The Bizniz, Volume 4, Issue 2

Wanted to check in with a few thoughts.

I'm completely burnt out on all things LeBron, but I will say that with a lot of time now passed to digest the entire "Decision" ordeal, I can't really call myself a LeBron fan anymore, and it's a shame because he was one of my two or three fave NBAers. Articles have been written ad nauseum on the move to South Beach (telling that he said "South Beach" and not "Miami" or "the Heat" by the way). The "King" cannot win on his own and at 25 had a mid-life basketball crisis, becoming so paranoid that he'd never win in Cleveland, that he had to head for greener pastures as a complementary player on Dwyane Wade's team (Wade has already delivered a championship to Miami). My main thought in the whole soap opera isn't so much whether it was right/wrong/honorable/disloyal/etc. to leave the way he did as it is how can a guy that always seemed to be media savvy and conscious botch this so badly? You cannot go on worldwide television in a one-hour special to do anything but announce you're staying in Cleveland. Even in retrospect it's hard to fathom that LBJ did what he did. I'm sick of it so I will leave it at this: just remember that Kobe will be chasing the hallowed "MJ" ring #6 and Phil will be chasing 3-peat #4 so don't hand Miami the trophy just yet. No one will be more motivated than the Black Mamba. And Boston, along with every other contender, will be sta-raight hungry to shut the Heat down. If nothing else, I did get a hearty laugh at LeBron proclaiming that the Heat would get "not six, not seven..." championships. LOL. I predict one (and only one)--if indeed any--championship in the Wade/LeBron/Bosh 6-year contract era.

On a different note, on the heels of last night's Matt Garza no-hitter, I want to give a few thoughts on the no-hitter itself and when it is actually a notable accomplishment. Garza walked only one batter, who was then wiped off the ledger with a twin killing so Garza faced the minimum 27 batters. This is a dominant pitching performance. To contrast, Edwin Jackson pitched a "no-hitter" (in sarcastic quotes) last month with 8 walks. 8 walks! Of course he didn't allow any hits, he didn't throw many strikes. So while many or most no-hitters represent good (or better) pitching performances, not all no-nos are created equal. And in speaking of no-hitters relative to quality pitching performances, Armando Galarraga is not on the list of pitchers who've thrown no-hitters with his 28 out perfect game but guys with 8-9 walk no-nos are. Go figure.

Movie review: Inception. This movie is the rare gem that lingers long after the credits roll. The concept involves multiple levels of dream manipulation and the depth of scale was incredible as the viewer gets lost in level after level after level. The performances were money from the ensemble cast and Christopher Nolan's crisp pacing was perfect. The visuals were awesome as well. One notable part was where a dream construct of a cityscape created by Ellen Page's character folded over on itself, creating a "mirrored" effect. DOPE. Probably not since The Matrix has a movie bended my mind to this degree. And the ending joins the list of greatest movie endings with the "is the top going to stop spinning?/i.e. is it real?" interpretation (which if course only makes sense if you've seen it). One small criticism is that the engineering company that was mentioned early on (I can't even recall the name since it was only obliquely mentioned) wasn't fleshed out. It was an intriguing almost shadowy company that seemed like it could've played a bigger role in the story (especially as to the characters' motivation) and could've been explained a little more, even just through a few lines of dialogue. Regardless, Nolan is the man. Easy A for me.

The Bizniz, Volume 4, Issue 1

I have not written for some time but I have recently decided to once again take up the cross… er, keyboard, and distill knowledge, humor, and fer shizzleness.

Today being July 1st, the natural topic is NBA free agency. We now enter the biggest free agent extravaganza the league has ever seen, with available superstars abounding. Clearly the crown jewel is two-time MVP LeBron James, with Dwyane Wade a close second. In my mind, those are the only maximum contract guys out there. However, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer, Dirk Nowitzki, and Paul Pierce all figure to be asking for close to max dollars and David Lee, Ray Allen, and Richard Jefferson, among others, will be seeking higher end ducats as well. (As an aside, it is humorous, and must be underscored, that, along with Carmelo Anthony who can opt out next year, 4 of the top 5 picks of the 2003 draft will all be making at or close to max money as bonafied NBA superstars. The lone exception? Darko Milicic. Good times.)

