What a D*ck Move
Who dunks on a kid in a game of ‘BUMP’?
Archive for June, 2011
NBA Break-Fix Part I: Start from Scratch
The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement expires at midnight tonight with no signs of a new one being put in place. The dreaded NBA lockout that has been looming for over a year is closely near. While the NBA and NBPA are worlds apart on how the new agreement should be structured, it appears a 2011-12 season will be delayed or worse… never come to fruition. The owners want a hard salary cap lower than the league’s current cap, cheaper max contracts for shorter terms and $800 million in additional revenue from players. The Players Union frowns at the idea of a hard salary cap that will annihilate guaranteed contracts and want a deal similar to the current one. With strong TV ratings and ticket sales up by almost 1%, the timing to stop play, virtually killing the momentum the NBA is gaining from an entertainment standpoint, couldn’t have come at a worse time. NBA owners argue that even with the uptick this season, 22 of the 30 teams are losing money in the neighborhood of $300 million.
Personally I think this is a stupid battle between billionaires and millionaires jockeying for a bigger piece of the proverbial pie with fans all over the world left to suffer. A corporation looking to increase its global footprint will find it quite difficult to achieve this goal when they completely stop production. No Summer League games to attend or watch. No Tuesday Fan Night games on NBA TV. No Wednesday & Friday ESPN double-headers. No NBA on TNT Thursdays… ok I think I’m gonna be sick! Knowing that I’ll have no offseason activity in the summer or fantasy basketball in the fall, I will have plenty of time on my hands. So I’ve come up with my own proposal of the next CBA for the league. Its model is built on some basic fundamentals of the NBA’s economic structures & recent NBA trends mixed with a little common-sense and my personal love for fantasy basketball. Still confused?!? No problem, here is the essence of the new CBA:
HoopSmack LiveBlog! 2011 NBA Draft
Come join the HoopSmack staff for live commentary as GMs try to build their future via the 2011 NBA Draft!!! Coverage begins at 4:15PM Pacific Time!!!!
The Inaugural, Honestly Opinionated, Definitive HoopSmack 2011 NBA Draft Preview
Look, don’t blame me if this turns out to be horribly wrong. I don’t want to hear it about how far it was from reality and I don’t even want credit for getting any of these picks right. Honestly if it was up to me, I would lower the NBA regulated age limit for one season just so we as fans don’t have to endure such a bad crop of draftees. This may not be as bad as 2000 (Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams alone make that impossible), but it won’t bring much optimism to any NBA fan (with the exception of Cleveland Cavaliers’ fans). I hate to drag this years’ NBA draft through the mud……..never mind, yes I do, it’s that bad. David Stern will probably thank me for it.
As many of you know by now, we here at HoopSmack aren’t very traditional. We’d prefer for this draft preview not to be as well, so I’ll lay down some parameters. This won’t be a straight mock draft, it’ll instead be who I believe each team should pick, why, and if they’ll actually pull it off in reality. Also, I’m not really taking many trades into consideration, since things are way to volatile; and as players come of the board (like in reality) they will no longer be available to draft. We’ll list the picks from my HoopSmack colleague, Knowledge, as well. Without further adieu I bring you the Inaugural, Honestly Opinionated, Definitive HoopSmack 2011 NBA Draft Preview:
HoopSmack Podcast: Episode 30 – And The First Pick of the 2011 NBA Draft Is…
Now that the season is over, the process of retooling and rebuilding can begin. The 2011 NBA Draft is upon us and for once, I can’t tell for sure who the first pick will be. Will it be Kyrie Irving? Does Arizona’s Derrick Williams have what it takes? Listen in as the HoopSmack crew dissects this year’s draft. We even manage to fit in some Lebron talk in this one. SURPRISE!!!
Download Episode 30 on iTunes, Zune Marketplace or right-click here to save to your machine. Leave us feedback on the iTunes store, send us an email at feedback@hoopsmack.com or hit us on Twitter.
You can also leave us a voicemail message at (509) 795-1858.*
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The Miseducation of LeBron James
My world it moves so fast today
The past it seems so far away
And life squeezes so tight that I can’t breathe
And every time I try to be, what someone else has thought of me
So caught up, I wasn’t able to achieve
But deep in my heart, the answer it was in me
And I made up my mind to define my own destiny
I look at my environment
And wonder where the fire went
What happened to everything we used to be
I hear so many cry for help
Searching outside of themselves
Now I know his strength is within me
And deep in my heart, the answer it was in me
And I made up my mind to define my own destiny
And deep in my heart….
