Red Auerbach died at the age of 89 on Saturday night. To be completely honest with you, I'm sad. There are very few people who when they die, you feel like the entire sport is worse, but he's one of them. He's one of those people that though he's only been associated with one team for his entire life, he changed the game. I look at Red Auerbach as the Godfather of the Boston Celtics, much the way I think of David Stern as the Godfather of the entire NBA (can't you tell I love mafia movies?).
After reading Bill Simmons' column today about remembering Red, I thought to myself, "As a Spurs fan, who would I look at as my Red Auerbach?" My first thought was David Robinson because he's spent his entire career with the Spurs and has been, and will continue to be, a huge influence in the San Antonio community. But I decided that it wasn't him, but Gregg Popovich.
Pop has influenced the Spurs in the exact same way that Red did the Celtics. Pop is a great coach, and has coached the Spurs to numerous titles, much like Red coached the Celtics to a record nine NBA titles. Pop is also one of the best front office executives, building contenders not by spending the most money, but by making smart moves and excellent scouting.
It's unfair to try to compare the two people, because Auerbach has had the type of influence that has reached throughout the game, not just the Boston Celtics, whereas Pop is limited to mostly just the Spurs. But nonetheless, I look at Pop much the way any Celtic fan would view Red Auerbach. Rest in peace.
Switching gears a little bit, THE NBA SEASON STARTS TONIGHT! That also means fantasy basketball starts too. Which means I begin my domination of friends and/or family members today.
Here are my quick picks for this season's awards:
Coach of the Year: Jerry Sloan (UTAH)
Sixth Man of the Year: Bobby Jackson (NOK)
Most Improved Player: Darko Milicic (ORL)
Rookie of the Year: Brandon Roy (POR)
Defensive Player of the Year: Bruce Bowen (SA)
Most Valuable Player: LeBron James (CLE)
Enjoy the games everybody.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
Southern Hospitality
I was in the house last night for the Spurs preseason game against the Chi-Town Bulls at the AT&T Center. Because of various reasons (some of them funny), we didn't get to our seats until 10:28 left in the second quarter. By then the Spurs core players were done for the night. So I was treated to a heavy dose of Jacque Vaughn and Matt Bonner. High fives all around.
The Bulls on the other hand continued to play their starters throughout the game, which is why the 99-67 score was so lopsided. Some thoughts from the game:
• The Bulls guards, namely Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon, looked sharp.
• Ben Wallace is going to be a big help for the Bulls, especially come playoff time. I stand by my prediction that they will be in the Eastern Conference Finals.
• Tyrus Thomas might be better than I am expecting. I have been under the impression that Thomas will be the next Stromile Swift, but watching him last night, he could be something special. It’ll be interesting to watch him grow.
A pretty uneventful game all around, but how are you going to argue with watching NBA basketball in person? Exactly.
The Bulls on the other hand continued to play their starters throughout the game, which is why the 99-67 score was so lopsided. Some thoughts from the game:
• The Bulls guards, namely Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon, looked sharp.
• Ben Wallace is going to be a big help for the Bulls, especially come playoff time. I stand by my prediction that they will be in the Eastern Conference Finals.
• Tyrus Thomas might be better than I am expecting. I have been under the impression that Thomas will be the next Stromile Swift, but watching him last night, he could be something special. It’ll be interesting to watch him grow.
A pretty uneventful game all around, but how are you going to argue with watching NBA basketball in person? Exactly.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Last Call
It's almost here. Finally. Preseason is nearing the end and the regular season is right around the corner. I'm giddy (Yes, I really did use the word giddy to describe myself). The only time I'm more excited than this is either Christmas eve (because we open our presents on Christmas eve, that's how I roll) and whenever I get one of those chocolate malt crunch shakes from Jack In The Box. There's less than two weeks to go.
My first article covering the Spurs is up at ProBasketballNews.com. So make sure you check that out.
Rajon Rondo doesn't look too bad this preseason. I'll be honest with you, I don't know what to make of this. On the one hand, he can't shoot. On the other hand, he's been producing. I'm going to have to take the wait-and-see approach on him this season. ESPN.com's Bill Simmons likes him, but I'd imagine that has a lot to do with his Boston roots and all. But one thing is for sure, Boston has put together a lot of young talent around Paul Pierce. I wonder how long it's going to take for them to put it together and make a playoff push. Or how long it's going to take for Danny Ainge to destroy any hopes they have at all.
