tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-263373102024-03-07T21:32:40.695-06:00Serious PlayasNBA rumors, gossip, and hoops speculation...nKrallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223077925938941433noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-36317653075470786342010-07-09T20:48:00.006-06:002010-07-09T21:58:38.605-06:00LEBRONICUS MAXIMUS: How will the Heat fill out their roster?Well well well, we finally have learned what has been expected for some time now. That Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James have some serious man-love for one another. That Dan Gilbert is an unqualified jerk (But we already knew that too. He who built his empire on the backs of dubious liar loans and HELOCs based on questionable appraisals). That Somebody will overpay for Amare (NYK). That Danny Ainge will pull off some deep value deal to extend the life of the Big Three, his greatest NBA accomplishment. And that yet again, despite the opportunity, Mark Cuban has done nothing quite remarkable to improve his team for championship success.<br /><br />But those are some things we kind of already knew. What we didn't know was just how much pull Pat Riley still has in the NBA. Sure, he has merely copied the Ainge model to a certain extent. But in the Ainge case, he had to stockpile assets for years before making a move. Riley only had to do two things. 1) Draft D-Wade. 2) Fire everyone else.<br /><br />The simplicity of this approach is singularly remarkable in the history of the NBA. No one has ever gotten so much for actually doing nothing. The absence of anything. Hell, he even gave away the #2 pick in the 2008 draft in a transaction completely unrelated to Bosh's Raptors or James' Cavaliers. Surely, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all those involved. And surely, this signals the death knell for the current CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) and the beginning of the new CBA (Countdown to Ballers Absconding).<br /><br />Oh well, at least we will have this one glorious year of waiting for the Finals to happen. It should come down to Game 7 in the Staples Center once again. Lakers vs. Heat. We know about the New Big 3 in Miami, but how about the rest of the roster?<br /><br />Let's take a look at the starting lineup:<br /><br />PG Mario Chalmers<br />SG Dwyane Wade<br />SF Mike Miller<br />PF LeBron James<br />C Chris Bosh<br /><br />I know. Everybody hates Chris. But you will have to play center for the Heat despite your claim that somehow you are "not a center." I'm sorry that Dwight Howard plays center in the Eastern Conference, really I am. But face it, you play down low, you bang the boards, you fight fight fight through the trees. You are a center. We have dealt with this for the past decade with Tim Duncan, a practice which started similarly - because we didn't want to deny TD an All-Star berth just because he played in a Western Conference with Shaq. Ok, fine Chris, we'll put you on the All-Star Ballot as a PF so Superman Jr. won't steal all your starter nods. If we did it for Timmy, I guess we've got to do it with you too. Especially since you've gone and made yourself a big deal and not the next Air Canada.<br /><br />Assuming the Miller deal goes through (reported at 5 year $30 mill), the Heat will have exceeded the salary cap just for their starting roster. They can do that because they owned the Bird rights to Wade and will likely engineer sign-and-trade deals to acquire both James and Bosh, basically because who wants to be the GM forever known as the guy who lost James/Bosh and got absolutely nothing in return?<br /><br />So, who else can we put on this roster? Assuming that the full mid-level exception was used to acquire Miller, that leaves only the bi-annual exception (for a deal around $2m per) and the rest minimum contracts for 2nd rounders or veterans subsidized by the league.<br /><br />So, who are the rookies that Miami has the rights to currently who will probably make the team just because there is no one else. These guys must feel like they just won the lottery:<br /><br />PG Patrick Beverley 6'1 180<br />SF Da'Sean Butler 6'7 225<br />PF Jarvis Varnado 6'9 220<br />C Dexter Pittman 6'10 300+<br /><br />The good news? These guys are all 22 years old or younger and will earn the minimum salary for rookies next year (around $700,000). The bad news? That's still only nine players. NBA rules dictate a minimum of 13 players on a roster. So, much like the Celtics after their twin acquisitions of Garnett and Allen, we are left to ponder who will be the remaining components of this championship roster?<br /><br />Question #1: Who will get the bi-annual exception?<br /><br />Rumor has it Derek Fisher is seriously considering it. Why? Do you know that despite entering the league at the same time and sharing five championships together, D-Fish has never ever even been to Kobe's house? Do you think that WBJ will be hanging out together like all the time? Maybe people should start asking if Kobe can win a championship without Fisher. If Fisher doesn't get the bi-annual, do they go after Shaq? After all, he can still handle Superman Jr. and he does have a history with Wade and LeBron. If neither of these guys gets the bi-annual I'd be surprised.<br /><br />If not Fisher, there will still be a need for Cool Hand Luke veteran backup PG type player. And for that role I also nominate these current unrestricted free agents:<br /><br />Eddie House<br />Jason Williams (but not for the BAE)<br /><br />That still leaves somebody to step in the middle and slide Bosh over to the 4 for 20-25 minutes per game. And for that role (this one is easy), I nominate Zydrunas Ilgauskas. After Dan Gilbert just blew his top on friend LeBron and especially how management treated Z during the run-up to the Jamison trade and how the coaching staff treated him all year but particularly during the playoffs when he didn't even find the floor despite his obvious chemistry with James and ability to knock down 18-20 foot wide-open jumpshots made possible by his buddy perpetually slashing to the hoop (you think the Heat will be collapsing the lane this year?), my guess is that Z will realize his loyalty is to the Gund Era of the Cavaliers and hightail it out of town. He still wants a championship just like anybody else.<br /><br />That leaves two roster spots. They still need size and probably a bench scorer. It's likely they will figure out some way to bring back Udonis Haslem. Because they own his Bird rights, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. He's the glue guy that they'll need to perk up the second squad and to take some of the minutes at the 5 away from CB. If they can't get him or need to use him in one of the sign-and-trades, they should target Louis Amundson, an unrestricted free agent who fulfilled largely the same role for the Suns last year.<br /><br />But we still need one more player just to get to the minimum! Not to mention if somebody gets hurt... Who will it be?<br /><br />Q Rich is a boarding shooter who could back up the injury-prone Miller. Trenton Hassell or Jarvis Hayes could be brought in as defensive stoppers. It just depends on who loses out on the bigger contracts available out there from the teams that lost out on LeBronathon. Who will fall through the cracks? Who might un-retire a la PJ Brown just to make a run with these guys? Is there yet another All-Star out there at the end of their career who cares to make a run at it as wingmen a la Gary Payton & Karl Malone in 2004?<br /><br />Enough speculation. "What's the skinny?" you say. Well, if I were a betting man, I'd say the 2010-11 Miami Heat roster will probably look a lot like this, give or take one or two elements:<br /><br />PG Mario Chalmers<br />SG Dwyane Wade<br />SF Mike Miller<br />PF LeBron James<br />C Chris Bosh<br /><br />PG Eddie House<br />PG Jason Williams<br />SF Da'Sean Butler<br />SF Quentin Richardson <br />PF Jarvis Varnado<br />PF Udonis Haslem <br />C Dexter Pittman<br />C Zydrunas IlgauskasnKrallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223077925938941433noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-31886928504542885992008-09-22T20:30:00.003-06:002008-09-22T20:42:49.474-06:0030 daysGet on board playas for the 7th season of competition. The 7th Serious Playas league is formed at Sportsline for 2008-2009. If you did not recieve an invite from me, please check your email OR let me know (shaman at shanemoore dot net). The live draft is set for October 10/22/08, 10:00 PM ET.<br /><br />Steve, Justin, Phil and I are already signed up... join in before we have to start scrambling for playas. Kloos? Miguel? Nicky? Dan? Reed? McCoy? Doc? Ryan? That'd make 12. Get signed up NOW! <br /><br />shamanshamanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17039873366589662915noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-9006087350351174792008-07-06T10:17:00.003-06:002008-07-06T11:08:47.645-06:00Celtics Win! A Surprise? No, but how will this reshape the League?To the surprise of virtually no one except for those damn Hawks who almost pulled off a stunning 7-game upset in Round 1 of this year's NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics heaved their seventeenth piece of hardware this year behind the inspired play of their veteran triumvirate - KG, Jesus, and He Who Walks. As was so emphatically preminisced right <a href="http://seriousplayas.blogspot.com/2007/08/garnett-what-who-else.html">here</a> last year, GM Danny Ainge engineered this most magnificent NBA turnaround by counting on the fact that stragglers and other hangers-on would be willing to jump aboard the history train riding the coattails of this Big 3 to an NBA title. And what do you know? Posey and House signed for less than they could have got elsewhere, PJ Brown and Cassell come over for the vet min, et <i>voila!