But deep in my heart, the answer it was in me
And I made up my mind to define my own destiny – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
I don’t try to understand it anymore. I don’t try to digest it, and appropriate it as an EPSN analyst, or some wayward Miami Heat fan. When I look thumb through the 2011 NBA playoffs I don’t try to measure it by emotional content or quantify it by some John Hollinger inspired advance statistical metric, because honestly – I just don’t get it. I don’t understand human nature enough to justify a reason behind it. I just know it happened.
I supported LeBron James, as many of his fans have. I stopped doubting and fed my NBA fan experience into the hype machine since I seen his first game against the Sacramento Kings, back when I boasted to Knowledge that I don’t trust in NBA rookies (and I still don’t).
Rook·ie [rook-ee] – noun
- An NBA draftee that hasn’t done
one meaningful thing in an NBA uniform. - A player that I am not giving credit
to until he/she does something worth two cents.
I couldn’t help it, there was no one in the league (and still isn’t) like LeBron Raymone James (oh we will get back to that middle name in just a second). He was, at that time he entered the league, someone that brought so much hope. Someone that could vanquish the likes of the living Terminator, Tim Duncan or the man obsessed with becoming Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant. Do you understand how bad the 2000s were as an NBA fan? Our main stars where TIM (#$%^&) DUNCAN and KOBE (#$%^&) BRYANT! Just the faint memory of that tragedy makes me want to call Eric Dampier and trade stories on how pathetic a player Eric Dampier is, just so I can brighten my day.
8 years later, I stand here, contemplating how Raymona went from limitless potential to hypothetical optimism in a single moment. I said it at the beginning of Episode 29 of the HoopSmack podcast and I will say it again. Raymona is pound-for-pound the worst player in the NBA at this moment. Now before you scan that statement and dismiss it as overdramatic or exaggerated, let me lay out the blueprint for you. Let’s take a player such as Shane Battier. He plays phenomenal team defense, he can shoot marginally well, he has average ballhandling skills, his rebounding acumen is good for his position, and he doesn’t make a lot of mental mistakes (so you can come to the conclusion that he has a solid basketball IQ). Does he jump out of the gym like Blake Griffin? No. Does he attack the basket like Derrick Rose? Never. Does he block shots like Dwight Howard or inhale rebounds like Kevin Love? In his dreams. What he does do is maximize his abilities. He uses his God-given skill set to its maximum. Again, I never have seen a professional basketball player the caliber of Raymona that underutilizes their skill set in such a way that it demeans the core of what makes basketball meaningful for the common man (Tim Thomas and Derrick Coleman didn’t have the burden Raymona has; greater power, greater responsibility).
Ask yourself, if Paul Pierce or Ray Allen or Amare Stoudamire or Carmelo Anthony or even Tyreke Evans had those exact skills, could you see them in the same position Ray-Ray is in now? Would they dare shy away on the biggest stage at this point in their careers? And if they did, would it come under the scrutiny that Ray-Mona Lisa is at this point in her career? That’s the issue, none of them would come under fire like Raymona has, because the way she handled the pressure is unprecedented. Not one sane person can grasp the reasoning behind it. She had the opportunity cradled in her arms and like an unfit mother, she dumped it in the garbage. And that’s what has me to point that I am at now.
Was it the glazed over look she displayed in Game 6 of the Finals? Where she treated the basketball in the fourth quarter like a game of hot potato with the Wiggles. Which of course, no great player would ever do. Maybe it was the fact that Wade Son’d Raymona by chewing her up in Game 3. It was the most polarizing (and uncomfortable star vs. star) situation since Nas (speaking of semi-fulfilled potential) laid into Jay-Z on Ether or L.L. Cool J verbally molesting Canibus (speaking of unfulfilled potential) in 4, 3, 2, 1. At this point it’s what Raymona did to the game of basketball that severely agitated me.
I love the game of basketball, since I knew it existed, I consumed it. It’s not just the glamorization or globalization of it, nor the takeover of social media. It’s the game itself. It’s pick-and-rolls, it’s offensive and defensive spacing, fighting for positioning on the low block, sliding your feet on defense, hesitation moves on offense, and all the nuances the game has to offer. It’s the game. And Raymona decimated that. He crumbled up my game and trampled on it. He shamed the game. I don’t hound players for lacking the ability to perform at the highest levels. I list players as disgraced, because they don’t try. You know: effort. The one word that sums up what Raymona couldn’t muster beginning with the Dallas Mavericks comeback in Game 4; it lingered around him like a stinky fart. You see that picture directly above this paragraph? That is how you end the biggest NBA Finals game of your career. You see the picture below this paragraph? That’s not how you finish the biggest game of your career. Of the 20 shots she took in Game 6, 6 came in the paint – including one the third and one in the fourth. Two shot attempts in the 3rd and 4th quarters??? When some combo of Jason Kidd, J.J. Barea at one point, Tyson Chandler (on switches), and Shawn Marion is guarding you, what in your mind deduces that you can’t possibly take one of them off the dribble or to the post?
