Friday, March 7, 2008

Wow...three names I never thought would go together

Apparently, I share a thought with Steve Kerr and Bill Simmons...the Spurs and the Sonics have some serious collusion going on, and Dave Stern ain't doing shit about it.

Steve Kerr:

"I think maybe there was something behind the scenes there," Suns GM Steve Kerr told Sports 620 KTAR.

...

"If I'm Seattle, I'm not going to let Barry go, I'm going to let Donyell Marshall go," Kerr said.

...

"(Seattle GM) Sam Presti used to be in San Antonio as an assistant," Kerr said. "Who knows? I don't have any proof of that and I'm not about to look into that."


Bill Simmons:

"In my post-trade-deadline blog, I wondered why Otis Smith didn't trump San Antonio's offer for Kurt Thomas. Well, Florida Today reported Seattle demanded first-rounders in 2008 and 2010 from Orlando, then settled for a 2008 first-rounder from San Antonio that will be a worse pick than the pick Orlando was offering. Um, how is that not collusion? Sam Presti worked for the Spurs; now he's giving them a discount price for Thomas? Throw in Brent Barry's curious decision to spurn Phoenix for the Spurs, as well as Steve Kerr's frustrated comments afterward, and this is like one of those shady incidents that happens in a fantasy league. I thought Presti stopped working for the Spurs?"

Me:
"Don't think that Mark Cuban is going to sit still when Barry goes back to the Spurs. Remember how the league was going to step in and say "Hey, Jerry Stackhouse, you can't do that?" Well, now the Spurs are going to pull the same shit about it with Barry. If Cuban doesn't purposely overpay Barry as a confusing "fuck you", then he's certainly going to piss and moan when Barry goes back to San Antonio."

Yeah, I wasn't right about Cuban getting too mad. However, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks some seriously fucked up shit is going on down in Lil' Mexico.

"Beat Brown's Caption" Contest!

I'm going to periodically put a picture up with a wacky quote. Use the comment section to beat the quote with something funnier.



Keep talking, McCarver, Joe Buck is showing the world "Blue Steel"

I had no idea we were so popular among English majors

Given the frequency of these comments from readers, those we know and those we don't, I'm shocked at the amount of English majors and/or English teachers read this blog.

We all know that Big is semi-retarded when it comes to spelling. We all know that grammar and punctuation haven't been strong points in either of our writing since maybe the 9th grade.

That being said, don't waste my fucking time by pointing out words that have been misspelled or incorrect usage of punctuation in posts. You try dragging Walton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes!

I love you.

We bow to our Rocket overlords

Well, shit, that sure sucked.

You know what? I'm tired of this crap. Look, I've been a Mavericks fan since the days of the 14 win seasons, so I'm not complaining too much. However, I'm really getting tired of finding myself saying the same god damned thing over and over again about this team:

-Need more interior presence.
-Stop the perimeter shooting game.
-Get nasty.

Even then, I'm okay with things because those are the kinds of players we have. When Jerry Stackhouse is your best "drive to the hoop" guy, you gotta expect this shit.

What is really a thorn in my side these days is Avery Johnson, the Overcoacher. I'm an Avery fan. I think he is the kind of coach this team needs, in that he's a task master and he's, supposedly, a czar who forces his team to do what he asks. At least that is what I thought he was supposed to do.

How in the fuck does the COACH OF THE TEAM complain that his team spends too much time on the perimeter and doesn't have any interior presences. I don't want the coach to say "geez, I'm pretty sure I could have driven the lane tonight." YOU'RE THE FUCKING COACH! YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR MIDGET-LIKE, NEW ORLEANS CAJUN ACCENT AND TELL THESE PEOPLE HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL!

That being said, Grunge Dave over at Dream Shake said it best, the Mavericks are playing against the Suns to see who can choke themselves out of the playoffs. Note how both of these teams made "big moves" to match the Lakers and Spurs this year. I've still got faith the Mavericks can sneak in, but god damn it, play some fucking basketball people.

Time to Eat some crow

Photobucket

As you can tell by the pic above, The Dallas Mavericks lost to the Houston Rockets last night 113-98 at home.

We had a little side bet with the boys over at The Dream Shake, a Rockets blog; Whose ever team wins get to pick the Image and get a few lines in the others morning blog, so they choice the Tony Braxton Kidd above, and this.