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have averaged for their careers 28/7/7 and 25/5/7, respectively. And Wade has the upper hand as a champion (although many agree that the ’05-‘06 Heat were one of the worst teams to win a title). Wade has established himself in Miami but is from Chicago, thus the Bulls beckon. It seems that Wade only has two destinations, staying in Miami or going to Chicago. However, I don’t see how a backcourt of Derrick Rose and Wade would work. Frankly I don’t see how Rose and LeBron would coexist, but more on that to come. Miami is attempting to be pluckers, rather than pluckees, by going after, among others, James, Bosh, Stoudemire, and Boozer. Pat Riley is already waiting in the wings with a freshly pressed Armani suit and a gallon of hair gel to once again patrol the sidelines, helming a Heat team with Wade, James, AND Bosh. At least, that is the fantasy. If nothing else, the Heat could obtain another superstar to complement Wade, likely one of the power forwards mentioned above. As for LeBron, his future is much hazier. Personally, I think Cleveland is the best fit in multiple ways. First, the Cavs can pay him more as the incumbent team thanks to the current CBA arrangement that favors the home team. Second, he is a native of nearby Akron. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I think he has a better chance to win in Cleveland. Back to back 60 win seasons and a solid, if unspectacular, supporting cast (Mo Williams, 16/5; Antawn Jamison 19/8 and role guys like Anderson Varejao [can someone explain to me the difference between Varejao and Joakim Noah, one of the guys inevitably mentioned as one of the key pieces for LeBron in Chicago?] and up and comer J.J. Hickson). I certainly think Cleveland can use to add (frankly anyone who does not win the championship has room to improve) but a nice nucleus is in place, a good combination of veterans and young players. You can’t tell me that the Knicks or Nets offer James a better chance to win. The Knicks haven’t won a playoff game in 10 years and have to be wondering what they’re getting for the big money they are paying Mike D’Antoni. The Nets flirted with the worst record in NBA history. I think Chicago and Miami offer LeBron a chance to win but each comes with a caveat. In Chicago, no matter what he ever does, he will NEVER surpass the level of Michael Jordan. His best hope is to be a franchises’ all-time #2. And Derrick Rose needs the ball in his hands so having another alpha dog, even if it's LeBron James, could be a problem. And word is that LeBron wasn't crazy about playing for a defensive minded coach (i.e. lacking offensive creativity) in Mike Brown, but Chicago is going to have a defensive minded coach in Tom Thibodeaux. In Miami, he would join Wade as Alex Rodriguez joined Derek Jeter, a hired mercenary that comes in to help out an extant star, both on and off the floor. That is Wade’s team and it’s hard to envision the Heat as Wade and James’ team. Other destinations have been thrown out, such as the Clippers and Mavericks, but neither is likely to happen. Basically it comes down to what LeBron really wants. If it really is the glitz and glam and global icon status he could obtain in New York (Manhattan or Brooklyn) then fine. If it’s a business decision, I understand. However, if the decision is based on basketball, then Cleveland makes the most sense. Plus he will be expected to be a franchise savior in the Big Apple, and frankly he hasn’t delivered so far in his otherwise brilliant career. New Yorkers are not the most patient fans. If The King does not deliver a championship (or more likely many championships) there will be hell to pay. Conversely, no matter what he does in Cleveland, he will be beloved as the hometown kid who stayed true to his roots. If he leaves, Cleveland (and many other NBA observers) will forever look at him as a coward who left with the job unfinished. If he stays, he will rule Ohio with love and adoration. LeBron must really decide if the allure of New York is truly worth it. So do I think James will do the right (and what is ultimately, to me, the best) thing and stay in Cleveland? I would not bet on it (but I hope he does).

