The 2010 NBA season is down to their final four, Lakers-Suns and Magic-Celtics.
Only nobody is talking about it. The REAL story is Lebron James and his impending free agency. Where is he going to sign? Many teams in the NBA spent the past few years tanking with lesser talent to clear cap space and make room for this offseason. The offseason that may include names such as Lebron, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, etc.
Obviously the big fish is LeBron. A week ago, I would've told you he's staying in Cleveland and I would've bet anything on it. The Cavs management committed to building a good team around him, they brought in some All-star players, the Cavs had the best record in the league for 2 straight seasons, Lebron won the MVP for the second straight season, and the Cavs were again favorites to win the NBA championship. LeBron he turned around this franchise and the suffering sports city of Cleveland.
...and then the Celtics pwned the Cavs in the second round.
Lebron just didn't look motivated. Game 5, the biggest game of the season, he's at home, series tied 2-2, and he puts up a huge stinker. It's not that he had a bad game. It's not that they lost the game. It's the fact that he looked emotionless, he looked tired, he looked for the very first time like he didn't think his team was good enough. He looked like he wanted to leave. Then they went back to Boston where he put in a little more effort but it wasn't enough. Lebron loses again.
Last year, when the Cavs lost to the Magic in the Conference finals, LeBron didn't shake hands with any of the Magic players, he just stormed off into the locker room. He was appropriately pissed off. This year, he spends time talking to each of the Celtics superstars, then walks off into the locker room, even high-fives some fans, then rips off his jersey. It really looked like the last time he was going to wear that uniform.
Then in the press conference, he said he's going to talk with his people in the offseason and make the decision that's best for them. If I were a Cavs fan watching that interview, I just lost whatever confidence I had in him coming back. He didn't say anything that gave me hope of him re-signing.
Are the Cavs good enough to win? Sure. And that's why I thought he would stay even if they didn't win it all this year. If they lost in the NBA finals or the Conference finals, I thought LeBron would think, "I'll resign with the Cavs cause we're still damn close to winning." Now? It's more like, "ZOMG, we effing lost again with the best regular season record, and we lost in the second round, and we lost to an aging Celtics team, and we won't win again next year unless we make some changes."
Think about it. The past four Cavs seasons: Lost in the NBA Finals, lost in the 2nd round, lost in the Conference finals, lost in the 2nd round. Does that sound like a team that's getting better? Aren't they going in the wrong direction? If you were Lebron James, the best basketball player in the world, would you re-sign with the Cavs and grind out another few seasons with these guys, or get a fresh start somewhere else? He can choose the city, choose the coach, choose his teammates, choose anything, because let's face it, any team would do anything to get him. Any owner or GM would bend over backwards, get on their knees, and maybe even blow him. (Pucker up, Donnie Walsh...do it for the fans of New York.)
Advantages of staying in CLE: He's lived there his whole life, his kids and baby mama lives there, his childhood friends live there. He claims to love it there. He can potentially get Cleveland the championship that the city is dying for. He can build his legacy in one place, which is important in the greatest of all-time discussion.
Ok, now for some possible destinations:
1. New York Knicks- Other than Cleveland, they may have the best chance to win the Lebron sweepstakes. NY always had an appeal to LeBron, who wants to become the next sports-billionaire. NY is the biggest city, and I think he'll surpass Jeter/A-Rod to be the biggest sports star here. He can make the Knicks relevant again, which is good for the NBA.
Disadvantages? They suck. LeBron alone is not enough. Lebron and another superstar might not be enough. Does he wanna come to a rebuilding team? If he REALLY wants to win, do the Knicks give him the best chance?
2. Chicago Bulls- They have a great, young team. Also a big market. He's always looked up to and admired Jordan.
Disadvantages? I'm not so sure he wants to leave a legacy in the shadow of Jordan. If you think the Jordan comparisons are sickening now, it'll be even worse in Chicago. If he wins anything less than 6 championships, he'll be the 2nd best player in Chicago. If he doesn't win a championship, he's not even in the discussion.
