So, after tossing out the offhand promise that I would be updating regularly through the holidays, my computer did the unthinkable, and suddenly stopped thinking. Thankfully, this magic box of mine was under warranty, and I got my hard drive replaced. Fancy, right? What a lucky bloke I am after all, right? This is what you're probably saying, if you hate beautiful memories and the people that have them. I didn't back up anything on that hard drive: no music, no pictures, no stories, and now they're all gone. Mostly. The internet is a wonderful thing, and a lot of things ended up in a gmail archive, but still. You probably think I should've backed up those files, and of course you're right, but we (hard drive, me) were young and foolish then, and we felt like we would live forever. We spent a week or so cursing the vanity of youth and being repaired, and now we're back in the saddle. We are older now, and wiser, and we try to take care of each other. Every day, I stuff a salad (low-cal dressing, of course) into the disk drive, and I've downloaded a program which reminds me to take my fish-oil pills.
It's a terrible thing to forget the past, yes? A clunky and poorly delivered sentiment, I know, but it's just a clumsy segue, so bridle your fury. The title of this post refers not to me and my computer buffoonery, but to a significant injustice in the world of baseball. The Veterans Committee again voted down Ron Santo's Hall of Fame bid,which has become a familiar story to Cubs nation. You can say whatever you want about his...unusual broadcasting style, but his credentials as a player are tough to beat. But because I'm a huge fan of Ron as both a player and a person, I'll leave the job of making his hall of fame case to some experts: Joe Sheehan, of baseball prospectus, and Rob Neyer, writing for ESPN. What I like about both of these arguments is that they focus almost exclusively on his playing career, which is where I think this discussion belongs. On the other hand, the guy battled Type 1 diabetes in secret through most of his career, and has been an exceptional baseball ambassador and philanthropist since his retirement. I think Ron got screwed again today, and I just hope that the obviously broken Veterans Committee is under warranty, and that someone sends them off to get fixed up soon. I know it's just a plaque in a building, and baseball nerds and Chicagoans will likely remember Ron Santo just the same, but he deserves this recognition while he's still alive to enjoy it, and I hope he gets another chance at that.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
I'm Thankful that I'm from the Future
Amidst the wild flailing of the holiday season, we will somehow find time to post regularly. For now, though, gorge yourselves on this: a short installment of this our internet, with an eye towards giving thanks. I get a lot of my daily kicks from the internet, from some very talented artists and entertainers, and nearly all of it for free, and that is absurd. In lieu of dollars (which are expensive), I'm offering these tiny pieces of genius a "shout-out", one apiece, which I gather are redeemable at the local market for various sundries.
I've chosen only things that are new to me from this year, and I tried the vary the range of categories. Go ahead, pinch yourself.
Do you like your comedic british soap operas in graphic format? Do you find the occult funny? Scarygoround is for you, and boy howdy is there a lot of it. Start here, maybe. It won't make any more sense at first, but it is a funny strip.
Basketball fans: do you wish talk radio were less terrible, and had no commercials, and that sports radio personalities watched as much basketball as you did? Bam. If you hate the new video format (like I do), they still put the audio version up on itunes.
Do you like cats, and maybe annoying them a little? Awww. Frankly, the alternative is ridiculous. If this is a meme that makes no sense to you, maybe salon can straighten it out for you.
Lastly, awkwardly: you're always welcome to enjoy the things that I have found. Mitchell.
I've chosen only things that are new to me from this year, and I tried the vary the range of categories. Go ahead, pinch yourself.
Do you like your comedic british soap operas in graphic format? Do you find the occult funny? Scarygoround is for you, and boy howdy is there a lot of it. Start here, maybe. It won't make any more sense at first, but it is a funny strip.
Basketball fans: do you wish talk radio were less terrible, and had no commercials, and that sports radio personalities watched as much basketball as you did? Bam. If you hate the new video format (like I do), they still put the audio version up on itunes.
Do you like cats, and maybe annoying them a little? Awww. Frankly, the alternative is ridiculous. If this is a meme that makes no sense to you, maybe salon can straighten it out for you.
Lastly, awkwardly: you're always welcome to enjoy the things that I have found. Mitchell.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
November Cubs Chatter
In an effort to digest the majority of the Chicago Baseball Cubs news from November, we're breaking out the bullet points. If you have no particular interest in the Cubs, or baseball in general, you can just shuffle on. Meet me back here later? Ok, cool.
- Lou Piniella is your NL Manager of the Year. Hooray? I love that every story about this is absolutely obligated to include this line near the top: "Voting was done before the playoffs."
- Jim Hendry tells Kerry Wood to just walk away. Good move, I think, but is anybody else a little heartbroken?
- Ryan Dempster gets a fancy new contract. Clowns everywhere approve.
- Cubs acquire Kevin Gregg for Jose Ceda and others. This guy doesn't like it. I haven't seen Ceda throw, but I have seen Gregg, and this is certainly true: Kevin Gregg, even healthy and pitching well, is no Kerry Wood.
- The Cubs might not get all sold, they definitely won't be sold to Mark Cuban, and they need all bids in by December 1st. Breaking news: business talk is boring.
- Aramis Ramirez wins the NL Hank Aaron Award, which goes to the best offensive player in the league. Shockingly stupid, given that he wasn't even the best hitter named Ramirez in the NL. Wait, what's that? Voted on by the fans, you say? Oh: still stupid.
- Geovany Soto wins the NL Rookie of the Year Award. That was easy to predict, if you saw him play late in '07, but I was a little off in my numbers projections, since I had Soto hitting about .370, with 30 Home Runs and 140 RBI's. Yeah, I was crushin'.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Obscenely Stupid Hypothetical
I was in the car with Mike (brother, roommate, fellow procrastinator) this week, and the conversation turns, as it so often doesn't, to eggs. In our defense, we were coming straight from the grocery, and the eggs were in the backseat, sliding, bouncing, frolicking--doing all sorts of things eggs shouldn't be encouraged to do. Mike railed, as he does whenever the subject is broached, against the merits of eggs on the whole, and in doing so, he tossed out this (very true) fact that I had entirely forgotten about: in the town that Mike and I grew up in (Wauconda, Illinois), it is illegal to have eggs inside the car with you. I have no idea if this sounds far-fetched to you, but it would to me. I will try to explain why, which will require a bit of background.
Eggs were not always the reprehensible and dangerous products they are now considered in the 60084; like you, the people of Wauconda frequently enjoyed the taste of egg salad, for instance, or of a plate of huevos rancheros. Pickled, deviled, or simply boiled hard, the egg was revered and beloved, as it is all over this land. Like the Force of Star Wars lore before it, though, it soon became obvious that the egg could just as readily be turned; turned for the purpose of evil.
The tradition of Homecoming (if this is an unfamiliar term to you, I suggest you study up here) runs rampant in the fall months of the the northwest suburbs, and Wauconda is no exception. Aside from the games, parades, and dances, ol' W'onda, like many other small towns, injects its own local traditions. One of particular importance (for our purposes is) known, by its participants, as Junior/Senior Wars. During school hours, the local high school encouraged good-natured competitiveness, where a particular school day might have a specific theme, like dressing up like idiots day, or pie-eating contest day. These school-sponsored events were generally engaged in with the same spirit in which they were proposed, and simple (if stupid) fun was had by most. At night, however, things begin to take a devious turn: Juniors and Seniors wage war between them, near-literal war, and the primary weapon, when I was of this age, was the humble egg.
Just in case you've never been hit with a thrown egg, I will describe it to you: it sucks. You probably could have guessed at that, so I'll describe it further: an egg is like a golf ball that is filled with snot, and being hit with this object is terrible. While I was a Junior, and, predictably, a senior, I was hit with maybe a dozen eggs, personally, although my car was hit by easily three times that number. Why, you ask, would people have thrown eggs at me, the author of this blog, and all-around good chap? The answer is this: I was probably holding an egg, and trying to hit them; maybe from the bed of a moving pick-up truck, or perhaps while chasing or being chased across a baseball field behind Pizza Sam's. These were ridiculous times, and I don't recommend them to the faint-hearted, or people that hate snot and snot-like substances.
"Egad," you are thinking, probably. "Why would you tell us this stupid story, which also makes you look like a complete jackass?" If you are thinking this, then the hypothetical exercise I am about to propose will probably not make you feel better. So, back to the top: Mike and I are riding in the car, and talking about how it eventually became illegal to have egg cartons in the car with you in Wauconda (they needed to be stashed away in the trunk), and one of us proposed this scenario: what if you could reduce the rate of homicide in Chicago to zero incidences, in exchange for an increased rate of public eggings? We both agreed that no person with a heart could refuse this swap. But how high a rate of public eggings would you accept in exchange? How about 25 times as often as the old homicide rate? 100 times? Let's put it in simpler terms: On a 10 minute walk to, say, the el, how many times would you allow yourself (and everyone else, of course) to be egged, on average? Even once? How about five times? Mike and I agreed on this: most people, we thought, nearly everyone, would still make this trade, and it would just be common practice to wear a raincoat everywhere, even in the summer, or else people would just get used to the sudden stinging pain and wetness of being egged regularly. People are generally good, we thought,and very adaptable. Mike and I agreed that we would both still do it, no matter the cost (if you define cost as a quantity of blows to the body with eggs), but that we may have lost more than a few people on the idea by now, people who are both very honest and have excellent imaginations. And then, finally, Mike proposed this: would I still do it, still make the trade, if they could get me...in the house? While I was sleeping? I think this is where I broke, but what about you? Don't worry, I'll try to make a poll.
For those of you who found this offensively stupid, just hang tight, because we'll do something better later in the week, and I hope you'll still be reading.
Eggs were not always the reprehensible and dangerous products they are now considered in the 60084; like you, the people of Wauconda frequently enjoyed the taste of egg salad, for instance, or of a plate of huevos rancheros. Pickled, deviled, or simply boiled hard, the egg was revered and beloved, as it is all over this land. Like the Force of Star Wars lore before it, though, it soon became obvious that the egg could just as readily be turned; turned for the purpose of evil.
The tradition of Homecoming (if this is an unfamiliar term to you, I suggest you study up here) runs rampant in the fall months of the the northwest suburbs, and Wauconda is no exception. Aside from the games, parades, and dances, ol' W'onda, like many other small towns, injects its own local traditions. One of particular importance (for our purposes is) known, by its participants, as Junior/Senior Wars. During school hours, the local high school encouraged good-natured competitiveness, where a particular school day might have a specific theme, like dressing up like idiots day, or pie-eating contest day. These school-sponsored events were generally engaged in with the same spirit in which they were proposed, and simple (if stupid) fun was had by most. At night, however, things begin to take a devious turn: Juniors and Seniors wage war between them, near-literal war, and the primary weapon, when I was of this age, was the humble egg.
Just in case you've never been hit with a thrown egg, I will describe it to you: it sucks. You probably could have guessed at that, so I'll describe it further: an egg is like a golf ball that is filled with snot, and being hit with this object is terrible. While I was a Junior, and, predictably, a senior, I was hit with maybe a dozen eggs, personally, although my car was hit by easily three times that number. Why, you ask, would people have thrown eggs at me, the author of this blog, and all-around good chap? The answer is this: I was probably holding an egg, and trying to hit them; maybe from the bed of a moving pick-up truck, or perhaps while chasing or being chased across a baseball field behind Pizza Sam's. These were ridiculous times, and I don't recommend them to the faint-hearted, or people that hate snot and snot-like substances.
"Egad," you are thinking, probably. "Why would you tell us this stupid story, which also makes you look like a complete jackass?" If you are thinking this, then the hypothetical exercise I am about to propose will probably not make you feel better. So, back to the top: Mike and I are riding in the car, and talking about how it eventually became illegal to have egg cartons in the car with you in Wauconda (they needed to be stashed away in the trunk), and one of us proposed this scenario: what if you could reduce the rate of homicide in Chicago to zero incidences, in exchange for an increased rate of public eggings? We both agreed that no person with a heart could refuse this swap. But how high a rate of public eggings would you accept in exchange? How about 25 times as often as the old homicide rate? 100 times? Let's put it in simpler terms: On a 10 minute walk to, say, the el, how many times would you allow yourself (and everyone else, of course) to be egged, on average? Even once? How about five times? Mike and I agreed on this: most people, we thought, nearly everyone, would still make this trade, and it would just be common practice to wear a raincoat everywhere, even in the summer, or else people would just get used to the sudden stinging pain and wetness of being egged regularly. People are generally good, we thought,and very adaptable. Mike and I agreed that we would both still do it, no matter the cost (if you define cost as a quantity of blows to the body with eggs), but that we may have lost more than a few people on the idea by now, people who are both very honest and have excellent imaginations. And then, finally, Mike proposed this: would I still do it, still make the trade, if they could get me...in the house? While I was sleeping? I think this is where I broke, but what about you? Don't worry, I'll try to make a poll.