"Jason Terry and the Mavs were no competition for the streaking Houston Rockets. The Overcoacher had no answers for Tracy McGrady or "Luis Landry" and even let Rafer Alston be the hero of the game. You know you suck when Rafer gets his season high against you in a 15 point victory. Meanwhile, Dirk Nowitzki was likely enjoying his one-game reprieve by taking Ms. Toni Braxton out for a nice seafood dinner... and then never calling her again. Just to stick it to Jason Kidd. Show him who's still the boss. The Mavericks are now fighting with the Phoenix Suns to see who can choke their way out of the playoff race faster."
That from Grunge Dave at the Shake. I got one other email last night from him simply saying "pwn3d, bitches." (they requested the text to be "Rockets Red," So if its a red rocket you want, let me holla at my buddy's dog Vegas. He's always sporting one. )

yup.

It pains me to see that Kidd had a line of 7 6 and 6 in such a big game because I'm still on board with the Kidd trade. The thing that I'm not on board with right now is the play of our other "stars." I knew that having Dirk out would be a hard pill to swallow, but I thought "Hey, we have 2 former all stars, Josh Howard, and Jerry Stackhouse, and a score from any where threat, Jason Terry, we will be alright."

Boy was I wrong. Terry had 17, all in the first half, Stack had a measly 11 off the bench and while Howard had 21, his main job was to stay in front of T-Mac last night, and well not so much buddy. His 31 points said we didn't have ANYBODY that can d up on that guy.

The "Luis Landy," as the Shake people call the combo of Luis Scola and Carl Landy, was painstakingly great last night with 29 points and 11 rebs between them.

And then good ol' Skip to my Lou Alston had a season high 24.

It pretty much just sucked all around last night. At least the bet made it fun/agonizing to watch. I hope we can do the same kinda bets with these boys over the rest of the season.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

A Must Win Game...in March?

A Mavericks - Rockets Breakdown

Center
Mavericks: Erick Dampier
Rockets: Dikembe Mutombo

Brown's take: If the Damp that has played in games prior to Utah shows up, then this is going to be a fun matchup to watch. Mutombo has been playing out of his big African mind, and I expect that if Damp nuts up tonight, you'll see some banging in the post. Mutombo has been playing very well in Yao's absence and over the streak. If Yao was healthy, no friggin' contest.

Edge: Mavericks

Power Forward
Mavericks: Brandon Bass (I guess)
Rockets: Luis Scola

Brown's take: I happen to like Brandon Bass, and I think he does well in a reserve roll either at the 4 or the 5. Do I think he's going to make noise as a starter? Not so much. And who's going to play behind him when the Rockets bring in the surprising, Carl Landry. Scola's averages about 15 and 7 in the past few games, which is serviceable as a role player. If Dirk were playing, no friggin' contest.

Edge: Rockets

Small Forward
Mavericks: Josh Howard
Rockets: Shane Battier

Brown's take: Doesn't this really depend on which Josh Howard shows up tonight? If it's the poor shooting, lump of crap, that we've seen the past few games, then Battier has this wrapped up. If J-Ho pulls his head out of his ass, then maybe he'll remind everyone why he's part of the trio that is this team. Battier is exactly what the Rockets need him to be, steady and consistent force. Battier is a glue guy, and you can't really underestimate that.

Edge: Mavericks (I'm betting on J-Ho to find himself...God I hope so.)

Small Guard
Mavericks: Jason Terry
Rockets: Tracy McGrady

Brown's take: I'm a homer, but I'm not that much of a homer.

Edge: Rockets

Point Guard
Mavericks: Jason Kidd
Rockets: Rafer Alston

Brown's take: The aging veteran against the And-1 tour. I happen to like Rafer Alston, but I don't think he's quite on par with what Jason Kidd brings to the table at the 1.

Edge: Mavericks

Bench
Mavericks: Jerry Stackhouse, Eddie Jones, Devean George, Malik Allen (TB&TB Favorite), Jamaal Magloire
Rockets: Carl Landry, Bobby Jackson, Luther Head, Gerald Green, Steve Novak

Brown's take: I think the Rockets have a stronger bench presence. They've adjusted to Yao being gone, and they've made the necessary changes to the rotation. The Mavericks are without their guy, and now they are depending on an steaky bench to bring this home.

