When the NFL lockout began, I thought there was no way they would miss any games. That league prints money. The owners would get what concessions they could leading upto the final seconds before games had to be missed, then a deal would be reached. Too much money at stake.
When the NBA lockout began, I felt there was no way games could NOT be missed. I don't care how much the players or Deadspin's in-house-whiner says the owners fudge their loss numbers, the financial model of the league was broken. Just as it has been proposed that the owners shouldn't feel a right to make money off of owning a team; similarly, the financial +/-s of a couple of teams aren't an indicator that they shouldn't pursue a lockout if they felt it was needed. An above average NBA fan can eyeball a system where 90% of the players are making more than their added value to their respective squads. Contracts were too long and cap-crippling, mediocre-to-average players were being paid like superstars, paid attendance was dropping, the owners/GMs absolutely failed to exercise any fiscal restraint. None of this is news.
Here's one thing that hasn't seemed to be mentioned, however. The players can't win. They were dead before this started. Forget each side's PR campaigns, twitter talk, etc. for a second and think about the following:
Even if the owners losses aren't actually losses and they are making slight profits, if they stand to make more money with a new CBA, they WILL pursue that and they will hold out until a deal that ensures larger profits become available.
Yes, this lockout sucks, and I do feel that if idiot owners can't help themselves from paying Andre Iguodala and Rudy Gay $12mil/year, fuck them. But logically speaking, they can win a battle of financial chicken with the players. Like the Chris Rock joke says, Shaq is rich. The guy who signs Shaq's paycheck is WEALTHY. Big difference.
In order to break the players, missing games was necessary and inevitable. Sucks, but it is a truth. Also a truth is that very few NBA fans care about this as long as football is being played. Bill Simmons may point out that casual NBA fans who came to the sport with the influx of talent and exciting seasons the last few years might be turned off. My counter: no they wont. I know several fans like that. If anything the lockout hurts them less...they won't even notice the NBA is missing until February. Hell, regularly scheduled weekend national TV games don't even start until Christmas. If the 1994 baseball strike showed us anything, it is that fans will ALWAYS come back to a sport they enjoy.
Much like the threat of missing any games was the kick in the ass the NFL needed to get the deal done, the end of football season and the ability to repeat of the shortened 1999 season will be just what the NBA needs before a deal gets done.
(Note: I loathe when media types mention "in this day and age of twitter and SOCIAL MEDIA...," in fact, I am cringing as I write this, but it bears mentioning that with the oppressive 24/7 news cycle that exists today, there will be considerably more public pressure on both sides to get a deal done, at least before the new year, than there was in 1999. Finally we found something good about the 24/7 news cycle...only took us 10 years.)
So, in summary, let's just say I am much more worried about the Hawks using their inevitable amnesty clause on Marvin Williams over Joe Johnson than the NBA missing meaningful time. Once I pull up my bookmarks and see that Larry has seven new posts slamming Rick Sund on the matter, I will know that the NBA season is finally here, and the system in place will make more sense than the old one.
In the meantime, thankfully, we have OBJ here to provide us his list of the GOOD things that the NBA lockout has and will continue to bring us for the foreseeable future:
-Dwayne Wade can spend more time with his children
-With two less games on Christmas Day, fellas everywhere will only have football as an excuse to not consort with their families. Everyone will be miserable, but they will be miserable together.
-Blake Griffin gets another year without an injury
-Kevin Garnet, Tim Duncan and the rest of the NBA veterans on the wrong side of 30 have a year to rest their aching muscles, and perhaps turn back the mileage Bueller-style
Note: This raises the question - is Yao Ming's foot really that messed up, or did he just give up? Did he and his handlers not anticipate an NBA lockout? Yao essentially would have had two full years to rehabilitate his his ailing appendage, but he folded instead. Either he truly was a genetic freak whose, say, more detailed body parts couldn't support the rest of his (Chinese laboratory created) leviathan frame, or he simply grew tired of rehabbing for months and months just to play for a handful of weeks.
-The WNBA will become immensely popular
-Just kidding. But people who would normally pay more attention to the NBA will turn towards College Hoops instead, ushering in a new generation of college basketball fans
-This lockout will end when the players give up - this means no more ridiculous salaries and, potentially, an NFL-style parity system across the league. The former will help protect organizations from themselves and is pretty much guaranteed to happen. The latter is designed to elevate the entire "brand" of a sports organization, and could usher in a new era of success for the NBA
Look back tomorrow and the rest of the week for some honey posts. Records OBJ: 2-2 Joe Friday: 3-1 SJF is starting out strong and beginning to pull ahead, but at the benefit of improving upon Sue's 65% winners last year. I should be nervous at losing this bet, but I'm so excited for Sue's potential bragging rightthat the agony of defeat is blunted considerably by the band-aid of vanity. 2010 Bet Tickets to a Braves game and all the beer the victor can drink.
Today's Picks Joe Friday 1: Miami (+2) over Philadelphia
Joe Friday 2: Detriot (-5.5) over Minnesota
OBJ 1: Phoenix (-1) over Memphis Apparently in a recent post I promised I'd never pick the hometown Suns again if they let me down. They let me down.
THIS time I mean it. On a side note, this looks to be an incredibly boring game to watch. I'm guessing that a double-technical will be the most exciting part. I'll be watching, so let's see about this bold prediction.
Sunday night when reached for comment after it became official that he would start in the 2010 All Star game, Allen Iverson stated that he would not listen to critics who said he should bow out and allow other, more deserving players such as, I don't know, Rajon Rondo, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith or Derrick Rose to start in the game in his stead. Hell, one could even make a half-assed yet still respectable argument for Danny Granger, Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis, Gerald Wallace, Al Jefferson, Rodney Stuckey or Kevin Martin.
After the requisite 1.5 seconds of thought, I agreed with AI's decision. I mean, the rules are the rules, and Iverson's just following protocol. Plus, if you can name me a better example of a "fan's player" (in the same vein as the "player's coach"), you've got a free post in this space. No doubt, AI's reputation and well-documented icy relationship with David Stern may ultimately make this year the catalyst that alters the way All-Star voting is done. Of course, there's no way the NBA will completely dissolve fan voting, but partial fan voting is certainly on the table. In any case, Iverson has a right to start, and I agree with his decision to play.
But then, in this week's Sports Illustrated issue, it was revealed that Yao Ming - knowing that China's massive population and considerable NBA fan base would undoubtedly make him the top vote-getter once again - called up the commissioner's office before the season started to formally request the removal of his name from the ballot. Yao may or may not play a single game this season. It's unlikely. AI walked out on his second team in as many seasons and, while it's a great story of redemption, has done little with his one and only 76ers.
1.5 seconds was way too long to consider this one. With this decision, Yao Ming has become one of my favorite players in the NBA. Maybe it wasn't even his idea. Maybe it was his publicist's. It CERTAINLY wasn't China's, who will lose their 50% stake in Yao's potential All-Star bonus. Props to you, Yao. Also, I miss your Ultimate Sad Face, which has entertained me me for years.
One of the realest things in sports.
