ESPN's reporting that a deal's been made between the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Hornets where the Clippers will get Chris Paul and 2 future 2nd round draft picks in exchange for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 1st round pick. This took place a couple days after the Clippers refused to include Gordon and Minny's pick (two of their best trade assets).
Here's why I like the deal:
- You need a superstar to win in the NBA. The Clippers have that in Blake Griffin and the whole idea is to keep him around. Making a bold move for another superstar in Chris Paul does this.
- Gordon is the centerpiece of this package and arguably the best young shooting guard in the league. However, it's hard to see how the Clippers would be able to pay him and Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, assuming the three of them will command max (or very close to max) deals, which I think is a fair assumption.
- Kaman and Aminu are not big losses. Kaman's most valuable attribute was his expiring contract as a trade chip. Aminu's a nice young player but likely won't be anything more than an average forward in the NBA.
- I think the pick might be a little overrated. As Clipper fans we were obviously hoping for Minnesota to be terrible so we get a lottery pick, but that's looking a lot less certain than it did last year. The Timberwolves made a great coaching change (dumping Kurt Rambis for Rick Adelman) and have a lot of young talent (Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, Derrick Williams) and decent depth which should help them in the shortened season. Not that I'd expect them to be a playoff team, but it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
- Chris Paul throwing lobs to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. If you're not excited for that, I don't know what to tell you.
Here's why I don't like the deal:
- I was so impressed with the Clippers' refusal to give in to David Stern's demands for basically all of their best trade assets (Gordon, Kaman, Aminu, Minny pick, Eric Bledsoe). There's a report that the Lakers are back in talks and now the Clippers go back and agree to essentially the same deal without Bledsoe (who's injured to start the season)? There's definitely a sense of desperation and weakness here. On the other hand, Chris Paul is the kind of player you take this risk for unless...
- There's evidence that Chris Paul is on the decline. He's missed close to 40 games the past two seasons and does not look like the CHRIS PAUL that he was just a few years ago. Whether or not he still has a gimpy knee, you have to wonder what kind of negative impact his past injuries have already had. As long as he's on the court he's still an elite point guard, but he might not be the unquestioned top dog in the league anymore.
- I thought the point of acquiring Chauncey Billups was to create leverage and show the league that the Clippers didn't need to do a deal for Chris Paul. A Billups/Gordon/Butler/Griffin/Jordan lineup is already pretty formidable in my mind. Now the Clippers (for now) are loaded with Paul, Billups, Mo Williams and Bledsoe at point guard. It looks like Billups will start at the 2 guard alongside Paul with combo guard Randy Foye backing him up.
- They didn't really need to do the deal now in my opinion. Carmelo Anthony wasn't traded for months. The Clippers didn't have any rush to get rid of any of their assets (I guess the Minnesota pick could have decreased in value if they had a hot start) and could have at least seen how their current roster did before revisiting trade talks.
- I'm not sure on the details, but I'm fairly certain there is no guarantee or promise from Paul that he'll stay long term. I think he's agreed to opt in for next season, but beyond that who knows.
Ultimately all roster moves are a crapshoot to some extent. Paul could be back to his pre-injury form and tossing up insane lobs all over the place and, alongside Blake Griffin, lead the Clippers to the playoffs year after year. Or maybe he'll get hurt, leave after two years and Eric Gordon will develop into the best shooting guard in the league. Obviously we don't know, and the truth is likely to be somewhere in the middle. It's a high risk-high reward move that could pay off big time for one, both, or neither of the teams. Of course it's that not knowing, the excitement of uncertainty that makes it so fun to be a sports fan.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
If you don't write checks, how do you pay these guys?
When I went to bed last night Randy Moss was just one of hundreds of free agents still out there waiting to be picked up by some team. At best his personality and effort would be described as "mercurial." One of the biggest questions about him was if his major decline last season was caused by a deterioration of skills or a lack of motivation or a combination of both.
This morning, Randy Moss was one of the best wide receivers to ever play the game. His route running and smooth strides put him in a position where his size, hands, and freakish athletic ability allowed him to make seemingly every catch.
