NBA Blog

Well, I have to tell everyone that I was disappointed that the playoff games don’t start until 3:00 today.  They do realize that it is a Saturday, right?  Why are they waiting two extra hours to get the games started when they could have begun the games at 1:00?  Then the Spurs game 3 would begin at 8:30 instead of 10:30. 

I was going to be really upset about this, but PBS is running “The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross.”  And there is no way that I let anything bother me while Bob Ross is on.  If you’ve never seen Bob Ross’ work, well, frankly, I feel sorry for you.  He has already painted “happy little trees” and is now working on the water for today’s painting.  It was extremely sad when he passed away several years ago, but PBS, in their most brilliant move ever, decided to re-run Bob’s shows on Saturday mornings.  There was a time when I never, ever, ever missed one of Bob’s shows.  He is an icon.  That’s all I have to say about that.

On a pat-my-own back kind of note, Bobby Simmons won the “Most Improved Player” award for the 2004-2005 season.  You could argue that it’s not hard to be right when there are only 4 real choices, but I prefer to look at this as a sign that I may actually know what I’m talking about.  Of course, this all becomes null if all my other picks fall by the wayside.  We shall have to wait and see. But for now, I’m off to enjoy the wonders of Bob Ross’ work.  As he says, “We don’t make mistakes, we have happy little accidents.”  I have no idea what that actually means, but I really like it. 

0 for 17 in the final minutes of the game.  How do you miss 17 straight shots?  I was on the verge of pulling my hair out.  Tony Parker missed runners, Duncan missed jump hooks, Manu missed Manu shots.  Oh my goodness.  That won’t happen again.  I’m guessing this will be the typical Spurs first-round series.  They never sweep a first round opponent, last year being the exception to the rule because they were playing a Grizzlies team that was over their head. 

Notes from other games:

1.  Ben Gordon.  Holy cow.  What a performance.  The man is unconscious.  He NEEDS a great nickname, because he lights it up and has ice water running through his veins.  He’s ice cold, because, as Andre 3000 said, he’s cooler than being cool.

2.  Um, thanks for playing Grizzlies, Nets, and Sixers.  All three are waaaaaay overmatched. But Iverson will go for 40 at least once in the next two games.

3.  Speaking of the Nets, did anyone notice how Vince Carter lost it in game 2.  The Heat already have him out of his game.  It was pretty ugly how quickly he lost his cool.  Zo and Keyon Dooling, yes, Keyon freaking Dooling got to Vince.  Really?  You’re the go-to scorer, and you’re letting Keyon Dooling get under your skin?  He’s not having another game over 25 in this series, and he may or may not pull up lame next game.  I’m going with may on that one. 

4.  I’m sorry I doubted the greatness that is Tracy McGrady.  Two years ago, I thought he was the best player in the league.  He took a huge step backward with Orlando.  But then again, who wouldn’t have on that squad?  I was foolish to go against him, and I should have seen this coming.  When you are relying on two starters who have combined for over 900 games and never seen a playoff game, those aren’t good odds folks.  It really, really doesn’t help when they are one year removed from the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks.  And did you see the Praying Mantiss (it would be nice if I had spell-check on this site) get posterized?  I haven’t seen Shawn Bradley get dunked on like that since Derek Anderson was still playing basketball, you know before he was dealt from the Spurs and injured every muscle and bone in his body.

The tax final is D U N.  It actually wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated, but the jury is still out, where it will remain until I get my grades.  I eagerly anticipate tomorrow, where I will sit all day watching the draft (and working on Con Law II) and the start of the NBA playoffs.

This is what I wrote before the NBA season began:
Playoffs: (1) Indiana, (2)Miami (division winner), (3) Philadelphia, (4) Detroit, (5) Toronto, (6) Cleveland, (7) Washington, (8) Boston
2nd Round: Indiana, Miami, Detroit, Philadelphia
Eastern Conference Finals: Miami, Detroit

Eastern Conference Champs: Detroit

Western Conference:

Northwest: Minnesota, Denver, Utah, Portland, Seattle

Pacific: Sacramento, Phoenix, L.A. Lakers, L.A. Clippers, Seattle

Southwest: San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Memphis, New Orleans

Playoffs: (1) San Antonio, (2) Minnesota, (3) Sacramento, (4) Houston, (5) Phoenix, (6) Denver, (7) Dallas, (8) Memphis
2nd Round: (1) San Antonio, (2) Minnesota, (6) Denver, (4) Houston
Western Conference Finals: (1) San Antonio, (2) Minnesota
Western Conference Champs: San Antonio

NBA Champs: San Antonio (in 6 games)

The glaring errors were the Toronto (Vince screwed them), Cleveland (new owner issues certainly didn’t help), and Minnesota (Sam and Spree aged more than Mutombo before this season).  Sure, I whiffed on the Baby Bulls, but who didn’t.  All in all, I think I did quite well with the regular season finishes. 

