EVW2K8 (aka East vs. West)

The Case For LeBron

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:48:00 +0000

There's so much speculation surrounding the potential future of LeBron James, most of it swirling around the Knicks and their ability to offer two max deals this offseason and the Cavs and the quality "known" that the King has in his hometown. I'm here to give my take on why he stays and why he goes. In the end, no question my heart is with the Knicks, so I can't promise to be completely unbiased, but I'm going to give it my best shot.

LeBron Stays

If you see any poll, formal or informal, be it a poll of fans, coaches, players, or GMs, the consensus by about 65-35 is that LeBron will stay in Cleveland. The Vegas line has seen some fluctuation over the months, but I saw somewhere recently that New York is in 2nd place at +300 (whatever that means) and Cleveland remains the prohibitive favorite at -170, or something to that effect. The New York mark was a significant improvement over past lines, and still the difference is fairly stark. So, to begin, it seems everyone but hopeful Knick fans thinks LeBron is a Cavalier.

Make no mistake, somewhere in that mix of information is a lot of emotion. New Yorkers are rabid for Lebron and probably aren't completely rational. New York haters, of whom there are many, are likewise blinded by their feelings. Then there are the Jets fans that also "support" the Knicks. They bring a defeatist attitude to their fandom that has convinced them that Walsh is a moron, D'Antoni is a terrible coach, and that we're doomed to overpaying for Rudy Gay.

Extracting anything meaningful from the endless speculation from all corners of the sports world is tough, but there are some arguments to be made. It's easy to start with "Lebron Stays" since the general sentiment is that he will.

1. He's on a great team.

At the moment, the Cavs are 44-14 and hold the best record in the league. LeBron has the best chance to win it all that he's ever had before and he's been with this core group of teammates long enough that the chemistry fits. That's hard to measure. The Jordan Bulls had the same starting lineup for years before they made it all happen and beat the Pistons. It doesn't happen overnight. Were he to leave, he'd be starting over from scratch and there's no guarantee he'd ever find this chemistry again. Of course, winning a title is the goal and the closer he gets, the more likely it seems he'd be a fool to give it all up.

2. He can get paid more to stay in Cleveland.

The money for the first six years of any deal, anywhere, is close. Even with the Cavs having an advantage in the amount they can pay over that span, the money isn't all that different. The seventh year that the Cavs can offer is the big catch. A seventh year guaranteed is a big fish hook for a home team. Nobody likes to leave guaranteed money on the table. There's a built-in incentive for players to remain with their clubs, and LeBron is no exception.

3. He's home.

The King grew up in Akron. He's playing in front of his home town fans. Winning a title in front of them would cement what's already an amazing legacy in Ohio. New Yorkers might scoff at the notion that being a big fish in a small pond is attractive, but that's only if the pond seems small to the fish. It's tough for a New Yorker to look at the world from anything other than the perspective of the big pond. Everything else is small by comparison and so there are a lot of assumptions made from that perspective that many not hold true. I'm not sure how small a pond LeBron thinks he's in. He's on TV every night, he's in tons of ads, he has his likeness on buildings, and there's nowhere on Earth he can go without a good chance that he'll be recognized. In addition to his great skill, Nike did that for him. In Cleveland.

4. Loyalty

The people in the Cavs organization, the teammates, the fans, the local grocery clerk, his teachers and peers all invested a lot in him to help him reach where he is today. It would be supremely callous and selfish to not understand that. Yes, we all know that sports is a business, and we're reminded of that at every trade deadline and in every offseason. Still, when things are good, money is in your pocket, and people love you, it's easy to focus on loyalty. It's only when things suck and you hate life that you might play cost-benefit with your loyalty and your desire to head for greener pastures. It would be honorable, loyal, and graceful for LeBron to stay in Cleveland and spend his entire career fighting for multiple championships alongside all those people.

LeBron Goes

It's easy to see from the above points why LeBron staying in Cleveland seems so likely. As a Knick fan I can easily find reasons why I think he'd want to play in New York. It's part of that big pond mindset that I described earlier. I'll attempt to stick to more reasonable logic, but I suspect that anyone reading this might have feelings about my success or failure, regardless.

1. His team is in decline.

It's a bit hard to say that with a straight face while the Cavs are the best team in the league. The thing is, provided LeBron isn't thinking about signing another 2-3 year deal, long term the Cavs have problems. Until the 2012 offseason, the Cavs have little cap room to maneuver. Until the 2013 season, they will only have the ability to sign a mid-level player to compliment James. That means, aside from Mo Williams, who's in his prime, the Cavs will be paying for Antawn Jamison's 35 and 36-year old seasons at top dollar, Anderson Varejao at about $9 million a year into his mid-30s, plus Daniel Gibson and JJ Hickson. If you give LeBron a max deal, you're left trying to lure some future FA to play with him several years down the road.

Right now, Shaq is 38 and on his last legs. He won't be back. Without him, the Cavs are $10 million over the cap next season. With him, they have even less flexibility and can't guarantee he'll even be able to take the court one night to the next. I wrote that this team has chemistry and it fits, but signing a long term deal with Cleveland risks some very uncertain times in just a few short years. The club will have to make a choice on whether or not to re-sign Mo Williams for his decline years. The trio of Varejao, Gibson, and Hickson will have to develop into bigger players on the club. If they don't, you'll either replace them with some as yet unknown or roll with them and hope LeBron can keep dragging them along. What free agents will be available in 2012 or 2013? How much competition will there be to sign them? That's a lot of uncertainty.

In contrast, the Knicks have a chance to pair LeBron with, say, Chris Bosh. I won't dive too deeply into who the Knicks can get to ride shotgun with LeBron, but I'll just use Bosh as a placeholder for the sake of argument. With a nucleus of LeBron, Bosh, Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari, the Knicks can start a good young nucleus of players. Chandler and Gallinari will both be in their mid-20s several years from now and improving. Bosh would still be in his prime as well. What's more, Eddy Curry's expiring contract in 2011 gives the Knicks even more room to splash on a decent player or two.

If T-Mac has anything left, and he'd be willing to play for less money (short term, anyway), you could use some of Curry's money to re-sign him via the team's Bird Rights and still grab another decent role player. LeBron, Bosh, McGrady, Gallinari, and Chandler, plues change...

Yes, LeBron has a better chance to win a title if he stays in Cleveland. That is, he has a better chance in the very short term. To be precise, he has 2009-2010, 2010-2011, and maybe 2011-2012 if everything were to break right. This year is his best chance to win it all in Cleveland and beyond lies only doubt. New York, on the other hand, could potentially give him a great shot to win for the remainder of his career.

2. He can get paid more in off court money.

A lot of reports suggest that LeBron couldn't make more money in New York than he can already make in Cleveland. I suspect that there's some kernel of truth to that. LeBron is a global brand and already makes top endorsement dollar. Do I think it's worth extra money to Madison Avenue to have LeBron in New York? Yes. How much? Tough to say, but I'm betting they'll pay him to find out. Since the retirement of Michael Jordan a lot of bad has happened to endorsement money for companies. MJ was revenue magic for companies trying to sell products, and for the TV ratings in general. Since his retirement, things have fallen on a number of players. Kobe and his champion Lakers have received their fair amount of attention and money, but Kobe's rape situation and his general lack of likability, have prevented him in cashing in the way Jordan once did. Tiger Woods got some high end bucks, but his recent scandal has put an end to that. Baseball lacks a marquee personality to pin things on. Pujols is the best player, but is hardly a big draw. A-Rod is too....A-Rod. Jeter is about as close as it gets, but he's just not that transcendent talent that makes people watch his every move. (Except when it comes to girlfriends.) Football has Peyton Manning. 'Nuff said.

There's LeBron James. His Cavs made the Finals in 2007 and were swept by the Spurs. At the time, that series was the lowest rated Finals in the history of the NBA. He has tons of endorsements and stands to get more with the Tiger Woods fiasco in full bloom. In steps New York City and the stage at Madison Square Garden. Nike would be fools to support LeBron staying in Cleveland. Either way they'll get a good return on their investment with him, but the potential is maxed out in Cleveland. An ad agency can only sell LeBron's image to potential clients at a certain price if his appearance in the Finals only garners a 6. It's simple math. A 6 rating will automatically set LeBron at a certain endorsement value. Provided my theory is right, and Madison Avenue also subscribes to it, there is a big pool of money out there to be had.

My theory is that leagues flourish when they have great rivalries, even at the expense of parity for smaller markets. Big markets make for the best rivalries, typically, because there's a mythology around them. Sports fills the role of our modern cultural mythology by forcing us to choose sides. One side is bad and the other is good. When there's an intensity to the relationship, the interest is more hotly focused and the drama is all the more compelling. Think about it.

In baseball terms, Yankees-Red Sox has it. Most of the country feigns disinterest in that rivalry, but it's hard to argue that it's lukewarm when it drives the rating of both Fox and ESPN over the course of the season. To keep the context New York, the Knicks-Bulls rivalry of the 1990s was a big deal despite the fact the Knicks really could never knock of the Bulls and never ended up playing for a championship while Jordan was on the court. Lakers-Celtics has it to be sure.

I will always argue that while parity has been good for spreading the wealth among NBA teams, it's also made the overall product more dilute and there's less impact at the big moments. LeBron to the Knicks would install NY-LA once again as a prime rivalry. It would also help if the Bulls can return to form. It's my belief that Madison Avenue feels the same way. The NBA as a whole becomes a lot better investment to potential advertisers if the biggest market and the biggest star get married. I could be wrong.

3. He loves NY.

Why has LeBron been wearing the Yankees cap around everywhere for the last few years? Why do members of his entourage wear "I Love NY" t-shirts when they appear with him on award shows? Why the obvious cat and mouse game? One potential answer is that they enjoy fucking with NY. It's funny to them to string NY along. Kind of an inside gag that they play.

Why put Cleveland fans and ownership through the agony of all the speculation if you could kill it with one fell swoop? Why play the game if you know it puts stress on your organization and Cavs fans? It seems to me that once you know that every sign you give that NY could be your new home is met with dozens of speculative articles and rumors, you'd have enough respect for ownership and fans to be a little more careful about what you wear, or what you say. He isn't. In fact, he said, "July 1, 2010 is going to be a very, very big day." Why would he say such a thing if he was certain to stay in Cleveland? The money won't change. The number of suitors won't change. This isn't baseball where the hot stove is fluid in terms of salary offers, perks, and shifting positions on signing free agents. The circumstances are 99% fixed here. He either takes what Cleveland has, or he leaves. There's no middle ground. What does he gain by going free agent? What does he gain by saying something like that? The answer is nothing, unless it's all a stupid gag he's playing because he enjoys the attention.

I can't claim any of this as proof, or even as reasonable speculation on its own, but I do think it's worth wondering aloud. If the conventional wisdom is that he loves Cleveland and he's not interested in NY, then why all the games? Hard to say, but to me it shows that he's at least showing NY that's he's open to a move, whether it happens or not. This, more than anything else, should give some pause to the people who are so sure he's staying put.

4. It's a Test of NY

The New York franchise in the NBA, who play in the most storied basketball arena in the world, are going to offer a historical free agent class the opportunity to sign up in tandem with some good young players to resurrect a franchise BEGGING to be brought back from the dead. If one or more of those free agents signs, brings the team back to respectability, and perhaps wins a title (or titles), they will forever be etched in the most prestigious stone that sports has to offer. Tickertape parade and all.

If none of these guys shows up, the myth of NY as a world class sports town will be permanently damaged to some degree. There will never, ever be a better situation for a class of free agents than there is at the Garden in 2010. Ever.

It's hard for me to believe that all of that can be passed up. More than just the wishful thinking of a New York fan, I think there has to be some merit to this thinking, at least in terms of hope. There's never been a better fit for an NBA free agent than LeBron James and NY. The situation, the magnitude of the player and the city, the ability to choose a running mate from a group of very talented #2s. It just seems right. To me, if I'm LeBron and I'm weighing the possible outcomes of my career, I see the potential to win a title over the next 2, maybe 3, seasons in Cleveland. If I do that, Cleveland will forever love me. The future beyond that is unclear. If I win a title at Madison Square Garden, and I think it's more likely that I will be able to accomplish that once or more for a longer duration of time in NY, there might never be a greater player in the history of the game.

Like it or not, the big stage inflates accomplishments from the merely excellent to the supernatural. Don't believe me? Ask Derek Jeter. An excellent shortstop and a surefire Hall of Famer, who owns a reputation nearly as large as anyone who has ever played the sport. That's NY. CC Sabathia has an inkling of that, and I'm sure that's what he'll be whispering in LeBron's ear. He's practically said as much to the press on more than one occasion.

Conclusion

I can't really say that I'm overly optimistic about LeBron ending up in NY, but I think the situation is fluid, and I think it's not nearly as certain as people on either side want to make it when posturing at the water cooler. There's plenty of argument to be had on both sides, but until we see the outcome of the NBA season currently in progress, and until we see who would be willing to sign with LeBron, it's open.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:48:00 +0000

I sit at my desk in Japan, mulling over yet another Thanksgiving lost to grilled fish, white rice, and pickled daikon radish. The only cure for such a melancholy day is a little basketball blogging. Some random thoughts on the season that has been and the season that still might be...

1. LeBron

LeBron is as good as a Knick at this point. The trades made the cap room, Nike dropped the hint with the "Big Apple" shoe debut at MSG. LeBron is cooing about Mike D'Antoni. Can we hurry it up to 2010 already?

