I am scared right now. The Los Angeles Dodgers who were the first team to fifty wins get their best player back tomorrow Manny Ramirez from his fifty-game suspension. This deserves the Chuck's Corner special rut roh. I think there is no reason right now without Manny to believe that the Dodgers are the best team in the National League but not its completely crystal clear.
First off look at the lineup the Dodgers trot out everyday as my buddy Doz said to me "Its like an All-Star lineup that really gets forgotten with the others like Boston and New York." Totally true. I really believe that Andre Ethier is one of the more underrated players in todays game and none of us have really took the time to realize how good of a player Ethier is. The only part of his game that needs some fine tuning is working on getting his batting average higher. Other than that, its all gravy. I enjoy Matt Kemp's play and just found out that Joe Torre really isnt a fan which is disappointing. Kemp has the opportunity to be a great 1-2 punch with Ethier in that lineup for years to come.
Now Mannywood is back and ready to get going again which I think will make the Dodgers if healthy a 100 win team this year. The Dodgers will be so feared for the rest of the year with Manny back in that lineup. He will energize the Dodgers way more than I think we even think about. I could see Los Angeles winning like six out of seven right out of the gates with Manny (lets hope not the Brewers play LA next weekend). I think there is no reason to believe that the Dodgers wont be in the NLCS for sure and possibly the World Series.
-Charlie.
The New Logo
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Ron Artest to Cleveland?
I am sorry that the creative juices are not following with creative titles but the last two articles I expect to hear news on by the time I am eating lunch. I also promise something on baseball this weekend because I have ignore it more than Lindsey Lohan with food. On to everyone's favorite sideshow Ron Artest (the link is to his Twitter, its awesome.)
The way I found about Artest bolting was according to "JT the Brick" on Fox Sports Radio claimed that Ronnie tweeted "Goodbye Houston" which is nowhere to be found although I could believe that he might have been told to take that down so who knows. We will keep you updated though.
I would like to begin saying that yours truly made the claim that Artest would be the "perfect fit" in Cleveland (see Lexington I am not a complete buffoon!) with the combination of Artest-LeBron James-Shaq that would any team weary to play the Cavs next season. The two teams they worry about the East would crumble with Shaq dealing with KG/Dwight Howard, Artest dealing with Pierce/Vince Carter would be lethal. This team would be good enough to let Mike Brown coach from a leather couch in the locker room. If Cleveland doesnt get a title in 09 then I really have to wonder if the curse of the city is much worse than we ever could have imagined.
The first thing you have to be impressed with is how good their perimeter defense will be and how much better it will make LeBron on the offense end. He puts in a lot on the defensive side of the ball and with a guy like Artest, he will not need to worry as much. I hate doing this but doesnt this somewhat remind of when the Bulls brought in Dennis Rodman? The multi-colored hair freak show had alot more issues than Ron Artest but still he was surrounded by enough good guys that he only lashed out once resulting in a kick to the balls. Like I said, I feel Artest has completely changed his attitude around and is just now a strange guy (trust me read his Twitter) which is alright by me.
-Charlie.
The way I found about Artest bolting was according to "JT the Brick" on Fox Sports Radio claimed that Ronnie tweeted "Goodbye Houston" which is nowhere to be found although I could believe that he might have been told to take that down so who knows. We will keep you updated though.
I would like to begin saying that yours truly made the claim that Artest would be the "perfect fit" in Cleveland (see Lexington I am not a complete buffoon!) with the combination of Artest-LeBron James-Shaq that would any team weary to play the Cavs next season. The two teams they worry about the East would crumble with Shaq dealing with KG/Dwight Howard, Artest dealing with Pierce/Vince Carter would be lethal. This team would be good enough to let Mike Brown coach from a leather couch in the locker room. If Cleveland doesnt get a title in 09 then I really have to wonder if the curse of the city is much worse than we ever could have imagined.
The first thing you have to be impressed with is how good their perimeter defense will be and how much better it will make LeBron on the offense end. He puts in a lot on the defensive side of the ball and with a guy like Artest, he will not need to worry as much. I hate doing this but doesnt this somewhat remind of when the Bulls brought in Dennis Rodman? The multi-colored hair freak show had alot more issues than Ron Artest but still he was surrounded by enough good guys that he only lashed out once resulting in a kick to the balls. Like I said, I feel Artest has completely changed his attitude around and is just now a strange guy (trust me read his Twitter) which is alright by me.
-Charlie.
Ariza Leaving LA?
I am sure I will have to update the next two posts tomorrow if news comes that either of these players left. But the Los Angeles Lakers wing Trevor Ariza is rumored to be done with Lakers because they are refusing to give him more than the mid-level salary which begins at 5.6 million dollars. I cannot say I disagree with Ariza looking at the suitors he has going for him but I will say this to the Lakers, you could be making a big mistake.
