April 2007 Archives
SONNING THE SUNS
It was almost like old times inside the Staples Center last night...
I don't blame you. I don’t blame you for flipping the Suns/Lakers game off last night after Steve Nash led the Suns to an 11-0 lead after 2 minutes. I don’t blame you for flipping the game off after the Suns took a 31-14 lead with a couple minutes left in the first quarter. And I don’t even really blame you for flipping the game off at the end of the first quarter. It was late, after all. The game ended way past midnight, meaning it was something like 11PM by the time the first quarter ended. But, if you flipped it off any later than that? You’re beat. B-e-a-t. Now, admittedly, I ain’t got League Pass so I haven’t sat down and watched every NBA game this season. But last night’s was the best I have seen, not just in the playoffs, but this season.
...Kobe Bryant and Kwame Brown got along...
Now, get this straight. I’m not a Kobe Bryant fan. I’m tired (even as a lifelong Bulls fan) of hearing Phil Jackson whistle at his players from the sidelines. And the Lakers, to me, are a team full of guys who should want to get the hell outta L.A. as soon as possible. As long as they’re there and not hanging up banners every June, the fans will hate on Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown and Luke Walton and Smush Parker and Shammond Williams and…You get the point. They’ll love Kobe. But they’ll wonder why everyone else can’t be Kobe.
...And Kwame didn't look this confused all game long!
Which is why last night was one of the best team efforts I’ve seen, not just by the Lakers, but by almost any team in the L (save for those Bulls!). Kobe got his 45 without forcing shots. Odom finished buckets inside and hit a couple of timely jumpers. Parker and Williams absolutely smothered Nash on every single pick-and-roll play the Suns ran and forced them into some very uncharacteristic turnovers. And, for heaven’s sake, even Kwame Brown, who got absolutely killed in the media after terrible performances in the first two games of this series, was throwing down two-handed dunks! Kwame Brown!
Every possession mattered. Every shot counted. And every player that stepped foot on the floor for the Lakers helped the cause. Best game I’ve seen in awhile. Sorry if you missed it. Game 4 is on Saturday.
O.J. SIMPSON RETURNS TO FOOTBALL
Uh, sort of.
I'm really not trying to nerd this blog out, so I'll leave the video game reviews to D. Scott. But I came across this game All-Pro Football 2K8 that 2KSports is planning to put out this summer in direct competition with Madden 2008, which features Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young on the cover.
While I admit I only pick up a PlayStation controller about twice a year, these are the types of games that drive me outta retirement. I mean all the NFL legends like Barry Sanders, Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith and even (wow) O.J. Simpson in the same game? Not a bad idea on 2K's part. Especially for marketing to anyone over the age of 14. It ain't driving Madden off the field, but it will get my boys to stop arguing over whether Joe Montana was a better quarterback than Johnny Unitas.
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Extra Point:
It has nothing to do with sports, but I came across this while I was checking out the APF2K8 site. Can you believe "Quality Assurance Tester" (a.k.a. "Video Game Tester") is a real gig?
BUSTED!
“Reportin’ live from the booth / I’m killin’ these b*tches, Young Wayne Carruth.” — Lil’ Wayne on “New Cash Money,” off Da Drought 3
Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth
Enjoyed this piece that Yahoo! Sports did on the biggest first round busts in the history of the NFL Draft. Even if you don’t like football (or sports), it’s interesting to see how some folks who are projected so highly early on in their careers end up going nowhere essentially (at least in that field). Don’t believe the hype!
I point out the Lil’ Wayne line above ‘cause it’s a direct reference to #27 on the list: Rae Carruth. It’s not the first Carruth reference I’ve heard by any means (everyone from Joe Budden to Ras Kass has namedropped him, too), but I still wonder why, no matter how dope they think the metaphor is, rappers would want to compare themselves to a football player who plotted to have his girlfriend and unborn child murdered and was found by FBI agents hiding in the trunk of a car. I mean, really? To this day, when I think Carolina Panthers, I think Rae Carruth. So it’s definitely still a blemish on that franchise. I’d like to say, ‘Ah, that’s just Wayne being Wayne,’ but Carruth seems like one dude that not even he would want to be compared to.
