David Lee v.s. Al Horford

Al Horford: 13.6 PPG, 9.80 RPG, 2.2 APG

David Lee: 19.6 PPG, 11.60 RPG, 3.4 APG

Somebody PLEASE tell me what the NBA head coaches were thinking.

--Moose

From the ground up...

So has anyone noticed the Memphis Grizzlies this year? Maybe you haven't because you're so accustomed to looking for them at the bottom of the standings. This year though, they are actually 3 games above .500, and are playing some great basketball as of late. Due to their massive variety of talent, I knew that it was only a matter of time before they were challenging for a playoff spot, but I definitely didn't think that it would be going this well, this quickly.

Memphis is one of those teams that doesn't have a MVP-type player, or even a definite leader, (there is no Kobe, LeBron, or D-Wade on their team) but what they do have is a very talented group of players who can beat you in multiple ways.

~Rudy Gay is without a doubt one of the most underrated players in the league today. Most people only see his inhuman athletic ability by his spectacular dunks, but he is actually a very well-rounded player. He can get into the lane almost at will, and has the ability to draw fouls. He is also a very capable passer, and solid rebounder. I think the most underrated part of his game however, is his jump-shooting ability. When people watch highlights of him, his dunks and drives to the hoop are the only thing people notice, but he is actually a very dependable shooter, and most of his points actually come off of jumpshots. His 20.1 points is second on the team, and his 6.1 rebounds rank third on the team. Don't think he is just an offensive player though, he also gets 1.51 steals, and 0.86 blocks per contest. As I said, this team doesn't really have a go-to player, but Rudy is probably the closest thing this team has to a leader.

~Zach Randolph is a double-double machine. Since he played in Portland for the earlier part of his career, I am very familiar with him. Personally, I am not a fan of him, he is actually one of my least favorite players. I think he has a very bad attitude, and I didn't even like him when he was playing for my favorite team. He also has very poor shot selection. Personal matters aside, there is no doubt that he puts up numbers. No matter where he has played, whether it's been Portland, Los Angeles, New York, or Memphis, he has always been one of the most consistent players in the league. He manages to get 20 points and 10 rebounds EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. When I say every single night, I literally mean EVERY NIGHT. He always finds some way to get a double-double, no matter what the circumstances are. He is averaging 20.5 points, and 11.5 rebounds this season; which are both team-highs. He is also shooting 50% from the field, and 81% from the foul line; which is very impressive, especially for a Power forward. Despite all the negative aspects of Randolph's game, you can't argue with numbers like that.

~O.J. Mayo, while also being one of my least favorite players, is a player any team would like to have on their roster. He still struggles with his shot selection, at times, but that will get better as he matures. He's not really a defensive player, not a great rebounder, or even a great passer, but he can score whenever he wants. He is averaging 18.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists this season. When the Grizzlies absolutely need a bucket, O.J. will most likely be the one getting the ball, and he can usually make the shot, no matter how much defense is applied to him.

~Marc Gasol has turned into a very dependable post player. He doesn't get the same acclaim as his older brother, and has never really been taken seriously, but he is actually putting up near-All-Star numbers this season. He had a very solid rookie season, and people thought that he might be a pretty average player, but he put in a lot of work this offseason, and came back this year to prove he was way above average. He is putting up 14.7 points this season on 61% feild goal shooting, and is a solid free-throw shooter for a 7-footer shooting 66%. He has also proved that he can be a great rebounder and defensive player by grabbing 9.7 boards, and 1.5 blocks a game. Since Zach Randolph is more of a mid-range/perimeter player, most people thought that left the Grizz without a low-post presence, but Marc has actually developed a very nice low-post game. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we see him in the All-Star game in the next couple of years.

~Mike Conley has had a lot of doubters and haters since he came into the league, but the Grizzlies know how good he really is, and have put all their trust in him to be their point guard of the future. They proved this when Allen Iverson came in at the beginning of the season. Iverson was expected to come in and be the starting point guard, but Conley ended up not only keeping his starting position, but also playing more minutes. Although his averages of 10.3 points, and 4.9 assists don't seem too impressive, that is exactly what the Grizz want him to do, and they couldn't be more satisfied with him.

One Knock on the Grizzlies is their lack of a bench. Outside of rookie Sam Young (8.1 points), the next highest scoring average by a bench player is Marcus Williams with 3.9. Their bench isn't exactly the best in the league, but coach Hollins always finds a way to get a good rotation out there on every possession. They also have a lot of young talent, who haven't even come close to realizing their potential yet (Hasheem Thabeet, Lester Hudson, Sam Young, DaMarre Carroll).

