Musings on Sports, Life, and Your Girl: 06/07/05

take two

About Craig Sager wearing a reflective silver suit to the 2001 NBA All-Star game: "I don't have anything against black people, white people or any kind of people, but when you start letting pimps interview people, that's where I draw the line."

Can't say there wont be more. But this one is rich.

Cavs

1.Still a little confused on why the Cavs didn't get Flip Saunders. More, however, why aren't we going after Vandeweghe?

2. We need to get a draft pick, just for the excitement.

3. Is there no way to trade for Elton Brand? Some three-way involving Z? Just Gooden and two of our young players (Varejao as much as I don't want to, Pavlovic, Jackson . . .). You know the Clips don't want to pay his full contract. Then we have Lebron, Brand, and a new two guard . . .

Barkley

Barkley - "Byron Scott just got out of the hospital."
EJ - "For what?"
Barkley - "He got stabbed in the back."

"These guys who have three or four babies by different women should have their balls cut off."

Kenny: Well my brother vincent always told me...
Charles: Is he still a skycap?

Check out http://clintcam.com/barkley/ It is actually Tremendous. A compendium of Barkleyisms. Well worth a five minute read every day.

I also like howstuffworks.com. I learned about lock picking the other day

Eddie George

Eddie George was good, right? I mean, everyone respected him for the first 8 years of his career, despite the fact that his rushing average hovered at 3.x every year. He's my argument, that I can't back up b/c I'm not that savvy. His mean was low, but his median was probably in the same range. That is, he never busted out for huge gains. But you were guaranteed three ypc every time. Any thoughts? I'm sure my brother will make an argument that he's no Chris Perry or A-Train. But that's because my brother is an idiot. zing.

Spurs v. Pistons

Does everyone really think the series will be boring? No Nash, Stoudemire, Wade, et cetera. BUT, you have arguably the fastest (Parker), craftiest (Ginobili), craziest (Rasheed Wallace), strongest (Ben Wallace), best (Duncan), best conditioned (Rip) in the LEAGUE, and others, all on the court at once. Honestly, look at the personalities. Look at how well the Pistons can pass. Look at the fact that they were one of the lowest fouling teams in the league (meaning that it wont be a bruiser series spent primarily on the foul line). Watch the give-and-take between Chauncey and Parker, neither of whom can even hope to shut down the others' strength. Everyone loved West Viriginia b/c they could hit threes and no game was ever over. Well (Chauncey, Tayshaun, Sheed, Hunter) v. (Parker, Ginobili, Bowen, Horry, Barry, etc.). Come on. Come onnnnnnnnnnn.

This is going to be very, very good.

Mock Draft Redux

The reason I created the mock draft postings were to give basic lists of who the players were . . . but you knew that. So the question is, in a five team league, drafting five players, who do you draft first? Do you put a premium on centers b/c there are few? Do you draft a center? I take my scorer first, then fit in the right pieces around him. Not sure if it's TMac or Kobe. But that's the everlasting question. You need someone who can score in pickup. They can do it.

What's your ideal pickup team?

I think in 5 seconds without a good analysis, Kidd, Kobe, Tmac, Garnett (every rebound). Then the question is, Ray Allen? Or someone who hustles. Maybe Shaq. But you have a PG who can't shoot . . . Duncan instead of Garnett? Probably not. An Elton Brand type? Maybe Ron Artest.

Day One Jitters

I think the Don Cheadle post is good, but maybe not self-explanatory. Simmons dubbed Robert Horry as Nate Dogg a few years ago (changed it the other day, but no matter). Can't lead a group, but if he touches it, you know it's good.

So, in that light, who is Don Cheadle? Patrick Swayze? Shyne (clearly Stephen Jackson)? In the NBA or something else, that is. . .

T.O.

The only person who's made the appropriate argument on T.O.'s behalf is Ice Cube, who on the "Hot Seat" a few months ago, noted how owners/gm's have no problem lowering a guy's salary or threatening to cut him after every off-season. So why shouldn't TO get more money now? Mind you, I don't think he's even in Randy Moss' league.

