F*ck you David Stern. F*ck you for caring more about your league’s image then about the level of it’s play. F*ck you for being too cowardly to admit that always interpreting this rule by the letter of the law was incredibly foolish and a mistake. F*ck you for allowing other rules to be interpreted subjectively, but not allowing the same treatment for this rule. Also, f*ck you for being to much of a va-jay-jay to show up in Phoenix tonight to take your (verbal) beating like a man. F*ck the NBA for once again ruining a great playoff series and being too stubborn to admit fault. F*ck me for caring for too much about a game that I have no actual impact on. And finally, f*ck me again for not giving up on the NBA after this debacle.
So I was going to write a full blown, essay-length blog on this incident, but I didn’t have the time. You see when you do absolutely nothing all day, like I do, it’s hard to find the time to accomplish even the simplest of tasks. For instance, in order to have fully and satisfactorily written about the suspensions handed down in the Suns-Spurs series I would have had to make time to do so. And what, preytell, could I have cut out?
- The two hours after I woke up that I laid in bed and played my Ukulele? Not likely, seeing as how that relaxes and prepares me to face the day*.
- The hour I spent reading the paper and debating whether or not I should do the dishes I had left from last night? I couldn’t have cut this out, it was the busiest part of my day. I was multi tasking.
- The 15 minutes I walked my dogs and then decided that it was way too hot to be outside? Ok maybe this, but 15 minutes wouldn’t have been enough.
- The hour I spent simulating game on MVP Baseball 2005 in order to get to the playoffs? Not a chance. That sh*ts a priority these days.
- How about the hour and a half in which I went to lunch with my brother? Again, no. Blood is thicker then water.
By the time I got home from lunch PTI was on and I still had dishes to do. So really, I had no time to write. So instead I just decided to give you the extremely shortened version of what I would have written. I left out some really great stuff, like how this is a direct result of the media bias. Thanks to the media labeling basketball players as thugs when they fight, all the while claiming its part of the game anytime a players from any other sports fights. And because of this bias the NBA always overreacts anytime there’s even the slightest of skirmishes. I also was going talk about how dangerous a precedent Stern is setting by allowing the team that deliberately delivers cheap shots can benefit from doing so. I think I also left out some anti-Semitic remarks about Stern, which is probably a good thing.
I could have literally written at least ten pages about this, I was that angry. Especially after the “it’s not about fairness, it’s about correctness” line from Stu Jackson. Really, so you’d rather uphold a stupid rule then allow the players to decide a series? Or after David Stern came off like the most condescending prick ever on the Dan Patrick Show and tried to pass the blame onto the owners and the Suns coaching staff. But, as I’ve already mentioned, other things got in the way of me doing this. So all I really had time left to write was an expletive filled rant and a brief explanation of that rant.
What kills me the most about all of this, is that the people who are going to be the most pissed off by this, i.e. true basketball fans, are the ones who won’t do anything about it. I’m so infuriated that I want to boycott the NBA, but I love basketball too much to do that. If anything, Stern has made more casual fans interested in this game with this ruling. He knows that the people who are most pissed off and most affected by this will always be back. But my ruling this he guarantees his league more press and more casual viewers. So really it’s a smart business move, just an incredibly f*cked up and heartless one. I could go on, but in all likelihood I’d never stop. And I have to go do my dishes anyway.
Until We Meet Again
* And no, playing my ukulele is not a euphemism for masturbation.
Showing posts with label Phoenix Suns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phoenix Suns. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
I was So Much Older Then; I’m Younger Then Than Now: Random Highlights of 2006
So I’m officially at the point where I’ve shut down for the year. Barring the most ballin’ sh*t ever going down, my posts for the rest of the year will all be dealing with the year that was/still is. Today we’ll start with random highlights (and a few lowlights) from 2006. So enough with the foreplay, let’s get down to business.
Best Sports Moment of ’06:
This one is a three-way tie. (Note: I’ve excluded all World Cup moments because that’s just on a whole other level).
1A. Suns-Lakers, Game 7: As someone who loves sports far too much – and basketball being my favorite sport – for years, the Lakers have been the bane of my existence. I’ve viewed Kobe Bryant, even pre-Colorado incident, as Hitler’s equal. I still hold grudges over their sh*tty role players who’d randomly come through in big games, etc., etc. So watching them blow a 3-1 series lead and the get their a$$es handed to them in Game 7 (by my favorite NBA team no less) was a beautiful, beautiful thing.
1B. Detroit Tigers defeat the New York Yankees in 4 games: I’m not a Tigers fan: In fact, I have a general disdain for all things that come out of Detroit. And while I dislike the Yankees, I don’t go out of my way to root against them anymore. But watching Detroit celebrate this victory was incredible. Watching their fans stay and get sprayed with champagne in 30 degree weather was one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed in sports. It’s hard not to be moved when you see a large group of people overjoyed like that, it really is.
1C. University of Arizona defeats Illinois, December 2nd, 2006: If you don’t know why the victory meant so much to me, then you’re probably not a very close friend. The feeling I had after the game was over was incredible (oh, and by the way I was at the game*). It felt like my ex-girlfriend, who had spent the last two years sleeping with my closest friends and family members, had just gained 130 lbs., flunked out of school, been fired from her job, started serving at Hooter’s, and was dating Dave Coulier. Suffice it to say, I’ve rarely felt more vindicated.
Best Game of 2006: Guitar Hero II:
If I had a couple more weeks to play the Wii, then it would probably be here. But at press time, I’ve only played it once, so the amazingly awesome Guitar Hero Duex is here instead. For those of you who haven’t played the game, it’s is pretty much Dance-Dance Revolution, but instead of a pad you have an almost life-size guitar. The guitar has five different colored buttons that you press according to the screen’s commands, while you play a famous rock or metal song. The games immensely fun and also showed me how easily I’m manipulated. When I really get in the zone while playing a song, I half convince myself that I’m actually playing the song on a real guitar. And you know what, I’m completely OK with that.
Worst Musical Trend of ’06:
Surprisingly the musical holocaust that is Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, My Chemical Romance and the 20+ other bands who sound exactly like them weren’t this years worst musical trend. Instead, at least in my eyes, that honor goes to the multitude of indie bands who came out with CD’s this years trying to sound just like the Arcade Fire. Now I like the Arcade Fire, I’m as pumped for their new record as anyone else, but didn’t the music world learn that everyone trying to sound like one band is never a good thing. Didn’t the tens of thousands of bands who tried to be lite versions of Radiohead and U2 teach us all a valuable lesson? I mean if everyone is constantly ripping off the same band it lessens the original bands music. Personally I see the trend continuing, the only thing that’s up in the air is which band everyone will next try to mimic. I just hope that new bands will take a cue from Annuals, Broken Social Scene and (to a lesser extent) Animal Collective and just put out lighter, more listenable version of “Loveless” by My Bloody Valentine. And yes I realize that maybe the ultimate ‘be careful what you wish for’ statement.
Best Frat Guy Induced laughter of ’06:
This may have been the toughest field to narrow down, but I’m going to go with my gut on this one. In late July, I was up in Denver visiting some friends of mine. After a night of drinking and carousing (I was drinking club soda of course…), we started to walk back to our car from the establishment we’d been frequenting. As we passed hordes of people on our way back, we began yelling “Spring Break!” at the top of our lungs and giving them the ‘hang loose’ sign. As we were doing this, one dude-brah who was wearing a bandana, or as I’ve been told they call them: “ban-dizzle”, replied, “2K6!!!” and then went in for the high five. Needless to say, hilarity ensued.
Most Bad Ass Moment of ’06:
Yet another tie!?!?!
1A: Raja Bell hitting the game-tying 3 pointer with 1.8 seconds left in the first overtime of game 5 in the Suns-Clippers series. After hitting the three, Raja then ran down court yelling either “I told you I’d make that motherf**ker” or “I told you I’m big time motherf**ker.” Either way, it doesn’t get more bad ass then that.
1B: The time I broke out of “The Colony”, a mind-washing assassin training facility, and then teamed up with Dennis Rodman to take down my archenemy and world-renowned terrorist Stavros. Oh wait, that wasn’t me, that was Jean-Claude Van Damme in Double Team. Let’s just move on.
Best Band Name in ’06:
This one easily goes to I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness, whose debut album, “Fear is on Our Side”, came out this year.
Funniest Movie Scene: (Note: At the time of writing this, I’ve yet to see Borat, so this could drastically change).
The Bungee Jump Scene in Jackass 2: I won’t ruin it for those of you who haven’t seen it. But I was laughing and crying so hard at this scene that it took me a few minutes to catch my breath. Seriously, I couldn’t breathe because I was laughing so hard. I was pretty certain I was going die.
Best Concert I went to in 2006:
No contest here.
Andrew Bird at the Rialto: Let me start out by saying that if you want to have a career as a musician, do not go see Mr. Bird live. He will shame you, and just about everyone else making music these days. Bird spends the majority of his time playing and looping multiple instruments, whistling in perfect pitch, singing in a voice so pure you’d swear he was God’s second son, and all the while his lyrics are better and far more clever than everyone else’s. After the show, for which I spent 95% of picking my jaw off the floor because I was in awe of the man’s amazing talent, my brother Luke summed things up perfectly: “If I was a musician, I think I’d go home and blow my brains out, because I’d never even come close to that.” And he was exactly right. Andrew Bird is just playing a different game than everyone else. To put it in simpler terms, I’ll say this: Andrew Bird’s the NBA premier superstar, while everyone else is in the WNBA D-league.***
Best Party of 2006:
The 4th Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party (The original, except no imitations): The party hasn’t even happened yet, but I know that something epic will happen at it. For those of you lucky enough to be attending this year’s party, you’re welcome to join me in saying the following prayer/mantra****: Please, oh please, don’t let me be the individual who makes such an a$$ of himself this year that the story of me is relayed all the way up to next year’s party, in which time some one else will f@#$ up and replace me.