Anyway, I have to agree with the writer and go one step further by saying that Carruth, though low on the list, is easily the worst pick ever in the first round of the NFL Draft. There have been bigger busts talent-wise, but this case was a nightmare. And to think, we’re worried about 3 guys this year (including highly, highly touted wide receiver Calvin Johnson) who admitted to, at one time in their lives, smoking marijuana?
GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT
“I wanted to let you know that we have removed Sebastian’s nameplate from his locker in Waltham. The facts and circumstances of this case have not been determined but he does not have a Celtics locker and we do not anticipate that he will.” — Boston Celtics managing partner Wyc Grousbeck in an e-mail to The Boston Globe yesterday
Not the nameplate! Didn’t we see this earlier this season? Obviously, not this, not someone in the NBA getting, essentially, booted off a team for a crime that he hasn’t been proven guilty of yet. But, remember when the trade rumors swirling around Allen Iverson were still just rumors? Then, one night, ESPN showed A.I.’s empty locker, save for one, lonely button-up and some lint. And we knew his time in Philly was up.
Here’s the thing: This time around, it’s not a trade. It’s essentially a multi-million dollar deal that says that the Boston Celtics would rather pay 21-year-old point guard Sebastian Telfair to leave the team than pay him to play for them. And why?
“It’s fair to say that if the charges were to be true, it wouldn’t make me too proud to have someone I know speeding without a license and with a gun in the trunk,” David Stern said during an interview at halftime of the Nets/Raptors game last night. “But I don’t know what the ultimate decision will be.”
Wow. Well, from everything I’ve read, Telfair was arrested in the wee hours of the morning last Friday for speeding along at 77MPH on a highway in Yonkers, N.Y. and for driving without a license. But, contrary to Stern’s statements, the gun was under the passenger’s seat and Telfair’s attorneys are now claiming that it is registered to his girlfriend. (And, if you remember, Telfair, then a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, was also arrested last year for carrying a gun registered to his girlfriend onto the team plane…in a pillow case.)
The media is already having a field day with this. For a variety of reasons. One, since the arrest took place less than a week ago, Telfair obviously hasn’t been found guilty of any wrongdoing. If he’s found innocent, do the Celtics change their mind? And two, Telfair’s lawyer is bringing up everything from the Duke lacrosse players, who were cleared of any wrongdoing last week, to the fact that Telfair supports 17 relatives on his NBA salary to try and slow down the Celts.
All things aside, though, this situation really breaks down to one thing: In two seasons as a professional, the much-hyped, high-school-straight-to-the-League Sebastian Telfair just hasn’t been a very good basketball player. In 78 games last year with the Celtics, the point guard averaged 6 points, 1 rebound and a measly 2.8 assists a game. He lost his spot to a rookie (Rajon Rondo). And, between the two gun charges and an incident in New York where he was allegedly robbed of a $50,000 chain by associates of rapper Fabolous (allegedly, I said) just before the rapper was gunned down and wounded, Telfair has turned into a distraction, a liability and, above all, a pain in the ass for both of the NBA teams he’s been a part of.
As long as the Celtics honor his contract and pay the man his money, letting Telfair go might be the smartest move they’ve made all year. It might just force him to step back and look at how he wants to be remembered in a league full of stars shining brighter than he is right now. It might make him work a little harder on and off the court. It might make him realize that, while it’s great that he’s using himself to help his family, it’s time to be selfish, become a better person and do whatever it takes to come out on top. For now, though, his locker is cleaned out. And we can only assume his time in Boston is up.
BOSH SPICE
Well, I got it wrong. Could have sworn I read “Nets @ Raptors” on the NBA Playoffs sked yesterday. But, no worries, it actually worked out. Well, for me, at least. I missed the Pistons shellacking the Magic last night, a game I didn’t care for much anyway, and get to check out the Raptors and my man Chris “CB4” Bosh tonight.
