Summer League: New News

At this point I think it's fair to say I've watched too much summer ball. I've seen pretty much every team in the two leagues at least 2-3 times. And you can see that for the players it's gotten to the point where the NBA caliber guys are quite clearly standing out regardless of role on the team. You get some guys (Andre Owens and Von Wafer for instance) who have the confidence to put up big numbers in summer league, but lack the skill to be able to do it consistently in the NBA. I like to call these guys the Euroleague Allstars, even though most of them stick around playing in the D-league, getting a 10 day contract or two and basically fighting to live the dream. The problem, both with their game and way of life, is a failure to adjust. These guys don't ever really make it in the NBA because they can't adjust their game. Wafer, for instance, is a high volume, low efficiency shooter. Has been since high school. He believes in his game, and it's not changing. Period. Just like he can't make the adjustment in his mind that the NBA is the only place to play. If I'm Von Wafer I'm taking my shoot'em style over to Europe where I'll avg 20+ pts a night and really enjoy the good years of my professional career, while making a multi-million dollar salary and absolutely pounding the hell out of Euro chicks. I mean, with a slight adjustment for location, wasn't that the dream in the first place? Moving on...

BIG NAMES

• JJ Redick put up another 24 pts on 9-14 shooting. Last year he missed out summer league and training camp do to injuries and legal matters. This year he's got himself together and is looking like the Redick Orlando thought they drafted. That is to say they're hoping his jumper makes up for his inability to create a shot on his own and his defenseive shortcomings.


• Rodney Carney is looking like a dominant player. The key is that he's doing it off the ball. Which is perfect considering he plays with Dre Miller and Iguodala, two guys who like to have the rock. Carney's jumper is looking pure and he's moving in the offense like he spent all summer in the playbook.


• Teams are game planning for Yi. It's kinda shocking to see the constant double teams and traps being run at him in summer league.


• Alando Tucker is looking good. He has a nice range to his game that would be perfect for Phx if they hadn't sold his minutes to rickety old Grant Hill.


• Cory Brewer is gonna start from day 1 in Minny. He has amazing court presence that's generated by his energy, especially on the boards. He's not the defender that everybody talked about though. The energy is there, it's focus that's lacking. He has 0 stls and 1 blk in 2 games. I know, defense isn't all about numbers. But then this is just summer league so you'd think a strong defender would put up better numbers than that.

BIG SURPRISES

• Nick young is not 6'6. No way in hell. But he is very exciting. Brings a ton of energy onto the court and is gonna fit perfectly in the Washington system.


• DJ Strawberry is as advertised defensively, even though I still don't see him getting minutes in Phx.


• Sean Williams is bad! Not bad meaning bad, but bad meaning sucks dick with sharp teeth. Maybe they need to let him start smoking weed again or something.


• Jared Dudley has a nice, composed, all-around game. But Charlotte has spent big bucks this offseason on Jrich, Gerald Wallace, Matt Carroll, plus they still have Walter Hermann, and last year's bust Adam Morrison vying for minutes at the swing spots. Morrison, by the way, looks like he's been going to the same dentist as Sean Williams, but he'll still get minutes just because of his draft status.

BIG IFS

• if the Celtics are relying on Rajon Rondo to run the point they are in trouble. Don't get me wrong, he's a dynamo and definitely a plus to have on the court, but when it comes down to decision making and having a guy who can help facilitate offense for your big 3, he's not the one.


• if the Lakers sign Derek Fisher then Jordan Farmar will be traded. Brian Shaw again coached the Laker squad and started Javaris Crittenton, and the Lakers won again. In the 2 games Shaw has coached Critt has avg. 22 pts, 4rebs, with .600 fg%, and 0 turnovers. Farmar, through 3 total games has decent numbers of 13-4-4, but would be an unecessary third wheel with Fisher in the house. Oh, and for the Coby Karl fans, he's the only laker to hit double digit scoring in every game and is leading the team with 15 ppg. He's looking more and more like a Phil Jackson kind of guy everyday.

Oh and I'm trying to get pics of Toby Bailey's mustache, but David Stern must have outlawed it. I keep searching though!

Summer League Update

I currently have the Clipper/Rocket game on broadband internet, and the Knicks/China game on the tv. But I'm about to hit the movies so here's quick update before I go.

BIG NAMES

• Tyrus Thomas has been working on a 15 ft J. He's killing the Pepsi-Orlando League. He'll be starting this year, expect a more explosive, more dynamic version of David Lee.
• The Pepsi-Orlando League sucks. There are 6 teams. Chicago, Indiana, Charlotte, Miami, Orlando, New Jersey. Possible regular season starters like Kareem Rush and Raymond Felton played in the first games, but once coaches saw the overall talent those guys got yanked. So you end up with Marcus Williams and Tyrus Thomas looking all world. NBA should revoke this league's summer league status.
• Yi Jianlian got absolutely shutdown by vegas brickhouse Renaldo Balkman. So far in 2 games Balkman has put up avgs. of 10 pts, 7 rebs, 3 stls, and 2 blks with 50% shooting againt Yi while allowing 0 made shots from Kevin Durant and Yi Jianlian. Wow.

