Thursday, June 18, 2009

Three Real Quick Hits

First off can I say that I am enticed about the movie More Than A Game, otherwise known as the LeBron James high school years story. It looks like it is done well and that it includes the other players from that team. Good job whoever directed it.

Secondly Lamar wants to be a Laker again and wants Ariza back too. Well good for you Lamar, but wouldn't the Lakers be better off stealing Hedo away from the Magic? They'd get a starting small forward that can help Pau and Kobe consistently and also handle the ball well because of how crappy their point guards are. I mean paying Hedo $10 million is a lot but it is roughly the same price as Lamar and Ariza with the same talent if not better. Might not be able to be as flexible of a team but they really wouldn't have to flex for anyone with that lineup.

Finally why is Monta Ellis apparently available. Ever since losing to the Jazz after thumping Dallas a few years back in the playoffs the Warriors have been in utter disarray. It's saddening, they became my favorite team over night then vanished just as quickly. I still like Monta, I doubt he is a point guard but either way he is a great player.

posted by: Jason

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Larry Hughes-isms, Lamar the Great and Some MMA words

Everyone by now knows the Chuck Norris facts and the carbon copy, but still just as good, Tim Tebow facts I linked to last post. Well I am starting a new (well new to all of you folks) set with Larry Hughes-isms. The only difference is that all of these are bad because Larry Hughes is, well, bad. These were started way back when Larry was still a Cavalier. He got about two years before we threw the book at him and just gave up on him and his teardrops (the crappy shot he tried and the tattoos). Anyways the main running joke is that no matter what Larry Hughes loses by two. Larry Hughes lost a three point shooting contest to Boobie by two points. Larry Hughes lost to Drew Gooden's duckbill haircut by two in a pick up game. You cannot beat Larry Hughes he can only lose to you, by two. Larry Hughes once got a steal on the final possession of a game while up by 14, then lost by two anyways. Anyways I plan on putting some more up and will take any suggestions.

Would Lamar Odom be a good fit for the Cavs? Before laughing it off, give some thought to it, especially considering in Ben Wallace retires. Gives us athleticism and could teach a younger player, if we draft say Alade Aminu, Lamar could be an influence or mentor. But do you really want a potential starter learning from Lamar Odom, the franchise player who shows up every other week? It is a possibility though, letting Andy and Sasha and Big Ben go then signing Lamar to a reasonable deal and maybe we can pull a trade of JJ Hickson or Darnell Jackson for Brandan Wright. He was a high 1st round draft pick, has gobs of potential, seems to be out of favor in Oakland and having two young athletic big forwards isn't a bad time if they draft Aminu as well.

Is Udonis Haslem a good idea for the Orlando Magic? Tony Battie, I'll wait until you are done laughing, is actually a serviceable and reliable backup F/C, again waiting for your laughter. But he is close to the end and may retire. Marcin Gortat has been picking up steam a lot in the playoffs and is apparently on the Knick's radar and I wouldn't be surprised if other teams (like the Cavs) are looking heavily in to him as well. I would bet money on him being long gone next year. So that leaves them with nothing other than Howard and Lewis back there. With no picks coming this year so no way to draft a young big guy or point guard, which they should do to replace Alston. And drafting a young big man seems like a bad idea, I would assume they want someone who knows what he is doing a veteran like Haslem. He can hit shots play decent defense he has been there and won before, he is getting a little old and has some health problems now. But a sign and trade of Gortat to the Heat seems like a good plan for both sides. The Magic are most likely losing Marcin regardless and the Heat need to get younger, cheaper and bigger. One knock is that Haslem may not be able to play back up center to give Dwight some rest. They would have to go small or still get another serviceable center.

I love MMA, but more than the UFC, I love the WEC. All of the fighters seem to be more in it for the fighting than the fame or money. And with this past match up between Urijah Faber and Mike Brown being called the fight of the year, I am slightly disappointed. First and foremost Faber is my favorite fighter. I usually hate cocky guys but when you watch him fight you see where he gets it from and it is kind of funny hearing him talk about the parties after the fight. I will give Mike Brown the first fight, Faber came out too cocky anyways and didn't gameplan well. But this second time you could tell it would have most likely been either a solid win by Faber or at least an all time classic fight between them, until Faber broke his hand and injured his other therefore taking his punches away from him. Mike Brown had a pretty bad fight all around, not mixing up strikes and couldn't capitalize when he took down Faber or even after Faber broke his hand. In fact Mike Brown's "strategy" of ground him and do nothing, was so bad the Faber almost pulled out the win with the broken hand. After taking Urijah down in the last round, Faber flipped around and got Brown in a deep modified choke but couldn't hold on with his broken hand and had to let go. Basically I do not think this counts as a victory for Mike Brown. I thought it was a draw at best and Faber could not punch for 3 and a half rounds. Let's say Brown had broken his hand instead, he would not have been able to accomplish anything in that fight. In fact I don't think Mike Brown could have beaten a chump with a broken right hand let alone go three more rounds with Urijah and still be considered for fight of the year. Good job Faber, it's a shame what happened. Take a couple more little fights work on your game, then come back and hopefully that punk still has the belt so you can earn it right back.

posted by: Jason

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

The Tim Tebow Theory

Tim Tebow is so amazing that I have my own theory that uses him as an example that he hasn't proven, yet. The theory goes as follows: If a player is great in college, a proven winner, has at least one championship and player of the year award and maybe a record or two. And has that little hustle and leader mentality, then said player will do at the worst, good at the pro level. Even if they have psychical limitations such as lack of height, or little athleticism. So when Tebow gets drafted and plays for a team he will prove this theory for me.