Now, first things first, I know that anyone who knows basketball (or reads SLAM) already knows Bosh, the 6’10” forward for the Raptors, but generally speaking, he’s slid under the radar nationally. He was drafted back in ’03, below LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony and one slot ahead of Dwyane Wade — another reason he’s not more well-known — and plays in a city that, until now, was best known for chasing Vince Carter out.
Some other quick facts on him: He grew up idolizing Kevin Garnett (wow, makes you realize how long KG’s been around), was in the National Honor Society in high school, is an active reader of books (and founded the Chris Bosh Foundation to help promote teaching the youth) and donated a cool $1 mill to charity after signing his 4-year, $65 million contract extension with the Raptors last summer. He’s also extremely quiet on the court and doesn’t have a ton of press out there on him.
I’m hoping that changes soon. Watch the Raptors tonight. Don’t think they’ll win but he’s one of the great stories (and the great guys) floating around the league and one that, hopefully, will get out there more next season. Also, check out his blog on NBA.com. It’s about as minimal and cliché as it gets, but hey, everybody can’t be Gilbert.
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Free Throws:
Speaking of Bosh taking Carter’s place in Toronto, check out this old Nike commercial that I’ve been sitting on for a second. Sure some of you have seen it, but this was reportedly shot just before Vince Carter made the leap from Toronto to the New Jersey Nets. It was scrapped as a result and banished to a life of YouTube views. Coincidentally, NJ rapper Joe Budden penned and performed the happy-go-lucky theme for the spot. Go figure.
Raptors coach Sam Mitchell was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year today. Good choice. Jerry Sloan might have deserved this as well, but by the looks of things, the Jazz are about to give T-Mac his first NBA Playoffs series victory. Mitchell transformed this organization from a perennial loser to one of the most exciting young teams in the League. It's also especially interesting because he was named the worst coach in an NBA players' poll last year. Again, go figure.
Is anyone else surprised at how effective Rafer "Skip 2 My Lou" Alston, PG for the Houston Rockets, has been in the NBA? Especially watching him in the playoffs (where he hasn't played particularly well, but has obviously been effective enough to win). The streetball legend definitely continues to surprise me.
Okay, let’s get this right tonight. Nets at Raptors, Heat at Bulls and Lakers at Suns. I got the Nets, Bulls and Suns. Let’s go…
WEEKEND WARRIORS
Good weekend to be a sports fan. Make that a great weekend. After the NCAA tourney ended a few weeks back, it got slow out there for a minute. Baseball is great and all, but it’s a sport that’ll tear your heart out if you let it. End up watching 150 Mets games starting in April, and when they lose in October, it hurts that much more. Plus, what fun is it watching games in the snow? Ah, the price we pay…
But it has been a great start to the NBA Playoffs for me. First, as a Bulls fan, love to see them getting a W to start the series. Here’s a few highlights of other games this weekend:
Nets (W) @ Raptors: Predictably, Vince Carter stunk. I’m past the point of disliking Carter. I just don’t understand why he’s such a good player who blends into the crowd when it comes time for the playoffs. Still, Chris Bosh, who’s quickly developing into one of my favorite players in the League, didn’t look much better. The Nets have a bunch of guys who seem to know how to win on command. That said, I’m interested to see how Toronto fires back tonight. Either way, I see them using this series as a learning tool for next year. (Creativity points, though, for the Raptors fans donning baby bibs for Carter. Nice touch!)
Heat @ Bulls (W): Highlight reel. Seeing Tyrus Thomas block a shot, run down the court and catch an oop? You’ll definitely be seeing that for another two months, regardless of how far the Bulls advance. Oh, and Luol Deng dropping 33 points…Superstar?
Magic @ Pistons (W): Snooze. This is like watching wine age. The Magic clearly don’t have the goods to win this series. Still, Dwight Howard can essentially keep the young Orlando team in games and keep us interested with his barrage of dunks. If nothing else, the general public will know his name by the end of this series.