BIG SURPRISES

• Last year Chris Kaman signed his big money second contract, but then didn't have the season he wanted. So he signed up for the Clippers summer league team just because he wants to get better. Andrew Bynum is nowhere to be seen for the Laker squad.
• Kurt Rambis is a terrible coach. The Lakers have Rambis and Brian Shaw alternating games as head coach of the summer squad. Shaw delivered a game 1 victory by making adjustments. Namely, he noticed Jordan Farmar struggling with decision making and having trouble staying in front of Milwaukee's Lynn Greer, so he put the ball in Javaris Crittenton's hands and also let Critt defend Greer. Tonite against Philly, Farmar played much better, but still could not stay in front of Louis Williams (which, to be fair, no one has done), and still made bad decisions with the ball. The stat line will tell you Farmar went for 18 pts, 11 asts, 2 to, and 7-10 shooting. Sounds good. And I agree, Farmar played really well. But having watched the game I saw how he struggled when pressure was on. for instance when he overdribbled and didn't allow the team to get off a possible game winning shot at the end of regulation. I also saw that Loius Williams took 22 foul shots because Farmar had no answers for him. I also saw that Rambis decided to play Crittenton 7 minutes each half, and not at all in OT. I cannot understand why you would not play your #1 draft pick major minutes in summer league. I also cannot understand why you would refuse to use your best on the ball defender when you're getting ripped by dribble penetration, or why you don't put your most dynamic player into a close game. Somehow I imagine Kobe doesn't like Rambis.
• Coby Karl is an NBA player. He has a tremendous basketball IQ and an NBA jumpshot.
• Balkman is killing China at the point. He has 4 steals at the half.

BIG IFS:

• The Spurs had 3 young guys on last years roster who they are hoping to see something out of. Melvin Ely hasn't signed yet, so he's blowing his shot. Jackie Butler is working hard to show an all-around game. He might end up being something. James 'Flight' White is a premier disappointment. Basically all he can do is jump really high. Through 3 games so far he's been outplayed in the backcourt by CJ Watson, whoever the hell that is.
• If some of the old guys on Dallas get hurt, they will learn they have a couple ball players in Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Jose Juan Barea, and Maurice Ager. I'm not really sure why the resigned Devean George or Stackhouse.
• Philly's Jason Smith moves really well for a 7-footer. He reminds me of Brad Miller when Brad Miller was good.

NBA Summer League

I've been watching a shitload of summer league games so I'm gonna try and keep you guys updated on what's going on out there. Big props to the NBA for finally airing summer league games. The level of ball isn't always top notch, but it's better than watching the Dodgers and Padres.

The Vegas League started about 3 days ago, and they're carrying 20 NBA squads plus the Chinese National team. So that's where most of the action's been going on. The Orlando League is just starting up, and the Rocky Mountain Revue will get going within the next week, so there's gonna be a ton of ballin going on. With today's post I'll recap what's happened in the last 3 days. I'll use a three tier format that hopefully will allow me to cover everything you guys are looking for. There will be a section covering Big Names, which should be pretty obvious. Big Surprises, again, pretty obvious. And then Big If, where I'll cover the flashes of potential, and all the little things that aren't necessarily coming across in the boxscores. So let's get to it


BIG NAMES

• Greg Oden: The #1 pick has pretty much been as advertised. There's been a lot of bitching and moaning about his fouls or whatever, but if you're actually watching the games two things really stand out. 1)The guy is big and strong. He reminds me of David Robinson in that he's just a specimen, big, strong, and moves fluidly. 2)He's got it. Period. There's take a minute for him to adjust and figure exactly how to take advantage of his skills, but the basics are there. Through two games he's averaging 9.5 pts, .600 fg%, 3.5 rebs, 3.0 blks in 24.5 mins.
  
• Kevin Durant: Isn't even trying. Through two games he's got 2 boards and 0 asts, while shooting 9-36 (25%). On the court he's invisible except when he throws up random shots. When asked about his assists numbers he said something to the effect of the passes are good, these guys can't shoot. Bottomline, he's just not interested. And Seattle has absolutely zero veterans who the kid is gonna wanna listen to (Sczerbiak? Chris Wilcox?). I can envision PJ Carlisemo choking the kid out.
  
• Yi Jianlian: Baller! Milwaukee needs to get this dude in camp. They fucked up once trading Nowitzki, and honestly, this guy moves a lot like Dirk does, the shooting stroke and all, plus he totes a heavier ballsack. Through 3 games he's putting up 17.3 pts, on .300 fg%, 5 rebs, 1.7 stls, and 1.o blk in 31.3 minutes. He's got a great motor and works really hard to get to the right spots on the floor. Needless to say, I'm impressed.
  
• LaMarcus Aldridge: 2 games 21pts, 11 rebs, 3 blks, .589 fg%. Any questions?
  
• Rudy Gay: Hasn't improved one bit. He's still the great athlete, and a streaky shooter, but he looks like exactly the same guy who was up and down all last year. Frankly, I'm disappointed. Just like the start of last NBA season, he's being outshined by Kyle Lowry.
  
• Corey Brewer: In one game so far he put up 16 pts, 8 boards, and was really and aggressive floor leader for the Wolves. He actually put up the same numbers as Rudy Gay, but looked a lot more comfortable doing it.
  
• Randy Foye: Foye's not a point guard, and using him to initiate the offense makes for brutal tv. One thing is for sure, he spent his summer working on ballhandling and simple trying get better as the floor general. But in his one game he looked very uncomfortable shooting 3-10 with a 3:2 assist/t.o. ratio. Ultimately he may need to be paired with a Delonte West type, a bigger guard who can defend SG's but who can also handle some of the ballhandling duties. That would free Foye up to be the gunner.

