Orlando's Missed Opportunity

It’s a known fact that I despise the Los Angeles Lakers. As a life-long Celtics fan I couldn’t possibly hate them any more than I do. Unfortunately they are inching closer to Boston’s NBA record 17 championship banners.

In other words, it’s probably a good thing I didn’t write this post last night. It would have been a 800 word column laced with expletitives. My brain would have likely exploded.

So what happened? The Magic were up 5 with like 40 seconds left. They lead by 3 with 7 seconds left. How could they have possibly lost?!?!

Ironically, the answer isn’t “Kobe Bryant.”

Orlando lost for obvious reasons. The main concern that killed them throughout the entire game was also a significant factor in the closing moments: free throws. A huge burden was lifted off Nick Anderson’s shoulders last night. Up three with seconds left in regulation, Dwight Howard bricked two foul shots that would have sealed the game. While Anderson may have missed four free throws (instead of two), his failed attempts from the charity stripe occurred in game 1 of the 1995 NBA Finals. Game 1! Sure, Nick Anderson single-handedly lost that game for Orlando, but he can’t be held accountable for blowing the series since it was so early. Conversely, Howard’s two errant free throws took place in game 4, and would have evened the series at 2-2. Superman could have tied the 2009 NBA Finals, and the Magic would be headed into a game 5 in Orlando with plenty of momentum. The Lakers would still be the favorites to win, but at least we’d have a series on our hands!

How many times do you hear an announcer complain when the team playing defense doesn’t foul when they are up 3 with seconds remaining. Reach in, go for the steal, do SOMETHING to prevent the opposing player from attempting a shot. It’s common sense. Yet you rarely see this happen, and it seems to always result in a game-tying three point field goal that totally shifts the momentum towards the team that sent the game into OT. Last night, Derek Fisher was able to convert an uncontested three pointer as time nearly expired. If Fisher was fouled, this whole scenario wouldn’t have happened. I thought Jeff Van Gundy was going to murder Jameer Nelson after that play. If Nelson is found dead in a hotel bathtub missing a kidney or two, I think we know who to blame.

Finally, an extraordinary number of turnovers further doomed the Magic. They turned the ball over 19 times last night. It’s amazing Orlando didn’t lose by more than 6. Of those turnovers, almost half were credited to Dwight Howard, who was frequently stripped when he put the ball on the floor. He was handling the basketball like it was a hand grenade.

With a 3-1 advantage, along with two more games at the Staples Center, it’s only a matter of time before we see Kobe Bryant kissing the Larry O’Brien trophy. I cringe just thinking about it.

Phillies' Ibanez Rips Blogger for PED Theory

To Whom it May Concern,

The writers of Through Buckner’s Legs do not condone, nor will we ever accuse a professional athlete of taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs. However, we are highly suspicious of Carrot Top.

The Lakers Will Be Victorious in 5

As promised, I will now discuss why I’m predicting the Lakers will hoist the 2009 NBA Championship banner.

I believe it will only take them five games to fend off the Magic. Los Angeles is not only superior but has more depth than Clevelend and Boston, Orlando’s past two opponents. Ultimately, I don’t foresee a sweep in the 2009 finals. The Magic should be able to defeat the Lakers in one of the two contests in Orlando.

I know I’m not exactly taking any risks with this pick. In fact, the only ESPN expert that believes that Orlando will beat the Lakers is Henry Abbott from TrueHoop. I don’t even know who that is.

Let’s start off with the basics. The team with the best player almost always wins, especially in the NBA Finals. In the past 21 years, the only exceptions have been 2008 (Boston Celtics) and 2004 (Detroit Pistons), where in both instances, Kobe Bryant was the best player on the court. This also occurred in 1989, when Magic Johnson fell victim to Isiah Thomas’s Pistons. Ironically all three scenarios involved the Lakers.

In the 2009 NBA Finals, Kobe Bryant is clearly the top player involved. Not only does he possess more talent than anyone else, but he has the most to prove as well since his legacy is on the line. I’m sure he also still has last year’s demoralizing loss to the Celtics on his mind, which further adds fuel to the fire.

Additionally, the superior coach in the championship series typically leads his squad to victory. The Lakers hold an extraordinary edge in this department. There hasn’t been a larger coaching descrepancy in the NBA finals in recent memory, although the Popovich/Mike Brown series in 2007 ranks very close.

Another factor to be considered is how well Orlando has shot the ball in the past several contests. The Magic converted 62 three-point field goals, a record in a five game series. There’s no possible way they can continue to maintain that pace. Orlando’s recent trend of three-point shooting success can actually be detrimental to their quest to win the 2009 NBA championships. Since the team has been doing so well from long range, they will likely keep taking three-point shots, regardless of whether they are going in or not. I’m anticipating a few blowouts in this series. There will be a couple games where Magic succumb to the pressure of the NBA finals and hit a cold streak, resulting in a considerable loss.

I also believe that this is finally Phil Jackson’s opportunity to get even. For Shaquille O’Neal’s entire tenure with the Lakers, he was consistently fouled due to his awful ability (or lack thereof) to shoot free throws. In the end of games, teams used the “Hack-a-Shaq” technique in an attempt to eliminate a Los Angeles possession. Often times he would miss both shots from the charity stripe and this strategy was validated. Now Jackson is on the other end of the spectrum. Orlando’s Dwight Howard is equally as terrible from the free-throw line. Unlike Cleveland, Jackson’s squad has more depth and size, meaning that they have the ability to foul in crunch time. Jackson is also a competent coach, so he wouldn’t allow a 50% foul shooter to score four baskets in a crucial overtime period like Mike Brown did. Pending there are a few close games, you can surely expect the implementation of “Hack-a-Dwight.”

