Archive for October, 2008
Just to let everyone know, I have a cousin in the hospital right now. I’ll be taking a few days off from writing and might be out of the loop a bit once I come back. It’s rough on the family right now and I need to be there for them, but please keep them in your thoughts. Hopefully my cousin gets better soon, but he’ll be in there for at least a month. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Found this off of Lakersground.net:
User: Purps
He actually said “I feel sorry for him”. Called Oden “a monster” and the next Shaq. I can’t believe Andrew is not getting more respect than this. He has actually played in a meaningful NBA game unlike Oden. He played well against all the top centers in the league last year. Why would he get “destroyed”? Even if (God forbid) we lose I can’t see Bynum going out like a sucker and just letting Greg Oden punk him like that. I am soooooo pumped up for this game. I cannot wait til tip-off!!
Podcast on ESPN
http://sports.espn.go.com/stations/player?id=3668542
Come on, dude. Get your mouth off of his nuts and your nose out of his ass. The guy hasn’t even played a single second of regular season basketball yet. Nothing against Oden, I think he’s gonna end up being a great player, but not just yet. Yeah, Oden is strong and big, but guess what… SO IS BYNUM. The kid got huge this summer and added more weapons to his arsenal.
Oden will put up somewhere around 15 and 10, but so will Bynum. Yes, Oden has played more basketball in his life than Bynum, but Bynum has played more games at the NBA level and he did it well. He has gone up against the best and held his own. Oden has played in preseason against guys that are still out of rhythm and teams that are trying to work out their offensive sets.
From watching the last few preseason games, Bynum and co. look to be back in sync. Bynum is getting easy lobs, or backing people down and hitting that baby hook, or getting under the rim and smashing one home. Not only that, but his defense is looking solid again. This will be a marquee matchup tonight. But unlike ESPN, I think Bynum has the edge in the contest, even though it will be close either way.
But, excuse me ESPN, how does Oden’s crotch smell? Let the kid get some time on the court before you annoint him the new savior.
I’m pretty sure this should be listened to via headphones if you’re at work. WAY off topic, but definitely worth posting.
So I got bored and decided to place some money on Sportsbook.com on tonight’s games. Nothin big. Just a total of $22 total. Here are the bets, most are just Prop bets.
Andrew Bynum: Total Points + Rebounds Over 22.5 (I’m predicting in the neighborhood of 15 and 10 from him tonight) $5 to win $4.55
Lakers: Score over 101.5 (Predicting around 115 pts tonight) $5 to win $4.35
Lebron James: Scores over 28.5 (Predicting 35 points) $5 to win $3.85
Parlay: Lakers -8 and Over 195.5 (Lakers are gonna win by 10, 115-105) $7 to win $18.20
Total of $22 to win $30.95
Update coming tomorrow. Let’s see if basketball treats me better than football.
Who would you pick if you had the first pick in your league. I managed to get Lebron in one league. There has been a great arguement for Chris Paul, but Lebron just puts up great all around stats. Kobe’s scoring numbers have dropped slighty, but his rebounding and assists have been on the rise.
What’s your pick?
Ball Don’t Lie had to go and make us wait until the eve of the season opener for their season preview of the Lakers. I hate you for that, Skeets. Let’s see what Kelly Dywer has to say about the Lake Show.
Kelly Dwyer’s Endless Grey Ribbon: Nearing the end of a whole litany of team previews that apparently have come off as more pessimistic than people had expected (all these games have to add up, dammit. Not everyone can win 60 games), this Lakers preview will probably serve as the most cautiously pessimistic version of the bunch. And I still have them down for a league-leading 57 wins. Or tied for it, at least.Let’s start by saying that, while I don’t think this team’s defense is nearly as good as some of the all-time greats, or even that of their contemporaries, the potential for this team is limitless. If Phil Jackson could just work with skill alone and not have to deal with the brains and egos of this group of talents, then this team could be well on its way to 69 or 70 wins. And I know what it takes to pull out 69 wins in 82 tries. I’m familiar with the long haul. So’s Jackson, you might remember.