Jazz @ Rockets (W): I unfortunately missed this one. But I heard it was slow from the beginning. The sports gods smiled down on Peyton Manning out this year. I’m expecting ‘em to do the same for Tracy McGrady.
Wizards @ Cavaliers (W): Did I miss this one on TV? It seemed like the Cavs were on TV every Sunday during the season, but there was very little hoopla around this one. Biggest news was LeBron going down for a minute with a sprained ankle. Oh, and Gilbert Arenas making a stop in the Cavs’ locker room before the game. Funny stuff.
Lakers @ Suns: At halftime, the Suns looked like they were in some serious trouble. But, much like the Mavs/Warriors series, I see the Lakers just hanging around before gracefully bowing out in 6. Kobe can’t do 50 every night, and while I’m not as quick to blame his teammates as others, they just aren’t a very good team.
Nuggets (W) @ Spurs: Allen Iverson. The guy knows how to win big games. That became clear once again. And, while they’re not number one or even number two in the West, doesn’t it seem like everyone is rooting against the Spurs? You guys hate Tim Duncan that much?
Warriors (W) @ Mavericks: Seriously? Loved seeing Baron Davis, (sigh) Stephen Jackson and (who?) Matt Barnes run around like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off, but I don’t see it lasting. Don Nelson, their coach, didn’t even sound like he thought they had a legitimate shot. Anything can happen, but I don’t think it will.
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LIL ROMEO TO USC?
Guess I can’t ignore this altogether. For those who don’t know, Master P, Romeo’s dad, had a couple of NBA tryouts in the past and, from what I’ve heard, is a decent baller. Last year, Romeo got himself a nice feature up in SLAM for his own hardwood accomplishments. (Even if most of the story was about P’s role in all of that).
Anyhow, now there’s word that Romeo will be attending USC to play ball in ’08. Actually, the word has been reported everywhere. Do we really care about this that much? USC’s got O.J. Mayo coming in next year, arguably the best high school recruit in the country and a future lottery pick, and there’s bound to be a circus surrounding his arrival. Now, Romeo, the star of (ahem) Beverly Hills High, is up the following year...Yeah, I tried, but I really don't care about this. But props to Mac over at Mass Appeal who watched a full Nickelodeon flick featuring Romeo in honor of his signing!
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CLOTHING THE POOR?
And, finally, I made it out to the Jordan Classic at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night for the annual high school all-star game. No O.J. Mayo. No Kevin Love. Still, there was plenty of folks out to catch the game.
Some casual observations: Why was there no halftime performer this year? (maybe that says something about the quality of music out there right now?)…Sean “Diddy” Combs’s son Justin rushed to the front of the line when Brand Jordan started sling-shotting T-shirts and other gear into the stands. Seriously?…Fabolous made his rounds all night. Literally. Remember the dude in high school who would show up to games just to walk around the gym all night, posting up so you could see his new outfit? That was him…If you’ve never seen MJ in person (I hadn’t), it’s not hard to see why he dominated the league for so many years…The game was pretty low-key, especially for an event being held at the Garden. (What was with all the sappy R&B songs during timeouts?)…
Nets and Raptors, Rockets and Jazz tonight. Enjoy.
BE LIKE MIKE?
Jadakiss to DJ Clue: “I should get a 10-day contract off that!”
That’s right. That’s me up there, posted on the wall at the Gauchos Gymnasium in the Bronx, somehow caught in the crossfire of Jadakiss (left) and DJ Clue playfully arguing like a couple of 12-year-olds about who had a better game at the Boost Mobile Jordan Brand Celebrity Basketball Challenge last night. Which proved a couple of things. First, sometimes, especially at this event — the first ever held by the good people at Brand Jordan — it pays to play the wall and just watch the action. For whatever reason, after playing in the 20-minute celebrity game last night, ‘Kiss came over and stole Ms. Checks’ seat right in front of me. From there, he introduced the #8 video for an episode of Rap City for the BET crew, traded barbs with Clue, signed some autographs for the kids (‘Kiss loves the kids) and asked a couple of his pals how many points he had scored at least a dozen times (For the record, he dropped 17, including five 3’s.) And, second, rappers and celebrities ain’t no different than me and you. Sometimes, it just takes events like these to bring that out.
