Blizzog Dizzay 06

I am supposed to include links to five blogs that I visit from around the globe and blogosphere. Jeff from celticsblog threw up the blog-signal and rallied the troops so I decided to give it a whirl. Let me know if you, my faithful readers, have any special blogs out there.

1. Michael Totten - Michael is a free-lance journalist out of Portland Oregon who travels the Middle East and documents the happenings on his blog. He is essentially a full time blogger. He writes some of the best stories about the Middle East and it's people, politics, and cultures after experiencing it first hand. He lived in Lebanon for some time before the most recent battle.

2. Pravada.ru This is a Russian news site in English with extreme views on all world affairs. The site runs the gamut from complete and total American/capitalism/Bush fervent hate, which is hilarious, to rediculous conspiracy theories, to Britney Spears and Angelina Jolie photo galleries. It is a very interesting read and often has good photo galleries from the Lebanon-Israel conflict that I am too interested in.

3. Captain Bee This blog showcases the random musings of one young Canadian as he drinks his way through college. Usually I hate these personal blogs but Bee is a decent writer and he posts interesting content.

4. Lebanese Political Journal - Another blog about the Lebanon conflict written from a Lebanese.

5. 365 Dumps - A blog chronicling a years worth of, well, dumps. Ingenious and disturbing all at the same time. Very entertaining. He didn't make it to 365 but what he did get is priceless.

Another Solid Addition: Jumaine Jones

Jumaine Jones has signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Suns. He chose significantly less money to play in Phoenix rather than for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Personally, I would have chosen the money and went to Israel and it's beaches but Jumaine wants the opportunity to play within D'Antoni's system and be on a contending team. It seems like Jumaine wants a shot at making it with Phoenix long term through his play this year. He never really has become whatever he was supposed to become and he would like to spend his time trying to make that happen instead of using his best years in some euro-league. The deal is a steal because now that the Suns have picked up another reliable, athletic, and talented swing who according to Hoopshype is

Able to play both forward positions... Explosive... Great in the open court... Has three-point shooting range... Very effective shooting from the corner... Pretty good rebounder... Tenacious defender... Should drive to the basket more often... An underrated player.

Or in other words, 'should thrive in D'Antoni's system.' The Suns are always looking at talent and athleticism before they look to players that fit in a specific role. Jumaine Jones will probably be able to play some minutes at either SF or PF, whichever is needed at the time. Mostly he will have to battle for minutes with James Jones. The battle of the JJ's will be something to watch this season. Either player really can't backup a guard. Technically James can since he has pretty good range on his shot, when he is on, otherwise he can't defend the position. I don't know whether Jumaine can or not but considering his size I would think it would be difficult. Neither James or Jumaine should be playing SG. Jumaine is bigger, thicker and could play some time as backup PF instead of Marion. Shawn would feel more comfortable playing at SF. James Jones can be Shawn's backup if he is shooting consistantly, otherwise Jumaine could get James' minutes. It sounds like he has a lot of upside and versatility.

The man is coming off a career year with the Bobcats averaging 10.5 pts and five boards. He is 27 years old, typically the age when players are in their prime. He can defend, shoot the three and rebound. No doubt he will be able to help this team out somehow. It gives the team another solid option to play with, enabling them to remain healthy throughout the long season. It could facilitate competition withing the ranks and get more out of James Jones and Marcus Banks.

Players like Jumaine Jones can thrive in D'Antoni's system because they are athletic. The Suns can run with a point, a center, and three swingmen. Anytime the Suns can force a turnover, get a rebound, or inbound quickly they should have at least two men running the court for the quick pass downcourt. Players like Jumaine, who are gifted athletically but who have never really blossomed, gain a lot of confidence in D'Antoni's system and can play the way that suits the character best. Jumaine may be more gifted physically than James Jones but James has a very strong defensive intelligence.

I like this addition. At least on paper and in theory. Hopefully everything works out best for Jumaine in Phoenix.

Sorry Boris

It's over for Boris and Les Bleus. They lost pretty good. Boris Diaw is the captain and he is now sad. It was a good run. They accomplished what they set out to do, which was to make it into the quarterfinals. Now Boris is getting teardrop tattoos for the fallen game. I think that second teardrop is for his homie Tony Parker who was taken out earlier in the tournament. Oh well, don't sweat it. Now Boris can forget about this rec league and concentrate on signing an extension with the Suns. 3 years and $25 million sounds like the going rate as that's what Drew Gooden and Chris Wilcox both recently got and they have similar talent levels. Here's hoping. Now the all-Boris summer lovefest comes to an end. It's not really my fault. He and Barbosa were the only ones playing this summer anyways. You should be thanking me.

Bosh is the Alpha Male

Ok I'm sorry, this has nothing to do with the Suns but when I saw this picture I had to. Unless you have been living in a cave in Afghanistan, you should know that Chris Bosh resembles a dinosaur. Not just any dinosaur sir, but the very same dinosaur who is the mascot of the team Bosh plays for, the Toronto Raptors. When I saw this picture, I was all "holy crap! Bosh is showing his true colors!" In fact, the beast within Bosh had been unleashed. When questioned about this recent development, Bosh mearly shreaked something that can be roughly translated as "ngheaheahhhaaaeeeehaaaaa." The sound was shrill, to say the least. Bosh's teammates even had to concede to Bosh's wishes to be the alpha male, if only for one night. Bosh was an animal on the court and helped Team USA to get a win. If I were a Raptors fan I would be happy that my franchise player resembles one of the most vicious and intelligent dinosaurs that ever lived. That's pretty hardcore.

