Now, Im not going to throw away the Suns' fabulous win over the Spurs, but at the same time let's be real here. A single game during a tough streak of games hardly will make or break their season. Let's look at where things still stand before getting too excited.
First off the Suns are still in 6th place in the Western Conference, so the win neither moved them up or down the standings. Secondly it was a home game, and thirdly the Spurs were playing very lackluster, which surprised the heck out of me.
Yes, the Suns played probably one of their best overall games on offense and defense but they need to be able to string these kinds of games together. It starts one quarter at a time, then one half, then full games, then multiple games. Each step means more effort, more focus, and more concentration. The Suns have to demonstrate their willingness to make these commitments before anyone can say the game with the Spurs was anything other than a concentrated effort by a team desperately determined to keep from sinking further in the playoff standings.
One other thing to keep in mind regarding the Suns' recent record - the pre-all star break Suns played probably the softest schedule in the league except for perhaps maybe the Celtics, who also had a lot of games against the weaker echelon of teams in both conferences. Now they have the heart of their schedule along with a huge trade and retooling job to do, and to me it's those two factors that contribute more to their recent record than anything else.
All that said, it was a highly entertaining game, well played and executed on both sides of the ball by the Suns, and D'Antoni coached a FANTASTIC game! When Greg Popovitch compliments your coaching in his post game comments you know you did pretty damn good with your in game adjustments.
Just don't make it out to be more than it really was, one game, and they got another one coming right up. So too do the Spurs. In the end, that's all it means, one win, one loss, play the next team.
Before I dive headlong into my topic I just wanted to take a moment to comment on the Suns/Spurs game - That was VERY good game, with in game adjustments evident on both sides of the ball for both teams almost from the first whistle to the end of the game. It showed what the new look Suns CAN do, but they have to bring that effort every single night, not just against the teams who deserve it. A nce ray of hope however!
Ok, now on to the topic at hand. I've been able to watch a lot of games this season, more so than the last couple years, and it seems to me as if the officiating this season has gone from bad to AAAAATROCIOUS! Is this just my impression or do you share it ?
Before you answer the question, ask yourself this, because I have been asking myself: Are we perhaps being more sensitive to the non calls and flat out WRONG calls this year because of the referee gambling scandal from the off season has made us want to catch someone else at it, or are the refs this year just not calling the kinds of quality games we are used to seeing?
I've seen players get hammered, bounced around like a pinata, commit clearly offensive fouls, and nearly all the time the Three Blind Mice either #### their whistles or call it the wrong way. I've seen more official conferences this year than in the past 5 years, and nearly every time they seem to get it wrong even when they all meet to discuss it.
I can point to one statistic this year as a measurement that something is clearly wrong with the officiating: This season thus far has seen more games in which one team has doubled (or more) the opposing teams free throw numbers than any season since the 1950's. More often than not one team will get a huge benefit of free three attempts while the other team can do the exact same things and get no calls. The "make up" calls for foulups seems to be nonexistant this season, or they only come along when certain superstars and media darlings are playing.
Is it just me ? Am I perhaps looking for something that's not there? I know we all want to blame the refs for our teams losing, but to counter that argument I would respectfully point out that I am not singling out a specific team or individual, the problem seems consistent across the NBA, even when you got two teams as bad as the Bulls and Heat playing one team seems to get all the calls while the other team gets none.
Why do I bring this up now you may be asking. Simple, the playoffs are right around the corner, when every game MEANS something, as it's just one more game away from going home or going on. Let's say we get a first round matchup of the Mavs and Lakers. Would you rather the game be decided by one team shooting 30 free throws to the other team's 12 or less? What if it's a series deciding game? In those kinds of games where all is on the line is it REALLY possible to have one team making all the fouls while the other team walks on water?
The NBA officiating crew this season seems to be almost myopic in their approach this season, like the scandal during the offseason has made them not care as much about their jobs as professional level referees. Ive seen players get hammered at the basket, no call, and then they call a technical on the player or the coach when he asks what the hell happened to their whistle. So the opposing team that is being very physical is getting REWARDED for hammering the other guy by getting a free throw or two when the other guy asks a question.
I don't get it. NBA officiating has always been dubious (more so than any other professional sport because NBA refs are the ONLY ones not publicly accountable for screwing up calls or games), but this season it's like they are thumbing their collective noses to any and every one who is watching. They're gonna call their game, their way, and if you don't like it here's a couple T's for your team's players that will entice you to change the channel.
The way the regular season has been officiated to this point, I must admit this is the one worrisome note I have heading in to the playoffs. We, the fans, have a shot at one of THE most memorable playoff seasons in the last 15 years.
Now if only it will be called right down the line, we can truly enjoy it. But will it be ?
Well, as Hoffman and I have both been teasing a blog regarding Avery Johnson, I figured I would bite the bullet as it were and go ahead with my thoughts on Dallas' biggest weakness.
Go back to the days when Don Nelson was in charge of the Mavs and you had a team that would run you out of the gym but let you keep up with them scoring wise. They were exciting, powerful, and frenetic, but as with all Nelson coached teams they were a regular season team, not a playoff team, and so they sputtered.
Enter Avery Johnson, who was groomed for the position almost from the moment he was hired. Once he assumed the head coaching duties his first step was to convert the Mavs from a shoot the lights out team into a defensive team that could shoot. The results were a wonderful run in the playoffs that year that culminated in a hotly contested series with his old team, the Spurs, which Dallas won, albeit barely.
Then in the finals they got hammered by the Dwayne Wade show, and the Mavs have never recovered. They played last year as if the regular season and playoffs were just a formality, the NBA title was already on their mantle, then they ran into Golden State's buzzsaw and found out just how good they were NOT.
This year they are up, down, in, out, all over the place, unable to put together any real momentum despite their strong record. They beat the teams they should beat (90% of the NBA), and lost to those they should lose to (the best of the rest), and have a record that will look good on paper but only if that paper is tissue.
So what's wrong here? Why are the Mavs such a mess after Avery's first magical season?
From my perspective it seems like Avery is in a constant struggle to truly find who HE is as a coach, and this is affecting him and his team. When he first took over the team, he was almost cocky, which for him is almost unheard of (I loved his attitude as a player). Here's a guy who went undrafted as a player, found a niche with the Spurs that netted him a championship ring and the respect of David Robinson and Greg Popovitch, and next he is given the reigns of the Mavericks by a boss who happens to be a billionaire! Who could blame him for feeling a little cocky?
Avery tries various management techniques (player councils, on floor coaches, individual responsibilities, etc) but always has to take them back and assume the full reigns himself. Its almost like he wants to be a hands off manager but can't bring himself to really do it.
So where did this all begin? I believe it started at the end of the NBA Finals when they lost to Shaq and the Heat. I remember watching that series, I was rooting for either team, so I was happy, but what amazed me was that after putting in dazzling plays and going for broke during the Western Conference series against the Spurs Avery suddenly went into conservative mode, doubling up on Shaq to the point of absurdity when it was clear that Wade was the real threat. For some reason he didn't let his players PLAY, he micromanaged that NBA finals series to death and lost as a result of his lack of confidence in the very coaching skills that got him to that point!