In terms of the remaining free agent class, as I said before, there are many really good, All-Star caliber players, but none worth max money. Chris Bosh seems to be a lock for max money (depending on whether the Trinity unites for slightly less). He’s a good player, 20/9 career. Amare Stoudemire career: 21/9. Bosh is two years younger, which I guess is his best asset in the comparison between the two. As a Suns fan, I really like, but do not love, Amare and I do not think he is worth max money. Thus, the fact that he was not traded at last year’s deadline looms large with the thought of no compensation coming back to Phoenix (assuming, as with all deals, it is not a sign and trade scenario). But I would rather him walk than to overpay. Maybe it’s because Bosh has played his entire career in relative obscurity in the basketball hotbed of Toronto but I am just not blown away by the guy. Again, he’s a very good player. But max money for him would be hard to swallow if I’m an NBA GM (which the Suns need… and I need a job… hmmm). One rumor that’s floated around is that if Amare walks, the Suns would then target David Lee, who despite averaging only 13/10 career is coming off a 20/12 year and is only 27 (almost 6 months younger than Stoudemire), and could be had for far cheaper than Amare. Lee is your classic hustle garbage man, a position the Suns could use. (And as for Suns’ free agents, lock up Louis Amundsen and Channing Frye on the double!) It’s looking like the Hawks are going to overpay Joe Johnson (a Yahoo sports article today decried the possible signing as “the worst ever”). This is what I’m saying. It’s not worth overpaying a guy just because you’re more afraid of losing him with no compensation. Johnson is a good player (18/4/4 career) who is now a 20-a-night guy. But he’s a complementary piece, not a franchise player. The one guy that is both worth it and not worth it in terms of max money is Dirk Nowitzki. Dude is the most unique 7 footer ever. Big and physical, yet silky and clutch anywhere on the floor, Nowitzki is a fabulous player with some questions; namely, does he make you a championship team? He’s been an MVP and led his team to the Finals but somehow he hasn’t sold everyone on his status as franchise cornerstone, myself included. Basically, a max money guy to me is a guy that can deliver a championship and/or is an All-NBA first team no-brainer year in and year out. This year’s stellar crop includes many great players, but few max money guys in my estimation. That said, I foresee more guys than perhaps should walk away with max deals walking away with max deals.

*************************************************************************************
Since I did not write at the time regarding the Lost finale, I will do so now. Lost is my favorite show of all time. I did not watch season 1 when it aired. I remember seeing the commercial and thinking, "So it's a dramatic Gilligan's Island?" But prior to the beginning of season 2, I caught an hour long recap of the first season and I thought it looked incredible so, armed with the knowledge gleaned from the recap, I began watching season 2, and never missed another episode (and I subsequently watched season 1 in its entirety on dvd later that year). After a lot of thought and reading of forum boards and talking to other Lost fans, I have determined that Lost was a show broken into two main camps-1) those for whom the show was entirely based on the characters and their relationships and 2) those for whom the island's mysteries and the show's mythos was the most important thing. Obviously, most people are a combination of both camps, on some sort of sliding scale. For me, Lost was about 65% about the characters and 35% about the mythos, give or take 5%. The finale did an amazing job of wrapping up the character end of things. Absolute love letter to the fans in terms of the relationships we have come to love in 6 seasons. Very emotional. But as a big fan of the mythology side, I was rather unfulfilled. With mysterious websites and alternative reality games, among other things, the show clearly established a major aspect that was tied into the mysteries of the island itself. And these questions were left almost entirely unanswered (I do concede that this is stated with somewhat of an asterisk because there have been promises of dvd extras for season 6; here's hoping). Also, I would say that the series finale did an amazinng job of wrapping up season 6, but not the series as a whole. It was, after all, a series, not season, finale. I read an article following the finale where the author stated he "loved and hated" the finale. I think that exactly sums up my feelings. All in all, I still freaking love that show and I'm still in a bit of post partum depression now that it's no more. I own season 1-5 and will be first in line for season 6 so I can always, and believe me I will, have The Island in my life. To Jack, Locke, Sawyer, Kate, Hurley, Jin, Sun, Desmond, Penny, Sayid, Charlie, Claire, Michael, Walt, Rose, Bernard, Mr Eko, Ben, Richard, Christian, Juliet, Faraday, Charlotte, Miles, Frank, Widmore, the Dharma Initiative--and especially Nikki and Paulo--etc, etc, etc (for the Danielle's, Ana Lucia's, Boone's, Shannon's, Tom's of the world), and to J.J., Carlton, and Damon, thank you for 6 years I will always cherish (make fun of me all you want... I love Lost!)