A successful NBA Finals performance boils down to experience. A majority of the Lakers personnel have held significant roles in the championship series, including the team’s best player (Bryant), coach (Jackson), starting point guard (Fisher), and key role players (Odom, Gasol, Walton, Vujacic, Farmar, Ariza. etc). With the exception of Hedo Turkoglu, this is the first deep playoff run for every member of the Magic. Complicating matters worse is that Orlando does not have home court advantage, so they will need to win at least one game in Los Angeles. Since the Lakers have the edge in both experience and number of home games, it’s going to be very tough for the Magic to squeeze our a victory in this series.

- Scottie

Running Diary: Phillies vs. Padres, 6/2/2009

Just recently I was formally introduced to Twitter. I decided to use Twitter to write a running diary on the Padres vs. Phillies game last night, which was a glorious experience. 35 posts and a dead iPhone battery later, here we are. I think I nearly destroyed the Twitter server in the process.

My only regret in writing this is that I think I used every Padres one-liner I could have ever possibly thought of. Keeping that in mind, this may have been my first and last live literary piece on the Friars.

Below are my Twitter posts from the game:

7:29PM Scottie Thompson is at the Padres game

7:31PM: I can’t believe Jake Peavy showed up to the game wearing a Phillies jersey!

7:33PM: [After a David Eckstein at-bat] Looks like me and David Eckstein are still tied for homeruns in 2009

7:40PM: Section 133 has a combined 25 teeth… and the world’s first Mexican dwarf with a mullet. I’m not even mad.

7:43PM: Brian Giles is being paid $9 million this year to hit .193 with 2 HR in 200 at-bats. I feel like he owes me money.

7:49PM: [After Jake Peavy was taken out of the game in the 2nd inning] Apparently he’s sick…He came down with a bad case of “giving up 4 runs in the first inning” itis

7:58PM: Ibanez just crushed a homerun over the center field bleachers, 6-0 Phillies

8:04PM: [The Starting pitcher for the Phillies was Julio Bastardo] Am I going out on a limb by saying Bastardo has a deadbeat dad?

8:07PM: 2nd pitching change and we’re only in the 3rd inning. Does anyone know if Nick Swisher is available to pitch the 7th?

8:13PM: Hairston’s .329 batting average is single-handedly keeping the Padres [team] average over the Mendoza Line

8:28PM: [After a Giles groundout to the 2nd baseman] Giles hits a double play ball…unfortunately he forgot that there wasn’t a runner on first

8:30PM: What’s plummeting worse, Giles batting average or his stock?

8:31PM: Considering it usually takes the Padres 8 games to score 7 runs, I think it’s safe to say the game is over.

8:43PM: New [San Diego] pitcher is Luis Perdomo. I’m almost positive Perdomo means “loser” in Spanish. Is this a sign of good things to come?

8:51PM: Happy 13th birthday David Eckstein

8:53PM: They just showed an old clip of Tony Gwynn Sr. robbing a HR at the warning track. In 2009, Gwynn’s arteries are labeled as a “warning track.”

8:57PM: [After an Adrian Gonzalez homerun] Rule #1: No one over 16 should ever bring a glove to a baseball game. Rule #2: Don’t pitch to Adrian Gonzalez.

9:05PM: Ibanez is 37 and he’s all of a sudden peaking now? Hmmm…

9:09PM: Ryan Howard strikes out, yet “Homerun” flashes across the jumbotron. The scorekeeper must have confused this bat with the only other thing [Howard] does.

9:14PM: 10-1 in the 7th. Luckily we still have a chance if Philly brings in Lidge and Gonzo bats 9 more times.

9:21PM: Gonzo is on pace for 66 HR and 126 RBI’s, hilarity ensues

9:24PM: Bases are loaded… So is Tony Gwynn Sr’s dinner plate

9:31PM: [Adrian Gonzalez walks in a run] Philly finally decides to pitch to Gonzo. Considering the bases were loaded, this may not have been the best time to do that.

9:33PM: 4 runs in the 7th, special thanks to Chan Ho Park’s rotting corpse

9:55PM: Next up, the ghost of Cliff Floyd

9:56PM: 9th inning = I’ve run out of jokes

One final note: As anyone who has watched a game at Petco knows, when a player is batting, the jumbotron displays a relevant statistic. For example, during Phillies at-bats I read: “Ryan Howard led the league in Homeruns and RBIs in 2008” and “Chase Utley is one of two players to win the Rookie of the Year and MVP in consecutive seasons (Cal Ripken).”

Here are a couple gems that appeared on the scoreboard when the Padres were at the plate. “David Eckstein hit .261 with 21 doubles in 2006” (I can understand how this would be a big deal, a .261 average in the Padres lineup is basically the same as hitting .400) and “Josh Wilson has played on 5 teams throughout his MLB career.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2009 San Diego Padres!

The Downfall of the 2009 Cavs

Numerous experts labeled Cleveland as the favorite to win this year’s NBA title. I was so mesmerized by King James that I fell into this mindset as well. LeBron was such a dominating force that a 2009 Cavs championship seemed inevitible. After sweeping both of their first two opponents, this prediction was looking pretty good.

While the Cavs did possess the best overall record in the 2008/09 season, this was essentially the same team that didn’t have enough to beat Boston last year. As a result, Cleveland was defeated in the Eastern Conference Finals to the surprisingly much more superior Orlando Magic.

And the addition of Mo Williams was enough to put them over the top? Seriously?

First off, Cleveland needs a wingman for LeBron. I’m not even going to expand on this because it couldn’t be any more obvious, but it’s a crucial component of a championship team. ESPN’s Chris Broussard wrote a great analysis of this point here. Mo Williams is a shoot-first point guard that isn’t consistent enough, nor talented enough, to be an adequate sidekick for LeBron.