The night started off with the introductions of some of the players invited to be a part of this year’s Jordan Classic, an All-American-type game penciled in for this Saturday featuring the best high school players in the country. Among those in attendance were Derrick Rose (headed to Memphis next year), Donte Green (headed to Syracuse) and Jeffrey Jordan (Undecided), the son of…Well, you know. From there, they brought out the racks and held a three-point contest, emceed by Clue, and Nick Calathes (Florida) took the title after a couple of overtime rounds against Duke-bound sharpshooter Kyle Singler.
Shortly after, a handful of celebrities, including Jada, Clue, Fabolous, Trey Songz, Nina Sky, Julissa, DMC and Webstar, took the floor to compete in the celeb game. Now, generally speaking, celebrity basketball games are usually competitive for about three minutes and then lose their appeal. Not so here. Songz and Jadakiss kept their squad in the game — T.S. with some fancy footwork and ‘Kiss with the long ball. Clue, on the other hand, resorted to distributing the rock and getting his teammates involved. And, by the end, while the crowd didn’t really care who won and lost (wait, who did win?), Fab looked like might pass out out there on the court.
While this was the first year Brand Jordan held a celebrity-driven basketball event leading up to the game, it was surprisingly organized in a very unorganized sort of way. After the game, during the relatively low-key dunk contest (won easily with a two-handed reverse by Donte Green), most of the celebrities hung around, sitting on the sidelines to sign ‘graphs and enjoy the rest of the night. Not sure if Jordan had anything to do with this, but save for one dude who basically got a section of seats to himself, there were no entourages and no celebrities fulfilling a duty and scrambling out of the gym. Maybe it was because the majority live here in New York but it had a great community feel that I don’t get at many other events, sports or otherwise. Definitely worth all the effort and something to keep on your calendar for next year.
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Free Throws:
For a couple of other perspectives on the game, head over to I Write Checks and Cashmere Thoughts.
BALL ‘TIL YOU FALL
So it all comes down to this. The NBA Playoffs kick off this weekend complete with double doses of drama for the '07. Already, the Mavs are set to take on the Warriors and their old coach Don Nelson. Vince (Air Canada?) Carter returns to Toronto. The Suns and Lakers face off in a rematch from last year. Oh, and the Knicks didn’t make it…yeah, again. And it's only the first round. But before they tip off, I thought, Hey, since I won my NCAA pool without posting my winners before the tourney started, I might as well give away my surefire, can't-miss predictions for this! Ready? Let's ball...
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1 Detroit Pistons (53-29) vs. 8 Orlando Magic (40-42)
Dwight Howard and the Magic technically slid into the eighth seed by default. Their closest contenders were the Indiana Pacers who lost something like 80% of their last 25 games and finished five games out of the playoffs. Still, look for Howard, who said he wanted the Pistons in the first round, to steal a game or two here, and, if nothing else, get some experience that’ll pay off in a few years.
Prediction: Detroit in 5
2 Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32) vs. 7 Washington Wizards (41-41)
No Gilbert Arenas. No Caron Butler (not yet, at least). If LeBron James wants to make a run, this is the year. Wizards in round one. Raptors/Nets in round two. This is how legends are made.
Prediction: Cavs in 4
3 Toronto Raptors (47-35) vs. 6 New Jersey Nets (41-41)
I can’t stand Vince Carter, but he’s about to bring all the drama of the NBA Playoffs to this one series. Carter, who left the Raptors under “less than favorable” conditions a few years back, returns. Look for Jason Kidd to steal the show, though, and use his experience to expose Chris Bosh and the young Raptors, who are still a year or two away from making major moves. Just don’t expect them to go down without a fight.
