Game Check: Madden ’11 Intro & Super Bowl Celebration
Nice cameo at the end by #44
Permalink | | Posted in Game Check | 1 Comment
It’s A Celebration: We Got John Wall And You Don’t
I dig … I dig
Hate is a very, very strong emotion. So strong in fact that I’ve long been adverse to admitting, even in the comforts of my own mind, the possibility that I could ever hate anyone … except Kwame Brown. When your favorite NBA squad has been as bad as the Washington Bullets/Wizards have been since I was a young boy, you often look back at some of the diabolical moves the franchise has made over the years and while there are many to choose from, selecting Brown with the No. 1 overall selection in the 2001 NBA Draft has trumped them all. Yes, worse than trading Chris Webber for Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe. Yes, worse than giving Juwan Howard a mind-numbing seven-year, $105 million deal the season after his first and only All-Star appearance. The list could go on and on, but you get the picture.
This picture no longer makes me want to slap strangers
It’s moves like these that aside from a playoff appearance here or there, have made the Bullets/Wizards an annual participant in the NBA Draft Lottery, a pathetic assemblage of ineptitude for the NBA’s perennially awful organizations. Up until the spring of 2001, I’d watch the proceedings hoping that maybe, just maybe, this would be the year the good Lord would shine his everlasting light on D.C. and bestow upon us a savior, a savant of the game of basketball that would lead his flock out of the wilderness and to the promised land. So imagine me screaming at the top of my lungs and thanking his holiness after watching the Wizards win the 2001 NBA Draft Lottery and with it the opportunity to select any draft-eligible player in the world. The possibilities were endless, and after doing his due diligence, the G.O.A.T. made what is ’til this day, the biggest blunder in Bullets/Wizards draft history when he he used that selection on Brown.
Brown looked the part, he said all the right things and while it was expected to take him a few years to develop, he was fully expected to put the franchise on his shoulders and be the cornerstone a perennial contender could build around. Well, for myriad reasons, that didn’t happen and it still pained me … until approx. 8:24 PM ET, May 18, 2010.
The demons have been exorcised. I no longer cringe at the picture of Brown posted above. I no longer feel the need to explain who Kenny Green is to the uninitiated. I no longer want to jump through my T.V. and confront Nick Young personally every time I see him take an off-balanced 24-foot jumper and jog back on defense like he’s playing in a charity basketball game. I no longer care that the Wiz traded the fifth pick in last year’s draft then neglected to select DeJuan Blair, who I would have seriously contemplated taking in the first round to begin with, with their second-round selection.
It’s all in the past.
Someway, somehow – whether through the sheer luck of the draw or through divine intervention – my team, against all odds, won the NBA Draft Lottery and with it, the opportunity to select John Wall. Wall, a true franchise changer who possesses a rare combination of speed and athleticism at the point guard position, to go along with great size, instincts and a good, but not spectacular, skill-set that makes him the clear-cut choice at the top of next month’s draft. While Gilbert Arenas will return to the Wizards next season, Wizards brass shouldn’t even think of opting for Evan Turner or Derrick Favors – the only other players who should even be thought of at No. 1 – simply because you expect Arenas to re-assume his role as floor general. Drafting Turner or Favors would give the impression that you’re still building around Arenas, and at this point, regardless of his contract, once the team traded Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood, the team committed to a full-scale rebuilding and drafting Wall is the first big block in the renovation.
While some may scoff at the idea of a young millionaire like Wall playing in D.C. and falling prey to all that entails, shut up. Enjoy your lukewarm chicken wings and fried rice, stale bread and Rock Creek orange soda lunch and leave the basketball talk to people who have something to look forward too come November.
We got John Wall, and you don’t.
Permalink | Tags: John Wall, Kwame Brown, NBA Draft, Washington Wizards | Posted in It's A Celebration | 2 Comments
League of Her Own: Baltimore Charm LFL Tryouts
The ladies prepare to the run the 40-yard dash
Sunday morning, RJ and a few friends of ours drove up to Baltimore to check out the open tryouts for the Baltimore Charm, the LFL’s (Lingerie Football League) expansion franchise in Baltimore. The tryouts took place at 1st Mariner Arena in downtown Baltimore. If you’ve never seen an LFL game, don’t be fooled by the name. Many of the ladies at the tryouts were very athletic and showed true skills when being taken through the paces during the various drills. I brought my camera and uploaded some video. Check them out below.
Permalink | Tags: Baltimore Charm, LFL, Lingerie Football League | Posted in League of Her Own, Pretty Good | 2 Comments
Josh McDamniels Strikes Again
As if it weren’t enough to fracture a team and its fan base to the core by flicking a 26 year-old QB like a stubborn booger stuck to your finger. Josh McDamniels has once again stomped over to the ball picked it up and started for home like the stubborn brat that he is. Congrats Josh, I guess everyone likes you now.
