lethalweapon3

The SoCal/West Coast ties are intriguing, but to me it's for a whole different reason. When 2013-2014 rolls around, if we haven't already acquired Dwight by then, might he make a strong play for one of the Staples Center's two biggest assets? Either a Gretzky-esque trade for an aging Kobe to close out his career here, or a free agent push for Professor Griff? Also, I don't worry about the Hawks going anywhere under his tenure, but I do have what I think is healthy, cautious skepticism about his championship desires. When he says, "I will not ever give up trying to win a championship for this city," why? What is it about Atlanta that makes him want to bring a NBA championship here? Maybe it's just his business instincts that it's just what potential customers want to hear ("I will not stop until I bring the best-tasting pizza ever to the great people of El Segundo, or whatever."). Maybe he sees ATL as a severely underserved market for championship-level pro sports. But I'd like to hear from Meruelo what it was about the Atlanta market that makes him so zealous to spend, in an area where he has no ties, that he won't be tempered by his bottom line. ~lw3

(cough) ~lw3

So that's actually "Fiction," right? ~lw3

Yeah, you'll get no growls from me! lol My apologies for being a tad harsh. I'm kinda guilty of projection myself (a truly blog-worthy face + Nixon-esque charisma). The vid does make more sense in the context of the 5-on-5 roundtable (posted as a separate thread earlier today, I'll comment on that thread later). Thanks for the clarification. And I commiserate with you on that situation with The Worldwide Leader. My situation pales in comparison since I rarely post blogs, but thanks to a third-party setting up some blogging-network connection with Fox Sports (Yardbarker or something) and then disappearing off the face of the earth, I have to chase down people everytime I post content not intended for prime time consumption and critique. Now THEY get ad click revenue for MY content, and I have hardly any ads on my own blog. ~lw3

Lethal Intellectual Playas (LIPS) PG: William Anthony (Tony) Parker / Devin Lamar Harris /Almario Vernard (Mario) Chalmers SG: DeMar Darnell DeRozan / Calvin Andre (C.J.) Miles, Jr. SF: Carmelo Kiyan Anthony / Trevor Anthony Ariza PF: Timothy Theodore (Tim) Duncan / Amir Jalla Johnson /Joshua Scott (Josh) McRoberts C: Brook Lopez /Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi (Emeka) Okafor / Channing Thomas Frye Coach: Tom Thibodeau Celebrity Row: Mick Jagger, Lisa Rinna, Louis Lipps, Sade, Frank N. Furter, Angelina Jolie, The Joker, Echo & the Bunnymen Mascot: Smoochy the Rhino Arena: ChapStick Palace; Kissimmee, Florida D-League Affiliate: Oak Hill Orifices; Mouth of Wilson, Virginia General Manager: lethalweapon3 GM Hairstyle: Billy Knight Fauxhawk General Manager Emeritus: TRUEINTELLECTUALPLAYA Team Philosophy: Proficiency and versatility are the hallmarks of this team. The LIPS can fill buckets in bunches, thanks in part to Carmelo Anthony (last season’s third-leading scorer -- and top three-point shooter among players contributing 25+ points per game), Tony Parker (the top field-goal shooter among point guards), and Brook Lopez (one of the top three scorers among centers). While heavily geared to produce points inside with Tim Duncan, DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson (second in the NBA last season for offensive rating), and Emeka Okafor, bench players C.J. Miles and Channing Frye help the LIPS to stretch opposing defenses to the three-point line. Expect post-ups and mid-range jumpers galore. Also, quickness in transition from steals will result in numerous fastbreak opportunities for Parker, Anthony, Trevor Ariza, and DeRozan. Both Parker and his reserve, Devin Harris, can get into the lane and dish, come off screens from Duncan and Lopez, or set up the offense for Anthony, Lopez, and DeRozan on the blocks, spotting up for outside jumpers when defenses double-up on the top scorers. Anthony will be useful not only for drawing double teams, but for drawing defenders outside, spacing the floor for the dribble-drive element of the offense. Okafor (the league’s second-leading offensive rebounder among centers) and Duncan supplement Lopez’s shortcomings on the glass, registering putbacks and bolstering opportunities to extend control of the ball on the offensive side of the floor. The LIPS carry a balance of accomplished veteran leadership and emerging talent, featuring five players with NBA Finals experience, including two NBA Finals MVPs in Parker and Duncan. Both players have sufficient depth at their positions to eliminate the need for excessive minutes. Beside these ex-Spurs, several pairs of players have recently played together (Harris-Lopez, Harris-Miles, DeRozan-Amir Johnson, Ariza-Okafor). Duncan is the sole player above age 30 on the roster. And within the last year alone, DeRozan, Johnson, Miles, Josh McRoberts, and Mario Chalmers have each displayed an ability and will to improve their overall game. All aged 25 years and under (along with Lopez), these players will serve this team well into the next decade as mentoring veteran leaders transition toward retirement. Defensive intensity will determine how far this team can go. And there are few coaches better equipped to instill the value of defensive intensity than Tom Thibodeau. Coach Thibodeau’s strategies have adjusted player approaches and mindsets that turn heretofore unremarkable players defensively into strong defensive talents (Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Derrick Rose). He will have defensive-minded players at his disposal (Chalmers, Ariza, Okafor) along with aggressive frontcourt players in Johnson and McRoberts, and a perennial All-Defensive Team veteran in Duncan, who tops all active NBA players in career defensive rating. Motivating players like Anthony and Frye to focus and play the full court with on-the-ball pressure, and committing Lopez to fight for more rebounds, will go a long way in giving the LIPS the edge it needs every night. ~lw3