This entire situation raises one of the great conundrums of sports: how can we root for two opposing ideas at the exact same time? How can I root for the Saints to win their conference championship game with an interception from the opposing quarterback, yet still feel enough respect that I feel bad for Brett Favre? How can I be a Yankees fan and still feel even a morsel of sanctification from seeing the Red Sox finally win the Series (this was before the fans became so unbearable, obviously). Even though I don't give three uncomfortably squirty shits about tennis, my obvious and only rotting interest is with any American. And yet, if I find Roger Federer in the finals against anyone BUT an American, I actually have a degree of interest in seeing the Swiss-born player when. It's the same with this situation. In opposites on nearly the exact same table, I find myself respecting both of the players.
This is truly one of the greatest things about sports. The duality of rooting interest cannot be quantified or otherwise explained. It just, is. I would almost go so far as to say that any true sports fan, when all is said and done, hates to see ANY entity lose. No matter how much you hate a franchise, or even a player, anyone who's ever played sports knows that losing the big one is more heart breaking than finding out why your wife's been spending so much time with your house's renovation crew.
So, without seemingly any logic whatsoever, kudos to both Yao Ming and Allen Iverson, for doing precisely opposite things. On to the games!
Records OBJ: 1-1 Joe Friday: 1-1
After careful consideration, Friday and I have decided that we'll keep it simple this year. Hey, I don't know what your portfolio's looking like, but we're using ours for toilet paper.
So, tickets to a Braves game and all the beer the victor can drink is on the table. At this point, a 50% off price tag on a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 due to the cap seal being broken would excite me, so this is just downright mind-boggling.
Today's Picks Starting out much the same way as last year, we are neck and neck. Not to spoil your tension, but I'm going to pull away and take this like a sprinting midnight hooker clutching a wallet. Joe Friday 1: Milwaukee/Dallas OVER 197
Joe Friday 2: Golden State/Sacramento UNDER 220.5
OBJ 1: Lakers (-8) over Washington
OBJ 2: Phoenix (-5) over Charlotte The Suns are abysmal in the second of back-to-back games this year. After failing at the sentimental pick yesterday, if Phoenix doesn't come through for me tonight it's the last time I bet on them all season.
There are so many ways to approach this. Perhaps we could not even mention that we haven't posted in nearly six months, but we think this would immediately make us lose credibility with all seven of you (lookin' at you, Jesse!). Or, we could attack one of the myriad stories out there, boldly stating that there is absolutely no way in HELL we could remain retired when such an incredible, unprecedented sports-happening is, well, happening. You know. Like Tiger Woods living up in so many comedic ways to his moniker. WOODs. Heheh. You Tiger. Or the latest Favre watch (don't worry, we won't address this until either a) he officially retires or b) he rejoins the Vikings in August). Or Pete Carroll. Or GOOD GOD Lane Kiffin. But really, it only seemed to make sense to parallel our resurgence with someone else's - albeit considerably more brave - rebirth.
Ain't no one that can argue. If he can do it, so can we.
What's 'gonna happen in this long-awaited sequel to Sue's breakout season? Will we have live footage of fresh lemon juice being squeezed into one of our eyes for the sake of our bet? Will we change our handles?? Will we shamelessly murder metaphors with pinpoint-precision-prose?! Will Stringer Bell somehow find a way to live and branch off on his own well-deserved spin-off??! Anything and everything is on the table this year, folks. It's 2010. How many of you actually thought you'd live this long?
Plenty of stories to come. But for now, let's get to the games.
Ed. Note: If you want us to apologize for taking our balls home and playing with them without all of you, well...the ball's bouncin in the playground, ya'll.
Now we can all play!
Records OBJ: 0-0
Joe Friday: 0-0
Last year was front row seats to a Braves game and all the beer the winner could drink. This year's bet to come. Hell. This is so exciting I could, too.
Today's Picks
Last year, picking a combined 52 games, Joe Friday and I combined for an above .650 winning percentage. Do you have any IDEA how hard that is? I'm too lazy to research this because it's so obscure, but I heard on a radio show or something that you're lucky to get 30% on NBA games. Including professional gamblers, who stay away from NBA games. Good enough for me!
Joe Friday 1: Cleveland +1 over Miami
Joe Friday 2: Houston (PK) over Atlanta
Let me get this straight. The first Bawlin' in seven months, and this loon goes against his home team?
OBJ 1: Atlanta (PK) Houston
OBJ 2: Phoenix (+7.5) over Utah Yup. Let's hope this isn't a trend towards making picks based on the sentimental, but somehow, I have to feel like the stars aligning with Friday's bonehead against-the-A pick and Phoenix's generous helping to a delicious spread. I'm going with my old home team, and my new home team. AND YES IT'S OKAY TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE TEAM YOU ROOT FOR BECAUSE OF PREVIOUS PROXIMITY.
So it is with great sadness that I provide commentary on the recent news that Nash has accepted a 2-year extension with the Phoenix Suns. By the time Nash has finished this contract, he'll be 37-years old and unlikely to sign another contract. A team featuring a core of Nash, Grant Hill, Channing Frye and (possibly) Amare Stoudamire isn't going anywhere. Hell, they'll be lucky to make the playoffs.
I think it's safe to say that Nash's days of having even the slightest chance at a title are completely behind him. Like AI, Nash's best opportunity to contend would've been signing a smaller deal with one of the Prime Contenders. Like AI, this looks to be a near-impossibility. Unless Nash gets traded midseason sometime in the next 3 years, we can safely assume he'll never earn a Championship.
It's a good thing that Nash still has a very bright future as an actor, because it doesn't look like he'll be cementing any kind of legacy. Let's just hope he's more remembered for his contributions on the court rather than his...actions off of it.
Pardon the Interruption, but let us be the first to say that Ron Ron's recent move to La La Land is nearly directly proportional to Rodman's move to the Bulls in 1995. To state both what pops out and perhaps what's not so obvious:
Kobe's going for his fifth, while MJ was strolling to his fourth. Both superstars transcended their time and are/were clearly at a turning point in their careers both as ambassadors of the sport and how they handle the ball
Both crazies came from a Texas team (Houston and San Antonio, respectively)
Both were considered ridiculous defensive talents (and batshit crazy)
In case the above image doesn't explain, Artest to Los Angels clearly makes the Lakers the favorite for 2010 with the most legitimate triple threat in the NBA
Same coach?
The biggest difference of course is that this will not mean 3 more championships for the Lakers. It will guarantee at least one, barring injuries.
Thoughts on the Jamal Crawford deal in a second. First, some draft thoughts:
If Acie Law couldn't see significant run in two years under Mike Woodson, I don't see Teague seeing the floor much more. With Crawford, JoeJ and Bibby and/or Flip returning, there's not room in the backcourt for another guard that needs touches to be effective. I suppose that with Mike Woodson's "pass to Joe with 18 seconds left on the shotclock and let him run the offense" offense, the Hawks don't need a true pass first PG, but they've seemed to corner the market on veterans like Teague.