Then came the year after, and I remember watching Mavs games and shaking my head in sadness. I actually won money (I rarely if ever gamble on basketball but this time I was really sure of my instincts) when the Mavs finished with the best record in the league but lost in the first round. Teams reflect their coach's attitudes, and IMO the problem with the Mavs last year was that Avery Johnson was so embarassed that he got beat by the Heat in the finals the previous year that every team in the league would have to pay for that embarassment by getting pounded into the ground.
As a parallel to what I am talking about I would like to compare the Mavs of last year to the Patriots of this year in the NFL. Both teams came in to the season after an embarassing loss where they were the overwhelming favorite (Mavs lost to the Heat, Patriots had lost to the Colts in the conference finals the year before). Both teams reflected their coach's attitude that the league's other teams will pay for their embarassment by pounding into submission every team they play against the following year (The Mavs last year were accused of running up the scores in their games just like the Patriots were this past year in the NFL). And then came time for the playoffs, and the Pats and Mavs were both beaten by a combination of their coach's attitude and a team who was quite literally gunning for them, and as a result the embarassment is even worse than before.
This year Avery is coaching like he feels he has to shake things up, make changes, excite his players, when all he REALLY has to do is sit back and let the machine he helped build run itself! The Mavs are still playing like they have that "deer in the headlights" look in their eyes and it exactly matches the look in AJ's eyes. It's like he has forgotten what he needs to do and needs to be for this team to succeed.
Avery lost his swagger in the NBA Finals two years ago, the probem is he does not realize it and so cannot get it back, and the Mavs will continue to have their problems as a result.
Jason Kidd is not the answer for this problem. Anytime you trade half your team for a superstar only to sit said superstar on the bench during crunch time against the team you will most likely have to go through to win a title is nothing short of ludicrous. Mark Cuban must have been thinking "Wait a sec, Im paying Keith Van Horn $4 million to sit on a bench in New Jersey just so that Jason Kidd can sit on a bench too?"
Any team as loaded with talent as the Mavs are will post a solid regular season record and make the playoffs, their record is NO indication of the lurking problems that are soon to be exploited BIGtime by the Popovitch's, Sloan's and Jackson's of the coaching world. They have figured it out too, make Avery afraid, and you make the Mavs afraid as well, and then you can tear them apart.
I hate to say this, but the best thing that the Mavs could have done to win a title THIS year would have been to keep their team and change their coach (Rick Carlisle anyone?) The initial success of his first full year as coach has proven hard to duplicate for Avery, and I do not sense Cuban is the kind of owner to put all kinds of pressure on his employees, so Avery I think is doing this to himself, and the end result is a team that plays as uncertain and as fearful of what's around the next bend in the road as their coach seems to be.
It will be entertaining at least, because the Mavs are a solid offensive team with sparks of great defense, but at the end of the day AJ's personal flaws, reflected on his team, will be the tiny crack that the experienced NBA coaches he will face in the playoffs will be only to happy to bust big and wide when the time comes.
It's truly a pity for one of the most respected, but internally uncertain, coaches in the NBA.
Well, one thing is for certain, this has DEFINITELY not been dull since the All Star break!
We had huge trades, shakeups all over the league, and then there's that silly little problem of a probable 50 win team not making the playoffs in one conference while more than likely a team with a losing or .500 record will make the playoffs in another conference. So who's got the real mojo now, and who's lost it? Let's look at the teams who made the most and biggest moves and analyze their probable playoff projections as things stand now. I rank each team based on my own impressions, feel free to comment:
1. San Antonio Spurs - Im not the biggest fan of the Spurs, but Im also a straight shooter. The Spurs gave up the least next to the Lakers to get a player that can help them in the playoffs (Kurt Thomas), and then they get back one of the players in a month (Brent Barry). Say what you like about this, but it's SMART. Ever since the all-star break the Spurs have been playing at an amazing pace, but even more amazing is that it's not a playoff pace yet. Popovich has them in end-of-season form a little earlier than usual, because he knows full well that more than any other year in recent memory home court will REALLY matter in the playoffs, and the less travelling you have to do the better this off-season. The Spurs are going to be a very tough team to beat this year, because they seem bound and determined to prove once and for all they are NOT a soft champion, and to beat an NBA this competetive would solidify their claims to historical greatness. For once, I am on their side, I would like to see it happen, they are the Patriots without the cocky swagger, and I can live with that.
2. Los Angeles Lakers - When did "Showtime" come back to L.A.? The Lakers gave up a bunch of scrubs, got a solid (if underutilized before now) Pau Gasol, and suddenly POOF they are playing like it's the 80's again! The biggest difference maker to me is that Kobe has stopped trying to be the "man" for 48 minutes and instead focuses this into the final 8 minutes of the game, and that spurt of focused intensity is proving devastating for nearly every team out there. The rest of the game he is the playmaker and the leader everyone clamored for him to be all along. I can live with this Kobe Bryant, and I can root for this team thats playing an extremely solid style of ball that is eerily similar to the all out triangle offenses of the Bulls' haydays. There's still a part of me that wonders if all the pre season "trade me" stuff was just a smoke screen to make the team gel together, if so, I have no complaints, it's proven to have worked perfectly. The Lakers have gone from a first round exit waiting to happen to being the team NO ONE wants to face in round one.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers - Ok, so you rip apart the team that got to the NBA finals last season, trade off most of them, bring in a whole bunch of underachievers from other teams, and the one thing that hasn't changed is that LeBron really has no help, but they are still winning. Either the Cavs' management are the biggest bunch of #### savants the NBA has ever seen or we are missing something here, and I think what we are missing is just how amazing a player LeBron really is. Ok, so in the cluch he can be made mortal, but for the other 43 minutes of the game he is simply unstoppable. Now if only his team could do for him what the Lakers are doing for Kobe, and allow LeBron to focus that intensity into the final 8 minutes of the game only, and the Celtis and Pistons would be deeply concerned. Until that can happen, the burden of carrying so many big men on his broad shoulders will keep making King James the best NBA player to not win a title of this generation.
4. Boston Celtics - The no longer thought of but hardly forgotten trades of the pre season that led to their resurgence cannot be overlooked, nor should they be. The Celtics are proving to the regular season at least that they will be the class of the NBA come playoff time. The real problem will be injuries and having the target on their backs, because EVERYONE will be gunning these guys as we get closer and closer to the playoffs, and they are already showing signs of slowing down. The biggest mistake Doc Rivers would ever make would be to rest his stars and sit on their record in order to give them time to get healthy. These guys will have to be ready to play through pain to win the title this year, so he better get them ready for it now. I love what the Celtics have done for the NBA this year, but I just see too many cracks showing right now to even say they will come out of the east let alone win it all. And the upcoming addition of Sam Cassell is NOT going to help, Sam I Am is just too old and too self centered to really make a big #### on this kind of a stage, but he will at least give them some extra scoring in key moments (poor man's Robert Horry in a way). In the end, I am afraid it will be close but no cigar this year for the Celtics.