Edge: Rockets

Coach
Mavericks: Avery Johnson
Rockets: Rick Adelman

Brown's take: Boy, ask me a year ago, and I'd have said that Avery is your guy left, right, up and down. Now a days, the "overcoacher" seems to make the wrong decision every which way he turns. Adelman on the other hand has his guys playing as a team and getting hot at the right time in the West right now. He's adjusted for the loss of his anchor, and has his engine humming.
Edge: Rockets

Miscellaneous

Brown's take: The Mavericks have matched up very well against the Rockets, and they are playing at home. Dallas has proved that at the AAC, they are much more of a force to be reckoned with. The fans are going to be bumping because they know that Dallas needs support with Dirk out. I'd love to say that Houston is "due" for a loss, but I'm not one to believe in those kinds of things. I just think that given the circumstances, the Mavericks know how much of a "must win" this really is, and that gives them an edge that really can't be discounted.

Brown's Final Take: Mavericks in OT.

CHAA-LOUNG

As we all know, tonight the Mav's and the Rocketes play at the AAC. Dallas has no Dirk, Rockets no YAO. So a challenge has been laid down.



Our Buddys over the Dream Shake, a H-Town Blog, have put a little something something on the game. Which ever team wins tonight, The Blog from the team who wins gets the pick the Image, and a little part of the recap for the other site.

Its time to put up or shut up Mav's, don't make us look like Douches.

Just Like Joey, Whoa

Now THATS an ass!!



Kinda Gross, Kinda Hot. I love me some Kim K.

HT=Big Lead

Teenagers are the bane of society

Read this story from Phoenix...

Teen Killed Dad for Banning MySpace

Shocking, huh?

I'm really not sure what bothers me most about this story.

-Is it the obvious notion of a child killing their parent because of restricted access to MySpace?

-Is it the fact that said child was, indeed, considering suicidal thoughts and this was some kind of subconscious acting out of those against others?

-Is it the fact that the parent left a shotgun and ammunition sitting on a counter in the garage?

-Is it the hard to believe fact that this kid has female friends and she, of all people, was able to "talk him out of it"?

-Or the line: "Me and my dad would go squirrel hunting. Apparently he trusts me with a rifle"

I just don't get it. When I was 15, I got upset over things like not being able to acurately determine if it was a boob or an elbow on squiggly porn. How in the hell does one get so upset over something as trivially retarded as MySpace to kill their parents?

Really, it's times like these I wish some parents took the Chris Benoit approach to parenting.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Kyle Korver and Brown have the same defensive style



Hattip: Lion In Oil

ESPN has a story worth reading

Every now and then, ESPN will have a really great article. Today's was on Page 2. It details how the Wharton Business School at UPenn has a deal with the NFL to hold a conference, essentially, that details the smartest ways for NFL players to invest and maintain their millions of dollars.

I've often thought of what kind of a mind fuck it must be to recieve 10's of million of dollars in one check when I was 21 or 22. I'd have probably blown it on strippers and sour punch straws.

Think about guys like Mike Vick who sunk his money into the best rape stands money could buy. Or Pacman who spent his money making it rain on strippers. Or Tony Mandarich who, well, no one knows what the hell he's doing. I'm sure there are more stories of former NFL players who are back to working the loading docks at Home Depot because they blew through their cash.

For all the flack the NFL and NFLPA cathes (and rightfully so) for not taking care of the older players, this is a genuinely good thing that they offer.

Why are people surprised?

The Oakland Raiders have pretty much made every stupid move in the book when it comes to stocking their franchise with overpaid and overrated free agents.

My question is, why is anyone surprised?

This is who runs the organization:

The King is Dead. Long Live the King.


Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Two quick points

1) The Favre era is over.
He's retiring. I hope someone has John Madden and Peter King on suicide watch. Aaron Rodgers? Craig Nall? Paul Thompson? Draft Pick A? Who's the guy that's going to be put in the next Brian Griese/Jake Plummer/Jay Cutler type fiasco of trying to replace a legend and fan icon?


2) You won't like Dirk when he's angry
Sure, the Mavericks lost last night, and badly to the Utah Jazz. Did anyone else kind of feel taken aback that Dirk went all Kermit Washington on Andrei Kirilenko? Better yet, does anyone think he screamed "HITLER WAS BETTER THAN STALIN!" when he did it? I hope he did. I'm probably one of the few who thinks Dirk should stare down David Stern and Mark Cuban as much as possible. I bet Big was proud of him.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Can anything not be graphed?

