Celtics Conspiring?
The idea of playing for specific seeding in the playoffs is not new or unacceptable, but playing the majority of your season badly enough to finish as a lower seed would be a new kind of low. Besides, how difficult is it to lose enough games in the Eastern Conference to drop that much in the rankings. I am not a basketball expert by any means, but the way I see it, the Celtics played the whole season for the fourth seed instead of the first. I can see Danny supporting this, once they felt that 73 wins were unattainable.
I believe there is only one team that the Celtics were scarred of heading into the post-season: Atlanta. The Hawks have been engineered to defeat the Celtics, but they were very susceptible to other playoff teams. It is my belief that the Celtics wanted Atlanta to finish 3rd so that they would not face each other until the conference finals at the earliest, and let either Orlando or Cleveland eliminate the Hawks.
It is hard to really show much evidence that this is the case. They did start the season amazingly well, but can you really dispute the injuries that kept the big three at bay most of the season? Defensive stoppers Daniels and Allen were injured and couldn’t crack the rotation. But they will say that they were minimizing minutes for the expected post-season run. They played hard against the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference, despite often missing a key player.
The argument exists, circumstantial or not. Either way, we’ll figure out how it works out in the next week or so. It kind of makes me feel bad for the Hawks coach. He may have game planned to defeat the best team in the league, but didn’t have the luck to face them. He could have been the NBA’s Herb Brooks, instead he’ll most likely be the next unemployed coach. Are the C’s to blame?
Friday, May 14, 2010
More bobbleheads
More Bobblehead Nights!
No. I am not a big fan of bobbleheads, I don’t believe I own a single one. However, if Dice-K will pitch like a genius every time a minor league affiliate hands out large-headed Dice-K dolls, then I say we get the factory popping those suckers out every fifth day. 7IP, 1 run, 9 strike-outs for 1,000 dolls. You already paid over $100 million for the guy, how much can those dolls really cost?
Now that the clear over-reaction is done with, it was a great game from Dice-K. His ERA dropped from 9.90 to 6.35. That is now lower than Josh Beckett’s. Perhaps we can get Josh a bobblehead night as well. I mean after his fake batting practice injury is all healed up that is. Now that I just wrote a conspiracy entry about the C’s, how about the Sox too? Yes, I believe that the Red Sox wanted to have Beckett skip a start or two, but they cannot just pull the guy they gave a massive extension to because they’d look stupid. So they blame it on inter-league play that they already hate, and say Josh tweaked his back during batting practice. Just a small conspiracy, but haven’t the fans earned a little honesty?
Vindication: A little off topic, every time Varitek gets a hit this season, I get a little more vindicated. No, not because I thought Tek should be the full time catcher, but because I have had a problem with all of the movement in his legs and arms in the swing. Now that he is listening to my advice screaming through the tv screen, he is experiencing some more success.
No. I am not a big fan of bobbleheads, I don’t believe I own a single one. However, if Dice-K will pitch like a genius every time a minor league affiliate hands out large-headed Dice-K dolls, then I say we get the factory popping those suckers out every fifth day. 7IP, 1 run, 9 strike-outs for 1,000 dolls. You already paid over $100 million for the guy, how much can those dolls really cost?
Now that the clear over-reaction is done with, it was a great game from Dice-K. His ERA dropped from 9.90 to 6.35. That is now lower than Josh Beckett’s. Perhaps we can get Josh a bobblehead night as well. I mean after his fake batting practice injury is all healed up that is. Now that I just wrote a conspiracy entry about the C’s, how about the Sox too? Yes, I believe that the Red Sox wanted to have Beckett skip a start or two, but they cannot just pull the guy they gave a massive extension to because they’d look stupid. So they blame it on inter-league play that they already hate, and say Josh tweaked his back during batting practice. Just a small conspiracy, but haven’t the fans earned a little honesty?
Vindication: A little off topic, every time Varitek gets a hit this season, I get a little more vindicated. No, not because I thought Tek should be the full time catcher, but because I have had a problem with all of the movement in his legs and arms in the swing. Now that he is listening to my advice screaming through the tv screen, he is experiencing some more success.
What if?
What If?
Hypothetical sports can be fun, and darn it Rick I expect at least a comment for this…
So I thought I’d start with a trade. Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell for Hanley Ramirez and Anibel Sanchez. Yes, there were other pieces to this trade, but frankly they don’t matter so much.
