Game 1 - Thunder 112, Spurs 106 (10/28/15)

It would have been nice for the Spurs to get the win tonight, but since it was only the first game of the season, there's no need to panic. They still have 81 more games to play. The Spurs controlled the game most of the way, but let it get away in the end.

Here are some bright spots that I took away from the game:

-The Spurs controlled the pace of the game and took care of the basketball in the first half.

-The Spurs also played excellent transition defense in the first half, giving up only 2 fastbreak points (the Thunder had 50 points) , and limiting the Thunder to 9 assists for the half.

-Kawhi Leonard was arguably the best player on the floor tonight. He had (a career-high) 32 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. He had a bunch of great defensive plays, especially against Kevin Durant aka "Doodle Jump".

The Spurs had their chances to win the game, and even threatened to go up by double digits on multiple occasions, but they went cold in the 4th quarter. The team showed some flashes of brilliance on defense, but it came down to a couple of 50-50 balls that they couldn't come up with and several offensive rebounds that the Thunder came away with. But there is a lot of room for improvement. The biggest difference in the game, in my opinion, was the bench consistently giving up leads. During one stretch late in the 3rd quarter, I counted 9 field goals in 9 trips down the floor for the Thunder bench. Many of those were 2nd and 3rd chance baskets.

That small ball post tandem of David West and Boris Diaw showed us some good versatility on offense, but got exploited on the defense glass. I would imagine that once Coach Pop sets the rotations that their time on the court together will be minimal because Tim Duncan or LaMarcus Aldridge will be on the court at all times. Speaking of TD and LA, the Spurs didn't exploit mismatches whenever they had them. If you have both of them on the court together, obviously one of them will be playing against a weaker defender.

The Thunder should be very concerned about the Spurs and shouldn't look past the fact that the Spurs' new guys barely contributed compared to what they are capable of, and still almost got the win. This WILL NOT be the same Spurs team the Thunder faces when these 2 teams meet again on March 12. For the most part, the Spurs played well enough to win tonight, and should beat most teams night in and night out if they keep playing like this. But they will have to step it up when they go against the other top teams in the NBA. How is this for perspective? The Spurs, a team trying to integrate several new players and adapt their system to fit the skills of those players, lost in the last minute on the road in a historically tough building to win in, against a top 4 team in the NBA. Once again, there is plenty of room for improvement and plenty of time to right the ship.

LA In SA - The Spurs' 4th Of July Free Agent

LA In SA - The Spurs' 4th Of July Free Agent

8/1/15


July 4, 2015 will be a day that Spurs fans will never forget. That was the day LaMarcus Aldridge, the star power forward who spent the first 9 years of his career with the Trailblazers, made his commitment to sign with the Spurs as a free agent. This is without a doubt the biggest free agent signing in the history of the Spurs. The Spurs have signed free agents with big names in the past (Moses Malone, Dominique Wilkins, Tracy McGrady), but they were at the end of their careers. LA is the first ever big-name free agent that the Spurs have signed that still had some prime years left.

This free agent pickup also adds to the good fortune for the Spurs on patriotic holidays, at least in the Tim Duncan era. First there was the Memorial Day Miracle in 1999, Sean Elliott's game winning 3-pointer in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Blazers, after trailing the entire game. Now 16 years later, we have The 4th Of July Free Agent. To me, this is an exciting change for the Spurs, who are known for being frugal. They have that label because they usually go into free agency looking to sustain their roster with minor tweaks - under-the-radar, cost-efficient signings instead of going after the big names. This particular method for the Spurs wasn't necessarily by choice, because in the past they have tried to sign upper-echelon talent, but the lower level cost-efficient players were all that was available to them. The 2015 free agency period is the latest instance that proves that the Spurs are just as flexible in the front office as they are on the court.

Out of all the teams that were in pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs made the most sense for him because they are the best fit and they give him the best chance to win a championship. Once it got out that the Spurs were going after LA, I didn't think it would be a given that he would choose them, but I knew it would be tough for him to turn them down. From a basketball standpoint, here's what LA  gets for picking the Spurs:


*A chance to play next to and be mentored by his idol, who plays the same position and happens to be the best to ever play that position, and is a top 5 all-time great

*A chance to play with the best perimeter defensive tandem in the NBA, which happens to have the reigning Defensive Player Of The Year

*A Hall Of Fame point guard

*A 3-time Coach Of The Year that's known for maximizing the potential of his players and extending their careers

*Being reunited with former Blazers teammates (Patty Mills, and assistant coaches Ime Udoka and Sean Marks)

*Being the focal point on offense


I just don't see how you could turn down a golden opportunity to be a vital part of a franchise with a history that rich. So many players have in the past, and now I'm glad to see one finally break that trend. And then if you factor in the fact that LA has a son that lives in San Antonio and that Texas is his home state, I would say that this is the perfect situation for him.

Now that the Spurs have LaMarcus Aldridge, their starting lineup has:

*25 All-Star selections
*22 All-NBA selections
*17 All-Defensive selections
*11 rings
*2 MVP trophies
*1 Defensive Player Of The Year
*3 different Finals MVPs


That's just INSANE!! Then it gets even better once you throw David West, their other big free agent pickup, in the mix. With his addition that makes:

*5 10,000-point scorers
*5 current/former All-Stars
*4 current/former All-NBA selections
*3 Finals MVPs
*21 total rings
*5 All-Rookie selections
*3 major award winners
*7000+ games worth of experience (including playoffs)

All of the current players on the roster have scored 105,532 points combined.