Stay tuned in the next few weeks for my Top Songs and Albums list that will be incredibly long and overly pretentious. That’s all for now.
Until We Meet Again
* Thanks Billy
** Circa 2006
*** OK. so that’s an over-exaggeration. But Bird is more musically talented than anyone I’ve ever seen or heard, no joke.
***Whatever your religious preference may be. I don’t discriminate here, unless of course you’re Asian. (It’s a joke, people. I have Asian friends, honest. Ask Aaron if you don’t believe me).
Best Sports Moment of ’06:
This one is a three-way tie. (Note: I’ve excluded all World Cup moments because that’s just on a whole other level).
1A. Suns-Lakers, Game 7: As someone who loves sports far too much – and basketball being my favorite sport – for years, the Lakers have been the bane of my existence. I’ve viewed Kobe Bryant, even pre-Colorado incident, as Hitler’s equal. I still hold grudges over their sh*tty role players who’d randomly come through in big games, etc., etc. So watching them blow a 3-1 series lead and the get their a$$es handed to them in Game 7 (by my favorite NBA team no less) was a beautiful, beautiful thing.
1B. Detroit Tigers defeat the New York Yankees in 4 games: I’m not a Tigers fan: In fact, I have a general disdain for all things that come out of Detroit. And while I dislike the Yankees, I don’t go out of my way to root against them anymore. But watching Detroit celebrate this victory was incredible. Watching their fans stay and get sprayed with champagne in 30 degree weather was one of the coolest things I’ve ever witnessed in sports. It’s hard not to be moved when you see a large group of people overjoyed like that, it really is.
1C. University of Arizona defeats Illinois, December 2nd, 2006: If you don’t know why the victory meant so much to me, then you’re probably not a very close friend. The feeling I had after the game was over was incredible (oh, and by the way I was at the game*). It felt like my ex-girlfriend, who had spent the last two years sleeping with my closest friends and family members, had just gained 130 lbs., flunked out of school, been fired from her job, started serving at Hooter’s, and was dating Dave Coulier. Suffice it to say, I’ve rarely felt more vindicated.
Best Game of 2006: Guitar Hero II:
If I had a couple more weeks to play the Wii, then it would probably be here. But at press time, I’ve only played it once, so the amazingly awesome Guitar Hero Duex is here instead. For those of you who haven’t played the game, it’s is pretty much Dance-Dance Revolution, but instead of a pad you have an almost life-size guitar. The guitar has five different colored buttons that you press according to the screen’s commands, while you play a famous rock or metal song. The games immensely fun and also showed me how easily I’m manipulated. When I really get in the zone while playing a song, I half convince myself that I’m actually playing the song on a real guitar. And you know what, I’m completely OK with that.
Worst Musical Trend of ’06:
Surprisingly the musical holocaust that is Fall Out Boy, Panic! At the Disco, My Chemical Romance and the 20+ other bands who sound exactly like them weren’t this years worst musical trend. Instead, at least in my eyes, that honor goes to the multitude of indie bands who came out with CD’s this years trying to sound just like the Arcade Fire. Now I like the Arcade Fire, I’m as pumped for their new record as anyone else, but didn’t the music world learn that everyone trying to sound like one band is never a good thing. Didn’t the tens of thousands of bands who tried to be lite versions of Radiohead and U2 teach us all a valuable lesson? I mean if everyone is constantly ripping off the same band it lessens the original bands music. Personally I see the trend continuing, the only thing that’s up in the air is which band everyone will next try to mimic. I just hope that new bands will take a cue from Annuals, Broken Social Scene and (to a lesser extent) Animal Collective and just put out lighter, more listenable version of “Loveless” by My Bloody Valentine. And yes I realize that maybe the ultimate ‘be careful what you wish for’ statement.
Best Frat Guy Induced laughter of ’06:
This may have been the toughest field to narrow down, but I’m going to go with my gut on this one. In late July, I was up in Denver visiting some friends of mine. After a night of drinking and carousing (I was drinking club soda of course…), we started to walk back to our car from the establishment we’d been frequenting. As we passed hordes of people on our way back, we began yelling “Spring Break!” at the top of our lungs and giving them the ‘hang loose’ sign. As we were doing this, one dude-brah who was wearing a bandana, or as I’ve been told they call them: “ban-dizzle”, replied, “2K6!!!” and then went in for the high five. Needless to say, hilarity ensued.
Most Bad Ass Moment of ’06:
Yet another tie!?!?!
1A: Raja Bell hitting the game-tying 3 pointer with 1.8 seconds left in the first overtime of game 5 in the Suns-Clippers series. After hitting the three, Raja then ran down court yelling either “I told you I’d make that motherf**ker” or “I told you I’m big time motherf**ker.” Either way, it doesn’t get more bad ass then that.
1B: The time I broke out of “The Colony”, a mind-washing assassin training facility, and then teamed up with Dennis Rodman to take down my archenemy and world-renowned terrorist Stavros. Oh wait, that wasn’t me, that was Jean-Claude Van Damme in Double Team. Let’s just move on.
Best Band Name in ’06:
This one easily goes to I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness, whose debut album, “Fear is on Our Side”, came out this year.
Funniest Movie Scene: (Note: At the time of writing this, I’ve yet to see Borat, so this could drastically change).
The Bungee Jump Scene in Jackass 2: I won’t ruin it for those of you who haven’t seen it. But I was laughing and crying so hard at this scene that it took me a few minutes to catch my breath. Seriously, I couldn’t breathe because I was laughing so hard. I was pretty certain I was going die.
Best Concert I went to in 2006:
No contest here.
Andrew Bird at the Rialto: Let me start out by saying that if you want to have a career as a musician, do not go see Mr. Bird live. He will shame you, and just about everyone else making music these days. Bird spends the majority of his time playing and looping multiple instruments, whistling in perfect pitch, singing in a voice so pure you’d swear he was God’s second son, and all the while his lyrics are better and far more clever than everyone else’s. After the show, for which I spent 95% of picking my jaw off the floor because I was in awe of the man’s amazing talent, my brother Luke summed things up perfectly: “If I was a musician, I think I’d go home and blow my brains out, because I’d never even come close to that.” And he was exactly right. Andrew Bird is just playing a different game than everyone else. To put it in simpler terms, I’ll say this: Andrew Bird’s the NBA premier superstar, while everyone else is in the WNBA D-league.***
Best Party of 2006:
The 4th Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party (The original, except no imitations): The party hasn’t even happened yet, but I know that something epic will happen at it. For those of you lucky enough to be attending this year’s party, you’re welcome to join me in saying the following prayer/mantra****: Please, oh please, don’t let me be the individual who makes such an a$$ of himself this year that the story of me is relayed all the way up to next year’s party, in which time some one else will f@#$ up and replace me.
Stay tuned in the next few weeks for my Top Songs and Albums list that will be incredibly long and overly pretentious. That’s all for now.
Until We Meet Again
* Thanks Billy
** Circa 2006
*** OK. so that’s an over-exaggeration. But Bird is more musically talented than anyone I’ve ever seen or heard, no joke.
***Whatever your religious preference may be. I don’t discriminate here, unless of course you’re Asian. (It’s a joke, people. I have Asian friends, honest. Ask Aaron if you don’t believe me).
Thursday, November 02, 2006
NBA '06-'07 Season Preview
(Note: This is purely a sports post. So you artsy types might want to steer clear and go read the New Yorker.)
Despite my uber busy schedule I’ve taken so time out to give all of you a quick NBA preview. I want to keep this brief so I’m only going to have 2-3 sentences per team, with few if any exceptions. I’ll be ranking the teams in each conference from top to bottom. These rankings are more like a power poll or college top 25, what with the NBA’s goofy premise of giving division winners a top 4 seed my rankings will not correlate with the playoff seeding. I plan on making this a quick read so let’s get to it.
West
1. San Antonio Spurs – With every mag and websites previews touting the merits of small ball the team with the best big man will hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the year.
2. Phoenix Suns – Just enough talent to win it all. And just enough question marks and lack of a closers mentality to break my heart.
3. Dallas Mavericks – Had their best chance last year and blew it. Still if they can avoid the Spurs or Suns ‘til the conference finals they have a legit shot to win it all.
4. LA Clippers – With a healthy Corry Maggette and a maturing Shaun Livingston the Clips will be even better then last year. That said they’ll be lucky to make it back to the second round.
5. Houston Rockets – If they stay healthy and Van Gundy loosens up the reigns this will be the team no one wants to play come April
6. Sacramento Kings – If Ron Artest behaves they’re my sleeper team out West. That said Artest is about as stable as Courtney Love. Either way I’d want to stay clear of this team.
7. Denver Nuggets – Carmelo Anthony looked like a world-beater this summer (no pun intended). They still need anyone who can shoot and they drastically over-paided for Nene. But if they can get 65+ games from Marcus Camby though they’ll have enough to sneak into the playoffs.