I read at ESPN.com where J.A. Adande thinks that NY is unimportant to LeBron and that the idea that the NBA needs a strong NY is a myth. Figures that an LA writer would propose such a nonsensical argument. I agree that LeBron doesn't need the Knicks. He's a one man franchise and could be personally successful just about anywhere (Charlotte and OKC included). The thing is, the argument that NY is unimportant for LeBron or the NBA in the new media environment is off base. It may be less important, but one can't just make the argument that the league has done well without the Knicks for decades and leave it at that. The question one must ask is, what the NBA would look like IF New York was strong and had the league's most dynamic young player. If you frame it that way, Adande's argument begins to fall apart. Just because the league flourished and its players became millionaires while Magic was in LA, Bird was in Boston, and Dr. J was in Philly, only occasionally being met by a Bernard King scoring outburst out of the Garden, you can't make a direct correlation to the unimportance of the Knicks.

What if Julius Erving or Michael Jordan had played in New York City? How would that have impacted the league and the cache of its product? What if LeBron had put up a middle finger at Cleveland and forced a trade to NY the way Kobe did in his situation with Charlotte? Lest we forget that Kobe was had by LA in a hostage situation for Vlade Divac. If Garnett hadn't wasted all those years in the Minnesota wilderness by refusing to play for the Wolves. If he had planted himself in Boston earlier, or NY for that matter?

The league has done just fine with a weak NY. It's done fine with a NY featuring Ewing, Starks, and the rest. How would things have been better with a Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, or Kobe Bryant in the Garden 41 times a year? I imagine it would be like the improvement from chocolate cake to Black Forest cake. One is desirable, delicious, and satisfying on its own. The other is an upgrade and much more attractive, delicious, and worthy of envy. That's how I see this LeBron situation. LeBron in Cleveland is great. It's good for the league. It creates a competitive balance. LeBron in NY makes the NY/LA matchup sexy again in the way that Yankees/Red Sox is sexy. The league is better off for that kind of rivalry. My case closes there.

2. The Bobcats and the Thunder

Why are these teams? My preseason prediction was that the Bobcats would trade away all their starters by season's end. All of them. So far, we're looking at trade rumors around Gerald Wallace, Jason Richardson, and there will undoubtedly whispers about Okafor to a contender before the deadline. Felton is now a shooting guard with the emergence of D.J. Augustin. It's happening. It hardly matters though. Charlotte is professional basketball nowhere. Let Duke have that city NBA. Stop being greedy.

The Thunder's prospects are better, but the present is much worse. That franchise ought to think carefully about what they're seeing in Charlotte because it could be their own future. Smallish city with temporary enthusiasm for pro hoops and limited patience for suckitude. When the honeymoon is over, if Kevin Durant is all alone on the floor things will get ugly. They need to be bolder than they've been so far. Install a D'Antoni system and let the fans enjoy themselves.

3. The Lakers and the Celtics

Wow. It feels like 1980 all over again. The two dominant franchises in the sport are the two most traditional. Fantasy hoops fans are lamenting the lack of performance by Bryant and Garnett, but what real fan could argue with the excellent brand of hoops played on both coasts? The lower fantasy performance is directly related to the stellar on court performance of these teams and the limited minutes needed by the big names. Blowouts are great for fans, but bad for stats.

Barring a major upset or injury, these are your finals teams. I absolutely love the Lakers to win it this season. Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, and Odom are great 1-4 players, but the Fishers, Farmers, and Arizas are the guys that are locking things down. Great balance and great system there. Fuck Phil Jackson, but he's a great coach.

The Celtics make me less optimistic long term because I think there's potential for Allen or Pierce to break down a bit. Rondo has emerged, so any injury could be offset, but the fragility of the Boston roster is a concern, albeit a minor one.

4. Parity

The Celtics and the Lakers aside, who has a team full of good players in 2008-09? Let's run down the list for a moment and consider which team's have A-list players, especially in the multiples.

Celtics: Yes
Nets: No
Knicks: No
Sixers: Yes
Raptors: Maybe
Bulls: No
Cavaliers: No
Pistons: No
Pacers: No
Bucks: No
Hawks: Maybe
Bobcats: No
Heat: Maybe
Magic: Yes
Wizards: Yes*
Warriors: No
Clippers: No
Lakers: Yes
Suns: Yes
Kings: No
Mavericks: Maybe
Rockets: Yes*
Grizzlies: No
Hornets: Maybe
Spurs: Yes
Nuggets: Maybe
Wolves: No
Thunder: No
Trailblazers: No
Jazz: Yes

That's a total of 9 "yeses", 6 "maybes", and 15 "nos." You have 9 good teams, 6 fair to mediocre teams, and 15 irrelevant clubs. Is that good business? Is it good business with a salary cap? I will argue until my last breath that the NBA should contract, let some of the fringe guys that lose work head to Europe or Asia, and put a better product on the floor in less cities. Create a better D-League. If you dissolved 10 of the franchises in the "nos," you'd combine some very good players with the 6 maybes and the remaining 5 nos. The parity you seek would be there via quality rather than quantity. You could move to play a real World Championship like they do in the European League Soccer competition. It would be better for the sport and the NBA.

Just sayin'.

A New Season

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:11:00 +0000

Here we are again. A new season of intrigue is upon us. Lots of shit to stir up at EvW. Mr. West is taking his damn time getting anything to me on our 1st project (either because he's juggling twins or because he was involved somehow in Sarah Palin's Nieman Marcus shopping spree), so here's my take on the NBA. This is all prior to the first tip off, but is only going up now. Deal with it.

Eastern Conference
1. Division Champs

Boston Celtics (defending crown)
Detroit Pistons (last chance at glory)
Atlanta Hawks (the talented upstart)

2. Playoff Teams

Philadelphia 76ers (well rounded club of vets + youth infusion)
Toronto Raptors (Euro system with good big men)
Cleveland Cavaliers (one great player)
Orlando Magic (dominant big man with good shooters/scorers)
New York Knicks (Euro system gets them to .500, but no playoff wins)

3. MVPs

The Obvious: LeBron James (skills and dominance)
The Unheralded: Chauncey Billups (leadership and direction)
The Sleeper: Elton Brand (offensive and defensive anchor)

4. LVPs

The Aggregious: Stephon Marbury (salary vs. output + attitude)
The Overhyped: Vince Carter (no one does less with more)
The Waste of Space: Jerome James (Isiah's last gift to Knick fans)

5. Surprise

This is where I get wild and stupid. At least four of the five opening night starters for the Charlotte Bobcats won't even be on the team at season's end. Raymond Felton, Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace, Emeka Okafor will all be traded by Larry Brown. Then he'll step down for health reasons and the Bobcats will win the lottery, prompting him to try to get his job back.

Western Conference
1. Division Champs

New Orleans Hornets (Best team in the sport this year)
Utah Jazz (Sloan's a winner and Deron wants to match Paul)
Los Angeles Lakers (Most talented team in the sport this year)

2. Playoff Teams

Dallas Mavericks (for the last time prior to shakeup)
San Antonio Spurs (annoyingly and consistently)
Portland Trailblazers (Not ready yet, but best young talent)
Phoenix Suns (for the last time prior to shakeup)
Denver Nuggets (for the last time with Iverson/Carmelo)

3. MVPs

The Obvious: Kobe Bryant (Jordan, Jr. only has to win it w/o Shaq)
The Unheralded: Manu Ginobili (the engine of that annoying club)
The Sleeper: Chris Paul (hardly a sleeper, but little man in a big conference)

4. LVPs

The Aggregious: Tracy McGrady (has he ever won anything or stayed healthy?)
The Overhyped: Shaquille O'Neal (he's near the bottom of the barrell of NBA centers in 2009)
The Waste of Space: Antoine Walker (Chucky's still in the league??!! Why?)

5. Surprise

Okay, here are a quick couple of surprises. T-Mac will retire before the season ends. Andris Biedrins will be 3rd Team All NBA. O.J. Mayo will win Rookie of the Year. Baron Davis and Marcus Camby will play a combined 25 games together. Yao Ming will play 82 games this season. If the Mavs look like a middle of the road playoff team, Cuban will trade Dirk Nowitzki to the Knicks for Stephon Marbury's expiring contract and the Knicks 2009 first round pick.

2008-2009 NBA CHAMPIONS: LOS ANGELES LAKERS

-Mr. East

Give Me the Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Hey. You like fantasy hoops like Mr. East and Mr. West like fantasy hoops? Then you have to go check out the super fantabulous guys over at Give Me the Rock. If you don't, we think you're dumb. That is all.

-Mr. East

Spanish Racists

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:06:00 +0000

If you haven't seen the promotional photo run by the Spanish National Basketball Team, here it is:

Yeah, they're playing that ignorant children's game "Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees..." or whatever version was popular at your elementary school. Racism against East Asian people is tacitly accepted in our society, moreso in communities without widespread integration. East Asian's have successfully built an international niche by famously sticking together the way other mainstream "ethnic" groups have in America, for example. The Irish and Italians stuck to their own, rose above racist taunts and overt discrimination to build businesses and communities. The East Asian communities that are thriving in many large cities around the world offer the same sort of safety and opportunity.

The level of overt racism that this photo poses is only trumped in offensiveness by the lack of understanding or regret that the team has publicly shown in the wake of the controversy. Here's a snippet of their reaction:

“It was something like supposed to be funny or something but never offensive in any way,” said Spain center Pau Gasol, who also plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. “I’m sorry if anybody thought or took it the wrong way and thought that it was offensive.”

Point guard Jose Manuel Calderon said the team was responding to a request from the photographer.

“We felt it was something appropriate, and that it would be interpreted as an affectionate gesture,” Calderon, who plays for NBA’s Toronto Raptors, wrote on his ElMundo.es blog. “Without a doubt, some … press didn’t see it that way.”

“We have great respect for the far East and its people, some of my best friends in Toronto are originally Chinese, including one of our sponsors, the brand Li Ning,” Calderon wrote. “Whoever wants to interpret it differently is completely confusing it.”

Gasol said it was “absurd” people were calling the gesture racist. “We never intended anything like that,” he said.

“We’re surprised by the remarks of racism,” said Juan Antonio Villanueva, the communications director for the city’s 2016 Olympic bid. “Spain is not a racist country—quite the opposite.”

An affectionate gesture? So, I love Jews. I love to tease them affectionately by wearing a big hook nose and horns. I love African-Americans too. I visit my friends' homes with a big bag of Kentucky Fried Chicken while dressed in blackface. They love that shit. It's affectionate. Jose Calderon is officially Public Enemy #1 at East versus West. (Space now available with the removal of Isiah Thomas from the Knicks). He even takes the typical defense...I have Chinese friends. They go ape over my chinky eyes. What...? You're offended by that too? People are too sensitive. Gasol is equally a tool. How is it "absurd" that people are offended by that shit? You're absurd with your ugly ass beard. Also, Spain is not a racist country? How oversimplified a statement can you get? Sure, Spain isn't apartheid era South Africa or Sudanese genocide-mongers, but lest we forget the Spanish conquest of the New World or the Spanish Inquisition I'd like to bring them up here. No one's hands are clean, but it only makes it worse when a bunch of ignorant jocks hide behind oversimplified rhetoric to defend their offense. Spain is only as racist as the Spaniards make it, so congratulations basketball idiots, you helped to make Spain a "racist nation" for a few days.

There is also such a thing as an Uncle Wang. Check out the Chinese sponsor for the Spanish National Team jumping through hoops to save face on their investment.

Frank Zhang, Li Ning’s director of government and public affairs, played down the incident.

“We don’t think this is an insulting gesture to the Chinese,” Zhang said. “In fact, the gesture shows that the Spanish team is so humorous, relaxing and cute. They sat around a dragon pattern, which we think showed respect to the Chinese.

“Li Ning Ltd. will not change any business plans with the Spanish team because of this,” Zhang added. “People should focus on great Olympic Games instead of something else.”

It's so humorous, relaxing, and cute. In fact, we plan to create a new product line of athletic gear called Gasolderon the Chinky-Eyed Spaniard. The logo looks a little something like this...

This is nothing new though. Check out this YouTube clip from August of 2007 where Peruvian soccer player Carlos Bazalar celebrates his game-winning goal over South Korea at the FIFA U-17 World Cup game making the "chinky eyes" gesture. I'd love to get that guy down to Guantanamo Bay for a little "vacation" with the Dick Cheney boys.

The world is full of these idiots. If you see one of them, do me a favor and swiftly and forcefully punch them in the head. God will love you for it.

New World Order: Fantasy Landscape

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 05:32:00 +0000

I like Fantasy Hoops. It's one of the few things that's kept me interested in the league after the Ewing era in New York came to a close. The NBA generally sucks on any given night, and most of the games and teams are unwatchable. That said, the fantasy arrangement is a way to imagine that something truly exciting and remarkable is happening, because it totally invests you in each night's action. It separates myth from reality and sweeps the ugly reality under the carpet. Mythical hoops is always played in an ideal world.

Mr. West and I play in a competitive Yahoo league together with the came core group of lunatics year in and year out. I won the whole enchilada a couple of years ago, but Mr. West is pretty much the All-Time king. He has some competition, but the end of every year sees him at or near the top, vying for the title with a well built team. He has a good head for drafting. I follow his lead in terms of style, but I'm stupid enough to play a few risks here and there. I drafted Walter Herrmann in the 6th round last year, or something like that, reaching for a possible big splash. That didn't turn out so well for me.