With everything set now for the postseason, let’s see how it will turn out now:

Eastern Conference Round One:
     (1) Miami over (8) New Jersey in five games. New Jersey will take one game from the Heat relying on J.Kidd.  I don’t think Richard Jefferson will get to do too much, simply because he’s been on the shelf for so long.  Besides he typically has no offense below the rim.  Carter will disappear in the half-court sets against Shaq and Zo.
     (2) Detroit over (7) Philly in six games.  It is really difficult to go against Iverson’s heart.  Igoudala will be all over Rip-city, but in the end, the Pistons are too tough on the boards and the defensive end.  Iverson will try his hardest to win the series, and probably has four games over 33 points, with two HUGE games.  However, it will come with too many shots, and the Pistons pull this one out.
     (6) Indianapolis over (3) Boston in seven.  This will be a very tight series, but Reggie Miller’s swan song will continue.  O’Neal’s really banged up, but Boston absolutely struggles in close games.  Pierce and Walker will try to re-live their glory days, but Carlisle is too solid of a coach.  The Pacers team has a lot of players who got big time minutes, which is the only good thing to come out of the Detroit-Indy brawl.  Johnson, Jones, Jones, and Foster will keep it close enough for Stephen Jackson (he is extremely clutch from the outside in big games) and Reggie Miller.  I guarantee two wins Pacers’ wins in the final minute of games, one from Jax, and one from Miller.
     (4) Washington over (5) Chicago in six.  I really have no idea for this series.  It will go either way, and end in six (the safe bet, because almost every series goes six).  The question for this series will be: Will it be Arenas or Gordon in the end?  I prefer Gordon, but I think losing Deng and Curry hurts the Bulls too much to handle Hughes, Arenas, and Jamison.  Deng could have guarded either Hughes or Jamison for stretches, and Curry would have had big numbers on Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood.  I also think Tyson Chandler earns a couple of millions in this series when he owns Kwame Brown on the glass.

In Round 2 Shaq destroys the Wizards, and quite possibly sends Kwame into a Shawn Bradley like freefall.  Wade v. Arenas will be fun to watch for five games.  Yep, that’s all it takes for Miami in round two.
Reggie’s career comes to an end in what will be the most hyped series of the postseason.  Media, who are complaining because there is no Kobe, LeBron, or K.G. in the playoffs, will be ALL over this with doomsday scenarios.  The Wallaces and Prince will be too much for the Pacers front line.  Prince will contain Jax, right up to the point Jax loses his cool, and has to be benched.  Richard Jefferson did the same thing for two games in the 2003 championship run.

Eastern Finals: Shaq and Wade will make a much better tandem against the Pistons than Shaq and Kobe did.  Besides, I don’t think the Pistons are as strong as they were last year.  Rip will get beat up during the playoffs, courtesy of Igoudala, and he will be tired of one-upping Reggie (much like last year).  Rasheed’s injuries will continue to build as well.  Losing Mike James also hurt their team defense more than people recognize.  Mike James is a much better defender than Carlos Arroyo, which is why Arroyo is in Larry Brown’s dog house all the time.

The question is who will the Heat face in the finals?

