some people have the five second rule. me, i abide by the five hour rule. if an update i write on facebook doesn’t elicit at least one like OR comment within the frame of five hours, i slide my cursor in shame over to the remove post key and CLICK ‘remove.’
judge if you must, that’s how i roll.
While D-Rose, Deron Williams and Rajon Rondo are without question the premier point guards in the Eastern Conference, they have yet to establish themselves as rivals. With the Heat holding most of the cards in the East and the Celtics fading, we are unlikely to see a Bulls-Celtics Conference Finals anytime soon. Most likely we will see a matchup between the Heat and either the Bulls or the new-look Knicks fronted by the legitimate sensation, Jeremy Lin.
With Rondo’s Beantown future in jeopardy, what seems most exciting to me is a rivalry between (1) Lin and D-Rose or (2) Lin and Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving, a matchup we saw play out tonight in a seesaw contest between the Cavs and Knicks at MSG. While Lin and SG Steve Novak were the catalysts for the Knicks’ come-from-behind win, I was duly impressed with the poise and confidence displayed by young Irving, who finished with with 22 points on 8-of-18 shooting as well as 7 assists and 3 rebounds.
It makes me think that Cleveland might actually be a legitimate contender in a couple seasons if they are able to surround Irving with a solid big man and athletic swingman. But that’s all predicated on the assumption that Dan Gilbert will make prudent basketball decisions and the seven LeBron seasons don’t exactly support that assumption.
Coming out of the All-Star Break, these are my Top 10 point guards for 2012:
1. Chris Paul
2. Derrick Rose
3. Tony Parker
4. Deron Williams
5. Rajon Rondo
6. Russell Westbrook
7. Steve Nash
8. Jeremy Lin
9. Tyreke Evans
10. John Wall
I am not a fan of this idea. On the surface it looks good as the Lakers would gain youth at the point, but they would be giving up size for explosiveness, size that may be necessary to compete in the West and/or lure Dwight Howard over from Orlando. Moreover, the Lakers can acquire the pieces necessary to build a point guard committee using their mid-level exception: guys like Raymond Felton and Jose Calderon would make excellent complements to Kobe Bryant and the emerging Andrew Goudelock.
If you get Rondo, you’re betting the farm on a Bynum-for-Howard deal before the trade deadline, a possibility which seems tenuous at best.
From a fantasy perspective, this would be great news for Gasol owners, not so much for those (like myself) holding Kevin Garnett. What do you think? Should the Lakers trade the savvy Spaniard for the fiery Wildcat?
In case you missed it, here’s the newest Fighter vs. Writer. Enjoy!
as a fan, i have about as much invested in this game as rush limbaugh has in nutrition; moreover, i have every reason to hate the patriots as they beat my panthers in the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” super bowl (xxxviii to be exact, but who’s counting? romans?) yet for some reason i want them to win. perhaps it’s the revenge factor, perhaps it’s the belief that tom brady can somehow will a ragtag bunch of nobodies to his fourth super bowl title, this time without the aid of bill belichick’s eyes in the sky. perhaps it’s because BenJarvus Green-Ellis sounds more like a agency on Mad Men than an NFL running back.
i want the patriots to win this thing, i really do.
i just don’t think they will. the giants are playing too well and too angry for even the best of belichick. of course, those are just the kinds of thoughts that motivate this patriots team. can’t wait for sunday.
g-men 35 pats 30
first time in vegas. first time seeing tool. yowza.
the point when the new clippers decided to play like the old clippers.
thanks to albert pujols, it’s now like, totally uncool to negotiate an extension during the season. josh hamilton is set to become the latest example of this trend, provided he doesn’t self-destruct first.
fantasy owners take note!
this man is playing for his job and now, his dignity, his very reputation. when healthy hamilton is absurdly effective. if he is on the field, he can be counted on to produce… and, call it a hunch, but it seems to me that off-the-field problems can motivate extraordinary athletes to push themselves a little harder. remember last year when a certain tigers slugger was arrested for similar indiscretions? Yeah, he proceeded to knock the ever-loving snot out of the ball.
the real questions are: how much can josh hamilton command in a contract year? will he be able to control his addiction enough to merit the trust of his manager, teammates and league executives interested in signing him? if you were rangers brass, would you make playing time contingent upon sobriety? are you now more or less likely to offer him an extension before the season starts?