The Bizniz, Volume 3, Issue 2 ARCHIVE

2/19/08

I wanted to check in with some thoughts on the just-wrapped All-Star Weekend, namely the dunk contest. I grew up as a huge fan of the dunk contest in the late 80's/early 90's-M.J., 'Nique, Grandmama, Baby Jordan Miner, Dee Brown, Ced Ceballos, J.R./Isaiah Rider, Kobe, etc. It was the ultimate spectacle event for a kid-seeing your favorite players go "Can you top this?" with amazing dunks. I remember a "Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers" tape from about 1990 (with Marv Alberts and Frank Layden), which I watched like 900 times, with, among others, all the classic Jordan/Wilkins battles (Also, note that Spud Webb in '86 was cool, being able to trick dunk at 5' 7", but let's be real: the year he won, His Airness was injured and the Human Highlight Film wasn't 100%. And, much like when Candace Parker was in the McDonald's contest, nothing 'Nique did would've been enough). Then, as any fan knows, in the late 90's we hit a dunk contest apostasy of sorts. New rules, such as doing multiple dunks in the allotted time, made the contest pretty lackluster. This was coupled with more and more stars avoiding the competition, which had been its early staple (the greatest ever, Michael Jordan, was a multi-time participant, as was Dominique Wilkins, who should be among the NBA's 50 Greatest). And then came Vinsanity. The 2000 contest finally brought the dunk contest out of mediocrity. Vince Carter was incredible (perhaps the best single dunk contest performance of all-time), but the field included Tracy McGrady, Steve Francis, Ricky Davis, and Jerry Stackhouse (who all had quality dunks but were clearly overshadowed; Davis, for example, was the first to go through the legs in reverse). We then come to the Jason Richardson era of the dunk contest. He won in 2002 and 2003 and should've won in 2004 but he missed his beyond-ridiculous attempt at a 360, off the bounce, through the legs dunk. Among his dopest highlights during this run were the off the backboard, through the legs dunk (stop and think about that for a second) and the off the bounce, through the legs backwards left-handed dunk. He could've gone with the safe, sure thing and beaten Freddie Jones down, but he went for the big-time. Here was a guy that truly understood showmanship and imagination. Also worthy of note is Desmond Mason, who always took J. Rich to the max with some incredible dunks of his own. It's funny because many, like Magic Johnson, have declared in the last year or two, with Gerald Green and Dwight Howard as participants, that "the dunk contest is back!" (PTI asked the question today, "Is the dunk contest back", in fact). Folks, the dunk contest never left, at least not since the year 2000. Richardson's run vs. Des Mason, Josh Smith in '05, and Andre Iguodala in '06 (forget about Nate Robinson, kids. 14 attempts on the last dunk…come on. The "other" A.I. was amazing from beginning to end) were all awesome contests. Gerald Green's "birthday cake" dunk this year was one of the most imaginative ever (and, while less imaginative since he had just gone through the wickets, his no-sock dunk was pretty incredible). And Dwight Howard is simply not a homo sapien, or at least not from Earth (not unlike a certain "caped crusader".) His Superman "dunk" was legendary (in quotations because he literally threw the ball through the rim. If it wasn't so sick, I'd actually take a little off since it wasn't clean). However, his off the back of the backboard dunk, while cool, was a rehash of an Andre Iguodala dunk from '06 (Kenny Smith erroneously noted that we had "never seen any" of Howard's dunks). Iguodala's off the bounce, behind the back dunk is Hall of Fame, too (I'll get to that). In other words, despite popular opinion, the demise of the dunk contest prior to Green and Howard was greatly exaggerated. Like I said, I am an unabashed fan of the dunk contest, always have been. I've always loved All-Star Saturday Night, in fact, more so than the game on Sunday. It definitely went through a lull but it's better than ever now. Dudes are really thinking outside of every box and coming up with not only amazingly athletic dunks, but artistic and amazingly innovative ways of doing them. I love to see it and I hope it continues. Kudos to Dwight Howard, a superstar player/All-Star starter, for participating. I hope more stars will do likewise (Jamario Moon was nice, but I had never heard of Jamario Moon until about 30 seconds before the contest). So now, after a TON of thought and deliberation, I give you the 10 Best Dunk Contest Dunks of All-Time:

