whitesoxfan99

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 6, 2011 -> 05:23 PM) Link Three times face value is a freaking joke. For fans that traveled across the country is that even going to cover their airfare and hotel room? Plus most of those fans probably paid above face value for those tickets to begin with.

Since I'm still pissed about the game earlier today, I think the most frustrating thing about this season is just how close it has been to being a great year. Illinois has not won a close game all year (I'm not counting the Maryland game where they won by 4 because Maryland never had a chance to tie or take the lead and Illinois missed 6 out of 8 Fts to even make it look close. Illinois is 0-5 in games decided by 3 or less points (or OT), and in two of their other games they were down by 3 or fewer in the last minute. Against Missouri they had the lead within the final 4 minutes and were within 1 when they didn't get back on D and the intentional foul was called. And against OSU they obviously had the ball down 3 with a chance to tie in the final minute and didn't get the shot off. The only loss where they didn't have a chance to win it late was against Wisconsin. And even more annoying is that 3 of the 8 losses are on freaking tip ins in the last 30 seconds. When it gets close this team just hasn't been able to get a bucket or stop when they need to and that was the case last year as well.

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 5, 2011 -> 05:09 PM) Grant is likely not leaving the south, as he has very strong ties there. He's also a lock to take over the Florida job when Donovan leaves. And yes 99, Drew is an awful coach. He gets the least out of the most. I don't think he would either, but I would offer him a ton of money and do everything in my power to get him if I was AD. I'm having trouble even coming up with other coaches I would go after (that are realistic anyways).

QUOTE (He_Gawn @ Feb 5, 2011 -> 05:05 PM) If you hire Scott Drew, you might as well just have hired Bruce Pearl. I wouldn't root for Illinois to win a game until he was gone. And he sucks as a coach which would make it even worse.

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 5, 2011 -> 03:40 PM) Interesting reading that some of the big Illini boosters want to get Weber canned after this season. That would be a brilliant move by the Illini, as they could get some good candidates and recruiting will go nowhere but up as long as Howard stays. The candidates are really really underwhelming right now. Unless they were able to somehow steal a Jay Wright or Jaime Dixon (highly highly unlikely) you are left with a bunch of mediocre at best candidates. When fans are mentioning guys like Frank Martin and Scott Drew as good candidates you know the candidates just aren't very good. I would make a run at Anthony Grant personally, I think he would dominate recruiting at Illinois, he did a good job at VCU and is actually going a good job at Alabama so far.

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 5, 2011 -> 03:23 PM) Definitely the winners of the "bad body language" team contest. Which is why I can't wait for the 2011 class to get to campus and why I wish Head would get a little playing time (although not a ton because he can't shoot at all, like he is freshman and sophomore year Chester Frazier bad). Abrams is a warrior (like having a Chester Frazier with talent), Shaw plays really hard at all times, Egwu has a constantly running motor. Henry doesn't play defense but he isn't going to back down from a challenge. Langford I don't know enough about but he seems to lack assertiveness at times but he has high upside and won't be counted on until he is an upperclassman anyways.

This Illinois team is unlikeable. It is incredible how lazy the players are at times. Illinois lost the game because they got beat to loose balls and didn't fight through screens and that is simply unacceptable and it starts with the SR class which is made up of a bunch of p*****s and Weber.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Feb 5, 2011 -> 02:32 PM) There's a reason. I'm assuming it isn't something you can share?

I have never seen a player fall off the way McCamey has. He was an all-american through 19 games and has been the worst player in Illinois's rotation the last 3 and a half games.

Jim Burr is so freaking bad...that wasn't an intentional foul on NW (although that does make up for the two ridiculously bad charge calls that went against Illinois). Also how does Tim Brando have a job?

Can Jim Burr just go ahead and die. That guy gets more calls wrong than right these days. I still maintain that there isn't a profession in the world (except being an elected official) where you can suck at your job as much as college bball refs and never get reprimanded.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Feb 4, 2011 -> 11:33 AM) Id argue that his assists should have increased playing with Lebron/Bosh as he should have a more reliable outlets when he passes. I just think when you look at Wade he is a depreciating asset. I like bigger guards, I thought that MJ was about the ideal size at 6'6, so Im not sure why Lebron at 6'8 cant play SG. Id also venture to guess that there have been definitely times that Lebron has been on the court and has played the 2. And it really doesnt matter, as I said I take scarcity into account. Whether Lebron is a SG/SF/PG he is still better than Wade. After that its pretty clear that the next 10 or so guys are just a matter of taste, so Im not sure why its so unbelievable that Wade is a top 10 player but not a top 5 player. Name your 5 players who are better than Wade at this moment. Wade might be a depreciating asset but that has nothing to do with whether he is a top 5 player in the league right now. If we were conducting a fantasy draft I wouldn't take him in my top 5 for building a team long term but I would take him 2nd or 3rd if I'm building a team for a single season.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Feb 4, 2011 -> 05:52 PM) However, I fully understand that not everybody thinks that way, especially the people who actually vote for the MVP. Most sports writers are stupid.

