'More Than A Game' Trailer

Pretty damned hyped for this. I mean it would be a lot better if Lebron had brought home the hardware this year, but still.

Must Have Had A Poor Work Out

So let me get this straight: Dajuan Blair - a dude who at a minimum could come in right away and play as a very valuable fourth big man on any playoff team - plummets all night, because people keep repeating the scary-sounding phrase "he doesn't have ACLs".

Nevermind, that he apparently never missed a single practice or game in college due to any health reason of any kind.

He drops all the way to 37th pick where he gets picked up by...the San Antonio Spurs.

In other news, everybody should be aware that RC Buford will once again be hosting the "GMing For Dummies" leadership conference at the San Antonio Omni Hilton this summer during the weekend July 18th-20th.

If you are the currently-employed General Manager of a solvent NBA franchise, the continental breakfast IS included in your reservation!

Comfortably Numb In Bobcat Nation

Pretty damn sure Gerald Henderson isn't the winger scorer we were looking for.

And yet...he is not Jrue Holiday. I really really thought they were going to take Jrue Holiday.

Curry To Oakland

Hello Monta running the point...
Goodbye backcourt defense...

The Minnesota Matador

Ricky Rubio running pick & rolls with Big Al and Kevin Love ALL DAY...

Bigger Surprise So Far Tonight?

Amare to Golden State or Blake Griffin rocking that killer purple suit?

Draft Day - Part II

Well, we lost Gillespie for Part II. And Sandy didn't make it too long. But here's our best shot at the rest of the lottery field...

7. Golden State Warriors

SW: Who do the warriors take here? Nobody good. Seriously this draft sucks. Worst since 2003, when Mike Dunleavy Jr was an "obvious" #3 pick. I hope they trade out or up and get Rubio. Jordan Hill is a clown. I think he started playing ball when he was 17 or something. Add him to the list of unskilled big-man lottery misfires in the Warriors ugly draft past.

I would rather have a PG, but Jennings, Holiday and Flynn all scare me for different reasons. Lawson is sick, but him and monta on D together? Yikes. I think the Dubs are set up pretty good with a Biedrins/Wright/Randolph front court, Turiaf coming off the bench, and Maggette playing 3 sometimes. Big ball could be the new small ball.

But every time i think about the Warriors situation, I want to punch myself in the face. It would be great to just keep Monta, Randolph and Morrow, and buy everyone else out. We need to quit this band-aid, mediocre bullshit and fully blow up and rebuild. Otherwise, it's just this constant stream of underachieving 7-10 picks. At least if Crawford does indeed go to Atlanta, we get slightly better. Acie Law is not what anyone would call a starting PG, but at least he fills the spot.

Yikes. That is embittered. I feel like that calls for this picture.


Well, the word coming out of Oakland definitely seems to be Jordan Hill, but I'm going to go with Earl Clark here. I like him better as a pick, and I think the Dubs front office might be crazy enough to take him. The thing is, at this point, you're not likely to be plucking any all-stars out of the mix. Why not go with a kid that at least has a chance to be special? Everyone agress Clark is extraordinarily athletic for his size with a chance to become a truly unguardable forward, but there is also a perception that he is raw and unlikely to realize his potential. Well maybe try drafting and then actually coaching him? I know its not Don "Single-Malt" Nelson's strong suit, but it just might work.

8. New York Knicks

SW: Do i even watch the draft after this point? Maybe, depending on who potentially will cry in the green room when they are last picked. Lawson is going to be the sleeper of the draft, no matter where he goes. He's this years Chalmers, maybe better.

DerrrrMar DerrRozan will make some Sportcenter highlights, but wont make any teams better. I'm actually pretty high on Brandon Jennings, he was the #1 prospect last year, but couldn't cut it in Europe. But the dude just has so much swag and makes jaw dropping plays on the regular. At least he has the potential to be a mega star, which is more than you can say for most of these guys. Watch his high school highlights on youtube, just NASTY.