</i>, Beantown has all the veteran leadership and role playing grit to compete in playoff hip-to-bone competition, not to mention the moxie bestowed by the vets onto the lucky young ones Perkins, Rondo, and Big Baby Davis, who consistently played above their heads throughout the playoffs.<br /><br />So Ainge's formulas have been proven correct - How long will it take for other GMs to adopt this approach? My guess - Not long. It may even perhaps have already happened what with B-Diddy and Agent Zero accepting less per-year dollars ostensibly to allow their teams to sign other top-tier talent and a pathetic hope to mimic our SC Boys' success (Note: Both Garnett and Ray Allen played their high school ball in the Cack and won titles there.) That's the impact from the player side. As Gilbert has already <a href="http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/10886246">stated</a>: "What can I do for my family with $127 million that I can't do with $111 million?" How gracious this new breed of NBA baller claims to be.<br /><br />Now for the GMs to make their move. Will Chris Mullin or Kevin Pritchard decide to trade a handful of their young sought-afters for a veteran cog? How many other vets will be willing to sacrifice dollars for potential rings a la GP and the Mailman in 2004 or Posey/House/Cassell/Brown in 2008? Much like the seachange wrought by the Phoenix Suns small ball experiment (RIP 2004-2008), how will the Celtics' championship re-orient the perceived goals of GMs league-wide. Who's going to go for it and who's gonna stockpile talent? And how much would you pay for James Posey's unique combination of lock-down defensive versatility and sharpshooting?<br /><br />The week ahead will answer many of these questions and we're sure to find more than a few surprises once this year's NBA free agent market opens on Wednesday. For now, the focus has been on teams trying to dump payroll in anticipation of luring LeBron in 2010. Though this is a lot less likely to happen than teams think (as Freedarko explains <a href="http://freedarko.blogspot.com/2008/06/memos-of-heavenly-kind.html">here</a>), teams like the Knicks, Nets, and Heat, the cream of the Eastern Conference now turned into the grounds at the bottom of your coffee pot, are betting their whole franchise on the chance. That slim hope coupled with the floundering American economy's impact on a team's patriarch's willingness to pay the luxury tax should lead to some very interesting, if not historical, trades this year. Like the recent trades for Pau Gasol and Richard Jefferson, the newest trade paradigm seems totally unconcerned with the heretofore undisputed NBA trade maxim: equal value gets equal value. Now, it seems as if the league is operating on a "Big Star = Economic Relief = Very Small Chance at Salvation in 2010." It's as if the League is bequeathing the next two Finals series to the Lakers/Celtics, tanking their next two seasons like they were trying to move up in the Lottery.<br /><br />This unique situation of players willing to play for less and GMs looking to pay less (as long as there is Hope) could lead to some interesting transactions. Here's a few thoughts: Brand and Davis could easily be switching teams - or not? Ron Artest - a bargain at $7.2m this year and an expiring contract to boot - will probably be moved for picks and cash (Kupchak: Hey! We don't have to trade equal value any more do you want a case of whiskey in that trade too, Maloofs? We'll even throw in Pau's 14-yr-old brother - we hear he just had his first growth spurt!). Corey Maggette will probably end up somewhere and it probably still won't matter and he'll probably average 20 ppg doing it. Some 2nd round pick (Mario Chalmers, Chris Douglas-Roberts, DeAndre Jordan, Bill Walker) is gonna make a lot of teams look really stupid and he'll be called this year's Carlos Boozer. James Posey will make a lot of money this year and it regrettably won't be with the Celtics, but chances are he'll earn another ring sometime in the near future for his clutch playoff services a la Robert Horry. More point guards (some of them not even really PGs) will be paid way too much money a la Chris Duhon. And somebody, somebody will try out Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis and the whole rest of the Ballhog Gang and decide that their team is the one that can get them to pass more often.<br /><br />Bring on the Intrigue.nKrallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223077925938941433noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-73455415921105085542007-09-24T14:44:00.000-06:002007-09-24T14:53:42.678-06:00Why You Suckas Got to Do What is Right<span style="font-size:130%;">I am telling you now and how. What you need to do is sign up for your cbs.sportsline.com league. The draft has been set for 10/17 at 8:30 PM Eastern Standard. If there are any problems, this early date can be pushed back. The Season starts on 10/30. Let me say it now, so you'all can be sure you seez it with yours own eyes; <span style="font-style: italic;">What is right is as follows:</span><br /><br /> Serious Playas have been effect since the '02-'03 season. We have had some years without the Razor Sharp Shaman, and some years without the Gild Wisdom of the Dah Dock Surratt. But here comes the facts, so put on your spectacles and gaze:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE SERIOUS PLAYAS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ON CBS.SPORTSLINE.COM AND THAT IS WHERE THE SERIOUS PLAYAS WILL STAY.<the><br /><br />We can experiment with nba.com/fantasy, but for Nature's sake, Sign up for the cbs league. THE PASSWORD IS: presidio.<br /><br /><br />Do what is right. Do not be a fool. Time has no kindness for being a fool.<br />Da Kloos is with you all. Now, get with what he sez.<br /><br />His Realness,<br />The Khwan<br /><br /><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/IBM_TypeWriter_6715.JPG/800px-IBM_TypeWriter_6715.JPG" /><br /></the></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-51893145596702806782007-09-23T14:17:00.000-06:002007-09-23T14:24:53.813-06:00Calling all playas!With October fast approaching, time to sound the drums and call the band of bros to arms. <br /><br />shaman, Cruel Bastion, Nicky, Demott, and myself have signed up. that's five. <br /><br />Then we've got some AWOL cats.<br /><br />The Kloos needs to sign up, in whatever incarnation, as well the good Dr. Surratt and the trusty, stoutly-named Concord Lynch. That would be eight. I've emailed the Kloos but I've misplaced the emails to Surratt and Lynch. We need to be in touch with them pronto.<br /><br />So, what about Reed "Green Wave" Edwards, Bad DNA, and Mike "Showtime" McCoy? That would bring us to eleven.<br /><br />Those of you sitting on emails for these fellows, give them a heads up! Direct them to the blog or to shaman, or send them an invite directly. <br /><br />If any of these guys is going to sit the season out for whatever reason, which I hope is not the case, we should know ASAP so that we can enlist a knowledgable fellow to take a slot.<br /><br />Let's get these guys in the league sooner the better.<br /><br />MAMickael Cabreri Antoniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18099116334193860282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-63871975163974395962007-09-16T11:19:00.000-06:002007-09-16T11:29:41.655-06:00Weekly Lineup Rules!Inevitably a daily transaction league favors those who can devote the most attention to it and thus does not accurately reflect a hierarchy of acumen that I think the Serious Playas has always been about. "Who is the most serious playa?" as distinct from "Who is the most active player?" Clearly, active players can better navigate the NBA winds of PT and injuries, but who must they ditch in order to play the hot hand. For myself, I always think I'm overly active as a manager and consciously try to curb my transactions each year, but each year I always drop someone I should have kept or fail to pickup someone I should have dropped someone for. And this propensity will only be magnified by a league that allows daily transactions. I always like to believe that a cool and steady handed manager (The Cruelest comes to mind as someone who truly sticks with his drafted guns for better or for worse) always has a chance to do well in this league while i think in a daily transactions league, shaman most likely will school us all or that, in a vain attempt to keep up with him, each of us becomes so involved with daily NBA flutterings that girlfriends start getting jealous, dishes pile up in the sink, sleep is lost, etc. I mean you don't want LeBron to chew his fingernails down to the nub and you lose him for 3 weeks.