Well, I just returned from Disneyland. I could have gone to a the Lakers vs. Rockets at the Staples Centre, but a ticket in the upper bowl, endzone, was over $100 bucks. Ridiculous. Plus, there just isn't enough time in the day when you're at the Happiest Place on Earth and you have a 5 year old! Anyways....
What has happened since my last post? Well, the Cavs continue their dominance. They are crushing the hapless Hawks. It must be kind of disappointing for Hawks fans because they know they have no chance - yet they still have to play the games. I bet sometimes the players wish they could just call it a day. OK, OK, we're playing the Cavs, no thanks, we'll pass, they win.
The Nuggets are up 3-0 on the Mavs. Surprising? No, not really. I didn't really think the Mavs were that good to begin with...but what is surprising is that the Nuggets are better than I thought they were. Can one player (Billups) really mean that much to a team? Apparently. They are a very deep team with many ways to beat you. They have 4 legitimate scoring threats (Carmelo, Chauncey, Nene, and JR Smith), they have 2 shut-down defenders in Jones and K-Mart and they have the Energizer Bunny Birdman in Chris Andersen...there is a lot to like there. They will be tough to beat.
The Lakers and Rockets are now tied 2-2 - this after the Rockets beat LA without Yao today. Why is it that the Rockets get better once their so-called superstars fall off?? T-Mac goes down and the Rockets gel. Yao goes down and Brooks, Scola, and Battier save the day?? In the end though, I think the Lakers are just too good. And besides, the NBA wants a Lebron vs. Kobe final - so that's what they will get. On a side note - why is Andrew Bynum not playing? Did he forget? Does Phil know he's back? I find this a bit odd.
The Celtics and Magic are now tied 2-2. Does it matter? Can either of these teams beat the Cavs? Unlikely. I think the Magic would fare much better with Jameer Nelson running the show instead of 'jack'em if you got it' Rafer Alston. He's shooting 40 and 32 in the playoffs...right on his averages. Go check out Rajon Rondo's playoff stats - amazing. 29.6 tendex (Woo would be proud of me for getting a Tendex reference in). Rajon is averaging 18ppg, 11apg, and 9rpg with 2.7 steals. Holy Moly!
I want to comment on two former players, no, Superstars who continue to amaze me with their current employment.
Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan.
First off, I believe MJ was the greatest player of all-time. No doubt about it. He transcended the game. He made basketball a passion of mine. He was fun to watch. He made me believe that you never give up. The guy, on the court, was amazing. But what is his off-the-court legacy??
MJ "retired" to play baseball. I think we all know by now that he didn't quit to play baseball - he was forced to take a leave of absense due to gambling problems. We can't say that because it would ruin his reputation.
Jordan's father was murdered in 1993 by two teenagers. Was this payback for unpaid gambling debts? Who knows...
Why did Jordan come back as a Wizard? Was this really necessary? What did he have to prove? It was a disaster.
So, MJ joins the Wizards front office and convinces them to draft Kwame Brown 1st overall. Ouch.
So, MJ is the best player of all-time - does that necessarily mean he's a good GM?? No.
Yet he continues to get those types of jobs. He failed miserably with the Wizards - yet - for some reason (because of his name) - the Bobcats say come on in and run our show. And to this day, the Bobcats still suck.
And Isiah Thomas is the same way. I don't need to rant on about his Knicks performance - which may just have been the worst GM'ing ever seen!! So, why on earth does Florida International offer this guy a coaching job????? When does your name not mean anything anymore?? I'm going to assume that most college kids don't get paid (most of the good ones probably do) so why would kids wanting to find a University to play at pick FIU? Because Isiah Thomas is the coach? Has he made anyone better as a coach?? If he can't write you a cheque - why pick that school? Just so you can say you played for Isiah Thomas? Is that worth anything these days? Is that worth bragging about? Why is Isiah Thomas getting this opportunity? What has he done in the past to say to FIU that he should be coach?? Did he go to FIU? No. So what gives? Why does he continue to get jobs?? Because of who he is. Simple as that. No other reason. Face it, this is how the NBA old-boys club works. It still shocks me. Oh well.
I emailed Chris Pershick the other day hoping to get his year-end Basketball story. No luck. I was kind of hoping to get his take on the 08/09 JBL season. I have started my Excel spreadsheet for next season already. I think I will protect Jameer Nelson, Eric Gordon, Dwayne Wade, and maybe Francisco Garcia. So, my draft focus will be forwards - and lots of them. I'd also like to get my hands on this Blake Griffin kid - he looks like the real deal. Whoever gets the #1 pick will have themselves a solid player for years to come. But who gets that pick? We find out at the end of the month.
Until next time....enjoy the offseason. Free agency is just around the corner!
No comments:
Post a Comment