Time for a new thread, if for no other reason than to move on from the moot discussion of Al Harrinton or whether we can blame Mitch for not following through on trade scenarios we came up with in our head.
I’d start one about Team USA’s close game with Brazil, but I didn’t get to see it (but I’d love feedback from those who did). So here are a few things from the Web worth your time (in my humble opinion).
UPDATE: One of the NBA writers I enjoy most, Kelly Dwyer over at SI.com (that’s THE Sports Illustrated, thank you very much), has started previewing the upcoming season by doing a few Q&As with top bloggers. The first two installments have been very insightful — TZ from Sactown Royalty talks about the Sacramento Kings, who will have a full season of Artest and a new coach in Musselman and could dramaticly improve; and Matt from Blog-a-Bull, who talks about one of the rising powers in the East. There will be more on this series in the coming weeks, including some Laker Q&A.
• While I had a bit of schadenfreude at Donald Sterling’s latest legal troubles, Kevin at Clipper blog has a great, thoughtful post about the blind eye we all tend to turn as sports fans.
How can a gay ChiSox fan possibly root for Ozzie’s success? What about rooting for a collection of known rapists when the most important thing in your life is your five-year-old daughter? Should you give your money to an owner who is a crony of George Bush if you have a truly principled stance against the Administration?
The assumption here is that most readers have an easier time than I do parsing their consumer loyalties from their overall worldview. I, on the other hand, have trouble doing that. Do I really want to drop $1,700 per seat into the pocket of a guy who does America the wrong way? Should I just sublimate my guilt and root for the nine black guys in the world that Sterling does like?
We Laker fans can certainly appreciate this. We’re not going to get into a discussion of Kobe’s guilt or innocence — only two people in the world know the real answer and you and I aren’t among them — but we certainly all try to give a benefit of the doubt to players we like. If nothing else, it’s something we need to be aware of.
• To further our soccer discussions here — Kobe is an AC Milan guy.
• One of the funniest things I’ve read in a while is the “Nike Infant and Toddler Scouting Report†from McSweeney’s.
4. Christopher “Magic” Johnson, guard
One-year-old phenom. Already plays like a 2-year-old. Scouts say he’s the best ballhandler they’ve seen in years: can hold ball without falling. Turnover rate should drop considerably if he stops drooling. Defense and rebounding need work: seems more interested in breastfeeding than boxing out.
• And a random YouTube finding put here for no other reason that I still think it’s the funniest thing I may ever have seen on Saturday Night Live — Jessie Jackson reading Green Eggs and Ham. (Be warned, the video quality sucks.)
Rob says
That McSweeney’s article reminds me of an old Mr. Show sketch. Bob and David play b-ball recruiters that scout toddlers for colleges. Hilarious.
Rob says
Here’s the YouTube link to the recruiters sketch.
The Recruiters
John R says
From behind the Insider wall:
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/scouts/insider/news/story?id=2544412
4. Lakers sign Vladimir Radmanovic
The roller-coaster ride known as the 2006 playoffs provided the Lakers with a crystal clear look into their future. The team had to upgrade its offense and lessen the load on Kobe Bryant. Also, the triangle offense requires spacing and good outside shooting, especially when the team does not have a consistent low-post scoring option (other than Bryant).
So the Lakers signed Vladimir Radmanovic to a five-year, $30 million deal. While Radmonovic does have the ability to help the Lakers with his shooting touch, in particular from 3-point range, he does not rebound well for a 6-foot-10 player. He also seems very indifferent on the defensive end, which will not sit well with Phil Jackson.
Radmanovic’s play and attitude decline when he does not touch the ball often, and he might not be content with the number of shots he has after Kobe and Lamar Odom get theirs. He has not sustained a consistent level of play during his career and sometimes seems to suffer from Randy Moss Syndrome — i.e. playing hard only when he feels like it.
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New prediction to update my old, by game 25 Kobe will have lost all confidence in Vlade and I think we all know how that ends.