First off, some honorable mentions: Vince Carter(R) /Josh Smith (L) reverse 360 windmill; Dee Brown arm over eyes (or even better, Gerald Green same dunk, over Nate Robinson); Jordan baseline windmill; Harold Miner full pump between the legs; Dwight Howard sticker dunk; Dwight Howard off the bounce, tip off the backboard dunk; Desmond Mason through the legs left; Desmond Mason windmill with the off hand; Vince Carter two step, two feet windmill from behind the basket dunk; Nate Robinson over Spud Webb; Gerald Green birthday cake dunk; Dominique Wilkins off the backboard, jumping from the bottom of the circle dunk; J.R. Smith behind the back in air. And, even though he never got it down, J. Rich off the bounce, through the legs 360. Had he gotten that one down, that is no doubt 1 to me.

10.) Michael Jordan from the foul line, 1988. Arguably the most famous dunk of all-time (at least in terms of posters). Won the contest over Wilkins, where M.J. needed a 48 to tie and a 49 to win. He got a 50. Let the record show he first did the free throw line dunk in '85, which is the only reason it isn't higher.

9.) Josh Smith windmill in the Wilkins jersey, 2005. The homage and symbolism (old blood/new blood for the Hawks) of this dunk were awesome. But go back and watch it-Smith takes off outside the lane and gives us a smooth, full windmill; the lefty aesthetic make it sick as well.

8.) Jason Richardson off the backboard, through the legs, 2004. We'd seen dudes go through the legs many times, but no one had ever done it off the backboard. Think of how high the ball was at its apex, and the dexterity and athleticism it took to bring it through. Plus, taking it straight on looks so much cooler.

7.) Andre Iguodala off the back of the backboard, pump reverse, 2006. Again, the innovation here is unbelievable. This was the first time anyone thought to use the back of the glass. Ridiculous. Plus, to grab the ball, duck under the board, then dunk is crazy.

6.) Jason Richardson off the bounce, reverse 180 windmill, 2002. Richardson, from the left wing, goes off the bounce and catches the ball squarely facing the basket. Then in the most graceful, yet violent way, while bringing the ball down, turns 180 degrees and slams the ball backwards, and as purely as could be. This is one of the more "Cirque Du Soleil"-type of dunks I've seen. Beautiful.

5.) Dwight Howard Superman, 2008. This wasn't truly a dunk in the strictest sense, but the fun factor, imagery, and the fact that he took off from behind the bottom of the circle, make this one immortal. It's my current desktop wallpaper in fact.

