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02 May 2010
The NBA Playoffs are in full swing, and that usually means one thing...time for the playoff banter column between noted basketball experts, or just between myself and Smooth. However, for unknown reasons, that hasn't materialized this year. So we're left with just my thoughts on the playoffs. If you would like to see the banter resume, you can send an e-mail to Smooth so he can stop making up fake ones when he cleans out his inbox. Or, if you really want to get his attention, you could put your hand in his girlfriend (if you get it, you get it). Either way, like the early brave pioneers of sports blogging, I'm going to forge ahead on my own for now.
Who is Derek Fisher? OK, I get it. The guy has hit some big shots in the playoffs throughout his career. He has played on four championship teams, and has a pretty good shot at a fifth ring this year. But let's not also forget this is a guy who was largely irrelevant for the three seasons he spent away from the Lakers, two with Golden State and one with Utah. In fact, in his first year in Golden State, he was the backup to Speedy Claxton. Yes, Speedy Claxton. So what does that tell us about who Fisher really is? Turns out, it's a little easier to hit clutch shots in the playoffs when you have superstars on your team who, you know, get you to the playoffs. But upon returning to the Lakers, he's once again the darling of the media, who love to rave about his toughness and poise. Well where was that when he was sitting the bench for the Warriors? Hmm.. could it be that Fisher isn't quite the pressure-loving, big shot-hitting player he's been made out to be? After all, he spent the better part of the first round being abused by Russell Westbrook, and in Game 1 against Utah, he lasted all of one possession on Deron Williams before Coach Phil Jackson switched the match-up. At this point, it's questionable whether Fisher could guard a stationary bike, and he has very little offensive game other than hovering by the three-point line. But as usual, he'll hit a shot at some point (wide-open, thanks to Kobe and Pau Gasol's presence), and people will go nuts over his clutch play, as though he's something more than a coattail-riding, mediocre guard who has had the good fortune to play with a number of stars. But on the bright side, maybe one day, Fisher and Robert Horry can sit around and discuss who did the least to earn their rings.
Bad call. Here's a special shoutout to Dwight Howard, who set an NBA record with 22 fouls in four games against Charlotte, although all of them were bad calls. Every last one. He actually didn't commit a single foul the entire series. Hey refs - since when is an elbow to the face or a hip check considered a foul?? Let the guy play!!
Spurs = disgusting. My hatred for the Spurs is well-documented. I liked David Robinson at one point in the early 90s, but it's been downhill ever since. I hated Bruce Bowen, I hated Jaren Jackson, and I hated Malik Rose. I loathed Robert Horry, Rasho Nesterovic and Fabricio Oberto. And currently, the sight of Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili makes me sick. To be honest, I'm not even a big fan of Tim Duncan. So as you can imagine, the playoffs are usually a tough ride for me, seeing as how the Spurs have had a ton of success in the last 10 years. This year has been no different. Their coach is a hypocrite of the highest order, having called out the Lakers two years ago for an unfair trade to acquire Pau Gasol, then turning around this summer and trading $7 and a Pokemon card for Richard Jefferson. They got unbelievably lucky to have DeJuan Blair fall to them in the draft. And then they drew the ridiculously soft Mavericks in the first round, all but assuring they would win despite being a lower seed. Next up, a highly overrated Suns squad, who I'm sure will pose little threat, thus meaning I will be watching the Spurs for at least two more weeks. Two more weeks of watching Parker and Ginobili flop around like fish on a boat when they enter the lane. Two more weeks of watching Duncan open his eyes wider than should be humanly possible to protest calls. Two more weeks of watching someone named George Hill hit clutch baskets that make me punch holes in my wall. Someone kill me now.
LeBron. LeBron James is kind of good, in the same sense that my chances of marrying Jennifer Love Hewitt are kind of nonexistent. There's really no words to describe his level of play at this point. Kobe fans may still have a point when they talk about Kobe's resume of game-winning shots vs. LeBron's, but there's really no logical argument anymore about who the best player in basketball is. The best part? He's only 25 years old. The best may still be on the way.
Draft debate. Well we've certainly gotten to the bottom of that Derrick Rose/Michael Beasley debate haven't we? At one point, it seemed too close to call as scouts wondered who should be the top pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Now? Rose has been a Rookie of the Year and an All-Star, and appears to be on the verge of superstardom after two years of phenomenal playoff performances. In that same time, Beasley has spent time in rehab, been benched for the majority of his team's fourth quarters, and is the subject of tons of trade rumors. It's pretty safe to say Chicago made the right choice.
No York. While we're on the subject of the Bulls, maybe now is a time to bring up the right way to run a franchise. Like the Knicks and Nets, the Bulls entered the year trying to clear cap space to make a run at one of the elite free agents of 2010. However, unlike the Knicks and Nets, the Bulls actually showed up for the 2009-10 season, and didn't tank the year with a roster full of rag-tags. The Bulls were by no means a great team, but they earned a playoff spot and competed hard against the top-seeded Cavaliers. The Knicks were out of the playoff hunt by March. The Nets were out of it by December. Now, all three teams will try to lure one of the top free agent prizes this summer by throwing loads of cash at him. The Bulls' offer might be a little sweeter though, as they have a solid young core with Rose, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng. If you're LeBron or Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh, do you want to go a team that is on the way up, a team with some building blocks in place? Or to a franchise that forgot to show up for the season, a team that fleeced their fans out of ticket money all year, and a team that has no earthly idea who will be on their roster next year? Time will tell how this shakes out, but for my money, the basketball gods will shine brighter upon the Bulls for maintaining a sliver of integrity.
