Short But Sweet
It's been a long time sports fans, but I've finally got something (and a snippet of time) to really rant about. My beloved Lakers are at a crossroads here and their number one guy is about set to throw in the towel...and I'm sad to say I cannot blame him.
When the grumblings from Kobe started a couple of days ago my first reaction was, yea, it's no surprise he's upset, he should be. But, I rarely condone taking these types of beefs public. If you have an issue take it to the office - who knows, maybe he did and they wouldn't listen, or maybe they wouldn't even here him anyway. What is a fact is that the Lakers are a mess and are going nowhere very fast. It is inexcusable for an organization so used to winning to not do anything over the past 3 years. Let's look at the erosion of this team since the Shaq departure:
- I can't say that I blame Jerry Buss for not wanting to sign Shaq to a big, fat deal given his career is (even 3 years ago) on the decline. Had they signed Shaq to a big fat deal they would not have been able to sign Kobe at all - thereby losing the Kobe and left with an aging Shaq. Say what you will, but Shaq can't win one on his own either.
- Did Kobe drive Shaq out? I don't think so - I don't think he was putting up a huge fight to keep the guy around or anything, but the simple fact is Buss didn't want to pay Shaq $30 mil a year and lose Kobe in the process. Can't blame him. Kobe sells more tickets than Shaq and he's not even 30 yet. No brainer if you had to make a choice, but the question is, did he???
- Jay Marioti of the Chicago Sun Times blames Kobe for their current salary cap woes as he's still owed $80 million. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. You don't blame your best player's big contract on salary cap woes. Rather, let's look at the contracts of players like Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown - that's where you look at the production-to-dollar ratio...and it's no good my friends. Kobe is the best player in the league. Period. If he were making 10 mil more it still wouldn't be too much.
- Kobe signed with the Lakers because they promised him that they would rebuild quickly and be a championship contender right away. They either lied or grossly overestimated their GM's ability to make the right moves (again, see the Caron Butler for Kwame Brown trade).
- The actions of the front office speak for themselves. Look at what they got when they traded Shaq - Brian Grant (no longer on the team), Caron Butler (traded for Kwame Brown) and Lamar Odom. It's no secret that Odom is a good player, but lacks in sense of consistency. He's the type of player that thrives in a talent-rich environment. Look at players like Rick Foxx and Deavan George from the championship days - with Kobe and Shaq around them, those guys did wonders for that team. Odom is a similar type of player - he needs more support so his role can be better defined. So when they traded Shaq they got 1 all star (Butler) whom they promptly traded away for Kwame Brown?? That was Mitch Kupcheck's big move? This guy has failed in this role, no question.
- Luxury Tax woes. So now the team wants to avoid the luxury tax and with that, are afraid to do anything. Guess what guys, you don't have a choice now! It's the LA-freaking Lakers - you make ridiculous amounts of money (thanks to Kobe). Bite the bullet for 1 or 2 years, get a core team of talent and youth in there that can be sustained and reloaded looking ahead 4-5 years. And if you have to pay a few million in tax to get there, you don't have a choice.
- Why do they not have a choice? Because in '09 Kobe can opt out of his contract and you will get nothing. If they trade Kobe Bryant, it will be the beginning of the end for this storied organization. Even worse, if they let him go after '09, they will enter into an abyss known only to teams like Golden State, the other LA team, and even worse, Boston. The Celtics have been the epitome of mis-management - and the Lakers are on the verge of getting there themselves.
At the end of the day I don't think they will trade him, nor do I think Kobe wants to be traded ( as evidence by his see-saw of interviews yesterday). I think he's giving warning to his club. He's got the right to do it and certainly justified, but I just don't know about the means by which he's doing it. Either way, I think the ears of the Laker organization will perk up. Kobe's right to have a beef with these guys and if I were in his predicament, I'm not sure I wouldn't ask for a trade either.
Cavs/Pistons:
Looks like this will actually end up being a series. Although I don't think it much matters as I don't think either team can handle the Spurs. MORE IMPORTANTLY, have any of you longhorn fans noticed how bad ass Daniel Gibson is playing for Cleveland? The last 2 games he has been a very pleasant surprise. He had 21 in the win the other night. He's got a tough call guarding Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups, but given he's a rookie, I'd say he's playing great. I must say that I am VERY pleasantly surprised. I was not sure that this guy would do much in the pros. It's still early and we see spurts like this all the time followed by a vanishing act, but he's looking good. And playing with Lebron will only make him better.
Manu:
I'll preface this with the confession that Ginobli is VERY VERY VERY good. BUT, does his flopping make you as sick as it does me? I've really grown to hate this guy primarily because there's nothing I hate more in the NBA than flopping. I've only got 2 real examples here, but is it me or is it the foreign players that are most known for this? Particularly Vlade Divac (the worst flopper in league history) and Manu come to mind when I think of the biggest floppers.
