understand this thing at all. Big drop because of the secondary logo, Atlanta. If I were a Hawks fan no way I'd wear anything with this weird thing on it.

18. Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers logo is classic, simple, understated and boring all at the same time. However, they have won 16 NBA titles so that's good enough to get them almost in the top half of this ranking.

17. Sacramento Kings

The big news of the offseason this year in the NBA logo department is that the Sacramento Kings finally, mercifully abandoned the tired and clunky crossed lances logo they've been using for the past 22 years. Last year, I had the Kings ranked 26th among NBA teams logo-wise. This year, they move up nine spots.

The Kings, much like the Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers have done recently are drawing on their past in determining their future. In other words, they are going back to what worked, which in the Kings' case, is totally smart. When the Kings moved to California, their logo consisted of a basketball topped by a crown which sort of doubled as a mountain range (see above left). I love the mountains and how they relate to the mountains around Sacramento, even though the team first used this motif when the franchise moved to Kansas City. I've been to KC and there are no mountains around there so I don't quite get that but it totally works in Sacto.

The new primary logo (above right) is pretty much a copy of the old one but in purple and gray. These are just horrible colors for this logo but maybe it will grow on me. While it's a huge step in the right direction for the Kings, I greatly prefer the proportion of the old logo to the new one and the font in the new logo quite honestly is not very good; waaaaaay too boxy. The old logo's not perfect; it's just better than the new one.

Of course since it's 2016 and the more logos you have, the more merch you can sell, the Kings have produced not one, not two, but three alternate logos which are shown below. Very briefly (left to right): I don't like it (too heraldic - I get that's the point - and that lion looks worse than the clumsiest big man ever dribbling a basketball; I hate it (just lose the crown logo - it's just way too simple); and I kind of like it (I like how the seams of the basketball integrated into the lion's mane).

Much improved, Sacramento, but I think at least half the NBA is still ahead of you. 

16. Indiana Pacers

Top of the bottom half and the Pacers are about the cusp of the logo sets that I actually really like. But they are not quite there. I like some aspects of the Pacers logos, but the font is off-putting for sure.

15. Toronto Raptors

The Raptors deserve a ton of credit for turning things around in the logo department the last couple of years. and for that, I'm moving them up two spots over last year's ranking. For the first 20 years of their existence they were convinced the way to get people excited about their team was to roll out a logo that looked slightly (and I really mean slightly) more scary than Barney. Their new raptor claw marks on a basketball logo is way better. Their name still sucks though and they should still change it. Huskies, please.

14. Milwaukee Bucks

I love pretty much everything about the Bucks' re-brand of last year from the colors right down to the logo package. I love how Wisconsin-centric it is to include more than just the city of Milwaukee. Can't help thinking of a deer's head on a wall when I see their primary logo though. It's going to take a long time to get over this one. Maybe like forever.

13. New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans have a primary logo, a partial primary logo, three secondary logos and an alternate logo that comes in four different color schemes. No other team has even close to this many truly different logos. I would say I dislike their primary logo (and partial primary), one of their secondary logos and all of their alternate logos. But I so intensely love the Crescent City Hoops and the Pelican-de-Lis logos that they make up for all the failings of all the other members of their logo family. If I were a Pels fan, I'd load up on apparel with the logos I like and aggressively boycott the others.

12. Philadelphia 76ers

I love the current 76ers primary logo. Unfortunately for the Sixers, it's not quite as good as the one they replaced which is pretty much the exact same thing but just a bit better. Also, the Ben Franklin dribbling a basketball is not a good image. Lost points for that one, Philly.

11. Utah Jazz

So let's start this with my standard disclaimer or complaint or whatever you want to call it when I discuss the Utah Jazz: worst nickname for a team given the location ever. I cannot think of a bigger disconnect between a state and a thing than Utah and Jazz. But these logos...damn they are works of art. The Jazz have made them even better this year. Not a complete re-design; the Jazz refer to it as "refreshed brand identity."

First, let's go back to last year. My biggest complaint about the Jazz logo when I first ranked all the NBA teams'  logos was the one on the left above. Like everything about it. Well, now it's gone. No more Jazz wordmark like it's going down a ski slope with some mountains on top of a basketball in the background. See ya! Good riddance!

The rest of these logos? I mean what can I say. I'd be quibbling with any negative feedback. Sure I'm not crazy about the font but I love the colors, I love the musical note and I love the reductive form of the note as a simple basketball. I love all of this. 

Except I can't get beyond Utah and Jazz. For that, these works of art finish 11th. Up five spots from last year but I'm still stuck on the name thing.