Steve Nash's Back Needs Exorcising

Steve canceled his trip to South Africa next month because his back is acting up. Poor Stevie won't get to visit the place of his birth like he was so looking forward to. Now it begins. All the Suns fans haters are going to begin with the obligatory "Suns are doomed" talk. This kind of news spreads like wildfire. Nash's back problems seem pretty erratic, hence use of the word "spasm." Can someone get a priest to exorcise this demon plaguing Steve's back? I remember Steve bringing in a "special" chiropractor to work on him between games six and seven of the Suns-Lakers series during the playoffs and he looked 100 times better afterwards. Was that "chiropractor" really a priest sent to 'exorcise the demons?' Can we get this man on the Suns official payroll and have him travel with the team? I can understand Steve's decision to ax the trip.

After years of playing sports and skateboarding, at times my back feels like that of a 60 year-old man and I'm only 24. I have a chronic back problem just like Steve. Chronic meaning I need to blaze the sticky icky to relieve the pain. Seriously though, the pain comes and goes and I've managed to keep it under control but every once in a while it comes back with a fury. Thats when a trip to the Holistic Medicine clinic pays off. After a straightening from the Chiropractor and a lower back massage, I'm as good as new. It can be five years before I have another back problem. I know you're all "who gives a shit" right about now but I'm just illustrating that these chronic back problems aren't as big of a deal as they're made out to be. Although, certain things tend to flare it up.

Traveling sucks on a back. Flying on planes is torture on a back and hotel beds can be even worse. A couple months ago I slept on a waterbed and I had trouble walking the next day my back hurt so much. It wasn't right for a week. I'm sure Steve canceled the trip as a precaution so that he's 100% come Halloween when we whoop the crap out of the Fakers Lakers. For all the bad rumors that will surface at least we will know that Steve is taking care of himself for the good of the team.

Boris With a Nasty Cram

Here's Boris with a nasty cram in a game vs. Nigeria. Like I said multiple times over, Boris must be bulking up. This dunk is pretty tough and if you look through all the recent pictures I have posted, he looks much bigger in all of them. This is that tough roughneck dunk that has a great picture to go along with it. I think he has much on his mind in getting prepared for the Suns season while running with Les Bleus. At least his workouts are productive and his dunks nasty.

Carnival #35

The Carnival of the NBA is alive and kickin' over at Bench Renaldo. To me, the terms "bench" and "Renaldo" when spoken together is an oxymoron but whatever. And Need4Sheed has posted the most amazing Rasheed Wallace wallpaper that I could ever have hoped for.

Les Bleus is Getting Prepared

Les Bleus is getting ready for the quarter-final match against the Greeks tomorrow night. Or, really early tomorrow morning. So early in fact that I can never catch the games. With a tougher Boris assuming the lead, logging the most minutes and enabling the other players on the floor to play well this team just might come together to get a win against Greece. In the game vs. Angola Boris controlled the game well enough to allow Jeanneau to make plays. I think Boris is utilizing his size in these games to D up. When he can stifle the other team's offense by playing tough D then it opens up his options on offense to be the playmaker that he is, elevating the game of his teammates. Hopefully they get their act together, and Ronny Turiaf stops talking long enough to get a rebound. Ronny on Diaw:

He's taken so much weight off everyone else's shoulders...He's trying to carry us through with his leadership on the court and off the court as far as talking to us with where we are supposed to go and what we are supposed to do. He especially has given us confidence that we can make it happen regardless of the situation.

Steve Nash Instructs, Yo

I ran across this Steve Nash instructional video today. The video is amusing only because he teaches that to get better at basketball you have to practice shooting. I guess there are a lot of morons out there who haven't yet realized that to become a better player you have to pracitice shooting. It sounds like Steve has been spending a lot of time around the other ballers in the lig because he says "yo" a couple times and even references a side to his dinner. Picking up some urban lingo, eh? Well if that mid-range shot is Steve's "bread and butter", I can't wait to see him serve the pancakes this upcoming season.

Les Bleus Had the Eight-Finals on Lockdown

With Boris Diaw enabling and Aymeric Jeanneau bringing his best playmaking game at point France's Les Bleus handled Angola with stifiling defense and shooting. It was a complete team effort and the captain, Boris

was very strong at points but never took over the game in scoring 14 points while Mickael Gelabale hit a number of big shots in scoring 14 points as well

Is this some kind of late-August, early-September madness? Because these things are getting down to business pretty rapidly. Les Bleus didn't allow Angola to play, using tough defense. On France's play:

They didn't allow us to score easy points. We knew the French team play well on defense, and today we saw the same thing. It's a very dangerous team, and in the quarter-finals they can surprise their next opponent. I think we started a little bit nervous..."