5. Dallas Mavericks - I think after 2 years I have finally spotted the Mavs major weakness, and it's Avery Johnson. I know he has turned the Mavs from a scoring first team into a decent (but still overrated) defensive team, but in the end, he is gun shy. Avery has a game plan and sticks to it almost to the bitter end. The addition of Jason Kidd will ONLY help if he is allowed to play his style of ball, not Avery Johnson's. Let Kidd be the leader you traded half the team for and you might have a chance, sort of like what D'Antoni does with Steve Nash, who is the on court coach and D'Antoni is the time out/off court coach. Avery may be one of the nicest and most respected men in the league, but in the end he is not flexible enough to take this team to the next level, and this is showing in his team over the past 2 years, and the recent overtime loss to the Lakers is a solid example, as they had no fire in their eyes, no anger, no WILL to win that game, while the Lakers just went out in OT and burned them. Don't even get me started on the Spurs game with Kidd on the bench at crunch time, that's almost a whole blog in itself! No fire = no title, and the Mavs have no fire at all right now. They'll barely make the 2nd round at this rate.
6. Phoenix Suns - Ah how the mighty have fallen. Now don't get me wrong, I am not signing off on the Shaq trade, nor do I think it was a horrible deal overall. I just think the expectations are a bit too high for this early in the trade to say the Suns are done. Do I think they can win it all, sure I do, but Im a Suns homer, albeit an objective one. The flaws are right there for all to see, the Suns are HORRIBLE on defense, and their offense is spluttering like bacon in a too greasy pan on Sunday morning. How much of that is the lack of Marion or the addition of Shaq is an open debate, but in the end each is only one man, so each has to bear the burden of their own. The Suns can make this work, and the one thing I can point to is what I said at the announcement of the trade, having a happy locker room in a league with margins this small is amazingly powerful. As long as the Suns are not giving up on themselves or the season I don't see where we can either. Will they set the world on fire with defense, no, but they will make it entertaining as hell along the way at least! Next year I think will be their year.
As for the others who made moves, they can't even register on the radar right now. Marion must be wondering what time warp he entered going from the #1 ranked team in the tough West to the worst team in the NBA, and Seattle must be drooling at the thought of all the cap room and draft picks they will have (Too bad Seattle FANS will never see them).
Team to watch out for: Hornets, plain and simple. I said before they play the toughest schedule of the 2nd half and they are still in there and slugging it out with the big boys.
Team to stay away from: Jazz - no one wants to see them on their schedule right now, especially if you are a Western Conference team, they are the spoiler team of the West if you are on the playoff bubble.
Mid-season Whiner award Isiah Thomas. I remember once Charles Barkley saying that Jerry Reinsdorf had to have pictures of the Bulls owner fornicating with farm animals in order to keep his job, but I find myself wondering what skeleton Thomas has on the Knicks ownership to keep HIS job. Has there EVER been a worse coach, for a more high profile team, that has NOT been shown the door after even ONE season of ineptitude this bad, let alone MULTIPLE years? Bring in Jerry Colangelo, Snoopy, John Wooden, Buck Rogers, ANYONE for god's sake, but get rid of Isiah! And now he doesn't want to talk about Marbury anymore..ok..let's just go back to that other little topic that kept your name in the papers during the pre-season...you remember Isiah, that little legal trouble you so smarmily smiled through? If ever there was a "Teflon Don" in the NBA it would have to be Isiah Thomas.
For the first time in several years, I can honestly say I look forward to watching regular season NBA games.
Don't get me wrong, I love the NBA, but in recent years the regular season product has been decidedly "hum drum", with only the Suns providing some real excitement to what is an otherwise boring grind of 82 games. Now we have something to look forward to!
Let's just throw out out the "what team traded for this or that player" for the time being, the trade deadline's passed, and now it's time for everyone to make their stretch runs, and for once even some of the teams in the East are going to be worth watching! (Besides Detroit I mean).
Look at it this way - Several teams revamped their rosters completely (Cleveland, Dallas), some made modest but powerful moves (Houston, New Orleans), some built for the future (OH good lord the Sonics!!), while others decided the time is now! (Lakers, Suns). And then, in the midst of it all, there is the sleeper trade of them all, where the quiet, steady Spurs gain a highly underrated force in Kurt Thomas. I would challenge you to find another mid season trade deadline where so many teams made so many moves for so many different reasons. Amazing!
Now, despite what all the pundits out there will say, that the Western Conference playoffs will be insane while the East will be relatively quick and easy, I will concede that could be the case. But I think that once the first round is over, the Eastern Conference playoffs will be just as intense as the West will be, because the top four teams in the East (Boston, Destroit, Cleveland and Orlando) are very well matched up against one another. Remember last year where the East was mostly sweep after sweep (or lose just 1 game in the series) - We didnt get a good series until the Cavs/Pistons in the East finals. I don't see that happening this year.
As for the West, good god. This is...WOW...This is going to be one of the best off seasons ever, and what's ####y to me is that through all the hubub of trades and changes, as much as I absolutely HATE to admit this, I would not be surprised to see the Spurs come out of the West. In the playoffs chemistry is just as important as defense to winning a championship, and NO ONE except the Pistons can compare with the Spurs when it comes to Chemistry.
I am a Suns' Homer, of course, never denied it, but I always try to call a #### a #### (so to speak), and to all the Spurs Homers out there, my hat's off to you, the Spurs' management steered a very unsteady course with all the trades, stuck to their guns, and in the end picked up a potent (if limited) big man in Kurt Thomas who will give them even more of a defensive presence and another mid range shooter with a solid touch. Great pickup by the Spurs and much as in the Gasol trade, you didn't have to give up much of anything to get him.
The team I feel got hosed the worst in this bout of trades was Cleveland. Poor LeBron, the man just can't get the help he really needs. They blew up the team mid season and got older, slower, and less athletic, and didn't shore up ANY of their weaknesses (on either side of the ball), which means King James will win the MVP award but probably be bounced in the 2nd round when Ben Wallace decides to resume his late season nap.
Next most hosed is the Mavs, who would have won this award if the Cavs deal hadn't come down at the last minue. Kidd's good, but not that good, and he's never been that good with a skilled big man (Kidd's good at passing IN to the basket, Dirk plays more away from it), and in the end, I feel this just hastened the end of the Mavs run near the top of the elite teams by about 2 years. Their window just closed and they have little to build on towards the future, having traded away their best young players and several key draft picks. It's a shame, I like the Mavs.
The unqualified winner of the Trade game was the Sonics, who basically called a Mulligan on this season, will play it out for experience, and solidified their future through at least 2010. The only pity in all of this is that because of the pissing match between the owners and the city of Seattle that the real winners of this trade bonanza will be whatever city the Sonics move to. That is the true shame, because the fans in Seattle deserve MUCH better than what they are getting from both their city managers and the ownership of the Sonics.
