12 October 2008
The NBA Season is Getting Close
10/18/08 23:10 Filed in: NBA
As the NBA season approaches, there are more than a
few question marks screaming out across the league.
I'll be talking a lot about the Lakers as the season nears, but for now, just this: As the Lakers made their run to the Finals last season, the constant mantra was "If only Andrew Bynum were healthy". Well, presumably he is back and healthy, and will he be the difference? Can he be the one to put the Lakers over the top and win the Championship this coming season? The short answer is "No", but a healthy Bynum will be a contributing factor in a talent-laden, well-coached team, that, on paper, appears significantly stronger than last season. They should be NBA Champs.
Can the Celtics duplicate their magic of last season? I was not a Doc Rivers fan before last season, but he did one of the great coaching jobs in NBA history last season, and he may be able to hold this team together to do it one more time. They are without James Posey who played a major role off the bench last season, but I really like Bill Walker, obtained in a post-draft trade, and he can make up for the loss. Leon Powe, who I thought was a budding star in his short tenure at Cal, showed flashes of that in the playoffs, and more playing time for him could be a big bonus for the Celtics.
Maybe the biggest question mark is the Houston Rockets. At times last year they were terrible, but then for a few weeks, after the injury to Yao Ming, they were brilliant. Which Houston team will show up this year? Well, I think the addition of Ron Artest is a major mistake and a step backward. Artest is perhaps the most over-rated player in the league, and has done nothing but make his team of the moment worse. He is a time bomb, and at some point during the season, he will explode, and take the team down with him.
More discussion of these teams, and more question marks, later on. But for now, for you die-hard NBA fans, here are some great basketball-decor items, to liven up your NBA-watching experience for the coming season:
theHoundDawg
I'll be talking a lot about the Lakers as the season nears, but for now, just this: As the Lakers made their run to the Finals last season, the constant mantra was "If only Andrew Bynum were healthy". Well, presumably he is back and healthy, and will he be the difference? Can he be the one to put the Lakers over the top and win the Championship this coming season? The short answer is "No", but a healthy Bynum will be a contributing factor in a talent-laden, well-coached team, that, on paper, appears significantly stronger than last season. They should be NBA Champs.
Can the Celtics duplicate their magic of last season? I was not a Doc Rivers fan before last season, but he did one of the great coaching jobs in NBA history last season, and he may be able to hold this team together to do it one more time. They are without James Posey who played a major role off the bench last season, but I really like Bill Walker, obtained in a post-draft trade, and he can make up for the loss. Leon Powe, who I thought was a budding star in his short tenure at Cal, showed flashes of that in the playoffs, and more playing time for him could be a big bonus for the Celtics.
Maybe the biggest question mark is the Houston Rockets. At times last year they were terrible, but then for a few weeks, after the injury to Yao Ming, they were brilliant. Which Houston team will show up this year? Well, I think the addition of Ron Artest is a major mistake and a step backward. Artest is perhaps the most over-rated player in the league, and has done nothing but make his team of the moment worse. He is a time bomb, and at some point during the season, he will explode, and take the team down with him.
More discussion of these teams, and more question marks, later on. But for now, for you die-hard NBA fans, here are some great basketball-decor items, to liven up your NBA-watching experience for the coming season:
NBA Pub Tables and Stools |
Basketball Court Rug |
Basketball Zone Wall Art |
theHoundDawg
|
UCLA v Stanford and "Skippy" and the Gang
10/18/08 22:08 Filed in: College
Football
In a comment to my initial post, reference was made
to the inept UCLA Football team, and the knight in
shinning armor, Rick 'Skippy" Neuheisel. While I hate
to agree with the commenter, he does raise some good
points. I am at a disadvantage, as the press of other
obligations kept me from seeing all
but most of the fourth quarter, so
what I saw was pretty impressive. However, having
seen almost every play of the season so far, and
coming in with the Bruins holding a single point
lead, and then falling behind the mighty Cardinal of
Palo Alto and environs, I can easily and correctly
say that this is not what most fans expected to be
seeing.
When Neuheisel was hired, replacing the inept Karl Dorrell, the feelings were much the same as when Ben Howland replaced Steve Lavin. However, knowledgeable fans should have expected a similar first year. Least we forget, the man who has led the Bruins to three straight Final Fours went 11-17 in his first year, and it was not until his third year that he produced a championship caliber team.
Neuheisel did a commendable recruiting job after his late hire, but the returning squad was far from a deep and talented group, including many over-rated players. Add to the mix a siege of injuries to key players, including QBs number one and two, and to many other key players beginning with almost the first play of the season, and clearly, as stated by the commenter, the talent the Bruins put on the field is thin, and each additional injury, as seemed to hit the defense especially hard today, further reduced the quality of the play on the field. But, the talent of the coaching staff was very evident today, and Neuheisel and OC Norm Chow got the most out of Kevin Craft and the young offense, to score in the last seconds, to pull out a victory.
