Friday, November 20, 2009

An update on the Nets scoreboard situation

So we just made like IZOD and went corporate. It's a tough economy, it happens. Speaking of IZOD, a recent trip there confirmed my worst fears. They covered the top sections in each corner of the arena with big IZOD flag-banners. Just kidding, just like in the case of I AM NOT A WITNESS, this isn't so much selling out as maximizing real estate. My worst fears were that the nonsensical in-arena scoreboard layout would be back for another year. And it was. At both ends of the arena (behind the baskets), there are scoreboards as diagrammed below. There are two other ways that the information could have been presented





























Player # Fouls Points| Fouls Points Player #
15 1 21| 0 12 33
34 0 11| 2 15 23


Except it has 5 rows and lists all the players in the game for both teams. The lack of symmetry is what really kills me. Why not

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Allen Iverson





Allen Iverson could have been a professional in any sport of his choosing but I think we're lucky he chose basketball. From his crossover of Jordan to his collection of gravity-defying dunks, Iverson played the game with a unique flair for the dramatic. His youtube resume has it all: ridiculous passes, ankle-breaking crossovers, a high school football mix, and a legendary press conference.

But now it's clear that for all the gifts AI has, fitting in on a team where he's not the focal point (or at least a starter) isn't one of them. So are the New York Knicks really the answer? Forget the fact that he would take time away from younger players (since this feels a little like tanking... if you can improve your team for a reasonable cost, don't you do that?). Is it even possible that this will work out? I talked him up going to Denver ("AI can do anything, play the point, focus on passing, play football.") and he didn't live up to expectations. This only became more obvious when Billups came in and improved the team. The team needed a pass-first guard to distribute to an awesome array of firepower and AI wasn't that guy (or wasn't willing to be that guy?). In Detroit, he should have taken a sixth man role to Rodney Stuckey who had the makings of being Detroit's "point guard of the future". He would have been the ultimate 6th man - providing instant offense and veteran leadership off the bench. But if AI can't start, AI isn't going to give it his all which he showed again in Memphis. So now AI is going to come New York? Seriously? People at Madison Square Garden boo loudly and irrationally (inadequate child performers are routinely booed) and they're not likely to have much to cheer about this season except a possible lottery pick. Of course, this all assumes AI refuses to give 100% toward helping the team win in every way possible. If he does that, his prodigious (if decreased) athletic talents could help the Knicks a lot. Or he could be the ultimate team player and become a total pass-first PG and help the Knicks young talent improve... I'm not saying he will but he could.

Ultimately AI wants a title, right? If he wants that to happen, he should show the league he can be an exceptional sixth man and then he'd be attractive to a contending team looking for more scoring off their bench (and who isn't).

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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Knicks-Hornets Re-cap 11/2/09

On nights like this, no one except for me, John and all the other blatantly dedicated basketball heads in the world truly care about a game like this. It’s the fourth game of the season, the Knicks are 0-3, the Hornets are 1-3 and the Yankees are a victory away from winning a world series, what really matters here? I even had a friend bail on a ticket just to go all the way to Philly for game 5. Well, if you’re like me, you find baseball to be boring, annoying and stupid, you think Chris Paul is the bee’s knees and you equate the Garden*** to holy ground and being there to a religious experience then you know what really matters. Besides, even someone as willingly ignorant about baseball as me knew Cliff Lee would at least prolong the series one more game. So here’s a tidy re-cap of the game as viewed from the first row of the nosebleeds, mid-court (for the price and the view, if you can get the first row, those are the best seats in the Garden) on Monday night.

-To the victors, the Knicks, not only for getting your first W of the season but doing it against superior opponents after a rough start your first three games. Now just work on that consistency thing. Counting last season, you’ve beaten the Hornets three times so far and other good teams like the Hawks twice while losing to the Clippers twice and the Bobcats in double OT. Against the Hornets, you nearly gave up one lead, choked up another and still managed to have a ten point lead with two to go in the fourth by playing strong defense and moving the ball on offense. Let’s try keeping that up. Individually, I would like to thank…..