If you didn't know this, both Big and myself have a very odd obsession with a certain British, white singer who everyone thought was a black man. It's often this song will come on a jukebox at a bar and you'll see two sports bloggers scream it at the top of their lungs...


Whoever did this, god bless you.

I'll never write this again.

Ok, this may be the only time I ever write these words, so at least it'll be stored for posterity. Big was right. After 7 games and getting the chance to not only watch him in television and in person, the Jason Kidd deal had to get done, and it's going to be a positive.

Will the Mavericks win a title? Probably not, at least not in this year's Western conference. Are they a better team then they were 3 weeks ago? Yes.

I'll be totally honest, I haven't paid much attention to Kidd since the Nets were the finals a while back. Sure, I always knew he was a great basketball player and that he was one of the last remaining pure point guards, but getting to actually watch the guy play reminds you just how good he is and how much he really can change a team.

You've got guys like Dampier who are directly benefiting from having a guy find them right under the rim where they can't miss a shot. You've got guys like Dirk, Howard, Stackhouse and Terry that are benefiting by no longer having to create their own shots. Shit, I'll even say that J.J. Barea, the great Mexican hope, is benefiting by learning to play the game under Kidd.

Again, as much a Mavs fan as I am, I don't think they've got what it takes to win the West THIS YEAR. However, I think a trio of Dirk, Kidd and Howard is much more potent and much more successful then a trio of Dirk, Howard and Harris.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Bracket Big

Tonight we have another slate of College Basketball games that are worth checking out. We are inching closer and closer to the greatness that is the NCAA tourney, and these four teams are going to be pretty big players, including, insert a big smile from my Catholic ass, Notre Dame.

Game one

6:00 PM No. 17 Notre Dame at No. 18 Louisville ESPN

@
Notre Dame is 21-5, 11-3 in the Big East, and kind of a surprise this season. They were thought to be bubble team at the start of the year, but have played their way into a top 4 seed over the past months. Wins over Pitt, MARQ, and KSU give them some validity, but they still need to prove they can hang with the big boys. A win over Louisville tonight could help. The Irish are led by Sophomore Luke Harangody, a 6-8 forward who nets 20 pts and 10 rebs a game.

Louisville is 2nd in the Big East at 12-3, 22-6 overall, half a game back from Georgtown, who they play next Saturday. They come into tonight's game winning 7 straight. They have 4 players averaging over 10 points a game;Terrence Williams David Padgett Jerry Smith and Earl Clark. The Cardinals are coming off a nice win over Pitt where they shot the ball at a 58% rate, and chipped in 6-14 threes and 32 bench points.

Match up to watch.

Terrence Williams f Louisville vs Rob Kurz F ND.

Kurz has been in double figures in each of the last 3 games from the Irish, but its his D that will have to be good to keep Williams off his 12 point, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists a game average.

Game 2

8:00 PM No. 15 Michigan State at No. 9 Wisconsin ESPN2

@
There are 4 teams that matter in the Big Ten, and these are 2 of them. Michigan State is 2 and half games back from the 3 way tie atop the Big Ten standings at 10-4, 22-5 overall. Ahead of them are Indiana, Purdue, and the team they play tonight, Wisconsin. Where these four teams will be seeded in the dance will mostly depend on the conference tourney, but a MSU really needs a win tonight to get some momentum back after going 3-3 in there last 6. Raymar Morgan is their leading points guy, but this team goes how its senior guard Drew Neitzel goes. In the 4 Big Ten losses, only the Indiana blowout did he score over 10 points.

With a win tonight, Wisconsin is 2 winnable games(Penn St, @Northwestern) away from at least a share of the regular season Big Ten championship. Their 12-2 record is tied for tops of the Bin Ten, with Indiana and Purdue. This teams only losses so far this year are to Duke, Marquette, and twice to Purdue, and they have beaten the likes of Texas, and Indiana, twice. Sometimes they look good, sometimes they look like their record is misleading. The three headed monster of Brian Butch, Trevon Hughes, and Marcus Landry lead the team in points with over 10 a piece.

Matchup to watch. Drew Neitzel MSU vs. Trevon Hughes Wisc.

Hughes is a small guard just like Neitzel, and it will be his responsibility to stay in front and disrupt the streaky Neitzel.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Dallas Cowboy Rumors

Asante Samuel for $10 a year.
Here's a solid, pro bowl corner who doesn't want to be in New England anymore and has a vendetta against the Giants now. Why does he have a vendetta? TWo reasons: he dropped the pick that could have ended the Super Bowl and Phil Simms continues to call him "Asante Samuels". Sure it's steep on the price, but if Nate Clements is going to sign for the same money, you gotta pay to get this guy.

