What a Wonderful Story!

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Lakers Sign Shannon Brown & Ron Artest

The Lakers signed guard Shannon Brown for two more years today, while a few days ago they secured Ron Artest for three years at the mid-level exception.

I can’t say I’m unhappy with those two actions. Shannon Brown obviously contributed plenty to the Lakers’ season last year and with a shaky Jordan Farmar and aging Derek Fisher around, it was important for him to stick around. However, now we have a 3 point guards situation which is never good on any NBA team. I think with Fisher playing less and less minutes, it might actually work out, but I’m shaky on this topic.

Elsewhere, Ariza chose the money and wasn’t happy with the mid-level 5.8 million per year offer. Can’t blame him I guess. The guy shut his mouth all year to put up with Kobe, won a ring, and is 24. Of course he’s going to go for more money elsewhere. And trust me, a lot of people will ask for him! The addition of Artest in his spot is an interesting one. I think Ron is still a good player, but on the other hand, he’s still Ron Artest. Will Kobe and Phil Jackson be enough to control him and keep his head in the game? The thought of Ron Artest & Lamar Odom on the same team would have scared me to death a few years ago. I’m not so sure now… I think in the long term it’s a good deal. We’re going for an older guy (Ron) vs. a younger guy (Ariza) to save money and add more experience to the team. In a couple of years, we’re obviously going into full rebuild mode once Kobe calls it quits. In the long term however, the right move was to keep Ariza. I guess money is tight these days, and one has to do what one has to do…

L.A. Lakers Win 2009 NBA Championship

Now I can return to blogg-ing. I was afraid of all jinxes out there.

Plenty of thoughts running through my head right now — if I were to jot them all down it would look disorganized. Give me a few days to recover, and “I’ll be back!”

The Diary: Eddie’s Latest One-Liners

My name is Stan Van Gundy and I’m Ron Jeremy’s stunt double. I learned how to play Rashard Lewis with Pietrus and Hedo, and it helped me win a big game for once. I’m no Jeff.

My name is LeBron James and I shouldn’t take nine days off ever again. I also finally got to play a half-decent team in the Playoffs, and they were able to expose our offense, which consists of three plays.

My name is JJ Reddick. Sometimes I have bad shooting nights because I don’t go out to practice my three; instead before a big game I sit in the locker room next to Hedo — who’s eating pizza — and work on my hairdo with a bottle of gel and a comb.

My name is Kobe Bryant, and I miss being 25, where no matter who you were, I would have taken your ass to the rim for a dunk or two guaranteed free throws.

My name is George Karl and I simply can’t get it done. Nor can I get a suit that fits perfectly and doesn’t make me look like Koko the Clown. In Game 7 in Los Angeles, when the Lakers are up by 1 and we have the ball with 6 seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter, I’ll once again have Anthony Carter — the shortest player on my team — take the ball out of bounds where he’s met by Lamar Odom — a near 7-footer who played street ball in New York. I will have him pass to Chauncey, a guy who walks so slow to get the pass, telegraphing it to the entire court, that we’re bound to give them a steal and a win in a game we probably should have won.

My name is Kenyon Martin and I just fouled Kobe Bryant 30 feet from the basket in the biggest game of the last 20 years in our franchise’s history by reaching in for some reason while three people were defending him.

My name is Carmelo Anthony and I need to be traded to a team where my potential will grow into a championship, and not a team where my teammate feuds with Mark Cuban, uses double negatives in every sentence, and where the number of tats on our team combined is greater than the number of dumb decisions our coach has made this season. Either way, I’m set on showing everyone I’m that damn good and MJ knew something when he gave me that Nike deal.

My name is J.R. Smith and I really don’t give a damn if we beat the Lakers or not. Why should I care if my club’s owner doesn’t believe in us and would rather watch RAW?

My name is Blake Griffin and David Stern’s ping pong balls screwed me for life.

Can’t you just picture a depressed-looking Baron Davis bouncing off Marcus Camby and Zach Randolph during timeouts as Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin cry aloud? The NBA – Where Mike Dunleavy Happens.

