Tag Archives: basketball

January 10, 2011

Clippers-Warriors Game Thoughts

By chappy81

The Warriors were a step slow all game long...

It was the first time my Warriors headed down to Socal to play the Lakers ugly stepsister, the Clippers, so naturally I had to go. I usually avoid going to games that the dubs play the Lakers, because we pretty much know what the result is going to be. The Warriors usually play good against the Clippers for obvious sucktitude reasons over our lifetime, so every time I go to Staples Center I want at least a shot at seeing my team come in and win. Yesterday the Warriors had a horrible 2nd half performance, and saw three players foul out (Beindris, Lee, and Wright), but overall I was the most excited to just see Blake Griffin live.

As far as first impressions go on Blake, he is pretty freakish, and I got to see a couple of his league leading dunks. I was a little surprised how big he was in a muscular sense. The kid looked like a taller version of Corey Maggette. Fortunately, he isn’t nearly as one dimensional as Maggette. The Warriors constantly double and triple teamed him throughout the game, so I didn’t get to see many highlight reel dunks, and even with all the extra focus on Griff, we still couldn’t stop him from putting up another 20-10 game. His highlight of the game was pretty amazing to see Baron throw a lob from close to halfcourt for him, but aside from that I didn’t get to see a lot of high flying dunks. Here’s the dunk I was talking about…

DeAndre Jordan actually impressed me more than Griffin, which was probably the shocker of the afternoon. Jordan is a force in the paint grabbing 13 boards and blocking 4 shots. He cleaned up a couple of Clipper misses with thunderous dunks including an awesome off the backboard putback (can’t find it on youtube), and he also sent a few shots away including a twisting and turning Monta Ellis drive through the paint that riled up the crowd.

Baron Davis was probably the second best Clipper on the court after Jordan, which caught me off guard. Anyone that’s owned him on a fantasy team this year knows what I’m talking about. Anyways, Baron looked rejuvenated against his old team. He was sinking threes, driving to the hoop with authority, and dishing the ball like Sterling was booing him. He set up Gordon for a huge first half, and everytime Davis gave him an open look with a pass, he was knocking it down.

Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin were impressive, but for some reason Baron and DeAndre were the reasons for their dominating win.

As for the Warriors players I was very disappointed. Only two guys showed up for the contest, and it wasn’t either of our special backcourt players or our newly acquired PF David Lee. Only one of our starters played well. Dorell Wright started the game on fire, and was the only Warriors player to do anything on the offensive end efficiently. The second best player of the day for our squad was Vlad Radmanovic. Yup, I said it. He was the only guy out there giving 110% on the court. He was getting in the face of Clippers players, and throwing Baron and Eric Gordon on the ground during some hard fouls of frustration. He was in essence the only guy on the floor that I really thought was trying. There was a funny quote from Baron after the game about the little face to face stare down after Vlad threw him to the ground and both benches cleared a little. “”I told him I had mine longer,” referring to his beard over Vlad’s beard.

I also got my first glimpse at our rookie Epke Udoh. He wasn’t active in the NY-Warriors match up I went to with MCeezy and Dyslecix at Oracle. I actually kept thinking Udoh would be a solid pro when I was watching him at Baylor, and really liked what Udoh brought to the table when he was on the court for his limited minutes Sunday afternoon. He swatted a couple of shots, and actually helped them get back into the game by playing some defense, and was part of the crew that cut the lead from twenty something to eleven. Shortly after he left the game, they were down by 15 again never to come closer.

Hopefully when I head up to Staples on January 22nd when they play the Clippers again, it will be a more entertaining game with a better result, like a Warriors victory. A random Warriors fact, their team is playing with a full roster for the first time since 2008. It’s basically the first time that they haven’t had guys injured not suiting up, which is remarkable to think that it hasn’t happened since 2008. So far they are 2-1 with a full squad. Hopefully they can keep that 66% winning percentage going with a full squad.

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January 5, 2011

Old Guys Vs. The Lockout

By chappy81

As the 2011 NBA lockout comes closer to a reality it got me wondering who we might see retire rather than continue on with their career since there are a lot of players out there that are old and still performing at a very high level. That being said the dinosaurs of the NBA might not want to take less than they are already making when the new CBA is reached. Thanks to a Wikki search they listed the ten oldest players in the league right now, and I will go through the seven oldest, and put a percentage on their chances of sticking around to play after the strike is over.

