Before the draft starts here in a few minutes I just wanted to record some of my thoughts.
-What will the Blazers do with all their picks? They have a late first rounder and three second round picks to improve their team. The crazy thing is they won't be selecting players with them late in the draft unless it is some Euro who wouldn't play for three years anyways. Regardless of what happens, this is the first draft in a long time where the Blazers don't have to do anything to get better. But with all those picks something has to give.
Simply put, I have no clue what the Blazers are doing.
-Shaq to Cleveland is all the buzz in the sports world this morning. I think it all has to do with the NBA propping up their Kobe/Shaq feud because the Big Drama has to have more championships then Kobe.
We all know that this year's championship was the first time that Kobe was the main player but here is the ironic twist. Now Shaq is trying to add more notches to the championship belt but he can only do it with the best player in the league.
So that's Kobe, Dwayne Wade and now possibly El bj to bring Shaq another ring. If Wade gets a MVP trophy, which is highly likely, Shaq would have played with four different NBA MVP's when you include Steve Nash. All of those MVP's coming when Shaq was not on the team.
Think about that when you ask how much Shaq brings to his club?
-Beavers415
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sports Wish List
(Note, this entry has been edited due to the facts brought up to me by our loyal readers in the comments below)
When you live in an area where you don't get to watch your favorite baseball team your summer sports entertainment can get really limited. I seriously got excited tonight when ESPN announced they would be showing live coverage of the USA/Spain Confederations Cup semi-final game. So I spend a lot of my time wishing these days. Something like this....
-Somehow the San Francisco Giants become more popular and the MLB networks start showing their games more on national TV. It is some what plausible. The Giants are around 6 games over 500 with seventy games played and their is a general buzz and star power surrounding this team. Good or bad.
Like Tim Lincecum. The kid rocks some sweet locks that makes you wonder, "Is that guy rocking a mullet?"
But don't forget Barry Zito. Here is the 84 mph Cy Yound fire baller who is one of the highest paid pitchers in baseball. If this guy falls apart it is always in the print, but how cool would it be if he puts it together and brings back 2002? How can ESPN stay away from this?
-I wish we could get a NCAA decision on the scandals at USC. In the past two years the NCAA has discovered that USC booster's may have bribed OJ Mayo and Reggie Bush's family to play for the Trojans. Also add former basketball coach Tim Floyd just flat out gave some guy cash to ensure Mayo would play in LA. It's a slam dunk for a "lack of institutional control" so why haven't we seen anything on this?
How insane would it be if the NCAA is just digging and digging and finding crazy stories that even the writers of Blue Chips couldn't make up? Is it so bad that if the NCAA did nothing less then what it did to SMU football with the death penalty it would be a blatant definition of the double standard?
Could you even imagine if this happened to a football and basketball program at the same time? It would change west coast sports forever. Sure some other schools would get these freak of an athlete types but just taking USC out of football would automatically put about 10 teams in competition for the west coasts top program.
But don't forget the lost attention the Trojans give the teams that play in the Pac-10. Not only are they a media magnet but the challenge of having USC in your football conference only makes team strive to achieve more (unless you are UW).
I'll get back to you on how this hurts Pac-10 basketball.
-I wish somehow magically the PGA Championship actually became a respectable major in the golf grand slam. Either that or get rid of it. I know that you have to have four tournaments so you can complete the "grand slam" but why do events like the Australian Open and PGA Championship get lumped with their more respectable three?
I guess the Aussie Open is the solid #4 for the tennis circuit and I'm sure all of Australia would come unglued and blame it all on the Yanks. But who is going postal on America if we started calling Torey Pines or Sawgrass the final piece of the golf slam?
Seriously, if Phil Mickelson had won 6 tournaments and all of them were the PGA would any one be calling him "the 6 time major winner?" Even Fox Sports has enough respect to stay away from that one.
-I wish the 0regon ducks would never change. They are like the weird 2nd cousins at the family reunions that you love ripping on.
This past week our 2nd cousins unveiled their new "outfits" which included the addition of two new colors, "carbon" and "white steel." The helmets are even different with a strip down the middle saying random duck stuff and the "carbon" or "white steel" (I can't tell which color is meant to describe which) helmets have circles in its solid color pattern to give it the look of chain mail.
But the best news was they got rid of the steel plating and are going 100% wings (except they are getting rid of the knee section all together). But the wings are fantastic. When I heard about the idea of putting wings on their shoulder pads last October I thought it was a joke. But soon they were wearing all black uniforms with wings and the fans were eating it up. And they had to have because by now if their was a strong sense of opposition we wouldn't be here right now.
(And this is way worse then prancing around in a bro/manzier for a full football season. When our fans saw them in person we were all calling for a recall but I think the stupid ass person who made that decision got locked into a season contract with the new design before he could say "the strap is stuck." This was worse then when Millhouse bought 10,000 of the nerd super hero comic books while Bart was away from their store.)
The best part is our cousin just thinks he's the cock of the walk. Talking up the light weight material and 80 possible uniform combinations. And since everyone is talking about it any press is good press. Plus their players love the uniforms and that their number one concern. Because we know that self respect isn't high on their list.
-I wish the Blazers never have to get rid of Rudy Fernandez. Unfortunately he looks like the odd man out when you have players like Brandon Roy and Lamarcus Aldridge staring for the team. With salary cap and ego issues to arise, you know someday we'll have to watch the next Drazen Petrovic electrify other fans.
But if he was the unheard of star who wanted only to play in Portland for his entire career no matter what that would be too cool. The guy is going to have the passing skills that bring down the house like Magic Johnson, his own posterizing effect that brings on a whole new level of international shame, and a charisma that just makes it fun to watch basketball.
And this blogger thinks that if the refs didn't have some cheap calls on Rudy in the gold medal match then we wouldn't have to hear about how Kobe saved the US team when all of us who stayed up to watch that game know that Kobe did more to put the US team in the whole then anyone else there. It was Dwayne Wade who kept the US team in it when it mattered the most.
But I digress. Regardless, it will suck to see Rudy making sweet passes, dunks and "score the ball" for another team. And my fiance will stop rooting for the Blazers and move onto Rudy's team's bandwagon. As will the entire female population of Portland.
-Beavers415
When you live in an area where you don't get to watch your favorite baseball team your summer sports entertainment can get really limited. I seriously got excited tonight when ESPN announced they would be showing live coverage of the USA/Spain Confederations Cup semi-final game. So I spend a lot of my time wishing these days. Something like this....
-Somehow the San Francisco Giants become more popular and the MLB networks start showing their games more on national TV. It is some what plausible. The Giants are around 6 games over 500 with seventy games played and their is a general buzz and star power surrounding this team. Good or bad.
Like Tim Lincecum. The kid rocks some sweet locks that makes you wonder, "Is that guy rocking a mullet?"
But don't forget Barry Zito. Here is the 84 mph Cy Yound fire baller who is one of the highest paid pitchers in baseball. If this guy falls apart it is always in the print, but how cool would it be if he puts it together and brings back 2002? How can ESPN stay away from this?
-I wish we could get a NCAA decision on the scandals at USC. In the past two years the NCAA has discovered that USC booster's may have bribed OJ Mayo and Reggie Bush's family to play for the Trojans. Also add former basketball coach Tim Floyd just flat out gave some guy cash to ensure Mayo would play in LA. It's a slam dunk for a "lack of institutional control" so why haven't we seen anything on this?
How insane would it be if the NCAA is just digging and digging and finding crazy stories that even the writers of Blue Chips couldn't make up? Is it so bad that if the NCAA did nothing less then what it did to SMU football with the death penalty it would be a blatant definition of the double standard?