Do the Cowboys need him? Yes, I think they do. If Anthony Henry has said he's willing to play safety, that would reduce the Roy Williams fiasco. That gives you Newman and Samuel on the corners with Reeves, Jones or a player to be drafted in the nickel.

Brown's take: Sure, I'd do it.

DeAngelo Hall for a first round pick.
Big thinks he's the best corner in the game right now. I think Champ Bailey might have a solid argument there. Plus, Hall is bat shit crazy. However, who's sane in Atlanta? Brian Finneran? I knew you'd think it was a white guy. Honky lover. I like Hall, and if they couldn't do the Samuel deal, I'd sacrifice a pick, but not both for him.

Do the Cowboys need him? Yes, see the reason for Samuel above.

Brown's take: I'd prefer Samuel, but I don't have a problem with Hall.

Randy Moss for a shit ton of money.
Best receiver in the game? Maybe, when he wants to. Willing to do whatever it takes to win? Maybe, when he wants to. Able to mix well with the personalities that already exist in the Cowboy locker room, mostly a certain wide receiver that we'll call T. Owens. Wait, that's too obvious, let's say Terrell O.

Do the Cowboys need him? They need a deep threat receiver for sure. Having one of the best ever would be nice, but Owens is enough ego for Romo to cater to already. Big makes a good point. Having to put up with Owens, Moss, Jessica Simpson's family and Bobby Carpenter might be one too many.

Brown's take: I wouldn't do this unless the Cowboys are looking to dump Owens, and why do that?

Rights to draft Darren McFadden for Marion Barber and both first rounders.
I don't know how the Jesus this still has traction. Look, I know McFadden is a sexy and chic pick. (It must be his uber-potent sperm.) But there is no way you package both first rounders AND a proven commodity like Barber for an unknown because you THINK he might be Adrian Peterson. Take it from any Rangers fan, you never trade a known commodity for unproven prospects unless you want to show your fans you are in a rebuilding year.

Do the Cowboys need him? No. They do need a complimentary back for Barber, but with this year's draft so stockpiled with running backs, it makes more sense to go with a Felix Jones, Jonahtan Stewart or even Ray Rice instead and make Barber the feature back.

Brown's take: Not no, but hell no.

Letting Flozell Adams walk.
Norm made a salient point as to why this could work. They didn't franchise him because they have some depth behind him, hence the reason for franchising Hamlin. They can, legitimately, let Adams go if someone makes a Larry Allen-esque offer to him. Adams is a productive tackle, and he's been here forever, so he should be re-signed. However, McQuistan and the other guy can fill in, or one of those first rounders could be used in his spot and that can be "covered" by the rest of the line.

Do the Cowboys need him? I say yes. You're only as good as your line, and he may be old, but Adams is one of the best.

Brown's take: Don't let him walk.

Mavs are not done dealing

Oh really? Here's what I'm hearing:

Sam Cassell

Why? Are we trying to dredge up painful memories of Mavs point guard past? Look, Cassell is a good point guard, but didn't we just do this to get Kidd? Is Cassell really going to be okay being a back up point guard? He's not. Cassell will be in Boston to join that troika of gents.

Jamaal Magloire

Let's see. Played with Kidd in Jersey. A Center that would add depth behind Damp and Bass now that Diop is gone. Pulling down about 4 boards a game. Eh, I guess I'm okay with getting 6 more fouls to give around playoff time. What else do they want from us?

Brent Barry

Don't think that Mark Cuban is going to sit still when Barry goes back to the Spurs. Remember how the league was going to step in and say "Hey, Jerry Stackhouse, you can't do that?" Well, now the Spurs are going to pull the same shit about it with Barry. If Cuban doesn't purposely overpay Barry as a confusing "fuck you", then he's certainly going to piss and moan when Barry goes back to San Antonio.

Yup, that's about right

HT: The FanHouse

A poem about the Texas Rangers

Another year in Arlington, another new idea
A youth movement with Saltalamacchia
But are he, Blalock, Kinsler and Young
Enough to overcome
A pitching staff bought at Ikea

Update: Millwood is not pitching. McCarthy is not pitching. Both are hurt. Could it happen that BEFORE MAY Rangers fans might just give up on the season?