In the spirit of fantasy hoops and a slow few weeks of the off-season, after the Baron/Brand affair died down, it's time to look at a few guys I think might be on the radar for next season. The criteria for this little game is that the players have to be rookies, 2nd year, or 3rd year players. Beyond that anything's fair game. I chose players for this list based on a couple of factors. Obviously, past performance gets you a spot on the list. Projected playing time is also important, and really the combination of other players occupying your position dictates that more or less. The final factor I weighed a bit when looking over rosters was the likelihood the coach would employ a deep rotation, or worse, and unpredictable one. We're talking Golden State and Chicago, if we look at recent years. Maybe Memphis. This season things look a little more open though, so here goes...(players ranked in order of value):

THE GUARDS

Brandon Roy (3rd Year)
Derrick Rose (Rookie)
Rajon Rondo (3rd Year)
O.J. Mayo (Rookie)
Jerryd Bayless (Rookie)
D.J. Augustin (Rookie)
Rudy Fernandez (Rookie)
Randy Foye (3rd Year)
Marcus Williams (3rd Year)
Eric Gordon (Rookie)

This list is dominated by 3 or maybe 4 players. Brandon Roy is probably a quality 2nd round pick in most leagues these days. He's going to have a lot of help this year, but he's gifted and experienced now. Derrick Rose can flat out play and deserves an pick somewhere in the early-middle rounds. He's a risky pick as a rookie, but he didn't go #1 for nothing. Rajon Rondo may still sit in the middle rounds somewhere, but there's little doubt about his ability to throw up a triple-double here and there and steal a ton of balls during the season. He's the classic, "Oh Fuck. I still don't have a point guard and he's left. Better grab him now."

O.J. Mayo is a personal favorite. He didn't live up to the NCAA challenge really, but he's not a structured player. He won't be a winner in the NBA for sure, but he will put up numbers. I liken him to Baron Davis in a lot of ways. He shoots too much and he isn't the best decision maker, but he's better than most of the players on the floor. I think he'll be worth a late-middle round pick at this point. Someone may reach on him though. The last noteworthy guy on this list is Jerryd Bayless. He adds to a SICK Portland roster this year and has been absolutely destroying the Vegas Summer League. He was the MVP there. He will struggle for looks, but could run the show with Roy on the wing and Oden down low. Worth a look.

To briefly mention the rest of the players on this list, D.J. Augustin is highly thought of, but I'm not ready to put him in a draft situation now. He's a desperation PG pick if you already have one and it's getting late on a 2nd. Rudy Fernandez seems like a decent late round flyer, since his upside would seem to be Kevin Martin, and Kevin Martin is a top 25 player when he's on. Randy Foye has no place on my team. He kills your shooting% and turns the ball over like a madman. He's undersized and overmatched, but could find a spot in the last round or two if your league is deep and you need insurance for an injury prone scorer (Gilbert Arenas, Dwayne Wade?). I like Marcus Williams here. He probably shouldn't be drafted at all, but he's a guy to watch. He could put up big numbers in Golden State if he gets any burn next to Monte Ellis. He's got talent and he's still very young. Eric Gordon does nothing for me, but he's a hyped rookie and Baron Davis always presents a risky injury selection. He's likely to be the guy to get minutes if Davis pulls up lame.

THE FORWARDS

Rudy Gay (3rd Year)
Kevin Durant (2nd Year)
Michael Beasley (Rookie)
Tyrus Thomas (3rd Year)
Jamario Moon (2nd Year)
Al Thornton (2nd Year)
Yi Jianlian (2nd Year)
Russell Westbrook (Rookie)
Anthony Randolph (Rookie)
Thaddeus Young (2nd Year)
Sean May (3rd Year)
Danilo Gallinari (Rookie)
Kevin Love (Rookie)
Wilson Chandler (2nd Year)
Joakim Noah (2nd Year)
Adam Morrison (2nd Year)

To be honest, the top three players here at the forward position are all extremely tempting. The ranking reflects my own sense of their value, since Gay is a legitimate fantasy stud now and could be a late 2nd round or early 3rd round pick. In a deep league, he could press the earlier part of the 2nd. Durant isn't there yet. Too many holes in his game. The upside is huge though and he's probably about two years away from real value. That said, he'll build on what he did as a rookie and should be watched for an early-middle round pick. Beasley could be more talented than Durant. He could put up bigger and better numbers and probably should given his supporting cast. With Dwayne Wade getting all the attention, Beasley should be clear to do the board work and score all over the floor. Jamal Mashburn put up 19, 4.5, 3.5, and a steal as a rookie. Beasley could do that with more boards.

My big sleeper is Tyrus Thomas. When he gets 30+ minutes he looks a lot like Shawn Marion. Make no mistake, he's not Shawn Marion. He won't shoot as well, and he'll turn it over more. He'll fill up the rest of the stats though, and he should be a steal in the late-middle, early-late rounds. He'll barely be on people's radar this year, so wait on him and pick him late. (Looks like my classic risky selection of the year.) Jamario Moon isn't going to be slept on this season. He's not great, but he is efficient and makes a great 4th forward. He's the guy that you want to plug in when he plays 4 times and you want to compete in blocks and turnovers, not to mention FG%. Late-middle rounds ought to get you Moon. Al Thornton may be a better draft selection than either Thomas or Moon. He won't have Maggette or Brand taking his minutes and Camby doesn't score. Thornton, almost by default, is a 20 point scorer this season. His boards may suffer though and it's doubtful that he'll do much else. Yi Jianlian is better than his 2007-08 season. He's going to get some shots in NJ and he'll be protected by Vince Carter's slashing style. I doubt he's worth more than a late round pick, but he's going to get an opportunity in New Jerz.

Russell Westbrook and Anthony Randolph probably shouldn't be up so high on this list, and they probably don't get the minutes or the looks they'll need to be worth a fantasy damn, but their talent puts them there as players to watch. Thaddeus Young would have been much higher on the list, but Brand and Dalembert complicate his playing time. An injury to either one of them will necessitate a Young pickup, even if there's no reason to draft him. Sean May is also a guy that probably shouldn't be drafted (maybe the last round) but his stats translate to Elton Brand if he gets 30-35 minutes. He's always hurt though so why bother. Who wants a guy with huge upside that sits most of the year. If he's on the floor and playing, maybe worth a waiver wire pickup, but leave him for someone else.

Gallinari is intriguing to me. No reason to draft him, but he could get the ball a lot for the Knicks if he can do anything. Defense be damned, if he can shoot, he'll play for D'Antoni. That's worth a look in any league. Kevin Love is a stiff in my book, but I could be wrong. He's a huge injury risk too, so keep him on your deep, deep, deep radar. Deep. Wilson Chandler is a guy that could be fun. Not really draft-worthy, but D'Antoni loves him and he has some skills. Poor man's Shawn Marion potential at 10-12 points, 6-7 rebounds, a steal, and a block? Jamario Moon territory, no? Joakim Noah. Nothing to say. Adam Morrison? Could be a shooter, and plays on a shit team, so there's always a chance they need him for minutes.

THE CENTERS

Greg Oden (Rookie)
Al Horford (2nd Year)
Luis Scola (2nd Year)
LaMarcus Aldridge (3rd Year)
Spencer Hawes (2nd Year)
Andrea Bargnani (3rd Year)
Sean Williams (2nd Year)
Brook Lopez (Rookie)

I want to put Al Horford first on this list, cause I rode him down the stretch last year and he can play. He should be in the 2nd tier of centers considered in the draft and needs to be on a team by the middle rounds. Oden may go earlier and has that huge Shaq-ish upside, so he gets top billing. I don't love him that way though. He has to play to get that kind of respect. At this point, I don't think you can take him before the 5th round. Even that might be a stretch. He's an enigma, because he could be a monster, but he's coming off a major injury and has never played against NBA players. Selecting him as anything more than a #2 center is foolish, and he's probably best as a #3 center and backup PF at this point. Luis Scola can play. I also had him down the stretch last season and he won't hurt you. He won't be great on a lot of nights, but without Yao he was shooting a lot more, scoring a lot more, and still holding his own on the glass and with the FG%. He'll slide back into a secondary offensive role with Yao back, but he could be the kind of player that good teams have on their bench, waiting for the 4 game week when he wins you boards and FG%.

LaMarcus Aldridge is interesting. If he still qualifies at C this season, he has value. He'll lose points, boards, and blocks to Oden. Plus, he's got Bayless, Fernandez, and Outlaw looking good on the team. If I were the Blazers, Aldridge might just make for good trade bait that brings back a top flight defender. His value is high right now, and he should really be on a team that runs and that can use his offense. Portland can still be that team, but there have to be some question marks coming into this season with the depth and the competition at the F slot. On the other hand, I like Spencer Hawes. He's not as good as Aldridge and actually is behind Brad Miller in Sacto for playing time. He should start stealing that playing time as the season goes on and Miller breaks down. I expect the Kings to shop Miller at some point, and he would seem to make sense for a contender somewhere. Hawes is not draftable as things stand right now, but if he's named the starter at any point, don't miss him.

Andrea Bargnani was the #1 pick. Let me type that again. Andrea Bargnani was the #1 pick. Still doesn't feel right. I think the day will come when people will view the Bargnani pick for what it was. Brad Lohaus as the top pick overall. Sigh. He's center eligible and shoots the three which is a nice gimmick if you're punting the big man categories, but any wise GM will flip the bottom of their chin at Bargnani and try someone else. Sean Williams of the Nets is an intriguing player this year. Will he play or won't he? Will Josh Boone get the burn, or are things going Williams' way? He's not draftable, and he's the classic Stromile Swift overhyped, athletic big man with no real skills except freakish athleticism, but he blocks TONS of shots and might be worth a pick up during the season if the choice is between him and Erick Dampier, say. His teammate Brook Lopez might actually be worth watching though, since the Nets would like to get something out of the center position and they didn't take Lopez just to have him gather dust on the bench. Not draftable, but an early candidate for a November waiver wire pickup for the center deficient teams in your league.

Game. Blouses.

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:50:00 +0000

Simply the funniest hoops story ever told.

Why We Love Gil

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 07:26:00 +0000

I have a couple of reasons to love Gilbert Arenas. The first is a fantasy hoops related reason. I picked him up off the waiver wire in his rookie season and rode him out to a deep playoff run. Didn't pan out in the end, but you love those guys you take a chance on that blow up. The second is this photo that keeps on giving:

Kind of says it all doesn't it? You'll see that photo here at EvW from time to time because it expresses a general feeling about certain parts of the NBA that just don't have words. I suppose the third reason that I like Arenas is that he had the balls to shout, "Hibachi" when he was shooting for a while. The best reason to like Agent Zero, however, is that he blogs and says whatever he wants. Fuck David Stern.

His most recent blog is just a long rambling bunch of NBA PR about traveling in Europe, probably the result of a deal he has with the league to talk about life as a player and the rest. We get to pure Arenas when he starts talking about recent free agent transactions and trades, and he says this about Richard Jefferson:

"Richard Jefferson going to Milwaukee …. HAHAHA! Oh man, now that is funny. When I heard that, I started laughing. Oh man, did I start laughing. You know why? Because every player hates Milwaukee. Nobody wants to live in Milwaukee. I’m sorry, Milwaukee, to come down hard on you, but no one in the NBA wants to play in Milwaukee. From him going from New Jersey, actually from New York (because he lives in New York), from New York to Milwaukee is like going … let’s just say it’s not going to sit well with you. That was a funny one when I heard that one. I know Yi is happy though."

Couldn't have said it better myself, and even if I had no one would have read it. Hello? Is anyone out there...?

Mr. West and I have been saying this kind of thing for a long time. Mr. West's favorite city to beat up is Charlotte, while I've always had a thing for Milwaukee, myself. You can understand why I rushed to post here about Gil's diary. Why the fuck would anyone want to visit Milwaukee? Why would anyone want to identify with Milwaukee? Seriously.

Now, before anyone from Milwaukee stumbles onto this blog while Googling for cheese curd recipes, and gets themselves all worked up, I have a confession to make. I've never been to Milwaukee. As a father of two and a settled-in kind of grown up, I might even love the kind of lifestyle that Milwaukee has to offer. The people are probably cool and the food is probably good. I bet there's some good live music somewhere and the school system has to be nice. Russ Feingold is my kind of guy. The thing is, this isn't about me and my boring-ass excuse for a life. This is about the NBA.

The NBA has too many teams and needs to knock off at least a half dozen. Among that half dozen, Milwaukee has to be near the top of the list. It's a minor media market, overshadowed by Chicago, and is about as uncool a location as one can pull out of a hat filled with American cities. I'm not talking about actual cool. The Fonz was from Milwaukee so there has to be something cool going on. I'm talking about the kind of cool that sizzles. The NBA is a television product. That's it. They understand that, so they rake in the cash. If there was no TV, there would be no NBA. It would be an afterthought. They'd probably still play in cages and wear belts.

TV loves glitz, fashion, glamor, sizzle, pizzazz, razzle dazzle, hip hop ya don't stop rockin' to the bam to the boogie ta be. It doesn't love nice schools and good neighbors. It likes "Desperate Housewives" and "Ultimate Fighting Challenge" and "Sex and the City" and "Survivor." Milwaukee is like the equivalent of watching local public access debates on zoning regulations.

So, what was the reaction on the net to Arenas' Milwaukee rant? Let's take a peek, shall we?

Jeff Sherman of OnMilwaukee.com writes, ""Every player" hates Milwaukee? Come on, Gilbert! It's no secret that Milwaukee isn't New York City or Chicago. But we aren't some two-cow town in Iowa either. It's tough, yes, for many corporations and sports teams to recruit "stars" to smaller market cities. But, the days of "Bush League" are gone and Milwaukee can and is competing. See forbes.com, which ranked Milwaukee the ninth best city for young professionals."

