ESPN's Commandments For Athlete Survival In New York

Sorry for the quality but it's worthwhile to watch if you havn't seen it already. I like how Plax gets consecutive mentions pretty casually and how A-Rod gets 2 as well. The second commandment is probably the best though.

Referees Deciding The Game

It seems that every week, there are at least a few instances of referees making a call that decides the game. Now, there are two ways of responding to when a ref makes a call that decides the game. One is to say that a foul at the beginning of the game should be one at the end of the game, while the other is to note that the players not the referees should decide the game.

While both sides present valid argument, my thought is as follows. As with most case in life, a compromise has to be found. What I propose is a higher barrier for making a call, that is, a questionable call made is the first quarter should not be made in the fourth. Thus, if its a foul that does not lend an advantage to either side, it probably should not be called as well. However, if a foul occurs where the non occurrence of the foul would have changes the circumstances such that the outcome could possibly be different, example a blatant pass interference preventing a touchdown, then it must be called. Ideally, games should not be decided by a ref but they also should not be decided by the lack of a call.

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.

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.

The Machine's Head Band

ESPN's Shelly Smith is reporting a peculiar origin for the head band for the one known simply as "The Machine." Apparently, it was given to Sasha by the captain of the Laker girls. No wonder why I've heard of stories where people of both sexes were jealous of his hair.

Thoughts On The NBA Draft Lottery

The lottery works.

It really is as simple as that.

But undeserving teams get top picks! The worst teams can be pushed as far back as #4 or #5! David Stern fixes it!

I can't but chuckle at those attempts to discredit the lottery. Look, I am all for an NFL style draft. However, there is one grave problem in the NBA. Tanking. No one can deny that Miami did not tank last year, or the Celtics the year before, or the Cavaliers a few years before that. Why should teams that tank be rewarded with a player who has the potential to be a great? Please, do answer that. If it were a direct reverse order of finish draft lineup, the sanctity of the league could be tarnished as on the bottom end of the standings there would be a race to see who can lose the most.

As for the other two points, it is not the end of the world if you do not get a top 2 pick. Just ask the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics. It ended up working out kinda well for them. Finally, the lottery is handled by professional accountants who have a legally binding obligation. So I doubt it is rigged.

Eastern Conference Finals Preview

It is time for the Leastern conference finals and here are some of my [pointless?] thoughts on this series.

Matchup to watch: Rasheed Wallace vs Kevin Garnett. We all know 'Sheed is an awesome dude, and a proven playoff player, whereas, even Bill Simmons is resigned that KG simply is not all that clutch. This will also mark the first time that KG will have to consistently play defense in this year's playoffs. However this matchup goes could very well decide the outcome of the series.

Matchup to watch #2: Chauncey Billups vs Rajon Rondo. As good as Rodney Stuckey has been, Mr. Bigshot needs to be healthy and clutch again for Detroit to win one or two games on the road. As for Rondo, I have, from the very start of the playoffs, believed that Rajon Rondo's play will dictate how far the Celtics go. He has a skilled mid range game, and is arguably one of the best offensive rebounding point guards.

X - Factor of the series : Ray Allen. Allen had a beautiful game. A quick release on one of the best 3 point strokes in the NBA, coupled with an ability to drive either way. I do not expect him to miraculously recover all his skills, but if he does regain his touch, Boston may just be the dominant team seen in the regular season.

Doc Rivers Watch: Hopefully, he has learned a thing or two from the Cleveland series such that he will actually have a decent substitution pattern. Note to Doc : Corpses do not make the greatest basketball players.

My Inner Fan prediction: Pistons in 6. However, I have about as faith in this prediction as I have of comprehending the superstring theory or everything in my Philosophy of Agency class.

Quick Thoughts - WNBA Edition

- Candace Parker is going to special, and I do not say this simply due to her monsterous stat line. We all know what beauty can do in sports. Just look at the fuss created by "stars" such as Anna Kournikova. When you combine beauty with skill in sports, esecially in women's sports, you have a strong combination. Just look at the commercial sucess it has landed for Maria Sharapova. Candace Parker has the skill to be better and more dominant in her game while being on par in terms of beauty as Maria Sharapova. She plays in Los Angeles, which is the hot bed for star making. Parker also has the potential to revolutinize the WNBA in raising the salaries to above the wages for teachers, (her salary is only 44k,) as well as to increase fan fare.



- Also, according to Yahoo's Box Score, Lisa Leslie was -14, which I find slightly odd.

-Finally, a word on WNBA's new, "Expect Great" ('She wouldn't say that') commercials. While it is creative, the simple fact is that, a lot of people miss the "She wouldn't say that" part as during commercials, especially during a WNBA commercial, people would not be paying attention to the screen that shows that in text. The commercial is below. Assume it in the context of an NBA game, and make your own judgement.

A Tale of Two Coaching Matchups

Even though the Couch Potato gave only 6/10 bags for this weekend's action, today's NBA action, composed of two Game 6s, look fairly promising.

When one look at these games, even superficially, one difference between the two games stands out.

Coaching.