The Grizzlies have come a long way in a short time. The organization has been at an all-time low, and are finally starting to have hope for the future by their recent success. The bottom of the Western Conference is stacked as usual, and the Grizzlies might not even make the playoffs (or might just be in 7th or 8th), but if one thing is for certain, it's that you definitely can't take this team for granted.

I'm out....

(and be sure to check out Hurty's post right beneath this one)

Straight Fire

Hursty here,
It's been, oh a good few months since I posted here.

For that, I apologise sincerely. Hope you guys understand.

Anyways, to get you guys up to speed on me (otherise scroll down 2 paragraphs) - I've finished High School. Got a rank of 85.7 out of a possible 99.95, which means I'm in the top 15% of the country.

Probably attending the University of New South Wales and doing Exercise Physiology. That's the plan anyways.


I'm not going to use a classy change of conversation here, I'll just simply say that sports both within the USA and outside of it are a fu*king mess. '


NBA:


The NBA is in turmoil, regardless of whatever spin Commish Stern tries to put on it. The League is still loosing money and as many stars are injured or underperforming this year as I've seen in a long, long time.

Just quickly -

Bryant - injured

Redd - injured

Tony Parker - underperforming

Josh Howard - injured, underperforming

Manu Ginobili - recovering from injury

Arenas - um, yeh

Deron Williams - inconsistent

Chris Paul - underperforming (by his super high standards)

Pau Gasol - injured

The list goes on, it's kinda ridiculous. Reminds me of the '07 season, but worse.

I mean, these guys are stars - you can't argue that. Sure, some are more valuable to the League than others, but having a group of star-calibre + type guys all riding the pine for extended periods, that just isn't right.
Then you've still got Arenas playing the joker.


NFL


I'm going to look ahead to the Superbowl. One of the biggest annual sporting events in the world, drawing in over 225 million viewers globally, the Superbowl IS America. And as such, is reflective of it. Financial crisis and all. The highest paying commercial this year is expected to be 2.8 million $ U.S. Last year it was over $3million. Yeh, it's still a lot of money, but in comparison to years past, it's a significant drop.

In other, brighter news;

Stephen Jackson - Welcome to the VIP Lounge, you now have an access all-areas pass.

Aaron Brooks - you too. Well done young sir.

Brett Favre - how do you do it? I'm not even mad at you, I'm just impressed at this point.

Tony Romo - still choking. The NFL will now return you to your regular programming. That was entertaining. For a week.

University of Virginia Basketball - 3-0 in ACC play. I like Landesberg a lot, he can play.

Duke - I hate you. Like everyone else. That said though, the Plumlee brothers are intriguing. Like semi-skilled Collins twins, but better. Not at the Lopez level, but they have potential.

Charles Hamilton & Jay Electronica - Om nom nom nom nom nom. (Pause)

Texts From Last Night - 'Nuff said.

In world sports, Australia is once again dominating Cricket after a 2nd test scare by Pakistan.
The Australian Open is just 'round the corner for Tennis.

In rugby, guys aren't holding to their contracts, snorting cocaine and getting into fights regularly, it's pretty much a joke and a blight upon society the way they conduct themselves at times.

Just quickly - Petanque is the greatest sport of ALL-TIME! (Apart from darts, that sh*t is legendary)

And now I'm leaving you with some Slaughterhouse, "Fightclub"

And Immortal Technique, "Point Of No Return"


Peace

Aaron Brooks scores 14 in 4th on his way to 43

Sweet layup at the end!

Free Gilbert Arenas, shit that's what I heard at DP house

Ayyyyyy. My people how's it going? I'm doing good like the clipse song right about now. I'm going to get straight to the point and say what I feel about the Gilbert situation. Two words: Free Gilbert. I'm biased about the whole ordeal so you can hate me for that or not. He deserves suspension but I still don't like the word "indefintely". Being that I got the inspiration for this site from mr. hibachi himself, I want to be on his side. People say he went too far on his twitter but honestly that shit was funny as hell to me. Every story that he was telling I showed my teammates and we cracked up with glee. It was Gil being Gil and I loved that ish. Maybe he went TOO far with all the jokes but he is still my boy and I'm repping the hibachi till the day I'm gone from this wretched earth. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks they will have the "free gilbert" shirts on the net.

Couple of my thoughts right now.

-Gil's teammates that were with him in that pic before the game against SA shouldn't be fined. Just fine gil and call it a day. and y'all can't tell me that picture wasn't funny!

-John Wall is better than half the nba point guards in the L right now. straight up.

-It's time for Fisher to pack his fuggin bags and leave my team. Farmar too. Can't wait for CP3 in 2012.

