NBA Roundup 8-12-09

Lots going on in the NBA, so let's take a look:

Linas Kleiza - Leaves the Denver Nuggets and signs with Olympiakos for 2 years $12.2M. Not a bad deal for Kleiza. Sucks for the Nuggets who dearly need some bench support, but going to Greece for two years and playing for that type of money,......baby pack the bags we're heading for Europe.

Von Wafer - Leaves the Houston Rockets and signs with Olympiakos on a 2 year deal (money not released yet), but probably more than the $800K he was making last year. Does anyone see a trend here? It seems that these mid level players are taking their games overseas. The teams are paying their taxes on their contracts, they get a house and a car as part of the deal. Can anyone say cake up?!?!?

Kurt Rambis - He of the old looking glasses and hard nosed play has decided that he wasn't in line to get the Lakers gig after Phil retires, so he went for the Timberwolves coaching vacancy. It's a 4 year deal and he basically has the keys to the kingdom. The Wolves still have Al Jefferson and Kevin Love (don't they play the same position?), Ricky Rubio (if he ever comes over), Johnny Flynn (I like this kid), Corey Brewer (anyone beside me see a version of Pippen in this guy?), and a lot of cold weather. I actually think that Rambis can make this work and I guess we'll all get a chance to see.

Pau Gasol - While practicing with the Spanish National team, Gasol broke his finger and had surgery. I'm not too excited about this yet. He'll be out of commission for 3 weeks, which may be a good thing since he'll be working on his conditioning and nothing else. Or maybe even taking a break to get ready for what looks to be a long upcoming NBA season.

Glen Davis and Shelden Williams - Both of these guys were signed by the Celtics. This helps develop the bench for the Celtics and it makes them younger. Now they just need someone on the wing and someone to play point off the bench and we're good to go. The sad part for the Duke haters is that Williams is going to shine in this role with these vets around him. Maybe they can get a two for one for Williams and sign his wife, Candace Parker?

Rasual Butler - Traded to West Hell, the Clippers, for basically a ham sandwich (a 2nd round pick) in a salary dump deal. First Posey, now Butler, maybe I need to be in the gym working on my 3 ball for the Hornets.

Ben Wallace - Proving that you can always go home again, Wallace signs with the Detroit Pistons. Now he gets two checks this year, one from the Suns (buyout) and more money from Joe Dumars.

Leon Powe - A small coup? The Cavs snuck in and signed Powe to a 2 year deal for $1.77M. Powe had been one of the best reserves on the Celtics over the last few years but has had a terrible history with knee injuries. He's coming off of surgery and if you ever have a guy that you want to root for, he is it. Good luck Leon Powe.

Tiger Does it Again

The World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron this weekend started slowly for Tiger. He started the week at -1 and came into today 3 shots off the lead. Pedraig Harrington was going into Sunday with a 3 shot lead and looked strong as he had been pouring birdies in on Saturday to get to his lead.

All day today, Tiger and Pedraig battled back and forth. Both were grinding on the golf course. Tiger jumped out of the gate today and tied (-10) Pedraig after 4 holes with a birdie and an eagle. Tiger even took a 2 shot lead, but then followed that up with two back to back bogeys. Pedraig had a 1 shot lead going into the 16 hole. At the tee box, both Tiger and Pedraig were put 'on the clock' (a term meaning that they were falling behind the group in front of them and they needed to hurry up to get back on pace). Both of them made some wayward tee shots and Pedraig's second shot was quick and ended up on the edge of the sand trap. Tiger was able to get back into the fairway from his second shot. Then, the moment happened. Tiger, from 182 yards, hits an 8 iron over the pond within inches. Pedraig hits his shot over the green and into the rough. To make that worse, he then hits his next shot across the green into the water. Game Over.

Tiger wins by 4 strokes and gets his 70th career victory. He becomes the first golfer to win on the same course 7 times (actually he's won 7 out of 10 on this course) and it's just amazing to watch it all happen.

NFL Update 8-6-09

With all of the fall out over Eli Manning's big deal with the Giants, there are some other QB's in the league who have to smiling. One in general is Phillip Rivers. If Rivers gets $97.5M I'm taking my little guy out back and we're going to start playing catch a little bit more, with emphasis on him throwing. Other people that are happy, newly acquired Jay Cutler and Peyton Manning who can re up and is sure to get more money than his brother.

