NBA Rant: Out of the Frying Pan

The Heat are the favorites to win the NBA title. sure, i get that. they’ve played fantastic team hoop as of late. It helps tremendously that they play is a horrifying weak east. it also helps that the most dominate player in the league plays on their team. The Heat have a good chance to repeat. If they played another team from the East. but that’s not the case. as it stands, they might get bounced pretty hard. They have, in their way, the Eastern Conference San Antonio Spurs.Danny Granger might be out but the Pacers found new life in their young phenom Paul George. If Paul Pierce is the Truth then this kid is Gospel. And he’ll only get better. but that’s not why the Pacers can put out the red hot Heat. no, that distinction belongs to the dominant presence in the post that is Roy Hibbert. Sure, he started slow but in the last series and a half, dude has been horrifying around the bucket. Melo said it himself, dude makes it difficult to penetrate. Bron might be big enough to get a sht at the cup but Wade? Chalmers? Cole? hell, Bosh? nah. Hibbert is going to deny the easy look and, at the very least, change those shots. Miami hasn’t faced a team with a center like this one yet. Beyond that, the match ups favor a defensive game and that has the Pacers on it all day. Miami might have a chance, a decent one to make it out of the East. it’ll be hard. It’ll be physical. it’ll be nasty. It’ll be some outstanding Basketball to watch.
Let’s say, best case scenario the Heat make it out in six. They WANT to see Memphis. that’s who they’d like. Miami matches up well with Memphis, on the wing. but, in the box, between Z-Bo and the Younger Gasol, there is a problem. 14 feet of it. If the Heat can;t run, and Memphis has systematically taken that away, they’ll be in trouble. Count of forty rebounds between the Two Towers but it doesn’t stop there. Mike Conley is playing like a man possessed. the dismissal of Gay has opened the floor and this kid’s game. he is the floor general and i have never seen him make better decisions on the court. Conley is better than every Point on threat Miami squad and he puts Defense first. Chalmers will be frustrated. he will miss shots. LeBron will try to take over taking shots away from his team. it’ll be rough. I’;m not even going to get into the excellent perimeter defenders in Allen and the wily vet, Prince. If Indiana was a fight, getting Memphis in the Finals would be an all out brawl. Bloody and vicious. even then, Miami might be able to pull this out in six or seven. but that’s the BEST case scenario for a repeat.More than likely, and much to the chagrin of King James, Miami will see the Spurs. This is a death sentence for an Title hopes the Heat have. to be blunt, they can;t match the Spurs. it’s not a thing that is even reasonable. The starting five for the Spurs is experienced and aggressive. they can play two ways; young and fast or cagey and slow. they’ve been to eight Conference Finals in sixteen years. never missed the playoffs. Their big three has One NBA MVP, Two Finals MVPs, a sixth man, and 11 titles between them. Three guys. Ginobli will cancel out Wade. Parker will outplay every Point guard on that Miami squad. Tim will embarrass Bosh, just like Dirk did two years ago.These are facts. LeBron will abuse Kawhi, sure, but Tiago will get the better of Anthony. Not enough? need more reasons? how about that bench?The Spurs bench is loaded to the gills. you HAVE to honor T-MAC. even at his advanced age, he’ll go off for 20 and 10. and think of his opposition. Ray Allen? nope. Rashard Lewis? you’re kidding. but let us continue. The human highlight real, Danny Green can stretch the floor AND throw it down your throat. not enough? Twin enforcers in Boris Diaw and Dejaun Blair get a fresh chance to bully the paint in brand new ways. coming off the bench makes sure they’re ready to punish. i got a few more to throw at you. the Red Mamba himself, Matt Bonner, ready to assassinate you with that deadly deep ball. He mutilated the Grizz last game with it. 56 percent as a team? 6 for 6 to start? really? and, of course, Gary Neal; the guy that damn near beat the Spurs by his lonesome when Pop kept HIS BEST PLAYERS, four of his five starters, at home. Miami one by five. against Neal and his his merry band of misfits. In Miami.But, more than any other reason Miami is in the sh*tter if they see San Antonio - Pop. Nuff said.If the king wants to keep his crown, he better find a way to inspire his Court to play like they deserve his rule because these last two series will test that benevolence.

NBA Rant: F*ck Seattle

News has come down that the Kings are going to stay. Bully day, indeed! Sacramento (my hometown) is just a titter with relief. There are new owners ready to take up the mantle, a plan to build a state of the art arena downtown (one the rivals Barclay in both advancement and pretension), and a brand new hope that the Kings will not suck. Hope springs eternal. I wanted to take a moment out of my relatively accurate Playoff calling to indulge these new events. Sorry Seattle, but f*ck you.

