Each Day is a Lifetime, 8.22.08

-Snoop in legal trouble, Mad Men—I mean, Wire—fans hold their breath. Such are the perils of "non-traditional actors." But don't forget, Anwar Glover (Slim Charles) beat a gun charge with the help of George Pelecanos, so things should be fine. (BS)

-American patriot Sam Adams thinks that Team USA's success in these Olympics is largely due to the teaching of "leader of men" Coach K. Personally, I would attribute their improvement more to the huge upgrade at guard from Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, and rookie Dwyane Wade to Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, seasoned veteran Dwyane Wade, Deron Williams, Jason Kidd, and Michael Redd. Having a more experienced Carmelo and Lebron probably doesn't hurt either. Or the extra motivation that comes from their losses in Athens. But, yeah, it's probably all because of Coach K. (BR)

-Also, shit happens for a reason. J.R. back in Denver long-term. Somehow, he's seeming less disposable than either Melo or Iverson. (BS)

UPDATE: Deal is three years, which actually makes a lot more sense for both times. Some commitment, probably slightly generous, but everyone covers their ass.

-Via Tirico Suave, the straight-from-China story of Kobe's love for graphic novels, especially "that dark shit." I know, he's a rapist prick egotist whose 81-point game actually sucked. But seriously, people who don't think Kobe's a fascinating personality are just stupid. Oh, I forgot, he probably saw The Dark Knight and only then picked up the hobby, after someone's dorky younger brother mentioned them to him and his marketing people sent him a text message. Fucking poseur. (BS)

-I've watched a lot of basketball in the last decade, and I have zero recollection of this born-to-be-obscure AmEx ad, with major stars Elden Campbell and Jamal Mashburn:



Notwithstanding the uncomfortable association of New Orleans with dark, abandoned houses, I fail to see how this was supposed to make me get a credit card or find solace in these two noble NBA athletes. If anything, it makes me want to stay the fuck away from the city, and voodoo, and basketball players who come off as the black guys about to die halfway through a horror movie. (BS)





















-I hate Andrew Bogut. I hate his condescending attitude toward the NBA, his holier-than-thou pronouncements in the international about the beauty of life with the Boomers ("no one's playing for a contract"), and just generally, the fact that he talks shit in the off-season and then saunters back to the NBA each season like everyone shouldn't want to kick his ass. But more importantly, how is he not already doing what LeBron or Kobe shouldn't/couldn't/wouldn't do? As we know so well by now, Bogut is Austrailian, but he's also Croatian, and thus owes Europe his instinctive appreciation for all that is righteous and profound in sport. His heart belongs to Europe. And yet that NBA contract is just too juicy to pass up. Granted, he signed this $14 million a year deal before the Exodus began, and maybe some club in Kiev might have offered him a comparable rate. The point is, though, he's whoring himself out, living in exile, and defying his principles for the money, just like some people think American All-Stars never will. If he had any balls, he would've been that pioneer. (BS)

-Yeah, no shit we're late on the Jeezy/Nas joint. It's because we're not an mp3 blog, and I spend all day reading rumor pages. My two cents: I know the Obama campaign gets annoyed with shit like this, but I'm not even so sure this is about Obama. It almost seems to be a song in spite of Obama. He's in there, as is Bush, but only as references. When you're emailing Jesus and backhandedly forgiving the late Pimp C, bigger things are happening. You are also talking to someone who still had "What You Know" as his ringtone well into last year, if that's any indication of what moves me these days. (BS)

-DEATH OF A DYNASTY. Or wait, BIRTH OF A DYNASTY, since that would make the greatest swimmer ever. Fuck public relations, make babies. (BS)

-For the record, Bethlehem is a Jewish name.

-UPDATE: Really, could anything be more confusing and complicated for my view of the universe than Darius Miles joining today's KG in Boston? Especially if you click on the link to see the SI cover, which just might trump a certain SLAM cover in terms of breathless D-Miles optimism.