The Mavericks are 0-4 this preseason and the Raptors are 3-0. This is one of those if a tree falls in a forest scenarios. Does anybody really think that Dallas is going to suck and the Raptors are going to be elite? I know I sure don't. It merely reinforces my belief that the preseason doesn't mean a thing to anybody but the guys just trying to make the team.
I'll be completely honest with you. I don't see a clear cut favorite to win the title this year. Usually there's one team that makes some moves in the offseason to set itself apart from the rest of the NBA (whether they actually win or not is another story). Last year, it was the Spurs with their signings of Nick Van Exel and Michael Finley. But this season, I'm stumped. There is a small elite class of teams consisting of Dallas, San Antonio, Miami, and possibly Phoenix (Detroit, Chicago, and the Clippers are all a step behind). But out of those teams, I don't see one that separates itself from the others. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see either of those teams win in June. Maybe I'd be surprised if Phoenix won, because I don't see their running style winning it all, but still. I believe it's a toss up this year, which makes me very excited.
Less than two weeks left before it all begins.
My first article covering the Spurs is up at ProBasketballNews.com. So make sure you check that out.
Rajon Rondo doesn't look too bad this preseason. I'll be honest with you, I don't know what to make of this. On the one hand, he can't shoot. On the other hand, he's been producing. I'm going to have to take the wait-and-see approach on him this season. ESPN.com's Bill Simmons likes him, but I'd imagine that has a lot to do with his Boston roots and all. But one thing is for sure, Boston has put together a lot of young talent around Paul Pierce. I wonder how long it's going to take for them to put it together and make a playoff push. Or how long it's going to take for Danny Ainge to destroy any hopes they have at all.
The Mavericks are 0-4 this preseason and the Raptors are 3-0. This is one of those if a tree falls in a forest scenarios. Does anybody really think that Dallas is going to suck and the Raptors are going to be elite? I know I sure don't. It merely reinforces my belief that the preseason doesn't mean a thing to anybody but the guys just trying to make the team.
I'll be completely honest with you. I don't see a clear cut favorite to win the title this year. Usually there's one team that makes some moves in the offseason to set itself apart from the rest of the NBA (whether they actually win or not is another story). Last year, it was the Spurs with their signings of Nick Van Exel and Michael Finley. But this season, I'm stumped. There is a small elite class of teams consisting of Dallas, San Antonio, Miami, and possibly Phoenix (Detroit, Chicago, and the Clippers are all a step behind). But out of those teams, I don't see one that separates itself from the others. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see either of those teams win in June. Maybe I'd be surprised if Phoenix won, because I don't see their running style winning it all, but still. I believe it's a toss up this year, which makes me very excited.
Less than two weeks left before it all begins.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Offseason Review
So finally it's here. My Offseason Review. Basically, I sat and looked through all the moves made by every team in the league this offseason and gave them my amateur opinion. Sound Good? Good. So here we go.
Winners
Charlotte
Added: Adam Morrison, Walter Herrmann, Othella Harrington, health(?)
My Opinion: The Bobcats continue to build their franchise by getting players from winning programs, whether it be in college or international. It's not a bad philosophy as it's obviously paid off for the Bulls, who have done that the past few years. I doubt they'll make the playoffs like Raymond Felton said, but if they can stay healthy for a full season, I see no reason why they couldn't at least compete for a playoff spot, especially in the East.
Chicago
Added: Tyrus Thomas, Viktor Khryapa, Thabo Sefolosha, Ben Wallace, P.J. Brown, Howard Eisley
Lost: Tyson Chandler, Darius Songaila, Othella Harrington
My Opinion: The league best defense from last season just got better. It's not just my opinion, it's probably most people's. They've got plenty of scorers, they just don't have a go-to scorer. Despite that, I will be in shock if the Bulls aren't in the Eastern Conference Finals this season.
New Orleans
Added: Hilton Armstrong, Cedric Simmons, Peja Stojakovic, Tyson Chandler, Bobby Jackson, Rasaul Butler
Lost: Moochie Norris, Speedy Claxton, P.J. Brown, J.R. Smith
My Opinion: Adding Peja was the most slept on move of the offseason for any team. He's going to love playing with a guy like Chris Paul. Losing P.J. Brown is never good, but they made up for it by getting depth inside. The Hornets will lock up one of the last playoff spots this year.
