Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The NBA: Where Kicking Ass Happens
It's that time of year, kids: Opening Tip of the 2008-09 NBA Season!
I could not be more excited about this. So many good story lines this year, and so many damn good teams...and more Charles Barkley. In fact, I may be as excited about "Inside The NBA" being back on TV as I am about the actual games being played.
ANYWAY, lots of good story lines to follow:
--Rookies. Because Greg Oden is technically a rookie this year, the 2008-09 rookie class is stacked. And not only is it stacked, it is stacked on teams that could make some serious moves this year. Guys like Oden, Michael Beasley, Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo, Marc Gasol all have the opportunity to really transform their prospective teams. Speaking of which...
--Teams on the rise. There could be a lot of movement on the NBA front this season. While you're going to see the same teams do very well (Celtics, Lakers, Spurs, Jazz, Pistons), you could see some teams that take a good leap this year--and even a couple that could take a New Orleans Hornets-type leap. My team to watch (and also mine and Pete's Western Conference team for the season) are the Portland Trailblazers. This is a team that had that ridiculous run at the beginning of last season...and that was without Greg Oden. Include their 1st-rounder draft pick from this season in Rudy Fernandez--who has shown could be a very strong 1st guy off the bench energy guy in the mode of Ginobli during the preseason--and you could be looking at a team that could be very good in this league for a very long time. They seem to be taking the same approach as the Spurs: draft a bunch of good guys that are team guys and work their asses off and build around a dominant big man. (Readers Note: the Blazers play the late game on TNT against the Lakers tonight at 9:30 central.)
Speaking of the Blazers opponent tonight, you wouldn't think a team that made it out of the Western Conference to the NBA Finals could qualify for this conversation, but the Lakers should be a much better team with a healthy Andrew Bynum all season. In fact, that could make them downright scary.
Another team that could take a serious leap is the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mo Williams coming on board could make a serious difference in how this team plays. While he may not be a true-and-through point guard, he's enough of one to allow LeBron James to move into that hybrid "3-4" position that he played in the Olympics. And in doing so, James--the ultimate matchup nightmare in the NBA--just became an even bigger matchup nightmare. In fact, LeBron could well have his breakout season this season. That's hard to even imagine.
Other teams that should show some serious improvement this season: 76ers, Bulls, Heat, Bucks, Rockets. In other words, the Eastern Conference--for the first time in seemingly forever--looks to take a big step forward this season.
-Repeat? The Celtics should be in great shape for a repeat. With younger players like my man Rajon Rondo having another year of experience under their belt, they might even be a bit improved--even with James Posey leaving for the Hornets this season. And apparently the title didn't bring down Kevin Garnett's own special brand of crazy: Somehow, Celtics captain Paul Pierce claims, Garnett is even intense than last year. "I didn't think he could go up to another level," Pierce said.
The Cavs should give them a hell of a run for the money, but I think the Celtics are my picks to make it to the Finals again.
-What About The West? Now the West is tough. You'll have the Lakers there all season, especially with Bynum back in the mix. New Orleans--my second-favorite West team this year--should be there, too (particularly after adding Posey). And of course, if you pay attention to the Spurs, this year falls in line with their every-other-year Championship schedule.
However, my sleeper pick to make it to the Finals is the Houston Rockets. Now, I realize how incredibly risky this pick is: anytime Ron Artest is the big reason for stating a team is going to be markedly improved, you probably should have your head examined. That said...what if it goes well? What if he assimilates himself with the team? The guy is absolutely bat-shit crazy, but he is smart enough to know that he's running out of time for a shot at a title. The Rockets were a very good team last year. Adding a talent like Artest could just put them over the edge--particularly if he has a Dennis Rodman-like attitude adjustment where he just defers to the leaders of the team, Tracy McGrady and Chuck Hayes (er, Yao Ming).
So despite a lot of teams that will be significantly improved, we're picking the Celtics to repeat. I think they'll be just too strong for the Rockets to overcome in the Finals.
Enjoy the season, and if anyone wants to watch some games tonight, let me know.
Labels: Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, Greg Oden, Houston Rockets, Marc Gasol, Michael Beasley, NBA, New Orleans Hornets, OJ Mayo, Portland Trailblazers, Rajon Rondo, Ron Artest, Rudy Fernandez
Monday, August 25, 2008
The Cubs Are 31 Games Over .500. Why Can't I Enjoy It?