Shaquille O’Neal, 38 years old. Shaq might actually be helped out by this lockout. He hasn’t played a full 82 games since 1994, so I’m guessing that the lockout could actually keep him fresh. At the same time, if he knows that there won’t be basketball being played, I’m sure he’s going to eat himself into retirement. Look for him to have a waist growth spurt and remind us that people can be as big as Refrigerator Perry. Odds of returning after a lockout: 5%

Kurt Thomas, 38 years old. I actually forgot Kurt was still in the league, but he’s alive and well in Chicago filling in for the many injuries they’ve had to their frontline. He’s one of those guys that teams just keep picking up making the Bulls the 8th team of his career. I feel like he has some solid value for teams because he’s seen it all and isn’t a distraction. Odds of returning after a lockout: 80%

Grant Hill, 38 years old. Grant found the fountain of youth with his teammate Steve Nash.

Is Sprite the fountain of youth or is it the fountain of knee surgeries?

The guy is having his best year since he was in Orlando statically. If there’s anyone you think would stay in shape of these old guys during a lockout it would be Grant. He’s also the Suns best defensive player, which I can’t tell if that’s a good or bad thing for the Suns. Odds of returning after a lockout: 90%

Juwan Howard, 37 years old. Honestly I thought Juwan would have hung up the sneakers by now, but the Heat needed some bodies to fill up the roster and he got a call. Sure, he started some games in Portland last year, but we all know about that injury factory in the pacific northwest. If Miami doesn’t win it all this year, Howard is very expendable. Odds of returning after a lockout: 10% unless someone takes a chance on him.

Jason Kidd, 37 years old. I’ve always had a soft spot for the wife beater from Oakland. He’s been declining this year, but mostly because there’s so many other talented guys around him so he doesn’t need to be as great as he was. I think Cuban rides him until he’s shooting 20% from the floor. Odds of returning after a lockout: 99%

Theo Ratliff, 37 years old. He hasn’t really made an impact anywhere over the last few years. I don’t see him really making an impact on the Lakers except replacing Adam Morrison on the bench as the best towel waiver. This feels like his last season to me. Odds of returning after a lockout: 1%

Steve Nash, 36 years old. He’s better than Kidd, but the thing I worry about with Nash is what if the lockout happens and he signs with the MLS in an effort to ignite some support for his one true love, soccer. They can’t pay him as much as he’d make in the NBA though, so his odds of returning after a lockout feel like 99%, but you never know with a real footballer.

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January 3, 2011

Dorell’s MIP Case

By chappy81

Nope, Dorell Wright didn’t get a minor in possession. He’s 25 years old, so there’s no way he could even get one at this point. Dorell isn’t a household name, and unless you were a Heat or Warriors fan you still might not know that he even exists. The Warriors acquired him over the offseason for the next three years at a fairly cheap $11M. I had no idea what we got when we signed him, and have been in many a texting frenzies with the blog mates on how awesome he is for many of the Dubs games this year. I thought he was more of a defensive guy since all the reports that I read said that’s all he really was at the time the Warriors acquired him. Somehow, some way, he’s morphed into a knock down shooter (in best Mark Jackson voice). He currently leads the NBA in three pointers made (85), and is making up for the scoring punch to ab offense that lost Morrow, Azubuike, and Maggette this past season. So far this season, Dorell has gone up in every major category making him my hometown bias pick for, the most improved player. As his minutes went from 20 to nearly 39 per game he has doubled up in his averages in every major category. His points have more than doubled (7.1 to 15.7). His rebounds have nearly doubled from (3.3 to 6.2). His assists have more than doubled going from (1.3 to 3.1). His steals have gone up from (0.7 to 1.4). People might knock his field goal % dropping 5 points, but my reasoning for that is he’s taking a ton of threes (averaging 6 per game), which would lower anyone’s percentages a little. With all those threes he’s taking, he is 27th in the league in 3PT percentage, which makes me not care that his FG% overall has taken a little dip. There’s no signs of him slowing down since the W’s have no bench. Another reason to hand the award to Dorell is that he came out of nowhere to relevance this season. All the other guys I’m about to mention were all at least relatively known at the beginning of the year.

I guess there are some other candidates out there, but in my eyes none of them have improved from last season to this season as much as Dorell, but here are some that I think are in the running. Kevin Love is a beast that should be considered for the award, but at the same time we saw some of what he’s doing this year towards the end of last year, so does that really count as improved now that he’s getting the minutes and already showed us that he could do this? I say no, but it’s arguable. Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose are on the same plane in my book. Rose has had an amazing season, and shown that he is indeed fantasy relevant instead of just a good player he has been boosting his stats in nearly every area. Westbrook developed a jumper this summer and is scoring more, but both of these guys were stars already, and I commend them for their improvement, but it just isn’t significant enough of an improvement to earn the MIP award. I’d put Raymond Felton slightly above them, because he is improving tremendously in every category much like Dorell, but being in D’antoni’s system jumpstarted that more than anything. We all knew that Felton was solid, just not this good. An honorable mention for a guy on the radar is Paul Millsap. He started off the first month of the season like he was going to win the award, but has fallen back to earth a little now that Al Jefferson has figured out the Utah offense, and mans the post keeping Paul away from this award. Michael Beasley also made the honorable mention list. He was a bust in Miami, and now is a main cog in Minnesota and hasn’t had any legal troubles thus far. If he keeps it up he should be on the list with his teammate.