And somebody please remind me to write an article about why Skip Bayless sucks. Because he does and I want to get that out there

Question

I had a bet in March, saying that JJ Redick would not be a lottery pick. The tone of the argument, from the other side, was that he was awesome, the best shooter in the draft, and would no doubt be a top-13 pick. IF, as happened, Redick didn't leave school, should the bet still be on for next year? I think technically, yes (which is disappointing to me), though spiritually, no. Besides, if you were the other guy, you've got to be a little emasculated now, right?

The Stones

Just read the Daily Quickie, which reminded me of something I was thinking last night. If the Pistons beat the Spurs, regardless of the circumstances, will people take note that they beat a depleted Heat team? Much like everyone still notes the luck that the Patriots had with the tuck rule and other fortunate circumstances? I believe that you can make the argument that if Shaq and Wade were healthy from the start of the series, the Pistons would have played much better. Not to say they would have won, but I do believe they played down (as most teams do), to the level of their competition.

One other thing. Everyone writes about the up/down nature of the Pistons. I don't understand why they can't play hard D the entire time. When they were down at the end of the games in this last series, and decided to try to come back, they really harrassed the Heat, something that I think they could do more of. Too bad. . .

No idea about who's going to win this series. All that matters is that the Pistons won last year, which I predicted when they got Sheed. Take that, Eric Rhee.

Who would he be?

Who would Don Cheadle be if he were an NBA Player, and why? How about any other sport?

Or, any other person in a different profession. For example, Carly Fiorina would be Paul Silas. Disgraceful.

Big Man

I would like Yao on my pickup team. Just want to throw that out there. He wouldn't foul out, and he would KILL your big man, assuming he wasn't worn down from National Team commitments.

1. Shaq
2. Yao
3. Ben Wallace
4. Marcus Camby
5. Jermaine O'neal
6. Z!
7. Theo Ratliff (prob should be ahead of Z)

I need to stop this list before Emeka Okafor has the chance to appear.

4 - Now we're getting bored

There should be no power forward in pickup basketball. The ideal team is Kidd, TMac/Kobe, Garnett, Artest, Shaq.

Here goes, however. Enjoy.

1. Amare
2. Elton Brand (you take him over Duncan b/c he rebounds like it's his job. Your 4 in pickup needs to do this and do it well).
3. Duncan. I take that back. You should be Duncan ahead of Brand.
4. KMart (all D. Don't want his O on this team).

I refuse to put Drew Gooden as a power forward. He is not powerful. He is weak.

5. Rasheed. He could be anywhere on this list
6. Tyson Chandler/Dwight Howard
7. Dirk
8. Boozer? Who else, Bosh? Fortson? Stromile? Nene?

Come on. Two things. 1) Chris Webber hurts your team. He does so more with a shot clock b/c he eats all of it. 2) Robert Horry is not a good pickup player. He would be destroyed by anyone on this list.

SF

Small Forwards:

First of all, there are a ton of players who could be twos, threes, fours. I put Lebron as a Two-guard, and am putting Pierce as a SF, based on who I think they guard. Garnett is here, but could be anywhere . . . Again, I think your small forward is only good on certain teams. Peja is useless if he's not also with Kidd and Kobe, both of whom can get him the ball. Similarly, someone like DMiles, who is unsatisfied if he doesn't handle, will do squat with Francis

1. Garnett
2. Kirilenko
3. Artest
4. Lamar Odom
5. Pierce or Tayshaun Prince? Move the rest of the list down one notch.
6. Stephen Jackson
7. Marion
8. Joe Johnson (should be a two-guard, but I gotta put him here if nowhere else).
9. Rashard Lewis (very, very good. Wonder how tough he is. But can do it without the ball).
10. Antawn Jamison (by default). Maybe Antawn Walker. I just feel like he'd piss everyone else off. Maybe Stack. Probably should be Stack. Not Spre, Wally, Tim Thomas, Maggette, or Desmond Mason. Those guys don't do anything well enough to outplay their competition. Twan can post and/or bring a bigger guy outside.

