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, September 24, 2007
Louisiana: Putting Our Money Where It Counts
I think it is fair to say for myself--and all the contributors to this blog--that sports are a crucial and integral component of our society. Teams provide a positive entity for communities to rally behind and support. Sport programs can provide crucial arenas for kids, from learning about teamwork and hard work to providing a safe and positive activity for them to participate outside a difficult family life, bad neighborhood, etc.
None of that is a stretch by any means. With all of that said, the State of Louisiana brings you this:
"BATON ROUGE, La. -- A new training facility for the New Orleans Hornets will receive $14.5 million in state financing, under a plan approved Thursday by the State Bond Commission.
The state will spend $1.5 million on the practice center this year and the rest in later years.
The dollars were included in Gov. Kathleen Blanco's recommendations for construction projects to be funded with state dollars, and those recommendations received unanimous Bond Commission approval."
Now, keep in mind: this does not include the $6 million-plus that the City of New Orleans is pumping into the facility. So let's add this up:
Total Cost of Hornets' PRACTICE Facility: $20+ Million
Cost Picked Up By State of Louisiana: $14.5 Million
Cost Picked Up By City of New Orleans: $6 Million
Cost Picked Up By New Orleans Hornets' Ownership Group: $0.00
Um, I think there may be something wrong with this picture. There's also this "aside" at the end of the article (bolded by yours truly):
"In the meantime, the Hornets are practicing rent-free in the state-owned Alario Center in suburban Westwego, where they also practiced for their first three seasons in New Orleans before being temporarily displaced to Oklahoma City by Hurricane Katrina before the 2005-06 season."
Alright. So there's that. Let's pick up with historian (and former Tulane professor) Douglas Brinkley as to where the city is right now:
"...Brinkley added, noting that devastated neighborhoods like the Lower 9th Ward still lack schools and essential services. Banks, Brinkley said, are reluctant to grant loans for rebuilding in those areas, insurance companies disinclined to write policies."
"With 350 miles of levees needing attention and huge expanses of wetlands needing restoration — 1,900 square miles of wetlands have been lost since the 1930s — nothing less than a New Deal-magnitude public works project can save the Crescent City and coastal Louisiana, Brinkley said.
"I promise you," Brinkley told his audience, "New Orleans is not prepared for even a Category 1 hurricane."
Now, one could argue with his belief that it will take a "New Deal" approach to fix New Orleans--as a card-carrying Libertarian, I personally don't believe that is the case. That said, it doesn't really matter, because $80 billion (or whatever the number is--something like that) has been pumped into New Orleans alone to fix what happened with Katrina. And there is little positive progress to be shown for it. $80 billion!
Now, I know that to the government, $20 million of tax payer money is a drop in the bucket. But to be putting those type of funds towards a freaking basketball teams' PRACTICE FACILITY is simply unbelievable when one considers the juncture that the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana is at right now. Actually, "unbelievable" is the wrong word. "Unacceptable" is probably more appropriate. How do millionaire--check that, BILLIONAIRE--ownership groups sleep at night knowing that their practice facility is being paid for by a city and state that is, for all intensive purposes, bankrupt at this point? When the basic--basic!--fundamental needs of a port city whose complete infrastructure was destroyed and is desperate need of rebuilding? How is this possible?
I know that this was part of the original contract between New Orleans and the Hornets' ownership group in 2002. Since the City cannot fund the project due to the circumstances of the storm, the State jumped in to save them. I get that. But considering the city was COMPLETELY DESTROYED, you would think that perhaps the ownership of the Hornets might go ahead and "live" with practicing in the venue that the City is providing RENT FREE.
This is just a sad story that received no pub at all, which is amazing to me. The only reason I even knew about it is due to all the classic games and shows I have been recording on the NBA Channel, and it crawled across the news ticker. No one supports free enterprise, and I understand that businesses would be idiotic not to use state- and city-incentives to advance their company/organization. However, with that comes corporate responsibility and ethics. And the New Orleans Hornets' ownership group is CLEARLY devoid of this, and should be properly called out about it.
