Tag Archive: nba

Not Going to Jinx a Thing

May 8, 2013 Adam Thomas

Not at all.

I only came on here to make a few predictions:

1.) The Thunder will lose to the Grizzlies in 6.

2.) The Heat will beat the Bulls and they will definitely win tonight (special bonus prediction: Wade/Lebron will combine to take 30 free throws. Wade attempted none in game one and Lebron only attempted 9. You think that will continue? You better believe Stern is going to be in the ears of those refs all night long. No way they can let the chosen one lose in round 2).

3.) The Spurs will beat the Warriors in 7.

4.) Indiana will beat New York in 6.

These NBA playoffs have been a lot of fun. It’s nice to just watch an NBA game and not care about the outcome. Heck, I don’t even hate Lebron as much as I used to thanks to the Harlem Shake video.

5.) I want to put this down in writing: last night I had a dream that newly acquired Raiders safety Usama Young intercepted Andrew Luck and returned that INT 46 yards. Not only does this show how lame my dreams are, BUT if it proves to be true, that’s crazy. We’ll check back in September.

6.) I started re-watching LOST recently and not only does re-watching it make me dislike the character of Kate even more, but it also shows just how little follow through the writers actually had. For instance, (and spoilers ahead for those of you who still haven’t seen the show), the night before Michael and Walt get on the raft, Michael says to Walt something like, ‘Hey man, we don’t have to get on the raft’ and Walt looking very creepy says, ‘Yes we do’ while ominous music plays in the background like Walt has super powers or something. But then NOTHING ever comes of that.  Sure, Walt gets kidnapped but he is basically NEVER heard from again during the show (save for sporadic mentionings and appearances in the next 5 seasons).

The writer’s have always said that they didn’t write anything for Walt because the actor playing him grew up too fast. But that’s BS. I think they just couldn’t figure out how to explain why he was ‘Special’ and didn’t know where to go with the character. I mean, you have the audience suspend their disbelief about an island with polar bears and smoke monsters, but then hit the brakes when a 11 year old suddenly looks 13? Come on now. You’re better than that.

Also, when Kate has to admit to being a criminal in front of everyone she says that she is on the run for something she “Supposedly” did, when we later find out that she definitely blew up her mom’s abusive boyfriend (or husband, I can’t remember which). So why is she saying the word ‘Supposedly?’ she definitely killed that dude. Ain’t no supposed about it. Damn, I hate Kate. Did I mention that?

But enough LOST bashing, cause I really do like the show, and I think that the moment the survivors get on the raft is one of the best moments of TV ever. Perhaps even THE best. I mean, when Vincent swims out after the raft…well…water works galore.

That scene and the end of Field of Dreams are almost always guaranteed to make me weepy.

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Thoughts on Andrew Bynum and the Sixers Future

March 6, 2013 Randy Neil

Last week Andrew Bynum announced to the public that he basically isn’t going to play for the Sixers this season. The announcement was vague at best, but in summation, Bynum was questioned about his future here, his knees, his chances of playing basketball next season, and where that may be. All of his answers were dismissive or apathetic. Later that week, CSN writer John Gonzalez sat down with Sixers’ CEO Adam Aron to talk about the Andrew Bynum situation, if we plan on resigning him, and where the Sixers are headed in the future.

It’s a great interview, and if you missed it you can catch it here. I’ll have it below, too.

adamaronAdam Aron seems to be balk at the notion that the Sixers ownership knew Andrew Bynum wouldn’t play and continued to market him anyway, and I strangely believe him. Of course it is his fault, but I do believe that he is falling for the same charade of Bynum that we all are. It is true that he played 60 of 66 games last year, he was the starting All-Star center for the West last year, and 4 doctors cleared him for this trade. Like Aron said, “This should have worked.”

But it didn’t work. So here are my theories:

1) Bynum was playing through and incredible amount of pain last year, but the medical staff in LA knew that his knee condition was degenerate and threw him out on the trading block because of that fact. Of the 4 team doctors that cleared him, I’d bet that not one of them was on the Philadelphia 76ers staff. I keep picturing James Woods’ skeezy character in Any Given Sunday. They knew they were dumping a lemon, and we simply fell for it.

2) Bynum’s knee conditions aren’t anywhere near as bad as he’s leading on. No doctors treating Andrew have publicly addressed the media, so we’re getting an unprofessional, washed down version of Bynum’s condition, from Bynum. After being traded to Philadelphia, he was skeptical of the team’s roster and decided to milk a ‘knee injury’ to evaluate our chances for contention. After not liking what he saw, Bynum decided to essentially ‘sit out’ for the remainder of the season, allowing him to still collect a paycheck and opt for free-agency next season. Bynum will miraculously be able to play the final 10 games of the season, where he auditions for his next team, and leaves Philadephia behind.