Arena
I bleed Purple and Gold, LAkergang till i die, but i can see why the Kings are vital to Sacramento. aside from all of the jobs that would be lost if the Maloofs got their way, the fact that the Kings are staying has forced the city to build a new arena. More than anything, we NEED this arena. In my time away from home, Sac has gone through a hipster Renaissance. Art and culture have taken hold downtown. Tons of clubs, fantastic restaurants, and underground clubs abound. we have become San Fransisco Jr. This is a fantastic thing. Building the arena downtown can only bolster our status. With the newest arena just across from the STATE CAPITOL, Sac would finally be on the map. we’d be able to draw attention to ourselves in a positive manner. Visitors would be able to take in all of this underground culture. Also, it would go a long way to bringing other sports franchises back to Sacramento.

Owners
These new owners know what they’re doing. They want to win and they want to win now. It is my understanding that the top three are billionaires. The front runner, or the face of the franchise, is going to be Vivek Ranadive. This is a man that understands owning a team is not a business, it’s a hobby. This is a Richer pass time and as such, you install people who know hat they are going. He’ll clean house and force a change in culture, one that is sorely needed. Hopefully, getting rid of Petrie and Smart is at the top of his list. While Petrie has done an admirable job, his ineptitude with the Maloofs has proved his sycophancy. Wee need someone to stand against bad management and Petrie is not that dude. Kieth Smart should never be a professional coach ever again. I can’t call the executive moves myself but i do have a few ideas about the roster.

Resign Tyreke
Evans deserves a big contract but not a max one. He isn’t the future of the franchise but he can be a big piece for the future. if you can convince him to stay and develop a mid range jumper, he’s a weapon to be utilized. Late game situations, give the ball to Reke and watching him cause Havok. any other time, he’s an offensive liability, one that you tolerate because his tenacious D gives him leeway. truth be told, i’d use him as trade fodder toward the All Star break but that’s only if there isn’t any growth in his ability.

Build around Thomas
You need a lightning fast Point in this league now and Thomas is that. Jimmer has neither the ball handling skill or court vision to facilitate the Kings’ offense but Thomas has all of the requisite skill. Plus, in time, he can be good for 15 and 15. You need a coach that can bring the best out of him because, as a junior in the league, Thomas has the longevity to develop into something special. He is your floor general and leader. He is the Franchise. Bigs come and go but if you have an All Star Point, everyone on your team is better. Which leads me to my next point…

Dump Cousins
Look, the experiment is over. Cousins is immature and refuses to develop. sure, the potential is there, but when you have Thomson, Aldrich, and Patterson sharing that position, he’s unnecessary. Trade him for an athletic wing, someone who CAN score but is far more tenacious on the defensive end. Someone like Gerald Green or, hell, bring back Crash. Dude would be perfect or a blue collar, earn you wins on the back end, kind of guy. Hell, even Tyrus Thomas can be a nice piece. Plus, if you go for TT, you can get some nice picks and what not in return. Wither way, Cousins has got to go. He’s a poison to the locker room and a void on the court. Basketball is a team sport and Cousins wants to be a star. that sh*t doesn’t mix.

Hire a legitimate coach
Byron Scott is available. So is Jerry Sloan. these guys have a solid track record building teams around Point Guards. if you decide to make Thomas the franchise, and you should, These guys can help him become great. it’ll be a process, no doubt, but in the end, Contention. Spend the money, yo. invest in your squad. A team is only as good as the coach and you need a good coach to get the b est out of them. personally, i’d look at Scott. His schemes pushed the LAkers to their limit regularly and he’d be cheaper than Sloan.

NBA Rant: Season’s End

The season is over. the post season is starting. we’re two games into round 1 so it’s time i pitched in my two cents.

Earl Clark is the Future
Earl Clark is ridiculous. ridiculous. 25 years old. 6 foot, 10 inches tall. lengthy. lithe. Aggressive and overwhelmingly tenacious. Clark plays like he was raised in the Jordan era of hoop. kid is still raw, three year int the league on bad teams will do that, but he got his shot in LA. Playing along side the tenacious Vino has rubbed off. the kid has averaged 30 minutes a game this season, expanding his skill base while earning the trust of the hardened Bryant. That’s a difficult thing to achieve; Bryant trusting you with the ball as the clock winds down. Kid reminds me of LaMarcus Aldrige, who happens to be my favorite player in the league. Give him time, keeping him close to Coach Vino, and that kid will be absolutely great.