Hurting - Not much happens during training camp except the M.A.S.H units seem to be growing. Here's a list of the players that have been hurt during training camp so far (just the bigger names, not ever single injury):

- Reggie Bush - That knee is not looking good. Maybe he should have kept Kim Kardashian just a little longer. I'm sure she could have at least helped him rub that knee down.

- Tommie Harris - After inking a big deal last year, this guy doesn't seem to be ready to play. They have been holding him out of full contact drills (11 on 11).

-Ben Utecht and Daniel Coats - both went down yesterday and the Bengals are now looking at starting rookie TE, Chase Coffman

- Early Doucet and Beanie Wells - both are being monitored, Wells from a sprained ankle and
Doucet from a shoulder injury.

- Mark Clayton - has bleeding in his hamstring. I'm not even sure I've EVER heard that type of injury before.

- Harry Douglas - has a torn ACL and is out for the year (Roddy White may get a contract extension now, since the Falcons are low on receivers).

- Stewart Bradley - out for the year and he was quietly the 2nd leading tackler on the Philadelphia Eagles. I can honestly say I didn't know that.

- Maake Kemoeatu - is out for the year with a torn ACL. This should have the Panthers looking for some defensive line help.

Rashard Lewis Suspended

Well maybe he took the NBA Finals loss a little harder than necessary (just jokes). Rashard Lewis has been suspended for 10 games for violating the NBA drug policy. Rashard failed a drug test due to high testosterone level. He supposedly tested positive for DHEA that's banned in most sports. I'll bet that the MLB is smiling today. Now maybe another league will have to deal with this steroid issue.

Is this a big deal? Will we now start hearing about steroids in the NBA? Was this just a dumb mistake? Your thoughts?

You got some explaining to do?

As you all know, I'm not a big baseball fan, but I do find myself watching my fair share of Baseball Tonight shows on ESPN along with other baseball highlights. With that said, I saw Prince Fielder try to get into the Dodgers locker room after their game the other night. He was pissed that his former teammate, Guillermo Mota had hit him with a pitch in the 9th inning of the game. This got me thinking about something:

1) Why is it 'allowed' in baseball for someone to brush back a hitter or intentionally throw at someone?

I've never understood this. Is there some unwritten rule that it's ok to throw at someones head? Or plunk them in the ribs? In my mind, if the pitcher is 'allowed' to do this, then the batter should be allowed to bring the bat to the rubber for some redemption. You see it way too often, a hitter hits a home run (or two) and then his next at bat, he's beaned and it's considered part of the game. If you can't keep a hitter in the ball park, you shouldn't be on the mound. Hitting someone in the ribs, back, thigh, or head with a baseball being thrown at 70 mph - 90 mph is just flat out dangerous. Maybe that's why I never played baseball too long. I'd be trying to swing on a pitcher with my bat in hand. Just once I'd like to see the umpires let a hitter get to the mound with bat. All of this high inside pitching will go to the birds.

Is it just me or is this something that should be addressed? Why is it a big deal by MLB to investigate Fielder's actions? He was hit and he was pissed and there had to be some personal animosity between him and Mota.

What is a Manning worth?

Well, hopefully you have all seen the news, the Giants lost their freakin minds and signed Eli Manning to a six year $97.5M deal. I was waiting to see if this was in fact a hoax or just a mistake by the Giants (you know, a 9 here maybe should have been a 6 or something). I normally am all for people getting paid, but this (the little Manning) chump has to be the luckiest guy in the league. I mean he just won the lottery each year for the next 6 years. Let's go ahead and say this, Eli is good, not great, but not terrible. This isn't the type of money that you give an average quarterback (he has a career passer rating of 76.1). Had this deal been for Peyton Manning, I could have understood, although the years would have bothered me.