For those of you who found this offensively stupid, just hang tight, because we'll do something better later in the week, and I hope you'll still be reading.
Obama's Phenomenal Swag
Swag, in terms of basketball culture, is an ill-defined term, but it's probably simplest to equate it with confidence: crazy, bet-a-million-dollars-style confidence. I first heard the term here, when this happened. To put the theatrics in context, I found this number: at the end of January that season, Arenas was 11 for 11 on shots that ended quarters or games, with a handful of game winners tossed in, and that is ridiculous. Arenas who plays in Washington, and has had more than his share of nicknames, has recently relinquished the title "The Black President", since president elect Obama now seems to have a stronger claim to it. To show his support, Arenas recently got this tattoo. I bring up the concept of swag at this particular time because this morning I read this article (via Truehoop). I'm pulling a section here, because I thought it was particularly interesting.
Obama, who is not without an ego, regarded himself as just as gifted as his top strategists in the art and practice of politics. Patrick Gaspard, the campaign’s political director, said that when, in early 2007, he interviewed for a job with Obama and Plouffe, Obama said that he liked being surrounded by people who expressed strong opinions, but he also said, “I think that I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters. I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I’ll tell you right now that I’m gonna think I’m a better political director than my political director.” After Obama’s first debate with McCain, on September 26th, Gaspard sent him an e-mail. “You are more clutch than Michael Jordan,” he wrote. Obama replied, “Just give me the ball.”Obama's swag during this election process was, by all accounts I've heard, pretty phenomenal. Confident and crazy, but successful, and I think a lot of people recognize that you need that level of confidence to achieve that level of success. That is phenomenal swag, make no mistake. The rest of that article is a good read, especially if you are not depressed by hearing about the dirty and gritty machinery that get people elected. If you are like me, and it does depress you, then I recommend a healthy dose of Knut.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Nothing Can Stop Them
After watching the unbeaten (!) Statlanta Hawks put the icky thump on my Bulls last night, I decided a salute was in order. After all, I've been pretty wrong about this team so far, and though the season is long, this Atlanta team has certainly earned some delicious kudos. Besides, Atlanta goes into Boston tonight, and I predict a ferocious Celtics defense prevails.
Without further ado, I give you T. Grose and The Varsity.
Without further ado, I give you T. Grose and The Varsity.
Friday, November 7, 2008
MixTape Review: Nan's Eclectic Favorites
As promised (and explained) in this post: Nan's Eclectic Favorites. Let's not waste time.
SIDE ONE
Swingtown
Steve Miller Band
Let Nan set you a scene, this opening track says: it's a friday night, and everyone is meeting at the bar (Jake's, maybe, or just Frank's, but certainly the name of a man) for that first hard-earned drink of the weekend. What does this song say, as you steer an old Dodge into the small gravel lot outside Leo's (or whatever)? Swingtown is like an outstretched arm, a familiar hand on your hip, an invitation to cut a little loose. Not too loose, of course, just Steve Miller Band loose: button down shirts tucked into wranglers, regardless of sex; we all drove here, but only half of us have to drive home, and the night's most important decision will be something like 'who do I want to have to ride back to the bar with in the morning to pick up my car?' This is just one of many possible scenarios, of course, but when you commit to Steve Miller Band as your opener, you leave people little room for the innocent types of conjecture.
Keep On Rockin' Me Baby
Steve Miller Band
A little indulgent, perhaps, to lead with two songs by the same band, not my way, no, but the mood here might actually be one of indulgence, in which case the mysterious Nan makes a strong 'form follows function' argument. Actually, indulgent is an excellent way to describe this song when taken on its own merits; Mr. Miller decides to lay all his cool on the table as he vocally slithers his way through this song, until all his charm wears away. This happens at about the 27 second mark for me, but your mileage may vary. Personally, I would've preferred this.
Fly Like An Eagle
Steve Miller Band
Ok, ok ok ok ok ok ok. I think maybe we've been approaching this wrong. Since it would be (extremely) difficult to create a less eclectic mix (short of it having just one SMB song repeated three times), I think we have to assume Nan is approaching this ironically. By that logic, wouldn't these be Nan's least favorite songs? Then again, why would you want all of those songs in one place? Anyway, I feel like I'm in on the joke now, and that really helped me enjoy Fly Like An Eagle, which is, in fact, a joke of a song; anytime the more culturally relevant version of a song is performed by Seal, everyone loses: culture, the song, Seal, Steve Miller, everyone. Good one, Nan. Good one.
Hot Legs
Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart is a feathery, beaky, man-bird, and he is repulsive. Those are the facts, as I see them, but because he sang so many songs to so many women, I think this might go under-reported. I briefly considered posting the lyrics to this song here, but we try to keep it clean on the Clinch, and the lyrics to Hot Legs are both insipid and disgusting. This is a terrible song, one of the worst, and here is what is says to me, via Nan: do you remember those innocent moments, back when this tape was new to you? Before you knew how much Nan hated you? Remember Swingtown? Those were better days, all wine and roses, and beer and skittles, and peanut butter and toast. Now look at you: a shivering wreck as Hot Legs fades out, terror clutching at your heart and throat, terror at the very real possibility that this next song will also feature the Rod and the Stewart. There is a moment of silence, the soft hiss of the cassette winding the seconds away. And then?
Maggie May
Rod Stewart
I'm skipping it, just like Nan did, laughing all the while.
We're Having a Party
Rod Stewart
Go ahead, click that version. Painful, right? It seems like such a terrible song, just a stupid, lifeless, clumsy thing. It's like a refrigerator box, really, except that a fort made out of it would suck. And just try, I mean it, to watch those preening idiots on stage without getting angry. Now, listen to this version, and feel the pain melt away a little bit. This is a Sam Cooke song, and when you hear him sing it, you know it. It's charming, and innocent, almost naive in its joy. Do I seem over-effusive? The song is the same, I know, but one of these people uses their voice to create a believable, enjoyable little story, and one of them doesn't, and though I'm doing an awful job of explaining why, the proof is in the pudding. Also, I'm really sick of Rod Stewart. I'm not listening ahead at all, or reading a playlist, so my pain is yours right now if this next track is more of the same.
Wishing Well
Terence Trent D'arby
If anyone ever asks you about why 1987 was a garbage year, you can tell them that a man with the stage name (that means he chose it, on purpose) Terence Trent D'Arby released an album titled "Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby", and then won a Grammy Award. You can also use this reason if anyone ever asks you why the Grammy Awards are garbage. To top it all off, he also declared that this album of his, this Hard Line album, was better than Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I'm certainly no fawning Beatles fan, but it's difficult to imagine a more ridiculous assertion. Even discussing it is laughable, but I can't help but make this point: listen to this song, or this song: there's a shine to these songs that time doesn't rub away overmuch, no matter how whimsical and light the subject matter may seem. You can hear the influence in so much contemporary music. I submit to you this quote, by the (no doubt horrified) Ezra Pound, who was almost certainly talking about books: a classic is a classic because of "a certain eternal and irrepressible freshness." I sincerely doubt that anyone finds this quality in the works of Mr. fake D'arby, but I know a lot of people who find it in those Beatles songs. I know that's a pretty fallible argument, but it's appealing nonetheless. If you think I'm wrong about this song, listen to it again. If you still disagree, you should be in jail.
Dance Little Sister
Terence Trent D'arby
Garbage with cheese in. Yuck.
Stir It Up
Bob Marley
I actually rather like this song, and the fact that it's on this mix makes me a little sad. We've got to shift gears again here, I'm afraid, and lend Nan the benefit of the doubt. Nan, and everyone Nan knows, was no doubt drunk and loud throughout the first section of this tape, living their weekend freedom up, and so the contents weren't as important early on, and maybe, just maybe, Nan was setting this moment up, after a few drinks and the initial fervor of the evening, as either the soft, seductive part of an friday night, to which this song is certainly suited, or to the hushed introspective part of a friday night, to which this song could also serve. I haven't lived so little as to imply that a friday night couldn't include both of these types of moments within the span of three and a half minutes, either, so there's certainly the possibility, too, that Nan just wanted to be prepared. Best of luck in your endeavors, Nan.
Son of a Preacher Man
Dusty Springfield
Another tidy little song, and a pretty good version, too. I know, I know, Aretha recorded one too, but the story goes that she passed on this one the first time around, so the writers handed it to Springfield. I actually prefer the Dusty version, because I think her delivery matches the lyrics better; she exhibits, if I might borrow a phrase from Douglas Adams, "the kind of self-possessed shyness which is a great trick if you can do it." Nan has probably slipped into the darker parts of the bar by this point, probably during that Marley number, and is being coy with someone. This is a good song to be coy to, of course, so her night is going exactly according to plan. I mean, we imagine it is, based on a mixtape we found at a thrift store.
SIDE TWO
I Feel The Earth Move
Carole King
Ah, Carol King. Your hair may have been silly, sometimes, but you wrote some fantastic songs. This one, with its thumpy, driven beat and suggestive lyrics, is the perfect song to imply that this, if it has turned into that kind of evening, is where the unmentionable bits go. We'll meet up with Nan later, or possibly tomorrow.
Beautiful
Carole King
I'm impressed a little by the serendipity of this track selection. It is morning now, in the world of Nan's Eclectic Favorites, and we are back in Nan's car, all by her (and our?) lonesome, and this song says all the things that don't need saying on a saturday morning after a long friday evening, and it says them perfectly. It's a little wistful, it's smiling and a little sad, even (especially) if you don't know why, and you take that moment in, the late morning on a disheveled saturday while you drive in the thin sunlight of autumn, and then it passes, and you go buy the dog's food, and pick up cream for the coffee, and maybe drop some things in the mail.
Natural Woman
Carole King
Then again, maybe it doesn't quite pass. Maybe you get home, and the house is mostly empty, and the evening seems a little empty, and you're possessed to put this song on. This type of afternoon can be the absolute worst thing about living alone, all heaviness and reduction, giving rise to a sense of purposelessness that can be near-impossible to shake. Maybe this song isn't that kind of song, though it seems it to me; there aren't many songs I feel wholly unqualified to analyze for sentiment and emotional plausibility, but this is one of them. I know the lyrics are a little more uplifting than the picture I'm painting, but the music, even in the chorus, has always struck me as a little sad, and lined with a bit of that heaviness I mentioned before. As a sidenote, I've been carefully neutral with Nan's gender, but this seems like a bit of a roadblock to that. On the other hand, you just never know, so I'll continue to be careful, I suppose.
Johnny Come Home
Fine Young Cannibals
Does anyone else want to compile a list of all the songs featuring Johnny? I would love to see this list. Get to work, internet. The late afternoon/evening bit for Nan, and things seem to be picking up. I predict a return to the vapid party anthems of Side One, very soon. Not that I've got anything against party anthems, mind you, just these ones.
Baby, Now That I've Found You
Alison Krauss
Well, off by a mile there. First of all, you can probably guess that I much prefer The Foundations version, and not just because it features my favorite type of instrumentation (small horn section, hand claps, exuberant harmonizing...I guess I only like soul music?). Ignore that, and instead focus on the mix: this song may seem an odd fit after that last one, or more specifically, it might make that revved-up Fine Young Cannibals song seem like an odd fit, but maybe only musically, because they all three have this open and unabashed yearning to them that won't be put aside, and perhaps that's the unifying theme here on side two. I like themes, so I'm willing to continue to ignore my preferences for now.
Something To Talk About
Bonnie Raitt
More yearning, here, so that seems to hold up. Personally, I can't hear this song without thinking about this movie, and radiation poisoning.
Blue
Leann Rimes
Oy vey, enough with the yearning, Nan. We get it, you ache, yes, but misery loves company, even if that means more Steve Miller Band. I'm not editing this, so if the tape ends on a down note, you'll make fools of us both, Nan, and no one wants that. Incidentally, this song was apparently written for Patsy Cline, but she wasn't having it. Bit of a theme going there, too: covers and rejects, this mix could be called.
Ave Maria
Aaron Neville
Huh? What? I guess we've been wrong all along, as this has now become a story about the Christian powers of redemption. Give Nan a little credit: you never, ever saw this coming. The song appears like a strange (and peculiarly warbly) message from above, shocking you free from the small trials of daily life, and/or, confusing the whatsit right out of you. True story: I saw the Brothers Neville in concert, once, opening for this man. This song actually sounds sillier without Linda Ronstadt, if you can believe that.
Butterfly Kisses
Bob Carlisle
This is the last song. It's the last song. I can't believe you're still here.