Alright, number 2 is a little ridiculous, but I don’t care. I hate the man now.

The Sixers future looks bleak with or without Bynum at this point, which leads me to asking, “Where do we go from here?” Is it worthwhile for the Sixers to invest in another sizeable contract with Andrew with all of the questions looming around his health?

The best-case scenario is that Andrew Bynum resigns with the 76ers and is healthy enough to play the entirety of next season. That would be prolific, but I believe it’s pretty apparent that the chances for that are marginal at best. Even if that situation were to play out, we still wouldn’t have a long term solution. His health would be questioned every game. If the scrutiny of his knees wouldn’t wear him down, the actual knees eventually would. Next year would be a win-or-bust situation. Our young core would have to evolve overnight and I really don’t see all of those elements coming together.

Not resigning Bynum looks like a cursed path regardless of the outcome. The free-agent market looks pretty ugly next season, so even if the Sixers decided not to take a chance on Bynum’s knees, there’s practically no big-time players available to substitute him with. Andrew would find a team eventually, and if he had any success, we would look like dopes for not resigning him. If he continued to have health problems, we would spare ourselves the embarrassment of resigning another Greg Oden, but still have to live with the fact that our team was practically depleted for a skeleton.

We are in a very ugly situation, my friends.

Next year, the Sixers are going to be frantically skimming the free agent market in hopes of filling out the team and replacing some of the talent that’s left. Our young core needs some talented veterans. I can’t see how the Sixers would willingly pay Andrew Bynum for another season when we’ve been burned throughout this one. But… I’ve seen stranger things happen…

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Ladies and Gentlemen, I Present –

December 19, 2012 thewolfman

The Jets

The Jets have to be the most stubborn and stupid football organization on the planet right now. You have arguably one of the most popular football players on your team, you are OUT of the playoffs, and yet you announce that you are going to start your third string quarterback instead. Well congratulations Jets, you just made me feel sorry for Tim Tebow – and I honestly did not think that was even possible.

(Maybe I am just feeling sentimental since according to my father’s meticulous research and Ancestry.com we may be related. Keep your head up Cousin Timmy!)

Look, I am pretty stubborn. In Vanuatu they have a saying in Bislama for folks like me – Strong Head. I hate to be wrong, but what I hate more than being wrong is admitting I’m wrong. Sometimes, however, you just have to do it. Once you sail your ship into the rocks there is no point in keeping up the sails.

Why even have Tebow on your team if you were never going to use him? Sell a few jerseys? You would sell a LOT more if you let him run around on the field a bit.

But I digress.

Dwight Howard 

Let’s rant about another one of my favorite subjects for a bit – Dwight Howard. Our friend Dwight is of course a horrendous free throw shooter. Our friend Steve Nash is, of course, an immaculate free throw shooter. So one would expect that if Steve Nash offered to help Dwight Howard shoot free throws, he would welcome that advice with open arms, right? Right Dwight? Dwight really? Come in Dwight…

Here is the quote from ESPN:

Toward the end of shootaround Friday, Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Nash approached Dwight Howard and offered up a couple of tips on how to shoot free throws.

Though Howard is shooting just 46.9 percent from the foul line this season while Nash is tied with Mark Price for the best free throw percentage in NBA history at 90.4 percent, the Lakers center said that he’s had enough of people giving him advice.

“Listen, he was just suggesting some things but it’s not something that we’ve already talked about or anybody else has suggested,” Howard said. “My mind cannot get clouded with everybody telling me how to shoot a free throw. I just have to go up there and shoot it my way and not get caught up in what everybody else is saying, because that’s when I miss.”

We wouldn’t want that mind to get too clouded now would we? Seriously, that ESPN article sounds like something from the Onion.

Till next time.

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Current State of Sport

December 6, 2012 thewolfman

The stories that have baffled me in the past weeks.

NBA

The Spurs were recently fined $250,000 dollars for sitting out their stars during a televised game. Fined. For resting their players. This to me is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard. When did the overlord NBA get to decide what individual teams do? This is just added evidence for conspiracy theorists that the NBA is indeed fixed. I mean if you can fine a team for dictating their own team affairs publicly, who is to say what the NBA tells its officials behind closed doors.

MLB

Sports pundits were going crazy (and still are) when the Marlins unloaded all of their huge contracts to the Blue Jays. But you know what? The freaking Marlins have two World Series championships doing this sort of thing. Two! That puts them tied with the Chicago Cubs (founded in 1876), our beloved Philadelphia Phillies (founded in 1883), Cleveland Indians (1894), New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays. It also puts them ahead of the three teams with just one World Series ring, and the eight teams with a goose egg. Know when the Marlins were founded? Nineteen freaking ninety-three.

