Oh I think they like him when he hit you with them other ones, so T-Smith is back and he’ll hit you with another one!
What, Dem Franchize Boys are no longer in? Shit, my bad.
Anyway, Trev, a major Laker fan of course, is suggesting Pau Gasol is the real key to the Lakers’ success. Tough to argue against Kobe Bryant, but it’s equally tough to argue against Trev.
A brief preview: “I have absolutely no interest in writing about the Raptors right now. If I did, I would write a Choose Your Own Adventure style column, or a Mad Libs column, similar to the following:
“__(curse word) __ (curse word) ___(curse word) Jay Triano ___ (curse word) defense ________ (curse word) polar bears ________ (curse word) OLIVER MILLER!!!”
And I’m sure everyone reading this has already wrote, spoke, or thought that sequence multiple times in the last few weeks. So instead, I’ve decided to put in just slightly more effort than the Raptors on the defensive end and offer a player-by-player First Quarter Bitch SlapEvaluation. Enjoy, and step back from that ledge, my friend.”
Trev is at it again at Hoops Addict, with a really strong look at Allen Iverson’s place in history. Fairly self-explanatory title, so I’ll spare you the intro line and you can just check it out!
I have a new article up at Raptors Republic…it’s about Bosh again. This time, though, I’m analyzing his stay-or-go decision looking strictly at finances – I applied the NBA cap rules to all 30 teams, and adjusted for taxes and cost of living to see how many “real” dollars teams can offer CB4 this summer.
Here’s a tasty teaser:
“It is easy to get overexcited, as Raptor fans, about Chris Bosh’s performance through the first 12 games. There are reasons to be guarded, to be pessimistic, or to deem his success suspect thus far.
At the same time, it’s easy, as Raptor fans, to let his success thus far underwhelm you, to take the attitudes expressed above and use them to completely discount the tear that CB4 has been on.
Curiously, it’s a tough balancing beam for Raptor fans when Chris Bosh bursts out of the gate so hot, posting would-be career high numbers nearly across the board, dominating games for longer stretches than we’ve seen, and generally leaving fans asking for even more, especially late in games. After all, there are reasons to think Bosh won’t keep the pace up, reasons to think Bosh is guilty of the “contract year statistical inflation,” and, of course, the fact that the Raptors are 5-7 while Bosh has been lighting it up.
With all of that in mind I wanted to take a look at Bosh’s torrid start to 2009-10 and try to determine if it’s something he’ll be able to keep up moving forward, and how I should really feel about it as a Raptor fan.”
Like a Phoenix, Trev has risen back to writing prominence for Hoops Addict. Like a Phoenix, Steve Nash is back in the MVP conversation. Like a Phoenix, the Suns have brought back the run-and-gun style with success!
Are you getting this…PHOENIX…is the horse dead yet? Anyway…
T-Smith is back at it at Hoops Addict with some reflections on the recent Isiah Thomas/Magic Johnson literary-cum-you-hurt-my-feelings spat. Thankfully, he takes a greater focus on Thomas’ place in history and how the current perception of him skews what should have surely been a great on-court legacy.
I finally got back on track over at Raptors Republic. While comparing Jay Triano to Sam Mitchell isn’t necessarily a fair exercise, I think it’s clear that the man at the helm is the reason for a good deal of the optimism surrounding the Raptors right now. Through his understanding of player psychology, his willingness to break the status quo, and his extremely high basketball IQ, Triano is a source of optimism for Raptor fans.
Trev just laid down a phenomenal article over at Hoops Addict, exploring how new star acquisition Hedo Trukogly represents the city of Toronto.
Check it out, but here’s a telling glimpse:
“Turkoglu signing with the Raptors this summer did not just underline the city’s unique position amongst NBA cities in terms of its global persona, it was actually a direct result of said persona. Toronto’s well-earned reputation as a ‘global city’ drew his eye (and perhaps more important to any married man’s decision-making, his wife’s).
Turkoglu’s exposure to the city throughout his NBA career allowed him decide that its character and lifestyle were to his liking, to the point that he did not even feel the need to visit it when on his tour of prospective free agent destinations. That speaks to his comfort level with the diverse multiculturalism it offered.
If we step back and examine this for a moment, it is a rather ground breaking idea. For maybe the first time in the history of one of Toronto’s non-hockey teams, the city itself was a selling point for a potential free-agent signing.”
Seriously, it’s a great read and you should let your eyes cop that.
It’s the NBA season…it means I’ll eventually be writing again (probably), and Trev is back at his Hoops Addict gig. This time, he’s previewing the Los Angeles Lakers for this year and…well, let’s just say things are certainly going to be dramatic in LaLa Land.