It's funny how retirement changes our perspective.
It makes perfect sense of course. When an athlete is still playing we have to view them as they currently are. Sure you respect what they've done in the past, but if you're trying to assess what they can do now, you have to throw out nostalgia and reminiscing.
It's only natural towards the end of their career to look back on what they've done and really appreciate the athlete's body of work as a whole and retirement forces that on us.
In Moss's case, I'm not weighing the risk of drafting him in fantasy football hoping he can latch on with a team (and quarterback) where he can be useful at least to the tune of 700 yards and 8 TDs. Instead we can remember him announcing his arrival to the league with 17 touchdown receptions in 1998 setting a rookie record, then teaming up with Tom Brady for another record with 23 TDs in 2007. We can recall the special role he played on teams that went 15-1 and 16-0 even though neither went on to win the Super Bowl.
In some ways it seems like it might be wrong that our view can change so rapidly with a single announcement. On one hand it feels like as fans we're being too optimistic as we just choose what we want to remember about an athlete. On the other hand, for the great ones, we really aren't choosing at all. They've determined how they'll be remembered as the things they accomplished on the field, court, ring, etc are seared into our brain.
When Shaq is inducted into the basketball hall of fame, no one's going to remember him hobbling up and down the floor for Cleveland and Boston. No, it'll be visions of Young Shaquille sprinting down the court for a massive dunk or joking around with the media nicknaming himself or, my personal favorite, this. Oh goodness, more of that. Please.
Sometimes we're stuck in the awkward position of being close enough to the end to reminisce about an athlete, but far enough away where it feels like we might be dishonoring him (or her) by pretending as if they're done.
When I first started watching mixed martial arts, Fedor Emelianenko was the baddest heavyweight on the planet. The way he fought was like a cyborg. He could fire his rocket of a right hand on the feet or on the ground and there was little his opponents could do. His footwork and speed allowed him to pick apart fighters on the feet, and his incredible hip movement let him ground and pound at will no matter who's guard he was in.
Now he's lost three in a row and his future is up in the air. A part of me wants to look back at his record and point out that he's really only beat three heavyweights at the top of their game (Heath Herring, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira x2, Mirko Filipovic), but another part remembers that for years he smashed everyone in his way and almost never seemed like he was in danger. It's almost like I just want him to decide one way or another, to take a fight or to officially hang up the gloves so that we know whether we should be celebrating his career or wondering if he's still got it.
That's just the brutal world of sports. It's so fast-paced and it's no hyperbole to say that today's hot stuff could easily be tomorrow's old news. Every athlete, without exception, will be slowed by age and/or injuries eventually. There will always be a point where they just don't have it anymore and we'll look on their career in hindsight and inevitably judge it. Some with leave a legendary legacy but others nothing at all.
But as competitors these athletes have no time to think of that. They have to focus on the next game, the next play so that they don't get caught up and distracted by what's to come. All that will take care of itself in time. But for now? Straight cash homey.
This morning, Randy Moss was one of the best wide receivers to ever play the game. His route running and smooth strides put him in a position where his size, hands, and freakish athletic ability allowed him to make seemingly every catch.
It's funny how retirement changes our perspective.
It makes perfect sense of course. When an athlete is still playing we have to view them as they currently are. Sure you respect what they've done in the past, but if you're trying to assess what they can do now, you have to throw out nostalgia and reminiscing.
It's only natural towards the end of their career to look back on what they've done and really appreciate the athlete's body of work as a whole and retirement forces that on us.
In Moss's case, I'm not weighing the risk of drafting him in fantasy football hoping he can latch on with a team (and quarterback) where he can be useful at least to the tune of 700 yards and 8 TDs. Instead we can remember him announcing his arrival to the league with 17 touchdown receptions in 1998 setting a rookie record, then teaming up with Tom Brady for another record with 23 TDs in 2007. We can recall the special role he played on teams that went 15-1 and 16-0 even though neither went on to win the Super Bowl.