4.) Vince Carter hanging off the rim, 2000. This was one of those dunks that made you laugh hysterically, wondering if you really saw what you thought you saw. To get high enough to hang off the rim by your elbow is amazing, and to pull it off cleanly on the first try puts it in the HoF. Gerald Wallace and Richard Jefferson have attempted it in competition, only VC did it.

3.) Andre Iguodala off the bounce, behind the back, 2006. I can watch this one ten times a day and never get sick of it. I kind of tune out when guys go off the bounce since it's so played out, but to go up and bring the ball around your back with the off hand--in mid-air--and dunk it-with all that timing-is incredible.

2.) Jason Richardson off the bounce, backwards through the legs, left-handed blind reverse, 2004. Several things about this dunk make it outstanding-it was from the baseline, off the bounce, and he dunked it blind with the off hand. Plus, it was a contest clincher. And having Kenny Smith go bonkers only adds to the luster.

1.) Vince Carter off the (teammate) bounce, through the legs, 2000. This dunk is now the godfather of any through the leg variation. Before this, no one had done anything but a "standard" through the legs dunk, typically from the baseline and jumping off one foot. To time it to take McGrady's bounce, and then to go off two feet, and cleanly through (from head on left lane) was sick. Carter's pointing to the sky with both hands pose only added to how sick it was. The crown jewel dunk of the crown jewel dunk contest performance. This was the resurrection of the dunk contest.

In summation, I think Jason Richardson is the 1 Dunk Contest Dunker of All-Time. Vince Carter was amazing, but he only participated once. Jordan and Dominique of course get honorable mention status, as does Desmond Mason. I suppose that would be my top 5. Shout to J. Rich, who, oh by the way, isn't exactly Craig Hodges. He's 19 a night career.

