I did a live blog of the draft right below here, sort of, but due to stupid kids and a stupid new cat the thing wasn't up to par. I think the previously mentioned entities were having a contest to see who could break me, and the winner was my son who made me give up on watching the draft so somehow negotiate a truce between not letting the cat in his room and not having his door closed. An impossible problem, to be sure, but luckily I am a genius and also a 6-time winner of dad of the year at my house, so I managed. However since I was unable to give the draft my full attention I will rectify that now, mainly because there's no world cup on this afternoon and no baseball so I'm cranky. Let's look at what a few teams did that seemed noteworthy.
- First, you have to start with the hometown 9, and though I don't particularly like the Wolves' draft I can't really blast them either because I understand their thought process. Adding Zach LaVine and Glenn Robinson 3 certainly increases the athletic ability of the team, even if neither put up primo college stats or have, you know, skills. I also think Robinson's athleticism is overrated, and given that he doesn't really have a true NBA position and has a tendency to not try real hard all the time I'm not very optimistic with that pick. LaVine has more potential, and everything I'm reading says he could be one of the top 5-10 players out of this draft, and unlike Aaron Gordon, who sucks at basketball, he does have some skills to go along with that athletic ability. I know potential is potential until something actually happens, but the Wolves have to hit on something at some point, right?
- The Sixers are starting to remind me of the Kansas City Royals. Remember when the Royals had all those top prospects and everybody said in 3 years they'd be great, including myself? Sixers are giving off that vibe, and last night they took Joel Embiid, who is likely at least a year away, and Dario Saric, who will probably stick in Turkey for a couple of years. They also got back a first round pick they had given to the Magic to help facilitate the Dwight Howard trade. Basically they're stockpiling "assets" while assuring themselves of another horrible season upcoming and another high lottery pick - another "asset." At some point you have to actually start doing something, but at least they have a clear plan. It may not work - the Royals are 4.5 out of first place in a bad division and are just 2 games over .500 - but at least it's a plan.
- Sadly, nobody really screwed up their draft which, along with the lack of any real meaningful trades, made it a very boring night. The closest thing to a screw up was the Raptors taking Bruno Caboclo at #20, but I can't pretend I know who he is or if he's any good, I just know he wasn't projected as a first rounder. Their GM seems to pretty much know what he's doing and #20 is a crapshoot anyway, so whatever. Plus who cares? It's Canada.
- Can't believe Bill Simmons is allowed to be such a raging homer on TV. I know people are human and are going to have allegiances, but when somebody like Jalen Rose pulls for Michigan guys he does it in an understated, human way. Simmons is a complete spaz who belongs on a couch watching the draft. Did you see his eye roll when the Hornets traded Napier to the Heat? I don't know, maybe I'm being oversensitive but it just bugs me. Plus when he's on site he can't do his running draft diary, which was always a good time back when he was actually a writer - something he's good at.
- After watching the Spurs dismantle the Heat after coming out of the supremely difficult Western Conference, you'd think teams might take a look at the Spurs business model and try to emulate them. Maybe draft some high basketball IQ guys who will buy into the team concept, pass well, and can shoot. Two guys who fit that model perfectly fell to the end of the first round, both who would be perfect for the Spurs in Kyle Anderson and Cleanthony Early. The Spurs went Anderson, and the Knicks were lucky enough to get Early in the second round (Early could end up the steal of the draft - mark it down). Anderson's going to thrive in San Antonio.
- If you read ESPN too much, you've probably stumbled across John Hollinger's prospect ranking formulas, which generally do a pretty decent job of projecting future value of incoming players in the NBA draft. Hollinger now works for Memphis, but Kevin Pelton still runs the same column and I'm assuming uses the same formulas, or at least very similar maybe with some of his own tweaks. Memphis took Jordan Adams at #22 in a bit of a surprise, then traded a 2016 first round pick to get an early second rounder from Utah to take Jarnell Stokes. Looking at Pelton's column, Adams ranks fifth and Stokes ranks twelfth. Interesting. Last season they didn't have a first rounder, but at pick #41 took Jamaal Franklin, who ranked 21st using Pelton's formula. Seems like you could get a pretty good handle on what Memphis is thinking just by checking out Pelton's column before the draft. I have no idea what you'd do with that information, but I'm going to figure out how to use it for gambling.
- Congratulations to Khem Birch, Chane Behanan, Jabari Brown, Jahii Carson, Alex Kirk, James Michael McAdoo, LaQuinton Ross, Jakarr Sampson, and Roscoe Smith - your early draft entrants who went unpicked. Wait, not congratulations. The other thing. When is the NBDL draft? I bet Carson goes first.
- Did you notice the Charlotte Hornets are starting to do some good things? I mean, a lot of it was luck having Noah Vonleh slip to them and then having PJ Hairston slip to them, but it could get interesting. The talk was they needed a shooter bad and would be very happy to get either Stauskas or McDermott, but then Vonleh was sitting there and they did the smart move, shocking in the NBA I know, and took a potential star in him over getting the shooter they needed in McDermott. Then they were lucky enough to snag Hairston, a great shooter (potentially) and picked up a couple picks from Miami in the process because they were so hot to trot for Napier. So now the Hornets look like this: Kemba/G. Henderson or Hairston/MKG/Vonleh/Al Jefferson.
Jefferson and Vonleh should compliment each other well since Vonleh can do perimeter/high post stuff despite Crean's strategy of never giving him the ball, and Hairston can help open things up since neither Henderson or MKG can shoot. Then they still have Cody Zeller who I haven't given up on, especially since he and Vonleh can talk about how much Crean sucks. Plus they're in the East. I mean it's not great or anything, but at least they're moving in the right direction. Seriously I'm realizing how screwed up the Wolves are since I seem to be totally impressed by any team that seems to have a plan.
- The team I'm not sure has a plan is the Sacramento Kings, and I think it's been that way for a while. They drafted Stauskas the year after drafting Ben McLemore the year after drafting Jimmer Fredette, who is now a Bull. Meanwhile their starting PF is currently Derrick Williams, who did not improve with a change of scenery, and they're paying a lot of money to Rudy Gay (who did, to be fair, play a lot better once he got out of Toronto). Their point guard is Isaiah Thomas, who is a restricted free agent and they're almost going to have to match any offer because their other point guard is Ray McCallum, who I like, but I wouldn't exactly hand the car keys too. Add in their best player is DeMarcus Cousins, who has been a model citizen but has the potential to explode if things keep going shitty, and ti's looking like they will. It's at least comforting to know there's a team that's a mess besides the Wolves. Then again, Cousins hasn't demanded a trade while the GM decides he's just going to stick with him and hope everything turns up sunshine and lollipops. Stupid NBA.
