BJ tatted on my forearm

Teams I will be watching- Warriors, Bucks, Thunder

Did Tyreke Evans get picked three times in this video?

Pooty!

Poot... it is amazing to hear that you will be coming to Southern California in September... What kind of teaching job could be in the works? I unfortunately will be in Boonville in September... is there anyway you could find a way to come north?

Summer League-

-Very pleased with the Warriors squad... Anthony Randolph, SL MVP is spectacular... I can't believe how much he has grown since the end of last season. I wager that this season or next he will have the best dunk of the modern era...

-Still hurting over the Curry pick-up over Jennings.... Jennings to Randolph/Monta/Jackson/Everyone else would have been a joy. Curry needs the ball way too much, and that is absolutely the last thing there is to go around on this team. Don't get me wrong, he is talented and will provide some excitement, but we didn't need another scorer, and his efficiency certainly doesn't provide enough to make up for it. On the other hand, the bucks are looking like they could be a fun young team to watch... Amir Johnson, Joe Alexander and Jennings is a great young core of talents, who will make for some appearances on Sportscenter. I also like Jodie Meeks playing behind gunner Michael Redd.

Summertime Ft. D.J. Jazzy Jeff

-It's more than halfway through this summer and my impending trip to southern California looms large on September 19th. Hopefully I can stay longer than a couple days but that might not be the case in the event that a teaching job is received during the final couple weeks of August. Either way, can't wait to see you both, even if it is for a short period of time.

-Pretty sure you guys have already reached this point....but MLB has truly lost its luster for me. Complete disinterest, even with my beloved A's. If they go on their typical August tear, my allegiances will still fall with Summer League ball on nba.com and the start of the European soccer league seasons in England, Spain and Italy. I can't quite pinpoint the exact reason as to why my interest has faded so dramatically. Perhaps it lies in the sheer amount of man-hours required to make it through a 162 game season or the frequent lulls in the action. It says something that a VERY patient person like myself (teaching kids) can't sit through more than a half inning before flipping to Deadliest Catch or Reno 911.

-Got to observe a couple T. Hansborough games during Summer League and I was a little surprised to see the numbers he was able to put up with ease, albeit in SUMMER LEAGUE. Bayless teased me last summer, so I'll withhold judgement until November. It's looking like he'll see about 20 minutes a game providing foul trouble relief from either Jeff Foster or Roy Hibbert (who is just as gangsta as he wants to be....Spice 1). Along the Pacer lines, I've spent a couple of hours reviewing advanced Pacers stats from last season and this season should show a few improvements. For details, explore this place for a bit.

-Boston's defensive efficiency rating is out of this world and Rasheed Wallace is only going to make it better. Look out for them boys next year, but that's it...as age is sure to set in during 2010-2011.

Episode VI: Return of the Poot

Sorry I've been away for such a long time.  It's not that all of my extra time has been spent watching the playoffs, I've been working on my Civil War class which is now finally done FOREVER.  That also means that I am officially a certified teacher. Look out kids!  Here are my more poignant thoughts on the 2009 NBA Playoffs.

-The Atlanta Hawks have really impressed me over the last two years.  Losing to a dominant Boston and Cleveland team is nothing to be ashamed of, and with any luck of the draw next year, they could be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.  I wish that Joe Johnson had more of a defined role. Reminds me a little of Rashard Lewis, in that you aren't really sure what you are going to get out of him on a nightly basis. "I'm a SCORER TONITE! Never mind, I feel like playing lockdown perimeter D and rebounding." 

-Every year I continue to hate the Lakers more and more.  Pretty sure that I pinpointed the reason during the Houston series. Just about every Laker throws on that "I'm god's gift to the earth" look on their face after every made basket. Or they are bitching their ass of to the ref and have the "pouty" face on. PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE ONCE IN A WHILE!! You are playing a game and it is supposed to be fun isn't it?

-The Baseline blog on Sporting News has been KILLING since their startup right before the playoffs.  Well, actually Shoals has been killing it.  Pretty sure he is my new favorite "author" ever.

-Sad to see Kevin Garnett's from this year's playoffs.  Big Baby is highly annoying and I've never enjoyed watching him, including LSU days. And I CANNOT for the life of me figure out why I don't like his game being that he reminds me a little of ME.

-Bulls-Celtics epic series did not turn me on as much as the mainstream media. Simply for the reason that it was a 2-7 matchup with key stars injured.  That is all except for the 57 OT game.

-Kobe Bryant holds on to the ball for about 40% of the Laker's possessions.  That means about half the time the Lakers have the ball, the other 4 players are doing just about nothing except spotting up for an inevitable wide open jumper or a quick jog back to the defensive end.  How does that NOT save a ton of energy.  No wonder Ariza, Fisher, Odom and Bynum play phenomenal defense on the other end. That's pretty much all they have to worry about....and hitting WIDE OPEN jumpers.

-Hoping to throw some thoughts on paper regarding the upcoming Draft in the next few days, keep your eye on the blog.

Pray Break

I'd say Poot's World is entering the Matt Millen Detroit Lions era circa 2002. We don't quite know when we're gonna get out this funk, but maybe this summer we can pick up a draft pick that will send us to the top. Mike, the Birdman, Pugh just got busted for a Schedule 1, and will be gone for 2 years, and Poot, well... Poot will be standing trial at the supreme court for HGH next month. As for me... I heard the Warriors wanted AK-47 and Steve Nash this off-season... I'm hanging it up boys...

