This is what we have become

If you wonder why I don't have much to say in February, this might help answer some questions. One of ESPNs top headlines today (as it has been all day) was that Jeremy Lin had a conversation with Kris Humphries. Lin has become a sensation because of his high level of play, his ethnicity, his out of nowhere ascent and the fact that he plays for the Knicks. Kris Humphries married the star of a sex tape for about 2 months. Their conversation is a major headline.
Now that I think about it, the presence of this headline does carry with a more foreboding story that doesn't make the headlines: American civilization is collapsing faster than any of us imagine.
April 6th can't come soon enough

The NBA and hero worship

I think one of the reasons I don't really care for the NBA is how individual players can sway the balance of the league by themselves. Consider: The Colts are anticipating the loss of one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the league, but instead of this being backbreaking, it's simply a bump in the road on the way to rebuilding. Of course, the team needs defense and younger skill players, but that's the point. They need to build an entire team. There are 22 players that need to be capable starters.The St. Louis Cardinals will be fine despite losing Albert Pujols, and the Angels are better, but not the class of the league because they signed him. The NHL makes roster moves like I change underwear, underscoring the relative lack of importance of an individual as it compares to the team.
If you look a the roster of an NBA team, they have 12 players total. Look at the tumult that was created by Lebron James leaving for Miami. Look at Cleveland without him. Look at the to do surrounding the contract given to Kevin Love. Look at what happened when the last Kevin, Garnett was traded to Boston. One player is 20% of a starting lineup. That's 4 people on a football team.
So given that, I guess it's more justified going after Lebron for his decision, because one player is so important. It also makes a player like Dwight Howard, calling his shots in trade, seem a little tasteless. He will likely lead to the vast improvement of one team (especially if he can get a friend to join him, meaning he accounts for 40% or more of the new roster) and the destruction of his current team, the Orlando Magic.
And that's the rub, I think. How can anyone really say they are a fan of one team, when really, that team's fortune's ride on one or two players? Aren't you just cheering for one player at that rate? You're entitled to like what you like, but I don't think I can ever quite get into the NBA.

(This post has been inspired by a random tweet. Follow me @victoriawxtimes so you can keep up on stuff like this)

The Victoria Times NBA Preview

Hey, the NBA started on Christmas. I would be a bad sports blogger if I didn't provide some sort of guide to the season. Well, here is the only link you need:
Here are your TV Guide listings so perhaps you can find what else is on.

(Miami Heat in 4 interminable games)

What I don't like about the NBA

The problem with the NBA is this: There is too much focus on an individual. Think about the Finals. IT was Dirk. It was Lebron. There was some mention of Jason Terry. There was a lot about Dwyane Wade. The teams are so small the focus has to be on certain individuals.
That said, when a star is playing for a winning team, it becomes entirely about that one player. The Lakers are Kobe. The Mavs are Dirk. It was a big deal when Lebron went to Miami because one player bears so much influence on a team.
So, that said, since all these teams are about the one player, a team's successes then become tied exclusively to the careers of the individual. The Bulls were good when Michael Jordan was there. The Spurs with Tim Duncan. For the most part, the players don't want to be identified with the team, but rather as their own brand. It's more profitable. This is, in large part, why players gravitate towards Los Angeles, New York or Chicago... It's easier to become Air Jordan if you can coexist with the marketers of the world.
So, there you have it. The NBA is technically a team game, but one player can tip the balance. Even if pay is equitable, those big name players are ALWAYS going to go to the big markets, because they are going to make real money there, away from the game.
And that's why the NBA sucks.

The NBA Playoffs Are Going On

Yes, believe it or not, Steve is actually posting again. I haven't written anything for the Times in over a month, but I'm hoping to change that in the near future. I didn't even make baseball picks this year, and it's probably too late now (Here's a hint: they would have been way off, I was higher on the White Sox coming into this season that I may ever have been, and look how horrible they are so far). Because of the White Sox underachieving, and the fact that I haven't had the chance to catch too many of their games this year because of the early starts for my time and being crazy busy at work, I've been focusing on the NBA and NHL playoffs. Well, at least I was focusing on the NHL playoffs until both my Blackhawks and Coyotes got beat in the first round. At least the Blackhawks put up a fight. Now all I want is for Detroit to lose.