Secondly, the Cavs lack even a reasonable presence in the post, which allowed Dwight Howard to do whatever he wanted. Watching Howard dominate Zydrundas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao night after night was painful. Big Z looked like he was walking in cement. On the defensive end, he moves in slow motion and I don’t think he has jumped in years. Offensively, Ilgauskas has a 15-foot jumper that goes in sometimes. One of the main reasons opposing teams are consistently able to triple-team LeBron is due to Big Z’s presense (or lack thereof) in the lane. Since he is so one-dimensional, he isn’t viewed as much of a threat if he gets the ball. This means that defenders can regularly cheat over on James. Could you imagine Pau Gasol on this team? He’d average 40 a game just off kickouts from LeBron!

I love how everyone refers to Varejao as an “energy guy.” His offense is entirely limited to rebounds and putbacks. In addition, he can’t score from more than three feet away and doesn’t have anything close to resembling a post move. During the Orlando series, Reggie Miller said something to the extent of “Anderson Varejao is a ‘flopper,’ that’s his game. Ray Allen’s game is shooting, Varejao’s is unnecessarily flailing onto the court in hopes of a foul being called.” When an ability to ‘flop’ is the best thing you can say about a player, that isn’t a good sign.

Should we even discuss the ghost of Ben Wallace? Claiming that Wallace is on the tail end of his career would be giving him more justice than he deserves. He was once known as a defensive specialist and led the league in rebounds for a few seasons. This year, Big Ben only averaged about three more points and six more rebounds than I did. This wouldn’t be that big of an issue if he wasn’t being paid $14.5 million in 2009. His salary is higher than LeBron’s! This is robbery, Cavalier fans should be outraged. Worse, he’s on the books for the same paycheck next year. Big Ben is rumored to be contemplating retirement, but this would be a horrendous decision from a financial standpoint. By retiring, he’d leave $14.5 million on the table. Cleveland might as well pencil Wallace’s corpse onto the 2010 roster now so they can at least advertise his expiring contract as trade bait.

Ultimately, the Magic were quite frankly a better constructed team. King James averaged a rediculous 38-8-8 in the series but Orlando’s ability to explot matchups in the frontcourt gave them the deciding edge. Howard, Hedo Tukoglu and Rashad Lewis were just too much for Cleveland’s forwards & centers to handle.

The funny thing is that the Cavs could have easily beaten the 2009 Celtics, a scenario which almost took place. Cleveland’s plethera of medoicre big men would have been capable of handling Kendrick Perkins and Big Baby, combine that with KG’s absense and the apparent tired legs of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, a competitive series would have been very unlikely.

Cavalier fans, I hope everything turns out for the best. Unfortunately Cleveland’s quest for it’s first professional title in ages will need to be postponed at least another year.

- Scottie

JustDave Emerges from Retirement

Scottie has been pestering me to write an article on the 2009 Padres season for a month now. So for the last few weeks or so, I have been researching how to write the perfect Padres article. The two of us came to the conclusion that the perfect Padres article has to be as follows: strong start, falls apart a little in the second paragraph, strong third paragraph, then the wheels rapidly fall off leading to an ultimately disappointing finish. Let me give that my best shot…

“Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough… the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go! What the fuck happened to the Padres I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Dave, we might get in trouble." Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. Molina, he's a dead man! Utley, dead! The entire roster of the LA Doyers – dead.”

First of all, let me apologize for the extended vacation I have taken from writing. In all reality, it has to do with the Padres, and was ultimately my justification for coming out of retirement., as I will cover.

For the first month of the season I was in baseball heaven. Just absolutely and completely stoked. An undermanned and underpaid team of has-beens and never-was’s was putting together an incredibly exciting string of victories over far superior opponents. The swing through the NL East made me think we could actually contend this year.

Then, like clockwork, the bottom fell out. And when it fell out, it fell hard and fast. The Padres quickly lost 19 out of 23 games and had come back to earth, prompting a string of “told you so’s” from the talking heads at the four letter network… not to mention a certain Red Sox fan who also writes here.

The Padres were toast. It was 2008 all over again, and we were on our way back to 100 losses.

Then a funny thing happened. They started winning again.

For Padres fans reading this, you will understand how rare this is. But for you non-fans out there, let me really explain to you how incredibly rare this is. This most recent incarnation of the San Diego Padres is young and does NOT deal well with adversity. In 2007, the Padres were rolling on their way to the playoffs when Milton Bradley stepped on Mike Cameron’s thumb (and broke it), and Bud Black punished him by strangling him in to submission with his own ACL. The team could not rebound and missed the playoffs in the world famous “game 163” (in which I, like all other friar faithful, am still waiting for Matt Holliday to touch home plate…). In 2008 they started semi-promising (they were over .500 15 games in to the season, better than people remember) but then got punched in the mouth with a losing streak and fell apart faster than a house of cards in Hurricane Katrina.

But the Padres of 2009 didn’t collapse. They got punched in the mouth, and they punched back.

They rattled off a 10 game winning streak, including several late-inning come from behind victories. They did it against division and non-division opponents. And best for the fans, they did it at home.

I’m going out on a limb here. I’m going to make a bold prediction. I predict this team finishes above .500. I’m calling 82-80, missing the playoffs by a billion games because I think the Dodgers will win 95+. But it’s a promising foundation to build on for next year. We will have some more money to play with, and will have some young kids coming up that should provide some excitement for the next couple years.

Let’s go Friar, lets see what you got.

-JustDave

Earth to Dwight Howard

I'm unsure as to what surprised me more, Dwight Howard's impressive performance in overtime of game 4 or the fact that he still hasn't developed a reliable post move that doesn't involve the word 'dunk.' He's been in the league for 5 years now! He can't shoot, he doesn't have a hook shot or a fadeaway, or a finger roll. It's simply amazing. He has the potential to be the most dominating center in the NBA for years to come, yet it doesn't appear like he's even improved that much offensively throughout the course of his career.