Really? That's it. You state that you're not a two cow town, and point to a link at Forbes to show why young professionals can be comfortable in Milwaukee? That's the argument that Sherman chooses to defend his city as an NBA location? "Not a two cow town." Let me help you, Sherm. Try this: "Hey Gil. Fuck you. Next time you come to Milwaukee, you better hide or I'll slap you silly. Unless, of course, I'm too busy kickin' back with the Rusty P's at the club, heard?" Who's next?

Charles F. Gardner, beat writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, "Not all NBA players have viewed Milwaukee as a place to be avoided. Ray Allen wanted to stay here and was genuinely disappointed when he was traded to Seattle, before he eventually moved on to Boston and won a championship ring last season. Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut seem to like Milwaukee well enough and have earned long-term contracts with the franchise. Desmond Mason came back for a second contract as a free agent, after being traded to New Orleans (and protesting vehemently) a couple years ago.

Yi Jianlian's representatives wanted him out of Milwaukee and tolerated one year here, but they were delighted to get the Chinese star to a larger media market with the Nets. The player who arrived in the ill-fated Allen trade, Gary Payton, never wanted to be here and got out of town as fast as he could when he became a free agent after that 2002-'03 season."

So, let me get this straight. "Not all NBA players have viewed Milwaukee as a place to be avoided." Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Kind of more "not a two cow town" kind of defense. Then we have a list of players who kind of tolerate Milwaukee ("Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut seem to like Milwaukee well enough..."), a scrub who came back after he realized he had no other options (Desmond Mason), and two guys who hated Milwaukee (Yi Jianlian and Gary Payton). Oh, and Ray Allen loved it there. Sigh. Even the newspaper people hate Milwaukee. I hear Vin Baker loved Milwaukee's Best.

It's not even a competition. Gilbert Arenas by himself is cooler than everything that has ever happened in and around the greater Milwaukee area, ever. That's why he opted to stay in DC, which is a shit hole of a place to live, but is a quadgribillion times better NBA city than Milwaukee. Don't believe me? This is the CitySearch list of "Top 10 Milwaukee Experiences":

1. Miller Brewery Factory Tour
Sample free, ice-cold beers after witnessing how water is transformed into the tasty, frothy brew that made Milwaukee famous.

Miller sucks. That can't be your top Milwaukee experience. The beer that tastes like piss, but that is less filling so frat boys can drink until puke comes out their ears. Next.

2. Harley-Davidson Tour Center
You'll be in hog heaven watching factory workers assemble the roaring engines on America's most legendary motorcycle.

Watching factory workers assemble motorcycles is the #2 top experience in Milwaukee. I guess it works if you're drunk at 10am from your tour of the Miller plant.

3. Safehouse
Order a crisp martini and investigate a mind-boggling collection of espionage and spy paraphernalia at this one-of-a-kind back-alley bar.

Okay, a cool bar of some kind. Nice to know. I'd check it out, but I doubt there's anything mind-boggling about spy paraphernalia at a bar. Kind of like eating at T.G.I. Friday's or Bennigan's cause they have all that cool old crap on the walls.

4. Kopp's Frozen Custard Stand
It's a must-stop for not only great custard, but huge and tasty burgers.

Oh, good Lord. The #4 best experience in Milwaukee is a custard stand. Someone kill Richard Jefferson now. It's for the best.

5. Milwaukee Art Museum
Explore one of the most comprehensive collections of German Expressionist art in the country at this swooping architectural landmark on the lake.

Got nothing bad to say about museums, but it says something when yours is ranked below a brewery, motorcycle factory, and custard stand.

6. La Perla
You haven't partied until you've had a margarita and ridden the bucking mechanical red pepper at this bustling Mexican restaurant.

Y'know, I actually think this might be right. I may not have partied until I get my ass to Milwaukee to get drunk on margarita's and ride a bucking mechanical red pepper. Except that I'm sure I saw some shit like that when I was partying in Amsterdam, dodging street cars, while evading the wolfman clone-bots chasing me out of that coffee shop.

7. Zaffiro's
Try the E.B.A. (Everything But Anchovies) pizza and you'll understand why people have been flocking to this tiny joint for decades.

That's what I hate about Milwaukee most, and the reason I harbor this not so secret resentment of its Midwestern sensibilities...no fucking anchovies.

8. Miller Park
Witness the famous sausage race where Brewers fans dress as brats and run around the stadium after the sixth inning.

This is the double-whammy of sadness. The baseball park is listed 8th on this list, behind a brewery of swill, a motorcycle factory, a custard stand, and a bucking, mechanical red pepper. Part two is that the Brewers aren't even part of the attraction, but the racing sausages are.

9. Taylor's
Sip one of the best cosmos in town and keep your eyes peeled for your favorite Bucks player at this ultrahip bar.

I love this. Cosmos are so-2002. Bucks players aren't going to show up there because they're all in their agents' offices making physical threats about leaving town. Even if they were there, they'd be Charlie Bell, Dan Gadzuric, Royal Ivey, and Jake Voskhul. I have cooler collections of lint in my bellybutton than that. (True story).

10. Mars' Cheese Castle
Become a true cheese head and take home farm animal-shaped cheese from this quirky roadside landmark.

What would a list of great Milwaukee experiences be without the quirky roadside landmark, especially when combined with farm animal-shaped cheese. No wonder Latrell Sprewell is such an angry prick. He grew up in Milwaukee. He probably had his high school prom at the Mars Cheese Castle.

After reading this list, even people from Milwaukee are laughing at Richard Jefferson and buying Gilbert Arenas jerseys. Gotta love that.

The New (York) Knicks

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:30:00 +0000

Hey. Mr. East here. Long time no see. Mr. West and I are going to be posting here throughout the 2008-09 NBA season after a one season hiatus. The time away from blogging was largely unintentional, but it definitely requires dedicated time, which neither of us had. With no further ado, here's my take on the developing New York Knicks situation. Mr. West may chime in, but I'm hoping for a take on the OKC franchise, formerly known as the Seattle (Super)Sonics.

Out with Isiah. Finally, Jim Dolan took his head out of his ass to see the crumbling cornerstone of the NBA at his feet in the Garden. Make no mistake about it, Isiah Thomas is public enemy #1 in New York, but he really should be #2 on the list of people to blame for the shit that the Knicks have become. He's a moron, but every moron needs an enabler to spread mass destruction throughout the world. George Bush's enabler is Dick Cheney, for example. Isiah's was Jim Dolan. I guarantee that pressure from the NBA's front office mounted to the point that Dolan had to cave to the immense will of David Stern and can Zeke. Stern didn't even hide the fact that he was ashamed of the Knicks.

That said, putting Zeke in NBA Siberia was the right thing to do. I understand that Dolan has shelled out so much wasted money at this point that it had to stop somewhere, but that couldn't deter him from ejecting Isiah from the scene in New York. He got to keep some value in Zeke by sending him off to Europe on a scouting mission, while rebuilding the organization in New York from the ground up. People focus on the team and it's hideous construction, but it's easy to forget that Zeke put together a bunch of cronies at the Garden, collectively incompetent and unapologetic. Even the Marbury clan had free run of the place and it all came to a head when the whole organization was hauled into court on sexual/power harassment charges....and lost. To me the highlight (lowlight) of that whole fiasco was Stephon Marbury's testimony about sleeping with interns in limosines. He's so stupid that it never occurred to him that his Coney Island bubble was the only place where that looked cool in court.

Enter Donnie Walsh. I would have loved to have seen a young GM brought in a la the Sonics Pestri. (Mr. West wrote about this before last season.) The NBA is behind the game when it comes to injecting fresh blood into the process. It's coming along, but the same old faces keep popping up everywhere, from coaches to GMs to players. Try something different for God's sake. The Major Leagues have famously embraced the new and different and many young GMs have made names for themselves in short order by going "new." Brian Cashman of the Yankees is a young-ish guy and started as an intern. Theo Epstein has won two World Series and made the Red Sox into the model franchise in the sport. C'mon NBA.

Back to Walsh...it makes sense to have a ship set adrift captained by an experienced leader with knowledge of the ins and outs of the league. The risky move with the greatest upside would have been the young guy, but the smart move here is the stabilizing presence of a respected insider. Walsh is no spring chicken, so you have to figure that he's going to get this thing straightened out and then pass the reins. His biggest move to date has been to commit to getting under the cap and making a run at the LeBron class of 2010 free agents. Next on the list is the hiring of Mike D'Antoni.

Hiring Mike D'Antoni. The EuroHoops era of basketball has finally hit New York. The Suns have been the model franchise in the NBA for adopting the European model of basketball. The Raptors went to the playoffs and turned their mediocre franchise around by doing the same. A lot of teams are going foreign and reaping the benefits. The Spurs wisely combined tough defense with an Argentine flair to build a dynasty. They play smart and hard and understand what a team is. As far as I'm concerned, getting as far away from the AAU player as possible is the key to building a winning franchise in the NBA. AAU athletes are stupid. They play street ball and don't understand the way to do it right.

Before you read this and get your back up about that last series of comments, understand that there's not a racial tinge in there. There's not an anti-streetball stamp on the statement that discounts the street from the development of the modern sport. I'll explain by saying that the AAU/Streetball model of basketball is one of flair and style before strategy. It's one of showcasing and entertainment before winning. A lot of those teams win because they have great athletes who are playing against other great athletes who don't know how to play. If two teams play equally bad basketball, despite their talents, someone's got to win out. The problem is, when those players go up against a team that is talented and knows how to play, they lose. Hence the Olympics and World Championships.

When Magic, Michael, Bird, Malone, Stockton, and the rest teamed up to play internationally they destroyed everyone. They were talented, flashy, and entertaining, but they knew how to play. Somewhere in the Derrick Coleman era things went terribly wrong and have spiralled downhill ever since. Is it the SportsCenter mentatlity? Is it the increasing echo-chamber of agents, entourages, and assorted hangers-on that have turned the AAU kid into a shitty basketball player? I don't know what the answer is, but one need only look so far as Stephon Marbury to understand it. Starbury is gifted. He's a gifted athlete. He's a gifted point guard. He was a smart player at Georgia Tech. He knew the game, but he didn't feel he had to play by anyone's rules but Starbury's. He was on the cover of Slam every week and had it all. Somewhere along the way the NBA figured out that he could drop 40 on you, but he didn't know how to make a team better. They let him drop 40 and beat him every night. That's why the Suns and the Nets gave up on him. That's why the Knicks are giving up on him now.

Getting back to D'Antoni, I expect to see him clean house. We already see the effect on the roster, and there's plenty more to come. This guy played in Europe and coached there. He saw the way that the European teams beat the NBA and have come to rule the sport in the new millennium. He may not win right away in New York, but I guarantee two things. One, the team will be better to watch night in and night out. Two, the club will no longer underachieve. Attitude and style of play are going to change in New York or guys are going to be shown the door. The new regime isn't going to let this group of mediocre players rule the roost. If you have LeBron and he wants to dictate to the club, it's hard to argue, but if it's Marbury or Zach Randolph, fuck 'em. Get out.

The roster is changing. I won't get into the long term plans for the Knicks and the cap today, except to say that there's a decent plan to get better and that it doesn't mean trading crap for more crap. The changes that are coming right now are going to have an impact and I want to highlight a few of them:

Chris Duhon is in the house. Make no mistake, I don't think this guy is a great player. His per-36 minute stats are extraordinarily mediocre with Chicago. The thing is, he's smart and he comes from a good system. More than stats, basketball is a sport of chemistry. I'm a stat guy, so I need to clarify that. Stats are simply a record of what a guy does on the floor. In that respect, all a player is in the end is an aggregate of his statistics. The thing is, he's an aggregate of some statistics that don't as yet exist in basketball as they do in baseball. Baseball has pioneered the analysis of value and performace via statistical modelling and it's easy to compare one player's impact against another's, even across eras. Basketball has no such system as yet. Duhon isn't great, but he's better than his range of murky NBA statistics tell us. His assist to turnover rate is phenomenal and he plays good defense. He also knows the game and can run an offense. Plug him into a D'Antoni system and he'll not only learn it quickly, he'll feel it and help his teammates feel it as well. That's the role of the point guard.

This is a plus, plus for the Knicks because it allows us to dump Stephon Marbury in a hurry. We can eat one year of his ridiculous salary, since he's coming off the books next year anyway and is poison to the locker room. I think Knick fans will be pleased with Duhon as the temporary solution to the point guard spot in this lineup.

Gallinari has arrived. Look at the picture of this kid. Look at that body. He's fuckin' 19 years old and growing. Every Euro gets compared to either Dirk Nowitzki or Darko Milicic these days, adding in recent #1 pick Andrea Bargnani to the mix. Gallinari is more Nowitzki than Milicic or Bargnani, although it's hard to say how good he'll be in 6 or 7 years. Nowitzki was a monster at 19 and put up slightly better numbers in Germany than Gallinari did in Italy, although I think Italy is a better league. I don't expect Gallinari to be the NBA MVP, nor does he have to be, so Nowitzki can be a nice ceiling to shoot for, knowing that slightly less can be equally acceptable.

Andrea Bargnani reminds me of Brad Lohaus. The numbers are astonishly similar. I looked at a photo of Bargnani and asked myself who he reminded me of physically and Lohaus came to mind. Then, it occurred to me that they play the same kind of game. Outside, weak defense, occasionally trying to beat a slower big off the dribble. Bingo the stats match up. Gallinari looks a lot like Detlef Schrempf to me, and to a lot of others as well. Both are lean, muscular, and mobile for players their size. I also thought of Dan Majerle when I saw that buff picture of Gallinari in his Knicks garb, but I think he's more of a power player than Thunder Dan. A better rebounder, if a worse defender. Either way, that's also a nice comparison for a 6th pick. Schrempf managed to put up a 15 year NBA career with averages of 14 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. The prime of his career was spent with Indiana and Seattle, on winning teams, and he regularly averaged mid-to-high teens in points, between 8 and 10 rebounds, and about 4 assists per game. He averaged an astonishing 19 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 6 assists for Indiana in 1992-93 as a 30 year old.