Smoove becomes the leader, because he has the greatest affinity for carne asada pizzas. ~lw3

So is A$G a G at all anymore? Or just a bunch of dudes with a minority interest in the team? ~lw3

I wonder if Muruelo previously tried to pry the Clippers from Sterling's slippery hands... and if he had designs on moving the Clips to The O.C.~lw3

Bret's got, as those in the radio business would say, a face made for blogs. Backed up with charisma made for newspaper columns. Which is fine -- hello, Sekou -- so long as he's got some value-added, creative, and clever opinionated content to share. He doesn't this time. A Hawks preview about one player? Maybe ESPN's taking blogitorials from team/league contributors and chopping them up into one-minute sound bytes just to sell ads. But what is there to "preview," exactly, about NBA teams and players amid the early stages of a lockout? I do worry, especially with the growing desperation for cheap but relevant content by the major sports websites, that we'll get more trivial fluff like this from bloggers and "fan contributors" interspersed with video ads and pop-ups. The ads have to go somewhere. And why pay Jalen Rose's bar tab when you can get guys like Bret on the cheap, or for free? ~lw3

Snelling is back in the fold! 1-year contract. ~lw3

Fiesta! Fiesta!~lw3

Biggest pic I could find, although I will post the link to a video once somebody guesses this one right. Currently, a corporate account executive and periodic sports announcer for a PBS television station. Gained a very popular nickname in college that rhymed his athletic exploits with his suburban Atlanta upbringing. Wilt Chamberlain was once quoted in a national magazine as saying "he could dunk better than anyone I've ever seen." (do not adjust your screen). Despite playing just 38 games for the Hawks (2.4 PPG in 8.3 minutes per game), he once received a standing ovation at an NBA game from a capacity crowd... at Madison Square Garden. He may have been the last Hawks player ever to have been drafted... into military service! ~lw3

D, are you gonna take your final draft pick? Otherwise, IHeartAtlanta gets to trade Marvin to your team for future considerations. ~lw3

That pic above was the 2002 Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches' Hall of Fame induction of Wilbur Holland, a Columbus, Georgia native who took his Univ. of New Orleans Privateers to two Division II Final Fours, before being taken by Atlanta in the 3rd round of the 1975 Draft. Within two seasons of getting waived by the Hawks in 1976, Holland would average 16.6 PPG, 3.8 APG, 3.6 RPG, and 2.0 SPG for Chicago. He joined ABA refugee Artis Gilmore to spark the Bulls back into playoff contention in 1977, closing the season with a 20-4 record, only to be turned away in the first round by eventual champion Portland. ~lw3

The answer to the guy the Hawks took in the 8th round back in 1978, one pick after Chubby Cox (whose sister Pam gave birth to Kobe Bryant): http://www.eagletrib...rts-in-a-Minute ~lw3

More on Donnie Boyce's new job (and the answer to the clue about the other Amigo taken five picks after Alan Henderson) here and here. ~lw3

Snelling worked out for the Chiefs yesterday. Would be a nice improvement over what Thomas Jones gave them last year as a complement to Jamaal Charles. ~lw3

ngc7 Squad (5 players +1 Coach needed):PG: Brandon Jennings, Jeff TeagueSG: Ray Allen, John SalmonsSF: Paul Pierce, Hedo TurkogluPF: Al HorfordC: Joakim Noahseano Squad (2 players needed):PG: Mike Conley, Kirk Hinrich, JJ BareaSG: Dwyane Wade, Tony AllenSF: Grant HillPF: LaMarcus Aldridge, David West, Paul MillsapC: Nene, Chuck HayesCoach: Erik Spoelstraoldorder Squad (2 players needed):PG: Rajon Rondo, Aaron BrooksSG: Marcus Thornton, Aaron AfflaloSF: Luol Deng, Reggie WilliamsPF: Elton Brand, Kris Humphries, Chris WilcoxC: Marc Gasol, Zaza PachuliaCoach: Jerry SloanDiesel Squad: (1 player needed)PG: Kyle Lowry, Ramon SessionsSG: Eric Gordon, Tracy McGrady, Gary NealSF: Wilson Chandler, Shawn Marion, Rashard LewisPF: Zach Randolph, Ryan AndersonC: Dwight Howard, Ronny TuriafCoach: Avery Johnson~lw3

Just saw on a Falcons board thread that Schef retracted his earlier tweet that the Falcons were over the cap, and there's a NBCSports article that supposedly has the Falcons about $2.6 mill under. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/04/with-cba-coming-salary-cap-compliance-time-is-at-hand/ ~lw3

Yeah, actually, he went to IHeartAtlanta in the 9th Round (unless IHeart meant to take Mo?). ~lw3

All-"Human League" Teams ("Don't You Want Me?") 1st Team: Mo Williams, Richard Hamilton, Tyrus Thomas, Antawn Jamison, Ben Wallace 2nd Team: Beno Udrih, Anthony Parker, Jonas Jerebko, Corey Maggette, Chris Andersen 3rd Team: Jordan Farmar, Leandro Barbosa, Charlie Villanueva, Al Harrington, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 4th Team: Derek Fisher, Marco Belinelli, Mike Miller, Drew Gooden, Nick Collison 5th Team: Nate Robinson, Shannon Brown, Ryan Gomes, Travis Outlaw, Jordan Hill ~lw3

Jerious Norwood is now a Ram. ~lw3

Don't worry about Grimes, he and his wife/manager Miko just got on the Stews show and went ham on Ledbetter about today's article. Especially the Missus. Can we sign Miko, too? :-) He'll be back at practice on the 4th. ~lw3