Sekou Smith of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked to an unnamed NBA scout who attended Tuesday’s Pistons-Hawks game in Atlanta. If you’re as intrigued by Atlanta’s core as I am, the whole thing is worth a read, but here’s what he had to say about Detroit:
“You have to understand, what they’ve done in Detroit is beyond comprehension. To be able to build a team that has a first and second unit that complement each other that well nowadays … Joe Dumars is the best in the business, bar none. People can continue their love affair with guys like Brian Colangelo [sic] and some of these other hot shot GMs. But what have any of those guys won? For my money, what Dumars has done here and what the guys in San Antonio have done, it just doesn’t get any better. Look at Detroit’s second unit. Rodney Stuckey is a young monster. He’s like a younger version of Chauncey. Aaron Afflalo has been better than anyone expected. Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson are fantastic young talents. And the beauty of it all is that they’re nasty guys. They play with an edge, a swagger and a physical style that they could only have learned from those first line guys in a championship organization.
BZ: You don’t see that same nastiness in the Hawks young cats?
MG: Not in all of them. Josh Smith and Al Horford have. I don’t know that these other young guys are cut from that same mold. Josh Smith is a beast. And if he was on a team like Detroit, he’d be flat out ridiculous. Because as good as he is, he’s never played with the kind of veterans that could teach him the tricks of the trade and provide him with the kind of insights and examples to take full advantage of the physical gifts he’s already tapped into.
I included that last part about Smith for two reasons: 1) I’ve always admired his game; and 2) he should have been a Piston. Okay, that last reason is kind of a stretch, but he’s the guy Atlanta took with the 17th overall first-round pick that Detroit sent over in the Rasheed Wallace trade (a trade I’d do again in a heartbeat, mind you, considering it resulted in a title). Granted, it wasn’t Detroit’s original pick — they got it from the Nuggets, who in turn got it from the Bucks — but still, I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Pistons uniform right about now.
“well we’re moving on up….”
Stuckey is moving up (or rather into) the rookie rankings. #10 on the list.
and of course the link for easy access
http://www.nba.com/rookies/rankings.html
Nice article, especially the part comparing Stuckey to Law. It boggles my mind that they would play Lue over Law unless there was some injury involved.
All I know about Joe Dumars is that he’s won and won and won, whether it be as a player or as an executive. He had pretty good mentoring in Mr. D as well (with maybe just a little help from Trader Jack and Chuck D).
When Dumars became GM, it took only a year or two before he was in the class of Jerry West (note the similarities between West and Joe, even the uni numbers, one 4 v. two). Look how he built the Pistons, mostly by theft. Dumars picked MJ’s pocket as a player, now he’s doing it as an exec-I’m surprised David Stern hasn’t interceded.
I agree, R.C. Buford is in that class as well as an exec, but he didn’t play pro ball like Dumars did, and there has to be some value in that.
It’s going to be good to be a Pistons fan for many years to come.
Take the name “Joe D.” Drop the “e”. Change the “J” to a “G”. What do you get? The universe is droppin’ hints…
I think Law’s overmatched in the NBA at this point. His shooting has been woeful this year, but I think he’ll eventually find a niche as a backup point somewhere. Lue’s been a lot better than Law on the court, although he’s been injured a lot.
I wonder whether the scout’s point on Detroit’s weakness (the transition game) will eventually bite us in the ass, though.
And you can’t mention God in the NBA without this guy:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/shammgo01.html
Although I guess he is a sham God.
The thing I love about Dumars is he’s so under the radar. Most of his moves are subtle yet effective. He really seems to keep a long-term perspective and doesn’t get wrapped up in winning a title at any costs.