You talk about the Suns, the Lakers, and every other team who did or did not make moves (major or minor) during this mid season, and in the end it all boiled down to this. The bigget winner of all?
US!!!!!!!!!!! We FINALLY came out ahead here! WOOHOO!!!
I'll give credit where it's due, the NBA puts on the best "all star" show beyond a doubt, the Pro Bowl, MLB and NHL all star games pale in comparison, and this Saturday I think we got a real treat.
First off, the Shooting Stars competition. I'll admit to having a geekout moment when I saw David Robinson, who is one of my top 5 favorite players since I've been watching the NBA (29 years). I was also happy to see EJ (Eddie Johnson), and BJ Armstrong, the shooting stars is a cool competition, actually, one I've begun to look forward to each year, and this year was a good one, and I found the commentary HILARIOUS! Reggie's comment about Duncan and Robinson setting back shooters by 100 years by winning made me totally crack up, and Duncan's comment about how they expected their WNBA partner to be the one to carry the team shocked me, as Duncan actually said something humorous! :) Good start to the night
Next, the Skills Challenge. One thing I have noticed about this one over the last couple years, the younger guys are actually starting to show some skills. This year was better quality than in other years, with the exception of Kidd and Wade's shooting woes. This is one competition I think should be more geared to the "coming out" players, but I have no problem with them having established stars competing to increase it's visibility. Williams was SUPERB, and Utah, you got one hell of a point guard there!
Three point Shootout had me laughing out loud with the commentary, I really enjoy Kenny, Charles and Reggie when the lights are on and there is no pressure to call a game. I love seeing Dirk shoot, but I think he's a one round wonder in this competition, he tends to fade in the finals usually, and I think it's because he's so tall, his length hurts him having to shoot that many shots for multiple rounds so quickly. Nonetheless, good opening round (Nash should have said thank but no thanks, sorry Steve), and the finals was good, Kopono is a highly underrated shooter, and it was good to see him repeat.
Now the crown jewel, the Slam Dunk contest. I was SO glad they got rid of the gimmicks and let the players be creative again. This was a throwback to the dunk contests I used to enjoy back in the 80's and early 90's, and I had a total geekout moment with the Dwight Howard "Superman" dunk, that was a moderately normal dunk (with an astonishing leap), coupled by wonderful presentation, that's what the dunk contest is all about, doing the dunks and getting the crowd into it. The "Birthday Cake" dunk suffered from the same problem Howard had last year with his "sticker" dunk, the judges couldn't see what he did so they scored it badly. The finals were just as good as the first round, and I found myself feeling thoroughly entertained by the dunk contest, with a worthy winner in Dwight Howard, I just hope he comes back next year to defend the title!
Only criticism on the dunk contest were the judges. Dawkins should NEVER be a dunk judge, he's too wrapped up in his own legend to be objective, and Dr. J, much as I love the guy, gets a bit too wrapped up in his voice sometimes. 'Nique and Magic looked the most enthusiastic to be judging the event, and Karl Malone had a look that said "I gave up a hunting trip for this?" He just looked completely bored and disgusted, which I thought was more than a bit inappropriate considering.
I have to agree with Kenny's comment regarding the Dwight Howard show - "When Kobe Bryant is up on his feet over a dunk, you KNOW you did a good one!", and this year's contest had Kobe and other stellar dunkers on their feet several times.
GREAT SHOW NBA - Thank you! Now let's just hope the All Star game is this entertaining!
I'll preface this blog by stating up front I think the Jason Kidd trade is a bad idea for the Mavs, but then again, how many trades ever really work out (the last one I can think of that actually delivered a title was Shaq to Miami).
Now, on to my take on Devean George's hold out on being traded so he doesn't lose his "Early Bird" rights.
The issue at hand is whether or not he will be giving up any money by allowing himself to be traded, or staying with the Mavs where he can get resigned for UP TO 175% of his current salary (2.4 mill).
Bear in mind those two words in caps - UP TO. There's nothing saying the Mavs have to sign him for anything more than he is making right now, and as for his "worth" to other NBA team, allow me to copy in an interesting factoid from his Wikipedia profile:
After the end of the 2006-07 NBA season, George became an unrestricted free agent. The Mavericks gave him and his agent a chance to opt in or opt out of a possible second season with the Mavericks at $2.16 m. As of June 30, George decided to opt out of a second season with the Mavericks but eventually, with no other choices, re-signed on July 9 to a $2.5M deal
SO let's see here, he tested the waters on this last off season, and found NO ONE WANTED him, so he was left with no choice but to take what the Mavs were offering. Now, at last, there is another team that wants him, and he wants to stay put for what? Maybe he would get a cost of living raise of about 100k, but do you think the Mavs are going to want to resign him after this?
I tend to lean towards Charles Barkley's statement of "if the team you're on don't want you, then just GO." Never was this more true of Devean George, a man with all the talent to be a true force in the league but has let money and whomever whispers in his ear make him feel he is better than he is. He is averaging 4 maybe 5 points a game right now, and he makes over 2 mill a year. Most players can't even get a tryout with an NBA team for those kinds of numbers. George might think one thing, but the reality is that the ship has sailed on his Mavs career, or they wouldn't have traded him. Who is this guys' agent again, and what planet does he reside on ?
No GM will sign him after this mess because he's just proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is all about the money, and not about the effort required to EARN that money. In the two games he played since the trade fiasco began, he's been a useless non factor, and for this he wants more money. He will be lucky if next year he doesn't have to wear a "will do layups for bling' sign around his neck to find another team interested in him (then again, maybe the Washington Generals will be hiring)
Maybe the Nets DID get lucky after all - they just avoided adding more dead weight to their ship! :)
Sometimes I truly wonder why I am a sports fan, especially when you consider how the people who play the sports I enjoy seem to care less about the game than I do.
Take a good long look at your favorite team(s), and I will bet you that at least half of team members could give a rat's spit about you or any other fan for that matter. They care about #1, first and foremost, and the virtually anyone else can go take a flying leap, in their opinion.
Now, with that said, let me qualify this a bit, because I know I've just sounded harsh. I accept they give up a LOT to be famous, most notably their privacy. But then again, they get paid a staggering amount of money to do what they do, and part of that salar includes being good ambassadors for the games they play in order to keep the road paved for those who come after them.
I'll throw out three personal experiences as examples of what I am talking about here:
Back when I was in my teens, and we called the Phoenix Suns the Phoenix Nuns (because they won NUN of their games at the time, the team being jacked up on coke for the most part), I attended a home game against the Lakers with my Grandfather. He was a bus driver, and a guy whom he picked up every day gave my grandfather his pair of courtside tickets because he thought he was a damn nice guy (quite astute of him, because my grandfather WAS a damn nice guy). Anyways, after the game was over, and Showtime had driven the Nuns into another drug induced coma, as he was leaving the court my Grandfather reached out to shake Magic Johnson's hand as he walked by, and Magic not only stopped to shake his hand, he gave me his towel he had thrown around his neck and shook my hand as well, saying "thanks for coming out to see us all play". He didn't have to do it, but Magic was, for all his other faults, a great ambassador of the game, and he realized that without us sitting in the seats, there's no money to pay for those houss, cars, and "posse's" that today's players seem to take so much for granted. Needless to say it made quite an impression on me.
