Can't you just feel it?
This is totally a game the Celtics would win. The old guys don't have the seasonal miles on them yet but the more important thing is this:
Mike Brown.
If any of you didn't know, Mike Brown has these little "minutes sheets" where he has the minutes of his rotational players...I don't think I really need to explain what a minutes sheet would be. Last year, the Cavs started 1-2, mostly because we had a new starting point guard, but also because, before he gets his minutes sheets down and ready, Mike Brown looks somewhat lost in the substitution game.
That along with the fact that we have a new starting center, everyone has been sick all preseason and we don't (probably) have Delonte West are all reasons I'm assuming we are going to lose on opening night.
It did appear, however, that nobody on the Celtics can guard Shaq whether he knows that plays or not so who the hell knows.
Buddies' NBA Power Rankings
We're going to start something new. I'm going to give you my NBA Power Rankings of the top five teams only because why would I list the other ones? Here's what I have to start the season...
1. LA Lakers
I know I'm not the first to say this, but the Lakers are essentially the perfect team. Their only potential issue is the fact that they have a few weirdos in Lamar, Artest and Kobe. Luckily for them, they have ARGUABLY the best and most dependable big man in the game in Pau Gasol and the best coach maybe in history. It's really not fair.
2. Orlando Magic
On paper, these guys aren't too far behind the Lakers. As much as I hate them and have belittled them in the past, they are a fearsome team. They don't miss threes, they have a monstrous center and they have athletes. I'm not sure I trust the decision-making of any of their players if things are going wrong, but as long as their threes are falling, it won't matter.
3. Boston Celtics
This will change. Old people aren't old in the first game of the season. I expect them to be fifth by the end of the season.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
I don't believe that there is "turmoil" with a team led by LeBron James, but there have been road bumps in their practice schedule and that is the reason they are so far down. They just haven't practiced enough. Don't let this ranking make you think I'm buying into the idea that Shaq is a bad teammate and can't share the spotlight because I'm not.
5. San Antonio Spurs
You can't lose so easily in the first round and be higher than this the next season. I think that all of their singular players in their "big three" are a little overrated (I don't like to use that word), but when they are all healthy, it doesn't matter how good (or not that good) they are by themselves, they are horrifying when united. Add in Jefferson and McDyess AND DaJuan Blair and age is the only thing wrong with this team, but honestly, that suits them because they are the most intellectual team in the league with Pop at the helm.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Football Update and NBA (Cavs) Preview
With my fantasy football team (Buddies' Blankets) with the record I thought the Bengals would have at this point (0-3-1) and the Bengals at a shockingly decent 3-1 record and the lead pipe lock league about to get going once again AAAAND the Cleveland Cavaaaaliiiiiieeeeeeeerrs!!!! about to start their preseason...why not post something?
In case you were wondering, I was unable to find a reason not to so I will now do it. Let's start with the Bengals.
This team will almost surely be 8-8.
I know, I know, they are one fluke play away from being 4-0 (a fluke play from which I have just recently recovered)! But they are also some insanely clutch drives and stupid bungles by their opponents away from being 0-4. Just about every single part of this team I would describe as "decent," which is a departure from the days of having a spectacular offense and a gruesomely bad defense. Nowadays...defense? Decent. Receivers? Decent. Cedric Benson, Coaching staff, pass rush...all decent. I would be willing to say that Carson Palmer is "good," but no more than that. Oh yeah, somehow the entire NFL watching community knows the name of our long-snapper because he is really making me feel like I'm waiting to hear my doctor to tell me whether or not I have cancer every time we kick an extra point.
All the games are close, it's fun to watch, I'm not complaining (except for during the games. I'm complaining a lot then).
Now onto a couple of other issues:
Mannings
They're the best. The two best teams in the league are headed by the Manning Brothers. I need to see this Super Bowl.
By the way, I hope everyone saw Eli's injury last week. It was one of the most hilariously awkward/feminine moves ever. I applaud him for making a pretty decent pass while most people would probably be too busy thinking, "Oh my God, I looked so gay just then!"
Romo
Remember how he is not that good? Well, he continues to not be.
The Steelers
Anyone who is asking, "what is wrong with the Steelers?" I give you this fact.
