Wednesday, August 31, 2005

A-Fraud

Gangsta D:

Your boy Roddick went out like a chump last night. Bravo, he won ONE grand slam tournament, but isn't it time we start the "underachiever" watch for him? I'm not saying he's there yet, but you CANNOT lose in the first round of the U.S. Open when you're in your prime...

Waldini:

I love it....America's hope is failing before our eyes

Da Realist:

you're talking to someone that was surprised he won that one championship a couple of years ago. serve and forehand, that's pretty much it. oh well, get rid of the riff raff. if anyone is going to beat federer,they better do it this week. he took 6 weeks off and still appeared a little rusty in the last tournament(even though he beat roddick, AGAIN, to win it). if he gets to the 2nd week, fuhgetaboutit.

Gangsta D:

At least James Blake won. And I think the black dude from France, Monfils,won too. Dude is gonna be crucial. 6'3", 140 mph serve and fast as a wide reciever. He's only 18, and nearly won the Junior Grand Slam last year. Maybe he can challenge Federer in a couple years...or maybe not:)

Waldini:

I dont know about that last statement man. Federer is a beast. But then again, anything can happen in sports. Just when you think someone is untouchable or undefeatable, out of nowhere some unknown proves that no one is untouchable. Just ask Lennox Lewis :-) Read more!

Talkin' Bout The U

Gangsta D:

http://www.fanblogs.com/miami/005567.php

All this is is talk. It doesn't matter one way or the other. We will find out if Wright is worthy, if the running game is back, if the defense is crucial again. I think expectations should be tempered. I don't think we can make a run at the Rose Bowl, because we probablywill lose one game, but no more than one. Nevertheless, I would kill quite a few people to be able to see the 'U play 'SC for the nat'l title game. I can't even comprehend the amount of speed that would be on the field. It would probably be the highest rated title game. Ahh well, one can only hope...

Da Realist:

i'm just excited that my favorite season is now uponus. it will take a pack of wild dogs to get me out of the house on the weekends now. i'm twice blessed because Da Wife's a big college football fan too. so not only does she condone it, she's right there with me. Read more!

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Ricky B. Ya'll

Waldini:

Seems like someone's been reading our blogs on the Heat :-)

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=bucher_ric&id=2140182

Da Realist:

i love this article. he hits the nail on the head.

Gangsta D:

Like I said previously, this is gonna be one hell of a soap opera. And if anyone thinks it's gonna be chocolate and roses they're smoking some serious fire. I'm almost willing to guarantee Riles will be coaching the Heat in the Christmas game. I hope SVG has a good dry cleaner. I heard it's hard to get tire tread marks off your suit. Read more!

Rosen's Rath

Da Realist:

i'm sure we all will have some serious questions/comments after reading his top 5 teams of
all time.


http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/4802956

Waldini:

Whoa Nellie! Where is the 83 Sixers squad? ANd what's his beef with Pippen? I dont remember him being arrogant towards the media and fans in his day. He basically is giving the 92 Bulls team (besides MJ, Grant, Pip) no love but everyone on the 96 team was a beast. And where are the 86 Celtics?? They were better than the.....

Sorry, too many other questions to ask right now :-)

Gangsta D:

The biggest question is what happened to scoring? How do you average 121 pts a game? How could a team average 106 pts and be the 16th highest scoring team one year, then 10 years later a team avg 100 pts and is #3:) Like Big said, "things done changed!"

Da Realist:

1) just a thought... charley doesn't hide the fact that he and phil jackson are friends. is it a
coincidence that 3 teams coached by jackson and 1 team that jackson played on all made his list of 13? don't get me wrong, all of the teams he listed are good, but there were several he didn't list that were good too.


2) patrick ewing. he said patrick was one of the most overrated players of all time. he also said the 94 houston rockets are the 12th best team in history, but the knicks led by patrick stretched them to 7 games. he said the 92 bulls are the 4th best team in history, but the knicks let by patrick stretched THEM to 7 games. what does this say about patrick?


3) speaking of overrated. didn't he list chamberlain as a "loser" who happened to win a couple of rings? well, he also listed that "loser" as an important cog on the 3rd and best teams of all time. is he really a loser?

4) this isn't fair, but i might as well get the ball rolling. could the 94 rockets really beat the 86
celtics? could the 50 minneapolis lakers really beat the 85 los angeles lakers? could they even beat the 2005 san antonio spurs? it's always unfair to compare teams from different eras, but it sure is interesting to see what people think.


Gangsta D:

Good points, but Rosen would counter by saying that stretching wasn't good enough. He should've beaten them. I may be one of the few people without the last name Ewing, that don't think he was overrated. Like I said before, he lost to the G.O.A.T. There's no shame in that.
Look at those Knick teams. Not exactly the '85 Lakers. He got them as far as he could...


Waldini:

I'm still trippin the 83 Sixers are not on that list....And note he does not include the recent Spurs or Pistons championship teams. I wonder how he would rank those squads against previous champs.