Still, I'm more bullish on his long term potential than I ever was on Law's. Teague will be two years younger than Law was his rookie season, is significantly more athletic, and played at an elite level of college ball from the second he stepped on the court at Wake, while Law didn't really come into his own until his senior year at Texas A&M. Like most Hawks bloggers, I never felt that Woodson gave Law a fair shake and I hope he does well with GSW, but I don't think we will feel much of a difference with Teague receiving Law's 10mpg.
Much like his Spanish national teammates Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro, I don't think I will ever be a big Ricky Rubio fan, albeit for different reasons from those two maricons. Okay, so the kid doesn't want to go to Minnesota. They have a solid young nucleus, but whatever, you were hoping for a bigger market. Unfortunately, you knew you were going in the #2-#6 range this whole time. You know what teams/markets were picking there? Memphis, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, Washington (pick traded to Minny - by the way...how fucking stupid to the Wizards feel now...that's probably the one place Rubio DEFINITELY would have gone, and they had that pick 48 hours before the draft!) and Minnesota. You weren't going to a big market no matter what, Ricky. Other than OKC, there is no better situation in that group than Minnesota. If this kid is smart, and has smart folks advising him, he will be with the Wolves next year. They own his rights for the foreseeable future. Unless he wants to toil in international obscurity playing in Spain or Turkey until he's a 22-year-old fading prospect, he will sign with the Wolves and prove he can beat out a solid-but-not -spectacular American college star like Johnny Flynn.
No clue what the Wolves were thinking with that Flynn pick. Rubio/Flynn backcourt will never work and is a defensive nightmare. Curry pick wouldn't have been much better, Hill would be buried behind Jefferson/Love, and it was probably too high to reach on DeRozan/Terrance Williams. The lesson? It's not a good thing to have eighty picks in a shitty draft.
The Wolves just pissed me off on draft night even more by taking Ty Lawson at #18 and moving him to Denver. Three Top 18 picks, and the Wolves could seriously be looking at only Johnny Flynn to show for it. At least they got folks in the media talking about them and their GM, aye Simmons? Anyways, would have loved to see Lawson in a Hawks uni next year...quick as shit in transition, better passer than Teague, proven track record on a winning college team (matters more than you'd think....unless you went to Duke), and an injury-proneness that would fit right in. Alas...
I've been sure of few things more than I was sure that Indiana was taking Tyler Hansborough at #11. Good jeez...Bird has destroyed that team (assist from Ron-Ron). Five years ago they were a fairly young team that was among the most talented in the league. Now their collecting average white guys like they're casting a fucking overrated Hollywood comedy.
Speaking of white guys...hipster blogger fetishization alert!!!! Brandon.Jennings.a.k.a. YoungMoney. A much more reasoned, logical and less holier-than-thou take here.
While we're here, some early thoughts on the pre-draft trades not-involving Jamal Crawford:
I like the Shaq deal for Cleveland...I'm not sure how so many media types and NBA fans can say that if the Cavs had acquired Shaq four months ago, it would have been a huge help against Orlando; but, now it smacks of desperation. Sure, it would have been ideal if they made the trade during the season, but they, along with EVERYONE FUCKING ELSE, thought they had more than enough to beat Orlando. Hindsight, 20/20 and all that shit.
Shaq will help Cleveland, but the Cavs still need a consistent outside shooter than Shaq can kick it out to from the post or LeBron can fallback on when the lane collapses on him. Sheed Wallace would be a nice fit here, as Turkoglu has been priced out of their range. This season really is it for the Cavs. I see it as HIGHLY unlikely that if they win the NBA title in '10, LeBron is visiting other teams a few short weeks later as a free agent. Ergo, an NBA title is a must, and so is going out and acquiring whatever parts are necessary...cap room be damned, as it will be made up with four more seasons of LeBron in Cleveland.
What's not to like about the VC deal to Orlando? For the first time in his career, Carter won't be called upon to carry the brunt of the scoring load. The Magic needed to figure out the sketchy Alston-Nelson PG situation and did so swiftly, while also filling their biggest need, a swingman that can slash to the basket and take advantage of the good perimeter shooting on the roster. Major balls award to the Magic brass. They could have been content with their Finals appearance and Nelson coming back at full strength. Instead, they seriously upgraded their team to the NBA elite, just in case there was any doubt they weren't there already.
One caveat: The VC deal makes it slightly less likely the Magic will resign Hedo Turk, who made himself a ton of money after an excellent playoff run. Rightfully so, Turk's agent will seek a 4-5 year deal, and well, I'd like to offer a sympathetic cringe to the team that eventually placates to those demands (looking at you, Detroit). Turkoglu is more valuable to the Magic than any other team because the offense they run is perfect for him. With Nelson running the show, Turk and Lewis as the shooters spreading the floor, VC as the primary scoring option off the wing, and Howard more than able to hold his own down low, I couldn't imagine a starting five that fits better together. I hope they re-sign Hedo, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Richard Jefferson to the Spurs! It's almost like Popovich and RC Buford realized that plugging their holes with crappy Euros and washed up vets was no longer working. Jefferson will provide the solid perimeter defense that Bruce Bowen received credit for but hasn't provided in four years. He'll also be able to spell Manu during the season so that he is fresher for the playoffs. I'm not gonna go overboard on the DaJuan Blair pick, but if he can provide a Big Baby/Leon Powe type infusion to the Spurs bench, that would be a plus. Suddenly, the Spurs are a solid MLE acquisition away from being "done" to throwing themselves right back into the CLE-LAL-ORL-BOS category.
Poor Yao Ming. Being 7'6 must suck. Well except for the millions of dollars he's made. Allow me to rephrase. Being 7'6 and hailing from an oppressive communist party dictatorship that forces you to play through career-threatening injuries for a shitty national team every summer must suck.
Anyways, I really like the way this summer is shaping up for the Lig. One of the NBA's biggest problems in recent years was non-franchise guys being paid like franchise guys (VC, Jefferson, Bosh, Gasol, Pierce, KG). All those guys have been Da Main on crappy lottery teams in the last 2-3 seasons; and now, all are on contending squads, save for Bosh (who will be paired up with either LeBron or Wade next summer, believe that). None of those guys should ever be franchise players, but put them together, or alongside true franchise players (Kobe, LBJ, Wade, Duncan, Howard) and what you're looking at is a highly competitive upper class of teams. I'm fine with this. I want to see the best players in the playoffs. It's not like baseball, where its a big-market-little-market situation, as Orlando, San Antonio, and Cleveland are all involved. Simply put, the second tier of NBA stars are realizing that if they want their ring, they need to give up some shots, let go of some ego, and play with better players. This should make for yet another great season in what is shaping up to be a phenomenal era of NBA basketball.
Finally, the Jamal Crawford deal: I don't really like it, but won't know for sure until camp breaks.
As far as I have seen from his game, he can do one thing well...score. He's not a great shooter, he's not a great passer. His assist-TO ratio isn't anything special. No team with Crawford starting has ever made the playoffs. No team with Crawford on the roster has either.
Now, I do like Jamal Crawford off the bench. As a 6th man, playing the Flip role of instant offense, Crawford would be a legitimate asset. If the Hawks re-sign Bibby or sign Andre Miller or some other quality starting PG (Ty Lue/Anthony Carter don't count), then Crawford off the bench, backing up both guard positions and allowing Joe to play less than 44mpg is an enormous upgrade.