The offense and the play of Craft has been more than inconsistent, but given the inexperienced offensive line, injuries to running back Kahlil Bell and fullback Trevor Theriot, and the numerous receivers out with injuries causing almost total reliance on young, inexperienced receivers Taylor Embree, Dominique Johnson, Nelson Rosario, Ryan Moya, and Cory Harkey, the present is ok, but the future looks bright.
I think overall the team is improving, and I do see more victories possible this season.
theHoundDawg
When Neuheisel was hired, replacing the inept Karl Dorrell, the feelings were much the same as when Ben Howland replaced Steve Lavin. However, knowledgeable fans should have expected a similar first year. Least we forget, the man who has led the Bruins to three straight Final Fours went 11-17 in his first year, and it was not until his third year that he produced a championship caliber team.
Neuheisel did a commendable recruiting job after his late hire, but the returning squad was far from a deep and talented group, including many over-rated players. Add to the mix a siege of injuries to key players, including QBs number one and two, and to many other key players beginning with almost the first play of the season, and clearly, as stated by the commenter, the talent the Bruins put on the field is thin, and each additional injury, as seemed to hit the defense especially hard today, further reduced the quality of the play on the field. But, the talent of the coaching staff was very evident today, and Neuheisel and OC Norm Chow got the most out of Kevin Craft and the young offense, to score in the last seconds, to pull out a victory.
The offense and the play of Craft has been more than inconsistent, but given the inexperienced offensive line, injuries to running back Kahlil Bell and fullback Trevor Theriot, and the numerous receivers out with injuries causing almost total reliance on young, inexperienced receivers Taylor Embree, Dominique Johnson, Nelson Rosario, Ryan Moya, and Cory Harkey, the present is ok, but the future looks bright.
I think overall the team is improving, and I do see more victories possible this season.
theHoundDawg
Three Straight Final Fours, But No Title Since 1995
10/18/08 00:14 Filed in: College
Basketball
The UCLA Bruins have been to the last 3 Final Fours,
but have failed to win a title since 1995.
They only got to the 1995 Final Four because of Tyus Edney's heroics versus Missouri, and the greatest 4.8 seconds in UCLA Basketball history:
Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Lorenzo Mata are gone from last year's team, and Ben Howland faces a major rebuilding year. However, Coach Howland has recruited one of the major talents in the country in Jrue Holiday, and an overall outstanding freshman class to support returning upperclassmen Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Alfred Aboya, James Keefe and Michael Roll, to hopefully keep the Bruins more than competitive. But a fourth straight Final Four?
A lot more about this in the following weeks.
theHoundDawg
They only got to the 1995 Final Four because of Tyus Edney's heroics versus Missouri, and the greatest 4.8 seconds in UCLA Basketball history:
Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Lorenzo Mata are gone from last year's team, and Ben Howland faces a major rebuilding year. However, Coach Howland has recruited one of the major talents in the country in Jrue Holiday, and an overall outstanding freshman class to support returning upperclassmen Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Alfred Aboya, James Keefe and Michael Roll, to hopefully keep the Bruins more than competitive. But a fourth straight Final Four?
A lot more about this in the following weeks.
theHoundDawg
BoSox Do What Dodgers Couldn't
10/17/08 08:52 Filed in: Baseball
Like a lot of people I'm sure, I turned off last
nights Rays-Red Sox game when it was 7-0, and was
mesmerized to find later in the evening that Boston
had come back to win, scoring 8 runs in the last 3
innings, for an 8-7 come-from-behind-victory,
extending the series to at least 6 games.
When down 3 games to 1, and falling behind 5-0 the night before, the Dodgers could muster only a single run (thanks to Manny - see 10/16/08 post).
I thought game 3 in the Dodger-Phillies series was a turning point, and I was wrong, but last night's game might be for Boston, and I wouldn't bet against them winning games 6 and 7 in the Trop.
theHoundDawg
When down 3 games to 1, and falling behind 5-0 the night before, the Dodgers could muster only a single run (thanks to Manny - see 10/16/08 post).
I thought game 3 in the Dodger-Phillies series was a turning point, and I was wrong, but last night's game might be for Boston, and I wouldn't bet against them winning games 6 and 7 in the Trop.
theHoundDawg
10/16/08 21:28 Filed in: Marketplace
Manny and the Dodgers
10/16/08 21:16 Filed in: Baseball
The Dodgers have to sign Manny, whatever the cost.