WESTERN CONFERENCE Round One
     (1) Phoenix over (8) Memphis in four.  Too much running and gunning, and Pau Gasol won’t get enough touches in this series.  The Suns will outshoot Memphis, and they will have another short playoff stint.  The Griz need to make a move this summer and bring in another big gun to run with Pau Gasol and Mike Miller. 
     (2) San Antonio over (7) Denver in six.  This one only goes six, because Duncan, Manu, and Devin Brown aren’t 100%.  The Spurs have too much playoff experience and too much depth for the white-hot Nuggets.  Bowen will drive ‘Melo crazy.  He will disappear when he doesn’t get his offense going early, and will settle for jumpers too often.
An important note on this series:  I just finished reading the Sports Guy’s new article on ESPN Page 2.  I typically always agree with him, and sometimes “borrow” some of his jokes.  But there is one thing he discussed that I needed to address.  He set out a formula for how to beat the Spurs, and, for the most part, it was correct.  However, he said that the Nuggets will be effective against Duncan when they throw K-Mart, Camby, and Nene at him.  Well, recent and long-term (five years) history goes against this.  K-Mart has NEVER played well against Duncan, and all the little things that he tries to do to irritate his opponent falls right off of the back of Duncan.  Timmy completely owns K-Mart, and will do so again, because nothing bothers Duncan.  In the ‘99 playoffs, the Knicks tried to throw Camby’s length at Duncan to stop him.  Duncan won the MVP in the series.  Not good odds for the Nuggets.  Duncan at 80% is 120 times better than Camby.
    (3) Seattle over (6) Sacramento in five.  Sacramento only wins one game because the Sonics will shoot poorly enough to keep the Kings and Bibby alive.  Despite all the injuries to the Sonics, they are still better than the Kings without Brad Miller, Bobby Jackson, and possibly Peja Stojakovic.  Besides, even if playing, Peja has yet to show me anything after the regular season.
    (4) Dallas over (5) Houston in six games.  I was confused about this one, but thinking about it, Dampier will lay on Yao enough to make him shoot turnarounds.  I also cannot go against the Little General.  I just love rooting for Avery Johnson.  He’s got Dirk playing defense, and the Mavs are scoring more now than under Nellie.  Who could have imagined?  Van Horn will revert back to his former self, and I don’t like the Mavs point guard tandem.  McGrady wins two games for the Rockets, but no one will stop Dirk in this series.  He’s averaging 34 and 12. 

Round Two:  Too much Amare and Nash for Dirk to handle.  It will be a great series and go seven games with a ton of points scored in the series.  Phoenix will ride the MVP runner-up to the Western Conference finals.
San Antonio will struggle with the Sonics, because that’s what they do against Seattle this season.  Ray Allen loves to light it up against S.A.  However, without Antonio Daniels and Vlad, the Sonics lack of depth will kill them, and Ray will end up bolting after the season.  Rashard Lewis and Duncan will both be coming back to full strength, so it will get interesting.  I think the key in this series will be Parker.  Parker will own the paint against Seattle’s porous defense, and the former Mophead.  No one stops the Spurs inside game, as Nazr takes all of Rasho’s minutes.

In the finals, my bias takes over and the Spurs win it all.  Even if they end up playing Detroit, Spurs win it all. 

One final point:  The media has jumped on LeBron wanting out.  Ummm… no.  He isn’t going anywhere.  He put up 27-7-7 this year, in year two, and he’s twenty.  He’s still two years ahead of M.J.  All they need to do in Cleveland is hire a g.m. who has a clue.  Here’s what needs to be done:

1.  Bring in a coach who knows how to use LeBron.  One person who would do well is Flip Saunders.  He worked perfectly with a young K.G., and his passing offense would benefit Bron’s skills perfectly.
2.  Re-sign Z.  Z may have a ton of miles, and some really questionable feet, but he’s still going to give the Cavs 17 and 8.  That ain’t too shabby.  If Z asks for too much money, then they have an alternative in going after Samuel Dalembert, Kwame Brown, or Tyson Chandler to handle the paint for him.  Z’s offensive skills are much better than all three and would be a better option.
3.  Go after a shooter.  Remember how I said Ray Allen was bolting?  Exactly.  Perfect fit.  Same with Michael Redd.  These guys would open up the offense and drop the jumpers that Ira Newble couldn’t hit.
4.  Give the young guns minutes.  I’m still not giving up on Luke Jackson.  He will get it done.  Another quality player to help is Jiri Welsch.  He didn’t get near enough minutes after the trade.  Those two are quality complementary players who would fill in for whichever shooter the Cavs go after, and would spell Bron.  Anderson Varejao needs more minutes to continue his development.  I think he will take Gooden’s starting spot by the All-Star break next season.  He won’t score as much as Gooden, but he won’t do the spastic Gooden things. 
5.  Get point guard help.  I think Jeff McInnis has run his time in Cleveland.  Eric Snow would be a solid back-up point guard, but I don’t know if he does enough as a starter anymore.  I love his work ethic, and all the little things, but he shouldn’t run the offense full-time.  I haven’t checked the future free agents, but someone like Mike James or Chucky Atkins would be good fits.  Both shoot well enough to knock down some jumpers, and carry more time than Snow.