3. Miami Heat- If he goes there and DWade re-signs, you have the 2 of the best players in the NBA on the same team. They could win a bunch of championships together. Miami has awesome weather year-round. Decent market.
Disadvantages? He goes to the team that Wade has owned the past 7 years. Wade has already won a ring. Does Lebron come in to play second fiddle? Can they share the ball?
4. NJ Nets- They're moving to Brooklyn. They have a billionaire owner. Big Market. Good, young players. LeBron is good friends with part-owner Jay-Z.
Disadvantages? They ain't in Brooklyn yet, and won't be for 1-3 years. NY will always be Knick-town. They just had one of the worst seasons ever.
I think any team with money has a chance, but these are the more likely teams to get him.
Well, as if the appeal of these cities weren't great enough, Cleveland fans had to make this video.
We Are LeBron Video - Watch more Funny Videos
If I were Lebron, I'm outta there real fast after watching that..
Damn I talked a lot about that LeBron dude. I'm done.
Sporcle:
Logos:
http://www.sporcle.com/games/rockgolf/how_logo_can_you_gogo
16/25
Top Websites:
http://www.sporcle.com/games/cake/US_Top_Websites
8/99
Youtube Clip of the Week:
Celtics fans taunt Lebron about his free agency status.
A strange tongue-slip.
-jk
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
New Layout?
Big stories pass by so quickly. Just a little while ago Tiger was all over the news, then Ben Roethlisberger saved Tiger, then the lacrosse kid saved Ben, and now Lawrence Taylor takes the spotlight. There's always a new story out there. You can basically create the next big sports scandal Mad-Libs style.
(Insert Athlete Name) was out late at night at a (club/bar/hotel). He uses terrible judgment and ends up (raping a girl/drinking and driving/cheating on his wife/all of the above).
I'm tired of those losers. These people take money and fame for granted. These bums have money and power and they still feel the need to commit stupid crimes that mostly stem from the need to get their dicks wet. Stop breaking the law, ok?
I finally saw the movie 2012. It is a really really bad movie. Like, all-time bad. Basically everyone dies except a select few consisting of really rich people and John Cusack. Cusack and company get extremely lucky in not dying about 1000 times in the movie, and the suspense created is pretty much laughable.
When 2012 comes and nature decides to unleash itself on the world, I will probably just accept death. The things that the protagonist goes through to survive is not worth it. I am too lazy to survive.
Also, is it just me or does the weather really seem to be getting weird? I am not sure if theories such as 2012 and global warming and stuff make me more aware of the weather, or if it's actually changing. Not only is it cold/hot in unpredictable patterns, but without looking at any statistics I can guess that there was more snow this winter than most past winters.
Bears are also moving east. Bears, beets, battlestar galactica. We are finding more bears in New Jersey. We have volcanoes, we have tornadoes, we have potatoes, we have tomatoes. Maybe all of this is building up to the destruction of Earth. I bet the government knows what will happen and they are preparing to launch themselves into space on their own planet that we don't know about while we all turn into ice or something. They are probably killing off any astronomers who discover this new planet and promising safety to the scientists working on their special spacecraft. They are distracting the people with silly things such as the economy, terrorism, and Lady Gaga.
I've been watching most of the NBA Playoffs. I am seriously disappointed. 3 of the 4 series in the 2nd round are sweeps. How sad. I really thought the Suns/Spurs series would be a classic, as would Lakers/Jazz. The Lakers/Suns series better be damn good or I am going to boycott the NBA for 1 day.
I don't even know why I follow the NBA so closely. Obviously football rules America, most people consider it their favorite sport and hate most of the other pro sports. Middle America prefers the college games over the pro games. I am definitely in the minority. My Knicks suck ass right now. Why do I care who wins the championship? Why do I waste my time?
..oh that's right, I have no life. Damn.