BIG SURPRISES

• Golden State Warriors: The most exciting team in the summer league. They have three guys averaging 20+ pts including Marco Belinelli averaging 30. Plus they have Toby Bailey rocking the greatest porn 'stache this side of Adam Morrisson. The big surprise is that there are five (5!) guys on this squad who could get run on the big team. That's not including lottery pick Brendan Wright. Bellinelli is a 6-5 shooting guard who will be the best shooter on the 15 man roster. He's an aggresive shooter who is basically what everyone thought JJ Redick would be. Kelenna Azubuike is avg. 21. per game and showing that his rookie year was no fluke. His fluid athleticism and improved shooting stroke may mean the end to Mikael Pietrus as a Warrior. Then there's Pierre Pierce, a 6-4 PG who is avg. 21.5 and is the motor that keeps the engine running. He's a dynamic ballhandler who is shooting 53% from the floor and doesn't turn the ball over. He'll like be the insurance policy behind Baron and Monta. And finally you have a couple young bigs in Josh Powell and Patrick O'Bryant. The pair are combining to avg. 17 rebs and 3 blks a game, and they dunk the ball a lot, which is all Nellie really asks of his bigs.
  
• Rodney Stuckey: The 15th pick out of Eastern Washington, Stuckey is a carbon copy of last year's rookie of the year Brandon Roy. Poise is the first word that comes to mind, the guy is a born leader on the floor. Gamewise, he has the midrange game to start immediately, plus he can handle like a point. He'll probably be the first guard off the Detroit bench backing up both Rip and Chauncey. Right now he's avg. 20.5 pts on 52% shooting for the 2-0 Pistons summer squad.
  
• Marcus Banks: is pissed! In his lone game he put up 42 pts, 6 rebs, 3 ast, 3, stls, and shot 4-5 from deep. After spending a year on the Phoenix bench he says he's coming out just to let people know he can still play. Mike D'antoni are you listening?
  
• Louis Williams: I swear I was like who is this kid when the game started. Now I know! Drafted out of high school two years ago, Philly tucked Williams away and just let him learn the game. Through 3 games his numbers are 24.7 pts, 5.7 rebs, 4.7 asts, 1.7 stls, .476 fg, .545 3pt. He put up a game high 32 against Detroit who has the best defensive backcourt in the summer league.

BIG IFS:

• If Amir Johnson proves to be worth any of the hype surrounding him, then combining him with Maxiell, Mcdyess, and the rookie Stuckey is gonna give the Pistons a bench that can rival their starters. That could be enough to take the East back.



• If Javaris Crittendon is as electric as he looked in his first game (he looked better than he did in college) then Kobe's finally got a back court running mate.



• If Al Thornton can consistently play the Cory Maggette-like game he had against Denver (24pts, 8 rebs, 2 blks, 10-14 ft), then the Clips can move Maggette for a quality PG.



• Redick scored 30 in his first game



• Renaldo Balkman ran the point with Nate Robinson as the 2



• Kareem Rush is back. He put up 20 for Indiana and is looking to win a starting spot come training camp.



• Adam Morrison spent his first game getting locked up by Daequan Cook. The same guy who couldn't start last year at Ohio State because he couldn't play D.

Draft Wrap

So I've been taking a lil time off seeing as that baseball was the only thing going on (and my Met's where losing any damn way!). I don't know about you guys, but I got sick of the media and other blogs basically just rehashing the same old stories. So the NBA draft (and start of free agency on July 1) came right on time. So here's my take on what teams really put in work yesterday.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS: This is how the fuck you rebuild! Takes notes Mitch Kupchak. In the one year span between last year's draft and this year's the Blazers have turned a booty, bottom feeding roster into THE team of tomorrow. A little while back I said I feared Portland might become, but now with it here in my face, I'm kinda in love. (This is very important considering my possible fan free agency, depending on how the Lakers handle the Kobe situation).

Oden and Aldridge are gonna be the shit. Both of them are tremendous rebounders with natural shot blocking tendencies. And they're athletic! Those guys are gonna make the rim disappear for opposing offenses. Then you bring in Channing Frye? Brilliant Move. Another Mobile big guy who you can bring off the bench to spell either one of the towers. Thing about Frye is that his game is different enough to make a difference. He's more of a face up guy, with tremendous range and solid post moves, while still being above average on the boards and defensively. The so called experts are saying it's just duplication of skills and that you can't give all three minutes. Bullshit. Aldridge and Oden can avg 30-35 mins/game with Frye still getting 30 off the bench. Meaning whichever two you run in crunch time will be fresher than guys playing 40+ minutes. This also means you have virtually no drop off in case of foul trouble. It's like the big man equivalent of the Isiah-Dumars-Microwave rotation that won the Pistons a couple of rings. Let me stop now before this turns into a Blazer post. Oh and you can bet your ass Francis is either gonna get moved or bought out, he has no role in this youth movement. Neeext.

BOSTON CELTICS: Danny Ainge has been getting bashed (more than usual) over the Ray Allen. Personally, I think it was a good move. If you're gonna keep Pierce, which obviously they plan to, then you have to bring in someone on a similar time line as him. Bringing in more youth wasn't going to help. So they traded basically 3 role players for the best shooter in the L! What's there not to like here? Their starting five's gonna be Rondo, Ray, Pierce, AlJeff, and basically any warm body that can grab a board. With Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green coming off the bench. That's a playoff team in the East. Hell, with a little heath that could be an Atlantic Division crown. Plus you finally have somebody to properly groom Gerald Green on what it means to be a deadly shooter in the NBA (Szcerbiak just wasn't getting the job done). The big knock by all the media types is that the C's are leaning on two aging stars. But then again these are the same guys who are slobbing NJ.