Kelly, I’m not sure what egos you’re talking about here. Yeah, Kobe has always been flamed for having this “Me-first” type of attitude, but last year it was obvious that he put his ego aside and was willing to do anything to help the team win. Gasol, no ego there. After all the years in Memphis, he’s just happy to be winning. Drew, ehhh maybe. He’s a stud in the making, but he hasn’t done anything that shows that he’s all about himself. His agent is another story. Odom, well he’s actually just come out and said he’s feeling OK about playing on the second unit. Fisher, no ego. Ariza, no ego. Do I really need to keep going?
I do see them going over 60 wins this year, topping out at 62 wins. Don’t forget that the Lakers torched the league after the Gasol trade. Now you add Bynum, move Gasol to his natural position, and more experience for the other guys and all of a sudden you have the three-headed KGB monster.
And the idea that Jackson tends to be sort of useful when it comes to massaging egos and working around brain cramps? Shake and shudder.
The depth, versatility, scoring punch, passing acumen, rebounding potential and overall talent of this team is scary, to me. Knowing what we know about Jackson’s offensive schemes, you can’t help but be giddy at the idea that Jackson is finally working with a cast and crew that fits the triangle offense perfectly. Assuming the players are on board, of course.
This Laker team is much more suited for the triangle than even the 1999-00 outfit, which featured heady players (Ron Harper, A.C. Green, Brian Shaw, Rick Fox) working alongside willing triple-post neophytes (Kobe and Shaq), and working around someone who obviously didn’t fit nor care to fit in Glen Rice. If the personalities decide to do the right thing, then the Lakers could romp.
But that’s a tough assumption to make in October. Injuries hit this team hard last year, in a way that went well beyond Andrew Bynum’s knee issues. Lamar Odom is a linchpin that hardly anyone can trust, Jackson’s gone all Horace Grant on the forward, and only time will tell if the tough/smarmy love approach will work with Lamar.
Alright, so Lamar is always gonna be kinda iffy. But take a look at the games he posted last year. He disappeared in the Finals, but the Lakers wouldn’t have even been in that position without him. Dude was a stud all year, and he only got better playing with Pau.
Kobe has been playing non-stop basketball since August of 2007, and he’ll be expected to be at peak form in June of 2009. And there’s always the fear that, after working to make great strides in 2007-08, youngsters like Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar might get a little overconfident and falter a bit. There’s nothing in those two that would leave me to believe that this is in the offing, but it happens a lot in this league, and any reasonable observer would have to be wary.
The statement about Sasha and Farmar definitely makes sense. It’s just like any scrub that gets a solid payday in the off-season *cough Luke Walton cough*, but Sasha is Kobe’s guy. Kobe won’t let him stray. And have you SEEN the way Jordan has been playing in the preseason? Yes… preseason. But Phil had him out there running against the starters from the other squads and he was lighting them up. No worries here.
Then there’s the Pau/Bynum/Odom conundrum. I’ve been on record since about a few seconds after finding out Pau was a Laker in favor of bringing Odom (whose game I’m still smitten with) off the bench so that he can have the offense run through him with a mix of starters and reserves, instead of being a perimeter observer as a starter. Odom’s relented thus far, to a certain extent, and Jackson’s offensive guru Tex Winter is already wondering aloud as to whether or not a PaunBynum frontline can work.
My question is, since when did Pau Gasol become a center? Sure he had to play the pivot with Bynum out last year and Kwame Brown in Memphis leaving the Lakers thin up front, but this guy has been a power forward his entire career, and now we’re worried about how well he’s going to play … power forward?
Everyone else’s question is, since when did half a season turn Andrew Bynum into a Hall of Famer?
My answer? It wasn’t a half a season. If you were paying attention, it was his entire career up until last winter.
Bynum’s development has been so off the charts for years that I had him listed as a Most Improved Player candidate a year and a half ago, even in a year that saw him average eight points and six rebounds. Now, he made a bigger than expected jump in 2007-08, but it wasn’t that huge of a jump. I wasn’t surprised, at least.
His production in limited minutes has been so good, so quickly, that he’s earned every accolade he’s gotten. Not from the people you’ve probably heard them from, though. Those guys were only watching for that one month last season, when he came out of nowhere (to “those guys”) to turn into a force. For those who have been watching his per-minute stats since the beginning, though, 2007-08 was almost entirely expected. Bynum is that good.