Patrick, Chuck B, Stockton, Malone were all victims of playing against his Airness during his dominant years. I'm shocked at how fast Malone has gone from being the greatest PF ever to an overrated player who only looked good b/c of Stockton

Da Realist:

like i said, it's hard comparing different teams and all that. i don't even like comparing players from different eras or even different positions. jordan is my favorite player of all time, but i've never said he's the greatest. how could you measure something like that? how can someone measure jordan against a totally different player, like say...magic johnson? both were winners, so that's nil. both were great leaders, so that's nil. the only difference is stats. but how do you compare stats for 2 totally different players? jordan was more explosive and physically
dominant, but magic had better court vision. how do you measure this?


anyway, i pretty much let people say what they want because you can't prove or disprove anything when there are so many differing factors affecting things. there is no control group. it'll be one thing if you can take the 67 sixers and apply the same forces to them to prepare them to play in 1996 against the bulls. better treatment, better diets, better workout regimens on the plus side but fat tv contracts, guaranteed money and free agency on the negative. then we could see who's better. or apply 1965 standards to the 2001 lakers and let's see them play bill russell's celtics. anything other than this is opinion. interesting, but still opinion. Read more!

Hittin' Gates...

Waldini:

What do you guys think? Should Antonio Gates reported to work after the team suspended him for the team's season opener? Or do you think he should have continued to hold his ground? Background, dude is paid less than 500K a year and he's one of the top 3 TEs in the NFL today.....

Da Realist:

it doesn't look like he has much leverage. they've suspended him? that's more than philly is doing with TO. is this the last year in the deal? maybe he can use this season to "audition" for other teams.

Gangsta D:

Now they sign a six year deal? Why couldn't they have done this last week and avoided unecessary drama? On the other hand, I'm not too mad because the 'Boys play the Chargers in week 1. We gotta deal with LT, but no Gates and no premier reciever makes the Bolts one dimensional. I'll take that...

Waldini:

You nailed it on the head. this is truly one of the more bizarre stories in football. You hold out, get suspended, rescind your stance, report to camp, sign a one year deal, then sign a 6 year deal 2 days later....I was listening to sports radio about this for the past few days and the majority have ripped Gates and his agent. And of course, they started back with the comparisons to TO's situation and that players need to report, b/c it's good for the game, blah blah blah....

This is Waldini's two cents on the NFL. Unlike the NBA and MLB where contracts AND bonuses are guaranteed, the NFL is not making it easy to slash players when they do not have a good year or are on downsides of their careers. The reason it looks bad for TO, Gates, Cedric Benson, and others is because of their poor timing. Truss if it was the next to last year of their contracts, and they had just come off a career year, folks would be clamoring for the owners to pay these guys.

The NFL is the true hypocrisy of Sports and Revenue Management. And if you are a player and decide to buck the system and management, well get ready to incur the wrath of the media and so-called fans who pay top dollar to watch you play. Nobody ever says that the same thing happens in corporate America. We get evaluated EVERY year. You could have 5 great evaluations in a row but let you have ONE bad one during a cost-cutting situation. Your a$$ is grass holmes :-)....You know what, I am going on strike today and holding out for more guaranteed money :-)

thanks D, you inspired me this morning, lol Read more!

Charley Rosen's at it again

Da Realist:

he's at it again. one thing you can say is, whether you agree or disagree, he brings it. it's tough
to argue with him, but i do have a couple of things here that i do disagree with. it'll be interesting to see what you guys think.


http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/4350680

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/4796682

Waldini:

I was just reading this as you sent this email. Yea he's definitely bringin it and he's not playing favorites. Almost everybody (he kinda let Bird and McHale off) is getting their weaknesses put out on the living room floor. The only dispute I have with the list is the low ranking of the 86-87 Lakers. Yea, I know that defense was not forte but when they needed a stop, they got a stop. I am anxious to see what the top 5 looks like. I know the 96 Bulls and 83 Sixers are in the top 3......

Da Realist:

that's EXACTLY what i was thinking! how could the '87 lakers be so low? i don't think charley is going to have the '96 bulls on there. they were good, but they weren't even the best bulls team. i think any of the 91-93 teams would have beaten 96. but i'll wait to see what he says.

my guess for the rest of the list to be (in no particular order)

92 chicago bulls
72 los angeles lakers
83 philadelphia 76'ers
86 boston celtics
85 los angeles lakers


Waldini:

You are the first Bulls fan I know to say that. I thought the 92 Bulls were one of the COLDEST teams I witnessed watching. Yea they struggled slightly in the Eastern Conf Finals but when it mattered, they broke out the whippin stick on ya....

Now Realist, you know he is going to put the 96 Bulls near the top just b/c they were the only team to win 70 games. He's a big Celtics buff so I say the 86 Celts come 2nd. I would love to hear his reasons why the 85 Lakers are better than the 87 Lakers especially since he cant stand McAdoo.

