The slowest sports day of the year -- certainly the slowest day of the baseball season -- is an ideal time to enthusiastically promote Joe Sheehan’s email newsletter.
It’s very simple: Joe Sheehan’s email newsletter about baseball is likely the best $20 I have spent on media this year.
Let me unpack that:
When Sheehan -- a pillar of Baseball Prospectus and one of the smartest baseball writers in the world -- first launched an email newsletter you pay to receive, I loved the idea.
On one level, I applaud his entrepreneurialism -- both to strike out on his own and to value his content enough to charge for it. On another level, I was excited to read him in this format. I think Sheehan is in the Top 3 baseball writers in the country (and the only reason I wouldn’t rank him No. 1 outright is because I can’t bring myself to dislodge Rob Neyer and there is a regular rotation of great baseball writers I would include in my Top 3. But Sheehan is on the Rushmore.)
I didn’t immediately subscribe -- looking back, that was an error. I was talking with Leitch a few weeks ago and Sheehan came up. I mentioned that I had been meaning to subscribe -- Will couldn’t recommend it more highly.
Already entirely ready to support Sheehan’s start-up, I quickly signed up: $20 via PayPal. Half-a-dozen newsletters in, I feel like the subscription has already paid for itself. That I have what will probably end up being 40 editions left between now and the World Series (there could be plenty more, depending on how enthusiastic Joe is) feels like the greatest kind of bargain. In short: I love it.
If you are a huge baseball fan, you will appreciate the baseball insights of an expert. If you are a less intense fan -- like me -- you will really appreciate him.
Sheehan picks out the most interesting stories, then gives you insights you won’t find elsewhere and that -- and this is really big for me -- will make you smarter as a fan.
Let me say that again: I am a better baseball fan for being a Sheehan newsletter subscriber. I am smarter. That’s all I want from my analysis: Make me a smarter fan, and don’t demand too much of my time or energy to do it.
At this point, I anxiously look forward to Sheehan’s latest emails, and when they arrive, I devour them. I've got one waiting in my in-box right now, featuring his notes from the All-Star Game and his take on George Steinbrenner.
I can’t recommend the newsletter highly enough. Even for half a season, it is entirely worth $20. Even if you are only a casual baseball fan, it is entirely worth $20.
(When I say casual, I mean you should like and follow baseball. It's not for people looking for a shallow, Quickie-esque survey of the big headlines. Though we love those kind of people very much!)
With Joe, though, you will, however, get an incredibly interesting perspective that, when parroted in the office or on the barstool, will impress your co-workers and friends who DO love baseball - and to whom you should especially recommend to get this newsletter, too.)
Beyond its immediate value as phenomenal baseball analysis, I love supporting an independent voice.
Click here to get to Joe's website and subscribe.
(Even better: This month, he is donating a portion of all subscriptions to a charity dedicated to cancer research.)
-- D.S.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
07/14 Quickie: Boss, NL All-Stars, More
At his essence, George Steinbrenner was about winning. Sometimes at all costs, sometimes with strange methods, but I believe you can say his heart was in the right place.
If you believe winning is everything.
I would contend that -- in addition to a sense of belonging to a community and maintaining a version of a public trust -- an extreme commitment to winning is an ideal quality in your sports team owner.
Now, Steinbrenner enjoyed some tremendous financial advantages that allowed him to spend-spend-spend on the Yankees.
But consider the larger point: He spent. He reinvested, always. Everything went back into the business, with the goal to make the team a winner.
As you all know, I have spent the last few years fairly obsessed with the notion of "Championship or Failure." Perhaps that's why Steinbrenner's maniacal focus on winning championships resonated with me.
You can question his methods. You cannot question his intentions.
More in today's SN column:
*If you are college-aged or younger, last night was probably the first NL win in an All-Star Game you can ever remember.
*Do Al Jefferson and Tyson Chandler make the Jazz and Mavs contenders in the West? I certainly wouldn't pick them over the Lakers, but I like that they are continuing to try to contend for a title. They will remain on my very short list of teams sincerely attempting that.
*Stanford clocks in at No. 51 on SN's preseason CFB countdown, and I contend that not only will Andrew Luck out-rank Jake Locker among Pac-10 QBs, but Luck will finish the season as 1st-team All-America at QB... and the top-picked QB in the 2011 NFL Draft.
(Between Luck, Locker and -- at least according to scouts -- Ponder, it should be a solid QB class at the top of next year's draft. Makes you wonder if the Rams -- who will undoubtedly have a top choice -- blew it by taking Bradford over Suh, when they could have had an even better prospect a year from now. Yes, I think Luck and Locker are better pro prospects than Bradford, who has yet to prove he can withstand a pounding from BYU linemen, let alone NFC linemen.)
*I am predicting a big night for the Saints at the ESPYs tonight.
*The Old Spice viral video campaign yesterday was absolutely brilliant.
Complete SN column here. More later.
-- D.S.
If you believe winning is everything.
I would contend that -- in addition to a sense of belonging to a community and maintaining a version of a public trust -- an extreme commitment to winning is an ideal quality in your sports team owner.
Now, Steinbrenner enjoyed some tremendous financial advantages that allowed him to spend-spend-spend on the Yankees.
But consider the larger point: He spent. He reinvested, always. Everything went back into the business, with the goal to make the team a winner.
As you all know, I have spent the last few years fairly obsessed with the notion of "Championship or Failure." Perhaps that's why Steinbrenner's maniacal focus on winning championships resonated with me.
You can question his methods. You cannot question his intentions.
More in today's SN column:
*If you are college-aged or younger, last night was probably the first NL win in an All-Star Game you can ever remember.
*Do Al Jefferson and Tyson Chandler make the Jazz and Mavs contenders in the West? I certainly wouldn't pick them over the Lakers, but I like that they are continuing to try to contend for a title. They will remain on my very short list of teams sincerely attempting that.
*Stanford clocks in at No. 51 on SN's preseason CFB countdown, and I contend that not only will Andrew Luck out-rank Jake Locker among Pac-10 QBs, but Luck will finish the season as 1st-team All-America at QB... and the top-picked QB in the 2011 NFL Draft.
(Between Luck, Locker and -- at least according to scouts -- Ponder, it should be a solid QB class at the top of next year's draft. Makes you wonder if the Rams -- who will undoubtedly have a top choice -- blew it by taking Bradford over Suh, when they could have had an even better prospect a year from now. Yes, I think Luck and Locker are better pro prospects than Bradford, who has yet to prove he can withstand a pounding from BYU linemen, let alone NFC linemen.)
*I am predicting a big night for the Saints at the ESPYs tonight.
*The Old Spice viral video campaign yesterday was absolutely brilliant.
Complete SN column here. More later.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
07/13 Quickie: Boss, ASG, Wall, More
News just broke that George Steinbrenner is dead. There will be a TON written and said about him today, tomorrow and into the future, but I will leave it with this:
"The Boss" was the most larger-than-life owner in the history of U.S. sports: A bombastic, obsessive manager who ranks at the top of the most competitive people in sports history.
Of the many, many things to remember about him, this is what I will remember most:
He wanted his Yankees to win championships more than any other thing. It drove all of his decision-making, for better and worse. He spent whatever he needed to and demanded success.
I respect that he felt an obligation for the Yankees to be the greatest franchise in sports -- and he lived with that obligation always in mind.
Condolences to his family, friends and Yankee fans.
Today's SN column digs into the All-Star Game of fresh faces, Big Papi's Derby revival, John Wall winning over the NBA, the NCAA vs. Facebook, Tim Tebow and EA's NCAA Football 11 and More. See it all here.
-- D.S.
"The Boss" was the most larger-than-life owner in the history of U.S. sports: A bombastic, obsessive manager who ranks at the top of the most competitive people in sports history.
Of the many, many things to remember about him, this is what I will remember most:
He wanted his Yankees to win championships more than any other thing. It drove all of his decision-making, for better and worse. He spent whatever he needed to and demanded success.
I respect that he felt an obligation for the Yankees to be the greatest franchise in sports -- and he lived with that obligation always in mind.
Condolences to his family, friends and Yankee fans.
Today's SN column digs into the All-Star Game of fresh faces, Big Papi's Derby revival, John Wall winning over the NBA, the NCAA vs. Facebook, Tim Tebow and EA's NCAA Football 11 and More. See it all here.
-- D.S.
Monday, July 12, 2010
07/12 Quickie: Spain, LeBron, Wall, ASG
So at this point, everyone knows that as it relates to LeBron and the Heat, at best it was highly unseemly and at worst it was tampering with the biggest star in the league.
Now, it probably wouldn't have mattered: LeBron was going to team up with D-Wade and Bosh anyway -- hmm...or would he?
That's the litmus test of true tampering: In the absence of the tamp effort, would LeBron have made a different choice? In this case, it is unclear, one way or the other.
It is a moot point: The NBA will ignore it, and for all the bluster from the Cavs, they had no problems doing a sign-and-trade to give LeBron as much money as possible.
(For those of us who read the signals a long time ago that LeBron was going to abandon Cleveland, it is easy to say in hindsight that the Cavs should have traded him.)
In today's SN column, I led with Paul the Octopus as an excuse to predict that the league wouldn't do anything about LeBron and the Heat's tampering. More in today's column:
*John Wall is going to spend next season living at the free-throw line.
*Spain wins the World Cup: Gotta love the biggest sports thing to ever happen to a country.
(What would be the US analogue? No question: "Miracle on Ice" in 1980. I'm going to narrowly define it, because it is very hard not to put "Jackie Robinson integrates baseball" at No. 1 of any list related to defining sports moments in the US. It's parsing, but maybe that's the difference. Damn, should have led the column with that.)
*Forlan wins the Golden Boot: Love this pick.
*Nick Swisher might not win the HR Derby, but he will make it more fun.
*If the Heat retain Udonis Haslem AND get Derek Fisher, I'll revise my prediction and say they will win the NBA title. But they won't get either.
*Jordan Farmar is coming to Brooklyn. I mean...
*Putting on my octopus hat, I think that Carmelo's marriage lasts longer than Carrie's.
*Totally approve of EA re-signing with ESPN -- and it's brilliant to put her on GameDay (plus extending GameDay by an hour -- ESPN's best studio show).
Packed column today: See it here. More later. Big week!
-- D.S.
Now, it probably wouldn't have mattered: LeBron was going to team up with D-Wade and Bosh anyway -- hmm...or would he?
That's the litmus test of true tampering: In the absence of the tamp effort, would LeBron have made a different choice? In this case, it is unclear, one way or the other.
It is a moot point: The NBA will ignore it, and for all the bluster from the Cavs, they had no problems doing a sign-and-trade to give LeBron as much money as possible.
(For those of us who read the signals a long time ago that LeBron was going to abandon Cleveland, it is easy to say in hindsight that the Cavs should have traded him.)
In today's SN column, I led with Paul the Octopus as an excuse to predict that the league wouldn't do anything about LeBron and the Heat's tampering. More in today's column:
*John Wall is going to spend next season living at the free-throw line.
*Spain wins the World Cup: Gotta love the biggest sports thing to ever happen to a country.
(What would be the US analogue? No question: "Miracle on Ice" in 1980. I'm going to narrowly define it, because it is very hard not to put "Jackie Robinson integrates baseball" at No. 1 of any list related to defining sports moments in the US. It's parsing, but maybe that's the difference. Damn, should have led the column with that.)
*Forlan wins the Golden Boot: Love this pick.
*Nick Swisher might not win the HR Derby, but he will make it more fun.
*If the Heat retain Udonis Haslem AND get Derek Fisher, I'll revise my prediction and say they will win the NBA title. But they won't get either.
*Jordan Farmar is coming to Brooklyn. I mean...
*Putting on my octopus hat, I think that Carmelo's marriage lasts longer than Carrie's.
*Totally approve of EA re-signing with ESPN -- and it's brilliant to put her on GameDay (plus extending GameDay by an hour -- ESPN's best studio show).
Packed column today: See it here. More later. Big week!
-- D.S.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Sunday (Holland-Spain) Quickie
I will miss the World Cup. But I enjoy the styles of both the Netherlands and Spain -- it will be a great first-time champ, regardless of who wins. (I'll say... Holland.)
I think the big point is that for whichever country, a World Cup title will be the greatest moment in their sporting history, not unlike France in '98. That is going to be so cool to watch.
Travis Wood: So close!
Cliff Lee's Rangers debut: Complete-game...loss.
Rockies win 6th straight: If you had to put a bet down on the NL West champ, would it be the Padres -- or Colorado? I'm on the Rox bandwagon.
LeBron Watch: "Witness" poster removed. Obviously. (Protection?)
SuperFriends update: Not sure whether I like or hate that nickname yet. But if they can get Derek Fisher, it would be a coup. (Anyone else want to see them sign AI and T-Mac, too?)
NBA Free Agency: Will the Bulls get JJ Redick or will the Magic match? Not a bad situation for the one-time "bust."
(BTW: It's good to be Wes Matthews. All the more reason your draft slot is irrelevant -- it's all about fit and opportunity.)
NBA Summer in Vegas: Derrick Caracer, steal of the draft?
Enjoy your day.
-- D.S.
I think the big point is that for whichever country, a World Cup title will be the greatest moment in their sporting history, not unlike France in '98. That is going to be so cool to watch.
Travis Wood: So close!
Cliff Lee's Rangers debut: Complete-game...loss.
Rockies win 6th straight: If you had to put a bet down on the NL West champ, would it be the Padres -- or Colorado? I'm on the Rox bandwagon.
LeBron Watch: "Witness" poster removed. Obviously. (Protection?)
SuperFriends update: Not sure whether I like or hate that nickname yet. But if they can get Derek Fisher, it would be a coup. (Anyone else want to see them sign AI and T-Mac, too?)
NBA Free Agency: Will the Bulls get JJ Redick or will the Magic match? Not a bad situation for the one-time "bust."
(BTW: It's good to be Wes Matthews. All the more reason your draft slot is irrelevant -- it's all about fit and opportunity.)
NBA Summer in Vegas: Derrick Caracer, steal of the draft?
Enjoy your day.
-- D.S.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Saturday (Very) Quickie
Nothing new to say about LeBron? Sweet relief!
Rangers get Cliff Lee: You'd never think the team was in dire financial straits! From a fan perspective, you have to love them going for it when they have a chance. (Plus, it keeps Lee from the Yankees, which would have been devastating to any other contender.)
Strasburg Watch: 8 Ks and a W.
Seantrel Henderson to Miami: This is college football's not-quite-equivalent of LeBron going to play in Miami. Henderson could very well be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Ryan Howard vs. Joey Votto: Howard says "Take that!"
John Wall has a groin injury: Ahh, gotta love that old Bullets/Wizards curse.
LeBron NOT happy with Dan Gilbert letter: Couldn't resist a little LeBron news. Was he offended by the Comic Sans font?
Bulls get Kyle Korver: Great fit for Chicago, the sleeper pick to upend the sense of "Miami-fest Destiny" down in South Beach. He and Mike Miller for the Heat will play big roles.
Knicks zeroing in on Raymond Felton? He will do really well in a D'Antoni offense, but you can't help thinking it's a half-measure.
Fantasy: Is Daniel Hudson available in your league? Might be worth a look -- I had been sitting on him for weeks (only on my "Watch List") and I was asleep at the wheel when Peavy got injured. By this morning? Gone to a league rival.
Enjoy the day.
-- D.S.
-- D.S.
Rangers get Cliff Lee: You'd never think the team was in dire financial straits! From a fan perspective, you have to love them going for it when they have a chance. (Plus, it keeps Lee from the Yankees, which would have been devastating to any other contender.)
Strasburg Watch: 8 Ks and a W.
Seantrel Henderson to Miami: This is college football's not-quite-equivalent of LeBron going to play in Miami. Henderson could very well be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Ryan Howard vs. Joey Votto: Howard says "Take that!"
John Wall has a groin injury: Ahh, gotta love that old Bullets/Wizards curse.
LeBron NOT happy with Dan Gilbert letter: Couldn't resist a little LeBron news. Was he offended by the Comic Sans font?
Bulls get Kyle Korver: Great fit for Chicago, the sleeper pick to upend the sense of "Miami-fest Destiny" down in South Beach. He and Mike Miller for the Heat will play big roles.
Knicks zeroing in on Raymond Felton? He will do really well in a D'Antoni offense, but you can't help thinking it's a half-measure.
Fantasy: Is Daniel Hudson available in your league? Might be worth a look -- I had been sitting on him for weeks (only on my "Watch List") and I was asleep at the wheel when Peavy got injured. By this morning? Gone to a league rival.
Enjoy the day.
-- D.S.
-- D.S.
Friday, July 09, 2010
07/09 Quickie: LeBron, LeBron, LeBron
In case you missed it last night, see the post below for my own bit of Stephen A. Smith triumphalism of "I told you so" from July 6...