A few years later I was in a video store deciding on a rental, when in walked Richard Dumas, who was at one time quite the rising star for the Suns before drugs and some serious personal issues got in the way. He was alone, except for a woman on his arm, and he was almost immediately surrounded by fans, except for me. Don't ask me why but my gut told me "hey, this guy's on his own time, leave him alone" so I went about my business, and when I was walking out after picking out my videos, Dumas caught me at the door, and he offered me his autograph, since I was wearing a Suns T-shirt at the time. I thanked him and said he didn't have to, I knew he was there to do something personal, and he said "I know, that's why I'm offering, you were the only one who had that kind of respect, so I wanted to say thanks, and thanks for being a fan of the Suns." And with that he took out his pen and autographed my receipt.
Now the third tale. This took place about 5 years after the Dumas incident, and the company I was working for had scored a luxury box for a Suns/Bulls home game. As one of the managers, I got to go. We lost the game (I have NEVER been to a Suns home game where we have won, curiously enough, I've only ever seen them lose, though I have seen them win on the road, go figure), and afterwards I watched John Paxson and Bill Cartwright walk over with Kevin Johnson to a boy at courtside who was in a wheelchair, and they gave him a signed basketball, and stood for photo's after they wheeled him out on the court. I found out later through the local paper that the boy in question just happened to be there, and was a huge fan of both teams. The players got wind of it and set the whole thing up during halftime as a surprise for the boy. It wasn't a Make-A-Wish kind of thing, or something they had to do to get their names in the paper, it was just something they did because they wanted to.
Look, I'm not saying that pro athletes need to do these kinds of things on an everyday basis, they have their lives to live just like we do, they just have a lot more means than we do to live their life, that's all. But when you hear pro athletes, who make as a yearly MINIMUM more than most of us will make in a lifetime, whine and complain about the pay, and then at the same time basically treat the job as a 9-5 occupation, it's amazing that we as a society tolerate that.
Basic rule of business is this, whenever a company pays you $1 in salary they are expecting to make at least $1.25 back, and as you climb up the ladder that ratio gets larger and larger, to where if you make $100k the company will expect about $400k in revenue from you for whatever it is you do. Now apply that ratio to a multimillionaire pro athlete, and you find the ratio to be enormous.
Just in the recent sports news, you have athletes who refuse to face reality and admit their responsibility (Clemens) all in the name of protecting their so called legacy (whereas no one ever thinks that by just standing up and saying "I did it" their legacy would actually be more solidified), to the Latrell Sprewells who think $25 million dollars isn't enough to feed a family (I would like to take him to a third world country and show him how many families that kind of money could feed), and now you have Devean George, who is basically a scrub, playing scrub minutes and giving scrub productivity, but has a heightened sense of self importance to the point where he wants to hold up a trade that would improve his team's chances of winning a title (supposedly, I'll write more on the trade if it goes through), just so his "small salary" could possibly grow next year.
Hate to tell you Mr George, but you just killed your chances of getting any kind of a contract for anything other league minimum by what you just did. I'm all for looking out for number one, but sometimes when you are a pro athlete, and you play like #2, you gotta just shut up, drop to your knees, and thank God almighty that someone with so little real talent is permitted to make that kind of money in the first place, and not go looking for more money that you haven't earned.
Again, it all comes down to professionalism, and respect. Those that have it, for themselves, the game, and the fans, HAVE legacies that we all celebrate and admire. Those who don't have these priorities tend to end up like so many other has beens and never was, just a footnote in someone's team roster.
Ok, I've just pushed the OFF button on my Rant. Thanks for reading!
Well, since this is the time of year to give to your "significant other", I thought I would go on a buying spree and offer some of my favorite (and not so favorite, I'm equal opportunity) players and teams some Valentine's Day presents. So without further ado:
*****To the Phoenix Suns I offer a gift that will at least keep on giving in the short term, that being a healthy Shaquille O'Neal. I think everyone is in some form of agreement that if Shaq is healthy this was one heck of a deal for the Suns which should finally allow them to get over the hump and win that elusive title. The next thing I would offer the Suns would be an insurance policy that the new management will not take one of the more lucrative franchises in the Western Conference and ruin it (those of us who live in Arizona are still worried that when this team runs it's course we won't see another one like it for a good long while)
*****To the Dallas Mavericks, I give the gift of a clue. While I saw this trade coming a mile off, I still can't imagine why the heck they pulled the trigger on this one. Jason Kidd has always been and always will be one of the best point guards who will never win a title, and that reason is quite simple, at the end of the day, despite all those wonderful stats, if you look below the surface, Kidd is all about Jason Kidd, he is not about his team. Then you add to that problem the misdiagnosis of the real problem in Dallas (it isn't the point guard position), and I figure this particular gift of a clue would be quite appropriate given the circumstances and the looming trade.
*****To the US Senate Subcommittee who wasted hours of time and millions of dollars, I would, with respect, offer the gift of a college US History course specializing in Civil Rights and the development of the legal system. That travesty of a hearing today, in which half the senators were blasting Clemens, the other half Macnamee, was the biggest joke I have ever seen since the Clarence Thomas hearings. It was SO obvious most of these "lawmakers" had their minds made up before the hearings, and they made no effort to conceal this whatsoever. Now, while the court of public opinion may take the stand of Guilty until proven Innocent, in the legal system, regardless of if it is a court of law or a senate hearing room, these representatives of our judicial system should realize it's actually the other way around. Watching that joke today made me actually embarassed for BOTH men. And at the end of the day, not one step forward was taken in any direction, so what was the point again? Go back the beginning, Senators, and relearn the basics (this would be a '101' class, of course).
*****To the WWE's Vince McMahon, I would give the gift of Roger Clemens and Brian Macnamee in a PPV steel cage match, winner has to give the loser a shot of steroids in the #### on live television. Look at it this way, LOTS of people would buy that PPV, and when it was all over we would know that SOMEONE took those damn roids and we can all stop debating it! (Though I would have Pete Rose do a run-in to cause interference because he bet on the outcome but didn't want to admit to it)
*****To the Dallas Cowboys, a team I do not particularly care for, I would nonetheless give the gift of a padlock. Hey, SOMETHING's gotta keep Parcell's from his continual raiding of the Cowboy's cupboard!
*****To ESPN I would give the gift of imagination. Need I say more ?
*****To the New England Patriots, I would give the gift of ensuring Randy Moss signs with another team. Hey, you KNOW an implosion is coming sooner or later, and the Patriots are just too damn much fun to watch. I really dont want to see them get turned into "just another team Moss wrecked".