I also think that Cleveland wins that game if they had fouled Dwight Howard down the stretch. Howard is a sub 60% free throw shooter and the Cavs allowed him to score 10 points in overtime, only two of them coming from the charity stripe. Why would you not foul him in this situation? He's terrible from the free-throw line. His only offensive go-to move is the dunk, which is an extremely high percentage shot. This baffled me. Coach Scottie would have sent in the goon to play hack-a-Dwight.

WNBA: Expect Boredom

Is "Expect Great" seriously the current slogan for the WNBA?

The only thing great about the WNBA are the chances that I will never, ever watch a single minute of this awful disgrace of a basketball league.

Somewhere in LA, Tyler is shaking his fist at me.

It's Time to make Free-Throw Shooting Interesting

Anyone sick of watching foul shooting yet?

Over the weekend, there were 639 fouls and 1187 free throws attempted in three basketball games. I may have embellished these numbers a bit but regardless, there were way too many fouls called. I don't mean to sound like Jeff Van Gundy here, but the officials should let the players play. The refs have been so uptight lately that Zydrundas Illgauskas accidentally dropped his cigarette during halftime of Sunday's game and was whistled for a violation.

If the refs are plan to call fouls on every possession, can't they at least make it entertaining?

Remember how fun "knock out" was? I propose that after a foul, each team chooses an opposing player on the court to shoot a free throw. Just like "knock out," two players will stand at the charity stripe one after the other. I figure that you might as well factor in an opposing player since there will inevitably be a foul called on the next possession anyway. Whoever scores the first basket wins the point.

How great would it be to see Daniel Gibson attempt to shoot a free throw over Marcin Gortat, only to have the ball bounce off the back of Gortat's head? Or even better, Big Z and Gortat sprinting in slow motion for a loose ball after Big Z's errant free throw almost decapitates both of them. This would be high comedy, someone needs to make this happen.

Breaking News: Name Change in Effect

Some of you likely visited our website today, glanced at the title and thought, "Wait a minute, this isn't right!"

Don't worry folks, while we may have a different name, we still have the same subjective, biased sports writing

"Well Below the Mendoza Line" was unoriginal and was a little too long. It did seem fitting though because we typically write about the Padres, whose cumulative batting average rests "well below the mendoza line." I just felt that "Through Buckner's Legs" is a catchy title for a blog that frequently references the New England sports scene.

To any Red Sox fans I may have offended as a result of the new name, I hope you realize this was not my intention. I'm a die hard Sox supporter, as well as a fan of the other Boston sports teams.

The transition is not done yet - yesterday I purchased the rights to www.throughbucknerslegs.com and soon we will be transferring all of our writing to this web address.

Trading Peavy Would Have Been a Horrible Mistake

Since Dave isn't going to voice his opinion, Padres Nation, I've decided I'm going to take the initiative.

While I may not be a die-hard Padres supporter, I'm still utterly disgusted with the actions of the team's management today. A mere 40 games into the season, San Diego attempted to trade their ace, Jake Peavy, to the Chicago White Sox. Worse, it's not like the season is over, they are in second place in the division right now!

Fortunately for Padres' fans, Peavy has exercised his no-trade clause and will not become a member of the White Sox. But the lingering question is, why would the Padres have tried to trade Jake in the first place?

Here is their reasoning: The Padres are about $5 million above the $40 million player payroll that the team's majority owner, John Moores, has set for this season.

So let me get this straight. You're interested in trading Jake Peavy, the team's franchise player, in order to save $5 million this year? Just today you swapped Jody Gerut for Brewers OF Tony Gwynn Jr, saving the team about $1.2 million in 2009. You mean to tell me you can't pull off a few more moves like that?

If conserving finances is in fact the primary issue, I will offer another way to save money. Brian Giles is earning $9 million this season. Yes, this is the same Brian Giles that is hitting LEADOFF with a .166 batting average. In 145 at-bats he has just 24 hits, only 2 have been homeruns. Giles couldn't hit a beach ball at this point of his career; why the Padres keep him at the top of the order is beyond me. Regardless, here's what they need to do. Manny Ramirez recently failed a steroids test and was suspended 50 games. The Dodgers don't have to pay his salary during his suspension. Someone needs to hold Giles down and inject him with some HGH. Think about it, this is a flawless plan. The Padres save like $3 million and when Giles comes back, he may actually hit with some power again. And they can keep Jake too.

More importantly, why are the Padres trying to save money in the first place? They have the second lowest payroll in the majors already! The only team that actually spends less than them are the Marlins. Shouldn't they be focusing on spending more money? How can San Diego's owner expect to be competitive in major league baseball if he refuses to dedicate an adequate amount of funding to the team?

A Peavy trade would be a slap in the face to the Padres' fan base. Although the team has a sub-500 record (18-22), San Diego ranks 17th in the MLB in average attendance. To put this into perspective, the Padres attract more fans than Tampa Bay (2008 World Series runner-up), the Toronto Blue Jays (currently 1st in the AL East) and Texas (1st place in the AL West).

What does this mean?

People in San Diego like watching baseball! The weather is always perfect, the park is easily accessible and the city is fairly wealthy as well. If there is a substantial number of fans buying tickets to watch the less-than-mediocre Padres right now, just imagine the potential if they started winning. If management constructed a squad that could realistically be competitive in the National League, the Padres attendance could skyrocket. Attendance numbers could easily reach the top 10 in the majors.

Since the fans are actually showing up, reward them. Keep Jake Peavy. He's the face of the franchise. A former Cy Young winner and one of the top pitchers in the National League. He'd be the best pitcher in the NL if he actually had some consistent run support.

Even better, he loves the city and likes playing in San Diego. Pitchers with his talent are few and far between. Don't make the mistake of trading him away.

- Scottie

5 Reasons Why the Lakers Will Advance to the NBA Finals

It seems there are a disproportionate amount of analysts that predict the Nuggets will win their upcoming playoffs series. These experts have tossed around numerous reasons why Denver will be victorious: the Lakers' effort has been inconsistent, the Nuggets have been hot lately, Houston nearly beat L.A. without their two best players.