“It’s going to be good to be a Pistons fan for many years to come.” -V
That’s very true. It’s crazy to think that this run the Pistons have been on may last nearly a decade. Although the Stones with Big Ben made up my favorite starting five of all time, this core of players Dumars has assembled here represent most of the things I love about basketball; hard work, intelligent play, teamwork/selflessness, defense, defense, and then some more defense. Seeing the Kobe/Shaq Lakers held to 67 points in a Finals game has to be one of the most over-looked stats ever. Not to mention holding 5 consecutive teams under 70 during that same season. The fond memories I have of this team will live with me forever and heavily outweigh any defeat they’ve suffered. Now let’s get that next SHIP!!!
WLM, that was not just a Kobe/Shaq team, it was a team with Shaq at the tail end of his prime whom we guarded 1 on 1 (thanks Ben!) and Kobe very much in his prime. That Finals is the crowning moment of my entire sports fan-hood (I’m not really old enough to remember the Bad Boys), the way we took apart LA was a work of art, really. I remember thinking that the Finals would be closer than everybody though, but never in my wildest dreams did I think we’d get the first ever 5 game sweep.
WLM- as Joe D said after taking over from Rick Sund, it’s about character, not characters (although Sheed may fit in both departments-what the Chuckster said about him is only partially true, I think Sheed has a little ADD going on as well, many geniuses do.
Other Matt-I think it was Marc Stein who came up with that “five game sweep” comment, but very true. It took a miracle shot from Kobe to prevent it from being a four game sweep.
Other Matt, I totally concur with you on that Finals being a work of art. Watching those games instilled a feeling of pride and appreciation that I’ve never felt watching sports before. The Lakers were picked apart and dominated in every aspect possible. The defense that Detroit played was at times perfect. PERFECT!
I watched each of those games at my friend’s house with his family who are all hardcore Lakers fans. A few minutes before the first game started, my friend was trying to get everyone else to heckle me for even giving Detroit a chance.
“How is Detroit going to beat Shaq and Kobe!?”, he kept asking me.
The words are still fresh in my head. I tried to tell him and his father that Detroit played really good defense that could give anyone problems, but like anyone else who hadn’t watched the Pistons, they were clueless as to what they were about to witness.
After the first game it was, “They got lucky, Kobe wasn’t hitting his shots”.
After the second game, all of these Lakers fans were convinced that the first game was a fluke and that the Lakers would win the series in a maximum of six games.
After the third game in which Detroit beat them handidly, it was denial that set in. “The Lakers are playing awful. Detroit’s getting the calls”, blah blah blah.
Once the series was over and I was jumping up and down in my friend’s living room, even the most biased and disgruntled Lakers fan had to admit, “Damn, Detroit was just the better team”.
That Finals could end up being the best experience as a sports fan I’ll ever have.
Of course, leave it to the NBA to not put out a DVD set with all of those games in their entirety as they did two years later with the Miami Heat.
Hear, hear! As a Piston fan living in LA and playing pickup ball everyday with Laker fans who thought it was going to be a sweep (they were half right), that was the most enjoyable moment in my sports watching existence.
Especially since these same guys laughed at me earlier in the year when I said that Chauncey Billups was better than Mike Bibby. It was a rather bold statement back then, but it’s not even an argument now.
hey matt (watson), i completely agree with you that josh smith should’ve been in pistons. about a week ago, i commented in one of your blog asking what are the chances of obtaining josh smith by just using any combo of hayes, flip, hermann and brezec as a trade? one of the commentators basically told me, itll be difficult. but i also ask keith langlois and basically he never answered the question but instead told me that hawks’ front office have made bad decision in the past. from this i think its possible. will joe dumars trade all those players (i mentioned) for josh smith? what about you, what do think are the chances?
ric: If the Hawks did that deal, it’d be a coup for the Pistons several magnitudes better than how the Lakers fleeced the Grizzlies. Smith is an All-Star-caliber player, even if he’s not officially recognized as such. According to his 20.50 PER, he’s one of the 30 most efficient players in the entire league.
Furthermore, he’s a restricted free agent this summer, which means that the Hawks will not be interested in receiving just expiring contracts should they decide to trade him (because if they aren’t interested in re-signing him, then he IS an expiring contract).