I hope the Matt Millen comparison doesn't relate to what I want to say, but yes folks, today is a great day to be a fan of a bad team in the NBA,. While the conference finals are seeing fan-boys pop up over the globe, and Vince McMahon and the Denver Nuggets are set for a steel cage match during halftime of Game 4, we are given the pleasure to spectate into the future of our miscreant franchises. The Lottery will take place (the one which doesn't involve people getting stoned to death), and my hopes are up, as I'm sure your guy's are, that the the long breath that lasts between the opening of envelopes 9-7 will not hear the Golden State Warriors name be called; Rather, one of those fateful 4 ping-pong balls will land in the 1,2, or 3 spot, and a franchise will be rocketed to blog stardom for the next 1.5 months. I have studying to do, but here are my thoughts...

1. Blakey
Would be pumped, we have a hole at Power Forward for an explosive beast around the bucket. Could you imagine an AB, AR, and Blake Griffin front court? My genitalea are trembling...

2. Rickey
What would be better than a Rick Rubey Monta back court? First, getting to see if Rubio's stellar defense is what it has been prophesized, since he would be guarding the best point guards in the world on a daily basis. I'm on the fence between Brandon Jennings and Rubio, but that's the beauty of being slated at 7 right? Ricky's gonna be something special but the last white lottery pick I said that about was Adam Morrison.

3. Hasheem Thabeet
Wait... Did I say I wanted to get the 3rd ping-pong ball?


If my Warriors don't get what they deserve... my hopes heavily rest on the OKC Thunder's chances. What if this team got Blakey? Maybe James Harden could move KD to SF and Green to PF? 2nd fav team in the league for sure.

Well let's take a break out of our day to cross our fingers, light some incense, and rub Poot's belly. Today is what makes franchises boys....

No Good When Working

Have to apologize for the frequency of postings. As the amount of classwork/regular work increases, the amount of free time left spent on a computer diminishes to about 5 minutes a day. And of course those 5 minutes are spent updating myself on the newest Yo Gotti tracks or finding out if Kevin Pelton has found out the secret to advanced basketball statistics. Fear not ladies and gentlemen, the playoffs are here and I foresee that the frequency will again rise for the next couple of months. Quality will go probably go down, but who am I kidding, it never was that high in the first place. After one complete season of a League Pass subscription, my regular season awards as follows, with no explanations...

Rookie of the Year:

Sixth Man:

Defensive Player of the Year:






















Most Improved Player:


































Coach of the Year:























MVP:

Inspiration

This will be short and sweet because i have to get to class, but reading Ball Don't Lie's power rankings this morning, jump-started my day with a rallying-cry I thought no-one in warriors nation, besides myself, was getting behind these days. While that statement may seem a little narcissistic, just rack your brain for the Warriors headlines these days... Team falling apart, Management in Shambles, Don Nelson is Crazy... Well, thanks to a streamlined and thoughtful weekly Rankings by Kelly Dwyer, I was happily able to read this over my morning coffee.

24. Golden State Warriors - The worst part about this sad, pathetic, pointless mess? This team is so, so fun to watch. They have legitimate talent, and a good GM and good coach could take this kernel and do great things with it. To say nothing of possibly the best local play-by-play team in the NBA covering things, and an All-Star fan base. Sad, sad, sad.

So many correct things in one small paragraph, (minus the fact Chris Mullin will be gone next year). Jim Barnett and Bob Fitzgerald are the best play by play team in the league, they are absolutely loaded with young talent, arguably more than Portland and Memphis, and they have a coach who will be the all-time winningnest next year... Can I say more?

The Mystery Of Findlay Prep

About a week ago, ESPN hosted a tournament where the Top 8 high school teams from across the country competed in a 3 day event to see who was the "National Champion." I was completely unaware of this due to my 55 hour work week during the games but received word from a friend that Findlay Prep School upset Oak Hill Academy to take home the top honors and the title of "NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!" This lead to a research session between my friend and myself for information on this mysterious school in Henderson, Nevada. Our findings are as follows...

-Findlay Prep was founded 3 years ago as a college preparation high school. This year was its first as a regular high school, which means that no one on the team is eligible for a 5th year of basketball.

-The first thing that struck me as I opened up the school's website was its complete devotion to the basketball team. There is a brief "Mission Statement" about the school in the bottom right hand side of the website. Other than that, the school seemed to revolve completely around its basketball team. Don't get me wrong, everyone and their mother is aware of the fact that Oak Hill is first and foremost a basketball school, but at least their site pretends to have some sort of academic intent and create the "student-athlete ideal." I even had to click on 3 links before getting to their basketball team's website. Findlay on the other hand, has no mention of classes, curriculum, field trips, student organizations etc.

-Coming from a purely basketball standpoint, I was surprised that Findlay's team consisted of only 8 players. Strange as that may sound, looking at the team's stats for the year showed that 1 of their players only played 5 total games. Albeit he averaged 11 ppg during his brief stint, but most of Findlay's season was played with only 7 basketball players. Listening carefully to the ESPN recap of the game, you'll notice that the announcer says that all 8 players are Division 1 recruits. Not a bad set of individuals to have on "campus."

-The school's website raised quite a few questions, so I continued my research on Youtube where I found an 8 minute documentary on this team's season. My favorite part of this episode was at the 1:30 mark, where the campus map shows signs for the school's Gym, Fields, Athletic Office, Campus Center, and Cafe. No directions to classrooms of any sort, or anything academically related. It's food, fields, and basketball courts my friends. The coach is interviewed during this piece and did shed some light on possible scholastic endevours that these 8 individuals take part in. Apparently, Findlay is loosly associated with The Henderson International School, a private school that costs approximately $17,000 a year to attend. The coach (who ironically looks like a pre-pubescent John Calapari, only increasing his "shadiness factor") mentioned that the players are "integrated" into the Henderson School for classes. I checked out the school's financial aid page and it stated that "funds for financial aid are very limited." Translated: "The only students that recieve financial aid at Henderson are 8 students...chosen at random." The documentary also mentions a couple other fun facts, including the extreme difficulty of practice. Yes that makes sense, considering the coach can't even run a full 5 on 5 scrimmage! The documentary states that it is Episode 1, but we couldn't find an Episode 2, only a preview of it.