Sporcle Quiz:
A little Calculus?
http://www.sporcle.com/games/meeeeeeewith7es/mancillas
Clip of the Week:
Some funny stuff if you make it through the whole thing. Starts getting real funny after the 2 minute mark.
-jk
(Insert Athlete Name) was out late at night at a (club/bar/hotel). He uses terrible judgment and ends up (raping a girl/drinking and driving/cheating on his wife/all of the above).
I'm tired of those losers. These people take money and fame for granted. These bums have money and power and they still feel the need to commit stupid crimes that mostly stem from the need to get their dicks wet. Stop breaking the law, ok?
I finally saw the movie 2012. It is a really really bad movie. Like, all-time bad. Basically everyone dies except a select few consisting of really rich people and John Cusack. Cusack and company get extremely lucky in not dying about 1000 times in the movie, and the suspense created is pretty much laughable.
When 2012 comes and nature decides to unleash itself on the world, I will probably just accept death. The things that the protagonist goes through to survive is not worth it. I am too lazy to survive.
Also, is it just me or does the weather really seem to be getting weird? I am not sure if theories such as 2012 and global warming and stuff make me more aware of the weather, or if it's actually changing. Not only is it cold/hot in unpredictable patterns, but without looking at any statistics I can guess that there was more snow this winter than most past winters.
Bears are also moving east. Bears, beets, battlestar galactica. We are finding more bears in New Jersey. We have volcanoes, we have tornadoes, we have potatoes, we have tomatoes. Maybe all of this is building up to the destruction of Earth. I bet the government knows what will happen and they are preparing to launch themselves into space on their own planet that we don't know about while we all turn into ice or something. They are probably killing off any astronomers who discover this new planet and promising safety to the scientists working on their special spacecraft. They are distracting the people with silly things such as the economy, terrorism, and Lady Gaga.
I've been watching most of the NBA Playoffs. I am seriously disappointed. 3 of the 4 series in the 2nd round are sweeps. How sad. I really thought the Suns/Spurs series would be a classic, as would Lakers/Jazz. The Lakers/Suns series better be damn good or I am going to boycott the NBA for 1 day.
I don't even know why I follow the NBA so closely. Obviously football rules America, most people consider it their favorite sport and hate most of the other pro sports. Middle America prefers the college games over the pro games. I am definitely in the minority. My Knicks suck ass right now. Why do I care who wins the championship? Why do I waste my time?
..oh that's right, I have no life. Damn.
Sporcle Quiz:
A little Calculus?
http://www.sporcle.com/games/meeeeeeewith7es/mancillas
Clip of the Week:
Some funny stuff if you make it through the whole thing. Starts getting real funny after the 2 minute mark.
-jk
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Bloop
Super Saver won the Kentucky Derby. Horse Racing is pretty much the most pointless sporting event in the world unless you gamble on it. These millionaires buy horses for hundreds of thousands of dollars (that's a guess) by looking at their race history, their parents health history, their parents race history, etc. The extent of the background checks must be FBI-like. Then when they get the horse, they train it extensively, give it the best food (like super golden carrots?) and make them go race for them. They also hire the best midgets to ride them. If you don't think jockey's have skill, the same guy who won the Derby this year won the past 3 out of 4 derbies with a different horse. It is basically like NASCAR driving but not at all.
They hype up each leg of the Triple Crown, especially the Kentucky Derby, for months. People call it "the fastest two minutes in sports". Well, maybe it's the fastest two minutes in sports because it is only TWO MINUTES. What other sport takes just TWO minutes? The waffle game? Is that even a sport? It's a team game sure, but not a sport. I was able to tune into the Derby just a couple of minutes before it began this year, and fortunately it was over in just 5 minutes after that. Horse racing will never appeal to me. I don't know why I even bother watching. It's like watching a marathon race. Except the opposite. My metaphors are not so good today.
Still in the middle of the NBA playoffs. Here are my Power Rankings:
1. Jazz- They looked great so far. Deron Williams is the best PG in the league and he's going crazy.
2. Spurs- Beat the Mavs in 6 games, but really beat them handily. Beat them like the Spurs were 13 year-old boys and the Mavs were their genitals.
