Balz & Cam Discuss The Warriors

Cam parties with weirdos

Balz parties with hotties

 Dear Nextians,


It's OG Nextian Cam here.  Bilbo went AWOL on me. I think he's heavily into fantasy football, summertime cornhole games, and preparing for the greatest sloshball game of all time on July 14th.  So to get my Warriors fan fix I've had to get sucked into the Balzer Vortex.  And let me tell you: getting sucked in by Balz is very enjoyable.  OK, wait a second. that sounded really strange even though it made absolutely no sense. As you can see by Balz's picture above he is highly hetero.  Cam (me), on the other hand, posted a picture of the weird alien dude from downtown SF who is indeed gay (so they say).  Draw your own conclusions. I don't care. I am married and have one kid with another on the way and frankly don't have the energy anymore to fight such battles (or even edit this paragraph).  But I will talk about the Warriors as much as I can.


Balz and I started this chat the day after the 2012 NBA draft with the Warriors getting Harrison Barnes and his awesome hat at #7.  Enjoy:

Is he a conehead?

Cam: I love the NBA Today podcast on ESPN. This season the NBA Today's on Friday were great because Henry Abbot and David Thorpe broke the Association down. Thorpe is one of my favorite guys b/c he's a life long coach and a trainer of high level high school and college kids. He's trained a lot of guys who've made it into the NBA.  I say all of this because I want you to listen to this podcast. A few minutes in Thorpe starts to talk about Harrison Barnes and I know you will love it. Enjoy:
LISTEN

Balz: Wow, Thorpe is really big on Barnes.  His arguments supporting why he thinks Barnes will thrive in the NBA seem reasonable.  I imagine that Summer League will tell us quite a bit about that.  As far as I'm concerned, the real missing element for the W's is leadership.   They really haven't had a guy who challenges his teammates since Baron Davis walked.  Seriously, I think we can agree that the talent level of Curry-Thompson-Barnes is higher, but would you pick them in a match-up against Davis-Richardson-Jackson (as they were in 2007)?  Not me.  Way too soft mentally.   I assume Myers and Jackson expect Bogut to lead, but that's another wait-and-see item.  Outside of him, the next closest thing to a leader on the current roster is probably David Lee.

I hear they're bringing Brandon Roy in for a workout... He's a pretty tough dude who can defend & rebound his position as well as anybody.  If the knee is healed, I really like him as someone to push Thompson for minutes at the 2 and occasionally handle the ball.  

Gotta retain Rush, imo, and it would be cool to get Kwame back.  Doubtful there's any chance to move Beidrins and RJ, but they are clearly the most expendable/least likely to contribute anything guys.

Cam: They've been leaderless for a very long time. I think that Bogut has the leader gene but I'm not sure about anyone else. Lee is good with the press and with saying the right thing to Dubs Management but I don't think he inspires anyone he plays with other than making them laugh on the bench. Steph can lead with his play, sort of a D-Rose type, but he's not going to be making any speaches. Klay looks asleep all the time and is still young.  But I do love this topic because leadership is one of the key things that takes a team to the elite level. Look at the focus and work ethic of the Thunder.  Los Spurs are full of leaders from coach through the big 3. The Celtics have the best warrior in the game (KG) and one of the better coaches in the game today. Even the Heat seem to have a good albeit strange team dynamic. Love how LeBron roots for his teammates and never really roles his eyes when they mess up like many stars do.

Roy would be fun to have but I've heard that someone (and I could see Lacob doing this) is going to pay him the full mid-level.  For a guy who has no knee and who's production was seriously limited in his last somewhat full season, this could be a mistake. It would be great to have Roy on this team...but at the right price of course.  I'd rather have Oden though. Ha!

I'm as high as you on Rush and Kwame. People like to hate on Kwame but he is a really big dude and can defend the hell out of the post.  Rush is just awesome in that second unit/heat check guy (more minutes if he is feeling it in a particular game).

I think they're gonna keep Maguire too.  And Jenkins and Tyler will be there, which is a decent bench (and who knows what Tyler can develop into?).

This will be a legitimately fun season to watch at least for a while to see what identity they want to have.  So much better than the Biedrins garbage every fanboy (including Owner) was throwing out there last summer. Ugh. Only 4 more months to go!

Balz: If you want your team to have the identity of being tough-minded, you need to have guys who will scrap and defend. Rush does that- better than any of their other perimeter guys. If they let him walk, they basically admit to being full of shit when they talk about defense.  Same goes for Maguire.

When I hear Meyers talk, he makes me feel like he gets it.  I'm more encouraged by him than anyone else in that organization, actually.  Whether he's on KNBR, or at a press conference, or doing Chronicle Live, he comes across as very matter-of-fact.  And he doesn't shove mindless catch phrases down our throats.  Maybe that's not a good quality in a GM, but I like it.

Rose is more of a leader than Steph imo, if only because he's more physically tough. Physicality may not be the end-all be-all of the equation, but if all other areas are equal, it gets the nod.  As his teammate, you may not know that he's going to make a play in crunch time, but you know that he's physically able of winning his match up, regardless of who it is. Can't say that for Steph.

The roster is looking pretty cramped. More moves will have to be made.  Try to get something for D-Wright? Cut C-Wright? Dump Gladness? Let Nate walk? I like all of those guys, but I don't love any of them...

Cam: Yeah in no way was I comparing Steph's style of PG play to D-Rose. Rose is a beast and Steph is a flitty elf. But Steph can find open shots with pull ups and floaters. His rhythm with the ball keeps the defense on their heels while defenders literally bounce off of Rose.  Steph is also an outstanding passer. So I think that both of these guys can find points to score and set their teammates up.  D-Rose is better at it, obviously (MV-frigging P). D-Rose actually can play defense with his strength and Steph can only go for steals. But both of these guys are quiet leaders. Heck, I think D-Rose is a mute.

I totally agree on Rush and Maguire. They have to keep these guys.  If they let either of these guys go (without signing someone like Darrell Arthur) then it proves that management's preaching of "defense" was bullshit.

If I had to guess I'd say Gladness, C Wright, and Mikki Moore are gone. Especially Mikki Moore. I can't even believe that guy made it on the hardwood. Almost as big of a mistake as trading Stack Jack for Jeffersen. I kid.

Myers is a good dude. I met him once when he was just signed on as assistant GM and heard him speak a few months back. He's very down to earth and is actually overly humble. Being a former agent who started from zero after UCLA and became successful, he can relate to the players really well. Plus, he is an incredible baller (played at UCLA) and was a Bay Area star in High School.  Lastly, he's friends with Mark "Mad Dog" Madsen and that's just awesome.

Balz: I don't share your well-cultivated dislike of Mikki Moore, but I honestly haven't been paying much attention either.  All I see is an energy guy with limited skill, but I freely admit that I haven't been looking closely.  If it was my call, I'd get rid of him if for no other reason than so you can be pissed off at someone else. Hehe.

