More than Me?

The radio can be annoying sometimes, but if it’s playing the music I like, then hey, I’ll be willing to deal with the static, commercials, and even the shout outs and phone calls crazy people do…

But there’s one thing I can’t stand: fund raising. For a guy who has a hard time giving, this is pretty much torture to hear those hosts call out phrases like “Dollar for Dollar challenge” and “Your contribution will help down the road” or  “Give us a buck or you suck!” (I made that last one up).

So this has been happening recently for one of my radio stations “Air One” 100.9, as they have been fundraising for about 2 weeks.

But quick tangent: Air One plays great Christian music, no doubt. However, if you ever turn to that station, you’ll be hearing either lyrics get mixed up with PRRRSSSHSHSHHHHSHSHSHSHSSSHH or interfence from the neighboring station 101.3. Interestingly, I was listening to 100.9 one time before I heard Beyonce’s voice in the background… and while yes she was singing Halo, I doubt that counts as Christian music. As I drove along, Beyonce’s voice became louder and louder, and suddenly I was witnessing a clash of two powerful forces, as God took on Beyonce… (Yes I do realize I’m typing blasphemous words here, hence the quick typing before God strikes with lightning). Sadly, Beyonce won, as I headed home hearing about halos instead of my original music.

(HUGE BACKTRACK TO MY ORIGINAL POINT)

Anyways… , already ticking me off with their lousy radio quality, Air One was practically holding a “Go Away” sign to me when they kept yelling that they needed a dollar a day to help this radio station continue. But as I was about to turn to another station, I heard the fund raising banter change to a conversation with Matthew West. I stopped and I listened, as Matthew West talked about his opinion and encouragement for the radio station. Then he introduced one of his newer songs that really spoke to me and touched my heart.

My world has been slowly consumed by college applications, SAT’s, school, and other messy things. And though they all are important, I really had to take a step back and reflect on the lyrics. I knew there “was a bigger picture” already, but as the song suggested, I had been missing out on God’s greater purpose when I was limiting myself to my own activities and gain. There is probably some greater purpose God has in store for me, and it’ll take some more time before I really know what it is. Until then, I can at least work on giving my time to help others rather than just focusing on myself. Life is more than grades, college, and success; I just pray to God I can remember this for the rest of the school year.

Who knows, maybe I’ll maybe give that dollar the radio stations needs… (well… baby steps first, then we’ll see where we get)

Where Amazing Happens

Summer 2010 was a very big summer for sports as everyone by now should know:

-A Canadien and a Cleveland native “left to take their talents to South Beach”

- Some 40 something year old Quarterback called it quits and then came back

- T.O And C.O are best buds in Ohio; McNabb went to D.C, and Haynesworth has gotten really fat…

- A-Rod hit 600, Jim Thome hit 500, but still people can’t care enough about baseball records

- World Cup Teams ended with a Spanish victory while Vuvezelas were blown and the North Korean Team could be missing by now for all we know.

But I’ll bring attention to a couple of things:

There has been a lot of arguments about athletes being selfish (#6 of the Miami Heat?) or attention whoring (#4 of the Vikings) and I really don’t get why people are so upset about these turn of events.

Do you remember when Samuel L. Jackson went crazy (countless times) but specifically at the ESPYS 2009?

There’s this monologue that represents the same feelings I have for Sports:

Skip to 2:30, after the joke about the brother in Seoul.

“I want 700 foot home-runs and 95 yard field goals! I want to see a girl on the track with a big thick **** and an even thicker Oprah like mustache! I want to see somebody literally knock somebody’s ***** in the dirt!”

Ok maybe not the girl with the mustache, but I do have to say Sam and I share the same opinion.

Who doesn’t want to see amazing, unprecedented achievement? Don’t you want to see records broken or dynasties built? In all regards, would you have cared about Barry Bonds if he didn’t juice and hit 762 homers? Would you have cared about a skinny Pirates Left Fielder that sported a Sam Jackson Mustache?