Where is the conviction in her soul that loves the game of basketball so much, the same love that I’m sure she displayed when the images of the NBA filled her mind to the point where she knew it was what she wanted to do when she came of age, that she wouldn’t allow the circumstances or the situations to dictate her game? Especially knowing that you have the power to change the circumstances? How do you find it in yourself to dominate for stretches when it mattered less and yet you believe the world is just right when you can’t muster enough effort to display a worthy contribution? A zombie can conjure up more effort walking in a sci-fi movie than Raymona did in these Finals.
More and more it seems like she doesn’t see it that way. Raymona’s comments concerning clutch performances in the playoffs are inconsistent with the drastic difference between her earlier round playoff performances and the Finals. It’s utterly perplexing. It makes you ask yourself, “Does she even have operating knowledge of what transpired in these last 4 games?” MTV has a show called Intervention, based on the events surrounding drug users and those that step-in to show them the way to recovery. Why do the addicts need intervention? Most would say it’s due to the aforementioned addicts refusing to admit themselves into a rehabilitation clinic; but the bigger issue is that many of them refuse to even admit they have a drug problem in the first place. Raymona is in that same state (not as a drug addict….but they do show similar character traits).
By now I know many of you have heard and/or seen Raymona’s post-Finals interview concerning her view of the rest of the world (here). You mean to tell me…..that the world revolves so much around her that she actually believes that there are people that dedicate their life to seeing Raymona fail? That people around the world use the “hate” they have for Raymona as a player (excepted Cleveland, I believe they hate him as a person too….which is sad. “Cleveland Mavericks”???? Really Cleveland? Really? The Mayor and Governor congratulating like they won a title? Really? That’s Eric Dampier-ish) as a coping mechanism to mask and avoid dealing with their everyday issues? What color does that paint her perception? That interview is the kind of evidence that showcases how detached from reality she truly is. She needs intervention.
I really don’t understand it. I sincerely don’t. I’m just disappointed it has to be this way. When I turn on ESPN or TNT or NBA TV in any season, I watch NBA basketball for the love of the game. In most cases you would like to believe that the same players that you follow on television have those same standards. It’s not always that way (I’m looking at you Eddy Curry, Tim Thomas, Kwame Brown….ok he’s just terrible). For the first time in my basketball life I watched a player bring enough shame to the game that I questioned if I even respect basketball anymore. I can’t be associated with that. What would God think of me if I did? What would my parents think? What about my family? How could I walk with that shame hanging over my head? With that pressure? I can’t and I won’t. I had theories for all of Raymona’s excuses, his lapses, and his shortcomings. Yet the player that she is and the man (or woman) she is supposed to be has brought too much conflict. She’s now resigned to expressing herself to taking pot shots at intangible haters, instead of addressing the situation at hand and confronting her own failures. Raymona forever shamed the game of basketball and until she’s found that out, I can’t roll with her. I respect the game too much.
My world it moves so fast today
The past it seems so far away
And life squeezes so tight that I can’t breathe
And every time I try to be, what someone else has thought of me
So caught up, I wasn’t able to achieve
But deep in my heart, the answer it was in me
And I made up my mind to define my own destiny
I look at my environment
And wonder where the fire went
What happened to everything we used to be
I hear so many cry for help
Searching outside of themselves
Now I know his strength is within me
And deep in my heart, the answer it was in me
And I made up my mind to define my own destiny
And deep in my heart….
But deep in my heart, the answer it was in me
And I made up my mind to define my own destiny – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Forget about “Money” vs. “Pacman”
There’s no fight the world has wanted to see more than Floyd Mayweather Jr vs. Manny Pacquiao. There’s no NBA Finals match-up the world has wanted to see more than LeBron vs. Kobe. In both cases, the world has waited for years with no signs of either coming to fruition. I personally would like to see Floyd back in the ring especially against Manny. Imagine the pandemonium this bout would conjure. A LeBron vs. Kobe Finals would be heard round the world! I would be more excited about the different Nike commercials we’d get to see during every timeout.
I’m positive those commercials would be hilarious! They would capture way more mindshare than any 9.8 ad. But the battles of present & former greats will have to wait. In the meantime, we can find some basketball/boxing action in downtown Orlando! Ryan Anderson, Orlando Magic sharp shooter, is spending his summer working out at Gym Rat Boxing and Fitness. Hammering on a heavy bag, Anderson is getting his offseason workouts done in the ring rather than on the court. In addition to boxing, Anderson also does 600 stomach crunches (Pacquiao does 1,400 daily) and weightlifting. Anderson has been boxing since he was traded to the Magic two years ago.