Oh, sorry: That would be July 6, 2006.
Otherwise, today's SN column is dominated by what might have eclipsed the Saints winning the Super Bowl as the sports story of the year: LeBron to the Heat.
Let me sum up a lot of the strands of thought I've been pulling together over the last few weeks:
*I don't begrudge LeBron his choice at all -- except to the extent he mismanaged its execution with respect to Cleveland fans, who deserved better.
*I see this as the apex of LeBron's sense of exceptionalism: That "solo star winning title" has been done -- virtually every time. "Star in prime opts to join with other stars in prime" has NEVER been done. It feeds LeBron's sense of history.
*However, that history can only be fulfilled with titles. Plural. Probably more than two.
That's the burden of the expectations that LeBron has set up -- what I would argue are the highest expectations for a player in NBA history:
Not just winning a championship, but enough titles to be notable. That ain't two. That ain't even three. Any less than 4 (in 5 years, mind you!) is, in my opinion, falling short of expectations.
*I am not convinced -- at all -- that even one championship for the Heat is a gimme over the next five years:
Year 1: They won't beat the Lakers. No chance.
Years 2-4: Good luck getting past Dwight Howard.
(Sidebar: Consider for a moment that if the Heat can't beat the Magic in the playoffs, LeBron-Wade-Bosh might not even be the best team in the state, let alone the East, let alone the NBA.)
Year 5: Kevin Durant will be destroying the league by then.
Window closed.
*I have serious qualms about 3 stars (or 2 stars and a wannabe star) being enough to win 16 playoff games while playing with 9 scrubs -- even if quality vets decide they'd play for the league minimum to be a part of the "Sorta-Dream Team."
That said: I think the Mike Miller signing is outstanding. He is the perfect fit for that team: A tall 3-point ace who can pass like a point guard. Miller could average 20 ppg, just on 3s.
(For Miller, let me coin a phrase: "Stretch-3.")
*Even if this is "mold-breaking," LeBron really is Pippen in this scenario.
And I don't know whether he's fine with that characterization (I'm sure he's not), but that's what he left himself with.
*Dan Gilbert's letter was as entertaining as it was insane.
*We've turned a corner on this storyline. I think the NBA just got as interesting as it has ever been, precisely because of this move.
*Don't buy the stuff about how this makes the league uncompetitive. For starters, there were 1.5 teams last season with a real chance to win the title. (And probably no more than a half-dozen who were even remotely in the conversation.)
The Heat joins that list. In fact, beating the Heat becomes the No. 1 story of the NBA. Either they live up to the expectations and win a championship or they are an utter failure (just like the Cavs were with LeBron last year).
What could be more dramatic than that?
Complete SN column here.
-- D.S.
Oh, sorry: That would be July 6, 2006.
Otherwise, today's SN column is dominated by what might have eclipsed the Saints winning the Super Bowl as the sports story of the year: LeBron to the Heat.
Let me sum up a lot of the strands of thought I've been pulling together over the last few weeks:
*I don't begrudge LeBron his choice at all -- except to the extent he mismanaged its execution with respect to Cleveland fans, who deserved better.
*I see this as the apex of LeBron's sense of exceptionalism: That "solo star winning title" has been done -- virtually every time. "Star in prime opts to join with other stars in prime" has NEVER been done. It feeds LeBron's sense of history.
*However, that history can only be fulfilled with titles. Plural. Probably more than two.
That's the burden of the expectations that LeBron has set up -- what I would argue are the highest expectations for a player in NBA history:
Not just winning a championship, but enough titles to be notable. That ain't two. That ain't even three. Any less than 4 (in 5 years, mind you!) is, in my opinion, falling short of expectations.
*I am not convinced -- at all -- that even one championship for the Heat is a gimme over the next five years:
Year 1: They won't beat the Lakers. No chance.
Years 2-4: Good luck getting past Dwight Howard.
(Sidebar: Consider for a moment that if the Heat can't beat the Magic in the playoffs, LeBron-Wade-Bosh might not even be the best team in the state, let alone the East, let alone the NBA.)
Year 5: Kevin Durant will be destroying the league by then.
Window closed.
*I have serious qualms about 3 stars (or 2 stars and a wannabe star) being enough to win 16 playoff games while playing with 9 scrubs -- even if quality vets decide they'd play for the league minimum to be a part of the "Sorta-Dream Team."
That said: I think the Mike Miller signing is outstanding. He is the perfect fit for that team: A tall 3-point ace who can pass like a point guard. Miller could average 20 ppg, just on 3s.
(For Miller, let me coin a phrase: "Stretch-3.")
*Even if this is "mold-breaking," LeBron really is Pippen in this scenario.
And I don't know whether he's fine with that characterization (I'm sure he's not), but that's what he left himself with.
*Dan Gilbert's letter was as entertaining as it was insane.
*We've turned a corner on this storyline. I think the NBA just got as interesting as it has ever been, precisely because of this move.
*Don't buy the stuff about how this makes the league uncompetitive. For starters, there were 1.5 teams last season with a real chance to win the title. (And probably no more than a half-dozen who were even remotely in the conversation.)
The Heat joins that list. In fact, beating the Heat becomes the No. 1 story of the NBA. Either they live up to the expectations and win a championship or they are an utter failure (just like the Cavs were with LeBron last year).
What could be more dramatic than that?
Complete SN column here.
-- D.S.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
LeBron to the Heat
The Daily Quickie from July 6, 2006:
Two Words For You:
LEAVE. LAND.
Who else finds LeBron's silence about the "max" deal he has been offered from the Cavs to be the summer's most intriguing story line?
(Well, certainly not fans in Ohio, who could be forgiven for being in a panic right now.)
The offer was made days ago; Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade already have gone public with their enthusiasm to re-sign with their teams.
But not LeBron. Not yet.
So let's read between the lines of his decision not to publicly embrace the team's mega-offer to the NBA's megastar:
Does he really want to play in Cleveland, some half-baked market, for the Cavs, some half-baked franchise already being lapped by competitors in the East planning for the descent of Detroit and sunset of Shaq?
I don't care about previous statements of loyalty LeBron has made about Ohio. Actions are louder than words:
His silence indicates that he's at least considering his options, which have to include playing in a market worthy of his status as the NBA's biggest star -- say, New York or L.A.?
But Kobe rules L.A. And the Knicks are a mess, both in the standings and in the payroll. That leaves the intrigue for LeBron of playing for his buddy and mentor, Jay-Z, who happens to be owner of the soon-to-be-Brooklyn Nets.
Maybe that's a pipe dream from someone who owns a tiny slice of real estate in Brooklyn and would like to see the market get a "LeBron bump."
But even that pie/sky theory is a better explanation today than any Cavs fan can offer for why LeBron hasn't said "yes" to Cleveland yet.
The longer LeBron waits to agree to the Cavs' offer, the more intense the questions (and theories) will get. Here are LeBron's options:
(1) Simple: Sign the max deal with the Cavs and lock in the big money for five years.
(2) Complicated: Sign a 1-year deal with the Cavs and be a restricted free agent in '07. It gets messy, but effectively, he'd trade two years of uncertainty (and low dollars) for the glory of unrestricted choice in '08.
Here's the X-factor that should have Cavs fans worried: Cash on hand.
It's not as if LeBron needs the money now. He easily could live off his endorsement money and wait out his unrestricted freedom.
Could he get injured between now and then? Sure. But I suspect even a half-speed LeBron is still worth a huge payday to the team of his choice.
The bottom line is that LeBron can end all the rumors with a simple, MJ-like message:
"I'm staying."
In the absence of saying that, it's way too easy to argue that his real message is:
I want out.
Two Words For You:
LEAVE. LAND.
Who else finds LeBron's silence about the "max" deal he has been offered from the Cavs to be the summer's most intriguing story line?
(Well, certainly not fans in Ohio, who could be forgiven for being in a panic right now.)
The offer was made days ago; Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade already have gone public with their enthusiasm to re-sign with their teams.
But not LeBron. Not yet.
So let's read between the lines of his decision not to publicly embrace the team's mega-offer to the NBA's megastar:
Does he really want to play in Cleveland, some half-baked market, for the Cavs, some half-baked franchise already being lapped by competitors in the East planning for the descent of Detroit and sunset of Shaq?
I don't care about previous statements of loyalty LeBron has made about Ohio. Actions are louder than words:
His silence indicates that he's at least considering his options, which have to include playing in a market worthy of his status as the NBA's biggest star -- say, New York or L.A.?
But Kobe rules L.A. And the Knicks are a mess, both in the standings and in the payroll. That leaves the intrigue for LeBron of playing for his buddy and mentor, Jay-Z, who happens to be owner of the soon-to-be-Brooklyn Nets.
Maybe that's a pipe dream from someone who owns a tiny slice of real estate in Brooklyn and would like to see the market get a "LeBron bump."
But even that pie/sky theory is a better explanation today than any Cavs fan can offer for why LeBron hasn't said "yes" to Cleveland yet.
The longer LeBron waits to agree to the Cavs' offer, the more intense the questions (and theories) will get. Here are LeBron's options:
(1) Simple: Sign the max deal with the Cavs and lock in the big money for five years.
(2) Complicated: Sign a 1-year deal with the Cavs and be a restricted free agent in '07. It gets messy, but effectively, he'd trade two years of uncertainty (and low dollars) for the glory of unrestricted choice in '08.
Here's the X-factor that should have Cavs fans worried: Cash on hand.
It's not as if LeBron needs the money now. He easily could live off his endorsement money and wait out his unrestricted freedom.
Could he get injured between now and then? Sure. But I suspect even a half-speed LeBron is still worth a huge payday to the team of his choice.
The bottom line is that LeBron can end all the rumors with a simple, MJ-like message:
"I'm staying."
In the absence of saying that, it's way too easy to argue that his real message is:
I want out.
Afternoon Thoughts on LeBron to Miami
Let's accept on good faith that LeBron is going to the Heat -- that the leaks are true and not some sort of odd subterfuge to manufacture extra drama for tonight, when he will pick someone else.
Here are a few points I've been mulling over:
*Why is there an assumption that the Bron-Wade-Bosh (or is that Wade-Bron-Bosh) Heat are this lock to win the championship? It's uncertain that they're even the best team in Florida, let alone the NBA.
*The 2010-2011 Lakers would destroy the Bron-Wade-Bosh Heat in the Finals.
*It's not like LeBron's Cavs in 09/10 were crappy -- they were a 60-win team, the No. 1 seed in the East and the presumptive favorites to win the East (and the title). Hmm...
...That earned LeBron a 2nd-round playoff exit.
*So: John Hollinger projects these Bron-Wade-Bosh Heat as a 60-win team. And? It entitles them to... nothing.
*When it comes to winning championships, a 3-star team with crap around them has less of a chance of winning than a 2-star team with a solid supporting cast.
That's why I'm mildly intrigued by the idea of the Heat getting both LeBron AND Mike Miller. That gives the Heat two superstars -- Bron and Wade -- and two really good "supporting cast" guys -- Bosh and Miller. But, still: The rest of the roster is crap.
I just don't think you can win 16 games in the playoffs with a shoddy supporting cast, no matter how awesome your superstars are.
Forget the ticket sales or jersey sales or TV ratings or Q ratings or glitz or whatever. LeBron and this presumptive Heat team should be judged on championship rings.
And I'm just not sure they are as locked in on them as everyone seems to think they are.
That was one of the points I was trying to make this morning: The expectations. What if LeBron, Wade, Bosh and the Heat win one title in the next five years... will that be enough? No way.
But I would argue that they have more of a chance of winning ZERO titles in the next five years than more than one. By the way, I'm not even sure that winning two titles is enough.
Cripes, Isiah Thomas won two titles. Hakeem won two titles. MJ won more. Kobe won more. Duncan won more. Hell, Adam Morrison has two rings.
At what point would a LeBron-Wade-Bosh Heat satisfy expectations: 3 titles? Four? Five? That discounts all the competitive forces at play in the rest of the NBA: Kobe in the next year or two, Dwight Howard and the Magic after that, Kevin Durant after that.
I am just not convinced that LeBron will win championships in Miami (or anywhere, but that's another story).
Funny enough: I don't begrudge him going to Miami to play with the other two. If he thinks it's his best chance to win a ring(s), more power to him.
And, as I have argued for a week, it is entirely ground-breaking for him to choose this route -- and LeBron has proven himself as interested in being a mold-breaking exceptional as being a champion.
I simply am not ready to hand him and Wade and the Heat a ring (or more). The only thing LeBron wins tonight is greater expectations than have ever been on a basketball player in NBA history.
(Ooh: I think I just found my SN column lead tomorrow... unless he flips the script and either stays in Cleveland -- unlikely -- or goes to NYC -- unlikely.)
-- D.S.
Here are a few points I've been mulling over:
*Why is there an assumption that the Bron-Wade-Bosh (or is that Wade-Bron-Bosh) Heat are this lock to win the championship? It's uncertain that they're even the best team in Florida, let alone the NBA.
*The 2010-2011 Lakers would destroy the Bron-Wade-Bosh Heat in the Finals.
*It's not like LeBron's Cavs in 09/10 were crappy -- they were a 60-win team, the No. 1 seed in the East and the presumptive favorites to win the East (and the title). Hmm...
...That earned LeBron a 2nd-round playoff exit.
*So: John Hollinger projects these Bron-Wade-Bosh Heat as a 60-win team. And? It entitles them to... nothing.
*When it comes to winning championships, a 3-star team with crap around them has less of a chance of winning than a 2-star team with a solid supporting cast.
That's why I'm mildly intrigued by the idea of the Heat getting both LeBron AND Mike Miller. That gives the Heat two superstars -- Bron and Wade -- and two really good "supporting cast" guys -- Bosh and Miller. But, still: The rest of the roster is crap.
I just don't think you can win 16 games in the playoffs with a shoddy supporting cast, no matter how awesome your superstars are.
Forget the ticket sales or jersey sales or TV ratings or Q ratings or glitz or whatever. LeBron and this presumptive Heat team should be judged on championship rings.
And I'm just not sure they are as locked in on them as everyone seems to think they are.
That was one of the points I was trying to make this morning: The expectations. What if LeBron, Wade, Bosh and the Heat win one title in the next five years... will that be enough? No way.
But I would argue that they have more of a chance of winning ZERO titles in the next five years than more than one. By the way, I'm not even sure that winning two titles is enough.
Cripes, Isiah Thomas won two titles. Hakeem won two titles. MJ won more. Kobe won more. Duncan won more. Hell, Adam Morrison has two rings.
At what point would a LeBron-Wade-Bosh Heat satisfy expectations: 3 titles? Four? Five? That discounts all the competitive forces at play in the rest of the NBA: Kobe in the next year or two, Dwight Howard and the Magic after that, Kevin Durant after that.
I am just not convinced that LeBron will win championships in Miami (or anywhere, but that's another story).
Funny enough: I don't begrudge him going to Miami to play with the other two. If he thinks it's his best chance to win a ring(s), more power to him.
And, as I have argued for a week, it is entirely ground-breaking for him to choose this route -- and LeBron has proven himself as interested in being a mold-breaking exceptional as being a champion.
I simply am not ready to hand him and Wade and the Heat a ring (or more). The only thing LeBron wins tonight is greater expectations than have ever been on a basketball player in NBA history.
(Ooh: I think I just found my SN column lead tomorrow... unless he flips the script and either stays in Cleveland -- unlikely -- or goes to NYC -- unlikely.)
-- D.S.
07/08 Quickie: LeBron to...Miami?
I really wanted to have some drama on tonight's LeBron infomercial. I was holding out that Team LeBron wouldn't leak where he was going -- that was naive.
With plenty of worried caveats (ha: as if there is a penalty for being wrong when making predictions in the sports media industry), LeBron is going to the Heat.
There are a couple ways to look at this:
One -- highlighted in today's SN column -- is that it is ground-breaking in NBA history for an uber-star in his prime to willingingly team up with another uber-star.* This fits with LeBron's exceptionalist view of himself.
The other is that it is a cop-out. That it destroys competitiveness in the NBA. That it spits on the league's legacy of star rivalries. (This is not a bad argument, and Joey makes an impassioned plea.)
I don't buy the cop-out argument. For starters, I am not convinced that LeBron teaming with Wade (and Bosh) automatically means he wins an NBA title, let alone multiple titles.
Let's look at the next five years: Next year, the Lakers will still be clearly better. In the 2-3 years after that, the Heat still have no solution for Dwight Howard. In Year 5, Kevin Durant and the Thunder are destroying people. And that's if the Heat suffer no major injuries AND figure out how to use what little cap room they have left to build a championship supporting cast.
I think there is a perfectly fine chance that LeBron on the Heat with Wade doesn't win squat. Here's a twist: Even if they do win a title, the response will be a combination of "Well, they SHOULD have" and "One? Is that all?" They have lost the expectations battle before anything even starts.