What if this trade never happened?
Let’s look at this from a player by player perspective.
Mike Lowell would almost definitely not be playing baseball this year, let alone for $13 million. Fenway allowed him to hit more homeruns and doubles because of the green monster. He became a fan favorite because of this, as well as a world series MVP.
Josh Beckett will probably never attain a level of lore for his pitching in Boston. He would have benefited from staying in the national league, but his win loss record is better because of Boston. He will have made over $100 million from the Sox, so I’d say that he benefited from this deal.
Hanley Ramirez was the top prospect of the Red Sox from the day he was signed. But he did not get a chance in Boston. Looking just at his offensive numbers, Hanley Ramirez playing for the Sox for the next decade could be a wise choice. I’m not convinced that he is a big market player. He’s probably better off in a small market playing bad NL teams.
Anibel Sanchez. Most likely you are wondering who this is. He pitched a no-hitter for the Marlins, but has suffered through some arm injuries. I think he would have been better off in Boston’s system. They protect younger pitchers, whereas Florida tends to throw them in the fire (Dontrelle Willis anyone?). He may not have had the level of success, but would probably have had a longer career.
Florida made out like a bandit. Two people that would not have been with the team have turned into a franchise player and an immediate contributor (when healthy) in the rotation.
Boston did ok as well. They got a World Series MVP, and a pitcher with Cy Young type stuff. It’s the long term affect that might be the worst for Boston. If Lowell never comes to Boston, he isn’t signed for $13 million a year, Youkilis is playing third base, and they have money and a position available for some guy named Mark Teixera. Theo would not have made that trade, I can’t say if the Sox would be better or not.
Can you?
Hypothetical sports can be fun, and darn it Rick I expect at least a comment for this…
So I thought I’d start with a trade. Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell for Hanley Ramirez and Anibel Sanchez. Yes, there were other pieces to this trade, but frankly they don’t matter so much.
What if this trade never happened?
Let’s look at this from a player by player perspective.
Mike Lowell would almost definitely not be playing baseball this year, let alone for $13 million. Fenway allowed him to hit more homeruns and doubles because of the green monster. He became a fan favorite because of this, as well as a world series MVP.
Josh Beckett will probably never attain a level of lore for his pitching in Boston. He would have benefited from staying in the national league, but his win loss record is better because of Boston. He will have made over $100 million from the Sox, so I’d say that he benefited from this deal.
Hanley Ramirez was the top prospect of the Red Sox from the day he was signed. But he did not get a chance in Boston. Looking just at his offensive numbers, Hanley Ramirez playing for the Sox for the next decade could be a wise choice. I’m not convinced that he is a big market player. He’s probably better off in a small market playing bad NL teams.
Anibel Sanchez. Most likely you are wondering who this is. He pitched a no-hitter for the Marlins, but has suffered through some arm injuries. I think he would have been better off in Boston’s system. They protect younger pitchers, whereas Florida tends to throw them in the fire (Dontrelle Willis anyone?). He may not have had the level of success, but would probably have had a longer career.
Florida made out like a bandit. Two people that would not have been with the team have turned into a franchise player and an immediate contributor (when healthy) in the rotation.
Boston did ok as well. They got a World Series MVP, and a pitcher with Cy Young type stuff. It’s the long term affect that might be the worst for Boston. If Lowell never comes to Boston, he isn’t signed for $13 million a year, Youkilis is playing third base, and they have money and a position available for some guy named Mark Teixera. Theo would not have made that trade, I can’t say if the Sox would be better or not.
Can you?
Just sports
Dear Google staffer,
The robots got it wrong this time. My blog isn't spam. I'm just a guy from Maine that wants to talk about the sports teams I'm a fan of.
Thanks,
Jake
The robots got it wrong this time. My blog isn't spam. I'm just a guy from Maine that wants to talk about the sports teams I'm a fan of.
Thanks,
Jake
LBJ: Where Do We Go From Here?
LBJ: Where Do We Go From Here?
Now that the Lebron James sweepstakes is unofficially open, everyone and their brother seems to want the King to move his court to their town. Obviously, not every team has the budget to offer him a max contract, and he is most motivated by money. Let us keep in mind his desires to be marketable around the world, and become the richest athlete in the world. He has that level of ambition. Basketball may be his way to get there. So lets just start looking at the most likely scenarios.