Ookk, so people care about ethics and morals and loyalties, so I can see why Brett Favre, Lebron James, and every baseball player has dissapointed you. But come on!

I WANT TO SEE BRETT FAVRE PLAY TIL HE’S 50 BECAUSE I KNOW BRETT FAVRE CAN PLAY.

I WANT TO SEE THE MIAMI HEAT TRIO DOMINATE EVERY GAME, (but choke to the eventual champions of the Lakers), BECAUSE THERE HASN’T BEEN THAT MUCH TALENT ON THE SAME TEAM SINCE THE 80′S CELTICS AND LAKERS OR THE 90′S BULLS!

AND YES I’M GOING ALL CAPS LIKE DAN GILBERT!

Point is, Amazing is what we want to see right? So why are you mad at the people who are doing it? You benefit from it and they benefit from it and sometimes it may be perceived as selfish. But if I get to see that 763 homer in baseball or the 101 Point game in basketball, I’ll be pretty darn happy because I saw Amazing happen.

Two Tales of the Same City

I don’t know how this came to be, but I got to visit Taiwan twice in a period of 2 months when I had never even traveled near that area before in my life.  My first trip happened in July, as a mission trip to teach English to the local kids in Fung Yuan and Dongshi. Now, I’m on vacation as we drop off my sister at her study abroad university. Needless to say, it’s two very different experiences; God certainly has a sense of humor.

Sleeping on the floor. Sleeping on a king sized bed. Showering in a public bathroom with mosquitoes, invading my personal “bubble”. Showering in a personal bathroom with high pressured hot water with berry scented soap.

Berries… BERRIES! Are you kidding me!? That’s so awesome!

Yes, both very unique experiences in Taiwan. Yet, it’s such a testament to how privileged I am to see both sides of the country and each of their special backgrounds and characteristics. I learned a lot from my first trip and I’m expect the 2nd trip to be no less as beneficial.

It’s safe to say that Taiwan will have a special place in my heart and mind for a long time.

so… there’s a lot of Mosquitos…

After now officially 2 weeks in Taiwan,

What have I learned? One of the purposes I went on this trip was to have a new experience to learn about myself (and write my college app). So what did I Learn?

Mosquitos suck…

That is all

More to come later.

In a World Away…

I was watching “Back to the Future II” with my sister and was joking at how far off the story writers were when they made their own version of 2015: flying cars, hover-boards, and garbage fuel.

Well unless, Steve Jobs suddenly invents a flying app. for the iPad, I think we can say we won’t have any of those things in the next 5 years. But, I will say that there are things like the 3-D Shark (our 3-d craze right now is evident), the scanner for doors, instant food by adding water, and others that exist right now. Hey, we even have some crazy glasses like the ones Doc was wearing when driving the Delorean. (Kanye glasses anyone?)

My point is that a lot can happen in 30 years, heck even 30 days, and I can only think of what I will miss as I head off on my mission trip to Taiwan, teaching kids English. I’ll admit that there is a side of me that is silently wishing I had a T.V or constant access to the computer.

So many things can happen in a month.

For instance,

What team did Lebron sign to play for?

This one sucks for me the most since I’ve marked July 1st, 2010 on my calender since 2007 when Lebron announced he would explore his options… And to think I will have to find out through ESPN.com instead of a Breaking News broadcast.

This is the move that starts everything else. No one wants to go to New York or Chicago without a guarantee that Lebron will be playing with them. Once he makes a choice, then the ball really starts to roll.

Who won the World Cup?

It’s sad the U.S is gone so there’s no Cinderella story, but now who wins? A lot of soccer futbol will be missed during my trip, but I hope my Dad has the sense to record some games for me. Go Brazil or Argentina! (I have no loyalties )

Was “Despicable Me” awesome?

Probably the only other movie I’m willing to see during the summer besides Toy Story 3. The trailers were super cute, especially the youngest girl: IT’S SO FLUFFY! Comes out July 11, but I’m sure it’ll have really good reviews. Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t laugh when the little girl does her “annoying sound” at 1:03.