I don’t know what to think anymore. I have now resigned myself to listening intently to any conspiracy-laden explanation of whats going on in Denver, including my favorite:
“Bill Belichick has deployed his minions to destroy AFC franchises from the inside-out”
I know you guys feel like you don’ have to listen to me because I ranted like this last year, then apologized. I assure you, this time it’s for real. I have been a Denver Broncos fan since 1985 and never ever have I been this close to finding a new team to support. Will I be happy if they win? Yes. Will I eventually like the coach? Never.
I knew Brandon was going to leave and I knew it was going to happen this summer. But the reality of it has bubbled up those old feelings of “WTF” that I had when we fired Shanahan. Now I am a man left without a player that I support on my own team. I could care less about any of these guys on this team. None of them are Broncos to me.
Josh, you take your team and have fun playing in the Denver Broncos stadium. You may wear the uniforms but you guys will never be Broncos as long as McDamniels is the coach. Now excuse-me while go cancel my DirecTV NFL Ticket subscription. Wake me when the season’s over.
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Respect Due
A storm is brewing.
Permalink | | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments
Sights & Sounds: My Weekend Around The City
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to take in Georgetown’s 74-47 thrashing of Cincinnati Saturday at the Verizon Center, as well as the WCAC semifinals between DeMatha and St. John’s and O’Connell and Gonzaga Sunday at Bender Arena on the campus of American University. I took a few pics and they actually came out a little bit better than I thought they would so I decided to post them.
Already looking forward to Sunday’s City Title game between my Stags and Ballou. Should be a hell of a game.
My view from the club section at the Verizon Center.
BBQ pulled chicken nachos. Looks disgusting, tastes unbelievable.
Hawk feeds Greg Monroe for the easy bucket.
After a diabolical winter, beautiful days are much appreciated around these parts.
A taste of DC. These two cats had a crowd around them digging their crankage.
Not a cloud in the sky. Hey buddy.
The most inconspicuous signage for a 7-Eleven I’ve ever seen.
My view from my seat at the WCAC semis at Bender Arena.
The only action shot from the DeMatha-St. John’s game that came out halfway decent.
Permalink | Tags: Austin Freeman, DeMatha Stags, Georgetown, Georgetown Hoyas, Greg Monroe, St. John's Cadets, Washington Monument, WCAC | Posted in Sights & Sounds | No Comments
Congrats to Greg Monroe and Hawk
Congrats to Greg Monroe and Austin “Hawk” Freeman on being to the All-Big East team, which was announced by the conference Sunday. While I’m almost positive that Monroe won’t be a part of the squad next season, Freeman has a legit chance to finish his Georgetown career with a Big East Player of the Year honor if he simply plays the way he played this season.
Good job all season fellas and again congrats on an honor well deserved.
Greg Monroe, 1st-team All-Big East
Austin “Hawk” Freeman, 2nd-team All-Big East
The full press release can be seen here.
The conference will announce Player of the Year, Oppenheimer Funds/BIG EAST Coach of the Year, BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete on Tuesday, March 9.
ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
Greg Monroe, Georgetown, C, So., 6-11, 247, New Orleans, La.
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, F, Sr., 6-8, 255, Schererville, Ind.
Dominique Jones, USF, G, Jr., 6-4, 205, Lake Wales, Fla.
Wes Johnson, Syracuse, F, Jr., 6-7, 205, Corsicana, Texas
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-2, 190, Herndon, Va. *
Da’Sean Butler, West Virginia, F, Sr., 6-7, 225, Newark, N.J.
ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM
Austin Freeman, Georgetown, G, Jr., 6-4, 237, Mitchelville, Md.
Lazar Hayward, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-6, 225, Buffalo, N.Y.
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh, G, So., 6-2, 190, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall, G, Jr., 6-5, 185, Bronx, N.Y.
Andy Rautins, Syracuse, G, Sr., 6-5, 195, Jamesville, N.Y.
ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM
Jerome Dyson, Connecticut, G, Sr., 6-3, 190, Potomac, Md.
Kemba Walker, Connecticut, G, So., 6-1, 172, Bronx, N.Y.
Samardo Samuels, Louisville, F, So., 6-9, 260, Trelawny, Jamaica
Corey Fisher, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-1, 200, Bronx, N.Y.
Devin Ebanks, West Virginia, F, So., 6-9, 210, Long Island City, N.Y.
BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION
Jimmy Butler, Marquette, F, Jr., 6-6, 215, Tomball, Texas
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame, F, Jr., 6-8, 232, Unionville, Conn.