The Knicks: Everyone has been talking about this for a couple of years now. The Knicks were clearing salary cap to pick him up. Besides it being New York, I don’t know how Lebron could expect to win any easier here. They need to address too many holes in their roster for LBJ to win immediately. The one reason he goes to New York is if he gets opportunities to expand his marketing and general monetary goals. The Yankees have their own network, could the Knicks help him get his own?
The Nets: New Jersey is close enough to NY right? The Nets may own the No.1 pick in the draft in June, and already have a more coherent roster than the Knicks. They do not have a coach yet, so they could get whoever LBJ wanted. A new owner could make a huge splash. Remember what I said about marketing to the world? Yi Jianlian is followed pretty closely by the largest country in the planet, and the new owner of the Nets, yeah he’s one of the richest guys in Russia. International opportunity anyone? You could put together a decent starting 5 without the No. 1 pick. Certainly more likely than the Knicks.
The Bulls: Is there any doubt that Lebron, who idolizes MJ, grew up dreaming of playing for the Bulls? What the Bulls offer is a strong team that has the opportunity get over the top. Derrik Rose is already a leader on this team, and can shoulder some of that weight with LBJ. Noah would assume the role of hard working center, and Luol Deng makes a nice second-scorer role. Again a team that can hire any coach James wants, puts Chicago into serious contention. I just can’t help but wonder if the Bulls would be just as well served to go after maybe Ray Allen and Josh Smith, and fill two holes. I don’t know if a boyhood dream and a decent chance to win with a current roster make it viable enough.
The Clippers: LA lite. They have some quality players, but something always seems to stop them. I don’t know If Barron Davis could co-exist with James, but if they could, it might be the veteran presence James needs. They will already be adding Blake Griffin to the mix, but I think there are too many unknown variables to make this a likely landing spot.
The Heat: Let’s face it, the likelihood of Miami ponying up the dough for D-Wade and LBJ is kind of ridiculous. Would it be interesting to watch? You bet. They shared the stage in the Olympics, but for 82 games? Do you know how many defenders would foul out each game trying to stop them both? But can two people do everything for the team? Sure they have decent point guard play, and when your job is the get the ball over mid-court and pass the ball to D-Wade or LBJ, it’s a pretty easy job. I just worry there would be too much perimeter play. If Miami is going to get two max contracts this year, one of them really should be Bosh.
Less than improbable: From a fantast point of view, what teams would instantly become a contender? Out of left field, I’d say Minnesota. Ricky Rubio will be in the next flight following a James signing, and they have quality interior play from Al Jefferson. That could be a well balanced team that could play inside out with some stars in their prime.
Hornets: Chris Paul would be an amazing match for James. Paul offers a strong defensive presence, and great ball skills, LBJ would be greatly enhanced with that level of point guard. Okafor provides some interior offense, and overall this team could be a machine.
Utah: Pretend for a minute that the Jazz actually get upset by things like getting eliminated by the Lakers every year and want to finally win. Deron Williams would finally benefit from a true scorer on the wing, with Boozer and Milsap scoring inside. Obviously something would have to give, probably Boozer, but it could be the new Stockton – Malone.
Houston: Yao Ming’s marketability could be alluring. A Defensive-minded team with a highly under-rated back court. Maybe he could fulfill the promise Tracy Mcgrady offered Houston.
Philly: Andre Iguaduala and Elton Brand never seemed to mesh, but what if Lebron was between the two of them? If they could ditch Dalembert and pick up someone that could crash the boards, this could be a team to fear.
Outside the Box: What if Lebron signed on with a highly established team such as the Lakers, Magic, Celtics, Spurs, with a one year deal just to try and win a championship, and then go out and find his money after that? Sign with the Celtics on a one-year deal, with the promise of taking over the reigns from Pierce. Now that would be a scary team.
Yeah, the one team I didn’t mention: Cleveland. How could they upgrade enough to win a championship? How could they pay him enough to make up for being such a small market? The number changing thing was just to scare the potential teams into doing more.