I know that Boris is a quality defender and it appears that he has been bulking up. That would help him bang more in the post on D, which would help the Suns out immensely. Now they face the undefeated Greeks. If they can continue this great team play and solid D they can get a win over the Greeks. Some snaps from the Angola win below:

The Suns No Limit Chopper Brings Today's Links

Looks like the Charlotte Bobcats took my advice and picked up Walter Hermann. I should seriously hold a position in the Suns front office.

Steve Nash is part of Basketball Without Borders Africa. He's starting to make me feel inadequate.

Steve Nash talks about his summer. He hung out with Ronaldinho, which is pretty cool. He doesn't say anything real insightful but keeps talking about soccer.

Raja Bell is playing in a Miami rec league of sorts with retired NBA players Glen Rice and Tim Hardaway. James Jones also plays in the league. Raja Bell's website is STILL counting down, the anticipation is going to kill me.

Mike D'Antoni talks about the World Championships. This is great, he sounds so unenthusiastic:

It’s going okay, coming along. I’m about ready to get this thing over with.

Eric Piatkowski bought a house in Scottsdale for $2.15 million. Oh how great it is to be even a bit role player in the NBA.


*Big up to DJ IRS for the Suns No Limit Chopper. HOLLA!

Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw Like the Pink Taco

I wonder what their favorite position to eat Pink Taco is? Now don't get all 'but Amare has a child' on me because Amare and Boris were attending the Pink Taco restaurant grand opening in Scottsdale. Recent Cardinals spoiled pretty boy first round draft pick Matt Leinart was also seen at the function acting a fool hanging out with Suns 'future of the NBA' Amare Stoudemire. Leinart probably sneaked in was invited since the Pink Taco restaurant has placed a bid for the naming rights of the Cardinals new stadium.

God I hope this stadium deal goes through. The comedic potential is boundless. Plus the Pink Taco looks pretty fun. At least from their website it does. Phoenix residents will need some light-hearted jokes once they see that the Cardinals still suck. All the good press in the world won't help this team win. Please use this post as the official Pink Taco Stadium joke thread. No seriously, leave a joke. Now. I wonder if you can get a footlong hotdog in the Pink Taco? I wonder how well the grass will be groomed in the Pink Taco? Anyways, here is how the event unfolded:

Blond: Do you like the taste of a Pink Taco?

Boris: You know I'm French, right?

Blond: Tee hee hee, yeah. Why?

Boris: We pretty much invented the French Kiss.

Blond: Hee hee like yeah.

Boris: I have an ambidextrous tongue. Follow me.

Blond: K



Amare: I'm only doing this for the PR and the food.

Leinart: Oh man, this is so awesome. You're Amare. Fucking. Stoudemire.

Amare: Get your hand off me boy. Don't you know I could dunk your ass?

Leinart: So does this mean we're friends? Can I text you?

Amare: Didn't you date Paris Hilton? Doesn't she have herpes or some shit? Listen boy, you ain't nothing to me. You got an overinflated ego despite never playing a single NFL game. You's just an offspring.

Well there you have it. Boris and Amare had a good time and Matt Leinart is a douche made an appearance too.

Robert Sarver Officially a Phoenician

Suns 'managing partner,' Robert Sarver, officially gave the city of San Diego a big foam eff off as he recently purchased a home in Paradise Valley. Sarver is an Arizona native and he has many business interests here. Surely the home cost a gazillion dollars and the heat can't bother him because he probably has air-conditioned underwear. If not, what the hell else is he spending all his money on? They haven't filled all the roster spots and we could use another big man for important late-game situations such as hack-a-Shaq, whack-a-Wallace, and yank-a-Yao (mangle-a-Ming?). He reinforces my opinion of him as being frugal when he says

I go to the bank office to make the money and I go to the arena office to spend the money, (Sarver joked)

I don't see why the team can't just proposition one of those international PF/C's that have been giving Team USA so much trouble. I'm not sure but a couple million dollars and the chance to play in the NBA sounds pretty enticing to me. What about that Argentinian Walter Hermann? He's been playing pretty good, right? I don't know it just seems like there are is a lot of talent out there and the 12th man wouldn't play much anyways. Who else is left that could make an impact?

Starbosa Not Enough For Brazil

Leandrinho brought his A game in Japan today but it was not enough as Turkey defeated the Brazilians 73-71. Barbosa lit up the Turks for a game high 26 points yet couldn't sink a couple free throws near the end to clinch the victory. Sounds like the Turkish coach vexed The Blur with a couple timeouts in succession to throw off Leandrinho's rhythm. Leandro is still coming into his own and plays like this will test his fortitude. Even star guards such as Gilbert Arenas can miss huge timely free throws like he did in the playoffs when he faced off against Lebron. Hopefully these diverse situations help to strengthen Barbosa's mettle for this upcoming season and beyond. Leandro has a ton of upside still and the more he is tested the better equipped he will become. Here are some more snaps from the game of Barbosa and his pal Andy Varejao,

Diaw the Roughneck?

Boris is looking pretty rugged in this picture dunking over some fool during Les Bleus' win over Nigeria today. When did Diaw get all roughneck on us? Regardless, it's a great picture and it's great for us that he's looking this swoll. Maybe he's been working with the Suns strength and conditioning trainer.