-The Rooster- If Greg Oden was showing the flashes of greatness that Galinari is, the city of Portland would need the world’s largest box of tissues. New York’s almost at that level with the Rooster but we’re restraining ourselves after other European disappointments (read: Lampe) but anyway, he’s active on both ends, isn’t afraid to take a big shot or look for the open man. Not ready to sign him up as an All-Star starter but we’re getting there.
-David Lee- He’s starting to hit that 15-20 footer consistently enough to make it a legit threat and thanks to Darko, he’s not an abomination on D. He should never be asked to play center either. So here’s hoping you earn that million if we get to the playoffs and here’s hoping that becomes a regular trend with all NBA contracts.
-N8 the Great- stay injured, Toney Douglas is maturing well, Larry Hughes is out of his shooting slump and they both play better D than you while you’re becoming a cancer. Thanks!
-Jared Jeffries- Unlike Curry, you’re earning your paycheck. Your ability to guard elite PGs and SGs like Paul helps us greatly (and people say D’Antoni doesn’t know D), but in this system, everyone should have carte blanche to shoot except for you! Unless you’re completely wide open and you have a gut feeling about it.

-On the other end, if Emeka Okafor continues to prove that Tyson Chandler was just a thin man’s Eddy Curry lucky enough to play with Chris Paul, I will continue to look like I know what I’m talking about. It’s hard to believe there are so many people who think a guy who can block some shots and catch an alley-oop is some sort of God of the hardwood. Okafor was pulling off post moves Tyson couldn’t do in his dreams and without any assistance from Paul. He’ll be the reason the Hornets limp into the playoffs. Honorable mention goes to Darius Songalia, another key off-season addition

-Finally, the Standard. Going into the third, 5 points, 11 assists. End of the game, 32 points, 14 assists. I don’t disrespect the Garden by wearing any visiting player’s uniform but I was proud to wear #3 to work the next day, even if it made no sense whatsoever.

In the end, my Yankee-fan friends only missed 6 innings of what would turn out to be a loss and instead got to see an entertaining game of basketball. On that note, screw the fall classic.

One Last Thing….

Rudy Gay declined to sign an extension with the Grizzlies on Monday night, thus making him a restricted free agent next summer. I’m stealing the basis for this idea directly from The Sports Guy but elaborating on it as a prospective Knicks trade. This is the one situation where I would be willing to give up Wilson Chandler: Rudy Gay comes to the Knicks along with one bad Grizz contract (Marko Jaric or anyone other than Z-Bo) for Wilson and Cuttino Mobley’s expiring deal. Tell your friends, spread the word, if you see Donnie on the street, propose this trade. It saves us the trouble of getting another star to go with whatever prospective player we get in 2010 and makes us better in the short term. Moreover, we could probably re-sign Rudy for less money because he’ll be so happy to be out of Memphis. If the Lakers can get away with fleecing Memphis, why can’t we?

***I will call MSG the Garden in this column. Why? Because it’s my column. Take that Simmons!

Monday, November 2, 2009

New Orleans Hornets Preview ’09:

“Hey, we’re not gonna win a title but let’s try not to lose a playoff game by 58.”

-The Paul/Scott Dilemma- If Chris Paul has any one weakness, it’s loyalty. Actually, it’s being friendly with division rivals (stop having dinner with Tony Parker during a playoff series!). But he’s too loyal, much like Garnett was with Minnesota. New Orleans took him in and in return, he’s the sole reason the franchise is still around and thriving, that plus David Stern’s strong-arming guilt tactics. But is he leading a winner onto the court? Aside from David West, the rest of his squad is overpaid and injured, young and inexperienced or floundering somewhere in between (and West ain’t no spring chicken either). The team’s finances aren’t his fault but if he’s serious about winning, he has to tell management to shake things up like any demanding, aggressive superstar would. Case in point: Byron Scott. He’s a great coach but like his previous stints have shown, success gives him a big head and causes him to get contentious with his players. Thing is, Paul has a competitive streak but is too much of a good guy to ever go against Scott let alone get him fired which is why he’s still around despite losing a playoff game by 58! But if Paul’s the sole force dragging this squad to 50 wins and an early round exit again with practically no assistance and an arrogant coach to contend with, maybe things will start to move in a better direction, like firing Scott.

-The Emeka Improvement- What happens when you trade an oft-injured lottery flop who blocks well but only dunks for a slightly better oft-injured lottery flop? You offense gets better and you save several million dollars! Just more proof that greatness on the court doesn’t equal greatness in the front office, either that or Jordan lost a bet to George Shinn on the golf course. Paul’s going to miss Tyson’s alley oops but he’ll be plenty happy dishing to Emeka on the pick-and-roll once they get a good rhythm going, which shouldn’t take long considering Paul’s ability. If he stays healthy, this is the trade that keeps New Orleans going despite their weaknesses.

