Quick Hits
Some random notes.
1) The Business Casual Look: I’m a big fan of Greg Popovich (open collar) and Don Nelson’s (golf shirt) fashion sense on the sidelines. I wish more coaches would dress like them. In the NFL, coaches are fighting to wear suits on the sidelines (and some guys—namely Parcells—should be definitely be forced to cover their guts and man boobs with as much clothing as possible), while the NBA lets coaches dress like they’re about to hit the club. I love this game!
(Of course, I won’t be totally pleased until I see Larry Brown’s infamous sweater from the 70s make a glorious comeback. That and bell bottoms!)
2) The Nuggs: Once Carmelo makes his return (Monday), will this officially become the most tatted team in the Association? Probably. They might have even had the crown with Melo in street clothes. I can’t wait until all three of these guys are running together, it is going to be veeeeery interesting. I expect things to hit a rough patch initially, but this team has the potential to do some real damage. And make sure to mark on your calendars that Phoenix and Denver square off on March 17th. It will be epic.
3) Did Race Play a Role in The Pacers-Warriors Trade?: As soon as the trade was announced, I immediately thought to myself, “G-State is the clear-cut winner in this deal, and that Indy team just got a whole lot whiter.” The whole trade doesn’t really do much for me; the Pacers and Warriors (OK, so G-State might sneak into the first round of the playoffs) aren’t going anywhere fast; and I’d be shocked if most of the players involved in the transaction stuck around with their new teams for much longer.
It wasn’t until I stumbled upon this Free Darko post (which led me to some message board conversation on the Indy Star’s website) that I began to seriously ponder the racial/cultural implications of the trade (especially in Indiana’s case.)
“hahah, i don’t care if this is the worst trade in league history, we finally got rid of that criminal, trigger happy, primadonna Stephen Jackson. He’ll fit right in out there in Cali. I hear there’s plenty of nudee clubs out west.”
“Well 1 thug down, 1 to go (O’Neil) then I will support the Pacers until then…”
(Keep in mind that I don’t think the fools on the message board represent the overall mentality of people from Hoosier country, but it’s interesting to read their thoughts nonetheless. Peep some of the other comments and judge for yourselves.)
4) Stephen A.: I only watched three episodes of his show (Iverson, Artest, and Bryant were the guests respectively) before it was canceled, and it struck me as an infinitely boring and unoriginal program. Smith—and I give the guy credit for being a good interviewer with the NBA guys—is a man with far too much ego to make this kind of show work.
A TV talk show host should have the ability to laugh at himself from time to time and not take himself too seriously. I don’t think Stephen A. has ever taken anything lightly. Dude even eats his cheese doodles with a purpose!
(Of course, if you are to believe the ESPN press release, this only means more Stephen A. on television and in print. Hooray! Not.)
5) “24”: I can’t believe I waited until this season to start watching the show. Last Sunday, after concluding that Tom Brady has an unbreakable deal with the Devil, I decided to give the much-hyped show a chance, and it was probably the best decision I’ll make this whole year. An amazing program. Can’t believe I didn’t jump on the bandwagon sooner; simply inexcusable. Now, I’m sitting around and plowing through seasons 1-4 on DVD like a crack fiend. *Hanging head in shame.*
(Also, is it just me or are the terrorists dressed a little too well? Should CIA agents be doing stakeouts in Dolce&Gabbana shops?)
6) K-Fed beats Britney: Slow your roll. He didn’t really “beat” her, but he’s going to be a part of the Superbowl madness and she won’t. I don’t get it. He’s a lowlife (and so is she), but at least people still want to see her (well, I’m not so sure about Omar.) I gotta say, after their relationship came to an end, I didn’t think Federline would ever get the upper hand on Spears in anything again. Here’s what one exec had to say in regards to Britney’s potential appearance in a Superbowl ad:
“She’s too much of a train wreck,” said the insider. “Besides, we already have Paris Hilton.”
Ouch.