Japanese Water Is Better Than Chinese Water

It's a good thing the World Championships started because we wouldn't want any more teams getting the runs from Chinese water like France's Les Bleus did last week. Instead, the Brazilians are absolutely loving the Japanese water as they stomped Qatar yesterday and were kind enough to take pictures with some of their fans on the other team. These guys look to be having so much fun out there, which is nice to see. Even if they don't win the whole thing at least they had fun. Unlike Team USA who is treating this as a must-win situation after a decade of American mediocrity at the Worlds. That's fine if they have to win but they should at least have fun in doing so. Barbosa understands that a single loss, while hard to take at the time, isn't the end of the World,

You know, it’s like the NBA... There are so many games. If you play bad or whatever, you just get ready for the next one. Now we’ve got to focus on the next game against Turkey and it’s going to be harder that this one because they are very good team.

It's good to see that he's being realistic about it. He looks like he's on vacation. The best thing is that he is playing well. Hopefully these games help him to elevate his game further so that we see the confident Barbosa who torches other teams with speed and athleticism this upcoming season.

Tony Parker Has an Owie

Tony Parker recently broke his finger during a Les Bleus scrimmage against the Brazilian National team. Evidently Tony was seen outside the basketball arena in China screaming "Eva!" Actually I made that last part up, not so far fetched now is it? Sorry but I had to.


Well, Les Bleus defeated the Brazilians properly, probably because our hero Leandrinho only played for eight minutes yet scored seven points for his team. The story is covered further on the French basketball website appropriately named www.basketfrance.com. While I don't speak French, I do get around. The internet, you perverts. So I used a translator to read the page, which contained some beautiful praise for our international homies who are holdin' it down. This is a rough estimate for how it went,

The player of Phoenix, Barbosa shows all his class by marking 7 points in 8 minutes... Boris Diaw is omnipresent in all the sectors of the play and posts a beautiful line of stats.

Ok that was fairly clear. Sounds like the boys are getting some rest as evident from Leandro's eight minutes of play and Boris' short stint on the court. The teams have their respective game plans set and are keeping the players healthy yet loose for the real World Championships. All wasn't a success for the French club win though because

Fred Weis, Mike Pietrus and Boris Diaw slightly suffering
Three players of the Team of France were soufrant Tuesday at the time of the meeting vis-a-vis Brazil. Reduced by the same intestinal disturbance, Frederic Weis, more touched of the three, could not hold its place at the time of this meeting.

That one is more difficult to read. Soufrant? They probably caught something from drinking the water. Sounds like some Chinese ploy to take the World Championships by trickery. They will have to do better than that to take it all. The competition is stacked and the Chinese were destroyed by Team USA.

The French Connection

Since it's the doldrums of the offseason and and there isn't much happening with the Suns and I'm not feeling particularly creative, I will leave you this nice mix of Boris Diaw. This mix has some of the best plays by Boris from this past season accompanied by some decent French tune. I had some rediculous idea for a post that included a man named Papadopoulos which was completely irreverent but I canned it. You should thank me for saving you the pain. Or maybe if I'm feeling particularly spry I will unsuspectingly unleash it on you. Oh well, watch Boris go to work and I'll try not do do another post on him for a minute.

Boris Diaw Is a Three Dimensional Playboy

One would think that one would need those crazy 3D glasses to view all the dimensions of Boris Diaw. But the French media is doing the legwork for you since Boris is literally a superstar in the making in that country. Maybe it is his remarkable basketball skills, maybe its the fact that both women and men take a liking to his boyish good looks, but probably it is a bit of both. Suns disciples already know the superior versatility Boris' skills manifest on the court and now those skills have laid down the foundation for a French superstar. Tony Parker was the face that many in France fell in love with after his success with the San Antonio Spurs but it is Boris who can take it to the next level. Boris is the superior athlete and is as exciting to watch as anyone in the NBA. Like his mother, Boris could go down as one of the greatest basketball players in French history.

Boris has been thrust into the French Limelight as one of few players to actual make it into the ranks of the NBA and accel. The French have a lot to be excited about in Diaw, he has that quiet confidence, he is well spoken, a true team player, a superior athlete, and a very intelligent player and person. A perfect French icon. Hell, he even knows how to spot a good wine.

Since Boris' resurrection from the pits of the Hawks nest he has exceeded even the wildest expectations and has even managed to become captain of his French National team. Photographers and journalists are taking advantage and photographing him everywhere (thankfully, not here) and writing non-news editorials about his game and his thoughts. It seems that Boris is running a style of play for Les Bleus that resembles the Suns gameplan. This constant high speed play is obviously taking its toll since the man has been playing non stop since last summer where he was the star on their National team. Hopefully he will realize what's best for him and take a break to rest some point before the Suns season starts. He only really needs a week or two off to get back to peak performance and it sounds like he needs it,

The way we play is particularly tiring because we run a lot and we play a lot on the counter-attack,... (on Les Bleus) It is a very close squad... It is like this because it has been in place for 10 years. We like being together and we have one common goal. (about his coach) He always wanted us to play an expansive game but after thinking we could not do it, we now know it is possible. That has always been his philosophy: you penetrate, you pass. If you do not have any help, you go to the basket. When you pass to someone who is all alone, if a defender gets on to him and if he sees someone all alone next to him, he passes to him. That is his philosophy.