-Charles Barkley on SNL tonight. I have a feeling this could go really well or michael jackson bad.

-Okay I've been thinking about this for about a month but for all of you who have heard the young money song, "bedrock", when gudda gudda says, "I got her n%gga, grocery bags" wtf does that mean? I talking about the punch line "grocery bags". maybe BET, moose, or hurst can help me on this one.

-I need to contact Vinny del negro and tell him we have an opening for a coaching position with the Upward program at the YMCA.

-I don't like Artest at all. Ariza needs to come back before the end of february.

-Does Brandon Jennings get a cover for scoring 55 points or the rest of his up and down rookie season? I think Reke should get one before BJ.

-It's 18 degrees......in MISSISSIPPI. again I say IN MISSISSIPPI. I feel like i'm in moose's neck of the woods. I had to ride the bus yesterday because my car door was frozen shut. fml I know.


I'm about to check out big chuck so I'll check back in next week with you fools. Whiie you're hear peep the joints I always leave for ya. I never steer you wrong.
play wit it.

The Prototypical Four-man

A Moose Track

I'm sick of bonafide players cruising under the radar because they're toiling away on teams out of the playoff hunt. If you don't win, you don't get credit for any amount of numbers you're putting up. Lopez and Harris are both all-star threats on the 3-30 Nets. Love is averaging a triple-double on the seven win Wolves, if anyone cares. Andre Iguodala is throwing up 19-6-5 nightly for the Sixers, who have collected a dismal 10 victories this year. If you don't win, you don't get attention.

The same goes for up-and-comers; not just trapped superstars. Thaddeus Young for Philly. Eric Gordon for the LA Clippers. Anthony Randolph for Nellie's Warriors. But, on par with all in skill and production but below in exposure, Jason Thompson is overshadowed even in his own city (by rookie phenom Tyreke Evans).

Only two sophomores average more rebounds per-game (Marc Gasol, 10.0, and Brook Lopez, 9.7) than Thompson (9.2). His scoring is consistently among the leaders of his team (14.2). He picks up an adequate amount of assists for a power forward (2.1). He averages enough blocks (.9) and steals (.6) to be considered a tough matchup on D.

Thompson's build is perfect for his position. Standing 6-11 and weighing in at 250 pounds, he is on the larger side of his position. He runs the floor very well for a player his size, allowing his athleticism to shine through in transition and in the halfcourt game as well. He possesses world-class footwork, allowing him to shake defenders and take high-percentage shots. He's close to a sure two, with his percentage a hair under 50% (.496).

His consistency is underrated. As the starting power forward in just his second year on the Kings, the 23 year-old has started all 33 games so far, while averaging big minutes for a player in his situation (35.3 per). He has banged out 12 double-doubles this year, good for 21 in the league, one spot ahead of, ahem, LeBron James. His efficiency rating is high (+18.67), and he has developed into a large part of Sacramento's game.

Too bad he's stuck out there.

--Moose

2-0-1-0

Happy new years my brothers and sisters!!!! It's been a while and with good reason. I've been trying to clear my head and just chill these past two weeks and my reality is now just setting in. I have one more semester left in my high school career and then I'm gone like the dusty wind. My case of senioritis has gone from bad to severe. I don't even want to think about school right now and everyday I wake up it pains me. But I do have one plus that makes everything alright for the new year: your boy has a brand new car. Well....not brand new but it still is a chick magnet, hoe scooper, boopper topper, or whatever the hell you want to call it. 92 white cadillac deville in decent shape. I like to call it mr. wide body because I swear the back seat area is like a master bedroom. Ahhhhhhhh, I think you guys think where I'm going with this one.

With the new year comes resolutions and I say fugg them. I had a couple of resolutions last year but I broke them within 30 minutes of proclaiming them. I think I'm going to stick to goals from now on and I'd like to share with you guys my top goals for this year.

1.Go to college with a nice full paid scholarship
2.Rack up at least 10-15 chicks in my car.
3.Meet Obama in DC this summer
4.Actually meet the word called organization
5.Spread more love and not hate
6.Get my shoe and fitted hat collection up
7.Fly to the moon at least a couple of times
8.Tell the girl of my dreams that she should dumb her old man and get with a real dude
9.Make bread
10.Make a girl's bedrock
11.Post up on hibachi and slam daily.

That's just a few because my list will go on for days if I continue. I pray that all of you guys are successful this year and that you do everything to your full capacity. Look to see me on here more often this year than the past couple years of this blog. I'll catch you guys later on this week.

Much love,
DP aka play wit it






had to hit moose with some new hamilton. play wit it.