The website, realgm.com, has posted an article saying that Troy Murphy of the New Jersey Nets will most likely be traded (link here). Murphy lost his starting job to Kris Humphries, and now the Nets are looking to trade Murphy, who is owed $12 million in this, the last year of his contract.
Now, I know that Troy Murphy isn’t exactly a sexy name in the NBA, but this guy is exactly who the Suns need right now. Murphy is a tough, physical rebounder who can shoot from the outside. Take a peek at some of these statistics. In the past two years, Murphy was seventh and third in the league in Defensive Rebounding Rate, which measures the percentage of defensive rebounds grabbed by a player while he was on the court. Murphy also shot 46.7% from three last season in Indiana.
The Suns are currently last in the league in defensive rebounding, by a wide margin. Hedo Turkoglu is doing a horrendous job of rebounding grabbing only 3.7 rebounds per game. Channing Frye is the team’s leading rebounder at only 5.4 per game, and has come off the bench for the majority of games this season. Starting small forward, Grant Hill, is next on the team with 4.9 per game.
Making a move to land Murphy would make perfect sense for this team right now. Murphy is a great defensive rebounder, he fits into the Suns system very well, in that his is an above-average outside shooter, and his defense is underrated, boasting a defensive rating of only 103 last season (according to basketball-reference.com). According to David Berri’s Wins Produced metric, Murphy rated as the most valuable player by far on the Indiana Pacers last season contributing 14.1 wins for a team that only won 32 games.
I’m sure that the Suns brass are cautious about admitting failure only ten games into the season, but so far this acquisition of Hedo Turkoglu is turning into a complete nightmare. Not only are the Suns getting blistered on the offensive glass, but Goran Dragic is not nearly as impactful when Turkoglu is on the floor. The new front office should take a lesson from former GM, Steve Kerr, and cut ties with Turkoglu before the season blows up entirely. A straight-up trade of Murphy for Turkoglu will not solve all of the Suns problems, but it will at least improve the Suns defense and rebounding. New Jersey should be all in for this trade too, a proven go-to scorer in the clutch to go along with their young front-court of Derrick Favors and Brook Lopez would be a great addition. It’s a win-win, and if the Suns end up bottoming out and not making the playoffs then they can allow Murphy to leave via free agency and use that money elsewhere to once again try to replace Amare Stoudemire’s production. This trade isn’t quite as intriguing as bringing in my new man crush, Josh Smith, from the Hawks. But a trade for Smith would likely need to include Dragic to be worthwhile for Atlanta. Come on Lon Babby and Lance Blanks, take one for the team, even if it is a shot to your pride.
Murphy's Basketball-reference.com bio
Murphy's Hoopdata.com bio
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
I'm Back
Okay so this doesn’t quite have the cache that Jordan had when he came back in ’95, but maybe the same as the 2001 comeback. Either way I’m back in the blog writing business…err pastime. Let’s begin right where we left off: the Suns.
(Editor’s note: these are original ideas that sprung up before the season started and in no way did the first game influence these opinions, but it would have been nice to write this before-hand.)
I’m sure you’ve heard all of the projections about this team. They range from less than 40 wins and missing the playoffs to another 50 plus win season and making another deep run in the playoffs like the Suns did last year. I can understand both sides, but personally I know which way I’m leaning.
I realize that this is how last season started, with a lot of uncertainty and change at key spots coming into the season. Last year was Alvin Gentry’s first full season as head coach. Amare Stoudemire was back for a full season after missing the stretch run the previous season with an eye injury. Other questions remained. How is the defense? Can Amare rebound? Is Steve Nash over-the-hill? And the answer was shown in a trip to the Western Conference Finals where they made a serious run at an NBA championship.
As great as that season was, and as much as I would like to be optimistic for another magical season like that, things are different this year, and the elephant in the room is on everyone’s mind. How is this team going to replace Amare Stoudemire’s production? Now, I’m sure the first thing that pops into everyone’s mind is the 23.1 points per game that he put up last year. Personally, I think the points can come from a variety of different sources. Of course I understand that it’s not going to be easy and anytime a player with Amare’s efficiency leaves, it will be difficult to make up. However, Robin Lopez and Hedo Turkoglu can both run the pick and roll with Stoudemire to some effect. Jason Richardson, Steve Nash and Grant Hill will all need to chip in as well to make up for some of those shots. The offensive production can be made up as long as it is done efficiently. The last thing this team needs is 8-10 clear-out plays a game for Jason Richardson or Hedo Turkoglu. Team basketball is what makes this team so special. The biggest question on offense will be who gets the ball when the jump shots aren’t falling. That has been one of the biggest knocks on the Suns, they are a jump shooting team. Well, if they were a jump shooting team last year then this year they will be even more so. Last year when the jumpers weren’t falling the Suns could pound the ball inside to Stoudemire, whether that was off the pick and roll with Nash or giving it off at the high post and letting him take his defender off the dribble. For as much flak as Amare got he was a great player and will be missed more than most fans realize.
The other side of that elephant is the rebounding. Again, Amare got a lot of flak from the media about his poor rebounding. And he should have, he rebounded much worse than his potential. But look who the front office is using as replacements: Robin Lopez and Hedo Turkoglu. Both of these two players are sub-par rebounders at best, and utterly hopeless at worst. Robin Lopez had 7.2 rebounds per 36 minutes last season versus Amare’s 9.4. Turkoglu’s best career average per 36 minutes was only 6.6 rebounds. If only I had posted this before Tuesday night’s opener against the Blazers. I would have looked prophetic. The Blazers shot 46% and missed 50 shots on the night. Of those 50 potential defensive rebounds the Suns only grabbed 23. TWENTY-THREE!!!!! That’s atrocious! That is less than a 50% defensive rebounding rate. Yuck. Grant Hill and Jason Richardson are both above-average rebounders for their position, but they need to be out on the break after the rebound to push the pace with Steve Nash. The Suns aren’t going to be able to push the ball and get nearly as many open threes as they have in seasons past if both Hill and Richardson need to help crash the boards. This almost makes me wonder if it wasn’t a better idea to keep Lou Amundson just for his rebounding. His 10.0 rebounds per 36 minutes were much better than the Suns’ current frontcourt. And for a measly $2.25 million it seems like a good fit to me.
I just wonder how difficult it would have been to acquire Josh Smith from Atlanta in the offseason. I never heard any rumors with life to them, but Valley of the Suns blogger Michael Schwartz wrote about the seemingly great match as well. His defense, athleticism and rebounding just seem like an absolutely perfect fit for this team right now. You can’t tell me that a Smith for Turkoglu, Earl Clark and 2nd round deal isn’t attractive right now. One can only hope that the Hawks implode this season after inking a soon-to-be lifeless Joe Johnson to a$100-and-something million deal and are ready to shake things up. Although, a trade for Smith would most likely need to include Jason Richardson’s expiring contract and not Turkoglu who is under contract until 2014.
I guess this is why I write on an unknown blog and don’t make the big decisions.
(Editor’s note: these are original ideas that sprung up before the season started and in no way did the first game influence these opinions, but it would have been nice to write this before-hand.)
I’m sure you’ve heard all of the projections about this team. They range from less than 40 wins and missing the playoffs to another 50 plus win season and making another deep run in the playoffs like the Suns did last year. I can understand both sides, but personally I know which way I’m leaning.
I realize that this is how last season started, with a lot of uncertainty and change at key spots coming into the season. Last year was Alvin Gentry’s first full season as head coach. Amare Stoudemire was back for a full season after missing the stretch run the previous season with an eye injury. Other questions remained. How is the defense? Can Amare rebound? Is Steve Nash over-the-hill? And the answer was shown in a trip to the Western Conference Finals where they made a serious run at an NBA championship.
As great as that season was, and as much as I would like to be optimistic for another magical season like that, things are different this year, and the elephant in the room is on everyone’s mind. How is this team going to replace Amare Stoudemire’s production? Now, I’m sure the first thing that pops into everyone’s mind is the 23.1 points per game that he put up last year. Personally, I think the points can come from a variety of different sources. Of course I understand that it’s not going to be easy and anytime a player with Amare’s efficiency leaves, it will be difficult to make up. However, Robin Lopez and Hedo Turkoglu can both run the pick and roll with Stoudemire to some effect. Jason Richardson, Steve Nash and Grant Hill will all need to chip in as well to make up for some of those shots. The offensive production can be made up as long as it is done efficiently. The last thing this team needs is 8-10 clear-out plays a game for Jason Richardson or Hedo Turkoglu. Team basketball is what makes this team so special. The biggest question on offense will be who gets the ball when the jump shots aren’t falling. That has been one of the biggest knocks on the Suns, they are a jump shooting team. Well, if they were a jump shooting team last year then this year they will be even more so. Last year when the jumpers weren’t falling the Suns could pound the ball inside to Stoudemire, whether that was off the pick and roll with Nash or giving it off at the high post and letting him take his defender off the dribble. For as much flak as Amare got he was a great player and will be missed more than most fans realize.
The other side of that elephant is the rebounding. Again, Amare got a lot of flak from the media about his poor rebounding. And he should have, he rebounded much worse than his potential. But look who the front office is using as replacements: Robin Lopez and Hedo Turkoglu. Both of these two players are sub-par rebounders at best, and utterly hopeless at worst. Robin Lopez had 7.2 rebounds per 36 minutes last season versus Amare’s 9.4. Turkoglu’s best career average per 36 minutes was only 6.6 rebounds. If only I had posted this before Tuesday night’s opener against the Blazers. I would have looked prophetic. The Blazers shot 46% and missed 50 shots on the night. Of those 50 potential defensive rebounds the Suns only grabbed 23. TWENTY-THREE!!!!! That’s atrocious! That is less than a 50% defensive rebounding rate. Yuck. Grant Hill and Jason Richardson are both above-average rebounders for their position, but they need to be out on the break after the rebound to push the pace with Steve Nash. The Suns aren’t going to be able to push the ball and get nearly as many open threes as they have in seasons past if both Hill and Richardson need to help crash the boards. This almost makes me wonder if it wasn’t a better idea to keep Lou Amundson just for his rebounding. His 10.0 rebounds per 36 minutes were much better than the Suns’ current frontcourt. And for a measly $2.25 million it seems like a good fit to me.
I just wonder how difficult it would have been to acquire Josh Smith from Atlanta in the offseason. I never heard any rumors with life to them, but Valley of the Suns blogger Michael Schwartz wrote about the seemingly great match as well. His defense, athleticism and rebounding just seem like an absolutely perfect fit for this team right now. You can’t tell me that a Smith for Turkoglu, Earl Clark and 2nd round deal isn’t attractive right now. One can only hope that the Hawks implode this season after inking a soon-to-be lifeless Joe Johnson to a$100-and-something million deal and are ready to shake things up. Although, a trade for Smith would most likely need to include Jason Richardson’s expiring contract and not Turkoglu who is under contract until 2014.
I guess this is why I write on an unknown blog and don’t make the big decisions.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Mismanaged
In light of the Dan Haren trade, I found the need to drop a few words on the current state of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It seems as if mismanagement is the name of the game for this team. Dan Haren’s exit interview was appallingly clarifying regarding the organization’s outlook. Haren’s time ended having played for three different managers since coming here in 2008. The team progressively got worse during that time. Remember, he was traded to the Diamondbacks the offseason on the heels of a surprising season that saw the Diamondbacks win the National League West. That was followed by an outstanding month of April, which was so great it took the entire season for the Dodgers to finally catch them after trading for slugger Manny Ramirez. That disappointment led to another, equally disappointing 2009 that included the mismanagement of century (more on that to come later).
Then of course we get to this season. Haren continued his own downward trend from the second half of last season. He finished his time in the National league with a 7-8 record and 4.60 ERA. Those are not good numbers. Especially for a guy who is supposed to be considered the ace of the rotation. That, coupled with potentially the worst bullpen in MLB history and a roster leading the Majors in strikeouts has brought this team to a new low given the expectations coming into the season.
How did this happen? It’s just a downward spiral. When asked about the team’s losing ways, he said (courtesy of azcentral.com), “It wears on everybody, me included. The last game I won, I couldn’t even tell you. It’s been about a month. It’s been tough going. When you’re not winning, it’s not fun.”
The most telling part of the interview were Haren’s comments about his future with the Angels organization, “Being able to be near family and going to a ballclub that’s dedicated to winning, not just this year and a lot of years, I’m very excited for the opportunity.”
If that’s not a slap in the management’s face, I don’t know what is. It’s very rare that we see an athlete be so candid and casual about leaving a team. There were not many clichés in Haren’s words and we can undoubtedly imagine that this is the same sentiment throughout the rest of the team. Brandon Webb must have noticed this trend at the beginning of last year, that’s why he got out while the going was still good. Say what? Brandon Webb is still on the roster?
Yes, Brandon Webb still is on the roster after the decision makers decided to pick up his option worth $8.5 million, even though he hasn’t pitched since the four innings he put up on opening day 2009. This is easily the worst mismanagement of an injury that I’ve ever seen. The thing is there was never really a significant, sustained injury. It started as just stiffness in his shoulder and never really got better, regardless of treatment. And really, I don’t think anyone in the organization really knew what was going on this entire time. How can a player miss two entire seasons with stiffness!?! Here are a few headlines over the past two seasons from the Arizona Republic:
April 8, 2009: “Webb will miss start vs. Dodgers”
April 19, 2009: “Webb shows no effects of shoulder injury”
April 24, 2009: “Webb shut down with recurrence of injury”
May 25, 2009: “D-Backs need Webb, but won’t rush return”
June 19, 2009: “Webb could require surgery on shoulder”
June 29, 2009: “Webb’s future in doubt over shoulder”
August 2, 2009: “Webb to undergo shoulder surgery”
January 21, 2010: “Brandon Webb playing catch as part of recovery”
February 17, 2010: “Opening day conundrum: Webb or Haren”
March 5, 2010: “Brandon Webb may start season on DL
April 1, 2010: “Arizona Diamondback’s Brandon Webb has nothing structurally wrong”
May 19, 2010: “Brandon Webb to change arm slot”
June 5, 2010: “Brandon Webb close to throwing off mound”
This has gone on for over a year and a half and there is still no end in sight. My predictions, Webb signs with another team this offseason to bargain-basement contract compared to what he would have gotten after 2008. He rids himself of the negative vibes of the organization and goes back to his normal self while winning a Cy Young for the 2011 World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. That would complete the downward spiral this team is in and officially send me over the edge. But look on the bright side, at least we’re not Pirates fans.
Then of course we get to this season. Haren continued his own downward trend from the second half of last season. He finished his time in the National league with a 7-8 record and 4.60 ERA. Those are not good numbers. Especially for a guy who is supposed to be considered the ace of the rotation. That, coupled with potentially the worst bullpen in MLB history and a roster leading the Majors in strikeouts has brought this team to a new low given the expectations coming into the season.
How did this happen? It’s just a downward spiral. When asked about the team’s losing ways, he said (courtesy of azcentral.com), “It wears on everybody, me included. The last game I won, I couldn’t even tell you. It’s been about a month. It’s been tough going. When you’re not winning, it’s not fun.”