If Gallinari does anything like Schrempf for the Knicks, I'll be overjoyed.

UPDATE 7/16: When I came back to look at this post again, I saw the picture of Gallinari and thought immediately of Tom Gugliotta. More than Schrempf, who is a fair comparison, I think Tom Gugliotta might be a decent projection for this kid. Maybe slightly conservative with his upside being closer to Nowitzki than Gugs. For the record, Gugliotta averaged 13 points, 7 boards, and 3 assists a game over 13 NBA seasons. He was injured as much as he played during long stretches and therefore never got any real traction as a player. His best year was 96-97 when he played all but one game for Minnesota, averaging 20.6 points, 8.7 boards, 4.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. After that year, Gugliotta averaged about half a season on the DL over the remaining 8 seasons of his career. Too bad. If Gallinari can match his production and stay on the floor, we've got something.

Wilson Chandler is in the mix. D'Antoni has a man crush on Wilson Chandler. He said as much recently when he said that Chandler's mix of skills is intriguing. To illustrate how intriguing Chandler's skills are in a new look Knicks offense, the forward dropped 26 points, 8 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, and a three on 11 for 21 shooting in his Vegas Summer League debut against the Cavs. Mind you, the players on the Cavs roster were so anonymous that even their parents had to do a double take to recognize them. Chandler's not going to be the next coming of Shawn Marion for the Knicks, as he's never been so highly thought of in his entire playing career. He was a looked-over recruit as a high schooler, an interesting afterthought as a collegiate draftee, and a nice fill-in for the Knicks last season.

From late-March through mid-April last season, Chandler performed very well. He scored in double figures almost every night, rebounded a bit, and hit some threes. One of the positive things about Chandler that D'Antoni has to like is that he doesn't turn the ball over. He protects well and doesn't need to have the rock in his hands a lot to do good things. He runs the break, finishes well, fills the lane with the drive or the three, and is active around the ball. I expect to see nice things from the 21-year old this season.

Crawford/Q-Rich/Nate/Lee represent a group of players who stand to play important short term roles with this club. I listed them in the order of importance for the new Knicks. Crawford is the scorer and should have the ball in his hands a lot. He's going to drop 25 a game this season for sure. Q-Rich is the outside shooting valve that D'Antoni requires in his system to keep defenses honest. He's going to be Duhon's best friend in New York if he can stay healthy and in shape. IF. Nate Robinson is the backup point guard. I think he'd the Leandro Barbosa of the Knicks and could have real value off the bench for significant minutes. It remains to be seen if he can actually play the sport though, and we'll know soon enough if D'Antoni intends to use him or lose him. Lee is in the same boat. He should be the guy in line to get minutes here, but I expect him to be traded. He can't shoot so he has no place in the Euro system. I love the guy, as do Knick fans everywhere, but we have a glut of forwards. Gallinari, Chandler, and Richardson already have slots on this team and Zach Randolph is still around. Lee has value as a good player with a low salary.

Jones/Collins/Jeffries/Balkman/James are a group of guys that have no purpose in life as Knicks. Jones is a decent shooter and a hard nosed veteran. He may be out, but I'd keep him. Mardy Collins is out. Jeffries is stuck in New York, but can't figure in the mix much. Jerome James is on the target list for early departure with the club trying to convince him to retire. Yeah, right. And I'm about to win the lottery. James is content to sit the bench and never play at all. He can collect his big check and laugh all the way to the bank. Jeffries, on the other hand, is paid a lot of money, but wants to play. He sucks though, and D'Antoni should plant his ass on the bench until he demands to be released. He comes from a good system (Indiana) but he can't do anything on the court. He can't shoot. He can't pass. He can't rebound or defend particularly well. He reminds me of Josh Childress, if Childress had one leg. He reminds me of Shane Battier if Battier were legally blind. Renaldo Balkman is a player. He can do all the dirty stuff and has a place in the league. Just not with NY. I think he can be traded for a 2nd rounder. Do it.

Randolph and Curry are our baggage. They're exactly the same player in different length bodies. They're both Oliver Miller. Neither guy is in shape. Curry, especially, looks like he ate Jerome James with a side of fries and a super sized shake. Randolph is actually a good rebounder to his credit. Neither guy can pass, defend, or control the ball. Neither guys looks like he cares a lick about winning. It looks like the Knicks have some kind of deal in the works with the jilted Clippers for Randolph. Great!! I'll pay his airfare.

If Walsh pulls this off, I'll buy him a cake. Getting rid of one of these guys has to be a priority this offseason, along with the dumping of Starbury. Absent Randolph and Marbury, the Knicks should be a much better balance of players.

If I were making this roster, I'd go with the following:

Chris Duhon.....Nate Robinson
Jamal Crawford.....Fred Jones
Quentin Richardson.....Wilson Chandler
Danillo Gallinari.....Jared Jeffries
Eddy Curry.....Randolph Morris

The remaining two roster spots should probably go to Renaldo Balkman for his practice hustle, and a guy to replace one of the above stiffs in a deal that would include Lee/Randolph. If we can upgrade by dumping Randolph and packaging Lee, the above team could be bearable for the year. In the end, it's about the direction the team is taking. Q-Rich has no future with the team. Neither do most of the bench guys. The key is dumping and rebuilding piece by piece. One guy out, a decent player in. Slow and steady wins the race.

Will We Ever Post Here Again?

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 03:53:00 +0000

Rockets Defense

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:12:00 +0000

The Jeff Van Gundy era in Houston is mercifully over, as it was once mercifully over in New York. JVG was a coach who put his stamp on every possession of every game, and harped on the combination of physical defense and a plodding, shot clock grinding offense that was truly horrible to watch. As a strategy, Van Gundy's system was not substantially better or worse than the other systems employed by NBA teams. It created winning situations season-in and season-out, but led to a number of bigger problems around his teams. Players got banged up on both ends of the floor and had a very difficult time enduring the marathon 82 games of the current NBA format, not to mention playoffs. The lack of diversity in the offense also fostered boredom and stagnation on the floor that manifested in a lot of griping about opportunities or "looks" and took the joy out of the game for the more dynamic players on the roster.

From an aesthetic standpoint, the JVG brand of hoop was unwatchable. It was unwatchable from afar, as Eastern Conference fans only had to sit through a few meetings a season in the local market. For Western Conference fans, and particularly the fans of the Houston franchise, it was brutal. I witnessed this miserable excuse for a basketball program for years when JVG was scowling along the Madison Square Garden sidelines, but all that has changed. Rick Adelman brings a brand of successful basketball to Houston, which features a good deal of offensive variety and opportunities galore for the gifted athletes on the club. The question that he brings with him to the Rockets is how well they will continue to play D. An article in the Houston Chronicle addresses just that point:

"Jeff Van Gundy was a proponent of trapping the ball-handler on pick-and-rolls. Adelman will never trap with his centers, having Yao Ming or Dikembe Mutombo instead sinking back into the lane. He also will more often have guards try to guide the ball-handler toward the baseline."

This seems like a better situation in Houston. Yao Ming is not laterally quick enough to play the trap on a guard. It's also a waste to have one of the premier shot blockers in league history operating this way in Mutombo. Both of these guys are mountains in a league of relatively smaller players. Adelman's proposed scheme works to that strength, and while more traditional and safe from a defensive perspective, it's also going to keep the big men out of foul trouble. I should say, it's going to keep them out of foul trouble related to poor lateral movement on the screen, and reserve any fouls to the shot blocking function of the center position. Finally, it will save these players the fatigue associated with chasing guards and the pressure that their knees and ankles would bear in trying to keep up with a smaller player on a switch. Next.

"Van Gundy insisted on contesting every jump shot, and last season wanted closeouts, even if they meant going for pump fakes, believing that shooting percentages decrease off one- and two-dribble jump shots when compared to spotting up. Adelman will more often let a specific game plan determine whom the Rockets must close out."

As a rule, it's safest to treat each situation as a unique set of variables that require a unique solution. If you try to apply a science to everything in the world, the science is bound to fail. One of the strong points of the Rick Adelman system is its flexibility. Most often that flexibility is associated with the fluid offense, but also has to apply more broadly to an entire philosophy of basketball. Van Gundy's philosophy of rigid, hard and fast protocols for playing both ends of the floor are unmanageable and in the end make for a very long and grueling season. Essentially, the Van Gundy system is an 82 game playoff style of basketball that most players have a hard time playing for 10-20 games at the end of the year. Adelman's system is much better suited to keeping players interested and will prove valuable in the specific instances of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. A lot will be asked of these players and it should be interesting to see how much lighter they appear after the All Star break. Two statements that Coach Adelman made tell a big part of the story, in my opinion:

"I want to do some of the things they did because they were so solid at it," Adelman said. "I've said before, Jeff did a great job with them. When you start with the guys we have like Rafer (Alston) and Shane (Battier) and Chuck (Hayes), there's good defenders out there. You're going to be pretty solid defensively." "A little is on veteran guys, to see if we have the knowledge as the games go along, to see what the offense is trying to do," Alston said. "As opposed to having 20 to 30 set ways to guard, we might switch (on screens), or force a guy down, or chase a guy around screens. But it helps to have guys like Shane Battier and Chuck Hayes to facilitate defense."

What Adelman's system does that Van Gundy's didn't allow for is a level of trust among players that allows each man to do something different. On most successful teams the roles are divided according to strengths and weaknesses. With the dilution of talent in a 30 team league, there aren't enough big time players to fill out every roster. No one is going to have a team of 12 outstanding defenders, who can also play great on the offensive end of the floor. Guys like McGrady and Yao are more important as scorers than they are as defenders, and therefore should be complemented by the defensive role players on the team. Where JVG applied 48 minutes of tough pressure by contesting every shot, help defense from the Battiers and Alstons and others will allow McGrady to shoot the gaps, release early, and go for the steal. Yao will be able to hang back to block a shot or two, and cover for any mistakes that the guards make in man defense. Every player doesn't have to play tight defense on every possession.

This is not to be mistaken for giving up on the defensive intensity that is the hallmark of champions. Successful teams all play very good defense. The problem is, over the course of 82 games the "all out" style of play will kill you. A well rounded team that can score in a variety of ways can afford to be less intense on defense. In Van Gundy's world view, plodding "high percentage" offense necessitates tough and intense defense. His strategy is to reduce the number of possessions in a game, putting the clamps down on the opposition while maximizing his own looks at the basket. Rick Adelman's brand of basketball is a brand of trust. Play fluid, motion basketball on offense with a high IQ and stay in front of your man on defense. With guys like Yao and Mutombo you have a level of trust that a layup is not a guaranteed end result of a blown assignment. Use that. The Rockets are not the Nets, fielding mediocre big men that have little lane presence.

I think you'll see a much better season from the Rockets than you witnessed in the JVG era. Houston fans should breathe a sigh of relief that a more open brand of basketball will be played on their home court that doesn't sacrifice quality for giving up some of the control from the coach's chair.

The New "Allan Houton Rule"

noreply@blogger.com (changezine) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 19:40:00 +0000

Rule: Never sign a player who just took millions of your money and returns the favor by not playing a single damn game in the past two years despite being the #2 highest paid player the league.

Sweet merciful crap, the Knicks signed Allan Houston.

After all the Knicks have done to themselves recently (Steve Francis, signing Jared Jefferies for more than $18, waiving Jalen Rose rather than sitting on his expiring contract, the Isiah Harassment case and Marbury intern limo bang this off-season, etc.) surely they must view the second-coming of Houston as good news.

But I am here to say signing Allan Houston is worse than all of the other moves Isiah has orchestrated.

As any Knicks or hoops fan would tell you, Houston was (is) a soft jump shooter with no heart whose career peaked when his ugly random runner fell in off the backboard in Miami. But more than that, the dude was one of those overpaid bitches who actually hurts you while he is on the floor. No defense, no guts, no intangibles. and the bitch (can Isiah still call a man a bitch?) has the nerve to declare he is coming back to the NBA.

Go back to your charity luncheons or else you'll get swatted.

In 2001, Houston signed a maximum 7-year contract extension with the Knicks, a decision that any intelligent creature knew to be a huge mistake for New York because it prevented them from making any moves for years and also paid a fluff player tons of cahs reserved for true stars. Houston's yearly salary of over $20 million made him a total anchor around the Knicks necks. Houston missed 32 games in 2003-04 due to a knee injury, and despite claims in the summer of 2004 that he would be ready to play the next season (he even refused to have surgery on his knee that summer), he played in only 20 games that season because he claimed injury hadn't completely healed. The knee injury would eventually force Houston to announce his retirement, on October 17, 2005.

And when he "retired" he took all of his damn guaranteed money with him. You know who was the 2nd-highest paid NBA player the past 2 years, right? Yep, this bitch. And he didn't play a single game.

For fans of Allan Houston, I think you might be mildly retarded or, at best, ignorant about hoops. His play was always super soft and one-dimensional. He was more Jeff Malone than anyone else. The stats that jump out? He averaged more turnovers and fouls combined than rebounds + assists + steals + blocks. What a sad little bitch.