Maybe someone like Miami will give us a draft pick for Dorell?  At the very least someone would probably pick him up off waivers ?  With the roster we have, his salary may be more of a burden than his play is a blessing.  I'd like to be wrong in this assessment, though, because he seems like a nice enough dude. 

Cam: There's no need to get into a discussion on Mikki Moore. He's that terrible. But I forgot to speak about Dorrell! He's a mystery to me and I have no idea what they'll do with him. I'm sure he is being shopped and I hope they can get something for him. Wright had every opportunity to man up last season and just crumbled. I think he'd just be a bad egg on the roster of someone who had such a great year two seasons ago but no longer deserves more than 12 minutes a game. Remove the stank with heavy brillo pad scrubbing in hot shower!

I hated at the time and still hold deep seeded angst that the Warriors stooopidly used their amnesty provision on Charlie Bell so that they could be a pawn make a terrible RFA offer to DAndre Jordan last off season. That was hands down the worst move that this new front office made.  Such a killer.  Imagine having Biedrins off the books? A close second was trading Stack Jack for RJeff's huge 2 year contract. The luxury tax is no joke now and making a mistake like that is what mediocre/bad teams do. Seriously, how bad could Stack Jack have been when he's trying to land a new deal? And with an expiring contract he would have definitely had value RIGHT NOW. Lacob n' crew listened to the dumb message board chatter on Golden State of Mind and the franchise (and the fans!) are going to pay for it. Heck, at least every move isn't terrible like it used to be under the Cohen era.  Man, our fan expectations (fanspectations?) are really low.

Balz: Do you think that the current roster can get either a 7 or 8 seed in the west?

Cam: Only if I place money on them to not make the playoffs.

Weekly Chat

Draftboard of proof

OG Nextian and Bilbo are back! talking about The Nextian live in-person draft that took place a few weeks ago. We decided to go through each round and offer our critique.  Enjoy the rambling.

What Bilbo did during summer vacation

What OG Nextian did

OG Nextian:  Bilbo, the Association games have finally started and what a Christmas gift indeed.  In these first three days we’ve learned that the Lakers, Mavericks, and Celtics are done for, the Clippers will win the West, and that the Heatles will run a version of Oregon football’s spread offense in basketball form all the way to the Larry O’Brien trophy.  Of course both of us had an amazing performance in THE Nextians official fantasy basketball draft ‘11/’12 by our current one – two standing after three full days.  This should be an epic battle atop the leader board all season long as there is no doubt in my mind that our teams will finish at least 20 points ahead of everyone else in THE Nextians league.  So let’s go through each round and discuss any surprises or reaches.  Why don’t you tell me 1) your feelings on having 10 of 12 Nextians DOING IT LIVE at Toddmy’s apartment for the draft, and, B) what your thoughts were on the 1^st 3 rounds of Nextians drafting.  Any surprises or solid picks you liked?

OG BILBO: I found the experience eye-opening. The first thing I noticed was that most of the guys in the league were not prepared. I always pictured my fellow managers at their computers during a draft meticulously picking according to a carefully planned draft strategy. That is definitely not the case. It was striking how unprepared some of the managers were. I won’t name names, but there was a certain Sacto Rookie drafted about 38 rounds too early. People have been kicked out of leagues for less. But I digress. The first 3 rounds went as expected more or less. I think on paper “The Champs” made out like a bandito taking D-Wade, Amare and John Wall with his first 3 picks. Sure the TOs could kill him, but that’s a great start to a winning team. I also think Steph Curry at the end of the 2^nd rd could be an incredible selection, assuming his ankle issues calm down. And I think Tommy taking Danny Granger in the 3^rd was a smart call. The one reach was Ginobli in the 2^nd. Do I really need to say why? And of course I was happy to land Crash Wallace in the 3^rd round. He fits perfectly into my team building strategy and at least for my squad was a steal. 

OG Nextian: I would say there were about 3 unprepared managers.  I too was surprising to see that there were that many slackers.  True colors were revealed at the draft!  And here I always thought that THE Nextians put together algorithmic spreadsheets upon 37 hours of pre-draft preparation on their laptops. I mean, some of us definitely do that but others fly by the seat of their pants hanging onto strong finishes of lucky drafts in the past and thinking that it will repeat. 

The other thing that I noticed was that there were some guys who stuck to a strategy and others who rolled with the punches of a draft creating their team on the fly.  It was fun to see both strategeries in action.  Also, I felt that some managers who I thought were quick thinkers took their time in drafting a pick.  They really wanted to make sure they were doing the right thing.  Whereas other guys took a while to pick because they were thoroughly unprepared and didn’t even know they were on deck to pick (obviously the 3 unprepared managers). 

Going back to The Champs I felt that he used his knowledge well to put together a good few rounds.  Noah in the 4^th balanced his team well but then he lost me with drafting DumbMarcus, Beasley, and Stephen Jackson in rounds 5-8.  It could work out but that’s too much crazy for me.  If Turd’s dream of “crazy points” ever came true The Champs would easily get 12 roto points. 

Jimmer in the 5^th was amazing.  That was at least about 7 rounds early.  I think that Team Jimmer is the one squad who may have relegated himself to a bottom 3 finish.  I do know that he’ll finish last in points.  Who will average over 18 points on that team aside from Love?  I think that Monta’s Mobile took a big hit with Brook Lopez in the 5^th going down for the season the very next day.  That’s a kind of pick that will really be hard to bounce back from. When looking at rounds 4-6 the eternal fantasy basketball couple Timmay and Turd picked really well.  Timmay’s Joe Johnson, Nene and Bargnani picks were great and Turd aced it with Millsap, McGee and Gallinari.  In rounds 4-6 you do need quality players and it’s much too early to draft a flier (too young or too old) in my humble opinion. 

Did you see any quality in rounds 7-10 that worked out well for teams?  I guess this is where you start to draft said fliers but there is still some great quality there.  Also, what are your thoughts strategy in these rounds? 

OG BILBO: The middle rounds are by far my favorite portion of the draft. This is where you round out your starting line ups and take chances on sleeper picks. After these rounds it turns into a crapshoot so this is where you can really improve your team’s chances. I think Kris Kardashian in the 9^th was a great pick for your squad and guys like Afflalo, Amir Johnson, Teague, Jordan, Landry Fields and Kyrie Irving will all perform better than where they were selected. 

OG Nextian: In rounds 7-10 you went with some quality guys in Batum, Teague, George and Steady Eddie Maggette.  There’s some potential with those 7, 8, and 9 round picks.  And, well, Maggette has a terrible assist to turnover ratio but does get to the line a bunch. 