Holiday and Flynn will be alright 6th men/ backup PGs, not really worth a high pick though. I like those 2 skinny dudes from Louisville late in the first round, but they are my pick for first to get caught with groupies and weed at the NBA rookie seminar. DeJuan Blair will be an underrated piece to a good team sometime in his NBA career. Shout out to the Wake Forest dudes, i think James Johnson will be in the league a long time because he brings the thunder and can kickbox his way into the lineup. Seriously, every team needs a 6'9 kickboxing enforcer for when shit goes down. Teague should have stayed in school, I dont see him in the league in 4 years. Better start getting your passport updated.

This feels like more of a mess than I had hoped it would be when Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni took over. They've got a fair number of holes, but I think they take Jennings here. It's still a holding pattern for a few years, why hold bring in the best talent on the board, even if he's not quite ready? Not sure if he's getting booed or not.

9. Toronto Raptors

This team is going nowhere and this pick is miserable, which is a shame for one of the top 5 fan bases in the league. Toronto desperately needs scoring from the wing, and DeMar DeRozan allegedly fits the bill. Without a doubt, he'll make an ill fastbreak dunk or two, but does anyone think bringing this young player into a situation as unstable as this one is going to work out? Yikes.

10. Milwaukee Bucks

Here's an interesting fact about Jrue Holiday: He averaged less than ten points a game in college. The perfect pick for a front office that appears to trigger a mass hunger strike by their fan base.

11. New Jersey Nets

Rod Thorn is a smart GM. He wants a big man. I see him doing what few other GMs would have the stones to do and taking Tyler Hansbrough here. Is he replacing Elton Brand? Obviously not. But if you think he can't come off the bench in year 1, eat up crucial minutes, and give you something with size and toughness...then you haven't watched the kid play.

12. Charlotte Bobcats

I have no idea where Charlotte goes with this. As on the nation's only Bobcats fans, I've spent the last five years getting humiliated. Each year I debate getting a divorce. Each year I come back. This year it was the Larry Brown hire that got me. Supposedly, Larry loves Terence Williams, so I guess I'll go with him. Felton is about the only one I like on this team, so I definitely don't want to see this pick burned on a point guard.

Then again, would it even matter? Where are we going? Is there even a plan? I think Managing Partner Michael Jordan is off "hiking the Appalachain Trail" right now.

We're signing Iverson this summer, right?

13. Indiana Pacers

Larry Legend needs a floor leader and Ty Lawson is best left on the table. Maynor may be comparable (or slightly better) athletically, but Lawson is proven as a winner and mature enough to play quickly. Jeff Teague is a head case (mark my words), and I can't see him leading that team anywhere. Lawson isn't going to be Derrick Rose, but he push the rock, pass it Granger, and limit the team's turn overs.

14. Phoenix Suns

Is it clear enough after today trade talk that the Suns management are actively pushing Steve Nash to quit basketball and join the MLS. This team is beyond rebuilding mode; they are in strip-down-for-parts mode. The pick? Who the hell knows? I say they pick BJ Mullens just to see how weird he and Amare would look together.

Does this draft just get more depressing the deeper we go?

The good news is it looks like the Spurs, Magic, Wizards, Cavs, and maybe even the Celtics and Golden State are swinging for the fences on the trade block. With or without much rookie talent, this is going to be a hell of an off-season.

Draft Day - Part I

It's Christmas morning in June for fans of the association. If the strong, steady breeze of player acquisitions in the past past 48 hours has not been enough to whet your whistle for the winter of 2010, then tonight's draft - weak as it may be - should do the trick.

For extra help, we turned to two esteemed members of the Mind Of Blue Panel of Ball Experts: Knicks season ticket-holder Aaron Gillespie and Warrior season ticket-scavenger Sandy White.

Below we break down the initial six lottery picks. Part II to come...

1. Los Angeles Clippers

Aaron Gillespie: Who they should and will pick is obvious: Blake Griffin. The only real question is, what will derail Griffin's career?

Sandy White: Griffin. OBVIOUS PICK. BD is gonna love this guy, but i am beyond bored with this story line. Yes he will be good. The Clips should be a lot better next year, and will be a borderline playoff team. It's dependent on who they can get for Kaman/Camby/Randolph, at least one, maybe two, of which will now be irrelevant. Not that they weren't irrelevant for the last 5 years already.

I also don't have much of a comment here, except to note the the Clippers are legally obligated to pay Zach Randolph more than $33 million over the next two years. So you know...might be time to fire somebody or give somebody a medal.