YEAR TEAM G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
93-94 DET 79 20 19.2 .405 .299 .824 .2 1.3 1.5 1.3 .43 .16 1.25 8.5
94-95 DET 76 39 26.3 .463 .424 .860 .4 1.8 2.2 2.2 .80 .18 1.49 14.5
95-96 DET 82 75 37.5 .453 .427 .823 .7 3.0 3.7 3.0 .74 .20 2.84 19.7
96-97 NYK 81 81 33.1 .423 .385 .803 .5 2.4 3.0 2.2 .51 .22 2.06 14.8
97-98 NYK 82 82 34.7 .447 .385 .851 .5 2.8 3.3 2.6 .77 .29 2.44 18.4
98-99 NYK 50 50 36.3 .418 .407 .862 .4 2.6 3.0 2.7 .70 .18 2.60 16.3
99-00 NYK 82 82 38.6 .483 .436 .838 .5 2.8 3.3 2.7 .79 .17 2.27 19.7
00-01 NYK 78 78 36.6 .449 .381 .909 .3 3.4 3.6 2.2 .67 .13 2.06 18.7
01-02 NYK 77 77 37.8 .437 .393 .870 .5 2.8 3.3 2.5 .70 .13 2.21 20.4
02-03 NYK 82 82 37.9 .445 .396 .919 .3 2.5 2.8 2.7 .66 .09 2.17 22.5
03-04 NYK 50 50 36.0 .435 .431 .913 .4 2.0 2.4 2.0 .76 .04 2.04 18.5
04-05 NYK 20 11 26.6 .415 .388 .837 .2 1.0 1.2 2.1 .40 .10 1.05 11.9
Career 839 727 33.7 .444 .402 .863 .4 2.5 2.9 2.4 .67 .10 2.10 17.3

Dear Allan Houston,
If I catch you hanging out at the Garden like Charles Smith did for a few years, brave enough to show your ugly mug after what you did to this team, then I'll suckerpunch yer ass, too.
Signed,
Mr. West

News Flash! Pat Riley Finally Realizes Antoine Walker is a Fatso! Jabba the Hut sues for harassment.

noreply@blogger.com (changezine) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 19:18:00 +0000

In this world of insane media coverage, I think I am most amazed that this writer, Tim Reynolds, actually earns a salary. Dude, Tim, you wrote a fluff piece on 'Toine being fat! And you treated the story seriously!! Either you have the best sense of humor ever or you deserve to be eaten by the Jabba the Toine.

By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer
October 10, 2007
MIAMI (AP) -- Antoine Walker's level of conditioning is still a concern for the Miami Heat, and coach Pat Riley predicted Wednesday it may take the forward until January to meet his team-mandated body fat level.

The issue has been a thorny one for Walker and Riley for the past two seasons. Walker was briefly suspended by Riley last season over body-fat measurements, and was kept out of the opening day of training camp practice this year for the same reason.

According to the story, this is the deal with Toine's size as of Oct 10th:

Riley would define "optimum" as 235 pounds with 7 percent body fat. Riley estimated that Walker weighed 262 pounds with 15 percent body fat at the start of camp, and the three-time All-Star has been slowed by a sore Achilles' tendon for the past week. Walker currently weighs 256 pounds, Riley said.

OK, sure, like I am supposed to believe 6'8" Walker who is very out of shape only weighs 256. IF ANTOINE WALKER WEIGHS 256 LBS. RIGHT NOW THEN I AM ROBBING HIS ASS MYSELF NEXT TIME.

No, seriously, my man, the corned beef sandwich was this friggin big, dog!! And so I said to myself "Toine you love corned beef!" and so I ate the whole thing before the trailers even ended!

Antoine Walker Gets Robbed ... Hilarious!

noreply@blogger.com (changezine) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:57:00 +0000

"It's the first Antoine Walker story where multiple random shots weren't involved."
"How did Antonie Walker prevent the robber from getting a shot off?"
"The Celtics hired the gunmen to reclaim money Walker previously stole."
"Walker reportedly told police he would have kept shooting until he hit something. Or even if he didn't."

CHICAGO (AP) -- Miami Heat forward Antoine Walker's home in Chicago was robbed Monday, the player's agent said.

Police and witnesses said two offenders held Walker and at least one other person at gunpoint during the robbery, Chicago broadcasters reported from the scene in the city's River North neighborhood Monday night.

Walker's agent, Mark Bartelstein, confirmed the incident took place but said he could not give specific details.

"He's OK," Bartelstein told The Associated Press. "There was a robbery. It's a scary thing. It's a terrible thing. He's trying to get himself back together. Police are there and he's getting it taken care of."

Sonics & Celtics Get their Trade Shit On

noreply@blogger.com (changezine) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 18:43:00 +0000

Celtics get: Ray Allen and the #35 pick
Sonics get: Jeff Green, Delonte West, and Wally World

Mr. East says ... It's tough to trade one of the best players in the league. You never get fair value back. I remember the Sixers traded Charles Barkley for Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang, and one of the NBA stiffs named Perry. Maybe Tim. Ray Allen instantly teams with Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson as the best threesome in the East. The Celtics are a Finals contender and only need to figure out which of their billion point guards are going to control this mess. They also need to hope someone will step up to play center consistently. I think they have a few strong candidates, including Kendrick Perkins.

Detractors say that Allen and Pierce will need more than one ball to keep them happy. To those people I say, "Didn't Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker play well together?" There is no bigger chucker in basketball than Antoine Walker. Allen and Pierce are both fairly efficient players and Pierce is a very nice distributor. If anything Allen's presence outside will help Pierce raise his FG% next season and take it to the rack.

The Sonics are headed in a different direction with a great new GM from the "young and dynamic" school of front office management. They are dumping all ties to the past and retooling for a few years down the road. They'll swing some kind of sign-and-trade for Rashard and now have Allen off the books. Reports have the Sonics trying to keep Lewis, but I don't think he wants to be back. Look for Luke Ridnour to be an Atlanta Hawk before July is over. This team will look very different going forward with Kevin Durant the main man. I like the idea, but I think they should have gotten more for Ray Allen than this.

"Say, you heard the one about a coach and a GM that are so shitty they get paid $2 million a year to ruin their franchise? Hilarious!"

Green will be a good pro and West is already a very tough player on both ends of the floor, but Ray Allen had to be worth two picks from someone. They should have demanded Gerald Green as a part of the package at least.

Mr. West says ...
Being a Sonics fan, and perhaps the only one in NYC, I gotta say I was torn on this draft news. Ray Allen is the best shooitng guard in the NBA. Period. The dude has the sickest and quickest release plus his offensive game is more balanced than people think. Basically, he is a shorter Paul Pierce with a better shot. So I did not want to see him go. And I still think it is a mistake.

Here are the key takeaways from the trade:
A. All this talk of Ray Allen being injured and old and useless is overblown bullshit. The dude can ball. Celtics fans have not seen a shooter like Ray-Ray since, well, you-know-who. Years of 'Toine chucking shots has ruined their reality.
B. Jeff Green is a reach at #5 for the next couple of years but he will develop into a better NBA player than college. The Hoyas restricted him somewhat. Still, he does not have the true explosive athleticism you need at #5. He is a little too stiff.
C. Wally Szczerbiak must have signed a deal with the devil. Not only did he get a $61 million deal from the T-Wolves before being dumped on the Celtics, he now is handed the starting shooting guard slot for the Sonics where fans and owners have zero expectations.
D. Why the fuck did the GM lil' Petris take on that Wally contract?
E. Delonte West has a decent game is he gets playing time.
F. Little Lukey Ridnour needs to be shipped for the good of the team and his own career. Early Watson shoots better, defends better and so does Delonte West.
G. The Celtics have a bunch of losers playing point (Telfair, Rondo?), hysterical contracts at center (Olowakandi and Ratliff), big kids playing forward (Jefferson, Big Baby, Perkins) and then Pierce and Ray-Ray. Having 3 positions plugged with NBA back-ups is unwise, as is relying on the health of both Pierce and Ray-Ray.
H. How many damn games does Ray-Ray and Pierce play together this season? 60? I'd like to see that over/under.

Oh, little Telfair. Even the Celtics don't want you. Life sucks when you peak at 17. Nice watch, though. Might wanna eBay that shit about now.

At the end of the day, I think the Celtics improve the most but at what cost? Danny Ainge better have a few deals in the works to make this team win 40+ games even in the pathetic East. If he is relying on Al Jefferson to become solid and his two all-stars to kill it nightly, well, good fucking luck. Ainge is the genius behind the Sebastian Telfair orchestration, 'nuf said.

And for the Sonics, the West is brutal for them. Durant might be the One. But they do need a guard who can consistently score plus a 7-footer who can actually play the game (unlike their magical string of stiffs going back to Rich King, Jim Macilvaine and Ervin Johnson). But they seem to be creating a unit centered around versatile small forwards who have more skills than the opponents. Not bad in theory, I suppose. Still, this team leaves Seattle next year and Rashard Lewis is still up in the air so who the fuck cares about the 2007-2008 season for them anyway since they don't themselves.

Knicks & Trailblazers Freebase As One!

noreply@blogger.com (changezine) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:05:00 +0000

The Portland TrailBlazers get: Steve Francis and Channing Frye
The NY Knickerbockers get: Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Fred Jones

Mr. East says ...
The Blazers must be smoking some of that herb that Randolph left behind. Steve Francis is going to play where? You have Brandon Roy, Jarrett Jack, and Sergio Rodriguez. He'll come off the cap in the near future, so they will eventually get more big money to spend in free agency. Channing Frye is a talented player, but last year showed that he isn't comfortable playing next to a guy who dominates the post. Frye took a step back when paired with Eddy Curry last year and now he'll be stuck in a logjam with Oden and Aldridge. It just doesn't make any sense to me.

The Knicks, on the other hand, score one of the best low post scorers in the game. Randolph has issues that won't get any better playing in ultra-intense New York City but he is gifted and young. The main question is how he will fit in with a similar offensive player in Curry on the block. Randolph is versatile enough to shoot from mid-range, so he might just find a comfort zone. His rebounding is the main bonus. Randolph is everything on the boards that Curry most certainly is not. Curry's work around the glass on offense will be complimented a lot by Randolph's offensive board work. Add David Lee, Wilson Chandler, and possibly Randolph Morris, into that mix and the Knicks will be very tough to rebound against. That's key. The addition of Dickau and Jones, two decent players off the bench, complicates playing time for Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson, Mardy Collins, and Jared Jeffries. Where the frontcourt depth looks good, the backcourt depth is a mess. A potential train wreck.

Another problem that will rear its ugly head is that with Randolph and Curry the Knicks probably have the softest interior defense in the league. Look at the blocks per minute numbers for those two guys. Ugly. Also, neither of them pass a lick. Both Curry and Randolph are the 2 assists per game variety big men, who suck the ball up like a black hole when it comes in to them. Good players everywhere, terrible team building. They need to trade some of these guys for better fitting parts even if the talent they get back in return is of lesser quality.

Mr. West says ...

This trade is sorta like watching two non-boxers try to box: at first, you kinda wanna see anything go down but then you basically realize that hacks don't make for good sport. With all the trade analysis, here is what jumps out at me:

A. Two disinterested fat shits in Zach and Eddie won't earn the love of New York. The City wants players who hustle, scrap and attack. Maybe years of Allan Houston wimpiness and Starbury ego tripping has softened Knicks fans up.
B. Portland did themselves a favor by clearing out some room in the backcourt to force more playing time and space for their younger ballers like Roy.
C. Isiah dumped Stevie Franchise (Killer)'s contract. Yes, only in the NBA do other GM's willfully take on monster deals that kill cap space. Always another sucker. So Isiah just pulled his best move as a GM right there. Wow, Isiah is not retarded! (just stupid).
D. Zach must have been despised by Portland management. Portland took on Steve Francis knowing he will make $16.4 million in 2007-08 and $17.1 million in 2008-09. Wow, they must have HATED Zach Randolph to accept these concrete shoes. Normal media outlets call this stuff "off court issues" while I call it being a world-class asshole. Either way, the team had enough of this prick.
E. We will all quickly find out if a team can or cannot succeed with a huge low-post center and Zach on the floor at the same time.
F. Fred Jones has skills but adds more shooting guard issues to the Knicks bench. Someone has to be cut or traded from that scene.
G. LaMarcus Aldridge is going to have a (relatively) monster year-- he will bust out like the Dwight Howard of the West. Portland must be banking on that.
H. The "Eddie Curry Line" may now be titled the "Eddie & Zach Line". Can these Beef Brothers of the 21st Century actually have more blocks, assists and steals than turnovers? Let the betting begin.

Overall, I think both teams will improve over last year. The Knicks have a starting 5 of Curry, Zach, Marbury, Crwford and Quentin Richardson with David Lee as the 6th man. Despite their shitty coach and terrible chemistry they HAVE to win some games in the East, even if by accident. Portland is in the West, which means being realistic and planning ahead. So, in the long run, Portland fairs better just because they have Oden and because Francis' contract will come off the books in 2 years.

You just know what Zach is thinking: fuck if I care where I play as long as I can hit the buffets at strip joints after the game!

Quit Your Complainin'

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:01:00 +0000

For anyone who thinks they "can't", I direct your attention once again to the story we ran last year about Jason McElwain, the autistic kid that drained 6 threes in garbage time for his high school. Guess what? That ain't shit. Every heard of The Wizzard of Basketball? Bet you haven't Check him out.

And if that didn't get you, maybe version #2 will convince you:

This guy's name is Vijay Patel and he's from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. If you ever hear yourself complain again, or if you ever consider giving up on something because it seems to hard, man up. Just try to find half the guts and devotion this guy has and you'll do alright.

