High Water Everywhere
One graf on the Lakers, another on Miami:
I think 'twas The Recluse who said that the former Lakers—a team of Euros, misfits, uglies, and total co-dependents—was ideal for Kobe to relate to/rule over. All of them going to see 300 together summed up both Kobe's inner dork and his "activity leader" capacity. Well on that note, a big welcome to this new version. If that's the most unflattering reading you can give of Kobe's inscrutable being, Bynum and Gasol is the most dapper. You've got a dapper Continental for him to swap Spanish with, and a preps-to-pros prodigy known for his brainy interests. Supporting casts can indeed shape a superstar's image, and the more co-equal they are, the less scraggly the effects.
Dr. LIC (and, I'm assuming, Andreo) is totally fond of the Wade/Butler/Odom Heat. Come to think of it, I am too, and it might be the only time I've truly found resonance in Wade. It's beginning to stir again, not in the least because Flash has to bring his greatness into being once again. And no one, I mean no one, is fucking with Wade/Marion/Wright for half-brilliant, half-idiotic halves of basketball. I share with the commenter who suggested White Chocolate come out of hiding. Or for Ricky Davis to remember that he's Ricky Davis, not an American citizen.
Also, everyone's talking about how the Heat will cramp Marion's style, or something. Anyone remember all those times I said that Marion was the structural foundation of the Suns? How about him bringing some passing with him from that Valley, too? FALL BACK EVERYONE.
Obligatory Suns mention: I see where all the pundits are coming from with the "a break doesn't have to be all five guys." But with the Suns, and the Warriors, it usually was. So if nothing else, the whole feel of their game has been altered even if they stay running. And note to everyone: Old Kareem was still a crafty, effective player, on a level today's Shaq and Webber can only dream of.
Labels: dwyane wade, heat, lakers, shawn marion, trade
posted by Bethlehem Shoals @ 2/10/2008 04:14:00 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
on the kareem being crafty front, i can't ever imagine shaq tutoring a young one in the ways of the world. fact of the matter is, for all his talents and gifts, shaq was always a superstar more based on his incredible combination of quickness and strength rather than footwork, help defense, or sick post moves (skyhook who?). even in the last couple of years, aging shaq hasn't really diversified his game at all, which is why he is now significantly less effective.
sure, he's a clever guy, but kareem and russel, two big guys who seemed to exist forever, were crafty motherfuckers on a level we very rarely see from big men.
Is there a way to see only the blog entries you post on the sportsblog, and not all of them? I can't find anything you write because of this.
Shaq had incredible footwork. He didn't have a diverse offensive repertoire, but don't short change him where he excelled.
And so much for everyone who said Marion was a product of Nash ... (yeah, don't judge by just one game, but please ...)
Ed--
At the moment, I don't think there is. You can always find my columns on the NBA frontpage each Tuesday, and there's an archive off of my profile. However, it's not like there's a zillion posts on The Sporting Blog per day, and all the writers are dope.
That was unclear. The columns are archived. The shorter ones are lumped in with everyone else's, but that's not the end of the world.
I'm frankly surprised at how many people really did think Marion was a product of Nash. The guy put up the same kind of seasons for years before Nash ever joined him in Phoenix. Marion's game is the same now as it always was. The Suns, on the other hand...
Is anyone else a little unsettled watching the Suns barely get past the Sonics the other night (thanks to Wally's Webber moment with the timeout call Seattle didn't have down 1 with 15 seconds to go), and then winning by 1 at home against a Wizards team that is missing practically everybody? If Shaq comes in and either makes the team worse somehow or he is in foul trouble a lot, this is what the Suns are gonna be, which if the last two games are any indication, is not very good. Fuck the shitty competition though, the Suns got some real tests up now, check out their next twelve games:
@ Golden State
Dallas
LA Lakers
Boston
Detroit
@ Memphis
@ New Orleans
Philadelphia
@ Portland
@ Denver
Utah
San Antonio
We're about to find out what to really think of the post-Marion Suns.
I hear you with the "half-brilliant, half-idiotic halves of basketball" that the Heat should invariably have for the rest of the year. But I am afraid that Riley will steal even that away from us.
Sporting Blog post on veteran-fever
This is how it plays... we watch enough Wade/Marion/Wright to be enamored until they shut Wade down for the rest of the season - smell March on that.
Wright will be reupped, but he won't have a fit on the team thanks to Marion settling in at the 3. But more games like yesterday, and more smooth shooting may find a place for Dorrell as the high energy Diaw like 6 man.
Ricky Davis, White Chocolate are jettisoned. Marcus Banks is teasing with his athleticism.
Riles then drafts a raw big in the top 10, coaches the team until he realizes it's two to three years away... and hands the keys to Erik Spoelstra - by December of this year.
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