Could you even imagine if this happened to a football and basketball program at the same time? It would change west coast sports forever. Sure some other schools would get these freak of an athlete types but just taking USC out of football would automatically put about 10 teams in competition for the west coasts top program.
But don't forget the lost attention the Trojans give the teams that play in the Pac-10. Not only are they a media magnet but the challenge of having USC in your football conference only makes team strive to achieve more (unless you are UW).
I'll get back to you on how this hurts Pac-10 basketball.
-I wish somehow magically the PGA Championship actually became a respectable major in the golf grand slam. Either that or get rid of it. I know that you have to have four tournaments so you can complete the "grand slam" but why do events like the Australian Open and PGA Championship get lumped with their more respectable three?
I guess the Aussie Open is the solid #4 for the tennis circuit and I'm sure all of Australia would come unglued and blame it all on the Yanks. But who is going postal on America if we started calling Torey Pines or Sawgrass the final piece of the golf slam?
Seriously, if Phil Mickelson had won 6 tournaments and all of them were the PGA would any one be calling him "the 6 time major winner?" Even Fox Sports has enough respect to stay away from that one.
-I wish the 0regon ducks would never change. They are like the weird 2nd cousins at the family reunions that you love ripping on.
This past week our 2nd cousins unveiled their new "outfits" which included the addition of two new colors, "carbon" and "white steel." The helmets are even different with a strip down the middle saying random duck stuff and the "carbon" or "white steel" (I can't tell which color is meant to describe which) helmets have circles in its solid color pattern to give it the look of chain mail.
But the best news was they got rid of the steel plating and are going 100% wings (except they are getting rid of the knee section all together). But the wings are fantastic. When I heard about the idea of putting wings on their shoulder pads last October I thought it was a joke. But soon they were wearing all black uniforms with wings and the fans were eating it up. And they had to have because by now if their was a strong sense of opposition we wouldn't be here right now.
(And this is way worse then prancing around in a bro/manzier for a full football season. When our fans saw them in person we were all calling for a recall but I think the stupid ass person who made that decision got locked into a season contract with the new design before he could say "the strap is stuck." This was worse then when Millhouse bought 10,000 of the nerd super hero comic books while Bart was away from their store.)
The best part is our cousin just thinks he's the cock of the walk. Talking up the light weight material and 80 possible uniform combinations. And since everyone is talking about it any press is good press. Plus their players love the uniforms and that their number one concern. Because we know that self respect isn't high on their list.
-I wish the Blazers never have to get rid of Rudy Fernandez. Unfortunately he looks like the odd man out when you have players like Brandon Roy and Lamarcus Aldridge staring for the team. With salary cap and ego issues to arise, you know someday we'll have to watch the next Drazen Petrovic electrify other fans.
But if he was the unheard of star who wanted only to play in Portland for his entire career no matter what that would be too cool. The guy is going to have the passing skills that bring down the house like Magic Johnson, his own posterizing effect that brings on a whole new level of international shame, and a charisma that just makes it fun to watch basketball.
And this blogger thinks that if the refs didn't have some cheap calls on Rudy in the gold medal match then we wouldn't have to hear about how Kobe saved the US team when all of us who stayed up to watch that game know that Kobe did more to put the US team in the whole then anyone else there. It was Dwayne Wade who kept the US team in it when it mattered the most.
But I digress. Regardless, it will suck to see Rudy making sweet passes, dunks and "score the ball" for another team. And my fiance will stop rooting for the Blazers and move onto Rudy's team's bandwagon. As will the entire female population of Portland.
-Beavers415
Monday, June 15, 2009
How To Celebrate A Championship?
Leave it to LA to remind America how to celebrate a championship...riot style.
http://laist.com/2009/06/14/photos_people_celebratingrioting_ov.php
Here are some highlights from the link which also has some sweet photos including a pair of Laker supporters chucking a garbage can at light rail train.
"Metro reports that Blue Line is shut down between the 7th/Metro and Grand stations due to revelers reportedly placing trash cans on the tracks"
"No one was injured on Metro Bus Line 33, which was stopped by revelers, who broke every single window, including the front one. It was stopped under the freeway near Venice and Figueroa"
"A shell station at Olympic and Grand was looted."
"Looted sneakers store The HOLY GRAIL on Pico at Flower"
While no one died, I saw reports that eight police officers were injured in the melee. Two things to think about here.
If you are one of the rioters this morning, most likely waking to a horrible hangover, you're seeing this report of injuired police and probably thinking that the night was a success. Seriously, how many of them do you think feel any remorse for those cops.
Then you have the rest of Los Angeles who have ounce of self respect. Your favorite team wins a championship and you think to yourself how great it is to be a Laker fan. Other then Jerry Buss' kids horrible trophy acceptance speech and Phil Jackson's horrible "X" hat the night has been a tremendous success. Then some thugs that feel entitled to destroy the society you live in ruins your night and cities image.
One more thing to think about. Could you imagine if you were one of the cops, who more then likely are Laker fans, having to stop these idiots from trashing your city because your favorite team won?
Yep Laker fans, your town really deserved another championship.
-Beavers415
http://laist.com/2009/06/14/photos_people_celebratingrioting_ov.php
Here are some highlights from the link which also has some sweet photos including a pair of Laker supporters chucking a garbage can at light rail train.
"Metro reports that Blue Line is shut down between the 7th/Metro and Grand stations due to revelers reportedly placing trash cans on the tracks"
"No one was injured on Metro Bus Line 33, which was stopped by revelers, who broke every single window, including the front one. It was stopped under the freeway near Venice and Figueroa"
"A shell station at Olympic and Grand was looted."
"Looted sneakers store The HOLY GRAIL on Pico at Flower"
While no one died, I saw reports that eight police officers were injured in the melee. Two things to think about here.
If you are one of the rioters this morning, most likely waking to a horrible hangover, you're seeing this report of injuired police and probably thinking that the night was a success. Seriously, how many of them do you think feel any remorse for those cops.
Then you have the rest of Los Angeles who have ounce of self respect. Your favorite team wins a championship and you think to yourself how great it is to be a Laker fan. Other then Jerry Buss' kids horrible trophy acceptance speech and Phil Jackson's horrible "X" hat the night has been a tremendous success. Then some thugs that feel entitled to destroy the society you live in ruins your night and cities image.
One more thing to think about. Could you imagine if you were one of the cops, who more then likely are Laker fans, having to stop these idiots from trashing your city because your favorite team won?
Yep Laker fans, your town really deserved another championship.
-Beavers415
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?
You know what really grinds my gears? ESPN's crew for the NBA. I know these guys are paid to talk but one of the keys to this job is to know when not to talk. I suggest they cut fawning over the superstars every time one of them makes a jump shot or pass to an open teammate.
Personally I miss the analysis of Steve Jones. He would get you to engage in what the players should be thinking on the court and wasn't obsessed with hearing himself talk. I loved it when he would laugh at random spots in the game and then would explain what he just saw on the court. Usually it was at a savvy veteran move which he had seen as a player and commentator for the past 30 years.
That's why I can't take Jeff Van Gumby or Marc Jackson. All we get is "Kobe is just unstoppable" or "LA may have found Superman's kryptonite." Sometimes they will include their coaching and playing experience with their analysis but most of the time they come off sounding like a PR firm.
By the way, the definition of "ironic" was just updated by Websters after Jeff Van Gumby tried calling out players who complain to officials after they just committed an obvious foul. Riiiggghhhttt....
You know what really grinds my gears? Kobe Lovers. Why is it that some guy calls me a "Kobe Hater" just because I call the Black Mamba out on being phony or a total DB? Last time I checked this guy only has one team's fan base rooting for him and within that fan base he has a lot of objectors too. It's not a matter of people hating on this guy its just a bunch of people who look past all his indiscretions and unconditionally love this guy.