NEW YORK KNICKS: I honestly don't even know who they drafted. But I trust Isaiah. If nothing else he makes tremendous draft decisions. But the biggest move for the Knicks was trading away brokedown Stevie Franchise for Zach Randolph. Their bad contracts balance out, but Francis is a has been and Randolph is a legit 20-10 guy. Zach is motivated version of Eddy Curry, so there will be some issues with having both guys on the court at the same time, but above all else this deal accomplishes two things the Knicks needed. 1)Brings in a hardcore rebounder with offensive game, nobody else on the Knicks roster fits that bill. It's kinda like If Curry and David Lee had a baby. 2)Kept Zach away from other Eastern Conference teams. It's addition by addition mixed with addition by subtraction! Plus I'd pay good money to see Zach and Curry battling for post game meals.

SEATTLE SONICS: They got Kevin Durant. That's all that counts. That kid is gonna be MAJOR. It looks like they're already trying to shape the roster around him, except it's weird. They have a shitload of 1's, 3's, and 5's. At least four guys at each spot. Something's gotta give. I see big changes going on with them in the next few months. Regardless though, they got Durant. That's really all that matters.

ATLANTA HAWKS: They addressed their two major needs, post offense in Al Horford, and a floor leader in Acie Law. Now if then can manage to switch out Childress and/or Shelden Williams for a shooter then they've got something going on. They're still not gonna make the playoffs, but at least they can talk about it in the future now.

A couple other Items:

• The J-Rich trade was a beauty on both sides. Charlotte has never had a go to option like this before. G.Wallace picked up a lot of junk points, he wasn't a true go to guy. J-rich is gonna improve that team. Brendan Wright is gonna love Golden State where all he'll have to do is run and jump. Well, assuming he doesn't get traded for Yi.
• I love the Clippers picks. They're back in the playoffs next years. Thornton fits perfectly coming in behind Maggette. And Jared Jordan is good floor leader, he'll surprise some folks.
• The Bulls are dumb. What does Joakim Noah bring that Ben Wallace and Tyrus Thomas don't already do? Plus they're gonna have to give minutes to Michael Sweetney or whatever big man they use as a post presence. So Noah's seeing heavy bench basically til Ben's contract ends. Why not flip that pick for somebody with a post game?
• I'm sorry Rodney Stuckey went to Detroit. He's got a ton of talent that they're gonna waste.
• I'm not gonna talk about the Lakers. Free agency starts July 1. That's when teams can do sign&trades, and all the real player movement picks up. We'll see what happens then.

NBA Wrap

No pics, no vids. Just a wrap on NBA, at least til the draft in a couple weeks.

SPURS ARE THE SHIT. PERIOD. Lots of talk out there about if they are a legit dynasty or not, or if they need to repeat. I say this: 4 ring in nine years. Right now Larry Bird is jealous of Tim Duncan. As is Kobe. Shaq is rocking himself to sleep with whispers of MDE. Magic, MJ, and Pip are hearing foot steps.

LEBRON SHOULDA WENT TO SCHOOL. Yeah, and then you're gonna say, but he's only 22! Then I'm gonna ask you did you see him getting schooled? This isn't the easy anymore, Toto. One good player can win the East. But that shit don't run in the West. Ask Kobe. What was especially weak, though, was that Bron showed no real 48 minute soul. AI took one from the Lakers. Kidd never took games from the Lakes and Spurs. Hell, Wade held Shaq's hand and personally shitted on Dirk. But in '07 where was Lebron?

Lakers are fucked. #1 do not overpay for O'neal. You can move Odom for him, but not Odom and Bynum. Move Bynum for Artest. Radmonovic for Bonzi Wells. Sign Kapono for the money you were gonna give to Luke. Either draft a point or trade it for Duhon. I'd love to see a starting 5 of Duhon, Kobe, Artest, Odom, Kwame. That's a defensive 5 for that ass. Plus everybody but Kwame is a threat. Then you bring Kapono, Cook, Farmar, Turiaf, and Mo Evans off the bench. That's a hardcore team that can bang with the likes of Dallas, Phx, and San Antone.

for those wondering what Dirk's been doing with the extra vacation time...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVf_7UYrliQ

Oh, and if Lebron gets swept, he's back on the board. Fuck it, you know what, he's back on anyway....

J.R. Smith: Menace to Society

For real. This dude needs to go to jail. For a long time. To get into an accident is one thing. I can understand that. I think most of us who drive have been involved in some tiype of accident or another. And we've all definitely had our moments when we were not the best driver on the road.

But J.R. Smith, just like on the basketball court, is flat out reckless. All of the time. This is the same guy who had his license suspended 5 times in a one year span. Smith amassed 27 points against his license from April 22, 2005, to Jan 10, 2006, with eight violations on seven dates. Five of the citations were for speeding.