Paul George is the truth
PG will absolutely be the reason the Pacers are in the East Finals. there is no team built to stop these kids. none. Defense is paramount and they are playing that sh*t like their coach is named Pop. but it’s George making Vogel look like a savant. Kid took the summer real serious. Real. Serious. That loss to the Heat last year? Yeah, that made the kid hungry. like, starving so bad he’d cut off his own foot to stay the pangs hungry. This drive, lead him to the Most Improved Player award this season, a feat he accepted with all the grace and humility of a hard nosed competitor.
”I think I can play at an MVP level. I think that’s very much within reach,”
Kid is three years into the league. Three. and he’ll back it up. Unlike Hubbard, who signed that big ass contract and disappeared for most of the season, George has been right there. With DG out in the first five games, George was the King of Indiana and he treated his subjects well, thanks to a newfound diligence he attributed to the King of LA, the Ageless Vino, himself. During the summer, while training with Team USA, he George had this to say about his entire experience;
”It was huge. Me, growing up, idolizing guys like Kobe, watching his whole regimen, watching what time he got up to work out, watching what he was putting in his body. The younger guys, we was totally the opposite, so I had to kind of take notes and follow what they were doing.”
90’s hoop might not die off after all. Between this kid and Earl Clark, the future of hoop is looking a lot better.

Smitty is Number 6 of the year
Shoulda been J. Crawford but, you know, politics.

Breakups to Makeups
Mike Brown is the head coach of the Cavs for a second time. after such a messy divorce, it’s hard to think this will work effectively. besides, Brown is mediocre at best when it comes to calling plays. out of a time out, he’s awful. i wonder how long it will be before he alienates Kyrie? doesn’t matter, that kid has eyes for LA. it’ll be nice to see him in LAker gold soon.

KD is tired of being number 2
Yeah, good luck with that, yo. Particularly when the number two on YOUR team thinks he deserves the number one spot.

NBA Rant: Thirteen

There are thirteen days left until the playoffs. thirteen and then some of the most explosive games in the last ten years will be played. The LAkers are hungry and desperate. with an eighth seed date with the Thunder or Spurs, their series should be fun to watch. Kobe is striking and threatening retirement. Win Now or lose arguably the greatest to play since his Airness. Miami is looking like a Dynasty right now behind the play of their benevolent, malevolent monarch, King James. Melo is playing like a guy who was last picked of his rookie class, to get that championship shine. yes, the Playoffs will be fantastic. so, before we elevate to those lofty heights, i wanted to take a minute to look back and address.

Kobe is the greatest player to step on the court, in the last twenty years
You can scream LeBron. pale comparison. You can call Carmelo. dude is a pure scorer, sure. You can even argue Durant, and i’d agree to an extent, but the kid is too young in the game. Kobe Bryant is the most complete, active player in this league. He means as much to this current generations of youngsters as Jordan did for him. true story. name another player who can match his skill set right now, at his size. The only one i can think of is Timmy D but his abilities have depleted. Kobe has been in the NBA for sixteen years. He’s still putting up 27 a game, while outperforming even his MVP season in efficiency. The fact that, so far into his career, we still consider him the third best player in the world is obscene.with that being said…

KOBE DON’T GO!
I am old enough to remember when Magic retired. sh*t broke my heart. i am old enough to remember when Jordan retired the first time. it broke everyone else’s heart, yo. Kobe is going to retire, soon, but next year is TOO soon. he’s got three more years in him. i ant to see those three years. i want him to move into the number three all time scorer position. and most of all, i want him to win number six. Kobe has been a LAker for as long as i can remember, a rarity in today’s league. When he goes, the nineties go with him. all that will be left is a bunch of fundamentally flawed, uber athletic assholes who refuse to develop a mid range jumper and think defense is only chase down blocks or the occasional steal. Basketball as i know it will die with Kobe Bryant’s retirement. Kobe, don’t go! please, man, please give me three more years of sound, grit-n-grind hoop! i’m not ready to concede the LeBron era just yet!

Miami might be serious
After that historic run, Miami is looking like a team ready to rampage through the playoffs. LeBron is carrying this squad into legitimacy, which i knew would happen. Getting that first ring is always the hardest but that sh*t is vindicating. After Jordan got his first, three-peat. after Kobe got his first, three-Peat. Timmy-D got his in a lockout season and followed it up with three more in seven years. Magic got his his rookies season on the way to four more and title of greatest LAker. LeBron is poised to be dominate for the next seven years, with an unheard of potential in regards to championship runs. It help tremendously that Wade is also playing like a man possessed and Bosh is more than just court decoration. I have Miami out of the east. you gotta. they’re there best out there. and depending on who they see in the Finals, number 2 of 8 might be a given this season.

Melo is doing it big right now
coming off an injury has done little to stay this cat’s championship appetite. He and Smitty went for 80 the other day and Carmelo has put up 40, alone, in the last three games. He’s got these Knick kids on an 11 game run, firmly staking their claim as number two in the East. It’s going to be an interesting situation if these cats see the Heat in the East Finals. They match up well and, while LeBron is a far more physical presence, i’d have to give Melo the edge as far as skill. he’ll sharp-shoot the Heat into oblivion given the chance. The Heat are going to have to play solid defense to stop this run, yo.

