Steal or Foul?

This is a special feature from guest blogger Christopher Sells.

All this talk of referees possibly fixing games and the league allegedly giving them orders to lengthen playoff series has all of the conspiracy theorists crying foul. As in there should have been one on Kobe Bryant when he poked the ball away from Paul Pierce late in the fourth quarter of Game 5. That, along with all of the fouls that went against the Celtics and their gimpy team (yes, we’re still questioning injuries, apparently), has people wondering if the league is trying to force a Game 7.

Check out the below video at about the 1:15 mark and judge for yourself whether a foul should have been called. Feel free to discuss the other allegations as well, but good luck proving anything.

 

Why You Should Care About Marko Jaric

This is a special feature from guest blogger Christopher Sells.

You probably don’t care about Marko Jaric. He has played for the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles clippers, mostly on teams that didn’t matter. His numbers aren’t impressive and the casual fan doesn’t have any idea who he is.

So why does he deserve your attention today? He’s engaged to Adriana Lima. And honestly, there’s always time to get you to look at pretty ladies. I won’t say she’s a ten, but she gets extra points for being a Victoria’s Secret model. Judge for yourself.

Good to know that money and talent still go a long way when you’re searching for a mate. Not that you necessarily need either to pick up a winner, but it doesn’t hurt. In fact, it can help immensely.

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Final Call: Beasley or Rose?

This is a special feature from guest blogger John Nguyen.

Since June 26, 2008 can’t come soon enough, it’s time to decide who the best fit is for the Bullies. When the basketball Gods granted us the number one pick, the majority of Chicago and hardcore basketball fans smelled “Roses.” As we’re getting closer to the draft day by day, people are beginning to hop on the Beasley wagon. I can’t blame anyone because both kids look great although I preferred Rose in another article (http://www.hoopsvibe.com/nba-blog/nba-b ... orum132172) but now I’m thinking even more in depth before I rush judgment. This is not a no-brainer like I previously thought. There is no Lebron or Oden here.
Hear me out, please.

I’ll examine who best fits Chicago’s long term plans with the roster without listing trades because, well, trades are for fantasy leaguers. There’s no need to list any trade because there’s too many possibilities. I will not address Larry Hughes because we’re probably stuck with his filthy contract. He should be gone of the highest order. I will not address Andres Nocioni because he should be traded, too. He’s a straight ball hogging shot jacker.

I will explain who would needs to leave although I know there will be disagreements on who should go or stay, but in the end, I’m writing this. Not you. As of this writing, Vinny Del Negro is the Bulls head coach. I really do not think he is leaning one way or the other. He prefers size in prospects (Beasley), but he is a disciple of D’Antoni’s offense (Rose). Please note that when I have a top 3 pick of any draft, I definitely take the best possible player overall regardless of position and definitely regardless of who’s on the team. Bobby Knight once said, “Take Michael Jordan and play him at center.”

If Michael Beasley is selected:
This automatically makes Ben Gordon untouchable because we need another proven 21+ per game scorer to compliment Beasley. John Paxson cannot let him sign the qualifying offer, trade him, or let him walk for nothing. He is that important now. Fans have been complaining for a big low post scorer for the past 5 years. Here he is.
Beasley’s offensive IQ is unreal and a great rebounder to boot. He can hit the J from anywhere, post up against anyone, and cross over defenders in isolation; ball handling skills are great for a kid his size. It’s a plus that he can spot the double teams coming and still manage to score. He has the tools to become a solid defender, but will that ever come to fruition? Is he too much of a practical joker to be a leader? Does he have the desire to become the best? Is he a black hole? As we all know those questions are the things that will hold him back from a good player to being a great player. That’s something that Beasley has to fix himself. If he is everything that is advertised, he will open up the perimeter for Gordon to do his damage. That jumper now looks as easy as a layup. Whether he’s in Chicago or where ever, Beasley has the strongest chance to be Rookie of the Year. I can definitely see BG hitting 25+ppg with him; a sick inside-outside duo.

Kirk Hinrich can probably stay as well but the problem here is already confirmed by Ric Bucher of ESPN: the team doesn’t want him to be the point guard. They rather have Chris Duhon. This is major news. We cannot ignore this stuff. Again, let’s not question Bucher’s credibility either. Yes, Kobe didn’t play his last game as a Laker as reported. Yes, Doug Collins didn’t become head coach. But really, everybody jumped the gun on both things anyway. The truth is Bucher’s sources failed him. But for him to slide in that little nugget confirms my suspicions on what I saw in many games; Hinrich not favored by the team speaks volumes especially as the supposed captain.