I was on the fence with the question of resigning Ariza or Lamar Odom for the most part although I reminded the Laker fans that Ariza is only twenty-four which means the sky is the limit. While Odom is thirty and a six-year deal means more cavities from the gummy bears plus an aging veteran when he is done. The other interesting aspect is there are rumors flying that the Lakers are interested in Rasheed Wallace which would spell the end of Odom's run in LA (I hate that idea for the Lakers, I couldnt picture Kobe-Sheed working out that well)
In the ESPN article they listed the potential buyers being Cleveland Caviliers, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Clippers. I think Ariza would fit fine anywhere with the great combination of skills he has but he could really be a threat in Houston where according to what I'm hearing Ron Artest is done there (more to come on that). The other place I like for Ariza is Portland as he immerses into a young talent pool that is on the cusp of winning big and he brings some leadership despite his young age.
We will update Ariza's progress as the day goes on.
-Charlie.
I was on the fence with the question of resigning Ariza or Lamar Odom for the most part although I reminded the Laker fans that Ariza is only twenty-four which means the sky is the limit. While Odom is thirty and a six-year deal means more cavities from the gummy bears plus an aging veteran when he is done. The other interesting aspect is there are rumors flying that the Lakers are interested in Rasheed Wallace which would spell the end of Odom's run in LA (I hate that idea for the Lakers, I couldnt picture Kobe-Sheed working out that well)
In the ESPN article they listed the potential buyers being Cleveland Caviliers, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles Clippers. I think Ariza would fit fine anywhere with the great combination of skills he has but he could really be a threat in Houston where according to what I'm hearing Ron Artest is done there (more to come on that). The other place I like for Ariza is Portland as he immerses into a young talent pool that is on the cusp of winning big and he brings some leadership despite his young age.
We will update Ariza's progress as the day goes on.
-Charlie.
Clippers Make a Good Deal? What the Hell?
I dont know what to make fun of in this article. I thought about making fun of the Los Angeles making a good decision or the General Manager of the Memphis Grizzles Chris Wallace making another awful one. I choose the Clips because I am in the nice mode for awhile. The deal that went down to today was the Clips sent disgruntled, always troubled Zach Randolph to the Grizzlies for Quentin Richardson's expiring contract.
The Clippers free up a bunch of money for the 2010 year and now the Michael Wilbon theory about LeBron James being a possibility for Los Angeles with a bunch of young talent and now a bunch of money looks like a complete reality. But the true question is can it really happen? I hate doing the 2010 thing but I have a hard time seeing Kobe-LeBron in the same city. Doesnt seem like the town is big enough but it would bring to life a Clipper fan base like never before. I also like the deal in terms of chemistry, Richardson isnt the greatest teammate but a helluva lot better than Randolph. They now have a very exciting back court with Baron Davis-Richardson-Eric Gordon and will provide some good minutes off the bench.
Oh Chris Wallace....this goes down in the books as another one of your screw ups. I mean it makes sense in terms of not wanting to throw Hasheem Thabeet their second overall pick to the wolves right away but really Randolph? Like I said before this guy isnt a good locker room guy and not someone you want Thabeet to learning life lessons from. In addition, he will not give your fans something to get excited about... Randolph! Gasol er.. Marc! and any other foreign country you can think of! Come cheer on your Grizzlies in 09-10. That being said, I think Randolph will be a complete disaster for Memphis in the long run.
-Charlie.
The Clippers free up a bunch of money for the 2010 year and now the Michael Wilbon theory about LeBron James being a possibility for Los Angeles with a bunch of young talent and now a bunch of money looks like a complete reality. But the true question is can it really happen? I hate doing the 2010 thing but I have a hard time seeing Kobe-LeBron in the same city. Doesnt seem like the town is big enough but it would bring to life a Clipper fan base like never before. I also like the deal in terms of chemistry, Richardson isnt the greatest teammate but a helluva lot better than Randolph. They now have a very exciting back court with Baron Davis-Richardson-Eric Gordon and will provide some good minutes off the bench.
Oh Chris Wallace....this goes down in the books as another one of your screw ups. I mean it makes sense in terms of not wanting to throw Hasheem Thabeet their second overall pick to the wolves right away but really Randolph? Like I said before this guy isnt a good locker room guy and not someone you want Thabeet to learning life lessons from. In addition, he will not give your fans something to get excited about... Randolph! Gasol er.. Marc! and any other foreign country you can think of! Come cheer on your Grizzlies in 09-10. That being said, I think Randolph will be a complete disaster for Memphis in the long run.
-Charlie.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Big Moves in Motown
I am combing this into one article when it really should be two but to be honest, its been a hell of a work week for me and that you should consider yourself lucky that I care about the integrity of the blog to keep it going. In addition, I thank all the University of Kentucky fans that found me, my buddy Ron compared to the Hoff in Germany which is fairly accurate.