In Rounds 11-15 I liked a few picks.  There’s so much garbage or sleeper potential here but I have to say that if you do it right you will get guys who will contribute to your team all season long.  Remember, a fantasy basketball team can only stand so many sleepers or dirt balls.  That being said, I liked guys like Tony Allen, Budinger, Carl Landry and Jamal Crawford.  And if Jamison plays well I could have just started “Jamison-gate” by not making it explicitly clear to all who weren’t listening that Josh drafted Kemba Walker in the 9^th thereby making Antwan available with me grabbing him in the 12^th.  But, hey, there’s always a So n’ So–gate in every fantasy league we play in. 

The 15^th and final round was funny to me.  First of all, Hinkey decides not to make a pick while smart managers like you and Timmay grab Al “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle” Harrington and Mo Williams.  You see, one doesn’t have to pick a shit bag or swing for a jonrón in the last round.  You can actually draft someone who will totally start for you team if one thing goes their way. 

Any more thoughts on the draft or should I just post this thing already? I know you will act like a lawyer and rap this draft talk up in a nice little wiener package for all of us. All I have to say is that guys who complain how long a draft takes and who are also the main culprits for how long a draft is taking need to figure things out. 

OG Bilbo:  yes, you are right.  I'm enjoying 1st place at the moment and you're not too far behind. Obviously we are amazing Nextians.

OG Nextian: agreed.

Weekly Chat; Game 4 NBA Finals

Bilbo is a party animal

Cam looks A LOT like Mark Cuban

Maaatt decides to start off the Weekly chat with a question posed to fellow Nextians Bilbo and Cam: I don't get what Lebron is doing. His lack of hustle last game was so obvious in clips. That last drive he was one foot away from Dirk's drive and didn't even move a muscle to help out, WTF? Is it his ego? Is Wade tearing it up, so he get his feelings hurt that he's not the best player on the team? Or is is just super tired from the reg season and playing all playoffs? Is it a possibility he has totally gassed? Is Eddie House secretly screwing his mom AND Bibby's sister???

Cam: When LeBron scores 15 points or less in a playoff game, his teams are 0-7. Fascinating.

What’s even more fascinating is that LeBron has scored less than 15 points in a playoff game 7 times. 7 TIMES. He is the best player in this league, hands down, but he’s got some sort of mental problem.

Jordan never did this, was a complete killer, and has never been passive his entire life. During Jordan’s rookie season he bought a PacMan machine for his house because he was determined to be the best PacMan player on the Bulls. LeBron’s more about being a global icon and illegally recruiting college players to sign to his stupid agency. Hey LeBron, why don’t you develop a post game this summer instead, mmmkay? Either that or at least try to become a killer like you were in the Bulls series. Which brings up the point:

Wade and LeBron currently can’t both be awesome at the same time. It’s one guys’ stage or the others’. Chicago Series = LeBron dominate and Wade plays like crap. Finals = Wade plays incredible and LeBron is passive. Do you think they talk about this before a series starts or do they just figure it out after game 1 and go from there?

They’ll probably still win the ‘ship this way but it is quite strange.

Bilbo: What if LeBron is playing bad on purpose so he can explode in the last couple of games? Yeah right! The Jordan comparisons need to stop. They are different players completely. A better comparison is Magic, except that even fun time Magic had a switch that turned him into a beast. Maybe LeBron didn’t come with that switch, ya dig? Maybe he isn’t the player we want him to be and never will be. He wants to focus on his brand, fine. Global icon? Sure, why not. But he needs to know that craving the spotlight comes with a cost, namely, that anything less than incredible on the way to a title is a failure. Anything less than superhuman plays night in and night out on this stage is unacceptable. Maybe the best comparison should be Wilt Chamberlain. He too had all the physical tools but could never take that next step to greatness. I think he ended up with one title when he prolly should have had 4-5.

That being said, it would not surprise me to see he take over game 5. That is, if D-Wade will let him.

I’m still sticking to Dallas in 6.

Cam: It's hard to stop the Jordan comparisons. Especially when Scotty Pippen just said that LBJ was better than Jordan.  Aside from Scotty being a dick, check out LBJ's downward trending usage rate:

Dwyane Wade vs LeBron James
Usage Rate, 2010-11 Season

	Wade	James
Reg. Season	28.8	29.6
First 3 Rds	26.8	25.6
NBA Finals	26.5	19.4

The Weekly Chat: NBA Finals Game 2

Cam:  wow, what a game 2 in the NBA Finals. In the 4^th Quarter, the Heat go on a 13-0 run to get up by 15 with about 6:20 left in the game after Bosh jams in the putback against the Mav’s small lineup.  Carlisle immediately calls time out and puts Chandler back in.  The music is bumping in Heat’s American Airlines Arena, the fan noise is being blared through the speakers, about 25% of the fans are standing up and politely clapping….it was a mildly amused fanbase dressed in all-white

On a very lengthy side note: have you noticed that there are hundreds of all-white t-shirts in American Airlines Arena after the game?  Do the fans not care to take the Finals souvenir home?  Or are they so small brained that they think that they have to take off their free shirt and leave it at the arena?  Why isn’t there some kid who runs through the seats and collects them all selling them on e-Bay?  Is there not a market for the all-white Heat finals t-shirt?  On the other hand, did you notice how full the Dallas version of American Airlines Arena was?  Yes, both Miami and Dallas’ arena’s are called “American Airlines Arena”.  How stoked is American Airlines? http://www.nba.com/2011/news/05/29/arena-names.ap/index.html Those Dallas fans watching on the big screen were pumped.  If Dallas hands out free t-shirts at Sunday’s game, I bet we will not spot one lone Finals t-shirt while watching the post game report in their arena.

But then, boom!  The Mavs go nuts.  Dirk scores the last 9 and the Mavs close on a 22-5 run to win it.  They were so clutch, especially on defense.  I can go on but I think you probably want to blogger something by this point.

ThrillsToTha…: I noticed a lot of the people in the front rows were wearing white, but not the free T’s. It was like one of those racist “Wear White Parties” you see in the big city. Kind of like this:

They're on a boat. Take a good hard look, cuz they're sailing on a boat.

I think these guys were at Oracle back in 2007 when they opened up the arena for the first round road games against Dallas.

Anyway, I thought the Mavs played mediocre through the first 3.5 quarters. Bad passing by Kidd, poor shooting from Dirk and zero help defense from Chandler. The Heat had so many wide open dunks they can’t even make posters out of them. No defenders were even in frame! But surprisingly they hung in there until the fourth when the Heat “went off”. After D-Wade sunk his corner 3 and celebrated with LeBron, I almost turned off the game in disgust. I couldn’t believe the Mavs were f’in up so bad. But I’m glad I didn’t change the channel. It was a remarkable comeback that very well swung the entire series in the Mavs favor.