The most telling part of the interview were Haren’s comments about his future with the Angels organization, “Being able to be near family and going to a ballclub that’s dedicated to winning, not just this year and a lot of years, I’m very excited for the opportunity.”
If that’s not a slap in the management’s face, I don’t know what is. It’s very rare that we see an athlete be so candid and casual about leaving a team. There were not many clichés in Haren’s words and we can undoubtedly imagine that this is the same sentiment throughout the rest of the team. Brandon Webb must have noticed this trend at the beginning of last year, that’s why he got out while the going was still good. Say what? Brandon Webb is still on the roster?
Yes, Brandon Webb still is on the roster after the decision makers decided to pick up his option worth $8.5 million, even though he hasn’t pitched since the four innings he put up on opening day 2009. This is easily the worst mismanagement of an injury that I’ve ever seen. The thing is there was never really a significant, sustained injury. It started as just stiffness in his shoulder and never really got better, regardless of treatment. And really, I don’t think anyone in the organization really knew what was going on this entire time. How can a player miss two entire seasons with stiffness!?! Here are a few headlines over the past two seasons from the Arizona Republic:
April 8, 2009: “Webb will miss start vs. Dodgers”
April 19, 2009: “Webb shows no effects of shoulder injury”
April 24, 2009: “Webb shut down with recurrence of injury”
May 25, 2009: “D-Backs need Webb, but won’t rush return”
June 19, 2009: “Webb could require surgery on shoulder”
June 29, 2009: “Webb’s future in doubt over shoulder”
August 2, 2009: “Webb to undergo shoulder surgery”
January 21, 2010: “Brandon Webb playing catch as part of recovery”
February 17, 2010: “Opening day conundrum: Webb or Haren”
March 5, 2010: “Brandon Webb may start season on DL
April 1, 2010: “Arizona Diamondback’s Brandon Webb has nothing structurally wrong”
May 19, 2010: “Brandon Webb to change arm slot”
June 5, 2010: “Brandon Webb close to throwing off mound”
This has gone on for over a year and a half and there is still no end in sight. My predictions, Webb signs with another team this offseason to bargain-basement contract compared to what he would have gotten after 2008. He rids himself of the negative vibes of the organization and goes back to his normal self while winning a Cy Young for the 2011 World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. That would complete the downward spiral this team is in and officially send me over the edge. But look on the bright side, at least we’re not Pirates fans.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Offseason Moves and the ESPY’s
I’m going to be writing this post during the ESPY’s, so this could be a little disjointed and it could include references that don’t make any sense at all unless you watched the ESPY’s. So with that said, funny opening monologue by Seth Meyers. A few too many off color jokes for Brett Favre’s wife, and a few too much humor for Danica Patrick. I don’t think she’s smiled since 1987.
Okay, the real reason for this post is to rate the Suns’ most recent offseason moves. The Suns picked up Josh Childress and Hedo Turkoglu giving up a future second-round draft pick and Leandro Barbosa to get them.
Let’s start with the Childress deal. Childress is a long, talented player and a good on ball defender, and the Suns only gave up a second round pick and part of the trade exception from the Amare deal. In most regards, this would be a great pickup and a great addition to any team. The only problem is, the Suns already have three players in this spot, Grant Hill, Jared Dudley and Earl Clark. I don’t know if the front office has plans to move either of the previous three or if Dudley or Childress will just spend more time backing up Jason Richardson and guarding opponents’ twos. As long as the latter is the case, the move is a good one, especially for the price, but Hill and Dudley were far too valuable to the chemistry of the team to risk replacing them. (Holy smokes, Danica Patrick just smiled! Because an octopus hinted that he wanted to hook up...I’m not going any further with that one).
As far as the Turkoglu trade goes, I have mixed feelings. Initially, when it looked like Amare was going to leave after the season ended I wanted the Suns to use the freed up cap space to go after Nash’s old buddy Dirk Nowitzki. I even wrote about the necessary scenario that would make it most likely. But that was before we realized that the 2010 Free Agency Extravaganza that at least five teams had been gearing up for since 2006 was actually settled two years ago in China. Well, Hedo Turkoglu is a poor man’s Dirk Nowitzki. It should be a decent replacement given that we almost ended up with nothing, right? Well, maybe not. Chemistry is what made this team surprise so many last season. Had Dirk joined the team, the chemistry wouldn’t have been affected due to his relationship with Steve Nash. Turkoglu on the other hand is a different story. First of all, he looks like Rocky Balboa after he fought Apollo. Can that really be a good locker room guy? Probably not. Second, it’s well known that his time in Toronto was a disaster. Only months after signing a five-year, $53 million contract, he wanted out.
Athletically, he could end up as a solid addition. If he replaces Amare Stoudemire in the starting lineup, he will get pushed around defensively be bigger, longer forwards, and his rebounding isn’t spectacular. But his size and outside shooting will be a great in the pick and roll with Nash. Think Channing Frye’s pick and pop with more versatility towards the basket. As long as nobody tells him where Scottsdale is, he might be able to stay focused on basketball. I’m counting on the rest of the team to clean up whatever issues might be on this team.
I’m also a little skeptical about the Lon Babby fellow. First of all, think about his name on an alphabetical list (Babby, Lon). You’ve got to be skeptical already with a name like that. Second, he’s Turkoglu’s agent, and Childress’s former agent. Is it just me, or does something seem a little shady here? Now don’t get me wrong, if it got the Suns a good deal, then I shouldn’t complain, but there definitely seems like there is some potential backlash on this one. But hey, do you really need to be a member of the American Bar Association to be an NBA General Manager? Besides, this is the NBA or in other words the Notoriously Dubious Association. Remember? The league where frozen envelopes happen, Miami collusion happens, and of course where referees arrested for gambling happens. This is nothing to David Stern.
(Brett Favre wins ESPY for best play. Weaksauce! It should have been the minor leaguer. David Stern is watching this proud. Remember, Favre’s play came on Monday Night Football. On what channel? Oh yeah, ESPN. What are these awards again? Oh yeah, the ESPY’s.)
One last thing about Lon Babby: reports say that he is actually going to have the title, "Director of Basketball Operations." The plan is to hire a General Manager who will work under Babby and handle more of the personnel decisions. Babby's expertise will be focused more on the salary cap, collective bargaining agreement and contract negotiations. Um...doesn't this seem a little backwards to you? Shouldn't the guy making the final decisions be the personnel guy, while being advised by the contract/salary cap guy? Again, this entire front office situation just confuses me day after day. Was Babby already making moves for the Suns before he officially joined the team? Were Babby and Turkoglu a package deal? I guess this front office structure shows what Robert Sarver's priorities really are. The financial guy works above the personnel guy.
Okay, the real reason for this post is to rate the Suns’ most recent offseason moves. The Suns picked up Josh Childress and Hedo Turkoglu giving up a future second-round draft pick and Leandro Barbosa to get them.
Let’s start with the Childress deal. Childress is a long, talented player and a good on ball defender, and the Suns only gave up a second round pick and part of the trade exception from the Amare deal. In most regards, this would be a great pickup and a great addition to any team. The only problem is, the Suns already have three players in this spot, Grant Hill, Jared Dudley and Earl Clark. I don’t know if the front office has plans to move either of the previous three or if Dudley or Childress will just spend more time backing up Jason Richardson and guarding opponents’ twos. As long as the latter is the case, the move is a good one, especially for the price, but Hill and Dudley were far too valuable to the chemistry of the team to risk replacing them. (Holy smokes, Danica Patrick just smiled! Because an octopus hinted that he wanted to hook up...I’m not going any further with that one).
As far as the Turkoglu trade goes, I have mixed feelings. Initially, when it looked like Amare was going to leave after the season ended I wanted the Suns to use the freed up cap space to go after Nash’s old buddy Dirk Nowitzki. I even wrote about the necessary scenario that would make it most likely. But that was before we realized that the 2010 Free Agency Extravaganza that at least five teams had been gearing up for since 2006 was actually settled two years ago in China. Well, Hedo Turkoglu is a poor man’s Dirk Nowitzki. It should be a decent replacement given that we almost ended up with nothing, right? Well, maybe not. Chemistry is what made this team surprise so many last season. Had Dirk joined the team, the chemistry wouldn’t have been affected due to his relationship with Steve Nash. Turkoglu on the other hand is a different story. First of all, he looks like Rocky Balboa after he fought Apollo. Can that really be a good locker room guy? Probably not. Second, it’s well known that his time in Toronto was a disaster. Only months after signing a five-year, $53 million contract, he wanted out.
Athletically, he could end up as a solid addition. If he replaces Amare Stoudemire in the starting lineup, he will get pushed around defensively be bigger, longer forwards, and his rebounding isn’t spectacular. But his size and outside shooting will be a great in the pick and roll with Nash. Think Channing Frye’s pick and pop with more versatility towards the basket. As long as nobody tells him where Scottsdale is, he might be able to stay focused on basketball. I’m counting on the rest of the team to clean up whatever issues might be on this team.
I’m also a little skeptical about the Lon Babby fellow. First of all, think about his name on an alphabetical list (Babby, Lon). You’ve got to be skeptical already with a name like that. Second, he’s Turkoglu’s agent, and Childress’s former agent. Is it just me, or does something seem a little shady here? Now don’t get me wrong, if it got the Suns a good deal, then I shouldn’t complain, but there definitely seems like there is some potential backlash on this one. But hey, do you really need to be a member of the American Bar Association to be an NBA General Manager? Besides, this is the NBA or in other words the Notoriously Dubious Association. Remember? The league where frozen envelopes happen, Miami collusion happens, and of course where referees arrested for gambling happens. This is nothing to David Stern.
(Brett Favre wins ESPY for best play. Weaksauce! It should have been the minor leaguer. David Stern is watching this proud. Remember, Favre’s play came on Monday Night Football. On what channel? Oh yeah, ESPN. What are these awards again? Oh yeah, the ESPY’s.)
One last thing about Lon Babby: reports say that he is actually going to have the title, "Director of Basketball Operations." The plan is to hire a General Manager who will work under Babby and handle more of the personnel decisions. Babby's expertise will be focused more on the salary cap, collective bargaining agreement and contract negotiations. Um...doesn't this seem a little backwards to you? Shouldn't the guy making the final decisions be the personnel guy, while being advised by the contract/salary cap guy? Again, this entire front office situation just confuses me day after day. Was Babby already making moves for the Suns before he officially joined the team? Were Babby and Turkoglu a package deal? I guess this front office structure shows what Robert Sarver's priorities really are. The financial guy works above the personnel guy.
Friday, July 9, 2010
The Aftermath
Like always, we’ll start with the local team. And, as you’ve heard by now, All-Star power forward, Amare Stoudemire has signed with the New York Knicks to be the King of New York. Ironic, I know. Amare left because owner Robert Sarver just couldn’t talk himself into giving out $100 million to a player with a history of bad knees and bad eyes. That’s understandable, but I just hope that’s how we hear it from him. I don’t want to hear any spin about how Amare didn’t want to be here, and how he was itching to leave from the moment the Suns drafted him. If Sarver would have been willing to spend the money, Amare would have stayed.
I don’t blame him for leaving, and I don’t blame Robert Sarver for not paying him either. Maybe that’s just because I’ve had five months to ponder what the Suns would be like without Stoudemire on the team. I cushioned the blow for myself and didn’t go into this process with high expectations. With that said, I still expect good offseason moves by the front office. Let’s discuss.
Channing Frye: overpaid. Really, as a fan, I don’t really care if my team is paying luxury tax or not. I just want to see good players play good basketball, but the front office can’t think like that. They have a budget and they need to find players that will fit into those parameters and into the basketball system.
Unfortunately, the Suns were doomed from the beginning. They don’t have a General Manager anymore. They have a coach making these decisions, and coaches tend to think along the same lines as fans. “We had this guy. He played well for us. We need to keep this guy.” See Alvin Gentry doesn’t really care how much Robert Sarver is paying Channing Frye. As a matter of fact, the odds are high that once Steve Nash retires/leaves/ascends to the basketball heavens, Alvin Gentry won’t be the coach of the team anymore. The future is not in his mindset, hence the need for a real GM. As long as Sarver is willing to pay (which he’s not) this wouldn’t be a terrible move, especially if there was a real GM and talent evaluator in the front office to re-bolster the roster through the draft, because big-time free agents aren’t going to be able to sign if Suns are over luxury tax.
As bad as a contract that will turn out to be, 5 years $32 million for Frye, I really like the Hakim Warrick signing. Warrick is a good value pickup. His career numbers aren’t outstanding, but he hasn’t ever really had a chance to play big minutes. Most likely, he’ll be the starting power forward, and he WILL get better by playing with Steve Nash. Nash tends to have that effect on super athletic forwards who cannot create their own shot. Just ask Shawn Marion. All in all, I think the Suns did pretty well for the situation that they were in. Or in other words, I think the 2010-11 team can still be entertaining and competitive for the financial restraints that were put on the organization.
Now of course, this post would not be complete without a few words on the man of the month, LeBron James. I think my sister just threw up in her mouth a little. I think the general public has had enough of this guy. After all the speculation and the hours of ESPN airtime devoted to this announcement, LeBron decided to play for the Miami Heat, referencing his desire to win now and in the future, oh and to play with his Olympic buddies.
This was a terrible decision on multiple levels. First let’s dissect his reasons for choosing Miami. He wants to win. They are going to have an extremely talented team no matter who else they can find to put around these three, but there is no guarantee this team will win. It is a fatally flawed team. They don’t have a go-to-guy. Who’s going to take the last shot? Who is going to take the blame when or if things go wrong? I guarantee this team will not last the five year duration of their contracts. This will combust. LeBron basically left Cleveland and the chance to be the biggest star in sports history (winning multiple titles in New York) to hang out with his buddies on South Beach. That’s what it boils down to. Dude! You’re LeBron James! You can BUY some buddies to hang with! Not only that, but he turned himself into an instant villain WWF style by spurning Cleveland on a primetime TV special. We haven’t seen a fall from sports grace this quickly since…well, last November (See Woods, Tiger).
That’s what I’m saying. His legacy will never live up to the potential that it once had. This is Dwayne Wade’s team. He’s already The Man in Miami. He’s already won a championship in Miami. Even if they do win titles, LeBron will never have as many as Wade does. LeBron gave up chance of sports immortality to be a second fiddle to Dwayne Wade! This blows me away! I thought he had a whole slew of people advising him on just this type of stuff. I guess they all couldn’t get the thought of spending the winters on South Beach every year. LeBron’s only hope is to become Magic Johnson-type playmaker. And even that might not be enough. I’m sure he won’t have Magic’s blessing after what he did to his hometown fans. Only time will tell if this king turns out more like Henry VIII, cutting off heads whenever and wherever to get what he wants, or the King of Pop whose legacy only grew after a midlife transformation. Time will tell.
I don’t blame him for leaving, and I don’t blame Robert Sarver for not paying him either. Maybe that’s just because I’ve had five months to ponder what the Suns would be like without Stoudemire on the team. I cushioned the blow for myself and didn’t go into this process with high expectations. With that said, I still expect good offseason moves by the front office. Let’s discuss.
Channing Frye: overpaid. Really, as a fan, I don’t really care if my team is paying luxury tax or not. I just want to see good players play good basketball, but the front office can’t think like that. They have a budget and they need to find players that will fit into those parameters and into the basketball system.
