Holiday

-I have been back in the states for 3 weeks and find that having dial-up makes me feel more like i am in a different continent than Argentina did. I have been thinking of Poots World daily, and guilt arises each time, yet not enough to make me want to watch our banner load for 5 minutes and then wait another 10 to post a quickie. I apologize and am from this point back in the game:

-Warriors: Looked like a D-League team throughout 2/3 of December, now getting back their Swagger produced by a summer league-esque madman Marco Bellinelli each night, and a healthy Steven Jackson.... and of course Goose, the most gifted center behind Dwight Howard. They lost a lead against the Raptors tonight and we only up 2 with 3 minutes to go, but you just knew they weren't going to lose.

-Poot, if you get the chance, watch Bellinelli draw fouls. He is a "smooth flopper". He doesn't exaggerate his movements but takes advantage of the opponents little pushes which he reacts to very fluidly. He drew something like 6 against the Celtics, fouled Ray Allen out, and received the dreaded, Garnett "i bully white guys and rookies" stare/taunt.

-I dreamt that Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson were having Tea, and Baron professed his desire to return to the warriors and escape the clutches of Mike Dunleavy. Well not really, but that did happen. Let's just say Poot's World would celebrate with a week long party if that happened.

-I would love to hear Lakers and Boston thoughts Poot. Like everyone is saying, the Lakers didn't get pushed around like last time and hit timely shots, with a big game from Gasol.

-Last Saturday morning the AV High School gym was graced by a 3v3 game including Mike, Jeff, Janneana, vs Donna, Me and Jim. Assessing their performances:

Jim's "Amare" type physical presence didn't emerge until the end of the 3rd game, when he came up with 2 huge blocks on Jeff and Janneana, and hitting 3 big jumpers on the final stretch... He finished 4 for 19 with 6 rebounds.
Jeff came up with a big charge on me in the 2nd game, however the great play was negated by the delay of game call he received later for lying on the floor before subbing himself and Donna out.
Mike's solid play continued as he came up with 10 steals on passes that the coach is still shaking his head at.
Donna began to show promise with her pick and pop game but still has happy feet. Camp Coleman couldn't come sooner.
Janneana survived 3 Jeff elbows and was able to walk away with the coveted Eddy Slottie JV Basketball award: "Best Free Throw"
Alex's week contract after a call-up from the Bakersfield Jam was cut short as his Anthony Randolph scowl and low percentage corner 3s didn't make a statement.


Its Poot's World... and as your famous Twitter friend demonstrated... 2009 has big things in store.

Tweet

Notice I put a Twitter link in the corner of our site by the "What We Are Here For." Twitter allows you to get brief little updates throughout the day and hooks in with a bunch of other NBA bloggers. Check it out. Alex, you will love this...19 weeks ago, Ryne Nelson (he runs the majorly traffic'd SlamOnline blog, another you need to check out) wrote a reply to me on Twitter that said "By the way, when did you start your blog? It has some interesting content and an even *more* interesting banner. =)" Thats right my friend, we truly have hit it big time.

Roll-call

HELLLLLOOOOOO?!! Is anyone out there? Can I get any visual confirmation that anyone is reading this??? (Alex/Mike) More importantly, can I get a location update from our South American friend? I think you are back in California, but that is yet to be established. Remember, I live half a continent away where the weather has dipped to -30 twice this year, and snow is more abundant than beer. I wanted to take this brief vacation time I have available near a computer to look back and grade our previews of NBA rookies thus far.

Demarcus Nelson: We gave the guy some love and he is coming up with some pretty solid minutes when he gets a chance. Considering no one thought he would see any floor time, I'd say we get a...

B+

Bill Walker: Another heralded future star by PW, we didn't expect to see him in the D-League. But the man is tearing the shit out of the minors, and Danny Ainge is on a flight right now to watch a game of his as we speak...

C

Mario Chalmers: "Stuck on bench for 8 year career," was my exact quote. While he isn't exactly sitting on the bench as much as I originally thought, I stick by my guns with the span of his time in the League...

B-

Deandre Jordan, Danillo Gallinari, Javale McGee and Anthony Randolph: These were my prized possessions of my Rookie preview. The BUSTS! I've always known these four would prove absolutely useless in the league and would inevitably taking a flight to (or back to) Europe within a few years. The jury is still a little bit out on Randolph, who has shown flashes of brilliance with Nelly. Gallinari's back has proven to be problematic, but in 1 months time, you'll see why I penciled him in to the busts...

A

Eric Gordon: Another spot on pick for a bust! The kid doesn't do much beyond jacking up the most shots per minute in the NBA and hitting them with great inconsistencies. Am not surprised in the least. The only thing keeping us from getting an "A" on this guy is that he keeps on getting serious minutes for some weird reason. Give up Dunleavy...

B+

OJ Mayo: The heralded bust by draft experts turned premier Rookie of the Year candidate. The man was just built to dominate the NBA. The writers at PW are hardly shocked. We crowned him future All-Star for a reason...

A+

Jerryd Bayless: Along with Mayo, we gave this guy early All-Star considerations. It's impossible to tell with this young man where his career is heading. When he does see the court, he shows Monta Ellis-like composure and scoring abilities. Nate M. keeps holding him on the bench for some strange reason as the gluttony of capable backcourt players continues to pile up in Portland. I foresee a career much similar to that of Jermaine O'Neal, a superior talent lost on the Blazer bench...

No Grade

Continuing To Watch Brandon Jennings

Just watched their game against Ricky Rubio's team in the Euroleagues on NBA TV. So many thoughts to follow when I get a chance on Friday. Hey, I graduate on Sunday! Anyways, B. also has a blog on UnderArmor which is phenomenal. It's safe to say that he is my new daily obsession. More so than looking up obscure Josh Smith or Gerald Wallace stats. Until Friday, ADIOS!

Watching Brandon Jennings

Yesterday afternoon, I had the pleasure of watching Roma play some German team in the Euroleague competition. Of course my eyes were locked in on Roma's little man with the white arm sleeve. It was the only way I could distinguish him from other guards on the team with the bad feed from NBA TV. Getting past the awful announcing from some Italian guy took some time, but once I did, I was able to hone in on our main man from Compton. Sadly, he only played 11 minutes and never got into the flow of things on both ends of the court. His timing was a little off and his shot selection was questionable at best. I do not agree with the coaching for this team and many Euroleague teams I have seen in the past. The pace is slow, yet the bodies keep flooding in on subsitutions. Just about every players sees some time on the court but no one truly develops a chance to get comfortable within the context of the game. With Brandon, its obvious that he is eons ahead of all of the players athletically and visually. He sees and attempts passes on the court that no one else would be cabable of visualizing. While the execution is yet to be on par with the likes of Chris Paul, Steve Nash or D. Williams, these flashes of brilliance leave you wanting more. Unfortunately, playing in Europe, I'm guessing his floortime will top off at around 24 minutes a game with little chance for developling the necessary rythmn for upper echelon point guards. His turnovers were high, but I would attribute that to his style of play. He is built for the NBA, methodical buildups into freakishly athletic bursts to find openings on the floor. The lane is packed with 3-4 players diminishing some of Brandons greatest talents. The amount of hours spent playing basketball with his team should benefit him greatly in the League, but I'd argue that game experience will prove useless, at least on the offensive end.

The Kid in Timberlands

-Really interesting article on Greg Paulus.

http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2008/12/03/for-greg-paulus-is-being-the-sixth-man-better-than-starting-at/

I remember him coming out Freshman year being the point god of the future, who JJ Redick consoled to take off his timberlands and fubu jacket when he came to visit the campus for the first time. Crazy touted QB chose to play BBall at Duke, and after a long 4 years which I have watched my fair share of, he is on the bench rather than the starting line-up. With JJ the kid worked well, but didn't stand out, and when he had his chance, revealed himself to be realtively unastounding along with super bust Josh McRoberts. I think it is a good spot for him coming off the bench, he provides energy and solid PG skills while letting the reigns go to Nolan Smith.

Looking forward to the Mich St. vs. UNC game tonight... wait Drew Neitzel plays in Germany.


Here it is: http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/55795/20081203/sources_warriors_already_regretting_maggette_signing/#

Corey Maggette's Statistics

Date	Opponent	Minutes	Points	Assists	Turnovers
11/25	Washington	30	17	3	2
11/26	Boston	37	32	1	4
11/28	Cleveland	32	11	0	2
11/30	New York	42	32	2	5
12/1	Miami	47	29	0	1

the hate train started right here, but get read for it to gain steam. He is the #1 reason they suck.

: )

More on this when I get a chance...have to go to bed now....BUT THAT WAS A TOP 5 LIFE MOMENT watching the Pacers beat my most hated team ever at the BUZZER with a tip in...

