Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Grams and Pounds...

I'm not a big critic of pot smokers but wouldn't it have been wise for Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur to exhibit a little self control? Or maybe they could have afforded a fan and blown it out the window? Is there a worse place to get caught puffing a little dope than at the mandatory NBA Rookie Seminar at which they tell you NOT to smoke dope? I mean, I guess it could be worse... they could have been maybe riding a motorcyle? I'm not saying it's definite but I wouldn't be suprised....

NBA Player Weights
For the past 4 years, NBA.com has been putting out statistics on individual player weights (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007). Interesting fun fact, Eddy Curry has been the same size for the past four years. Really? And I thought they only lied about NBA players' heights. Unfortunately there was no similar WNBA comparison but I did a little informal research of my own. With Margo Dydek gone, I thought the WNBA's heaviest player might now be Latasha "Why Isn't Jackie Stiles in the W Anymore" Byears. But I am a WNBA amateur so I consulted my expert friend Matt and he brought to my attention Jessica Davenport (215) and Marcedes "Did My Mom Mispell Mercedes?" Walker who, it appears, takes the crown at a cool 253. The award for heaviest player who actually plays goes to Vanessa Hayden who tips the scales at 240.

Links
Crossover of the Day - It's grainy but it's worth it (and the second angle is better). Anyone can throw a crossover out there but it's more impressive doing it against The Glove.

sick pass by strickland

God Shammgod tearing it up at the 1995 McDonald's All-American game - Rumor has it that Shammgod actually taught Kobe Bryant the crossover. So the guy taught Kobe the crossover AND invented a legendary dribbling move? Impressive.

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Rule Changes

Here are a few rule changes which I think should be implemented in the NBA.

Referees should be discouraged from calling charges on pass offs.
This one hurts me to write as I have broken up many a 3-on-1 breakway by throwing myself in the way of the passer. That said, it's still not right. This is the NBA and we should be placing an emphasis on skill... not on falling down and drawing calls. I can live with charges on drives to the hoop but if a player throws a nice dime and then crashes into a defender, it really should not be called.

If the defensive player forces a jump ball, this should result in a a change of possession with the ball going to the defensive team.
Players should be rewarded for skilled defensive plays. If Chris Quinn forces a jump ball by blocking his buddy Shaq's shot, shouldn't his team be rewarded with the ball rather than having it just handed back to Phoenix?

If the ball gets stuck between the rim and the backboard on a shot, the ball should go over to the defensive team.
This should be obvious... you should not be rewarded for sucking in the NBA. If you throw up such a bad shot that it gets stuck on the rim, you really don't deserve to get the ball back.

On the subject of jump balls, how random are they? Are they any less random than the college possession arrow? In fact, why not just go to the tried-and-true traditional playground method of odds and evens? (Credit to Adam for this brilliant idea.) This might sound silly at first but it's just as random as a jump ball and it would provide for tons of entertainment. Bruce Bowen would learn how to cheat by throwing late and would probably last in the league another 15 years just to win the opening possession. The announcers would also have a field day with this. For example...

Marv - "Kobe likes going with one finger here... YES! He's taken the possession."

Walton - "C'mon Big Man, throw two fingers."

And, of course, Walt - "Crawford knowing and throwing the single phalange... scintillating!"

Crossover of the Day - nice little sequence at the 45 second mark but I think you know I just wanted this in here to give a little love to the guy all the fat kids looked up to.

Shamgod of the Day - Bassy cutting some kid in high school. Oh, and for those of you longing for the innovator of that legendary move... (seriously, has there been any other guy who had less of a career in the NBA and yet has such a cool move named after him?)

Gallinari doing his Shamgod

Saturday, August 23, 2008

The Redeem Team

The Gold Medal game certainly lived up to the hype. Spain played very well and they obviously have some NBA-quality talent ready to hit the League. Rudy Fernandez is set to join the Blazers next season and if his 22 point performance isn't a fluke this team could be even more dangerous than previously imagined. Ricky Rubio didn't put up great numbers in the game but he showed flashes of brilliance that might make him a high lottery pick come 2010. More on the draft later but first some notes from the Olympics.