<br /><br />So, i vote "yea" for weekly lineups. And damn that Sportsline default Verdana font just looks so damn good.nKrallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223077925938941433noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-70225211276954540482007-09-15T12:01:00.000-06:002007-09-15T12:06:19.632-06:00Uh OhDraft order will be determined by the order we sign-up??? Not sure how the folks are gonna feel about that, shaman. Daily transactions? I'd like to hear what the word is there. I know guys like Kloos piss and moan ad infinitum when they se-up their line-ups nd then someone gets hurt, but christ, the season is long, and lord knows that half of the owners are not going to be assiduous about tweaking their line-ups every single day, or well enough in advance that they don't even think about complications from when they drop a player and stuff. agh. weekly ersus daily transactions. you got guys like cruel bastion and Doc Surratt, the one flies business trips and the other treats the infirm. How are they gonna stay on top of daily transactions? I'm starting to feel the stress about moving way from the cozy familiarity of Sportsline. I can't even change my owner handle, or leave the league and re-sign up! hm.Mickael Cabreri Antoniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18099116334193860282noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-73427004510861599212007-09-15T11:25:00.000-06:002007-09-15T11:41:43.732-06:00Hey, Ladies!!!!What's happening, fellows? This NBA offseason has been as crazy as ever, what with the Celtics poised to return to some measure of glory, the referee score-fixing scandal, Stephon Marbury going on about how he happily screws MSG interns in his SUV, and Greg Oden being introduced to us and then unceremoniously shelved for the season after microfracture surgery. Sigh. As one close friend of mine recently put it, it's as though Eddie Griffin's tragic passing in an August car accident was somehow allegorical. A crazy offseason indeed, which only promises further craziness once the season gets under way. <br /><br />Our man Shane "shaman" Moore has taken the initiative to set something up at NBA.com's fantasy station:<br /><br />http://www.nba.com/fantasy/<br /><br />The game is called NBA Ultimate Fantasy Commissioner, and I have to admit that on the face of things it looks like it kicks ass. It's apparently "fully customizable" and free. I wonder if shaman has taken any liberties with the customization.... and if not, whether he should. Here's some of the features they indicate on the site:<br /><br />FREE Keeper Leagues (Private only)<br />Rotisserie, Points-Based or Head-to-Head<br />Free Live Scoring<br />Five draft types, including Live and E-mail<br />Fully customizable rosters and scoring<br />Co-Owner option<br />Six waiver types, including Auction<br /><br />"Auction"?? I even read someplace that we can even trade picks? That sounds far out. I wanna hear it from the mouth of shaman, whom I hope will soon be posting here, along with all y'all. <br /><br />Bottom line: let's bring it in and discuss, fellas. And once we've determined everything is in order.... well, we all know it helps to have everyone signed up well in advance of the draft, right? <br /><br />Shaman has set the following up, FYI:<br /><br />League Name: Serious Playas at NBA.com<br />League Password: presidio<br /><br />You can sign in here: http://ufc2.nba.com/signup/nba/invite_league.asp?product=351&league=37673<br /><br />Hey, shaman, any word on the featrures? Is there anything to discuss, or have you already set-up the league for maximum mayhem?!?!?!<br /><br />One love,<br />MA<br /><br />P.S. I'm gonna have to change my handle this year, mix it up a bit. Don't be concerned if you don't see the Concatenation signed up for the league, I'll be aboard 100%.Mickael Cabreri Antoniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18099116334193860282noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-51584056392280920282007-08-01T09:35:00.000-06:002007-08-01T11:34:42.675-06:00Garnett, what? Who else?So the C's are Rondo, Ray Allen, Pierce, Garnett, Perkins as starters...<br /><br />then Scalabrine, Tony Allen, Leon Powe (last year's 2nd rd) as<br />the only other signed players.<br /><br />Then likely rookies PF <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=22261">Big Baby Davis</a> (LSU), combo G <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=22161">Gabe Pruitt</a><br />(Southern Cal), 3/4 blocks man <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=15461">Brandon Wallace</a> (South Carolina) as<br />signed rookies. That's still only 11 players.<br /><br />Free agent Michael Olowokandi might reup if only for nostalgia<br />purposes, after all he's the only guy left from the Ricky Davis trade<br />that eventually landed them Ray Allen. Wait... what? Strange but<br />true.<br /><br />But still only 12 players.<br /><br />That leaves three more spots for quality NBDLers and other unsigned<br />college players and with more than half of their roster (8 out of 15)<br />still first or second year players, the youth movement is still on in<br />Beantown only this time without all of the unfounded hype (Green,<br />Telfair, etc.) and this time the kids might learn something from the<br />starters. He's already anticipated this trade by adding two big men (one HUGE and bulky, the other LONG and lean) and a point guard from the college ranks.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 160px;" src="http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/37/376002.jpg" /><br /><br />&<br /><br /><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 160px;" src="http://www.wwltv.com/sports/lsu/stories/L_IMAGE.109d50b72cd.93.88.fa.d0.4eebe640.jpg" alt="" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br />Up until now, I've hounded Ainge because of the Telfair trade, the Ricky Davis trade, pretty much everything he's done except the young talent he's drafted. But now it's all crystal clear. That running through all his lineup shuffles last year was merely to showcase the potential of his roster, not to win! If he had shelved Telfair like he should have, he'd have absolutely no value. And besides, the Telfair trade wasn't really about Telfair at all. It was about acquiring the expiring contract of Theo Ratliff. Brilliant! Now, he's got three or four roster spots to scour the available talent pool, and this after one of the deepest drafts in recorded memory thanks to Stern's anti-teen stance.<br /><br />Question is: Who might these additions be? And remember... The Celtics are just under the cap with the GAP at $20m per annum or so each. So, you're looking at rookies, NBDLers, and veterans willing to sign for the minimum.<br /><br />As currently constructed post-Garnett trade, the roster as listed:<br /><table class="gSGTable" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="gSGRowEven"><table class="gSGTable" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="gSGRowEven"> 20</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/ray_allen/index.html?nav=page" class="gSGPlayerLink"> Ray Allen</a> </td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> G </td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 6-5</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 205</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 07/20/1975</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> Connecticut</td> <td class="gSGRowEven" align="center"> 11</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 42</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/tony_allen/index.html?nav=page" class="gSGPlayerLink"> Tony Allen</a> </td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> G </td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 6-4</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 213</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 01/11/1982</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> Oklahoma State</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd" align="center"> 3</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 11</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/glen_davis/index.html?nav=page" class="gSGPlayerLink"> Glen Davis</a> ** </td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> F </td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 6-9</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 289</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 01/01/1986</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> Louisiana State</td> <td class="gSGRowEven" align="center"> R</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 5</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kevin_garnett/index.html?nav=page" class="gSGPlayerLink"> Kevin Garnett</a> </td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> F </td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 6-11</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 253</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 05/19/1976</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> Farragut Academy HS (IL)</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd" align="center"> 12</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 41</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/michael_olowokandi/index.html?nav=page" class="gSGPlayerLink"> Michael Olowokandi</a> (FA) </td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> C </td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 7-0</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 270</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 04/03/1975</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> U. of Pacific</td> <td class="gSGRowEven" align="center"> 9</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 43</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kendrick_perkins/index.html?nav=page" class="gSGPlayerLink"> Kendrick Perkins</a> </td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> C </td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 6-10</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 280</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 11/10/1984</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> Clifton J. Ozen HS (TX)</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd" align="center"> 4</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 34</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/paul_pierce/index.html?nav=page" class="gSGPlayerLink"> Paul Pierce</a> </td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> F-G </td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 6-6</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 230</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 10/13/1977</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> Kansas</td> <td class="gSGRowEven" align="center"> 9</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 0</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/leon_powe/index.html?nav=page" class="gSGPlayerLink"> Leon Powe</a> </td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> F </td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 6-8</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 240</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 01/22/1984</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> California</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd" align="center"> 