Or, “was that good.” I have no idea how his knee will respond to whatever the hell it went through last winter, and spring, and summer. Remember, this guy was supposed to be back by the end of the regular season, and the rehabilitation process dragged on and on and on. This isn’t even something like an ACL tear, where we can ably predict just how long it will take him to return to form based on history. I have no idea how he’ll turn out.
Great stuff here, Kelly. Bynum has always been a beast. It’s just that last year, he was finally unleashed for the world to see. From the minute he stepped on the court his rookie year, you could tell this kid was gonna be special. I was a little worried that he’d have issues with the knee and his athleticism, but the last few preseason games have taken care of that nonsense. Check the highlights from JD2K at Lakersground if you need proof that he’s 100%.
But if he turns out just as 2005-to-January of 2008 projects? Scary. The kid turns 21 today. He’s got eight years to go before he’s even at his peak.
So, 57 wins. Just to be safe. Just to keep me grounded while I think of Kobe putting up an efficient 25, 7, and 7 while everyone around him works as a viable decoy (maybe they can even rest him!). Something to ponder while wanting to ponder Trevor Ariza running the baseline in that offense. Something to keep me in check while Pau Gasol checks for cutters before going with either hand, over either shoulder, on either block. Something to muse over while Odom fills in all the holes.
Or, the team starts slow, they take a while to get used to each other, Kobe has to carry things in November and December; and by the time things are sussed out (whether that means the team learns how to play alongside each other, or the front office learns that moves have to be made), Kobe is dead-tired.
I’m going to go with the half-full approach, as evidenced by my album choice, and not my win total. This coaching staff, and these players, have a chance to do something really special this year.
Expected Record: 57-25
This season will be scary. It’s going to be like an old-school turf fight. Boston had their Big Three last year. Lakers are retaliating with their Big Twelve.
So a friend of mine sent me this link that I think would be a great idea, especially if the word keeps spreading. It’s really simple, and doesn’t require a whole lot of effort on anyone’s part. Check it out at Chuck Westbrook’s blog. Here’s the post about this idea:
There is a simple way to discover under-appreciated blogs and help them reach the audience they deserve. In fact, with no special effort and in one fell swoop, you can now find these sites and reward the creator in a powerful way.
Here are the problems:
- Great Content but No Audience
There are a ton of brilliant blogs that are being read by almost no one. Some authors give up for lack of readers. Others continue to produce clever, insightful pieces that remain hopelessly buried and forever unappreciated.- An Audience Hunting for Great Content to Read
If the blogs with the best content always rose to the top, readers wouldn’t have any trouble finding them. But that doesn’t happen, so instead, it takes either luck or a lot of work to discover good new blogs.Seems like it’d be easy to fix; they want to be connected to one another. Right now, though, there’s not a great way to make that happen. Unless…
**THE BIG IDEA**: Ending the Tragedy of Under-Appreciated Blogs
This is a problem we can do something about without too much trouble. Here’s what I’m thinking.
- Gather some nice bloggers who believe in helping good content rise. The more the merrier. This becomes our group for the project.
- A good, lesser-known blog is chosen. Everyone in the group will read that blog for two weeks.
- At the end of the two weeks, the group moves to another blog to read.
With scores of bloggers focused on a particular blog, the author should see many nice things happen over those two weeks, especially if the blog really is a hidden gem. This includes discussions, traffic, constructive criticism, encouragement, and connecting to some of the bloggers in the group. That author then joins the group and we move along and do it again.
Crazy Big Potential
Picture what success might look like. What if we get hundreds of bloggers playing along? What if bloggers like Seth or Dooce or other iconic bloggers join in?
Imagine how it would feel to have those numbers and those people looking at your blog after it’s been frustratingly quiet for months. It would be tremendous. That blogger would be permanently bolstered, and it would all be because of the strength of their content, and anything that allows bloggers that focus fully on content to succeed is great for the medium.
It Begins Here
How well this takes off will hinge on how well I’ve explained the idea and whether you decide to play along. Participating is so easy and the benefit to bloggers and readers could be tremendous–you really can’t lose.