- So to sum up, I hate this draft for the Wolves, but I understand why they did it. I don't expect it to workout, but I'm hopeful. I also desperately want this Kevin Love trade to happen so I can move on and start figuring out how to fix the team, rather than having zero clue where they're going. I mean, you need an entirely different mindset and strategy if if you trade him to Golden State than if you trade him to Boston, and a whole new plan if you trade him to Denver (please god no don't do this). Let's get on with it already, ladies.
Showing posts with label Bill Simmons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bill Simmons. Show all posts
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Bill Simmons Talks College Prospects. Oy.
I'm a big fan of Bill Simmons, have been for years. One of his biggest flaws, however, is he never ever watches college basketball outside of the NCAA Tournament, yet when draft time rolls around he likes to talk as if he is actually knowledgeable about the players outside of whatever he has recently read or been told. I will never forget his column where he acted like he was breaking the news that Kevin Durant was awesome at Texas, despite it being mid-season. He also likes to form an opinion and refuse to let anything break it, including facts. With this in mind, I listened to the Simmons/Chad Ford podcast regarding the draft. Here are some highlights.
1. Victor Oladipo's upside is a cross between Alvin Robertson and Joe Dumars. Because he was one of the best interviews Bill Simmons did of the future rookies and said that if he had to play the Heat in South Beach he wouldn't go out to the bars the night before a game.
2. Oladipo could have played in the Spurs/Heat Finals because he tries hard.
3. Otto Porter red flag: doesn't think he'll be able to score in the NBA. Porter, who shot 42% from 3, 41% on jump shots, and 66% in the paint. Also said Porter reminded him of Tayshaun Prince and that's a bad thing despite Prince's career 58.6 win shares, which is the fourth highest total of anybody taken in the 2002 Draft.
4. More Porter: Doesn't think he'll really be able to play defense in the NBA (Porter averaged nearly 2 steals per game, which is a good indicator of the athleticism needed to play defense in the NBA something Chad Ford actually talked about maybe 15 minutes earlier in this same podcast). Also worried that Porter couldn't hit threes even though he hit 42% last year, something Simmons actually acknowledges but shrugs it off because "He only took like 3 a game", which, because this is college and not the NBA, actually ranked 30th most in the conference.
5. This one's actually from Ford, but he said Ben McLemore can't get to the rim. Ben McLemore took 31% of his shots last year at the rim. Outside of Oladipo's freakish 61% that's the highest percent among the guards in this draft. Simmons' take was that McLemore can be a three-point machine. McLemore hit the exact same 42% Otto Porter did. Simmons also thought McLemore was a "sweet kid" and it was a great interview. Sensing a pattern.
6. Alex Len "was pretty impressive when we talked to him" followed by a shit load of nice things about him including "he doesn't have any weaknesses except maybe rebounding." First, rebounding is pretty important for a center, but he's wrong anyway. Second, this is again Simmons not understanding college stats because Len was fourth in the ACC in rebounding (but "just" 7.8 per game). Len's offensive and defensive rebounding percentages are both pretty good, but his overall numbers suffer because he played 26 minutes per game. That would be a much bigger concern for me than the rebounding.
7. Did not like his interview with Shabazz Muhammad and it made him like him less as a draft pick. I actually thought this was unconscious bias, but it turns out he's actively admitting to it. I wonder if he can pick up the fact that he's doing things like trashing Otto Porter's game because he didn't like his interview. I doubt it. Also just said he loved his interview with C.J. McCollum and in the next sentence he could be the next Jason Terry with a downside of a better Eddie House. Now I like McCollum, but his downside is a whole hell of a lot worse than a better Eddie House. Sorry if he's super likable.
Actually not as terrible as I was expecting or as he's been in the past. The whole "interview" thing was a nice wrinkle that kept me entertained in the absence of more uninformed opinions. I would say I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed listening to the podcast, but that would be a lie because I promise you I don't care.
1. Victor Oladipo's upside is a cross between Alvin Robertson and Joe Dumars. Because he was one of the best interviews Bill Simmons did of the future rookies and said that if he had to play the Heat in South Beach he wouldn't go out to the bars the night before a game.
2. Oladipo could have played in the Spurs/Heat Finals because he tries hard.
3. Otto Porter red flag: doesn't think he'll be able to score in the NBA. Porter, who shot 42% from 3, 41% on jump shots, and 66% in the paint. Also said Porter reminded him of Tayshaun Prince and that's a bad thing despite Prince's career 58.6 win shares, which is the fourth highest total of anybody taken in the 2002 Draft.
4. More Porter: Doesn't think he'll really be able to play defense in the NBA (Porter averaged nearly 2 steals per game, which is a good indicator of the athleticism needed to play defense in the NBA something Chad Ford actually talked about maybe 15 minutes earlier in this same podcast). Also worried that Porter couldn't hit threes even though he hit 42% last year, something Simmons actually acknowledges but shrugs it off because "He only took like 3 a game", which, because this is college and not the NBA, actually ranked 30th most in the conference.
5. This one's actually from Ford, but he said Ben McLemore can't get to the rim. Ben McLemore took 31% of his shots last year at the rim. Outside of Oladipo's freakish 61% that's the highest percent among the guards in this draft. Simmons' take was that McLemore can be a three-point machine. McLemore hit the exact same 42% Otto Porter did. Simmons also thought McLemore was a "sweet kid" and it was a great interview. Sensing a pattern.
6. Alex Len "was pretty impressive when we talked to him" followed by a shit load of nice things about him including "he doesn't have any weaknesses except maybe rebounding." First, rebounding is pretty important for a center, but he's wrong anyway. Second, this is again Simmons not understanding college stats because Len was fourth in the ACC in rebounding (but "just" 7.8 per game). Len's offensive and defensive rebounding percentages are both pretty good, but his overall numbers suffer because he played 26 minutes per game. That would be a much bigger concern for me than the rebounding.
7. Did not like his interview with Shabazz Muhammad and it made him like him less as a draft pick. I actually thought this was unconscious bias, but it turns out he's actively admitting to it. I wonder if he can pick up the fact that he's doing things like trashing Otto Porter's game because he didn't like his interview. I doubt it. Also just said he loved his interview with C.J. McCollum and in the next sentence he could be the next Jason Terry with a downside of a better Eddie House. Now I like McCollum, but his downside is a whole hell of a lot worse than a better Eddie House. Sorry if he's super likable.