And that takes us to the next implication: This whole story has been wonderful, obsessive fun. But starting tonight/tomorrow, the reality will hit that LeBron is the NBA's villain. Cleveland fans will hate him. The rest of the NBA will hate LeBron's team. They'll watch, but they'll hate.
For the sake of today's drama, it would be nice if LeBron flipped on the media and went with the Cavs or Knicks. For the long term, any of the three options -- Heat, Cavs, Knicks -- are insufferable in their own ways.
Personally, I find the Heat option to be the most intriguing -- because it is unprecedented and because of the opportunity for epic schadenfreude in the event they don't win any rings.
Otherwise, all we can root for is that things change dramatically in the next 12 hours. It could all be a set-up for the "change-of-heart" meme (Cleveland) or "bright lights, big city" meme (NYC).
Complete SN column here.
-- D.S.
* - I don't count Shaq leaving the Magic to join the Lakers with Kobe, because this was way before Kobe hit his prime. And I don't count KG and Ray Allen going to the Celtics, because those were trades, rather than straight-up free agency.
With plenty of worried caveats (ha: as if there is a penalty for being wrong when making predictions in the sports media industry), LeBron is going to the Heat.
There are a couple ways to look at this:
One -- highlighted in today's SN column -- is that it is ground-breaking in NBA history for an uber-star in his prime to willingingly team up with another uber-star.* This fits with LeBron's exceptionalist view of himself.
The other is that it is a cop-out. That it destroys competitiveness in the NBA. That it spits on the league's legacy of star rivalries. (This is not a bad argument, and Joey makes an impassioned plea.)
I don't buy the cop-out argument. For starters, I am not convinced that LeBron teaming with Wade (and Bosh) automatically means he wins an NBA title, let alone multiple titles.
Let's look at the next five years: Next year, the Lakers will still be clearly better. In the 2-3 years after that, the Heat still have no solution for Dwight Howard. In Year 5, Kevin Durant and the Thunder are destroying people. And that's if the Heat suffer no major injuries AND figure out how to use what little cap room they have left to build a championship supporting cast.
I think there is a perfectly fine chance that LeBron on the Heat with Wade doesn't win squat. Here's a twist: Even if they do win a title, the response will be a combination of "Well, they SHOULD have" and "One? Is that all?" They have lost the expectations battle before anything even starts.
And that takes us to the next implication: This whole story has been wonderful, obsessive fun. But starting tonight/tomorrow, the reality will hit that LeBron is the NBA's villain. Cleveland fans will hate him. The rest of the NBA will hate LeBron's team. They'll watch, but they'll hate.
For the sake of today's drama, it would be nice if LeBron flipped on the media and went with the Cavs or Knicks. For the long term, any of the three options -- Heat, Cavs, Knicks -- are insufferable in their own ways.
Personally, I find the Heat option to be the most intriguing -- because it is unprecedented and because of the opportunity for epic schadenfreude in the event they don't win any rings.
Otherwise, all we can root for is that things change dramatically in the next 12 hours. It could all be a set-up for the "change-of-heart" meme (Cleveland) or "bright lights, big city" meme (NYC).
Complete SN column here.
-- D.S.
* - I don't count Shaq leaving the Magic to join the Lakers with Kobe, because this was way before Kobe hit his prime. And I don't count KG and Ray Allen going to the Celtics, because those were trades, rather than straight-up free agency.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Wade and Bosh Team Up in Miami
It's official: Dwyane Wade will re-sign with the Heat and be joined by Chris Bosh, who is desperate to be glitzy but isn't good enough to be a top dog himself. The Heat will be better.
The outstanding question, of course, is whether tomorrow night LeBron will join them in Miami or go back to Cleveland (less momentum for Chicago or New York than earlier this morning).
If those are his two choices, it feels like a no-brainer to me: Take a bit of a pay-cut and go to Miami, creating an unprecedented collection of NBA stars in their prime.
Hell, sign up for 3 years -- if they can't win at least one NBA title in the next three seasons, the experiment is a failure anyway -- then see where things stand. By then, the Nets will be better.
The alternative is to return to Cleveland -- a team that isn't any better than it was a year ago and won't be better going forward. The town will adore him... he probably stays 3 years here, too.
Lost in all of this is the most remarkable (or unremarkable) news that Kevin Durant announced on his Twitter feed: He signed a 5-year extension with the Thunder.
He didn't hold his small-market team hostage, heading into a free agent year. He didn't need to hold a press conference -- let alone a primetime show. He just re-upped and got back to work.
I tweeted this within minutes of Durant's "announcement": Over the next six years, Durant will win more rings than LeBron. And you are sort of rooting for that, aren't you?
-- D.S.
The outstanding question, of course, is whether tomorrow night LeBron will join them in Miami or go back to Cleveland (less momentum for Chicago or New York than earlier this morning).
If those are his two choices, it feels like a no-brainer to me: Take a bit of a pay-cut and go to Miami, creating an unprecedented collection of NBA stars in their prime.
Hell, sign up for 3 years -- if they can't win at least one NBA title in the next three seasons, the experiment is a failure anyway -- then see where things stand. By then, the Nets will be better.
The alternative is to return to Cleveland -- a team that isn't any better than it was a year ago and won't be better going forward. The town will adore him... he probably stays 3 years here, too.
Lost in all of this is the most remarkable (or unremarkable) news that Kevin Durant announced on his Twitter feed: He signed a 5-year extension with the Thunder.
He didn't hold his small-market team hostage, heading into a free agent year. He didn't need to hold a press conference -- let alone a primetime show. He just re-upped and got back to work.
I tweeted this within minutes of Durant's "announcement": Over the next six years, Durant will win more rings than LeBron. And you are sort of rooting for that, aren't you?
-- D.S.
07/07 Quickie: LeBron vs. Wade-Bosh
Two dramatic arcs of the Summer of LeBron are playing out over the next 24 hours:
(1) LeBron will make his announcement tomorrow night on ESPN in a one-hour special. As I talk about in today's SN column, this is entirely appropriate for LeBron's "king" complex.
In fact, this may be the most authentic thing that LeBron has done in his entire career. And that makes me kind of like it, in all its distasteful excess.
Sure, the show is 99 percent fluff. But for that one minute -- presuming that the news hasn't leaked ahead of time -- it is honest-to-god sports awesomeness: Uncertainty in a huge story that will have impact that extrudes way more than a mere championship win.
(2) Wade and Bosh are apparently announcing today their intention to join forces in Miami. It's a win for both: Wade gets a running mate (and cred for not leaving town); Bosh gets the glitzy address he has coveted for years.
But there is a bigger implication: What does it mean for LeBron? Let's lay out the scenarios:
*Join Wade and Bosh in Miami: I think it's too much of a pay cut and too much of an ego trim.
*Go it "alone" in Chicago: No Wade or Bosh, obviously. But Carlos Boozer is still available; he would make a terrific addition to that team.
*Join Amare in New York: Up until this morning, I gave the Knicks no chance. Now, I give them a puncher's chance. It isn't entirely unthinkable that he would go to NYC.
*Stay in Cleveland. Let's see: Bosh is off the table. Boozer is persona non grata. The rest of the team has been proven to be lacking in championship mettle. Why would he stay? Loyalty?
Here's the thing: They are all viable options, and that's what makes tomorrow night so intriguing. One thing I will say: I think he signs a 3-year deal, wherever he goes.
(That's why I leave Brooklyn out of it for now: For now. If he does sign a 3-year deal, I think it's with the intention of joining the Nets, presuming that franchise is on the up-and-up.)
And then this circus starts again...
Complete SN column here. More later.
-- D.S.
(1) LeBron will make his announcement tomorrow night on ESPN in a one-hour special. As I talk about in today's SN column, this is entirely appropriate for LeBron's "king" complex.
In fact, this may be the most authentic thing that LeBron has done in his entire career. And that makes me kind of like it, in all its distasteful excess.
Sure, the show is 99 percent fluff. But for that one minute -- presuming that the news hasn't leaked ahead of time -- it is honest-to-god sports awesomeness: Uncertainty in a huge story that will have impact that extrudes way more than a mere championship win.
(2) Wade and Bosh are apparently announcing today their intention to join forces in Miami. It's a win for both: Wade gets a running mate (and cred for not leaving town); Bosh gets the glitzy address he has coveted for years.
But there is a bigger implication: What does it mean for LeBron? Let's lay out the scenarios:
*Join Wade and Bosh in Miami: I think it's too much of a pay cut and too much of an ego trim.
*Go it "alone" in Chicago: No Wade or Bosh, obviously. But Carlos Boozer is still available; he would make a terrific addition to that team.
*Join Amare in New York: Up until this morning, I gave the Knicks no chance. Now, I give them a puncher's chance. It isn't entirely unthinkable that he would go to NYC.
*Stay in Cleveland. Let's see: Bosh is off the table. Boozer is persona non grata. The rest of the team has been proven to be lacking in championship mettle. Why would he stay? Loyalty?
Here's the thing: They are all viable options, and that's what makes tomorrow night so intriguing. One thing I will say: I think he signs a 3-year deal, wherever he goes.
(That's why I leave Brooklyn out of it for now: For now. If he does sign a 3-year deal, I think it's with the intention of joining the Nets, presuming that franchise is on the up-and-up.)
And then this circus starts again...
Complete SN column here. More later.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
07/06 Quickie: LeBron, Amare, Votto
LeBron doesn't have to make up his mind today -- and he most certainly won't, at least publicly -- but he will likely declare in 72 hours.
This is two stages: First, he needs to actually make up his mind on his own. Then, he has to tell the world what he is doing.
As I lay out in today's SN column, all of his choices have flaws -- I still contend that if the Nets were already in Brooklyn, it would be a no-brainer for him.
But he does have to decide... and soon.
Where I net out is that I now think that LeBron will take a 3-year deal with the Cavs, giving himself the option of leaving in 2014, once he sees where other teams (read: Nets) are.
This will satisfy few -- even Cavs fans.
It would be very interesting if Dwyane Wade beat him to the punch by signing with the Heat or -- more intriguingly -- the Bulls (particularly if he brings Bosh with him).
That would leave LeBron with limited options and a forced-hand... until he pulls out the 3-year "mini-max" and starts the "Summer of LeBron" clock all over again.
More you'll find in today's SN column:
*Amare to Knicks: Meh.
*Vote Votto: Please.
*C. Lee to Reds: Love.
*JaMarcus: Yikes.
*Tiger: Stinks.
*Broncos: Tebow!
*Baylor: Griffin!
Check it out here. More later.
-- D.S.
This is two stages: First, he needs to actually make up his mind on his own. Then, he has to tell the world what he is doing.
As I lay out in today's SN column, all of his choices have flaws -- I still contend that if the Nets were already in Brooklyn, it would be a no-brainer for him.
But he does have to decide... and soon.
Where I net out is that I now think that LeBron will take a 3-year deal with the Cavs, giving himself the option of leaving in 2014, once he sees where other teams (read: Nets) are.
This will satisfy few -- even Cavs fans.
It would be very interesting if Dwyane Wade beat him to the punch by signing with the Heat or -- more intriguingly -- the Bulls (particularly if he brings Bosh with him).
That would leave LeBron with limited options and a forced-hand... until he pulls out the 3-year "mini-max" and starts the "Summer of LeBron" clock all over again.
More you'll find in today's SN column:
*Amare to Knicks: Meh.
*Vote Votto: Please.
*C. Lee to Reds: Love.
*JaMarcus: Yikes.
*Tiger: Stinks.
*Broncos: Tebow!
*Baylor: Griffin!
Check it out here. More later.
-- D.S.
Monday, July 05, 2010
07/05 (Holiday Monday) Quickie
No SN column today, but if there was, I would probably lead with the "Vote Votto" campaign. Every year, I like to find one MLB All-Star bandwagon. One hadn't emerged yet this season, but Joey Votto's snub from the All-Star roster qualifies.
(It is all the more ludicrous that he was passed over at his own position by the NL All-Star manager, Charlie Manuel, who picked his own guy -- Ryan Howard -- despite Howard's inferior performance.)
So Vote Votto.
(BTW: I'm not expressing the outrage of others, mainly because I'm so sure that fans will correct Manuel's snub and put him on the team in a landslide. If he doesn't win the Extra Man......)
It is obvious that Stephen Strasburg was left off the "Extra Man" ballot because he would have swamped the vote. That's probably a good thing, because he would have denied Votto a spot. Still: Strasburg can and should make the team as a late replacement between now and the ASG.
Meanwhile:
*LeBron to announce his decision on Wednesday? That's the earliest, but I'm not sure we can take many more days of deliberation after that. I wouldn't read too much into LBJ's agent meeting with the Knicks on Saturday; his agent is paid to take EVERY meeting.
*Joe Johnson is going back to the Hawks: Didn't we know this, like, four days ago? It's not just that the Hawks are overpaying; it's that Johnson so clearly didn't want to come back. Both sides will regret it: The Hawks for keeping a reluctant player; Johnson for being motivated by money.
*It would have been very WWE if Kobayashi had emerged from the crowd to join the group competing in the hot-dog eating contest. Alas, he was merely arrested. Boo, IFOCE!
*Tiger's Slump: Things are actually getting worse. At the AT&T Memorial, he didn't break par over four rounds in a PGA tour event for the first time in 11 years.
*MLB Studs: Torii Hunter (2 HR, 7 RBI) and Drew Stubbs (3 HR)
*With no Federer to worry about, it seemed obvious that Nadal would win Wimbledon.
*Another day of World Cup withdrawal. Can't believe there are only 4 games left (2 semis, a 3rd-place game and the title game).
Enjoy the day off from work, if you've got one.
-- D.S.
(It is all the more ludicrous that he was passed over at his own position by the NL All-Star manager, Charlie Manuel, who picked his own guy -- Ryan Howard -- despite Howard's inferior performance.)
So Vote Votto.
(BTW: I'm not expressing the outrage of others, mainly because I'm so sure that fans will correct Manuel's snub and put him on the team in a landslide. If he doesn't win the Extra Man......)
It is obvious that Stephen Strasburg was left off the "Extra Man" ballot because he would have swamped the vote. That's probably a good thing, because he would have denied Votto a spot. Still: Strasburg can and should make the team as a late replacement between now and the ASG.
Meanwhile:
*LeBron to announce his decision on Wednesday? That's the earliest, but I'm not sure we can take many more days of deliberation after that. I wouldn't read too much into LBJ's agent meeting with the Knicks on Saturday; his agent is paid to take EVERY meeting.
*Joe Johnson is going back to the Hawks: Didn't we know this, like, four days ago? It's not just that the Hawks are overpaying; it's that Johnson so clearly didn't want to come back. Both sides will regret it: The Hawks for keeping a reluctant player; Johnson for being motivated by money.
*It would have been very WWE if Kobayashi had emerged from the crowd to join the group competing in the hot-dog eating contest. Alas, he was merely arrested. Boo, IFOCE!
*Tiger's Slump: Things are actually getting worse. At the AT&T Memorial, he didn't break par over four rounds in a PGA tour event for the first time in 11 years.
*MLB Studs: Torii Hunter (2 HR, 7 RBI) and Drew Stubbs (3 HR)
*With no Federer to worry about, it seemed obvious that Nadal would win Wimbledon.
*Another day of World Cup withdrawal. Can't believe there are only 4 games left (2 semis, a 3rd-place game and the title game).
Enjoy the day off from work, if you've got one.
-- D.S.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Sunday (July 4) Quickie
Happy July 4th everyone. Time to break out the Foreman grill...
*I knew Germany was very good and Argentina was eventually going to regress to its mean, but not to the extent of 4-0.
*Spain still hasn't played great yet. They will need it against Germany. BTW: How sick was the back-to-back PKs... both saved! Anything World Cup that "hasn't happened since 1930" is tremendous.
See how I nudged NBA Free Agency talk as low as I could go? Let's dig in:
*Cavs show a cartoon to woo LeBron: This is precisely the kind of thing that explains why he's going to leave. The others talk about billions -- the Cavs show a cute TV show.
*Amare seems to think that Tony Parker and Carmelo are both coming to NYC in 2011. The Knicks' presumptive new PF has gotten the memo that the party line from the last 2 years will be extended: "Just wait 'til next year..."
*I absolutely buy the idea that D-Wade would sign with the Bulls to be closer to his kids. Do not discount the parent's instinct, especially if he can rationalize it from a basketball perspective.
*Chris Bosh is so desperate to be a star, it's a little off-putting. Not sure why everyone thinks that he would be a key cog to a championship team. He's never won anything. At least he recognizes that he is nothing better than a running mate. But he is acting like a fame-whore.