I don't see it playing out that way, however. I think the Hawks brought in Crawford to be the starting PG. Unfortunately, dude needs the ball in his hands to be effective. If Joe Johnson is running the offense for 18 out of the 24 seconds of the shotclock, what is Crawford doing? If we are to believe that the Hawks already had too many shooters and were better off when someone (i.e. Marvin or Josh Smith) was out, allowing more clearly defined roles among the scorers, than how does adding another scorer to the mix help? Does this mean Marvin is gone? Can you really rock out with a starting lineup of Crawford-JoeJ-Marvin-Smoove-Horford? That could turn into one of those "I gotta get mine" Nuggets squads from 05-08 pretty quickly, and I don't see Mike Woodson as some sort of offensive genius that is able to figure it all out.
So there you go. More questions than answers with the Hawks right now. May as well wait and see what they do in free agency before the annual fretting. Credit to Sund and the Atlanta Spirit for mixing it up and doing something already this summer. Now we just got to figure out what that something is.
WHOA. Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA. One week shy of not posting a single perspective in a month, Sue's is finally back for a quick hit on today's Finals game. We understand that we sucked you in, stole your vested interest and bolted like a 2-bit prostitute stealing your wallet and running to make rent.
But, just like a crack whore, we're back for more. We apologize for the considerably long drought here at Sue's, but without delving too deeply into the current events plaguing your favorite blog proprietors, let's just say we're on an extended period of silence for valid reasons. Plus, we've already made the front page of Deadspin, so, really, what the hell is left?
No, but really. In all honesty this period of prolonged procrastination couldn't have come at a better time. We've got a few months of baseball-only to get our respective shizes together, and we'll be back on you like the bacne on Piazza. Hey-O!
On to the bets. Spread across the table for the Finals Edition of Bawlin' is a round-trip plane ticket between Atlanta and Phoenix, plus alcohol expenses for an entire weekend.
This shortened Cawlin' is going to be as exciting as a night with that 3-breasted woman from Total Recall. I told you I was freaky!
Finals Record SJF: 0-0 OBJ: 0-0
Today's Wager
OBJ: Lakers/Orlando OVER 201 SJF: Lakers (+2) Over Orlando
We didn't write anything much of note during the Hawks-Cavs series. In our eyes, it has all been said. Sure we could re-hash the same shit that had been said all season about JoeJ being given the keys to the O ala a Kobe or Wade, Horford needing more touches, Acie getting more run, Smoove being wasted on the perimeter, etc. etc. etc. But in all honestly, we've grown sick of saying we're sick of repeating those same complaints. So when those and other issues reared their ugly head during the Cavs series, it was no surprise.
Injuries and, by extension, a weak bench didn't help. Neither did the fact that the Cavs are just a better coached team that also features the best player on the fucking planet. That the Hawks lost was not a surprise.
In all honesty though, I was hoping for a run akin to the Celtics series last year. Maybe pushing it to seven games would have been a stretch, but a home win or two was not out of the question. Alas, it was not meant to be, and here is where we stand as Hawks fans:
With a coach that has done a below-average-at-best job of developing the plethora of talent on the roster or devising a gameplan to fit their talents. It should be noted that due to THE ASSHATS THAT ARE THE ATLANTA SPIRIT, said coach will be retained despite eleven (!) playoff losses of greater than ten points in a year's time.
A "best player" that will never the best player on a championship team. I love JoeJ, and in the right situation, he can absolutely be an all-star on a contender (think Paul Pierce last year). But he absolutely cannot be the end-all-be-all in crunch time situations.
A free agent point guard that, while aging, is a ideal fit for this team. You can either resign said point guard, or head into next season with the two options being Acie Law, who hates the coach, and Speedy Claxton, whose expiring contract could be one of the Hawks main weapons next year. Let's just move on.
Marvin Williams as a restricted free agent. If you don't anticipate this situation playing out exactly like Josh Smith's "lowball offer--->teams scared off by 10 day matching period--->sign a below market contract with a shitty team--->Hawks match offer" last year, well then you just haven't been following the Hawks long enough.
Two quality players overseas (Josh Childress, David Andersen) that the Hawks hold the rights to. There about a 0.0000000006% chance that either of them will ever suit up for this team in the future.
Josh Smith trade rumors. Please. He's not going anywhere, nor should he. As anyone who's watched the playoffs the last two seasons, he has the talent and ability to be our best player on the court, and often is. Unfortunately, he also doesn't get along with ole Woody, so stagnation will reign supreme.
So does anyone anticipate any upcoming moves by the Hawks this offseason, other than a couple of Flip Murray/MoE signings to replenish the bench and make up for natural free agent attrition? (Zaza, you will be missed, but you'll no doubt be relieved to know that you will retain your spot on Sue's sidebar indefinitely.) As long as this ownership mess continues, there is probably no bigtime shakeup coming in the near future, so trying to guess any impending moves is ultimately useless. This means you're looking at a Wizards-type situation, where your nucleus (with the current coach) probably has a ceiling of a 4 or 5 seed and the conference semis.
This was undoubtedly the most enjoyable Hawks season in more than a decade. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much room for an improvement in personnel or on the sideline. That, combined with the way the Hawks went out against the Cavs, kind of puts a sour taste on a sweet season.
Again, pleasecheckouttheusualsuspects for coherent thoughts and analysis on Game 2 (none of which will be pleasing, anyways). As per normal, we have no clue what to expect from the Hawks until we see their backs against the wall at home in the playoffs. It's getting tiresome, but it's their M.O. Also, until I settle into my seat on Saturday night, I'm just going to assume JoeJ is playing, so if you hear otherwise, don't let me know.
Speaking of the Hawks homecourt, I'd like to point toward a post over at FreeDarko that talks about the unique dichotomy between the city of Atlanta and its' basketball collective. As is the case with most FreeDarko jobs, the piece focuses on the strong racial identities that comprise Atlanta's rich history.
Unfortunately, I fail to see the connection between the two. The mish-mash of vibrant talent/occupants/players and top-down disorganization may be comparable for both ATL and the Hawks, but I don't think that Atlanta's racial history provides a link between the two, and that part of the author's thesis is a stretch; but I think there is another, similar direction that does work here.
Atlanta fans of all races, classes and point-of-origins are bandwagoners by-and-large when it comes to in-house support. Given the makeup of this city, transplants and lower per-capita incomes compared to most similar markets (not mutually exclusive), fans are hesitant to attend games often and engage themselves in the day-to-day followings of a team. And that's fine. I may have watched a shitton of Hawks games during the Jason Terry era, but I'm also a masochist. I certainly couldn't begrudge a Hawks fan for simply checking the box score and reading the game recap of a Hawks loss to the Wizards and subsequently focusing their attention elsewhere.
The fact of the matter is, Atlantans really do care and follow sports, even moreso then most major cities. The TV numbers prove that (seriously, click that link) for most sports, but especially for the NBA, which can in part attributed to the large black population in Atlanta. But as has been the case with the Braves, Thrashers and Falcons, Atlantans of any race aren't going to come out, watch and spend money on a losing franchise. So when the Hawks were losing all those years, it wasn't that ATL was a bad basketball town, but rather, that the locals don't want to spend money on a shit product (Sweetwater IPA excluded - HEYO!).