Pre-Manny, they were a moribund team, underachieving, fighting a slew of injuries, aging veterans competing with great but raw young talent, and a frustrated Joe Torre. The under .500 second place Dodgers were playing before unenthusiastic but hopeful fans.
Then Ned Colleti saved his job by trading for Manny.
They need to rid themselves of the albatross
that was Andruw Jones, the contract of the
never-to-be-seen Jason Schmidt, the worst throwing
arm in baseball in Juan Pierre, the attitude of Jeff
Kent, and, unfortunately, the walking hospital ward,
and no longer defensively adequate, Nomar.
They need to keep, along with Manny, the other guy that played so well once he came on board, Casey Blake, and Rafeal Furcal. Unless they pull off another coup and sign C.C. Sabathia, and maybe even if they do sign him, they also need Derek Lowe back. The success of the pitching staff, however, depends on the health of Takashi Saito, and Brad Penny. A healthy Saito means a great bullpen, a questionable Saito means question marks, and dependence on a yet unreliable and inconsistent Jonathan Broxton. A healthy Brad Penny means a stalwart to grind out innings, win games, and maybe even re-establish himself as the ace of the staff.
theHoundDawg
Pre-Manny, they were a moribund team, underachieving, fighting a slew of injuries, aging veterans competing with great but raw young talent, and a frustrated Joe Torre. The under .500 second place Dodgers were playing before unenthusiastic but hopeful fans.
Then Ned Colleti saved his job by trading for Manny.
Manny Ramirez Dodger T-Shirt $21.95 |
With that move, following the trade for Casey Blake, the Dodgers were a different team. It was more than the home runs, more than the clutch hitting, more than the excitement, it was a new attitude, not seen in LA in years. The team, and the fans, came together, and the whole was greater than the parts. For more than a month, the Dodgers were the best team in baseball. They played that way through the Division Series against the Cubs, but it didn't last, and a solid Phillies team is champion of the National League. They can continue that compassion, that excitement, and be that team for the whole of next season, if Manny returns. With him, the continued development of Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, James Loney, Andre Either, Blake DeWitt, Chad Billingsley, with a healthy bullpen, led by Takashi Saito and Jonathan Broxton, and no more Andruw Joneses, this team can jump that final hurdle and be play until the final out of the season. |
They need to keep, along with Manny, the other guy that played so well once he came on board, Casey Blake, and Rafeal Furcal. Unless they pull off another coup and sign C.C. Sabathia, and maybe even if they do sign him, they also need Derek Lowe back. The success of the pitching staff, however, depends on the health of Takashi Saito, and Brad Penny. A healthy Saito means a great bullpen, a questionable Saito means question marks, and dependence on a yet unreliable and inconsistent Jonathan Broxton. A healthy Brad Penny means a stalwart to grind out innings, win games, and maybe even re-establish himself as the ace of the staff.
theHoundDawg
theHoundDawgSportsBlog - An Intro
10/16/08 20:42 Filed in: Introduction
For several years, I've been writing about politics,
the environment, and other social issues, including
as often as I have been able to on theHoundDawg blog, and in
forums, other blogs, on Yahoo Answers, and
elsewhere, but most of my time has been spent
building ecommerce websites. I've ignored to a
great extent my passion for sports, as it
relates to my web presence. Well, today I
decided to end that, and theHoundDawgSportsBlog
is born.
I've got a lot of time to make up.
I hope to post daily, providing information, opinion, and hopefully insights, to sports, with an emphasis on the teams that are important to me - the LA Dodgers, UCLA Bruins Basketbal, UCLA Bruins Football, the LA Angels, the LA Lakers, and, uh, what is that LA NFL team...........? Well, you know what I mean. That is not to say that I will be ignoring other teams and other sports. Occasionally, the likes of hockey, golf, and maybe even formula one will come up. And rest assured I will have a few choice words from time to time for the likes of the brain surgeons from the University of Spoiled Children. What I will not discuss includes what I feel is the most boring spectator sport there is, tennis, and you won't be reading anything here about the good ol' rednecks of nascar.
theHoundDawg
I've got a lot of time to make up.
I hope to post daily, providing information, opinion, and hopefully insights, to sports, with an emphasis on the teams that are important to me - the LA Dodgers, UCLA Bruins Basketbal, UCLA Bruins Football, the LA Angels, the LA Lakers, and, uh, what is that LA NFL team...........? Well, you know what I mean. That is not to say that I will be ignoring other teams and other sports. Occasionally, the likes of hockey, golf, and maybe even formula one will come up. And rest assured I will have a few choice words from time to time for the likes of the brain surgeons from the University of Spoiled Children. What I will not discuss includes what I feel is the most boring spectator sport there is, tennis, and you won't be reading anything here about the good ol' rednecks of nascar.
theHoundDawg