Jordan 23 vs. 39

I want to make it clear for all readers out there that I am a die-hard Michael Jordan fan: always have been and always will be. About once a month, I have this irresistible urge to get my Jordan fix. I'll goto Youtube, type Michael Jordan into the searchbox, and watch random videos until my addiction is temporarily satisfied.

Today, I came across my favorite Jordan commercial - Gatorade's "23 vs. 39".



I remember watching this when it first aired on television; I sat mesmerized at the sight of two Michael Jordans. When it ended, I turned towards my dad dumbfounded and muttered, "Did you see that?". Even having watched it numerous times, I'm still left giddy like a child at the end.

Gatorade sparked every basketball fan's imagination with the release of that commercial. Which Jordan was better? The young and freakishly athletic MJ of the 80's? Or the seasoned and wily veteran MJ of the late 90's? Was Jordan more dangerous when he got to the basket at will? Or when he turned into the assassin with the development of his unguardable fade-away jumper? While watching, you want to stop it so you can savor it, but at the same time you want to see what happens next. It's like you can't even handle it all: a brain overload. The dramatic lighting of the court, the playful trashtalk, and the UNC MJ cameo at the end - all tasteful touches to the perfect commercial.

I can't fully express the amount of joy this commercial brings me. I can only hope you enjoy it too.

The NBA. Where Dwayne Wade Happens.

From last night's game against the Chicago Bulls...



Simply Amazing.

Dwayne Wade has been a demi-god as of late. Fantasy owners every have been reaping in his insane stat lines he puts up every other night; I know I regret not conjuring up some offers to send for him.

But look beyond the numbers, and at the man behind them. In all honesty, I wasn't completely on the "Wade 2.0" bandwagon after the Summer Olympics. Despite his superstardom, I still believed he was injury prone, and incapable of leading a directionless and limited Miami team anywhere.

I remember watching a Heat game early in the season; they were playing against the Blazers, and it was one of those games that was close all the way til the final minutes. But even though the score was close, it seemed like the Heat were destined to lose that game, and they did. Despite Wade's monumental efforts (36pt, 8asts, 6reb, 3blks, 2stls) that night, he was all that the Heat had. All their offense, all their energy came from this one guy. At that point, I predicted Wade would have a frustrating season. One of those seasons where he has to clock in 40ish minutes a night, put up ridiculous numbers, still lose, and wind up injured half-way into January due to all the wear-and-tear. Wade was good, but I did not think he was that good.

Wade has proven me wrong.

It's unbelievable what this man can do night-in and night-out. Playing full-throttle at , Wade has been a force at both ends of the court: breakaway dunks, acrobatic layups, highlight-reel blocks, and last-second buzzer beaters. What's even more amazing is what he's done with what would otherwise be a bottom-dwelling team. Wade hasn't had consistent help all year. Shawn Marion struggled with injuries early on, and only played for a while with the Heat before being shipped to Toronto. Chalmers and Beasley have both shown flashes potential, but neither are reliable on a nightly basis. Jermaine O'neal has managed to avoid sitting out thus far, but he's no longer the post presence he used to be. Taking all this along with a rookie coach into account, and you'll recognize the magnitude of Wade's accomplishments this year.

2008-2009 was supposed to be the year of Dwade's "comeback"

I say it's more than that. Wade has reached another level.
I'm on the #3 bandwagon. Wade for MVP!

This is why I added Chris Andersen to my Fantasy Team

So there's like 3 weeks left before fantasy playoffs, and my team is one spot out of the last playoff position. Being in an extremely competitive league where every win matters, I picked up Birdman to get my team some help in the blocks category.

And then I came across this video.

It made my day.


You gotta feel bad for Fernandez...and his face

Mike Taylor Throws One On the Grizz

So I've never heard of Mike Taylor before today...

but yea can we get this guy a bid for the dunk contest next year?

Motown Muddle

I am a Detroit Pistons fan. Though I can't say that I've always been one, I am now a Detroit Pistons fan.