So the Hawks started winning, and what happened? Well, much like with the Braves in 1991 or the Falcons during the Vick era, the fans came out in droves. A significant homecourt advantage was suddenly omnipresent. The intimate nature of a basketball arena (not to mention the constant action) allows for louder crowds than an outdoor baseball game or larger domed football facility. Suddenly, the Hawks have one of the most significant home court advantages in the league. This shouldn't be surprising to anyone following Atlanta's demographics or fandom patterns over the years.
I love the diversity at Hawks games. I love the enthusiasm and passion and newness feel there is to being a Hawks fan again. It's like going through a brutal breakup with a girl and getting back together and starting the honeymoon period all over again. And that is where this current Hawks squad narrative runs parallel with their fans'.
This is all new to the players too. They're young, brash and confident. They're loud and they believe anything can happen. When shit gets bad, they're willing to pack it in (read some of the posts linked to above), but they always believe that they could be at another level were it not for certain hindrances (for both fans and players, this would be Woodson/ownership).
Sometimes it's best not to over-complicate things in sports. A newly enthused fan base is out there with pride, supporting a team they enjoy to watch playing a sport they love. The city of Atlanta and this Hawks team just fit. Maybe it wasn't preordained, but I could see how one would think that.
We pick up the action with a GCHAT/liveblog, with apologies to the great FreeDarko, as the Rockets take a one point league in the second quarter. We're not ready to discuss, nor could we derive anything telling, from Game 1 of Hawks-Cavs. "It is what it is" is a fairly apt cliche that properly sums up our thoughts. Onto a more competitive (for the time being - hope is key) series.
Yes, we know these suck. Bear with us and we'll have a thinking man's post up later today.
Friday:these reggie miller commercials are fucking brutal OBJ: yeah it's like...like he's doing them to sort of subtly come out of the closet Friday:either that or to prove he's got absolutely no comedy chops whatsoever OBJ: it's terrible Friday:hey these smirnoff ice parties seem like your gigs back in the day OBJ: dude i used to party with fridges FULL of sminoff ices and sky blues Friday:no shit
Friday:luke walton plays like me in a pickup game with folks who actually don’t suck -catch ball -immediate pass -head on a swivel -catch ball -dribble, pass -catch ball -brick wide open bomb
OBJ:hey its phil from the sopranos...hawking miller lite? Friday: lets just say sopranos actors aint turning down any commercial roles for a long time
OBJ: man i love these guys but i think barkley might seriously have mental issues Friday: ? OBJ: he just seems more like a retired boxer than a retired bawler Friday:hah he right on this point here, tho some folk just better off the bench odom one of those guys
OBJ: this thing's retarded. never works either Friday:what is OBJ: the thing where kenny goes to the interactive super display shit Friday:yeah it seems like it belongs on a NFL pregame show or some shit
Friday:damn maybe they trying to tell us something with these let a stranger drive you home heineken ads OBJ: yeah...like i should go home with a stranger
Friday:fisher's shots take like 3x as long to get to the basket as anyone else’s brooks' like 3x quicker ooh kobe feelin it if i was shane battier i prolly wouldnt have been too keen on a long ass article being written about how well i can guard kobe (yes i know it was about the greater picture of statistical value in basketball, but whatever, that was the angle that drove the article) like how when all those 2guards used to be slightly compared to MJ Drexler, Miller, MitchRich...he made it a point to kill them everytime out
Friday: no player in recent memory had as short a superstar career as dirk he was like ELITE for maybe 2 seasons OBJ: I dunno if he ever was elite to be honest OBJ: at his apex he won an mvp nobody thought he deserved Friday:his playoffs the year of the heat he was unconscious either way its sad to see him being owned by kmart and fucking NENE
Friday:brent barry!?! does he ever play? (DISCLAIMER: I hate watching the Rockets.) OBJ: plays crunch time that was their big FA purchase this year Friday: yeah he always considered a big FA prize for some reason
OBJ: so, heinken's trying to tell us to not drink and drive CaptianMo is trying to teach us to lie to get laid? Friday:guys who drink captain mo prolly need the advice OBJ: solid point they probably mix it up and drink parrot bay on wednesdays Friday: and smirnoffs on tuesdays
OBJ: watching lakers is weird they surge to like 12 point runs then like let people chop away Friday: announcer after gasol rebound: "thats a big rebound becuase he went out and got that" as opposed to the gasol "stand somewhere and let it come to you" special OBJ: this announcing is pretty bad "thing about the ROCKETS is that the WHOLE is more important than the PIECES" Friday:they love that ever since that lewis article came out OBJ: damnit i hate this: “lakers moving left to right!” also right to left, fuckers. makes no sense.
OBJ:oooh it's getting chippy love it when people get T'd up Friday:eh Walton, Scola, Vujacic… needs some Solomon Jones in there OBJ: scola's a scrapper Friday: only violence we'll see from those three some hair pulling scola a tough fucker tho OBJ: walton's a puss for sure oh shit oh SHIT damn man i dunno if i wanna make hard fouls on a team who has an 8-foot commie on the team Friday: Vujacic looks like a fucking Borat character
(Fisher lays out Scola)
OBJ:what the HELL Friday:damn he a small dude to lay him out OBJ: he should be ejected for that Friday:if thats melo or something announcers KILL him OBJ: shoulder to the chest will do that Friday:they love Fish OBJ: he should be ejected Friday:yeah OBJ: YES HAH HAHAHAH i love this why are they saying he's so tough instead of he's so STUPID getting kicked out of the 4th qtr after this game below 10 hurt his team like whoa elbowing a team with ron ron and yao on the team that's ballsy
OBJ:there's a lot of players i like in this series a lot i hate all the ones i like are on the rockets the ones i hate on the lakers including scrub walton Friday: you can tell kobe respects artest a fuckton more than battier
(Kobe-Artest scrap)
OBJ:and the foul c'moooon get chippy oh, shit damnit it's over now Friday: yeah never mind that respect thing OBJ: bowed him in the throat man i HATE that fucker what the HELL man i hate kobe elbowing peple in the fucking throat aargh fuck this i see rockets killing them in HOU now houston a good NBA town man 'OyotaCenter's 'gonna be bangin Friday:yeah im feelin these rockets
OBJ: elbow in the neck lakers playing dirty as hell
NICE dunno about a T for jawing tho "you can't guard me" Friday:yeah thats kinda weak OBJ: fuck it it's kobe only two players i'd enjoy seeing get that is him and cp3
Friday:prolly realized they fucked up missing the elbow to the throat OBJ: nah they said they're not allowing anything 'cause it's so chipppy Friday:you really like that word
Mike Woodson, the seventh longest tenured coach in the Lig, just endured a coaching stalemate with a rookie head coach. The Hawks' all-star played as such for exactly one game in the last two weeks. The transition offense still sucks, and Josh Smith should never leave the low post. Everything that every Hawks blogger has said all year is still absolutely true.