Cam:  Fastbreak dunks and putback slams, even when they’re done while the ball is still inside the cylinder, only count as two points.  Blocks at the rim my Mr. Canada Joel Anthony still only count as a missed shot.  At least that’s the way the Mavs react to these things.  No matter how loud the Miami sound editor turned up the canned crowd noise, they went about their business.  The Mavs were getting to the line (boring) shooting pretty well (boring) and out rebounding (boring) the Heat through the first 3 quarters.  I don’t think that they were playing badly, just boring.  The Heat were playing more exciting, yes, but they weren’t playing any better.

And then the 4^th quarter hit.  The Heat went nuts putting on their big run.  The Heat make these runs all the time, yes. But lately it has been at the end of games to win.  This time, though, they made their run a little too early.  With 7 minutes and change left, Wade hit the three pointer infront of the Mavs bench.  He held his follow through for a little too long, posing as Carlisle called that time out.  LeBron wanted to get in on the love and started punching him in the chest.  The celebration was on.  And this fired up the Mavs beyond belief.  The Mavs have gone on a few huge runs themselves these playoffs.  16 down vs. the Lakers.  12 down vs. the Thunderkittens.  And 15 down last night.

I’m not sure how this will play out.  If Terry keeps losing his man and missing J’s, it’s going to be tough to win.  If Peja or JJ can’t catch fire for a game and propel them to a win, I’m not sure the Mavs can do this.  The Heat will just continuing being the Heat.  They will go on runs, they will dunk and posterize the Mavs players, they will block shots, and they’ll miss free throws.  They’ll have stupid possessions where LeBron or Wade dribble around until there’s 3 seconds left on the shot clock and then chuck a three.  The only thing I know is that this series is all on Dallas’ shoulders.  If they play great, they can win this thing.  If they play just good or worse, Miami will be Miami and the bad guys will win their ring.

The "Weekly" Chat -- 2nd Round Playoffs Edition

Cam:  Hello Jamesbo/Thrilly-B.  I’m sure you are enjoying the heck out of this here second round.  It certainly is "Fan"tastic!  Aside from those nightmare inducing talking basketball commercials and the T-Mobile rapping Emo dude, what is intriguing you at the moment about the actual playing of basketball?  Both Dallas victories in Staples were something to behold. Kobe hasn't yet been able to produce his patented "Badger" playoff scowl.  Dirk dominates Game 1's close and the Mavs just out execute the defending chumps in Game 2.  Dirk doesn’t look too soft now, does he?

Biblo:  I have learned over the years to never write off The Lakers after a Game 1 loss. But it is hard to ignore the fact that Pau Gasol is so crucial to their success that anything other than spectacular play from him will spell disaster for the reigning champs. With so much talent on each side, I think whoever makes fewer mistakes will win. The Lakers looked tuuuurrable the last 2 minutes of Game 1. Stupid fouls and turnovers against a solid veteran team like the Mavs is suicide. However, I have to think The Lakers will bounce back. This series is tough to call, but I give an edge to the team that has made it to The Finals 3 years in a row. Lakers in 7.

Nice "distressed" jeans, Mark.  Also, nice team. Seriously.

Cam:  I think you'll change your tune especially when you learn that Dallas won game two as well in Staples.  Did your TiVo miss that one?  Also, congrats on making it through a post concerning the Lakers without mentioning Kobe.  And enjoy the Artest clothesline on JJ Barea = one game suspension.  I also love the fact that you're making series' predictions even though I didn't ask for them.  Way to take some initiative, Burglar Baggins.

 
Cam:  The Grizz looked great in game 1 but then Durant held a team dinner serving James Harden and Eric Maynor some of KD Kool Aid and these two 2^nd teamers combined to drop 36 in game 2.  Lithium was also added to Westbrook’s fruit punch causing him to thankfully only shoot 20 times instead of 30 thereby leading to a more efficient Thunder attack.

Bilbo: Memphis is a fun team to root for, and I’d love to see a possible Gasol vs Gasol match up in the next round, but I have my doubts that a team that relies so heavily on Zach Randolph so much can ever make it to the WCF. I just can’t see them getting past such a talented team like OKC. If Ibaka is seriously hurt, that obviously changes things, but getting past an aging Spurs team is one thing (Attn: Laker fans..this is your team in 3 years!), but getting past Durant and Co. when they are clicking is too difficult as was evident in Game 2. This series will come to who controls the paint. If Thunder can hold their own, their offense will tip the series in their favor. OKC in 6.

Pau is sad that Marc is now better

Cam:  And how old and slow do them Celtics look?  Wade & Co. seem to just be playing harder and faster.  As the Sportsdouche and Brian Windhorst said, this is Wade's team now as all LeBron is good for is setting hard picks (hilarious).  Boston just can't seem to get over the Perkin's trade and the things that they used to do well (playing harder and tougher) aren't happening.

Bilbo:  I’m pissed off at The Celtics. I really expected a tough, physical series between these two squads, and so far the only beef was from Paul Pierce, the least intimidating player in the NBA. I’m sure they really miss Perkins right now, because he would have knocked down D-Wade at least once a game. Who would of thought that it was him and not Garnett who defined the Celtics as a tough as nails team? They just haven’t been the same since the trade and I can’t see getting back on track against Los Tres Culos. Speaking of the Heat, I don’t think they’ve had to break a sweat at all through the first 2 rounds. Do we have to wait until the next round for Thibodeau to attack their weaknesses? Of course the way Chicago is playing I think The Heat could sleepwalk through the The East and face the winner of the Lakers/OKC series. While I wish this would go 7, I’m picking the Heat in 5.

Cam:  I'm finding it hard to enjoy the Bulls right now.  D-Rose isn't shooting the ball well and it seems as if they aren't playing to their full potential.  Although I think they'll get by the Hawks after ATL stealing Game 1 in Chi-town, they better be ready for 'dem Heat when they get through this series.  Thibbs might find a way to slow down Wade n' Co. but if they don't tighten up their offense (paging: Carlos Boozer) then they are going to have trouble hanging with Mike Miller and his teammates.

Bilbo:  How about them Hawks?? The perennial underachievers are suddenly a scary team. The talent has been there but consistency has always been lacking. I wasn’t sure if their round 1 victory was more The Magic playing crappy or if this team was legit. After the Game 1 beat down against The Jordans, it’s hard not to take them seriously. I feel like Chicago will come out on top, but it always looks like Derrick Rose is one drive away from a serious injury. But I’ll stick with the new NBA darling and say the Bulls in 6.

Cam: I like all of your predictions but the Lakers one.  Of course, you wrote your thoughts before their Game 2 loss so I'll cut you some slack.  But if you had to say, who was the hottest actress sitting in the front row at Staples?