Kirk’s not a point guard, but he’s a nice role player. He still over dribbles, makes defensive mistakes leading to stupid fouls, whines too much, doesn’t know how to feed the hot hand, can’t penetrate, has turned into a mediocre shooter, and cannot answer to adversity. Furthermore, his calling card was defense. That’s thrown out the window with him playing putrid defense all year. When he’s getting smoked by Cuttino Mobley, Chris Quinn, and Travis Diener, we have major problems. Ben Wallace was the worst player on the roster, but after the trade deadline, Hinrich became the worst player. He had many games where he registered only 2-4 assists. That’s completely unacceptable for a point guard of his caliber; truly unacceptable.

So if fans are willing to overlook that, might as well “think out of the box” as Paxson and Del Negro like to put it in the press conference, and let Ben Gordon be the starting point guard with Beasley in the mix. We can’t do any worse than what Kirk put up all season. C’mon, his assist average has been decreasing each year just like his contract. If he stays under this scenario, there will be more locker room hatred. Paxson is not going to want that happening again. Expect Pax to look to trade him even with Beasley drafted.

Will Hinrich bounce back? I don’t see it happening on this team because the majority of the players do not respect him. In effect, Hinrich will hate the team and not pass the ball around. This information has gotten public so Kirk, in essence, will think “I see how it is. Screw you guys” and look for his shot a lot than ever before. He will still suck balls as usual and be detrimental to the ballclub. The time is to move him now before his value dips even lower than where it is currently. Let’s face it. John Paxson soured on Hinrich a long time ago, guys. That’s been confirmed earlier this season in a radio interview.

Deng, Thabo, and Noah surround Beasley just fine. If Beasley starts to become the Rookie of the Year that he’s being hyped then Tyrus Thomas or Drew Gooden will be gone. There’s a log jam and one guy has to be moved to make room for Beasley to avoid splitting minutes and locker room politics. Here’s another thought: if Beasley excels at the small forward spot since he’s a tweener forward, Deng will have to be traded in the future.

If Derrick Rose is selected:
This is the end for Hinrich. Derrick Rose is alpha male at point guard. Many fans have completely written off a Rose/Gordon backcourt, which is understandable because of the height and Gordon’s problem of guarding the two. But again, try thinking outside the box and experiment with that starting guard tandem before completely abandoning it. That’s why they the play games, right? At least give them a season before deciding to trade Gordon and putting in Thabo as the starting guard. He’s earned that right to prove himself with the organization and the fans. What do we have to lose, guys? Honestly, we have nothing to lose. We’re a bottom feeding team at 33 wins, 49 loses. Remember that.

What’s that I hear? Hinrich can play the two spot? Oh hell no. That’s already been proven under Skiles. He still deferred back to Gordon. That’s not a possibility. And it shouldn’t be.

Here’s a worst case scenario: the entire current backcourt has to be traded away to rebuild around Rose because of Pax’s mistake of drafting too many combo guards. The only player staying is Thabo yet even he isn’t the ideal SG. I just don’t see him as a long term starting big guard. He’s only a temporary fix because he cannot produce much offense. His dribbling is suspect and jumpshot is awful. He cannot take anyone off the dribble in isolation and that’s crucial at that position. If he was like a young Michael Finley, then hell yes, I start him. Yet then again, he’s currently playing like today’s Michael Finley.
If we suck again next season, hopefully we can land Deromar DeRozen from USC. Trade away Gordon to get a good big man in return and have a Rose/DeRozen backcourt with Thabo backing up at both 2 and 3 spots. I’m pretty sure we’re not going to suck again next season for this to happen, but this depends on Deng’s and Gordon’s contract situations.

Tyrus Thomas should not be traded unless Miami wants Hinrich and Tyrus for Beasley. Then by all means, do the trade. I’ll commit that. But anyway, he should stay for one more season and hopefully he becomes Shawn Marion-like. He’ll be catching lobs having easy scoring opportunities all game. Under Rose, this thinking can be applied to all of our bigs.

So finally, Beasley or Rose? Here’s a great link to check out, credits to YaoPau. http://www.blogabull.com/2008/6/4/54570 ... against-nb.

Both kids are great at their respective positions. They’ll be just fine in the league. I’m going to take it one step further to see who can be the greater player in the long run. Derrick Rose’s 6 game NCAA tourney averages: 35.5 mpg, 20.8 ppg, 6.5 rebs, 6.0 assists, 1.3 stls while maintaining 52% from the field and 77% at the stripe.
Beasley’s 2 game NCAA tourney averages: 33 mpg, 23 ppg, 12 rebs, 1 stl while maintaining 48% from the field and 88% at the stripe.