So no, not in a 1,000 years do I think the Hawks, even with their bad decisions in the past, would bite on that deal. Detroit would have to include draft picks and young players like Amir Johnson AND Stuckey for the Hawks to even return Dumars’ call.
Yeah, Atlanta’s not going to let go of Smith. Detroit would have a better shot at their other Josh. Childress is pretty underrated. He takes a crapload of close shots, shoots a great percentage, and rebounds. He’s been great as a sixth man for Atlanta, and he could probably do well as a backup to Prince. Nobody knows about him because he’s a Hawk, so I doubt anyone’s really going to break the bank for him, but Atlanta can probably only offer the midlevel for him.
And much as I love Josh Smith’s game, I will never regret the Rasheed trade (championship catalyst) because of him.
Thanks Matt and Paul, I realized that Keith Langlois did mention that it would be a possibility with Childress, but not for Josh Smith. Other than Josh Smith’s trade, I can’t think of any other tweaking that Pistons need to do, since probably they don’t have to.
This is a change of subject, but what do you guys think of this pinky injury Kobe has? Do you think it could actually affect his play that much? A torn ligament would defintely be painful to play with.
Or, is it just creating an excuse if the Lakers don’t live up to the expectations people have now given them?
One more thing to add to Kobe’s list of accolades, having the most famous pinky in the world.
Kobe is clearly scared of getting trampled by Rip’s tramp ball. The Lakers weren’t going to come out of the West before they got Gasol. Now with Gasol, they have a chance (albeit a moderate one). I don’t think Kobe’s pinky is going to be a lingering issue. It just sounds to me like a cute story that is getting swept up in media sensationalism (see Kelvin Sampson’s recruiting violations @ IU, grrrrrr). If the Lakers meet the Pistons in the Finals, I don’t care if Kobe’s pinky had been 100% all year, we’ll still put them to bed again in 5 (or less).
This is why the Gasol trade scares me…
Bynum breakthrough had people talking about the Lakers as a legitimate contender for the first time in years. I felt the one thing that would hold them back was Bynum’s lack of fire. I can’t see him (at this point) in his career having the intensity needed to perform at the level every one was expecting of him deep in the playoffs. Especially, since his offensive game still mostly consists of alley oop dunks.
This Gasol trade takes so much pressure of him. He can just go out and play. I think (if he’s healthy) he’s going to have a bunch of difference making games in the post-season.
Considering the amount of talent LA already had, a comparison to the Sheed trade is very apt.
QD,
Gasol was about as soft as they come (as most, if not all NBA Euro big-men are) before he came to L.A. You and I both as Detroit-to-LA transplants know, the sun isn’t going to make him any tougher. Rasheed would/will eat him alive, if given the opportunity. I’m willing to consider that I’m being blindingly optimistic, but as I see it, in the crunch and in a bunch of (what will be presumably) close games, I’d much rather have our cool, battle-tested veterans than Kobe, young Bynum, and 0-12 playoff game tested Pau Gasol. If we’re comparing the trades, I’d say Sheed brought competitive fire whereas Gasol may bring Lakers fans indigestion.
LB, I can hear it now at the Palace: “Bang that tramp!” “Bang that tramp!”
I mean, can you see George Blaha using the phrase “tramp ball”? You gotta love Sheed.
I’m in the South Bay when not in Vegas, BTW.
Quick, there’s a certain mr. fundamental I’d like you to examine as proof that you don’t have to show much outward emotion to be successful in the playoffs. I know Duncan has the sour face that he breaks out every time he doesn’t get a call (one of my least favorite whiners in the NBA), but I think bynum is similar in composure. I wouldn’t expect his lack of Sheedness to keep him from performing in playoffs, but his inexperience. That’s one deep front court in LA.
V,
Just had some coworkers make a trip out to the South Bay (I’ve never been) this morning. There was very little traffic on the way there but serious traffic on the way back around 11am. Took ‘em twice the amount of time to get back. Let me know if you ever want to catch a game in the city or have any desire to go to Pistons-Clips March 1st if you’re not in Vegas, I have an extra ticket.