Da Realist:

nah, this guy is the least PC columnist i know. i don't think he'll put the '96 team. he wouldn't be
swayed by the record because he'll note that the league was watered down. i'm still having a hard time believing he put the '87 lakers on the LOWER TIER of champions. and why the hell is the '50 minneapolis lakers one of his 13 best? c'mon, man. that wonder bread team probably couldn't beat the harlem globetrotters back then. but being that i wasn't alive back then forces me to cede that particular argument.


not only is he going to have to pick 5 teams from the 5 i mentioned earlier, but the '77 portland
trailblazers, '67 philadelphia 76'ers (who held the record the 96 bulls later broke) along with 96-98 bulls. the thing to remember is the teams he doesn't pick fall below the 13 that he did. so let's say, for example, he does not choose the '80 lakers. what he's basically saying is that the '80 lakers could not beat the '94 houston rockets (no. 12), even though they beat a LOADED philadephia 76er team in the finals. good luck, charley.
Read more!

Thursday, August 18, 2005

From My Cold Dead Hands...

Da Realist:

Just shoot me!

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview05/news/story?id=2134927

Gangsta D:

In the FSU scrimmage, Xavier Lee was 2-17 for -1 yard. How in the HELL do you complete 2 passes for negative yardage. How do you miss FIFTEEN attempts...in a SCRIMMAGE. OK, Weatherford was 12-20 for 90 yds, but that yds/attempt is atrocious. Where have you gone BobbyB?

Waldini:

I applaud for not publicly ripping his coaches in front of the media. But he didn't have to embellish on "the criticism that Jeff takes constantly"either. Just admit the offense needs some reworking and go about your business

Da Realist:

i'm dead this year. DEAD. there is no hope. jeff ain't going nowhere unless you tell daddy to pack his bags too. and that ain't gonna happen. Read more!

I Hate Mike Lupica

Waldini:

Welcome to another edition of The Commission's version of Sports Reporters.....We are joined in the studio by the Washington Post's DaRealist, Pulitzer prize author of the best selling "Why Hating is good for the Soul", the Miami Herald's Gangsta D, one half of the Grammy winning duo, 2PD, and currently working on the follow-up to the 2004 smash "The Gigante Experience, and your host, Houston Chronicle's own Great Waldini, Emmy winning director of "100 reasons why Bojangles is better than Popeye's.....

Gentlemen....a sports column in Dallas recently compared Mack Brown to Phil Jackson. The writer provided little detail but pointed out that Phil has not been tested as a coach and this year we will get to see if he really can coach. Do you agree?

Gangsta:

Mack Brown has fielded unbelievably talented teams and has 1 BCS win and no nat'l title teams. Phil has fielded unbelievably talented teams and has 9 titles. How can you compare the two? At any rate, I think the 2000-2001 season was his best coaching job. I think he has been tested. He's just never had to build a team. He's taken teams to the next step. Now we'll see if he can take a team 2-3 steps.

Waldini:

I don't even know how the guy on the radio could compare the two. Mack Brown has traditionally come up short in big games, w/the exception of last year. Phil Jackson has traditionally come up big in big games, w/the exception of the 2004 Finals.

Folks always talk about Phil always had talent wherever he went but it still takes a good coach to maximize the talent of his players. Who can forget Brian Hill and the 95 Orlando Magic? He had Shaq, Penny, Ho.Grant, Dennis "No-D" Scott, and Nick Anderson starting with a pretty decent bench. That team got swept....think a good coach woulda let that happen.

Da Realist:

mack brown doesn't even warrant a discussion. i know i'm the last one that should talk because of fsu's struggles with miami. but at least bobby has a couple of titles and we've beaten miami a few times.

mack brown is a good coach (well, he does win 10 games a year), just not a great coach. phil jackson is a GREAT (and amazingly underrated) coach.

Waldini:

First, Bobby Bowden is a better coach than Mack Brown. I agree Mack is a good coach but sometime folks get too caught up in the hype over him. He's a GREAT recruiter but he doesn't develop players like he should. There is no excuse for a team that has had the top recruiting class 4 out of 6 years to not win their conference title.

Also agree w/the PJ comment. I do not understand why folks continue to harp on the "He had Mike & Scottie, then Shaq & Kobe" deal. Do people remember that those guys were playing for a few years prior to Phil coming. And they were going NOWHERE!

Up next on Sports Reporters, Hockey...does anyone care anymore? Read more!

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Heat To Add Depth?