8. Utah Jazz – They have one of the best coaches in the business and arguably the most talented front court in basketball. If they can stay healthy they’re a guaranteed playoff team. They still need a shooter and a consistent perimeter scorer before they become a true contender.
9. LA Lakers – Last year I was certain Kobe and Phil didn’t have enough to make the playoffs and I feel the exact same this year. So in other words they’re all but a lock to make it.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves – KG’s last year as a T-Wolf. And no, it won’t be pretty.
11. New Orleans Hornets – Foolishly over spent this summer and got rid of J.R. Smith, whose potential is unreal. They’ll be competitive at first and then flame out towards the end of the year.
12. Golden State Warriors – As owners of a 12 year playoff drought Warriors fans wondered aloud for years as to whether or not their coach was drunk. Don Nelson returns to the bench this year to answer that question with a resounding yes.
13. Seattle Super Sonics – This might just be the worst defensive team in the league. They’ll try to win games as if they were a mid-major during March Madness: my hoisting an ungodly amount of 3’s. And with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis they just might be able to win a few games that way.
14. Memphis Grizzles – For the last two years when the playoffs rolled around I always wonder how the hell Memphis makes it. Now with their two best players are either injured or traded and I feel certain they’ll plummet. I mean honestly how the hell is this team going to score any points? On a completely unrelated note, be on the look out for Mike Miller’s new look this year. He looks like either a chick or a Christian alt-rocker, depending on your state of mind.
15. Portland Trailblazers – Brandon Roy will be the lone bright spot on a team that will be one of the worst in NBA history.
East
1. Cleveland Cavilers – Call me crazy, but I’m just not sold on any other team in the East. Chicago looked great on opening night, but I seriously doubt they’ll be able to score effectively all season. Miami will sleep walk through 9/10 of the regular season, Detroit feel apart last post-season and then lost their team leader. So I’m going with the team that has the best player in basketball to take the east.
2. Chicago Bulls – A team that is tailor made to beat Miami. However they could have trouble scoring against teams that are actually awake for their games.
3. Detroit Pistons – The most obnoxious team in the league can finally feel disrespected again!?!?!? They’ll be better offensively without Wallace, but will sorely miss him against any team that has a decent big man.
4. Miami Heat – The defending champs will be on cruise control until the playoffs. I struggle to see the Heat getting by the Bulls or Cavs, but even if they do whichever team comes out of the West won’t choke away the title this year. Also I hear Pat Riely is replacing last years theme of “15 Strong” with Modest Mouse’s song “Sleepwalking”. All joking aside sleepwalking would be a vast improvement over what happened on opening night.
5. New Jersey Nets – Still a solid big man away from seriously contending. They should trade Vinsanity or RJ (and a couple of draft picks) for KG.
6. Washington Wizards - Before they can make the jump to the elite they need a decent big man and Gilbert needs to learn to set up as team mates and have better shot selection.
7. Orlando Magic – I’d feel a lot better about the Magic’s season if they’d drafted Ronney Brewer over J.J. Redick. While Reddick is a great (yet vastly overrated) shooter, there’s no possible way you can play him and Jameer Nelson at the same time and hope to guard anyone. That said they’ll still make the layoffs as long as their bigs stay healthy. Don’t hold me to it but I feel pretty strongly Dwight Howard’s going average 20 and 13 this year.
8. Indiana Pacers – All signs point to another train wreck season for the Pacers. But I can’t count Rick Carlise out.
9. Boston Celtics – Danny Ainge seems to be stock piling talent in order to make a run at another superstar to put along side Paul Pierce. They have more young talent then any other team in the league, by a whole lot. Whether or not they can develop any of it is another story. This team will be the most sporadic in the NBA.
10. Milwaukee Bucks – They have one of the games best shooters in Michael Redd and a very young, but talented front court. Unfortunately for them the only player on their roster who can create shots for other people is Andrew Bogut.
11. Philadelphia 76ers – No depth + aging superstar + Karl Malone Jr.(Chris Webber)* on one leg + Only one player who plays defense (the other AI) = No Playoffs for the second straight year.
12. Toronto Raptors – Bryan Calegelo will have this team in the playoffs in 3 years.
13. New York Knicks – Too much drama, not enough chemistry, not a single player on the roster who can create a shot for someone other than himself, the worst gm of all-time who doubles as an underachieving head coach and a bloated pay-roll. I think it’s safe to say the Knicks are a Katrina-level disaster.
14. Charlotte Bobcats – Does anyone else feel another MJ comeback coming on?
15. Atlanta Hawks – Not much too say here, just a really bad team. Speedy Claxton is not the answer at point, he’s a decent change of pace back up at best. Marvin Williams would have been my pick to have a break out year, but now he’s on the shelf for two months. Free Salim.
Playoffs:
1st Round Winners: Spurs, Suns, Mavericks, Rockets. Cavs, Heat, Bulls and Pistons.
2nd Round: Spurs, Suns, Cavs and Bulls
Confrence Finals: Spurs and Cavs
Finals: Spurs over Cavs
MVP: Lebron James
Coach of the Year: Jeff Van Gundy
Rookie of the Year: Brandon Roy, Adam Morrison
Until We Meet Again
* That’s my clever way of saying C-Webb’s unclutch.
Despite my uber busy schedule I’ve taken so time out to give all of you a quick NBA preview. I want to keep this brief so I’m only going to have 2-3 sentences per team, with few if any exceptions. I’ll be ranking the teams in each conference from top to bottom. These rankings are more like a power poll or college top 25, what with the NBA’s goofy premise of giving division winners a top 4 seed my rankings will not correlate with the playoff seeding. I plan on making this a quick read so let’s get to it.
West
1. San Antonio Spurs – With every mag and websites previews touting the merits of small ball the team with the best big man will hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the year.
2. Phoenix Suns – Just enough talent to win it all. And just enough question marks and lack of a closers mentality to break my heart.
3. Dallas Mavericks – Had their best chance last year and blew it. Still if they can avoid the Spurs or Suns ‘til the conference finals they have a legit shot to win it all.
4. LA Clippers – With a healthy Corry Maggette and a maturing Shaun Livingston the Clips will be even better then last year. That said they’ll be lucky to make it back to the second round.
5. Houston Rockets – If they stay healthy and Van Gundy loosens up the reigns this will be the team no one wants to play come April
6. Sacramento Kings – If Ron Artest behaves they’re my sleeper team out West. That said Artest is about as stable as Courtney Love. Either way I’d want to stay clear of this team.
7. Denver Nuggets – Carmelo Anthony looked like a world-beater this summer (no pun intended). They still need anyone who can shoot and they drastically over-paided for Nene. But if they can get 65+ games from Marcus Camby though they’ll have enough to sneak into the playoffs.
8. Utah Jazz – They have one of the best coaches in the business and arguably the most talented front court in basketball. If they can stay healthy they’re a guaranteed playoff team. They still need a shooter and a consistent perimeter scorer before they become a true contender.
9. LA Lakers – Last year I was certain Kobe and Phil didn’t have enough to make the playoffs and I feel the exact same this year. So in other words they’re all but a lock to make it.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves – KG’s last year as a T-Wolf. And no, it won’t be pretty.
11. New Orleans Hornets – Foolishly over spent this summer and got rid of J.R. Smith, whose potential is unreal. They’ll be competitive at first and then flame out towards the end of the year.
12. Golden State Warriors – As owners of a 12 year playoff drought Warriors fans wondered aloud for years as to whether or not their coach was drunk. Don Nelson returns to the bench this year to answer that question with a resounding yes.
13. Seattle Super Sonics – This might just be the worst defensive team in the league. They’ll try to win games as if they were a mid-major during March Madness: my hoisting an ungodly amount of 3’s. And with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis they just might be able to win a few games that way.
14. Memphis Grizzles – For the last two years when the playoffs rolled around I always wonder how the hell Memphis makes it. Now with their two best players are either injured or traded and I feel certain they’ll plummet. I mean honestly how the hell is this team going to score any points? On a completely unrelated note, be on the look out for Mike Miller’s new look this year. He looks like either a chick or a Christian alt-rocker, depending on your state of mind.
15. Portland Trailblazers – Brandon Roy will be the lone bright spot on a team that will be one of the worst in NBA history.
East
1. Cleveland Cavilers – Call me crazy, but I’m just not sold on any other team in the East. Chicago looked great on opening night, but I seriously doubt they’ll be able to score effectively all season. Miami will sleep walk through 9/10 of the regular season, Detroit feel apart last post-season and then lost their team leader. So I’m going with the team that has the best player in basketball to take the east.
2. Chicago Bulls – A team that is tailor made to beat Miami. However they could have trouble scoring against teams that are actually awake for their games.
3. Detroit Pistons – The most obnoxious team in the league can finally feel disrespected again!?!?!? They’ll be better offensively without Wallace, but will sorely miss him against any team that has a decent big man.
4. Miami Heat – The defending champs will be on cruise control until the playoffs. I struggle to see the Heat getting by the Bulls or Cavs, but even if they do whichever team comes out of the West won’t choke away the title this year. Also I hear Pat Riely is replacing last years theme of “15 Strong” with Modest Mouse’s song “Sleepwalking”. All joking aside sleepwalking would be a vast improvement over what happened on opening night.
5. New Jersey Nets – Still a solid big man away from seriously contending. They should trade Vinsanity or RJ (and a couple of draft picks) for KG.
6. Washington Wizards - Before they can make the jump to the elite they need a decent big man and Gilbert needs to learn to set up as team mates and have better shot selection.