All you’d have to do is:
- Comment below to express your interest in participating.
- Be willing to add only one new blog’s worth of reading to your life. This will be a different blog every two weeks.
With so little required and such great possibilities, why not try? Instead of analyzing and getting everything right up front, let’s just take the first few steps and see where that takes us.
Again, there’s no risk here. There’s no angle. It’s just a promising idea.
Let’s Get Started
Just comment below, and I’ll email you with further instructions. Maybe we’ll make a banner to give out, set up a special blog, and set up an RSS feed that will change the channel every two weeks. We can get sophisticated later. Let’s just get started now.
Oh, and send others in this direction too. I’m not going to load this with links. If the idea is good, help me spread it. That’s the spirit of this whole project anyway.
We’ll try to get a bit of momentum gathered while the final details are set up, and then I’ll reach out again.
****Bonus****
Instead of commenting below to express interest, post a link to this post on your blog. This will help things spread, and then we’ll choose one of the people who do this to be the first blog the group reads for two weeks.
Just make sure it shows up under the trackbacks (which appear right above the comments section) OR link to your post in the comments section.
****Sooner is Better****
I mentioned that we’ll probably get a little banner for those who participate in the group. Well, your banner will have the number corresponding to the order in which you replied proving that you signed on before it was cool. Move fast, so you can show your friends that you MADE it cool.
In honor of the beginning of the regular season tomorrow, I’ve decided to bring back Hot Wives with a bang. Plenty of the folks over at Lakersground had asked for this one, but I wanted to make you guys wait. I couldn’t just waste THE HOTTEST WIFE (well… future wife). Anyone who doesn’t think she’s hot WILL get bitch slapped. How Marko Jaric ever got her, I will never know. But he’s officially the luckiest bastard alive. The dude looks like a retarded David Duchovny and lands HER? Enjoy this one while I dig around for other hot wives. Try not to rip your pants please. I present to you… DRUMROLL… Adriana Lima.
Edit: Alright, so I don’t get it. I was telling a female coworker of mine about Adriana Lima and Marco Jaric. Of course, she had never seen Marko Jaric, so I sent her this picture of him and this video clip. Her first reaction was that this guy was HOT!!! What the hell? Maybe Adriana Lima has the same taste in guys that my coworker does. Does anyone out there have input on this? Cuz I’m confused now.
Is it possible that this year we will see history? The oldest man in the league is playing this year, and it’s his first year. This means he still qualifies for Rookie of the Year honors, while at the same time, he can qualify for the Senior Citizen’s pricing at Denny’s. Crazy thing is that his SON is in the league also. Wondering who I’m talking about? Check out Father and Son below:
At least he wasn’t in his underwear. Found this one off of Ball Don’t Lie:
Wow. Activision is really pulling out the big guns to pimp their new Guitar Hero video game. Paying tribute to the famous lip-synching scene from “Risky Business,” the first commercial features Kobe Bryant rocking the mic, Alex Rodriguez and Michael Phelps on the guitars, and Tony Hawk playing the drums. The Internet (and Shaq) is going to eat this one up.
According to Fox Sports:
A 47-year-old man was taken to the hospital and treated for an accidental overdose of sleeping pills at the suburban home of former New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, police said on Friday.
Isiah Thomas coached five NBA seasons following an illustrious 13-year playing career. (David Dow/NBAE / Getty Images)
Police would not identify the victim, except to give his age. Thomas is 47. Harrison Police Chief David Hall said the case was not a suicide attempt.
Madison Square Garden spokesman Barry Watkins told The Journal News newspaper, “Isiah is fine.” WCBS Radio reported that the call involved an “issue with sleeping pills.”
The Knicks had no comment. A message left with Thomas’ public relations agency wasn’t immediately returned.
This is a very sad situation and is not to be taken lightly. Isiah had a great career, and a rough time coaching, but hopefully he can get things straightened out in his life. As much as I hated him when he would play the Lakers, it’s tough to see someone who helped create the great rivalries of the 80s go through something like this.
Here’s to Isiah and his family getting things sorted out.