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December 31, 2010

In Case You Missed It….

By mceezy

….And there’s a good chance you did. It’s a few days old now, but Kings-Grizzlies highlights probably don’t make the news in your local area. Even if you did see it, it’s worth another watch. There hasn’t been much to cheer about at Arco Arena this year, unless you’re a Warriors fan, but just when it looked like the Kings were about to suffer another devastating loss, Tyreke Evans seemed to resurrect his season with one long shot (figuratively and literally) to give his team an improbable win. Guess that’s what I get for turning down an invite to the game…..

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December 29, 2010

Doin NBA Power Rankings

By chappy81

#1 Dallas Mavericks (24-6) – They lost to a weak Raptors team last night playing without Dirk, but this team is legit so far this season, and has slayed two 10+ game winning streaks that Miami and San Antonio had going. I’ve watched a handful of Mavs games this year, and they seem to be playing a different level of defense to close out games. I’m not sure they are a favorite for a championship, but I already have more confidence in them than years past.

#2 Boston Celtics (24-5) – No Rondo, no problem. Pierce and KG have found the fountain of youth this year, and look rejuvenated and as focused as they ever have. When this team gets all the way to full strength, it might be impossible to stop them.

#3 San Antonio Spurs (27-4) – Are these Spurs going to wear down? They just beat the Lakers last night, and don’t seem to be slowing down, but at the same time I feel like there has to be a couple of injuries around the corner. Plus, they seem to be relying on late heroics a little too much for comfort. When was the last time their big three went through a season without an injury? Dunno, that one stumped me too!

#4 Miami Heat (24-9) – Who has two thumbs and picked them to be the #1 seed in the east? This guy!!! I’ll admit I thought this team was in trouble early in the season, but a 16-1 run sure makes you believe in them a whole lot more doesn’t it!?! Lebron keeps making stupid comments, but at least his team is finally winning.

#5 Chicago Bulls (20-10) Continue reading

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December 27, 2010

Just Another Dunk

By chappy81

Blake Griffin is easily the rookie of the year at this point of the season, and will continue to be unless some kind of injury happens. Anyways,  I actually watch a lot of Clippers action, since I can’t bring myself to watch the Lakers night in and night out. Griffin is on his way to 400 dunks this season, (leading the NBA), and this one above occurred Sunday night, and I had to go back and re-watch it on youtube today because of it’s awesomeness. This has happened on many occasions, so I figured it was time to throw one up on the blog. This babble has made me feeling Blake Griffin for the dunk contest more than voting Monta Ellis into the All-Star game. I mean, the guy already said he wants to be in it, soooo what’s the holdup!?! If you need some more convincing, here’s his best dunks for the month of November, if that doesn’t convince you, I guess you just don’t like basketball.

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December 23, 2010

Mid-Week Ramblings…

By chappy81

Ohio State just had five of their best players suspended, including QB Terrelle Pryor. Definitely not a Buckeyes fan, nor do I feel that this was all that solid of a punishment. They took a measly $1K to $2.5K, and are all paying for that with a five game suspensions. The main part I don’t understand in this whole suspension is why these players get to play their bowl game this year. If all the evidence is there, shouldn’t the NCAA suspend all of them for the bowl game, and the first four games of next year for the five games?!? Personally I think they should, and that feels like a much stiffer penalty than the one handed down. Missing a bowl game and most likely losing it because you are missing five of your best players seems more fair in my book. Maybe the NCAA is trying to protect itself so if they run across something on Cam Newton, he will still be eligible for the Championship game, and then they could suspend him for next year when he’ll be in the NFL anyways keeping everyone’s pockets fat.

