The LeBron's

Until tonight, I never believed in the Cavaliers. I thought that they were just the LeBron's and that their playoff performance against the Magic last year justified that belief. I watched in disgust as a team that has (in my humble opinion) the greatest player in the league fell from grace. They tripped, they fell, they tumbled, and nothing LeBron could do would stop the inevitable crash as a team that would have easily lost to a Garnett-lead Celtics team slowly crushed the playoff life out of them.

What bothered me most was the way in which Cleveland lost. The game plan seemed to be give James the ball, and pray for true greatness to occur for 48 minutes on 7 separate occasions. This worked as much as it could, but even LeBron transcendent him was not enough to outlast a clever and effectively coached Stan Van Gundy team as they ground the LeBron's to a stop. And when things got rough, the "coach of the year" disappeared. He would arbitrarily place James on a random Magic player and blow a 7 point half-time lead within 3 minutes of the start of the third quarter. He would deliberately run plays that had LeBron shooting fade-away jump shots. It was madness.

Tonight, I eagerly watched the Hawks and the Cavaliers play in Atlanta. If I were to have told you that LeBron was going to play very poorly offensively, against a hostile crowd and a fired-up Hawks team, you would have told me (erroneously) that the Cavs would certainly add another loss to their record. My statement to you would have been wrong, though, so do not judge yourself too harshly. LeBron did play incredibly poorly offensively. He almost had as many turnovers as he did made shots. He missed time after time when he had a chance to blow the game open. What fascinated me was the lack of the other two premises upon which my statement stood. The crowd was not hostile. The Hawks were not fired-up.

This is partially their fault, but I would like to give credit to the Cavaliers more than take it away from Atlanta. Mike Brown's preparation for this game, right after an emotional victory over the Lakers, was impeccable. It astonished me. He prepared a defensive scheme that made Joe Johnson look much worse than LeBron did in this game. It involved James shutting him down and throwing different double-teams at him every time he touched the ball. His execution silenced an emotional team and emptied a stadium full of fans thirsty for vengeance after an embarrassing sweep from last year. It reminded us what a championship caliber team looks like, and what a team that is not nearly there, regardless of what PER might lead us to believe, truly is. For now, my hat is off to Mr. Brown. He shocked me. The Cavs won with teamwork, and gutsy play from both Mo Williams and Delonte West. They won with fierce defense, certainly worthy of any team in the NBA. Most importantly, they won with LeBron shooting six for twenty (yes that is 30%), missing all five shots from beyond the arc, turning the ball over 4 times, and mere mortal play. Goodbye LeBron's, hello Cleveland.

True Garbage

What has happened? I remember recently sending a slightly over-enthusiastic text message to my brother which stated that the Utah Jazz were fifth in team PER as rated by Hollinger. This was big news. For once I believed in this ridiculous statistic (the individual one is better, but I still have my doubts about it as well) partly because of my obvious biases toward my hometown team, but also because it described what I was seeing myself with the few bits of box scores, two-minute highlights, the win-loss spread over the last ten games, and other scraps that I can accrue in Seattle.

Then Minnesota struck. For the fourth time of the season and the second time against Utah. Of their twenty losses, Deron Williams owns none. Of their four wins, Carlos Boozer owns half. This is pathetic. And after beating such teams as the Lakers, the Magic, and the Spurs, no less. This was then followed up by a 2-3 road trip, in which I was able to watch one of the most sloppy games I have ever seen against the Heat. Dwayne Wade usually owns the Jazz, but on this day, he didn't even have to (he did score 29 points). Carlos Boozer scored 12 points in the first couple minutes and then 2 points (free throws!) for the rest of the game. Okur looked like a joke. A big ugly, joke. I hate to pick on the guy. Lord knows every team needs an unathletic white center who can't play defense, can't create his own shots, rarely rebounds, and can shoot threes all day, while making a slightly less than great percentage of them. In defense of the big man, he did do something that very few (if any) have done before and very few (if any) will do again: he made Boozer look like a first-team defensive player.

What makes me more furious about this team is the trade of Eric Maynor. Unless this is the precursor to a blockbuster trade of Boozer for a good big man, this trade is unacceptable. If the Jazz didn't want to pay over the salary cap, they shouldn't have re-signed both Boozer and Milsap. Don't ruin the future to make up for your poor off-season management. At this point, I am at a loss: I don't know which league the GM is watching. We are slow, we can't play defense, and we are wasting the talent of a truly brilliant player in Williams. Now, we have ruined the great picks of two rookies (one undrafted) to clear up some money (apparently). Utah is too good for this. We have too much tradition for it. We were infamous as a dirty, defensive team that was *nasty*. Now, it seems that management of the team is content to sit back and sneak into the playoffs in a very talented conference, unwilling and unable to make bold moves and surround our only hope for salvation with some real talent, instead of ugly big men (Lamar Odom still looks and balls like Ms. America compared to Okur). This is all I want for belated Christmas: a dedication to trying to win a championship, risking losing more games while attempting to win more. In the words of another ugly white guy, "Merry Fucking Christmas." (Larry Bird)

Why It's Hard to Follow Basketball from Afar

This video conveys my general feeling of trying to glean NBA coverage without actually attending games or watching them on TV. True, this video is for LA fans, by what a slight bit of research would probably reveal is the local Lakers TV channel. But it speaks to a larger point. This game was largely covered in the national media as a case of Kobe having a broken finger. Which isn't to say that Kobe's finger, his sickness, or playing two games in a row didn't have anything to do with the loss. But it seems to me that the sports media's obsession with stories they already know leaves them unable to cover stories they don't know. What we end up seeing, presuming we don't have the local Utah Jazz station, is very much like the video that opened this post. It's a reel of Lakers highlights, and yet, if we ever glance at the score, we'd notice that the Lakers are behind and staying there.

This isn't to single out the Lakers, who are generally singled out as the NBA team (but that misses the point). I think the larger problem is staying on top of stories as they develop. It's waiting for things to be solidified in stone so you don't end up making the wrong calls. Predicting a team is going to the moon, when its only going to Minnesota. It seems to me (though, granted, my view is askance and taken from afar; meaning I don't follow the NBA nearly as much as I should to be pontificating on its followers' weaknesses, but that's my life) that coverage of the league always lags about a year behind where it should. Therefore, the Orlando Magic are one of this year's big stories. Not to say that that's wrong, but I suspect that other teams are creeping up, ready to strike when everyone in the media least expects it. Pretty soon it'll be mid spring and journalists will start making a retroactive case that 09/10 was their year, ensuring that we'll be inundated with mass amounts of coverage of them as next year's team to watch, while yet another team (one hopes the Jazz) prepares for its moment.