7. Orlando Magic – I’d feel a lot better about the Magic’s season if they’d drafted Ronney Brewer over J.J. Redick. While Reddick is a great (yet vastly overrated) shooter, there’s no possible way you can play him and Jameer Nelson at the same time and hope to guard anyone. That said they’ll still make the layoffs as long as their bigs stay healthy. Don’t hold me to it but I feel pretty strongly Dwight Howard’s going average 20 and 13 this year.
8. Indiana Pacers – All signs point to another train wreck season for the Pacers. But I can’t count Rick Carlise out.
9. Boston Celtics – Danny Ainge seems to be stock piling talent in order to make a run at another superstar to put along side Paul Pierce. They have more young talent then any other team in the league, by a whole lot. Whether or not they can develop any of it is another story. This team will be the most sporadic in the NBA.
10. Milwaukee Bucks – They have one of the games best shooters in Michael Redd and a very young, but talented front court. Unfortunately for them the only player on their roster who can create shots for other people is Andrew Bogut.
11. Philadelphia 76ers – No depth + aging superstar + Karl Malone Jr.(Chris Webber)* on one leg + Only one player who plays defense (the other AI) = No Playoffs for the second straight year.
12. Toronto Raptors – Bryan Calegelo will have this team in the playoffs in 3 years.
13. New York Knicks – Too much drama, not enough chemistry, not a single player on the roster who can create a shot for someone other than himself, the worst gm of all-time who doubles as an underachieving head coach and a bloated pay-roll. I think it’s safe to say the Knicks are a Katrina-level disaster.
14. Charlotte Bobcats – Does anyone else feel another MJ comeback coming on?
15. Atlanta Hawks – Not much too say here, just a really bad team. Speedy Claxton is not the answer at point, he’s a decent change of pace back up at best. Marvin Williams would have been my pick to have a break out year, but now he’s on the shelf for two months. Free Salim.
Playoffs:
1st Round Winners: Spurs, Suns, Mavericks, Rockets. Cavs, Heat, Bulls and Pistons.
2nd Round: Spurs, Suns, Cavs and Bulls
Confrence Finals: Spurs and Cavs
Finals: Spurs over Cavs
MVP: Lebron James
Coach of the Year: Jeff Van Gundy
Rookie of the Year: Brandon Roy, Adam Morrison
Until We Meet Again
* That’s my clever way of saying C-Webb’s unclutch.
Friday, July 21, 2006
A Cluster-F*ck of Thoughts
So over the past couple of days, I’ve run into several things that I’ve wanted to write about. Since none of them require a good deal of space, I’ve decided to combine them all in my first ever “cluster-f*ck blog.” Anyhow, as you all know, the only thing I hate more than fluffing up a blog intro is people who say they have no regrets in life, so let’s get right to it.
The Most Depressing Thing I’ve Ever Heard: So the other day when I was reading the paper before bed, I came across a story about a man who was trying to visit every Starbucks in the world. Yes, that’s right, every Starbucks in the world. The man calls himself Winter, which I assume is a stage name. He’s already visited over 2,000 Starbucks location, and has spent over $30,000 on his journey thus far. Good thinking buddy, way to put your money to good use. And we wonder why the rest of the world hates us. Winter says he visits as many as 15 Starbucks a day, and only counts it as a visit if he drinks a cup of coffee at the location he goes to. I wish I was making this up, but I’m not. This guy is one pathetic f*ck. Below is a link that proves this is for real. Winter's quest, which he calls 'Starbucking', is the most depressing thing I've heard since Gnarles Barkley's being played on the radio.
And for those of you naive f*cks out there who think Winter's ambition is no different than people visiting all fifty states or every Major League ballpark, think again. If you visit every state or every MLB ballpark, there's at least something different waiting for you at each destination. I personally have been to Starbucks in five different states, and I got news for you: They are all the same! Seriously, each one has a counter, some postmodern art on the wall, incredibly boring coffee house music (for the most part), and the feel and look of an warehouse. Each location is filled with yuppie f*cks and teenage girls who are easily influenced by advertising*. All in all, this is too depressing for me to keep writing about. F*ck you Winter, and f*ck you Starbucks.
www.boston.com/ae/food/restaurants/articles/2005/11/28/better_latte_than_never_to_achieve_goal/
Baseball: Here's my bold second half predictions, one for each conference.
NL: Braves win the wildcard.
AL: Tigers fail to make the playoffs.
Music:
Overlooked Album of ‘05: Tapes ‘n Tapes – The Loon. This CD was put out in late
December of 2005, so it flew under everyone's radar. While this wasn't a top 10 or even a top 20 album of '05, it's very good and would probably have made my top 10 if it came out in this lackluster year of music. Fans of Pavement, Built to Spill, and good indie rock should probably check this one out. The best songs are “Manitoba,” “Omaha,” “Crazy Eighty,” “10 Gallon Ascots,” and “Buckle.”
Sleeper Hit of 2006: Eef Barzelay –Bitter Honey. This CD is my current sleeper hit of 2006. Eef is the lead singer of Clem Snide, so this album sounds very similar to most of their work. Except that every song is just Eef and his guitar; on some, there's a little electronics thrown in. Soothing and melodic, with a twist of alt. country and Eef's famously unique voice, this entire album feels like it's a summer nights anthem. The best songs are “Ballad of Bitter Honey” (a song from the perspective of a rap video vixen), “I Wasn't Really Drunk” (a song that feels like it was stolen from Jimmy Buffet's catalog, except for the fact that Buffet would have been drunk), “Words that Escape Me,” “Joy to the World,” and “Little Red Dot.” If you have any musical taste at all, check this album out!!!
NBA: As if the Suns’ off-season couldn't get any worse, Steve Nash has cancer.
Sam Cassel is white?
All joking aside, if Amare's at 70%, the Suns will be a top-three team in the league. And I really like the Marcus Banks signing. While he can't shoot for sh*t, he's a decent passer, he's young, and he's a very good defender. He's similar to Earl Watson, but with a much higher upside. Now, if we can just find the money to resign Diaw and LB, I’ll finally be able to sleep at night.
A$$hole alert: Dodgers 1st Base Coach - During Monday's D-backs-Dodgers game, Dodgers first base coach Mariano Duncan was ejected for arguing a check-swing call. After he was ejected, he went over to the ref and started arguing with him. He eventually got so frustrated that he actually threw his hat at the official and left the field in a huff. The official then took the hat and gave it to a young fan in the stands. Upon hearing this, Duncan had this to say to the media:
"That equipment that he throws to the fan, he's got to try to go out and find a way to bring that cap back or pay for it. I don't think any equipment that says `L.A. Dodgers' belongs to him."
And yes, he was completely serious. With a little more exposure, this guy may be able to rival Barry Bonds for biggest asshole in sports. Not only does he throw a tantrum like a 5-year-old, but then when the ump does a decent thing, giving a young fan a hat, he goes and says that it wasn't the umps right to do that. Listen jackass, anytime you act out like a spoiled child and throw your hat at an ump, he has every right to punch you in the face, let alone give your hat to a fan (and probably making the young fan's night). If Duncan is really that upset because the ump gave his hat away, then maybe he shouldn't have thrown it at him. Mr. Duncan, it's time you learn a very valuable lesson: Think before you act.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=260717129
Well that's all for now. I'm going to be traveling for the next few weeks, so there probably won't be any new updates until the second week of August. Anyhow, hope this was enough to tide you over.
Until We Meet Again.
* And there you have the reason why I still go to Starbucks, and no, it's not the advertising.
The Most Depressing Thing I’ve Ever Heard: So the other day when I was reading the paper before bed, I came across a story about a man who was trying to visit every Starbucks in the world. Yes, that’s right, every Starbucks in the world. The man calls himself Winter, which I assume is a stage name. He’s already visited over 2,000 Starbucks location, and has spent over $30,000 on his journey thus far. Good thinking buddy, way to put your money to good use. And we wonder why the rest of the world hates us. Winter says he visits as many as 15 Starbucks a day, and only counts it as a visit if he drinks a cup of coffee at the location he goes to. I wish I was making this up, but I’m not. This guy is one pathetic f*ck. Below is a link that proves this is for real. Winter's quest, which he calls 'Starbucking', is the most depressing thing I've heard since Gnarles Barkley's being played on the radio.
And for those of you naive f*cks out there who think Winter's ambition is no different than people visiting all fifty states or every Major League ballpark, think again. If you visit every state or every MLB ballpark, there's at least something different waiting for you at each destination. I personally have been to Starbucks in five different states, and I got news for you: They are all the same! Seriously, each one has a counter, some postmodern art on the wall, incredibly boring coffee house music (for the most part), and the feel and look of an warehouse. Each location is filled with yuppie f*cks and teenage girls who are easily influenced by advertising*. All in all, this is too depressing for me to keep writing about. F*ck you Winter, and f*ck you Starbucks.
www.boston.com/ae/food/restaurants/articles/2005/11/28/better_latte_than_never_to_achieve_goal/
Baseball: Here's my bold second half predictions, one for each conference.
NL: Braves win the wildcard.
AL: Tigers fail to make the playoffs.
Music:
Overlooked Album of ‘05: Tapes ‘n Tapes – The Loon. This CD was put out in late
December of 2005, so it flew under everyone's radar. While this wasn't a top 10 or even a top 20 album of '05, it's very good and would probably have made my top 10 if it came out in this lackluster year of music. Fans of Pavement, Built to Spill, and good indie rock should probably check this one out. The best songs are “Manitoba,” “Omaha,” “Crazy Eighty,” “10 Gallon Ascots,” and “Buckle.”