Okay, so I don't have the time or ambition to go back to the top and re-contextualize all of this for you, so you're going to have to do what I do, and pay it forward: the next time someone complains to you about something, or recommends something to you, or even eats lunch near you, you have my permission to label these things a function of that person's "Daddy Issues." Go ahead, it'll be fun. Oh, and If you ever see Nan, you have my permission to kick him or her in the shin.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Mixtape Review: Introduction/ Boring Personal History
When I was in middle school, all baggy pants and skate shoes and terrible, terrible haircuts, I treated mixtapes like rare and powerful magic. I invested absurd amounts of time into crafting them, spent hours sitting on the floor of my room beside the stereo and all my cd's, with notes and plans sketched into my school notebooks, songlist planned out during Mr. Novak's social studies class, with a handful of edits from study hall. I designed perfect little snapshots of my heart, and then left them in the lockers or bags of friends, or girls I liked, so that they could hear what I heard and feel what I felt. And when I got a mixtape, I analyzed every song for personal meaning, listening for some kind of message, some clue to the feelings this person had for me. And the songs, on tapes both incoming and outgoing, were often rubbish, because we were kids with terrible, terrible taste. Once, after a brief courtship in which the young lady in question moved away, I closed out a tape I mailed to her with this gem. Ouch. In my defense, I was 12, and she liked this song.
I carried on like this all through high school, taste inevitably improving (though some would argue that, I'm sure), still quietly and studiously working out song orders and adjusting levels to match the volumes of independent and/or local releases, loud, slick-mainstream production, and the muffled things recorded off the radio, increasingly from this show. I made mixes to introduce my friends to new bands, new types of music, to make a point about some band or other, and sometimes (still) to communicate feelings. I made friends who did the same, and I can honestly say that most of my musical loves of the time were introduced to me via the mixtape, and I loved the way it gave everything context. I still remember which friends gave me which tapes, and sometimes why, and in a few lucky cases, I still have those tapes, and these almost always have stories.
And then I entered college, and got a computer, and put a metric ton of music on it. Someone showed me how itunes worked, and that was it. I still made mixes for people all the time, and I still do now, occasionally, but the effort required is so reduced as to be nonexistent: the computer will match the levels for you, and you never need pen and paper to plan things out, and--and this may be the biggest problem--you don't even have to listen to the song while it burns. You don't have to sit on the floor, and agonize over every line, and wonder if the song you carefully picked out for this person says too much or too little, because it takes so little time. You just drag it onto the list, and it goes on the cd. You mess with the order for ten minutes or so, and then you hit burn, and the whole thing takes 30 minutes. For someone who used to stay in nights to make one tape for one friend instead of going out to do whatever it is teenagers do, this should be a liberating, freeing thing, but I can't really see that. I feel so much more disconnected from my music than I used to, so much less possessive or proud of my collection. No one needs their friends to recommend things, really, because itunes will do that for you, based on what you own already, and how you rate things, and that's a complex system worked out (presumably) by experts. Gone is that personal context, and the thrill of discovery, and the long nights with a stereo and a rug. Do I sound a little codgery? A little embittered by the march of technology? I suppose I do, probably, but this is a blog on the internet, so I'm a little with it still, right? Regardless, I'm sure you're wondering where this is all going. This week, Clinchpin is going to try something fun, hopefully. I've a stack of mixtapes, home-brewed by strangers, probably ten or more years old, all purchased from thrift stores in the area, and we're going to review the heck out of them. I doubt that this will take the serious, moody tone of this way-too-long, call-the-waaambulance, you-kids-get-off-my-lawn post that this one turned out to be, so maybe check these out. I'll list the songs, and hopefully find them online, and then we can talk about if these particular mixes are any good. I've a quick guess: no. I'm probably just trying not to get my hopes up, but we'll see. First on the docket: Nan's Eclectic Favorites. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: A little sniffing around on the internet turned up this article, which says many of the same things except with quality writing, and a quote, from Geoffrey O'Brien, in which the personal mixtape is declared "the most widely practiced American art form." I don't know anything about Geoffrey O'Brien, except that he apparently has written a book with Jeffrey Clark, who is a poet who wrote another book that I quite liked.
I carried on like this all through high school, taste inevitably improving (though some would argue that, I'm sure), still quietly and studiously working out song orders and adjusting levels to match the volumes of independent and/or local releases, loud, slick-mainstream production, and the muffled things recorded off the radio, increasingly from this show. I made mixes to introduce my friends to new bands, new types of music, to make a point about some band or other, and sometimes (still) to communicate feelings. I made friends who did the same, and I can honestly say that most of my musical loves of the time were introduced to me via the mixtape, and I loved the way it gave everything context. I still remember which friends gave me which tapes, and sometimes why, and in a few lucky cases, I still have those tapes, and these almost always have stories.
And then I entered college, and got a computer, and put a metric ton of music on it. Someone showed me how itunes worked, and that was it. I still made mixes for people all the time, and I still do now, occasionally, but the effort required is so reduced as to be nonexistent: the computer will match the levels for you, and you never need pen and paper to plan things out, and--and this may be the biggest problem--you don't even have to listen to the song while it burns. You don't have to sit on the floor, and agonize over every line, and wonder if the song you carefully picked out for this person says too much or too little, because it takes so little time. You just drag it onto the list, and it goes on the cd. You mess with the order for ten minutes or so, and then you hit burn, and the whole thing takes 30 minutes. For someone who used to stay in nights to make one tape for one friend instead of going out to do whatever it is teenagers do, this should be a liberating, freeing thing, but I can't really see that. I feel so much more disconnected from my music than I used to, so much less possessive or proud of my collection. No one needs their friends to recommend things, really, because itunes will do that for you, based on what you own already, and how you rate things, and that's a complex system worked out (presumably) by experts. Gone is that personal context, and the thrill of discovery, and the long nights with a stereo and a rug. Do I sound a little codgery? A little embittered by the march of technology? I suppose I do, probably, but this is a blog on the internet, so I'm a little with it still, right? Regardless, I'm sure you're wondering where this is all going. This week, Clinchpin is going to try something fun, hopefully. I've a stack of mixtapes, home-brewed by strangers, probably ten or more years old, all purchased from thrift stores in the area, and we're going to review the heck out of them. I doubt that this will take the serious, moody tone of this way-too-long, call-the-waaambulance, you-kids-get-off-my-lawn post that this one turned out to be, so maybe check these out. I'll list the songs, and hopefully find them online, and then we can talk about if these particular mixes are any good. I've a quick guess: no. I'm probably just trying not to get my hopes up, but we'll see. First on the docket: Nan's Eclectic Favorites. Stay tuned.
UPDATE: A little sniffing around on the internet turned up this article, which says many of the same things except with quality writing, and a quote, from Geoffrey O'Brien, in which the personal mixtape is declared "the most widely practiced American art form." I don't know anything about Geoffrey O'Brien, except that he apparently has written a book with Jeffrey Clark, who is a poet who wrote another book that I quite liked.
Culture Is Like A Tree, Probably, Somehow
If you have more than a passing interest in movies or pop culture, then maybe you'd enjoy wasting a few of your valuable minutes looking at this? I'm naturally a little compulsive, so these kinds of things drive me to distraction. This painting is by this person, who seems pretty alright. This all comes via Ryan North's dinosaur comics, which you should already be reading. Shame on you if you still aren't.
Oh, and don't look now, nerds, but it looks like Greedo is going to shoot first.
Oh, and don't look now, nerds, but it looks like Greedo is going to shoot first.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Clyde Drexler: Dwayne Hoover?
I'm watching the Celtics/ Rockets game from last night, and I've got the Portland broadcast, which is excellent, because I'm partial to the sometimes silly ramblings of announcing team Bill Worrell and former NBA great Clyde Drexler. Here's an exchange from this game that I couldn't stop thinking about:
BW: Aaron Brooks hits a three! There's where your offense is coming from now, he has five quick points.
CD: Well he can play the game, you've got to guard him...he's not a robot.
At this point, Luis Scola came up with a steal, and the conversation changed directions. I felt a little robbed by that, because I would love to know what Clyde was getting at. As near as I can tell, here are the possible implications of that statement:
BW: Aaron Brooks hits a three! There's where your offense is coming from now, he has five quick points.
CD: Well he can play the game, you've got to guard him...he's not a robot.
At this point, Luis Scola came up with a steal, and the conversation changed directions. I felt a little robbed by that, because I would love to know what Clyde was getting at. As near as I can tell, here are the possible implications of that statement:
- Aaron Brooks is not a robot, but some basketball players are
- Robots are unable to play the game well
- You don't have to guard robots
Sam Cooke Has Your Back Today
Election over, breathe a little easier. I'm no dem, as my politics sit further left, but I'm immensely relieved this early morning, and the hope and promise in the air is a little bit contagious here in the city of wind. Here's a classic that holds that feeling up to the light, where it can sparkle for a moment. Congratulations to everyone who feels like those are in order.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Cosmetic Changes
I got a few complaints about the color scheme I was using, so I dulled things down a little. I'm not at all sold on the new look, so feel free to chime in with your suggested color scheme. Emails or comments, it's all the same to me. Bear with us, please, while we fiddle with these silly cosmetic issues.
Election Day
Today is election day for the old US of A, and, as you've probably heard, there's a certain amount of historic precedent about to be set, regardless of the outcome. Symbolically, North America will take another (long overdue, still smallish) step towards righting a long and embarrassing history of gender and racial discrimination. But that's pretty abstract, right? Because that's a symbolic change, it will probably affect your life very little, if at all, other than in terms of your understanding of history. And you don't live your life with this sense of historic perspective anywhere near most of the time, because, on top of being a poor conversationalist, you would have a difficult time, say, doing your laundry. And then these big things come up, election day sized events with far-reaching cultural implications, and it can be a little jarring to try to comprehend the importance of the moment while also washing your socks; your world will not be profoundly different on wednesday, specifically, except that this moment in history will have come and gone, and you'll be feeling either miserable and cynical or optimistic and excited, or, I suppose, stoically resigned, if you happen to dislike the two-party system. The actual changes, well, those are slow, and they take a lot of time and happen incrementally, even in the best cases. The cogs are very large, and very difficult to move, and they will outlive all of us, and that's what history is.
This song is a particularly beautiful story about that kind of jarring and abstract historical moment that intrudes on the laundry parts of our lives, and I advise you to listen to it, because I think it hints at what I'm trying to say with a great deal more elegance and subtlety than my heavy-handed rhetoric, and because it's a pretty piece of songwriting. I've been humming it to myself for a week or so, and thinking about the upcoming election, and how (other than the obvious and besides-the-point fact that they both concern the job of president) they relate. It will also give your day a bit of the ol' art and culture when you might otherwise forget that this is what we protect with all these complicated politics. This song is a few years old, but it's from a remarkable album that I wholeheartedly recommend. I hope tomorrow brings you some peace of mind, everyone, and you all get everything you want.
UPDATE:
After rereading this post, and judging it harshly (shallow analysis, still miraculously overwrought) I have learned one thing: I am behind in my laundry, and it is apparently affecting the quality of my work. We can fix this; we can make it right. Tuesday: laundry day.
This song is a particularly beautiful story about that kind of jarring and abstract historical moment that intrudes on the laundry parts of our lives, and I advise you to listen to it, because I think it hints at what I'm trying to say with a great deal more elegance and subtlety than my heavy-handed rhetoric, and because it's a pretty piece of songwriting. I've been humming it to myself for a week or so, and thinking about the upcoming election, and how (other than the obvious and besides-the-point fact that they both concern the job of president) they relate. It will also give your day a bit of the ol' art and culture when you might otherwise forget that this is what we protect with all these complicated politics. This song is a few years old, but it's from a remarkable album that I wholeheartedly recommend. I hope tomorrow brings you some peace of mind, everyone, and you all get everything you want.
UPDATE:
After rereading this post, and judging it harshly (shallow analysis, still miraculously overwrought) I have learned one thing: I am behind in my laundry, and it is apparently affecting the quality of my work. We can fix this; we can make it right. Tuesday: laundry day.
NBA Preview: Western Conference, Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets:
Because I took so long to finish these predictions, I have the benefit of knowing about the Allen Iverson trade before I start here, which was not the case last week when I wrote about the Pistons. As for the trade, my reaction was closer to this then this, which is to say that I don't get the Nuggets. Having Billups will free up an extra green light for JR Smith, though, and Anthony should continue to fill it up like a top five scorer, so this team won't be worse in the short term. The problem is the long term plan, which is, I fear, almost nonexistent. If I'm Melo, I'm not sure I stick around to watch this team rebuild around me again after my contract is up, and Billups is 33. The only real keeper on this team other than Melo is the aforementioned Smith, a gifted offensive player who hasn't shown much interest in the game's other aspects. The Nugs have big money committed to Nene (boy does he need to have a good year), and no promising young talent at all. All that future talk aside, I predicted this team would make the playoffs, and I still think that's true. Give Billups his due: he's a quality point guard, below all-star caliber but very good, and he's a much better defensive player than Iverson, and he'll probably come in with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Kenyon Martin will be solid-ish, and Linas "my mind is like a" Kleiza is a decent tweener in the frontcourt. Plus, this guy, and who doesn't love that guy? Seriously. He needs his own shoe, and badly.