I do not see this happening, at least not this year. Here is why.

1. Kobe Bryant. The 2009 NBA playoffs may be his last great chance to win another championship. Sure, he may be rather young and he's still in the tail end of his prime, but Kobe has already played over 1100 games in his 13-year career. In this time span, he's logged over 40,000 minutes, while also being extremely durable. With all of these miles on his legs, one would think that it would be nearly impossible for him to maintain this consistency for much longer. Kobe Bryant's legacy is on the line. He's going to do everything in his power to ensure that the Lakers don't lose.

2. Denver isn't that good. The Nuggets played New Orleans in the first round, a team that had significant disadvantages in both size and depth. The Hornets were basically only playing with two guys: Chris Paul and David West. No one else showed up. Worse, this team clearly gave up on their coach during the series, which is obvious due to their 60 point shellacking at home. The Nuggets played Dallas in the next round. Another squad that lacked size and depth. Josh Howard appeared to be playing at 50% because of his ankle injury, meaning that the entire scoring load rested on Dirk's shoulders. Starting to see any patterns here? Meanwhile the Lakers were struggling against a very well-constructed Houston team that, due to their toughness and great defense, was able to take L.A. all the way to Game 7. Denver has had a much easier road so far.

3. Los Angeles should be able to control Chauncey Billups. The Lakers have trouble guarding quick point guards. They made a mediocre Aaron Brooks look like Isiah Thomas in his prime, which is a big reason why the Rockets won three games in that series. Rajon Rondo's success in the 2008 NBA Finals is another example. Luckily the 32 year old Chauncey Billups has lost a step and his ability to get to the basket is not an issue anymore. Billups lack of mobility will work in the Lakers' favor.

4. Defense - Who will cover Kobe? Dahntay Jones is supposedly the Nuggets' best perimeter defender. To his credit, he played Chris Paul really well in the first round. One problem this creates is that Jones is an awful offensive player. When his is on the court, Denver's scoring will suffer. Secondly, if Shane Battier and Ron Artest, two of the best current perimeter defenders in the entire NBA, can't keep Kobe under 25 ppg Dahntay Jones surely isn't going to be able to. When the Nuggets realize that Jones can't guard Kobe, J.R. Smith will take over the defensive duties on the 2008 MVP. This will lead to 78 bad shots that will also affect Denver's offense. Smith has never seen a shot he doesn't like, and would shoot the ball from the parking lot if he was open.

5. The Insanity Factor. Will it be possible for the Nuggets to maintain their composure? Kobe loves to throw his elbows around, often leading to cheap shots on the opposing players. When this happens, I'm not so sure Denver will let it go. What about Kobe's constant taunting and the fact that he constantly runs his mouth? There is a high potential for a fight to occur in this series. The Nuggets have been able to contain their emotions throughout the playoffs thus far, but players like Kenyon Martin and Carmelo Anthony have been previously suspended due to altercations on the court. If either Martin or Anthony is ejected or suspended for any game in this series, it will be to the Lakers' advantage. Derek Fisher doesn't get away with that elbow against Denver.

We Want Leftwich

Here is an excerpt from a May 13th article published by the ESPN.com news staff, titled McCown: Starting Job His to Lose:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a plethora of quarterbacks under contract, but Luke McCown believes he's got the coolest hand of them all.

And despite the presence of recently signed, proven veteran Byron Leftwich, McCown - who signed a new deal himself in February - declared emphatically Tuesday that the starting job is his to lose.

"Absolutely," McCown said, according to the St. Petersburg Times. "This has been a long time coming for me and I'm not letting anybody take it from me. And it's the first legitimate opportunity. Say what you want about getting three starts at the end of a season [two, in 2007].

"But this is my first real opportunity to be the starter, to be the guy. And I look at it as mine and you're going to have to shoot me."

So wait, is he saying that since he is the starting QB, we should shoot him? Or is he implying that the only way he will not be the Bucs QB is if he is shot?

Either way, can someone get on this?

Dallas's Demise

Last night, I received an email from my good friend Dan Rose, requesting that I write about the tragic defeat his beloved Mavs recently suffered. He referred to Denver as the "Thuggets," which I thought was hilarious.

So why was Dallas completely obliterated in the series?

Well, first off, they were undersized. Any time you are forced to play a 5'5'' shooting guard for 20+ minutes a game, it creates a significant matchup problem... but not in a good way. And while we're on the topic of matchup problems, Erick Dampier's awful defense caused a mediocre Nene to put up ungodly numbers in games 1 and 2 (24.5 points per game on almost 80% shooting). And of course there is Jason Kidd, who couldn't guard a ball rack at this point of his career. With the exception of game 1, Chauncey Billups scored at will on Kidd.

Hypothetical situation: you are the owner of a team that's down 3-1 in a series and looking for any advantage you can get. It's probably not the best idea to start insulting the mother of the most psychotic member on the opposing team. That's not exactly going to give you the psychological edge. In fact, it may actually get you killed. I'm half serious here.

Early in the series, Denver set the tone in terms of toughness. Kenyon Martin shoulder checks Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks' franchise player, to the ground. Nowitzki doesn't confront him, approach him or even raise his voice. More importantly, Dirk's teammates don't stick up for him either. Could you imagine if the opposite scenario had occurred, if Martin was knocked to the floor instead? Not only would Dirk have been pummeled, but we probably would have witnessed the reincarnation of the Artest melee. I think this Nuggets team is almost as crazy as that 2004 Pacers team. Anyways, my point is, don't you need toughness to a certain degree? Doesn't it seem like Dallas would easily buckle under the pressure, especially if the Nuggets' players got in their heads? I thought the Mavs looked intimidated in every game.