It's nice to hear that Boris is getting even more practice in the Suns style of play. Hopefully he can elevate it next season to be the threat that we all know is within him.

This summer Boris has made the best of his quasi-celebrity status as seen here touring the EA facilities. Being on the cover for NBA Live in France has its perks.

He even gets to hang with the celebs including Eva Longoria, who is Boris' best friends girl. Look out Tony, Eva may be looking for more of a man.

Steve Nash is Confused; Gets the Red Card

Isn't great when your MVP point guard is out there playing soccer with some random dudes. Look at him up there, concentrating all hard. Steve, you're a basketball player. Time to get down with that. It's the middle of summer and he's playing soccer. He can't just max and relax, cook some burgers on the grill, and have a few beers. He's got to go out and do it all. It's a testament to his perseverance I suppose but I'd rather see him resting for the basketball season because we have to win. I'm sure he is fine but you could understand Suns management not liking this move. We need Steve and his back 100% come November. Hopefully we get Steve's magical chiropractor on the Suns payroll soon so he can perform wonders through the entire season and not just when things get dire. For now we can just hope he doesn't catch a mean slide tackle or hear any racial slurs directed toward him. He might get the red card. Forget it, I'm giving him the red card.

It's Friday, Less Thinking And More Doing

The biggest story for the Suns today is Steve Nash playing soccer with some soccer team. Could he be the Bo Jackson of this era?

Technically, he's good," Arena said, joking that Nash could afford to sign a MLS developmental contract and stay with the Red Bulls. "The thing he has, which he also has in basketball, is a brain. He's a very sharp and alert guy. It's a pleasure to see.

Sure, he might be able to play for the American team but I don't think any other team would actually consider picking him up.

Here is a nice clip of an alley oop from Steve Nash to Boris Diaw (Via Hoopsaddict).

Golden State Of Mind really wants Eddie House but I think he would be more suited to Denver. Think about how devastating a backcourt of Earl Boykins and Eddie House could be. I'm serious, Denver needs some shooters.

For all that enjoy poking fun at the plight of others, this site might just be exactly suited to Suns fans. The Hawks Suck. I just hope they keep updating so I can keep rubbing it in.

Mike James is hilarious. Always.

Speaking of Wolves players, Latrell Sprewell has a yacht named Milwaukee's Best (Via IHeartKG). And I thought my dude Irwin naming his sailboat 'puff puff pass' was funny.

And finally, when the season starts and you begin spending a lot of time hanging out with your buddies, drinking and watching Suns games, you will need to remember certain things about drinking etiquite.

A key, essential aspect of being a guy is knowing when you have to put on your big boy shorts and go drink-for-drink with your buddies for no particular reason other than bragging rights. If you lose this competition and puke, you'll need a lot of counselling, because you ain't ever going to live it down. If you lose to a woman, well, pretty much you might as well hit Home Depot and grab a nice length of rope, go home, and fashion yourself a cute little noose.

I'm out, PEACE.

W.C.F. Barbosa Mix

Here is another mix of Leandro Barbosa lighting it up during the Western Conference Finals for your viewing pleasure. Again, big up to Zei_Zao_LS for this one too. Just a nice little treat for you to watch during lunch and to induce the afternoon coma. Enjoy!

A.D.D. and the Chris Kaman Effect

I have no idea why I'm writing this, it's probably just my A.D.D.

During the 05/06 season I played in a fantasy basketball league. After I had finished all my drafting I picked up Chris Kaman in free agency and began following Kaman's stats. I noticed him getting a surprising increase in rebounding sporadically which became more consistant toward the end of the season. Finally I got to watch Kaman go to work when the Clips played the Suns on March 15th 2006. What popped out the most was that Kaman wasn't an elite rebounder by any means. Against the smaller Suns he easily had the height advantage. Kaman often went to work on the offensive glass, in the end racking up seven offensive rebounds and a total of 16. Pretty impressive number. The reason he was getting so many rebounds is because he couldn't make a put-back. The man was obviously struggling to make easy layups and put-backs but always wound up in the position to get the rebound afterward. He could collect three or four rebounds on one possession because he couldn't drop the easy shot. This made me think about it a bit further.

Great rebounders are known for hustle. Getting a rebound is generally regarded as a hustle play. Kaman obviously has hustle. But, could the Kamaniac have a bit too much? Considering the widely known fact of Kaman's Attention Deficit Disorder, this is not so jarring. When the competition is intense Kaman struggles to stay focused. People with A.D.D. are prone to hyperactivity. Kaman uses his hyper-energy to collect rebounds but scoring is not so much a hustle action. After he grabs the rebound his hyperactivity causes him to quickly throw up the layup or put-back carelessly and since scoring is a more focused action, Kaman struggles sinking the shot. I call it the Chris Kaman Effect. He will wind up grabbing an inordinate number of rebounds while thrashing his field goal percentage. Through the playoffs I noticed Kaman struggling to stay focused through games and often made mistakes. He's a good player but the man still has work to do. Somebody get this guy some Adderall quick. Me too.