Seeing is Believing

ESPN E:60 ran a fascinating piece on basketball player Matt Steven. Matt’s high school — St. Laurence — relied on him to make two crucial free throws in an important game. As Lisa Salters begins her piece, every basketball player knows what’s it like to be down 1 point and to have to head to the free throw line for the potential game-deciding two shots. That’s exactly what Matt went through. There is only one detail — Matt is blind…

Disgusting

There is no other word I can use right now to explain the Lakers’ showing today. That was disgusting. Not showing up to a Playoff Game when you’re a title contender is inexcusable. I’m a Lakers fan, and always will be, but today made me sick to my stomach. We don’t deserve to play in the Finals. In fact, I don’t want us to play in the Finals. Why make LeBron look even better than he already is? The Cavs would crush us with this type of play.

Having gotten the emotions out of me, I tried to figure out what happened. We played no defense for three quarters. I don’t know why. I can’t explain to you why. That was the biggest problem today. Houston’s shots were going in, and when you’re not playing defense against a team whose shots are going in, you’re gong to get embarrassed, which we did. Second, Andrew Bynum and Derek Fisher are just non-existent at this point in time. I don’t remember if it was Van Gundy or Jackson that said it on commentary today, but at this point in time you might as well play Mbenga if you’re Phil Jackson, and hope that Jordan Farmar get out of the slump. The Lakers don’t have a point guard. Shannon Brown played well today, but not having enough minutes in the regular season is showing. Those are the two biggest problems. Then there’s also this “heart” argument. Where is the heart?! I’ve been asking this since the beginning of the season! If you want to be a champion in this league, then you have to play like it. You have to show that passion. You have to give it all in your game. The Lakers don’t. That’s not a champion.

I’m disgusted, and extremely mad. What a terrible game!

NBA Playoffs Round 1 Thoughts

Now that Round 1 of the Playoffs is over, it’s time to reflect. There was quite a lot going on this year, and we ended up with a much better-than-expected Round 1 in my opinion. While it was largely due to probably the best Round 1 Playoff Series in history (Celtics-Bulls), there were some other scenarios that developed which should be discussed:

1) It was the end of an era…
Sorry Spurs fans. It’s over. It just is. Duncan is old and while he’s far from being done with basketball, it’s obvious that he’s now on borrowed time. He’s still a great player, but he’s not the Timmy you are all used to and need to win a championship. These next two summers in Texas will be decision-time as far as the future of the team goes. Manu’s constant injuries pretty much cancel out the great ability he has, while Parker is someone you can build around in a Point Guard-driven NBA these days. Lots to think about.

2) It was the beginning of an era…
OK, really — This wouldn’t have been such a good Playoffs’ Round 1 if it wasn’t for the Bulls-Celtics Series, and the Bulls’ arrival to the scene. Most importantly, Derrick Rose is here. You will remember this series for a long time, and when one day Rose is on the LeBron level, chasing a title, we’ll say “Remember the series with the Bulls in ‘09? He’s been there, and he wants it even more.” As good as this series was, I think people fail to realize how important it was for future great series! I can’t wait! I loved this Bulls team. A rookie coach combined with young players gave the defending champions the ride of their life. And I loved every second of it. A KG-less C’s team matched up perfectly with an arriving Bulls team. I like the Bulls for next season. Let’s see if they sign Gordon to a deal this summer and how things work out once Deng comes back. There’s excitement in Chi-town again!

3) It was the question of an era…
Can the Lakers hold a lead? Do they really want to win a championship? We thought that last season was over. There were a few convenient excuses for the Lakers’ performance last year. Kobe was injured; Gasol was new; Bynum and Ariza weren’t around; Odom was shaky. Despite all of these issues, the Lakers almost won the championship. So it was hard to disagree that when the 2008/2009 season started, they were the favorites. Fast-forward 82 games to the Playoffs. The situation is completely different… right?! Kobe’s injury is all but forgotten. Gasol has played the most minutes on the team this season. Bynum and Ariza are back, playing key roles in the Playoffs. Odom is the player everyone wanted him to be. The one thing that hasn’t changed? The Lakers. They seemingly fixed all of these issues, but in reality nothing has changed. They drop big leads. They don’t seem to have the passion to go all out for 48 minutes, play defense, make the key hustle plays, and have the passion of a champion. The Utah series wasn’t easy to watch, and the Houston one will be even harder. I truly hope the Zen Master has a few words of encouragement for his team.