So it was not surprising to hear that Smith was involved in a serious car crash this past weekend. What's surprising are the circumstances of the accident. Smith swerved around a car, that was already stopped at a traffic sign, and charged into the intersection causing a head-on collision with another car. Of the three passengers in Smith's car, he and good friend Andre Bell were not wearing seatbelts and were ejected from the car. Bell, who was thrown from the backseat of the GMC Yukon, suffered severe head injuries, and spent his last days in a coma before finally succumbing to his injuries.

Smith was quoted as being "devastated by the loss of his good friend." He should be. As a matter of fact, not only should he be devasted, but also incarcerated. He has a history of violent, reckless behavior behind the wheel of a car, which lawfully is considered a deadly weapon. Remember, this is the same guy who was involved in a "fender bender" while driving Carmelo Anthony around in one of Carmelo's vehicles. So it's not like he only drives crazy in his own cars, or just when he's in the car, or just when the road is empty. No. This man really truly does not give a fuck. Now he has claimed his first victim. J.R. Smith needs to go to jail.

thanks to the AP for providing background info for this post.

Spurs in 5

I just wanna get this out there before the games actually start. Because for all of the media's slurping of Lebron there's still the fact of basketball. And the facts are that the Cavs probably wouldn't have made the playoffs in the West. Honestly would you take Lebron over Kobe for 82 games? And the facts are also that Duncan has 3 rings all while facing the likes of Shaq, Kobe, Dirk, Nash, Amare, Melo, AI, Webber, KG, Sheed, Stockton, Malone, Pippen, Yao, T-Mac, it goes on and on. Really, think about all the premier teams from the West over the last 10 years. And Duncan has beat them all. So as much credit as Lebron deserves for closing out on the Pistons, let's not slurp him too hard and remember this basketball, not the movies.

Oh damn, as I write this, Schilling just gave up ass on the perfect game...like I said, this ain't Hollywood.

Jordanesque

Indeed. He went through Detroit. Now he faces the team that has, more or less, dominated the Western Conference over the last 10 years with one of the games all-time greatest players and strong supporting cast. Rumble young man rumble.

KOBESQUE

that's what it was. Helluva game. But he's still on the list til he closes out the series.

This is some bullshit...

1. trading Shaq
2. trading Shaq without demanding Wade in return
3. trading Caron
4. trading Caron for Kwame
5. biggest free agent acquisition: Vlade Radmanovic
6. biggest trade acquisition: Maurice Evans

Building a winner huh?

If they fuck up this Kobe thing, the Lakers are dead to me.

Addendum: Lebron

Two clutch, game-time situations. Two major choke jobs. So far LBJ has exhausted option1 (get rid of the ball a.s.a.p.), and option2 (dribble for way too long then blame the refs) on the v.i.n.c.e. chart for crunch time choking. He's obviously a tremendous student. Watch out for option3 (the deep j) when the series returns to Cleveland. By the way, how is the most physically gifted athlete in the League complaining about incidental contact? Is this the same guy who often claims to be a football player at heart? Hell, isn't it the same guy who earlier in the same game took a crossbody slap from Rip Hamilton and still finished with a lefty layup? But then come the end game and he's thrown off by a little brush on the tummy? Fuck this, Lebron gets the gasface and he joins the Blacklist. Lookout Dirk, there's a new #1.

The Case for Portland

Being the unabashed Kobe fan that I am, I have to admit that now I'm scared. I mean last offseason I was scared thinking that the Lakes barely made the playoffs and would have to spend '07 dealing with healthy Utah, Houston, and a freshly seasoned New Orleans to make the playoffs. I prayed for major improvements. None came. But luckily the faithful old Clips and Kings fell off and Kobe was able to drag those other guys into the playoffs. This offseason, though, is monumental for the Kobe era. Why well let's look at the West.

LOCKED IN:
1.San Antonio
2.Phoenix
3.Dallas
4.Utah
5.Houston
6.Denver

These six teams are locked in unless Bonzi Wells losses it and kills some people. That only leaves TWO spots left with 9 teams to go. That's worse odds than Jerry West had for the #1 pick and we all know what happened there. Speaking of the Grizz, let's eliminate them right now.

LOCKED OUT:
13.Minnesota
14.Sacramento
15.Memphis

Yes, these teams all suck donkey dick and have absolutely zero chance of posteseason life next year. Basically all 3 squads are fodder for the rest of the league to scavenge decent players from. Minus these 3 losers brings us down to SIX teams vying for those TWO spots.

THE CONTENDERS:
7.Lakers
8.Golden State
9.Clippers
10.Portland
11.Seattle
12.New Orleans

Golden State, Seattle, and the Clippers really don't scare me. They have amassed a lot of talent, but are poor teams, which means they are capable of incredibly hot streaks, but over the course of 82 games I'm taking Kobe. New Orleans has slowly put together a winner adn barring major injuries again this year I fully expect them to make the playoffs. That leaves only Portland in the way of my guy 24 seeing the postseason. And frankly that scares me. Here's why:

exhibit A: The Twin Towers
Portland will draft Greg Oden. They have to. The opportunity to pair Oden with Aldridge has devastating possibilities. There's only been two real Twin Tower scenarios in my lifetime and they both were wildly successful. The obvious one is Duncan/Robinson. Both were natural shotblockers and rebounders who could run the floor. The were an impossible matchup, and the fact that both guys could post or face up meant that they dominated both sides of the floor from freethow to baseline. They immediately won a championship. The other set was Olajuwon/Sampson. Don't laugh. You have to understand, Ralph's knees only allowed him to play 3.5 real seasons of basketball, and he was matched up with Hakeen for only 2.5 of those years. Ralph Sampson was KG before there was a KG, except he was 7-4. For the 2 full seasons the twin towers were together they combined to average 42.5 points, 22.4 boards, 4.8 blocks, and 2.8 steals. Even Wilt respects those numbers! And to top it off, the Rockets won 99 games over those two seasons. Get this, the Lakers went to all 10 Western Conference Championships in the 80's, and only lost 2. One of those loses was a 4-1 embarassment at the hands of Olajuwon and Sampson. Only Larry Bird, having the greatest season of his career (not to mention Parrish and McHale), stopped Houston from bringing home the gold cup.