Sleeper Hit of 2006: Eef Barzelay –Bitter Honey. This CD is my current sleeper hit of 2006. Eef is the lead singer of Clem Snide, so this album sounds very similar to most of their work. Except that every song is just Eef and his guitar; on some, there's a little electronics thrown in. Soothing and melodic, with a twist of alt. country and Eef's famously unique voice, this entire album feels like it's a summer nights anthem. The best songs are “Ballad of Bitter Honey” (a song from the perspective of a rap video vixen), “I Wasn't Really Drunk” (a song that feels like it was stolen from Jimmy Buffet's catalog, except for the fact that Buffet would have been drunk), “Words that Escape Me,” “Joy to the World,” and “Little Red Dot.” If you have any musical taste at all, check this album out!!!
NBA: As if the Suns’ off-season couldn't get any worse, Steve Nash has cancer.
Sam Cassel is white?
All joking aside, if Amare's at 70%, the Suns will be a top-three team in the league. And I really like the Marcus Banks signing. While he can't shoot for sh*t, he's a decent passer, he's young, and he's a very good defender. He's similar to Earl Watson, but with a much higher upside. Now, if we can just find the money to resign Diaw and LB, I’ll finally be able to sleep at night.
A$$hole alert: Dodgers 1st Base Coach - During Monday's D-backs-Dodgers game, Dodgers first base coach Mariano Duncan was ejected for arguing a check-swing call. After he was ejected, he went over to the ref and started arguing with him. He eventually got so frustrated that he actually threw his hat at the official and left the field in a huff. The official then took the hat and gave it to a young fan in the stands. Upon hearing this, Duncan had this to say to the media:
"That equipment that he throws to the fan, he's got to try to go out and find a way to bring that cap back or pay for it. I don't think any equipment that says `L.A. Dodgers' belongs to him."
And yes, he was completely serious. With a little more exposure, this guy may be able to rival Barry Bonds for biggest asshole in sports. Not only does he throw a tantrum like a 5-year-old, but then when the ump does a decent thing, giving a young fan a hat, he goes and says that it wasn't the umps right to do that. Listen jackass, anytime you act out like a spoiled child and throw your hat at an ump, he has every right to punch you in the face, let alone give your hat to a fan (and probably making the young fan's night). If Duncan is really that upset because the ump gave his hat away, then maybe he shouldn't have thrown it at him. Mr. Duncan, it's time you learn a very valuable lesson: Think before you act.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=260717129
Well that's all for now. I'm going to be traveling for the next few weeks, so there probably won't be any new updates until the second week of August. Anyhow, hope this was enough to tide you over.
Until We Meet Again.
* And there you have the reason why I still go to Starbucks, and no, it's not the advertising.
Friday, May 26, 2006
X-3, e-mail and the Suns
Today’s post is going to be very brief and I’m mainly doing it just to give you guys a quick, but very important, update. Do to an overwhelming response to my “Letters to the Editor” post, in which I made up the questions I answered, I’ve decided to get a new e-mail address. I will now give out this e-mail address and if you have a question you’d like me to answer or a commit or suggestion to leave, feel free to drop me a line. My new e-mail address is: anotherwestcoastmorning@rock.com
And now here’s some quick hitters to tide you over.
- I went and saw “X-Men 3: The Last Stand” last night and was very disappointed. The action sequences were amazing, but the film had little to no story. I can’t prove it, but I think they wrote the script either while they were making the movie or two days prior. I imagine the production meeting went something like this:
***Semi-Spoiler Alert***
“Yeah and then we’ll kill him off. After that they’ll be a huge fight scene and all of a sudden everything will start flying up, because Jean’s all powerful and sh*T. And then we’ll go to slo-mo and Wolverine will save the day somehow, because he can’t die. Yeah let’s go with that.”
***End of Semi-Spolier***
I really don’t think they thought through any of the plot developments in this film. What makes this even worse is this film has almost no plot, it’s just action sequence after action sequence. The film was still very enjoyable, but it should have been a lot better. It never earned any of the great fight scenes and the parts of the movie that were suppose to be emotional weren’t at all because there was absolutely no character development at all. Really this movie was just like a video game, great action, very entertaining but no real substance.
- I think the Phoenix Suns are the closest thing to Mid-Major that I’ve ever seen at the NBA level. They’re winning entirely on heart. Skill has a little bit to do with it, but this team has absolutely no right to beat anyone. Yes they’ve caught their shares of lucky breaks, such as the Tim Thomas signing or the Clippers not giving Elton Brand a touch every time down the floor, but even then they have no right to still be playing, let alone up 1 game in the Western Conference Finals. What’s even more perplexing is the fact that they’re winning the games that the teams I root for always seem to lose.
Take game 1 against the Mavs, the Suns control the game for 3 quarters, gave up the lead late, mounted a come back just to tease me, and then let Devin Harris, whose jump shot maybe worse then my own* hit an 18 footer with 4.8 seconds left. I was absolutely thrilled when I saw Harris taking the Mavs last shot. Harris had a great game but, as noted above, he’s a poor jump shooter. It was exactly the shots the Suns wanted Dallas to take, and Nash even got a hand in his face. Of course since I’m rooting for the Suns Harris’s shot barely touched the rim on its way through the net. I was completely deject and thought right then and there about calling in sick to work. But then, as it has all post-season for the Suns, someone came through with a miracle for the Suns when they seemed down and out. Boris Diaw, Boris freaking Diaw hit a fall away, turn around 10 footer with .5 seconds left to win the game for the Suns. At that point I was wondering how Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon, circa 1994 had come into the game for the Suns. I’m mean honestly this was Boris Diaw, He was playing the game of his life, but to hit a fall away jumper with little to no time left and the game on the line, that’s ridiculous. Before this game Diaw was probably one of the last people I’d want taking a shot with the game on the line, regardless of how well he’s playing. Now I feel like he deserves the ball every time. I realize all this is irrational and crazy, but so is this Suns team. This team has lost huge leads, been jobbed by the refs, hit 3’s falling out of bounds to tie the game with a second left and won in double over-time. And that was just game 5 of the Clippers series. The Suns could sweep the Mavs, lose the next 4 games, score 200 points in regulation or when a game on a granny shot from half court by Pat Burke and none of this would surprise me. I don’t know what’s going to happen the rest of the post-season, but I feel confident the Suns can no longer surprise me. I mean honestly, how can they top the last 15 games?
Until We Meet Again
* This is more of a knock on Harris’s piss poor jumper then it is me crediting my ‘streaky at best’ jumper.
And now here’s some quick hitters to tide you over.
- I went and saw “X-Men 3: The Last Stand” last night and was very disappointed. The action sequences were amazing, but the film had little to no story. I can’t prove it, but I think they wrote the script either while they were making the movie or two days prior. I imagine the production meeting went something like this:
***Semi-Spoiler Alert***
“Yeah and then we’ll kill him off. After that they’ll be a huge fight scene and all of a sudden everything will start flying up, because Jean’s all powerful and sh*T. And then we’ll go to slo-mo and Wolverine will save the day somehow, because he can’t die. Yeah let’s go with that.”
***End of Semi-Spolier***
I really don’t think they thought through any of the plot developments in this film. What makes this even worse is this film has almost no plot, it’s just action sequence after action sequence. The film was still very enjoyable, but it should have been a lot better. It never earned any of the great fight scenes and the parts of the movie that were suppose to be emotional weren’t at all because there was absolutely no character development at all. Really this movie was just like a video game, great action, very entertaining but no real substance.
- I think the Phoenix Suns are the closest thing to Mid-Major that I’ve ever seen at the NBA level. They’re winning entirely on heart. Skill has a little bit to do with it, but this team has absolutely no right to beat anyone. Yes they’ve caught their shares of lucky breaks, such as the Tim Thomas signing or the Clippers not giving Elton Brand a touch every time down the floor, but even then they have no right to still be playing, let alone up 1 game in the Western Conference Finals. What’s even more perplexing is the fact that they’re winning the games that the teams I root for always seem to lose.
Take game 1 against the Mavs, the Suns control the game for 3 quarters, gave up the lead late, mounted a come back just to tease me, and then let Devin Harris, whose jump shot maybe worse then my own* hit an 18 footer with 4.8 seconds left. I was absolutely thrilled when I saw Harris taking the Mavs last shot. Harris had a great game but, as noted above, he’s a poor jump shooter. It was exactly the shots the Suns wanted Dallas to take, and Nash even got a hand in his face. Of course since I’m rooting for the Suns Harris’s shot barely touched the rim on its way through the net. I was completely deject and thought right then and there about calling in sick to work. But then, as it has all post-season for the Suns, someone came through with a miracle for the Suns when they seemed down and out. Boris Diaw, Boris freaking Diaw hit a fall away, turn around 10 footer with .5 seconds left to win the game for the Suns. At that point I was wondering how Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon, circa 1994 had come into the game for the Suns. I’m mean honestly this was Boris Diaw, He was playing the game of his life, but to hit a fall away jumper with little to no time left and the game on the line, that’s ridiculous. Before this game Diaw was probably one of the last people I’d want taking a shot with the game on the line, regardless of how well he’s playing. Now I feel like he deserves the ball every time. I realize all this is irrational and crazy, but so is this Suns team. This team has lost huge leads, been jobbed by the refs, hit 3’s falling out of bounds to tie the game with a second left and won in double over-time. And that was just game 5 of the Clippers series. The Suns could sweep the Mavs, lose the next 4 games, score 200 points in regulation or when a game on a granny shot from half court by Pat Burke and none of this would surprise me. I don’t know what’s going to happen the rest of the post-season, but I feel confident the Suns can no longer surprise me. I mean honestly, how can they top the last 15 games?