-More searching in the archives of Youtube unearthed this gem. It takes the viewer into the living situation of the 8 members of the basketball team. They all eat, sleep and live under the same roof with the Assistant Coach playing the role of father/mother. Not sure, but that sounds like some sort of NCAA rules violation. Especially after hearing that all 8 of these players were "hand picked from all over the world."

-Fun little video Findlay made a couple of years eariler based on my favorite Nike Basketball campaign. Notice that the team is only slightly bigger in size, and that all the players are sporting a variety of accents from all over the globe.

So what does all of this say about the supposed "monumental upset" of Oak Hill Academy? It wasn't an upset at all! These guys were bred to be star prep basketball players and in no way could you call this game a "David vs. Golaith" matchup. Please take into account that I did not write this piece out of any sort of jealousy or to start any sort of contravorsy. I don't think that Findlay is some sort of morally corrupt school that breeds future D1 recruits who bring down the "student athlete" montra. Hell, I would have loved to have gone to this school had I not been lacking in additional height and basketball talent. It just seems that something slightly shady might be going on in the outskirts of Las Vegas. To be honest, my friend Brekke and I spent most of our time laughing over AOL Messenger at all of the sites visited and videos watched. It was a fun way for me to spend my morning avoiding my Civil War Independent Study class. Special thanks to Brekke by the way, couldn't have done this without you mentioning Oak Hill's loss.

Weekend in Review + Weekend in Preview

-Not much beats the first couple days of March Madness in your typical college basketball season. I guess this year veered away from the normal buzzer beating upsets that we are used to on Weekend 1. Can't complain, there were a few upsets here and there, but nothing truly inspirational such as the U of Florida wins of old, or the Valpo experience of B. Drew. Seeing Wake Forest lose was a slight turn on, but it lacked character and ESPNClassicability. No mention of brackets as far as "MY BRACKET SUCKS," or things of that nature, as the novelty has truly worn off for me. It's for the love of the game folks.

-Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill are on my watch list for their game against Louisville. They will truly have to take over if Arizona hopes for a win against the ridiculously deep Patino squad. Chase continues to climb the draft board daily? Afraid he may be another Joe Alexander? Not I said the fly. His utterly unflappable midrange game will translate well in the league and he will learn quickly that a little effort will be required to create space for an open shot, something missing from the college game. No worries though, "Athlete Budinger" has not been released. October 2009.

-2 seeds losing to 3 seeds is not considered an upset in my book. So will any of the 1 seeds be upset this weekend? In an ideal west coast world (a world we should strive harder to create in the midwest) Gonzaga and Arizona would pull off the shockers. Sadly, my beliefs are that Connecticut and Pitt. will be the 1 seeds catching the Final 4 omission. Good luck to all.....and BIG NEWS coming in a day or two. 

Obama's Flaw

-I don't know if you guys got to check out Obama's bracket on ESPN, but there is only one west coast team coming out of the first round! What a biased dude.

-This article by Dan Wetzel hits home. I picked USC to win it all last year too, and was met with OJ Mayo not doing shit against K-State, Bill Walker looking like MJ, and Beasley eating it up. Why didn't that team with Taj, OJ, and Davon not do it way bigger?

THE MADNESS BEGINS TOMORROW!!!!!

Big East Butt-Licking

The word around the block this week has been surrounding the superiority of the Big East Conference this year. Some analysts have even gone as far as to say that this is the greatest conference at any point during the era of a 64 team bracket. Under no circumstances can I agree with these statements and a majority of that has to do with the amount of NBA talent created by teams in particular conference. Other than Thabeet and Flynn, the Big East is hardly a place frequented by NBA scouts on their travels around the country. A few good potential role players lie in the midst (Wes Matthews and Terrence Williams) but the true talent lies in a somewhat weak freshman class spread evenly throughout the country. Quite often, the Pac-10 is able to pile up on "1 and done" talent, but this year proved to be somewhat disappointing. And with the continual coaching problems at Arizona, it doesn't look good in future years for McDonald's talent out west. Back to the Big East, we see that coaches have worked on recruiting middle class talent that won't bolt for the NBA after freshman seasons. While these experienced players provide a solid foundation for tournament success, we don't see the type of supreme talent found during the era of Patrick Ewing or Zo Mourning staying for at least 3 seasons. Personally, I find the "1 and done" teams much more entertaining in that we are able to watch the best basketball talent offered in our country. More athletes, better shooters, NBA bodies etc... I'll even follow players to Europe if I have to (Brandon Jennings) see NBA quality material. Until they are able to garnish teams with the nation's top high schoolers, this Big East butt-licking needs to stop folks. On a somewhat unrelated note, look out for Memphis next year. The inevitable loss of Tyreke Evans to the league will be cured by 4 incoming freshman. Three of them are ranked in the Top 10 and McDonald's All-Americans and the other is ranked in the Top 25. Possible Fab Four?


*****************************Poot's World Bracket Challenge****************************

^^^^^^^THIS ONES FOR YOU MICHAEL!^^^^^^^^

And for both of you....Remember Smilez and Southstar? Well you sure as hell should, and you NEED to listen to this.

Erection Sunday

Welcome Trojans, to the big dance. It's time for Demar Derozen to showcase his freakish athleticism and pole vault his way up to the Top 5 in this June's draft again. Here's to hoping the selection committee realizes that St. Mary's didn't have their best player for the past 6 weeks and still rolled out an overall 25-6 record. And of course let's not forget there were still some pretty phenomenal NBA games on the schedule to go along with the matriculation into March Madness.

-Duke seems to have locked down a 2 seed with this advancement deep into the ACC tourney. As usual, I like them to make it to the Sweet 16 and promptly lose in a moderate upset. Really haven't spent much time watching this team, but they seem to have the tendencies of a team too reliant on their 3 point shooting to make it far in March.