*****To the Boston Celtics, I would give the gift of another title were it in my power to do so. Having grown up watching the Bird/Magic battles of the 80's, to see this once proud franchise be so far down, only to climb so far up again, is heartening. I would love to see them win another title (even though I despised them when they played the Lakers LOL)
*****Last but certainly not least, I would offer the following gifts to all the readers of these blogs: (1) Open Mind, to see beyond loyaltiesand rhetoric. (2) A reminder to tell that special someone just how important they really are to you. While this is something that should be done more than just Valentine's Day, this day is nonetheless a special one, don't forget there is someone out there who does love you, don't forget to love them back, ok?
Thanks for reading, now go take your Valentine out for dinner! :)
I kind of realized the other day that while I title my Blog "Ramblings from a Desert Sun", I haven't done any rambling lately, I've been talking about specific things, so since I was overdue for a "rambling" blog, here you are...You are invited to comment or add to any of this:
***** If Greg Popovitch wants there to be a "trade committee" to handle proposed trades, shouldn't we also have an "official's committee" to handle proposed official misconduct?
***** Am I the only one who feels that it's bad enough we have to listen to these politician simper and shine us on in order to get us to vote for them (primaries) but now we have to listen to them simper and shine us on regarding steroids and baseball? Find me a news channel where they are not talking about either the senate committee hearings or the primaries and I will gladly tune in. Meantime I'm just changing the channel.
***** Does anyone actually feel better about this whole Roger Clemens shindig? Look, if took the 'roids, he took the 'roids, if he didn't he didn't, but someone please tell me why *I* should care what a millionaire sports figure does when millions of us blue collar people show up for work just as wired on energy drinks and caffeine tablets as these guys are in the games? Face facts politicians, the genie is out of the bottle, and she ain't getting back in, so stop wasting our time, please.
***** Do you think the NBA will ever stop trying to "spruce up" the slam dunk contest and get back to making it what it SHOULD be in the first place, that being the guy who can most effectively and crowd pleasingly dunk the damn ball? Though I must admit I am curious to see what kind of plot twist they have in mind this year (it's going to be better than the latest Stephen King novel that's a lock!)
***** So Bill Walton thinks the Shaq trade is a joke, eh? Gee, I wonder if that is because his son plays for the Lakers? LOL
***** Speaking of which, WHY, after all these years, do we STILL have this whole Kobe/Shaq thing going on? Are the sportswriters THAT lazy now that they have to dredge up this old wive's tale? It's the sort of thing that's like Paris Hilton - she's famous for WHAT again? Kobe/Shaq - we are talking about this again for WHAT reason? Because no one has anything better to do, probably.
***** Things that make go BLEH! I wonder if, when Britney Spears gets outta the psycho ward, she would take a flyer at Tony Romo for a quick one nighter. What the heck, she could use a little popular press these days, and who better than ol stick em and lose em Romo!? (I was going to say Tom Brady but then I realized Brady has better taste in women)
***** Speaking of Brady, back when he FIRST made the Super Bowl, the ESPN shorts about the Brady Bunch were...semi amusing. After the FOURTH time of this particular running joke, they are...definitely butt ugly bad. I guess the writer's strike hit ESPN too, since they drug out that whole pack of nightmares again. (By the way, how many of you really thought he was a member of the Brady Bunch? - Can you picture him running naked through the house, yelling Marcia! Marcia! Marcia! I'm ONLY you're half brother!)
***** So the pro bowl ratings were up this year. And the crowd goes....mild.
***** People who like to think the worst of corporate america should, respectfully, take a good look at the NFL. Those teams with corporate contacts, coupled with the corporate educated sons and daughters of the old guard of NFL team owners, have managed to turn what was once the most mediocre pro sport in America into a ratings juggernaut, that actualy has some parity in it, even the WORST teams in the NFL bring in better ratings than the best teams in Baseball and the NBA (with some exceptions, I grant you). Maybe instead of trying to be like the old Feudal Lords of Europe, who wanted to horde all the power and not share a thing, MLB and the NBA should look at how effective a model the NFL has, and how much sharing the power has benefitted their league. Nothing is perfect, I grant you, and the NFL has a LOT of problems underneath the glitz, but on the whole, the NFL is a much better pro sports league (in my opinion) than either MLB or the NBA. And apparently a lot of America agrees with that opinion based on the ratings.
***** Another thing MLB and the NBA should look at as an issue that the NFL has addressed. Accountability. The NFL is the ONLY league that publicly and routinely takes their officials to task for screwing something up. Their officials are not sacred cows, they are sacrificial lambs, and the other two leagues should take notes.
***** Last one for today: Take a moment and look around at the Sports world of today. Anyone notice it's becoming a lot like a political arena? You got public figures always in this or that scandal, lies and half truths, no accountability, and everyone thinks it's all a big conspiracy.
I'll go out on a semi-limb here, and say that the rest of this season and especially next season, will bring us some of the best playoff series NBA fans have seen in quite some time.
The reasons for this are the various trades and moves that have taken place this season, from the Celtics to the Lakers, and most recently the Suns, all the "experts" who predicted few, if any, big trades this year are now scrambling to cover their tracks. So let's take a peek at what we have to look forward to (and bear in mind that in my opinion, there's going to be one, possibly two more trades before the deadline as a result of the recent swaps)
EASTERN CONFERENCE - My picks (and their spots) for the playoffs:
1. Boston - Do I really need to justify?
2. Detroit - No brainer here, though do not be surprised if they have a 2nd half slump and come up 3rd, if I were the Pistons, I would want the Celtics in the 2nd round, and potentially get a weaker opponent in the conference finals.
3. Cleveland - They are always a better 2nd half team, so I think they will move up to third, or if the Pistons position themselves for an earlier run at the Celtics, then look for them in 2nd.
4. Toronto - These guys are playing some lights out basketball against the teams they should beat, they just have to get over the hump against the top teams. Look for a run from them to get 1st round home court advantage.
5. Orlando - They have the talent to wind up a higher seed but really don't have the chemistry or experience as a unit yet, so I look for a 2nd half slump to drop them a bit in the standings. They are a 1st round upset team though, especially with their half court sets and against a Toronto team with a tendency to take plays off from time to time.
6. New Jersey - If they don't deal Jason Kidd, look for him to go on an absolute tear to increase his trade value in the off season, and Vince Carter to show a bit of fire again. They're a first round exit waiting to happen, but I look for a strong 2nd half from them. The last team they would want to meet is either the Cavs or Pistons, either of whom will sweep the Nets in the first round.
7. Washington - If the injury bug doesn't rip them apart again, they should hold on to a playoff spot, it's a tossup for this slot and the 6 slot between the Nets and Wizards, but I think the Kidd factor will give the Nets a better record. Look for a first round sweep against the Pistons, however.
8. Atlanta - The final slot is a COMPLETE tossup with a lot of teams, but I think this year is the Hawk's year. Look for a 6 game series with Boston in the first round and a Hawks loss, but this is a team that is one or two players from being a younger version of the Celtics.
