Rants and Ranks

I've revised drafts in the past.  Now I'm looking at specific picks and how not only were they busts, but the very next pick ended up being a big time player.  For argument's sake, we are only discussing the very next pick, even if there were other future all-stars still on the draft board.  We're going to call it the "Whoops Factor," and we're starting with Darko. Darko Milicic went 2nd overall in the 2003 draft.  The '03 draft is considered one of the greatest NBA drafts ever.  That fact alone makes Darko under extreme scrutiny considering he was in fact that number 2 pick.  Thankfully he wasn't picked above LeBron, but he was picked right before Carmelo Anthony.  (Yes Bosh and Wade were still available, and Wade had a better career than anyone not named LeBron in that draft, but that's not what we're going for.  Remember it's all about what went down in consecutive picks.) Carmelo has been one of the most prolific scorers since b...

One of my favorite rotations ever in the NBA was the 7 seconds or less Suns.  Specifically the 2007 season.  Let me set the stage for you. At center was Amar'e Stoudemire.  He was coming off a lost season the previous year, and he had something to prove in '07.  He made his first and only All NBA 1st team this season. At power forward was Boris Diaw.  Diaw had won Most Improved Player the year before, and was called upon to play numerous positions and help fill the void that was left when Stoudemire went down with injury.  This particular season he got to play alongside Stoudemire, and had less responsibilities, but was no less important to the team's success. At small forward was Shawn Marion who was pound for pound possibly the most well-rounded player in the NBA at the time.  (Despite his hideous looking jump shot that was somehow effective.) The previous year he had a career season, which was to be expected, for the same reasons that Diaw di...

I've been a Kevin Love fan since the day he entered the league.  The moment I read an article after the Timberwolves played the Spurs early in Love's rookie year, where Duncan essentially told Love after the game that he "was going to be something special," I knew I needed to pay attention to this kid. Coupled with the fact of being a fantasy basketball nerd and seeing Love's rebounding numbers in limited minutes at the time (he had to split time with Al Jefferson) I knew he was someone to take note of.   So what's the conundrum?  I'm not worried about how he will coexist with LeBron, I know he will do fine even if he has a rocky start.  My main concern is much more selfish.   Will I even still like Kevin Love by the end of the season?   Let's face it, the hype machine isn't as much as it was for Miami in 2010, but it's still there.  The Eastern Conference is absolutely putrid, and with Paul George probably out the entire season the Pacer...

In a very shocking turn of events, Jay Briscoe upset Michael Elgin for the ROH title at Saturday's big show in Toronto.  I call it an upset because Elgin has been destined for the championship since his big breakout during Wrestlemania weekend in 2012.  They may have waited too long to put the belt on him, but at least they finally did, and presumably would let him run with it.  Or so we thought. My first thought (aside from "Why have him lose?") was "Why Briscoe?"  He's a tag team guy.  That's what he's known for.  Yes, he's a former champion, but that didn't exactly work out so well for ROH the first time now did it? I naturally needed more info, and started scouring the web for reasons why they would prematurely end the reign of their "golden boy."  The first story indicates that Elgin had been interviewed recently saying he would like to try his hand in professional baseball.  That's interesting to say the least.  Somewh...

Turtle mania is sweeping the nation just like it's 1991 all over again.  I was looking forward to the new movie, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  I also enjoyed it thoroughly, so I'm not too surprised that it is as big of hit as it has become.  That being said, I'm extremely nostalgic.  Much to the chagrin of my wife, I will seek out old shows or movies that I watched as a kid and see if they hold up.  My biggest hope is to see if they give me the same feeling they did as a kid.  (We all want to be a kid again right?)  Usually the answer is "no," but every so often I'm reminded of why I did like it initially.  And in an even more rare scenario, they are just as good as I remembered.  I hope I'm not a total lame-ass for doing this, but over the years I've checked out things from my youth, if nothing else for just a laugh.  The following is some of the things I've checked out and whether or not it stands the test o...