Personally I think more teams should get wise to their scheme. Why? Because guys with fat cat contracts do not have to play hard anymore. Sure some do – and some genuinely want that championship ring so bad they can taste it. But you know who really plays hard? Young guys and minor league journey men who need to make an impression so bad that they give you their heart and soul every day.

Jose Reyes is a great player. Do I think he really truly cares if his teams wins though? No, not at all. For that matter do I really think Jimmy Rollins cares anymore? That is certainly up for debate. There is a fine line between what a player says, and his actions on the field.

Either way, you’re all killing me smalls.

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Reverse Jinx FAIL

June 22, 2012 Adam Thomas

1.) If you didn’t already figure it out, I was hoping that yesterday’s post would prove to be enough of a reverse jinx to prevent the Heat from winning the title (sort of like what happened to the Wolfman in fantasy football). But alas, that was not the case.

Lebron proved to much for the Thunder, and the geek finally got his championship.

Drats.

Once again, we must be reminded of the harsh lesson learned from the soused mind of Don Draper: “The universe is indifferent.”

Indeed.

2.) I skimmed Bill Simmons column yesterday and in it he left this doozy of a quote, “I don’t care how much you hated ‘The Decision’ — if you can’t appreciate what LeBron James is doing right now, you need to start following another sport.”

Noted. I don’t appreciate it. I don’t appreciate Lebron. So that means I can’t follow the NBA any more. Makes sense. And that’s why it’s trouble for the NBA. Because a lot of people hate Lebron, and now that he has his ring, to quote Draper again, “The haters are indifferent.”

3.) Speaking of the universe being indifferent, our good pal Liam Neeson is coming out with another doozy of a movie, and by doozy, I mean, didn’t this guy used to be a legitimate actor?

This summer he is starring in Taken: 2! I am not kidding. They take his goldfish. Just kidding. It’s his wife.

It seems that the terrorists (and I am just assuming that they are terrorists cause I never actually saw Taken: 1 but I can guaran-damn-tee that is/was awful), have “taken” (get it) his wife this time. At one point in the trailer, Neeson is talking on the phone, explaining to his daughter that the mother has been taken and a guy is standing there pointing a gun at his face. WHY, WHY in the mother flipping world, would the guy not just shoot Neeson in the face then and there? Haven’t they learned ANYTHING from Taken: 1?

Stupid. Neeson, you are really pushing it.

 

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Congratulations on the Championship Lebron!

June 21, 2012 Adam Thomas

1.) In less than 24 hours, Lebron James will have his first NBA title. This much we know. The Oklahoma City Thunder (who one Headrush writer proclaimed were ‘Built to Last’ before covering himself and picking the Heat to win the championship), have folded like a chair. They look like scared kittens about to be put in a box Milo style and sent down the river by Lebron.

This thing is over. The only thing that I know for sure–besides that the Heat will win tonight–is that this is the worst case scenario for the NBA.

I watched PTI for the first time in forever last night, and they had on Charles Barkley as a guest. He said as much. People LOVE rooting against Lebron James, and now that he is about to win his first championship, it will be much harder to doubt that he is as good as advertised. The man is a machine, and he is about to be a machine with a ring on his finger.

Which is why this is trouble for the NBA. You need the villain to root against. It’ll be hard to root AGAINST Lebron after he wins tonight. Sure, it’ll be easy to dislike him, to hate him even, but it’ll also be that much harder to ignore his championship.

Which is why it will be a LOT easier to not watch the NBA next year (except for Sixers games). Make no mistake about it, I am watching these finals to see Lebron fail. Everything else is secondary to the opportunity to see a massive ego deflated, and a much hyped “brand” go down in flames.

If he succeeds, there will be no more interest. Will I tune in next year if Lebron is in the finals? No. Cause he already has his ring. Even if he fails, he already succeeded, so what’s the point?

So congratulations, Lebron. Tonight is the night that you prove the haters wrong. That you take the next step. It’s been 9 years in the making, but it’s your time now. I will sure miss rooting against you.

2.) By the way, I finally watched a Phillies game last night and boy oh boy did I pick a great game to watch!  The outcome was never really in doubt. I have no idea why (actually, it was because I was eating a sandwich with a ‘Phillies’ sponsored roll that gave me the confidence), but I just knew they were going to win. Even when they went down by a run in the 9th, I knew they would pull it off.

And seeing Wiggington lumber around the base path like an out of control Grizzly bear on roller skates when he scored from 1st on Hunter Pence’s double was the highlight of the night.

You done UNCA proud Ty! And Phillies, let’s have more of that please.

That’s it for me.  And once again, congrats ahead of time on the championship Lebron!

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