Dark Horse Candidate: Miami Heat's record will wind up being 26-56, and the Pacers will miss the #8 seed on the last night of the season. The rest will end up rebuilding for next year.
WESTERN CONFERENCE - My picks (and their spots) for the playoffs:
1. Phoenix - I picked them to finish the the #1 seed at the start of season, and I see no reason to change that opinion now. They picked up a player with a proven track record in Shaq, and kept the key portions of their Speedy Gonzales offense. It will be a battle, but I think they will hold the top slot by 1 or 2 games over...
2. Los Angeles Lakers - It's no secret I am no Kobe Bryant fan. That said I give the devil his due, he has changed his game this season and his team is better for it. Add in Gasol and you have a front line that if I were San Antonio would have me worried. Look for them to have the best record in the west during the 2nd half
3. San Antonio - Love them or hate them, the Spurs are THE best 2nd half team of the last decade, they always play so-so ball before the break, then turn on the jets and get in to their rhythm before the playoffs. I don't see them changing that pattern this year, and Popovich basically works this team HARD to get the home court for at least the first round, the later rounds do not matter as much to him.
4. Dallas - Who can figure this team out anyways? One minute they are world beaters the next they are this side of tissue paper. They seem to be playing the season with the same expression they had when they left the court after the Golden State debacle, stunned disbelief. I have seen NO fire from this team, but their talent alone will bring them to a first round home court advantage.
5. Utah - Carlos Boozer's nickname should be Manimal. That guy's awesome when his game is on. Jerry Sloan's teams are ALWAYS a threat, and getting to the conference finals last year has only made them hungry (well, mostly - HELLO KIRELENKO!!). Look for a Dallas/Utah first round series that will go 7 games and end with another first round exit for the Mavs.
6. Denver - The Nuggets have probably the 2nd toughest schedule of the 2nd half of the western conference teams. They have to face all of the top teams in the east and west with only about 20% of their games against sub 500 teams. The Nuggets are a damn good team, but they aren't that good. Look for a worn out Nuggets team to face a fresh Spurs team in a tough 5 game series that the Spurs will win.
7. New Orleans - These guys have been proving just how valuable Byron Scott is as a coach, the man has won everywhere he's coached, and he's doing it now without a real "top tier" superstar. But overachieving will only get you so far, especially when you look at their 2nd half schedule, which seems to me to be even worse than the Nuggets. I would love to be wrong on this one, I actually like what the Hornets are doing this year, but I don't think they will hold up under the pressure. However the Lakers/Hornets in a first round series? HOOOOO MAMA! This one's the sleeper series of the first round, and I'm going to pick the Lakers in 7, but JUST barely, and only due to Kobe's playoff experience vs the Hornet's lack of same (don't be surprised if the Hornets pull off the upset, though!)
8. Golden State - If I were the Suns this is the team I would want to face in the first round, and in all honesty I think this could be the highest average scoring first round series ever. I think the Warriors are better than most people credit them being, they take a lot of 3's, run and gun better than anyone BUT the Suns, but the key is their toughness, because when they lock down on a team, they can shut down nearly anyone. Don't let the record fool you, and by playoff time Chris Weber will be a much better defender than he is now. Look for a solid 6 game series with the Suns winning.
DARK HORSE: Watch out for the Rockets and Portland, either team is just waiting for a good series of teams to play to get on a hot streak. I think both teams will come up JUST shy of the #8 seed, but I would have no problem with either team getting it.
Well, there it is, there's my picks and reasons for em. Guess we'll find out how smart I am later this year huh ? LOL :)
It's been a while since I've written, so what better topic for a return post than my favorite team making a deal for Shaquille ?
Is it a good deal or bad, that's the question we are all asking. Lakers fans are throwing up their hands in joy at this "sign of fear" due to the Gasol trade, other fans are trying to understand why anyone would want Shaq at this point of his career anyways.
What will the Suns expect out of Shaq, anyways? Defense? Not really, that's not their strength anyways and mid season is not the time to change from an offensive mindset to a defensive one. Offense? Not really, even with the loss of Marion they have more than enough talent to offset his loss (They just put up 130 points tonight without Marion OR Shaq).
So what do they want out of this trade anyways? Simple. A big body, something they just don't have. When Baron Davis comes blazing down the lane headed to the hole with the rock, instead of the matador defense the Suns have played in the past, now there's a big brick wall waiting in that lane for Davis to bounce off of.
When Tim Duncan comes to town in the fourth quarter he's not going to have a much smaller Amare on his back, he's got a 325lb man draped over him. Shaq doesn't have to do much more than BE A PRESENCE. That is what the Suns want, a presence. They do not have one now.
Imagine last year, would Robert Horry have dared try that hipcheck on Nash knowing he might have to face Shaq sometime later in the series? It's not his offense or his defense that Steve Kerr wants, it's the presence. Sometimes just the idea of a 7 foot tall 325lb man waiting in the wings will cause people to change their plans, to go with option B instead of option A. Those teams that have that option (Spurs, Mavs, Lakers (now), and Suns (now)) Have the ability to play a game that can be either full or half court depending on what the tone of the game demands.
Pre-Shaq, the Suns couldn't do much in the half court, they might win the odd game or two playing that style but it was always a struggle. With the Shaq trade they gain the ability to at least have a presence in the half court sets, which means those teams like the Spurs and Jazz who favor a true half court game now have to account for this in their gameplanning.
Right now the rule for the Suns is to get em in the half court and #### on Amare until he gets in foul trouble then get him out of the game. Then pound the middle until they break. The Suns have had no counter for this, and it's cost them in each of the last several playoff runs, not to mention many of their games so far this season.
Now they have another option in the middle, much bigger, much stronger, and nearly immobile. He doesn't have to run the court, he just has to play the game he is playing now, put up 14 pts a night (Marion's average is 18, nearly a wash), Be a presence in the middle against the other centers of the league, and let Nash, Amare, Hill, Diaw and Bell carry the rest of the load. He doesn't have to be the Shaq of old, he can be an old Shaq with this team, and it can still work.
As for Marion, he gets what he's always wanted, a team where he can be #1 or #2 as needed. I love his game, and I wish him the very best, but without a real point guard to feed him the ball, he's going to find some nights longer than the one's he has had here in Phoenix. I still think this will be good for him, as he is a hugely overlooked talent.
Good trade? For this team with this window, yes it is. They have 2 maybe 3 years left before rebuilding will be mandatory, and I think this team with Shaq can probably win at least one title in that time. Maybe not this year, but next year I think they have a real shot.
Let's see, shall we? Give it time, maybe Steve Kerr really does know what he's doing.
It's been a while since my last posting, new job, lots of personal **** going on, but I've still managed to slip in and watch a few NBA games here and there this season, and now that the All Star break is coming up soon I thought I would throw out some of my thoughts regarding various teams - no specific orders, no axes to grind, just some blunt and straightforward thoughts...(And yes Im using the Harry Potter grading system, it's much more fun!)