Everything else in the world?

Kagan, Oil Spills, China Currency, all the troubles in the world, etc? It feels so weird to not know what’s happening in a day, let alone 30 days, and be isolated from all the “Breaking News” and troubles that occurs everyday. Knowledge is Power right? You have to be in the “know or the loop”.

But,  isn’t this also good for me?

No chances for me to procrastinate. No opportunities for me to worry about my college prep or school related activities. Instead, there’s a time to relax, meet new people and make new friendships, and step outside my comfort zone. I guess, rather than looking at what I’m not doing here, I should be more concerned at what I’m doing over there.

A mission. Vacation. Work. Teaching. Whatever you may want to call it, I guess I’ll just know it as a time just with me, my team, and God.

NBA Draft 2010 Analysis

It takes one pick to change a team into a contender. Unfortunately, you can also make the wrong choice and suffer for the next few years in the bottom. Before we all get caught up in the free agency sweepstakes, there is still one event that can help all these teams become a contender: the NBA draft. There will be high expectations for the lottery picks, as teams expect immediate impact. No one wants or wants to be a Kwame Brown. However, there is always the possibility of a lucky draw as teams could possibly over look the next superstar of the NBA. Rajon Rondo. Aaron Brooks. Dejuan Blair, are some recent examples, just naming a few. And though it’d be nice to not talk about Lebron 24/7, this draft can impact future free agents, as lottery picks may be taken and potentially attract or scare off the 2010 free agents .

Already the Bulls have traded Hinrich and 17^th Pick to clear cap room for now 2 super stars now with max contracts. Yikes.

Well, as the NBA draft is about to start, I’ll be commenting on the 1^st round picks and what their future ceilings can be. Be careful since the advice and predictions are coming from a guy who thought J.J Reddick would be the star of the 2006 NBA draft. Then again, besides Roy, Aldridge, Gay, Bargiani, Farmar, Shannon Brown, Rajon Rondo, Ronnie Brewer, and Sefolosha, I didn’t make such a bad pick, right? Fine, well at least I didn’t pick Adam Morrison =P

And Now…

#1 Pick: Washington Wizards select…

John Wall. Big surprise indeed. But who can blame the Wizards? We’re looking at the next ROY here in my opinion. That’s 3 ROY (Rose, Evans, and Wall) under Callipari. The guy has everything: physicality, speed, range, vision. Turnovers, especially in the half court will be an issue, but Wall is a no-miss. A Rose-countertype and a likely All Star for a long time.

Future situation: However, I don’t really like his situation in Washington. The fact that Arenas will move to the 2 guard is not assuring as the Wizards will have a defensive liability in the backcourt. Arenas or Wall cannot guard a Kobe Bryant or Paul Pierce type guard, so we’ll see how Flip Saunders will manage it.

Random Fact: What the crap? He got cut in his sophomore year? Wow… seriously what are these coaches in high school doing? Who’s that other coach who cut Michael Jordan? Seriously, for a country that loves superstars, we just suck at spotting them right away…

#2 Pick:  Philadelphia 76ers select…

Evan Turner. Expected as well. National Player of the year. Another boss player with good size and skills and will make the adjustment well to the NBA. Not too sure about his range beyond the arc, but he’s a 3 position guard. Also don’t like his situation as well. That’s a small lineup with Iguadola, Turner and Jrue Holiday since they traded away Dalembart. But Doug Collins has two pro wing players, so he can’t be too discouraged.

Random Fact: Did Evan Turner speak through an auto tune mike or a kazoo? Yikes, this only reminds me of Mike Tyson. You see these guys, but when you hear their voice, you just laugh.