Then again, its very hard to predict these things. Is Atlanta the future of the league, or was November just a hot month? I don't know. (And its hard to know when I only hear about the Hawks in relation to the Celtics, which is partly the fault of coverage and partly the fault of my own biases: my strong emotional connection to Garnet over, say, Josh Smith. But that emotional bias, which limits my ability to take in Hawks or Smith stories as important to me, is itself due to a lack of past coverage, a lack of any narrative to connect new data to.) What I do know, however, is the way coverage is means that really awesome stuff often doesn't make it onto the public consciousness to every one's detriment. And although that video might not capture the whole truth of the league either, it does show that our current vision may be heavily distorted. Plus, it provides solid evidence for my beliefs about Farmer.

Disappointments

After the first couple of games, here is a premature and overly-analytical look into some teams that are not living up to the hype:

CLEVELAND:
LeBron James is amazing. I have said it before and I will certainly say it again. The Cavaliers are seriously disappointing to me, however. In what seems to be a silly attempt to get him to sign on again after this season, they signed Shaquille O'Neal. Now they have a triplet of misfits at the center position: one quick one who is scrawny, one old one who can't keep up on defense, and one very large, very over the top of his career man in the middle. I don't know what they were thinking. It is a shame, but at least we will get to see James in New York next season.

UTAH:
Although they really beat up on San Antonio tonight, the Jazz have disappointed so far. Boozer has played incredibly poorly, injury seems to be creeping in again, and they have played some of the worst fourth quarter play in recent memory. In all three of their losses, they were close, but got whipped in the last period. I don't know if it is conditioning, mental issues, or what, but if they are to make any splash in this immensely competitive conference, they need to step it up.

SAN ANTONIO:
Two losses, one at Utah and one at Chicago, are not devastating. This team is similar in many ways to the Spurs: a fantastic big and leader coming back from injury, and a stacked, veteran team that is championship tested. The Spurs haven't been as dominant as I thought they would be at this juncture, but I will still be shocked if they aren't rolling come playoff time.

PORTLAND:
The Greg Oden is an enigma. He played well in college, but I have never been particularly impressed with him. I did not think he deserved the first draft pick overall, and I certainly thought and still think that he will face injury issues throughout his career. What makes him puzzling is not his character, or even his style of play, but it is the hope and dreams that he seems to inspire in Portland fans. They keep waiting for him to turn into some basketball superstar, some KG over night. It won't happen. He will still be fumble-prone on offense. He will still get too many fouls. He will still follow a brilliantly athaletic (watch Charles Barkley) play with a profoundly dumb-headed one. My prediction: he will be what he is. He isn't going to change. He will be a good defensive presence and not much else. He will be a valuable asset, but not a savior or a ring-fetcher. I beg Blazers fans to cut the guy some slack. It pains me to see him work so hard to try to be something that he never was and never will be. I see this guy settling in with a coach like Doc Rivers, in which the coach asks realistic things out of him and gets them. He will never be Kevin, and it was silly to ever think he would be anything of the sort. That said, the Blazers have seemingly taken a step back from last year. They look one year younger and don't have the swagger that was theirs after last season. If they can regain that, they will be serious challengers in the West.

Back from vacation

Welcome back to the season everybody! After taking a brief hiatus from posting, I am back as well. NBA 09-10 so far looks to be a good conclusion to this resurgent decade of basketball. There are so many story lines that are happening right now it is hard to pick which ones to write about, but all three games from yesterday will be a good start. I will talk about them and their implications for the season:

Lakers vs. Clippers
After Griffin went down, I couldn't help but wonder if this team is destined to be the Chicago Cubs of basketball. Continually awful, disappointing, and never able to catch a break, even in the form of a talented first draft pick. The Lakers, without center extraordinaire Pau Gasol, looked slightly sloppy, but had no real need to try hard or play well. Kobe is dominant as always, Ron Artest crazy as ever (the hair/shorts combination is unbeatable), and Phil Jackson cool, calm, and collected. I think this team is probably still the favorite in the league and nothing I saw yesterday changed my mind.

Blazers vs. Rockets
There is plenty of excitement for Brandon Roy and the Blazers up here in the Northwest. In fact, I have them as the third best team in the Western Conference this year. Last night did not help their image though. After a good preseason, Greg Oden was hot and cold. The cold felt really cold to me. There were a few times after a silly mistake or characteristic foul that he looked up in desperation, the agony plainly painted on his face. The crowd desperately wanted him to succeed and took to cheering every time he touched the ball, but to no avail. He had some good blocks, but against a very mediocre Houston bunch. They certainly looked like they were feeling the lack of all of their stars. I expect to see Portland get better and Houston too probably. I hope that Oden gets better over the season, but I remain sceptical. I can't help but see him as a sort of tragic case, never living up to his potential. He would do very well under a coach like Doc Rivers who could ask for the best that he could do and no more.

Celtics vs. Cavaliers
Clearly the most exciting match up of the evening, it was a good game to watch. The Rondo issues have not cleared up and neither has KG's knee. If they both do, which is a big if, then this team should be favored to win a championship. What excited me most from Boston was their depth and defense. Both have been discussed extensively all off season, and both did not disappoint. I actually believe that this bench could start and make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Paul Pierce is looking good, and Rondo is still immensely talented and quick. KG was obviously hurt still. As for the Cavs, they were not very exciting. LBJ is truly a gift to this sport. He is so immensely talented that teams seem content and almost used to him putting up 38 points. Boston, which played good defense, was not stunned nor even surprised when James would drain a 3-point shot with hands in his face. Their philosophy seemed to be "Well, he can't outscore all 10 of us, so we should be good." It is my opinion and fear that this is still the case with the Cavs. James is amazing, the rest, mediocre. When push comes to shove, the Magic and Celtics will have an answer and Lebron won't be able to outgun the entire other team.

The lasting message from last night? Thank God for basketball.

The Return of J.R. Rider?