10. Portland Trail Blazers

What on Earth is the Trail Blazers' logo? It's unlike any other logo in professional sports in that it's an abstract artistic statement about the game the team plays and has nothing to do with the city or the nickname of the team itself. For that reason alone, it's timeless and never needs changing in the slightest (although the Blazers have tweaked it from the original). Rather than being confused and angry about it's lack of laterality, embrace the statement that it represents.

9. Charlotte Hornets

Depending on how you view the Hornets logo package, you might be able to argue that they have as many as the Pelicans do. But I disagree. I think the Hornets have four different logos and I think most of them are pretty good to pretty great. I don't like the C-H logo with the strange crown on top of it. Ditch that thing and the Hornets might be top five for me.

8. Miami Heat

I have a strong dislike for four Eastern Conference franchises and three of them are in the top eight in my logo rank (see 25 above for the other). Miami is the first of these three. Simple, clean, no fuss, no clouding the picture with a series of other logos. The Heat logo does the job. So why aren't they higher? Well, just like the Pelicans and Hornets, the Heat had to go tinker and introduce a second logo which is about as unimaginative as they come.

7. Golden State Warriors

I don't love the Dubs' rebrand of 2010 as much as a lot of people out there but I think it's still pretty good all the same. It bothers me tremendously that the cables on the bridge in their logo (which I assume is the Golden Gate Bridge) run diagonally not vertically as on the real thing. I like the "SF" secondary logo which they'll need if they ever finish designing and building a new arena on the San Francisco waterfront.

6. San Antonio Spurs

Silver. Black. Spur. This is the image of the Spurs that I love. It's simple, to the point and I don't even mind their reductive partial logo that they introduced in 2002. Most people I talk to about NBA uniforms and logos generally view the Spurs uni and logo design unfavorably. I think it's awesome. It's non-fancy and it wins. Just like the Spurs the last couple of decades.

5. New York Knicks

New York City Subway token logo? A+!! Basketball logo? A+!! Knicks primary logo with the triangle behind it? D-!! The Knicks are sort of the like the Pelicans here for me: two incredible logos and the rest are just bleh! Fortunately for the Knicks in this ranking, they only have one logo I dislike as opposed to the Pelicans' four to seven objectionable logos.

4. Memphis Grizzlies

The grizzly bear head is the best logo in the NBA today. So why not number one? Well, because they have other logos which are diluting the product. Not the one with the text underneath it. Just the head. Don't change the head, Memphis.

3. Washington Wizards

Go ahead, tell me this is yet ANOTHER homer pick (see my year after year mascot rank that has the Wizards at number one). I won't quite believe it 100%. I think the Wizards 2011 repackaging was well done, ditching the horrible Wizard jumping over the moon logo while also harkening back to the past of the Bullets without actually having to change the name. Maybe it's just so good to me when compared to the Wiz blue, black and bronze color scheme days. Regardless, they are number three for me.

2. Boston Celtics

The Celtics are one of those franchises that I truly dislike and yes, it's all because they beat the Wizards (and historically about everyone I guess) more often than not in front of a pro-Celtics crowd at Verizon Center. So I truly hate that I think their logo is better than the Wizards logo. But it is. Some of my best memories at Verizon Center came sitting in Section 402 when the Cs had Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen and watching the Wizards beat Boston while seemingly surrounded by Boston fans.  Those memories take the sting out of me ranking the Celtics at number two here.

1. Chicago Bulls

50 years. One logo. Got it right the first time. Winner!!! I'd have a difficult time believing the Bulls will ever be anything but number one in this ranking. The only thing that can possibly screw this up is if they decide to start introducing alternate or secondary logos that dilute their brand. Don't do it, Chicago.

About 12 months until I do this again. I guarantee someone will change something in the next year.

What About Portland?

I used to hate the NBA All-Star Game. Maybe hate's a strong word. But in years past I really had no use whatsoever for the mid-season exhibition basketball game where most of the players that I love to hate showboat while nobody (and I mean nobody) plays defense. Even when Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler were making appearances in the game over a four year span about a decade ago, I never really tuned in for very long.

Then last year everything changed. I snagged some tickets to the big events on All-Star Weekend in New York City and saw the true value of the experience. From the game itself on Sunday to All-Star Saturday night to practices to press conferences to autograph hunting all over the city, it was a non-stop weekend of NBA superstar immersion. And it was quite honestly pretty fantastic. I never could have imagined such a transformation in my attitude about something based on a frigid long weekend in America's best city (sorry, D.C. but it's true!).

Washington last hosted the All-Star Game in 2001, my first year as a Wizards season ticket holder. I didn't do much at all that weekend basketball-wise except attend the Rising Stars Challenge on Saturday afternoon. I bought a $10 (yes, you read that right) ticket at the box office and spent a couple of hours watching the rooks and sophs go back and forth while sitting one row closer to the court than now-majority owner Ted Leonsis (Ted was in his box; I was in the last row in the 100 level at what was then MCI Center in front of his box).