It pains me to see our once glorious team struggling to stay above .500. And with all the other opinions out there of what's wrong with the Pistons, I've decided to give my two cents:

Issue #1: Post-Presence
One of Detroit's biggest problems has been a problem even through most of their Golden Ages: lack of a dominant post presence. The Pistons don't have anyone that can consistently create havoc for opposing defenses within seven feet of the basket.

Rasheed is talented, I agree; he can rebound, block, shoot, etc etc etc...but he doesn't like to bang in the post anymore (I won't even go into all his emotional issues). He'll occasionally grab an offensive board and put it back in. Other than that, Sheed resorts to fade-away hooks and long-range threes. Antonio McDyess is another aging veteran that doesn't do damage in the post. Dice get's pick and pop offense, which only sets him up for those 12-17ft jump-shots. Jason Maxiell wants to bang with the big boys, but is realistically too small to ever be a dominant presence on the block. I know everyone was also getting excited for Amir Johnson, with how much Dumars hyped him over the last few years, but it's abudantly clear now that Amir is primarily a defender (one that can't stay on the floor for more than 10 minuntes because of foul trouble).

Issue #2: Allen Iverson
I feel bad for Allen Iverson; for I guy that's put in so much heart into the game, he's getting the majority of the blame for the Pistons' struggles. However, the AI-bashing isn't completely unwarranted. AI has always needed the ball in his hands to be effective. Along the same lines, he's not meant to be a point guard. For the majority of his career, he ran around the floor with four other scrubs, and did whatever he wanted to on the offensive end. For this reason, AI should be coming off the bench for Detroit and running with the 2nd team, where he can be the focus. It's no surprise that Detroit has won two straight against Orlando and Boston without AI in the lineup.

Dumars brought in Allen for his expiring contract. He was a one-year experiment with huge potential-upside, and few long-term consequences. It's safe to say that the experiment is a dud; Iverson doesn't have the "updside" that Detroit needed.

Issue #3: Athletic Wing
Neither Tayshaun nor Rip are the type to beat their man off the dribble and get to the bucket. Most sucessful teams have a guy that can draw contact and get free throws. AI, can get to the bucket, but screws up offensive chemistry. Stuckey can also get to the bucket, but cannot finish consistently enough. There's really not much more to say about this.

No Need to Panic
Detroit is in a slump, but is in no way in a bad position. With AI and Sheed's large contracts coming off the books at the end of this year, Dumars is in a prime position to snipe some quality players through 2009 and 2010 free agency.

For Pistons fans, take pride in their recent two-game win-streak, but don't over-read it. Hamilton is playing his mind out right now, bringing back memories of Rip circa 2004. But he's not a guy that can bring the Pistons to elite status all by himself. Stuckey is an up-and-coming point guard, but he's not ready to lead a championship-caliber team yet. The Pistons will make the playoffs, and lose in the 1st or 2nd round to a much more deserving and better team. There's no shame in losing in the playoffs when your team is reloading. The Pistons' resurrection won't come this year, but is primed to arrive soon.

Waiver Wire Watch (2/26/09): Stat Specific Edition

With fantasy basketball playoffs getting closer and closer, this edition of WWW will be slightly different than normal. Recent injuries to big stars have left teams handicapped during the most crucial period of the fantasy basketball season.

If your team is one of these teams, I suggest scourging the waiver wire and streaming some players. Examine your match-up each week, and determine the categories that are going to be close. Look at your opponents history, and figure out their weaknesses. To help, here are some players that can help in specific categories.

Blocks

Ronny Turiaf (owned in 47% of leagues): Turiaf is ridiculous rate shot blocker: 2.2blks per 20 mins. He had a pretty nice run while Biedrins was out, but Andris has returned. While I expect a slight decrease in minutes and points, you can still expect him to get you two blocks a night. Turiaf also shoots great %s from the field and the line (.50 and .81 respectively). However, keep an eye on his ankle situation; he's currently listed as a day-to-day.