Bottomline: Towers win. And yes! Those are the Ralph Sampson Puma LE's. Check the signature.


exhibit B: Bigs Win!
A quick chart for those of you swearing up and down that Jordan turned it into a guard's league.

Recent NBA Champions
2006:Shaq
2005:Duncan
2004:Pistons (ok, fair argument here, even though Shaq was present)
2003:Duncan
2002:Shaq
2001:Shaq
2000:Shaq
1999:Duncan

Bottomline: You wanna be on espn, go small. You want to win rings, go BIG!


exhibit C: The Youth Movement
Greg Oden is about to change the whole Portland basketball culture. Originally the blueprint was to build around Z-Bo Randolph and D.Miles. But this past season's draft heists of Aldridge and Roy opened Blazer eyes to a new path. Oden represents the final brick in that path. The Blazers can now begin a true youth movement led by the Roy and the Twin Towers version 3.0. That triumvirate takes the pressure off of every other young Blazer Jarret Jack, Sergio Rodriguez, Martell Webster, Travis Outlaw, and Ime Udoka. Instead of searching to see how these gusy can fit, there are very defined roles to fill: ball handler, defender, outside shooter. It's always easier to do your job when you know exactly what it is you have to do. These guys will now have the oppurtunity to excel. Plus this gives the Blazers major leverage to trade both Z-Bo and Miles for better fits. With the major pieces for the movement in place Portland brass can feel free to move those guys for less than market value so long as they bring veteran, character guys to help the youngens out. It's a seller's market in Portland.

Bottomline: With a couple of smart trade moves to go along with the Oden pick, the Blazers could make the playoffs. And that scares the shit out of me. Somebody call the Logo. Kobe needs some help!

I'll call him Mini Me!

Did you guys catch Lebron pulling a classic v.i.n.c.e.? (I spell his name out because I, much like Mr. Carter, can't seem to put it all together) I mean in crunch time v.i. has 3 go-to moves.

1) Get rid of the ball A.S.A.P!
2)Dribble for as long as possible and then turn it over and blame the refs
3)Pull up for the deep j

For Derek Fisher, this is a reasonable list of options. For a guy who has no qualms with dunking on his own mom, these options are not acceptable. Yet and still, that is the extent of v.i.n.c.e.'s repertoire. And Lebron thinks that shit is hot! Back in 2000 v.i.n.c.e. got swept out of the playoffs by a rowdy, post-Ewing Knick team. In game 2 of that series v.i.n.c.e. had the last shot and a chance to win the game for his guys and here's what he said:

"I was feeling confident, but looking out of the corner of my eye, Dee was wide open," Carter said. "He's a great shooter, and you take your chances."

Lebron after game 1 vs. the Pistons:

"You just have to take what's there, It's not about taking a high volume of shots, it's about trying to win the basketball game. We had an opportunity to win...The winning play when two guys come at you and a teammate is open is to give it up. It's as simple as that."

Now here's Latrell Sprewell in that same game 2 vs. v.i.n.c.e.:

"I wasn't settling for the jumper. I was going to the basket."

Spree hit the game winner and swept that series. Then continued on to lead the seriously undermanned Knicks to the Finals. Yep, the same Spree who took KG's no-winning ass to the West finals. The big difference between Spree and v.i.n.c.e./Lebron is that Spree just never gave a fuck. He was in it to win it. Anybody talking anything else was liable to get choked. For Real. Lebron gives too much of a fuck. He thinks about Nike and Sprite and David Stern and what the media is gonna talk about tomorrow. So sure, he was ready to throw out quotes about the 'winning play' but he wasn't playing to win.

The Pistons left Donyell open for a reason. "If he makes the pass and they score we'll live with it," says Rip Hamilton. Umm, I think the Pistons have won a lil bit in this league, so if you're playing against them, then you probably don't want to just take what they're giving you. Unless you like boots up the ass.

v.i.n.c.e. has proven time and time again that anal stimulation is the only thing that moves him. If you don't remember, after getting swept in '00 by the Knicks, Charles Oakley spent the summer reaming v.i.n.c.e in the media. The next year v.i.n.c.e. actually pulled a Lebron and played really hard for 10 games, before heading back to UNC for graduation, and then choking off the series with option 3 (see chart above). After that season Oakley, and his array of anal stimulators, was jettisoned and we know how hard v.i.n.c.e. has worked since then. It's just a shame that Lebron is such a fan.

What's the Big Deal?

OK. Real Quick. What's the difference between Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens? Seriously, right now, hit the comment button and tell me. Because I see no difference. Neither has failed a drug test. Both have been fingered in steroids probes. Both were Hall of Famers before Steroids. And both have moved into the 'Greatest Ever' debate since steroids. Both have grown physically larger, and have shown an overpowering dominance that others of their age have lacked. So what's the difference? Please, I need to know.