Anyways, the NBA playoffs have definitely got my interest this year, because for the first time since I've needed to shave more than once a week the Chicago Bulls are actually a legit NBA title contender. Growing up, I was a little spoiled by the Bulls success (they won their first NBA title when I was 8 and last when I was 15) so I never got overly excited by their absolute dominance. I knew that as long as they had Michael Jordan they were going to be awesome, and I feel so lucky that I am able to tell my grandkids one day that I saw the greatest player of all time play in person. So finally, after 13 long years, the Bulls are back and have a shot at bringing Chicago it's 7th NBA title.

I'll admit I'm not a huge NBA fan but I think it's fun to watch now for kind of a nostalgia factor. I feel like the NBA was awesome at marketing to kids in the early 90's by making the star players of each team seem larger than life, just look at the success of NBA Jam with it's 2 on 2 style play. I think the formula is still being used and is being used well with a lot of good character players after a few years of not so media friendly players leading their teams. But to me, the best nostalgia factor is the Bulls being a good team lead by a star player. It reminds me of the good old days where Michael was the king of Chicago. Who doesn't remember this classic commercial?



And now, the Bulls finally have their star again. Derek Rose lead the Bulls to their first division title and #1 seed in the East since 1998 and just this week, became their first player since Air Jordan to win the MVP award. He seems to have the same will to win and determination that Jordan had, and he just seems to make everyone around him that much better. Doing a Youtube search for Rose commercials is not nearly as easy as Jordan, but hey, you have to start somewhere. There will be plenty more where this one came from, and maybe my kids will fondly look back at his commercials 30 years from now, too.



Go Bulls.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and the 2003 draft

The Timberwolves, for all intents and purposes, did a horrendous job with the 2003 draft. I am no NBA fan, but I know this to be true. They drafted Ndudi Ebi and Rick Rickert. It doesn't get much worse than that. This was also the draft before the Wolves made it to the Western Conference finals, so that's pretty good, and it didn't seem like it phased the Wolves too much.
Of course, 2003 was probably one of the best drafts in NBA history, so it definitely looks bad in retrospect. Perhaps that is why the Wolves have their hand constantly dipping back in the 2003 draft. After the Carmelo Anthony trade, the Wolves have now had a stake in the career of the top 5 picks in the 2003 draft.

 - The #2 pick, Darko Milicic is currently on the Wolves roster.

 - The Wolves were involved in the three team deal that saw Carmelo Anthony, the #3 pick, get dealt to New York. They acquired Anthony Randolph, Eddy Curry, cash and a draft pick.

- The Wolves were a vital component in the assembly of the super team involving #1 Lebron James, #4 Chris Bosh and #5 Dwyane Wade. They accepted Michael Beasley as the Heat cleared cap space for a couple of 2nd rounders.

 Chris Kaman? You're next.

The Timberwolves luck continues

 

The Timberwolves once again moved down in the draft lottery to the 4th overall spot. Before the lottery, Wolves GM David Kahn said that, in fact, he thought that this was a three player draft, contrary to popular belief. Too bad they are, as I said, now picking 4th. Good luck with talentless locker room cancer and 15th power forward DeMarcus Cousins, guys.

Say, 4th place? Isn't that what you guys are in the hearts of Minnesota sports fans?

Video Tribute

It should be well-known by now that I don’t follow basketball. Oh, I know, I keep readers of the Victoria Times updated on the Timberwolves stats, but really, I couldn’t name any player on the team right now. With a little thought, I could probably name a few, but after that, I’d be lost. This is not to say I don’t know anything about basketball. I do know most of the rules. I was a big fan of the sport in high school, but it never moved with me to college (I didn’t go to an athletic college. I think the starting quarterback my freshman year was a freshman, who, incidentally, was also my lab partner in chemistry. That’s pretty much as close as I got to sports in college).

Mostly, I find professional basketball a little boring. Yet, I can appreciate the great players of the game. To this matter, I bring up the recent Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Michael Jordan. Watching him was impressive. The way he played was insane. There’s a reason he was the icon for basketball, and courted* by athletic companies to be a spokesmodel for their gear. Where would Nike be without him?