The Spurs absolutely dominated free agency this summer. To make a long story short, after Tim Duncan announced that he was coming back, that's when everything started to fall in place. They hit their biggest free agency target, and they did it while they kept all of the key pieces they wanted to keep. Then they go and add David West, who was supposed to be the Spurs' fallback option if LA signed with another team. He left $12.6 million on the table with the Pacers to go to the Spurs for the veteran minimum. Then Manu Ginobili announced that he was coming back as well. The 2015 offseason played out to near perfection for the Spurs. With all of that being said, I believe R.C. Buford is clearly the favorite to win his 2nd Executive Of The Year award next year. It took a lot of sacrifice from the Spurs' players to make all of this come together, but in the end I believe the results will justify what they gave up.


What LA Brings To The Spurs

First of all, LaMarcus Aldridge is an elite offensive player. His back-to-the-basket game is the best in the NBA, and he's an excellent shooter from mid-range, which is a lost art in basketball. At 6'11", LA's high (really high) release point makes his shot almost uncontestable. I don't think I would be going out on a limb by saying that the mid-range game is his specialty. He led the NBA last season in mid-range points per game, as well as mid-range field goals made and attempted, while shooting 42%. His 327 made mid-range shots were more than the entire Houston Rockets team combined (243). LA has also led the NBA in total points from mid-range for the last 3 seasons with 2,058, followed by Dirk Nowitzki (1,698) and Carmelo Anthony (1,504). 

I imagine LA will continue to extend his range out to the 3-point line. If he masters that shot, the Spurs offensive possibilities would be endless. LA would be near unguardable, and the paint would be wide open for Tim Duncan to operate. I also believe it would be in his best interest to bring back that rolling hook across the lane from the blocks he had when he first came into the NBA. LA has the ability to operate from a wide variety of scoring spots and get shots off without turning the ball over. He can also create for himself in the half court and move the ball when he gets extra attention from the defense. Those are skills that you can build an offense around. Also, his presence as the #1 option takes the pressure off the older star players, as well as the younger players who might at risk of assuming too much, too fast. 

A lot of LA's advanced stats tell a different story than him being dominant on offense. Those numbers make him look like he's a volume scorer. In his last 2 years with the Blazers, LA's usage rate on offense was 30% when he was on the floor. His true shooting percentages have been below league average for the last 3 years, but in spite of that he has improved as a shooter every year of his career. LA also shot a career-best 84.5% from the free throw line for the 2014-15 season. 

The deceptive advanced metrics for LA are based on him being the focal point of the Blazers' offense for about the last 5 years and having to sacrifice efficiency for the good of the team. A lot of that stems from LA playing most of his career in isolation-heavy offenses, which can cause a lot of issues with efficiency. Lucky for him, he also has the ability to score in low-efficiency situations and can get a good look at the basket late in the shot clock or game. Defenses won't be able to key on LA like they did when he was in Portland because the Spurs have so much balance and diversity. His numbers might slip a little bit, but his efficiency will almost certainly improve.

This fact below speaks volumes:

LaMarcus Aldridge was the only player in the NBA to average 23 points and 10 rebounds in each of the last 2 seasons. the last player to do that was his new teammate.......Tim Duncan (2001-02, 2002-03).


I believe LA is a better defender than most people realize. For starters, he has a 7'4" wingspan to go along with his 6'11" frame. After watching clips of LA, I was pleasantly surprised with his ability to cover ground. He has excellent lateral movement for his size and can operate well in space for a big man. His greatest strength on defense is pick-and-roll defense. He can stay in front of wings on the perimeter if he gets switched and slide across for help defense when needed. Playing in the Spurs' system, and in particularly next to Tim Duncan, I'm expecting to see him play the best defense of his career once he figures it all out because the Spurs are the best team in the NBA at developing and maximizing talents. Since he won't have to carry as heavy a load on offense as he did with the Blazers, he'll have more energy to put out on that end of the floor.

Tiago Splitter's biggest strengths on defense are pick-and-roll defense, speed, and he has the size of a true center. Those elements are critical to the Spurs' defense. He can run Dirk Nowitzki off the 3-point line (like he did in the 2014 1st round of the playoffs) and he can bang with Zach Randolph (2013 Western Conference Finals). Guess who else can do those things?? LaMarcus Aldridge!! As a matter of fact, I saw LA go to-to-toe with Z-Bo in that 1st round Blazers/Grizzlies series. LA's ability to switch onto smaller players will serve the Spurs well and make them more dynamic in a small-ball matchup with the Warriors. The one knock on LA's defense is that he's not much of a rim protector, and I noticed that the majority of his blocked shots are on the ball. A lot of the perception of LA and his defense has to do with the supporting cast that he had around him in Portland. The one thing that stood out to me over the years is that he'll guard the other team's best player but they won't guard him. One example of that is when the T-Wolves played the Blazers, LA would guard Kevin Love, but Kevin Love would never guard him. As long as the Spurs' current system is in place, I don't think we'll have to worry about LA on defense. Also, the Spurs' overall team defense will be elite as well.


How LA Fits With The Spurs

Putting LaMarcus Aldridge with Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard gives the Spurs the best frontcourt in the NBA. LA (2nd team) and TD (3rd team) were both All-NBA selections last season, and Kawhi got the most votes out of any player that didn't get selected. When you add Tony Parker and Danny Green, I would say that this has to be the best starting 5 in the NBA. There will be an adjustment for LA, as well as the rest of the new additions, but Coach Pop will figure out how to make everything work. He's not a 3-time Coach Of The Year for nothing. I believe these adjustments will take time, but I don't see them taking the whole season.