*Dirk and Paul Pierce re-sign with the Mavs and Celtics: Zzz. Don't expect either to win rings in the next four years -- and by year 4, their teams are regretting paying out $20M a year.
*Mike Miller could be a key cog on a contender. I don't know why he would consider not playing for one (like, say, the Clippers, who he met with yesterday).
More:
*Who would be a contender to sign Mike Vick if the Eagles cut him? (Still the Rams? That can't be right, now that they have made Bradford the present and future.)
*Serena wins Wimbledon: Over the last 15 years, as great of an athlete as we have had in sports.
We'll see what happens with NBA Free Agency today. I'm betting that it is pretty quiet today and tomorrow, as players think things over.
Enjoy your 4th, everyone.
-- D.S.
*I knew Germany was very good and Argentina was eventually going to regress to its mean, but not to the extent of 4-0.
*Spain still hasn't played great yet. They will need it against Germany. BTW: How sick was the back-to-back PKs... both saved! Anything World Cup that "hasn't happened since 1930" is tremendous.
See how I nudged NBA Free Agency talk as low as I could go? Let's dig in:
*Cavs show a cartoon to woo LeBron: This is precisely the kind of thing that explains why he's going to leave. The others talk about billions -- the Cavs show a cute TV show.
*Amare seems to think that Tony Parker and Carmelo are both coming to NYC in 2011. The Knicks' presumptive new PF has gotten the memo that the party line from the last 2 years will be extended: "Just wait 'til next year..."
*I absolutely buy the idea that D-Wade would sign with the Bulls to be closer to his kids. Do not discount the parent's instinct, especially if he can rationalize it from a basketball perspective.
*Chris Bosh is so desperate to be a star, it's a little off-putting. Not sure why everyone thinks that he would be a key cog to a championship team. He's never won anything. At least he recognizes that he is nothing better than a running mate. But he is acting like a fame-whore.
*Dirk and Paul Pierce re-sign with the Mavs and Celtics: Zzz. Don't expect either to win rings in the next four years -- and by year 4, their teams are regretting paying out $20M a year.
*Mike Miller could be a key cog on a contender. I don't know why he would consider not playing for one (like, say, the Clippers, who he met with yesterday).
More:
*Who would be a contender to sign Mike Vick if the Eagles cut him? (Still the Rams? That can't be right, now that they have made Bradford the present and future.)
*Serena wins Wimbledon: Over the last 15 years, as great of an athlete as we have had in sports.
We'll see what happens with NBA Free Agency today. I'm betting that it is pretty quiet today and tomorrow, as players think things over.
Enjoy your 4th, everyone.
-- D.S.
Saturday, July 03, 2010
07/03 (Saturday) Quickie
Still find myself stunned by the way the Ghana-Uruguay game ended.
If you factor in the conditions (tie-breaking PK in final seconds of extra time), the history-making stakes (would have made Ghana the first African country to advance to the World Cup semis... in Africa's first hosted World Cup) and the scope of the fan footprint (not just Ghana, but all of Africa), it feels like the cruelest ending to a game in modern sports history.
I obviously don't know cruel endings around the world, but I tried to think of cruel endings in traditional US sports -- Game 6 or whatever -- and when you put it against those three qualifiers, nothing in US sports holds up. So all of Red Sox Nation was devastated after Game 6? Bah: How about all of Africa devastated after yesterday's loss?
Two more semis today, but they will be hard-pressed to match Ghana-Uruguay.
Also, isn't it nice not to have to lead with LeBron and NBA Free Agency?
So there's all this talk about Dwyane Wade taking a 2nd meeting with the Bulls. Personally, I totally discounted the idea that LeBron could join D-Wade in Chicago. It would be fascinating, even if they don't get a big to join them. I just don't see that happening (but I am enjoying the spontaneous freak-out from Miami media that their NBA meal-ticket might be skipping town).
As for Amare and the Knicks? If I was a Knicks fan, I would be uninspired about giving $100 million to Amare -- I'm not sure he's that much better than David Lee, but at way greater cost. We know Lee can produce at 20/10 without a point guard, let alone an all-world one; how about Amare?
Would Joe Johnson really turn down his $120M deal from Atlanta? If that isn't a signal that he doesn't really want to be on the team, I don't know what is. If I was the Hawks, I would take advantage of the waffling to pull the offer and rectify the mistake of giving him so much money.
Enjoy the day of World Cup, NBA Free Agent rumor-mongering, baseball and more.
-- D.S.
If you factor in the conditions (tie-breaking PK in final seconds of extra time), the history-making stakes (would have made Ghana the first African country to advance to the World Cup semis... in Africa's first hosted World Cup) and the scope of the fan footprint (not just Ghana, but all of Africa), it feels like the cruelest ending to a game in modern sports history.
I obviously don't know cruel endings around the world, but I tried to think of cruel endings in traditional US sports -- Game 6 or whatever -- and when you put it against those three qualifiers, nothing in US sports holds up. So all of Red Sox Nation was devastated after Game 6? Bah: How about all of Africa devastated after yesterday's loss?
Two more semis today, but they will be hard-pressed to match Ghana-Uruguay.
Also, isn't it nice not to have to lead with LeBron and NBA Free Agency?
So there's all this talk about Dwyane Wade taking a 2nd meeting with the Bulls. Personally, I totally discounted the idea that LeBron could join D-Wade in Chicago. It would be fascinating, even if they don't get a big to join them. I just don't see that happening (but I am enjoying the spontaneous freak-out from Miami media that their NBA meal-ticket might be skipping town).
As for Amare and the Knicks? If I was a Knicks fan, I would be uninspired about giving $100 million to Amare -- I'm not sure he's that much better than David Lee, but at way greater cost. We know Lee can produce at 20/10 without a point guard, let alone an all-world one; how about Amare?
Would Joe Johnson really turn down his $120M deal from Atlanta? If that isn't a signal that he doesn't really want to be on the team, I don't know what is. If I was the Hawks, I would take advantage of the waffling to pull the offer and rectify the mistake of giving him so much money.
Enjoy the day of World Cup, NBA Free Agent rumor-mongering, baseball and more.
-- D.S.
Friday, July 02, 2010
07/02 Quickie: LeBron, July 4, More
Sorry for the late post: Had an early-a.m. meeting, then got sucked into Holland's fairly epic upset of Brazil (which was my pick to win the World Cup....whoops).
Has LeBron signed yet? Ha, just kidding. Looks like he'll take this into next week -- wouldn't want to make his big announcement during a low-news-cycle long holiday weekend.
Today's SN column caps LeBron Week. Hopefully, we won't have to extend it too far into next week.
I will repeat my claim: If the Nets were already in Brooklyn, both LeBron and Bosh would be going to the Nets, period. The two years in Newark are a deal-breaker.
I don't understand the Rudy Gay deal, except that I guess the Grizzlies feel like they need a franchise player and Gay -- rather than, say, OJ Mayo -- is that guy. Strange.
I don't get the Knicks signing Amare to a max deal, beyond the ability to prove to LeBron that they have one of the three top PFs in hand. Otherwise, Dwight Howard is going to kill him.
There is an interesting thing going on here: If Amare is in New York and Bosh, as expected, goes to Miami, then unless LeBron wants to play in NYC or Miami, who is the PF he is paired with?
I guess Boozer would be the guy, and -- if LeBron wanted to be in Chicago -- he would convince both the Bulls and Boozer to sign Boozer to a big deal.
But what if the Nets grab Boozer? Would LeBron go to a team without a big-man running mate? Doesn't that seriously hurt his chances of winning a title?
(That gets even sketchier if/when Joakim Noah leaves Chicago for, say, New York or Brooklyn -- either next summer as a restricted FA or summer 2012 as an unrestricted FA.)
We might be starting to see the peeking of LeBron... getting boxed in? Maybe.
Anyway, it's a loaded column today, full of NBA FA, Phil Jackson's return (THE storyline of the 2010-2011 season), Josh Byrnes getting canned (I'd hire him for my team in a second), my All-Star ballots (totally conventional... no Zobrist-like mania this year) and more.
See the whole thing here. Daily updates throughout the long weekend. Otherwise, have a terrific July 4th and celebrate responsibly.
-- D.S.
Has LeBron signed yet? Ha, just kidding. Looks like he'll take this into next week -- wouldn't want to make his big announcement during a low-news-cycle long holiday weekend.
Today's SN column caps LeBron Week. Hopefully, we won't have to extend it too far into next week.
I will repeat my claim: If the Nets were already in Brooklyn, both LeBron and Bosh would be going to the Nets, period. The two years in Newark are a deal-breaker.
I don't understand the Rudy Gay deal, except that I guess the Grizzlies feel like they need a franchise player and Gay -- rather than, say, OJ Mayo -- is that guy. Strange.
I don't get the Knicks signing Amare to a max deal, beyond the ability to prove to LeBron that they have one of the three top PFs in hand. Otherwise, Dwight Howard is going to kill him.
There is an interesting thing going on here: If Amare is in New York and Bosh, as expected, goes to Miami, then unless LeBron wants to play in NYC or Miami, who is the PF he is paired with?
I guess Boozer would be the guy, and -- if LeBron wanted to be in Chicago -- he would convince both the Bulls and Boozer to sign Boozer to a big deal.
But what if the Nets grab Boozer? Would LeBron go to a team without a big-man running mate? Doesn't that seriously hurt his chances of winning a title?
(That gets even sketchier if/when Joakim Noah leaves Chicago for, say, New York or Brooklyn -- either next summer as a restricted FA or summer 2012 as an unrestricted FA.)
We might be starting to see the peeking of LeBron... getting boxed in? Maybe.
Anyway, it's a loaded column today, full of NBA FA, Phil Jackson's return (THE storyline of the 2010-2011 season), Josh Byrnes getting canned (I'd hire him for my team in a second), my All-Star ballots (totally conventional... no Zobrist-like mania this year) and more.
See the whole thing here. Daily updates throughout the long weekend. Otherwise, have a terrific July 4th and celebrate responsibly.
-- D.S.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Tonight in NYC: Varsity Letters July
For those in NYC, be sure to drop by this month's Varsity Letters Reading Series event -- tonight at JLA Studios in DUMBO, Brooklyn. It's at 7:30 and free. Featuring Leitch, a guy from Lapham's Quarterly and the author of a terrific book on how wacked the youth sports system is. Oh, and LeBron will drop by to tell you what team he will be playing for. All the details here.
07/01 Quickie: Happy LeBron Day?
So I have unofficially (or officially, if my SN column feels "official") dubbed today "LeBron Day," shorthand for the free-agent insanity that "officially" started at midnight, involving not just LeBron but all the top free agents.
It's "Happy LeBron Day" if you like all the hysteria. I would argue that this is the biggest -- perhaps best -- single event that has ever happened to the NBA in its history. (My other contender was the drafting of Kevin Garnett, but that didn't have the same lead-up or during or post-effects of this.)
If you're in Chicago or Miami or New York or Newark/Brooklyn? Hope (for now).
If you're in Cleveland? Hopelessness. You all crushed me back in 2006 when I said in the Daily Quickie that LeBron was gone in 2010. I don't revel in being right.
(In fact, as someone who isn't a particularly big fan of LeBron's, the only thing I like about him abandoning Cleveland is that it allows me to promote the theory that he's an instantly legendary cold-hearted mercenary, whose karmic reward will be to never win an NBA title.)
A few early thoughts on free agency:
*The Hawks are idiotic to give Johnson 6Y/$120M.
*Richard Jefferson is an idiot to walk away from $15M next year.
*The Raptors should trade Bosh to the Rockets and Bosh should love that.
(This Bosh-Rockets thing shouldn't be undersold: If Bosh wants to win a ring AND he wants max money, he will be better off on the Rockets, playing next to Yao and Battier and Kevin Martin and under Daryl Morey's leadership, than he will playing next to D-Wade and 9 scrubs. You can't make the case that he has a better shot at winning a ring in Miami than Houston, particularly when you factor in that no one -- not even LeBron -- is toppling Dwight Howard and the Magic over the next 5 years, after this minor one-year blip with the Celtics, who are cooked.)
*Jordan Farmar is likely to end up with the Pacers as their starting point guard. This will be of enthusiastic interest only to me.
See the complete column here -- I vastly underplayed Elin's $750M divorce settlement with Tiger. She earned every penny. And, as long as he gets back to winning majors, the silence he has bought from her will mean that he can make back that $750M... and then some.
-- D.S.
It's "Happy LeBron Day" if you like all the hysteria. I would argue that this is the biggest -- perhaps best -- single event that has ever happened to the NBA in its history. (My other contender was the drafting of Kevin Garnett, but that didn't have the same lead-up or during or post-effects of this.)
If you're in Chicago or Miami or New York or Newark/Brooklyn? Hope (for now).
If you're in Cleveland? Hopelessness. You all crushed me back in 2006 when I said in the Daily Quickie that LeBron was gone in 2010. I don't revel in being right.
(In fact, as someone who isn't a particularly big fan of LeBron's, the only thing I like about him abandoning Cleveland is that it allows me to promote the theory that he's an instantly legendary cold-hearted mercenary, whose karmic reward will be to never win an NBA title.)
A few early thoughts on free agency:
*The Hawks are idiotic to give Johnson 6Y/$120M.
*Richard Jefferson is an idiot to walk away from $15M next year.
*The Raptors should trade Bosh to the Rockets and Bosh should love that.
(This Bosh-Rockets thing shouldn't be undersold: If Bosh wants to win a ring AND he wants max money, he will be better off on the Rockets, playing next to Yao and Battier and Kevin Martin and under Daryl Morey's leadership, than he will playing next to D-Wade and 9 scrubs. You can't make the case that he has a better shot at winning a ring in Miami than Houston, particularly when you factor in that no one -- not even LeBron -- is toppling Dwight Howard and the Magic over the next 5 years, after this minor one-year blip with the Celtics, who are cooked.)
*Jordan Farmar is likely to end up with the Pacers as their starting point guard. This will be of enthusiastic interest only to me.
See the complete column here -- I vastly underplayed Elin's $750M divorce settlement with Tiger. She earned every penny. And, as long as he gets back to winning majors, the silence he has bought from her will mean that he can make back that $750M... and then some.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
06/30 Quickie: NBA Free Agency Mania
"Not signing LeBron James is arguably worse than signing Jerome James."
That, in a nutshell, is the thesis of the lead item of my SN column this morning -- an examination of the brutal zero-sum game that is 2010 NBA free agency... and the Knicks' spot as its biggest loser.
The Knicks have as much chance of landing LeBron as the Cavs do. (Ouch.) They won't get Wade. They won't get Bosh. Their "back-up plan" of Johnson and Amare is doubly humiliating: It isn't just a poor man's solution; it won't even pan out. Carlos Boozer won't go there (he could even go to the crosstown rival Nets, suddenly ascendant).
If you consider that the Knicks have been banking on two years' worth of "Just wait 'til 2010 (and -- psst! -- LeBron!)" this is a total, utter, Isiah-sized failure.
I fully expect them not to make any moves (maybe re-signing the popular David Lee), then spinning it as "cannily" saving for 2011 -- now re-named on Broadway as "The Summer of Carmelo!" Nevermind that the Knicks have about as much chance of getting Melo as they did LeBron.
There is legitimate intrigue over whether LeBron will join the Bulls (and who will go with him) or if he will sublimate his ego to join Wade and Bosh in Miami.
There is legitimate intrigue over what the Nets might do -- clearly, they like others will overspend to get better faster, but who will it be on? (Why is everyone sleeping on Rudy Gay?)
But there is no intrigue about the Knicks, except how humiliating the next 24 hours -- the next week -- will be for them.
See the complete column here, including my picks for where the big free agents end up:
LeBron: Bulls
Wade: Heat
Bosh: Heat
Dirk: Mavs
Joe Johnson: Heat
Amare: Bulls
Boozer: Nets
Rudy Gay: Nets
David Lee: Knicks
Any good theories? Put them in the Comments -- I will try hard to approve them faster.
See the whole column here. More later.
-- D.S.
That, in a nutshell, is the thesis of the lead item of my SN column this morning -- an examination of the brutal zero-sum game that is 2010 NBA free agency... and the Knicks' spot as its biggest loser.
The Knicks have as much chance of landing LeBron as the Cavs do. (Ouch.) They won't get Wade. They won't get Bosh. Their "back-up plan" of Johnson and Amare is doubly humiliating: It isn't just a poor man's solution; it won't even pan out. Carlos Boozer won't go there (he could even go to the crosstown rival Nets, suddenly ascendant).
If you consider that the Knicks have been banking on two years' worth of "Just wait 'til 2010 (and -- psst! -- LeBron!)" this is a total, utter, Isiah-sized failure.
I fully expect them not to make any moves (maybe re-signing the popular David Lee), then spinning it as "cannily" saving for 2011 -- now re-named on Broadway as "The Summer of Carmelo!" Nevermind that the Knicks have about as much chance of getting Melo as they did LeBron.