I never really liked "Redeem Team" as a term until I read this. I'm still not in love with the term but at least it has an interesting etymology.

LeBron said after the gold medal game, "But winning an NBA championship never would compare to winning a gold medal for my country." Funny that you didn't hear either actual NBA Champion (Prince and Bryant) saying this. Kudos to LeBron and company for saying the right things all Olympics but I don't believe this.

But back to the 2010 Draft... I know this mock draft will change drastically but is there anything better than youtubing prospected you've never heard of?

John Wall is currently number 1 and he looks nasty... can't wait for better mixes of him to come out.

More videos of these prep stars to come. As always...

Crossover of the Day
- Luol going to work on The King.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

3-Way Trades Can Be Confusing

This trade is just a mess. Let's sort through the carnage team by team.

The Cavaliers clearly get the trade's best player in Mo Williams. They give up Damon Jones to Milwaukee which is great for Cleveland (because Jones stopped playing defense 3 years ago) and Ricard Jefferson (because now RJ has someone to hit the Miwaukee club scene with) but really bad for Damon because Milwaukee is not as fun as South Beach. They also give up Joe Smith which is a slightly bigger loss but you can't get something for nothing... (ok, sometimes you can) I'm tempted to call Mo the best guard LeBron has ever played alongside but then I remembered Larry Hughes... and then I remembered what Larry Hughes was like on Cleveland. End result... Mo Williams is the best guard LeBron has ever had. He can shoot, take it to the rim when necessary, and he can pass the ball. Could this pair bring a championship to Cleveland? I don't know but front office execs in New Jersey and New York sure hope not.

Milwaukee gives up Williams and gets Damon Jones, Luke Ridnour, and Adrian Griffin. They drop a 4 year 8 million dollar salary but they don't really get much in return. Jones' career is finished and Adrian Griffin is a career journeyman. Ridnour finds himself in a familiar role battling for a starting role with Ramon Sessions (as opposed to Earl Watson). Bogut, Villanueva, Jefferson, Redd and Sessions/Ridnour should be better than last year but I still don't see this team making the postseason.

Oklahoma City gives up Griffin (no loss there) and Ridnour (narrowing their point guard competition to Watson and Russell Westbrook. They acquire Joe Smith (who should give them some veteran leadership and Desmond Mason (who should give them some athleticism at the forward spot. Mason should give another great athlete - Jeff Green - a run for some minutes at the three.

So there you have it... a couple of teams took some steps sideways and Cleveland (unless Mo Williams goes all Larry Hughes on us) finally gave LeBron a decent scoring guard. I'm not going to label this trade "exciting" but it could have an impact on the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Rod Strickland - short mix and longer one

Another point guard legend... Kenny Anderson

Crossover of the Day - probably the one time you'll see this guy on here

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

10 Games to Watch in 2008-09

The NBA released its 2008-09 schedule today and it seems likeeveryone and their brother has put out a "games to watch" list so I figured I'd do the same. Better get League Pass or you might miss some of these gems.

Bucks at Bulls - Oct 28 - Scott Skiles and Jim Boylan make their return to Chicago. Very exciting. The Bears have a bye this week so some fans might actually show up.
Fun Fact: Ramon Sessions set the Bucks franchise record for assists (24)last season. Scott Skiles holds the League record with 30.

Oklahoma City Thundercats at Hawks - Dec 23 - The OKC team was the last team to switch locations and the Hawks will probably be the next team to abandon their city (but they do have a state of the art arena so they will need to come up with another excuse).
Fun Fact: Whatever nickname OKC chooses you can rest assure it won't end in "s". Plural team names are so not cool these days.

Pacers at Dallas - Nov 25 - You don't realize the massive significance of this game? Anthony Johnson once played on both these teams. Don't worry, if you miss this matchup of former teams Johnson played the point for you can always catch one of the other 15 similar games.
Fun Fact: Tyronn Lue was actually worse than Johnson last year.

Warriors at Knicks - Nov 29 - Anthony Roberson's Revenge... need I say more?
Fun Fact: I thought Anthony Roberson was Anthony Randolph until I wrote this post.

