Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and grandfathers out there. Here’s a picture of players from my dad’s time, Wilt the Stilt and Bill Russell, two of the all-time greats.Enjoy the day surrounded by your loved ones as they spend about 40% of what they did last month for Mother’s Day!  Dropping Dimes is giving props to each and every one of you, including LeBron James and Bruce Bowen, who received new additions to their families during the NBA Finals. The second round in our one-on-one tourney kicks off today, but first we look back on the four players that headlined the past week, and ask them, “Who’s your daddy?”

The premise: (if you know how this tourney operates, feel free to skip down!)

The rules are simple. 32 of today’s biggest stars, plus some fantasy forces and a few players of the “x-factor” ilk have been chosen to participate in this exercise. Assume each player is in perfect health and in peak condition, based on their current age and abilities. Suppose these players play each other in a game of one-on-one: games to 11, two points for a three-pointer, and winners out. You can make your comment after each article, or if you like, send me an e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). You can now also make your comments on our Facebook group discussion board. Please vote just once for each match-up. If you are so inclined, feel free to make up an imaginary commentary of how you see the battle going down and I will try to include your input in future articles. You have one week to vote, then the results will be published and a new pair of match-ups will be announced. So check back here every week!

Review of last week’s matches:

Game 15: Elton Brand vs. Paul Pierce

Dennis from Dropping Dimes: “I have to go with Pierce here because I think he’d just do the dribble dribble thingy, the stop thingy, and then the pop thingy. Sure it’s hard to count on perimeter shots as opposed to some of the down low points Brand is sure to get, but I think Pierce is too mobilie for Brand Name to stick. Feel feel to agree.”

Sarge from Dropping Dimes: Sarge might feel free to agree with Dennis but chose not to. “While he’s known for his inside presence, people tend to forget that Brand’s a decent shooter - at least from free throw range. Couple that with the fact that I think Brand would be able to swat about 50% of Pierce shots, and”...the rest if censored because of the Duke reference.

Patrick from Give Me the Rock: “(Pierce is) big enough to defend Brand, has a solid outside game, and can still drive to the basket when he needs to.”

Four Twenty, trying to be newly minted as a member of Brand’s entourage: “Brand will have his way around the basket and Paul can’t make enough perimeter shots, or get to the basket enough to beat Brand.”

Will (Hey Will, no need to thank us. We acknowledge our readers as much as possible, because it’s you guys who keep us going. You stick with us even as Dennis and Sarge pimp their goods on here like it’s their own home shopping network, and as Ron Chow disappears for weeks at a time, so believe me when I say it’s all good.): Will says he hasn’t seen either Brand or Pierce play much, so your guess is as good as mine in terms of where Will lives. My guess would be the town that is equally equidistant from Boston and L.A…Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, perhaps? He backs the Truth…“he’s much stronger and heavier than thought to be…“I’m not saying Pierce can beat Brand in an arm wrestling competition, but he can definitley throw enough to agitate Brand…“Also, Brand doesn’t have as much an advantage down low as much as other big men because Brand is shorter than most power forwards.”

Terrance: “I love guys with great midrange jumpers and are quick quick to the hoop; in one-on-one contests, Pierce’s size and strength pose a problem for Brand. I think this is my favorite match-up so far.” Terrance drops some more science on this particular equation, so check back to the comments from last week’s post for the full effect.

Jeff, our face on Facebook: “I like EB becuz he’s a guaranteed double-double machine, but Pierce has more offense in his repertoire…Pierce over EB.” Jeff, spelling because with a “z” doesn’t give you extra street cred, but thanks for participating. Also, “EB” is where you buy your Playstation 3 games, this guy is a Brand Name, give him a more deserving moniker!

I like Pierce and his game a whole lot, but I think Brand would take him. Brand’s not a 7-footer but he’s an immovable object down low, and I don’t know if Paul is the unstoppable force that can “pierce” through that. It took me all of two seconds to come up with that pun; cut me some slack, I am not Eminem and cannot rock the mic every week! With it being winners out, Brand is going to have a big edge in possessions. His long arms will cause some bad shots to be hoisted from Pierce. Alas, I make it close, but not close enough to overturn this split decision. Winner: Paul Pierce.

Round 16: Ron Artest vs. Vince Carter

I thought when this match-up was first posted, there was a possibility that my biased vote would be needed to swing it towards Artest. But you, my brothers, made it a complete landslide by all voting for the “Tru Warier.” (Sarge, it’s W-A-R-I-E-R, get hooked on phonics, bro.”) It would seem like poor form to rehash all the reasons why Artest won since I hail from T-dot. But it included everything from where Artest’s roots are (“Artest is from Queen’s NY. I’m from Queen’s. ‘Nuff said,” says Dennis), to comments on how strong or how crazy Artest is, and how both would be huge assets in the one-on-one format. Then of course, Jeff provided the requisite diss on Carter’s mother, and the requisite calling him a name that is universally known to be derogatory, but that’s just all gravy. Fist pumps in the air for all of you. Winner: Ron Artest.

And now on to the second round! It’s time to bring back from superstars that have been waiting on the sidelines for a while now, and one player from above that does not get much time to catch his breath.

Round 2, Game 1: Shawn Marion vs. Dwyane Wade

Dr. A from Rotoworld does not list Wade in his top 24 for next season. I understand Wade and his injury woes concern him greatly. But as Flash from DC comics said when he creamed Quicksilver in a DC/Marvel crossover, “He who hesitates…is lost.” Can you imagine passing on the NBA’s “Flash” three times like Dr. A suggests, in your fantasy draft next year? That’s something to ponder over the summer. For our tourney, of course Wade is in peak health. He dispatched reigning MVP, Dirk Nowtizki in Round 1, while the Matrix got by Rasheed Wallace. Wade gets another bigger player with perimeter skills, with the difference being Marion has stickier fingers than Dirk, and more shot-swatting ability. Marion guarded Tony Parker a lot in this year’s playoffs and deserves props for being able to do so. Can he lock Wade down enough and manufacture enough offense to move on?

Round 2, Game 2: Kobe Bryant vs. Paul Pierce

Those who voted for Brand in our Brand/Pierce pairing have a chance to drink the Hate-o-rade right away. The flip flop is currently flopped towards Kobe demanding to be traded. Hopefully he can stay in one place long enough to let Pierce demand his full attention. Kobe should feel really good about this tourney, after blowing past LeBron James in a game that kicked off our proceedings. The support for Pierce was not as strong, but a lot of that should be attributed to Elton and the excellent player that he is. Does Paul bring anything to the table that ‘Bron does not? Or does Kobe sail through once again?

Let’s hear from you, hoop heads! See you next week.

If you are just joining us now, feel free to visit the previous posts.

Round 1, Games 1 and 2

Round 1, Games 3 and 4

Round 1, Games 5 and 6

Round 1, Games 7 and 8

Round 1, Games 9 and 10

Round 1, Games 11 and 12

Round 1, Games 13 and 14

Round 1, Games 15 and 16