Actually not as terrible as I was expecting or as he's been in the past. The whole "interview" thing was a nice wrinkle that kept me entertained in the absence of more uninformed opinions. I would say I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed listening to the podcast, but that would be a lie because I promise you I don't care.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Tuesday Talkings - 4/28/2011
Do you guys have any idea how hard it is to come up with things to write for a Twins/Gopher basketball blog when there's nothing going on with Gopher basketball and the Twins suck worse than your life does? Seriously, before long most of the blog entries here are going to be like, "Hey, have I told you about my bunions? Oh, you're gonna love this story! So, I line up my cold cuts on the couch next to me, but as I'm stacking them up, they keep falling into my foot bath!"
You just watch, it's going to happen. Although, once again due to the Twins' ineptitude, I don't think anybody is reading anyway. Yes, it must be due to the Twins' ineptitude.
Anyway, I'm just going to sit here and type things as I think of them. You monkeys will read anything.
- Speaking of reading anything, have you been checking out Grantland.com, Bill Simmons new sports and pop culture site? I like it overall so far, mainly because it gives you 4-5 new articles every day to choose from. It's certainly been a mixed bag, with great stuff like Klosterman's great piece about a JuCo basketball game in North Dakota from 1988 (I know it sounds weird, just read it) mixed in with some complete garbage like this (hatchet job on stats using basketball as an example), this (brutally bad and rambling article that states it's point and then never comes close to touching on it again), and this (weird attack on Blake Lively that doesn't belong on this site - or anywhere, really) as well as some weird homer shit from Simmons about the Bruins. Overall though, there are 3 or so pretty entertaining pieces per day and more good than bad, so I'd recommend making it part of your daily internet routine. Or not, whatever. Like I care.
- Twins are winning 3-1 right now in the fourth. Kind of a weird feeling.
- Maybe we should talk some Big 10 hoops, eh? Since that's kind of the whole reason I started this blog - well, that and boredom....maybe a little egotism. Going to be kind of an odd year since there's so much talent leaving. Of the three all Big Ten teams only Jared Sullinger, Jordan Taylor, Trevor Mbakwe, William Buford, Draymond Green, and John Shurna are back. Only 3 of the 6 honorable mentions are back as well (wait, Lewis Jackson was honorable mention all Big Ten? How is this possible? Is there some sort of degree of difficulty modifier added due to being 5-foot-6?)
One of the players I'm most intrigued with this year is Illinois freshman point guard Tracy Abrams, who ranks as the #13 point guard and #58 overall recruit according to Rivals. As you probably are aware of, for some reason when Chester Frazier graduated Bruce Weber decided Demetri McNuggets was going to be there point guard and never bothered to get another one. This led to McCamey putting up good stats (although he couldn't put up a single rep on the bench press at the NBA Combine) and constantly unraveling at the end of games because, as anybody could tell, he wasn't a god damn point guard. Now, still thanks to Weber's complete inattentiveness to the position (Tubby -> Hi) they are giving the job to Abrams because he's the only PG on the roster. Illinois has plenty of talent back so basically their entire season hinges on if Abrams can handle the PG position. Always good to have your season's success hanging on whether an 18-year old kid can play the most important position on the court in his first year jumping from High School to major College ball.
The other player who I think will have the biggest impact on a team's success or failure this year is Brandon Wood of Michigan State. Wood was a lightly recruited combo guard out of high school who signed with Southern Illinois and then transferred to Valpo. He blossomed with the Crusaders, averaging 17 points, 4.5 rebs, and 3 assists in his last two years and lighting up North Carolina for 30, Michigan State for 24, and Purdue for over 20 twice in those two years. He's eligible immediately since he's already graduated, and with the Spartans losing Kalin Lucas (expected) and Korie Lucious (unexpected) they're thin in the back court (unlike Draymond Green). I fully expect Wood to end up being their primary ball-handler. If he's a disaster Michigan State's season will likely be as well, unless Green can run full-time point forward duties.
Finally, I am curious to see how Jordan Taylor does with nothing around him. He obviously had a monster season last year but he had Jon Leuer to help take a lot of the defensive attention off of him, and even Keaton Nankivil to help. Now they're both gone and I know Bo Ryan and the gay Badgers always find ways to win and somebody always steps up but I really don't see anyone on this roster capable of becoming a viable second scorer. It's all going to be up to Taylor, and he's either going to average 24 pts/8 rebs/7 assists per game or he's going to end up shooting in the low 30s percentage-wise. Maybe both.
- For the record I am VERY unhappy with Emma Stone's new blonde hair. Very unhappy. I'm super glad I broke up with her now. She's 10 times hotter with red hair, and that might be a low number.
- Russell freaking Martin leads the AL in voting at catcher? Jesus it's almost all Yankees. Something needs to be done about this process. Maybe it should be like having a baby should be and you have to pass some kind of competency exam first. First, Martin doesn't even have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. Second, he's hitting just .230, 8th among AL catchers with at least 100 PAs. He ranks 6th in HRs and RBI amongst AL catchers and 5th in OPS. I'm guessing this is simply a case of being a Yankee and having a name people recognize as having been really really good in the NL a few years ago. Poor Alex Avila. He's having a monster season so far (note: I had no idea) and he'll have to catch a break to make the All-Star game. Derek Jeter (who is actually having a worse season at the plate than Alexi Casilla) garnering more votes than Asdrubel Cabrera is actually a bigger travesty, but writing about Jeter being overrated is like telling jokes about airplane food at this point.
- You can go ahead and put me squarely in the camp of "Josh Selby won't get it figured out." Guy's got AND 1 All-Star written all over him. Skip to My Lou 2 - The Reversoning.
- Cliff Lee shut out the Red Sox tonight and allowed just two hits, which wouldn't really be all that surprising since it is Cliff Lee after all, but I was doing some digging into this game for gambling purposes (I ended up not wagering on the game) and it's actually amazing considering how the current Sox have done in their careers against Lee. Marco Scutaro has hit .302 against him, Pedroia has hit .364, Darnell McDonald .400, and Adrian Gonzalez an incredible .700. Kevin Youkilis hasn't hit him that well, but he's drawn 4 walks to 2 strikeouts and has a .400 OBP against Lee. He's dominated Ellsbury and Varitek, but really based on history the Sox should have had some success against Lee. Which once again proves that nothing makes any sense ever.
- You know, Daenarys Targaryen is a dead-ringer for Claire from Lost. Check it:
I speak truth.
Like always.
You just watch, it's going to happen. Although, once again due to the Twins' ineptitude, I don't think anybody is reading anyway. Yes, it must be due to the Twins' ineptitude.
Anyway, I'm just going to sit here and type things as I think of them. You monkeys will read anything.