* Pun not initially intentional, but left in and noted when realized.

This is all a round-about way to talk about something I found disturbing. It was briefly mentioned in this article about the man, David Thompson, whom Michael Jordan chose to present him. The line that stuck out the most was: “Thompson won’t have to give a lengthy speech for Jordan; those days are over for the Hall, replaced by video tributes.”

I’d just like to say that video tributes are for television. Coming into and going out to commercial breaks is the place for a highlight video. ESPN, et al., special features are for video tributes. A ceremony is not. How many of us have been at ceremonies where you couldn’t really see? In the crowds of graduates, could you really see your brother get handed his diploma, or was it by craning your neck to look through the holes in the crowds? Leave the video tributes at for home. The Hall of Fame Induction is the place when we want to remember a great player. I’d love it even more if old teammates could share their funniest moment, or what they felt was the most defining moment in his career. I don’t want long, drawn-out speeches. I want to laugh, remember, and perhaps even learn. I saw him play for years, and while I would love to see him play again, I know I’ll get to see video highlights again.*

*Note: I’m not saying no video should be shown. While speakers are approaching the platform, having video of the player would be a nice touch.

If we’re going to do video tribute, there’s no reason for me to go. The reason to go is to see these people again, in real life, and hear them speak.

If you want to see some of Michael Jordan’s great hits, well, here they are:

There’s plenty more where that came from.

And now, Minnesota Twins’ first baseman, former MVP Justin Morneau is out for the season. Of course, since he tends to slump in September, and due to a stress fracture in his back was doing worse than usual, having him replaced isn’t the worst thing in the world. However, having the good Justin Morneau out of the line-up is pretty devastating to play-off hopes. If it weren’t for the completely inept AL Central, they would have no hope at all.

Who should the Timberwolves take?

I know Beth is our resident Timberwolves expert, but with the NBA Draft coming up on Thursday, and my interest in the NBA completely vanishing for the season on Friday, I thought I would figure out who the Wolves should pick. Not to make it a winning team, you see, but rather to gain my interest, if briefly.
Friends who follow the team are excited by the possibility of Memphis guard Tyreke Evans ending up with the team. I've never been a fan of Memphis, and while Evans might be a great player, the idea of having him on the team doesn't really blow my skirt up.
The idea I like, however, is the Wolves pursuing a different guard. How about Stephen Curry? Sure, he's almost certainly going to be a failure in the NBA. I just like the idea of such a media darling spending his winters in the tundra of the Twin Cities, because I may be a terrible person. Let's make it happen, Timberwolves.

Your official NBA Finals Preview

Apparently, as an "all sports" blog, I should formulate some sort of opinion on the NBA Finals. So here it is. The Lakers will win, because the Magic can't even provide their star player with a jersey.

Wait, it's the Lakers and Magic in the Finals, right?

Doogie Howser's best friend among the top draft prospects

With the NBA Draft lottery last night (the Timberwolves will be picking 6th), it's time to look at some of the prospects. The foreign prospects are the ones you are least likely to know. The top international player is Doogie Howser's childhood friend Vinnie Delpino, who, as he grew older, decided to change his name to Ricky Rubio (like that's a real name anyways) and play basketball.

It's all my fault

This post was written weeks ago, but due to the holidays and the death of Carl Pohlad, this kept getting pushed back. I hope the link still works and the information is still accurate.

There have been six coaching firings in the NBA so far this year, which seems an exorbitant amount. Head coach Kevin McHale blames bloggers:

"I think you're going to see more and more shorter term stuff in our league," he said. "Just because the access now, there's so much media availability and everything else. There's just so many bloggers; everybody's got an opinion. There's all kinds of stuff going on. Sometimes that starts forming the opinion of people in front offices, too, and owner. It's been kind of a crazy year so far."

As a blogger, and even one who does a weekly Timberwolves update on a sports-related blog, I guess I should apologize to all these head coaches.