Shawn Marion's Largest Fan

This guy standing next to Shawn must be at least 6'6" and 300lbs. He's the kind of guy that forces Marion to take a picture because he's completely blocking the walkway to wherever Shawn's going. My guess, the nearest bar. Shawn looks pretty faded, but thats nothing new for professional athletes. Now a group that really needs some intervention are basketball bloggers. This group has razorsharp wit by day but when the season starts they get so pumped about the games and cannot control their binge drinking and smoking to the point of complete mental collapse. Maybe thats just me.

Here is the list of World Championship games that will be broadcasted nationwide. Not enough French and Brazilian games covered I say. Hopefully both clubs will make it deep into the brackets.

Big up to Zei_Zao_LS of the Basketballboards forum for this mix of Barbosa. It really shows how well he fits into the Suns system and what we can expect to see next season.

'Melo Is Scared of Barbosa; Brazilians

Carmelo Anthony was so scared in fact, that he literally jumped off the court and into the lap of coach Mike Krzyzewski and in the process hyperextended his knee during a US, Brazil World Championship friendly. The competition was intense with each team playing as if this was the NBA Finals. Apparently the coaching staff failed to tell team USA that this was just a scrimmage because 'Melo needlessly put himself in a position to injure himself. From the report it seems like Brazil is legit this year with star quality Leandrinho attacking the basket relentlessly for a team high 14 points and Anderson Varejao blossoming into a rebounding monster against this quasi dream team.

Cavs fans can rejoice as Varejao evidently racked up 16 freaking rebounds with nine coming in the third quarter. Thats pretty redonkulous considering the rebounders on this US team. Barbosa and the Brazilians should be extremely happy with their effort because Dwyane Wade can work his black magic on international refs as well since the U.S. team was awarded five technical fouls in a span of 30 seconds during the last two minutes, effectively giving them the game. I don't know the circumstances but it smells like bullshit to me. It seems Brazil outplayed Team USA but not all is lost because Leandro is keen on the US team's plan and is devising a scheme to beat them:

That pace tonight, that’s the way we like to play... The US is obviously a good team and we thought we did a great job on them. We did it in the zone defense and they have a hard time with that.

Look out Team USA the world is onto you.

The Horse Vs. 'Trix

About a week ago I was perusing a sports forum that shall remain unnamed and a few excessively pessimistic members of the forum were discussing the topic of Amare Stoudemire's doomed career. As a fan of Amare, I became volatile and felt the need to talk smack and post a quick reply that went something like 'Amare without his explosiveness is a taller Elton Brand.' The cynical members of the forum jumped on that statement like an emo kid on his sisters jeans and shortly after I hit 'post quick reply' I was lambasted with an intensity that the drill sergeant from Full Metal Jacket would be proud of.

Now, I didn't mean to compare Amare Stoudemire's game to Brand's because I am well aware that Amare's game is more resemblant to that of Shawn Kemp while Brand executes the fundamentals of Tim Duncan. Amare is an extremely explosive scorer who regularly plays facing the basket but can also hit the open jumper while Brand often plays more traditionally with his back to the basket. Yet the two are similar in that they both are very dominant figures who are well adept at hitting an open jumper. Amare plays more explosively and goes for higher percentage shots but Brand is the better rebounder. I say take away Amare's freakish explosiveness and you still have a player with the scoring ability of Brand and all the dominance but who is a bit taller. It's not a blatant knock on Brand but I still feel Stoudemire is the better player. Brand shoots too many jumpers. Today I got to thinking about my comparison and decided that Brand is more similar to another Phoenix Suns player that most wouldn't equate; Shawn Marion.

Now before somebody wages jihad on me, I understand that Brand's game is completely different from Marion's but let me explain. Both play as undersized PF's but Brand is much thicker and stockier while Marion is faster and a better leaper. Both are elite rebounders who shoot mid range shots at a high percentage. Both are known as great defensive players. Brand gets more blocks while Marion has more steals. Both have a knack for scoring. The similarity between each player's stats is almost scary.

During the 05-06 regular season Brand averaged 24.7ppg 10.0rpg 2.6apg 1.03spg and 2.54bpg on 52% shooting. Very impressing, now consider Shawn with 21.8ppg 11.8rpg 1.8apg 1.98spg and 1.69bpg on 52% shooting. Very close stats. What's even scarier is their career highs. Brand has a career high 44 points as does Shawn. 'Trix has a career high 24 rebounds while Brand has 23. The similarities abound. Both players playoff stats are very close to their regular season averages as well. The thing that jumps out is Shawn being the better rebounder but Brand's dominance is stamped by his higher scoring and assist average. That and The Matrix's natural position is small forward. Who needs Amare to be Brand when we have Shawn?

After last summer's Joe Johnson debacle I always knew he would rue the day he left the Suns for the franchise of a glorified chicken. At least now he can be top cock for a perpetual loser. Joe says:

I never knew that it would come back around like this (to play for D'Antoni again after leaving Phoenix for Atlanta last summer). I'm going to cherish it. I'm loving it right now. I love Coach D'Antoni. I hate how things happened like they did but it's a business.

