How about:
Has the window closed for the Pistons?

Yes. Though we gonna smash that bitch with a hammer! Amir will jump through and uppercut Paul Pierce in the balls.
Wheres them tears now bitch?

Sorry, I have had waaaay too much caffeine.

Greg Oden is a fairly big story but Portland would be exciting without him, too. They’ve got a lot of young talent.

Another suggestion for played out/annoying storylines forced down our throats: “Seattle was robbed of the Sonics, don’t acknowledge the Thunder, waah waah.”

Don’t worry Seattle. Just like what happened with the all the hubbub over the Browns/Ravens, you’ll eventually get an expansion team which will pick up sucking right where the old Sonics left off. They can only just hope that they eventually hire a 350-pound man with a mustache named Romeo.

How about “amir johnson; super stud”. That’s a headline that’s been hyped way too much. Or the “pistons lost because flip saunders” line. Thankfully, the season starts tonight.

will you participate in the leaguewide – scratch that – worldwide lebron-a-thon?
i would like to get full coverage of his nail biting.

Speaking of Oden, that didn’t take long:

Oden’s first NBA game didn’t last long; the 20-year-old center left the game late in the first half with an injured right foot after taking four shots and going scoreless. He had five rebounds, one turnover, blocked one shot and picked up two fouls while playing 12:51.

X-rays were negative and the injury was diagnosed as a sprain. Oden will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.

Okay here is a story line.

Beasley vs Melo

So lets look at the facts

1. They both have a bit of a checkered past off the court. So whose is more interesting?

2. Neither one plays any defense. So who if either will be the one to try and play defense first?

3. Whose offensive game will be better two years from now?

4. Will either player ever be able to become a leader to lead their respective teams deep into the playoffs or maybe even get a ring.

“Basketball writers are notoriously fond of storylines.”

This is a chicken/egg issue. This would more accurately be written as “most NBA fans are notoriously fond of the storylines that basketball writers publish.”

If those storylines weren’t generating pageviews, essentially a direct poll of fan interest, they wouldn’t be written. Its easy to blame sportswriters, but readership dictates the editorial.

If a sportswriter shouts “Amir” in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

I can’t get the image of Amir uppercutting PP out of my head. Hi-larious!

thank you laughton

I’ve talked to a lot of Portland fans who are convinced that the team will make a big splash this year, and that can get a little annoying. Still, it sucks to see Oden get injured so quickly. I like how that team is built.

One thing that writers always seem to push before the season starts is a prediction that this is the year that the east finally catches up with the west. The east, of course, quickly proves them horribly wrong. But there could be a bigger chance of this coming true this year, with the decline of perennial western competitors (Phoenix and Dallas, particularly) and the possible emergence of Philly.

“If those storylines weren’t generating pageviews, essentially a direct poll of fan interest, they wouldn’t be written. Its easy to blame sportswriters, but readership dictates the editorial.”

Is that true? How does the success John Hollinger and Rob Neyer square with this idea? I think fans are much more aware of the entire game than they used to be. We have the Internet to thank for that.

Of course, for followers of a particular team, narratives are endlessly fascinating. Only a Piston fan could care what Michael Curry does with his embarassment of riches at the frontline, for example.

What Matt does here is fuse storylines with results. As a blogger, he does a good job of punting analysis to the commenters. I think this is where media is going, which is why the national folks are trying to make us swallow their storylines.

@Kevin S.:
“Is that true? How does the success John Hollinger and Rob Neyer square with this idea?”

Not sure if I follow your point.