Except McHale's ranting right there really reminds me of the drunk homeless guy. Rambling all over, and blaming problems on random things. I'd be willing to bet (if I had been invited to Vegas for the Winter Meetings) there are more baseball bloggers than bloggers for any other sport. I don't recall that many managers being fired. The most maligned Minnesota Twins player in 2007, without argument, was Nick Punto (and for good reason: he hit very poorly and injury wasn’t announced until too late for redemption), and the hatred carried through to 2008 (even though he played quite well). This didn’t stop him from getting an $8 million contract in the off-season, and multiple teams courting him (reportedly).

In short, I think that the problem isn’t the blogs in the NBA. If blogs truly are to blame, rather than, y’know, losing, then the problem is with peer pressure. If the general managers can be so influenced by blogs to not pay attention to what needs to be done, then they’re not really looking for what’s best for the team. On a certain level, the general managers (and owners) need to listen to the fans because fans are what the game is all about. On another level, fans shouldn’t make all the decisions. (For further argument on that, see the selections for the all-star games .) A general manager should be paying enough attention to know where the problems lie. If it’s with the head coach, then he needs a new head coach. (Incidentally, it doesn’t mean the head coach is bad. He may be very well, but he just might not be the best fit for his particular team.)

General managers should read blogs. They should pay attention to what the fans are saying. But they should only take that advice for what it’s worth: it’s free advice, and that’s cheap. They need to have the ability to analyze the information from all sources, including watching the games themselves.

Dear me, if the Twins were to suddenly start listening to my wild ranting about what should be done with the team, there would be something very wrong.

Timberwolves update: 11-26 (1-1 since last time, 7-11 since McHale). Their win percentage is nearly 30%, so it seems I can avoid a professional basketball game this year. There are five teams worse than the T-Wolves out there.

Marian Gaborik Injury Status: I don’t know who he is, so I’ll mention that Ron Gardenhire seems to believe that Scott Baker will be opening day starter. I sincerely hope so.

Gone!

The Timberwolves fired their former head coach, and replaced him with their general manager, who was apparently a basketball player back in the day. I wouldn’t know. I’d mention names, but I really don’t know the names, and don’t care enough to look them up. For my weekly Timberwolves report, I really don’t care about the team. I like sports in general, so I’m aware of their existence, and follow headlines (of sort).

Nonetheless, the head coach was fired. I don’t know if it was deserving or not. I don’t know if the players were better, and he was a poor coach, or if he was just doing what he could with what he had. We’ll have to see as Kevin McHale takes over the helm. Even then, if the new general manager makes a move on the team, it will be hard to tell who was to blame all along. I’m willing to give McHale a two-week grace period. He needs time to clear away the old regime’s ideas and start his own. (Thus, I can’t give any opinion on the team being 0-2 since getting the new coach.)

However, when a team is 22-60 one year, and manages to start the next year at 4-15, it’s clear something has to change if a team wants to keep fans. Poor records don’t create fans, and turn off casual fans--and that “turn-off” can last for years, pending a major title win. Just doing “really well” will still keep the casual fan away from the arenas/fields/courts/parks/stadiums in any sport, after years of very poor play. The fans don’t trust the team really has turned it around.

Anyway, it’s too early to judge whether it was a new head coach, general manager, or new players that the Timberwolves need. The one thing is clear: they need to find a way to make new fans (and keep the old), and their current model isn’t doing it. If they turn it around in the next month, they have a shot at keeping the current fan base, and gaining a few of the more loyal casual fans back (and losing the “train wreck” fans, like me, but that’s probably a good thing).

Nonetheless, we’ll be keeping track of Kevin McHale’s record as head coach for the rest of the year. Will these changes be enough? Keep watching!

Timberwolves update: 4-17 (0-4 since last week, 0-2 since McHale)

I still promise to attend a Timberwolves game if they’re under 20% in the win % category in January. There is currently one team with a worse record than them, and one team with an identical record.

Marian Gaborik Injury Status: Just because I said he wouldn’t play again in 2008, he suddenly decided to start practicing with the team, and is on the road trip with them. He seems to think he’ll play this road trip; Coach Jacques Lemaire isn’t quite so sure.

Timberwolves Draft Day

Over heard in the Timberwolves' war room...

Guy 1: We need to make this team popular again! How do we make Minnesotan's love it?

Guy 2: We could try.... winning?

[Everyone laughs]

Guy 3: Well, the Twins are probably the most popular team in town, what are they doing.

