A big game one victory for the Suns, the whole team must have let out a nice collective exhale. They’ve been dominated by the Spurs for too many years for me to want to remember. The year of the bloody Nash nose, coupled with the Amare suspension gave me flashbacks to Game 6 of 2002 series in Sacramento against the Lakers. We won’t go there, we just can’t, it’s too painful. Jason Richardson seems to be the Suns barometer on whether they will win or not. I guess you can’t totally say that, because if Nash and Amare disappeared they will have some major problems. Three of us picked the Suns to make it to the Western Conference Finals, even though I don’t really think that any of us really believed in that pick at the time, but I can only speak for myself, and I didn’t. I flat out like the Suns players more than I like the players on any other team in the playoffs, so I want them to go far. One thing I know that helped all of us make that bold prediction had to do with hoping to see J-Rich tear it up. He was hastily traded away from our Warriors in one of the many inexplicable moves we’ve made.
We got the rights to draft pick, Branden Wright, who has been as inconsistent as Joey Crawford’s amazing foul calls. They probably talked about J-Rich scoring 20+ points equalling a Suns victory about 500 times over the first two series. The theory seems to be holding true to form, and I hope he keeps scoring 20+ to test that theory each game.
The thing I find most interesting about any player I choose to follow, is watching their popularity rise and fall. J-Rich had an uninspiring time in Charlotte, and landed with Phoenix in 2008. For a guy that is making $13M he wasn’t really getting the job done, and I don’t blame Phoenix fans for thrashing him. He threw in a couple DUI’s and that made even more people threw him into the “bad boy” category. I guess swerving into multiple lanes in your nice new Mercedes isn’t the way to stay incognito, and that’s probably why he got caught. After his second, sort of DUI in AZ and a one game suspension, he seemed to change a little. He wasn’t waaay different, and played the same style, but he seemed to get after it a little more. He was my best fantasy player on some nights, and was pretty good at racking up rebounds registering over five for the first time since playing in GS. Rebounding is how you can tell how much effort a guard like him is giving. When he was on the Warriors, he attacked the glass, and this year was the first time I’ve seen that since he left from him. I’m not saying the Suns will win the series, or even another game, but it’s great to see J-Rich back in the good graces of the public. Who knows, maybe teaming J-Rich up with the most ridiculous man in the world was the piece they needed to finally overcome the Spurs! You could argue that they might have been better off keeping Joe Johnson, but hindsight is 20/20.
Here’s a really old clip, that shows some of the lighter side of J-Rich. This is what I’d call some funny rookie hazing! Maybe I liked it a little more because Patrick O’Bryant wasn’t who I wanted on draft day that year, and the joke was on him. Looking back, the 2006 draft wasn’t all that great anyways, so I’m not all that bitter about that pick…
By
cali4dre
chappy81
dyslecix
mceezy
Doin Work 
May 4th, 2010 at 5:07 am
chappy
This series is yet to be concluded and as much as I can see it going quite possibly to seven games. It could come down to the experience shown by the respective coaching staffs. Gentry while being a good coach doesn’t have the postseason experience of his opposite number. And come crunch time the decision making will become a crucial factor.
8800 showing up for an A’s game at the Coliseum ? Is that meant to provide inspiration to the team or are the fans showing their disapproval of the ownership group ?
Alan Parkins
May 4th, 2010 at 8:32 am
Yeah, as I said in the post, I don’t expect them to win, but am hoping they do…. I’m sure it will be one of the better series this round.
Have you been to the Coliseum? The place is pretty crappy and right in the middle of the ghetto. When I lived up three I only went to a handful of games a year, and most of the time when I’d go with people that weren’t that big of fans they would want to go see the Giants amazing stadium. I wouldn’t say the fans don’t show up because they don’t support the team or ownership. I’d say it has more to do with the facility itself…
May 4th, 2010 at 10:19 am
chappy
The girlfriend’s family is from that neck of the woods. And by all accounts I’ve heard it being described as anything from the “armpit of hell” to the “rear end of a camel that’s just defecated”. Either way it’s not a place that allegedly comes up smelling of roses.
Why all the hoopla about this kid being tasered by the cops at a Phillies’ game ? Kid should be thankful that it wasn’t at a soccer match in Colombia or in Nigeria. Otherwise he’d have either been shot or beheaded as the case maybe. They don’t take that sort of misbehavior in those countries. Especially in Nigeria. Steal something and they’ll lob off an appendage. Fornicate with someone else’s partner and you can guess the rest ?
