Preview: Blue Jackets vs. Red Wings (Game 1)
April 16, 2009Wasted Chances; Game 1 Goes to the Wings
April 17, 2009While We’re Waiting aims to be the round-up of the recent WFNY-esque information for your morning viewing. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email in the sidebar.
“I think Kobe’s the best player on this planet, forget the NBA.” Steph [Marbury] said. “Think about this: Which player do you want to take the last shot?” I told Steph that for me it depended on a lot of variables. How much time was left? Was there a foul to give? What team was I playing against? Every time I came up with a variable, Steph sighed and rolled his eyes. […]
Eventually, while driving home that night, I came to this understanding: If there was a play at the end of the game — say there were 5 seconds left on the clock — and I needed someone to take that final shot, I’d probably want Kobe to take that shot. He’s the best offensive player in the game today. I have no problem acknowledging that and accepting that.
The thing is, for the other 47 minutes and 55 seconds of the game, I’d want LeBron James to be my guy. I’d want him to grab rebounds, dunk on people in traffic, block shots, lead fastbreaks, cut up with guys on the sideline, throw powder into the air, drive to the basket, go to the line…basically, I’d want LeBron out there doing what he’s done all season long. You know, all those things that have made LeBron James, at least in my mind, the most valuable player in the NBA. [Lang Whitaker/SLAMOnline]
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Think we’re frustrated with our bullpen? “Damaso Marte obviously cannot pitch in pinstripes (5.40 ERA in 18.1 innings in 2008; 27.00 ERA in 2.0 innings thus far in 2009). Jose Veras is about half-crappy compared to Marte as Veras has a 13.50 ERA in 3.1 innings in 2009. And Phil Coke needs to pitch like he did in 2008 (0.61 ERA/14 K/2 BB/5 Holds in 14.2 innings) because he’s relatively looking like ish right now (9.00 ERA/5 K/3 BB in 4.0 innings). […] We need more Nick Swisher, perhaps? Or do we start that whole debate all over again about Joba Chamberlain going in the bullpen?” [Yanks Go Yard]
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To celbrate 1 million hits, Evan “The Villan” Turner guest blogs over at Club Trillion [Club Trillion]
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Food for thought: “Trading Edwards would leave the Browns with tight end Steve Heiden and running back Jamal Lewis as their leading receivers from a year ago with 23 catches. It means the current wideouts would be Syndric Steptoe, David Patten and possibly Joshua Cribbs. I still make the deal.” [Terry Pluto/Plain Dealer]
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The “Reverse Jim Thome” isn’t what you think. Okay, maybe it is: “Travis Hafner’s off-season weight loss was a popular gossip topic. Rumors of a skeleton Pronk abounded for awhile, but have mostly faded away not that Pronk seems to be acting like Pronk. If his weight loss enabled him to tinker with and speed up his swing, it’s all for the best. It certainly doesn’t seem to have effected his power stroke so far. Still, it’s quite stunning to look at Pronk now vs. the muscle-bound version we were all used to. It’s like he pulled a reverse Jim Thome, who started out as a stick-thin farm boy and ended up a lumbering, thick beast.” [Vince Grezegorek/’64 and Counting]
12 Comments
“It’s true I do wear a scarf and it’s true I loved Saved by The Bell as a kid, but to say I listen to white music is crazy. All you gotta do is look at my iPod and you’ll see that’s not true. On my recently played list, I got Darius Rucker (BLACK DUDE), Michael Jackson (USED TO BE A BLACK DUDE), K-Ci and Jojo (TWO BLACK DUDES), and Enrique Iglesias (MEXICAN DUDE)”
Hilarious.
Nice Banner
“The Reverse Jim Thome”, I’ve used that move in the bedroom before, my girl really likes it.
Stephon Marbury might be a worse basketball analyst than a player, and that’s saying something.
Love the banner.
Got my tix for tomorrow’s game. Anyone else going????
I’m going Tuesday.
This ridiculous comment was in today’s NY Post.
“A 2010-11 starting lineup of Nash and Wilson Chandler in the backcourt, with James, Danilo Gallinari and David Lee up front could make the Knicks title contenders. “
ugh – what a joke. that doesnt even come close to being a title-contender type of lineup. who comes off the bench? i do like wilson chandler but hes not an all-star caliber player. nash will be what – 36? 37? danilo? already has back issues, and those things dont just go away even if you are young (ask brad daughterty). to re-sign david lee AND pay lebron a max contract will leave the coffers close to empty regardless of how much cap space they have created. there will be next to nothing to sign bench players, which you HAVE TO HAVE to be a legit contender. why would lebron want to go to that kind of situation, unless he really doesnt care about winning and this is all a facade?? i think lebron is smarter than that.
oh – if the knicks win the lottery somehow this season and land blake griffin, i think we can consider it conspiracy part II – patrick ewing redux.
So how often does a game come down to the last shot? The majority of your games are won over the remain 47+ minutes. And no one dominates a game over that time frame more then a LeBron James. The last second free throw/shot argument is asinine. Which is exactly why the likes of John Berry use it as their sole criteria for MVP.
LeBron is the best overall player on the planet. Period. Kobe can shoot a jump shot better(while raping a college student). That’s it.
somebody did a study recently that analyzed clutch shooting and which nba player is the most efficient/best in crunch time of a close game. i cant remember who did the analyis though. no surprise to us, but lebron rated as the #1 clutch player in the nba. i think d-wade was #2. kobe was about third or fourth. if anyone knows what im talking about and can link it here, please do.
@ mike – you mean the piece that Craig did here on April 6?
https://waitingfornextyear.com/?p=9770
82games is the one i was talking about. thats the analysis i had seen. i should have known wfny picked up on it 🙂