The Cubs are 31 games over .500.
31.
I must admit, it's pretty weird.
Not weird, so much, because the Cubs--the Cubs!!--are 31 games over .500, and looking like one of the three best teams in baseball, if not THE best.
No, what's weird is that I am quickly discovering that I cannot handle it. The Cubs are fielding their best team of my lifetime (and possibly of the past 50+ years), and I'm having a total inferiority-complex-influenced breakdown.
I honestly do not know why this is. Every other team I love has featured arguably one of the greatest teams of their sport of all-time. And that's in my lifetime. The 1995 Nebraska Football Cornhuskers (I still want to see USC's defense try to take on Tommy, LP, and Ahman Green when LP needed a rest from various crime committing), the 1996 Kentucky Basketball Wildcats (featuring NINE players that eventually played in the NBA), the 1990's Chicago Bulls (pretty tough to single out any one of their teams, although you could argue that the second run of championships may have been a better all-around team), and the 1985 Chicago Bears (Ditka!). I am an incredibly spoiled sports fan. In all, I have seen my favorite teams play in 15 title games/series. 15! That's insane! (This is the first time I have actually counted that up, and you could make it 17 if you want to include Kentucky's 1984 and 1993 Final Fours). And of those 15, they've won 12. 12 championships from my favorite teams in just 28 (er, basically 29) years. Incredible.
So why can I not handle the greatest Cub team of my lifetime?
I wish I knew, but this isn't going well.
I literally have to put the computer away at night, because all I do is try to find articles/stats/quotes about the Cubs. At work, I have to get up and find things to do, or risk losing myself into the deep corners of the internet ("managing by walking around!" (c) Michael Scott). It's as though I have to find every possible column and comment about the Cubs in order to validate that they are, in fact, 31 games over .500; and they are, in fact, as good as it seems that they are. Stats aren't enough for me to know that the Cubs' rotation is probably the best in baseball. No, Jayson Stark has to tell me. The Cubs have won 8 series in a row for the first time in 70 years, but I have to find some story in the Tribune to validate it...over and over again.
Ultimately, it's as close to a "I can't believe my eyes" moment I have probably ever had. That, I suppose, is what happens when you are a Cub fan. The Cubs could have 8 Hall of Famers in the field and Cy Young himself on the mound, and it I probably would still be looking around and wondering, "well, Cy has pitched great this year, but what about matching up with Brandon Webb?" The Cubs--according to Sports Club Stats come tomorrow--will be at a 98.5% chance of making the playoffs (a virtual lock). In fact, the Cubs need to go just 19-12 the rest of the way to get 100 wins. When you consider that the Men in Blue have won at a slightly higher clip than that all season, it doesn't seem to be much of a reach that they can get there, does it?
So tonight, I'm taking a deep breath and saying "to hell with it!" I'm going to sit back and enjoy the greatest run by a Cub team since I have been watching baseball (I was a bit young in 1984 to get how good of a team they had then). Caution, I want you to meet my friend Wind. Go with it.
It's Gonna Happen!!
/ducks for lightning strikes
31.
I must admit, it's pretty weird.
Not weird, so much, because the Cubs--the Cubs!!--are 31 games over .500, and looking like one of the three best teams in baseball, if not THE best.
No, what's weird is that I am quickly discovering that I cannot handle it. The Cubs are fielding their best team of my lifetime (and possibly of the past 50+ years), and I'm having a total inferiority-complex-influenced breakdown.
I honestly do not know why this is. Every other team I love has featured arguably one of the greatest teams of their sport of all-time. And that's in my lifetime. The 1995 Nebraska Football Cornhuskers (I still want to see USC's defense try to take on Tommy, LP, and Ahman Green when LP needed a rest from various crime committing), the 1996 Kentucky Basketball Wildcats (featuring NINE players that eventually played in the NBA), the 1990's Chicago Bulls (pretty tough to single out any one of their teams, although you could argue that the second run of championships may have been a better all-around team), and the 1985 Chicago Bears (Ditka!). I am an incredibly spoiled sports fan. In all, I have seen my favorite teams play in 15 title games/series. 15! That's insane! (This is the first time I have actually counted that up, and you could make it 17 if you want to include Kentucky's 1984 and 1993 Final Fours). And of those 15, they've won 12. 12 championships from my favorite teams in just 28 (er, basically 29) years. Incredible.
