Let Chicago Shake: The Return of the King

In a one man operation you have the right to label yourself as a Monarch.

It’s been a long time… In fact it has been about 7th months since I have updated this blog. I feel like Tim Thomas in that I had an incredible run through the playoffs. Then I got paid and decided to coast all the way through the regular season, put myself into a position where I could be released/traded just in time to turn it on again for the playoffs and get that next big mythical payday.

So, you ask what have I been doing with my time? Well, I could say coming up with the next hot statistical metric that would justify calling Luke Harangoady a serviceable player in the NBA, attending a Lil Wayne concert or contemplating the cultural and economic impact of the Japanese Tsunami. The fact is that I have been really busy with work related items, but that does not mean I have still not watched, read, listened, or tweeted a great deal about the NBA. I mean have seen this Rose kid play?? He’s going to be pretty good for someone without a qualifying SAT score.

Without question the 2010-2011 NBA season has been one of the best in the past decade or so. I think “The Decision” was a great kickoff to the season as far as raising the interest level of fans, not so much as a television program. The TV ratings have been fantastic and the resurgence of likable top tier talent has made the NBA into sort of a comeback story among casual fans (I’ll get to this in a moment). It also helps that in pretty much all of your major markets the teams have been pretty successful.

Living around Chicago has made this season a little more unique. It seems that people, who forgot the NBA existed after MJeff left the Bulls are finding a way to enjoy not only this Bulls team, but especially Derrick Rose. You go out around town and people are actually talking Bulls basketball, the sound of the game is actually on at local establishments and everybody and their brother has on a throwback Craig Hodges jersey like he’s Dennis Savard. That last thing has obviously not happened, but it would be great if it did. The reason I inserted Savard’s name there is because it seemed like the Blackhawks swept up the city into Hockey-mania last year from about April to June and I think to a certain extent this Bulls team could do that as well. In the coming week I will probably have a longer post about all things Bulls, but for this post I want to focus on the stretch run to the playoffs and my observations of the NBA so far.

So, on to some NBA power rankings or what some may call an easy writing ploy to help me get back in the swing of things.

Gone Fishing…

It’s pretty safe to say that the following teams can pack up their bags hit the golf course or strip club of their choice and get ready for the next season in 2014.

30. Cleveland Cavaliers - With Lebron leaving most people expected the Cavs to be bad and guess what? They are bad as in worst in the NBA, but at least Baron Davis will play hard for them…

29. Washington Wizards - John Wall will be good at some point and JaVale McGee is a pretty solid player. I can't think of anything else so that tells you how exciting the 2010-2011 Wizards must have been for the people of Washington.

28. Toronto Raptors - I hear Toronto is great place for visiting NBA teams, so at least they have that going for them.

27. Minnesota Timberwolves - Kevin Love was a fun story, but I am guessing Lakers fans are happy that Kurt Rambis took this job.

26. New Jersey Nets - Just move to Brooklyn already and hire TV on the Radio as your house band for home games.

25. Sacramento Kings - Well at least 1st round pick Demarcus Cousins made it through the season without any altercations. Oh, wait…

24. Detroit Pistons - Charlie Sheen seems more functional than this band of misfits with bad contracts.

23. Utah Jazz - Jerry Sloan was ran out of town followed by the departure of D-Will and all your left with is a decent post player in Al Jefferson and season ticket holders, who have 7 wives.

22. Milwaukee Bucks - “Fear the Deer” was a cute little fan campaign, but for a team whose third best player is Johnny Salmons… enough said.

21. Golden State Warriors - I love watching the Warriors, but unfortunately league rules only allow you to play with one basketball at a time. Because they have a number of players, who need it in their hands at all times.

20. Los Angeles Clippers - The Blake Show has been fun to watch all season and if Eric Gordon could stay healthy the Clips could be dangerous in the near future.

So, you’re saying there’s a chance… Near playoff teams and the lucky few, who will be eliminated in round 1.

19. Phoenix Suns - Nash has still been solid, the trade with Magic at least netted them Marcin Gortat, who is a nice bench big, but the addition of Vince Carter immediately takes away any chance they have at making a slim run to get into the playoffs.

18. New York Knicks - Yes, the Knicks will still make the playoffs. However, they have been 7-12 since the Carmelo trade and 8 of those losses have come to teams under .500 and Chauncey Billups is their point guard…

17. Charlotte Bobcats - The Bobs are fighting for the 8th spot in the East. Although, they might as well save MJ the trouble of making the playoffs, so he can hit the golf course early and work on drafting Jimmer Fredette, so he can pair him with Adam Morrison in the backcourt.

16. Indiana Pacers - Pacer basketball is alive and well led by Tyler Hansbrough in the push for the 8th seed in the East. I really hate Psycho T so that last sentence was really hard to write.