1</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 13</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/gabe_pruitt/index.html?nav=page" class="gSGPlayerLink"> Gabe Pruitt</a> ** </td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> G </td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 6-4</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 170</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 04/19/1986</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> USC</td> <td class="gSGRowEven" align="center"> R</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 9</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/rajon_rondo/index.html?nav=page" class="gSGPlayerLink"> Rajon Rondo</a> </td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> G </td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 6-1</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 171</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 02/22/1986</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> Kentucky</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd" align="center"> 1</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 44</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/brian_scalabrine/index.html?nav=page" class="gSGPlayerLink"> Brian Scalabrine</a> </td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> F </td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 6-9</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 235</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> 03/18/1978</td> <td class="gSGRowEven"> USC</td> <td class="gSGRowEven" align="center"> 6</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 8</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> <a href="http://www.nba.com/playerfile/brandon_wallace/index.html?nav=page" class="gSGPlayerLink"> Brandon Wallace</a> </td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> F </td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 6-9</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> 203</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td> <td class="gSGRowOdd"> South Carolina</td> <td class="gSGRowOdd" align="center"> R</td></tr></tbody></table></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven" align="center"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd" align="center"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="gSGRowEven">So the roster sports a good mix of length height speed and bulk as is. Where it lacks is point guard play, particularly as there is no veteran presence at the point, and maybe some youthful wingmen and a veteran center.<br /><br />Let's look at the available point guards Ainge is considering:<br /><br />Point guards:<br /><br />1) GARY PAYTON<br /><br />He's already demonstrated an affinity for this historic organization. But having already won a championship with the Heat, is he willing to pimp himself out again? Seems like this will be up to the Heat... if they don't end up signing him and the Smush Parker signing validates this question, he may well end up signing here for the exception.<br /><br />2) BREVIN KNIGHT<br /><br />Quietly a top-10 PG in steals AND assists while he's healthy, Knight has recently been released by the Charlotte Bobcats in order to reserve as much burn for the development of Latta, SC hero Raymond Felton. Given that he's an expansion draft winner (though not as much as his recently maxed out former teammate Gerald Wallace) and is just coming off his first big contract, I doubt Brevin will want to sign for the minimum just to back up another young up and comer in RR, but he would be the perfect baron for the C's Rail Road.<br /><br /><br /><img style="width: 160px;" src="http://images.athlonsports.com/d/3780-2/Tre+Kelly_+usp.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><br />3) <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=15460">TRE KELLEY</a><br /><br />Despite suffering a severe ankle sprain with 10-15 games to go in the season, Kelley was the top scorer in the toughest league in college basketball last year. Oh, you have to ask? The SEC of course. Seems like a solid fit here for Prof. Ainge who's bet heavily on the SEC by picking up the top two centers from last year's league and the top PG, in Rondo, from the year before that. Plus, Kelley is a man who managed to average more than 5 assists on a team that finished under .500 and really only had Brandon Wallace as an offensive target. And he's known primarily for his blocks and rebounding. In fact, the Gamecock team was so thin in 06-07 and lacked any veteran presence except for its two seniors, that Brandon Wallace actually ran point for about 3 or 4 games while a severely-injured Kelley recupaterated on the bench and at the 2. What's that? Isn't that the guy the Celtics just signed? That's right, folks. For the second straight year, the first free agent signed after the 2nd round has been from the University of South Carolina. Last year Memphis signed Tarence Kinsey just after the draft, expecting him to sit on the inactive list or NBDL squad for the year, only to watch him explode for 20 ppg as a starter in the last quarter of the year. Even if they do pick up a vet at the 1, this is a solid move for the Celtics or any team. But of course, I'm biased, just look at my post on Renaldo Balkman last year.<br /><br />4) KEITH MCLEOD<br /><br />I don't know much about McLeod but he is another journeyman PG who can be called on to start when your "future" is injured and probably can give any NBA player a tough time in practice. Probably could be had for the minimum due to The GAP Factor. I'd pick him below 1 and 2 on this list but you're gonna need a veteran PG for this team any way possible and if it's gonna be McLeod well then that's who it will have to be.<br /><br />Sharpshooters / Wing Men:<br /><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.nba.com/media/act_eddie_house.jpg" /><br /><br /><br /><br />1) EDDIE HOUSE<br /><br />If anybody can shoot when he's wide open, Eddie is it, as he often demonstrated with the Suns draining wide open 3 after wide open 3 thanks to Nash D'Antoni & Co. Unfortunately, the Nets never had the talent to spread the floor like that (despite their wishes) so Eddie flopped. In Boston, he could serve as the Jason Kapono or the Dale Ellis that he has always strived to be. But even better, cause Eddie's got flair - he averaged nearly 23 ppg his sr year at Arizona State so if the bombs don't drop he can go and get em in the paint by driving 1 on 1. What - you're gonna double team Eddie House?<br /><br />2) MATT BARNES<br /><br />He's probably a better fit for the Warriors, but this is the kind of guy that the Celtics don't have (that is unless Brandon Wallace can make an impact earlier than expected and by the looks of his former teammate Renaldo Balkman that may happen). Available to spell anyone 2 through 4, Barnes has range on his jumper, a long wingspan, an inhuman leaping ability, and a nose for the ball known only by those who have had to work hard to get their deserves in this league! (Hark hark Sebastian Telfair!). I'd expect Barnes to earn a bit more than the minimum on his upcoming contract, though, given his role in the Greatest Upset of ALL TIME. (Note to Cuban: PLEASE PLEASE DON'T BUY THE CUBS!!!)<br /><br />3) JAMES POSEY & EDDIE JONES<br /><br />One of these guys is likely to stay with the Heat, the other not. I'm betting it's Jones that stays given the orgyfest the Heat have with their former superstars. Plus, Posey has been incredibly underwhelming for the amount of money he has commanded the past couple of years (nearly $6m). If he gets that kind of money again, he's definitely not headed toward the C's.<br /><br /><img style="width: 240px;" src="http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/tolkien/h-1-2514-gollum-precious.jpg" /><br /><br />Big men:<br /><br />1) DIKEMBE MUTOMBO<br />2) CHRIS WEBBER<br /><br />These are some guys that need a ring and don't give a hoot about how much money they make though both of them seem to be in the best situation they could possibly be in, with Mutombo guaranteed a minimum of 15-20 games starting per year due to the inevitable Yao injury and Webber seeking redemption in his hometown for his ill-fated Fab Five timeout and NCAA violations. But Gollum, we know the lure of the ring, don't we precious?<br /><br /><img style="width: 240px;" src="http://www.videocanada.ca/catalogg/images/products/CELTICPRIDE_WEB.jpg" /><br /><br />What used to be called the Laker Effect in the Shaq/Kobe Era will now be called the Celtic Effect or rather the Boston media will gloss it over and call it old school CELTIC PRIDE. Who do they stand to lure in the next few years with this triumvirate? Seriously, if anybody knows next year's expiring contracts, post them in a comment here.<br /><br />But seems Ainge has set himself up for the next 3-4 years, maybe even a 5-6 year window of winning the championship (or a few) with these guys. And that's really all you can ask for as a fan. But Danny can't let up yet. I think it will be critical to this team's success who these four bench players end up being and who they can add to their NBDL roster to anticipate future roster needs on the cheap. They are a lot of four-year seniors, discarded vets, international players and seasoned NBDLers out there who just want a chance. It takes a good GM to find those players and I think Ainge has a knack for it.<br /><br />To quote the now squarely under pressure Doc Rivers: "We're thin. Clearly, we need a little more help. But it's sure better talking about shoring up the bench than talking about shoring up the starting lineup."