Sure, re-upping Z and going after Redd/Allen would cost a lot of money.  But a young, excitable owner should make sure everything is done to protect the goose that lays the golden eggs.  Bron is the present and future of the league.  You do EVERYTHING to keep that in your city.  Breaking the salary cap threshold is certainly worth bringing in guys that will keep Bron in his home state to make a run at a dynasty.

Whew.  That was a lot of typing.  I’m done.

You know how I was upset about V.C. yesterday.  Well, Steven A. Smith actually PRAISED him last night.  Yep, gave him props for what he did for New Jersey.  He also dogged Toronto for playing so poorly last night.  I’ve always said that Steven A. Smith didn’t have a clue, but this just proves it.  He’s on the V.C. bandwagon because he puts up highlight reel plays.  I wonder what is going to happen when it counts in the playoffs, when it gets tough, and V.C. pulls a Clifford Robinson (aka disappearing act).  Do you think anyone will notice, or will J.Kidd and R.J. take the blame for not getting him involved and being selfish enough to come back from an injury?  Just something to think about.

I have always said that I reserve the right to change my mind.  Well, I am going to take full advantage of this and change my vote for Sixth Man of the Year.  It MUST go to Ben Gordon.  There should be absolutely no question.  Not since Mariano Rivera’s heyday (read up until Luis Gonzales’ bloop single in the World Series), has there been a closer like Gordon.  He dominates fourth quarters.  He killed the Knicks twice on last second shots (major bonus points for beating the Knicks), and he led the league in double-digit fourth quarters.  He also kept Chicago at home for the first-round despite the losses of Curry and Deng.

Sidebar on Curry:  I know it isn’t funny to joke about a guy with a bad heart, but isn’t it fitting that Curry actually has a bad heart?  He should be the most dominant center, behind Shaq, because of his size and strength, yet he barely grabs 5 boards a game and doesn’t play in fourth quarters.  Perhaps Mark Blount and Kwame Brown are suffering from the same problem.  They should get checked out.  While you’re at it, give V.C. a checkup, but only when games matter or countries are relying on him.

I still think Gordon and Okafor should share the Rookie of the Year Award.  I know sharing awards are lame, but they really both deserve it.  Okafor led all rookies in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots, while Gordon threw the Baby Bulls on his shoulders in the second half of games.  It’s only fitting that they both get it.  And what a surprise, those two won a title last year.

I know I said I would do a playoff preview when the season ended, but before I get to it (hopefully coming on Friday after my Tax final) there is something that seriously must be put in print.

If I were in charge of the Toronto Raptors, and I’m very grateful that I am not, I would place Chris Bosh, Jalen Rose, Mo Pete, and Rafer Alston on the injured list and sign the first four guys to walk into the arena to 10 day contracts and let them suit up and play against the Cavs tonight.  And I would make sure the oldest guy they pick up is the one guarding LeBron.  The Raptors have the chance to help the Cavs make the playoffs and keep the Nets out.  That is probably the one and only positive thing that can come out of this season. 

Seriously, V.C. completely screwed the franchise and its fan base.  Considering Toronto is the only Canadian NBA team left, Vince basically screwed an entire country.  Sure, the country couldn’t support its own sport (hockey), but still, you have to feel for Canadians.  Carter was in the tank for 2+ seasons, and when the Nets are fighting to get in the playoffs he scores over 80 points in two games this weekend.  He couldn’t score 80 in five games with the Raptors earlier in the year.  I really, really, really hope that the Raptors tank the game.  I know, it’s not competive, and it violates some of the league’s bylaws.  But I cannot help but hope for some retribution for the franchise.  They got nothing when they dealt him (management’s own fault), but Vince really wasn’t helping the cause either. 