Craig,
I disagree. I think you said it yourself, Duncan (clearly when he whines) does get emotional. If it’s a hotly contested game, I think fire comes out of him. He’s just very stoic most of the time. I think Bynum always looks (not talks/acts) like he’s got air in between his ears because he’s so mild-tempered. Maybe it’s just because he looks like a tremendously overgrown child.
I don’t think anyone makes it to that level of competition with out some “fire”. A couple more seasons, and he’ll have perfected his cry face. And maybe some facial hair.
Craig, I made that assessment of Bynum after their regular season game against Boston. Bynum has always had this happy-go-lucky demeanor and it took Kobe calling him out to get him to start working hard.
I know it’s one game but, I’ve never seen Laker fans so pumped about a game than the one with Boston. Bynum completely disappeared. He looked intimidated by the intensity Boston came out with. Also, I’ve seen a couple close games where he was fouled late and he looked rattled on the free throw line (missing both).
I’m very high on his talent level, but at this stage of his life, he doesn’t have the drive. Duncan’s stoic but I think he’s always had it (as evidenced by him working so hard on his fundamentals).
Sorry to jump in and change the topic back to Kobe’s pinky (Kobe would have wanted it this way), but I’m really disappointed he’s not going to be in the 3-point contest. I was looking forward to that event the most because of the Rip rivalry and the fact that no former Slam Dunk champ has won the 3-point shootout before. Dirk is a decent fill-in though.
As for Bynum, I haven’t seen him play enough to comment on his intensity, but he DOES look like a child-version of Tracy Morgan (if that counts for anything).
LB, you made a good point about Gasol being soft, that’s right on. However, with the way that the game has evolved, soft players can flourish nowadays. Twenty years ago, that guy would be sent to the locker room crying for his mother. It’s a different game now, with refs just itching to blow that whistle, especially if it benefits a bigger name player.
Craig, I do agree to some extent that you don’t have to have that outward emotion to be successful, but Tim Duncan is one hell of an exception. Skill, if concentrated enough as it is in Duncan’s case, will beat emotion anyday of the week.
QD, Gasol will make it easier for Bynum, but one thing people seem to be forgetting is that this team will have no room for error when Bynum comes back with how close the Western Conference is this season. Most coaches that acquire new players that are immediately inserted into the rotation like to have some time to work out the kinks and learn what works the best in terms of efficiency. Once Bynum returns, the Lakers won’t have that much time before the post season to get everyone on the same page. Of course, Phil Jackson is a great coach and Kobe’s talent can usually make up for mental mistakes, but I’ve got to see their WHOLE team play 10-20 games before I’m ready to call them the favorite in the west. After seeing Tim Duncan erradicate the Pistons’ 12-point lead in the third quarter of game 7 of the 05′ Finals, I’ve never discounted the Spurs and won’t start now.
As for Kobe not being in the 3-ball contest, I’m sure that there’s plenty of hotel tramps for him to bang, go RIP!!!
WLM1, Dirk and Pau have shown to be totally soft in the playoffs. Maybe it’s something in the water supply of Europe that affects its big men. It’s probably dangerous for me to assume just based on that, but basically in his 12 playoff games, Pau hasn’t had one dominant performance. He essentially drops 2 mid-high 20 point games, and in the other 2 games he kinda disappears into a mid teens showing (ie: not impressive). This guy really hasn’t shown me personally, anything when it counts.
Boobie as the Rook/Sophmore MVP? Really? Man, that grinds my gears.
Well said, Garrett, well said. Dude was unconscious from the perimeter tonight, though.
Hollinger has a set of one-liners with grades attached to each of the Rookie/Soph performers.
Luis Scola:
“I’ve won Olympic gold. This game is beneath me.”