If the Giants were just dead set on making this deal, why not wait till after this season and they could have gotten him re-upped for the equivalent of a 20 piece meal and not the whole strip mall. Eli will be without his top two receivers, Amani Toomer and Plaxico Burress. They will be a team that will run the ball a lot more they won't put up big numbers. Somewhere Trent Dilfer is starting to practice again in hopes of getting back in the league. The Giants will hate this deal in about 2 years, if not sooner.

Am I too rough on Eli? I've never liked him and if he weren't Peyton's younger sibling or Archie's son, he wouldn't garner the attention he gets. He's average, nothing more nothing less.

Fantasy Football 2009

Well, the season will be starting soon and lucky for me, I finally got the #1 pick in our draft. We don't have a keeper league, so it's open to pick anyone and I don't have to worry about anyone being off the board. Of course I've already started doing my homework and really the first pick is kind of easy, Adrian Peterson will be on the Cold Ones this year.

But after that first pick, what do you do? I'm looking for advice. Do you go RB, QB or do you go WR, WR? I haven't won our league in a few years and need to get back on top.

So, for all of you Fantasy Football guys and gals out there, help me out with some strategy!!!!

Would you pick AD (All Day - Adrian Peterson) with the #1 pick or would you go with someone else. Give me some ideas. And trust me, I have the right to call you crazy and not follow your advice.

Burress Indicted

Well, Plaxico tried and he has now been indicted on two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and one count of reckless endangerment. Plaxico is looking at 3 1/2 to 10 years in prison and if that isn't bad enough, he'll have to meet with the Commish also for at least a 4 game suspension. The best part of this story is that Antonio Pierce, Plax's former teammate and his wing man the night of the incident, was not charged at all. Now it's all up to Plax's defense team to try and get him less than the 3 1/2 years, but that'll be an uphill battle.

What did we learn from this story?

1) If you need a gun for protection to go to the club, DON'T GO. You got enough loot to bring the party to you. Hire some security, do something different.

2) If you are driving and your boy has a gun and shoots himself in the leg, leave him where he lands. Make sure he's not hurt too bad, but leave him there and call the police. Antonio Pierce was thisclose to going to jail and being suspended for this foolishness.

He basically had to admit to the crime in his testimony, so going to trial really isn't an option. The New York politicians want blood/jail time and Plax really has no recourse. There goes his career. What's your take?

NBA Update: Trade Reviews - Part II

We'll keep going and look at the rest of the moves in the NBA.

Ron Artest and Shannon Brown re-sign with Los Angeles Lakers - The rich get richer my friends. We all know what Ron Ron brings to the table: Intensity, Defense, 20 ppg, and did I mention intensity. I feel for anone going up against the Lakers next year. They have two bull dogs on the defensive end in Kobe and Ron, and then they have a lot of height and skill behind them. Shannon Brown found his niche last year with the Lakers. He was instrumental in some playoff games and from almost being out of the league, this guy probably will stick around with the Lakers for about 5 more years. He's great for the system since he can guard small or big guards and he can hit shots.

Trevor Ariza signs a 5 year deal with the Houston Rockets - The Rockets need some good news since Yao will probably be out the majority of next year, so this deal had to be done. Ariza brings a bounce and some perimeter scoring (along with some defense) at a reasonable price (about $6M per year). He's 24 and he can get better. When Yao gets back, I think you'll see his game get even better.

Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva sign with the Detroit Pistons - Well, Joe Dumars needed to make some kind of move and this was probably the best one he could make. There's one thing we will know about Detroit next year and that is that they will score, often. Ben and Charlie both come in with reputations for scoring and a knack for not playing defense (what happened to Deeetroit Basketball?!?!?). Dumars has started to fall of his perch as probably one of the better GMs in the game.

Rasheed Wallace signs with the Boston Celtics - Great move for the Celtics. Rasheed gives them more KG like intensity off the bench and some 3 point shooting. With that said, Rasheed should make a living on the block when he comes in the game. This is one of the top 5 big men defenders in the league and he has offensive game. The Celtics just need a few more moves to beef up their bench and they are right back in this thing.