Unfortunately, the Suns were doomed from the beginning. They don’t have a General Manager anymore. They have a coach making these decisions, and coaches tend to think along the same lines as fans. “We had this guy. He played well for us. We need to keep this guy.” See Alvin Gentry doesn’t really care how much Robert Sarver is paying Channing Frye. As a matter of fact, the odds are high that once Steve Nash retires/leaves/ascends to the basketball heavens, Alvin Gentry won’t be the coach of the team anymore. The future is not in his mindset, hence the need for a real GM. As long as Sarver is willing to pay (which he’s not) this wouldn’t be a terrible move, especially if there was a real GM and talent evaluator in the front office to re-bolster the roster through the draft, because big-time free agents aren’t going to be able to sign if Suns are over luxury tax.
As bad as a contract that will turn out to be, 5 years $32 million for Frye, I really like the Hakim Warrick signing. Warrick is a good value pickup. His career numbers aren’t outstanding, but he hasn’t ever really had a chance to play big minutes. Most likely, he’ll be the starting power forward, and he WILL get better by playing with Steve Nash. Nash tends to have that effect on super athletic forwards who cannot create their own shot. Just ask Shawn Marion. All in all, I think the Suns did pretty well for the situation that they were in. Or in other words, I think the 2010-11 team can still be entertaining and competitive for the financial restraints that were put on the organization.
Now of course, this post would not be complete without a few words on the man of the month, LeBron James. I think my sister just threw up in her mouth a little. I think the general public has had enough of this guy. After all the speculation and the hours of ESPN airtime devoted to this announcement, LeBron decided to play for the Miami Heat, referencing his desire to win now and in the future, oh and to play with his Olympic buddies.
This was a terrible decision on multiple levels. First let’s dissect his reasons for choosing Miami. He wants to win. They are going to have an extremely talented team no matter who else they can find to put around these three, but there is no guarantee this team will win. It is a fatally flawed team. They don’t have a go-to-guy. Who’s going to take the last shot? Who is going to take the blame when or if things go wrong? I guarantee this team will not last the five year duration of their contracts. This will combust. LeBron basically left Cleveland and the chance to be the biggest star in sports history (winning multiple titles in New York) to hang out with his buddies on South Beach. That’s what it boils down to. Dude! You’re LeBron James! You can BUY some buddies to hang with! Not only that, but he turned himself into an instant villain WWF style by spurning Cleveland on a primetime TV special. We haven’t seen a fall from sports grace this quickly since…well, last November (See Woods, Tiger).
That’s what I’m saying. His legacy will never live up to the potential that it once had. This is Dwayne Wade’s team. He’s already The Man in Miami. He’s already won a championship in Miami. Even if they do win titles, LeBron will never have as many as Wade does. LeBron gave up chance of sports immortality to be a second fiddle to Dwayne Wade! This blows me away! I thought he had a whole slew of people advising him on just this type of stuff. I guess they all couldn’t get the thought of spending the winters on South Beach every year. LeBron’s only hope is to become Magic Johnson-type playmaker. And even that might not be enough. I’m sure he won’t have Magic’s blessing after what he did to his hometown fans. Only time will tell if this king turns out more like Henry VIII, cutting off heads whenever and wherever to get what he wants, or the King of Pop whose legacy only grew after a midlife transformation. Time will tell.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Free Agency
Its NBA free agency, everyone has an opinion, and that includes yours truly. Let’s jump right into this and break it down, starting with the Suns. I think the Suns are in trouble. The front office seems to be in shambles right now. Robert Sarver is a much bigger factor than we realized. Both general manager Steve Kerr and assistant GM David Griffin felt the need to resign, with rumors pointing to lowball contract offers from Sarver. Like I wrote earlier, Kerr’s resignation is just a harbinger for Stoudemire’s departure. I cannot fathom a situation in which Sarver is willing to give Amare the money and years that he wants. There has to be at least one team that is willing to give Amare the max. The Suns just have to hope that the current roster will be able to communally absorb Amare’s scoring and rebounding (yes, Amare did get SOME rebounds).
Now on to Channing Frye and Lou Amundsen. I think Frye will be back. He’ll opt out to see what his offers are, but I don’t think there will be a team that will really over spend on a tissue-soft, three-point shooting center. His stock is probably about as high as it will get, but he won’t find a better situation than Phoenix, maybe a little more money, but not an overall better situation. As for Lou, I think we can all agree that this year’s picks of Gani Lawal and Dwayne Collins guarantee that Lou has played his last game with the Suns. He was a great pickup and was a fan favorite, but he’s due for a pay raise.
One thing is for sure, and that is this summer could end up the craziest in NBA history, and at least one team will end up completely happy. Yup you guessed it. The team that signs LeBron James is going to be the overall winner in free agency regardless of what any other team does. Teams have been looking forward to this summer for nearly three years now.
It’s the $100 million dollar question. Where will LeBron go? If he’s smart, he’ll leave Cleveland. Let me explain: the current cast of LeBronettes is terrible. His supporting cast in Cleveland was FAR overrated. Think about it, his two best teammates at the outset of the season were Mo Williams, an undersized two guard who wouldn’t start on a third of NBA teams and a 380 pound Shaq, who is perhaps the most overrated big man in league history. Strong claims? Yes, but he’s never won anything without a “sidekick” who can take over a game in crunch time (Penny Hardaway in Orlando, Kobe in LA, Dwayne Wade in Miami, Steve Nash in Phoenix and LeBron in Cleveland). The Cavs did pickup Antawn Jamison, a talented player, but consistently disappears in big games, a la the Boston series. They have some other decent parts: Varejao, Delonte West, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, but nothing extraordinary. This type of talent can be picked up any year in free agency.
LeBron wants to be a worldwide mogul. The best way to do this is to win. Take Kobe for example. He’s a much bigger international start than LeBron, and it’s not because he speaks Italian. It’s because of those five rings he’s earned. A bigger market, with a free-spending owner is going to give LeBron a much better shot at winning. Whether that’s in New York, Chicago, New Jersey, it doesn’t really matter because they can assemble a team just as good as Cleveland this year. It’s all about the organization as a whole, which includes ownership. That’s why I think this year’s class is going to break down like this:
LeBron goes to….DALLAS!!!!!!!
Yup, LeBron signs with Dallas; great organization with great ownership. The only problem is, as currently constituted the team might not be quite as flashy as LeBron wants. But, rumors are circulating that the infamous Worldwide Wes is trying to broker a deal that would bring Chris Paul to a LeBron suitor. That’s why I came up with this doozy via the ESPN NBA Trade Machine. Chris Paul goes to Dallas, Jason Kidd goes to Miami and a hoard of young, talented players go to New Orleans. Win, win, win. Well, not as much for New Orleans, but still feasible. Miami also becomes a more attractive spot for free agents including LeBron with Kidd on board, but Dallas would still end up as LeBron’s choice.
With LeBron going to Dallas, that leaves New York searching for a Plan B. I don’t think anything will be able to console Knicks fans if they don’t get LeBron, but a decent consolation prize will be Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson reuniting with old coach Mike D’Antoni. They have the cap room to overpay both of these guys and possibly have room to make a real basketball team.
Unfortunately for Miami, they don’t pick up anyone else after the Jason Kidd trade, but do keep Wade around and still end up with a much more competitive team with the stellar back court of Wade and Kidd.
Miami’s misfortunes are Chicago’s gains as Chris Bosh signs with Chicago. The addition of Bosh instantly makes Chicago a threat in the East. They are, however, one talented swing player away from becoming the 2008 Boston Celtics; because of new head coach Tom Thibodeau, former assistant coach of said 2008 Celtics team.
Now we come full circle in this post because Dallas doesn’t have the cap space to keep Dirk Nowitzki. Yup, you guessed it. Nowitzki reunites with former teammate and buddy Steve Nash and signs with the Phoenix Suns! And that is how the summer of 2010 will turn out.
Now on to Channing Frye and Lou Amundsen. I think Frye will be back. He’ll opt out to see what his offers are, but I don’t think there will be a team that will really over spend on a tissue-soft, three-point shooting center. His stock is probably about as high as it will get, but he won’t find a better situation than Phoenix, maybe a little more money, but not an overall better situation. As for Lou, I think we can all agree that this year’s picks of Gani Lawal and Dwayne Collins guarantee that Lou has played his last game with the Suns. He was a great pickup and was a fan favorite, but he’s due for a pay raise.
One thing is for sure, and that is this summer could end up the craziest in NBA history, and at least one team will end up completely happy. Yup you guessed it. The team that signs LeBron James is going to be the overall winner in free agency regardless of what any other team does. Teams have been looking forward to this summer for nearly three years now.
It’s the $100 million dollar question. Where will LeBron go? If he’s smart, he’ll leave Cleveland. Let me explain: the current cast of LeBronettes is terrible. His supporting cast in Cleveland was FAR overrated. Think about it, his two best teammates at the outset of the season were Mo Williams, an undersized two guard who wouldn’t start on a third of NBA teams and a 380 pound Shaq, who is perhaps the most overrated big man in league history. Strong claims? Yes, but he’s never won anything without a “sidekick” who can take over a game in crunch time (Penny Hardaway in Orlando, Kobe in LA, Dwayne Wade in Miami, Steve Nash in Phoenix and LeBron in Cleveland). The Cavs did pickup Antawn Jamison, a talented player, but consistently disappears in big games, a la the Boston series. They have some other decent parts: Varejao, Delonte West, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, but nothing extraordinary. This type of talent can be picked up any year in free agency.
LeBron wants to be a worldwide mogul. The best way to do this is to win. Take Kobe for example. He’s a much bigger international start than LeBron, and it’s not because he speaks Italian. It’s because of those five rings he’s earned. A bigger market, with a free-spending owner is going to give LeBron a much better shot at winning. Whether that’s in New York, Chicago, New Jersey, it doesn’t really matter because they can assemble a team just as good as Cleveland this year. It’s all about the organization as a whole, which includes ownership. That’s why I think this year’s class is going to break down like this:
LeBron goes to….DALLAS!!!!!!!
Yup, LeBron signs with Dallas; great organization with great ownership. The only problem is, as currently constituted the team might not be quite as flashy as LeBron wants. But, rumors are circulating that the infamous Worldwide Wes is trying to broker a deal that would bring Chris Paul to a LeBron suitor. That’s why I came up with this doozy via the ESPN NBA Trade Machine. Chris Paul goes to Dallas, Jason Kidd goes to Miami and a hoard of young, talented players go to New Orleans. Win, win, win. Well, not as much for New Orleans, but still feasible. Miami also becomes a more attractive spot for free agents including LeBron with Kidd on board, but Dallas would still end up as LeBron’s choice.
With LeBron going to Dallas, that leaves New York searching for a Plan B. I don’t think anything will be able to console Knicks fans if they don’t get LeBron, but a decent consolation prize will be Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson reuniting with old coach Mike D’Antoni. They have the cap room to overpay both of these guys and possibly have room to make a real basketball team.
Unfortunately for Miami, they don’t pick up anyone else after the Jason Kidd trade, but do keep Wade around and still end up with a much more competitive team with the stellar back court of Wade and Kidd.
Miami’s misfortunes are Chicago’s gains as Chris Bosh signs with Chicago. The addition of Bosh instantly makes Chicago a threat in the East. They are, however, one talented swing player away from becoming the 2008 Boston Celtics; because of new head coach Tom Thibodeau, former assistant coach of said 2008 Celtics team.
Now we come full circle in this post because Dallas doesn’t have the cap space to keep Dirk Nowitzki. Yup, you guessed it. Nowitzki reunites with former teammate and buddy Steve Nash and signs with the Phoenix Suns! And that is how the summer of 2010 will turn out.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Loss n’ Passion
The Diamondbacks may have just finished their most exciting series of the year thus far. The fact that the series was against the Yankees sure didn’t hurt the excitement factor either. Unfortunately for D-Backs’ fans, the most exciting series of the year was also a series loss. Game three is in the books and the Diamondbacks lost the rubber match. I attended this game, which was my first of the year, and came away a little put off, mostly because of the energy of the team (except for Kelly Johnson who apparently has narcolepsy, which is the only explanation for stopping 10 feet from home plate in the first inning, and not budging at first base as the ball rolled away from the catcher). Now that may be confusing to many who watched the series. That’s just it; the energy for the entire series was great. Why? Was it because the Yankees were in town and nearly half of the crowd were Yankee fans? Was it because the game one was nationally televised? The answer: probably, but that should NOT be the case. I understand that with 182 games in a season that it might be too much to ask to have every player running onto the field like Ray Lewis, but can we get a little more energy? Maybe we could appeal Commissioner Selig to let this team have some of that special “coffee” that they used to brew in the 70’s. Just kidding everyone, it’s just a joke. I’m not really condoning amphetamines. But seriously, they couldn’t hurt.
And another thing, when does somebody do something about Mark Reynolds? It was a little cute the last couple of years when Reynolds set the major league record for strikeouts. He came up with timely hits and had lots of home runs. Heck, it was even a little cool to get a little extra exposure from the national media when he got mentioned. But this is just getting ridiculous. We have seen his strikeouts increase, and his production decrease…drastically. Sure, he’s still on pace to hit 35-40 bombs, but he’s only hitting .215. That’s dreadful! When is someone going to get this guy to change his approach with two strikes? Again, I know that home runs are the driving force behind high salaries, but there has to be some threshold where poor batting average and strikeouts start to bring down the effect of home runs. I think it’s time to change Mark Reynold’s nickname from “The Sheriff” to “K-9.”
And one more thing, it’s time to start putting some of this blame on the manager. Why hasn’t A.J. Hinch sat down with Mark Reynolds and talked about shortening up the swing with two strikes? And if he already has, it’s an even worse indictment on his leadership skills if Reynolds refuses to change. The energy of this ballclub is the same thing. It’s time to put the onus on the manager, and don’t even get me started on this horrendous bullpen. My hopes for the year: if things are not turned around by the All-Star break management fires A.J. Hinch and brings down Mark Grace from the broadcast booth. Please Josh Byrnes, follow Steve Kerr and recognize your mistake. This team showed this series that they have the talent to compete, but they need some leadership. It’s time.
And another thing, when does somebody do something about Mark Reynolds? It was a little cute the last couple of years when Reynolds set the major league record for strikeouts. He came up with timely hits and had lots of home runs. Heck, it was even a little cool to get a little extra exposure from the national media when he got mentioned. But this is just getting ridiculous. We have seen his strikeouts increase, and his production decrease…drastically. Sure, he’s still on pace to hit 35-40 bombs, but he’s only hitting .215. That’s dreadful! When is someone going to get this guy to change his approach with two strikes? Again, I know that home runs are the driving force behind high salaries, but there has to be some threshold where poor batting average and strikeouts start to bring down the effect of home runs. I think it’s time to change Mark Reynold’s nickname from “The Sheriff” to “K-9.”