To me, the biggest adjustment for LA (other than his role) with the Spurs is the style of play. In the Spurs' system, he won't be able to hold the ball and survey the court as much as he did with the Blazers. The Spurs' offense is a system of quick strikes, precise execution on pick-and-rolls, and fluid ball movement- the ball moving from side to side and player to player before finding the player with the best shot. LA is already a capable passer, which means once he gets acclimated he'll be able to move the ball the way the Spurs do. There has been a lot of worrying about how LA's ball-stopping post-ups fit into the Spurs style and the depth they sacrificed to make room for him. This is how I see it: The Spurs already had a championship-quality starting lineup last year with Tiago Splitter. He was replaced by an All-Star who can defend almost as well, stretch the floor with his jumper, make 3-pointers, and even bail the offense out with a post-up late in the clock. The Spurs used to bench Splitter against fast defenses in the playoffs who killed their spacing. They just replaced that cat with LaMarcus Aldridge!! This team will be NASTY.

The thing I'm most anxious to see, which will also be an adjustment, is how LA can coexist with Tim Duncan. Neither one of them are true centers, but they give the Spurs a lot of flexibility. As far as player rotations go, I see LA getting his normal amount of minutes he got in Portland, and maybe TD being subbed out earlier so LA can be the primary scorer with the bench to help make up the bench scoring that the Spurs lost with Marco Belinelli leaving. With both of these big men in the lineup, I see the Spurs running their offense inside-out for a good chunk of the regular season, and there is an unlimited amount of ways to get the ball inside to them. I can even see Pop bringing back those high-low plays he used to run with David Robinson and Tim Duncan and using them again. With the high-low, either big man can duck into the paint after a pinch-post entry pass because that short distance between the 2 post players makes it hard for the defense to swarm inside fast enough to stop the rim shot. Running the offense through LA in the post also means depending less on Tony Parker, who was the team's least efficient scorer last year. His own efficiency should be bolstered by seeing fewer double teams.

The Spurs will get LA the ball in the post in a variety of ways, just like they have always done for TD. Here are some examples:

-Run Danny Green off a baseline screen set by LA as he moves away from the ball (the ball is on the wing).

-Have LA set a ball screen before rolling into the post to square up, get the ball and make a play.


With this new addition to the starting lineup......who do you double? With LA and TD running the pick-and-roll, TD roaming the baseline with Danny and Kawhi on the wing and in the corner, I can't imagine we'll see a whole lot of double teams. Better yet, how can a team go small against this lineup? If a team like Golden State goes small, do you react or just make them pay for doing it? All I know is that I can't wait to find out.

The Spurs will still be a good defensive team, even with LA replacing Tiago Splitter. He's already a capable defender, but he will get better in time. I believe LA and TD can most certainly anchor a championship-level defense, not to mention the Spurs still have the best defensive wing tandem (known as Wing Stop), and even Tony Parker can get after the opposing point guard. The biggest reason why I don't worry about how the Spurs' new post tandem will fit is because TD is still an elite defender, especially as a rim protector and overall defensive anchor. Also, LA can do a little bit of everything, even switching on pick-and-rolls to defend a point guard for the last few seconds of the shot clock. His defense is a major factor in the Blazers basically being matchup-proof, which is a very valuable trait to have in the playoffs, especially in the Western Conference because seedings get trumped by matchups.

I'm also not worried about how LA fits into the Spurs culture because they have the best leadership in basketball, starting with TD and Pop. We all know about Pop's uncanny ability to motivate and bring the best out in his players, as well as being a 2nd father to them, but Tim Duncan is quite possibly the best leader of a team that any professional sport has ever had. His ability to mentor and inspire players, and just be a rock for them while they go through the ups and downs of an NBA season and career, are well-known and unmatched. Former NBA big man, Etan Thomas wrote not too long ago about how TD taught him how to be a more effective scorer while actually playing against him in a game. He also gave DeAndre Jordan some tips in that playoff series against the Clippers last season. He even taught Kobe Bryant his trademark bank shot several years ago.

The Spurs culture is designed to put the team above all else, treat everybody with respect, and the players genuinely like each other. They have a strong locker room, and I believe LA will fit into that culture like he has always been there. I believe him joining the Spurs is just as much about personal growth as a professional growth. Also, with him being 30 years old and only making it out of the 1st round of the playoffs once in his 9-year career, he wants to win. Being a part of the dynastic Spurs culture and playing next to one of the top 5 NBA players of all-time gives him an excellent chance of winning.

The only thing that's clear about the LaMarcus Aldrigde acquisition is that the Spurs will have to adjust to him just as much as he has to adjust to them. Yes, he clearly has a lot of respect for Coach Pop, but he's not the first and he won't be the last. Opposing players see how the Spurs players respond to Pop and how they react as a team. A lot of them even wish they could be a part of something like that, especially when their own team is not as well-run. Here's the thing: It's one thing to want to be coached, but it's another thing altogether to actually give into the coaching. There has even been times where the cornerstones of the Spurs have struggled with this dynamic. But at the end of the day, because of their personalities, they embraced the group dynamic and followed instructions.

With all of that being said, let's look at the main concerns, or as the national media likes to call them, potential downsides of the new-look Spurs:


1. New Kid On The Block

It has been widely publicized, especially in Portland, that LA didn't get along with teammates, even taking a separate flight home after a playoff game last season. There has also been talk in Portland that he felt overshadowed (first by Brandon Roy and the last couple of years by Damien Lillard) and underappreciated. In San Antonio, LA will be up against a dicey situation that would challenge a fragile ego. He's following Tim Duncan as the Spurs' all-time greatest big man, but can never be better than TD. And he's playing next to Kawhi Leonard, who Pop has already dubbed the next face of the Spurs. Can LA handle that?