#3 Pick: New Jersey Nets select…

Vodka! Derrick Favors. 18 years old. Freakish athlete just by watching these highlights, but athleticism can only get you so far. Look at Tyrus Thomas. I mean, I personally am not a fan of choosing big man this high unless it’s a Dwight Howard or Shaq player. He has to bulk up in order to survive against the NBA bigs in the league. We’ll see, people keep saying a smaller Dwight Howard, but then again, Dwight Howard didn’t reach his level until 3 years later. Let’s hope Favors can help the Nets fufill Mr. Russia Man Owner’s plan.

Future Situation: Alongside Brook Lopez, Favors will play the 4 and hopefully contribute in rebounding. It’s a good pairing with a solid low post center in Lopez and Favors on the other side with hopefully freakish put-backs. Russia Man believes in him.

#4 Pick: Minnesota Timberwolves select…

Wes Johnson. Jay Bilas said a better Shawn Marion type. Is that the comparison you really want? I hope Johnson can do more than Marion. Watching him in the Big East, he’s a very smart player and he knows where to be and what to do at the right time. However, these types of players shouldn’t be picked that high. A Matt Barnes or a Shawn Marion is not worth the 4^th pick.

Future Situation: Not too sure where he fits with a number of wing players. Not very interested how the Wolves are doing. I lost interest when I found out Rubio is hiding in Europe from Kahn.

Random Fact: He’s wearing trouser pants…?

#5 Pick: Sacramento Kings select…

Demarcus  Cousins

I really like this pick a lot. For some reason, scouts hate on his “maturity” and “responsibility.” True, those things are important to determine whether you have a Dwight Howard or Kwame Brown. But, this guy has too much talent to pass up.

Random Fact: “I’m a kid who likes to have fun” Hey just like me!

Future Situation: I like it since they traded away Spencer Hawes and took Samuel Dalembert. Look for Cousins as the 4 and Dalembart with the 5 and you have a monster front court. With Landry off the bench and their scorer in Evans, the Kings now have the potential to be an OKC- like team. Not as big of a rise but still a nice run/improvement.

#6 Goldent State Warriors select…

Ekpe Udoh. >.< oh man… now we get a big change. With Greg Monroe on the board, the Warriors instead select Udoh. With guys like Randolph and Brandon Wright, the Warriors have “project big men” already and just added another one. What doesn’t make sense is Monroe is a better big with passing skills that would thrive in the run and gun offense for the Warriors. Yikes… this is a screwed up franchise.

Random Fact: His middle name is Friday. Well Mr. Friday, I have a new name: BUST!

Love the Espy Commercial: DREW BREES IS ON THE MOVE!

#7 Pick Detroit Pistons select…

Greg Monroe. This is the guy I’ve been following since he went to Georgetown. He’s the most skilled big man in this draft, but my constant worry is his aggressiveness. However, my hope is that he was just limited by the Princeton offense. A good fit for the Detroit Pistons who need some big man, and Monroe did handle the big guys in the Big East defensively. I think he has a great career ahead of him though it’ll be a little down in the beginning with a much hindered franchise, hurt by big salaries of Hamilton and Gordon. I say at this point you have to play Monroe as much as possible. Give up on the Villanueva Experience! You paid big money for a bench player, you idiots! Monroe, I wish you luck.

#8 Pick Los Angeles Clippers select…

Al-Farouq Aminu. Wow that’s such a hard name to say.

Under-sized rebounder. I guess you’re hoping for a Ben Wallace type, but at his height he would be a 3 or a small 4. Should work on his transition ability, as Baron Davis will hopefully be allowed to push the ball. I don’t know what he can contribute since he can’t play the 3 and he’s too small for a 4.

Random Fact: Dang we have royalty here.

Future Situation: A good role player to help out a surprisingly good Clippers team which now has a lot of good pieces. Aminu will probably be the back-up for Blake Griffin. Let’s hope he learns.

#9 Pick Utah Jazz select…

GORDON HAYWARD. My FAVORITE WHITE PLAYER! I love everything about his game. He has the ability to create and has great size. He’s super athletic for a white guy and is versatile for a 3. He can fit in the Jazz system with that discipline. Sloan’s offense is similar to the Butler offense, more half court pace. But if Gordon Hayward develops a shot, I can see him making a big impact. A solid role player off the bat, but could be a potential 3 for the Jazz. I will buy a Hayward jersey in the future.

Random Fact: Drives a mini-van with his sister.

Future Situation: Though I like the pick, what about Carlos Boozer’s replacement? Guess the Jazz are really sold on Hayward.

#10 Indiana Pacers select…

Paul George. Mmm, not very good descriptions by Jay Bilas. Sounds like a scorer, but also a ball stopper. Aka, he needs the ball in his hands constantly and hogs it. A project player alongside Danny Granger? I don’t think this was the best pick for the Pacers if they wanted impact.

Future Situation: Granger is their main guy and will not tolerate a Paul George to take his shots away. Let’s see if he develops some play making abilities.

#11 New Orlean Hornets select…

Cole Aldrich. Big guy for the low post presence.  Yeah, it is right to say he is a safe pick, and I do like him at this pick. Hornets need to get size when they get rid of Okafor eventually. His future situation will be uncertain though if Chris Paul is not happy and wants to move.

Breaking news: Apparently, Cole Aldrich and Morris Peterson will be traded to Oklahoma City for the18th and 21^st Pick.

Hmm, don’t like Aldrich in that fast pace tempo of OKC; I guess you do need some size.

#12 Memphis Grizzlies select…

Xavier Henry. Rudy Gay’s replacement? I like this team a lot actually and they took a very good wingman. Rock Hawk Jay Hawk? Let’s hope he does well. Not too sure how far this team goes with him depending on how Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo go. He is a good shooter and hopefully can be the catch and shoot guy they had in Mike Miller.

#13 Toronto Raptors select…

Ed Davis. Hmm, the replacement for Bosh now? Well, it’s been said a lot, but if Ed Davis had gone into the draft last year, it would have been so much better, Top-5 at least. Now, with the injury, it was almost like Sam Bradford, but we’ll see how he does. Good size and a good rebounder. With a very limited offense though, he needs to learn how to play against the bigs by developing a hook shot. 7 footers are a regular now, not like in college.

YOU COULD GET WITH THIS OR YOU COULD GET WITH THAT. (Most annoying commercial ever)

#14 Houston Rockets select…

Patrick Patterson. The 3^rd Wildcat selected and a solid pick. Good size and has range apparently, shooting 3’s in college. I like him to be the Dejuan Blair for Houston, and he has a very good offensive set with a midrange shot and good footwork in low post. Definitely a similarity of Blair, and looks like the Rockets get two solid frontcourt backups with Chuck Hayes and Patrick Patterson.

#15 Milwaukee Bucks select…

Larry Sanders. Potential pick? Bilas says “like Theo Ratliff.” Not the comparison I want to have, but I guess we’ll see. A lot of lean guys who have potential, yet they need to bulk up. No chance of surviving against the bigs like Kendrick Perkins and Dwight Howard without any muscle. The Bucks have a lot of young guys, so I don’t see him playing too soon. Back up since Gadzuric left, but that’s all.

#16 Minnesota Timberwolves select…

Luke Babbitt. We got another white scorer here! 3 point range and can get his own shot. A good solid pick, but I don’t know where he’ll fit amongst the wings and guards of the wolves. He’ll develop his game and be a better J.J Reddick probably.

Update: well looks like he’s being moved to Portland for Martell Webster. I think he’s the replacement for Rudy Fernandez and should look to get some minutes as a main scoring contributor.

#17 Chicago Bulls select…

Kevin Seraphin. KAVEEEN SARAFAN. The first international pick, which is important since he can stay overseas to develop his games without taking any cap room or space for the Bulls who look towards the free agency market.

Random Fact: he’s French so he’s gotta be good! Dumbest analysis I ever heard.

#18 Oklahoma City Thunder select…

Eric Bledsoe. He’s heading to the Hornets, but a pretty good scoring guard. What hurts him is his size and alongside CP3, that’s a small backcourt. Also, the Hornets have a loaded back court with CP3, Darren Collison, and Marcus Thorton. Bledsoe will have to work more on his scoring and shooting, but looks like the Hornets could be running and gunning constantly.

Update: Never mind… apparently Bledsoe is going to the Clippers instead. Oops, mixed up the 18^th pick with the 21^st pick that will be sent to the Hornets. Ok, Bledsoe can be a good spark of the bench for Davis and Co. Hopefully, the Clippers find a sane coach who actually pushes the ball with B-Dizzle and Bledsoe would be perfect running alongside.

#19 Boston Celtics select…

Avery Bradley. Another point guard with good size and legit defense. Not too sure of the team’s state as Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Nate Robinson are undecided about their future with the Celtics, but Bradley could be the backup for Rondo and an Eddie House type player. So far the Celts are in a crumbling mode as Sheed Wallace is retiring and the future remains uncertain for the Eastern Conference Champs. Unlike the Lakers you know…

#20 San Antonio Spurs select…

James Anderson. Wow… somehow the Spurs always find these gifts drop into their laps during the draft. Last year, Dejuan Blair, This year, James Anderson. This guy is a shooter and scorer and can be that spark of the bench the Spurs so desperately need. With this pick, Coach Pop has plenty to work with and can have a young bench with George Hill and James Anderson to take off while the old guys take a seat. Wow, the Spurs could be a potential challenger for the Lakers in the West with just one pick now. Hopefully this is just an overreaction, but watching these highlights, I see a great player in James Anderson.

#21 Oklahoma City Thunder select…

Craig Brackins. Uh… not too sure about this guy. That’s what happens when you play for Iowa State. Good job Hornets?

#22 Portland Trailblazers select…

(Hold the phone, GM Kevin Pritchard got fired… but still was asked to work for the Blazers on draft night. I mean that’s such a weird situation. I mean, wouldn’t you be worried he’ll deliberately make a bone head move and somehow pick someone like Betty White instead?)

Anyways, Elliot Williams was selected. Lefty guy from Memphis, lean transition guard, but again needs to bulk up and as a guard should work on his range, but we’ll see how the Trailblazers use him. But still the GM firing is so bizarre… Sigh, I’ll miss all those draft day trades, made the day interesting.

#23 Minnesota Timberwolves select…

Trevor Booker. Undersized power forwards is not the phrase I like to hear. The amount of success you will as an “undersized power forward” have is not going to be a great chance. Only Boozer or an Elton Brand (at least in 2006) did well as PFs, but you’ll be outmatched guarding big guys as the Laker’s length overwhelmed Boozer in the playoffs.

Proposed Trade: Trevor Booker for the 30^th and 35^th pick with the 56^th trade

#24 Atlanta Hawks select…

Damien James. I like this guy, active on the boards despite his size, but he has a good offensive game, so he can play the 3 position in the NBA. If he has good handles and a better range, this guy could be playing in the starting lineup for the Hawks.

The Atlanta Situation remains in uncertainty as Joe Johnson and the new coaching staff are big question marks for the new team ahead in 2010-2011.

I CAN’T FIND HIM! LOOK HARDER BREES IS TRICKY! God I love this commercial.

#25 Memphis Grizzlies select…

Dominique Jones. Maybe a 2 guard with a nose for scoring, but apparently needs to work on ball dribbling. Lot of young pieces for the Grizzlies and hopefully not picking busts like they have been doing.

#26 Oklahoma City Thunder, Hornets get the 26^th pick along with Craig Brackins while OKC gets Cole-Aldrich and Morris Peterson.  So the Hornets select…

Quincy Pondexter. Definitely a scorer and dominated the Pac 10. I like his game including some post up action and able to dribble and transition in fast-breaks comfortably. He could be the scorer alongside Darren Collison when he goes to the Hornets I think. God these proposed trade signs are super confusing.