In some ways it seems like it might be wrong that our view can change so rapidly with a single announcement. On one hand it feels like as fans we're being too optimistic as we just choose what we want to remember about an athlete. On the other hand, for the great ones, we really aren't choosing at all. They've determined how they'll be remembered as the things they accomplished on the field, court, ring, etc are seared into our brain.
When Shaq is inducted into the basketball hall of fame, no one's going to remember him hobbling up and down the floor for Cleveland and Boston. No, it'll be visions of Young Shaquille sprinting down the court for a massive dunk or joking around with the media nicknaming himself or, my personal favorite, this. Oh goodness, more of that. Please.
Sometimes we're stuck in the awkward position of being close enough to the end to reminisce about an athlete, but far enough away where it feels like we might be dishonoring him (or her) by pretending as if they're done.
When I first started watching mixed martial arts, Fedor Emelianenko was the baddest heavyweight on the planet. The way he fought was like a cyborg. He could fire his rocket of a right hand on the feet or on the ground and there was little his opponents could do. His footwork and speed allowed him to pick apart fighters on the feet, and his incredible hip movement let him ground and pound at will no matter who's guard he was in.
Now he's lost three in a row and his future is up in the air. A part of me wants to look back at his record and point out that he's really only beat three heavyweights at the top of their game (Heath Herring, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira x2, Mirko Filipovic), but another part remembers that for years he smashed everyone in his way and almost never seemed like he was in danger. It's almost like I just want him to decide one way or another, to take a fight or to officially hang up the gloves so that we know whether we should be celebrating his career or wondering if he's still got it.
That's just the brutal world of sports. It's so fast-paced and it's no hyperbole to say that today's hot stuff could easily be tomorrow's old news. Every athlete, without exception, will be slowed by age and/or injuries eventually. There will always be a point where they just don't have it anymore and we'll look on their career in hindsight and inevitably judge it. Some with leave a legendary legacy but others nothing at all.
But as competitors these athletes have no time to think of that. They have to focus on the next game, the next play so that they don't get caught up and distracted by what's to come. All that will take care of itself in time. But for now? Straight cash homey.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Quick Hits: WWC Final
I'll be honest. This is the first women's world cup game I've caught this year. Still, the combination of national pride and all the intensity that comes with the final in an international competition such as this was too much to ignore. Random pre-game thoughts.
- I had no idea what Hope Solo sounded like. Her voice was a lot higher and softer than I was expecting. Not important just random.
- I really wouldn't sleep on Japan. They've beaten some very good teams to make it thus far. Their technical style, ball movement, and execution can cause problems for Team USA if they are unprepared or sloppy.
- It looks like US coach Pia Sundhage has moved Lauren Cheney up and reinserted Megan Rapinoe into the starting lineup at left midfield. Rapinoe's been a sparkplug off the bench and the American offense is much better with her on the field, creating more (and better) shots. We'll see if it makes a difference when she goes the whole 90 as opposed to subbing in for 40 (or so) minutes.
- The montages showing the '99 championship team reminded me how epic those players were. Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, etc. What a talented group.
That's about it. Like I said I haven't really watched much and the game's about to start. Go go USA!
- I had no idea what Hope Solo sounded like. Her voice was a lot higher and softer than I was expecting. Not important just random.
- I really wouldn't sleep on Japan. They've beaten some very good teams to make it thus far. Their technical style, ball movement, and execution can cause problems for Team USA if they are unprepared or sloppy.
- It looks like US coach Pia Sundhage has moved Lauren Cheney up and reinserted Megan Rapinoe into the starting lineup at left midfield. Rapinoe's been a sparkplug off the bench and the American offense is much better with her on the field, creating more (and better) shots. We'll see if it makes a difference when she goes the whole 90 as opposed to subbing in for 40 (or so) minutes.
- The montages showing the '99 championship team reminded me how epic those players were. Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Michelle Akers, Brandi Chastain, etc. What a talented group.
That's about it. Like I said I haven't really watched much and the game's about to start. Go go USA!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The OTHER C. Anthony
Here are the facts.