I think Dallas's biggest issue was depth, specifically that they don't have any. While the Nuggets have a very reliable bench, headlined by J.R. Smith and "The Birdman," Dallas's bench is Jason Terry and a bunch of nobodys. Antoine Wright? James Singleton? Ryan Hollins? The Mavs' starters were forced to play 44 minutes a game, likely the reason why their losses were almost
all blowouts.

I am a big fan of Bill Simmons, arguably ESPN.com's top columnist. I think he's hilarious and I enjoy the way he connects sports with pop-culture references. He's also a diehard Boston sports fan, which further attracts me to his writing.

But Bill, GM of the Timberwolves? Seriously?

His reasoning is that his hiring would increase Minnesota's nationwide publicity and overall ticket sales. This is true... but to an extent. Sure, Simmons is well known across the country and has a very devoted fan base (myself included), but most of his readers are from the Boston area. I'm surely not going to fly to Minnesota to support him. The team needs to do well in order to fill the seats in the arena. Fans don't buy tickets because they like the GM, fans buy tickets because they enjoy watching the team play. If the Timberwolves are trotting out a lineup that includes Mark Madsen, Brian Cardinal, Kevin Ollie and Jason Collins (all of whom started of their last game of the season), I wouldn't watch the game on TV, let alone shell out $75 to watch it live. I'm sure Minnesota fans feel the same way.

There's also a considerable amount of luck involved in being an general manager in the NBA. Or any other professional sport for that matter. A GM could assemble the perfect team. The ideal mix of talent, chemistry, player salaries, veterans vs youth, along with fact that the starters & bench players recognize their respective roles. Suddenly the organization's superstar is injured and their championship hopes are all but lost. It isn't the general manager's fault when this happens. Now I'm not saying Minnesota had any chance to win the 2008 NBA title, but would last year's duo of GMs, Kevin McHale and Jim Stack, have taken the same amount of criticism if Al Jefferson hadn't torn his ACL midway through the season? Of course not. Jefferson was the franchise's best player. If he hadn't been injured they would have won more games and either McHale or Stack would likely still be the General Manager.

Simmons also contends that he can't possibly perform the job worse than awful GMs like Isiah Thomas and Elgin Baylor. While this also may be true, an NBA team, regardless of how terrible they are, is not going to hire a general manager that lacks the experience necessary to run an organization. Simmons has never even possessed an entry-level administrative job in the NBA. If he is seriously interested in becoming a GM (which it sounds like he is), he needs to get his foot in the door first. Shadow a general manager to see the daily duties and responsibilities. The position is much more than simple decisions like, "No I'm not going to give up two first round draft picks for Eddy Curry!"

Bill, you have the hook-up in Houston. Your boy Daryl Morey is the GM of the Houston Rockets. Learn some more about the position and maybe even take a lower role within organization.

Better yet, be the "VP of Common Sense" that you've always talked about. This experience will give you the credentials you need to become a general manager down the road.

So I'm at work right now watching the 1988 Eastern Conference semi-finals, Celtics vs. Hawks, and couldn't help but notice how stacked this 1988 Boston team was. The Celtics had one of the best Power Forward/Center combos in the NBA in Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.

Flash forward to the 2009 Eastern Conference Semi-finals, Boston's starting power forward is now:







Oh how times have changed. We currently have a 6'6'' 300 pounder with a 4 inch vertical leap playing power forward.

And when he is in foul trouble, here is Boston's 2nd option:


















I will now light myself on fire

Considering both of these guys will likely spend time guarding Dwight Howard, the league's best center from both an offensive and defensive standpoint, I don't really like the Celtics chances in this Orlando series.

Scottie's 2009 Playoffs Forecast: First Round

Oops, I totally forgot to post my first round predictions for the western conference. My bad! To make up for it, I'm going to announce my entire western conference side of the playoffs bracket, up until the NBA finals.

After hours of hard work and deliberation, here's what I've got:

First round:
Los Angeles vs. Utah - Los Angeles in 4
(I think there are a few other games too, but the results aren't important)

Second Round:
Los Angeles vs. Houston/Portland - Los Angeles in 4

Conference Finals:
Los Angeles vs. Denver/New Orleans/San Antonio/Dallas - Los Angeles in 5 (I'm feeling rather generous on this one)

The NBA really wants a Kobe/LeBron finals. KG's knee injury was actually a result of an attack with a baseball bat by one of David Stern's henchman. To further advance the cause, the refs will do everything in their power to secure this NBA finals matchup. Since the Cavs may need a little more assistance than the Lakers will, LeBron is now allowed 9 steps (or 3 'crab dribbles'), 8 fouls, and will shoot approximatly 720 free throws in the 2009 postseason. He's also legally allowed to viciously slaughter any opponent averaging over 15 points per game in a series. In this situation, James won't be charged with a foul, but the murder will be classified as 'illegal defense.'

Scottie's 2009 Playoffs Forecast: First Round

The NBA playoffs start Saturday and here are my thoughts:

Eastern Conference

Cleveland (1) vs Detroit (8) - Cleveland in 5. If the Pistons couldn't beat LeBron when they had homecourt advantage and Chauncey Billups as their starting PG, it's surely not going to happen now.

Boston (2) vs. Chicago (7) - Unless Michael Jordan returns and is magically in his prime, the Bulls will not win this series. The team is too young and inexperienced. While the Celts will be missing KG, it shouldn't be a factor against Chicago. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will cause significant matchup problems for the Bulls and Rajon Rondo has played consistently well all season. Playoff experience alone should be enough for the Celtics. The Garnett injury also gives Boston an added bonus in the "nobody believed in us" motivation. Boston in 5.

Orlando (3) vs. Philadelphia (6) - I think this series is going to be closer than people think because the Magic are not completely healthy right now. It would not surprise me if the Sixers pull off an upset here, especially if key starters Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu are not playing at 100%. (Random side note: Tony Battie should not ever be in an NBA starting lineup, regardless of injury). Plus, the Magic rely too much on the 3 point shot. Even if they aren't hitting, they keep shooting, often ignoring Dwight Howard in the process. I still don't think Philly has enough to beat them in a seven game series. The Cavs nearly beat them in a contest that had important playoff implications for the Sixers... and Cleveland was playing without Lebron, Mo Williams and Big Z! Orlando in 6.