Though only a rumor at this point, it appears that Isaiah "J.R." Rider may be primed for one of the most surprising NBA comebacks in recent memory. Undeniably, the 38-year-old guard has roller-coasted his way to one of the leagues most volatile careers since he was selected 5th overall by the Timberwolves in the 1993 NBA Draft. Although Rider hasn't played in a game since the 2001-02 season when he appeared in a whopping 10 matches for Denver, his agent reports that Isaiah has "been working out hard". According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, this stringent level of effort is met by "playing pickup ball with local college guys in suburban Phoenix". Something tells me that whatever jokes might arise regarding the possible effectiveness of such a workout regimen would only give the feeling of shooting fish in a barrel. I'm just going to move on.

The following article will look at this recent come-back news in context of JR Rider's overall career, but first I can't resist the opportunity to point out his bizarre similarity to Jason Kidd. Rider and Kidd both attended high school in the town of Alameda, California, only 2 years apart. Both having March birthdays, Rider and Kidd went on to attend traditionally non-powerhouse collegiate basketball programs in UNLV and UC Berkeley. Despite this, only 3 picks separated their respective top 5 selections in the NBA Draft. Both are strong rebounding guards. All of this may seem like coincidence, and I am even willing to concede that it could just be something in the Alameda water that pushed the players to similar domestic abuse troubles, but then again...

There must be something to the fact that both players boast assault charges on the records stemming from a dispute over fast food. Granted Kidd's assault was prompted by being denied a french fry and Rider's by receiving the wrong flavor of Jack in the Box milkshake (see number 9, add physical altercation), but aren't we just splitting hairs here? How many people, let alone NBA players, can put that on their resume? Just remember, everything happens for a reason... I'll let you know when I figure out what it is.

In the end, I'll concede that it would be an unfair comparison. But only on the basis that, while Kidd has certainly compiled an impressive list of domestic abuse and anger related problems, he has also shown at least a slim measure of remorse. Rider, on the other hand, has never been shy about unabashedly piling it on. It would be an insult to Rider's legacy to simply lump him in with the general NBA populace of dime-a-dozen troublemakers. That's the minor leagues and the last place that this deity of deviance belongs.

Back to the roller coaster. In his prime, Rider was a tangled mix of explosive talent and volatile behavior. On one hand, JR Rider is remembered for the sensational "East Bay Funk Dunk" that won him the 1994 All-Star Slam Dunk Contest and left Charles Barkley stammering that it was perhaps "the best dunk (he'd) ever seen". He's also remembered for the college Dunk of Death when he knocked a defender out cold with a knee to the head. In his rookie season, Rider scored 30+ points 3 times in one month and was named to the All-Rookie First Team, but also managed to miss the first practice of his NBA career (*He repeating this feat by showing up late to his first practice with Atlanta). Both within the single month of December, 1995, Isaiah completed what Timberwolves' announcer Tom Hanneman called the "Play of the Decade" and served a team suspension.

While leading the Hawks in scoring, Rider also managed to be immortalized in Atlanta basketball lore via the “J.R. Curse”, referring to the 9 year playoff drought that followed Rider's demoralizing stint with the team. The powerful black mark left by having traded for Rider is believed to have resulted in the firing of Atlanta GM Pete Babcock as well as the forced resignation of Hawks coach Lenny Wilkins.

Rider has always stood by his delinquency as if on principle. When the NBA ordered drug counseling, he refused, racking up $200,000 in fines. When suspended 3 games by the Hawks for arriving late to a game, he demanded his release rather than submit to the punishment. Really, find me a reasonable comparison. Despite such free cash flow for violations and fines, Rider's rebellious spirit was never satisfied. He was even caught evading phone bills by charging an illegal cell phone to someone else's account. I get the feeling it was more out of habit than a lack of money.

With upwards to 2 dozen arrests to his name, JR Rider has been cuffed for everything from felony cocaine possession to assault, grand theft auto, domestic violence, rape, public gambling, parole violations, marijuana possession (laced with cocaine), failure to complete community service, kicking a woman in the back at an autograph signing, kicking a female sports bar manager, and, my favorite, a kidnapping and battery in which he forced a female acquaintance into his car and proceeded to speed through Marin County with his car door open, holding the screaming woman down. Even though a subsequent court order banned Rider from the county, he was there once again a few weeks later, becoming involved in a car chase that resulted in an auto accident. The incident chalked up another charge of cocaine possession, battery, and police evasion for his record.

Rider's more mundane basketball related issues include instances of threatening to have a reporter killed, going into the stands after a fan, spitting on fans, and violating the league's anti-drug policy. Here is an objective list of incidents and violations committed by Rider during one of his relatively well behaved years with the Portland Trailblazers.

Oh yeah, and in case you're wondering if this pattern is merely a leftover from wilder days, the grand theft auto example is less than a year old. So whether or not it turns out that Isaiah Rider still has the athleticism at age 38 that allowed him to be effective nearly a decade ago, at least we know we'll be getting plenty of Funk in the Trunk, "Slammin' hard like a monster dunk!" (see JR Rider rap track, 1994). When it comes to his finely honed nose for trouble, that's what he built his legacy on and damn he's still got it.

With all that said, it's only appropriate to finish with a vision of Rider's future in his own words from a recent TNT interview regarding his past and the possibility of playing in the NBA again. Openness, commitment, regret. It all seems to be there in a surprisingly eloquent package. If I were in his chair, I'm not sure I would go out of my way to remind everyone that "actions speak louder than words", but like he says, "The proof is in the pudding".

This Month's Media Gems

It's that time again to review the most recent developments in the realm of arguably NBA-related media. In a new twist, this month will begin the first of a set of themed Media Gems installment. This month focuses on the category of just plain strange. So without further ado, here are this month's awards:





1) Strangest Casting Decision:
According to various reports last month, the world should brace itself for a new basketball movie that cross-breeds the likes of Queen Latifah, rapper Common, NJ Nets President Rod Thorn, and a handful of unspecified Nets players. The film is reportedly a romantic comedy, to be called "Just Wright", about the love story between an athletic trainer and the basketball player she is rehabilitating from injury...













Aside from the obvious, this award was given primarily according to my emphatic agreement with Ball Don't Lie that the film severely miscast its focal NBA team. If the Houston Rockets can't even land a movie role about debilitating sports injuries, I don't know what this world is coming to.