Another player that this theory applies to is Tyler Hansbourgh. I have said multiple times that I believe he will be a great player and should be drafted by the Cavs, and I still do think he will be great. However with the recent beating given to Cleveland by Orlando and their unorthodox team style and this transition in the NBA to smaller line-ups and more athletic forwards and centers, I know think they should go after a player with that sort of upside. The main problem with this is that these types of players take some years to develop and are very hit or miss, remember Darius Miles was allegedly going to be the next Kevin Garnett according to the Sports Guy Bill Simmons.

Rashard Lewis took several years to become the killer x-factor that he has been this year. Josh Smith is another one who took awhile and actually still is developing in to a great player. In fact a year or two ago I was hoping the Cavs would realize their faults at the power forward spot and make an offer to him, but then the Hawks resigned him and he made a nice little leap in to a potential star player. For the record I love Kevin Durant. I love what he does at the small forward spot, but if he were to put on some pounds and play some defense like he plays offense then he could be the epitome of the athletic power forward. I find that these players a lot of times start off as tall small forwards then develop a bit on the defensive end and get some more weight and strength to them and then they switch to the power forward spot. At least this seems to be what Lewis and Smith did and they are my main examples.

So in looking at the draft finding player that not only fit that bill, but what players will have the least possible amount of bust potential, limits the choices available in a draft filled with nothing but point guards and 'tweener forwards. The bust potential in basketball seems to be about twice as high in football. Mainly because the players need to be good at everything, you can only have 12 players there's hardly room to develop anyone or have specialist on the team. In football you can draft a long snapper, now nothing against football it's a completely different sport, but being a GM there is a heck of a lot easier. I happen to take a little bit of pride in finding relatively unknown players that become good players (I don't know why I just enjoy knowing about a star player before everyone else). My big sleeper pick from the NFL Draft this year was cornerback Kevin Barnes from Maryland who was drafted in the third round I believe by the Redskins. He will most likely be their nickle corner by the end of the year and the only reason he was unknown was because he suffered an injury.

Anyways let us move on to the few prospects left on my list. Most of the 'tweeners this year are around 6'8 or 6'7 and this is just too small to be in the mold of my athletic power forward. I'm not saying these guys like James Johnson and Sam Young will be bad, just not what I am looking for. So let's get to the main two guys: Austin Daye and Earl Clark. Both seem to be bursting at the seems with potential and ability but for some reason neither player has put it together completely. Austin Daye is very lanky and skinny like Durant, I almost feel like he has to be a small forward cause he won't be able to bulk up. Reminds me a bit of Corey Brewer and while I bring up his name, shouldn't he be due for a breakout season? Yes he is on a piss poor team but he was the main conduit for those championship Florida teams. Hopefully he bulked up a little bit and worked on his offensive game (dribbling and shooting) and then next year will stick to his style of play (lock down defense, creating for other players) and become a solid player. He is still a favorite player of mine and I hope he makes the strides to becoming at least a good, if not great player. On a side note about Brewer he is too short to be that power forward I am looking for and also, Ben was in his hometown of Portland, TN and said it was a dump. Earl Clark seems like he would be that perfect size and weight and has all the ability but much like Josh Smith it remains to be seen if he can put it all together. If he grows up and studies and works on his game than sure, he can become that player I am talking about. But I would have to put the high risk tag on him, I think he is the biggest potential bust of these 'tweeners. Much like say Brandan Wright a few years back, who I'm not completely giving up on but he needs major improvement soon.

So who you may be asking is this amazing fantasy player of mine? Well remember Anthony Randolph last year and how he seems like he could be poised to be the next KG of sorts or at least the next Rashard Lewis. Well this year there is a player by the name of Alade Aminu
who played on a mediocre Georgia Tech team with another player that was basically the same as him. So he has gone relatively unknown because of those two mishaps. Now I didn't watch much college basketball this year, but from everything I read about this guy he went from producing a lot more than his final stats to getting a reduced role because of the limited offense and coaching he received. He averaged something like 11 points 8 rebounds 2 blocks and a steal a game coming off the bench and in a terrible system. Even so he was ranked 7th in the ACC in rebounds and 4th in blocks. His steals blocks and rebounds suggest he can defend and even get better. My main tick is his only 1 assist per game, that means he's not seeing the floor well and at 6'10 he should be seeing it pretty well. He was a track star so he is very athletic and started his own foundation called the Brotherhood of the World. His main knocks are that he may not be all that strong right now and doesn't have the best defensive presence or basketball IQ which causes him to try and do more than he should at times. Both of which are coachable and very fixable. Basically he is 6-10 or taller with a 7-3 wingspan and can run the floor and score in the post and with the ball on the floor and shooting. Common thinking would be that he can improve all his weaknesses and even his strengths with the right coaching and doesn't seem to have that bust potential with a mostly ready NBA body and abilities that will translate to the league right away. Yet he is still projected as a mid to late second rounder. So hopefully Cleveland will take a look and draft him to get some more athleticism and another potential not just starter, but a potential star.