- Speaking of reading anything, have you been checking out Grantland.com, Bill Simmons new sports and pop culture site? I like it overall so far, mainly because it gives you 4-5 new articles every day to choose from. It's certainly been a mixed bag, with great stuff like Klosterman's great piece about a JuCo basketball game in North Dakota from 1988 (I know it sounds weird, just read it) mixed in with some complete garbage like this (hatchet job on stats using basketball as an example), this (brutally bad and rambling article that states it's point and then never comes close to touching on it again), and this (weird attack on Blake Lively that doesn't belong on this site - or anywhere, really) as well as some weird homer shit from Simmons about the Bruins. Overall though, there are 3 or so pretty entertaining pieces per day and more good than bad, so I'd recommend making it part of your daily internet routine. Or not, whatever. Like I care.
- Twins are winning 3-1 right now in the fourth. Kind of a weird feeling.
- Maybe we should talk some Big 10 hoops, eh? Since that's kind of the whole reason I started this blog - well, that and boredom....maybe a little egotism. Going to be kind of an odd year since there's so much talent leaving. Of the three all Big Ten teams only Jared Sullinger, Jordan Taylor, Trevor Mbakwe, William Buford, Draymond Green, and John Shurna are back. Only 3 of the 6 honorable mentions are back as well (wait, Lewis Jackson was honorable mention all Big Ten? How is this possible? Is there some sort of degree of difficulty modifier added due to being 5-foot-6?)
One of the players I'm most intrigued with this year is Illinois freshman point guard Tracy Abrams, who ranks as the #13 point guard and #58 overall recruit according to Rivals. As you probably are aware of, for some reason when Chester Frazier graduated Bruce Weber decided Demetri McNuggets was going to be there point guard and never bothered to get another one. This led to McCamey putting up good stats (although he couldn't put up a single rep on the bench press at the NBA Combine) and constantly unraveling at the end of games because, as anybody could tell, he wasn't a god damn point guard. Now, still thanks to Weber's complete inattentiveness to the position (Tubby -> Hi) they are giving the job to Abrams because he's the only PG on the roster. Illinois has plenty of talent back so basically their entire season hinges on if Abrams can handle the PG position. Always good to have your season's success hanging on whether an 18-year old kid can play the most important position on the court in his first year jumping from High School to major College ball.
The other player who I think will have the biggest impact on a team's success or failure this year is Brandon Wood of Michigan State. Wood was a lightly recruited combo guard out of high school who signed with Southern Illinois and then transferred to Valpo. He blossomed with the Crusaders, averaging 17 points, 4.5 rebs, and 3 assists in his last two years and lighting up North Carolina for 30, Michigan State for 24, and Purdue for over 20 twice in those two years. He's eligible immediately since he's already graduated, and with the Spartans losing Kalin Lucas (expected) and Korie Lucious (unexpected) they're thin in the back court (unlike Draymond Green). I fully expect Wood to end up being their primary ball-handler. If he's a disaster Michigan State's season will likely be as well, unless Green can run full-time point forward duties.
Finally, I am curious to see how Jordan Taylor does with nothing around him. He obviously had a monster season last year but he had Jon Leuer to help take a lot of the defensive attention off of him, and even Keaton Nankivil to help. Now they're both gone and I know Bo Ryan and the gay Badgers always find ways to win and somebody always steps up but I really don't see anyone on this roster capable of becoming a viable second scorer. It's all going to be up to Taylor, and he's either going to average 24 pts/8 rebs/7 assists per game or he's going to end up shooting in the low 30s percentage-wise. Maybe both.
- For the record I am VERY unhappy with Emma Stone's new blonde hair. Very unhappy. I'm super glad I broke up with her now. She's 10 times hotter with red hair, and that might be a low number.
- Russell freaking Martin leads the AL in voting at catcher? Jesus it's almost all Yankees. Something needs to be done about this process. Maybe it should be like having a baby should be and you have to pass some kind of competency exam first. First, Martin doesn't even have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. Second, he's hitting just .230, 8th among AL catchers with at least 100 PAs. He ranks 6th in HRs and RBI amongst AL catchers and 5th in OPS. I'm guessing this is simply a case of being a Yankee and having a name people recognize as having been really really good in the NL a few years ago. Poor Alex Avila. He's having a monster season so far (note: I had no idea) and he'll have to catch a break to make the All-Star game. Derek Jeter (who is actually having a worse season at the plate than Alexi Casilla) garnering more votes than Asdrubel Cabrera is actually a bigger travesty, but writing about Jeter being overrated is like telling jokes about airplane food at this point.
- You can go ahead and put me squarely in the camp of "Josh Selby won't get it figured out." Guy's got AND 1 All-Star written all over him. Skip to My Lou 2 - The Reversoning.
- Cliff Lee shut out the Red Sox tonight and allowed just two hits, which wouldn't really be all that surprising since it is Cliff Lee after all, but I was doing some digging into this game for gambling purposes (I ended up not wagering on the game) and it's actually amazing considering how the current Sox have done in their careers against Lee. Marco Scutaro has hit .302 against him, Pedroia has hit .364, Darnell McDonald .400, and Adrian Gonzalez an incredible .700. Kevin Youkilis hasn't hit him that well, but he's drawn 4 walks to 2 strikeouts and has a .400 OBP against Lee. He's dominated Ellsbury and Varitek, but really based on history the Sox should have had some success against Lee. Which once again proves that nothing makes any sense ever.
- You know, Daenarys Targaryen is a dead-ringer for Claire from Lost. Check it:
I speak truth.
Like always.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Yo I'm Here (Gophers vs. Miami)
Ok, so maybe I exaggerated a bit. Turns out I will have time to post on tonight's game, but only the second half. Because of the early start, I was on WonderbabyTM duty and sort of caught the first half in bits and pieces between "fishing" and "playing blocks" and other various wonders of the baby variety.
The Gophers lead 30-25, and here is what I was able to tell:
1. Al Nolen is playing his best game of the year.
2. Miami is really sloppy with the ball.
3. Rodney Williams is really bad at free throws.
4. Miami is more athletic and it shows on the boards and when they drive to the rim, but luckily they hit a bunch of threes early, have fallen in love with the outside shot, and haven't gotten inside nearly enough.
5. Not nearly enough touches for Ralph.
So now WonderbabyTM is in bed, the wife is in the other room watching god knows what kind of crap on our brand new TV, and I'm holed up in the bedroom watching the Gophers on a 13 inch screen. But I am watching. Go
19:41 - Miami immediately tries to drive the ball, gets repelled, and then settles for a horrible three-point attempt that lodges between the rim and the backboard like a Rod-Will free throw. I like this.