So I was outside talking to a friend… and I happened to come across this story that I thought I’d share with you all. We all know at least one person that has done this, if you haven’t done it yourself.
He confided in me and asked me not to tell anyone, but technically I’m not “telling,” I’m BLOGGING.
We’re gonna go ahead and call him Justin, for anonymity. So apparently, Justin had a major case of Diarrhea about a week ago. At about 3AM, Justin had to wake up and… relieve himself. As he was standing at his toilet, an urge passed over Justin to release some flatus from the anus. As he released the bubble of air, he realized something was terribly wrong. Something had followed the air bubble. This, my friends, is known as sharting (Please refer to definition 2).
Justin also realized at that point, that he was also wearing a $20 pair of Under Armour underwear. As Justin stood there in amazement, he realized there was only one thing to do… wash his underwear in the SINK!!! The same sink that he and his roommates brush their teeth in. Once the remnants of Shart left his underroos, Justin proceeded to start a new batch of laundry… remember, this is 3 in the morning!
According to Justin, his pair of Under Armor shorts are now back in the mix with the rest of pairs that he has. This leads to my commendation of this so called “Justin” in the fact that he can once again face his soiled pants. Myself, I would have just thrown them out, most likely after waking up my roommates and laughing so hard that I sharted again. Another option is to throw them at a roommate, preferably one smaller than you are.
The moral of this story, my readers, is that we all have a friend that has done this. In the future, if you run across another person that has done the deed, please, by all means, make fun of them until they shart again from laughter.
Alright, so this year I decided to join 2 leagues. One with some family members and their friends (League 1), the other is with a friend and his coworkers (League 2). I decided to try something a little different this year since I’ve been a perennial cellar-dweller. Instead of actually participating in the live draft, I went drinking instead and went with the Auto-Draft. Here are the results:
League 1: Rotiserrie League
1. (12) Danny Granger
2. (13) Chris Bosh
3. (36) Chauncey Billups
4. (37) Jason Richardson
5. (60) Rasheed Wallace
6. (61) Mike Dunleavy
7. (84) Brad Miller
8. (85) Samuel Dalembert
9. (108) Jamario Moon
10. (109) Rajon Rondo
11. (132) Nene Hilario
12. (133) Beno Udrih
13. (156) Kendrick Perkins
Even though I think Nene will have a decent year, he’s too injury prone. Dropped him and picked up Andray Blatche of the Wizards. He put up solid numbers last year and should be even better this year with Haywood out. Next move, I dropped Udrih and picked up Jordan Farmar of the Lakers. This kid has it going on right now. In preseason, he’s getting solid minutes and putting up great numbers from the bench. I expect him to start the season splitting time with Derek Fisher, but will take most of the PG minutes by the All-Star Break. Last move of the night was dropping Rondo for Rudy Fernandez. Rudy has shown that he can flat out play. Right now, the depth chart show Steve Blake as the starter, but that could change soon enough with Fernandez getting the start once he picks up the Portland offense. This guy could be a beast, if he gets the time.
League 2: Head-to-Head
1. (1) LeBron James
2. (28) Carmelo Anthony
3. (29) Marcus Camby
4. (56) Hedo Turkoglu
5. (57) Mike Dunleavy
6. (84) Jason Terry
7. (85) Troy Murphy
8. (112) Jamario Moon
9. (113) Kenyon Martin
10. (140) Jeff Green
11. (141) Chris Duhon
12. (168) Daniel Gibson
HAHAHAH I Auto-Drafted and got the Number 1 pick. Most people are picking up Chris Paul with the #1, but I’d rather go with Lebron who won’t get as many assists, but puts up better all around numbers. Lebron will get you the occasional block and more rebounds as well as ridiculous scoring numbers, solid assists, steals, and decent shooting percentage. No moves yet, but there will be plenty to come with this being a head-to-head league. This is the first time I’ve done this type of league in a long time, so we’ll see how I fare. My most expendable guys and Duhon and Gibson, even though they can possibly put up decent numbers. Don’t forget that Duhon is on the Knicks and he’s fitting in with D’antoni, while Marbury is on his way out. Boobie is gonna have some explosive games, but his most important asset? Random insane shooting nights. He could put up crap numbers one night, and then follow it up with some gaudy 3 pt shooting for you, kinda like a Sasha Vujacic.