Bad Times

Terrible time to be a Warriors fan. Last night, stayed up til 1:30 to watch the game, OT was over by 4:30, with a lot of wind taken out of the sails. Up by 4 with 18 seconds left, how do you fuck that up? Giving credit to B-Easy, he stole what ended up being the last shot of the game, and to Wade for playing like the animal he is... Glancing at this offensive efficiency chart which sorts itself by positive to negative change over the this season and last, the warriors are ranked last with a -4.2 ranking. Not hard to imagine, but it just puts the nail in the coffin. This team looked like another run-n-gun fun team to watch at the beginning of the season, but they lost that somewhere along the way. I'll blame it on no Ellis and Magette but, who knows, unfortunately, we could have seen the last of it forever.

Much props if you can tell me who this is Poot.

NBA League Pass: Love and Hate

-I get these free streams online for League Pass, and i can't complain being able to watch any game i want, the service is clutch... But jesus, they need to realize how much time their viewers dedicate to watching an NBA game, and how many advertisements they must see. I feel like THX 1138, or 1984 hearing the same mind-numbing symphonic piano with the same where ' ' happens over, and over again... if i see Dirk Nowitzki as a smiling 12 year old one more time i am going to lose it. Even worse, Kevin Garnett grabbing the mic and in late-night cinemax soft-core porn voice, "i'm happy to be here." That one catches me off guard everytime...it makes me cringe thinking about it. PLEASE NBA, have a fan contest to get more commericials up, these ones are really really wearing thin.

-I'm watching the late-night warriors-heat game. Like the NBA commercials, I'm losing patience with Corey Maggette. Everytime I nag on him he gets and and1 or a sweet jumper, and you can't deny it, he is a gifted scorer, but he needs the ball and way too much in isolation and too much of the shot clock to get anything done. Jackson already has both of those things down pat, and with jamal and him primed for Monta's return, there is basically no need for Magette at all anymore. Add to the fact he really wasn't much of a 'winner' with the Clippers doesn't save him any.

-I don't know if you get to watch the Warriors Poot, but its so funny the Brandon Wright, Anthony Randolph dynamic. They are literally good/evil twins. Brandon Wright, crazy athletic, nice baby hooks, and surprising but not seldom put back dunks, and none of these things being accompanied by any showmanship. Randolph however, has a mean mug all game, was just trying to go shot for shot with Beasely, takes a mid-range jumper everytime he gets the ball inside the 3, and rebounds with reckless abandon. One of them will get traded by the end of the year i think, we'll see, but nevertheless they are a funny pair.

-Everyone is giving OJ Mayo love, no doubt, he would be a ROY lock if it weren't for DR. I like to think here that we saw that coming at Poot's World. keep it up mayo, if he manages to keep his average up, i think a 2x ROY could be on the horizon.

-Who is going to give Marbury a contract? It's obvious he has a personality disorder. Anyone who takes a chance on this guy especially after this recent stuff with calling Quintin Richardson a coward for not standing up for him is just crazy.

Looking Closely At Andris Biedrins

First off, I have to start by saying that I still cannot believe this guy is more than a year younger then I am. It's ludicrous! There must be some kind of Danny Almonte birth certificate deal going on here and I refuse to believe that I will be able to rent a car faster than the starting center for the Golden State Warriors. Just look at the man; the chiseled jaw, the constant look of unquestioned patience even in the most wild of times, the hair, and the uncanny body control scream out to us that Andris has to be at least 25. 

I ran a comparison of Andris, Dwight Howard, Yao Ming and Andrew Bynum to see if I could uncover anything interesting about our favorite Latvian I must say that the results were somewhat staggering. On the surface, Andris's stats are comparable with our future starting centers in the All-Star game and Bynum. Points per game are a little lower and rebounds per game are a little higher. However, we all know that over the course of an entire season, (I also looked over their entire careers) Biedrins receives lower amounts of playing time in Don Nelson's system when compared to the other 3. This is where the advanced statistics were needed from basketball-reference to truly uncover the brilliance of Hair Product Central. I picked out the stats that Andris was tops in when compared to the other 3 centers. The following statistics were from each of the 4 players' careers. It's too early for this particular season to give effective analysis on these advanced statistics. 

ORtg: Offensive Rating is points produced per 100 possessions. It has a whole bunch of different algorithms and other math words I don't know the meaning of but the essence of the stat is points produced per 100 possessions. Guess who leads in this category? None other than our man Andris. While it may be hard to find in a boxscore, this man's efficiency every time he touches the ball on offense is through the roof. This leads into my next stat...

Usg%: Usage percentage is an estimate of the percentage of team plays used while this player is on the court. As one would expect, Andris had the lowest usage percentage of the bunch. I didn't need to tell anyone this, just watch a Warriors game. The man sometimes disappears during Warrior offensive sets, but when he does touch the ball, great things happen.

eFG%: Effective field goal percentage adjusts for the fact that a 3-point field goal is worth one more point than a 2-point field goal. For example, suppose Player A goes 4 for 10 with 2 threes, while Player B goes 5 for 10 with 0 threes. Each player would have 10 points from field goals, and thus would have the same effective field goal percentage of 50%. Andris tops the group far and away. This must mean that he knows his role better than the other 3 and attempts less from downtown. He also is much more effective in his 2pt. field goal percentage.

TS%: Same thing as the one before only this one takes into account free throws rather than 3 pointers. Biede heads up this department which was a surprise to me. I figured that Yao's uncanny ability to hit free throws would push him over the edge on this statistic. It just goes to show you how much MORE effective Andris is at hitting his shots that aren't free throws. 

ORB%: Offensive rebound percentage is an estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while he was on the floor. The man has an ability to be in the right place in the right time. This stat more than anything shows his natural instinct around a basketball. While he does not top off the list for defensive and total rebounding percentage, I felt that this stat was telling of the type of player Andris is. Another reason this stat is near and dear to my heart is that Jeff Foster has been in the Top 2 for this percentage over the past 10 years.

STL%: Just like our last stat only with steals. He leads the stat because of his complete awareness on the defensive end of the court. Andris doesn't just go for the blocks, (as evidence of him being 3rd in that category of our 4 centers) but he also plays the passing lanes and I would imagine that a majority of these steals come from his ability to snake his way around other post players to nab errant entry passes. 

TOV%: Same as the last two stats only with turnovers. Remember, this data I am presenting DOES take into account playing time and even so, Andris still commits the least amount of turnovers by far. He protects the ball and won't try to go into an advanced set of moves that could allow for a guard to sink in and swipe at the ball mid possession. His moves around the basket are quick and deliberate, lowering his turnover numbers.

DRtg: Defensive Rating is points allowed per 100 possessions. Often times, blocks and steals are used to determine how effective a player is on the defensive end. This stat looks at if your man is scoring on you or not. And in Andris's case, his man isn't scoring on him as often as the other 3 centers. I'd argue that this statistic would be the hardest to accurately keep track of with all the double teams, switches, help defense, zone defense and matchups. Still, I was impressed that he showed up as the leader in this category. 

So what can we take away from these stats? Obviously Andris is an unheralded elite center who does not receive the attention deserved due to the limits put on his minutes. Raw numbers are harder to come by but the percentage at which he preforms in measurable statistical categories is at or often above the most elite centers of the game. 

Look at the data for yourself. 

Here is the glossary I used along with the formulas for each stat.

06 Ohio State Redux

With the youngest/most talented squad in the NBA, the Blazers and Kevin Pritchard are looking to finish what they began in the 2007 draft by trying to get a hold of Mike Conley to provide a familiar 1-2 punch with former teammate Greg Oden. Hindsight now telling us that neither of them are going to be that good, why would you trade Travis Outlaw and Sergio Rodriguez for arguably the biggest disappointment in the 07 draft, Conley, and dunking salary mongerer, Hakim Warrick. I guess this is to light a fire underneath Oden? In that thinking, should they keep Sergio to light a fire under a much more interesting prospect of Rudy Fernandez?

-I'm interested in seeing how BJ Mullins and Demar DeRozan figure their game out. I haven't watched ANY college BBall, but will when i get back home, i need some inspiration though, don't know who to look for anymore besides our man Stephen

Rise from your Grave

-Whew... back at it, Poot's World here i come. Wish i had a microphone, when i get back California i may have to purchase one.

-I am watching the Cavs Warriors game as we speak... The Cavs took a page out of the Celtic's (Poot's World's) Kevin Garnett scream to open up the starting line-ups, except they use Varejao instead of Lebron. Sounded oddly like an Altered Beast morph.

-Warriors are on a tough road stretch, but started it off in terrible fashion letting the Wizards run all over them... super garbage Andray Blatche in particular. Check this, the Warriors dodged two bullets very recently, one, when Baron opted out, Gilbert Arenas was offered the max by the dubs which was then matched, and Al Harrington was about to get traded for Kirk Hinrich before Big Kansas hurt his thumb! jeez, i honestly couldn't live with myself if the warriors had Agent Zero sitting on the bench right now, they messed up once by not making him their franchise player back in 2003 or 4, so let's get him when he's injured and washed up to make up for it!