And I'm not against unconditional love but when we do this with our athletes it gets a little scary. You start to miss when he puts on different faces to convince us that "he really wants this" and his fake laugh to make it look like he's just one of the guys.
Now I don't want you to think that I don't know how much of a competitor Kobe is or that he is one of the greatest players in NBA history. I'm not denying of that. He just reminds me of that guy who would scream "DAMM IT" in football practice when he got beat on a play, as if to convince the coaches that he really cares, because the silence would conjure up the opposite. But in reality you should just make up for it on the next play and not worry about your perceived image. We're smart enough to know how you feel without you trying to cover up your own fallacies.
To some of you that last example may seem a little far fetched for Kobe since he doesn't make a lot of mistakes and when he does he always seems to find a way to blame it on his teammates (Like the "Shannon Brown, why did you cut to the basket when you were wide open for a three when I drove to the hoop with 1 second on the shot clock and everyone in the arena knows that I am going to shoot this 9 out of 10 times. Did you think I was going to miss" face). I'm talking about when he makes a shot and he has to make his new "grrr" face or the awkward exchanges he has with his teammates when they make the play instead of him. Nothing is wrong with him just heading back up the court like "no big deal" when he makes an amazing shot or slapping a teammate on the ass after a nice pass.
I think Kobe's greatest personality trait would be if acted like he knew how good he was and not be humble about it. Be cocky to a fault and be proud about that. That is who you are. And have some confidence in your teammates. Expect them to make that big play. It will help you make that pass when you are quadrupole teamed and they are wide open for three with less then two seconds remaining in the game. That's what made Robert Horry the legend he is today.
We're all missing out on today's Big Earn of Basketball and its a shame. When asked "How does Orlando stop you?" His reply should be "If I fall down and hurt myself" as he's giving out his hotel number to Rachel Nichols.
You know what really grinds my gears? Bill Simmons complaining about the officials. Do you expect us to take a Celtic fan seriously when bitching abut the guy who gets whistles in the fourth quarter? And even if he is right, a Celtic fan can't take offense to it. Paul Pierce's legacy has almost tripled just because he gets all the calls in the 4th quarter. Take that away and "The Truth" (one of the lamest nick names of all time) no better then Al Harrington.
You know what really grinds my gears? The city of Seattle and its baseball team. The Mariners could get 10,000 more fans a game if this team had a simplified system for its city fans to get to the game (ie, light rail or subway). What we have instead is a suburban fan base that can only bring 10-15K consistently to a game which also forces night games only during the weekdays.
Maybe I feel this way because I lived in San Francisco which had a tremendous following in a city of transplants. But that fan base increased by over 20K a game just by moving next to the financial district which also brought the BART and Muni lines into play. Some people would say that the bump in attendance was due to a new ball park, which is beautiful, but you have a different type of fan attending the games since the Candlestick days. Some say it is the yuppie crowd and some have even said it is the city hipster crowd. Anyway you think we are seeing the 20-30 something single crowd bumping up the numbers.
I say this is the key to the Mariners paying for their ludicrous payroll. In my observations Seattle is becoming a younger city and today's youth is staying single longer avoiding the chore of starting a family in the suburbs. If you can get this crowd to regularly attend the games they will not only put more butts in the seats but buy more $8 beers. How many dads have you seen pull off the "nine beers in nine innings" feat?
And in order to do this you need to build a mass transportation system that allows people to get to the game without having to worry about a DUI. The city of Seattle has already approved a plan to connect the U District and Capital Hill to the ball park with voter approved Sound Transit expansion but they can't stop there. It needs to go to Queen Anne Hill, Fremont and Ballard. That is where the 20 somethings that have disposable income for those beers being served in the center field beer garden.
(Personal message to Mayor Nichols: I'll never vote for you just because of the Sonic debacle but you could start the healing by putting one of those S.L.U.T like lines down Madison Avenue. Sure I can walk up to Cap Hill and catch the new Sound Transit but a Madison Avenue line would make my stumbling walk home much safer).
-Beavers415
Personally I miss the analysis of Steve Jones. He would get you to engage in what the players should be thinking on the court and wasn't obsessed with hearing himself talk. I loved it when he would laugh at random spots in the game and then would explain what he just saw on the court. Usually it was at a savvy veteran move which he had seen as a player and commentator for the past 30 years.
That's why I can't take Jeff Van Gumby or Marc Jackson. All we get is "Kobe is just unstoppable" or "LA may have found Superman's kryptonite." Sometimes they will include their coaching and playing experience with their analysis but most of the time they come off sounding like a PR firm.
By the way, the definition of "ironic" was just updated by Websters after Jeff Van Gumby tried calling out players who complain to officials after they just committed an obvious foul. Riiiggghhhttt....
You know what really grinds my gears? Kobe Lovers. Why is it that some guy calls me a "Kobe Hater" just because I call the Black Mamba out on being phony or a total DB? Last time I checked this guy only has one team's fan base rooting for him and within that fan base he has a lot of objectors too. It's not a matter of people hating on this guy its just a bunch of people who look past all his indiscretions and unconditionally love this guy.
And I'm not against unconditional love but when we do this with our athletes it gets a little scary. You start to miss when he puts on different faces to convince us that "he really wants this" and his fake laugh to make it look like he's just one of the guys.
Now I don't want you to think that I don't know how much of a competitor Kobe is or that he is one of the greatest players in NBA history. I'm not denying of that. He just reminds me of that guy who would scream "DAMM IT" in football practice when he got beat on a play, as if to convince the coaches that he really cares, because the silence would conjure up the opposite. But in reality you should just make up for it on the next play and not worry about your perceived image. We're smart enough to know how you feel without you trying to cover up your own fallacies.
To some of you that last example may seem a little far fetched for Kobe since he doesn't make a lot of mistakes and when he does he always seems to find a way to blame it on his teammates (Like the "Shannon Brown, why did you cut to the basket when you were wide open for a three when I drove to the hoop with 1 second on the shot clock and everyone in the arena knows that I am going to shoot this 9 out of 10 times. Did you think I was going to miss" face). I'm talking about when he makes a shot and he has to make his new "grrr" face or the awkward exchanges he has with his teammates when they make the play instead of him. Nothing is wrong with him just heading back up the court like "no big deal" when he makes an amazing shot or slapping a teammate on the ass after a nice pass.
I think Kobe's greatest personality trait would be if acted like he knew how good he was and not be humble about it. Be cocky to a fault and be proud about that. That is who you are. And have some confidence in your teammates. Expect them to make that big play. It will help you make that pass when you are quadrupole teamed and they are wide open for three with less then two seconds remaining in the game. That's what made Robert Horry the legend he is today.
We're all missing out on today's Big Earn of Basketball and its a shame. When asked "How does Orlando stop you?" His reply should be "If I fall down and hurt myself" as he's giving out his hotel number to Rachel Nichols.
You know what really grinds my gears? Bill Simmons complaining about the officials. Do you expect us to take a Celtic fan seriously when bitching abut the guy who gets whistles in the fourth quarter? And even if he is right, a Celtic fan can't take offense to it. Paul Pierce's legacy has almost tripled just because he gets all the calls in the 4th quarter. Take that away and "The Truth" (one of the lamest nick names of all time) no better then Al Harrington.
You know what really grinds my gears? The city of Seattle and its baseball team. The Mariners could get 10,000 more fans a game if this team had a simplified system for its city fans to get to the game (ie, light rail or subway). What we have instead is a suburban fan base that can only bring 10-15K consistently to a game which also forces night games only during the weekdays.
