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"Not like yo momma!" |
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In our third installment of the RaptorBlog Commenter Draft, I want you to share your favorite NBA jersey design — past or present. Including a link to an example is encouraged so we can all admire your good taste. The rules remain the same. I make the first pick and then you each make your picks in the comments. Once somebody makes a pick, it's off the board. And once you make a pick, you can't make another until five more picks are made after yours. My first pick wasn't an easy decision for me, but I have to go with the jersey that elicits the same "That's gangsta!" reaction out of me every time I see it: the old-school San Francisco Warriors jersey.
It's difficult for me to explain why I like this one so much — I just do. Of course I dig the old-school vibe. But I think it's also the complete lack of "design" that appeals to me. Logos and uniforms are so slick these days, there's something excellent about the simplicity and quiet confidence of this jersey. Maybe it's the way it reps San Fran as simply "The City" with the identifying Golden Gate Bridge on the front and the cable car on the back. The San Fran Warriors throwback is nearly impossible to find these days, which only adds to its appeal. What jersey does it for you? |
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Golden State of Mind speculates on what the Warriors will do now that Monta Ellis is out for at least three months. Andrew Bynum is asking for a maximum contract — five years, $80 million. If he's fully recovered from surgery, he'll get it. SLC Dunk thinks the Nets should trade Vince Carter for Wally Szczerbiak. I'm not really sure that's a fair trade — I hear Wally's pretty popular with the ladies in Cleveland. Who's your Haddadi? Hamed Haddadi! 3 Shades of Blue reports that the Grizzlies have signed the Olympics leader in blocks and rebounds. Interesting note from the second page of Chris Mannix's Central Division report card: "Here's the worst-kept secret in the league: Jefferson has no desire to play in Milwaukee." Jefferson knows Jeffrey Dahmer isn't still cruising the local clubs, right? |
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Some time after the Celtics won their 17th title, Paul Pierce was interviewed by a Spanish reporter who asked him if he thought Kobe Bryant was the best player in the world. Pierce's response set the Internet ablaze: "I don’t think Kobe is the best player. I'm the best player. There's a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don't cross that line but I have a lot of confidence in myself." My initial reaction was like most people's: "Is this dude for real?" Pierce is a damn good player but he must be pretty delusional if he thinks he's better than Kobe. Now that I've had time to think about it, I completely understand where Pierce is coming from and I actually kind of respect him for having the balls to say how he feels. The way I see it, it doesn't matter if he really is the best player in the world because that's a subjective judgment, anyway. But for Pierce to perform at his high level, he has to believe that he's the best every time he goes out on that court. If he perceives himself that way, then he thinks he can score on anyone, guard anyone, and beat every team he faces. I wouldn't expect a player at his level to feel any other way. Here's why I relate to Pierce's mentality. I started this blog six years ago because I saw what the so-called "professionals" were putting out there in terms of Raptors commentary and analysis and I was convinced I could do it better and in a more entertaining fashion. I believed then and I believe now that I'm the best Raptors blogger around — if I didn't believe that, I wouldn't bother doing this. It doesn't matter whether or not I have the right to feel that way and it doesn't matter if anyone agrees with me. What matters is that it's that same self-confidence that led me to start this blog in 2002 and then to come back again in 2008. Is it ridiculous that I'm comparing myself to Paul Pierce? Absolutely, but not much more ridiculous than Paul Pierce believing he's the best basketball player in the world. In all fairness, Pierce is the reigning NBA Finals MVP on the defending champions, so you have to admit he's got the credentials to back up his swagger. I think I've been guilty of under-appreciating Pierce over the years. He's never been as flashy as Kobe or Vince, but he's been one of the best shooting guards in the league for at least the past eight seasons, and that deserves more respect than I've given him. So I'll be watching Pierce a little more closely this season to see if his high self-regard can combine with the competitive drive to avoid a post-championship letdown in '08-09. "The Truth" is, you shouldn't count him out — Paul would be the first to tell you so. |