The Bobcats are blowing up the team to start 2011 with fresh outlook, after a season of underachievement. Adrian Wojnarowski wrote a good one on Yahoo about how the Larry Brown-Michael Jordan relationship all broke down starting back in 2008 when Jordan wanted to draft Brook Lopez, but ended up listening to Brown and drafted DJ Augustin. Change was obviously needed. I’m not sure what to make of Paul Silas coming back to coaching after being out of it for awhile. I thought he was a great coach for the Hornets the first time around with BD, Mashburn, Magloire, and Steve Smith, but this Bobcats team is nowhere near them talent wise. Either way, I’m sure he’ll be better than Art Shell was coming out of his hiatus back to coaching. I loved that Jordan brought Charles Oakley in as an assistant coach. Last week Oakley blasted Charles Barkley for being lazy and just getting by with his athletic skills. I won’t argue with Oak, because he’s probably taking mental notes and I don’t want to be on that list. Lebron’s list is fine, but Oak’s isn’t. I was more wondering if he knew what was about to happen and wanted to say “Chuck, stay behind a desk and keep being lazy cracking jokes on TNT instead of trying to coach or be a GM, you just don’t have the work ethic.”

Phil Jackson sounded off about not wanting to play on Christmas saying “I don’t think anybody should play on Christmas Day. Soccer teams don’t play this time of year, they take a break. I don’t understand it… It’s like Christian holidays don’t mean anything to them anymore. We just go out and play and entertain the TV. It’s really weird.”

Ummm, we know Phil is full of head games, but seriously Phil? I know you guys work hard and all, and maybe most don’t want to work on this glorious Christian holiday, but sports is a form of the entertainment industry, and when are the most people watching? When they don’t have work! You and your squad are paid ridiculous millions to play, so give us some damn entertainment. If you want your team to suck and not be one of the marquee match ups on Christmas I’m all for it. I’d love to see the Lakers not be on TV during Christmas because they aren’t relevant, that would almost be as good as any present I could get. I can make a list of the cons of my job a mile long, and I’m sure everyone playing on Christmas would much rather have that be their biggest “problem over a the average citizens problems like even having a job. I’m positive Jeanie will be able to handle giving out the solid gold PS4’s you got the kids this year. Plus, if there were no basketball games on Christmas, how could I parlay my Christmas money on some games to have an even better Christmas?!?

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December 22, 2010

Demarcus Cousins: Rookie (mistake) Of The Year

By mceezy

Demarcus Cousins thought the game was in the bag. So did I. So did every other fan in attendance last night.

Last night was a big one for me. Most of you probably didn’t know they even played, since neither are even close to relevant, but MY Golden State Warriors paid a visit to MY Sacramento Kings last night. I’m grew up a Kings fan, back when they were almost as bad as they are now, and these days, I root for them 78 games a year. The four that I don’t are – surprise – when they play the Warriors. Regardless of which arena the game is played, I remain pretty neutral. Ultimately I want the W’s to win, but I usually just hope for a close game. Sometimes that backfires and they end up in triple overtime in Oakland on a weeknight! They’re almost always good games though, and whichever team wins, at least one of my teams is getting a victory.

Last night though, I was a full-on Warriors fan for the first time. I’m running out of ways to remain a Kings fan. It’s not because they’re losing. I endured more losing from 1984-1997 than anyone can imagine. This year, they’re not even fun to watch. I knew they’d struggle, considering the inexperienced roster, but I thought they’d at least be fun to watch. They show flashes here and there, but for the most part just look like an overmatched JV team that knows it’s about to get its ass kicked. They don’t even try. Last night was another huge blow to the franchise as a whole. It’s like when you know an addict who refuses to get help. You finally realize that they just need to hit rock bottom or else they’ll never admit they have a problem. That’s where the Kings are at. So, last night was another step in that direction. It was so bad that we contemplated leaving early, since the game seemed out of reach for the W’s. Instead, I witnessed one of the biggest meltdowns I’ve ever seen on a basketball court.

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December 20, 2010

Trading Weekend…

By chappy81

Wall Street is closed on the weekends, but there were some major trades being made in the sports world over the weekend. The two biggest trades were undoubtedly the Magic getting Gilbert (a long time favorite of mine) from the Wizards, as well as Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, and Earl Clark from the Suns. My first reaction to the trade when I saw it flash up on the bottom line on TV was, what an upgrade! They got rid of Rashard, Pietrus and Vince, which is a win my book regardless of who came in. Nothing against Vince or Rashard, but if the Magic really want to be serious contenders they needed to get rid of both of them for the simple reason that they always choke in the playoffs. Here’s a reminder of how they felt last year about the Hedoless team. (NJ and Toronto fans nodding in agreement) Second, they got rid of Michael (I step out of bounds twice a game) Pietrus. I’m not positive how Air France has done this year since I really don’t follow the Magic that closely, but Pietrus is a guy that frustrated me when he was in a Warriors uniform. I can only assume that those are the same type of sentiments that Magic fans have about him, but maybe not. All in all it was like the how the A’s finally rid themselves of Jack Cust. Addition by subtraction.

