What Was the Spread on Tim Donaghy?

I just want to point out that Tim Donaghy is not the only referee out there betting or gambling.  I have always felt these guys are very corrupt.  They don’t make anywhere near the amount of the players, yet they have so much more control of the game.  The odds of getting caught are very slim, as there are people out there that put their life into these scandals.  If I were a ref, I’d probably be in on a game or two as well.  If you asked me before Tim Donaghy was the main suspect to the crime, my money would have been on Joey Crawford.  The way he t’d up Tim Duncan for laughing was so suspicious in my mind.  I laughed for a while, tried to figure out why, but then I got very suspicious.  To be honest, I’m not too familiar with Donaghy, but I’m sure within the next couple days, the video editing guys will be posting many clips on YouTube of him making weirdo calls, and we’ll all be hitting ourselves and saying, “man, how did we never realize?”  The only prediction I bring to the table today is that this isn’t the last of the crack-down in corrupt refereeing.  You’re next, Joey Crawford!!!!

The Rebirth of the Franchise?

I think that’s pushing it a bit. Firstly, I would consider Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Luther Head and Rafer Alston the “franchise” all before the former franchise.  But enough bashing, look who the Rockets landed!  I’m not sure if any of you read my article ( check it out here!) titled “Big Expectations for McGrady, Yao and the Boys” but if you did, you might already know how much faith I have in this Rockets team.  And now this, Steve Francis!  Having him on board will definitely create some competition within the team, now that the Rockets have 3 point guards in Mike James, Francis and Rafer Alston.  One could look at it as a problem, and another could look at it as depth.  I choose depth, as well it will force the three to play and practice harder to get the kind of minutes they all want.  The Rockets now have a bunch of potential primary scorers.  If McGrady or Yao go down with injuries, which will inevitably happen to at least one of them, there is some backup.  As I said before, the Rockets still have Bonzi Wells and Shane Battier.  Battier is one of the best role players in the league, and for that, will more than likely make the US national team this summer.  This team is stacked.  My prediction:  at a bare minimum, I see these guys in the conference finals if they can stay healthy. They really should invest in the best doctor and conditioning staff to keep this injury prone team healthy.  Gotta love the Rockets this year!

He’s coming home to Houston!  And for less money too!

 

I Call His Bluff; Marbury Will be in the USA

After all this talk about Stephon Marbury heading to Italy in two years to finish his career there, I couldn’t but help think how much of a load of crap this is.  This guy is your stereotypical New York basketball player, street baller if you will.  As much as his “Starbury” status has diminished over the years, he is starting to build a reputable name for himself with his “Starbury” line of shoes and clothing.  I think since he started his line of clothing, he has become regarded as a better person.  It takes a serious person to shy away from the shoes contracts of millions to accept royalties on shoes selling for $15.  I guess this guy’s business teacher taught about volume.  Obviously he is doing this out of the goodness of his heart, because he once knew what it was like to not be able to afford a pair of Air Jordans.  With all this being said, why would he lose this “good-guy” image and jet for Italy?  Is it because he and his wife had a great vacation?  If this is the primary reason, in two year’s time, this idea will blow over.  It’s like when you’re in 8^th grade and you want an earing for the first time.  By grade 10, you’re laughing at yourself.  The only up-side of going to Italy is he will be the best player in their league.  Can he re-gain “Starbury” status all over again?  Personally, I think those days are over.

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Bibby Needs the Cavs…

…just as much as the Cavs need Mike Bibby.  If I were in the Cavs front office ( I’m talking to you Danny Ferry!) I would be working day and night to acquire this guy.  Unfortunately, the days of Larry Hughes being a reliable point guard in any sense are over.  His days when he was with the 76ers are done.  It’s time to get rid of this guy, and bring in Mike Bibby!  With Bibby, the Cavs would have another offensive weapon, and the guy can dish the ball pretty well too (4.7 assists per day last season).  The Cavs couldn’t pull off the championship last year because LeBron just couldn’t do it by himself.  Sure, Daniel Gibson stepped up a lot, especially for a young guy.  But, how reliable can you be on that guy?  He’ll shine when there is no pressure on him.  With Bibby, LeBron would have a feasible option in his point guard.  Bibby is capable of scoring 30+ point per game.  On the other side of things, Bibby truly needs to get out of Sac town. By signing Mikki Moore, they are taking good baby steps towards a good future.  The key word “future”.  I’m sure Bibby is in the position where he wants to win, and win now!  The Cavs proved that they have the team to contend.  It would be hard ruling out the Cavs with Bibby running the point.  

KG wants to Stay…Why?

It was reported by the boys at TwinCities that Kevin Garnett has decided he wants to stay in Mini. He doesn’t mind playing with the younger guys. Has this guy lost his mind? The serious trade talks were probably the best thing that ever happened to him. I would have turned religious and prayed that one of the rumours actually played out. Seriously, could you imagine KG and Steve Nash? How can you deny that combo a championship, especially with Barbosa and all the other boys there too. Oh well. I hope KG doesn’t actually think he can win a championship in Mini. The T-Wolves are a long way away from even being a contender, especially in the West. KG might be one of the best players of all time to retire without a championship, along with Karl Malone,etc. If I were him, I would be DEMANDING a trade. Screw the good ties with the city, it’s time to make an icon out of himself in another city. I’m sure there isn’t one team in the league that wouldn’t want that face hanging on a banner outside their arena. Plus, who doesn’t love this Adidas commercial…