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Rather than list a bunch of links this morning, I'm going to focus on this typically douchey Toronto Sun column from Frank Zicarelli that pisses all over Chris Bosh's Olympic parade. "While winning a gold medal and helping the U.S. regain its lustre on the international stage should be applauded, they mean very little when it comes to the NBA and the Raptors. This notion that Bosh will somehow benefit from playing at a high level is utter nonsense." Nobody's saying that Bosh winning the gold medal means that he's going to lead the Raptors to a championship next season. But out of the 12 guys on the Team USA roster, you could make a good case that Bosh will reap the biggest confidence boost from the experience. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant are certainly not lacking in self-confidence or leadership skills. The fact that Bosh proved to be equally as important as those superstars in leading the team to gold is something he can carry over to his mentality next season. How is that "utter nonsense"? Bosh being Bosh and knowing how the media game gets played, he'll talk glowingly about the Olympic experience when the subject inevitably gets broached. He'll say all the right things, but no one is going to remember his role in helping the U.S. defeat Spain. Allow me to speak for actual North American basketball fans (something tells me you're not one of them) when I ask that you don't try to tell us what we will and won't remember. The gold medal game was one of the most exciting basketball games I've watched in years and it thrilled me that Bosh was an integral part of Team USA fending off the determined Spaniards. So this is one person who will remember, you cocksmoker. No one is going to confuse Roko Ukic for Jason Kidd, Will Solomon for LeBron James or Hassan Adams for Kobe Bryant. Really, Frank? And nobody is going to confuse you with any sportswriter that actually has skill or integrity. What's your point? That the last three guys on the Raptors bench aren't nearly as good as three of the best players in the NBA? Brilliant observation, you disingenuous fucktard. Maybe this Olympic experience will help Bosh lead the Raptors out of the first round next season. Maybe it won't. I'm sure Frank will be thinking "I told them so" if the Raptors do anything less than make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. It's really easy to make yourself look smart with a column like this when only one of 30 NBA teams can win a championship in any given season and the odds are therefore stacked against any individual team winning a championship during any given player's career. That's why smart people recognize that Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing are still Hall of Famers even though they didn't win rings. Columns like this one are nothing more than lame attention-grabbers — a desperate cry for relevance coming from a dinosaur in a dying industry. "Everybody's patting Bosh on the back so I'm going to do the opposite and shit all over him so people will notice me! YAYYY, ME!" Pathetic. We see right through you, Frank. Edited to add: If I'm going to tear Zicarelli a new asshole for his idiotic column, it's only fair that I give props to Doug Smith for actually making some sense on his blog: "Speaking of Bosh, we all saw how well he played in Beijing and how his defensive intensity was off the chart. A word of warning: You are not going to see the same level of intensity every night for an 82-game season. Not going to happen. It's one thing to play that way for 20 minutes or so for eight games over more than two weeks; it's quite another to expect it on back-to-back nights in, say, Toronto and Milwaukee some Friday-Saturday in February. What you are going to see, I think, is a different Bosh in 'big games.' Important regular season games, playoff games, moments of tight games when they need a leader to step up on the defensive end. Then you'll see a new level of confidence, a new level of leadership that was born in the Olympics. Every night? Not going to happen. It can't. No one – not you, not me, not him – is wired that way." |
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Does anybody think the Celtics and Lakers won't meet again in the 2009 NBA Finals? No team seems likely to knock off Boston in the East, and a full season of Pau Gasol and a healthy Andrew Bynum should make The Lake Show pretty much unstoppable in the West. Barring another significant injury, the lead up to the championships should be a mere formality. Now that Boston's "Big Three" have their rings, the big storyline becomes Kobe Bryant's hunger to prove he can win one without Shaq. Lucky for him, Bynum appears to be on a trajectory of improvement where, by the time the finals come around, he could be close to as good as Shaq in his prime. He'll be 21 by that time. I think it's safe to say a fully-staffed Lakers team won't lay down so easily next time. Bynum has been on my radar since this incredible clash with Shaq in Bynum's 2006 rookie season. He was 18 years old at the time and he showed no fear in giving it to Shaq as good as he got. I don't think the pressure of the Finals is going to bother him too much. Getting back to Kobe, I'm not normally inclined to root for him, but the Lakers winning next year's title would be worthwhile if he closed out his post-championship interview with Michelle Tafoya by saying, "Hey Shaq, how does my ass taste?" |