2) Strangest Disguise
When Steve Nash wanted to play some pick-up basketball in Beijing this month, he tried to blend into the local culture by wearing a disguise. Nash attributed the photographs and stares to the ineffective nature of his disguise, stating "As soon as I walked on they recognized me. It didn't really work," but perhaps there was another explanation. Maybe it had more to do with the fact that he looked like some sort of Horace Grant, a British school girl, and an Indie Pirate. Who wouldn't bust out their camera? I think the pictures speak for themselves, you decide.

3) Strangest and Most Humiliating Roster Decision

After playing for the national champion Lakers last season, Vujacic was cut from his native Slovenian National Team this month. Maybe there was some underlying injury or commitment issue, but let's just say that Pao Gasol, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli have all had injuries hold them out of recent Olympic play and you can bet that they weren't cut. Poor machine.

4) From the Vault: Strangest Match-up
This classic Jordan clip sees the NBA great, along with a variety of other stars including Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird, facing off against Kenny Rogers at his 1988 Classic Weekend. Country music, roasted chicken, and basketball. Who knew it could be such a winning combo? The commentary by Lakers' Chick Hearn is priceless.

Iverson a Bobcat?

Once again it sounds as though Allen Iverson may be headed to the Charlotte in a deal that could be made official next week. Check out this analysis via Hoop Doctors of how Iverson might fit in with the Bobcats as well as a more critical article regarding some difficulties of the move. At the essence, Charlotte would look to improve its NBA-worst scoring along with its floundering tickets sales. After all, the Bobcats certainly do need to do something if they hope to move any of their "new" hornets style jerseys. The team made a number of acquisitions last season toward such an end, but apparently "DeSagana Diop", "Boris Diaw", and "Vladimir Radmanovic" just didn't have the right ring to them.

It appears that Charlotte is Iverson's first choice and it would perhaps provide him with a last chance to edit the remembrance of his career. However, playing time, chemistry, and money could prove problematic. It's also not that hard to guess what effect a reunion with former coach Larry Brown might truly have. Despite post split back-peddling, a transcript of their time together in Philadelphia still says a lot.

The Iverson-Brown saga begin over a decade ago with back-handed compliments on both sides including: "I know he's a good coach. He's proven he's a good coach. Whether he's the best coach for me, I don't know," and, "If you put yourself up as one of the best players in the league as an All-Star, there's going to be more responsibility placed on you. If you don't want that responsibility, don't ask for a big contract." At least the latter shouldn't be much of a concern next season. The real $21,973,500 question will be whether the Answer has answered his own questions regarding his former coach. (Sorry, I couldn't resist...)

In this vein of reflection, Iverson provided some ambiguous updates on his twitter account (cerca August 19th). Like most of the trade rumors surrounding the point guard this summer, they clear up little, but comments like "Playing every game like its my last!" definitely exude classic Iverson heart and determination. In the end, I have to admit that I would be interested to see the results of a Iverson-Brown reunion. For me, there isn't much of a downside for either party. Maybe the Bobcats have to spend another year shifting personel in pursuit of that 8th playoff spot. Maybe Iverson self-destructs and is forced to accept a more lucrative deal in Europe next year. Either way, the Bobcats get some attention and AI gets back on the court. In the short term, I can't see how it could really do much but help both parties involved. Comments? Let me know what you think.

Western Conference Power Rankings

First of all, I need to preface this by stating that Vince's post (see below) were truly brilliant, some of the best I have ever seen. Secondly, I'd like to make a prediction about the playoff teams in the west and see what you all think.

1. Lakers- Not a hard decisions at all. It will be very difficult for anyone to deals with this teams length + Kobe. The only hope for the rest of us is that Artest initiates a nuclear meltdown in the playoffs.

2. Spurs- The Spurs will be back near the top of their game with Duncan and Parker getting healthy again. The addition of Jefferson will not hurt at all, either. They will suffer with the loss of Bowen, however, and this lack of a perimeter defender will hurt them in the playoffs.

3. Blazers- I like what I saw last year and now that they have a real pg, I see no reason why they can't keep making progress on their breakout season of last year.

4. Jazz- With the trade rumors dying down, it looks as if Boozer will stay on for one more campaign. He may be a bad defender, but keep in mind that he is still one of the best 5 pfs in the league. He can do 20 and 12 any game, and does well offensively in the Sloan offense. This team was the third best team in 07-08 and I expect them to regain some of that swagger.

5. Nuggets- This team played well last year, but I still can't take them seriously for some reason. They fall a little next season.

6. Mavericks- This team is a bit of a wild card, but I am predicting that all of the random pieces that were bought up last year will somehow fall together into place. We shall see, though.

7. Hornets- Chandler is gone, the financial situation is terrible, and Chris Paul is only one man. I think Okafor is a good defender, but I can't see him elevating this team. I see this team as sinking, and inevitably CP3 bailing ship.

8. Thunder- With the Rockets losing Yao, T-Mac, and Artest, they won't make it this far. I'll give this young team a chance and predict that they slip in right past the Suns for the 8th and final spot. Good luck to them against the Lakers.

CELTICS - HELLS NO

THAT'S ALL FOLKS.

LAKERS REPEAT

WE ALL KNOW IT'S GONNA HAPPEN. 2010, BABY - THE DYNASTY RETURNS.


P.S. Kenyon Martin's lipstick tatttoo - TERRIBLE.

Terrible Ten (NBA General Managers)

Originally posted by Drew D of Sir Charles in Charge, here is a top ten list of the NBA's worst GMs.

10) Sam Presti - During the past two seasons, Presti has been in charge of a team that has an overall record of 43-121. This is a winning percentage of .262. Has a general manager ever received more accolades for accomplishing so little? The decision to hire P.J. Carlisimo was catastrophic and in year three of Presti’s reign, Oklahoma City will be hardpressed to win 40% of its games. Is this really one of the top GM’s in the NBA?

9) Joe Dumars - Pistons fans aren’t going to like this, but Dumars has made a lot of head scratching decisions recently (Chauncey Billups trade, Rip Hamilton extension, Ben Gordon contract and bringing Chris Wilcox in to presumably start at center to name four). Is Joe living on borrowed time in Detroit?

8) Danny Ferry - Danny deserves credit for trying to make the Cavs better. However, the pieces that he has added likely won’t be enough to get LeBron James a ring. The deal Anderson Varejao inked this summer was likely $10-12 million more than any other team in the league would have paid.