That year I was actually offered tickets to the All-Star Game. I think the deal from the Wizards was that if I bought 100 upper deck tickets for a regular season game and donated them to charity, they'd get me some 400 level seats for the All-Star Game. I passed, not having a spare $1,000 or more kicking around for such an indulgence at that time in my life. But after last year's All-Star experience, I started to wonder if D.C. was due for another All-Star weekend. I mean in the past 16 years since I've been a season ticket holder, both Houston and New Orleans have had the game twice. Why can't Washington get another shot? Aren't we due?

Me and Earl Monroe hanging out at All-Star Weekend 2015.

So logically, the answer to that question is NO! There are 30 teams in the league now so theoretically every team should get to host the All-Star Game once every three decades. But that's clearly not the way it works for Houston or New Orleans, so why can't Washington be an exception too? The Wizards / Bullets have hosted All-Star Weekend a total of three times in the 65 (including this year) year history of the event: 1969 (in Baltimore), 1980 (at the Caps Center in Landover, MD) and 2001 at our current arena on F Street. Maybe if the NBA waits the same 21 years between games like they did last time, maybe we get the game back here in 2022. Maybe.

Probably not. As it turns out, there are far more cities that are "due" than Washington is. In fact, it ain't even close. Boston holds the longest current All-Star Game-less streak at 52 years, including this year; 53 if you consider they aren't hosting it next year (Charlotte, NC is). Boston was home to the first and second ever NBA All-Star Games and hosted the event four of the first 14 years it was played (remember the league was a lot smaller back then). But they haven't played it in beantown again since 1964 when the league had a total of nine teams. That's a long time.

Other cities have never hosted the game at all. Oklahoma City which has been the home of the Thunder for nine years (including this one) has not yet been granted an All-Star Game. Nor has Sacramento, which has been the home of the Kings since 1985. But while the game may never have been played in those two cities before, the franchises that became the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings have hosted. The Thunder had the event in 1974 and 1987 as the Seattle SuperSonics and the Kings hosted All-Star Weekend in 1956 and 1966 as the Rochester and Cincinnati Royals respectively. Neither franchise has waited as long as the Celtics in Boston, although Sacto comes close.

Besides OKC and Sacramento, there are two other cities that have also never had the All-Star Game. One of these, Memphis, is a relative newcomer to the NBA, moving from Vancouver in 2001, although it seems like the Grizzlies, whose name worked way better in Vancouver, have been in that city forever. So while I feel for the Memphians who crave this event at the FedEx Forum, if I were running the show I'd put both Boston and Sacramento ahead of them. Yes, I'd put OKC at the back of the line here.

And then there's Portland. The Trail Blazers entered the NBA in 1970, 45 seasons ago, at a time when there were only 17 teams in the league. They've been in the same city under the same name for their entire history and as yet have never been awarded an All-Star Game. Since Portland entered the league, and including this year, the All-Star Game has been held in 28 different cities or metropolitan areas. Seven cities have had the game twice; three have been hosts three times; and Los Angeles (if you include Inglewood as Los Angeles) has had it four times. The game has been played in five football stadiums over that period, one city that no longer has a franchise (San Diego) and what that has never had a team located there (Las Vegas). But Portland's never had it. Not even once.

Apparently the city has put in an application to host the game in 2017 or 2018 but the NBA is concerned about the number of hotel rooms in town. It seems to me that the league could find it in it's heart to let a franchise which has been in the same place for almost 50 years have the event once, even if it means a lot of staying in the suburbs or elsewhere. There's one thing for sure: Portland's due!

Large scale graphics of jerseys at Barclays Center 2015: John Wall (woo hoo!!!) and LeBron James (BOOO!!!!!!)

Bobblehead Nation 2015

Last fall I got angry. Like really angry. So angry in fact that I was downright peeved. About the lack of bobblehead giveaways on the Wizards' promotional schedule. Important stuff. So to relieve my pent up aggression I wrote a blog post about all the scheduled bobblehead nights on the NBA schedule as far as I could glean from checking out teams' websites and hunting for the giveaway or promotional or whatever else it was called schedule.

The intent behind that blog post was to embarrass my home team by demonstrating that successful NBA teams hand out free bobbles to their fans as a way of rewarding their support, not just as a means to get people in the door on a slow night. What it ended up being was a one stop checkpoint for serious bobblehead collectors looking to take to the road to enhance their collections. At least I like to think that's what happened. Regardless of whether that happened or not, I haven't been able to find any other nationwide current bobble list (with analysis) centered on my favorite sport so I decided this year I'd do it again. I'm hoping all franchises, not just the Wizards, take note this year.