2. Memphis Grizzlies

AG: Who they should pick is Ricky Rubio. Who they will pick is Hasheem Thabeet

Like everyone else, I pretty much expect the Grizzlies to crap the bed whenever they get the chance. Enter Hasheem Thabeet. Chad Ford brings up defense and shot blocking, I bring up an inability to play offense and a tall, skinny center who will get pushed around by larger centers and have trouble defending the pick and roll because he is only slightly less awkward than Roy Hibbert. Still, he will be able to effect shots after opposing guards drive past defensive wizards Mike Conley and OJ Mayo, so he is not without value. I see 20-30 good, not great, minutes a night from Thabeet and bad value from the number 2 pick. I also see the Grizzlies taking him and thinking they have their starting 5 of the future with Conley, Mayo, Gay, Gasol the younger and Thabeet.

I take Rubio here. Given the number of teams that are really high on Rubio, you could trade him for value if Rubio refuses to come to Memphis. If you can sign him, the Grizzlies can play a below average Rubio for 20 minutes a game without harming their already miniscule playoff chances. This still leaves enough minutes to find out what you have with Conley.

SW: Thabeet. This guy would be a great fit with the Griz. Big Loser, in almost every aspect. The black Yao Ming, but without any offense. Trust me, every athletic swingman in the league is dreaming of dunking on him. Hasheem, please meet Andre Igoudala's nuts. In your face.

I'm also on board with Rubio. I actually think the Spainard is the best asset available in the draft period, but didn't dare mention him in the previous section, for fear that the Clips might actually take him.

And you know what I remember about Hasheem Thabeet's college career? It isn't the 3.8 blocks he averaged against guys who will never ever play in the NBA. It's the moment where CBS panned to the crowd during the second semi-final game to reveal that Thabeet was already sitting courtside - about 45 seconds after UConn got dropped - flirting with some dime piece and wearing Posh Spice's sunglasses. You stay hungry, big man!

Looks like Chris Wallace is dead set on Thabeet though. After all, he's quite tall!

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

AG: They should and will pick Ricky Rubio. Rubio is 6' 5'', athletic, skilled at handling the ball, and best of all - 18 years old. He can already play defense. He can already pass the ball. He may not be a scorer yet, but that is fine, he is 18 years old. I am excited to see what this kid can do with a couple of years experience in the NBA. Rubio and Durant is a core to build a team around. The only negative factor is Russell Westbrook who looks like he will be pretty good on his own and has noted some displeasure with the addition of Rubio. I try to get them to co-exist, if it does not work (either on or off the court) then you deal one of them down the road.

SW: Rubio. Kid is dirty, but he doesnt score much and I dont think that is something that develops easily. It's a concern, but Kidd and old Chauncy didnt need to and there are a lot of positive comparisons there. Sometimes you just have to throw all the stats and doubt out the window and just know a kid is gonna be good. He is also pretty tall for a point, and will fill out a lot since he is only 18. I wish the Warriors could get him, but looks like we just traded for 2 shitty PGs and have Monta thinking he can run the point. Terrible. This is an awful pick for the Thunder, but, yea, he is the best player. Just unfortunate, because they don't need him and Westbrook will cry like a girl.

There are two schools of thought on Ricky Rubio. The first is that his supposed poor pre-draft work outs are troubling. This view is generally held by certain in-the-know front office and media types.

The second is that at the age of seventeen and while injured he held his own against Chris Paul, the world's greatest point guard since Isiah Thomas, on a massively-pressured stage. This view is generally held by people who own televisions and enjoy watching basketball games on them.

Sam Presti is way too smart to not make this pick. Plus, the ghost of James Naismith desires to see Ricky Rubio run the break with Kevin Durant.

4. Sacramento Kings

AG: Who they should pick is Tyreke Evans/James Harden/Stephen Curry. Who they will pick is Johnny Flynn.

