1. Should the NBA playoff seeding be re-worked to take into account the disparity between the East and West?

Rebecca

Yes. Right now the West is a lot stronger than the East, so come playoff time, the eighth-place team in the West could be a lot stronger than, say, the fourth or fifth team in the East. They should just make it more fair.

Christian

No. Instead, they should have a selection committee that eeds the best 16 teams in the NBA, regardless of conference. That way, the West can get 10 teams in and the East will only have six. This would be far more entertaining for all involved.

Evan

No way. Right now the West is dominating when it comes to the depth of teams with a legit shot at winning the championship. But in five years the conferences could certainly be flip-flopped or dead, even in terms of quality teams.

Honsen

Yes, the NBA should re-seed the playoffs, but not due to disparity between the East and West. The Northwest division has been the weakest in the Western Conference for several seasons now, rarely ever deserving a top-4 seeding. This year is no different, with Northwest-leading Utah currently looking at a No. 6 seed if seeding were determined by record.

2. Did Jon Brockman get snubbed from the first All-Pac-10 team?

Rebecca

He most definitely did. Brockman leads the Pac-10 in rebounds and is third in the nation. He was named to the first-team All District 14 men’s basketball squad and was a preseason Wooden Award candidate. He has the highest double-double figure for any Pac-10 player this year with 17.6 points per game, and he’s been Pac-10 Player of the Week three times this year. Do I need to keep going, or is this enough?

Christian

My first instinct would be to say yes, but then again the guys on the first team are all deserving as well. Still, if you’re fifth in the conference in scoring, third in the nation in rebounding and supply 24 percent of your team’s points, you’ve got to wonder what more exactly you have to do to get on the first team. But in the Pac-10 this year, there’s nothing wrong with second team, either.

Evan

Yes, he did get snubbed. He leads the conference with 22 double-doubles this season. He’s one of only two players in the conference ­— the other is Player of the Year Kevin Love – who is averaging a double-double, with 17.6 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game.  His numbers should have been good enough to overcome the Huskies’ mediocre record.

Honsen

I don’t think so. This year, Brockman plays in a Pac-10 absolutely loaded with good players, including the forward position, making the all-conference choices tough calls. Ryan Anderson

and Brook Lopez, the forwards selected in front of Brockman, score more points per game, although Brockman leads the Pac-10 in rebounding.

3. Should the Mariners be concerned with the slow spring training starts of Ichiro and Erik Bedard?

Rebecca

I don’t think so. The season is so long, and it’s still early. A lot of the best teams have been the ones that have come on strong at the end of the season anyways — take the Rockies, for example. Just because two of the Mariners’ top players aren’t doing so well right now does not mean they’re not going to be strong later on.

Christian

No. Spring training is completely meaningless. Almost as meaningless as the Mariners’ regular season for the better part of this century.

Evan

Nope. It’s been a grand total of seven games for Ichiro. If it’s April and he’s 0-21, I won’t be happy, but in March I’m not too worried. As for Bedard, he’ll come around. It’s still early in spring training, and he’s working more on his individual pitches than actually winning ball games.

Honsen

I wouldn’t worry about it. Spring training just started about two weeks ago; the guys are just starting to get used to playing baseball again. Bedard and Ichiro will work the kinks out by the time the season gets started, just as the pre-season is meant to do.

4. What is your favorite Olympic event and why?

Rebecca

I’m going to have to say swimming. I know I’m a little biased because I just wrapped up my last year on the UW swim team, but I still can’t deny that it’s my favorite sport. If I had to choose a backup I’d say track and field because there are so many different events, and the United States has had some great athletes in track in the past.

Christian

Curling. I’ve always been a big fan of pushing things across ice.

Evan

It’s got to be the marathon. While it’s not a great spectator sport, 26.2 miles of pure pain and suffering has got to be the hardest Olympic event out there.

Honsen

Although I don’t really consider it a true sport (you can ask me about it later), I’ve always been strangely intrigued by gymnastics. Maybe its something about how the guys avoid crushing their manhood on the pommel horse.