Hawkish on Atlanta

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 05:37:00 +0000

Check this out. The Atlanta Hawks have changed uniforms AGAIN. Doesn't it seem like they get more image makeovers than Queer Eye for the Straight Guy? It never seems to take. The reasons are obvious. One, the team is bad. Two, the makeovers usually entail some variation on orange, yellow, and black which has to be one of the most ill-advised color combos for any sports franchise in existence. Your fans want to wear your licensed apparel, but if it looks like that no one but the most insanely die hard fans will shell out the cash to wear something the dog coughed up. Third, changing so many times is a signal to people that you don't have your shit together. Why would you be a fan of a team that can't figure out who it is?

Your new $150 jersey may be out of date in a year. Your attachment to certain players may end up going out the window as the team figures it needs wholesale changes to avoid another embarrassing trip to the lottery. Imagine that you pay premium money for seats and apparel for a team that is never the same year in and year out. You buy the new 2007 #12 Johnny Hawks jersey only to find that not only has the whole uniform changed, but that Johnny Hawks is now Johnny Raptors a season later. No wonder the arena in Atlanta is always empty.

Anyway, the Hawks have gone back to red, white, blue, and silver as their color scheme and they've jazzed up the hawk logo. It reminds me a lot of the change the Blue Jays made a couple of years ago in changing from the more ornithologically correct head shot of a Blue Jay, to the attack-mode killer Blue Jay that now graces their uniforms. What do the Hawks hope to accomplish by doing this? It's obvious. They want to suck less. Well, actually they really want to appear as though they suck less, right? They are still going to suck until they get a clue about how to build a better basketball team, but they'll look less suckish sucking this season.

The Hawks website has a little pictorial slideshow of past Hawks uniforms and a timeline of what they wore, when they wore it. I'll post the timeline jpeg here for you to click and enlarge and then run down some of the more egregious uniforms in the selection with a little commentary. Here we go:

First, Pete Maravich was a genius. He died way too young, and it's noteworthy that he would have been 60 this month. Playing like "Pistol Pete" would make just about any uniform look reasonable, but even so this was a stretch. It's funny to me to see this oddball uni, knowing that there was virtually no such thing in this world as marketing in 1970, at least as we know it today.

Putting a line green uniform on someone and expecting a good reaction is a bit far fetched, but I have to admit that those uniforms are appealing in a kind of retro-mod way. Especially the matching striped socks. I think it's probably cooler to walk around with this uniform on in 2007 than it was to play in it in 1970.

Soon after, the Hawks changed directions and opted for the orange and yellow monstrosity that they wore for decades after.

I skipped over some of the more nondescript orange and yellow uniforms. They all look like something out of Hoosiers. Block letters on the front. Generic, clip art, numbers. For a good stretch, the Hawks just wore boring uniforms, not so much ugly. If you look at this uniform from the 80's and early 90's, you'll know it as the most famous uniform in the team's history. The reason being, Dominique was the ticket to highlight reels everywhere. Dominique, in many ways, was the inventor of the SportCenter coverage of basketball.

If you do a 360 windmill dunk in game action, you will 100% without fail be on television over and over and over and over and over for about 2 months. This uniform is ugly. It's hideous. It's like the classic SuperSonics uniform with a worse color scheme and goofy lettering. The thing is, Dominique wore it and did magical things on the court. That, in and of itself, makes it cool. I wouldn't wear one, but.....

...it's certainly more imaginative than this from 1992. As the quality of player wearing the uniform went south (Pistol Pete, 'Nique, Mookie Blalock) the interest factor in the uniform also disappeared. At least the other versions of the Hawks uniform were either wild or boring. This uniform has no redeeming quality whatsoever. It's gaudy, but uninteresting. The lettering is splashed across the front like Shazam, but there are no other flair points. The arm and necklines of this uniform are yellow and white piping surrounded by a giant field of red.

Come to think of it, these look a lot like the ugly Rockets uniforms of the Hakeem Olajuwon era, only with cartoonish letters across the chest. Make up your minds Atlanta. Are you going to look like ridiculous superheroes, or are you going for the tragically boring look? I'm guessing that our next Hawks uniform will be infinitely worse, somehow.

OH GOD!!!! I'M BLIND!!!! OH, MY EYES!!! LORD HELP ME!!!!

Boy, was I right. Someone got my message, presumably by traveling ahead in time and reading this blog. Gone is the mix of cartoon and blah, and welcomed to Atlanta was the 1996 full blown cartoon jersey. This monstrosity featured the current team logo in it's earlier orange form, vomited across the front of a gradated black and orange field. It's like the "zubaz" version of an NBA uniform. Gaudy. Classless. Without any chance of aging gracefully. I love the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, Celtics, and a few other teams' uniforms because they have changed very little generation to generation. Those are all respectable sports franchises because (1) they win, and (2) they dress respectfully, so they aren't the laughing stock when they lose.

Nobody fly in the house of Mutombo.

I also skipped the more recent Hawks uniforms. They haven't been as bad as that Mutombo jammie, so I figured I'd give them a pass, although they did go with a full yellow version that can be seen in the timeline jpeg found above. That alone should give the Supreme Court impetus to overturn the First Amendment, on the grounds that not all expression can be reasonably accepted by a decent and moral society. The 2007-08 uniforms are okay. They look a lot like the Nets uniforms, frankly. Red, white, and blue are played out as far as I'm concerned. The Houston Texans of the NFL went with the scheme despite the Bills and Giants already wearing it. The Ohio NHL club wears it despite the Rangers having worn those colors for a million years. The Washington Nationals chose it despite the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs having made those schemes famous. There's nothing particularly original about red, white, and blue these days. It plays up the whole nationalism thing that's popular nowadays. We are proud Americans, and such. These colors don't run, especially in the deep south. Yee ha!

It does nothing to change my perception of the sad sack Hawks. It doesn't make me waver in my belief that the basketball Gods should open up the earth and swallow that franchise into the pits of Hell. The team still isn't any good, and they won't be any good in our lifetimes. Joe Johnson is a nice player. Josh Smith is busting out. Uh.....there's that guy with the afro. And, tiny point guard guy. Not to mention, stiff lifeless big man, whatshisname? Tree Rollins? Uh...plus "As yet to be Named 2007 Lottery Draft Pick" and "2008 As Yet to be Named Lottery Draft Pick" and "As Yet to be Named 2009 Lottery Draft Pick" and....

Nice uniforms. Good luck with that.

How to play Kobe like a yo-yo

noreply@blogger.com (changezine) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:26:00 +0000

So suppsedly Kobe wants to be traded. Again. Maybe. The Lakers are trying to rebuild and Kobe doesn't want to be a part of it. Though the mixed messages and sources of the information are tough to track. But let's ignore the current complexities and assume he is playing the trade card.

In a way, we understand. As a competitive player, some would say the best player in the world, Kobe wants to play for a title every year. Loyalty would demand that Kobe stick around and help the Lakers to get back to being a contender by holding down the fort until things can be worked out. Especially since he helped Shaq out of town. He's become rich thanks to LA and he's won 3 titles already (again, only with Shaq). Without Bryant, Lakers' fans will have to endure what Knicks' fans are going through. Years of painful rebuilding with no apparent end in sight. With Kobe, Lakers' fans will at least get their money's worth night in and night out, and the team can actually rebuild while remaining somewhat competitive. It's a good situation.

That's not the way that things go down in the modern NBA. Players don't care about anything but their own situation for the most part. They care about their money. They care about their chances at a title. They often care about their stat lines. Whatever. I don't care about any of that really. I could get "holier than thou" and preach about how these spoiled millionaires should think about something other than themselves sometimes, but I won't. It's only my personal values and I don't know how able I'd be to stick to them if I were in an NBA superstar's shoes. Instead, I want to look at what the Lakers should do. What position are they in?

What would I do if I were the Lakers? Remember, he has a no trade in his contract and supposedly only would go to New York, Chicago, or Phoenix.

1. Keep Kobe

Mr. East: There's every reason to tell him to shut the fuck up and play. He has a contract. He's very well paid. We stuck by him during the rape business that made us look bad as his employer. Things got better and now he wants out? Fucking crybaby. Tough luck. You're staying and you'll like it.
We'll never get fair value in return for you, and I'm not about to go making another team a championship contender on my dime.

Mr. West: If I am the Lakers, I know Kobe is a head case. The dude is super fragile mentally and easy to control as long as I let him have his occasional outbursts. As evidenced by his declarations on radio shows and web sites, he likes to talk a big game to others but here in Lakers circles he apologizes and plays nice. We'll let him think he is winning at his game of threatening to leave just to get better teammates. I need this spoiled insecure shit because he is a sick hoops talent, draws fans, and is my best chance to win in this town. I have a very long leash with him and try to him forget that Tim Duncan is also in the West.

2. Deal him to Phoenix

Mr. East: The Lakers would never do this, because they don't want Kobe dropping 80 points on them in a playoff series. That said, why not deal him for Shawn Marion and Barbosa? Something along those lines would probably get you closer to fair value than anything else. That trade makes good sense for both clubs. Nash, Kobe, and Amare in Phoenix. Barbosa, Marion, and Odom in LA. The Lakers surely lose something, but they lose less than they would otherwise. Again, never happening.

Mr. West: The last the Lakers need is Kobe playing for Phoenix. So I only let this happen if I get to cripple the Suns for it. And Steve Kerr won’t let me do that. I'd demand Nash and Marion plus 1st round pick far into the future. The Suns don’t want or need Kobe-- they need Amare to step it up against Duncan somehow. This is not a possibility.

3. Deal him to Chicago

Mr. East: I'm not sure what it would take to get this done, but Kobe would love to take over where MJ left off. He's copied everything about Jordan there is to copy. He's virtually a carbon version of His Airness, maybe without some intangible greatness that I can't put my finger on. Jordan was just so predictably unbeatable. Kobe is great, but he hasn't lifted the Lakers without Shaq and that's something Jordan would have done. Chicago has too many pieces, and needs a superstar to take the last shot. It's not Luol Deng. Kobe subtracts excess parts and adds the main ingredient. The Lakers would have to get back a lot to get value in return. Duhon, Tyrus Thomas, Nocioni, and either Gordon or Deng. I just can't see something that disruptive or complicated going down. Forget the Bulls.

Mr. West: This would be perhaps the biggest trade in NBA history. The Bulls will likely not want to break up their progress to absorb Kobe BUT if the Bulls lose in Round 2 next year, they very well might need to make a major move. Depending on salary matchups, I could see myself offering Chicago, after next season, Kobe for Deng, Ben Gordon, and two #1 picks. Chicago would not part with Deng but, hey, I got Kobe. Checkmate on that.

4. Deal him to New York

Mr. East: Zeke is already foaming at the mouth trying to make this happen.
If he pulls it off it will probably forgive every stupid thing he's ever done and that's saying a lot. Getting Kobe would go a long way toward erasing Marbury, Francis, Rose, Crawford, Richardson, and the rest. You'd really have to entice LA with young guys, which you have, but do you have enough? Is it enough to send Crawford (for contract reasons), Lee, Frye, and more? Would you do that if you were LA? Your package would have to look better than Chicago's. Could it? Is either Lee or Frye more enticing than Tyrus Thomas, for example? Could you offer any value close to Gordon or Deng? Probably not. You'd be counting on working out a deal for your big contract guys to head to LA as part of a package of "prospects" and I just don't think Jerry Buss would go for it. It would be great for the NBA to have New York back, but why would the Lakers care about that? This ain't going to happen either.

Mr. West: Running the Lakers, this is my best option (if I have to trade him). Why? Ship to Kobe to the other coast, far from LA so we only play him twice a year. Also, Isiah Thomas surely is the dumbest man in basketball so I know I can get a fantastic deal out of him. I also would hype up NYC to Kobe to get him all excited and pressing Isiah for it to happen. The problem is that the Knicks are loaded with expensive, shitty talent. So I ask for the following after next season (or my trade deadline if the Lakers record is kinda weak): David Lee, 2 expensive (Crawford, Francis?) but expiring contracts and three 1st round picks, every other year from NY. Why only want future talent and expiring contracts? Easy-- I am gunning for LeBron in a few years. I create max cap room, let the Spurs get 2 years older, offer LeBron the world then capitalize on all those Knicks picks to trade or use if some special talent comes along.

In the end, Kobe is going to stay where he is.
They'll figure it all out and make him happy. LA won't be good again for awhile, and by that I mean championship good, but they'll compete. Kobe is a competitor and he'll just go out every night for 40-50-60 points. LA fans will get their money's worth, the Lakers will be able to hold off the ugly rebuilding that they'd do otherwise, and that will be that.

Kobe could opt out in 2009, but so what? Let him. Better than accepting a package of unattractive players just because you suddenly feel pressured. Kobe holds the cards in any deal, so fuck him. You hold the real cards with his contract. Period. we'd love to see Bryant in a New York uniform and to save the NBA's ass from itself. It would be good for New York, and therefore good for ratings. Too bad it will never happen.

Worst NBA Finals Ever.

noreply@blogger.com (changezine) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 18:46:00 +0000

All you need to know to confirm that the NBA Finals were a total fucking dud is the following:

The Spurs were outscored by 31 points (!!!) in the 4th quarter during the series.

This is almost unfathomable seeing as how: A) the series only went 4 games; B) they won all of the games; C) their average winning margin was over 6 points; and D) teams are supposed to try hard in the 4th quarter of NBA Finals games. As any intelligent NBA fan will tell you, NBA blowouts are avoided, for the most part, as winning teams coast in the 4th quarter, allowing the losing teams to bridge the gap and earn respectable losses. We here at East vs. West call it the “Charles Smith as a Clipper” or “Tony Smith as a Timberwolf” or “Joe Johnson as a Hawk” phenomenon. But for this to happen 4 games in a row and in the Finals and by the notoriously defensive-minded Spurs?!!?! Dude, they coasted because the Cavs were never even in this thing.