But I'm sick of writing about all of that, as correct as it may be. Right now, I just want to revel in the fact that my favorite team just won their first playoff series in a decade. This team is no different than it was a week, or two, or three ago. The weaknesses remain the same and probably will for the remainder of the playoffs. Pay that no mind for the next few hours, because at this point the Hawks are playing with house money, much like they were in that epic opening round last season.
Quite honestly, I feel alot better heading into this series than I did against that Celtics. And we know what happened there. Don't sleep on 'these Hawks...because you'll miss something interesting.
Actual analysis to follow tonight's showdown. GO. HAWKS.
Ah, yes. That elusive ring. There can be only ten...
Basketball playoffs are here and your boys at Sue's couldn't be more excited. Unless college football were somehow on but hey, WHOA-ly SHIT the draft was this weekend! Nothing like the NFL Draft to leave the taste of college football in your mouth, whetting your appetite so to speak.
So with the NBA playoffs in full swing, baseball and all it's wonderful early-season story lines, the NFL Draft, Tiger Woods playing in the Wachovia Championship, the startling plummet of Roger Federer's dominance (what's with the crying and throwing of the racket there, Rodge?), and something called "NHL Playoffs" (allegedly) all materializing before our hungry-for-sports little eyes, which of these juicy subjects will we tackle here at Sue's?
Apparently, there...is...crying...in Tennis
None of them! Come on, you know us better than that! We're in our element making the seemingly irrelevant relevant, so why would we take the easy route and espouse on current (sporting) events? No, no. What you're about to be served is a feast of athletes who - through completely arbitrary but assuredly accurate means Runaround Sue's has decided - deserve to win a championship. The only criteria is that they have to be an active player.
Other figures, such as years in the league, were of course considered. Apologies to bowling and yard darts enthusiasts, but we're sticking to the Big Three sports, here. Besides, I personally don't give a shit if Beckam wins an MLS Championship, do you? Also apologies to the lesser-known but perhaps just-as-deserving players that are unlucky enough to play positions like center or right tackle, where Sue's will clearly overlook your accomplishments with little regret. In reverse order of how deserving the players are, let's go! Editor's Note: All suggestions and counterarguments are more than welcome 10. Alex Rodriguez Total Seasons Played: 15 (Drafted in '94, first full season in '96) Closest He Got to a Title: American League Championship Series, 1995, 2000, 2004
Discovered he made the List, and immediately congratulated himself with a kiss.
A-ROD?! Yes, especially considering recent reports and the upcoming tell-all book, it may be shocking to see Rodriguez on our list. Postseason choker, steroid user, cougar chaser. We get it. But Sue's is in the business of measuring on the field talent as objectively as possible.
But while you sit and scoff at A-Rod's inclusion, this is probably a good time to mention the people he beat out: Randy Moss, Vladimir Guerrero, Grant Hill, Trevor Hoffman and Tony Gonzalez were all considered but eventually beat out by A-Rod and the rest of the ringless warriors noted below.
At 32 years old, A-Rod is a 12-time All Star, 3-time AL MVP, 2-time Golden Glover, 10-time Silver Slugger, has ranked in top 3 in OPS 5 out of the last 6 years, ranks in the top 50 all time in runs scored (42nd), total bases (38th), home runs (12th), RBIs (30th) and even hit by pitch (22nd). If nothing else, there's athletes out there that you want to win just so you can stop even the slightest bit of rooting interest you have in them (see: Paul Pierce, et. al.).
9. Terrell Owens Total Seasons Played: 13 Closest He Got to a Title: The Super Bowl, 2004
Oh, I'm just down on my knees with my hands cupped asking for it with this one, aren't I. We did our best to keep off-the-field behavior from influencing the list, but the fact is off-the-field behavior influences on-the-field action. With that in mind, hand-picking the years T.O. didn't make a circus out of his team still merits him consideration on this list.
The reaction we received when we told T.O. he wasn't on our initial list. Hence, the revision
Forget the fact that Owens detonated a suicide bomb (literally, when you look at those years' stats) on two separate teams (we're going to let the Cowboys mini-soaps go), and remember that this has been one of the best wide receivers in the game for the past decade, and deserves consideration when bringing up a top ten, or, perhaps even top 5 best receivers of all time list. Owens single-handedly took the 2004 Eagles from "Hey, we're pretty damn good" status to the "We're the best team in the league" sauntering mentality you need to be the best. He also completely backed it up on the field and gave Donovan McNabb his best year in terms of statistics.
In 2000 playing in 14 games with the San Francisco, Owens averaged 103.6 yards per game. That's ridiculous. He's also a 6-time Pro Bowler and member of 5 First Team All Pro squads. He also:
Is fifth all-time in receiving yards
Is 2nd all-time in touchdown receptions (led the league 3 different years)
Is 6th all time in receptions
You don't have to like Terrell Owens. But if you really believe that if you were putting together a team and you could handpick 6-7 of T.O's best, least-team-dissolving seasons and wouldn't? You're just a fool.
8. Brian Urlacher Total Seasons Played: 9 Closest He Got to a Title: The Super Bowl, 2006
Spots 7-10 of this List changed so many times it may as well be a woman 15-minutes before she chooses her shoes and heads out the door. Not to spoil your perusal through the List, but let's just say Urlacherganked Randy Moss' spot. More on that later.
Urlacher's spot, while seemingly obvious and hard to disagree with, is ironically difficult to validate as well. As one of if not the premiere defensive force(s) in the NFL for the past decade, Urlacher's achievements and contributions are less quantifiable and - therefore - harder to lay out. But you know Sue's. We 'gown try.
An inappropriate time to wistfully wish we could put Vick on this List?
The 9th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft, there is only one among the players drafted ahead of him (notables: LaVarArrington, Chris Samuels, PlaxicoBurress) that you could argue for having on your team in his stead - stutter steppin' Jamal Lewis. As far as those drafted after him...Shaun Alexander? Maybe John Abraham? We're not one for hyperbole here at Sue's, but it's clear that one could argue Brian Urlacher was the class of the 2000 Draft.
But being the captain and, more importantly, vocal leader of an elite defensive squad is again hard to quantify concretely if you want to give Urlacher his true due. The visceral viciousness required to have a bunch of other highly-skilled badasses look up to you and get pumped in minus 40 degree weather is just...frightening. Still not satisfied? Think "visceral viciousness" is a bit over the top? Don't you remember?
As stated. Frightening.
Still doubtful? Look, Urlacher's a 6-time Pro Bowler, 4-time 1st Team All Pro. And if you're still not convinced? C'mon. How would you feel having your one shot destroyed by Rex Grossman?
7. Dirk Nowitzki Total Seasons Played: 11 Closest He Got to a Title: NBA Finals, 2005-2006
Oh, how it pains me to place Dirk here. Perhaps I would like Dirk if he played for the Hawks? Probably. But his terrifyingly alien-like facial features - especially when he's arguing a call - and his particular style of game doesn't inspire much unforced adulation from me. Then again, I've been a Spurs fan for quite a while, and can't stand the Mavericks. So let's put that aside for a second.