7) Jeff Bower - I’m somewhat reluctant to include Bower because he has made a number of solid acquisitions over the past couple of years. However, his failure to secure a suitable backcourt mate for Chris Paul is simply inexcusable.

6) Geoff Petrie - Last off-season it was Beno Udrih. This off-season it’s Sean May. Needless to say, Sacramento fans won’t have to worry about buying playoff tickets for a few more years.

5) Ed Stefanski -Throwing $80+ million at Elton Brand will plague the 76ers for years and letting Andre Miller leave without any compensation was questionable to say the least. Maybe Stefanski thinks that recent acquisition Primoz Brezec will lead the Sixers to the promised land. As far as I’m concerned, Brezec is just Dwayne Schintzius minus the mullet.

4) John Hammond - Hiring Sourpuss Scott Skiles, drafting Joe Alexander, dumping Richard Jefferson for eighteen cents on the dollar and failing to extend a qualifying offer to Charlie Villanueva are just four of the dubious decisions Hammonds has made as GM of the Bucks in a span of less than two years.

3) Mike Dunleavy - Yaroslav Korolev. I could expound for another five-hundred words, but I’ll just go ahead and rest my case.

2) David Kahn - Only Michael Jackson’s summer has been worse. The bottom line with Kahn is that he really needs Ricky Rubio to be wearing a Timberwolves jersey by October. Has any GM ever had a more disastrous first eight weeks on the job?

1) Chris Wallace - Just keeping the spot warm for David Kahn. Although Memphis Grizzlies fans won’t have much to cheer about again this season, at least Wallace will be able to take pride in his Lakers championship ring.

Ricky Rubio Coin Flip

The ongoing Ricky Rubio saga took an interesting turn this past week. Despite a daunting wall of European contract restrictions, the Minnesota Timberwolves are apparently still in the running for the electric young Spanish talent. At least according to a variety of sources, the Timberwolves now have a 50-50 chance of securing Rubio to an NBA contract. Keeping in mind that the draft lottery is designed to help rebuild the leauges worst teams, I feel it is worth taking a look at the issues that may allow a 24 win team to go without their top 5 lottery pick this year.

The Spaniard's current contract with DKV Joventut has 2 years left on it as well as an obscenely disproportionate $8.2 million buy-out clause. Compare this to the fact that Rubio didn't even make $100,000 playing basketball last year. To make matters more confusing, DKV Joventut offered Rubio's contract as collateral for a late tax payment to Spain's IRS, Hacienda. Though not actually sold, the contract is now further tied down by an unstable national economic climate, government beaurocracy, as well as DKV Joventut's desire for debt relief. This is of course in addition to Rubio's aversion to all things cold.

In accordance with the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, Minnesota can only contribute $500,000 to aid in the mammoth buyout. Despite beginning his professional career at only 14 and being the youngest player ever to participate in Spain's ACB leauge, it isn't difficult to see that a combination of personal and Minnesota buyout funds will still fall far short. It is also true that while Rubio went public with the fact that he would play for free if that's what it took to realize his dream of playing in the NBA, this was before he fell from the third spot that many thought he would be drafted in to the fifth.

When it looked like he was going to be drafted third by Oklahoma City, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that a buyout would send him to the States. However, the difference in rookie contract salary between the third and fifth lottery spots is significant. Instead of earning $10,761,200 over three years, he will earn $8,785,800. Subtract the buyout and you'll get what Rubio will have only after three years of playing at a severely reduced salary. Let's just say that's less than Uros Slokar (hint: see 'lowest paid players in NBA').

If Rubio delivers in the NBA, he will certainly recoup the buyout amount quickly through endorsements and other opportunities. Having already appeared in commercials with some of sports' highest profile figures (Tiger Woods/Derek Jeter/Roger Federer/etc), Rubio has massive marketing potential at only 18 years old. He'll fair better in the long term if he makes the transition to the NBA, but would have to sacrifice for now.

Even though it appears Rubio and his Spanish team will part ways regardless of his destination next year, this could be bad news for Minnesota. If money becomes a higher priority, the point guard can sign another European offer with a team like Regal FC Barcelona, Olympiacos, or Real Madrid which are interested and not beholden to the NBA buyout and rookie salary. Money doesn't appear to be the only concern however, as Spanish news reported that Rubio turned down the Real Madrid and Olympiacos offers last week which were both greater than Regal FC Barcelona's. As reported by ESPN in the video link above, a final option would be for Rubio to sit out a year of basketball and re-enter the NBA draft. In this unlikely, worst case scenario, Minnesota would lose their rights to the previously drafted player.

To complicate the issue even further, Minnesota is still without a coach after Kevin McHale's release. The team appears to be leaning toward Mark Jackson while also considering Kurt Rambis and Elston Turner. It has not been made public as to who Rubio would prefer but the decision may help determine where he will end up. Then there's always the issue of Timberwolves backcourt personell, having drafted Rubio and Jonny Flynn consecutively 5th and 6th. Despite David Kahn's stand that Flynn and Rubio could play together in Minnesota, the reality appears to point more in the direction that he simply took the best available talent and will look to make a move in the near future if both point guards do in fact show up. Finally, here is a upbeat look at Minnesota prospects even with all the snags that have cropped up.

In the end, it is bizarre how this can all culminate in the 5th pick of the NBA draft having the same chance of playing for the team that drafted him as the chance of flipping tails on your luckiest penny. I gave it a try myself this morning and determined that Rubio was headed to Minnesota twice, Barcelona once, and the NY Knicks ten times in a sign and trade for Darko Milicic... Get out your coins and send me your second opinions.


UPDATE:
Here is a recent article downgrading the chances of Rubio playing in Minnesota well below what was being proposed above. It also includes some interesting quotes from Timberwolves' president David Kahn regarding his vision of a Rubio/Flynn backcourt.

2009/2010 NBA Schedule

The 2009/2010 NBA schedule is set to debut this Tuesday, August 4th. I will of course be among the throngs of NBA enthusiasts frantically downloading it as soon as the clock strikes the 1pm release date. But for those of you who won't even be able to make it through the start of another workweek without at least a hint of what is to come (or who can't care less and just want a general overview), here is a small taste of what you can expect.