Other than no Palamalu, this is the same team who won the Super Bowl last year. They were good, but they are not in the top half of the Super-Bowl-Winning-Team-Quality continuum. Honestly, they just got lucky. I know nobody likes to hear this, but that is a lot of how it works in sports. We (myself included) like to think that everything that happens was somehow "destined" to happen but it isn't. Do you think the Magic were a team of destiny last year? That's called a "hot streak," a statistical situation more than a prophetic one.
Favre
He played great last night and all season. He hasn't played vintage Favre great, but he cannot do that anymore. He's played great at times and solid at most times and that is really all the Vikings need to win the Super Bowl. Stay healthy, old man.
Miscellaneous Football Thoughts
There were two (from what I can remember) controversial calls over the weekend.
1. Excessive Celebration
When the refs at the Georgia/LSU game read this rule, they must have missed the word "excessive." CELEBRATION is legal like, for example, jumping up and down and high fiving your teammates. EXCESSIVE celebration is something else like, I don't know....jumping into the opponent's band? Or anything else Golden Tate does? The spirit of this rule seems to be to keep college kids from thinking they are more important than they are and showboating while we're trying to pretend they are students at the school they "attend." Being happy or enjoying a touchdown is just part of the game. They did that shit when football was played in black and white (the world was actually black and white back then). I have said many times that a ref who calls a penalty like that (or roughing the kicker/passer, unnecessary roughness, etc.) in a crucial part of the game when it is not blatant should be fired immediately and I mean that. Your job as a ref is not to ruin the game but that's what you have done. FIRED.
2. Roughing the Passer
First, I don't like people diving at my knees either. If someone did that playing pick up basketball I would say, "Hey, get off the fuckin' floor, this isn't the pros."
The problem with Brady and the ref making that call is that this IS the pros. You get paid because you will be permanently hurt playing this game. It's not a risk in the NFL, you WILL be hurt. The name of the game is hitting and when it's illegal to almost hit certain players it's bad news. It's like if a pitcher got thrown out of the game for throwing a curve ball so good that the batter thought it was going to hit him in the face but it didn't. It's obviously stupid, no more needs to be said.
Cavs
As hopefully you all know, I was elated about getting Shaq. I'm not really that worried about him turning on our coach, being selfish or getting out of shape that much. With that said, he should not start.
Somebody tell me what the starting lineup did to deserve to be split up. Half the games in the regular season were over in the first quarter and against the good teams that we lost to, we still started those games really really well. People say they like big Z against second unit Centers but does it really make a difference who is guarding you when you are a jump-shooting Center? I think it makes more difference who you're on the court with (LeBron or not LeBron). The better match up against second unit talent is obviously Shaq in my opinion. The second unit big men across the league are often young guys who are just physically not able to handle the size of Shaq.
Furthermore, this would make the rest of our rotation make more sense. Anderson Varejao plays great off of Z. Z is so strictly a finesse big man and Varejao is almost the exact opposite. On the flip side, Shaq playing with the young Hickson in the second unit is appealing to me. The Diesel has already reportedly been giving Hickson some advice and whatnot, it seems like it would work for me. Additionally, you can't start Hickson because, while his offensive game seems to have improved, he still very often is lost on defense. I just wish we had the guts to have Shaq come off the bench. If I'm missing something, somebody please tell me.
In case you forgot, part of this original starting lineup from last season includes a man named Delonte West. Delonte is my favorite player on the team. He's the type of guy who is, in a way, injury prone, not because is a frail guy, but because he will sell out for the team and try to block shots that actually might kill him. He's a huge effort guy, a smart player and good shooter. Other than LeBron James, nobody embodies what the Cavs are about than Delonte West and, as much as I am worried about him personally (a lot), I am positive that we cannot win the title without him.
In case you were wondering, I was unable to find a reason not to so I will now do it. Let's start with the Bengals.
This team will almost surely be 8-8.
I know, I know, they are one fluke play away from being 4-0 (a fluke play from which I have just recently recovered)! But they are also some insanely clutch drives and stupid bungles by their opponents away from being 0-4. Just about every single part of this team I would describe as "decent," which is a departure from the days of having a spectacular offense and a gruesomely bad defense. Nowadays...defense? Decent. Receivers? Decent. Cedric Benson, Coaching staff, pass rush...all decent. I would be willing to say that Carson Palmer is "good," but no more than that. Oh yeah, somehow the entire NFL watching community knows the name of our long-snapper because he is really making me feel like I'm waiting to hear my doctor to tell me whether or not I have cancer every time we kick an extra point.