2.   The Spurs As Targets

Most teams struggle when they have a bullseye on them. The offseason that the Spurs had definitely got the attention of their rivals and put a target on their backs. Making the type of splash they did, and winning championships are the 2 ways to make yourself a target. This is one more headache that the Spurs have to deal with in the upcoming season. They will have the headache without actually being the reigning champions.

3. Managing A New Roster

The last time Coach Pop had to deal with this type of situation with his personnel was probably Tim Duncan's rookie year. With LA being on the team now, he's expected to take the bulk of the shots, but Kawhi has also growing into that type of role the last couple of seasons.  The concerns here are: Will Kawhi see his shot attempts cut back? Will TD still see the ball enough to stay sharp? Will Tony Parker be able to adjust to his role changing, becoming more of a facilitator than the lead scoring option?


LaMarcus Aldridge said his his introductory press conference that he wasn't trying to be David Robinson or Tim Duncan, and we shouldn't expect him to be. He won't exactly fill their shoes, but he can keep the lineage going for dominant big men in Spurs history. Check this out: from 1989 to (at least) 2019 you have David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and LaMarcus Aldridge......either one or a combination with 2 of those 3 for 30 years in a row with a dominant big man!! There is just no precedent for that. For LA to keep the lineage going, all he has to do is to keep the trophies coming in. Everything else will fall into place.

It's Deja Screw Again For The Mavericks

It's Deja Screw Again For The Mavericks

7/9/15



July 8, 2015 will be a day people in Los Angeles and Dallas (especially Dallas) won't forget anytime soon. That was the day DeAndre Jordan backed out of his commitment to the Dallas Mavericks at the last minute. Players have changed their minds and backed out of deals before, but none of those deal reversals have had ramifications as destructive or dramatic as this one did. As for the Mavericks, this is not their first time being burned.

In 2012 Jason Kidd agreed to a 3-year, $9 million contract to stay in Dallas and retire as a Maverick. The same day he committed to the Mavericks, J. Kidd switched it up on them and agreed to a similar contract with the Knicks, where he finished out his playing career. I remember Mark Cuban being highly upset about that, so much so that he went on the radio and said that he wouldn't be putting J. Kidd's jersey number in the rafters. The Mavericks went on to have a revolving door at the point guard position in 2012-13.

The DeAndre Jordan snub hurt the Mavericks much worse because their whole offseason was built on getting DJ. They completely sold out to get him in Dallas. With the Mavericks under the assumption that they had DJ, they let Tyson Chandler sign with the Phoenix Suns. They also didn't make offers to the next best centers available, and all of them got snatched up. Even the Lakers managed to get Roy Hibbert in a trade from the Pacers. The Mavericks' big signing was Wes Matthews, who was supposed to be a complimentary piece for a team built around DJ. Now the Mavericks are screwed, having a bunch of cap space, but nobody to spend the money on. All they did was operate like they had a done deal, like it was set in stone, which happens to be standard practice for deals agreed to during the free agency moratorium. There is no Plan B when Plan A pulls the rug out from under you at the last minute.

Why exactly did the Mavericks want DeAndre Jordan so badly? To them, he was a bridge to the post-Dirk era, their next franchise player. He's a 7-footer that dominates the glass (led the NBA in rebounding last season), an elite rim protector, and he never takes nights off and gets better every year. Players with his abilities don't grow on trees. DJ claimed that he wanted a bigger role than he was getting with the Clippers, and the Mavericks would have given him that. Dirk Nowitzki is a selfless player that puts his team's needs first, and he would have been glad to let DJ have all the shine he wanted. That won't ever happen with the Clippers as long as Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are on the team. DJ could have been the focal point in Dallas, but maybe deep down he was more comfortable being 3rd in the Clippers pecking order. Whether fair or unfair, instead of being the team's next star, in Dallas DeAndre Jordan will always be seen as the man who destroyed the Mavericks.

With DJ, I believe the Mavericks would have been in a good situation. Along with him, Dirk, Chandler Parsons, and Wes Matthews they would have been a solid playoff team, and then next year they would go into the offseason with max cap space to pursue Kevin Durant. If not KD, then Al Horford (as Dirk's successor) or Mike Conley would be nice fallback options. But as of right now, the teams is in the worst situation it could find itself in, with no assets worth mentioning and nobody to spend their money on. All that's left for the Mavericks to do now is to rebuild. If they want to keep their 1st round pick next year, the best way to do that is to lose about 60 games. Because of the Rajon Rondo trade, the Celtics get the Mavericks' draft pick unless it's in the top 7. By that logic, the Mavericks would have to be as bad as possible to get the highest draft pick possible. With that being said, I just don't see them tanking the season, especially with Dirk Nowitzki still on the team.

With all of that being said, I'm still in shock with how many people are defending DeAndre Jordan for the way he screwed the Mavericks over, especially from the media. The justification for this move is just plain ridiculous. To me, this is INDEFENSIBLE!! This whole situation is bad business, just plain UNETHICAL, and won't end well for the Clippers. Yes, DJ had every right to change his mind, but he handled it like a coward. He refused to answer phone calls from the Mavericks front office and from his good friend Chandler Parsons. He also didn't respond to text messages from Mark Cuban or have the guts to tell him face-to-face that he changed his mind. If DJ had held out until he was sure about his decision, the Mavericks could have put together a backup plan. Instead, he dragged this whole process out until there were no viable options left. He put the Mavericks organization in a huge bind by being dishonest with them, and that WAS NOT cool.