Cam & Bilbo Weekly Chat: THE State of THE Warriors

Cam & Bilbo. AKA: BoNote

Bilbo: The State of the Warriors - I feel like they are moving in the right direction but there are games that leave me scratching my head. The recent Laker game is a great example. They played well for three and a half quarters and just let it slip away. Granted, Kobe has a habit of killing teams in the 4th, but I felt like they still should have won. The Jan 1st match up was another game that showed their potential. They dropped 72 in the first half against The Heat but let it slip away in the second. I really believe that if they can string together a few solid wins they go on a roll. Their schedule is great through February with 14 of the next 17 at home. Do you think they could make a push and steal the 8th spot? I could see Portland slipping now that Roy is out forever. Phoenix, Houston and Memphis are in the hunt, but I could see the Dubs doing damage now that everyone is healthy.

Cam: Sweet! 41 games in is the perfect time to do some Warriors predictions. At least the head scratching losses were versus great teams. The early January halftime leads of 14 vs. the Heat and 8 vs. the Magic were awesome, but it wasn’t surprising that both games eventually were lost. The Dubs had injuries and were closing out a brutal road trip. The Warriors beat Charlotte on New Years Eve. Then on New Years Day they had to play the Heat. I personally think that The Miami Thrice were a little hung over on New Years Day which helped with that halftime Warrior lead. And then after their second half stinkbomb and eventual loss in Orlando, the Dubs closed out their 5 game road trip with a win in New Orleans (probable playoff team). The contest vs. The Lakers last week was awesome but Kobe and Odumb dominated the 4th Quarter. The Lakers are waaay better than the Warriors and if the Lakers play really well for even part of the game, it’s currently impossible for the Warriors to beat them. Hence the 10 game losing streak to the Lakers. But that being said, I’m fired up that the Warriors are performing on this long and relatively easy home stand. Beating the Blake Griffins on Friday, New Jersey in the Monday matinee, and the last second Monta Ellis money jumper win on Wednesday vs. the Pacers has produced a nice little 3 game win streak. At 18-23 and with only 4 road games in their next 17 against some beatable teams, this is the time for the Dubs to put up or shut up. If they’re back above .500 with Monta being a coaches choice All-Star at the end of February, they’ve got a good shot. Here’s to hoping the injuries don’t creep up again. Because March is essentially all on the road and they play some great playoff teams. But let’s back into this: What do you think the Warriors need to be at after beating Minnesota at home on February 27th in order to make the playoffs? I guess you need to start with what their record needs to be and the end of the season and then look at the remaining schedule and see who we can legitimately beat.

Bilbo: Please continue, fine sir. It sounds as if you have some more knowledge to drop.

Cam: Dude, in looking at the remaining schedule I honestly see the Warriors going between 17-24 to 22-19. I see 5 games that they probably will lose but could possibly win if they are playing well. The 22-19 mark puts the Dubs at 40-42 for the season. And a sub .500 record isn’t making the playoffs this year in the West. Honestly, do you see the Warriors winning any of these 5 games in a row: @Thunder, @Memphis, Dallas, @Portland, @Lakers. The only game they really have a shot of winning is @Memphis and this is one of the five “could go either way” games I mentioned above. This is one of two 5 game losing streaks I’m seeing in the remaining schedule. The Warriors play 17 games vs. likes of Magic/Mavericks/Spurs/Bulls/Nuggets/Jazz/Celtics/Hawks. Let’s call these teams the Bad Ass teams of the league. Not only are they playoff teams but they are super legit playoff teams. Many homers will then say “yeah, the Warriors could beat these teams for sure!” Well, they’d have to beat a lot of them to make the playoffs. In the first half of the season the Warriors played 15 games against the Bad Asses. Do you know how many they won? One game vs. The Jazz in early November. Unless the Warriors somehow take it to another level where they can win 5 or 6 games of the 17 against the Bad Asses, it’s looking to me like the terrible losses to crap teams earlier in the season have already caught up with them. And that is a good lesson for a playoff team in the NBA: beat the crap teams or plan on beating up on a lot of Bad Asses instead.

Cam & Bilbo Weekly Chat: Sleeper Teams

Bilbo rocks a PBR mesh in 2006

Cam rocks a vintage US Olympics mesh in 2005

Cam: the Laker defeat by the hands of the mighty Memphis Grizzlies at Staples by 19 points on Sunday 1/2/11 got me thinking: we have enough time under our belts and behind our backs and in our quivers to probably pick some sleeper teams. I’m going to enjoy these last days of the Celtics and Lakers but this is THE Nextians and we are always looking to the future (screw the past, yo). But let’s first define “sleeper”. This is a team that is either having or showing some signs of success that didn’t have success recently. This can be manifested by said team making the playoffs this year or being a team that in the Summer of 2011 (crossing my fingers that there is no lockout) will be picked as a playoff team by “experts” because of their play and improvement this season. The Thunder of last year are the best example of a sleeper that only about half the NBA nerds saw coming. This year I’d like to start with the Grizzlies. They were close to the playoffs last year and have a shot this year. They’re 15-19 right now and are 3 games out of the 8th spot. The Grizz have some great pieces and even someone from Iran (Hamed Haddadi who’s 7-2). What are your thoughts on their roster? Gimme some of your Bilbo wisdom and then we can move onto other squads while simultaneously getting all crazy with it.

Bilbo: Los Grizzlies are definitely a team on the rise. The beat down in LA was definitely a confidence boost for the group and will be a nice topic of conversation at the Gasol Family Picnic this summer in Pamplona. They are a good mix of young players (Conley, Arthur and Gasol) with a couple solid vets (Randolph, Allen) and one Gay Superstar. I could see them beating out Houston and Portland for the #8 seed this year. Of course, that would be dependant on to things. First is OJ Mayo. He’s gotta go while he still has some value. His minutes and pts are waaay down this year and he doesn’t seem to like coming off the bench. So much so that he got into a fistfight with his competition over a card game. Stay classy OJ. The second is you can never count out their GM Chris Wallace. He could pull of a ridiculous trade before the deadline that would ruin all the progress they’ve made the last couple of years. But overall, I like their chances.

Cam: I think the Gasol brothers are from Barcelona (pronounced with a lisp) but it is still hilarious imagining the two of them speaking Cantalunian Spanish to one another about their head to head matchups over the season. I think the reason why Lionel Hollins (Grizz Coach) plays OJ with the 2nd team is because their bench lacks scoring punch. So they need some pop from the bench. But it does really suck owning Mayo this year on one’s fantasy team with his reduced use. I do question Lionel actually starting Tony Allen instead of OJ once Xavier Henry went down with injury. That guy misses wide open layups and was a joke to hardcore Celtics fans. Even though their team numbers are right in the middle of the Association for Offensive and Defensive rank, I do like the Gay/Randolph/Gasol core. Conley is improving this year but he probably has too much Greg Oden stink on him (they both went to Ohio State) to be a leader of a playoff team. Darrell Arthur is a defensive stopper and its fun to watch him shut down other Shooting Guard stars. If only “We’ve Got” Thabeet and Haddadi could be a crazy 7 foot force off the bench the Grizz might win their first playoff game in franchise history. So does anyone else get you excited………as a sleeper team? Chicago and their MVP candidate and awesome moves in the offseason? Does Blake Griffin mask the stench of Donald Sterling from the franchise and motivate Eric Gordon, King Aminu, DeAndre Jordan, Chris Kaman and even Baron Davis to new heights? Or do you have a huge Knickerbocker boner and want to talk about how their team will look at the end of this season with a possible trade? Shoot, Billy. You’re wide open from the top of the key.