The West is still ridiculous
OKC is trying their best to shake that Finals collapse from last year. The Spurs are still sipping that youth elixir and find themselves atop the West rankings for a third straight year, even if they are without Manu for the foreseeable future. Denver is the consummate team, behind the play of their burgeoning superstar Ty Lawson, shaking all of those Iggy free agency rumors. The LAkers are showing flashses while the Clippers are starting to flicker. and then there’s Golden State. the dark horse. the team no one is talking about. the team that will upset someone in a few weeks. their defense and unselfish play have those kids in position to make some noise in the post season. once again, ever since Jordan retired, it’s the West on top.

NBA Rant: The Coronation of King James

Heaven help me, i am a fan of LeBron James again.

The Heat are playing winning basketball. Bosh looks like a man on the court as of late. His post play has been absolutely phenomenal. Wade has recaptured a bit of that 2006 form. He’s not dominating like he used to but it’s more than enough to befuddle hapless defenses league wide. Ray Allen has been in a slump, for sure, but shooters always shoot their way out of that. give him some time. Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole are combining to become one helluva point guard. Birdman has been a pretty acute acquisition, flustering offensive players around the bucket with a precision that earned him is over payed contract with Denver. Spo is as pitiful as ever but, with a 24 game win streak seemingly unbreakable if they get past the Spurs sunday, the Heat have been brilliant.

and if that team is brilliant, then Lebron is Stephen Hawking.

Kid is shooting his highest field goal percentage, ever. last i check, it was in the low to mid sixties. yo, entire teams LUST to shoot that well from the floor. there were a few games sprinkled in this year where he literally missed one or two shots. shenanigans! how do you shoot ninety percent from the field, yo? what kind of tomfoolery is that? which leads me to my next point; efficiency. LeBron’s efficiency, the rate he takes good shots, is through the roof. In the last six minutes of that C’s challenge, Bron personally facilitated the last fifteen points of offense. and i say facilitated because he didn’t score fifteen. he scored eight and assisted for seven in the game that will forever be known as “The Assassination of Jason Terry”.

The Jet was shot out of the sky.

Rallying from a deficit in the hostile Garden, against a Rondo less but still very resurgent Celtics team, Bron took control late. he imposed himself on those final twelve minutes. Weathering a 43 point outburst by the cagey Jeff Green, the King put on his crown and lead his court to victory. Then the streak continued. Onto his abandoned Cleveland and rallying from 27 down, James pout the Heat on his back once again and, in an OT victory, showed what he is made off.

The Heat are at Kobe and counting.

LeBron is playing the player i thought he would be when i saw him embarrass the Kings way back in 2003. Even is he did run away from the Celtics to South Beach, this LeBron is the dominate, aggressive, floor general the Heat need to win. He is the glue to this squad right now and they’re playing outstanding hoop because of it. Keep in mind, this is coming of leading the USA to Gold not seven months ago.this is coming off winning his first NBA title* not even a year ago. The first one is always the hardest but i called it back then, LeBron will play the best basketball of his career after this first title. and he has been. and he has his team in the position to repeat. i still don;t think they have enough to beat a veteran western conference team (Pop, Timmy D and their Spurs will give the Heat a run for their money if they meat in the Finals) but they’ll murder the East, handily.

Just as Jason Terry.

NBA Rant: MJ over MJ

Who is the best player to ever play the game? Most would say Michael Jordan, and they’d be right. but i want to make the argument that Magic was just as profound a player a Michael. For me, it was Magic. It has to be. If i were to start a franchise from scratch, i’d pick Magic over Michael, all day. Michael, for all of his highlight plays and championship runs, didn’t do it for seven years. He struggled in purgatory during the 80s, playing like Afro Kobe. Greatness, true enough, but individual greatness. Michael was never known as a teammate, but a fierce competitor. And that’s why the Bulls waited nearly a decade for a title.

Magic? he stepped onto the NBA court, into an NBA title. his rookie season, he won the highest Basketball accolade possible. he won Finals MVP. a rookie in the NBA, in the biggest game of of his life, Magic played every position on the court. and he did all of this, coming off beating Larry Legend in the NCAA finals little over a year before! That college game is STILL, some 30+ years later, the highest rated college Final in the history of sports.Taller than Jordan. As quick as Steve Nash. Handles like Steve Francis. Finishing at the bucket like LeBron. You’re not suppose to move like that. not at that size. not at that position. it’s unfair for the other team but it’s Magic for the league.