Just realized that his brother Al-Farouq Aminu was his brother. I was almost thinking they were the same person. But that would be a pretty spectacular duo at both forward spots for a team. Especially in Al-Farouq develops his offensive game with a some consistent jump shooting and grows a few more inches. He already seems a little better defensively than his brother. I wonder why they didn't go to the same college like the Lopez and Griffin brothers...

By the way I have no clue who will win the Finals this year. I'm hoping it will be the Magic because they beat the Cavs and because they were my pick for "team that is doing good but people under appreciate and think are overachieving but will actually go far in the playoffs." Also note that my pick in the West for that team was not the Blazers or the Rockets, but the Nuggets, so I was 2 for 2 on those picks. The most I can hope for is another good series like the Celtics/Bulls series and not just another mediocre series with a good game or two.

UPDATE: Since I mentioned Tim Tebow and Florida Gators in this post I thought it would be an opportune time to show this article from Yahoo Sport's college football blog. Yes Florida is a hot bed for speedsters. No I do not believe any of those times can be legit, except Jeffery Demps who qualified for the Olympics and his 100 meter dash is converted in to something like a 3.66 second 40 yard dash.

posted by: Jason

Monday, June 1, 2009

Our Vehicles Are Now Owned By The Government

This may seem a weird intro into a sports blog but it is in part about the economic problems and the players being affected from it. The NBA wonders how to fix this problem while it's very own teams are giving at best bench players like Wally $13 million. That is where you went wrong, no it is not General Motors or the government's fault. If you would pay players accordingly, you would be much better off.

I find it hard to feel bad for most athletes because they are all living the dream and most especially LeBron because he's got it all. However in this one case I can feel bad for him. All of the media outlets are trashing him for walking directly off the court and not congratulating any of the Magic players. I have to ask if you were considered the best player on the best team in the league and lost in the Conference Finals to a team everyone thought was an overachiever, would you stay and give them hugs? Because I know I would fucking walk off the court cursing and throwing things and get home as soon as possible.

Writing on how to fix the team that won the most games this year is a weird subject, but because it's my hometown Cavs, I have written about it the past three posts or so it seems. So this time I will take a different approach. What if Danny Ferry (and he more than likely will) stands pat and sticks with this overpaid, under-talented team thinking that they will improve in next years playoffs, but they don't make the Finals again? LeBron is now a free agent and free to sign anywhere, even though there is a few select cities he would consider signing with. I believe he will stand here if the Cleveland brass shows him that they are competent and can get an offensive coach and a roster that is actually good.

I have two probable destinations for him: the Knicks or the Nets. Both are, or at least could be, much better situations for him. Let's start with the Knicks because that is everyone else's pick for him to run off to. They have the coach and some proven players, plus the big market and the ability to get even more talent. Any team trying to court James has to not only have talented players, but players he likes would help out in so many ways. One player James obviously likes is Stephen Curry and he is almost a lock to get drafted by the Knicks. The Knicks are a little stacked at small forward with Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler and they are real weak at the bigs and shooting guard position. So what the Knicks would have to do is try to trade for Amare Stoudmire (because of the D'antoni relationship) or Chris Bosh. And if that isn't possible trades for quality bench players or a two guard or a center are all possibilities. Then when free agency starts signing LeBron with either Bosh/Stoudmire and/or Dwyane Wade and draft a center or two guard and hope that they all click together. This possibility seems like it is too uncertain for LeBron to just jump ship in to. Although if they get another superstar like Wade, Bosh or Amare I wouldn't bet against it.

Now the Nets are actually the best destination for him. They're owned in part by James' best bud: Jay-Z and they have pieces in place already. With Devin Harris and Brooke Lopez and the draft picks coming this team is in a good position to add James. Getting rid of Yi and Vince Carter would be good ideas if at all possible anymore. But with Chris Douglas-Roberts as a sixth man and the other young players they will add, this rotation could be a force for a few years to come and would only get better. Will the King be willing to possibly wait a few more years to be completely ready for a title though is the main question.

I really hate to add to the hype of LeBron skipping town, because I don't think he will. But I couldn't blame him if he did and in fact I'll be surprised if he doesn't get a little more vocal about what he wants for changes here in Cleveland. He knows Mike Brown is stupid and that this roster has maxed out. So now I'd like to see if he is willing to take a little extra flack for speaking up about a pretty poorly run team or if he keeps to his perfect answers that don't harm his rep in anyway.

posted by: Jason