<br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven" align="center"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd" align="center"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven" align="center"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd" align="center"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven" align="center"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd" align="center"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven" align="center"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd" align="center"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowEven" align="center"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td><td class="gSGRowOdd"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />GnKrallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223077925938941433noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1162950521293179972006-11-07T19:35:00.000-06:002006-11-07T20:04:07.176-06:00NBA Analysis #1There is a new ball, I don't care. <br />There are new rules, I don't care. <br />The players can't complain, I don't care. <br />There is a new season, I care. <br /><br /><IMG SRC="http://www.metronews.ca/xmlFiles/CPNews/s110601A.jpg"><br /><i>How good to the Hornets look this 06 so far? & Those gold uni's don't hurt either.</i><br /><br />I am not sure where to begin, so I am going to make like I already and get down brass tacks. Here's what I am thinking: <br /><br />Channing Frye could have a bad year, the boy is fragile and probably too smart to play under Isaiah. Frye excelled under Brown maybe because Brown knew how to use him, Thomas doesn't know what's going on and Frye could be on the losing end of that equation.<br /><br />Corey Maggette needs a better situation. There is no reason why you need to start Tim Thomas, Cuttino Mobley or Quinton Ross over Corey Maggette. What C-Meggs needs is to confirm his health status and get his 30+ minutes in a scheduled fashion. I have a feeling he might break loose and earn Comeback Player of the Year.<br /><br />Comeback Player of the Year goes to Carlos Boozer. The Booz Cruise is a mysterious cat, but his stat line is plain and simple. I'd like to see the Utah Jazz return to form, they got a lot of upside with Kirilenko, Okur and Boozer... Health is the concern of all mortal men.<br /><br />What's this I hear about Etan Thomas and Brendon Haywood getting in a punch up after the Magic game? Etan Thomas has earned the starting position and put big numbers, 6 blocks, against the young Magic and after the game it came to blows? Who started the fight? How can the Wiz (Ahem BULLETS) allow this to happen? They have to get rid of one of those guys. Whoever they want least... you can't have dudes fighting on your team and expect to win games. I think Haywood might have even pulled on my man's Thomas dreds? I hope this situation is remedied, and Etan Thomas goes on to have a solid year at starting C for the "on the verge of something" Wiz.<br /><br />Brandon Roy has a bruise just behind his Achilles' tendon? That is absurd, just when you think you know everything about this season's top rookie, he comes out with this? Horrible news. Get well soon R.O.Y.<br /><br />And finally, I'm sure everyone has noticed Al Harrington mohawk, but have you also noticed he is starting at C for the Pacers? How is that possible? The Pacers have some nice additions in Harrington and Marquis Daniels... it's up to Carlisle to get something out of his squad, keep them in check, make them work and win games. Putting Al Harrington at center is some crazy coaching to be sure.<br /><br /><br />Closing the Analysis #1, We might need to shape up this blog a bit, maybe add some links to American sportspages... Anyway, I'll be back, trying to spruce it up with latest dish, picks and rolls.<br /><br />T_LANNUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1162329075857892322006-10-31T14:45:00.000-06:002006-10-31T15:11:15.870-06:00The New League (with 2 Ts)<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4695/2798/1600/daily-sketch_connan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4695/2798/200/daily-sketch_connan.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The 5th Itteration of the Serious Playas league moves on despite the bumbling technology of CBS Sportsline's draft room on Monday night.<br /> <br />Well, we are set for Thursday night - same time as Monday, 10PM EST. Sorry for the BS the other night. I only hope that it will be better this time. If you didn't get an invite, please let me know. <br /><br />On another note... download Opera. It seemed to work much better than Internet Explorer for me and Steve. Also, prerank, prerank, prerank. <br /><br />I will let you guys know what I hear from Spootsline. <br /><br />shamanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1162270254994422452006-10-30T22:50:00.000-06:002006-10-30T22:58:08.920-06:00What 'Kloos' Thinks about The Draft, 2006<IMG SRC="http://superfrenchie.com/Pics/Blog/unclesam_middle_finger.jpg"><br /><IMG SRC="http://superfrenchie.com/Pics/Blog/unclesam_middle_finger.jpg"><br /><FONT SIZE=+6>FRIG THAT SH*T, BELIEVE IT!!! NO WAY AND A HALF!!!</FONT><br /><IMG SRC="http://superfrenchie.com/Pics/Blog/unclesam_middle_finger.jpg"><br /><IMG SRC="http://superfrenchie.com/Pics/Blog/unclesam_middle_finger.jpg"><br /><FONT SIZE=+4> AIN'T NO WAY, BOOL SHEET, NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS</FONT><br /><IMG SRC="http://superfrenchie.com/Pics/Blog/unclesam_middle_finger.jpg"><br /><IMG SRC="http://superfrenchie.com/Pics/Blog/unclesam_middle_finger.jpg"><br /><FONT SIZE=+4>FORGET ABOUT IT</FONT><br /><FONT SIZE=+10>REDRAFT! REDRAFT! REDRAFT!</FONT><br /><br><br /><IMG SRC="http://superfrenchie.com/Pics/Blog/unclesam_middle_finger.jpg">Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1161995102073900402006-10-27T17:57:00.000-06:002006-10-30T21:14:02.206-06:00NOW it is ON... Seriously<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4695/2798/1600/lebron.0.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4695/2798/200/lebron.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The league is on... Serious Playas 2007: The 5th Iteration... We've got 12 owners signed up right now (Thanks Doc Surrat for bringing Foster Lynch back in the fold!... Enjoy that Panthers game!)... We gots new blood too, we got a cat named Phil Washburn (read the blog? ...or friend of a seious playa?) ... Whatever the case, we iz all here.. and no doubt ready to get it on. <br /><br />We draft this league at 9PM CST on Monday... don't forget to set your clocks back!... and be ready for the draft!<br /><br />defending shaman<br /><br />******************************************<br /><br />We've been talking keeper league since last year. My count shows 7-8 in favor and 1 firmly against (Kloos). Also, looks like we are split on doing more than one league - so it's a keeper league at Sporstline OR a regular league at Sportsline. With the loud voice from the valley yappin, I'm guessing we'll probably give in the recluse and just do our normal thing at Sportsline. Fine by me, but... we can discuss it... and do a seperate keeper.<br /><br />So our quandry is this: How many of you want to do a keeper with our regular league? How many of you want to do a second league as a keeper? I've got a league set up to draft at Yahoo at 930 next Friday, 3 November).<br /><br />There is another option for a second keeper - nba.com. There they have it set uo to add keepers AND it's free. I went ahead and set up a time for next week. If you guys want to do a keeper, we can discuss it here on the blog and on Monday night at THE draft.<br /><br />Yahoo League: Serious Keeps<br />Draft Time: 930PM CST, Friday November 3<br />password: iwillnotquit<br />Note: This may turn into just a regular 8cat league since I have published it (must apply w/o password). There are 3 Serious Playas there now, so... looks like a regular league... just Yahooed... join in for a second chance to knock me off... LOL!<br /><br />post your thoughts...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1161896926487611962006-10-26T14:58:00.000-06:002006-10-27T06:52:13.846-06:00yes yes y'allGod bless "The 5th Iteration of this Serious Playas league"<br />!!!!<br /><br />This is it fellas, the fifth anniversary of da Playas. If only Bronson Bridges were here to celebrate. He'd punch us in the stomach. How about a moment of silence for the fallen playas... that Dutch guy from season one, Presidio the Genius, B Devils!, that really angry guy from two years ago who loved Eddy Curry.<br /><br />And you serious playas who've been here from the start; <br /><br />Dah Cruelist Son of Isaac, Steve "the feeling machine" Isaacson<br />Shamanic pride "the photographic eye" Shane give me some Moore<br />Doc Surratt and Devildogs, one love!<br />Justin "the question mark" Demott bringing the noise from the Northeast<br />Nicky "the biscuit eatin' Italian Polock" "gravel laying" Kravalino<br />Miguel "don't call him Antonia" Antonia and the fruit basket nation<br /><br />You all deserve a one big hug from the man upstairs! Keep it real like a continental breakfast.<br /><br />I am happy the keeper league fell apart, I was not feeling it. "The 5th Iteration of this Serious Playas league" is the place to be! Get ready, Get set....<br /><br />The one they call Kloos is bringing it at you like a Prussian grandpa, stand up straight soldier.... 06 06 06 06 06!!!!!!!<br /><br />Let's go!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1161180408079032932006-10-18T07:47:00.000-06:002006-10-23T17:08:00.780-06:00That's a Keepershaman's thoughts and ramblings on a Serious keeper league...<br /><br />I like "my" guys like Arenas and Marion and I would love to have them every year (who wouldn't love to have those two?). I think having one to three keepers would add an interesting element to our league. I wouldn't mind having one, two, or maybe even three, but I think we should definitely go no more than three. If we do three or more keepers, I think we might see a dynasty or two built and some owners might lose interest. Each year is new, so I want everyone to start out feeling like they have a chance. Personally, I think two keepers is right on because I don't want to de-value the importance of the draft (this is fantasy hoops and the draft SHOULD be important). I am open to the serious playa winds.