And one more thing, it’s time to start putting some of this blame on the manager. Why hasn’t A.J. Hinch sat down with Mark Reynolds and talked about shortening up the swing with two strikes? And if he already has, it’s an even worse indictment on his leadership skills if Reynolds refuses to change. The energy of this ballclub is the same thing. It’s time to put the onus on the manager, and don’t even get me started on this horrendous bullpen. My hopes for the year: if things are not turned around by the All-Star break management fires A.J. Hinch and brings down Mark Grace from the broadcast booth. Please Josh Byrnes, follow Steve Kerr and recognize your mistake. This team showed this series that they have the talent to compete, but they need some leadership. It’s time.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Vindication and Confusion
A few weeks ago as the Suns’ season was coming to a close I had planned on writing a nice little post about Steve Kerr and the vindication he must have felt due to the success of the season. He received all kinds of criticism after taking the general manager position on a team that was consistently winning 55-60 games every year. Now I’m a little confused after Kerr resigned earlier this week. There has to be some sort of explanation that we just aren’t hearing about.
Kerr, despite the criticism, has done an excellent job under the circumstances that he entered into. Now, without gaining any more actual information we still have better understanding of the difficulty of the job that Kerr was dealing with. Let’s run down the list of poor front office moves the Suns have had the last few years and take a closer look at who was at fault for these. All dates courtesy of Wikipedia.
Spring 2004: Robert Sarver takes over as majority owner of the Phoenix Suns.
No one really knew what this meant at the time, but anytime a well-respected basketball man and owner (Jerry Colangelo) leaves power things can get dicey.
Summer 2004: Steve Nash signs six-year, $63 million dollar contract.
Obviously this is one of the greatest offseason pickups in the history of the NBA. If you need any more enlightenment as to why this was good then you really have no business reading this blog.
2004 Draft: Suns draft Luol Deng with the seventh pick
A good pick by the Suns, as Deng has turned out to be a nice player. Unfortunately this pick started a long string of draft pick trades as Deng was promptly traded to Chicago for cash and a future-first round pick before Deng could ever put on a Suns jersey.
2005 Draft: Suns pick Nate Robinson with the twenty-first pick
For the second year in a row, the Suns trade away their first round pick as it becomes more evident that Mike D’Antoni is not willing to play any young players. Robinson was traded to the Knicks with Quinton Richardson for Kurt Thomas
Summer 2005: Suns decline match an offer sheet by Atlanta for Joe Johnson at five-years $70 million
Instead the Suns swap Johnson in a sign and trade with Atlanta bringing back Boris Diaw and two lottery-protected first round draft picks. This didn’t turn out to be too awful because D’Antoni really knew how to take advantage of Diaw’s versatility. He was especially useful in the year’s Amare Stoudemire was out with injuries. Although, even with Diaw’s success, Johnson has since turned into a superstar and would have been a great weapon on D’Antoni teams.
February 26, 2006: Bryan Colangelo resigns as General Manager leaving Mike D’Antoni to perform double duty as General Manager and Head Coach. I cannot think of a single scenario in sports where the GM/Coach combination has ever worked. And, as it turns out, it didn’t work this time either. It is difficult to say whether Colangelo left because he really thought Toronto was a better job or if he felt hamstrung working with an owner unwilling to spend or a coach that was too stubborn to play more than seven players.
2006 Draft: Suns draft Rajon Rondo with the twenty-first pick
The Suns did not have a backup point guard at this time, and for at least one second it looked as if the Suns might have found a player to help Steve Nash preserve his legs for the end of the season and playoffs. Continuing the trend, the Suns sent Rondo and Brian Grant to Boston for the Cavaliers 2007 first round draft pick. Three years down the road, Rondo is one of the best young point guards in the NBA, and the Suns had different plans for the backup point guard position.
July 20, 2006: Suns sign Marcus Banks to five-year $21.3 million contract
I won’t beat around the bush on this one. According to almost anyone you ask, this was the worst signings in franchise history, maybe even the history of the NBA. Marcus Banks couldn’t play. He didn’t play for the Suns. I guess you do have to give Mike D’Antoni some credit. He signed Banks and could have played him for fear of getting egg on his face after such a poor signing.
June 2, 2007: Steve Kerr becomes General Manager of the Phoenix Suns
Finally after only one season Mike D’Antoni get some relief as Steve Kerr is hired as general manager.
June 28, 2007: Suns Draft Rudy Fernandez 24th overall and Alando Tucker 27th overall
This draft bucked the trend slightly, in that the Suns kept Tucker long enough for him to actually play a time or two for the Suns. Fernandez, on the other hand, was traded away just like the previous three first round picks by the Suns, this time to Portland for cash. As luck may have it, Fernandez has turned out to be a much better player and fan favorite in Portland.
July 11, 2007: Suns sign Grant Hill
This has turned out to be a spectacular signing for the Suns. There was very little risk involved, and much of the credit needs to be given to the ballyhooed training staff for helping Hill stay on the court and able to contribute.
February 6, 2008: Suns trade Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for Shaquille O’Neal
I actually screamed out loud in terror when I read this in a computer club in Ukraine. Shaq was past his prime in 2006 when Dwyane Wade won him a championship in 2006. This trade was inexcusable. I don’t care if you got rid of Marcus Banks’ awful contract, or if Shawn Marion was pouting like a three year-old. There is however, some leeway for Steve Kerr. Kerr did not want to make this trade. He did his job in that he looked around the league to see what the options were seeing as how Shawn Marion no longer wanted to play in Phoenix and was starting to wear on the locker room. Mike D’Antoni is the one who really pushed for the trade. I know, Kerr is still responsible for the trades that happen and he will be the first one to say that it was his mistake, but D’Antoni needs his share of the blame too.
June 2008: Mike D’Antoni leaves Phoenix to Coach the Knicks and the Suns hire Terry Porter as his replacement.
This was Steve Kerr’s biggest mistake. Something rubbed D’Antoni the wrong way and he decided his days were numbered if he stayed. Bringing Terry Porter was a huge oversight. Alvin Gentry was the lead assistant under D’Antoni and the players all wanted Gentry to take over. It made perfect sense. He coached under D’Antoni and knew the players and how to coach a fast-paced system with Steve Nash, and most importantly, he was much more willing to bend than D’Antoni was. He had previous head coaching experience and understood the importance of developing young talent , playing a bench and have some sort of defensive focus.
2008 Draft: Suns pick Robin Lopez with the 15th pick and Goran Dragic with the 45th pick
If you watched any of last season, especially the playoffs, you would understand how good these two picks have been. These two players brought exactly what the Suns needed. Defensive toughness from Lopez and anyone who could play consistently at the backup point guard spot to give Steve Nash some rest. These two brought that and more for the Suns.
December 10, 2008: Suns trade Boris Diaw and Raja Bell for Jared Dudley and Jason Richardson
This was another excellent trade for the Suns and Steve Kerr. Not only did he get rid of Raja Bell who seemed to think that the Suns were still playing “seven seconds or less” style of offense, but he also traded Diaw’s bad contract that D’Antoni signed him to after only one season. What the Suns got in return, was an explosive third option in Jason Richardson, who thrived once he didn’t have the burden of being the team’s leading scorer, and a scrappy, hard-nosed fan favorite in Jared Dudley. Once again…excellent trade.
February 16, 2009: Suns fire Terry Porter and make Alvin Gentry interim head coach
Steve Kerr sucks up his pride and makes amends on his worst decision by getting rid of Terry Porter who was sucking the life out of a fast paced style team, not to mention a coach who was nailing a promising Dragic to the bench and stripping him of whatever confidence he had entering the league. Gentry was exactly what the Suns needed.
Now, to sum up everything that we just read: Robert Sarver and Mike D’Antoni are much more to blame for recent Suns bumbling than Steve Kerr is. That’s what makes this recent resigning so perplexing. It begs the question. How hard is it to work with Robert Sarver? Reports are out that Steve Kerr’s contract negations were slowed by low-ball offers from Sarver. David Griffin, Senior Assistant General Manager, reportedly also had issues with Sarver. Robert Sarver’s frugality and Mike D’Antoni’s stubbornness are really what held this team back. Now don’t get me wrong. I also, don’t think the Suns could have accomplished half of what they did without D’Antoni. That’s the irony of it all. The guiding light behind the success was too bright and too hot to move and guide to where the team needed to go.
Now there are more questions than answers. What is the philosophy heading into the draft? Steve Kerr and David Griffin are still going to handle the draft. What is the status of the Amare Stoudemire contract negotiations? I was 50-50 since the end of the season that Amare would stay, but now I don’t see any way that he can stay. This situation is a mess, and high profile, star athletes do not sign with muddled, disjointed teams. This is what makes me wonder what is really happening behind the scenes. Did Sarver low-ball Stoudemire? Did Kerr see the writing on the wall with a Stoudemire-less team? Again, there are too many questions and not enough answers. I just hope someone knows what they are doing.
Kerr, despite the criticism, has done an excellent job under the circumstances that he entered into. Now, without gaining any more actual information we still have better understanding of the difficulty of the job that Kerr was dealing with. Let’s run down the list of poor front office moves the Suns have had the last few years and take a closer look at who was at fault for these. All dates courtesy of Wikipedia.
Spring 2004: Robert Sarver takes over as majority owner of the Phoenix Suns.
No one really knew what this meant at the time, but anytime a well-respected basketball man and owner (Jerry Colangelo) leaves power things can get dicey.
Summer 2004: Steve Nash signs six-year, $63 million dollar contract.
Obviously this is one of the greatest offseason pickups in the history of the NBA. If you need any more enlightenment as to why this was good then you really have no business reading this blog.
2004 Draft: Suns draft Luol Deng with the seventh pick
A good pick by the Suns, as Deng has turned out to be a nice player. Unfortunately this pick started a long string of draft pick trades as Deng was promptly traded to Chicago for cash and a future-first round pick before Deng could ever put on a Suns jersey.
2005 Draft: Suns pick Nate Robinson with the twenty-first pick
For the second year in a row, the Suns trade away their first round pick as it becomes more evident that Mike D’Antoni is not willing to play any young players. Robinson was traded to the Knicks with Quinton Richardson for Kurt Thomas
Summer 2005: Suns decline match an offer sheet by Atlanta for Joe Johnson at five-years $70 million
Instead the Suns swap Johnson in a sign and trade with Atlanta bringing back Boris Diaw and two lottery-protected first round draft picks. This didn’t turn out to be too awful because D’Antoni really knew how to take advantage of Diaw’s versatility. He was especially useful in the year’s Amare Stoudemire was out with injuries. Although, even with Diaw’s success, Johnson has since turned into a superstar and would have been a great weapon on D’Antoni teams.
February 26, 2006: Bryan Colangelo resigns as General Manager leaving Mike D’Antoni to perform double duty as General Manager and Head Coach. I cannot think of a single scenario in sports where the GM/Coach combination has ever worked. And, as it turns out, it didn’t work this time either. It is difficult to say whether Colangelo left because he really thought Toronto was a better job or if he felt hamstrung working with an owner unwilling to spend or a coach that was too stubborn to play more than seven players.
2006 Draft: Suns draft Rajon Rondo with the twenty-first pick
The Suns did not have a backup point guard at this time, and for at least one second it looked as if the Suns might have found a player to help Steve Nash preserve his legs for the end of the season and playoffs. Continuing the trend, the Suns sent Rondo and Brian Grant to Boston for the Cavaliers 2007 first round draft pick. Three years down the road, Rondo is one of the best young point guards in the NBA, and the Suns had different plans for the backup point guard position.
July 20, 2006: Suns sign Marcus Banks to five-year $21.3 million contract
I won’t beat around the bush on this one. According to almost anyone you ask, this was the worst signings in franchise history, maybe even the history of the NBA. Marcus Banks couldn’t play. He didn’t play for the Suns. I guess you do have to give Mike D’Antoni some credit. He signed Banks and could have played him for fear of getting egg on his face after such a poor signing.
June 2, 2007: Steve Kerr becomes General Manager of the Phoenix Suns
Finally after only one season Mike D’Antoni get some relief as Steve Kerr is hired as general manager.
June 28, 2007: Suns Draft Rudy Fernandez 24th overall and Alando Tucker 27th overall
This draft bucked the trend slightly, in that the Suns kept Tucker long enough for him to actually play a time or two for the Suns. Fernandez, on the other hand, was traded away just like the previous three first round picks by the Suns, this time to Portland for cash. As luck may have it, Fernandez has turned out to be a much better player and fan favorite in Portland.
July 11, 2007: Suns sign Grant Hill
This has turned out to be a spectacular signing for the Suns. There was very little risk involved, and much of the credit needs to be given to the ballyhooed training staff for helping Hill stay on the court and able to contribute.
February 6, 2008: Suns trade Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for Shaquille O’Neal
I actually screamed out loud in terror when I read this in a computer club in Ukraine. Shaq was past his prime in 2006 when Dwyane Wade won him a championship in 2006. This trade was inexcusable. I don’t care if you got rid of Marcus Banks’ awful contract, or if Shawn Marion was pouting like a three year-old. There is however, some leeway for Steve Kerr. Kerr did not want to make this trade. He did his job in that he looked around the league to see what the options were seeing as how Shawn Marion no longer wanted to play in Phoenix and was starting to wear on the locker room. Mike D’Antoni is the one who really pushed for the trade. I know, Kerr is still responsible for the trades that happen and he will be the first one to say that it was his mistake, but D’Antoni needs his share of the blame too.
June 2008: Mike D’Antoni leaves Phoenix to Coach the Knicks and the Suns hire Terry Porter as his replacement.
This was Steve Kerr’s biggest mistake. Something rubbed D’Antoni the wrong way and he decided his days were numbered if he stayed. Bringing Terry Porter was a huge oversight. Alvin Gentry was the lead assistant under D’Antoni and the players all wanted Gentry to take over. It made perfect sense. He coached under D’Antoni and knew the players and how to coach a fast-paced system with Steve Nash, and most importantly, he was much more willing to bend than D’Antoni was. He had previous head coaching experience and understood the importance of developing young talent , playing a bench and have some sort of defensive focus.
2008 Draft: Suns pick Robin Lopez with the 15th pick and Goran Dragic with the 45th pick
If you watched any of last season, especially the playoffs, you would understand how good these two picks have been. These two players brought exactly what the Suns needed. Defensive toughness from Lopez and anyone who could play consistently at the backup point guard spot to give Steve Nash some rest. These two brought that and more for the Suns.
December 10, 2008: Suns trade Boris Diaw and Raja Bell for Jared Dudley and Jason Richardson
This was another excellent trade for the Suns and Steve Kerr. Not only did he get rid of Raja Bell who seemed to think that the Suns were still playing “seven seconds or less” style of offense, but he also traded Diaw’s bad contract that D’Antoni signed him to after only one season. What the Suns got in return, was an explosive third option in Jason Richardson, who thrived once he didn’t have the burden of being the team’s leading scorer, and a scrappy, hard-nosed fan favorite in Jared Dudley. Once again…excellent trade.
February 16, 2009: Suns fire Terry Porter and make Alvin Gentry interim head coach
Steve Kerr sucks up his pride and makes amends on his worst decision by getting rid of Terry Porter who was sucking the life out of a fast paced style team, not to mention a coach who was nailing a promising Dragic to the bench and stripping him of whatever confidence he had entering the league. Gentry was exactly what the Suns needed.