A team as bereft of talent as the Kings needs to take the best player available period. It does not matter if they share the same position as Kevin Martin, so I am not reaching down for Jordan Hill or Earl Clark when there are better guards available. I like Evans - he has good height, great athleticism and held together a Memphis team that lost its core to the NBA a year prior - but there are a number of picks who seem pretty close here. The ever helpful Chad Ford provides unattributed quotes from "sources" that have the front office split between Evans, Flynn and Rubio. I think they go with Flynn to avoid having two SGs (although Evans is almost a PG, it still seems like his future will be SG). As much as I loved Flynn in college, I just do not see why he is going in the lottery. He was a good but not dominant college player. He is not a great shooter. He is extremely fast and athletic. He can score in the lane and Rajon Rondo has shown us the value of that skill. However, he is the definition of high risk, high reward and I prefer Evans or Harden as having higher upside or Curry as a better shot at being a solid PG.

SW: I'll take Tyreke. Evans is a Gangsta . Went to Memphis and has been shit kicking every PG in draft workouts. He should though, because hes basically a 2. Every year, the draft tries to take undersized, turnover-prone 2 guards and say they can play point in the league. I don't think it has ever worked out. I could be wrong but who has made that transition well? Dont say Arenas.

True, Johnny Flynn might look something like Rajon Rondo in the league. I also think he might look something like Earl Boykins. Maybe somewhere in between if that makes sense. I also like Tyreke Evans from the remaining guards, but I truly have no idea who the Kings will pick. What kind of player should a flat, characterless team go after in an utterly mediocre draft? I can't remember...

Let's go with the red-hot Stephen Curry to mix things up.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves

AG: Who they should and will pick is James Harden.

SW: Honestly, I really don't know what Minny is looking for. In any case, I think Harden is overrated, but I guess they'll take him. The PAC 10 was terrible this year and ASU has not turned out good talent in the past. I hate Eddie House and Ike Diogu went from PAC-10 player of the year to bench warmer to trade chip in under 3 seasons. Doesn't bode well.

I'll go with Harden on my board too.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves

AG: Who they should pick is Tyreke Evans. Who they will pick is Stephen Curry

I like the trade the Timberwolves pulled off even if this draft is weak. I think Harden and Evans are the best two players left, but they play the same position. That means Curry is the selection along with Harden. I think Curry is going to be a good pro, maybe not a star. Still, the Timberwolves have to be happy with this - they get a potential lethal scorer in Harden and a solid PG in Curry.

SW: I like Stephon Curry here, and I think he is going to be really good...eventually. His game depends on where he plays though. He's going to be like Monta Ellis or Kevin Martin - very talented but small and needs to be paired in the backcourt with either a large PG who can D up or a 2 guard who can ball handle well. Also a 2 guard masquerading as a PG, but i think he is the real deal and might be able to do it. Seems much more mature and focused than a lot of these clowns.

I'll have the Wolves taking the Evans here. They fill both guard spots with him and Harden, and can pair them with Kevin Love and Big Al Jefferson (an awesomely underrated frontcourt as far as I'm concerned). I got to say though: I think both these guys could be decent one day, but will either be better than Randy Foye? I know there were other reasons for that trade, but still seems lateral to me.

That's right, Philly

The 76ers organization just announced today that they're going back to the red-white-and-blue uniforms of their fo-fo-fo championship team.

So clean.

Next up should be Denver, Washington, and Golden State. And Chicago. And Phoenix and Dallas. Actually every NBA team in existence in 1983 should go back to those uniforms.

Hoops Deep Inside The Beltway

Not the most well-written article, but still an intriguing read. Exactly the kind of premise I'd love to delve into deeply , if I was...you know...an actual paid journalist.

Solidarity

Tweets are reporting that they were removed at halftime, but you can see a number of Iranian national team players wearing green wristbands here, apparently in support of the nationwide movement of protest.

The two nations finished in a draw.

I'll admit

He unquestionably belongs in this company now...






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I'm just not all that excited about it.

Somethings are obviously...

much bigger than sports. For people who haven't seen some of these videos from Iran over the last few hours:





And here's a prescient blog post from former Ford/Carter/Regan National Security Council Iran-specialist, Gary Sick.

Twitter is blowing up with accounts from last night. People are reporting deafening chanting throughout Tehran, as thousands and thousands stood on rooftops yelling "Allahu Akbar" all through the night. I don't think the global media really gets what's going on yet. Got to go to Twitter and blogs for the real thing...