A HUGE mistake: Mo Williams

 

After posting so many responses to all the Mo Williams articles, I thought I should write one of my own.  I just need to get it off my chest.  On the Buck’s side of things, they must be overjoyed right now.  Imagine how screwed the Bucks would have been without Mo Williams? Now, imagine how much happier Williams would have been if he went to the Miami Heat? I don’t know how long Williams stayed in school for, but man these guys need to stay in longer so they can start making some better decisions. What is extra millions when you’re already making over $5 million a season? At that level, a championship is worth so much more. If he possibly stayed in school a little bit longer, he might have been able to figure that out.  Now, some of you might be saying, “Well, obviously his agent guided him through this in order to make the right decision.”  But come on guys, do you think an agent really cares what team his player is playing for?  Of course not! If his player is putting up huge numbers or impressive number (see our good friend Mo Williams) then all the agent can see is dollar signs.  They just want their client to go where the money is.  That is there job.  A player in Mo’s shoes should be thinking championship.  A championship point guard will demand even more money than probably deserved (ie: Tony Parker, etc).  Overall, as you might notice, I think this is a HUGE mistake on Mo Williams part, and a huge victory for his agent.  Congrats buddy!

Moore a Solid Pick-Up for Kings

 

This guy is great!  I have to admit I’m a huge Mikki Moore fan.  After writing about him possibly going to this team and that team, this guy has decided to settle in Sacramento.  You know, you always think contenders are going to pick up these type of guys, but you can never rule out the hot cities or big city markets. That’s why any team from New York, Florida or California will always have a chance at ANY player available.  They have a serious advantage over all the other teams.  Back to Moore, last season he proved that he can play a consistent role at power forward.  By joining the Kings, he can fill that starter role, and give the team a more consistent look up front (inconsistent=Brad Miller and Shareef Abdur-Rahim).  These three guys will have a great rotation and with all the injuries, the team will have a little more security.  With a great backcourt in Kevin Martin and Mike Bibby(?), the Kings will have a great starting five (plus Artest).  Will these guys contend?  No.  There’s no real chance to see them back in the playoffs, unless they can develop an incredible team dynamic, which doesn’t seem so likely with Artest on board.  Do they have potential?  Definitely.  Kevin Martin is so talented and explosive, that if they can keep him and Bibby and get some more guys, then yes, these guys have a future.  But don’t expect ABC to be showing these guys on Sundays.

Europe Does Memphis: The Story of Pau and Darko

This doesn’t sound like the title of your typical children’s book, but this could potentially be the title of the NBA’s next Twin Towers.  I know I downplay Darko on a regular basis, but that is the worst case scenario.  Now how about thinking about the best case scenario?  If Darko finally has his breakout year, and Pau stays healthy, what are the possibilities?  It’s pretty endless in my mind.  Firstly, Pau showed last year (when healthy) that he is one of the most dominating, as well as versatile centers in the NBA.  This is a fact, my friends.  As for Darko, this will likely be the year where he starts at power forward from the starting of the season.  He has shown flashes of light.  It’s just a matter of time before he becomes consistent.  Yes, he’s still young.  Yes, he still has a lot to learn. But, playing alongside Pau during games and practices will work wonders for his game.  These guys are still not going to be playoff contenders within a year or two, but I wouldn’t count them out three years down the road.  In addition to the Memphis “Twin Towers” (sorry Duncan and Robinson), Rudy Gay is showing flashes of stardom in the summer league.  If Mike Miller can continue is high scoring at shooting guard, these guys can turn into a decent team.  It seems like all the pieces WILL fall into place, but the success of this team practically depends on the development of Darko.  This is a scary thought, hence, why Memphis still has a few years to go.

The Good ‘Ol Days Featuring the “Killer Crossover”

What ever happened to the days when us fans used to associate a player with a certain move. In particular, the one name that will always be in my head is Tim Hardaway. This man made himself famous via his “Killer Crossover”. When Timmy was in him prime, he was crossing up all defenses like it was his job (which is was). That crossover was something that all ball fans tried to re-create, myself included. It was just a crossover between the legs, and then cross back over to the other side again. It was so simple, yet everyone that ever guarded Tim fell for it. It was so powerful. The more I thought about it, I realized you can compare Tim’s “Killer Crossover” with various superheroes and their superpowers. The crossover really was Timmy’s superpower. Does it compare on the same level as Superman flying? Or Spiderman climbing walls? When you think about, these guys were saving lives and the world. Tim Hardaway was saving his team, and giving fans all over the NBA something to rave about. In my books, they’re directly comparable. Now that we have that on the table, we can question where did this type of fun hype in the league go? Well MJ had his turnaround fadeaway, but that was probably the last of the cool moves. I guess you can say no one has a “signature” move anymore (talking wrestling terms). It’s kind of depressing. Those types of moves are what fills up arenas and make the young fans continue the dream of wanting to play professional ball. I think I speak for all fans when I say I look forward to the next “Killer Crossover!”

Will anyone be as creative as these guys?
hype it up!

YI will NOT play this season!

As somewhat breaking news from the boys at ESPN, Yi’s party has stated that he is willing to sit out an entire season in order to re-enter the draft next year, or in hope that the Bucks will trade him this season. This guy really hates normalville USA. It’s kind of insulting in a way, but makes perfect BUSINESS sense. I hope he gets booed more than Vince does at the Air Canada Centre. He deserves it. Buck fans, time to bow goodbye to Yi. Peace buddy