Now, to sum up everything that we just read: Robert Sarver and Mike D’Antoni are much more to blame for recent Suns bumbling than Steve Kerr is. That’s what makes this recent resigning so perplexing. It begs the question. How hard is it to work with Robert Sarver? Reports are out that Steve Kerr’s contract negations were slowed by low-ball offers from Sarver. David Griffin, Senior Assistant General Manager, reportedly also had issues with Sarver. Robert Sarver’s frugality and Mike D’Antoni’s stubbornness are really what held this team back. Now don’t get me wrong. I also, don’t think the Suns could have accomplished half of what they did without D’Antoni. That’s the irony of it all. The guiding light behind the success was too bright and too hot to move and guide to where the team needed to go.
Now there are more questions than answers. What is the philosophy heading into the draft? Steve Kerr and David Griffin are still going to handle the draft. What is the status of the Amare Stoudemire contract negotiations? I was 50-50 since the end of the season that Amare would stay, but now I don’t see any way that he can stay. This situation is a mess, and high profile, star athletes do not sign with muddled, disjointed teams. This is what makes me wonder what is really happening behind the scenes. Did Sarver low-ball Stoudemire? Did Kerr see the writing on the wall with a Stoudemire-less team? Again, there are too many questions and not enough answers. I just hope someone knows what they are doing.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
College Football: 2 of 2
Okay, okay. I know that this was supposed to come on Sunday, but I got lazy. It’s not like anyone is reading this anyway. So, to all of my fans out there…I apologize.
Really though, it’s a good thing I waited until today. Things have really cleared up regarding conference expansion. It turns out that only Colorado and Nebraska left the Big 12. So now we have ten teams in the Big 12 and twelve teams in the Big 10. The most recent big news in the college football world (because really, this is all about football and every other collegiate sport is just left in the wake. This includes basketball which almost left Kansas with no choice but to join the Mountain West Conference). Utah’s move to the Pac-10 now makes twelve. I don’t think there is any better indication of the absurdity of college football then this. It is not what it purports to be. I think the Utah move to the Pac-10 is very interesting. I have been a huge supporter of the so-called “mid-majors” for as long as I can remember. I’m just like everyone else in that I HATE the BCS. I do understand that it is better than the old strictly conference tie-in format, but if you are going to make the effort to drastically change the bowl tradition and postseason format, why not find a way to come up with a real champion…especially after butchering the championship matchup year after year? This is where Utah comes in. They have played in two BCS bowls since rules were changed to allow for non AQ teams to have a chance to get in. They have also won twice, including beating an Alabama team that was ranked #1 for much of the season and was one game away from playing for the national championship. And I don’t want to hear the “they didn’t want to be there, so they didn’t prepare” argument. Utah will have a chance starting in 2011 to really obliterate the arguments that the little guys can’t hang with the big boys. College football is a lot more even than most people think and Utah can really put what should be the last nail in BCS coffin. (Well not really, because it’s all about the power, but we can still argue about what should happen because that’s what fans do.)
With that said, let’s move on to what the fans want…a playoff. I’ve seen lots of different formats for a playoff. There is one that stands out above the rest. I really think they nailed it. I’m not sure who the initial inventor was, but it was published by the ESPN college football writers. Basically the idea breaks down like this. Get rid of all conferences. Forget about them. There will be four new conferences/divisions. We can call them conferences just for tradition’s sake. Each of these four conferences will have ten teams and will play a true round robin conference schedule a la the old Pac-10. The four winners of these conferences will play in a four team playoff for the national championship. This does not dilute any of the regular season that playoff opponents love to talk about.
Now, I know what you are thinking. “You’re just cutting the pie into fewer pieces and making the rich richer.” I know, just wait. There will still be 80 teams left and will be organized into eight additional ten-team conferences. These can easily be organized into an eight-team playoff of conference champions. The next part is the best and most fascinating part of the whole idea. The last placed team in each of the top four conferences will be relegated premier league soccer style to the bottom eight conferences, and the final four teams of the lower conference playoff will get bumped up to the one of the four higher conferences. Every team has a shot. Year-to-year consistence will be rewarded. I can’t think of a better idea. We can keep the current bowls and bowl locations. You know, for tradition’s sake. But maybe put them in control of the NCAA and open up a bidding war for new sponsors. Listen, if you have any influence at all send pitch this idea. We can make this happen.
Here is a link that should give a good idea of what they proposed. Check the side links to see the different conferences.
Really though, it’s a good thing I waited until today. Things have really cleared up regarding conference expansion. It turns out that only Colorado and Nebraska left the Big 12. So now we have ten teams in the Big 12 and twelve teams in the Big 10. The most recent big news in the college football world (because really, this is all about football and every other collegiate sport is just left in the wake. This includes basketball which almost left Kansas with no choice but to join the Mountain West Conference). Utah’s move to the Pac-10 now makes twelve. I don’t think there is any better indication of the absurdity of college football then this. It is not what it purports to be. I think the Utah move to the Pac-10 is very interesting. I have been a huge supporter of the so-called “mid-majors” for as long as I can remember. I’m just like everyone else in that I HATE the BCS. I do understand that it is better than the old strictly conference tie-in format, but if you are going to make the effort to drastically change the bowl tradition and postseason format, why not find a way to come up with a real champion…especially after butchering the championship matchup year after year? This is where Utah comes in. They have played in two BCS bowls since rules were changed to allow for non AQ teams to have a chance to get in. They have also won twice, including beating an Alabama team that was ranked #1 for much of the season and was one game away from playing for the national championship. And I don’t want to hear the “they didn’t want to be there, so they didn’t prepare” argument. Utah will have a chance starting in 2011 to really obliterate the arguments that the little guys can’t hang with the big boys. College football is a lot more even than most people think and Utah can really put what should be the last nail in BCS coffin. (Well not really, because it’s all about the power, but we can still argue about what should happen because that’s what fans do.)
With that said, let’s move on to what the fans want…a playoff. I’ve seen lots of different formats for a playoff. There is one that stands out above the rest. I really think they nailed it. I’m not sure who the initial inventor was, but it was published by the ESPN college football writers. Basically the idea breaks down like this. Get rid of all conferences. Forget about them. There will be four new conferences/divisions. We can call them conferences just for tradition’s sake. Each of these four conferences will have ten teams and will play a true round robin conference schedule a la the old Pac-10. The four winners of these conferences will play in a four team playoff for the national championship. This does not dilute any of the regular season that playoff opponents love to talk about.
Now, I know what you are thinking. “You’re just cutting the pie into fewer pieces and making the rich richer.” I know, just wait. There will still be 80 teams left and will be organized into eight additional ten-team conferences. These can easily be organized into an eight-team playoff of conference champions. The next part is the best and most fascinating part of the whole idea. The last placed team in each of the top four conferences will be relegated premier league soccer style to the bottom eight conferences, and the final four teams of the lower conference playoff will get bumped up to the one of the four higher conferences. Every team has a shot. Year-to-year consistence will be rewarded. I can’t think of a better idea. We can keep the current bowls and bowl locations. You know, for tradition’s sake. But maybe put them in control of the NCAA and open up a bidding war for new sponsors. Listen, if you have any influence at all send pitch this idea. We can make this happen.
Here is a link that should give a good idea of what they proposed. Check the side links to see the different conferences.
Friday, June 11, 2010
College Football Par 1 of 2
Strange things are happening in the world of college athletics. As I type, there are important people making important decisions. Colorado has already moved to the Pac-10. Nebraska has apparently accepted an invitation to the Big 10 and Boise State joined the Mountain West Conference. This is not all however; rumors and inside reports are swirling that five more teams from the Big 12 will do as Colorado and join the Pac-10. Those five teams are Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Texas A&M, although A&M is also rumored to be considering joining the SEC. This would give the Pac-10 fifteen or sixteen teams and create what some are calling a “super conference,” and would start a domino effect of teams jumping conferences left and right with the potential to end up with four of these so-called “super conferences.” I have to say, that I don’t think there is anything “super” about a sixteen team conference. I just don’t see how this can turn out to be a good thing. Many have speculated that these over-sized conferences would eventually lead to a college football playoff. This may be true, but it’s still not going to make it any easier to find a true national champion. Let me explain.
This current conference realignment is only rearranging the current haves in college football and still leaving out the have-nots. One of the biggest problems in the current college football postseason is that it only allows about half of the bowl subdivision teams to even half the chance to play for the national championship. It is already very apparent that the so-called “mid-majors” can be just as talented as the traditional college football elite manifested by bowl wins by Boise State over Oklahoma and Utah over Alabama not to mention the other regular season wins by these and other programs. This whole mess is just a power grab. Those that have the power are bent on keeping it, all the while telling fans that it is better and that they are getting what they want…a playoff. This isn’t going to make anything better or even any clearer when it comes time to pick teams for a playoff. With sixteen teams in each conference it is very likely that more than one team or even possible that more than two teams can go undefeated in a conference. And then what? There will be more disputing who is qualified enough to be in this playoff, not to mention the Utahs, Boise States, TCUs and BYUs of the college football world who will continue to win and will continue to beat the traditional powerhouses.
I know it is wishful thinking to expect anything fair, equitable and competitive. All college football is to these universities is a fundraiser. The only difference between now and 20 years ago is that the university presidents aren’t trying to hide it anymore. None of this is done for the “student athletes.” None of this is being done because of the rich tradition and heritage of college football. It’s all about dollars, but this is nothing new. We knew this already. If it’s all about the money, why don’t we just accept radical change and give the fans what they want? And what we want is competitive football and a chance to see who the best team is. We demand football and advertising dollars follow us wherever we go. Now, let’s make college football the way we want it.
Check back for part 2 and you can read my proposal on how to fix college football.
This current conference realignment is only rearranging the current haves in college football and still leaving out the have-nots. One of the biggest problems in the current college football postseason is that it only allows about half of the bowl subdivision teams to even half the chance to play for the national championship. It is already very apparent that the so-called “mid-majors” can be just as talented as the traditional college football elite manifested by bowl wins by Boise State over Oklahoma and Utah over Alabama not to mention the other regular season wins by these and other programs. This whole mess is just a power grab. Those that have the power are bent on keeping it, all the while telling fans that it is better and that they are getting what they want…a playoff. This isn’t going to make anything better or even any clearer when it comes time to pick teams for a playoff. With sixteen teams in each conference it is very likely that more than one team or even possible that more than two teams can go undefeated in a conference. And then what? There will be more disputing who is qualified enough to be in this playoff, not to mention the Utahs, Boise States, TCUs and BYUs of the college football world who will continue to win and will continue to beat the traditional powerhouses.
I know it is wishful thinking to expect anything fair, equitable and competitive. All college football is to these universities is a fundraiser. The only difference between now and 20 years ago is that the university presidents aren’t trying to hide it anymore. None of this is done for the “student athletes.” None of this is being done because of the rich tradition and heritage of college football. It’s all about dollars, but this is nothing new. We knew this already. If it’s all about the money, why don’t we just accept radical change and give the fans what they want? And what we want is competitive football and a chance to see who the best team is. We demand football and advertising dollars follow us wherever we go. Now, let’s make college football the way we want it.
Check back for part 2 and you can read my proposal on how to fix college football.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Miscellaneous Thoughts
Last week I mentioned that there were at 15-20 players in the past 20 years with Kobe Bryant’s physical talent. Well, I don’t want to throw out any hollow statements to my many readers. So here is the list of players that I believe could have been as good as Kobe if they had they his mental makeup. These are all players that entered the league since 1990 in order of when they were drafted. If you don’t like the list…tough. Let me know your thoughts and how else you would change it. But if you are a Lakers fan who thinks Kobe was sent straight from the basketball gods with no equal, then I don’t want to hear from you.
Harold Miner
Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway
Isaiah Rider
Calbert Cheney
Grant Hill
Eddie Jones
Jerry Stackhouse
Michael Finley
Tracy McGrady
Vince Carter
Corey Maggette
Jason Richardson
Joe Johnson
LeBron James
Carmelo Anthony
Dwayne Wade
Josh Howard
Andre Iguodala
J.R. Smith
Gerald Green
Brandon Roy
Rudy Gay
Kevin Durant
Bullpen revisited:
I wrote not long ago about how this year’s Diamondbacks team could be the most exciting watch this summer. I half expected that those words would work as a reverse jinx and that the bullpen would return to being average and the Diamondbacks could start thinking about competing for the division. Well, they’ve gotten worse. This recent homestand was amazing. We saw four straight walk off games, two straight 1-0 games and two team records were broken. I have to believe that ticket sales skyrocket when this team comes into visiting ballparks. As a matter of fact, I think the front office should be all over trying to collect some sort of gift tax for these games.
World Cup:
I am stoked for the upcoming World Cup. But, it is not because of ESPN’s attempts to brainwash America into thinking that they love soccer and even care about this tournament because they spent a kajillion dollars on the broadcasting rights. No, I am looking forward to this because I really do enjoy watching soccer. I grew up playing soccer, but never really got to watch it on television like all of the other sports that I loved, except for the World Cup. It only came on every four years, and I always seemed to stumble onto the games by accident at five or six o’clock in the morning during the summer. When I realized it was on, I would wake up as early as possible to watch these games in the wee hours of the morning. It was awesome, and I look forward to doing the same thing this year.
Harold Miner
Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway
Isaiah Rider
Calbert Cheney
Grant Hill
Eddie Jones
Jerry Stackhouse
Michael Finley
Tracy McGrady
Vince Carter
Corey Maggette
Jason Richardson
Joe Johnson
LeBron James
Carmelo Anthony
Dwayne Wade
Josh Howard
Andre Iguodala
J.R. Smith
Gerald Green
Brandon Roy
Rudy Gay
Kevin Durant
Bullpen revisited:
I wrote not long ago about how this year’s Diamondbacks team could be the most exciting watch this summer. I half expected that those words would work as a reverse jinx and that the bullpen would return to being average and the Diamondbacks could start thinking about competing for the division. Well, they’ve gotten worse. This recent homestand was amazing. We saw four straight walk off games, two straight 1-0 games and two team records were broken. I have to believe that ticket sales skyrocket when this team comes into visiting ballparks. As a matter of fact, I think the front office should be all over trying to collect some sort of gift tax for these games.
World Cup:
I am stoked for the upcoming World Cup. But, it is not because of ESPN’s attempts to brainwash America into thinking that they love soccer and even care about this tournament because they spent a kajillion dollars on the broadcasting rights. No, I am looking forward to this because I really do enjoy watching soccer. I grew up playing soccer, but never really got to watch it on television like all of the other sports that I loved, except for the World Cup. It only came on every four years, and I always seemed to stumble onto the games by accident at five or six o’clock in the morning during the summer. When I realized it was on, I would wake up as early as possible to watch these games in the wee hours of the morning. It was awesome, and I look forward to doing the same thing this year.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
All She Wrote
It has finally come to an end. It was a great run by the Phoenix Suns in this year’s playoffs. Hats off to the team for exceeding expectations and helping the valley get through one of the worst stretches in pitching history. Looking back, I really should have stuck with my original thoughts going into the playoffs. Here were a few of my initial playoff thoughts (although undocumented, you should still believe me).