-I was extremely pumped on the Jamal Crawford deal if Mr. Offense can change his game a little once Monta comes back and be a distributor. As you well know, they already have too many scorers, but Crawford could potentially provide both a deadly left-open threat, and a passer, we'll see.

-I'm about half-way through Gunnin' For that #1 Spot... would have been WAY cooler seeing it last summer before the draft, now seeing Kevin Love trod down court averaging 9 and 7, Donta Greene and Jerryd Bayless, riding the pine, and Kyle Singler under-achieving at Duke, i was kind of deflated watching the youngsters... what was a nice surprise was getting a look at Tyreke Evans who is tearing it up at Memphis and Lance Stephenson. Check it out if you haven't seen it Poot http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VNNEKNVX

-Camping was dope but I kept having flash backs to our excursion to Manchester. 2 Right? First, Who are we gonna bring, 2nd Donuts, Pee on Fire? I'll remember that trip forever, it'd be cool to figure out how to do another one before we croak.

-Watching all these warriors games has me thinking about Andres Biedrins... He is on a slump right now, but every single Center he goes against that is supposed to do the same things he does, just can't even touch how efficiently Biedrins gets stuff done. His hands are ball magnets, his finger roll is unstoppable, and his active rebounding is bar-none the best i have ever seen. After watching so much AB, Chris Kaman looked TERRIBLE, Drew Gooden a lowly Thug, Varejao may have a lot better D, but is definitely a lesser in all the other categories, and i get to watch David Lee in a couple of days to see how he compares.... Some statistics Poot?

-Derick Rose single-handedly took apart the Warriors last week, who knew he had a ridiculous jumpshot? Looks like the real deal numero 1.

More thoughts soon...

Note: Kyle Singler is not under-achieving at Duke... Averaging 17 and 7

Strange & Outlandish Observations

-While watching the Nuggets play last night, I noticed that Kenyon Martin completely turned his back and ran away from rebounding the ball on an attempted free throw...twice...and one of the shooters was Chris Anderson, which is not a guaranteed make.

-Pacers do not win games where they are in the lead. In their 8 losses, Indiana was winning 78% of the time. Statistically, they are the 7th ranked team in the NBA, but are the only team in the top 16 with a losing record. This stat has to do with point differential, and fg% differential to name a couple. One of those cases where statistics do not tell the entire story. For the Pacers, its their inability to close out games in the 4th quarter. 

-Anthony Marrow is on pace to have the highest True Shooting Percentage for a guard in NBA history. The formula is pts/(2 x (fga+0.44 x fta)) Its a way to include free throw percentage into a shooters body of work. For every 7 three pointers he attempts, Anthony hits 4 of them on average. Keep shooting big guy.

-In NBA regular season games, Greg Oden averages 7 more rebounds per game after major season-ending surgery when compared to surgery-free play. 

-Lakers rank 1st in the league on the defensive end and 3rd on offense. Has their ever been a team this efficient on both ends of the court? I'm off to do so research, keeping in mind that we are only 13 games into this regular season. 

Update: The only 2 teams that had the Laker efficiency of this year were the 00-01 Lakers team that won the finals and of course, our good friends the 95-96 Chicago Bulls team that went 72-10. They, of course, were 1st in both categories. What does this all mean? My belief is that Trevor Ariza has been more of a savior this season and not so much Bynum. Don't get me wrong, Bynum helps with a few boards and blocks on the defensive end, but Ariza being able to lock down team's best wings frees up Kobe to be more of a roaming centerfield on defense and allows him to concentrate more energy on offense. If the Lakers manage to stay healthy, this could be another disastrous year for the league as the devil children will prove to be nearly unstoppable.  

-Watch me pull off a big time jinx. Jose Calderon has yet to miss a free throw this season!

-One team that has a lot of room for improvement is the Celtics. They are second in the league in turnover percentage. That means that for the few amount of possessions Boston has per game, (they prefer a slow pace) they are turning the ball over at an alarmingly high rate. Expect for Doc to remedy the situation quickly and look out for an even better Celtic squad.

-I'm not sure where you are Alex, but good luck with whatever you are doing and thanks for keeping us all updated. Surely your lost camping trip was nothing like the Manchester Beach experience. 3 men, no utensils, no bowls for the cereal, no flashlights for the peanut butter sandwich making, and an open tent door during the fire urination session. OH, I FORGOT, no room in the tent for the unlucky person sleeping in the middle!

!!!

I am stuck in a small beach town in Brazil, rained out, on what was expected to be an epic camping trip... bummed doesnt even begin to describe it... finding out Jamal Crawford got traded to the warriors though, has lightened my mood, and made it that much easier to go back and watch the warriors... and anthony morrow

Out Here Grinding

-Last Friday, I went to Barnes and Noble to scout out a pre-order of FreeDarko's Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac. Was lucky enough to get a guy to run to the stock room and snag me a version 5 days early. Needless to say I've been mowing right through this gem whenever I get a chance. So far a personal high point has been reading a chapter on Josh Smith&Gerald Smith. All of the other chapters in the book are devoted to an individual player but they decided to devote one chapter to my two favorite enigmas and their outrageous statistical periods of domination. I'm glad someone else much smarter than I was able to enlighten the rest of the world on two of my favorite players who happened to carry my fantasy basketball last season. Interesting moment for Poot's World Blog; I was able to talk to Bethlehem Shoals today through Facebook chat. He was nice enough to chat with me for a couple minutes and I told him how much I enjoyed the book and his Smith/Wallace chapter in particular. Shoals told me he wished that chapter could have been 20 pages longer (each chapter is about 3 pages, so that would be quite an increase) so he could expand on Josh Smith's personality and Gerald Wallace's "country" soul. The guy is even deep on his Facebook chats. I told him that would be a great place to start next year's almanac. His reply was that it would have to be in a couple of years, as books take a while to write. I suppose I can't argue. He also said that it has been his dream come true with this release of the book and to recieve the outpouring of support it has recieved in its infancy. Anyways, you HAVE to grab a copy of this book, its amazing, and has re readability.


-Still getting a free preview of League Pass and life continues to be high quality. Potentially expensive trips to Madison bars have been replaced with weekends in the apartment watching the NBA in all of its HD greatness.

-Clearly too early to pick league MVP right now, but its going to be a helluva battle betwixt Lebron James and Dwight Howard.

-Golden State continues to intrigue me. I wish they weren't on so late at night, but watching them is enough of an adrenilene infusion to keep me awake past halftime. Don's 4 guard, 1 center lineup causes fits through the first 3 quarters but they just can't seem to hold it up for the full 48. In a league full of on the fly adjustments, its time for the eldest coach in the league to work on a few.

-Refs are calling an inordinately high amount of traveling early this season. Players are doing a poor job of adjusting, as the numbers continue a steady rise. Looks like the referees are holding firm on their attention paid to steps taken. Lebron had 4 against Indiana last week and should have had 2 more. His PER would be even more off the charts minus the high turnover numbers.

-Watched 3 close games this evening that came down to the final shot with teams down 2. Team down 2 ended up attempting a 3 pointer all three times. Not sure I completely agree with that philosophy. My guess is that all three coaches drew up a play that looked to score an easier bucket and perhaps the way things ended up, the 3 point attempted was more of a requirement. Inside the arc, it was a parting of the Red Sea. Catch, two strong dribbles, pull-up 13 footer just seems to be a higher percentage when compared to off-balance 3 point attempt.

It's A Midwest Thing

I've spent over 7 years in Madison, Wisconsin and one of the many things that sticks out at me in my daily routine is a complete absence of the NBA in this region of the U.S. Unlike the Green Bay Packers or the Milwaukee Brewers (who just hired Oakland's finest in Ken Macha to manage), the Milwaukee Bucks are an afterthought in the athletic viewing ladder of Wisconsin. From top to bottom, this is how our state rolls... 1. Green Bay Packers 2. UW Badgers Football 3. Milwaukee Brewers 4. UW Badgers Basketball 5. Marquette Basketball 6. UW Badgers Hockey 7. Chicago Cubs (lots of these nutjobs walking around) 8. Milwaukee Bucks

Does this shock me in the least anymore? I'd have to argue that after 7 years of this hierarchy, you tend to get used to the manner in which sports are viewed in the Midwest. I have about 3 friends that pay very close attention to the NBA, none of whom I've seen in a few years. A few will dabble in the sport, understanding player flow and slight intricacies of the game. If I am to ever talk sports with folks in this area in light conversation and happen to land on the topic of the NBA, I often receive one of two remarks. "Oh?" accompanied with a quizzical look. Or, "I hate the NBA, those guys are overpaid and they don't play hard at all. I only watch college basketball."