Los Angeles Lakers: I have to admit, they have been impressing me so far this season. I still don't think they will be able to keep this up for the whole road, but they'll make the playoffs and if they are playing then like they are now (or better), I feel sorry for the team that gets them! Im an admitted Kobe hater, but in the 4 games Ive seen him play this year Ive asked myself "who is this guy and what's he done with Kobe Bryant?" He's dishing, he's rebounding, he's TRUSTING his teammates! I've been so amazed by all this it's even had me wonder if all the trade rumors and I want outta LA talk at the season's beginning was a secret plot with Kobe and Phil to rally the other team members! So far so good for Laker Lovers, lets see how it holds up for the rest of the season is my only caveat. GRADE O (Outstanding)
Miami Heat: Oh how the mighty have fallen. Miami had all the makings of a dynasty, a solid core group of powerful veterans in Shaq, Zo and Wade, and a good group of role players, this team was ripe and ready to bring in some young talent through the draft and prepare for the inevitable passing of the torch, instead they stuck with basically the same team that won the championship and let father time pass them by. It's truly a pity that the last two dominant big men we will ever see, Shaq and Zo, will end up their careers on such a down note, when there was SO much promise in the beginning. Look for a 5 year rebuilding period before Miami even comes close to climbing out of the cellar. GRADE T (Troll)
Phoenix Suns: It's been an unusual year for my team, no question. Rumblings all around about discord, and there they sit in first place in the west, go figure. Offensively the Suns can hang with anyone and beat anyone with the possible exception of a healthy Golden State or Hornets team. Defensively there seems to be a bit more of an edge, Ive noticed. They seem to be willingly giving up some games to work on their defense and then make up for it the next night with their standard offensive dominance. After three successive years in the Western finals, I find myself wondering if D'Antoni is finally working on his bench and his defense to make a serious run at the Spurs and Mavericks of the world. The problem is, I have a sneaking su####ion neither of those teams will be in the Western Finals this year, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Hornets or Lakers there. GRADE E (Exceeds Expectations)
Boston Celtics: They play a weak schedule, and dominate. They go .500 against each team that beats them. They have the same formula that Miami used to win the title a few years ago (3 power players with a series of role players), and people are looking to find out what's wrong with this team. While I am not a huge Celtic fan, I am a fan of good basketball, and this team is playing some of the best overall B-Ball Ive seen in years. They are like the Anti-Spurs, proving you can play defense and make it exciting at the same time! Do I think they will keep up this pace? Not a chance, they will have a few slips and slides along the way. Do I think they will be in the Eastern finals? Absolutely. GRADE O (Outstanding)
Detroit Pistons: After the debacle that was the Cavaliers series last year, this team could have folded its tent and completely rebuilt, but Joe Dumars and Flip Saunders were smarter than that, they knew their guys still had some legs, they just needed a bit more support from their bench, and voila! More bench time, fresher starters! Look at it this way, their starters are playing an average of 8 minutes per game less than last year, which if you add that up over 82 games means they will have play about 9 games less this year than last year, meanwhile they are dominating the league. A seven game series of Boston and Detroit might be the best thing to happen to the NBA since the old Laker/Celtics series in the early 80's - I know I'd pay for a ticket, and I dont even LIKE the Pistons! GRADE E (Exceeds Expectations)
Chicago Bulls: I must admit I am NOT surprised at how the Bulls are playing this year. Last playoffs I remember talking to a friend of mine when the Bulls lost that if they didnt get some inside presence in the offseason they were going ot be bottom of the barrel at BEST, and it's been pretty much as I thought I would be. The Bulls made the cardinal mistake of believing their press clippings, not realizing they played well above their collective abilities last year. Firing Scott Skiles was an expected move, but overall it's a useless gesture. The Bulls will make the playoffs, but are a first round sweep waiting to happen for the Celtics and Pistons of the league. Its a pity, though, because they are just 2 or 3 pieces away from being a real power. GRADE P (Poor)
Portland Trailblazers: WOW! This is a team of the future, no question about it. When they get a bit older, a bit more seasoned, and get 100% healthy, this is the team that will dominate the Western Conference after the Spurs' age finally makes them drop off the Title radar. They play exciting, energetic, fan friendly ball with just enough defense to make you realize that when they "grow up" and become veterans they will have little or no competition in defense or offense. They have made Portland a fun team again, and can even make some of us forget about the "Jailblazers". GRADE: E (Exceeds Expectations)
Dallas Mavericks: I will wrap this blog up with Big D, which for me means Big Disappointment. I just can't get a handle on this team anymore it seems. Last year they played all 82 regular season games at a Playoff intensity, only to find they didn't have another gear to move in to when OTHER teams (Golden State) played at THEIR intensity level. This year they just seem to be going through the motions, it almost seems like they are afraid to get on a huge roll like they did last year because they wont have anything to draw upon come playoff time. Jason Terry seems to be the only Mav playing with anything resembling energy and desire, Dirk looks like a statue most of the time, and Avery looks like he too is trying to figure out just what the hell this team is thinking. They are playing like a team afraid to succeed, and unless they get it together during the 2nd half of the season this is another playoff debacle just waiting to happen. GRADE A (Acceptable)
Last minute thoughts:
Is it just me or does Isiah Thomas have to have some incriminating film of the Knicks' owner fornicating with various farm animals in order to keep his job? I have never seen such incompetence rewarded with continued employment in over 30 years of watching the NBA.
Speaking of incompetence, isn't it about time someone in Minnesota told Kevin McHale it's the 21st century now, you can draft big men and use your free agent money to bring in GOOD players?
I keep hoping Baron Davis' body holds up for the entire season and playoffs, he's one of the best point guards to ever play the game, but never got his due because of his continued health problems. GOOD LUCK BARON!!!
You would think that before the Seattle Sonics move they would at least ensure they will give their new city a truly competetive product. Durant's the only reason people watch this team right now, and he's going to probably end up like LeBron, a great player with VERY mediocre talent around him that he will have to make look like stars night in and night out.
Jason Kidd's mustache makes him look like Joe Pantoliano's long lost twin brother. Shave that thing JK!!
I've noticed from time to time a series of blogs from other posters that mention that their particular sport has been watered down by expansion, weakening the league overall. It is this point that I want to address.
Expansion comes about for a pro sports league when there is more of a demand for a product than there is product. Once that happens it is incumbent on the pro league in question to provide fans in areas without their sport with something to watch, promote it, push it, and even help the new teams become competetive in the quickest manner possible without necessarily crippling the other teams that already exist.
Where problems creep in to this expansion equation is when the standards that were used to establish the fanbase that required expansion in the first place are lowered in order to accomodate the greater need for players, thus lowering the minimum standards of a player from "very good" on up thru "great" down to "good" thru "very good".
This has happened in nearly every league that has had to expand, just look at baseball, purists to this day bemoan expansion as having taken the lifeblood out of the game, along with the rules changes that favored the offense more than they did the defense. Basketball as well has had to embrace mediocrity in order to staff it's teams with players.
As a result of this, the quality of the game dips, and the fanbase who once was clamoring for the game in their area suddenl