The reason I hate it so much is because it's such a soccer thing to do and I REALLY hate soccer. It's interesting because Manu is a good player, he doesn't need to do crap like that. It's almost like taking the easy way out to me - he doesn't like the physical part of the game and so he flops in order to keep guys from playing him physical. That's a cop out in my book. And yes, I'll say it again, I really hate Manu Ginobli - he's a wuss. Period.
UFC:
So I've tried to give this Ultimate Fighting Championship a shot on a couple of occassions and I simply do not like it. I understand why it does so well, although it's a big disturbing to me how many people get into this. I think my number one problem with it is that any time you can pummell someone's face in when they are on their backs, there's a problem. Unfortunately I think it's a reflection of our society where we want more and more graphic violence. Sad but true, can't deny that.
I also doubt how much skill is really involved. I know, these guys practice technique of multiple forms of wrestling/fighting/martial arts. In my book, that sounds more like you can do whatever you want to. If any of these guys had to get into a boxing ring and fight within the confines of the boxing rules, they would get utterly humiliated. Of course you could say the same thing about any boxer getting into the "octagon" with these guys, but that's precisely where the chaos comes into play.
Here are some of the common things I hear from UFC fans (and there are a lot!):
- Almost all UFC fighters have college degrees - great, that has nothing to do with anything, why bring this up. (NOTE: just heard this one the other day and almost fell out of my chair laughing).
- Boxing is more dangerous than UFC - First off, I'm calling an enormous bullshit on this. UFC hasn't been around long enough to even begin to do an accurate study of this. Secondly, boxing may have more sustained blows to the head, but with hugely padded gloves and many blows that fans see don't really land. There's no chance in hell that UFC is "safer" than boxing, absolutely no chance.
- These guys are the most skilled atheletes in the world - again, absolutely not true. Not even close.
I've given it a shot and probably will continue to catch fights if I'm in the right place at the right time, but I'm certainly no fan. Sorry Chad.
Michael Vick:
There are not enough synonyms in the english language for stupid that I can throw out about this guy. You are SOOO stupid Vick. What in the world would possess anyone, ANYONE, much less a pro football player to mess around with dog fighting. This will end very badly for Vick. I give him a less than 75% chance of being in the league after this coming season. Honestly, it's not like he's really that good anyway. He deserves to be kicked out of the league and I hope he is very soon. And for all of you Vick lovers out there proclaiming that he is innocent until proven guilty - he's already guilty, they just don't have the big charges worked out yet. It was still his house where all of this was occuring. That's a crime. We'll see if Goodell maintains his consistency now that we're talking about a marketable QB.
All for now, good night now.
When the grumblings from Kobe started a couple of days ago my first reaction was, yea, it's no surprise he's upset, he should be. But, I rarely condone taking these types of beefs public. If you have an issue take it to the office - who knows, maybe he did and they wouldn't listen, or maybe they wouldn't even here him anyway. What is a fact is that the Lakers are a mess and are going nowhere very fast. It is inexcusable for an organization so used to winning to not do anything over the past 3 years. Let's look at the erosion of this team since the Shaq departure:
- I can't say that I blame Jerry Buss for not wanting to sign Shaq to a big, fat deal given his career is (even 3 years ago) on the decline. Had they signed Shaq to a big fat deal they would not have been able to sign Kobe at all - thereby losing the Kobe and left with an aging Shaq. Say what you will, but Shaq can't win one on his own either.
- Did Kobe drive Shaq out? I don't think so - I don't think he was putting up a huge fight to keep the guy around or anything, but the simple fact is Buss didn't want to pay Shaq $30 mil a year and lose Kobe in the process. Can't blame him. Kobe sells more tickets than Shaq and he's not even 30 yet. No brainer if you had to make a choice, but the question is, did he???
- Jay Marioti of the Chicago Sun Times blames Kobe for their current salary cap woes as he's still owed $80 million. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. You don't blame your best player's big contract on salary cap woes. Rather, let's look at the contracts of players like Lamar Odom and Kwame Brown - that's where you look at the production-to-dollar ratio...and it's no good my friends. Kobe is the best player in the league. Period. If he were making 10 mil more it still wouldn't be too much.
- Kobe signed with the Lakers because they promised him that they would rebuild quickly and be a championship contender right away. They either lied or grossly overestimated their GM's ability to make the right moves (again, see the Caron Butler for Kwame Brown trade).
- The actions of the front office speak for themselves. Look at what they got when they traded Shaq - Brian Grant (no longer on the team), Caron Butler (traded for Kwame Brown) and Lamar Odom. It's no secret that Odom is a good player, but lacks in sense of consistency. He's the type of player that thrives in a talent-rich environment. Look at players like Rick Foxx and Deavan George from the championship days - with Kobe and Shaq around them, those guys did wonders for that team. Odom is a similar type of player - he needs more support so his role can be better defined. So when they traded Shaq they got 1 all star (Butler) whom they promptly traded away for Kwame Brown?? That was Mitch Kupcheck's big move? This guy has failed in this role, no question.