Cleveland never scored more than 20 points in a single quarter in first half play all series. Yes, 8 quarters and never more than 20 points scored.

The Cleveland totals for first half play: 35, 33, 38, and 34.

Someone please stop Eric Snow from appearing in the NBA playoffs anymore. For the love of the basketball gods, make him stop. I’d rather watch Larry Hughes feign injuries and suck ass getting mutilated by Tony Parker.

What the Fuck is Wrong with You File: Case #001

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 12:10:00 +0000

You know this guy? Yeah. Former Oklahoma State power forward and Golden State Warrior, Byron Houston.

I remember him as an undersized PF that could rebound like Barkley and score from various angles. We were in college at the same time, and I remember watching him in the tourney. He never translated to the NBA, mainly because of his lack of size. He was like Clarence Weatherspoon without the smooth in his game. Guess what? He gets naked and masturbates while watching people from his car. It's not that he pulled an Eddie Griffin and did it once. This cat is straight loco. He's been caught multiple times and got booted from a children's basketball camp in 2006 in Texas because he was registered as a sex offender in that state. He's at it again.

Yeah. He had his drawers on the dashboard while sitting at an intersection playing "Whack a Mole". Byron....what the fuck is wrong with you? I feel for you if you have a few marbles loose. Mental illness is a sad and lonely thing. But, c'mon. You can't keep getting caught for the same shit after you've been tabbed a sex offender. Imagine being booted from a kiddy camp because of that and then continuing to do the same thing. That's a cry for help. Get his ass put away for awhile and help him to figure it all out.

By the way, this story was more interesting to me than the Spurs winning the title. That's the NBA.

Why Are NBA GMs So Bad? Enter: Sonics new GM Pestri

noreply@blogger.com (changezine) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 02:27:00 +0000

The world of professional sports is basically a carousel of former players and coaches, which goes round and round until one of them dies, or new blood is introduced via the pathways paved by one of the old school. "Oh, young Douglas? He was an assistant at UNC for 10 years and attended Coach Wooden's camp every year. Bring him in."

But the NBA seems to flaunt this inbred style of personnel moves more than any other pro league. Surely, the coaching circuit is an old boys network. But we want to analyze one particular job in the NBA that baffles us: General Managers. Why, in a world of openly disclosed contracts and simple player evaluations, are NBA GM’s doing such poor work? And why is the changing of the guard taking so long to go into effect?

Sure, the “old boy network” happens in baseball, when the managerial candidates for a vacant job are all up and coming pitching coaches, or bench assistants, but the 65-year old retread is brought in thanks to his "track record" in the clubhouse, or some such thing. But the trend is changing on the diamond with more and more younger faces gracing the dugout. The bench assistants are more often those grizzled faces nowadays, than the managers. The major hot spot is now with GMs in baseball as they are likewise whiz kids with new ideas and a fresh approach to analyzing organizational resources. It's a complex sport with multiple positions, an ever widening international talent pool, and a multi-layered system of minor leagues. There's always room in baseball for a new idea, and a different take on the same old game. That's why it endures, despite no major rule changes in generations.

Billy Beane and Theo Epstein are the golden boys of baseball new GM renaissance. Brian Cahsman of the Yankees was 30 when he took over. John Daniels of the Rangers was born in 1977 for chrissake. Josh Byrnes of the Diamondbacks was 35 when hired after an internship under Theo and the Sox.

Basketball is different, though. The NBA, in particular, is a closed environment. It's a place where the sport that has captured the world's imagination over the last 20 years has gone to stagnate and die. Euroleague is far more innovative and exciting than the NBA, despite having inferior quality talent and a more diluted structure. Why?

The reason that the Euroleague is thriving and the quality of the sport is making leaps and bounds is because European clubs have invested in building. The NBA invests in marketing.

Many European clubs, for example, are part of a larger sports family that owns soccer franchises run like multi-national corporations. European soccer franchises like Real Madrid make US sports organizations look like mom and pop operations, stuck on an old dusty Main Street. They invest in research, medical technology, and multi-layered club systems that bring in young talent from all over the world and nurture it until it's ready for prime time. Those clubs take the word "organization" to another level.

The NBA is easy to figure. There are only so many people with any power in an organization. The GMs generally come from the ranks of the former coaches that couldn't find work, but know their way around the league. The coaches are similarly connected, and maybe you'll see a former assistant get a crack. The problem with the NBA is that there is no vision. No one has a vision and the courage to follow it.

The best visionary decision making has taken place with the hiring of Mike D'Antoni and his system in Phoenix. Enter Steve Kerr to run things. It's the Toronto hire of the people from Benetton Treviso. Hell, Mark Cuban is the owner that skirts the description I made just a moment ago. He flipped the Mavericks (fittingly) on their heads and did things differently. Yeah, he's a goofball, but he's also the kind of spark that the NBA needs to break out of the Stone Age.

The NBA was in this kind of situation before. The ABA was exciting and innovative and fun. The NBA was the Celtics, traditional and stoic and professional. There's certainly more to it than that, however. The ABA tried new things. There was the multi-colored ball and the afros and the fast break. There was an All Star Game that featured a slam dunk contest. The NBA was conservative and locked in the yester year of American society.

The same thing is being repeated today. The NBA is corporate. The NBA is standing in mud. No new ideas, unless you call the various silly rules changes that have gone on every year for the past 15 new ideas.

Where is basketballs version of Bill James? Where are the pioneers of advanced metrics in the sport of basketball? Bill James created a new way to look at the very old and traditional environment of baseball by challenging some of the myths that persisted about how to play. Is it really worth giving up a sac bunt? Run Expectancy charts now tell us no. Is Player X more valuable to my team than the guy on the bench or the guy banging down my door for a tryout? Clay Davenport and the people at Baseball Prospectus continue to challenge the way organizations make decisions about talent and value. Value Over Replacement Player, or VORP is just such a statistic, and you can bet that the best GMs in baseball consider it a powerful tool in their bag of tricks.

Ask Theo Epstein. Ask Billy Beane. Ask Brian Cashman.

Basketball is on the verge of dealing with its environment in this way, but advanced metrics have hardly caught on in any real way. You have people at www.82games.com and at www.basketball-reference.com providing a different look at the sport via data, but it is hardly pervasive. The encouraging sign at this point is the inclusion of additional stats at NBA.com and other popular sports outlets. You see efficiency ratings and data per 48 minutes for the first time now. A positive move in the right direction.

Yes, Ray-Ray, a 31-year old kid from Emerson College is now your boss.

Now let’s take a look at an NBA team taking a risk on new, young GM talent. Adding a young, progressive GM to their club is potentially a saving point for a franchise like the Sonics, teetering precariously on the edge of becoming obselete. If young 31-year old Pestri brings any fresh ideas to the table it will help not only the Seattle club, but just may prove to be the nudge needed to have other clubs follow suit. You may see more Mike D'Antonis and more Don Nelsons at the helms of NBA franchises.

Seattle is basically trying to poach the Spurs philosophy by hiring a young kid to run their squad. Yes, Ray Allen, this little red haired kid has your future in his hands. Goodbye Rashard Lewis, Hello Kevin Durant. And why not? Pestri surely knows just as much about hoops as Isiah Thomas or Danny Ainge from a player evaluation sense. And Pestri surely won’t make the moronic free agent and trade moves of the good old boys. Why? Because he is smarter and shrewder and not interested in giving Mark Aguirre a job for no reason.

What we've seen since is the natural decline of a league which never had fresh new ideas, but rather a stretch of good fortune created by a series of unrelated but collectively dynamic events. It's up to outside forces to change the league, and it looks like they may actually be pressing their cases enough to have that chance. I like Toronto. I like Dallas. I like Phoenix. I like the new direction of the Sonics. If we're lucky, even more new faces will enter and bring new value to the league. If we're lucky the faces that are already starting the change will not stop where they are now. More needs to be done, but it can happen. Keep the faith and demand a better product as fans because no old boy GMs are going to give it to you.

Jeff Foxworthy is cooler than LeBron

noreply@blogger.com (changezine) — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 18:40:00 +0000

NBA Finals TV ratings suck eggs. Dozens and dozens of eggs.

So much for LeBron saving basketball. The spanking that the Spurs are putting on the Cavs after two games is generating so little interest outside of us sports nerds that more people are watching “So You Think You Can Dance?” than the NBA Finals. Sad.

"No, dude, seriously, this is the NBA Finals, we should focus." [pause] "ha, ha, ha, good one, motherfucker!!"

Game 2 pulled a 3.7 rating and 9.2 million total viewers. Total viewers were down 20% from last year's first game, which featured the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks. That series had its own set of NBA stars with high Q ratings—namely Shaq and Dywane Wade.

Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance?" It earned a 4.3 at 9 p.m., and led all network shows. With a solid 3.0/10 from "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" Fox's pair of question-mark shows pulled off another win for the network, tossing LeBron’s attempt at playing Jordan into the cheap seats.

maybe we should be watching this dancing show after all

Surely, the decline of ratings and audiences for sports on TV has been well documented over the past 20 years. The fact is that outside of the NFL, sports on TV simply is overrated and does not draw the crowds. The NBA knows full well that the guaranteed money from ABC/ESPN/TNT for TV rights is modern day piracy, but if the big networks feel the need for it, well, good for the NBA.

But the Spurs are a fiasco in terms of drawing and keeping fans to tune in. Add a pathetic showing by the Cavs and early game blowouts and it all adds up to more people watching a show that is an inbred version of “Fame” and “American Idol” with a slight case of downs syndrome.
So in light of America tuning out the NBA Finals, here are some new names we came up with for ABC to use:

“Are You Smarter Than LeBron James?”
“So You Think You Can Beat the Spurs?”
“Cold Case: Larry Hughes”
“The Boobie King” (homage to Daniel Gibson and LeBron)
“CSI: San Antonio”
“World’s Funniest Blowouts”

Mr. East Note:

I saw the ratings on this series too and thought about exactly what Mr. West wrote above. Great minds. I think it's safe to say that the NBA is about as compelling as watching paint dry. I commented on a now-defunct hoops blog of some note about 2 years ago that sports depends on a compelling storyline to succeed as a televised commodity. The gist of my pre-blogging rant was that Red Sox/Yankees is compelling because there's history, rabid fan bases, close proximity, and Babe Ruth. Celtics and Lakers was compelling because Magic and Bird faced off in college and both teams were just so damn good. The East Coast tradition versus the West Coast showtime was a great storyline. Bulls vs. Pistons was great because both teams kicked each others' asses for years, one winning the title and the other going home pissed. The essence of a good rivalry makes for good television.

So, we've had Mavericks vs. Heat (2006), Spurs vs. Pistons (2005), Lakers vs. Pistons (2004), Spurs vs. Nets (2003) and Three Lakers Championships with a Pistons vs. Knicks in the 4 years prior. It seems to me that the key ingredient is the lack of a rivalry. No storyline. No history. No compelling struggle between the Irresistable Force and the Immovable Object. Both the Spurs and Pistons have made multiple appearances, but they've only played one another once. The Lakers played 4 times in recent years but they played a different Eastern Conference club each time. LeBron James is mildly interesting, but name one other guy on that club that makes great drama. You can't. The Spurs are completely uninteresting. Duncan is a dud of a personality. Bowen is one of the most hated players in the league, which would drum up some kind of passion if he didn't suck, or if he had plaid hair. Ginobili is occasionally exciting and Parker turns it up a notch in the playoffs, but who are they matched up against? Is there anything in the matchups that equals "Must See TV"? Larry Bird isn't walking through that door.

Parity is death for interesting hoops. It would be much better if the NBA abolished the salary cap and killed the small market clubs. New York vs. LA would be much better to watch than what we have now. Cleveland vs. San Antonio? Oooooooh. Those cities hate each other.....

Nothing will ever happen to make this a good situation. At least not until all the stars are aligned with two teams that can't be beaten in the East and West. Lakers versus Celtics would be good. 4 or 5 years of the same shit would actually be good for the sport, like the Yankees winning it 4 out of 5 years in the 1990s. Now they can't win, so everyone is happy, but when they won it made for good TV, even if it was only to root against the Evil Empire.

LeBron Saves Basketball

noreply@blogger.com (changezine) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 03:56:00 +0000

Thank the lord for LeBron. Or his mom.

His Game 5 Eastern Conference Finals has given interest in the NBA a major shot of adrenaline. A Pistons-Spurs series might have kept the NBA stuck in reverse. Really, could we find two teams who grind out every damn play and make the refs blow whistles all night long? But LeBron's 48 points made sure some people outside of Detroit and San Antonio actually will watch the Finals.

We here at East vs. West pride ourselves on unconventional hoops coverage. And there has been so much overalanysis of LeBron in these plaoffs as it is. But, goddamn, did LeBron put on a show! In Detroit. In double overtime. Scoring 29 of his teams final 30 points.

For those about to rock, we salute you.

Meet Knickerbocker Strong

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Plugh) — Sat, 26 May 2007 15:21:00 +0000

Thanks to Isiah Thomas, the #9 pick will be sent to Chicago for the #23 pick. Yes, Eddy Curry was effectively swapped for Mike Sweetney, but I'm allowed to brood. With the #23 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft (the deepest in years) the Knicks select.....

Ben Strong, Center, Guilford College (NC, Div.III)

Thanks Zeke.