Kinda like what's the difference between a pain killing injection and an anabolic steroid? Both are performance enhancing drugs, and both can be legal, depending on what you take. Honestly, a vitamin or a protein shake is performance enhancing, so is coffee and/or massive amounts of candy. Red Bull makes commercials claiming to enhance performance. As does Viagra, as a matter of fact.

So we can, but Barry can't?

So Shawn Merriman can, but Barry can't?

So Roger Clemens can, but Barry can't?

Talk to me people.

The NBA is the Shit!

I hate to do this, but I have to disagree with one of my favorite bloggers. BILL SIMMONS YOU'RE FLAT OUT WRONG. All season the Sports Guy has been complaining about how weak the league is, when that argument is about as bogus as all the Clements supporters who curse Bonds. The NBA is as strong as it's ever been, at least in the West. Last year's playoffs were amongst the best ever during my 28 years. And this year ( the West, at least) bounced back strong as ever. Dallas, while a huge bust, could matchup favorably with any non-championship franchise since the days of Russell and Chamberlain. So yes I'd put money, after a few drinks, on Dirk's squad against any non Magic, Bird, Moses, MJ, Isiah, Hakeem, Kobe, Shaq, Duncan team. San Antonio deserves talk as a legitimate Dynasty. Phoenix (who I hate!) can beat pretty much any team ever that doesn't come out with a real serious focus on stopping them. Houston has two Hall of Famers in it's lineup. Utah is more dangerous than any of those Stockton-Malone teams. Denver has a top 4 (AI, Melo, Camby, Nene) that can matchup with anybody. And that's all without mentioning the best player in the league (Kobe), the NBA's greatest Cinderella ever (Golden State), or anybody in the East. If you watched more than just your local station and ESPN then there's no way you can say the NBA is worse than it was throughout the 90's. In fact, I'll argue that we are finally getting back to the "Build a team, win a ring" days of the 80's where it wasn't about one or two franchise guys, it was about being 15 strong. Come on Sports Guy, we all know ESPN is more interested in being Paris Hilton than Tiger Woods, but I expect more out of you. Jemele, please check ya boy!

Lost Education

Watching Tmac almost break into tears after his 6th first round failure really hurt me. I mean, as a Kobe fan, it's only natural that I'm a big Tmac fan also. I can remember back to his first playoff experience alongside Vince in Toronto when a young Mac outshined his superstar cousin while losing to the Knicks. While Vince began writing the first pages of Memoirs of the Nutless, Tmac showed signs of the killer that would eventually avg. 32 over a full season and carry an Orlando squad manned with Pat Ewing, Horace Grant, and Darrell Armstrong into the the playoffs.

Watching Mac repeatedly bang his head against the first round wall seems eerily familiar though. Didn't I see this happen to Magic, Bird, MJ, Isiah.....nah, no I didn't. Those guys learned their lessons in whole different arena. Now I'm not one of those guys who talks about how much college builds character or all that BS, but I do believe it helps to build winners. The college game is the first time guys get to match their team game against other quality teams. Sure high school ball was big shit for most of us, but how much of a challenge did it pose for Tmac? Lebron? Kg? Think about this, no matter how nice you swear you were in high school, how would you have matched up against Mac? Exactly, he woulda been doing NBA Live shit on any one of us. Then he turned around and actually hit the NBA. That's like going from high school science class to NASA.

I look at the big 3 guys from the '04 draft and it really proves the point. Lebron came from straight from the lil leagues and struggled like hell for 3 years just to get into the playoffs in the weak ass east. Melo spent one year schooling the Drew Gooden's and Nick Collison's of the college where he learned 2 big things: 1)How to match up against equally talented teams, and 2)How to be leader for your team. Coincidentally, Melo has made the playoffs in the ultra tough West every year. Then you come to Dwayne Wade. Who didn't start off as a walking hype machine. Wade spent 4 years at tiny Marquette learning how to be the man and picking up the ultimate skill of being able to elevate the players around him. Wade has made the playoffs each year. Understand, that first season was sans Shaq and he still made it to the 2nd round. As a matter of fact, this is the first year of his career that Wade didn't make it at least to the 2nd round.

"So what about Kobe?" you ask. And even though I'm the #1 fan, I'll be objective here. Kobe came in to the league alongside Shaq, so that makes up for a lot. In Kobe's first 3 years the Lakers flamed in the 2nd round while my guy avg 11.7 per. Over the next 3 years my man avg 25.2 and the Lakeshow took 3 straight trophies. During the same two terms Shaq's splits were 28.3 and 29.9. So obviously Kobe was the difference maker. But Kobe didn't go to school? True. Kobe was just lucky enough to join a franchise where he would be mentored on a day to day basis by Magic and the Logo. No other franchise can offer that education.

J.Oneal, drafted the same year as Kobe, went to a Trailblazer squad stacked with Scot Pip, Sheed, Sabonis and bunch of other quality support players. Coincidentally, he got an A+ education in how to talk big game. His Pacers teams are yearly underachievers, always making the playoffs but never living up to the hype. The difference between Jermaine and Kobe is the same as the difference between Magic and the Logo vs. Pip and Sheed.

The education these high school cats are missing out has nothing to do with books and essays. It's about leadership and domination. Think I'm bullshittin? Stephen Jackson. Drafted by San Antonio, the best franchise in the game right now, he learned from Pop, Duncan, and that whole squad of 3-time champions, look what he's doing with GS. Leadership and Domination. Sorry Mac. Time to go back to school.