So why can I not handle the greatest Cub team of my lifetime?
I wish I knew, but this isn't going well.
I literally have to put the computer away at night, because all I do is try to find articles/stats/quotes about the Cubs. At work, I have to get up and find things to do, or risk losing myself into the deep corners of the internet ("managing by walking around!" (c) Michael Scott). It's as though I have to find every possible column and comment about the Cubs in order to validate that they are, in fact, 31 games over .500; and they are, in fact, as good as it seems that they are. Stats aren't enough for me to know that the Cubs' rotation is probably the best in baseball. No, Jayson Stark has to tell me. The Cubs have won 8 series in a row for the first time in 70 years, but I have to find some story in the Tribune to validate it...over and over again.
Ultimately, it's as close to a "I can't believe my eyes" moment I have probably ever had. That, I suppose, is what happens when you are a Cub fan. The Cubs could have 8 Hall of Famers in the field and Cy Young himself on the mound, and it I probably would still be looking around and wondering, "well, Cy has pitched great this year, but what about matching up with Brandon Webb?" The Cubs--according to Sports Club Stats come tomorrow--will be at a 98.5% chance of making the playoffs (a virtual lock). In fact, the Cubs need to go just 19-12 the rest of the way to get 100 wins. When you consider that the Men in Blue have won at a slightly higher clip than that all season, it doesn't seem to be much of a reach that they can get there, does it?
So tonight, I'm taking a deep breath and saying "to hell with it!" I'm going to sit back and enjoy the greatest run by a Cub team since I have been watching baseball (I was a bit young in 1984 to get how good of a team they had then). Caution, I want you to meet my friend Wind. Go with it.
It's Gonna Happen!!
/ducks for lightning strikes
Labels: Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Kentucky Basketball, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Stupidly Taunting The Baseball Gods
Monday, June 09, 2008
The Chicago Bulls Announce Their New Head Coach!
After much speculation and anticipation, the Chicago Bulls hire....
Vinny Del Negro??????
Is this a joke? The Bulls have one of the youngest teams in the NBA, and that is about to get younger with their upcoming #1 pick in the draft. So what does John Paxson do?
Hire a coach with--literally--no coaching experience. Literally. None. He's the Suns Assistant GM right now. He was a VP of Player Development. Before that: TV announcer.
So this should go really well, in other words.
The only thing in the Tribune's article that even caught anything remotely approaching "interest" was the following paragraph:
Sweet. I guess it fits two of the things that are listed in the "Job Requirements" section of the Monster.com job posting for being a head coach in the NBA:
1. Father must have played for a historically great college program.
2. Must be born in Springfield, Mass.
When you look at it that way, I guess the pool of people to pick for a head coaching spot probably is pretty small. Great hire, Johnny!
Ugg.
On a totally unrelated note, the new Apple iPhone is out. It looks incredibly sweet, and is now only $199. And they're going to put out an all-white version, which will be even more badass.
Vinny Del Negro??????
Is this a joke? The Bulls have one of the youngest teams in the NBA, and that is about to get younger with their upcoming #1 pick in the draft. So what does John Paxson do?
Hire a coach with--literally--no coaching experience. Literally. None. He's the Suns Assistant GM right now. He was a VP of Player Development. Before that: TV announcer.
So this should go really well, in other words.
The only thing in the Tribune's article that even caught anything remotely approaching "interest" was the following paragraph:
Del Negro was born in the birthplace of basketball, Springfield, Mass. His father, Vince, played basketball at Kentucky for the legendary Adolph Rupp.
Sweet. I guess it fits two of the things that are listed in the "Job Requirements" section of the Monster.com job posting for being a head coach in the NBA:
1. Father must have played for a historically great college program.
2. Must be born in Springfield, Mass.
When you look at it that way, I guess the pool of people to pick for a head coaching spot probably is pretty small. Great hire, Johnny!
Ugg.
On a totally unrelated note, the new Apple iPhone is out. It looks incredibly sweet, and is now only $199. And they're going to put out an all-white version, which will be even more badass.
Labels: 3G iPhone, Chicago Bulls, John Paxson, Vinny The Greek, What could possibly go wrong
Friday, February 15, 2008
Craig Hodges Blackballed From The NBA????