4) It was the disappointment of an era…
There’s no excuse. What the New Orleans Hornets did to their fans is just inexcusable and low. To lose at home in a Playoff game is one thing. But to get blown out by almost a double margin is just embarrassing. Forget the fact that I felt like an idiot picking the Hornets in that series. Forget the fact that Tyson Chandler seemed more confused on the court than a soccer player watching an NFL game. Hell, even forget the fact that this team quit on Byron Scott a long time ago. What you can’t forgive nor forget is the fact that they quit on their fans. They just decided “F THIS! AND F YOU PEOPLE!” That’s inexcusable. No NBA team — I repeat, NO NBA TEAM!!! — would quit on its fans the way New Orleans quit at home in their blowout loss. I was disgusted! Denver deserves to play in the next round. The Hornets don’t deserve to be in the NBA.

Other Notable Events:
– Orlando entertains me. This is a team with no shot whatsoever, but with all the right ingredients of an entertaining team. They have a porn star look-a-like for a coach, who will say anything anywhere at any given time. How haven’t we gotten a reality show out of SVG is beyond me. The sad part is the Magic might make the finals out East because I don’t know how much gas the C’s have left in the tank.

– Portland. Very disappointing. It’s a proven fact that you can beat Houston if you play a certain way. The Blazers, much like everyone in the NBA, knows this. However, they chose not to do it and instead continue using the same strategy that never worked. They are so much better than this!

– Speaking of Houston, my favorite shot of the Playoffs was that of Tracy McGrady on the Rockets’ bench. Yes, Tracy. The Rockets are FINALLY out of the first round, and it probably has a lot to do with the fact that you are on the bench. You should get traded to the Hornets.

– D-Wade. You tried. The Hawks have a 23-point lead in the fourth quarter of Game 7 as I’m typing this. The bottom line is that no matter how great a player you have (and Wade was a great player this season), with absolutely no supporting cast, you’re not going anywhere. I felt bad for #3. He played his heart out, and got nowhere because his supporting cast was so poor. We can’t be mad at them. Can we?

Round 2 awaits!

NBA Playoffs Chess

It seems that every year the NBA does a tremendous job with its advertising campaign before the Playoffs and Finals. This year has been no different. The “Where Amazing Happens” campaign continued with slow-mo dramatic-music moments of older Playoffs footage that really manage to capture the spirit of the post-season. Think Kobe’s buzzer-beater against the Suns a few years ago, or Duncan’s shocking three-pointer (again against the poor Suns) last year. They show these moments in black and white, add the dramatic music, and play them in slow-mo, and all you can think about by the end of the ad is “when is the next game on.”

However, the newest piece of advertisement that comes out of the NBA is the best I’ve seen in 2009. It’s over two minutes long and compares basketball to chess. As a concept that sounds a bit out there, but when you watch the video, you get the point. Another key part is that it also features the first tease of Kobe vs. LeBron for the Finals, pinning the two guys on opposing sides of the chess board. Enjoy!

The 2009 NBA Playoffs Are Here!

In only a matter of hours, the NBA Playoffs will begin! It’s been an emotional couple of days for basketball fans. The expected news that Kevin Garrnett will miss the remainder of the year due to a knee injury has shaken the league up. Although I’m a Laker fan, I can’t say I’m happy about this. I’m a huge fan of KG’s, and having him in the Playoffs would have made the post season a whole lot more fun! This news item wasn’t taken in well by true basketball fans, and it certainly didn’t do wonders for Celtics GM Danny Ainge, who suffered a heart attack a few hours later that day. I want to make sure and wish Mr. Ainge (another basketball great) a speedy recovery! I’m glad to hear he’s doing fine!