There is legitimate intrigue over whether LeBron will join the Bulls (and who will go with him) or if he will sublimate his ego to join Wade and Bosh in Miami.
There is legitimate intrigue over what the Nets might do -- clearly, they like others will overspend to get better faster, but who will it be on? (Why is everyone sleeping on Rudy Gay?)
But there is no intrigue about the Knicks, except how humiliating the next 24 hours -- the next week -- will be for them.
See the complete column here, including my picks for where the big free agents end up:
LeBron: Bulls
Wade: Heat
Bosh: Heat
Dirk: Mavs
Joe Johnson: Heat
Amare: Bulls
Boozer: Nets
Rudy Gay: Nets
David Lee: Knicks
Any good theories? Put them in the Comments -- I will try hard to approve them faster.
See the whole column here. More later.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
06/29 Quickie: LeBron-Wade-Bosh in Heat?
The latest twist in the Summer of LeBron: That he, Wade and Bosh convened in Miami over the weekend to talk about teaming up in Miami.
As it happens, that was going to be the lead of today's SN column all along: Why I am simultaneously repulsed and thrilled by this.
You can read the entire argument here, but this gist is this:
LeBron wants (or needs) championships. It could be to fulfill his inner NBA soul or to help him become a billion-dollar global brand. It doesn't matter. He needs to win titles.
The path of least resistance to winning titles is to join up with Wade and Bosh in Miami. LeBron would have to subordinate his "alpha" personality, but in exchange, he gets rings. Many rings.
I have always had zero sympathy for the NBA stars who went ring-less: They all had their chances to set their egos aside and play with Jordan or Kobe or Duncan for less cash and win rings. They chose money over glory.
LeBron has the chance to have his cake and eat it too: He can get max money and still win tons of rings, all the while looking magnanimous for joining forces.
And, frankly, it kills me for the rest of the league (including my team), but I want to see what three stars -- two uber-stars -- can do. 72 wins? More? One title? More?
I reject that LeBron needs to be the only "A" star on his team. I reject that players want to beat other stars en route to titles. There is no such thing as a qualified ring.
(Besides, there are plenty of opportunities to beat stars: The Heat can start with their in-state rival from Orlando/D-12, then move on to Kobe or Durant in the West.)
Here is the big theory: Winning titles and beating rivals has been done plenty of times in the NBA. See the tired old Lakers-Celtics thing, now going on 25 years.
If LeBron wants to create an NBA evolution -- transcend the previous stars -- the way to do it is to reject the "one big star per team" theory that dominated the league since forever.
Establish the "post-rivalry" era, where superstars sublimate themselves for the chance to not just win rings but make history.
THAT should be the appeal for LeBron. Presumably, he can win titles anywhere. Only in Miami, with D-Wade (and Bosh along for the ride) can he create an entirely new framework for stardom.
If he cares about winning, he can go virtually anywhere -- let's say, Chicago. If he cares about winning AND creating a post-Jordan or post-Lakers/Celtics legacy, he must go to Miami.
See the entire column here, including a plan to get Strasburg in the All-Star Game that won't ruffle any sensibilities.
-- D.S.
As it happens, that was going to be the lead of today's SN column all along: Why I am simultaneously repulsed and thrilled by this.
You can read the entire argument here, but this gist is this:
LeBron wants (or needs) championships. It could be to fulfill his inner NBA soul or to help him become a billion-dollar global brand. It doesn't matter. He needs to win titles.
The path of least resistance to winning titles is to join up with Wade and Bosh in Miami. LeBron would have to subordinate his "alpha" personality, but in exchange, he gets rings. Many rings.
I have always had zero sympathy for the NBA stars who went ring-less: They all had their chances to set their egos aside and play with Jordan or Kobe or Duncan for less cash and win rings. They chose money over glory.
LeBron has the chance to have his cake and eat it too: He can get max money and still win tons of rings, all the while looking magnanimous for joining forces.
And, frankly, it kills me for the rest of the league (including my team), but I want to see what three stars -- two uber-stars -- can do. 72 wins? More? One title? More?
I reject that LeBron needs to be the only "A" star on his team. I reject that players want to beat other stars en route to titles. There is no such thing as a qualified ring.
(Besides, there are plenty of opportunities to beat stars: The Heat can start with their in-state rival from Orlando/D-12, then move on to Kobe or Durant in the West.)
Here is the big theory: Winning titles and beating rivals has been done plenty of times in the NBA. See the tired old Lakers-Celtics thing, now going on 25 years.
If LeBron wants to create an NBA evolution -- transcend the previous stars -- the way to do it is to reject the "one big star per team" theory that dominated the league since forever.
Establish the "post-rivalry" era, where superstars sublimate themselves for the chance to not just win rings but make history.
THAT should be the appeal for LeBron. Presumably, he can win titles anywhere. Only in Miami, with D-Wade (and Bosh along for the ride) can he create an entirely new framework for stardom.
If he cares about winning, he can go virtually anywhere -- let's say, Chicago. If he cares about winning AND creating a post-Jordan or post-Lakers/Celtics legacy, he must go to Miami.
See the entire column here, including a plan to get Strasburg in the All-Star Game that won't ruffle any sensibilities.
-- D.S.
Monday, June 28, 2010
06/28 Quickie: LeBron, World Cup, More
I have no problem with those "calling" LeBron's free agency winner, three days early, as the Bulls.
I don't need to wait for what I call in today's SN column the "prostrate exams" in Akron on Thursday by the lineup of shameless executives, most of whom know they have no chance but have to pantomime interest anyway.
So LeBron to the Bulls? Makes sense: Of any team where LeBron can be the alpha dog (which necessarily takes away Miami), they are in the best position to win now (Rose + Noah + another max FA like Boozer or Amare).
It is looking entirely likely that the Knicks will not only not get LeBron -- or Bosh or Wade -- but will have to settle for someone like Joe Johnson as their "catch."
It is not unreasonable to suggest that this is a failure by Donnie Walsh every bit as epic as anything Isiah Thomas did during his tenure.
For years, the Knicks have made these vague promises of "Just wait 'til the Summer of 2010!" Now that we're here, they entirely overestimated the lure of New York and underestimated competitors like Chicago and Miami. (Hell, even the Nets have a better offer - if they were already in Brooklyn, I think LeBron would be going to the Nets.)
So anyway, back to LeBron: Looks like he will go to Chicago. Interestingly, Chris Bosh isn't interested in joining him; Bosh would rather go to Miami to play second fiddle to Dwyane Wade. Good for Bosh. And great for the Heat, which can afford another max free agent or a bunch of quality supporting cast.
That means the open question is which power forward -- Amare or Boozer -- goes with LeBron to Chicago. Hell, even David Lee would be serviceable.
Look: Things could change. I wouldn't put it past LeBron to be so annoyed that the media presumes to tell him where he's going that he change his mind out of spite. (Although that would lack the CEO-style calculating that LeBron fancies himself applying.)
But with all the lead-up to "JULY !!!" it seems ironic that the week itself seems anti-climactic. (Unless you believe Stephen A, who seems to think LeBron is joining Wade and Bosh in Miami...)
More in today's column:
*Can't begrudge the fact that US Soccer was out-played in its ouster. You can begrudge Bob Bradley as not fixing fundamental flaws with the team (allowing early goals).
*Watch this Chris Henry autopsy story: He had brain damage, despite not having high-profile concussions, playing receiver and being 26. It's simply the cost of playing football. If you could check the brains of every NFL player (college, too), how many would have damage?
*Well, now the Rays are totally falling apart at the seams. Meanwhile, mock Jamie Moyer for allowing an all-time record 506th HR, but he has 9 wins at age 46.
See the entire column here. More later.
-- D.S.
I don't need to wait for what I call in today's SN column the "prostrate exams" in Akron on Thursday by the lineup of shameless executives, most of whom know they have no chance but have to pantomime interest anyway.
So LeBron to the Bulls? Makes sense: Of any team where LeBron can be the alpha dog (which necessarily takes away Miami), they are in the best position to win now (Rose + Noah + another max FA like Boozer or Amare).
It is looking entirely likely that the Knicks will not only not get LeBron -- or Bosh or Wade -- but will have to settle for someone like Joe Johnson as their "catch."
It is not unreasonable to suggest that this is a failure by Donnie Walsh every bit as epic as anything Isiah Thomas did during his tenure.
For years, the Knicks have made these vague promises of "Just wait 'til the Summer of 2010!" Now that we're here, they entirely overestimated the lure of New York and underestimated competitors like Chicago and Miami. (Hell, even the Nets have a better offer - if they were already in Brooklyn, I think LeBron would be going to the Nets.)
So anyway, back to LeBron: Looks like he will go to Chicago. Interestingly, Chris Bosh isn't interested in joining him; Bosh would rather go to Miami to play second fiddle to Dwyane Wade. Good for Bosh. And great for the Heat, which can afford another max free agent or a bunch of quality supporting cast.
That means the open question is which power forward -- Amare or Boozer -- goes with LeBron to Chicago. Hell, even David Lee would be serviceable.
Look: Things could change. I wouldn't put it past LeBron to be so annoyed that the media presumes to tell him where he's going that he change his mind out of spite. (Although that would lack the CEO-style calculating that LeBron fancies himself applying.)
But with all the lead-up to "JULY !!!" it seems ironic that the week itself seems anti-climactic. (Unless you believe Stephen A, who seems to think LeBron is joining Wade and Bosh in Miami...)
More in today's column:
*Can't begrudge the fact that US Soccer was out-played in its ouster. You can begrudge Bob Bradley as not fixing fundamental flaws with the team (allowing early goals).
*Watch this Chris Henry autopsy story: He had brain damage, despite not having high-profile concussions, playing receiver and being 26. It's simply the cost of playing football. If you could check the brains of every NFL player (college, too), how many would have damage?
*Well, now the Rays are totally falling apart at the seams. Meanwhile, mock Jamie Moyer for allowing an all-time record 506th HR, but he has 9 wins at age 46.
See the entire column here. More later.
-- D.S.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sunday (Very) Quickie: US Booted
Well, THAT was disappointing. It is probably for the best that the US was simply out-played, rather than robbed or victim of a fluke.
Same old story: Early goal. Make that two: Early in regulation, early in extra time. In the World Cup, you simply can't win like that. Not regularly, anyway.
It is impossible to begrudge Ghana, the last remaining African country in the Cup and full of fresh young talent that seemed to want it more -- or, more accurately, fear less -- than the sluggish US.
(You have to root for Ghana against Uruguay, right? BTW: That 2nd Uruguay goal was as sick as you will see in soccer, ever.)
What next for the US? I was not a Bob Bradley fan heading into the Tournament, and I think this finish -- premature and disappointing -- was a referendum on his style and decision-making.
(Roberto Clark played terribly yesterday. Altidore is the Striker Who Can't Score. Findlay is fast, but not much else. Where was Buddle? Where was Gomez?)
You can only hope that in four years, for the 2014 World Cup, there is an evolution of US players who are even further Euro-trained and ready to advance the sport here.
Otherwise, the thrill ride that is the US Soccer team at the 2010 World Cup is over. It was fun -- or mostly fun -- while it lasted. Keep watching the rest of the tournament.
More:
LeBron Watch: Reportedly, he is not going on a tour; he is simply taking meetings in Akron. More than that, he is leaning toward the Bulls -- as he should, given that they have the best base of existing young talent (Rose, Noah) and the room for Bron AND Bosh. (Gee, thanks, Ernie Grunfeld!)
I'm going to dig into this a lot more later this week, but when the Knicks are inevitably shut out of the LeBron Sweepstakes (and Wade, too), it is a failure of the highest order -- up there with anything Isiah ever did. More on that later this week.
Wow, did England get routed out just now by Germany. Really looking forward to Argentina-Mexico later today.
-- D.S.
Same old story: Early goal. Make that two: Early in regulation, early in extra time. In the World Cup, you simply can't win like that. Not regularly, anyway.
It is impossible to begrudge Ghana, the last remaining African country in the Cup and full of fresh young talent that seemed to want it more -- or, more accurately, fear less -- than the sluggish US.
(You have to root for Ghana against Uruguay, right? BTW: That 2nd Uruguay goal was as sick as you will see in soccer, ever.)
What next for the US? I was not a Bob Bradley fan heading into the Tournament, and I think this finish -- premature and disappointing -- was a referendum on his style and decision-making.
(Roberto Clark played terribly yesterday. Altidore is the Striker Who Can't Score. Findlay is fast, but not much else. Where was Buddle? Where was Gomez?)
You can only hope that in four years, for the 2014 World Cup, there is an evolution of US players who are even further Euro-trained and ready to advance the sport here.
Otherwise, the thrill ride that is the US Soccer team at the 2010 World Cup is over. It was fun -- or mostly fun -- while it lasted. Keep watching the rest of the tournament.
More:
LeBron Watch: Reportedly, he is not going on a tour; he is simply taking meetings in Akron. More than that, he is leaning toward the Bulls -- as he should, given that they have the best base of existing young talent (Rose, Noah) and the room for Bron AND Bosh. (Gee, thanks, Ernie Grunfeld!)
I'm going to dig into this a lot more later this week, but when the Knicks are inevitably shut out of the LeBron Sweepstakes (and Wade, too), it is a failure of the highest order -- up there with anything Isiah ever did. More on that later this week.
Wow, did England get routed out just now by Germany. Really looking forward to Argentina-Mexico later today.
-- D.S.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Saturday (US-Ghana) Quickie
A few thoughts while idling time between now and the 2:30 kickoff of US-Ghana...
*US-Ghana: I'm picking the US to win -- I mean, how could you not -- but Ghana is arguably the best team that the US has faced this tournament. Yes, better than England.
(I do like the fact that Ghana booted us out in '06 as motivation, but if this team needs that to motivate them at this point, they're in trouble.)
*Quick follow-up to yesterday's post about my suggestion for John Wall's new number: Dan Steinberg actually asked Wall about 44, and Wall was NOT a fan.
(It's all good: It turns out that Wall is leaning toward No. 15, which is my favorite number -- and not just because that's what Tebow wears -- or No. 3, which was my favorite number growing up.)
*Edwin Jackson's no-hitter (149 pitches?! WTF?!) comes about 5 seasons after I thought I was being smart and put him on my fantasy roster before he got called up as a rookie.
(It is also a bit of symbolism of the wrong track that the Rays are on right now. Come on, Tampa.)
*USC is appealing the sanctions: Of course they are. They will not win.
(Did you see that Percy Harvin was pivotal in the NCAA's case against USC? That should make everyone love him even more.)
*Thoughts are with Chad Jones, his family and his fans. What a spectacular player at LSU -- last season, I distinctly remember the way he won the game for LSU at Mississippi State with a sick punt return. Put the NFL aside; I just hope he can recover enough to have a normal life.
-- D.S.
*US-Ghana: I'm picking the US to win -- I mean, how could you not -- but Ghana is arguably the best team that the US has faced this tournament. Yes, better than England.
(I do like the fact that Ghana booted us out in '06 as motivation, but if this team needs that to motivate them at this point, they're in trouble.)
*Quick follow-up to yesterday's post about my suggestion for John Wall's new number: Dan Steinberg actually asked Wall about 44, and Wall was NOT a fan.
(It's all good: It turns out that Wall is leaning toward No. 15, which is my favorite number -- and not just because that's what Tebow wears -- or No. 3, which was my favorite number growing up.)
*Edwin Jackson's no-hitter (149 pitches?! WTF?!) comes about 5 seasons after I thought I was being smart and put him on my fantasy roster before he got called up as a rookie.
(It is also a bit of symbolism of the wrong track that the Rays are on right now. Come on, Tampa.)
*USC is appealing the sanctions: Of course they are. They will not win.
(Did you see that Percy Harvin was pivotal in the NCAA's case against USC? That should make everyone love him even more.)
*Thoughts are with Chad Jones, his family and his fans. What a spectacular player at LSU -- last season, I distinctly remember the way he won the game for LSU at Mississippi State with a sick punt return. Put the NFL aside; I just hope he can recover enough to have a normal life.
-- D.S.
Friday, June 25, 2010
World Cup Picks: Update
Checking in on my World Cup picks for the Group Round:
A: (1) Uruguay, (2) France
B: (1) Argentina, (2) Nigeria
C: (1) US, (2) England
D: (1) Germany, (2) Serbia
E: (1) Netherlands, (2) Cameroon
F: (1) Italy, (2) Paraguay
G: (1) Brazil, (2) Portugal
H: (1) Spain, (2) Chile
10 out of 16 spots predicted correctly, including winner vs. runner-up. Correctly predicted Paraguay would advance, but blew the spot. So that's 11 correct in some way.