The Bizniz, Volume 3, Issue 1 ARCHIVE

2/4/08

I have had this moment in mind for a long time. That is, sitting down to record my thoughts the Monday following Super Bowl XLII. I had fully expected to spend that time discussing the greatness of the New England Patriots and how unbelievable a 19-0 season is in today's NFL. Even now, watching all the sports shows and reflecting on yesterday's game I am still in a little disbelief. New York 17, New England 14. I have a million different thoughts so I'm not exactly sure where this column will go. The New York Giants were grossly undervalued going into the game, in terms of being a double-digit underdog. I do not think their victory qualifies as earth-shattering as far as upsets go (surprising, even highly surprising yes, but doesn't everyone remember these guys played head-to-head in week 17 and it was a tight 38-35 game?). Frankly, Cinderella will never make it to the Super Bowl, it's too difficult. But to call the Patriots prohibitive favorites, at 18-0 with numerous offensive records and one of the best-ever big-game quarterbacks in Tom Brady, was a relatively easy call for me (I'd say it was about 70-30 in favor of NE in terms of predictions. Hilarious to hear the Giants say no one thought they could do it. A ton of people thought you could do it gang!) The Giants D is great, particularly their pass rush. They have been road warriors all year and have played great in the playoffs, beating the two top seeds in the NFC, the Cowboys and Packers. But if you would've told me 24 hours ago that Eli Manning would outduel Tom Brady, I would've laughed hysterically. But he did. He made all the plays, including the amazing escape and throw to David Tyree on the final drive. That play/throw and that catch should indeed go down as one of, if not the greatest, play in Super Bowl history. But remember this: it never would've happened, nor would the Giants have pulled the upset, had Asante "I Want the Big Dough Because I'm a Superstar" Samuel not let an interception bounce of his hands just a few plays earlier. When he dropped the potential game-ender, I said to the party I was watching with that if the Giants pulled it out, Samuel would have freaking nightmares. I'm not a Patriots fan, per se, but I for one was rooting heavily for them. I love Tom Brady, I'm an AFC guy, and I HATE the 1972 Miami Dolphins, among the most overrated teams in the history of sports. It's fine to be proud of one's accomplishments. But, like the classy Henry Aaron, record holders should cheer for their records to be eclipsed and celebrate the new record holders. Class-less Mercury Morris needs to go away forever, but we will all have to continue to deal with him because his Dolphins are still the only "perfect" team. I can't even imagine what he's saying today, that prick. I congratulate the Pats on equaling, and surpassing, the Dolphins' 17-0 record. Let me say that again, the 2007 Patriots surpassed the 1972 Dolphins' record of 17-0. Tom Brady has more rings than Morris (3 to 2) or anyone else on the '72 Dolphins. Don Shula is a legend but dudes like Morris were fringe pros who time will eventually forget. Tom Brady, today, is one of the best to ever play his position and he's got a lot of years left before he goes to Canton. The Pats will be back. The fact that anyone has to mention the f------ Dolphins takes away from several things: we saw perhaps the greatest Super Bowl ever and the New York Giants won the Championship. Eli Manning was amazing. Earlier this year (and this shows the ridiculously fickle nature of sports) many pundits (Mark Schlereth comes to mind) said that Eli would never be a front line QB, the type that would lead a team to a championship. Now he's the toast of the town. Instead of banishing a guy to the netherworld of stardom or putting a guy on a pedestal, how about we just give the guy credit for his singular achievement and let's see how his career plays out. Good for Eli. It's a no-win situation to be Peyton Manning's little bro and/or play in New York. Eli was money. The D was money. The Giants could've folded up when the Pats went up late in the 4^th quarter. What an unbelievable game. Now, where do the 18-1 Patriots go down in history? To me, they are still one of the best teams of all-time. An undefeated regular season is amazing. And while they didn't close the deal this is still a championship team (meaning both that they were conference champs and that most of the current roster owns rings). The Patriots will almost certainly be among the favorites next year. Certainly they'll need to retool and get younger on D. They have a great front office and they own the 7^th overall pick. Somehow I think they'll survive. Certainly losing the Super Bowl, and especially when a win would've sealed a perfect season, is going to sting and take along time to recover from. I don't think 18-0 will ever happen again, but then I never thought it would happen in the first place. I'm happy for the Giants and it sucks the Patriots couldn't make history. But my overarching feeling is of nausea. I HAVE AN UNNATURAL HATRED OF THE 1972 DOLPHINS AND ESPECIALLY MERCURY MORRIS. I COULD NOT POSSIBLY HOLD ANY MORE DISDAIN IN MY SOUL FOR THOSE DECREPIT AND PRETENTIOUS MEN. Here are, in my opinion, teams better than the '72 Dolphins, off the top of my head: any of the 70's Steelers championship teams, any of the 80's 49ers championship teams, any of the 90's Cowboys championship teams, any of the Patriots 00's championship teams (or this year's team), any of the four Bills teams that lost Super Bowls, the 2000 Ravens (best defense ever in my opinion), 2002 Bucs (second-best D ever), 1985 Bears, Steve Young 49ers of '95, Raiders of 2002 (one of the best SB losing squads, they'd hang 50+ easy), Peyton's Colts last year, any of those Redskins championship teams, or any Raiders championship team. There are a number of Super Bowl winners that the Dolphins would beat. I think if you determined the 50 best teams of all-time, the Dolphins would be in the 20's or 30's, possibly teens, but certainly not top-10. They played a shorter season against lame competition. God willing, someone will eventually go undefeated for an entire season. Or they'll all die (not far away for some). As you can tell, I'm not at all embittered against them. It's Mercury "Cocaine" Morris. He thinks he's God Incarnate. He rushed for 4,000 yards and 31 td's in his career. He made a few Pro Bowls. He's also a drug-dealing felon. If Shula or Bob Griese want to talk about greatness, I will listen-both are NFL Hall of Famers. Morris was a fringe player who needs to shut up. It would be like Will Perdue clogging the airwaves talking about how great the Bulls championship teams were. Props to Eli and the Giants.