15. Houston Rockets - The Rockets have the 3rd best record since the All-Star break, but barring a miracle won’t make the playoffs. At least they won’t have to cart around Yao Ming’s corpse after this season…

14. Philadelphia 76ers - Doug Collins has done a good job helping his team recover from a brutal start to the season, but their roster still needs a lot of work before they could win a playoff series.

13. Atlanta Hawks - Wow, they really love their Hawks in Atlanta… Joe Johnson may have been the worst signing of the summer. This team really reminds me of the late 80’s-early 90’s Cavs teams that would always make the playoffs, but never stick around long enough to make any noise.

12. New Orleans Hornets - David West’s torn ACL killed any chance the Hornets had of making a run. Chris Paul will be gone along with professional basketball in New Orleans in 2 years. So, I would say it is not a good day to be a Hornets supporter.

11. Memphis Grizzles - When he is not supposedly setting up major drug deals Zach Randolph is one of the best PF’s in the game

10. Portland Trailblazers - Another team I really enjoy watching. The Blazers have had horrible injury luck, but still have solid players like Aldridge and the newly acquired Gerald Wallace that could scare some teams in the West.

9. Denver Nuggets - George Karl has done a great job with the team both pre and post trade. I am also glad that Karl is back on the sidelines because I don’t think I could have read another Rick Reilly piece about him watching basketball with Karl.

The Contenders…

All of these teams have a shot at making a run to glory. Some not as much as others…

8. Orlando Magic - They dumped Vince Carter, which gave them an immediate boost to their title chances. However, they replaced him with Gilbert Arenas…

7. Oklahoma City Thunder - I love Durant and Westbrook has come into his own this season, but this team is still a legit third scoring option away from winning the West.

6. Dallas Mavericks - Dirk is well, Dirk. The Mavs have a roster loaded with some talent and savvy veterans; nevertheless it still will not be enough to get them through in the West. Although, I am looking forward to Mark Cuban ridiculously over paying an aging veteran center during the summer to help the Mavs make a title run in 2013.

5. San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs are running away with the 1st seed in the West. Then again it is the regular season; we will see what happens if Duncan can come back healthy and the Spurs are able to adjust to post-season basketball where you can’t always turn games into a track meet.

4. Boston Celtics - It is awfully quiet in Beantown… What was that Kevin Garnett?? I can not hear you after your muscle left in the form of Kendrick Perkins. Sure, the C’s can turn it on for the playoffs, but we’ll see.

3. Miami Heat - I hate to say it, but the Heat are slowly creeping up in the East. Only 2.5 games back of the 1 seed and playing some pretty good basketball. It remains to be seen how this group will perform in the playoffs, but I think we can say for certain that Chris Bosh is not a superstar.

2. Chicago Bulls - I will let Dan Majerle explain why this Bulls team works…

1. Los Angeles Lakers - Playing great basketball since the break. Lamar Odom has been awesome, but can Kobe be clutch for them down the stretch??

And with that we are finished with the first post in 7 months. Take it away Bob Seger...

Walkin' in LA: a game 7 diary

I figured that if Christina Aguilera was coming back for a game 7 of the NBA Finals then I should as well. So, here we go…

8:05: Just another stellar pre-game show by the boys at ESPN’s NBA Shootaround. I wish Stu Scott just announced everything for ESPN.

8:06: Of course that last sentence was completely sarcastic

8:08: Lakers on the board 1st with a Derek Fisher 3 pointer. Not a good sign for the C’s since it was Fisher’s 1st 3 of the Finals

8:10: Mark Jackson just broke the unintentional comedy scale by saying that Rasheed Wallace was the best Power Forward in the league for 10 years. Go ahead use that information as you wish

8:13: I like that the Refs are letting them play certainly an advantage for the C’s

8:15: The C’s look a lot better out of the gate tonight and just as I typed that KG shot an airball.

8:20: The Lakers are pounding the C’s on the glass, which doesn’t bode well since who has ever won the rebounding advantage has won the game.

8:22: The C’s look like they have made a few defensive adjustments early with their help side D

8:23: The under looks like a lock. C’s up 17-13 going into a break

8:28: The Lakers have kept it close with the work on the O glass, but there offense doesn’t look good

8:29: Terrible call by Joey Crawford negates a Rondo basket and KG picks up his 2nd foul and that means we are also one step closer to Brian Scalabrine getting minutes.

8:33: End of 1 quarter and the C’s looked like the better team shooting 59% and holding Kobe to 1-7 shooting. LA is still getting to some loose balls and it will be interesting to see what happens when the benches come in.

2nd Quarter

8:40: Another offensive board for the Lakers, who have 11 up to this point.