Minnesota Timberwolves:
Oklahoma City Highjackers:
Portland Trailblazers:
Utah Jazz:
Because I took so long to finish these predictions, I have the benefit of knowing about the Allen Iverson trade before I start here, which was not the case last week when I wrote about the Pistons. As for the trade, my reaction was closer to this then this, which is to say that I don't get the Nuggets. Having Billups will free up an extra green light for JR Smith, though, and Anthony should continue to fill it up like a top five scorer, so this team won't be worse in the short term. The problem is the long term plan, which is, I fear, almost nonexistent. If I'm Melo, I'm not sure I stick around to watch this team rebuild around me again after my contract is up, and Billups is 33. The only real keeper on this team other than Melo is the aforementioned Smith, a gifted offensive player who hasn't shown much interest in the game's other aspects. The Nugs have big money committed to Nene (boy does he need to have a good year), and no promising young talent at all. All that future talk aside, I predicted this team would make the playoffs, and I still think that's true. Give Billups his due: he's a quality point guard, below all-star caliber but very good, and he's a much better defensive player than Iverson, and he'll probably come in with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. Kenyon Martin will be solid-ish, and Linas "my mind is like a" Kleiza is a decent tweener in the frontcourt. Plus, this guy, and who doesn't love that guy? Seriously. He needs his own shoe, and badly.
Minnesota Timberwolves:
Oklahoma City Highjackers:
Portland Trailblazers:
Utah Jazz:
Thursday, October 30, 2008
NBA Preview: Western Conference, Southwest Division
Dallas Mavericks:
Rick Carlisle is in as head coach this season, which is a bit of a head scratcher. The knocks on Avery Johnson were his lack of communication with players (seemingly everyone said as much), his inability to loosen the reins on the offense (even after the Jason Kidd acquisition), and his inability to get along with owner Mark Cuban. Avery did a good job for two years with a very good team, but his team had clearly tuned him out by the time he was fired. The head-scratching part is that Carlisle has a reputation for not wanting much in the way of player input, and for meticulously controlled offenses. Hmm. However, things seem to be going well so far, so that could all be bunk. Regardless, chemistry will be better this year, without Avery and a looming and prolonged Kidd/Harris swap distracting, and this team still has much of the talent that took them to the finals in '05. Unfortunately, that talent is getting old, and that aforementioned trade didn't help that one bit. Personally, I'm not sure Kidd has much left in the tank, nor do I think he's a better point guard than Harris at this point in their relative careers. On the other hand, a change in style couldn't hurt this team: Josh Howards, he of the never-ending minor controversies, could really benefit from a looser, faster offensive approach, and Dirk was a happier and better player when he was getting off a few open threes a game trailing on the fast break, so both of the other top talents should be on board to run some. Kidd can still run a fast break, so look to see this team push the ball off rebounds, and maybe even off makes in the first half. I love the Stackman's toughness, and Jason Terry is a dirty little punk (in a goodish way), and Brandon Bass could be the next David West (slow, steady development, good work ethic, above-average athleticism) so this team still has some gritty/tough role players, and that will probably all add up to a decent season. sadly, the window on this team is probably already closed, because I don't think they match up well with any of the new elite teams in the west (Utah, New Orleans, Lakers), nor am I sure they can beat San Antonio or Phoenix in a series. The Mavs are the new poster-children for also-rans.
Houston Rockets:
I know how excited everyone is over the Rockets this year, and believe me, I want to join in, I really do. Tracy McGrady has been a personal favorite since this happened, probably because I was at home watching basketball this night (skip ahead to about 2:10), and then again for this game. I watched that last game to the very end, and I've never been better rewarded by a regular season sporting event. Is Tracy a flawed player? Yes, of course, sometimes painfully so, but his transition from prima donna scorer to permanent underdog has endeared him to me like no amount of success could have. I've watched this Rockets team very closely in the T-Mac era, and I agree that this is the best team they've had in recent years, but I have some major concerns about the structure of this team with new addition Ron Artest. Was it a necessary (two minutes in) move? Maybe. I like this take, which makes a good bit of sense. Ron's a phenomenal talent, and though his defense slipped in Sacramento, I think he'll be motivated to prove he's an all-league defender again. His effort notwithstanding, this team still has a problem on defense with Ron on the floor, and it's this: Shane Battier is too good for this team. He's a more reliable spot-up shooter, an equally excellent defender, and he knows and understands his role perfectly. The Rockets are a much better team with Battier on the floor than not, and you can't afford to reduce his minutes. Ron's not going to sit the majority of games either, obviously, and since they're both too big and handle-less to slide down to the two, the only option is to play one of them (probably Ron-Ron) at the power forward spot for stretches. I've no doubt Artest can lock down many of the league's fours when determined, but that's not the problem. Who's going to rebound? Battier and Artest are both average rebounders for their position (small forward), but at the four, either would be well below average. With injury-prone Yao as the only legit center on the Houston roster, this team could already be undersized on many nights, and even though all those undersized fours are good soldiers on the glass (I'm looking at you, Carluis Scolandry, Chuck Wagon), this team, which was a great defensive team again last season, gives up too much size in the frontcourt. Limiting second chance baskets is such a huge part of great defenses, and this new Rockets roster may have that as a primary weakness. Think I've ragged on the Artest acquisition enough? Then avert your eyes, because we should talk about the offense. Ron Artest, for all his many gifts, is not an efficient offensive player. For his career, he's a 42% shooter from the field, and a 33% shooter from beyond the arc, which hasn't prevented him from taking over 200 long bombs a year for each of his last five full seasons. These numbers are pretty dismal for a player who fancies himself a scorer but doesn't get to the free throw line with the regularity of an Iverson type. And yes, he averaged 20 points per game last year with Sacto, but all the numbers mean is that it took him more shots, and more possessions, than almost any other 20 ppg player in the league last season. On a team like Houston, that already has two more efficient scorers, is that type of game going to help or hurt an offense? That's going to depend a great deal on how well Ron adapts his game. If he can make himself a decent spot-up shooter, he's going to be more effective, because the Tracy/Yao line-up creates a lot of open space on the perimeter. But with the ball, dribbling, trying to set people up, Artest will hurt the Rockets. The bright side to all of this is that, if (when) Tracy goes out of a few games, Ron can pick up the slack by being his volume shooter self, which at least gives the Rockets a chance to win on his good nights. The other bright side is that Tracy and Yao seem pleased to have him aboard, and team morale is high. Adelman is going to have to make it work, and he's the league's best bet for that with Artest. The other silver lining for this team is it's exceptional depth. Rafer Alston will be serviceable at the point, and back-up Aaron Brooks could provide some spark. Luther Head has been a useful player for this team in the past, and that front court group is as hard-nosed as they come. A near-definite fifty win team, with a ceiling around sixty, and I'm calling for a (finally) favorable first round match up in the playoffs this year.
Memphis Grizzlies:
I predict this team will be bad this year, and no, thank you but no, I deserve no medal for my bravery. Everyone knows this team will be bad, because they're young (so young), and they rely heavily on the interior defense of Darko Milicic. He's a shot blocker, sure, but not much else. Marc Gasol is your other big man, and though I like his size, and he seems active, he's probably a year or two from being a starter on a decent team. On the wings, Rudy Gay will score and excite, and OJ Mayo will shoot and miss, and shoot and make. He's going to shoot regardless of the outcome, I'm saying, and that kind of confidence should be a blessing on a team that will probably struggle to score enough to win many games, even with former D'Antoni first-mate Marc Iavaroni on the sidelines. The team should make some strides towards unraveling a snaggle of young point guards (Conley, Lowry, Crittenton), but it would really help if one of them could step forward this year, instead of wading around in the mediocrity pool as a group again, wearing floaties and having splash fights. I'm pulling for Lowry, personally, in terms of the on-court play, but I've got money on Crittenton in the splash fight.
New Orleans Hornets:
If you didn't watch much of Chris Paul last year, this may sound controversial, but it's really not: Chris Paul is the best point guard in the NBA. It's not even close, I promise. Steve Nash in 2006 gives him some competition for that title, but not the current version of Canada's favorite son, and not Deron Williams, who I love, and definitely not any of the Billups/Parker/Davis group. Paul runs this team like an all-time great entering his prime, which is exactly what he is. David West should take another small step forward this season (the guy's an offseason worker, no question), and the rest of this team is extremely solid. Chandler is a near all-star, and the perfect complement to Paul on both ends (great lob finisher, great at blocking shots when Paul gambles for a steal), and Peja is the floor spacer every great team needs in it's starting unit. He can carry this team for a quarter at a time if he's hot, and that's a huge asset from a third scorer. I've always loved Mo Pete, and not just because of this shot; if you can make this mix about your fifth best starter, your team is probably alright. James Posey will be great in New Orleans, defensively and as a threat you can't double off of down the stretch, and he's the guy you hate that champioship caliber teams always have. The bench is a little thin, though, for a team this good, with unproven big Hilton Armstrong first off the pine in the frontcourt, and questionable decision maker Mike James backing up Paul. Still, I think this team wins the west this year, I really do, beating out a stacked Lakers squad that will probably still knock these Hornets out of the playoffs.
San Antonio Spurs:
As a Suns fan, the Spurs have done very little over the last five years besides torment me, and win a few championships. Now, though, with this team beginning it's slip out of contention, I'm actually a little sad. I wanted to see the Spurs beaten, every year, on their terms, and that just didn't happen much this decade. I respected these jerks, and I respected them because many of them aren't jerks. You may hate the Tim Duncan face (I certainly do), and you may hate Robert Horry (so very much) and you must hate Bruce Bowen (easily the game's most despicably filthy player in my lifetime), but these guys are not bad guys off the court, and that made the hate a little purer, since it was just basketball. Except for Bowen, maybe, whose incredibly poor sportsmanship transcends even this type of thing, I wouldn't mind having these guys on my team. All that aside, we should talk about where this team is now, and if the end is really as nigh as that obituary makes it seem. The Spurs will still be good this year; really good, probably. Tim Duncan And Tony Parker are more than capable of picking up the scoring slack until Manu comes back (December, they think), and the supporting cast know their roles and buy into Popavich's system. That's a great recipe right there, one that wins a lot of games (I'm guessing a shade above 50), but the problems are post-season oriented. This team doesn't match up well against the new kids on the block (Lakers, Hornets), and I don't think a crafty and experienced roster will be enough to buy that edge back. You may be thinking at this point, "Hey, Nate. That sure sounds like a mix of bullheap and wishful thinking, and maybe you should remember that it's an odd year, and that Tim is still the league's best power forward, and Tony Parker keeps getting better, and Manu will wreck most teams when he's healthy, and shouldn't other teams be worrying about matching up with that? Plus, Popavich! You're terrible at this!" You probably went on, but I'm going to cut you off there, because you might be right. But man, Bruce Bowen sucks, doesn't he?
Rick Carlisle is in as head coach this season, which is a bit of a head scratcher. The knocks on Avery Johnson were his lack of communication with players (seemingly everyone said as much), his inability to loosen the reins on the offense (even after the Jason Kidd acquisition), and his inability to get along with owner Mark Cuban. Avery did a good job for two years with a very good team, but his team had clearly tuned him out by the time he was fired. The head-scratching part is that Carlisle has a reputation for not wanting much in the way of player input, and for meticulously controlled offenses. Hmm. However, things seem to be going well so far, so that could all be bunk. Regardless, chemistry will be better this year, without Avery and a looming and prolonged Kidd/Harris swap distracting, and this team still has much of the talent that took them to the finals in '05. Unfortunately, that talent is getting old, and that aforementioned trade didn't help that one bit. Personally, I'm not sure Kidd has much left in the tank, nor do I think he's a better point guard than Harris at this point in their relative careers. On the other hand, a change in style couldn't hurt this team: Josh Howards, he of the never-ending minor controversies, could really benefit from a looser, faster offensive approach, and Dirk was a happier and better player when he was getting off a few open threes a game trailing on the fast break, so both of the other top talents should be on board to run some. Kidd can still run a fast break, so look to see this team push the ball off rebounds, and maybe even off makes in the first half. I love the Stackman's toughness, and Jason Terry is a dirty little punk (in a goodish way), and Brandon Bass could be the next David West (slow, steady development, good work ethic, above-average athleticism) so this team still has some gritty/tough role players, and that will probably all add up to a decent season. sadly, the window on this team is probably already closed, because I don't think they match up well with any of the new elite teams in the west (Utah, New Orleans, Lakers), nor am I sure they can beat San Antonio or Phoenix in a series. The Mavs are the new poster-children for also-rans.