3. Cavs- Lebron may have a hurt elbow, but the Cavs are still definitely the team to beat in the east. Shaq looks really, really old by the way.
4. Lakers- The Lakers looked vulnerable. They were less than a second away from a Game 7 as the top seed. They are still the most talented, but they gotta get it together.
5. Magic- Looked crappy. They swept a good Bobcats team, but Dwight and Vince were horrible. Not sure if winning despite their troubles makes them a good team or a bad one.
6. Suns- They were supposed to win, and win quickly. But it took 6 games. Now they face the Spurs. It'll be tough but fun.
7. Celtics- They actually looked good but I hate them so I will be bias since this is my blog.
8. Hawks/Bucks- They will lose to the Magic. Doesn't matter who wins their series.
This is just ranked based on first round observations. I don't necessarily think the Lakers will lose to the Jazz, or the Spurs will definitely beat the Suns. In fact, both series will probably go the distance, and hopefully we will get some competitive and exciting games.
The refs have been absolutely horrible in these playoffs.
I hate that I got that video from Bill Simmons, but it really shows one example of how bad the refs have been. Some refs are like 60-70 years old and they run up and down the court chasing superstar athletes while looking for fouls and violations though they probably can't see shit because, yeah, they are old as eff. Get better officials, NBA.
Skipping Sporcle for today but here are 2 Youtube Clips of the Week:
Both videos have been flying around the internets. Maybe you've seen them?
Bango performs stunt:
4 Chords:
Talk to you later!
-jk
They hype up each leg of the Triple Crown, especially the Kentucky Derby, for months. People call it "the fastest two minutes in sports". Well, maybe it's the fastest two minutes in sports because it is only TWO MINUTES. What other sport takes just TWO minutes? The waffle game? Is that even a sport? It's a team game sure, but not a sport. I was able to tune into the Derby just a couple of minutes before it began this year, and fortunately it was over in just 5 minutes after that. Horse racing will never appeal to me. I don't know why I even bother watching. It's like watching a marathon race. Except the opposite. My metaphors are not so good today.
Still in the middle of the NBA playoffs. Here are my Power Rankings:
1. Jazz- They looked great so far. Deron Williams is the best PG in the league and he's going crazy.
2. Spurs- Beat the Mavs in 6 games, but really beat them handily. Beat them like the Spurs were 13 year-old boys and the Mavs were their genitals.
3. Cavs- Lebron may have a hurt elbow, but the Cavs are still definitely the team to beat in the east. Shaq looks really, really old by the way.
4. Lakers- The Lakers looked vulnerable. They were less than a second away from a Game 7 as the top seed. They are still the most talented, but they gotta get it together.
5. Magic- Looked crappy. They swept a good Bobcats team, but Dwight and Vince were horrible. Not sure if winning despite their troubles makes them a good team or a bad one.
6. Suns- They were supposed to win, and win quickly. But it took 6 games. Now they face the Spurs. It'll be tough but fun.
7. Celtics- They actually looked good but I hate them so I will be bias since this is my blog.
8. Hawks/Bucks- They will lose to the Magic. Doesn't matter who wins their series.
This is just ranked based on first round observations. I don't necessarily think the Lakers will lose to the Jazz, or the Spurs will definitely beat the Suns. In fact, both series will probably go the distance, and hopefully we will get some competitive and exciting games.
The refs have been absolutely horrible in these playoffs.
I hate that I got that video from Bill Simmons, but it really shows one example of how bad the refs have been. Some refs are like 60-70 years old and they run up and down the court chasing superstar athletes while looking for fouls and violations though they probably can't see shit because, yeah, they are old as eff. Get better officials, NBA.
Skipping Sporcle for today but here are 2 Youtube Clips of the Week:
Both videos have been flying around the internets. Maybe you've seen them?
Bango performs stunt:
4 Chords:
Talk to you later!
-jk
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