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Marty Burns thinks the Raptors lack depth and have "hit the ceiling" in terms of their ability to improve themselves going forward. Cuzoogle picks up where we left off on Friday's commenter draft and suggests seven worthy intro songs. Option seven is my favorite (Rage is my favorite band, after all) but since they've already used that, I would be stoked for either of the first two. Incidentally, I expect Cuzoogle to link back to this post with their next post, which I will subsequently link to. This will likely cause the Internet to implode. Blazer's Edge thinks that Greg Oden gives Portland's starting lineup the edge over the Lakers. I know I just slurped the Blazers last night, but it's a little ridiculous to say that Aldridge is better than Gasol (he isn't right now, that's for sure), and as for saying that Oden is better than Bynum... shouldn't we see him play a game first? I mean, Bynum is really fucking good. He had a PER of 22.6 last year at the age of 20. Oden is 20 right now and I will be surprised if he fares that well in his rookie season. I'm not saying Oden doesn't have the potential to be the better of the two, but this is some Grade A Homerism in effect here. Sixersoul is still nursing a grudge over Andre Iguodala's low player ranking on AOL Fanhouse's Top 50 list. I'm on his side that Iggy should be above Josh Howard and Gerald Wallace. True Hoop points out that, on a per capita basis, Lithuania might be the best basketball country in the world. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was so happy to have Manu Ginobili back in San Antonio, he could have kissed him. In fact, he did. Seriously. Late addition to the links! Starbury just dropped $45 million on a private jet. Stephon is clearly unfamiliar with the expression: "If it flies, floats or fucks, you're better off renting it."
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I sometimes get asked to name my second-favorite NBA team, and I never really know how to answer that question. With a full-time job, two hours of commuting, a wife and two kids, it's difficult to find time to watch every Raptors game — much less any other non-Raptors games. When pressed, I'll typically name the Phoenix Suns because they're fun to watch and they have Steve Nash. Going into the 2008-09 season, there is only one team that I am almost as eager to watch as the Raptors — and it's the young, seemingly stacked Portland Trail Blazers. After three straight losing seasons, the Blazers returned to .500 last season thanks to effective coaching from Nate McMillan and the continued improvement of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. (Hey, remember when we passed on Roy in the 2006 draft because we thought Bargnani had more upside? And how we passed on Aldridge in the same draft because he played the same position as Bosh and then we drafted somebody who turned out to be best-suited to play Bosh's position? Not good times.) Of course, it's not Roy and Aldridge I'm excited about. I'm looking forward to finally witnessing the first overall pick in the 2007 draft, Greg Oden. It says something when, even though he hasn't been healthy throughout his one year of college (averaging 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in 29 minutes while essentially playing with one good arm) or his lost season of 07-08, most fans seem to pretty much take for granted that Oden is destined for a Hall of Fame career. I highly doubt Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard would trade Oden for anyone in the league besides LeBron James or Chris Paul — he'd have to think about Dwight Howard, I suppose. Maybe I'm over-hyping the guy — particularly considering his injury history. But I bet most of you, like me, don't want to have to wait until the Blazers play the Raptors on Dec. 7 to see Oden in action. Even if we ignore his unreal potential, videos like this one tell me that Shaq might have a worthy successor as the NBA's funniest big man. |
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Chris Bosh emails from Beijing. Arsenalist wants the media to slow its roll when it comes to slobbering all over Bosh's Olympic performance. RaptorsTalk.com does a great job deconstructing some myths about Bargnani, Nowitzki, and big men in general. Dino Nation Blog compares post-Olympics Vince Carter with post-Olympics Bosh. Sactown Royalty nominates Kenny Thomas as the worst player in the league. Now that Darrick Martin is presumably finished, we'll have to submit the Raptors with the worst PER on the team last season who is still on the roster — Joey Graham. Tom Ziller is ranking the NBA's Top 50 players on AOL Fanhouse, and sixersoul is not too pleased that his $80 million dollar man, Iguodala, is 49th. Rod "Boom Tho" Benson pondrers the potential downside of his blogging endeavors. Rob Benson the blogger › Gilbert Arenas the blogger. Marty Burns talks about the best NBA free agents still on the market. Notorious shit-disturber John Calzano asks the question many Blazers fans are asking: "Is Boston trying to sabotage the Blazers with Darius Miles?"