I think the KG-less Celtics are more dangerous than everyone thinks. Losing their key player will hurt their chances and there’s no way around that. However, the remaining players on the team just got a little extra motivation to try harder. The way the whole story went down — with the Celtics being quiet about the injury, never telling us what it really is, and making their players think they’re getting KG come the Playoffs so they would play a high pace — makes me think that the Celtics aren’t as fragile as we all think. I believe they’re smart, and obviously planned well for this moment.

At any rate, here are my thoughts for the Round 1 match-ups:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (8) Detroit Pistons
– The Pistons traded Billups for Iverson, and Joe Dumars convinced us it was a good move. And really, in a league where everyone is trying to dump salary and nobody cares about basketball, it made sense. But a few games into the trade it was obvious this was a bad move for the Pistons. I think they’ll be able to get a game or two out of Bron Bron but I don’t see much else happening at this point in time. I say Cleveland takes it 4 games to 1.

(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Chicago Bulls
– I just don’t see the Celtics losing in Round 1. They are the defending champions. They are missing their key player. They’ve been playing solid basketball without him heading into the Playoffs, and Paul Pierce will not let them die this early. Ray Allen will be extra motivated. If they can get modest production out of their bigs (Powe has been playing well, Perkins is decent, and Davis is improved from last year), and Rajan Rondo comes through, I think the C’s will prevail. Chicago has been on a role since getting Brad Miller and John Salmons. Ben Gordon will get his, but how will Derrick Rose react in his first trip to the Playoffs? That’s why Rondo’s play is key to this series. If he can play solid against Rose, the C’s will take this. I’m going to go on a limb and say C’s take the serious 4 games to 2.

(3) Orlando Magic vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers
– I’m not looking forward to this series. At all. Philly has been terrible heading into the Playoffs, almost making us question what they were trying to accomplish in the last month. It’s a season the 76ers would rather forget, I can tell you this much. As far as Orlando goes, count me as one of the people not sold on them. To me, Turkoglu’s health is a big question mark, and Dwight Howard is not your “go to” guy. With no Jameer Nelson, what do you? Magic takes the series in 7 games, 4-3.

(4) Atlanta Hawks vs. (5) Miami Heat
– Without a doubt the most interesting Round 1 match-up. I can’t wait for this series! It’s time to see what D-Wade will be able to accomplish with a team that consists of a dying Jermaine O’Neal and a rookie point guard in Mario Chalmers. Having in mind what Wade has been up to lately, I’m very tempted to take the Heat in this one. However, Atlanta’s play in the Playoffs last year was phenomenal and I think that Joe Johnson will do a good enough job on Wade, while Bibby pressures Chalmers and Josh Smith gets his. I say Atlanta in 6, 4 games to 2.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (8) Utah Jazz
– You talk about a weird 8-seed. Well I’m not happy about this draw, but so be it. I’m confident that the Lakers will be victorious. Bynum looks good. Kobe seems a bit worried but not as tired as he should be at this point in time. Gasol has been playing amazing basketball all year long. Trevor Ariza has proven to be an important X factor on this team. The biggest question mark is the play of Fisher and Lamar Odom. One of the best-kept secrets in the past month has been how horrible Derrick Fisher and Jordan Farmar have been. Being a smart man, Phil Jackson has shifted the attention away from his two point guards by letting Shannon Brown get some play-time in generally unimportant matches, so that PJ has something positive to talk about in Brown. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Shannon in the Playoffs because that’s a Phil Jackson move. As far as Fisher goes, he’ll be fine. He’s a veteran and will get the job done, plus don’t remember he always has “extra” motivation when he plays in Utah, so that helps. I’m worried about Farmar, who’s become somewhat of a streaky player, but I hope he’ll come through. Really, Lamar Odom is what worries me most. If we get the Lamar we’ve been getting for most of this year, then the Lakers will have no trouble on their way to the finals. If we don’t, then it’ll depend on the rest of the crew. This has been a bad year for the Jazz due to injury problems, and bad chemistry. They might have to think things over this summer. I think the Lakers will play hard and sweep Round 1 because they don’t want to waste time in the uninviting state of Utah. 4-0.

