We talkin' bout practice.

I couldn't resist posting video of Iverson being unveiled to the Detroit media by Joe Dumars. For those of you who have seen the original, you'll find this pretty funny.



And the original:

Guest Post: James Kot

Today we have the first guest post in The Cold Draft's short history from James Kot, most recently of Canadian war epic, Passchendaele. If you haven't checked out the film, go to the theatres. Unless you're from the States, in which case you should try to download it illegally. James offers some thoughts on the upcoming NBA season.

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.

Here are some of my predictions.

Allen Iverson will get traded to Detroit for Billups, McDyess and a guy I’ve never heard.

MVP. Lebron. The more I think about it, the more I realize CP3 got robbed last year. Kobe wasn’t the MVP until Pau dropped in Los Angeles. New Orleans is a .500 team without Chris Paul instead of the two seed. I still think Kobe is the most talented player in the NBA but Lebron is a monster every night. The NBA gets it right this year and shows King James some love.

Rookie of the Year. Rudy Fernandez. The second half of the Olympic gold medal game signified this decision for me. If you can throw down on Dwight Howard, and not think twice about getting in Kobe’s face on the world stage, you’re destined for great things. Beasley will be a close second. Mayo gets the bronze on a stinker in the dirty south.

Biggest Disappointment. Artest in Houston. I think Ron-Ron will play fine for them, but the idea that he makes them a contender baffles me. The expectations are way too high. If I were the GM of that team, I would rest Yao until the last ten games of the season. There’s no way Yao plays 75 games this year.

Not as Bad as You Think. The Knicks. They are going to surprise people. They win ten more than last year and will be surprisingly exciting as David Lee’s set to break out with more playing time. I love that D’Antoni kicked Marbury to the curb too. I’m so sick and tired of hearing about that guy for any reason other than his affordable sneakers.

Comeback. If the Olympics were any sign of what’s to come, Dwyane Wade could be considered an MVP Candidate if the Heat win 45. His health being worth 30 more wins could be a real case for Wade.

Kevin “My Uncle was in the Beach Boys” Love will have an average year but will be my guy to watch in Rookies-Sophmores game at the All-Star Break. That kid is more competitive than “Pet Sounds” in Top 10 Lists and will want to make a statement on the big stage.

Philly will make the playoffs only to last four or five games. The Elton Brand signing was a mistake. Enjoy the World Series and the Flyers making a run.

I feel bad for Baron Davis. That team is going to be terrible and it’s not his fault. Luckily, my friend Rachel doesn’t work in the Clippers PR department anymore. It’s going to be tough trying to spin eleven wins.

Dwight Howard will have five 20- 20 games. God, I wonder what the odds are like on that in Vegas!

There will be an Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics brawl this year. The Atlanta Hawks seem like a disgruntled franchise that has WAY more confidence than they should. The aggressive nature of that first round series last year - plus, the Boston Celtics taking being the Champs quite seriously this year and Kevin Garnett taking being Kevin Garnett extremely seriously - should be the perfect recipe a good dust-up. I dare Zaza Pachulia to get in Garnett’s face like he did last year. I bet Garnett does a Gatorade Fierce commercial at some point during the proceedings.

Less technicals for Rasheed Wallace this year. A.I. gets his share in Motown. Maxiell is also a beast this year and earns his contract. I like him as darkhorse for sixth man of the year if he can get the minutes.

I love the Suns but I think the dream is over for the Steve Nash era out in Arizona. A half court Phoenix Suns team makes me want to cry. I don’t think it will work. I hope that I’m wrong. And I’m melancholic that I honestly believe the chances of Steve Nash winning a championship in Phoenix are slimmer than they are if he concludes his career north of the border with the Raptors.

The Jermaine O’Neal deal works out surprisingly well. As Calderon finishes only behind Chris Paul in assists and Chris Bosh has a tidy 24 points, 10 rebound season, O’Neal can have a twelve and ten season and be an impact defensive player this year. Raps win a playoff series in the postseason.

