Saturday, November 22, 2008

Thinking of a Master Plan...

There were some big moves in the Big Apple yesterday. I'm still going to hold back on a progress report for the Knicks and do a combo post with The Throwback Kid over at Points Off Turnovers; but the trades this afternoon did merit some sort of mention.

Forgive me if I'm not celebrating these moves.  I did that before, and had to quickly repent.  I immediately understood that Donnie Walsh is positioning the team to be able to financially go after a certain King along with a certain guy in Toronto.  After talking with my sports braintrust, I was reminded of a previous fact theory about Commissioner David Stern and his real vision for the NBA.  More after the random picture...

Commissioner Stern knows that his league, though globally popular now, will grow further domestically when all the teams in the big markets are successful.  Those big markets are L.A., Chicago, Boston, and New York.  As you hoop fans know, L.A. and Boston met in the Finals last year.  Then, Chicago was blessed with the #1 pick and Derrick Rose.  As I stated in that previous post that I know hope you clicked on, the reason why he didn't fix the Draft Lottery for the Knicks again is because the team was in shambles.  Instead, seeing the bevy of free agent talent in the 2010 offseason, he recognized that the Knicks would be able to rebuild that way.

An idea that arose among my braintrust is that David Stern, through the power of connections like a Mob boss, somehow authorized this from a distance.  At first, I doubted it.  Then, I remembered that he is about the money.  Using his incredible marketing genius, he devised a way to help the Knicks get going in the right direction.  Since there's more than just, "sweat inside his hand," he can get the ball rolling on situations he would like to have happen in his league.  Maybe he didn't force Warriors GM Chris Mullin and Clippers GM/Head Coach Mike Dunleavy to make offers they couldn't refuse, but he knew who Donnie Walsh should call in order to get those huge salaries off the books.

As far as my excitement goes, I won't be smiling when I talk about the Knicks until I see Lebron and Chris Bosh holding up their jerseys like Tim Thomas, Cuttino Mobley, and Al Harrington did the other day.  Which reminds me, Quentin Richardson and Nate Robinson, I think you need to vacate those jersey numbers as soon as possible.  Get used to #'s 25 and 8 respectively.  And Steph, just take whatever they give you.  Please?

Peace.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Anything is Possible...?

I know the Celtics won their title in June, and that a new season has already begun, but I need to address a beef I have with a certain Kevin Garnett and his choice of words. By now, you've seen his screams of joy after Boston clinched the championship. I would like to focus on the three most popular words of his time in front of the mic: "Anything is possible!" More after the random picture...

Look, I like Kevin Garnett. He's someone that I'd one day like to meet, although apparently, he's not as great a guy as everyone thinks he is. I understand and appreciate the pure excitement that comes with winning, especially for someone like Garnett, who was mired in mediocrity in Minnesota for a dozen years. I even understand that he's more than a little, uh, emotional person on and off the court; and it rubs off on his teammates. He definitely leaves it all out on the floor each and every night. However, KG's infamous saying is so wrong for when he said it.

You see, in order for anything to be possible, one would have to conquer a seemingly unconquerable series of circumstances that were previously viewed as, dare I say, impossible. Allow me to map out the Celtics' series of circumstances. Last off-season, Boston traded the #5 pick and some other stuff to Oklahoma City Seattle for Ray Allen. Then, Timberwolves GM Kevin McHale gives Boston KG for Al Jefferson who, while very good, is no KG. And if you believe the so-called "experts," Boston's signing of James Posey was vital to their success (I beg to differ). Sixty-six wins and a Garnett Defensive P.O.Y. later, and the Celtics were the overwhelming favorites in the East, if not the Association. The rest, as they say, is history. To me, that doesn't sound like the most treacherous of journeys to the top.

KG's words did inspire me though. I began thinking of situations in which, when triumphant, one can say scream, "anything is possible!" Here are a few (with evidence):


So yes, KG, anything is possible. Especially when you're superior to everyone else and expected to be so. Gimme a break.



Peace.