-Pacers continue to amaze me with their ineptness versus inept basketball teams. Tall, slow, good-shooting Euros continue to pose the most problem to their defense and I can't seem to figure out why. Lebron comes to town and is held in check (as much as you can with LBJ) but Mehmet Okur, Danillo Gellardo and at this very moment, A. Bargnani are cutting through this team with the effectiveness of Kobe Bryant. Does Jim O'Brien just tell his players to give up and let these guys beat them and stop all other scoring threats? Why do Jeff Foster and Troy Murphy possess the necessary skills to hold Yao Ming to 5-14 shooting but Okur drops 43? At this very moment, Indiana is down 19 to the Raptors. Danny Granger has returned but his +- is currently a -19.

-Just watched Mississippi St. beat Tennessee in the SEC Tournament finals. Another bubble goes POP! If the selection committee is thinking with their heads on straight, it'll be a Big 10 squad. How many years of the 2nd-7th ranked Big 10 teams exiting after the first weekend of March Madness will it take before they stop inviting them?

-Speaking of Big 10 basketball, Purdue is about to tip off against Ohio St. Any feelings on Robbie Hummel's potential as an NBA prospect. As much as I hate the conference's style of play, I could see this guy being an integral cog in a future playoff team. He rebounds and defends well along with his dead eye range. Can't argue with that Shane Battier, or James Posey.

-Only one complaint for the selection committee this year....St. Mary's in over Wisconsin. That's right, I'm backstabbing my own alma mater. By far, this had to have been the worst season for me to get season tickets to the Badgers, and I still regret the decision to this day. Incredibly boring team to watch play on both ends of the floor with the most stagnant offense created by man and a brutal "beat the living shit out of the other team" defense. The real cherry on the cake is their cakewalk of a schedule through the overrated Big 10 regular season and a less then impressive non-conference schedule. When they did schedule good teams, (UCONN and Texas) they were supremely outclassed. Arizona was allowed into the tournament on NBA talent alone in my opinion. If you seeded based on lottery selections in next year's draft, Arizona would have been a 1 seed. Can't deny talent.

-Poot's World Bracket Challenge...All are welcome to join.

On the Bubble

* The moment we've all been waiting for: Mark Cuban's All-Stars

* Didn't know if either of you got to catch the playoff '07 rematch earlier tonight, but the Warriors just lit the Mavs up as electrifyingly as when Baron did it 2 years ago. Look at the NBA.com video.

*Syracuse vs. Connecticut last night... I watched the 1st half and half time, went to a 3 hr basketball tourney and came back at the start of the 6th OT. It is the first time, as Jonny Flinn puts it, that a Big East Tourney game just really didn't matter , everyone was just over it.

*Poot: -- Nets Center Sean Williams plans to spend his summer working out with Amare Stoudemire and Chris Bosh. The ultra-talented second-year player spent eight games with Colorado's 14ers before being returning to the Nets. Teammates and coaches have noticed a difference in Williams since his return. Williams is more accepting of his role and has devoted himself to practice. Traveling in buses after being pampered by charter flights and $100 per diems tends to have that affect on young players. Williams possesses a boatload of potential. Let's hope his stint in the D-League was the wakeup call he needed. As far as role models for big men are concerned, I can't think of anyone better than Bosh.

*This is just too much

Brain Stir

-Hard to agree with a couple of choices on that mock draft you gave to us Alex. First off, can't stand Willie Warren going at number 14. The guy is entirely too raw and in my personal opinion, is not at all ready to step in as an NBA point guard. Ever. Same thing goes for Jrue Holiday, unless he is drafted as a shooting guard. Love the idea of the Warriors rolling out a Jennings-Ellis backcourt next year and for years to come. Yes they would be slightly undersized, but the thrilling pace at which they could play at with a Randolph/Biedrens frontline along with Maggete/Jackson/"insert one of the G.S. SF's here" is enough to make a person salivate. Seriously, the Warriors need to look in to locking up him or Rubio. Great things could happen. On that Bay Area note, listened to a KNBR talk show this afternoon with Ralph and Tom Tolbert. Tom was saying that the Warriors lack a STAR player. He went through all the top teams in the West and noted one or 2 players on each team that were better than any 1 Warrior player. Ralph argued that Monta is better than Roy, which was slightly "Chris Bridges" and I'd have to side with Tom's point. They need at least one star.

-People have been jumping all over this Rudy/Ariza play. I was more pissed off at the fact that Ariza showed no remorse. The play wasn't dirty, but it was damn reckless and stupid. 

-Man from the Eagles got fired last week for posting on his facebook that they were "retarded" for cutting Dawkins. While he might have a point, how stupid must this guy be?

-Had the complete and utter honor of watching this game live last night. Reminded my why I bought League Pass and why I still love watching basketball.

Quckie

Look at #8

Yes... my thoughts exactly Sportingnews.com. Despite having a rigged fantasy football contest, I can see you still maintain some wisdom.

HUGE NEWS!! And some sad news

Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I have huge news I have to share with you. Check this out. That's right, you can see our driveway on google maps street view! The entire Mountain View Road apparently has street view now. Other than people that actually live on Mt. View Rd and think it's cool to look at the road they already know, I don't know what use this would be to anyone...I guess someone driving from Point Arena to Boonville could plan out what pullouts they are going to stop at to take a piss.

I did find one more use for it though. I was able to locate the historical site of the best tire swing ever! And maybe it's like identifying Big Foot in a photo, but I swear you can see the ropes still hanging there....what do you guys think?



On a sadder note, Iggy, the official mascot of Poot's World, passed away yesterday. He was at home with my parents and brother, and apparently he'd been progressively acting sicker the last couple weeks. He will be missed, but I'm sure he's in birdy heaven right now...attacking Jesus's ear.