Let me put it another way: The indecision itself is not the issue. Nobody is saying that DJ wasn't allowed to backtrack. The timing and his decision making process is what had everybody looking at him sideways. Did you notice that DJ was the ONLY free agent that backed out of the deal he agreed to? Again, I can't see how this whole thing is being defended. You can support DJ and the Clippers all you want, but it still doesn't change the fact that all he had to do was wait until he knew what he wanted to do. At the end of the day, the Mavericks got screwed by missing out on other players they might have gone after.

The reason this whole mess happened in the first place was because of shoddy rule-making. NBA free agency operates from a set of unwritten rules. The league allows teams to start negotiating with free agents on July 1. For the next 8 days there is a moratorium on signing players. The NBA's fiscal year ends on June 30, and during those 8 days the NBA's accountants are auditing the league's finances and determining the next year's salary cap. July 9 is the day that players can officially sign the deals they agreed to during the moratorium. There is an obvious loophole in this situation: The deals negotiated in that 8-day window are not binding, but the NBA treats them that way. In other words, when a player makes a verbal commitment to a team during the moratorium, the rest of the league leaves him alone. There is an unwritten rule that once a player commits to a team they are off-limits. 

DeAndre Jordan's decision appeared to be a genuine change of heart, but because of the rules in place, it also could have easily been a malicious way to sabotage the Mavericks' offseason. If that was the case, DJ and the Clippers could have gotten away with it and there wouldn't have been anything anybody could do about it. This is also why I believe there will be some implications for the whole league. Teams can use this situation as a reference point to start doing free agent espionage - have your best free agent players commit to sign with another team, especially a rival, and then back out at the last minute and re-sign with you, effectively sabotaging your rival.

As for the Clippers' role in this mess, they would be the first ones to point out the DJ started it when he called Doc Rivers and teammates saying that he was having second thoughts. Once they saw that they had a chance to get DJ back, they jumped on it. They didn't take any chances either. As a matter of fact, if Doc built a moat around DJ's house that day, I wouldn't have been shocked. The fact that they froze DJ's agent out of the whole process spoke volumes to me. Also, people are more likely to bend or ignore rules when more is on the line. In the Clippers' case, their status as a contender was on the line.


Here is the question I have about this situation:

If you have to barricade a player's house and basically hold him hostage until he signs a contract, do you really want that player on your team?


Here are 2 points I came up with after it all went down that I haven't heard being mentioned:

1.) Chris Paul is the president of the NBA Players Association. With him holding that position, participating in these shenanigans is not a good look for him. I wonder why nobody mentioned his role in the NBPA's statement about DeAndre Jordan. Would the union be as kind and conciliatory if the player in question wasn't Chris Paul's teammate? I don't know about that. It's true that the NBPA exists to support the right of players over owners, but I have always wondered exactly how much all players actually benefit from the NBPA when one team and one owner have gained a lot from having their player be its leader.

2.) DeAndre Jordan not only screwed the Mavericks, but when you back out of a deal like that, you could be possibly screwing over your agent, and even possibly your own team. Once teams find out about an incident like this, they could lose trust in that particular agent and decide not to do business with him ever again. Once that happens, that agent's other clients would fire him and find themselves a new agent. A lot of free agency moves would go differently if he committed to the Clippers in the first place. But now that this mess has happened, the Clippers might have a hard time doing business with other teams in the future. There might not be a lot of incentive to help them out if they are interfering with other front offices like that.


I also have to question DeAndre Jordan's thought process in making this decision. His biggest gripe was that Doc Rivers and his teammates didn't treat him like a player who grew up and evolved from the 2nd round pick that he was. He also supposedly doesn't get along with Chris Paul. How can somebody with those issues with that coach and those players be OK with them coming to his house and stay all night, keeping him from talking to other people? He also said that he wanted a bigger role on offense, and that won't happen in L.A. At the end of the day, DJ is going back to the same exact thing he said he wanted to leave. For what DJ claimed to want and what he was saying throughout the whole courting process with the Mavericks, that's not an option for him with the Clippers. I believe he's content in L.A., and that he thought it would be easier to just stay there and be the 3rd wheel on a perennially underachieving team than to make a decision to branch off and take the next step in his career. To me, this further proves that DJ is not ready to be a franchise player, satisfied with being in the shadows of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.

Did the Clippers really win by stealing DeAndre Jordan out from under the Mavericks? I don't think so. When it's all said and done, they still have a team where the star players don't like each other. The problems between the center and the point guard didn't fix themselves, and I don't see a resolution anytime soon. I believe DJ was lied to by the Clippers. In the beginning, they will give him more touches on offense, but as the season goes on things will go back to normal and he'll be back to being an afterthought. Then when he complains about it, they'll tell him to be quiet and "know his role". At that point, he'll remember why he even considered leaving in the first place and wish he was in Dallas, regretting his decision to stay.

One more time, nobody is saying that DJ didn't have the right to change his mind. The problem is that he said one thing and did another. When a man gives an organization his word, especially when that organization put so much effort into building a team around him, putting all their eggs into his basket and making everything they do all about him, to not have the decency to let them know he wasn't coming was as wrong as 2 left shoes. I understand having second thoughts or getting cold feet, but you back out of a commitment THAT BIG that late in the game, leaving the Mavericks high and dry. That's very unethical and disrespectful.