Beasley will be a fine player right from the start no doubt, but I think Rose will be the greater player in the long run because Rose is the better all around talent. Don’t get me wrong. Either kid makes the Bulls somewhat of a lock for the playoffs. The team still needs to do a trade or two by acquiring either kid. Another interesting thing to note: ever since 1990, no point guard selected within the top 5 has become a bust. The only thing closest was Jay Williams but we didn’t see enough to make that certain. In Beasley’s case, a lot of players roughly the same size, height and position have become busts in top 5 picks. History is hands down on Derrick Rose’s side. His selection serves another distinction: the last point guard to be taken number one overall was Magic Johnson in 1979. We’ll see what the Bulls do at the podium when they announce their selection.

On Ben Gordon’s contract disputes and 2010 plan:
Ben Gordon is the center of controversy on this ballclub because despite being the best player, he’s seeking too much money and fans nitpick on the usual cliché lack of height and defense. That’s too bad because I couldn’t care less about either one. BG has gotten better at challenging shots, but no one wants to see or admit it. We just love to stick with stereotypes because we’re mentally lazy.

He’s proven that he can get the job done even in the heat of criticism. Jerry Reinsdorf should be ready to overpay just a little bit for Gordon, preferably around Kevin Martin’s value at $55 million. If he’s signed to a similar offer of 5/$50 million then YOU START HIM NO MATTER WHAT regardless of Thabo’s length and defense. Sefolosha is not an established player even with the 15 games he flourished in last season. BG is a proven commodity, which makes him the starting SG.

This negotiation will be a long painful process. If Gordon still doesn’t like the offer then it’s time to trade him. Word on the street is that Reinsdorf does not even want to offer any type of extension but the QO is something both parties want to avoid and the salary dump is silly because we will not get back anything close to Gordon’s value. If Reinsdorf dumps Gordon or lets him walk into unrestricted territory, we’re back to a shitty franchise. We have passed being the Cavaliers of the 80s/90s. We became the Clippers of the East.

I see, as some do, that a core of Deng, Gordon, Beasley or Rose, Tyrus, and Noah with $20-$30 million in cap space has a great chance of attracting Lebron, Wade, or Chris Bosh in the 2010 free agent class. I’m sure that Pax is thinking the same. Will Reinsdorf make that happen? Is he even willing to? Does he share the same vision?

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Refs Fix Games. Allegedly.

This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells.

I went to YouTube to search for some highlights from 2002’s Western Conference Finals Game Six between the Kings and the Lakers. Game Seven is there, even Games Three, Four and Five. No Game Six.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t think much of this. It would be strange, since you can find almost anything on YouTube these days, but it wouldn’t make me think that there was some sort of cover up in the works.

Considering that Tim Donaghy is alleging that this game was fixed by the referees, I think we can safely say that this is not ordinary.

When Donaghy last fessed up about a game that he impacted, no one was really surprised. I think the same thing holds true here. Unless you were a Laker fan, you saw the fourth quarter of that game and felt that you had witnessed something very wrong. 27 free throws in the fourth quarter? Mike Bibby getting called for a foul after he took an elbow from Kobe?

In response to these allegations, the NBA has taken to making sure that you know that Donaghy is a convicted felon. In fact, they’ve generally smeared his name ever since he confessed to being involved in that gambling ring. Somehow, David Stern and his underlings think that this will make people not belive the things that Donaghy is saying.

They’re wrong.

No one cares that Donaghy broke the law. That doesn’t automatically make him a liar. If he is in fact saying these things to lighten his jail sentence, wouldn’t that make them more likely true? I’m pretty sure that lying doesn’t get you leniency from any judges.

We can see. We have eyes of our own. Show me a person who hasn’t disagreed with the way a referee called an NBA game and I’ll show you someone who hasn’t been watching very long. All this would do is validate what we’ve all long thought: that the NBA wants certain teams to win and they want to make sure that playoff series run longer so that they can make more money.

Instead of denying any of this, the NBA should say that they’ll look into it. Don’t lie to us, fix it. Investigate and give us some real tangible evidence that the things Donaghy is saying are untrue. Don’t lose fans because you want to maintain some pristine image. We know what’s up. Tell us the truth.

And put the Game Six footage back on YouTube so we can decide for ourselves in the mean time.

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H20 Thinking Comeback

This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells.

Reportedly, former Knick Allan Houston, he of the Allan Houston Rule and one of the most overpaid players ever, wants to play ball again. Professionally. Even after his failed comeback from last season. Really.