When I Put On A Shoooooooow...

Couldn't help but throw together a quick Poot's World show on a Saturday night. Had some things running through my head but they never really made it on to the cast. Part of me thinks I should throw a couple ideas on to paper before I flip on the mic and just spew my random thoughts. Might make for a MUCH more interesting listen, or if I could have Alex or Mike join in via SKYPE....who knows.

Episode 4: Brain Stir

Should explain the reasoning for putting a Brittany Spears song on the show....TNT killed it on the All-Star Saturday Night Festivities with this intro...

Things Are Looking Up...

-Golden State played a nail-biter with the Lakers on Wednesday night. The dubs were up through the first 3 until the Lakers locked it down and gave it to their best. I distinctly remember saying that this was Anthony Randolph's best game as a pro, and now reviewing after the fact, it most certainly was. I also pointed out the similarities between the frame and games of Lamar Odom and Randolph, with Lamar obviously being way more experienced, yet out being out- played 2x in particular when AR went over the back of him to get a vicious put-back jam, and another time when AR sat on his back after grabbing a board. Odom's quote after the game:

"It's like looking in the mirror a little," Odom said of Randolph. "He's also 6-11, he's left-handed and he can put the ball on the floor. He's two times as athletic as I was at that age.

"He should set his goals high. He has All-Star potential, Hall of Fame potential, with that size, his ability to put the ball on the floor, he can shoot the three, he can pass. If he stays focused, the sky is the limit for him."

I've given Anthony Randolph shit since the season began, but if he can 1. learn the game, and 2. get a decent jumpshot, he could be out of this world. A fiery competitor to the likes of KG, with a ludicrous handle, and an appetite for boards.

-This article on Shane Battier is awesome.

-We are losing a lot of superstars. Al Jefferson, Amare, Andrew Bynum, Granger, Garnett, Jameer Nelson, and Ginobli... Bummer

-Trade deadline sure had a lot of hype before it, with my fallus fluttering undoubtedly the most with the Salmons to Chicago trade. Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox to New York is a snore, and the same with Rafer, worst starting point guard in the league, Alston to Orlando. The Jermaine O'Neal story is now just starting to get sadder, while Shawn Marrion remains as nostalgic about '05 as anyone. All and All I read a hefty daily amount of Realgm.com for nothing.

All-Star Results

Kind of a buzz kill of an All-Star weekend in my opinion. The one thing I wanted NOT to happen (Nate Robinson winning) did happen and the actual game itself was a moderate blowout. Is was nice to see both teams trying pretty hard up until the last couple minutes, a rarity in all other professional sports. There were a couple of major high points that need to be voiced in video form including Shaq's phenomenal introduction dance and Lebron announcing that he is entering his name in for the 2010 dunk contest. I wish I had video footage of this from my DVR...Lebron throws it off the glass for a two handed dunk and his nose is literally at the rim. Its one of those moments where you honestly cannot believe what you are witnessing. If he could just get a little creative in the air, the contest is his to lose. Part of me believes that he is capable of creativity, but has been holding out for all these years in hope of putting on one of the greater P.R. stunts in recent NBA history.

All Star Predictions

Being that a majority of the festivities take place on Valentine's night, I will not be able to watch the 3pt Shootout and Dunk Contest. Or for that matter, I think I have to work during the H-O-R-S-E competition. So why not make predictions on the events that I can't view...

HORSE: Not sure what to expect with this bad boy of a new event. Love the way Joe Johnson operates on the basketball court so I'm going to roll with him. I'm also going to put it out there that this event is going to be uneventful, boring and uninteresting. Go JOE!

Skills Competition: Devin Harris is the only one that will give a crap about this event so I'm giving the torch to the Wisconsin native. Also, visited his hometown last weekend and the town is completely up in arms about Devin's All-Star weekend debut. Well, on second thought...

3pt Shootout: Of course you know I'm going to be jumping on the Granger bandwagon in this competition. His line drive laser shot will need to catch fire, which of course it will slipping through the first round. Semi's and finals will be dominated by this year's most improved player.

Dunk Contest: ANYBODY BUT NATE ROBINSON, ANYONE BUT NATE ROBINSON!!!! So sick of little men getting major props for doing what would be considered a simple dunk for someone above the height of 6'5. Why not just have an event that measures vertical jumps and crown a winner. J.R. SMITH biatches! He's creative, has mad hops, and finishes with authority. Can't ask for much more. Plus his behind the back dunk 2 years ago did not get proper recognition in the dunk contest world.

Feb 19

Thanks Poot for keeping the World turning.

Huge trade scenarios being put forth as Feb 19 deadline looms. Amare is the focal point

Amare to: Warriors, Heat, Pistons, any other team under the Sun!

Warriors: I love Amare, but I love Biedrins and Monta more. They're not going to land him anyway, but there insistence to shop these 2 puts a cloud over my otherwise sunny day.

Heat: Your'e looking at Carlos Boozer next year if they don't land Amare now... I would go with the latter. Apparently Kerr doesn't want Marion or Beasely, which are the two biggest pawns, hence, we're not going to see Amare setting over Wade County anytime soon.

Bulls: Could go down seeing as for some reason the Suns want Tyrus Thomas and Kirk Hinrich out of it. Thow in Sefalosha and you get an absolute steal for Chicago.

Grizzlies: Gay, Gasol, Conley, whoever else besides OJ. Amare and Mayo would be unstoppable! By the way OJ lead the league in rebounding the few nights with a total of 16 tied with Okafor!

Detroit: If you could get Rasheed Wallace and a Jason Maxiell/Amir Johnson, I say go ahead. You would have 2 expiring contracts with Amare and Iverson next year, hopefully re-signing the former and having a solid nucleus of Stuckey, Rip and Amare to work around.