Like I said earlier, this situation should show the NBA office, owners, and players how this moratorium loophole can be exploited to weaken other contenders and division rivals. If not close the loophole altogether, there should at least be some alterations made to it. I know it's unlikely, but I believe the Mavericks should challenge this transaction. I know they probably won't win, but I still think it's a fight worth fighting. I think this was the most classless, and sleaziest conduct I have ever seen by a professional sports team. It's bad enough that the rules allow these things to happen. But if anybody knows how immoral and unjust it is to require an organization to count on the word of a player, to the franchise's detriment, and then have another franchise come in and tortiously interfere with that advantangeous business relationship after all the rest of the major free agents are off the market, it would be another professional sports organization.  

I bet if you dig deep enough, you would find all kinds of dirt in this situation. In my opinion, the fact that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and Doc Rivers met with DeAndre Jordan speaks volumes. Not only is Doc the team's head coach, he's also the president of basketball operations. It's one thing to have a player unilaterally change his own mind or even be swayed by a former teammate to reverse his decision, but this situation is completely different. What you have here is an owner and president of an NBA team aware that a player has made a commitment to a competitor, making one last push to bring that player back. Since there was technically no contract in place, Mark Cuban likely wouldn't be successful in filing a claim against the Clippers for tortious interference with a contractual relationship, but he could still make a bold statement by filing for tortious interference with business expectancy. I also heard that a case could also be made for intentional interference with prospective economic relations. It's been publicized that the Clippers' pursuit of DJ bordered on badgering.

Once again, I don't think this should go unchallenged - win, lose, or draw. If Mark Cuban does decide to take a stand, it could set and change the tone on how free agent negotiations are done in the future. I'm not a Mavericks fan, but I hated seeing them get screwed like that. All I know, is that karma doesn't have an expiration date. The Clippers and DeAndre Jordan might not reap what they sowed right away, but they WILL eventually reap their harvest. This whole thing won't end well for DJ and the Clippers at all.

LeBron Luther King - I Have A Dream

LeBron Luther King - I Have A Dream

4/10/15


Disclaimer: I am WELL AWARE and deeply appreciative of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s efforts to make this country a better place to live in. By no means is this piece meant to be disrespectful to him in any way. While I also realize that LeBron James is the face of the NBA, I also know that the media  puts him on a ridiculously high pedestal and shoves him down our throats every chance they get. This is why the first day of the 2014 NBA Free Agency was billed as LeBron Luther King Day. I respect the man and his game, but I'm sure I'm not the only one that's tired of him being treated like a demigod. That's my biggest motivation for writing this piece.

**This is LeBron speaking in 3rd person.


I am happy to join with you today in what will not go down in history as the greatest demonstration of dominant basketball in the history of our nation.

One half score and two years ago, a local high school basketball prodigy, in whose gargantuan shadow the league stands today, signed his first NBA contract. This "momentous decree" came as a great beacon light of hope to fans all over Northeast Ohio...fans who had been suffering in the curse of never-ending mediocrity . It came as a breath of fresh air and with a lot of hope of ending a long period of futility.

But seven years later, a title still had not been won. Seven years later, the city of Cleveland is still strapped in the straitjacket of mediocrity and bound by the chains of futility. Seven years later, LeBron is weighed down by all of his futile attempts at a title after carrying a team and a city on his back. Seven years later, LeBron is still languished in the failures of his team and his broken promise to the city. So he came to the decision that he wanted to take his talents to South Beach, only to find himself exiled from his own land.

In a sense LeBron went to Miami to cash a check. When the architects of the Heat organization worked the system to put together that super team, they were signing a promissory note to which every team in the NBA would fall prey. This note was a promise of not 2.....not 3.....not 4.....not 5.....not 6.....not 7 titles would be guaranteed to the city, along with the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

There was a prevailing sense flowing through the city of Miami that the decade belonged to them, so much so, that Flo-Rida released a theme song for them called We Already Won.

It is obvious today that LeBron has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as his teammates are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, LeBron has given the people of South Beach a bad check; a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But the media refuses to believe the bank of justice is bankrupt and that the system is broken. They refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds for LeBron in the great vaults of opportunity in the NBA. So King James goes back to Cleveland to cash this check- a check that is believed will give them upon demand an excess of trophies and a long reign as a champion.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind the media and America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of instant gratification.

Now is the time to make real the promises of a championship. Now is the time for LeBron to lift his team up from the dark and desolate valley of mediocrity to the sunlit path of becoming a champion. Now is the time for LeBron to lift his city from the quicksands of sports futility to the solid rock of sports history. But now will not be the time this is made a reality for all of Cleveland's citizens.

It would be fatal for the NBA and the media to overlook the current champions and guarantee a title for the Cavaliers. This long-suffering by the city of Cleveland will not pass until there is an enormous amount of humbling as well as certain sacrifices being made. Two thousand fourteen was not a new beginning, but a continuation. Those who hoped that LeBron needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the Cavaliers return to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in Cleveland until the city is granted its championship trophy. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of the city until the bright day of justice emerges.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of a tacked Western Conference, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the city's championship dreams.

I have a dream that one day my teammates will rise up and show everybody what it is to have the heart of a champion and prove this mantra to be true: "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that this team was not created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the lakefront of Cleveland the families of the players, former players and the families of current and former Cavalier executives will be able to sit down together at the table of championhood. I have a dream that one day even the city of Cleveland, a city sweltering with the heat of an empty trophy case, sweltering with the heat of oppression from the West, will be transformed into an oasis of trophies and parades.