2: Winning?

1, 3: Shut up, dude.

1: Well, let's see. They have Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer, Nick Punto. They seem to be hits in the community and with the team.

3: Hmm... So, they have a big white guy, a smaller white guy who is a gifted offensive player born nearby, and another white guy who is mostly annoying to other teams but hustles real hard and makes people like him? How do we replicate that here?

1: Well, I have an idea, but, well, we would have to take on another player who doesn't fit our white guy mold.

3: Let me see..... Eh, his name is Jason and he went to Stanford. Nobody will notice.

2: You guys are assholes.

The Victoria Times Official NBA Finals Recap!

Hey! The Celtics won in what was apparently a thrilling 6 game series! Kevin Garnett was happy to the point of delirium. And... uh... Steve told you so!

That's it for the Victoria Times Official NBA Recap!

Changes at the top

In two different sports, two coaches who were thought to be at the top of the game just a couple of years ago have been relieved of their duties. It seems hard to believe that a couple of guys who were so highly thought of can suddenly be seen in such a negative light. I'm talking, of course, about Flip Saunders of the Detroit Pistons in the NBA and John Tortorella of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the NHL. Well, they used to be. I used to think that it was strange firing successful coaches when success was so recently in their rearview mirror. I used to think so.
Saunders was working with incredible talent who was working well as a team before he got there. I'm not much for the NBA, but I do know that Rick Carlisle and Larry Brown each served to develop a strong team atmosphere and brought the Pistons to the NBA Finals. Saunders has been unable to push the team to the next level, despite previous evidence that this group of guys was capable of doing so. This suggests that Saunders lacked the motivational skills to get the guys to advance, or, more likely, he wasn't the best game time decision maker in the clutch. He probably deserved to go.
Tortarella maintained about the same record since his team hoisted the Cup after the 03-04 season, but the squad failed to advance past the quarter finals in either of the following two seasons. This year, he saw the Lightning collapse to 5th in the Southeast despite starting the season with many of the same core players he won the Cup with. It seemed apparent that Tortarella had lost the respect of his players. A tirade a few seasons ago against his goaltender to the press certainly didn't help.
That being said, I think this season should probably be Ron Gardenhire's last. Much like Saunders, he came into a situation that was created mostly by his predecessor, Tom Kelly, and he managed to continue the success for the next three seasons. Things took a negative turn the next year as well as last year. I'll get to 2006 in a moment, but it appears to be the exception that proves thr rule. This year, the Twins are contending in the AL Central despite themselves.
Gardenhire has two major flaws that are seen in two other managers in particular. Two successful managers at that, which is part of the reason why they may not be seen as flaws. Gardy, like Tony La Russa, micromanages his bullpen, therefore using up way too many pitchers and putting himself in potential binds in tight games, particularly those in extra innings. In La Russa's most successful seasons, he had pitchers in Matt Morris and Chris Carpenter and Mark Mulder that could eat up innings, meaning that he didn't have to use the bullpen for three or four innings, as we are seeing all too often this season in Minnesota.
His other flaw is his devotion to small ball, or smart ball or whatever you want to call it. Ozzie Guillen used a variant on route to the World Series in 2005. The difference is this. Guillen's version involved the top of the order, guys like Podsednik and Iguchi getting on base, maybe stealing a bag or two, followed by Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede hitting an extra base hit, like a home run. Gardenhire's version involves the lead off man, Cristian Guzman, Luis Castillo, Shannon Stewart, or Carlos Gomez in previous incarnations, getting on base, then putting someone like Nick Punto in the two slot to bunt the runner over. Always a bunt. Always an out. Then the problem would be compacted by having Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer or Torii Hunter try to slap a ball the other way. In these two scenarios, the White Sox have scored 2-3 runs, while the Twins have scored 1. Do you see the issue? Nevertheless, Gardenhire's teams were always praised for manufacturing their runs. That 2006 season, where the wins won 96 games and won the division, by the way, was the one in which Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter were the first two Twins to hit 30 home runs in a season since Tom Brunansky back in 1986. Funny what a little power in the meat of the order will do.
La Russa and Guillen each had the pitching staff and the mashing lineup to cover up their flaws in the middle of their World Series winning years. Current general manager Bill Smith appears to be trying to augment the Twins power, particularly with the addition of Delmon Young in the offseason, but it doesn't seem to be taking. Nobody in the Twins lineup is hitting for power this year, outside of the always reliable Justin Morneau, and eventually, the accusatory eye has to be turned to the coaching staff. At what point does Smith react to the fact that Gardenhire is coaching away from the team he is trying to build?
Now, I'm not saying that Gardenhire is necessarily a bad manager. He is an excellent fundamental coach. The Twins farm system, however, is steeped in the fundamentals, and in the majors, it seems redundant to continue this approach. For a team like the Pirates who could just use guidance and direction, Gardy would be perfect. For a team that needs to step up and reach the next level, following Bill Smith's framework, it might be time for Gardenhire to go, even if he has been successful. It happened to Saunders and Torterella.