Maybe I feel this way because I lived in San Francisco which had a tremendous following in a city of transplants. But that fan base increased by over 20K a game just by moving next to the financial district which also brought the BART and Muni lines into play. Some people would say that the bump in attendance was due to a new ball park, which is beautiful, but you have a different type of fan attending the games since the Candlestick days. Some say it is the yuppie crowd and some have even said it is the city hipster crowd. Anyway you think we are seeing the 20-30 something single crowd bumping up the numbers.
I say this is the key to the Mariners paying for their ludicrous payroll. In my observations Seattle is becoming a younger city and today's youth is staying single longer avoiding the chore of starting a family in the suburbs. If you can get this crowd to regularly attend the games they will not only put more butts in the seats but buy more $8 beers. How many dads have you seen pull off the "nine beers in nine innings" feat?
And in order to do this you need to build a mass transportation system that allows people to get to the game without having to worry about a DUI. The city of Seattle has already approved a plan to connect the U District and Capital Hill to the ball park with voter approved Sound Transit expansion but they can't stop there. It needs to go to Queen Anne Hill, Fremont and Ballard. That is where the 20 somethings that have disposable income for those beers being served in the center field beer garden.
(Personal message to Mayor Nichols: I'll never vote for you just because of the Sonic debacle but you could start the healing by putting one of those S.L.U.T like lines down Madison Avenue. Sure I can walk up to Cap Hill and catch the new Sound Transit but a Madison Avenue line would make my stumbling walk home much safer).
-Beavers415
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
NBA Referees: We can't be that good if we are that bad.
It happens every NBA game. A horrible call. Whether it be a charge or a block or off his hand or of his leg we've all seen some crappy officiating. Heck I've even seen six men run a play and score before it was even noticed. So when people say that the referees could control the outcome of the game you first have to qualify the quality of the people at the heart of the scheme.
Let's take a look at Game 3 of the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks last Saturday where a questionable no-call affected the outcome game. Sort of. Antonio Wright came out with the objective of intentionally fouling Carmelo Anthony with less then 10 seconds left to force an additional out of bounds play (they had a foul to give) and possibly letting his team force the Nuggets to rush a shot on the next possession with 6 seconds left. With Denver out of timeouts the Nuggets could not set a play if the Mavericks fouled. So what ensued next created a controversy.
Carmelo was chest bumped twice by Wright and bounced off to hit a three pointer with five seconds left to give Denver the lead by a point. It was at this point that the Mavericks and their fans were outraged. The question of "how could they not make that call" was screamed all over ESPN and talk radio and the NBA apologized to the team for the missed call. Still Denver won and Dallas was down 3-0 in the best of seven series.
Add another notch to the belt of botched calls by the NBA Referees as a "muwah-haha" is heard from David Stern's office. But why would the NBA want Dallas to fail?
Was it the ratings theory because Denver brings in higher ratings then Dallas? Maybe Carmelo is a better draw then Dirk? Maybe the NBA hates Mark Cuban that much? Or maybe, just maybe, Dallas has the Lakers number and Stern has to clear the road bumps for LA to make the much anticipated Cavs/Lakers finals.
How about this? These officials just plain suck. We see them get suckered by big stars, fall apart in rowdy crowds like Utah and some coaches know exactly what and when to say the right things.
But it is a tough job. Things come so fast and you have to watch for so many things on offense and defense. Before you know it the play is over and the players are heading up court. Fans are cheering or booing and the adrenaline is probably very similar to what the players are feeling on the court. You can't convince me this is not one of the most high pressure jobs in the world of sports and they could catch every call, let alone 50% of what happens on the court.
And let's think about that pressure again. If there are 10 players on the court and 20,000 people in the stands, these people are ranked #'s 11, 12 and 13 of the most talked about people in the stadium. Heck, I have probably sent my brother more texts about Violet Palmer and Tony Brothers then Barack Obama.
And lets bring in Tim Donaghy for a second. He didn't run a point shaving scheme. He bet on the over/under for points and set up games by calling more fouls to bump up the points on a game. He never fessed up to setting up a game but threw the NBA under the bus for saying the most blatant poorly officiated game in history, Lakers/Kings 2002 Game 6, was rigged. Well yeah, anyone could see that one. But that is one game and it hardly sets up a pattern for conspiracy that would destroy the foundation of the NBA.
So there you go NBA. I admit it. The league is not rigged. Not because you wouldn't do it. But because you're too dumb to pull it off.
But I still know super stars get calls, Boston brings out the worst in the guys/gals wearing grey, and Portland will never get the breaks to beat a large market team.
-Beavers415
Let's take a look at Game 3 of the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks last Saturday where a questionable no-call affected the outcome game. Sort of. Antonio Wright came out with the objective of intentionally fouling Carmelo Anthony with less then 10 seconds left to force an additional out of bounds play (they had a foul to give) and possibly letting his team force the Nuggets to rush a shot on the next possession with 6 seconds left. With Denver out of timeouts the Nuggets could not set a play if the Mavericks fouled. So what ensued next created a controversy.
Carmelo was chest bumped twice by Wright and bounced off to hit a three pointer with five seconds left to give Denver the lead by a point. It was at this point that the Mavericks and their fans were outraged. The question of "how could they not make that call" was screamed all over ESPN and talk radio and the NBA apologized to the team for the missed call. Still Denver won and Dallas was down 3-0 in the best of seven series.
Add another notch to the belt of botched calls by the NBA Referees as a "muwah-haha" is heard from David Stern's office. But why would the NBA want Dallas to fail?
Was it the ratings theory because Denver brings in higher ratings then Dallas? Maybe Carmelo is a better draw then Dirk? Maybe the NBA hates Mark Cuban that much? Or maybe, just maybe, Dallas has the Lakers number and Stern has to clear the road bumps for LA to make the much anticipated Cavs/Lakers finals.
How about this? These officials just plain suck. We see them get suckered by big stars, fall apart in rowdy crowds like Utah and some coaches know exactly what and when to say the right things.
But it is a tough job. Things come so fast and you have to watch for so many things on offense and defense. Before you know it the play is over and the players are heading up court. Fans are cheering or booing and the adrenaline is probably very similar to what the players are feeling on the court. You can't convince me this is not one of the most high pressure jobs in the world of sports and they could catch every call, let alone 50% of what happens on the court.
And let's think about that pressure again. If there are 10 players on the court and 20,000 people in the stands, these people are ranked #'s 11, 12 and 13 of the most talked about people in the stadium. Heck, I have probably sent my brother more texts about Violet Palmer and Tony Brothers then Barack Obama.
And lets bring in Tim Donaghy for a second. He didn't run a point shaving scheme. He bet on the over/under for points and set up games by calling more fouls to bump up the points on a game. He never fessed up to setting up a game but threw the NBA under the bus for saying the most blatant poorly officiated game in history, Lakers/Kings 2002 Game 6, was rigged. Well yeah, anyone could see that one. But that is one game and it hardly sets up a pattern for conspiracy that would destroy the foundation of the NBA.
So there you go NBA. I admit it. The league is not rigged. Not because you wouldn't do it. But because you're too dumb to pull it off.
But I still know super stars get calls, Boston brings out the worst in the guys/gals wearing grey, and Portland will never get the breaks to beat a large market team.
-Beavers415
Thursday, April 30, 2009
NBA Hardware
Let's just dive right too it. Our panel includes our blogs contributors, some who write and some who write every other six months. Let's re-introduce them.
khoc: This is my brother who is an avid Blazer fan who has the uncanny knack of calling b.s. on a player's hearts faster then anyone I know. Bonzi Wells and Z-Bo never had a chance with this guy.
osucem: One of the more hardcore OSU Beaver fans that I pal around with. He has the uncanny knack of finding stories that call players out on their more "decision making" stupidity. Having the *ucks as his personal rival makes his job easy.
big daddy booth: Our resident Laker fan who's last saving grace is he is a hardcore OSU fan. The best at explaining why the Shaq "drop the hammer" move is as legal as a jump shot. Now I'm hoping the NBA will think the same if Greg Oden picks up his old moves.