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Some people have been quick to dismiss Jermaine O'Neal as "washed up" even though he'll only be 30 years old entering the 2008-09 season. I guess four straight injury-plagued seasons and three straight seasons with significant decline in performance will lead to that kind of assessment. So how are Raptors fans supposed to look at this? Do we do our duty as good little optimists and expect he'll play in 70-plus games and return to the form that made him the best player on a 61-win team in 2003-04? (That team admittedly also featured Reggie Miller, Ron Artest and Primoz Brezec — Oh Primoz, we hardly knew ye!) Or should we guard our expectations and expect he'll probably only be available for half the season and will be Gimpy the Center for the other half? (Just to save you the math, that would work out to about a half-milli per game for JO.) I recommend looking at it the way I look at it — as a roll of the dice. Bryan Colangelo looked at his roster and at T.J. Ford's trade value and determined that he was willing to risk coming up snake eyes for the possibility that O'Neal could provide that definitive post presence this team so desperately needed. Whether you're a skeptic or a true believer, O'Neal will still be one of the five best players to ever put on a Raptors uniform (well, one of the six best if we include Kornel David's brief but illustrious Raptor tour of duty) and he's the best of those five that the Raptors have ever acquired in a trade. Oh sure, you could point out that they also traded for Olajuwon, but Hakeem wasn't just past his prime, he drove a motorized scooter on to the court during player intros. The good news is that it shouldn't take long to determine what O'Neal has in the tank. If he's healthy (as the Raptors medical staff claims he is) and motivated (which he naturally claims he is), his impact on defence and rebounding will be felt immediately in both personal stats and wins. As for the wait until we get to actually see him in a Raptors uniform? Well, that already feels like eternity. |
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Bleacher Report ranks Chris Bosh as the third-most valuable Team USA player in Beijing — behind Kobe and Chris Paul, and ahead of D-Wade and LeBron. J.R. Smith re-signed with Denver for $16.5 million over three years. Considering that he's only 22 years old, averaged 23 points per 36 minutes last season, and his PER has increased in each of his last three seasons (it was 18.1 in '07-08), this is potentially a steal for the Nugz. Celtics 17 has "The Life and Times of (new Celtic) Darius Miles". Blazer's Edge gives Portland's side of the Miles signing in an interview with Blazers' broadcaster Mike Barrett. Lindsey Hunter is involved in an FBI investigation on mortgage fraud. Jason Kidd leaves Beijing with an unreal 56-0 record in Olympics, Olympic qualifying and exhibition games. LeBron says he won't play ball in 2012 unless J-Kidd is there. To do what, LeBron? Hand out the Gatorade? Dude will be 39 years old by then. On 82games.com, Eric Wong is doing a team-by-team fantasy basketball preview. The Raptors breakdown is already up.