I’ll do an update weekly, if possible, with random postings here and there if my guys have a huge night, or if the just plain stink up the courts.
From Ball Don’t Lie:
You heard it here, um, second. Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times got his hands on the annual NBA general managers survey last night, and apparently almost half the general managers — 46% — predicted the Lakers will win the championship, while 19% picked the Celtics and 12% picked the Hornets. The suits also predicted LeBron James will dethrone Kobe as the league MVP. James received 56% of the overall vote, Bryant 37%, Chris Paul just 7%, and Antoine Walker –2%. (I didn’t even know that was possible.) The complete survey will be released later today on NBA.com.
While these are just picks by the GMs, it seems fairly accurate to me. The one thing I don’t understand is why the Hornets are constantly being regarded so highly around the league. Yes, they have a great PG in Chris Paul, a solid All-Star in David West, and a fair-solid defensive Center in Chandler.
Let’s take a look at the rest of their roster though:
Mo Pete - ehhh, he can score in streaks… but too streaky.
Peja - Also a scorer with no defense. His shot is still there, but he’s on the decline because of injuries.
Bench:
Mike James - uhhhh. Do I really need to say anything?
Rasual Butler - Decent defense, nothing amazing here folks.
James Posey - The only guy off the bench worth anything, even though he’s made a living jumping from team to team, holding on to jock-straps and hoping to win another ring. Solid defense, though he’s slowing down. Semi-dangerous 3 point shooter, but not a whole lot else. He’ll show you some other moves here and there, but not often.
Julian Wright - Athletic freak. Still fairly raw talent, but could be an eventual starter somewhere in the league.
Melvin Ely - He’s a fair-good rebounder and defender, but he doesn’t give you much.
Based on this squad, I wouldn’t count them as a true contender until they get a better bench. I’d say that, even with such a young squad, Portland may be closer to a ring than the Hornets. The Blazers are DEEP. Watch out for them. It’s not the addition of Oden that makes them contenders, it’s the extra year of playing together AND the additions they made this off-season.
According to Ball Don’t Lie:
The media attention and expectations finally appear to be weighing on Greg Oden. For example, late last week, Jason Quick of The Oregonian told the Blazers’ rookie that through four exhibition games, he had been underwhelmed by GO’s performance. “Upon hearing this, Oden’s eyes pierced. His lips tightened. And for a second, I thought my head was about to be squashed like a grape by the 7-foot, 273-pound center. His direct stare at me was, uh, let’s say … moving. ‘Are you mad I said that?’ I asked. ‘Yeah,’ he said, sounding equally hurt and angry.” Then, of course, he turned into the Hulk.
Honestly, this guy has been scouted since he just came out of the womb, now he’s where everyone expected him to be. He helped to build all the hype that surrounds him by doing silly commercials and music awards. And now that people are criticizing his game, or progress rather, he’s getting pissy?
Old man, please. You’re 90 years old (aka Lebron’s Dad) and you’re getting hurt over a little criticism? If this is just the start of it, just wait until you don’t live up to the hype or you get dominated by Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum. Or maybe if you ever get another injury, you’ll run off into hiding like Vince Young and question whether you want to come back to the League or not. Is this the beginning of something ugly?
From Ball Don’t Lie:
A few weeks ago, Awful Announcing broke blogger news that Turner Sports was just about ready to roll out their new “The Game Happens Here” campaign for NBA TV, League Pass and NBA.com. Well, the first 60-second spot featuring Kevin Garnett has arrived, and boy, it doesn’t disappoint. Take it away, Kevin.
As much as I have that KG plays for the Celtics and not the Lakers, it’s a great commercial from Turner Sports. As J.E. Skeets said, it’s “simple, emotional, and compelling.” This is what basketball is about. You feel like crap when you lose, but one single win can take that pain away. It takes the little things from everyone in order for a team to win. It comes down to everyone playing together as a team.
ABOUT
Just some thoughts on happenings around the league, responses to the media and other bloggers, and just a good place for you to spend time instead of actually working.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |