The King Is Back

(c)

So King Richard returned to the mound yesterday….finally. He managed to stay healthy all spring for once. And i must say, dominating the defending world champs is quite a reason to be excited. And you know what? We should’ve won the first game too! Blanton looked good in the opener, Harden looked dominating in the second game.

Our hitting is going to have to come around. Jack Cust played out of his mind last year and there’s very little chance he repeats it. But we get a true leadoff man for the entire season in Travis Buck, the very promising Jack Hannahan in for Chavy at third, and Kurt Suzuki got two doubles off the famed Red Sox bullpen last night (or should i say, this morning). Any offense we get out of Suzuki is simply an added bonus. Emil Brown shook off some opening day base-running errors with a three-run shot off John Lester. Chris Denorfia, another new edition, went 1-2 with an RBI single. Bobby Crosby also looked like the guy who won Rookie of the Year a couple years ago, and we always have the reliable Mark Ellis. I like the power combination of Cust and Mike Sweeney, but it’d be difficult to play them together. Not to mention, I’d hope Huston Street will come around, after getting knocked around a bit in the opener. Plus we have Casilla, Foulke, and Embree to set him up in the bullpen. I feel safe with Blanton, Harden, and Gaudin as our top 3 starters. If Duchscherer can stay healthy, he’s a solid four-guy. Lenny DiNardo, who pitched an out in the opener, is our biggest questionmark as the fifth starter.

Rich Harden’s performance this morning gives every A’s fan something to be optimistic about

But the point is Harden.

When he’s fully healthy, Harden is the second best right-hander (behind Josh Beckett), and third best pitcher (behind Beckett and Johan Santana) in baseball. What you may forget is that this kid’s only 26! It seems like he’s been hurt forever, but he’s still pretty young. Sure it would’ve been exciting to watch him face Beckett, but it’s not our fault Beckett’s hurt. Plus, we’ll take the win over the defending champs. If Harden can stay healthy all year (and that’s a HUuuuuuuuuuuuuuge “if”), we could challenge for the division. But at the very least, this Red Sox game gives us something to be optimistic about. And we didn’t have a lot of that for this year otherwise.

On paper, yeah, we’re not even close to Seattle or Anaheim (hate them), but we’ve done more with less before. We just need to steal our next door neighbors, Warriors’, motto and “…Believe.”

The Future Is Now….

In early 2004, the Sacramento Kings lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a seven-game Western Conference Semifinal showdown when Chris Webber’s three went in-and-out as the game clock expired. Little did the team know at the time that the team’s roster was about to take on a complete makeover. First, starting Center Vlade Divac signed with the rival, hated Lakers. This was somewhat expected, as the team had brought in Brad Miller to take his place anyway. There was also the Peja Stoyakovic/Chris Webber power struggle that was threatening to, and eventually succeeded in, tear the team from grace. However one other problem that the team saw was the aging of defensive-oriented two-guard Doug Christie. It was thought that Christie, once a well-recognized lock-down defender, had lost a step and was now getting by more on reputation than on merit. So in the 2004 draft, they took who they thought was a Christie-clone in skinny-ass 6-7 Kevin Martin from Western Carolina. While no one knew who he was, no one was going to question GM Geoff Petrie’s talent-evaluation skills either. But after training camp, the team felt he was not ready to contribute immediately. So they shipped Christie, while his value was still decent, to Orlando for Cuttino Mobley who was to takeover the starting position until Martin was ready. Martin would average 2.9 points in 10 minutes a game, but also didn’t play particularly good defense. He averaged giving up 111 points for every 100 possessions and shot only 39%. It was thought, he was a good ways away.

A year later, the Golden State Warriors found themselves with something they hadn’t had in recent memory – a certified superstar. At then end of the 2004-05 season, they got Baron Davis in a trade with New Orleans. Paired with Warrior-hero Jason Richardson, they made one of the best back-court combinations in the league. Unfortunately they didn’t have much help, and the team finished 34-48, 11 games out of the playoffs, and tied for last in the division. It was their 11th straight season out of the playoffs. After addressing their needs in the first round with PF Ike Diogu, they took a flier on a young, quick-as-hell, tough-as-nails, but undersized guard named Monta Ellis in the second round. In his rookie year, Monta come on strong in the second half, similar to a former Warrior second round pick (Gilbert Arenas). The team decided to move Richardson to Small Forward so Monta could start at two-guard in his second season. He responded well, averaging 17.5 points and 4.1 assists on 47.5% shooting to help lead the team to its’ first playoff birth in 12 seasons. The team then pulled one of the greatest upsets of all-time, knocking out the top-seeded Mavericks (who’d had one of the best regular seasons ever) in the first round of the playoffs as an eighth seed. Monta, however, did not play too well. But he did win the NBA’s most Improved Player award for that season. And that is where he met Martin, who finished second.

The debate raged after the award was announced. Martin, now in his third season, had become the number one weapon in Sacramento, averaging 20.2 points on 47.3% shooting. But his team stunk, and Monta’s had become the darlings of the NBA. This season, both players have gotten even better, and have cemented their place as the best young 2-guards in the league. They are the less-hyped Deron Williams/Chris Paul-debate, shooting guard-style.

Monta won the Most Improved Player award in 2007, but did he really deserve it?

I have them as the sixth and seventh best two-guards in the league. This is the position that Michael Jordan made famous. It is also the NBA’s most talent-loaded position. Right now, I’d take both over household names like Rip Hamilton or Ray Allen. Their styles make for a good comparisons. Monta started out as a driver, using his quickness (this past December, a team of researchers at UMASS concluded that Monta, not Phoenix’s Leandro Barbosa, is the fastest player in the NBA), but developed a mid-range jump shot that might already be top 5 in the league. Martin was almost the opposite. He started out as a three-point specialist (despite having one of the strangest shots i’ve ever seen), but eventually developed a deceivingly-quick (think Brandon Roy) first step. Neither is particularly good defensively, as they both give up 111 points per 100 possessions. This is roughly the same as Steve Nash, never noted for his defensive presence. An ace defender will get that number below 100, like a Bruce Bowen, or Christie in his prime. Martin’s strength is his efficiency on offense. He scores 22.7 points on 14.8 shots per game. And despite the fact that his shooting percentage is down, he still gets to the line 9 times a game. His PER (20.47) is the fifth best in the league at shooting guard. Not to mention, even Ron Artest acknowledges that K-Mart (2!) is the best offensive weapon on the team. This season alone he’s dropped 43 on 21 shots in November against the Knicks, 39 on 16 shots in January against the Mavs, and 48 on 23 shots this month against the T-Wolves.

When K-Mart dropped 48 on Minnesota, he was all smiles….until they lost

While Monta isn’t nearly as efficient as K-Mart, he makes up for it in other areas. They both average a tad under 5 rebounds a game (4.7 for Monta, 4.6 for K-Mart), but while K-Mart drops in at 2.0 dimes a game, Monta drops 3.7. Monta also spends long periods of time at the point, as the Warriors move Baron off the ball alot so he stays fresh at the end of games. And his PER is still a very respectable 18.93, good enough for ninth among point guards. And while Martin is already his team’s first option, Monta is the number two guy on a much better team. It is also worth noting that Monta is a full two years younger than K-Mart, one of the benefits of having come to the pros straight out of High School.

So the question going into tonight’s Kings/Warriors matchup is who’s better? For one game? K-Mart. For the future? Probably Monta. One thing that should be noted is that while they are both incredibly skinny, K-Mart has 4 inches on Monta. He also has the body-type to turn into a good defender. If he can do that, he will be a step above Monta, who will always be undersized as a two-guard. On the other side, Monta has a more aggressive style that has been known to wear players down quicker. Monta is the aggressive guard, constantly keeping defenses off guard with his quickness and tempo-pushing pace. K-mart is the cool, relaxed shooter who lets the game come to him. You want to guard him off the line, he’ll get to the rim. But he’ll keep the game at his own pace. They both fit their own systems better than the other could. Monta is the ideal small-ball player. K-Mart is perfect efficient scorer for the wing-heavy Kings.

“It goes Hillary Clinton,….

…Barack Obama/
I made the world ‘Trap Or Die,’ ask DJ Drama/
It goes ‘Free Big Meech!’ and motherfuck Osama/
I ain’t talkin ’bout nothin, so wassup lil’ mama?”

Is it me, or is Jeezy all-of-a-sudden popping up everywhere? And more than that, hasn’t he stepped his lyrical game up ten-fold? When he debuted it would be laughable that any of his verses would be memorable. The above-mentioned verse is one of the most memorable verses I’ve heard lately, even if it is about absolutely nothing. To add to this verse off The Dream’s “I Luv Yo’ Girl (Remix),” he pops up on maybe the biggest single of the spring (Usher’s “Love In The Club”), the new Rapper’s Rapper’s first real hit single (Lupe Fiasco’s “Superstar (Remix)”), and a new Southern Anthem (the flaming-hot “Luxury Tax” by Rick Ross featuring Jeezy, Weezy, and Trick Daddy). While his more lyrical fellow Southern Superstars Weezy and Tip have both gotten lazy lately, Jeezy’s steppin his game up (word to Nas!).

It all began on the USDA album, on the track “Corporate Thuggin,” where he addressed all the haters:

“I say I’m corporate thuggin, CTE/
until the day i die, that’s the way it’s gon’ be/
Thug Motivation, I’m bumpin’ number 3/
blowin’ on some killer shit that i got from zone 3/
blowin Orange Mile, yeah we call it Tennessee/
I’m good in erry hood, everybody know me/
so don’t wake me up, i swear to God I’m dreamin/
Pray fo’ Uncle Ray Yeah dat nigga still beamin’/
Lookin’ fly in the cock pit a nigga still leanin;/
Money out here So a nigga still schemin’/
And I don’t make music fo’ da muthafuckin’ critics/
They don’t understand ‘cuz they ain’t muthafuckin live it/
And I ain’t trippin’ on the source I got a muthafuckin’ plug/
Keep ya’ 5 Mics I’m still a muthafuckin thug/
Now the question is Can a nigga really rap?/
And the answer Is you eva been to da trap?/
Bitch I make hits, you niggas waste time/
And I be Goddamned if I let you waste mine/
Might change for the better, but I’m still strapped/
Trigga happy nigga, don’t make me relapse/
Attitude like fuck it, they hatin’ anyway/
And I can give a fuck what a nigga gotta say/
You still talkin’ blow? You God damn right!/
What else I’m gon’ say that’s my mu-fuckin’ life!”

Who knew? Jeezy addressed the haters with the best verse of his career up to that point. I say “up-to-that-point” because he just jumped on the aforementioned Lupe Remix. And on a track with Lupe and his homeboy Tip, Jeezy stole the show:

“Oh my God, all this for me? I must be on my job/
First album was a classic, never got an award/
took my first 10 grand and bought a Honda Accord/
and then I packed them thangs inside the Honda Accord/
and put ‘em on the highway and watched the Honda accord/
Excuse me Mr. Engineer, I hope you’re pressin’ record/
and on behalf of the streets, I just can’t be ignored!/
The stage in all black, just like a new glock/
all the broads screamin’ like they just seen Tupac/
’say his earring’s bout as big as his ego/
keep a fresh bald head like he just left chemo/
this ain’t even mine, this is Lupe’s single/
and everytime i watch ‘The Wire,’ its like i just left B-Mo’/
call me ‘Marlo,’ come be my Snoopy/
Superstar baby, why wouldn’t you do me?”

Aside from rhyming “Honda Accord with itself three times (word to Peter Gunz!), this rhyme is as good as i could’ve ever expected from him. And that’s the new thing with Jeezy. Less emphasis on his catchy delivery and adlibs (once his trademark) and more emphasis on word structure, fitting words into his bars, and lyrical sense. There was a time when all of his bars were about 5 words. This is to add to his already superior song structure, flow, and ear for beats. Plus he has a habit of making songs about anything dramatic. In the past, songs like “Standing Ovation” and “Hypnotized” could seem somewhat inspring, if you didn’t realize they were about sellin’ D.

It was only a couple years ago that everyone was wondering “who’s the third Southern superstar” after Weezy and Tip. Then out of nowhere, Jeezy sells two mil and puts that question to rest. But if you look at what Weezy and Tip have done since then, it’s not particularly staggering. Weezy was crowned as the “Best Rapper Alive” (a title that he invented) after the Carter 2. Then he had a string of guest appearances that no one in history has ever come close to, along with a collabo album with Birdman, before leaking sixteen million songs in the past 12 months, all-the-while promising that Carter 3 was on the way. We finally get the leaked single, and it’s another T-Pain singing job like Snoop’s “Sexual Eruption.” And while the guest spots were fine and dandy, remember that he hasn’t had an album in 3 years, and is getting lyrically lazier and lazier. Tip got to the top of the game in early ‘06 with the release of King, his second straight double platinum album. The joint had four or five hit singles, and was the biggest selling hip hop album of the year. Well after that, he put out his first artist (Young Dro), who had a monster hit single as well. He did deals with GM and ESPN, before dropping a new single that ESPN played on every SportsCenter for a month. But the album was weak and he would get arrested on crazy gun charges. Only now, as he has another album set to drop, has he gone back to the guest spots and mixtapes as heavilty.

TI’s still got him on flow and song-structure, and Weezy’s got him in word play, but Jeezy’s outshined both of them already on songs that came out in ‘08 (Weezy on “Luxury Tax” and Tip on “Superstar (Remix)”). Lyrically, he’s no joke anymore. Both Tip and Wayne better get on their P’s and Q’s, ‘cuz Jeezy’s turning into a monster.

“I Gave You Fair Warning, Beware”

(c)

The Top 25 Best Cali Ballers of All-Time….Coming Soon!

Shoot First…

ask questions later.

There’s been a lot of recent debate, with the surging Rockets, Manu catching fire, and Wade having an off year, as to the top Shooting Guards in the league. Well my friends, I am here to stop all this talk. I’m going to tell you who the 20 best Shooting Guards in the L are….dig….

20. Anthony Parker, TOR (12.2 pts, 2.0 ast, 45% 3 Pt FG)
One of the more slept-on players in the league, Parker plays great defense, shoots a high percentage on threes, and does a lot of the intangibles. If you remember, he and Ford were the only two guys who played well in the playoffs for them last year when Bosh went M.I.A. If he can develop a driving game or a mid-range game, he should become a lot better. But he isn’t as young as you’d think, so this may be as good as he gets.

19. Ronnie Brewer, UTA (11.9 pts, 54% FG, 1.8 stl)
Ronnie does all the small things for Utah. He was an upgrade on Derek Fisher, who played the under-sized two for them last year, when everyone thought they’d get worse. What’s most incredible about Brewer is that, even though he has no jump shot to speak of, he gets so many lay-ups that he’s got an unworldly 54% Field Goal percentage. Only in his second year, Brewer will only get better.

18. DeShawn Stevenson, WAS (11.1 pts, 3.1 pts, 3.0 rb)
That he even makes this list is a tribute to his work ethic. A couple of years ago, he was considered the worst offensive starting SG in the league. Now, he’s shooting a respectable 36% from downtown, and holding the Wizz down while their two best players on hurt. And he’s always been a very good defender. Of course, everyone still only seems to remember him for losing a shooting contest to a one-handed-Gilbert Arenas.

17. Mike Miller, MEM (16.7 pts, 6.4 rb, 51% FG, 44% 3Pt)
If you were one of those people who, at the trade deadline, were wondering “Why do so many teams want Mike-freakin-Miller?”, perhaps you should take a look at those last two numbers. Those are extremely efficient numbers. Plus, as Hubie Brown would say, “And you love the 6.4 rebounds!” So it almost makes up for the fact that he sometimes struggles at creating his own shot, and can’t defend a chair.

16. Larry Hughes, CHI (13 pts, 2.7 ast, 1.6 stl)
Shhhh, don’t tell anyone…but….Larry might be the best player on the Bulls. I know, i know….he’s not even the highest ranked Bull at Shooting Guard on this list! Well, we have to penalize him for the past couple years. But watching them lost to Detroit and Boston recently, he’s been the only one that doesn’t give up. He goes to the rack, shoots mid-range jump shots, and place intensive defense. Exactly what the Bulls need, a former all-star level player, who has no quit in him.

15. Mike Dunleavy, IND (18.0 pts, 5.3 rb, 48% FG)
I know this would seem like a sin to any Warrior fan. But, Dun’s having a career season. You see the points, rebounds and Field Goal percentage, but he’s also played better defense (but then again, anything’s better than what he was playing), and shoots right around 40% from downtown. He’s been arguably the best player on the Pacers (i know, i know, that’s not saying much). Their problem is, he plays the same position as the only other guy playing well for them, so they slide him to the two.

14. Ben Gordon, CHI (19.6 pts, 40% 3 pt, 43% FG)
This is a perfect example of a case where the stats are misleading. He has overall, pretty solid stats again. But what the stats don’t show that he gives up on plays. The stats don’t show that he doesn’t make much of an effort on defense. The stats don’t show that he has his head down for most of the game. The stats don’t show that he seems to have mailed the season in. He gets this high on his scoring ability, but what else can he do?

13. Joe Johnson, ATL (21 pts, 5.4 ast, 4.6 rb)
This is one of the more overrated players in the league. I would argue that despite his stats, he’s only been the third best player on a team that’s 10 games below .500. Joe has turned more and more into a “chucker” every year. Despite having three guys who are more efficient offensive players, he still chucks enough shots to score 21 points at a tad over 40% shooting. However, he does do a lot of other things for this team. He is the unquestioned leader, and plays hard on defense and runs the point a lot more than he should. So maybe he’s just looking bad because he’s had to spend so much time out of position at the point. We should see now that they have Bibby.

12. Leandro Barbosa, PHO (16.2 pts, 46% FG, 2.9 rb)
While his numbers from last year are down across the board, Barbosa is still having a pretty decent season. In case you are wondering, he is a two. He cannot run the offense, as Phoenix eventually figured out and just decided to live with. He has neither the court vision or ball-skills to run the point. His big downside is most twos can physically dominate him. But damn if he ain’t fast. And damn he sure can score.

11. Michael Redd, MIL (23.4 pts, 44% FG, 4.5 rb)
My how the mighty have fallen. This guy probably would have been top 5 last year. And his numbers aren’t down That much. So what gives? Well for one, his team is much worse with essentially the same pieces. His defense (never his calling card anyway) is a worse, and he’s just generally down across the board. Another big stats guy who can’t lead a team. And when shooting is your calling card, and you shoot only 38% from downtown, what gives?

10. Ray Allen, BOS (18.4 pts, 3.1 ast, 40% 3 pt)

Just as much as Redd and Johnson’s stats make them look better than they are, Allen’s stats don’t tell half of what he’s doing for this team. For the first time in his career, he’s given in to a defensive scheme. He’s also been a great leader for a championship-caliber team. He has diversified his game, going from a franchise player to a third-gun. He’s now doing all the little things that we used to criticize him for not doing. He’s proving to be just a winner. And you need guys like that to win titles.

9. Brandon Roy, POR (19.7 pts, 5.8 ast, 4.8 rb)

Roy has emerged as one of the league’s better shooting guards in only his second season. While his all-star birth was a little premature, there is no doubt he is on his way there. He has all the intangibles that people talk about, he can shoot, pass, rebound, defend, and run the offense. But while he might get there, he’s not better than any of the top 8. He typically gets all the credit for how good Portland’s gotten, but Aldridge, Outlaw and Jack have all been heavily slept-on. Nevertheless, Roy is their leader and best player.

8. Rip Hamilton, DET (17.9 pts, 4.2 ast, 45% FG)

He’s the leading scorer on, what i view as, the best team in the league. His numbers are down as a whole (mainly due to the emergence of the Piston bench), but his percentages are all up. So what does that say? He’s a better player this year, and he’s not going to be as worn down come playoff time.

7. Monta Ellis, GSW (19.4 pts, 4.6 rb, 53% FG)

In another column i will un-earth the Ellis/Martin debate. But for now I’ll just say that Monta has already become one of the 5 best mid-range shooters in the league, one of the top 5 quickest players in the league, and somehow, despite being vastly undersized for the two, he still pulls in almost five boards a game. He began the year as a purely offensive, but horrible +/- guy. Now he’s just a great player. He checked in on D, stopped taking those threes (21%), drives to the rack, runs the offense almost equally with Baron, and gets to the line. The Warriors better just give him the max and let his pending free agency stop there, ‘cuz this kid really is the future.

6. Kevin Martin, SAC (23.1 pts, 4.6 rb, 41% 3pt)

As i just said, the Martin/Ellis debate gets its’ own column later. But for now, K-Mart is already one of the best shooters in the league. Despite his unorthodox (to say the least) shot, he’s among the league’s most efficient players. He stays in front on defense, but lacks the bulk to avoid getting bullied. He gets better every year, and has already been decided as the Kings’ franchise player. Let’s put it this way, in an effort to stay in Sac, Ron Artest tried to persuade his way to stay by telling the Kings how much Martin loves him. He’s been top 5 for most of the year, but Iverson and T-Mac are making quite a surge.

5. Allen Iverson, DEN (26.8 pts, 7.3 ast, 45% FG)

This is how good this position is in the NBA: Iverson, a former NBA MVP, is having one of his best seasons and barely cracks the top 5 at his position. You have to love how, after 9 years in the league, he all of a sudden decided to become efficient. That was a couple years ago, and he’s shooting a career high percentage this year. Oh and, did i mention that he’s third in the league in scoring?

4. Manu Ginobili, SA (20.7 pts, 4.5 ast, 5.0 rb)

The most efficient player in the league. It seems like every year, his minutes go down and his numbers go up. This year he has been the Spurs’ best player. It was a joke that he wasn’t an all-star, but Baron Davis knows how he feels. Career highs in scoring, rebounding, 3 point shooting, assists, but also turnovers. Even though he seems like he’s playing less, he’s also setting a career high in minutes. One of the “in” observations for this year is that he’s the quietest superstar in the league. And unlike most of the “in” observations, this one’s pretty true.

3. Dwayne Wade, MIA (24.6 pts, 6.9 ast, 47% FG)

Yes he’s having a down season and his team stinks, but you are not going to convince me that Ginobili or Iverson are better than Wade at this point. Those were just factors in him going from being the most efficient player in the league (for two consecutive seasons) to being the third most efficient two-guard (behind Ginobili and Mr. #1). Plus he leads a generation of a new position. The “Lead Guard” who really plays both guard spots, didn’t become “en vogue” until Miami won the title on his back. Now there’s 5 of them in this list’s top 10 (Roy, Martin, Iverson, Wade, T-Mac, Kobe – Although to be fair, Kobe and Mac always did that). Unfortunately, the ultimate efficiency player, is now out for the year. So we have to wait ’til next year to see if he can turn that franchise around.

2. Tracy McGrady, HOU (22 pts, 5.7 ast, 4.9 rb)

There was a time when this guy was considered a cancer. Where he had a rep for hiding from defensive assignments and being a coach-killer. I talked about this in the Rockets column a couple days ago. But now, when you watch the Rockets, Mac is a true superstar. He defers to his teammates when their hot or he’s double teamed, he plays hard on D, gives out directions while still interacting with his teammates as one of them, and takes over the game when needed. It used to be that he wasn’t as good as his numbers. Now his numbers don’t even tell half the story. But he’s still not as good as the guy he’s always been compared to…..

1. Kobe Bryant, LAL (28.1 pts, 5.3 ast, 6.1 rb)

Kobe will win the MVP this year, finally. One thing to watch is the re-emergence of his old buddy T-Mac. At one point they claimed to be best friends, and they were always compared to each other. They are the only fits to be traded straight up for each other. Nevertheless, the bigger debate today is Kobe vs. Lebron. Unfortunately, everyone writes about that, so I’m not going to.

And On Deck….

From Atlanta, GA…Polow Da Don!

With apologies to JR Rotem and Stargate, Polow’s been the “Next Big Thing” for a while now. As a protege to Timbaland, he’s been puttin in work for a while. He really started to bubble in 2005, when he produced Ludacris’ “Pimpin All Over World,” a song that basically saved the momentum of his album that was stalling. That year he also produced a personal favorite of mine, Keyshia Cole’s “Superstar.” But it was the next year that shit really jumped off for Polow, peep the resume:

-”London Bridge”-Fergie – #1 song in the country for 3 weeks
-”Buttons”-Pussycat Dolls – #3 song in the country
-”Glamorous”-Fergie – #1 song in the country for 2 weeks; 2.3 million singles sold (physical & itunes)
-”Promise”-Ciara – #1 R&B song for 2 weeks
-”Runaway Love”-Ludacris – #2 song in the country

The year finished with the debut single from the first artist from his own Zone 4 label, Rich Boy.

If Polow never does anything else, we’ll still love him for that Rich Boy album he put out last year

While he spent most of last year promoting Rich Boy’s dope-as-hell album, with its’ 5 singles (“Throw Some D’s,” “Boy Looka Here,” “Good Things,” the incredible “Let’s Get This Paper,” and “Ghetto Rich”), he did find time to do a single for Mario (“Crying Out For Me”), a single and a remix for Nicole Scherzinger (“Whatever You Want,” “Baby Love (Zone 4 Remix),” Young Buck (“Get Buck”), and Kelly Rowland (“Like This”). And that was a slow year.

This year he’s already set it off pretty nicely. First, he dropped a fifth(!) single from Rich Boy’s album, the remix to “Ghetto Rich” with John Legend, Lil Wayne and Nas. Then, he leaked his now-first single from the biggest black pop star on the planet (Usher)’s new album, “Love In The Club.” He threw in an under-the-radar single for Nelly (“Party People” feat. Fergie). And now he’s announced that he did the second single from Nas’ new album (even though the first single hasn’t even leaked yet). I’d say it’s going to be another big year for Polow Da Don.

Eventually someone reaches a point where they are no longer “the Next Big Thing” and become “The Current Big Thing.” Polow has reached that point in his career. He can do a big pop single for Usher, and turnaround and do a single for a picky, purist artist like Nas. Right now, he’s the hottest producer in the game. Timbaland’s moved more to the pop side, Pharrell and Jermaine are on a downswing, Kanye and Just Blaze are working with their artists almost exclusively, and Dre is on hiatus. The door is wide open for Polow to step in and make his mark on the game. The time is right. Let’s see what he comes with.

Jan. 27….

…….The Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets, 97-87. The Rockets were now 24-20, and in tenth place in the Western Conference. The Rockets had become the easiest team in the West to count out. T-Mac’s haters had been all over them all year, and they were quite vocal.
The Haters said: By all means, they were looking like a disappointment. The addition of Rick Adelman didn’t seem to help the offense. The role players still weren’t doing too much, and the team relied to heavily upon Yao and T-Mac.

It was looking like another long year in the H-Town. Yao Ming sat out that game with a respiratory infection. Tracy McGrady was making his return to the starting lineup after coming off the bench and seeing his minutes steadily increase. The Rockets shot only 47% from the free throw line, missing 10 free throws. They also took 24 threes, making a third of them. T-Mac was 1-7 from beyond the arc by himself. Said McGrady after the game, “”It was a tough loss, I felt we played well at times, but they just had a little bit too much.”

Since the Jazz game, T-Mac has the Rockets Rolling

Since then, no one has had enough for the Rockets.

Wait, let’s go back. Two nights after that Jazz loss, with McGrady sitting with “flu-like symptoms” (usually in the NBA, that means he went partying a bit too much the night before), the Rockets host the Dubs and Yao Ming goes off. We’re talking 36 points, 19 rebounds. An MVP-type game.

The Haters Said: Well, that was the Warriors. And they don’t play no defense! But if anything, it seemed to signify that this was now Yao’s team.

A couple nights later they beat the Pacers, 106-103. A rookie named Carl Landry, who hardly played at all this season, drops 22 in 20 minutes. But despite the win, and the presence of their two superstars, Danny Granger (22 points, 17 boards) looks like the best player on the floor.

The Haters Said: Yao, T-Mac, and Rafer had horrible shooting nights. The Pacers stink, and the Rockets could barely scrape by. No chance they’re a playoff team! They had to get bailed out by a rookie!

They go into Milwaukee and Minnesota and win their fourth and fifth straight. T-Mac scores 59 points in the two games, leading up to a four-game homestand.

The Haters Said: That was the Bucks and the T-Wolves. Let’s not get out of hand here. Those are two of the worst teams in the L! They got four solid teams coming into the Toyota Center. Let’s see how they do.

The emergence of Carl Landry has been a big factor in the Rockets’ surge

Cleveland, Atlanta, Portland and Sacto all come into the Toyota Center. All leave with losses. Yao Ming averages 25 points and 10.5 rebounds in the four games. The Rockets prove that they can win on Yao’s back or Tracy’s back.

The Haters Said: Those were four home games. They go into Cleveland next. Expect a little revenge.

Lebron/T-Mac is the headline, but not necessarily the story. Lebron has a triple-double, but shoots only 7-18. The Rockets win, with Shane Battier’s defense on Lebron and Rafer Alston’s offense leading them. The streak is up to nine straight. They go home for a game to pound Miami (despite 33 points, 11 dimes from D-Wade), before heading into New Orleans for a huge game. Riding their two superstars (Yao: 28 & 14; T-Mac: 34), and a defense that’s now seven of their last 8 under 100, they get a huge win. Says Coach Adelman, “We feel we’re playing as well as anybody in the league right now and we want to show that we can continue to do that by playing the best teams and getting the win.”

….And the Haters were silenced, at least for now.

Led by a double-double from Shane Battier, the Rockets get 7 players in double figures, including new addition Bobby Jackson, in beating the Bulls by 13. But unfortunately, they soon find out that Yao is done for the year.

The Haters Said: Yao’s done, no chance for Houston. He’s their best player, MVP, etc. Alston, Scola, and Landry all play well because of Yao. Without him, they will be ineffective. They have no shot in that loaded west without him.

Without Yao, the Rockets haven’t missed a beat.

Fortunately, the Rockets play their first Yao-less game against the Wizz, who are missing their two best players. While the Wizz do a good job on T-Mac (11 points), Alston, Landry and Luther Head all chip in as the Rockets blow them out by 25. After destroying the Grizzlies, they get a Sunday night showdown with the team that is now in the position they were in when this streak began. The Nuggets, in a lot of ways, are what the Rockets were the past couple seasons. But tonight is still Houston’s night. An overall balanced night, led by T-Mac’s 22 does in the Nuggets. And the Rockets blow them out too. After blowing out the Pacers again, they got the Mavs again last night. With the Mavs without Dirk, T-Mac and Alston take control of the game in the third quarter and the Rockets blow them out too.

Once considered an NBA washout, Rafer Alston has been instrumental in the Rockets’ recent run

The Haters Say: They still won’t make the playoffs. As soon as they lose once, their streak will be over and so will their hope. There’s no way Alston, Battier, Landry, and Scola can keep this up. And we know T-Mac’s track record in the playoffs.

Well my friends, I am here to tell you that the Rockets are gonna keep on winning, the haters will keep on hating, and no one will be satisfied. Like it or not, the Rockets have to win a title to validate this team. But unlike other teams, they felt no need to make huge deadline deals. They just kept getting better.

The team is full of great stories. Sure T-Mac is a superstar, but beyond the surface lies the real stories. Everyone on this team, sans Yao who is out for the year, has their share of haters.  Mac himself has been labeled as your “typical selfish NBA superstar.”  It has been said that as soon as someone says the word “defense,” he has back problems.  It’s been said he’s a coach killer (see Doc Rivers in Orlando) and just doesn’t have the heart to be a champion.

Perhaps no player personifies this team better than starting point guard Rafer Alston. Alston is a player who the Bucks gave up on at the beginning of the decade. Eventually the Rockets traded Mike James for him, and were immediately crucified for doing so. While James lit it up in Canada, Alston struggled to fit into the system in Houston. But he’s gotten significantly better every year. The Rockets brought James back along with Stevie Franchise, to push Rafer out of the starting spot. But Rafer out-played both of them and kept his spot. The team finally realized what they had and got rid of the other two.

Scola was essentially given up by the Spurs for nothing.

Landry is an undersized power forward that no one thought would make it in the L. He was a second round pick that Seattle decided they had no real use for.

Battier was traded from Memphis for Rudy Gay.  While Gay looks like he could be a superstar, Battier definitely does his job.  He guards the best player on defense every night and hits threes.  But just last year he was criticized for not being good enough at either.

Luther Head was the third player on a Illinois team that was headlined by Dee Brown and Deron Williams.  He was drafted by Houston with little fanfare and, despite shooting over 50% from behind the arc during the season, disappeared during the playoffs.

Even trade deadline arrival Bobby Jackson has a lot to prove.  Since his glory days as the sixth man in Sacto, he’s been injury plagued.  There are whispers that maybe his time has passed and that he can’t stay healthy.

Dikembe Mutombo seems to find the fountain of youth everytime Yao goes down.  But the multiple defensive player of the year-winner has his share to prove as well.  He was thought of as sure to retire last summer, and no one really cared when he came back.  People have always questioned his age, thinking he’s way older than the 41 he claims.  And then there’s always the question about his offense.

How do I know so much about this team’s haters?  Because, for a good while, I was one of them.  But this team, as a whole, is here to prove all of us wrong.  And it makes for a great story.

I’m not worried yet….

….but I’m definitely nervious. We’ve been beating the pulp out of the Browns for years. They’ve been the Generals to our Globe-trotters show. To be honest, since the divisions were re-stacked in 2002, the Ravens have been our only rival. By “we,” of course, I mean the Steelers.

In those six years, we’ve won the division three times. The Ravens won twice, and the Bengals once. The one year the Bengals won, we beat them in the playoffs and won the Super Bowl anyway. But last year we squeaked by because we swept the season series with the Brownies. And one of those wins was an opening day massacre that was, really, before the Browns realized that they were any good. So you think, they are going to be like Cincy and Baltimore, as soon as they seem like they could establish themselves, they’ll fall off as fast as they rose. But something happened. The Browns didn’t go along with the plan…

The Browns brought in Shaun Rogers as the “Willie-stopper”

In our two matchups last year, Willie Parker and our running game ran up 365 yards on them. So what do the Browns do? They bring in this big ole 340-pound Defensive Tackle to stop him. And they gave up CB Leigh Bodden (who is incredibly talented, but was hurt all year and contributed nothing to the 10-6 season last year) in the trade. They also added Donte Stallworth to pair with the excellent Braylon Edwards (who we were able to contain last year) on the outside. What this means is DeShea Townsend’s going to have to guard someone very capable and creates a mismatch on that corner. This will force the safeties to double Townsend’s side (probably Stallworth) and leave Ike Taylor one-on-one with Edwards and Troy Polamalu one-on-one with Kellen Winslow. Now Polamalu will not be able to help with the run, and if Lewis gets going, he’ll go right over our front 7.

So the question that comes back is: what have we done to improve ourselves? Well nothing really, aside from giving Ben a well-deserved huge contract. We let Alan Faneca sign with the Jets and we might lose Max Starks. This means our poorous offensive line of a year ago just got even worse.

Well, hopefully we get a Polamalo/Ben-level talent in the draft that can step in and play big. If the aforementioned star is on the O-Line, all that much better.

A healthy season out of Troy Polamalu would be like adding a new Free Agent superstar safety to last year’s team

But really, a full year of health from Troy, Santonio, Hines, and Willie, along with the sustained health of Ben, Ike, Heath Miller, Casey Hampton, and our two James’ at LB will be just as good as signing a free agent. If you really think about it, the Steelers weren’t fully healthy all season. And we still went 10-6 and won the division. So I’m not worried yet. Not with the Ravens having self-destructed and the Bungles soon to join them. But this Browns team is shaping up to be pretty good.

In all honesty I hope both teams avoid injuries and we get to see who is the best at full-strength. That would make for the best theatre. And I’m fairly confident the Steelers would win. But not as confident as I was before the Browns started making these offseason transactions…..

“Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball”

(c) Large Professor.

Danny and Swish in their new homes….away from the O

So my team sucks. So we traded our ace and our best pitcher. So the other local team sucks too. So we’re looking, quite possibly at a Red Sox Dynasty. I can still muster up a few reasons to look forward to this baseball season.

1. Is Johan the pitching version of A-Rod?

It is commonplace to call Johan Santana the best pitcher in the game right now. And the numbers speak for themselves. Mainly we remember how dominant he was in 2004 and 2006, his signature seasons. What I remember is him getting out-dueled in 2006 by Barry-freaking Zito! One thing you should also remember is that in 7 post-season season starts, the dude has only 1 win. In fact, in the post-season he is a mortal 1-4 with a 3.97 ERA. Compare this to Josh Beckett, Santana’s main competition for “Best Pitcher Alive”-status. Becket is 6-2 with a 1.73 ERA. This brings us to….

2. The Looming Possibility of a Red Sox/Mets World Series.
This would be a great series (for the media). Beckett vs. Santana. Pedro vs. The Sox Fans that worshipped him. But more than anything it will lead to…

3. The Pending Insanity of the Steinbrenners
You see, it’s bad enough that the Yanks aren’t looking as promising as they have recently. Or that the Sox won a title last season. It’s that the Mets AND Sox look like World Series favorites. Will Steinbrenner just say “screw it” at mid-season and trade for every big-name pitcher under the sun? And will the resulting effect cause Brian Cashman to jump out of a window? We’ll have to wait and see…

4. Danny Haren on the D-Backs

I’m trying to be generally happy for Danny. He had a helluva season last year even with our horrible hitting. And he didn’t ask to be traded. He actually seemed to want to stay here. And now he has a legit shot at a World Series (The D-Backs are gonna be in quite a fight with the Dodgers and Rockies, but they have the best staff in the National League). But it’s hard to see him do well knowing how bad we are gonna be.

5. Swish gets to play for Ozzie Guillen

Swish is going to Chicago to play for my favorite Manager in the bigs. Oz is gonna love Swish, and vice versa. Plus, Oz has a history of taken vets we decided we couldn’t afford and turning them into MVP-candidates (see: Dye, Jermaine).