Vince Carter to San Antonio - Would provide another wounded dog Michael Finley presence but with substantially more fire-power. Looking to deal Roger Mason, another Bruce Bowen we may have to deal with for the next 5 years, would nix this one though

The Quest For "G"

Never was as big of a fan of Monty Python as the other two writers of this blog, but I thought this 9 minute spoof on The Holy Grail by Gatorade was pretty freaking hilarious. Alex, I hope you don't have to worry about dial up internet anymore, or else this could be a bitch to load. List of cast members...

1. Garnett the Glorious
2. Jeter the Gifted
3. Jimmie Johnson the other Gifted
4. Sir bolt the Gutsy
5. Sir bolts pet “Ego”
6. Misty and Keri the 3 legged and 2 headed knight.
7. Alicia the girl that made horse trotting noises.

Listen for Michael Jordan's voice at the very end. Love Usain Bolt's pet Ego.

Pooty Profile: Brook Lopez

Often while watching an NBA game, I find it interesting to focus on one player for 10-15 minutes at a time. Doesn't matter where the ball is or if the player has too much of an impact on the game. This weekend's player happened to be Brook Lopez.

Brook has always fascinated me as a basketball enthusiast. His quirky demeanor,
crazy sounding voice, low post skills and freaky neck hair has often made my eyes wander his way. Offensively, Brook is somewhat of an anomaly. He plays well with his back to the basket setting up on either side of the low post. On most possessions, he is a master of conserving energy (methodical as all hell) until the exact right moment where his body springs into action and he gets ready for an entry pass. After receiving the entry pass, he has an array of moves up his sleeves ranging from a fadaway jumper to a drop step baby hook. This burst of energy usually only lasts 4 seconds at a time. The rest of the shot clock is spent with Brook looking like my grandpa trying to shovel the driveway at 5:30 AM. On some occasions, I noticed him display characteristics to his twin Robin, as he would hound the offensive glass with much longer bursts of energy and he had a couple of put back slams that reminded me of a much nimbler player than the one I had viewed earlier. Defensively, Brook left much to be desired. He was often late helping out on ball screens and his rotation across the lane was boarderline snaillike. His 4 blocks were merely because of his height but I'll give him some props for Brook's timing. Reminded me more of "Tim Duncan blocks" where he more or less outsmarts the offensive player into thinking that the ultra-methodical center will not be able to position himself quickly enough to send the shot in the other direction. Looking back on what I wrote, it sounds like I don't think highly of Lopez. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Part of basketball involves being the oddball of the group. Every player is not the same, and sometimes having a sloth in a horserace can be beneficial. Brook notices openings that might be lost to the quicker players and is able to slip through these openings resulting in a decent fg% and high point total, especially for a rookie. It is yet to be seen if he has the ability to make his teammates better. Ah yes, the unmeasurable big man stat that only Tim Duncan seems to truly pwn other centers at is impossible to see with the naked eye and requires years of analysis. Who knows what the future will hold for the Stanford grad. I don't imagine that he'll win any league MVP's anytime soon like the aformentioned Duncan, but don't put a few all-star appearances beyond Brook
and maybe a career 20ppg 10rbpg 2bl average.

Remember Voshon Lenard?

-Three point threat for the Heat way back in the Pat Riley days. Often lit it up including a memorable 3pt contest victory in 2004. Did I say memorable? Exactly right my people, he came back and destroyed the field hitting 16 points in the final round after a rough start. On wikipedia, it states that Voshon is currently a free agent. That's right NBA GM's, its time to get on the wire and bring this flamethrower back into the league for your playoff push. Celtics? Anyone?

-Does Olimpiakos have the dumbest set of player personnel team assembled? Willing to argue yes based on the fact that there is interest in Stephon Marbury. European teams are particularly notorious for not putting up with "me first" personalities and one would imagine that Steph wouldn't last much longer then a couple weeks before his coach and teammates would be at his throat.

-Chris Paul keeps edging closer to the vaunted quadruple double with 27, 15, 10 and 7 steals. I can't put it into words how much this statline blows my mind. The little one grabs so many boards which I continue to point out has nothing to do with size, and much more with effort.

-Remember this game? Played it a couple times at Aaron Sawyer's house back in the day. Sick, sick find!

-Have you been watching the Basketball Jones Videocast? Love their analysis and humor that they bring to the table most weekday mornings. However, doesn't it it take away from their credibility when seeing them on video? Looks like neither of them have picked up a basketball at any point in their lives.

-Another NBA podcast that has been on my radar recently. The guys at Talk Hoops have one called The Weekly Fix. It's a little long, but pretty funny and a little more explicit then The Jones. Also, looking forward to The Hardwood Paroxysm's Podcast which has yet to be started but has been advertised. They have quite a collection of NBA minds that should blend well for a solid podcast. Not enough hours in the day to listen to all of the things I'd like to.

NBA Draft

Greetings, its your draft specialist Pooty Love, here to break down the mock draft in unfortunately poor fashion due to the lack of college bball i have watched this season. Still some topics of discussion:

1. Blake Griffin - No qualms with Griffin here. He is the premier athlete in the NCAA and will surely succeed once he gets a few go-to moves in the post at the next level.

2. Hasheem Thabeet - Whoever drafts Hasheem here is setting themselves up for disaster... Guarantee he will drop a bunch of spots come July. If one thing can be learned from this decade its draft the best player at whatever spot / not necessarily the one with the most athletic potential, and be VERY weary high using your high pick on a center. Hasheem is far from the answer for a struggling NBA team, is he even killing it at UConn?

3. James Harden - Oh yeah. This guy is the real. Polished, smart and gutsy player who along with a great supporting cast at Ariz St. is tearing it up. OJ Mayoesque ladies and gentlemen, not as athletic, but has got the will to get it done.

4.Jordan Hill - Not sure how Mr. Hill has jumped so far up the draft board. Everytime I watch him at Zona, he is lethargic 80% of the time, and the remaining production are put-backs or alley-oops. Not sold on this athletic big man.