You put Magic on the LAkers, and a dynasty happens immediately. You put Jordan on the Bulls, and you have the best show in sports. Jordan didn’t start winning until he adjusted his game to play more like Johnson. and that’s the rub. You play like Magic, you win titles. Kobe learned that. LeBron learned that. Westbrook needs to learn that if the Thunder want to win. and, for me, that’s where it starts. you find a point guard and build your team around them. Shooting Guards are fantastic scorers. Small Forwards are outstanding everymen. Power Forwards play a brutal, physical game. Centers can dominate every minute of a season. but, if you want all of these players, these individuals with individual talents to mesh, it starts at the point. and Magic is the greatest Point to ever step on the court.

Finals record 84 assists? in six games? that’s literally 28 points a game. On passes. those are points GIVEN to his teammates BY Magic. He did that. AND he threw in 18 points a game himself. Cat facilitated 46 points of pure offense on his own. plus, just cuz he could, another 7 rebounds a game. all of that, from one player, his fifth year in the NBA, in ONE Finals series, against Bird’s C’s. That sh*t is Magic, yo. Jordan? he’ll get you that 46 on his own. but he’ll do it at the sacrifice of his team. You don’t average 30 points a game for an entire career AND dish for 11 assists. Jordan put it best himself; He was the best One-on-One player in the NBA but Magic was the best TEAM player. and Basketball is a TEAM sport.

for the record, Jordan’s overall offense was around 42 points a game, counting points and assists. Magic’s overall numbers? 41.5. Magic also pulled down one extra rebound a game. Dominance, yo. in two very different ways, but dominance all the same.

Give me Magic to start my franchise over Jordan, any day of the week. That’s the problem with the NBA right now; It’s not about Magic anymore. It’s all Jordan brand. That individual supremacy, that one-on-one dominance. the NBA is filled with so many Answers and Iso-Joes.The beauty in basketball is when the ball moves. that passing, that ballet of bodies and athleticism. That’s what makes hoop so special. Magic was maestro of all that. Jordan couldn’t run an offense like Magic. LeBron chooses not to. Kobe can’t. Durant can’t. but these guys are considered the best in this era. all because Jordan dominated the game as an individual, like no one before him.

Except for Magic, who dominated the game as a teammate, like no one before him. and probably no one after.

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NBA Rant: Kings Ransom

Another trade deadline has come and gone. Moves were made. some moves that should have been made, weren’t. Pau Gasol, i’m looking at you. i wanted to take the time to address these situation and their ramifications and kind of speculate what could have been. First thing’s first, The Kings.

The Kings traded away the number five overall pick in this year’s draft, Thomas Robinson to Houston for Patterson. in the package, Honeycutt and Garcia were also dumped. From a roster standpoint, this was a solid trade. from a contention standpoint, sh*t is foolish. Robinson was the only player in the top 10 draft class of this year to not start. sure, you give JT those minutes, but you definitely get the kid 20 to 25 of the bench. His potential was incredible. Trading him away is as shortsighted as sending J. Will to Memphis, letting Crash walk, and firing Rick Adelman. Mistakes. This is the Maloofs, yet again crippling the future of this franchise.
What i think should have happened was something no one would even consider. Move DMC. Cousins is not going to mature and the Kings won’t hire the coach with the necessary chops to force him into accountability. Dude is the Jamarcus Russell of the NBA. True Story. What needed to be done was, at the very least, shopping the kid for veteran help. Send the message that he is expendable. Shipping him to Orlando for Big Baby would have gone a long way for maturing this team. You already have a confidant, vocal, tenacious leader and floor general in Thomas. Couple him with a garbage man, defensive stalwart with a ring like Davis, and you have a legit playoff contender.
Send Thorton on his way as well because his stock is high and dude is useless in comparison to the much better post of shooter, Jimmer. I’s ship him to the Clips for Grant Hill or Crooklyn for Stackhouse. Budget defenders and savvy Vets are needed to coral that locker room in since the coach is sh*t. You Keep Honeycutt and Thompson as future prospects and develop them as starters or 6th men. Rearrange your roster as such;

