Free Ballin’

Henry Abbott’s assessment of David Stern’s comments is clear and thoughtful.  Abbott and I also have the same problem with David Stern’s statements: Stern says the league is great shape in all respects and yet somehow the teams will lose around $400 million this year.  One comment Abbott made caught my attention:
“What’s a fair amount [...]

[Read more →]

I’m an optimist.  When I was six and the Princess in Voltron dove into the pool and her top surfaced before she did, I was fairly confident that something wonderful was about to happen, network television or not.  I’m even confident that there are women somewhere in the world (somewhere) who might be a little [...]

[Read more →]

Among the Trailblazers, Rockets, and Thunder, two will make the playoffs.  San Antonio will knock one of them off.  Fortunately, I think it’s the Trailblazers who are most likely lotto bound.  They’ve had a cupcake schedule and without Oden they’re a bubble team.  The Rockets and Thunder have faced some real competition thus far, and [...]

[Read more →]

Really, I can’t watch them unless they’re playing against the teams I most enjoy seeing.  And though I want to see if Gilbert Arenas is back to form, the Wizards are so hard on the eyes that I haven’t seen enough of him to have an opinion.  It’s just ugly.  Their core guys don’t pass [...]

[Read more →]

I’m reconsidering the Iverson signing.  Maybe, since it came in the same week the Nets needlessly fired Lawrence Frank, the 76ers move immediately smelled of the same impatience and short-sightedness.  Maybe that isn’t the case; maybe they’re being savvy by admitting that what they started isn’t going to work, and smart to jump on a [...]

[Read more →]

I’d be thrilled if Allen Iverson signs with the 76ers because I’m a basketball fan, and because I’m not a 76ers fan.
AI is one of my favorite players ever and I love watching the guy on the court—as long as he doesn’t play for my team.  It’s nothing against AI and it doesn’t have anything [...]

[Read more →]

Continuing my NBA VIEW
Toronto Raptors:
No fans are in worse shape than Raptor fans.  You know Chris Bosh is going to leave.  You know it, don’t you?  Toronto’s management is in an awful position (of their own making,) trying to figure out a way to entice Bosh to stay.  He says he loves it in Toronto, [...]

[Read more →]

Indiana: The Pacers chased me all over America last year.  It seemed that everywhere I went, they were the visiting team.  So I got to see them a lot.  Mostly, I learned that if you only looked at Danny Granger for all 48 minutes of game play, even especially when he’s on the bench, the [...]

[Read more →]

Well, I guess now we’ll see how good Rodney Stuckey is.
I like trades like this, big pieces being shifted around by two teams, Detroit and Denver, that needed a change. Or maybe not. Denver desperately needed a change, and this trade is terrific for them in every way I can think [...]

[Read more →]