This is just a fascinating piece from ESPN.com's Page 2 columnist LZ Granderson. A quick summary is that after Craig Hodges wore a dashiki to the White House after the Bulls won their second World Championship--and hitting 45% of three-pointers in the playoffs to boot--he could not even get a tryout with any other NBA team.
This is incredible to me. Possibly the greatest pure shooter in the history of the NBA, after helping a team win two straight NBA titles, cannot get even a call-back, let alone a tryout.
Crazy shit.
Anyways, it's not some wonderfully written column or anything, but is certainly interesting. Some nice Friday reading for everyone.
This is incredible to me. Possibly the greatest pure shooter in the history of the NBA, after helping a team win two straight NBA titles, cannot get even a call-back, let alone a tryout.
Crazy shit.
Anyways, it's not some wonderfully written column or anything, but is certainly interesting. Some nice Friday reading for everyone.
Labels: Chicago Bulls, Craig Hodges, ESPN, LZ Granderson
Monday, January 14, 2008
Should They Really Be Surprised?
Apparently Joke Noah has been suspended two games...BY HIS TEAMMATES.
"I understand frustrations with coaches," Ben Wallace said. "But you can never take it to that level where you overstep the coach-player relationship and talk to a grown man like that. I might not like you as a coach, but I have to respect you as a man.
"We have to be responsible for each other. We're together all the time. We feel we're becoming a close-knit group and a family-type atmosphere. It's up to us to hold everybody accountable for his own actions."
He apparently lit into an assistant pretty good at practice. Also, he apparently is late to everything. Oh, and he is also reportedly a douche bag. Actually, that's not reportedly, that's just fact from watching his ridiculous ass for 4 years in the SEC.
This pick is becoming more insane by the second. I think everyone thought John Paxson should've traded down and gotten a lot more value as this draft was not real solid after the first 5 picks. I think that everyone was right. I cannot think of one person who thought this was a good move. I was hoping that I (and everyone in Chicago) had Noah wrong, and he would be a big part of a push for the Eastern Conference Title this year.
Yeah...not so much the case, apparently. Ugg.
"I understand frustrations with coaches," Ben Wallace said. "But you can never take it to that level where you overstep the coach-player relationship and talk to a grown man like that. I might not like you as a coach, but I have to respect you as a man.
"We have to be responsible for each other. We're together all the time. We feel we're becoming a close-knit group and a family-type atmosphere. It's up to us to hold everybody accountable for his own actions."
He apparently lit into an assistant pretty good at practice. Also, he apparently is late to everything. Oh, and he is also reportedly a douche bag. Actually, that's not reportedly, that's just fact from watching his ridiculous ass for 4 years in the SEC.
This pick is becoming more insane by the second. I think everyone thought John Paxson should've traded down and gotten a lot more value as this draft was not real solid after the first 5 picks. I think that everyone was right. I cannot think of one person who thought this was a good move. I was hoping that I (and everyone in Chicago) had Noah wrong, and he would be a big part of a push for the Eastern Conference Title this year.
Yeah...not so much the case, apparently. Ugg.
Labels: Chicago Bulls, Joakim Noah, Terrible Draft Choices
Thursday, November 01, 2007
It's Basketball Time!
Finally, something to get my mind off this TERRIBLE football season! The NBA tipped off this week, and college basketball is getting underway with exhibitions (Kentucky came out on fire, as they'll be all season, the beginning of the Billy Clyde Era).
The most interesting thing going on right now? Probably has to be the Kobe-to-Chicago trade. What would you give up to get him? From ESPN.com, here are the possible scenarios:
1. "As ESPN.com reported on Saturday, the Lakers have asked for [Luol] Deng, [Tyrus] Thomas, guard Ben Gordon and rookie Joakim Noah as the core parts of any trade for Bryant."
-or-
2. "The Bulls, according to ESPN.com's source, are willing to offer an alternative package of Gordon, Noah and Thomas."
What would you do? Obviously, Kobe is one of the best players in the history of basketball. But do you really want to mess with your young core of players that many publications is picking to get to the NBA Finals as is, this year?
Personally, Option 1 is crazy. There's no way I do that trade. Option 2 is certainly plausable. I love Thomas, but who knows if he'll ever become anything more than a guy who can block anyone's shot and dunk hard. I love Gordon, but obviously Kobe is an upgrade times 100. Then there's Joke Noah. I'd trade him for a bag of nickles, just because he is a giant douche bag, and I'm not convinced he will ever amount to much.
