hammerhead johnson

15 strikeouts and 0 walks in 7 1/3 innings. Brilliant outing for Smoltz. Too bad that he had to go up against Pedro today.

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Apr 10, 2005 -> 07:00 PM) You ever seen that movie "They Live"? SLEEEEEEEEEP :sleep

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Apr 10, 2005 -> 06:42 PM) Yeah, too bad you're that person along with qwerty who speak out of your ass and clearly do not follow Bulls basketball. I know basketball. Clearly almost everyone here watches enough Bulls games. Clearly Skiles and Pax know what they are seeing. It's been mentioned everywhere that Eddy does box out, but his problem is going after the ball after boxing out. He clears the lane for his guys to get the rebound. And also remember, you're not going to have all 12 of your guys averaging 8 rebounds a game. It would be nice, but that would mean that the other team got absolutely zero rebounds in the game or it was a horribly played offensive game. There's only one center(Shaq) that I would trade Curry for and in all those trades, someone else would have to be included. This is a coming from a guy who hated Eddy at the beginning of the year. If you hate Eddy because he beat you up and stole your lunch money one day, that's fine, but to say that he's not a good basketball player or you would trade him for Sam Dalembert in a heartbeat it just plain idiotic. Go ask how many Philly fans who they would prefer. 3'4ths of the fans would say Curry. Yep, me and qwerty clearly don't follow the Bulls. Could you be any more presumptuous? Okay, maybe I can break it down for you. There are 12 to 14 shooting guards in this league who average more rebounds per game than Eddy Curry. Let's see, off the top of my head, there's Bobby Freaking Sura, Jason Richardson, Quentin Richardson, Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Steve Francis, Dwyane Wade, etc. Atlanta Hawks rookie SG Josh Childress is already a better rebounder than the 7'0 Eddy Curry. Curry DOES NOT have a knack for rebounding, he's not passionate about winning, he doesn't have a respectable work ethic unless it's his contract year, etc. He's really a big dope, no offense to the guy. In the current NBA, what we have is a major scoring drought at the C position. That, and that alone, is the only thing that makes Curry valuable. Is he worth a max contract on the strength of time and place? Nope, and please, stop yourself from uttering some nonsense about the LA Clippers just because those who actually know their s*** are unwilling to flush our future down the toilet!!! Who is talking about trading Dalembert for Curry straight up? I'd like Dalembert for 25 minutes a night at 5 million per season. I don't even want him out there on the court with Chandler unless it's in the 4th quarter. The guy projects out to be a rebounding/defensive monster. More than one publication was comparing him to Ben Wallace before the season started. While it's pretty f***ing far-fetched to compare Dalembert to one of the top 10 defensive players in the history of basketball (or at least since the merger), you've gotta know that he was killing people last year when he got the minutes. How old is he right now, like 23? It took him a good 30 games to learn O'Brien's run-and-fun-and-gun system. He's out of his element. He's a half court defender, which is precisely what we're all about. You think that he's regressing? Hmmm, tht's interesting. And Shaq is the only center that you'd trade Curry for? Hey man, what about Yao Ming? You must have forgotten about dude, yeah? Just because there's a leaguewide scoring drought at C doesn't mean that we have to give a max contract to a guy with no heart.

14 strikeouts through 6 innings thus far against the Mets. Pedro has 8. Mets vs Braves

Keith Foulke, undoubtedly. Active players I'm glad to see gone: Jose Valentin (first and foremost), Royce Clayton, Kenny Lofton, D'Angelo Jiminez, Ruben Sierra, David Wells, Bartolo Colon, Jon Rauch, Esteban Loaiza, Scott Schoeneweis, etc. Active players that I'm not necessarily glad to see gone, but I don't really care whether they're here or not: Carlos Lee, Magglio Ordonez, Ray Durham, Kip Wells, etc. Players I kinda wish we still had: Keith Foulke, Tom Gordon, Bob "Butt" Howry, Tony Graffanino, Mike Cameron, Miguel Olivo, perhaps Jeremy Reed, etc. Players I want gone ASAP: Timo Perez, Willie Harris, Joe Crede, etc.

Yo man, check the sig.

QUOTE(hammerhead johnson @ Apr 5, 2005 -> 07:39 AM) 3. NEW YORK 83-79 Yeah, you know, I don't think that this prediction is going to work out. I know that it's early and all, but they're now 0-5 and John Smoltz has just struck out 9 Mets batters in 15 at bats through 4 innings. Pedro is pitching an absolute gem thus far, but you get the feeling that they're still gonna lose. Oh well.