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It's always a hot topic for Raptors fans before every season: What should be the intro song used at the Air Canada Centre before announcing the starting lineup in 2008-09? The rules are the same as with the first commenter draft. I make the first pick and then you each make your picks in the comments. Once somebody makes a pick, it's off the board. And once you make a pick, you can't make another pick until five more picks are made after yours. My first suggestion for the ideal intro song for the Raptors this season is "Clocks" by Coldplay. The haunting beauty of this song's elegant melody symbolizes the beautiful potential of this year's squad. The opening lyric of "The lights go out and I can't be saved" refers to the fact that once the lights go out as the song starts to be played and the players are introduced, the Raptors' opponents can't be saved from certain defeat. And most importantly, it's a well-known, non-threatening song that would be suitable for a family-friendly environment. I'm kidding, of course. I'm not really a bed-wetter. My real choice is "Mama Said Knock You Out" by LL Cool J. Not a very original choice, admittedly, but it's still a badass song that has held up well. Naturally, they'd show Jermaine O'Neal on the screen when LL yells, "Don't call it a comeback! I been here for years!" And the line "Competition's payin' the price!" speaks for itself. As an added bonus, we might get to see Roko Ukic bobbin' and jabbin' on the screen like the Croatian gangsta he is. Just try to top that pick in the comments. I challenge you! |
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Jose Calderon has a partial tear of his right adductor muscle. Let's see if Colangelo lets Calderon play for Spain ever again. You can play fantasy football with Chris Bosh. Derrick Rose interview video on ESPN.com. Knickerblogger reports that the Knicks have hired former Orlando GM John Gabriel to their front office. Matt Steinmetz of the Golden State Examiner has a fun story about ex-Raptor Donyell Marshall. Seems like he's a nice guy who is thrifty with his millions. True Hoop is impressed with how blogger-friendly the Sixers organization is. Will the Raptors follow suit? You can be assured I'll find out this season.
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Sometimes I think Raptors fans take Chris Bosh for granted. He's a three-time All Star at the age of 24. After a promising debut in 2003 at the age of 19, every season after that has been better than the one before. He seems like a genuinely nice guy who is well-liked by teammates and coaches. Two-thirds of the GMs in the league would trade anyone on their roster for him. He's funnier than Gilbert Arenas. And now, with his impressive performance so far in Beijing, the rest of the world is finding out what we already knew — but sometimes let ourselves forget while arguing about T.J. vs. Jose or Bargnani vs. a cardboard cutout of Dirk Nowitzki — that the young fella from up there in Canada is pretty darn good. In much the same way that Paul Pierce was energized by the addition of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to the Celtics, I think Chris Bosh is going to be super-pumped and ready to wreak some havoc on the league with his new frontcourt partner in crime, Jermaine O'Neal. He is the undisputed leader of the most talented Raptors team yet, and he's the first reason I can't wait for NBA basketball to return. |
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ESPN says Chris Bosh is the king of viral video. Donyell Marshall has been waived by Oklahoma City. He was really, really good in those two seasons with the Raptors but he went downhill after he signed with Cleveland. His NBA career is probably over, so in tribute, here's the video from the game where he dropped a record 12 treys on the Sixers. Poor C-Webb and his gimpy knees didn't have a prayer of stopping him. Cuzoogle is concerned about Jose Calderon's groin injury. If the Spanish Basketball Federation messes up Jose like they messed up Garbajosa, I think Colangelo might send Paulie Walnuts over to Beijing to "take care" of some people. Dallas Basketball is confused about the Mavs' signing of Devean George. SLC Dunk wonders if the NBA is next for Coach K. My take? Not a chance. He's a god at Duke. In the NBA, well... remember Rick Pitino with the Celtics? Hornets247 reveals the Hornets new unis and logos. I'm diggin' the "Fleur de Bee". Free Darko compares Usain Bolt to Amare Stoudemire. Hardwood Paroxysm interviews Greg Oden and gives RaptorBlog some love. Back atcha, dudes. J.E. Skeets discovers that Eddy Curry wanted to be a gymnast. I think I speak for everyone when I say that I would pay money to see him attempt the uneven bars.