Lets Make A Deal

The current debate in the organization is whether the Suns will be able to sign Boris Diaw to an extention before the October deadline. How much is Boris Worth? If it were my decision I would give him anything he wants. Boris is such an exciting player to watch especially around the talent this team has. He makes precision passes from a spin move right into the shooters pocket. Always in the shooting pocket. Boris is a huge part of this team winning a championship. He is young, only 24. He has enormous basketball I.Q. and a unique court vision and passing ability that cannot be taught. Here is a clip from this season that illustrates what I'm saying (via Hoopsaddict).

Boris improved 99% of the flaws in his game this past season. He went from being a questionable backup, who was timid at times and lacked an aggressive scoring mindset, to the M.I.P. and an all-star caliber point center. Through the 05-06 season he averaged 13ppg 7rpg 6apg, racked up multiple triple doubles, and gave larger and less agile centers frets. Then in the playoffs he stepped his game up averaging 18.7ppg 6.7rpg 5.2apg 1bpg 1spg. Finally, in the Western Conference Finals he brought it with 24ppg 8.5rpg 3.2apg 1.67bpg. Dallas had no answer for his quickness and decision making. Boris played his ass off this year but I would still like to see him develop more of a killer instinct as his intensity wanes at times. So how much is a player who had one good year worth?

There are many rumors floating around the internet about what it will take to sign Boris. I have no clue as to how the negotiations are going but I'm guessing they are stagnant. Mike D. is busy coaching the U.S. National team and Boris is concentrating on being captain of his French National team. My guess is that they wait until the World Championships are over before they get down to some serious talks. D'Antoni needs to be around to prod Suns owner Robert Sarver into opening up his wallet anyways.

The contract Boris gets will probably be in the range of between $40-60 million for five or six years. Sarver lowballing at $40 for six and Boris' agent attempting to win the Nene money lottery with $60 mil. for six years. Boris seems like a reasonable enough person who won't get all Joe Johnson on us and I'm sure D'Antoni is adamant enough in keeping Diaw to persuade Sarver to do it at any cost. As for me, I say do it. Give him Nene money. Most Suns fans and I want to see Boris' skills on display for at least five more years. He is an invaluable and multifaceted player that doesn't come around very often. Maybe we can figure out some back loaded contract plan where he makes most of his money at the end of the contract so by that time the salary cap increases dramatically and the team can have more flexibility. I have no clue how that stuff works though.

As for Sarver, he may need more persuasion than D'Antoni can muster. Some have suggested burning his house down but I don't think that will be enough for a zillionaire. Do any of you have any better suggestions? Here is a quote from Sarver regarding negotiations. This makes no sense at all:

If it works, we'll do it... If not, we won't. It's just like last year. It will all work out. If he signs, it'll work out. If we don't get him signed, it'll work out, too.

On a lighter note, the ultra-likeable Leandro Barbosa wants to stay in Phoenix "my whole life and I will work for that."

I Hate the Raptors thinks team U.S.A. needs more shooters and suggests signing the 'Baseline Shooter' since Jerry Colangelo resides in Phoenix. Not cool. He has it mixed up anyway, there is the "Baseline Killer," and the "Serial Shooter." That guy has this place freaked out and the area he is targeting is right where I work.

Demon Bird Moth Balls

I ran across this wonderful little tidbit about our talented swingman, Shawn Marion. The story is confirmed here. Shawn has a tattoo on his leg that was supposed to read "The Matrix," but instead turns out to read "demon bird moth balls." This name isn't all bad. Demon bird moth balls is much more intimidating than the Matrix and besides who can read chinese anyways? It just looks like a bunch of squiggly lines. The fact is, most players in the NBA have tattoos and many even have Chinese lettering. Apparently it is a very common mistake. Other NBA players such as Marquis Daniels also have Chinese lettering with obscure meanings, deviating from their initial wishes. Has this become an accidental art form in American culture where the true meaning of a persons Chinese symbol tattoo takes on a completely ambiguous and awesome meaning? I sure hope so. This way we get to have more people like Marion and Marquis Daniels, who is man enough to rock a tat that translates to "healthy woman roof." Respect.

The guys over at Hoopsaddict wrote up a post about the importance of the length of players in the NBA. In case you're curious, the new man who will be locked up in a Suns uniform for the next 5 years has got some impressive length that gives him the ability to play bigger than his height. Barbosa is 6'3" with a 6'10" wingspan. Now if we can get him to hit the weightroom he could be a real defensive threat.

Suns Lock Barbosa

The Phoenix Suns decided to forgo the handcuffs and straight jacket today as they persuaded Leandro Barbosa to stay in the valley for five years and $32 million. Leandro is so long and he's getting so good at protecting the ball and finishing too. Lets see if his defense can improve, but as a compliment to Raja Bell, he fits great. Great news, but what about Diaw? Management hasn't yet been able to come to a deal with Boris. He's probably on the French Riveria anyways. Barbosa is going to really step up his game in the next few years because I think he will have had enough time to develop and play consistantly at this level. It seemed to me that in the beginning the language barrier hampered his progress and only until he became acclimated to life in the NBA was he able to really make strides. He has had flashes of extremely impressive play this past season and stepped up his game through the playoffs, check this choice bootleg:



The video was just a teaser as the true analysis of the Brazilian Blur's game came in the form of comments below the mix. Such rich and insightful observations as

Rongotai (2 months ago)
Starbosa baby !!

rdm2 (3 weeks ago)
Clocking in at 2:28, this mix would be 5 mins for any other player, cause Barbosa is so amazingly fast on his feet that he literally shortens the video time by 3 minutes!