Waldini:

You know we haven't talked about the Amnesty Clause"Sweep" that took place on Monday and all those players that were waived under this rule. I particulary am thinking about Michael Finley and how he could change the balance of power for some teams. Right now the Suns and Heat are the leading candidates for his services. Look at the possible scenarios

SUNS: If they got Finley, it would give them a starting rotation of KurtThomas, Amare Stoudamire, Shawn Marion, Michael FInley, and Steve Nash. Their bench would have Brian Grant, Raja Bell, JimmyJackson, and possibly Gary Payton. That's a good mix of youth and veterans on this team and I think if all the deals go through, they couldseriously challenge the Spurs(Before you go ape **** Realist, I said CHALLENGE, not BEAT them :-)

HEAT: If they got Finley, it would give them starting rotation of Shaq, Haslem, Posey, Wade, and Jason Williams. Their bench would have Finley, Zo,Walker, and again possibly Gary Payton. That's apretty deep bench too but I'm not sure Finley wants to be a 6th man at this point

I'm with D, this offseason has been intriguing and the newly added amnesty rule further confirms that. Very anxious to see where these players end up starting next week.

Gangsta D:

It all depends on Finley's attitude. He's used to being option #1 or #2. Wherever he goes now he'll be #3 at best, but probably #4. If he can acceptthat diminished role, then of course he'll help whoever signs him. But former All-Stars have a history of not being able to subjugate themselves. I secretly want him to sign with the Heat, because all the signs for a train wreck are just about in place:)

But c'mon, you knowNBA talk in August isn't intriguing...

Waldini:

Obviously it's not intriguing b/c Realist hasnt responded. Now if I flip the subject to FSU and their on-going problems, thenI get full inbox of emails about how the Bowden family needs to do this and that, lol.

I already think the Heat are a wreck with Walker and Williams yet sportswriters are giving them glowing reviews. It's amazing how both were revered last season and portrayed as selfish, cancers to their respective teams, and undeserving of their contracts. Now they are been portrayed as the final pieces of the championship puzzle and Diesel will have them in line this season. My question is if the Heat dont win theNBA title this year, will those same folks say these additions werefailed experiments?

Da Realist:

:-) am i not allowed to actually do some WORK during the day? can't i be busy from time to time? should i stop debugging to respond to every email? :-) Read more!

Monday, August 15, 2005

NBA. It's...For Sale?

Da Realist:

wouldn't it be a good idea if the nba started selling past games? i mean all of them. you know, for $20 you can have any game from their massive storage. why hadn't the nba thought of this? wouldn't it make a killing? i would love to buy the 1988,1989,1990 and 1991 bulls/pistons series just so i can see how my boys grew from losers to champions.

they should sell these games like the studios sell movies. we're in an age now where you can purchase season packages to thundercats and punky brewster. surely the nba will one day open up that vault and rake in the riches from guys like me that grew up on the game. USUAL SUSPECTS and GODFATHER I,II are my favorite movies but some of these nba games ultimately meant more to me.

Gangsta D:

It's a good idea in that it would be a cool offer to the public. But ESPN Classic and NBA TV would block it, because they already show classic games. If people could buy the games they wanted, they wouldn't need to watch it on tv. It would be a better idea to sell playoff series as a package. ESPN classic usually only broadcasts the best 1 or 2 games of a series. You'd be selling to the die hard and not the casual fan...

Waldini:

Actually, they could do this but as D mentioned, they would need to getpermission from the NBA first. Or the NBA could do this and by pass this issue. WWE already does something like this now where they charge for old school wrestling matches.

Da Realist:

i see your points, but i think this would be such a good idea. the nba plays the same 50 games over and over anyway. they should dress up the games. add in the pre-game hype and interviews. maybe some halftime coverage and definitely post championship celebration. add some things they wouldn't normally show on nba tv or espn classics.

as y'all said, only the die-hards would be interested in purchasing games from back then. Da Wife likes basketball but i doubt she'll buy bulls at lakers game 3 1991 finals. but there is no way i can purchase everything in their vault. so naturally there will still be games on espn classic or nba tv that i havenot or will not purchase that i would be interested inwatching.

there is a hunger for this. i see websites on the internet willing to sell their copies of these very games. the nba might as well come out with their official version and hop on the gravy train. Read more!

God I Hate TO! He Sucks...

Da Realist:

ok Waldini. since this is about TO, i'll leave D out of it. ok, maybe not. peter king is taking careof business in this article. i don't remember reading about a sports figure getting taken to task like this before (even sam smith's "the jordan rules" weren't this bad). this article is PERSONAL.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/peter_king/08/15/mmqb/index.html

Gangsta D:

I'm out of it! I need a TO from T.O.:)

Waldini:

You know I am really trying hard to defend TO but he's making an a$$ out of himself. I do believe the NFL is one of the ruthless sports business. Bonuses not salaries are guaranteed and you can be cut at any time. My problem with TO is the way he is going about trying to get a new deal. And considering he is only into year 2 of his deal, his timing could not be worse. And considering he strong-armed his way to Philly, you would think he be humble enough to realize that he's messing up and needs to mature.

He really really really is damaging his credentials. You have everyone from Jerry Rice to D McNabb giving their two cents. He's basically a cancer right now and no one wants him. He might want to re-dial God and ask for more forgiveness this time. Read more!

Flash Gretzky?

Da Realist:

WHOA! trash talk from wade!