18:56 - Ralphie dunk on another great assist by Nolen. THIS is what he needs to be. It's freaking glorious when he does this - I just wish it happened more often.
17:00 - Gophers miss a couple in the lane and an open jumper, shades of the Portland game. This team is very good at getting quality shots, they just aren't very good at getting them to fall. I'm going to consider this a positive though, because they eventually have to hit, right? RIGHT?
16:40 - Is this guys' name Duece? That would be sweet.
16:25 - Ralphie jumper! Unstoppable.
16:13 - I looked it up, and his name is Dews. That's disappointing. Also disappointing? This 23-10 rebound edge the Hurricanes have. How is that even possible? They're shooting 38%. In 24 minutes o fgame play don't you think you'd get more than 10 rebounds by accident?
15:38 - They can't guard Nolen. Their only chance is to just let him shoot instead of pass. Remember how far off of Rondo the Bulls played in 2008? That should be the defensive strategy here for the Canes. I also want to use this space to point out to you that every single girl named either Casey or Cassie is hot. It's true. See:
15:30 - Oh, so apparently thanks to work I totally missed that Royce White pled guilty to something. Now I'm going to have to spend my free time looking it up. Maybe I'll just text Snacks.
14:15 - Damian with an offensive tip in. Announcer guy wants us to know he has great length. I'm sorry but I laughed. The Canes tie it on another launched three (you guys go ahead and keep launching) but Hoff gives the lead back with a three of his own on yet another assist from Al freaking Nolen. That's got to be at least 20 for him already. He's the next Scott Skiles.
12:38 - Another chucked three missed by Miami. Good god who coaches this team, Beilein? I'm going to have to look this up now and see if this is just a team strategy.
11:31 - Does anybody else think maybe Paul Carter, Rodney Williams, and probably Damian Johnson should maybe not shoot three-pointers? Am I even allowed to talk badly about DJ? I feel really guilty right now.
10:44 - Canes take the lead 43-42 on another three pointer. This one was open. And since I know you've been waiting, it turns out Miami is in the upper 20% of teams in terms of how often they shoot threes. Even more interesting, they actually have the 7th best shooting percentage of all teams on 2-pointers, but are 129th in 3-point percentage. So yes, by all means stay on the perimeter.
10:30 - Whoa, how did Illinois get back in that game against Clemson? Last I saw, the Illini were down 20. Now they're down just five. It makes me physically angry at myself how much I want the Big Ten to win this. And it's not even from a rational mind as in raising the conferences RPI in order to help the Gophers get to the NCAA Tournament, it's just from some kind of conference pride. When did I turn into my father? I hate all the other Big Ten teams.
8:55 - Devoe with back-to-back threes to put the Gophers back up one. Take that, three-point chucking jerks. Maple Leaf power and all that shit. Speaking of swearing, I'm reading the Bill Simmons basketball book right now, and it's weird because he swears in it. Not a lot, and not excessively, but just occassionally enough. It's like you're reading one of his columns (back when he still wrote them) with all it's homerism and arrogance but still damn entertaining, and then he drops a shit or a fuck on you. Jarring.
7:57 - Since I didn't write a preview, here's your MIAMI FUN FACT: Rick Barry not only holds every scoring, scoring average, and rebounding record at the school (game, season, career), he also holds the top eight single season scoring marks in the school's history.
7:39 - Westbrook just airballed a 12 footer with the Gophers down one. What. The. Fuck.
7:12 - Terrible defense on a high screen. No help, no switch, no step out - not even a show by whoever the big guy was whose man set the screen. I don't have Tivo in this room so I can't rewind, but I'm going to assume it was definitely not a lapse by Ralph.
6:03 - Nolen continues to be unguardable, and continues to get guys open shots. And they continue to be missed. I'm starting to think maybe that 15-footer isn't in Ralph's range. But it's so pretty and so smooth. He's like the next Sam Perkins, but without the three-point range. Yet.
5:51 - Tie ballgame, Gophers go to a full-court press and force Miami to take a timeout. I like this. The Canes have been very sloppy with the ball all game, could be a good gamble here. Or it could lead to thousands upon thousands of open three-pointers. Also my new boss used the word "irregardless" when talking to me today, and I'm 99.9% sure he wasn't trying to be funny. It took every ounce of willpower I had to not say anything.
4:45 - I'm about 90% sure Malcolm Grant could go by Devoe just as easily as Nolen has been going buy everybody tonight. Luckily he has chosen not to so far. And as I've been typing this Damian Johnson missed two free throws and Devoe airballed a three-pointer. Bad omens.
2:57 - So I know Westbrook leads the Gophers in scoring and all tonight, but boy does he seem lost out there a bit. I guess it's a nice improvement from last year, when he would seem lost and just stand around and do nothing. And he just missed a pretty huge jumper. Gophers down 55-53, Miami ball, 1:30 left.
0:42 - Westbrook turnover. Gophers down four and now need to foul. We're kind of in miracle territory here. Somebody please go back in time to when I said I felt like Westbrook was in for a special kind of senior year and kick me in the nuts. This more like Corky-special, not the good kind of special.
0:37 - Or, instead of fouling, they could let the Canes baseball pass it over their heads for a dunk, then turn it over without getting a shot, and give up a three-point play and suddenly be down by 8 with only 28 seconds left.
0:00 - Sigh. Gophers lose . Yet again, another missed opportunity to get a quality win, their last chance before conference play. Similar to the Portland and Texas A&M games, this isn't going to go down as a bad loss, but it's another whiff on a chance to get a marquee win, which could come back to haunt them. That's less margin for error in the conference games.
I'm really just so disappointed. Four big chances for big non-conference wins, four winnable games, and a 1-3 record. Damn it.
The Gophers lead 30-25, and here is what I was able to tell:
1. Al Nolen is playing his best game of the year.
2. Miami is really sloppy with the ball.
3. Rodney Williams is really bad at free throws.
4. Miami is more athletic and it shows on the boards and when they drive to the rim, but luckily they hit a bunch of threes early, have fallen in love with the outside shot, and haven't gotten inside nearly enough.
5. Not nearly enough touches for Ralph.
So now WonderbabyTM is in bed, the wife is in the other room watching god knows what kind of crap on our brand new TV, and I'm holed up in the bedroom watching the Gophers on a 13 inch screen. But I am watching. Go
19:41 - Miami immediately tries to drive the ball, gets repelled, and then settles for a horrible three-point attempt that lodges between the rim and the backboard like a Rod-Will free throw. I like this.
