Thursday, June 26, 2008

Live NBA Draft Lottery Analysis (Sort Of....)

Since I just got home after missing the draft due to work, here's a not so live, liveblog providing analysis for each pick in the NBA draft lottery.





BallHype: hype it up!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Early Look At Possible Moves

After that disappointing loss, a lot of Laker fans are looking for answers. Fortunately, there is the imagining a trade game to create some [false] hope and take away a little bit of the pain of losing this game. [Personal note: This game hurts MUCH more than when I broke up with my ex.]

All of these moves will be assuming that Bynum is back healthy, as I do not know if there is any major trade we could do without a healthy Bynum.

Lakers Trade: Lamar Odom, Chris Mihm, future 1st round draft pick
Miami Trades: Shawn Marion

Rationale: With Gasol and Bynum at the 4 and 5, Marion is a better defender and 3 point shooter than Odom. Marion is also a solid defender. LO enjoys South Beach and had his most productive season there. Furthermore, if the Heat are forced to select Beasely, Odom's 'versatility' and rebounding would make him a better fit at the 4 and a better complement to him. Furthermore, it would cost more to keep Marion after his contract runs out.

Alternate: Pau Gasol instead of Odom in the aforementioned deal.

Rationale: With Bynum in the low post, Marion could stretch the floor and Odom could be a better high post player. Furthermore, Marion is an inevitable upgrade in terms of grit. Gasol would give Miami a talented center and would essentially have a more talented version of the team with which they won a championship.

Lakers Trade: Lamar Odom, future 1st rounder, and an additional player
Clippers Trade: Elton Brand

Rationale: Brand would provide a "banger" that is sorely needed by the Lakers and would be a tremendous upgrade in terms of interior rebounding and "grit." It does not look like Brand will stay with the Clippers and this would give them assets to work with. With the loss of Maggette, LO could be a solid facilitator.

Alternate: Paul Gasol instead of Odom

Rationale: Same on Lakers end, and for the Clippers a possible"twin towers effect" with a talented sf in Thornton and possibly a talented sg Eric Gordon.

Lakers Trade: Lamar Odom, Chris Mihm
Grizzlies Trade: Brian Cardinal, Jason Collins Kyle Lowry, #5 Draft pick

Rationale: Grizzlies get a tangible player and would have a core of Conley, Miller, Gay, Odom, and possibly a center with some upside in the draft. The Lakers get rid of Odom's contract and would get a solid prospect at #5. Kyle Lowry should also motivate Farmar.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

The Audacity Of Hope - Game 4 Review

I am speechless. Perplexed. Sad. Angry.

The second half took a combined thousands of years off of Laker fans and hundreds of hairs off of my head. I have no way to rationalize this loss. It is simply painful even to analyze.


Phil Jackson was out coached. He would have been even if the Lakers eeked out a victory. This entire year, the Lakers have been prone to what happened today, that is, letting teams back in, rather than putting the game away. Today, it cost us. It’s hard not to place some of the blame on Phil Jackson. The entire second half, the Lakers had poor spacing and/or lack of ball movement. The Lakers DO have a potent offense. However, it is not maximally effective, unless, there is a decent amount of off the ball cuts, or on the ball cuts. (a.k.a. penetration inside) One particular play stood out to me. The Lakers had all Odom at the top of the key, Farmar at the left wing extended and Sasha at the left sideline. All three were behind the 3 point line. This, while objectionable in itself as 3 players were space so poorly, was compounded by the ball being in the hands of Kobe who was at the right wing behind the three point line. No one cut. The Lakers did get lucky and got fouled, but Ronnie missed both. This will be a lasting example of the inability of the Laker offense to follow the basic tenets when struggling.

