After a pretty boring NBA playoff season, the finals were must-see tv. What will be our lasting memories?
- First of all, LeBron is a freak. There is just no-one that can do what he does given his size and muscle. For the 20 seconds a game when he wasn’t on the court, you could see just how mediocre the Cavs’ roster was for this series without Kevin Love and Kyrie.
- Second, SU has never seen a playoff series with so much whining on foul calls. It takes complaining to a whole new level and now we have a whole new generation of youngsters who will do the same thing in their games. When you watch the replays on TV of the fouls, it’s almost comical as 97% of the calls were obvious as guys are getting raked across the arm or grabbed. SU says that if Draymon Green pulls this act next year during the regular season, he will break all of Dwight Howard’s technical records and will be suspended every 9 games. Just stop whining. And when the stars like LeBron do it all the time, it makes all of the teammates get into the act. Even Mozgov was perfecting his whine – probably in Russian which saved him from getting teed up. The NBA has to crack down on this next year.
- You knew LeBron was gassed last night when he was too tired to complain on his foul calls. He just had no legs and tried to get his teammates more involved but to no avail. Assuming Love re-signs and Kyrie Irving is healthy, they should be back here one year from now. BUT… SU says that LeBron needs to show Love the love and make him an important part of the offense. He can be a difference maker but James needs to get him more shots and show him the respect he deserves. Team chemistry matters.
- Golden State is a fun team to watch but they are not a dynasty – at least not yet. Truth be told, if Cleveland was at full strength, you could easily make the case that the Cavs win this series.
- Now we start the silly season of NBA free agency. Role players who had a good run in the playoffs (see Jerome James and the contract that Isiah Thomas gave him as President of the Knicks) look to cash in with maximum size contracts. Tristin Thompson is a great effort player but he should be smart, take less money and stay where he is. It’s hard to maintain that level of effort over 5-6 years with pressure to perform. Draymon Green is another player who thrives in the right system and should stay put for less money. Of course, it’s hard to pass up the dollars and most players will take the big bucks to win 30 games a year in some small market.
SU is afraid to even comment on the Yankees this morning. This team is so up and down. They have now lost 5 of 6 and with Andrew Miller shelved, there is no margin for error in the games that they are leading and need to win. It’s time for Brian Cashman to step up and make the tough calls. SU says go all in on the youngsters and just see what happens. Trade Stephen Drew when he is peaking at .176. He will be less attractive at .155 which is where he will trend over time. By the way, if you have a minute, just scan the batting averages that the Yankees put out there every day. A-Rod and Gardner at .270 are leading the way. Embarrassing. And the media are already saying that if Girardi doesn’t get to the playoffs this year, his job will be in jeopardy. Cashman should be asked to manage this roster just like the guy on the Marlins.
Finally, the Mets are quietly hanging around 1st place and if Alderson is willing to spend a few dollars, they may have staying power into the summer months. The Nationals are good but not great and that division is winnable.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
When looking to improve the Yankees’ roster the question needs to be “who are you going to replace them with?” In the case of Stephen Drew the answer is “just about anybody.” Many of the Yankees problems are shared by other teams around the league. But not this one. He’s dead last in BA among second basemen (Although it’s interesting that the the rest of the bottom 4 are all former all stars: Utley, Infante and Cano. Also worth noting that Cano is the 4th lowest but still 60 points higher than Drew.)
Seth, the Yankees do have two youngsters in Refsnyder and Pirela who are good hitters and developing fielders. But this team is so defensively challenged, no one will even notice if they make 30 errors this year. Have you watched Beltran stumbling around right field? He is fossilizing right before our eyes. At some point, the team needs to be entertaining, not just in the mix of a bunch of similarly under-performing teams. Keep your eye on the Orioles as they get healthy – they will be the team to pull away in the AL East.
LOL @ the “too tired to complain on his foul calls” comment.
I’m interested to see what Phil Jackson’s legacy becomes now that he has cleared up cap space, but failed to get the #1 or 2 pick in the upcoming draft. He is either going to be revered as a genius if he pulls off a tremendous Knicks turnaround over the next 2 years or just be a recent version of the Rick Pitino in Boston scenario where failing to win the draft and rights to Tim Duncan exposed the fact that maybe it is the personnel that makes these guys seem smarter than they really are.
It’s good to see the Mets hanging around, but until they sell the team to a group willing to (wisely) spend more money that is not still feeling the residual effects of the Madoff scam, playing in the post season as a WC team is the best they can probably hope for.
I see the “whining” being perfected every weekend at the AAU games I attend. Unfortunately – the SU prediction above is coming true.
Mark, totally agree on Phil Jackson. I will be surprised if he fulfills the length of his contract. There are rumors of them liking Cauley-Stein at Kentucky. I say he is a nice role player but is very offensively challenged and will never be a difference maker. They need some scoring punch – take the kid Winslow from Duke. Alas, Jackson will likely not be successful as he hasn’t shown much as a basketball exec so far. The Mets have to get out in front and spend now with the hope that the fans fill up the park for a competitive end of year drive. I actually think they will but what do I know?
Sasha, I am surprised to hear that the refs allow the complaining at the high school level. My recollection is that high school refs don’t put up with much from the coaches and almost nothing from the players. I guess the times are changing.
At the regular high school level, the refs try but what I’m seeing is that they don’t have control of the whole game. And the parents/fans are taking it to a whole new level with their involvement.
However, at AAU they just get paid for showing up. Most players are perfecting their Melo offensive capabilities so they add the whining for good effect. It’s been a real learning process for me!