First off, Dirk was drafted 9th overall in the '98 Draft, and one could argue without too much difficulty that of all the big name stars drafted in front of him - Bibby, Jamison, Vinsanity (we'll leave Jason Williams and Larry Hughes off the list of "stars" here), Nowitzki has had a better career than all of them. Only one player, Paul Pierce, who was drafted directly after Nowitzki, would I contend is a player I'd rather have on my team for their whole career. And even then, I may go with Nowitzki, as Pierce's championship last year is likely clouding my reasoning. By the way, are Pierce and White Chocolate the only stars from the '98 Draft to win a championship?
Nowitzki's teams have made the playoffs 9 out of his 11 seasons in Dallas. Her certainly never had to 2009 Dwayne Wade will his team to the playoffs, with solid rosters throughout his career:
Now, doesn't that look considerably better than anything AI ever had walking out onto the court with him? Still, Dirk's shown his playoff chops, regardless of his reputation for disappearing in the big games. In 92 career playoff games, Nowitzki is averaging 25 points, 11 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. That's pretty damn solid, especially for nearly 100 playoff games.
Nowitzki's an 8-time All Star and winner of the 2006-2007 MVP Award. He's a 3-time First Team, 3-time Second Team, and two-time Third Team All NBA player. He's been in the top 10 in total rebounds 3 separate seasons and in the top ten in points 8 different seasons. Dirk's finished the season ranked at the top of Player Efficiency Rating twice, and finished in the top 10 on 6 other occasions.
You may not like his game, but this dude's a Hall of Famerf'real. And nobody likes to see their HOFers without rings, right?
Sure he looks like he's from another planet and listens to The Hoff, but you 'gotta respect his game.
6. LaDainianTomlinson Total Seasons Played: 8 Closest He Got to a Title: AFC Conference Championship, 2008
You may snicker at LDT's placement on this list, perhaps due to the fact that he's only been playing for 8 years. But 8 years as a running back - and a dominant one at that - is quite impressive and at least matches 10 years as a quarterback. But OBJ! OBJ! He's soft! He's always pulling up lame in the playoffs! Unfortunately, this may be true. Either this kid has an unbeatable ability to get injured right when it counts most, or he just can't stand playing in the pressure situations. I'd like to think it's the former, but in 6 career playoff games LDT is averaging 3.6 yards per carry (84 ATT/303 YDS) with 4 touchdowns (plus 16 receptions for 157 yards). Not exactly what you would want from your "Get This Guy a Ring" running back. Let's look at something else.
When it comes to Tomlinson's campaign to join the "Who Deserves a Ring" list, LDT has an in-your-face style
Let's look at the 5 Pro Bowls in 8 seasons, First Team All-Pro for 3. Let's look at:
Finishing in the top 6 in Rushing Attempts 7 different seasons
Finishing in the top 10 in Rushing Yards all 8 seasons of his career; 4 seasons in the top 3
The league's leading rusher two years in a row, 2006-2007, and currently second among active players
In the top 7 in Rushing Touchdowns all 8 seasons of his career
Rushing Touchdown leader 3 separate seasons (2004, 2006, 2007) and current leader among active players
In the top 10 for 6 seasons in Rushing Yards Per Game
Finishing in the top 10 all 8 seasons in Total Touchdowns; in the top 3 for five seasons
And if that's not enough he single-handedly won fantasy seasons for schmucks everywhere that didn't know a thing about football except to draft LDT over the course of 3 seasons. You want LDT to win the big one before he retires. He's got maybe 2-3 years left to do it before he's EdgerrinJames'd. If you're not rooting for this kid to get a ring before his last visored break-away run, you may not have a soul. He's certainly earned it.
5. Donovan McNabb Total Seasons Played: 10 Closest He Got to a Title: The Super Bowl, 2004
Why does it seem like so many pros on this list are the, "Aw, shucks. Lost another one." guys? I think that's the point but it's getting a bit depressing pointing out all of these amazing players that never won a championship. I'll take that as self-confirmation that I'm doing a good job.
McNabb was the 2nd overall pick in 1999; he was picked ahead of superstars like Edgerrin James, Champ Bailey, Tory Holt, DaunteCulpepper and JevonKearse. Unfortunately the immortal Tim Couch stole the #1 pick spotlight from him.
McNabb's been to the playoffs 6 out of his 10 seasons, and has a 9-6 (about a 67% winning percentage) postseason record. Not too shabby. It's odd that he hasn't made the Pro Bowl for the past four seasons, even though he's had career highs in completions, yards, yards per catch (also met career low for interceptions [6] and set career low for fumbles [3]) and has not had a noticeably significant statistical drop-off from his Pro Bowl years. This is because the perception of Donovan McNabb has changed, ever since he lost the Super Bowl. He had one year with a minimally-destructive T.O. to make it work, and you've GOT to say he made the most of it going 13-2 as a starter that season on his way to leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl (and remember, he won in the playoffs without T.O.). But now McNabb has this (somewhat) unfair spectre of not being able to win the big game hanging around him like a gold-digging hoodrat anxious for a boob job. His uncanny ability to Willy Beamen all over the field in pressure-cooked situations has probably added to his Legend of Big Game Impotence.
More Video at iamboredr.com McNabb throws up a wobbly one?
But other than that one year with T.O., honestly people, we're looking at McNabb's best receivers being Freddie Mitchell, Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis. Clearly, his running back Brian Westbrook has been his best receiver throughout his career. And that's pretty sad.
McNabb's been to 5 Pro Bowls in a row (2000-2005), finished in the top 10 in completions 3 times (most recently last year), the top 10 in touchdowns four times, the top 10 in passer rating 5 times, the top 10 in passing yards per game 6 times and has never finished in the top 10 in interceptions thrown. Not bad for someone who hasn't had an outstanding wide receiver corps. As a matter of fact, Mrs. McNabb's little boy is currently 30th among all NFL players in rushing yards.
Donovan McNabb just seems like one of those genuinely nice guys. He lost at least an entire season because of the bullshit Owens created in that locker room, and while (maybe) you can blame it on a lack of clear, overt leadership on the part of McNabb, it certainly wasn't him that created the strife. If you can think of one active quarterback in the NFL that is more deserving of a ring than 5-time conference-title-playing McNabb other than Mike Vick, Sue's is all ears.
4. Allen Iverson Total Seasons Played: 13 Closest He Got to a Title: NBA Finals, 2001
The first pick in a 1996 NBA Draft that included Marcus Campy, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal and Derek Fisher (what happened to drafts like these?), AI is a basketball player certainly like no other that ever played in the NBA.
But my, MY what an awkward time to put AI in the top 5 of such a prestigious list. We all know about the long-and-recently-significantly-added-to list of AI character transgressions. Most notably and hmorously his aversion to practice.
But he really do go out there and die for that game.