Point - Isaiah Thomas: Kid demands court time and on-court respect. He has the eye and the passing necessary to put the ball where it needs to be. He can also cut to the basket when necessary and is wet from about 15 in. by his third year, dude should have a reliable three and even better basketball IQ. HE is your franchise, not Cousins. build around Thomas and you’ll have success for years to come.
Shooter - Tyreke Evans: I’m torn about this one because Tyreke has no shot. he’s a slasher, like Wade. Dude needs the ball in his hands to create his offense. this won’t jive with Thomas, who needs the ball to facilitate for the rest of the team. However, at the bottom of the shot clock or with a few specific plays run for him, Tyreke is one helluva weapon. This is what those Vets are for. You get Stackhouse or Hill to consult, teach the kid how to play without the ball and develop a wet shot and get the kid integrated into a far better offense. if not, either run him at the 3, a position he is familiar with because Smart is an ass, or trade him for more assets. you want depth because you have a star in Thomas.
Smalls - Glenn Davis: This is a position Baby is built well for. you don;t need production out of the three for the kings. that will come from the 2, 4, and the 5. You need a garbage man in the 3, a Gerald Wallace. a Pit bull. Davis is all of that. He’s not a star but he is a fantastic team mate and diligent starter. He’ll fight for every board and get you garbage points consistently. The fact he’s played center means he can bang with the best and a summer of slimming down will give him more quicks off the dribble. he’ll need those to stay in front of your LeBrons and your Carmelos. He’ll be your Scottie Pippen behind Thomas’s Jordan. Unless Reke can either get bigger or learn to shoot. Then i’d move him here, put Jimmer at the two and bench Baby for 6th man.
Powers - Thomas Robinson: This is the mistake made by the kings. T-Rob is 6’10. same size as KD. Taller than LeBron by three inches. Kid’s a little raw, true, but you can’t teach big. and the kid is real big. the LAkers won five titles in 10 years on being bigger than everyone else. with Baby at the 3, T-Rob at the 4, and JT at the 5, that’s a forest grown for titles. If T-Rob had been retained, he’s be dropping buckets in from about 15 out withing three years. lost opportunity, yo.
Big - Jason Thompson: If Gerald Wallace was seven feet tall, he’d be JT. Kid is versatile, tenacious, enthusiastic, and overwhelming athletic. He’ll go face up against Tim Duncan and step out to take on LeBron. He can get you 20 and 10 any night, more if he become the second offensive option on the floor, which is what i’d make him. With Thomas dropping dimes, Robinson cleaning up the boards, and Baby terrorizing the wing, JT can feast on open looks and fast break oops.
Bench: Sac has a DEEP bench. Deep. Jimmer as a backup 2 and Brooks running the second squad point. Honeycutt, as a sixth man, getting the bulk of the reserve minutes, sharing the spot with Outlaw. you’d definitely need to pick up a budget, back up center but that could be accommodated with the Thorton trade or the Cousin’s move. Dude would literally be there specifically to fill space. one of the Collins brothers comes to mind. or some lowly free agent, hungry for NBA shine.

With these moves, The kings have a squad that would, in a few years, contend for titles. in less than three, they’d be perennial playoff participants. and, if the need for a star abounds, they’d have developed assets in Jimmer, Tyreke, Baby, and Thompson as fodder for a blockbuster trade. None of this works, however, if Smart is still the coach. that cat is flaccid. You need someone who knows how to win. someone like Shaw. Imagine the Triangle in Sac, with that personnel. or Sloan. think about Thomas playing Stockton with T-Rob doing his best impression of Malone while JT emulates Ostertag. The possibilities abound. but, alas, none of this will come to pass. T-Rob has been replaced by Patrick Patterson and all the milk has been spilled. Cry over it, Kings fans. it’s all you can do.

NBA Rant: Unbelievable

NBA Wednesday, yo! two solid games on tonight and a bunch of news. piece by pieces, imma go through it all!

Unbelievable
That Commercial with Nash, Magic, and Paul? Beautiful.

Mamba is the new Magic
39 assists in three games. 39. Kobe did that. and his scoring has been mad efficient. dude scored 21 on 11 shots the other day. Obscene. Nash is kind of lost in the shuffle but this change has been good. Gasol looks to be adjusting to his role as sixth man and Howard is getting a bit more shine down low because of it. Earl Clark and Jamison are also putting in mad work. over these past three games, the LAkers look legit. they need to get their turnovers down, always their issue, but the chemistry looks much better. Apparently, D’Antoni has given up on his sh*tty system and is letting Kobe do what Kobe does. the end result? wins. We have to go, like, 20 and 12 to get into the playoffs but it’s doable, especially if these cats keep playing like this.

Lebron is brilliant and Miami is getting there, too
Bron-Bron had another spectacular night tonight. he abused the Nets demonstratively. I saw flashes of “Flash” Wade out there tonight. dude made some nights buckets. Bosh was wholly forgotten, per the usual, but Birdman looked confident. This Heat, when playing proper defense, looks like the best team in the East. which isn’t saying much. the East is soft, man. You know how you win in the East? you play like you’re in the West. The Pistons did it in 2004 and won a title. Boston did it in 2008 and won a title. Miami got their Aste-ring by playing East Coast hoop because James Harden disappeared on the OKC. You beat Miami with size. If they end up going against the Grizz or the LAkers, they’ll lose. Bron will shine but the Heat will lose. They better hope they see the Clips or OKC again. Best shot at a repeat right there.