How will this new look Eastern Conference beast be with all the new parts? I really can’t say for sure that they will be better than the old group, but since they are taking in veterans that have played in multiple systems, I’m sure integrating them into the game plan won’t take as long as many expect. I also believe that Hedo and Arenas want to prove that they are good again, and will have plenty of reasons now that they will be playing for a winning team. I’m sure both want to revive their image, and winning cures that quickly just look at Vick! A lot of people seemed shocked that they’d blow up their team like this with only a quarter of the season gone by, but my thinking is that all of this seeming panic goes back to the summer of Lebron. The Magic are about to find themselves in a similar situation that Cleveland faced last year with Dwight’s contract expiring in 2012. Feels like a do or die move to try and get a championship. If you are the Magic, you definitely should be scared that if they don’t get a championship in the next two years then their chances to re-sign Dwight will be nearly impossible as he looks to take his talents away from central Florida. They already have experience losing a once in a lifetime center seeing Shaq flee to LA. Centers don’t grow on trees as we’ve seen with guys like Oden and Bynum never really making it to their potential level or staying healthy for that matter. The Magic are now deep into the luxury tax, but it will only be worth it if they can appease their big man to stay, and a championship might be the only way to do that. I hope it works out for them, unless of course Dwight has an aching to come to Golden State! Then I wouldn’t mind watching his “Decision” from the Epcot Center.

Zack Greinke was the other big trade of the weekend. I love reading how the Royals got a good deal out of it. Really!?! You can already tell?!? They traded away their best player and have improved greatly?!? I guess they are like the A’s, but simply never win. The Royals have one of the youngest roster known to man. Aside from Vin Mazzaro who the A’s just traded to them, I don’t really recognize many names. I guess they could be like the Padres and sneak up on everyone, but that’s a laughable statement in itself. If they are a contender in two years I will gladly eat those words. I’d put the chances of them getting a Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips, and Grady Seizmore type haul at 1%.  Personally, I thought the best part about this trade was that the Rangers didn’t end up with Greinke. He was supposedly their second target after they failed to get Cliff Lee. Now it looks like the A’s are still the only team that’s really improved in the AL West, which makes me that much happier. The Brewers get what they were desperately missing with Greinke’s consistent pitching, even if last year he wasn’t as great. Can you blame him? I’d have a hard time getting fired up for starts if I was on the Royals. I think he’s going to tear through the NL lineups and might be somewhat like Halladay was last year for the Phillies, although there’s a huge difference between the AL East and the AL Central. I actually picked the Brewers to win the NL Central last year, maybe I just picked them one year too early! Now that they’ll have Yorvani Gallardo and hopefully a healthy Chris Capuano, so there’s no reason to count this team out. Their young core can put up runs, but now they some pitching to match that powerful lineup. If they can find a way to bridge the gap between their new starters and the Axeman I will be saying I told you so 8 months from now when they are in the playoffs!

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December 18, 2010

Doin Lists

By By

It’s been a minute since I’ve dropped a list on anything, and being that we’re a quarter past the 2010-2011 NBA season, I thought now is as good a time as any to weigh in on my opinions on the most important position in the game.  The point guard.  Without further adieu, my top ten pg’s of the NBA season thus far.

Doin Lists PG Ranking Edition

A few quick disclaimer.  As much as I wanted to insert John Wall somewhere into this list, I just couldn’t pull the trigger.  This list is purely based on production, not potential.  Also I completed this list prior to Rondo’s injury.

10.  Mike Conley/Jason Kidd

As with my NFL QB ranks, I couldn’t decide between two players to lead the list off, so once again, I went with both.  Jason Kidd, now 74 years of age, is one of the main cogs on this Dallas Mavericks machine that ran off twelve straight before being upsetted by the Bucks on Monday.  Despite that minor hiccup, the Mavs hold the second best record out west and Kidd’s 9 assists per game has a lot to do with it.  As for Mike Conley, his development is partly to blame for the now sudden availability of once cornerstone piece O.J. Mayo for trade.

9.  Andre Miller

It’s a shame that Andre “I Just Woke Up” Miller’s attempted tackle on Blake Griffin and ensuing suspension is what people will most likely remember most on his season.  But the eleven year veteran is the prime reason why the Hurtland Kneebreakers are over achieving.  Miller won’t blow you away with his numbers, but for those of you who understand basketball know, he does the things that help you win games.  Like try to tackle the opposing team’s best player.

8.  Steve Nash

It’s not really Steve Nash’s fault he’s so low on this list.  He’s averaging 18.4 points, 10.2 assists and even 3.7 rebounds per game this season.  That’s like Kevin Love numbers on the glass for Nash.  Not to mention he’s shooting over 50% from the field (again) which is not typical for a point guard.  So what more can he do to move up the ranks?  Win.  That probably won’t happen.  And no, getting Robin Lopez back won’t be the answer.