Carmelo Anthony
Real name: Carmelo Kiyan Anthony
Place of birth: Brooklyn, NY
Date of birth: May 29, 1984
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 228 lb
Affiliation: New York Knicks, Syracuse
Best known for: Being picked after Darko Milicic in the 2003 NBA Draft, holding the Denver Nuggets hostage during the 2010-2011 NBA season, his ability to score with a variety of methods from a variety of spots on the floor, collapsing during a game as play went on around him, being Mr. La La Vasquez
Waka Flocka Flame
Real name: Juaquin Malphurs
Place of birth: New York, New York
Date of birth: May 31, 1986
Height: 6'4"
Weight: ???
Affiliation: 1017 Brick Squad Records, Warner Bros. Records, Asylum Records
Best known for: Going hard in the mf'in paint, throwin' money while women do it with no hands, being named after Fozzie Bear's catchphrase, saying his name a lot (FLOCKA!)
Marshawn Lynch
Real name: Marshawn Terrell Lynch
Place of birth: Oakland, California
Date of birth: April 22, 1986
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 220 lb
Affiliation: Seattle Seahawks, Cal
Best known for: Being the 12th overall selection by the Buffalo Bills in 2007, breaking the 1,000 yard plateau as a rookie, making the Pro Bowl as an alternate in his second year, disappointing Bills fans and fantasy owners alike in his third year ultimately being replaced by Fred Jackson, most importantly BEAST MODE!!!!!
Like I said on Facebook...has anyone seen these three at the same place at the same time?
Carmelo AnthonyReal name: Carmelo Kiyan Anthony
Place of birth: Brooklyn, NY
Date of birth: May 29, 1984
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 228 lb
Affiliation: New York Knicks, Syracuse
Best known for: Being picked after Darko Milicic in the 2003 NBA Draft, holding the Denver Nuggets hostage during the 2010-2011 NBA season, his ability to score with a variety of methods from a variety of spots on the floor, collapsing during a game as play went on around him, being Mr. La La Vasquez
Waka Flocka Flame
Real name: Juaquin Malphurs
Place of birth: New York, New York
Date of birth: May 31, 1986
Height: 6'4"
Weight: ???
Affiliation: 1017 Brick Squad Records, Warner Bros. Records, Asylum Records
Best known for: Going hard in the mf'in paint, throwin' money while women do it with no hands, being named after Fozzie Bear's catchphrase, saying his name a lot (FLOCKA!)
Marshawn Lynch
Real name: Marshawn Terrell Lynch
Place of birth: Oakland, California
Date of birth: April 22, 1986
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 220 lb
Affiliation: Seattle Seahawks, Cal
Best known for: Being the 12th overall selection by the Buffalo Bills in 2007, breaking the 1,000 yard plateau as a rookie, making the Pro Bowl as an alternate in his second year, disappointing Bills fans and fantasy owners alike in his third year ultimately being replaced by Fred Jackson, most importantly BEAST MODE!!!!!
Like I said on Facebook...has anyone seen these three at the same place at the same time?
An Uninformed Opinion
It seems like the Casey Anthony case swept the nation by storm, culminating in yesterday's "not guilty" verdict. I take no interest in law or legal proceedings nor did I follow this case closely (or at all), but there was a pretty massive barrage of expressions of shock yesterday across social media platforms.
It seemed like everyone had an opinion about the case, mostly how appalled and outraged they were that a cold-blooded murderer of a little girl would walk freely and how justice was not served.
I thought it was pretty crazy how extreme and violent these reactions were. Promises of vigilante justice were made (but hopefully not followed up on) as were comparisons to the infamous OJ Simpson case.
It's funny how quick our seemingly non-judgmental society is to denounce a 25 year old single mother who lost her daughter based on the opinions of talking heads, blogs, and circumstantial evidence.
I'm not saying she did or didn't do it. Like I said, I haven't followed the case much at all, but from what I've read, the case against her was built almost completely on circumstantial and anecdotal evidence and experimental forensic research. By all accounts, she was probably a pretty terrible mother and involved in her daughter's death in some fashion.
But "probably" is not the same as "beyond reasonable doubt" and being a crappy mother is not the same as murder.