Beavers415: The founder of this blog and murderer of the English language. Maybe I should just say "it's my best written language. You don't want to see my French."
So here are our picks for the NBA Hardware.
(Here's our link to our preseason awards if you're curious to see how we thought the season would go back in October.
http://thatguysports.blogspot.com/2008/10/that-guy-nba-preview.html)
Coach of the Year:
khoc sez: Nate McMillan. To finish the season the way the Blazers did, and surpass already lofty expectations makes him more than deserving.
osucem sez: Nate McMillan. 2nd youngest team in the NBA. Projected to be on the verge of the playoffs, yet won 54 games. I think I heard that was 6th best in team history, which is nothing to sneeze at considering the long and storied success of this franchise. Preaching to the choir, I know.
big daddy booth sez: COY George Karl. To bad Billups gets all the cred for this team’s improvement
Beavers415 sez: Rick Adelman. The guy is too good at bringing bad situations together and making the team play to their utmost potential. Even though T-Mac's mid season trade shutdown probably had more to the Rockets success but Rick has to pull it together which no one does better in this league.
Rookie of the Year
khoc sez: Derrick Rose, I guess.
osucem sez: Derrick Rose. Dominated the scoring race amongst rookies and led his Bulls to the playoffs. That’s getting it done right there.
big daddy booth sez: D Rose, his numbers would be better if Del Negro knew how to use him. Close second is Brook Lopez
Beavers415: Derrick Rose. Could you imagine the media attention around the rookie race if Derrick Rose wasn't here? The nation would be starting bar fights arguing for Brook Lopez or Kevin Love.
Most Improved Player
osucem sez: Jameer Nelson. Increased his FG% by .034 to .503, 3PT% by .037 to .453, and his FT% went up by .059 to .887. Steals went from 0.9 to 1.2 per game. Increased his scoring from 10.9 ppg to 16.7 ppg.
big daddy booth sez: Brandon Roy. This guy is a killer. He went from borderline all star to All NBA.
beavers415 sez: Joes Pryzbilla. The Prizzle plays all 82 games for the first time in his career and he is one of the top defenders in the lane. And his quiet, yet effective, leadership helped the Blazers become a more physical team. He may not have the reputation like Ron Artest or Jack Jackson but he is quickly becoming known around the NBA as "tough."
6th Man
khoc sez: Jason Terry, but he might as well be called a starter though.
osucem sez: Might as well just re-name this award the Jason Terry 6th Man of the Year Award. The guy puts up 19.6 ppg, 3.4 apg, and 1.3 spg from the bench.
big daddy booth sez: Funny to think if I were told a shoot first 6' guard is going to win this award I would have guessed Allen Iverson.
beavers415 sez: Jason Terry. I guess you can't argue the stats but it bugs me when a guy getting starter minutes wins this award. Can't we just make this the sixth best player on a team award?
Defensive Player of the Year
khoc sez: Lebron James, and I am saying this because it is such a ridiculous award because defense is so subjective, so it might as well go to the best player in basketball. Battier is pretty good though. He gives Brandon Roy all kinds of problems.
osucem sez: Howard. Led the league in blocks and rebounds. Only the fourth player in League history to do that.
big daddy booth sez: Shane Battier. It's a shame Dwight Howard is going to win this.
beavers415 sez: Shane Battier. Here is a guy who comes into a league where people tell him he cannot make it. So the guy just goes out there and locks players down and inspires his teams to play exceptional team defense. The stat geeks will take in this single digit scoring and his dull rebounding numbers to underrate his game but he has been a winner everywhere he's gone.
Executive of the Year
khoc sez: Whoever is in charge of the decisions in Clipper land. That team is now screwed for years to come, which seems so normal for some reason. The Blazers are in the playoffs again and the Clippers are terrible and unfixable for awhile. Finally everything is returning to normal.
osucem sez: I’m calling this the General Manager award, not “executive”, but I think I know what you were going for. Kevin Pritchard of Portland is my pick for “Pritch Slapping” the draft the last few years and seeing his choices come to fruition this year.
big daddy booth sez: Sam Presti. Building a good foundation in OKC.
beavers415: Sam Presti. So I was going to give this to Prichard but then I realized something. All of these moves the Blazers made to revive this team happened two years ago. Coming off of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge's rookie years, the Blazers pick up Greg Oden, get rid of Z-Bo without giving up anything (I know what I said), and picking up Rudy Fernandez for Paul Allen's pocket change. But Danny Ainge, who had one of the NBA's sketchiest trade fall in his lap, got the honor that year. So I give it to Presti for a solid draft and destroying the New Orleans Hornets for at least another year (especially if they keep Byron Scott).
MVP
khoc sez: Lebron James. I don't think this one is even close.
osucem sez: Yes, James is my MVP. Seriously, I wouldn’t take another player off their team in a trade, but they won the most games in the league. How’d they do that? With one guy.
big daddy booth sez: Lebron James, or as the Mexican hookers call him, El bj
beavers415 sez: El bj.
Biggest Overachieving Team
khoc sez: Oklahoma City. Did not see that team winning 23 games this year and they did not finish last either. Congrats!
osucem sez: Houston Rockets. So many stars injured this year, yet they kept fighting and nearly took 2nd in the West.
big daddy booth sez: Miami Heat. Hitting big on Mario Chalmers in the 2nd round helped a lot.
beavers415 sez: 1/2 for New York Knicks, 1/2 for Chicago Bulls. Reason being the first half Bulls stunk and the second half Knicks stunk so no NBA team overachieved for a complete year. But the beginning of the season gave promise to the Knicks until the discovered they have the most expensive collection of dog shit players in the history of the league. And the Bulls were playing good enough basketball to claim the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference at the end of the season. A big difference considering they were playing like they needed another #1 pick at the beginning.
Biggest Underachieving Team
khoc sez: Sacramento. They should have won at least 18 games this year. Lousy refs in that San Antonio game, and you were so close. They ruined your season again didn't they Kings fans.
osucem sez: New Orleans. How can a team that made the playoffs be the most underachieving? Because they finished 2nd in the West last year and I had them picked to win the West this year, yet they finished 7th and finished 4-6 down the stretch.
big daddy booth sez: Hornets. This team should be in the finals. Even with Chandler’s injury, good teams take the next step.
beavers415 sez: Phoenix Suns. When it was all said and done this team was not ready to make the step to being a quality NBA team. They just wanted to run and gun and see where the chips fell. And this attitude cost a good coach his job. At least for me I don't have to see Terry Porter as the enemy when the Blazers play his team. That was tough.
Best Trade
khoc sez: It was not really a trade, and it did not help the team, but Boston picking up Stephon Marbury was pretty sweet. The way Celtic fans were cool with that trade and how they have completely bought in on that one, truly shows how much their fan base might as well just have signs in their crowd that read, "ESPN, as long as you say it is cool, we will agree, and argue to the death with anyone who says otherwise."
osucem sez: Billups to Denver without a doubt. Any trade that makes their divisional opponent sick to their stomach on the day the trade is announced must be a good one. This one had “winner” written all over it.
big daddy booth sez: Chicago Salmons & Miller to the bulls
beavers415 sez: Bulls picking up Salmons and Miller. I would say the best trade was the Billups to Denver but Detroit got robbed. Who in the world would not take that trade? It's too easy. Now Chicago picking up Salmons and Miller in the Kings yard sale was very sharp and Sacramento got what they wanted. A payroll in line with the Kansas City Royals.