I have a dream that my teammates will one day live in a city where they will not be judged by their failures on the court but by the clutchness of their games.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day down on the lakefront in Cleveland, with our sports curse lifted, with our fans having been starved for a championship, that one day we would be united as one in the city and celebrate this monumental breakthrough.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every Cavaliers player shall be exhalted, every coach and every executive shall be held in high esteem, the city will be made billions of dollars, and the economy will be made thriving, and the glory of LeBron will result in me becoming a billionaire athlete, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is my hope. This is the faith that I came back to Cleveland with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the ongoing futility of our franchise into an organization with a storied history.

With this faith we should be able to work together, to play together, to win together, to be on parade floats together, knowing that we will be champions multiple times over one day. And if Cleveland is to be a great city, this must come true. Let the ring bling from every ring finger on every hand in our organization. All day every day, let the ring bling.

And when this happens, after we have skull-drugged whoever came out of the West and I rack up another Finals MVP, we let it bling from every alley and every block, from every neighborhood in Northeast Ohio, we will be able to speed up that day when me, Uncle Drew, K-Love, J.R., and the rest of the squad, even Coach Blatt will be able to join hands at the end and sing We Are The Champions.

Ring at last?? Ring at last?? Will LeBron Almighty finally win them a ring at last?

The Great Non-Call

The Great Non-Call

1/8/15


This is the story in the sports world that just won't go away. Sadly, this one incident is completely overshadowing the job the Cowboys did in overcoming lots of adversity in their comeback win over the Lions. By making it about that one play, you actually discredit the whole game. If the Lions had won the game, this non-call would be an afterthought. After having this incident thrown back in my face over and over by a few Lions fans and seeing the replay of it from several different angles, I decided to put my 2 cents in.

Here's my take on the (non) pass interference call:

My opinion is not popular, but I don't think the flag should have ever been thrown in the first place. First of all, here's what people don't want to talk about: Matt Stafford made a terrible throw. The ball hit the linebacker in the middle of the back, in the numbers, so it was never going to be caught. Why didn't he lead his tight end? Why didn't he look at the defender's backside and throw it there? I'll tell you why: his other receivers were covered and he didn't have anywhere else to go, and he figured that if he threw it at the defender, he could draw a pass interference call. In other words, he was looking to get bailed out by the refs for a bad throw. The refs are there to manage the game, keeping it fair and honest, not to bail QBs out for bad throws. The non call wouldn't have even been in play if the QB threw a better ball. Instead of throwing it at the defender's back, he should have threw it farther and over him.

The bad throw was the first issue. The 2nd issue with the non call was that tight end Brandon Pettigrew actually pushed off twice. I heard a few analysts say that defensive holding should have been called too, but what about the defender having his face mask grabbed? They also said that linebacker Anthony Hitchens didn't locate the ball, but made contact with the receiver who was looking back and playing the ball. If you look at the play from all angles, you see that there was very little contact, and that the TE engaged the contact first. The majority of the contact from the LB was him trying to get the TE's hand off of his face mask. Their bodies don't necessarily collide, and for everybody that said Anthony Hitchens was face guarding.......there is no such thing in the NFL. There were a few things that could have been called on that play, but if defensive pass interference was called, all the refs would have been doing is bailing the Lions out on a bad throw-a pass that never even had a chance of being caught.

I have also heard just as many gripes about Dez Bryant not getting flagged for going on the field without a helmet. I'm here to tell you that it was a dead ball, which means it not an automatic penalty for players stepping on the field in that situation. People are getting it confused with this:

Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1 (j) prohibits "removal of a helmet by a player in the field of play or the end zone during a celebration or demonstration or during a confrontation with a game official or any other player."


This is the rule that's in question, but it defines an infraction as a player in the field of play, as in "involved in the play". Players and coaches go on the field from the sidelines in every game, referees ask them to step back, and if the player or coach doesn't leave the field in a timely manner, then they can be flagged. When Dez went out on the field, a ref asked him to leave, and he did. It's a judgement call that's left up to the refs, and they felt that because Dez obeyed when he was told to go back to the sideline, it didn't warrant a flag. If they automatically flagged everybody that crossed the white line during a dead ball, they would be throwing flags all day long just for that.

Since we want to talk about "home cooking" for the Cowboys and all the missed calls they got away with, what about all the calls the refs missed against the Lions? 

For example:

1.) The Cowboys got flagged for offensive pass interference when our receiver was PUSHED into another defender.

2.) Tony Romo's helmet got slapped more than once.

3.) Dez Bryant got pushed down in their red zone after he beat his man, and if he doesn't trip, it would have been a touchdown.

4.) The Lions got away with running into Chris Jones, the Cowboys' punter.

5.) Jason Witten got mugged on one route and never got a flag for it. As a matter of fact, the ref pulled it out and started to throw it, then put it back in his pants.

6.) The Lions even had a receiver setting an illegal pick and get away with it.


At the end of the day, the entire game was horribly officiated for both teams. There were a lot of blatant missed holds as well as other things for both teams. As a matter of fact, there has never been, or ever will be a game that is perfectly officiated. It's obvious that the refs screwed up on The Great Non-Call, and at best there was a mechanics breakdown. In other words, the call should have never been announced and then overturned. I already gave my opinion on the call, but I'll leave it up to the "experts" and the NFL to determine whether they ultimately got the call right or wrong. One thing I do want to make clear is this:

That screw-up by the refs DID NOT determine the outcome of the game.