Prediction: Nets in 6
4 Miami Heat (44-38) vs. 5 Chicago Bulls (49-33)
Okay, so what they say is true. I really didn’t care all that much about the NBA’s playoff system until my own team got screwed because of it. The Bulls are the third best team in the East, but because they didn’t win their division (and couldn’t pull off a win against the Nets last night), they slide down to five. They’ve got home-court advantage, but instead of playing the seventh seed, they’re stuck with Shaq, D. Wade and the defending champs. This, along with the Utah/Houston match-up out West, will be the best series of the first round.
Prediction: Bulls in 7
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1 Dallas Mavericks (67-15) vs. 8 Golden State Warriors (42-40)
Has anyone seen the Warriors play? The fact that they just barely made a late playoff push (winning 9 of their last 10 games), coupled with the fact that they play most of their games after 10PM, means everyone will bet against them. Still, like the East, look for Jason Richardson, Baron Davis and Monte “The Best Player Everyone is Still Ignoring” Ellis to steal at least one game in the #1/#8 match-up. But Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Josh Howard are just too good.
Prediction: Mavericks in 6
2 Phoenix Suns (61-21) vs. 7 Los Angeles Lakers (42-40)
Throw these teams into a seven-game series and I guarantee one thing: Someone is jawing (or elbowing…or punching…or wrestling) with Kobe Bryant. It gets heated out in the desert, and this is the one match-up I can see the Suns wanting to end as soon as possible. Lucky for them, Lakers center Andrew Bynum is struggling and way too slow to keep up with the pace these teams play at. And if he ain’t in the game, this series won’t be nearly as entertaining as it was last year.
Prediction: Suns in 5
3 San Antonio Spurs (58-24) vs. 6 Denver Nuggets (45-37)
This is why the Nuggets traded for Allen Iverson. Given the circumstances, I have to say that A.I.’s shift out West has gone almost too smoothly. I see him picking it up a notch now that the playoffs are here. But, really? Outside of maybe the Mavs, the Spurs are the last team you want to see in the playoffs. I’m optimistically hoping Denver can pull out an upset in Game 1 and make this an interesting series. But I doubt it.
Prediction: Spurs in 6
4 Utah Jazz (51-31) vs. 5 Houston Rockets (52-30)
Can you imagine if just one of these teams was in the East? The Jazz are wildly proficient every night (no surprise) and get the most out of the players they have. The Rockets have quietly (okay, maybe not) assembled a grab-bag team that works well together. They’ll beat you outside, inside and everywhere in between. Hard to call ‘em in a series, though, considering Tracy McGrady’s track record in the Playoffs, but Yao Ming is the obvious difference here.
Prediction: Rockets in 7
FINALS PREDICTIONS
1 Detroit Pistons vs. 1 Dallas Mavericks
Wow! Really going out on a limb here, right? For the record, I hope this is not the match-up. I’d like to see the Cavs get in there, maybe the Bulls, maybe even a resurgent Heat team (‘Cause, let’s face it, Shaq is practically synonymous with the Finals at this point). In the West, I’m probably one of the few people giving the Suns no chance (Lakers, Spurs and Mavericks in the first three rounds?). And the Spurs are always there. I’d like my sleeper to be the Rockets, but I don’t see them getting past a tough Jazz team and the Mavs. All of that said, I can’t see Dirk and the Mavs never getting a ring, and the Pistons, though not what they were a few years ago, don’t have a serious threat in the East right now.