Where Has Amazing Gone...

The basketball itself has been fairly uninspired, and an overtime period on Sunday night could do little to cover up for three quarters of miserable play. The finals stand at two games to zero now, but does anyone think the Lakers are actually playing like champions?

After weeks of shooting the basketball like they had been possessed by supernatural spirits who had descended to Earth for the purpose of humbling the great Lebron James, the Magic guards now stink. They can't string together five minutes of quality offensive possessions, let alone a full quarter, and Dwight Howard for all his muscles and television commercials looks incapable of actually establishing position in the post.

And so we travel to Orlando tonight to see if someone, anyone, can play with the artistry or daring or toughness to justify the enthusiasm that NBA fans have felt for their league all season long.

And with such bland play characterizing the first two games, it becomes even more difficult to ignore the two truly colorless superstars now thrust upon us. To think that this series could have been about Chauncy and Lebron and Carmello and, yes, even Birdman.

Instead we have Howard, an astonishingly gifted center, who has all of Shaq's imposing physicality and none of his will to exercise it. He also has all of Shaq's childish goofiness, but none of the occasional edge that make interviews with the Big Aristotle so much fun for actual adult fans.

Howard has a thousand watt smile. He seems like a wonderful person and he is well known as a devout Christian. All is which is wonderful, but not particularly lively to watch. The history of the NBA is colored by big men who captured the imagination- the lordly dignity of Russell, the brashness of Wilt, the iconoclasm of Walton, even the improbable grace of Olajuwon. It is an exceedingly high bar, and it's unfair to ask Howard to be something he is not.

But its still true that he isn't cut from that heroic cloth.

Incredibly, though, Howard is probably the more compelling of the series's two superstars, for in this finals he stands opposite of Kobe Bryant. For an athlete who has been globally recognizable since his eighteenth birthday, is it anything short of bizarre how oblique Bryant's personality has remained?

There is the official narrative - he loves to win, he speaks Italian, he has a beautiful wife and charming two daughters - short, unremarkable, and so shallow that its bottom can be seen by anyone who still has eyes. And then there is the great, expunged event - a certain occurence in Colorado that has been written out of an amnesiac sports history like Garcia Marquez's incident at the Cienaga train station.

Of course there is a intriguing quicksand of curiosities all around the official story of Kobe Bryant. He grew up in foreign countries, learning the game without any kind of typical peer group. He went to high school in the affluent suburbs, then moved straight to Los Angeles at seventeen. He almost went to prison. His father was a famous NBA star, who is never - I mean never - shown or mentioned when Kobe makes appearances.

But you're not likely to get even the most hasty vantage on any of these stories. Even if the sports media was more interested in asking about any of it, Bryant wouldn't come close to allowing it. He is perhaps the most jealously guarded personality in sports, and that's how he'll remain, championship spotlight or not.

For my money, the most culturally compelling figure in the whole series is Hedo Turkoglu.

He was a streaky, minor contributor on the historically odd Sacramento Kings. Now he's the unorthodox go-to-guy on a contender. That's interesting. He's the greatest player ever from his home country, a nation with a surprising interest in basketball and a complicated relationship with the West. That's also interesting.

And with Ali, Abdul-Jabbar, and Olajuwon largely gone from the public eye, he is the most famous Muslim athlete in America.

That's really interesting.

Unfortunately, we're not likely to see much written about that either. Mainstream basketball journalism just isn't set up for that kind of thing. The best we can hope for is this article from the NY Times this morning, detailing how Hedo eats pizza before games and wears a silk bathrobe after them.

Actually, that sounds pretty damn interesting all things considered.

Now, if only the Turk could hit a few shots...

Simply Delightful

Better than puppets...

Mormon Love

The article is great. The comments are better: "Bradley was a stud", "I just think millions of Church members were let down when Bradley left BYU early in pursuit of big bucks", and the greatest ever..."One word: Racism"

One last thought before the finals...

In all the discussion over Kobe's inability to win a championship without Shaq, I've yet to hear anyone mention the fact that if Kobe and the Lakers do manage to lose this Finals (and yes it is still theirs to lose), it will be because the player representing the next evolution of Shaq's style has come into his own: our beloved Superman.