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/3876212

Waldini:

I think Shaq must have taken Wade to "private" area of the locker room,told Flash to pull his shorts down and become BenDover. Let;s hope Shaq continues his motivational tour and not slip into Big Mouth I'm Hungry mode, showing up to camp out of shape.

Until he delivers that title 3 times in a row, that other guy is a better player than Flash.

Da Realist:

gentlemen, i think we are in for an old school rivalry between the two. good old fashioned angst between two premier players. none of that friendly fire stuff. we may have the real thing here.

Gangsta D:

Did Wade say that Jason Williams will allow him to shoot more? I thought he was about the "team" game. Why does he want to shoot more? If he's shooting more, is Shaq shooting less? Very interesting, that. It almost sounds like the 2000-2001 season, when Kobe came out guns blazing and everybody was pissed at him. But no, Wade is the anti-Kobe so that's not possible. He'll just be taking more shots in the flow of the game. Yep,I'm sure that's it...

Waldini:

I dont know why you or I even bother trying to justify any of this. It doesn't matter b/c no matter what "the other guy" will always be seen as a cancer. Speaking of cancer, why are my sports headlines dominated by TO now. It's enough to make a sane man crazy....

Gangsta D:

I'm sick of TO and steroid stories. I'd rather talk about hockey. So how do you feel about Gretzky coaching the Coyotes?

Waldini:

Umm....hockey...yea, um...it's back...and ummm, I still wont be watching....ummm, Gretzky,...he should stick to watching reruns of Pro-Stars....:-) Read more!

Friday, August 12, 2005

Over-rated!

Waldini:

Rosen's at it again...he is straight clowning

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/3882560

Da Realist:

damn he's harsh. he would know better than i because i was just a kid, but...ewing and barkley? sure ewing was clumsy, but i know he put up a number of monster games. he was THE premier center of the east back then. and whether by jump shot or dunk, two points is two points.

and how can barkley be overrated? we all know he had unbelievable talent that he didn't get the most out of, but that doesn't mean he's overrated. that ni%%a was a BEAST! if phoenix played anyone else besides the chicago bulls in the '93 finals, everyone would be talking about how he led the suns to the championship.look up his stats for that series.

what do you guys think?

Waldini:

I'm with you on Barkely. He got more out of his body than most in NBA history. He pointed out Chuck's defensive deficiencies but what about his offensive game?? He could handle, pass, shoot, and rebound his a$$ off. In his prime (Sixers and Suns), Chuck B was a SUPERstar not star. It's not his fault that he played during the Jordan era. If that'93 Phoenix was placed in today's league, I guarantee you they be winning titles. PERIOD.

Now I have never been a big fan of Malone but to say he was overrated andthe main reason for his success was Stockton is absolute bull***. So ifMalone was faltering in one game, where was Stockton to pick up the slack?? Many journalists seem to praise Stockton for redefining his position but they are hands off when it comes to placing him on the same choke list as his fellow teammate. Malone was a beast on offense, plain and simple. He developed an unstoppable jumper and was a load inthe post. But at the end of the day, he was a choke artist.

Ewing, it's hard for me to bash him b/c he's aG'town alum. Plus I actually rooted for them during their infamous early 90s playoff battles againstChi-town. The only thing I think he got away with was his patented 4 step runner in the lane. But he could knock down a 16 footer and when inspired he played with some heart.

Hey Realist, I think you would have been heated at my barbershop lastweekend. One of the barbers said Scottie Pippen was one of the mostoverrated players of all time and didnt belong onthe NBA's top 50 list. Iwas like, you musta never saw Pip in his prime

Da Realist:

didn't pip come to houston for a year and left in away only terrell owens could love? didn't he blast charles barkley for being fat and houston's management for not knowing how to construct a championship team? i bet there is still some bitterness there.

Waldini:

Ironically when I brought that up, he didnt remember that. He just talked about his days in Chi-town. So there wasnt any Houston hate from that. It was just his opinion

Gangsta D:

Can't get to the article, but it seems like dude is saying if you didn't win a title you're overrated. They were dominant players who couldn't beat Jordan when it counted. There's no shame in that. People want to have it both ways. They call Jordan the greatest of all time, unstoppable in his prime. But they call the guys who couldn't beat him overrated? If they could beat him with any consistency, then he wouldn't be the greatest of all time...

Waldini:

Sadly, that is how people judge athletes. No matter the reason, if they don't win then championships, then they are seen as overrated. Think aboutthe Lakers before they won in this decade. I dont know how many times I heard Shaq or Kobe was overrated and the Big Fella would never win a title. Then they win and the tone changes to "Dammit I hate those cats but I respect them b/c they are winners"....Hypocrisy at its finest

Da Realist:

i agree that winning a title can't be the be all end all (or is it end all be all???). but you can't completely disregard the ability of a premier player leading his team to a championship. without this distinction, there would be no difference between michael jordan and dominique wilkins, hakeem olajuwan and patrick ewing, or kobe bryant and tracy mcgrady.