-The Rookies- Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton aren’t exactly Blake Griffin or Stephen Curry but they fill critical needs for the Hornets if they step up. Collison provides the backup for Paul they’ve desperately needed and if he adjusts to the NBA pace, Thornton gives them an option at the 2-spot other than Mo-Pete.

-Health Issues- Sometimes injuries are caused by unexplainable bad juju (like the Mets this season). The Hornets have their share of potential woes as well: West’s spastic back, Peja’s entire body, Hilton Armstrong’s occasional brain malfunctions (I made that up but sometimes his actions are inexplicable). If these and more don’t all hit at once they’re fine, if one or more happens while losing Paul for a handful of games, they might want to find a back alley witch doctor in the Big Easy. Failing that, Haiti’s close by.

-Sean Marks- For the second year in a row, winner of the Chris Dudley Best Goofy-Looking White Boy Award! He isn’t going to the All-Star game or winning any beauty contests but goddamn if he doesn’t work his ass off.

-Chris Paul, The Standard, The Rising Tide- A rising tide lifts all boats, even if the boat is called Hilton Armstrong or Darius Songalia. Such is the case for The Standard, a player who can put the ball in the basket but can get it to the open man like no other and unless you want to pick a fight with me, is the best point guard in the league bar none. So can Paul continue to take lemons and paint them gold. His stats indicate yes, a drop in the standings and an exit in the first round last year indicate no but despite all their problems (weak bench, erratic injuries, arrogant coach), as long as Paul can keep being a leader while finding the easy bucket, all is well. Are they a legit contender? Not at all but I’d sure as hell like them to be and it isn’t going to stop me from watching anyway.

Trail Blazers ’09 Season Preview

(the team that’s keeping Seattle basketball fans from mass suicide)

-Less is More- Sometimes not overpaying for an aging star and a guy who will only be a great backup to LaMarcus Aldridge is a good thing. Turkoglu’s still at the top of his game but for the price of his soon-to-be waning talent, it wasn’t worth it just to have the guy run point-forward when Roy runs out of juice. Milsap may have been a steal but a cheaper backup can always be found elsewhere. In conclusion, one man’s trash is another’s gold: Hello, Andre Miller! He’s practically afraid to shoot the three, occasionally injured and on his last legs. Will he run the offense for Roy, control turnovers better than Blake, defend well and be a solid veteran leader? Absolutely and that’s really all the Blazers needed this summer

-The Trials of Oden- He’s lost 14 pounds, he’s more comfortable on both ends of the floor and he’s been injury-free for (fingers crossed!) not even close to a year. Is he still the next generation of big men…. No, that’s Dwight Howard if he can finally master some post moves. But at the moment, the naysayers (myself included) have to give him one more pass until he’s completely written off as a flop, maybe not a total bust exactly (read: Michael Olowokandi) but you get it. Of course, if he starts averaging 4 fouls in 20 minutes while Joe Pryzbilla looks like a workhorse, start worrying even if he stays healthy.

-Breakout Year?- Personally speaking, I’m on the Aldridge bandwagon. Others call him overrated. There’s not many power forwards his age that have his skill set already and are still improving drastically every year. Did he deserve to beat out other big name forwards for an all-star spot last year? Depends on who you ask but if he keeps it up, it’ll be a shame if he doesn’t get one this year. Honorable Mention: Nicholas Batum, a high-flying shooter going into his fourth year, expect to see him in highlights.

-Dark Horse?- Brandon Roy is somewhere in the top 10 of the league’s best players depending on your opinion and he’s just getting started. Athletically, he’s no Lebron or D-Wade but aside from Kobe, he has the best supporting cast surrounding him despite their youth and Oden’s uncertain future. Last year, they were one of the few teams to play the Lakers not only consistently but blow them out twice and had me salivating for a 7 gamer versus the now champs but they were easily exposed by the efficient Rockets. Can they win a championship this year with Miller running point? Probably not. Will they make it out of the second round? Hopefully. Are they my favorite dark horse to cause a major upset? Yes.

HACKED!

Yes, as in someone decided it would be cool to hack in to our low-key blog but not do anything except lock us out. Completely pointless. Now John, Drew and I know what the NBA referees felt like during their lockout.

There is a silver lining to this in that we are determined to post even more rambles and rants than ever. Take that, David Stern!

Comments to lead us to potential perpetrators of this cowardly act are most welcome. At the top of my list are a low-level idiot in LeBron's posse who took offense to the blog name, or someone in Mikhail Prokhorov's crew. You know, because dominating media and stepping on little guys is a cool thing to do in Russia.