LB, I agree, Gasol is soft, so is Dirk, but Gasol hasn’t been in a playoff with Phil Jackson designing plays for him and Kobe drawing double teams. I really do hope you’re right, but I have my reservations in assuming Gasol will disappear in the playoffs because he’s soft.
*playoff game
Every time I hear Daniel “Boobie” Gibson’s name, I get the urge to punch something.
LB, I appreciate the offer. I almost certainly will be in Vegas that weekend, but click on the link and drop me a line to discuss. Any of the EM addresses work.
Alright, I’m going to ask all of your opinions on something that’s been increasingly bugging me this season. However, before I ask, I just want all of you to know that I’m not just being cynical to be cynical.
SO, with this whole NBA Cares campaign that the NBA has introduced, do you think it’s possible that the league spends just as much money if not more advertising their good deeds than they contribute to the communities they’re trying to improve?
Don’t get me wrong, everytime I see one of those commercials, I’m glad that the players take the time and use their money to try to help the less fortunate. However, I can’t find the numbers as to the actual results of these projects versus the funding that goes into displaying them on national television.
For instance, during the Bulls vs Heat game on Thursday, there was a small a segment showcasing Loul Deng’s foundation to help kids in the Sudan (props to Loul for trying to help his homeland). Now, it showed Deng holding a check for $10,000. It just made me wonder, with all the money thrown around the league, is $10,000 the most Loul is able to raise to help Africa?
I admit, $10,000 is more money than I’ll probably ever spend towards helping others with my current financial situation, however, I’d just like to know what percentage of the total NBA revenues (player and executive salaries included) goes towards charitable causes. If that percentage is a very small one which I have a feeling it is, than the whole “Where caring happens” seems a bit misleading.
What do y’all think?
Gasol’s teams were brutally overmatched in their playoff appearances. He simply didn’t have any help against top-flight teams, which is not a reflection on him. Tim Duncan wouldn’t have won a playoff series by himself either.
Right, they didn’t have a prayer. The teams they faced generally had around ten more wins than Memphis. Memphis’s teams were decent, but they consisted of Pau and a bunch of solid but unspectacular role players. Hubie Brown did a great job of getting the most out of what he had, but those Grizzlies teams were facing clearly superior teams. I guess you could argue that those teams should have won at least one game, but you can’t really put that one on Pau. He kept up his offensive production against Duncan, shot very well against Phoenix, but sort of laid an egg against Dallas. In general, he’s kept up his production in his playoff games, which is notable since most players see a dropoff there. I suspect that he’ll do fine if he’s not a number one option in the playoffs (he may even be the third option, which is frightening).
One area where he’s legitimately soft, though, is interior defense. It’s really easy to push him around, although he’s long and tries to make himself a pest. Bynum’s too big to push around, but he still gets lost on defensive assignments and gets himself into foul trouble. I’m not as afraid of the Lakers this year as I am next year, since they’re banking on guys coming back from injury at full strength or playing through injuries at full strength.
OT: Does anyone else find it absolutely HI-larious that Rudy Gay is in the dunk contest? Cuz he’s missed like FOUR easy dunks against the Pistons. My prediction? If Rip or Chauncey is even in the building when Gay’s dunking, then we’re in for a long night of missed dunks! Face!
Rip got robbed…
Rip gets 17, then has his scored reduced. Can someone please knock Boobie the **** out, literally, just leave lumps all over his face.
Dirk had his foot on that line a couple of times, no score reduction. The NBA just doesn’t want to grant Rip the winner’s interview, they don’t want to have to explain “banging tramps” to the general public.
Go Kapono!
HA HA, Rip looks like he wants to leave but is being forced to sit there and finish the contest as a spectator. Defintely had that pissed but didn’t want to show it look. I blame Kobe, took all the fight out of our tramp banger.
That Kapono is flat out a shooter.
Congrats to Kapono, now onto another issue. FoxSports.com’s Charley Rosen just established himself as a full of **** NBA analysts who clearly buys into all of the hype around the league. He has just written an article handing out what he calls “midterm grades” for NBA teams this season.