8:43: If George Lopez is at the Lakers game then how will he make his show? Actually, stay at the game and enjoy yourself George

8: 44: Phil Jackson just said we took too many hard tough shots, that’s what she said…

8:45: Kobe and Gasol back off as the bench was not nearly as good for the Lakers thus far as in game 6.

8:46: All kinds of problems for the C’s on offense so far. Tied at 23

8:50: The C’s need to start making the Lakers 1 and done on the offensive end if the Lakers are going to shoot this bad

8:53: I hate to see the Finals end, but I will be so glad that I no longer have to see the “Grown Ups” ad where Sandler and company are talking about the NBA. Why does anybody employ David Spade? His career should have died when Chris Farley did.

8:58: Artest just buried a 3 to tie the game. I got to give him credit has only been somewhat of a liability on offense the past 2 games, not a total liability.

9:03: JVG talking about Jennifer Garner’s kid. Come on this is a game 7; get it together JVG, it’s just creepy.

9: 05: I am not going to see his was the best power forward, but Rasheed Wallace has been very solid tonight for the C’s

9:06: Double T’s on Pierce and Artest. Let’s see Ron go batshit crazy for his second T he is due…

9:08: Josh Powell and Brian Scalabrine both check-in at the same time. Are we sure this is a game 7 of the NBA Finals?

9:10: The C’s turn it over before they could get into their brilliant end of the quarter offensive set.

9:11: Ugly end to the half as neither team gets a shot off. I have to say Ron Artest carried the Lakers in the 2nd half. Kobe and Gasol have looked really mediocre so far. Pierce has been good for the C’s and it seems like Boston has been finally getting to the free throw line and to the basket. Should be a great 2nd half

Halftime / 3rd Quarter

9:24: Looking at MJ’s numbers compared to Kobe’s and it’s not even close… Followed by Magic Johnson saying that the Celtics are better off with Kendrick Perkins being injured in a game where they are getting slayed on the boards. Every time Magic just continues to amaze me with the things that come out of his mouth. Did he even watch the 1st half? Ladies and Gentlemen, your ESPN pre-game crew…

9:45: Tied up on the phone, but it has been a great start for the C’s in the 3rd quarter. Their defense has been really solid tonight.

9:47: I think LA needs to start getting Gasol more touches in the low block the C’s have no one to counter that.

9: 48: The Lakers are going on a run as the crowd is getting back into the game literally. It looked like the arena was half empty after halftime. 51-45 Celtics

9:50: Paul Pierce hit a huge 3. Good point by JVG on Lamar Odom not hustling back in transition, until that point I didn’t even know Odom was playing.

9:53: And on cue Odom to the rim for a lay-up. Damn reverse jinx

9: 55: Hey, Rondo hit 1-2 of FT’s. 50% is better than 24%. C’s up 6, 57-51

9:57: JVG hits right on the head this is a poorly played game on the offensive end. This honestly looks like a Mid-November game in terms of play on the court, but certainly not effort, which has been great by both teams.

9:59: It’s the end of the 3rd quarter and Boston has the ball, so here comes a terrible shot or not because it was a 24 second violation. I certainly hope Tom Thibodeau brings some better execution to the Bulls.

4th Quarter

10:01: To win the Lakers need some big shots by Kobe and to keep hitting the glass. For the C’s they need to keep moving the ball on offense and get out in transition because the 2nd part of the 3rd quarter they became a little to stagnant and isolation reliant on offense. It would also help if the C’s got a rebound.

10:05: Kobe on the bench to start the 4th. And I think it’s a gamble by Phil, but could pay off if others on the Lakers get going.

10:06: Artest for MVP and I am serious!!!

10:08: Can someone hit a jump shot? My 6th grade basketball team scored more points than this by the 4th quarter.

10:09: This game has been uglier than the BP Oil spill. The World Cup has had more offense than this game

10:12: Are we sure this is the Celtics-Lakers game 7 and that ABC is not showing a replay of the Pistons-Spurs NBA Finals game 7?

10:16: A lot of stones by Doc Rivers bringing in Nate Robinson here.

10:17: Ron Artest has put every Lakers fan through a gamut of emotions throughout this series.

10:19: It may not be well played, but this has been an intense game.

10:21: Rasheed Wallace picks up his 5th foul, but Gasol continues to choke from the line (2-7)

10:23: Derek Fisher continues to amaze with big shots. Will this guy ever go away? He’s the Keith Richards of the NBA

10:27: Doc Rivers wants movement, movement and more movement

10:28: This is the Lakers game to lose with 5 and change left. Lakers 66-64

10:32: It’s pretty bad when the teams in the 60’s were able to get to 100 points apiece in a game 7. These teams have been lucky to get to 100 combined tonight.

10:36: Kobe has shot terrible tonight, but it looks like he will finish strong.

10:37: Terrible decision for the Lakers to trap up top and leave Garnett all alone down low for the dunk.