Kings at Bobcats - Mar 18 - Already the front runner for game with the least attendance this year.
Not Fun Fact: With Artest gone, there is no longer any reason to watch the Kings on League Pass.

Bucks at Timberwolves - January 1 - Brett Favre is rumored to be trying out for the Bucks (and Minnesota and Chicago) this year. Who knows?
Fun Fact: Brett Favre played for his father in high school but they ran a running-oriented offense and he rarely threw more than 5 passes a game.

Hawks at Clippers - Jan 14 - EA Sports ran a simulation of the entire NBA season using NBA Live 09 and both these teams made the playoffs. I'm psyched.
Fun Fact: The above statement is completely false.

Jazz at Grizzlies - Jan 16 - This game wins the award for most nonsensical nickname matchup. Jazz in the land of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir? Grizzlies in Memphis? Fun Fact: The Grizzlies were originally going to be called the Mounties which would have made the name even more inappropriate in Memphis. (That said, "Memphis Mounties" kind of has a nice ring to it.)

Pacers at Timberwolves - Feb 20 - Tune in to this thriller to see if 10 white guys can get on the floor at the same time. For Indiana - Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Travis Diener, Jeff Foster and Rasho Nesterovic (with Josh McRoberts if necessary). And for Minnesota - Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, Mark Madsen (damn.... need more guards... where is The Mayor when you need him?) Never fear though, I'm pretty sure the Wolves will have called up Corey Violete and Luke Jackson from the D-League by this point in the season.
Fun Fact: It took a ton of self control not to make a "Jason Collins... big man, stiff, awkward, no hands, Stanford grad... he's not white?" joke.

Nets at Knicks - April 15 - This battle for the 9th overall pick is unofficially known as the "Hasheem Thabeet Sweepstakes".
Fun Fact: On April 15th, Lincoln officially was pronounced dead, the Titanic sank, and taxes are due. Hopefully this game lightens everyone's mood.

A ton of credit goes to Matt for helping with this post.

Monday, August 4, 2008

The Olympics - USA Edition

Men's Olympic basketball should be as competitive as ever in Beijing. While I think Team USA is clearly the front runners (at 1:5 odds per Bodog), they are by no means a lock to win this thing. This team is far superior to the one fielded by the US in 2004 even though many of the players are familiar. LeBron, Melo, and Dywane Wade are all vastly improved and, on paper, this team should not even be challenged. Unfortunately for the 2004 Bronze Medalists, this tournament isn't being played on paper. If this tournament were set up like the NBA Playoffs, I think the US would run the table but it's a lot tougher in the one-and-done format of the Olympic medal round. Can team USA defend the pick-and-roll? Can they shoot from the outside? Can they goaltend every ball that touches the rim - as is allowed in international rules?

In future posts we will be looking at their main rivals - Spain (5:1) and Argentina (12:1) (and maybe even the Aussies [200:1] who gave Team USA a scare this morning despite not having Andrew Bogut) - but for now let's look at their current point guard controversy. Obviously Chris Paul is the best point guard on the team but he is not starting. In fact, Jason Kidd, the current starter, is arguably the weakest PG on the team. So why is he starting? Beats me... but I guess it has something to do with him being 40-0 in international play. But does that really matter? I don't think so. Hold on though, let me get in some actual analysis in place of the Chris Paul lovefest you've no doubt come to expect. Kidd can't shoot to break zones that are so often thrown at the US and the athleticism of his teammates should render his excellent rebounding ability all but unnecessary. (Put it this way, if Kidd needs to be in there to rebound, the US is in trouble.) I personally think that Paul and Deron Williams (a tall guard who can shoot the 3) should see most of the time but Dwyane Wade can also run the point. Wade, Kobe, LeBron, Melo, and Howard/Bosh? Should this team really lose? If Kidd sees anything close to major minutes it means that the US is rolling over everyone (unlikely) or the coaching staff is overcome by nostalgia. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Crossover of the Day - AI cutting Baron

Sick board by Jamario Moon

Timmy D drinking something untasty

Iverson messing with Dwight Howard

LeBron James... all class. It's ok though, rumor has it he went back and picked it up.... yeah right.