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I linked to this excellent Ian Thomsen article on Jermaine O'Neal this morning, but I want to single out certain parts that I think merit further discussion. "You hear people say that you slowed down, that you don't have it anymore -- but you know that you still have it. All the naysayers who are saying that I lost a step, they'll get a full dosage of me next year." Jermaine strikes me as a very proud guy. Combine the pride factor with the fact that he can opt out of his contract in '09 and he's an unrestricted free agent in 2010, and you have an extremely motivated basketball player. They view O'Neal -- the marquee name in the six-player trade that sent point guard T.J. Ford, center Rasho Nesterovic, forward Maceo Baston and first-round draft pick Roy Hibbert to Indiana last month -- as the piece that could allow them to challenge the Boston Celtics. That's a major reach. The Raptors won 41 games last season and the Celtics won 66. I could see the Celtics falling back into the 55-60 win range and the Raptors improving to the 47-52 win range, but that's probably the best case scenario for the Raptors. Of course, that's only taking the regular season into account. "This is a chance for Jermaine to really make a statement," says Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo, whose team's doctors examined O'Neal on July 8 and declared him healthy. If Jermaine is truly as "broken down" as some people have said, Colangelo would not have made this trade — period. O'Neal didn't come cheap: He has two years and $44.4 million remaining on his contract. But after missing an average of 29.5 games over the last four years, he has accumulated relatively low NBA mileage. This is significant. While Jermaine is entering his 13th NBA season, he's played just over 20,000 minutes over that time — which is about where Chris Bosh should be after two more healthy seasons. Plus, O'Neal turns 30 in October, so it's not like he's over-the-hill, age-wise. Whether or not he's injury-prone and won't be available when the Raptors try to advance to the second round is another question entirely — one that nobody knows the answer to. In order to complement the 6' 10" Bosh in Toronto, O'Neal will shift to center, where his knack for rebounding, drawing charges and altering shots -- he averaged at least two blocks in each of his eight seasons in Indiana -- will strengthen the Raptors' flimsy defense. I'm a little sick of people underrating the Raptors' team defence. They finished 13th in team defence last season while allowing 107 points per 100 possessions. That's barely above-average but I wouldn't call that "flimsy". Compare that to the Knicks' defence that allowed 111.9 points per 100 possessions to finish second-to-last in the NBA. That's a flimsy defence. The Raptors' D was decent but unexceptional. O'Neal's presence could elevate them to Top-10 territory. As for "shifting to center", I don't know how accurate their numbers are but 82games.com had O'Neal playing virtually all his minutes at center last season. On the other hand, a random sampling of Pacers boxscores when O'Neal played indicates that he started at power forward while either Jeff Foster or Troy Murphy played center. So I'm not really sure who I believe here, but I've watched him enough to believe that Jermaine isn't unfamiliar or uncomfortable with playing the 5. At the other end O'Neal and Bosh are versatile enough to take turns playing high or low. Together they'll elevate 7-foot Andrea Bargnani, the No. 1 pick of the 2006 draft, who has struggled in his first two seasons but should thrive as the defense focuses on O'Neal and Bosh. So we're assuming that Bargnani will be on the floor at the same time as CB and JO, are we? I don't expect to see that combo very often. Besides, I don't think defences were focusing on Bargnani much at all once they figured out they could leave him wide open and he still couldn't hit his shots. Any potential improvement by Andrea won't come from anywhere besides his own ability to realize his potential. O'Neal's impending arrival has already prompted questions about whether Bosh, 24, should surrender his leadership of the Raptors. "I'm not brought in to be the new face of the team; I'm brought in to take the team to the next level," says O'Neal. "It's Chris's team, and I'm not coming in to