Writers rip Barry Bonds everyday.  Kevin Garnett is taking some shots for the Wolves not making the playoffs, along with LeBron.  Sammy Sosa was completely ripped during the baseball offseason.  Yet, up until last season’s problems (at the very end of the season), he played every game hard.  These are quality guys who play hard.  Yes, Barry and Sammy have that steroid issue hanging over them, but the other two give everything they possibly can to win.  Vince tanks two whole seasons for the Raptors, and when he finally starts playing hard, because he isn’t in Toronto anymore, he gets a free pass from the media.  Where the hell is Skip Bayless, Micheal Wilbon, Rick Reilly, Tony Kornheiser, Dan Patrick, etc. on this?  Let’s keep ripping T.O. for being selfish and playing in the Super Bowl (something I still haven’t figured out), but let Vince slide for playing half-assed in Toronto. 

Someone please step up, and call Vince out in the media.  Steven A. Smith yells about everything and hasn’t said a word about this.  To quote Will Ferrell, “I feel like I’m taking crazy pills.”

Well, the Raptors can take a stand this evening, and get something back for their pitiful season.  They can help ensure that Public Enemy Number One (or #15 in this case) doesn’t make it to the playoffs.  They can play the worst game they have ever played, and seriously, at this point it wouldn’t be too hard.  They can lose by 85 points, and smile for the entire offseason, because they screwed Vince the way he screwed them.  Maybe that will open some of the eyes in the media. 

I’m off my soapbox, and the next post will talk about the playoffs.

 

The season is coming to a close, and it is time to compile all of the votes.  Since this is my site and I am the only one voting, there were some interesting arguments to be heard. 

MVP:

The nominees are Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Garnett.

 

LeBron is having an amazing year, but the award is not his yet.  The Cavs freefall has killed his chances of winning it this year.  Give him time, he’ll get at least three of these over his career.

 

Iverson’s numbers are gaudy.  They are better than when he won it in 2001.  He goes full out every single game.  Unfortunately, he’s not going to win it because of the others on this list.  He will have to settle with the scoring title.

 

Steve Nash is the favorite to win because of what the Suns have done.  However, he was not the only acquisition this season.  The team revamped its roster by adding Q. Richardson, and Jimmy Jackson and Walter McCarty before the deadline.  Marion is having his usual solid campaign, and Amare is awesome.  Nash is doing everything he should be, and reaping the benefit of the wide-open system.  He is making his teammates better, but his supporting cast also makes him look a lot better.  And he plays absolutely no defense.  That seriously hurts his cause.

 

Tim Duncan: too many games missed.  K.G.: his team sucks.  Dirk: not yet, he’ll be on the list next year with LeBron.

 

Therefore, the award should go to Shaq.  He’s huge.  He dominates.  The Heat gave up three starters to get him, and the plus/minus of wins between the Lakers and the Heat from a year ago show how important he really is.  Because of Shaq, Dwyane Wade has made the Leap to superstardom.  Because of Shaq, Udonis Haslem (undrafted) averages a double-double.  Because of Shaq, the Heat has the best record.  Because of Shaq, Damon Jones is one of the best shooters in the league.  Because of Shaq, the Clippers are the best team in Los Angeles.  He’s the MVP. 

 

Rookie of the Year:  At the halfway point I had Okafor winning it.  At the end of the season, I still have Okafor winning it.  However, he’s going to have to share the hardware with his former collegiate running mate.  Ben Gordon also deserves a share of the title.  Okafor leads all rookies in double-doubles, and Ben Gordon leads the league in double-digit fourth quarters.  Neither has done enough to run away with it, so to be fair, and since this is my page I will do what I want, so I am going to let these two share the award.

 

Sixth Man of the Year:  The nominees are Antonio Daniels, Ricky Davis, Jerry Stackhouse, and Ben Gordon.  Stackhouse is not a true sixth man, and has had too many injuries.  Daniels is hurt by the fact that the Sonics get no pub.  Gordon is already getting some hardware to share with Okafor.  Therefore, I think Davis should get the award.  He’s figured it out, and kept the Celtics playing well enough to get to the postseason when Pierce was in a funk earlier in the year.  I never thought I would say this, but he has been quite impressive to watch as he handled the situation. 