7.  Tony Parker

It’s hard to give Tony Parker too much credit for the Spurs holding the best record in the NBA.  After all, Manu Ginobili now starts and is playing ridiculous, Richard Jefferson got his mojo back, the Spurs boast a solid second unit led by George “Naked” Hill, and of course last I checked, T.D. is still there.  But Parker is having his best season in quite some time, and for an NBA team, it all starts with the point guard.  Perhaps he’s got his “drive” back now that he’s newly single.

6.  Raymond Felton

Who would have thunk this!?  I know we all thought Ray Felton would have a chance to be a factor in Mike D’Antoni’s offensive system, but he’s down right unstoppable in it!  I never bought into the “potential” of Felton, and this might just be a scenario in which an above average point guard is thriving in a perfect situation, but whatever the case, Felton’s putting up big numbers now and winning.  Amare Stoudemire gets the headlines, but Felton’s the key to NY’s success.

5.  Chris Paul

I remember writing a piece last season stating CP3 would come back strong to take the point guard crown again after Charles Barkley told him he was no longer the best.  Well not only is he not the best, but he’s not even in the top three.  It’s not Paul’s fault.  Like Steve Nash, there’s only so much he can do with a mediocre team in turmoil.  I know for a fact that if the Hornets are making a playoff push 50-60 games in, Paul’s place on this list will be higher.  For now, New Orleans is stumbling, and so the face of the franchise has to fall with them.

4.  Russell Westbrook

God I love to watch this guy play.  He’s got an unbelievable combination of speed and power, he’s like a cheetah out there.  And like many of the fresh, young talent at the point guard position the NBA is blessed with, he’s not satisfied with anything’s he’s done in his career.  I love to hear stories about these freak athletes who actually want to work on their game and get better.  That’s what separates the Kobe’s from the Isaiah Rider’s.  Kevin Durant might be the Michael Jordan of the Oklahoma City Thunder, but Westbrook is the Michael Jordan 1A.  Seriously, there’s no drop off in talent between the two.  I’m really high on this kid.

3.  Derrick Rose

Oh wait, you know how I just basically placed Russell Westbrook on a pedestal?  Well Derrick Rose just high jumped and cleared that pedestal.  That combination of speed and power Westbrook has, Rose has too.  The passion and drive Westbrook has.  Rose has too.  Rose was out taking 1,000,000 (I don’t know the exact number) jumpers a day during the off-season to improve his range.  Once again, a freak of nature athlete not settling with his God-given talents.  I love it.  One thing Rose has that Westbrook, or any other player doesn’t have is, his ability to jump while already in the air.  How the hell does he elevate twice on a single jump!?

2.  Deron Williams

Chappy and I texted each other briefly during the Utah Jazz/Golden State Warriors game on Monday night.  D. Will and Monta Ellis were in a scuffle and being the Warriors faithful we are, we messaged each other on how much of a douche D. Will is.  But of course, he’s a douche we’d all want on our team.  Deron Williams torched the Dubs for 30 points and 10 assists that night, and he does it so smooth and easy.  Games like that are a regular occurrence for him, and with the Jazz playing so well, I can’t put him any further than number two.  D. Will, the cerebral assassin.

1.  Rajon Rondo

He can’t shoot a jumper.  He can’t shoot free throws.  He doesn’t score much.  Is this some kind of a joke?  Rajon Rondo is the top ranked point guard on this list?  Yes.  It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a player dominate games without taking a single shot the way Rondo does, and I must say, it’s very impressive.  Rondo makes up for his lack of shooting efficiency with superb everything else.  He has disgustingly long arms and quick feet, which makes him a terrific defender.  He has eagle eye vision and can spot a play before it happens.  Most importantly, he already has a ring and commands the respect of three future Hall of Famers.  He might not be the flashiest guy on this list, but in terms of being a great point guard, he’s the best.

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Sports

December 15, 2010

Welcome Back New York

By mceezy

I’m watching this Knicks-Celtics game on ESPN and I can’t tell you how good it feels to see the Garden rocking again like it’s 1995. I’m not one to root for New York teams, but sometimes you get to a point where you need that hated team to be good again. It just makes the game more interesting. It’s been about 10 years since the Knicks were good. I rooted against them for all those years, but eventually, you want that team to be good again, so you can resume rooting against them. It’s just not as fun when teams like the Knicks, Lakers, and Celtics aren’t good. It helps that I have Amare Stoudemire and Wilson Chandler on my FIRST PLACE fantasy team (and Amare just threw down an emphatic dunk!), but it’s great to see Madison Square Garden getting loud for a game against the Boston Celtics. Guys like Amare and Raymond Felton are probably enjoying their best days as professional basketball players.