Wow, I got to page 3, and I felt like shooting myself. That's enough. I can't read this horses***. In my best Bill Cartwright voice: Terrible

QUOTE(nitetrain8601 @ Apr 10, 2005 -> 04:38 PM) And qwerty, Eddy doesn't box out or pick good??? It's amazing how you have the NBA package so you could see nearly every game. Clearly you have missed all Bulls games this season. OMG, all we need around here is another guy who doesn't know his basketball. Christ, the nooobies are coming out of the woodwork lately and just taking a collective s*** on these here threads. You're even worse than Sleepy. :banghead

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Apr 10, 2005 -> 04:24 AM) Hell ya, no doubt about it. Defense is what wins championships. All the Bulls teams had fantastic defenses, same can be said for the Pacers and most of the championship squads. I think the late 00's Lakers were the first team to really do it without that great of defense. Well specifically point defense because every series it was the opponent pg torching the slower Derrick Fisher. But they also had Rick Fox and Robert Horry that were just superior defensive role players and really did fantastic things. The more I watch this Bulls team and Tyson develop the more I appreciate defense because the Bulls are not an offensively talented team, yet they are 3rd in the Eastern Conference in wins. That says it all right there, imo. Defense is what basketball is all about. The games where its just teams going back and forth getting wide open looks can be fun to watch (if your team is just slamming the other team) but its not basketball. Nothing is better than watching a great defensive matchup. A Tayshaun Prince on Kobe and just shutting him down or the way I've seen Kirk ocassionally play against AI (last year there was this one game where Kirk was just in his face every shot...Allen still got his points but he shot god awful, unfortunately he hit like a buzzer beater with Kirk all over him). Hell great defense makes the offense better becasue to be a good defender you gonna have to earn you basket. It seems like the NBA is getting back to this route too. Just look at Denver's improvement under George Karl...its the defense.

QUOTE(Palehosefan @ Apr 9, 2005 -> 10:35 PM) Honestly though hammer, how many PG's do you see that can defend all those sets successfully? Kidd and Payton have been the gold standard so to speak, but you won't really find other point guards that have complete games. Wade has the ability and the stamina to join the All-Defensive teams before his days are over, he just has to work harder on that and his outside jumper, then he will be absolutely unstoppable. Yeah, good defensive PGs are very hard to come by in this league. Wade has a lot of upside, but he has a looong way to go before he can be considered as a 1st or 2nd tier defender at PG IMO.

QUOTE(T R U @ Apr 9, 2005 -> 10:00 PM) LeBron didnt ask for Court Vision Hmm, what did he ask for? Riches and b****es?

QUOTE(T R U @ Apr 9, 2005 -> 09:49 PM) With all things considred OVERALL (Shooting, Defense, FT's, Assists) I think LeBron is the best player in the league by those standards Shaq on the other.. (Pure Dominance) He is numero uno in the league if we're talking court vision. Three of the four categories you mentioned (shooting, assists, FTs) apply primarily to the backcourt. You can say that he's the best backcourt player in the league right now all things considered, and I might buy it. Take away 90% of my brain power (of the 10% that I'm using) and I'm still taking KG and Duncan 365 days a year, 24/7 without even giving it a second thought.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Apr 9, 2005 -> 09:36 PM) Kidd is no Kirk Hinrich either. Defensively I take Captain Kirk over most every point guard, imo. Since the 98-99 season, Jason Kidd has been All-NBA First Team Defense four times, and All-NBA Second Team twice. Him and glove are really the two that you ahve to look at over the past dozen years or so. Hinrich has a plus side with superior work ethic and basketball know-how, but the physical skills are lacking. Plus, he's not a PG, although he can defend them on the defensive end.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Apr 9, 2005 -> 09:23 PM) Also, I've watched quite a few Cleveland games and I already think Lebron is a good defender as long as he's guarding SG's and SF's. If he's on a PG he doesn't have the quickness, but he can still harass them with his big body. I agree about SFs and big SGs, but he's at a disadvantage against the prototypical 6'5 and 6'6 SGs in this league on defense. And if we're talking about small SGs, OMG, forget about it. Like Rowand said, he's a Magic Johnson figure through and through. Now, you just gotta get him Worthy, Jabbar, Cooper, Green, Scott, etc. Because the fun-and-gun could only work with a s***load of all-star caliber players. I much prefer a superb defensive squad like the 88-91 Pistons, 90s Bulls, 91-94 Knicks, modern day Spurs, Pistons, and pre-brawl Pacers, etc. I could tell from your posts that you feel the same way.

QUOTE(Palehosefan @ Apr 9, 2005 -> 09:08 PM) I've gotta disagree about Wade being a liability on D. He is 10th in the NBA in overall steals and 12th in steals per game. Yes I know steals aren't the only thing that matter, but he is very quick and has long arms. He's atleast an average defender and I would argue a plus defender. He's an average defender at best and a liability in the playoffs IMO. Steals is one of the things I look at if we're talking about defense from a PG, but it's really just the tip of the iceberg. First off, is a guy consistent? Can he string together good defensive games? Can he stay on the ball and prevent his man from penetrating? What's his stamina like? How is he at anticipating a pass or sniffing out what the offense wants to do in a particular situation? Does he attempt too many steals in PG vs PG isolation? Can he sniff out screens? Can he defend the pick and roll? Can he defend on the fast break? Can he prevent his man from posting him up and getting an easy shot? Competitive fire? Etc, etc. I look at all of these things and then some, and Dwyane Wade, well, he ain't no Jason Kidd.