Just like last year, I'm sure I missed some. There's only so much information I can get off the internet. Some teams just ain't telling. I know I missed the Larry Johnson bobblehead handed out by the New York Knicks last year; that can't be the only one. (And yes, as a side note, the Knicks gave away more bobbleheads than the Wizards last year; the KNICKS! The Knicks don't give away anything.) Also just like last year, if you are really using this as a guide to collect the maximum number of free NBA bobbles possible, you already missed some. What can I say? Some teams are just way ahead of the available information. Anyhow, here goes. Again. Welcome  to the 2015-2016 NBA bobblehead roundup.

October

5 San Jose Sharks Edition Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)

13 MVP Edition Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)

15 MVP Edition Andre Iguodala (Golden State Warriors)

Last year the Golden State Warriors proved they are the gold standard on the court and in terms of bobblehead giveaways, holding six bobbehead nights including two in the preseason. The preseason!!! Who does that? This year, they duplicate their outstanding effort last season and offer up another half dozen for what might be the most rabid fan base in the NBA.

And this preseason they are really not fooling around, scheduling three giveaways before the opening tip of any game that really matters. The three they are offering in October include Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala holding the Larry O'Brien and their personal MVP trophies (Steph for the regular season; Iggy for the NBA Finals) plus a Steph Curry bobblehead with a San Jose Sharks jersey on. That's right, the Dubs are so flush with bobblehead nights that they have to dress their star player in another sport's jersey to fill their slate. Impressive! The game WAS in San Jose but still...

November

4 James Harden (Houston Rockets)

Last year the Rockets gave away a James Harden / Dwight Howard combo bobblehead. This year, they can't seem to stray from that path because they are offering up both of those guys in bobble form again, although this time on two separate nights. Two things about this year's beard bobblehead: first, it's a "Stir-It-Up" bobblehead which I guess refers to the hand motion that Harden employs when he scores a critical basket. Second, there are only 3,000 of them. That's an incredibly small number. I'd have been there when the doors opened last week if I was a Rockets fan.

12 Andrew Wiggins (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Just like the Warriors, the Timberwolves have decided to get serious this year in the bobblehead department, offering up five nights of bobbles. Does this reflect the T-Wolves' optimism for the new season? Or are they hoping there is a direct correlation between bobbleheads distributed and their won-loss record? I'm hoping for Minnesota's sake that it's the former because hoping for the second one is just not smart. First up is Andrew Wiggins, the number one overall pick in the 2014 Draft and the 2015 Rookie of the Year. Not a bad place to start.

24 Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)

Draymond Green signed a five year, $82 million contract in the 2015 off-season. This year, the Warriors' second round selection in the 2012 NBA draft is the highest paid player in his draft class. Sometimes it pays to drop out of the first round. It worked for Gilbert Arenas (also selected by the Dubs) in 2003 and it's working for Green this year (next year Anthony Davis will be the highest paid 2012 draftee). As a reward, not like he needs it, Draymond gets his own bobblehead night this year.

27 Bobby Jackson (Sacramento Kings)

The Sacramento Kings have a new owner, new general manager and new coach. Pretty soon they'll have a new arena which is pretty exciting. For this season though, Kings fans will have to settle for six bobblehead nights in the former Arco Arena for one last year. That's correct, you read that right…this year the Kings are giving away six bobbleheads. They finish tied for first in this department. They are not likely to be tied for first in any other positive category again this year.

What makes the Kings bobblehead lineup special is that there's a theme. Each bobble represents a celebration of an important event in franchise history. Some of these are pretty special. I love the DeMarcus Cousins All-Star bobblehead available on December 15; I also like the February 19 date, which has Reggie Theus scoring the first Kings points in California. But the first one's a bit of a dud; it's a Bobby Jackson bobblehead celebrating the time he dove into the crowd during a playoff game and got smooched on the head for his effort. I have no issue with Jackson getting his own bobblehead but I'm not sure we need a story like this concocted to justify its existence.

December

8 Joe Johnson (Brooklyn Nets)

After trying and failing miserably to buy an NBA Championship with one of the largest payrolls in NBA history and not being able (I'm totally guessing here) to spare some cash for the occasional bobblehead night, the Brooklyn Nets are all in this year, offering up three separate nights where bobbleheads of their remaining halfway decent players are distributed  at the door. First up is Joe Johnson, who's making a cool $25 million this season. Nets fans finally get a piece of Johnson's action. He may be worth about as much as a bobblehead as he is on the court at this stage of his career. Can you say overpaid?

14 Brook Lopez (Brooklyn Nets)

Is Brook Lopez a Star Wars fan? Or actually a Jedi knight? Or just the victim of the latest professional sports' Star Wars night? I have no idea which one but he shows up in a box for Nets fans on December 14 holding a light saber in his Nets warmups. Perfect Christmas gift for the die-hard Brooklyn fan who can't make this one.