10:37: The Lakers have been content just to draw contact and get to the line and I can’t say that has been a bad strategy

10:40: Ray Allen needs to hit a 3 or else the C’s are done

10:42: Huge post move by Gasol and this game looks to be cooked with the Lakers up 6 with 1:30 left

10:45: Rasheed for 3!!!! Followed by Artest for 3. Seriously he (Artest) should be the MVP

10:46: Another C’s 3 pointer, but they follow that up with putting Rondo on Gasol and he gets another Lakers offensive rebound. Just a terrible play by the C’s by not switching when they had the chance.

10:48: Adam Morrison is looking dapper again tonight in a black suit. He should just become an assistant coach at this point because he is halfway there.

10:50: Rondo hits a 3 and cuts it to 2.

10:52: Vujacic to the line… and he buries both shots

10:54: And it’s a Lakers winner. Artest should be the MVP. Queensbridge!!!


Well at least we got some drama out of game 7. You can’t say it was particularly well played, but it was exciting if you like free throws. All in all the 2010 NBA playoffs were rather disappointing and I have no one to blame, but myself. That’s a little harsh, but really there was only about 5 great games and some other decent games. The best series was probably the Lakers-Thunder series in the 1st round. In fact the 1st round was probably… Ok, Ron Artest just thanked his psychiatrist and doctors and about 30 other random people in the post-game interview with Doris Burke. He also started singing one of his songs. Ladies and Gentlemen, your should be Finals MVP. As I was saying the 1st round was probably the best round of the playoffs and that’s usually not a good thing for the NBA. I’ll probably post a recap and have some sort of playoff awards post during the weekend. And take it away Stu Scott…

I love this game!! (Well that maybe a little extreme)

And so it begins...

(Bernard King)

I kind of always wanted to start a blog. I always envisioned it as little place for me to talk about sports, music, movies and Canadian Parliament. I would throw up a couple links to articles, post some music videos, do a few movie reviews or countdown lists and have the 7 of my friends, who read the blog make comments and we could banter back and forth. So, I guess my idea for a blog was essentially Facebook minus the invitations to find a pair of brass knuckles or help build a farm. Anyways last summer when I had some time off and was job searching I decided it was the time to start a blog. Well other than what I perceive to be a clever title and giving myself a pen name I didn’t get very far until today…

This blog will be about the 2010 NBA playoffs possibly the NBA draft and perhaps there will be some reminiscing along the way. Now that I have about two readers left after that last sentence I can tell you a little about what the format of the blog will be. I was hoping to sync this little venture with the start of Basketball Wives on Vh1, but unfortunately I am a few days late. Most posts will be about the games I watched the previous night or perhaps right after the games that night. I will probably parallel some of the playoff action to some of the great playoff series of the past or have a special post devoted to a forgotten series of that round. Some of the posts maybe lengthy and perhaps even somewhat informative, where other posts will pack about as much punch as the White Sox offense (hey-ho!). All that’s great, but some people may ask who still gives a crap about the NBA…

"The Bible"

(My scan picture of the book would not work so here is MJ anyways)

It was over 500 pages, it contained the stats of every NBA season since 1946 and I held it more sacred than the bible. It was the 1988-89 NBA guide from Sporting News. I started watching basketball around 1986, watching M Jeff drop 63 in the Garden was a good way to hook a young fan. With that said my real basketball education and fandom started with the above book, which I received as Christmas gift in 1988. It also didn’t hurt that the greatest player to ever play the game was located about an hours drive from my house and was on TV every night. Although, here is where I think I diverge from most people that followed the NBA or more specifically the Bulls is that I have always was just as interested in the rest of the NBA as I was the Bulls. After Michael’s second retirement even though the Bulls sucked (just look at this roster) I still loved the NBA when most people stopped watching. Even though people thought the NBA stands for Nothing But Assholes (Thanks, Doc) I still loved the NBA, assholes or not. Although, I must say the stretch from about 2001-2003 is a little hazy perhaps due to malted hops and bong resin (although Iverson’s game 1 against the Lakers is still a keeper) I realize I sound like a complete jackass right now, but I have a lot of fond memories of this sport and this league and that’s what I want to preserve with this blog. Because right now even if many of us or should I say the few of us that still follow the Association don’t want to admit it or don’t acknowledge it the talent level in this league is the best it has ever been or at least right there on par with the heyday of the league from about 1986-1992. So, you can once again say that indeed NBA action is fantastic... (Video proof from 1986)

Tomorrow I will have a post up with a full breakdown of the playoffs and my predictions about all things NBA playoffs. So, to my four readers you can look forward to that and much more of my thoughts on the Association. I apologize for the many crimes I committed on the written word and with that said I leave you with John Tesh performing the NBA on NBC theme song… Enjoy!