Atlanta (4) vs. Miami (5) - There are a lot of experts that are picking Miami to prevail in this matchup. The Heat have the best player on the court in Dwayne Wade, who nearly singlehandedly led them to the 2006 NBA title. While Wade is an amazing player, I don't trust the rest of his supporting cast. Maybe Jermaine O'neal would have an impact on the playoffs if this was 2004, but he hasn't done anything impressive all year. Starting PG Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasely, their first man off the bench, are both rookies too, which would make me nervous if I were a Heat fan. The Hawks on the other hand looked great in their playoff run last year, almost pulling off the biggest upset in NBA history. They have homecourt advantage, a veteran point guard, and Joe Johnson, who scored at will in the 2008 postseason. While the Hawks aren't very deep, they should still have enough to hold off Miami. Atlanta in 6.

KG is Out For the Entire 2009 Postseason?!?!?!?!

So I was planning on posting an 2009 NBA playoffs preview article today... and then not one but two significant news stories occur, both of which involve my Boston Celtics

First, it's officially announced that the cornerstone of the team, Kevin Garnett, may be out for the entire playoffs. There has been a lot of speculation over the past few months that something just isn't right with KG's knee. Today it was confirmed. This is not good news for the C's playoff chances.

"It's not official that he's out for the entire playoffs, but it's official as far as I'm concerned" Doc Rivers stated before practice today.

Next it's released that Boston's GM, Danny Ainge, has a heart attack! One of his arteries was 100% clogged. He's expected to fully recover, but this is still awful news from a health standpoint.

Get well soon, Danny!

Back to the Garnett injury, I can't stress how much the Celts are going to miss KG in the playoffs. He's the best perimeter and help side defender on the team, by far. He can guard the opposing team's power forwards & centers and also clog the middle, preventing guards from penetrating the lane. He's extremely athletic and his motor is constantly running. A 7-footer that's as active as he is in terms of pressuring the ball is very rare.

KG's energy is contagious and it's clear that his presence positively influences the performances of the players around him - likely because they are afraid of him. His competitiveness is borderline insane.

Does this mean I think the C's will be upset in the first round?

Not at all... but the thought of the Perkins/Big Baby/Mikki Moore 'pu pu platter' guarding Dwight Howard in the inevitable 2nd round matchup against the Magic flat out frightens me.

Trouble in Paradise?

As of 8 games into the 2009 season, my beloved Red Sox are off to a 2-6 start. While this is very , very early, there are still several reasons for longterm concern:

• Our #2 pitcher, Dice-K, was just placed on the 15-day DL. In 6.1 inning pitched, Dice K has given up 9ER, 14 hits, 3 HR and walked 5 batters. He has an E.R.A. of nearly 13. It appears that he may still be fatigued from the world baseball classic.
• While we're on the subject of pitching, Jon Lester is 0-2 with a 9.0 E.R.A, giving up 11 earned runs in only 11 innings of work. This is our #3 starter. Clearly pitching is a significant issue right now. The Sox now will need to rely heavily on the trio of inconsistency: Brad Penny, Tim Wakefield and Clay Bucholtz. Not a good sign.
  
• Starting shortstop Jed Lowrie is another addition to the DL, is visiting a hand specialist today due to an ailing wrist. It looks like he may need surgery. I don't know what's worse, Lowrie missing a large chunk of the season or the fact that Julio Lugo will be taking his spot in the lineup.
  
• Big Papi is off to an awful start: batting .161 (5 hits in 31 at-bats), no homeruns and 8 strikeouts.

I'm not going to lie, I'm worried.

Someone needs to 'right the ship,' fast!

- Scottie

You've been Struck out by a First Basemen!

And last night's cy young for the Yankees was none other than...

Wait for it...

Nick Swisher!

Swisher pitched one inning of middle relief in Monday night's game against the Tampa Rays. Since the rest of the staff was getting shelled, why not put a first basemen on the mound? He can't possibly do any worse.

Here were his numbers, which were mildly impressive: 1IP 1H 0ER 1BB 1K

On a side note, how embarrassing is it for Gabe Kapler, who struck out during his at-bat against Swisher? Will he ever hear the end of it from his teammates?

Starting pitcher Chien Ming Wang also pitched one inning last night. Needless to say, he fared a little worse: 1IP 6H 8ER 3BB 1K

There will clearly be an opening spot in the rotation after Wang and his 29 E.R.A. are demoted down to New York's triple A affiliate Scranton/Wilkes Barre (best case scenario). Does this mean we'll see more of Nick Swisher's pitching?

One last jab - If pitching doesn't work out for Chien Ming Wang, it's safe to say he won't be transitioned to a position that requires him to run the bases. We've all seen how that works out for him.

Bucs Ink Super Bowl Winning QB Byron Leftwich

Oops did I leave 'second-string' out of the headline? My bad.

Over the weekend the Tampa Bucs added another awful quarterback to compete for the starting position, Byron Leftwich.

Leftwich may be more immobile than a tackling dummy, but on the bright side, he was technically 2nd in the NFL last season in QB rating (although his 36 passing attempts, primarily in garbage time, wasn't nearly enough to qualify him for the statistic).

Now the Tampa Bay Bucs starting quarterback in 2009 will either be one of the McNowns (I forget which one, since they are both irrelevant), Brian Griese, Josh Johnson (who tossed 108 TD passes in his final 3 years with the NCAA powerhouse San Diego Toreros), and Leftwich. Basically the QB that sucks the least will win the job.

Let the games begin!

Welcome Back, Carl Pavano!

Is there a Mendoza line for pitchers?