The Bizniz, Volume 2, Issue 16 ARCHIVE

11/1/07

By the way, I could not for the life of me get this to format at all. The version I have in Word is lovely with three columns and everything looking just so. I tried fixing it all manually but that was ridiculously frustrating. MySpace has to work on that compatibility. You get the info still, however.

2007-2008 NBA Season Preview

Western Conference Eastern Conference

Northwest Division Atlantic Division
Utah Boston
Denver New Jersey
Portland Toronto
Seattle New York
Minnesota Philadelphia

Pacific Division Central Division
Phoenix Detroit
Golden State Chicago
LA Clippers Cleveland
LA Lakers Milwaukee
Sacramento Indiana

Southwest Division Southeast Division
Dallas Washington
San Antonio Miami
Houston Orlando
New Orleans Atlanta
Memphis Charlotte

Playoff Seeding Playoff Seeding
1.) Phoenix 1.) Detroit
2.) Dallas 2.) Chicago
3.) San Antonio 3.) Boston
4.) Utah 4.) New Jersey
5.) Denver 5.) Washington
6.) Houston 6.) Cleveland
7.) Golden State 7.) Miami
8.) LA Clippers 8.) Toronto

Playoff Prediction

Suns over Clippers Pistons over Raptors
Mavericks overWarriors Bulls over Heat
Spurs over Rockets Celtics over Cavaliers
Jazz over Nuggets Nets over Wizards

Suns over Jazz Pistons over Nets
Spurs over Mavericks Bulls over Celtics

Spurs over Suns Bulls over Pistons

NBA FINALS

SPURS OVER BULLS
Finals MVP-Tim Duncan

Regular Season Awards/Honors

MVP Rookie of the Year
Steve Nash Kevin Durant

Defensive PoY 6^th Man of the Year
Kobe Bryant Jason Terry

Most Improved Player Coach of the Year
Ronnie Brewer Scott Skiles

All-NBA First Team All-NBA Second Team
PG Steve Nash PG Deron Williams
SG Kobe Bryant SG Dwyane Wade
SF LeBron James SF Carmelo Anthony
PF Dirk Nowitzki PF Kevin Garnett
C Yao Ming C Tim Duncan

Season Summary

Everyone concedes that the Western Conference represents the lion's share of power in the league. The Spurs, Mavs, and Suns are the top three teams, in some order, according to anyone who knows basketball. The Suns likely would've won the title last year if not for the highly controversial suspensions of Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw during their series with the eventual champion* Spurs. Will Shawn Marion be a distraction during the year in wanting to be traded? Time will tell. Can the Mavs rebound from their shocking loss to the Warriors in the first round? Repeating is extremely difficult in today's game-can the Spurs do so? The Jazz, Rockets, and Nuggets will all contend in the West. Another major wild card is Kobe. He could tip the scales for whatever squad can obtain his services-he's still the best player on planet Earth. As for the East, there are some compelling stories and teams. Obviously, Boston made the biggest splash in the offseason, acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. I think they'll be better, and fun to watch, but I'm a little less enthusiastic than many about the C's. No team with three 20 point per game scorers has ever won a title (only one team has even made it to the NBA Finals.) Detroit seems poised for another run, yet they likewise seem prone to a meltdown. New Jersey is a chic pick, provided they have a healthy Nenad Kristic. I think the Cavs will take a step back-they did nothing. Chicago has a great shot with a talented and athletic roster. Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich are one of the best duos in the league (quietly combined for 38 a night last season.) I've picked the Spurs to win it all. God willing, I'll be wrong. I'm a Suns fan and I think they have the pieces to win it all. I wonder though if last year was really their shot. The Spurs are so battle tested and experienced that it's tough to pick against them, especially when they catch the breaks they did last year. The NBA is in a little trouble with dwindling ratings and an officiating scandal. For the league's sake, here's hoping we don't see a Spurs/Pistons Finals…..