One game features two HOF coaches, one the longest tenured and consistently good, and the other possesses 9 rings. This contrasts sharply with the other game, which features two coaches, whose luck has been significantly better than their coaching.

Which much of the media may have ignored just how significant this is, this match up between Doc Rivers and Mike Brown will go down, for me, as the match up of two of the worst coaches in NBA playoff history. Bill Simmons (good luck on your situation with ESPN) has done a great job of sharing the skills of Doc Brown. Although, I have to admit, I was stumped to see Doc Brown following the conventional wisdom and leaving Rajon Rondo out there after he started playing well. However, this one game does not mask multiple silly substitution patterns utilized by Doc. Mr. PER, John Hollinger, gives light to one of the more dumbfounding grievances is his latest work for ESPN, the question as to why the corpse of P. J. Brown is getting more burn than the productive Leon Powe.

As for Doc Brown, it is simply frustrating for me. Just as Boston hired a good defensive assistant coach in Tom Thibedeau, the Cavaliers should look at hiring a good offensive assistant/associate coach for the Cavs to show that their run last year was not just a fluke, and to entice LeBron to stay rather than bolt Madison Square Garden or The Bronx. Look, it is NOT a good idea to get LeBron the ball 30 feet from the basket on the wing, especially when the spacing is so poor such that 3 defenders can collapse on LeBron without fear of a major penalty.

Just thinking about those two wasting the talent they had been given is frustrating.

Just watch the games for the difference. There is so much more ball movement and off the ball cuts in the Jazz-Lakers series. There is quite a bit of beautiful basketball there, with the exception of some unnecessary fouls and turnovers. The beauty of the game comes from the coaches. Perhaps Doc and Mike should be watching the game following their own for some ideas.

Quick Thoughts 5/15

- Pau Gasol did not push off on Okur. I actually thought he did push off, and exclaimed as much over at Fanhouse's live blog, and was relieved the foul wasn't called, but this excellent post by the venerous Henry Abbot has caused me to change my mind.

- Destiny. This word gets thrown around a lot around this time. One proper use of it might have been yesterday, when Utah had about 10 chances to take the lead, but fell short each time. If the Jazz lose this series, this loss will be fairly haunting over the summer.

-Things the Cavaliers need to practice.
1. Spacing
2. Point of origin for plays run for LeBron

- I am not a Cavalier fan, but I empathize with Cavalier fans who are subject to Mike Brown's "offense." Mr. Brown, please do not call for plays where the lanes are clogged such that there are three players who are in LeBron path to the basket. It's called spacing. It's what worked during the first part of the game. Maybe even give the ball to LeBron on he low post such that he can utilize his strength and passing. Having him dribble the ball up is such a waste. Finally, LeBron, please do not settle for lazy jumpers.

- I feel bad for Bill Simmons. You could see this coming, especially after ESPN nixed his interview with Barack Obama. 2010, the year his contract ends seems so far away. Perhaps he can write a book he's always wanted to write, on a high school basketball team he used to cover. A sample is present at his new blog.

- Thank you to the one person that has me on RSS.

How the Sonics Screwed Over The Suns

Its a bleak day for Seattle. The word is that neither Seattle nor Super Sonics will be a part in the name of an NBA team next year.

The team is not doing much better either. A fusion of lack of veterans, KD bricks, and questionable decision making have lead to a disappointing record. They are not the Indians from Major League, nor can they defeat many foes.

One team however, can 'thank' the Sonics for its fall. [Yes, I know they are hot right now, but does anyone think they can defeat the Lakers, Hornets, Spurs, or even the Jazz?] This team is the Phoenix Suns. Allow me to elaborate. Less than a year ago, the Suns were arguably the most entertaining team since Showtime. They played an uptempo style of basketball orchestrated by a 2 time MVP. It looked like their year after handily defeating my Lakers in the first round. However, a questionable decision by the league lead to key 1 game suspensions, and subsequently defeat in the series and a sure opportunity to win a championship.

As the season ended, the Sonics received a trade exception from the Rashard Lewis trade. Now, this enticed the Suns to trade Kurt Thomas to save money. Would there have been another trade had the Sonics trade not been there? I do not know, although, I do not believe there would have been another option whose marginal value was good enough so that Kurt Thomas should have been traded. Now, had that trade not happened, the Suns would not have needed to trade for Shaq, and would not have to pay him 20 mil per year for two more years, and would have matched up well with the current teams.

Next up, lets look at what would have happened if the Sonics wanted to remain competitive and this did not trade Ray Allen. Its easy to forget, but, it was this trade that essentially brought KG to Boston. Now had this not happened, the Celtics would have had more than enough assets to trump the Lakers offer for Gasol, and Kobe would have been forced to play as a one man show. The Lakers arguably would not have been in 1st without Bynum, and Phoenix would have safely been in 1st place, while still playing an entertaining style of ball.

Finally, giving away Kurt Thomas to the Spurs, [even though better deals were possible] and subsequently releasing Brent Barry so that he could go back to the Spurs, may come back to haunt the Suns if they face the Spurs.