If one exists, this stat line from yesterday's game would surely be below it:

C Pavano (L, 0-1) 1.0IP 6H 9R 9ER 3BB 1K 2HR ERA:81.00

Anytime a pitcher's ERA is higher than the game-time temperature, there's a reason for concern.

Carl Pavano, once again showing us that he needs to be demoted to my illegitimate son's t-ball team. The only thing I'm upset about is that he's no longer on the Yankee's payroll.

While we're on the subject, here are his numbers in 4 years with the Bronx Bombers:

26 starts, 145.2IP, 182H, 81ER, 23HR, 75K, W-L 9-8, 5.00ERA

All for grand total of $39.95 million dollars, that's only $1.53 million per mediocre start. What a bargain!

Thoughts from Padres' Opening Day

So I was at the game, in section 323, row 1, seat 15. Completely surrounded by Doyer fans. I violated my "only sit in the terrace when the doyers are in town" rule, and regretted it instantly. Figured I'd put my thoughts down here, and others that attended could follow with their own.

Wish I had taken pictures, but I forgot my camera in my truck. OH CRAP, I just realized why we lost!! My truck was there. Meaning I had driven to the game. For all of you 2008 GLB'ers who know what my truck does to the Padres, I whole heartedly apoligize.

Thoughts...

1) was at the Cox Communications pre-game party at Hotel Solemar beforehand, and saw Mud and Steve Quis there. Quis was just sort of floating around hitting the food, not really talking to anyone. Seemed kind of awkward.

2) First Opening Day I've ever been to where there were more fans of the opposing team than the Padres. That was very disheartening.

3) I like Eckstein. His sacrifice bunt was the first successful small ball i have seen from these guys in a while.

4) Adrian absolutely killed that ball that hooked foul. Baseball truly is a game of inches.

5) that Mujica guy isn't bad. He looked like he had some good stuff and froze Manny with a great pitch.

6) I think when they collapsed on the mound to council Gregerson (which, by the way, sounds like a fake name) they said "remember how the weather was today? well in Portland, it NEVER GETS THAT NICE" and he got that double play.

7) Kouz. Come on dude. 5 LOB's (that I remember). Not helping out the cause here. Crap, even Khalil hit 1 for 5 and got an RBI today.

Anyone else at the game? What did you guys think?

Tank Johnson to the Bengals? Is this a Joke?

Although this may look like a posting on theonion.com, it's not. The Bengals seriously added Tank Johnson to their team.

Johnson, a 6th year defensive tackle, has spent more time in prison than on the football field. This of course makes him an ideal candidate for the Bengals.

"We feel like this is a better defense for Tank to show his talent," said Johnson's agent.

Sure, a roster full of criminals is the perfect environment for Tank, who has previously spent time in jail for the possession of multiple unlicensed firearms. He just needs to make sure he doesn't associate himself with the 93 other convicted criminals on the roster.

Oakland Raiders Weaken QB Position By Signing Jeff Garcia

Raiders' offer 1-year contract to the ageless Jeff Garcia

This is an interesting signing by the AFC west's perennial doormat. Are the Raiders seriously thinking about using Garcia and his 'noodle arm' to mentor incumbent quarterback JaMarcus Russell?

I love the move from an unintentional comedy standpoint. Russell is widely known for his ability to throw a football 60 yards from his knees. As a Buccaneers fan, I've watched Jeff Garcia for the past few seasons. He couldn't reach 40 yards through the air if he was given a running start. Maybe Russell will be the teacher, training Garcia not to pass the ball like an 11-year old girl.

The Raider wide receivers were terrible enough as it is, now they will even be off-key at practice, being forced to work with two QBs with completely opposite styles.

My guess is that Garcia will be used strategically, with the purpose of giving the Oakland receivers a rest. Think about it, the receivers have been sprinting downfield all game, only to watch Russell's errant passes sail over their heads. Suddenly in comes Jeff Garcia, who fires off 76 straight screen passes to the halfback because he can't reach anyone else. Talk about throwing off the defense!

I'm BACK!

Wow it's been over 3 months since WBTML has posted anything. Are we still alive? Was Scottie murdered by an angry Lakers fan? Did we run out of material after the 2008 Padres season officially ended? (The Padres season was mathematically over in May, but they actually were still playing until September... who knew?)

Good news - I think we're back! The 2009 Padres season is nearly underway, so Dave will re-emerge from hibernation. I'm thinking about taking a stance on the upcoming NBA & NFL draft, the NBA Playoffs, maybe some Tampa Bucs coverage here and there, and since I'm in San Diego, I may even writing about the Padres.

Today I found an interesting article about Michael Clayton, the Tampa Buccaneers 2nd string wide receiver. Clayton is coming off a solid 2008 season in which he almost had 500 years receiving. After underperforming for the past four years, Tampa Bay management consumed a few too many cocktails in early March and shockingly offered Clayton a 5 year, $26 million dollar contract.

If you need statistical evidence that Michael Clayton is an awful WR, here are his numbers over the past five seasons:

YEAR	TEAM	G	REC	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD	FD
2004	TAM	16	80	1193	14.9	75	7	56
2005	TAM	14	32	372	11.6	41	0	18
2006	TAM	12	33	356	10.8	27	1	22
2007	TAM	14	22	301	13.7	39	0	14
2008	TAM	15	38	484	12.7	58	1	21

Clearly not very impressive.

So why was he re-signed in the first place? ESPN's Pat Yasinskas answers this mysterious question in the following article:

Clayton Ready to Block Out the Past 4 Seasons

This quote summarizes the article perfectly: "I really think that's why I stayed here because they value the blocking so much," Clayton said.

Apparently that's an important quality in a #2 receiver... more important than CATCHING THE BALL!

... Well he can't haul in a pass to save his life, but that boy sure can block!

Ladies and gentlement, your 2009 Tampa Bay Buccaneers!