1. The Magic are not nearly as good as people think they are. I know, I know they swept the Bobcats and made the Hawks look like the 2004-05 version of the team. But, they looked horrendous in their first three games against Boston and no showed in game 6 too. Listen, I still think they are a good team, but when their two best players are two guys who aren’t even close to playing up to their potential, then you just aren’t going to win an NBA championship. We all know that Vince Carter hasn’t panned out to be the super-duper star that he could have been. He is every bit as talented as Kobe is, probably more. (As a matter of fact, there have been 15-20 guys in the league with Kobe’s physical talent in the last 15 years, but not one of those guys has come close to matching his mental effort and drive to be the best. He’s consumed by it. Even if that means doing that stupid thing with his lower jaw just so he has an answer to MJ’s tongue waggle. LeBron James is much more gifted physically, but probably won’t ever be the closer that Kobe is. He has other goals, like becoming a billionaire. We just have to take our hats off every now and again, when physical greatness and mental greatness meet.) Okay tangent over, now on to Dwight Howard. Question, and this isn’t just because I’m a Suns fan and possibly homer: Why is Amare ripped for not putting enough effort off the court on his defense, but Dwight Howard gets a free pass on his offensive game? The guy is not good. He’s a bigger, beastier Amare Stoudemire from 2003-04. When Amare came into the league all he could do was dunk. That’s it. He was a man-child, they said. Dwight Howard came into the league, bigger, stronger, and better defensive instincts. Newsflash, he’s still the same player. His free-throw shooting is terrible. His range is as far as his right arm can reach. He has as much polish as my sneakers. Until, the Magic can get a legitimate go-to guy in the fourth quarter, there is no way they are going to win an NBA championship. Sorry Orlando.
2. I might have mentioned this in an earlier post, but going into the playoffs, I didn’t think there was any way that the Suns could get past the Lakers. I wanted a consolation prize for having such a stellar and surprising season. I wanted that prize to be the San Antonio Spurs. Lo and behold, they fell right into the Suns’ laps. What did the Suns do? They embarrassed them. They finally sent them away with the empty feeling that we had felt so many times before. Everything turned out the way I had envisioned entering the playoffs. Now don’t get me wrong. After watching the Suns series with the Lakers, I definitely think they could have beaten the Lakers and should have in game 5. I felt that stomach-punch just as much as anyone else when Ron Artest of all people, threw in that prayerful put-back to beat the Suns in game 5. I just knew that the Lakers were more talented and the odds were in their favor. Mark it down. I’m picking the Lakers to win the series. How many games? I have no idea. I’ll say six.
There were a few other impressions that I had going into the playoffs, but they aren’t going to get the same attention as these two. I also thought the Cavaliers were the best team in the league and would handle anyone that got in their way. That was back when I thought that LeBron James was the best player in the league. Now, I’m on the fence. He was playing with a bunch of stooges, and it will definitely be interesting to see what he does this summer (Free Agency blog post coming soon after NBA Finals). I also had the Boston Celtics as overrated, over-the-hill over-achievers from 2008. I just didn’t see them as a very good team, with the way the limped down the stretch. Boy was I wrong. Although 2-4 isn’t so bad, eh?
1. The Magic are not nearly as good as people think they are. I know, I know they swept the Bobcats and made the Hawks look like the 2004-05 version of the team. But, they looked horrendous in their first three games against Boston and no showed in game 6 too. Listen, I still think they are a good team, but when their two best players are two guys who aren’t even close to playing up to their potential, then you just aren’t going to win an NBA championship. We all know that Vince Carter hasn’t panned out to be the super-duper star that he could have been. He is every bit as talented as Kobe is, probably more. (As a matter of fact, there have been 15-20 guys in the league with Kobe’s physical talent in the last 15 years, but not one of those guys has come close to matching his mental effort and drive to be the best. He’s consumed by it. Even if that means doing that stupid thing with his lower jaw just so he has an answer to MJ’s tongue waggle. LeBron James is much more gifted physically, but probably won’t ever be the closer that Kobe is. He has other goals, like becoming a billionaire. We just have to take our hats off every now and again, when physical greatness and mental greatness meet.) Okay tangent over, now on to Dwight Howard. Question, and this isn’t just because I’m a Suns fan and possibly homer: Why is Amare ripped for not putting enough effort off the court on his defense, but Dwight Howard gets a free pass on his offensive game? The guy is not good. He’s a bigger, beastier Amare Stoudemire from 2003-04. When Amare came into the league all he could do was dunk. That’s it. He was a man-child, they said. Dwight Howard came into the league, bigger, stronger, and better defensive instincts. Newsflash, he’s still the same player. His free-throw shooting is terrible. His range is as far as his right arm can reach. He has as much polish as my sneakers. Until, the Magic can get a legitimate go-to guy in the fourth quarter, there is no way they are going to win an NBA championship. Sorry Orlando.
2. I might have mentioned this in an earlier post, but going into the playoffs, I didn’t think there was any way that the Suns could get past the Lakers. I wanted a consolation prize for having such a stellar and surprising season. I wanted that prize to be the San Antonio Spurs. Lo and behold, they fell right into the Suns’ laps. What did the Suns do? They embarrassed them. They finally sent them away with the empty feeling that we had felt so many times before. Everything turned out the way I had envisioned entering the playoffs. Now don’t get me wrong. After watching the Suns series with the Lakers, I definitely think they could have beaten the Lakers and should have in game 5. I felt that stomach-punch just as much as anyone else when Ron Artest of all people, threw in that prayerful put-back to beat the Suns in game 5. I just knew that the Lakers were more talented and the odds were in their favor. Mark it down. I’m picking the Lakers to win the series. How many games? I have no idea. I’ll say six.
There were a few other impressions that I had going into the playoffs, but they aren’t going to get the same attention as these two. I also thought the Cavaliers were the best team in the league and would handle anyone that got in their way. That was back when I thought that LeBron James was the best player in the league. Now, I’m on the fence. He was playing with a bunch of stooges, and it will definitely be interesting to see what he does this summer (Free Agency blog post coming soon after NBA Finals). I also had the Boston Celtics as overrated, over-the-hill over-achievers from 2008. I just didn’t see them as a very good team, with the way the limped down the stretch. Boy was I wrong. Although 2-4 isn’t so bad, eh?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Pet Peeves
Okay, so I really wanted to start some commentary on the Suns-Lakers series. However, I really don’t want to jinx anything, especially after the way game 3 turned out. So I’ve turned to a much more generic theme for this blog post, although still a passion-filled theme. It’s time to bust out azsportsmeister’s pet peeves of sports. In no particular order or rankings, here is the first cut:
1. Presence of Mind
What in the world is presence of mind?! Yes, I know what it means, but do we really need to hear it as often as announcers use it? For instance, if you have third baseman that dives for a ground ball, only to have it hit off his glove and roll a few feet away; is it really worth noting his presence of mind to hurry to the ball and throw it to first base? Or do we really need to praise the basketball IQ of a player who jumps for a ball going out of bounds to turn and throw it at a player close by? Is it just me, or should I be able to expect that a person playing basketball since his childhood would understand that he cannot land out of bounds with the ball in his hands? What about the football receiver that leaps for a pass going out of bounds that has the presence of mind to try and put both feet on the ground in bounds?
I really cannot think of many scenarios where presence of mind becomes useful insight into a game. Perhaps Chris Webber could have used some presence of mind when he called a non-existent time out that cost his Michigan Wolverines the national championship, but that is about it. I mean, come on, do you ever hear someone longing for more presence of mind from his team, “Man, I sure wish our guys had more presence of mind out there. They just keep stepping on that out of bounds line.” My all-time favorite is Reggie Miller knocking down two threes to tie the Knicks in waning moments of a playoff game in 1995. He makes one three, steals the in-bounds pass and retreats to the three point line. Why? Because of his superior presence of mind. Remember, you cannot expect every player to remember how many points their teams is down, let alone calculate that kind of math in their head like Reggie did after making that first three point shot. Please, next time you are announcing a sporting event, take it easy on the presence of mind commentary.
2. Eric Byrnes
Need I say more?
Maybe…
Okay I will. Eric Byrneses happen all over professional sports. He is just our example here in the desert. Eric Byrnes is the antithesis of what we, as fans, hate about professional sports. He is the poster child of the athlete that gets his payday and shuts it down. After he signed a three-year $30 million extension with the Diamondbacks, his production soon plummeted, and was eventually cut before he could finish the third and final year. I know what some of you are thinking. “He suffered some heart breaking injuries that derailed him after he signed his big contract.” He got injured there is no doubt about that, but suffering there was none. Eric Byrnes didn’t suffer; he was getting his paycheck and didn’t have to travel with the team. He was free to shoot new episodes of “The Eric Byrnes Show,” and dabble in the fashion industry. Newsflash Eric, faded jeans and surfer t-shirts have already been done. The Diamondbacks certainly didn’t suffer either. A.J. Hinch no longer felt the pressure to try and fit this .200 hitter into the lineup to appease the front office because they were paying him $10 mil for the year. He was recently just cut by the Seattle Mariners. Now, he’s sitting at home in California, playing city-league softball, drinking Coors. Oh yeah, and still getting paid the $10 million by the Diamondbacks to do it. He just recently said on a national radio program that he hasn’t had this much fun in four years. Awesome, I wouldn't mind getting canned at the workplace to earn myself ten million dollars so I can sit around and drink beverages.
3. Whining and Flopping
I recently watched an NBA Finals game from 1986 on ESPN Classic. There were a couple of things that stuck out to me. There were a number of things missing from this game between the Celtics and the Rockets. Except for a few exceptions, the players did not complain. Rarely did I see a player react like his girlfriend just dumped him for his best friend when he was called for a foul. Tim Duncan, by the way, is the ultimate-I can’t believe you just called that, I haven’t come near the guy all game-face, followed closely by Derek Fisher. Almost every single foul call in the NBA leads to a player or coach barking at the ref or a guy giving the said Duncan-face. That just didn’t happen in the olden days. Now, I’m not one to harp on the old, glory days, but some things really do need restored to order. Giving officials crap for an entire game, so his team can get a foul call should not be a hall of fame characteristic by a coach. If anyone has that responsibility it’s the fans (more on this to come). I just want to see the players play, and get back on defense. You were not fouled just because someone sneezed on you.
This brings me to my next pet peeve: flopping. I know this has been covered a lot over the years, but the extent it has gotten to makes me want to put on some tube socks, throw on some butt-huggers and really throw an elbow at a guy. That will give him a reason to drop to the floor. This is oft credited to the influx of European, soccer-style players into the NBA. This very well may be true, but it certainly isn’t limited to just these players today. Derek Fisher gets the double play today for also being one of the most skilled actors in the game today. As much as I love it when one of my players draws a charge, or an offensive foul, I just can’t stand to watch players like Fisher and Ginobili flailing their arms around when they go through a screen in an effort to try and deceive the officials. That’s not basketball.
4. Must Win
This one has really crept up on me recently. I don’t think I can listen to another talking head tell me why a game 2 is a “must win” for a team. Game 2 is a must win? Really? Because I’m pretty sure there are potentially five more games left. I don’t care what kind of statistics you can rattle off to me about the coach’s playoff record when he wins games 1 and 2 of a conference semi-final when his team has home-court advantage. I don’t care what momentum a team has going into a series (Ask Orlando how all that momentum worked out for them). I really don’t care about a team’s fragile psyche after losing game 1. I can understand not wanting to go down in a series 3-0, but that game 3 still isn’t a “must win.” Sure, going down 2-0 or 3-1 is a tough hole to get out of, but teams still do it.
Please spare me these things, and my life will be so much more pleasant.
1. Presence of Mind
What in the world is presence of mind?! Yes, I know what it means, but do we really need to hear it as often as announcers use it? For instance, if you have third baseman that dives for a ground ball, only to have it hit off his glove and roll a few feet away; is it really worth noting his presence of mind to hurry to the ball and throw it to first base? Or do we really need to praise the basketball IQ of a player who jumps for a ball going out of bounds to turn and throw it at a player close by? Is it just me, or should I be able to expect that a person playing basketball since his childhood would understand that he cannot land out of bounds with the ball in his hands? What about the football receiver that leaps for a pass going out of bounds that has the presence of mind to try and put both feet on the ground in bounds?
I really cannot think of many scenarios where presence of mind becomes useful insight into a game. Perhaps Chris Webber could have used some presence of mind when he called a non-existent time out that cost his Michigan Wolverines the national championship, but that is about it. I mean, come on, do you ever hear someone longing for more presence of mind from his team, “Man, I sure wish our guys had more presence of mind out there. They just keep stepping on that out of bounds line.” My all-time favorite is Reggie Miller knocking down two threes to tie the Knicks in waning moments of a playoff game in 1995. He makes one three, steals the in-bounds pass and retreats to the three point line. Why? Because of his superior presence of mind. Remember, you cannot expect every player to remember how many points their teams is down, let alone calculate that kind of math in their head like Reggie did after making that first three point shot. Please, next time you are announcing a sporting event, take it easy on the presence of mind commentary.
2. Eric Byrnes
Need I say more?
Maybe…
Okay I will. Eric Byrneses happen all over professional sports. He is just our example here in the desert. Eric Byrnes is the antithesis of what we, as fans, hate about professional sports. He is the poster child of the athlete that gets his payday and shuts it down. After he signed a three-year $30 million extension with the Diamondbacks, his production soon plummeted, and was eventually cut before he could finish the third and final year. I know what some of you are thinking. “He suffered some heart breaking injuries that derailed him after he signed his big contract.” He got injured there is no doubt about that, but suffering there was none. Eric Byrnes didn’t suffer; he was getting his paycheck and didn’t have to travel with the team. He was free to shoot new episodes of “The Eric Byrnes Show,” and dabble in the fashion industry. Newsflash Eric, faded jeans and surfer t-shirts have already been done. The Diamondbacks certainly didn’t suffer either. A.J. Hinch no longer felt the pressure to try and fit this .200 hitter into the lineup to appease the front office because they were paying him $10 mil for the year. He was recently just cut by the Seattle Mariners. Now, he’s sitting at home in California, playing city-league softball, drinking Coors. Oh yeah, and still getting paid the $10 million by the Diamondbacks to do it. He just recently said on a national radio program that he hasn’t had this much fun in four years. Awesome, I wouldn't mind getting canned at the workplace to earn myself ten million dollars so I can sit around and drink beverages.
3. Whining and Flopping
I recently watched an NBA Finals game from 1986 on ESPN Classic. There were a couple of things that stuck out to me. There were a number of things missing from this game between the Celtics and the Rockets. Except for a few exceptions, the players did not complain. Rarely did I see a player react like his girlfriend just dumped him for his best friend when he was called for a foul. Tim Duncan, by the way, is the ultimate-I can’t believe you just called that, I haven’t come near the guy all game-face, followed closely by Derek Fisher. Almost every single foul call in the NBA leads to a player or coach barking at the ref or a guy giving the said Duncan-face. That just didn’t happen in the olden days. Now, I’m not one to harp on the old, glory days, but some things really do need restored to order. Giving officials crap for an entire game, so his team can get a foul call should not be a hall of fame characteristic by a coach. If anyone has that responsibility it’s the fans (more on this to come). I just want to see the players play, and get back on defense. You were not fouled just because someone sneezed on you.