Priceless. But the best character analysis about the man came from another post which confirms my theory about certain people having the unique ability to carry an infinite number of nicknames.

AMS323113 (2 weeks ago)
Hell yeaaa Bravosa Bravosa! Hail the Barbosa

Not only is Barbosa good, he's extremely likeable which is great to have in a player who will be on your roster for a long period. From a fans perspective, the worst thing about following a franchise is how often the roster changes. It's hard to really get behind a team when you are meeting them for the first time each Fall. When a team carries the same players for an extensive period you really develop a bond with them and thats a huge part of the game. I am so glad the Suns are opting for this path rather than taking the path more followed in a rotating roster. At least for this season. 'Cause if any of the team fails, we got to get rid of them.

When is management going to come to terms with Boris? I know he has been busy as captain of Les Bleus so it may not get settled until after the World Championships.Oh and by the way, the US stomped Puerto Rico in a World Championship friendly scrimmage, expect more of this in the coming months.

Who Should I See?

My boy Irwin has season tickets to the Cavs and I plan on flying out to catch some games this season. My only problem is what game do I go to? My first choice was obviously the Suns at Cleveland but they're playing one of those completely lame afternoon games. Seriously, I probably miss half of those games just because they catch me off guard. Plus, if i'm spending any amount of time in Cleveland after November lord knows I'm going to need lots and lots of stiff drinks to keep me warm and I generally don't like drinking in the afternoon. Besides, I want to see barn burners, not some lazy afternoon scrimmage and this is the only time Phoenix plays in C-Town.

I was thinking of catching the opener vs. Washington but it's on a wednesday and I only plan on staying for the weekend so I don't have to take any time off of work. If I do decide to take a couple days off work it will be to catch two games in the same weekend. Anyways, what game(s) should I go see at the Q in C-Town?

Here is a good assessment of the Suns chances next season. Although I disagree that Boris will start at SF he does a pretty good analysis. You heard it here, Boris will start at center.

Natalie over at Need4Sheed complains about the Pistons schedule for completely trivial reasons just like I did yesterday. I guess we should feel blessed to whine about stupid shit like an opening back-to-back or feeling slighted for no Christmas day game when others have much bigger problems. Life is hard at the top dammit.

FIBA And The 'Tall Blacks'

What the fuck?! That was my gut reaction when I first heard the nickname for the New Zealand National team, The Tall Blacks. Maybe I grew up learning to place too much significance on political correctness but this seems very irresponsible by the New Zealand team. Any casual observer could find this immediately antagonistic. The most ironic part is the team is comprised by a bunch of white boys. It may be that FIBA, the governing body of the World Championships, likes to brew anti-cultural or anti-race sentiment in order to propagate the event. FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association seems to reap the fruits of cross cultural hatred during the world cup and I feel that FIBA is following suit. Although the homogeneity of FIFA Soccer teams is greater than that of FIBA's basketball clubs, there is still that distinct cultural divide across the National teams. This is why the NBA will always be superior to FIBA. The Phoenix Suns carry a heavily multicultural and racial player base which is a non issue. Winning in the NBA is to win for the good of the team while in FIFA and FIBA competitions it seems that winning is also for the good of your culture. As if winning a basketball game denotes a superior nation.

Sean Marks, our own 'Tall Black'

It is vague as why the New Zealand team carries such a classless name but I have found a poor mans answer,

The name was chosen as it reminds people of New Zealand's Rugby Union team, the All Blacks... (this tells me nothing so I went here and found that) ...It describes their playing strip of black shirts, shorts and socks. It has been suggested the name dates from the first tour of Britain by a New Zealand national rugby team (known as The Originals) in 1905/1906. According to Billy Wallace, one of the members of the Originals, the name derived from a London newspaper's description of the New Zealand team playing as if they were all backs! However it is much more likely that the name came from the black strip worn by the team... Rugby union is New Zealand's premier sport, and selection for the All Blacks is considered the highest honour that a Kiwi rugby union player can achieve.

Maybe I'm being a little overbearing but it seems to me that if you have a basketball team you shouldn't name it the Tall Blacks. I know David Stern Wouldn't.

We've Hit The Big Time

The Suns 2006-2007 schedule has been released and it looks just fantastic. The Suns will be showcased on national television an astounding 33 times, nine of which will be shown on NBATV. The schedule includes 23 of 41 home games played on the weekend. Expect lots of drunken rambling after many of these games. I'm shaking in anticipation. The only thing that rubs me the wrong way is that we open the season at L.A. Lakers and have a home game the following day vs. the Clippers. I can't wait to crush Kobe and co. but can't the team have a little time to work up to a back-to-back? Do the first two games really need to be back-to-back?

The entertainment value of this Suns team is skyrocketing with so many nationally televised games. I think it's good that they are getting so much exposure so that more people will come to realize how much fun this team is. This is a milestone in changing the culture of the NBA into something more exciting and fun to watch.