5. Brandon Jennings - If you haven't read PW's world the past few months, this guy is the definition of brilliance. Could do what Jason Williams and Allen Iverson did to re-stylize the NBA. #1 on this Poot's Big Board

---Don't know enough names after this... Budinger is projected too high, Jeff Teague and Wake Forest are on the rise. More to come. Poot, I can't listen to your radioshow, the box is blacked out. Very disappointing.

Monta Countdown - I'll give it 2 weeks

4.

Taking Full Advantage

Happy to see Jerryd Bayless get some action last night against the Nets. He scored 23 points in his Blake-less debut due to a shoulder injury and added 3 boards and assists along with a robust 11-11 at the stripe. The kid was meant to be a serious player in the NBA and its a damn travesty that Maryland's own Blake gets a majority of the play. His consistancy is nice, but Bayless' ability to explode offensively and his sturdy frame and ridiculous quicks providing enough on the defensive end should warrant a spot in the starting rotation. Or at the very least, big minute 6th man. Brandon Roy said this about Bayless.

"He's strong, strong as hell,' Roy said. 'Just play against him and you'll see why he gets there. Tell him to drive on you one time. He puts that body on you ... I mean, I was falling back (going) 'Whoooooa!'' After that happened a couple times in Blazers practices, it struck a chord with Roy. This was not common, he thought. It got him thinking which other players in the NBA posed the same problem when he was guarding them. 'It's the Dwyane Wades that give you that type of problem,' Roy said. 'You look at the young players, it's Rodney Stuckey. Those dudes that get low and power to the basket, those are the toughest to guard. And he has that."

Would have liked to see him grab a couple of steals during his 25 minutes stint, but you can't complain about this monster dunk he threw down....

The Kids We Love

If there was any doubt about a ballplayers age, Ricky Rubio is not the place to start. He looks about 15...maybe? Enjoy the viral vid.....

Booty Star Glock Talk: Central Division

Continuing with our "watchability"review up to this point in the NBA season is everyone's favorite, THE CENTRAL! Beware, a couple of these reviews could be incredibly biased.


Cleveland Cavaliers: The Lebrons always rank high on my watchability index. During my freshman year of college in the dorms of UC Riverside, my doormates would constantly tell me that Lebron was going to be a complete failure in the NBA. I'll continue to stand by my opinion of him turning in to one of the greatest players in NBA history. Of course, I did say the same thing on Johnathan Bender. C'mon, the guy was a 7'1" shooting guard who could slash with and pass with the best of them. His jump shot was butter when left open all the way out to the 3pt line and he boarded like CRAZY! Points per minute were through the roof but his problem was 2 incompetent knees and a couple of untrusting coaches. Jury's still undecided on that one....right? Anyways, besides the obvious draw of Lebron, Mo Williams is fun to watch on the offensive side of the floor and their array of 3pt shooters genetically engineered to compliment Lebron's strengths provide for a GREAT VIEW every time.
Watchability: 9.0


http://www.youcastr.com/casts/archive/nateorious-poots-world-watchability


Decided to get some of my watchability piece on radio. Enjoy, I was tired and couldn't even remember what day of the week it was. Turn down your speakers when listening to the music. ITS WAY TOO LOUD!

Booty Star Glock Talk: Atlantic Division

Having nearly reached the halfway point of this fine NBA season with my equally gorgeous subscription to League Pass, I felt it pertinent to reflect on the games I have been watching and assess the "watchability" of certain teams. Too many factors went into this grading system so I'll just fire out a list and explain the reasons. Take into account that these are incredibly biased reasons for disliking or liking to watch a team play. The scale is from 1-10 with 1 being an automatic channel change and 10 a "locked in and no switching, even during commercial mode."

Boston Celtics: The defending champs are slowly becoming one of the least interesting teams to watch in my opinion. Ray Allen has never been a favorite of mine, and the excessive attempted punking by Pierce and Garnett is just getting annoying. Rondo's all around brilliance and freakishly long arms continue to keep me coming back for more. And the added inscentive to watch the continual growth of Bay Area's Leon Powe.
Watchability: 7.5

New Jersey Nets: Devin Harris is my main draw here for me. Got to meet him a few times during his stint at UW (I even walked into his apartment when he was in nothing but his boxers ;) and the guy is truly a nice person. Very level-headed and not a dick with his star status. Easy to root for him as he ascends to All-Star levels in his newfound role. Having said all this, it is incredibly difficult for one player to bring me to a team's attention. Devin is close, but if he rests, I often switch and just forget the Nets were even on in the first place. Was getting a little ticked off that Sean Williams was never playing, but with his recent D-League struggles, I suppose Frank's reasons were legitimate.
Watchability: 7.0

Philadelphia 76ers: No offense to the major sixer following we have aquired on PW, but I just can't stand watching this team play basketball. All of the parts are in place for me to being a fan of this team. Andre Miller dropping mad dimes, Thad and Dre providing the much needed athletic freaks I so enjoy watching, and a fantasy basketball favorite, Sam Dalembert. Even with the injured Brand, I was continually ticked off by their underachieving nature and the fact that I expect so much more from them leads to the infrequency of view time.
Watchability: 2.5

Toronto Raptors: Another team I should love watching on a daily basis is sinking fast due to my high pre-season expectations. Chris Bosh was easily my favorite player on Team U.S.A. last summer and Jose Calderon's assist to turnover ratio and smooth stroke has always been a huge turn on for this blogger. Maybe its the bitterness at J.O. for always being injured during his tenure with the Pacers, or perhaps its their oft-stagnent offense that should be cutting through defenses around the league like a hot knife through butter. Sad story, but I often change the channel after a couple minutes of watching this team ball. The one thing that pumps them up a couple notches is that they always provide me with a Sunday morning NBA fix with their 11:30 starts when playing at Air Canada Centre.
Watchability: 4.0


New York Knicks: This is one of the few teams I can't stop watching due to one player. Mr. David Lee has me hooked on the Bockers like one of those Blue Magic heroin addicts in American Gangster. He has an incredibly quick first step, finishes in all shapes and styles, runs around on defense like a fiend, and has those springloaded calves, supremely important for grabbing rebounds even after misjudging the ball off the rim. Nate Robinson should be enough to offset my love of Lee, but I do my best to ignore the annoying little bastard. IF he wins the slam dunk contest this year, I might get more angry than last night watching the Lakers-Pacers game.
Watchability: 6.5

Its a New Year

Like the title says, Poot's World is ready for big and better things. Although I am too, entrenched back into the university, my commitment to PW will never wane (except when I succumb to inexplicable laziness).

