Quotable

I had a dream last night where Aaron Brooks hit a game winning three against the Wizards which because of the win sent Tracy McGrady to the Wiz. I want to elaborate on this. Let's say we have a dream league with no salary cap and each team has to offer up one player per year and whoever wins that game gets to choose to keep that player or send him to the other team or ship their player off. Like say Kobe Bryant was offered up in that Grizzlies game the other night. The Griz won and could have just stole one of the best players ever. You could argue it'd make good teams better and bad teams worse. But I believe teams would play hard to keep their elite players and we could throw in some rules. Like every team gets one exemption every five years where they can veto the opposing team taking a player or giving a player and we wouldn't include rookies or sophomores because that could get brutal and you wouldn't be able to offer up the same shitty player/contract every year. I don't know it was a dream scenario that I thought sounded pretty neat. Maybe it's an awful idea but it would make for a few regular season games to mean more.

* * *

Doesn't the Cavs win streak without Mo Williams prove how little value he brings to the team?

I witnessed Hasheem Thabeet get pushed off of his screen by Jamario Moon. This does not bode well for his future, but his decent looking jumper and free throw shooting does.

I'm convinced Trevor Ariza is the worst player in the league right now after watching him play against the Suns. He was lauded as a 3 baller and a defender while on the Lakers... well when you take away all 7-footers he was playing with and Kobe Bryant both his offense and defense take a huge hit. He uses his length alright on the perimeter and in the post but is just a gambler and without bug men to save him when he messes up he looks poor. And he became a shot maker after hitting something like 47% of his threes in the playoffs. Well I'm assuming he was so open because of Kobe and the feared big men and had the confidence because he was a nobody and also going to guess he didn't shoot that many of them (I was wrong he attempted about 3.5 a game). Well now that he's "the man" on the Rockets he's taking those threes and missing, a lot. According to basketball-reference.com he is shooting 30% from three and only 37% from the field. These are horrible percentages for a shooting guard which is what he mostly plays, and I'll even give him the fact that he should be judged as a small forward where his percentages are still terrible! In a league where Coby Karl can get 15 points 7 assists and 7 rebounds for the Warriors, Ariza kills his team and is the worst player in the NBA currently. I mean Chase Bundinger pushes him for minutes. Which sucks for the Rockets because they got some good players like Aaron Brooks.


* * *

Some thoughts on Channing Frye

Jason: I imagine guarding Channing Frye shooting threes is like me (5'9) guarding that 6'4 kid in that pickup game last week.

Ben: Yeah probably.

Jason: I feel immensely bad for everyone that he has splashed on now.

* * *

Maybe there will be no correlation, but with Chandler Parsons stepping up and hitting game winners all of a sudden, maybe it's alright to compare him to having a future NBA career kinda like Mike Miller's. Just throwin' it out there, 'cause I like my Florida boys, winners or not.

* * *

And here, just go and read about a baby terrorizing Hornets fans.

posted by: Jason

Real Quick Hit To The Chinstrap

Getting right to it:

I absolutely hate Adrian Peterson after this year, never really cared before but I'm sick of him being played up as a stud. He vulture's half his touchdowns, fumbles all day and they put in Chester Taylor for critical moments.

Second I like Pierre Thomas because he gets it done as a Saints back. I do, however, hate how half his touchdowns require him leaping and landing on his head and/or back and therefore injuring him. I mean did you see the slow motion replay where Chad Greenway blasted him first right on the chinstrap then followed through to the ball jarred it loose and Pierre still held on for the conversion? That was beautiful and I hope I can find the video of it later.

EDIT: Here is what I presume and hope is a link to said video.

I always think of Marques Colston as one of the better receivers in the league but he had a sub par game and that disappoints me. And why didn't any other teams just blitz and beat the shit out of that old prick all year? That's what you got to do hit him; hard and late, take the flag. Just hurt him because he needs to go away.

posted by: Jason

Cavs - Lakes

I will actually be watching the game tonight. I have not had the chance to watch nearly as many games as I had hoped to, but tonight is a special occasion. I usually couldn't care less for superstars facing off, even though when LeBron and Kobe do it seems to be bigger than basketball itself. I am drawn tonight though, after viewing the game the two teams played on Christmas day. It was splendid and stellar, me being a Cavs fan of course, but watching the foam fingers fly towards the end of the game was almost beautiful to watch for me. Here's hoping for a similar outcome tonight (and maybe me live-blogging about the game).

So far the only things that have excited me this game are LeBron jumping into the stands, which somehow elicited a conversation about his penis size between Ben and I, comparing Kobe and LeBron's "moves" (LeBron's foot shuffle and Kobe's up and down and up and down and up and down act) and Z making a three. Why isn't he in the 3-point contest, he's 9-16 this year on them and that would get me to actually watch it. Please NBA make that happen and while you're at it do not put Eric "I have an attitude problem no one talks about" Gordon in the dunk contest and make Monta Ellis an All-Star.

