Where Damon Stoudamire gets his pot.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Luchini
So much has been made about the 2010 free agency pool. And for good measure.
The list of players - Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, etc. - has some of the game's biggest superstars. If you're a struggling team looking to spend some money and buy the Rock of Gibraltar upon which to build a team around for the next decade, then this is your best shot at legitimate talent (AKA it's not a year when a Ricky Davis or Anderson Varajao has you pondering a desperation signing).
After his game tonight against the Knicks, Lebron James was asked some questions about the 2010 free agency pool. He tried to keep everything cool, but there were more than enough hints about a move to New York, and I'm not just talking about his hobnobbing with Jay-Z. Okay, it has something to do with Jay-Z.
To start, he left all his answers very open-ended, as if he had no say in the matter. In Lebron's world, or the one he likes to depict for the media, anything can happen in this free agency class. Well it won't. A select group of teams will have a serious chance at Lebron and I would wager he has an idea which ones they are. Good luck putting together an offer that Lebron and his buddies wouldn't kill themselves laughing at if you're Oklahoma City or Memphis.
But later, when asked about his free agency speculation, he started using New York and Brooklyn as potential locations to go to. Here's another layer! Looks like only a few have a chance, indeed! So you don't include Cleveland in that category. Really, Lebron? The team you're playing with for the next year-and-a-half? Your best line-up ever that will allow you to seriously contend this season - you won't mention them in the argument?
Something about the Brooklyn talk makes it seem like Lebron thinks their move is a foregone conclusion. For Christ's sake Lebron is already calling them the Brooklyn Nets! Which is another bad sign for Cleveland fans.
I think we all know that Jay-Z is a part-owner of the Nets and that him and Lebron pretend they're brothers in a weird protege-scholar relationship. When you have Jay-Z on your speed-dial I'll make the assumption that he's giving you a bunch of advice, most of which would incense Cavs fans.
ESPN also showed the debut of some Lebron-endorsed Nike kicks. Gee, do you think Nike isn't in his ear about how much they'll give him in endorsement cash if he could only move to New York? They're debuting new shoes when he plays in the Big Apple!
I think Lebron needs to tell the media to stop asking these questions, especially for his sake. The guy has tried to be suave in the face of questioning, but way too much evidence stacks up which supports his departure of Cleveland.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
When Doves Cry
Things are a little hectic on my end right now, so I'll keep it brief.
Here is my latest column in the Martlet. This one is about the Toronto Raptors, mainly about how they're incapable of competing in a stronger Eastern Conference unless GM Bryan Colangelo pulls the trigger and gives them some depth.
So the column came out this evening, a Wednesday. The column was submitted on Saturday. In the span of a few days the Raptors have gone 2-1 and addressed many of the key issues I outlined in the article. For instance, they've outrebounded the competition behind some monstrous efforts from Jermaine O'Neal. Jamario Moon was yanked from the starting line-up (thank goodness) in favour of Bargnani, who, this evening, notched 25 points on some highly efficient shooting.
This is one reason why I love the immediacy of the internet. Because it doesn't make me look like a bit of a jackass in the time it takes for my words to reach print. The issue is out for the next week. Meaning the Raptors get the next seven days to screw everything up and make me look better.
To close, here is a link (via Pitchfork) about Prince magically appearing for some guitar jamming during a Q-Tip show, while the latter broke into his backpacker bling escapist hit "Vivrant Thing." Scroll to the bottom for a rundown. Completely bizarre and very Prince.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Don't Watch Me Dancing
The NBA season thrives on award season speculation.
Last season Kobe Bryant took home his first MVP award under a newfound media-friendly rubric, much to the dismay of Chris Paul supporters (myself included). Since the awards are announced early in the playoff season, the outcome can often propel cheated players to higher levels of excellence, particularly against those awarded ahead of them. (I think we all remember what Michael Jordan did to Karl Malone in the NBA Finals after Malone was crowned the league MVP.)
Look, I love award season. It provides NBA writers with some of the game's finest debates. But it's way too early to make predictions when the regular season just entered double-digit game totals. The Rookie of the Year has at least five or six legitimate candidates thus far. The MVP has no clear front-runner and won't have any legitimate candidates until a third into the season.
But the Most Improved Player has kicked off to a nice start and it's not too early to speculate. Here are some players who will most definitely garner some votes:
Devin Harris has posted multiple 30-point-plus games and surpassed Vince Carter as the de facto scorer in New Jersey. Could the Mavericks have made a worse move last spring to bring a mid-30s Jason Kidd back to Dallas? Kidd has a decade on Harris, considerably less foot speed, and a crazy (ex-)wife. In 40 minutes of play today, against the Knicks no less, Kidd tallied 3 points on 1 of 7 shooting. Last evening, in fewer minutes, and against the upstart Hawks, Harris racked up 33 points and 10 assists on 9 of 15 shooting. Most impressive was that Harris took 14 free throw shots. Something tells me the Kidd deal might have murdered the Mavs franchise for the considerable future. Looks like Devean George almost did Dallas a favour.