Bilbo: The Gasols have a summer home in Pamplona to enjoy the running of the bulls. Didn’t you know that? I’d pick the Clips as a sleeper for next season. Eric Gordon is a beast and can lead this talented team. DeAndre Jordan can be what Marcus Camby should have been if he wasn’t injured all the time. This kid is raw but is leaking potential out of his butt. They need to get Bledsoe playing the point more and slowly phase out Baron Davis, who as we know all too well, isn’t exactly a team player. I’ve been impressed with how seamlessly Blake Griffin has adjusted to playing in the Association. He really looks like a man among boys out there. But he needs to expand his game. Flashy dunks alone won’t win. Learning to pass out of double teams, refining his post moves and taking advantage of mismatches will elevate his game. Of course we can never discount the aura of losing the Clippers have enjoyed for the past 30 years. But assuming Sterling doesn’t f things up, I could see them making the playoffs next year.

Cam: Blake Griffin seems like a super hero to me. Someone with skillz so incredible that he alone can erase the Stank of Sterling from the Clippers. It could only take someone other worldly to change the direction of a franchise and there are signs that Griffin is the man to do this. A potential perennial All-Star, an amazing scoring and rebounding force, someone who can make those Los Angeles “fans” more excited to see a Clippers game than a Lakers game. He’s a player who has the ability and personality to freak our minds and change our preconceptions of not only the Clipper franchise but of the NBA. It could be true that his year off sitting in a suit obeying Czar Stern’s dress code was good for him. He got a chance to drink everything in regarding the NBA and the Clippers organization. He had time to formulate a plan and unleashed it with full force from the get-go in October 2010. At the start of the season, Blake was no “rookie”. He busted out of the gate with amazing dunks, enough for the NBA to put together a “Top 10 Blake Griffin Dunks in November” video. People smile when they see him in video clip form. Sportsdouche is scared that his wreckless abandon will get him hurt. Fans watch entire Clippers games just to suddenly be amazed at something he’ll inevitably do to the poor rim or Tim Mozgov’s head (when they play the Knicks). Blake is motivating lazy ass Baron Davis to try because the highlight reel assists are easier to rack up than ever. DeAndre Jordan is playing to his Cambian potential and looks like a legitimate quasi-star in the making. Jordan says it’s because he’s getting more run, but when he’s 50 years old and looks back at his career he’ll realize it was the Tao of Blake that pushed him to new heights. Gordon is putting up numbers with a maturity that he could only attain by using his Team USA learnings and enjoying the crap out of playing with Blake. Bledsoe the rookie is probably 1000 times more motivated from having Blake Griffin on his team than he is learning from Vinny Del Negro. Despite VDN and Sterling, the Blake Griffin Clippers are figuring it out. Despite two good veteran Clipper players in Baron Davis and Chris Kaman having loser blood coursing through their veins, this team is improving. I can’t wait to see how it all plays out. Are you getting excited yet?

Bilbo: I’m so excited I won’t be able to stand up at work for a while. Wouldn’t it be incredible if in five years the Kobe’s knee has given out and he is retired while Pau is playing for Minnesota with Ricky Rubio, Odom is a full time Reality Star and the Lakers are a perennial lottery team? Meanwhile the “other” LA team is rolling out top three finishes in the West each year on the shoulders of Gordon, Griffin and Jordan. I’d love to see how Laker fans would deal with a losing team. Oops, my work boner’s back. I better settle down.

Cam:  Road trip to Staples next month.  You down?

Cam & Bilbo Weekly Chat: THE Christmas Day Massacre; Lakers & Heat



Bilbo teaches son to work for him



Cam teaches son to do the Blue Steel







Bilbo: After a morning of pork and an earful of mother-in-law, I was ready to relax and watch the epic Christmas battle between The Heat and The Lakers. I had actually been looking forward to this game since the start of the season and I will freely admit that I was hoping Kobe would demolish LeBron. But then something weird happened. As the game went on, I started loving it when The Fakers struggled early and I found myself cheering when LeBron drained 3 after 3 in Ron Ron’s face. And then I realized, as much as I disliked the way LeBron handled his move to Miami and the media orgy that followed, I had to admit to myself that they are very entertaining to watch. I also realized that no matter how much I tried to convince myself, I could never, ever, ever root for the Lakers.

Cam: Yes, as true blue (and yellow) Warriors fans it is very tough to feel anything but spite (and jealousy) for the Lakers as a whole. You can respect what they do on the court but their fakeness and ego perfectly personify the LA region. This is a very Nor-Cal perspective and is really the only way Warriors fans can cope with the disparity in accomplishments, but it is important to know where we’re coming from. Regardless, I hope that our liberated fandom (dude, we rock) allows us to be somewhat appreciative of the Lakers and how they play the game of basketball. On the other side of this matchup, you bring up the communal eye-rolling that collective EXTRA! EXTRA! pop-culture-knower has towards the Heat and LeBron in general. I’m pretty sure my wife’s mom knows that “The Decision” has to do with LeBron James, basketball, and is bad. So here we had two of the best and most hated teams in the NBA. I had been looking forward this game too and was happy to see somebody lose big with the game not living up to the hype. From Phil Jackson complaining that playing on Christmas is a bad idea to Kobe saying that it’s “just another game” to the Heat keeping their mouths shut (finally) and just going out there and kicking the Lakers ass, it was fun. I would have avoided my family for 2 hours on the holiest of present-opening holidays if the Mavs played the Spurs, but this matchup was fun to drink egg nog to and chat with your family about. Shall we dissect the game?


Bilbo: I skipped the egg nog and had a 6 pack of IPA at my side for this game. Minus the suite opening alley oop dunk from Bryant to Odom, the first quarter was horrendous for LA. Gasol was very timid, Kobe was in his “lay-back-the-first-half-and-turn-it-on-in-the-third-quarter mode taking only four shots, and Artest was trying to “get in LBJ’s head” and failing miserably by picking up two quick fouls. Kobe/Gasol/RonRon were 0-12 in the 1st quarter!! Meanwhile The Big Three shot 50% and Chris Bosh was on fire with nine points in the quarter. He threw down a huge dunk off a great pass from D-Wade and Odom stood motionless as he flew by. That would be the theme for the Lakers. No passion, no urgency, no nothing. But despite the slow start the Lakers were only down 6 going into the second so they were still in the fight…for now.