The Final. We’re going to have a repeat of the Celtics-Lakers final. I think the Lakers take it this year with much more depth in their line-up and a much missed James Posey no longer on the Boston sideline. Kobe wins the finals MVP with more weapons in his arsenal.

But you never know what’s going to happen. I haven’t ruled out a Detroit-New Orleans final as a possibility…

In closing, I’ve written this. A bit of rant trying to explain why we should embrace and not fear the globalization of the NBA.

The NBA is becoming an increasingly global league with basketball’s popularity soaring world wide following the success of the Olympics and subsequent growth in European markets. Josh Childress opting out of sitting on the bench in Hotlanta to make double his quote in Greece and Arizona recruit Brandon Jennings going pro in Rome (in order to forgo the mandated collegiate year) signifies to me that basketball is bigger than the house it’s been given. While some purists gasp at the idea of US born players leaving home turf, (and the excitement that comes with playing a road game in Salt Lake City on Tuesday night or the constant exploitation of the NCAA) I’m not one of them.

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 Europe, North America and the Middle East will leave no doubt who the greatest players are and where they play. They will be in this league.

But we’re not there yet.

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.

Live Blogging the Raps/Warriors

I won't lie. I stumbled onto this game five minutes before the tip.

This will be my first look at the Bosh/O'Neal/Calderon-era Raptors. And I'm just as excited about the Golden State Warriors. They've got a much different look this season. For instance, DeMarcus Nelson at starting point guard. Yikes. The following is a running commentary of the game.

-Nathan Jawai could be 45 years of age. Now that I've looked it up, he's a year younger than I am. That defies all explanation.

-Is there anything stopping Corey Maggette from jacking up twenty shots per night? Maggette is perfect for a run-and-gun system. He's one of those guys with such a preternatural ability at the offensive end.

-Andris Biedrins is killing them at 7:20 mark in the first quarter. Must be the aerodynamic gel application.

-Nelson knocked down an ill-advised mid-range jumper. Label Nelson a Warriors conformist.

-Gilbert Areans explained the term 'hibachi' in an Adidas commercial. Thank goodness we cleared that up.

-Bargnani has come into the game. Still has that classic look of lethargy.

-After one quarter the game hasn't taken shape. Nothing seems too methodical. Pretty loose affair thus far.

-Jermaine O'Neal stuffed Brendan Wright, followed by a two-handed slam from Bargnani. For Raptors fans this is basically a wet dream.

-Bargnani crams on Turiaf. Doing much better than that scoreless game a couple nights ago. I tried to make some sort of pizza versus croissants joke here, but nothing materialized.

-The Warriors have found their swagger and, subsequently, the lead. And by swagger I mean the ridiculous shots are falling. JO's cold post moves aren't helping the Raps much.

-Jason Kapono looks like those frat boy douchebags you encounter at the bar.

-We're at the half, which means an NBA commercial telling us how charitable its players are. Something tells me Randy Foye stuck out like a sore thumb in Turkey.

-Is that Paul Romanuk commentating the game? I didn't know it was World Junior Hockey season yet.

-Seriously, someone needs to guard Biedrins.

-It's always awkward when white commentators say Hotlanta.

-Jamario Moon has finally made an impact on this game, half-way through the third quarter. I really doubt last year's Jamario Moon craze will sustain itself. In fact, I think all Jamario Moon crazes will cease to exist for all of eternity.

-Apparently the commentator's name is Matt. I have no idea who this Matt is but he sucks compared to Chuck Swirsky.

-Looks like shitty Bargnani is back in the game.

-Tied at 71 apiece. How was Maggette never a part of those Warriors team from the past couple seasons? His move to Golden State was perhaps the most obvious/logical move amongst this summer's transations.

-Raps with a two-point lead after three.

-The current line-up of Kapono, Ukic, Bargnani, O'Neal, and Moon could seriously lose us the game. But oh wait, here comes Joey Graham. That'll stave off defeat.