I love the moves Bryan Colangelo makes and I'll always worship the throne of the NBA's foremost metrosexual general manager, but how did he pass up on Danny Granger in favour of Joey Graham a few drafts ago? Granger has developed into a go-to scorer in Indiana, averaging well over 20 points per game and filling up the score sheet in other ways. Not only that, but his tooth loss accident, and the fact that he came back to play looking like a much taller Dougie Gilmour, would have the Raps faithful smelling a deep playoff run.
I don't play fantasy basketball, but whoever nabbed Andris Biedrins in their drafts is counting their lucky stars. Just check his stats: 16.8 ppg, 14.9 rpg, 52.8 FG%, 1.5 bpg. Overnight the young Warriors centre has become the preeminent league-wide rebounder alongside Dwight Howard. Must be the ludicrous amount of hair gel.
This one feels a bit weird, yet Nate Robinson definitely deserves a couple votes. Every bench needs a gunner to throw in when the starting line-up gets a little stagnant. And Robinson has filled that role well with over 14 points per. Not only that, but he's averaging over 2 steals per game and up to 4 rebounds and assists.
A couple others deserve credit, including Jeff Green, Nick Young, Mickael Pietrus, and Aaron Brooks. Let the speculation begin.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Players I Shouldn't Like: Part I
For those of you who have tried to comment on any posts but couldn't because you didn't have a Blogger ID, I just turned that off. Anyone can now comment. Thus, comment away!
There's a lot of talk about playing the 'right' way.
Whether mentioned by commentators, coaches, or players, the 'right' way to play is an admittedly vague way of putting things. The best professional basketball players are aware of this vague set of rules but cause the unidentified framework of proper play to bend within their skill-set.
In other words: You can't break the rules unless you know them.
Lebron barrels through the lane like a reckless animal and tucks the ball in his side like a running back penetrating the defensive line. Kobe calls his own number with time running out, often passing up the opportunity of passing to an open teammate. I'm not sure where either of these fall under the 'right' way, but the game concedes to style.
For most professional players they'd get yanked if they pulled half the shenanigans of a Kobe or Amare. Think back to high school: most of us were benched for taking an ill-advised three, whereas the top couple players had free reign of the court. Granted these top-tier guys make unbelievable plays, but on the flipside they're given the opportunity to test the boundaries of the spectacular. Most aren't.
This will be an ongoing series for those other players.
Lebron scored 41 last night. His execution is a lesson in monotony. Give me an unbridled Al Thornton or a trigger-happy Nate Robinson any day of the week.
First up is Ricky Davis, or what I'll dub Player With Nice Stats But Always Plays on Shitty Teams.
You know a guy is not playing the 'right' way when his most memorable professional moment came from shooting on his own net and retrieving the rebound for the purpose of notching his first career triple-double. (Jerry Sloan was one anger management class away from sprinting on the court and clothes-lining Ricky.)
But I follow Davis for other reasons.
He is the only NBA player to dunk after putting the ball through his legs, during an NBA game. (Lebron did it in high school, Josh Smith in international competition, but only Davis possessed the testicular fortitude to pull such a stunt in-game.) The tales of Davis's clubbing history should be published by Random House, or at the very least influence some Penthouse Forum letters. Plus, the dude can flat-out score with the best of them.
For a long time I've been attracted to players who can catch fire, who for a five minute stretch reach levels of offensive excellence unparalleled at that very moment. And Ricky Davis, throughout his career, has proved that he can get hot.
He does not play the 'right' way. He may not even care about winning. But he's part of a small group of basketball players on the planet who could notch 40 on a whim and infuriate his coach at the same time.
Truth is, Davis' game is not nearly as selfish as it seems (or maybe he's matured) and far more well-rounded than that of your typical gunner (ahem, Ben Gordon).
But, without fail, Davis finds himself on yet another underachieving team (the Los Angeles Clippers) where he'll pick up stats, inevitably partake in the club scene, and launch into summer break around the same time as college kids. In his own way he makes consistency pretty damn exciting.
And, of course, there is this video, which adds to the Davis lore:
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Dance on Glass
I had to post something about this Garnett/Calderon dust-up in Boston.
After watching it a few times I think it's safe to say that Garnett got a little too fired up and started acting like a dick. Sure, part of Garnett's shtick is that he's a really intense dude, but what other player in the league doesn't get a technical foul for that level of taunting? He was waving his finger in Jose's face Dikembo-style.