Cam: The only thing the Lakers had going for them were those glow shoes they were wearing. Maybe if they went with green socks and red shoes like the Warriors did later that night they would have had the Santa karma on their side. This game was so hyped that I couldn’t believe there wasn’t another Nike jive talking puppet commercial set in a puppet barber shop or in the shared puppet house with puppet Kobe and puppet LeBron. Word on the street (literally) was that tickets to the game were fetching $15,000 a piece and that crowd was ready to cheer. Two great Odumb dunks set it off for the Lakeshow fans until Bosh hammered one down off a dump pass by Wade. I found it funny that Bosh outplayed both Bynum and Gasol. The Lakeshow should have a huge advantage in the post but credit CB-4 for having a great game on the block. Bosh has been playing much better of late and is the key to this whole win streak. As a basketball enthusiast, I’m really glad he figured it out. Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago that the Heat were doomed and the Lakers were unstoppable? Oh, how things change quickly in quick-hit forget the past sports media land.

Bilbo: Speaking of those hideous shoes, I found it interesting that only three of the five Laker starters chose to wear Kobe’s new neon green kicks. Maybe Pau Gasol and D-Fish didn’t like the color, or their size wasn’t available. But maybe they said to themselves, fuck Kobe, I’m not going to support him by wearing his gear during the biggest regular season game since 2004 (ratings-wise). To me this speaks to the detached, individualized style of Laker basketball. This is not a new idea, obviously, but in the next game I saw that ALL five starters for OKC were wearing Durant’s shoes. Unity, apparently, is more important for The Thunder (and Team Crunk Juice?) than it is in LA. I just wish that it would translate to more titles for Durant and co. than for Kobe and Phil.

Cam: Though the Lakers cut their deficit to single digits with around 4:30 left, they ended up losing by 16. Kobe shot 6 for 16 and his plus/minus was a -21. Gasol and Bynum combined to shoot 11 for 22 and their plus/minus (-11 for Gasol, -4 for Bynum) wasn’t as bad as Kobe’s. The week went on and the Lakers had a “really great” post Christmas Day Massacre practice and ended up getting blown out by the Spurs by 15 led by Kobe’s 8 for 27 from the field gem. Kobe has recently called his teammates complacent. He says they don’t work hard enough. He got thrown out of a game with two technicals a while back just to make a point. We are in one of those “Kobe being Kobe” phases which is code for being an asshole and the blame game is on. In these phases of Kobe he doesn’t trust his teammates and does some awfully weird stuff. This can involve shooting way too much while taking terrible shots (not quality shots, as he once explained to Gilbert Arenas) or just not shooting at all as in Game 7 vs. The Suns in 2006. To break out of this pout-fest I would recommend that Kobe start giving it to his big men. If there was any advantage on Christmas day, it was that Gasol and Bynum should have torched Bosh and whichever lackluster body they put down low. But they didn’t. I’m pretty certain that LA will turn this thing around. But if they are going to win the NBA Championship and 3-Peat, it will only be if Gasol ends up being the Finals MVP. Mark my words. Or don’t.

Bilbo: Right on. Check out these Laker big-men quotes from Johnny Ludden of Yahoo! Sports: Afterward, the Lakers offered their usual veiled criticism whenever Bryant goes off the deep end.“We need to really stay inside the system, attack teams and use the mismatches to our advantage,” Bynum said.“We didn’t play a smart game, put it that way,” Gasol said. “ …We have to recognize what’s going on and understand what our strengths are against certain opponents, and try to exploit them.” “It can’t be an individual effort from nobody,” Gasol added. “It has to be altogether on a string, like a family.”

Cam: Great find, Billy. You are a Golden God.

Cam & Bilbo Weekly Chat: THE Rashard/Arenas/Richardson/Gortat/Carter/Pietrus/Hedo/$/Bench Player Trade




Bilbo likes Sam Adams and blondes

 


Cam likes 40's and chicks who work out





Cam: So we’ve read the breakdown of these trades sending has been’s, salary, and a few still legit ballers to different squads. We don’t need to break down each trade or everyone’s motivation since most people who see this chat are already well informed. But is there anything out there that you still have questions about? I'm intrigued by Orlando, obviously, and how these guys will come together. Will Gil-Zero’s attitude change to where he can once again feel free to be himself? Can SVG corral Gil to become someone who plays defense and fits into the system? I think that J-Rich is going to be great and is twice the player that Pietrus is. Hedo is intriguing as well but is this guy even someone who can be trusted at this point after flopping the past 1.35 seasons when compared to how much he's making in salary?  Is it awesome that three former Warriors were included in this deal and that former Warriors rookies Jason Richardson and Gilbert Arenas finally are able to be on the same team again and play full court one-on-one against eachother after practice?

Bilbo: My biggest question is…what were The Suns thinking? Hedo needed to go, but why give up J-Rich? Who is going to spread the floor for Nash? Carter is injured and even at full strength he can’t replace Richardson’s skillz. I feel this is just another in a long series of mistakes the Suns front office (Sarver) has made over the last few seasons. I can’t see this current team succeeding this year. On the other hand, I think the big winner over the weekend was the Wizards. You get rid of Arenas and you open things up for John Wall by giving him a legit 3 pt shooter. If he ever gets healthy, I think Wall will make a 2nd half push for ROY. Yeah, write it down. F-you Blake Griffin!

Cam: It’s hard to argue that Phoenix’s primary motivation for this trade was nothing more than financial. So, yes, it was a mistake in the basketball skillz sense for The Suns but Sarver knew what he was doing by reducing his overall payroll. Sarver is a notorious cheap ass as we have seen many times before. Vince’s contract comes off the books at the end of this year, Hedo’s contract is gone, and it’s hard to make an argument that Phoenix is over the moon happy about receiving Marcin Gortat. I know Gortat was a big deal free agent in 2009 but that was just because Daryl Morey wanted him and all of the other GM’s therefore acted accordingly. I feel really bad for Steve Nash. Here we have a 2 time MVP who just signed an extension in summer 2010 instead of going to another organization because he trusted Phoenix management and he just got royally kicked in the nuts. I’m talking “swinging from the rafters from a harness cord with your legs splayed wide open met by a Chuck Norris roundhouse perfectly timed for when Nash swings to shoe level” kicked in the nuts. For someone who can impact a game as much as he still can and who has given so much to this franchise, this sucks for him. Even though there’s no way in hell that he would, I really think Nash should demand a trade. Be a dick, sit out with many bad backs, complain, get the heck out of the Sarver cheapo system. Oh, and I totally agree with you on John Wall. I hope he gets well soon (I sent him a Hallmark) so that this ROY race can really get going. This thought is totally swaying from subject and could be a whole chat in and of itself but would any team in The Association take Tyreke Evans overJohn Wall right now? I mean, wow. Sophomore’s are slumping indeed.