Houston Rockets:
I know how excited everyone is over the Rockets this year, and believe me, I want to join in, I really do. Tracy McGrady has been a personal favorite since this happened, probably because I was at home watching basketball this night (skip ahead to about 2:10), and then again for this game. I watched that last game to the very end, and I've never been better rewarded by a regular season sporting event. Is Tracy a flawed player? Yes, of course, sometimes painfully so, but his transition from prima donna scorer to permanent underdog has endeared him to me like no amount of success could have. I've watched this Rockets team very closely in the T-Mac era, and I agree that this is the best team they've had in recent years, but I have some major concerns about the structure of this team with new addition Ron Artest. Was it a necessary (two minutes in) move? Maybe. I like this take, which makes a good bit of sense. Ron's a phenomenal talent, and though his defense slipped in Sacramento, I think he'll be motivated to prove he's an all-league defender again. His effort notwithstanding, this team still has a problem on defense with Ron on the floor, and it's this: Shane Battier is too good for this team. He's a more reliable spot-up shooter, an equally excellent defender, and he knows and understands his role perfectly. The Rockets are a much better team with Battier on the floor than not, and you can't afford to reduce his minutes. Ron's not going to sit the majority of games either, obviously, and since they're both too big and handle-less to slide down to the two, the only option is to play one of them (probably Ron-Ron) at the power forward spot for stretches. I've no doubt Artest can lock down many of the league's fours when determined, but that's not the problem. Who's going to rebound? Battier and Artest are both average rebounders for their position (small forward), but at the four, either would be well below average. With injury-prone Yao as the only legit center on the Houston roster, this team could already be undersized on many nights, and even though all those undersized fours are good soldiers on the glass (I'm looking at you, Carluis Scolandry, Chuck Wagon), this team, which was a great defensive team again last season, gives up too much size in the frontcourt. Limiting second chance baskets is such a huge part of great defenses, and this new Rockets roster may have that as a primary weakness. Think I've ragged on the Artest acquisition enough? Then avert your eyes, because we should talk about the offense. Ron Artest, for all his many gifts, is not an efficient offensive player. For his career, he's a 42% shooter from the field, and a 33% shooter from beyond the arc, which hasn't prevented him from taking over 200 long bombs a year for each of his last five full seasons. These numbers are pretty dismal for a player who fancies himself a scorer but doesn't get to the free throw line with the regularity of an Iverson type. And yes, he averaged 20 points per game last year with Sacto, but all the numbers mean is that it took him more shots, and more possessions, than almost any other 20 ppg player in the league last season. On a team like Houston, that already has two more efficient scorers, is that type of game going to help or hurt an offense? That's going to depend a great deal on how well Ron adapts his game. If he can make himself a decent spot-up shooter, he's going to be more effective, because the Tracy/Yao line-up creates a lot of open space on the perimeter. But with the ball, dribbling, trying to set people up, Artest will hurt the Rockets. The bright side to all of this is that, if (when) Tracy goes out of a few games, Ron can pick up the slack by being his volume shooter self, which at least gives the Rockets a chance to win on his good nights. The other bright side is that Tracy and Yao seem pleased to have him aboard, and team morale is high. Adelman is going to have to make it work, and he's the league's best bet for that with Artest. The other silver lining for this team is it's exceptional depth. Rafer Alston will be serviceable at the point, and back-up Aaron Brooks could provide some spark. Luther Head has been a useful player for this team in the past, and that front court group is as hard-nosed as they come. A near-definite fifty win team, with a ceiling around sixty, and I'm calling for a (finally) favorable first round match up in the playoffs this year.
Memphis Grizzlies:
I predict this team will be bad this year, and no, thank you but no, I deserve no medal for my bravery. Everyone knows this team will be bad, because they're young (so young), and they rely heavily on the interior defense of Darko Milicic. He's a shot blocker, sure, but not much else. Marc Gasol is your other big man, and though I like his size, and he seems active, he's probably a year or two from being a starter on a decent team. On the wings, Rudy Gay will score and excite, and OJ Mayo will shoot and miss, and shoot and make. He's going to shoot regardless of the outcome, I'm saying, and that kind of confidence should be a blessing on a team that will probably struggle to score enough to win many games, even with former D'Antoni first-mate Marc Iavaroni on the sidelines. The team should make some strides towards unraveling a snaggle of young point guards (Conley, Lowry, Crittenton), but it would really help if one of them could step forward this year, instead of wading around in the mediocrity pool as a group again, wearing floaties and having splash fights. I'm pulling for Lowry, personally, in terms of the on-court play, but I've got money on Crittenton in the splash fight.
New Orleans Hornets:
If you didn't watch much of Chris Paul last year, this may sound controversial, but it's really not: Chris Paul is the best point guard in the NBA. It's not even close, I promise. Steve Nash in 2006 gives him some competition for that title, but not the current version of Canada's favorite son, and not Deron Williams, who I love, and definitely not any of the Billups/Parker/Davis group. Paul runs this team like an all-time great entering his prime, which is exactly what he is. David West should take another small step forward this season (the guy's an offseason worker, no question), and the rest of this team is extremely solid. Chandler is a near all-star, and the perfect complement to Paul on both ends (great lob finisher, great at blocking shots when Paul gambles for a steal), and Peja is the floor spacer every great team needs in it's starting unit. He can carry this team for a quarter at a time if he's hot, and that's a huge asset from a third scorer. I've always loved Mo Pete, and not just because of this shot; if you can make this mix about your fifth best starter, your team is probably alright. James Posey will be great in New Orleans, defensively and as a threat you can't double off of down the stretch, and he's the guy you hate that champioship caliber teams always have. The bench is a little thin, though, for a team this good, with unproven big Hilton Armstrong first off the pine in the frontcourt, and questionable decision maker Mike James backing up Paul. Still, I think this team wins the west this year, I really do, beating out a stacked Lakers squad that will probably still knock these Hornets out of the playoffs.
San Antonio Spurs:
As a Suns fan, the Spurs have done very little over the last five years besides torment me, and win a few championships. Now, though, with this team beginning it's slip out of contention, I'm actually a little sad. I wanted to see the Spurs beaten, every year, on their terms, and that just didn't happen much this decade. I respected these jerks, and I respected them because many of them aren't jerks. You may hate the Tim Duncan face (I certainly do), and you may hate Robert Horry (so very much) and you must hate Bruce Bowen (easily the game's most despicably filthy player in my lifetime), but these guys are not bad guys off the court, and that made the hate a little purer, since it was just basketball. Except for Bowen, maybe, whose incredibly poor sportsmanship transcends even this type of thing, I wouldn't mind having these guys on my team. All that aside, we should talk about where this team is now, and if the end is really as nigh as that obituary makes it seem. The Spurs will still be good this year; really good, probably. Tim Duncan And Tony Parker are more than capable of picking up the scoring slack until Manu comes back (December, they think), and the supporting cast know their roles and buy into Popavich's system. That's a great recipe right there, one that wins a lot of games (I'm guessing a shade above 50), but the problems are post-season oriented. This team doesn't match up well against the new kids on the block (Lakers, Hornets), and I don't think a crafty and experienced roster will be enough to buy that edge back. You may be thinking at this point, "Hey, Nate. That sure sounds like a mix of bullheap and wishful thinking, and maybe you should remember that it's an odd year, and that Tim is still the league's best power forward, and Tony Parker keeps getting better, and Manu will wreck most teams when he's healthy, and shouldn't other teams be worrying about matching up with that? Plus, Popavich! You're terrible at this!" You probably went on, but I'm going to cut you off there, because you might be right. But man, Bruce Bowen sucks, doesn't he?
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
NBA Preview: Western Conference, Pacific Division
Golden State Warriors:
I had a scooter, a Honda Elite 80, and I loved that little guy, so I understand what happened to Monta Ellis. These headlines, however, have to be some of the funniest in recent NBA memory, even if the fallout is unfortunate. Without the speedy and high-flying Ellis (and departed free agent Baron Davis), Golden State is extremely thin at point guard, which isn't going to make Don Nelson happy once things get rolling. He's already admitted he doesn't much care for the youth movement, or this young roster in particular, and that could be a problem as the year rolls on. I was surprised to this week that he agreed to an extension, but he has earned it, whether you like his goofy lineup choices or his shoot first offensive schemes or not. Under Nelson, Baron Davis turned out two career seasons, as did left-for-dead Stephen Jackson, who has recovered nicely from numerous incidents in Indiana. Among the players who will suffer from the extended stay are Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf, both of which would benefit from a more traditional lineup approach. Biedrins in particular could use some more time on the floor, where's he's improved consistently over the course of his career. I expect Stephen Jackson to slide down to the point guard spot, with Azubuike and Maggette on the wings, and for this team to struggle mightily. Maggette, on the other hand, will celebrate his newfound freedom by averaging career highs across the board. Keep an eye on young Brandan Wright, who could break in this year, and watch for the last chance of Marcus Williams, who can't afford to let this opportunity pass him by. I'd like to see this team play well this year, but I don't think it's gonna happen.
Los Angeles Clippers:
The Clippers are a strange team; not rebuilding, filled with veterans, very few role players or dirty workers, probably not making the playoffs--this is a bad combination in the NBA. I could be wrong, though, at least about the playoff thing, because if Baron Davis (graceful, charming, a little chubby sometimes) and Marcus Camby can stay healthy, and energize their teammates into playing over their heads on defense, then this team probably threatens to sneak in as the eight seed. The problem is, that last sentence sounded ridiculous even as I wrote it. Camby has averaged 58 games a year over the course of his career, and Baron Davis is only a little better at 67 games a year. The good news is that last year was a career year (in terms of health) for both players, when they combined to miss only 3 games between them. If they do go down for a stretch, though, it exposes this team's biggest weakness, which is its stunning lack of depth. Long forgotten Jason Hart will back up Davis, while shoot first, shoot later retreads Ricky Davis and Tim Thomas will get significant minutes for a team that will already struggle to find shots for all the principals. Besides Davis and Camby, who both consider themselves scorers, the talented and efficient Chris Kaman needs touches, and Cuttino Mobley is a little one dimensional (in favor of shooting, predictably) too. The team's primary young talent, rookie Eric Gordon is, well...I'll let David Thorpe tell it:
Los Angeles Lakers:
It's hard to root for a team that just manufactures drama on a national scale the way the Lakers do, but the recent Lamar Odom jabber won't affect this team's season aspirations in any significant way. This Lakers team is primed for another deep playoff run, and along the way they'll get to sort out some issues, and one of those is Odom. Most other teams would kill for a problem as simple as how to get more production from such a talented player in an already stacked lineup, but, well, this is LA, and these are the Lakers. The other one I'm sick of talking about is the Gasol/Bynum co-existence question, which will just have to sort itself out. I imagine it will, although Gasol's production may drop off a bit in the meantime, which will have more to do with sharing shots than with decreased efficiency. Kobe returns from the gold medal run with an awful lot of mileage on his legs in the last year, so hopefully Phil Jackson will convince him to limit himself a little, to scale back his involvement on offense a titch, and save a little something for spring. Cutting his minutes would certainly help, but in the thick of the season it's hard for competitors like Phil and Kobe to keep that perspective. Jordan Farmar gets a year older, but he'll split time with Derek Fisher, who is unfortunately also a year older. The Machine, though he's a (highly) questionable decision maker, will provide some scoring and grit off the bench, and Luke Walton is a useful player in spurts, but I expect Trevor Ariza to rise into the rotation, because he's a player who wants to be out there without the ball, and championship-caliber teams need those guys. I've got New Orleans nipping this team in the regular season, but the Lakers will be the toughest out in the western conference playoffs.
Phoenix Suns:
This may be the only team in the league I'm incapable of evaluating without a veneer of objectivity. Since Mike D'Antoni arrived in Phoenix, the Suns have been the joy of basketball personified for me. Unfortunately, those days are gone, as Terry Porter will preach defense and a much slower offensive approach. I suspect he'll even call plays from the sidelines, which actually makes me a little bit sad to think about. He is talking about holding Shaq out on the second night of back to backs, which will benefit both Shaq and Boris Diaw, who will finally need to find a way to be effective with Amare on the court. Diaw was always at his best alongside Marion in the frontcourt, where Diaw could work the high post and control the ball, but that's one of Amare's favorite spots too. Porter will probably make them share, and encourage Amare to work with his back to the basket more often, which sounds as boring as it is. Expect a number of awkward half hooks, a few of which will be followed by thunderous put back dunks. Really, I'm not fit to write any kind of review about this team, because anything I come up with is going to come out like a eulogy. Matt Barnes was a good pick-up, Nash, though he's on the decline, will still be very, very good, and Amare will have an excellent season. I hope Grant Hill stays healthy, I doubt Shaq will, and the Suns win, say, 49 games. I loved him as a player, and then as an analyst, but I loathe him as an executive. Sorry this one doesn't have links, but I'm not ready to watch old highlights yet.