So any A+’s? Yep, 4 in all: Boston, LA, New Orleans, and Portland(?).
How about flat A’s? Just one: Golden State.
A-’s: Two: Orlando and Denver (yep, a team that isn’t even in the playoffs at this point and continues to play below expectations).
So where are the Pistons?
“DETROIT: B+
These guys are much more consistent this year. The reasons? The absence of Chris Webber. A decrease in Rasheed’s hysterical reactions to calls that go against him. And most importantly, Flip’s generous use of his bench. Come the playoffs, the Pistons are the only Eastern Conference team that can beat Boston.” - Charley Rosen
Charley Rosen, a true moron amongst a wide field of morons in sports journalism.
Rudy’s already missed one!
HA, Kenny Smith just said that he’s back to drinking only water and cranberry juice. Must have a drug test coming up.
Dwight got robbed last year - but this year he’s gonna win. That was nasty.
I like D. Howard’s use of the backside of the backboard. I don’t know if I’ve seen someone dunk while their head is behind the backboard like that before.
I’d give the kid a 10 just for using a cupcake in the dunk contest, let alone blowing out the candle and not knocking it off of the rim.
Hold up. GG’s blowin’ out a candle? that was ridiculous.
$10 says Chuck asked if anyone was going to eat that cupcake.
Much better than last year - except for Dwight’s sticker dunk.
That sticker dunk was great. That was a good first round. I guess I’ll wait before I turn this off and hop in the shower.
Gay’s dunk was dope, but Howard’s already upsatged it using the backside of the hoop.
*upstaged
If Moon jumps from there and completes the dunk, my jaw’s gonna drop.
Whew, at least the laws of gravity don’t have to be rethought now. Still impressive.
GG’s handoff dunk: meh.
Sorry GG, but that ladder was completely unnecessary.
Damn Rob, looks like Rip’s loss leaves only you and I to comment on the dunks.
D Howard is great with that Superman cape.
OOOOHHHHH!!!! I like it, I like it a lot!
Superman. Superman. Superman! That was the shit.
Karma. Superman gets the karma points, cuz he shoulda won last year, and he’s gonna win this year!
CRAZY! He didn’t really even dunk it, hand never touched the rim, truly impressive. Just give him the trophy.
Christopher Reeves was just put to shame. That kid from Smallville is trembling somewhere.
Rob, I don’t think Dwight needs karma on his side with dunks liek that!
*like
GG just redeemed himself. That was dope.
That was a miracle. Whoa. Like a volleyball spike.
No shoes? No chance.
DWIGHT HOWARD!!! This dunk contest exceeded all of my expectations and then some.
Looks like Dwight’s gonna go out with a bang.
Yes. the world might as well end tonight. This was the. greatest. dunk. performance. ever.
UUUUHHHHHH!!! If I had texting on my phone I’d use it, but he doesn’t need my vote, D. Howard took this contest, hands down! The other contestants did a great job as well.
Dr. J brought up a great point on GG’s behalf, jumping off of hardwood wearing just socks isn’t an easy task. Props to everyone in the contest, Dwight Howard’s a beast!
That behind the backboard dunk was by far the best dunk I’ve seen - until that superman. Sick.
HA HA, Will Ferrel’s Old Spice commerical is classic, as far as Old Spice commercials go.
Agreed Rob. Agreed.
That was ridiculous. I think -we- were the ones that were robbed last year as well, since the judges’ screwed up on Dwight last year and we missed out on the kiss the rim dunk and maybe some others. Most entertaining dunk contest in a while.
Excuse me, cuz I’m gonna gush: You know how they send the greatest artistic achievements of mankind into space in order to impress any alien intelligence? you know - Louis Armstrong’s “West End Blues,” Mozart, the Pythagorean theorem - we need to send up video of the Superman dunk. That will let aliens know the capacity of human achievement - plus it’ll be a warning: do not mess with us, because Dwight will dunk on you.