His goofiness could always make me laugh. Robin Williams was one of my favorite actors.  As a kid I enjoyed his goofy shenanigans on the big screen, but as I grew older I really appreciated his more dramatic roles.  It's pretty incredible really, not too many comedians could make that transition.  These movies I consider his best individual performances, not necessarily my favorite movies of his.  1. Dead Poets Society 2. Good Will Hunting 3. Patch Adams 4. Jack 5. Mrs. Doubtfire 6. Hook 7. Aladdin 8. Happy Feet 9. Night at the Museum (Teddy Roosevelt rules!) 10. Insomnia I would like to point out that I've never seen Jumanji or Good Morning, Vietnam which are two fan favorites.  So that is why they aren't included. 

Last week I was going to write about who I thought would make the final 12 man lineup.  I was going to base those predictions off the scrimmage last Friday.  In probably the biggest sports story in the last few weeks, Paul George snapped his leg and changed my mind about writing such a piece. That was a major bummer.  I'm a big George fan, and I feel really bad for the Pacers.  I would think that Larry Bird has probably broken a few pieces of a furniture in the past week, and I can't blame him.  The way this Pacers team is constructed now, they may not even make the playoffs. So that was obviously a major blow to the team.  PG was all but penciled in to start.  Now Kevin Durant withdraws!?!?  Holy moly, that is news.  So you lose the best player on the team, (who happens to be the reigning MVP) now what? Team USA was already lacking power forwards, with Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Blake Griffin not playing for one reason or anoth...

It's not breaking news by any means, but the shooting guard position in the NBA is all but dead.  Quick, name a superstar SG besides James Harden?  You really can't.  One would argue the same for the center, but although they may not all be superstars, I can list a few quality centers off the top of my head; (Howard, Asik, Hibbert, Pekovic, Noah, Jefferson etc.)  I can't do that for SG's.  I really have to think about it.  I honestly don't even think I could argue who is the second best SG after Harden.  Now for those still arguing Kobe is number one, I'm excluding him from this blog for one big reason.  We have no idea what Kobe is going to be like when he returns.  Could he return to scoring 27 PPG?  With Kobe anything is possible, but I would wager that is highly unlikely due to his age and mileage on his body.  He's not a spring chicken anymore.  I'm as big of Kobe fan as anyone, but people saying he's still the be...

Hey there NBA fans.  As sports enthusiasts, we all love a good debate.  Well this bad boy is my argument brought to the table (in eBook form no less).  This book focuses on the great players of this century.  Who really were great?  Who were overblown?  Who didn't get the respect they deserved?  Without going into too much detail on how they were graded, (plenty of time to discuss that in the book) we see who achieved what, and just how prestigious we, as fans, feel that that achievement really is. Go ahead and clink the above link and give it a read.  You may find it insightful, humorous, thought-provoking, or just a plain excellent read overall.  You can find other titles by yours truly by clicking here.          Here's a sample, talking about Kobe Bryant in the 2008 season: Kobe flew off the handle in the summer prior to the ’08 season.   He was demanding to be trad...

I don't know what to think.  My all time favorite band released a new single , quite frankly, I'm not digging it.  We've all had this scenario where our band of choice shows their new stuff and we go, "Ew, I'm not sure where I'm liking where they are headed."  Normally I wouldn't be so concerned because Heavyweight, the first single from the last album Curve, wasn't a knockout by any means.  In fact, it may be one of my least favorite songs on that CD.  But, they just lost their original drummer, Jeremy Taggart as well.  Speculation is running wild that he left due to creative differences.  And after hearing Won't Turn Back, I wouldn't blame him.  If this does set the tone for the new album direction, then I suppose you can count me out.  Again, this is all rumor at this point, the dude may have just been burnt out and ready for a change.  (CM Punk anyone?) The OLP cynics can just use this for more fuel for their fire.  When O...