Jamine Peterson, Providence, F, So., 6-6, 230, Brooklyn, N.Y.
BIG EAST ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati, G, Fr., 6-5, 210, Brooklyn, N.Y. *
Alex Oriakhi, Connecticut, F/C, Fr., 6-9, 240, Lowell, Mass.
Vincent Council, Providence, G, Fr., 6-2, 180, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Dane Miller, Rutgers, F, Fr., 6-7, 210, Henrietta, N.Y. *
Brandon Triche, Syracuse, G, Fr., 6-4, 198, Jamesville, N.Y.
Maalik Wayns, Villanova, G, Fr., 6-1, 185, Philadelphia, Pa.
* unanimous selection
NERZWDHWEV9J
Permalink | Tags: Alex Oriakhi, All Big East, Andy Rautins, Ashton Gibbs, Austin Freeman, Big East All Conference, Brandon Triche, Corey Fisher, Da'Sean Butler, Dane Miller, Devin Ebanks, Domonique Jones, Greg Monroe, Jamine Peterson, Jeremy Hazell, Jerome Dyson, Jimmy Butler, Kemba Walker, Lance Stephenson, Lazar Hayward, Luke Harangody, Maalik Wayns, Samardo Samuels, Scottie Reynolds, Tim Abromaitis, Vincent Council, Wes Johnson | Posted in It's A Celebration | 2 Comments
Is Duke Built For The Long Haul?
I have to admit, I was a little worried.
I saw recruits that Coach K and Johnny Dawkins used to field calls from not even schedule visits. I saw shooters going to Georgetown and Villanova. I saw athletic wings not even consider Duke. And I got bitter, real bitter.
I wondered if it were time for a strong regime change. I daydreamed of Johnny Dawkins taking over for Coach K and bringing the type of recruit to Duke that we haven’t seen since Brand or Maggette.
It would be different. Would kids like Harrison Barnes think twice before draping themselves in that hideous shade of blue? Does Nolan Smith – Michael Beasley become a package deal? Do Johnny Dawkins’ Washington, DC roots make Prince Georges County, MD Duke’s back yard in the same way Chicago became in the late ’90′s?
You wonder.
Then Dawkins leaves. Then I curse the program. I look at the new troupe of assistants and bury my head in shame. No offense, guys–I’m just being honest.
Then I look up, and wait, we are playing pretty well. We’re defending well. We can score. And we are getting pretty good bench production. We’re deep and our bench is peaking at the right time. And I exhale and go, “We’re alright. Why am I worried?”
That’s the question. That one, right there.
There is a reason why I am worried and it is completely legitimate. I have seen this before. A top 10 team with marginal talent that’s well coached, but it rarely beats teams that are more talented than them, but they have enough talent to dominate their conference on a down year. In it’s previous form it was diagnosed as Purdue.
Yes, Purdue. During the tail end of the Gene Keady years, Purdue was good once every 4 years and returned to its middle-of-the-pack status for 3 years looking to reload by landing that big name recruit that would vault Purdue back into the top 10. Earlier in his career, however, Keady would have 2-3 of those players to choose from and his recruiting style was nonchalant. He, rightfully, thought it was a privilege for a kid to be recruited by the Boilermakers. As the years went by though, Purdue lost a lot of those recruits to Illinois, Wisconsin, and the rest of the Big Ten’s budding basketball programs. Not Keady’s fault, just the evolution of college basketball.
Now back to Duke. I see a lot of similarities in the two situations. Roy Williams has made it impossible for Duke to effectively recruit against him. Steve Robinson leaves no stone unturned and I hate to admit it, but he kind of runs circles around Wojo and Chris Collins. So recruiting is not what it was in the 90′s. We get the classic “Duke” kids and they stay a while and develop, but they are usually not as talented as the blue-chippers who are one-and-done and go to Memphis or Kentucky. So our talent is marginal more often than not. Thus, I have to ask if Duke is built for the long haul or can we contend for a title every year.
I think Kyrie Irving is a step in the right direction of bringing a player in that other kids may want to follow to Duke. Also, I think the Plumlee brothers are a huge land for the program. Nolan Smith is improving every game he plays, which is a relief. But I still have issue with whether Andre Dawkins can deal with the mechanical way Coach K breaks down your game then builds it up. I am afraid he’ll transfer if he feels that he can’t catch on to the offense. I am also afraid of Duke being able to recruit ‘bigs’ at a rate that is congruent to how quickly they leave for the NBA. It’s a legitimate concern that Mason Plumlee will leave for the NBA based on potential and athleticism. Can Duke fill that void with an incoming freshman? Maybe.