Portland
Added: LeMarcus Aldridge, Dan Dickau, Raef LaFrentz, Brandon Roy, Jamal Magloire
Re-Signed: Joel Pryzbilla, JailBlazers Image
Lost: Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, Steve Blake, Brian Skinner, Ha Seung-Jin
My Opinion: This team took a big blow when they lost Ha Seung-Jin, but they countered it by picking up LaFrentz. Okay, so that last sentence was a huge lie all around. But this team did some pretty good things this summer when it came to basketball decisions, not so much on the extracurriculars. Rookies Aldridge and Roy will be solid players for them in the future.
Toronto
Added: Kris Humphries, Robert Whaley, Rasho Nesterovic, T.J. Ford, Andrea Bargnani, Fred Jones, P.J. Tucker
Re-Signed: Chris Bosh
Lost: Rafael Araujo, Matt Bonner, Eric Williams, Charlie Villanueva, Alvin Williams
My Opinion: Trading away Villanueva was tough. But don't sleep on T.J. Ford. He's a great choice at point guard if you want to turn into a running team like the Raptors do. Getting rid of Araujo was smart. Bringing in Rasho? Not so much. He won't fit into the running style of play at all. But their best move of all had to be re-signing Bosh. Good move.
Losers
New York
Added: Renaldo Balkman(seriously?!?!?!), Mardy Collins, Jared Jeffries
Lost: Larry Brown, Jackie Brown, Maurice Taylor
My Opinion: Do I really need to say why I think they sucked this offseason? I didn't think so.
Philadelphia
Added: Rodney Carney
Lost: John Salmons
My Opinion: They didn't move Allen Iverson. Okay, that's fine if you do something to put some better pieces around him. They didn't do that either. Instead, they added Carney, who plays the same position and does pretty much the same things as Andre Iguodala. Expect yet another season of mediocrity from the 76ers.
Seattle
Added: Saer Sene
Re-Signed: Chris Wilcox
My Opinion: Seattle went nowhere last season. Expect the same this year. In fact, the farthest I see this team going any time soon? Oklahoma City, perhaps.
Teams I Wish I Had League Pass For
Atlanta
Added: Speedy Claxton, Sheldon Williams
Lost: Al Harrington, John Edwards
My Opinion: The Hawks finally have a solid point guard in Speedy Claxton, except he broke his had and will be out for a while. But with Josh Smith and a most likely much improved Marvin Williams, this team will be fun to watch all season. I honestly wouldn't be surpised to find the Hawks in the hunt for a playoff spot late in the season.
Orlando
Added: J.J. Redick, Keith Bogans
Re-signed: Trevor Ariza
Lost: DeShawn Stevenson
My Opinion: Throwing J.J. Redick into a young core group that includes Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and Darko Milicic was brilliant. Darko will surprise many people with his play alongside Howard this season, and might even muster up some All-Star votes. That's right, you heard it here first, Darko Milicic will compete for an All-Star spot. This team will improve as the season goes on, but I think they're still one season away from the playoffs. Nonetheless, this team will be fun to watch.
So there you have it, my offseason review. If your favorite team wasn't mentioned, it was because I felt like the moves they made didn't hurt them or help them enough to make much of an impact this season. If you've got beef with my report, great. Feel free to email me any comments you got.
Winners
Charlotte
Added: Adam Morrison, Walter Herrmann, Othella Harrington, health(?)
My Opinion: The Bobcats continue to build their franchise by getting players from winning programs, whether it be in college or international. It's not a bad philosophy as it's obviously paid off for the Bulls, who have done that the past few years. I doubt they'll make the playoffs like Raymond Felton said, but if they can stay healthy for a full season, I see no reason why they couldn't at least compete for a playoff spot, especially in the East.
Chicago
Added: Tyrus Thomas, Viktor Khryapa, Thabo Sefolosha, Ben Wallace, P.J. Brown, Howard Eisley
Lost: Tyson Chandler, Darius Songaila, Othella Harrington
My Opinion: The league best defense from last season just got better. It's not just my opinion, it's probably most people's. They've got plenty of scorers, they just don't have a go-to scorer. Despite that, I will be in shock if the Bulls aren't in the Eastern Conference Finals this season.
New Orleans
Added: Hilton Armstrong, Cedric Simmons, Peja Stojakovic, Tyson Chandler, Bobby Jackson, Rasaul Butler
Lost: Moochie Norris, Speedy Claxton, P.J. Brown, J.R. Smith
My Opinion: Adding Peja was the most slept on move of the offseason for any team. He's going to love playing with a guy like Chris Paul. Losing P.J. Brown is never good, but they made up for it by getting depth inside. The Hornets will lock up one of the last playoff spots this year.