Until We Meet Again
* This is more of a knock on Harris’s piss poor jumper then it is me crediting my ‘streaky at best’ jumper.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Top 5 List: Reasons to Love the Suns-Lakers Series
Happy Cinco De Mayo. Since today is the fifth of May I’ve decided to give you five reason why you should love the Suns-Lakers series. This will be a short, sports related post, so as usual you artsy types may want to stay away. With out further ado: The Top 5 Reasons to Love the Suns-Lakers Series.
1. Game 7: In all of sports there’s nothing better (I’m ducking as I type this for fear that the March Madness gods will smite me). Game 7 is always dramatic, tension filled, and usually lives up to its billing because both teams are playing so hard to keep their seasons alive. This game should be no exception, because not only is both teams, but Phil Jackson has never lost a first round series. And that’s just one of the many subplots of this great series that will get into… now.
2. Raja vs. Kobe: The media will over hype this and beat it to the ground by tip off tomorrow, but holy balls is has this turned into one bad ass feud. You could tell something was brewing for the first 4 games and then with out warning Raja gave Kobe his version of the “Clothesline from Hell”. As if that wasn’t great enough Kobe got right up trying and tried to play it cool, but it looked to me like he was holding back tears. That right there is all you need for a good feud, but God bless these two they decided to make it great. If you haven’t heard or read the war of words that transpired after the clothesline, then track it down on. To summarize Raja pretty much called Kobe a stuck up, arrogant c*nt. In response Kobe suggested that maybe Raja wasn’t hugged enough as a child. Just classic. The tension between these two will be electric Saturday night, and it could lead to a baseball style bench clearing brawl. Thanks to these to the ceiling of this series has been removed. Anything’s possible.
3. The Redemption Angle: Three months ago it looked like Tim Thomas might not play at all this season. And last night he just hit the biggest shot of the Suns season. When most people think of Kwame Brown they think of Ryan Leaf, not a good sign. But at times in this series Kwame has looked like and all-star, other times he’s looked like a skinny Oliver Miller. I’m actually shocked that journalist aren’t making a bigger deal out of this. I think both of these guys are the X-Factors for their teams, whichever one of them steps up more tomorrow will help their team when the series. And speaking of redemption, that guy on the Lakers who scores a lot was once accused of rape.*
4. Bad Blood and Posterizing: Due to the fact that both are MVP candidates, the tension between Nash, Kobe and their respective teams has been at an all-time high for a first round series. Several times a game the teams have gotten into shoving matches and Kobe and Steve are always in the middle of everything. And if that’s not enough Kobe dunked on Nash, although is it really dunking on someone when you’re 6-8 and their 6-2 and white? Yeah I didn’t think so either. Well last night Shawn Marion, who’s apparently no longer afraid to play basketball, nutted all over Kobe’s forehead in overtime. Thanks to all this tensions will be even higher tomorrow night. And they’ll rise even higher when one of the Lakers scrubs, by money’s on Kwame or Devon George, delivers a payback foul to Raja Bell. To quote Paul Westernberg, I can’t hardly wait.
5. The Battle for Kobe: For the first few games of this series Phil Jackson had mad Mike D’Antoni his bitch. He had absolutely manhandled him in the coaching department and at times seemed to be toying with him. Then finally D’Antoni struck back. He started double teaming Odom, keeping Bryant out of the lane and got his shooters confidence back. He’s done all this with little to no fan fare, but Mike D’Antoni’s adjustments are a huge reason why there’s a game tomorrow night. Which brings us to Kobe. The last two games Kobe’s been scoring more, and as great as he is this creates a problem for the Lakers. When they’re pounding the ball inside they’re controlling the tempo and substantially slowing down Phoenix’s running game. But when Kobe’s scoring, he’s doing it on jumpers and/or with the other four Lakers standing and watching. This makes it much easier for the Suns to run and get in an offensive rhythm. And Phil can get Kobe to be a distributor and pound the ball in the paint, then the Lakers will control the tempo and the game. But if D’Antoni’s game plan works and Kobe tries to do it on his own then the Suns will control the tempo and the game. Which ever coach gets Kobe to run his game plan, that man will be victorious tomorrow night.
And there you have it. Enjoy this game, and remember it a month from now when the Spurs and Pistons are playing for the NBA Finals again and setting basketball’s watchablitiy** back several decades and you’re trying to remember why you like basketball.
Until We Meet Again
* Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
** I realizes this is not a word, but it should.
1. Game 7: In all of sports there’s nothing better (I’m ducking as I type this for fear that the March Madness gods will smite me). Game 7 is always dramatic, tension filled, and usually lives up to its billing because both teams are playing so hard to keep their seasons alive. This game should be no exception, because not only is both teams, but Phil Jackson has never lost a first round series. And that’s just one of the many subplots of this great series that will get into… now.
2. Raja vs. Kobe: The media will over hype this and beat it to the ground by tip off tomorrow, but holy balls is has this turned into one bad ass feud. You could tell something was brewing for the first 4 games and then with out warning Raja gave Kobe his version of the “Clothesline from Hell”. As if that wasn’t great enough Kobe got right up trying and tried to play it cool, but it looked to me like he was holding back tears. That right there is all you need for a good feud, but God bless these two they decided to make it great. If you haven’t heard or read the war of words that transpired after the clothesline, then track it down on. To summarize Raja pretty much called Kobe a stuck up, arrogant c*nt. In response Kobe suggested that maybe Raja wasn’t hugged enough as a child. Just classic. The tension between these two will be electric Saturday night, and it could lead to a baseball style bench clearing brawl. Thanks to these to the ceiling of this series has been removed. Anything’s possible.
3. The Redemption Angle: Three months ago it looked like Tim Thomas might not play at all this season. And last night he just hit the biggest shot of the Suns season. When most people think of Kwame Brown they think of Ryan Leaf, not a good sign. But at times in this series Kwame has looked like and all-star, other times he’s looked like a skinny Oliver Miller. I’m actually shocked that journalist aren’t making a bigger deal out of this. I think both of these guys are the X-Factors for their teams, whichever one of them steps up more tomorrow will help their team when the series. And speaking of redemption, that guy on the Lakers who scores a lot was once accused of rape.*
4. Bad Blood and Posterizing: Due to the fact that both are MVP candidates, the tension between Nash, Kobe and their respective teams has been at an all-time high for a first round series. Several times a game the teams have gotten into shoving matches and Kobe and Steve are always in the middle of everything. And if that’s not enough Kobe dunked on Nash, although is it really dunking on someone when you’re 6-8 and their 6-2 and white? Yeah I didn’t think so either. Well last night Shawn Marion, who’s apparently no longer afraid to play basketball, nutted all over Kobe’s forehead in overtime. Thanks to all this tensions will be even higher tomorrow night. And they’ll rise even higher when one of the Lakers scrubs, by money’s on Kwame or Devon George, delivers a payback foul to Raja Bell. To quote Paul Westernberg, I can’t hardly wait.
5. The Battle for Kobe: For the first few games of this series Phil Jackson had mad Mike D’Antoni his bitch. He had absolutely manhandled him in the coaching department and at times seemed to be toying with him. Then finally D’Antoni struck back. He started double teaming Odom, keeping Bryant out of the lane and got his shooters confidence back. He’s done all this with little to no fan fare, but Mike D’Antoni’s adjustments are a huge reason why there’s a game tomorrow night. Which brings us to Kobe. The last two games Kobe’s been scoring more, and as great as he is this creates a problem for the Lakers. When they’re pounding the ball inside they’re controlling the tempo and substantially slowing down Phoenix’s running game. But when Kobe’s scoring, he’s doing it on jumpers and/or with the other four Lakers standing and watching. This makes it much easier for the Suns to run and get in an offensive rhythm. And Phil can get Kobe to be a distributor and pound the ball in the paint, then the Lakers will control the tempo and the game. But if D’Antoni’s game plan works and Kobe tries to do it on his own then the Suns will control the tempo and the game. Which ever coach gets Kobe to run his game plan, that man will be victorious tomorrow night.
And there you have it. Enjoy this game, and remember it a month from now when the Spurs and Pistons are playing for the NBA Finals again and setting basketball’s watchablitiy** back several decades and you’re trying to remember why you like basketball.
Until We Meet Again
* Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
** I realizes this is not a word, but it should.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
05-06 NBA Season Preview
With the NBA Season starting tonight I’ve decided to unveil my predictions for the season. Here they are by conference.
East:
1. Detroit Pistons: They lost Larry Brown and gained a better offensive coash and more depth, I doubt they’ll fall off. They also will have a huge chip on their shoulder, trying to prove to everyone that it was them and not Larry who was responsible for their winning ways.
2. Miami Heat: They added talent, but they added guys who need the ball to be effective. They lost their outside shooters and got worst defensively, all in all a bad off-season for the Heat. However D-Wade and Shaq are enough for them to win their division, but they won’t get out of the 2nd round.