QUOTE(rangercal @ Apr 9, 2005 -> 07:27 PM) He Was the greatest defensive sg off all time. He was not getting credit for it though in his early seasons because his super explosive offense overshadowed it . You said that he was criticized about his D in the mid-to-late 80s, when in fact, knowledgeable NBA heads knew he was a great defensive player due primarily to his work ethic and his competitive nature. Remember, all of these NBA players have the physical skills. It's the little things that separate the champs from the chumps. Also, overshadowed according to who, exactly? The dumbass media? The average NBA fan who just doesn't bring any ammunition to the table when discussing basketball?

QUOTE(rangercal @ Apr 9, 2005 -> 07:05 PM) MJ had to earn everything he got. He was criticized about his D in the mid to late 80's. Jordan was All NBA First team defense every year he played from the 87-88 season to the 97-98 season. He was also Defensive Player Of The Year in 1987. He is arguably the greatest defensive SG of all time. I think that he's unquestionably the greatest defensive SG, but I won't leave myself open to criticism from someone who witnessed Walt Frazier.

QUOTE(ZoomSlowik @ Apr 9, 2005 -> 07:11 PM) I think this is a pretty easy explanation for the drop off in play. McInnis went from a fairly efficient PG to one that is mediocre at best. Pre-Allstar break 14.9 points 5.7 assists .43 FG% .371 3% Post-Allstar break 9 points 4.1 assists .358 FG% .28 3% It's because he got benched in favor of Snow for a period of time, correct? Non-existant defense will do that for you. He is a bad overall player in the team sense, but a damn good fantasy option if he gets minutes. Think Jason Terry with less scoring punch.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Apr 9, 2005 -> 07:05 PM) Lebron's a great player and you really can't argue otherwise. I don't even understand why people compare him to Jordan, for me Magic is definitely the better comparison. I do disagree about him being the best overall player in the nba, imo that's still Tim Duncan. Dude, post about basketball more often. Lebron could never begin to f*** with Duncan, Garnett, Shaquille O'Neal, etc. Magic Johnson = Right on the money Point forward, good defensive player in the long term (never great), superior court vision, etc. Talk about a brilliant comparison.

QUOTE(WHarris1 @ Apr 9, 2005 -> 06:59 PM) Amazingly enough Cleveland is 11th in the league in opponents ppg. Tempo

QUOTE(T R U @ Apr 9, 2005 -> 04:37 PM) hahaha LeBron is easily the best overall player in the NBA right now, if he had one more solid player on his team.. like a Michael Redd or a someone along those lines Cleveland would be a VERY good team.. Right now all they have is LeBron, if they add another solid player.. watch out I like Lebron too, but to say that he's easily the best overall player in the league? First of all, he's not a good overall defensive player. Anyone who tells you that is a box score fan or just a straight up numbnuts. He is overmatched on the defensive end. In teh long term, he might develop into something defensively at the SF slot. We covered this back in November, IIRC. Him and Dwyane Wade are in my Top 10 NBA players list right now strictly for their huge overall impact on offense, and in Lebron's case, it's primarily court vision. But he's a defensive liablility, just like Dwyane. And if they add Michael Redd, all of a sudden they're awesome? Are you for real, dude? Name me one guy on that team other than Ira Newbie or old-ass Eric Snow that can play some defense in this league. Z has no lateral movement. Gooden might be the biggest joke in all of the NBA if we're talking work ethic. McInnis is widely viewed as a cancer who is absolutely NON-EXISTANT on defense. Adding Michael Redd or some comparable player who can only score to this steaming pile of s*** is going to make them a contender all of a sudden? Check yourself. Weak East or not, that is a craptacular team, and I laugh (real hard) at anyone who thinks otherwise.

But then again, look at the start that Saarloos had against Baltimore on Wednesday: W 6 IP 0.00 ERA 0.33 WHIP (1 HIT, 0 WALKS) 2 STRIKEOUTS I know that pitchers usually get the jump on hitters in April, but come on. Mora, Tejada, Sosa, Palmeiro, Lopez, etc? One f***ing hit through 6 innings against Kirk Saarloos? And then they follow that up with 3 hits through 6 innings off of Dan Haren? That's hilarious.

QUOTE(hammerhead johnson @ Apr 6, 2005 -> 07:55 PM) I am torn as to whether or not I should start Haren in Baltimore on Thursday. I have contemplated starting him only in home games and in a select few away games (Seattle, Detroit, etc). Haren's line from his first start of the season in Baltimore: 6 IP 1.50 ERA (1 RUN ALLOWED) 1.00 WHIP (3 HITS, 3 WALKS) 6 STRIKEOUTS Not bad. Good thing I started him.

1998 Ford Taurus! I started with a 1987 Ford Taurus, but then it went to s*** almost immediately. Then I had a 1990 Ford Taurus for a little while. Now, I found myself a keeper.