For readers of this blog, you are probably familiar with my musings on the NBA vs. College debate and how I am a firm believe in the former. Look back to our first month of existence if you are looking for detailed reasons, but I can sum it up for you in that an 82 game schedule takes much more of a toll on the body and that the effortlessness of NBA players is part of the beauty of why we watch. They look like they aren't trying when in actuality, their supremely fit bodies (in comparison to college players) are firing on all cylinders. Grade A efficiency and brute athleticism are my main points but their our other aspects of the game that cause me to tune into Bill Walton and Mike Breen over Dicky V. and Brad Nessler. Again, just look back in our blog archives.

My theory on why mid-westerners can't stand the NBA lies in the leagues celebration of the individual. Out here, its always about the team. What can this team do to get better and win a championship? The swing offense employed by UW Basketball is a perfect example of killing the individual spirit of potential stars and turning them into one cog of an extensive basketball machine. It's a region that loves watching UW Football teams meticulously grind out every possession with a heavy dose of brute force running games. Big corn fed boys leading the way for an even bigger hog of a running back. Brat in one hand, Miller Lite in the other, the true Midwestern way. You could argue that Brett Favre was a 12 year individual celebration but I look at it as if the folks here believed he exemplified the ultimate TEAM player and just rolled with that.

The moral of this story is that I'm not going to be winning over the hearts of my Midwestern brethren anytime soon with my love of a league whose top players frequent the wrong parts of the sports section, or have a higher tattoo to empty skin ratio than field goal percentage. It's a lost cause. So tonight, as I sit down for the first time in a while to relax and watch a full slate of NBA games, I'll take pleasure in knowing that I am the only one doing so in a 200 mile radius.

Where is Too $hort when you need him?

Some say the apocalypse is coming in a few years, and at times you can't help but buy into some of the morbid hype. The Mayan Calender, Super Volcanoes, Asteroids, whatever... With rumblings in the Monta Ellis circle of a possible trade demand within the next few months comes my first inklings of a world, (no, not Poot's World) falling apart.

After Monta injured his ankle severely this summer and yes, lied about it, everyone was curious to see what was to come next from the warriors execs, let me emphasize curious. No big deal, my dad and I agreed, everyone has seen this guy play and knows that the last thing the warriors would want to do is lose him. Issue a Rad-Man snowboard type penalty and send him a get-well card, but don't blow this thing up. Monta is the future and one of those players that comes around about once every millennium.

However, at the time, I was surprisingly unfamiliar with team president, Robert Rowell. Tim Kawakami wrote an article last week detailing Rowell's prevalence as the teams primary cover-spread the past 2 years, despite much bigger things going on with the franchise, player-wise. This guy is in power, and wants people to know it. Adding to the ego are Rowell's questionable dealings. It was this douche-bag who x'd a3 year Mullin-Baron agreement thought to be set in stone in the early summer, and he expounded getting rid of the most beloved player since Tim Hardaway, and sole reason for the 2007 playoff victory, by denying that he nixed the deal. When called out on it, Rowell angrily contested that he doesn't take the "popularity" of his decisions into account. He is now feuding with former coach Mike Montgomery over an unpaid 1,000,000 dollars, and has been taking cheap shots at Chris Mullin over the teams future.

Coming to an understanding that there are now 2 Al Davis' in Oakland, the Monta question becomes much more pressing. When Rowell came out with the 30 game suspension for Ellis with a 3 million dollar contract loss, it was an uncompassionate but fitting punishment. However, Rowell decided to go further, into the territory which my dad and I discussed, but never in our wildest dreams thought the Warriors would go forward with. Rowell incited that if Monta struggled to regain form after his injury, his contract could be voided.

Writers discuss the punishment as Double Jeopardy, which despite the its severity, for me, still evokes images of Ashley Judd getting chased by her murderous husband, and a vague memory of Mike telling me how much he wanted to see it over a Dr. Pepper in the hot tub. What I get from it is that Monta basically has the potential to get fucked twice by his injury, once with his ongoing suspension, and the other with Rowell's finger over his head the next 5 years of his contract.

An issue that started with a youngster's mistake, has fallen into the hands of a ruthless number-cruncher, devoid in what seems in any love for the game. What Monta did was retarded, we all know, but jeez, when did riding a moped become career threatening? It is fair to conjure the notion that the quickest player in the league and one who greatly relies on his lateral quickness could be greatly hampered by a shattered ankle, but only time will tell. Monta is young and certainly has the will to recover, and aggravating him by discussing contract termination so early in the recovery process is the product of a true numb skull.

Due to terrible choices in management, a severely broken ankle on a moped has transformed itself into Jason Williams on a street bike. This post started as a plea for Monta to bear with this stuff, but has turned into a shout for Rowell's head. This guy's a one-of-a-kind douche bag Chris Cohan, if you wanted to pull an instant replay of the bay area 07 Mav's victory celebration, just fire him.

Everyone keeps dropping the line that if this goes where it is heading with Monta, then we'll have to live with another 13 year playoff drought, and i couldn't agree more; but, more comes to mind with Monta in a Grizzlies jersey. His picture perfect transition jumpers, contortions surrounded by 2 bigs around the rim, sick cross-overs, Mississippi drawl, and confidence, just scream for more of the most entertaining basketball the NBA has to offer. I don't even think playoffs anymore, it happened already, and never will again in such spectacular fashion, so why not revel in the beautiful pandemonium the Warriors have to offer? I've said it before and I will again, the Warriors are a show. With Baron they were the Suns fast style with a Rucker Park attitude who reinvented the definition of a 3 pointer. And even at 1-3 with Baron and Monta gone, I still love this team, they bring it every night, are young, and got style.But part of that love still contains within it that light at the end of the tunnel when Monta hits the floor in late December, and if these restrictions and threats continue, I won't even be able to blame the guy when he's gone.

I know Poot has got the Mandy leg-humping fetish for Josh Smith, and the same is probably more true for me and Monta, but this kid was the best young player in the league before the injury, and its absolutely devesating watching a front-office cyborg dismantle this rising star. So here's to the next few months Rowell, the world, as all warriors fans know it, rests in your grubby little hands. Maybe if you can get some sense and listen to the fans, you can set things right and save this franchise after all; and Monta, a big shout-out from Poot's World, because we too, know all too well, the aftermath of poorly driven 2-wheel vehicles (Michael).

A Little Fuzz Ball

It was early summer (I think), just before dusk. The perfect time of day for shooting baskets, throwing the football, or playing meadow volleyball, when the last of the sun light trickles through the tops of the redwoods and the earth finally begins to radiate off the summer heat into the cooler evening breeze. I was on my way to the Wakemans’ to take advantage of the ideal climate and join Alex in some basketball. I had just crossed the wooden bridge, which years later would be the site of the historic Nate slip of ’02, and was emerging onto the gravel driveway, when I noticed a small furry lump in the corner of the basketball court. When the lump, which was no bigger than a football, began to move, I thought to myself, “Alex must have gotten a new kitten!” But no, that little fuzz ball was Mr. Otto Wakeman, “The Brute” himself; and while his tiny stature did not betray the massive beast of a dog he would become, that he immediately bit my fingers when I petted him, forewarned of an era of impressively destructive chewing exploits.

In honor of Otto, I present:
The Top Five Fondest Otto Memories

1. Otto chewing to the point of destruction countless items, including my minibike helmet, a cordless phone, and the entire passenger seat of the Wakemans’ car. (Not to be out done, his brother apparently destroyed a washer machine!)
2. Trying to tag Otto, while he out maneuvered both Alex and I.
3. Charging down the trail to the trampoline expecting Otto to move out of the way, but getting knocked on my ass.
4. Despite our best efforts, never being able to push Otto into the pool
5. Otto patiently standing there, while Stubby humps his face

With Otto goes one of the last of our childhood dogs and certainly one of the finest. Say hi to Stubby, Tannin, Mandy, and Sylvester for us…you all are missed.

Episode 2

Decided to just wing it and fire out a quick podcast. I'm sticking with my Finals picks by the way.

My World!

P.S. Is anyone else having trouble putting pictures in? Mine isn't working!

Dish Network Can Eat It

-Was looking forward to my first night of NBA League Pass but Dish Network decided that it needs to have contract negotiations with the NBA and allow none of their customers an opportunity to watch many of the games I had penciled in to my nightly routine. The free preview of one out of market game per night is not cutting it Dish Network, F**k you! Figure out your contracts and get me on the NLP.

-Atlanta is my new 2nd favorite team and Josh Smith continues to be my favorite player to watch in the NBA. 5 blocks and 4 steals? Along with your standard point and rebound numbers, this guy continues to boggle the mind.