6. The NL West

Brandon Webb and the D-Backs have some competition out west
Say what you want about some of the other divisions, but the NL West is now officially loaded. Minus the Giants (who are going to be better than people think with those two young aces), all four teams in this division could win the NL. The Padres fell apart last season after the incident with Milton Bradley. They cut ties with him and were the busiest team in the division in the offseason. They added Jim Edmonds, Tadahito Iguchi, and Mark Prior to a team that really should have won the division last year. If Prior can get even remotely close to his injury-free prime-form, this team could take the division crown. They also locked Jake Peavy down to a long-term deal. But this division is just too tough, and they might not even stay out of the cellar with those two arms in San Francisco. The defending NL Champion Rockies return, essentially, the same team. They seem to be counting on the continued development of Troy Tulowitzki, maybe the best all-around young shortstop in the game, and another MVP-type season from Matt Holliday. Personally I don’t think they’re gonna have enough to hang. Then you have the Dodgers, who added Joe Torrre as coach, and Andruw Jones as their new CF. Personally, i think Torre (or more specifically Don Mattingly) helps Jones re-gain his swing and the Dodgers compete. But they won’t win the division and will just miss the wild card. This is because the Diamondbacks will be back atop the division. Adding a second ace in Danny Haren to a team that already won the division last year should keep them on top. Consider that they should also have Randy Johnson back…. – as a Third starter! Plus last year gave all their young guys a chance to grow up and the hitting should be a bit better, though I would have liked to see them add an impact bat. But even if it’s not, the trade for Haren and essentially adding the Big Unit should keep them on top.

7. Get ready for another year of Prince Fielder vs. His Dad stories…

With every swing, Prince imagines his dad’s face on the ball
Why is that? Because the Brewers are going to win the NL Central. Now granted, that’s not really going out on a limb. Yes the Cubs won it last year, but they weren’t really that good. And the Astros got better, but they were pretty bad to start with. The Brewers weren’t ready for a pennant race last year, they ar ea year wiser this year.

8. The NL’s New Favorite Rivalry: Phillies vs. Mets

Jimmy Rollins took a leap of faith last year, and his teammates proved him right
Regardless of what transpired in the playoffs last year, the NL’s two best teams are in the same division. The Phils landed Kris Benson, Pedro Feliz, Brad Lidge, and Geoff Jenkins to add to a team that already had enough talent to rival the best AL clubs. All the Mets did was land Johan Santana, arguably the best pitcher in baseball. But this year if Rollins decides to call his Phils the team to beat in the NL East, no one would argue that. The Phils still have the best 1-2-3 line-up punch in the bigs with Ryan Howard as the slugger, Rollins as the speed, and Chase Utley as the contact guy. Now they add Feliz and Jenkins to that lineup….somewhere. And don’t underestimate the addition of Lidge. When he’s not facing Albert Pujols, the guy is money. The Mets add Santana, and hope Jose Reyes doesn’t fall apart down the stretch again. One will win the division, the other will get the wild card, but don’t be surprised if they have the two best records in the league. This rivalry will then be taken to new heights when the Mets beat the D-Backs and the Phils sweep the Brew Crew in the NLDS. But the Phils will upset the Mets in 7. And we won’t get to see that Santana/Becket matchup after all.

9. The AL West Will Be a Two-Horse Race

King Felix and the M’s will have to fight off those pesky Angels to win the West

The Angels added Jon Garland and Tori Hunter, but the M’s have a counter. The addition of new Ace Erik Bedard to an already solid starting 5 makes the M’s rotation ridiculous. King Felix is actually now the #2 starter on this team. The A’s are rebuilding and the Rangers always seem to find a way to break down. The Angels will hang around just long enough to be annoying, but the M’s will prevail in the end.

10. Save The NY/Boston Stories, only one team from the AL East will make the playoffs this year

Josh Beckett and the Sox should repeat in the AL East
…..In fact, the Yanks won’t even finish second in the division. That will be the Jays. But the Jays have to beat one of these teams before I can pick them to make the playoffs. The only way i see the Red Sox not winning this division is if the rotation decides “It’s ok, we can mail it in. Our batting will get us to the playoffs” and the lineup decides “It’s ok, we can mail it in. Our Pitching will get us to the playoffs.”

11. The Central will easily be the AL’s best division

Is Curtis Granderson the most slept-on player in baseball?

KC will take their normal cellar spot, the Twins will be almost as bad, but the Tigers, White Sox, and Indians will all be good. The defending champion Indians will fall back to earth a bit this season. They didn’t do a whole lot to expand upon their ALCS run last year, and the other two teams have improved. I love the Swisher pickup for the White Sox. I also love Ozzie having something to prove after last year’s disaster. I like them as a Wild Card but not a particularly strong one. I see them getting swept by the other Sox in the ALDS……But the Tigers are another story completely. A rotation of Verlander/Bonderman/Rogers/D-Train/Robertson rivals anyone, including the Red Sox. Plus they added Jacque Jones, Miguel Cabrera, and Edgar Renteria to an already loaded lineup. This team could beat anyone, including the Red Sox. They could, but after sweeping the M’s, they won’t. They go down to the Red Sox in six in the ALCS.

12. Big Papi vs. Ryan Howard in the World Series

Ryan Howard and the Phils will have quite a run this year

The Phils will surprise everyone by getting to the series. From there they’ll give the Sox all they can get for six games, before eventually falling to the Sox’ superior pitching. Back-to-back titles from the Sox, and their 3rd in 5 years. MVP: Manny. Book it!