-You know who's a decent NBA player? That Azubuike guy. I'm not being sarcastic either.

-Maggette has only taken five shots. He must have mono.

-"Four-point game with six forty-five to go." I stole that from the commentator.

-BIEDRINS!!!!!

-Azubuike has the most under-rated first step in the game. Golden State by five.

-Maggette with the fall-away. Golden State by five with 4:40 to play.

-Bargnani brings the Warriors lead to two. He's got 17 on the night.

-Stephen Jackson: "I make love to pressure."

-The Raps are down one with forty-some-odd seconds to play. You need to go to Bosh right now.

-Bosh goes baseline and dunks over a couple guys. Seriously, that stuff about going to Bosh came before it actually happened. Of course I don't have any proof...

-The Air Canada Centre already has playoff intensity.

-Jermaine O'Neal with a huge block. Unfortunately the block goes directly to Al Harrington, who promptly nails a three-pointer. Warriors by two with 22.1 to play.

-Tie game with 14.5 to play off two Bosh free throw. The last two minutes, characteristically of the NBA, are taking a half-hour to play.

-Maggette doesn't get the call on a last-second drive. The Raps have 0.7 remaining. Run a play for Kapono.

-Parker narrowly misses a three-point try. Over-time. Tied at 96.

-Without Parker's defensive abilities the Raptors would have lost this game already.

-Bagnani, Bosh, and Calderon have pushed the Raps lead to six with under two minutes remaining.

-The Raptors win 112-108. Two games, two wins. Two completely different versions of Andrea Bargnani.

NBA Preview: Condensed & Tangential

The NBA season is upon us. Last season the league went from fledgling arena for die-hards of pituitary cases to professional sports' most vibrant young league. This season, the fans will actually care about the Larry O'Brien champions' quest for a title defense. The upstart youth will track down and possibly surpass their elders. And Isiah Thomas will throw each of his children under the bus for each subsequent overdose. Good times indeed.

Three games tipped off this evening. Aside from Greg Oden continuing his quest to become his generation's Bill Walton, there wasn't much to report. The favourites won their games and big names were slow out the gates. That said, I've compiled some notes about each team in the NBA. My preseason picks have been lacking. Thus, they'll become early season picks. Tonight is the Eastern Conference.

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics
I love Jesus Shuttlesworth (ie. Ray Allen). He has one of the great all-time shots and he was one of the only good players post-Jordan for the Jordan Brand (I'm looking directly at Darius Miles and Q-Rich right now). But he's the stick in the spokes for the Celtics. Did you see those stinkers he threw up in the playoffs last season? His legs are gone and he's become one-dimensional. If the shots not falling, he becomes useless on the floor. Look for Leon Powe to break out.

Philadelphia 76ers
I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid on these guys. Individually I like their players. As a team, they even have some swagger after last year's finish and performance against the Pistons. But aren't they a bit too much of a rag-tag group of kids? They're like the Little Rascals of the NBA. Their guys are all pretty good. But no one player is going to bowl you over. Look out, however, for Thaddeus Young. I sense an MIP season from him.

Toronto Raptors
Colangelo swung his balls on that O'Neal deal. It was great to get rid of Ford. He had to go somewhere. The Raptors faithful would prefer he take his neck sprains south of the border. But depth, which hadn't been a problem the past couple seasons, is a weak spot. Who steps up between Ukic/Solomon? That makes me queasy. And losing Delfino, who could've functioned as a point forward behind Calderon, is a bigger loss than most realize.

New Jersey Nets
The elder statesman to your 08-09 New Jersey Nets? Vince Carter. Mentor to Yi. A former all-star without the hops to carry him in his senescence. Their roster list made me pop a Xanax. It's that bad. Outside of Chris Douglas-Roberts and Sean Williams, I see no reason why anyone would watch this team. I think they're headed for the Eastern Conference basement.

New York Knicks
It won't get better for basketball's version of the Jackson family. But I like that d'Antoni is kicking the fat guys (ie. Curry) to the curb in favour of speed. The thought of Nate Robinson throwing up eight 3-pointers per game is salivating. And David Lee will get some burn. There are so many bad teams in the NBA worth watching and the Knicks are one of them.