This brings me to my next pet peeve: flopping. I know this has been covered a lot over the years, but the extent it has gotten to makes me want to put on some tube socks, throw on some butt-huggers and really throw an elbow at a guy. That will give him a reason to drop to the floor. This is oft credited to the influx of European, soccer-style players into the NBA. This very well may be true, but it certainly isn’t limited to just these players today. Derek Fisher gets the double play today for also being one of the most skilled actors in the game today. As much as I love it when one of my players draws a charge, or an offensive foul, I just can’t stand to watch players like Fisher and Ginobili flailing their arms around when they go through a screen in an effort to try and deceive the officials. That’s not basketball.
4. Must Win
This one has really crept up on me recently. I don’t think I can listen to another talking head tell me why a game 2 is a “must win” for a team. Game 2 is a must win? Really? Because I’m pretty sure there are potentially five more games left. I don’t care what kind of statistics you can rattle off to me about the coach’s playoff record when he wins games 1 and 2 of a conference semi-final when his team has home-court advantage. I don’t care what momentum a team has going into a series (Ask Orlando how all that momentum worked out for them). I really don’t care about a team’s fragile psyche after losing game 1. I can understand not wanting to go down in a series 3-0, but that game 3 still isn’t a “must win.” Sure, going down 2-0 or 3-1 is a tough hole to get out of, but teams still do it.
Please spare me these things, and my life will be so much more pleasant.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The Summer's Best Show
The best show of the summer isn’t going to be Robin Hood or Ironman 2. No, no; this summer’s best show is your Arizona Diamondbacks. Now, if you’ve watched any games at all this season, you understand that this year’s version of our team hasn’t performed as well as expected. They have been pretty sub-par actually…correction: the bullpen has been pretty sub-par this season. I’m sure you’ve heard the statistics so far about this bunch of wannabes: worst bullpen ERA at 7.49 (note: second worst is Milwaukee at 5.68), most blown saves in the majors, most home runs, .291 batting average against – worst in majors. This group is on pace to be the single worst collection of relief pitchers in Major League history.
This is just my point. Where else are you going to get this type of drama night after night? This is the best ticket in baseball. You are almost guaranteed a close, late-inning finish. I am not quite certain where Josh Byrnes wrangled up this bunch of rag tag arms, but these guys remind me of the Cleveland Indians in the movie, Major League. I know all of the similarities aren’t there, but really, where did this pitching staff come from? Half of these guys are bargain basement pick-ups that no one really expected to do anything again in the big leagues.
And it’s not just the bullpen that is providing record setting numbers. Mark Reynolds has set a single season major league record for strikeouts in two consecutive seasons. The team is currently leading the majors in strikeouts. These guys are fun to watch. Think about it. Pay for a ticket, and you can watch quality, exciting baseball for about seven innings, granted with a few strikeouts, but with a nice load of homers added in. Whether the home team is cruising, or even if they are getting killed, it doesn’t matter with this bullpen. If they have a big lead, it’s not safe. No lead is safe, and that has never been truer than for this team. They will make things interesting, and there will be some exciting baseball. Even if they are already getting plastered (in other words, Edwin Jackson started) the bullpen can come in, make things exponentially worse and then a position player can come in to pitch. Who doesn’t love seeing a position player pitch? Honestly, who can forget Mark Grace making a relief appearance and giving us the Mike Fetters impersonation?
There are quite a few positives with this team. I know I know the goal is to win a championship. But there was no way this team was winning anything without a healthy Brandon Webb this season anyway. This is the next best alternative. The young guys are continuing to develop. They are getting plenty of late-inning, pressure at-bats. The young starters that are pitching well, namely Ian Kennedy, aren’t going to get the same type of attention and money that they would normally get because wins and losses are still the biggest factor in contract negotiations. Thank you to the old, crusty baseball writers who continue to shun sabermetrics. As long as you know what you’re getting into, this can be a highly entertaining team to watch this summer.
This is just my point. Where else are you going to get this type of drama night after night? This is the best ticket in baseball. You are almost guaranteed a close, late-inning finish. I am not quite certain where Josh Byrnes wrangled up this bunch of rag tag arms, but these guys remind me of the Cleveland Indians in the movie, Major League. I know all of the similarities aren’t there, but really, where did this pitching staff come from? Half of these guys are bargain basement pick-ups that no one really expected to do anything again in the big leagues.
And it’s not just the bullpen that is providing record setting numbers. Mark Reynolds has set a single season major league record for strikeouts in two consecutive seasons. The team is currently leading the majors in strikeouts. These guys are fun to watch. Think about it. Pay for a ticket, and you can watch quality, exciting baseball for about seven innings, granted with a few strikeouts, but with a nice load of homers added in. Whether the home team is cruising, or even if they are getting killed, it doesn’t matter with this bullpen. If they have a big lead, it’s not safe. No lead is safe, and that has never been truer than for this team. They will make things interesting, and there will be some exciting baseball. Even if they are already getting plastered (in other words, Edwin Jackson started) the bullpen can come in, make things exponentially worse and then a position player can come in to pitch. Who doesn’t love seeing a position player pitch? Honestly, who can forget Mark Grace making a relief appearance and giving us the Mike Fetters impersonation?
There are quite a few positives with this team. I know I know the goal is to win a championship. But there was no way this team was winning anything without a healthy Brandon Webb this season anyway. This is the next best alternative. The young guys are continuing to develop. They are getting plenty of late-inning, pressure at-bats. The young starters that are pitching well, namely Ian Kennedy, aren’t going to get the same type of attention and money that they would normally get because wins and losses are still the biggest factor in contract negotiations. Thank you to the old, crusty baseball writers who continue to shun sabermetrics. As long as you know what you’re getting into, this can be a highly entertaining team to watch this summer.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Keys to Victory
Every single telecast or radio program throws out their keys to the game. Well, in my efforts to go mainstream (Really, I just want to have a way to get media credentials and get into Suns and D-Backs games. Cool? I think so; plausible, no not really.) I think I need to offer my keys to a series victory for the Phoenix Suns.
Let’s begin:
1. The Bench
Obviously, the bench needs to play great. The Lakers just don’t have the fire power to compete with Frye, Dudley, Barbosa and Dragic when they are on. Really, only two of these guys need to really be on and the rest just need to play solid defense and not turn the ball over. I know Lamar Odom comes off the bench and can really light it up offensively, but he plays a lot with the starters and can’t be a one man show. He just doesn’t have the mentality.
2. Jarron Collins
That’s right; Jarron Collins is a key to a Suns series victory. I’m sure you’ve heard that Robin Lopez is gaining strength and will probably play in the series, but Jarron Collins needs to start game 1. Why? You ask. I want him in the game the first time Kobe drives to the basket. The first time he goes into the lane, Jarron Collins needs to plant him on his keister, Raja Bell style. If he gets suspended, who cares? Lopez is back and healthy enough to fill in for Collins’ 15-20 minutes a night. Even if Lopez isn’t quite at full strength yet, he can’t be any worse than having a Collins out there just run up and down the court. It’s almost like the Suns start the game 4 on 5 since Lopez went out. Plus, this will guarantee more minutes for Lopez, and the Suns need his size and length against this team. Trust me this will work. We need to get inside Kobe’s head.
3. Outscore the Lakers
Just wanted to make sure you were still paying attention. But seriously, people actually use this as a real key to a victory! I never thought that simply repeating the definition to winning would actually be a key insight into a game. (Editor's note: my nine-year-old brother proof read this post and upon reading the third key responded "No dur.")
4. Steve Nash vs. Derek Fisher
Breaking news: Derek Fisher is still starting in the NBA. He’s not only starting, he’s starting for the favorite to win the NBA championship. This means bad news for the Lakers. Steve Nash has the ability to tear him apart. Fisher just can’t guard him. I certainly don’t believe that Phil Jackson will be dumb enough to let anyone go one-on-one with Nash like Popovich did, but once he drives by Fisher and the Lakers’ bigs collapse to help, the three-point shooters will be open all day.
5. Ron Artest
Oh yeah, Ron Ron is definitely a key to the Suns’ success. I know he can be a pesky defender and can get under players’ skin, but his three-point shooting is awful. I mean, terrible. Artest is shooting 23% in the playoffs. That means good news for J-Rich. He will be free to roam and close in on Gasol and Bynum for double teams. We can only hope that Gasol can’t help but kick it out to a wide open Ron Artest for three.
Let’s begin:
1. The Bench
Obviously, the bench needs to play great. The Lakers just don’t have the fire power to compete with Frye, Dudley, Barbosa and Dragic when they are on. Really, only two of these guys need to really be on and the rest just need to play solid defense and not turn the ball over. I know Lamar Odom comes off the bench and can really light it up offensively, but he plays a lot with the starters and can’t be a one man show. He just doesn’t have the mentality.
2. Jarron Collins
That’s right; Jarron Collins is a key to a Suns series victory. I’m sure you’ve heard that Robin Lopez is gaining strength and will probably play in the series, but Jarron Collins needs to start game 1. Why? You ask. I want him in the game the first time Kobe drives to the basket. The first time he goes into the lane, Jarron Collins needs to plant him on his keister, Raja Bell style. If he gets suspended, who cares? Lopez is back and healthy enough to fill in for Collins’ 15-20 minutes a night. Even if Lopez isn’t quite at full strength yet, he can’t be any worse than having a Collins out there just run up and down the court. It’s almost like the Suns start the game 4 on 5 since Lopez went out. Plus, this will guarantee more minutes for Lopez, and the Suns need his size and length against this team. Trust me this will work. We need to get inside Kobe’s head.
3. Outscore the Lakers
Just wanted to make sure you were still paying attention. But seriously, people actually use this as a real key to a victory! I never thought that simply repeating the definition to winning would actually be a key insight into a game. (Editor's note: my nine-year-old brother proof read this post and upon reading the third key responded "No dur.")
4. Steve Nash vs. Derek Fisher
Breaking news: Derek Fisher is still starting in the NBA. He’s not only starting, he’s starting for the favorite to win the NBA championship. This means bad news for the Lakers. Steve Nash has the ability to tear him apart. Fisher just can’t guard him. I certainly don’t believe that Phil Jackson will be dumb enough to let anyone go one-on-one with Nash like Popovich did, but once he drives by Fisher and the Lakers’ bigs collapse to help, the three-point shooters will be open all day.
5. Ron Artest
Oh yeah, Ron Ron is definitely a key to the Suns’ success. I know he can be a pesky defender and can get under players’ skin, but his three-point shooting is awful. I mean, terrible. Artest is shooting 23% in the playoffs. That means good news for J-Rich. He will be free to roam and close in on Gasol and Bynum for double teams. We can only hope that Gasol can’t help but kick it out to a wide open Ron Artest for three.
Friday, May 7, 2010
The Perfect Remedy
There are not many things that can cure a case of bad test taking, let alone a case of bad finals. However, I think I may have found the perfect remedy. His name is the Goran Dragic, the Slovenian Dragon. I spent most of today getting ready for some finals. They didn’t turn out too well. As a matter of fact, I think bombed might be an appropriate word. But you know what? I don’t really care right now. The Suns just took a 3-0 lead on the “Evil Empire” San Antonio Spurs. Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot.
Remember, how I wrote a little while ago that I didn’t want to play the Spurs. Well, I didn’t at the time, but I had no idea Greg Popovich was going start coaching with his eyes closed. I think Bill Simmons summed it up nicely with this tweet, “Mike Dunleavy is wearing a Gregg Popovich mask and running the Spurs into the ground right now. There's no other explanation.” I don’t see any other reason why he made no adjustments on the pick and roll. He switched every time down the stretch and let San Antonio’s bigs try and guard the Suns’ guards. Goran Dragic disemboweled them to the tune of 23 points in the fourth quarter. Dragic definitely deserves most of the credit for that win, but with a nod to Alvin Gentry for keeping him in the game for as long as he did. It can’t be easy to keep your two-time MVP on the bench in the most important game of the season so far, while a second-year, second round draft pick runs the team, regardless of how he is playing. Kudos to Gentry. Kudos to Dragic. Kudos to Steve Kerr. Kudos to this entire Suns team. Even if they aren’t scoring 120 a night, these guys are just as fun to watch because of their team chemistry and big-hearted bench.
If anything is fair and right in this world, the Lakers wouldn’t stand a chance of eliminating this team. Not with a psychotic Ron Artest, a cocky-as-can-be coach and a star guard who just had one of the creepiest photo shoots I’ve ever seen. (Really, if you haven’t seen Kobe’s fashion shoot pictures, google them, but do so at your own risk. There is something eerily Johnny Depp-Tim Burton-ish about them.) It’s cliché and everyone uses it, but I might just have to drop the D-word…but not yet. We will just have to wait and see how the Suns finish out this series and start the next. Then we can start to discuss this team’s des…Ha, not yet.
Remember, how I wrote a little while ago that I didn’t want to play the Spurs. Well, I didn’t at the time, but I had no idea Greg Popovich was going start coaching with his eyes closed. I think Bill Simmons summed it up nicely with this tweet, “Mike Dunleavy is wearing a Gregg Popovich mask and running the Spurs into the ground right now. There's no other explanation.” I don’t see any other reason why he made no adjustments on the pick and roll. He switched every time down the stretch and let San Antonio’s bigs try and guard the Suns’ guards. Goran Dragic disemboweled them to the tune of 23 points in the fourth quarter. Dragic definitely deserves most of the credit for that win, but with a nod to Alvin Gentry for keeping him in the game for as long as he did. It can’t be easy to keep your two-time MVP on the bench in the most important game of the season so far, while a second-year, second round draft pick runs the team, regardless of how he is playing. Kudos to Gentry. Kudos to Dragic. Kudos to Steve Kerr. Kudos to this entire Suns team. Even if they aren’t scoring 120 a night, these guys are just as fun to watch because of their team chemistry and big-hearted bench.
If anything is fair and right in this world, the Lakers wouldn’t stand a chance of eliminating this team. Not with a psychotic Ron Artest, a cocky-as-can-be coach and a star guard who just had one of the creepiest photo shoots I’ve ever seen. (Really, if you haven’t seen Kobe’s fashion shoot pictures, google them, but do so at your own risk. There is something eerily Johnny Depp-Tim Burton-ish about them.) It’s cliché and everyone uses it, but I might just have to drop the D-word…but not yet. We will just have to wait and see how the Suns finish out this series and start the next. Then we can start to discuss this team’s des…Ha, not yet.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
LeBron's Elbow
Okay, after going after the Celtics and Paul Pierce I didn't think it was right to not comment on LeBron James. Was that not one of the weirdest things you've seen in a long time. In the closing seconds of game 5 LeBron shot a free throw left handed after injuring it sometime during the game. He still played well enough throughout the game to score 19 points, grab 10 rebounds and dish out 9 assists. Yet, with seven seconds left in the game he felt it was necessary to shoot with his left hand for fear of injuring it further! Then afterward he said he was completely fine. I'm just a little confused. Are we seeing some posturing here? I've seen some theatrics from LeBron before, baiting refs for foul calls, but this is a little different. LeBron will not let Paul Pierce out-do him in this playoff series...in anything. Maybe these guys are just gearing up for the upcoming World Cup this summer. Welcome to the NBA Playoffs, where over-dramatized injuries happen.