Sacramento Kings:
The Kings finally kicked off the rebuilding process last season by moving Mike Bibby to the Hawks, and then Ron Artest to the Rockets in the off-season. Not much came back from these deals in terms of useful parts, but future flexibility is what this team needed, with the side story being a change in identity. Head coach Reggie Theus came off like an idiot at the beginning of his first year by confusing Kevin Martin for chopped liver:
I had a scooter, a Honda Elite 80, and I loved that little guy, so I understand what happened to Monta Ellis. These headlines, however, have to be some of the funniest in recent NBA memory, even if the fallout is unfortunate. Without the speedy and high-flying Ellis (and departed free agent Baron Davis), Golden State is extremely thin at point guard, which isn't going to make Don Nelson happy once things get rolling. He's already admitted he doesn't much care for the youth movement, or this young roster in particular, and that could be a problem as the year rolls on. I was surprised to this week that he agreed to an extension, but he has earned it, whether you like his goofy lineup choices or his shoot first offensive schemes or not. Under Nelson, Baron Davis turned out two career seasons, as did left-for-dead Stephen Jackson, who has recovered nicely from numerous incidents in Indiana. Among the players who will suffer from the extended stay are Andris Biedrins and Ronny Turiaf, both of which would benefit from a more traditional lineup approach. Biedrins in particular could use some more time on the floor, where's he's improved consistently over the course of his career. I expect Stephen Jackson to slide down to the point guard spot, with Azubuike and Maggette on the wings, and for this team to struggle mightily. Maggette, on the other hand, will celebrate his newfound freedom by averaging career highs across the board. Keep an eye on young Brandan Wright, who could break in this year, and watch for the last chance of Marcus Williams, who can't afford to let this opportunity pass him by. I'd like to see this team play well this year, but I don't think it's gonna happen.
Los Angeles Clippers:
The Clippers are a strange team; not rebuilding, filled with veterans, very few role players or dirty workers, probably not making the playoffs--this is a bad combination in the NBA. I could be wrong, though, at least about the playoff thing, because if Baron Davis (graceful, charming, a little chubby sometimes) and Marcus Camby can stay healthy, and energize their teammates into playing over their heads on defense, then this team probably threatens to sneak in as the eight seed. The problem is, that last sentence sounded ridiculous even as I wrote it. Camby has averaged 58 games a year over the course of his career, and Baron Davis is only a little better at 67 games a year. The good news is that last year was a career year (in terms of health) for both players, when they combined to miss only 3 games between them. If they do go down for a stretch, though, it exposes this team's biggest weakness, which is its stunning lack of depth. Long forgotten Jason Hart will back up Davis, while shoot first, shoot later retreads Ricky Davis and Tim Thomas will get significant minutes for a team that will already struggle to find shots for all the principals. Besides Davis and Camby, who both consider themselves scorers, the talented and efficient Chris Kaman needs touches, and Cuttino Mobley is a little one dimensional (in favor of shooting, predictably) too. The team's primary young talent, rookie Eric Gordon is, well...I'll let David Thorpe tell it:
The Clippers will utilize this scoring dynamo off the bench. He looks similar to Ben Gordon, not just in size and position but in how he can impact games. While he often looks to shoot -- he is far from knowledgeable about the term "good shot" -- it is his slashing talent that could earn him a future Sixth Man award. He is tough to stay in front of, and has the strength to finish at the rim among bigs and contact.Sigh. Sounds fun, really, on a different team, but this team is a bad home for this particular skill set. The Clippers might outscore some teams on some nights, but they won't out-work or out-hustle anybody, and that's the recipe for a losing record.
Los Angeles Lakers:
It's hard to root for a team that just manufactures drama on a national scale the way the Lakers do, but the recent Lamar Odom jabber won't affect this team's season aspirations in any significant way. This Lakers team is primed for another deep playoff run, and along the way they'll get to sort out some issues, and one of those is Odom. Most other teams would kill for a problem as simple as how to get more production from such a talented player in an already stacked lineup, but, well, this is LA, and these are the Lakers. The other one I'm sick of talking about is the Gasol/Bynum co-existence question, which will just have to sort itself out. I imagine it will, although Gasol's production may drop off a bit in the meantime, which will have more to do with sharing shots than with decreased efficiency. Kobe returns from the gold medal run with an awful lot of mileage on his legs in the last year, so hopefully Phil Jackson will convince him to limit himself a little, to scale back his involvement on offense a titch, and save a little something for spring. Cutting his minutes would certainly help, but in the thick of the season it's hard for competitors like Phil and Kobe to keep that perspective. Jordan Farmar gets a year older, but he'll split time with Derek Fisher, who is unfortunately also a year older. The Machine, though he's a (highly) questionable decision maker, will provide some scoring and grit off the bench, and Luke Walton is a useful player in spurts, but I expect Trevor Ariza to rise into the rotation, because he's a player who wants to be out there without the ball, and championship-caliber teams need those guys. I've got New Orleans nipping this team in the regular season, but the Lakers will be the toughest out in the western conference playoffs.
Phoenix Suns:
This may be the only team in the league I'm incapable of evaluating without a veneer of objectivity. Since Mike D'Antoni arrived in Phoenix, the Suns have been the joy of basketball personified for me. Unfortunately, those days are gone, as Terry Porter will preach defense and a much slower offensive approach. I suspect he'll even call plays from the sidelines, which actually makes me a little bit sad to think about. He is talking about holding Shaq out on the second night of back to backs, which will benefit both Shaq and Boris Diaw, who will finally need to find a way to be effective with Amare on the court. Diaw was always at his best alongside Marion in the frontcourt, where Diaw could work the high post and control the ball, but that's one of Amare's favorite spots too. Porter will probably make them share, and encourage Amare to work with his back to the basket more often, which sounds as boring as it is. Expect a number of awkward half hooks, a few of which will be followed by thunderous put back dunks. Really, I'm not fit to write any kind of review about this team, because anything I come up with is going to come out like a eulogy. Matt Barnes was a good pick-up, Nash, though he's on the decline, will still be very, very good, and Amare will have an excellent season. I hope Grant Hill stays healthy, I doubt Shaq will, and the Suns win, say, 49 games. I loved him as a player, and then as an analyst, but I loathe him as an executive. Sorry this one doesn't have links, but I'm not ready to watch old highlights yet.
Sacramento Kings:
The Kings finally kicked off the rebuilding process last season by moving Mike Bibby to the Hawks, and then Ron Artest to the Rockets in the off-season. Not much came back from these deals in terms of useful parts, but future flexibility is what this team needed, with the side story being a change in identity. Head coach Reggie Theus came off like an idiot at the beginning of his first year by confusing Kevin Martin for chopped liver:
Theus said one of the first things he's going to do is meet with Ron Artest and Mike Bibby.
"I want to find out from them how we make this work since it's their team," Theus said. "I'm the leader, but it's their team. I remember as a pro myself that I always liked it when the coach came to me to talk about how we can make it work.
"Both players are high-caliber players, and at this point in their careers how much are they willing to sacrifice? But before that, we have to start out with an identity and play a certain style to be successful," Theus said.
It was obvious even then that Martin was the necessary focal point of this team's offense, but Theus appeared to be a less than casual observer of this team. Kevin Martin, for his part, responded by averaging close to 24 points a game while remaining one of the league's most efficient scorers, although his defensive struggles have a been both a personal and team weak spot. Expect improvement out of the hard-working Martin, and hope last year wasn't a fluke for Udrih. John Salmons can put up numbers for a losing team (which this one certainly will be), and place holders Brad Miller and Kenny Thomas will be painfully average. This team should look much different by next year's tip-off, so for now, just enjoy that funky-dope jumper, and keep a close on Udrih for slippage.
Monday, October 27, 2008
NBA Preview: Eastern Conference, Southeast Division
Atlanta Hawks:
Al Horford, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Joe Johnson, and Mike Bibby; that's a decent line-up, a playoff caliber line-up. Horford is a beast despite being a little undersized at the five, but this team will protect the rim regardless, thanks to Josh Smith being a load of fun. The Armadillo Cowboy should have a bounceback year after his percentages fell in the 07-08 campaign, because this team, with trigger-happy Mike Bibby and improving slasher Marvin Williams, will have plenty of scorers to keep defenses honest. With all this working in their favor, why oh why do I have them missing the playoffs? Well, this is a bad bench. A terrible bench. Acie Law, Flip Murray, and Zaza "Baby Helicopter" Pachulia will get minutes, substantial ones, and that hurts a team. No, I'm not ready to give up on Acie Law, and I remember when Ray Allen went down in Seattle and Flip Murray scored like a man possessed, but for opposite reasons, neither of those two are consistent contributors right now. Blowing contract talks with Josh Childress in the off-season will come back to haunt this team. The Hawks also have serious chemistry concerns, in part because there's only so many shots to go around, but also because they just started printing J-Smooth dollars by the bundle in Atlanta and he and coach Mike Woodson have had their share of disagreements over the last two years, although both seem to be saying the right things after a recent fracas. I think the Hawks, a team that absolutely backed into the playoffs last season, ends up on the outside looking in this year, despite their strong Celtics series that eventually kicked off their summer vacations.
Charlotte Bobcats:
The seemingly inevitable MJ and Larry Brown pairing has finally become reality, and so far it ain't working. Mind you, this is before a single regular season game has been played, but Brown has already rumbled about his lineup, which is a story as old as the sun, making it just a few years younger than Larry Brown himself. Specifically, he doesn't think Sean May can help right now, and he's almost certainly right. Of course, he brought this on himself, by lobbying hard (and successfully) for DJ Augustin in the draft this year, even though promising and large Brook Lopez fell into their laps. Instead, the Nets scooped him up, and the Bobcats got way shorter. Jordan has continued to strike out (boo) as a basketball executive, by having absolutely nothing in place behind May, and very little in the way of useful veterans around. That list begins and ends with Nazr Mohammed, but he's a role player, and even Brown seems reluctant to commit starter's minutes to him. The Bobcats have maybe the weakest frontcourt in the NBA entering this season, and that's with the solid if undersized Emeka Okafor. Gerald Wallace, who I just learned suffered through a case of explosive amnesia last season due to concussion, is back, and healthy, and fun, but he can't lug this team to victory, and neither can Jason Richardson. In fact, this team is chock-full of players who haven't been able to win on the NBA level, although I usually feel that's more a matter of situation than character. Nevertheless, Brown does have a history of making winners out of teams in the short term, and whatever roster problems he has in Charlotte are infinitely more fixable than the one he failed to manage in New York. This team is a few solid moves away, though, from a playoff berth, and the upper management hasn't done much since the birth of this franchise to inspire confidence that those moves will happen.
Miami Heat:
Dwayne Wade is back to his old self, and that is great news if you're a Heat fan. This roster, although it's got some nice pieces, is a bit of a mess. Still, I can't see a healthy and extremely motivated Dwayne Wade missing the playoffs, and this may be a case where Wade sneaks into the MVP conversation if the Heat can get any kind of team thing going. It won't be easy, though, with Chris Quinn: Medicine Man and Mario "it wasn't me" Chalmers setting up the offense. This is the league's worst point guard tandem, but it doesn't stop there: the Heat will also roll out a terrible Center rotation every night. Mark Blount and (shudder) Jamal Magloire are awful options, but that's what new coach Eric Spoelstra will have to work with. It's hard to believe a team with four players that bad receiving minutes every night could finish at or even above .500, but then again, they have Dwayne Wade healthy and angry. Moving an undersized but gritty Udonis Haslem to the five could ease that pain a little, and get your four best players on the floor at once, but we're not exactly sure what type of coach Spoelstra is yet. Michael Busley Beasley should do some interesting work this year, and The Matrix has long been a personal favorite, although I see him as a likely candidate for odd man out on the offensive end, a role he's never handled well in the past; I liked this team a lot more before James Jones got hurt, but if he's back by December, this team will still have time to gel and make a run, or ship out some of those pieces (Marion or Haslem) for legit 1's or 5's. Either way, I look forward to watching the Olympic version of Wade for a full season, even if he has to ease off the throttle a little to keep his legs for 40 minutes a night.
Orlando Magic:
The Magic need Hedo Turkoglu to play that well again this season, or they turn into an also-ran that just happens to feature Dwight Howard. Dwight's a hell of a player, a terrifying monster on the boards and an intimidating rim protector, but he hasn't developed the post game that would allow Stan Van Gundy to build this offense around him. At least, he didn't have it last year, and I doubt he managed to squeeze that work in around a hectic olympic schedule and general conditioning work. That's why Hedo needs to be above average again this year; to keep taking pressure off, to confound defensive schemes designed to keep Dwight from getting the ball in dunking range, and to set up Rashard Lewis and newcomer Mickael Pietrus. That would be enough to make this team solid, but to really threaten in a (glad I can say this again) competitive Eastern conference, Rashard Lewis needs to assert himself the way he did in Seattle, and I think that's pretty likely. He's not worth that contract, of course, but he is a good offensive player entering his athletic prime, and Van Gundy may look to feature him a little more this year. I'm tempted to say that their success will also hinge on Jameer Nelson's growing up and into his role as a confident floor leader, but I've thought that the last few years too, and I'm bored with it. I like Courtney Lee, although he's a stretch to contribute this season, and Tony Battie might still be solid, and Adonal Foyle, is, well, a poet.