 

Coach of the Year:  George Karl would walk away with this, except he didn’t coach enough of the season.  The award should go to either Nate McMillan, Mike D’Antoni, or Rick Carlisle.  I will go with Nate McMillan because the team didn’t change any of its roster after last season’s debacle, yet Nate has them winning their division.  Impressive.  Carlisle deserves a ton of credit for what he did with Indiana.  The injuries and suspensions would have killed any other team, but Carlisle worked his magic and has his team fighting for the fourth seed.  All he does is coach 50-win teams, so I’m sure he will win some more awards.

 

GM of the year goes to the man in charge of the Suns.  There really is no competition for this one. 

 

Defensive Player of the year:  Bruce Bowen.  I’m irritated about this one.  It kind of feels like he is winning it by default because of Kirilenko’s injuries and Artest’s suspension.  I feel cheated.  Bowen is the best on the ball defender in the league, and nobody is convincing me otherwise.  In due time, Andre Igoudala will lock down this award.  He is the next Scottie Pippen if he can shoot more consistently. 

 

Most Improved Player: This is difficult to decide.  The list is full of guys who are either (1) stepping it up because it is a contract year, or (2) finally getting minutes because they play for a terrible team.  Larry Hughes falls in the first category.  Primoz Brezec, Dan Dickau, and Dan Dickau fall into the second category.  So I’m giving it to Bobby Simmons, who could fall into both categories.  He’s on a team that is desperately trying to turn around a franchise, and they have passed the Lakers as the best team in the city.  A true NBDL guy, Simmons had a very impressive season for the Clips.  He averaged 16, 6, and 3 per game and played the most minutes per game for the team. 

Comeback player of the year:  Grant Hill.

 

Biggest hosejob of the season:  Vince Carter for what he did to the Raptors.  He played at 50% for the beginning of the season leading to the trade where the Raptors took $.25 on the dollar for his value.  None of the players the Raptors got for Vince see any minutes on a bad team.  He really, really, REALLY screwed that team.  I’m amazed he even decided to show up in Toronto for the game.  If I were him I would have feared for my life.  It’s impressive that Vince won this award, because Carlos Boozer screwed over a blind guy.  Normally, that’s hard to top.

Worst President of Operations:  Isiah Thomas.  Mortal Lock to win this every year he’s in charge.

I will be back at the end of the week with a playoff preview, and All NBA Team selections.

How long do you think it took (will take) for those overzealous Washington National fans to realize that they were buying jerseys, hats, t-shirts, etc. and selling out games for the Expos?

A) Two months of the season

B) Two weeks

C) Two games

D) Two innings into opening day

If you answered D, you were probably right.  Despite what Kentucky native Brad Wilkerson is doing, they are still really, really bad.  Sure, they are 4 and 4 right now, but they’ve scored 25 runs and allowed 48.  Two teams have allowed more runs, the Diamondbacks and the Rockies.  Let’s just say, I don’t like their odds this year.  At all.

Hey, here’s a question, did everyone know that the Red Sox won the World Series last year?  Wow, talk about overload.  I mean, they were lovable as the losers.  But now, Johnny Damon, a career .280 leadoff hitter has his own book, Millar and Nixon are everywhere and they hit 18 homers a year, and Schilling’s bloody sock is probably going to win a Pulitzer.  Talk about overload.  I almost want the Yankees to win it all this year, and every year for the next 86 years, because I don’t know if I can take much more of this.

Eat your hearts out Detroit Pistons fans.  AC Milan soccer fans, and by soccer fans I mean HOOLIGANS, threw flares onto the field to protest a referee’s decision to discount a goal. 

This leads to several interesting (almost went with ”burning” but that may have been a bit too much of a pun) questions:

Is a flare normally a necessity for Italian soccer games, or is it a must for ALL European soccer games?

If not, What makes a fan decide to bring a flare to a game anyway?

And then, how come so many fans thought the same thing? 

Wouldn’t you think, with at least the minimal amount of security, these things would be caught?

 

Year two of law school is winding down.  Finals are bearing down on me as we speak, so that is the reason for the few-and-far-between postings.  So I’ll hit you up with some random thoughts that I’ve had over the past couple of weeks.

Please go read Paul Shirley’s NBA blog at NBA.com.  The word ‘genius’ is used far too frequently, so I will just say that it is comedically ‘gifted.’  If you’ve got nothing better to do with your workday, read that blog that is updated at a rate much more frequently than this is, and follow it up with an afternoon of the Sports Guy on ESPN Page 2.