Did Dwight Howard say his inspiration for that dunk was Soulja Boy? Cause you really shouldn’t claim inspiration from both God and “Crank That” in the same competition. Someone should tell him what that song means, cause I don’t think he does.
Kevin S - I was thinking the same thing, but in this crazy postmodern world where the old truths have withered away, where religious absolutism and secular logics collide and mix, where even our perception of reality can be challenged by deconstructionist philosophy, the only thing we can grasp, the only thing we can agree on, is that Dwight is a fucking amazing dunker.
This just in - Hawks got Mike Bibby. That’s great for them, and even better for Detroit - it means that Cleveland didn’t get Bibby OR Kidd.
I didn’t see that trade. That’s well played by the Hawks. Now that the Mavs trade fell through, Kidd is now essentially untradable. Compared to what the Mavs were willing to part with, no team can come close. Rod Thorn and Mitch Kupchak have to be hating Jerry Stackhouse and Devean George right now.
That said, I’m still waiting to see what the Bulls could get for Ben Wallace. They could pull a similar deal with the Mavs, or maybe work with the Blazers to pull a Wallace for Oden + Aldridge + Roy + draft picks + expiring contracts + 4 first rounders + $6 million in cash swap…
After all, Ben Wallace is famous AND in his 30s. That’s the new “upside” these days.
Does anyone else think that the moneyballs in the 3-point contest are a crappy idea? A guy could make 20 out of 25 shots and score a 20 if he misses all of the moneyballs and be beat by a guy that shoots worse than him as long as he hits the moneyballs. Just reduce the top score to 25 and have each ball worth one point. Those moneyballs remind me of super delegates.
Any Sheed sightings? I didn’t see him all night. Doesn’t mean much, LeBron was the only non-participant that TNT seemed to give any attention to. I did notice Chauncey come over to support Rip after his turn though.
As for Cleveland not getting Bibby, I really wouldn’t have been worried if they did get him, that dude fell off days ago.
Those Dwight dunks were SICK. He invented new stuff! That doesn’t happen very often. I wasn’t a huge fan of his Superman dunk because he didn’t actually dunk it (even though he threw the ball down through the rim). I preferred his punch off the backboard into his other hand, and the first one from behind the backboard. CRAZY stuff.
Also (and I know it’s bad to rag on a little kid), my Skills Competition viewing could have gone with a whole lot less TJ Kidd on the screen. Although with a melon that size, it’s hard to avoid it with the cameras.
(I’ll be burning in Hell if anyone is looking for me)
all i can say is:
TAKE THAT STEVE NASH! YOU WILL RESPECT RIP’S TRAMP BALL!
everyone, else… good job. whatever.
“Also (and I know it’s bad to rag on a little kid), my Skills Competition viewing could have gone with a whole lot less TJ Kidd on the screen.”
Was that kid born with a moustache?
Dwight Howard’s first (behind the backboard) and third (one man tip drill) dunks were ridiculous.
Barkley, Reggie, and Kenny are hilarious. If only the NFL had something similar… If I ever have to listen to Terry Bradshaw butcher the highlights again. I mean, why him? What’s that other guy there for? Can’t he do the highlights?
Sorry, went off topic there for a minute. Barkley saying Gerald Green has too much time on his hands cracked me up.
Question to the group: Do you think Green would pull his talent out of his ass if the Pistons signed him?
Well QD, even if we signed Green and he didn’t live up to his potential, at least he could make the team cupcakes.
WLM1,
With regards to the NBA cares program, my guess is that the majority of the airtime that they devote to this program is likely at a greatly reduced cost to normal air rates, assuming air rates even apply in this case.
Most of these bits are done during NBA time as it is during half time or in between quarters. The NBA pays for for the production crew to film it but outside of that I don’t really see a lot of money going into “advertising.” Furthermore, the NBA may have set it up as a not for profit separate “foundation,” to be eligible for government subsidies and other benefits that NGO non-profits receive.