15 DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings)

The second of the Kings' six bobbleheads this season has Cousins in his 2015 All-Star duds (see below). I think this is terrific. What a great way to celebrate DMC's accomplishments last year. Too bad for newly minted Kings fans that this is the only date of six that gives fans a bobblehead featuring someone actually on the team's roster this year.

23 Shaun Livingston (Golden State Warriors)

Livingston was drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. In his third season, he suffered one of the most gruesome injuries ever seen in the NBA when he dislocated his left kneecap and pretty much destroyed every part of that joint. By every account, it looked like his career was done. No way does someone recover from this sort of injury. But Livingston did, making his comeback with my own beloved Washington Wizards during the 2009-2010 season. The Wizards lost Livingston after that season and he won his first NBA title last year with the Warriors. If I had unlimited funds, I'd fly out for this one. There's a soft spot in my heart for Shaun. He's the first of two former Wizards this year to receive bobbleheads.

26 Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Minnesota has the 2014 Draft number one overall pick in Andrew Wiggins and the 2015 Draft number one overall pick in Karl-Anthony Towns. As of this writing, it appears Towns is the only 2015-2016 rookie to get his own bobble. I guess being first has its privileges. Overall, this is a strong second of five bobble from the Wolves.

30 Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls)

Jimmy Butler seems like the least obvious guy to be a star player on a successful NBA team but he is. He's basically Chicago's Kawhi Leonard: their best defender and potential leading scorer for years to come, although right now he's one All-Star appearance ahead of the Spurs' Leonard. He's almost starting to overshadow former league MVP Derrick Rose, who is NOT on the bobblehead schedule this year for a team which is not averse to giving repeat player bobbles out year after year. Well deserved here from Jimmy Butler.

31 Jrue Holiday (New Orleans Pelicans)

Last year the Pelicans handed out one bobblehead of their mascot, Pierre T. Pelican. This year, they are also handing out a single bobblehead: of Jrue Holiday. I think Holiday's an interesting choice. He's arguably the fifth most recognizable player on the roster behind Anthony Davis, Tyreke Evans, Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon. But as a fan of a team who I wish would make more role player bobbleheads, I applaud this choice. Holiday was an All-Star a few years ago when he was with the Sixers but that almost seems like it didn't happen. I'd be all over this if I was a Pels fan.

January

4 Thaddeus Young (Brooklyn Nets)

Brook Lopez gets a bobblehead with a light saber and Jedi robe. Thaddeus Young gets a gladiator bobblehead. What the hell is going on in Brooklyn??? With an 0-7 start, Nets fans may be wondering the same thing. Show up for this one, Nets fans. Three bobbleheads may be the best thing you get out of this season.

14 Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)

Last year Splash Brother #1 (Steph Curry) got one bobblehead; this year he gets two. But this year, backcourt mate Klay Thompson is not left out, getting one to complement MVP Steph and San Jose Sharks Steph. Klay seems like an obvious choice for a team desperate to pump out as many bobbleheads as possible each year. Yes, I'm jealous every time I write something about the Warriors' bobble schedule.

20 Dwight Howard (Houston Rockets)
What's the old saying? If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all? There's a Dwight Howard bobblehead being given out by the Rockets on January 20. Second year in a row for Howard and the Rockets. That's all I have to say here. There…wasn't that nice? Not a Dwight Howard fan.

21 Peja Stojakovic (Sacramento Kings)
Peja Stojakovic is the third of six Kings bobbleheads. Peja is being celebrated by the Kings as the three point king, which he certainly was for this franchise when he played there. He's the second of four members of the early 2000s teams that were so good and so close to the NBA Finals but ultimately never reached the top. More on those teams later.

23 Zach LaVine (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Other than actually winning games, the Timberwolves had some success last year. Andrew Wiggins (as previously noted) took home the ROY hardware and Zach LaVine managed to finish first in the Slam Dunk Contest at All-Star Weekend last February. From my perspective sitting in the lower bowl of Barclays Center, I was in total agreement. Well deserved. I'm hoping the Wolves celebrate that accomplishment somehow someway when they hand out miniature likenesses of Zach on January 23.

Not this year's Joakim Noah bobblehead giveaway. Chicago's not averse to multiple issues of the same player.

February

18 Iman Shumpert (Cleveland Cavaliers)

I hate the Cleveland Cavaliers. I love that they give out bobbleheads of bench players. But I hate the Cleveland Cavaliers.