Missed entirely on 5 spots, including a big whiff on Italy winning Group F. I know bragging rights are won and lost on picking runners-up, not group winners, but I'm proud of my initial results.
FWIW: From my original picks, I am VERY chalky in the 2nd round, and I'm sticking with it.
I have every group winner advancing (including the US), except I picked B2 to beat A1. (What the hell: Even if I got the teams wrong, let's keep the premise and pick South Korea over Uruguay.)
And, of course, I picked Italy to be F1, which was horribly dumb. But I will stick with the F1-over-E2 pick, Paraguay over Japan.
Also FWIW: I have the US advancing to the semifinals. I'm sticking with it! (Ack: Quickie jinx!)
Now that the World Cup is a straight 16-team bracket, where's the office pool.....
-- D.S.
A: (1) Uruguay, (2) France
B: (1) Argentina, (2) Nigeria
C: (1) US, (2) England
D: (1) Germany, (2) Serbia
E: (1) Netherlands, (2) Cameroon
F: (1) Italy, (2) Paraguay
G: (1) Brazil, (2) Portugal
H: (1) Spain, (2) Chile
10 out of 16 spots predicted correctly, including winner vs. runner-up. Correctly predicted Paraguay would advance, but blew the spot. So that's 11 correct in some way.
Missed entirely on 5 spots, including a big whiff on Italy winning Group F. I know bragging rights are won and lost on picking runners-up, not group winners, but I'm proud of my initial results.
FWIW: From my original picks, I am VERY chalky in the 2nd round, and I'm sticking with it.
I have every group winner advancing (including the US), except I picked B2 to beat A1. (What the hell: Even if I got the teams wrong, let's keep the premise and pick South Korea over Uruguay.)
And, of course, I picked Italy to be F1, which was horribly dumb. But I will stick with the F1-over-E2 pick, Paraguay over Japan.
Also FWIW: I have the US advancing to the semifinals. I'm sticking with it! (Ack: Quickie jinx!)
Now that the World Cup is a straight 16-team bracket, where's the office pool.....
-- D.S.
Jon Scheyer on Wizards Summer Team
Jon Scheyer will be playing for the Wizards' summer league team.
For a Wizards fan with a fetish for Jewish basketball players -- and Scheyer is arguably the greatest Jewish college basketball player ever, and someone I have been in the tank for since he arrived at Duke (despite the fact that I hate Duke!) -- this qualifies as major news.
For a Wizards fan with a fetish for Jewish basketball players -- and Scheyer is arguably the greatest Jewish college basketball player ever, and someone I have been in the tank for since he arrived at Duke (despite the fact that I hate Duke!) -- this qualifies as major news.
Latavious Williams Postscript: Presti!
A happy postscript to yesterday's post about Latavious Williams, the first prep to jump to the D-League. He is now the first D-Leaguer to be drafted by the NBA.
Williams went 48th overall. His drafting was notable for two things:
(1) The number of college players -- both early-entrants and seniors -- whom he was drafted before. This includes talented young players like Sylven Landesburg and Manny Harris and championship-draped seniors like Jon Scheyer.
It's not like Williams is some 7-foot prospect. He is a 6-7 small forward who plays with high energy. That makes him indistinguishable from dozens of college prospects, with one massive exception:
While those players spent the past one, two, three or four years playing in a system where the No. 1 incentive is not to get those players ready to be pros, Williams was playing in precisely that pro development system: A league whose mission is to prepare players for the NBA.
He played for NBA coaches, in NBA systems. He showcased his talents in front of NBA scouts. He played with NBA talent -- last season saw a record number of call-ups from the D-League to the NBA, where fully 20 percent of the league has spent at least some time in the D-League.
In past years, the D-League might have been a repository for NBA wannabes, ready to single-mindedly gun their way back into the league. But, hopefully, a lot more high school players whose goal is to play and succeed professionally will skip college and enter the D-League; the league's focus can then shift more comprehensively to the development of 18- to 22-year-old players to get them ready for the highest pro level, not unlike minor-league baseball.
(2) He ended up with the Thunder, perhaps the best-run organization in the NBA. I could talk all about how well the Thunder has developed young players, but the strongest argument is this:
Sam Presti -- arguably the best and smartest GM in the league right now -- thought enough of Latavious Williams (and thought enough of the prep-to-pro path he had chosen) to draft him.
Latavious getting drafted was big enough. Latavious getting by Sam Presti and the Thunder is the ultimate affirmation.
For all those undrafted college players (early-entrants and seniors alike), the D-League likely awaits you. Hopefully you can get as much out of it as Latavious Williams did.
-- D.S.
Williams went 48th overall. His drafting was notable for two things:
(1) The number of college players -- both early-entrants and seniors -- whom he was drafted before. This includes talented young players like Sylven Landesburg and Manny Harris and championship-draped seniors like Jon Scheyer.
It's not like Williams is some 7-foot prospect. He is a 6-7 small forward who plays with high energy. That makes him indistinguishable from dozens of college prospects, with one massive exception:
While those players spent the past one, two, three or four years playing in a system where the No. 1 incentive is not to get those players ready to be pros, Williams was playing in precisely that pro development system: A league whose mission is to prepare players for the NBA.
He played for NBA coaches, in NBA systems. He showcased his talents in front of NBA scouts. He played with NBA talent -- last season saw a record number of call-ups from the D-League to the NBA, where fully 20 percent of the league has spent at least some time in the D-League.
In past years, the D-League might have been a repository for NBA wannabes, ready to single-mindedly gun their way back into the league. But, hopefully, a lot more high school players whose goal is to play and succeed professionally will skip college and enter the D-League; the league's focus can then shift more comprehensively to the development of 18- to 22-year-old players to get them ready for the highest pro level, not unlike minor-league baseball.
(2) He ended up with the Thunder, perhaps the best-run organization in the NBA. I could talk all about how well the Thunder has developed young players, but the strongest argument is this:
Sam Presti -- arguably the best and smartest GM in the league right now -- thought enough of Latavious Williams (and thought enough of the prep-to-pro path he had chosen) to draft him.
Latavious getting drafted was big enough. Latavious getting by Sam Presti and the Thunder is the ultimate affirmation.
For all those undrafted college players (early-entrants and seniors alike), the D-League likely awaits you. Hopefully you can get as much out of it as Latavious Williams did.
-- D.S.
What Number Should John Wall Wear?
UPDATE: Apparently, Wall is thinking about either No. 15 or No. 3.
This is amazing, because I love both numbers -- actually, they have been the very two basketball jersey numbers I have loved most in my lifetime, No. 3 from when I was a kid until I was in my mid-20s, and No. 15 since then; it is my reigning favorite (and not just because of Tim Tebow. I liked No. 15 before that.)
Original post:
Excuse the homerism/Wall triumphalism for a moment...
What jersey number should John Wall wear? His preferred number -- 11 -- is retired by the Bullets/Wizards for Elvin Hayes. So unless Hayes is willing to give it up, Wall needs a new number.
It's not an insubstantial thing -- it becomes part of a player's brand, not to mention a part of their merchandise sales. There are a few factors to consider:
*Can you own it? Meaning: Is it already defined by another star? (Examples: 35 is Durant. 24 is Kobe. 41 is Dirk. 23 is Jordan. Even 1 is Derrick Rose. Number 6, obviously, is now LeBron's -- or Arenas's, oddly.)
*Is it a "cool" number? (Example: 39 is not cool. Especially if you are an exciting point guard. You want your number to reflect that.
I think I have it. (Yes, I have given this way too much thought.)
44.
*It has similar numerical alliteration to Wall's old number 11, and it's a cool-looking number.
*It is "owned" by Jerry West and George Gervin, historically, but no star in the NBA currently claims it and no star point guard in league history has worn it.
*It's a unique number for a point guard. (Remember when Jason Williams entered the league with the Kings and wore No. 55? It was one of the league's best-sellers.)
And, most interesting, it becomes a sly tribute to No. 44 in the White House -- the hoops-loving President -- getting work done a few blocks away from where Wall will do his own work. It evokes leadership (something Wall has talked constantly about) and a zeitgeisty D.C. vibe.
Thoughts? By the way: Wall can always change it later. Look at LeBron.
-- D.S.
This is amazing, because I love both numbers -- actually, they have been the very two basketball jersey numbers I have loved most in my lifetime, No. 3 from when I was a kid until I was in my mid-20s, and No. 15 since then; it is my reigning favorite (and not just because of Tim Tebow. I liked No. 15 before that.)
Original post:
Excuse the homerism/Wall triumphalism for a moment...
What jersey number should John Wall wear? His preferred number -- 11 -- is retired by the Bullets/Wizards for Elvin Hayes. So unless Hayes is willing to give it up, Wall needs a new number.
It's not an insubstantial thing -- it becomes part of a player's brand, not to mention a part of their merchandise sales. There are a few factors to consider:
*Can you own it? Meaning: Is it already defined by another star? (Examples: 35 is Durant. 24 is Kobe. 41 is Dirk. 23 is Jordan. Even 1 is Derrick Rose. Number 6, obviously, is now LeBron's -- or Arenas's, oddly.)
*Is it a "cool" number? (Example: 39 is not cool. Especially if you are an exciting point guard. You want your number to reflect that.
I think I have it. (Yes, I have given this way too much thought.)
44.
*It has similar numerical alliteration to Wall's old number 11, and it's a cool-looking number.
*It is "owned" by Jerry West and George Gervin, historically, but no star in the NBA currently claims it and no star point guard in league history has worn it.
*It's a unique number for a point guard. (Remember when Jason Williams entered the league with the Kings and wore No. 55? It was one of the league's best-sellers.)
And, most interesting, it becomes a sly tribute to No. 44 in the White House -- the hoops-loving President -- getting work done a few blocks away from where Wall will do his own work. It evokes leadership (something Wall has talked constantly about) and a zeitgeisty D.C. vibe.
Thoughts? By the way: Wall can always change it later. Look at LeBron.
-- D.S.
06/25 Quickie: NBA Draft Mania
Well, it was a great Draft night if you are a Wizards fan (at least, with the No. 1 overall pick... not sure about the rest of the moves).
Tons and tons of NBA Draft follow-up in today's SN column:
*Best non-Wall pick: DeMarcus Cousins, who would be my pick to be Rookie of the Year, if Blake Griffin didn't appear to be a lock.
*Best Dressed (a Quickie tradition!): Wesley Johnson, obviously.
*Most intriguing picks: In the 1st round, Daniel Orton at No. 29 by the Magic, who can afford to bring him along slowly. In the 2nd round, Latavious Williams, the first prep-to-pro D-Leaguer drafted by the NBA.
*Schadenfreude for: Knicks fans, Lance Stephenson, Willie Warren. Stephenson should have gone straight to the D-League last year. Warren should have come out a year ago.
Of course, everything yesterday was framed around the free agency stuff: The Bulls got tons of new cap room. I'm stuck on this: This is all zero-sum. Someone's getting LeBron. Someone isn't. And the team that isn't is going to spend LeBron-sized money on non-LeBron talent.
More in today's column:
*Does Spain join Italy among World Cup chokers knocked out before the knock-out stage?
*Vlad! Break up the Rangers!
*Getting ready for US-Ghana tomorrow.
*That NBA Draft broadcast was uninspiring. The real action was on Twitter.
Tons more in the column. Check it out here. More later.
-- D.S.
Tons and tons of NBA Draft follow-up in today's SN column:
*Best non-Wall pick: DeMarcus Cousins, who would be my pick to be Rookie of the Year, if Blake Griffin didn't appear to be a lock.
*Best Dressed (a Quickie tradition!): Wesley Johnson, obviously.
*Most intriguing picks: In the 1st round, Daniel Orton at No. 29 by the Magic, who can afford to bring him along slowly. In the 2nd round, Latavious Williams, the first prep-to-pro D-Leaguer drafted by the NBA.
*Schadenfreude for: Knicks fans, Lance Stephenson, Willie Warren. Stephenson should have gone straight to the D-League last year. Warren should have come out a year ago.
Of course, everything yesterday was framed around the free agency stuff: The Bulls got tons of new cap room. I'm stuck on this: This is all zero-sum. Someone's getting LeBron. Someone isn't. And the team that isn't is going to spend LeBron-sized money on non-LeBron talent.
More in today's column:
*Does Spain join Italy among World Cup chokers knocked out before the knock-out stage?
*Vlad! Break up the Rangers!
*Getting ready for US-Ghana tomorrow.
*That NBA Draft broadcast was uninspiring. The real action was on Twitter.
Tons more in the column. Check it out here. More later.
-- D.S.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Latavious Williams Defines 2010 NBA Draft
So there are a couple of intriguing storylines heading into Thursday's NBA Draft: Wall to my Wiz... Cousins vs. Favors... Gordon Hayward as Top 10 pick?
But, for me, the most intriguing storyline is Latavious Williams, who skipped college basketball to play in the D-League for the one-year moratorium the NBA put on his draft eligibility.
I posted about him last year: He became the first high school player to jump from prep-to-pros domestically since the NBA raised the age-limit. Williams went from high school to the D-League.
And I think he represents a huge future, as long as the NBA continues to insist that NBA-worthy high school players put in at least a year of college.
I have argued this before, and it is pretty simple: If your goal is to be a professional basketball player, you will get better training -- perhaps far better training -- for your career playing pro basketball in the D-league than you will in college basketball, particularly if you're only spending a year.
You will get pro coaching. You will get used to the pro lifestyle. You will be tracked by NBA scouts. The league's mandate is to position you to get to the NBA.
College basketball's mandate is not to get its players to the NBA. And any coach who says that is their goal is forgetting that their own job security comes first. (Nevermind that any college coach who says his No. 1 goal is to get his players to the pros shouldn't be a college coach.)
Let me put this simply: Even if he is "only" a 2nd-round pick, Latavious Williams is better off for having played a year in the D-League than playing a year in college basketball. Undoubtedly, his draft stock would not be as high as it is now. He wouldn't be close to being ready.
(By the way, this also goes for him going straight to the NBA Draft out of high school; he is better off with a mandatory year in the D-League before draft eligibility, which bridges the gap for me between hating the age limit and wanting to see enhanced pre-draft player development.)
Consider the slew of early-entry college players -- not to mention four-year college players -- who will be drafted after Williams (if they are drafted at all).
Then consider whether they would be closer to their goal of playing professionally if they had -- say -- decided to play professionally from the start.
This is beyond Brandon Jennings spending his one-and-done year in Europe, then showing up for the NBA far more mentally and physically prepared than any college player. This is about shifting the main framework of prep-to-pro player development from college to a domestic pro league.
Here's to many more high school players following the positive experience Williams had in the D-League and following him there.
Let's replace "one-and-done" with "one-and-development."
-- D.S.
UPDATE: Naturally, after I wrote a draft of this yesterday, the New York Times' inimitable college sports reporter Pete Thamel published a story yesterday about Williams. Obviously, it isn't as strident as my position -- but if you read between the lines, it should serve as primary support for my argument.
But, for me, the most intriguing storyline is Latavious Williams, who skipped college basketball to play in the D-League for the one-year moratorium the NBA put on his draft eligibility.
I posted about him last year: He became the first high school player to jump from prep-to-pros domestically since the NBA raised the age-limit. Williams went from high school to the D-League.
And I think he represents a huge future, as long as the NBA continues to insist that NBA-worthy high school players put in at least a year of college.
I have argued this before, and it is pretty simple: If your goal is to be a professional basketball player, you will get better training -- perhaps far better training -- for your career playing pro basketball in the D-league than you will in college basketball, particularly if you're only spending a year.
You will get pro coaching. You will get used to the pro lifestyle. You will be tracked by NBA scouts. The league's mandate is to position you to get to the NBA.
College basketball's mandate is not to get its players to the NBA. And any coach who says that is their goal is forgetting that their own job security comes first. (Nevermind that any college coach who says his No. 1 goal is to get his players to the pros shouldn't be a college coach.)
Let me put this simply: Even if he is "only" a 2nd-round pick, Latavious Williams is better off for having played a year in the D-League than playing a year in college basketball. Undoubtedly, his draft stock would not be as high as it is now. He wouldn't be close to being ready.
(By the way, this also goes for him going straight to the NBA Draft out of high school; he is better off with a mandatory year in the D-League before draft eligibility, which bridges the gap for me between hating the age limit and wanting to see enhanced pre-draft player development.)
Consider the slew of early-entry college players -- not to mention four-year college players -- who will be drafted after Williams (if they are drafted at all).
Then consider whether they would be closer to their goal of playing professionally if they had -- say -- decided to play professionally from the start.
This is beyond Brandon Jennings spending his one-and-done year in Europe, then showing up for the NBA far more mentally and physically prepared than any college player. This is about shifting the main framework of prep-to-pro player development from college to a domestic pro league.
Here's to many more high school players following the positive experience Williams had in the D-League and following him there.