It bothers me how easily the general public turned on Casey Anthony using a criteria that certainly none of us would like used against us.
Today it seemed there was no shortage of people wondering who was to blame for what happened. Was the defense just an all-star cast? Did the prosecution fail? Was the jury incompetant?
Those are valid and likely probabilities, sure. But did it occur to anyone else that maybe, just maybe, the judicial system worked exactly how it should? That Casey Anthony was not guilty and the court system saved her from ramifications of crimes she didn't commit? I think this didn't cross the mind of a lot of people, and in that case, I'd ask them why a full trial was even necessary? If "probably" should be enough to put her away, what's the use of judges and attorneys anyway? After all, EVERYONE knows that she did it. Right?
I was listening to the radio on the way home from work today. One caller said that she thought the jury messed up because they came to a verdict so quickly. According to this woman, there's no way the jury spent enough time going over the facts and details of the case.
First of all, no, that's not what a quick verdict means. Second, I thought it was hilarious that this woman would have the gall to say something like that. I highly, highly doubt that she spent more than 1 hour of her life reading or watching anything about this case. And she's doubting the jury, who sat through every minute of the trial and were necessarily consumed by it? That's ridiculous.
Again, I don't want to come off sounding like I think Casey Anthony is some wonderful, innocent human being. But someone can be not guilty without being innocent. I wish that this case had spawned more intelligent discussion, not emotionally charged rants about lawyers drinking champagne or tweets of shock from the daughter of the man who helped OJ Simpson walk free.
Whatever the case may be, it's a sobering reminder that true, real justice is never served on earth. But when it is, it will be swift and unmistakable.
It seemed like everyone had an opinion about the case, mostly how appalled and outraged they were that a cold-blooded murderer of a little girl would walk freely and how justice was not served.
I thought it was pretty crazy how extreme and violent these reactions were. Promises of vigilante justice were made (but hopefully not followed up on) as were comparisons to the infamous OJ Simpson case.
It's funny how quick our seemingly non-judgmental society is to denounce a 25 year old single mother who lost her daughter based on the opinions of talking heads, blogs, and circumstantial evidence.
I'm not saying she did or didn't do it. Like I said, I haven't followed the case much at all, but from what I've read, the case against her was built almost completely on circumstantial and anecdotal evidence and experimental forensic research. By all accounts, she was probably a pretty terrible mother and involved in her daughter's death in some fashion.
But "probably" is not the same as "beyond reasonable doubt" and being a crappy mother is not the same as murder.
It bothers me how easily the general public turned on Casey Anthony using a criteria that certainly none of us would like used against us.
Today it seemed there was no shortage of people wondering who was to blame for what happened. Was the defense just an all-star cast? Did the prosecution fail? Was the jury incompetant?
Those are valid and likely probabilities, sure. But did it occur to anyone else that maybe, just maybe, the judicial system worked exactly how it should? That Casey Anthony was not guilty and the court system saved her from ramifications of crimes she didn't commit? I think this didn't cross the mind of a lot of people, and in that case, I'd ask them why a full trial was even necessary? If "probably" should be enough to put her away, what's the use of judges and attorneys anyway? After all, EVERYONE knows that she did it. Right?
I was listening to the radio on the way home from work today. One caller said that she thought the jury messed up because they came to a verdict so quickly. According to this woman, there's no way the jury spent enough time going over the facts and details of the case.
First of all, no, that's not what a quick verdict means. Second, I thought it was hilarious that this woman would have the gall to say something like that. I highly, highly doubt that she spent more than 1 hour of her life reading or watching anything about this case. And she's doubting the jury, who sat through every minute of the trial and were necessarily consumed by it? That's ridiculous.
Again, I don't want to come off sounding like I think Casey Anthony is some wonderful, innocent human being. But someone can be not guilty without being innocent. I wish that this case had spawned more intelligent discussion, not emotionally charged rants about lawyers drinking champagne or tweets of shock from the daughter of the man who helped OJ Simpson walk free.
Whatever the case may be, it's a sobering reminder that true, real justice is never served on earth. But when it is, it will be swift and unmistakable.
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