<br /><br />The time is now to POST YOUR THOUGHTS!<br /><br />A keeper league will open up some other questions as well. How will we keep up with owners and keepers? How will we draft? How will we determine draft order after year one? How will we deal with keepers whose owner doesn't return? <br /><br />Any more questions you guys can think of?<br /><br />shamanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1161181010716132852006-10-18T07:23:00.000-06:002006-10-18T08:16:50.716-06:00Serious Playas 0607Sportsline league as requested...<br /><br />October 30, 2006. 10PM EST. <br /><br />If you didn't get an invite, leave your email address here in a comment and I will send you an invite to join.<br /><br />Ya'll ready for this? We need to discuss keeper league ideas/thoughts now. Check the post below for Keeper League thoughts and PLEASE post yours!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1159630026242873082006-09-30T07:42:00.000-06:002006-10-17T10:49:11.466-06:00A New Season Upon Us<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4695/2798/1600/arenas56.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4695/2798/320/arenas56.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />It's that time again! Yes hoop fanatics, training camps tip off in about a week. <br />What does 0607 hold in store for us Serious hoops fanatics? Will the Heat repeat? Will Dallas bounce back from their finals choke job? Will the Bulls become serious playas? Will the Suns rise to the top with a healthy Stat? Who is Detroit really now that Big Ben is gone? Will the Knicks be that bad again? Will LeBron and the James Gang continue to grow? Who'll be better - the Hawks or the Bobcats? Will Kobe jack up 50 shots? <br /><br />Who will win the league this year? When will we draft? Who will compete? Are we gonna do a keeper league?<br /><br />It's all ahead of us. Post your thoughts and lets get rolling. The season is is less than a month away!<br /><br />shamanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1154544734867947572006-08-02T10:47:00.000-06:002006-08-31T20:56:05.643-06:00Renaldo Balkman and The New Energy ParadigmThat's right, for those Serious Playas who've been dozing off in the heat. You'd better recognize that the NBA talent gurus are finally waking up to reality. No longer do they draft the undersized 1s, 2s, and 3s from the NCAA. They may have scored 20 ppg or averaged 7 apg in college but everybody knows that doesn't translate into NBA success. Mateen Cleaves, Bobby Hurley, Mike Sweetney, I could go on... but why don't you look at it for yourself. Check the history of the <a href="http://www.nbadraft.net/history.asp">NBA Draft</a> and see the numerous blunders of NBA GMs who were wowed by stats and "potential" and ignored what truly makes an NBA player: size and work ethic. I contend that if you draft a player who is of "NBA size" and you determine that his "work ethic" is in the top 2 percentile of potential draftees, that player will be immeasurably more valuable than any amount of high schooler and foreigner stockpiling you could do based on "potential."<br /><br />And this is exactly what Isiah Thomas has done with the 20th pick of this year's draft. Instead of closing his eyes and hoping to land some unpronouncable Dirk-esque European minor league phenom (Let's please not forget when you look at Euroleague stats that Charles Barkley could probably average 15 and 8 there STILL even at 300+ lbs), Isiah, in a notoriously weak and undermanned draft due to the exclusion of 18-yr-old draftees, chose the player with the best "energy" and the best "work ethic" available: <a href="http://uscsports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/balkman_renaldo00.html">Renaldo Balkman</a>.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://www.secsports.com/image_lib/bkc_usc_renaldo_balkman_164w.jpg" /><br /><h4>NYK GM Isiah Thomas drafted Renaldo Balkman because he couldn't draft the one college player everyone wanted: Joakim Noah.</h4></center><br /><br />Being that I was born and raised and recently moved back to Columbia, SC you probably will say I am biased. In fact, I'm sure shaman will say I'm biased. But don't underrate the players on this team, especially if you are a Memphis fan. Taken as the first pick in the unofficial 3rd round of the NBA Draft (i.e. rookie free agent signings), your Grizzlies took arguably the best player from the back-to-back NIT champion Gamecocks: <a href="http://uscsports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/kinsey_tarence00.html">Tarence Kinsey</a>, a tall-enough, sharp-shooting specialist who always wore oversized white tees underneath his jersey to compensate for his lack of bulk (Trans. Jerry West - Get this boy in the weight room now!).<br /><br />Although Kinsey led the 'Cocks in scoring and 3s, Balkman led the team in energy and effort. In fact, having been to a few games this year myself, when Renaldo wasn't on the floor or missed a game due to injury or suspension, the Gamecocks were positively listless and mostly settled for 3s (which Kinsey usually hit) at the end of the shot clock in their patented motion offense. Kinsey averaged 15.8 ppg/4.6 rpg/2.3 apg/1.6 spg/0.3 bpg in about 35 mins/game. Balkman, who often played with foul trouble and was on an emotional rollercoaster all year long averaged a fantasyballers' spread stat dream 9.6 ppg/6.3 rpg/1.9 apg/1.3 bpg/1.7 spg in only 26 mins/game. Not only that, but these averages include a stretch of about 5-7 games at the start of the SEC season when Renaldo was struggling to stay afloat in school (Rumor has it he has trouble reading.) AND was dealing with the emotional burden of having just learned he was to be a father come summertime.<br /><br />But it's hard to explain the importance of Renaldo Balkman and the energy he brings to someone who is not and has not been a USC Gamecock fan their entire lives. The closest thing I can think of to describe what it's like to be a South Carolina sports fan is this: try being a Chicago Cubs fan. Our team is the perpetual underdog, always striving for the best, and even when they're positioned for a grand statement, they fall flat on their face. In all sports.<br /><br />So it was with great expectation that the new USC basketball season came in last fall. We had just won the NIT and were poised (we thought) to make a run at the SEC East crown and get a top-tier seed in the NCAA tournament. And against the patsy schedule that most Div 1 teams put together for their fall games, we thought things were going well. We reached the finals of the Great Alaska Shootout only to lose in overtime. Balkman dominated the 13 pre-conference games but USC could not pull out a win against a tourney-level team. Losses to Marquette, Clemson, Temple, & Pittsburgh did not bode well heading into the fiercely competitive SEC. Remember that the SEC comprised half of this year's Final Four (LSU, Fla) as well as the eventual winner (Fla). And sure enough we started the SEC season off with 3 consecutive losses during which Balkman was actually moved to the bench. Coach Dave Odom said that it should not be considered a demotion but rather something the Gamecocks needed to do to get some firepower off the bench (This year's team was notoriously shallow and undersized). Balkman and USC trudged through the regional broadcasts of the early SEC season and then began to see the light when they almost knocked off Kentucky at Rupp losing by 2 points on national TV. Balkman and only netted 6 points and 5 rebounds in that game but he vowed that would not happen again.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/media/photo/2006-03/22396873.jpg" /><br /><h4>Many SEC observers would say that the tenacity Noah displayed in the 2006 NCAA Tournament was something he learned from playing against Renaldo Balkman.</h4></center><br /><br />In the next game, an ESPN game against then #2 ranked and 17-1 Florida, came the turning point of Renaldo Balkman's (and Joakim Noah's - but that will be a story for next year's draft) career. The Gamecocks' rail-thin long-limbed PF Brandon Wallace could not contain the spirited and strong play of UF's Joakim Noah (Noah ended up with 12 and 13 for the day) but Renaldo soon replaced him and powered the Cocks to the upset of the season. His line that day would only intimate things to come: 6-7 FG, 6 rebs, 2 asts, 3 stls. 14 pts. But, as it always is with hustle players, the box score did not belie his true impact on the game. Renaldo had been challenged and he had succeeded. However, this success did not translate into success at the ensuing non-televised away games against lesser SEC talent.<br /><br /><center><img src="http://www.npr.org/sports/ncaa/sc540.jpg" /><br /><h4>This year's 3 SEC battles between Noah and Balkman will go down in legend, with Balkman winning 2-1.</h4></center><br /><br />And then the Gamecocks played Florida (and Joakim Noah) again, this time at Gainesville. The previous game (a loss v. Arkansas) saw Balkman play a total of 6 minutes. Sensing his frustration, Odom reinserted Balkman into the starting lineup and charge him with one thing: Stop Noah from killing us on the boards. And he did. Though his stats for the game are unimpressive (8 and 8 + 5 To's in 35 mins), Joakim was held to only 3 boards. And it was that rebounding margin that gave the Gamecocks a 4-point victory on the road. Remember this is the NCAA champions we are talking about! And the MVP of the NCAA tournament we are talking about! And Renaldo led USC to a 2-0 record against them in the regular season. Talk about contributions beyond the box score!<br /><br />But still the Gamecocks struggled. After their second Florida victory, they would endure another 4-game losing streak against SEC teams, in which RB averaged 5 ppg and Kinsey went cold from the field. And then came the SEC tournament with the Gamecocks 15-14 and needing to win at least one probably two games just to get into the NIT!