Let's replace "one-and-done" with "one-and-development."
-- D.S.
UPDATE: Naturally, after I wrote a draft of this yesterday, the New York Times' inimitable college sports reporter Pete Thamel published a story yesterday about Williams. Obviously, it isn't as strident as my position -- but if you read between the lines, it should serve as primary support for my argument.
Annual NBA Draft Like/Don't Like List
Normally, I just post a list of draftees I "like" (project for future success) or "don't like" (think are overvalued or headed for mediocre careers). This year, I decided I'd go old-school "Hot/Not List" style and try to pair players up in related categories:
Superstar
Like: John Wall
Don't Like: Evan Turner
Evan Turner is the new Emeka Okafor: Best in college. Limited upside. Read this.
Positionless Big
Like: Derrick Favors
Don't Like: Al-Farouq Aminu
Favors could be the next Dwight Howard.
Post Stud
Like: DeMarcus Cousins
Don't Like: Ed Davis
Davis could have been Cousins... a year ago. Don't stay in school.
WAC Small Forward Du Jour
Like: Paul George
Don't Like: Luke Babbitt
George is Danny Granger 2.0. Babbitt is Daequon Cook 2.0.... maybe.
I'm So Conflicted
Like: Gordon Hayward
Don't Like Gordon Hayward
I want to like him. He will not be very effective.
Shooter
Like: Jordan Crawford
Don't Like: Xavier Henry
Crawford shoots just as well, but way more athletic.
Big Who Can Contribute
Like: Patrick Patterson
Don't Like: Hassan Whiteside
I have a blind spot for PP.
First-Team All-Big East Star
Like: Greg Monroe
Don't Like: Wes Johnson
Johnson will be very solid, but no star. Monroe more valuable as passing big man.
One-and-Done Point-ish Guard
Like: Eric Bledsoe
Don't Like: Avery Bradley
At another school, Bledsoe is All-American.
Big man
Like: Keith Gallon
Don't Like: Craig Brackins
Gallon is like a plus-sized DeJuan Blair.
Shooter
Like: Jon Scheyer
Don't Like: Lance Stephenson
Scheyer has clear NBA role; Stephenson doesn't.
Williams
Like: Latavious Williams
Don't Like: Elliot Williams
Go D-League!
Stiff-ish Big Man
Like: Cole Aldrich
Don't Like: Solomon Alabi
Aldrich will have a very solid career. Alabi? Eh.
Finally, a few words about Daniel Orton, who might be the most polarizing player in the draft.
(1) There will be a backlash to the backlash before the day is over.
(2) Please think back to the pre-draft doubts about Andrew Bynum.
(3) Orton not having an agent killed him in the pre-draft media-spin game. NBA writers get their info from either team execs or agents. Without someone repping his case to influential media people, Orton had no chance. NBA info guys were more easily spun by execs; I guarantee you at least a few with late-1st-round picks were dogging Orton in the hopes he falls.
(4) Draftniks seem to ignore the concept of "expected value": If Orton has a, say, 20 percent chance of being the next Andrew Bynum, isn't that a much much better risk for a team picking in the 2nd half of the 1st round than a player with an 80 percent chance of being a mediocre-to-solid role player?
Given his limited college experience (and, to be fair, he was playing alongside four NBA 1st-round picks), Orton is the closest thing we have seen to a prep-to-pro center since Bynum. That turned out pretty well. Draft Express currently has Orton going to the Wizards with the 30th and final pick of the 1st round. As a Wizards fan, I would love to see that happen. I'll take my chances.
To recap, the players in this draft I like: Wall, Favors, Cousins, George, Patterson, Crawford, Monroe, Bledsoe, Scheyer, Latavious Williams, Gallon, Aldrich, Orton, Hayward.
And the players I don't: Turner, Johnson, Aminu, Davis, Babbitt, Hayward, Henry, Whiteside, Bradley, Brackins, Stephenson, Elliot Williams, Alabi, Hayward.
-- D.S.
Superstar
Like: John Wall
Don't Like: Evan Turner
Evan Turner is the new Emeka Okafor: Best in college. Limited upside. Read this.
Positionless Big
Like: Derrick Favors
Don't Like: Al-Farouq Aminu
Favors could be the next Dwight Howard.
Post Stud
Like: DeMarcus Cousins
Don't Like: Ed Davis
Davis could have been Cousins... a year ago. Don't stay in school.
WAC Small Forward Du Jour
Like: Paul George
Don't Like: Luke Babbitt
George is Danny Granger 2.0. Babbitt is Daequon Cook 2.0.... maybe.
I'm So Conflicted
Like: Gordon Hayward
Don't Like Gordon Hayward
I want to like him. He will not be very effective.
Shooter
Like: Jordan Crawford
Don't Like: Xavier Henry
Crawford shoots just as well, but way more athletic.
Big Who Can Contribute
Like: Patrick Patterson
Don't Like: Hassan Whiteside
I have a blind spot for PP.
First-Team All-Big East Star
Like: Greg Monroe
Don't Like: Wes Johnson
Johnson will be very solid, but no star. Monroe more valuable as passing big man.
One-and-Done Point-ish Guard
Like: Eric Bledsoe
Don't Like: Avery Bradley
At another school, Bledsoe is All-American.
Big man
Like: Keith Gallon
Don't Like: Craig Brackins
Gallon is like a plus-sized DeJuan Blair.
Shooter
Like: Jon Scheyer
Don't Like: Lance Stephenson
Scheyer has clear NBA role; Stephenson doesn't.
Williams
Like: Latavious Williams
Don't Like: Elliot Williams
Go D-League!
Stiff-ish Big Man
Like: Cole Aldrich
Don't Like: Solomon Alabi
Aldrich will have a very solid career. Alabi? Eh.
Finally, a few words about Daniel Orton, who might be the most polarizing player in the draft.
(1) There will be a backlash to the backlash before the day is over.
(2) Please think back to the pre-draft doubts about Andrew Bynum.
(3) Orton not having an agent killed him in the pre-draft media-spin game. NBA writers get their info from either team execs or agents. Without someone repping his case to influential media people, Orton had no chance. NBA info guys were more easily spun by execs; I guarantee you at least a few with late-1st-round picks were dogging Orton in the hopes he falls.
(4) Draftniks seem to ignore the concept of "expected value": If Orton has a, say, 20 percent chance of being the next Andrew Bynum, isn't that a much much better risk for a team picking in the 2nd half of the 1st round than a player with an 80 percent chance of being a mediocre-to-solid role player?
Given his limited college experience (and, to be fair, he was playing alongside four NBA 1st-round picks), Orton is the closest thing we have seen to a prep-to-pro center since Bynum. That turned out pretty well. Draft Express currently has Orton going to the Wizards with the 30th and final pick of the 1st round. As a Wizards fan, I would love to see that happen. I'll take my chances.
To recap, the players in this draft I like: Wall, Favors, Cousins, George, Patterson, Crawford, Monroe, Bledsoe, Scheyer, Latavious Williams, Gallon, Aldrich, Orton, Hayward.
And the players I don't: Turner, Johnson, Aminu, Davis, Babbitt, Hayward, Henry, Whiteside, Bradley, Brackins, Stephenson, Elliot Williams, Alabi, Hayward.
-- D.S.
NBA Draft: Happy Birthday, Brother
It's my brother's birthday today, so happy birthday to him. That his birthday coincides this year with the NBA Draft reminds me of a story from 17 years ago:
On the day of the 1993 NBA Draft, I was home from college for the summer and my brother was a rising high school senior.
We shared a room -- we always did, which I highly recommend for parents raising sibling brothers, even if you have the room in your house for each kid to have their own room. (I can't speak for sibling sisters, but hopefully someone else can.)
That night, the Bullets drafted Calbert Cheaney, and I thought the guy was going to be a superstar. (Yes, really. I thought he was going to be a pure-shooting 2-guard with the size and skills to dominate. Yes, really.)
I was sure of this. So sure that I wanted to tell Bullets fans everywhere.
And so I called into Ken Beatrice's nighttime sports-radio show. I waited on hold for at least an hour to get my turn.
I then got on the air and proclaimed that Cheaney would not only be a star, but had the potential to be "the next Michael Jordan." (Yes, really. Don't ask. Yes, I regret saying it.)
Here's the thing: My brother taped the call. And, for years, it gave him no end of entertainment. For the the little brother of a would-be sports pundit, it was the ultimate trump card.
We both believe that it is still in our room somewhere, buried in a box of cassette tapes. I have no idea how we will listen to them to find it -- there is an old boom box in the room, but neither of us ever are home long enough to sift through the tapes to find it.
As an artifact of my youth, it is probably worth looking. (Pretty good foreshadowing of my future career as a superlative-spewing sports pundit!)
Then again, the public claim was so preposterous that it is probably best left buried in history.
Happy birthday, Mark.
-- D.S.
On the day of the 1993 NBA Draft, I was home from college for the summer and my brother was a rising high school senior.
We shared a room -- we always did, which I highly recommend for parents raising sibling brothers, even if you have the room in your house for each kid to have their own room. (I can't speak for sibling sisters, but hopefully someone else can.)
That night, the Bullets drafted Calbert Cheaney, and I thought the guy was going to be a superstar. (Yes, really. I thought he was going to be a pure-shooting 2-guard with the size and skills to dominate. Yes, really.)
I was sure of this. So sure that I wanted to tell Bullets fans everywhere.
And so I called into Ken Beatrice's nighttime sports-radio show. I waited on hold for at least an hour to get my turn.
I then got on the air and proclaimed that Cheaney would not only be a star, but had the potential to be "the next Michael Jordan." (Yes, really. Don't ask. Yes, I regret saying it.)
Here's the thing: My brother taped the call. And, for years, it gave him no end of entertainment. For the the little brother of a would-be sports pundit, it was the ultimate trump card.
We both believe that it is still in our room somewhere, buried in a box of cassette tapes. I have no idea how we will listen to them to find it -- there is an old boom box in the room, but neither of us ever are home long enough to sift through the tapes to find it.
As an artifact of my youth, it is probably worth looking. (Pretty good foreshadowing of my future career as a superlative-spewing sports pundit!)
Then again, the public claim was so preposterous that it is probably best left buried in history.
Happy birthday, Mark.
-- D.S.
06/24 Quickie: Biggest Day Ever?
In the 2+ years I have been writing the daily column for Sporting News, I cannot remember a more loaded column, with no less than a half-dozen topics that could lead the sports day.
All I can do is send you to it and hope you enjoy the whole thing. Here is my director's cut:
*Yes, yesterday absolutely was the biggest moment in US soccer history. Don't let the soccer snobs fool you with talk of "Mexico 2002." That changed nothing. "Donovan 90+1" changes everything.
*Isner-Mahut 59-59. So unprecedented as to become one of the defining moments in the history of tennis. I only wish they had enough time to play to conclusion, because a big part of the charm was the slog; a good night's rest is almost going too easy on them. Almost.
*In 25 years of being obsessed with the NBA Draft, I cannot believe that on the morning of the draft, this is the 3rd-biggest story. But I lay out my top 5 draft storylines in the column (with more coming here later): Wall, Nets at No. 3, Gordon Hayward, Latavious Williams, Trades.
*Phil Jackson retiring? OK.
*Stephen Strasburg losing? Not his fault!
*Ubaldo getting batted around by the Red Sox? Hmm...feels like a pretty important data point.
*CP3 getting traded? Not going to happen.
*LT indicted? A minor story today, because of everything else.
*World Cup Today, Group E: Japan-Denmark is a de facto play-in/knock-out game.
*World Cup Today, Group F: Does Italy get knocked out today? We can only hope.
*Hey, Albert Haynesworth is going to report to training camp! (Zzz.)
*Landon Donovan. Landon Donovan. Landon Donovan.
See the complete, jam-packed column here. A lot more NBA Draft stuff coming later this morning and throughout the day. I think I have at least 4-5 extra posts planned.
-- D.S.
All I can do is send you to it and hope you enjoy the whole thing. Here is my director's cut:
*Yes, yesterday absolutely was the biggest moment in US soccer history. Don't let the soccer snobs fool you with talk of "Mexico 2002." That changed nothing. "Donovan 90+1" changes everything.
*Isner-Mahut 59-59. So unprecedented as to become one of the defining moments in the history of tennis. I only wish they had enough time to play to conclusion, because a big part of the charm was the slog; a good night's rest is almost going too easy on them. Almost.
*In 25 years of being obsessed with the NBA Draft, I cannot believe that on the morning of the draft, this is the 3rd-biggest story. But I lay out my top 5 draft storylines in the column (with more coming here later): Wall, Nets at No. 3, Gordon Hayward, Latavious Williams, Trades.
*Phil Jackson retiring? OK.
*Stephen Strasburg losing? Not his fault!
*Ubaldo getting batted around by the Red Sox? Hmm...feels like a pretty important data point.
*CP3 getting traded? Not going to happen.
*LT indicted? A minor story today, because of everything else.
*World Cup Today, Group E: Japan-Denmark is a de facto play-in/knock-out game.
*World Cup Today, Group F: Does Italy get knocked out today? We can only hope.
*Hey, Albert Haynesworth is going to report to training camp! (Zzz.)
*Landon Donovan. Landon Donovan. Landon Donovan.
See the complete, jam-packed column here. A lot more NBA Draft stuff coming later this morning and throughout the day. I think I have at least 4-5 extra posts planned.
-- D.S.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
US Soccer Pulls Off 91st Minute Miracle
"The Miracle at 91": At least, that's what I'd like to call it. One of the most joyous moments in the history of US sports -- certainly national-team sports -- and, at the same time, one of its most improbable.
If everything that happened leading up to this -- the fluky goal to tie England, the robbery that denied 3 points vs. Slovenia -- allowed for this most extreme of sports miracles, I am thrilled that they happened, because they made the moment all the more sweet.
It is one of the most stunning sports results of all time. Not an upset.
Just so improbable as to feel like one of the great moments in the country's sports history.
-- D.S.
If everything that happened leading up to this -- the fluky goal to tie England, the robbery that denied 3 points vs. Slovenia -- allowed for this most extreme of sports miracles, I am thrilled that they happened, because they made the moment all the more sweet.
It is one of the most stunning sports results of all time. Not an upset.
Just so improbable as to feel like one of the great moments in the country's sports history.
-- D.S.
06/23 Quickie: US Soccer, NBA Draft, Ubaldo
It's not crazy to call today the biggest soccer game in US history. Bigger than 1950 vs. England. Bigger than 2010 vs. England.
In today's SN column, I argue that winning would be huge and losing would be -- well, not quite devastating, but one of the bigger national sporting buzzkills we've seen in a while. (As was the goal-robbery from last Friday, by the way.)
By noon, we'll know whether things get extraordinarily exciting for the weekend -- or whether the World Cup will go on with the rest of the world caring, but many many fewer in the US caring.
More you'll find in today's SN column:
*Count me among those who like DeMarcus Cousins' NBA potential. (Not sure I see the logic of the Nets drafting Wes Johnson ahead of Favors or Cousins. Johnson may be better now, but isn't finding a small forward easier than finding a talented power forward? I guess in this free agent year, maybe not.)
*Much more on the draft later today and tomorrow. I'm obviously very very excited about John Wall joining the Wizards, but there's a player I am equally intrigued about. (Curious? Aaand, as usual, the NYT's Pete Thamel is all over it. This is why he's the best.)
*Is Ubaldo Jimenez vs. the Red Sox lineup today the most intriguing (non-Strasburg) match-up of the MLB season so far? Absolutely.
*That said: Strasburg's start vs. the Royals tonight is as must-see as the other three starts he has made.
*Is it really so crazy to acknowledge that Chris Johnson is the most underpaid athlete in sports and deserves a massive pay raise from the Titans? The team won't win this battle.
*Really recommend "The Two Escobars," the latest 30/30 documentary from ESPN. Very well done.
Complete SN column here. More later.
-- D.S.
In today's SN column, I argue that winning would be huge and losing would be -- well, not quite devastating, but one of the bigger national sporting buzzkills we've seen in a while. (As was the goal-robbery from last Friday, by the way.)
By noon, we'll know whether things get extraordinarily exciting for the weekend -- or whether the World Cup will go on with the rest of the world caring, but many many fewer in the US caring.
More you'll find in today's SN column:
*Count me among those who like DeMarcus Cousins' NBA potential. (Not sure I see the logic of the Nets drafting Wes Johnson ahead of Favors or Cousins. Johnson may be better now, but isn't finding a small forward easier than finding a talented power forward? I guess in this free agent year, maybe not.)
*Much more on the draft later today and tomorrow. I'm obviously very very excited about John Wall joining the Wizards, but there's a player I am equally intrigued about. (Curious? Aaand, as usual, the NYT's Pete Thamel is all over it. This is why he's the best.)