The Knicks are like the Yankees, the Cowboys, or even the Cubs…. You hate them, but it’s just not as fun to hate them when they’re not good. So here’s hoping the Knicks make it back to the playoffs this year, but ONLY this year. They’ll probably need to pick up a few more guys I don’t like though. Because, all these former Warriors and guys on my fantasy team are making it hard.

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December 13, 2010

Sterling Should Taunt Himself

By chappy81

It’s impossible not to enjoy a good heckler at any kind of game. Whether it’s a realalistic fan spouting off about why someone is or isn’t good or it’s the idiot that doesn’t know anything about the game and 90% of the time is spitting out drunk babble. I have no problem with either as long as they are good at it, and are entertaining. Today it’s been reported that Donald Sterling the owner of the super successful Los Angeles Clippers, has been heckling his players for the last couple of years. All of the heckling reported seemed fairly un-imaginative.  Nobody has received it worse than our former Bay Area hero, Baron Davis. I had mixed feelings about it when I first read it, since BD hasn’t lived up to his contract at all, I can see why Sterling might feel that some of his comments/frustrations were warranted, but how many bad contracts have there been in the NBA? 5,000? 10,000? Way too many for me to count (I can count at least five on the Warriors right now). In this information age, you had to know what you were getting yourself into when you signed Baron. Maybe Sterling wasn’t paying attention to the way Baron left New Orleans or Golden State. Whatever the case for the bad blood between the two just remember Sterling holds the record for largest payout ($300M) in a trial that concluded that he was racist against who he was renting his apartments to.

I feel bad for Baron as he’s fighting against his injuries, a new coach, and even the owner. I guess it is possible that Sterling might have found the single weirdest way to motivate his highest paid player. I doubt that’s what he’s doing, but if you were Baron wouldn’t you want to prove him wrong a little? The weirdest part about all this is I couldn’t see any owner doing this in any sport. Not Dan Gilbert who wrote that ugly letter to Lebron. I can’t see Jerry Jones on the sidelines heckling Roy Williams, with a “get off my billion dollar field comment”. At least Bud Adams flips off the opposing team instead of his own. Even Al Davis loves his players too much to throw them under the bus during a game.

The fallout from this will probably be nothing much from the Baron front, because he’ll get paid whether he performs or not. He might pick up his game a little bit, but looking at it from the bigger perspective they have two amazing stars of the future there in Eric Gordon, and the eventual Rookie of the Year, Blake Griffin that nearly every franchise would kill to have as building blocks. I’ve never been in their locker room or around any of their players, but do know that Baron is a very likeable guy. I’m positive that he’s had some influence on Gordon and Griffin in one way or another, and I feel like they’d feel Sterling is in the wrong. My theory is if Sterling continues to heckle Baron (and he most likely will), does he really expect either of his two young stars to stay when they have a choice of exploring their options? If I were either of them, my first option would either be to switch to purple and gold, or get the hell out of LA. Also how do you build with these guys? Would any free agent in their right mind want to go to the Clippers unless they were going to make an extra $2-3M? Enjoy Griffin and Gordon while you can Clippers fans, because the Sterling and Baron saga just sealed your future of staying in the lottery for years to come, and confirmed why I put you as the worst NBA franchise over a year ago.

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December 1, 2010

Kings-Pacers Observations

By mceezy

I made my Arco Arena debut last night – a week and a half after my Oracle Arena debut – and caught the Kings and Pacers. Yes, it was as bad as advertised. Indiana fans will argue that their team is 9-7, and I even picked them to make the playoffs this year. But trust me, they’re not very fun to watch. Danny Granger is one of the league’s great players, but along with Mike Dunleavy and James Posey, they stand around and jack up a lot of threes. Roy Hibbert is surprisingly polished for someone I never thought would be a solid NBA player. I really thought he was going to be the beta version of Hasheem Thabeet. On the Kings side, Tyreke Evans had a few highlight moves, but seems to have taken a step backward from last year’s Rookie of the Year campaign. There were only two players on the court that impressed me…..

Demarcus Cousins – After an impressive summer league that had many predicting back to back ROYs for Sacramento, Cousins has struggled out of the regular season gate. He’s been mired in foul trouble and proved the knocks on him to be true with his whiny demeanor on the court. Hell, he even got kicked out of practice on Monday. Last night, though, he looked like a future all-star. Cousins is ridiculously quick off the dribble, blowing by post defenders for some strong finishes inside. He fought hard on the glass and even showed a smooth stroke from the perimeter, knocking down some shots from 18 feet. He finished with 20 pts and 8 rebounds, and was +6 during his 23 minutes on the floor – pretty good for a guy who’s team lost by nine.