The players and coaches determined the outcome on their own. Lions fans (and non-Cowboys fans) want to blame the 3rd team on the field, the referees, for another Lions playoff loss. They would be wrong in doing that. The refs didn't have a perfect game, but neither did the Detroit Lions, which brings me to my next point:

Too many people believe that The Great Non-Call was outcome-determinative for the game as a whole. Let's ignore the fact that Tony Romo was clutch down the stretch, the Cowboys were more aggressive, and had better adjustments in the 2nd half. Let's also ignore the fact that the Lions coaching staff froze like a deer in headlights......but the pass interference no-call was the difference in the game? C'mon man!! The Lions had 67 plays on offense, and they controlled 66 of them, and that ONE play end the game? So, you mean to tell me that the Lions didn't have a single play after that? After that play it was 4th and 1 at the Cowboys' 46 yard line.  You had Matt Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Reggie Bush, and Brandon Pettigrew.....some of the best players in the game.....4th and 1!! You don't have a play in your playbook that can get a yard?  C'mon man!! At that time the Lions led the game 20-17 with over 8 minutes left.....and decided not to go for it??? I can't imagine the Patriots punting in that same situation. If the Lions went for it and got that yard, and picked up 2 more first downs, more than likely they win the game.

The Lions had all the momentum, going up 14-0 in the first quarter, and even got their lead up to 20-7. They were dominating the game, only to give the momentum to the Cowboys in the 2nd half. The Lions only had 130 total yards in the 2nd half. People want to blame the refs, but what about the 3 turnovers, 8 penalties, and going 4-11 on 3rd down conversions? Call it what you want to, but the Lions still had control of the game. One more time.....4th and 1 at the Cowboys' 46, and instead of trying to get that yard they gave the ball back to that explosive Cowboys offense. Not only did they not go for it, but they even took a delay of game penalty to get a better spot for their punter. It turns out that the spot didn't matter, because the punt only went 10 yards. In other words, HE SHANKED IT!! What it all comes down to is that the Lions didn't trust their offense, that's why they didn't go for it.

Now let's give the Cowboys some credit for what they did to win the game. They won the battle of coaching adjustments, they converted several huge 3rd downs and an enormous 4th down. Speaking of that 4th down, I have to give some MAJOR props to Tony Romo and Jason Witten for the adjustments they had to make on that play.....to Witten for making the adjustment to get open and to Romo for waiting on him to get open and not forcing it. The Lions defender undercut the route to take it away, and Witten had to make the adjustment to come back on the route. If he ran the route the way he normally runs it, he wouldn't have been open. I also have to give some credit to Jason Garrett for trusting his offense in that situation and having the courage to make that call. The Cowboys also outscored the Lions 17-3 in the 2nd half and held them to 130 yards of total offense.


Out of 67 plays, everybody wants to look at that ONE play and say the game was fixed, a conspiracy. This conspiracy stuff is just ludicrous. Why did the NFL "allow" the Cowboys to lose 3 straight win-or-go-home Week 17 games in a row if they wanted the Cowboys in the playoffs for ratings? Why would the refs use that one call to fix the game? Wouldn't they take points away from the Lions or give points to the Cowboys on a non-call or a bad call? While we're at it, if this game was really fixed why would the NFL suspend Ndamukong Suh, who is the Lions' best player on defense, and then turn around and let him play? Lions fans can go ahead and kid themselves that the refs took the game away from them, but the truth beyond that one play that's in question, is that the Lions came up short when they had chances to put the game away, while the Cowboys succeeded. That's the margin between victory and defeat.

Let me put it to you another way:

-The refs DID NOT cause the Lions to fold in the 2nd half.

-The refs DID NOT cause Jim Caldwell to punt instead of choosing to go for it on 4th down with the lead in Cowboys territory.

-The refs DID NOT cause that shankopotamus. (Shank you very much Sam Martin!!)

-The refs DID NOT cause Jason Witten to get open on 4th and 6.

-The refs DID NOT buy extra time for Tony Romo and Terrence Williams on that last TD pass.

-The refs DID NOT cause Matt Stafford to fumble TWICE on his final drive.



At the end of the day, one team overcame bad officiating and the other team didn't. The bottom line is that the Cowboys still had to make plays and the Lions still had to collapse. By not trusting their offense and choosing to punt in Cowboys territory, where a TD would have iced the game, they were playing not to lose. Given the whole situation, there was every reason in the world for them to try to get that one yard. The Lions converted 10 4th down conversions in the regular season, which was tied for 2nd most in the NFL. Their chances of winning the game skyrocket if you get that yard, and if not you have the #2 defense in the league, which is more than capable of getting a stop. Besides, you are on the road against a heavy favorite, so you have to take some chances if you want to win the game. The non-call has nothing to do with that.

Even if non-Cowboys fans are 100% right and all those calls went against the Lions, it wouldn't have mattered if they had the ability to hold on to that double-digit lead. The Lions fell off a 14-story building, but instead of anybody talking about how it happened, everybody is complaining that maybe things would be different if the building had been 12 stories. The Lions had plenty of chances to make that controversial non-call irrelevant. One more thing, the Lions would have had a bye this past week and hosted a Wild Card winner if they would have won their regular season finale against the Packers. This might be a stretch, but when you go on the road in the playoffs in any sport, you should expect a little bit more adversity. The Lions could have avoided all of that. 

I'm not trying to come across as an arrogant or biased Cowboys fan, but that's just how I see it. The controversy of The Great Non-Call will last a long time, and it will overshadow what was otherwise a good game. It will eat away with the Lions and their fans, but it definitely wasn't the entire reason for the outcome of the game.