Shawn Marion, Kris Humphries, and Nathan Jawai (from Toronto) for Antoine Wright and Devean George (Dallas) - Shawn Marion should be the happiest guy in the league. His career got started by having a great point guard (Nash) and now he has another in Kidd. He should be able to keep his career averages (18 pts, 10 rebs, and 2 stls) at the same level. I like Kris Humphries (even though he spurned Duke to go to the league) as a big that can move and has some bulk. He should do well for Dallas. Toronto also picked up Hedo Turkoglu in this 4 team deal which was a good deal for them too. Hedo (the Turkish Jordan) is good enough to go into this system and work with Chris Bosh the same way he worked with Dwight Howard. The difference, Bosh can shoot jumpers and hit his free throws. Toronto is going to be dangerous.

Brandon Bass (from Dallas) signs with Orlando Magic for 3 years- You lose Hedo, but you get VC and Brandon Bass. Not a bad off season. Bass will probably start at the 4 for the Magic with Rashard Lewis moving back to his small forward position. Dwight Howard and Bass will be fighting for alley-oops this entire season.

Grant Hill re-signs with the Phoenix Suns - Man oh man. I thought Hill would have left for a chance at a ring with the Celtics. He chose the Suns over the Celtics out of loyalty (does that exist in the NBA?). Good move for the Suns as they salary dump here and there. But I wanted Hill to join Rasheed on the Celtics' bench.


That's it for now. What's your take these moves?

NBA Update: Trade Reviews - Part I

It's been a hot and hectic few weeks in the NBA. Lots of trades have gone down and a few signings that change the landscape of the playoffs and possibly the Finals next year. Let's take a look and see what has happened.

Fabricio Oberto (from Milwaukee) for Amir Johnson (Detroit) - A decent deal for Detroit. As they rebuild they will at least have someone with a pulse in the paint in Oberto. Amir Johnson has looked 'a few years away' for a few years.

Quentin Richardson (from New York) for Darko Milicic (Memphis) plus cash - If you think that Milicic can play, which he has shown at least some promise lately, then this is a good deal for the Knicks who get rid of one person from a crowded wing position and they get a big that is in shape (not Eddy Curry) and can play the system that Dantoni wants. Richardson will come off the bench for the Grizzlies and probably put up some decent points, but this had to hurt Q to go to Memphis.

Jamal Crawford (from Golden State) for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton (Atlanta) - Talk about helping a team get better. Atlanta can now start Crawford and Johnson in their backcourt (if they can't bring back Bibby). Until Crawford learns how to play some D, they may give up some points on a nightly basis, but they will definitely be scoring in bunches. I hope this gives Acie Law a new start in Golden State. I still think this guy can play in the NBA.

Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson (from New Jersey) for Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, and Tony Battie (Orlando) - This is a great homecoming for VC. He'll be on a team that can battle again for the Eastern Conference title, but Vince can't fall in love with that 3 ball. This was an aggressive move for the Magic because they gave up Courtney Lee who seemed to blossom under Van Gundy. This will mean more minutes for JJ Redick as they try and repeat their success of the past year.

Shaquille O'Neal (from Phoenix) for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, 2010 2nd round pick, and cash (Cavaliers) - Nothing says stay like bringing in the Big Aristotle. Shaq changes coasts again and has a new mantra, 'Win one for the King'. I like the fact that the Cavs made a move, but I'm wavering on this one. This team resigned Anderson Varejao and they have Big Z, so Shaq gives them a post presence (back to the basket) but how are the 3 of these guys going to play? Mike Brown has his work cut out for him on this one. I expect Shaq to take some games off to get ready for the playoffs and if Mo Williams and 'Derty Red' Delonte West can start hitting the 3 ball like they did during the season, this is a good move to make. For Phoenix, just another salary dump move.

Jason Kidd Re-signed with Dallas for 3 years - Great deal for the Mavs. The Knicks wanted Kidd bad and Mark Cuban got this one done. This will keep the Mavs in that elite group in the West, although not quite Championship caliber.

San Antonio Spurs signed Antonio McDyess, Marcus Haslip, and Malik Hairston - Great move for the Spurs by beefing up their frontcourt. McDyess is a quality big man that won't get in the way of Timmy and the other two guys a great backups. So what if they lost out on Rasheed Wallace.

That's it for now, I'll get Part II out soon.


What do you think of these moves? Did your team go out and make something happen or are they still waiting to see what shakes out?