7) The Ref vs. The NBA: This was a somewhat underreported story. About a week ago, the League suspended 9th year referee Rodney Mott (49 years old) for three games. His crime? Allegedly, dude flipped off some fan in Portland and used “inappropriate” language when addressing him (read= he cussed his ass out.) To the surprise of some, Mott has decided to challenge the ruling.
“The league is singling out Rodney because they want to send a message that they can and do punish referees,” stated Lamell McMorris, official spokesman for the National Basketball Referees Association. “Rodney did not do what they said he did, and the league is using him as a scapegoat and poster child to distract the public from other battles.”
This has the potential to get juicy. On second thought, no it doesn’t.
8) LeBron: Is the guy even playing this year? He’s putting up the usual gaudy numbers, his team is winning enough games to trick people into thinking they’re contenders (the evisceration they suffered at the hands of Phoenix a few days ago should render whatever they accomplish from now until April completely meaningless), but it’s as if James has yet to show up this year.
I hardly see him in the ‘plays of the week’ segments; Gilbert seems to be hogging all of the media attention; Kobe, Dirk and Nash have become the runaway favorites for MVP; and the biggest star in the League (not to mention its future) is almost an afterthought as the season kicks into overdrive. It’s eerie. Is he pulling the Wait-Until-The-Playoffs-To-Bring-The-Funk trick that Shaq has perfected over the years already? Good God, I hope not. I couldn’t handle that from him for the next 15 seasons.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to getting caught up on “24”.
38 Responses to “Quick Hits”
Jan.19 at 9:59 am
Zerokool says:
Got some bad news for you… there’s FIVE seasons of 24 available on DVD. That’s an extra 18 hours of Jack Bauer action to plow through… (y’know, since the episodes are actually only 44 minutes long). But you could always skip season 3. Just saying.
Jan.19 at 10:23 am
Kene says:
…skip Season 3?…why on Earth would he want to do that? It only has at least 2 of the most cold-blooded scenes in TV history. *Note to future commenters:…since ol’ dude might not have actually seen season 3, pls try not to actually say what happened in said scenes.
Jan.19 at 10:26 am
Sam Rubenstein says:
Seasons 1 and 2 are so effing incredible. You are so lucky you get to experience them for the first time. The plot twists… the backstabbings… JACK
Jan.19 at 10:30 am
J says:
i always why if the nba can fine players for things they do such as arguing bad calls why cant the nba fine refs for making some of the horrible calls they do. some calls they make completely change games and its just oh well maybe theyll get it right next time. does anyone know if the nba actually does do something and they dont let the general public know
Jan.19 at 11:43 am
Ben Osborne says:
Hopefully our next issue will answer the question of where lebron is.
Jan.19 at 12:03 pm
winston and the telescreen says:
I read the indy star message board
racists, racists, racists
but I’ve noticed the same thing on my local newspapers messageboard, the Press-Enterprise in CA- maybe its just a message board thing
(I’ve also noticed lots of creepy posts that seem to be made from sex offendors)
maybe messageboards are just hang out places for racists and perverts
Jan.19 at 12:09 pm
Sparker says:
i thought those pics poolside answered the question of where lebron is
Jan.19 at 12:20 pm
Sparker says:
on the get-whitey musings, a thought occurs to me. didn’t some indiana cracker actually BURN DOWN REGGIE MILLER’S HOUSE?
Jan.19 at 12:33 pm
TheHype says:
mutoni: one advice when watching the earlier eps — tape (tivo, whatever the kidz are using these days.. heroine?) the current, new eps, cuz I’m damn sure there’s gonna be tons of stuff that are revealed that is supposed to be SHOCKING from seasons 1-4
but remember, as a new 24 fan, you MUST hate Elisha Cuthbert, i mean, kobe-level hate here
Jan.19 at 12:50 pm
One Angry Knick Fan says:
I heard the Pacers have mandated short shorts.
Jan.19 at 12:58 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
Put it on my screen, Mutoni!
Jan.19 at 12:59 pm
Marcel Mutoni says:
i’m tivo’ing the new stuff, and watching the older stuff as quickly as possible. very little sleep right now. 24 is that crack!