<br /><br /><center><img src="http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper247/stills/56c7yy8b.jpg" /><br /><h4>Big Baby Davis can't do this! Hustle, hustle, hustle!</h4></center><br /><br />But they did more than that, beating Kentucky and Tennesse to advance to the finals only to lose on a last-second tip-in by Noah. Here are his stats for the SEC tournament:<br /><br />Florida, scored 12 PT w/ 11 REB (fourth double-double of the year), 4 STL, 1 BLK in 34 MIN off bench<br />Kent., scored 8 PT, 8 REB, 3 ast, 2 stl, in 29 min off the bench<br />Tenn., scored 16 PT, 7 REB, 2 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk in 27 min off the bench<br />Miss. St., scored 12 PT, 3 REB, 2 blk, 1 ast, 2 stl in 28 min off the bench<br /><br />The NIT Tournament is a wonderful consolation prize for those regular-season winners of lowly Div 1 conferences and middle-of-the-pack power conference teams. It is certainly not a tournament that lacks talent. It is also a tournament that plays its Final Four in Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks. But in order to get there the Gamecocks had to play at traditional collegeball powerhouses Florida State and Cincinatti. In an NIT second round OT win at Florida State, RB resuming his starting role due to the academic ineligibility of our transfer center Antoine Tisby, pulled in 13 REB (6 off, 7 def) w/ 8 PT, 3 AST, 1 BLK, 5 STL (tied career high) in 42 MIN. And then in the NIT quarterfinal at Cincinatti, he played 17 min before being carted off the court having broken open a gash on his chin from going after the ball. Again hustle, hustle, hustle. It WILL get you PAID in the NBA. No one thought he would be able to play again in the season. The descriptions on the radio were brutal and we all attributed the injury to the Chicken Curse (Much like the Cubs' <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/curse-of-the-billy-goat">Billy Goat Curse</a> South Carolina fans attribute their lack of success to the "Chicken Curse" which I guess is attributed to the university's mascot-naming committee - after all, we are called the 'Cocks... and we sell memorabilia emblazoned "Go Cocks"). Surely, this would mark the end of our season. However, Kinsey and some other sharp-shooting Cocks pulled out some 3s from their butts and we prevailed 65-62 to advance to MSG.<br /><br />At MSG, RB had the best two games of his life. He returned to the team and started just five days after his head-splitting injury. In the NIT semi-final win vs. Louisville, he scored 23 PT w/ 8 REB, 3 AST, 4 BLK in 36 MIN. And in the NIT finals win over Michigan, he scored 10 PT w/ 12 REB, 5 BLK, 4 STL in 35 MIN. He made it look easy. If I were Isiah sitting in the stands at MSG those two nights, I'd have drafted him too. But I would have probably waited for him to fall to the 2nd round. But then again, this year's draft was weak and RB was considered a top-5 performer at the Orlando spring workouts. He might not fall that low (even to the NYK's only other pick this year at #29). So he pulled the trigger, knowing full well that the Knicks need someone willing to go full-bore and sacrifice for the team, someone who will work harder than everyone else in the league, someone who will not be intimidated by other teams, the media, his coach, etc., someone who will be thankful for his opportunity. If you don't think that RB is worth Isiah's risk, you obviously haven't been watching basketball this past year. Not only did Noah sure the importance of hustle and grit during the NCAAs, but Ben Wallace, Bruce Bowen, Shane Battier, Tayshaun Prince, Rick Mahorn, Dennis Rodman, Mark Madsen, Luke Walton, Reggie Evans, etc. etc. etc. have made a career of it in the NBA. And if the Bulls are willing to put down $10 mil per for someone who averages 7 ppg, you should too. It is these types of players that define their team and inspire them to play better than they truly are. In the new energy paradigm in the NBA, you look for these types of guys a priori because it is with them and only with them that the whole team becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Can you put a price on that? Can you tell me what pick I should draft that at? In previous years, true, RB would go undrafted and have to fight his way through Europe, the NBDL, numerous training camps, trades, etc. much like Wallace did. But now, the long failed history of NBA Drafts have led NBA GMs to try not to waste their precious draft picks looking for another 20+ ppg scorer or 7' phenom. They need parts. And RB is definitely the type of player that every team needs. It's just that now teams finally realize it.nKrallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223077925938941433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1154359852710428212006-07-31T09:19:00.001-06:002006-07-31T09:35:20.123-06:00Summer SlowdownThe NBA grinds to a halt during the offseason. Sure, trades and rumors swirl and diehards ponder every which way of potential trades and multi-team swap sign-and-trade minimum secondary biannual exception scenarios. The salary cap has done wonders for parity in the NBA but for compelling news it does not. I'm just waiting for the offseason to be over and the training camps to start and the summer league heroes who were lighting up the benchwarmers, DLers, and undrafteds are handed their lunch by a superstar talent who's been chillin' in the Caribbean on their boat for 3 months.<br /><br />There are 2 things we need to assess here: 1) The Draft. 2) Offseason moves. But there are still more of those to come, so I wait and wait and then Street & Smith's or some other delusional rag comes out and I'm all hoops hype. But in the summer I'm sluggish and slothful and feel very unbasketball-like. When I can venture out again into the outdoors because of the heat, I'll shoot some hoops and start thinking b-ball again.<br /><br />For now, here is my impression of the offseason. The single biggest move of the year. Peace.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.kxly.com/upload/pics/52/520.jpg" width=400 height=300><br /><br />ROY, Surratt! ROY... you better draft your Bobbiecats high this year!nKrallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10223077925938941433noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1152220156237742812006-07-06T14:31:00.000-06:002006-07-06T15:33:03.066-06:00Serious Playas, thy Numbas is Dwindlin'Free Agency has come in with a bang and is still bangin' to be sure. What's going on is simply mind-boggling. Benjamin Wallace in Red? Wow. You have to be pretty happy to be a part of the Bulls organization right now. They finally rid themselves of Chandler, who after Eddie Curry and Eddie Robinson is the pox on their organization of the last half decade. The Baby Bulls were fun, but a baby that doesn't grow up is kind of weird and smelly.<br /><br />For instance take a look at Nate Robinson's recent quotes to the media regarding his previous coach's attempts at coaching him: "Coach Brown is so old-school," Robinson said. "He wants everything done just like this, not getting the crowd involved. Isiah wants everyone to have fun." Isiah advocates fun because he is a total stark raving lunatic who realizes that his head is hanging ever so precariously over a basket marked <i>"2007 #3 draft pick goes to Chicago"</i> on one side and <i>"Eddie Curry played in 63 games averaging 12.5 points and 5.7 rebounds in the 06-07 Season."</i><br /><br /><IMG SRC="http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h214/oaeoeao/knickslead070602006.jpg"><br /><i>Young Nate Robinson shown here ignoring advice from a wise old man.</i><br /><br />But whatever, the Knicks are no longer in the NBA. Let's talk about the Free Agency action. Chandler goes to the reinvigorated New Orleans/Oklahoma City team who also added Peja Stojakovic. I am no Peja fan, but I like the fact that he might be happy playing with Byron Scott. With these deals the Hornets become at least as good as the Bucks if not the Pacers. But I keep forgetting that the Hornets are in the Western Conference, will have to play the Suns and the Spurs and will need all the help they can get.<br /><br />Speaking of the Spurs, Nazr Mohummed takes his religion-before-victories show to Detroit who try to fill the gaping hole left by Big Ben's departure. It's a shame that the Pistons couldn't hold on to B-Dub, but the fact is the Pistons are cursed and are on their slide down from the top. Darko was a huge mistake in their rearview, and firing Larry Brown was a hot-headed decision of which Joe Dumars probably regrets. Chauncey & Rip are sure to see plenty of victories next season and a playoff run, but I wouldn't be surprised if Chicago goes deeper in the playoffs. If Chicago doesn't do it this year, it ain't no thang because don't forget, the Bulls also have the right to swap first-round picks with the New York Knicks in the 2007 draft, as part of the Eddy Curry trade. With draft experts already billing the '07 crop as one of the deepest in years, Chicago could be looking at another potential nugget if the Knicks wind up in the lottery again. Also P.J. Brown, who they picked up in the unloading Chandler project, is on the last year of his contract. The Bulls are sitting on a bright future. Seeing Ben Wallace chill with Tyrus Thomas next year is going be like eating pudding on the toilet.<br /><br /><IMG SRC="http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h214/oaeoeao/Speedy-Claxton_400_100405.jpg"><br /><i>Looksy here, basically what I am saying is that I am a starting point guard who deserves real minutes. I am better than Tyronne Lue, that's right. What's that? The Hawks want me? Awesome. Me and the Hawks are a great fit.</i><br /><br />I too, am happy about the Hawks, who desperately needing a starting PG turn to Speedy "I should be with Eva Longoria" Claxton. Now the Hawks can make Claxton an unquestioned starter, enabling Joe Johnson to play at his natural shooting guard position. I think Speedy will have a decent year, especially in fantasy leagues. Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge.<br /><br />Marquis Daniels heads over to the East and saddles up next to Stephen Jackson. I guess the Mavs moved Daniels to free up room to re-sign Terry or potentially make a play for perenially underrated Mike James. Charlie Villenueva goes to the Bucks, while TJ Ford takes up the helm of the New Raptors. When will the madness end?<br /><br /><IMG SRC="http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h214/oaeoeao/villanueva_charlie060408.jpg"><br /><i>Hairless in Milwaukee! R.O.Y runner-up is set to blow-up in his sophmore campaign in the city of 1,000 beers.</i><br /><br />What else? There is so much to go over.... Al Harrington and Flip Murry and Bonzi Wells still await trades, deals, sign and trades. I think there are still BIG trades waiting with Garnett, J. O'Neal, Iverson, Rashard Lewis, etc. It's a major off season shake up and it's good for those of us who want NBA in the news 365 days a year.<br /><br />But I am not suprised that no other playas are discussing the current Free Agency moves on the blog. That's why I, the undersigned,<u>Kloos Arnold B. Steppin'</u> <b>hereby proclaim that the Serious Playas moniker be placed on hold indefinitely, until it can be proved undeniably that we is dealing with Serious Playas. What we need is new blood. We need a draft for new talent. Our league is stale, lame, weak. This is critical as kritikal can be. Shaman alone does not a serious league make. We need more dedication, more style, more ability. I, the undersigned,<u> Kloos Arnold B. Steppin'</u> will not be stepping down, but rather stepping up the rhetoric until what's broken is fixed. Summer leagues are on. Free Agency is wild. Seriousness is not a 6 month a year game, it's a 12 month duty. I am calling for drastic measures. You have not heard the last of this. Consider yourselves warned and far from serious. The seriousness has been drained. From now on, this league will be known as Serious Playas thy Numbas is Dwindlin'. Until someone, somehow, somewhere gets serious.<br /></b><br /><br />Words from the various desks,<br />Kloos Arnold B. SteppinUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1151606716733290852006-06-29T12:45:00.000-06:002006-06-29T12:45:16.736-06:00DraftedWe'll be talking about this draft straight thru next season when these rooks take to the court, some as studs, others as duds. I do like me a draft, but this year's was confusing to say the least. All the moves, shake downs, shake up, second round 2007 for 23rd pick, I mean seriously... I think GMs were a little upset they couldn't just snatch up high school players and hold on to them like they used to.<br /><br /><IMG SRC="http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h214/oaeoeao/nba_a_morrison_195.jpg"><br /><i>Old-fashioned stee-lo</i><br /><br />Call me traditional, but I like it when teams make a pick and stand by it. I like Charlotte getting Morrison, he can stash it up next to Raymond Felton and a hopefully healthy Emeka Okafor... <br /><br />The Hawks will probably stand by Shelden Williams who can play some inside game when Josh Smith is on one of his cold streaks. <br /><br /><IMG SRC="http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h214/oaeoeao/smithdunk84.jpg"><br /><i>"I was robbed, that little f**ker robbed me</i><br /><br />I am still confused by the Foy/Roye deals involving the Blazers and the Celtics and the Bulls. I guess the Bulls might try to make a play for Kevin Garnett? Something tells me that the trades are not over for these teams. I don't like Sebastian Telfair, but apparently the Danny Ainge does. Makes sense since his has a history of ridiculously stupid moves (Antoine has a ring, wha!?!) Telfair is weak, small and too flashy and too related to Starbury. It seems like the Bulls are just playing around with their free #2 pick from the Stinkin' Knicks... Paxson has free money, and appears to have the ability to both rebuild and make the playoffs for two straight years... I think Tyrus Thomas is going to be a fun rookie.<br /><br />J.J. Reddick on the Magic is great news. White boys love Orlando, or Orlando loves white boys... either way, the Magic are on the up and up. Ditching Steve Francis is the best thing a team can do these days and now the Magic can have J.J. and Darko on the bench, something tells me they are going to be close.<br /><br /><IMG SRC="http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h214/oaeoeao/tbargnani.jpg"><br /><i>Shades of Darko??</i><br /><br />There is too much to talk about, I'm just looking forward to next season. The only thing I like better than the playoffs is the regular season!<br /><br /><i>You think you wuz robbed J-Smoov?? Check this out!</i><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.com/v/wioWGE99I6o"></param><embed src="http://youtube.com/v/wioWGE99I6o" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1151558434917397292006-06-28T23:16:00.000-06:002006-06-28T23:22:14.680-06:00Woo-Hoo!!The time will come for a proper discussion of tonight's draft shenanigans, with its attendant bevy of trades. Wow. But meanwhile, let me be one of the first to welcome the Stro-Show himself, none other than Stromile Swift, *back* to the Grizzlies where he belongs. Ha! That is awesome! He stunk up the court something fierce last season with the Rockets -- so much so that he made Juwan Howard look good, for chrissakes -- but he was always one of my favorite Grizz kids. Maybe he'll remember how to play basketball again. Maybe he'll just tantalize us with his athleticism instead. In any case, at least the uniform and the look will be familiar.<br /><br /><img src="http://peninsulaclarion.com/images/111004/7363_512.jpg"><br /><i>Here I come, I come, I come, I come.....</i>Mickael Cabreri Antoniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18099116334193860282noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1151086229197492142006-06-23T12:05:00.000-06:002006-06-23T12:10:29.206-06:00NBA Draft 2006The season might be over, but to those Serious Playas of whom we know they numbaz iz dwindling, we can look forward to another NBA filled weekend when the 06-07 Draft hits home.<br /><br />I need to read up on my scouting reports, refresh my mind with the new class of rooks. I think it's going to be an exciting draft. Lots of trades on draft day are sure to switch things up. The Raptors are up at number #1 spot, but as usual I think the meat of the draft will be in the 3-11 spots a la Dwayne Wade.<br /><br />I am looking forward to any insights from the group of serious playas as this will be the first time we have had a blog during the draft... so keep up the fight, keep the dream alive, do what you got to do and play one game at a time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1150928957052238632006-06-21T11:37:00.000-06:002006-06-21T18:00:54.843-06:00Credit to the Heat<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4695/2798/1600/wade-riley.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4695/2798/400/wade-riley.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Pat Riley is a genius? I don't think so, but he did bring something intangible to this Heat team... and something VERY tangible to Miami - a championship. Say what you will, but that team pulled off an amazing feat. They were toast in the 4th quarter of game 3... they were maybe just one more Gary Payton turnover or one more Antoine Walker missed shot from going down 3-0 and having NO shot at a title this year. But alas... the Heat had one thing that Dallas did not - DWade. A superstar is born... eat your heart out LeBron... What a playa!<br /><br />Hooray for DWade! Hoorah for Shaq! Hooray for Alonzo and Payton ... who by-the-way can now lay their head on their pillows every night and sleep in peace... thanks be to Shaq for coming... and to Riley for drafting the kid Flash AND for motivating some old dudes to play a little defense (just enough).<br /><br />Suddenly during game 6 of these finals I found myself rooting for Miami. I realized that the only reason I was rooting for Dallas was that I had picked them to win... and I like to be right. But let's face it... despite a few Heat-ish calls by the refs, Dallas blew their shot. They were almost tasting the champagne two weeks ago with 6 minutes to go in game 3... and now they are tasting bitter dissapointment over what could have (should have) been. They just played like shit from game 4 on. <br /><br />Yes, this series was a triumph for all the old men down in Miami, but it was equally as much a collosal meltdown for the Cuban Mavs. To bad too because these chances don't just come along every year. It'll only get tougher for Dallas to even make it back to the finals. That's OK though 'cause they had their shots... and they threw up a 4 bricks in a row. It's gonna be a long hot summer in big D.<br /><br />Credit to Miami!<br /><br />shamanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26337310.post-1150830702366249482006-06-20T13:11:00.000-06:002006-06-20T13:12:10.950-06:00Cuban changes his song"The NBA couldn't rig the games if it wanted to. And it doesn't want to. It's that simple."<br /><br /><A HREF="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2006/news/story?id=2491783&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines">Cuban says he didn't yell at Stern after Game 5</A><br /><br />Apparently The Miami Herald is reporting I screamed at the NBA commissioner after the game the other night," Cuban wrote Tuesday. "Didn't happen. Didn't say a word to the man. Not a single word. And that was absolutely by intention."<br /><br />"Apparently this 'reporter' [writer Greg Cote] has written he has several 'sources.' Well they must be the same sources the tabloids use to find two-headed babys and aliens, because it didn't happen."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0