Waldini:

Oh never disregard. I still say Malone is a LOSER for not winning a title but I dont think he's overrated if you understand my point. All those players you listed below the difference between each set was desire and leadership abilities. Nique was never a leader and his only desire was to give highlight reel dunks. Ewing's issue was the leadership. If you remember those Knicks squads, Derek Harper and Pat Riley motivated those cats to victory. As for T-Mac, well you already know what I think (the 2005 1st rd flameout vs Dallas says it all)

The truly great players in this league have the ability to LEAD or will their teams to victory. For example, Jordan is a legendary leader. He scared the s*** out of so many of his teammates, cats definitely did not want to mess up in front of him. Read more!

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

What Can Brown Do For You?

Da Realist:

this guy is an idiot. why is everyone drinking the longhorn kool-aid? vince young can't pass!

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/preview05/news/story?id=2129479&action=login

Waldini:

Because everyone still has the Rose Bowl performance fresh in their minds. But folks forget the Big 12 was weak consisting of one elite team(Oklahoma), one good team (Texas) and a bunch of nobodies.

And Young has been hyped hard since he played high school ball here in Houston. I agree with you, I think Mack Brown hasnt developed Young enough. Yea he can run but force him to pass and he has a problem picking up schemes. I did see a couple of his high school games on TV....the kidhas an arm but so far he hasnt shown consistency with his accuracy.

Da Realist:

i meant to ask you this a while ago. college football is religion pretty much anywhere in the south, but i heard the passion for high school/college football is OFF DA CHAIN in texas. what's it like down there?

Waldini:

Let's just say I had no idea grown men followed high school football likethe folks do in Texas. It's unbelievably a big deal and if a team is really good, they showcase them on TV.

Da Realist:

so is high school football bigger than college and the pros?

Waldini:

Naw, I dont think any is bigger than the other. The people here just love football.

Da Realist:

this would be interesting...get the best college-bound players from texas and have them play the best college-bound players from florida. i don't like exibition games, but i'd love to see this every year.

Waldini:

Just dont let Mack Brown coach :-) Read more!

'Reef and Joe Go To Waffle House

Waldini:

Shareef no longer a Net? Marc Jackson becomes a Net? Is this stranger than the Hawks problems in getting Joe Johnson to Atlanta? And what happens to Reef now? I dont think he wanted to be a Blazer next season but who is going to pay him the $$$ he wants. The NBA is FAN-tastic

Gangsta D:

I am not intrigued by either of these situations...

Waldini:

:-)....jabroni

Gangsta D:

Joe Johnson went off last year, because he had Steve Nash. He wasn't exactly tearing it up like Marion and Stoudamaire before "Oh Canada"arrived. Ergo, he ain't a star. He will suck in Atlanta. He will be paid. He will go to the Pink Pony, Strokers, and Flashers. He will eat at FatMatt's and Bankhead Seafood. But in two years he will be miserable and wishing he was on a team that actually played in front of people. If this deal doesn't go through, it would be the best thing for him.

Reef is an interesting case. Good but unspectacular player, that has never made his team better. He shouldn't get the maximum, but the Blazers should still try to trade him. They should build the team around Zach Randolph and add complimentary pieces. For some reasons, GM's don't like to approach building teams with an actual strategy in mind. They just go out and get players, hope for the best, fire the coach when it doesn't work, and start all over again.

OK, maybe I was a tad intrigued...

Waldini:

Atlanta - Great City
Hawks - Bad (very bad) Team

You should also add in that teams did not have to primarily focus on himdue to those two AND Amare Stoudamire. Unless Marvin Williams comes storming out the gate, I dont think JJ undertstands he is about to have big bullseye on him. Assuming he's a Hawk next year, check the stats and see if he's putting up leadership-type numbers (25ppg, 5 asst, 5 rbs) at the end of the season PLUS dramatically improving the Hawks win total.

Raise your hand if you think Shareef has got some serious ill will againstthe Nets organization. And you know who is more pissed off than Reef at the Nets brass? Jason Kidd. He was pretty annoyed when they shipped out K-Mart and he lobbied hard to get Reef in a Nets uniform. The team is now no better than a lower seed playoff team and you know that is not how he wants to go out. Back to Rahim, he's gonna have a problem getting $$$ from a contender b/c a lot of teams have used spent their up most of their free agent money. Thorn is looking pretty evil right now....

Gangsta D:

"James W. Quinn, a lawyer representing the other owners, compared theJohnson deal to the Celtics' acquisition of Larry Bird, a move that led tothree NBA titles for Boston in the 1980s."

I know lawyers are full of sh*t, but COME ON! Who is he trying to sell that to?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8886618/

Waldini:

How much did they pay him to say that? Read more!

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Lakers vs Heat or Pistons vs Spurs? Yep I Thought So

Da Realist:

any thoughts on nba marketing scheme?