All the games are close, it's fun to watch, I'm not complaining (except for during the games. I'm complaining a lot then).
Now onto a couple of other issues:
Mannings
They're the best. The two best teams in the league are headed by the Manning Brothers. I need to see this Super Bowl.
By the way, I hope everyone saw Eli's injury last week. It was one of the most hilariously awkward/feminine moves ever. I applaud him for making a pretty decent pass while most people would probably be too busy thinking, "Oh my God, I looked so gay just then!"
Romo
Remember how he is not that good? Well, he continues to not be.
The Steelers
Anyone who is asking, "what is wrong with the Steelers?" I give you this fact.
Other than no Palamalu, this is the same team who won the Super Bowl last year. They were good, but they are not in the top half of the Super-Bowl-Winning-Team-Quality continuum. Honestly, they just got lucky. I know nobody likes to hear this, but that is a lot of how it works in sports. We (myself included) like to think that everything that happens was somehow "destined" to happen but it isn't. Do you think the Magic were a team of destiny last year? That's called a "hot streak," a statistical situation more than a prophetic one.
Favre
He played great last night and all season. He hasn't played vintage Favre great, but he cannot do that anymore. He's played great at times and solid at most times and that is really all the Vikings need to win the Super Bowl. Stay healthy, old man.
Miscellaneous Football Thoughts
There were two (from what I can remember) controversial calls over the weekend.
1. Excessive Celebration
When the refs at the Georgia/LSU game read this rule, they must have missed the word "excessive." CELEBRATION is legal like, for example, jumping up and down and high fiving your teammates. EXCESSIVE celebration is something else like, I don't know....jumping into the opponent's band? Or anything else Golden Tate does? The spirit of this rule seems to be to keep college kids from thinking they are more important than they are and showboating while we're trying to pretend they are students at the school they "attend." Being happy or enjoying a touchdown is just part of the game. They did that shit when football was played in black and white (the world was actually black and white back then). I have said many times that a ref who calls a penalty like that (or roughing the kicker/passer, unnecessary roughness, etc.) in a crucial part of the game when it is not blatant should be fired immediately and I mean that. Your job as a ref is not to ruin the game but that's what you have done. FIRED.
2. Roughing the Passer
First, I don't like people diving at my knees either. If someone did that playing pick up basketball I would say, "Hey, get off the fuckin' floor, this isn't the pros."
The problem with Brady and the ref making that call is that this IS the pros. You get paid because you will be permanently hurt playing this game. It's not a risk in the NFL, you WILL be hurt. The name of the game is hitting and when it's illegal to almost hit certain players it's bad news. It's like if a pitcher got thrown out of the game for throwing a curve ball so good that the batter thought it was going to hit him in the face but it didn't. It's obviously stupid, no more needs to be said.
Cavs
As hopefully you all know, I was elated about getting Shaq. I'm not really that worried about him turning on our coach, being selfish or getting out of shape that much. With that said, he should not start.
Somebody tell me what the starting lineup did to deserve to be split up. Half the games in the regular season were over in the first quarter and against the good teams that we lost to, we still started those games really really well. People say they like big Z against second unit Centers but does it really make a difference who is guarding you when you are a jump-shooting Center? I think it makes more difference who you're on the court with (LeBron or not LeBron). The better match up against second unit talent is obviously Shaq in my opinion. The second unit big men across the league are often young guys who are just physically not able to handle the size of Shaq.
Furthermore, this would make the rest of our rotation make more sense. Anderson Varejao plays great off of Z. Z is so strictly a finesse big man and Varejao is almost the exact opposite. On the flip side, Shaq playing with the young Hickson in the second unit is appealing to me. The Diesel has already reportedly been giving Hickson some advice and whatnot, it seems like it would work for me. Additionally, you can't start Hickson because, while his offensive game seems to have improved, he still very often is lost on defense. I just wish we had the guts to have Shaq come off the bench. If I'm missing something, somebody please tell me.
In case you forgot, part of this original starting lineup from last season includes a man named Delonte West. Delonte is my favorite player on the team. He's the type of guy who is, in a way, injury prone, not because is a frail guy, but because he will sell out for the team and try to block shots that actually might kill him. He's a huge effort guy, a smart player and good shooter. Other than LeBron James, nobody embodies what the Cavs are about than Delonte West and, as much as I am worried about him personally (a lot), I am positive that we cannot win the title without him.
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