These older guys have got to learn to let it go. If you weren’t playing well at 33, why on Earth do you think you could do so at 37? I know 37-year-olds who are just happy to be able to get out of bed every day. And they’re not even rich. Houston wants to put this all on the line for what? Dignity? Pride?

Those are good things to believe in, but where will they get him? Waived by another team during training camp and left with egg on his face again. Let it go, H20. Take the money you earned (disputably) while playing and go have a nice life. Maybe get into coaching, maybe radio or TV so you can still earn a living.

Let all of the rest of us try to remember the days when you were a useful two guard on some competitive teams. That gets harder to do every time you try to step on the court, only to rediscover that the past is still the past.

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Del Negro to Coach Bulls

After a month and a half of speculation, rumor and conjecture, Vinny Del Negro is the new coach of the Chicago Bulls. Reportedly. We’ll see if this one holds up better than the other rumored hirings.

In case you’re wondering, Del Negro has no coaching experience. He is currently the assistant GM for the Suns, who filled a coaching vacancy of their own over the weekend. Apparently the Suns didn’t think he was worth a chance but the Bulls did.

How do you feel, Chicago fans? Is this a good hire? Did you want someone with experience or are you OK with a rookie running the team? Does this temper your short-term expectations for the team?

Postgame Observation

Depending on which side you’re rooting for, Game Two left you questioning the officiating that allowed the Celtics to shoot 38 free throws to the Lakers’ 10 and wishing that Kobe Bryant would step up more, or applauding Paul Pierce for stepping up despite his injured knee (allegedly) and wondering exactly where Leon Powe has been all of your life.

Whatever your take on those things, what is certain is that the Celtics have a 2-0 lead, despite almost choking it away in the fourth quarter. Some are saying that the Lakers’ comeback could give them something to build on as they begin their three-game homestand, others wonder how the team could have been down 24 points at all.

Game Three is what we’ve come to know as a must win game for the Lakers. Going down 3-0 has proven to be an impossible deficit to overcome and there isn’t any reason to believe this team could change that.

The Celtics would be much better off if they could come a way with at least one win in Los Angeles. We know about their sterling home record and their spotty road performaces. 1-for 3 is doable and it gets rid of a bit of the pressure that might be associated with a Game Six down 3-2.

This is where the chess match should begin between coaching staffs. They’ve felt out what the other team is doing and there should be a clearer picture of what will and won’t happen in each game. Expect to see some new wrinkles thrown out on Tuesday and some time spent making adjustments on the fly.

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Did Pierce Fake It?

This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells.

Paul Pierce fell on the ground, writhing in pain. He had to be carried off the court and he was transferred to a wheelchair once in the tunnel. But he shook off a strained meniscus to come back and lead the Celtics to victory over the Lakers in what will surely be one of the most celebrated performances in an already illustrious rivalry. One problem, though.

Some people think Pierce was faking:

To nearly 50 years of delicious Celtics-Lakers lore, add a new apparent bit of chicanery.

Call it the Fake N’Shake...

Pierce hobbled out with drama dripping from every step.

He was so hurt, he immediately began sprinting around the stunned Lakers defenders.

Never mind that it would take an inordinate amount of planning and acting and the involvement of too many people on the Celtics’ staff, it would just have been ridiculous. I suppose that when Kendrick Perkins went for that block, he was instructed to land awkwardly on Pierce. And who takes a dive when they’re in the middle of a hot streak?

It was an example of a player shaking off injury to play in a game that he’s probably been waiting his entire life to play in. You could see the limp and Pierce took to mostly spotting up afterwards. It was obvious that he wasn’t himself.

People want to compare it to Willis Reed’s performance in the Finals, but this was different. Not only was Pierce’s comeback in the middle of a game, he actually ended up playing well enough to make a difference. I’d say he was the reason the Celtics won. That and an ice-cold shooting performance from the Lakers in the fourth quarter, anyway.

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The Finals v. General Mischief

The NBA wants you to remember that the Finals start tonight and that it is likely the greatest thing that you’ll ever witness with your own two eyes. They’ll no doubt throw the Lakers’ and Celtics’ tradition at you and hope that you get all teary eyed, yearning for the good ol’ days.

The only problem is that on the day that we’ve spent an entire week waiting for (ugh), the headlines include one of their players getting arrested for driving recklessly with a suspended license (better than the prostitute issue he had previously), and another getting picked up on gun charges.

While this isn’t any more serious than the transgressions of other professional athletes and celebrities, it seems to be magnified when talking about NBA players. I won’t take the time to get into the possible hows and whys of the issue, but it’s something that David Stern and all of his subordinates are aware of. And while they probably don’t have a problem dealing with it, I’m sure that they don’t want to have to deal with it right this minute.

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