19 Reggie Theus (Sacramento Kings)
Next up for the Kings in their once a month bobblehead extravaganza is Reggie Theus, who played for and later coached the Kings for half of his three year contract. Theus is let into the almost but not quite Kings team party to celebrate his accomplishment as the first King to every score a basket in Sacramento. It's a good thing I guess that someone less meaningful to the team didn't hit that first bucket. I'd be less than thrilled with a Theus bobblehead, but then maybe I lack historical perspective for this team. I shouldn't talk smack here I guess since I've never even set foot in Sacramento. I promise I will when they move into their new digs.

20 Ricky Rubio (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Andrew Wiggins on November 12, Karl-Anthony Towns on Boxing Day and Zach LaVine in late January. Who the heck is going to pass to these bobbleheads? Well, on February 20, Minnesota fans will have bobblehead point guard Ricky Rubio to do just that. This seems like a totally logical fourth bobble giveaway from the Wolves.

21 Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls)

For the second year in a row, the Bulls have a Joakim Noah bobblehead night. Can I just re-write what I wrote in last year's post about Noah? Since that seems like a bit of a cop out, I'll just paraphrase, which I realize is about the same thing. Noah is still my favorite non-Wizard, non-former Wizard player in the league. Need any proof? Just watch what he said about Cleveland in a post-game press conference. I've already done this like 50 times. There would always be room for a Noah bobblehead on my shelves at home, if I allowed non-Wizards / non-Bullets bobbleheads to be displayed in my home, that is.

March

11 Vlade Divac (Sacramento Kings)
Vlade Divac night in Sacramento adds more love for the team that almost won a conference championship. Why so much fuss about this team at this time? Well, maybe, just maybe, it's because Vlade's now running the show this year in Sactown. What better way to celebrate your new job than to have a bobblehead made of you and all your friends (well, not Chris Webber apparently) to be distributed to the local fans. It would work on me, for sure. I guess I can't wait for Antawn Jamison to start running things for the Wiz. I'm not picking on Vlade here. He's one of my favorite ex-players who never donned a Wizards uniform. I loved watching Vlade play ball. If there's a list of bobbles I'd travel for this year if I had all the money and more that I wanted, this one would be first on the list, even ahead of Shaun Livingston. Will Vlade be wearing his GM uniform (a suit) or his playing uni?

19 Pau Gasol (Chicago Bulls)
Pau Gasol night is the third of three bobblehead nights in Chicago this season. How did the Lakers ever let Pau get away. This guy just puts up numbers. Well deserved addition to any Bulls fan's bobblehead shelf.

23 J.R.Smith (Cleveland Cavaliers)

I still hate the Cleveland Cavaliers. I'm also no J.R. Smith fan. Having said that, I'm lining up for this one if I'm a Cavs fan.

April

5 Mike Bibby (Sacramento)

The party in Sacramento wraps up on April 5 with the release of the Mike Bibby bobblehead. Bibby's bobble celebrates his buzzer beating shot vs. the Lakers in game five of the 2002 Western Conference Finals. The Kings wouldn't win another game that season unfortunately. Bibby is the second ex-Wizard to have a bobblehead night this year, although he almost wasn't here, playing just two games in Washington during the 2010-2011 season before agreeing to a buyout and joining the Miami Heat, where he did not win a title. Yes, I'm smug about that.

10 TBD / Rumored to be John Wall (Washington Wizards)
I pleaded and begged and did everything I could to get the Wizards to make a series of bobbleheads this year, even going so far as to create some marketing materials and plan four bobbleheads for our sponsors. I guess I should feel glad that I got one in the second to last home game of the season. As of the publish date of this post, the Wizards website still identifies this giveaway as "bobblehead." The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg seems to have somehow found out this is John Wall. Again. Now I know beggars can't be choosers but I already have three team issued John Wall bobbleheads. I was really hoping for something different. Obviously. I'm hoping this will be something different than Wall in his uni. Maybe an All-Star Wall to match former Kentucky teammate DeMarcus Cousins?

13 Gorgui Dieng (Minnesota Timberwolves)
The last free bobblehead of the season (at least right now) is up in Minnesota. It's also the most obscure. If most NBA fans were asked to identify Gorgui Dieng, I'll bet they couldn't. Hell, I couldn't even recognize him and I watch probably more than my fair share of pro hoops. I'm not even sure I really know how to pronounce Gorgui's name. This one's a bit of a head scratcher. By the same token, I love it. The deeper into rosters teams start to go to get bobbleheads to their fans, the better off we all are! Bravo, 'Sota!

So that's it. For now. I'm sure there are some others that will be snuck out there that I've missed. If you are a more serious NBA bobblehead collector than me, you can start booking your flights now. December looks like it's going to be a busy month.

I am missing some teams' schedules for the year. Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, Indiana, Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Orlando, Dallas, San Antonio, Denver and Oklahoma City fall into that category. I'm also missing the Clippers' post-November schedule. For some strange reason, the Clips are releasing their schedule month by month. I guess that gives the team an opportunity to change their direction based on pesky blog posts whining about the lack of bobbleheads league wide.