Alan Parkins
May 4th, 2010 at 10:54 am
Both of those would be good descriptions of the Coliseum. It’s far from a family friendly park, and isn’t that what owners want, families coming out to the park!?! I’m hoping one day they can get a stadium deal, but it doesn’t sound like that’s in the cards in the near future…
I dunno why the taser is such a big deal. They wouldn’t have needed to use it if those security guys were actually in shape!
January 5th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
I’ve heard the Coliseum is in an area that Hitler wouldn’t even bomb if he hadn’t died in the Waco raid.
Meehan
May 4th, 2010 at 5:28 am
chappy
Is this the main reason behind Payton’s rosy persona with the Saints ?
He’s one of the alleged beneficiaries behind the allegations and claims along with an assistant coach. Also possibly implicated is the team’s GM Ricky Loomis.
So the NFL has its own drug cartel now ? How long before they start to tread on the toes of the Colombians and Mexicali drug cartels ?
Alan Parkins
May 4th, 2010 at 10:23 am
chappy
You’d think that with the billions that baseball rakes in each year they’d set aside at least some of that money to refurbish some of the older venues around the country ? But no they’d rather it be done at the fans and taxpayers’ expense. That’s capitalism at work for you .
Alan Parkins
May 4th, 2010 at 11:39 am
chappy
Don’t get me wrong the tazer has its uses but even a 10,000 volt jolt can stop a man and his heartbeat in his tracks. But look we’re talkin’ about someone from Philly. He probably deserved it to begin with !
We can agree can we not that baseball rakes in at least $5.5 billion a year ? If they met with the union and owners and had a moratorium and stated we’ll use 2% of our gross revenues to refurbish some of the older venues around the league . Don’t you think that’d be beneficial rather than the taxpayers and fans having to bare that burden ?
But instead it’s left to Selig to be insisting and blackmailing teams that if they want to host an All Star game then they’ve got to have a spanking new facility.
Alan Parkins
May 4th, 2010 at 11:42 am
Who would you rather have? Jason Richardson or Richard Jefferson?
May 4th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Chris
Two dicks in the same room is far more than one man can handle unless you happen to be either Ricky Martin or George Michael. Personally I was against Pop goin’ after Jefferson. But then again who knew that Hill would be ballin’ like a mofo’ ?
I put more insight into what Pop thinks than his counterparts in Dallas. Those numb-nuts couldn’t spot talent much less spell the word , were they given an assist with the spelling of the word. T L E T. What are the missing letters Donnie Nelson ?
Alan Parkins
May 4th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
J-Rich of course! I’m pretty biased on that one though!
May 4th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
chappy
Richardson is a solid player despite the mentality at times. So the Bulls’ John Paxson think it’s appropriate to apologize for his behavior concerning his apparent assault of Del Negro . He forgot to apologize to the player he assaults but apologizes to the Bulls organization and the fans. But yet Stern sits idly by and does nothing. Had that been an African American NBA exec doing that there’d have been hell to pay. Not only that you’d have Limbaugh chimin’ and callin’ the guy a thug .
Oh how I long for the days of Sprewell !
Alan Parkins
May 4th, 2010 at 8:07 pm
that should read the coach he assaulted . ….
Alan Parkins
May 4th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
chappy
It’d appear that Calipari is now said to be interested in the vacant Bulls’ position. So let me get this straight he’s yet to place the Wildcats’ program on probation but he now wants to bail on their a_s ?
Theirs Was A Relationship Much Like Any Other …………. Well Unless You Just Happen To High Be Strung And Volatile ……………
Alan Parkins
May 4th, 2010 at 11:57 pm
Calp does what he wants. I don’t think it will happen, but who knows! I’m thinking they will try to lure Wade there, and say you pick the coach.
May 5th, 2010 at 12:01 am
chappy
As bold as Paxson is I don’t think he’d allowed that to happen. He wants to stamp his identity on the franchise just Krause did when he built the franchise into a behemoth.
I can’t see them turning back to Doug Collins. But I could see them hiring Avery Johnson.
Alan Parkins
May 5th, 2010 at 10:40 am
chappy
Hump Day Wednesday Let’s Have Some Fun With A Caption Contest ……………… !
Can the Hawks play any worse under Mike Woodson ? I hear the French are prepared to donate the white flag of surrender to the Hawks just in case things get worse ?
Alan Parkins
05/05/10 1_39pm