Anyways lets begin with the Detroit Pistons decision to fire first-year head coach Michael Curry on Monday. I personally feel that this was the right choice for the Pistons because it was clear that Curry wasnt working with the players he had. Richard Hamilton hated him according to multiple sources for not giving him consistent playing time and when your star player is unhappy that is never a good sign for your career. I believe that Curry wanted to make his own waves doing it basically his way and he could never figure out how to do that.
I also would like to put some blame on General Manager Joe Dumars. Curry thought he would have Chauncey Billups all season and had a plan set around using Chauncey, Rip, and Rasheed Wallace only to get thrown out the window in the first week with a deal to get Allen Iverson. I realize this AI deal pays off later in the article but it did enough damage to Curry as a coach to get him fired. I would hope they get a guy like Avery Johnson who seemed to got the shaft in Dallas and would have something to prove.
Here is where Dumaes has his "Dumb and Dumber" moment where he totally redeems himself. Today on the first day of free agency, he inks two of the bigger free agents in Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. I am mixed on these two but because they are in the Eastern Conference, it will make a quick impact. I think CV in a way is like a softer, younger Rasheed Wallace. He loves to stay around the premiter and jack threes when they are not warranted. Also CV doesnt seem to make to be a true four and hang around the post, he only does it when needed. He gets his rebounds thanks to awesome athletic ability but its hard to believe he was a top 10 pick.
Ben Gordon is a guy I personally liked in college but not so much in the pros. He falls into the type of player that if he catches fire in the first quarter will keep shooting the rest of the game no matter if he misses the next ten which can cost a team a game. Now heres my question does Gordon come off the bench or are the Pistons not done this offseason? I am guessing right now the lineup looks like this Rodney Stuckney-Rip-Tayshaun Prince-CV-Jason Maxiell/Fabrico Oberto? I could see them trying to deal Prince for a solid center to free up time for the UCONN connection on the wings (never played together in college but always nice to have a guy who went to the same school)
-Charlie.
Anyways lets begin with the Detroit Pistons decision to fire first-year head coach Michael Curry on Monday. I personally feel that this was the right choice for the Pistons because it was clear that Curry wasnt working with the players he had. Richard Hamilton hated him according to multiple sources for not giving him consistent playing time and when your star player is unhappy that is never a good sign for your career. I believe that Curry wanted to make his own waves doing it basically his way and he could never figure out how to do that.
I also would like to put some blame on General Manager Joe Dumars. Curry thought he would have Chauncey Billups all season and had a plan set around using Chauncey, Rip, and Rasheed Wallace only to get thrown out the window in the first week with a deal to get Allen Iverson. I realize this AI deal pays off later in the article but it did enough damage to Curry as a coach to get him fired. I would hope they get a guy like Avery Johnson who seemed to got the shaft in Dallas and would have something to prove.
Here is where Dumaes has his "Dumb and Dumber" moment where he totally redeems himself. Today on the first day of free agency, he inks two of the bigger free agents in Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. I am mixed on these two but because they are in the Eastern Conference, it will make a quick impact. I think CV in a way is like a softer, younger Rasheed Wallace. He loves to stay around the premiter and jack threes when they are not warranted. Also CV doesnt seem to make to be a true four and hang around the post, he only does it when needed. He gets his rebounds thanks to awesome athletic ability but its hard to believe he was a top 10 pick.
Ben Gordon is a guy I personally liked in college but not so much in the pros. He falls into the type of player that if he catches fire in the first quarter will keep shooting the rest of the game no matter if he misses the next ten which can cost a team a game. Now heres my question does Gordon come off the bench or are the Pistons not done this offseason? I am guessing right now the lineup looks like this Rodney Stuckney-Rip-Tayshaun Prince-CV-Jason Maxiell/Fabrico Oberto? I could see them trying to deal Prince for a solid center to free up time for the UCONN connection on the wings (never played together in college but always nice to have a guy who went to the same school)
-Charlie.
The Snake of the Bluegrass "Stealing" the Henrys UPDATED
Oh no. This is something that I think is every college basketball fans worst nightmare. Rumors are swirling right now that Xaiver Henry, the number two shooting guard and the number three player in the nation is thinking about leaving Kansas to go to Kentucky. All I have to say is rut roh.
I hate this shit so much and it really pains me to write about this because I hate the fact that it keeps happening in college basketball. Why cant coaches get the picture that players are "not for sale" and you cannot "buy their way" (for my friends in Lexington, love you all) into Kentucky plus other schools. I cannot stand John Calipari for this very reason. He seems to mysteriously lure players to their team that no one realizes how it happens. Just when he is ready to get caught he bolts to other teams such as the New Jersey Nets or the Kentucky Wildcats. The other thing that even more appalling is the fact that Kentucky decided to cut two players loose to make sure that they are under in scholarships. Now I realize that my Marquette Golden Eagles have done somewhat of the same things with the scholarships but its not to sign one of the best players in the nation.