The Warriors have won eight in a row, and Baron Davis has been THE key ingredient to their success.  I’m not saying he was pulling a Vinsanity in New Orleans, but he’s playing like the B.Diddy from three years ago when I was calling him the best point guard in the league.  Remember he and Mashburn carried a thin Hornets squad through the playoffs before Magloire developed. 

I would like to thank the Los Angeles Lakers for participating in the 2004-2005 NBA season.  Seriously, can the gentlemen who lambasted me for discussing the holes in Kobe’s game please stand up.  Are you still willing to call him the best player in the game?  Because last time I checked the best players in the game don’t regress when it gets important. 

Speaking of fantastic players, Kevin Garnett is trying his best to keep the Wolves alive.  Last night he went for 31, 14, and 7 on a knee that is in really bad shape.  Seriously, he’s injured a lot worse than the Wolves organization is letting on. 

Why is Kevin McHale coaching the Wolves if he has absolutely no intention of EVER coaching in the NBA?  I don’t think the choice to coach this team is going to help his job as the general manager. 

Watching the Knicks today made me wonder if Grant Long, Michael Cage, and Armon Gilliam could come out of retirement because the Knicks don’t have nearly enough undersized power forwards on their roster.  Kurt Thomas, Malik Rose, Jerome Williams, Maurice Taylor, and Michael Sweetney just nearly are not enough guys to fill the power forward/center spot.  When Tim Thomas is your tallest player, and he plays small forward, I don’t think the guy in charge is doing a good job.  Hey, at least the creator of the Bad Boys got them out of salary cap purgatory…OH WAIT!

Manu and Duncan aren’t playing against the Warriors.  Right now Nazr Muhammed, Glenn Robinson and Sean Marks are on the floor for the good guys.  Ummm, that ain’t good folks.  At least Rasho is hurt right now, so he won’t give me a headache. 

Sean Marks never saw a jumper he didn’t want to take.  He’s on pace to beat Stephen Jackson’s five-year old record of shots per second that he set in his first year with the Spurs.

The Spurs last two wins came against the Clippers and the Clippers.  Not really liking that statistic.

I would hate to be the Warriors color-guy when Zarko Czabarkapa, Nikolos Tskitishvilli, Mikael Pietrus, and Andris Beidrins are in the game.  That’s a lot of enunciation to do.  Then again, I would just hate to be the Warriors color guy.  Up until last week, that had to be one of the least exciting jobs on the planet.  “Get on your feet Warriors fan.”  And I’m not going Jim Rome and calling an entire group with the singular noun, I’m referring to the  entire fan club.

Denver is scary hot.  I can’t wait for the Spurs to face them in the playoffs and watch a freshly activated Tim Duncan dominate Kenyon Martin to the point that Martin loses his mind and turns into Rasheed Wallace from the late Portland years.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go back and look up K-Mart’s statistics and technicals when the Spurs won the 2002-2003 title.

The first full week of the baseball season is in the books, and the only things I really know is that the Pirates and the Royals are officially out of the playoff race.  Well that and my fantasy baseball team has a combined era of 15.00 right now.  Not good times for Rose’s Rallying Redbirds. 

The Minnesota Twins have a phenomenal farm system.  Every year they lose one or two players and just throw in some new talent that they have cultivated.  Their entire lineup, aside from Shannon Stewart came from their farm system.  And Justin Morneau is injured right now.  That is just sick. 

If Bob Wickman has to pitch to Matt Lecroy will he have problems pitching against his twin brother?

Don’t ever watch Closer.  Seriously, I mean NEVER, EVER, EVER WATCH THAT MOVIE.  It was beyond terrible.  My girlfriend and I are splitting the costs for Netflix, so every once in a while, I have to watch some stupid movie that she queued (Not a clue how to spell that word) and subsequently suffer through it.  Two nights ago that was Closer.  Not only was it terrible, there wasn’t even any nudity to salvage the plot.  As a completely disinterested male, I have one question that they all want to ask about the film.  How can a movie that is solely about infidelity, where everybody is sleeping with everybody’s significant other, and one of the main characters is a stripper, have absolutely no nudity?  I think there may have been one gratuitous breast shot in the “nightclub” but I was probably asleep by that time.  There was absolutely nothing entertaining about that film.