Jan.19 at 12:59 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
By the way, the Cavs (and Bron) have the best record in the Eastern Conference.
Jan.19 at 1:33 pm
Max Airington says:
I have to have that sweater….
Jan.19 at 1:49 pm
Marcel Mutoni says:
by the way, but bron and the cavs ARE in the eastern conference.
Jan.19 at 1:58 pm
Ben Collins says:
Is it a race issue if Stephen Jackson actually is a criminal, trigger happy, primadonna? I still think his part in the brawl was the absolute worst — he threw the hardest punch at a guy he THOUGHT threw a beer at, not him, but his friend. Wasn’t even the right guy. Did it run through my mind that they essentially traded two white guys for two black guys? Yep. Did the Pacers win the trade? Of course. Is Stephen Jackson actually a d-bag, though? Absolutely. Plus, Harrington was always a good character guy. I vote not a race issue, just a way to get talent for one truly awful character guy.
Jan.19 at 2:00 pm
Ben Collins says:
I meant, “Did the Pacers lose the trade?” Man, I’d be all over an edit button.
Jan.19 at 2:02 pm
Ben Collins says:
Oh, and because I’m completely dominating this comment board, I think LBJ is going to make a late run at MVP. He always seems to surge in the last ten or so games of the year to give off this impression that we’ve been missing something all year. If that surge will push them to a plateau (55 wins?), it’ll push him over Nash, at least, since no one wants to vote for him. This is it for the comments. I feel like Ryan Jones.
Jan.19 at 2:05 pm
true says:
Give me a break. The trade has everything in the world to do with race. And the messageboard responses sum it up. If Mr. Jackson had just shot the person who hit him with the car instead of shooting in the air he wouldn’t have any charges.(Born and raised in the Hoosier state.)
Jan.19 at 2:12 pm
mutoni says:
what do you mean no one wants to vote for nash? i don’t know where people are getting this idea; sportswriters are DYING to vote for him. if they did it the last two years, why not do it again? (to be honest, though, i think dirk diggler is taking it this year.)
Jan.19 at 2:21 pm
Ben Collins says:
Up until this year, Nash was a borderline Hall of Famer. You don’t want a borderline Hall of Famer to be a three-time MVP. I think it’s like the 16th Amendment in the Constitution. Stockton didn’t even win one. Going into this season, I thought Nash could turn Baghdad into Disney World and he probably still wouldn’t win anything because people would realize how horrible that would look in a record book. But he’s pretty much doing that right now, so what the hell do I know. Anyways, anybody wanna go on Kurd Space Mountain?
Jan.19 at 2:56 pm
Ill Will says:
It’s ridiculous that no one wants to vote for Nash, and I know thats the basic feeling around. The past two years, Nash has won MVP and some say he shouldnt have. But why? It’s not like anyone was overwhelmingly better. You could make a case for a few people the last two years, but there were no really dominating performances that separated the field. As a result, Nash won. Sure, he put up similar numbers and had the same effect as JKidd in 01-02, but you couldnt argue against Duncan that year either. Now people want to back off of Nash this year for some supposed historical perspective that can’t possibly put him with Bird and Stilt (only three consecutvie MVPs). Maybe I’m crazy but I think if you think someone is the MVP, you should - I dunno - vote for them. If they think Dirk or Gilbert are better than fine, but dont not vote for Nasty because he ‘can’t win a third straight’.
