Sports Talk with MC

by MC

It’s been eons since my last post. Blame it on the many trappings of a hectic day job. Look no further than that. And, well, perhaps a rough n’ tumble romantic life and…well, you get the picture.

The NBA landscape has been reshaped since my last post. The Celtics are back on top of the heap after 22 years in the doldrums. Baron Davis looks like he’s on his way to becoming a Clipper, and, teamed with Elton Brand (who is presumed to be on his way to re-signing with the Clips for a slightly smaller amount than his previous salary, or franchise player-level extension, would have provided him), he looks to bring dignity back to the red, white and blue (dignity that brought the team to the postseason once this decade…short but sweet, yes). The Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns have gone from being perennial Western Conference powers to, well, crumbling teams with mismatched talents and bloated payrolls (they aren’t the Knicks, but then, all the spring cleaning has actually brought on more dirt). Speaking of the Knicks, they actually have some hope of becoming something other than trash with the arrival of Mike D’Antoni and Donnie Walsh. What’s more, Stephon Marbury’s contract expires at the end of this year. Can you feel the hope, Manhattan?

Silence means, “no” in NYC. Okay, they haven’t done anything yet. Okay, they still have D’Antoni antitheses players in Randolph and Curry. Okay, they still have Jarred Jeffries. Okay, they still have (gasp) Jerome James’ idle sneakers, shorts, and jersey. Much still needs to be done in the “Greatest City in the World”, but hey, having D’Antoni and Walsh on board, drafting Danilo Gallinari (he’s better than a lot of people give him credit for), and firing Isiah Thomas, is a start.

Derrick Rose is now with the Chicago Bulls, and here’s to hoping he doesn’t become the next on-court Jay Williams. Michael Beasley, as one sportswriter put it, is “Charles Barkley without the Krispy Kremes”, but how well will he mesh with D-Wade? How well will Eric Spoelestra be able to put it together in season 1- post-Riley (I may be taking those words back at some point, but hey, for the sake of this article, let me use them). Will the Heat regret not taking OJ Mayo? I think not. Mayo has the makings of a star, but so does Beasley. With Wade by his side, MB should do fine, and, barring anything close to a relapse of last year’s Miami Heat healthcare record, the South Floridians in black and red should do okay. I don’t know about winning a ring, but I think they’ll do better than last year, at the very least.

‘Melo to the Pistons? Josh Howard doing weed? Terry Porter and Vinny Del Negro the new coaches of the Suns and Bulls respectively? The Sonics- to move or not to move? What has the NBA world come to?

If you asked me, the David Stern’s lucky streak continues despite Shaq doing his obscene little rap on Kobe Bryant, ex-ref Donaghy saying refs have fixed everything but the kitchen sink in recent years, and the Sonics moving to Oklahoma city fiasco. The Celtics-Lakers “nostalgia series” helped start the spiffying up of the NBA’s image on the short term, along with Baron Davis purportedly going to the Clips (the idea of the Lakers and Clippers playing one another in the postseason for some real bacon has intrigued many in recent years), and the Knicks beginning to rise up from basketball hell (with Isiah gone, there’s less hate in NYC, and because it’s such a big basketball market, the papers being filled with sale-worthy bylines is something that doesn’t look to be on the way out anytime soon, or ever). Perhaps after all that, we’ll see George W. Bush buy an NBA team once he’s out of office. That should put a damper on Lebron James possibly coming over to the Big Apple or the Swamp in 2 years time. We wouldn’t be back at square one, but it would sure put a damper on the NBA’s campaign for “ethical and intelligent ownership”. Go figure.

And finally…

Gilbert Arenas has agreed to re-sign with the Washington Wizards for $111 Million USD. Agent Zero insisted that he re-signed with the Wiz for $16 Million USD less than the initially reported max contract offer priced at $127 Million USD due to a sense of “generosity”. The 3 time all-star told the Washington Post, “What can I do for my family with $127 million that I can’t do with $111 million?”

Yes, what can you do with 127 that you can’t do with 111? Personally, I think that Gil’s intentions here are good. The Wiz become less financially hamstrung by their biggest star being signed to a max deal, plus he gets to be paired with two other big time players in Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler, the former of the two having just been signed to a $65 Million USD contract over 4 years. Other sports journalists have seemed to have made a huge deal out of Arenas being one of those spoiled, rich, athletes who treat money in the millions like spare change we have in our cars’ glove compartments as we approach toll gates. I personally believe that the criticism is quite unfair, in that Arenas’ move, after all, does give the Wizards room to sign other free agents (including guard Roger Mason Jr.), while still staying under the dreaded luxury tax. It isn’t Gil’s fault that he’s paid a lot of money. He has averaged 22.2 points and 5.5 dimes over a 7 year NBA career tattooed with big shot after big shot. Him wanting max cash, then, doesn’t exactly spell out SIN in capital letters. Rather, it spells a longer word- RESPONSIBLE.

Arenas said it best in a bit of correspondence with the Washington Times.

“It’s a relief. It was a burden at the same time. Your whole city is depending on you, wondering if you’re going to make the right decision. I’m a franchise player and sometimes franchise players need to make franchise decisions.”

A great American diplomat once said that we should not ask what our country can do for us. Rather, we should ask what we can do for our country. Apparently, Gilbert’s a Kennedy fan.

Agent Zero, you have made a smart decision for the greater good of your team. Kudos to you.  

And so goes another day in the NBA.

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