- Luxury Tax woes. So now the team wants to avoid the luxury tax and with that, are afraid to do anything. Guess what guys, you don't have a choice now! It's the LA-freaking Lakers - you make ridiculous amounts of money (thanks to Kobe). Bite the bullet for 1 or 2 years, get a core team of talent and youth in there that can be sustained and reloaded looking ahead 4-5 years. And if you have to pay a few million in tax to get there, you don't have a choice.
- Why do they not have a choice? Because in '09 Kobe can opt out of his contract and you will get nothing. If they trade Kobe Bryant, it will be the beginning of the end for this storied organization. Even worse, if they let him go after '09, they will enter into an abyss known only to teams like Golden State, the other LA team, and even worse, Boston. The Celtics have been the epitome of mis-management - and the Lakers are on the verge of getting there themselves.
At the end of the day I don't think they will trade him, nor do I think Kobe wants to be traded ( as evidence by his see-saw of interviews yesterday). I think he's giving warning to his club. He's got the right to do it and certainly justified, but I just don't know about the means by which he's doing it. Either way, I think the ears of the Laker organization will perk up. Kobe's right to have a beef with these guys and if I were in his predicament, I'm not sure I wouldn't ask for a trade either.
Cavs/Pistons:
Looks like this will actually end up being a series. Although I don't think it much matters as I don't think either team can handle the Spurs. MORE IMPORTANTLY, have any of you longhorn fans noticed how bad ass Daniel Gibson is playing for Cleveland? The last 2 games he has been a very pleasant surprise. He had 21 in the win the other night. He's got a tough call guarding Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups, but given he's a rookie, I'd say he's playing great. I must say that I am VERY pleasantly surprised. I was not sure that this guy would do much in the pros. It's still early and we see spurts like this all the time followed by a vanishing act, but he's looking good. And playing with Lebron will only make him better.
Manu:
I'll preface this with the confession that Ginobli is VERY VERY VERY good. BUT, does his flopping make you as sick as it does me? I've really grown to hate this guy primarily because there's nothing I hate more in the NBA than flopping. I've only got 2 real examples here, but is it me or is it the foreign players that are most known for this? Particularly Vlade Divac (the worst flopper in league history) and Manu come to mind when I think of the biggest floppers.
The reason I hate it so much is because it's such a soccer thing to do and I REALLY hate soccer. It's interesting because Manu is a good player, he doesn't need to do crap like that. It's almost like taking the easy way out to me - he doesn't like the physical part of the game and so he flops in order to keep guys from playing him physical. That's a cop out in my book. And yes, I'll say it again, I really hate Manu Ginobli - he's a wuss. Period.
UFC:
So I've tried to give this Ultimate Fighting Championship a shot on a couple of occassions and I simply do not like it. I understand why it does so well, although it's a big disturbing to me how many people get into this. I think my number one problem with it is that any time you can pummell someone's face in when they are on their backs, there's a problem. Unfortunately I think it's a reflection of our society where we want more and more graphic violence. Sad but true, can't deny that.
I also doubt how much skill is really involved. I know, these guys practice technique of multiple forms of wrestling/fighting/martial arts. In my book, that sounds more like you can do whatever you want to. If any of these guys had to get into a boxing ring and fight within the confines of the boxing rules, they would get utterly humiliated. Of course you could say the same thing about any boxer getting into the "octagon" with these guys, but that's precisely where the chaos comes into play.
Here are some of the common things I hear from UFC fans (and there are a lot!):
- Almost all UFC fighters have college degrees - great, that has nothing to do with anything, why bring this up. (NOTE: just heard this one the other day and almost fell out of my chair laughing).
- Boxing is more dangerous than UFC - First off, I'm calling an enormous bullshit on this. UFC hasn't been around long enough to even begin to do an accurate study of this. Secondly, boxing may have more sustained blows to the head, but with hugely padded gloves and many blows that fans see don't really land. There's no chance in hell that UFC is "safer" than boxing, absolutely no chance.
- These guys are the most skilled atheletes in the world - again, absolutely not true. Not even close.
I've given it a shot and probably will continue to catch fights if I'm in the right place at the right time, but I'm certainly no fan. Sorry Chad.
Michael Vick:
There are not enough synonyms in the english language for stupid that I can throw out about this guy. You are SOOO stupid Vick. What in the world would possess anyone, ANYONE, much less a pro football player to mess around with dog fighting. This will end very badly for Vick. I give him a less than 75% chance of being in the league after this coming season. Honestly, it's not like he's really that good anyway. He deserves to be kicked out of the league and I hope he is very soon. And for all of you Vick lovers out there proclaiming that he is innocent until proven guilty - he's already guilty, they just don't have the big charges worked out yet. It was still his house where all of this was occuring. That's a crime. We'll see if Goodell maintains his consistency now that we're talking about a marketable QB.
All for now, good night now.
posted by The Bearden Wonder at 7:52 AM
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