Of the teams that have published their schedules, Detroit, Milwaukee, Memphis, Portland, Utah and Phoenix are bobblehead-less so far, although I guess they could always change that now they have been called out in this blog post. Take notice teams: bobbleheads are no joking matter. Get your sponsors to commit early and often to bobblehead nights. More bobbleheads are a good thing. I'll keep an eye out through the season. Maybe I can add a few here and there.

NBA Logo Rank, Part 1

It's August 1, the first day of the slowest NBA month of the year. Admittedly, I could consider September the slowest but at least we are getting really close to training camp in September. Maybe it's a tie. Anyway, die hard fans who live off NBA news get no satisfaction in August other the release of next season's schedule and no satisfaction in September other than it's closer to October. So to kill the boredom each of the last two years, I've ranked all the NBA mascots (2013) and all the NBA team names (2014). This year, it's time to take on each team's logo and rank them 1 to 30 (or really 30 to 1 would be more accurate).

Unlike team names which rarely change, especially in today's era of non-relocation, and team mascots which seldom change (although I did have to re-rank mascots last year and I will again this year), team logos are seemingly constantly in flux. At least for most teams anyway. Whether it's a small tweak, the introduction or change of a secondary logo or a wholesale re-design, it seems like these days there are at least a handful of franchises which are introducing new branding each offseason. Because of that, this rank may be a yearly moving target.

Generally speaking, I love sports teams logos. Growing up in England, I found football (soccer) teams' emblems rather dull. They were mostly centered around some sort of heraldry-like theme in a badge type format. They strike me as almost like the equivalent of college seals over here in the United States: stately, dignified, tradition-filled, venerable, sometimes sporting a saying, boring and NO FUN! Logos of American sports teams are not no fun; in fact, to a kid moving to this country at the age of 11, they were a breath of fresh air, especially considering the abundance of cartoon like logos around in the 1970s. No way we would see the smiling Baltimore Oriole or the swinging for the fences San Diego Padre or the old Milwaukee Buck twirling a basketball on his hoof in the UK.

Cartoon logos seem to have been a trend in the 1970s and I think there are trends today. There have been a number of (mostly unsuccessful) franchises recently who have deliberately changed their branding to harken back 20, 30 or 40 years ago when NBA times were happier in their cities. A few years ago, the Golden State Warriors changed their loges and uniforms to evoke their old "The City" uniforms. In 2010, my beloved Washington Wizards changed their color scheme, logos and uniforms to re-invent the old Washington Bullets teams of the late '70s. Last year, the Atlanta Hawks brought back the Pac Man logo. We'll get to all that.

The other fad that seems to be happening in the NBA is franchises taking existing circular logos and adding a ring around them with the team name. I'm not necessarily a fan of these types of logos but the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks have all added this type of logo to their branding in the last half decade or so. But enough chatter…let's get to the good stuff. First up, the Los Angeles Clippers.

30. Los Angeles Clippers

Last summer, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer bought the Clippers from the exiled Donald Sterling for a cool $2 billion (yes, that's with a B). Apparently, Ballmer didn't want to waste any time carrying around the Clippers 30 year old logo and so he set about getting someone to re-brand the team in record fashion, taking just under a year before rolling out a new set of logos and some new unis to match.

The result? You're looking at it above. Congratulations, Mr. Ballmer you now have absolutely, hands down the worst logos in the NBA. I mean it's not even close and you can probably already see the less than impressive Oklahoma City Thunder logos awaiting you below. Now I admit, the previous Clippers logo was pretty poor and was really just sort of an adaptation of the Lakers' not much better logo. But these things above? Did you actually pay money for someone to design these? You would have gotten a far superior product by opening up a public competition and offering a couple of sets of Clippers season tickets as a prize. Heck, you might have even done much better with like a $500 cash prize and some credit for a job well done.

Some people have pointed out that the primary logo (on the left above) is pretty much just the EA Sports NBA Live logo and I don't think they are necessarily far off. This is an epic fail. I think the only question about this set of designs is how long until Ballmer pays for a better set. Hopefully he gives it two years this time.

29. Oklahoma City Thunder

For the longest time (OK really just since 2008 when the Thunder arrived in Oklahoma City), the Thunder has had the worst set of logos in the NBA. Thanks to the Clippers, they are now sitting at number 29 on my list and they are pretty safe given the Clips' lack of vision there.