B. Lopez is an All-Star
Speaking of the East being soft, Brooke Lopez of the Nets is an All-Star. Really? Look, i’m not trying to downplay the kid’s shine or anything but Brooke Lopez is a serviceable player, at best. He’s not Tim Duncan good. He can;t win you games. He’s not dominate around the bucket. literally, how many times have we seen Howard abuse this kid on his home floor? hell, how many times have we seen Al Horford abuse that cat on his own floor? he’s not All-Star material, yo. Not in the West. But because there’s a Dwight Howard sized vacuum in the East, one that’s not being filled by a kid name Bynum, Lopez gets the nod. Everything is so crumby out East, yo. Eat your crumbs, B. you might not get any more for the rest of your career.

Rudy Gay is a Raptor now
Apparently, Justin Timberlake is cheap. Instead of paying that luxury tax next season, the Grizz have opted to ship their franchise player, Rudy Gay, to the north. It’s cold up there, eh. anyway, Gay is probably unhappy, particularly after signing that big ass contract instead of eschewing to LA a few years back. Would habe been nice. In this ridiculous trade, the Grizz are getting Ed Davis, another 4 to add to the list of 4s this time seems to collect, and Jose Calderon. Calderon is hot good however as they plan to ship this kid to Detroit fro Tayshaun Prince and some other asshole. so that’s, like, and entire starting squad of bigs. asinine. but that payroll is legit. Title aspirations are bust, but that checkbook is mad balanced right now.

NBA Rant: Like Fine Wine

The LAkers are looking damn good right now. Damn good. Dwight looks like Dwight and Kobe Bean is the goddamn Mamba. Surprisingly, Metta has been the second best player on the LAkers all season. Defensively and offensively, the old man is playing the best ball of his career. Turnovers continue to be a problem and Gasol is a goddamn enigma but i wanted to take the time and address how ell January has been for the LAker organization.

D’Antoni seems to get it
D’antoniball won’t work in LA. he doesn’t have the personnel. What he has is the best center in the league. the best shooting guard in the league. the smartest hooper in the league. and a goddamn pit bull in Metta World Peace. D’Antoni is starting to understand that. i’m more than certain Kobe/Nash pulled his coat tails and Coach him to knocked that bullsh*t off. Either way, the chemistry is there. not overwhelming, but still growing. The overall team defense has been there. needs to get better but it’s an evolving system right now. and it’s all thanks to D’Antoni stifling his ego (as well as sh*tty signature playbook) and letting the Players play. Good job, Coach.

Pau belongs on the bench
You can’t play Pau on the floor with Dwight at the same time and expect them to produce at any realistic level. they feast in the same spots. the shots will come from the same places. one player will have to be sacrificed in order for the other to thrive and that someone will absolutely have to be Pau. it HAS to be. Keep Pau on the bench or trade him to make it better. these are the only two viable options. it’s nice to get his offensive production, but dude is SO soft on the block. Howard is the better, stronger player. He has all of the potential to put of Shaq numbers, dude has been for the past two games, and he will continue to do so. Earl Clark is solid as a starter. He’s young but the shine will bolster his confidence. these past two games have proven that. and, more importantly, it gives Howard a chance to get started early. and we all know Howard plays better when he has a few duckets under his belt in the first.

Keep Antawn Jamison happy
Have Jamison come off the bench with Pau. that should be enough of a scoring punch to keep opponents at bay until the three headed monster of Nash/Howard/Kobe can come back in and dominate. These two cats are veterans, solid players that know how to score and where to post. more importantly, they play on opposite ends of the floor. Jamison is a shooter. he can drop anywhere on the court. Pau can stay in his comfortable 15 foot radius. everyone eats. everyone is happy. You need to surround these cats with defensive stopper though. a lockdown point. a tenacious three. a big and agile center who’s job is to do nothing but block shots. Jamison and Pau facilitating the bulk of the points for 15 to 20 minutes. scary stuff.

Turnovers and consistency are STILL a problem
The LAkers produce points. they average over 100 a game. they play decent to superb defense in most outings. they almost always out rebound teams. so how is it that we’re two games under .500? turnovers. i watched these cats turn the ball over 4 times in less than two minutes tonight. THAT sh*t is a problem. giving away 8 points is not conducive to decisive and dominating wins. protect the goddamn rock, yo. If the LAkers did that and played better defense, we’d be scary. If we were even slightly more consistent, we’d be a five seed, easy.

all of these things i’ve mentioned are growing pains. This is a squad forged for greatness and put to task under the heat of those LA lights. sh*t can be blinding at times. But this is all part of the evolution of a team. you forge the best swords from the most brilliant flames. The pieces are there and they’re starting to click the way they should. Title aspirations are a bit far fetched as we are now but there are a lot of games left to be played. and right now,. the LAkers are playing their best basketball of the season.