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=7539

Gangsta D:

The NBA is a collection of star f*ckers. Pure and simple. Will always be the case. You're gonna see the marquee names more often than not. If you ask most people, they would rather see brilliant failures than dull successes. People talk about team ball and this and that, but when teams that play team ball play, people don't watch. It has nothing to do with them being uneducated about it, because the media jams the fact that they play team ball down our throats. On Christmas, which game do you think is gonna get the higher rating? Yep, I thought so.

His logic is kind of flawed. The Lakers/Cavs are on national tv only 3-5more times than the Pistons/Spurs. There is plenty of opportunity for people to see "team ball," but guess which set of teams will get the higher rating. I do believe both teams were on national tv quite a bit last year. It's not like they only had 2-3 games a piece. People didn't watch because they're BORING. Sorry...

Waldini:

Deveney is actually one of the writers I like and he pretty much nailed this one on the head. But the problem the league has is that it is hard to market a team like the Spurs because they have no personality. Sure they are fundamentally sound but so were the Celtics in the 60s. Think anybody was watching then....Hmmmmm Read more!

Jessica Alba as Cheetara? Hell Yeah!!!!

Gangsta D:

Even with the official return of the NFL, there's not really going to beanything of substance to talk about for another3-4weeks, barring an injury. So I pose to you so-called "experts" a question. Which adaptation of a cartoon from our youth are you most geeked to see:

Transformers
Voltron
Thundercats
He-Man

I pick Thundercats, because it is the most ready for film. The origin storywill actually be engaging and exciting, instead ofthe usual boring exposition. It also has serious Star Wars-like appeal, with Liono going from cub to King. The manifestation of Mum-Ra couldbe scary and tight as Hell. Of course, a black actor has to playPanthro and they have to lose Snarff. What do you think?

Waldini:

I didnt know they were going to do another live re-make of He-man. Did we not learn from Dolph Lundgren's messed up version??

Hmm, if I had to choose, it would probably would beThundercats too. Even though I am a computer techie (as my classmates called me), I'm not a big fan of CGI. I think when filmmakers utilize it, they overdo it and final product truly does look like a computer image instead of the real image they were trying to create (see Star Wars Episode1). Thundercats can rely on costumes and makeup to recreate the characters, then build the props up instead of having to recrete/load computer images.

My fear with transformers and voltron is that they will overdo it to thepoint where nothing is recognizable.

Gangsta D:

Yep, Woo is doing He-Man with Nic Cage playing Skeletor. I'm not exactly on pins and needles waiting for it, but it should bebetter than the '87 disaster with Drago:)

Da Realist:

none of them. i have my transformers dvd set and i just found out thundercats is coming out (i think next week) with a 1st season dvd set. forget that, i'll watch the original.

did you guys know that panthro's voice is cosby's dad on the cosby show?

Waldini:

Man this is hypothetical. If you were forced to choose (aka not given anoption to pick none), which one would you see?

Da Realist:

Voltron because of the 4, it is my least favorite cartoon. if they mess up, who cares? Read more!

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Heaterz III - Heat 'Till It Hurts

Gangsta D:

OK, how is the upcoming year not going to be intriguing?

Da Realist:

yawn....

never mind me, i just can't get that excited about the nba season in august. right now, nothing intrigues me. shaq's old and miami doesn't seem to know what they are doing this offseason (antoine walker?). detroit loses their coach. phil is back in LA, but they won't annoy me for another couple of years. joe johnson is BEGGING to go to atlanta. da bulls are still a little too young to be serious contenders. and san antonio is still san antonio.

i'll be excited by next year's playoffs.

Gangsta D:

I suppose:

The reunion of Phil and Kobe = not intriguing
Can the Spurs repeat = not intriguing
Will the Heat improve = not intriguing
Will the loss of LB affect the Pistons = not intriguing
The Knicks hiring LB = not intriguing
The Warriors and Clips coming up like people expect them to = not intriguing
The potential rise of the Wiz and Bulls = not intriguing
The return of Artest = not intriguing
T-Mac and Yao with a year under their belt = not intriguing
SVG possible getting fired mid-season = not intriguing

Da Realist:

Right on all ten counts.

Waldini:

You forget realist is a "bitter young/old man" so he is not happy with today's NBA :-)

In addition:

The Nets possible resurgence = not intriguing
Will the Bucks improve with Simmons, Bogut, and Ford = Not intriguing

Da Realist:

And right on your 2 counts Read more!