-FreeDarko's authors (whose updated site MUST be viewed by all) must have been collectively puking into their Chi-Town toilets, as Anthony Randolph and Amir Johnson combined for 21 minutes of playing time last night. Did I miss something? Is Anthony Randolph hurt?

-Being that I have a 4 day weekend, and that our NBA preview work didn't quite live up to our high standards, I was thinking of busting out a radio show to finish all the teams we missed. We'll see if that actually goes down.

-Anyone else notice who leads the NBA in scoring today? That's right, Danny Granger!

-Everyone at Poot's World will truly miss Mr. Otto Wakeman.

Damn it feels good

-its 46-35, and somehow despite the obvious hole left by the one and only bd, the warriors are killing it. Stephen Jackson is playing out of his mind, and the Don Nelson system hasn't missed a beat. For crying out loud Demarcus F*ing Nelson is getting huge minutes and playing well! You forget sometimes how efficient Biedrins is. Its like he got into a morphing chamber with Dennis Rodman and a banana peel. I'll let freedarko describe it more eloquantly, but Warrior pride isn't gone, its manifesting itself behind this team with no expectations, led by a fearless Stephen Jackson (All-Star Lock), Jason Richardson replica in Magette, Biedrins a skinny kevin love, and a bunch of hard nose competitors ready to lay it on the line for Jackson and Don Nelson. Monta can't come back sooner. If that situation however comes to fisticuffs, i might just go ahead and crawl into the bomb-shelter.

-don't know how to feel about basketball jones videocast, maybe it will grow on me, but i think i'll stick with my imagination this time. i would like to hear their reasoning for doing that in the first place... if we had a poots world show, we would definitely be behind the taco bell counter.

-these are the last days of otto wakeman, send him some love

Comencing Ceremony

Quick Thoughts-

-When Adam Morrison leads the Bobcats to their first title, those same tears will flow like Pierce's sobbing face last night

-Blazers may be the hype bubble that may burst in all NBA fans face (give it two years/fernandez excluded)

-how did one year of aging make Kevin Durant look like Shawn Kemp post cocaine acohol rehab?

-Get ready for the Anthony Randolph Show

-9 dimes in 1st game? go Rose go

...more to come

Season Preview: New York Knicks

I've written about the Knicks enough on this blog including some half-drunk pre-season highlight energy about a week ago. If it weren't D' an-bony, than I would have 0 interest, but pair his 7 seconds or less style with a Marbury cross-over here and there, to Nate Robinson, and Wilson Chandler, and we have a Poot's World must-watch squad. I wish i could give some pace statistics like Poot does or break down their defensive percentages (both wouldn't be pretty), but as you can see I go with a gut, and the Knicks this year will bring some heart. They won't make the playoffs, but like the Nets, who cares with all the free agents that could come their way next year, even if Curry and Randolph eat up too much cap space to get any of them.

Must Poot TV- Wilson Chandler

Besides just being born 2 days before me, Wilson is looking like the key to a future development of the Knickerbockers, and will undoubtedly turn some heads this year. D'Antoni likes his defense and his versatility on offense reminds him of the Matrix. His ability to take bigs out of the key to defend him is a sweet offensive assett. Watch out for him and David Lee to make some noise this year, only to be traded as sweet add-ins to get rid of Z-Bo and Curry's contracts.

Can we agree that Nate Robinson is the best Summer League Player of all time?

Grocery Outlet Comparison - Papa Peroshkis
A light savory pastry filled with leeks, corn beef, celery and carrots. A forgettable yet tasty treat that within the confines of Madison Square Garden, will please all with its fun antics. Get ready for some digestion issues once starbury pulls a 03 Deep Valley vs AV Redwood Classic on Jamal Crawford.

Projected Record- 35-47 Atlantic Conference: 4th


To add onto my post on the celtics... Gabe Pruitt had a triple-double tonight and should start ahead of Rondo. He would actually provide a scoring threat, and Rondo could be the perfect back-up for him

Season Preview: Denver Nuggets

Always a fun team to watch, the Nuggets were actually a more efficient defensive team than 70% of the year, you just couldn't tell because their Pace Factor was out of this world. They love high amounts of possessions, and will sacrifice waiting out the shot clock for a good shot any day of the week. Nene continues to disapoint and I'll give him just one more year before I consider him an absolute waste of time in the League. If he and Kenyon Martin can share the duties of what Marcus Camby left, the Nuggets should have no problem making it back to the playoffs. Remember how Melo played defensively during the Olympics? I have the sneaking suspicion that he will bring his summer attitude to this team and it might even wear off on a individuals.

Poot's Stat Buster: J.R. Smith

This might be a little bit of a stretch, but if his minutes increase with the age of A.I. and the team goes small more often with Kleiza at the 4, I could see his numbers skyrocket with the style of play the Nuggets roll with. The key will be if he can keep up his ridiculously high (and improving) shooting percentage. He is one of the top in eFg%, which takes into account the fact that 3's are a little harder to shoot from. His rebounding numbers should go up being that he is athletic as hell, and much like fellow draftee Josh Smith, he can mix it up down low and bring in a few blocks.

Taco Bell Menu Comparison: Nachos Bell Grande

Even though its lacking a few ingredients from the past (green onions and olives), the Nacho Bell Grande always works as a one hit meal. Again, its a little steep financially, weighing in at a whopping 3.49, but the money is well spent and each bite will leave you desiring another.

Season Record: 48-34

Season Preview: New Jersey Nets

-Oh Lord. What we once had to look forward to in the highflying antics coordinated by alley-oop extraordinaire Jason Kidd, ambiguity of NBA legend/misfit, old-bones Vince Carter, and the Dave Berri hating, yet still entertaining Richard Jefferson, has now turned into currently* the most depressing franchise in the NBA. The whole team is comprised of a lot of average veteran talent. along with young unproven players with chips on their shoulders, who unfortunately aren't good enough to do anything about it. Bobby Simmons, washed up a while ago in Milwaukee, Maurice Ager a great Michigan St. Alum with less NBA floor time than the halftime mascots, Keyon Dooling, one of the more untalented "scorers" in the NBA, Sean Williams with crazy defensive potential yet caught in "the little engine that could"'s dog house. Julius Hodge, well, here's to getting better after being almost shot to death. All that round's out that secondary talent out with old-bones and Yi Jianlian, biggest marketing fluke in NBA history and you have well... the Nets.

The Good Side: I wish i could find a comparison to Chris Douglas Roberts, maybe a less athletic, more jumpshot oriented version of Grant Hill. Maybe a little Reggie Miller? This guy's got it, and whether that means he'll be the 2nd option on a championship team in the next 13 years we'll wait to see, but him and Devin Harris will be the only ones to fill the seats for the die-hards this year. I have hope for Ryan Anderson, but something tells me he might be too slow for the NBA

*ASTERISK means that all of this pertains to this year. I'd say that Jay-Z's ownership in this issue and that pertaining to him being Lebron's Jesus, may turn things around in 2010. Anything could happen with this team but if the free agents don't come in '10, and your starting point guard is getting beaten by a British White dude.. you're in for it.

Grocery Outlet Comparison: Claim Jumper's Meatloaf

One of the foulest frozen foods in the GOC. Too many gravied fake potatoes: Josh Boone. The "fresh" green beans are limp and tasteless, Brook Lopez. and the Meaty special is old prepared horsemeat which somehow still excites you because how well your mom used to make it: Vince Carter

MVP: CDR

I don't think it will take long for CDR to show he'll be one of the top scorers in the league within the next few years.

Projected Record 28 - 54 Atlantic Division: 5th

Season Preview: Boston Celtics

Yes this team won the championship last year, coming from nowhere to win the series vs the lakers in 6, (picked dead on by Yo Gotti), and now they are left with 82 games to show once again they are the top dogs, and to secure what Sam Cassell assures a must-have home court in the finals to make sure they don't play LA at home 2-3-2, like what he had to endure against the Knicks in 95! Like all of Boston sports, I hope they all go down, but in all likelihood, they will come out on top at the end of the season, I just hope Doc Rivers gives some love to the reserves

Bitch Get Ya Mind Right, I Thought I Told Ya 08-09:

They got the Big 3, with Scala-Bree
Ainge Danee without his Celtic budee =
Allen Tonee as the Celt's mVp
Sam shoot da fade-aways like Paul Pierce
but misses like Perk on the charity perch
Bill Sky Walker talking Shit to Lebron means
Conference finals ejection and a repeat to dawn

Pooty Love Spotlight: Patrick O'Bryant

What's better for a 7'0 foot robot big man to develop care-free behind Perk and Garnett without having to worry about Don Nelson making you run the break while screaming you're a pussy? Look out for PB and J come playoffs, like i said a few posts before, he will probably provide a good 5 presence to battle with Bynum come finals time, although Kareem's heir will ultimately get the best of him. LET'S GO BRADLEY

Fast Food Comparison: Tombstone Meat Trio

The pizza that Mike would never let you have, yet 2 mysteriously disappeared when Nate went downstairs. The True Find at Grocery Outlet. Garnett would certaintly be the peperroni, Pierce the sausage, and Ray the little ham pieces. #1 in town and won't go down without a fight.