18:56 - Ralphie dunk on another great assist by Nolen. THIS is what he needs to be. It's freaking glorious when he does this - I just wish it happened more often.
17:00 - Gophers miss a couple in the lane and an open jumper, shades of the Portland game. This team is very good at getting quality shots, they just aren't very good at getting them to fall. I'm going to consider this a positive though, because they eventually have to hit, right? RIGHT?
16:40 - Is this guys' name Duece? That would be sweet.
16:25 - Ralphie jumper! Unstoppable.
16:13 - I looked it up, and his name is Dews. That's disappointing. Also disappointing? This 23-10 rebound edge the Hurricanes have. How is that even possible? They're shooting 38%. In 24 minutes o fgame play don't you think you'd get more than 10 rebounds by accident?
15:38 - They can't guard Nolen. Their only chance is to just let him shoot instead of pass. Remember how far off of Rondo the Bulls played in 2008? That should be the defensive strategy here for the Canes. I also want to use this space to point out to you that every single girl named either Casey or Cassie is hot. It's true. See:
15:30 - Oh, so apparently thanks to work I totally missed that Royce White pled guilty to something. Now I'm going to have to spend my free time looking it up. Maybe I'll just text Snacks.
14:15 - Damian with an offensive tip in. Announcer guy wants us to know he has great length. I'm sorry but I laughed. The Canes tie it on another launched three (you guys go ahead and keep launching) but Hoff gives the lead back with a three of his own on yet another assist from Al freaking Nolen. That's got to be at least 20 for him already. He's the next Scott Skiles.
12:38 - Another chucked three missed by Miami. Good god who coaches this team, Beilein? I'm going to have to look this up now and see if this is just a team strategy.
11:31 - Does anybody else think maybe Paul Carter, Rodney Williams, and probably Damian Johnson should maybe not shoot three-pointers? Am I even allowed to talk badly about DJ? I feel really guilty right now.
10:44 - Canes take the lead 43-42 on another three pointer. This one was open. And since I know you've been waiting, it turns out Miami is in the upper 20% of teams in terms of how often they shoot threes. Even more interesting, they actually have the 7th best shooting percentage of all teams on 2-pointers, but are 129th in 3-point percentage. So yes, by all means stay on the perimeter.
10:30 - Whoa, how did Illinois get back in that game against Clemson? Last I saw, the Illini were down 20. Now they're down just five. It makes me physically angry at myself how much I want the Big Ten to win this. And it's not even from a rational mind as in raising the conferences RPI in order to help the Gophers get to the NCAA Tournament, it's just from some kind of conference pride. When did I turn into my father? I hate all the other Big Ten teams.
8:55 - Devoe with back-to-back threes to put the Gophers back up one. Take that, three-point chucking jerks. Maple Leaf power and all that shit. Speaking of swearing, I'm reading the Bill Simmons basketball book right now, and it's weird because he swears in it. Not a lot, and not excessively, but just occassionally enough. It's like you're reading one of his columns (back when he still wrote them) with all it's homerism and arrogance but still damn entertaining, and then he drops a shit or a fuck on you. Jarring.
7:57 - Since I didn't write a preview, here's your MIAMI FUN FACT: Rick Barry not only holds every scoring, scoring average, and rebounding record at the school (game, season, career), he also holds the top eight single season scoring marks in the school's history.
7:39 - Westbrook just airballed a 12 footer with the Gophers down one. What. The. Fuck.
7:12 - Terrible defense on a high screen. No help, no switch, no step out - not even a show by whoever the big guy was whose man set the screen. I don't have Tivo in this room so I can't rewind, but I'm going to assume it was definitely not a lapse by Ralph.
6:03 - Nolen continues to be unguardable, and continues to get guys open shots. And they continue to be missed. I'm starting to think maybe that 15-footer isn't in Ralph's range. But it's so pretty and so smooth. He's like the next Sam Perkins, but without the three-point range. Yet.
5:51 - Tie ballgame, Gophers go to a full-court press and force Miami to take a timeout. I like this. The Canes have been very sloppy with the ball all game, could be a good gamble here. Or it could lead to thousands upon thousands of open three-pointers. Also my new boss used the word "irregardless" when talking to me today, and I'm 99.9% sure he wasn't trying to be funny. It took every ounce of willpower I had to not say anything.
4:45 - I'm about 90% sure Malcolm Grant could go by Devoe just as easily as Nolen has been going buy everybody tonight. Luckily he has chosen not to so far. And as I've been typing this Damian Johnson missed two free throws and Devoe airballed a three-pointer. Bad omens.
2:57 - So I know Westbrook leads the Gophers in scoring and all tonight, but boy does he seem lost out there a bit. I guess it's a nice improvement from last year, when he would seem lost and just stand around and do nothing. And he just missed a pretty huge jumper. Gophers down 55-53, Miami ball, 1:30 left.
0:42 - Westbrook turnover. Gophers down four and now need to foul. We're kind of in miracle territory here. Somebody please go back in time to when I said I felt like Westbrook was in for a special kind of senior year and kick me in the nuts. This more like Corky-special, not the good kind of special.
0:37 - Or, instead of fouling, they could let the Canes baseball pass it over their heads for a dunk, then turn it over without getting a shot, and give up a three-point play and suddenly be down by 8 with only 28 seconds left.
0:00 - Sigh. Gophers lose . Yet again, another missed opportunity to get a quality win, their last chance before conference play. Similar to the Portland and Texas A&M games, this isn't going to go down as a bad loss, but it's another whiff on a chance to get a marquee win, which could come back to haunt them. That's less margin for error in the conference games.
I'm really just so disappointed. Four big chances for big non-conference wins, four winnable games, and a 1-3 record. Damn it.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
DWG's NBA Preview (ok not really, just some stuff)
I was going to write an NBA preview, but I got bored after one division and plus I think this blog has been a bit "preview-y" lately. Instead I'll just say that the Wolves suck but Jonny Flynn wins the Rookie-of-the-Year, Lebron just misses averaging a triple-double (something like 30-9-9) but the Cavs don't make the finals, and the remaining Nets fans (assuming there are some) revolt after they don't get Lebron despite having completely gutted their team to make a run at him. Oh, and Magic over Spurs in the finals.
- Since I just got back from a nice dinner with the in-laws at the 5-8 Club (Garlic cheeseburger, jojo potatoes, cole slaw, + a couple Mich Golden Draft Lights), and I have a few Miller High Lifes in the fridge, I think I will continue typing things for a little while.