So, in my humble opinion, if they could talk the Lakers into Option #2, that would be awesome. I love Tyrus, but Kobe brings just a bit more to the table overall.
Thoughts? Opinions?
The most interesting thing going on right now? Probably has to be the Kobe-to-Chicago trade. What would you give up to get him? From ESPN.com, here are the possible scenarios:
1. "As ESPN.com reported on Saturday, the Lakers have asked for [Luol] Deng, [Tyrus] Thomas, guard Ben Gordon and rookie Joakim Noah as the core parts of any trade for Bryant."
-or-
2. "The Bulls, according to ESPN.com's source, are willing to offer an alternative package of Gordon, Noah and Thomas."
What would you do? Obviously, Kobe is one of the best players in the history of basketball. But do you really want to mess with your young core of players that many publications is picking to get to the NBA Finals as is, this year?
Personally, Option 1 is crazy. There's no way I do that trade. Option 2 is certainly plausable. I love Thomas, but who knows if he'll ever become anything more than a guy who can block anyone's shot and dunk hard. I love Gordon, but obviously Kobe is an upgrade times 100. Then there's Joke Noah. I'd trade him for a bag of nickles, just because he is a giant douche bag, and I'm not convinced he will ever amount to much.
So, in my humble opinion, if they could talk the Lakers into Option #2, that would be awesome. I love Tyrus, but Kobe brings just a bit more to the table overall.
Thoughts? Opinions?
Labels: Ben Gordan, Chicago Bulls, Clown Noah, College Basketball, Kobe Bryant, Lost Angeles Lakers, Luol Deng, NBA
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Good Guys: 2 Old, Overrated Guys: 0
The Bulls continued their systematic dismantling of the reigning NBA Champion Miami Heat, 107-89.
Chicago shot 55.1% from the field, including 64.7% (!) from three. Ben Gordon and Luol Deng led the way offensively with 27 and 26 points each, respectively.
I, for one, am not the slightest bit suprised by this. Yes, it is easy to write off a comment like this from me as I have always loved the Bulls. However, this year is different. I really did not watch much of the NBA this season until the final month of the season, when Pete and I began our enjoyable late night "Tyrus Thomas is sweet" and "Golden State vs. the Suns is like watching the best game of pickup basketball...ever" text message sessions.
Since then, I have felt that the Bulls are a big-time threat to make it to the NBA Finals. So I probably shouldn't have been suprised when my friends at ESPN decided to go ahead and pick against them almost across the board (I figured I would stick with a coherent theme posting over the past couple of days: ESPN sucks). Here are some examples:
--Jeff Weltman (ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc.): "In other words, this series will come down largely to controlling tempo. With Shaq, Alonzo, and a host of quality wing defenders executing Riley's defensive machine, I don't want to bet against the Heat controlling tempo. Wade's shoulder and knee will clearly determine how Heat-like Miami is this series, but I'm assuming he is OK. PREDICTION: MIAMI 4, CHICAGO 2"
What is funny about Weltman is if you continue to read down to his bio, you uncover this nugget of goodness: "NBA analyst Jeff Weltman was assistant general manager of the Denver Nuggets from 2001 to 2006. From 1988 to 2001, he served the Los Angeles Clippers in various personnel, scouting and administrative roles." Wow. No wonder you're so good at breaking down the NBA, Jeff! ESPN only pulls those with the finest sports backgrounds, don't they? (See: Phillips, Steve)
--The other ESPN.com "experts:" Mark Anthony, Heat in 6; Broussard, Heat in 6; Hollinger, Bulls in 6; Sheridan, Heat in 7; Marc Stein, Heat in 6. As far as ESPN Radio goes, I have no links, but do not recall a single host or guest picking the Bulls.
Now, am I ready to say that this series is over? Hell no. We are dealing with a Chicago team here. But the way the Bulls have just destroyed Miami so far with overwhelming team athleticism and scoring ability, I just don't see how they can blow a 2-0 lead. And further proof that ESPN employs people who are paid to have an opinion...just not one they have to back up or anything.
Labels: Awesomeness, Chicago Bulls, ESPN, ESPN sucks, Miami Heat, NBA Playoffs
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