Worst Trade
khoc sez: The trade that sent Yi Jianlian to the Nets for Richard Jefferson. Seriously, Yi blows big time, and to give up an all star caliber player for him is ridiculous.
osucem sez: AI to Detroit. They basically tell him to “get the fuck out” after his temper tantrum when he resists coming off the bench. This trade couldn’t have gone any worse for Detroit.
big daddy booth sez: Sacramento, see above.
beavers415 sez: Nuggets/Pistons. This is from a Blazer fan's point of view but it cost my team the division and Joe Dumars should be shot for being so dumb. Now this guy has Darko, Michael Curry and AI's blood on his hands. Who do you think was really making those moves to get this team a championship because it wasn't this guy.
Best Storyline of the Season
khoc sez: Were the 2008-09 Clippers the laziest team in the history of the NBA? I can't wait to see this team for a full season next year.
osucem sez: David Stern looking like a douche bag in his handling of the Sonics fiasco.
big daddy booth sez: Watching Shaq go down in flames (Flopping, pathetically looking for another team mid season, still thinking he is relevant) is like trying to look away from the Donkey show, or so I've been told.
beavers415 seaz: The resolve of the Houston Rockets. How can a player as talented as Tracy McGrady shutting it down for a season have a positive outcome on a team? I may not know but I could be that the Rockets can focus on an inside game with Yao or they can play with a better wing defender who could also feed the ball to Yao inside. Or it could be the best case of addition by subtraction we've seen this year and we've seen a bunch.
Worst Storyline
khoch sez: Anything involving Tracy McGrady or Allen Iverson. I mean give it up already NBA/ESPN. I know for marketing purposes you need to keep the charade going, but these guys do not help your team win, they have never been winners, and unless they take a smaller role on their teams, they are likely never going to win anything. That's it, end of storyline.
osucem sez: Shaq and Kobe kissing and making up at the All-Star game. This was so much more fun when The Diesel was asking Kobe how his ass tasted.
big daddy booth sez: Anyone else tired of Lebron "Possibly" going to the NY?
beavers415 sez: Terry Porter/Reggie Theus firings. Two guys who deserved more time if you asked me but what upsets me is how some columnists will say these guys were not good coaches. Last year Theus' Kings team was overachieving and he was working with much worse this year. And Terry Porter gets the pink slip right after the All Star break (in Phoenix) and his replacement had a worse record. Always the coaches fault. Never the players.
Worst pregame celebration
khoc sez: I don't pay attention to that crap, and I wish nobody else would either.
osucem sez: The photo op that the Cav’s and Detroit do.
big daddy booth sez: Tie, KG & El bj throwing the chalk powder. Shameless rip off of MJ.
beavers415 sez: Anytime the lights dim for home team introductions when the team they are playing is from Charlotte, Milwaukee, Memphis, New Jersey, Indiana, Oklahoma City, Minneapolis, and Oakland.
Most Overrated Player
khoc sez: Kevin Durant. Brandon Roy won 32 games in his rookie season and 41 in his second. I don't care how many points you average, if your team can't win, then you are just a good scorer. That’s It! Durant is a fantasy owners dream, but he is today’s version of Tom Chambers.
osucem sez: Kevin Garnett. Your taunting actions are getting old.
big daddy booth sez: Paul Pierce. When did we agree that he is an all world player who now gets MAJOR treatment at BOTH ends of the floor
beavers415 sez: OJ Mayo/T-Mac/Vince Carter. OJ Mayo could become the AI of this next generation but he won't sniff the championship or a deep playoff run if he is leading your team. T-Mac and Vince were best when they played together. Ever since then they may have their highlights but their teams are pathetic.
Most Underrated Player
khoc sez: Every player gets too much credit these days. How about the player who drove me nuts by playing huge against my favorite team this season. Brandon Bass
osucem sez: Shane Battier. Read the 6 page New York Times article from around the middle of the year if you question this choice.
big daddy booth sez: Pau Gasol. To bad he's in Bryant’s shadow. You never here that he's played just as many games as Kobe (Olympics included) & had a great year.
beavers415 sez: Joel Pryzbilla. Every Blazer fan will tell you this guy is indispensible and did all the little things to make the team as good as they were. His rebounding was tough and his defense was some of the best at the center position. His scoring numbers are not high but he rarely misses the shots he takes and he's never afraid to get in someone’s face if they are causing problems on the court. Regardless if it his team or not.
Western Conference Champ
khoc sez: Lakers. It's lame, but pretty much inevitable. At least for this season.
osucem sez: Lakers (pains me to say this)
big daddy booth sez: Lakers. I don't buy for a second the Portland "but we beat them 8 times in a row in P town!" Blazers will challenge them.
beavers415 sez: Lakers (by a hair over the Blazers)
Eastern Conference Champ
khoc sez: Cavs. Lebron is just too freakin' good to be stopped right now.
osucem sez: Cavs
big daddy booth: Even with a healthy Garnett, the Cavs would have won the East
beavers415: Cavs. Every round is pretty much like a 1 vs. 8 series.
NBA Champ
khoc sez: Cavs. They were the best team all year, and Lebron will be too much for anyone on the Lakers, or the NBA for that matter, to handle.
osucem sez: Cavs (pains me to say this)
*editors comment/question for osucem, you would rather see the Lakers win?*
big daddy booth sez: Lakers. To many weapons on this squad for El bj & co to handle.
beavers415 sez: Lakers (now that was painful).
-Beavers415
khoc: This is my brother who is an avid Blazer fan who has the uncanny knack of calling b.s. on a player's hearts faster then anyone I know. Bonzi Wells and Z-Bo never had a chance with this guy.
osucem: One of the more hardcore OSU Beaver fans that I pal around with. He has the uncanny knack of finding stories that call players out on their more "decision making" stupidity. Having the *ucks as his personal rival makes his job easy.
big daddy booth: Our resident Laker fan who's last saving grace is he is a hardcore OSU fan. The best at explaining why the Shaq "drop the hammer" move is as legal as a jump shot. Now I'm hoping the NBA will think the same if Greg Oden picks up his old moves.
Beavers415: The founder of this blog and murderer of the English language. Maybe I should just say "it's my best written language. You don't want to see my French."
So here are our picks for the NBA Hardware.
(Here's our link to our preseason awards if you're curious to see how we thought the season would go back in October.
http://thatguysports.blogspot.com/2008/10/that-guy-nba-preview.html)
Coach of the Year:
khoc sez: Nate McMillan. To finish the season the way the Blazers did, and surpass already lofty expectations makes him more than deserving.
osucem sez: Nate McMillan. 2nd youngest team in the NBA. Projected to be on the verge of the playoffs, yet won 54 games. I think I heard that was 6th best in team history, which is nothing to sneeze at considering the long and storied success of this franchise. Preaching to the choir, I know.
big daddy booth sez: COY George Karl. To bad Billups gets all the cred for this team’s improvement
Beavers415 sez: Rick Adelman. The guy is too good at bringing bad situations together and making the team play to their utmost potential. Even though T-Mac's mid season trade shutdown probably had more to the Rockets success but Rick has to pull it together which no one does better in this league.
Rookie of the Year
khoc sez: Derrick Rose, I guess.
osucem sez: Derrick Rose. Dominated the scoring race amongst rookies and led his Bulls to the playoffs. That’s getting it done right there.
big daddy booth sez: D Rose, his numbers would be better if Del Negro knew how to use him. Close second is Brook Lopez
Beavers415: Derrick Rose. Could you imagine the media attention around the rookie race if Derrick Rose wasn't here? The nation would be starting bar fights arguing for Brook Lopez or Kevin Love.
