I just thought I’d check in with you all and hopefully get a few comments from some of you on what you thought the future of the Phoenix Suns was…
I’ve talked about it multiple times… With Dragic coming over, Nash still playing well, STAT playing out of his mind, and grandpa Hill and grandpa O’niell playing better than they were in the previous seasons, I think the window of opportunity is still open. Not to mention the possibility of Diaw and Barbosa as well as the other added talent to the Suns in this off season.
One of the biggest things I’m worried about his how Shaq the stalker is going to affect the team chemistry this upcoming season…. He’s got some pretty crazy stuff out there…
Alright, the new logo, name, color, and song for the Oklahoma City thunder was revealed today. The logo leaves much to be desired looking like a kindergardener drew it… but I guess it could be a lot worse, we could be the thundercats and some man lion could be our logo and mascot [though OKC isn't to much on the ball, said they still are deciding a mascot]. The name itself isn’t bad, personally I would of preferred the Oklahoma city barons, for our breakthroughs in aviation, and I think it sounded much cooler, but this wasn’t the worst name out there. The colors, let’s break them down the primary colors were blue the said that was because the Oklahoma state flag is blue, Red for the university of oklahoma, Orange for Oklahoma state university, and yellow for the sun depicted in the Oklahoma state flag… I guess it makes sense but basically all they did was take the states most powerful colors and put them together. The very best part was the song, thunderstruck my AC/DC, it truly was the perfect song for this team. It was by all means the highlight.
In short, Bennet and company didn’t do to bad, they brought OKC a team which we deserved and proved we could and would support. The thunder have a great future ahead of them, they have young stars that could mature into superstars in the league one day, a coach that is experienced but will also grow and progress with them, and most important of all a city that will support them if they are great or suck because… I mean come on… it is Oklahoma and there isn’t much to do here really, the people are hard workers and they are nice good people but on events Oklahoma are a little behind [untill you count our college towns] We have a minor league Baseball team, and a minor league hockey team that sell some tickets out there, if that doesn’t prove the Thunder have a devoted fan base, that adds to their future I don’t know what does.
So, here it is. An employee at the factory where the basketballs are made took this picture and posted it on the net. Most people seem to believe it’s legit. Seems weird though that they put the most emphasis on OKC and not Thunder.
Here are some of the best plays by Jamario Moon while playing for the Toronto Raptors last season. He is such an explosive player with amazing blocks and stunning dunks…
Wayman Tisdale, a player whom I loved to watch play for the Phoenix Suns has recently had part of his right leg amputated due to bone cancer. Currently he is an award winning Jazz musician. I must say, I have not listened to even one of his songs even though I do enjoy Jazz music. Though I feel bad for it. I’ve met Tisdale. I even got his autograph. He’s a very courteious and respectful individual from what I remember. I was pretty young when I did meet him and don’t necessarily remember our entire conversation (my parents took me to meet a lot of Suns players when I was young) but I do remember him and his upbeat attitude very well.
I’m sure you random people of the world don’t know me from my forum so here is a quote from Tisdale in 2004 describing the Wayman Tisdale sound… “It’s definitely a happy sound, a happy feeling. You hear my music… it’s just something that when people hear the melody, they can relate to a song or record of mine. I keep it like ear candy. I just make sure its fan friendly.” That’s him. It’s just how he is. I’d like to think the “Wayman Tisdale sound” he is describing is just the artistic representation of himself. It seems plausable. That’s what music is right?
Luckily though, one day in 2007 Tisdale fell down some stairs and broke his leg. Normally you don’t go and wish something like that on somebody but in this particular case, his broken leg was a blessing because that’s how they diagnosed his bone cancer. It’s sad he had to get knee replacement surgery as a result but I’m positive he feels the same way about the situation as me. After all, when confronted with a treatment option he had this to say, “My quest to get healthy still continues, so I plan to literally ‘take it out’.” He has also stated “I have complete faith that with the Lord’s blessings this surgery will eliminate the cancer from my body and I’ll soon be back on the road doing what I do best.”
He plans on continuing his music and expects to dance at the Smooth Jazz Cruise that he hosts anually in January. You know, I’m not gonna dickride him too much but I really have to say this. It’d be nice to see more people focus on their optimistic future after saying, hey screw it, chop that portion of my leg off.
He was a 2 time all star and a loved player but his life was unfortunately cut short on Monday while in Portland, Oregon. Kevin Duckworth was first drafted by the San Antonio Spurs and was traded in his first season to the Blazers. He fell in love with the city and even decided to stay there after his 11 year career in the NBA was over.
Duck, by which became to be known, was one of those special players that utilized his work ethic to earn himself a name in basketball because he was drafted in the 2nd round, yet was still able to become an all star caliber player. Due to Sam Bowie and Steve Johnson injuries he had the responsibility of helping the team demanded of him earlier than it was earned. Duckworth responded accordingly and averaged 15.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game as a result.