3. New Jersey Nets: Best perimeter team in the league. However they’re very weak and limited up front. Still they’ll cruise to a division title and I expect them to outlast Miami and get back to the Eastern Conference finals. Of course if Jason Kidd starts to play like a geriatric old man again, then all bets are off.
4. Indiana Pacers: Second best team in the conference, but they play in the same division as Detroit. They’re the deepest team in the league and they’ll play Detroit in the 2nd Round in what will be the real Eastern Conference Finals.
5. Cleveland Cavilers: LeBron might be the best player in the league. If he’s really only 21 (and admit it, we all have our doubts about that) he’ll challenge MJ for best ever before he’s done. They added shooters in Damon Jones and Marshall. And they added another scorer/creator in Hughes to take pressure and hopefully minutes off Lebron. They should aim for the 6th Seed so they have a chance to get out of the first round.
6. Washington Wizards: Gilbert will be even better this year as he’ll get more touches with Hughes gone. Caron Butler for Kwame Brown is an incredible steal for the Wiz. Antonio Daniels will take ball handling pressure of Gil and we’ll help to replace Hughes D. If they ever get the ball to their underrated big men they could have a lethal inside out combo.
7. Chicago Bulls: IMO the first six are locks, but after that everything gets sketchy. Despite loosing Curry’s offense, their D will get them back to the playoffs. Look for the Argentinan guy with a hard to spell/pronounce name to take over for Deng by mid-season.
8. Philadelphia 76ERS: On paper this team is average at best, but I believe AI will will them into the playoffs. C-Webb will suck, yet people will still convince themselves that he could turn the corner at any time.
9. Milwaukee Bucks: Bogut will stumble out of the gates and everyone will say he’s a bust. But in a few years he’ll look like a young Brad Miller. This team will start hot until teams remember the TJ Ford can’t shoot. If they were in an easier division they might challenge for a playoff spot. After the Maglorie trade I think they’ll make the playoffs over Philly, but I still refuse to bet against Iverson.
10. New York Knicks: Larry Brown is a huge a$$ hole, but he’s an incredibly talented coach. If he goes against his instinct and gives his rookies big minutes then this team could sneak into the playoffs.
11. Orlando Magic: This team will resemble a pick up team. They’ll have great talent, but they need to get Steve Francis the H out of dodge. If they can bring in a decent 2 guard and let Grant Hill (assuming he’s healthy) play point forward, they could cause a lot of trouble for teams. But they’re not making the playoffs so they need to start developing Dwight Howard.
12. Boston Celtics: Has some very good and very young talent. They need a decent Pg though, also look for Paul Pierce to continue his downward slide.
13. Toronto Raptors: Chris Bosh is a tremendous young player, Jalen Rose has the best quotes in the league. Outside of that, they suck. How bad are they? Loren Woods is set to win the Center position by default.
14. Atlanta Hawks: The only reason they’re ahead of the Bobcats is out of respect for Salim, who will make several teams regret not picking him in the late 1st round. Joe Johnson will prove he was worth the money, but the Hawks will still be really bad. They need to trade one of their 20 6-8 SF for some size and a PG. Overall the Hawks future looks far better then it has in some time. They’ll be decent in a few years.
15 Charlotte Bobcats: Okafor’s a stud and Gerald Wallace will have a break out year. But I’m not sold on Felton, and May is a questionable draft, considering you can’t play him and Okafor at the same time. The season will be a success if they win over 20 games.
West:
1. San Antonio Spurs: The only question remains who hits all the big shots? Ginobli, Duncan, Horry or new comer Van Exel. It won’t matter too much because they’re that much better then everyone else. The NBA has found the dynasty to replace the Lakers. Unfortunately they’re not nearly as marketable or hateable.
2. Sacramento Kings: Peja will return to form, Bibby will be better then ever, and if Miller can stay healthy they’ll capitalize more then anyone else on Amare’s injury. However another post-season collapse should pave the way for Rick Adelman’s exit, and for the Kings to be a serious title contender again with a new coach. Assuming they resign Peja.
3. Denver Nuggets: They benefit from playing in the leagues worst division, which should assure them the number 3 spot. How far they go in the playoffs depends on whether or not Carmelo develops into an all-around player, because right now he’s just a scorer. Speaking of which, is anyone else excited about Melo and Karl’s first fight. My guess is they’ll have a mini fight this year and within two years one of them will be gone. This just might be the best sub plot in the league for the next 3 years.
4. Houston Rockets: This will be the year T-Mac finally gets out of the first round. If Yao’s conditioning gets better they’re the only team in the west that can challenge San Antonio. PG play might hurt them early on, but when Bobby Sura comes back he’ll stabilize the team.
5. Dallas Mavericks: Solid all around team, who will look better in the regular season then in the playoffs. Once the playoffs start, look for Dirk to fall off again.
6. Phoenix Suns: Everyone says they had a terrible off season, but forgets they beat Dallas 3-1 with out Joe Johnson. They also had no bench and Q was no existent. So how exactly did they get worse? The trio of Raja Bell (an old flame of mine), James Jones and Jim Jackson will make up for the loss of Q and JJ. If they can hold down the fort until Amare gets back they’ll have everyone in the West not named the Spurs sh*tting kittens by April. Their main problem maybe the lack of a back up PG for Nash. Jackson, Jones and Barbosa will do a decent job filling in, but none of them has the ability to push it the way Nash, or last years back up Johnson, did. Either way, if Nash stays healthy they’ll get another shot at the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
7. Memphis Grizzles: This team always finds ways to improve. The addition of Eddie Jones, Damon Stoudamire and Bobby Jackson will help w/ chemistry and leadership. Hakim Warrick will be far better then expected. And Pau Gasol will have his best season yet, then flame out in the playoffs reminding everyone that you can’t win with a Euro as your best player. That said, Gasol is far and away the tougher Euro player, which isn’t saying much.
8. Utah Jazz: This is my riskiest and probably my worse pick. But I’m a believer in Jerry Sloan. I’m a huge believer in AK-47. Boozer will be better then last year. If Okur is in shape he’ll have a great year. Deron Williams maybe a rookie, but he’s a gamer and will be a very good PG. Devin Brown and Gordon Gerick platooning the SG position and be decently effective. All in all, I think that’s enough to get them back to the playoffs.
9. Los Angeles Clippers: If they stay healthy and share the ball they’ll make the playoffs. I doubt either of those things happen. They’ll be smart to move Casell and let Livingston take over the reigns at PG.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves: The only reason they’re this high is because of KG. The rest of the team sucks, and that’s being generous. They drafted Rashad Mcants in the Lottery, despite the fact that he doesn’t played D and scored a whopping 0 points in the 2nd half of the biggest game of his life (NCCA Title National Game). Yeah that was a smart choice.
11. Golden State Warriors: Everyone’s picking them to get to the playoffs this year. Personally I don’t like the fact that the majority of their hopes are depends upon Barron Davis’s health. Regardless this team will be very fun to watch. I see them falling just short of the post season. Ike Digou is a sleeper for Rookie of the Year if he stays healthy.
12. Seattle Super Sonics: Loosing their coach is going to hurt them, a lot. They have no back up plan if Luke Ridnour falters. Ray Ray will be great as always, but I doubt the rest of the team can duplicate last years dream season.
13. Los Angeles Lakers: Just because Phil’s back doesn’t make Kobe MJ. And while I love the Lamar Odom, I think it’s clear that he doesn’t want to play 2nd fiddle to Kobe, and really who can blame him? (With apologies to Luke Walton) The rest of this team is gawd awful. Phil is know for making good teams great, not sh*tty teams good. If he gets this team in the top 10 in the West he deserves coach of the year.
14. Portland Trailblazers: Their down to single digit headcases, which is a good thing. With Zach Randolph, Sebastian Telifair and Martell Webster they have a nice young core. They need either Travis Outlaw or Darius Miles to pan out at the 3. Hopefully they’ll trade Juan Dixon to a contender so he can be effective. And if nothing else lets at least hope we get a minimum of 5 shots of Juan’s brother during the games, that guy is pure gold.
15. New Orleans… er Oklahoma/Baton Rouge Hornets: This team blows more then Hurricane Katrina. Now that joke was not only tasteless, but it wasn’t really funny. Still the Hornets are real bad, and they’ll be even worse now that they’ve traded Jamal Maglorie. Chris Paul is everyone’s pick for the next great PG. I’m not sold on him, but he and J.R. Smith should provide a nice glimmer of hope for the team with out a home.
Awards:
MVP:
1. Tim Duncan – He’s the new Shaq, meaning he should win it every year.
2. LeBron James – Might already be the best player in the league.
3. Ron Artest – If he keeps his head on straight the Pacers will win the east he’ll deserve MVP consideration. But that’s a big IF.
4. Kevin Garnett- He puts up amazing numbers every year, but his sh*tty team will keep him from placing higher.
5. Allen Iverson – Just because he should have on it last year.
Coach of the Year
1. Jerry Sloan – If Utah makes the playoffs
2. Greg Popovich – See Tim Duncan
3. Rick Carlise – If he can keep Artest in check he deserves it.
Rookie of the Year
1. Deron Williams
2. Ike Digou
3. Salim Stoudamire
Finals pick:
Spurs over Pacers (4-2)
East:
1. Detroit Pistons: They lost Larry Brown and gained a better offensive coash and more depth, I doubt they’ll fall off. They also will have a huge chip on their shoulder, trying to prove to everyone that it was them and not Larry who was responsible for their winning ways.