Most Improved Player
osucem sez: Jameer Nelson. Increased his FG% by .034 to .503, 3PT% by .037 to .453, and his FT% went up by .059 to .887. Steals went from 0.9 to 1.2 per game. Increased his scoring from 10.9 ppg to 16.7 ppg.
big daddy booth sez: Brandon Roy. This guy is a killer. He went from borderline all star to All NBA.
beavers415 sez: Joes Pryzbilla. The Prizzle plays all 82 games for the first time in his career and he is one of the top defenders in the lane. And his quiet, yet effective, leadership helped the Blazers become a more physical team. He may not have the reputation like Ron Artest or Jack Jackson but he is quickly becoming known around the NBA as "tough."
6th Man
khoc sez: Jason Terry, but he might as well be called a starter though.
osucem sez: Might as well just re-name this award the Jason Terry 6th Man of the Year Award. The guy puts up 19.6 ppg, 3.4 apg, and 1.3 spg from the bench.
big daddy booth sez: Funny to think if I were told a shoot first 6' guard is going to win this award I would have guessed Allen Iverson.
beavers415 sez: Jason Terry. I guess you can't argue the stats but it bugs me when a guy getting starter minutes wins this award. Can't we just make this the sixth best player on a team award?
Defensive Player of the Year
khoc sez: Lebron James, and I am saying this because it is such a ridiculous award because defense is so subjective, so it might as well go to the best player in basketball. Battier is pretty good though. He gives Brandon Roy all kinds of problems.
osucem sez: Howard. Led the league in blocks and rebounds. Only the fourth player in League history to do that.
big daddy booth sez: Shane Battier. It's a shame Dwight Howard is going to win this.
beavers415 sez: Shane Battier. Here is a guy who comes into a league where people tell him he cannot make it. So the guy just goes out there and locks players down and inspires his teams to play exceptional team defense. The stat geeks will take in this single digit scoring and his dull rebounding numbers to underrate his game but he has been a winner everywhere he's gone.
Executive of the Year
khoc sez: Whoever is in charge of the decisions in Clipper land. That team is now screwed for years to come, which seems so normal for some reason. The Blazers are in the playoffs again and the Clippers are terrible and unfixable for awhile. Finally everything is returning to normal.
osucem sez: I’m calling this the General Manager award, not “executive”, but I think I know what you were going for. Kevin Pritchard of Portland is my pick for “Pritch Slapping” the draft the last few years and seeing his choices come to fruition this year.
big daddy booth sez: Sam Presti. Building a good foundation in OKC.
beavers415: Sam Presti. So I was going to give this to Prichard but then I realized something. All of these moves the Blazers made to revive this team happened two years ago. Coming off of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge's rookie years, the Blazers pick up Greg Oden, get rid of Z-Bo without giving up anything (I know what I said), and picking up Rudy Fernandez for Paul Allen's pocket change. But Danny Ainge, who had one of the NBA's sketchiest trade fall in his lap, got the honor that year. So I give it to Presti for a solid draft and destroying the New Orleans Hornets for at least another year (especially if they keep Byron Scott).
MVP
khoc sez: Lebron James. I don't think this one is even close.
osucem sez: Yes, James is my MVP. Seriously, I wouldn’t take another player off their team in a trade, but they won the most games in the league. How’d they do that? With one guy.
big daddy booth sez: Lebron James, or as the Mexican hookers call him, El bj
beavers415 sez: El bj.
Biggest Overachieving Team
khoc sez: Oklahoma City. Did not see that team winning 23 games this year and they did not finish last either. Congrats!
osucem sez: Houston Rockets. So many stars injured this year, yet they kept fighting and nearly took 2nd in the West.
big daddy booth sez: Miami Heat. Hitting big on Mario Chalmers in the 2nd round helped a lot.
beavers415 sez: 1/2 for New York Knicks, 1/2 for Chicago Bulls. Reason being the first half Bulls stunk and the second half Knicks stunk so no NBA team overachieved for a complete year. But the beginning of the season gave promise to the Knicks until the discovered they have the most expensive collection of dog shit players in the history of the league. And the Bulls were playing good enough basketball to claim the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference at the end of the season. A big difference considering they were playing like they needed another #1 pick at the beginning.
Biggest Underachieving Team
khoc sez: Sacramento. They should have won at least 18 games this year. Lousy refs in that San Antonio game, and you were so close. They ruined your season again didn't they Kings fans.
osucem sez: New Orleans. How can a team that made the playoffs be the most underachieving? Because they finished 2nd in the West last year and I had them picked to win the West this year, yet they finished 7th and finished 4-6 down the stretch.
big daddy booth sez: Hornets. This team should be in the finals. Even with Chandler’s injury, good teams take the next step.
beavers415 sez: Phoenix Suns. When it was all said and done this team was not ready to make the step to being a quality NBA team. They just wanted to run and gun and see where the chips fell. And this attitude cost a good coach his job. At least for me I don't have to see Terry Porter as the enemy when the Blazers play his team. That was tough.
Best Trade
khoc sez: It was not really a trade, and it did not help the team, but Boston picking up Stephon Marbury was pretty sweet. The way Celtic fans were cool with that trade and how they have completely bought in on that one, truly shows how much their fan base might as well just have signs in their crowd that read, "ESPN, as long as you say it is cool, we will agree, and argue to the death with anyone who says otherwise."
osucem sez: Billups to Denver without a doubt. Any trade that makes their divisional opponent sick to their stomach on the day the trade is announced must be a good one. This one had “winner” written all over it.
big daddy booth sez: Chicago Salmons & Miller to the bulls
beavers415 sez: Bulls picking up Salmons and Miller. I would say the best trade was the Billups to Denver but Detroit got robbed. Who in the world would not take that trade? It's too easy. Now Chicago picking up Salmons and Miller in the Kings yard sale was very sharp and Sacramento got what they wanted. A payroll in line with the Kansas City Royals.
Worst Trade
khoc sez: The trade that sent Yi Jianlian to the Nets for Richard Jefferson. Seriously, Yi blows big time, and to give up an all star caliber player for him is ridiculous.
osucem sez: AI to Detroit. They basically tell him to “get the fuck out” after his temper tantrum when he resists coming off the bench. This trade couldn’t have gone any worse for Detroit.
big daddy booth sez: Sacramento, see above.
beavers415 sez: Nuggets/Pistons. This is from a Blazer fan's point of view but it cost my team the division and Joe Dumars should be shot for being so dumb. Now this guy has Darko, Michael Curry and AI's blood on his hands. Who do you think was really making those moves to get this team a championship because it wasn't this guy.
Best Storyline of the Season
khoc sez: Were the 2008-09 Clippers the laziest team in the history of the NBA? I can't wait to see this team for a full season next year.
osucem sez: David Stern looking like a douche bag in his handling of the Sonics fiasco.
big daddy booth sez: Watching Shaq go down in flames (Flopping, pathetically looking for another team mid season, still thinking he is relevant) is like trying to look away from the Donkey show, or so I've been told.
beavers415 seaz: The resolve of the Houston Rockets. How can a player as talented as Tracy McGrady shutting it down for a season have a positive outcome on a team? I may not know but I could be that the Rockets can focus on an inside game with Yao or they can play with a better wing defender who could also feed the ball to Yao inside. Or it could be the best case of addition by subtraction we've seen this year and we've seen a bunch.