Kevin Durant looks super bored and tired. His “happy” face was classic.

#27 New Jersey Nets select…

Jordan Crawford. Another player I like, but oh, nevermind he’s going to Atlanta in exchange for Damien James. Not too bad of a trade, but we’ll see. You have a big solid role piece in exchange for a scoring guard in Crawford. We’ll see, but so far the Nets aren’t screwing up the rebuilding process.

#28 Memphis Grizzlies select…

Greivis Vasquez. This guy has attitude and pissed off Duke and North Carolina fans, but he is a basketball player. He did make bad choices and took bad shots, but I think he could learn a lot from OJ Mayo and the other starters. He’s got a lot of skills and if he has the discipline he could be utilized in a lot of situations.

I never seen this guy super happy and the way he hugged David Stern, even Stern looks taken back almost. Also the obligation of thanking God, good man.

#29 Orlando Magic select…

Daniel Orton. More size for the Magic? I guess you can have a back up for Howard, but isn’t that Gortat’s job? This is more of a potential pick, but he could benefit from learning from Patrick Ewing and develop his body. But with that knee injury, this could be another Greg Oden. Not the piece the Magic needed to get to the next step towards an NBA championship. Unless Howard develops an offensive game, the Magic are conference finals at best.

#30 Washington Wizards select…

Lazar Hayward. Another Big East player, but is he too small? Playing mostly forward (and that’s low forward) I’m not too sure if he has the skills to play the 3. He’ll be developing under Flip Saunders, but we shall see.

The Van Gundy Brother interview was hilarious, with an awkward ending by Stan van Gundy. What a better way to end things with a fat red faced coach with an awkward silence.

Wow, and that’s the end of the 1^st Round. Not too many surprises in the early lottery picks, and most of the names expected in the 1^st round showed up.

However, there are some losers in this draft:

Warriors not selecting Greg Monroe. That was so surprising as Monroe fitted their style so perfectly and they totally looked for another project player (which they have already with Brandon Wright and Randolph) and passed on the best passing big men in the draft.

Minnesota: I’m not sold on Wes Johnson. I don’t know how well he’ll fit in the system of the Triangle of Kurt Rambis and just don’t like his ceiling for a 23 year old. Trading Luke Babbitt for Martell Webster was a good deal but other than that, Minnesota can only hope that they made the right choice with Johnson.

Well, I’m super excited for John Wall. Like Strasburg was to the Nationals, Wall is that spark for the Wizards and will be a show for years to come. I hope these guys will make me look smart in my somewhat decent analysis. But 3,350 words may not have been enough to go into full detail, but then again if you somehow got past the 3,350 words,

1)      You are a dedicated reader to me and I thank you so much

2)      You have nothing else to do, so keep on reading my sport blogs!

And then there was 7

Game 7.

I guess there was no better ending to this perfect rivalry and  in general a really strange series. It’s been a really surprising that neither team has been playing to their full potential at the same time. It’s been blowouts and catchup, and sometimes it’s been really fun (like Game 6 for Lakers) or disappointing (Game 5- Kobe’s one man show).

So I can only hope this last game will bring out the best in everyone. The Big 3, or 4, or Rondo and Co… (I honestly don’t know what to call them anymore, let’s just go with–>) the Celtic Starters, hopefully all of them are playing good games rather than maybe 2 of them. Kobe, Gasol, and Mystery number 3 guy (Artest, Odom, Fisher, etc.) hopefully will be playing lights out with a superb bench helping out. And then maybe, just maybe, we have the best Game 7 we have had in a long time. Because if it’s another blowout, well… talk about anti-climatic.

Anyways, some key stories underlying the final game

• Perkin’s knee
• Bynum’s Knee
• The Disappearance of the Big 3 or 4… (jeez, we need to clarify this in the future)
• The sudden click for the Lakers not named Kobe

First off, the knee issues.