*Is Ubaldo Jimenez vs. the Red Sox lineup today the most intriguing (non-Strasburg) match-up of the MLB season so far? Absolutely.
*That said: Strasburg's start vs. the Royals tonight is as must-see as the other three starts he has made.
*Is it really so crazy to acknowledge that Chris Johnson is the most underpaid athlete in sports and deserves a massive pay raise from the Titans? The team won't win this battle.
*Really recommend "The Two Escobars," the latest 30/30 documentary from ESPN. Very well done.
Complete SN column here. More later.
-- D.S.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
06/22 Quickie: AL East, World Cup, LeBron
It will never happen, but baseball needs a realignment to eliminate divisions and simply let the top 4 (or 6 or 8) teams from each league make the playoffs. That way, we don't end up with ridiculous outcomes like 3 teams over .600 in the AL East, with one guaranteed to miss the playoffs. (If it's the Rays, it is also the team with the most stacked pitching to actually win in the playoffs.)
Today's SN column is a bit of a baseball catch-up after two weeks of NBA Finals, CFB expansion and World Cup. I talk AL East, Strasburg and hand out premature mid-season awards (Ubaldo, Price, Cano, Adrian Gonzo -- with Strasburg and Carlos Santana earning Rookie of the Year awards eventually, because they haven't played enough yet to really qualify.)
There is a bunch more:
*I dissect the CP3-LeBron connection. It's a fair question: Can the Hornets get a package of players that make them better than without those players plus Chris Paul? (I also float the question of CP3 for Derrick Rose, straight up. Seems fair to both sides.)
*I lament the end of the 7:30 a.m. World Cup schedule, but the 10 a.m. games today are great: Mexico-Uruguay in a "win and you win the group; tie and you both make it but one of you has to play Argentina next" match-up, or France imploding, which is just fun.
*I mock Steve Smith (and Brett Favre, naturally), praise Alejandro Falla and rip BP -- that was the easiest rip of the month, to be sure.
See the entire column here. More later.
-- D.S.
Today's SN column is a bit of a baseball catch-up after two weeks of NBA Finals, CFB expansion and World Cup. I talk AL East, Strasburg and hand out premature mid-season awards (Ubaldo, Price, Cano, Adrian Gonzo -- with Strasburg and Carlos Santana earning Rookie of the Year awards eventually, because they haven't played enough yet to really qualify.)
There is a bunch more:
*I dissect the CP3-LeBron connection. It's a fair question: Can the Hornets get a package of players that make them better than without those players plus Chris Paul? (I also float the question of CP3 for Derrick Rose, straight up. Seems fair to both sides.)
*I lament the end of the 7:30 a.m. World Cup schedule, but the 10 a.m. games today are great: Mexico-Uruguay in a "win and you win the group; tie and you both make it but one of you has to play Argentina next" match-up, or France imploding, which is just fun.
*I mock Steve Smith (and Brett Favre, naturally), praise Alejandro Falla and rip BP -- that was the easiest rip of the month, to be sure.
See the entire column here. More later.
-- D.S.
Monday, June 21, 2010
06/21 Quickie: World Cup, US Open, More
If you're like me -- or like the US Soccer roster -- you're probably still a little bitter about Friday's screw-job at the World Cup.
"Well, it could have been a loss" doesn't really help. However, in today's SN column, I point out a few situations from this weekend that really should make you feel better:
*Tiger at the US Open.
*Dustin Johnson -- oy! -- at the Open.
*France
*European soccer, more generally. (Say: Italy's humiliation)
*Ivory Coast
*Baseball fans now staring up at the Yankees in the AL East
I do feel a little better, with 48 hours to get ready for US-Algeria. A win there fixes a lot. (A loss? Don't even want to think about that yet.)
Meanwhile, it's a big week:
*NBA Draft (the "Wall Draft" for we Wiz fans)
*More World Cup (get up for Wednesday!)
*The iPhone 4 (did you pre-order?)
*Trying to pull my fantasy baseball team out of its tailspin.
Complete SN column here. More later.
-- D.S.
"Well, it could have been a loss" doesn't really help. However, in today's SN column, I point out a few situations from this weekend that really should make you feel better:
*Tiger at the US Open.
*Dustin Johnson -- oy! -- at the Open.
*France
*European soccer, more generally. (Say: Italy's humiliation)
*Ivory Coast
*Baseball fans now staring up at the Yankees in the AL East
I do feel a little better, with 48 hours to get ready for US-Algeria. A win there fixes a lot. (A loss? Don't even want to think about that yet.)
Meanwhile, it's a big week:
*NBA Draft (the "Wall Draft" for we Wiz fans)
*More World Cup (get up for Wednesday!)
*The iPhone 4 (did you pre-order?)
*Trying to pull my fantasy baseball team out of its tailspin.
Complete SN column here. More later.
-- D.S.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Sunday (Father's Day) Quickie
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.
We celebrated in my house with two homemade gifts my kids made in daycare, followed by my wife re-creating my favorite Brooklyn brunch treat: Bacon, egg and cheese on biscuits.
For the rest of the morning, we all watched World Cup, capped by New Zealand's stunning tie of Italy -- arguably the most shocking World Cup tie (if not most shocking result) of all time.
I wanted to offer my condolences to the Bol family on the loss of Manute Bol. His NBA career was marked by life as an oddity, but he was a tireless humanitarian.
Bol joined the Bullets when I was 12, and the team put on a promotional "Meet Manute" event in Bethesda at a local toy store. I had recently sprained my ankle and was on crutches. I remember getting to skip the entire (long!) line to get my picture taken with him. I remember being shocked at how tall he was -- he was incredibly reserved. I hope he felt appreciated. Bol became one of the biggest fan favorites in Bullets history.
More:
*France at the World Cup has gone from humiliating to a farce. Is Moliere on Twitter?
*Seems like a terrific pick-up for the Redskins to get OT Jammal Brown.
*OK, once the must-see Brazil-Ivory Coast game is over, I'll flip over to the US Open. I'd like to see Tiger make a run at it, although I still don't expect him to win.
*Is Phil Hughes (now a 10-game winner) going to be an All-Star?
*After 10 weeks of careful attention to my fantasy team (including 8 weeks in 1st place), I have gotten drilled in the last two weeks, and yesterday, I left Felix Hernandez on my bench by mistake, just in time for him to throw a 9K shutout, a lowlight of Week 11. I deserve the second-division status I am headed for as of tomorrow morning.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! More tomorrow morning here and at SN.
-- D.S.
We celebrated in my house with two homemade gifts my kids made in daycare, followed by my wife re-creating my favorite Brooklyn brunch treat: Bacon, egg and cheese on biscuits.
For the rest of the morning, we all watched World Cup, capped by New Zealand's stunning tie of Italy -- arguably the most shocking World Cup tie (if not most shocking result) of all time.
I wanted to offer my condolences to the Bol family on the loss of Manute Bol. His NBA career was marked by life as an oddity, but he was a tireless humanitarian.
Bol joined the Bullets when I was 12, and the team put on a promotional "Meet Manute" event in Bethesda at a local toy store. I had recently sprained my ankle and was on crutches. I remember getting to skip the entire (long!) line to get my picture taken with him. I remember being shocked at how tall he was -- he was incredibly reserved. I hope he felt appreciated. Bol became one of the biggest fan favorites in Bullets history.
More:
*France at the World Cup has gone from humiliating to a farce. Is Moliere on Twitter?
*Seems like a terrific pick-up for the Redskins to get OT Jammal Brown.
*OK, once the must-see Brazil-Ivory Coast game is over, I'll flip over to the US Open. I'd like to see Tiger make a run at it, although I still don't expect him to win.
*Is Phil Hughes (now a 10-game winner) going to be an All-Star?
*After 10 weeks of careful attention to my fantasy team (including 8 weeks in 1st place), I have gotten drilled in the last two weeks, and yesterday, I left Felix Hernandez on my bench by mistake, just in time for him to throw a 9K shutout, a lowlight of Week 11. I deserve the second-division status I am headed for as of tomorrow morning.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! More tomorrow morning here and at SN.
-- D.S.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Fathers' Day Gift: "Are We Winning?"
Looking for a last-minute Father's Day gift? I recommend heading to the local bookstore to pick up the book "Are We Winning?" by Will Leitch, reviewed here last month with a tribute to my own dad.
Saturday (Robbed!) Quickie
The US-Slovenia tie -- or "tie" -- yesterday left me entirely conflicted. On the one hand, after going down 2-0 at half, salvaging a tie was a gift.
On the other hand...
OHMYGODWEWEREROBBED!
Robbed of the 3 points, yes. But robbed of one of the greatest comebacks in US sports history. I'm not talking about in international competition. I'm talking about "Red Sox Come Back from 0-3 in the 2004 ALCS" territory. I'm talking about "Bills Come Back from Being a Jillion Down Against The Oilers In the Playoffs" territory. But so much bigger. Because baseball runs and football touchdowns are relatively easy to score, compared to World Cup goals.
This was a travesty. The US earned that win. When I think about it too hard, I get angry, so I'll let it go now. The game next week vs. Algeria is going to be bonkers.
More, very quickly:
*Well, at least we weren't England, with the nil-nil result.
*Strasburg Mania: 10 Ks, 0 BBs, 1 ER, 7 IP. Cripes.
*Break 'em up: Mets beat Yankees to win 8th straight
*Phil's 66: At some point, everyone will agree he has surpassed Tiger.
Back to World Cup. The vuvuzelas just got louder....
-- D.S.
On the other hand...
OHMYGODWEWEREROBBED!
Robbed of the 3 points, yes. But robbed of one of the greatest comebacks in US sports history. I'm not talking about in international competition. I'm talking about "Red Sox Come Back from 0-3 in the 2004 ALCS" territory. I'm talking about "Bills Come Back from Being a Jillion Down Against The Oilers In the Playoffs" territory. But so much bigger. Because baseball runs and football touchdowns are relatively easy to score, compared to World Cup goals.
This was a travesty. The US earned that win. When I think about it too hard, I get angry, so I'll let it go now. The game next week vs. Algeria is going to be bonkers.
More, very quickly:
*Well, at least we weren't England, with the nil-nil result.
*Strasburg Mania: 10 Ks, 0 BBs, 1 ER, 7 IP. Cripes.
*Break 'em up: Mets beat Yankees to win 8th straight
*Phil's 66: At some point, everyone will agree he has surpassed Tiger.
Back to World Cup. The vuvuzelas just got louder....
-- D.S.
Friday, June 18, 2010
06/18 Quickie: Lakers, Artest, USA
Well, that Game 7 was a grinder -- but that meant that the 4th quarter was close, with plenty of chances for big shots... none bigger than that 3 by Ron Artest to basically win the game for LA.
When the game was over, the instant reaction was that we will not remember the build-up to Game 7; as usual, we will remember the champs -- Lakers repeating, Kobe winning his 5th ring.
But then Ron Artest did his post-game interview with Doris Burke, and we had the kind of crazy joy that only Ron-Ron can provide. How could I not lead today's SN column with Artest?
He thanked his therapist -- not his physical therapist, his psychotherapist. And in the litany of thanks he offered, that one stood out, for two reasons:
(1) Only Ron Artest would acknowledge that he uses a shrink. (2) His shrink, apparently, gave him the confidence to shoot (and make) that game-sealing 3. So kudos to YOU, "Dr. Sandy."
For me, Artest is the defining player of this Lakers championship. He was the change from last year's title to this year's. He personified the intensity of Game 7. He carried the team when Kobe was doing his best John Starks impression. (OK: Kobe wasn't THAT bad. Hardly.)
Ron thanked everyone. I say: Thank YOU, Ron-Ron.
More you'll find in today's column:
*Are the Celtics finished? (No.)
*How about Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers? (Maybe.)
*Is this a must-win for US Soccer?
*Tiger hates Pebble Beach greens.
*More love for Utah.
*Ubaldomania. Enough said.
Complete column here. More later.
-- D.S.
When the game was over, the instant reaction was that we will not remember the build-up to Game 7; as usual, we will remember the champs -- Lakers repeating, Kobe winning his 5th ring.
But then Ron Artest did his post-game interview with Doris Burke, and we had the kind of crazy joy that only Ron-Ron can provide. How could I not lead today's SN column with Artest?
He thanked his therapist -- not his physical therapist, his psychotherapist. And in the litany of thanks he offered, that one stood out, for two reasons:
(1) Only Ron Artest would acknowledge that he uses a shrink. (2) His shrink, apparently, gave him the confidence to shoot (and make) that game-sealing 3. So kudos to YOU, "Dr. Sandy."
For me, Artest is the defining player of this Lakers championship. He was the change from last year's title to this year's. He personified the intensity of Game 7. He carried the team when Kobe was doing his best John Starks impression. (OK: Kobe wasn't THAT bad. Hardly.)
Ron thanked everyone. I say: Thank YOU, Ron-Ron.
More you'll find in today's column:
*Are the Celtics finished? (No.)
*How about Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers? (Maybe.)
*Is this a must-win for US Soccer?
*Tiger hates Pebble Beach greens.
*More love for Utah.
*Ubaldomania. Enough said.
Complete column here. More later.
-- D.S.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
My Life As a Terrible Youth League Goalie
The great folks at The Awl were good enough to publish a piece I wrote for them about my experience as a youth-league soccer goalie in the early 1980s that gave me extra empathy for Robert Green. Check it out. I really was quite bad.
06/17 Quickie: Game 7, Spain, US Open
My only problem with the whole "This is the biggest NBA game since the 1984 Finals Game 7 -- if not ever" thing is that it is entirely about pre-game expectations.
The reality is two-fold: (1) Expectations rarely match how the game unfolds, and (2) no one ever remembers the expectations, just the result.
And so I'm left with the idea in today's SN column that there is no way this game can live up to the hype -- short of a clutch play in the game's final seconds that caps a back-and-forth 4th-quarter battle, I guess.
So the superlative qualifier really should be "the most anticipated NBA game since the 1984 Finals Game 7." That's what I mean by "biggest" -- it's supposed to be implied. But I appreciate the need to clarify it.
And I remain skeptical that the game can live up to the massive hype (recognizing that I am contributing to that hype).
More you'll find in today's column:
*There isn't a bigger choker in sports than Spain soccer in the World Cup. Yesterday wasn't the biggest upset ever in soccer, but it sure was a shocker.
*Given the hype for how well Tiger has played at Pebble Beach, his inevitable failure at the US Open will be another of his continuing humiliations.
*I think Jamie Moyer is the most interesting player in baseball. You could make the argument that a 47-year-old waltzing into Yankee Stadium and beating the Yankees is a bigger achievement than the Perfect Games or Strasburg. I'd like to see Strasburg pitch when he's 47 -- or 37, for that matter. And if Strasburg wants to match Moyer's career win total by the time he is 37, he will need to average 18 wins a season for 15 seasons. Umm...not going to happen.
*I reiterate that Utah will be the best bowl-eligible team in the Pac-10 when it joins. I think Pac-10 fans have no idea what is about to hit them.
*John Wall is going to work out for the Wizards today. I can't help but be giddy about that.
More later. With a round of opening games behind us in the World Cup, the games take on a slightly more urgent feel. Complete column here.
-- D.S.
The reality is two-fold: (1) Expectations rarely match how the game unfolds, and (2) no one ever remembers the expectations, just the result.
And so I'm left with the idea in today's SN column that there is no way this game can live up to the hype -- short of a clutch play in the game's final seconds that caps a back-and-forth 4th-quarter battle, I guess.
So the superlative qualifier really should be "the most anticipated NBA game since the 1984 Finals Game 7." That's what I mean by "biggest" -- it's supposed to be implied. But I appreciate the need to clarify it.
And I remain skeptical that the game can live up to the massive hype (recognizing that I am contributing to that hype).
More you'll find in today's column:
*There isn't a bigger choker in sports than Spain soccer in the World Cup. Yesterday wasn't the biggest upset ever in soccer, but it sure was a shocker.
*Given the hype for how well Tiger has played at Pebble Beach, his inevitable failure at the US Open will be another of his continuing humiliations.
*I think Jamie Moyer is the most interesting player in baseball. You could make the argument that a 47-year-old waltzing into Yankee Stadium and beating the Yankees is a bigger achievement than the Perfect Games or Strasburg. I'd like to see Strasburg pitch when he's 47 -- or 37, for that matter. And if Strasburg wants to match Moyer's career win total by the time he is 37, he will need to average 18 wins a season for 15 seasons. Umm...not going to happen.
*I reiterate that Utah will be the best bowl-eligible team in the Pac-10 when it joins. I think Pac-10 fans have no idea what is about to hit them.
*John Wall is going to work out for the Wizards today. I can't help but be giddy about that.
More later. With a round of opening games behind us in the World Cup, the games take on a slightly more urgent feel. Complete column here.
-- D.S.
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