BlackBalled? L.A. Lakers

Jerry West please come back! Honestly I need this guy in my life. Up until about 9 years ago I was a die-hard Clipper fan. My eyes still tear up remembering the wonderful years of Ron Harper, Danny Manning, Charles Smith, Ken Norman, Loy Vaught, Benoit Benjamin, Olden Polynice, shit I could go on all day. But here's the point, the current Lakers remind me of those teams with one major exception: Kobe. Kobe is the guy who transformed my youthful love of the Clips over to the darkside fandom of the Lakers. And just like those old Clips, these Lakers are loveable losers, except for Kobe. 24 is a force of nature that rapes and pillages small towns, literally! And I love him for it. Cause if I could I'd be doing the same shit! So what both Kobe and the D.I.G. need is the return of Jerry West. The Logo is kinda like Obi Wan Kenobe but better cause he partied with Wilt Chamberlain. With that said, I have to consider perhaps I am just overly distraught by the ball slap Phoenix just laid on my guys. But I can't help but be hurt seeing Golden State, a fellow Cali team, running around with their balls dangling all over Dirk's chin, while my guys sit in a corner waiting for their testes to drop. Believe it or not I actually cheered the Suns a little bit in hopes that they killed us quickly do I didn't have to be punished by the likes of Kwame and Smush any longer. Now I can actually enjoy the rest of the playoffs.
Even though the Logo will be in my dreams.

Typsy Tyrants: You really need to get of Jerry West's nuts. What they need to do is sell the whole team for KG. doesn't take a genius to know that.

D.I.G.: I would blow Rosie O'Donnell if it brought KG to the L.A.

Typsy Tryants: Honestly the biggest mistake wasnt taking Odom,Caron, Chucky Atkins for Shaq it was letting Caron and Chucky go for bums like Smush and Kwame. Not to mention drafting complete idiots. Kupchak is the reason for all this and no other person.

D.I.G.: Agreed, that's why I'm having wet dreams about Jerry West. Plus there's no way in hell Jerry would have traded Shaq and not gotten Wade as part of the deal.

Typsy Tyrants: Well West will be a consultant and people fail to believe Lakers can get anything but they have two 1st round picks and Mihm's expiring contract, Kwame, Odom, and plus the rest of the bums to trade. So i guess the Guru of trades can pull of a megadeal of some sort or at least some hogs that wont get ballslapped nightly.

D.I.G.: For sure they have the flexibility to make a something big happen. But Mitch can't be pulling the strings. I mean how do you move Shaq for Odom, Butler, and Brian Grant. Then move Butler and Chucky Atkins for Kwame, and do nothing with Grant's expiring contract. So basically he's traded Shaq, Caron, and Chucky Atkins for Lamar and Kwame. Ouch. I'm moving to Oakland.

Typsy Tyrants: Man this yr killed my soul if I gotta watch one more game with a Smush, Cook, or any type of bullshit name i'm officially movin on to greener pastures. But still got love for the man KOBE. True MVP.

D.I.G.: So here's the queston: Have the Lakers fallen to Nowitzki status and earned a spot on the
black list?

Typsy Tyrant: I must say its official. Until further notice.

Finally Arrived.........

I am proud to be apart of the kill or be kill sporting blog which will ballslap the weak hearted, and seperate the guru's from the rootie poo's. Blackballed is created to give TRUE sports fans the fourm to express REAL views from each individuals take on sports as they see it. No more holding back the raw and uncut ways people wish to give their take on the issues. No being held to standards by corporate entities to walk the line. It is time to let it be known we are here and its about to get ugly. Welcome to the place where sports, entertainment, life, and all worldly issues, collide to form a undeniably irresistable outlet for the real sports fan. Time to bring the heat on the ultimate level and avoid the occaisonal ballslap or the status altering blackball. To all those who dare welcome to the next level.

P.S. Watch out for that Slap........
TV Japan - Ball Slap - A funny movie is a click away

A Few Good Rules

Black-ball (blāk'bôl') Pronunciation Key n.
noun
1.A negative vote, especially one that blocks the admission of an applicant to an organization.
2.A small black ball used as a negative ballot.
trans. verb. black·balled, black·ball·ing, black·balls
1.To vote against, especially to veto the admission of.
2.To shut out from social or commercial participation; ostracize or boycott. black'ball'er n.

That's right, this site is not for the weakhearted, if you don't bring your A-game you will be ostracized and/or boycotted. Nobody wants that. How to avoid this you ask?

a) Always come strapped. Blackballed is a celebration of strength and achievement. Weakness will not be tolerated (Yes, we're talking to you Dirk).

b) Keep it clean. While we will always talk shit, it will be on a purely professional level. So while you may be told to eat shit and die, we'd never say it in front of your mom.

c) Steve Nash is a whiteboy. Take it as it is. Race is an identifying characteristic. That's it. So by calling Nash a whiteboy the only thing I'm saying is that he'll get more play from girls who like whiteboys than he would from girls who like Asian guys. Make sense? So it's totally Ok by us to call a young woman a nappy headed ho, so long as she is known to be promiscuous and rarely combs her hair. Actually that description could also fit Shawn Kemp, but moving on...

Bottomline we wanna run this blog like good sex: hard and clean. So you can slap all the ass you want, just don't burn anyone!