I suck at biology, (I really did never liked it, thought it was too much info and never really did well in that class) anyways, but even I know your knee is vital for your movement.

Well Perkin’s reported to have a sprained knee and looks unsure of his availability for Game 7.

Doing some research (Googling and Wikipedia), I found the symptoms of a sprained knee:

• Decreased movement. Your knee may feel stiff or unable to move as well as it usually does. (no duh…)
• Pain or tenderness in your knee. (really, I thought it feels warm and free!)
• Painful “pop” that you can hear or feel. (Perkins did say he heard a pop)
• Swelling or bruising. This happens within the first few hours after your sprain. It is caused by the ligament bleeding into the knee joint.
• Unstable knee. Your knee may feel like it buckles or “gives out” when you try to walk. (Don’t want that…)

Read more: http://www.drugs.com/cg/knee-sprain.html#ixzz0r2ejaxyp

Helped off by 2 guys,  Perkins is not going to be ready for Game 7. And we were thinking he’d get T’d off!

Talk about irony!  … err bad joke, anyways, unless the Celts want to pull a Willis Reid moment and get Perk to hobble down the floor, let’s just put him in street clothes and on the bench to watch.

Meanwhile, Perkin’s knee was not the only victim, as it’s counterpart, Bynum’s knee is not doing too well either. At least Bynum can stand, though he says he is unable to move as well as he did before. To me, if Bynum has gone through such pain for the 6 games, he might as well suck it up for Game 7. Now that Perkins is gone, Bynum can just occupy space and stand in the paint to block the smaller Garnett and Big Baby Davis. I can only hope that Bynum is not the new Oden with all these injuries, otherwise we may encounter another p**** picture on the internet, and goodness we don’t need that.

So, the other issues:

The re-emergence of Artest, Odom and the Bench

and

The dissapearence of the Celtics

Whether it was the flight or some extra good candy Odom shared with his teammates, the Lakers were clicking on all levels. I mean, if Vujacic and Artest are hitting shots, you can’t beat the Lakers.

So, what will Boston do in Game 7? I think they’re sticking to the same strategy: force Kobe to pass and dare Artest to do it again. If he makes it, so be it, but as long as you don’t allow Kobe in the paint or to draw fouls, the Celts have done their job. Kobe can get his shot whenever he wants. On the other hand…. Artest shooting well 2 games in a row? Even I can’t say that with a straight face.

So… The Big 3, Big 4, the Celtic Starters, will have one last shot to put it together and cry out, UBUNTU, or watch the Laker’s celebrate and erase all the perceptions of the soft, 2008 lakers.

For the Lakers, it’s truly in Kobe’s hands to certify himself as the dominant player in the league and win another championship. If he chooses the “I’m winning this thing by myself and all you defenders can go die!” mode, he better put it together for 2 straight quarters. Think quarter number 3 in game 5 and then some. Scary thought indeed.

Personally, I hope he sticks to his Game 6 play, but then again you need guys hitting shots to be the distributor, so essentially its up to the bench, who’ve been up and down like … like… the comedy of How I met your mother? (still gotta work on those punchlines)

Otherwise Kobe will have to rely on Gasol (who has gone no show before) or rely on being bailed out more by the refs (THAN AIG)! YEAH! that was good right?

Overall I’m going with the Lakers,because of their  homecourt, Kobe’s rolling, and hopefully the other Laker’s wont blow their most important game ever in their careers? Please? Sigh we’ll see… if they win, I’m hoping for another Slava Medvedenko or Mark Madsen- type victory speech in the future (my candidates: Adam Morrison and DJ Mbenga. Honestly, perfect suits: one’s a stoner and the other you can’t even understand what he’s saying, PERFECT MATCHES!) Hahaha, I can dream right?

I can see it.

So anyways, Game 7. History. Victory. Legacy. Other 3-syllable words.

Just watch and enjoy.

(UPDATE Wednesday 2:45 6/16)- Perkins will not play for Game 7. He has been ruled out officially.