Now that the Lebron James sweepstakes is unofficially open, everyone and their brother seems to want the King to move his court to their town. Obviously, not every team has the budget to offer him a max contract, and he is most motivated by money. Let us keep in mind his desires to be marketable around the world, and become the richest athlete in the world. He has that level of ambition. Basketball may be his way to get there. So lets just start looking at the most likely scenarios.
The Knicks: Everyone has been talking about this for a couple of years now. The Knicks were clearing salary cap to pick him up. Besides it being New York, I don’t know how Lebron could expect to win any easier here. They need to address too many holes in their roster for LBJ to win immediately. The one reason he goes to New York is if he gets opportunities to expand his marketing and general monetary goals. The Yankees have their own network, could the Knicks help him get his own?
The Nets: New Jersey is close enough to NY right? The Nets may own the No.1 pick in the draft in June, and already have a more coherent roster than the Knicks. They do not have a coach yet, so they could get whoever LBJ wanted. A new owner could make a huge splash. Remember what I said about marketing to the world? Yi Jianlian is followed pretty closely by the largest country in the planet, and the new owner of the Nets, yeah he’s one of the richest guys in Russia. International opportunity anyone? You could put together a decent starting 5 without the No. 1 pick. Certainly more likely than the Knicks.
The Bulls: Is there any doubt that Lebron, who idolizes MJ, grew up dreaming of playing for the Bulls? What the Bulls offer is a strong team that has the opportunity get over the top. Derrik Rose is already a leader on this team, and can shoulder some of that weight with LBJ. Noah would assume the role of hard working center, and Luol Deng makes a nice second-scorer role. Again a team that can hire any coach James wants, puts Chicago into serious contention. I just can’t help but wonder if the Bulls would be just as well served to go after maybe Ray Allen and Josh Smith, and fill two holes. I don’t know if a boyhood dream and a decent chance to win with a current roster make it viable enough.
The Clippers: LA lite. They have some quality players, but something always seems to stop them. I don’t know If Barron Davis could co-exist with James, but if they could, it might be the veteran presence James needs. They will already be adding Blake Griffin to the mix, but I think there are too many unknown variables to make this a likely landing spot.
The Heat: Let’s face it, the likelihood of Miami ponying up the dough for D-Wade and LBJ is kind of ridiculous. Would it be interesting to watch? You bet. They shared the stage in the Olympics, but for 82 games? Do you know how many defenders would foul out each game trying to stop them both? But can two people do everything for the team? Sure they have decent point guard play, and when your job is the get the ball over mid-court and pass the ball to D-Wade or LBJ, it’s a pretty easy job. I just worry there would be too much perimeter play. If Miami is going to get two max contracts this year, one of them really should be Bosh.
Less than improbable: From a fantast point of view, what teams would instantly become a contender? Out of left field, I’d say Minnesota. Ricky Rubio will be in the next flight following a James signing, and they have quality interior play from Al Jefferson. That could be a well balanced team that could play inside out with some stars in their prime.
Hornets: Chris Paul would be an amazing match for James. Paul offers a strong defensive presence, and great ball skills, LBJ would be greatly enhanced with that level of point guard. Okafor provides some interior offense, and overall this team could be a machine.
Utah: Pretend for a minute that the Jazz actually get upset by things like getting eliminated by the Lakers every year and want to finally win. Deron Williams would finally benefit from a true scorer on the wing, with Boozer and Milsap scoring inside. Obviously something would have to give, probably Boozer, but it could be the new Stockton – Malone.
Houston: Yao Ming’s marketability could be alluring. A Defensive-minded team with a highly under-rated back court. Maybe he could fulfill the promise Tracy Mcgrady offered Houston.
Philly: Andre Iguaduala and Elton Brand never seemed to mesh, but what if Lebron was between the two of them? If they could ditch Dalembert and pick up someone that could crash the boards, this could be a team to fear.
Outside the Box: What if Lebron signed on with a highly established team such as the Lakers, Magic, Celtics, Spurs, with a one year deal just to try and win a championship, and then go out and find his money after that? Sign with the Celtics on a one-year deal, with the promise of taking over the reigns from Pierce. Now that would be a scary team.
Yeah, the one team I didn’t mention: Cleveland. How could they upgrade enough to win a championship? How could they pay him enough to make up for being such a small market? The number changing thing was just to scare the potential teams into doing more.
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