Unfortunately, the media and the public is too busy worrying about hard-hitting topics like CNN.com's 5th-highest e-mailed story "Town accepts role as Scientology's mecca," or stories about acupuncture.
But hey--what's $20 Million, right?
None of that is a stretch by any means. With all of that said, the State of Louisiana brings you this:
"BATON ROUGE, La. -- A new training facility for the New Orleans Hornets will receive $14.5 million in state financing, under a plan approved Thursday by the State Bond Commission.
The state will spend $1.5 million on the practice center this year and the rest in later years.
The dollars were included in Gov. Kathleen Blanco's recommendations for construction projects to be funded with state dollars, and those recommendations received unanimous Bond Commission approval."
Now, keep in mind: this does not include the $6 million-plus that the City of New Orleans is pumping into the facility. So let's add this up:
Total Cost of Hornets' PRACTICE Facility: $20+ Million
Cost Picked Up By State of Louisiana: $14.5 Million
Cost Picked Up By City of New Orleans: $6 Million
Cost Picked Up By New Orleans Hornets' Ownership Group: $0.00
Um, I think there may be something wrong with this picture. There's also this "aside" at the end of the article (bolded by yours truly):
"In the meantime, the Hornets are practicing rent-free in the state-owned Alario Center in suburban Westwego, where they also practiced for their first three seasons in New Orleans before being temporarily displaced to Oklahoma City by Hurricane Katrina before the 2005-06 season."
Alright. So there's that. Let's pick up with historian (and former Tulane professor) Douglas Brinkley as to where the city is right now:
"...Brinkley added, noting that devastated neighborhoods like the Lower 9th Ward still lack schools and essential services. Banks, Brinkley said, are reluctant to grant loans for rebuilding in those areas, insurance companies disinclined to write policies."
"With 350 miles of levees needing attention and huge expanses of wetlands needing restoration — 1,900 square miles of wetlands have been lost since the 1930s — nothing less than a New Deal-magnitude public works project can save the Crescent City and coastal Louisiana, Brinkley said.
"I promise you," Brinkley told his audience, "New Orleans is not prepared for even a Category 1 hurricane."
Now, one could argue with his belief that it will take a "New Deal" approach to fix New Orleans--as a card-carrying Libertarian, I personally don't believe that is the case. That said, it doesn't really matter, because $80 billion (or whatever the number is--something like that) has been pumped into New Orleans alone to fix what happened with Katrina. And there is little positive progress to be shown for it. $80 billion!
Now, I know that to the government, $20 million of tax payer money is a drop in the bucket. But to be putting those type of funds towards a freaking basketball teams' PRACTICE FACILITY is simply unbelievable when one considers the juncture that the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana is at right now. Actually, "unbelievable" is the wrong word. "Unacceptable" is probably more appropriate. How do millionaire--check that, BILLIONAIRE--ownership groups sleep at night knowing that their practice facility is being paid for by a city and state that is, for all intensive purposes, bankrupt at this point? When the basic--basic!--fundamental needs of a port city whose complete infrastructure was destroyed and is desperate need of rebuilding? How is this possible?
I know that this was part of the original contract between New Orleans and the Hornets' ownership group in 2002. Since the City cannot fund the project due to the circumstances of the storm, the State jumped in to save them. I get that. But considering the city was COMPLETELY DESTROYED, you would think that perhaps the ownership of the Hornets might go ahead and "live" with practicing in the venue that the City is providing RENT FREE.
This is just a sad story that received no pub at all, which is amazing to me. The only reason I even knew about it is due to all the classic games and shows I have been recording on the NBA Channel, and it crawled across the news ticker. No one supports free enterprise, and I understand that businesses would be idiotic not to use state- and city-incentives to advance their company/organization. However, with that comes corporate responsibility and ethics. And the New Orleans Hornets' ownership group is CLEARLY devoid of this, and should be properly called out about it.
Unfortunately, the media and the public is too busy worrying about hard-hitting topics like CNN.com's 5th-highest e-mailed story "Town accepts role as Scientology's mecca," or stories about acupuncture.
But hey--what's $20 Million, right?
Labels: Louisiana, New Orleans, New Orleans Hornets
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