- It's finally happened. The usually positive and upbeat Daily Gopher has cracked, with JG writing this 1,000 word rant going after Tim Brewster. Needless to say, it's my favorite post ever. How he was able to write that many words on Brewster and not use the word "suck" even once is a mystery to me. If I wrote that long a piece about him, I'm pretty sure it would just be "Tim Brewster really sucks" except instead of one really there would be 997 of them.
- Since I'm linking things, go ahead and try to read this Rick Reilly article without chocking on it's combination of sickly sweet cheesiness and irrational shitheadness. I've written in here before, but Reilly has morphed from a pretty good, funny, and entertaininig journalist to some kind of unholy chimera-like combination of Sid Hartman, Patrick Reusse, a broken robot that only speaks in metaphor, and your upbeat super-religious aunt who has to spin everything in a positive light. This one here might be the worst (it's the entry from 10/23, in case it's been pushed down), where he gives a whole ton of credit for the Yankees' great season to Nick Swisher - not for his play, but for his clubhouse fun demeanor, his hair styles, and his handshakes. He actually states that the Yankees wouldn't go this far in the playoffs without Swisher. Actually, I would have said Derek Jeter's resurgence, A-Rod not slumping in the playoffs, Jorge Posada's succesful return from injury, the best bullpen in the majors, and the additions of Mark Texeira, C.C. Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett have a lot more to do with it, especially considering his stats are nearly identical to what Bobby Abreau put up last year in the same position.
Look, I like Swisher, really I do, and he's a good player and by all accounts is a swell guy, but this is just another example of a journalists going out of their way to write a "human interest" piece where one doesn't belong, simply because the unwashed and uninformed masses eat this garbage up because it's too hard to understand statistics. This kind of crap actually makes me angry, second only to when sharks roar in movies. Of course, when the article started out comparing Nick Swisher being on the Yankees to Wanda Sykes being elected to the supreme court, I should have known this wasn't going to be an enjoyable (or in any way informative) read. And what's with the shot at Kate Hudson? Totally worthless.
- I made a couple of NBA bets tonight, seeing as how I'm totally into THE LEAGUE right now: Rockets +8.5, Mavericks -8.5, Cavs -5, Cavs/Celtics OVER 183, Nowitski OVER 33.5 pts + rebs, and Clippers +12. Right now the Cavs are up 28-21 at the end of the first quarter - sounds good so far.
- Speaking of the Clips, that really sucks that Blake Grifin broke his kneecap or whatever. I was looking forward to seeing what he could do - I really think he can be an all-star from day one. And on that note, don't you find it interesting that Bill Simmons constantly writes about the Clippers Curse, but also ripped any journalist who talked about the Red Sox Curse? Interesting. I'm still planning on getting his NBA book.
- Shawn Marion is on the Mavericks? I had no idea. That guy has been passed around like Lindsay Lohan since he inexplicably forced his way off a contending team with the perfect system for him and a point guard who loved nothing more than sharing the ball. Seriously, Marion was in a perfect situation in Phoenix. He had a steady diet of Prime Rib, and switched it for Dinty Moore. Hi was vacationing in Vegas and swapped it for Detroit. He had a PS3 and turned it in for a Turbo Graphix. He was humping Audrina and downgraded to Spencer's sister. And keep in mind this was all voluntary. Basically Audrina was laying on the bed in lingerie and waiting and he jumped in the car and drove across town for Spencer's ugly sister in her sweatpants eating ice cream out of the bucket and her four cats.
I'm pretty sure just having this picture on here is going to triple the traffic I get from google image searches.
- Well, Lebron did manage to score 15 in the fourth, but he (and the rest of the Cavs) decided not to guard Paul Pierce and the Celtics ended up winning 95-89 (which covered the over, but not the spread). It seems I may have underrated the Celtics, since they beat the Cavs with a uninspiring performance from KG, in a game that may have highlighted how bad his knees are right now (he missed a big time hammer dunk). Obviously Boston was just fine, thanks to a big time performance off the bench by Rasheed. I'm telling you man, that Rasheed signing might have been the most important move anybody made this offesason. Those two can tandem at the PF so well, Boston might not have much of a fall-off, even if KG's legs are all broken and such.
- I was going to stay up and watch the whole second game (Lakers/Clippers), but it's now 20 minutes past the starting tip time and they still haven't gotten going. I'm a very busy man, and can't just be held up by this, so I'm gonna sign off.
- Since I just got back from a nice dinner with the in-laws at the 5-8 Club (Garlic cheeseburger, jojo potatoes, cole slaw, + a couple Mich Golden Draft Lights), and I have a few Miller High Lifes in the fridge, I think I will continue typing things for a little while.
- It's finally happened. The usually positive and upbeat Daily Gopher has cracked, with JG writing this 1,000 word rant going after Tim Brewster. Needless to say, it's my favorite post ever. How he was able to write that many words on Brewster and not use the word "suck" even once is a mystery to me. If I wrote that long a piece about him, I'm pretty sure it would just be "Tim Brewster really sucks" except instead of one really there would be 997 of them.
- Since I'm linking things, go ahead and try to read this Rick Reilly article without chocking on it's combination of sickly sweet cheesiness and irrational shitheadness. I've written in here before, but Reilly has morphed from a pretty good, funny, and entertaininig journalist to some kind of unholy chimera-like combination of Sid Hartman, Patrick Reusse, a broken robot that only speaks in metaphor, and your upbeat super-religious aunt who has to spin everything in a positive light. This one here might be the worst (it's the entry from 10/23, in case it's been pushed down), where he gives a whole ton of credit for the Yankees' great season to Nick Swisher - not for his play, but for his clubhouse fun demeanor, his hair styles, and his handshakes. He actually states that the Yankees wouldn't go this far in the playoffs without Swisher. Actually, I would have said Derek Jeter's resurgence, A-Rod not slumping in the playoffs, Jorge Posada's succesful return from injury, the best bullpen in the majors, and the additions of Mark Texeira, C.C. Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett have a lot more to do with it, especially considering his stats are nearly identical to what Bobby Abreau put up last year in the same position.
Look, I like Swisher, really I do, and he's a good player and by all accounts is a swell guy, but this is just another example of a journalists going out of their way to write a "human interest" piece where one doesn't belong, simply because the unwashed and uninformed masses eat this garbage up because it's too hard to understand statistics. This kind of crap actually makes me angry, second only to when sharks roar in movies. Of course, when the article started out comparing Nick Swisher being on the Yankees to Wanda Sykes being elected to the supreme court, I should have known this wasn't going to be an enjoyable (or in any way informative) read. And what's with the shot at Kate Hudson? Totally worthless.