Jan.19 at 3:01 pm
winston and the telescreen says:
the problem exists because all those depraved individuals known as sportswriters are absolutely aware that they ROBBED Kobe out of the MVP last year, and that if Kobe was out of it Lebron should have run away with it- but they voted in Nash, this year he actually deserves it but they feel bad about last year- they probably thought it was his last good year so they were giving him a lifetime achievement/we all hate Kobe Bryant award- I was incredibley pissed off that they slapped history itself in the face last year by not voting in Kobe, but this year Nash deserves it so far (though Dirk makes a strong case, as does Kobe) If you are from the Eastern Conference you are automatically disqualified, sorry Gil
Jan.19 at 3:37 pm
» The Links: The Big Question - SLAM ONLINE says:
[…] • Mutoni touched on it here, wondering if the Pacers trade was about improving their team or becoming a “whiter” team. I don’t think it was about them becoming “whiter” per se, but it was about them becoming more fan friendly. I mean, Ike Diogu isn’t white, is he? […]
Jan.19 at 3:48 pm
namik says:
Man are we gonna get another LeBron cover???
Damn and I was so excited about “the remix”
As much as things change, they still stay the same. Dirk should get MVP. Kobe will get robbed every year and it will have nothing to do with what he does on court.
Jan.19 at 4:10 pm
Wedgie Evans says:
Punk racists, they are the same everywhere. In Atlanta, where I live, the Hawks are a bunch of choir boys, but ask any random person on the street about the Hawks and the usual answer is “Bunch of thugs.”
Jan.19 at 4:34 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I just like that dude couldn’t even spell O’Neal’s name right.
Jan.19 at 5:11 pm
Darksaber says:
Comedy, calling the brit a “train wreck”. Highest of high comedy, soothing the interviewer with the sentence” besides, we already have the leg spreading, coke nosed, dumb as hell, blonde useless heiress, Paris”. Way to put things in perspective…
Jan.19 at 7:34 pm
Slobodan Chutzpah says:
Only f***ing with you, of course.
“Maybe messageboards are just hang out places for racists and perverts,” says Winston and the Telescreen in one of his many posts — on a message board…
Jan.20 at 2:28 am
Top says:
Regarding the business casual look, how about we flip that: Imagine if NBA coaches wore team unis like MLB managers?
Jan.20 at 6:03 pm
Harlem World says:
Bron got the numbers, both personally and as a team. Don’t let the Cavs other players mediocrity blur your vision. He’s still doing his thing. With the Nash situation, they messed up first of all by not giving his first award to Shaq. Last year was Bron. This year is Nash, but they done messed up the whole system so they won’t give it to him. Dirk will get it. Archive that and pull it out to make me look good end of season.
Jan.21 at 1:27 pm
H to the izzo says:
Even thought those messageboard comments were made
out of pure racism what they said about Stephen Jackson right aren’t you a primadona if you get angry or storm of to the dressing room every time you get subbed and the trade wasn’t that bad the pacers could have gotten more out of it but the only thing that put it in GWS’s favour was Al Harrington but he doesn’t like to play D
anyway Its time to stop making everything that happens in the NBA a race issue
Jan.21 at 1:35 pm
Artizzle says:
I THINK THE SHOW “24″ IS USELESS AND RACIST. PURE AMERICAN PROPAGANDA AND EVERYONE IS FALLING INTO THE TRAP. I WISH THEY MADE A SHOW ABOUT AMERICAN TERRORISM ACROSS THE WORLD: BOMBINGS IN MANY COUNTRIES KILLING THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PPL. STOP WATCHING NONSENSE GARBAGE AND UNDERSTAND THE BRAINWASHING THAT IS GOING ON. (I DOUBT THIS WILL EVEN GET POSTED)
ABOVE THE INFLUENCE OF AMERICAN PROPAGANDA.
Jan.21 at 1:59 pm
mutoni says:
artizzle, that’s a phenomenal idea for a tv show. sadly, it’ll probably never happen…
Jan.21 at 7:37 pm
khalid says:
BTW, calling the Indy/GS trafe racist is crazy. Everything isn’t racial.
Jan.22 at 12:57 pm
H to the izzo says:
Thank you Khalid,someone is seeing sense
Jan.22 at 6:09 pm
Mike says:
We got Prince in the Super Bowl, why do we even need FedEX or Spears or Paris?
Jan.22 at 6:48 pm
deestarbuckz says:
mutoni… I am in the same boat… Thank God for TIVO and NetFlix! My whole listing is 24, seasons one through five.