I’ve been planning on writing an article about Goran Dragic reaching a buyout with his Spanish club Tau Ceramica for a while now which I believed to be definitely worthy of an article. I had planned on writing extensively about his subject but then a curve ball was thrown by Kerr and crew of the Houston Rockets. DJ Strawberry was sent to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Sean Singletary. Let’s back up for a bit.
Goran Dragic is probably fairly unknown to you fans of the 28 other teams that didn’t have a hand in him. The San Antonio Spurs drafted him with the 45th pick in the 2nd round. Here is where many of you casual fans stop paying attention.
Go ahead and close your browser now and spare yourself some history.
Ok, now that they are gone we can continue. The Phoenix Suns traded away their 2nd round pick for Dragic. I believe they had the 48th pick in the draft. I’m not sure but I don’t see how it matters much anyway. What is especially important is that the Suns executives have publicly stated multiple times that Dragic was the 2nd best point guard in the draft. Pretty ballsy statement right? In that same article, and on many others, they are quoted to have stated they would have taken Dragic with their 15th pick had Robin Lopez not have fallen to that spot. Yes, I said fallen. I’m not getting into that now but it’s true.
First off, I’d like to cover some possible scenarios with this pick. There are two scenarios that will play out as a result of this situation. First I’ll argue my opinion then I’ll touch another possible scenario.
The first scenario: Goran Dragic is the 2nd best point guard in the draft
It seems to me that the Suns are in the very best position to make this statement. Apparently Dragic flew in secretly to practice for Phoenix and left without communicating with any other team. His agent even publicly told all teams that he wanted Dragic to be drafted in the top 15 or the 2nd round. Apparently there is a method to that madness but I’m not getting into that other than saying it’s supposed to increase the players potential success in the NBA. The important thing to think about here is that his agent was telling other teams not to draft him 16-30.
1. Making demands for where a player is drafted shows confidence
Well, either that or you are representing China. I won’t go there either. For a player that had 44 other individuals drafted before him you have to admit, it takes confidence in that players ability to make it in the NBA for your agent to tell 15 other teams not to draft him in the first round. The alternative benefit of this demand is that he wanted to play for the Suns and other teams may be turned off by such demands before the draft. See the situation with Yi Jianlian and notice he was traded this offseason (OK I sort of went there).
2. Goran Dragic was not expected to play in the NBA this upcoming season
He is still under contract with Tau Ceramica to this day. Even though a verbal agreement has been made and everything has been negotiated, Phoenix is still not able to sign Dragic officially. The first reports that came out suggested there wasn’t any way he’d be able to come over to the NBA this season. Even the reports here in Phoenix suggested there was no way he’d be able to come over. So, assuming he is the 2nd best point guard in the 2008 draft, how many teams are going to be interested in a player already under contract and who is doubtful to even be able to play for them next year. This point only emphasizes the potential reasoning for Dragic’s agent to demand he is drafted in the first 15 (likely the Suns) or the 2nd round (which happened). Most players drafted in the 2nd round are pretty easy to trade. It’s even easier for that to happen when that player secretly only practiced for one team. If I recall correctly, the news of Dragic practicing for the Suns was out before the draft. Drafting that player, like the Spurs did, would likely only be the result of gaining that player for their value knowing another team wanted him, though, they would only benefit had they not had any confidence in their ability to pick a 2nd round player they could use. This could easily be the reasoning behind the fall to 45.
3. The Phoenix Suns have made some very bold predictions
Now, for all the talk from the Phoenix Suns, they realize what is at stake here. It seems as if Phoenix is the best team to be able to analyze his strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. I’m assuming Phoenix has had this kid under the radar of their scouts and have been watching him since they think so highly of him. Added to that, it helps that they are the only team for which Dragic has practiced. Knowing the situation, one can only conclude that Phoenix is in the very best position to analyze him as a player. They certainly have more knowledge of him.
As a second argument for this position it would severely cripple the confidence in both Kerr’s GM abilities and Sarver’s ownership abilities. I’ve been criticizing Sarver for a while now and knowing that Kerr is his buddy, I have had Kerr under a microscope ever since he got the position of GM. I didn’t like how they forced D’Antoni out (another topic) but I felt that Shaq coming to the team was a good move. I still do, but most don’t. For the casual fans, which is an extremely important demographic for the franchise as a business, a first round exit for the Suns last year hurt tremendously. Fairweather fans aren’t going to be confident in a team that doesn’t get past the first round so there needs to be hope for the future of the franchise. Sarver is business first (which is why I don’t like him) and for him to keep making money, he needs to make the team better. For an intelligent businessman (which he is) it is important to maintain your teams status as “championship contender” for as little money as possible.
Last year, my confidence in the Suns as “championship contenders” dropped quite a bit while watching them during the regular season and even our local radio talk show hosts said the window of opportunity was over. Here it comes again and as a fan I feel obligated to have a critical faith in my team. Which brings me to the second scenario and more importantly, the curve ball.