Duke has to find a path that works for the program in 2-year cycles. Coach K should anticipate that every kid they bring in will leave in 2 years. We don’t have time to teach basketball anymore. I know it’s sad, but it’s the truth. We can’t build for the long haul the way Coach K and Johnny D did in the 90′s. Adjusting takes some time, but I think those moves are being made. Irving, Seth Curry, et al. should be a good way to load this team up so it is better next year. The way we find out that the ‘Purdue Syndrome’ has avoided its fatality state, is by checking the scheduled visits in 2011.
Keep your fingers crossed.
Permalink | Tags: Coach K, Duke basketball, Kyle Singler, Kyrie Irving, Mason Plumlee, Nolan Smith, Purdue Boilermakers, Seth Curry | Posted in Columns, Editorial, Sorry For Yelling | No Comments
How To Fix The Tarheels
Is it even fixable?
As a Duke fan, many would expect me to be the last person writing this post. My brethren Blue Devil fans may ostracize me for this, but over time in a rivalry like UNC-Duke the other half kinda becomes a part of you. I mean, you get used to the heated arguments heading into that first week in February and that first week in March. When you show up with your soap box and the other party doesn’t, it’s kind of disappointing.
Another rule in this rivalry is as much as I hate the ‘Heels, the more I take ownership over ‘slaps and put downs’ directed towards them. I almost take those as a swipe to the rivalry more so than a honest look into the current UNC situation. So, when a Georgetown fan has a good laugh at the expense of UNC, I don’t rush to their defense, but I do take note. So in my silent ‘note-taking’ time I have a devised a plan to fix the Tarheels in time for the ACC tournament. Now, I understand completely if they don’t want to fix this team. I would love to recline and use my 2 National Titles in the last 4 years as an ottoman. But just in case….
AN ALUMNI LED PRACTICE
North Carolina probably has the most active alumni base in college basketball. All-time greats, Hall of Famers, and max contracts are all over the place and they make no bones about letting you know they are ‘Heels. Why not use that? In most cases, these people are the reason why this under-preforming group came to UNC. How about you let them know the displeasure the alumni has for their performance. Here’s the plan:
- Schedule An All-Day Practice Thursday March 4–Remarkably, this is the one day that no North Carolina Alum has NBA obligations. They can fly into Chapel Hill on the 4th and leave that night in time for the AM shoot-around on Friday.
- Roy Williams speech with Dean Smith by his side–Roy should convene practice with one of his patented Dick Vermeil-like tear jerking speeches where he expresses his disappointment and his anguish over the last 3 months trying to get this team to realize its potential.
- “Time For Tough Love”–Roy should then tell the team that he’s tried all he can but now it’s time for some tough love.
- Enter The Alumni–Simultaneous to the “tough love” comment all the alumni should enter ready to lead practice. In a perfect world that list should include: Michael Jordan, Rasheed Wallace, Tyler Hansbrough, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Ty Lawson, Kenny Smith, Julius Peppers, James Worthy, Jerry Stackhouse, Sam Perkins, Hubert Davis
Note:The Author has excluded any alumni who currently coach due to the fact that might be considered a slap to Roy.
- Disclaimer Issued–“Anything that happens in this gym over the next 6 hours is not to leave this gym. If I hear of anything in the news, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc., you will be asked to go see the registrar regardless of your perceived status on this team. ” –Roy Williams
- Roy Williams and Dean Smith Exit the Gym
- Whistle Blown, Practice Begins–Rasheed Wallace
After the whistle is blown, all bets are off. I can bet right now that Jerry Stackhouse and Rahseed Wallace screaming at Dexter Strickland will get his attention. Over in the south end of the gym, Hubert Davis and Kenny Smith are running Marcus Ginyard through suicides for six straight hours. And Rasheed and Julius Peppers are showing Wear twins how to play physical while Sam Perkins helps them off the floor after every drill.
If UNC were to follow this plan, I can almost guarantee you that you will see a more spirited and cohesive effort. It will make the ACC tournament more interesting and help build a foundation for next year’s team. Because, let’s face it, I am not looking forward to Maryland trying to weasel their way into our historic rivalry.
Permalink | Tags: Antawn Jamison, Hubert Davis, James Worthy, Jerry Stackhouse, Julius Peppers, Kenny Smith, Michael Jordan, Rasheed Wallace, Roy Wiliams, Sam Perkins, Tarheels, Tywon Lawson, UNC, Vince Carter | Posted in Columns, Editorial, Executive Decision, I Don't Get It, Uncategorized | 5 Comments
Feels Good. Feels Damn Good.
Let’s keep the ball rolling. Cuse Basketball…it’s an epidemic.
Permalink | Tags: Syracuse No. 1 | Posted in On The Rise | No Comments