The big thing I guess I want from ESPN or any other major media sports outlet is the fact that no one calls out this snake. I mean for once I want Dickie V, Jay Bilas, or Fran Fraschilla to have some balls to call out this guy. Please say what we are all thinking but this will never happen. A big reason why is because its Kentucky whose in the same realm as the New York Yankees, Notre Dame Football, and the Los Angeles Lakers. They are always in the news in college basketball but most do not choose to shine a bad light on Wildcat basketball (Once agian, for the Lexington faithful I am guessing I am not allowed in Rupp Arena anytime soon?).
The other sickening thought is the fact because Calipari brought in all of these uber athletes creating a complete all-star team with three of the top five in the ESPNU 100 (that most will bolt to the NBA in the next coming year) and now if they get the Henrys they become the number one team in the nation. You think the hype machine bad now, just wait til November.
-Charlie.
UPDATE: It appears that the Henrys are staying at Kansas. Either team would be in the top five with them and the Jayhawks look like the team to beat next season.
I hate this shit so much and it really pains me to write about this because I hate the fact that it keeps happening in college basketball. Why cant coaches get the picture that players are "not for sale" and you cannot "buy their way" (for my friends in Lexington, love you all) into Kentucky plus other schools. I cannot stand John Calipari for this very reason. He seems to mysteriously lure players to their team that no one realizes how it happens. Just when he is ready to get caught he bolts to other teams such as the New Jersey Nets or the Kentucky Wildcats. The other thing that even more appalling is the fact that Kentucky decided to cut two players loose to make sure that they are under in scholarships. Now I realize that my Marquette Golden Eagles have done somewhat of the same things with the scholarships but its not to sign one of the best players in the nation.
The big thing I guess I want from ESPN or any other major media sports outlet is the fact that no one calls out this snake. I mean for once I want Dickie V, Jay Bilas, or Fran Fraschilla to have some balls to call out this guy. Please say what we are all thinking but this will never happen. A big reason why is because its Kentucky whose in the same realm as the New York Yankees, Notre Dame Football, and the Los Angeles Lakers. They are always in the news in college basketball but most do not choose to shine a bad light on Wildcat basketball (Once agian, for the Lexington faithful I am guessing I am not allowed in Rupp Arena anytime soon?).
The other sickening thought is the fact because Calipari brought in all of these uber athletes creating a complete all-star team with three of the top five in the ESPNU 100 (that most will bolt to the NBA in the next coming year) and now if they get the Henrys they become the number one team in the nation. You think the hype machine bad now, just wait til November.
-Charlie.
UPDATE: It appears that the Henrys are staying at Kansas. Either team would be in the top five with them and the Jayhawks look like the team to beat next season.
Yao Done Forever?
On Monday, we heard some terrible news that the Houston Rockets may lose center Yao Ming for the 2009-2010 season and there is a chance that he might be gone forever. This is horrible and sad news for Rockets fans although they couldnt have expected the "Ming Dynasty" to last over ten years.
The main reason why Yao career was going to short in the first place... he is 7'6. There arent many people in the world that keep a career going when they are that tall. Its been proven before with guys like Shawn Bradley, Manute Bol, and Gheorghe Muresan. Granted those guys are nowhere near as good as Yao has been. The Rockets built their franchise around this guy for the last five years in addition was a game away and an older point guard away from going to the Western Conference Finals last year. But now it seems like its all crumbling down with the news of Yao.
I dont believe that Yao is a bust by any means because he made the Rockets instantly better and provided them so much profit more so than disappointment. You had to expect the injuries were coming and Yao worked so hard to become a better player. Only two years did Yao not get his team to the playoffs so to say that he is a failure is absolutely ridiculous.
I hope that Yao's career is not over and he can come back with great success for at least two more years.
-Charlie.
The main reason why Yao career was going to short in the first place... he is 7'6. There arent many people in the world that keep a career going when they are that tall. Its been proven before with guys like Shawn Bradley, Manute Bol, and Gheorghe Muresan. Granted those guys are nowhere near as good as Yao has been. The Rockets built their franchise around this guy for the last five years in addition was a game away and an older point guard away from going to the Western Conference Finals last year. But now it seems like its all crumbling down with the news of Yao.
I dont believe that Yao is a bust by any means because he made the Rockets instantly better and provided them so much profit more so than disappointment. You had to expect the injuries were coming and Yao worked so hard to become a better player. Only two years did Yao not get his team to the playoffs so to say that he is a failure is absolutely ridiculous.
I hope that Yao's career is not over and he can come back with great success for at least two more years.
-Charlie.
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