The second scenario: Dragic drastically falls short
Here is the rub. The curveball if you will. On Monday, the Phoenix Suns have traded DJ Strawberry for rookie point guard Sean Singletary. Just eight days after the Suns pretty much made it official that Dragic was going to be playing for the Suns next season and talking him up to be the franchise rookie point guard, they go and trade for yet another rookie point guard. Umm… Another rookie point guard? Why? I can understand trading for an old veteran point guard to help Dragic develop as a player and to provide some more intelligence to the depth at the position but it seems more likely that we are overplaying the confidence in a 2nd round player just like last year when we talked up Strawberry a great deal only for us fans to watch him make one blatant rookie mistake after another. No, not even a rookie mistake, let’s call it a freshman mistake.
Having a 2nd rookie point guard just tells me that the teams confidence in Dragic is overplayed. Second round picks generally don’t make it so instead of rolling the dice once it seems they would prefer to roll it twice. I remembered reading about how the Suns were frantically trying to trade up in the draft because they thought there was no way Strawberry would fall to the 59th pick, which he did.
So even though we lost faith in Strawberry, wouldn’t it be more important to try to get another backup center? Sure I have confidence in Shaq’s last year effort to pull out some wins but he is definitely going to retire after next year. Nash has more in him physically and if he does mentally then we don’t need to worry about having yet more guard projects. It’s obvious Amare flourishes at his natural power forward position and I wouldn’t like to see him be forced to go back to playing Center because of lack of depth in a year. Even though I have confidence in Robin to excel as the our Center in his rookie year you never know with rookies. First overall picks have been busts and 2nd rounders have become all stars.
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To my chagrin I loaded up the live game stream as I have done many times in the past and fired up the game online, expecting another dull and quiet video feed of the live USA Basketball games but noticed that for the first time, America is actually getting a live feed for an Olympic event. Sure many of us feel it is the most important event but why now? Really?
Anyway, as shocked as I am, that’s really not the point. So…
I can’t depreciate the effort from Spain though. It wouldn’t be right. My ancestors came from Spain. Now that I got that out of the way…
After some very sloppy play in the first 6 minutes or so of the first quarter this Bosh and Wade character started to step up a bit. Defense. Offense. Dirty work. These guys seem like they’ll do pretty well as basketball players. This Wade guy even decided he’d go out and score roughly 2 points for every minute he played in the first half. Even the Spaniards threw a towel on the court out of disgust early in the first half. I was planning on taking the Stephen Colbert high road and assume they gave up but apparently after the first half they decided to keep playing.
Throughout the 2nd half they kept it close. As soon as the USA started to pull away Spain came back and started hitting shots. The United States never pulled away a secure enough lead throughout the game to show any sort of dominance and kept everybody biting their nails the entire way. I’m pretty sure I made myself bleed my own blood. I don’t like that.
I’ll be honest. I wasn’t cheering and screaming much this game because I didn’t see any of them play with heart. Spain sure may have provided some scary moments for some but I was watching this so called redeem team play for the gold medal. I was waiting for them to play at the level I expected them to play at since I began watching Olympic Basketball.
It’s almost like they decided to swat and paw at their pray like a cat would a mouse for 3/4 of the event. You know, just to torture and mess with the life they essentially own for a bit to enjoy the pleasure of control for just long enough to whet and tease the appetite until they can’t stand it anymore. Yeah, it was pretty much like that because halfway through the fourth quarter it’s almost like Team USA decided to go in for the kill. The redeem team kicked it into gear and seemingly played with the emotion I have been waiting to see since the Olympics began.
As marketed as it was and as exciting as many people have made it sound, I just didn’t experience what I expected. Meh
I have been downloading for years but I’m sad to say that my internet service provider (cox) has caught me a few times now… During the time that we were caught (my brother and I) we were connecting to piratebay… We were given 3 warnings until we were disconnected… Since then I have moved and have started having fun again… I’m hoping others can provide their input on how they have gotten around this unfair torrent downloading business…
If anybody has any tips I’d be appreciative and would provide the public the goods as such.
Well, today USA clinched the top spot of the B group which features some of the best teams around (Spain, Germany, Greece, and China). They truly showed how dominate they are. Spain who has played amazing so far would of maybe been the team that had a shot at beating the “redeem team”, but in the end it turned out like the rest a crushing defeat [by an impressive 37 points]. The most interesting part of this game for me was seeing Ricky Rubin the boy wonder who went pro in Spain at age of 14. At 17 now he is the back up Point Guard for a pretty good Olympic team. He showed some stride in there I mean he was facing Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams not many 17 year old kids could even imagine taking on them. This kid has 2 more years before he can come into the NBA and to tell the truth I’d be surprised if he wasn’t a top 5 pick when he announces. Other than that USA crushed probably their most competitive rivals, the highlight dunks, the amazing D, team USA played up to what is expected of them. The thing I have to wonder, now that they clinched the top spot how hard will they play against the Dirk lead German team?