NBA Playoff Throwdown (Preview)

Thanks, Shaq. I hope you aren't too tired after introducing this post...the Statue of Liberty is pretty far from Phoenix. Even though you don't give a heck, please don't punch me in the stomach. Sike!

(side note: definitely check out the related videos after the video is over...especially the 2nd one on the first page and the last one on the 2nd page, they're just as funny or funnier than the one I posted)

Very, very few posts on here have been exclusively on the NBA, mostly because neither Ryan or I are huge fans....but I am a bigger fan of the NBA than Ryan, so despite the fact that neither my favorite team (the Bulls) nor my local team (the Pacers) are in the playoffs, and the fact that I am apparently an earthquake survivor today, I bring you my 2008 NBA Playoff Throwdown. So let's take a look at the first round matchups, and I'll throw in my finals prediction too:

First Round
East
#1 Boston Celtics vs. #8 Atlanta Hawks - You can tell the Eastern conference is God-awful terrible when a 37 win Atlanta Hawks team lead by Joe Johnson makes the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Despite playing in the East, Boston seems to be the most complete team in the NBA heading into the playoffs. These 2 teams actually have a pretty storied playoff history.....from back in the days when players wore belts on their shorts. The Celtics are 8-1 all time against the Hawks in the playoffs, with the Hawks only win over them coming in the 1958 NBA Finals. I think the Celts have a pretty good chance of avenging 50 years later. Pick: Celtics in 4

#4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. #5 Washington Wizards - There's a good chance the Wizards are better than they seem. Gilbert Arenas only played 13 games this year, but is back now and Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler kept the team afloat while he was gone. With everyone healthy, and with Lebron James thrown in, this can be one of the most entertaining series of the first round, and the only watchable one in the East. Pick: Wizards in 7

#3 Orlando Magic vs. #6 Toronto Raptors - This series features a battle between 2 of the best up and coming big men in the NBA, Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh. How can you not like Dwight? He's seems like a legitimately nice kid that has a lot of fun out there, and he can be freakishly dominating. Bosh is very underrated, but its hard to get noticed playing in Toronto when playing with guys named Moon, Nesterovic, Bargnani, and Garbajosa unless you are a dunking machine (see: Carter, Vince). Pick: Magic in 6

#2 Detroit Pistons vs. #7 Philadelphia 76ers - Both of these teams lack a single superstar, but are hard working and cohesive.....the Pistons just do it a lot better. Get ready to start booing Philly fans, but keep it in perspective: your team had a worse record than Portland. Pick: Pistons in 5

West
#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #8 Denver Nuggets - Only 7 games separate these 2 teams...that's how tight the West was. This is another big star matchup with Kobe and Gasol going against Iverson and Melo. The Lakers finished strong to get the #1 seed, and I think they'll take advantage of home court and distractions like the Carmelo DUI and A.I. being A.I. to take this...but it won't be easy. Pick: Lakers in 6

#4 Utah Jazz vs. #5 Houston Rockets - So let's see if I understand the NBA's seeding system. Now, being a division champion no longer matters all that much, since it will only earn you at least a spot in the top 4. Also, if your lower seeded opponent has a better record, they get home court in the first round. The Jazz won their division but the Rockets get home court...so doesn't that really make the Rockets the 4 seed? Oh well, I think the Rockets are back down to earth after the 22 game streak and Utah will take them out anyways. Pick: Jazz in 6