(2) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) New Orleans Hornets
– When the season started I was thinking these two would meet in Round 1 of the Playoffs, only the Hornets would have the #2 seed, and the Nuggets would have the #7 seed. Wow. This might be another 7-game series. While the thought of Paul vs. Billups is entertaining, I have to say that there are way too many other factors in play here. Will K-Mart or JR Smith punch out David West at one point in time during this game, or will they take an ill-advised 3 with the clock running down and their team needing a shot? Will Chauncey manage to control this wreck through the Playoffs? Will ‘Melo finally show up? How will Nene handle West and Chandler? On the flip side of things, can this Hornets team get any weirder? Do you count on Tyson Chandler to come through? Can’t you just picture him limping his way to the basket only for the Birdman Chris Andersen to block his shot and go nuts, causing a technical foul, followed by a JR Smith slap on the referee, an ejection, and a more serious penalty? Nothing would surprise me with these two teams — I just hope George Karl makes it alive through this summer. I think I am going to watch every game of this series. I’m going with the Hornets in 7 games, 4-3.

(3) San Antonio Spurs vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks
– I can’t… I just can’t… AHHHH! OK, fine. Dallas in 7. Damn it!

(4) Portland Trailblazers vs. (5) Houston Rockets
– The second most interesting match-up in my opinion. Keep your eye on Yao Ming. This is a must-win situation for him and the Hornets. On the other hand, Portland and Brandon Roy look unbeatable at home. I think at the end the home court advantage will take its toll but it’ll take time getting there. Portland in 7, 4-3.

If my predictions hold up, we’ll have quite the Round 2! I’ll be back with more thoughts on the Playoffs soon!

The College Basketball Debate

I’ve been really busy lately, so I’ve had to rely on entertaining the millions and millions of readers of my blog (HA!) with some entertaining YouTube video, but don’t think for one second that I post any YouTube video. I try to still make them entertaining and worth your while, so hopefully you’ve enjoyed them.

Anyway, by being so busy these past two weeks, and having to attend a conference on Saturday, I was a bit sad that I’m going to be missing NCAA action, especially my Bruins playing Villanova. This has been a tough year for us. With Westbrook, Love, and Mbah a Moute leaving for the NBA, the team had a weird chemistry of people to work with. On one hand you had the (shaky) leadership of Darren Collison and Josh Shipp in their last year at UCLA, mixed with secondary guys from last year’s squad getting a chance, and some new faces with Holiday making a quick impact. It’s a work in progress, and this obviously wasn’t our year.

I thought we’d have trouble getting past VCU in Round 1, but we managed. After all, UCLA is UCLA when it comes to college basketball, and the guys weren’t going to choke that badly. The media jumped on the possibility and a poor Pac-10 Tournament performance added to the hype. We beat VCU (barely, yes), and then it was on to Villanova. I had us losing by 10, calling it a tournament, and creating a new squad next year with 2009’s core in place. Never mind that we got crushed by a superior team (Villanova was tremendous!) in a game we never lead in. You see, this is college basketball. You always hope for next year…

This is where the college basketball debate enters the picture. If you think about it, how silly is it to support a college basketball team nowadays, other than your school’s squad? With the NBA rules set in stone, players are coming in and leaving on the fly. You see by the bargaining agreement signed in 2005, you have to be 19 years of age to enter the NBA, and you must be 1 year removed from high school. I’m not sure why. What’s the point of this rule? If you’re destined to be a mega-star out of high school, what does this one year of college do for you? Would Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, or Kevin Garrnett gotten any better if they went to college for one year? They’re three of the top six players in the league today in my opinion, with James and Bryant the top two. You should either let high school stars get into the NBA right away if they’re that good (and on the rare occasions it happens, it’s definitely the way to go as history has shown for the most part). If they’re not and you’re sending them to college, you might as well force them to graduate or at least reach the age of 21 before they move onto the NBA.

A college graduate entering the NBA makes sense to me. Not only do guys mature more when they enter the league, but they also get four years of college ball. Four years of learning the game, and becoming better at it. Face it, if they’re that good, then they’ll come in from high school! Just a thought…