Like last year, the season will open with a Boston/Cleveland match-up when the Celtics visit Cleveland on October 27th. It will also be the fourth time in six years that a Shaq-Kobe duo have taken the Christmas Day spotlight. While this may be a testament to Shaq's surprising longevity, it is also an indicator of a greater financial agenda.

With their golden ticket player, the mighty Cavaliers will take both of these prime spots ahead of an Orlando team that actually made the finals last year. Understandably, the schedule's construction is a 6 month undertaking beginning in early February, so maybe Matt Winick is still living in the land of pre-Eastern Conference Championship Puppet Land. Or maybe David Stern's feelings about small markets are showing. (Let's be honest, Stern would no rather down a bottle of tobasco than play host to a Denver-Orlando finals, or San Antonio-New Jersey for that matter).

In the end, perhaps it only makes sense for Stern to tend to his own and favor more commercially palatable programming. As part of a larger trend, NBA ratings and profits have been in decline for some time now. This was highlighted in 2006 when a rained-out NASCAR telecast embarassed the NBA with higher ratings than an ABC broadcast of the Lakers-Caveliers/Kobe-Lebron faceoff. In any case, check out the schedule for yourself on Tuesday and let me know what you think. What do you think about the state of financial sense and programming decisions in the NBA?

*As a side note, here is an interesting article regarding the NBA small market dilemma.

This Week's Media Winners

In honor of the NBA summer media doldrums, here is an uplifting compilation of some choice gems.

Creepiest Off-Season Farewell (2009):
Ben Gordon parts ways with the Chicago Bulls this summer to the collective pounding of our techno hearts.


Most Creative Conspiracy Story (Everywhere, Soon):
The Chicago Bulls' logo is not what what it appears to be, but perhaps more frightening. Watch as a simple rotation reveals its true nature. No wonder resigning Gordon wasn't the first thing on their mind.






(Robot priest at high alter with text, preparing for human sacrifice...)

Best Media Mix (All-Time Award):
Steve Porter's "Press Hop" is truly among the sports world's elite montages.


Best Free Agent Negotiation Documentary (2009)
Jerry Buss discusses the subtleties of Lamar Odom's contract negotiations in this lucid look inside his Los Angeles empire.


Strangest Music Video (2009)
Toronto looks to welcome Hedo Turkoglu to its streets. Apparently they appreciate the cultural contribution that he (and his grandmother?) can offer their city.

(From Turkcell mobile, advertisement)

West Side to the East Side?

This is a bit of an obvious topic (the basketball world is not exactly on fire with news right now), but I think its one that's worthy of a little discussion time/maddeningly circular argumentation: namely, which nba conference -- the east or the west -- is currently posed to pop in the next, say, three to five years, foisting on the other conference the shame of having its fifth playoff seed ranked below the superior conference's ninth seed (or some similar embarrassment)? I think that there is a general folk feeling out there that the east's time in the sun is fast approaching. After all, last year saw the east capturing two of the three best records in the league (and that was with an injured Garnett), the emergence of the Cavaliers and LeBron's continued growth, the playoff birth of the Bulls and the Magic (or at least the birth of national media attention), and from what we've learned so far about trades and trade rumors several eastern teams (Boston, Miami, Orlando, Cavaliers?) are on the verge of building basketball machines with exactly the right fitting parts.

I'll give you the Celtics. As far as the Cavs go, I think the playoffs revealed their true colors. Mike Brown's coaching (which was, apparently, last year's best) seems to depend on LeBron playing one on five in every possession. The non LeBron squad melts away at the slightest hint of difficulty and the go to play, both in times of desperation and when the game's on the line, is to give LeBron the ball and have him run as fast as he can into anyone on defense. How Jordan like is that? Then there's the weakest flank of all, the Cavs' front office, who think that throwing an aging Shaq into the mix will save them (they weren't even beat by Dwight Howard, they were beat by threes, grrr). Moving on, you've got the Magic whose performance against the Lakers confirmed my longtime suspicion that they are no better than the Jazz of the east (perhaps worse). Ultimately they're just a team that got really hot in a couple of series (see also Warriors, '07). No one else from the east strikes me as worthy of mention (maybe we'll see what the Bulls do). Heat? Hawks? Sixers? Pistons? Wizards? They might as well all be the Knicks (see also Wariors, '09).

The west, on the other hand, has a ton of teams who are quite solid and suffered unpredictable injuries last year. Last year also witnessed the rise of the Blazers, the Rockets taking the Lakers to seven games while methodically shedding an all-star player a game, and Chauncey Billups exerting his calming influence on the Nuggets (without his presence this would be one of the above mentioned unmentionable east coast teams; even with his presence look how they fell apart in game 6). The West has the experience, the coaching, and the required Kobe blockers on each team. Though the Suns and Hornets may be falling apart, one gets the feeling that the Spurs and Rockets are so well run they'll be in the playoffs at least until the Nets move.

Its impossible to know what'll happen in the rest of the off season, let alone in three to five years. I probably haven't made my arguments with enough force and I've left a lot out. Nevertheless, I know in my heart of hearts that teams in the west know how to run basketball clubs and will always land on their feet. The fans demand it of them. In New York you can go to a broadway show, eat the food of any country, and dazzle yourself silly with any and every "entertainment" known to man. What is there to do in San Antonio, besides watch some ball? And when basketball is your only social outlet (as it is in many a western town) you better be ok.

Boozer Blues

It's time for an update on Carlos Boozer. Certainly for Utah fans, but perhaps for other basketball followers as well, this story is developing into one of the bigger ones of the summer. First there was speculation that there would be some sort of blockbuster trade with Chicago, Utah, and Portland. Then, there was the idea that the Jazz would frantically trade Boozer to Miami for nothing more that Udonis Haslem (!) and a maybe one or two more mediocre players. David Aldridge quickly squashed these ideas, and simultaneously made me realize that he is incredibly well connected in the N.B.A. so that when he talks, it is generally wise to listen.

After trade rumor after trade rumor died and others rose from obscurity to replace the older ones, I am left wondering what will happen with Boozer. At first, I was eager to see him go. The more I have followed the situation, though, I realize that he is probably a top five power forward in the league, and thus worth something. He will never take Utah to a finals appearance, and maybe this is why fans are so upset. He will consistently take them to playoff appearances, however, and perhaps he will do it better than anyone that they can get. So the Jazz are essentially stuck it the mud , damned if they do, damned if they do not. They will constantly be close enough to smell true greatness (all puns intended), but never quite taste it. This will be the case at least until the Boozer era comes to a close.