Josh McRoberts – Here’s a guy who wasn’t that dominant at Duke, and played in just 8 games in his rookie season with Portland. He started only three contests through his first two seasons in Indiana since. This year, he’s started all 16 games for the Pacers, and last night, he looked particularly impressive. His line of 7 pts, 3 reb, an 4 ast isn’t overwhelming by any stretch of the imagination, but he made some great plays on the court. He was somewhat limited due to foul trouble, but along with some sweet dimes, he had two amazing highlight plays. One was a thundering alley-oop dunk from Darren Collison that could be seen on NBA.com’s Top 10 Plays of the Night. The other was a blocked dunk attempt on Jason Thompson that should’ve been on there, but the video is nowhere to be found. I’m pretty excited to have this guy on my fantasy team, since I just added him to replace the injured Reggie Evans. (Yes, my team is that bad, despite my 3rd place standing). If McRoberts gets the minutes, he’ll be a breakout player this year.

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November 16, 2010

Welcome, Saviors

By By

Not completely lost amidst the Warriors near melt down, was the introduction of new owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber to the Bay Area public.  Their speeches were short, sweet and simple.  But the impression left was meaningful.  Yes, there’s still plenty of season left, and although a 7-4 record looks, and feels good now, there hasn’t been a 7-4 team to make the playoffs in NBA history.  We play 82 games.  It’s uncertain how the rest of the season will play out, but we Warrior fans have got to appreciate the new energy that’s surrounding our organization.

It’s easy to give credit to Keith Smart.  And he deserves it.  He’s so definitive in his demeanor that he even sways me, the harshest critic, into believing that what ever decision he made was the right one, despite the results.  He’s a true leader on the sidelines.  Credit could, and should be given to the new Monta Ellis.  His attitude has been nothing but positive since getting married.  His maturity has risen to the point that you forget that he’s only 25.  He’s still a kid himself, but he’s ready to be the older brother on this young squad.  But I can’t help but think that all this positive energy must have started up top.  The very top.

Joe Lacob has experienced winning at the highest level with the Celtics.  And now he brings that tradition, and that winning formula to what he calls, a great market.  He’s correct.  His first words to Warriors’ fans, “You are the best fans …”

Someone knows how to butter us up.  But it’s true.  Unlike other sports teams in the Bay, or anywhere for that matter, it’s hard to point out a fair weather Warrior fan.  Or a bandwagoner.  I’ve been going to Warriors games for over 16 years, and from 1994 to 2010, the Dubs have been selling out, or at least coming close to it.  I could be wrong, but one things for sure, the arena never felt empty, even when we were losing.  And now we have owners who want to reward us for our loyalty and commitment.  I can’t wait for these next few years, because I don’t feel stupid for expecting great things.

So on behalf of all Warrior faithful, we just want to welcome Joe Lacob and Peter Guber to the Bay, officially.  And thank you, ahead of time.

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November 15, 2010

Doin NBA Power Rankings

By chappy81

Every Monday it seems like the major sites like to release their power rankings, and since By made his list of top QB’s I figured I should do some rankings myself. I rarely agree with the ones that are on the major sites, so I thought I’d throw up my top 16 teams through the first three weeks of the season…

#1 Los Angeles Lakers (8-2) – It’s nice to see some of those 72 win season talks die down. I didn’t see it happening, and after them losing two straight it’ll thankfully keep it out of the press for a bit. The Lakers have had a pretty easy early schedule with a lot of home games so far. That being said it doesn’t really matter how many games they end up winning, we know they will be in the Western Conference finals regardless… I’m sure those back to back losses are the exception more than the rule.

#2 New Orleans Hornets (8-0) – Wow, I didn’t see them coming on this strong. I guess I should’ve though. They were the #2 seed in the West two short years ago, and now that CP3 is healthy again we remember why we called him the best PG in the league. They look like they are trying to prove that they weren’t just a fluke in 2008. If Okefor can avoid jumping onto the injury report, this team has a chance to do some great things this season.

#3 Boston Celtics (8-2) – Rondo is ridiculous, they are huge on the interior, and they have great outside shooting. What’s that all add up to? The best team in the east! If this team was assembled five years ago when all their former all-stars were in their prime (Jermaine, Shaq, KG, Allen, Pierce) I’d pick this team to win 72 games. When Perkins comes back this team is going to make everyone a jump shooting team (if that wasn’t the case already).

#4 Utah Jazz (7-3) Continue reading

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