Heaterz II - Heat Harder

Waldini:

The last comment you made is something I said to myself after all these whirlwind deals that have gone down this summer. Even though San Antonio is the odds-on favorite to win the title next season, we could see a lot of new faces (Bucks, Cavs, Warriors) becoming playoff teams and old faces (Nets) moving back into their conferences' upper echelon. The only moves that do not seem right with me are :

- The Lakers trading away Butler/Atkins for Kwame. Besides not having a true PG right now, Kwame has yet to realize his potential and appears to be emotionally unstable. I'm optimistic my boys will find a PG in time for theregular season but the jury is still out on Georgia's former favorite son

- Pat Riley napalming the Eastern Conference finalist team and bringing in combustible parts Jason Williams and Antoine Walker. Does it make sense to sign Toine to 52 mil, 6 yrs when you just gave Haslem 33 mil/6 yrs. I do not understand the logic. If the Walker and Williams play like their normal self, expect Shaq to be taking a lot of shots at folks in his post game interviews. We are about see if D Wade's game has improved upon last year's career year

- Joe Johnson asking to leave the Suns b/c he doesn't want to be the 3rd or4th option. Amazing that he basically came out and said this yet no one is burning him at the stake for one of the most selfish displays I've seen in some time. Let me get this right, a playoff contender offers you max moneyand you turn it down b/c you dont want to defer to anyone, so you decide one of the NBA's black holes is a better destination. Hope the cash will console you while you are losing

- Sixers giving Dalembert a near max deal. I know he's got "potential" and all but let him earn before you burn that cash Billy King. He's a career 7 ppg scorer. You know the Sixers have basically become the Warriors of the East (giving bad deals to a couple of players)

- Anyone giving Jerome James more than 1 mil per year. He's big, he's lazy,and he's barely scores more than 4 ppg. I would say he's a poor man's Benoit Benjamin but then I would be discrediting Benoit (and thats saying alot)

That's right, Waldini's going off again on everyone :-)

Da Realist:

You're crazier. Read more!

Heaterz

Waldini:

Stein pretty much is saying what we all have been saying this week about the Heat moves

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=2123211

Gangsta D:

The Laker championship teams had a common theme besides Shaq and Kobe. Good3-point shooting. Horry, Fox, Fish, Rice, and sometimes Kobe & Harper could all hit 3's. That opened up the lane for Kobe and minimized double-teams on Shaq. This was a major reason for the 3-peat.

Who is going to consistentlyhit 3's for the Heat? Wade isn't a 3-point shooter. Eddie was upsettling effective from range and Damon Jones was, as Stein said, top five in the league. Eddie's gone and Damon could be gone, to be replaced by 'Toine and J-Dub? They will hit a few, but miss way more than they make. Is SVG gonnabe able to get those two to subjugate their games for the greater good?

I don't think people realize how critical and uncertain this next season is. Wade become an upper echelon player next year. Is Shaq OK with that? Will the new additions stunt Wade's growth? After 'Toine puts up his sixth consecutive off balance jumper, is Shaq gonna go ape sh*t? A lot of people are kind of handing the Heat the title for next year. They could win, but they are no lock to even beat the Pistons who bring back the entire team. I know one thing, next year could be the most intriguing year in the NBA in along time.

Da Realist:

You're crazy Read more!

Monday, August 01, 2005

Yep, You Knew Him As 'Toine...

Waldini:

What do you guys think of the following trades?Memphis sends Jason Williams and James Posey to Miami for Eddie Jones. Boston sends Antoine Walker to MIami for MichaelDoleac, Rasual Butler, and their trade exception. Call me crazy but something about those deals dont seem right....for any team involved.

Gangsta D:

Somebody said that the Heat should trade for walker because he can hit threes, yeah but he's gonna jack up 10 a game. How much you think Shaq is gonna like 'Toine hoisting up shot after shot. And he had a problem with Kobe? Jason Williams improved under Hubie Brown, but once again he's gonna come down on a 4 on 1 break and throw up a 25 footer. Who's gonna back up Shaq? Are they keeping Zo and Lattener? I want nothing better than for theHeat to lose, but these would be horrible trades...

Waldini:

I do not think there are going to be enough balls to go around in Miami. You got Shaq, Wade, Walker, White Chocolate now starting....Who really is making these kinda suggestions?

Da Realist:

if i'm a heat fan, i take whatever i can get for eddie jones (sorry D). i don't like antoine walker's game. he plays no defense, he's slow-footed and he's a ball magnet thatcan't even shoot 40% from the field. miami should not bail out the celtics like this.

Gangsta D:

Yeah, but for 'Toine? At least Eddie can play within the flow of the game. He doesn't come through, but he's not gonna jack up up shot after shot. Toine is the only player I've ever seen take five three's from the corner and hit the backboard every time...no rim.

Trust me, I WANT the Heat to make these trades cause I think it'll backfire but they would be stupid for doing it. Read more!

Raffy?!? You Got Some 'Splainin' To Do!

Da Realist:

whoa! what happened to mr. "i NEVER took steroids"??? this was the man everyone raised to sainthood becausehe vehemently denied using steroids, right? looks like jose canseco isn't such a liar after all.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2121659

Gangsta D:

I know, I heard it on the radio. I never doubted that people did steroids. I'm just not sure how much of an advantage they give you as opposed to"legal supplements." But it doesn't look good for Raffy. I think that Hall Of Fame vote is tip toeing out the door...

Waldini:

Somewhere Jose Canseco is smiling and tellin anyone who will listen "I toldyou so". Read more!