Bilbow-wow: I think Nash is reaching a point where he has to go to a contender. This is the same thing that Garnett went through with The Timberwoofs. He was almost too loyal and people were begging him to jump ship and land somewhere for a chance at a title. Things worked out for him and I think if Nash demanded a trade no one would think any less of him. The question is, where would he fit in (contracts/salary caps aside)? Would it be crazy for him to go to the Knicks? Or what about the Lakers where his defensive deficiencies could be absorbed by the other players? Miami? Houston? Atlanta?
So now that Kahn is earning back his credibility, is Sarver the worst Executive (as the Owner) in the league? Worse than Wallace (GM) giving away Gasol?

Cam: No, nobody is as bad as Wallace. That was just a joke in a box. Man, that hurts to even remember…thanks broseph. Nobody is talking about Nash leaving because it won’t happen. He’s just too good of a dude and too loyal to the organization that made him Two Time MVP Steve Nash. He is also super gullible if he believes in this dump salary & rebuild effort is worth it while he is nearly 37 years old (birthday = 2/7…also known as Steve Nash Day in Canada). The problem with Sarver is that he is doing what it takes to make a few bucks here and a few bucks there. He’s acting like a dreaded business man with this shiz which total destroys a fan’s confidence. Many popular and successful owners treat owning a team like they are the custodian of the organization and aren’t in it to make money as a first priority. You have to have tons of dough made elsewhere and use NBA ownership as a hobby with the end goal of Playoff Performance in order to be successful. Anyway, enough about Sarver. Let’s talk about Otis Smith (Orlando GM) and Ernie Grunfeld (Washington GM). Otis gave a terrible contract to Rashaaaard “Sweet Lew” Lewis and Ernie gave the key to the Wizard coffers to Gilbert “Agent Zero/Shoe Pooper” Arenas. These guys got to simply swap terrible contracts and, in essence, rid their scrolls of their biggest mistakes. “This week on Mistake Swappers!” So who is the biggest winner in all of this? Gilbert? He gets to go back home to his childhood team, wear #1 in tribute to his favorite player of all time Anfernee Penny Hardaway, and not be the franchise player while still making franchise player coin. Lucky.

Cam & Bilbo Weekly Chat: Darko Milicic

Cam doesn't know where Tyreke was picked in 2009

 

Bilbo Likes Moutaches



                 

          

Cam: Did you see Darko against the Warriors on Tuesday (12/14/10)? I know it was against The Warriors and I know that he scored his career high of 25 points and I know that I rarely watch Timberwolves games but that was some fascinating stuff.

Bilbo: It isn’t that difficult to have career games against the Dubs. I think you could put up a 20/10 game against them. I didn’t see the game and I don’t watch many Teen Wolf games either. But it’s hard to explain why Darko has suddenly put it all together this season after seven years of doing nothing. What has made the difference this season?

Cam: The Warriors suck at defense, this is true. No matter what Keith Smart does or who owns Golden State, it just seems to be in the Nor Cal DNA to not play D. Back to Darko……the blogosphere has called David Kahn an idiot for many things including re-signing Darko to a 4 year $20 Million contract in July of this year. But even genius savant Billy Simmons had to take back his Kahn bashing based on what Darko is doing this year for The Timberlinewolves. He’s a good complement to Kevin Love the rebounding mad man/future All-Star and he currently leads The Association in blocks. Darko’s having a very good year. Not a better year than Carmelo or D-Wide mind you (who he was drafted in front of in the 2003 draft with Dumars’ 2nd pick). But it’s a good year compared to his prior history. Come to think of it, he may be having a better year than Bosh who was in the same draft class. This story is going to be very fun to follow this year.

Bilbo: Wait, I thought this was a Simmons Free discussion? Here is a cool “what if”. How would Darko’s career in the YeeBA have been different if he had waited a year and became eligible in 2004? For one, the pressure of being taken ahead of really good players would be gone and the expectations lowered considerably. I don’t think the “experts” would have delivered so much hate if Darko had been selected ahead of Emeka Nakkafor as opposed to Melo (assuming, for arguments sake, he was the 2nd pick in 2004). Second, he may have ended up on a team that actually could have developed him into a decent center, like the Warriors. Just kidding. But what if the Charlotte Dragons…I mean Bobcats had taken him and just decided he would be their guy from day one? They were a brand new expansion team and had nothing to lose by starting Darko. The fans would have realized that a rookie center on a first year expansion team wasn’t supposed to make it to the playoffs, so he would have had a year or two of relatively pressure free hoops. Taking this all into account, where do you think he would be now compared to other centers in the league?

Cam: I 100% agree with you here. The expectations were off the charts for this 2nd overall pick at age 18 on a team that just made it to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals with Joe Dumars as your GM and Larry Brown as your coach. Plus, you’re from Serbia and you don’t speak Engrish well. He heard that he was a bad pick from day one simply based on his lack of playing time and how well others who were picked after him were doing and this didn’t earn him an ounce of respect from elder statesmen teammates like Chauncey, Rip, Big Ben, Tayshaun, and Sheed. Nathaniel Friedman a.k.a. Bethlehem Shoals actually started a successful NBA writing career by launching Free Darko back then with the simple premise that he really liked Darko’s game and saw his need to be let go from the Detroit tyranny at the time. Well, it took lost seasons, poorly spent contract dollars, and media humiliation for Darko to finally be freed. And now I think his contract is better than many in his draft class, especially Rashard Lewis’. Watching the T-Wolves it is obvious that their front line of Darko/Love (hilarious) is legit. It’s their pathetic guard play that holds them down. Kahn could have been fired for drafting Johnny Flynn and Ricky Rubio infront of Tyreke Evans and Steph Curry. But he just saved his ass by freeing Darko. Darko is on a developing team (another way to say “shitty team”), he’s gotten paid, he’s getting minutes from Rambis, and he’s all growns up. Kahn Freed Darko. Who woulda thunk?

Cam:  Bilbo, why didn't you email me back?  I had one more thought about Darko.  If you look at the way he plays in the post, he's got some very interesting post move skills.  Most big men release the ball with their arms extended to shoot over people. Well, every big man but Dwight Howard who takes bank jumpers with a 90 degree arm angle Shawn Marion style.  But Darko flicks the ball from his side when he shoots right handed.  It's quick, impossible to block, and he's mastered the shot.  His left hand turn around hook is where he extends and he can shoot that out to a very impressive 12 feet.  But his skills are strange and intriguing to watch.  Now I understand why the Free Darko blog came out in the first place.