#3 San Antonio Spurs vs. #6 Phoenix Suns - Now its time to see if the Shaq trade paid off for the Suns. I can't believe a matchup this good will be in the first round of the playoffs, especially with all of the controversy that surrounded their series last year. This could be the last ride in the playoffs for the Diesel, and I think Tim Duncan is going to end it early. Pick: Spurs in 7

#2 New Orleans Hornets vs. #7 Dallas Mavericks - How can Chris Paul not be the league's MVP this year? Have you seen the rest of his team? Paul is turning into one of the most exciting and dominant players in the NBA...too bad he's stuck in New Orleans. Maybe the trend of grown men wearing teal and purple can return with the Hornets being a top team in the NBA. The Mavericks have been pretty shaky and beat up all season, and the jury is still out on the Jason Kidd trade. I think they are still bitter about the upset to Golden State last year and will crumble again this year. Pick: Hornets in 6

NBA Finals Pick: Boston Celtics over San Antonio Spurs in 7 - The long suffering Boston sports fans will finally get a title this year, their first since all the way back in October, 2007. I know a Celtics-Lakers finals would be absolutely awesome, for both the retro factor and the fact you'll have KG, Ray, and Pierce on a legit East team going against Kobe, in the finals for the first time without Shaq. I think the Spurs are going to ruin this though, as they are actually the annoying boring dynasty coming into a finals matchup versus a Boston team. First, the Spurs will eliminate the entertaining Suns, and blowing a possible Kobe-Shaq western finals. Then, they will knock off possible league MVP Chris Paul and the upstart Hornets, then knock off the relatively playoff inexperienced Lakers to make it to the Finals. The Celts will roll over Atlanta and Washington, but will run into a formidable Pistons team in the eastern finals, before getting past them (star power rules in the NBA) and making it to the finals. I was tempted to go with the Spurs in the matchup, based on experience and the fact that the seemingly "dream team" of the Celtics could fall flat on their faces in the finals just like the '04 Lakers. But I think the Celtics truly are the best team in the league this year, and three stars will be winning their first title.

The Rockets are exciting

Currently on ESPN's front page, they have a story about how the Houston Rockets are going on a tear. More importantly to me, that's former Purdue Boilermaker Carl Landry (who made a drastic, if Sam Cassell like decision to shave his head) rebounding the ball right there. Now, if you're going to make a front page story about a team, don't you think they would have had a better picture to go with than a rookie bench player making a rebound when there is noone else on the floor, save for a disinterested teammate standing right behind him?
But what do I know. See you Friday from Kentucky.

Kurt Thomas not especially helpful while standing on the baseline

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and frankly, I don't care. One trade, however, saw the Seattle Supersonics trade big man Kurt Thomas to the Spurs for some picks and prospects. Again, nothing I really care about. However, the following quote from Sonics guard Earl Watkins really caught my eye.

For everything he's done in the NBA and what he brings to a team and what he brought to this team, I learned a lot being around him, especially on the court and off the court.

Let's bust out a little prealgebra here, with the distributive theory, where x(y+z)=xy+xz. Therefore you can translate Watkins' quote to Thomas teaching a lot especially on the court and especially off the court. Right.
He'll make an excellent analyst some day. "Who do I think will win this one? Well, I especially like the Nuggets. Also, I especially like the Rockets."

What is Cory Brewer thinking?

I don't typically watch the Timberwolves because I don't honestly believe that the NBA is anything more than some sort of soap opera, not unlike the WWE, but I was at a bar last night and the Wolves were plastered all over the giant TVs they had there. One question kept popping up in my mind. What exactly is going through Corey Brewer's mind? He always seems to have a look of concerned confusion splayed across his face, no more evident than when he's shooting free throws. We spent the night trying to work out what exactly was going through his mind. Well, I now leave it to you, the reader, to figure out what he was thinking here

I'll start it off... "'Hey guys, what's that giant, lighted thing hovering above the court? Should we be worried?' 'No, Corey, we don't have to worry about the Jumbotron'"

Additionally, Corey makes a good partner with his coach, the perpetually stunned Randy Wittman.So yes, leave your thoughts on what you think Corey may be thinking down there in the comments.