step on his feet or [coach] Sam Mitchell's feet. But I'm not just trying to fit in, either. I'm trying to be dominant." I'm sure Jermaine is watching the same Olympics we are, so I'm confident we can take this statement at face value. At the moment, Chris Bosh looks like he could become a Top 10 player in the NBA next season. All in all, this article is exactly the kind of good news I'm sure most of us have been looking for in terms of Jermaine O'Neal's preparation and readiness to help form a two-headed monster of frontcourt dominance next season. And if you think I'm not pumped about this... well, I'm back, aren't I? Note: Pacers blogger Indy Cornrows has own take on JO's comments. |
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This SI.com piece on Jermaine O'Neal merits its own post, so I'll have that for you tonight. Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas News writes about Chris Bosh's excellent adventures in Beijing. Raptors HQ talks about how the Raptors not named "Bosh" are performing at the Olympics. Blazer's Edge gets all analytical on the Olympics performance of Rudy Fernandez. 3 Shades of Blue considers the relative importance of chemistry vs. biology in successful basketball teams. Buried at the end of this Iguodala article is the news that he doesn't like it when people call him "Iggy". Coach K singles out LeBron and Wade as the keys to Team USA's success. No love for Bosh? BOOOO! Steve Blake is gushing over Greg Oden: "His explosiveness with his size is unlike anything I have ever seen." Loy's Palace has a couple of photos from Ray Allen's wedding for those of you who like to rate the significant others of ballers.
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Anyone who truly knows me should know that my favorite sports theme song of all time is "Roundball Rock" — the song used to introduce "The NBA on NBC" from 1990 to 2002. Every time I hear that song, I'm reminded of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and NBA triple-headers on Sundays. Those were truly the good ol' days. While most of you are probably familiar with the song, you may not know that the composer of the song is John Tesh — former Entertainment Tonight host and current composer of wanky new age music. And if you do know that the Teshinator was the mind behind the music, you probably don't know the story behind how it was composed. Well, prepare to have your mind blown — or, more likely, prepare to be mildly amused. I present to you this clip of Tesh explaining the genesis of the song from an answering machine message left for himself from a hotel room. And then, a full orchestra kicks in and he performs the song live in front of a packed house at the Avalon Ballroom. Try to avoid wondering what kind of people would go see John Tesh in concert ("white people" is obviously a good starting point) and enjoy the majesty of the best sports theme song in history performed as you've never heard it before. No lie, that video gives me chills every time I play it. I ask you, in all seriousness: Is anybody going to be able to come up with something better than this for the new Hockey Night in Canada theme song. I think not, good sirs and madams. I think not.
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Dino Nation Blog thinks this is the season that will determine Sam Mitchell's Raptor legacy. RaptorsHQ thinks it's not out of the question that Chris Bosh could average 12 rebounds per game next season. Seeing as how only two players accomplished that feat last season (Dwight Howard and Marcus Camby) and Bosh has a career average of 8.7 rebounds per 36 minutes and a career-high of 10 boards per 36 (in '06-07), I would say that's only going to happen if Mitchell decides to play Bosh for all 48 minutes of every game — which is about as likely to happen as Bosh ever averaging 12 rebounds per game in any season. On Ball Don't Lie, Kelly Dwyer says what many of us have been thinking: "Gordon's nice guy, a nice player, and a hard-worker ... who's incredibly delusional." Also on BDL, Skeets has this photo of a meeting of two titans, Michael Phelps and LeBron. Nice goggles, Bron. John Smallwood from the Philly Daily News thinks that the Sixers' Brand signing made AI2's re-signing a no-brainer. Who is the most frustrating athlete in Detroit sports? Jamie Samuelsen of the Detroit Free Press says it's 'Sheed.