-My love for Anthony Randolph beginning in July has rapidly decreased with his overall rookie effort through January. I'm not one to rag on a guy for not knowing plays, because 1. An NBA team is not an easy system to incorporate yourself into at such an early age, 2. I never learned plays very fluidly, nor used them even though i was the starting pg under Coach JB, BUT have you ever seen a guy look completely lost on the offensive end, and on the way to huddles have his teammates ignore or reject frustratingly his asking of help? What makes both of those things untolerable is the fact he seems extremely hard-headed which leaves unforeseeable improvement. I'm already tired of the guy and despite his flashes of freakish athleticism, have little hope for his future. I say trade him while he is still hot off the first round pick, along with Maggette, for Gerald Wallace, if Charlotte would do that.

Concerning such a deal for PW's COVETED Gerald Wallace, Matt Steinmetz, my new daily NBA read, lists 10 players who would "fit" Don Nelson's style. . Although I hardly ever disagree with what the man says, this article appauls me. He gives a nod to: Andre Blatche, Andrea Barngani, Tony Allen, YI JIANLIAN, Darko Milicic, Darius Miles, Acie Law, Marquis Daniels, Tyrus Thomas, YET, says this about GW... Gerald Wallace, Charlotte: It’s hard to imagine Wallace coming to the Warriors and making any kind of significant positive impact. He seems like just another player you'll bring in and get marginal results. But he’s Nelson’s kind of power forward, isn’t he? Aside from baller Marquis Daniels, if any of those players were traded to the Warriors, I would proceed to puke my intenstines out. I probably couldn't make a list of NBA players I think suck more than that this set of names in particular, and Gerald Wallace is at the bottom? He works hard as fuck, scores at the power forward position, swats, steals, plays D. I'm waiting for him to come our way but something tells me a much darker force, (aka those names above) may reveal itself in the coming month...

-I haven't gotten to watch Rodney Stuckey in his recent tear, and I am asking myself why I am even saying this, but if I had to pick a PG for the future and it was Rondo or Stuckey, isn't it obvious I would pick Stuckey? Let's see, I can't even fathom the damage a Stuckey run Celtics could deal, whereas, Rondo's role has been so nurtured and perfected within that "Big 3" structure, they have just masterfully made that situation work. They turned an NBA type athlete in Rondo, into a PG that kills it in their system. I know he has a lot of fans, so I won't say much more, but if he was to be in Detroit, I wouldn't see him doing near as much. Just look at the hype surrounding Rondo at Kentucky in '04. Like a deflated baloon.

Brain Stir

-I'm starting to believe I could cut it as a coach in the NBA. Here is my argument.....

Coaching middle school is exactly like coaching in the league in that their are 15 nearly impossible ego's to please and manage on a daily basis. The ultimate goal is to have everyone work together, but more often then not, the stars of each team just end up duking it out. Then it turns into a damage control scene for playing time and figuring out painless explanations to the other 13 egos as to why they just aren't very good. Installing offensive and defensive systems often goes to the wayside during games as 1 on 1 lane clearage takes full effect. Couple in multiple player run ins with the law, scattered drug or sex scandals, and I've got the perfect resume. Sure the age difference is slightly significant, but I'd have to say the elements are there. I am fully aware that my tenure will probably last no longer then a year and am OK with the complete lack of job stability. Sign ME UP!

-I will continue to tell EVERYONE to ease up on NBA betting. I swear Vegas has already watched all of these games and knows exactly where to set the lines. The most enraging part is it always seems to come down to a meaningless foul or layup in the final seconds. Smart peeps they got.

-Watching the USC Rose Bowl victory and they cut to a shot of Taylor Mays just standing their in all of his 1st round draft pick glory. In a room of 3 guys, Brett and Kirk Herbie, we all fell silent for about 10 seconds. Kirk broke the silence with, "It should be illegal to look that good in a football uniform." Couldn't have agreed more. Not only is he one of the brightest young football minds of this defensive generation, but he looks like Terrell Owens warming up in the Under Armor. Only he is in full gear! Lebron and Dwight couldn't even compare to #4.

-It concerns me that Josh Smith only has one game this year with at least 4 steals and 4 blocks. It happened 5 times last year. And no, I'm not taking the injury as an excuse.

-Sad I missed the epic battle at A.V. High School. Did not think that the empress of Boonville would make an appearance on the hardwood floors, but I'm guessing she is the one that had the keys and was forced into the game. Epic analysis comparing Jim to Amare S.

-DID YOU KNOW?

Did you know that Dan Patrick's real last name is Pugh. He decided to not use the name during his time on air. Looks like the Pugh's of the world only do BIG things. NASA, Swiss Robots, sports radio...

-It's a new year and another chance for us to put a little more effort into PW. I say this only to myself come to think of it, as my life over the past 6 months has just been entirely too hectic. Post January 23rd, concentration and effort will be restored on my front, and I look to do a little more fun and entertaining writing. Maybe weekly editions of certain topics of my/our choices.