My favorite option is a trade for Michael Beasley. As Shoals points out, this is truly investing in the future. The Jazz also have that juicy first round pick from New York for next year, meaning they can do some serious rebuilding. Sloan has yet to fail me when coaching a player, so even though Beasley seems lost now, he may find new life in Utah. But before (and if ever) this happens, we will be stuck with good offense, bad defense, and many nearly reached dreams of glory.

Are we there yet? (Portland Trail Blazers and Free Agency)

It appears that the Portland Trail Blazers' free agent odyssey may be coming to an end today. According to various sources, and confirmed by his agent, Andre Miller has agreed in principle to don Blazer colors next year. The 3 year deal would guarantee somewhere between the mid-level exception and $7 million/year for two years with the third being a team option. Although Pritchard claims that "as of now no deal is done", this is likely just a hedge considering recent free agent luck.

If the Blazers were out of the picture, Miller would likely have gone to a team at the $5.85 million mid-level exception for a multiple year deal. Or he could even have stayed with Phily for their one year offer of the same before they withdrew it today. Portland was one of only 2 teams that could offer more, but insofar as they wanted to do so to differentiate themselves and assure a pick-up, I am not completely opposed to the idea. Personally, I have already expressed my support for a reserved off-season with no major moves but I feel this is somewhat of a compromise. It is certainly nowhere near the $50+ million 5-year contract that was offered to Turkoglu.

Yes, Miller is 3 years older than Hedo but I feel that with both being over 30, the shorter contract accomplishes nearly the same thing but with more flexibility. And although I would have preferred Millsap, this deal seams fairly realistic in comparison with his $32 million 4-year offer. (It's important to note that the Millsap offer also helped significantly change the division landscape, keeping the Jazz from retaining both Boozer and Millsap). Again, I would have chosen youth first but I suppose there are advantages to adding a veteran to the squad. It would certainly fill the Blazers' desire for a veteran point gaurd that has led them to pursue everyone from Kidd to Hinrich over the last couple years. I have to say I'm glad to see JKidd safely back in Dallas...

Although he's older, Miller is durable and has missed only 3 games over his 11 seasons. And for a little perspective, some other NBA players of comparable age (I'll say 32+) or older include Duncan, O'Neal, Nash, R. Allen, Garnett, Carter, A. Jamison, and Billups. Regardless of matching up talent-wise, at least we see that players still contribute significantly at that age. In terms of age, I feel relatively unpassionate either way on this issue.

As a side note, if the contract were any longer it would have subjected the team to the "over 36" contract provision that allows players who turn 36 during their contract to have the last year's pay treated as deferred compensation and distributed over earlier years of the contract. This could potentially create problems for the team financially, however if it indeed became an issue the 3rd year team option should provide relief.

Just like the financial and age sides, I am similarly lukewarm (but positive) regarding the skillset that Miller offers the Blazers. On one hand, he is a veteran who for the last two years helped coach his team to the playoffs despite significant injuries. He is a physical, post-up guard who has good slashing/passing skills and he would also be an upgrade as far as pick & roll offense and midrange scoring/efficiency. Perhaps even more importantly, he would be an addition that, like Turkoglu, would relieve pressure for Roy to create the majority of offense.

That said, Miller is a liability from 3-point range. There is really no other way to put it as he is one season removed from consecutively averaging 5.3 and 8.8 percent from behind the arc. Even though these numbers are outliers, for his carrer he comes in at a whopping 21 percent. Let's put it this way, even Kevin Garnett shoots significantly better from 3.

In the end, I would probably have favored the Blazers to keep their cap space and look for more options as other teams try to slim down for the Lebron/DWade/Bosh/etc free agent class of 2010. However, depending on the final contract numbers I don't mind this move that much and remain relatively excited about the prospective results next season.

Lebron Dunk

So I know it's been bouncing around for a while but now that the footage of Jordan Crawford dunking on Lebron has finally surfaced I figured I'd give it a mention. Does anyone else think that the most embarrassing part of all this is actually the ensuing possession when James looks more like a wounded crab as he drives the lane and completes some sort of strange, odom-like assist? Personally, I don't mind the slow rotation or the dunk so much. I mean, the guy who dunked on him is a great athelete not some middle-aged ceo... John Rodgers anyone? But hey, you be the judge. I'm still not sure what the big deal was about any of this. Like Jordan said, we all get embarrassed sometimes.

Movers and Shakers

I have to admit that I've been surprised by the flurry of off-season moves taking place this year. More importantly, I've been impressed by their significance. Maybe I wasn't attentive enough in earlier years but it seems like this has been a year of an especially large number of significant moves. When I say significant I mean that they affect the top tier or at least have some importance beyond the usual salary, contract, and ticket sale posturing that drags you down as you watch team after team go through the motions (And no I'm not 'talkin about practice').

You might look at the recent past which saw the Suns pick up Shaq, the Lakers add Gasol, Ben Wallace to Cavs, and what Kidd did to the Mavs, or the Minnesota fire sale that propelled Boston's 2008 championship, but what interests me this year is the broad range of significant movement rather than a couple teams filling the summers' main news or even the.

I won't belabor it by going through every transaction but I think it is telling to look at the conference finals teams for a barometer. We have the Lakers, coming off a championship yet still adding the realest man in the hood, Ron Artest. As a Portland fan, I have to say that I felt the safest in our 2009 playoff series with Houston when they ran their offense through Artest, but the dynamic in LA will be different. There will be a significant benefit from his no holds barred defense as well as an environment that won't likely result in the same offensive stagnation.

Next, there's the Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic. First and foremost they picked up Vince Carter. Again, despite his reputation, Carter will certainly be able to help a championship contender who isn't limited to his choice of fade-away jumpers or lack of enthusiasm. His 20-5-5 will surely fall but that's not a bad thing as the shot selection will improve. Aside from Carter, the Magic also added a unpredictably explosive Matt Barnes, a 'power duo' of Ryan Anderson (surprise #2) and Brandon Bass, and even retained surprise #1 back-up center Marcin Gortat. With Jameer Nelson potentially returning to All-Star form, this could be quite a season. Even if Nelson doesn't develop any new moves, an aging Carter continues to favor his jumper, or the complementary pieces remain merely solidly complementary, the Magic truly impressed this off-season.