“I thought it was kind of weird that they were sending me in here to box at first, but I love it,” –Ryan Anderson
But Ryan isn’t the only member of the Orlando Magic getting his “Two-to-the-body-One-to-the-head” combinations on. Guards Gilbert Arenas & Chris Duhon and forwards Brandon Bass & Earl Clark have too integrated boxing into their offseason workout programs as encouraged by team officials.
Joe Rogowski, strength and conditioning coach for the Orlando Magic, believes the boxing workouts provide a change of pace breaking the norm of shoot-arounds and other basketball routines. Boxing also improves their stamina, balance & mental toughness. Zaza Pachulia, Al Horford, Rudy Gay, Al Harrington, David West and Manu Ginobili are among a few other players who’ve adopted boxing training into their individual offseason workouts.
What if this is a new way to determine who ought to get minutes during the regular season. Instead of having training camp in September, each team has bouts. During the summer, all the players train to fight for their spot kinda like NBC’s The Contender.
Who would win the starting PF spot between Anderson & Bass?
Who would win the backup PG spot between Arenas & Duhon?
I dunno which is Duhon and which is Arenas. I guess we’d have to see who rocks a “Bang Dat B!+C#” t-shirt!
HoopSmack Podcast: Episode 29 – Bratwurst, Sauerkraut, and Dirk Nowitzki
The Dallas Mavericks are the champions and we are now more confused about Lebron James than we’ve ever been before. Listen in as the HoopSmack crew with guest Prophet share their thoughts on the Finals and what to expect in the future.
Music Featured:
Pete Rock & Smif n Wessun – Monumental (feat. Tyler Woods)
Download Episode 29 on iTunes, Zune Marketplace or right-click here to save to your machine. Leave us feedback on the iTunes store, send us an email at feedback@hoopsmack.com or hit us on Twitter.
You can also leave us a voicemail message at (509) 795-1858.*
* – all long distance charges apply
Clippers: An Exercise in Contract Options
After about 2,000 years of bad decisions, the Los Angeles Clippers have finally made a good one. A few good ones actually. The Clippers have exercised the options of Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin as well as Eric Gordon and Al-Farouq Aminu. In addition to all the exercising they have made a qualifying contract offer to DeAndre Jordan.
The move adds a fourth year to Griffin’s contract and a third year to the contract of Aminu and Bledsoe, meaning all three are under contract through the 2012-13 seasons. With the offer to Jordan, the center becomes a restricted free agent, allowing the Clippers the right to match any contract offer the player may receive from another team.
The Clippers look like they are making an attempt to keep a core intact. For many years they would make a core (remember that “killer” trio of Lamar Odom, Elton Brand, and Darius Miles?) only to break it a year or two later. With Griffin, Gordon, Aminu, and possibly Jordan the Clippers may be forming a nucleus that could prove to be the winning combination they were looking for.
Carlisle: ‘Dirk Nowitzki is the Best Basketball Player on This Planet’
After one of most impressive playoff performances this year, Dirk Nowitzki and his career are currently being compared to the greats of the game. Where does he rank? Top 10? Top 5? Well, after taking his talents to South Beach and getting his first championship ring, Dirk is the best basketball player on the planet according to his coach Rick Carlisle.
Carlisle joined ESPN Radio today to talk about winning and NBA Championship, how he feels about the fan turnout, what has changed since Dallas won an NBA Championship, and a number of other issues which included his take on Dirk.
“For me the most drastic change was there was kind of this calm for two months and then all of the sudden Mark Cuban was everywhere again. He was in the interview room and he was on TV. I was so happy for him. Him and I had an embrace as the horn went off and I just told him how thrilled I was for him and for all the people, there have been people that have worked for this franchise for 30 years that have waited and waited and labored and tried to sell tickets during cold periods of seven, eight, or nine years. Donnie Nelson and Nellie, they find a way to come up with Dirk Nowitzki and then things started getting better. Then it’s (Steve) Nash and (Michael) Finley and all those guys. Then there’s 2006 and the disappointment of that. The five years between then and now have been up and down and there’s been inconsistency, but this year was defined by a team that really was focused, the acquisition of (Tyson) Chandler made all the difference in the world to us on so many different levels. The season, the success really came down to two things: Resourcefulness and being opportunistic. This was not the most talented team in the playoffs by any stretch, but it was the smartest team, the most together team, the most committed team, and it was a team that was extremely tough. As we’re the only ones left in I can tell you right now two things. We are the toughest team on the planet. The second thing that I know for sure at this moment, Dirk Nowitzki is the best basketball player on this planet.”
Wait…what? Dirk is the best basketball player on this planet? Planet Earth? Wow, that’s a big claim Rick. I’m sure Kobe Bryant is not going to like that….No sir not one bit.