Worst Storyline
khoch sez: Anything involving Tracy McGrady or Allen Iverson. I mean give it up already NBA/ESPN. I know for marketing purposes you need to keep the charade going, but these guys do not help your team win, they have never been winners, and unless they take a smaller role on their teams, they are likely never going to win anything. That's it, end of storyline.
osucem sez: Shaq and Kobe kissing and making up at the All-Star game. This was so much more fun when The Diesel was asking Kobe how his ass tasted.
big daddy booth sez: Anyone else tired of Lebron "Possibly" going to the NY?
beavers415 sez: Terry Porter/Reggie Theus firings. Two guys who deserved more time if you asked me but what upsets me is how some columnists will say these guys were not good coaches. Last year Theus' Kings team was overachieving and he was working with much worse this year. And Terry Porter gets the pink slip right after the All Star break (in Phoenix) and his replacement had a worse record. Always the coaches fault. Never the players.
Worst pregame celebration
khoc sez: I don't pay attention to that crap, and I wish nobody else would either.
osucem sez: The photo op that the Cav’s and Detroit do.
big daddy booth sez: Tie, KG & El bj throwing the chalk powder. Shameless rip off of MJ.
beavers415 sez: Anytime the lights dim for home team introductions when the team they are playing is from Charlotte, Milwaukee, Memphis, New Jersey, Indiana, Oklahoma City, Minneapolis, and Oakland.
Most Overrated Player
khoc sez: Kevin Durant. Brandon Roy won 32 games in his rookie season and 41 in his second. I don't care how many points you average, if your team can't win, then you are just a good scorer. That’s It! Durant is a fantasy owners dream, but he is today’s version of Tom Chambers.
osucem sez: Kevin Garnett. Your taunting actions are getting old.
big daddy booth sez: Paul Pierce. When did we agree that he is an all world player who now gets MAJOR treatment at BOTH ends of the floor
beavers415 sez: OJ Mayo/T-Mac/Vince Carter. OJ Mayo could become the AI of this next generation but he won't sniff the championship or a deep playoff run if he is leading your team. T-Mac and Vince were best when they played together. Ever since then they may have their highlights but their teams are pathetic.
Most Underrated Player
khoc sez: Every player gets too much credit these days. How about the player who drove me nuts by playing huge against my favorite team this season. Brandon Bass
osucem sez: Shane Battier. Read the 6 page New York Times article from around the middle of the year if you question this choice.
big daddy booth sez: Pau Gasol. To bad he's in Bryant’s shadow. You never here that he's played just as many games as Kobe (Olympics included) & had a great year.
beavers415 sez: Joel Pryzbilla. Every Blazer fan will tell you this guy is indispensible and did all the little things to make the team as good as they were. His rebounding was tough and his defense was some of the best at the center position. His scoring numbers are not high but he rarely misses the shots he takes and he's never afraid to get in someone’s face if they are causing problems on the court. Regardless if it his team or not.
Western Conference Champ
khoc sez: Lakers. It's lame, but pretty much inevitable. At least for this season.
osucem sez: Lakers (pains me to say this)
big daddy booth sez: Lakers. I don't buy for a second the Portland "but we beat them 8 times in a row in P town!" Blazers will challenge them.
beavers415 sez: Lakers (by a hair over the Blazers)
Eastern Conference Champ
khoc sez: Cavs. Lebron is just too freakin' good to be stopped right now.
osucem sez: Cavs
big daddy booth: Even with a healthy Garnett, the Cavs would have won the East
beavers415: Cavs. Every round is pretty much like a 1 vs. 8 series.
NBA Champ
khoc sez: Cavs. They were the best team all year, and Lebron will be too much for anyone on the Lakers, or the NBA for that matter, to handle.
osucem sez: Cavs (pains me to say this)
*editors comment/question for osucem, you would rather see the Lakers win?*
big daddy booth sez: Lakers. To many weapons on this squad for El bj & co to handle.
beavers415 sez: Lakers (now that was painful).
-Beavers415
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Do These Blazers Have What It Takes?
So I've been thinking long and hard about Portland's chances to win Game 6 against the Houston Rockets. Every Portland newspaper/blogger is claiming that the pressure would be more on the Rockets then the Blazers. I disagree based on one reason. These Blazers have not won against a respectable Western Conference on the road this season.
And if you say this to the Blazers organization (or some of the homer press) they will say they beat the New Orleans Hornets and San Antonio Spurs on the road this year. But we all know those wins come with asterisks.
In Portland's victory over New Orleans, the Hornets were drilling the Blazers by double figures until Chris Paul went down with a victory and in San Antonio this past month the Spurs were rolling without Manu Ginobilli and Tim Duncan's knees are to explode just like Kyle Broflovski.
With that said, coming into this game six in Houston the Blazers have yet to show anyone they can execute and win a big game on the road. Why would they start now? Let's just say the odds carry through and we can get the second round going as soon as possible.
But I can see the Blazers coming out Thursday night with more confidence in their abilities, with better execution on offense and defense and the right energy level to win this ball game. Why now and why on the road?
Because this team is all about taking steps and this is the next logical one with this team. Add in the Blazers faced elimination in the last game and with the "now or never" approach down four points in the 4th quarter when the team ratcheted up their defense and played in control down the stretch. Put this together with the fact that they could have won both games in Houston and I can see Portland sending this series to a seventh game.
And when I say I can see the Blazers step it up and win this game I'm not questioning Houston's effort. The Rockets are going to come out and put it all on the line to finish off these young pups. They have too and they will be ready for the task.
This kind of effort is what championship teams are made of and if the Blazers can't take Houston on the road when it matters then they will never beat the Lakers in the next round. And I will guarantee you this. If the Blazers had won all home games to take the series they would have been smoked by the Lakers. The Blazers have to learn how to win on the road and trying to figure this out in LA would be too much. But if they learn how to win on the road against a very good Rockets team it could catapult the Blazers to a new stratosphere of NBA success.
And if you're the rest of the NBA the Blazers winning game 6 is a very scary thought. I'd mention which NBA referee I don't want to see officiating this game but they are all so equally crappy it doesn't even matter.
-Beavers415
And if you say this to the Blazers organization (or some of the homer press) they will say they beat the New Orleans Hornets and San Antonio Spurs on the road this year. But we all know those wins come with asterisks.
In Portland's victory over New Orleans, the Hornets were drilling the Blazers by double figures until Chris Paul went down with a victory and in San Antonio this past month the Spurs were rolling without Manu Ginobilli and Tim Duncan's knees are to explode just like Kyle Broflovski.
With that said, coming into this game six in Houston the Blazers have yet to show anyone they can execute and win a big game on the road. Why would they start now? Let's just say the odds carry through and we can get the second round going as soon as possible.
But I can see the Blazers coming out Thursday night with more confidence in their abilities, with better execution on offense and defense and the right energy level to win this ball game. Why now and why on the road?
Because this team is all about taking steps and this is the next logical one with this team. Add in the Blazers faced elimination in the last game and with the "now or never" approach down four points in the 4th quarter when the team ratcheted up their defense and played in control down the stretch. Put this together with the fact that they could have won both games in Houston and I can see Portland sending this series to a seventh game.
And when I say I can see the Blazers step it up and win this game I'm not questioning Houston's effort. The Rockets are going to come out and put it all on the line to finish off these young pups. They have too and they will be ready for the task.
This kind of effort is what championship teams are made of and if the Blazers can't take Houston on the road when it matters then they will never beat the Lakers in the next round. And I will guarantee you this. If the Blazers had won all home games to take the series they would have been smoked by the Lakers. The Blazers have to learn how to win on the road and trying to figure this out in LA would be too much. But if they learn how to win on the road against a very good Rockets team it could catapult the Blazers to a new stratosphere of NBA success.
And if you're the rest of the NBA the Blazers winning game 6 is a very scary thought. I'd mention which NBA referee I don't want to see officiating this game but they are all so equally crappy it doesn't even matter.
-Beavers415
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
