Monday, January 29, 2007

Random Thoughts from the Weekend

1. So I was at both Cavs-Suns games... ouch.

2. After the game James was roasted. This would be much cooler if the Cavs were playing well and LeBron was playing well (or making over 70% of the free throws). That being said, I do hope there's video somewhere; especially of Ralphie May telling Damon Jones to "get on the bench where you're used to sitting".

3. James aggravated his toe injury during the fourth quarter of the aforementioned Suns loss. He'll probably sit out the Golden State and Charlotte games but be back for Miami.

4. I guess the Suns really wanted Drew Gooden:
If the Suns would've had their way, Drew Gooden would've been in Phoenix this season. Liking his rebounding and overall offensive efficiency, the Suns made a serious bid for Gooden when he was a free agent last summer. The Suns were just unable to offer the Cavs a package that could make a sign-and-trade work.

At one point, Gooden said they made a mock-up electronic poster with him in a Suns jersey under the banner ``The missing piece to a championship.''

``They were in it to the end,'' said Gooden, who ended up signing a three-year deal worth $20 million with the Cavs.

5. "The missing piece to a championship"?? Really? Drew Gooden? Missing Piece? I'm surprised we didn't hear any about this over the offseason.

6. Let's trade Gooden for Barbosa!

7. In all seriousness, he'd probably thrive with the Suns; he'd hit the open jumpers, run around and not have to worry too much about defense (not that he does here...). He'd be a cog there, whereas here the Cavs actually have to rely on him.

8. Not good:

"We need to run more," he [Larry Hughes] said. "Our identity is not as a defensive team. It is to get out and push the ball down the court. That's obviously how we've been more successful. The wins and losses show it when we're in the attack mode.

"Trying to call us a defensive team when we need to put the ball in the basket is not what we need."

9. It's pretty great that Hughes is bitching about the offense and says that they aren't a defensive team after the game he played against the Suns: 3-13, terrible defense and 0 rebounds; a complete non-factor.

10. It's not a good sign that the players are openly bitching about the offense. I do agree that Brown focussed a bit too much on defense (or ignores the offensive problems), but you can't have Brown talk about the Cavs getting back to defensive basics and then have your starting 2-guard say that you aren't a defensive team.

11. From the newly created 'I Detest Larry Hughes' blog:
When you go 3-13, 1-4 from beyond the arc, 0-0 FT, and collect 0 rebounds in 39 minutes, you may want to just shut the fuck up and stare at the wall.
12. I do disagree with the blog's second post, about signing Joe Johnson instead of Hughes. He says the Cavs should've traded two first round picks ('06 and '08) for Johnson (because the Suns gave up 2 first rounders and Boris Diaw). The problem was that the Cavs didn't have the draft picks to trade; yes the Cavs did have a first rounder last year and they do have one in '08 but that's because you aren't allowed to trade your first round picks for consecutive drafts (you can't go two years in a row without a first round draft pick). So the Cavs had to draft in '06 and '08 because they traded away '05 and '07 (thanks Jim Paxson!). The next first round pick the Cavs are allowed to trade is '09 (unless they get back into the first round of the '07 draft).

13. He also neglects to mention that Phoenix got a pretty decent prospect in Boris Diaw in the deal as well. I still say if the Cavs signed Joe Johnson that the Suns would've matched. (Plus, again, Johnson wanted to be 'the man'. The Cavs have LeBron. There's a problem there).

14. My constant link whoring paid off. Take that, self pride! (BTW, I love the pic and Hudson sucks ass)

15. Two games in a row of Gibson playing more than Snow. This something I could get used to.

16. So the Knicks are the NBA's most valuable franchise. Sounds weird, but it's probably true. Of course, they'd be more valuable if they were any good.

17. The fact that the Knicks are so valuable right now is one of the reasons why I can't imagine David Stern pushing LeBron to leave Cleveland for NYC. The Knicks are valuable without LeBron, they don't need him to make money. The Cavs? Notsomuch. LeBron is their entire franchise, he's the only reason they're ranked 10th on that list. If he leaves (especially if he leaves within 5 years), the team will basically be done. If he goes to the Knicks, he turns a profitable franchise into a more profitable one, but in turn the Cleveland franchise would be decimated. Am I articulating this well? I don't feel I am.