We talkin' 'bout practice? I'm 'sposed to be a franchise playa. But straight up like the above caption suggests, Allen Iverson gave everything he had to the game of basketball, making the playoffs 8 out of his 13 seasons with teams that included starting rosters like this:
And of course the two with Carmello. Can we get this guy some help? No offence to Keith Van Horn or 'Ol Beat-up Webber, but AI deserves to win a championship just for having to play his ass off with busters like this for 80% of his career. Iverson's a 10-time All Star, winning the MVP in 2000-2001. At 6" absolutely nothing he was selected to the All-NBA team on 7 occassions, won the scoring title (2004-2005) and was in the top 10 in minutes played per season 6 different years. To top it off, AI led the league in minutes per game 7 times, points per game four times and has been in the top 10 in steals 10 out of his 13 seasons.
As has been discussed on Sue's, if AI doesn't embrace a new off-the-bench role with a contender, he has absolutely no chance at winning a championship. You 'wanna talk about a gamer? AI is the scrappiest professional athlete I've ever known, and his contempt for practice aside he plays his ass off during the game. Even if he detonated any shot at the Pistons reaching the Eastern Conference Finals this year and walked away from his team in an unprecedented move for a Superstar, AI deserves to have a ring before he retires.
3. Steve Nash Total Seasons Played: 13 Closest He Got to a Title: NBA Western Conference Finals, 2003, 2005 and 2006
Poor Steve Nash. His best shot at even an appearance in the NBA Finals was with a peak-Dirk on the 2000-2004 fired up Dallas squad. Unfortunately for this little futballer he was unlucky enough to be not only in the same conference, but in the same division as a peak-Timmy D and the Spurs. He then moved on to the SSOL Suns teams (2004-2007) that were quite frankly the most entertaining basketball team to watch in my lifetime...perhaps the most entertaining team period. One of the saddest things about Nash is, unless he latches onto a team as a back-up, I don't see him winning a championship. The Suns are clearly unstable and rebuilding, and picking up an aging point guard to start doesn't a championship team make, typically.
I've heard many a times that Nash didn't deserve his consecutive MVPs. Debate it all you want, but he still won them. He's also a 6-time All Star and a 3-time All NBA First Team member (twice All NBA 3rd team, once All NBA 2nd team). Then you have his 8-time appearance in the top 5 for free-throw percentage and 8-time appearance in the top ten for assists (including leading the league on 3 occasions).
When's the last time you heard Nash complain about anything? I understand Canadians are conflict-averse by nature, but this 'lil guy just seems like someone you wouldn't mind having coach your kids in soccer or basketball. Not that we should consider that when deciding if he's among the most deserving of a championship, but if none of the figures above work for you that sweet ass soccer-style header-alley-oop to Amare in the 2005 dunk contest clearly pushes him over the edge.
Talk about a heads-up play!
2. Jason Kidd Total Seasons Played: 15 Closest He Got to a Title: NBA Finals, 2002 and 2003
Jason Kidd is absolutely, positively, without question a future Hall of Famer. Other players on this list you may be able to disput, but Kidd is a sure-fire IN to everyone that didn't right the short bus to school. A 9-time All Star player, Jason Kidd is quite possibly the best passing and rebounding point guard of all time. Kidd also earned the 1994-1995 Rookie of the Year, an impressive accomplishment when you consider the likes of Glenn Robinson, Grant Hill, Juwan Howard and Yinka Dare came into the LIG that year too. Kidd happens to be a 6-time All NBA Team member, as well as a 9-time All Defensive Team member. Kidd never won an MVP, which is a damn travesty, but is the league-leader in active players' accumulated minutes. He led the league in assists on 3 separate occasions (5 times if you're looking at APG), and is the active leader as well.
For whatever reason, the Kidd family made after-dinner clean-up an all inclusive family affair. Yep. Even in his home life, Jason Kidd brings new meaning to the phrase, "dishing it."
Hell, he's been in the top 10 in total steals 10 separate years, and in the top 5 in total assists nearly every year he's played. But, more impressive is that he took a teams starting Todd MacCulloch, Kerry Kittles, Keith Van Horn and Kenyon Martin (2002) and Richard Jefferson, Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles and Lucious Harris (2003) to consecutive Finals appearances, respectively.
For this reason and his overall brilliance Jason Kidd is Runaround Sue's runner-up as the athlete most deserving of a ring.
1. Ken Griffey, Jr. Total Seasons Played: 21 Closest He Got to a Title: American League Championship Series, 1995
Griffey, Griffey, Griffey. After weeks of back-and-forth between SJF and I, we finally settled with Junior at #2. I wrote it off as an acceptable loss, because I was adamant about Griffey being in the One slot likely - at least in some measure - because he's my favorite athlete of all time. I was prepared to except that bias was a part of my decision and to allow Kidd to creep in. But then I spoke to a few other people who love Griffey nearly as much as I do, and my bias became acceptable. Regardless, the reasons for Griffey at 1 are virtually endless.
Get it? Got it? GOOD. Now up your pimp game OBJ style and get yourself a Junior-signed BAT to boot, bitches
It would be fun to try this in one breath: Griffey is a 13-time All Star who won the American League MVP in 1997 (finishing in the top 5 in voting four other years). He's a 10-time Gold Glove recipient and 7-time Silver Slugger. Junior appears in the top 50 in nearly all of those "Jeezus, What If He Weren't Injured" all-time categories like slugging % (31st), OPS (50th), games played (42nd), runs scored (38th), stolen bases (30th), doubles (45), triples (41), total bases (14), walks (44th) and RBIs (18th). And, of course, he's currently 5th all time with 613 career home runs. Ken Griffey, Jr. is not simply the greatest active baseball player without a ring, some could argue that without injury he'd be in the argument for best baseball player of all time.
"But in 21 seasons, he only made it to the playoffs 3 times, OBJ!" you might say. Well, in 1995, the closest The Kid ever got to sniffing the World Series, Griffey OPS'ed 1.488 and 1.011 in the two playoff series, respectively. He's a decidely un-Arod-esque career .290 hitter with a .947 in the postseason, so you can't really lay the blame on him. There's not much else to say about Griffey except that he's the poster boy for the "he played the game right" athlete. Remember the story about how Bonds decided over dinner that he was going to start injecting himself with Hippo steroids, and Griffey said it wasn't for him? Man, sometimes I wish Junior HAD taken steroids, if only to come back from injury a little quicker. But the lasting legacy of being 94.5% positive Griffey is clean is even better. The Kid, with his "I Love This Game" smile and backwards hat, will always be remembered as one of the more positive sports figures of his time.
And, honestly. Is there really another athlete you'd rather see crying while being hosed with champagne and hoisting the championship trophy? (Note: All stats courtesy of baseball/basketball/football reference. As if you needed to be told)
Self-serving bloviating? Nay. Witty tidbits worthy of a hearty chuckle? We can only hope.
Welcome to Runaround Sue's, your resident good-natured source for all things sports, entertainment, and irrelevantly hysterical.
If this forum was a buffet table, you would be constantly treated to a gourmet spread of Americana, with plenty of Georgia inspired shrimp Parmesan grits and fried chicken.
Mixed in with your normal diet of NBA and MLB, but primarily NCAA College Football, you will find hopeful thoughts on the Georgia Bulldogs, Atlanta Braves and of course the Hawks.
Enjoy and, more importantly, if you don't, please post your visceral comments for all to see. We love nothing more than to be shown up by our own readers.
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