Prediction: Mavs in 6
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FREE THROWS
While these 16 teams battle for league supremacy, there’s 14 others sitting at home waiting for the NBA Draft in June...The Indiana Pacers (35-47), if it’s any consolation, are in the playoffs. They’re just going by the name Golden State Warriors now (Former Pacers Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson, who were traded earlier this season, are integral parts of the Warriors team)…The Memphis Grizzlies (22-60) just found out they’re losing GM Jerry West in July. Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, please?...Is there a worse team to be on today than the Seattle Supersonics (31-51)? They’re like the orphaned child of the NBA out there…There’s a reason the NBA has a lottery. Here’s to the Boston Celtics (24-58) getting the #4 pick in the June draft and missing out on Oden, Durant and Corey Brewer. Losers shouldn't win — especially when they’re losing on purpose to try and get a better pick…On the flipside, the Philadelphia 76ers (35-47) deserve all the credit in the world. They lost A.I. and never quit. They’ll be back in the mix sooner rather than later…Will the Atlanta Hawks (30-52) ever be good? It feels like no matter who they draft, they win 30 games every year…Michael Redd and the Milwaukee Bucks (28-54) will be back. They’re better than that…Come on, Minnesota Timberwolves (32-50). Trade KG to the Bulls! (Seriously, there’s nothing sadder than watching Kevin Garnett get within 15 feet of the NBA Championship Trophy, especially when you consider he’ll never win one with the Wolves)…The Los Angeles Clippers (40-42) are officially the odd team out this year. They should trade their lottery pick to the Wizards for the #7 seed in the East…Of all the young teams in the league, the Portland Trail Blazers (32-50) are poised to make the most noise in the future. Brandon Roy is the ROY and they’ve got a gang of talent ready to come of age…Sacramento Kings (33-49): It’s time to destroy and rebuild…Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Bobcats (33-49)? The verdict is still out…Whether they’re in the playoffs or not, the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (39-43) are still one of the best stories in the league and you can’t help but root for ‘em. They’re back in the Big Easy for good next year…And to the New York Knicks (33-49): Hey, you did do better than last year, right?…Okay, no more cheap shots. See you at the draft.
GIFT AND THE CURSE
EA Sports has decided that this season will make or break the vaunted “Madden curse.”
For those who aren’t keeping count, the release of Madden 2008 is just 123 days away. Yesterday, EA announced that Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young, winner of last season’s Rookie of the Year award, would grace the cover of the game on August 14 when it hits shelves. Which, if you’re a Madden fanatic, means three things: One, VY had one hell of a year last season. Two, he’s not going to have much of a season next year. And, three, for conspiracy theorists, there still has not been a white NFL player on the cover of Madden.
If you know anything about the Madden series and the “Madden curse,” you know that everyone who appears on the cover of the game has something go wrong the next season, especially quarterbacks. Dante Culpepper (Madden ’02) hurt his knee. Michael Vick (’04) broke his leg. And Donovan McNabb (’06) went down with a sports hernia.
So, what’s going to happen to Young? My prediction is…nothing. VY’s saying he’s escaped the other heralded sports curse — appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated — without injury or loss. Fine, but he hasn’t been on that cover, say, the week before a playoff game. So we really can't go by that. I say he’s going to beat this because he (disrespectful gasp) hasn’t hit his peak already like so many of the other Madden cover boys had. Shaun Alexander was great during the ’06 season, but with his age creeping upwards, you almost knew he was doomed before he hopped on the Madden 2007 cover.
I’m also gonna go out on a limb here and say that LaDainian Tomlinson and probably even Larry Johnson, the top running backs in the league last season, hit ignore on their cell phones when they saw EA pop up this offseason. Why chance it? They're about to see some history get made.
STILL PITCHIN'
I'm a day late and a dollar short on this one. But, seriously? I've watched this 100 times now and it never gets old. Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory is catching a lot of slack for this...and rightfully so.
Wow.
STAYING IN SCHOOL?
On the surface, what Candace Parker did last night was admirable.
Her Tennessee Volunteers had just topped Rutgers and won the 2007 NCAA Women’s Tournament. The WNBA-eligible forward stood at half-court, smiling that smile, ready for someone to pop the question. And her answer was loud and definitive: “Why wouldn’t I come back and wear orange another year?” Then, she tugged on her white-and-orange Vols jersey. The crowd cheered.
It’s something most men simply won’t do. After LSU won the Sugar Bowl last January, quarterback JaMarcus Russell, likely the number one pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, hid behind a cloud of “checking out his options” and “talking things over with his family” when asked about his future. Fellow hoops stars Greg Oden and Kevin Durant have also kept their plans under wraps, both stating that they’d like to stay in school but also recognizing that they’re sitting on winning lottery tickets.