18. Stephon Marbury wants to become an announcer. A preview?
Mike Breen: The Rockets trail by three, with 2:11 left in the game ... McGrady has the ball on the wing.
Marbury: SHOOT IT!
Breen: Here comes the double-team.
Marbury: SHOOT IT!
Breen: McGrady passes out of it, to an open Battier in the corner.
Marbury: DAMMIT, MAN ... SHOOT THE BALL! YOU'RE WASTING TIME!
Breen: Sixteen seconds on the shot clock.
Marbury: TIME IS WASTING. I'M OPEN!
Breen: Battier pump-fakes, goes baseline ...
Marbury: No, don't shoot the two, you're just leaving a point out there.
Breen: He draws the defender, and hands the ball off to Yao.
Marbury: Lame.
Breen: Yao with an open dunk, and some nice ball movement from the Rockets.
Marbury: Just a garbage play. Where'd they learn that, "basketball school?" It's too bad they don't have a go-to guy like me. I'd have just shot it.
Breen: I know.
19. Man, that one guy has all the bad luck

20. Joe Lieberman sucks.

21. So does Sean Hannity.

22. Do this (it's quick and easy).

23. HBO has optioned George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. This is fantastic news (In my personal HBO run, I've just started Deadwood and waiting to start season 4 of The Wire).

24. Ryan Garko needs to earn his first base job. (I'm OK with this, in theory. He shouldn't just be handed the job Brandon Phillips-style, but I have a sick feeling that the Tribe won't give him a long look at first until they're out of contention mid-season).

25. I meant to link to this last week, but I forgot. It is fantastic:
38. Carlos Mencia

A German-Honduran who pretends to be Mexican so he can engage in jovial slurs about "beaners" and "wetbacks." Repeatedly says "what?" and "no, I’m serious!" during his stand up routines, as if his audience is blown away by his tiresome retreading of age-old ethnic and gender clichés and his bellowing one-note delivery. Imagines himself to be some kind of envelope-pushing genius despite the fact that his entire body of work is a series of variations on the hackneyed "white guys do this, black guys do this" routine that has launched a thousand careers in stand-up mediocrity. What’s that you say, Carlos? Asians can’t drive? Gee, we’ve never heard that before. A well-known joke thief, Mencia can’t even write his own shitty, hackneyed material.
26. Because Ben brought it up: I know Columbus loves it Blue Jackets. And that's great, but they aren't nearly as big in Columbus as the Buckeyes. If they make the playoffs it'll be an event, but OSU gets tens of thousands of people at their scrimmages. They just don't really compare. That being said, I do wish I had attended at least one game while I was down at school (not that I can't now, but still).

27. Because Ben brought it up II: the church league... well, we've lost both our games by 20+ (30+?) points. In our defense, we've never played together, while other teams have been with each other for sometime now. As for myself, I've really been a non-factor. Sure, I've made my moves in the post but I don't get the ball a whole lot, plus my jumper is off. I'm unbelievably out of shape; I haven't realized how much the shoulder surgery has taken out of me. I guess if you can't run for a about year (10+ months or so), you don't get up and down the court very quickly (and I was never fast to begin with). However, I have been playing ball and getting in shape at their Sunrise pick up games at 6AM. Yup, ball at 6AM. Alright, no one really cares about this, moving on...

28. YouTube Time: I saw this short animated film on my plane ride out to AZ. It's called 'Badgered':



29. More YouTube, I saw this new ipod commercial and went to go find out what song that was:



30. The band? The Fratellis. The song? Flathead. I'm a fan of both. I can't recommend their album (Costello Music) enough. Here's some of their videos to get you started:

Chelsea Dagger


Whistle for the Choir


Creeping up the Backstairs


Henrietta

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd like to disagree with Ben on the CBJ being as vital to C-bus as the bucks as well. To be honest, there are many things that are wrong with this statement, and I don't know where to begin.

#1, OSU has been around so long, people grew up watching games, people's family members went there, people went there themselves. The bluejackets have only been there for about a decade, there is no way their fan base can be close.

#2, while I have never been to a NHL game, I have been to a bunch of semi pro games, and with good seats might I add; and while a hockey game is fun and exciting, I don't think the atmosphere can compete with Saturday mornings in the fall. There is no TBDBINTL, there is no tailgating, there is not nearly as much drunken debauchery.

The list could go on, but i dont think there is enough room, or anyone would like to read that much. C-bus has bled scarlet and gray for sometime now, and it will continue that way for sometime in the future.

Ben said...

WTF - spam comments? I thought this stopped...

Anonymous said...

ABJ is reporting that Dan Gibson is to start ahead of Eric Snow.

The glacier just moved a bit. It's about freaking time.

I was going to start calling Snow "Casey Blake" by mistake.

Ben said...

Jason Johnson...