I agree with you $10,000 isn’t a ton of money, but isn’t Luol still on his rookie contract? I mean its not like he’s got a max contract for 6 years and thats the best he can come up with.
Oh and my guess is thats not the only charitable donation Luol has made this year. If you’re making that much money and you wanted to give back to the community wouldn’t you want to spread the wealth?
“Was that kid born with a moustache?”
Ha! I was thinking the same thing, Kevin. Well, inbetween the thoughts about how large his noggin’ is.
James, thanks for responding, you’re probably right about the air rates not applying. And I wasn’t trying to knock Loul at all. You’d think the league would step up to help his cause and not just leave it up to him if there was so much caring happening. I guess I just get annoyed at how much the NBA promotes good deeds like, “Hey, see we really aren’t just a bunch of over-paid babies”.
As for Loul’s rookie contract, he did turn down a much bigger contract in the off-season, so I guess the case could be argued that his self-interests came first. I’m not criticising that since I’m much more guilty of that than him as mostly all Americans are.
IMO, the “Where caring happens” slogan was obviously created by the NBA marketing execs who probably do little to nothing when it comes to the actual charities. My skepticism here is with the execs, not the players.
Take Sheed for example, he helps out the less fortunate but doesn’t want any attention for it. I like that. Having to see those comemrcials all the time makes me think that the behind the scenes guys are exploiting the good will of the players to their advantage. That’s what bothers me about it.
I really am ignorant to how all of this stuff works, so if anyone has any thoughts that they think would help enlighten me, please, share them.
Thanks again James.
Oh, BTW, LawyerBoy, if you had to give me a mile of shit for taking a cheap shot at that dude that interviewed Nazr awhile back, you’d better have something to say about some of these people making fun of J-Kidd’s son’s appearance. To all of you that did knock the little guy, I could care less, I’m just notifying the PC police, that’s all.
Sorry WLM1, if Kidd’s a target, his kid’s a target. I’m kinda apathetic in this case. You and Ronnie went after a guy who in no way had it coming. You went after one of Matt’s colleagues. That didn’t sit well with Matt and it doesn’t sit well with me.
I know I said that potshots aren’t the DBB way, but when it’s a guy we consider a rival (and with Kidd being a rival, it extends to his son), potshots are fine as long as they don’t completely suck. It’s not like I was completely respectful to the “Crack Staff” from perkisabeast. And I think Garrett and Kevin (while not coming with A-game, primo stuff, sorry guys) came with it enough.
Not to be a complete dick, but the potshots you and Ronnie brought in that thread were absolutely WEAK. If you’re going to go after something you better be far funnier than it is inappropriate. In a more extreme example, if you’re going to make a 9/11 joke, go ahead, but it better be so funny that a person can’t help but laugh.
Sorry, but the PC Police isn’t reporting to the scene of this crime.
I knew you were completely full of shit. Rather defend a grown-ass man than a child, LMAO. Enough of the potshots. Direct quotes from Mr. Noveck’s myspace:
“Brevity is not my strong suit”
“I also don’t understand the fairer sex”
“I pose well for pictures”
Lastly, he’s a 23-year old male that likes NSync and Nelly Furtado.
If that’s not the profile of a closet homosexual, I don’t know what is. Give it up dude, your skirt’s been lifted.
Now, you mentioned that if you could meet yourself at age 18, you’d want to kick that guy’s ass. Upon further review, I have to assume that at 5′8″, that’s only because you at 18 is the only person’s ass you could kick. HA HA HA! You’re a pussy for real son. FOR REAL.
Matt, I apologize for flooding your site with this crap, but to make up for it, I’ll let this be my last post. Peace to the rest of y’all, it’s been cool, but I can’t waste another second sharing thoughts in an online community with dudes like Michael Noveck participating.
wow you got him good there…closet homosexual. that’s real cool.
I changed my mind after the awful start to the Saturday skills.
By the time Steve Nash handed in a Billups-esque performance in the 3-ball, I decided never to waste my time with All-Star-Weekend again.
Time well spent.