NBA Rant: Good tidings to all

Five NBA games on Christmas day! five games that were suppose to be entertaining and fantastic. Two lived up to that billing. one was tainted by ref interference. the last two were ass whippings. i mean, these cats were laying down the opposition like Marquez laid down Pacquiao! Watching these games taught me a few things about the state of the league and i wanted to dress them here.

The Celtics are legit.
Rondo looked legit. Garnett played like a grown man. Pierce might have a bit left in the tank. Green looks more comfortable in those Celtics colors than ever has in that Thunder orange. Sullinger is for real. This kid is the future of that franchise. Between him, Rondo, and Green, the Cs are gonna be an eastern force for some time. Doc Rivers has his guys running right now. i like how they look, and that’s me saying that as a LAker fan, yo. Miami needs to keep an eye on the old king, man. the Cs have had that throne and their itching to make it back home. if these guys keep playing like this, that might be a very real situation.

The Brooklyn Nets are pretenders to the crown.
300 million later, and Pokorov is left holding the check. The Nets, however exciting (or hyped up) as they were promised to be, were exposed tonight. there are problems everywhere. Where’s the help for D-Will? is Johnson worth the money? the hell is Kris Humphries doing? Should Brook Lopez stay? This is a team that looks eerily similar to the wayward Knickerbockers of last year. they play in the east so they still have a chance to shine but title contention? nah. they’re about four years and three bad contracts away from that.

Nash might be the West Coast Rondo.
Second game back and Steve Nash clocked in 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 11 assist with only 3 turnovers. Yeah, man. With Nash on the floor, the LAkers are who they’re suppose to be. Pau was utilized properly this go round. dude was so hyped, he dunked over Camby tonight! Pau Gasol dunked on someone, man! off a dime from Nash! Kobe got it right, with Nash on the floor, everyone is floating back to their natural positions. that means the comfortability is coming back. that’s five in a row, yo. that’s a .500 record, yo. that’s the LAkers hitting on all cylinders. eventually, Howard will get healthy and it’s a wrap. The Clippers are looking good, but so are the LAkers, man. it’s a problem for the west!
Did i mention The Mamba rattled of his 9th 20 point game in a row? it’s crucial right now, man!

The Knicks are built to be the Heat and no one else.
I love Melo right now. he’s playing some of the best ball of his career. i love Smitty right now. J R Smith is playing the smartest i have ever seen him. Woodson has these guys looking sharp. the problem is, they look sharp for an East team. the East can’t be the West, yo. they play too fast and they play too small. The LAkers has Pau and Howard. the Clippers have Jordan and Griffin. The Spurs have Splitter and Duncan. the Grizz have the best front court in the NBA! Marc Gasol and Z-Bo? really? i like the Knicks. i have them as the number one seed out of the East. but they’re not contenders. take away the three, which is what every legit West team does, and they’re too anemic to title out.

The Thunder got robbed.
I’m not going to spend too much time on this situation because it’s frustrating but the Thunder beat the Heat tonight. it’s not reflected in the score or the win/loss record, but the Thunder beat the Heat tonight. They outplayed the Heat in every way, yo. OKC literally lost this game on calls. that sh*t needs to be looked at seriously. Stern and his goon refs gave Miami this game, man.

The Heat are paper champions.
LeBron is beasting on cats right now but this is a team of imposters. The Thunder, after coming back from an 11-3 deficit in the first, gave these cats everything they could handle. Even with bullsh*t fouls being called (and notoriously not called) left and right, the Thunder found a way to stay in this game. OKC played like champions tonight. the Heat played like ego driven assholes for three out of four quarters. They didn’t deserve this win and if not for two fistfuls of questionable calls, would have lost. a repeat is looking more and more like a pipe dream at this point.

The Rockets might be for real.
Blow out game. moving on.

The Bulls NEED Rose apparently.
Bringing him back will be a mistake though. chalk this season up and look for next season. moving on.

Magic has crowned Lob City as the new Showtime.
and they showed that sh*t tonight. the Clipper looked legit. and with this win, they hold the best record in the West. Clipper Nation is losing their sh*t right now. That Clip Bench is the real sh*t. shades of the 09 LAkers, i think? They’ll make noise in the playoffs but do i think they are title contenders? not quite. next season, maybe, but not now. Griffin needs to be better. they need to win grind out games because the Playoffs are going to be just that’ half court, grind out slugfests.

The Nuggets are the Nuggests, yo.
i like Faried. he’ll look good in LAker gold in a few years. ‘Nuff said.