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Please excuse me for quoting Mr. Mister lyrics in the post title, but all the angst in Raptors Fan Nation about the team's wing situation got me thinking about mid-season trade possibilities to shore up the shooting guard or small forward position. Going by KnickerBlogger's 2008 stats page, there were 24 NBA small forwards who finished with better PERs than Jamario Moon and 18 shooting guards who had better PERs than Anthony Parker. So an upgrade at one of those positions would require getting one of those 42 players in return for some combination of Moon, Parker, Bargnani and Kapono. Realistically, the only way a selection from that uninspiring group could net a player from the Top 42 would be a scenario where the other team was mired in mediocrity midway through next season and was looking either for a salary dump or the ability to get something in return for a player who was likely to leave through free agency after the season. Using ESPN's NBA Trade Machine, here are the two trades I came up with that — while entirely unfeasible at the moment — could theoretically be discussed next February under the right circumstances. And let me make it clear that one of those circumstances would have to be that Bargnani returns at least to his rookie season form and becomes intriguing to another GM. Trade 1 That Could Probably Only Happen In My Mind: Bargnani, Kapono and Graham to Utah for Kirilenko and Kyrylo Fesenko. Kirilenko isn't happy in Utah and they need to clear cap space because Carlos Boozer can opt out and Paul Millsap's contract expires in '09, and Mehmet Okur will be a free agent in 2010. How good would the Raptors' defence be with Kirilenko manning the perimeter and Jermaine O'Neal holding it down in the post? Of course, the Jazz already have Kyle Korver and Okur as their resident sharp-shooting soft white dudes, so I'm not sure they would see much value in adding Bargnani and Kapono to that mix (besides their whiteness — always an asset in Utah). Trade 2 That Could Probably Only Happen In My Mind: Bargani and Kapono to Indiana for Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Stephen Graham. Last season was Dunleavy's "breakout year" (17.3 PER) and you could make the case that the Pacers don't really have a worthwhile starting PF. They might think that Bargnani would look nice between Roy Hibbert and Danny Granger and that Kapono would be a valuable asset off the bench. Of course, while Dunleavy is an upgrade at SF, he's probably not going to get much better than he was last season. Seeing as how this trade only happens if Bargnani starts to show promise, is Dunleavy enough to get in return? I looked at some other possibilities to acquire Jason Richardson, Josh Howard or Shawn Marion but none of them made even as little sense as the aforementioned fantasy trades make. Am I missing anything? Are the two trades I've suggested completely out of the realm of reasonable possibility? Holla back. |
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Blog-A-Bull gives his thoughts on the Ben Gordon negotiation of doom. Pounding The Rock isn't too enthused about the Michael Finley re-signing, judging by the headline: "Spurs Give Up on Quest to Get Better, Resign Michael Finley". Forum Blue and Gold points out this interesting stat from the USA-Spain game: Team USA outscored Spain 32-0 on fast breaks. Blazer's Edge talks about the many new members of the Ricky Rubio Fan Club. One NBA exec said, "He's got the quickest hands that I've ever seen." Sactown Royalty doesn't think Kings coach Reggie Theus should be given an extension this summer. Could Dikembe Mutombo be finished in the NBA? Buried at the end of this ClutchFans piece on Rockets' GM Daryl Morey is this quote from Deke: "I will play basketball if the Rockets give me the offer. I haven't gotten the offer from the Rockets, zero, [not] even a dollar, so I am unemployed. I have no job." Apropos of nothing, SLC Dunk lists "seven reasons we hate Kobe Bryant". May I suggest an eighth reason could be that he'll never, ever play for the Jazz? Bob Kravitz of the Indy Star predicts there will be an NBA franchise in either Beijing or Shanghai within 10 years. John Amaechi (you know, the gay dude) is working in Beijing as a basketball analyst for the BBC. Apparently, he hasn't been given a very warm reception by some NBA people. "I ran into Kobe, and he was surprised to see me. It didn't go well." Not trying to be controversial here, but maybe Kobe didn't give him a warm reception because John Amaechi was a crappy basketball player. I doubt Greg Foster would have received a hug from Kobe, either.
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