Voting for the MVP in the NBA is easy but people make it difficult for no reason. The best player in the NBA (and really all sports) is also the most valuable player (as long as he doesn't miss a bunch of games). It really isn't even debatable that James is the most valuable player in the NBA right now and will be for the foreseeable future.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 11:11 PM) I used to love Wade back when he was at Marquette and will never forget the day that he was drafted by Miami and the Bulls took Hinrich. Now you could say I hate Hinrich, that would be fair, but I loved Wade. He isnt what he used to be, and without his exception athleticism he is not a top 5 player. I hate to say it, but the injuries appear to be piling up. You can say Lebron cant be a SG, but that just isnt true, his skill set fits perfectly as a SG. Just because on most teams he plays SF due to that being the best match up, does not mean that his ultimate best position could not be SG. Against a team that has a bigger combination of SG/SF there would definitely be advantages in having Lebron be the SG. I guess I dont really compartmentalize players that are 2/3s unless they have some sort of size issue. If they are in the 6'6-6'8 range they really can play any position, especially if they are as good as Lebron. Sorry if that doesnt fit your criteria for how I rate my top 5 basketball players, but so be it. Wade is having either his first or 2nd most efficient year scoring in his career. He is averaging 25.7 pts while playing with the best player in the NBA on his team. His rebounding rate is at a career high and his steal and block rates are around his career norms. His PER is 3rd in the NBA behind LeBron and Paul and he was 2nd last year behind LeBron and Durant. How isn't he a top 5 player?

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 09:38 PM) Zen, I wish I was still in Grad School so I could write a paper on the struggles on the court for minority coaches. Oh well...in the end, it's better for GT to lose every game. What is bizarre is that minority coaches have done very well in the NBA and NFL but have struggled immensely in college sports. Obviously part of that has to do with the fact that there haven't been very many minority coaches that have gotten the elite jobs but it still is surprising that it is difficult to come up with a minority coach in either college football of basketball that has actually built or maintained a powerhouse.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 03:36 PM) Its pretty biased towards the south, but then again they have sports year round. Its good for the overall picture, but the star ratings are just guesses. You'll see players commit to schools and drop a star based on who they chose. Star ratings for individual players are very hit or miss, but the programs that consistently have the best classes on signing day are pretty much also the teams dominating college football.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Feb 3, 2011 -> 08:48 PM) Who cares about the All-Star game? Bosh isnt an all-star, I dont care what he may do for another team, its about what he has done this year. Unless the All-Star game is now a lifetime achievement award. And the only top 5 player on the Heat is Lebron. Im not sure who would pick Bosh or Wade as their first choice at either PF or SG. Wade is arguably the second best player in the NBA who the hell would you possibly take at SG are over him?

QUOTE (fathom @ Feb 2, 2011 -> 09:01 PM) Michigan St isn't even trying it appears. I've been saying this for a while, but there has got to be some major issues going on with that program. They keep running off players, but the attitude of some of their younger players is awful as well. Poor Izzo, should have taken the Bulls job. Appling and Payne were accused of sexual assault before the season started but no charges were brought. Lucious and Allen both obviously have issues and Summers has always been a guy who only shows up half the time. In the past MSU had enough depth to cover that up but now they are down to 3 guards and when he dogs it they are screwed.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Feb 2, 2011 -> 01:11 AM) So you're saying it's bad out there? That is crazy. I'm really hoping my office is close tomorrow, not so much because I don't want to work but more so that I just have no desire to go out in what is obviously going to be still awful conditions tomorrow morning.

QUOTE (He_Gawn @ Feb 1, 2011 -> 05:51 PM) Watford probably done for the year with a broken hand. IU now has 3 starters out. Can't wait to see more walkons..... Losing Watford really hurts. Frankly IU is better off without this years version of Creek (last years version was a stud though). He was killing them because he couldn't make shots and he was bringing nothing else to the table. I've never been a Jones fan either, very inefficient scorer who turns the ball over constantly.

So the Cavs are about to lose their 21st straight game tonight (down 15 in the 1st half to Miami, they aren't coming back). The record for consecutive losses is 24 (23 for a single season) and their next 4 games are: Indiana @ Memphis Portland @ Dallas If they lose to Indiana we are probably looking at a new record for consecutive losses in the NBA.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 30, 2011 -> 10:27 PM) That s*** gave us an extra week of winter break. The worst blizzard I remember was 2007 down in Champaign. It was the first time they shut the University down since the 1880's or something like that. Snow was still piled up in parking lots when it was 70 in April. 1999 was a lot worse than Champaign, it is just that Champaign is a lot less prepared than Chicago for large snow falls.

So exactly how much are most models predicting for Chicago?

QUOTE (Felix @ Jan 30, 2011 -> 09:25 PM) Cute, Dwight Howard had a Kevin Love today as the Cavs reached 20 straight. Cavs have lost 30 out of 31 and their one win was in OT. That is unreal.