After all the searching, pining and hopeful nicknaming from the talking heads in the college game and NBA draft discussions (lest we forget to true origins of Big Baby Davis' moniker), Dwight Howard alone has proven capable of dominating the block so overwhelmingly that his teammates don't even bother setting foot in the paint.

Dwight Howard is everything Shaq was at the beginning of this decade. Shaq’s best statistical season during a championship year with the Lakers was 29.7 points, 13.7 boards and 3.0 blocks (1999-2000). He was 28 at the time. Dwight Howard’s playoff numbers this year: 21.7 points, 15.4 boards and 2.2 blocks. Not to mention the fact that he dropped nine 20 point/20 rebound games this year. He just turned 23 in December.

Clearly, his offensive game leaves something to be desired at this point in his career, but I would argue that his blocks have dropped from the regular season (2.9) only because everyone on the opposing teams is shooting high-arched shots for fear of eating a Spalding pie courtesy of Chef D. I watched Rondo and RayRay do this for two weeks and everyone at the local bar suffered for it.

Nearing the end of his career, Shaq is the only current player sitting in the top 15 all time for points (#5), rebounds (#15) and blocks (#7). The only doubt I had a few weeks ago that Dwight Howard could accomplish the same in his career was his shaky offensive performance in round two vs. the Celts. But his 40 point, 14 rebound Game 6 against Cleveland melted that concern away. He also appears to carry his size much better than Shaq did, and should be able to avoid the knee/ankle/foot injuries that plague most big men after 10 years in the league.

As for the finals this year, seeing as the last 7 NBA season have proven Kobe incapable of winning the title without Shaq, is it reasonable to believe that this year he’ll be able to rip the trophy from the grasps of Shaq’s second coming? I doubt it.

(Just go with me on this…)

Getting back to the inception of this column, I do realize I'm rooting for Orlando out of pure Beantown selfishness. If the Magic take the crown, Celts fans can say that our Round 2 loss in seven games was to the eventual champ, and had we not broken down in games 6 and/or 7, we could have repeated. Even without KG. Having to watch Big Papi degenerate right before our eyes, and with House Speaker Demasi going trial for selling favors to Canada of all places, we could use a bit of a pick-me-up.

But what if Orlando does win the title? I think it makes things a lot more interesting. If we don't see any earth-shattering trades this summer, who is the favorite to come out of the East next year? An uber-motivated Lebron James? A healthy Big Three in Boston? Or the defending champs out of Orlando?

Either way, the balance of power will have officially shifted back to the Eastern Conference. Right where it belongs.

A Year-Old Diagnosis

Last night, I finally accepted that we're about to see a Lakers romp. I accepted that fact that NBA fans are now going to be subjected to 9 months of commentary about the genius of Phil Jackson and the selflessness of Kobe Bryant. I accepted the fact the Kobe's legacy will now be unimpeachable, and that he's more than probably the greatest 2-guard that God ever created not named Mike Jordan.

I even accepted the fact that Sasha Vujicic and Jordan Farmar will travel to the White House to meet Barack, receive NBA championship rings, and sleep with attractive women because of it.

I headed onto You Tube, and dug up this classic. I hoped the video would have the feeling of Rick's famous "We'll always have Paris" line. And while the clip did provide some flashes of satisfaction - Kobe's creepy, Swallow-My-Hatred moment at the 1:14 mark, the raucous cheering that remains audible as the Zen Master gives his speech - it was a forgettable comment at the very end of the video that gave me pause.

Watch it till its conclusion and you'll hear Jackson conclude that 2008 Lakers simply don't have the front court toughness to win an NBA title. They have to, he says, go out and get some players.

They didn't. Instead, they lost Ronny Turiaf.

It would be beyond shocking for the Magic to keep up their white hot jump shooting through another seven game series. If they are going to win, it has by Dwight Howard dominating on the block.

I don't think its possible. I really don't. Dwight Howard just doesn't seem like that type of dude.

But, damn. Don't say Phil didn't warn you.

Question of The Day - Y'all Trying To Criminate Me Edition

Is it just me or does Anthony Johnson look at little like Ashy Larry/ Day-Day Price? Is that a plus or a minus?

Charlie Murphy Lives!

How do you describe the undescribable?
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