Washington Wizards:
The internet's favorite team (and the league's best covered locker room) is up for another frustrating, injury-cursed season in 08-09, but you just can't give up hope that Agent Zero gets his body right again, because he's just too much fun on the court. That said, the Wizards have proven themselves to be a playoff caliber team without him, and I think they repeat that feat this year even without the much improved (but injured) Brendan Haywood clogging the lane. Etan Thomas will be back and in shape this year, and he'll soak up some minutes, but how good this team can be will depend on the consistency of production from youngster Dre Blatche, who will apparently see time at the center this year. He could use some bulking up, sure, but he's a talented young player in a good atmosphere, and he may use this opportunity to break in and establish himself right now. Caron Butler stepped way up last year, and that was no fluke; the super consistent Antawn Jamison will keep providing solid minutes on both ends. The great thing about Jamison is the way he scores; watch him for a quarter or two, and you'll probably catch him squirting up a strange seeming shot or three that just finds the net on its own. DeShawn "Mr. Fifty" Stevenson and Antonio Daniels round out the starting lineup, but their depth is really hurt by their injuries, and by the loss of Roger Mason. Nick Young will have to improve his production this season for this team's second unit to stay productive. Hustle back, Hibachi.
Al Horford, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Joe Johnson, and Mike Bibby; that's a decent line-up, a playoff caliber line-up. Horford is a beast despite being a little undersized at the five, but this team will protect the rim regardless, thanks to Josh Smith being a load of fun. The Armadillo Cowboy should have a bounceback year after his percentages fell in the 07-08 campaign, because this team, with trigger-happy Mike Bibby and improving slasher Marvin Williams, will have plenty of scorers to keep defenses honest. With all this working in their favor, why oh why do I have them missing the playoffs? Well, this is a bad bench. A terrible bench. Acie Law, Flip Murray, and Zaza "Baby Helicopter" Pachulia will get minutes, substantial ones, and that hurts a team. No, I'm not ready to give up on Acie Law, and I remember when Ray Allen went down in Seattle and Flip Murray scored like a man possessed, but for opposite reasons, neither of those two are consistent contributors right now. Blowing contract talks with Josh Childress in the off-season will come back to haunt this team. The Hawks also have serious chemistry concerns, in part because there's only so many shots to go around, but also because they just started printing J-Smooth dollars by the bundle in Atlanta and he and coach Mike Woodson have had their share of disagreements over the last two years, although both seem to be saying the right things after a recent fracas. I think the Hawks, a team that absolutely backed into the playoffs last season, ends up on the outside looking in this year, despite their strong Celtics series that eventually kicked off their summer vacations.
Charlotte Bobcats:
The seemingly inevitable MJ and Larry Brown pairing has finally become reality, and so far it ain't working. Mind you, this is before a single regular season game has been played, but Brown has already rumbled about his lineup, which is a story as old as the sun, making it just a few years younger than Larry Brown himself. Specifically, he doesn't think Sean May can help right now, and he's almost certainly right. Of course, he brought this on himself, by lobbying hard (and successfully) for DJ Augustin in the draft this year, even though promising and large Brook Lopez fell into their laps. Instead, the Nets scooped him up, and the Bobcats got way shorter. Jordan has continued to strike out (boo) as a basketball executive, by having absolutely nothing in place behind May, and very little in the way of useful veterans around. That list begins and ends with Nazr Mohammed, but he's a role player, and even Brown seems reluctant to commit starter's minutes to him. The Bobcats have maybe the weakest frontcourt in the NBA entering this season, and that's with the solid if undersized Emeka Okafor. Gerald Wallace, who I just learned suffered through a case of explosive amnesia last season due to concussion, is back, and healthy, and fun, but he can't lug this team to victory, and neither can Jason Richardson. In fact, this team is chock-full of players who haven't been able to win on the NBA level, although I usually feel that's more a matter of situation than character. Nevertheless, Brown does have a history of making winners out of teams in the short term, and whatever roster problems he has in Charlotte are infinitely more fixable than the one he failed to manage in New York. This team is a few solid moves away, though, from a playoff berth, and the upper management hasn't done much since the birth of this franchise to inspire confidence that those moves will happen.
Miami Heat:
Dwayne Wade is back to his old self, and that is great news if you're a Heat fan. This roster, although it's got some nice pieces, is a bit of a mess. Still, I can't see a healthy and extremely motivated Dwayne Wade missing the playoffs, and this may be a case where Wade sneaks into the MVP conversation if the Heat can get any kind of team thing going. It won't be easy, though, with Chris Quinn: Medicine Man and Mario "it wasn't me" Chalmers setting up the offense. This is the league's worst point guard tandem, but it doesn't stop there: the Heat will also roll out a terrible Center rotation every night. Mark Blount and (shudder) Jamal Magloire are awful options, but that's what new coach Eric Spoelstra will have to work with. It's hard to believe a team with four players that bad receiving minutes every night could finish at or even above .500, but then again, they have Dwayne Wade healthy and angry. Moving an undersized but gritty Udonis Haslem to the five could ease that pain a little, and get your four best players on the floor at once, but we're not exactly sure what type of coach Spoelstra is yet. Michael Busley Beasley should do some interesting work this year, and The Matrix has long been a personal favorite, although I see him as a likely candidate for odd man out on the offensive end, a role he's never handled well in the past; I liked this team a lot more before James Jones got hurt, but if he's back by December, this team will still have time to gel and make a run, or ship out some of those pieces (Marion or Haslem) for legit 1's or 5's. Either way, I look forward to watching the Olympic version of Wade for a full season, even if he has to ease off the throttle a little to keep his legs for 40 minutes a night.
Orlando Magic:
The Magic need Hedo Turkoglu to play that well again this season, or they turn into an also-ran that just happens to feature Dwight Howard. Dwight's a hell of a player, a terrifying monster on the boards and an intimidating rim protector, but he hasn't developed the post game that would allow Stan Van Gundy to build this offense around him. At least, he didn't have it last year, and I doubt he managed to squeeze that work in around a hectic olympic schedule and general conditioning work. That's why Hedo needs to be above average again this year; to keep taking pressure off, to confound defensive schemes designed to keep Dwight from getting the ball in dunking range, and to set up Rashard Lewis and newcomer Mickael Pietrus. That would be enough to make this team solid, but to really threaten in a (glad I can say this again) competitive Eastern conference, Rashard Lewis needs to assert himself the way he did in Seattle, and I think that's pretty likely. He's not worth that contract, of course, but he is a good offensive player entering his athletic prime, and Van Gundy may look to feature him a little more this year. I'm tempted to say that their success will also hinge on Jameer Nelson's growing up and into his role as a confident floor leader, but I've thought that the last few years too, and I'm bored with it. I like Courtney Lee, although he's a stretch to contribute this season, and Tony Battie might still be solid, and Adonal Foyle, is, well, a poet.
Washington Wizards:
The internet's favorite team (and the league's best covered locker room) is up for another frustrating, injury-cursed season in 08-09, but you just can't give up hope that Agent Zero gets his body right again, because he's just too much fun on the court. That said, the Wizards have proven themselves to be a playoff caliber team without him, and I think they repeat that feat this year even without the much improved (but injured) Brendan Haywood clogging the lane. Etan Thomas will be back and in shape this year, and he'll soak up some minutes, but how good this team can be will depend on the consistency of production from youngster Dre Blatche, who will apparently see time at the center this year. He could use some bulking up, sure, but he's a talented young player in a good atmosphere, and he may use this opportunity to break in and establish himself right now. Caron Butler stepped way up last year, and that was no fluke; the super consistent Antawn Jamison will keep providing solid minutes on both ends. The great thing about Jamison is the way he scores; watch him for a quarter or two, and you'll probably catch him squirting up a strange seeming shot or three that just finds the net on its own. DeShawn "Mr. Fifty" Stevenson and Antonio Daniels round out the starting lineup, but their depth is really hurt by their injuries, and by the loss of Roger Mason. Nick Young will have to improve his production this season for this team's second unit to stay productive. Hustle back, Hibachi.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
NBA Previews: Eastern Conference, Central Division
Chicago Bulls:
Derrick Rose scored thirty points in a preseason comeback against Dallas last week, and it changed the way I'll watch the Bulls this year. He did the majority of his work in that game in the 4th quarter, with a series of explosive drives, nice finishes, and floaters just outside the paint (watch that here). He has shown flashes, already, of being an all-star caliber player, and in my haste to defend my now fragile heart from disappointment, I've been reminding myself daily that point guards, even the best of them, take time to develop. I thought about Deron Williams' rookie season, and how he seemed to undulate between decent and lost on the floor, and how he found his game in his second season, and how patience would be key in watching Rose and the Bulls struggle to find an identity. But you know what? Forget it. Rose will make some mistakes, sure, but he'll also make some grown men look foolish out there, because he's a dazzling NBA talent right now. I've been whining about the fact that this will be (essentially) our tenth straight rebuilding year, but the truth is that Rose will eventually be the best player we've had in the post Jordan era, our first A.J. all-star, and I get to watch him play all the time. To alleviate any further fears that Rose will be unable to contribute as a rookie and a point guard, here's a quick list of some of the point guards taken with a top five draft pick in the last ten years, and how their rookie years looked on paper.
As for the rest of the Bulls, I'm high on Noah, Ty Thomas, Ben Gordon, and Luol Deng, and low on Nocioni and Drew Gooden (neither of whom understand their own skills), and through the basement on Larry Hughes. I've been a Thabo supporter in the past, but he's turning into a bit of a chucker as well, which doesn't play to his skills (defense and...defense?), and Hinrich, well...that's tough. On this page, you'll see the experts at ESPN call him "the league's most underrated" point guard, and that was only last year. It's hard to imagine his skills eroding that quickly and inexplicably, so the problem has to be mental, right? A change of scenery might be best at this point. The jury is still out on Vinny from Black, who got off to a bad start with me just by not being Mike D'Antoni. Okay, yeah, I've got the Bulls in at the tenth slot in the East, and missing the playoffs, but secretly? You know that I think they're the 8th seed, which is a fair indication of how far we fell last year. This time last year, I had them in for a conservative 50 win season.
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Lebron James believes this is the best team assembled during his time in Cleveland, and I'm inclined to agree, but how much is that saying, really? The Mike Brown Cavs have been, when James is off the floor, one of (if not the most) unwatchable team in the league. Thankfully, James hardly ever sits down, and that rarely seems to affect him. No doubt about it: this will be a ridiculous Lebron James year, one in which he will clearly be the game's most dominant force. It's hard to bet against that, but I've got them at 4, so I guess I did to some extent. Ilgauskas has been a nice piece for them for a while, but he's got a lot of mileage on a pretty ridiculous frame, and I'm not convinced he matches last year's production. I like Varejao as a good team's third big men, so that checks out okay, but Wallace is a millstone at the power forward, both on your payroll and your offensive efficiency. I loved Detroit's Ben Wallace for being so great despite being so flawed, but it was clear in Chicago that he isn't that player anymore, no matter what Chauncey Billups says. The Cavs appear to be sky-high on Darnell Jackson, but I doubt he'll be ready to step in and play big minutes in his rookie season. Pavlovic and West are absolutely average at the two, and Daniel Gibson will drive you nuts with his inconsistency, but all those players would benefit from more open floor basketball. Enter Mo Williams, the Cavs fancy new point guard, who is the only thing that makes this team better than the previous incarnations. Williams is a gunner, but he shouldn't have any problems deferring to James, who will do the majority of the playmaking on this team anyway, and he gives the Cavs something critical: a player who can beat his man on the perimeter. James hasn't played with a single of those on the NBA level, and Mo's ability to unsettle defenses and cause some havoc with the ball will allow Lebron to catch the ball on the move occasionally, without the defense set, and that should do wonders for his ability to get clean looks moving towards the hoop. This is a really, really mediocre team, above average at only 2 positions (apologies to an aging big Z), that might still end up in the finals, and that right there is the terrifying skill of Lebron James.
Detroit Pistons:
I've got the relatively uninteresting Pistons holding steady at number two in the east. I flirted briefly and awkwardly with the idea of moving them into the first slot, but mostly on the hunch that Boston fails to stay healthy for a full season. In the end, it seemed like a silly thing to guess at, since Detroit houses its own fair share of aging veterans. The Pistons return with the same core for the new season that failed to reach the Finals in the last few go rounds, despite plenty of speculation that GM Joe Dumars would finally blow this thing up. He didn't, and this was probably a wise move, since this team still harbors legitimate title dreams. The best part of having such a competent GM, though, is that even as the window on this starting unit is closing, the second unit is chock full of talented young players to surround Tayshaun Prince with when the time comes to rebuild. Rare is the team that can reload for the future without sinking into the lottery for a couple years, but early indications seem to suggest that the Pistons are that team. Keep an eye on Stuckey and Maxiell in particular. I think moving McDyess back to the bench in favor of Amir Johnson will pay dividends for this team, and I also expect this team to benefit from the fresh blood infusion of new head coach Michael Curry, even though I'm inclined to agree with Kelly Dwyer about Flip Saunders. Regardless, as long as things are going well, this is a team with good chemistry and talented players, and if they roll at the right time, it's easy to imagine this team back in the finals.