For Parker, though, her decision to stay in school actually wasn't really a decision at all. The New York Times ran an article today about the WNBA and the money that new players stand to make. The most notable aspects were the statistics about salaries for the current crop of American pro players. The top four players in the WNBA Draft this year (Parker would have gone first) stand to make just a shade over $43,000 per season. Overall, no player in the league can make more than $93,000 in a season. And during last night’s telecast of the Tennessee/Rutgers women’s title game, the commentators noted that, if she chose to, Parker could also opt to play in Russia for, get this, between $600,000 and $1 million. But, that, of course, would require her to move overseas.
So, her options would be to stay in school for another year and get a degree, move away from everything she knows to play pro ball in another country or jump to the WNBA and make a comparably palsy salary?
Why wouldn’t she come back and wear orange another year?
BUSTING MY BRACKET
Man, I get way too wrapped up in sports sometimes. I was only half-kidding yesterday when I mentioned to someone that I cry every year at the end of the NCAA Tournament. I don’t cry at funerals, but I have trouble keeping it together when it comes to this. Why? No clue. But it happens every year. CBS throws on Luther Vandross and “One Shining Moment” later, I feel like I just got knocked out of the tournament. I know, I know. Soft. But that was quite a moment we just had, wasn't it?
Anyway, that said, I’ve watched a ton of basketball games over the last month, which is probably why I’m so attached to it. Some good, some bad. I lost some…okay, too much dough, won my bracket pool (Stevie, thanks for pulling those extra shifts at Applebee’s to pay me on time) and spent way too many hours holed up at the Black Bear in Hoboken ordering Bud Lights and explaining point spreads to random chicks. It’s been a great month.
I realize I’ve hardly written about the tourney here, though, so I wanted to do a little self-therapy today and recap. Here are ten reasons I’m sad to see March Madness go:
10. Bracket supremacy. It’s a good thing I have a Sidekick. I think I sent out at least a thousand NCAA-related text messages to my boys this month. In the end, though, I finally filled out a successful bracket, so all the ish-talking wasn’t for nothing.
9. Kevin Durant. In a perfect world, KD’s much higher on this list. I, unfortunately, picked him to pull a Carmelo and take Texas to the Final Four. But they lost in the second round and he got hardly any camera time on CBS.
8. Vacation! I’m weird. I hate taking days off from work. Unless I’m actually away on vacation (yes, that is a link to AC), it always feels like I’m missing something. For the first two days of March Madness, though, I took off. And chilled on the couch. And did nothing but watch basketball. Thus, the text messages.
7. VCU. I know, I can hear it coming already: “But you’re a Duke fan!” Duke sucked this year. I’m over it. Virginia Commonwealth was the only real Cinderella this year.
6. The haircuts. Did the Memphis Tigers spend more time at practice or in the barber’s chair during the tournament? You be the judge.
5. Rick Majerus. What people say is true: this guy is a hell of a college hoops coach and commentator. I could sit and listen to him talk about YMCA rec league games all day.
4. Where’s UConn? I’m sure they hate Duke fans just as much, but I can’t stand the University of Connecticut. Great to have them home for a change. We might have lost, but at least we were there.
3. The Florida Gators. Truth be told, it’s a good thing Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Al Horford are going to the NBA. Stay one more year and they would be my new favorite team to hate. Everyone was wrong about them this year: they repeated easily.
2. CBS. Aside from my newfound obsession with 60 Minutes, I never watch CBS. I hate their NFL broadcasts and they don’t do the NBA. I make up for it in March.
1. Greg Oden. Ha! So, as it turns out, I was wrong. Dead, dead, dead wrong. Back in the November issue of VIBE, I got caught up in the hype and served up a hateful “essay” on Oden and the rest of the “Thad Five,” Ohio State’s highly-touted incoming basketball recruits. In retrospect, it was fun taking that stab at ‘em but not exactly smart. Especially when I ended up pulling for them all season long. Oden is a beast.
And my bracket is now officially busted.