Projected Record 70-12 - 1st Atlantic

Season Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves

Remember Troy Hudson? The Timberwolves sure should...they are still paying for his contract and to the tune of 7 million dollars for the next 2 years. Couple that with being stuck with an overpaid, overweight, and overrated big man (Al Jefferson) and this team is not in the best of shape. Speaking of being in shape, the Timberwolves lead the league in players over 250 pounds with 7! And Ryan Gomes is close, clocking in at 245. Dammit what am I saying, I've lived my whole life being a slightly overweight basketball player, THESE GUYS WILL BE FINE! I'm joining you Alex, and jumping on this beef train.

Poot's Stat Buster: Al Jefferson

The guy is incredibly productive, even though he seems to suck the life right out of his other 4 teammates on the floor. Those other players falling down around Al in the above picture could very well be his own guys as well as the person guarding him. Don't know whats up with this guy but he's absolutely a 20-10 guy who can carry any fantasy basketball team in a given season.

Taco Bell Menu Comparison: Grilled Stuft Burrito (Beef)

This is by far the heaviest item on the menu at Taco Bell. There are a ton of ingredients that should work together nicely, but again, the beef overdose (Al Jefferson) hurts what could be a legitimate playoff team (if they were in the Eastern Conference). It's also a little bit pricey by T-Bell standards.

Season Record: 33-49

Season Preview: Oklahoma Thunder

Might as well start the previews with a team that intrigues me as much as my little finger. Durant and Green do not impress me as much as I expected and their lack of development into NBA stars will prove to be the Thunder's downfall this season, and in seasons to come. This team was worst in the NBA last year in the Simple Rating System statistic. In other words, their opponents regularly beat the crap out of them. The one thing that this team can look forward to, is that they are well under the salary cap and have the money to bring in one of the megastars in the 2010 free agent sweepstakes.

Poot's Stat Buster: Kevin Durant

This is not a good stat my friends...29% from downtown last year. Isn't that what this kid was supposed to be built for?

Taco Bell Menu Comparison: Cheesy Double Beef Burrito

It's only 89 cents so you aren't expecting much, but the massive quantity of beef (Kevin Durant) truly overwhelms the rest of the potentially yummy ingredients. Come in hungry, leave with a stomach ache. The true Thunder way.

Season Record: 21-61

Splitting Up The Previews

Alex: Atlantic, Southwest, Pacific?

Mike: Lakers?

Me: Central, Southeast, Northwest?

I need you two to sign off on this so I can start doing mine. I'm pressed for time and I would have to do this in the next 2 days. Also, just got HD set up on my 50 inch TV I practically stole for 500 bucks plus a 2 year Best Buy Warranty. League Pass is going to be SIIIICK!

Hard Times

Its hard seeing our world going down the tubes, its even harder seeing Gerry McNamera getting straight stripped by Mateen Cleaves of all people, in his quite 12 minutes of playing time for pre-season Orlando Magic last night. What made it worse was i checked his box score that morning after seeing the "steal of the night" to see Gerry didn't do too hot, something like 2 points on 1-7 shooting. And wouldn't you know it, it got worse, as Gerry wasn't on the team anymore later that night. We still love you Gerry, and know you are hurting, a special shout out to you from Poot's World.

Colorinche

I've reached that moment... too many things to say after just 2 preseason highlight reels...

-are the knicks a phenomenom that are going to explode in our face?
-marbury played looked good
-duhon too, z-bo
- lee 15 boards?
-ROBINSON!
-holy shit could the entire sports world implode/d'antoni become king of the universe if kings win 45 games this year?

- I've been teetering on the edge of really disliking Doc Rivers. He's kind of a joke. Celtics are a lock for the finals, he knows that, anyway you put it... therefore at 30-8 record, this starting 5 obligation-
PG - Gabe Pruitt
SG - JR Giddens
SF - Tony Allen
PF- BW!!!
C- Powe

Yeah, its small, Doc Pretend your are Donnie for a night/coach. PB and W started tonight!!!!!!! I'm going to go ahead and say Boston area is going to be busting a nut over this guy come playoffs when he is coming off the bench and having rondo-esque performances playing with the big 3.

- Marc Cuban needs to invest internet stock in Brandon Bass

- Little mentions PW's Own Birdman posted a nice 12 and 11 tonight... free him denver

-Pooty Loves favorite section... THUNDER NOTES
-Russell Westbrook making sick assists? What does coach Howland have these guys on? Could they have ran their team around him?
-Thats it for thunder notes however they did play the Kings:
*Spencer Hawes belongs on Nightmare on Elm Street not in the NBA
*Kevin Martin will be the 3rd highest scorer in the NBA this year 1st within next 2 years
*Bobby Brown = Cal State Fullerton? represent... BB you are officially Poots World
*Where's Donte Greene?

-

Welcome Back

It is a sweet shot of energy to see preseason highlights, younger players giving it their all and vets owning accordingly... quick shout outs-

-Greg Oden. Shaq imposing presence with frankenstein's footwork? The Oden Bynum battles will be good for YEARS. Oden looks downright scary to anyone within 3 feet of the basket with the ball in his hands.

-Bill Walker dunk the sickest i've seen yet. He absolutely yacked on ratliff? or hunter? the bench's reaction made it though...

-Chris Douglas Roberts will be a steal for the NJN, he's just too confident and explosive as a scorer to be left alone.

-hasn't played yet due to injury but my hopes on Joe Alexander are dwindling after summer league, i'm curious to see him play with skiles in limited minutes.

-haven't watched training camp vid's but they seem like the real deal, more poot commentary desired.

Bill Walker Video To Come

HOLY SHIT! I'm watching preseason NBA right now of Celtics vs. 76ers. My friend calls me up screaming about Bill Walker. I sprint downstairs and rewind my TIVO only to find BW throw down an alley oop from half court. Alright, that wasn't bad, but what the hell is he screaming about? Then, like a bombshell, IT HAPPENS. Obviously I don't have the video, but I'll be sure to find it tomorrow and post it. Prepare for TrueHoop/BDL to flip out over this sequence of BW events....






Didn't have his first alley oop dunk that happened about 30 seconds before the monster, but this thing should have covered what was needed. Sorry T. Ratliff.

Swag Like Jennings

My doctor said Mylanta and that I should up my dosage of Brandon Jennings this year. Couldn't agree more my man, as this kid is going to be phenomenal. Free Darko sweats the nuts off of Anthony Randolph and Amir Johnson, but PW has Bill Walker and Brandon Jennings. We're international bitches! Anyways, I just copped this video of Brandon's first scrimmage vs. a Serbian team and he's definately half bear, half man-pig.



Anyone other than the Lakers drafts Jennings next year, and they are hands down my second favorite team. The kid just blows my mind with his uncanny ability to find the open man, AND do it in the flashiest way possible. I do want to watch him for a full 40 minute game though, to see if these flashes of brilliance are also accomponied with heavy doses of turnovers and misreads. I'm eternally the optimist. Speaking of my second favorite team, some people on this blog, and 99% of NBA fans think that the Pacers are more boring than a Jim Boudourous pep talk (thats twice this week I've mentioned him). While the individual parts of this machine prove to be wildly uninteresting, the team was 3rd in the NBA in Pace last season behind Denver and Golden State. That means....their styles of play are almost identical, take a lot of shots, score a lot of points, and give up a lot on the definsive end. While this style has had little postseason success, you have to admit, it is fun to watch.

NBA 101

-That's right, this is Poot's World's 101st post, surely an after-thought to Poot's last, which placed us at the centennial mark, up there with the Dicky V's and Jay Mariotti's of sports commentary and entertainment. Like our esteemed leader said, the NBA season is fast approaching, and with Hollinger's ratings and pre-season losses by 3, come issues, projections and pure unadulterated pooty adrenaline.

-Aside from the Warriors, the team i will pay attention to most will be the Minnesota Timberwolves. Unitentionally i was able to watch a few of their games last year and gained some intrigue. Shying away from the obvious with Al Jefferon being one of the best young beasts in the game today, and the grizzled grizzly-vet Mike Miller, the T-Wolves have assembled some very unique talent.
Can i challenge you two to tell me a player who looks less likely to be an NBA starter* than Craig Smith? A more underrated scorer than Rashad McCants? a more dynamic/unique pf in Kevin Love? and two of the worst high draft picks in recent memory, Brewer and Telfair (Portland)? This is a team of anomalies, that, like Hollinger said, won't wow anyone defensively (brewer prove me wrong... plllleeassse), but is going to provide an exciting attack, and hopefully a posterization or two by Rodney Carney throughout the season.
I realize i'm making a big stretch with this one, but can't help but like these guys as the best super-young/rebuilding squad in the league behind Portland and GS. They easily top the pacers, griz, thunder, nets and kings in my mind. To boot, watching Gomes brings me back to the McGrath Brewington era of one of my fav NCAA'ers in recent memory, the Providence Friars.

