Basketball is combat. You have to attack your man on both ends of the floor. That means pushing the ball on offense, taking it to the hole, being willing to draw contact and then fight through it to finish. It means attacking on defense. Getting position and maintaining that position. Taking the ball away and altering shots. And owning the glass – being relentless on both the offensive and defensive side.

Every Monday, a guard, a wing, and a big will be nominated as the Combat Players of the Week. The team that exemplifies what Combat is all about will be recognized, as well. Here are the players who were Prepared For Combat last week.

Guard: Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)
D Will dropped 21 points and 11 assists, leading the Jazz to a big win over the Lakers, ending their 11-game winning streak. And he has been leading the Jazz’s attack, getting to the line 25 times while dropping 26 assists over the past two games.

Wing: Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies)
Gay dropped a career high 41 points, hitting 15 of 28 from the field in a big win at Miami. On the season, he's pulling down 6.6 boards/game and locking down 1.7 steals/game – both well above his career averages.

Big: Kenyon Martin (Denver Nuggets)
Martin battled back from a dislocated left pinkie and his tough play led the Nuggets to a big win against Phoenix. His presence on both ends of the floor made the difference - with tough D in limiting the Suns’ pick-and-roll game, plus 12 points and 9 boards.

NBA Team: Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs won 3 tough games this week, Phoenix, Miami, and Charlotte – running their record to 17-7. On the season, Dallas is locking down the opposition, holding them to 44% shooting and 96.8 points per game, both among the league leaders.

NCAA Team: Kentucky Wildcats
In one week they've taken out North Carolina, Connecticut, and Indiana — the Hoosiers by 17 points on the road in a game they got to the line 21 times and more than doubled the Hoosiers on the glass (49-24). UK is now 10-0, riding a wave of momentum.

Who should be the Combat Player of the Week? Williams, Gay, or Martin?

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