I'm not sure exactly what the deal with the Thunder logo is. I get that it's connected to the native Americans who inhabited the open plains of Oklahoma before the United States government decided to round them all up and make them live (generally speaking) in a confined and maybe totally foreign part of the country. I think that's an honorable gesture on the part of the team. But this logo? A bulging triangle with a partial basketball and two swoopy marks going behind the triangle? I'm not sure they are honoring anyone with that look. I understand it's difficult to convey thunder in a logo since it's a sound but they did a hell of a job with their mascot; just adopt a bison as a logo.

As if the logo itself wasn't bad enough, the team has added insult to injury by rolling out a "secondary logo" and a "third partial logo", all of which are exactly the same with the exception of some words being added or taken away. This is the laziest, cheapest form of having multiple logos. Just keep one. Somehow adding two more with little imagination makes the whole thing just way worse.

28. Denver Nuggets

I have to confess when it comes to the Nuggets, I'm at a bit of a loss for words. This franchise has been horribly mired in mediocrity in the branding departure since the 1970s. After they ditched their excellent prospector with an ABA ball nugget, they've lost their way. First came the 1980s to early 1990s Tetris rainbow logo then they rolled out the primary logo on the above left in gaudy dark blue and copper colors before changing their color scheme to the garish colors above and just re-coloring the same logo in the new colors.

I like the connection between the Rocky Mountains and the Nuggets franchise in the primary logo and the picks and partial mountaintop in the secondary logo help reinforce this theme. But the font in the logo is just terrible (why is it arched?) and the banner with the word "Denver" on it sort of draped on the front of the mountain doesn't work for me. I don't get it.

The Nuggets rolled out a snowy mountaintop third logo (at the top of this post) but this thing can't really stand on it's own and appears custom designed to go on the backs of the player's jerseys in the spot where they moved the NBA logo this past season (to make room for advertising on the fronts of the jerseys). That logo now seems sort of homeless to me. The Nuggets sit at 28 because none of their logos work for me.

27. Detroit Pistons

In evaluating all the logos in the NBA, I came across a team or two with one or two pretty pedestrian and uninspired logos and then one awesome super spectacular logo. Some of those teams ended up higher in my ranking than a lot of teams with solid across the board logos none of which are really going to make a top 10 logos of all time list.

The Pistons are sort of in the opposite category from those teams. The Pistons' primarily logo is really pretty OK. Indeed, I'd say it's better than any of the other logos in this post, even the teams ranked ahead of them. But I have a real issue with the "DP" secondary logo. It's literally just the "P" taken off their main wordmark with then a "D" placed where the hole of the "P" would usually go. This is Clippers logo bad; it's like a joke that someone who was less successful at logo design would invent before the idea got summarily rejected. Only this one never did.

I don't like anything about this secondary logo. Nothing. It's a complete graphic disaster to me. If I were a Pistons fan, I'd refuse to wear any clothing with this abomination on it. Good middle of the pack primarily logo. Worst secondary logo probably ever.

26. Sacramento Kings

If there's a franchise out there with worse overall branding (meaning name, logos, uniforms, colors and product on the court) than the Sacramento Kings, I'm not sure what sport they play or what town they live in. The Kings have been anything but kings for most of their history. Success since they moved to Sacramento seems to be confined to the early years of the 21st Century when they were battling the Lakers in the playoffs. Even back then, their uniforms, colors and logos were still terrible.

Are either of the logos above even remotely palatable for a professional basketball franchise? True, there are basketballs in both designs. But take away the balls and the images would look way more at home in the Tournament of Kings at the Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas than they do in the National Basketball Association. You might be able to leave the balls back in even. There's nothing modern or taking about the Kings' current logos. These things need a ton of work.

I don't know how to fix the Kings situation. There's no easy answer. But I'd nix the lances to start and make the whole thing less heraldic. It's just not necessary. Surely Vivek can hire someone (or a team of someones none of whom agree) to try to sort this mess out. The Kings ought to feel lucky they finished as high as 26th here.

25. Dallas Mavericks

I love Mark Cuban and everything he does and has done to get his team in position to win an NBA Championship as frequently as possible. But I don't like the Mavericks logos one bit. They are not the abandoned after one game alternate silver unis the Mavs rolled out some years ago, but they are pretty uninspiring.

I'm actually OK with the partial logo shown in the center above, which shows a horse's head in front of a basketball. And I've already rationalized the use of a horse as a Maverick (rather than a cow) in a past post on this same blog. I guess if I were a Mavs fan, I'd look for this logo to be on all my shirts.

But the other two logos, I don't know. I don't understand the whole shield motif on the primary logo and the "Mavericks" wordmark exploding out from the bottom of the design is distracting. But it's a damn sight better than the alternate logo on the right above. I'm not sure what this thing is about. I get the M and the shield and the basketball. I just don't know what's going on for sure.

The horse and the basketball is good enough for the Mavs to finish at the top of the worst list but these designs need work.