-Least likely to watch: Indiana Pacers. This selection gives poot free reign to hate this fellow blogger all-season long but when the most intriguing player on your roster is Danny Granger, you know you are in for a very stale year. and with a deal that is going to grab peanuts for jamal tinsley? Nothing short of nuking boonville would would ever rid Larry Legend of his godly status, but his job as a GM especially young player management, has in kind words, sucked. i know i'm rubbing salt in the wounds as a benefactor of the jax/harrington for dunmurphy trade, but jeez, at least those guys would be bringing some drama that the NBA's eeyore, Jermain O'Neal, now leaves the Pacers without. I would rather watch a TNT Yellow-Book cam of Anderson Varajeao than this team.

-Runner-up: Orlando Magic. Yes Dwight, we know you are Superman. Shaq was at one time too. Now if we can somehow take your super-hero shoe-deal aspirations and turn them into offensive production/team leadership, then we will have a more than a 1st round exit for the next 5 years. If only we could do a Freaky Friday with Garnett and Dwight... GODZILLA. The magic need Jameer and Dalonte need to be reunited in the back-court ala St. Joes, its that simple.

- It would only be fair to add the Sixers to the league's up and coming talent, which leads me to ask, would you rather have the warriors roster or sixers for your Idaho expansion team in 2012? I'd take randolph and ellis, but lou/brand and igou will be good for years...

- I can say for sure that in the imaginationland south park episode i saw the brandon wright jason richardson deal emerging from behind the broken barrier between heaven and hell.

-Bellinelli looking good last night, going 50% from the field and perfect from 3. He needs a good chunk of playing time during the season if he wants to shoot like that though.

-Praising Poot's World's Bill Walker is a kind way for Doc Rivers to keep our boy in the media spotlight by highlighting his humility which every rookie, (including Beasely for crying out loud, and exluding Mr. Randolph), are obligated to demonstrate. Look out though for Billy Boy in 2010.

-Beasely is a mortal lock for Rookie of the Year like his Big 12 counterpart the year before.

Season Fast Approaching

I spent a lot of time this past week reading Hollinger's season outlooks for all 30 teams, and I'm just barely halfway done! Additionally, NBA TV has started a series called Real Training Camp where they go around to different teams and record preseason practices for 2 hours with commentary from 2 individuals who look like they would rather be somewhere else. Here are my thoughts...

-I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that the 76er project will not work out as well as suspected. They are getting a lot of play as being the #2 seed in the Playoffs for the East. Elton Brand's health is always a question and he thrives in a slow paced half court offense. With the athletes the 76ers have, they should be running up and down the court, creating turnovers, as much as possible. Brands ability to adapt, and not falling into the "big contract trap," will dictate the team's success.

-Lordy, I'm keeping an eye on the preseason scores, and Mike Beasley has 16 points in 20 minutes.

-In my opinion, Luol Deng's busy summer internationally, and continual work on his game will lead to his first All-Star appearence.

-The Hornet's training camp was so boring to watch. They spent 1 hour doing different shooting drills and none of the players looked like they were taking game shots. Or at least their shooting form wasn't. Every shot was taken lazily, but I can't really argue because they went in about 83% of the time.

-Byron Scott walks around practice and makes $100 bets with the players. They take 50 3point shots from 4 different points on the floor. If they make 40 or more, Byron loses. If not, he profits. Byron made $500 on the day NBA TV came into town. He did mention that he usually loses $2,000 a year from Peja, but makes up for it with Morris Peterson, who's shot form is boarderline grotesque. But then again, I can't argue as most of his shots are falling.

-PW's favorite player is having a good start to his NBA Player and Doc Rivers is giving much props.

-Speaking of Doc Rivers, he is hardly the brains behind the operation at Celtics camp. Jim Boudoures could have executed a better speech to start the practice. The highlight was saying "we turn the ball over too much, and that needs to stop." Solid analysis. The assistant coach does a majority of the talking during drills/scrimmages/simulations and he actually puts together well thought out statements that benefit the player's learning of the game. His attention to detail is uncanny, as they will go over how each play would be run, throwing in different wrinkles for different time scenarios. For example, the first 20 minutes of practice was spent going over defending a jump ball at either free throw line. If their is 5 seconds left on the shot clock, it looks a lot different from than a full shot clock.

Career Choices And Such

So I have been thinking about what I want to do with my life recently with all the student teaching going on. While I think that teaching could be an interesting career decision, I'm starting to think I should give it the old college try towards something I truly love. And of course that would be basketball. When I student teach and coach my little middle schoolers, I find that I am better at watching something and writing about it, not verbalizing it. Verbalizing everything you see is half the battle of being a coach and teacher and I'm getting the feeling I'm not playing completely towards my strengths. While I'm competent, its not my area of expertise. Recently, I've found some interesting connections in the NCAA D2 and D3 ranks who are willing to take me under their wings of the basketball world. None of this is completely final obviously, but I'm also considering taking a course online that can help me better myself in a career I would prefer greatly to the path I am on now. Check it out and tell me if it sounds fishy/scam, because its 1500 bucks...

Sports Management Worldwide

The thing that really caught my eye is that they work with Synergy Sports, who I also am working for and am currently training for their new software and the upcoming NBA season. Anyways, I know it says GM and Scout course, but believe me, I do not have aspirations of being a GM at all, or even a scout on the NBA level. I would be completely happy doing the good work of a scout on the D1, D2, or D3 level. Feel free to leave your opinions boys. If that doesn't work, maybe I'll just take a boat to Europe!

Stat Poot

Yes my softub companions, it's almost October, thus ending the doldrums of September which saw a record low in posts for Poots World. I can't speak for everyone when i profess my fervid excitement for the MLB playoffs, but we are almost about to turn the bend to the NBA Pre., and regular seasons. Highlights of the upcoming preseason will certainly include:

-Golden State Opening Night vs. the Hornets
-A TNT televised OUTSIDE match-up between the Suns and Nuggets, (Nash playground moves + JR raining on the blacktop)
- Dallas vs. Cleveland where Tony Romo will make an appearance on the Cleveland sideline and mock the Mavs fans.
- Golden State vs. Milwaukee played out in China where the riled-up Ghangzhouian fans will start a brutal riot after being told Yi Jianlian no longer plays for the Bucks.
- Adam Morrison becomes the first "left for dead come-back sensation" white boy to grace the court and lead the Bobcats to a 6 and 1 preseason record... Who's watching CSI Miami now? (Despite my love for the guy, I know as well as the rest of you, that his career ended when he appeared at his alma mater's loss to Davidson in the 2nd round of this years NCAA Tourney. I can't decide whether he looks more Sith or Kid Rock on the Detroit sideline circa 2004.)
-Vlade Divac making a return to see his old squads, the Lakers and Kings face off in Vegas. The sad news comes after when Vlade's found dead, cradled in Brad Miller's arms after ODing on vodka and cigarettes following an all-night gambling binge.
-The new royalty of OK City, Kevinston Durant II dropping 30 in 1st quarter vs. the Griz.

-Henry Abbott is heading to IMG skills academy to gain a better grasp on intensive off-season training and to improve his game. Could we do something similar with Poot's World? Maybe send Poot on an all expense paid trip to visit Mike and Mike in the Morning and brush up on his radio skills? Golic will like him so much that a new character, Stat Poot, will be introduced but later removed due to copyright infringement with PTI (also owned by ESPN, it gets complicated).

Poots and Yoohoos

- Josh Howard has come to a tipping point. If he doesn't break out of his post 2006 finals funk this year, the media has won, and he will ride the washed up express through the rest of his career. If he decides to take his political/ganjafarian momentum and translate it to a Mavericks turn-around season, then we have a crusader on our hands folks, a true warrior.

- I can't say i have disagreed with the L. Ron Hubbard of Poot"s World very many times, however your last post Mr. Gotti, has me questioning your NBA viewing habits... All of the boys on your NBA "must-watch", aside from Monta, the 2 Smiths, and Calderon are old news. I could see wanting to see Gilbert because you never know if you are going to get: diety or douche taking teams final shot after going 1-14 from the field. My issues are with Lebron, who you will have plenty of time to watch come playoff time (same goes for Rondo), and Dwight Howard who's dunks are the only reason to watch aside from him stealing his teammates rebounds. Gerald Wallace could be explosive this year, so i can't say anything about that, but Poot, I have to make a case for my top 10, which may be more of a let down come april, but should keep you glued during the first few months... Watch out for the Kevins, give me your opinion Poot.