- I made a couple of NBA bets tonight, seeing as how I'm totally into THE LEAGUE right now: Rockets +8.5, Mavericks -8.5, Cavs -5, Cavs/Celtics OVER 183, Nowitski OVER 33.5 pts + rebs, and Clippers +12. Right now the Cavs are up 28-21 at the end of the first quarter - sounds good so far.
- Speaking of the Clips, that really sucks that Blake Grifin broke his kneecap or whatever. I was looking forward to seeing what he could do - I really think he can be an all-star from day one. And on that note, don't you find it interesting that Bill Simmons constantly writes about the Clippers Curse, but also ripped any journalist who talked about the Red Sox Curse? Interesting. I'm still planning on getting his NBA book.
- Shawn Marion is on the Mavericks? I had no idea. That guy has been passed around like Lindsay Lohan since he inexplicably forced his way off a contending team with the perfect system for him and a point guard who loved nothing more than sharing the ball. Seriously, Marion was in a perfect situation in Phoenix. He had a steady diet of Prime Rib, and switched it for Dinty Moore. Hi was vacationing in Vegas and swapped it for Detroit. He had a PS3 and turned it in for a Turbo Graphix. He was humping Audrina and downgraded to Spencer's sister. And keep in mind this was all voluntary. Basically Audrina was laying on the bed in lingerie and waiting and he jumped in the car and drove across town for Spencer's ugly sister in her sweatpants eating ice cream out of the bucket and her four cats.
Good call Shawn.
- We're heading to the fourth, the Celtics leading the Cavs 72-65. Want to be Lebron goes crazy in this quarter and the Cavs end up covering the five? I would be willing to wager that Lebron (right now with 23 points, 1 rebound, and 7 assists) ends up scoring 20 this quarter.
- No comments about Sano and the Twins? Really? And speaking of no comments, where the hell has the Sidler been. I'm a bit concerned at this point.
- If any of you go see this Robin Williams/John Travolta horrible thing of a movie that I just saw a trailer for, we can no longer be friends. Not even a little bit. They should just take every theater that is showing that, and after the coming attractions, burn the place down. It's for the best.
- Right now we are watching the Scream Awards, which are basically the Oscars for Sci Fi and Horror films. The best actress in a Sci Fi award was just given to Megan Fox. Come on. Yes, she's hot. I have no argument with that, but this is supposed to be taken seriously, right? Then this should be for acting ability, not just hotness. I don't think Megan Fox would be a standout actress at a high school production of Fiddler, but now that you mention it this picture:
- Well, Lebron did manage to score 15 in the fourth, but he (and the rest of the Cavs) decided not to guard Paul Pierce and the Celtics ended up winning 95-89 (which covered the over, but not the spread). It seems I may have underrated the Celtics, since they beat the Cavs with a uninspiring performance from KG, in a game that may have highlighted how bad his knees are right now (he missed a big time hammer dunk). Obviously Boston was just fine, thanks to a big time performance off the bench by Rasheed. I'm telling you man, that Rasheed signing might have been the most important move anybody made this offesason. Those two can tandem at the PF so well, Boston might not have much of a fall-off, even if KG's legs are all broken and such.
- I was going to stay up and watch the whole second game (Lakers/Clippers), but it's now 20 minutes past the starting tip time and they still haven't gotten going. I'm a very busy man, and can't just be held up by this, so I'm gonna sign off.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Simmons hates ESPN
Bill Simmons and ESPN have apparently not been getting along lately, leading to a major drop in Sports Guy articles. As much as I think the guy can be quite an idiot at times, and his homerism makes Dawger look balanced, he's pretty entertaining most of the time, so this is bad news. Plus, he was pretty easy to make fun of.
Here is the link from deadspin. Whole post here:
Also, Boy this site sucks for breaking gophers news these days. New rankings are out from Rivals, Royce White was bumped up to a 5-star prospect and is rated the 18th best prospect in the country and Rodney Williams moved up to # 28.
Here is the link from deadspin. Whole post here:
We're not the only ones who noticed that Bill Simmons hasn't written a column in two weeks — until today, anyway — and hasn't been featured much on the home page of ESPN.com. We figured it was nothing; the man has taken extended breaks before. But, just to be thorough, we emailed him and asked if anything was up. His response, on the record, surprised us.
Here's Simmons' complete remarks on his (relative) absence from ESPN.com over the last month or so.
Yes, I still work for ESPN. No, I'm not writing for ESPN.com as much — my choice, not theirs. That's just the way it will be from now on, unfortunately. I'd have more to say, but I'd end up being profane and I don't want to offend Buzz Bissinger.
When we inquired further, Simmons went on:
I still love writing my column and only re-signed last year because I really did believe that we had hashed out all the behind the scenes bullshit and come to some sort of agreement on creative lines, media criticism rules, the promotion of the column and everything else on ESPN.com. Within a few months, all of those things changed and certain promises were not kept. It's as simple as that.
So ... there's that. Suddenly, 2010, when Simmons' most recent deal expires, seems rather far away. Flipping around while researching this post, we stumbled across this, and some cursory Web sleuthing does seem to track it back to Simmons. (Hey, if Jemele Hill can have an outside blog, why can't he?) Simmons obliquely has played the ESPN-won't-let-me-be-ME card in the past, but this is the first time, in our memory, that he's plainly stated his frustrations in a public forum and actively written less for the site because of them. Not quite the end of an era, but certainly seems to mark something.
Also, Boy this site sucks for breaking gophers news these days. New rankings are out from Rivals, Royce White was bumped up to a 5-star prospect and is rated the 18th best prospect in the country and Rodney Williams moved up to # 28.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Hey Sports Guy, Stick to the NBA
In Bill Simmons column today about the NCAA tournament, he has this to say about UCLA:
Um, I suppose if you really wanted to you could probably argue that Kevin Love isn't a "low-post stud" because he is an inside/outside type player and although he can score from the block, that isn't really his best feature. I'd argue against you, but I can see it. But to say they don't have an ankle-breaking perimeter guy is ridiculous. How do you not consider Darren Collison, and even Russel Westbrook, an ankle breaker? Stick to the NBA Bill, stick to the NBA.
the Bruins don't have a low-post stud (like Michael Beasley) or an ankle-breaking perimeter guy (like Jerryd Bayless)
Um, I suppose if you really wanted to you could probably argue that Kevin Love isn't a "low-post stud" because he is an inside/outside type player and although he can score from the block, that isn't really his best feature. I'd argue against you, but I can see it. But to say they don't have an ankle-breaking perimeter guy is ridiculous. How do you not consider Darren Collison, and even Russel Westbrook, an ankle breaker? Stick to the NBA Bill, stick to the NBA.
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