Chris Andersen (owned in 23% of leagues): Nene is out with a knee injury and Kenyon Martin is dealing with back issues. This means more minutes for the Birdman. Andersen currently averages 2.2 blks in a little over 19 minutes; per 48 mins, that's 5.5 blocks a game. Realistically, we can expect Chris to see his minutes increase to around 25 minutes a game, which works out to about 4.2 blocks a night. In his last three games, he's had 4,3, and 5 blocks. Anderson is also a decent source of rebounds, occasionally scores, and his %'s won't kill your team (.57 from the field, .73 from the line). For a deeper analysis of Birdman (from Fantasy Basketball Jedi)

Joel Przybilla (owned in 30% of leagues): Przybilla hasn't been shot blocking at the same rate as the two centers previously mentioned, but he is still a solid source. Currently capitalizing off of Oden's knee injury, Joel has been quietly blocking about a shot a game while collecting 8 rebounds a night. Przybilla is a huge 7 footer so he could go off for 3 of 4 blocks any night. While he's averaging .655 from the field, his .639 FT% is a bit of a turn off. However, he only shoots about two of those a game. If you're team is weak at the center position, Przybilla is a decent fill-in.

Steals

Luke Ridnour (owned in 32% of leagues): Steals is one of those tricky categories to work with; under normal circumstances, I'd suggest to target this category in trades rather than trying to find them on the wire. If you can't seem to work a trade out, Ridnour isn't a horrible option to pick up. Ramon Sessions has been receiving all the attention since Michael Redd went down, and he's living up to that hype for the most part. Ridnour however, I wouldn't suggest adding unless you're in a deeper league. He's averages a steal a game, and actually averages around 30 minutes a game (recently 25). He's good for 4-5 assists a night and close to 10 points.

Kirk Hinrich (owned in 37% of leagues): Again, not a player I'd recommend for every team to pick up. Like everyone on the Bulls not named Derrick Rose, Hinrich's production will be very inconsistent. Recent trends show he gets between 25-3o minuntes a night, and averages 1.3 steals a game. Remember that not too long ago, Kirk was a 2nd/3rd tier point guard. Who knows? Maybe he can bring back his glory days...just kidding, not a chance. However, Kirk will also be a decent source of assists and threes.

Sebastian Telfair (owned in 17% of leagues): Surprisingly Telfair is probably your best bet out of the guards in this category. The T-Wolves have shifted Foye to SG, and gave Telfair the chance to start at PG. He's collected 7 steals in his last three games, and is averaging well over 30 minutes a game in his last 10 games. Aside of steals, Telfair is also good source of assists (about 6 a game) and threes (10/29 from 3pt range in his last 5 games). Be aware of his FG% (.358).If he's a free agent, and you have a spot, he's worth the risk.

Three Pointers

Daequan Cook (owned in 15% of leagues): The reigning NBA 3pt champ is one of those wildly inconsistent guys that could explode any given night. In Miami's latest game, Cook flourished when Spoelstra shifted Wade to PG and inserted Cook as SG (instead of inserting Quinn as PG). Cook is currently averaging a very good 2.3 threes a game. Some night's he'll make 5, others zero. Again, if you have an extra spot, or need threes for a match-up, pick him up. He doesn't turn the ball over much, and shoots a good FT% too.

Steve Blake (owned in 41% of leagues): Blake has played surprisingly well for the rapidly maturing Blazers. He makes about two 3pters a game, and is also averages 10pts and 5 assists a game while shooting 83% from the line. Another perk for this point guard is his low TO rate. Blake is definitely worth a final roster spot in standard leagues.

Rasual Butler (owned in 30% of leagues): Butler is purely a source of points and threes. He's put together a decent string of games as of late. He's 20/43 from long range in his last ten games, and has averaged 13.6 ppg over that period. Bulter will also get you an occasional steal and block. Additionally neither of his %s (.450 from the field, .754 from the line) will hurt your team too much. I don't know if I would make him a permanent fixture of my team, but he's definitely a guy I'd stream in and out depending on needs.

Dwight Howard's Pre-Game Ritual

This sort of stuff will always stir suppressed laughter in me.