The last time the Boston Celtics were healthy, they won a championship. Even though this was only a year ago, the Celtics beefed up last year's front-line with Rasheed Wallace. Again, a player with an interesting reputation, but I'll always remember a quote from one of his Piston teammates; Essentially, Rasheed and plenty of other people in the league talk a lot of shit but the difference is that sheed has the ability to back it up. That's pretty much how I feel about him as well. When he has the desire, he can post big. Even though he's getting older too, I watched him for years in Portland and beyond and feel fairly confident that the past year was an example of a lack of effort rather than a decline in skill from his Detroit years. It will be very interesting to see how a move for another immediate title attempt will affect his game.

Then there's Denver, the only member of the quartet that so far seems content to sit this one out. If we replace Denver with San Antonio, who was a more anticipated power in the West, the arms race continues as they picked up the now available Richard Jefferson. The Spurs probably wanted Sheed but still strengthened their front a bit with the addition of Antonio McDyess. With a hopefully recovered Ginobili, the Spurs made a already strong team that little bit better and should make some noise next season.

Finally, despite an early exit to the post season, it would obviously be incomplete to overlook the Caverliers. Although you might be thinking that Shaq doesn't have enough diesel left in the tank partner with yet another team's young superstar en route to a championship, we might be in for a surprise. It's true that O'Neal failed to bring Phoenix to the promised land when they acquired him in a last ditch effort but, at least pre-season, this year's move is a bigger deal. Keep in mind that at that time Shaq was stuck in Miami, labeled a contract liability that wouldn't move, as well as sporting injuries that kept him out of over 60 games during the past two seasons. Regardless of your feelings about his age or fitness, it's apparent that it is a different world today as Shaq just finished a season of 75 games while posting his best stats since 2005/06 (or was it 1995/96?). The Cavs also picked up Jamario Moon, who should fit in nicely with his wicked athleticism.

So why do these moves matter? Well, for one they fall outside of the realm of revolving door transactions like those of Zach Randolph and Quentin Richardson who will combine for a total of at least 5 trades in a year. Also, they have the opportunity to make an impact beyond contributing another 20 and 10 performance in a lottery-bound season. In the end, there is the chance that the course of the season may not be meaningfully defined by these moves, but I feel that they will add a great deal of much needed intrigue this year. I respect the gamesmanship that is displayed in each of the above cases, whether they are fiscally responsible or not. They are attempts at victory, whether they achieve it or not.

Even on teams that are still figuring it out (and sometimes especially in these cases), there is just something inside that takes more cheer from a newly restructured Pistons' core of Gordon, Villanueva, and Stuckey to go with Hamilton and Prince as oppose to the suggestion of an overpaid Iverson stealing minutes from the Clippers' or Grizzlies' youth in a blatant sacrifice for ticket sales.

As a final note, I would like to thank the Raptors for blocking the Trail Blazers attempt to tie up more cash per year in Hedo Turkoglu than the combined 2009 salaries of Roy and Aldridge. It was a big move for Toronto and I'm glad they did it but I'm not quite sure yet what they're looking to build. Kind of falls in the Marion to Dallas category, although I am much more interested to see how that will work out. Hedo's skill set and ball handling would have added a lot to the Blazers in the short term but, when it comes down to it, I would rather keep the bulk of the minutes where they are rather than paying through the nose to keep developing players on the bench. I would also like to thank KPritchard for not pursuing Lamar Odom so far. I actually find every player on our roster truly likable. That's fairly rare, I love it and would be pretty inconsolable if Odom crossed that line. New blog topic, file it under most disliked NBA players...

How to buy a championship

I watched Kobe Doin' Work last night, the documentary shot and produced by Spike Lee about the basketball star. I am a Utah Jazz fan, so my opinions about Kobe are pretty extreme and pretty rigid. The movie did not do a whole lot to change these opinions. Two things were very illuminating to me, however. First, I was surprised at the disconnect between Kobe's on-court actions and statements, and his off-court explanations of these same actions a year later. Second, I was surprised at what the Lakers organization has given up to Kobe in order to win a championship. It seemed to cost a lot, and not just in dollars.
Throughout the film (which, if you haven't seen it, revolves around a game that takes place in April, with the Lakers hosting the Manu-less Spurs), Bryant constantly is telling refs how to do their job, telling players which plays to make, and talking general smack to his opponents. This is assuredly the status quo for most N.B.A. stars, but what made it interesting was hearing basketball Kobe vs. street-clothes Kobe as they dissected the game together. For example, basketball Kobe would run up to a ref and angrily complain about a foul that was not called and street-clothes Kobe would laugh and say something like The refs always try their hardest and they want to do the best job possible, so I just try to help them out. At other times, he would be talking shit to a whole number of different Spurs players, and most of them (excluding Bowen) did not seem pleased to hear it. Street-clothes Kobe laughed again and told us how much fun all these players were having. The divide between what the public hears Bryant say after when he is not on the court and when he is on it is not only evident in this film, but gaping. It made me wonder whether he saw this difference and was completely full of shit or whether he didn't.
The smack talking did not only affect the other team. Kobe constantly told his teammates what to do and where to be and basically how to play. While on the court, they seemed to be annoyed, but tolerant. When the game was over, they seemed to be more friendly. Even while Phil Jackson tried to make a point during a timeout or the halftime break, Kobe always talked over him and tried to explain it to the team. I couldn't help but remember the book that Phil wrote, saying Kobe was obnoxious and couldn't be coached. It assuredly seemed to be the case in the film. This lack of enthusiasm from the players when Kobe told them what to do and the lack of assertion from the coach made me wonder: is this team buying a championship from Kobe with their dignity? Are they willing to be bossed and pushed around at every turn to win that ring? Certainly it worked out this year, and certainly Kobe can deliver a championship. After watching this movie though, I began to think that the Lakers are paying for it in more ways than one.

True Greatness

I wanted to make a blog about basketball just for fun and I wanted one with smart people saying interesting things.
The name comes from a "Hot Rod Hundley" quote about Bill Russell:

“If we played Boston four on four, without Russell, we probably would have won every series. The guy killed us. He's the one who prevented us from acheiving true greatness.”