Portland
Added: LeMarcus Aldridge, Dan Dickau, Raef LaFrentz, Brandon Roy, Jamal Magloire
Re-Signed: Joel Pryzbilla, JailBlazers Image
Lost: Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, Steve Blake, Brian Skinner, Ha Seung-Jin
My Opinion: This team took a big blow when they lost Ha Seung-Jin, but they countered it by picking up LaFrentz. Okay, so that last sentence was a huge lie all around. But this team did some pretty good things this summer when it came to basketball decisions, not so much on the extracurriculars. Rookies Aldridge and Roy will be solid players for them in the future.
Toronto
Added: Kris Humphries, Robert Whaley, Rasho Nesterovic, T.J. Ford, Andrea Bargnani, Fred Jones, P.J. Tucker
Re-Signed: Chris Bosh
Lost: Rafael Araujo, Matt Bonner, Eric Williams, Charlie Villanueva, Alvin Williams
My Opinion: Trading away Villanueva was tough. But don't sleep on T.J. Ford. He's a great choice at point guard if you want to turn into a running team like the Raptors do. Getting rid of Araujo was smart. Bringing in Rasho? Not so much. He won't fit into the running style of play at all. But their best move of all had to be re-signing Bosh. Good move.
Losers
New York
Added: Renaldo Balkman(seriously?!?!?!), Mardy Collins, Jared Jeffries
Lost: Larry Brown, Jackie Brown, Maurice Taylor
My Opinion: Do I really need to say why I think they sucked this offseason? I didn't think so.
Philadelphia
Added: Rodney Carney
Lost: John Salmons
My Opinion: They didn't move Allen Iverson. Okay, that's fine if you do something to put some better pieces around him. They didn't do that either. Instead, they added Carney, who plays the same position and does pretty much the same things as Andre Iguodala. Expect yet another season of mediocrity from the 76ers.
Seattle
Added: Saer Sene
Re-Signed: Chris Wilcox
My Opinion: Seattle went nowhere last season. Expect the same this year. In fact, the farthest I see this team going any time soon? Oklahoma City, perhaps.
Teams I Wish I Had League Pass For
Atlanta
Added: Speedy Claxton, Sheldon Williams
Lost: Al Harrington, John Edwards
My Opinion: The Hawks finally have a solid point guard in Speedy Claxton, except he broke his had and will be out for a while. But with Josh Smith and a most likely much improved Marvin Williams, this team will be fun to watch all season. I honestly wouldn't be surpised to find the Hawks in the hunt for a playoff spot late in the season.
Orlando
Added: J.J. Redick, Keith Bogans
Re-signed: Trevor Ariza
Lost: DeShawn Stevenson
My Opinion: Throwing J.J. Redick into a young core group that includes Dwight Howard, Jameer Nelson, and Darko Milicic was brilliant. Darko will surprise many people with his play alongside Howard this season, and might even muster up some All-Star votes. That's right, you heard it here first, Darko Milicic will compete for an All-Star spot. This team will improve as the season goes on, but I think they're still one season away from the playoffs. Nonetheless, this team will be fun to watch.
So there you have it, my offseason review. If your favorite team wasn't mentioned, it was because I felt like the moves they made didn't hurt them or help them enough to make much of an impact this season. If you've got beef with my report, great. Feel free to email me any comments you got.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Sports and Such
So once again it's been a while since I posted. But good news, NBA training camps open this week. With that, comes more posting from me. I am still working on my offseason wrap-up, so that will be up soon. I will be covering my beloved San Antonio Spurs for ProBasketballNews.com this season. And my first article should be up here either this afternoon or tomorrow morning, so look out for that.
Isn't October the greatest month of the year for sports? You've got baseball moving into the playoffs, the NFL is starting to get good, and the NBA is starting. I'm very excited. The only thing that would make me happier is if my Astros had made the playoffs and if my Texans didn't suck. Oh well, at least I've got the Spurs.
Isn't October the greatest month of the year for sports? You've got baseball moving into the playoffs, the NFL is starting to get good, and the NBA is starting. I'm very excited. The only thing that would make me happier is if my Astros had made the playoffs and if my Texans didn't suck. Oh well, at least I've got the Spurs.
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