[I would like to note that I also angry at two specific plays. One on the late possession where Paul Pierce pulled a Manu and got the call from the official WHOSE VIEW WAS OBSTRUCTED. Honestly, perhaps a challenge system would not be so bad if refereeing is going to be so inconsistent and egregious. A second play that maddened me was the uncontested left handed lay up by Ray Allen. Where was the rotation? Where was Pau? Or Fisher? Simply disheartening to see such a remarkably bad breakdown so late in a game]

[Also, on a lesser note and more cheerful Jeff Van Gundy called Mike Breen, "Marv"]

This brings me to my last, and titular point. Regardless of the situation, we must hope. Hope is a basic human desire. Hope gives us strength. It gives strength to everyone that possesses it, from the immigrant that hopes for a better life to a fan who hopes for a better series. We must not lose strength nor belief until the very end if we are true. It is indeed possible for us to win 3 straight, although not very plausible. We must be as we want our team to be. The Lakers need to have heart and play with desperation and passion such that we may, at the least, avoid seeing the Celtics celebrate on our home floor after winning the Larry O’Brien trophy. It seems a bit inane to hope at this point, but hope we must, for how depressing would the world be without hope.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Piercing Through Misrepresentations

I do not get surprised often, but I am very surprised at this moment. I am surprised that a mainstream media member, the accomplished Bill Plaschke would do what Buzz Bissinger expects bloggers to do. Plaschke was quite explicit in his criticism of Pierce. I for one am quite pleasantly surprised with this take. There is no hesitation in this column, no fear that it would be mistaken for a fan blog. Normally, I would at least partially those that cry a lack of journalistic etiquette in Plaschkes’s tone in column, but I will not today. Why? Because I agree with Plaschke. Paul Pierce is no Willis Reed. Please, for the love of Gotham, stop that comparison. I may not have been alive for that game, but I have seen it, and as with anyone else that has seen it could tell you, it was nothing similar to what Paul Pierce “suffered.” It was all too theatrical, highlighted by the wheelchair. The sight was so ridiculous that it has even managed to take the spotlight off of other major story lines. I shall end this section of this post with a quick personal story. A part of knee (which I believe to be my tibia) sticks out notably and gives me pain. Even with that, I’ve gotten bumped quite hard and/or awkwardly on my knee many times without so much as missing a minute of action. Are you to tell me that a professional athlete, that came back from multiple stab wounds to play all 82 games the following season has a lower pain threshold than a hobbled blogger? This could simply be me, but something sure did look fishy.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Oldie But Goodie - Coby Karl Getting The Rookie Treatment

Don't Flip The Script On What Works

I have been meaning to write this post for a couple of days now, ever since rumors arose that Flip Saunders may have lost his job over his recent loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics. However, due to time commitments to work as well as my increasing school work as finals week approaches, I was not able to publish this before what I meant to warn against happened, Flip got fired.

If this season has shown us anything, it is that drastic changes, (unless the changes are based off of insanely one sided moves, such as the Celtics acquiring Allen and Garnett,) do not work. Look no further than the Phoenix Suns as the perfect example of how such changes negatively impact a club’s future. The Suns’ already had a limited window for having a good chance at winning a championship, namely, until Steve Nash stopped being Steve Nash. However, they had a shot at being contenders with a core of Amare - Marion - Diaw - Barbosa, given that they added a capable point guard. They also had a coach that some people, including myself, feel changed the landscape of professional basketball by his focus on offensive basketball. Then, the trade for Shaq occurred. A few months later, the celebrated coach found a ‘better’ home in the team that had been the laughing stock of the NBA.

A perfect contrast to the situation of the Suns is that of my Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are now in the finals. Why? One reason is that the previously much maligned Mitch Kupchack stood still, even amid trade demands.

I’ll concede that Flip deserves some blame for that monumental collapse last year. Would I still have the same argument then? Yes. I would be less convinced of my own argument? Yes. Look why change now? Why throw a first time coach into the fire now? Look the Pistons’ ‘window’ is rapidly closing, and this move may have just shut it. When was the last time a first time coach won the NBA finals? If that is the goal, then why change everything now?

Before I finish this point, I inquire those of you that have not read this, to read this brilliant post from the excellent Grizzlies’ blog, 3 Shades of Blue.

Of course the glory days didn't last long in Memphis. By Thanksgiving the
following season Hubie was gone and the team was in a slow painful fall back to
a losing program. Oh sure, it didn't happen right away. Memphis made the
playoffs for two more years but the embarrassment of three consecutive sweeps in
the playoffs and three coaching moves over the next four seasons doomed what was
supposed to be a promising beginning in Memphis.


I know it is a bit of a strech to comapre the Grizzles' long road to detsruction to a possible one with the Pistons, but the similarities are simply there.