A few more things, I somewhat love/hate how the Cavs get up for big games. I would be much more understanding of this trait had they fucking won a championship or something. You can't rest on your laurels if you don't have any to rest on. I hate J.J. Hickson. Yes at first I hated him but then he seemed to be coming around, but now I just hate him again. He is and always will be a nobody, trade him. Finally I think I'll become a fan of the Pacers, I need that terrible rebuilding team to root for and it could be them. It was the Warriors but they are forever terrible. The Pacers have decent pieces, terrible uniforms and no other fans. Just need a really terrible year the rest of this year or some luck in the lottery to get John Wall and I'll be in love (or when the Nets get Mr. Wall go ahead and trade for Devin Harris). And now for a little treat:

This dunk isn't spectacular because he is dunking on Goran Dragic (who gets surprisingly high up in the air, just need to put your hand on the ball or at least his arms kid). It's so great because it is a complete vertical leap. He stops sets his feet and leaps straight up in the air instead of a running jump. Plus he then throws it down with strenght and authority and doesn't hold onto the rim making this slam look even prettier.

P.S. I decided today that if I were to coach or run a college basketball team I would assemble my teams like this: 4 great shooters with lots of range, one of which who can play the 4 spot, 2 guys that can penetrate and create on their own, one legit-ish, post up big man, 2 more big men with a little range all of which need to be able to rebound and defend my paint, and the rest would be guys to replace said players and maybe if I'm at a good school and could get great recruits then I'd have a 4 or 5 star guy somewhere in there no matter his playing abilities or style. They all have to defend and rebound and pass well, and make them run and if they don't score in transition go for give and goes, screens and ball movement (all simple things) in my half court offense, occasionally going to the big men and my slashers to keep the defense honest. My reasoning for all the shooters and only one big man? No big men do anything in college. The zones are so good that you really need shooters so the more the merrier and any big man can be defended because of the more psychically defense in college.

EDIT: I don't know why the video is posted twice and it wont get fixed, sorry.

posted by: Jason

Exciting News!

First off it's Benny Boy's first co-post on the blog, yay! Second, we have the equipment to record podcasts finally! We may finally be in big business here at 4th and 20.

Ohk so let's get down to it. Everyone has their own personal favorite players that aren't actually famous and may not even play. Besides Juan Dixon and Dallas Baker my next favorite has to be Ricky Davis. You may remember his quote about LeBron James, well he seems to have more insight that I would love to hear about. Instead of butchering a story I will post this link to a great story from ESPN's Daily Dime. That my friends, is Ricky giving great advice about being a selfish asshole and having it work.

So the following is a slightly edited conversation between Ben and I about a potential trade between the Rockets and the 76ers:

Jason: So the Rockets might trade T-Mac to the Sixers for Iggy and Speights. That's so one-sided
Ben: Ya, salary dump?
J: But they're giving up a young player it doesn't make sense, so it probably won't happen. On the plus side if it does, the Rockets are my sleeper team in the west.
B: Would Iggy play small forward?
J: Two guard and Ariza goes back to SF I assume.
B: Ah that answers my next question. Ew at T-Mac and A.I. together in Philly.
J: I know right? What's the good for the Sixers? They get an older, more offensive Iggy who's coming off knee surgery and doesn't play D plus they lose a young gun.
B: Right. Just ew at Philly, poor Eddie Jordan.
J: Yeah well I don't know. It can't happen right? This is the NBA, the NBA makes sense, this trade doesn't.
B: I'm not sure. Just because the NBA makes sense doesn't mean teams don't do stupid things i.e Memphis and Pau Gasol.
J: They did get Marc Gasol and cut salary and some decent picks though.
B: Yeah, I don't know. Too bad I hate the Sixers cause those jerseys are legit.

That is just a preview of the many great podacsts that are soon to come.

Also just need to say that Bernard Pollard; part of the reason Wes Welker torn his knee up (I still love my Wesley) and the reason Tom Brady's knee died. Why, Miami would you not sign this guy with your safetys being the most piss poor group except for the Bears? And while I'm at it let's move Sean Smith to safety and draft Joe Haden or Brandon Spikes or someone good.

posted by: Jason and Ben

Alonzo Mourning For Three!

I think every team in the NBA should be regulated to wear team colored shoes, somewhat like the NFL. What is my reasoning you ask? 1. They look super hot, just look at those Kevin Durant shoes all of OKC wore below. Who doesn't want to see purple shoes on Kevin Martin or yellow shoes on Monta Ellis? 2. I really don't give a fuck about shoe deals or any of the drama in them, like when Mike Miller wore some LeBron's against the Cavs.

I mean that is team unity. Of course I must use a disclaimer in my love for brightly colored clothing that is unnecessary and ugly.

Also I know very few basketball quotes but these two are my favorites:

“I thought LeBron James was just going to be another addition to help me score.” - Ricky Davis

That one really speaks for itself, Ricky Fuckin' Davis everyone.

"I'd seen Maravich play in New Orleans, when the Utah Jazz were the New Orleans Jazz. He was something to see - mop of brown hair, floppy socks - the holy terror of the basketball world - high flyin' - magician of the court. The night I saw him he dribbled the ball with his head, scored a behind-the-back, no-look basket - dribbled the length of the court, threw the ball up over the glass and caught his own pass. He was fantastic. Scored something like 38 points. He could have played blind." - Bob Dylan

posted by: Jason