10. Kevin Love
9. Kevin Martin
8. Greg Oden
6. Jerryd Bayless
5. Dwyane Wade
4. OJ Mayo
3. Adam Morrison
2. Kevin Durant
1. Monta Ellis

-Can someone with technical expertise stretch the banner... maybe he who's name i refuse to utter... oh and regarding that same person, Tyler Thigpen Kansas City's 3rd string QB is playing and is cheap, i would suggest picking him up, he looks great.

Odds And Ends

Things that have been on my mind over the last couple weeks...

*USC could perform quite well in the NFC West.

*Patrick Willis is a man, the rest of the NFL are boys.

*My Top 10 Players To Watch This NBA Season (not based on skill, just who I'd switch the channel to watch).

10. J.R. Smith
9. Rajon Rando
8. Jamaal Tinsley (when healthy)
7. Dwight Howard
6. Monta Ellis
5. Gilbert Arenas
4. Jose Calderon
3. Lebron James
2. Gerald Wallace
1. Josh Smith

*At this point, I think I'd rather watch Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN 2 than any MLB game.

*It looks like the Pacers are stuck with Jamaal Tinsley according to ESPN experts. If by stuck, you mean having the most creative point guard of the last 10 years, than yes, they are stuck.

America's Team

Well, those fortunate enough to watch Monday Night Football, and there apparently were a lot of us, were in for a treat. It was a high scoring, back 'n' forth, nail biter, that featured plays both brilliant and boneheaded, and ultimately resulted in the good guys wining! Dallas is looking quite good this year, keeping their biggest weapons from last year and adding some new ones. Additionally, bringing in Adam 'No longer Pacman' Jones, who's only been arrested a few times and involved in just ONE shooting, should improve the team's sometimes questionable image.



This game was particularly interesting for me since I literally had over half my fantasy roster playing in the game (in retrospect I probably should have dropped the Eagles D, although it did make it a little easier to handle Romo handing the Eagles the ball in the end zone). Of course the play of the night belonged to Mr. Jackson. What's stupider than negating your FIRST NFL touchdown by throwing away the ball at the 1 yard line in a premature celebration? Doing it for the second time in your career! The best part is that Westbrook scored the TD on the next play, so instead of sharing the TD fantasy points with Alex, I got them by myself. My plan of crushing Alex's fantasy football spirit (which involved a seacret trip to Argentina, in order spy on him while he chose his picks and declared his favorite player) is well under way!

A Letter to Nasa

Dear Nasa,

An employee of yours who goes by the initials MP, wrote me 1 year and 3 months ago asking me to fill out a form rating his "trust" and background credibility. At the time, it had been 4 years since he had maliciously blocked one of my diving board trick shots, 3 since he had denied me a Dr. Pepper at his house (forcing me to bring my own 6 pack of Pepsi over), and 2 since he had won the Sportingnews basic fantasy league by stealing my players. Well, to tell you the truth, i haven't seen the guy in a while, and when he suggested doing the league again I couldn't refuse a good old fashioned mano y mano showdown... To my surprise today your employee had Darren McFadden along with receiver Deshaun Jackson starring in his line-up which continues his master plan of basic fantasy dominance. As follows: pick 2 of Alex's best players, one of them being his favorite, thus destroying his morale, and keeping him from gaining any ground on his Tony Romo star-studded squad... Nasa, I just want you to know I am revoking my competitive faith in this man because it has been 4 times too many that my players mysteriously end up on his team. I have decided to put my faith in my house-mate Ryan, half man, half boy, half genius, whose soul mission is to take down this ruthless fantasy pirate.

Sincerely,
Pooty Love

Sportingnews

-Farewell Daunte Culpepper. Your exploits on the field for you last two teams, Oakland and Miami, have gone by the way side, but you will still always be in our hearts for that amazing season in Minnesota when you threw for 4000 yards and helped keep Chris Carter and Randy Moss the best receiving combo to ever play. I think we can all agree that the constant usage of the his trademark 'rollin' hand gesture may have been the karma that caused the knee injuries/inability to come back after forgettable seasons in Miami. Thank you Daunte, Poot's World Salutes you from the confines of the Wakeman household circa year 2000.

- I read a trade proposal on ballhype this morning, Tinsley for Harrington which puzzled yet made me curious to how that would work. Tinsley is one of the PG's I have never seen enough of to know if he is actually done from injury or he can play again, but getting rid of harrington in the new era warriors could be ok, would tinsley give any type of baron presence? poot's... world... radio topic please.

-Sportingnews, the site that has never been seen other than for gambling addicts, Poot, and Mike and I, when basic fantasy calls. Only three trades per season this year! ? uhh, well I guess that means i am counting on Kansas City's D and Randy Moss to cancel each other out.

-Monta talk continues. Abrahsions on leg near site of injury. Monta if 4x4'ing is involved i am not going to be pleased. On a better note Mr. Turiaf likes going to restraunts and is good at "having fun". Ronny we know you are sad about leaving Kobe, but if you gel with this team considering all the spectacular plays that go on every given night, there hopefully will be a higher ratio of dance on sideline to minutes on floor rate which will keep us all happy in spite of the Lakers loss. We'll keep a chart as the year goes on, hopefully along with marcus williams' Assist to Turnover ratio.

I'M BACK!!!!

After a depressingly abysmal conclusion to the NBA finals, I was so embarrassed to live in LA that I was forced to spend the last few months in solitary mediation in a Buddhist temple in highest reaches of Tibet, reflecting on how my inaccurate predictions had tarnished our noble blog and let down our, what must be millions of, readers. But atlas, before I achieved total Enlightenment, I sensed that once again my blogmates needed me. For who else could deliver what promises to be a somewhat shoddy and clearly biased prediction of the Dallas Cowboys' success in the NFC? Well probably either James Owen or Kyle Robinson, but I came back anyways!

My Dallas preview will come shortly, but first there are more pressing matters. In memory of the epic battles of the past, we must once again enter the arena of Salary Cap Fantasy Football! Highlights of those fierce competitions include:

-Alex using all his trades up in first 4 weeks
-Kelsey creating a team and then apparently never even looking at it again
-Nathan clearly not caring nearly as much as Alex and I about our stupid little league, but still doing better than us
-Alex weekly accusing me of copying his players
-The Raging Scallions riding on the shoulders of Peyton Manning and Priest Holmes to victory!

I created a league on SportingNews.com but you guys have precious little time. I emailed you invitations, but in case I used the wrong email addresses, the league is "Poot's World" and the password is "Pooty".

P.S. Nate, I look forward to more "KPOOT Radio: All Pooty, All the Time"!

Efficiency At It's Highest?

How good were the Boston Celtics during the 2007-2008 NBA season? I got to thinking this question when I looked through some of the most efficient games in the last 22 years. Only 3 teams have been able to shoot better than 55% from the field, 70% from downtown, and 100% from the line. Ladies and gentleman I present to you the 2008 TORONTO RAPTORS? Yes, one of the greatest offensive performances in NBA history had Andrea Bargnani, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon in the starting lineup. What blows my mind even more than this is that the Boston Celtics only lost by 2! The only other 2 times a team was this efficient were in 1994, and 1990 with the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks respectively, and they won by an average of 26 points.




More from me after I watch this game with my own eyes...

1st Quarter:

-Oh this might make some sense, first Raptors possession is a turnover. Not taking shots that eventually miss will help out the percentages in the long run.

-Having not looked at Calderon carefully last year, I can't help but notice how the ball is on a string for this guy. Easy to see why he led the league in assist to turnover ratio. Also, Raptors start game going 5-5 from the field. That'll help the efficiency. TURNOVERS! JESUS CHRIST!

-Its funny, when the Raptors do hit baskets, it is absolutely nothing but net. Splash homies, they haven't even touched the rim.

2nd Quarter:

-I don't know why I didn't check the turnover numbers for Toronto, but that sure explains a lot. Tony Allen nails two shots and Ginger Scally is in the game. Looks like they didn't care at this point of the season.

-Raptors in a slump, down by 10. They must turn it up in second half. Sorry for skipping over Raptors free throws, I know they go 100%.

-A majority of their shots hit are not good shots. They'll dribble drive from well outside the arc and pull up from about 17 feet for a tough fadeaway. They are still going in.

-15-2 run near the end of the half. Calderon is the man, and Parker is on fire hitting from everywhere. 57-55 Raps at the half.

3rd and 4th Quarters:

-Well as it turns out, heavy turnovers + never missing a shot equals the most "efficient" game of all time. It's amazing how it was so unimpressive to accomplish something so amazing. Also, shows how gravy Boston was last year to just barely lose.