2. Miami Heat: They added talent, but they added guys who need the ball to be effective. They lost their outside shooters and got worst defensively, all in all a bad off-season for the Heat. However D-Wade and Shaq are enough for them to win their division, but they won’t get out of the 2nd round.
3. New Jersey Nets: Best perimeter team in the league. However they’re very weak and limited up front. Still they’ll cruise to a division title and I expect them to outlast Miami and get back to the Eastern Conference finals. Of course if Jason Kidd starts to play like a geriatric old man again, then all bets are off.
4. Indiana Pacers: Second best team in the conference, but they play in the same division as Detroit. They’re the deepest team in the league and they’ll play Detroit in the 2nd Round in what will be the real Eastern Conference Finals.
5. Cleveland Cavilers: LeBron might be the best player in the league. If he’s really only 21 (and admit it, we all have our doubts about that) he’ll challenge MJ for best ever before he’s done. They added shooters in Damon Jones and Marshall. And they added another scorer/creator in Hughes to take pressure and hopefully minutes off Lebron. They should aim for the 6th Seed so they have a chance to get out of the first round.
6. Washington Wizards: Gilbert will be even better this year as he’ll get more touches with Hughes gone. Caron Butler for Kwame Brown is an incredible steal for the Wiz. Antonio Daniels will take ball handling pressure of Gil and we’ll help to replace Hughes D. If they ever get the ball to their underrated big men they could have a lethal inside out combo.
7. Chicago Bulls: IMO the first six are locks, but after that everything gets sketchy. Despite loosing Curry’s offense, their D will get them back to the playoffs. Look for the Argentinan guy with a hard to spell/pronounce name to take over for Deng by mid-season.
8. Philadelphia 76ERS: On paper this team is average at best, but I believe AI will will them into the playoffs. C-Webb will suck, yet people will still convince themselves that he could turn the corner at any time.
9. Milwaukee Bucks: Bogut will stumble out of the gates and everyone will say he’s a bust. But in a few years he’ll look like a young Brad Miller. This team will start hot until teams remember the TJ Ford can’t shoot. If they were in an easier division they might challenge for a playoff spot. After the Maglorie trade I think they’ll make the playoffs over Philly, but I still refuse to bet against Iverson.
10. New York Knicks: Larry Brown is a huge a$$ hole, but he’s an incredibly talented coach. If he goes against his instinct and gives his rookies big minutes then this team could sneak into the playoffs.
11. Orlando Magic: This team will resemble a pick up team. They’ll have great talent, but they need to get Steve Francis the H out of dodge. If they can bring in a decent 2 guard and let Grant Hill (assuming he’s healthy) play point forward, they could cause a lot of trouble for teams. But they’re not making the playoffs so they need to start developing Dwight Howard.
12. Boston Celtics: Has some very good and very young talent. They need a decent Pg though, also look for Paul Pierce to continue his downward slide.
13. Toronto Raptors: Chris Bosh is a tremendous young player, Jalen Rose has the best quotes in the league. Outside of that, they suck. How bad are they? Loren Woods is set to win the Center position by default.
14. Atlanta Hawks: The only reason they’re ahead of the Bobcats is out of respect for Salim, who will make several teams regret not picking him in the late 1st round. Joe Johnson will prove he was worth the money, but the Hawks will still be really bad. They need to trade one of their 20 6-8 SF for some size and a PG. Overall the Hawks future looks far better then it has in some time. They’ll be decent in a few years.
15 Charlotte Bobcats: Okafor’s a stud and Gerald Wallace will have a break out year. But I’m not sold on Felton, and May is a questionable draft, considering you can’t play him and Okafor at the same time. The season will be a success if they win over 20 games.
West:
1. San Antonio Spurs: The only question remains who hits all the big shots? Ginobli, Duncan, Horry or new comer Van Exel. It won’t matter too much because they’re that much better then everyone else. The NBA has found the dynasty to replace the Lakers. Unfortunately they’re not nearly as marketable or hateable.
2. Sacramento Kings: Peja will return to form, Bibby will be better then ever, and if Miller can stay healthy they’ll capitalize more then anyone else on Amare’s injury. However another post-season collapse should pave the way for Rick Adelman’s exit, and for the Kings to be a serious title contender again with a new coach. Assuming they resign Peja.
3. Denver Nuggets: They benefit from playing in the leagues worst division, which should assure them the number 3 spot. How far they go in the playoffs depends on whether or not Carmelo develops into an all-around player, because right now he’s just a scorer. Speaking of which, is anyone else excited about Melo and Karl’s first fight. My guess is they’ll have a mini fight this year and within two years one of them will be gone. This just might be the best sub plot in the league for the next 3 years.
4. Houston Rockets: This will be the year T-Mac finally gets out of the first round. If Yao’s conditioning gets better they’re the only team in the west that can challenge San Antonio. PG play might hurt them early on, but when Bobby Sura comes back he’ll stabilize the team.
5. Dallas Mavericks: Solid all around team, who will look better in the regular season then in the playoffs. Once the playoffs start, look for Dirk to fall off again.
6. Phoenix Suns: Everyone says they had a terrible off season, but forgets they beat Dallas 3-1 with out Joe Johnson. They also had no bench and Q was no existent. So how exactly did they get worse? The trio of Raja Bell (an old flame of mine), James Jones and Jim Jackson will make up for the loss of Q and JJ. If they can hold down the fort until Amare gets back they’ll have everyone in the West not named the Spurs sh*tting kittens by April. Their main problem maybe the lack of a back up PG for Nash. Jackson, Jones and Barbosa will do a decent job filling in, but none of them has the ability to push it the way Nash, or last years back up Johnson, did. Either way, if Nash stays healthy they’ll get another shot at the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
7. Memphis Grizzles: This team always finds ways to improve. The addition of Eddie Jones, Damon Stoudamire and Bobby Jackson will help w/ chemistry and leadership. Hakim Warrick will be far better then expected. And Pau Gasol will have his best season yet, then flame out in the playoffs reminding everyone that you can’t win with a Euro as your best player. That said, Gasol is far and away the tougher Euro player, which isn’t saying much.
8. Utah Jazz: This is my riskiest and probably my worse pick. But I’m a believer in Jerry Sloan. I’m a huge believer in AK-47. Boozer will be better then last year. If Okur is in shape he’ll have a great year. Deron Williams maybe a rookie, but he’s a gamer and will be a very good PG. Devin Brown and Gordon Gerick platooning the SG position and be decently effective. All in all, I think that’s enough to get them back to the playoffs.
9. Los Angeles Clippers: If they stay healthy and share the ball they’ll make the playoffs. I doubt either of those things happen. They’ll be smart to move Casell and let Livingston take over the reigns at PG.
10. Minnesota Timberwolves: The only reason they’re this high is because of KG. The rest of the team sucks, and that’s being generous. They drafted Rashad Mcants in the Lottery, despite the fact that he doesn’t played D and scored a whopping 0 points in the 2nd half of the biggest game of his life (NCCA Title National Game). Yeah that was a smart choice.
11. Golden State Warriors: Everyone’s picking them to get to the playoffs this year. Personally I don’t like the fact that the majority of their hopes are depends upon Barron Davis’s health. Regardless this team will be very fun to watch. I see them falling just short of the post season. Ike Digou is a sleeper for Rookie of the Year if he stays healthy.
12. Seattle Super Sonics: Loosing their coach is going to hurt them, a lot. They have no back up plan if Luke Ridnour falters. Ray Ray will be great as always, but I doubt the rest of the team can duplicate last years dream season.
13. Los Angeles Lakers: Just because Phil’s back doesn’t make Kobe MJ. And while I love the Lamar Odom, I think it’s clear that he doesn’t want to play 2nd fiddle to Kobe, and really who can blame him? (With apologies to Luke Walton) The rest of this team is gawd awful. Phil is know for making good teams great, not sh*tty teams good. If he gets this team in the top 10 in the West he deserves coach of the year.
14. Portland Trailblazers: Their down to single digit headcases, which is a good thing. With Zach Randolph, Sebastian Telifair and Martell Webster they have a nice young core. They need either Travis Outlaw or Darius Miles to pan out at the 3. Hopefully they’ll trade Juan Dixon to a contender so he can be effective. And if nothing else lets at least hope we get a minimum of 5 shots of Juan’s brother during the games, that guy is pure gold.
15. New Orleans… er Oklahoma/Baton Rouge Hornets: This team blows more then Hurricane Katrina. Now that joke was not only tasteless, but it wasn’t really funny. Still the Hornets are real bad, and they’ll be even worse now that they’ve traded Jamal Maglorie. Chris Paul is everyone’s pick for the next great PG. I’m not sold on him, but he and J.R. Smith should provide a nice glimmer of hope for the team with out a home.
Awards:
MVP:
1. Tim Duncan – He’s the new Shaq, meaning he should win it every year.
2. LeBron James – Might already be the best player in the league.
3. Ron Artest – If he keeps his head on straight the Pacers will win the east he’ll deserve MVP consideration. But that’s a big IF.
4. Kevin Garnett- He puts up amazing numbers every year, but his sh*tty team will keep him from placing higher.
5. Allen Iverson – Just because he should have on it last year.
Coach of the Year
1. Jerry Sloan – If Utah makes the playoffs
2. Greg Popovich – See Tim Duncan
3. Rick Carlise – If he can keep Artest in check he deserves it.
Rookie of the Year
1. Deron Williams
2. Ike Digou
3. Salim Stoudamire
Finals pick:
Spurs over Pacers (4-2)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