Indiana Pacers:
I'd always held a hope in my heart that TJ Ford would get dealt to Phoenix (this was, of course, before Phoenix got ruined) while Nash was still there, and maybe pick up or pointer or two, while becoming the future point guard of the NBA's premier run n' fun team. Obviously, Ford is not Steve Nash, nor will he ever be, but his blazing speed and creativity would have made him an appealing (and, because of his injury history, affordable) option to keep Marion and Amare in the open court through 2012 or so. Obviously, that isn't happening, but Jim O'Brien's first-to-120-wins gameplan could be the next best thing for Ford fans. Ford's only real strengths are his ability to penetrate, and his ability to push the ball and create fast breaks, and this team's many three point chuckers should benefit from that, either on fades on the break or on drive and kick sets in the halfcourt. Troy Murphy, particularly, is a pretty one dimensional player offensively who could see an increased role as a floor spacer. If Danny Granger can continue to improve, and Mike Dunleavy Jr. can repeat last year's "maybe I'm not such a huge bust after all" performance, this team could make a surprise run at the playoffs. Unfortunately for my neighbors to the east, I'm not sure how likely those things are. I suspect Granger has peaked, or pulled close to it, and while he may not be an all-star talent, a versatile scorer and above average defender is nothing to turn your nose up at. I hope I'm wrong, and his ceiling is still a ways up, but time's gonna have to tell on that one. Jarret Jack will make a solid back-up for the injury-prone Ford, and I've heard word that Marquis Daniels showed up to camp with a jumper this year, which would make him a serviceable player. I like the finally post-brawl Pacers in spite of their parts, really, though they're a long shot to make any noise in the east.
Milwaukee Bucks:
When Scott Skiles is back in the United Center for the Bulls home opener, I'm going to feel a little nostalgic. Yeah, the team tuned him out, and he jerked the young guys around more than was fair or effective, but he brought a defensive attitude to those Bulls' teams that had them among the league's most efficient stoppers. In Milwaukee, Skiles will start and end his game plan with defense again, but I'm not sure he'll have much success with his current roster. While the Bucks boast a few nice pieces, they also start three terrible defenders: Redd, Ridnour, and Villanueva. Jefferson can be an above average defender when motivated, and I suspect the same is true of Bogut, but even a motivated Ridnour isn't stopping many of this league's starting point guards, and Michael Redd tends to play soft against opposing scorers, even though he has the size to (theoretically) match up. Skiles could surprise again, of course, and prove that defense, even on the NBA level, is a matter of effort and focus, but I doubt that's what we'll see from this Bucks squad. On offense, I expect to Bogut to improve, and Villanueva to contribute from all over, and Michael Redd to fling at a decent percentage, but Richard Jefferson could be unhappy with his role. He played third fiddle to Carter and Kidd in Jersey like a good soldier, but this team has a lot of guys who want their shots, and none of them are appreciably more talented than RJ. I expect this team to lose a bunch this year, and maybe swing a few deals to put together a more complementary team. In the meantime, I know I'm not alone when I call for guaranteed minutes for last year's late-season surprise Ramon Sessions, at least to see what the youngster is capable of in the long haul.
Derrick Rose scored thirty points in a preseason comeback against Dallas last week, and it changed the way I'll watch the Bulls this year. He did the majority of his work in that game in the 4th quarter, with a series of explosive drives, nice finishes, and floaters just outside the paint (watch that here). He has shown flashes, already, of being an all-star caliber player, and in my haste to defend my now fragile heart from disappointment, I've been reminding myself daily that point guards, even the best of them, take time to develop. I thought about Deron Williams' rookie season, and how he seemed to undulate between decent and lost on the floor, and how he found his game in his second season, and how patience would be key in watching Rose and the Bulls struggle to find an identity. But you know what? Forget it. Rose will make some mistakes, sure, but he'll also make some grown men look foolish out there, because he's a dazzling NBA talent right now. I've been whining about the fact that this will be (essentially) our tenth straight rebuilding year, but the truth is that Rose will eventually be the best player we've had in the post Jordan era, our first A.J. all-star, and I get to watch him play all the time. To alleviate any further fears that Rose will be unable to contribute as a rookie and a point guard, here's a quick list of some of the point guards taken with a top five draft pick in the last ten years, and how their rookie years looked on paper.
- Michael Conley (drafted 4th overall, 2007) 9.4 ppg, 4.2 apg, 2.6 rpg
- Deron Williams (drafted 3rd overall, 2005) 15.3 ppg, 8.1 apg, 2.1 rpg
- Chris Paul (drafted 4th overall, 2005) 18.5 ppg, 9.5 apg, 4.5 rpg
- Raymond Felton (drafted 5th overall, 2005) 13.4 ppg, 6.6 apg, 3.2 rpg
- Shaun Livingston (drafted 4th overall, 2004) 7.4 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3.1 rpg
- Devin Harris (drafted 5th overall, 2004) 10 ppg, 3.7 apg, 2.2 rpg
- Jay Williams (drafted 2nd overall, 2002) 9.5 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.6 rpg
- Baron Davis (drafted 3rd overall, 1999) 17.1 ppg, 7.2 apg, 4.1 rpg
- Mike Bibby (drafted 2nd overall, 1998) 16.6 ppg, 6.2 apg, 3.3 rpg
As for the rest of the Bulls, I'm high on Noah, Ty Thomas, Ben Gordon, and Luol Deng, and low on Nocioni and Drew Gooden (neither of whom understand their own skills), and through the basement on Larry Hughes. I've been a Thabo supporter in the past, but he's turning into a bit of a chucker as well, which doesn't play to his skills (defense and...defense?), and Hinrich, well...that's tough. On this page, you'll see the experts at ESPN call him "the league's most underrated" point guard, and that was only last year. It's hard to imagine his skills eroding that quickly and inexplicably, so the problem has to be mental, right? A change of scenery might be best at this point. The jury is still out on Vinny from Black, who got off to a bad start with me just by not being Mike D'Antoni. Okay, yeah, I've got the Bulls in at the tenth slot in the East, and missing the playoffs, but secretly? You know that I think they're the 8th seed, which is a fair indication of how far we fell last year. This time last year, I had them in for a conservative 50 win season.
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Lebron James believes this is the best team assembled during his time in Cleveland, and I'm inclined to agree, but how much is that saying, really? The Mike Brown Cavs have been, when James is off the floor, one of (if not the most) unwatchable team in the league. Thankfully, James hardly ever sits down, and that rarely seems to affect him. No doubt about it: this will be a ridiculous Lebron James year, one in which he will clearly be the game's most dominant force. It's hard to bet against that, but I've got them at 4, so I guess I did to some extent. Ilgauskas has been a nice piece for them for a while, but he's got a lot of mileage on a pretty ridiculous frame, and I'm not convinced he matches last year's production. I like Varejao as a good team's third big men, so that checks out okay, but Wallace is a millstone at the power forward, both on your payroll and your offensive efficiency. I loved Detroit's Ben Wallace for being so great despite being so flawed, but it was clear in Chicago that he isn't that player anymore, no matter what Chauncey Billups says. The Cavs appear to be sky-high on Darnell Jackson, but I doubt he'll be ready to step in and play big minutes in his rookie season. Pavlovic and West are absolutely average at the two, and Daniel Gibson will drive you nuts with his inconsistency, but all those players would benefit from more open floor basketball. Enter Mo Williams, the Cavs fancy new point guard, who is the only thing that makes this team better than the previous incarnations. Williams is a gunner, but he shouldn't have any problems deferring to James, who will do the majority of the playmaking on this team anyway, and he gives the Cavs something critical: a player who can beat his man on the perimeter. James hasn't played with a single of those on the NBA level, and Mo's ability to unsettle defenses and cause some havoc with the ball will allow Lebron to catch the ball on the move occasionally, without the defense set, and that should do wonders for his ability to get clean looks moving towards the hoop. This is a really, really mediocre team, above average at only 2 positions (apologies to an aging big Z), that might still end up in the finals, and that right there is the terrifying skill of Lebron James.
Detroit Pistons:
I've got the relatively uninteresting Pistons holding steady at number two in the east. I flirted briefly and awkwardly with the idea of moving them into the first slot, but mostly on the hunch that Boston fails to stay healthy for a full season. In the end, it seemed like a silly thing to guess at, since Detroit houses its own fair share of aging veterans. The Pistons return with the same core for the new season that failed to reach the Finals in the last few go rounds, despite plenty of speculation that GM Joe Dumars would finally blow this thing up. He didn't, and this was probably a wise move, since this team still harbors legitimate title dreams. The best part of having such a competent GM, though, is that even as the window on this starting unit is closing, the second unit is chock full of talented young players to surround Tayshaun Prince with when the time comes to rebuild. Rare is the team that can reload for the future without sinking into the lottery for a couple years, but early indications seem to suggest that the Pistons are that team. Keep an eye on Stuckey and Maxiell in particular. I think moving McDyess back to the bench in favor of Amir Johnson will pay dividends for this team, and I also expect this team to benefit from the fresh blood infusion of new head coach Michael Curry, even though I'm inclined to agree with Kelly Dwyer about Flip Saunders. Regardless, as long as things are going well, this is a team with good chemistry and talented players, and if they roll at the right time, it's easy to imagine this team back in the finals.
Indiana Pacers:
I'd always held a hope in my heart that TJ Ford would get dealt to Phoenix (this was, of course, before Phoenix got ruined) while Nash was still there, and maybe pick up or pointer or two, while becoming the future point guard of the NBA's premier run n' fun team. Obviously, Ford is not Steve Nash, nor will he ever be, but his blazing speed and creativity would have made him an appealing (and, because of his injury history, affordable) option to keep Marion and Amare in the open court through 2012 or so. Obviously, that isn't happening, but Jim O'Brien's first-to-120-wins gameplan could be the next best thing for Ford fans. Ford's only real strengths are his ability to penetrate, and his ability to push the ball and create fast breaks, and this team's many three point chuckers should benefit from that, either on fades on the break or on drive and kick sets in the halfcourt. Troy Murphy, particularly, is a pretty one dimensional player offensively who could see an increased role as a floor spacer. If Danny Granger can continue to improve, and Mike Dunleavy Jr. can repeat last year's "maybe I'm not such a huge bust after all" performance, this team could make a surprise run at the playoffs. Unfortunately for my neighbors to the east, I'm not sure how likely those things are. I suspect Granger has peaked, or pulled close to it, and while he may not be an all-star talent, a versatile scorer and above average defender is nothing to turn your nose up at. I hope I'm wrong, and his ceiling is still a ways up, but time's gonna have to tell on that one. Jarret Jack will make a solid back-up for the injury-prone Ford, and I've heard word that Marquis Daniels showed up to camp with a jumper this year, which would make him a serviceable player. I like the finally post-brawl Pacers in spite of their parts, really, though they're a long shot to make any noise in the east.
Milwaukee Bucks:
When Scott Skiles is back in the United Center for the Bulls home opener, I'm going to feel a little nostalgic. Yeah, the team tuned him out, and he jerked the young guys around more than was fair or effective, but he brought a defensive attitude to those Bulls' teams that had them among the league's most efficient stoppers. In Milwaukee, Skiles will start and end his game plan with defense again, but I'm not sure he'll have much success with his current roster. While the Bucks boast a few nice pieces, they also start three terrible defenders: Redd, Ridnour, and Villanueva. Jefferson can be an above average defender when motivated, and I suspect the same is true of Bogut, but even a motivated Ridnour isn't stopping many of this league's starting point guards, and Michael Redd tends to play soft against opposing scorers, even though he has the size to (theoretically) match up. Skiles could surprise again, of course, and prove that defense, even on the NBA level, is a matter of effort and focus, but I doubt that's what we'll see from this Bucks squad. On offense, I expect to Bogut to improve, and Villanueva to contribute from all over, and Michael Redd to fling at a decent percentage, but Richard Jefferson could be unhappy with his role. He played third fiddle to Carter and Kidd in Jersey like a good soldier, but this team has a lot of guys who want their shots, and none of them are appreciably more talented than RJ. I expect this team to lose a bunch this year, and maybe swing a few deals to put together a more complementary team. In the meantime, I know I'm not alone when I call for guaranteed minutes for last year's late-season surprise Ramon Sessions, at least to see what the youngster is capable of in the long haul.
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