Sports Talk with MC

Greetings! MC here with today’s NBA roundup.

Tragedy- Houston GM Daryl Morey today announced that all-star center Yao Ming would be out for the rest of the NBA season due to a fracture in his foot. The Chinese superstar had been averaging a 20 and 10 and had been the anchor of the Rockets’ inside offense for the past season. The Rockets haven’t been lucky with injuries this year, with Tracy McGrady being in and out of the lineup due to a myriad of ailments, former all-star Steve Francis being out for the year due his share of hiccups, and now, Yao, who is arguably the best center in the NBA right now, having to sit due to a sad foot.

Could Yao’s injury signal the demise of Houston’s chances of making it to the postseason? McGrady is an all-star, youngsters like Landry and Scola have been solid, and Bobby Jackson can help provide some veteran leadership, but with the way the Western Conference is these days (stocked with size and star power), I doubt whether the Rockets will be able to overcome the odds, that is, unless McGrady starts playing like Michael Jordan (which I don’t see happening). Look for Denver to overtake them in the standings over Golden State.

Victory: The Lakers have lost one game since acquiring Pau Gasol. One. Andrew Bynum isn’t even back yet. Vujacic is playing like Drazen Petrovic. Lamar Odom is finally becoming the inside-outside threat the Lakers envisioned him to be years ago. Kobe is still Kobe.

And with that, the purple and gold has invaded the number one spot in the Western Conference.

Am I surprised? Not really. The only thing that surprises me at the this point would be the fact that the Nuggets didn’t pull the trigger on a supposed Ron Artest deal that was THIS CLOSE to happening. Yes, Artest has baggage, but then, could you imagine what sort of damage a Kenyon Martin, Artest, Camby, Iverson, and Anthony starting five could do in the playoffs against a Dallas, Phoenix, or New Orleans? Martin and Artest would be monsters in the interior on the defensive end, and so would Marcus Camby. Iverson and Anthony would be able to do their roaming, with Artest and KMart giving them screens that would knock a Grizzly Bear to the ground. Trading for Ron Ron would’ve necessitated giving up a talented shooter in Kleiza, and a hard-nosed workhorse type in Eddie Najera, but who cares? Kleiza can score, but can’t defend a 1000 pound mammoth driving to the hoop, and Najera is tough, but is one dimensional. I would’ve wanted this trade to have happened, also, for the showbiz value of it. KMart and the Tru Warrior together, along with ‘Melo and Iverson, who consequently, aren’t exactly angels either? You can’t get any more “gangsta” than that. Put Denver in a series with Phoenix and you may see Steve Nash tackled not once, but many times over.

The trade deadline has passed, Artest is still property of the Maloofs, of Sacramento, and part of the a world where he is the master of the universe.

Shucks. No dice.

Stupidity: If James Dolan thinks that Isiah Thomas is still the answer to the Big Apple’s troubles, then he should go jump in the Hudson. Thomas was an amazing ballplayer, but is horrible as a GM and coach. His players have seemed to have been antagonized by him, and his squabbles with Stephon Marbury, along with his sexual harrassment ordeal, haven’t helped get him brownie points with Knick fans who, all of a sudden, miss Charles Smith, C-Oak, John Starks, and yes, even Charlie Ward and Chris Dudley.

Heck, I’m not from NYC, but I miss Chris Dudley too. The fact that he was such a poor foul shooter made watching him all the more fun.

Seriously, though, I think that Jimmy Dolan should make changes in the offseason, beginning with firing of Isiah and the hiring of a Jerry West-type to run the team as its General Manager, and a legit coach like Jeff Van Gundy or Paul Silas (at least) to run the team from the bench. Next, Dolan should shop any and all players with bad attitudes or bad contracts. Buyouts MUST be an option too. I’m talking to you, Jerome James.

I was never a Knick fan back in the 1990s, but I feel sorry for Spike Lee and his boys. I really do. I never knew the Knicks would ever stink this much, but sadly, Isiah’s softy approach has netted them losing season after losing season, with a growing sense of discontentment from any all New Yorkers- from the fans, the players, to most likely, deep inside, even Thomas himself. This has all got to end at some point, somehow.

Maybe Stephon Marbury should end his career in Europe after all. That way, he’d be able to fool more people into thinking that he is a point guard worth mentioning amongst the greatest of all time. That way, he’d be able to do his fooling, while being just a liiiiittttllle farther away from the scrutiny of guys like Stephen A. Smith. Madrid is not Manhattan, after all.

A Final Quip: In the last few days, we’ve heard of veterans Antoine Walker and Sam Cassell request for buyouts from their respective teams. I sympathize with ‘Toine’s situation more than I do Sam-I-Am’s, though, as even if Walker won a title with Miami in 2006, his career’s been on a steady downslope over the last couple of years. He’s fallen on “hard times” since being at odds with Riles in Miami over his conditioning, and being banished to a Garnett-less T-Wolves team for his trouble. Add him to a playoff bound team now and he’s bound to be rejuvenated, but realistically, ineffective. The man still shoots too many J’s for his own good and the truth is, he can’t play defense. Put Cassell on a playoff bound team and he gives you leadership, swagger, and yes, midrange offense. He may not be able to guard the Monta Ellises and Tony Parkers of the world at age 38, but then, the team who gets him, from the outset, won’t expect such of him. Walker, being a man who has shown flashes of brilliance despite being disgruntled, slightly overweight, and complacent offensively, would merit even a sliver of expectation to defend, an expectation that, sadly, I don’t think he can live up to at this stage.

So yes, ‘Toine may hop onto a Spurs, Suns, or Mavericks joyride sometime soon, and heck, he may even win his second ring, but then, he won’t be gaining even more respect as as baller as a result. Cassell, on the other hand, might be able to further solidify his reputation as being a leader on the hardwood, someone who, despite being rather ornery, or slightly ball-hoggish, as I’ve read, can and will contribute well beyond a stat sheet can suggest.

Option 2- forget this entire segment and just sign Chris “Birdman” Andersen to a contract. He’s got funky hair. He’s got mad hops. He’s 6,11″. He’s a white Larry Nance. What could be more fun than watching Birdman dunk over Tim Duncan in the second round of the playoffs?

Uhmm…remembering that Andersen isn’t going to do that anytime soon and that we have to rely on video games to make such things occur?

Yes, video games are good.

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