Taunting fouls are always a point of contention with me. You can show a little emotion, maybe look at a defender in the wrong manner, hang on the rim a little too long - all of which could book you for a T on a bogus call. We've seen them before. Those are the moments when a ref can get in the spotlight over a bad call. Very little is definitive about what 'constitutes' a taunting foul when outside of the extreme (ie. OJ Mayo dunking and heaving the ball in the crowd).
But that Garnett play crossed the line. I don't mind the guy playing a little D on Calderon, but being an ass while going about it brings down the class of such a likable athlete. (Good on Calderon to get back in his face, and also dish out to Kapono for a three-point make. Carmelo Anthony would've slapped him and run away.)
Monday, November 10, 2008
Dead Ringer
Just spent the weekend in Vancouver with some friends, hence a slow start to the week for The Cold Draft. Alas, here are some links and thoughts for a Monday afternoon.
For those of you literary folk out there, I stumbled across this article about Milan Kundera's recent political struggles. After just having read The Book of Laughter and Forgetting I find it astonishing that political turmoil has continued to follow him nearly thirty years after the book's release.
A line from a recent post on Inside the Clippers: "Marcus [Camby] has taken a liking to the underwater treadmill the team has at its new facility." The same post also mentions Tim Thomas and Al Thornton doing yoga. The Clippers have a better shot at releasing a workout video in time for Christmas than a berth in the postseason. If anyone knows what an underwater treadmill is like, please share. I wonder if the Knicks accidentally rig one up that electrocutes Stephon Marbury.
Plenty of talk on the internet today about the Raps looking to the Warriors and Bobcats for perimeter help. The two obvious choices are Al Harrington and Gerald Wallace, both of whom are being shopped around by their respective teams.
Personally I think the Raps should make a move for Kelenna Azubuike. Against the Raps earlier this season he penetrated their D with ease, especially late in the shot clock. Unfortunately this move wouldn't help their rebounding woes, but would help the fact their perimeter players have been severely outscored in the past three games.
So who's on the chopping block in Raptor land? Moon? Humphries? Bargnani? Colangelo won't dangle AB in a deal, but I can't find many other guys on that roster (Bosh and Calderon excluded) who would pique interest from another GM.
I watched this new video from Q-Tip over the weekend and started mulling it around with people as to whether Tip was the trailblazer for Andre 3000. Maybe Dre 2000? Or does his raccoon hat/cadet blazer look only follow a gauntlet thrown down by Andre Benjamin when his eccentricities became widely accepted? Regardless, this is nice form from Q-Tip, chock full of his hypothetical raps in female persuasion.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Welfare Bread
A more official NBA preview has gone up on The Martlet right here.
I think we're all familiar with the old adage that NBA players do well with the ladies. Here's a Flickr site of professional ball players with women. Most of these women are, uh, not so attractive. But the site does feature cameos from Luke Jackson, JJ Redick, and various other bums (ie. Martynas Andriuskevicius). Worth checking out if, like me, you enjoy candid photos of awkwardly tall men next to drunk chicks in the club.
Three key acquisitions in the off-season: Roger Mason, Mickael Pietrus, and Matt Barnes. I can't stress how important these additions were for each of their playoff-calibre teams.
Pietrus rounds out a starting line-up with athleticism. Mason, on a bad Spurs team, has shown the ability to slash and drain buckets from the outside. Barnes could possibly the greatest addition of them all. He can give the Suns starter's minutes and contribute point totals in the double-digits. Plus, he makes that bench longer. There's no pressure on Grant Hill to force a predictable mid- or late-season injury. And the guy has heart. Check the Warriors from a couple seasons back.
(PS. Tony Parker with 55 points, 10 assists, and 7 boards in a 2OT win against the TWolves. Good lord. What's his previous season-high? I'm guessing 40.)
We talkin' bout practice.
And the original:
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Guest Post: James Kot
Originally, I was set up to write a more comical piece that centered around Darius Miles on the Boston Celtics. I had plans for an over/under on Garnett-Miles stare downs, possible conversations with Ray Allen about his art collection, and the generally strange fact that Darius has worked with both the newly married Ryan and Scarlett…in films. (IMDB Darius Miles; seriously, I dare you.) But that idea got thrown in the crapper faster than young Darius’ career after he tested positive for drugs before the season even began. Instead, I did some random and quite possibly idiotic NBA hypothesizing three games into the season.
I see it differently. I see the NBA as a jump off point for the Champion’s League of Basketball. A global league with teams in
For now: the best are still in the NBA, The Slam Dunk Competition will garner another party at my house, and March Madness will still be the most exciting time of year.
It's great to be an arm-chair athlete this year.