I think LeBron is just giving a preview for one of the most dramatic and mind-blowing performance in NBA history in round 2. How, you may ask, by pulling a classic Inigo Montoya and revealing that he really is left-handed and has been toying the NBA with his off hand. This may be a little far-fetched, but I'm totally hoping for this to happen.
I think LeBron is just giving a preview for one of the most dramatic and mind-blowing performance in NBA history in round 2. How, you may ask, by pulling a classic Inigo Montoya and revealing that he really is left-handed and has been toying the NBA with his off hand. This may be a little far-fetched, but I'm totally hoping for this to happen.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Things I've learned
It's now been over one full week of the NBA Playoffs, and we've learned a lot from week one.
1. I do not want the Suns to play the Spurs in Round 2.
Going into the playoffs, I was really hoping the Suns would either pull off the two seed and get the seventh seeded Spurs in round one, or that the Spurs would jump to six and the Suns would get the three seed.
My rationale was this: the Suns had a surprisingly great season. They came in with low expectations and exceeded them. They played good defense. The bench developed even further and became a hard-nosed, shut down rotation that still had the potential to put up some points with Channing Frye and Jared Dudley ranked sixth and fourth respectively in the NBA in three-point percentage, and Goran Dragic developing into a guy that can drive and kick.
Despite these strides, I still did not feel that the Suns could contend with the Lakers even with the Lakers poor performance after the All-Star break. They are just too long, too quick and too skilled for the Suns. Thinking this, I needed a consolation prize for this revival season. That prize, had to be the Spurs. The Spurs were inconsistent all season, even losing to the Nets down the stretch while battling for playoff position. The acquisition of Richard Jefferson just did not seem like it was working out the way many thought at the beginning of the season. I knew that we could take them in a seven game series with home court advantage. If I wasn't so confident, then there is no WAY I would want to play them again. I couldn't have my fandom ripped out of me and trampled like it had been in previous years: the hip-check and suspension, the Duncan three. It was too much to go through again if I didn't really believe that they could oust the Spurs. I needed this closure.
Now, the first week is over. The Suns are tied 2-2 in a series with team whose best player can't elevate or cut because he's a week removed from knee surgery and whose franchise center and backup center have been out two-thirds of the season. The Suns should be running all over these guys. Instead, their 46 year-old point guard who can't jump and shoots a set, line-drive "jump" shot is dropping 31 points on them in game one and stealing the home court advantage. Why? Because of their physical, slow-it-down style of play. Does this sound familiar to you? Well, it should because this is the style of play that ousted the Suns in five of the last six seasons.
Now, if the Suns can't handle 52 year-old Andre Miller, Marcus Camby and a gimpy Brandon Roy, how are they going to handle lightning quick Tony Parker, a rejuvenated, playoff-ready Tim Duncan and an Argentinian whose been playing out of his mind the past three weeks? Now you might think, well, it's a good thing they got the seven seed and need to play the Mavericks who beat them three of of four in the season series. Wrong. The Spurs are up 2-1 and have already taken the home court away from Dallas.
If things keep going the way they are, and the Suns end up squeaking by this injury-riddled Blazers team and meet San Antonio in round 2, I might just end up driving my car into the now-flowing Salt River.
2. The Thunder are really, really good.
I'll admit, I haven't paid too close attention to this team, but they are really impressive at home. Kevin Durant scores as effortlessly as I do against my nine-year-old brother on a 8 foot hoop. These guys have the potential to do some crazy good things in the years to come. Just watch out for the Marbury-Garnet problems to occur. Durant is going to get some big money soon, but I don't think Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and Thabo Sefalosha are going to be chomping at the bit to take role-player money and lesser roles as Durant continues to develop and take more shots. Even though they have cap-space, it's not enough for the talent they have now. Stay tuned.
3. The Celtics are full of prima donnas and drama queens.
Is it just me or do the Celtics have more guys than the history of the league at milking injuries on the floor. Paul Peirce will never live down the moment during the 2008 NBA Finals when he was CARRIED off the floor after a leg injury, only to come back 15 minutes later and play like nothing had ever happened. Quinton Richardson wanted to know if he was faking again in game one when he collapsed to the floor after apparently running into the referee and stayed down for another 10 minutes as a fight broke out involving Richardson and Kevin Garnet. Rajon Rondo does this also. He gets fouled on a drive and just lays on the floor for a few minutes while the trainers look at him. I wonder what the conversations go with the training staff.
Pierce: Can the crowd tell that I grabbed the wrong knee? Are they eating this up?
Trainer: Yeah, let's pull out a wheel chair and take you into the back for a few minutes.
Pierce: Wheel chair? Don't we have stretcher. Shouldn't we immobilize my neck? I already did the wheel chair act man. I've got to go one further.
The most confusing part about this entire charade is how players act these days after they hit a big shot. When Pierce hit his game winning shot in Game three he turned and looked like he was ready to take on a gang of Hell's Angels. (Click Here). This isn't just Pierce either. Everyone does it. I miss the Reggie Millers of the world. That's how a celebration should really be. Excitement, exuberance, sheer joy. That's the way the game was meant to be played, like a little kid.
1. I do not want the Suns to play the Spurs in Round 2.
Going into the playoffs, I was really hoping the Suns would either pull off the two seed and get the seventh seeded Spurs in round one, or that the Spurs would jump to six and the Suns would get the three seed.
My rationale was this: the Suns had a surprisingly great season. They came in with low expectations and exceeded them. They played good defense. The bench developed even further and became a hard-nosed, shut down rotation that still had the potential to put up some points with Channing Frye and Jared Dudley ranked sixth and fourth respectively in the NBA in three-point percentage, and Goran Dragic developing into a guy that can drive and kick.
Despite these strides, I still did not feel that the Suns could contend with the Lakers even with the Lakers poor performance after the All-Star break. They are just too long, too quick and too skilled for the Suns. Thinking this, I needed a consolation prize for this revival season. That prize, had to be the Spurs. The Spurs were inconsistent all season, even losing to the Nets down the stretch while battling for playoff position. The acquisition of Richard Jefferson just did not seem like it was working out the way many thought at the beginning of the season. I knew that we could take them in a seven game series with home court advantage. If I wasn't so confident, then there is no WAY I would want to play them again. I couldn't have my fandom ripped out of me and trampled like it had been in previous years: the hip-check and suspension, the Duncan three. It was too much to go through again if I didn't really believe that they could oust the Spurs. I needed this closure.
Now, the first week is over. The Suns are tied 2-2 in a series with team whose best player can't elevate or cut because he's a week removed from knee surgery and whose franchise center and backup center have been out two-thirds of the season. The Suns should be running all over these guys. Instead, their 46 year-old point guard who can't jump and shoots a set, line-drive "jump" shot is dropping 31 points on them in game one and stealing the home court advantage. Why? Because of their physical, slow-it-down style of play. Does this sound familiar to you? Well, it should because this is the style of play that ousted the Suns in five of the last six seasons.
Now, if the Suns can't handle 52 year-old Andre Miller, Marcus Camby and a gimpy Brandon Roy, how are they going to handle lightning quick Tony Parker, a rejuvenated, playoff-ready Tim Duncan and an Argentinian whose been playing out of his mind the past three weeks? Now you might think, well, it's a good thing they got the seven seed and need to play the Mavericks who beat them three of of four in the season series. Wrong. The Spurs are up 2-1 and have already taken the home court away from Dallas.
If things keep going the way they are, and the Suns end up squeaking by this injury-riddled Blazers team and meet San Antonio in round 2, I might just end up driving my car into the now-flowing Salt River.
2. The Thunder are really, really good.
I'll admit, I haven't paid too close attention to this team, but they are really impressive at home. Kevin Durant scores as effortlessly as I do against my nine-year-old brother on a 8 foot hoop. These guys have the potential to do some crazy good things in the years to come. Just watch out for the Marbury-Garnet problems to occur. Durant is going to get some big money soon, but I don't think Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and Thabo Sefalosha are going to be chomping at the bit to take role-player money and lesser roles as Durant continues to develop and take more shots. Even though they have cap-space, it's not enough for the talent they have now. Stay tuned.
3. The Celtics are full of prima donnas and drama queens.
Is it just me or do the Celtics have more guys than the history of the league at milking injuries on the floor. Paul Peirce will never live down the moment during the 2008 NBA Finals when he was CARRIED off the floor after a leg injury, only to come back 15 minutes later and play like nothing had ever happened. Quinton Richardson wanted to know if he was faking again in game one when he collapsed to the floor after apparently running into the referee and stayed down for another 10 minutes as a fight broke out involving Richardson and Kevin Garnet. Rajon Rondo does this also. He gets fouled on a drive and just lays on the floor for a few minutes while the trainers look at him. I wonder what the conversations go with the training staff.
Pierce: Can the crowd tell that I grabbed the wrong knee? Are they eating this up?
Trainer: Yeah, let's pull out a wheel chair and take you into the back for a few minutes.
Pierce: Wheel chair? Don't we have stretcher. Shouldn't we immobilize my neck? I already did the wheel chair act man. I've got to go one further.
The most confusing part about this entire charade is how players act these days after they hit a big shot. When Pierce hit his game winning shot in Game three he turned and looked like he was ready to take on a gang of Hell's Angels. (Click Here). This isn't just Pierce either. Everyone does it. I miss the Reggie Millers of the world. That's how a celebration should really be. Excitement, exuberance, sheer joy. That's the way the game was meant to be played, like a little kid.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Bench Clearing Conundrum
I just witnessed the benches clear in the Diamondbacks, Cardinals game. I don't know about you, but I've always wondered what goes through everyone's heads as they slowly, lethargically trot onto the field. Are these players going to diffuse whatever "situation" there is out on the field? Or is all of this instigated by the bench players who need a little excitement to their two at bats per week?
Even though nothing ever amounts from these situations, I love it every time. I'm really ready for someone to get really fired up and just go at it. Every club should have a thug, just like in hockey. When the benches clear he should be the first one on the field throwing rainmakers. Best case scenario, he gets their star player suspended for the rest of the series against your team, and you finally get to see these baseball players get fired up on Wednesday night game in June. Now, this will only work if your own star players are instructed to STAY AWAY. That may be pretty difficult for players like Justin Upton or any closer in baseball. Those are the few that can get fired up for almost any moments. Just find a guy with their fire and little baseball talent, and a thug is born. I am definitely ready to see this happen. Roger Clemens: I think you've found another niche in Major League Baseball.
Even though nothing ever amounts from these situations, I love it every time. I'm really ready for someone to get really fired up and just go at it. Every club should have a thug, just like in hockey. When the benches clear he should be the first one on the field throwing rainmakers. Best case scenario, he gets their star player suspended for the rest of the series against your team, and you finally get to see these baseball players get fired up on Wednesday night game in June. Now, this will only work if your own star players are instructed to STAY AWAY. That may be pretty difficult for players like Justin Upton or any closer in baseball. Those are the few that can get fired up for almost any moments. Just find a guy with their fire and little baseball talent, and a thug is born. I am definitely ready to see this happen. Roger Clemens: I think you've found another niche in Major League Baseball.
Guidelines
Let's lay out some guidelines:
First of all, I'm no journalist. I am going to always give the fan's account. I don't have fancy-schmancy researchers looking up stats for me so I can compare the shooting percentage of a team with at least 10 straight wins after winning a championship. That's just not my thing. I'm just a dude that really likes sports. Luckily for me (and hopefully you), we live in a time where I have an outlet to share my thoughts.
Second, I promise to never make the normal run-of-the-mill comparisons. You've all heard them. If you don't like someone in politics, they are a Nazi. Obama was a Nazi, Bush was a Nazi, the anti-illegal immigration folks are Nazis. Really, I don't think any of those people have much in common at all with the Nazis. But, it sure makes for a nice effect.
The same idea, is used in the sports world far too-often. The worst of which is when the NBA talking heads evaluate a white guy. Why can we only compare white people to other white people? Someone please explain this to me. If someone is high on Gordon Hayward, the sophomore from Butler, people say he's the second coming of Larry Bird. If they think he's just going to be an average pro, then he's the the next Mike Dunleavy. Why can't he be a shorter Channing Frye?
Third, well that's pretty much the only one I have so far. I you think there should be more leave a post.
First of all, I'm no journalist. I am going to always give the fan's account. I don't have fancy-schmancy researchers looking up stats for me so I can compare the shooting percentage of a team with at least 10 straight wins after winning a championship. That's just not my thing. I'm just a dude that really likes sports. Luckily for me (and hopefully you), we live in a time where I have an outlet to share my thoughts.
Second, I promise to never make the normal run-of-the-mill comparisons. You've all heard them. If you don't like someone in politics, they are a Nazi. Obama was a Nazi, Bush was a Nazi, the anti-illegal immigration folks are Nazis. Really, I don't think any of those people have much in common at all with the Nazis. But, it sure makes for a nice effect.
The same idea, is used in the sports world far too-often. The worst of which is when the NBA talking heads evaluate a white guy. Why can we only compare white people to other white people? Someone please explain this to me. If someone is high on Gordon Hayward, the sophomore from Butler, people say he's the second coming of Larry Bird. If they think he's just going to be an average pro, then he's the the next Mike Dunleavy. Why can't he be a shorter Channing Frye?
Third, well that's pretty much the only one I have so far. I you think there should be more leave a post.
Intro
It seems as if everyone and there mom has a blog these days. I thought I should really get in on the action. So, without further ado, here is my new blog. I thought that I needed a topic, so I wondered what I should blog about. My problem is that the two things that I would first consider writing about, sports and politics, are already pretty well covered in the "blogosphere." At first, I still wanted to talk about sports. I love reading The Sports Guy, Bill Simmons on ESPN.com, but I was scared that much of my writing would seem too much like his style. I then thought about politics, but I know far too little to actually give an informed opinion. Although, I'm willing to bet that you could make a case that a hefty chunk of the political bloggers don't actually have an informed opinion. Despite that, I was still left without a topic.
My next topic was my life. That idea quickly went to the scrapheap because I can sum that up in just a few sentences. I live. I eat. I work. I go to school. I watch sports. Okay, that did it for me. I'm going to throw my name in the pile of sports bloggers. I'll just be to Arizona sports what The Sports Guy is to Boston sports, only without the porn and gambling references. That's me. From time to time I'll add my two cents about what's happening with the Arizona sports scene. Heavily geared to the Phoenix Suns, but covering the rest as well. There will probably be some other topics mixed in as I seem fit. More than likely, I'll just keep writing stuff and no one will even know it exists.
Well, there you have it. The first blog post. Check back again later, and there might even be some actual material in the blog.
My next topic was my life. That idea quickly went to the scrapheap because I can sum that up in just a few sentences. I live. I eat. I work. I go to school. I watch sports. Okay, that did it for me. I'm going to throw my name in the pile of sports bloggers. I'll just be to Arizona sports what The Sports Guy is to Boston sports, only without the porn and gambling references. That's me. From time to time I'll add my two cents about what's happening with the Arizona sports scene. Heavily geared to the Phoenix Suns, but covering the rest as well. There will probably be some other topics mixed in as I seem fit. More than likely, I'll just keep writing stuff and no one will even know it exists.
Well, there you have it. The first blog post. Check back again later, and there might even be some actual material in the blog.
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