Central Division

Detroit Pistons
I'm one of the few people who thinks the Pistons have a legitimate shot at going deep. Their older players are on the down slopes of their careers, but still have some good basketball in them. And with the system Joe Dumars has created, a number of key role players can step in and lighten the regular season load for guys like Rasheed, Chauncey, and Rip. Both Amir Johnson and Rodney Stuckey will garner votes for the MIP.

Chicago Bulls
Let's forget about last season. Let's call a mulligan. This season is a do-over. They're young and deep. Tyrus Thomas is going to be a homeless man's Shawn Marion, albeit without crippling insecurity. I love Joakim Noah, unlike 90% of the basketball-loving population. They need to shed some weight in the guard category, but otherwise, I can't see how they miss the playoffs on consecutive years.

Indiana Pacers
The Pacers have finally completed their white-out in the post-Auburn Hills era! This is another team, like New Jersey, that is without personality. Why would I watch them? How could Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Troy Murphy interest me? Unless Marquis Daniels takes them to Jamal Tinsley's favourite hang-outs I'll never show an interest in this team.

Cleveland Cavaliers
The Mo Williams acquisition is bigger than people realize. For the moment, he provides the Cavs with a second scorer. And when they unload Szczerbiak's (the spell check is going bonkers of that one) expiring contract for a player of Michael Redd's calibre, the Cavs will be poised for a deep run in the playoffs. You can pencil them into the Eastern Conference Finals.

Milwaukee Bucks
Welcome to the land of small forwards! Apparently the state of Wisconsin has a penchant for dudes in the 6-foot-7, 6-foot-8 range. How long will it take before the Joe Alexander pick looks like a joke? Wow, he can put it through his legs and dunk! He's like a white Gerald Green! (By the way, being a white Gerald Green is not good.) Once again, we have a team of capable players and some borderline all-stars, but cohesion is the main problem here. Another season of missing the playoffs.


Southeast Division

Orlando Magic
Here's something I haven't written on: the acquisition of Mickael Pietrus. I've always liked this guy, only he got buried in that deep run-and-gun Warriors team. I think Pietrus will surprise people. And J.J. Redick could make his way into the line-up. What's the over/under on his point average? a 6.5? I might take the over on this one. Look out ladies of Orlando!

Atlanta Hawks
I really don't like the Hawks to make any noise this season. Al Horford is a beast in training, but Atlanta's upswing kind of reminds me of the Clippers when they had that one-off season when they lost to the Suns in the second round. The only thing keeping them on the cusp of an eighth spot is Horford's improvement from first to second seasons.

Miami Heat
I like this Miami team, mostly because of how dysfunctional they look on paper. On one hand you have bona fide stars, on the other you have Chris Quinn. But with a healthy D-Wade they should contend for a playoff spot.

Washington Wizards
Gilbert Arenas keeps this team in the news. But to be frank, I haven't done much thinking about them this off-season. Arenas got his money. Jamison got his too. I like Tough Juice and Nick Young, but there's something missing. In the end, I think it'll be that financial motivation from last season.

Charlotte Bobcats
Christ. The Bobcats. They might be the most poorly run franchise in the NBA. How can Charlotte even support these guys? Individually there's a lot to like on this roster (and their rosters from the past couple seasons), but in true Bobcats fashion, they'll disappoint. And Larry Brown will find a scapegoat. Raymond Felton, I have a feeling it could be you. And Adam Morrison cut his hair. Dammit! I was holding out for an awkward five-game road trip when Morrison rocked corn rows courtesy of Gerald Wallace's sister.

Chocolate Thunder

Today I can't find the time for a full post, so I'll leave you with some videos.