Is Abdur-Rahim any good? Brian Cardinal certainly is, if on the right squad. And Varejao would be the kid that no one knows, everyone thinks they're better than; the guy who pisses everyone off with his hustle.

If I were an NBA Player

I think I'd be Eddie Jones. Seemingly a good shooter, but only 40% in games. A pretty good defender. Sneaky once in a while (when inspired) on the glass. Can drive right if you give it to me. But I need a good point guard and a good surrounding team that is fun to play with b/c they move the ball. As much as I don't want to make this pertinent only to those who know me, I do want to take this opp to classify one of my friends.

Mike: Clarence Weatherspoon

2-Guard

Shooting Guard

This is a tough, tough position. It is sooo important who your point guard is. Vince Carter is that much better with Jason Kidd than he would be with someone like Steve Francis. But Michael Redd and Matt Harpring are better with Francis (they can work well without the ball).

1. TMac (he gets pissed and plays tight D, thereby surpassing Kobe. Also, his are the only bball shoes that fit me and I just think he's the coolest).
2. Kobe
3. Lebron
4. Dwyane Wade
5. Ray Allen
6. Vince Carter
7. Manu
8. Michael Redd
9. Larry Hughes
10. Rip

Of course, that leaves out all of these fools, who may be TRE-mendous in pick up: Ricky Davis, Jamal Crawford, Harpring, Ben Gordon, Maurice Evans (I think he's the guy no one really wants to guard, who does the dirty work on the offensive glass b/c someone weaker is guarding him, who bodies you up and you don't want to call a foul every time so you get salty), Josh Howard (who's going to be a star), Q (who I don't think does much but I wonder what everyone else thinks), Sasha Pavlovic.

And Reggie. Who is the old guy with the goggles who does nothing but shoot really, really long threes that no one knows how to guard b/c they're running the pick and roll from 28 feet.

Pick-up Draft

What would happen if there were a draft of NBA players for pick-up basketball? The key being that you call your own fouls, no three seconds, etc. You can't call weak fouls (you could, but, come on, then you'd be weak). Any thoughts about what kind of players would be at a premium? Somebody strong (and solid on both ends of the court) like Chauncy should rocket up the board, but would he jack up too many shots and kill any teamwork? I don't think Nash would rank highly b/c: there would be limited pick/rolls; he would get rocked on the defensive end; his defender would body him up much more. Maybe it's worth ranking them by position . . .

Point Guard:
1. Jason Kidd (tie) Allen Iverson - They are completely different, but completely awesome
2. Chauncey Billups
3. Gilbert Arenas
4. Mike Bibby
5. Steve Francis
6. Andrew Miller
7. Stephon Marbury
8. Kirk Hinrich
9. Steve Nash
10. Tony Parker

Where does Bob Sura fit? Is Speedy Claxton any good? Nick Van Exel? Milt Palacio? As I write this, I'm thinking about Nash deserving to be higher, because everyone knows the pickup team that moves the ball wins. However, he's not coming off the pick-and-roll against a slow big man. This is a five team league. TMac/Amare/Garnett might be guarding Nash's big guy, not Nesterovic or Ryan Bowen. The one player who could be anywhere is Steve Francis. Wholly unguardable. Could play good D. But will probably not. I'd have no problem with him at the bottom of the list. And I think there's a premium on the guys who can make the fantastic pass, b/c they all want to (and will have to or will be kicked off the team. Or beat up).

Musing the first

1. Richard Hamilton travels every time he catches the ball at the top of the key. Watch him catch, pivot, swing the ball to the other side, switch pivot, dribble.
2. Richard Hamilton is a great player
3. Dwyane Wade is much, much better
4. Would you draft Tayshaun or Kirilenko first? Kirilenko, but Tayshaun can do it all. He's not nicknamed after a gun, however.
5. Barkley is hi-larious. "I'm not speculating that he took pain killers. But I'm saying he did.

Welcome, one and all

Greetings!

Musings on Sports, Life, and Your Girl

Tuesday, June 07, 2005