NBA Offseason 2009

[Jesse]

(I realize they're not preaching to me personally, Jesse--that's irrelevant)

That's where we diverge and can agree to disagree. I'm confident you are more qualified than I to sort out what indiscretions merit scorn, and whose indiscretions merit the most scorn.
Keep the akashic record and the aspiditra flying!

[walto]

All I meant by that is if somebody writes a book called "Winning in Sports and in Life: A Good Guy Explains What it Really Means to be Good" (or some such bullshit), unless I'm specifically excluded someplace in the acknowledgements or a footnote, I'm included. He doesn't need to be specifically thinking about me when he's writing it.

[Enforcer]

I get where you're coming from, walto. Watching sanctimonious people go down in flames of hypocrisy is good viewing. I enjoy it myself.

But at this point, I also don't pay too much attention to what entertainers (athletes or otherwise) do off the playing surface. Especially the bad stuff. Not many people can be rich and famous and stay on the straight and narrow, so my expectations are pretty low and I'd rather just not even know.

I am still a bit of a sucker for stories of famous people doing nice things that they never attempt to publicize, though. Like when the parent of a terminally ill child comes forward and tells about how an NHL hockey player visited them in the hospital, invited the boy to a practice to meet the team, helped with medical bills and gave the kid his cell phone number to call anytime. Color me soft.

[mshiflet]

Favorite comment on Cavs signing Rob Kurz to a non-guaranteed contract:

...Ferry is basically saying we need someone on our team just like……….. Danny Ferry! Both long white dudes with no inside game that love to shoot the three ball. I can totally picture Ferry looming in his office dwelling on what’s missing on our team….. “HEY! they don’t have anyone like ME yet!”

striking resemblance:
kurz: 6-9 / 232 lbs. 3pt%: .395
ferry: 6-10 / 235 lbs. 3pt%: .393

[BoBetter]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_d ... nba,185489

lol

[jon abbey]

there's really no need to keep reading that list after Rashard Lewis, did that guy not see the playoffs this year?

[walto]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/w ... f=si_ncaab

[jon abbey]

yeah, that last press conference, the tiny bit I saw of it, made me realize better what you're talking about. this line from that linked article nails it:

"I wanted to scream: Rick! People might sympathize with you if you just SHUT UP!"

[BoBetter]

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf ... _with.html

[Borat Pri Hagafen]

A.I., via twitter...

God Chose Memphis as the place that I will continue my career.

[Captain Hate]

Surprised nobody mentioned this http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=a ... &type=lgns from last week. I think I've made it clear that I consider MJ as the gold standard against whom all comparisons for GOAT have to go through but his life since leaving the Bulls has been one fucking trainwreck starting out with that complete embarrassment with the Wizards on and off the court and continuing to this over-the-top abomination. Inviting your high school teammate to a HOF induction so you can put him down and gain a shot at your coach for choosing him over you takes pettiness to an unbelievable level. I never thought I'd take Van Gundy's side over you (and I loved it when you shut him up after he called out your con job, although I thought he had a point but was extremely stupid to give you an unnecessary motivating point, which it obviously was) but to take shots at him and Zeke in a setting like this is completely inappropriate and only points out how difficult your life is away from basketball that you can't fucking let it go. And how insecure you are even after everything you accomplished.

At first I thought that a good comparison to this performance was how embarrassing an assbag Dimaggio was in his later years; but that doesn't really nail it because Dimaggio was insecure because of comparisons to Ted Williams. There was no contemporary challenger for Jordan to be considered the GOAT and no reason for this insecure bitterness. I think a better comparison would be to the fat pile-of-shit Elvis that he became in his latter years.

[BoBetter]

Did you watch the speech, or just read the article?

I read the article first, and then I saw the speech, and he must have forgotten to take his anti-depresents that day.

Jordan, was just being Jordan. He wanted to give people an idea and glimpse into what motivated him, and I think he did it in a light-hearted way. He thanked the people that needed to be thanked. I mean, it's just a speech, just words....sure, he comes off a bit arrogant and self centered, but he always was! Most of the greats are. It's not like this is a new revelation for anyone. I think it's laughable that the speech has become "controversial" after ONE guy wrote a negative article about it. I hate that guy on Yahoo. HATE him. He's a shock journalist. He's a hack. He's the guy who is always writing stuff to get people to come to the yahoo site.

The stuff about the Bulls organization was a bit cold blooded, but fuck, the guy is and was a ninja. He's a colded blooded assassin, and that's what made him great. He called it like it was with the Bulls organization. I always thought that Jordan, Jackson, and Pippen won despite their organization. The Jerry's hadn't done anything before Jordan came along, and they haven't done shit after. I think Jordan went through a lot dealing with those trolls, and I respect him for not coming out and being fake and all touchy feely to everyone.

[Noj]

I was slightly uncomfortable during Jordan's speech, but generally gave it the same shrug Bo did. That's just how Jordan is, and I had the thought that the guys who played with him/against him/coached him etc. wouldn't be offended or surprised by what he said. And there seemed to be an endearing tone underwriting the entire speech, like, "yeah I'm still the same bad ass who talked all that trash and backed it up and I'm still talking, but you guys know what I really mean."

[jon abbey]

am I the only one who doesn't really want to watch that speech? not that I ever watch Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in any sport, but I think I'll keep that memory out of my head for now.

[Captain Hate]

I think it's laughable that the speech has become "controversial" after ONE guy wrote a negative article about it. I hate that guy on Yahoo. HATE him. He's a shock journalist. He's a hack. He's the guy who is always writing stuff to get people to come to the yahoo site.

I've trashed simpleton whores like Jemelle Hill and Selena Roberts for writing idiotic articles about Jordan the player before. This douche might not be any better than them (and that's putting the bar as low as possible) but Jordan, after being the GOAT with the Bulls imo, has become a pos to me ever since then and I need him to stfu and go gambling/golfing/whoring/whatever but just go away.

[kp*]

some crazy dunks in here:

http://www.nba.com/video/channels/top_p ... dunks.nba/

[BoBetter]

I think it's laughable that the speech has become "controversial" after ONE guy wrote a negative article about it. I hate that guy on Yahoo. HATE him. He's a shock journalist. He's a hack. He's the guy who is always writing stuff to get people to come to the yahoo site.

I've trashed simpleton whores like Jemelle Hill and Selena Roberts for writing idiotic articles about Jordan the player before. This douche might not be any better than them (and that's putting the bar as low as possible) but Jordan, after being the GOAT with the Bulls imo, has become a pos to me ever since then and I need him to stfu and go gambling/golfing/whoring/whatever but just go away.

Yeah, I used to love Jordan, and now I'm pretty much indifferent to him as a person. I don't hate him, but I certainly don't love him. At least he has talent though.....Steve W from Yahoo, is devoid of anything redeemable.

[mshiflet]

2 handguns and shotgun in a guitar case???? That might not be the best time to cut off a cop car, Delonte.

[walto]

Will he do hard time for that?

[Enforcer]

Adrian W. sucks. He's a sanctimonious clown, just like bo said.

Reilly from ESPN wrote a similar column about Jordan's speech. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/ ... id=4477759

I haven't seen the speech, and I don't plan to. I never liked Jordan much. But he was the best basketball player I've ever seen in my life, and the player everybody else has to be measured against.