This isn't the exact video I wanted to find, but here you'll find some highlights of a celebrity dunk competition featuring Deion Sanders, Ken Griffey Jr., and Mike Conley Sr., Olympic Champion long jumper and father to Conley Jr. Conley is far and away the strongest dunker in the competition. Still nice to see Neon Deion and Griffey throwing down with their flat top hairdo's.


Scottie Pippen from the foul line? I had never heard of Pippen participating in a dunk contest. Someone of his calibre and skill-set just wouldn't do it in today's game. Does this dunk go down as one of the most underrated in dunk competition history? It's certainly not in the canon.


Pre-Amare Stoudamire and part-Blaxploitation film. Darryl Dawkins said he was from the Planet Lovetron. And people think Gilbert Arenas is weird? Dawkins was like an overgrown Kool Keith.

Links & Thoughts

To start, some links:

Larry David's thoughts on the upcoming US election. I think most of us are in a similar state of anxiety.

This is a great interview in the New York Times with Josh Childress regarding his European experience thus far. (via TrueHoop)
What I found particularly interesting about this article was how the camaraderie of a European team (ie. team meals) was similar to that of a collegiate basketball program. For intellectual guys like Childress (those who value certain things more than basketball) this aspect of European basketball sounds appealing. And the money. Childress likes the money.
Overall the team experience in Europe isn't quite like Kobe Bryant being flanked by body guards on team outings. Though maybe Bryant will bring that to Europe some day.

Lastly, a profile I wrote about Ryan Cochrane for the Martlet. Since the article is more formal (aka standards of journalism this site doesn't aspire to) I wasn't able to mention that Cochrane is a cool, down-to-earth guy. Definitely an athlete worth cheering for. Cochrane recently won a bronze medal in swimming in the 1500-metre event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I hope to see him at the top of the podium in London in 2012 and at next year's World Championships in Rome.

I caught my first televised basketball of the season this evening. Well, sort of.

To start I watched only twenty minutes or so. Secondly, this was over the internet. Cavs-Pistons & TWolves- Bulls pre-season may sound appealing to a basketball junkie, but it ain't. And when the resolution of the live feed actually allows a viewer to count the pixels on the screen, that is also not good.

The clincher? To the side of the action, and taking up half the screen, was a live chat during the game. As a society, I think it's safe to say that we are much more racially tolerant and tolerant of homosexuality than in past decades. So where has all the homophobia and racism gone? The internet, of course!

This live chat in particular featured a string of gay-bashing, some of which was directed towards Kirk Hinrich or other players of potential mediocrity. Not a lot of racist stuff, however. (Go to a YouTube comments section for that.) Anyway, the homophobia is so rampant that gay is edited on the website as such: ***. Example: Kirk Hinrich is so ***. So, in an ultimate moment of creativity, users such as PISTONSFORLIFE and KOBEBRYANT have started saying 'ghey'. Well done, gentleman.

What did I glean from twenty minutes and for teams? Not much. Tayshaun Prince looked nice. The Cavs were lost without Lebron on the floor. McCants & Foye are chuckers, only Foye's shots go in. Of course I haven't yet checked the box scores. And now that I have I am pleased to announce the T-Wolves both started and ended the game with nine-point quarters! Welcome to post-KG era!

Manifesto?

Sam Cassell. Easily amused.

This is a short post. This is a way for me to sacrifice a major portion of the upcoming seven or eight months of regular season play.

Most journalists, and sports writers, myself included, make claims about teams and other players without fully examining them. By examining them I mean watching them play. It's easy for me to talk up David Lee or Amir Johnson (especially in an age where highlights are easily found on the internet/YouTube) but nothing compares to watching the actual game. Stats are great, but sometimes I rely on them more than in-game analysis.

That is why I will watch every NBA player this upcoming season.

Here's how it breaks down: I will watch every NBA player who is on the opening day roster lists. Inevitably I'll catch some in-season signings on the court, but I'd be a sadist to keep up with every 10-day contract the Clippers or Thunder sign this year.

Another catch is that it'll be tough to watch 11th and 12th men. But I'll do my best.

An even greater catch is that I don't have League Pass. And so it begins...